brushoff | tlv ic contact

Of course you'd prefer Brighton, [ that comes with a small eyeroll] but I can hardly choose where I was born. Certainly not where I was raised. The point is, there's nothing supernatural about my ability to drive a boat.

Of course I'd prefer Brighton, I have taste. Here, Henry, [ Dorian says, forcibly yanking the man back into the conversation. ] We'll go on a little Enclosure field trip later. Which would you rather go to, a place with a few churches and a hideous IMAX theater or a beach town so lovely that George IV himself spent quite a lot of time there?

[Not only does he have no idea what IMAX is, both places sound absolutely mind-numbingly dull. Despite that, his answer comes out a lot sharper than he anticipated.]

Neither.

[Even Henry recognizes that it was a bit too much, so he scales it back, chalking up his mood to exhaustion.]

But if you force me to choose, I would choose the quieter of the two.

Ha! [ He's not going to harp on it; given how much and how many times Jon tried to escape the place, it's less about any true love for his hometown and much more about needling Dorian a little.

He'll take pity on poor Henry. ]

We're almost back, Henry.

[ He'll lean in a little and murmur quietly- ]

Shall I try to distract Dorian?

[ Dorian pretends not to hear that murmur as he points out, ]

Obviously that means our first trip will be to Brighton so I can prove you wrong. It'll be in the off-season, of course. There won't be that many people.

[He shakes his head at the request. Their talking is distracting - a droning buzzing in his brain that drowns out a song he can't quite capture.]

What is the Enclosure?

[It sounds - a little like where you might put animals.]

[ Jon is watching him a little more carefully after that before- ]

The Enclosure is a space on board where you can program it to go just about anywhere. I don't use it much myself, but many people on board find it very helpful to combat feeling, well... trapped.

Whereas I probably use it more often than others, [ he shrugs. ] I don't like being stuck on a ship like this, crammed in tight with the same bloody people that I see every bloody day. Back home, I'd spend months traveling. So when I feel the urge to kill one of my coworkers, I go over to the Enclosure, set it to some place I've never been, and explore.

[Well, that's interesting, but only slightly. He's not really sure how that would make him feel, but he's curious enough to try.

But not on their terms

The dock turns to the Barge's deck under his feet and he finally looks up, pulling away from them both with a stumble.]

I can make it from here on my own.

Edited 2022-09-26 15:32 (UTC)

...are you sure, Henry?

[ Quieter. The 'discussion' is very much a separate thing, but the stumble has him concerned. ]

[ Dorian goes quiet, waiting for Henry to answer Jon's question. After all, a part of him wants to see how Henry responds. ]

Yes, I'm fine. [He snaps that part again, waving them away.]

I can walk.

[To prove it, he heads for the door on his own, intent on just sleeping for the next three days.]

[ Jon will just nod and back away, giving him his space and no longer questioning him. It's obvious from his face; he's concerned about him. More than just about the weakness and fatigue. ]

I'll bother you later! [ Dorian calls out, in a sing-song voice. It's only when Henry's out of earshot that he sighs, the devil-may-care attitude slipping away to reveal something a little bit more level. ]

It's a damn shame that temporary wardens can't change their inmate's powers. If I could remove that little condition that makes him pass the hell out every time he goes into someone's mind, I would.

[ He glances over at Dorian. ]

I'm more concerned about what may have slipped in while he'd made contact. Did you notice? The rhythm of his steps...

[ Dorian, who doesn't really know what Jon's referencing, shakes his head. ]

You've obviously spotted something I didn't. What was it?

Hopefully, nothing. And I'm just... seeing what isn't there.

[ He glances over at Dorian. ]

Keep an eye on him, though. Especially if his irritability doesn't fade at all, or gets worse.

[ Dorian nods. ]

To be fair, he's seemed like an irritable bastard ever since we first met. But I can do that much. He needs an eye on him no matter what anyway.

[ He tilts his head before glancing at Dorian. ]

You elicit strong responses, Dorian. [ A little more gently. ] And he's been pushed around by a supposedly 'loving' authority figure before.

[ His shoulders drop a little. ]

I, on the other hand, could probably have used a little more guidance. But such is life.

That's where we differ, [ Dorian dryly responds, as he goes to fish out a cigarette from his pockets. ] In no universe can I be called 'loving.'

[ That is a withering look. ]

Oh fuck off, Dorian.

[ But he's looking for his lighter and he'll offer it soon enough. ]

What? You know that's the truth. [ Dorian will happily take the offer of a light as he continues to be a pretentious asshole. ]

Loving is...different for something like me. It's so impermanent.

Something like you?

[ A faint snort. ]

You're still a person, Dorian. Don't be that dramatic.

[ sorry Jon, his natural state of being is dramatic. ]

I'm the ship of Theseus at this point. I haven't been a person, not like others think, for over a hundred years.

A fine point if we were discussing your humanity or your status as a human being, but as we're talking about personhood, you're just being dramatic.

[ He'll light one for himself as well, once he finds his own pack. ]

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