A Traditional Duel

A Traditional Duel
Date of Scene:	26 January 2014
Location:	Ship Graveyard
Synopsis:	A bit of a duel, a bit of a wager, and a surprise at the end.
Cast of Characters:	Avira, Warden Thache

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Warden Thache has posed:
The Bloody Pearl is a sleek ship. What most in the world of naudical knowldge would call a brig. Well. A Brig-of-War would be the more official classification.

Its his airship of course.

His star galleon would cause too much noise and not quite be able to fit though gummispace, but the brig? Just perfect.

Warden rules the ship with a firm but fair hand, and his crew would follow him into hell and back. They have. Several times. This is one of those times. At the edge of death, the edge of the Ship Graveyard, the Bloody Peral sits at anchor. Its engines stilled, it seems nothing more than another ship from the age-of-sail. Its 48 cannon at port arms. Its sails furrowed. The lookout in the rigging is paying more attention to whatever might be going on in the Graveyard than other places. As is much of the crew.

The captain isn't on deck either, presumeabily below or in his cabin.

Which makes it an almost /perfect/ time for someone to sneak on the ship. When everyone is off combing hulks for treasure, and not paying much attention to everything else.

Avira has posed:
It takes Avira a little detectiving to identify the Bloody Pearl with this particular pirate. She can be pretty relentless when she wants something and even that can overcome her general..unthreatening appearance. Still, word might have gotten out that she was on the prowl for Warden and his crew. That leads her here, in the World of Ruin (perhaps unsurprisingly). She approaches from the shore and not the water since she is on foot and moving about in dark clothing. All shiny objects on her have been masked carefully to not give her away. Anyone that looks upon her might say she even looks a bit...ninja-ish.

Avira can move like one too, having trained in silent approaches and smooth parkour. She easily navigates the various pieces of broken ships that dot the water to slip to the side of the Bloody Pearl. In another life, she might have made a good assassin...well, if she had the temperment for ruthless killing.

Sliding over the edge, Avira lands soundlessly on the deck of the ship and skirts around the edge of the ship, blending in to the wall. Her target, as she moves quietly, is the captain's cabin where she will find at least one of two things.

Warden's loot.
Warden himself.

Either is good, though she mostly hopes for the former so she can snatch it up and run off right under his nose.

Warden Thache has posed:
The deck moves gently under her feet. The deck is made of what looks to be at first glance wood but turns out to be some metalic type material. Though it seems to function like wood. The barrel she takes cover behind is defintally wood and smells of brine. Rope. Boxes. Sleeping pirates. They litter the deck like so much debris, but should she be careful. Should she be quiet.

Well she /can/ make it all the way to the pirate captain's cabin itself.

The door doesn't seem to be locked, and is well oiled enough to to open silently. The cabin is...by necissity...small. Perhaps less opulant or excessive than the ninja-ish detective might have guessed for the flamboyant captain.

The richest apointments seem to be the desk and chart, the maniquin that is hug with his baldric and weapons. His coat thrown casually over it at well.

The captain himself? He's sitting in the chair of his desk. Feet kicked up. Chair leaned back. His breathing even and slow, it seems that the cat is asleep.

Of course, where the loot he might have stolen is? Thats hard to say.

Avira has posed:
Avira IS very silent and careful. She doesn't try to rush her movements because that leads to mistakes. Instead, she moves slowly and metholodically, navigating around sleeping pirates, edging the door to the captain's cabin open ever so carefully. Slipping inside without so much brushing the door or doorframe.

Once inside, she carefully takes stock of her surroundings, brown eyes settling on the sleeping captain for a few seconds, her mouth quirking into a scowl. Her eyes quickly leave the man and roam over the cabin in search of paintings stacked up in a corner or a chest where jewels might be kept. If they are not in here, well, she had two choices from there...

Leave and go search the hold...or wake the captain at swordpoint to interrogate him.

If she doesn't find anything in the cabin, she'll opt for the second option, very quietly slipping the Spine from it's sheath. Unless he's already woken up during the course of her search, she will rouse him with a clearing of her throat and the barest pressure of her blade's sharp tip against his chest.

Warden Thache has posed:
The captain makes no move to stop her. He gives no indication that he's even heard her. He's just a sleeping cat. Ears pricked up. Tail at reast. Breathing nice and even.

Nope. He doesn't even know she's there.

At least until the cold tip of the Spine presses against his chest.

Its then that he smiles, that slow. Satisified smile. The tip of his tail twitches just the barest bit and his ears prick forwards.

"Well Lady Wolf," His eyes lazily open, the captain smiling up towards his /captor/. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to get to the interrigation."

Avira has posed:
This would be the second time that Avira has captured Warden. Interesting, that.

"Hello there /Captain/." She says, one hand lifting to pull down the covering she had hiding her mouth. She really does look like a ninja right now, complete with head-covering and everything. Only her Spine seems to gleam brightly in the darkness. "Looks like you know exactly why I have come. Good, so we can get straight to the point. Where are you hiding the stolen gems and paintings?"

She doesn't move her weapon a smidge, keeping the pressure against him.

Warden Thache has posed:
Warden shows his fangs in a wide smile, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that he's being held at swordpoint. "Is that why you came? I'm hurt! Here I thought it was just for my company!" He sighs with the greatest of dramatics, his deep breath digging the point of the Spine into his chest further. A trickle of red runs down his chest, and the man refuses to notice.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, and I'm also afraid that these men..." He jerks his head towards the door, where a good half dozen or more pirates have begun to gather, casually leaning in. Spooks sits on the head of the leader.

The little tattletail.

"...might object to any violence you might do to my person." His green eyes dance as he adds. "I propose a compromise!" He adds after a moments thought. "A duel and a wager. So my men get a bit of sport and you have a chance to win what you wish! No tricks. No traps. No interfearance. The terms though...then terms..." His tail lashes in thought before he nods once.

"You win, then not only do you walk out of here alive but I will do my level best and everything in my power to put the artifacts I stole in your hands. If I win? You..." He pauses a moment. "...you...have dinner with me! Yes. I think that would be a fine thing. At a place of my choosing. Also no tricks or traps involved."

His head tilts slightly to one side, ears pricked forward. "What say you?"

Avira has posed:
"Don't flatter yourself." Avira tsks. "You seem to cross paths with me enough that I'm inclined to think you are /following/ me." Seems she'll gladly counter those dramatics with weak accusations of stalking. Still, he's very confident given his position, which bothers her quite a bit until she hears mvoement behind her. Just as Warden mentions his men, she looks over her shoulder.

"...damn it!" she exclaims and moves suddenly to the other side of the desk where Warden is. It seems that she might be trying to grab him to hold him...hostage? To get by the crew?

But he makes his wager and offer of a duel. She's silent for a long moment, fuming, "I would like to add something to this wager. If I lose, I walk out of here alive too." Because her win condition did, ominously include that stipulation. As if they wouldn't let her live if she lost-which is actually something she hadn't expected to hear out of this man. Maybe she misread him.

"If you accept that, then, I will duel you."

Warden Thache has posed:
"I'm not the one that followed me out here to the ass end of nowhere," Warden points out casually as he watches her. He doesn't move when she switches potions, just to make sure she doesn't cut anything by accident. He wouldn't want that to happen before the fun started.

However at the last he laughs and starts to slide to his feet. "Lady Wolf! I thought that would go without saying! After all it would be difficult to have dinner with me if you were dead now wouldn't it? No no. Not a duel to the death, just...something more traditional."

Of course, this doesn't mean that she can't try to kill him.

That however is part of the fun.

He snags his bandolier and fastens it across his chest as he stalks out of the cabin. "YOU HEAR THAT BOYS!" His voice booms across the deck, and all across the ship men turn to pay attention. It seems that the flippant man really /is/ a captain. "NO MATTER THE OUTCOME! MY DEATH! MY LOSS! MY WIN! LADY WOLF LEAVES HERE ALIVE, AND NO CHASE WILL BE GIVEN!"

Many members of the crew look suprised at that. Or dissipointed. Or worried. That /is/ a strange weapon she has.

He reaches the middle of the deck, his hands dropping to his sabers. "So." He drawls. "Shall we begin."

Avira has posed:
A huffy look overcomes her face. "Well I already gave you my reasons for that." Avira even lifts her nose into the air just slightly and struggles to not let his laughter get to her.

"I assumed that you would instead dispose of me after dinner." She points out, "Such is the effects of omitting such a conspicuous thing from your side of the wager, Captain."

Little does he know that Avira /wouldn't/ kill him. There was no need for her to share that Avira had never killed a person before. Let him imagine her as some vicious bounty hunter that doesn't hesitate to take out thieves and pirates! Though she is a little surprised that he adds 'no chase will be given.' Avira's gotten chased a LOT before.

With her head held high, she stolls onto the deck after Warden, ignoring the stares and leers of the pirate she passes. "Yes." she says as she immediately launches herself at him, leading with a thrust of the Spine, "Let us begin."

Warden Thache has posed:
Almost imeadeatly her Spine comes for him and the pirate king has to spin in order to face it. The swords fairly fly to his hands as he manipulates the controls of the hilts.

The energy blades spring to life, and odd magic rings off of high technology as the battle is joined. There is a cheer from the surrounding pirates as Warden fully parries the blow in a spinning parry before coming in low with the flat of the blade. Intending to knock her up into the air with a slam to her side and into part of the low-hanging rope rigging of the ship.

"My dear, I'm not one to dispose of people like you so quickly! Some might call me a fool for it." Maleficent for one. "But you had the fortitude to sneak in here alone. I can't help but respect that. You /might/ be as good an opponent as the Royal Navy!"

A pause. "Might. You have a lot to live up too in that respect."

Avira has posed:
Her attempted blow had been a one-handed one from her right hand. The left seems to be reaching behind her back to procure what looks like a small buckler shield that would easily strap to her arm. This is momentarily interrupted as she's knocked upwards into the rigging.

Rather than become entangled, the left hand grasps onto the rope so she can swing up into a much better position. She balances easily. "You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I can be disposed of easily! Many have tried and failed."

Without warning, she flings her weapon straight at him. Regardless of whether or not it actually hits him, it'll stick into the ground by its point, wobbling. Avira follows shortly after, leading with a kick at Warden's head as she drops from the rigging.

Warden Thache has posed:
He watches the woman catch herself, and once again his laugh rings out. "You wouldn't be any fun if you were easy to be disposed of!" He points out before her thrown weapon comes at him. It catches him across the shoulder, pinning him in place for just long enough for her foot to catch him right in his face.

He staggers from the impact, sent realing across the deck to end his slide with his back against a crate there. Now the pirates cheer again, bcecause far be it for them to deny a good kick when they see one.

He shakes his head to clear it, the manic smile still there. Now however that smile is mixed with a touch of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Without a word he springs forwards once again. Trying to reach her before she can get to her own blade.

They close and his eyes fix on the woman. The liquid grace of his movements fixed on the fight. "I thought about not going all out against you in this fight. However..." He uses that grace and speed, spinning as he moves to gain momentum before bringing the swordhilt of his left sword down to knock her down to the deck in a brutal move. "...you deserve better than a man holding back."

His foot comes up to aim for her ribs hoping to drive her back up once more before delivering a back-handed slash with the edge of his right blade, the manuver ment less to maim or kill and more to look flashy and restore a bit of morale.

Avira has posed:
Even then, Avira's a little impressed that worked. Her prior experience fighting him-where she wasn't able to hit him at all, had apparently given her some much needed practice. Once she's kicked him back, she's quick to reclaim her weapon, yanking it right out the wood-looking deck. Whipping around, she faces him with her blade lifted.

Just as she does, he's upon her, leaping at her with feline grace. It's almost kind of beautiful for her to look at-but not so much that she's distracted. He is fast but she seems able to match his speed, deflecting his attempt to knock her down with the pelvic bone hilt of the Spine.

"Then don't hold back." she taunts, disengaging and sidestepping so his foot does not hit. With a deft movement, she shifts the spine down to catch the slash, holding the blade between two of the serrated vertebrae of the Spine for a few seconds. "I noticed the last time we fought that you were very fast." She suddenly shifts, aiming to bodily slam herself into him and knock him down. She follows up shortly afterwards, to leap atop him and wound one of his upper arms near the shoulder. Such a strike would certainly make it harder to effectively swordfight, should it land.

Warden Thache has posed:
Again a cheer, the crew seem to be getting into it. Avira might noice that wagers are flying though the members of the crew. Wagers going both ways. They arn't all betting on the Captain. At least not anymore.

Sparks fly again as the energy blades meet magic bone. This time its the captain that rebounds and then the captain that crashes to the deck as Avira tears into him. Blood paints his shoulder as she does indeed take him in the shoulder, burring the tip of the spine in the deck as she lies atop him.

Does this stop the captain?

Not one bit.

He smiles though the pain. "Lady Wolf, if you wanted to be on top /that/ much you only had to ask." He murmurs as she pins him down. "I knew you only wanted to get closer to me."

He releases the blade in his wounded arm, instead reaching up to wrap that arm around hers. He's still /fast/ and suprisingly strong as he arcs his back enough to get one leg under him and then sits /up/ trying to throw them /both/ against the crate he had been against. Hoping to pin and entangle her while regaining the upper hand.

Or maybe he just wants to be on top this time.

While pinned he snaps an elbow forwards towards her temple, hoping to leave he dazed and confused for at least a moment or three while he regains a bit of breath.

Avira has posed:
Now that certainly was interesting to hear. They're betting against the Captain? She had to wonder about that-a while ago Max had told her that a Captain rules either by being the meanest jerk around or by promising to be the most efficient at making the crew a lot of money. Warden might fall into the second group as far as captains went since his crew obviously wasn't fraid of him.

While being wounded by the Spine certainly hurts, it definitely isn't fatal. Avira's particular position for a few moments does suggest she might have been able to ram the weapon through his chest but this was clearly not the course of action she took. Either she won't kill him or recognizes that killing him won't necessarily bring her closer to the stolen treasure and paintings.

He flirts with her quite openly and she reacts with a scowl. "You know that's not why we-" Her words turn into a gasp of surprise when he reaches up to wrap her wounded arm around hers. In a few moments she is flipped over, back slamming against the crate. She starts to push off only to meet an elbow to the forehead. "Urgh..." This really does give Warden more than a few moments to recover. She looks pretty dazed and will no doubt have a big bruise on her forehead a little later.

Once she's recovered enough, Avira's left hand curls into a fist. She gives him no warning as she swings it up at his head with a vicious hook. Maybe he won't notice that she's grown red with embarassment at his comments.

Warden Thache has posed:
In his long career as a Pirate Warden has learned one thing beyond a doubt. Ruling though fear with /highly/ effective. Right until someone thought they could get away with offing you and taking over.

Fair shares. Fair treatment and freedom was a much longer term way of handling things.

Even though the Captain knows that he is being bet against he isn't upset by this fact. He always taught his crew to respect the strength of opponents, even as they thought of ways to get around them. Its how things worked. You respect strength. You respect power. Even as you look for ways around it.

At the moment however he's having to get around a swift left hook. Which he can't quite manage. He takes it and staggers once again, his head snapping around with the crack of fist against jaw. For a moment he sees stars.

He only manages to catch himself on a barrel as he attempts to regain some sence of direction. His hand falls on a bottle and he snatches it up, ripping the cork off with his teath before cugging most of the contents down and tossing the item to a suprised looking crewmate. It burns all the way down and the man draws a satisified and deep breath.

"You can let a pirate dream it is can't you?" He quips with a smirk towards the woman. "Though really, you might just enjoy it! What could it hurt!"

Avira has posed:
There's no getting around that hook, it seems! At least for Avira, her current position was actually quite helpful. This close she was definitely able to hit him! Even if it wasn't that hard.

Once he's tumbled away, Avira's quick to get back up on her feet again and crack her neck. "Well I certainly can't stop you from thinking that." Avira says, still sounding quite flustered. "And I doubt you've found out yet but I have a boyfriend! NOW PREPARE YOURSELF!"

He actually gets a warning this time because a small part of her wanted him to resist and fight back spectacularly. Like last time when she came at him with this speed, he matched her blow for blow. This time, not only the speed is demonstrated but a strange silvery glow clings to the huntress.

Her blows rain down quickly, each vicious but never, ever fatal in any way. When she seems to be finished, she's breathing heavily and sweat is trickling down her forehead.

Warden Thache has posed:
This time his parries are not true. This time his speed is not enough. Weather the blow to the head, the drop of rum, the wound on his shoulder, or the fact that he wields only a single blade. Its not enough. Some are parried at least, blows that could have ended the fight turned aside with a flick of his wrist and a quick dash of movement.

Even so blow after blow lands home. They drive the Captain across the deck, and when they cease to say the man is bloodied and bruised does not do is justice. His white shirt is streaked with dark crimson. Wounds pepper his sides and his arms and ruby droplets drip from his fingers to the deck. His blade hangs limply from one hand as he breathes hard in both pain and exertion.

Bloodied inded.

However. Not broken.

Warden Thache is never broken.

"You told me about a boyfriend." His voice ragged, but those green eye bright and fierce as they were when the battle started. "But thats never stopped me before!"

With a roar then he leaps forwards, his sword dropped to clatter against the deck. He dives for her, trying to get under the reach of the Spine. To push her back hard against the mast of the Pearl and once there? He hammers his foot into a lever. One arm wrapping tight around her waist, the other gripping a rope. A rope loosed with that kick so it will send them both high into the rigging. Wrapped together like that he'll hold her in the shockingly quick fight, his hat flying from his head at the sudden ascent.

He smirks for a moment. "Thats never stopped me for an instant!" He repeats as he lands, high in the crows nest above the swaying deck of the ship. The perfect place to finish a battle like this.

As soon as his feet touch the ground he leans her back, trying to pin her against the topsail so she can't PUNCH HIM IN THE HEAD AGAIN.

...cause dammit that hurts.

Warden Thache has posed:
From below the chears of the pirates sound like some kind of roudy sport team. They are loving this. Loving this to tears.

Avira has posed:
As she regards the number she did on the feline pirate, a small part of her starts to feel a little bad for it while the rest of her starts shouting at that small part. This was a vicious pirate! He was hiding stolen goods form her! She would defeat him and retrieve the Charming treasure!

So this man is thoroughly undeterred by a boyfriend. "Very well..!" she says, steeling her resolve before he leaps for her, sweeping in low and smashing her against the mast. This close, Warden can practically hear the air slammed out of her as she is pinned. It stuns her again for a few seconds, enabling him to scoop her in close.

In the process, she loses the grip upon the Spine and it clatters to the deck far below. Mildly unhappy to be without her weapon, she squirms against his grip tiredly. It's clear to him that keeping up all that fancy speed and swordplay was exhausing to her. Especially given how fast he was!

She tries to bring her legs up to kick at him while he is focused on pinning her hands to the topsail.

Warden Thache has posed:
Well kicks seem to work!

She batters at his knees as the pirate lets go of the woman. All of this is taking its toal on him as well. The pain may not show in his eyes, but in ever movement. Every hesitating step. Every false stagger she can see it.

It shoots though him as his wounded arm colides with a part of the topsail and he staggers a moment. His foot comes down on thin air and without even a gasp of suprise he topples over into empty space. That should be the end of him.

The end of the fight.

The end of the good Captain Thache.

She might see a rope snap taunt however. A pained grunt as the man catches a line with his good hand.

He kicks a second line with his booted foot and the rope snaps free, using the swinging line for momentum he heaves himself back up towards the woman.

He leads with his boots, aiming for her midsection. To try to knock her back down. To keep her off balance. He knows he is reaching the end of his own rope. The limits of what he can do.

However...well...

He isn't one to give up yet.

"Come on Lady Wolf!" His breath ragged but the excitement and enjoying and pain all mingling together. "You havn't won yet!"

He throws himself back towards the woman, wrapping strong arms around her to heave her off her feet and tangle her in the now loose rigging.

Avira has posed:
Freed, Avira carefully steps backwards. She seems to have impressive balance up here, especially for a non-cat landlubber. Warden's grace up here on the rigging is perfectly understandable to Avira. He probably /lives/ up here most of his day. And yet her kicks seem to make him stumble over the edge.

With a faint gasp, she runs to the edge to watch, seeing him deftly catch a rope from the rigging. He's swinging back up. Carefully, she ducks down and manages a sideways roll along the mast to avoid his kick.

But he does manage to catch up with her and hurl her into the rigging. She doesn't get entangled as he had been hoping though. Instead, she grab ahold of the ropes and seems to adapt his own little trick, swinging around BACK at him to crash into the pirate.

Warden Thache has posed:
Well that went slightly as planned. Only slightly however.

The woman however is tenacious as they come and she's already coming back around for another go at him. He spins, facing her swinging onslaught. Waiting for just the right moment. Waiting...waaaaaaaaiting...

NOW!!

He leaps forwards to meet her, taking most of the strength out of her strike with a feint as he wraps his arms around her to pull her out of that second of the rigging in a flying tackle that sends them /not/ plummeting to their dooms but to land ontop of the folded sails.

Still in the rigging.

Just a different venue for the fight.

"I hope," His breath hot against her near and neck. "That I'm living up to expectations!"

He rolls off her, balancing perfectly on the spar even with his wounds. "You can still surrender you know." He offers with a glimmer in his eyes.

He knows she won't, but...its fun to taunt her with.

Avira has posed:
Avira swings gracefully through the air...! ...though she doesn't hit all that much in the process. An ungraceful squawk escapes her as Warden leps onto her and yanks her out of the rigging and onto the folded sails. The wind is knocked out of her yet again-in fact, it looks like she took that fall pretty hard.

She's still moving, though, in case Warden was afraid she had broken something. Evidenced by the shiver following those words directed into her ear. "I'm still waiting on my expectation of me winning!" she shoots back.

Standing for her seems a little awkward now as she navigates the spar. "Surrender? To you? Never!" It was tempting to use a bit of magic now but...well, she had resolved to make this entirely a physical fight, though she was without her weapon at the moment. So instead, she charges at him, trying to sweep in low so she can get beneath his waist and actually hurl him backwards over a shoulder. Once she has, a booted foot lashes out behind her in a back kick.

Warden Thache has posed:
Over he goes. He missteps just at the last second and the woman takes him with that throw. The kick is the final straw and down goes the pirate. Flat on his back across the spar.

Now his faliling legs do go for the back of her knee, though accident or petty design the world my never know. Should she not look out she might find herself tumbling back down ontop of him!

Regardless should she do or not, the pirate does not get up. He simply attempts to draw breath though much abused lungs.

"Enough," He finally manages to get out. "Enough. I yeild. You win."

Avira has posed:
It's likely petty design. She doesn't turn around quite yet and finds her balance knocked off. She flails and falls backwards onto him. She doubts such a thing will actually do much damage given her size and half expects him to grab her up and throw her into the rigging again.

But that doesn't happen. She feels him relax and take in breaths of air. "You yield?" she repeats...then grins with a hint of smugness.

"Well then! You'll have to return all the stuff you stole from the Charmings!"

Warden Thache has posed:
She might feel his arms almost automaticly seem to slide around her from behind. No he doesn't thow her back up into the rigging, what he does is hold her. Carefully. Gently. They /are/ in the rigging of a ship several stories above a metal deck.

Falling would be bad.

A hint of his own smugness creeps into his tone. "I said I'd do my level best to put the items in your hands. Considering I've already fenced the majority of them? That will take a little bit of time, effort, and a touch of cunnging to get them back."

She can almost feel his smile grow.

"I will pick you up from...lets see. There is a little village outside the Castle of Dreams. I'll pick you up there. Wear somethin--" He pauses. "...no, I'll send you something to wear. Before you say no? This is the easiest way to get back what you seek. You will have to trust me."

Oh he knows exactly how that sounds.

And he loves it.

Avira has posed:
Avira starts to reach for something to grab onto lest he starts to fling her again. That doesn't happen and she realizes he's...probably just doing this because he CAN. She peers over her shoulder at him and her expression grows gradually more irritated. "You fenced them already?"

She frowns, her heart sinking, "It's.." Damn, they were too late?! "The pictures too?!"

More frowning, "Pick me up from...what...is this you arranging for a date of some kind?" She bristles. In her heart she knows...yes, that's exactly what he was doing.

Warden Thache has posed:
"The picutres are a bit hard for me to get my hands on, but easier for you. So I'll give you a hint to what I can't get my hands on, and help you with what I can."

The a roll of his eyes. "Of course I fenced them already. Do you really think I'd make deals with portions of treasure that arn't mine? They belong to the crew equally. Do you know nothing of pirates?" He sounds more amused by that.

He chuckles though. "A date? Parish the thought!" Thats exactly what he's doing. "Its...well...you'll see. You'll see. You might even enjoy yourself if you arn't careful. I don't want to ruin the suprise."

He sits up though, still holding her carefully.

And yes this is because he can.

"You won fair as fair, Lady Wolf. My word holds. Safe passage, and I'll help in every way possible. " He pauses again. "And...I enjoyed that." His eyes twinkling. "You're quite the oppoent. You sure you won't stay for dinner?"

He knows she won't.

"...but...regardless of what you may think of me, I think you are quite the Lady. Lady Wolf. I look forward to our next meeting."