As you wish...

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

With the quiet of the night around him and the music faded into the background, it was easy to slip into thought, to wonder who the beauty on his arm really was. The brightly lit ballroom packed with colorful costumes and taunting masks had added to the surreal feeling of the night, and though the feeling remained, it altered now. The pirate watched the girl beside him as they reached the bottom of the castle steps, recalling the few personal details she had given him. "Here we are, in a quiet place," he said softly, "as you wished."

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

[Arwen]

Arwen looked over at him, faintly wondering who he was, but knowing it would be nearly impossible to tell. Many people weren't acting like themselves, making it even harder. So she was content for him to just be the pirate. "Yes, it's nice to be in the excitement, but I would much rather have the quiet."

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

"Would you?" the pirate asked, the words more statement than question. "And what would you do in the quiet?" The question was so broad, so vague that any response would fit. But how would she respond? The possible replies that filtered through the pirate's mind all fitted his image, though likely not his character, perfectly. The night felt intimate all of a sudden, despite the fact that he did not know the girl he was talking to.

[Arwen]

"Well that depends," Arwen said, "If I were by myself I would read, or think deep philosophical thoughts." She grinned, though the last words were only partially a joke. "And if I were with someone, I would make the most of my time with them, because even Paradise ends." She knew that all too well, too many times had she felt in paradise, only to have something happen to rip it away from her. She would let him decide for himself how she would make the most of her time.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

The pirate's heart lifted at all Arwen said. What had begun as a game was becoming almost real as it went on. He gathered himself, eyes glittering, for a response. "Alas, I have no books to tempt you with, fair Arwen, only these simple words." The pirate paused, his gloved hand taking Arwen's again as his eyes found hers.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

[Arwen]

Arwen's eyes sparkled gently and her face burned as he spoke, "Shakespeare, who would have thought that a pirate such as yourself would appreciate poetry." She was a tad more interested in who he was, but it was still not in the forefront of her mind as she examined his face. "You have a wonderful way of speaking," she said, smiling.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

The pirate gave a low bow of thanks over Arwen's hand which, rather than relinquishing, he tucked against his arm. "All romantic heroes must speak elegantly," he said, eyes laughing. "And a pirate must have something to fill the long nights at sea. Poetry is far more affordable than rum." He looked at Arwen appreciatively. She must know poetry as well to have recognized the sonnet. Though the first lines were famous, how many actually cared who had written them?

[Arwen]

Arwen grinned, "Don't most pirates entertain themselves with wenches and counting treasure during those long nights?" It was very stereotypical, but all stereotypes came from somewhere, didn't they? "Or are the history books wrong and all pirates secretly scholars?"

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

The pirate's lips curved into a wide smile. "The ones who speak eloquently are," he said. "There are precious few wenches at sea, and my massive amounts of gold and jewels are so far beyond priceless that counting is a waste of energies when set beside a quill and parchment. There is a Muggle saying that the pen is mightier than the sword, and I have found it to be true. Unless one is capturing an enemy ship."

[Arwen]

"I can imagine it would be hard to take Blackbeard's ship with a quill," Arwen said, having a private laugh at the image it brought. "Though it would be quite the battle to see." She watched the pirate, intrigued by him, it seemed he wasn't taking the usual character of a pirate. She figured that in the real world, a poetry reciting pirate would have walked the plank, even if it was a myth.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

"Intimidate them with prose, fell them with the sword, that's my motto," the pirate teased. He knew that he had already more than half broken character, but he was having enough fun doing so that he decided to continue. Arwen seemed to be enjoying it almost as much as he was. His eyes paused on her, and his smile grew softer, though more intent. She was beautiful, even if it was a facade.

[Arwen]

"Perhaps," Arwen said, a mischievous glint entering her eyes as the thought came to her. "You only entertain yourself with poetry because you yearn for a pirate wench to warm your bed," she teased. Even if she didn't really mean it she could pick on him a little, and he didn't know who she was, it was Arwen who was teasing him.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

The pirate's eyes widened slightly at Arwen's suggestion, then glittered with humor as his lips curved. It was easy to set aside his reflexive reaction for tonight, with the barrier of the masks between them. Her comment could not possibly have been personal, and so it amused him. "Perhaps princesses are more my style than mere wenches," he said, shifting closer to her.

[Arwen]

"Oh really, any particular preference?" Arwen asked, watching him closely, turning her eyes up to him. "Light hair? Dark hair? Or will any princess do?" It may not have been exactly what she wanted, she had hoped to dance to keep her from thinking, but a kiss seemed like it'd work just fine. Her eyes sparkled as the possibility played in her mind.