𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒 ♡

"irritating, perhaps, but not incorrect." his own expression has changed, now. no longer the cold indifference of a man simply keeping up a wall, but the amused smirk of a man watching someone else as they fight against frustration. because robert likes to push buttons, and he likes when those buttons blow something up. chaos thrives in his mind and in his heart, far more than any boring, polite indifference ever could. the smirk only grows as she approaches, and he waits, eyebrow lifted, as she says her peace. "i believe that, as your husband, putting up with my bullshit is exactly what you have to do, darling wife." there's something dangerous in that grin, a flash of something challenging. his body shifts it's weight, he leans in, a whisper of air could slip between their noses but not much more. "you don't want to get along? you want to be a miserable shrew for the rest of our lives?"

"irritating and incapable of empathy, clearly." cassandra scoffs in return, irritated all the more by the way he starts smirking at her. she's not a particularly violent woman, but the thought of smacking that smirk straight off his smug face appeals. her fingers clench at her side before flexing once more, scowl on her face as she stands her ground. "i hate to disappoint you, but i am not the meek and obedient type. get a councillor if you want someone to listen to you prattle." despite the fact that she was the one who initiated this closeness, him coming even closer, leaning in and flashing her that predatory smile has her pulse quickening just so. she swallows before raising her chin, letting her breath mingle with his. "are you going to give me a reason to want to get along?"

"mm, and i suppose you wouldn't believe me if i told you that i decided to let you win so you could get your fill before i absolutely destroy you." daphne doesn't blink, doesn't offer any kind of teasing or playfulness in her tone. it's pure and serious, eyes moving to her own cards and giving them thoughtful consideration before discarding two and pulling two more. "i'll have you naked before you get my bra off, and then i get to see just how tight those pants of yours have gotten, big guy. and then, if you're lucky, i'll let you buy me dinner and see whats actually under the rest of this."

"i'll believe it when i see it." he quips in return, his intrigue only heightening at the possibility that this game they were playing might just become more interesting. she intrigued him endlessly, thoughts of her body consuming him with every moment that passes. "i think once you see what i have under these clothes, you won't even need this excuse of a game to take off your own." he was not shy, an actor through and through and hypocritical considering that had been his very reason for this. "whether i win or lose, i'm still gonna get you out of those clothes."

closed starter for @blvshed continued from here.

OPEN TO: females MUSE: orion velralis, lord and heir, dragonrider of morghul, 35 note: responses will be reposted as new threads for tracking purposes.

"oh, grow up, cassandra, and act like the lady you were raised to be." all pretense of softness has melted from robert in a wave, leaving behind the built up anger and cruelty he's learned to live in, muddling and burning in his chest, roiling like fire, hot and painful. it's the only thing, he thinks, that keeps him living sometimes. allowing himself to feel it. "be the wife you're meant to be in court, and outside of that, i don't rightly care what you do. redecorate the great hall, replant the gardens, give yourself over to flippant frivolities while i try to rally my bannermen to hold our ports and keep food showing up before the winter kills us all. my children are grown, they don't need a mother, and i've no intention of having more with you, as i'm sure you feel the same about, so don't worry yourself with me and i worry myself with you, unless someone darkens our doorstep and we've got an act to play. sound good?"

"my god, you are the most irritating man i've ever met." any plan she had to be cordial flies out the window, jaw tensing as anger burns through her, hot and all encompassing. she steps forward until she's right before him, scoffing as she shakes her head. "what do you think my goal is, hm, to make a mockery of myself at court? i have no interest in people gossiping about our land or our marriage. but if you don't care what i do, then stop trying to force getting along on me and do not speak to me as though i have to stand here and listen to your bullshit." In truth, she had very little issue with him before this conversation. her distance was entirely about her needing the time and space to adjust to her new life, to settle in her children and try to ignore the fact that she'd thought him handsome at their wedding ceremony.

daphne's never been shy, this isn't going to be the thing that sets her giggling and blushing like a childish teenager. as her shirt flutters from her hand, leaving her sitting in a bra and a skirt like some very bad porno, she makes a point to lean back in her chair to arch her back subtly enough to show off the pride she has in her body. if derek wants to get a good look, let him get a good look. "if you wanted to get me naked, you know, you could have just asked. hiding it under the guise of a game is a bit of a cowards move, don't you think?"

he stares her down evenly, calm and casual in his demeanour as he blatantly runs his eyes over her body. she's entirely right in the way she clocks what his true intentions has been with this game, a mere excuse to see her bared for him as long as luck was on his side. "where's the fun in that?" he questions, smirk tugging at his lips as his gaze drops back to his cards, re-arranging them in his hands before looking back to her once more. "plus, you wanted to show me how good you were at poker, remember?"

"i understand that you have no interest in being here." robert offers the words without much care, a man comfortable in his own home, the master of his castle. he's never been one to be careful with his words, but this is particularly harsh for the lord, a bit of a snarl in the curl in his lip. "i understand that you'd rather live out your days mourining what's already dead, and i would to. my late wife was perfect. you're a pale substitution. if your father wasn't desperately trying to choke off my ships from sailing, i would never have agreed to this to begin with. is that what you'd like to hear?"

she flinches at the words that leave his mouth, like she did not feel the exact same way about him and her late husband. you're a pale substitution. she knows exactly how he feels, and yet it stings and makes her understand him all the more. she breathes out a long sigh, irritation prickling at her. "we both feel much the same then." she snaps in return, bite in her words in response to the tone he had used. "so what is it that you expect of me? because it is not my fault that my father is a merciless bastard who would do this to us for his own greed, and i won't be resented by you for it. nor can i replace your wife, just as you can never measure up to my late husband. so just what are you looking for from me?"

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