There wasn’t a singular doubt in Hayden’s mind that Toni wouldn’t find him. Because, he knew very well, that she could and would, and whatever she did he deserved. Oh, he knew what she had wanted him to do—make his declaration to someone else in the bar.

But the thrashing physical or verbal was worth it. Just seeing the look of abject shock, horror, and embarrassment pass over her face when he’d begun, the cool mask of icy indifference replaced with one of actual feeling. Hell, he even liked hearing her screech his name across the bar.

So that was why Hayden had slowed to a stop and was merely standing waiting for Toni to catch up with him.

Toni slowed to a stop seeing the familiar silhouette of LaRue’s back. “What? You stopped running, what’s the fun? I can’t tackle you and beat you properly now,” she put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“You’ll just have to beat me improperly now,” Hayden told her. “And stop glaring at me! I did exactly as you told me to do, just not who you wanted me do it to.” His lips twitched but he smoothed them back down. Smiling would just make things worse. "Hey, I have an idea." He reached out for Toni's wrist.

OOC:

I only read the first page of posts and not the second with all the fun stuff, so my post made no sense. I edited it, and I hope you two don't mind if I follow you. After all you were my only conversation.

IC:

Breathing heavier than usual, Eulia finally saw Toni and Hayden talking. The two of them could run fast. She slowed to a walk figuring it would only take another few seconds to catch up when Hayden grabbed Toni by the wrist and started moving again. Eulia groaned and rather than run again to catch up she yelled, "Don't you two ever get tired?"

((Kit editted her post. we're not running anymore))

“And that was the important part!” Toni retorted. Hayden’s fingers curled around her wrist. Her breath stopped for a moment, but she quickly wrestled her body and mind back under control. “What are you doing?” She demanded. “I’ve had enough your surprises for one night.” She tugged her wrist free and crossed her arms over her shoulder. Her weight shifted to a defensive stance that said: if you touch me you will regret it. She was too busy glowering at Hayden to notice Eulia.

OOC: Oi vay!

IC:

Eulia caught up with them and plopped down on the ground a couple feet away. If Toni's stance meant anything it was that she wasn't going anywhere. Eulia was interested in how exactly Hayden planned to change that. 'And in the end' she thought 'It will probably be amusing to'. An impish grin spread across her face.

((God modding. Bad me))


Instinctively, Hayden stepped back a little. She might not actually be a knight, but she had had the training, which made her as dangerous. The gleam in her eye and the shift in her stance, make no mention of what her fists were doing, all seemed to say that he was in trouble. He swallowed. “If I said I was sorry, I’d be lying because, hell, I enjoyed it.” He couldn’t help the grin that was twitching at the lips.

Toni glowered at Hayden for a moment and was silently pleased when he took a step back. There was that gods be damned grin of his! She set her chin, clenching the back of her jaw. “I could see that,” Toni commented dryly. “The whole damn bar saw that!”

"Including me" Eulia quipped. "Really Hayden, I have to revise my opinion of you now. You said you two were only friends. I'm quite ashamed. Anyway she looked mildly traumatized in my opinion. I'm sure you've scarred her for life. You really ought to apologize." the grin was still on her face. If Toni did attack him she would have a jolly bit of fun that night.

Hayden sat down on the ground, more because his legs went out than anything else. “It was terribly wrong of me to . . . take advantage of you like that. But it was funny, huh?”

Toni’s glare broke into a smirk. “As much as I am loath to admit it, it was vaguely amusing. And I would have been okay with it until you decided to grab me!”

“Er, yeah, that was wrong. Very wrong of me. There’s no excuse for that part of my action. Caught up in the moment is the best I can come up with, and it doesn’t make it any less wrong. Just my stupidity.” He fell silent for a moment. He didn’t know a lot about Toni. For all he knew Commander had someone else waiting for her at the palace or there was at least someone who wished he was waiting for her.

Toni face warmed, however the whole redden thing had never happened before and it didn’t happen and now was no exception. “It was weird and wrong.” She scrubbed at her lips as if Hayden had left a stain there that needed to be taken off.

“That I can honestly apologize for.” Sincerity rang through the words. “There isn’t some strong knight was bulging biceps and muscles all over that’s going to come flay me for defiling you or something like that is there?”

Toni was confused momentarily, “Why would . . .” she laughed when she realized what he meant. “No, not that I know of. Well, there’s John, but he’s just going to laugh in my face when I tell him and say something along the lines of, ‘you’re going to have to introduce me to this daredevil.’”

Hayden smiled. “John sounds an awful lot like an annoying older brother. How charming.”

"Well he sounds like a lovely fellow to me. I'd love to have an older brother, even if he didn't thrash people for me. But if he did it would save me so much trouble." Eulia looked up at Toni and her eyes glinted with wicked amusement "But really it was amusing even the wrong part, for me at least, I would have been rolling on the floor laughing until tears came if I hadn't been trying to keep up."

"Not exactly the word I would use to describe him. Charming, I mean." She looked at him critically and then patted him on the shoulder. "You should get home, LaRue. And get some rest. In a bed, preferably. Your own bed." She patted him on the shoulder. The hands are quicker than the eye. "I'm going home."

Hayden nearly complained about Toni mussing his hair, but remembered what it looked like and said that it probably hadn't made any difference.

Hayden laughed a little. "That sounds like a great idea. My own bed," he sighed estatically. "Take care, my love." His eyes teased and waved.

"Bye, Eulia," he said acknowledging her presence for the first time really. He turned and pointed his nose towards home and started walking.

"Well then if you two lovebirds are leaving there's not point in me sitting here getting my skirts full of grass stains. Goodbye you two. Don't do anything naughty with my back turned, understand?" laughing about the situation for the first time Eulia sauntered of towards her home, amused at the two people she had met that night.