Minecraft: Normal Mode

Chapter 5: Lots of Being Sneaky

"You didn't mention an 'us' when we first met," Ivor said, softly and in a very, very menacing tone. "And I don't like surprises." He proceeded to gesture in a wide, sweeping motion at Jesse and Evie collectively, his voice growing sharper and more threatening. "If these are the sorts of people you associate with--"

Evie had to wonder why she was being included in the group. She hadn't said anything so far.

Wait, had she? Rambled on a bit about how Petra had the Wither Skull but they didn't... no, that was literally it. 

"Perhaps we should just call the whole thing off!" Ivor finished, glaring back at Petra. 

"My friends are fine, right guys?" Petra immediately asked, voice adopting a placating tone, "There's no problem here." And she turned and shot Jesse and Evie a glare, which Evie shrank back at. That was a little unfair. She'd done her best to stay quiet throughout the whole ordeal. "Let's not be hasty, okay? This is just a... little misunderstanding."

Jesse, thankfully, took the hint and just shrugged a little. "I'm cool if he's cool," she replied, a bit coolly. With that, all three of the almost expectantly turned to stare at Evie, waiting for her answer.

Evie was now more than a little uneasy. One person staring at you is already awkward and, honestly, more than a little intimidating. Three is just overkill. 

"Um-- yeah. Sure. I'm totally okay with it, too. I'm cool. Let's roll. I mean, let's do this. I mean--" Evie decided to stop talking and just keep her mouth shut, like she'd been told to do before.

"It's settled, then," and Petra turned back to Ivor with an almost slightly relieved smile. "We're all cool."

"Proceed, then," Ivor replied, in a suddenly-very-calm voice. Evie couldn't help but frown a little-- the tone of voice which he had just said that with was almost... a little sinister.

Well, but then again, everything about this guy kind of creeped her out, so maybe it was just an overreaction.

Calmly, Petra reached into her back pocket and pulled out the Wither Skull, holding it out to Ivor. Almost delicately, the older man took ahold of the skull, twisting and turning it in his hands as he scrutinized it, a strange smile coming over his face-- definitely a sort of sinister grin, she instinctively thought.

Evie told her instincts to shut up. It wasn't like Ivor could help looking sinister more than she could help being clumsy.

"I'll take that diamond now," Petra said quietly, as if reminding Ivor of the deal.

He glanced up, eyes suddenly seeming to have lost all interest in the three girls. "Take it. You've earned it."

Evie quashed down the instinctive urge to think-- once again-- that this guy was acting awfully weird. Maybe that was just the way he acted. Who was Evie to judge?

She belatedly realized that Ivor had already started moving away to leave, while Petra and Jesse had moved to go dig through a chest. Meanwhile, Evie was left standing in the middle of the alleyway like a sort of idiot.

"Uh--!" Ivor glanced over his shoulder at Jesse's sudden, blurted exclamation, dark blue eyes flashing with an almost alarmed look, before he started speeding up, as if eager to get out of the alley.

Okay, forget it. Ivor might not be able to help looking suspicious or acting weird, but that was just really sketchy behavior.

"This isn't a diamond!" Jesse finished, sounding almost startled.

"No-- it's lapis!" Petra groaned, standing up with the lapis piece in her hand and glaring at it as if she wanted to make it self-destruct with her gaze alone. Actually, with how intensely Petra was glowering at it, Evie was a little surprised that it hadn't already self-destructed.