September 19th; Evening; Partly Cloudy; 40 ° F, 5 ° C

The "day after tomorrow" had finally come, but instead of that decidedly random place within the Drooping Willows, Skoll's own path had come to criss-cross upon Hecate's trail as it led towards the Rise. He could have easily carried himself with an eager step but seeing as the evening hours had only just arrived, he opted to see for himself just how patient his "pupil" could be. Almost lazily, he wove around the willows on the edges of the fireweed-covered meadow, stopping only when a howl was offered up to the darkening sky. She was calling for him and, for once, he found he couldn't resist.

He stepped beyond the tree line into the open and quietly scanned the area until he spotted that almost-abrupt dab of white against the backdrop of faded greens, tans, and bits of red. It was with apparent obedience that he came into her midst, offering a lopsided smile that told of his satisfaction for keeping their "date."

"Good evening," he offered. Had he been human he might have placed the gentlest of kisses upon the knuckles of her right hand, gloved or not. "Are you ready?" With a lift of each of his large paws he rolled his shoulders and studied her with an enthusiastic stare. "Where would you like to start?"

He could almost feel each and every hair along the back of his neck stand up as she returned his greeting in kind, already the charge between them was starting to spark. As was expected, she touched her nose to his chin. While she lingered there for no more than a few seconds, he fought the urge to take her muzzle between his teeth in a dominant fashion; unlike Piety, Hecate was not something or someone to possess. She pulled away and the prince steeled himself.

He watched as she warmed up, stretching each limb and every black-nailed toe. She even cracked her neck and arched her back in a way that made desire pool in his gut. Seeing as he had been aimlessly wandering for a majority of the hour just before he arrived to meet her, his own muscles had been toned and readied for tonight. In the space behind his heels, his tail had relaxed enough in a gentle curve. "Fair enough," he commented.

"Though, weight isn't everything. Just like how speed and stamina isn't everything... It's how you use it all and how quick you are with your decisions." His right paw lifted and he splayed all of his digits stiffly to stretch them out. "Do tell me, Hecate," his voice had taken on a playful and strangely teasing tone that tried to tug at her ears, "If I asked you to choose one thing or another, could you make your verdict in a snap? If I asked you to jump, would you?"

He eyed her carefully, planting his forepaw back into the weeds, "Could you trust me?"

"I could," Hecate confided and it was all he wanted to hear. His heart clenched in his chest.

@Piety, he was so certain, just jumped right in without a thought. He was starting to believe that she probably didn't appreciate his guile. If not for his guile, what else was he good for? He thought her almost stupid for thinking that he was capable of only loving. With her, he needed only to say a word and she was his. There was no challenge there for him... No need to impress or dazzle or awe...

Hecate, here, gave him these obstacles and then some, what with her wit and her cheekiness...

After the "loss" of his "first love," all of his guards were up, the hedge mazes were constructed, and the iron gates were locked. Everything about himself, he had come to remember, was supposed to be a puzzle. A riddle to be solved. A mystery to discover. It dawned on him now that he figuratively had given Miss Santoro the keys and all the secret shortcuts and he thought it was what he had wanted...

No, this little game was not over yet. He wasn't going to make this easy on Hecate; she had come to him for his help with what he assumed was an actual "job." Job as in the definition of "disposing of someone undesirable." For all he knew in this moment, he could have been digging himself a grave, and it wasn't one that would be lovingly laid beside his Nonna Skana. All this precaution was to being laid out to ensure that he lived by the time he was done with her.

All the techniques he taught her would be expected. Each calculated move would be anticipated. Every tic of hers, he would learn in the process of training her. Every single charm he could offer her, he would use as bait to lure her into his trap. If he turned out to be her victim, he wanted to take her down with him. After Piety, he would not risk losing himself again so easily and this time he was ready to put up a fight.

She told him that she wasn't sure if she wanted to trust him, then artfully fished for the reasons why. He metaphorically rose to meet her lure, "You have to trust that I won't hurt you during the process of all this; and, I have to trust that you won't do the same to me. It's just how it works. Especially with me. Because if I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so before anything else; and, I don't play with my food." He sized her up again, specifically studying her face and her dark green eyes, "Surely, my reputation must have reached you somehow since you've come to Willow Ridge? Or is this the first time Angier has kept his big mouth shut?"

When their eyes met, his stern gaze was met with one that was riddled with... was that discomfort? Torment? Sadness? For a while, his head and ears visibly shook. This was test. If she was not ready to trust him then there would be no sparring tonight, no opportunity to go further than this. She stuttered and his ears cupped forward. Was it something he had said? Usually, these days, it was, but for the first time in a long time he wondered just what he had uttered to manipulate her mood.

Hell, @Morganna maneuvered through this sort of gauntlet each and every single time they met. Angier dealt with him; @Elettra tolerated him and, on quite a number of occasions, put her son back in his proper place (for, who was he to heckle a queen, his very own mother?). Sköll expected nothing less of Hecate.

Within seconds, she seemed to regain herself and Sköll held his head a little higher than before. She looked away and the prince's ears drew back in apology. He winced. Where had the Hecate he had met just a couple days ago gone? Why had she stolen away into the deepest reaches of herself where he could not see her?

"If this is going to work, this is how it's going to have to be," he murmured, taking a step to the side as to fully look upon her face, wanting her to look back at him. He (desperately) wanted her to "reconnect," to stare at him directly, in what was the universal language of a challenge, with those grass green eyes. Frankly, he had not expected her to crumble so easily and so soon. There was a soft whine on his part as his gaze searched her. Come on, he wordlessly coaxed. Play... Banter with me like the other night... Please... Anything.

Now that he was aware of the effect of his words (and, at this point, he was actually unsure if he had actually fallen into her own emotional snare), he sniffed. Typically, by now, he would have lost his patience, but he actually longed for this sort of relationship to work. The practice would be beneficial to them both.

"If you're pulling my leg," he went on, concern lacing the gentle tone he still carried. "I'm being serious. I won't agree to all this until you give me your consent and you'll have to accept that this is how it will be between us if you want my help. Now, will you trust me or not?"