C'mon Set the Tone

[Rachel Jacobs]

"If she's anything like me, she'll forgive you as soon as you smile at her." She said, shamelessly flirting. Well, she'd done that more than enough already. But no one could really blame her! She wasn't used to the... charming part of the deal. She was used to flirting of course, but singing? minstrels? Being treated like a princess? It was just too nice. She hoped he'd do something stupid next, like grab her ass or burp. Something not that charming, just so she could walk away from the spell without any regrets.

Rachel giggled again when he played along, particularly at the last bit he was saying. "You can always trust princesses." She whispered out as she got closer, taking another step forward to press her body slightly against his. She giggled again and shook her head. "No, I didn't." It was on her terms or not at all, after all. That was the fun way to deal with this. She slowly moved closer, one arm surrounding his shoulder as the other rose slightly as she moved something behind him. Hopefully she'd be close enough for him not to notice. An orb full of water rose from the fountain and floated just above them. It wasn't much, but enough to get someone wet.

She leaned closer then, both to distract him and because she wanted to, stopping just a short distance away for his lips. He smelled so good. Like... clean. Soap. Something. Hard to keep her breathing in check as she concentrated on two things at the time. So she closed the distance and lightly kissed him, not fully, but there was pressure there and she smiled against his lips. And with that small gesture, her heart skipped a beat and she lost concentration, making the orb above them disappear and release its content on them.

Well, that didn't go as planned...

[Rob Snow]

"I do have a way with the ladies," Rob admitted. He added a slight sigh: "but it's so much more fun with the charming, pretty ones."

Hey, nothing said he had to stop flirting. He thoroughly enjoyed it and he definitely enjoyed her reactions to it. Felt good to be flirted with in kind, play the game out and enjoy all the benefits of it. Plus, there was definitely something appealing about Rachel. All the giggling and the flirting and the way she could come up with something. Yes, definitely something there, and Rob found himself intrigued on just that curiosity level, that same level and drive that had pulled him around the world a time or two.

"Always?" he repeated, raising his brows. Still, no choice, so brows closed. Rob felt her leaning, smelled something new, something feminine, a few light odors that he couldn't readily identify. Then something soft brushed against his lips. Not quite the outright contact that they'd coyly suggested later: more a momentary gesture that would leave both wanting more. Rob moved his lips in kind, feeling himself warm ever so slightly...

then splash.

Rob opened his eyes, blinking several times. He looked down at himself, then at her. Then he burst out another laugh: "Looks like the censor's turning the hose on us!" he said, before leaning over to laugh even louder.

[Rachel Jacobs]

Rachel grinned at his answer. Nice one. “Oh, so you have a thing for pretty and charming girls? I hope I make the cut.” Sure she did. She knew she did, she was just fishing for compliments. “Though I AM a princess. We’re KNOWN for our looks and charm.”

“Always.” She said with a grin that showed he couldn’t trust her. But still he did it. He closed his eyes! She was marveled for a second at this trust, but she supposed people would do anything if there would be something sexy as reward. Not that she minded. She was pretty much the same anyway.

So here she was. Fully enjoying the feeling of him pressed against her, of having his scent wash over her, or his lips caressing hers ever, barely there, but leaving her wanting to-

She didn’t even finish her thought. She gasped, parting from him as he turned after cold water hit her. He looked so lost too! She smiled then, nibbling on her lower lip and she could almost taste him there. Damn! Her own prank worked against her! It almost made her angry that she hadn’t been able to kiss him properly! That’d been the plan. Why did he have to be so cute? But then he was laughing and she laughed along, loving that he had such a sense of humour. “That didn’t go as planned.” She admitted between giggles, “Curse those censors!” More chuckles as she rose a hand to pull back her wet locks from her face. Curly hair was not at all good wet and she was sure she’d end up looking like a lion the moment they dried. She didn’t care enough to leave though. She was having too much fun. So she hugged him, placing her head on his shoulder, still giggling and muffling the sound against him. At least she could have this, even if they were wet. At least she could hug him.

“Since it doesn’t seem that we’re destined to enjoy ourselves,” She said as she parted to smile up at him, “I hope this will keep you from getting stoned.” She stood on her tip toes then and kissed his cheek loudly, much like an old aunt would, and moved back, grinning widely.

[Rob Snow]

The water should have put some damper on Rob's ardor. Instead he kept laughing: the laughing only increased as Rachel joined in. "That was planned?" he had to ask, before pulling a shirt out and letting some more water drip off. His ginger hair had been plastered to his head, and it did fill chilly. Though he at least had a bit more heft to him than Rachel, who looked much smaller now.

Arms went around him, and his went up to reflexively catch her, holding her to him even though they were both wet. "I dunno, this isn't too bad," he said, shrugging slightly. "Not like the goal wasn't to make you---" he paused as she stepped up to give him a kiss on the cheek, letting out another laugh and shaking his head.

"Best be careful there: next will come the tar and feathering. Or maybe giant floating black bars with 'censor' written on them," Rob gestured in the air, before repeating the gesture over Rachel's chest, his crotch, and both of their mouths. "Really we should just be two walking blocks of black with a few squiggly words on them," he admitted, shrugging again before going into more laughter.

[Rachel Jacobs]

Rachel smiled at him innocently. "Well, not THAT." She admitted, "I just had this crazy thought you'd look super hot all wet." She smiled widely then, "And I was so right." She bit on her lower lip as her shoulders shook from laughter, taking a step back to let him dry his shirt. "I wasn't planning to get hit as well, but hey," She shrugged, "I look pretty hot all wet too." She sent him a wink and smiled, as if daring to disagree.

He was hugging her back, even though she was very wet, and even joking along. This guy came out from a fantasy, didn't he? Like some wet dream she'd had. Oh hey! Wet! The thought made her chuckle again. And now she was kissing him and he suddenly stopped talking, so she parted from him in surprise, wearing a big smile. "Did I leave you speechless?" She asked teasingly. But then he was laughing and her smile grew so wide it hurt, and she nibbled on her lower lip.

Rachel laughed at his censor joke and nodded. "Let them come." She said, "And we totally should. Imagine all the naughty things we could do in any place and no one would ever know." Rachel's smile widened, "I bet there's some tall bushes around here that offer the same perks." She shrugged, "But maybe the censors will even catch us there." She wouldn't mind finding out, but she guessed that might be a tad too fast. She just had no idea what this guy had planned for her and, to be honest with herself, she kind of wanted to find out.

[Rob Snow]

"Meaning I don't look crazy hot dry?" Rob replied with almost as much dryness as such a comment warranted. He did smirk and quirk a brow to further add emphasis to that. There was a lip bite that did things all kinds of right things to Rob. Yes, she did look pretty damn hot right now.

And they were embracing, all wet and with that bit of warmth underneath that Rob could feel and could tell fairly well. Had she left him speechless? "Only for a moment: I'll recover soon enough," he replied as the laughter died down for a moment. Her laugh made him chuckle again, but Rob was starting to gain at least some control over it by now.

"Hmm, tall bushes," he said, letting his hand roam her and look to the side. It was actually a little tempting. It wouldn't be the craziest place he'd ever done it. Rachel certainly sounded and looked up for it too. There was, however, those censors to consider. Well, that and:

"You mean you're not gonna take me to dinner first?" Rob said, raising his brows and attempting to look scandalized. "Isn't that what princesses are supposed to do?" He had to smirk at that, before leaning in for another kiss.

[Rachel Jacobs]

"Nope." Rachel said with a grin, "You're hot, but not crazy hot dry. If anything, I did you a favour." She then showed him her tongue playfully, nibbling it between her teeth. She chuckled then and smiled again, "It's my duty as a princess to make sure every peasant is crazy hot. So you're welcome." She did a mocked curtsey again, stretching her hands out to lift her invisible dress and smiled innocently again. It was fun to mess with him, mostly because he wasn't screaming at her like most people did. And she so had left him speechless! Cute! She giggled, looking down to her feet, actually feeling sheepish for a second there. How did he manage that? His powers definitely had to be something related to flirting, right? Maybe some empathy thing. THAT would explain why he'd managed to make her blush.

"Tall. Bushes." She repeated the words as if they were hinting something, sending him a wink and she bit on her lower lip. She half hoped he'd say yes, so they could skip all the boring part and get down to the good stuff. Buuuuuut he didn't. She half lost her smile. Figures.

Rachel sighed and took a step back, crossing her arms and stared at him with a half smile, shaking her head. "I wouldn't know. I've been locked up in a tower." She said in refutal. "Besides, princesses don't pay. Like EVER. It's in the constitution." Her smile grew slightly wider at her own silly joke and shrugged, figuring that'd been his way of turning down the bush party. Ha! Bush party. That worked on so many levels. "Pity, sir Rob. I was really starting to like you." She winked again and took a step back, already leaving. "It was VERY nice meeting you." She moved to the bench to grab her cellphone and tea and took a big sip from that, waiting for the fish to take the lure.

[Rob Snow]

"Damn, I clearly need more crazy. Thought the tats would help," Rob offered, along with shaking his head and letting out a slight click of his tongue. He even raised the hands for a moment, trying to show off bits of the arm. Though he had to admit that the line about making her subjects crazy hot had him laughing again. Damn, nothing like a girl who was not only hot and flirty, but funny too. He definitely wanted to run into this one again.

A wink, a lip nibble. "Mmm, but are they tall enough?" he had to repeat, arching his brows. she was already moving back, and he did that thing where his arms kept moving with her till they simply ran out of reach. Then he let them drop to his side, watching as she crossed her arms. "Since when do royals have a constitution?" he had to point out, only to wait a beat before actually pointing. "You're not actually from Britain, are you? The accent's off."

A wink, a step back, and a talk about being nice. "I am nice to meet," he replied, nodding and taking a step forward. "But shouldn't a fair princess at least give a wandering minstrel a chance at another chance encounter? Not fair to just leave one hanging. Very unroyal behavior, that."

[Rachel Jacobs]

"Oh, they help." Rachel said, turning her eyes to his arm as he flexed it and showed the tattoos, making her lick her lips. "They help a lot." She fought the urge to run her fingers against them, but their position didn't let her. No need to hurry it up, she might be able to do that later.

Were the bushes tall enough? "Does it matter?" She asked with a smirk, already pulling away, "Because it doesn't matter to me. I happen to like all kinds of bushes." She bit on her lower lip, holding back a smile. Rachel laughed at his question, loving he caught the silliness of her comment. "We do where I come from. Wrote it down myself." Again with the fantastic lies, but at least it was entertaining making things up. "Not from Britain, no." She answered, taking another step back, "From my own fantasy land." She sent him a wink, "Where men are forced to wear banana hammocks in the summer and nothing else." She shrugged, "Well, they CAN wear nothing else, but I think they might end up getting cold, or worse," Her smile widened, "Sunburnt."

But even if he seemed to not want to let her go, he still hadn't agreed to her fun times, so she was losing interest fast. She turned and jumped slightly, surprised to find him standing close to her again. He wasn't going to let her go quietly, but he also wasn't going to give her some fun. He seemed to want the long way round. Well, his time. And she hadn't been lying when she said he was crazy hot wet. She could only imagine that crazy hot would be even hotter if the wet hair didn't come from fountain water but rather sweat. The thought made her bit on her lower lip. And he wanted to see her again. What was it then? Did he want her or not?

"Show me a good time." She said with a smile, without any shame or conflict, "Right now." Her smile widened, wondering what he'd make of that, "No one can say I'm not a giving princess and I'd hate to take away any of your... chances." He had plenty of those. She rose a hand and lightly touched his arm, finally caressing the tattoo there. So hot. Not to mention that voice. Ugh, musicians. It was so unfair to other men. "So?" She moved closer, her fingers still caressing his arm. "Where would we go?" He didn't like bushes, so where would he show her a good time? She so wanted to be entertained and wouldn't waste her time otherwise, but the kind of entertainment he would provide was entirely up to him. She guessed she could have fun without sex, but at least she wanted a kiss before the evening was over.

[Rob Snow]

All kinds of bushes? Rob's mind went to some very odd places at that mention, and he couldn't help but wonder if that's what Rachel actually meant or if it was just some sort of strange misunderstanding. No wasted time though: just more teasing flirtatious comments. A fantasy line.

"Hm, I don't know if I own one of those," Rob said, stroking his chin contemplatively. "I might have to go for the alternative, but I'll probably freckle up something awful."

And yes, he was still chasing her. Not that Rob didn't enjoy a good roll in the bushes (he did have guy parts), but he also enjoyed the play up to that point. If you got a girl who was not only willing but also fun, you should at least spend a bit of time with her. Then you dive into the bushes and cross your fingers with the hope that no one got caught.

"Right now?" Rob asked, arching his brows. He gestured between the two of them. "While we're all soaking we---" he paused though, his hand still in the air. She'd moved forward, her hands on his. He could feel the fingers moving along his tattoo, gently caressing his arm. Where would they go? When they were all hot and bothered?

"Well, only one place to go, really," Rob said, nodding. He nodded, then turned. Rob walked a few steps, paused, and looked over his shoulder. "Got to read a map," he said, pursing his lips, nodding, and then scurrying to the closest nap.

[Rachel Jacobs]

Rachel laughed. Freckled something awful? "That'd be fun to watch." She said between giggles, actually imagining it, "I could make a game out of it. Figure out how many shapes I can find in you." Like one of those number puzzles she used to do as a kid. Would be a nice game to play after they were done... playing. "And don't worry. I'm not the kind of princess who demands something out of others and won't... reciprocate." She bit on her lower lip as she grinned at him. She loved this word play, but she wasn't sure he was getting it all. It was funny at least and she liked to laugh so much, so either way she'd have her fun.

So yes, she made a challenge. Maybe because she just wanted to see if he was worth her time. She was used to immediate things rather than all this coy flirting. Not that she minded flirting, in fact she loved it, but it'd gone long enough already. But he seemed to enjoy the chase. Not much of a chase when they prey was willing to be caught, was there? Yet here she was, giving him a chance to be entertaining without jumping behind the bushes as she so wanted to.

"Right now." She repeated in confirmation. She grinned as he suddenly went quiet after her caress. So sexy to have such control over a man. She wondered if he'd be one of the quiet ones or if she could make him be loud. She licked her lips again at the thought. God, and she hadn't even kissed him yet. He so had to be an empath of sorts. Maybe something that had to do with pheromones? Wouldn't put it pass him. He had an idea and she almost jumped in excitement, following suit as he moved to check some map.

"Where are we going?" She asked curiously, moving closer to him to look at the map as well, already excited as to where they were going, moving in place up and down as she thought of any place and saw the map. What was he thinking? "Where? Tell me!" She so loved surprises though.

[Rob Snow]

"Ah, so you're a princess of the people?" Rob couldn't help but shoot back. He could tell there was a slight challenge there, but he already had something in mind that he was fairly certain would work out to their advantage. Well, technically he had two somethings, one of which was more of a backup than anything else. As he said, there were only so many activities that two wet people could do without looking too odd.

But yes, there was definitely the pause in there, and while Rachel certainly did all kinds of (good) things to Rob, this particular pause was less a result of that and more a result of his thinking. Then moving. Then grinning as she asked, practically going childish.

"Wouldn't it be more fun for you to find out?" he asked, looking at her with that grin and some raised brows. He wrapped his arm around her waist and started walking, already having read through the map quickly enough. "Quite amazing how many different locations there are on this campus, aye?" he asked, gesturing widely with his arm. "Though of course I'm going to do something truly impressive and take you straight to the library."

Which was of course in the exact opposite direction they were headed now. Every student knew where the library was: either to avoid it like the plague or head straight for it.

[Rachel Jacobs]

Rachel giggled again. "Only when there's clothing choices involved." She answered playfully back, grinning widely. Was she annoying him now? She really couldn't tell. But if she was, what was he still doing there? He was harder to understand than she first thought. It was both off putting and still made her curious at the same time.

"Hmm." She only half was listening now because he'd grabbed her by the waist and kept her close. Oh, he so was torturing her. She was sure he was doing it on purpose! "It'd be more fun if we could get there immediately." She answered with a smirk, raising one eyebrow in wonder. Where could he possibly take her? The school was large, that was true, but she just didn't relate anything fun to it. Maybe it was the company that'd make it so? She stiffened when he mentioned the library, quickly losing her grin.

"You must be joking." She said, sending him a glare. "That place's no good for anything other than make out to in the back. And even then it's so uncomfortable." The books falling at every push and having to be forcefully quiet. Rachel shook her head. It could be funny, but really uncomfortable and they could get caught so easily.

"Wait- where-?" They took off the opposite way and she blinked in surprise at him. Oh, he was playing her! She laughed and placed an arm around his waist as well, moving along. "I have a feeling you're full of surprises, Sir Rob." She said with a grin, "I hope pleasant ones." At least she wasn't bored, which was a lot to say when she compared this to most men she'd gone out with.

[Rob Snow]

See, this was precisely what Rob wanted: the play. The interchange. He supposed someone could compare it to a cat playing with a mouse, but it wasn't like he was doing it to be malicious. This would be fun for both of them, though Rachel wasn't quite getting it at first.

"Well, if you can teleport, then we can do that just fine," Rob replied easily enough. "Unfortunately, I'm a healer, which is only good for the after," and of course he had to give her a slight wink of that. They were already heading off, going in the direction. Though he did feel her stiffening. Then the mention of joking and glaring.

Rob was tempted to point out the benefits of the library in as proper a British way as he could manage. But he had a feeling that Rachel was smart enough to pick up on where they were actually going quick enough, especially as they were headed in more or less the exact opposite direction of said repository of books. The arm around the waist simply kept guiding her along.

Then it soon had a match. Rob ticked his tongue, "It's minstrel, unless you're going to knight me, your highness," he replied, "and I specialize in pleasant surprises. Right up there with music and pleasing the fairer sex."

Another wink, and Rob added a bit jauntier spring to his step. He did pause to adjust his guitar, not wanting it to smack against either of them as they went. He'd find some place to set that in time, or maybe even use it when they got where they were going. Wouldn't take long, not at their relatively brisk pace.

[Rachel Jacobs]

A healer? Rachel stopped, staring up at him in surprise. "Seriously?" She asked. So... why was she falling so easily? Rachel snorted then, shaking her head. She'd thought he'd been manipulating her, and she was willingly letting him because it was pretty fun, but that hadn't been it at all. The truth was- "You're dangerous." She said, voicing her conclusion, smirking up at him with a pleased look.

He seemed to have gone quiet for a while, letting her talk. Boring. Rachel almost pouted, if she hadn't been so curious as to where he was taking her, trying not to think much and actually let it be a surprise. But it was so hard to be distracted when he didn't answer. Finally, he spoke back and she sighed.

"Well, it'd depend on how much fun I have today." She said, lightly pushing him with her hip, "And if I want to see you again." She sent him a grin before explaining, "Minstrels are good for a one time thing, but knights... those are for the long run." She shrugged, "But if the surprise is as pleasant as you say, then maybe you'll be holding a title by the end of the day. Well, a title and something else." She winked at him playfully, hoping to hurry things up. She was pretty sure he knew what she wanted, what she was expecting of him, what with all the talk of bushes and lack of clothing, but he wasn't acting out on anything. How disappointing.

"So now what?" She asked with a grin, "Are you going to serenade me? Give me flowers? Tell me I'm pretty?" The sarcasm was almost tangible in her voice. She laughed slightly. "I won't complain if you do, I was just hoping things would be a bit more... daring."