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Post by Satra on Aug 28, 2009 21:41:12 GMT -5
Victor was so caught up in the moment he just realized he'd said 'can' instead of 'may'! How embarrassing! How... grammatically incorrect! He didn't realize until after Merlin began speaking, so he let it go even though it still irked him.
"I was curious... When, eh... when I went to check out at the grocery store, the lady said something about my groceries being partially paid for already. That... that wasn't you, was it?" He waited for an answer, his curiosity bubbling. If so... why? Why was he so interesting to the man?
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Post by Nako on Sept 2, 2009 15:39:45 GMT -5
It was one of those questions that Merlin.. genuinely almost didn't want to answer. Obviously fingers might have been pointed to him when the groceries were discounted, but he hadn't thought the man would actually bring it up. Quite the... open sort wasn't he? Not at all shady like he'd heard Lowlanders could be. It was a very interesting contrast to what the stereotype was; Merlin was right to have found him interesting.
"Hm. Well, call it a sudden act of good will. I hear it is a common affliction around cards that has a tendency to rise its ugly head every now and again. Quite pesky, consciences are."
The waitstaff was a welcome distraction from that train of thought, Merlin briskly ordering a cup of hot tea for himself before looking expectantly toward the Lowlander.. his... date... to wait for him to order his drink as well.
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Post by Satra on Sept 26, 2009 0:22:03 GMT -5
Victor smiled at the man's answer. He felt a little silly bringing it up. Really, who else would have done him the favor? Still, it seemed unbelievable.
"Thank you," he said, his gaze steady on the man's face. His expression was bright and genuine, "You can play it off any way you'd like, but I appreciate it. A lot." It's sometimes rare for me to get a civilized greeting from non-Lowlanders, let alone something like that... but he didn't share that thought. She did want to come off as someone who continually reminded the people around him that he saw himself as some kind of victim.
"I'll start with a water, thank you," he told the waitress. He didn't know what he wanted to eat yet, after all. How annoying would that be to order a drink that ended up not complimenting what he ended up eating! The waitress went away and he suddenly felt very awkward. It had been a long time since he'd been in a situation like this. He didn't quite remember how this worked...
Oh, right. Food. Food... hmm. Very suddenly all of his thought together and he knew what he wanted. For the sake of displaying a stereotype, he settled on a fish dish and a glass of milk. He folded the menu and put it aside.
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Post by Nako on Oct 21, 2009 14:58:30 GMT -5
Merlin's reaction to the Lowlander's appreciation was minimal, though the whiskers on his face gave a little flicker before something of a smile curled his lips in response. He really didn't know how to respond to people outside some level of falsehood; he felt quite exposed.
There were questions that came to his mind; things he wanted to ask. Of course, all those things were highly inappropriate to ask at such a time, and in such a place. He could bide his time... act at least somewhat normal until he grew more comfortable around the feline, and that he grew comfortable around Merlin.
But yes... was conversation expected? He wasn't sure. Some said that it's a rare thing to share silence with someone... but he certainly wasn't to that point yet. He has curiosities that had to be sated, and he wouldn't stop being -odd- until he found at least a few out.
"So Victor... what do you do for a living?"
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Post by Satra on Nov 1, 2009 22:16:58 GMT -5
Either Victor was being more awkward than he realized or Merlin was just not one to display a lot of outward emotion. He'd known people like that quite often. People who'd been hurt in the past or just plain weren't extroverts.
Victor's tail twitched and stiffened a bit. He couldn't ever remember a time when he felt comfortable talking about his own job situation. He tried to hide it as best he could by staying positive. He didn't want to make Merlin uncomfortable.
"It's my goal to find one, steady job, but for now I count on lining up odd jobs until I can find a good match for myself. Currently I'm between jobs. I've got something lined up to start in about a week." If they don't screw me over. "But for now I'm just enjoying a few hobbies before going back to work." He paused, "What about you?" he asked, hoping to be both polite and steer the conversation away from his own situation. Victor was confident Merlin did something much more interesting than he could ever manage getting.
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Post by Nako on Nov 1, 2009 22:32:13 GMT -5
Merlin's nature often put a lot of people off. He knew this rather well, but there really was little he could do about it; it wasn't often that he was in a much different mood unless he wasn't expected to be himself. When he wasn't in his own form, it was -easy-.
His lips tensed into a thin line, feeling immediately displeased with himself when he took note of Victor's change in posture. It was hard to say the right things when dealing with personal issues, and for many people their ability to earn money was indeed a personal thing.
"Well, the economy is a fickle thing." Merlin offered offhandedly, hoping his indifference to the man's current status would be considered a -good- thing in this situation. "There is of course, a high turnover rate. I'm sure a job will open up soon enough."
Merlin was interrupted by the waitress, who came over to take their order. Merlin ordered himself the steak, rare, and allowed Victor to make his order as well. "But anyways. I work in stocks." Which was close enough to the truth to not be a lie. In reality, most of his aliases worked in stocks in all kinds. Some of them were legit, while others funded shadier businesses linked to some Corvie experiments. Of course, he -did- give to charity, and not just for the tax writeoff either.
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Post by Satra on Nov 1, 2009 22:50:12 GMT -5
Victor nodded and slowly loosened back up. He'd always told himself the same thing, but it just seemed to sound so much better coming from someone else's mouth. The waitress came and Victor ordered after Merlin.
"Really?" he said, a touch of surprise in his voice, " 'Work in stocks' as in you work in the actual stock market or you're able to make a living off merely buying and selling stocks?" It was never something he'd thought of. He knew people could make money off of it, but he'd always thought it had been something one did on the side. He would have never guess people could do it for an actual living.
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Post by Nako on Nov 1, 2009 23:14:44 GMT -5
"Buying and Selling, mostly." Merlin clarified, but didn't offer much more information past that. He'd inherited his family's money after they'd died, and they were not exactly poor individuals, and after living off the money for a few months he'd realized that the supply would eventually run out if he'd done nothing about it. His first job had actually been running the pits of the stock market. Of course.. he'd keep that to himself; he wasn't always in his own form when he ran those jobs. He paused a moment before considering that the feline probably wanted.. a more substantial answer. His nose twitched a bit as he wondered just how much more he should share.
"It's... a job that holds a considerable level of risk. I'm not always right about which stocks to buy and which to sell. But I like to think I've gotten good at judging good risks from the bad." As soon as he said that... he realized what that might have implied. Clearing his throat, he blushed and took a sip of the drink the waitress had brought around for him.
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Post by Satra on Nov 8, 2009 11:14:45 GMT -5
Victor listened intently as Merlin spoke, then he considered the few coins in his own wallet. He wondered if he could get Merlin to teach him so he could spend his time just playing the market and not having to work and therefore not taking time away from his self-guided studies. Then Merlin said something that took a moment to click properly.
Was... was he implying Victor was a "good risk"? He wasn't used to be referred to as good for anything. Not as far as he knew, anyway. It was an odd feeling. He wanted to say "well, you haven't made any poor decisions so far" but... would that be too dorky? Would it too heavily imply something else? He swallowed and scratched behind his head.
"Well, that's good. I mean... being a good judge of things is always... good." Well, that was lame. "Um, what do you like to do in your spare time?" he offered, still feeling awkward. Better an awkward statement than awkward silence, right?
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Post by Nako on Nov 19, 2009 23:04:17 GMT -5
Merlin looked up like a deer in headlights at the question what did he do.. for.. his spare time? Perhaps all of his hobbies were so entirely fleeting that he really didn't have one. His biggest hobby was masquerading as other cards and living a life that wasn't truly his... being open and alive in ways that he never allowed his true self to be. But he couldn't say a thing like that, could he? Of course not. So, what sort of answer could he give the man? "I've taken up knitting recently." He offered lamely; he'd tried taking up gardening again but the plants would not grow where he currently lived. He sincerely wished the sale would go through for his house so he could move somewhere else.
He looked down at his drink, sipping it as his mind reeled. What was he to say? What was he -doing-?
His passive face changed into that of concern.. of frustration. It was not an extreme gesture, but the change from his former placid attitude was certainly a difference. He gave a harsh sigh and set down his cup. "I'm sure you find me foolish. I don't - I never do this sort of thing." It was a terrible thing to look a fool in front of anyone; it was even worse to be a fool in front of a Lowlander. And doubly worse when he had this horrible -affliction- of interest in the feline! His ears pinned back in shame, staring down at his cup.
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