All is...Not Fair in Love & War- 1x1 with BlueNightEagle

[Quitting :I]

Fenrir looked at the young prince out of the corner of his eye. "I...I just wanted to see if you were okay." Kale said, looking down at his lap, sounding a bit ashamed. Fenrir stretched an arm out and hugged his younger brother close. "I'm fine...Mother and Father are just being...abrasive." He said. He felt Kale look at him, a bit confused. "Abrasive means they're trying to force me to do something I don't want to do...They're trying to make me get married when I haven't fallen in love...And we only fall in love once, forever." He said. That bit was true, but it made it very hard to find someone you loved. Perhaps the one you were destined to spend the rest of your life with was on the other side of the world, then what? Did you just give up and marry someone else? Fenrir wasn't about to do that, he wanted to be with someone he truly loved more than anything.

"Really? I wouldn't want to spend time with one person for the rest of my life, even if I did love them..." Kale said, eyes moving to his feet. Fenrir made a soft snorting sound, "You'd understand if you were older..." He said. "I'm going to go blow off some steam, why don't you go find your sister?" He suggested, and the panther Kirin nodded, hopping to the balcony and running back down the hall to carry out his brother's suggestion. Fenrir turned, heading in the opposite direction, towards the armory. It was on the ground floor of the castle, and he had his own personal place in it for his various sets of armor and weapons. The dog Kirin strode through the door and to the end of the long, full room. He stopped in front of a section of the wall devoted to his things, his chin placed thoughtfully in his hand as he contemplated what armor to choose. He shrugged, then pulled a set of light, leather armor off the wall. It wasn't like he was going to be fighting a war at the moment, so it'd do.

After exchanging his vest for one of dark leather, and putting on the rest of the armor, Fenrir walked back over to where he kept his weapons. He only had one sword, a sturdy hand and a half with a blade of bright steel that had a dark engraving on the blade. It read: "Iceshadow", the designated name of the sword. He had been given it at the age of fourteen, and named it at fifteen. Twisting his hand around so the blade flashed in a beam of light, he quickly examined it for any nicks in the blade he'd have to remove, but it looked like it had been sharpened recently. "Hmph." He grunted. How odd...He certainly hadn't used the sword recently...

The dog Kirin strode out into the training area, although it was a bit early for anyone else to be out there yet. He heard someone not far away sparring with a training dummy, hearing the tear of fabric and the hiss of sand falling onto the ground. He raised an eyebrow and peered into the area where he'd heard the sound. A man was there, also wearing leather armor, also wielding a sword. "Oi! Neo!" He called, and the man turned. He had golden hair with dark spots in it, and he even had a few spots dotting his face. His eyes were vivid green in color. He had a pair of gold ears with black edges on his head, and a long, gold tail with spots and a few black stripes at the end flicked around behind him. Neo, the cheetah Kirin, captain of the guard. He flashed a fanged grin at Fenrir, who smirked in return. "How'd you know I'd be out here?" The prince asked, walking forward towards the man. "Honestly, boy, I've trained you from the age of three years, and you think I haven't figured out your temper yet?" Neo chuckled.

Fenrir backed up a few steps and jumped into a ready stance, "Have at thee then, sir!" He challenged, golden eyes glittering. Neo grinned and copied the stance, although he was left handed, so it was a bit different. "Indeed! En Guarde!" He said. The two then started to spar, swords clanging in the clear morning air, a sound like that of a dull bell, ringing out to the sky. Steel bit steel as the two men came to a deadlock, pushing against each other's weapon, locked together. "You fight with heart today, young master." Neo commented, looking fresh, without much evidence that he was tired. "Correction, I fight to relieve anger." Fenrir said, pushing the cheetah back a few paces. "Ah, but fighting in anger leads to clumsy movements...I suggest you fight because you feel you want to, not that you need to." He said, then started forward, aiming for Fenrir's leg. The prince quickly parried it, clearing his emotion of his frustration towards his parents. Neo was right, he was doing this because he enjoyed it, not because he had to.

Suddenly, sharp steel was pointing at his throat, and he held his arms up in defeat. "Alright, you got me." Fenrir said, looking at Neo's determined expression. The cheetah lowered his sword, sticking it in the dirt and leaning on it. "Good fight...May I ask the cause of your frustration earlier?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Fenrir sighed, "The usual..." He said, running a hand through his hair, which he'd earlier freed of its ponytail. "Ah, marrige. The bane of any young man's existence." He chuckled. Fenrir rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and Erica was even suggesting I marry the Lamian princess. I don't even know if they have a princess of age to marry, and frankly, I don't think I'd like her anyway." He said, then started back toward the armory. "Well, you haven't found anyone you like yet...Maybe..." Neo said, trailing off. Fenrir turned, a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Are you suggesting I might love the princess of Lamia? That's...that's just...ridiculous!" He exclaimed, running his hand through his hair again. "The thought you'd even suggest that..." He muttered, then turned and returned to his designated path. Despite his reaction, he really had started to wonder, if maybe the one for him was right under his nose without him knowing it.

[BlueNightEagle]

After a few rounds, ten of six arrows each to be exact, the hare Kirin lowered her bow and took off her quiver. When retrieving her arrows, she put them back in the quiver, and then walked with all of her equipment back toward the armory and out of the training area of the castle grounds. Reno followed, having been silent while she shot and continuing to be so as she left.
However, before she had the chance to leave the armory, he made a gesture to get her attention, and he did. "Hm?"
"Why don't we practice with that dagger of yours, I'll go easy on you by using a sword instead of m' ax?" the guard said after she had looked to him. After a few moments thought and with a smile forming, she replied, "Well... alright."

The two walked back into one of the unoccupied areas for sparring practice after the Rhinoceros Kirin had retrieved a sword from one of the walls where many hung. He leaned his ax against a post near where they planned to fight a bit, and then held the sword a few moments by it's blade, checking it's weight. But he noticed Bambi held nothing in her own hands, save the armored glove she was putting on her right.
"...Speaking of which, where is that little dagger of yours?" it was only a few moments after the question left his mouth that, she put a hand behind her back, and when it reappeared in it was a blade. It was a little over a foot long, not including the handle, with guardings to catch an opponent's weapon so not to go straight to her hand above the handle and were what the blade was made into. Light it was, but strong and a gift given from her father. "Shall we?"

With a nod, Reno held the sword with only one hand, the other free so his swings wouldn't be nearly as powerful, and she held her own in one hand as well. "I'm a thief, planning to kidnap you on one of your rides, your stallion has his reins caught in some tree limbs, you have to get off because you can't get free to face me..." her body guard said, creating a whole incident for her to be in, though it was difficult to picture him as someone who wished to hurt her when he had always done nothing but protect her. But they had done this before, and she managed to pretend well enough.
He lunged, not really swigging but mostly grabbing at her, as the small part he was playing said he wanted to kidnap not kill her. Bambi merely pulled something between a sidestep and a bounce out of the way, before coming around with the blade to attack his back. However, Reno came to a surprisingly quick halt, and moved quick enough to block it. After a few more attempts, he still hadn't managed to grab or catch her, she always moved out of the way swiftly enough, though he had when she was younger and this sort of acting wasn't as serious as now that she was old enough to understand she really did need to be able to defend herself, even with him almost always around.
"Okay okay, so I give up trying to catch you, I want to un-arm you instead now so I can try to snatch you. Kidnapping a corpse wouldn't earn a ransom," he continued, now actually beginning to spar with her, small blade always glancing his aside as she slid or ducked or hopped to dodge the glancing bows that were only so because of her guarding with the small dagger. After all, actually trying to sword fight with such a small blade against someone of greater strength was not very wise.
A number of minutes passed, this continuing, until finally the Rhinceros Kirin suddenly sidesteped as she stabbed, grabbing the wrist of the hand who held her dagger, and then the other too as she almost managed to give him an uppercut fist right under his jaw.

"Well foo... I thought I almost had you for once..." the Princess of Serula sighed, ears drooped. But Reno only smiled in amusement, "Aye, but you'd have had me if I'd never fought you before. I don't think I've ever seen or met a creature that was so good at defending and dodging, yet could come out of no where with a sudden deadly offense. You fight with one of the, if not the most, uncommon of all strategies, and can only pull it off because of your speed. Makes you unpredictable, and that is a very good thing, unless you're the one under attack."
Her ears perked back up at the compliment along with a smile being added to her face, and he let go of the gentle but firm holds he had had on her wrists. She returned the dagger to were is stayed behind her, and took off the gauntlet she had been wearing while her part time teacher part time guard picked up his ax again, returning the sword he had borrowed to where it had been in the armory afterward.

"Thank you," Bambi suddenly said as they were walking back through the castle. The Rhinoceros Kirin blinked and glanced at her quizzically. "For what, milady?" he asked, and his mouth remained open from being caught off guard for once at getting a hug from her. "Being the person who understands me most, and for protecting and tolerating me for all these years." He blinked once, maybe twice, then grunted once as he gently got her to release him, not really being one who was accustomed to hugs or similar displays of emotion.
"...You're welcome, but don't go gettin' soft on me." She only giggled at his trying to uphold his rougher and dangerous reputation, but nodded anyway. And the two continued on their way through the castle.

((I couldn't stand it, I wanted to write something at least a little sweet after all the seriousness and temperment I've been writing about c:))

[Quitting :I]

Fenrir sighed, returning his armor and sword to their rightful places, then reentered the castle. What he needed right now was a warm bath to get all the sweat and dirt that had accumulated on him while sparring. He started up through the hall, past the throne room. There were quite a few people lined up outside, both men and women. A few young women who looked about his age turned and watched him walk. He could hear them squeal and one even pointed. He sighed, dropping his head down a little bit and shaking it. He would never understand women. He quickened his pace and turned the corner, relaxing as he moved away from the girl's line of sight.

Fenrir quickly went up the spiraling staircase to the fifth level of the castle. When he arrived on the landing, he quickly stretched, leaving his hands behind his head as he walked down the hall towards the door at the end. He dropped his arms and pushed on of the doors open. The room was sparkling white, with at least four different baths built into the floor. Gold trim decorated the room, edging the baths and the columns that rose in the corners of the room. A few cabinets stood against one wall, filled with towels, soaps, and probably candles.

Fenrir turned as he heard the whisper of claws against the stone floor, or rather, talons. Yuri was already here, waiting for him. The dog Kirin smiled, "What is it about me that lets you and Neo know where I'll be and when?" He asked. Yuri smiled back, "Young master, we've known you since you were an infant...You think we haven't caught onto your-" "My temperment? Neo said the same thing." Fenrir interrupted. Yuri's smiled widened, and she nodded. "Well, I suppose you can run a bath. I'll go get undressed." He said, walking over to one of the cabinets and pulling a rather fluffy towel from it. He walked off into a smaller room and stripped down, then wrapped the towel around himself.

Fenrir came out to see Yuri finish preparing the bath. "Thanks." He said, walking over and sliding into it. He always liked a hot bath after sparring, since it loosened taught muscles. He sank into the water up to his nose, so only the upper half of his face showed, and his hair floated around his face. Yuri went over to the cabinet, taking Fenrir's discarded towel with her. The dog Kirin glanced over as the door opened a crack, and a face peered around it. Erica. The little girl's face lit up, and she trotted over to the edge of the bath, knowing better than to run in a wet room. "Hello, Fenny." She said. If anyone else had called him that, he would have at least been irritated, but it was cute when his younger sister said it. "Mommy wanted to know where you were." She said as the older prince pulled himself up so he was covered by water from the chest down. "Well, I'm getting out in a moment, so you can tell her I've gone riding." He said. Erica nodded and ran out again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fenrir headed down toward the stables. His hair was still wet, creating a darker spot on his tunic every time hit touched the light fabric. He'd left his hair down so it could dry while he was riding. Thankfully his hair was fairly thin, so it didn't take long to dry. The smell of the stables always made him wrinkle his nose, but he didn't spend too much time in there often. He entered the stable and walked down towards the end, where his horse was penned. He stopped in front of one of the stalls, and a sharp whinny met him. The Kirin smiled, unlocking the stall and stepping inside. The horse that stood in the stall was a dark bay arabian mare. Her black mane was cut short, tail kept long. Fenrir grunted as she nuzzled him a bit too hard, but he hugged her head anyway. "How ya' doing, Jazz?" He said quietly, and she snorted.

Fenrir quickly got a saddle and bridle on the mare, as if he'd done it hundreds of times, which he had. He then gently led her out of the stall and closed it behind them, then had to follow the horse as she trotted out of the stable. It seemed as if everyone knew his habits too well nowadays. They walked out into the sunlight, and Fenrir mounted the horse. "Ready?" He asked the horse. She whinnied, tossing her head, then started to trot forward. The Kirin on her back quickly fit his riding boots into the stirrups, then urged her to go faster until she'd broken into a gallop. His hair and her tail streamed out behind them as he rode, the wind stinging his face as his ears laid back flat.

[Jasmine]

[BlueNightEagle]

((That's one pretty Arabian horsey~))

Reno stopped while still in the hallway, before turning with his back to one of the double doors behind him that Bambi entered, the one that she would not open on her way back out. He didn't really want to get bopped with a large wooden door after all, and was certainly going to remain outside while she took a bath, which a maid had already been preparing from being asked too while they were just leaving the armory. Now both had reached said place for getting clean, and it was ready and waiting for the Princess.
She entered and started undressing behind a screen in a corner of the room, while the maid laid a large towel by one of the three tubs, but the only one that was filled with hot water. Then the servant left her alone to go get some clothing for her to change into when she finished, the clothing that Bambi had requested to be exact.

The warm water in the white and silver trimmed tub felt very good and relaxing after her morning exercises as she stepped and then slid into it with a satisfied, "Ahhh." Even her ears drooped contently until the tips touched the water, and she simply soaked for a few minutes until actually begining to get clean.

Once finished, dressed, and noting by the sundial in front of the castle about what time it was after looking out the window of the bath area, one of the double doors reopened as she exited once again. Her guard had guessed correctly to which door would be opened, and was still standing in front of the other when she saw him again.
He stood a little straighter in preparation to follow her, but she spoke before she walked anywhere. "If you'd like to get clean somewhere too, go ahead. There's still over an hour 'til lunch-time, I'm going to ride for a little while, and you normally don't go with me on those, since... you know."
The Rhinoceros Kirin looked at her a bit curiously even after he nodded. "Normally you ride later and after lunch, why earlier today?" he asked, though in no disrespectful way, he was only wondering.
"Well, Father said he'd been seeing some people riding at night and late evening, which is when I normally go riding, so I thought it'd be safer if I went at a time they hadn't been seen," she replied. "...Hm, that's understandable. Very well Princess, farewell until you return," was his response as he gave her a salute, then turned and headed toward a set of stairs while she took another.

After making her way back out of the castle again, she walked through some of it's grounds until she reached the stables and area in front of it, a white fence surrounding a circular area that was used for training of war horses as well as just learning to ride or ride better. The actual building containing the stalls of war and royal horses was white and dark blue, along with some light gray, and behind it another, though a bit smaller, for many other horses including the knights'.
Once inside, though a few horses sniffed or neighed at hearing someone enter their housing, only one dark head took the time to poke his head over his stall to look.
"Good morning Thunder," his rider said with a smile as she reached his stall, and he snorted a little in greeting. Thunderdrum was a dark Andalusian, and black and different tones of gray, some dark, others lighter. His eyes were darker than the rest of him, and some of his mane lay across his head and a bit over one of his eyes. But upon shaking his head and neck while she opened his stall door, this was small problem cured.
The stallion followed her out to the end of the stables were the saddles, halters, and other equipment lived, with her only looping a short rope around his neck to lead him, and even then not tightly. He stood still as a statue while she saddled and put his dark blue and silver gear on, halter over his head an reins attached to them, but no bits in his mouth, before leading him the rest of the way out of the stall and mounting the larger animal.

Thunderdrum turned and trotted away from the stables, followed by entering a canter as they were leaving the castle grounds out the east gate. Bambi's hair was pulled back loosely, still damp, and many of the shorter strands were no longer contained in it. However, these were no problem for long, as soon the horse she was seated upon entered a gallop, and though not as fast as he was capable, her hair stayed behind her as the wind pushed against her from the front because of it. The stormy stead was happy for the morning exercise, and the fresh, gray and white clad rider who was not wearing a dress but long flared pants like when she changed the first time, nor riding sidesaddle, on his back was enjoying it too, as they both always did.

[Quitting :I]

[:D Thunder sounds pretty cool lookin' too]

The rider and horse were a dark spot against the rippling green grass, thundering across the soft earth towards the border of the two kingdoms. Fenrir's eyes were narrowed, and a grin parted his lips, fangs flashing in the mid morning sun. His hair whipped back, gleaming in the sun, still a bit damp. He could hear Jasmine's deep breaths, but she didn't sound very winded yet, which just left more time to push her harder. He yelled something incoherent, snapping the reigns, and Jasmine picked up her pace, running even faster with a whinny. This was his favorite part of riding, pushing themselves to the max, then taking some time to rest and relax.

The border was close, he couldn't see it yet, but he could definitely smell it. Fenrir pulled back on Jasmine's reigns, and she started to slow to a canter. He had a crazy idea, just to see how well guarded this other kingdom's borders were. There was a distinct difference in scent, the Serulan kingdom was more of a clean, fancy smelling place. His kingdom, that of Vrail, was more of a woodsy smell, and definitely more familiar. The Kirin kept his ears pricked and eyes open for any danger, but it didn't seem like there was anyone guarding the border at all.

Oh so cautiously, Fenrir let Jasmine trot past the border and into the Serulan territory. It was very quiet, until he heard a very, very faint thudding noise that gradually got closer. He leaned over his horse and patted her neck, "Easy now, Jazz...Let's get over into those trees." He said, partially to himself. The horse seemed to understand, although the prince did have to tug on her reins to get her to trot over to the copse he'd seen. He gently brought her to a halt, pressing up against the horse's sweaty neck as he waited for the other person, who he could only assume was another rider, to appear.

[BlueNightEagle]

[I wish I could find a picture that looked like him, as horses are VERY hard for me to draw, so a description will have to do for now lP]

Due to being a fairly muscular stallion, his hoof beats were a bit louder than just a normal, lazy horse of his breed. The stormy colored horse's ears remained pricked, mane and tail whipping with each of his strides, and his rider's hair did the same, though her blue-gray ears were back and flat unlike his own. Thunder still was not in full gallop, but was moving quickly enough to seem that he almost seemed to be.
After leaving the castle, they circled the persons in a large town that was broken into a few villages, going around them all rather than through any of them. Only a few who were out and about had the chance to notice the pair before they moved on and soon were out of their own sight from the hilly landscape.
It was fun really, going slowly upward then back down, giving the stallion a bit of a breather from pulling upward when he began back downward again.

Soon though, Thunderdrum's hooves left skid marks as he came to a complete halt at about where the border of the two kingdoms was. He snorted once at the different smells, ears flicking in different direction. Bambi pulled his reins back, and the horse backed up a few steps, just to make sure they weren't crossing. Honestly, they'd gotten here a little sooner than she'd meant, or she would have turned him sooner. The stallion stood still for a bit, while the hare Kirin's ears raised, then her pale indigo colored eyes blinked.
Shortly her ears stood up straight as she glanced around inconspicuously.
Something was different, and though her smell was not as acute as her hearing, she knew it. Thunder, however, raised his head, and his ears froze, both turned slightly to the side. There was another horse nearby, a female horse. His head turned a bit, looking around as he whinnied softly, only to fall silent and snap out of it when his reins were pulled back slowly, causing him to back up another few steps.
Bambi then caused him to start immediately at a canter as he made a small loop right on the edge of the border to head back toward her own land.

[Quitting :I]

[I used to be good at drawing horses...But...Not anymore X3]

A girl...A girl on a horse came up to the border, then stopped. She looked to be a rabbit Kirin, or, as her scent told Fenrir, a hare. Who was this, and why was she riding so close to the border? Of course, he didn't really have a say, seeing as he was doing the same thing, if not worse since he'd actually crossed the border. What was he to do though? He was curious to know who this girl was, and at the same time didn't dare to show himself. Then again, how would she know who he was anyway? He was covered in horse sweat right now, so it wasn't like his kingdom's scent was easily picked out. He straightened, then patted Jasmine's neck and urged her forward, out of the forest.

Fenrir put on a curious expression, if not more curious than previously. One eyebrow was raised, and he had a smirk on his face. "And what is a lovely lady such as yourself doing so close to Vrail?" He asked, holding Jasmine's reings in one hand, the other hanging casually at his side. His feet remained hooked in the stirrups, and his tail swished back and forth on the saddle behind him. Jasmine whinnied and tossed her head at Thunderdrum, ears twitching around, then stopping in the stallion's direction.

As far as he knew, none of his clothing gave away his position or kingdom. Then something floated into his mind. What normal person had a purebred Arabian mare on their hands. And who saddled that horse with the colors of the opposing country, those three colors being silver, blue, and green. His expression didn't falter though. Maybe she wouldn't notice, and even if she did, he could just overtake her and...and what? Force her not to tell anyone about his 'visit'? Threaten her and even attack her? That just didn't seem right, especially after deciding he didn't want to start a war, and it most certainly would instigate battle if the opposing kingdom's prince was found on this kingdom's land.

[BlueNightEagle]

Though Bambi was about to spur him into a gallop, Thunderdrum still glanced back when he heard the female Arabian, and stopped before she had the chance. He neighed, pawing at the ground once and turning sideways so he could see her, as well as her rider, ears pricked with interest. She was going to scold him oh he was going to hear it when they got back, he aught to have KNOWN better.
But then her ears just turned toward the two, listening as the white dog Kirin, if she wasn't mistaken, spoke.
'Hoping not to meet anyone...' she silently thought as a response, though she did not say it. He was obviously from Vrail, the colors of his saddle and his being on that side of the border showed that much, though she didn't comprehend that he was it's PRINCE, she only thought he may have been one of the more wealthy members of the kingdom.

She herself was fully alert, and it showed, though one of her ears twitched while she decided whether or not to even reply to the stranger. Afterall, perhaps it wouldn't be obvious she was a Princess if he didn't know what she looked like or what type of Kirin she was. Granted, she was mounted on a fine steed, but she wasn't wearing anything real fancy, wasn't riding side saddle in a dress either, as generally a lady was expected to.
Thunder below her only continued to look at the pretty mare, teeth even showing a little as though he were trying to smile at her.

"...Only riding to our limits, what about you?" she said and asked when she did reply.

[Quitting :I]

Yep, she knew. Fenrir saw that look on her face, one of someone who was awake and alert, ready for anything. That he admired. Not many women had the guts to stand up to a man, even if he didn't seem threatening, at least were he was from. He noticed the girl's horse showing interest in his own, and he smirked. He was certainly not going to act like that, flirting about like he deserved any woman he met. His ears pricked as she asked him a question.

"The same, and possibly going over them." Fenrir answered as Jasmine fidgeted underneath him, stamping the ground with a hoof. His free arm reached to her neck and patted it to try to comfort her. She was obviously wanting to get to know this stallion better...To put it in simpler terms. "Your horse seems to be making mine skittish..." He commented, giving the stallion an amused look. His eyes traveled up to her face, meeting her own eyes for a moment before flicking away.

Fenrir considered asking her name. Perhaps he would, but would he give his name? It wasn't as though she knew the name of the prince of Vrail, or did she? He exhaled through his nose, "Could I get your name? Mine is Fenrir." He asked and said. Jasmine whinnied and backed up a few steps, as if warning him. He ignored her. The Kirin truly was curious, and nothing was going to stop that.

[BlueNightEagle]

Thunder only raised his head more, ears still pricked toward the other mare, though they twitched every now and then when one of their riders spoke. He positioned himself in a nice, somewhat proud pose, showing off in a way without over doing it. He also did not move from the spot he had stopped, neither to leave nor to get closer.
Bambi only exhaled as his actions, and nodded almost apologetically at the other Kirin's comment about him. He was a stallion, she couldn't help that, though his personality didn't help.

However, the Princess's ears flicked back toward the stranger, and again one of them twitched slightly. Giving her name could also give away who she was, but he'd given his own, and it wouldn't have been very mannerly to not at least return it. She'd just leave out her last, maybe nothing would be given away in that case...

"I suppose so, since you have given your own... Bambi." She was quiet after that again, thumping her steed lightly to try getting him to stop his nonsense. Honestly, she was not being very open at all toward this Fenrir, but she couldn't really be blamed for it. She didn't know him, all she knew was that, though he had made no harmful attempt yet, he was of the other kingdom who was pretty much her own's nemesis. If she had known he was it's prince she would have fled by now, she would have already fled by now, whether Thunderdrum wanted to or not. But, since she did not, she was remembering the fact that just because the place he lived was her home's enemy didn't necessarily mean he intended any harm to her in particular, though this fact might have changed after learning her name. All she could do was wait and see, ready to bolt at any sign of him turning into a threat.