A Heart Breaking Cry

The thief came back to the mansion near midnight. When questioned, all he said was that he was scouting. Irene considered threatening him some more to have him explain what he had done throughout the day in detail, but a rather loud and abrupt knock on the door quickly put a stop to such thoughts.

"Stay out of sight." She gnarled at him and walked to the door. Who dared disturb her at this time? Only the damn bats were awake so late at night. And thieves, but that was a different matter entirely. Annoyed, she pressed down the handle and swung open the wooden door.

"My lady!" It was a young woman, perhaps fifteen years of age. A pureblood, and a noble one at that. "Ah, Maria." Irene forced her expression to soften. It wouldn't do to scare a child. "What is it?" The girl was panting, out of breath. Her already loosely fitting dress was a bit oddly pulled back, like she had shrunk in them.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's my cousin!" She cried, tears forming in her eyes. "They got to her! She's dead! Ava is dead!" She covered her face with her hands and began crying.

Irene felt her chest tighten. "What?" She whispered. Ava was a pureblood. How could they have killed her? Even if it was accursed blood, just dipping a silver blade into it and stabbing her shouldn't have been enough!

She hid her trembling hands between the folds of her dress. "Did you see it happen, Maria?" She asked with a gentle voice. "Did you see who killed her?"

The young girl only started crying louder. She mumbled something in between her shallow breaths, but Irene couldn't understand her from all the crying.

"Maria!" She called the girl's name louder. She needed answers! If she had seen the killer, then all her problems could vanish! "Maria, did you see who killed her?" She asked, even louder.

"I'm sorry!" The girl cried, she stumbled back, fell to the ground, and hugged her knees, burying her head between her chest and her arms. "I'm so sorry…" Her body trembled as she cried, sitting on the cold path leading through the garden.

Irene took a deep breath. "Maria, listen to me." She bit her lips. "I need you to give me answers. Did you-"

She heard hasty footsteps before someone brushed past her.

"Shut up." The thief hissed at her before kneeling by Maria. "She's just a kid."

"Hey," He whispered, carefully touching the young girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry for what happened." His gentle voice didn't seem to change much as Maria continued crying. He remained still, his hand resting on her trembling shoulder. A few moments passed as Irene's lips curled down with a frown. All this human was doing was slowing things down.

"Maria-"

"Shh!" Aoric hissed with an annoyed expression. He then quickly turned his attention on the young girl again. His expression softened. "Do you want some water?"

Maria mumbled something. Aoric smiled. "It's ok, I'll bring it." He got up, and headed back inside. As he brushed past Irene, he whispered. "Leave her alone."

A few moments later, he had returned with a glass of cool water, and a wet towel. "Here," he said, once again sitting down on the ground besides Maria. He gave her the glass of water, let her drink it, then offered the towel. "Come on, clean your face. You'll feel all sticky."

Maria did as he asked, though her nose kept running, and her tears kept flowing.

"I was too scared to go home alone." She whispered, clenching her thin, small fingers around the towel. Irene's ears perked up. "I wanted her to come with me, she's strong. The strongest of us. And she never gets lost!" Another crying fit overcame her. "I'm so sorry!" She cried, throwing herself onto the human. She grabbed his shirt, her nails immediately piercing the cheap, poor quality cloth. "I never wanted this to happen!" She cried, burying her head into his chest.

Aoric's face went pale as he glanced at Irene. He silently mouthed 'She blames herself'. Irene's lips formed a thin line as she nodded rigidly.

"It's not your fault," Aoric whispered softly as he stroked her messy, short hair. He furrowed his brows and raised his hand to show some dirt stuck between his fingers. "You're not responsible of any of this."

"But-"She drew a sharp breath. "But if I had gone home alone… then… then… Ava would be… she…" A wordless howl escaped Maria's lips. Aoric flinched. If the situation was not what it was, Irene would have laughed at his reaction.

"It's not your fault." His firm voice startled the girl. "Don't go blaming yourself, ok?"

"…ok." She whispered after some time passed.

"Some more water?" Aoric offered. Maria nodded, and slowly pushed herself off of him and drank some more water. Her hands trembled so much still that the water in the glass shook.

"She was taking you home?" Aoric asked. "Where do you live?"

Irene furrowed her brows. She already knew where Maria and her family lived. Why was he wasting time with such unnecessary questions?

"Ava's house and mine are on opposite sides of the cathedral." Maria muttered. "She always takes me home." She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the towel. "But when we left the plaza, she… she…" Her voice trembled.

"It's ok." Aoric whispered. "You don't need to say it." He gently stroked her back. "Don't force yourself."

She shook her head. "It happened by the big angel." She blurted out. "The one with the spears going through her wings." Those were all the words she could speak before she broke down crying again.

Irene's expression softened. "Good work, Maria." She softly said. The thief had done well too.