Unknown Worlds - Dreams Of A Girl

Play of Dominance

He quickly overcame his embarrassment.

Then he folded his arms over his chests

"I won't apologize for that. It most certainly did save your live again – for, let me think, the third time this day?"

He looked at me and my stormy expression and hastily added:

"Well, although I might apologize for the matter in which it happened. But you have to give me some credit, what should I have done else?"

I harrumphed and copied his actions of folding the arms over the chest.

A minute silence passed, as his statement hung in the air.

Then another.

And another.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't deny the truth in his words.

For if he spoke the truth then thanks were in order instead of accusations.

I let out a sigh of resignation. My temper always got riled up, when someone entirely foreign witnessed my weak moments.

But still I wasn't about to let him off the hook.

"Well, won't you offer a lady a seat?"

He arched an eyebrow in scepsis.

I wisely decided to ignore his action.

"If we want to get it over with the obvious tension in the air, I suppose introductions might be a good way to do that. But I rather prefer to sit while we clear the air. If the course of our recent conversations is any indication, it could take its while."

Now, as one says, the ball lay in his side of the court, and this time he was the one who couldn't deny the truth in my words.

He sighed.

"I might suggest a more neutral ground, but from what I gathered and what you indicate with your actions, this is not in question. So at least, when we are situated in surroundings that are tipped in your favor, you might show a bit of hospitality and let us take a seat", I pressed on.

It was a risky move and I knew it. This was all about dominance. We were still working out who had the upper hand in this situation and therefore me acknowledging his in the moment superior situation might have been understood as me subjecting to him.

He didn't even move so much as a mouth corner, while indicating me to follow him.

He led me through a series of passageways until we came to his destination.

I was fairly certain he had taken some detours to confuse my sense of orientation. I guess, I should feel honored or something like that that he didn't think it necessary to blindfold me.

For all the passageways he took, he might as well have done it.

But in a way, it was also way for showing off in an attempt to dominate even more.

He simply could have done the talk in the main room, from which we started, but instead he led me through this maze only to show me the library.

I chuckled as I saw the table and the chairs. It resembled an English tearoom very much.

He threw me an irritated glance, which I easily ignored. Instead I sauntered to the very chair he was aiming for and graciously sat down, which left him with the only option of putting the chair into place for me.

He sat down opposite of me.

"No tea?" I asked seemingly disappointed.

"Don't be so disappointed. This is a simple introduction and for all I know you still could be in league with them and therefore a serious threat." He threw me a wary glance.

I arched an eyebrow at his blunt tone.

"Then I guess I am to feel honored of you acknowledging my presence and actively speaking to me. But again, isn't that a very risky way of treating a suspect?"

"Is that a complaint against my treating you? It can always be arranged, you know?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dare questioning your behavior towards me", I quipped, "Especially not, if the behavior in question has been very gentlemanlike and leaves nothing to complain for."

I emphasized the words gentlemanlike and nothing, while keeping my facial expressions straight.

I frowned as in thought and then added:

"Well, except for the tea, of course. That is not a way of a gentleman treating a lady, you know?"

He seemed to explode.

"What is the matter with you and your tea?"

His voice had risen above the sound level of a normal conversation.

But still I kept my voice serene and regarded him with a cool glance.

"I guess, you wouldn't know. I think the feminine touch is missing here. No female would allow an English tearoom to be occupied without serving tea."

I played with him and he knew it. I didn't really care about the tea, but I did want to know how long I could goad him before I overstepped me bounds.

And he took my bait.

"What is that to mean?!"

"Oh, nothing personal, you know." He seemed confused.

"It's simply an earthly tradition. But I guess you wouldn't know, would you, Doctor?"

Complete silence fell after my last statement. Even the humming inside the walls had vanished. It was as if everyone held their breath for the eruption to come. But it didn't come.

The Doctor neither deflated nor got angry. Only his eyes betrayed their surprise, but were rapidly replaced with suspicion.

"And where, may I ask, did you gain this knowledge from, Miss...?"

He stared at me questioning.

"It's Elena and before you follow your train of thoughts to its very end and come to the conclusion that I have something to do with whatever is happening, I have to disappoint you."

"And why is that, Miss Elena?" He mused. And more importantly, why should I believe you, his eyes seemed to say.

"Because I am or better was a simple student at the school, in which you found me, minding her own business until you came along." Again, I emphasized the word you.

"And if my reaction to this very incident wasn't proof enough then I cannot give you much more proof for my being not involved in this business except for my word which with this statement I give you."

The humming from the walls returned.

The Doctor tilted his head studying my body language and my words.

Satisfied, he nodded.

"I believe you...for now. But there is still the matter of you knowing my identity..."

He watched my reaction. Then, dissatisfied, he resumed.

"So, my last question to you is, where did you get this information?"

I simply looked at him, while a thin smile graced my lips, which then transformed into a huge, wicked grin.

I continued to grin, before giving him his answer, simply to watch him squirm.

"A girl has to keep her secrets, doesn't she?"