agogelogs | now we get a rude and a reckless

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now we get a rude and a reckless

WHO? John Constantine and Dorian Pavus
WHAT? WINE HEIST!!!
WHEN? some vague time between the brag parties and arena stuff
ANYTHING ELSE? Decisions fueled by alcohol to get more alcohol. What could possibly go wrong?

[The idea had come from one of the many nights of recovering from the daily posturing. Sure, John could play the game and play it well, but the proper type wasn't who he was in the slightest. Wouldn't it be nice, he'd mused aloud idly, if most nights could be like the current one: enjoying company at his leisure, taking to the wine as if there were no need for rations.

That's when it struck. With a much larger supply, rations wouldn't hold nearly as much weight. So the solution was simple, restock their storage spaces with as much alcohol possible. While at the House Jankeh party John had been careful to keep his ears open for any chatter that might be useful. One of the select details he'd overheard involved an Aranean with an extensive cellar. Simply breaking to steal the wine wouldn't do. They'd be sniffed out, caught instantly. But if the spiders were otherwise distracted even two magic types might be able to slip in and out undetected.

Thankfully the creatures always seem to be hosting parties of some sort, which means an open door, swifter access through hallways, but far more beings to avoid. The idea was impulsive on John's part, and he was almost surprised that Dorian had agreed to it. Yet here they both stand, outside the Aranean's residence in the shadows of a side wall.]

You ready to do this, mate? [John grins with excitement, giving Dorian a swat on the side of his arm.] If you want to turn around now you can still say no. [It would be the wrong answer, but he could.]

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[To be perfectly honest, Dorian himself was not surprised that he agreed to this, he was a drunkard admittedly, even though he functioned quite well in life he was a sucker for fine wine, but he also had a secret fondness for beer and other spirits. He would even drink swill as long as the alcohol content was adequate, which, in the case of their usual lodgings the swill did not have the same inebriating effect Dorian required in his drinks. So sneaking past some spiders, into a cellar to swipe some wine or other alcohol that probably wouldn't be missed? What was the harm?

No one said it was a healthy, but supplies were limited, even Dorian's, and this was an opportunity that could not afford squandering. Dorian even decided to dress for the occasion by wearing the COST uniform. Not because he wanted to, but because he didn't want to stand out. His usual clothing had enough color and enough shiny bits about it to be eye-catching and while he liked that ordinarily, when stealing alcohol one did not wish to stand out quite as much. A price he was willing to pay. He was even very careful about masking his staff as much as possible so that it looked less like an eerie magical conduit and more like a spear that had been wrapped up and had an odd, bulbous end. Not too eye catching.]

I'm offended you would ask. [Dorian might not have the same abilities of subterfuge as John, but he had some skills.] If I could get into Josephine's wine cellar and sneak out more wine than she could keep track of, this should be a breeze. [In fact the lady ambassador only detected 14 of his thefts, where his count was quite a bit higher and it had taken her some time to realize that even those bottles had gone missing. Dorian was highly motivated after all.]

We'll have no troubles then. [The hand drags away from Dorian's arm John tilts his head toward the house.] Unfortunately it seems as if any cloaking or illusion spells are out, they'll only sniff those too. I've seen you dance, I trust that you can step lightly.

[John likewise wears the COST uniform and is slightly resentful about it. He doesn't want to stand out of course, but this isn't a mission on behalf of COST. This is his own. He's not taking directives from them and they certainly won't be reaping any of the benefits of his efforts.

Having played the stealth game many times before, John moves quickly up the front steps to the house, keeping to the shadows. Once inside he moves to hide against a wall, the immediate barrier between the front door and bright lights of the party. The wall surrounds either side of an archway leading deeper into the house, an obstacle they'll have to face in reaching the cellar and pray they don't get caught in the spotlight.

Just as Dorian follows behind him, a spider begins skittering on the other side of the archway. Acting on instinct John reaches forward and grabs the other man by his clothes, yanking him hurriedly against the wall also to avoid detection.]

I only wish this were my first time sneaking around strange places where at any moment I might be accosted large spiders. [Dorian only laments that in recent history he's never gone anywhere where there are normal sized spiders, even the Nightmare demon was a Brobdingnagian beast of a spider simply because most people had a fear of or some kind of aversion towards spiders. Dorian certainly did and being here didn't really help all that much, but fortunately he could keep his aversions carefully bottled up.] Granted, some non-magic-magic would come in handy right about now. A bee or pitch grenade...

[Still, this is John's show, Dorian's here for the wine and as the backup, John's assets are too generous for Dorian to lose and with great risk comes great reward as they say...though that tends to apply to those who are prepared. They've steeled their nerves and decided to pragmatically wing it, cognizant enough to wear clothing they didn't particularly like so as not to draw attention or suspicion. If that isn't prepared, the Altus had no idea what could possibly pass for better. Though Dorian is not a rogue by far, he can still follow John easily enough and...honestly he would make an excellent rogue, but he's not going to let unimportant details distract from focusing on John's lead.

The only thing that has Dorian on edge is the lacking escape routes, in his experience cellars were normally confined places with few means of coming and going. Usually there was just the one. It keeps him aware of his surroundings, but John is clearly quicker on the draw so he's not surprised to find himself yanked against the wall, further into the shadows as the sound of several legs bait jerkily across the surface of the floor. He knows better than to give his gratitude or to even breathe loudly, so he simply turns his head in John's direction, gray eyes making out the vague shape of the man, just a bit of acknowledgment as his praise.

Well, so far so good, but they haven't reached the cellar yet, so they are not even halfway done with this little stealth mission.]

[John wishes there was time now to hear about previous spider encounters. He's seen and encountered creatures beyond the realm of earth, but actual overgrown spiders? If John weren't currently living it the idea would sound like something out of a movie. Living it more than once is borderline unreal. That will have to be something asked about later.

As Dorian is pulled into the shadows, John catches his gaze, giving the other man a nod of acknowledgement. Now that he has Dorian's attention, there's the next matter at hand. He points to their right at the nearest side wall. From there there's a choice to make: descend down a set of stairs or follow an unlit hallway deeper into the house. It was now when he wished they'd done better recon, which would have been any at all. But this was their best chance at slipping into the cellar. Another opportunity might not come at all.

John holds out an open palm to the stairs, then to the hallway, silently asking Dorian his opinion on where they should go next.]

[What about dragon's John? Spiders are bad enough, but a dragon is the perfect way to ruin your day, some people think they are majestic creatures. They've never seen a pile of dragon shit bigger than their house, but he could regale John with the tales of the many beasts from his world once they've come out of this rewarded.

For now he'll take in their options, Dorian preferred semi-darkness in these situations, like most of the rooms in the Winter Palace, illuminated by moonlight and a few decorative cressets lit high on the wall casting many shadows but enabling you to see your feet. Their two option provided no real middle ground, there was either the well lit stairwell or the dark hall where they could barely see their fee let alone what potential threats there might be.

Dorian didn't like that, he might have liked it better if he could see more, but the inability to do so would have one or both of them using magic to better assess their surroundings. That would call down any nearby Spider people almost immediately.

Conversely a well lit stairwell made them a more visible target but no magic, they could clearly see their surroundings, might even be able to take in any possible means of escape. Of the evils available, it seemed the lesser of the two and while he wrinkled his nose at both prospects he still gestured towards the stairs. He kept his movements slow and as near to the wall as possible, close to John, obviously, and silences...which was arguably the most difficult part here.]

[John has beheaded a demon that took the form of something like a dragon, does that count? He didn't exactly have a chat with it beforehand to know if bodily functions remained the same.

He notes Dorian taking the choices into careful consideration, a good sign. After the selection is made John inclines his head in the direction of the stairwell to indicate that he understands. He notes the displeased look on Dorian's face an shrugs as if to say 'what can you do?' He's not going to apologize for a house, but they'll make the best of it. As they walk along the wall one in front of the other, John's hand drifts back, brushing against the fabric of Dorian's uniform for confirmation that he is following closely.

As they grow nearer to the stairwell the physical confirmation becomes less necessary. Light illuminates shadow and for the moment two magical snacks are left completely exposed should any Aranean happen to pass by. They need to move quickly, but there is one perk of the thing. John turns, indulging himself in a glimpse of Dorian and a quick touch to his face before things grow dark again. In an uncertain situation, he appreciates having a constant in Dorian's mustache efforts.

There's only room on the narrow spiral stairwell to allow for moving single file. John takes the lead, obviously, and does his best to step with haste. Upon reaching the bottom he can make out a wide expanse of an empty room with what look like promising barrels on the distant other side. With greed on his mind and a gleam in his eye John takes off in a run... and activates a series of arrows that shoot from either side of the wall. He immediately shuffles away, tripping backward in haste and landing on the stone floor.]

Bollocks.

[The jury would be out. A dragon is a dragon based solely on its dragon sized shits.

While there was no helping the house, there was no helping Dorian's concern either about their unfortunate options, only because he would like to be around to drink the alcohol, not because he wanted to retract from the situation. Still, John's hand groping back for him does put his mind at ease and he follows without complaint. It's half tempting to grab his hand, but how terribly sentimental would that be?

That easy feeling becomes less easy once they reach the stairs and they become a couple of beacons standing out under the glaring light...well it might not have been glaring, but compared to the safety of the shadows it felt that way. Dorian's feet were mindful of the stairs, he didn't need to pay attention to know the drop and the space of them and that made it easier for him to turn his head back every now and then just to make sure they were alone.

Turning back to look at John he's mildly surprised when John touches his face, it's brief, and it takes several moments for Dorian to digest the moment something that causes his stomach to do an odd little flip he doesn't recognize. He's not entirely certain why this particular touch stirred him, but he found himself drinking in John just moments before they stepped off of the stairs and back into the darkness. The darkness was a relief, but he wasn't as quick to drop his guard even when he saw the barrels of what he presumed to be alcohol.

Self-preservation was an instinct that overtook all others and it gave him a shrewd kind of caution in such a spacious room which he was right to have given John's kid-in-a-candy-shop enthusiasm upon seeing the barrels. Spacious rooms had their own challenges and even though they were cloaked in the darkness the openness left them vulnerable. Something that became very apparent when his eager partner in crime triggered a trap. Dorian had heard these triggers so many times, he knew the sound that they made, a metallic clink and spring releasing noise and he was quick to use his magic.

It was instinct, and before he even realized what he was doing the room filled with an electric green light and the arrows were bouncing away from John and anything else that might be triggered by John's backwards scrambling. At the moment he couldn't really care all that much about the magic, but he did march towards John, passing through his own barrier to crouch beside him the green light still humming around them.]

Are you hurt?

[The brilliant green light catches John by surprise. Though he's known that Dorian is a mage like himself, the fact remains in some ways they are utterly unlike each other at all. Now for instance. John has his own means of wards and barriers, but they don't act at all in this fashion and certainly not with the same flair. Leave it to Dorian to find the most dramatic way to solve a problem.

The fact remains that neither of them know the extent of the other person's abilities. When it comes to the occult John always wants to learn more and glean every bit of information possible. He'd hoped to see much more of what Dorian could do, but he never intended it to be like this. If the spell triggered what he thought he might, they may both be emptying the contents of their spell books sooner rather than later.

When John looks to Dorian it's with a furrowed brow and beginnings of a frown. It's as if he's on the edge of being displeased, but when he can't quite get there turns the corner to confusion.]

I'm not hurt. But you didn't need to do that. We agreed on no magic unless it was absolutely necessary. This place is gonna be crawling with the nasty buggers sooner rather than later.

Still. [Being upset doesn't suit him and questioning Dorian's methods was more trouble than it was worth. He looks to his companion with a crooked grin of admiration, even in knowing what is to come. Bring them on.] The green, pretty nifty.

[From his sprawled position on the ground John holds out his hand toward Dorian.]

Help a guy up, would you?

With dozens of arrows flying at you, it did seem necessary at the time. [And while they had agreed on no magic, Dorian could only assume any physical threats on their life, that included spiraling headlong into a trap, seemed like a good opportunity to use magic.] If you were turned into a pincushion I would notice you were gone. That might just bitter the wine.

[As surmised, there was really nothing that could be done about it now, they had both mis-stepped and there was no use dwelling on the matter, not if they had to be spider ready which was a clear possibility. He might end up using more magic than he anticipated now that the cat was out of the bag, but there was still time to make themselves ready in the event that they were overrun.

In the meantime Dorian beamed at John just for the flatter, yes, the green magical barrier was pretty nifty wasn't it?] Stay within the area effect of the barrier and you will be untouchable. Any attacks we use will make it out, but nothing will make it inside.

[Just a way for Dorian to reassure John a little bit as he stooped down a little bit to give John a hand up pulling him off of his ass and onto his feet. It was at that point he could hear the familiar skitterings of several eightsome legs not too far off in the distance. That's when Dorian removed the bindings from his staff and began protecting their flanks, additional wards.

The next spell he cast was fire mine, three glyphs that when stepped on would ignite the unfortunate soul unfortunate enough to cross it. The next set of three glyphs was ice mine that acted in much the same was as the fire glyph save for the freezing bit.] Mind you don't step on those, it would be unfortunate.

[As Dorian helps John to his feet John thanks him with an easy "ta." It's a vocalization of gratitude for something as simple as standing but not a word for the actual rescue. On his way up he grips Dorian's hand tightly, gaining further leverage as he braces his opposite hand against Dorian's shoulder. After solidifying his stance on both feet, John detaches himself to stand on his own. From within the barrier he glances to his surroundings, taking in the space and watching the conjuring of the glyphs.

It's then when hindsight comes to rear its head. If he'd bothered to stop for long enough to carve the correct symbols around the entryway the spiders wouldn't be able to come down the stairs and into the cellar even if they wanted to. He readjusts the cross body strap from the sack he has brought to carry some of the loot away. They're here for a reason and spiders or not, neither man was going to leave without some ill-gotten alcohol.

John then lifts his hands between them, directing one open palm to himself and one toward Dorian.]

Operiet nos.

[A swirl of black smoke seems to envelop both men, the cloud coiling from foot to head. Then in a flicker they blink out of sight of one another, completely invisible. John reaches for Dorian in the void, remembering the previous touch to his shoulder. When he makes contact he turns himself to face the other mage, even though they can't currently see each other, and touches his hand to the opposite shoulder. As he looks toward where he remembers Dorian's line of sight to be, they both flicker into a faded images of themselves, visible only to each other.]

To anyone and anything else, we're completely invisible. I realize that the spiders can still smell and hear us, but we've got to take any advantage we can, right?

[The first pointed steps begin to make their way down the stairs.]

Are you ready?

[Hindsight was 20/20 and as neither of them could have anticipated using magic or why anyone would want to lay down traps in a wine cellar, then they had to make the best of the situation at hand. Although it was a curious thing, usually traps were reserved for things of importance or things that were quite valuable...so unless this was important wine or valuable wine Dorian couldn't help wondering if there wasn't something else down here worth protecting. He's not about to think too hard about it, especially when they had other, more important matters to attend to -- like incoming spider people and how they were going to grab their wine and get out of this...and once they have where were they going to hide it?

Details to be discussed later. Right now he was interested in the spell John was working on the both of them, not something he'd seen mages do...but rogues had a talent for temporary invisibility. What really caught his attention were the words, granted now wasn't the time to have a long-winded chat, but he would have to see how much of this language John knew later.]

Well, with any luck they'll be too concerned with not dying by magic to put much effort into their other senses. [Dorian offered John a crooked half-grin, and with any luck the magic would also mask their movement, it does make some noise after all.] More importantly, how long does this spell hold? If we take down the spiders, get what we came here for, and get back to our quarters without being seen well that would make things easier.

[Also...they probably wouldn't have needed to sneak around quite as much, but hindsight and not using magic and all. Dorian was more concerned with getting the both of them out of this and if they managed to get off with some wine all the better.]

I'm as ready as I'll ever be. [He pulled his staff off of its shoulder strap and spun it singlehandedly like an expert with a bo, after all a staff was as much of a weapon as it was a conduit, the stabby bit on the bottom wasn't exactly a show piece.]

The spell will hold until I release it. [John winces a little, likewise knowing that a cloaking spell would have been beneficial to have even before they stepped foot into the house.] I'm usually much better prepared than this.

[Even with the steps growing more and more near John can't help but return return Dorian's crooked smile. Even through mistakes and missteps, it was going to be alright. Both mages were smart, talented, and quick to adapt to a situation. This was only a minor obstacle in their plan. A... minor obstacle with multiple legs and a desire to consume them, but still. Minor enough. When this is all over they'll have more wine than they know what to do with and an almost unbelievable story to tell.

When Dorian readies himself, so does John, conjuring a fireball in hand and fueling it to grow larger and larger in size. When the first Aranean makes its way down the steps, John takes aim and hurls the flame squarely in the middle of the spider. When it drops the spider's company filters down the stairs and into the cellar, stepping over and around the dropped spider. Including the now dead one there are eight in total. How cute.

Though the spider on the stairs seems to be (at least for now) neglected by its friends, but John hasn't forgotten. He points his hand toward the dead Aranean, declaring in a loud, almost booming voice:]

Reconcilio recuperatio, vivet. Vescaris.

[The necromancy spell causes the spider to rise with a shudder, before moving directly toward one of its former friends. The reanimated spider raises a sharp front leg, aiming to drive it directly toward the other spider's innards.]

So am I. Considering how much I enjoy living. [Dorian offered, knowing their concern with reward left them both a little unprepared, but even as unprepared as they are they are still quite good on their feet.] Besides, we vowed not to use magic unless necessary...so it cannot be helped.

[Being consumed would make it more difficult to wine, that's true, probably best they they both has some modicum of talent. Talent that Dorian is keen to quickly observe. He's impressed, naturally, though mages in his homeland rarely use any sort of incantation John's use of magic is still as impressive as any and perhaps even most mages he knows. Not all mages have confidence in their abilities and not all mages had the talent for magic. This mostly applied to southern mages who were taught that there was something inherently evil about their magic and about who they were in general.

He could appreciate another mage with a flare for magic proudly using their skills, especially when those skills involved killing their enemy and reanimating the creature to use against their own allies. So necromancy was it? It was a lonely specialization in his world as even most mages thought of it as taboo. So seeing necromancy expressed in John was momentarily distracting, but only momentarily, as there were more problems heading their way and each one had eight legs.

Dorian hasn't had the opportunity to fight one of these creatures before so gauging their strengths, their weaknesses, and how well they stood against magic would be a matter of trial and error. At least they were about to find out as the room would soon become a war zone for magic. And it would be as Dorian cast his next spell to control the crowd, he was careful to assure that a good number of the spiders were crowded together and that John was well out of the way before casting it otherwise he would get sucked in by the spell as though it had its own gravitational force. In a way static cage did have its own pull. An electrical sphere that shot out tendrils of electricity pulling nearby enemies in and holding them in a single space while they were repeatedly shocked. It was a drain on his mana, but fortunately Dorian's staff came with a spirit rune so he could still fire spirit energy as well.

Coupling blasts of energy with this electrical attack would, hopefully, have the damaging effect required to incapacitate most of their enemies while John dealt with the rest.]

[John's never had an issue with feeling anything close to shame or hesitancy when it comes to his talents as a mage. Ever since he first discovered magic as a teenager he dove headfirst into anything he could study, learn, or perfect. He likes his talents and isn't above showing off.

The shame that does arise isn't from his abilities, but what he's done with them. Astra. Newcastle. The crew. Everything was wrecked beyond repair and John was the only one to blame.

There was no time to dwell on that now. For now John was enjoying himself working side by side with someone who had similar yet noticeably different talents. He holds his controlled spider still as Dorian fires his attack. It's a spectacular show, and thankfully one that resulted in electricity rather than direct magic in itself. The spiders vibrate, legs curling in on themselves within the static cage. While not completely dead they are disoriented open targets, rolling on the stone floor like oversized misshapen marbles.

With the four spiders incapacitated John charges the one under his control forward. Leaving nothing to chance he uses the commands the reanimated spider to use its teeth and front two legs to tears the heads off of those left helpless.

Three to go, ones that scurried away before they could be caught by Dorian's spell. John conjures another fireball left from the glowing remains of the last and holds it atop his fingers, bouncing it above his hand with a light motion as if it were nothing more than a balloon.]

What do you say in finishing the lot together?

[Dorian should, by some, exhibit some degree at shame in the use of his magic--at least according to Blackwall--but that was how Southerners thought about things in his world. Ignore it, lock it up, bring it to heel...dangerous, shameful thing this magic is. Like urinating in public....except no one condemns you or attempts to drive you into a prison for it, they just look at you like you smell of boiled cabbage.

He didn't feel that way in Tevinter, but Tevinter only mitigated this outsider feeling to a degree, with John he didn't feel like an outsider at all. He could be proud of being a mage and he was free to be himself. Feeling like he belonged while still having a since of camaraderie he felt he couldn't get anywhere else. Even if they were, presently, being a couple of naughty mages, but he felt understood in that regard as well.

In spite of the circumstances Dorian couldn't help feeling a bit showy around John as they took out the spiders individually and in groups, Dorian pulling the ones attempting to escape back into his field of power while John continues hacking away at the others with his reanimated friend and fire. On the outside they might just seem merciless, the spiders were trying to run, but then they would tell and a couple of mages like John and Dorian...well they were considered snack food here. Dorian saw little reason to be merciful given his present status in this world, he was first and foremost a survivor.

With less than a handful of spiders remaining, all that was left to do was to clean up and while John reinvigorated some flames into a ball of fire, Dorian conjured his own ball of magic, holding it like a child in the middle of a serious dodgeball match, pondering where best to let it loose.]

We do make an excellent team, but it does seem a bit unfair that the odds are five to one in our favor. [And he wasn't bragging either, he lobbed the ball of electricity in the middle of the remaining spiders, corralling them together so that John could finish them off with fire.]

Unfair in our favor is exactly how I like my odds.

[John throws Dorian a cocky wink. He too feels at ease. He probably shouldn't. This is still a residence deep within enemy territory. John is not only a tasty snack to these spiders but also an enemy of a very powerful house. It would be just as easy for him to be captured for a bounty if not eaten. Caution needed to be taken. But that was before.

Fuck it.

The electricity makes a dazzling display. Once the spiders are in place John hurls his fireball and soon after manipulates the flames to spread outward, expanding to each of the Araneans and consuming them from the feet up. Their legs curl inward and some roll onto their backs without the support while others simply fall face first into ash.

Once dead John doesn't give them a second thought. They don't deserve a second thought. Giving the strap of the bag a quick tug with one hand John turns to Dorian and gives the other man a solid pat on the chest with the other. His expression is nothing short of beaming.]

Nice work. Time to take what we came for.

[Again John takes off in a run toward the area containing various barrels and bottles. This time he activates no traps and there are no spiders to speak of charging after him. Once he reaches the shelves he immediately retrieves one of the bottles, popping off the cork and taking a long swig. It's strong and thick, slightly sour, just like the wine he had tasted previously. With an alcohol content that high the taste didn't much matter.

After his drink he holds the test bottle aloft in offering.]

No sense in bringing back a mystery. Cheers!

Edited (cleaning up some wording ) 2018-06-13 20:12 (UTC)

[Still arguably more cautious than John, Dorian watches both bemused and aware as John sprints off towards the alcohol--like watching a child in a sweet shop. He's not worried that John will be assailed by anything, they'd stepped all over this cellar after all, if more traps were going to be triggered then they would have been during that fight. Still, it doesn't hurt to be the one on look-out after all...and it does make it easier for John to be more reckless if someone is watching his back.

Besides, the view from Dorian's perspective is still captivating and he's honestly not one to stray too far behind, he wants to assess their goods after all and it's clearly trap free so within moments he's joining John and taking the offered bottle. If it was anyone other than John he might have second thoughts about swapping spit with another individual, but they've been quite personal in that experience and so, without hesitation he takes the offered bottle and samples it deeply. It's certainly wine, maybe not the top shelf wine, but Dorian's has had worse in Skyhold...and there was plenty to choose from.]

You have no problem with escalation, do you? [It wasn't admonishment, but the opposite, Dorian sounds impressed and there's something exhilarating about sneaking around unfamiliar places and killing creatures that would kill you back if they could.

Raising the wine bottle slightly in toast to their victory.] Mmmm...to the thrill of getting into trouble and more wine than either of us can carry!

And to the thrill of getting out of trouble before anyone has the chance to reach us.

[John raises an invisible glass in return of the toast, grinning as he mimes taking a drink. After the excitement of clearing away the spiders he can't say he's relaxed entirely, but something else is setting in. Satisfaction of success maybe?

He begins looking through the various selections in the cellar, making certain to drop a variety of the different selections into his bag. The walk down the length of the stores is leisurely, as are the paces back to its start. With the sack now full John sets it to the ground when he reaches Dorian again, intent on carrying it again once they leave. Now that he's closer and properly face to face with Dorian he can't help but notice a certain facial feature.]

Might want to be careful with that wine, stains your lips a little. [John lifts his hand and with a single finger playfully traces one side of Dorian's mustache, as if painting it.] Can't have the same happening to your mustache.

[Normally Dorian would balk at the notion of anyone touching his face in any respect, but John had the special privileges that most people didn't have when it come to where he could touch the altus and when he could touch him. So instead of his usual reaction Dorian's lip quirked into the direction of John's finger, grinning at the touch instead.

Dorian could see right through the ruse, a reason to touch him perhaps, not that John needed a reason, they'd just victoriously secured wine for themselves and felled some spiders in the process. For any man this was cause for wine and ...well...other things, but that would have to wait]

Oh I'm well versed in keeping my mustache safe from the perils of wine, my dear. [Dorian tipped his head just enough to press his lips to the bad of John's thumb.] I'm more intrigued by your observations and how keen they are.

My observations are incredibly keen. I've also noticed that your walk has changed now that we've been successful. A smug saunter, the kind you adopt when I meet you in the evenings. Though I can't fault you for either.

[John gives a slight hum at the kiss to his thumb before moving his hand to trace the other side of he mustache. Better not to leave a job half finished.

With a deft hand John plucks the wine from Dorian's grasp, taking his own long swig. When he finishes he holds the bottle in a circular grip between thumb and forefinger, resting his hand and the side of the bottle by extension on Dorian's hip.]

I do have more observations I could share, but it's only prudent that you have a go.

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now we get a rude and a reckless

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