"Well, you see, Blair, we just wanted to, you know, surprise Iggy with some scones, you know they're his favorite, and, you see, he came home to get something, so we ran upstairs to avoid him, and we got lost, and we were just on our way back downstairs, so…" Eire trailed off at the dark glare Blair gave her.
They were marching down a hallway in Arthur's house, Blair in the lead, followed by Eire, Gladys, and Peter tagging along behind.
"You three are in awful trouble, you realize this?" Blair snapped, making a sharp right, her dark-toned, almost strawberry-blonde braid following behind her. "When Arthur gets back and finds out you've been sneaking around in his home, he's going to be furious." She glanced back at Gladys, her hard, dark green eyes menacing. "I expected better of you, Gladys, I really did." She whipped back around and made another turn.
"We told you, we were going to make scones!" Peter cried, craning his neck around the two older girls in front of him, but Gladys grabbed him by the ear and swung him back behind her.
"Don't make things worse, Peter, please." Gladys muttered, smiling pleasantly at Blair when she looked back behind her. "We'll handle this, just be quiet and don't cause any more trouble."
In fact, as they spoke Eire was thinking hard. She was apt at this kind of thing, getting out of bad situations, but she simply couldn't find a way out of this one other than making a break for it, which would just put them in deeper trouble than they were already in. she knew she couldn't convince Blair to let them off the hook, unless…?
"Blair, does Arthur know you're here?" Eire asked innocently.
"What?" Blair said, turning back to look at her.
"Does Ar-"
"I know what you said." Blair said, but still didn't say a word. She stopped walking.
"Well?" Eire pressed, raising her eyebrows.
"It doesn't matter. I can give excuse as to why I'm here. You-" She shot a glance at Eire- "on the other hand, he won't trust you. I'm responsible. You have a record." She continued walking.
Dang it, Eire thought, following the country. She has a point.
"I'm just going to wait in the kitchen with you until Arthur gets back." Blair said, turning down the stairs they had just come upon. "Then I'll-" But she never finished the sentence, for at that moment her feet flew out from under her and she fell down the stairs, feet-first on her back.
It wasn't a long fall-soon enough she hit the floor, and stood up, rubbing her back. She turned around.
"You-all of you-what are those smirks for? I tripped, is all! What are you laugh-" Just then a large crash, the sound of a pot or two hitting a hard floor, resounded loudly from another room.
"What the-stay here." Blair said severely, and hurried in the direction of the sound, still hobbling a little from her mysterious tumble.
"I wonder what-" Gladys started to say, but then out of nowhere the trio was whacked off their feet and went tumbling down the stairs.
"Owww." Peter whined, rubbing his bottom. "How the heck did that happ-"
"SHHH!" Eire cut in, putting her finger to her lips.
"What-"
"SHHHHHH!" She said again, standing still. They could hear Blair stomping around, trying to find the source of the sound that seemed to mysteriously have no origin, when they all heard it.
Laughter, coming from behind a door across the hall.
On tiptoe, the trio skittered across the room. Eire put a finger to her lips, and slowly opened the door…
"That was bloody brilliant!" London said, shaking with laughter. It was a small room with bookshelves lining the walls and a couple of comfy armchairs. "At first I thought you guys had tripped her, then you all went tumbling down!" He laughed again.
"Henry?" Eire and Gladys cried in unison, but before he could respond Eire and Gladys were pushed aside.
"H-MAN!" Peter cried, tackling the city.
"Hello, Peter." Henry said stiffly, ever the gentleman in front of the ladies. But after that he abandoned attempts at politeness and ruffled Peter's hair. "How's it going, Petey!"
"Don't call me that! I'm S-man, remember?"
"Sure." Henry said, ruffling his hair again. He turned towards the girls. "So what areyou three doing sneaking about Arthur's house when he's not around?"
"What are you doing here?" Eire said challengingly, grinning in her sly way.
"I came back to get a book." He said, beckoning to a thick and intimidating tomb under his left arm. Always the bookworm, Eire thought.
"We came to steal Iggy's tea." Peter replied, Eire and Gladys hissing at him to be quiet.
"Steal his tea?" Henry said, frowning slightly. "I understand pranks, but that's a bit cruel, don't you think?"
No one had time to reply before Blair came charging through the door. "YOU THREE!" She shouted, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face. "GET OVER HERE-"
A pair of arms came up behind Blair, reached under her arms and came up over her shoulders, locking her in place.
"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Blair! Comment êtes-vous?" said a bright, cheerful female voice.
Before Blair could say a word, she was being dragged out of the room and across the foyer.
"What the bloody he-GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, GIRL! I'm warning you-STOP IT! You bloody frog-"
"Oh no, that's Francis your thinking of, mon cher. I'm no frog, oui? I'm merely related to one."
"BLOODY-"
The four listened to Blair being dragged away, accompanied by her loud protests and curses, then a door closed, and silence.
"What the-" Henry started to say, but then they heard the door open and shut again, and footsteps coming back towards them. They all stared at the door-
"Bonjour!" A woman, the same age as Eire in appearance, wearing a blue knee-length skirt with golden-brown hair stood in the doorway, smiling at them all.
"RYUU?" They all cried in unison, staring at her.
Eire thought, how the heck did Paris get into England's house?
The plot thickens! Kinda. A friend of mine created Paris in her fanfictions, and she was more than happy to let me use Ryuu. Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the unearthing of London. He's kind of my dream boyfriend. *sigh* I LOVE YOU HENRY! Anyway...
Bonjour, Mademoiselle Blair! Comment êtes-vous?= Hello, Ms. Blair! How are you?
Mon cher-My dear