Within Patience

Without much of an expression change, Kale watched him, listened to his logical. All she could do was smile, lips quirking as it tried to grow but was actually rather unsure if it should frown. Eventually, her lips parted to reveal white teeth and it seemed as if she might say something. All that happened, though, was that she looked away briefly with a shake of her head and closed her mouth again. It was almost a shy move.

She could be honest. She could tell him how she never wished him on the receiving end of her worst behavior. Could tell him that he had long paid any favor owed from his visit to her room and his sudden actions. She could even relate to him that he had done more for her than all others here just by simply being here. But no, she wouldn't. Rather, she would wisely stay silent on this matter. She would not risk his irreparable disapproval right now, and would also not risk him knowing that.

"That is good to know." She looked back to him a bit slyly, eyes narrowing and leaned forward. Hey, since he was so eagerly putting forth that it was alright then... Her hand lifted to slide around the back of his neck, and though she doubted her chance of actually moving him, moved to pull him forward towards her rather than cross the distance herself. "Though it seems...Are you wanting me to misbehave?" Kale spoke quietly, but laughingly.

Richard's smile, genuine as it was, began to slowly fade as he saw her hesitate over something. He knew that she had wanted to say something, but decided against it, and he knew that the question of what it was would continue to bug him.

As such, when Kale moved on, he was not as quick to, and when he looked upon the hand entering his personal space he seemed thoughtful, rather than immediately welcoming. But, well, there was no point being hung up on whatever it was she decided not to disclose. He would either find out eventually, or not - right now was not the time. When he looked to Kale's face again, he was back to the lighthearted, amused smile, just so. Following the lead of her hand smoothly and with no opposition, he shifted deeper onto the bed, away from the edge, as to maintain a comfortable seating.

"Perhaps?" His gaze flickered playfully between her eye and her lips. "We did not clarify what 'misbehaving' meant in the end. It is ever such a vague concept..." He pouted slightly as if that were such a shame.

Gently, he reached to brush back her hair away from her face. It was a perfectly soft, affectionate gesture, but truth be told he just didn't want her scar to be covered in the least.

Internally wincing at the effect of her mistake, Kale pretended not to notice the slight blemish in their game. They must just not be at their best tonight...

Having gotten him to move, she did not continue her pressure with the hand on Richard's neck, but let it stay there, twisting up to play with the ends of his hair.

"Hm, well...I do believe that misbehaving would be doing something I know very well I should not do." She spoke conversationally, but the way her lips pursed just the slightest in thought showed she was considering her options. As she studied his eyes, it playfully wavered between a childish frown and a smirk, as if one option were particularly undesirable while the other, highly interesting.

Despite that her hair was longer on that side for the sole reason of cover, the harpy had hardly noticed the way her hair had been moved to reveal her scar, taking the gesture just as she would one of the other times Richard had touched her hair. However, it did seem an unconscious reaction that her head tilted slightly to the left so that the strands would fall back into place.

His smile turned somewhat wry as his efforts were undone, but after a moment of deliberation, Richard decided against drawing attention to the fringe by trying to repetitively combat it returning to its place. It wasn't that important.

"Is that so..." He hummed, his gaze lingering on Kale's face thoughtfully. Then, as if in an effort to bid some time, he glanced down as he pulled up his other leg onto the bed slowly to kneel opposite the harpy, careful as to not disturb the hand in his hair. The space between her and the edge of the bed being limited, he had no choice but to press one of his knees slightly between hers. Oh dear, dear...

Looking up to reinstate the eye contact, Richard gave a defeated sigh, as if giving up on trying to guess. "I must beg of you to enlighten me, I'm afraid..." he said, frowning apologetically. "What would that be?"

The bed shifted, and Kale glanced down as her knees were nudged by his though felt no need to back up to make more room. Her gaze remained on it absently a moment before looking back up to Richard. He spoke and she let her gaze flick down and back up again as if in amused thought.

"I should probably go and let you have your night back, stop bothering you..." She trailed the sentence a bit and let her hand start to slip from his hair. She would let it fall to her lap to land partially on her knee and his.

Her eye flickered between his a moment before turning to glance towards the door. She didn't want to go, and she didn't plan of leaving particularly yet, but she should.
But, her small, slightly playful smile stayed. Should. Didn't mean she would. Well, not yet, maybe.

She probably should have and not have done a lot of things in her life that she didn't.
'Should' was such a tricky subject...

Richard's surprise was obvious with how his eyes widened, though he was quick to narrow them coldly, his posture stiffening somewhat. "Well, yes." he said bitterly. "Should you do that--" He cut himself off abruptly, as if it had gotten too hard to speak due to his irritation, and his gaze turned away from Kale to the dead PSP at which he continued to glare. How could she say something like that.

Crossing his arms, he chewed on his thoughts for a moment. "Then..." He rolled his sulky scowl back towards the harpy, letting out a huff, and he frowned as he looked her in the eye again. "Then, yes, I would certainly consider it misbehaving." he grumbled, and his amusement finally won out, twitching the corners of his mouth upwards.

Bothering... really? Another bit of evidence to prove that he did not understand the way her mind worked at all. He wasn't sure whether to be exasperated or fascinated, but at the moment, he felt like letting empty laughter win out.

Taken aback by the sudden hostile nature of Richard's, Kale had immediately opened her legs a bit and moved her hand so as to not be touching him. Otherwise, the harpy had gone extremely still. It was only the leak of his amusement that had her reanimating. Her head tilted the slightest and she let herself smirk as if she hadn't just had a negative reaction to his anger.

"I have said I would be on my best behavior, and you have just said quite unmistakably that me leaving would actually be misbehaving, curious. Therefore, you leave me no other option..." Kale tsked as if it were such a consequence and moved to hook her pointer finger in the open v of Richard's, made by the few undone buttons.

"I shall simply have to stay the night." Her tone was playful enough to suggest her joking nature.

Having fooled her successfully was far more satisfying than it had any right to, really, and the smile he gave her was bordering on smug. "So it seems..." He glanced only briefly to the hand, then leaned forward and shifted a bit closer, reinstating the contact between their knees. With an eyebrow slightly quirked and his head inclined, he looked her straight in the eye, an image of someone about to ask a serious question.

"Since you're in such a mood for keeping your word... You also said you were going to help me relax, right?" He tilted his head innocently. "How do you intend to do that?"

Relaxing... If only he actually could do that. But no, he only needed to do one little thing, find out a tiny tidbit of information, and then he could kick back and let whatever wanted to happen, happen. For the night, at least. He didn't have any hope of such a state lasting any longer than that anymore.

Though amusement never leaving, it was accompanied by a flash of exasperated frustration. Her eye had fallen half-mast in a way that showed she was conceding her loss at that instant, she had been fooled and found out, fine. The way her lips quirked, though, were still amiable enough to show that she didn't really mind.

She felt his knee again, glanced down at it, and again let her legs inch wider to deny the contact by just a sliver. Her glance back up was playfully daring.

"Very true. And I remember saying after that I had an idea if only your shirt would be abandoned. I can't read your muscles through the fabric, remember?" Her fingers at the v in said shirt had taken to fiddling with the button, and deftly she flicked it back out through the hole that held it together. Her hand would drift down to the next if he let it. "Though, I'm open to suggestions, if you have one that you're getting at instead."

The touch being broken again had a quiet murmur of displeasure escaping him, and he looked down both at their legs and at the hand that took to finishing what he had started. Its sight made him give a hum again, this time sounding more thoughtful. He wanted to let her do it, he realized, whatever her true intentions were, and despite the worry over that one important question... surely, there was no way for this to go wrong?

There was a myriad of ways, of course. But somehow, he found he wanted to trust Kale with this... to a certain degree, anyway.

While he was busy pondering, she had gotten the buttons out of the way, and with a defeated sigh and a shrug Richard took to pulling the shirt off. "No, I'm not getting at anything, of course not." He sat up straighter somewhat as to not have his stomach spilling over the rim of his trousers too much, putting the shirt aside to join the vest. Then, he looked to the harpy again questioningly, inclining his head, a joking flicker in his eyes. "What next? I await your orders."

Amusement at the noises from Richard was equaled by surprise as he actually let her unclasp the buttons and shrugged the shirt off entirely. Her small smirk split into a quite pleased smile and she leaned back a bit with an admiring look, eyebrows raised. From the back of her throat came an odd sort of cooing noise that hissed slightly with a single click in the middle. If nothing else, it sounded very bird-like and actually quite appreciative when complied with her expression and general air. Her dancing gaze sparked in sharp curiosity as it lingered on a small tattoo on Richard's chest, but for now, she didn't question it. For some reason, it didn't seem out of place...

Rather fitting, in fact.

"Of course not." She echoed smoothly. "Orders, hmm..." The harpy trailed it on the upturned corner of her lips and let it roll back into "then lay stomach down." Her hand that had dealt the buttons their defeat swept out to gesture to the bed beneath them as she made to scoot back to give him some room to move. "Make yourself comfortable."

Richard withstood the examination without a blink, letting her feast her eyes on everything, tattoo included. He wasn't sure what was the sound she had made supposed to mean, but he'd gathered that she was content with what she saw, as little comfort as that was. It wasn't like he had any issues with his body, he was perfectly fit for his age, thank you very much; but still, he didn't really like being naked in front of other people. It really was unnecessary in most cases.

That, together with the gruesome visions of what could happen if he turned his back on Kale supplied by his paranoid imagination put a slight dampener on his mood, but he tried his best not to show it. "As you wish." he said, his tone so serious it couldn't really be, as he took a small bow, then moved to lay down as she had told. The moment his back actually was turned and she was out of his sight, he felt a jolt of panic. God, that really was a stupid idea, wasn't it, what if...? It was too late to back out without raising suspicion at this point, though, so he kept still, folding his arms underneath his chin for comfort. But the heart that picked up a faster pace, thumping heavily in his chest, was out of his control.

"So," he asked, sounding perfectly casual. "What next?"

The harpy kept her silence as he moved to accommodate her orders. She watched him with a slightly narrowed eye, and it was probably only because of the general quiet besides the record still playing that she noticed. Normally, hearts were so monotone, so regular, they droned on so patterned that they easily filtered out of her attention. But when they changed their beat, that's when it was like a shift in her subconscious. It was a predatory response for her to be more focused upon a faster heart, and any male was technically on a harpy's prey list. Kale stilled, because now that the thought occurred to her in this manner, it was tempting...but she wasn't allowed. A bare sigh escaped her, more of a collective act than anything.

Kale shifted forward towards him, placing a hand on his side so at least he would have something to locate her by.

"Nothing more on your part, except for you to try and relax. And tell me if you don't like anything, of course." Her tone carried a small smile as she moved to place her leg on the other side of him to straddle his lower back, tail long enough for the feather tips to brush near the backs of his knees. Wings were lowered to the bed, and she was careful to listen to both his words and body language.

It would be fine, he reasoned with himself. At least with him facing away, whatever happened, she would not be able to see his reaction... but depending on the position, could be able to notice the results themselves, he realized with a wince, and if that happened... it would be simply disastrous. Oh God, he was such an idiot.

For all the panicked thoughts, frantically spinning in his head, he remained impressively still, but couldn't help tensing a bit with anticipation when Kale moved to sit over him.

And then... nothing happened.

Immensely relieved, Richard sighed out out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Relaxing, he settled into the pose and letting his head tilt limply a bit to the side. Okay. For now, everything was okay. But he really had to hurry.
"Sounds easy enough." he murmured contentedly, allowing himself to be lightheartedly curious about what she was planning to do.

The harpy watched the back move beneath her with the breaths it took, varying in size. She made a small small click noise in the back of her throat.

"I hope that it should be just as, in execution." The words were murmured quietly on her part, and with amiable nature. To relax with another always did sound easy, but actually doing it... then, it seemed to be accepted between them that neither were very trusting, and that was alright as a shared trait. Though, if Kale noticed his current tension or the way it seemed to be released, she gave no sign of it. She placed both palms flat on the middle of his back.

"Pardon my weight." Kale spoke before settling said weight, resting herself lightly upon the man's upper rear so as to have the whole of his back before her. As naturally chilled as her hands, being extremities, may have been, they seemed to adjust unnaturally quick. Their end temperature was not extreme, but only slightly noticeably warmer than the man's own skin. She fell into silence as fingertips seemed to map out lines in his back. If one knew anything about anatomy, one might find a pattern in the design. It was only once this 'sketch' was completed that she would drag her hands down to the lowest point she could access, at the top of his trousers, and start from the bottom in a firmer manner. If nothing else, the scientist was thorough in paying attention to all the muscles to work them out, trying to massage from them their tension. If some slight energy needed arranging, the warming of a muscle in particular to relax it especially, she would take to that as well. The going was a little slow, but she would gradually make her way up his back, silent, if left to.

She was no psychologist, she could do nothing for his mental relaxation, but as a biologist, she could do her best for his body. Often, there seemed to be a link between the two, and hopefully a tended to body would make the mind take ease.

Besides that, the process was nearly therapeutic for her as well, and let her thoughts turn as her hands worked. The record was tuned out as background noise.

Richard let out another sigh, trying to clear his mind of all thoughts to focus on whatever she was going to do. For now, he could allow himself not to worry, trusting that Kale would not hurt him, accidentally or otherwise - for now - so he was determined to make the most of the rare opportunity.

It had proven to be easier than expected, as the harpy sure seemed to know what she was doing. After a few moments, he concluded that he was going to feel bad for not paying her for this, and that was the last active thought before he began to slowly drift away into a half-dozing off state, shutting his eyes, lulled by both the movements of her hands and the familiar music, so dear to his heart.

Perfectly peaceful.

And it lasted longer than he had dared to hope, really - up until the point where she reached a certain spot, the same as before, somewhere between his shoulder blades. Jolted by a sudden pain, Richard twitched and hissed through his teeth. Ah, right. That was why he didn't get massages. It was one of those never-healing spots, just one that came up far less often than the God-damn hip. He didn't break the silence between them, though, having faith in that Kale was smart enough to avoid triggering that reaction again without him having to say anything. He didn't really want her to stop. Giving another sigh, he did his best to doze off again, though it would certainly be more difficult than before.

Honestly, when not expecting it, the sudden flinch had made her jump. In reaction Kale had pulled her hands away from the spot, though she was quick to think and gently placed her palm over the area, just to warm it with her body heat. She didn't want to bother it further to find what was wrong, and hadn't meant to smart it in the first place.

The harpy leaned down and moved her hand to touch a light apologetic kiss between his shoulder blades. Neatly, this sore spot was filed into her memory and, starting again below it, Kale actively worked around the area, giving it a wide berth. The woman gave the slightest of hums and let another small kiss trail to the last of the cervical vertebrae, the one that was often noticeable just at the neck merged with shoulders into back.

She'd continue, up towards his neck, even branching out into his upper arms briefly but spending more time in the muscles that bridged the neck and shoulders. Kale would admit lightly that she probably spent a little more time than was strictly necessary, lingering and somewhat reluctant to stop all together. But, it was probably a little noticeable when she started to repeat areas. A small sigh escaped her and she finally ran her palms down his back gently, only becoming firmer after she'd passed his shoulder blades, like wiping the slate clean. Fingertips lingered at his sides before she shifted her weight, letting her right wing guide her body's side to the bed to lay facing him with something of a playful, satisfied smile. Ignoring the small blip in comfort in the middle. Though her leg from the other side of him followed, her bent knee would still be propped up on his side and the wing entirely too lazy to do much more than drape over Richard where it had slid to with the movement.

The woman didn't break the silence with words, but her gaze was slightly questioning if he felt inclined to offer a status on his state of being.

Richard knew that the brief pain was of no fault of Kale's, so no apology was really necessary. When the old wound was kissed better, though, he grumbled quietly, as if the crime was only reluctantly forgiven thanks to that gesture. But honestly, he didn't mind. It was a mere speck of displeasure in the favor she was doing him, and it also served the purpose of reminding him to not get lost in the enjoyment so much that he'd forget the risks.

And yes, enjoy himself he did, smiling slightly at the second kiss and the pleasant feeling of tingly-ness and warmth spreading in his muscles. A sedentary lifestyle was his sort of lifestyle, really, but it did no wonders to one's back.

It was when she began going back over certain areas that Richard realized it was reaching its end. He let out a deep sigh as the hands trailed down his back in what felt like a final move, but showed no other reaction at first. Eyes remaining shut, he stayed silent for a moment, just getting a feel for the difference in his body. Slowly, as if a bit tentatively, he shifted his shoulders. Okay, yes, that felt remarkably more... alive than what he was used to.

"Thank you." he said quietly, with genuine gratefulness. Then, he raised one forearm to rest his head against his palm, looking at Kale. Mildly amused, he wanted to ask where did she learn to do that, as he was pretty sure that giving good massages was not a standard skill for neither mercenary or science teacher, but, well... there would be time for talking later. Now, he gave a sidelong glance at the wing that was covering him like a blanket, then looked back to her face, pondering over the next move. Well, it wouldn't be easy, but...
Richard pushed himself up slowly, then lifted one leg to move it over Kale's body and kneel astride her, smooth and natural with a casually friendly expression, as if that was the most usual thing to do. Only a slightly quirked eyebrow questioned whether she would protest.

What could her smile do but widen? It seemed, so oddly enough, that everything was pleasing in some way.

"Any time." Was her only quiet response as she stared back into his eyes, so easily said that it seemed there was little to doubt about its genuinity. And, in all honesty, Kale herself believed it to some degree. As long as there were no extreme circumstances - or even in the event they became horrible, bitter enemies - there was a tempting thought in continuing this service if he should want to come to some sort of truce. The thought of meeting, say, once a month in the middle of war between them for a simple act such as this between them was amusing to an entertaining degree. Then, it played on her mind that they may both be too paranoid for that to work, and well, she shook the thought off as it was getting a bit out of hand.

And then he was moving.

Curiosity and question flickered across her expression as Richard sat up, and grew more obvious on her as he so innocently changed position. As his body moved, it had lifted the wing like even less than the little weight it was. Its path to the side as it slipped off him turned her body so that the harpy found herself on her back, looking up. None of the movements were fast, and none were resisted. And, despite feeling a little trapped, Kale found herself too comfortable to really care all that much about the inner voice nagging about caged birds.

"Well Hello..." Her arms had simply taken to laying upon her stomach with no where better to be in the moment and a slightly playful smile was settled upon her lips.

Richard kept a politely amiable face on, but couldn't help a brief smirk when she turned over to her back. Step one: successful. Still moving as slowly, his gaze flickering over her, he leaned down to place his hands on the bed on both sides of her body, sort of hovering over her on all fours. "I would apologize for the intrusion, but I'm merely doing what you told me to." he said casually. "To do what I want, when I want."

He reached up to brush Kale's fringe away from her face, this time gravity being on his side. "You see," he began, smiling with satisfaction. "somehow, you have found yourself on top of me several times. And while I anything but mind..."
He shifted his body forward, careful to not actually put any weight on her, so that they would be level and he could look her straight in the eye seriously, all business-like. While his undead muscles were always dependable and could hold him up tirelessly, he could feel the results of Kale's massage, making him able to move without the strain that he hadn't even realized was there until it was gone. Oh, how darling she was. His expression softened briefly as he lowered himself down, inclining his head so that their foreheads would almost touch.
"...I feel the need for payback." he finished, smiling secretively. "You know, balance, et cetera..."

How long ago it seemed that they first met.

It was hard to not tense slightly when he placed his hands down on either side of her. Her hair was brushed, and for once her face was completely unobstructed. Honestly, it felt a little naked, though she would never admit to how self-conscious she was still over her scar. She held with it a love-hate relationship, and it's complete reveal for a prolonged state with so close an audience made her a little uncomfortable. The harpy tried really hard to just not think about it.

Tensing evermore in proportion with how close he was becoming, Kale found she didn't quite have the ability to speak. Her legs shifted a little, one knee raising just slightly, as she tried a bit failingly to relax. But if anything, Kale was stubborn. So stubborn as to not bow to anything, not even her own insecurities, so she swallowed easily and did her best to appear at ease to find her voice. Logically, she did not believe that Richard would hurt her. And if he did, he would have to kill her. For some reason, this made her feel better.

"Commendable. You must do what you feel needs to be done. I can not fault you for that." She paused, still staying very still. "Though, I do wonder how you will balance this...or is this it?" The last was said with a small laughing tone.

Being so close, Richard couldn't not notice that she wasn't entirely at ease, and even though it was detrimental to his plans. somehow it pleased him. There was a conflict within him, he realized, between a part of him which wanted to hurt Kale terribly, to punish her for all that she was and what she had made him go through, and another part which wanted to make her happy for precisely the same reasons.

Maintaining balance between those two would be crucial... and hopefully, eventually both would be satisfied.

For now, though, he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling that looming over her gave him, the feeling that something so simple gave him the power to unsettle somebody like the harpy. Narrowing his eyes and pursing his lip slightly in thought, as if pondering over her question, he bought himself a few more seconds of just that simple pleasure.

And then, he raised his head away as to give her some space, as little as it was. "Yes. I do believe that this will be sufficient compensation. Now..." His expression showed amusement, though his gaze remained focused. The time came for the harder steps. "See, I've broken the pattern of you being on top, but there are others... For instance, well..." He looked away, wanting to avoid her gaze for some reason. "Each time before, I've simply caught you off-guard, so, this time I am going to ask."

Forcing himself to reinstate eye contact, he smiled, and despite his best efforts it was a slightly awkward smile.

"Can I kiss you?"

With each passing moment, Kale's trapped feeling grew. She knew the pattern too well. It would start to harbor darker moods that would infect her happiness in the moment. It would boil to irritation that she felt so uncomfortable and out of control, and then hate to Richard for making her feel that way. The harpy held it at bay by simply putting it in her mind that she felt nothing. She didn't want to mind Richard being so close. She didn't mind Richard being so close. She wanted Richard so close.

And then the vampire gave her that small distance of reprieve, her shoulders relaxed just. He still seemed intent, like a man on a mission. And it seemed his current mission was to disrupt all their patterns. She grasped this small understanding, took the momentary shyness of his eyes and the awkwardness in his smile, and made it make her stronger. These were the games they played.
There was a brief moment of silence after his question, as if she were considering.

Finally, a breathy chuckle came very lightly and curiosity flickered across her face with a delicately suspicious smile.

"Okaaayy." It came out as if she thought what he was doing a little silly - why break the patterns? - but agreeing with it. And her body was forced to relax. This, she could handle. Kale even entertained the idea of saying no, no he couldn't. But... "You can." The corner of her lips pulled up a bit playfully. She was far too curious as to what he was getting at with all this, and she was hardly opposed to the act itself. If nothing else, the situation was keeping her on her edge. It was nearly thrilling.

He watched her as he waited patiently, without a word, moving only to tuck a few rebellious strands of hair behind his ear. It was all rather symbolic, really, and he wasn't certain if Kale was the type to appreciate that. Changes were to happen, so make them happen he would... Besides that, he just wanted to reassure her that, pinned down or not, she still had a say in what he did. Perhaps he would not appreciate that, either, as dignified as she was, but he needed Kale to know that he would respect her whether or not she was capable of skinning him alive if he didn't.

She wasn't the only one trying to be on best behavior.

At least she hadn't brushed off the question without giving it thought, so perhaps it wasn't all for naught. The answer made him smile, and give a low, contented hum. Richard lowered himself down, a palm brushing over Kale's stomach as he reached up to place his elbows on the bed above her shoulders, framing her head with his forearms. All the space that he had given her was taken back, and then some; there would be no escape from his presence, from his body lightly pressing down on hers and the barely-there, but somehow still heavy, scent of his lavender-dominated cologne. All of his movements were slow, gradual, as if he were being careful not to frighten a wild animal. Which, all things considered, the harpy kind of was.

Giving her a soft, slightly concerned look, he searched her face for signs of discomfort for a second, then leaned down to use her earlier permission regardless. It was entirely gentle, trying, testing her reaction.

No doubt, this night would hold mysteries for pondering well into years from now. This, she knew and was just coming to accept. This night would haunt her, whether for her own actions, or Richard himself. So now that she was finding this, Kale saw a choice before her. Essentially, it seemed to come down to whether or not she was going to put a little bit of trust in Richard. His courtesy and respect was not lost on her, but he was pushing firmly on some long held, unexplored limits. She felt he was forcing a decision from her.

She had no where to go. Either side was blocked, his body above her and her back pressed into the mattress below. She had no where as an escape and was entirely exposed by being so wrapped up in this small world he'd created. His gentleness was one of the only things holding a particularly violent backlash at bay. To ease the pressure of this presence, the ebony eye had closed. But, the more her other senses searched for anything else, the more of him they picked up. It was all-encompassing and far more intoxicating than the liquor.

Her body had been held back from tensing, but its relaxed state was forced and quivered. Her arms had quickly slipped from her stomach, unwilling to be trapped between them, and palms had moved to press to his sides in warning that he was breaching upon dangerous territory. But, for all their threat, it was was just as much to hold him near as it was to keep the distance.

It had taken but only a brief moment from when Richard had leaned down to initiate the gentle kiss, that Kale responded. It was hesitant at first, uncertain. Careful.

Did she trust him? No.
Could she trust him? Probably not.
Did she have a choice? It didn't seem so. Not anymore.
Did she want him?
What was he saying about developing connections?

There was a slight desperation in the confidence now found in her reaction. He'd need to prove himself but she would give him the chance to do so now, opening her body language and accepting.