Hollie
She felt like checking to see if her ears were plugged with wax or something.
“I’m sorry, what? Did you not just hear the mayor? There’s nothing that can be done, Sid. You slept too long, you screwed up. Now you have to deal with the consequences. Besides, it can still be your mountain, just…with a train tunnel through it.”
He snarled angrily and turned away from her. For a dragon that wanted nothing more than to burn everything down, if her evaluation was correct, he was doing a remarkably good job of not taking it out on her.
“That’s not the issue,” he ground out. “We must go.”
Hollie considered the idea. Perhaps there would be some good coming out of letting him go and see his mountain. It irked her that she still hadn’t received a phone call from her work asking where she was, but at the same time, perhaps Eduardo and Mikey had been listened to after all. She doubted it, but it didn’t matter. As long as she was with Sid, then none of the mining could occur.
“If we go up there, you will promise me that you will not kill anyone.” She walked around until they were standing face-to-face. “Look me in the eyes.”
He reluctantly pulled his golden-brown orbs off the wall and focused them on her. “I promise I will not kill anyone unless they attack me.”
“What? No, not good enough.” She crossed her arms. “Because if you do something that forces them to attack you, you’ve got an out. No. Do better.”
“Fine,” he hissed. “I will also not do anything to provoke anyone besides telling them to stop mining, and that the mountain belongs to me. There, is that good enough for you? Or do you wish to question my word as well?”
Hollie sensed that to Obsidian, a dragon of indeterminate age, the importance of his word was far greater than it would be to someone from her own time period. He seemed to put great stake in it, and if she wanted to get through to him, it was becoming more and more clear she needed to understand that fully and completely.
“I do not wish to question your word,” she said seriously. “Instead, I am seeking to hear it, in terms that I agree with and that make me comfortable. You have never broken your word to me, but you’ve never been forced into a situation that would make it difficult to keep. I suspect that this will be tough, so I seek assurances.”
As she spoke his expression changed, from one of anger to something resembling newfound respect, if she read him right. Hollie focused on that, making sure she filed away this little tidbit of information. Speaking to him in a language he understood seemed to get through his anger better than any other avenue she’d tried so far.
“You have my word, Hollie-Annabelle,” he spoke formally. “I simply wish to go and make my plea to those up there. I will not stand by and be attacked, however, nor will I suffer anything against you.”
She frowned. “I still don’t understand why you’re expecting problems though, Sid. The miners are just normal people, like me.”
His laughter came so swiftly and powerfully she shuffled back slightly at his outburst.
“Hollie, you are anything but normal,” he said, his voice full of steely confidence.
Blushing, she motioned toward the door. “Come on then.”
Sid fell in step with her.
“I don’t understand.”
She glanced at him. “Don’t understand what?”
“You acquiesced so swiftly there. I…truthfully I expected more of a fight. I wish to know why.”
“You’re so cute when you talk all formal,” she informed him. “As for an answer? I could say it’s because flattery will get you anything. But really, you gave me your word. I have to trust it.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like I could stop you if you did anyway. So I have to hope you’re being truthful, and if something does happen, I’m coming along in case I can do something to prevent needless death.”
Sid was quiet the entire way back to her car. “You are definitely not normal,” he said softly as they climbed in. “You are remarkable. I will strive to never let you down,” he vowed.
There was something strange about the way he spoke, but Hollie just put it down to him giving more meaning to sayings like that, compared to how people these days just tossed them around like they were candy. “I promise this…” and “I would never do that…” etcetera. Meaningless.
But not with Sid. Then and there Hollie decided she was going to do a better job of living up to any vows she made, in an attempt to hold herself to his lofty standards.