I Will Not Bow (Vaughn)

[Deleted]

Something that Uther never would understand was that if you wanted to rule your people, you needed to know their mindset, you needed to know about their life. Arthur was maybe slowly getting the hang of that, as far as Nimueh could tell, but an old dog like Uther would never learn such a trick.
Nimueh herself on the other hand had made it a habit to regularly check in with the common folk, maybe attending a fair or visiting a tavern, just to get to hear gossip, rumors and all those little indications that could help her coming up with plans.

Someone had heard of sorcery activities in this town, some other swore by the soul of his mother the king was planning this and that… most could be considered rubbish, but every now and again you could find a sparkling gem hidden amongst the garbage. Those eventual, rare gems were enough justification to keep her going, to let her still mingle with the crowd, although she certainly shared Uther’s dislike for them. Most of them were dumb, reeking peasants who had a brain as porous as the ground of their fields. Also they were rude and loud, and couldn’t keep neither their eyes nor their hands to themselves.

Not that Nimueh didn’t relish in the appreciative glances she got whenever she graced a village tavern with her presence, but those men around there usually were too drunk already to mind if they let deeds follow their words. Filthy peasant hands all over her was nothing the High Priestess aspired. Still, what had to be done, had to be done.
With the unpleasant thought of recent failure to kill Uther by his resurrected brother-in-law in mind, Nimueh entered the Dancing Mare in a determined stride. She was a woman used to get what she wanted and better five minutes ago. That she would show everyone around if need be. The hood of her cloak covered her head all the way to the innkeepers counter, once there she slowly slid it off and gave the man an almost arrogant smile.

“A tankard of your best mead, if you would be so kind, and a table where I can be left in peace!”
With secret satisfaction she observed how the whole room slowly turned silent. She heard several chairs creak, as people turned around to catch a glance of the newcomer.
Oh how she loved theatralical entrances! They were more than recompense for the recent setbacks. Even if they all had no clue who she really was, Nimueh still liked the feeling of being appreciated – as long as it didn’t get out of hand!


~.~
Tag: Vaughn
Timeline: Somewhen between "Exalibur" and "Morte d'Arthur"
Time of day: late afternoon
Muse song: I will not bow

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[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

A tavern was not an unusual place to find Vaughn at. With that being said, every time he was in one was an opportunity to witness first hand the everlasting stupidity of the human race and just how idiotic drunk men could be. Vaughn was not a people person but provoking them, calculating their reactions to certain situations, was something, the only thing really, that he did on a daily basis. Life offered no other forms of amusement so he had to create his own.

It had not been too long since he entered when someone else made an even grander entrance. A woman. Not just any woman though. One that caused the attention of every single man present in there. She was not a typical bar maid or wench that drunk men engaged in intoxicated flirtations with. She was something very different. And she stuck out in a place like this far too much for her own good. Was Vaughn concerned about that? Not at all. But his curiosity was raised and the dumbfounded reaction of the other men was just far too amusing for him to ignore.

Murmurs began to fill the room, the silence only having lasted a short time. That did not mean the men were still not distracted by her. Vaughn glanced around, noticing every man's eyes rested on her. A smirk crept onto his lips as he forced his gaze to rest on her as well, and leaned over ever so slightly to talk to the man next to him, on his left. "Such a creature of beauty, is she not." Vaughn commented. The man slurred some words of agreement. "I should go speak to her. Buy her a drink." Vaughn had no intention of doing that, but he said such words, predicting the reaction of the man. Men saw such things as a competition. And his reaction was dead on perfect. The drunken man glared at him and quickly got out of his seat, stumbling over to the alluring woman.

Vaughn watched him with amusement, and leaned towards the man at his other side, towards the right. "He seems to be the most brave one of us all. And it appears he will be rewarded by her for such courage." Vaughn had to suppress a chuckle at how utterly ridiculous his words sounded, but never the less, they served their purpose. One, men had pride and so to suggest that someone else was better than the other, only made the man angry and feel as if he had something to prove. Second, the thought of getting a reward, meant to sound as perverted as one could take it, from a woman such as herself was enough to make any man jealous. Third, he was drunk and so anything Vaughn said had the ability to be ten times worse.

The man angrily stormed out of his seat and moved towards the other one who was attempting to buy the woman a drink. Vaughn watched the two men begin to bicker over who in fact was going to be the one to treat the lady. The nomadic knight was not finished though. Seeing another man in the table ahead of him, Vaughn spoke to him now. "Did you not see her first?" He asked, making it sound like that man had seen her first and therefore, had rightful claims to her. The man did not need to be reminded twice. He too stood up, along with two of his friends as they made their way towards the woman who now had a small crowd of men around her, and a room of men just sitting and still staring.

Vaughn leaned back in his seat a bit, and watched with complete amusement as one of the men threw the first punch, undoubtedly, leading to what was commonly referred to as a bar fight.

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[Deleted]

The bartender seemed to be one of the less cunning sort, his first reaction to Nimueh’s order was a mouth dropping open and eyes bulging so that he resembled more some kind of dumb fish than a man. Oh great! This was no good start at all. Would she have to repeat it, slowly and carefully as if she was talking to an imbecile? Sometimes being a bit less outstanding might be better when dealing with total morons…
“Shut your mouth, there’s a carriage coming!” she said in a sickly-sweet tone that should put everyone on guard who knew Nimueh Ó Liatháin. Sadly, no one knew her around here, so all the bartender did was jolting as if he just had been woken from some daydream, shutting his mouth quickly and turning away to the mead barrell with an awkward bow. At least he was able to follow simple orders after a little reminder…

She just turned around to scan the dimly lit room for an unoccupied table when she saw a man more stumbling than walking towards her. Indignant she stepped aside to make room for the drunkard who (hopefully) would only demand another round of whatever he had been guzzling nonsensically, but just one moment later she realised she had misinterpreted his intentions, as he now addressed her with a slurry voice that indicated he really had had more than he should have been drinking.
“Bweaauuutiful L-lady! Pweaase all’oww me the…the honor of buyin’ ye a d-drink!”
Standing tall, Nimueh put on the most aloof face she could possibly muster and looked down at the man, grateful she was at least three inches taller than this peasant.
“No thanks, I think I am well enough able to buy myself my own drinks” she told him off, turning away bruskely.

“Bu-butbut… Milaaady!” the man protested in a wailing tone, like a child that had just been denied some fancy sweets, but before he could say more another voice piped up, deeper but only slightly less slurry. “’eep ya hands off ‘er, will ya? The lady doesn’t want attention of a milksop lik y’are!”
With that he bowed to Nimueh, almost toppling over, and the woman could just stare at him in bewilderment. What was happening here? She had never experienced a multiple assault such as this before! Were they all struck with some illness of idiocy?

“How about you two solve—“ she started to say, but was interrupted by the first man, now glaring at the second with a glance that could only be called murderous. “Back off! ‘Twas me who was here first, was me!”
Rolling her eyes Nimueh stepped back and scanned the room once again, this time searching for maybe the flickering of intelligence in this quagmire of peasantly oafishness. A tall man with the air of a mercenary or even knight caught her attention, as he was leaning closely to another man, whispering into his ear. Said man now stood up and joined the two still bickering man, claiming in a loud and confident voice that he had seen her first.

Nimueh’s brows furrowed and she watched the dark man more closely. Was he the instigator of this brawl? She shot him a glare that could make hell freeze over, just to be sure. Even if he wasn’t responsible for it all, his smirk made it more than clear he was gloating. How dare he?!
“This is not what I expect to see when I say ‘be left in peace’”, she told the bartender who simply watched, again wide-eyed as the three men now started a brawl, hitting each other with bare fists and tankards they snatched from innocent observers. They would not let this go, of course, Nimueh thought and shook her head. Give it three seconds and all hell will break loose. And me being in the midst of it… great!
Slowly she retreated a few steps, almost moving behind the bar to not being hit by a wandering tankard… or worse! Now they started on the furtniture… just great! I’m surrounded by idiots!

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

This entirely scene was so utterly ridiculous that it was on the verge of entertaining. The stupidity of men, resorting to such spectacles if only to claim the attention of a young woman. She was undeniably beautiful, but no human being was worth it. Everyone was the same. And yet, even with this assurance in mind, something stood out about her. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she looked so out of place in this tavern. Either way, she had caught Vaughn's interest, and he had taken advantage of such a thing by being a catalyst for a bar fight, which was progressing rather nicely. Most other men were stating to get involved, throwing mugs, chairs, even tables at one another. And all Vaughn did was sit there. Nonchalantly. Sipping his drink.

She looked at him with such intensity and yet, he continued to smirk. He even winked at her, having no objection to her discovering that he was in fact the person who had started this brawl. The bartender was clearly trying to simmer things down but the men were all so heated at this point that it would take more than a single person to stop the fight involving several inebriated men. He kept his gaze locked on her though, watching her every move intently. If she left, he would follow. Right now she seemed to be taking a step back from all of this, sharing his own recognition at how ridiculous it was. With slurred shouts of I saw her first! or Stay away from her! being thrown about, it was truly a wonder how she managed to remain composure.

[Deleted]

This was a trial of her utmost composure and patience. Inwardly Nimueh could only shake her head at this madness. She had come here to maybe catch a rumor or two, not to be the subject of a brawl! Some kind of information she got out of this! It was the centuries old one she had had to realize many times over: Men were stupid and driven by their most basic needs. It was no wonder the world was tumbling down with them on the helm! None of these had even so much as an inkling of what it had taken Nimueh to be what she was now. It had been years and years of self-abandonment and abstinence, but now she could consider herself high above these rogues, and even above kings who only could cling to power by waging war on their opponents. She had been driven into this struggle by another man, but sometimes she hated every necessary step of it. She should not have to fight for what she had gained and what was, if only for the amount of waiving, rightfully hers.

The way the man looked at her confirmed her notion. Oh yes, he had been the instigator of it all, and Nimueh had decided already that he would pay for this! She was no one to play games with! What did he want to achieve with that anyway? Some purpose she could not figure out or was he just the notorious troublemaker. His ease unnerved her. Normally people shrank away from her famous ice glares, or at least showed some sort of reaction. He didn’t. He even had the nerve to wink now! Who did he think he was?!
But confronting him would play into his hands, he probably craved for attention just like they all did, just in the perfectly opposite way. If that had been the purpose of starting the brawl, she would be damned if she rewarded him now with her presence!

No, the case she had been coming here was lost, so why stay? There would be nothing normal to observe here tonight, no conversation to overhear. And before she was hit by a gush of mead or ale and got her dress ruined, she better left. Turning towards the shocked and wailing innkeeper, she snapped: “I take it you have a back door? Your tavern is clearly not suiting my needs for quietude and you can’t very well expect me to battle my way through this chaos!”
The innkeeper, mouth opening and closing like a fish, might have something in mind to protest, but at least he was more receptive to her ice glare than this man in the corner. He didn’t dare to talk back, but bowed awkwardly and lead the way through a storage room to the outside.

Her ears still ringing with the riot inside, Nimueh stood in the quaint early evening air, taking a deep breath, trying to calm her angry mind and to think of other possibilities to make this day still useful.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn kept his eyes locked on her, watching her every move intently. It was going to get increasingly difficult to sit here, attempting to blend into the background. For he was the only man sitting. Ironically, it drew attention to himself from the men who were riled up and just looking for someone as an outlet for their hostility. Vaughn would be no such scapegoat. After all, he had only technically urged a few men to make a move. Though he did know full well how the situation would escalate. He had been in enough taverns and encountered enough drunk men to know just what to say. Which was why this woman was so out of the ordinary. When she said something to the barkeeper and began to move towards the door, Vaughn immediately stood up. He took one final gulp of his drink, putting the mug back onto the table. Even though seconds after a body was thrown on to it, breaking the entire thing.

This was Vaughn's cue. He casually walked through the mad crowd, seeing which exit she had gone through and without asking the bar keepers permission, walked through the same one. Once he was outside his eyes scanned his surroundings, not taking long to find the mysteriously alluring woman. A small smirk formed on his lips as he took a couple of steps towards her. "You certainly did create quite a ruckus back there." His eyes surveyed her body, trailing up and down, thoroughly inspecting her in a way that only men would do towards women. "Not that I can blame them for fighting over such an, exquisite figure."

[Deleted]

Her idle plotting was interrupted by a male voice. A voice she had never heard before, but it beared so much obvious cheek it could only belong to one person. The man who had been the cause of this whole fight and chaos. Once again, he showed quite a nerve to address her this freely after what he had done. Normally Nimueh did like some spirit in menfolk, but this man was clearly pushing it, losing credit he never really had had to begin with, therefore slipping off into the red. If he so much as spoke again, he would taste the wrath of an angry High Priestess. After she was through with him he might have the desire to number his bones… if he had still enough sanity left to be able to count.
Slowly she turned him, only to catch him giving her a clear eye-up. Her brows furrowed in annoyance. How dare he?! He thought he could act like that and still get away with it all? Well, he soon would learn a very painful lesson, she was only warming up to this.

“Listen”, she started in a sickly sweet tone that made many people who knew her already turn around and run for their lives. Sadly enough this man didn’t know her. Yet. “I don’t know WHO you are or WHAT your problem exactly is, but I suggest you solve it alone, before I forget myself!” The last words were spoken sharply like slivering glass. She was in no mood for sick courtship behavior of any kind.
If he dared so much as smirk at her anger, she would wipe it straight off his face. In her mind she was already imagining it, a few ways to deflate his obvious pride and prancing.
“And anyway, we both know it was YOU who started this ‘ruckus’, for whatever sick reason.” She stated, still glaring. “It might be better for you if you solve it as well.”

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

There was something about her cold glare and tone of voice, that sent some sort of chill down Vaughn's spine. It gave him a strange sort of thrill, to encounter someone so out of the norm. So out of the ordinary. Yes. There was something different about her indeed, and Vaughn was highly intrigued. He continued to smile. Had he any sort of warning instincts, they would have been screaming at him to get away. But it was a good thing he did not. For that was what kept him firmly in place before her. Solve the ruckus? Hmm. "I believe it has already been resolved, for I no longer see men throwing themselves at each other only to impress you." No thanks to him, and he was well aware of this fact. It was only because she had managed to sneak away unnoticed, for everyone was distracted beating up each other. The fools missed the point of the entire thing. Then again, one could never rely on a drunk man to be perceptive.

"Besides, I thought it would have caused you to feel, flattered," he said, a bit teasingly. He knew that it would lead to a fight. That woman, contrary to popular belief, did not enjoy a bunch of men fighting over them. A couple, perhaps. But not a bunch of drunkards. Plus, she seemed to already know that he was the one who started this whole situation. How? Who knows. Maybe she was more perceptive than he had given her credit for. Maybe she was more than just a pretty face. Maybe she actually had a brain in there.

[Deleted]

The man continued to wear his ever so unsettling smile plastered on his face, which made Nimueh annoyed on the verge of bursting. There was someone here who needed to be shown his very own place and it was not the High Priestess! In other circumstances she might gave found this amount of stamina and cheek quite remarkable and worthy of her respect. Too bad he had already lost any ounce of respect there might have been for him. Now all he needed was a lesson taught by her, a lesson he would never forget. In the future he would think twice about playing such tricks without even the slightest of reasons other than to wreak havoc and annoy. He had spoilt her plan for today, he deserved to be punished in a very befitting way!

Even though Nimueh had vowed to herself, she would not even so much as think of gracing one of this man’s unnerving approaches with a comment of her own, what he next said set her off. Her, flattered?! By a rogue such as him? Or by a bunch of drunkards hardly able to keep their beverage inside while drooling over her? In whatever sick world this impertinent man lived, it was not her own, and he finally needed to realise that!
Her eyes shooting figurative icicles at him, she raised her right hand in front of her, bringing the fingers closer to slowly form a fist, as if she was about to choke the air in front of him. Which practically she was. “You’ve gone one step to far this time”, she hissed, still glaring hard. “One lesson you might have to learn, my dear friend: Never annoy someone who could take you out in a second. Do you have the slightest idea who you are dealing with?! Forþrysme!”

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn could tell she was getting agitated. Then again, it was not a difficult emotion to notice. That was what he had wanted after all; to get a rise out of her. So that he could now spend this time alone in her company. To inquire more about her. About her reasons for having been in that bar. There was indeed something about her and Vaughn was still trying to place it. When she spoke, it was with words filled with threat. Vaughn chuckled, finding it rather precious that the woman believed him to be so outmatched. He was going to question her; asking her who it was exactly that he was dealing with. But immediately following her threat, words escaped him. And this was not something but choice. They literally escaped him; failed to come out. For he felt something catch his breath.

The lack of oxygen made him begin to choke. It started with him trying to clear his throat but progressed to a full inability to breath. His eyes widened a bit as he put his hands on his throat. He was not afraid to die; as this could very well be his time of dying. At least it would be in the presence of a beautiful woman. But intrigue kept him fighting, trying to stay alive but knowing it was not something he had control over. Though he could not see his own face he could feel it pale, the color draining from it as he suffocated. Would she just let him die? Or was this merely a warning to him? Amongst his choking, he could not help but give a slight smirk. He was dying, and yet he would die with this expression on his face.

Forcing himself, he finally managed to get two words out. They were short and said with extreme strain. But if she were to be his murderer, then he did not wish to die in pure silence. "My...mistake..." It was indeed a mistake. But not one that Vaughn was sorry for. In fact, he hoped the smirk remained in his eyes if not evidently on his lips. Death was inevitable. He only wished he could have fully gotten to know the enticing woman in front of him before entering the unknown aftermath of this mortal world.

[Deleted]

Ah, the grim satisfaction of revenge! It never ceased to fill Nimueh with pleasure, seeing someonw who had dared to treat her without the respect she deserved suffering by her hands. And with him, this impossible creature apparently made of nothing but arrogance and overestimation of his own capabilities, it felt even better! He might think himself king of the world, or whatever, but compared to her, he was nothing! And this realization seemed to dawn on him as well now, she observed with a pleased smirk, her hand still keeping a firm grip on the air. Blessed be her powers that she didn’t need to dirty her hands with his unworthy skin if she wanted to teach him a lesson.

And yet, there was just something about him… that the smirk didn’t leave his face and that it lacked the expression she had yearned for: fear of dying, shock, all those lovely things, didn’t make her as angry as she had expected herself to be. On the contrary, it even commanded a little respect from her, and that was a hard goal to achieve, even more after what had just passed between them, when she had vowed to herself to never forgive him his cheek. No, whoever this man was, he definitely was not someone to be messed with, hard-boiled and apparently laughing death in the face. Above all, he was also smart enough not to defy her completely with this lack of shocked submission and dread, he said two words that were highly appropriate concerning the circumstances!

Instead of finishing off, like one part of the High Priestess was highly tempted to, she loosened her magical grip just the tiniest bit. “Good boy…” she crooned, sauntering closer with alluringly swaying hips. “Seems I could teach you manners after all, yes? So, what’s it to be? Shall we forget your disrespect for now and have a little… chat?” She chuckled lowly, knowing full well that she had just started to play a most dangerous game, but that in the end was what Nimueh Ó Liatháin lived for. This man had guts and he was cunning – two character traits she valued above any others. Furthermore he was smart enough to realize when he was outmatched, and that was an even rarer gift. Maybe… if he didn’t slip up again, she could find some use for him after all?

She, as well, was apt enough to realize when a person was more worth as an ally than an enemy. He had caused this charade for a reason, some of it was obvious, yet still some of it remained a mystery. It was part of Nimueh’s character that she never could resist a mystery. And even the obvious part of his desire she could use to her advantage. Not to mention that it was flattering indeed, now that her first anger had died down...

---

[Yes indeed that's what it said, sorry for not clarifying that in a footnote!]

[Vaughn Adeney]

Vaughn could not predict her actions. For all he knew this could be the last face on earth he saw. And at least it was a beautiful one at that. As he felt more of the life drain out of him, knowing that the strong delirium would soon come until he sank to the ground in a lifeless form...she released her violent hold on him. The second the spell was broken, he gasped for the air he had otherwise been deprived from. Coughing a couple of times, finding the luxury of oxygen far more refreshing than ever before, he looked at her. This time, seeing more of her, seeing a glimpse of the abilities she had as a sorcerer. He had encountered enough practitioners of magic to know that they did not stick out; that they looked like everybody else.

Which is why they were so unpredictable, and which was why they often captured Vaughn's attention. This woman managed to intrigue him in two ways now: beauty and power. Fascinating. They way she spoke to him, the way she practically glided towards him, made that smirk of a smile reappear. The fact that he knew his words could cost him his life, aware of the fact that she could snap once again and cause him pain...it made her more enticing to him. It made him want to see how far he could push the limit, or how rewarding the alternative way. "Is it so easy for you to forget something?" He asked, a bit teasingly. Trying to determine how provoked she could be; how far he could push her before that was it.

He knew one thing for certain: he was not quite ready to depart himself from her company. "You have demonstrated to me your power, but to let such beauty go unacknowledged would be such a waste." Meaning, well, implying that he was prepared to do something more than talking. Or having a 'chat' as she put it. He was well aware that his crude comments had the ability to make a woman feel uncomfortable. That was precisely why he said them. But she could be an exception to how other women reacted, or didn't react to his suggestive remarks? He was enjoying her unpredictability thus far, and hoped she continued to intrigue him and maintain his interest.

[Deleted]

Nimueh watched the man in front of her with a pleased smirk, like a cat would watch her plaything, the little mouse. So he liked to play with fire? Oh, she guessed what he was after, he wanted to provoke her further, now he had seen what she was capable of. Should she let him fathom her tolerance threshold? Make the mouse believe it was her who choose the tune they were dancing to? Watching them, so eager, so sure of their upper hand, was something Nimueh deeply enjoyed from time to time, when she was sure of her own inevitable victory of course. And then when the right time came, she would show him who had been on top of this situation all along, and that would crush his sweet self-esteem.
Or it would not. That was the most interesting part of it all. The High Priestess hadn’t met a challenge in quite a while, and he was a challenge for sure. It would take longer to crush him… or she would find it more entertaining to not crush him at all. They would see…

"Let’s rather say…”, she mused, returning the smirk, but keeping the superior air around her, “I might be forgiving when I feel like it, but no, I never truly forget. To forgive can be useful concerning certain circumstances, but to forget is weak and stupid.” She raised her chin, telling him without words that she knew she was neither.
He had not truly offended her with his question… yet. He might just push further, but then she would be ready to show him his limits again. Nimueh liked to think that she never used her powers without reason, wasn’t one to brag. If he provoked her enough, he would feel the consequences, but until then she would continue to have this rather intriguing conversation. The way he reacted to her statements would tell her a great deal about him as well, what kind of man he was apart from his obvious cheek and his ‘to-hell-with-it-and-me’ attitude. And it would tell her if he was actually worth wasting time on… or more than that.

Of course he would hint at something like that again. Another woman might feel threatened, or at least uncomfortable, shifting, blushing, or showing in any other way with her body language how that comment got to her, but not so Nimueh. She just smiled and rewarded him with an alluring chuckle. She knew that no man could ever take from her anything she didn’t want to give, and that made her confident. The body of a High Priestess was a gift she only gave rarely, and it was the greatest honor a man could wish for. SHE would choose if she’d allow him to keep on being so suggestive, and for the moment she found it rather amusing. And he wasn’t even bad to look at, either. This might just be a game she would continue to play for another round – but with her rules only!
”Oh, and you think it would be in your power to give my ‘beauty’ the due… acknowledgement?” she asked, teasingly. “The stakes you aim for are very high, to give you a proper warning.”

[Vaughn Adeney]

There was something so delightfully unusual about her. The practice of magic was not entirely uncommon. It was more than that. The confidence and authority that practically exuded from her, left Vaughn feeling intrigued. To say the least. She was also a tease. Many women were, but the way she did it left a man truly wanting to pursue her. A very natural charm and alluring air around her that no sane man could easily ignore, nor deny themselves. Vaughn may not exactly be the typical man, but in this case... he doubted he was the first to feel such a way in her presence. "So tell me then," he began, a playful smile on his lips. An amused gleam in his eyes. "How must I earn your forgiveness in a way that you will never forget?" He of course meant this with implications of means along the lines of perversion. But he was making a play with her words. Forgive but never forget. He could surely manage both those things, could he not?

Thoughts of her being an exception in how women responded to his inappropriate words were proven to be right. She chuckled instead; a rather charming little laugh she had there. Feeling encouraged, he decided to do something that would either be incredibly stupid, or most rewarding for him. He stepped towards her, leaning down a bit so that their faces, or more specifically their lips, were only mere inches apart. Clearly, he had learned nothing from his near death experience at her hand. But her words were far too tempting to not respond to, both with a verbal response and through his actions of inching closer towards her. "I have never been more up for the challenge," he told her confidently. Perhaps with even a wave of arrogance tossed in there. "You have shown me a glimpse of what power you possess." Meaning how she had nearly killed him with a simple word. It was however enough to make him realize that she held great strength when it came to magic.

While he acknowledged it, he was evidently not discouraged by it. Nor fearing the repercussions his suggestive and persistent actions could have. "Now, let me show you a glimpse of the power I possess." For as she had put it, he did believe he held the power to give her beauty due acknowledgment. He made mention of only a glimpse, for they were still outside. And his words were not exactly insinuating that he would 'show this power' through innocent means. While Vaughn had no shame in such things, women often did. They were the more modest ones; seeking privacy to engage in such activities. Either way, Vaughn was presenting the opportunity, curious to see if it would merit another attempt at suffocating him, or if she would continue to surprise him in the more pleasing of ways.

[Deleted]

Now wasn’t he a master of words! Nimueh had to admit he managed to impress her yet again, and it was hard to really impress the High Priestess. The way he twisted her words around to turn them into yet another innuendo was maybe not unexpected, but still a show of great skill. Now he put it like that, Nimueh realized her words had been the perfect straight line to such a kind of come-on, though she hadn’t seen it when the words first left her mouth. Should she be angry about being almost outwitted what happened seldomly? Or should she acknowledge his momentary victory? Then again, better still, wasn’t she apt enough to come back with a fitting reply?
“It might take some to truly earn my forgiveness”, she stated, her face deadly serious, only her eyes glinting mischievously. “Then again, I feel in a gracious mood today. After you denied me the pleasure of having a quiet drink in peace, you might just have to repay me… duly.”

Nimueh had seen before that this man actually did not want of self-esteem and arrogance. He had witnessed her power first hand, yet he rather approached her further than backing away in unease. Either he was desperate or a horrible tease like herself. Or simply used to get what he wanted. Hadn’t his whole scheme worked towards this current point? He had all but gotten what he wanted, had caught her alone, away from all other men and now was closer to her than any man had come in a while. Should she really allow this to happen?
Then again, she couldn’t deny his presence was incredibly tempting and alluring, and her body was reacting to it. “My my, well aren’t you sure of yourself”, she murmured, challengingly holding his gaze and keeping her lips still a hair’s breadth apart from his, not leaning in. Bless her hard training to become the pure vessel for the Otherworld Power! It cost her truly much to resist this temptation.

But it had to be done – at least for now. This would be her punishment, she would raise the tension to an inhuman level and trust in her own abilities. There was no question that she could do this, and it would be interesting to see how long he could play along. He seemed strong to her, but how strong in truth?
Then however, when he told her he would show her a ‘glimpse’ of his power, Nimueh was blessed with an even better idea. She knew what he wanted to say, but she wasn’t sure yet how to react to it. He was incredibly daring and even presumptious to think he could take her that way, then again, didn’t a part of her want it to happen?
“Alright then…”, she whispered with a malicious gleaming playing on her lips, and inwardly invoked one of her favourite elements, fire, to be at her command. “Let’s see how much you can take!” And with that she leaned in and pressed her lips to his, releasing the fire inside her to burn.

Of course she didn’t release its full force as someone who was not trained to cope with the unspeakable power of the elements could easily be injured or even killed when coming in touch with it, but she directed enough of it to course between them over her lips so it might hurt him, making the kiss fiery in the very meaning of the word and increasing the power bit by bit. A punishment and a reward alike.