Alexander looked around, sighing. Where the hell was that girl? He'd looked over the entirety of the estate, looking for Calliope, but found nothing. A thought snapped into his mind, and he brought his hand up to his forehead in annoyance. The Garden. Why the hell hadn't he thought of that? She was always there, if he couldn't find her, and it would have saved him hours of time. Sighing, Alexander began walking through the halls towards the gardens, his leather armor shifting nearly silently around his form. A longsword hung in its sheath at his side, unarmed aside from a blacksmiths sigil. An amulet to the god Eneri, God of Victory, hung around his neck, shining bright in gold and ruby, much more so than the rest of his equipment.

Sometimes, this job was just a hassle, what was he supposed to guard this girl from in her own home? Her brother and all of the incestuous thoughts he didn't harbor? True, they were now on the verge of war with a nation, the border of whom stood a mere weeks journey away. But ten years of service to guard a girl? That seemed a bit extreme, though he doubted it was as simple as that. Dealings with these noble types never were. Alexander often had time to seek other jobs to help supplement his paycheck, seeing that the nobles paid him less than that of a knight, due to the fact that he wasn't one. He was akin to one, in training and use, but he was just a mercenary when it came down to it. Less connection to the girl he assumed, so she wouldn't have forged a premade bond with him, so that he'd be more lenient. That much had worked, he was often strict in his duties, keeping her in sight when possible. The family didn't like him being gone long, but he had a life too. But when he was on duty, letting her out of his sight and out of his grasp, that tended to violate the exact reason he was hired for this job.

So with that in mind, that and the thoughts of another docked pay if his lapse in attention was found out, Alexander quickly made his way through the estate to the gardens, arriving in time to see the magnificent view from the top of a balcony. "Times like this though, when I find it to be worth this job." His thoughts were voiced outloud as he scanned the garden for the girl, wishing that she was less troublesome to him.

Calliope sighed, watching the reflection of the clouds fluttering across the sky in the fountain, where she now sat. It was only a matter of time before Alexander found her, she knew. It had been many hours since she slipped away, and judging by how long it usually took him to find her, it wouldn't take him much longer. She reached out to the water, touching it with a fingertip and sending ripples across the clouds. A red lock of hair that had slipped free from the braid she wore softly brushed against her cheek. Seeing no sense in moving, she stretched out upon the ledge of the fountain, closing her eyes and letting the sun warm her as she waited.

Calliope never had understood why the garden was forbidden. After all, it was perfectly safe, and all of her other siblings were allowed. She, however, was not, which she found perfectly dreadful and senseless. Which was why, whenever she could, Calliope sneaked to the gardens. They were some of the most beautiful in the land, she had heard. Calliope had always found them lovely. And strangely relaxing, she noted to herself, as she stretched out a bit more and yawned. Her shoes - fine slippers of green silk that matched her dress - lay on the ground beside her, her bare feet and ankles peeking out from underneath the hem of her dress.

It was some time later that Calliope felt a familiar presence. Half asleep, she had not heard the clanking of Alexander's armor, but she knew it was him, anyway. "You found me." She murmured, letting out a sigh. "Must you always find me?" She asked, opening her eyes only slightly to look at him. She was quite content to stay where she was, though her guard was blocking the sun, which was quite sad in Calliope's opinion.
Alexander almost felt bad for the girl. Almost. "Because it's what I'm paid to do." His leather armor was clearly shown to be worn in the sunlight, but covered his entire body in its protective embrace. "Now come Calliope, I'd rather not be forced to drag you out of here again." He remembered the last time he'd been forced to do that, taking her kicking from the garden to her parents beckon. This time though, there was no request or urgent news that required her. Maybe... Alexander stretched out his neck and walked over to the fountain, taking a seat on it and looking up at the sun.

"If I let you stay out here long enough to watch the sunset, will you promise to come with me then?" He really shouldn't be making such a deal with her, afterall her parents had made sure to tell him of the garden being offlimits to her, though he hadn't the foggiest clue why. There was no harm in it, and if there was, she would certainly be safer with him around. Looking up to the slowly fading sun, Alexander judged that there was maybe an hour left in the day before the sun set. A long wait for him to get the girl back inside, though her parents didn't seem to necessarily care where she was, as long as she wasn't here. They certainly didn't care enough to investigate her whereabouts.

"Well?" He was completely prepared to drag her out of the garden again, knowing he full well had the strength to do it. He just didn't want to, it always made her harder to deal with. And that simply made him get paid less. He knew that he was here to help straighten her out, atleast somewhat, and if she only got more rebellious, than he simply wasn't doing a good job, atleast to them. Honestly though, Alexander doubted that the girl would force his hand, he'd never been this willing to compromise in the past, and he hoped she would jump on it.

"If I let you stay out here long enough to watch the sunset, will you promise to come with me then?" Calliope sat up a little, eying him suspiciously. He'd never tried to compromise before. She wondered if there was some motive behind it. She stayed silent, debating the prospect, wondering if it was worth it to bargain. Then again, it seemed like a reasonable agreement. And, perhaps, if she agreed to this, she could convince him to do this again. She dipped her fingertips in the water as she thought. Apparently her thinking taking up too much time, her guard's 'Well?' caught her attention once again.

Calliope sighed, then nodded. "Very well. We stay to watch the sunset, and then I will go back with you." She lay back once more, the sun catching her hair and making it glow auburn. Her skin was rosy from the sunshine, looking much better than when she was forced to stay inside all the time. She looked much more at peace in the garden than she ever did inside. Something inside her seemed to be set free; she didn't seem as contained as she did while inside the house. She sighed contentedly, and stretched a bit more, her skirts inching up above her ankle even more.

Glancing at him, she asked, "Why the sudden change? Why are you letting me stay out here when usually you drag me back, no matter what time of day it is, or if I have to be anywhere or not?"

Alexander mulled over the question she presented him with. He decided to just tell her the truth, there was no need to sugarcoat it for her afterall, she was 23. "You really want to know? Because if I drug you out of here on my shoulder like a sack of corn, you would give me hell from whatever chair I decided to dump you in. Your parents don't pay me well enough to keep you locked inside their massive manor all day, and deal with whatever schemes you come up with while you brood." He looked up to the sun for a moment before looking back to her. "And maybe because I don't really understand why this place is off-limits to you. It seems to make you tranquil."

Sighing, Alexander laid back on the fountain stone himself, making himself comfortable for the next hour. He didn't get to relax long before he felt a familiar pressure building up in his nose, a faint coppery taste starting to fill his mouth. "God. Damn. It." Pulling himself up, Alexander felt a runnel of blood flow from his nose, dripping down into his already waiting palm. "Of course, out of all times, I get one now..." Leaning over the fountain, Alexander paid no mind to Calliope, clearly more concerned with stopping the blood from dripping out his nose.

"I don't know why it is. It wasn't when I was little. Then all of a sudden, it was." Calliope frowned. "I've asked why, but I've never been told anything. Father just says not to question him, and mother looks all sad and melancholy when I ask. But I love it out here." She added the last part in a murmur. "I don't think I could live anywhere without gardens like this. They're beautiful." She went silent for a moment, her eyes watching a fat cloud drift across the sky. Letting out a soft sigh, she watched the cloud until it hid itself behind other clouds. Calliope wondered if it would rain tonight, with the way the clouds were growing on the horizon.

Her guard's sudden cursing and movement brought her back to the now. Seeing him have yet another nosebleed, Calliope shook her head slightly. "Have you never thought to talk to someone about that?" She murmured. She sat up, and retrieved a handkerchief out of her dress. It was a fine thing, lace all around the edges, with her name carefully and finely embroidered in one corner. And - as was only proper for young ladies - it was a lovely, pure, unblemished ivory. Calliope dipped it in the cool fountain water, then rung it out a little. "Here." She said, her hand with the handkerchief moving into his field of vision. Her other hand rested lightly on his arm. "Better to use this than your hand." She paused, then added, "Don't worry about staining it. I have more than I could possibly ever need." She wiggled her hand a little, causing a small droplet of water to fall from the lace edge.

Alexander was surprised by Calliopes willingness to help him, though he didn't immediately question it, gently taking the handkerchief from her and applying it to his nose with his free hand. "Thanks, though I'm surprised you're trying to help, generally you just seem smug when I get one of these." Then again, he usually wasn't so lenient to her. Perhaps this was her way of repayment? He'd know in a moment, when she answered him. He eventually felt the flow of blood start to lessen, before finally stopping, though the cloth was clearly stained beyond cleaning by this point, the entire center of it stained a bright crimson.

"And as to your earlier question, I haven't thought about it. What would they do, give me a potion to stop the blood flow to my face? Besides, everyone needs flaws, that's why everyone has them. This is one of mine." His logic was simple, and clearly against what Eneri dictated, who wanted sheer perfection in all things. Victory indeed. He dabbed his upper lip with the edges of the cloth, cleaning the last of the blood from his face. "I doubt you want this back now, stained with my blood as it is." He set down the rag on the stone beside him, the side opposite Calliope. Laying back down onto the stone, he looked straight up into the sky, eyes closing again.

A yawn ripped itself from his throat suddenly, Alexander sighing internally. Nosebleeds always made him tired when they were through, the longer they lasted, the more exhaustion he felt. Being comfortable where he was, and sure that he had about an hour, more or less, before it was time to go back inside, Alexanders eyes closed and he began to drift off into a light nap.

Calliope didn't answer him. She had never thought she seemed smug when it had happened in front of her before. Indeed, she had always done her best to simply ignore his nosebleeds. She had always figured that they might be a source of embarrassment, what with his worshiping of Eneri. Most men who worshiped the God of Victory denied to have any failings at all, and ignored the ones they did have. Besides, Calliope thought it might insult his manhood, mentioning that he got nosebleeds in any occasion. Apparently, though, what she had thought of being tactful, he thought she was being smug. She let out a small, not particularly lady-like, noise of dissatisfaction, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She sat there, sulking, quite offended in his reading of her.

He lay back on the stone, and closed his eyes. Calliope glared at him. Did he intend to nap?! She let out a huff of annoyance again. Most men, upon receiving a lady's handkerchief, would promise to keep it close to them as a token. Or so she had heard from her sisters. Yes, she had given it to him to stop his nosebleed, but from the way he had said that, he was likely to throw it in the rag-heap. It was even worse than if he had said that he would have the servants get the blood out and return it to her. Nothing she did lately ever seemed to work. Any attention she got from him was as if he still saw her as a child.

With a sigh, she turned away from him. "I was never smug." She muttered. "And you usually happened to find your own handkerchief before I had a chance to offer mine." Not that she thought her protests would do any good, since he seemed to be quite well asleep. Calliope tucked her legs up under her skirt, resting her head upon her knees as she stared up at the sky.

He had barely begun to drift off to sleep when Calliope began to speak again, shaking him from it. "I just assumed you were, I know you've used them to slip away atleast once." His voice sounded drowsy, though he continued. "And mine is currently missing, though it's hardly worth the cloth it's made of." He yawned again, his eyes still closed. Alexanders hands snaked underneath his head to cradle it against the hard stone.

"I still appreciate you helping me." His voice sounded the part, aside from sounding drowsy as well. Again, Alexander started to drift to sleep, though his reaction to her earlier statements made it clear he wasn't quite asleep yet. If he went unbothered, Alexander would fall asleep fast, looking rather unimposing, his face one of calm. Alexander rarely slept near Calliope after all, since it guaranteed her slipping away. Now though, in the garden, she was already where she would run to, so he decided a nap couldn't hurt too much.