Claws of Truth

Divide & Conquer

Hunter looked down at the food on his plate. "You could've just put the plate on a vine and had me feed myself like in a fairy pie eating contest..."

Willow shrugged. "Yeah, but then I wouldn't have a small stock of sharp vines pointed at you to unleash at a moment's notice if somehow you manage to distract me and free yourself. This way I can turn you into a religious man if you try anything." She said with an innocent smile.

Hunter arched an eyebrow then glanced back at the vines still over his head, peacefully floating there as though they were weightless, held up by a soft breeze. "Okay, I'm even more confused. What's religion have to do with this?"

Willow giggled, "'cause then you'd be holy." She snorted then laughed again. "Like, full of holes!" Now she was delving into a full-on laughing fit, hunched over, arms covering her twitching abdomen. Her laughter quickly escalated until she was taking gasps of breath in between laughs, desperately trying to swallow the air around her.

Hunter stared at Willow, unflinching; the epitome of a flat affect, as she began coming down from her hysterics. "Please stab me."

Willow giggled, quick spurts of hiccuping snorts increasing in intervals. After a few moments, she could control herself long enough to get out a sentence. "Don't worry, that's the worst joke I'll make this hole time!"

"...uh huh."

Sure, Willow could easily make more bad jokes, and to be honest, she probably would, but she had to focus on assessing Hunter. He seemed to be the typical bad guy at first: spying, associated with the known enemy, actively on a mission where he hunted down her pseudo-mother. Things like that do not make one good. However, there was something about him, something weird, that made her think she was missing something. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I'll leave you to breakfast then. I'll be back up-" she pursed her lips together and hummed, "in about ten or fifteen minutes. Give or take depending on how rowdy everyone is."

"Yeah, okay." Hunter said somewhat absently as he turned his attention out the window where the sunlight shimmered in.

A small, happy smile graced Willow's lips as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Hunter turned his attention back to the door when he heard it close. He remained still for a moment before he heard the fainting noise of Willow's shoes on the steps as she made her way downstairs before silence engulfed the room once more.

"Finally..." Hunter breathed. His chance to escape was quickly unveiling itself and he knew that he had to take action quickly before anything changed to keep him here.

"Okay..." He muttered to himself, "So the Owl Lady knocked my staff out of my jacket when she wrestled me down in the bushes. I don't think I can get back out there to grab it. I'll have to get the backup one... But, I can't do anything until I get myself out of these stupid binds..."

Hunter gritted his teeth and looked down towards his feet. He was too constricted to reach the knife that he hid in the secret compartment of his boot, so that was option A out the window. Option B was to find something sharp enough to slice through whatever material was holding him down.

There had to be something around that could do that. Plus, if it had any magical properties to it, he may need something sharp and enchanted as well. But what?

He searched the room from his corner for a little longer before his eyes caught Willow's vines. They were slowly wavering; dropping down towards the floor as though they didn't get enough sleep the night before. And on each one of those dozing vines were plenty of little serrated spines that glistened in the sunlight.