Talking to Strangers (Tag Philip)

With pursed lips and focused eyes, Belle drew back the cord on her bow, the arrow resting on its perch. The head of the arrow lined up directly at the target the brunette had it pointed towards. With a slow breath to steady her hands, she held her breath, and released the cord. The arrow shot through the air and delved into the center of a circular target, landing within the small red circle at the center. Belle smiled slightly to herself, her hood concealing her face. She looked to her scarred hands and sighed, finding that holding her bow liked to scratch at her scars and make some of them bleed. She muttered to herself and took her canteen, poured some of the water onto a rag, and dabbed away the spots of blood on her hands.

She hooked the canteen back to her hip and wrapped the rag around her bleeding hand. She wasn't done practicing, and therefore, her hand would just have to wait.

A few more arrows to the center of the target sated the girls ambitions -- especially the arrow that pierced through the center of another arrow, splitting the first arrow down the middle. She wiped a stray bead of sweat from her brow and smiled to herself as she took a long sip of her water.

As she heard a crackle of twigs and leaves, she got uneasy. But, she knew better than to wander unarmed in the woods since her attack. She drew back another arrow, aiming it at the direction of the sound. "How long have you been watching me?" She question, not able to see the figure, but knowing one was there, and had been for a least five minutes so far.

(If you've seen Brave, Belle did what Merida did with the arrow splitting. x3)

((Yes. I understand. :3))

Philip had wandered from the harbor to the woods, dragging his feet and rubbing his arm, thinking, and contemplating. Trying to figure out what his next move would be. With his father, with Jasmine, with everything. He had been so lost in thought, he didn't hear any of the noises his feet were making in the twigs and leaves , he only heard the shout that came from a little distance away. He looked up and could see a cloaked woman holding up a bow and arrow and aiming it at him. Philip raised his hands in surrender and put a friendly, nervous half smile on his face. "Don't shoot. I mean you no harm," he said calmly, walking slowly closer to the woman.

(By the way -- Belle doesn't know the Royals. So, she has no idea who Philip is. Her and her brother are with the Council, so she's never paid any attention to Phil's family and what not.)

Belle eyed the boy, seeing his clothing and finding he was not much of a threat to her quite easily. She sighed and withdrew her arrow, setting her bow down against the tree. She lowered her hood, her eyes not leaving the boy, just in case her judgement was false. "If you are speaking truly, then why are you walking in the middle of the woods? It's not exactly he place I'd expect to see someone so...pristine looking," She said, idly pulling her sleeves down to cover her scars before she crossed her arms.

((He'll probably still be careful. He doesn't know anything for sure.( )

"I was just going for a stroll," Philip said lightly with a shrug, still slowly approaching the woman with a friendly smile. His eyes followed her hands as they pulled down her sleeves and then saw what appeared to be a rag tied around her hand. "You know, I wouldn't think a beautiful young woman such as yourself would be in a place like this either," Philip countered, stopping a few feet away from the woman, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow playfully.

A blush grazed Belle's cheeks at the compliment, but was gone as soon as it came. She'd gotten better at concealing her emotions after everything she'd gone through. "Oh, please. You don't even know what I look like!" She laughed gently, her laugh like chimes. She tugged her hood down and eyed him, her soft, brunette curls sweeping over her shoulders and lightly brushing her face before she hooked the few stray strands behind her ears and pulled her hair over one shoulder.

"And, for your information, I live nearby," She said as she re-crossed her arms and smirked. "You, on the other hand, live among the rich, am I correct?" She questioned, though she already knew she was right. "Never had to work a day in your life, right?" she accused playfully.

Philip smirked, amused, as she laughed, smiling a bit softer as she pulled at her cape to cover herself up more, but then smirking even more as she crossed her arms and started to question him. "You are not entirely wrong," he said as he started to walk in a circle around the woman in front of him. "Yes. My family is rather wealthy. But I wouldn't say I never worked."

He brought his hands behind his back, holding one arm at the wrist with his other hand, as he stopped after walking a full circle around the girl. "I work very hard to get away from my parents," he whispered, leaning in towards the woman. "And I've been in various lessons since I was a young child," he added nonchalantly. "And I know you're beautiful, because all women are beautiful," he grinned charmingly.

He felt a knot in his stomach as he flirted with this woman, like he shouldn't be doing it, but he kept his composure, a skill that came with being a prince.

Belle eyed him as he circled her. She didn't feel threatened, but the fact that he got close to her made her feel...odd. It was like her whole being wanted her far away from there. It wasn't a scared feeling, but more of a morals issue. Flynn came to the forefront of her mind.

At his last statement, she made a face and rolled her eyes. "Oh, how cheesy can you be?" She laughed, shaking her head. "You must be one of those boys little girls dream about -- what's he called...a Prince Charming?" She asked, smirking to show she was mocking him. "Sorry, pretty boy, but girl's like me don't fall for honeyed words such as yours. And, aside from that, I'm afraid my heart has already been captured," She said as she reached over and patted his cheek with her hand. She withdrew her hand quickly, though, hoping he hadn't taken notice to the feel of her scars there.

Philip let out a small, nervous chuckle when she referenced to Prince Charming and himself, and looked at the ground to conceal anything that may show on his face. Then he heard her call him 'pretty boy' and his heart stopped for a moment, and his smile froze on his face, as his mind returned to Jasmine. He shook his head and looked back down at the ground to try and push her back in his mind, and then looked up at this girl as she touched his face, his eyes and smile soft. "That is wonderful. I'm very happy for you," he said sincerely, taking her hand that was wrapped in the rag in his, for only a moment having noticed how quickly she had moved her hand away from his face, and gave it a light squeeze.

Belle looked to him, then felt him take her hand. She winced as he gave her hand a squeeze, no matter how gentle he was. She lightly tugged her hand away and held her hand to her chest. She wanted the attention off of her, especially as the topic neared him asking what was wrong with her hand, which would lead to him seeing her scars. She wasn't going to let him see that.

"So, what about you? You may be a flirt, but I'm not an idiot. Who's floating around that head of yours?" She questioned, arching a brow and tilting her head to the side. She'd noticed how he acted to certain things -- how he would look away or become frigid for a few seconds.

Philip raised a quizzical brow as the woman took her hand away and held it to her chest, but let it go. She obviously didn't want to talk about it, and Philip wasn't going to try and get it out of her. He wasn't one to spill his guts to strangers either, so he wouldn't make her say anything she didn't want to say.

Philip was caught off guard when the woman before him turned the tables on him. He smiled sheepishly and and started to rub the back of his neck nervously, tilting his head to the side. "There, may be a girl," he stated slowly. Thinking about Jasmine made his heart rate start to pick up speed and he suddenly felt a million times happier.

Belle smiled as she saw the way he became flustered to her retort. "Take it easy, Casanova. I can hear your heartbeat from over here," She said playfully before winking at him and giving a soft giggle. "It seems to me that your love life is a bit...complicated. Am I correct?" She questioned, crossing her arms behind her back and eyeing him curiously.

"I don't mean to pry...I just don't get to talk to people other than my brother and my...suitor," She said, laughing despite herself at the term she used for Flynn. "Sorry -- he and I just have a different relationship than most. I'm not used to giving him some title," she shook her head. "I'm not even supposed to be with the man I'm seeing, yet he seems to like being around me for some reason," She said with a small laugh. "What about you, ...Oh, where are my manors?" she scoffed. "Belle Rolfe, at your service," she said before doing a small curtsy.

Philip laughed nervously along with her giggle, looking up at her while still rubbing his neck. "Philip," he introduced himself, giving a small bow and a playful half smile when Belle curtsied. "And yeah. It's a pretty complicated relationship. Or whatever you would call meeting a girl once and really liking her but not being allowed to see her again because of my family," he said, a little bitter, one hand on his hip and the other on his neck.

"I guess we both have the forbidden romance thing in common," he laughed uncomfortably, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, and I don't really get to talk to a lot of people outside my family either." He smiled shyly and gave a light shrug. "That's why I am often working to get away from my parents," he added with a wink.

((I'm gonna go to bed now. Get back to you tomorrow!))

(( Just weird having both of my charies mention bwahahaha XDD

*COUGH* Which reminds me I've been neglecting you two for the past day XDD... *goes off to respond now*

))

((HOW COULD YOU BRI????? BWAHAHA!!! Tha's hilarious!!!XD Okay. Now bed time.))

Belle raised her brows in surprise at just how much they had in common. "Huh...We have a good bit more in common than I would have anticipated," She laughed slightly, shaking her head. "My parents died when I was a little girl, so my brother has always taken care of me. He kept me away from men and basically everyone else until this year -- well, it wasn't his choice. He's still trying to keep me on lock down to keep me away from my freedom, but I sneak out and do what I want anyway," She smirked.

"He's out on some buisness trip across the seas for the week, so I've got some freedom. But, that'll end soon, too," She sighed. She then looked to him with a sort of spark in her eyes. "Philip, if you like the girl, don't be stupid and waste your happiness for what your parents want. Find a way to make it work. If it fails in the end, at least you won't have any what if's to hold you down."

(XD GOOD. Go check your messages on Flynn's, too. x3)

Philip laughed lightly with her, but then his face and eyes softened as she spoke of her past. "I'm very sorry about your parents. I cannot imagine what you must of gone through," he said compassionately, looking at her face kindly. He then let out a small chuckle and smiled slightly. "Your brother sounds like a parent, which I guess he was to you. Some people have told me my parents just do what they do because they love me, and I think it's the same with your brother," he said towards the ground, only barely looking up at Belle at the end.

He then noticed the new spark in her eyes and tone to her voice and bit his lip nervously, wondering if he could divulge the truth of his situation to her. "I do like her. I really like her. And I've been racking my brain for a way that things can work." He started pacing back and forth in front of Belle, turning every few steps, rubbing his forehead, his free hand on his waist. "It's...Just..." He struggled to find the right words. "It really isn't just my life I have to think about," he finally got out, still not sure if he should tell her who he was.

Belle tilted her head, watching him with inquisitive eyes. "Wait a moment..." she said with a small gasp. "Parent's keep your a secret, charmer of the ladies, rich...Agh! How did I not catch your name?!" She sighed in frustration at herself. "Prince Philip, correct?" She questioned, arching a brow and smiling slightly. "My brother, John Rolfe, is one of the main members on the Council...I guess that makes us sworn enemies, doesn't it?" She questioned, smirking a bit.

"Well...you're supposed to marry a Princess, right? If I'm not mistaken, I heard you were engaged. Naughty, naughty, your heighness," She chastised playfully, trying to make light of the situation. "All I can say is this. If you keep doing whatever your parents want you to do, then how will you ever be able to make your own decisions when you're king?" She offered. "If you feel something for this girl, don't give up on it. Show your parents she's different -- change the rules. That'll be your job one day, won't it?"

Philip laughed nervous and embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck and looking at the ground. "Yeah, that's me," he admitted sheepishly. "John Rolfe huh? I know him. So, should we hate each other now or something?" Philip asked playfully, smirking and raising an eyebrow before letting out a light laugh. To be honest, he was a little worried about what Belle might do now that she knew who he was, although she seemed to not care too much.

"You do have a point though," Philip said as he stopped laughing and finally looked Belle in the eyes again. "I have every right to do things my way." A joyful smile started to appear on his face and his eyes began to brighten as he thought about this new out. "I may be his son, but I'm not him. I don't have do things just like him." Philip could jump for joy at this turn of events or even just hug Belle for pointing all this out, but instead he looked at Belle with a playful smirk on his lips again, and eyebrow raised and crossed his arms. "Well aren't you a smart one," he complimented.

Belle laughed gently, smirking playfully right back at him. "Well, I've been known to have my nose stuck in a book whenever I'm not out training," she said with a shrug. "I don't really brag about my intellect, but lets just say that you learn a lot when you were raised to stay inside, away from people. It gives you time to learn some new things," she said matter-of-factly.

She ran her hands through her soft curls and smiled to him. "Tell you what, Philip...since you like sneaking away so much, might as well offer you a safe place to sneak off to," she pointed out. She took a piece of paper from her satchel and scrolled down basic directions to her cabin in the woods. "I'm there most any time I can be. If I'm not, there's a key behind a loose brick on the wall," she said quietly. "Hell, if you and this mystery girl venture to spend more time alone together, the house is yours," she winked playfully.

Philip laughed nervously and a slight pink color rose in his cheeks as she handed him the paper with a wink. "Thanks," he said softly, looking at the paper as he took it. "It's always good to find another hiding place from my parents," he added, trying to relax himself. He folded the paper up so that he could hang it through his belt then went to sit on a rock behind Belle. "So, is it nice living out here in the woods? I mean, for the most part?" he asked, bring a knee up to rest his elbow on it, his head in his hand.

((Philip's so innocent.XD))

Belle arched a brow and smiled to herself. She sat down on the ground, stretching out slightly, but keeping her skin concealed. "It has its advantages...And harsh disadvantages...one of which almost took my life. Hell, it still threatens my life. But, I prefer my home out here because its where i grew up. I can't stand so many eyes on me as it is in the town...its nice and peaceful out here," she said gently, shrugging.

Philip nodded in knowing as Belle spoke of the town's many eyes, taking note of the disadvantage she brought up. "Yeah, I could definitely appreciate the privacy out here," he said leaning back a bit and looking up at the trees. "Not having to worry about everyone watching and judging me. That's why I usually come out here, when I sneak out. Just go for a nice quiet ride." He smiled as he dropped his gaze back to Belle, a simple, friendly smile.

Belle laughed gently, but nodded and smiled. "Many do the same...sadly, with the wolves causing problems, not many come out anymore," she shrugged. "It's kind of nice if you ask me," she added. Looking to him, she tilted her head. "But, if you're the prince, how are you able to sneak out without your family or guards noticing?" She questioned, her eyes curious.

"I have my ways," he answered playfully, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back as if against a tree. He held that pose for a moment, then dropped his arms and let out a small laugh. "My escapes aren't always successful though," he admitted sheepishly. "I've gotten into my fair share of trouble with my parents," he said in a loud whisper, leaning towards Belle, his hand cupped on one side as if it were only for her to hear.

Belle smirked and narrowed her eyes playfully at him. "Oh, the bad boy, too, hmm?" She questioned before laughing gently. "Tsk, tsk...Seem's like Nirethia will be putting a regular Casanova into rule soon enough, huh?" She shook her head as she smiled to herself and looked down.