~Art of Eavesdropping~
The night was far from over. Killian kept his distance as she mingled, danced when she was asked to, smiled, likely flirted. He managed to mingle a bit himself. He talked to her other suitors, their parents, staff, and various guests. Many simply walked up to him, telling him their life stories. He was very approachable when he wanted to be. It was one way he gathered information. Knowledge is power afterall.
He made his way around the room, keeping to the shadows as she danced with Dylan. Again. If he were to lose her to another gent, he hoped for this one. The man could easily make her smile all the way to her eyes.
The pang of jealousy finally flared up. Not quite so mature after all. He had hoped he'd outgrown petty feelings like that in his old age.
He noticed a man and a woman huddled together, whispering. He had noticed them enter near the end of Emma's first thirty or so dances, but they hadn't been officially announced. He stealthily inched forward, too nosy for his own good. Eavesdropping was an art he had entirely too much practice with.
"...wonder how she'll take it." The brunette was saying.
"No one can just disappear like that." He had an accent.
"But he did. And showed up right back here."
"He must have used magick. With your nose, and my skill, it's near impossible to lose a trail like that. He was completely unskilled in covering his tracks."
They must have been talking about Bae. They had been sent out to find him, then lost the trail at some point. Wait. Nose? Curious, however unimportant. Something to figure out at a later date.
"It'll be alright, Red." He picked up her hand in a comforting gesture.
"How do we begin to explain a whole day, lost to memory?"
So they had been affected. Curious. He gathered that only those in or around the castle had been affected. Or anyone near Bae. Could that mean Bae, and his hunters, had both been on or near the castle grounds? That would make sense if they were following him. Bae had woken up near the gates. But where had the hunters ended up at?
He stayed a moment longer, but their conversation drifted to other things. He mildly wondered about their shared love of wolves. He also wondered when they would finally admit to themselves that they were attracted to one another. One could pick up much while eavesdropping.
Emma's dance had finished, and she was hastily making her way toward the edge of the dancefloor. He wondered if she were trying to avoid another dance. Prime opportunity for him to catch a moment.
She looked surprised as he stepped next to her, matching pace, as if he had been there far longer than he actually had been.
"Dance with me."
She stopped, biting her lip. He wasn't sure if it was in agitation, or holding back her joy. Likely the former.
"Only because it is required of me to do so, when asked."
They moved back to the dancefloor, joining the throngs of couples already there. This was a much slower dance.
"What do you want?"
"You're suggesting that I couldn't have simply wanted another dance with you."
"I'm positive you wanted another dance. But you only asked because you have something to say."
He grinned, she was clever. "How about we just enjoy this for a moment. At least if you're dancing with me, you're avoiding dancing with another man that you have to pretend with."
She rolled her eyes, giving in. He twirled her in time with the music. He felt her beginning to relax. She even closed her eyes for a moment, trusting him to lead. They stayed like that for what felt like seconds wrapped in eternity.
"The song's almost over, Hook." She said, opening her eyes to look over at the array of musicians.
He sighed. "I found out something. I felt like you might want to know. The hunters sent to find Bae had lost his trail at some point, they think due to magick. But they too are missing a day."
She pulled away from him a bit. "What? How-"
"Nevermind that. I think all three of them wound up back here on that missing day."
She nodded. "Because no one else, that we know of, is missing a day unless they were here." She sighed. "It makes sense, I'll give you that much. But where does the book fit into it?"
"What book?"
She shook her head. "Something about the Gods. Three sisters, I think. I found it in my room the morning after the missing day."
"Sister deities. That sounds familiar… And you've yet to read it?"
"I asked Belle to look into it."
They looked around the room, spotting Belle talking with one of the nameless suitors.
Emma shook her head again, turning her attention back to him. "Look, Hook, we can't do this tonight. This ball means too much to too many people. Just let it go for now." She searched his eyes. He wasn't entirely sold. The longer they waited to act on any information, the further this witch and her hidden agenda got from them. "Please." She muttered, barely above a whisper.
He shut his eyes, knowing he couldn't say no now. "Yes, I'll drop it. For now."
"Thank you. That's all I ask."
He bowed, appropriately for the end of their dance. She replied with a curtsy. The first one she had done accurately tonight. He smiled at that.
The musicians were beginning a new ballad, and she continued on her way, and he headed back to the comfort of the shadows.
