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[Behold. This is not your everyday pleasant, charming, and well-spoken Dorian, noooo -- say hello to your not-so-friendly neighborhood irascible Dorian. He’s not above sarcasm and friendly banter, but short tempered is rare for someone so practical and cordial…and yet.]

So we’re the bad guys, the root of all suffering and evil blah, blah, blah…now where have I heard this tune before? Oh right, partiality as old as the Maker himself…and yet they’re not above lying, manipulating, torture, brutality, and theft [theft gets its own special emphasis for very specific reasons] they don’t kill, they don’t imprison, such unique little snowflakes they are. I’m certainly not seeing any of their own in here for transgressions committed, because they’ve been flawless hosts I suspect. Venhedis kaffan vas.

[He’s so irritated that it’s difficult to tease his sarcasm apart from his true irritation.]

Of course, I could be wrong, the little pack of Savrii that assaulted me unprovoked could have been a fever dream, it’s possible. Not bloody likely. But possible.

[So what’s brought on so much agitation? Well, for anyone who knows the mage, they know he’s something of a drunkard and a drunkard without wine is being forced to dry out. Right now, he’s only agitated…small mercies.]

As an aside has anyone taken stock of all of our resources, they’re still feeding us and supplying us with some things, yes? I need more than that to keep myself occupied -- books, cards, music, writing materials…any-bloody-thing really.

[His voice isn't shaking at all.]

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[ Venom has no idea what it means for Dorian to be without magic, but he can hazard a guess: like being without a limb, breathing with only one lung. Maybe something more visceral— who knows?

But he can also tell that Dorian didn't ask Venom to be here just to lick his wounds. Everyone is entitled to their complains (god knows Venom has them too), but to be treated like someone who can't function... well.

If there's one thing Venom can't stand either, it's that. He knows Dorian feels it in spades. ]

As far as problems go, you're low on the list. [ A light half-laugh, dry but sincere. ] I was gonna check in, anyway.

[ "Whether Dorian needed it or not" goes without saying. Maybe Venom is fine with the company, you know!!! ]

Speak up if you need someone to stick a finger down your throat. [ A light hum. ] I'm not so bad at it.

[ He used to be a medic, don'cha know. It's gotten to the juncture that Venom can afford to be self-deprecating about the identity that he doesn't remember; he's too tired to care. ]

[There is an odd feeling attached to losing magic, certainly. As most mages who lose their magic in his world tend to be tranquil Dorian has very polarizing feelings about that...being made emotionless, being cut off from your dreams when mages have such lucid dreams. Nothing matters. You object to nothing. It's terrible to think about it and perhaps there is something residual in knowing what happens to the tranquil.

For Dorian it isn't quite the same, he wasn't tranquil, but there was an obvious disconnect from his magic that also impacted his mood. It might have been akin to losing a limb or an empty feeling, a sensation of loss. This on top of being forced to dry out with his belongings having been taken from him didn't put Dorian in the best of places and he felt like it was becoming a bad recurring theme recently, it was...unacceptable. His two ambitions in life? To be quite heroic and look dashing in the process, but at the moment he felt like neither one of these things had been working for him.

His pride was having a great deal of difficulty reconciling it.]

Good to know I'm in your thoughts that's...something...I don't know what, but it's something. Gives me a light tingly feeling though, I suspect that's happiness.

[Dorian is trying to go for light humor here, not working out terribly well, but he's trying.]

If I need...[Dorian makes a sound that's between a laugh and choking on his water]...I'm not completely certain I can follow this line of conversation to a less than mature conclusion.

[Not that Dorian can recall ever having someone stick their finger down his throat.]

Much as I enjoy talking about myself, I'm a bit tired of it...surprise, surprise...I...how are you holding up?

[ Dorian's told Venom about the implications of being 'tranquil', and none of them are particularly good. Both the lack of something that you'd been born having and the baggage behind not having it are likely to put a damper on things (understatement); there's really no wonder why Dorian is restless. Nauseous.

It's not something Venom is going to hold against Dorian, but it's also not something he's going to consistently reinforce. There's something in the air here that makes his empathetic intuitions more honed, and he only needs to close his eye for a split second to feel the discomfort flowing out of his companion in waves.

Trying to be upright is always such a struggle. ]

Medics back in my world weren't always as polite as your potions. [ When Venom opens his mouth again, it's with a sense of fond detachment; like reading a passage out of a book he's read many, many times. ] Take my word for it when I say that they'd find a way to ruin the concept of fingers in your mouth.

[ And— well. See, Venom can have a sense of humor too.

But he stops before he answers the question, waving aside his pretenses to formulate something honest. ]

I've been better. [ 'Fine' is such a dismissive word to use, after all. ] Same as you. Trying to find ways to keep myself out of my own head.

[It's true that the idea of tranquility is enough to drive Dorian mad on it's own, it's something no one should have to endure and it bothers him not having his magic, but the other side of it is that Dorian has nothing to drink. Well...no alcohol to drink, and that is the main contributor to his nausea and his temperment at them moment, the fact that he doesn't have his magic just offers him some additional reasons.

Regardless, Dorian would have to find some way to repay Ahab for this, the man is truly solid and the mage has never seen him come undone, as if there wasn't a single situation he couldn't handle. He often wondered if it was because the man just pushed it all down for the sake of everyone else, but how would he even be able to tell?]

Most healers I've ever known were mage healers, I've never actually had the pleasure...or displeasure of being treated by medic before. Unless I counted you [Because Ahab is one of the few that Dorian has allowed to physically treat him physically.] hm...you were as gentle as you could possibly be. So fortunately my finger fantasies will remain intact for the time being.

[Unless something awful happens while he's in here, so he's not certain, but a certain amount of levity is required. When things get so bloody serious you can't even take a piss...Dorian begins having issues.]

I suppose everyone is having a bad time of it due to our situation...anything in particular troubling you? [But as Dorian had only seen a well put together Ahab, he couldn't help but to wonder if something else was on his mind.] Hm, well I could always sing to you, that's how Kazuhira is helping me cope anyway.

[ Finger fantasies. Dorian doesn't know the half of it— there are some things that even a healthy dose of brainwashing and mindwiping can't eliminate, and that's Venom's distinct ability to strum someone with just his index and middle.

That said— lewd, man. (He might look vaguely amused.) ]

Never had anyone give you a neck massage?

[ It's a good way to mix pain and recreation, and a way for Venom to prove his point (massages can hurt) while keeping some of Dorian's fantasies intact. It is, incidentally, also a great way to relieve tension.

Thank god Venom still knows his pressure points. ]

...As long as I keep myself busy, I'll be alright. [ These are paltry context cues, Venom is aware: "keep out of my own head" and "need to keep busy" mostly imply that he can't trust himself when he stays still, and a glimmer of malaise spreads over Venom's expression for a fraction of a second. Uncertainty mixed with paranoia.

He recovers, but not completely. ] What song did Kaz teach you?

[It's nice to know that Ahab still has some of his own inherent traits that are unique to him as an individual and the ability to strum a person with just two fingers is a talent that Dorian would have to admit to surpassing magic. It's certainly not a talent that he possesses, granted he has other abilities that are lewd, but he only makes allusions to these gifts in polite conversation.

Not that he's beyond impolite conversations either if it's one-to-one conversations.]

I cannot say that I have, feet, of course as it isn't considered particularly intimate and when you spend all day on floor debates it's something you attend to more I suppose. [Other than that, not really. Dorian's exploits were plenty, to be certain, falling into a semi-discreet territory, he also knew what he liked, but there wasn't always time to explore every avenue. As for a massage being an everyday activity, most people tended to be somewhat reserved when it came to anything other than their feet and hands.

It was polite society, or perhaps incredibly reserved? Dorian wasn't a poster child any means, but he had his own brand of subtlety ingrained into his being.]

I...think I know what you mean. [Not that he's sure what's going on in Ahab's head, he's only certain that no one can truly know what's happening inside of another person, but keeping busy? He understood this and he understood the implications of it.

So when the topic came around to something that wasn't focused on his companion, the mage ran with it.] Ah, well, to alleviate our boredom we wrote something ourselves going with his modern sensibilities in music and using my voice as he professes to be a terrible singer. We both understand music, so that helps.

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i thought i responded to this for some reason

dw, me literally every day....

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