Common Ground

[Existentially Odd]

Continued from \'Reporting A Crime\'

Wilson thanked Joely with a tilt of her head and softly spoken words of gratitude as he held the door to the tavern open for her.  She gathered the hem of her coat habitually as she moved to precede him.  She didn\'t walk too far into the elegantly decorated room once inside, preferring to have her companion with her before she made a choice as to where they should sit.  Instinctively, she scanned the room to gauge who was present, who was missing and what sort of danger level they posed; thankfully, everyone seemd pretty safe.  Noble, happy... none of them Lord Dagger.

She sighed out a breath she hadn\'t realised she\'d been holding, her shoulders releasing some of their tension as she turned to give Joely a smile.  "Where would you like to sit, then?" she asked as he stopped by her side.  The room wasn\'t bursting but it was pleasantly full and, if the farmer wished, they could either get lost in the midst of the crowd, or remain at a table slightly apart from it all.  She left it up to him.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Not feeling as though he would blend in too well with a richly dressed crowd, nor under the impression that he would be comfortable to be surrounded by them, he chose a table that was more secluded.  He held back a chair for the captain to seat herself upon, his manners something that had been drummed into him since he was old enough to walk and talk.

"I think something a little more out of the way," he\'d said as soon as her offer was spoken, his feet taking him here hastily.  He pushed the chair in as she sat and had barely had time to draw his own chair close to the table when a serving girl approached them.

[Existentially Odd]

Wilson smiled as she jingled her money pouch; not a necessity in an establishment such as this - where everyone had money to flash around - but a habit she employed to ensure she got the attention over whomever she was with.  There was still the annoyingly common habit of a gentleman getting preferential treatment in the finer establishments, simply because they tended to be the ones noted most often for being the money-earners and keepers.  Wilson had always thought that was something the supposedly \'common\' folk on the farms got right; out there, men and women toiled and earned side by side, lest only half the amount of work be completed.  Everything was shared and all attitudes relatively equal.  It was the way it should be, in her opinion.

As planned, the serving girl smiled her way immediately.  "Firstly, I\'d like a room for my friend here to enjoy tonight and, secondly, a drink for each of us.  A hot apple cider would suit me perfectly and for my companion a... ?" she broke off, looking directly at Joely to allow him to place his own order,  continuing the show of fiddling with her money pouch by absently counting out a silver and some coppers.  She anticipated that the tavern would provide a room and breakfast for a silver and their drinks would be covered by the smaller coins.  Assuming Joely wasn\'t in the mood for an entire keg of ale, of course.

[Malkavian Riddler]

"The same," he said so softly that the serving girl begged him to repeat it.  He smiled with embarrassment and said it louder, being heard the second time and then smiling at the captain once the girl had left.  "Thank you," he said and looked at her for a moment longer before realising he had nothing else to talk about.

His mind churned quickly, searching for topics and coming up with none that they could share.

"This is a lot finer than the Broken Wheel," he told her, not thinking she\'d ever seen the country-side tavern.  "I like the tapestries," he said, pointing one out on a wall nearby of a hunting scene for a wild boar.

[Existentially Odd]

Wilson found that the heat generated by a room full of energetically conversing bodies - even though it was a generously sized space - was enough to cause her discomfort.  Now that the moons had changed, out on the streets the air was cool enough at night to warrant a coat, but indoors such a garment soon became superfluous; especially when there was a fire somewhere nearby.

She shrugged off the wool-lined brown garment while Joely spoke, draping it across the back of her chair.  Beneath, she wore a forest green tunic shirt - it had a round-necked collar with a short \'v\' shaped insert over the centre of her chest (revealing some of the white linen that was her undershirt which, in turn, covered her chemise and the corset that supported her generous breasts), went down as far as the tops of her thighs (it was belted) and sported long, flowing sleeves - and dark brown slacks over her low-heeled hide boots.  Her money pouch was tied securely to her belt and rested between her thighs, as was her habit no matter where she sat.

Turning back to face him, she smoothed a hand over her hair, to ensure that none of the thick russet curls had escaped the twist (it looked much like a number eight) she\'d pinned it into at the back of her skull.  Her fringe was - as stubbornly as always - twisted over the cowlick above her forehead; she hastily fluffed and pulled it down towards her eyebrows - knowing how it softened her appearance - then smiled at her companion.  Placing her hands on the table between them, palm to palm, she observed his awkwardness and gave a soft, derisive snort.

"Yes, but don\'t you be fooled by the surface of the place; underneath all that nice oak panelling and the pretty tapestries it\'s exactly the same as the Wheel.  Not even as good, in fact, for the entertainment here hardly ever compares and the customers in this place... well," she leaned over the table towards Joely, glancing around before continuing in a conspiratorial manner, "they\'re usually so busy comparing the size of their money pouches they don\'t give anything close to the value of a good, honest chat like you get at the Wheel."  She dropped him a wink, implying that she believed the men who frequented the Scowling Boar were more interested in puffing up their chests and strutting about, boasting about their latest accomplishments like so many rowdy peacocks.  They were easily as noisy and designed primarily to look pretty and... not do a lot else.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Joely beamed back at her, relaxing a great deal further in her presence now that she\'d voiced something he\'d initially thought at first sight about the place.  Was he so wrong to think the wealthy fickle?  Apparently not, for she seemed to believe it as well.  His father was more forgiving though, telling Joely that the rich seemed to have no purpose because they had fewer worries, and should their family want for nothing, they\'d be much the same.

Joely wasn\'t too sure about that.

"It\'s very busy here," he replied after a moment of looking around, "Lots of people wanting to be seen?" he ventured, his short time at the markets and the many purchases made from his stall had led him to such a conclusion.  Most of the men and ladies who bought the wolf-fur pouches commented that such-and-such would see them and be envious.  His respect for the noble folk had dropped greatly.

[Existentially Odd]

She chuckled, green eyes shining merrily as she shuffled forward on her seat and crossed her arms on the table, leaning on her elbows upon the wooden surface.  It was a very unladylike posture - and certainly not a position to indulge in upon a meal table - but she found it comfortable and so she tucked her hands in near her armpits and ensured that her voice was of a level moderate enough to hide what she said from all but the closest of passersby and loud enough that Joely would hear her.

"Oh, to be seen and do some seeing," she replied airily, her expression deriding the habit openly.   "It\'s a very selfish cycle of indulgence they have going here; most of it\'s hollow and full of bluster.  The worst part - I find - is the lack of trust beneath those generous smiles and friendly slaps on the back.  Get any of them drunk enough - or pull them out of a gutter after they\'ve reached such a state and failed to make it all the way home - and you learn some ugly truths about their attitudes towards their compatriots," she grinned, raising her eyebrows to further stress her point.

[Malkavian Riddler]

His eyes sparkled with excitement at being placed in the loop - how naughty he felt, yet honoured that she believed him worthy of such truths.  She placed trust in him, a trust that he would not sacrifice.

"You\'ve pulled quite a few out of the gutter?" he guessed, "and their tongues are loosened by the ale?" he prompted, wanting to know specifics but not quite game enough to ask her directly.

[Existentially Odd]

She chuckled, glancing pointedly over her shoulder as if she were trying to place faces to inebriated street decorations, then looked back at Joely.  She gave a knowing nod.  "A couple of them, yes.  Some claiming they were not meant to be there in such a position and it only happened because Lord so-and-so plied him with too much alcohol and you know that Lord so-and-so likes to take sweet young men to his home for other types of cocktails whenever his wife - the lovely Lady so-and-so - is out feeding the orphans and if we guards could just find it within ourselves to help him up, he\'ll be perfectly alright - which is more than can be said for Lord you-know-who, because of course his lands are not faring well and did you realise that he\'s not paid his serving man in four months?  Things don\'t look-"

She broke from her cheeky recount of an anonymous tale - not necessarily accurate but an amalgam of things she\'d heard throughout her career - as the serving girl returned.  The captain was slightly ashamed that her airily waving hand (the one that was helping her tell her story) almost struck the pretty young thing in its weaving about.  The girl slid their drinks off her tray and onto the table with a smile, though, then gave Joely a much friendlier look as she placed a shiny key on the table beside his beverage.  It had a wooden tag with an ornate \'14\' etched into it.  "Your room key, sire," she explained, curtseying politely as she added, "breakfast will be served from sunup to nine of the clock."  With that, she was gone.

Wilson - who\'d sat back to allow the drinks to be placed on the table - lifted her mug and took a sip, enjoying the feeling of the warm, cinammony liquid slipping down her throat.  Replacing it on the wooden surface between she and her companion, she gave a wry smile.  "Looks like you\'ll be able to order a meal on the morrow, if she didn\'t ask what you want now," she told him, aware that it was a practice to have a set option for breakfast in the less flashy inns, but there seemed to be a bit of choice on offer here in the Scowling Boar.  If she was interpreting that statement correctly, of course.  "I hope the bed in room fourteen is to your liking," she winked, raising her drink and taking another little taste.

[Malkavian Riddler]

He was grinning at her as she adopted the tale and mock-gasped and nodded encouragingly in all the right places to enhance her story.  The wickedness of the gossip appealed, making him feel better about himself and his own simple values.  He blanked his expression before smiling in return to the serving girl, looking down at his key and then nodding at the captain\'s explanation of ordering a meal the next day.

When she told him about the bed, he had a response for her.  "Would you like to look at it?" he replied unthinkingly.  He wasn\'t aware that the invitation to come up and see his room - specifically the bed -  might be construed in another manner, so that his gaze didn\'t falter and his question was bold.  If he thought about it, he would realise his folly, but right now, at this particular moment, warm and happy and sipping his ale, feeling grown up and much better than he had when she\'d found him sifting in the dirt for coins, he had no idea of what he was asking of her.

[Existentially Odd]

Her head... tilted slightly... as she regarded him, hand stilled on her mug.  She was quite sure of what she\'d heard but... not of the intent behind the words.

On the one hand, Joely had struck her as having suffered a great blow to his self-assurance this evening - if he ever was the type to proposition a lady normally, anyway... she doubted he was - so she didn\'t think he was confident enough to have just asked her to share his bed.  He didn\'t strike her as the type to say something so blatant, that could easily be misconstrued and offend her.  He was raised to respect women; she\'d been able to tell that all along.

On the other hand, he was young but... that didn\'t necessarily make him a shy virgin.  Not when he lived and worked out on the farms; she\'d certainly had her share of \'farm flings\' growing up and she knew how open those Adora worshippers all were about embracing life and indulging in its pleasures.  Joely probably wasn\'t past twenty yet, but those that worked the land married and paired up young.  He was also smiling at her quite openly now, a pleasant glow in his eyes.

But a glow bright enough to ask her to his room?  No... surely not!  Still, the prospect of it intrigued her enough to want to follow the offer through.  A slow smile grew on her lips - though there was a gleam of question in her green eyes.  If he had simply slipped over his tongue and made an innocent offer to show her the room she\'d effectively paid for - and that had to be the case - she knew it would be a terrible mistake to point it out down here in the common room of the tavern.  She didn\'t wish to embarrass him in public like that, not after the humiliations he\'d already suffered this night.

No, if she was going to deliver another blow to his ego, best it be in the confines of his private room, where she could refuse him without an audience.  He was far too young for her - despite his strong physique and appealing looks - and she simply couldn\'t picture them consorting in such a manner.  Plus, she had a grudge to bear with Dagger - not that Joely had to know any of that - and being seen ascending to the inn\'s private rooms with a strapping young man would certainly get back to him; that was enough for her.  Even if she re-appeared back in the common room five minutes later, there\'d still be talk.  Considering her companion\'s appearance, she felt it would be a flattering development, despite the sullying her reputation would take.  She was certainly no untarnished virgin in some of the public\'s eyes (though their details were always far from the actual truth of her love life... thankfully) but, considering the amount of things she knew on every other person in the drinking hall... she doubted the gossip of her going with Joely to his room would stray too far.  Just far enough to reach the right ears.

"Okay," she agreed pleasantly, taking a big swallow of her drink.  "Did you mean now or... after we finish our ciders?"

[Malkavian Riddler]

Due to her not having reacted overly to his choice of words, Joely didn\'t go back to analyse them, therefore he continued on their conversation with the same innocence in check.  She\'d responded in a manner he\'d half expected, the other half with a polite refusal because it was late and she had work to do, or something along those lines.  He figured without her in uniform, she didn\'t have work to do and was still won over by her confession of other\'s sins.  Maybe there would be more gossip once they both went to his room.

"After our cidars," he replied merrily, "there\'s no sense rushing a night that\'s turning out well after all."

He was the type to focus on the good once the bad had passed.

"I\'m glad to have met you," he told her after a moment, gushing his thankfulness and then embarrassing himself with his own exhuberance.  Imagine, the captain of the guard buying him a drink.  He could tell all his countryfold what a generous woman she was, down-to-earth and certainly to be treated as one of their own for she\'d treated him, a commoner, as equal.

[Existentially Odd]

Her mouth opened and her eyebrows twitched, wanting to frown and to question... but she managed to smooth her expression back into giving him a neutral smile.  If he wasn\'t spinning words of flattery and innuendo about her, then she ought to be thankful he didn\'t study the art of seduction - like so many of the men she regularly encountered thought they did (and believed they had become expert at).  His simple words were probably effective because they were sincere, though.  He honestly did see a positive turn of events now that he was safe and would have a bed for the night; he had nothing to worry about and so he could look forward to the morrow, rather than mulling over the humiliating present.  He was glad to have met her because... well, because she was a guard and she represented safety and security; she\'d looked after him after his mugging.

Not because he was trying to win her favour and charm her into his bed.  Not!   She told herself this repeatedly as she took another hasty gulp of cider and cast about to find a new topic of conversation.  Of course, since he\'d so enjoyed her monologue on the virtues of the nobles at play (or the lack of virtues thereof), she supposed she shouldn\'t stray too far off that topic.

"I\'m glad to have met you, too," she answered automatically, relaxing as she turned her thoughts determinedly away from contemplating her companion\'s motives.  Looking at the shy expression he wore after his latest confession convinced her that she was an absolute heel to be doubting him.  Or was she thinking ill of him?  Either way, she was imagining things that weren\'t true.

"It\'s always good to make new acquaintances from out on the land; helps me feel grounded.  Nobody of the Innerkeep - or at least, nobody who believes they have rank - ever feels they have anything in common with those beyond the keep\'s gates, but I disagree.  Everybody makes their way through the world as best they can; we just do it in different ways.  And worry is worry, whether it\'s over a crop not faring too well in the rains or a prized thoroughbred that won\'t fall pregnant or even a... do you know-"  With a little laugh, she broke off from her rather dull diatribe on the virtues of realising global similarities and sat forward once more, her hand curled around her drink cosily as she placed an elbow upon the table.  Her feet were crossed at the ankles beneath it but she took this opportunity to stretch them out.  Unfortunately, with her haphazard wielding of long legs she kicked him, apologised, pulled her feet back into their more cramped (but ladylike) position and continued with her story.  "We once had a certain lady - who will remain anonymous, of course - come into the guardhouse to report a ribbon stolen.  Her favourite ribbon, naturally.  She was highly embarrassed when her serving maid came huffing in after her, holding the object up, because it had fallen out of her lovely tresses in the middle of the market.  She swiped the ribbon out of the woman\'s hands, fired her immediately and flounced out as if she\'d done exactly the right thing."

Wilson grinned as she widened her eyes meaningfully, shook her head and took the last of her cider in (mostly because she was interested to see what would happen afterwards... and that embarrassed her... which made her thirsty and... well, the cycle resulted in her drink being consumed quickly, either way).  Lowering the mug to the table, she flicked it forward and folded both her arms upon the wooden surface once more.  "As I say; a worry is a worry but really... some are a little more pressing than others," she confided, smirking conspiratorially.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Joely was drinking his cidar every time the captain brought hers to her lips.  He matched her sip for sip, gulp for gulp so that they both ended up finishing together.  It was a subconcious series of movements mirroring her; to drink when she drank, to lean forward when she did so.

By the time she began talking again, he was over his embarrassment and gazing at her without concern once more, smiling pleasantly until the ribbon story which first surprised and then offended him.  "Fired?" he was aghast.  "Did she find work with a better employer?"  The story would be sour if the captain couldn\'t provide him with a happy ending.

[Existentially Odd]

Wilson chuckled.  "Well, she found other employment, yes.  With someone not quite so... hmm... delicate?  But whether it\'s better or not... well, it\'s all relative, in the Innerkeep.  One employer is much the same as the other, with a few different quirks.  It\'s like... say... deciding you don\'t like wheat farming because of the harvesting, and trying cattle instead.  Farming is farming, with a few differences.  The demands are basically the same."  She flicked her eyebrows and gave him a \'see what I mean?\' sort of look, lips pressed together briefly.  "But that\'s life, right?  Patterns and cycles; does any of it ever get broken or change?  It\'s why we\'re all pretty much the same though... so it\'s good in a way," she grinned and shrugged, looking him over subtly.  She\'d noticed him lean forward but hadn\'t commented or moved away.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Joely nodded as she spoke of things in very much the same manner as his parents and other elders.  It was much what the farming community knew, that their trials were all the same, though different.  There was always a fight for status among the poorer classes, as much as there was for nobility - which confused Joely a little when it came to drawing differences.  The winemakers considered themselves better than the pigfarmers, and that was how it would always be.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head.  "The world is too complicated, I prefer to look at everything simply," he replied, then realised their respective ales were empty.  "Shall we go upstairs, then?

[Existentially Odd]

Again, she gave him an extra moment or two of looking before she responded in the affirmative, smiling as she swung back to retrieve her coat, then stood up, habitually replacing her chair at the table. She left the garment draped over her arm as she waited for him to head for the stairs and then fell into step slightly behind him. Although she knew she might be talked about, she didn\'t need to make a grand show of what she was doing; she kept her head down and watched the floor and the back of his heels for where to go.
 
At the top of the stairs, they came to a corridor intersection and so it was perfectly natural for her to help him figure out which way the numbering went (she\'d half suspected he wouldn\'t be able to read the number \'14\' painted neatly onto the room door and wondered if that could be the real reason behind inviting her in). "Down this way," she told him, seeing a door at the head of the hallway to her right labelled \'10\'. She took the lead now, and found \'14\' to be the last door on the left. "Here we go," she smiled, tapping the door with a knuckle and turning to find him approaching with his key.
 
Once he\'d pushed it open and gestured for her to go in first, she did so curiously. It wasn\'t as if she frequented these rooms and she wondered how it might compare to those of the Falcon or Wheel. Everything appeared to be a slightly better quality of product but the basics were all there; a bed, night table and washstand with a pitcher of water resting upon it. Of course, none of the other taverns provided such a grandiose bed - it was as big as the queen\'s and elicited an, "Oooh!" of approval from Wilson as she went straight to it and sat down, bouncing slightly.
 
Naturally, a basic room didn\'t have a fireplace but she noticed two telltale lumps beneath the covers at the foot as she wriggled about - courtesy warm bricks from the fire downstairs, no doubt. An elegant touch, she was quite impressed. "It\'s very comfortable," she giggled, grinning at Joely. Since he\'d brought her here to try out the bed, that was all she spoke of.

[Malkavian Riddler]

"I\'m pleased you think so," he said before turning to the door to push it shut. Joely turned to face her after doing so and watched with a smile as she bounced slightly on the bed. It was now that it occured to him that he\'d led a lady to his room to see his bed, something that in hindsight sounded a lot more lecherous than what the offer had initially been.

 But she was here, she accepted.

Blushing at the thought, he wanted to talk of other things but could only follow the strain of conversation offered, not knowing how to change the topic so blatently.

"It should provide a solid rest after the night\'s activities," he declared, thinking of all he\'d been through tonight and that he would get a rather good sleep at least.

 This room was better than his entire home.

[Existentially Odd]

A wry twist altered her lips; she could only assume he meant the night\'s activities that had passed... not ones he was alluding would come... ?  Shaking her head slightly at her own silly thoughts, she got up off the bed (for he would surely have followed her there if he truly had amorous intentions), looking around with vague interest.  She readjusted her coat on her arm as she did, thinking that she should be getting home for some sleep of her own.

"Yes, you must be tired," she murmured, gaze finally settling on him, now that she\'d assessed his accommodations and found them very appealing.  She walked over to him and placed a friendly hand on his arm, smiling gently.  "I\'ll go and let you sleep."

[Malkavian Riddler]

If he\'d come to the realisation a bit sooner, he might have followed her to the bed, but he wasn\'t the kind of smooth talking experienced farmboy that she might\'ve imagined, rolling around in the hay (or similar) with the girls of neighbouring farms.  He\'d not rolled around with anyone, in fact, toiling more than playing, unaware that anyone had their eyes on him (though there were quite a few there may as well have been none, for he didn\'t see them).

"Oh... I..." he was flustered now, what with her offer to go; not wanting her to leave just yet, wanting to explore her presence in his room, wanting to see what might happen in innocence, wanting to see if one thing would lead to another, isn\'t that what was said?

He didn\'t know what to say, to halt her.  His intentions were now unclear.  He looked at her frankly, realising she was a woman, not a girl (but he liked her character, and he found her lovely to look at, friendly eyes and a warm smile - especially now, with her hand on his arm).

What would a gentleman do?

He shifted his arm to take her hand into his own, farm-worked hands, rough and ugly, he thought, then brought her own hand to his lips while closing his eyes and bowing his head.  Lowering her hand and waiting for her to reclaim it, he gave her an awkward smile, his eyes apologising even with the words unsaid.

"Thank you, for everything," he said finally, then opened his mouth to say something more, ran out of courage, then closed his mouth and shook his head, going a darker shade in his blush for his thoughts - which weren\'t so gentlemanly.

[Existentially Odd]

Her head tilted again, ever so slightly, as she watched him fumble and blush. The kiss was shy and sweet; exactly what she\'d thought he was. Almost subconsciously, she squeezed his hand, her fingers then stroking the calluses she could feel. Her own hands weren\'t smooth, but heavily scarred and callused as well, yet she could still make out the roughness of his. She liked that. There was, after all, a reason besides anonymity that she travelled beyond the castle\'s walls or chose fellow hard working guards to fill her bed when she was neglected by Dagger - or angry at him. Though her hands were conditioned by hard work, the rest of her was soft and she found it incredibly nice to be touched by working hands. Right now, she was somewhat regretful of this particular weakness... it put thoroughly inappropriate thoughts in her mind.
 
"You\'re very welcome," she said huskily, still smiling. "I\'m only sorry that I couldn\'t deliver the justice you deserve." The admission brought an apologetic expression to her face, prompting her to squeeze his hand again (the action also made her realise she\'d been rubbing the surface of her skin against his the whole time) before promptly releasing him. She linked her fingers together before her, mentally berating herself for being so... forward. Dragging her gaze away from his, she turned to look at the room again. It strayed immediately to the large bed - the reason she was here. "At least you\'ll be well rested - as you said - by the time the gates open at sunup. Something good to finish off a not-so-good night."
 
She remained staring at the bed, acutely aware of his hands suddenly, and of the fact that he was still standing in front of the doorway. She wouldn\'t barge past him to exit and she wouldn\'t go anywhere else so... she was quite stuck where she was, though she didn\'t feel awkward. More... curious, than anything.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Joely was oblivious to the fact he was discouraging her exit.  He was in the room, his back to the door, focussed on the here and now and only aware of the fact he was with her in his room rather than with her in his room blocking the door.

With her hands upon his, firm and caressing, he was caught up in thoughts that he hadn\'t had until he was facing this scene directly; woman, man, bedroom, bed.  Funny how he\'d never really thought about it, nor that he\'d realised his own invitation (but thankfully before it was too late, it appeared, as she remained with him here without leaving).

Swallowing, encouraging himself mentally to take action - be a man, she was expecting something from him, she was looking at the bed (dear Adora, she was looking at the bed) - he leant forward, pulling slightly on her hands so that she would turn her head back to face him, and went for her lips with his own, feeling his stomach knotting as he did so, nervous and excited at the same time, not thinking that she would reject him, not thinking that she was a captain, a guard, but knowing she was a woman, interested in him enough to come up here with him, someone that he admired and hoped he could please.

[Existentially Odd]

As predicted, she turned when he reached forward and tugged on her hands anew, right into the kiss. She was as tall as he (perhaps slightly taller?) so accuracy was not a problem. His lips found their mark unerringly and she responded slightly... or was it that she was simply taken by surprise so that her own mouth made a little \'o\'? Either way, quite naturally her lips slid into a mold around his, his lower lip sandwiched between. She squeezed it slightly (politely?) with her own - a couple of times - before she pulled back.
 
In reality, she wasn\'t nearly as shocked as she should have been, for the thought had already crossed her mind, hadn\'t it? Just because he\'d proved her wrong and had the audacity to act, didn\'t erase the fact that she\'d considered this consequence a possibility. She was disappointed in a way; for now she would have to end things on a sour note... probably. Though... he did have those hands... and she caclulated it wouldn\'t be a terrible time for her (pregnancy risk-wise and... in other ways).  It would be horribly obvious, though, if she stayed up here much longer.  It wouldn\'t be subtle in the slightest.  Still, she had to remind herself that it was just a kiss; perhaps he didn\'t intend any more than that.  A kiss of thanks?
 
"Uh... Joely," she said slowly, watching him steadily. Nothing kind or gentle came easily to her as she mentally searched for a way to deter him without causing insult.  Unfortunately, all she could come up with was a leading statement, and a stupid one, at that. "Aren\'t I... a little old for you?"

[Malkavian Riddler]

Little old?  He didn\'t see her as old, but then it clicked what she really meant by that.

Aren\'t you a little too young?

He started making connections that weren\'t there, putting \'young\' alongside \'immature\'.  His face fell and then it twitched a smile before one came through forced but sad.

"Forgive me," Joely pleaded, he opened his mouth to say that he meant nothing by it - but that was untrue.  He meant everything by it.  The idea of being with a woman instead of a girl excited him more than scared him.  Yes, he was offering the captain his first experience, but she didn\'t know that, and he didn\'t think she\'d take kindly to it - but it would be unfair if she didn\'t know all the truth about him.  "I got caught up in your loveliness," he said finally.  "You\'ve a kind heart and a wonderful smile and I received a mistaken impression of..."

why you\'d come upstairs with me

He shook his head, unable to think of anything else to fill that gap.

"I apologise.  My inexperience at this sort of thing betrays me."

It felt a bit false, because he\'d planned to say those words in such a way, and even though it came smoothly off his tongue it felt rehearsed even to his own ears.  Embarrassment took over and he blushed again before adding quickly:  "Virginity\'s not much of a selling point," he said, then cringed inside, a stricken look on his face at what he\'d said.  Oh by the fields of Adora, he was fumbling around and making an idiot of himself in front of her!

[Existentially Odd]

She\'d been smiling and patting reassuringly at his hand through most of his kind words, thoroughly flattered by them - to the point that she almost felt a blush coming on - but her eyebrows shot up at his last comment. Well, if she\'d been swaying towards his point, he\'d certainly lost her there. She didn\'t need the besotted devotion that often accompanied a young man\'s \'first time\' as a lingering reminder of this night. Joely certainly seemed the type to place too much meaning on anything they might do, too. It reinforced her earlier decision to leave and reaffirmed her resolve.  It seemed a good idea to avoid that last fact, altogether.
 
"Apology accepted," she chuckled, schooling her features into an expression of kind understanding. It would be better to let him think he\'d made the wrong assumption, in the long run. Best not to explain herself, either. She squeezed his hand once more, then let go of him, her smile increasing, then sobering to one of politeness. "Who knows? Perhaps we\'ll meet again out in the fields some day - I do go out there to swim and camp as often as I have time." Or whenever she felt she needed a break from Dagger and her complicated life, in general (and the keep could afford her absence). She didn\'t always spend her time in the countryside alone, either, but she wasn\'t about to share that tidbit with him. "For now, however, I really think I should be going; enough people will have seen me come up here that there will be talk for no good reason, if I stay much longer!" She gave him a wink, to let him know that she was making the observation light-heartedly, her lips twisted cheekily.

[Malkavian Riddler]

"That would be nice," Joely said, hoping that he would meet with her again, to talk with a woman that was both important and self-sacrificing, one who could take charge but didn\'t lord her abilities over his head.  He was smart enough to know that someone who wielded power wisely was a rare find - nobody had taught him that, it merely followed a logical path.  Right now, however, he was beginning to notice the shape of her lips and the different colours in her eyes.

"Your reputation is important, uh... Captain Wilson," he told her, before asking timidly; "Is it at all possible...?  I mean to say if I could..."  he flustered, then mentally berated himself before blurting it out.  "Could I know your first name?  I wouldn\'t use it uncivilly, I would keep it to myself, just that... "

The kiss, the kiss was my first

How idiotic that sounded, and what a fool he was to think she\'d care.

"I would like to know your name," he told her, chin up, looking more like a determined young man than the blustering youth previously.

[Existentially Odd]

She took a thoughtful breath in, biting at the inside of her cheek as his latest statement of desire came, frowning slightly.  Her name.  Of all things he could have asked for, he had to go and request the one she was loathe to give over?  A handful of people were on terms close enough to call her Lam; only family knew the whole truth... the horrors of bearing a boy\'s name... the boy she should have been.

Still, she trusted him when he said he wouldn\'t spread it about the place (even though she couldn\'t fathom what purpose the knowledge would serve him).  No-one where he lived cared too much for the guards in town, let alone for the name of the woman that ran and trained them.  Even if he did start telling people what she was called, they would likely laugh or care nothing for it.  She didn\'t know what danger there was in revealing her name to the keep at large, but it made her feel young and vulnerable to think on it too long.

"Lam," she answered, because it was easier than coming up with some long-winded story of refusal or a lie.  "Very few people know it, though, so I will appreciate you keeping it to yourself."  She gave a pointed look, followed by an appealing brush of her fingertips against his cheek.  The serious expression melted into a smile as she cupped his face delicately and stepped more fully into his body space.  She made sparing contact with her breasts and arms, relying on his awkwardness - and the element of surprise - to keep them separate and have him step away from her (pressure on his cheek didn\'t hurt as a subtle cue, either).

The goal was to turn him on the spot so that he no longer blocked the door and she could leave without making a big scene.  If it took a shuffling, deliberate dance to achieve it - her hand dropping from his face to rest on his shoulder, the other vaguely at his hip suggesting that it was one, of sorts - so be it.  "Now... I really should go," she murmured, staring meaningfully into his eyes.

[Malkavian Riddler]

His lips parted with surprise at being closed in on, her presence near him something that caused his arms to twitch to embrace her (but he wasn\'t going down that path after the kiss had been so obviously unnecessary).  The touch of her fingers on his face and then her palm both caused a shiver to trail a path down his spine as well as utterly confuse him.

Her request cleared it up, causing cogs in his mind to turn and calculate that he was blocking her exit.  Oh!  That hadn\'t been the reason she\'d stayed in here so long, had it?  His eyes sparkled with the knowledge that he\'d kept her here and she\'d been subtle with him all along, then his eyebrows shot up and his face warmed with a flush that he abhorred.

"Lam," he repeated her name in her presence, even as he stepped aside.  He took it to mean \'lamb\', a name he didn\'t question for most girls were called after pretty or gentle things.  He didn\'t think of the irony of the occupation she held or the sword at her side, to possess such a name.  "I will respect your wishes," he said, nodding and hating his redcheeked blush, moving away from her hand and the door, a hand staying on the knob only to turn and open it for her.  The move appeared rather fluid, stepping aside and opening the exit for her, with none of his awkward grace.  Only his face betrayed how inadequate he felt.  "I thank you again for your help and bid you a good night," he said as politely as he could.

[Existentially Odd]

"And I, you," she murmured her agreement, hands falling away from him quite naturally as he stepped aside, revealing her exit.  She grasped her jacket in both hands, amused by the situation and thinking Joely terribly endearing for all his awkwardness.  With a final nod and smile, she strode determinedly away, schooling her features once beyond his sight so that all amusement would be gone when she walked down the stairs.  It wouldn\'t do to have her seen walking home looking too happy after a short stint upstairs with a young man, after all.