“ … straight to the point , huh ? “ she let go , busying her hands with far more important things ; like straightening the wrinkles the wind had blown into her dress , and patting down the wild curls of her hair . her mouth had screwed into a pout , and after she was done looking tidy in that mediocre way of her’s , she opted for a more beneficial method of conversation .
“ but … no . how about this ? we’ll do a question exchange ! you get to ask something , and i’ll get to ask something in return . you already went first , so— mau . i’m mau . who’re you ? “
———❝ YOU ARE AWFULLY CHEEKY FOR SOMEONE WHO JUST SAW A DEAD BODY. but you’re right, mau, i’ve been awfully unfair in this exchange. ❞ the man shifted a bit, beginning to herd them both toward a safer area where they wouldn’t be questioned. it was almost comedic, the fireman saving the girl from a tree.
❝ my name is elliot. is there anything else you’d like to know? ❞
“ and you expect me to just believe you ? “ though she sidled along as well , having an unexpectedly little amount of trouble with balance and almost letting go of him once or twice . she’d been ready to jump from the start , optimal angle or not , and the child in her swung her legs over the gap as she bobbed her head .
“ alright , i’ll jump . “
———IT WASN’T A MATTER OF TRUST THAT HAD KEPT THEM FROM TAKING A WORSE PLUNGE. elliot was perfectly fine being a treacherous liar in the face of persecution, not that he intended to be that kind of person.
pushing off the branch with the strange child in hand, he quickly slowed their descent to a comfortable floating drop. it tended to be hard with another in his grasp, but the girl was not large and he had the experience to do it.
❝ now, will you tell me who and what you are, kid? ❞
with quite literally no hesitation , mau grabbed his wrist rather than his hand the moment it was offered . the sights had already been seen and she had a new interest now ; finding out whatever he thought she was . ( a little girl ? a riddle ? a monster ? ) .
“ if there’s no plausible way to get down , then i was thinking of jumping . it wouldn’t hurt me , just like you can’t . “
———A STARE JUST BELOW A GAWK. he almost shook her off by mere reflex alone, how she grabbed his wrist so suddenly. sliding closer, he took her other hand and turned his gaze below. this place was secluded enough, but it was never bad to get some added assurance.
❝ i don’t intend to get you hurt. ❞ he pursed his lips, slowly lifting one leg so that both could hang over the edge of the branch.
the statement caused mau to formally lift her head— eyes white like ivory— and literally RISE to the occasion . all that crouching was hurting her knees , anyways .
… god , that was such a GRANNY thing to think .
“ alright , sure . but you’re not taking me anywhere weird , are you , mister ? because i’ll bite you ! seriously , seriously bite you . i’ve got REAL sharp canines and a taste for blood . “ she let that sink in for a moment , then woefully admitted , “ … half of that was a lie . blood’s gross and stains my teeth . yuck . “
———❝ WE’LL CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN WE GET TO IT. i just worry about how you think you’re getting down. ❞ beginning to move from one branch to another, the man held out his hand to the young woman.
he knew she had no reason to trust him, a strange man who’d most definitely killed another all the way up here. still, he had no reason to harm her, not when he had the faintest idea of what she was. sliding closer, he offered his hand once more.
she contemplated that question , MAY it be rhetorical or not , “ i mean … perhaps both? “ and with finality , swiped her palm over the dead man’s eyes ; shutting his lids once and for all without so much as smearing a drop of blood .
looks like she WON the staring contest !
“ … i mean it wasn’t ea—sy . i lost a shoe at some point and got like , eleven splinters in my foot thereafter , but the smell was too STRONG to just ignore , so i followed it all the way up here ! what a pain . the splinters , i mean . got any tweezers ? “
——— OFTEN THE INFERNAL DID NOT GARNER A SENSE OF HUMOR. little by little, he noted the gaps in his understanding of the situation. he’d done this job as instructed by his client, the woman wanting the body displayed from high above as if burnt in effigy. he knew better than to light the fucker on fire, too flashy, too noticeable.
still, it mattered little if his cover was blown so quickly, the girl both a witness and an anomaly.
❝ i can help you, but you’re going to need to come with me. ❞
call her ‘ thrill seeker‘ or ‘ stupid ‘ or whatever , but mau was very FOND of getting up close to the action !! after all , nothing she’d ever encountered posed a real danger to her , and people that died before she came around didn’t make her bawl her eyes out like the child her appearance SUGGESTED .
so … no biggie ?
but now she was having a staring contest with a dead guy with bullet-brain— upside down , of course— and a voice was coming from behind her . she didn’t ask if they did it ; the smell of death permeated , but she DID turn her head and boldly state the following ;
“ does this face look like it needs help ? “
———❝ Depends, are you referring to him or yourself? ❞ It was a cool remark for a man who’d put the bullet in his brain to begin with.
The girl had come at an inopportune time, Elliot just about to clean the scene of all traces of a struggle when he was sorely interrupted. Her demeanor, along with the silent sensation of fire at his neck, told him she was not exactly what she seemed. A demon?
❝ If you’re referring to him, I’m afraid I did all I could to save him. ❞ The sarcasm was not lost in his tone. Unscrewing the silencer from the muzzle of his weapon, the man slid each into their respectful places on his person.
❝ Do you mind telling me how it is you got here? ❞
parker's blogs 