Sparkling Ivy

2

Fuck. Never thought they'd notice. The girl blinked, tongue thick with the tar of shock as she struggled to reply.  Abi merely stared at him, voice completely lacking. She tucked a curl behind her ear as Bruce cleared his throat and adjusted his chiton and cloak, steely eyes bearing down on her. Abigale wanted to tear past him, hide all the treasures nestled in the corners of her home. The very thought of these men laying their eyes on her secrets was enough to pull her from her panic. Abigale straightened a little and tried to laugh with feigned surprise. A mask of an actor transformed her discontent into innocent surprise and offence. For poor little Abi was only a timid little woman. Surely she could not be a suspect in such dark matters.

Abigale stumbled back, eyes half closed as she let out a delicate groan of stricken hurt. Her legs stumbled a little, and suddenly her arms were supported by the brawny hands of the three idiots. Abi sniffled and batted her eyelashes like a spring doe, when Neil broke out, "Now, now, silly girl. No one is convicting you."

"Oh...it just hurts that you would accuse me of such heinous offences!" Abi threw up her hands, trying not to smirk as a single perfect tear fell from each of her eyes. She rubbed her cheeks, whimpering softly. Beside her Bruce sighed heavily and pat her shoulder awkwardly. His voice was strung with confusion as he said, "Come now, just let us inside. No need to worry; this is just an investigation."

Damn. Abi had half expected him to leave her be. He truly suspects me. Clever man. Abigale cleared her throat and nodded her head. "Of course, dear Uncle. Come inside."

She hesitated briefly, veins heating in her ears. The girl forced her hands to be steady as she slowly pushed open the door to her cottage. Over her shoulder Jason and Neil let out snorts of distaste. Abi couldn't stop her smile this time. She swept inside, feet gliding across the earthen floor. Her stomach was flopping about as the men followed after her, hard faces searching the walls of her home. For certain it was much unlike their own, save for the packed dirt beneath their feet.

Abigale certainly wasn't making a good case for herself with the contents piled within her isolated little hut. The place was all wide open, yet cramped as could be. The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of oddities; racks of dried herbs in every colour of the rainbow, jars of glittering little wings, at least ten different daggers, all with ornately crafted hilts, tucked away wax tablets scrawled with Abigale's neat handwriting, wreaths of myrtle and olive branches and more. In the centre of the room was a deep copper cauldron, smoke rising from its depths.  Abi froze. Oh fucking fuck.

Jason tapped her on the shoulder sharply, cerulean eyes narrowed. Abi stiffened as he opened that big fat mouth.

"Where do you sleep?"

Abigale chortled with relief and turned to grin at him. Her finger pointed up to where a bed was nestled in the arched roof of her home. A steep ladder rested against it, emerald leaves of ivy curling around it. Jason puffed and pushed his strawberry-gold hair out of his eyes. "I'm not surprised."

Abi shot him a glare, before grinding out, "Can I fetch anyone some wine?"

Bruce and his lackeys nodded, their eyes still drinking in the chaos of the woman's hut. Just like her, there was nothing orderly about it, and certainly nothing that read innocent. Abigale tried not to think about the calculating glares on their faces as she shuffled to where her amphora of wine was nestled in the floor, its contents a hopeful companion to what she was to endure. In silence, she snatched up the kylikes resting on a shelf across from her and laid them at her feet. The stares of her interrogators pricked her back as she slowly began to ladle out the ruby wine, its sweet scent filling the air; she had intended to save it for midsummer, but it was still summer wine all the same. She put the rich wine into a silver krater and added a great helping of water, before gently mixing it with the ladle and distributing it into the ornate cups.

A charming smile delicately puckered her lips as she carefully handed a kylix to each guest, not before overfilling one of her own. She held the cup up and said cheerfully, "Let this be a joyous symposium!"

"This is an investigation," Jason snapped, glancing to Bruce for reassurance. The older man amplified the distaste of his subordinates, a storm growing in his face. Abigale swallowed hard as her uncle took a long sip of wine, eyes fixed on her as she echoed him, lips meeting the cool kiss of wine. Probably should have remembered to clean the cauldron. Or at least covered it. Thin swirls of smoke were still rising from the depths of the pot in suspicious waves of sickly sweetness.  Abigale eyed the hunky figure of Jason, his cruel quirk of the lips as he gulped down the wine with grotesque gluttony.  I should have given him the grape juice I'd saved.

Abi could not help but peer at the shameless human, his silk-smooth hands and joke of a sword at his belt. To think she had once defended him as admirable. She wrinkled her nose as Jason smacked his lips and gazed expectantly at Bruce. Yeah, yeah, wait for your hero to let you speak. Fucking rat. Abigale struggled to keep her hand from quivering as she took another prolonged sip from the kylix, afraid for anyone to speak. Her foot tapped anxiously on the floor, mouth dry despite the drink pouring down her throat. One hand placed the kylix on a table laden with dried flowers while the other gripped her knee in hopes it would stop bouncing beneath her chiton. Her eyes flitted from Bruce's frown to the cauldron and back again. I'm such an idiot. I should have laid low. Instead, I play at being a big shot and have a pack of wolves invade my den.

Abi wet her lips, voice quivering slightly as she croaked, "Would you like some bread and cheese? I think..."

Abi paused, blinking hard as Bruce held up a hand to silence her. A spark of fear coursed through her veins, her fingers twitched for one of the daggers scattered about the room.

"Abigale..."