Robin & Marian

[Marian Cooper]

She wasn't angry that she was being kidnapped. She was angry at how he'd chosen to go about it. He could've just told her that he was going to use her as a human shield, rather than tricking her. Kissing her! She knew that he'd done it before, but it had never bothered her like this before. Mostly because she'd been stupid enough to trust him. Never trust a bloody outlaw. Next time he tried something, she'd do worse than a little nip on the lip....oh, she was already plotting her violent revenge. He'd rue the day he'd gone and made Marian de Clare give a damn about him.

She was already imagining the various things she could do to him, when he unceremoniously shoved her into the sewer, illiciting a scream that was more from rage than fear. Okay, so maybe the comment about his mother was uncalled for...but was tossing her into the sewer really necessary? She glared up at him as he jumped down after her, pushing herself up out of the muck as her nose was assaulted by the most vile odors she had ever encountered. Oh, she would have her vengeance, and it would be sweet.

She rolled her eyes at his attempt to explain how this would work, ugh, of course he didn't get why she was mad! And he never would, because Marian certainly wasn't going to admit why she was angry. Nor how much she had come to be affected by him. Instead, she would plan his brutal death silently, waiting for the right moment to act. Well, maybe not entirely silently...he would enjoy that too much. She caught up to him, so that she could insult him to his face. "You...are such a bitch."

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[Robin Of The Woods]

He grinned when she called him names rather then his mother. It was a step of improving her mouthy ways but not too much. "Hey now darlin'; are you mad at me?" He asked in mocked innocence and shock; knowing this could well piss her off more. "If you hate being dirty then I can wash you off." Robert knew he was just trying to piss her off now but it was a little fun. She lost that ice cool bad ass air to her when she was pissed and just yelling random things to him.

He would have to make sure to keep her piss more often; and keep her on her toes. He stopped walking to look down at her with as sincere look as he could fake. "I apologize my lady for tossing you down a smell hole." He watched her for a moment before smiling again, "Forgiven?" He knew they could not wait around too long for the guards to get brave and jump down here after him, so he started walking backwards a bit while waiting for her answer.

Robert let his eyes take in what little they could in the mostly sunless sewer to note that they were both looking as dirty as he felt. He'd robbed a few noble women in his day; and knew that he could try to find her some new clothing in that hell of a mess. They mostly used the dresses for rags but they had a few around the place. Though, his favorite part would be when he offered to guard her while she bathed; that would be fun. Besides he'd seen her half naked; now he wanted to see more. "Come on, Marian; think of it as an adventure you keep trying to have."

[Marian Cooper]

Marian glared at him when he asked if she was mad. "Is it that obvious? And I was trying so hard to hide it." She answered with no small amount of sarcasm. She could only roll her eyes when he offered to clean her off. "How very generous of you." She said dryly, still angry and not feeling any better for his attempts to joke with her...or maybe just to make her more angry. With him, she just couldn't tell what his intentions really were. Bloody outlaw.

She folded her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows at him when he seemed to apologize, walking after him slowly as she considered. And then decided to get her revenge...or at least some small part of it. He was walking backwards, so she waited until he was on one foot, then shoved him as hard as she could. Sure, he was already covered with muck, but he hadn't yet had the experience of being on his ass in it, and how could he claim to have really lived until he'd had that? Smiling sweetly and as innocently as she could manage while holding in her laughter, Marian nodded. "Okay, darlin'. Forgiven."

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[Robin Of The Woods]

One moment he was walking backwards enjoying the look on her face while thinking of all the skin that waited for him just below the angry little pout; and then next he was flat on his back and swearing to him self that he was going to kill her. He rolled slightly giving a groan as he pushed off the ground that never saw a clean day since it was built before his father's time and stood. He stood there silently glaring at her; wishing it was brighter in here so she could truly see the look on his face.

Fine. Point to her. She wanted to fight dirty then he would fight dirty with her. "Marian," He told her in a not so calm voice. "Come here." He reached down to pick up something that was just short of questionable. He was hoping to hell the reason it did not smell was because it was mud and not something else; but he had bigger game to hunt right now then worry about a bit of dirt. "Come here, darlin."

Any girl of his youth would have screamed or ran; and while Marian wasn't like any girl he knew; he was willing to bet that she still would not want something questionable rubbed on her. He knew they didn't have time for this; but he wasn't about to just let her think she could get away with a bit of bulling. "I got something for ya."

[Marian Cooper]

Marian bit her lip to hold in her laughter, her smile only growing when she heard the controlled rage in his voice as he addressed her, getting to his feet. She watched him as he leaned down to pick up...something...and she cringed, taking a step back. Whatever he was holding, she definitely did not want it on her, and judging by the way he was looking at her, that was exactly what his intention was. Not that it would make much of a difference at this point, with what she was already covered with. "Robin...honey...we don't have time for this." She pointed out, even though she doubted that would make much of a difference to him.

Taking slow steps away from him, she watched him cautiously as he beckoned her towards him. She'd need something a little more convincing than the threat of guards to get him to back down...and fortunately, she could just guess at what he liked. "I have something better for you, if you put that down." She offered suggestively, running a finger down the neckline of her dress and canting her hips to one side. He wanted to help her get clean, but she figured he'd be even more interested in getting her dirty...in a slightly different way.

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[Robin Of The Woods]

Robert watched her change tactics but could guess why she was doing it. He knew what she was pretending to offer; and while he was interested and would have loved to see how far she would take it he also was not as dumb as the sheriff. He knew that she had offered her self as a distraction before when they were interacting; and if she was a virgin then there would be no follow though. "I think I warned you once about offering something to a man you had no intention of giving him."

He stalked closer just waiting for the right moment to jump closer and cover with with the ick of the stuff in his hand. Robert wasn't about to let him self get distracted by something he knew they didn't have time for. Even if he wasn't feeling to dirty to touch his own self, much less her; he knew that once he got his hands on her--and she wasn't biting him--that he wasn't taking them off for a few hours.

He jump forward and grabbed the hand she was using to touch her neckline before pulling her into him. Right as he was about to dump the muck right down that neckline the faint light from a touch dropped down into the whole a few yards back. The guards were about to follow them down here. "Damn it." He dropped the muck and turned to pull her alone; "They saved you but this isn't over." Robert warned her. Soon they would be at the river, and the river lead to the woods. Once there the guards would not follow; knowing they would be too greatly out numbered.

[Marian Cooper]

Dammit, he wasn't as dumb as she'd hoped...or at least, he was better at controlling himself than she'd thought he'd be. She continued to back up as he came closer, careful not to slip in the muck. So he wasn't gullible enough to fall for that. "I promise not to bite," she added enticingly, with no other ideas as to how she could stop him. Well, she could try apologizing...but that wasn't going to happen. He had started this, it wasn't her fault, and she wasn't going accept responsibility.

Then he leapt forward and seized her arm and she grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her face away from him as she waited for the inevitable...which never came. She looked back over her shoulder to see the light behind them, and she knew they had to get moving or they'd be caught for sure. She breathed a sigh of relief as Robin dropped...whatever that was, and pulled her along. At least once they were out of the sewers he'd have to find some other way to get revenge...honestly, she thought biting was a better way to thank someone than this.

"My heroes," she muttered, rolling her eyes as he commented on how the guards had 'saved' her, eager to get out of here. She still needed to come up with a reason why she was down in the dungeons to get herself kidnapped....maybe she could convince the sheriff she'd been looking for him? It was a start, and it would flatter his ego. If there was anything she'd learned, it was that a man would believe just about anything if it stroked his ego.

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[Robin Of The Woods]

Robert lead them quickly down the stone path and for once was glad she wasn't too girl like in her actions; and she seemed to be able to move quick on her feet. If they were caught it would not be good. The only reason he keep an hand on her arm was not to pull her along but so it looked as if he was. If any of the bone head guards saw them it would appear as if he was dragging her; he hoped.

When they got to the river he started to run along beside it; knowing that if he got in it would both clean him and cover his scent but he need speed more right now. He wasn't looking forward to getting hanged; and even more so now that he knew one of his men were behind the actions that got him there. Tuck would call him an idiot; and the others would just laugh at his idea of springing the trap to catch the trader but it worked.

Once they got closer to the woods he let her go and began to slow his run to a quick walk; while looking behind him. Sure enough the guards had slowed and even a few had stopped. "Look at them. The brave guards of Nottingham too afraid of some backwoods bandits to follow to save one of their own." He muttered to her.

[Marian Cooper]

Marian didn't have trouble keeping up with him, with or without his hand on her arm. She kept glancing back over her shoulder to see if the guards were close behind them; they weren't even gaining. Either they didn't like strolling through muck, or their heavy armor hindered their ability to move through it...probably some combination of the two. Even wearing a dress she was able to easily outpace them. She was grateful when they finally reached the river, she and Robin still stank, but at least the air was fresh around them, and she could finally breath.

She even managed to keep up when Robin started running, but purposely lagged slightly behind him. They were much more visible now than they had been in the sewer, and she wanted whatever guards were still after them to think she was still being dragged against her will, not fleeing the crime scene with her accomplice. She turned when he did to see the guards giving up the chase already...they could at least get some horses and run him down, couldn't they? Not that she wanted to be brought back just yet, but still, they could have some perseverance when it came to her rescue! No wonder the women around here were constantly being kidnapped...never mind the presence of a man who so clearly had a fetish for it.

"I didn't see any of your boys busting into the castle to save you, either. And you're supposed to be the boss, too, not just the boss' favorite toy." She pointed out, her intention more to insult him and his bandits than to defend the guards' honor...because frankly, they were just as bad. Impossible to find good help these days, it seemed.

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[Robin Of The Woods]

Robert turned his head to give her a mocking look; when she mocked his men. "You might want to keep your snide comments to your self, Darlin'. The men your insulting are almost in ear shot." He knew why his men had not come for him; it would have been the death of them to change a castle with bow and arrows when the guards had the high ground advantage, and cross bows! It was brains not to attack, not lack of loyalty! Besides, he had been exposing a trader; not really fully in trouble--he would have found a way around the guard baby sitting him somehow. Maybe.

He turned to hurry deeper in the woods, knowing that the guards would not fire a arrow at him when they were already worried about who was about to fire one back at them. "Come on, we need to get deeper in before they come back in numbers. I know of a place where we will be safe and can get clean." He wasn't going to take her to the main camp but one of a different place. The men weren't fond of her after last time and she was mad enough that he didn't feel like mixing fire and bees together. Best take her to a place that only a few knew where to find him at and just disappear for an hour until no one was looking for them and they were cleaner.

[Marian Cooper]

Marian rolled her eyes when he spoke, she expected the reason the guards hadn't followed was much the same as why no one had come to his rescue. Out here, the bandits had the advantage. They knew the lay of the land and could lie in wait until the soldiers reached just the place for an ambush. At the castle, it was a very different story. No one wanted to rush out into danger when they knew it would be the death of them.

"So, how'd he catch you?" Marian changed the subject as she followed him into the woods, her curiosity getting the best of her. Robin had managed to avoid capture up until now, and suddenly the Sheriff managed to get the upper hand? She wasn't sure Robin would tell her the whole truth, but he was just as likely as anyone else was to tell the honest truth. She could probably get the Sheriff to tell him his own version of it later...provided she managed to keep herself from being hanged.

So she'd tell him she'd gone down to the dungeon looking for him, but then what? She had caught the guard releasing the prisoner? Not like the dead man could contradict her. So she'd killed the traitorous man, but in the struggle, he'd dropped the keys (that he had stolen from the Sheriff earlier), and Robin had managed to get himself out of the cell, and that was when the Sheriff had entered. It wasn't perfect...but it could be believable. The Sheriff knew she could fight, after all, for all that he liked to pretend she was some dainty little flower in need of protection.

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[Robin Of The Woods]

Robert keep walking toward the place he wanted to take her with two goals in mind; Get Clean, then find a way to get her back with out the sheriff wondering about why she was down there with him in the first place. Hell, if the sheriff knew he had caused the guards to spot her that night of their first meeting then maybe he would know she hated him and had come down there to gloat? He could say he angered the guard into getting to close and and got him then. Using the keys he had stolen earlier he escaped just in time for her to come down there. Maybe.

It was something they could deal with when they were clean and he was not watching his back from riders. Her question made him look back at her again; with another look, only this one was suggesting he was a bit amused with the story. "Because I let him. How else to you learn things, when people try to keep them from you?" Like a trader in his camp.

He would have told her more, but he had not been joking about his men being almost in ear shot and he did not want to risk them knowing what he knew; until he could handle it himself. He might tell her later but he doubted it was overly important to her. "So tell me this--" He asked her looking back at her before looking away "--Why did you help me?"

[Marian Cooper]

Marian frowned at his answer, then rolled her eyes. How very like a man. She didn't really believe it; why would he let the sheriff catch him? Maybe he just had a powerful desire to die in a noose, tired of this earthly life. What had he wanted to find out, though? Now she was even more curious, but she didn't get the chance to ask them, because apparently it was her turn to answer questions she didn't want to give the answers to. Not the honest ones, at least.

She was not going to tell him that when she had heard he was going to die it had made her stomach drop, nor even that she didn't want to see him dead. No, she'd need something better than that. She knew she couldn't pause too long, or he'd know she was just making something up...and then it occurred to her. "Oh, that. I told the Sheriff that if he gave me your head, I'd marry him. I didn't feel like getting married." She spoke lightly and shrugged, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice that could mean she was teasing him or she just didn't think much of his head...he could interpret it as he wished. She had told the Sheriff nothing of the sort...if she had, maybe he would actually be able to find the motivation to catch his damn bandit.

She wondered where they were going. This wasn't the way to the camp they'd taken her to before, but then, that had been a temporary camp, as the guards had discovered the next day when there was nothing but scattered ashes and broken logs to commemorate their time here. Wherever they were going, she hoped it involved a bath of some kind...even she didn't enjoy being covered with filth.

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[Robin Of The Woods]

Robert gave a short sarcastic "Haha." At her little story but he wasn't so sure he didn't disbelieve her. It sounded like something a little unladylike creature; such as her self, would say when trying to hold off a man. It might even be why the sheriff was pushing so hard to find him. He didn't fool him self by thinking she was sweet on him. She was too much of a guy to see men in the way men wanted to be seen.

Hell, maybe she even liked girls. Robert turned to look at her while that idea hit him, and he didn't even bother hiding his grin. The mental image of her with a girl wasn't one he'd pass up any time soon. "I just bet you told him them exact words, didn't you Martin." Martin being the name he called the more boy side of her.

The place he was leading her was deep in the woods. A good half days walk but he knew that as soon as they got a bit deeper one of his men would meet him with a horse. They were almost at the invisible line that marked the point of no return.

[Marian Cooper]

Marian smiled when he laughed, wondering if he really believed that she wanted him dead. If he did...good. She didn't want him to know how she really felt about him, after all, so much the better if he thought she was just using him to keep the sheriff away from her. Her brow furrowed when he looked at her and smiled lewdly, wondering if she should even bother asking what that was all about. Probably not, knowing him, he was picturing her naked or something.

"Of course I did. So you'd better keep that head of yours off the chopping block. For both our sakes." She answered, hiding her annoyance when he started calling her Martin again. She hated that, but if she let him know how it bothered her, he'd only do it more. He had the mentality of a little boy like that. Maybe she really would ask the Sheriff for Robin's head...he'd certainly be eager to give it to her, and then she wouldn't have to give him anymore excuses for not responding to his advances...unless he actually managed to capture and kill her outlaw. She didn't like that thought so much. Maybe not.

Marian knew that stopping on the outskirts of the forest would just be likely to get them killed, but walking around covered in filth like this was extremely uncomfortable, so she couldn't help but hope they'd reach their destination soon...wherever it was. "Just how far are we going?" She asked, hoping against her better judgment that it wasn't far now. He was probably used to this kind of thing, but Marian certainly wasn't.

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