[...not...high-class entertainment, no. More like entertainment for those with money to burn - there's a difference.
Of course, Kimblee doesn't exactly have a whole hell of a lot of money to burn, but he's here anyway. Constant stimulus tends to have an odd effect on him, calming him down instead of winding him up; he can simply shut his brain off for several hours and not have to think, though he never really loses himself in it - Pride had discovered that well enough, hadn't he? That had been amusing; he can't say that he hadn't died satisfied with himself.
He's at a point where he's not frustrated with the machines just yet; rather, he's morbidly fascinated by them, perfectly content to be overloaded by the constant barrage of colors and motion and sound. It's almost hypnotic, really; that said, his gaze remains there rather than on those entering and leaving the place.
...the fact that he surprisingly doesn't suck at slots is helping immensely when it comes to holding his attention. As little as one can actually be good at slots, his luck is actually holding up rather well, and he's currently in the process of trying to figure out line combinations and how they work; however, as the volume within the place is keeping most of his thought process internal, for all intents and purposes Kimblee appears to be just kind of zoned out in front of a slot machine. Once in a while muttering something to himself or reaching out in a vaguely dazed manner to trace something over the screen, but for the most part just kind of spacing hard.]
[Finally, Gorthan spots Kimblee. His step as the alien approaches him is slow and leisurely. Eventually, he opts to stand a few feet behind Kimblee, hands joined behind his back as he always does when he's just standing idly.
How interesting that Kimblee would be into this kind of thing. And even more than that, what is interesting is the fact that he seems to have chosen a fairly methodical way of going about it.
The thing about Gorthan today is that there's quite a bit of... stuff on his mind. And as, as is often the case with him, he's halfway between wanting to share said stuff with more or less the first known person he sees and wanting to keep it to himself at all costs.
... As always, quoting lines from the Bard, followed by a small comment, is always a good way to test the waters before deciding to go in either direction. So, Kimblee, there will be a fairly long bit of murmuring going on behind your shoulders, the sound just loud enough to be heard alongside with the music as opposed to over it.]
"Wine loved I deeply, dice dearly; and in woman out-paramour'd the Turk; false of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand; hog in sloth, fox in stealth, wolf in greediness, dog in madness, lion in prey. Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of silks betray thy poor heart to woman..."
... Women as temptation from some form of demonic force. ... Then again, this is from King Lear, a world where beauty and sin go hand in hand. But is that truly always the case? I think not.
[Kimblee bristles slightly as he becomes aware of someone standing behind him, though he doesn't sense any malice coming from the individual; he simply continues with what he was doing, resisting the urge to turn and snap at the person because really, standing behind someone in such a way is rude and if you would like to know how to operate one of these damn machines he'd be more than willing to show you -
...but then speaking happens. He recognizes the voice, of course, as well as that usual style of nattering on about relative nothing; he doesn't turn around, instead keeping his focus on the machine.]
[Well, you're being ridiculously passive-aggressive; he might as well cut directly to the chase and not sit here through a lot of senseless waffling while you try to make him give enough of a damn to ask. More efficient this way, you see.
...Kimblee has been in a bit of a foul mood lately, don't mind him.]
That depends on what kind of answers you're looking for.
[Actually, no, randomly breaching a topic that had nothing to do with anything in a vaguely cryptic yet ultimately transparent way, in order to get someone to ask what the hell you're talking about...that's passive-aggressive, honey. But nice try.]
Well, you might want to start by not comparing them to any sort of demonic force. At least, not to their faces.
[His tone is light, however; just teasing, really, nothing more. Honestly, this is one of the rare instances where he actually wants to talk about someone else's problems - it keeps him from focusing on his own right now.]
In all seriousness, now - surely you can't expect me to give you insight when I don't know what it is you're trying to do. When it comes to women, there's a difference between wanting a relationship with one and just wanting to...ah, enjoy one's company for a while, if you get my drift.
I believe I have laid eyes on the finest creature I have ever seen. However and in spite of her above-average maturity level, her age, in both absolute terms and compared to mine, makes it impossible for me to be anything more than, at most, her friend. And that is what I wish to be.
There are two risks - make that three: that my illness might complicate things to a level I am honestly neither prepared nor willing to deal with, that I might scare her away, or both things. Out of the three, that she will be afraid of me and of my true nature is the most likely scenario. And that is what I want to try and avoid as much as possible. Surely you must have found yourself in comparable situations.
Really, Gorthan, I've never been one for friendships with members of either gender, and even if I were, I wouldn't even attempt with anyone who would be so easily intimidated. I don't tell lies about who or what I am in relation to most people, nor do I go to great lengths to conceal my true nature; if a woman is going to be afraid of me based on things she might learn, then she isn't one that I would like to keep the company of to begin with.
[...well, that's mostly true, anyway. Winry is a bit of a different case in some ways, but that's both a situation that's composed entirely of complications and pure unadulterated stupid, and completely irrelevant for now.]
To be perfectly blunt, I don't care either way, because your personal life matters very little to me. At the same time, I would be interested in hearing what you think your options are, if you want to keep up your friendship with this girl.
I wouldn't say that you're disturbing me; I just haven't any idea why you would approach me about something like this, or even what you're asking in the first place.
You claim to want to be friends with her, nothing more. I don't see what about that requires seeking advice.
She's an amazing creature, unlike any of her sex I have ever had to deal with before.
I have never wanted to be close to a woman before, in a profoundly sincere way and for a reason that wasn't related with my profession. I think I am entitled to feel a little disoriented.
And also, I may or may not be thinking of designing an occasion to collect her DNA.
I could simply retrieve it from an object that she has used, but, aside from the fact that that would equal taking a few risks in terms of success rate, I'd feel better about myself if I could have her consent-
Of course, Kimblee doesn't exactly have a whole hell of a lot of money to burn, but he's here anyway. Constant stimulus tends to have an odd effect on him, calming him down instead of winding him up; he can simply shut his brain off for several hours and not have to think, though he never really loses himself in it - Pride had discovered that well enough, hadn't he? That had been amusing; he can't say that he hadn't died satisfied with himself.
He's at a point where he's not frustrated with the machines just yet; rather, he's morbidly fascinated by them, perfectly content to be overloaded by the constant barrage of colors and motion and sound. It's almost hypnotic, really; that said, his gaze remains there rather than on those entering and leaving the place.
...the fact that he surprisingly doesn't suck at slots is helping immensely when it comes to holding his attention. As little as one can actually be good at slots, his luck is actually holding up rather well, and he's currently in the process of trying to figure out line combinations and how they work; however, as the volume within the place is keeping most of his thought process internal, for all intents and purposes Kimblee appears to be just kind of zoned out in front of a slot machine. Once in a while muttering something to himself or reaching out in a vaguely dazed manner to trace something over the screen, but for the most part just kind of spacing hard.]
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How interesting that Kimblee would be into this kind of thing. And even more than that, what is interesting is the fact that he seems to have chosen a fairly methodical way of going about it.
The thing about Gorthan today is that there's quite a bit of... stuff on his mind. And as, as is often the case with him, he's halfway between wanting to share said stuff with more or less the first known person he sees and wanting to keep it to himself at all costs.
... As always, quoting lines from the Bard, followed by a small comment, is always a good way to test the waters before deciding to go in either direction. So, Kimblee, there will be a fairly long bit of murmuring going on behind your shoulders, the sound just loud enough to be heard alongside with the music as opposed to over it.]
"Wine loved I deeply, dice dearly; and in woman out-paramour'd the Turk;
false of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand; hog in sloth, fox
in stealth, wolf in greediness, dog in madness, lion in prey.
Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of silks betray
thy poor heart to woman..."
... Women as temptation from some form of demonic force. ... Then again, this is from King Lear, a world where beauty and sin go hand in hand. But is that truly always the case? I think not.
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...but then speaking happens. He recognizes the voice, of course, as well as that usual style of nattering on about relative nothing; he doesn't turn around, instead keeping his focus on the machine.]
...difficulty with the ladies, Gorthan?
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Perhaps. Perhaps not. How does the Red Lotus Alchemist perform in that department?
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...Kimblee has been in a bit of a foul mood lately, don't mind him.]
That depends on what kind of answers you're looking for.
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It's an entirely new territory to me. At this stage, any insight you'd be willing to share on the subject is a useful one.
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Well, you might want to start by not comparing them to any sort of demonic force. At least, not to their faces.
[His tone is light, however; just teasing, really, nothing more. Honestly, this is one of the rare instances where he actually wants to talk about someone else's problems - it keeps him from focusing on his own right now.]
In all seriousness, now - surely you can't expect me to give you insight when I don't know what it is you're trying to do. When it comes to women, there's a difference between wanting a relationship with one and just wanting to...ah, enjoy one's company for a while, if you get my drift.
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I believe I have laid eyes on the finest creature I have ever seen. However and in spite of her above-average maturity level, her age, in both absolute terms and compared to mine, makes it impossible for me to be anything more than, at most, her friend. And that is what I wish to be.
There are two risks - make that three: that my illness might complicate things to a level I am honestly neither prepared nor willing to deal with, that I might scare her away, or both things. Out of the three, that she will be afraid of me and of my true nature is the most likely scenario. And that is what I want to try and avoid as much as possible. Surely you must have found yourself in comparable situations.
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Really, Gorthan, I've never been one for friendships with members of either gender, and even if I were, I wouldn't even attempt with anyone who would be so easily intimidated. I don't tell lies about who or what I am in relation to most people, nor do I go to great lengths to conceal my true nature; if a woman is going to be afraid of me based on things she might learn, then she isn't one that I would like to keep the company of to begin with.
[...well, that's mostly true, anyway. Winry is a bit of a different case in some ways, but that's both a situation that's composed entirely of complications and pure unadulterated stupid, and completely irrelevant for now.]
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[After all, he did have that dream where she was dressed as a warrioress... Never mind.]
Are you saying I should take that risk?
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Since I can't tell her of my present, I will eventually tell her of my past. She's intelligent enough to deserve the truth.
I am sorry to have disturbed you, Red Lotus. You're free to return to your pastime. Remember to gamble with moderation.
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You claim to want to be friends with her, nothing more. I don't see what about that requires seeking advice.
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I have never wanted to be close to a woman before, in a profoundly sincere way and for a reason that wasn't related with my profession. I think I am entitled to feel a little disoriented.
And also, I may or may not be thinking of designing an occasion to collect her DNA.
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...I'm sorry?
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... Is there a problem?
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