𝐒𝐎𝐋 𝐊𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐀

you see right through me, hm? perhaps i’m trying to get on your good side after all i’ve managed to put you through in such a short amount of time. i should apologize for that.. sometime, i will. you have my word. although, i shouldn’t now- considering there may be other things i’d somehow manage to put you through. i’m sure you won’t mind, will you? ( nikolai’s lips quirked upward, and he adjusted himself so that he allowed a hand to rest on his hip. ) do you not find yourself intriguing? oh, i guess maybe you wouldn’t. ah. anyway- yes. i do find /you/ intriguing. i don’t bother listening to many rumors, you know. they bore me, as it’s just a bunch of talk. so i do know little.
            
            ah-ha. so you do admit it. i knew that you would eventually. my charm can disarm plenty of people, it’s one of my /many/ talents, i assure you. ( he voice held a hint of teasing, almost as if what he said wasn’t entirely true- which technically speaking, it wouldn’t be. most of the time, it /might/ be. but not all the time. ) that’s less than i’d expected, you know. i had thought it’d take a lot more. hmm, as long as they amuse you, maybe you’d be right. ..me? make you bow? pfft, no. goodness, what do you take me for? we’re all equal here. i don’t make people bow.

@charmingprivateer    ( … )     you—     [      alina   gave   him   a   look.   not   quite   annoyed,   not   quite   impressed — somewhere   in   that   middle   ground   that   only   nikolai   seemed   capable   of   dragging   her   into.    ]     oh,   saints…    half   the   time   I   think   you're   trying   to   make   me   laugh.   the   other   half,   I'm   convinced   you're   just   trying   to   distract   me   before   I   throw   a   sphere   of   light   at   your   face.      [     she   studied   him   for   a   moment  —   having   the   prince   on   her   side   wouldn’t   be   a   bad   thing,   especially   with   the   bounty   currently   on   her   head.   her   gaze   flickered   to   his   eyes   —   she   couldn’t   find   any   malice   in   them,   but   it   was   difficult   to   trust   anyone   after   the   darkling…     ]      I…   intrigue   you ?     [     she   blinked.   now    that   amused   her.   surely,   she   was   an   open   book   now   that   she   was   the    famed    ‘ sun   summoner ‘.    ]    there’s   not   much   to   know   other  than   what   you’ve   probably   already   heard.    
            
                  [         the ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.   she   snorted,   shaking   her   head   at   his   last   comment.    ]    I   won’t   deny …   that   you’re   charming.   irritating,   but   charming.   you   may   not   win   my   grudge   over   with   two   clever   lines — but   maybe   three.   four,   if   they’re   very   good.    …    you’re   not   going   to   make   me   bow,   are   you  ? 

what, do you not find this amusing? actually, don’t answer that- i can already guess what you might say. you don’t seem to be in a good mood. ( nikolai mused, a glint in his eye as he spoke. while he certainly wasn’t acting serious, he knew that he should at some point- but for now, a little humor never hurt anyone. besides, he wasn’t actually going to purposefully bring harm. he wasn’t entirely reckless. ) of course it isn’t, perhaps i shouldn’t have made assumptions. but regardless, i did what i thought was best considering the information i knew about you.. which was very limited. it still is. you keep lots of things hidden, don’t you? you intrigue me. although, i won’t ask questions.
            
            ( nikolai carded a hand through his hair absently, ruffling it and making it slightly messy. his eyes held something quietly — maybe some form of regret — but he didn’t say much about it. he was typically an observer, taking in information and acting upon something when he needed to. he waited, letting out a soft breath. ) i didn’t say that you weren’t, no. i’m sure that you are. i simply think that whatever grudge you have against me won’t last for very long. i’m a /very/ charming person, alina. maybe it’ll take two clever lines then?