sidewaystime:

more on the madi&flint&thomas&silver front:

• epistolary bffs madi and flint are giving me life right now
• they just keep having arguments about literature and economics and philosophy
• sometimes there’s writing in another hand, crammed into the margins of the page; a digression, a different thought, a sly remark that fits alongside her own thinking like a puzzle piece
• flint mcgraw the captain is scathing on the subject of…everything really and even though he restrains himself in ink, she fancies she can hear him cursing every fourth word or so.
• the next packet of letters brings one from a t. barlow, in which he responds to the contents of james’ first, third, and fourth letters, asks her a multitude of questions regarding her opinions on the subject of spanish poetry, and ends with an apology for his presumption but he could not help himself given how often he instructs james to include some comment and james refuses, telling him to write it himself if he wants to share his opinion so much and really, what is thomas to do in such a situation 
• of course she writes back. 
• the captain asks after her mother often and, once, asks her to convey his respects. much, much later, after her mother is gone and the full weight of responsibility for her people settles onto Madi’s shoulders, she asks him what he thought of her, captain to queen. he liked her, he says. he thinks he might have understood her, at least a little. and he tells her of what he had planned to do that day he sat down with her. he says only that mr. silver had intervened and that he is grateful for it, as he would otherwise not have had the chance to meet someone so singular. it is the only time he mentions john in months and months of letters.