ic contact

[brushoff]

"Hello. This is Dorian Gray's cellphone. I can't talk right now. Don't forget to leave me a message. If you're interesting, I'll get back to you."

voice, video, text, action
[ certain threads in this post contain nsfw content (sex, blood, violence, etc.) so, you know, don't read them where Gramma can look over your shoulder. just kind of a blanket trigger warning for gore & body horror as well ]

Comments

[brushoff]

Absolutely not, [ Dorian said emphatically, frowning as he does so. This is obviously a sticking point. ] Circumstances aside, my eternal youth is just that: eternal. The only time I managed to look that hideous was when someone tampered with something beyond my control.

[abduxel]

Tampered with what, exactly?

[brushoff]

With my portrait. I met an artist, she tampered with my portrait, I grew old.

[abduxel]

...Your portrait.

[Clearly, he hadn't read the book yet.]

That's a new one.

[brushoff]

[ Dorian...just gives Abduxel a frown. ]

You haven't read the book yet, have you.

[abduxel]

[Caught me.]

I don't get around to reading much.

[brushoff]

Might want to get around to reading this one. But basically? My immortality is conditional. The picture of Dorian Gray, my portrait, takes on all my sins.

[abduxel]

[He raises his eyebrows in an appreciative nod.] Interesting.

I guess it might be less bloody than just watching all your memories myself.

Do you have a copy?

[brushoff]

I've got something better: the original.

[abduxel]

[Abduxel genuinely isn't sure if he means the original book or the original portrait, but since either would be equally acceptable, he smiles anyway.]

You'll have to show me sometime, then, Dorian.

A painting that takes on your sins... I wonder if you aren't accountable for them, either, then. In the afterlife.

[brushoff]

Just give me the date and time. It's stored somewhere safe right now, so I'll have to get it out and bring it back to my place, but I'm fine with whenever.

[abduxel]

[He smiles, tapping his fingers on the table a bit and leaning back.]

You'd really trust some random demon around a painting that can affect your immortality like that?

Hm, you must really like me.

[brushoff]

You'll notice that I haven't told you what people did to the painting to affect my immortality, [ matching Abduxel's smile as he speaks. ]

[abduxel]

Touché.

I'd have no reason to, anyway. I prefer to see you like this.

But your memory was really interesting, last time we crossed paths. Sibyl Vane. [He's only "heard" the name in his mind, so he tries it aloud.] I suppose she's in your book.

[It's probably telling that he didn't focus on the brief flashes of more violent memories - murders and the like - if Dorian has caught on that he saw those quick samples, too. Not that he isn't nosy about those... or that it's surprising a demon wouldn't be easily put-off by sinful behaviours.]

[brushoff]

Surprisingly enough, she is. Most of my memories aren't in my book. But Sibyl, Harry, Basil...hell, even Alan Campbell I suppose. They're all in the book.

[ He didn't know what else Abduxel had seen. Dorian tossed the names out like bait, waiting to see if he took on any of them. ]

[abduxel]

[Abduxel hadn't caught any other names, except Yuri, and so had little context around the rest of them.]

Well if the book isn't exhaustive, you'll just have to tell me in person, won't you.

You've really made the most of your long life, haven't you? Were they all lovers?

[He smiles a little.] Did you get away with it, before modern times - seeing men, I mean? I guess... I can't assume your world was like mine. But people took that all very seriously, where I come from.

[brushoff]

[ There's a pause and a frown. ] I got away with some of it. I've got a remarkable ability to bounce back from scandal—taking a vacation and simply leaving town for a few months helps mend that. But I have to admit, whispered looks and aside glances tended to follow.

[ but then...well, one (supposedly) committed suicide and Dorian killed the other so FUN TIMES ALL AROUND ]

[abduxel]

A tried-and-true ability, it sounds like. Some of my scandal caught up with me. I guess I'm no good at it.

But as for men, I got around that issue by marrying a woman. Seemed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes.

[brushoff]

In modern parlance, they call that a beard, [ said with a smirk. ]

[abduxel]

[He grins.] A "beard." I like that. I was her beard, too. We were on the same page. Really was a match made in Heaven. [Good joke Abduxel]

[brushoff]

How delightfully modern of you to forget about love and marry for convenience.

[abduxel]

What about you?

[He leans forward, elbows on the table, hands under his chin. Nosy bastard.]

Marriage? Love?

[brushoff]

Love? Plenty. None of it lasted, however. [ There's a look that's borderline wistful on Dorian's face. ] Never marriage, though. It's just not my taste.

[abduxel]

How could it last, if you live so long when nobody else does? That's a problem I don't share, assuming I only wanted to seek out other demons. [He says it like that certainly isn't something he wants to do.]

[There's a pause, his eyes studying Dorian.]

But I find other people much more interesting. Like you, for example.

[brushoff]

[ Damn right he's interesting. Dorian's just lapping the attention up. ]

And do you want to know the really interesting part? You've only scratched the surface of just how interesting I am.