Oo-de-lally!

Keep your chin up. Someday there'll be happiness again.

[rockin-robber]

The jig is up, the news is out They've finally found me The renegade who had it made Retrieved for a bounty Never more to go astray This will be the end today Of the wanted man

[rockin-robber]

I Hope You Don’t Mind || Rob & Tia

[boundherinherbones]

Something was wrong, they weren’t matched up anymore. She could feel it in the way that - it felt like he’d pulled back from her, the obvious nervousness and confidence and happiness was very obviously gone, leaving what felt like a void. 

He even pulled away from her and that confused her and…. stung. He was closing off from her, why? His words were – detached and that smile wasn’t real, what had changed in the past half minute - oh. 

“Hey,” she said, her hand cupping his cheek. “How am I supposed to match that, huh? You tell me you love me in the sweetest way possible, make this such a sweet and perfect night –” her thumb traced his cheek as she continued on softly, “How do I tell you I love you, that I have loved you, without it falling short?”

[rockin-robber]

Robin’s reply was another kiss - a real one this time. It wasn’t a very good kiss, but he just couldn’t stop smiling long enough to kiss Tia properly. “Just like that,” he said, pressing their foreheads together. 

“It’s not a competition,” he said laughing lightly. He felt a little silly now for reacting so immediately. They recovered quickly though, Robin sliding his arms around Tia’s waist easily. “And you are short. So it’s ok.”

[rockin-robber]

Light ‘Em Up

[merida-darkarrows-blog]

As the fire went out in a puff of foam and what ever else was in the red bottle, Merida let her shoulders relax and her mind go back into thinking mode. She couldn’t cause that fire, that was Robin, Robin had done that. not her, not her anger. She had seen it for herself, just calm the hell down.

When her mentor, best friend, family, so many words, started to talk she grinned and glanced over to him, watching him plop down on the ground and joining him after throwing the finished fire finisher away. “I think you were an idiot for not preparing properly.” she joked, “I’m meant to be the headstrong silly one, and you are the one that’s meant to at least remember to have a fire proof ground.” she teased, nudging him with her foot as she did so.

Suddenly it wasn’t that Robin had nearly set the whole tent on fire, or her fear of her own new powers; it was them again. Excitment and wonder of all the things they could bring to the show. Leaning forward a little and poiting to the hoops. “The thing is if you put the hoops on fire it lessens the effect, if you want to use fire you have to use it to make it seem scary. If you just use fire everywhere when you hit the target with a flaming arrow it becomes less dramatic. Thats the way I see it.” Her eyes were wide as she got up, walking to one of the hoops. “but! if you have every second hoop spinning instead of swinging.” She started to turn the hoop around, twisting it until she could let go and it spun the other way by itself. LIke a swing. “Now that, would make it dramatic.” Her grin was as wicked as the devils as she turned back to Robin, curious of his opinion.

[rockin-robber]

“Yeah, yeah. Sand would have been a better choice,” he agreed, rolling his eyes but still smiling. Robin watched as Merida first pointed and then jumped up to play with the actual hoops. He could almost see the gears turning in her head, and she made good points. “You’re right, there is such a thing as too much fire, believe it or not. Spinning and swinging at the same time would be a cool effect if I can still land the shot.”

Robin was glad Merida liked his ideas so far, and he was relieved she seemed to be less anxious now that they weren’t actively fighting a fire. Maybe Robin was imagining things in the craziness of the whole thing, but he was surprised to see how nervous she’d been around the fire. In truth, Robin was lucky she had jumped in to help him. If she hadn’t been there - but why had she been there?

“Hey! Were you spying on my solo practice?” he said accusingly, crossing his arms where he still sat on the ground.

[rockin-robber]

I Hope You Don’t Mind || Rob & Tia

[boundherinherbones]

Oh. She hadn’t expected him to give as serious of an answer as he did. And to be honest, she was touched that he agreed with her. This moment between them seemed to be a little more than she had originally anticipated and that piqued her interest, especially when he mentioned something else – might have given her a twinge of nerves because she didn’t know where he was going with this. 

His fingers began to dig a little into her skin and when she stiffened, Robin seemed to realize and apologized silently with massaging small circles. Whatever had him like this must be something important, his usually easy self was replaced with flitting eyes and shifting body weight and she had to keep herself from trying to lure more information than he was willing to give out of him.

“One more thing?” She asked, her eyebrows slightly raised as she smoothed her hands up and down his arms. And suddenly his whole demeanor changed and there was the Rob she was familiar with, sure in himself and confident, like everything would go his way just as he planned it – whether he had it planned or not. 

“I love you.” 

It was both a surprise and not. It wasn’t surprising that someone would love her, but that it was said out loud, confirmation at its finest, words to bind and keep - Tia’s mouth slowly curled up in a smile, having to bite on her bottom lip to keep it contained, play it cool. “You love me, huh? Of course you do, what’s not to love?” Her hands traveled over his shoulders to his chest, curling into his shirt to drag him a little closer. “C’mere.” 

[rockin-robber]

Robin leaned in as Tia kissed him, head spinning a little bit. If his lips weren’t otherwise occupied, he might have even been hyperventilating, but he kept composed. Tia could probably tell he wasn’t really returning her kiss as eagerly as he usually did, but his mind was otherwise preoccupied.

She hadn’t said it back.

It hurt and it didn’t; Robin in no way expected Tia to return his affections exactly equally, but it still was hard to hear that they were not in the same place as Robin thought they were. He felt raw and exposed and he was trying to hide that he was upset.

Robin pulled back from Tia, giving her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He felt foolish. “Well, if you want a list of reasons you’ll have to give me a minute. I wouldn’t know where to start,” he said, laughing softly. 

[rockin-robber]

Light ‘Em Up

After an otherwise uneventful afternoon in the practice tent, Robin had fire on the brain. It was Merida’s constant request when they brainstormed new ideas for the act. Why can’t the arrows be on fire? Couldn’t the rings also be on fire? What if Angus leapt over a pit of fire? So, naturally, Robin obliged, and pulled out his flammable arrows during his solo practice time. Really, could he refuse her?

“I have too many weak spots,” he mused, mind focused on lining up his shot. There were a series of hoops before him, none of them burning yet, and a single candle set atop a table on the other end of the arena. The idea was to shoot a single flaming arrow through all the hoops - which would eventually be swinging back and forth on an irregular pattern of course - and light the candle without hitting a hoop, knocking the candle over, letting the flame go out before it passed over the candle, or missing altogether. 

“Easy enough,” Robin chuckled, dipping the tip of his arrow into the torch beside him to light it. He drew back his bow, careful to keep the flaming tip far enough away from his bow hand that he wasn’t in danger of burning himself. He stood stone still, held his breath, and released the arrow. Robin watched with satisfaction as the arrow whizzed through the hoops, passed over the candle, and buried itself deep enough into the waiting target to put out the flame.

What he wasn’t prepared for was watching the candle, now lit, wobble back and forth before falling off the table and rolling into the straw below. The dry, incredibly flammable straw - that was now a small bonfire before him.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck -” became his mantra as he sprung forward, glad for the extra bounce his legs provided these days. He was prepared, of course, but two buckets of water on standby was not enough to put out the quickly spreading flames. “Fuck!”

He called over his shoulder toward the tent’s entrance. “Anybody outside? Need some help in here!” he bellowed, trying in vain to stamp out the flames with his foot.

It was all Merida’s fault, really. After all, she was the one who was always pushing Robin to do more in the archery act. More stunts, more excitement, more costumes, more fire. Always more fire.

[merida-darkarrows-blog]

Merida had watched him of course. She liked to spy on Robin’s alone pratice. Know what she was up against, call it what ever. Nosy, competitive streak, she just did it on occasion. So when she saw him bring in a torch to the area that day, excitement had built.

From the safety of the back row of seats she peered over the red seats down below where Robin had set up. Oh now that was a fun idea, the hoops should move, but that was most likely an end result. They always had to start small with a new trick. If you wanted to flip first you had to learn how to roll, all that sort of things. It took years sometimes for a new good trick, but always worth it.

Idiot didn’t move the candle away from the straw. Eh should be fine.

The ideas were coming everywhere for Merida, she could see it all ready. The ring alight with fire, the crowds cheering. Music blasting arrows flying. Oh it was going to be beautiful when it was pulled all together. And here she was, watching Robin give in at last. How many years had she pestered for fire? 

But the thought was a funny one as she sat back and scowled to herself, Robin lining up his shot. Suddenly fire seemed like the one thing she was never without. Looking down at her gloved hands she thought about that day by herself in the forest, her foolishness, her anger, and the spark. blue flame… The twigs on fire, the whinny of Angus as he retreated into the woods. She still hadn’t told Robin. Because it scared her. And Merida hated being scared. 

A yell made her head whip up and for one soul wrenching moment she thought it was her that started the fire. She didn’t know what caused the flames from her hands yet, not fully, and seeing the small bondfire erupt made the blood drain from her face. Until she saw the candle and it all came rushing back.

Sorta her fault. She did pester him a bit.

Right away she was up and moving, sprinting down the isles of the grandstands and leaping over the small wall into the ring, on the way grabbing the fire extinguisher that was by the exit. Thank god for health and safety laws. Without a moment to loose she was beside Robin and pulling the release button.

“Maybe next time put the candle on the sandy part of the arena huh laddie?”

[rockin-robber]

Out of nowhere, Merida burst from her hiding spot in the tent seats and flew down the aisle. She made for the fire extinguisher that Robin had forgotten in his panic, and he stepped back to let her attack the flames. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over, immediately coughing through the smoke and cloud of extinguisher. He almost spent a good while wondering what exactly fire extinguishers were made of, but shook the thought from his head.

“Nice save, Red,” he said. Robin plopped down onto the ground, shoulders shaking as he laughed. “Sand would have been a smart idea, yeah. But what did you think?”

His eyes lit up as he asked her, knowing she’d have a lot of opinions. He quickly interjected his thoughts before she could respond, sure that she would notice the same things he had. “Obviously the rings will be swinging back and forth, and they might even be on fire too, I haven’t decided.”

[rockin-robber]

Light ‘Em Up

[rockin-robber]

Robin rounded on Kylo, recognizing his mask-voice without having to look first. “Not in the mood, space man,” he shot back. “Help me or keep walking.”

Robin was panicking. The fire was somewhat mostly kind of not at all under control now, and the straw was so dry that without constant stomping the flames would spread and grow. The whole tent could go up any second and Kylo’s apathy and snide comments struck a nerve with Robin. He jabbed a finger accusingly at the masked man where he paused just inside the entrance.

“This is your practice tent too, you know!”

[firstorderprince]

Space man? Still had no understanding of why he called him that. His gaze tracked from the man back to the fire, then back to the man. He almost considered keeping on walking, but this was a little too amusing to walk away from.

He could sense the panic in the man’s voice when he tried to guilt him into caring. “So? I’d practice without the tent if I were allowed to. There’s nothing important to me in here.”

But he walked further in anyway, not towards the fire, but past him, stooping to tug at a tarp covering equipment. He tugged it free with some difficulty, and walked straight out the back tent flap.

He was gone for a minute or two, then suddenly the flap pushed open again and he returned, carrying a soaking wet tarp, walking over to the fire, and beginning to beat it violently with the wet tarp.

[rockin-robber]

Perfect. Robin watched, anger boiling, as Kylo delivered his haughty line and strolled right past him without offering to help. It seemed Kylo would be content to see the carnival burn after all, exiting the tent with a tarp in tow. Probably just saving his own equipment.

Robin continued to stomp and fret, debating if he had time to leave and refill a bucket or if the fire would grow too large in the time he was gone. He was about to say fuck it and try when Kylo entered the tent again, carrying the now-wet tarp. Robin promptly ate his words.

He stepped back as Kylo started hitting the flames with the tarp. Robin grabbed the empty bucket and raced outside. He held the bucket up to the corner of the tent, quickly filling the bucket with the runoff rainwater. By the time he re-entered the tent, his bucket was plenty sufficient to douse the last of the fire.

“Thank you,” he said, out of breath. He let the empty bucket drop from his hand. His judgement had been very incorrect, and he felt a little sheepish for how angry he’d been moments before. “Why’d you change your mind?”

[rockin-robber]

I Hope You Don’t Mind || Rob & Tia

[boundherinherbones]

“Wouldn’t be the strangest thing happening around here, understanding birds.” She smiled, letting Robin do what he needed and pulling his back in when he was done.

Small touches, affectionate touches, were Tia’s weakness. Big, showy expressions were just fine (if done right, they had to be done right) but it was the small, bare, intimate gestures of a person that were her favorite. 

Robin went a little pink, even in the dark she could see the flush coloring his cheeks and she smiled wider. A part of him she didn’t know about, probably he didn’t show too often and he showed it to her as a gift. She tucked that knowledge away, wondering if she could call on that gift from time to time. 

So talented. An amazing archer, good with his hands, theft was in there (talents were both good and bad, can’t ignore one or the other) good with kids, and now she knew he could sing. This just kept getting better and better. 

But while she was musing and admiring how sweetly flustered he was, she was taken off guard by his own words and the sweet kiss that punctuated it and found herself flushing in pleasure. “As much as I would like to take credit for that, I’ll let you keep your singing untainted by my influence. But I will take the inspiration, if you will.” She gave a small hum of approval when he pulled her closer, looking up at him, her eyes shining like sunlight on water. This was what content was, what happiness felt like when it was settling deep and heavy in her bones - this sort of gentle happiness she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

“Did you?” She asked,a playful lilt to her voice as her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Which part? That you’d buy me a house? Or I have the sweetest eyes? Or the song is for me? Because I will tell you, any of those will get you points in my book.” 

[rockin-robber]

Robin nodded at her questions, knowing she was playing but agreeing with her words. 

“Yes, to all of the above, and one more,” he said nervously, eyes flicking from Tia’s eyes to her lips as he wet his own. Of course she had the sweetest eyes, and of course he’d chosen this song for her. Robin was just as broke as the next carnie and it was very unlikely that he’d ever be in a position to buy her a big house, but the only home Robin needed was in the people he cared about and who cared for him. In the people he loved.

Robin didn’t realize how tightly he’d started to squeeze her. He relaxed and rubbed circles into her back in an unspoken apology. He could her his heart pumping in his ears.

“I always thought this song had a hidden meaning. Something that’s spoken in each line but never said aloud, so i thought I’d finish it,” he said, smiling brightly. In the moment of revelation, Robin was suddenly calm. If he knew Tia like he thought he did, there was no reason to be nervous. His next words came as a melody - an alternate ending.

“I love you.”

[rockin-robber]

Light ‘Em Up

[firstorderprince]

Kylo carved his way around around the carnival like an aimless house on fire. On wheels. Like a flaming, rolling house on fire. As if his already terrible personality wasn’t enough, some days it was as if he was possessed by a particular vengeance for the world and for everything in it.

It was why when he passed by the entrance of the tent and heard someone yelling for help, he almost kept walking, but backpedaled out of curiousity. And just stood there, watching from behind his mask as the other man desperately tried to put out the fire that was spreading. It amused him, to be frank.

He stepped further into the tent, craning forward to get a better look at the fire, but stopped just inside the entrance, still and obviously making no motions to assist him.

“I had no idea the clowns were practicing today,” he sneered, his voice buckled under the mask.

[rockin-robber]

Robin rounded on Kylo, recognizing his mask-voice without having to look first. “Not in the mood, space man,” he shot back. “Help me or keep walking.”

Robin was panicking. The fire was somewhat mostly kind of not at all under control now, and the straw was so dry that without constant stomping the flames would spread and grow. The whole tent could go up any second and Kylo’s apathy and snide comments struck a nerve with Robin. He jabbed a finger accusingly at the masked man where he paused just inside the entrance.

“This is your practice tent too, you know!”

[rockin-robber]

Light ‘Em Up

After an otherwise uneventful afternoon in the practice tent, Robin had fire on the brain. It was Merida’s constant request when they brainstormed new ideas for the act. Why can’t the arrows be on fire? Couldn’t the rings also be on fire? What if Angus leapt over a pit of fire? So, naturally, Robin obliged, and pulled out his flammable arrows during his solo practice time. Really, could he refuse her?

“I have too many weak spots,” he mused, mind focused on lining up his shot. There were a series of hoops before him, none of them burning yet, and a single candle set atop a table on the other end of the arena. The idea was to shoot a single flaming arrow through all the hoops - which would eventually be swinging back and forth on an irregular pattern of course - and light the candle without hitting a hoop, knocking the candle over, letting the flame go out before it passed over the candle, or missing altogether. 

“Easy enough,” Robin chuckled, dipping the tip of his arrow into the torch beside him to light it. He drew back his bow, careful to keep the flaming tip far enough away from his bow hand that he wasn’t in danger of burning himself. He stood stone still, held his breath, and released the arrow. Robin watched with satisfaction as the arrow whizzed through the hoops, passed over the candle, and buried itself deep enough into the waiting target to put out the flame.

What he wasn’t prepared for was watching the candle, now lit, wobble back and forth before falling off the table and rolling into the straw below. The dry, incredibly flammable straw - that was now a small bonfire before him.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck -” became his mantra as he sprung forward, glad for the extra bounce his legs provided these days. He was prepared, of course, but two buckets of water on standby was not enough to put out the quickly spreading flames. “Fuck!”

He called over his shoulder toward the tent’s entrance. “Anybody outside? Need some help in here!” he bellowed, trying in vain to stamp out the flames with his foot.

It was all Merida’s fault, really. After all, she was the one who was always pushing Robin to do more in the archery act. More stunts, more excitement, more costumes, more fire. Always more fire.

[fearisafourletterword]

“If you could be quiet that would be great.”

[rockin-robber]

“Oh am I talking too loud? Sometimes I get over-excited, I’m sorry.”

“You ok, Cal?”

[snowsomeday-blog]

Sniffles

Getting sick was not something Snow did. She ate right, she drank enough water, and she got enough sleep. Sort of. At the very least she took her vitamins. Being cooped up on a train with so many people meant she had to be on top of her immune system. It wasn’t right to be mixing drinks while sick, and she couldn’t afford to be taking lots of days off. And her work paid off. She maybe had a cold in the year since joining the carnival. Except when she woke up that morning her stomach’s first reaction was to empty itself. Most of that day had been spent bent over the toilet; nothing would stay down. 

Having run out of crackers and needing a ginger ale, Snow wrapped herself up in the fluffiest, pinkest blanket she could get her hands on and shuffled out of her room. The halls spun around her–leaning on them didn’t help at all she found. Walking slower to avoid being found out as sick, she stumbled along. She shouldn’t have worried about that. If the blanket and nightgown didn’t give it away, her ashy face would. Or that she was walking away from the dining car. That could give it away. 

The door at the end of the hall opened just as she was reaching out to twist the knob herself, making her jump back into the wall. Her eyes still hadn’t focused on the person in front of her, but she smiled to try and cover up her being sick. “Oh excuse me. I didn’t mean to get in your way.” 

[rockin-robber]

Robin recognized that face. Not just Snow White’s face, since she was the one he startled so easily when opening the door. It was her pallor he recognized - from countless days staring at his own ashen face in the mirror any time the train so much as moved. Robin reached out his hands to steady her.

“Are you all right, Snow?” he asked with a reassuring smile. “Can I help?”

Over the years of travel with the carnival, Robin’s stomach had betrayed him many a time. “I’ve picked up some tricks I could share with you.”

[theskeletonkxd-blog]

“Ya it is” Barrel crossed his arms and grinned. “I’ve got an impressive skill, I’m impressive” 

[rockin-robber]

“Definitely,” Robin said, nodding. “Have you been training them for very long?”

[rockin-robber]

“Indeed. You have many fine wares to admire.”

[stealingeveryonesright-shoe]

“And there is no shame in admirin’.” He grinned. “Can look with your eyes or touch with her hands. Gotta make sure it’s the true thing, right?”

[rockin-robber]

“I have no doubts there, my friend,” Robin said, picking up a sword all the same. He rotated his wrist, swinging the sword lazily as he watched Leroy working. “I imagine you must do well here,” he said. Then added, “Your business, I mean.”

[boundherinherbones]

“Are you humble if you’re bragging about it?”

“It would be awful to see such a handsome head on a spike.” She said. “Though maybe you’re in luck, being so far off the path to the city - where are you going anyway?”

[rockin-robber]

“Ah,” Robin said, clutching his stomach in mock pain. “Slain by my very own words. You’ve caught me in a conundrum, m’lady.”

“Oh, I live here. In a secret camp deep in the forest,” he said, very blase about it. As if secret camps in the woods were commonplace. “And you? I don’t see any babies in need of delivering way out here.”

[rockin-robber]

“Well then, rest assured a little girl on the east side will have a new bow for her hair just in time for the festival, thanks to you,” Robin said. He picked up one of her coins from his hat, flicked it into the air and snatched it back before it hit the ground. Always the show off. “I’m sure I’ve seen you around before. Do you work in the palace?”

[blackcatxblackclothes-deactivat]

“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled and will look beautiful in it.” She watched as he caught the coin out of the air with, a smile gracing her features. “Yes, I’m a page. What about you, do you work or the castle?” 

[rockin-robber]

“A page! How official!” Robin said, smiling. “My line of work... that’s a little more un-official. Let’s just say I have a knack for acquiring hard-to-acquire items.”

Robin chuckled. That was probably the best way he could think of to explain it without outright calling himself a thief. “Are you working today? Or do you get time off to enjoy the festival?”

[rockin-robber]

[merida-darkarrows-blog]

Merida looked down at her hands, calloused from the hard work she did. “I don’t like to remember it either….but you know I have the nightmares…” it was harder, before she became a archer of the guard she had spent every night by Robin’s side, and when she had a nightmare about anything he was always there to hold her close and calm her down. These days she woke alone in a small room wondering where he was and why he had left until he all came crashing down again, and her hopes of becoming a knight settled. But the nightmares still came, of her journey starving and half dead from a fight, until she couldn’t go on… when she heard the wolves howling… and then Robin. “but its good to remember… our past makes us stronger..” or that’s what she hoped. 

His warm large hands were on her face, and suddenly she was staring into those green eyes she knew all so well, the face she liked to study in the firelight, the jaw that worked when he was worried about something. But at that moment his face was open and full of bravery and yet fear. It was the face she had grown to want to never live without, a face she loved. Now he was asking her to run away, leave it all behind, if he went- would she go too?

Robin’s hands dropped away and as always when he came to feelings he back peddled a little, yet she hardly heard him. Could she? Drop everything she had worked so hard for in the last few years? She had proven herself over and over again until the guards let her in as their first female archer, the money was good and the safety was nice. But her dream was to be a knight, to do real good like Robin wanted and could, but in a legal way. She wanted to prove that woman could be knights, it was her dream to become one and being an archer at the castle was the first step- could she drop it all for him if he were to run away?

She didn’t even have to think about it.

“of course I would.” the fire was in her eyes but her face was open as she touched his shoulder to make him look at her again, her hand trailing from his shoulder to his cheek. “Anywhere you go, I go, right? You and me vrs the world.” It was foolish, and he couldn’t have possibly meant that all in the way she was thinking and yet… “Anything for your safety… you know I wouldn’t want to live a day without you Robin.” The words where on the tip of her tongue, but Merda was never one to say what she felt, because she didn’t deserve those feelings.

[rockin-robber]

Robin’s head snapped up at Merida’s hand on his shoulder. Then, her hand was on his cheek and her eyes were searching his and Robin was clinging to her every word. Was she saying what he thought she was? Or was his heart filling in the blanks between her words? Was he so desperate to have his affections returned that he attached meaning where there was none?

Of course she would come with him. She would go anywhere with him. She would do anything for his safety. She didn’t want to live without him. She would leave everything behind - all that she had worked so hard to achieve - for him, just because he asked her to. It was them against the world. Robin felt like he was flying; her words were both thrilling and terrifying. Robin couldn’t be imagining this. Staring into her eyes, every fleck of color long since memorized, he was open and vulnerable and terrified all at once. Merida could very well have given her answer because she felt indebted to him for saving her life. She was loyal and Robin would understand if that was the reason, but he had to know for sure.

What he did next was something Robin liked to say he did without thinking, but in truth he had thought about this moment a lot. He leaned forward and crashed his lips onto hers, letting his hands cradle her face, curling his fingers into her hair. His eyes squeezed shut, praying that when he opened them again, all of this wouldn’t reveal itself to be just a dream. This very well may be their first and last kiss, but Robin had finally taken the risk. What happened next would happen, and if it turned out he was wrong then he’d have to accept that.

Robin pried his eyes open as he pulled back, letting his hands fall for a second time. He smiled - he couldn’t help it. It felt like time had slowed to a stop around them, the busy town square dissolved into nothingness. 

“Well, you know me,” he said quietly, glancing between her eyes and her lips and back again. “I never did care much for my own personal safety.”