"I'm afraid she won't wake for quite some time," the little fairy said with
seeming regret. "She didn't get a dose of magic."
Careful to keep a detached expression, Butler abandoned his efforts to rouse his unconscious sister and walked over to where he'd fallen earlier. The spot where his storied life would have come to an end, if not for Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon. She still hadn't gotten up. Feeling awkward towering over her, he joined her in sitting on the floor.
"Why did you," he began, before pausing. She cocked her head and looked at him expectantly. He couldn't quite think how to put what he wanted to ask into words without using the phrase "save me," which of course wouldn't do at all. It showed too much vulnerability. Butler was aware of his vulnerability, of course, but he didn't like to talk about it. "Why did you save me?" he finished lamely.
"Why did you spare the troll?" she asked him in response. She was as bad as Master Artemis, answering questions with questions.
"That's not really an answer," he objected.
"Isn't it?"
Butler shook his head firmly. "I spared the troll because you asked me to. I didn't ask you to cure me. So why did you?"
"Because I can't stand to watch death. I always feel like I have to do something about it. Besides, would you have asked me to heal you, if you were capable of speech at the time?"
"No."
"I see. Something to keep in mind," she said, a tetchy look crossing her face.
"Thank you, anyway, it was very nice," he said graciously.
"And would you have spared the troll, if I hadn't asked you to?"
"Maybe."
"All right, then."
Butler checked his watch. "Time to go," he said blithely, picking Holly up as he stood.
"What! Put me down! Time to go where?! Put me down!"
"Nice as it's been chatting with you, we're on kind of a tight schedule here, and I don't make the rules. I just beat up the people who don't follow them. I need to report to Master Artemis. And you're coming with me, because if you hadn't locked him up somewhere he'd be down here by now."
Holly used her new eye-level with Butler to give him a very nasty look.
"With this helmet on, human, I don't have to do whatever you say anymore. Put me down, now, before things get ugly."
With his free hand, Butler reached up and plucked the helmet from Holly's head. "Do not put on any more helmets," he instructed her.
Holly kicked him in the hip. "Do not slap, kick, or in any way harm me, my sister, or Master Artemis."
Seeing the futility of her situation, Holly went slack in Butler's grasp. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes and waited for whatever was going to happen next to happen.
And then Butler kissed her. She inhaled sharply and was about to say something when he murmured, "And kindly keep your thoughts to yourself for the next couple minutes."
So she did.
Careful to keep a detached expression, Butler abandoned his efforts to rouse his unconscious sister and walked over to where he'd fallen earlier. The spot where his storied life would have come to an end, if not for Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon. She still hadn't gotten up. Feeling awkward towering over her, he joined her in sitting on the floor.
"Why did you," he began, before pausing. She cocked her head and looked at him expectantly. He couldn't quite think how to put what he wanted to ask into words without using the phrase "save me," which of course wouldn't do at all. It showed too much vulnerability. Butler was aware of his vulnerability, of course, but he didn't like to talk about it. "Why did you save me?" he finished lamely.
"Why did you spare the troll?" she asked him in response. She was as bad as Master Artemis, answering questions with questions.
"That's not really an answer," he objected.
"Isn't it?"
Butler shook his head firmly. "I spared the troll because you asked me to. I didn't ask you to cure me. So why did you?"
"Because I can't stand to watch death. I always feel like I have to do something about it. Besides, would you have asked me to heal you, if you were capable of speech at the time?"
"No."
"I see. Something to keep in mind," she said, a tetchy look crossing her face.
"Thank you, anyway, it was very nice," he said graciously.
"And would you have spared the troll, if I hadn't asked you to?"
"Maybe."
"All right, then."
Butler checked his watch. "Time to go," he said blithely, picking Holly up as he stood.
"What! Put me down! Time to go where?! Put me down!"
"Nice as it's been chatting with you, we're on kind of a tight schedule here, and I don't make the rules. I just beat up the people who don't follow them. I need to report to Master Artemis. And you're coming with me, because if you hadn't locked him up somewhere he'd be down here by now."
Holly used her new eye-level with Butler to give him a very nasty look.
"With this helmet on, human, I don't have to do whatever you say anymore. Put me down, now, before things get ugly."
With his free hand, Butler reached up and plucked the helmet from Holly's head. "Do not put on any more helmets," he instructed her.
Holly kicked him in the hip. "Do not slap, kick, or in any way harm me, my sister, or Master Artemis."
Seeing the futility of her situation, Holly went slack in Butler's grasp. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes and waited for whatever was going to happen next to happen.
And then Butler kissed her. She inhaled sharply and was about to say something when he murmured, "And kindly keep your thoughts to yourself for the next couple minutes."
So she did.
