Emerson had always thought that leprechauns didn't exist. They were just the stupid, wise tales that were told by her grandfather.
She knew about the buckle shoes and the solitary confinement; the fact that they were always male; their job as a cob...
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I rushed out of the parking lot, tires squealing as I made a left turn onto the main road. Anger coursed through my veins and I tried to calm myself with some method breathing. Ailis had gone too far. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the leprechaun's red hair hanging low as he hid, what could only be, a wallowing expression on his face.
"Miss, can I please come to the front seat?" He said the most proper voice he could muster. I shook my head, a slow hiss of air escaping from between my teeth.
"No." It felt harsh but honestly, I couldn't do this for more than a few days. I hated having a leprechaun, and I wished he would just go away. He slumped further into his seat, and I couldn't help but stare at his defeated frame. I knew he didn't mean to fall off of the counter, but what was he trying to rip out of the vending machine?
"Sorry." He mumbled once more. I glanced at him again before sighing.
"Okay get up here -- But only if --," I took a quick breath, his bright green eyes waiting for me to continue. "--you answer a few questions for me." It didn't take him long to process what I had said before quickly jumping to his feet. He made the leap to the center console before settling into the passenger seat. I would have otherwise chuckled at how cute he looked swooping through the car, but I was still too annoyed to break that easily.
"Anything." He muttered, It was almost like he was my husband and I'd just busted him cheating on me. The nervous tone, awkward shifts, and his obvious desire to make the situation better.
"First off, what were you doing to that poor soda machine?" My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I asked the question. There was no reason for Ailis to dig around in the back of a soda machine. He needed to learn that behavior just wasn't okay, and he couldn't just rip stuff apart.
"I was looking for gold." He mumbled under his breath like a child who was about to get punished.
"Gold... in a soda machine, didn't we already have this conversation! Just because it is golden and shiny does not mean it's gold. Anyways, isn't gold dull in the first place, why are you digging through shiny things." My rant was uninvited, but as it filled the air things got more tense. Ailis began bouncing his shoe against the seat making a tiny thump noise.
"I know." His response wasn't enough. It didn't justify any of his actions. He was still in trouble.
"Then why! That's all I want to know, why do you dig around in these places when you know gold won't be there." Ailis thought for a moment before speaking.
"Copper." That was all he said, and I wanted to smack him. He thought this was just a game. He wasn't too worried about what was going on, and he didn't care how he affected things. I could feel the anger boiling, and his short unhelpful answer weren't helping.
"Go on." I elongated every syllable, making sure he got my point. My teeth were clenched together and I'd like to think that it made me look more intimidating.
