Common Ground

[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.