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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 16, 2009 12:33:14 GMT -5
Nigh time, Autumn, chilling to the bone, but at least inside it is warm. I thought to myself, waxing poetic with the strong but cheap tasting ale I drowned myself in this night. I was not one for drinking in terrible excess, but today just seemed one of those days where everything that could, should, and may go wrong, does. It started with a mistake on my part that got me a chastisement from Ignace. It had been years, really, since Ignace ever came down on me that hard, and I felt terrible about it. Not only that but I had risked losing a very important and very... lucrativee... patron. I would have to eat crow and somehow renew that relationship.
Twas a long, hard, and annoying day really. And I was glad that those around me gave me a wide birth.
Sometimes the near Shahrizai looks and the air about me was a welcome blessing, though it proved to me to be more often a curse.
I drank deeply of my tankard, silent, as I composed disastrous poetry in my mine.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 16, 2009 12:43:42 GMT -5
Ah I love the fall of the year the crisp air makes me feel alive once more and puts a spring in my step. Things had been going relatively well as of late and I did not seem to have a care in the world. Since I did not have other engagements I decided to engage in a bit of gutter crawling one of my most preferred exercises. One I had not engaged in since my encounter with Sarielle’s sister and since that had at last blown over I elected to once more descend to the gutter.
I made my way into the Cockeral not paying overt attention to my surroundings other than just enough awareness to remain safe. The denizens of the Doorstep having long ago learned to leave me to my relative peace it just tended to work out better for all concerned when things were handled in that manner.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 16, 2009 13:11:51 GMT -5
I heard the door open and looked to it, noticing a man, dark, no no, black hair, with a blue tinge to it, like a halo, and blue eyes peered out below dark brows. I chuckled sardonically to myself. Of course. Of course. I looked to the sky and sighed. Mayhap if I sat here, unpresuming, he would not bother trying to talk to me. He looked a lone ... wolf... like myself, and I was well and content not having to butt heads with one.
Though the way he walked in here with such high spirits, like he owned th eplace, not a care in the world irked me. If I owned the place he would find the boot on my foot firmly planted in his ass.
I growled to myself.
"God damned Shahrizai," I mumbled to myself over my drink before leaning back in my seat to tip the tankard and get the last drop of ale. I put the tankard down on the table and made a hand motion for another to be dealt my way.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 16, 2009 13:31:29 GMT -5
I heard the usual grumblings about my family from various sources and I utterly ignored them as they had no real affect on me. One grew used to such things and tended to embrace them as their own personal armor. Besides I was one of the few of my high born line who frequented such places. Then I heard the tell tale scrape of metal on leather and caught the eye of the young and relatively attractive young woman who seemed to have ideas of skewering my liver from the looks of the dagger she was attempting to secretly pull. At the least she probably intended robbery but what this was really about was the respect she could gain. It was all written right there in her fault lines as well as the fact she was so scarred she was about to piss herself.
I let my family gaze lock onto her eyes and sharpen as I brought all the menace I could muster to the surface. And I had considerable menace when I was so inclined the aura off of me becoming a palpable thing as I continued to skewer her with my gaze and the room went silent.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 16, 2009 14:04:13 GMT -5
I heard a commotion and turned to see what was going on as the Shahrizai locked eyes with a girl who, by the Gods, was flashing steel? A woman? In a place like this? I almost laughed at it, though for some reason I grit my teeth and growled low in my chest as I, too, stared her down. Something inside me felt... like I needed to.
Well Naamah's sweet tits, I never expected that, like the hackles raising against a threat, even though this had naught to do with me. It was like watching my body from outside of it, detached from my actions as I stared at the scene, my eyes dark and daring, much like his, the eyes that made those unwilling to submit to submit with ease. My "birthright". Sweet Kushiel, could this night get any worse?
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 16, 2009 14:14:31 GMT -5
She of course soon let the knife drop from numb fingers and I was waiting as my hand struck out and caught it by the hilt before it reached the floor. I then paid her no more mind as I turned my attention to the other presence I sensed and the terrified young woman made a hasty escape. I twirled the knife idly letting it writhe in my fingers whilst I studied the fellow who looked like he had a dash of the blood in him. Not surprising really as we had more than a few from the wrong side of the bed sheets. Hell, one of them had even ended up Queen’s husband back in the day.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 16, 2009 14:28:25 GMT -5
I watched as he moved quickly, catching the knife before it hit the sticky bar floor, the girl trembling as he turned his gaze from hers to mine. He twirled the knife idly between his fingers and looked at me with scrutiny, seeing the relation, no doubt, and like my father's father, thinking nothing of the tainted relative. But the look was not so much with challenge, and as such, I turned away. The less interest he showed,and the less I returned, the better. I did not need some Shahrizai looking into my soul to tell me the things I already knew about myself. Twas like telling the queen she is the queen after she has already donned the crown. I snorted a short laugh as I took a gulp from my fresh tankard, facing the bar but looking at nothing in particular.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 16, 2009 14:38:12 GMT -5
The little fucker turned his back on me. No one turned their back on me and so I underhanded the knife and sent it twirling to embed solidly in the bar right between his legs and missing his manhood by a good half an inch. To say I was irked would be an understatement as the little prick had enough blood in him to know dam well that he had just administered a serious insult to me. One showed throat or challenged but one did not give a reaction that indicated the other was so insignificant as to be ignored unless they were dam sure they could back up such disdain. We were about to find out if he could because at the moment I planned on kicking this little brat’s ass securely up between his shoulder blades so high that he would have to take his shirt off to crap.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 16, 2009 15:45:31 GMT -5
I looked down at the quivering hilt of the knife as it embedded itself between my legs, not far from my ... livelihood, really, and I bristled. I was not one to fight, but I'd be damned if I let him get away with what he had done. The ... boy... seemed to be starving for attention, so I would give him just the opposite. I plucked the little knife from the wood and dropped it perfectly vertically to the sodden wood floor. It made a soft noise and stuck straight up. I turned back to my tankard after snorting another chuckle, taking a sip, though every nerve in my body was tensed, waiting. Did he think I feared what he would do to me? There was really no harm meant, I just didn't wish to interact with him.
Something told me, though, that he would let his presence be known and damned well in a way he would think I would not soon forget.
The drink, it seemed, made me adventurous.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 16, 2009 16:19:50 GMT -5
Ah well some people preferred to have things the hard way and it had been some time since I had been in a right and proper brawl and the doorstep was just the place to remove such shortcomings. So I lithely stepped forward grabbed the twit by the scruff of the neck and the seat of the pants and sent him into a nice summersault over the bar. Really was a matter of leverage really and I still found myself in my high spirits as I did so. The patrons seemed to appreciate as well as there were soon cat calls and a variety of shouted bets. For my part I picked up a suitable bottle to brain the fellow with when he stuck his head back over the bar.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 16, 2009 16:59:53 GMT -5
He snuck up on me, silently, and lifted me. I looked around, flailing a moment before I was launched over the bar with a loud thud and crash, bottles and glasses smashing and shattering ahead of me. I growled.
"God... damned... SHAHRIZAI!" I cried out before crawling a bit away, glass sticking in my palms and knees as I grabbed at a full bottle of cheap wine with my good hand, coming up swinging ahead of me.
"What in Kushiel's name is wrong with you you flea bitten ass!" I cried out, holding the bottle on the defensive as I tried to wipe the blood and with it the shard of glass that stuck in my good hand. "Are you just out for blood? Is not that what Valerian is for you damned vagabond?" I cursed, looking down at him. I had the height advantage over him, but he seemed to have more power than belied his stature. Lithe muscle, and a scar on his cheek. Either he got into petty bar fights often or he has been to battle.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 17, 2009 9:03:33 GMT -5
Oh my this was getting more and more amusing by the second and I felt an even larger smile bloom across my face. I then started to mildly hum to myself in pure and utter good humor. The rest of the bar was erupting in laughter and applause at the show. Having a pure and wonderful time I watched as he scooped up a bottle of his own and kept it moving trying to defend himself. His movements were not bad but he obviously had no training in formal combat to speak of though those could tend to make one look clumsy if you were not careful as they tended to not do what someone with proper teaching might do.
At any rate I did not respond immediately but simply watched the movements of his bottle and soon I got his pattern down as it was pretty simple. I then spun and slide stepped inside his guard and smashed my own bottle across the back of his hand that was holding his own weapon. Not even waiting for the broken glass of my bottle to hit the floor and hopped up and onto the bar and gently pressed the broken glass I held to his throat. Then in a calm and conversational tone I replied “Nah just playing if I was out for blood I would have drawn steel. Besides you seem to have a bug so far up your ass I need to grab a length of wire and go after it.” I gave him a little poke not enough to draw blood but enough to make my point “yield and I might even buy you a drink.”
This was all good fun not to mention the demonstration reminded the gutter slime that was watching not to mess with me. Besides why in the seven hells would anyone go crawling on the doorstep if they did not want to get into a fight?
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 17, 2009 12:32:03 GMT -5
As much as he was a cad, and he really was, the man could fight. I could tell as he watched me move, even in my drunkenness, that he was being calculative. Before I knew it he struck and my stunned hand dropped the bottle and before I could even nurse it, he was on the bar, grabbing me, with his broken bottle held at my neck. My hand felt numb, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
And that was when he told me to yield.
I laughed. There is nothing else to say but that I laughed, and hard. "Go ahead and kill me then, you piece of filth, I will not yield to the likes of you. You call this amusement? I was ready to defend your back against my better judgment, watching that little harlot about ready to launch herself into stupidity, and you come and turn on me? Well," I said spitting to the floor, "Teaches me to want to help the likes of your kind. I am not one for cock fights, sir," I slurred, still rather drunk though the action had sobred me up some, "and I care not whose balls are bigger. Make your example with someone else if you need to keep your post lording after the gutter swine here." I growled, fussing, even as the sharp edge of his bottle nicked at my throat and I felt warm blood trickle down my neck. I was not one of those Mandrakes who cried at the touch of pain, and could take blows as well as I dealt them. I just didn't enjoy it. "And might I suggest," I said with further struggle, "that you might unhand me before you have to explain to my Dowayne why it is he has to look for a new Second, and never be able to have yourself some decent sex ever again." I was certain he cared not who I was or where I was from, no doubt wagering that I was below him since I had no title to speak of, but twould not do well to have murdered a man who was just defending himself. Not only would the act have him banned surely from Mandrake, and most likely from Valerian, but it would have him thrown into the dungeons or sent to death.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 17, 2009 13:11:07 GMT -5
Ah a Mandrake I had to admit his drunken tirade was as amusing as it was enlightening. And his venom directed toward me probably flowed directly from the family heritage written on his features. It was not the first time I had run into a distant cousin who seemed to be utterly pissed off that they were a cousin. I did not quite get it but who the hell knew what went on in the minds of others. I simply watched as he babbled and kept a small smile on my face. I did not poke further with the bottle as I had no intention of doing any damage in fact the small scratch he had gotten had been purely by accident as I had not calculated how much he would be swaying on his feet. This was all supposed to be a good natured and friendly fight but the fellow was taking it like it was some battle to the death. Jeez I swear people do not know how to have fun anymore.
The bar tender cleared his throat and looked at me I stuck my tongue out at him and set the bottle on the scarred wooden surface while releasing my playmate and remaining casually crouching atop the bar. “Uh do tell Club Foot has the price of damages gone up since the last time I had to pony up?” The man grunted “You busted up a considerable amount of stock” was the response I got followed by “did you really have to launch him onto the side of the bar where all the wares are located?” I shrugged looking unrepentant and dropped a couple small bags of coin on the bar. “Ah well it seemed an amusing idea at the time. Mind getting us an unbroken bottle while you are at it?” Club Foot just shook his head and did as I asked while I turned my amused gaze back to my playmate.
“Hostile little guy aren’t yah?” I shook my head “Why do you come to a place like this if you are not in the mood for a good natured brawl?” I honestly was curious since this was all a game to me. I had no intention of killing anyone unless they tried to kill me and most matters could be settled with a growl and some good natured brawling. The rest of the patrons deciding the show was over were busy getting back to their own business.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 17, 2009 14:34:50 GMT -5
I laughed incredulously as he released me, rubbing and wiping at the blood that trickled down my neck and pulling the large shard of glass from the centre of my palm, making the blood spring forth and flow anew.
"And some uigshe, none of that watered down crap," I grumbled as I watched the blood flow freely. It was my whipping hand, my... everything... hand. "Damn it all," I cursed looking at it, then glaring at the man who had caused it to occur. "Really. Fun? This is your idea of fun? Beating up on drunk men who have dealt you no harm except some stupid insult for not acknowledging your overwhelming manliness," I said rolling my eyes as I sat myself at the bar, grumbling and mumbling under my breath. "And I come here because, much like you, people take a look at me and leave me alone... usually. Plus, it's not as though my coffers are overflowing with coin. It is cheap, it is relatively safe. And I am not hostile. I am drunk. Two different things entirely." I turned in my seat, looking upon him as I moved to tear a bit of my shirt to wrap around my hand while I waited for something to cleanse it.
"Is the only reason you come here to bash up some cheap liquor and send someone home with a black eye? I mean, can you not find yourself some cheap harlot to warm your bed and sate your appetites?"
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 17, 2009 14:48:40 GMT -5
I just stared at him a moment “are you done whining yet or are you just getting started?” The fellow seemed quite obsessed with complaining about the many insults the world at large had heaped upon him. I considered smacking him again since apparently the last one had not knocked any sense into him.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 17, 2009 15:19:00 GMT -5
It seemed this one had a sense of humour. Finding humour where there really was none, but I snorted a laugh out anyways, mayhap in my drunken state I saw the humour in the whole thing. "Yes, quite done," I murmured as the tender brought me the uigshe and I unwrapped the piece of shirt I had wrapped around my hand and poured it on. I seethed through clenched teeth and watched the blood wash away before dabbing it with the cloth and wrapping it again.
"Are you done dealing verbal backhands?"
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 21, 2009 8:42:48 GMT -5
I inclined my head “Good, I was starting to wonder if mayhap you were not breast fed long enough as a child and have been traumatized ever since.” I set about filling a couple less dirty than the rest cups when the bottle arrived and added “More or less done unless you give me a reason to re-evaluate my decisions. By the by I am Gadleon” I seldom bothered with my last name as well it was pretty obvious to anyone who had not recently received a blow to the head.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 21, 2009 10:11:51 GMT -5
"Hmm, yes well," I said with a smile at his joke, despite myself, "time shall be the determining factor there," I replied, finishing the wrapping of my hand as he filled the cups. I turned to face him. "Demetrius," I said as I inclined my head. "So," I said with a chuckle as I leaned against the bar, "I guess you come here often."
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 21, 2009 10:23:33 GMT -5
I took a long sip of my drink before answering “On occasion when the mood strikes me” I shrugged. “All depends on what direction my inclinations are blowing at the time. If I may be so bold what has your tail tied in such a Gregorian knot?”
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 21, 2009 12:28:25 GMT -5
I followed suit, letting the bitterness flow down my throat, and into my stomach where the rest of the liquor I consumed sloshed around. I laughed, though. I had to give him credit. Other than throwing me over the bar, making me cut my hand, and making me look a fool, he wasn't a terribly bad fellow.
"Patrons," I grumbled, not so much at him, moreso at the memory. I let out a long sigh before taking another sip. "I messed up with a patron today. Let my ... other side... get the better of me. I have a tendency every once in a while to be more cruel than the situation calls for," I said as I looked to him. "I think you might understand what I mean?" I asked, not wishing to make false assumptions but... at the same time alluding to our shared heritage.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 21, 2009 12:46:05 GMT -5
I inclined my head a single time “Indeed” I pondered the contents of my glass considering. “I have had more than a bout or two of self loathing when it relates to those matters.” I crinkled my nose “of course then I discovered when I keep such things bottled up they only tend to be worse when they get out.” I felt my face smooth at a memory then added “as far as the Night Court goes I have no knowledge from your sides but let’s say on occasion I have had the misfortune of discovering that something sounded much better in theory than it turned out to be in practice.” It was decent conversation and after our little display we were left well enough alone which was part of the reason for the display aside from my own taste for perversity.
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 21, 2009 12:52:42 GMT -5
I raised my brows at his admittance. A pure Shahrizai... uncomfortable.. in his own skin? Was that even possible? I had always thought from the womb they were taught to be what they are and love it, embrace it, fully and completely. To say the least, I was shocked. Then again, my knowledge of them was not what I am sure it should have been.
"That is true. Keeping it in can't be good but, letting it out... well," I said as I swirled the liquor in my cup. I let my eyes rest on his as he went on and couldn't help but laugh. "Oh yes well, we are much like you are, except we get paid for it," I said with a laugh. "When I was younger, I did some rather foolish things with patrons that I thought would be interesting, and over time I have come to know what to do with what personality types but," I said, running a hand through my locks, "well I guess I slipped up."
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 21, 2009 13:13:07 GMT -5
He most certainly had a dash of family in him as most with such leanings did. I considered my words very carefully before responding “Uhmmm, by such standards especially concerning family my tastes are decidedly tame. It is more leanings and mental games actually for me though we are all different. One of the greatest gifts family upbringing gives one is knowledge of what one is and how to manage it.” I folded my hands in front of me on the bar and laced my fingers “the mental place one finds themselves in at the end is actually the most important. Find proper balance and it can help one deal with inopportune urges and motives and has a decidedly calming effect.” I raised my brow “Such might even help avoid some misunderstanding with patrons.”
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 22, 2009 10:26:49 GMT -5
"It is all domination by some way, whether emotionally, mentally, or physically. And Mandrake and my family is the only family I have, the only ones that have shown interest in how I turn out. And I daresay they've done a well enough job. Who's to say a Shahrizai upbringing would have stopped what happened from happening... mayhap... or it may have been worse," I said with a sigh, not bitterly or angrilly but truthfully. "I have not had that pleasure, Gadleon, as so many of you have had. My father was disowned by his father after he vowed to wed my mother, a non-Shahrizai, and I have had nothing to do with them, save being thrown over a bar by one," I said with a laugh. "So I do apologize for being rather.... one sided in my views. I haven't seen much kindness from your family."
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 22, 2009 11:54:27 GMT -5
I shrugged and poured another round “All two sides of the same coin. While for obvious reasons most of the family do not frequent mandrake unless they happen to be an adept there or the like I would say about all members of the House have a dash of the blood. Techniques were probably taught by and/or learned from the family as well.” I gave a small smile “nothing personal but we are the line that is descended directly from Kushiel and all his gifts and inclinations thus flow from us. I like to think we are not utterly incompetent” I coughed “though I do have my share of cousins who are way too inbred” I coughed again and carried on “therefore I like to think we are a bit better at managing such matters. No disrespect intended.”
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 22, 2009 12:21:48 GMT -5
I nodded in thanks for the refill. "You think rather highly of your family's history, don't you?" I said with a snort. "No harm meant, but that was a bit much on the holier than thou for my liking. And isn't the basic understanding among your kind the more imbred the better, the purer the line? So what is better? Do you think you would make a better Mandrake than I?" I asked with a raised brow before taking a drink. "Nothing personal, of course, just a question."
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 22, 2009 13:27:48 GMT -5
I smirked and began ticking on my fingers “One I did state there is a bit too much inbreeding going on. There are more than a few cousins on my to kill list if I can ever get away with it.” I stated with a perfectly straight face as I ticked a second finger “Next I already said I did not have the temperament for Mandrake if you had been listening. And three” I ticked another finger “just because all is not well in my house does not mean all is well in your house. There are many things that can be learned if one has an open mind and yes I happen to think my family is pretty good at them as those screwed up cousins have not been discovered to be eating people in their basements as of yet.”
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Post by Demetrius nó Mandrake on Sept 22, 2009 14:38:36 GMT -5
I snickered at his words. "Yes you did state that, but you are just one out of many who believe contrary to what you do," I explained with a shrug. "Though I for one do not wish to be on your to kill list, I don't think I've riled you to the point of murder, or you'd have done it already, no doubt," I said with a smile. As far as Shahrizai went, aside from his seeming love for playing with violence, he wasn't too terrible. "And what then, could you, for example, teach me?" I asked as I raised both of my brows, truly interested in what he might say.
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Post by Gadleon Shahrizai on Sept 22, 2009 15:07:15 GMT -5
I pondered how best to frame my response finishing my glass and refilling it before taking another sip. To be honest I should not be having such conversations with someone I really did not know but that was part of the allure of the Doorstep. I considered a bit more then started talking.
“As I am sure you have heard many times in your residence patience is a virtue that is taught well among wolves. All the little games and petty intrigues can really tend to wear one out after a while. I am also quite certain you experience a lot of those in your home.” I shrugged and took another deep sip while trying to put words to the intangible “Unless one is one of those cousins a perfectly normal reaction is to question what to fuck is wrong with themselves at some point. That leads to repressing urges which in turn leads to frustration which in turn leads to an idea that you found much more amusing than a playmate.” I looked at him “Am I pretty close? Heat of the moment and all that and then things just went bad. In my experience and we are all different it tends to start with a bit of self loathing then pressure builds and things explode.” I chuckled a bit “I find it helps to give into urges like say tossing a twit over a bar when he has a stick up his ass. In most circles it is viewed as irresistible irreverence with a side of amusing distain if you do not go completely nuts with your choosing of time and place.”
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