It really was amazing, Ivy thought to herself, how easy it was to turn ill-gotten profits into exorbitant wealth. The programs and departments set up to turn the royalties from her (alias held) patents into actual currency was as impressive as it was remarkably invasive. If Ivy had not already experienced the eccentric magic of Wonderland, Mirror included, she might have had a few words to have with that spirit.Â
She hadnât been expecting the soft murmur of her name posed as a question to be one of the first things she heard upon stepping out of the train. The Green purred against her ears as Ivy straightened her back, using her impressive height to seek out the owner of that painfully familiar voice.Â
Equally painful was the hope that furled within her, a nasty human thing, but Ivy shook it off as easily as the trees shed their leaves in autumn.Â
âWell, well,â she said warmly, approaching the young girl, âif it isnât Marigold. I canât believe youâre still in this wild place.âÂ
A beat. Ivy suppressed the poison lingering beneath her skinâthough she did pull her fashionable turtleneckâs sleeves into placeâand swept up the girl in a hug. The last time sheâd seen Marinette had beenâŚwhen sheâd had to put her in the hospital, Ivy recalled. Akuma nonsense.Â
âGood to see you, Marinette,â Ivy said, releasing her with a flip of her hair. âAt least I know thereâs one smart person in Wonderland.âÂ
She snorted at the others humor, making sure not to hit any of the others skin, holding onto Ivy. After a few long moments she leaned back and utterly beamed at the older woman and relaxed.
Yes, Ivy was here, Ivy was real. Not some trick of the mirror. Things would be better with the other here. Marinette could finally breath in and out. Could finally relax and just.. destress.
"Oh come on Ivy! We've got a whole bumper croup of newbies! You shouldn't lump them in with the rest sight unseen. Why don't you come up to my apartment? I can make us some tea and we can catch up. A.. well, a lot has gone down in wonderland. It might be best to hear it direct over gleaning bits and pieces second hand."
She feels so tired and wrung out. She doesn't want to rehash the petals falling out of her lungs. Doesn't want to nit pick her worst enemies and her partners vanishing.
Doesn't want to rehash her and Cheshire's last battle of words before his vanishment. Â
But Kiwami's she won't let Ivy learn anything second hand, no matter how much she doesn't want to think about it at all.