It was a good thing he couldn't hear all her thoughts, because she was still in the process of planning furiously--and it would suck to have any plans she came up with spoiled. Niamh kept her head down as they walked though she was also careful to make sure of her surroundings, watching where they were going and how they got there. Once she got free--and she would get free, she had to stay positive--it would be important to have a sense of direction so that she could effectively get away and not just be...lost and vulnerable. She could see the warehouses coming into view, and as soon as Nexus spoke she knew that's where they were headed.
Oh. Light. No.
She had no choice but to follow him as he lead her into one of them, because it was either that or get cut up if she struggled, especially if the bloody hat came off, stupid "game". Still, she couldn't help but slow her steps, pressing back against her bindings a bit until her wrists started to sting. She didn't want to go in there. She really didn't. Just the <I>sight of that dark, closed in room was enough to make her want to panic, but she swallowed fiercely and held onto her wits. No panicking. Can't panic, or it's all over. The instant she did, she was done. It's only a dark room. That's it.
...A dark room with a psychopath! And she hated the dark as it was, and hated closed-in spaces...Goddess, help her.
Niamh could hardly breathe by the time they got inside, her body freezing up completely, a tight knot settling between her shoulder blades. But then Nexus produced some light, and...that made it a little better. Light. Good. Light, heat, and fire were all sources of energy for Solisi...so as long as there was light...good, good. It wasn't over it. She took a deep breath through her nose and rolled her shoulders as much as she could, trying to work out the painful tension, just to give herself something to do as she looked around uneasily and did her best to block out Nexus' voice. He sounded so happy...but then she was, too. A little. Just a little when he finally announced that he'd take that damned thing out of her mouth, and then followed through and actually did it.
She seized the moment, working moisture back into her mouth and the stiffness out of her jaw briefly before turning to glare up at him, opening her mouth, about ready to tear into him with words--at least, until he started to speak.
After which she fell quickly silent, mouth closing with a slight clicking of teeth before licking her lips nervously. Shit. Another game. Wonderfu--WHAT?
Once again, she found herself staring at him in a hybrid of utter disbelief and horror, twitching a little. Master? He...she...what?! She could feel her face going through a lot of different expressions as he spoke before finally settling on a completely blank one, as though unable to really, well, come to terms with what he just said. He was sick. Oh Goddess. He wasn't serious. People...didn't actually DO that...er...did they? Well, in any case, she quickly decided that she was not going to find out. Oh hell, she'd call him master if it would make him happy and keep her clothes on and body...un-probed. The word wouldn't have any meaning to her. This was just about surviving. She swallowed hard when he finished, angry again but also scared, and while part of her wanted to use this opportunity and speak, to call him every crude name under the Sun she could think of--all ending in the word "master", of course--she held her tongue.
Instead, she simply shuddered and looked away, off to the side, not looking at him. "I...understand, m-master..."
There you go. Stop fighting...that's probably what he wants, for you to fight and insult...
Indeed, she was already starting to think on a completely different strategy.
Especially when another ooportunity presented itself to her suddenly. A small one, but it was there. His...plan? Stun her? Wait...he probably wanted to untie her...
Oh damn, she had to take this and do something with it, and fast.
"...I think..." She paused uncertainly, shifting a little, hands clenched behind her back and chest heaving with her breaths. Was she frightened? Hell yeah. She was terrified. But not yet to the point where she couldn't think at all, it was just more difficult. Okay. Think. Nexus was like a feral animal...animals tended to find things more interesting when their victims fought back. Well, if she was still using the whole cat analogy, that's how it worked--they lost interest once the mouse lost its will to survive, and last time Nexus had let her go when she had, well...broken. She assumed he lost interest, at least. Maybe he just liked the fighting and struggling and insulting, and as long as she kept it up, as was her instinct and impulse, he'd just keep pushing her. Alright, Niamh. Let's try a new method...pride didn't matter anymore, this was just about coming out of this alive with everything intact. Besides, it couldn't bruise her pride, anyway, if it was all just about pretending and acting.
Which would be easy to do, because her fear was genuine. No acting there! And it would be even easier to pull off since, last time...the same thing had happened. Nexus would really have no reason to suspect that he <I>hadn't pushed her to her limits yet again. She hoped.
Shivering, she shook her head, carefully so the damned hat didn't come off, and then bowed her head, eyes clenched shut as she shied back away from him as far as the lead would allow. Her voice was oddly thick and trembled--also not something she had to work at. "I...think I...please don't...don't do that...I'll stay put, Master...please..." she begged, much in the same manner as she had before, breath coming in shaky little gasps. Goddess she hated saying that, especially that one certain word...but she could deal. It was meaningless, it held no power over her.
Light, she hoped this worked, hoped that he would take off the bindings and not stun her. Because she sure as hell wasn't broken yet, and as soon as those bindings came off...no, she wasn't planning on running. Oh hell no. He'd have to get close to her to take them off, and he'd still be close to her once they came off--way too close for her to run. No, there would be no running--she still had a lot of energy, nervous, desperate, adrenaline induced energy, and she planned on using that energy and hurting him. She may have been smaller than him, but there were still some things she knew how to do when she wasn't tied up or too far away to do it. After all, she was a close range fighter; all the times prior to this, Nexus had had the advantage in regards to reach, attacking her and incapacitating her from a distance. This would be the perfect opportunity for a last ditch effort.
...All assuming he didn't stun her, of course. Goddess, please let this work...