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[brushoff]

"You've reached the inbox of one Dorian Gray. Don't forget to leave me a message. If you're interesting, I'll get back to you."

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[crab_rangoon]

"Darling, I know exactly what she's capable of. It isn't pretty, but I do know what to look out for."

He reaches over to take Dorian's wrist. "What are you worried about? Truly?"

[brushoff]

There's a pause before Dorian sighs,

"Everything? Honestly, at the moment I think I just need an inmate. Someone to focus all my time and attention on so that I don't get bored."

Because Dorian knows that when he's bored, that's when he makes poor choices.

[crab_rangoon]

"Ah yes. Trixie took yours away from you."

He takes another drink and his touch turns softer on his wrist. "You need a hobby."

[brushoff]

"I have plenty of hobbies," Dorian corrects. "What I need is something new."

[crab_rangoon]

"You came back from a trip with Trixie, showing her so many new things. You can't simply take a few weeks off?" he laughs.

But he knows Dorian.

[brushoff]

Dorian lets out a little laugh, shaking his head before,

"I think with hindsight, the Trixie trip was different. I don't want to be one of those people who vanishes from the Barge and goes on a little vacation the moment things get hard or boring."

[crab_rangoon]

"You don't want to be, but now you're causing problems because things are boring," he points out.

[brushoff]

"I mean let's be real, I'm going to cause problems just by existing," Dorian points out, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Even if I wasn't trying to bait Misty, there would have been a few things I mentioned that she'd take offense with."

[crab_rangoon]

"Maybe, but at least you can admit that you did it for the sole reason of riling her up."

Another drink and he moves off of the chair, walking idly through his rooms.

[brushoff]

Dorian adjusts his position so that he can watch Pagan as he wanders through the room.

"I'm troublesome, but at least I realize it."

[crab_rangoon]

He looks over his shoulder. "You realize it but do nothing to curb that impulse. Dorian.."

[brushoff]

"I never said I was a good person," he shrugs. Besides, sometimes causing trouble is fun!

[crab_rangoon]

He finishes his drink, setting it aside. "You are a good person, Dorian. Even if you don't see it."

Leaning forward, he drapes his hands between his knees. "That was all I needed to figure out from you."

[brushoff]

"Why do I somehow feel like I failed a test I wasn't aware of?" Dorian points out, little frown on his face. He walks over to Pagan so he can sit close to the man, leaning over to rest his head against his shoulders.

"You're making me feel like a truant schoolboy."

[crab_rangoon]

He leans his head against Dorian's and then takes his hand. "You didn't fail and there was no test. You know me too well for that. But this whole fucking ordeal has me - thinking, I suppose. Not about you, but what the fuck I'm doing here."

He takes his hand. "I was going to go back to my room, but I can stay, if you want."

[brushoff]

There's a pause before Dorian asks, "Is this about what I told Misty? About why wardens are on the ship?"

Nobody was here for altruistic reasons. They were here because they wanted something or were scared to return home. Dorian will still hold true to that maxim. But it does make him wonder: what the fuck is Pagan doing here?

[crab_rangoon]

"I can't read what you reply with. Only what she says. What did you say?"

He pulls away, but only so he can look at him properly.

[brushoff]

Dorian frowns for a moment, putting his words in order before,

"I don't think truly altruistic people exist. Nobody's selfless. At it's core, every action that people make is driven by something selfish. Misty thinks it's not about the job or the deal for you. I told her I think she's wrong. I told her that every warden on the ship is either here because they want something or they're too scared to return home. Nobody signs up on this ship just to help."

[crab_rangoon]

"Ah. Dorian, you're right. No one signs up to fucking help." He reaches up to cup his face. "But they stay to do so. Would you have left Trixie here, helpless and by herself and still fucking dead, if the Admiral wasn't able to deliver your deal?"

[brushoff]

"Trixie? No. Someone else? Possibly."

[crab_rangoon]

"I'm not arguing someone else. I'm saying Trixie. And I would do the same for Misty."

He reaches over to squeeze his hand.

[brushoff]

Dorian gives Pagan's hand a small squeeze as well. There's a pause before he sighs, "We're both huge saps, aren't we."

[crab_rangoon]

"Indeed we are. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't acknowledge it sometimes."

He pats his hand.

[brushoff]

"Only in the privacy of our rooms," he teases. "I don't want anyone else to know that Dorian Gray has feelings."

[crab_rangoon]

"God forbid," he laughs, standing up to take his glass back to the kitchen. "Behind closed doors, you can be the biggest goddamn sap that you want."