[ Hiling has been feeling restless often lately. Too much so to be confined to her bed. At times like this she might normally turn to her dominant but tonight she stops at the room of her fellow submissive instead. It may well not be a good time for a social call but that never stopped her before. She knocks and tries the door handle without really waiting for a reply. ]
[It's late enough that he's been asleep for some already, but the knock on the door rouses him slightly, enough to open his eyes and see his bedroom door swing open in the dark. It's probably an oversight to keep the door unlocked, but he liked to leave it that way, for Alfred to come and go as he needed to. Half asleep, he pushes himself on an elbow to try and see who it is, hand straying towards his bedside table where his gun sits]
[ If she can't sleep then it's only fair that he doesn't as well. She approaches with the confidence that she has the run of this whole place. His room included. His movement draws her attention to the gun on the table. ]
[Now that he knows who it is, he sighs in annoyance. His hand redirects to his glasses instead, though the weapon isn't forgotten entirely. Hiling's level of threat has yet to be determined. The sudden invasion in to his space certainly doesn't help matters.]
The condition is sometimes contagious.
[He says this with the most dry tone he can muster, as if it seems fairly obvious to him that he absolutely hadn't been awake but refrains from saying as much.
He flips on the table lamp and squints against the light.]
[ She sighs as she settles in on the edge of the bed next to him. Does she really have to see a reason to want to see him? It was just a whim of hers after all. Though there may be something on her mind. ]
[Wesley shifts minutely away from her weight and sits up, letting silence stretch for a few moments as he takes that in those words. He's still suspicious of her, and he wonders if she's capable of the guile necessary to bait him with one of the few things he might actually care about.]
Well I was thinking. [ As surprising as that may be. ] When I was put into a contract with him, he didn't want it. But now you're here too. He must like you. What do you have that I don't?
[ It hasn't done much to make her feel better about him as a dominant. She looks him over as if she might find answers that way. All this is such a mess and so confusing. ]
[The situation is precarious. She's little more than child, Alfred had told him, and that means he needs to choose his words carefully.
Wesley adjusts his glasses with a slight sigh.]
Alfred is a man of conviction. He wanted to honor his previous contract, but the system as it is does not allow it. It has nothing to do with anything you lack. We simply have an...understanding.
[Skirting around the truth is often his preference, sadly. But he can try. Wesley pauses to think, lips pressed together for a moment]
Alfred and I have similar professions. He is a butler. I am an assistant. We know what it means to work for but also with. And we were contracted once before, but in reverse. The arrangement is...comfortable.
Well I have something in common with him too since we were both in the military.
[ And yet she doesn't have the same connection. Maybe it's because she isn't human. She doesn't understand the first thing about forming healthy connections with other. ]
That's for Alfred to answer, but you have to overcome the debt you've already incurred. Give it time.
[Assuming Alfred will grant it. He'd frankly prefer to have the man to himself, but that was more a matter of his desire to be left alone than it was jealousy]
Why does it concern you? Being contracted doesn't require friendship.
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[ If she can't sleep then it's only fair that he doesn't as well. She approaches with the confidence that she has the run of this whole place. His room included. His movement draws her attention to the gun on the table. ]
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The condition is sometimes contagious.
[He says this with the most dry tone he can muster, as if it seems fairly obvious to him that he absolutely hadn't been awake but refrains from saying as much.
He flips on the table lamp and squints against the light.]
Is something wrong?
[Something had better be wrong]
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It's about Alfred.
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What is it?
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[ It hasn't done much to make her feel better about him as a dominant. She looks him over as if she might find answers that way. All this is such a mess and so confusing. ]
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Wesley adjusts his glasses with a slight sigh.]
Alfred is a man of conviction. He wanted to honor his previous contract, but the system as it is does not allow it. It has nothing to do with anything you lack. We simply have an...understanding.
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[ Being vague is not enough for her. She wants details. She wants to understand. There must be something she can do. ]
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Alfred and I have similar professions. He is a butler. I am an assistant. We know what it means to work for but also with. And we were contracted once before, but in reverse. The arrangement is...comfortable.
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[ And yet she doesn't have the same connection. Maybe it's because she isn't human. She doesn't understand the first thing about forming healthy connections with other. ]
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True. But you are also young, and there is no substitute for experience.
[He pauses, tilting his head at her thoughtfully]
Why does it bother you?
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[ She doesn't have any complaints about the food and shelter he provides. At least that much is appreciated. ]
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[And all his half-truths aside, this is something he believes in his soul]
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[ She's making herself comfortable here. It's nice and warm. Her room is lonely. ]
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[Assuming Alfred will grant it. He'd frankly prefer to have the man to himself, but that was more a matter of his desire to be left alone than it was jealousy]
Why does it concern you? Being contracted doesn't require friendship.
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[ Anything involving patience is going to be frustrating for her. She just wants it fixed now. ]
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If you're in danger of falling short, I'm sure he'd do what he can to help you.
[Alfred is nothing but not helpful]
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[ She moves in closer. He seems interesting enough. She just wants to bond with him more. ]