You desired my attention; but denied my affection-

The falling darkness kept her from seeing the shadowed form as she rounded the corner until it was too late to stop herself from running right into them.  With a sharp gasp, the young woman stumbled backwards, once again dropping the spool of string in an unsuccessful attempt to keep herself upright.  Sarah fell hard, but kept hold of her basket and the precious plants it contained.  “I…I’m so sorry,” she stammered, looking up.

Ah.

Slowly; incredibly slowly; that gaze flicked up. The edges of his thick lips twitched and tightened at the sight of this girl sprawled out in front of him. She was all dark hair and pale skin; sitting in a pile of string.

“Good evening~” He pressed a knarled hand across his chest; palm resting over the place his heart should have been. Words fell roughly from his mouth; jagged and roughly edged; low and powerful. Mocking.

“Please…I can explain,” she began again, voice picking up speed in the hopes that he’d hear her out without interruption.  “There are people in my town that are very sick…my younger brother…he needs those plants or he’s going to die…others might, too.  I didn’t know anyone lived here or I swear I would’ve asked first.”

It was hard, looking into the eyes of the creature that talked like a man, but looked nothing like one.  Still, she did it, determined to convince him of the truth in her words.  “Please…I have to get those plants to the town’s doctor…I’ll…I’ll do anything.”

Twisted fingers tapped against his rough cheek; slowly caressing the valleys of tissue that his skin had become. Soft movements; deliberate in their intensity; subtly disquieting to watch. The loose flaps of skin around his neck shook slightly. Eyes fixed - beneath a grim brow  - on her.

Explanations... So many explanations...

He waited pleasantly for her to finish her almost inaudible mumbling before he next spoke. It was - as befitted Jareth - a question. Dangerously simple in it's wording. Perfectly accompanied with a ghastly smile.

Yes. Yes… he could smell them now.

Could hear the muffled movement of their feet as they found their way through the undergrowth. Slowly to begin with; then faster. Picking up the pace as though they wished to be gone.

But no.

He couldn’t quite allow that. Not after where they’d been.

Jareth wove his way through his tangled maze with the grace of a lion stalking his prey; the string winding  itself around his fingers; creating a miniature tapestry against his hands - an idle amusement; he barely noticed.

The falling darkness kept her from seeing the shadowed form as she rounded the corner until it was too late to stop herself from running right into them.  With a sharp gasp, the young woman stumbled backwards, once again dropping the spool of string in an unsuccessful attempt to keep herself upright.  Sarah fell hard, but kept hold of her basket and the precious plants it contained.  “I…I’m so sorry,” she stammered, looking up.

Ah.

Slowly; incredibly slowly; that gaze flicked up. The edges of his thick lips twitched and tightened at the sight of this girl sprawled out in front of him. She was all dark hair and pale skin; sitting in a pile of string.

"Good evening~" He pressed a knarled hand across his chest; palm resting over the place his heart should have been. Words fell roughly from his mouth; jagged and roughly edged; low and powerful. Mocking.

The greenhouse had become, in a word - vast. So vast in fact; that one could not quite see  the glass roof that had sheltered the flowers before. It simply was not there.

But other things were.

Around them; the Underground stretched far; the sides and the places in the distance a faint blur at the edge of their vision.

What’s said is said… after all. 

Three pairs of eyes blinked up at her; guiltless in their dark orbs. “We is in the Underground. Our home; the nearest realm to th’ Aboveground - which is where you used to live.”   

Using the pause in her speech; they huddled close together. Whispers ensued from the little group as they began to argue amongst themselves.

"-stupid, too stupid-!”

”-told you it was a bad idea, but did-

The greenhouse had become, in a word - vast. So vast in fact; that one could not quite see  the glass roof that had sheltered the flowers before. It simply was not there.

But other things were.

Around them; the Underground stretched far; the sides and the places in the distance a faint blur at the edge of their vision.

What’s said is said… after all. 

Three pairs of eyes blinked up at her; guiltless in their dark orbs. “We is in the Underground. Our home; the nearest realm to th’ Aboveground - which is where you used to live.”   

Using the pause in her speech; they huddled close together. Whispers ensued from the little group as they began to argue amongst themselves.

"-stupid, too stupid-!"

"-told you it was a bad idea, but did-

The greenhouse had become, in a word - vast. So vast in fact; that one could not quite see  the glass roof that had sheltered the flowers before. It simply was not there.

But other things were.

Around them; the Underground stretched far; the sides and the places in the distance a faint blur at the edge of their vision.

What's said is said. . . after all. 

Three pairs of eyes blinked up at her; guiltless in their dark orbs. "We is in the Underground. Our home; the nearest realm to th' Aboveground - which is where you used to live."   

Yes. Yes. . . he could smell them now.

Could hear the muffled movement of their feet as they found their way through the undergrowth. Slowly to begin with; then faster. Picking up the pace as though they wished to be gone.

But no.

He couldn't quite allow that. Not after where they'd been.

Jareth wove his way through his tangled maze with the grace of a lion stalking his prey; the string winding  itself around his fingers; creating a miniature tapestry against his hands - an idle amusement; he barely noticed.