``I SIGNED UP FOR THIS GAME ; VAUGHN

[Alegra Silvertongue]

She shook her head at him. "They'd marry me," she assured him sincerely. It was true. She had a way of wrapping them around her finger. As long as she batted her eyes at them, said a few nice things, turned those bright blue eyes on them whenever they had a problem with something she did, they'd be more than willing to wed her, even knowing all of her dark secrets, even sharpen her sword for her. But, the same as she wasn't a submissive female, she didn't want a submissive male. Of course, they wouldn't know they were being such; she'd have to stoke their ego, make them feel so wonderfully manly that the fact that their bride was a knight (and probably a better one that they were, if it was their own profession) wouldn't matter any more. However, because it was so easy, she generally didn't bother; she gave them the passionate, uncontrollable side of personality with none of the benefits.

She knew he was going to make her say it, of course. And it occurred to her before she answered that if she didn't say it for exactly what it was, he was going to, and his would be a mockery. Though she imagined he was going to do it anyway. "Undressing me," she clarified bluntly, one corner of her mouth turned upwards in a half-smile, "to the best of your ability."

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn laughed at her attempt to convince him. "Are you trying to convince me, or convince yourself." He asked, joking of course. If she was truly from a good noble family, then no doubt there would be proposals being sent her way, but if it was the same way as other noble families functioned, those proposals were meant to benefit the families. Strengthen their status, increase their land and wealth. It was very pathetic indeed. When she asked him to undress her, using those exact words, Vaughn let the smirk remain on his expression and slightly cocked his head to the side, as if he was inspecting her.

"You will have to come over here," he said. Yes, he was going to make her come to him. If she wanted to play around and throw flirtatious comments, he was going to play along. He had been playing around with their entire conversation, her joining in only encouraged him. "I have many skills that are undeniable, and this just happens to be one of my greatest ones." Oh did he ever have the ability to do such a thing, and he was going to have fun while doing it.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

She ignored his initial question, seeing as there was no real answer. If she actually answered and told him she was trying to convince him, he'd either make some comment along the lines of "sure," or he'd comment on how dedicated she was to convincing him about herself. Alegra was not eager to deal with either, and there were more important matters at hand, so she refrained from doing so completely. After all, this situation was going to embarrassing enough without her adding poison to the fire; she knew well enough by now that he would not simply unclasp it all with silent politeness and then evacuate the premises for her to finish dressing.

With an overwhelming sense of dread, she did as he asked and walked over to stand in front with him - glaring at him the whole while. Clearly luck has abandoned me, she thought, straightening out with the aura of a person walking the plank. "I don't doubt for a moment that it is," she muttered in agreement.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn was going to get maximum enjoyment out of this, with what was going to be minimal argument. She had come over to him without argument. As he previously recognized though, she had very little choice. "Now that you are closer and I can hear better, what is it exactly that you would like me to do?" He asked again, clearly hearing her the first time, and the second time. But he was going to make her say it for the third time, except with more detail. He had offered to spare her pride before but she tried to prove otherwise, and now he was going to make her say what she wanted him to do instead of just giving in to it and the moment being over so quickly.

He stood up straight, no longer leaning against the tree anymore but kept his hands folded across his chest, as he was waiting for her to continue on with what she was saying, or asking him rather.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Alegra listened to his demand and rolled her eyes heavenward, wondering for the umteenth-time whether or not it was worth it. How much more was she willing to put up with? A bit, was the admitted mental response. Besides, if he didn't get his fill of mocking her now - if he was even capable of it - he'd just make something else twice as bad to make up for it. She leaned forward, tilting her head back, until she was an inch or so away from his face. "Remove my breastplate, backplate..." She grinned, the moonlight glinting off her teeth. There was no point in being embarrassed. "And any other pertaining armor, until I'm in my undergarments."

It was a little extreme, even for her, but that was what he was looking for, wasn't it? Of course, he was also probably hoping it would make her uncomfortable, which was precisely why she ensured that she wouldn't. He was no doubt getting an outrageous amount of satisfaction, and it was entirely possible that her carefree attitude would only further that, but on the off chance that it denied him some... It was well worth it.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Whether she admitted it, denied it, embraced it, or rejected it, there was one constant: Vaughn would always be amused. No matter what she said, or what she did, he was entertained by her. She had managed to capture his interest long enough for him to even bother asking her more than once for something. Of course, it helped that he was getting money out of this, but the bigger reward was having that control over her. "Why of course. I would be delighted to," he said, emphasizing the word. He moved a bit closer to her.

He was still looking at her while he began to all too slowly began to unclasp the necessary parts to remove her armor. He kept looking at her face, rather than what he was doing. He would feel it if need be, but he could see where to remove the necessary parts from the corner of his eye. Besides, he had done this many times before, it was nothing new. Of course, it was new for him to do it for a woman. Such a strange reversal, but perhaps that was what made it so funny.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

She shook her head, bemused. At least one of them was enjoying this. "Good to know," she said ruefully, trying to keep as straight as possible. Alegra couldn't help but notice that he wasn't even watching what he was doing, staring at her face instead. She didn't look away, however, for numerous reasons. First of all, it was a standard case of dominance, and she wasn't going to concede. Second, hopefully by watching him she'd be able to tell by a change in his expression if he was about to do something, though she acknowledged that the plan was somewhat faulty, as he seemed quite adept at masking his emotions. Third, and finally, her proud wouldn't allow her to look away from the guy undressing her; it was just one of those quirky things about her, she supposed.

She noted with disappointment but not surprise that he was drawing this out as much as he could. Briefly, she considered what she would do to avoid him having too much time to see her in her undergarments; there really wasn't much she could do. That was hardly something she would accept at face value, but she'd have to deal with the situation when it arose, which looked to be a good long several minutes away or more, considering how slowly he was going about it.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

He noticed that she too was not looking away. Worked for him. Whatever she decided to do, he would stay with his decision to lock eyes on her. And that way, if his hands happened to trail away from the clasps....oh well. Alegra would probably have a bigger problem with that than Vaughn. While he was many things, he would not forcefully violate a woman, but the fact that she did not know that, would be something he could use to his advantage. As each plate was very slowly being removed, he could not help but comment.

"It was more fun imagining what was underneath. Now the mystery is gone," he said teasingly. It was not more or less than what he had expected. He enjoyed teasing nobles and royalty more than women of any of any other class, for they were often not used from crude comments unless they came from commoners and even then it was not often a women wandered amongst the lower class regions. It was why he enjoyed saying such things; because it was never expected of a noble to say such inappropriate things and Vaughn was a man who often used the element of surprise to his advantage.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

She hated the vulnerable feeling she got as the armor was removed, revealing an impossibly small frame underneath. With the armor on, she was sturdy if small; without it, she was far from it. It was this fact that always stunned her brother, made people wonder how something this size could even manage herself on a pony, much less a horse, or even not get squashed in a crowd. More than anything, though, all those who knew her were at a loss as to how such a massive personality could fit in such a tiny vessel, or, more so, manage to intimidate people. And, unlike most people assumed, she was very much aware of her size and the disadvantage she was at without metal plating.

However, her self-consciousness came second to her pride, as always. His note that it was better to imagine it made her actually smile at him as she cheekily announced, "Told you," clearly amused. She took no offense by his supposed apathy to her figure; there had been many men who found such a child-sized person unattractive. If anything, it made her relieved. He'd gain nothing from assaulting a woman he didn't find arousing, and it was clear by now that he only did what benefited him.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

"Such things I have to see for myself," he said. He was obviously satisfied with having eventually gotten his way. Things would only get better, especially when they got to the estate. "After all, what would life be if we always listened to others. You of all people should know that there is no fun in that." It was clear she was rebellious, going against what her family wanted. What sort of noble family would want their daughter to be in such dangerous and risky situations? So it was obvious to assume that if she had listened to them, then she would not be where she is right now, and perhaps, not have experienced as much as she has in life.

To let someone control one's life was despicable to Vaughn. It was why he did not do well when it came to taking orders, even from his family. "It only deprives us of true adventure." He was not trying to be wise or share his own experiences with hers, since he was not exactly the sharing and caring kind of person. He was just talking while still removing her armor.

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[Alegra Silvertongue]

"A do-it-yourself type of guy," Alegra labeled him, somehow further amused by the prospect. He was, in a way, she supposed; just not the type that people usually associated with the words. She enjoyed the irony. She lapsed back into seriousness, however, at his next comment. Yes, she did know, at times a bit more than she would like to. The average person viewing the situation would tell her she'd stop having to worry about defying orders if she simply followed them; in her mind, she'd stop having to worry about defying orders if people stopped giving her orders. Of course, she'd never once claimed to be average, and in fact would likely be more offended than anything else if someone called her such.

"I couldn't agree more," she said, the first sincere thing she'd said in what seemed like ages. She was beginning to get antsy, standing there like that. Alegra was never one to just sit still, especially in such a rather, well, awkward situation.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

She was not talking that much, which Vaughn took as an indication that she was not in fact comfortable with what he was doing right now. Which was exactly what he wanted. What proper woman would feel comfortable with a man who was blackmailing her and making inappropriate jokes. Not that she displayed signs of what society expected a 'proper woman' to be like, but still. She was still a woman. When he finally unclasped the last bit, he threw the bits of armor to the ground and took a step back. His eyes scanned her body from top to bottom, looking as if he was inspecting something with great detail,

"All done," he said in proud voice, purposely sounding overly pleased with his accomplishment. He looked at her, with a devilish gleam. "What is my reward for my efforts?" He asked, meaning that in a way that suggested he was expecting something other than money.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Impatiently, she waited for him to finish. She could tell he was almost done, knowing the familiar feel of the armor as it was coming off and how many pieces were left. The closer it got to being finished, the more she wished it would be so that she could put actual clothing on. She wasn't naked, but close enough, in her mind, and she was certainly not enjoying it. However, when he finally finished, Alegra was not at all oblivious to him looking her over. Figuring she might as well, she took a step back as if to give him a better view, smiling quirkily. There wasn't a lot to look at, literally.

He certainly seemed proud of himself, though she couldn't imagine why. It certainly didn't appear to be his first time helping someone to remove their armor, and she was positive the reason he had gone so slowly was not being he was struggling, but rather just to milk the moment. At his question, she lifted her brow. He wanted a reward? "Being one of three men in the world to see me in this attire, or rather, lackthereof," she commented dryly. "You're a dying breed." Literally; one of the three had died four years ago.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

"And who would the other two men be. Brother and father?" He was curious as to know who else knew about this. If he was the first one who was not a family member to know about her secret. Clearly, there were very few who did know, but the more well kept this secret was, the better he would be payed for his discretion. He did not help her pick up her armor. He just stood there, watching her, seeing how long she herself was going to stand there in such a state of undress.

"If you need help putting on your regular clothes, do let me know. Since I displayed such skill at removing it. I am equally skilled in putting it on." Of course he knew she was not a child, and that she would not need that must assistance. But still. It was a fun thing to ask. Did she even have regular attire? She must have. If she did not plan to waltz into the castle in armor, then surely she did not plan to walk in only clad in her under garments.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Of all the things Alegra was, stupid was not one of them. Ignorance had never been her strong suit, and in this instance, it was certainly a good thing. "Your curiosity will have to go unsatisfied," she informed him with a mock-sympathetic expression. "I have a feeling that if I made the mistake of answering honestly, you'd use it against me." She hadn't been talking about the armor itself, of course; every person she'd ever been around had seen her in that, just hadn't known it was her. She was referring to the fact that she was as close to being nude as she could be without actually being in that state.

"I think I'll manage this one on my own," she said, "but thanks for the offer." Quickly, she retrieved her dress and other set of undergarments, moving behind Iron and changing into them swiftly. The dress was very, very deep blue, so her body almost seemed to disappear in the darkness until, after packing the armor and such into the saddlebags, she hopped back on and waited for Vaughn to do the same.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn chuckled. "Use it against you? I already have what I need to use against you. Anything else would be purely to satisfy my own curiosity." He would have to decide how much he wanted when he saw how much she had to offer. No more than he could carry of course. As he reminded himself, he was not doing this solely for the money, but for control. "But if you do not wish to answer, that is fine. I just assumed you enjoyed talking since you did so a great deal before." Teasing her could just never get old. He doubted it ever would, even in their future meetings to come.

When she finished getting dressed, he watched her pack away her things, and mount back on the horse. "Well now you look more like a noblewoman." It was rather obvious that she carried the grace of a noble, which was very necessary in her status. Others could be easily fooled by the way she looked. Of course, he would not have expected her to be a knight had he not seen it with his own eyes. He got back on the horse, and waited for her to continue to lead the way.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

"Fair enough," she conceded, "but even so, I don't think I'll answer." She wouldn't put it past him to lie, though she couldn't tell if he was or not; he was the rare exception to her otherwise spot-on intuition, it seemed. Even if that were the case, simply denying him the satisfaction of which he had spoken was more than enough. She was in a petty mood, and she'd admit to it if accused. It was dark out, getting cold, there was a creepy man whose name she didn't know - speaking of, "Are you going to tell me your name now?" - blackmailing her, and in a few moments he'd have his arms around her waist again. She was allowed to be petty if she wanted to.

At his comment about her talking a lot, she pouted for a brief moment before she realized what she was doing and turned her face forward again, clearing it and remaining silent until his next statement. "That was the idea," she said ironically. "I've had nineteen years of practice, after all." Once he was back on, she took off again, albeit grudgingly.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Was it up to her? Well, Vaughn could persuade her if he used the bit of leverage he had. But he was not going to. He was not that desperate to know. He would ask her and if she did not answer, well, it would not keep him up at night. Ah yes. He had not yet revealed his name. "I am debating. Perhaps I will continue to maintain the mystery surrounding it." He was just playing around with the idea. He had nothing to hide about his name. He had no issue with revealing his identity. Even if she went and told people a man of the name Vaughn was blackmailing her. It would be a rather good way of gaining a reputation throughout the kingdom.

Vaughn grinned, though she could yet again not see him. "Nineteen." Vaughn chuckled once again as she revealed his age. "And in nineteen years, you could not learn to control your attitude and hold your tongue as a proper noble woman should."

[Alegra Silvertongue]

"You could do that," she agreed. "Leave me to lie awake, wondering the identity of the man who morphed out of the darkness to watch me fight bandits. I'll probably spend hours daily trying to recall bits and pieces of the conversation, hints as to who you really are." It was said so utterly bluntly that either it was a blatant lie or not a lie at all; with her, it was always unclear. In fact, she might not even be sure herself which case it was, as Alegra didn't tend to make a habit of predicting her own reactions days before they occurred. A waste of time, really, when there was so much in the moment that she could focus on.

She turned her head and shoulders all the way back so that her shoulders were perpendicular to him and her face towards him, grinning at him. "I learned after eleven or so," she announced, "and after perhaps thirteen, I decided to hell with it and said what I thought." There was no doubt that she considered this to be a good thing, and her grin didn't dim in the slightest, despite the fact that she was no longer paying even slight attention to where they were going. "Once free, I couldn't possibly allow myself to be restricted again."

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn did not care whether she was telling the truth of if she was speaking a lie. All that mattered to him was that he had what he wanted, and that he got what he wanted. "Exactly. I will leave this up to your imagination. It is much better that way. Refer to me as whatever you like." Maybe it would be more interesting to prolong the revelation of his name, not that it mattered for any other reason. "We have already established how great my imagination can be. Now let us see the extent of yours."

Restrictions. Vaughn had broken free of every single one. His own bit of rebellion while growing up. Fortunately, one could not break restrictions if none were in place to begin with. "You take a great deal of pride in your clear resistance to authority and control." What made her stay, her love for her family. Even though she created clear defiance against them. "Where did you learn such traits." Such a strange woman. But a strange woman who was going to give him just the right amount of money, if not more.