[He says it, one brow raised, his expression caught somewhere between curiosity and confusion.]
That's um, like the temples and things, isn't it? Religion?
[His world is such a permissive place, so many different cultures tumbled together, different beliefs mixing and enriching each other rather than battling for control or one upmanship. He's been to some places - far off and distant, isolated - that come a little close to that description, but--]
I haven't seen much of that, if I'm honest. Dangerous zealots.
[he says it, a little sorry he asked. Not because he isn't interested, or finds the topic too distasteful. Just that he wonders whether a subject so dark will be doing anything to lift the other man's mood. Still, one way or another, a distraction is a distraction, isn't it? He knocks back another hefty swig of his own drink.]
Well that's, um. It does sound more extreme than anything I've ever encountered. Tied up with religion anyway. Though...come to think of it, whilst we've had numerous wars and the like there's never been anything quite so intense as anyone trying to wipe out a whole race...
[Little does he know, at this juncture, that back in his own world The Devil intends to erase the boundaries between worlds and throw them all into utter chaos. But that's in his future yet, and as such he has nothing to compare it to.]
[Well, maybe Trevor can give him some pointers if he ends up being enlightened about it. Who knows.
This is, it turns out, too old hat to really be all that distressing to Trevor -- at least as long as they're talking about it abstractly, the way that they are now. He raises his glass to Julian.]
To the good luck of your world, then.
As for things that I like -- sparring? I'm partial to the desserts this place makes.
[And he does, because whilst he may be oblivious to the extent of the disaster looming on his horizon, he knows the plague is returning. Or could be, if he doesn't get back some time or other to find his forgotten cure, to put a stop to it. Perhaps with him trapped here it's already too late, even with Lucio among their number in this place-- he may not understand it, but divergent timelines are a thing he's come to know of since arriving here, since hearing that he isn't even the first iteration of himself to have come. For all he knows his own version of his world is steeped in bloody chaos by now but--
--but. He knocks back the rest of his drink. Pushes such thoughts directly from his mind and focuses on Trevor instead. Focuses on what he can do, here in this moment, rather than what is quite beyond him]
Hah, well. I can't say I've tried them, myself. Don't have much of a sweet tooth, really. And you do have the look of a warrior about you.
[Trevor sets his jaw with a bit of a smirk. Yes, the alcohol is doing well to kick in and dull the edges of the ache that he still feels in his chest -- he'll be able to ignore it for a hair's breadth longer, anyway.]
That's a kind way of saying I look punch-able, isn't it?
[He finishes his drink and sets the empty tumbler on the table, splashing more whiskey into the glass and offering to do the same for Julian, should the other man want the same.]
Not much of a sweet tooth? That's a shame. Although the food here is -- incredible, compared to the moldy bread of Wallachia.
[Julian laughs, bright and warm, entirely genuine.]
As if I'd suggest any such thing. No, my darling, I meant you look strong. Capable. It was supposed to be a compliment.
[He pushes his tumbler forward gratefully as he speaks, always willing - it seems - to indulge.]
And is that so? I'm not um, well I suppose if I'm honest I tend to forget about meals, quite often. Busy, and all that. But the food of my own world was just as good, in some places. Far worse in others. I've lived off ship's biscuits for months at a time on occasion, others dined on lobster bisque and steak tartare within a palace walls. I get around, you could say.
As if I would. And look, I may know my way around a sword fight or a bar room brawl out of necessity, but I'm a lover not a fighter, my dear.
[He says it with a smirk before lifting his freshly-filled glass to his lips, knocking back a deep and satisfying slug.]
And well, no need for that now, eh? Not with your social position.
[Though he says it without rancor nor sign of jealousy. His own situation may not be ideal in some respects - needing permission to make purchases, stuck on minimum wage - it suits him down to the ground in others. All in all, he isn't complaining.]
Still don't know what to do with half the shit this 'social position' comes with. I did manage to make two contracts last night in a drunken stupor, so I guess I'm still as much of an idiot here as I was at home.
[At least at home, the worst he could do was property damage. Here, well -- now he's responsible for the lives of two other living beings, sort of. It's like adopting cats, but worse.]
[Julian gives him a wise-eyed look then, one brow slightly raised...and then, abruptly he laughs.]
Oh my darling, it seems that you're even more impulsive than I am. Two, in one fell swoop! Did you know them prior to contracting, at least?
[Not that he knew his Dominant when he agreed to contract with him, so he doesn't have a leg to stand on should the other man say he contracted with perfect strangers, too.]
[And Trevor joins in on the laugh, because honestly -- what else was he going to do? Fortunately, and something that he tells Julian when he asks...]
I knew one of them beforehand, and they came as something of a set.
[He'll elaborate on it if Julian really wants to, how Shell and Eric remind him more than a little of himself and Adrian -- the reason he doesn't regret helping them out even now when he's sober.]
Part of a set, eh? Well, that's interesting. You'll have your hands full, won't you?
[He says it, flashes a quicksilver grin.]
But um, in all seriousness, I hope it works out well for all of you. I was repeatedly warned that one was better off if one was contracted, for both parties.
[And he lifts his glass in a salute, before taking another hefty swing.]
[And that has Trevor scratching under his skin absently.]
Yeah, that's -- part of the reason I'm not all that worried about taking them both on. They're not going to need much help from me, honestly, other than on paper.
[Or that's the assumption.]
You're contracted then too, one assumes.
[They haven't actually talked much about each other ... at all.]
[An understandable one, all things considered. But then Trevor makes his second comment and Julian laughs again, only a touch self-consciously.]
And one assumes correctly. It was ah, that is to say, I was somewhat impulsive in that regard myself. I um, may have agreed to a contract just a matter of hours after he and I met.
You know, I don't know if that's any less impulsive than contracting Submissives in an alcohol-fueled haze.
[But he's eyeing Julian with a bit more scrutiny, suddenly, because -- yes, he knows what the other man is into, he barely knows him, but that doesn't mean he can tamp down his stupid fucking hero complex. It's gotten worse here, the more sober he gets.]
Perhaps you're right. I'll admit that I may tend to act without thinking, on occasion.
[He admits, and that touch of self-consciousness remains. But he smiles his debonair smile, shakes his head, sending auburn curls tumbling down into his face.]
And whilst your concern is touching, I am all right with the contract. It's going rather better than I imagined it would, actually. I uh, I do like him. Quite a bit.
So neither of us are going to learn our lessons any time soon, then.
[Which is -- funny, really. He finishes his glass with a chuckle, setting his drink down and looking over to Julian. The alcohol is doing its job, keeping him warm and helping his mind stay in the present.]
That's a pity. About your previous home, I mean. Who likes predictability, after all?
[Not Julian, evidently.]
This place is strange and sometimes unpleasant but one has to admit it is interesting. And anywhere can be unpleasant, can't it? I've experienced awful things all over the place. This ah, unusual island doesn't exactly have a monopoly on it.
When that predictability comes in the form of hordes of demons, at least it's -- consistent?
[He turns his head to the side to crack his neck, considering Julian's words.]
Maybe it doesn't, but the scale of it -- that's the worrisome part. It's not just this island, if Veracity was anything to go by. It's this whole damned world, which will be --
[Harder to change and overthrow. It's a depressing thought.]
[But Julian only shrugs-- changing the status quo here, it's not something he's especially interested in. He'd like things to be different, for better options to be made for the people here, better provisions for Submissives without Dominants, a choice of which societal position they take when they come through that door perhaps, or at least an attempt to align one's personality with the position they're afforded.
But the basic structure, submission and dominance-- the truth is he's all for it. Feels more at home here, in many ways, than he ever has anywhere else.]
Perhaps its only truly worrisome when one looks at it with outside eyes. How many things about our own worlds do you think the people born here would question, and disagree with, if they were able to see it? It's ah, well don't get me wrong. This place has deep and enduring problems. There's much here that could be improved, and dramatically so. But so does any system or rule, doesn't it? Or any system at all.
[That's somewhere that the two of them differ, then -- because Trevor is all about free choice in society, especially when the dominant group is so oppressive. He snorts.]
Well, yes. And just like at home, I'm not just going to sit down and watch the rest of the world go to shit because it might not directly effect me.
[He'd -- tried that, all right, and it turned out that had just gotten him a nasty drinking habit and a young-adulthood of deep-seated guilt.]
[Julian nods, slowly. Takes another sip of his drink, daintier this time.]
Well, that's admirable, I suppose. For myself I uh, well I'm not unhappy with the position I've been relegated to. It suits me well enough. Though it's complicated, isn't it? When not every Submissive here is as content to accept their role as I. But um, my work at the clinic. Providing free health care to those who need it most-- that's something I can do, at least.
[And he is going to end up involving himself in finding a vaccine for the SLUT drugs, his form of vigilantism just happens to be the subtle kind.]
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[He says it, one brow raised, his expression caught somewhere between curiosity and confusion.]
That's um, like the temples and things, isn't it? Religion?
[His world is such a permissive place, so many different cultures tumbled together, different beliefs mixing and enriching each other rather than battling for control or one upmanship. He's been to some places - far off and distant, isolated - that come a little close to that description, but--]
I haven't seen much of that, if I'm honest. Dangerous zealots.
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One idiotic bishop decides to kill the wrong doctor for being a "witch", and suddenly Dracula is trying to wipe out the human race.
[This is why nobody wants you to talk, Trevor. He takes a sip of his drink, motioning off to the side with the hand holding the tumbler.]
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[he says it, a little sorry he asked. Not because he isn't interested, or finds the topic too distasteful. Just that he wonders whether a subject so dark will be doing anything to lift the other man's mood. Still, one way or another, a distraction is a distraction, isn't it? He knocks back another hefty swig of his own drink.]
Well that's, um. It does sound more extreme than anything I've ever encountered. Tied up with religion anyway. Though...come to think of it, whilst we've had numerous wars and the like there's never been anything quite so intense as anyone trying to wipe out a whole race...
[Little does he know, at this juncture, that back in his own world The Devil intends to erase the boundaries between worlds and throw them all into utter chaos. But that's in his future yet, and as such he has nothing to compare it to.]
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This is, it turns out, too old hat to really be all that distressing to Trevor -- at least as long as they're talking about it abstractly, the way that they are now. He raises his glass to Julian.]
To the good luck of your world, then.
As for things that I like -- sparring? I'm partial to the desserts this place makes.
[Processed sugar is a trip, Julian.]
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[And he does, because whilst he may be oblivious to the extent of the disaster looming on his horizon, he knows the plague is returning. Or could be, if he doesn't get back some time or other to find his forgotten cure, to put a stop to it. Perhaps with him trapped here it's already too late, even with Lucio among their number in this place-- he may not understand it, but divergent timelines are a thing he's come to know of since arriving here, since hearing that he isn't even the first iteration of himself to have come. For all he knows his own version of his world is steeped in bloody chaos by now but--
--but. He knocks back the rest of his drink. Pushes such thoughts directly from his mind and focuses on Trevor instead. Focuses on what he can do, here in this moment, rather than what is quite beyond him]
Hah, well. I can't say I've tried them, myself. Don't have much of a sweet tooth, really. And you do have the look of a warrior about you.
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That's a kind way of saying I look punch-able, isn't it?
[He finishes his drink and sets the empty tumbler on the table, splashing more whiskey into the glass and offering to do the same for Julian, should the other man want the same.]
Not much of a sweet tooth? That's a shame. Although the food here is -- incredible, compared to the moldy bread of Wallachia.
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As if I'd suggest any such thing. No, my darling, I meant you look strong. Capable. It was supposed to be a compliment.
[He pushes his tumbler forward gratefully as he speaks, always willing - it seems - to indulge.]
And is that so? I'm not um, well I suppose if I'm honest I tend to forget about meals, quite often. Busy, and all that. But the food of my own world was just as good, in some places. Far worse in others. I've lived off ship's biscuits for months at a time on occasion, others dined on lobster bisque and steak tartare within a palace walls. I get around, you could say.
[And here he lifts a brow, quite suggestive.]
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[He laughs, but it's -- well, true. He pours whiskey into Julian's glass and then raises his own to take a drink.]
Ugh, rations. I spent too much time hunting -- and then burning -- my own food to say I have had anything close to fine dining at home.
[Also, he never had the money and the rest of the nobility hated him.]
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[He says it with a smirk before lifting his freshly-filled glass to his lips, knocking back a deep and satisfying slug.]
And well, no need for that now, eh? Not with your social position.
[Though he says it without rancor nor sign of jealousy. His own situation may not be ideal in some respects - needing permission to make purchases, stuck on minimum wage - it suits him down to the ground in others. All in all, he isn't complaining.]
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Still don't know what to do with half the shit this 'social position' comes with. I did manage to make two contracts last night in a drunken stupor, so I guess I'm still as much of an idiot here as I was at home.
[At least at home, the worst he could do was property damage. Here, well -- now he's responsible for the lives of two other living beings, sort of. It's like adopting cats, but worse.]
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Oh my darling, it seems that you're even more impulsive than I am. Two, in one fell swoop! Did you know them prior to contracting, at least?
[Not that he knew his Dominant when he agreed to contract with him, so he doesn't have a leg to stand on should the other man say he contracted with perfect strangers, too.]
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I knew one of them beforehand, and they came as something of a set.
[He'll elaborate on it if Julian really wants to, how Shell and Eric remind him more than a little of himself and Adrian -- the reason he doesn't regret helping them out even now when he's sober.]
It could definitely have been worse.
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[He says it, flashes a quicksilver grin.]
But um, in all seriousness, I hope it works out well for all of you. I was repeatedly warned that one was better off if one was contracted, for both parties.
[And he lifts his glass in a salute, before taking another hefty swing.]
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Yeah, that's -- part of the reason I'm not all that worried about taking them both on. They're not going to need much help from me, honestly, other than on paper.
[Or that's the assumption.]
You're contracted then too, one assumes.
[They haven't actually talked much about each other ... at all.]
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[An understandable one, all things considered. But then Trevor makes his second comment and Julian laughs again, only a touch self-consciously.]
And one assumes correctly. It was ah, that is to say, I was somewhat impulsive in that regard myself. I um, may have agreed to a contract just a matter of hours after he and I met.
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[But he's eyeing Julian with a bit more scrutiny, suddenly, because -- yes, he knows what the other man is into, he barely knows him, but that doesn't mean he can tamp down his stupid fucking hero complex. It's gotten worse here, the more sober he gets.]
But you're all right with the contract?
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[He admits, and that touch of self-consciousness remains. But he smiles his debonair smile, shakes his head, sending auburn curls tumbling down into his face.]
And whilst your concern is touching, I am all right with the contract. It's going rather better than I imagined it would, actually. I uh, I do like him. Quite a bit.
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[Which is -- funny, really. He finishes his glass with a chuckle, setting his drink down and looking over to Julian. The alcohol is doing its job, keeping him warm and helping his mind stay in the present.]
It's probably more fun this way, anyway.
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Oh, definitely more fun. Trouble is always fun, even if it does lead one in some strange directions at times.
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[Getting in trouble in Wallachia inevitably just meant fist fights. Here -- it could be more and less interesting.]
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[Not Julian, evidently.]
This place is strange and sometimes unpleasant but one has to admit it is interesting. And anywhere can be unpleasant, can't it? I've experienced awful things all over the place. This ah, unusual island doesn't exactly have a monopoly on it.
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[He turns his head to the side to crack his neck, considering Julian's words.]
Maybe it doesn't, but the scale of it -- that's the worrisome part. It's not just this island, if Veracity was anything to go by. It's this whole damned world, which will be --
[Harder to change and overthrow. It's a depressing thought.]
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But the basic structure, submission and dominance-- the truth is he's all for it. Feels more at home here, in many ways, than he ever has anywhere else.]
Perhaps its only truly worrisome when one looks at it with outside eyes. How many things about our own worlds do you think the people born here would question, and disagree with, if they were able to see it? It's ah, well don't get me wrong. This place has deep and enduring problems. There's much here that could be improved, and dramatically so. But so does any system or rule, doesn't it? Or any system at all.
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Well, yes. And just like at home, I'm not just going to sit down and watch the rest of the world go to shit because it might not directly effect me.
[He'd -- tried that, all right, and it turned out that had just gotten him a nasty drinking habit and a young-adulthood of deep-seated guilt.]
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Well, that's admirable, I suppose. For myself I uh, well I'm not unhappy with the position I've been relegated to. It suits me well enough. Though it's complicated, isn't it? When not every Submissive here is as content to accept their role as I. But um, my work at the clinic. Providing free health care to those who need it most-- that's something I can do, at least.
[And he is going to end up involving himself in finding a vaccine for the SLUT drugs, his form of vigilantism just happens to be the subtle kind.]
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