When we last left our heroine, she was merrily enjoying a girl's night in with her new friend. Miss Pearl had just stepped out to visit her mother and father for a moment, leaving Miss Sarah completely alone... but for how long?
Sarah:
Sarah wasn't sure what to make of the corset. It was a strange feeling, but not painful. It did, however, make her breathing a little difficult, but not terribly so. She just couldn't run any marathons in the thing.
"Sure, sounds fine," she told Pearl and watched as the other female left the den in quite a hurry. She knew that it was probably so that Pearl could get back soon and not leave her to her own devices for too long.
Sarah shrugged at this assumption and moved about in front of the mirror, admiring the look of the white contraption around her chest and abdomen. The hat had been taken off earlier to get the corset over her head and now lay on the floor next to the mirror.
"I can't imagine Pearl fishing in one of these things, though," she said out loud, shaking her head slowly with a short laugh.
Jareth:
"I'd image you would do it quite nicely, on the other hand~" Came a low, deviously smarmy purr from the front of the den.
One could practically hear the hair-splitting grin in the Goblin King's voice.
A barn owl had been perched in the tree outside the den moments before for... reasons we can only assume... and took the opportunity to drop in when he saw the the main resident dart out in a hurry. Jareth's silhouette leaned casually - or as casual as his elegant posture would muster - in the entrance of the den.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah froze at the last voice she wanted to hear when she was 1) a little off her game due to the drink she and her friend had been consuming lightly and 2) wearing nothing but her pants and something that qualified as an undergarment. She turned as quickly as she could without hurting her torso and took a step back, even though there was plenty of space between her and the Goblin King. Her heartbeat gained pace until she was sure it was making an audible sound and the garment constricting her chest didn't help her startled breathing at all.
"You- You shouldn't be here," she said, stammering at first, but gaining a bit of confidence. Well, maybe it was less confidence and more the attempt at courage, but either way, her voice was a bit stronger at that last word.
"Pearl will pitch a fit if she catches a stranger in her den," she added, taking another step back and felt the tips of her feathers touch cool wall.
Jareth:
A pointed grin pried open onto Jareth's maw as he watched Sarah back away from him in amusement. "Feeling shy, love~? Whatever for? Many an otter here don't even wear clothes." he purred contently, taking a good glance up and down the femme's frame. He tipped his head curiously as she tried to dismiss him with as much confidence she could gather. Oh, but the paltry threat of an agitated otter wasn't going to shoo him away that easily, not when he just got here (well, within the den, anyway) too.
"Ahh, but she can't throw a fit if she doesn't catch me, now can she?" he noted coyly, smug with his form of deductive reasoning as he fluidly took a step into the den. "There's no harm from an admirer of of fine model, is there~?" he murmured innocently, calmly taking a couple more steps inside.
Sarah Williams:
"That may be true, but I don't walk about without clothing," Sarah replied, not adding the fact that there was a difference between being without clothing, being with, AND being only partially clothed. She took another step back and her wings pressed into the wall, crossing her paws over her chest, forgetting completely that she could fold her wings about her.
"There could be harm. Why are you here in the first place, Jareth?" she added a little breathlessly as she kept her wide-eyed gaze on the intruder. She wasn't thinking as clearly as she would have hoped, never a good thing when up against Jareth's wits.
Jareth:
Jareth chuckled softly as she attempted to cover herself up, moving a bit closer as he took notice of a drink from the corner of his eye. "Oh, but you're already half way there." he teased. Of course he wouldn't use the drink as an excuse to take advantage of the situation. That wouldn't be fair play. Then again... he had never been one for playing fair. But the Goblin King liked to think he was more decent than that.
"Why?" he echoed, avoiding the question. "Chasing me off already? Do you really detest me that much, precious~?" he murmured in a mock-offended tone.
Sarah Williams:
"I don't detest you at all, it's just I'm not comfortable with you seeing me like this," Sarah explained honestly before her brain-mouth filter kicked in. When she realize what she had said, a flush spread over her cheeks (Well, there had already been a little bit of color to them, but she wasn't that deep in the drink). Turns out her inhibitors spent most of their efforts on the bluntly honest part of her brain. And now they were off somewhere in la-la land.
"I mean... You should go, before Pearl or her mate catch you." What poor Sarah was unaware of, her new friend had chanced upon the aforementioned mate and thus both were currently thoroughly distracted, leaving Sarah on her own for longer than she might have thought. Or hoped, for that matter.
Jareth:
"Not feeling embarrassed in front of me, are you?" he purred, feeling flattered when the smaller angelic denied the remark of her having ill feelings towards him. "No need to feel ashamed to show off a little fur, love. Especially since that bodice compliments you so well~" He slowly stalked in until he was about a fox-length's away from the skeptical femme. At her next remark, he couldn't help but give a short laugh in amusement. For a creature who could turn back the order of time or even will himself away on a whim, the possibility of being discovered in the den of a pirate by said pirate or her mate - even if he was a vampire, unbeknownst to Jareth - was hardly a threat to him. He wondered how far Sarah had gotten into the drink to let that crucial factor slip her mind.
"Ahh, Sarah..." the Goblin King cooed as he casually picked up the wooden cup and peered curiously at the contents before taking a small sip of the concoction. Taking a thoughtful glance at the hat placed beside the mirror, he blinked at the peculiar taste of the Aboveground ale before slyly sliding next to his company and offering her back the drink. "Worried about me now? How caring of you~ But rest assured, I won't come in harm's way of your companion."
Sarah Williams:
Sarah took the cup and stared at the contents, trying to ignore the Goblin King's presence so close to her. Her wings fluffed a bit at his earlier complements, but other than that she showed no reaction. Wit... Wit! She really needed to get her brain working properly again.
Lightning hit her brain and she smiled lightly down at the liquor.
"Oh, I'm not worried about you. But Pearl and I are just becoming friends. How do you think it would look if she or her mate show up and find you in their den uninvited but that you know me. Do you want your house-guests bringing guests of their own when you turn your back without even telling you?" Okay, so maybe it wasn't so witty or even very clever, but how could Jareth argue with that? At best he would leave with a friendly word. At worst... Hopefully he wouldn't spirit her away like he had a habit of doing.
Jareth:
The taller angelic looked peculiarly at the ale, musing how much he'd need to consume before he became as buzzed as his companion... Far too much, perhaps. Being raised on Fae liquor, which had a far stronger consistency of alcohol than mortal-made ale, he had sort of immunity to what they brewed in the Aboveground. Regardless, it was quite entertaining to watch Sarah manage herself wittingly against him with the bit she had drank.
He laughed lightly at her remark. "Unwelcome or no, I assure you any 'houseguests' within the Labyrinth would be entertained thoroughly by the residents even if the host wasn't there to beguile them himself~" he noted with a sly wink. Not that an unwanted resisted rarely ever got deep enough into the Labyrinth without him knowing in the first place.
"Just have a drink and relax, precious." he cooed confidently, lightly nuzzling the tip of her ear. "I promise your friend won't find me here by the time she gets back."
Sarah Williams:
Sarah sighed, knowing she'd lost the battle. There was no getting him to leave, not with warnings or even playing the pity card with him. She should have known better with Jareth, but it had been worth a try. She sighed and lifted the cup to her lips, tilting her head slightly to one side so that her ear was moved away from him. She took a sip and closed her eyes for a moment before giving him a narrowed-eyed look.
"You never answered my question. Why are you even here, Jareth?" she asked, her eyes showing her confusion, though she didn't look angry or wary of him. Just contemplative. She was tired of fighting him and the part of her that wanted to be nice to him finally won out. She was still a little worried that Pearl or Spike would find them and firstly she could lose a friend. Secondly, how could she explain herself, half-dressed, in the presence of the male from her past? That was definitely a problem she didn't want to encounter.
Jareth:
He huffed a bit as she leaned her head away from him. It seemed no matter where they left off in their previous meeting, Sarah always seemed edgy around the Goblin King whenever he showed up. Jareth failed to realize this was probably due to the fact that he always popped in uninvited and unannounced. Her determination to nonchalantly shake him off only made him all the more persistent.
He tipped his head to the side in bewilderment, as if to giver her inquiry some thought before smirking softly. "This is an otter reserve, I am an otter. The same reason why everyone else is here~" he cooed deviously, coyly dancing around the subject.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah actually smiled a bit at him, rolling her eyes at his comment.
"Now you're just playing with semantics. You know what I meant," she replied, an amused tone in her voice. She guess now she could understand why all of his subjects seemed really intent on her asking the absolutely right, exact questions. Otherwise she never got a straight answer. And it seemed they learned from the best.
"What. Are you doing. Here. Now. In Pearl and Spike's den?" she finally asked, outright, punctuating each section of her words with a light tap of her tail on his foot.
Jareth:
Arching a brow in a amusement as she lightly swatted at his boot with her tail, Jareth looked from his foot back to Sarah, inclining his head in a curious gesture. "Why, talking to you of you, of course~" he purred with a wry smirk and a wink.
"Do I need a reason..." he continued before she could pry past his unsatisfactory answer. "... to take advantage of the situation..." He gently raised a gloved paw, "...of you~ being alone~ and without company~ while I~ just happen to be~... around~?" he cooed, playfully mimicking her previous gesture by gingerly walking his fingers across her bare shoulders to punctuate his words and ending his sentence ever so smoothly by slinging his arm around her shoulders and holding her snugly close. "You never know what could be lurking about these woods, precious. Creepers and stalkers and fiends, oh my." he teased. "I'll protect you from them, love. 'Til your friend returns~"
Sarah Williams:
Sarah didn't fight him when he pulled her close. But she did pout. Honest to goodness, lips pursed, eyes narrowed, the whole annoyed kit and caboodle. Creepers and stalkers and fiends, yeah, right. She had no idea whatsoever that one of the most evil creatures in Oasis had a grudge against her new friend's mate. Pearl had neglected to inform Sarah of that little tidbit.
However, she couldn't keep herself from snorting a bit and rolling her eyes.
"And who's going to protect me from you?" she mumbled, rubbing the cup between her paws a bit. She had to wonder if he showed up to visit her so often because he missed her and genuinely wanted to be around her. But she really didn't know if she could trust him or not, no matter how charming he was trying to be. She had no doubt that he could protect her if he had to, but what she wasn't certain of was whether he really would or not.
And that was the part that scared her.
Jareth:
Jareth looked wounded at her scowl. "Ohh, come now, Sarah. Don't make that face as though I were some unwanted, overly-clingy troll. I assure you I dress much better than one. Not to mention smell better too..." he defended light-heartily with a gentle nudge.
At her remark, he could only sigh in a melodramatic manner. "Ahhh, yes. Goblin Kings are just the worst kind, aren't they? I'm sure we can find a way to keep him at bay... preferably without any "certain words" to ward him off, eh?" he noted with a soft chuckle. Jareth fell quiet for a moment to pause, uncertain whether she was being serious or not. His features fell as he straightened himself up a bit.
"You still see me as a threat?" he murmured quietly.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah listened to him taunt and tease, not really finding any remarks or even arguments for them. He certainly did dress well and his scent was... She closed her eyes for a moment as she studied the smell of the male she was held up against. It was masculine and beguiling and hard to explain in words. Certainly not a troll.
Goblin Kings were the worst. If she didn't stay focused, she could get into really big trouble with him and most of all she was afraid of being hurt or disappointed.
He went quiet and still. She glanced at his face and saw the teasing had gone from his features, they weren't playing anymore. And if his body language hadn't told her that much, his comment certainly did.
She looked down into the liquor still clutched in her paws, unable to look at him as she considered his question. On the one paw, she could lie and tell him that she didn't, but then how could she explain her actions? And on the other, she could be truthful and tell him yes, but that could lead to why she did, and her reasoning had changed a long time ago. She couldn't give him that kind of leverage over her.
"Yes, but not like before."
Crapcrapcrap! She hadn't meant to say that, and certainly not in that soft, almost uncertain tone. But she had and now she was stuck with it.
Unless he didn't hear her... Oh, she hoped he missed it. And yet doubted he did.
Jareth:
At Sarah's silence, Jareth frowned a bit and glanced off to the side. His features didn't give anything away, just quiet and neutral as though he were in a contemplative state. However, when she replied, it was difficult to say whether or not he had tensed a bit. His mismatched gaze slowly turned back to the femme before he briefly shut his eyes to rub at his temples with his free paw. His other arm didn't drop from Sarah's shoulders, but it did loosen the snug hold. "Perhaps... it was the wrong time to come here..." he murmured ever so quietly under his breath. Whether or not she heard him, it was hard to tell if he meant Pearl's den or the Oasis in general.
Shaking it off as nothing but merely mumbling to himself, he sighed, seeming to gather himself in a calm, collective state as opposed to being fussy, as normally expected. "It was never in my intentions to harm you when I came here, Sarah. Is it that I make you feel uncomfortable? Need I shed some articles of clothing to make you feel less awkward?" he inquired -- noting her lack of normal attire -- with a tempted tug at the opening of his ruffled shirt. There was still no hint of emotion on his face, save for the slight tease in those dual-colored eyes of his. It was best to make her feel less intimidated rather than have her cringe away, though his idea of making one feel more "comfortable" was... most likely questionable to some others.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah listened to his words and sighed inwardly. At least he was being honest, or she thought he was anyways. She was less afraid of him harming her, more worried that she would, oh what was the phrase? Jump and have no one there to catch her, that was it. She didn't like being let down when she put her trust in someone, so it was really hard to do so. She toyed with the idea of just coming out and saying so-
And then he made a comment about discarding clothing to even the odds.
Sarah blinked, thinking she heard him wrong. She glanced up at him to see the Goblin King lightly tugging at his shirt. No, no, he couldn't have really meant to... Oh, how in the world did he think THAT would be an improvement over the current situation of undress? It was such a laughable solution... She pressed the side of her cup to her mouth, a soft snort managing to get through. Don't laugh, don't laugh...
She couldn't help it.
She fell apart into small laughs and a plethora of giggles and snorts as she tried to stop herself, leaning against Jareth lightly for support as her legs threatened to give out from her amusement.
"I'm sorry, really, I just- how would that help anything? I would- would think that'd make it worse!" she gasped, shoulders still shaking a bit. She set the cup down and wiped tears from the corner of one eye.
"The suggestion sure helped, though," she added, feeling much less tense and worried. If they could keep this up, she could forget about him seeing her like this and toying about dangerous subjects.
Jareth:
At Sarah's reaction, Jareth was... no-wait, really?... that couldn't be right... no, what... yes... Jareth was thrown completely off-guard. He had gone from tipping his head in bemusement at her form of restraining herself, to becoming actually startled as she burst into laughter. Nothing EVER threw him off like that. He was a little shocked at himself. Jareth had been trying to dispel the awkward tension, yes, but he was going for a little more... fazed reaction to say the least. This was... just...
He exhaled deeply, leaning back against the wall in a bewildered slump and watching in bemusement at Sarah's shaking form as she leaned on him in a fit of giggles. He huffed and conjured up a half-sphere glass of hard fae liquor to calm his ego. At least it sounded good to hear her laugh. Granted, his pride had taken a hit because of it, but at least she was laughing instead of flinching at his every move. Made it this far, might as well keep it up instead being rendered defeated. "I take it that's a no then?" he questioned in a pout, pretending as though his offer was still real.
Sarah Williams:
A soft flush spread across Sarah's cheek, though it wasn't quite certain whether it was from her laughing or his question. She glanced at Jareth and where she was, pressed against his side with his arm still around her and the other holding a glass of liquor he must have conjured while she was laughing. Her eyes strayed from his face to his chest for the slightest moment before shooting back up and she nodded her head.
"Yeah, that's a no. Definitely no," she replied, trying her best to not get embarrassed again. Part of her mind was not happy and attempting to imagine what the Goblin King would look like without his shirt. Or which would be better, him without the shirt, or wearing it more opened.
That part of her mind decided on the latter and was contented to fixate on that mental image.
"You weren't really serious, were you?"
Jareth:
The male downed a bit more of the liquor, wings ruffling gently as the ale tickled his senses into a relaxed state. He outwardly payed no mind to Sarah's very brief but probing glance, but internally relished at it. He couldn't help but softly purr in amusement at the slight color on her cheeks.
"Completely," he responded facetiously. "I was ready to strip down on your word." Jareth took another sip from the glass and tilted his head out of habit, pretending to look genuinely coy. "Sarah, you minx~! Were you actually tempted to take me up on that offer?" he gasped, giving her an inquiring yet playfully teasing look.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah's eyes widened to the size of saucers and her head jerked back.
"I most certainly was not!" Oh, but her blush grew and she wanted to scream. But you diiiiid like the idea, that evil little voice in her mind teased and she mentally caged it.
For the moment anyways.
"Stripping down at my word," she grumbled, picking a nice spot on the den floor to look at while she said it before looking back up at him with and arched brow. He really was taking that 'You say I wish you'd jump, I say how high?' thing a little too far. Unless he really did want to strip for her, and in that case...
Dammit, she'd let the little voice out again.
"One would think you're more addled than I am if that's true." Ha, there, she was back on her feet, ready for round two.
Jareth:
A low chuckle emitted from the back of his throat as Sarah was so quick to defended her flustered state. He tipped back the rest of the contents in the glass before humming in contentment, rolling the empty crystalline half-sphere on the back of his paw in a languid fashion. "I most certainly think soooo~ Hormones are a deceiving thing, love." he cooed, his tone still in it's teasing manner. Jareth wondered whether she was actually taking his playful demeanor seriously.
It appeared so as she hesitantly expected he'd be willing to pull off his shirt off at any moment. Which he might be, after a few more drinks... or if there was something in it for him. He supposed a character as spontaneous as himself might be hard to decipher with the seriousness of a situation given his nature. But jesting with Sarah was just too fun to pass up. And, ah-ha, there was her firey spirit revived once more~
"Me?" he questioned, bewildered for a moment before turning the tables back around with a wry grin. "Sarah, dearest, you can't know my state of mind if you don't realize that I know that you know what you want, except for the fact that what I'm offering may not be what you know it is 'less you know you want it, then again you may not know that I was entirely serious in the first place. Your expectations of assuming me to expect what you may or may not actually desire is addling itself, love. I'm afraid you're lying to yourself in a misinformed state of delusions." he quipped, his grin impishly tugging up into a pointed smirk before he consoling patted her shoulder, giving her a moment to absorb that. "Drink some more, it'll clear things up a bit~"
Sarah Williams:
And she was back out of the running.
Sarah's look of indignation at being caught in her half-lie faded away into confusion at the rest of his words. What in the world had he just said? Trying to follow him was like trying to count the stars without forgetting if you hadn't already counted this one or that one. And with Jareth reordering them on top of that.
After a good bit of silence and trying to work out his words, her brow creased as she felt a headache start to blossom there.
"No, no more. I can barely follow you as it is," she replied and rubbed her forehead and across her eyes with the back of her paw, still trying to figure out what he had said. Oh for the love of, she shook her head and gave up.
"I don't think I could have followed that if I was completely sober," she added, glancing over at his without turning her head much so that she was looking between her eyelashes. After a heart-beat, she rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Much more of that and I really will get a headache."
Jareth:
He couldn't help but smile slightly in amusement at her utterly bewildered yet adorable state. In the Labyrinth, ('less faced against the King) one could easily win any argument simply by confusing their opponent, which Sarah probably learned through her experiences with the goblins and other creatures within the realm. Admittedly, it did feel a bit cheap to let those rules apply here.
"Do forgive my horrible habit of making things more complicated than need be," he purred sympathetically, although the amusement wasn't entirely gone from his tone. The angelic male did a quick gesture of his wrist, flipping the glass over onto his palm and closing his grip on it with a soft 'pop' as is vanished into thin air. He moved his empty paw up to her forehead and lightly touched it, a gentle warmth spreading from his gloved fingertips to her crown, alleviating any pain or pressure in the process. "Better~?"
Sarah Williams:
"Old habits, huh?" Sarah asked, tilting her head a bit and raising an eyebrow. She noted the still amused tone in his voice but did her best to ignore it since there was also sympathy in it, if only a little bit. He popped his glass back out of existence (Or sent it to wherever he kept them, she wasn't sure how it worked, really) and moved his paw to her forehead. She jerked back ever so slightly at first, not sure what he was up to and really a partially instinctive action. But it wasn't far enough and his paw was on her forehead and...
And her eyes closed and her body relaxed a bit as the warmth spread through her skull, taking away the thinking-too-hard and being-tipsy headache. It was a pleasant feeling and she couldn't help but smile a bit in gratitude. Dammit, that was cheating, is what it was. How could she stay flustered with him when he could do things like that, even if it was just relieve her of a little bit of pain in her head?
"That's not fair," she murmured, echoing words from her youth, though they carried none of the original whine and only a little bit of the conviction.
Jareth:
"Is it now~?" Jareth inquired in his silky clipped accent as he curled his fingers into his palm and gently traced the back of his paw along her jawline, the dissolving remnants of magic trailing behind. For him, wiping away a small headache was as simple enough as brushing a speck of dust from his shoulder. But Sarah's view of him using his magic as a form of "cheating" only made him purr lightly in a pleased manner at her reluctant form of gratitude when he used it to help her.
"Come now, love. I hardly think that's the proper form of a thank you." he tsked softly.
Sarah Williams:
"Not fair at all," Sarah replied with a small smile as her head tilted just a bit into his paw. She hated to admit it, and probably wouldn't if asked, but the action had nothing to do with the drink. She really did like it when he stroked her face, she just didn't want to admit that she did, to him or to herself. She didn't want to let it go too far, didn't want to be let down. It worried her that if she started down the path, she wouldn't be able to stop.
Sarah sighed and shook her head a bit.
"I do thank you, but that doesn't mean I can't still take it as cheating," she replied, opening her eyes to glare up at him, though there was something of a small smirk on her maw.
Jareth:
Fair or not, magic was in his Fae nature. The Goblin King more or less tended to abuse that aspect on several occasions... but that didn't mean he couldn't be courteous with it too.
Even if it was still considered cheating.
Gently turning his paw up to cup her cheek, Jareth sighed and shook his head. "Where's the fun in life if you only play by the rules, precious?" he countered with the same playful demeanor. "Take a risk with the unknown every now and then~" There was a deviousness in his tone, but he tried to keep the suggestiveness in his voice to a low. He'd rather enjoyed Sarah's company, being so close without any interruption, and preferred not to be warded off within the remainder of their time on account of her wariness.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah's smirk grew and she pointedly ignored the paw on her cheek so she wouldn't get the urge to pull away from it.
"Should have expected you to say that, you never did seem to really play by the rules," she replied and wrinkled her nose slightly at him. His second statement gave her pause, her eyes narrowing slightly at him. Take a risk at the unknown, yeah, that was something she wanted. Risks led to trouble, to baby-snatching and drugged-hallucinations and almost ending in a disgusting bog.
But then, it could lead to good things, too. She had made good friends who stood strong at her back and a life's lesson. She just didn't know what risks would lead to the good and which led to the trouble and hurt.
"Not many risks to take with the unknown here, besides messing with some of the inhabitants. I'd think I'd rather be safe than sorry." Again, a bitter voice in the back of her mind hissed. She almost flinched.
Jareth:
"They're meant to be broken," he purred pleasantly, tilting his head forward just a smidgen with a wolfish smirk plastered across his maw.
Silver-blonde strands of hair swayed lightly as he slowly shook his head and tsked her softly for her response. "We don't need to play with generics, do we now precious?" Jareth replied casually with a small flick of his tail. "I don't mean random acts of boldness within this place. And I certainly don't imply that it be with other inhabitants." Having her getting mixed up with the wrong group isn't what he had in mind when he thought along the lines of "risky". Then again, knowing the Goblin King, he probably thought of something more along the lines of "risque". It was rather difficult to tell with him. Albeit, given Sarah's current, ravishing attire, it might not have been all that hard for his focus to go astray.
Sarah Williams:
"Some rules, maybe," Sarah replied, her eyes narrowing a bit. Her gaze flicked away for a moment.
"Other rules are there to protect us." Oh, dammit, there she was going and letting go of the laid-back atmosphere. She shook her head a moment and then put the smile back on her face as she looked back up at him. Her head tilted a bit to one side and a brow rose.
"Who should I take risks with, then?" The question was out before she could stop herself.
Jareth:
"Fancy you should come here, to a reserve where rules hardly seem to apply." Jareth pointed out, either oblivious or just choosing not to take notice of the femme's temporary displacement of comfort, as his wry features remained fixated in place.
A hint of laughter emitted from the back of his throat as his face revealed a sense of suggestive amusement. "Need you ask~?" he chimed huskily, his paw retreating away slightly from her face to gently tease curls into her long, dark hair.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah shrugged a bit. She hadn't really intended to come to this particular reserve, she had just up and left her home and kept walking until she was tired of it and came to a place she could settle at. Sure, the reserve itself didn't have many rules, but at least she had her own rules to live by. Ones that would hopefully keep her safe...
"I hadn't really intended to come here, it just sort of happened," she replied and closed her eyes, shaking her head a bit as he curled her hair.
"You can't give a straight answer, can you?" she asked, giving him a quizical look.
Jareth:
"You of all people should know that things don't just happen, love. They happen for a reason." He ruffled his wings a bit and suited her with a knowing look. Events sure as hell didn't happen by accident or chance with the King of Goblins and his Underground realm. The same probably could be said of the Oasis. In either case, unexplainable forces of nature always seemed to meddle with the residents in one way or another.
The male groaned in exasperation, pouting slightly as the small curls he was making by twirling his fingers in Sarah's hair were disentangled by a shake of her head. "Must I state the obvious when the answer is so clearly in front of your nose?" he drawled a little more indicatively this time, as it seems his suggestive glance had gone amiss.
Sarah Williams:
Sarah knew he was right, things never happened by chance, not around her. Everything seemed to happen for a reason, though she didn't always know why in the beginning.
And yet he still wouldn't give her a straight answer. She frowned and looked away, the playfulness between them trickling away. Why couldn't anyone be straight with her? Ludo was the only one who didn't hide things from her and that was because he was too innocent know any better. Her family, her friends, they all hedged around the truth when it suited them, when they thought it was the right thing to do.
"Sometimes I would really like to not have to read the subtext."
Jareth:
He shut his eyes and exhaled deeply in an elongated sigh. It wasn't that he was becoming impatient. No, Jareth was still very much calm and composed. He just wasn't entirely sure whether or not Sarah was just toying with him at this point or whether she genuinely didn't translate his body language. He extended his arm and pressed his paw onto the wall next to Sarah's head in order to lean in a bit. "How specific would you like me to be?" he inquired in a smooth accent. She might have been loosing the feel of playful demeanor, but the tease was still inevitable in his gaze.
Sarah Williams:
She could say that she wished he would be honest with her, but then it would be forced, he would have to be honest. Sarah didn't want that, she wanted people to be honest with her, but of their own freewill.
"I'd just like you to be hon-" The words never fully made it out of her mouth. One minute she was there talking to him and the next she was licked by phantom green flames and she blinked out of Jareth's presence.
Jareth:
Jareth visibly stiffened as Sarah was whisked from out in front of him. All at once, the remnants of the dark energy that had abducted his companion came all too recognizable to his senses and the tease that was formerly present in his features drained immediately. As he seethed in annoyance, the ground beneath him started to fume and the crackling intensity of magic engulfed him, transforming his normal attire into menacing, dark armor. There was a loud bang of displaced air as he appeared outside of the den simultaneously-- the close quarter of Pearl's abode would do better not to suffer from the magic's backlash. "What sort of filthy joke have you crawled out of hiding to amuse yourself with?" he spat harshly at the presence responsible for this.
Mirage:
Rich, dark laughter echoed around the Goblin King as an even higher being appeared off to his side as if she had always been there. Mirage was very wishy-washy on how she appeared before mortals, sometimes in her true form, other times in a mortal guise. But Jareth wasn't a mortal, so she stood before him in her full regalia.
"Oh, bravo, little prince. And here I thought you wouldn't have recognized my little calling card," Mirage purred, glowing green eyes narrowed. Her tail flicked around her paws as she smiled at him.
Jareth:
The Goblin King remained unfazed by the incarnate's appearance. Instead he slowly turned his cold glower onto the panther-esque enchantress, eyes narrowing at her casual tone. "That's King to you," he snapped bitterly. "I had hoped that you had given up on using the mortals as toys on this side of the realm, but I see now that I was wrong." The after-effects of Mirage's (and co.) interference were still traceable when Jareth had physically integrated into the Oasis. He thought the entities had fallen dormant concerning anything to do with the mortal inhabitants' affairs...
But now Sarah was involved, and that sure as hell didn't sit with him. "Where. Is. She." Jareth snarled, wishing to waste no time playing antics with the cat.
Mirage:
Mirage blinked and smirked at Jareth, waving a paw offhandedly.
"Toys, pawns, what-have-you. It's all the same to me, though others would disagree," she chuckled and she shook a bit with a fake shiver and grinned like a cat in the cream.
"Tsk, tsk, temper, temper, Goblin King. She's there," she replied and turned, the forest melting away behind her to reveal a dark green hedge-maze very alike to the Underground's. Only there was no giant castle at the center, just a cleared center with a hill. And on top of the hill was a large light purple tree with full silver leaves.
"You know the game. Through the labyrinth, she's there at the center, no cheating now. No trying to fly over it."
Jareth:
Jareth took a long look at the replicate labyrinth, his irritation growing by the minute. "What?" he hissed, dual-colored eyes narrowing at the she-cat. "Is this some sort of joke?" What bothered him the most that it seemed unlikely this incarnate would want to get back at him for forcing Sarah to run his Labyrinth all that time ago by making him do... the exact same thing. There had at least been some meaning to his methodology; being careful what you wished for and realizing the power in words. Granted, before Sarah, none of the runners had succeeded in completing his Labyrinth and lost their relative(or whatever they wished away to him) to the Underground realm.
But his Nibs had been nowhere close to wishing Sarah away. Far from it. Which is why he questioned the reasoning of this scenario. Or the one who really thought of it. If this was solely for the purpose of Mirage's entertainment, then there was no way in Oberon's name that the angelic would play games to find out whether Sarah was even where the cat said she was. He needed to make sure she was safe. Now.
Mirage:
Mirage's smirk grew even more devious and she stood up to pace a bit.
"No joke at all, and that makes it all the more wonderful. Of course, I can't take the credit for this idea, but I promise I'm going to thoroughly enjoy it," she purred and flicked her tail. A mirror of green flame appeared over her left shoulder to show Jareth an image of Sarah, back in her normal garb and standing in a clearing of silver grass with the great tree, surrounded by the black-green hedges and bright gold roses. She looked very confused and mildly scared, but also downright infuriated, as to be expected from her.
"See? Your little sparrow is perfectly fine, for the moment." At that point Mirage started to fade ominously away. "But if you really want her, you'll have to come and get her." And with that she was gone with a flicker of fire, as was her looking-glass.
Jareth:
Jareth growled in irritation. How dare that infuriating cat mimic his bravado and steal his M.O.! This wasn't something that he would degrade himself to throw a temper tantrum over. Nontheless, he felt peeved over the fact that someone was forcing him to play a sort of game by using Sarah as the prize.
Sarah could wish him to her side within an instant if she allowed herself to. However, he deducted that the female angelic would be more inclined to blame him for her misfortune rather than ask for his help at this point. She probably wasn't aware the chance of other creatures with the capability of whisking a being away into a different dimension. He attempted willing her to his side at first, but the quixotic flux of this realm clashed with his magical properties (that or it was intent on him physically getting to Sarah), causing him to curse in fae tongue under his breath and instead resorted to transporting himself into a random area within the maze.
