This is a silly place...

[devils_bargain]

Who: Dorian Gray and Hayley Stark. Then, Dorian and Adrian Veidt.
When: Tonight.
Where: Seventh floor, though perhaps he will venture further.
What: Dorian is meeting Hayley so she can explain his comm to him.
Warnings: None.
Note: COMPLETE. This ends with Dorian going away angrily to read Dorian Gray, so he isn't lingering about after Adrian's thread.

Comments

I warned yooou that I'd be wanting some CR. :X

[triggered_it]

Adrian had been on one of his many long, meandering walks around the Barge. Eavesdropping was one of his favorite hobbies, and he was not a man who often made his presence known when it would not be beneficial. It was interesting, the little bits of conversation that could be picked up and the rest could be inferred. This, combined with the network, was helping him to rapidly gain information on just about everyone. He had his few friends or allies and now he was ready to begin weeding through the rest of the muck to find the ones who truly interested him.

Standing on deck, leaning against the railing and staring outward into empty space, he gave the impression of a man lost in his own thoughts, but he was very well aware of the new comer approaching, the one with a penchant for decadence and Wildean witticism. It was useful that Hayley was with him as well. He just needed to wait for her to point him out, and then proper introductions could begin.

[devils_bargain]

Hayley had given Dorian a brief rundown of the layout. Below deck, the floors were all similarly set up. Two common rooms, cabins and what have you. After following the stairs up, Dorian purposefully went off on his own. He fancied himself one who lead, not one who followed, however incorrect he was in thinking so.

It was dark, and he was sure he could make out the shape of a person here or there, but once Hayley disappeared somewhere, there was only one person he was sure he could see. Not knowing who this person was, he did not approach him. His conversation earlier with Hayley had been interesting. The kind of interesting he did not quite want to repeat. Dorian walked in the opposite direction as this man. He wanted to locate the exits, or perhaps find the Admiral or whoever it was that ran this - from all he'd gathered from others - massive hell-bound ship.

[triggered_it]

Oh, pity. Haley had somehow disappeared, but the other had wandered off on his own and was now going in quite the opposite direction than the one he was supposed to be going. New plan: Adrian retreated back into the shadows, silently, following the young man for quite sometime. Yes, he was aware that his actions could be considered strange, but this was how he operated

[devils_bargain]

Dorian had not been aware that he was being followed. However, he was made aware of such when Adrian spoke. Dorian turned, not sure what to expect from this interruption. After all, the last time he'd turned on board this ship, he had been not so pleasantly surprised

[triggered_it]

If one could look away from an Adrian Veidt smile, they'd probably notice that the smile never quite reach his eyes. When he wants to show cruelty, it's expressed in his entire demeanor: his eyes, his lips, his expression. When he aims for pleasantness, he is pleasant, and there's very few flaws to be found in the facade

[devils_bargain]

"To be perfectly honest, I was looking to see if there was a way off this ship. I have heard there isn't, but that can't be true," the articulation of his words were precise and spoken with no small note of entitlement.

"In lieu of that, I am attempting to locate the Admiral. Would you happen to know where he is? I imagine, at the mast or helm or... something along those lines. I have some matters to discuss with him." It was all very matter of fact. He had things to discuss, and they would be taken care of. That was what he knew. What he asked was done for him, what he wished for was granted. Dorian Gray was very spoiled on the surface. He was spoiled below the surface as well, but in a very different meaning of the word.

[Feel free at some point to tell Dorian there's a book... he'll assume it was written about his life. See permissions.]

[triggered_it]

"The Admiral can only be contacted through the Network," Adrian explained. He paused for a moment, looking at Dorian, deciding how this man compared to the image he had held in his imagination. He couldn't help but be just a little disappointed. People were always so less stunning in real life. He doubted even Alexander would be exempt from that rule. However, Dorian was by no means ugly, and he enjoyed seeing the other's spoiled and entitled attitude. It was both amusing and refreshing, and Adrian always enjoyed the company of cultured and decadent men. His time spent with David Bowie at Studio 54 was testament to that.

"Come with me," he added, leading the way toward the library. "There's something you should see."

[ooc: i read permissions, so i assume its okay for adrian to show him the book? :X]

[devils_bargain]

"The Network. Ah," he remembered, "Through these." He patted the pocket in his jacket that contained his own small strange communication device. "Thank you."

Dorian wasn't fond of the communication device, or "computer" as Hayley had called it, nor was Dorian too fond of Hayley. He purposely would forget the names of both, simply out of spite.

"I'm afraid I'm not that stupid. Tell me; what is it I should see?" he spoke with suspicion as Adrian turned to walk past him and to the stairs.

He would not follow Adrian anywhere unless he knew where they were going, and then he would not let the man out of his sight. Dorian had found himself on a time traveling prison barge peopled with criminals and child laborers, sharks and strange men who spoke with hideously uneducated accents. He was still in alert mode, however calm he might appear to be.

[triggered_it]

Adrian stopped and turned to face Dorian. "No, you're not, and I'm glad to hear it," he said pleasantly. "As for where we're going? The library. As dull of a a venture as that may sound, there's a book I want you to know about before anyone catches you off guard with knowledge of your portrait." It's said in the same tone of voice as before: amiable, polite, interested. He's gauging the other man for his reaction, considering that Hayley may have already told him. Masking any sharpness to his eyes, he gives a quick and fleeting smile before continuing to lead the way.

[devils_bargain]

When Adrian mentioned his portrait, Dorian's face changed. The pleasant expression fell away and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Everything about him tightened, from his mouth to his posture. Adrian was looking for his reaction, and he had well found one. Dorian stalked after this man, this man who so casually mentioned the secret of his soul and carried on. If only Dorian had something sharp...

"I demand that you tell me how you know about my portrait at once," he said, voice low and dark as he came to stand before Adrian, blocking his path.

[triggered_it]

It was about the reaction Adrian had been expecting. He remembered the crimes Dorian had committed in the book and he knew this was not a good person that he was dealing with, but he was fine with that. He was not a good person, either, and if worse came to worse, Adrian would always win.

"Patience. I told you, we are going to the library, so that I can show you. Perhaps we can do something to prevent others from finding out. In the meanwhile, I suggest using a pseudonym if you don't want more people to know instantly who you are and what you've done. It should work, at least until you have a warden."

[devils_bargain]

Dorian weighed his options here. Adrian was useful, that much was clear. And he had before and was again saying that he wanted to show Dorian before someone else did. Either he was lying and had some other plans, or he was telling the truth and was, for some unknown reason, offering help without asking anything in return. Yet.

You see, there was always that part of Dorian which, for some things, accepted help and such without question. A part of him that was still quite sure of the way of things; people doing things for him without compensation. But Adrian was no lesser man, no servant or valet. People of ones own class only ever helped another when it helped themselves. Or when it amused themselves.

"What is in this for you? Why are you helping me?"

[triggered_it]

"I've spent most of my life helping people in much grander ways than this." This was true. Adrian tried very hard to be a good person, to do the right thing, even if his own personal morality could be a little warped and even sick at times, but he was right. He always did the right thing, in the end. It was something that he prided himself on, in a world full of people bumbling around with no idea what they were doing or where they were going.

However, why was he really helping Dorian? Well, because Dorian was Dorian Gray: attractive, classy, and dangerous: the type of friend that Adrian wouldn't mind having.

"I also think we might have a bit in common. Forgive me if that's presumptuous, but there's just very few people aboard the barge who can hold much interest from me." Flattery, of course, but also sincere. People generally were very dull, after all.

[devils_bargain]

Dorian narrowed his eyes. So, Adrian had spent his life helping people? He did not seem like such a man, though Dorian was not one to judge, as he had never met a man whose intentions were honest and pure. Well, perhaps he had met one or two, but none of it had rubbed off and he had, after all, always found good men to be rather boring. Adrian might be many things, but he did not seem boring.

Flattery. There it was, something that Dorian Gray knew. It was not the sort of flattery that he was accustomed to; being told that he was attractive, that his lingering youth was impressive and enviable. This was different; Adrian found him interesting.

"Boring people merely lack imagination," Dorian responded, tone making it clear that the compliment was received but that flattery alone was not going to alleviate his suspicions. "I will come with you to the library. Lead the way."

[triggered_it]

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers a lack of imagination, and consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative," Adrian quoted. He stepped around Dorian, leading the way back into the ship and down towards the library.

At this hour, it was empty, the lights off. Adrian casually flicked them on, immediately heading towards the fiction section, specifically, toward the 'W's.' What book he was looking for would be obvious. His eyes scanned the covers until he pulled out an old, oxford hard cover edition of The Portrait of Dorian Gray, handing it to his companion.

"The cover alone should tell you enough, but I suggest reading the content as well. Tell me if it's accurate or not."

[devils_bargain]

Were Dorian in the mood to share, he would have told Adrian he sounded like someone he used to know. Dorian followed along, keeping a close eye on Adrian, still not quite sure what was going on.

He stood in the library, arms folded across his chest as Adrian looked through the books. He saw the title first and snatched the book away from Adrian. He stared at it in stark disbelief. The Portrait of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. A book penned by a stranger, and his own name in the title. His name, and his secret, stamped together on the cover for anyone to see