Period of Pretties, Petticoats and Power

Three - Balls Are Such Bothers.

Three — Balls Are Such Bothers. 

I scrambled upwards, hoping it did not look like I was listening in. The man did not offer a hand to me, as I brushed off my skirt and quickly mumbled something.
“Um, I just tripped. Thanks.”

A older man came up behind him, his light hair had steaks of grey in it. “Were you listening in?”
Oh no. “No.” I said, trying to control myself and stay calm. “I was merely getting some fresh air and happened to trip over a root. A bother, I am, quite a clumsy bother.”

That was not true. I never tripped.

The man with the staff—Eli—rose an eyebrow. “I do not appreciate lies.”

“I do not lie.” I lied, cringing. “Nasty habit.”

“Then why,” He drawled out, “are you?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I was running through my brain of smart ways how to handle this. It was simply not passing up anything, except for get out of there. I found myself wanting to ask questions though, which was most likely going to get me killed.

So, I kept my mouth wisely shut.

Eli nodded. “That is what I thought.”

“A human? Just what we needed.” Mumbled the older man, giving me a curious look. “What did you hear?”

Everything. “A little bit.”

“Meaning?”

I stuttered for an appropriate answer. My eyes strayed to the staff, and I paled slightly, before looking up to the ice-coloured eyes.
“You killed a beast-man-thing. And you wanted information from him.”

The older man groaned, and Eli turned his head to him. Seeing a opportunity, I darted around him and bolted across the path. My skirts were gripped in my hand, so I did not trip and fall over again. That would be twice in the same night and that would embarrassing. 

Suddenly, I bumped into a hard chest and stumbled back a few steps. Eli stood in front of me, which was horrifying, because I remembered how he could move as blindingly fast paces. He surveyed me with unreadable ice eyes.

“Well, what are we going to do with you?”

Oh, I thought, he is going to kill me.

Oh goodness, I then thought, I did not wish to die.

“Nothing.” I said. “Would be your best course of action. In fact, letting me run off back to the party sounds like the best course you could act about.”

The older man laughed, now beside Eli. “Darling, we will let you go back to the party. When you have deemed not to be a threat.”

“A threat?” I asked in slight surprise. “I have been called opinionated or hard-headed but never a threat. I cannot say I am fond of it.”

Eli watched me, and I could of sworn I saw his lips twitch. But, they stayed in a tight pursed line. “You a now a threat. A Human.” He leaned forward and my breath caught. “Do you, miss, have a death wish?”

“Eli!” Snapped the older man. “You ought not to scare the girl. She might go off babbling.”
“No one would believe me.” I said, before I could stop myself. “They never believe the girls. Even when we are right.”

Eli didn’t look convinced. “That does not change the fact that you hold information that could be useful to lots of people and they have ways of finding out how to torture you until you speak.”