A/N: This was the result of a drabble switch with Anamary Armygram.
"Surely such a strong girl could climb up and loosen our ropes so we—"
The blonde looked at Napoleon pointedly. "Flattery won't work. I'm not dumb."
He sighed. "Sorry. I don't think clearly when I'm bound and strung up like a ham. What if we reward you for helping us? A pretty dress, maybe? A string of pearls? Lunch at L'Ours Brun…?"
Met with a cold stare, he switched tactics.
"By doing nothing, you're cooperating with the people who did this."
"So?"
"You know what I think, Illya?" Napoleon said, looking at his partner. "She wants to help us. She's just too afraid to climb."
"I'm not!"
"Are you sure?" Illya asked dully.
That was the last straw. The overalled little girl ferociously strode towards the precariously high jungle gym where some THRUSHies had left the agents hanging upside down. She scaled the rungs and was soon by Napoleon's feet.
"That's a girl. Now loosen…"
Napoleon didn't finish his sentence. Somehow, the girl's fingers had already quickly undone the knots, and she was now pulling the ropes away. He went flying, landing hard on his chin in the gravel below. A moment later, his partner flopped down beside him. The girl grinned demonically at them through the bars before scampering down and away.
"Are you injured, my friend?" Illya asked.
"Only my ego. Bargaining with a seven-year-old to get out of a THRUSH trap, and then her...er...letting us down doesn't do us much credit."
"I suspect it was love at first sight."
"Come again?"
"I hear it is not uncommon for young girls to assault their crushes as a way of demonstrating affection. The twenty and up crowd certainly seem to enjoy you—why not their younger sisters?"
They exchanged a bewildered look. Illya shook his head.
"Women."