The idea of Scout pursuing anyone was appealing. Helena would like to see her remaining descendants - who were of the appropriate age of course - set up, before the time came for her to shake off her mortal coil. Although, perhaps she was being entirely realistic on that particular front. At the very least, it would have been nice to know that they had someone else in their lives. 

Helena considered the matchmaker's words. "Well, one other suitor certainly isn't a problem." Kane, and a grandmother's pride, made it seem in her mind as if Scout could easily, and effortlessly outmatch anyone else who might be in the picture. "As for Remiel, I see no objection. Although it would probably be best to advise that Scout be delicate. She is a Kane after all..." The family were not known for their careful choice of words, and delicacy when dealing with others. 

“Indeed, a little competition never hurt anybody,” Winnie found that letting the young people court multiple people helped them see what they really wanted, “Since you do not seem to object, I will proceed with encouraging an outing between the two of them. For Remiel,” she thought of how saddened the poor boy was at their meeting, “I do believe that advising some delicacy may be wise. He did not divulge all that he’d been through, but seeing the sad state he was in brought out an instinct to feed him something warm.” Winnie had a strong mothering instinct, and Remiel threatened to bring it to the front in full, “Pray tell, have you heard anything about his plight? I daresay it may help me understand the boy more.”

Competition, well... They would see how it played out. Helena felt that she knew Scout well enough to be certain that she would only invest herself in such a pursuit if she was truly interested in the man. As such, when the prospect of a meeting was brought up, Helena would nod once in response. It was a good place to start. The subject of Remiel would cause her to frown. She had heard before that the Allemeade wasn't doing terribly well, but that didn't come as much of a surprise. "Well, I imagine having much of his family wiped out, and discovering that his sister is a treacherous, psychopathic maniac working with the Eldouir played some small part." 

Helena would hesitate only for a moment, before adding more tentatively: "Time hasn't been kind to him, nor his family. Our kingdom still views him as gifted first, and soldier of Lorendale second." 

“Oh my, that would cause much distress in anybody,” Winifred did not know what she would do if she found most of her family dead. She especially couldn’t to imagine what she would do if any of her siblings did what his sister had done, “I had heard rumors about his sister taking up with the Eldouir, but I was not certain how true those were. People are too quick to assume the worst of the gifted, after all.” She taped her notebook with a finger, “But that is the way this kingdom has become hasn’t it? Despite all the good that that boy has done, he is only seen for what he is, not who.”

Yes, Remiel Allemeade hadn't had a lot of luck of late, or throughout his troubled existence. "I think it says a lot about his character that he hasn't given up on the nation completely. He deserves some happiness in his life, be it from Scout or another." 

The elder would nod at the other's statement regarding the lingering prejudice. Helena couldn't say anything about it, she was a Kane after all, and they weren't in the habit of criticizing the royals, but the Rainecourts certainly didn't help things by ordering Remiel arrested every second day of the week because he simply happened to have the surname "Allemeade". She kept quiet about that much, instead opting for the far more diplomatic response of: "Everyone, Lorendaler or not, looks for a scapegoat. Sadly, good men make easy ones because they are less likely to fight back."

“Indeed. I’ve seen men and women break down and give up for lesser tragedies,” the young man really had to be a fine man under all that sorrow. Perhaps Lady Scout Kane was just the woman to bring it out of him.

The old woman shook her head as she thought of the state of the world, “Yes, no one seems to want to put the blame on the proper individuals. It is a dangerous thing to be involved around politics when one does not have the proper resources to protect oneself,” but perhaps Remiel would receive those protections with the Kane, whether the alliance was through marriage or friendship.

The Kanes naturally had every intention of helping Remiel, one way or another, at least as far as Helena was concerned. She didn't know the man personally, but had heard about him, mostly from her son. Tybalt was a relatively easy-going man, and a good deal too soft as far as his mother was concerned, but she trusted his judgement in this one instance. "Perhaps, if a few are willing to stand with him, it will convince others." The crown might have been willing to reconsider their position, given that the queen seemed very much reluctant to adopt one to begin with. 

"I must thank you for your time. It's been a while since I spoke with someone approaching my own age. When I look around the palace these days, it feels as if I'm surrounded by children. They all look so terribly young.

Winifred heartily agreed that Remiel would do much better once he knew that he had allies. The old woman wasn’t capable of helping anybody in a fight any longer, but perhaps she could offer her parlor to him when he needed a moment of solace and a hot cup of tea.

“Oh mercy me, I reciprocate entirely, my lady,” Winifred smiled pleasantly, “I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes I am all too aware of my own age when I speak to the young people that need matches,” she shook her head with a small laugh, “I am convinced that I am not getting older, but that everyone around me is simply growing younger.”

A genuine smile - the rarest where Helena was concerned - managed to find its way onto the elder's lips as she listened to Winifred. It was nice to find some comfort in knowing that she wasn't alone in her belief about the current generation. 

"I suspect our parents, and grandparents thought the same about us." Helena mused with a smile. It was a long, long time ago that she had last thought of such things, but she was quite certain that the elderly had been muttering such complaints about younger generations for centuries. "We can only hope that as time goes on, things get better little by little. That each generation is an improvement on the one that came before it, and that they learn from our mistakes. We can hope..." 

“Oh!” Winnie laughed, thinking of her parents, “My mother used to say that we would fly backwards if we had been born as birds, and I said much the same thing to my youngest son,” she shook her head, “I worry about that one. I think his siblings may have looked out for him so much that he failed to develop his own common sense. I often wonder if our generation were perhaps too involved in our children’s upbringing, and that is not what is wrong with the younger people now.” She took a breath, “But I do agree with you. We can only hope that they will improve where we failed, and that their children will do the same.” But things didn’t seem better to Winnie. Perhaps one could argue that the gifted not being required to wear a collar was better, but what of their values?

Helena had always been proud of her children. Although fate and the enemy's swords had torn four of them away from her. So those that she had lost stood on a pedestal in her heart, one which raised them beyond many of the complaints that she might level at the rest of their generation. Had they lived, then they would have been grand, and the world a much better place for it. The thought gave their mother the power to smile softly, if only for a handful of seconds.

It was with a sigh, that she brought herself out of such thoughts and allowed herself to focus once more on the here and now. "Still, I've not had my last word, nor have I reached my last gasp. As far as I'm concerned, this world will have to put up with my presence for just a little bit longer. It won't be rid of me quite so easily." 

“Well said, my lady,” Winnie nodded enthusiastically, “While there is breath in my lungs, and energy in my limbs, I will strive to improve the world and advise the young people who come around. To do less will not do. It will not do at all.” She wondered just how many years she had left to make any changes in the world. She was a touch younger than she looked, but she was a far cry from being young and spry.

She rubbed at her knuckles, wishing that they had not been plagued with arthritis, “I must inquire after a young woman who has sought my services, Lady Kane, and I do hope that you do not think me indiscrete. However, I wish to check my sources and what this young lady has spoken of in regards to her actions. Are you familiar with Lady Annabeth Porter?”

It felt good to know that there was another who thought like her. If only they could regain some of their youth, and strength, then Helena was certain that they would have been able to face almost anything that would come their way.

Then Annabeth came up. Helena felt every single muscle in her body tense up, as she bristles underneath the surface. "Oh gods what has she done now?" Helena couldn't help but let out in exasperated sigh. Usually, when the young woman's name came up, it meant that something, somewhere, had gone wrong, and that they would have some sort of emergency to deal with. A slight crease would form of the brow of the elder as Winifred provided something which almost resembled an explanation. "After her brother became engaged to my granddaughter, we were forced to associate ourselves with that branch of the Porter family. Even with him gone, it seemed somewhat cruel to push her away completely. Given her tendency to get into trouble, I thought it best to keep an eye on Mrs. Porter, and to try and keep her on the straight and narrow. That is the simple truth of the matter."