Final Verdict...?

*Knock Knock*

Zac stood out the door waiting for a response from the main judge herself in his casual white shirt and black long shorts but, to be allow entry to such a grand sacred ground, is truly a gift he won't take for granted.

"Doors open! come in!"

Opening the door and walking through, only the see Annette sitting on the edge of her bed with folded arms and a crossing her leg over the other while still wearing the same revealing red lingerie but, without the translucent robe around her this time. Looking a bit more happy with herself than usual after the whole exchange that happen in his room...

(Hm? Now what is she so happy about I wonder...?)

"You can sit over there"

She pointed towards a single decorative red chair sitting on its lonesome self, positioned right in front of her about two meters in between.

"Well, what are you waiting for? sit!"

She gesture her hand once more, urging him to sit already, not thinking anymore as why she felt pleased with herself and decided to do exactly just that, walking towards the chair with ease and sitting down without a worry in the world.

"Now that your here, it's time to fess up on what actually happened"

Looking at him, without an ounce of anger anywhere on her face as if she really wanted to understand what was going on.

Giving him an weird sense of security from her but, he had no other choice in the matter other than telling her 'almost' everything.

"Well, where to begin..."

As Zac began reciting everything that happen, from when he confronted the night raiders outside his bar, to seeking out the head honcho of the group in the forest and making sure he didn't leave any evidence behind on the scenes of the crime.

All under the name of wanting to protect thier promise for eachother tonight, He couldn't be wronged for something like that, right?

"So, you decided to not tell me that the bar was under an ambushed attack by a bunch of raiders because it would ruin my mood for tonight"

"Yeah, that's about right...?"

He carefully said, wondering if he was going for another ride in the air and have a second crash course lesson on pain.

"Zac, I'm more pissed off that you decided to take care of everything on your own, Behind my back!"

"But it was within in good reason, you can't deny that, right?"

Annette raised an eye brow at his remark, looking at him like he was unbelievable for saying something like that.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but, you do realize that this isn't the first time you've done this 'within good reason' stunt, right?"

Feeling like he may have dug himself in a deeper hole after she started bring up the 'other times'

"Oh come on~! Those times were completely different! you can't really blame me for what happen those years ago, can you~?

Putting on a carefree smile at the expense of his own faults, watching her soften her expression a bit before looking straight into his eyes with a look of wife that was about to berate his husband's foolhardiness.

"No, I can't but that doesn't change the fact that something could have happened to you this time!"

"Ah~ But Miss Ann, nothing did happen and that's what truly counts at the end of the day besides I'm A-okay"

Trying to convince her that everything did turn out ok in the end and that there was nothing to worry about anymore.

She got up from where she was sitting and walked right in front of him from where he was seated, placing her white slender finger on his forehead as she decided to rebuddle his point.

"And 'who' exactly was it, that always patched you up whenever you came back looking as if you've just been in a war zone?"

"Well-"

But she kept going, not letting him get a word in as the next thing she said was without a doubt in her mind, completely true.

"And if you were 'ok' then why was I able to fling you across the room effortlessly with no problem?"

"...You caught me off guard?"

"Oh please, don't even go there"

She quickly shot down his sorry excuse because she knew that if he was ok he wouldn't have fallen for such a move and even if he did let it happen on propose, he could have stuck the landing without a problem! Like cat who always lands on his feet, no matter how he was thrown or drooped.

"Alright alright! you win"

Raising his hand up, admitting to his mistakes for acting on his own.

"But you know~..."

Snatching her hand that was reprimanding him directly on his forehead with both hands while giving her the most pleasing looking smile he could muster.

"I really feel blessed that you were there for me in my time of need all those years and never left despite being a bit unbearable at times..."

Kissing her smooth delicate hand ever so longingly, wanting to let her know that she was the world to him.

"So Annette, what do you say to allowing me to fulfill our 10 year promise right now?"

She felt her heart flutter for a second after hearing those words...before quickly shaking off the feeling and getting back at the matter at hand because she still hadn't asked him about 'it' yet.

"Zac, please stop weaseling your way out of trouble again!"

Retracting her hand back violently from his hold, though a bit embarrassed as how he almost stringed her along to his own pace for even a moment.

"Oh well, ya caught me bu~t it was worth a shot since I got to see you all flustered again"

She heard him change his tune all of a sudden to that of a playful debauched bastard all over again, as he just teased her for just getting little over excited for a moment.

As she saw him cross his leg over his knee and placing his elbow on top of his leg while resting his cheek on his hand, looking at her with a teasing expression of that of a mischievous wolf who almost pulled a the wool over her sheep eyes.

"Now what does the judge intend to do to the defendant for his misdoings?"

Frowning at his calm cheeky attitude, despite everything that happen tonight, he still had enough energy to roleplay at a time like this!

Looking down at him with a haughty deathstare as she was about to decide his verdict.

"Free of charge, not guilty"

"I kinda saw that comin-..."

Now it was his turn to feel a bit confused as he just noticed that she just announced him a free man...until the realization of something else behind her words just hit him.

"What's the catch?"

He asked out plainly, knowing that there's something else going on here.

"Catch? what could you possibly be talking about?"

Giving away a devilish smile at his questioning of there being a motive behind her final verdict on the situation.

"Now you're just teasing me"

"Oh~ but, you didn't do anything wrong other than do things on your own without my consent"

Putting her finger on her cherry blossom lips as she pretend to be completely stripped of any kind of convoluted scheme brewing about with the her exaggerated passive agressive tone.

(I actually rubbed off on her, this could be both good and bad for me...in many ways)

He thought to himself before finally giving in to her little whims for once.

*sigh* "Alright, I'll bite"

"What do you mean?"

"Still pretending to be play the girl innocent with no devious plan?"

Smiling just a bit when she raised a finger towards him.

"Now let's no be too impatient"

Walking over back to her bed, sitting back down comfortably while looking at Zac, showing a defeated smile at her.

"It's quite a simple demand really, but first things first"

Putting her sternness expression on while staring at Zac with strong intend, as he waited patiently from what she wanted to say to him first.

"I know you won't stop doing the things you do not matter what I say, even if it is 'within good reason' but, at least promise me you won't over do it to the point of killing yourself, got it?"

"No worries, Been there done that, it was an awful experience"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Noticing what he said offhandedly without as much of a thought and tried to recover quickly before she starts asking questions.

"What I mean is, no worries I promise I won't go overboard with my awful stunts"

"Hmm"

Squinting her eyes at why he would utter such a grim joke like that out of no where but, decided it was best not to ask and just take it as it was, a bad joke.

Misjudging her squinting, thinking that she didn't believe his words at all.

"You know a little bit of trust wouldn't hurt now and then"

"That depends on the person there giving thier trust to"

She gave him a plausible retort to his complaint as she re-folded her arms, not wanting to hear him drag on the argument anymore than needed.

"Fair point"

Taking a brief moment before asking...

"So...what's your demand at the end of all this built up tension?"

It was then he saw her get a bit apprehensive when bring up what she wanted from him, thinking that it couldn't be that bad but, seeing her fidget around...he couldn't help but think of the worst.

(Aw damn it! I just thought that it couldn't be that bad, didn't I?)

Faceplaming himself within his own mind for probably jinxing himself for thinking the unlucky line that he should have refrain from thinking or even saying all together.

"Well...you promise you won't get weirded out when I ask you...?"

At first he didn't think nothing of it because he thought he was going to get a punishment of some sort like he did in the past but now, he was invested on what she actually wanted to ask from him.

Getting up from his lax sitting position and giving her his full attention from just how she was acting.

"Now why I be weirded out by such a beautiful woman, such as yourself?"

"Just please, take this seriously...promise you won't think of me differently after I ask you want I want from you...ok?"

Now he could only think of what sort of kink she picked up or awakened while traveling together for a decade, that she HAS to ask to not be thought differently upon when asking.

(Come on Zac, she needs you to reassure her, not judge her)

Looking straight into her shining green eyes, without flinching, giving her the absolute confidence that she has nothing to worry about.

"Annette, I promise that I won't think of you any differently after you ask what you want, this I swear"

Steeling herself after hearing what she needed to heard from him and began asking her selfish demand from him.