Trust

She walked up to Ii – who by now, had stood up, but was still wearing a rather despondent expression – judging him to be the weakest. She grabbed him by the shoulders, as he visibly flinched. Having such a beautiful woman so close would pose a problem in itself, but his fear was more to do with the look on her face, and he judged pain to be near.

"Tell. Me. What. They. Mean."

She said slowly, enunciating each word perfectly, and clearly, so that he would have no excuses for giving her an answer other than the one she required.

He looked away, seeking support from the others. But no one came to his rescue. They left him to his fate. The irony was, if he squealed, he would receive their scorn, even though now they acted as though whatever happened did not concern him.

"We…"

He began, gulping deepily, struggling to look away from her piercing eyes. Having paused for too long, he received a prodding.

"'We'? Continue, or get hurt."