homeless.

[ex_effete517]

Am I to be your next plaything, darling mundane?

—then use me passionately, use me up until only the dredges of Dorian Gray remain. But don't make it a half-hearted attempt; there is nothing I can abide less.

And do remember — only by the grace of Fortune and Fate do I walk the path on which I have found myself. Play with neither, and I will place myself into your hands without reservation. Else, if you'd attempt to alter a single brushstroke, I shouldn't think you'll have an easy time of handling me. ( And he smiles, soft and ever-so-sweet. )

Comments

[riskbreaker]

What a surprise. I cannot say that I have ever met any who would willingly submit to the whims of their mundanes.

[ex_effete517]

If one seeks to enrich life with a myriad of experiences, why shouldn't one willingly seek out new opportunities to do so? ( There's a sharpening of his smile. ) I assure you, there is no submitting involved.

[tartanisstylish]

[Forgive him; he's slightly worried he's lost his mind and mostly tremendously excited.]

Dorian Gray, did you say?

[ex_effete517]

( He raises a brow, but his countenance doesn't lose its marble elegance. There are a number of reasons a stranger may know him, not all of them positive. ) I did.

[tartanisstylish]

You -

[Breathe. Be professional.]

Well. Nice to meet you?

[This is entirely unprecedented help]

[ex_effete517]

( His response is a smile, hazy around the edges (these days, Dorian is more often under the influence than not), but no less gracious for it. He has a similar effect on most people, so he doesn't find it strange. ) I would say the same, but we've not yet been properly introduced. Perhaps your name would help to bridge the chasm of anonymity between us?

[tartanisstylish]

Oh. Yes, pardon me. Aziraphale.

[He reaches out his hand for what will inevitably be an awkward handshake on his part. He notes the vagueness of the smile but, for once, does not feel the need to judge. Because this is Dorian Gray.]

[ex_effete517]

( Dorian takes the proffered hand in his; his grip is loose in the handshake, his fingers trail against Aziraphale's wrist when the requisite moment to pull away comes along. It's not conscious on his part — he's been wearing these affectations for so long that it comes as second nature. )

Aziraphale. ( He draws out the name, testing its unfamiliar syllables. ) An unusual name. May I inquire about its origin?

[tartanisstylish]

[He barely reacts, partly because he is oblivious and partly because he is still trying to cope with the fact that Dorian Gray is living and breathing in front of him. He does shiver a bit, though.]

[Cheerfully:] I come from a very religious family.

[ex_effete517]

I don't recall an Aziraphale in the Bible. What grand, saintly act did he perform? ( Of course, "religion" in his Anglican-centered world immediately translates to "Christianity". )

[tartanisstylish]

Oh, I don't know about grand. Certainly not saintly. [He racks his brain. He is not tremendously impressive, he feels.] More a guardian of humanity than anything, I suppose.

[ex_effete517]

A guardian of what, I wonder? Humanity's virtue? I'm afraid your namesake hasn't done much at all. ( Amusement sharpens his manner, casting off the vagueness. )

[tartanisstylish]

I understand why you would think that, and I suppose it can be true on an individual level. [He thinks.] On a broader level, perhaps, he might have been successful.

[ex_effete517]

( He raises a brow. ) A pretty claim. Your evidence?

[tartanisstylish]

Humanity is its own evidence.