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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 20, 2017 14:07:20 GMT -5
Instead of answering the question, Damien stood up and walked over to the tree where his knives were still buried and, without a word, pulled them out, followed by a throwing knife from each sleeve, though he left the daggers where they were. Then, he started to throw.
"You can ask." Thump. "But it's a lot to explain." Thump. "It's the history of a kingdom"- thump -"and then my entire childhood." Thump. "I don't know"- thump -"if I can give you an answer." The knives landed in the tree with deadly precision, making a straight, evenly spaced line down the tree from about eye-level. Damien walked back to it, pulled the knives out, and started talking as he threw again. "Let me think about it." Thump, thump. "I said I'd trust you,"- thump -"but it's a lot to unload onto a person." Thump, thump. "Give me some time," he said finally as he pulled the knives out from their once again perfect line.
By focusing his anxiety into the repetitive motion of pulling his arm back and then forcing it forward, the familiar click of his wrist, he managed to keep his tone level. It was enough to distract him from the question she'd asked. When he turned back to give her a nod, he didn't even look upset. That was good, because he was. Not to a great effect, but upset enough to feel the negative emotions that came with it threatening to throw him off. By throwing it off, so to speak, he'd managed to control it.
"Let's see where you stand defensively, then I can give you one answer or another."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 14:48:19 GMT -5
Alice could understand that Damien didn't want to talk about it. She assumed that there were just some things he couldn't (or doesn't want to) talk about. She wouldn't put it passed criminals to keep anything secret. It was what kept them safe while they ironically hurt others.
"I understand." Alice told him, after he finished with his knife throwing. He was an expert in her eyes. For each knife to land the way it did, and with frightening accuracy, it sent chills up and down her spine. And his calm expression was a different kind of frightening. One that drew her to trying to see his thoughts, but couldn't imagine what was there or what she would see if she could.
Alice was quite glad for a change in subject. "Self defense? I lack any sort of type. Besides possibly verbally." She shrugged. She used to talk back to her parents when they told her things she didn't appreciate. The same went for her brother.
{Sorry, my phone died}
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 20, 2017 15:04:02 GMT -5
( no worries! )
Damien quirked a small smile at that, relieved that she'd accepted the change of subject so easily. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep the panic from overflowing if he'd been forced to stay on the topic he'd been on. "That's the best kind," he said, nodding his approval.
"Let's get started." He began to shed his blades, laying them in a pile on the rock he'd been sitting on only some minutes ago. "For transparency's sake, I still have one on me, in my left boot. If you feel threatened at any point, make sure to keep an eye out for any movements that suggest I'm going for it," he said with a nod, realising that she would either gain comfort from knowing where all his weapons were or it would scare her further. Either way could be beneficial.
"First thing's first," he began, stepping forward so that she was just out of reach. "How would you form a fist? Note that you might not ever use it - sometimes elbows or palms are more effective, but when you panic your fist is the most natural response. Make one."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 15:26:47 GMT -5
Alice felt a little worried, and a little safer knowing where his weapons were located. Now she just had to make sure he wasn't hiding any more. Though, she did not have many reasons to think he was lying. He's been honest with her, even if he didn't necessarily answer some of her questions, that wasn't exactly lying.
His first step in teaching her self defense was, what she felt, him not giving her enough credit. Of course Alice could make a fist. She held up her hand so he could see what she was doing and made a fist. "What next?"
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 20, 2017 15:39:51 GMT -5
Damien looked at her fist and, after a moment's consideration, nodded. That would do. He was silent for a while, then nodded again. "Now, you hit me. Do your worst. Just, avoid the face? People are always far less trusting of me when my face is bruised." He said this in a lighthearted tone, but it was an accurate statement. He'd always been good at getting people to trust him - until they found out what he did, nothing seemed to compensate for that - but people always got suspicious if he looked like he'd been in a fight. Not really surprising, he supposed.
Assuming that she'd question him, he nodded one more time. "Just hit me. I'll wait." And wait he did, looking expectantly down at her. He remained completely still, not moving a single muscle as he awaited either questioning or a punch.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 23, 2017 8:18:11 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2017 8:27:22 GMT -5
{Sorry! I keep running around on this site trying to get stuff done, and then just as I'm about to type your reply, something else comes up. I'm trying to get it done, promise X'D}
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 23, 2017 10:21:15 GMT -5
[ I know what that's like, don't worry! I totally get being busy and having a lot of places to be. ]
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2017 12:38:24 GMT -5
Alice's eyes went wide at his request. She was supposed to hit him? She would have loved to on some occasions but now that she has the oppritunity to, it didn't feel right. "Hit you?" She repeated. "I don't think I can hit you if you haven't made me mad recently." Well, Damien did make her mad earlier, but why hold a grudge? It was petty in her opinion. But she would have to come up with some reason to make herself give Damien a blow.
How about the fact that he was a murderer? That was a good enough reason for her, one punch wouldn't kill him, and was far less than what he deserved. Alice shrugged and put her hand down to possibly deceive him and make Damien think that she wasn't going to hit him. "All right then." She reared her arm back and landed a blow on his arm, since that was the first place she can think of that wasn't his face.
When her fist made contact with his arm though, she was almost tempted to say it hurt her more than him. Because it probably did. She should have expected that though, Damien was well built due to all of his training. Alice bit down on her lip after she took her hand away to keep herself from Shaking the pain off of her hand. "How was that?" She asked, trying to get her mind off of her hand.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 23, 2017 18:08:36 GMT -5
The impact felt less like a punch and more like a half-hearted slap, something Damien attributed to Alice's form rather than her commitment. It was sloppy, unpractised. Perhaps not a surprise, but all the same. He moved his arm for a few seconds to loosen to muscle back up again, then looked back to Alice.
"Did it hurt?" he asked, rather than answer her question. "Because if it hurt you, it didn't hurt me. That's just how it works." That wasn't so much the point, though he saw he'd have to cover this quickly as well. He didn't expect her to initiate fights, so teaching her to throw a good punch was pretty useless - what she needed was a good response to an attack - but he couldn't leave this when she was hitting people like this.
"Punch through, not at, that'll help," he supplied. "Now, hit me again." This was the point. Not the punch itself, but what his response to it would be. Both for Alice's sake so she'd see what the goal was, but just as much for himself. He hadn't had self-defence classes in years, he barely remembered what he was supposed to do. It just came naturally. Take a hit, avoid a hit, that was the plan. Hopefully he'd have enough clarity of mind to realise how he was moving.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2017 20:07:43 GMT -5
Alice lied and shook her head no, she did not want to appear to be too...soft. Even though she was. Alice was about as hard core as a flower garden. The exact opposite of Damien. His request to punch him again though made her take a step back. Why did she have to do it again?
Although, she couldn't complain. Or say no. She asked for this in a way. Alice got a bit closer, reared her arm back again and then, as he said, punch like she was going through. Which it did help, she did not hurt herself as bad this time. "Was that any better?"
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 24, 2017 9:58:22 GMT -5
This one stung, at least a little. It wasn't a punch that would stun anyone, let alone send them reeling for it to be useful in a defensive situation, but there was force behind it. Damien curled and unfurled his fingers thoughtfully, then nodded. "Better," he allowed with a short nod. He paused, as though he might elaborate, but decided against it.
"Think about this for a minute. If you were actually hitting me somewhere that mattered - by the may, the nose, eyes and knees are a great place to start when you want to get out of something - how could I avoid that attack?" He was silent for a few moments, but not long enough for her to give an answer. "The easiest thing to do, especially when you don't have strength on your side, is to catch the punch in your hand, like so." He demonstrated with his own fist and hand.
"So far, things are pretty self-explanatory. Up until this point, it's just reflex. Now you need to make some choices. You have two options. Land a hit of your own, or take advantage of your opponent's disorientation and throw their own punch back." Once again, he did his best to show what he meant with his own hands, pulling the hand that was wrapped around his fist back before throwing the other like it was a ball. "If you need to get out of a situation, it's always best to go with the second option, because the closer you get the easier it is for you to get grabbed."
"Bearing all that in mind, go again. For the face this time. You'll see what I mean." He realigned himself, anticipating the punch.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 11:29:51 GMT -5
Alice attempted to take all of his words. Although, she learns better through demonstrations and hands on. She has been like that for as long as she could remember. Whenever her mother was teaching her proper etiquette, she often did it through words and not through actions. So most of the time Alice was day dreaming while her mother would speak, and was left to figure it out for herself when she was tested on the subject. Her father did the same thing too. Eventually her mother caught on to how to keep Alice's attention, but her father was always too busy to really understand what she needed. Which often meant his lectures went over her head.
When father would punish her for getting in trouble, that's when she paid attention. How could you not when he was screaming at you and threatening to hit you? He had followed through with his word once, and he regretted it. He had hit her far too hard, and was instantly terrified for his daughter. After that though, he never did again. But still, he used the wrong methods to get things across.
Alice took a deep breath, trying to get her thoughts in order and focus on the task at hand. She caught the part where she as supposed to try and take a swig at his face, and she sort of understood the reason. He would most likely repeat it anyway. Alice tried to attempt a blow at his face like Damien instructed, but she didn't feel him reel back or anything similar to bone or the angular planes of a face. Instead her fist was in his hand.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 26, 2017 12:01:45 GMT -5
Damien watched her arm, and the moment it rose to throw the punch, he raised his own. He caught her fist in front of his face, and, after a moment, tossed it back to her. He didn't put any real force behind the movement, not enough for it to launch back into her, but enough to get the point across.
"Catch the punch, throw it back." He demonstrated again, slowly this time so she could see exactly what he was doing. "If all else fails, just duck." He showed her one last time for good measure, then let his hands fall. "I'm going to try to hit you now," he said, knowing from his own experience that demonstrations only did so much. You could only learn to fight by fighting yourself and you could only learn to fend someone off by doing that exact same thing. "I'll go slowly, so you'll have time to deflect it however you go about it. Try to physically catch it, though, and then throw it back towards me."
Then, he did just as he'd said he would. At about half the speed he would if he were actually trying to hit her, he started with his fist towards her, making sure to be well aware of where it was so that he could stop it himself should she fail to do that himself. He definitely didn't want to hurt her.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 12:51:19 GMT -5
Alice nodded warily at the next part. She wasn't very confident in her abilities at the moment, and could only pray her timing was right to catch Damien's fist. She was more or less prepared for him though, because he had gave signals that he was going to punch. Alice gave out a squeak though when his hand went through the air and towards her. Out of a reflex she put her hand up to protect her face. But although she didn't catch his fist, she did block it. Damien had to give her credit for that.
Alice moved his hand away with a small push at the last minute as she nearly forgot his other instructions. "That wasn't right was it?" She asked, already knowing the answer. But Alice was proud of herself for not getting hit on the first try. That in itself was an accomplishment. But she can't get her hopes up, she could never get something correct on every attempt. That was impossible.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 26, 2017 13:33:42 GMT -5
"No," Damien said. "It wasn't. But you didn't get punched in the face, so that's something." Not that he would have hit her even if she hadn't blocked him, but the fact that she'd remembered to protect her face at least was good. "Remember, claw onto my fist. Pretend you're catching a ball or something like that."
He pulled his hand back, and after a short nod, raised it again. "One more time, as slowly as I went last time," he said, before once again moving it towards her. As before, he went at a slow pace, making sure that he kept track of where his punch would land and when so that he could avoid an actual collision.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 13:44:11 GMT -5
That was slow? Alice would hate to go into a real fight with Damien. Or see him fight with anyone else. She would be more concerned about the person he was fighting than Damien. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts though when Damien pulled his arm back to swing again. He was right when he said it would be just as slow. Which made her feel more comfortable knowing that he wasn't lying.
Alice quickly brought her hand up to block him from making contact with her again. She closed her fingers around his hand this time like he instructed. She was staring wide eyed at his hand, quite relieved that she didn't fail as badly this time. However, in her time wasted staring at his hand, she didn't push it back until well afterwards.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 26, 2017 14:06:47 GMT -5
( skipping ahead a little because there's only so many ways Damien can punch, ahaha. up to you how much Alice will have progressed. )
Damien stared at their hands for quite some time before she threw his back, by which time he'd completely gained his composure. "Better," was all he said, and then, after signalling what he was about to do, he threw a third punch, going at the exact same pace he had been the last few times.
They repeated this procedure maybe a dozen more times until Damien was happy enough to nod and take a step away. "Good. Much better than before. One last time, going a little bit faster? Not quite full speed, but closer to what you'd face in an actual combat situation?" He didn't wait for her to answer, instead signalling and punching like before. As promised, he'd picked up the pace somewhat. Not significantly, but enough for it to be noticeable.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 14:14:36 GMT -5
{Yeah that's fine XD Damien should write a book: 101 Ways to punch by Damien Paris}
Alice let out a quiet curse as his fist came towards her this one last time. It was faster than what she was expecting, a lot faster, and almost didn't catch his hand at all. Her hand came up again, this time in a somewhat practiced movement and caught it fist again. Just barely though. If she had been a half second late, his fist would have been in her face.
Her eyes were wide again and she muttered another curse out of surprise. Alice threw his hand back again, but it was still a bit slow. Mainly because of the shock that she felt that she actually succeeded this time. "I would assume you had no problem with bullies growing up." Alice made a light attempt at a joke out of her shocked state.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 26, 2017 14:23:26 GMT -5
( best thing about that? he totally would, haha. just to say that he had, but still. he'd probably lie and say it was boring, because he's a liar like that, but he'd love it, too cx )
"I guess you could say that," Damien agreed, stopping his hand before it struck his nose. This was true, but not so much because he beat people up - beatings were reserved for his teachers, and most of them were far larger and far stronger than he was. Strength came with age, and when he left he'd been too young to see much of it. No, he'd never been bullied because nobody picked on the councilman's son. Nobody. The guards would dish out beatings for him if anyone had tried.
"You did good this time," he said, walking back to the boulder and the weapons he'd left there, longing for the security that tucking them back into their spots would bring. "Better than I thought you would," he admitted, starting to hide his blades in his sleeves, boots and belt. "How did you think you did?"
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 14:39:33 GMT -5
{God, you gotta love him though}
Alice brushed herself off, even though she wasn't dirty. It was more out of habit than anything else. She was still used to straightening out her dresses and such when she got them ruffled. "I think I did alright. But I probably can't expect to do that everytime. I normally mess things up when I attempt then again." She shrugged, trying to be humble about it. Alice had to remind herself that she would never be able to defeat Damien in a fight of any kind. Except maybe one that had to do with who could be best dressed. She had seen how nervous he became when they were shopping for her dresses.
"How likely do you think it would be for me to need to fight at the ball?" Alice could only hope not too likely, she wasn't at all prepared for it. The only thing she was really excited for at this ball was the fact that she could wear her new dress, besides that, there wasn't much else.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 26, 2017 15:01:24 GMT -5
[ he's too grumpy to not love? honestly a wonderful man. ]
Damien considered for a moment. "Not very. It's more likely that you'll get caught between two people in an argument and have to get out of that than an actual conflict. And those are mostly resolved quickly and easily. Not much fuss. It's just the off chance. But even someone who's known me for as short a time as you must know I don't take any risks."
He started to walk, having put all of his weapons away. He indicated with his head for Alice to follow and continued towards town. "These people aren't brutes. The professional criminals are, but that's about it. They're civil enough. But, like I said before, they don't really have restrictions - especially not at parties that aren't meant to entertain. Most of the time, everything goes smoothly with few hiccups. But all it takes is one murder for me to reevaluate how much you need to know going into it."
He realised that this wasn't very comforting, but he also knew that he might be ensuring their safety a little too adamantly. Nine times out of ten, everyone left these balls unscathed, maybe even having had a good time. There was dancing, chatting, good food. People enjoyed them, looked forward to them even. Most of the time, they were as civil as people at any other ball would be. They were an organised crime ring, not animals.
But Damien never took risks. Never. This ball had not been thrown to entertain, but to disguise a dozen orders to kill. Etiquette applied, as did the rules. But when you didn't have guests to appease, the need to follow those rules got thinner. So yes, he was overreacting. Severely. And clearly, that was causing Alice to worry. But he knew his people, and he knew that overreacting with them could be necessary.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 18:36:08 GMT -5
{Absolutely pure, he could do no wrong lol}
"How do you suggest I avoid people then without acting...awkward about it? I'm not going to feel comfortable among all of those...criminals." Alice hoped that was the right word to use and had not offended him. To offend Damien, seemed like a very wrong thing to do, and Arabella wanted to stay away from that for as long as she could.
"I don't want to get myself in trouble I mean, by some small slip up." Alice corrected herself slightly. She ran her hands through her hair, not in an attempt to organize it but because that's what she normally did when she was thinking or stressed about something. "And if I'm going with you, are they going to expect me to know what you do? I obviously don't know much at all about what happens behind closed doors...or open ones." She added on. The only thing she really knew was that he was part of a criminal organization, and as an assassin. Besides that and his name, she didn't know a lot.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 26, 2017 18:56:31 GMT -5
[ the killing changes nothing. he's pure as snow. and we can't forget about Alice. calling him out at every turn. a+ work. ]
"I am one of 'those criminals'," Damien said, sounding a little affronted. But he understood what she meant, and he knew that she couldn't be too comfortable around him, either, so he let it go. "You could stick by me and I'll avoid them for you," he said, though he knew that wouldn't be possible all night and that she likely wouldn't appreciate it. "How did you avoid people at the balls you've been to before? Surely you could do the same."
He didn't know, because he'd never had to avoid people. Not really. He hadn't gone to these 'exclusive' balls as a child, and when he returned he'd had enough training to feel comfortable with most people in there - hardened criminal or no. After all, he was one too.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 19:17:52 GMT -5
{Oh yeah, Alice is like...idk what she is XD}
At his first words, Alice looked down at her feet. She should have thought about how that would have came across to him before she opened her mouth. She needed to filter her words better, something one would assume she picked up as a royal. She felt a sting though, and only looked up for a moment when he spoke again. "I didn't avoid people before, I had to dance with whoever asked me to or I would be a bad hostess."
"I'm sorry though, I...I didn't mean anything by it." Alice implied what she said earlier. It really was inconsiderate, even if Damien was a murderer. Alice needed to be...nice (if that was the right word for it) to him, especially since he is her captor
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 27, 2017 2:57:54 GMT -5
[ me trying to describe someone else's character in a decent way: ... yes? ]
"I know," Damien replied, still sounding a little offended. He wasn't so much offended by her implication that he was untrustworthy or uncomfortable to be around, although it definitely helped. But being labelled a criminal, and having childhood friends labelled the same, that stung. No matter how aware he was of his status as a professional murderer, he hated to see himself in that light. Alice had forced him to.
"They won't expect you to know anything. They'll pressure you for information anyway, just in case, but they know me. I wouldn't tell someone. If you give them nothing, they'll have been right, so they'll let it be," he said, changing the subject to avoid considering how much of a criminal he really was. "Just feign ignorance and they'll move right along."
He took a turn when they got into town, walking past the inn and continuing down the road. "My horse is in one of these stables. I want to check in on him, make sure he's doing alright enough to get going at dawn tomorrow," he explained as they walked around to the back of the inn and towards the stables that stood there.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2017 17:28:22 GMT -5
{Question about Damien: How would he react if Alice started flirting with him? just a random thought, don't ask}
Feigning ignorance was something Alice could do, she used to do it all the time to get away with things she wasn't supposed to. However, this is a very different circumstance from a harmless joke. She needed to make sure to give her best theatrical skills for this ball.
Her mind was quickly focused on another subject though when Damien mentioned his horse. She loved horses, and would ride them whenever she could. Would Damien's horse be as intimidating as his master? Then again, Damien wasn't all that bad when he was actually happy. Like the time she got him to smile and laugh, Alice didn't find him so boring or serious.
She followed behind Damien, making sure to be quick but not so quick she would stumble or bump into him. He came off as the type who liked his personal space. Which she could respect.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 28, 2017 17:53:24 GMT -5
[ but now I have to ask depends, I think. if he was in a good mood, he'd probably flirt right back, whether that be jokingly or not would depend on the situation. if he was in a bad mood, he'd snap and sulk because he's a baby when he's moody. if the flirting involved touching he wasn't prepared for at all, regardless of mood, he'd probably flinch away and then shut down completely because he doesn't do well with touch if he doesn't have time (a few seconds is usually enough) to prepare for it.
wow, I said more than I thought I would. ]
Damien pushed the stable door open and, without waiting for Alice, strode right up to a bay stallion. The animal raised his head as his master approached, taking a step towards Damien and his companion.
"This," Damien said, stepping into the horse's box to check him over. "Is Colt. I know, what a creative name. I was barely twelve when I got him so don't say anything." As he spoke, he started running his hands over his flank and then his legs, checking for any injuries that might have resulted from poor handling while they'd been staying here. Luckily, he seemed fine, which was good as he'd be carrying more than usual soon.
"I assume you know how to ride," Damien said as he took to petting the horse, stroking his muzzle in slow, controlled motions. "Your parents must have had someone teach you." She was, after all, a princess. Princesses knew how to act around horses, surely?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2017 20:08:38 GMT -5
{I thought that was another paragraph of roleplay XD And lol, I'm trying to imagine Damien flirting but I don't know him as well as you do so I can't}
Alice held in a little girl like squeal when she saw the horse. He was a very beautiful horse actually, she always favored those kinds of colors. But Alice did let out a small chuckle when she heard the name Damien had given it. "It's not a big deal. You could say Colt is short for Colton." Alice suggested with a small shrug, trying to act like she didn't find the name amusing.
Alice was distracted from the horse though when Damien spoke. She raised an eyebrow, "Of course I know how to ride a horse. It's one of the only things that kept me occupied." She smiled and then looked back at the horse. "Does he mind being touched? Like on the nose?" Alice tilted her head to the side as she asked the question to Damien. Even though she was looking at the horse.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 28, 2017 20:25:45 GMT -5
[ lmao I totally see why. who knew I knew so much about Damien and his flirting habits. he's not exactly a flirty person, but he's not not flirty, if that makes sense? so he's decent at it, I suppose, but not exactly a mastermind. it's weird, though, because it goes against what you'd expect from him by a lot. ]
"Good excuse. I like it," Damien said with a nod. "He doesn't mind. I think he revels in attention a little more than he should." He patted the horse's flank fondly then busied himself with checking his box. As much as he adored this horse, he had come here for a reason that didn't involve petting him. But if Alice wanted to, that was fine by him.
Damien moved quickly through the stable, tucking the invite into his saddle-bags and making sure that Colt had both food and water. Usually, he'd let the stable-boys do this, but the evening before a journey he always liked to do things himself.
"So, about what you asked me before. About how we all ended up criminals? I've been thinking, and I guess you'll find out soon anyway, so I'll answer your questions." He wanted to do this now, with a familiar creature beside him and the comforting smell of horses and hay around him. "But you have to promise my that you won't ask me about me, specifically. That's more than I can do today."
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