[Heh, Richard had not seen even a fraction of the rebellion that he was capable of, no one in this place had. He was currently setting up the board in his favour so that when it came time to out himself, he already had the invisible stranglehold on those all around him. His web threads were spreading day after day, his seeds of rebellion cultivated by the people that wanted to go home, by those that wanted to stay, and the only ones that yet needed to be mobilized were those that claimed to not care.]
Who said anything about a leash? I slipped the leash long ago, but the collar remains.
[His eyes tracked Richard, and he knew that his lover was perhaps relishing his revelation as he had previous done when he'd struck a nerve on the younger man. It was unusual for someone to call out a tell he wasn't already aware of, and of course his base instinct was to fight when that happened. His expression remained hard with a guarded air about his own thoughts as Richard moved over to him.
Slowly, he pulled his legs back up so that he could settle the flat of his feet on the floor again, both to accommodate his lover suddenly making a move to slide into his lap and in a better position to dump the younger man should he decide to stand. His mismatched eyes stared only at Richard's face, unmoved by the touch to his face for once.]
Oh I don't have to worry about that, now do I Richard? Your motivation in this place requires careful tendering and encouragement, so I think you're going to follow me to a point before you have enough air beneath those wings of yours to take flight. Where will you go, I wonder? [He reached out, fingers dragging down the front of the binder until he could lightly tug at the bottom of it.] You'll leave. I am but a fleeting fancy to you, but you're spoiled for choice yet won't allow yourself to see that truth. My words are permission for you to walk away that you won't yet give yourself.
[His voice was low and soothing, purposefully so. But his tone changed as he considered the second option presented, and there was perhaps an honesty that was well known in the Undercity but never here or even likely in Piltover.] No, you aren't them. I hate every single one of them, but I'm not so foolish to realize I don't need them and their money and their patronage. I will bring them a taste of the fear that they bring us, enslave them with it as they did us. I was so close... [He shifted to sit forward so their noses nearly touched.] Don't you think it's more advantageous for me to never be first on anyone's mind? Just a shadow in the dark, a monster that lurks in the forest or the mines or the streets or wherever. [Did he wish to be first? Perhaps. Would it happen? He doubted it and steeled himself to not caring about it.]
[His hand rose to cover the hand with the knife against his chest, and he made a point to try to curl Richard's fingers around the hilt of it so he could turn the blade to press raw sharp edge to the side of his neck just above the collar of his shirt.]
You haven't seen my rebellious nature, but I suppose a kindred soul will always knows another, noble or peasant. We are the same; the blood on our hands to seize control is enough to drown us both. [With a sudden addition of pressure, he dragged the blade along his skin until a thin line of blood beaded along it then he moved to shove the blade at Richard.] Shall we spill blood together... or apart? [Third option.]
no subject
Who said anything about a leash? I slipped the leash long ago, but the collar remains.
[His eyes tracked Richard, and he knew that his lover was perhaps relishing his revelation as he had previous done when he'd struck a nerve on the younger man. It was unusual for someone to call out a tell he wasn't already aware of, and of course his base instinct was to fight when that happened. His expression remained hard with a guarded air about his own thoughts as Richard moved over to him.
Slowly, he pulled his legs back up so that he could settle the flat of his feet on the floor again, both to accommodate his lover suddenly making a move to slide into his lap and in a better position to dump the younger man should he decide to stand. His mismatched eyes stared only at Richard's face, unmoved by the touch to his face for once.]
Oh I don't have to worry about that, now do I Richard? Your motivation in this place requires careful tendering and encouragement, so I think you're going to follow me to a point before you have enough air beneath those wings of yours to take flight. Where will you go, I wonder? [He reached out, fingers dragging down the front of the binder until he could lightly tug at the bottom of it.] You'll leave. I am but a fleeting fancy to you, but you're spoiled for choice yet won't allow yourself to see that truth. My words are permission for you to walk away that you won't yet give yourself.
[His voice was low and soothing, purposefully so. But his tone changed as he considered the second option presented, and there was perhaps an honesty that was well known in the Undercity but never here or even likely in Piltover.] No, you aren't them. I hate every single one of them, but I'm not so foolish to realize I don't need them and their money and their patronage. I will bring them a taste of the fear that they bring us, enslave them with it as they did us. I was so close... [He shifted to sit forward so their noses nearly touched.] Don't you think it's more advantageous for me to never be first on anyone's mind? Just a shadow in the dark, a monster that lurks in the forest or the mines or the streets or wherever. [Did he wish to be first? Perhaps. Would it happen? He doubted it and steeled himself to not caring about it.]
[His hand rose to cover the hand with the knife against his chest, and he made a point to try to curl Richard's fingers around the hilt of it so he could turn the blade to press raw sharp edge to the side of his neck just above the collar of his shirt.]
You haven't seen my rebellious nature, but I suppose a kindred soul will always knows another, noble or peasant. We are the same; the blood on our hands to seize control is enough to drown us both. [With a sudden addition of pressure, he dragged the blade along his skin until a thin line of blood beaded along it then he moved to shove the blade at Richard.] Shall we spill blood together... or apart? [Third option.]