#vtmpok ward

[lots-of-little-pink-clouds]

So here's a thing about Madelaine's relationships w/ Ward, Sevinc, and Hauberk. Everything is under the cut b/c it be a long boi (as all my posts seem to be whoops :/)

Quick Overview:

So Ward, Sevinc, and Hauberk eventually go to Waterloo after being driven out of Ottawa and updated Baron Zaslow on the situation in the city

(I'm thinking Archon Durand has taken over under the guise of stamping out the Anarch threat, but is clearly just amassing power for her own ends)

Naturally, Madelaine learned of their arrival relatively quickly - news travels fast through the Anarch grape vine, and Baron Zaslow's high opinion of Ward was common knowledge

(The only thing Zaslow had a problem w/ was Ward's friendship w/ Arundel. This was also common knowledge, and many of the other Anarchs agreed w/ Zaslow that Ward had been way too close w/ Ottawa's Prince)

(Madelaine kept her own counsel about it, but she still listened and added all the juicy new info to the other rumours she learned when she was w/ the Camarilla)

Robert Ward:

Madelaine's opinion of Ward is fairly neutral. She doesn't know him well and never had much time to form much of an opinion

One thing she does know is that he's an extremist - the constant bombings sort of gave that away - and that's something she can't tolerate

So when Ward showed up, there was a slight dislike, but otherwise, she wasn’t sure what to make of him

Contrastingly, Ward was ecstatic that Madelaine had made her way to Waterloo. He was quick to try and build a friendship w/ her, despite the rough beginning they had in Ottawa, something that she hesitatingly reciprocated

It was tough for them simply b/c they are such radically different people, but they were able to bond over the one thing they had in common: Arundel

Ward told Madelaine about how Arundel always said good things about her, almost like he was a proud sire. And Ward may not be the brightest, but he can recognize the similarities she and Arundel share (and that makes Ward miss Arundel more)

It also makes Madelaine miss Arundel more too (he was sort of a father-figure to her, after all), if only b/c she never got to hear him say those things to her himself

(She doubts that he would've actually done so, but it's a nice thought)

There's also a lot of guilt there too b/c she never tried looking for him and she ends up wondering how things would've been different if she had

Sevinc:

Of course, Madelaine's disapproval of Ward's extremist nature meant that she and Sevinc clash horribly whenever they interact

Sevinc is a staunch Anarch extremist. Her suspicions regarding anyone remotely Camarilla also made her inclined to dislike Madelaine from the beginning. She challenges Madelaine and questions her motives constantly, it’s exhausting

Madelaine, of course, is dealing w/ a lot right now given how it was only recently that she defected to the Anarchs and Sevinc's insinuations weren't helping. So she becomes really passive aggressive and surprisingly petty

But there's also a sort of mutual respect there too? Not much, but it's enough for them to work together for short periods of time

(Really, really short periods of time)

Madelaine grudgingly admires Sevinc for her strong convictions, even if she disapproves of her methods, and the same applies to Sevinc regarding Madelaine

Of course, they would never admit that to anyone else

The night Madelaine and Sevinc ever agree on something is the night that the Antediluvians turn out to be real, awaken, and kill them all

Hauberk:

So to explain Madelaine's relationship w/ Hauberk, I feel like I need to explain the overall dynamic of Madelaine's relationship w/ Corliss, Arundel, and Ward

So Arundel and Corliss are something like a divorced couple that have a co-parenting relationship, and Madelaine is the child being passed b/n them (sort of a 70/30 custody thing at the beginning before changing to Corliss having her full-time (Arundel still pays child support))

Ward is Arundel's new boyfriend that Corliss is resentful of and Hauberk is Ward's adopted kid

Based on that, Hauberk feels threatened when Ward and Madelaine start bonding, and so he takes that frustration out on Madelaine by always being angry and aggressive and always trying to start something

Madelaine is only mostly annoyed by this - Sevinc is better at riling her up, and it's partially thanks to her that Madelaine develops a thicker skin - but one day he manages to hit a nerve and she snaps

Combat isn't her strong suit, but she doesn't really need it to intimidate him since she has Dread Gaze, and by god it worked (like, Messy Critical worked)

After that, Ward came down hard on both of them (something about not tearing each others' throats out before they take Ottawa), resulting in Hauberk and Madelaine avoiding each other and only interacting when they absolutely had to

Like, they still loathe each other, but they’ve gone from actively hostile step-siblings to “I still hate you, but I’ve elected to ignore you” step-siblings

[nightingaletrash]

Okay, I think I'm gonna stick with Qui's romance as canon for Khalia, while still working in some aspects of Jordan's route because I love Khalia and Jordan being besties 😌

Cue post-game movie night at Jordan's. Khalia invites Qui along, and Jordan decides 'hey let's invite Lucca too!' Arundel finds out and invites himself and Ward. Meanwhile Lucca invites Kashif because 'you're friends with Khalia, it'll be fine, besides she owes you for saving her life' and so Kashif invites Ophelia. Gerard comes along too because Khalia insists that he deserves the night off after everything that's happened.

Khalia only pays attention to the horror movie, otherwise she and Qui are preoccupied with cuddling and pda. Unless it's an action/cop drama of some sort, in which case Qui will be criticising the shit out of it and saying 'that's not how that would play out in real life.' Gerard often agrees with him and criticises the movie criminals for being inefficient idiots. Suddenly everyone remembers that this man was a soldier in a criminal syndicate once upon a time.

Ophelia correctly predicts the plottwist everytime to the point that everyone knows she's spoiling it on purpose. Jordan spoils it on accident because he gets caught up in the input from his visions and doesn't realise that they've not reached that point in the movie. Only one of them is apologetic and its not Ophelia.

Lucca is either praising or dunking on every single film, from the cinematography to the costuming choices. She had a ten minute rant over how a particular style of dress straight up didn't exist for over a century after the period setting of the movie.

Kashif doesn't care for any film that defaults to Islamaphobia, and neither does Khalia. The moment it happens, they both lose all investment and everyone usually agrees to move on to the next movie. He has a lot more to say on the spy movies and that the assassins are stupid for letting themselves get spotted. They should have just gone for the kill instead of standing there like an idiot.

Arundel knows way too much about brains when the horror movies are on and everyone else silently agrees to never watch the Brain That Wouldn't Die with him. Lucca owes Ward ten bucks for shutting Arundel up with a makeout session.

[lots-of-little-pink-clouds]

So Ward did have ulterior motives for becoming friendly w/ Madelaine. And naturally, it has to do w/ Arundel.

Ward loves the guy, so of course he isn't willing to give up looking for him. Sevinc convinced him to forget about it for a short while, but when they arrived in Waterloo and saw that Madelaine was there, it made Ward want to try one last time.

Madelaine was hesitant about Ward's overtures of friendship but ended up giving in. They spent a few months helping Zaslow's Anarchs and getting to know each other. Eventually, Ward asks Madelaine to partner w/ him on a scouting mission.

Now Madelaine, who usually partners w/ Kashif or her adopted childe Derick, is suspicious. Zaslow typically leaves it up to the Anarchs to arrange themselves into teams and Ward usually groups up w/ Sevinc and Hauberk. It was especially strange that Ward only wanted Madelaine to go w/ him, to Sevinc's obvious disapproval.

(Sevinc, of course, knew what Ward was planning. She tried to convince him not to go through w/ it, but Ward does what he wants)

B/c of this, Madelaine has a feeling that Ward is up to something. Despite that, she decides to trust him (only up to a point though, see below). By now, they're somewhat friends, and also, she couldn't see any reason for him to screw her over.

But still. Months w/ the Anarchs taught Madelaine a few things. As a result, she's become more cagey and a bit cynical. So she goes to the one person she trusts most at the moment: Kashif. She lets him know that something is up and promises to fill him in on the situation when she and Ward get back.

(She and Kashif have a whole back-and-forth about it, Kashif even offering to follow at a distance, but Madelaine doesn't want to cause any problems b/n him and Zaslow. Zaslow doesn't really run a tight ship (that's Anarchs for you), but Kashif being gone for too long w/o notice could hurt his standing. And depending on what Ward wants, she wants at least one of them to still be on Zaslow's good side)

Once she and Ward leave however, Ward fills her in on what he hopes to achieve. And Madelaine, who deeply regrets not looking for Arundel, agrees to help.

(How could she not? It's Arundel, practically her father figure)

Even so, what happens if they do find Arundel? Zaslow may think well of Ward, but there is no way in hell he would call off the assault on Ottawa, not now that they have come so far.

When they get to the villa, not much changes from the events of the game. The only difference is that Trevor Haidt isn't alone - the Quebec Tremere planned on moving Arundel back to Quebec City, so there are a couple mortal guards w/ him to ensure the job goes smoothly. But after Trevor and the mortals are dealt w/, Madelaine and Ward get into the villa's basement and find him. Arundel.

Naturally they free him, how could they not?

After explaining everything, Arundel is willing to welcome them both back into the Camarilla. There's no question in his mind about accepting Ward. He missed his old friend (and lover).

Arundel is also extremely proud of Madelaine. She might have arrived later than he expected, but she still came. And after hearing that she and Kashif killed Corliss, he especially admires her for her initiative and loyalty.

But nothing is ever simple.

The Camarilla is barely holding itself together under Vivian's leadership and Baron Zaslow is almost ready to attack Ottawa. Archon Durand stuck around and is prepping the city's defenses - the Anarchs haven't been subtle - while at the same time accumulating power for her own gain.

Also, Ward and Madelaine (and also Kashif, although not many are aware that he survived the Tremere Blood Hunt) were declared persona non grata, so there's no way the Camarilla would accept them back w/o reason.

So Arundel starts plotting. And just like w/ Corliss, Madelaine plays an important role.