<Posted from IM between Trieste and Amberghylles><br/><br/>Head down, Naiobe pulls the door of her father's study closed behind her, taking great care that the latch falls almost silently back into place; perhaps she could have gotten away with a little door-slamming, but she likes to think of herself as a bit too mature for that anymore. Maybe. She stalks down the hallway and gets nearly to her own room before it occurs to her that the twins will be curious, and possibly hanging around, waiting. Kicking them out will prove more difficult - and more telling - than simply avoiding them, so she turns on her heel and heads toward the stairs, redirecting to the roof, and the fair-size garden thereon instead.<br/><br/>Dismissed with little more then a nod, Brom slips from the study as well. His feet moving along as he strokes his chin and considers where his sister will have gone. Somewhere where she can be alone if he knows her, and that would mean not returning to her rooms and the twins. At this hour, there are a few options, but knowing her affinity for the garden, he decides to start there. His booted feet take the stairs slowly and quietly as he moves up to see if he's guessed correctly.<br/><br/>Looking out over the side of their home toward the town underneath, she stands with arms folded and jaw set in a firm line. Lost in thought, she starts at the scrape of a boot on the stairs, then looks over her shoulder to see who's joined her. When she sees Brom, a sour expression flicks across her face, and she turns her back on him again. Like a bored child, if she ignores him, maybe he'll go away.<br/><br/>Brom moves across the gardened rooftop. His eyes drift over Niaobe, taking her in in a different light. He comes to stand beside her and rest his powerful hands on the stone rail to gaze down as she does. "That was careless of you sister," he comments after a moment of silence.<br/><br/>She sighs, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Brom, if you're going to repeat everything that I just heard from Father, I heard it the first time." Her lips twist somewhat, and she adds, "It's not as if you've never made a mistake before, though I don't recall ever being allowed to stand in on the lecture." She refolds her arms and seethes.<br/><br/>Brom's lip curls slightly and he turns to face her, leaning slightly on the stonework. "No, I'm not going to repeat all of it." He reaches out to brush a stray hair from her face. "You are beautiful dear sister, and I will enjoy every moment of having you under my hands. Every soft cry from those sweet lips... every look of pain and fear in those perfect eyes..." He let his voice trail off even as his hand lingered beside her face, not quite touching her.<br/><br/>She glances at his hand and then jerks away from it as she notes how close it it, moving away from the stonework, though she tirns to face him more squarely. "I don't care if you daydream, Brom, but you'll keep your hands to yourself... along with whatever other toys you might think to bring to bear. One mistake does not a pattern make." She shrugs her shoulders, then finds herself stifling a wince as the motion disturbs the darkening marks on each shoulder from the Baron's grip.<br/><br/>Brom pushes away from the stone rail and moves closer, slowly but unabashedly coming to loom over her. "But one warning does make Father's willingness to turn you over to me clear. And while I will not wish you ill fortune, I will be ready, and eager to reap the rewards of it."<br/><br/>She lets out a long sigh, and the anger drains from her face, replaced by a more neutral expression. She does not relax, but neither is she still wound so tightly. "Why were you in there?" She eases back toward her spot along the rail once more, still facing him, running a finger lightly along the stone.<br/><br/>"Because he asked me to be." Comes her answer, "Though I did not know what he intended. Only that he was going to speak to you and that he wished me present. Perhaps he wanted to watch my own reaction. Father can be hard to fathom for all of us."<br/><br/>She tips her head to the side, looking up at him critically. "I thought so," she replies noncommittally. "I think even he's reluctant to drag you away from whatever you've dragged back home, though." Her tone is slightly arch as she says this, and she closes her mouth with a soft snap after letting it slip, and looks back out over the mountainside abruptly.<br/><br/>Brom's eyebrow lifts and he once more moves closer to his sister. "Then perhaps that is why he told you he would give you to me rather to punish you himself," he says quietly, "But is that jealously aimed at me for being able to go hunting freely... or is it some other emotion? You could always come to me freely if you're tired of just watching. I promise, I might even hold back a little... if you wish."<br/><br/>Naiobe's brow furrows and she shakes her head at him. "Brom," she says incredulously, as if he's just cursed at her. She says nothing more than that, having conveyed both her answer and her opinion of the concept in the one word. Instead, she runs her fingers up and down her arms through the sleeves of her dress, as if to warm them. "I'm going inside," she adds quietly, moving to slip past him toward the door.<br/><br/>He turns and starts to reach, reflex at anyone stepping away from him. But his hand stops and he draws it back, turning as she brushes past him and heads for the stairs. "Sweet dreams Niaobe," he says as she walks away from him, "You know where to find me if the notion stirs you too much to sleep."<br/><br/>"You should hold your breath for that, Brom. Until I show up." The sarcastic words drift back to him from the stairwell, and then the thunk of the door heralds her departure.