With a soft gasp, Madeline rose to her full height at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Turning around swiftly, she looked startled to see Abbot standing in front of her with a soured expression displaying on his face, and in the garden of all places.
"A….Abbot?"
"You're not wearing shoes." He clicked his tongue in displeasure, his gaze on her bare feet that had been coated with Earth's gift. "Why am I not surprised? You're a typical example of the children who came from the mud."
"That is certainly no way to speak to me." Stunned by his ill-mannered advances towards her, Madeline refused to tie her tongue and watch him refer to her as an abandoned child, and then she smiled widely with her eyes instinctively closing, to Abbot's surprise.
