Charmed, I'm sure... [Shizzy] [M!]

[Anonymous]

So she was wrong about his age. She knew he was probably older than he seemed – many people were, outside Connlaoth – and that was good enough for her. A person's age was not usually a particularly useful piece of information. It would be nice to know, but not strictly necessary.

She braced herself for his next question, and was relieved when it was – again – more about him than about her. If the conversation was going to continue like this, it would be far too easy... Hmm, what did she like about him? She liked his money, of course, and his fabulous bed, and his ship, and his willingness to help her out despite knowing full well she was trouble. However, that would not make a very good answer. She would have to find the right words. Luckily, she was good at that.

"If I had to choose," she began diplomatically, "I suppose I would say I find your generosity and good faith most appealing."

Ah, but it was as much about her, wasn't it? Clever. Well, she could turn that right back around. "And how about you? What's your opinion of me?"

[Anonymous]

Age was just a number to Spektrox, it held little meaning to him in the long run. While age could pertain to things like a person's wisdom and experience, when you were talking about a person who was only 25, it didn't much matter. Age was a lot more important in the magical kingdoms he supposed, but like Lilah felt that it really wasn't strictly necessary. It was just some good information to have handy.

He could see her thinking, her brain working away and calculating what to say. What did she like about him? This of course, would probably not be any real reason, or if it was, it was just said to stroke his ego a bit. She'd never reveal the real reasons, which was insulting in some way, but also very smart of her. His tail twitched idly as he waited for her to speak up, and finally she began. It was all very nice really, but it was so...formal and diplomatic. It lacked any real substance to it he felt, but it was still smart of her not to speak up her true feelings.

"Very nice, very nice indeed." He put on a brave face with a big grin, but he was rather disappointed with the answer.

"My opinion of you? Well now, that's a deeper question than what I asked. First, I think it's the eyes, and the butt that I like the most about you." He was blunt, and he wasn't going to say something rudimentary or particularly diplomatic like her charming nature or her willingness to do anything. He was pretty sure that on that dock, she was going to leave him there to get shot, which he couldn't blame her for. It was a smart tactic to say the least. "But let's see...what's my opinion of you." He had to roll onto his stomach, propping his head up in his hands while his elbows rested on the bed. "I think  you're clever, really clever, and you know it...but that leads you to trouble. I also think you don't like getting close to people...can't imagine why, but I'm sure you have your reasons. You're fun though, but you're always looking over your shoulder. I think you just need to relax, instead of being stressed so much." It was sort of blunt, but that's what he wanted. He wanted blunt. He didn't want to hear some sappy stuff about how she thought he was generous, which he was, or that he held trust in complete strangers...which was sort of true.

If she had bothered to realize, he didn't trust her. He could have made a dealing with her right in the tavern, but he took her back to his ship, his turf. That was however, trusting in some way. He knew she was trouble, he knew that she was lying, and he had still brought her back to the ship. Maybe to protect her if she did bring any trouble along with her, it was still a bit unclear to Spektrox. Still, she was fun to have around, because it seemed like her life was full of adventure. Sometimes pirate life was a little sedentary even for him, if one could believe it.

[Anonymous]

Roshan had never said she thought Spectrox trusted her completely. He was clearly too smart for that, which was part of what she liked about him. But he did trust her, at least a tiny bit. Almost everyone did. Part of being attractive, she'd noticed, was that people didn't like to think the worst of her. Plus, she'd spent a good part of her upbringing learning how to make people trust her, even as she gave them a million reasons not to. He was resistant, but he wasn't entirely immune.

She laughed quietly when he said what he liked about her. It was disarmingly honest. And if he liked her butt now, what would he think when she wasn't wearing a suit tailored to make her look like a man? It was a funny thought.

She hadn't expected such an in-depth and straightforward answer. In fact, it annoyed her a little bit. Didn't he know the rules of this game? Didn't he want to win? It was terribly frustrating. Even worse was the fact that he'd figured all this out already. It was too soon, even for someone as smart as him. It worried her. What else would he work out in the time they'd spend at sea together? Oh, crap, she could see it now... Them arriving in Yoreiq, laughing, chatting, knowing everything about each other... Maybe even being friends... Ugh. It was like a nightmare. She'd have to avoid that.

"You've got me all worked out, haven't you? I must say, I'm quite disappointed in myself," she half-joked. "And as for relaxing..." She stretched and laid out on her side. "Maybe I will, if I can remember how. You know, it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you."

[Anonymous]

It wasn't a relationship if there wasn't a little bit of trust between two people. Even if you didn't trust them to not stab you in the back, or leave you high and dry, you could still trust them with...other things. He wasn't completely sure that he could trust her to watch his ship, or any valuables...but he'd trust her to shine his boots, sleep in his bed, maybe find out what he really did for a living, and of course, invite her back to his ship to do shady dealings.

He could only wonder how good her butt looked in something more...butt fitting.

She was getting frustrated it appeared, and that to Spektrox, meant that he was winning. He was expecting that she wasn't going to like him winning, and he wondered if he should let her win. The question is, what would she respect more? Would she respect him letting her win, or winning? These were very good questions actually, and he was absolutely sure that if he wanted her respect, and perhaps her trust...he would have to win this game. He wasn't completely sure how you win this game either, but it seemed like you had to be coy about what you said. His straightforward answer had thrown her off guard however, and that was enjoyable.

Spektrox just had to wonder how this trip would go. It was going to be fun actually, seeing how the woman handled being around him for a couple months. Would she end up wanting to...get off early? Would she end up trying to stab him one night? Would he have to make her...walk the plank. Not that he thought of it, the life of a pirate was full of dirty innuendo.

"If you can't judge a boat quickly on the high seas, you could end up with a sabre to your throat." Captains were great judges of characters. You couldn't see another captain on his boat until you were really close, so you had to watch the ship's movements. How were the riggings? Did the sails look billowed, or were they controlled so that the ship glided smoothly? Did the ship move jerkily, did it cut through the waves and wakes, which way was heading? If you didn't track ships and watch how they were moving, you could end up getting your entire crew killed.

Not something Spektrox wanted to experience. Pirates had to be cut-throat of course, and would raid other pirates, though, it usually didn't end with causalities. Spektrox heard it could be...friendly almost? Spektrox thought it would always be like practising with another crew.

Spektrox grinned as she laid out on her side, moving to lay on his side facing her, propping his head up with one hand. "Isn't a soul here that is though, so just relax, undo a couple of buttons, let your hair down as they say. Ooo! Kick off your boots and dance. I've heard that too." As if on cue, he did exactly that, his large buckled boots were quickly discarded, his hat thrown away, and with his ears perked at full attention, his tail twitching manically he began to dance to some unheard tune. Though, he didn't really know much about dancing, but he danced anyway...though it was very obvious the dance was a bit...tribal, he obviously had learned it from the islands somewhere.

[Anonymous]

It was such a simple game, really. You won by getting the other person to admit to things they'd rather not, and there were no rules. Spectrox had technically already won once today, but since Roshan had got a lot of money out of it she considered it more of a draw. She'd be most happy if she won this time, she would respect him if he won, but neither outcome would gain him any more of her trust. That wasn't how this worked.

She did know that she was almost completely safe from her pursuers here, and would be for a good long time after she reached her destination, but that wouldn't stop her from jumping at shadows. She'd spent nine years running and hiding, until her nerves jangled constantly. She wasn't going to be able to turn that off easily. She'd need to learn, though, if she wanted to be able to live in Essyrn without going mad. Being here might help.

Relaxing or not, in Roshan's opinion it was far too early in the day to start removing clothes. "I'm actually more comfortable fully clothed, thank y..."

...

She tried to hold it in, but couldn't, and she burst out laughing. What in the world was that? Some kind of dance? Well, he looked ridiculous. "Haha, ha... If you dance like that sober... Haaahaha... What do you dance like drunk?!" She buried her face in the bedsheets to muffle her laughter.

[Anonymous]

Spektrox would just have to find a way to earn her trust.

He was however, going to try and find a way to make her relax, but still be cautious. Even as a pirate captain, Spektrox let his inhibitions run wild. He could get drunk, and still worry if the captain opposite of him had seen his face on the ship and knew who he was. Every time he saw a Naval ship that was part of Serendipity's military, was it coming for him? He was a man who had to live with the shadows housing possible killers, but he didn't let that run his life. Death was a consequence for his actions, and for the time being, he was very good at not letting his actions lead to death.

He supposed keeping Lilah drunk off her feet would not help in the slightest.

Despite her laughing, he continued to dance. "What? I learned this on the island, it's like a ritual dance." Spektrox said as he stopped, letting his arms hang at his side. "I never had time to learn ballroom dancing or anything like that. No point really, you're not gonna find a captain in such a place." It was true too, he would never need to learn proper dancing because he wouldn't have to use it. He learned jigs and native dancing however, the stuff that the common man would know. Granted, the dance he had done had just been for the common man of the Yorieq isles.

"And that's how I dance drunk too." He told her as he flopped down onto the bed beside her with a grin. "See here we go, this is what I like to see." Even if she was laughing at him, she was still laughing. Laughing he found, had been a good way to relax and release stress. There were other ways, some of them appropriate, some of them very inappropriate. At this point in time, rum was probably an inappropriate way. He had demonstrated of course it wasn't too early to drink, back in the tavern...but they were at sea now...other rules had to apply here.

"You have a nice laugh...very rich. Very nice." Spektrox told her with a charming smile. "Makes me think you weren't always like this."

[Anonymous]

The trouble with Roshan's situation was that even if she decided to live perfectly legally, she would still have to be running. She hadn't really had a choice. It didn't matter what she did, she would always be living in fear, so she may as well make the best of it. If that meant committing the odd crime, so be it, a few more people chasing her didn't change much and the extra money came in handy.

She had always been guarded, manipulative and calculating. She couldn't not be. These traits had, however, become magnified the more time she spent on the road. At home, someone had always had her back, even if it was just to keep the stabbings in the family. They'd been good at presenting a unified front: nobody was allowed to hurt a Grey except for another Grey. Even when protecting a family member would be detrimental to the whole, as in her case, they would at least deal with the matter themselves. For her, that was the problem.

Ah, but there had been some good things about her family. They had taught her to dance, not particularly well, mind, but adequately. Everyone knew how – if you aspired to nobility, you had to have all the trappings of it. She'd been to plenty of balls as a teenager and enjoyed every one, although usually more for the amazing drama one could whip up than for the dancing.

She hauled herself up into a seated position, the odd residual giggle escaping.

"It depends what you mean by 'like this'," she teased. "But about you... I'd think a merchant, captain of his own trading vessel, no less, would have ample chances to dance formally with rich young ladies. In fact, I'm pretty sure they do. So how come you don't?"

[Anonymous]

Spektrox couldn't imagine how her life had been. His had been a lot of fun in all honesty. He didn't have to spend a lot of time looking over his shoulder in fear. He knew that all the men and women on board his ship watched over him and each other, like a family. There were rules, there were codes, there was common sense, there was everything around them to keep them safe, even if the things they did were none too safe themselves. But that didn't matter because they all had each other.

What did Lilah have?

It was a pang of pity for her at that moment that struck him. She had no one then. Not too surprising really, considering her personality really.  The way she lived, she probably couldn't afford to have friends, which was understandable, but still...it must have not been a very good life to live. So alone, relying on yourself, and if you failed...you only had yourself to blame, and sometimes that was the most difficult blame of all.

"Oh I think you know what I mean." He grinned as he sat up with her, legs crossed as he watched her, his ears focused toward her, but his tail still twitching behind him erratically. "Because they don't? I'm not sure how it works where you come from, but I've never been invited to a royal ball or a noble event to dance with the rich young ladies. We're not nobility, they don't want us common folk muddying their family lineage." That part he knew was true, and it was for him. He hadn't ever gotten invited to any sort of function or gala in Serendipity. On a few occasions, the High Lord of Whitesands did call for him, sometimes to thank him, or sometimes to ask him to carry some goods to some place...but he had never been asked to dance with any rich daughters.

That was fine by him too, since he wasn't really interested in that sort of thing. It was too stuffy, and there was a really good chance he might let something slip.

"Besides, I don't think it would be fair. There are men out there who own their own smithy, marketplace, or Inn, and they don't get invited. All we do is a job, provide services to the people and to the kingdom, there shouldn't be any special perks for one profession to another." However, he grinned slyly as he leaned in suddenly. "However, chicks love a man who captains his own vessel." It was true, he noticed the increase in...proposals, both decent and indecent since becoming the captain of his own ship, and he abused it to no end of course.

He never said he wouldn't take advantage of some of the better perks.

Spektrox was suddenly gone, jumping from the bed to strike a rather heroic pose not far from her. "Let the fools dance in their castles and mansions, I will cut the ocean and carve my path, with the stars above I shall find the way, and in the end he who masters the wind and the waves shall be left to dance among the ages."

[Anonymous]

There he went again, mistaking her for someone who deserved sympathy. Things like that didn't tend to work out very well where Roshan was concerned, well, not for the person experiencing such feelings, anyway. He was just lucky she didn't know what he was thinking. Besides, sometimes it wasn't that bad. Most people would have found it very hard to live the way she did, but then most people didn't have families as utterly insane as hers. It wasn't so difficult to be alone when she associated not being alone with a constant undercurrent (and occasional overcurrent) of nastiness. To her, this was normal. She couldn't imagine being any other way. So why should anyone feel sorry for her?

She had had very little idea of how Serenian nobility worked. All her experience was of the Connlaoth system, where nobility and money meant pretty much the same thing. Once one had the means to act like a noble, if they simply walked the walk for long enough, they may as well have been one. She knew this very, very well. But in Serendipity... She hadn't really had an opportunity to examine the power structure in any kind of depth. She didn't know if he was telling the truth or not. Foiled again.

"I... see..." she replied weakly. She was really going to have to step up her game.

She had to admit, she agreed with these nameless 'chicks'. She found power very attractive, and while there were many, many people in the world more attractive than him in this respect, the vast majority of them were people she would never get to sleep with.

She was getting used to his amusing outbursts, and this time managed to keep her face perfectly straight. "With the way you dance, let's hope the ages don't laugh at you." No, wait, lost it. She had to let it out. Laughing again, she corrected herself, "No, sorry, that's actually a really nice sentiment. You... Keep going with that. Maybe... Less of the..."

She imitated his pose and flopped down on the bed. "Pfff... Hahaha..."

[Anonymous]

The slip up just helped to let him know that he was right. He loved being right. He also loved being pleasantly surprised. Those were the good things that he enjoyed without a doubt. Then again, he didn't know anyone who didn't like those sorts of things. He supposed being right in some circumstances were probably not very good...but it was always nice to be pleasantly surprised. Because of the pleasant part.

"Don't slip too much now." He told her cheekily. He was finding this to be great fun, she however, didn't appear to be having the same amount of fun. While he didn't like to see his guests like this, he would have to make an exception with her. She was the one who wanted to play this sort of thing after all.

"Hey now. There is nothing wrong with my dancing." He told her flatly as he dropped his heroic pose for one more suited to this. Arms over the chest with a slightly amused, slightly grumpy look on his face. At least he had her laughing, and it was a fine laugh for that matter, very pretty, just as he said about her smile.

He stuck his tongue out at her as he returned to the bed and stuck his tongue out at her. "I thought I looked very dashing, just as a captain should strive for." He wasn't sure that he could get much more information out of her. He already knew where she was from, and what she was, and...there wasn't really much else he could squeeze out of her...or was there? "I tell you Lilah, this a whole lot more fun than ordering crew around. I don't know why I don't invite people along for these extended trips more often." Perhaps it was because he was usually a pirate, not a person operating under the guise of a merchant vessel.

He'd have to be very careful with that, not that he would have much trouble with it.

"I still say you should let your hair down and..." he reached over suddenly and with a quick flick from the very sharp nail on his index finger, cleanly sliced a button from her shirt, all the while grinning cheekily. "Lose a few buttons." He quickly darted away of course, to avoid any wrath. Spektrox was feeling particularly playful at the moment...and he wanted to experiment with this woman.

Something that people hated admitted was weakness...and mostly it was just the weakness of their personality, sometimes a flaw that they had...but what he found was a great exploit...

Was whether or not someone was ticklish.

[Anonymous]

"Ahaha..." Her laughter stopped abruptly when he reached over. A confused expression flitted across her face and she glanced at Spectrox, who had moved away.

"Um..." Roshan looked down at the button, now lying sadly on the bed, and then at the gap in her shirt. She slowly turned her head to give him a hard stare and chided, "You know I only have two outfits. Please don't go destroying one of them. Tch, and you call yourself a gentleman."

She wasn't that annoyed, it was just wholly unexpected, and a bit of a pain. That button would need to be sewn back on, and she was too proud to do it herself.

Besides, why would he even think of doing that? Well, she could think of one reason...

She sighed and did up an extra button on her jacket. Practically, she did it to cover the damage; she had a vest under the shirt, so nothing was actually showing, but she couldn't look scruffy. She also did it in hopes of annoying him a little bit. If this was a ploy to start getting her naked, as she was sure it was, this would be the opposite of the intended effect.

It seemed to her that the object of the game had changed slightly. It was childish, but he had started it. Well, that was childish too, but never mind.

She watched him warily. She couldn't predict what he would do next so she would try to keep her distance. She didn't want to lose all her clothes this early in the day. It just wouldn't do.

[Anonymous]

"I am a gentleman. I'm trying to help you let loose, as a proper gentleman would." Spektrox told her as he stuck his tongue out at her. This was an interesting game to play. He wasn't particularly playing on the idea that he would strip her, but he did want her to relax a little bit. Of course, he also wanted to see how ticklish she was.

"You should be lucky I only went for one button." Spektrox grinned as he relaxed slightly, sitting on the edge of the bed as he kept an eye on her. She had just said he wasn't a gentleman, and that was slightly true, but also slightly bothering.

However, what annoyed and bothered him more, was the fact that she started to button up her jacket even more! This was terrible! She was getting to be all stuffy and stiff. He never thought...okay, maybe if he had thought this through, he would have realized what it would have done. Not the smartest thing that he's ever done, but still, it wasn't like he couldn't rectify the situation. At least he hoped he could.

"You could at least take your coat off and pretend like you're a fun person. You're on a ship going to the Yorieq isles, even the captain has taken his hat and boots off." He told her as he gestured to himself. He tapped his finger as he thought about it. "Isn't it proper manners anyway to take your coat off when you're inside?" Just like it was proper to take your hat off. Boots was an iffy subject of course but he could care less what they said about boots.

"And sorry for the button...I can sew it on later again. Ooo, that will mean you'll have to take your shirt off." He grinned evilly as he thought about it. Maybe this was going to work out better than originally planned.

[Anonymous]

Roshan pointedly moved across the bed from the captain when he sat down. She was pleased by how much distance this put between them. It really was a very impressive bed. "It's not a coat, it's a jacket. They're different," she pointed out snottily, and fastened the two remaining buttons, just because she could.

This was fun for her. If it didn't match up to his idea of a good time, why should she care? Oh, she could very easily pretend to be his version of fun, if she could get something out of it, but he was already taking her to Yoreiq and letting her live in luxury until then. There wasn't very much else he could give her.

She was going to ask him to sew the button back on anyway, so for him to suggest it first was good. It meant she didn't have to bother trying to persuade him. She felt very strongly that such menial work was beneath her. It was probably beneath him, too, but since he was responsible for it, he should be the one to fix it. And, hah, just because she wasn't wearing a shirt didn't mean he'd see anything.

"Oh! I have an idea." She smiled. Hopefully he'd be as easy to please as he was earlier. "I'll undo a button for every question you answer. How about it?"

[Anonymous]

"Oh, my apologies, I didn't notice that it was a jacket." He stuck his tongue out at her before shaking his head. It was a very strange turn of events, and Spektrox couldn't believe that is happened over a button. Still, life was unpredictable and he was quite happy by that particular thought. He liked how he couldn't predict the whole thing, but now he knew...not to mess with her clothes. Ugh, would he have to fold her clothes after taking them off of her? That was just...a terrible thought.

It took away from the idea of spontaneity.

He wasn't sure if he would actually sew the button on himself, but he was sure that someone could do it for him if he asked. She would probably never do it herself, and maybe he should just remove a couple of button while she slept and see what happened. Would she flounder and end up sewing her coat together in a big mess? Hah hah! That sounded like a lot of fun to see how it worked out!

He laughed at her proposal. This sounded quite interesting actually...but he wasn't sure what he should do. He rolled onto his stomach and watched her carefully, rubbing his chin as he viewed her carefully. What should he do? He could probably do this, it shouldn't be too hard right? However, he wanted it to get more interesting...

"It's not spicy enough...it's tempting sure...but...what could you possible want to know about me? I've told you almost everything." He slowly got onto his knees, the striped tail was starting to go absolutely wild as he watched her carefully. "I mean...what would be my motivation to tell the truth, and you can't say it's because I'm a gentleman because I called you a lady and that didn't do anything for the truth." This was interesting, the game was changing too much, and he wasn't sure that he liked it. Things were going to get into dangerous territory.

"And, will I get to see your butt?"

[Anonymous]

Roshan relaxed a bit. Spectrox didn't seem to be making any more moves towards her. Perhaps he wasn't intending to repeat the button-killing. It was probably a one-time spur-of-the-moment thing. Yes, that was him all over, wasn't it?

She looked thoughtful for a second. She could tell what he was getting at. There was only really one thing she had that he wanted, and he wanted it in bigger amounts. She didn't want to give everything away so fast, because once she had, what else was there? She wanted to hang onto her limited bargaining power for as long as possible.

Still, if she wanted to be on any kind of even footing with him, knowledge-wise at least, she'd have to play by his rules. Life was so unfair.

"Motivation, huh? Hmm... I'll be honest for a second. There are some things I'm pretty sure about you that I'd just like to confirm, and if I think you're lying... I'll put clothes back on."

It sounded reasonable enough to her.

She swung her legs off the bed, stood up with her back to him and stretched. "But I think it's a bit early in the day for that sort of game, if you want to play it. It's more of an after-dinner activity, don't you agree?" She turned her head and winked at him.

[Anonymous]

There were dangerous things about Spektrox that some people didn't realize. A man who was one-time-spur-of-the-moment could seem harmless...unless he was learning. He was gauging, he was getting information, he was testing, and he was observing. A man who had madness was nothing to fear, but a man who was unpredictable, but had a methodical madness, was far more dangerous. His tactics would be unpredictable, and often effective if he were smart.

He was clever.

"Oh, so you've got me all figured out, have you accountant?" He teased, a large grin showing his teeth as he watched her like a predator. He highly doubted she had anything on him...that she had any real information on him, and he was quite okay with that really. He didn't want to have himself all figured out, especially not by someone like Lilah, who could take a lot of advantage of him through...blackmail. Still, maybe they would be respective blackmailers, who wouldn't take advantage of each other...too seriously at least.

He glared slightly as he crawled to her and sat on the bed beside her glaring at her. "Maybe you have me more figured out than I thought. This means I'll have to start zigging a bit more." She knew that he wanted to play this, and that he probably wanted to sleep with her. Well, probably? He really did. He thought she'd be a fun romp, and he was sure that he could surprise her...unless she was ones who didn't get much pleasure from...such contact. Ugh. That was a horrible fact, and he had encountered one or two before.

"I think it's a perfect activity any time of the day however." He told her matter-of-factly. "I mean, unless you're scared. This was all your idea, and really, the only winner here is you isn't it? So why wouldn't you want to play it?" He was the winner too, because she would be naked by the end of it probably. "And you can't count socks and shoes separately, so you have four things to take off. One answer gets two shoes, another gets two socks." He had to make that perfectly clear, because he would not have her tricking him by asking four questions and only getting to see her feet.

That would be insulting and terribly wrong! Very unladylike. Well, this whole thing was probably...'unladylike' but he wouldn't be going into it that far.

[Anonymous]

She turned to face him and returned his grin. She took a couple of steps backward, until the backs of her legs hit the stool she had sat at earlier. Oh, she was working him out all right. She was beginning to expect him to do weird things; that was, after all, what he'd been doing all day. It was a good tactic, she would admit, and she'd happily add it to her repertoire, but it wouldn't work indefinitely.

She was slightly annoyed by his insistence on playing right now. She'd been hoping to pick up some more ammunition before and during dinner, so that she knew she wasn't entirely off-base with her questioning. Still, it couldn't be helped. Only one of them was really in control here, and she was horribly aware of which of them it was.

"So you're not a foot man then? Well, that's too bad," she pouted.

She sat on the stool, legs crossed demurely, and turned her body just enough to lean her elbow on his desk. She rested her cheek on her knuckles. "If you want to play, then we'll play. Let's start with an easy question. How old are you really?"

While she knew from his phrasing earlier that he wasn't the age he said he was, she didn't care too much how he answered this. She didn't want to start with anything important. If he lied, and she cared that he lied, she wanted to have some clothes to put back on.

[Anonymous]

She was sure starting to figure out some of his madness, some of his unusual ways. Lilah was catching onto him, she was really messing him up and throwing off his game. He would recover however, he just needed to make it so she would think he would zig, or zag, and he would go completely backwards. He couldn't let himself get predictable, not with her, she'd use it to her advantage...to put more clothes on.

A terrible thought.

"Oh I'm sure you have absolutely lovely feet, and I would be willing to give you a foot massage later, but that's not what I want to see right now." Spektrox told her with a smile upon his face. He would actually give her a foot rub, but he had to be careful, as it sometimes relaxed a woman too much and they would fall asleep. Then it was a night of laying beside her, grumbling to himself, and he wasn't wanting that.

"How old am I really? About a hundred or so." Spektrox told her with a sincere smile. He was of course, lying his arse off, but women wouldn't even tell men about their ages, so he was allowed to lie a bit about his own. Besides, she could figure out that he was at least that old. It probably made sense to her, at least that's what he was hoping.

"Now am I supposed to do the same thing? Should I be stripping and asking questions as well?" Spektrox asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. This would be a slightly embarrassing situation that his crew might find him in. If she was naked, that was okay...however, if they were both semi naked, asking questions, it would be confusing. "And, are you just gonna be removing clothes, or undoing buttons?" Because that was a lot of buttons...too many buttons in his opinion.

[Anonymous]

While Roshan couldn't tell if Spektrox was lying or not now, she would have been satisfied with any answer. This merely confirmed that she should step lightly, as he had lived a lot longer than her and was likely to be quite crafty as a result. She smiled sweetly and started undoing one of her boots. "All right, Grandpa, the shoes are off. If it was just buttons, I get the feeling you wouldn't play."

She slipped off one black ankle boot, then the other, and set them side by side. She lifted her right foot, still clad in thin black socks, and playfully wiggled her toes at him.

She tried to figure out why he was asking if he had to play too. Did he honestly think he could get more out of her that way, or was he just trying to throw her off? Either way, she didn't mind what he did. The promise of nakedness wasn't as enticing for her as it was for him. Sure, she could appreciate attractive nude people, but she had other turn-ons that were much more effective. She would tell him whatever she felt like, if he asked.

"I don't see why you can't join in if you want to. But first, I have another question for you. Why did you help me? You knew what I was. You could have just left me to be captured."

Again, this was a warm-up question, to try to get him comfortable before she got to the things she really wanted to know. She didn't care all that much what his answer was. So long as it wasn't something like 'because I wanted to kill you', she'd be happy. Even if he did say something like that, there wasn't much she could do about it now.

[Anonymous]

Oh yes, he was a crafty one, and she would have to step lightly.

"You're quite right, and I'm not a grandpa! I still look twenty five." He stuck his tongue out playfully at her, a tiny bit insulted by her accusation. A grandpa indeed! If he really were that, he'd be a dirty old man, but he didn't age, which meant he just existed, but he didn't get older. It was still quite good to use terms like he'd been around for a century, as he still was around during the years...just...he didn't age. He also didn't particularly like the idea of people thinking of him as old, because ageing meant that he would no longer get to do all the fun stuff that he did when he was young! That was an absolutely terrible though.

"Yes, you have very tiny feets, I know." She did have nice looking feet, as far as he could tell, and maybe giving her a foot rub later on wouldn't be so bad! If he was lucky, she might have an...erog...erogon...pleasure zone on her foot. Yes. She might have a pleasure zone on her foot!

He was sure that she wouldn't care if he was naked, he could almost guess that she had other things that really put wind in her sails. He couldn't quite figure them out, if it was danger, excitement, shiny things, power, or money. He would have to figure this out, because he didn't want to tempt her with anything that she wouldn't be interested in, and for a moment that made him sad because it meant his body wouldn't tempt her. Still, there were other ways to handle it!

Then she asked the all important question.

"Chivalry of course. A man's duty is protect those around him and to help the people most in need. You were most in need, so I helped you. You were a damsel in distress, and that is one of my most favourite damsels out there, and when someone, especially but not limited to damsels, are in distress, you help them get out of distress! As someone who has heard horror stories about Connlaoth, I couldn't just let them take you there! Who knows what awful things they might do to you. It would have been ungentlemanly of me to just let you get captured." That was the straight truth too, the absolute one hundred percent truth. He could bend his own code of rules however, like if he was in a pirate raid and there was a female fighter between him and some treasure, he'd probably just knock her out and not kill her. At least not directly...though, some of his female crew were rescued from ships...

It was a grey area most of the time.

"My turn for a question." He was attentively still as he watched her carefully. In the light, his yellow eyes flashed, the pupils narrow slits as he thought out his first question. "Have you ever been in a relationship that didn't benefit your agenda?" He had to understand this woman, this person before him. He wanted to know if she was like him, who would just offer physical accommodations, but on a personal, mental level would not get attached. His way was a lot friendlier, and didn't leave people with bad feelings, but he was sure that she was cold, she was uncaring, that a million men could profess their love and she'd laugh in their faces.