This chapter was incredibly fun to write. Enjoy, and thanks for the reviews! I wasn't sure if anyone would find Lex as fascinating and story-worthy as I do.

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Chapter 4:

"Sir, your presence is requested outside," a guard announced. Lex looked up from the desk where he was finishing paperwork, and stared at the man. "There's been an incident, sir."

"Incident?" Lex questioned, his relaxed tone quickly becoming stiff. "What kind of an incident?"

"Nothing serious, sir, but the guards can't get the women to stop." Gods, it was some pathetic problem. Lex just knew it, and although he hated spending time on minor issues, he was obligated to settle the matter. Then again, he had been staring at paperwork for hours, so maybe a break was in order. Forget the tedious scribbling of notes, there was enforcement to be done, and he'd be lying if he said that he didn't like having authority over people, especially when said people were causing problems. So he followed the guard out of the building, and stepped onto the harbor walkway.

"There, sir," the guard pointed, and Lex couldn't have missed the indicated commotion unless he were blind. He paused, a frown creasing his face.

"Why is that woman taking off her clothing?" he asked while marching toward the scene. The culprit looked like an Imperial, but it was hard to tell since her shirt was in the process of being pulled over her head, revealing ample cleavage in a leather bra. She wasn't alone either, for there were two other woman with her, and one was...oh, this was going to be interesting day. He was now amidst the scene, watching as one of his subordinates tried to control the situation.

"Ladies, this is most inappropriate!" the helpless guard was shouting.

"We just want to go swimming," Methredhel laughed, tossing her shirt to the ground. A crowd was watching from a distance, and several men shouted encouragement and made catcalls, which only served to further aggravate a certain captain. Lex could not believe that he had to deal with this. Who in their right mind would strip in the middle of the street to go swimming? Didn't these women have any propriety?

"I will be forced to act if you won't dress yourselves!" the guard continued, flustered as a shirt flew into his face amid giggles. He ripped the garment away and finally noticed Lex's silent but severe presence. "Captain, sir, could you please..."

"Captain!" Lex's head snapped from the guard to the stone wall that separated the street from the water. He was surprised that Mandila hadn't noticed him sooner, but she'd been preoccupied with stripping and taunting the other guard. Now her eyes were wide, as if shocked, and a shy hand reached for her discarded shirt before she stopped herself. Then she morphed back into a spirited smile, and there she stood on the wall, leather bra pushing up her chest, and a blue cloth tied around her lower regions. Her pale skin stood in sharp contrast to her dark hair, and those long lashes blinked in his direction. Although joyous, the faint pink in her cheeks indicated that she was fighting back a hint of embarrassment.

"If you don't come down from that wall and get dressed this instant," Lex threatened, "I will be forced to arrest you." Even though the other two woman now stood on the wall, his words and attention were fixed on Mandila. He thought that she might see reason since she seemed a bit uncomfortable, but feeding off of her companions' energy, the discomfort soon faded.

"Forced to arrest us?" Methredhel taunted. "You'd gladly do it. I daresay that your guards might not mind being forced to help detain us either." One of the guards behind Lex actually chuckled, and the captain sent a scathing glare in the man's direction. Someone here had to act like a professional.

"We're just going for a swim," Mandila added with a sweet smile. She couldn't stop looking at Lex, and for a moment, she was sure that his eyes were running over her body. He took stock of her long legs, hips, and curving torso, then up to her slight shoulders and finally her face. Methredhel started speaking again, but Mandila beat her to it. She didn't want Lex to turn his attention elsewhere. She wanted him looking right at her as she dove into that water, even as she was horrified at the prospect of his hands on her, forcing her shirt back over her head. She was terrified of how much she'd like it, and to add to her dilemma, he made her feel extremely self-conscious.

"Captain," she began, "You could always join us." He looked at her like she was insane, and Mandila and her companions nearly choked on their laughter over his expression. "Okay," she conceded. "But it's your loss."

"Ready, ladies?" Methredhel asked, eyes shining with excitement, but Lex would not let this stand.

"This is your last warning," he told them. When the woman proceeded to count down their jump, he had reached his limit. "Grab them!" he ordered the guards, who rushed forward to restrain the would-be swimmers, but the effort failed.

"THREE!" And the women jumped, laughing as their bodies hit the cool water and plunged beneath its surface. Mandila held onto a rock at the bottom of the harbor, and opened her eyes, looking upward at the water's surface. Light shimmered across it, and she smiled as she saw what she thought were the guards lined up against the wall, staring downward at where she'd gone under. This was going to be fun, and so she kicked toward the surface, breaking the water with a gasp, and laughing as the Imperial splashed water at her.

"Ladies," Lex growled from above, and Mandila was staring at him again. His arms were braced against the wall, and unlike some of the other men, he did not look amused. Of course, from his vantage point, he had a much better view of female cleavage, and Mandila wondered if he was taking advantage of that or if he was oblivious. "Get out of the water," he told them, as if his strong voice alone would make them listen.

"So that you can arrest us?" Mandila asked. "I don't think so."

"And I don't think that you're coming in after us either," Methredhel added. Surely the guards wouldn't toss aside their armor and jump into the harbor, even if the older Bosmer was giving them a 'come hither' look.

"No," Lex bluntly answered, a slight, triumphant smile curling the edges of his lips. "But you do have to eventually come out of there, and we'll be waiting. Gather their clothing," he ordered the other guards, annoyed at their ogling of the criminals. Then he stood there and waited, but he would be waiting for some time, for the women were swimming about and playing, dunking each other under the water, and giggling like girls. Clearly, some of the guards were enjoying the show, but Lex couldn't order them to not notice attractive females. He was male too, after all, and he wouldn't yell at them for something that he himself was having a hard time ignoring. Fortunately for him, his annoyance at the time-consuming incident outweighed the soft, calling eyes of his elf.

She swam and played, but she kept looking at him when the others were busy. She would tire and cling to the hull of a ship, pale legs kicking back and forth in the water, and face, half-hidden by hair, watching him. She could feel that his eyes kept returning to her, and his accusing stare seemed to pin her as the chief culprit of this crime. She shyly smiled at him, and one of the guards behind Lex nudged another and made a rude comment.

"You're still on duty," Lex tartly reminded them, watching Mandila watch him. She looked so free and young spinning in the water and squirting water out of her mouth like a fountain. Lex would have left right then and there if he didn't think that the pretty women would talk their way out of trouble. The other guards would not be harsh with those beautiful bodies slick from a fresh swim, which meant that he had to stay if he wanted the women properly punished. He frowned, and in annoyance, asked to see the discarded clothing in order to search the pockets.

"Sir," Mandila called, and he returned his attention to the water. "What will our punishment be?"

"Twenty gold each for exposure and disobeying an authority figure," he rattled off. "And if you can't pay, you're spending the night in chains." The woman began privately conversing, and finally they seemed to reach a consensus. Lex didn't like it one bit—their quiet chatting and plotting. He ordered his men to be ready, just in case the woman tried something slick.

"If we go to prison, do we still have to pay later?" Methredhel asked. No, Lex thought.

"Yes," he said. The women frowned, and Methredhel blatantly told the Imperial next to her that Lex was lying. Oh, he wanted to wring their necks! "Listen," he began to order, but with a few ripples, the women were gone. "Damn!" he cursed. "Fan out! Find where they surface, and catch them. Where are the smaller Bosmer's clothes?"

"Here, sir." Lex grabbed the bundle and stormed off. The Imperial and Methredhel could be left to the others, but he was going to catch Mandila and teach her a thing or two about following directions. She had taken her game too far this time.

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She would be patient and bide her time, or so Mandila decided as she pulled herself along the harbor bottom. She could hold her breath for some time, and so she had little trouble keeping ahead of the guards. When they looked in one direction, she surfaced in the other, took a deep breath, and went back under. She was now behind the waterfront, and clinging to a large rock that jutted out of the water. She kept herself hidden behind it, lightly treading, as she watched the shoreline with its patrolling men. With a glance at the sun, she realized that it was only midday, meaning that she had hours before nightfall. Great, so she would be stuck here for hours, but it was worth it.

She watched as Methredhel tried to sneak up on shore only to be accosted right outside of her home by one of the guards. She would opt for a night in prison rather than pay, and it wasn't that bad, really. The women had sort of known that they'd get in trouble for swimming like that, but twenty coins? They hadn't expected Lex to be that harsh, but then again, it was Lex. Mandila sighed as she bobbed in the water and wondered if there was any way out of this. She doubted it, but there was always a slim chance that she could avoid the guards and slip back late during the night. Surely they wouldn't patrol for two women all day and night. Even if Lex wanted to, his superiors would override and reprimand him for detaining the guards for such paltry business.

"Lex," she murmured, trying to spot him, but she couldn't. She could still imagine his piercing gaze on her body, even if it hadn't been leering or admiring. He'd been annoyed, like always, but at least he hadn't looked disgusted at what he saw. In fact, she would guess that he secretly approved, for he had run eyes over every inch of her. She wondered if Lex had ever looked on a woman with the yearning of an ordinary man instead of the calculation of an officer, and more importantly, she wondered if it would ever be possible for him to look at her like that.

Mandila, don't cross that line of thought! She sunk deeper into the water, irritated by her own thinking. This was what Methredhel had warned her against. Lex was fine and dandy as an object of interest, but not as something to actually pursue or think about like...that. But when had speculation ever hurt her? Mandila wasn't actually trying to get him to notice her as a woman. She was perfectly content with the short encounters that allowed her to bait him or perhaps learn something about his life.

Something in the water was moving near the shoreline, and Mandila's eyes shot toward the dark splotch. It looked as though the Imperial was attempting to sneak back onto the waterfront, and Mandila watched with dismay as the woman was caught. Now it was only her—alone, skin wrinkled from the water, and the constant fear of slaughterfish hounding her. For four more hours, she shivered in the water and obstinately waited. The sun finally began to set, and only then did the guards leave. The waterfront was devoid of uniformed life, and most commoners were locking their doors for the night. Maybe another hour, just to be safe...oh hell, Mandila was sick of waiting, and she was freezing.

With carefully controlled strokes, she moved toward shore, and when she could stand, her teeth nearly chattered from the cold. She stood, nearly naked in the moonlight and with limbs even paler in the dark, and tiptoed toward her small shack. She would have to go through hell tomorrow morning, for Lex would still be searching for her, but she would at least get a good night's sleep. And besides, she rather liked the idea of giving him a run for his gold. He thought that he was so good, well she'd show him. The poor man probably wouldn't sleep a wink tonight, because he'd be consumed with thinking about how a criminal had slipped by him.

Mandila's hand reached for the door handle of her shack, and she was about to open it when...

"And what do we have here?" She froze, scared that she was about to be attacked before she realized who was talking to her. She sighed and even wearily smiled, feeling his familiar presence at her back.

"Captain," she greeted, slowly turning around and wondering where the man had been hiding. Lex's arms were crossed over his chest, and he moved extremely close—so close that she was looking up at him, and he down at her. If he was trying to intimidate her, he'd need to put forth a little more effort than that, for Mandila knew that he would never physically hurt her. He was too controlled and obsessed with upholding the tenets of his office for that.

"I commend your patience," Lex told her. "Four hours?" Mandila gave a forced laugh.

"I didn't think you'd put forth that much effort to get me," she admitted, and she ran a hand over her wet and tangled mane, pushing it off of her face.

"You should have known better," Lex corrected her. "I don't like to be made a fool of, and for that alone, I would have waited eight hours to get you."

"You are persistent," Mandila agreed, rather enjoying that he was here, in the dark with her. Then again, being alone, almost naked, and cold made her more self-conscious than before, and she gently wrapped arms around herself.

"A little late for modesty," Lex commented, eyes firmly focused on her face.

"It's cold," Mandila defended herself. "I'm going to get dressed, if you don't mind, captain." "Not at all, citizen," and Lex thrust out a bundle toward her. Mandila realized that it was her clothing from earlier, and that Lex had no intention of allowing her out of his sight. She dressed, and felt his eyes on her the entire time. There was no one around, and she was already in trouble, so maybe now would be a good time to steal a kiss? She straightened from pulling on her pants, and began to button her shirt. Lex watched her fingers work on each and every one, and when Mandila grinned, he scoffed.

"So what will it be?" he quickly asked her. "Twenty gold or a night in jail?"

"Neither," she smartly answered.

"If you won't make a decision, I will, and," he leaned closer, inadvertently giving Mandila a much better view of his lips. "If I make the decision, I guarantee that you won't like it." His lips looked nice, and even when pressed into a stern line, she liked them.

"You really won't let this go?" she asked him, amazed by his insistence.

"No," he carefully enunciated. She sighed and rolled her eyes, a gesture that he did not appreciate. Here he was, trying to arrest her, and she was still mocking him. It was enough to make him lock her away just for impudence.

"I'll pay the fine," she decided.

"Good."

"When I have the money." Lex's eyebrows scrunched together as he stared at her completely honest expression. How could one person be so insolent? "I don't have twenty gold, but when I do, I'll pay you." His eyes hardened. "I'm poor, sir," she pointedly reminded him.

"Then it's a night in prison," he replied.

"You are unbelievable."

"You brought this upon yourself. If you'd done as I said, you wouldn't be in this situation, and we both know that you wanted to irritate me. You won't convince me that I can trust you, so there will be no extension. Come along peacefully."

"Sir," Mandila pleaded, a hand shooting out to grab his armored forearm. He paused and looked into her imploring eyes. "You see me every single day. I promise that I'll have the money tomorrow." Tomorrow? Where was she going to get gold that fast? "Do you think that just because us waterfront people are poor, that we're also liars?"

"I've seen little to indicate otherwise," he told her, and noticed that her hand was still not moving from his armor, but she was oblivious. She too busy staring at him with those eyes that at times seemed so innocent and naïve, and at other times looked as if she were much older. He wondered how old she really was, and how she had ever afforded even a hut in this area of the city.

"The people here might seem less open, but it's because they don't trust you," she told him. "They have no reason to trust guards." Suddenly realizing where her hand was, she snatched it back, but she was a bold one. Not once did she seem uncomfortable as she made eye contact with him, which is what Lex expected from her—not that semi-shy girl that he'd witnessed right before she jumped into the harbor. He had noticed months ago that she wasn't afraid of his rank or talking to him like an equal.

"Hold out your hands, citizen," he ordered her. Mandila frowned and didn't budge. "Now," he stressed, and so she stretched her arms outward as he removed a pair of iron bracers from his belt and snapped them around her wrists. A thin chain dangled from his hands, and on the end was the key to the bracers. He allowed her a long look before he tucked the chain into his pocket. "Goodnight, Mandila," he said with a satisfied smirk, and then he was walking away. Mandila stood with a confused expression and her hands locked together, wondering what in the name of Oblivion was going on.

"The other two got off with a warning and a ten gold fine," Lex shared as he paused at a distance, but he didn't seem happy about the admission. Mandila was guessing that it wasn't his choice, but the directives of his superiors after they'd watched him waste manpower hunting for swimming women. But if the others had gotten off so lightly, Mandila couldn't understand why Lex had told her that the fine was twenty gold or prison, unless... "I expect that you'll bring the required sum to me as soon as possible, or I will arrest you."

"Captain?" Mandila half-protested, half-questioned, and he turned at look at her with that same, pleased smile. He was going to leave her here with locked hands, and she'd stupidly let him fetter her, thinking that she was actually going to prison.

"I trust that you have some experience," Lex said, holding up a lockpick for her to inspect. Oh gods, but he must have found it in her clothing. She shouldn't have left it in her sleeve, stupid girl. Now he would be sure to watch her activities. "And I'll charge you for the loss if you don't return the bracers." With that, he departed, disappearing into the night.

Mandila didn't know what to think, but she suddenly found herself grinning and enjoying a light chuckle. Oblivion be damned, but Captain Lex had just played a trick on her—probably in retaliation for the slack punishment that he had to accept. She was pleased with his attention and frustrated that her hands were locked together, but she would fix that. Oh, she was going to get these off, and she was going to present them to him in public. The man probably thought that she'd need to wait for him to unlock them, but he had another thing coming. With a smile, Mandila set to work in the confines of her small home, all the while thinking about how this event was the first time that she'd felt Lex responding to her game. Dear gods, but simply watching him would never be enough after tonight. No, she wanted more interaction now that she knew how truly engaging the captain could be.