He was smiling at her, but there was no warmth in the gesture. Hearth held her breath, her hands clasped in her lap, trying her very best to keep from panicking. Her heart was racing in her chest, and the more this man spoke, the more she wanted to give in to his demands. Raif was in trouble down there— only Adrastia above knew what horrid things they were doing to him —and it seemed like the only way to get him out of that jam was to tell him the obvious, that they really didn't know anything! But Raif had told her no, and who was she to disobey her older brother, who knew so much more about things than Hearth did?
By withholding the information, she wasn't doing anyone any good, was she? Perhaps it was possible to reason with him? He didn't really seem like a reasonable sort of fellow, but if she didn't tell him anything, then who knew what would happen to her brother! She was visibly shaking now, and she struggled to even decide what to do, nevermind what she was going to say. The man wasn't really helping the situation by going so far as to taunt her either — as if she didn't have enough to deal with at the moment!
...You might think yourself high and noble and whatnot, but down here, you're just a rat whose been given the privilege of being in the presence of one of Angaelo's esteemed acolytes...
Well, that was wasn't fair at all! Hearth, who had never had someone take to her negatively because she was noble, was taken aback by his statement. High and noble? She wasn't even sure what he meant by that. Was he implying that she was stuck up? She could barely speak! What did she have to be 'high and noble' about? She found herself actually a little angry at his baseless accusation and so help her, if she could talk, she would've loved to correct him. But no, she was stuck with only stuttering out the bare necessities, and she didn't have the courage to take a firm tone with anyone anyway. But she would've liked to, dearly.
"I... um..." She took a deep breath, trying to remember her lessons with her speech therapist, remembering to find the words before she actually spoke them. "I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry, I c-c-c-c-can't," she finally managed, looking up at him. But she thought of Raif, her dearest brother, and bit her lip.
"W-W-W-We r-r-r-really d-d-don't k-know anything a-a-a-anyway! W-We j-j-just s-s-saw a w-w-woman l-lying th-there, a-a-a-a-and, a-a-and th-then y-y-your m-m-m-men sh-showed u-up." She was shaking more nervously than before, worried than she was betraying Raif's orders, but when her imagination ran wild of what they may be doing to him, how could she keep still? Besides, was it really telling him anything, to admit that they knew nothing.
"P-P-Please d-d-don't h-hurt R-R-Raif," she muttered, in a very small voice. "W-We've r-r-r-really d-d-d-done nothing wr-wr-wrong! I-I-I d-d-don't k-know wh-what e-e-e-else to t-t-t-t-tell you, s-s-s-sir."
What did he want to know? The only thing she could remember notable about the woman was the note that spoke about a Gossamer Seed, or something— but maybe that was what Raif didn't want her to mention. Maybe she wouldn't have to, maybe he would note that they really were innocent in this whole affair, and perhaps he'd let them go.
She ruminated over his words, trying to think of something to say to placate him, and then— ah, he had mentioned a man, an Angaelo! He had mentioned an Angaelo! The woman, the woman, she had mentioned an Angaelo, and she had told them, in her last breath... something important about Angaelo! Oh, but Hearth couldn't remember what exactly she had said... But it was important! If only she could remember!