"Mhm," came the immediate reply. She didn't sound at all surprised when Zeke called upon her, not at all like a distracted school student caught daydreaming. Her eyes shifted over to the rustling papers, but never really looking at the faces of the other two Hydra members even when she replies.

"That's crazy," Queenie mused, half-hearted. Maddox had more to add, like the nerd and Zeke's pet he was. Dmitri and the CAD takeover. Something something something. Adelais' ear flicked when he sensed Lyra's quizzical stare upon him, as if he would betray his witch's deepest thoughts, fears and grudges. Instead he looked up back at her briefly with an expression in his eyes that seemed to say: just leave her be.

Though he had a sneaking suspicion that she won't be left be.

Queenie lifted her head from her palm, peering at Maddox and his interrupted words with a mild frown. The cog ticked over in quiet realisation and she finally looked to Zeke's expression.

"Ah ha ha," she sounded a robotic laugh, as if it was the polite--albeit uncanny valley--thing to do. "Should I leave?"

Zeke was still smiling at her and speaking gently, and to Queenie, she thought that he would at least understand. Though her shared link however, was a warning: he's not on her side. The girl visibly grimaced, averting her eyes as she all but slammed her chin back onto her palm, ignoring the reverberating ache coming from her elbow.

"Of course you did." Gossip was always rampant in Hydra, since information was oh so important. She told Farah with burning humiliation that she had no excuse--but that was only the coping mechanism she was taught to keep safe from her, her parents and her grandparents.

"I'm not the one who misplaced the passcode," she muttered, slightly muffled from her mouth hidden behind her fingers. "Auntie would be better off replacing that idiot cun-- man, instead. Just shooting me dead; stupidest thing ever..."

Ever since she had returned to land and thrown out of the fold, Adelais had watched Queenie stomp the feeling down and throw herself into a fool's errand, going through multitudes of compartmentalising and repressing to get her back to somewhat usual business. The emotions that she's used to and prefer. She's been hanging by the thinnest of threads.

Of course, she's not a therapist, and sweeping it all under the proverbial rug left inevitable kickback. When Zeke brought it up, the annoyance underneath stretched that thread even thinner.

Queenie blinked, the half empty liquor bottle on the shelf wall was still in her sights. The immediate wisps of mana against her skin darkened like the plummeting thermochromic crystals in her mood ring. Adelais moved to lay his head back onto his front paws. It was a while coming... she's been trying hard, but the thread will snap, whether she wanted it to or not.

"... Hah?"

She finally graced Maddox with her gaze, lowering her hand onto the counter slowly. She had to, very slowly, or else Maddox would find a fist to the face. Her palm pressed down flat against the cool surface. It had to be or else her nails turned lion claws would scratch into the wood.

"I did everything right. Fucking-- I hate the beach; the goddamn sea isn't my strong suit and even I--!" The pads of her fingertips twitched, urging to curl into a white hot fist and she stopped. Take in a deep breath, Adelais said. Remember, your outburst was what killed you in the first place.

So she did. Queenie closed her eyes and her shoulders rose up... and fell straight... She shook her head, reopening her eyes to a fierce glare; her words still remained with a chilling bite.

"Forget it. I'm not to explain myself to an actual traitor."

The crimson eyes that fixated on his cocked head simply could not stand to look at him physically. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilating into pinpricks. Her lips pressed in a firm line so tight, she drew blood inside from biting too hard.

Maddox went for the jugular. For intents and purposes, he was correct in his assumption, but god forbid she let him know that. Not after this when he's being such a bad friend. Terrible. Worst. The most heinous.

Adelais was forced to his feet in case Queenie really did decide to lash out at the boy, but thankfully, the worst she did was slam her hand against the counter and jolt forward by some degrees, as if she was only just about to. Queenie shifted back on her seat and scoffed out a disbelieving laugh instead.

The lion sensed the snap within her, and Maddox was about to experience how truly scary vindictive and manipulative Queenie could be.

"Fine!" she spat with vitriol. "Lucky you, Maddox. Since I'm too stupid to recognise the voices-- Help me out."

With a wave of her hand, the two men were met with an illusory hologram of Maddox's death on the countertop, picture perfect how she remembered it, on the table in his own blood, skull cracked open.

Voices enveloped both Zeke's and Maddox's heads, and Queenie rearranged herself to ground her chin back on her palm, peering at them with an unreadable, yet focused glare.

The voices were more recognisable--though whether it was true to the actual prophecy was kept under lock and key in her heartless abyss. Voices that belonged to Zeke himself, Ha-Yoon and Erin, pointing fingers at one traitorous Maddox Ruchbah.

"This isn't the time or place for--"

"--Maddox? What are you--"

"HELP ME!"

"Fucking shit. Fall back, now!"

Queenie let the silence sink back in before speaking up with a cruel, "I hope it's me that bashes your head in."