Character Outline
Holly Short is a talkative and sarcastic elf with an auburn crew cut (although she later grows a fringe) and hazel eyes, as well as the pointy ears and nut-brown skin typical of her species. She stands at one meter in height (said to be three feet in US editions), one centimeter shorter than the fairy average (an inch shorter in US editions), and has a gymnast-like stance. Like all elves, she is child-sized by human standards, but her bodily proportions are adult. According to Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Holly is about eighty years old. (Elves and other magic species live much longer than humans. It is said that there is a dwarf over 2000 years old in the book.) Holly is the first and only female captain in the organization LEPrecon. In The Artemis Fowl Files, she notes that she eventually earns the respect of her male colleagues. Holly will defy the orders of superiors and disobey rules if she believes that she can be of more help that way, and has gotten into trouble multiple times for defying a direct command. She is described as pretty, but in a dangerous way, comparable to a black widow. Her interests include playing fictional fairy game "Crunchball," reading (especially thrillers), and flying with artificial wings.
Holly lost her father at a young age. Her mother, Coral Short, is described as a European elf who was temperamental and had an appearance similar to Holly's. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox reveals that her mother worked in Lower Elements Police division "LEPmarine" and died after she was exposed to dirty radiation, which is poisonous to fairies.
After Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception, Holly quits the LEP and begins to work with Mulch Diggums.
However, after working as a private detective with Mulch for a short time, she returns to the Section 8 unit of the LEP in Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, in time to help Artemis, Butler and the others out of trouble.
Her relationship with Artemis Fowl has changed dramatically since the beginning of the series, morphing from hostility to grudging respect to friendship, and has recently included substantial hints of a romantic attraction despite the age and species gap.
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