[Him not having her go first makes it a little harder to indulge in exhilarated theorizing about whether or not this is a trap, but she'll do her best anyway.]
Of course they liked me, [ he shrugs. ] I sold them cocaine.
[ The attic is much the same as it was last time. However, Dorian's portrait is there. It's a hideous, old thing, a painting of a man riddled with age and covered in wounds. It sneers at Misty with a terrible expression.
Dorian doesn't say anything about the portrait. He lets Misty ask the questions. ]
[Any other thing she might have said leaves her brain (for now, anyway). Slowly, she approaches the portrait: studying the front, and then circling it, checking around its back.]
You know, I never actually read the book.
[But she remembers Natalie mentioning it, so--]
You aren't afraid I'm going to do something to it?
[ Buddy, that's a little worrying. What's also worrying is the way that Dorian looks at the portrait, taking in it's every aspect, as if entranced or drawn in by a spell. ]
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I was a banker back in the 2000s. I felt that way about all of my coworkers. I was Dorian Gray, immortal and famous hedonist. They were just...normal.
[ He pulls down the hatch for his attic. He goes up first before gesturing for Misty to follow him. ]
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And did your coworkers like you?
I can't imagine you working at a bank.
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[ The attic is much the same as it was last time. However, Dorian's portrait is there. It's a hideous, old thing, a painting of a man riddled with age and covered in wounds. It sneers at Misty with a terrible expression.
Dorian doesn't say anything about the portrait. He lets Misty ask the questions. ]
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You know, I never actually read the book.
[But she remembers Natalie mentioning it, so--]
You aren't afraid I'm going to do something to it?
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I do a lot of things that piss Pagan off.
How many people know about this?
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I'm Dorian Gray, Misty. As in 'the picture of.' My portrait isn't a secret. However, only a few people have actually seen it.
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Why?
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Instead, he shrugs a little before pointing out, ]
Because, despite what you accused me of at the start of all this, I do enjoy your company.
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[She comes to a stop back at the front of the portrait, facing it directly and crossing her arms over her chest.]
I'm not planning to do a thing to it, by the way.
How often do you come and look at it? Oh, and where did you put it when you brought me and Nat up?
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[ Buddy, that's a little worrying. What's also worrying is the way that Dorian looks at the portrait, taking in it's every aspect, as if entranced or drawn in by a spell. ]
And I left it at Pagan's for that evening.
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You really love it, don't you.
["Love" may very well be the wrong word, but it's how Misty - twisted, screw-loose Misty - interprets it.]
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[ He says that dryly, as if he's trying to convince himself or he's privy to a terrible joke. ]
So yes, I suppose I do love it.
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[Honing in!]
The book, people recognizing you, feeling like you're being told who to be...
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[She says it offhandedly, seemingly addressing the painting rather than Dorian himself.]
Well! Kind of. I'm in it, but it's all speculation, really.
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[She smiles a little.]
It's hilarious.
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But I'm curious. One, how long were you girls out there anyway? And two, how many details did they get wrong?
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[And that conspicuous lack of detail is just about all the detail that she'll give.]
We were out there for nineteen months.
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I imagine the press tour when you were rescued was horrendous.
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