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The details are absurd, and of course I'm being discerning, when I have the choice.
[He frowns, brows pinching closer.]
One of them...the worst one I met in the park during all that sticker business. Things went fine then, but I also didn't let on what I was, and that was before I had reason to rethink things.
We were thrown together at one of those parties in Insincerity. We talked. He had an impressive intellect. We shared enough interests I thought it could be workable. I didn't say I was a vampire then, but I did say I don't habitually have sexual desire and that I don't like being touched. He was understanding.
[He runs an idle thumb across the other, brow pinching tighter.]
Then I ran into him at the Scratch. People are ridiculous about fucking. They just are. No matter how reasonable they seem before it happens.
[He frowns, brows pinching closer.]
One of them...the worst one I met in the park during all that sticker business. Things went fine then, but I also didn't let on what I was, and that was before I had reason to rethink things.
We were thrown together at one of those parties in Insincerity. We talked. He had an impressive intellect. We shared enough interests I thought it could be workable. I didn't say I was a vampire then, but I did say I don't habitually have sexual desire and that I don't like being touched. He was understanding.
[He runs an idle thumb across the other, brow pinching tighter.]
Then I ran into him at the Scratch. People are ridiculous about fucking. They just are. No matter how reasonable they seem before it happens.
Most people are. [He doesn't know how much awareness of his once-human perspective Grayson still has on this subject, so he settles into the idea of offering his own, for both himself and the people he's left in his wake, if desired.]
Do you want a more recently human perspective on why? Or is that something you recognize, or is worth discounting because you're disinterested in sex?
And all of those things you mentioned have nothing to do with someone's character or emotionality. [Dorian waves it all off with a hand.
He wasn't there, so he can't tell if Grayson stumbled into something that was obviously going to end badly after sex, but given his own experiences with putting much less emotional weight into sex with many people than they did with him, it's something he can easily imagine happening.]
Do you want a more recently human perspective on why? Or is that something you recognize, or is worth discounting because you're disinterested in sex?
And all of those things you mentioned have nothing to do with someone's character or emotionality. [Dorian waves it all off with a hand.
He wasn't there, so he can't tell if Grayson stumbled into something that was obviously going to end badly after sex, but given his own experiences with putting much less emotional weight into sex with many people than they did with him, it's something he can easily imagine happening.]
That is why I contacted you. If I simply wanted to complain, I'd buy a diary.
[The hardest part to him is how people can seem reasonable all the way up until the moment they aren't and that no matter how well he reads them for manipulation, when it comes to far more straightforward things, it's not at all the same.]
I'm also disinterested in racking up citations, so I had best figure out a way, hadn't I? This was much easier when I was just erasing memories.
[The hardest part to him is how people can seem reasonable all the way up until the moment they aren't and that no matter how well he reads them for manipulation, when it comes to far more straightforward things, it's not at all the same.]
I'm also disinterested in racking up citations, so I had best figure out a way, hadn't I? This was much easier when I was just erasing memories.
[So he truly doesn't understand. No wonder he's managed to find himself running into problems with humans and sex.]
When it's with someone you have any sort of real feeling for, it's intimate. It's being vulnerable with someone else, especially if you're being penetrated. It's built up as the highest romantic act there is, for anyone who believes in that. It doesn't matter if it involves pain, pleasure, or both. It's closeness and trust. A step towards something more.
And if you want the scientific spin on things, in a human brain it releases chemicals that produce feelings of bonding and affection.
[He gestures.]
As I mentioned, that's most people. Some people have personalities, maladaptive traits, or enough experience in a way that allows them hold onto more distance.
But almost always, every part of it is messy and irrational.
When it's with someone you have any sort of real feeling for, it's intimate. It's being vulnerable with someone else, especially if you're being penetrated. It's built up as the highest romantic act there is, for anyone who believes in that. It doesn't matter if it involves pain, pleasure, or both. It's closeness and trust. A step towards something more.
And if you want the scientific spin on things, in a human brain it releases chemicals that produce feelings of bonding and affection.
[He gestures.]
As I mentioned, that's most people. Some people have personalities, maladaptive traits, or enough experience in a way that allows them hold onto more distance.
But almost always, every part of it is messy and irrational.
How can anyone have real feelings for me within one or two times of meeting me? You've met me. I'm not an easy person, especially when I'm not trying to be.
[He makes a thoughtful noise.]
So I can just alter their brain chemistry without wiping the memories. Yes, I can do that easily. No fuss, no muss, no stupidity afterward. Of all of the things I've studied about anatomy, I never had much reason to delve into this side of it. That's helpful. Thank you.
[He makes a thoughtful noise.]
So I can just alter their brain chemistry without wiping the memories. Yes, I can do that easily. No fuss, no muss, no stupidity afterward. Of all of the things I've studied about anatomy, I never had much reason to delve into this side of it. That's helpful. Thank you.
You're clinging to one part of what I said, and also clearly don't have much concept of how you affect others. [He has firsthand experience with that a few times over now.]
Go ahead. [Dorian exhales, because. Who is he? Mother Theresa? He's interested in their pact and in learning, not in changing anyone who doesn't, in his opinion, even need changing to begin with. If Grayson's going to miss the point, then perhaps that's just how things are.]
The chemical's called oxy... something. You'll have to look it up.
Go ahead. [Dorian exhales, because. Who is he? Mother Theresa? He's interested in their pact and in learning, not in changing anyone who doesn't, in his opinion, even need changing to begin with. If Grayson's going to miss the point, then perhaps that's just how things are.]
The chemical's called oxy... something. You'll have to look it up.
I don't know. All I could tell you is how it feels, and that's going to be specific to me, and different with everyone you know. [He's willing to try, but it's complicated.
Dorian tilts his head.]
You've lived my life more than five times over. Was all of that time really spent-- I don't know, studying and surviving? Only spending time around humanity in shallow or predatory ways?
Dorian tilts his head.]
You've lived my life more than five times over. Was all of that time really spent-- I don't know, studying and surviving? Only spending time around humanity in shallow or predatory ways?
Even specific to you is more than I have to go on at the moment. Fighting wars, studying, manipulating behind the scenes, embroiled with members of my own clan, or handling the Ventrue, or any number of things that took tremendous time, attention, and focus and didn't involve fucking the kine or figuring out how they felt about me.
[He doesn't get why this is so hard to understand, either. It hits close to the same questions others have asked him.]
I have one servitor who has been with me around 250 years. He was barely human when I found him, and he hasn't gotten any more in all that time. So no. If I had the experience, I wouldn't be having these issues. I wouldn't be wasting your time or mine asking advice.
[He doesn't get why this is so hard to understand, either. It hits close to the same questions others have asked him.]
I have one servitor who has been with me around 250 years. He was barely human when I found him, and he hasn't gotten any more in all that time. So no. If I had the experience, I wouldn't be having these issues. I wouldn't be wasting your time or mine asking advice.
So you're out of your Machiavellian and warlike element in more ways than one. Point taken. [He huffs an amused sound.] This must be Hell for you as much as it might be freedom.
[He's only met so many other immortals, and most of them were beings like him-- independent and hedonistic creatures, drifting through life at their own speed, and chasing their own interests and purposes, whatever those happened to be at the time. The idea of one with such singular focuses for so many centuries of existence had been unfathomable in anything but a god.
Dorian settles back into the couch, touching one of his dark curls beside an ear thoughtfully.]
It's the intensity of your focus and lack of judgment. Do you remember what I said about making someone feel like they're the only person in the room? [He taps Grayson's knee with his fingertips.] It's that. You listen. However you intend it, whatever reason's behind it, it comes off as personal investment.
[He's only met so many other immortals, and most of them were beings like him-- independent and hedonistic creatures, drifting through life at their own speed, and chasing their own interests and purposes, whatever those happened to be at the time. The idea of one with such singular focuses for so many centuries of existence had been unfathomable in anything but a god.
Dorian settles back into the couch, touching one of his dark curls beside an ear thoughtfully.]
It's the intensity of your focus and lack of judgment. Do you remember what I said about making someone feel like they're the only person in the room? [He taps Grayson's knee with his fingertips.] It's that. You listen. However you intend it, whatever reason's behind it, it comes off as personal investment.
Edited 2022-07-22 02:12 (UTC)
In some ways.
[For all that this is a break, it's one he hardly needed. His focus and stamina for his projects was endless. Nothing here has come close to filling that void, to engaging him as fully. Not having any true mortal enemies, not having his usual backstabbing coterie of sharks.
He's listening now, and his expression is as close to a cat with its ears sideways as human physiognomy can get. He'd said if he knew what it was he'd stop it. He can't exactly stop that. It isn't a switch to be toggled on or off. He lifts a hand to drag it down his mouth.]
I could throw out several cutting remarks.
[It's bone dry. He shakes his head abruptly.]
I thought that if I could...physically feel, experience it through their eyes and give them pleasure, it might spark something in me. It didn't. I suppose I don't have the oxy...tocin.
[Yes, he does know that word. He must have studied it as one of several hormones produced by the brain. It was never relevant to his particular research, so he shunted it aside.]
But when it didn't, they grew angry or disturbed, and that... Why would you be angry when someone tells you in advance they're not like that? That they'll never be like that?
This isn't an edge. It's a precipice. If all I'm capable of feeling for most is irritation, then I hardly see the point. I could do that without being open. I did. Constantly.
[For all that this is a break, it's one he hardly needed. His focus and stamina for his projects was endless. Nothing here has come close to filling that void, to engaging him as fully. Not having any true mortal enemies, not having his usual backstabbing coterie of sharks.
He's listening now, and his expression is as close to a cat with its ears sideways as human physiognomy can get. He'd said if he knew what it was he'd stop it. He can't exactly stop that. It isn't a switch to be toggled on or off. He lifts a hand to drag it down his mouth.]
I could throw out several cutting remarks.
[It's bone dry. He shakes his head abruptly.]
I thought that if I could...physically feel, experience it through their eyes and give them pleasure, it might spark something in me. It didn't. I suppose I don't have the oxy...tocin.
[Yes, he does know that word. He must have studied it as one of several hormones produced by the brain. It was never relevant to his particular research, so he shunted it aside.]
But when it didn't, they grew angry or disturbed, and that... Why would you be angry when someone tells you in advance they're not like that? That they'll never be like that?
This isn't an edge. It's a precipice. If all I'm capable of feeling for most is irritation, then I hardly see the point. I could do that without being open. I did. Constantly.
Edited 2022-07-22 03:24 (UTC)
Looking for self-discovery in other people is always a mistake, if you ask me. It's something that starts and ends within. People are the levers for it sometimes, but not the end point.
[Especially for anyone immortal, who will lose most people in the blink of an eye.]
No. It's a setback, and a normal experience when you're trying something you have no experience in. Perhaps you really can't do this, [he could believe it, from what he's heard tonight] but if you stop at bumps in the road, you'll never know.
[Dorian waves a hand.]
However, there's obviously nothing binding either of this to us besides wanting. If you don't want for whatever reason, like you said, there's no point in staying on the train past your stop.
[He's going to persist, on his own if need be. He has his reason and wants it. To keep a hold on himself.]
[Especially for anyone immortal, who will lose most people in the blink of an eye.]
No. It's a setback, and a normal experience when you're trying something you have no experience in. Perhaps you really can't do this, [he could believe it, from what he's heard tonight] but if you stop at bumps in the road, you'll never know.
[Dorian waves a hand.]
However, there's obviously nothing binding either of this to us besides wanting. If you don't want for whatever reason, like you said, there's no point in staying on the train past your stop.
[He's going to persist, on his own if need be. He has his reason and wants it. To keep a hold on himself.]
[He falls quiet for far longer after he finishes, mulling everything he has said. Eventually, what he thinks and wants coalesces from it.]
I believe I've used an ability to connect to others as a metric of sorts, because I know I care about my research, for example. My agendas. I'm quite attached to my habits and proclivities, all of which point to some emotion.
My attachments to vampires have been less emotional, barring my lover and my sire, to a lesser extent my childe in the beginning, and more transactional, as they almost always are among my kind.
[He taps his own knee with an index finger.]
I believe you hit upon the true rub of it in saying I'm trying something in which I have no experience. I can't think of the last time I've done that. I stick to areas in which I have mastery, not out of fear of failing, but from efficiency. It works. I've needed nothing else to satisfy me or perform my duties and expectations.
And in my world, failure is more weighty than hurt feelings or a partially severed hand. My perfectionism is in my way.
[He shakes his head.]
I'm not quitting. If I hurt people in being myself, I hurt them. It's not out of dishonesty at this point. If I meet someone who can handle it or doesn't see it as a flaw, then that's a step forward.
I believe I've used an ability to connect to others as a metric of sorts, because I know I care about my research, for example. My agendas. I'm quite attached to my habits and proclivities, all of which point to some emotion.
My attachments to vampires have been less emotional, barring my lover and my sire, to a lesser extent my childe in the beginning, and more transactional, as they almost always are among my kind.
[He taps his own knee with an index finger.]
I believe you hit upon the true rub of it in saying I'm trying something in which I have no experience. I can't think of the last time I've done that. I stick to areas in which I have mastery, not out of fear of failing, but from efficiency. It works. I've needed nothing else to satisfy me or perform my duties and expectations.
And in my world, failure is more weighty than hurt feelings or a partially severed hand. My perfectionism is in my way.
[He shakes his head.]
I'm not quitting. If I hurt people in being myself, I hurt them. It's not out of dishonesty at this point. If I meet someone who can handle it or doesn't see it as a flaw, then that's a step forward.
[He smiles slightly at this show of resilience.]
Maybe that works. Depends on the person, I suppose.
[For someone like him, the drive to know is stronger than any investment in the productive aspects of research, interests and hobbies.]
That's what I meant by 'discerning'. [Dorian folds his hands in his lap, brushing the thumb of one hand thoughtfully over the back of the other.] You've undoubtedly experienced it in different ways, but I think age is the greatest barrier for the young. [As in almost everyone.] There are emotional truths that people who won't ever live them can't and won't understand, regardless of how they're explained or even if they're shown proof of them. Even between us, there are things I can imagine about your life, but I only have the experience of 160 years to draw on to do it.
[He doesn't doubt there are things about being 870 that even he can't fathom now.]
For me, most people are a waste of time in that regard. Perhaps you'll feel differently. [He's not trying to be discouraging, and Grayson's already said that he feels similarly, but setting expectations feels useful.]
Maybe that works. Depends on the person, I suppose.
[For someone like him, the drive to know is stronger than any investment in the productive aspects of research, interests and hobbies.]
That's what I meant by 'discerning'. [Dorian folds his hands in his lap, brushing the thumb of one hand thoughtfully over the back of the other.] You've undoubtedly experienced it in different ways, but I think age is the greatest barrier for the young. [As in almost everyone.] There are emotional truths that people who won't ever live them can't and won't understand, regardless of how they're explained or even if they're shown proof of them. Even between us, there are things I can imagine about your life, but I only have the experience of 160 years to draw on to do it.
[He doesn't doubt there are things about being 870 that even he can't fathom now.]
For me, most people are a waste of time in that regard. Perhaps you'll feel differently. [He's not trying to be discouraging, and Grayson's already said that he feels similarly, but setting expectations feels useful.]
Edited 2022-07-24 08:03 (UTC)
I've often had the sensation of trying to explain biochemistry to insects since coming here.
[It comes out dry. Yes, age gaps have proven stubbornly frustrating in this. There's no jumping that particular hurdle. It's immutable and insurmountable. He'll have to navigate around it.]
It may prove a waste of time in the end with most of them. Any good scientist draws from a wide sample pool.
Or perhaps it's a bit like prospecting. I'm sure there's some witty metaphor I could dredge if I could bring myself to care enough to recall the process.
At any rate, your perspective was useful. I have a better idea of what not to do next time. It's a start.
[It comes out dry. Yes, age gaps have proven stubbornly frustrating in this. There's no jumping that particular hurdle. It's immutable and insurmountable. He'll have to navigate around it.]
It may prove a waste of time in the end with most of them. Any good scientist draws from a wide sample pool.
Or perhaps it's a bit like prospecting. I'm sure there's some witty metaphor I could dredge if I could bring myself to care enough to recall the process.
At any rate, your perspective was useful. I have a better idea of what not to do next time. It's a start.
[So he's aware that more failures aren't just possible, but probable. Good.
Dorian pats Grayson's knee again, pleased.]
Glad to be of service. Just do me a favor and don't let on, [he jokes.] A man has a reputation to uphold.
And I'll give you one thing in all of this: you don't do anything by half measures.
Dorian pats Grayson's knee again, pleased.]
Glad to be of service. Just do me a favor and don't let on, [he jokes.] A man has a reputation to uphold.
And I'll give you one thing in all of this: you don't do anything by half measures.
Your secret is safe with me.
[His brief chuckle is a bit less rusty than it has been in the past. It has been getting more use these nights.]
Nothing worth doing is worth doing with faint effort. If it isn't all the way, it would be a waste of everyone's time, especially my own.
[His brief chuckle is a bit less rusty than it has been in the past. It has been getting more use these nights.]
Nothing worth doing is worth doing with faint effort. If it isn't all the way, it would be a waste of everyone's time, especially my own.
Truer words. [Dorian’s smile tugs slightly wider as he surveys the vampire again.]
What do you want now? Time to mull everything over? [Does he want to be alone, essentially.]
What do you want now? Time to mull everything over? [Does he want to be alone, essentially.]
Of course I did. Even if you aren’t a classical man, I am. Face to face conversation is always better for something like this than a video chat.
[Talking about something like this with an empty couch wouldn’t have suited at all. He needed to see Grayson’s face.
Dorian rises to his feet.]
But you’re welcome.
[Talking about something like this with an empty couch wouldn’t have suited at all. He needed to see Grayson’s face.
Dorian rises to his feet.]
But you’re welcome.
Edited 2022-07-25 13:43 (UTC)
[November has been a difficult enough month that by the time Adrian's agreed to an offer of a lighthearted (and likely more) losing of the self in the pleasure of Art, he's ready. He's had his share of arguments and violence lately and it's more than time to shelve it all temporarily with pleasant company.
To his limited credit, he's not unprepared by the time the other man arrives. He's done a once-over of his closet and pulled out pieces that he thinks should compliment the man's flawless form and, most importantly, his ethereal-looking blond hair and golden eyes. It's nothing he's worn before, but things stored away like shiny objects in a magpie's nest. Adrian's impressed him continually with his appreciation for beauty and sensual experience, and he wants them to create something worthy of the man's aesthetic intelligence and pretty face.
When Dorian pulls the door open for Adrian and greets him, he bypasses a kiss upon the cheek to press a light one to the other man's lips instead. He holds it for a moment, warm and inviting, before parting with a knowing smile. It's friendly, but something to set the tone of his intentions, too.]
Come on in. [He lays a touch upon the other man's arm to bring him with him.] I've been waiting with bated breath.
[Romantic hyperbole is fine when Adrian really is breathtaking, right??]
To his limited credit, he's not unprepared by the time the other man arrives. He's done a once-over of his closet and pulled out pieces that he thinks should compliment the man's flawless form and, most importantly, his ethereal-looking blond hair and golden eyes. It's nothing he's worn before, but things stored away like shiny objects in a magpie's nest. Adrian's impressed him continually with his appreciation for beauty and sensual experience, and he wants them to create something worthy of the man's aesthetic intelligence and pretty face.
When Dorian pulls the door open for Adrian and greets him, he bypasses a kiss upon the cheek to press a light one to the other man's lips instead. He holds it for a moment, warm and inviting, before parting with a knowing smile. It's friendly, but something to set the tone of his intentions, too.]
Come on in. [He lays a touch upon the other man's arm to bring him with him.] I've been waiting with bated breath.
[Romantic hyperbole is fine when Adrian really is breathtaking, right??]
Edited 2022-12-02 00:24 (UTC)
[ Hasn't it just? Adrian had been working most of November trying to find a contract for himself and Belmont after Sypha vanished, it had been stressful and time-consuming. So he was more than happy to let his hair down and overindulge in a little artful pleasure with a man he knew could deliver.
Honestly, not only does Adrian have high standards but also high hopes that Dorian will indeed be able to do exactly what he claimed. Dress him up all pretty and then take his time in stripping him out of said attire. The thought has him nervous with anticipation.
A sweet smile was presented as the door is opened for him, Adrian parts his lips about to offer a greeting when he's pleasingly surprised with a kiss right on the mouth. Golden eyes grew wide for a moment before falling closed as he let himself enjoy the kiss for as long as it lasted. Words had fallen short as his tongue refused to form words for a good minute or two. Eventually, as Dorian set a hand to his arm and ushered him inside, Adrian tucked a loose strand of that silken spun hair behind a pointed ear, dipping his head shyly as he entered. ]
Please, breathe freely for now. I had hoped to take your breath away later.
[ A flirtatious thing to say, but Dorian had already set the tone. ]
Honestly, not only does Adrian have high standards but also high hopes that Dorian will indeed be able to do exactly what he claimed. Dress him up all pretty and then take his time in stripping him out of said attire. The thought has him nervous with anticipation.
A sweet smile was presented as the door is opened for him, Adrian parts his lips about to offer a greeting when he's pleasingly surprised with a kiss right on the mouth. Golden eyes grew wide for a moment before falling closed as he let himself enjoy the kiss for as long as it lasted. Words had fallen short as his tongue refused to form words for a good minute or two. Eventually, as Dorian set a hand to his arm and ushered him inside, Adrian tucked a loose strand of that silken spun hair behind a pointed ear, dipping his head shyly as he entered. ]
Please, breathe freely for now. I had hoped to take your breath away later.
[ A flirtatious thing to say, but Dorian had already set the tone. ]
[As far as he's concerned, they've been building to some kind of mutual pleasure ever since their flirting over the finer aspects of perfume some few months ago. That a further advance past his light sexting at the man earlier should go well is pleasing and promising both. He meets very few people he can share the parts of himself he does with Adrian who will actually appreciate them the way he does. It's a breath of fresh air, and one he'll be more than happy to let Adrian steal away from him later once they've each satisfied their appetites for Art.
Feeling the man sink into their kiss is good. The shy smile Adrian flashes him afterwards is better.]
Not until you're complete. [He chastises playfully, touching briefly under the other man's chin, before escorting him further into the suite. Deeper inside, the Bohemian and sumptuously eclectic nature of the interior decorating unfolds like a bird of paradise. Of the money Dorian's managed to get his hands on in the city, it's clear that a solid chunk of it has gone straight into creature comforts.]
Can I offer you a drink? Everything's arranged in the master bedroom, so we could relax here for a time, or get right to the main event. [Either way, he knows and intends that there will be some time to catch up a bit along the way.]
Feeling the man sink into their kiss is good. The shy smile Adrian flashes him afterwards is better.]
Not until you're complete. [He chastises playfully, touching briefly under the other man's chin, before escorting him further into the suite. Deeper inside, the Bohemian and sumptuously eclectic nature of the interior decorating unfolds like a bird of paradise. Of the money Dorian's managed to get his hands on in the city, it's clear that a solid chunk of it has gone straight into creature comforts.]
Can I offer you a drink? Everything's arranged in the master bedroom, so we could relax here for a time, or get right to the main event. [Either way, he knows and intends that there will be some time to catch up a bit along the way.]
Edited 2022-12-06 00:16 (UTC)
[ The feeling is mutual. Whereas it might seem rather big-headed to confess, Adrian knows he's something to behold, he's been told as much several times thus far. However, it's one thing to be attractive and stun others with your visage, but it's another thing entirely to find someone who sees and enjoys his refined beauty more than just in a sexual way. Adrian knows he's beautiful, knows that his face and body are appealing to the general masses here, but the way Dorian looks at him, well... It makes him feel timeless, cherished like a favorite art piece even.
And this is all reflected right back at the other man. Adrian sees something in him so beautiful and perfects that he can't quite place his finger on what is it. And he'll be dammed if that doesn't make him all the more alluring to the Dhampir. ]
-Aah... As you wish, Dorian, as you wish.
[ Smiling fondly, feeling that deft finger touch just enough to have Adrian tipping his head back a little. He found he rather liked this; being greeted with a kiss and the soft little touches offered since entering the building. And gosh! What a building it was! Adrian had never seen a place as interesting as this, it was a delight to the sense. The colours, the soft lighting, and the scents that drifted past him, was this paradise he'd been granted entrance to? ]
Mmm, thank you, yes. A drink sounds wonderful. Something to wet the old whistle and get our creative juices flowing I should think.
[ Turning his head to look around while taking a seat, looking to see where this master bedroom might be situated and already wondering about the things Dorian had ready for him. There was a mild sense of trepidation emitting from the Dhampir as his host referred to his inevitable transformation being called the main event. ]
You've put quite some thought into all of this, haven't you, Dorian?
And this is all reflected right back at the other man. Adrian sees something in him so beautiful and perfects that he can't quite place his finger on what is it. And he'll be dammed if that doesn't make him all the more alluring to the Dhampir. ]
-Aah... As you wish, Dorian, as you wish.
[ Smiling fondly, feeling that deft finger touch just enough to have Adrian tipping his head back a little. He found he rather liked this; being greeted with a kiss and the soft little touches offered since entering the building. And gosh! What a building it was! Adrian had never seen a place as interesting as this, it was a delight to the sense. The colours, the soft lighting, and the scents that drifted past him, was this paradise he'd been granted entrance to? ]
Mmm, thank you, yes. A drink sounds wonderful. Something to wet the old whistle and get our creative juices flowing I should think.
[ Turning his head to look around while taking a seat, looking to see where this master bedroom might be situated and already wondering about the things Dorian had ready for him. There was a mild sense of trepidation emitting from the Dhampir as his host referred to his inevitable transformation being called the main event. ]
You've put quite some thought into all of this, haven't you, Dorian?
[Two packages arrive in the post, both wrapped in elegant embossed silver paper with dusk blue bows. The smaller of the two is addressed to Dorian, the writing on the card elegant and looping.]
Much like you, there's more
to this than meets the eye.
Think carefully whether you
wish to be seen or pass unseen
and you may find it to be so.
Best wishes for a full season,
Grayson
[Within the box, resting on midnight velvet, lies a fairly small aquamarine tie pin.
With some experimentation with others, Dorian will find that just by wishing it, when he wears the pin he can draw others' attention to himself or alternately make it less likely anyone sees him. It's not invisibility, and it's not forced. Those of strong will or magical natures themselves may not be affected at all. It works best in crowds than one-on-one.]
Much like you, there's more
to this than meets the eye.
Think carefully whether you
wish to be seen or pass unseen
and you may find it to be so.
Best wishes for a full season,
Grayson
[Within the box, resting on midnight velvet, lies a fairly small aquamarine tie pin.
With some experimentation with others, Dorian will find that just by wishing it, when he wears the pin he can draw others' attention to himself or alternately make it less likely anyone sees him. It's not invisibility, and it's not forced. Those of strong will or magical natures themselves may not be affected at all. It works best in crowds than one-on-one.]
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