Perfect (Ian or possibly Shelby)

[Arden Patricks]

"Excellent logic...." I laugh slightly, shaking my head. "So... how are things with you then?"

[Ian Hunt]

"As usual," I incline my head slightly in acknowledgement of that, laughing slightly, "Things are alright."
I'm still not convinced that we've managed to discuss her situation properly because I really feel it's not been talked about enough to be okay again yet, but I can hardly bring it up.

[Arden Patricks]

"Just all right?" I ask. Maybe after a bit I might decide that he really hasn't been helpful enough and I'll wish I hadn't changed the subject. But for now.... "Any more detail then that?"

[Ian Hunt]

"No," I shake my head, "Not really. Things are alright...and...yes, alright."
Things are pretty alright...I suppose. Besides the fact that I think I'm just going to allocate everyone a corner of the house and make them stay there, so no one fights and no one cries and so that Maddie rests rather than deliberately sneaking out and wandering around until she just makes herself weaker.
But still...we're all together again now, so it doesn't matter because things will level out. So...it's alright.

[Arden Patricks]

"All right," I nod, deciding that's really quite a frustrating word because it's hard to ferret out the truth when people are so vague like that. Or maybe I'm just ridiculously nosy and... whatever the word is for someone who has to constantly 'help' other people. I'm sure that there is one. "So... Maddie's readjusting all right?"
I did go to the trial, if not to visit her in prison, and she looked... not well. Not at all. So that's a specific thing that I can ask about.

[Ian Hunt]

"She's readjusting pretty well," I lie with a pretty sincere and reasonable nod.
She is readjusting pretty well, besides the dizzy spells and fainting and the refusal to go to St Mungo's, besides the adamance that she will not sit down and rest for five minutes, besides the midnight screaming which has started all over again.
I think, I could probably cope with the stubborn refusal to recover the normal way, as she's always been like that. But the nightmares and consequential screaming always gets under my skin. It also means that no one else in the house gets uninterrupted sleep, which means that I'm faced with two sleep-deprived irritable daughters, and Alex is usually irritable anyway, even if the lack of sleep isn't taking it's toll. Which means more infighting. Which means higher stress levels. Which means more an even more restless Maddie. Which, in turn, links back to the original problems and makes everything a whole lot worse.
But, besides that, she is readjusting pretty well indeed.

[Arden Patricks]

I nod at that, wishing yet again he'd be less... vague? so I could determine whether or not I'm being unreasonably paranoid.
"I should have gone to see her," I say after a moment, mainly to myself. If a friend is in Azkaban, or sick or upset or any of those things, you're supposed to go see them and make sure they're all right, even though you know perfectly well that you can make sure of no such thing. I should at least go see her now, see how she is and all. What kind of friend doesn't?

[Ian Hunt]

"No," I shake my head, just a little bit hesitantly.
I don't think that when you become someone's friend, you automatically accept the terms that if they happen to get thrown into hell on earth, you have to put yourself through it to see them.
It's too much to expect that she'd put herself through going to Azkaban to see her. It's not really fair.
I think I might have not gone if I had the choice, but I don't, because it's my obligation, or something. A moral thing that makes no sense to me on a conscious level...something like that.

[Arden Patricks]

"No, I really should... have," I argue, shaking my head. I have no idea why it matters, because I'm pretty sure it doesn't... but now it's important to argue. "If I can go see bloody Logan then I ought to have the guts to try and check up on someone decent as well, shouldn't I?"
Although that was the problem, of course. If I'd gone to Azkaban to see either one of them I would have had to see both, and that... just wouldn't work. I don't know exactly why, but it wouldn't. Because they're too different but were in the same place, I don't know.

[Ian Hunt]

I raise an eyebrow sharply at that. I hadn't known she'd gone to see Logan...and if she can manage that then I take it back and she should have bloody gone to see Maddie.
I feel ill at the thought of their cells being next to each other, and it also made it uncomfortable because I had to avert my eyes drastically so I wouldn't see him. I'm glad he didn't speak when I was there at least.
"You went to see Logan?" I try and keep my voice as light and casual as possible.

[Arden Patricks]

Not the right person to admit that to, dearest.
I shrug, interlacing my hands so I can study them that way instead. "For some reason I did, yes," I nod, feeling strangely like I should apologize.

[Ian Hunt]

"How is he?" I have to force the words past the block that's sprung up, the same one I've had for months now. That satisfed 'he's locked away and I never have to worry about him again' block that stops me from thinking about him.
I don't even know why I'm asking, apart from the sudden malicious urge to actually know that he's suffering.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug, looking off to the side for a moment as I try to figure that out myself. I generally try not to think about it all, which probably isn't very healthy. Then, of course, I feel guilty… and then feel stupid for feeling guilty… and then try not to think about it again. So, really… how is he?
"I'm in Azkaban, Arden. How do you think I fucking am?"
I half-laugh, very shortly, at that, shaking my head. “About like anyone else, I suppose.” I shrug, then frown slightly. “Though… not insane, which is weird considering how very not-sane he always was.” I shrug again. Why are you of all people asking this?

[Ian Hunt]

I'm a little surprised at that, as he can't very well be not insane...if he's always been thoroughly insane anyway...so how can punishment bring him sanity? It doesn't make sense.
But I don't really care anyway, as the urge to know that he's really suffering has sort of faded and now I'm sort of ashamed by it in the first place and glad that she has no way of knowing it was even there in the first place.
"Why'd you go?" I ask with a small shrug.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug, shaking my head and laughing very slightly. "You know, I was asking myself that almost the whole time I was there. But I guess I'm not immune to family loyalty... even if I don't apply it to my relatives."
I'm not sure if that made a great deal of sense to anyone but me. It might be a bit of a confusing sentence, as I know that I tend to make those. But now I'm busy wondering about Logan's apparent sanity. It makes very little sense. How does anyone stay sane... or for that matter, become sane... on a steady diet of his or her worst memories?

[Ian Hunt]

I half clear my throat at that, trying to decide whether I should ask for her to clarify that in terms I understand.
I don't know if I'm just an idiot because there are times when I don't understand what she's saying at all, or if she just speaks in an unnecessarily complicated or cryptic way. I'm still trying to work it out after over a decade or so.
"I'm sorry...what?"

[Arden Patricks]

"Sorry." I shake my head, laughing faintly. "I meant... that I finally figured out why I always forgave the idiot. It's because, like it or not, he's like a brother to me. And even though I don't have the problem of family loyalty when it comes to, say, Fitzy... for lord knows what reason, Logan is different." I shrug slightly. "He's the brother that I wish had turned out different and don't particularly like... but still family."

[Ian Hunt]

I tilt my head slightly, before finally nodding, "Yes, actually, disturbingly, that does make a little sense."

[Arden Patricks]

I nod at that, laughing very faintly again. "Well, that's something." Then I fall silent, studying my hands again... pretty sure I've been monopolizing the conversation again. I'm not really sure how I always seem to manage to do that no matter how hard I try not to.

[Ian Hunt]

"Certainly is," I nod, pausing as I look down at my hands.
We've been talking for a while now, and there's that subject still nagging at the back of my head, but I'm not quite sure how to say it. 'So hey, did I mention we were skipping town? Have a nice life,' doesn't sound quite right now that the coversation's gone on so long.
"So..." I say, then shrug as I realise that I might have just been able to say that out loud, passing off the word as an awkward 'now what?'-esque remark instead.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug in reply, looking up. "So... want to take any bets on how long I can avoid asking yet again if there's anything up with you?" I laugh slightly.

[Ian Hunt]

"I don't know, I'll probably lose," I grin weakly, before shrugging and deciding to skip the question and just answer, "Well, now that you haven't technically asked yet, but..." I sort of stop as I don't know how to complete the sentence and then really don't know what to answer with anyway, "Um...we're leaving."

[Arden Patricks]

I raise my eyebrows at that, shaking my head slightly because that really is a vague sort of statement out of context. "Who's leaving where? And when? Um... why and for how long?" I frown slightly, pretty sure that I've covered all the questions now. The obvious answer to the first is him and Maddie because there's really no other obvious 'we,' but the rest are all open.

[Ian Hunt]

"Er...we, as in Maddie and Poppy and Alex and Abby and I. Very soon. And...well, on a permanent basis," I shrug idly as if it means nothing at all.
The why is a little hard to cover, so I think I'll just leave it without answer for a time being. I suppose it's a little weird to just bring this up for little reason in the middle of a conversation without prior warning, but our conversations have always drifted around a little bit anyway.

[Arden Patricks]

I open my mouth as if I have something to say immediately, but then realize eventually I don't so now I'm just sitting there with my mouth half open, staring straight ahead. Eventually I close it, swallow, frown, and bite my lip before I can try again to say something profound.
"Oh."
I pause, biting my lip and looking down at my hands again. So you were right that everyone leaves. Just might take a while sometimes.
I shake my head at that, trying to think of something else to say while trying to wrap my head around the 'on a permanent basis' bit.
"So... you're just... leaving?" I ask intelligently. "What, to wander the world or something?" I'm thinking of Dahlia and Luke now, just roaming from town to town because they're too flighty to live one place in particular. "Or just to get away? And... not come back? Where are you going?"
I think I should likely shut up now because I sound like a two-year-old or something with all of these questions.

[Ian Hunt]

"Just leaving," I agree, then half-shake my head, "No, we're going to settle...somewhere, I should imagine. But yes, not coming back."
I pause after this, feeling like I should at least try and answer all the questions or at least say something, but with nothing coming to mind, I'm sort of stuck with an awkward little shrug.

[Arden Patricks]

"Hm," I nod, then stay silent for a moment before shrugging. "Keep in touch?"
It's not that big a deal, I tell myself. Two of my closest friends are disappearing, that's all. It happens.