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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 26, 2013 22:07:34 GMT -5
"You're absolutely full of clichés," Mallory returned, "but somehow it just makes you more fun." She looked aside with glistening lips and teasing eyes. "You're not bad yourself," she added. He hadn't hesitated for a moment, which she liked, and decided that his reputation as an indiscriminate man-wh~ was both well-deserved and appreciated. It had been far too long since she'd enjoyed herself so thoroughly.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Sept 26, 2013 22:12:20 GMT -5
Mano chuckled and half-shrugged. "The cliches work on most people," he claimed. It was another few moments before he forced his eyes open and looked over at her. His eyebrows creased and he pushed himself up on his elbow to better look at her. "I'm sorry for whatever happened that made you sure people would run away by default." He couldn't imagine living life like that.
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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 26, 2013 22:16:37 GMT -5
"People running away, mostly," Mallory said. "I'll tell you my sob story if you want, but I won't accept pity. I like myself, and a little caution is a small price to pay for the life that made me." And the life she'd made because of it. Her lips curved slyly. "I won't drag out your secrets in repayment this time," she said.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Sept 26, 2013 22:28:58 GMT -5
Mano chuckled a little and looked away. "I didn't think my secrets were very important until tonight," he said. He started to speak again, but stopped himself. Or maybe he was simply unable to admit so much. He knew that he tended to manipulate others and devour their secrets, but it suddenly felt like something he should be ashamed of instead of a natural path. His smile died and his eyebrows knotted together.
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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 26, 2013 22:34:58 GMT -5
Or maybe she wouldn't tell her story after all. She wasn't exactly eager to drag everything out, and he wasn't dying to know like some were. "If you're not into pillow talk, don't worry about it, not everyone is," she said. She exhaled slowly and stretched lazy limbs.
"You could take my shoes off instead," she offered, lifting one shapely leg. "I'd do it myself, but I'm so tired, and I don't think I can move."
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Sept 26, 2013 22:43:13 GMT -5
Mano was certain he had laughed more with Mallory than with the majority of his partners as he chuckled again and pulled himself up. It felt simultaneously like an immense amount of work and like the easiest thing in the world when he shifted himself to get the optimal angle to remove her shoes. His lips sought out whatever smooth skin he could find. "How on earth do you manage to always make a servant of me?" he asked, looking up at her as he slipped off a shoe.
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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 26, 2013 22:53:23 GMT -5
Mallory laughed lightly. "I don't ask you to do anything you wouldn't have done if you'd thought of it yourself," she told him. "If you don't like it I'll play straight, but that's no fun for either of us." Men were far too easy to understand. If she had an advantage, it didn't matter. She had yet to hear any real complaints about the way she played the game.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Sept 26, 2013 22:56:33 GMT -5
Mano eyed her as he kissed a smooth ankle before moving to the other leg. "You are far too much like me," he noted. It was disconcerting, in a way. He rarely dealt with anyone who was on par with him. "At this point I'm not quite sure what I like." Or want, he amended to himself, as thoughts of Eros and Mallory warred with one another.
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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 26, 2013 23:04:41 GMT -5
"I like living," Mallory volunteered. "I want to have fun, and if I regret anything, I don't want it to be that I missed a chance. I'd rather regret trying and failing." She flexed her carefully painted toes and gave a low hum of pleasure at freedom from spiked heels. "Thank you," she murmured.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Sept 26, 2013 23:15:46 GMT -5
"I like learning about people," Mano said, dropping a second shoe over the edge of the bed. "I like knowing what makes people tick. I like learning, in general." That likely wasn't enough. He knew it didn't reach into his own mind. To be honest, the deeper recesses of his mind that he had learned since his fateful discussion with Dare were surprising even to him, and he preferred to keep them hidden. He hadn't even spoken to Eros about them. He moved up Mallory's body to look her in the eye. Or examine her face, whichever interested him most in the moment.
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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 26, 2013 23:23:58 GMT -5
"Too many people ignore what they like," Mallory said. She lifted a hand to toy with a stray curl at Mano's temple. "Too many people stick to what's safe. I think that's what I like least about Society. Everyone's afraid to live." He didn't exactly fit in, which she liked about him, but it made her wonder for a moment about her own intentions. Why did she want into Society? To prove a point?
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Sept 26, 2013 23:41:46 GMT -5
"I use Society," Mano said, wondering as he said it if it was a confession. "I learn." He lifted a hand to brush a lock of hair from Mallory's face. Whatever he learned was squirreled away, no matter who he had learned it from. "It isn't even restricted to Society. I love information." Information is power.
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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 26, 2013 23:46:45 GMT -5
"Then it suits you to have such colorful acquaintances, doesn't it?" Mallory observed. She'd have had nothing to say about Eros if not for the man's choice of date, but there was no question about Michael. "I've never had close friends. People take without giving, and if they don't like what they've taken, they're apt to give it to others. At least you seem to keep things to yourself."
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Sept 26, 2013 23:54:17 GMT -5
Mano smirked and nuzzled briefly into Mallory's neck before calling for a drink from his new elf. It was likely it would give away more to Mallory than it would to his traditional bedmates, but right now he didn't really care. "Close friends and those who provide information are different," he said, rolling himself once more to an unoccupied portion of the bed.
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Post by Mallory Van Rockeghem on Sept 27, 2013 0:20:23 GMT -5
Mallory shifted into a more modest position, even for the appearance of a house-elf. She didn't want to talk about friends anymore, as they were a subject she knew little about and pressing that she'd never had a real friend at all would sound absolutely pathetic. She didn't need such things. She was well enough on her own.
When the elf was gone, she didn't pick up the conversation again. She was more interested in pushing Mano's physical limits, and getting as much out of the night as she possibly could.
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