Of course. I established Hemlock a month after I arrived here. Tamamo culture has always reminded me of the West, so you could say that I feel right at home all ready.
Whatever's your strongest. Anything that could take me out as soon as possible.
[ he just wants to Not exist for a little… though that’s a tall order considering his incredibly high tolerance for alcohol that shylock is quite aware of. ]
[ shylock huffs out a chuckle. the wine cabinet behind him opens, and out flies a bottle of one of his strongest vodkas. nothing too fancy as it pours itself into a glass and lands in front of bradley. ]
I suppose I stand corrected. Did you not like your faction?
[ don't kick him when he's down… he only knows how to speak roughly but he doesn't mean anything by it. he'll down it all in one go just as he said he would, setting down the empty glass in front of him. ]
…You didn't change. I didn't change, either. Then how come other people did? …It makes no fucking sense.
[ you think he wouldn't give up his arm to get nero to stop beating himself up and be neurotypical for once?? because he would. he would also give his remaining arm to make himself stop loving nero - not because he wants to, but because nero wants him to. ]
Hah. You think anyone could stop likin’ me?
[ he says it in a haughty, rhetorical way, but… he's really asking. he pushes his empty glass towards shylock again. ]
Murr would never. No matter how much I train him, he'll always do whatever he wants... That's one aspect of him that I can never control.
[ why did he have to put it that way? because it's pretty much that. ]
If you want this certain person to be at your every beck and call, just do what I did. [ he jests. maybe. not everyone can read shylock's true intentions, after all. ] But I won't guarantee that it'll work.
[ but as weird as shylock is, he's one of the few wizards bradley actually likes. gross. terribly slim pickings. he reaches for the glass finally, gulping it down in one go again. it takes him a few seconds to continue. ]
...I said something stupid. Something I've never said out loud. It was fucking horrible to hear myself say it, but he dismissed it like it was nothin'. I didn't make a big deal out of it 'cause he's a spineless coward and he woulda cried on the spot, but I wish I could take it back.
[ he's making it sound more dramatic than it was, but showing vulnerability and admitting that he doesn't want to live alone? probably the worst thing that could happen to a northern wizard. he might as well have shot himself in the head. the second best thing is to come here and hope shylock poisons him. ]
[ that's the first thing shylock zooms in on. chuckling, he summons his pipe with a flick of his wrist, taking a long drag from it as he thinks. bradley really is being dramatic about all this, isn't he? it's rather unlike him; usually it's the twins who would ramp up the drama, not the sanbaka. ]
This spineless coward you were talking about... He's here, isn't he? It'd be easy for me to figure out who it is, considering that you'd only just arrived here.
[ incredibly easy, not that shylock doesn't already know. what if he just wants bradley to say it outright? ]
For someone like you who wished you could take it back -- you must love him, don't you?
[ as long as he doesn't say his name, there's plausible deniability, but he doesn't like how know-it-all shylock has to sound about it. he glares at him, daring him to not say a word or Else.
but his bravado falters the moment shylock says the l word. bradley doesn't think about that and never bothered naming his feelings, so it's both shocking and offensive to hear it in such plain terms. scary, too. mostly scary. ]
Shut up. You don't know shit.
[ says, even though shylock knows everything. he'll continue in what will feel like a sudden change of topic even though it's really not - not in his head, anyway. but also a little bit because let's not talk about love, ever. ]
...These "apartments" or whatever... they're fucking stupid. No self-respecting Northern wizard would take something given to them. We take it by force or not at all. Of course you and the others wouldn't get it.
[ his smile widens. northern wizards may be universally feared, sure, but there's nothing like being read by western wizards that makes the skin crawl at times. bradley and nero's conversations on the app may be available to be read by everyone, but who's to say that shylock read it? he's a tad too busy and he doesn't often try to use technology if he can help it.
but who knows, really :)
anyway! shylock goes along the topic change just as well. ]
Well, you'll need a roof over your head whether you like it or not. Is it any different from taking residence in the Manor despite our initial protests?
[ his tone also sounds wistful as he agrees with brad. ]
I miss them too. But we must try not to be too homesick, else our magic will go awry. After all, the heart wants what it wants, whether we like it or not.
As a matter of fact, [ shylock this time locks eyes with bradley. ] I don't mind. You might find this surprising, Bradley, but I do have my moments of solitude. And sometimes, I might even prefer them than being in crowds of people.
We wizards are all too accustomed to loneliness, after all.
[ he looks at him only because shylock is defying him with his eyes, not because he wants to. but then he says the thing about loneliness and he doesn’t know how to react. being lonely and being a social creature forced into over a century of loneliness are very different things.
eventually, he looks away. shylock is free therapy but at what cost? he clicks his tongue, annoyed. mostly at himself. ]
You'd still rather live with him than not. [ tch. he’s jealous. ] …Maybe I should kill him and move in with you instead.
[ see, going to shylock for free therapy is a common mistake in the first place. why won't y'all ever learn that his advice can range from understandable to utterly deranged? ]
Fufu. As if I'd let you take his life when he'd already risked his centuries ago.
[ he'll never let murr go through that again. ]
But of course, if you want... [ he leans over to whisper softly into bradley's ear ] Murr might not be home tonight.
[ and then he pulls away with a cheeky smile on his face. ]
[ bradley would never admit it, but he feels like a cornered beast forcefully thrown into a strange environment, stripped of all his power, no better than a human. and the one person he sought for company pushed him away like garbage in favor of his new life.
shylock was an oasis in the desert in that regard. he's used to the brash way bradley speaks and doesn't take offense in it, and to bradley, he's not only a familiar face, but his last resort in finding comfort. that's why he didn't mind walking for hours in the dark looking for his new bar. it was worth it because shylock made it worth it. he hates feeling vulnerable - it’s unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but if anyone in the world was going to see him like this, he'd rather it be shylock and no one else.
he closes his eyes when shylock leans in to whisper in his ear. what a terribly sultry voice. he huffs a laugh. ]
Hah. You know I'd never say no to that.
[ if nothing else, shylock was good at stroking his ego and not making him feel like a loser begging for company. also his voice just makes his dick hard simply for existing, so that's a plus. ]
Edited (how dare you edit) Date: 2022-09-17 01:24 pm (UTC)
[ that's because bradley has never been a loser in his eyes. northern wizards are always a delight to watch, and bradley does have exquisite taste when it comes to nicking treasure. this side of him is rather rare, a treasure in its own right, and shylock is going to take advantage of it. ]
Excellent.
[ he looks at the time. just a little over a half-hour until closing time. already the patrons are starting to make their leave, bidding shylock their farewell bows. ]
Now, if you could stay for a while longer, I will accompany you to wherever you wish to go.
[ because who knows if murr would be home. what if he wanted to join? would brad like that? he'd better be. nothing like a western wizard threesome to really fuck you up. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2022-09-14 07:03 pm (UTC)[ he sets the wineglass down. ]
Now, what would you like to have?
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Date: 2022-09-14 07:06 pm (UTC)[ he just wants to Not exist for a little… though that’s a tall order considering his incredibly high tolerance for alcohol that shylock is quite aware of. ]
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Date: 2022-09-14 07:11 pm (UTC)I suppose I stand corrected. Did you not like your faction?
no subject
Date: 2022-09-14 07:15 pm (UTC)[ …oh, that. he doesn't really pay attention to whatever is happening there. ]
…Sure. Let’s go with that.
[ he picks up the glass, and right before he drinks it, he looks at shylock. ]
I can't pay you yet, though. That better not be a problem ‘cause I'm drinking this anyway.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-14 07:19 pm (UTC)We'll see about that.
[ just because they're sage's wizards doesn't mean bradley's going to get preferential treatment??? only murr gets that.
he lets bradley drink his fill, the bar falling into a comforting silence. ]
Now, tell me what's truly ailing you.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-14 07:27 pm (UTC)…You didn't change. I didn't change, either. Then how come other people did? …It makes no fucking sense.
[ “other people”. ]
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Date: 2022-09-14 07:39 pm (UTC)There were certain circumstances that were out of our control. I of all people would know.
[ a bitter smile crosses his elegant features. ]
Did you not like them anymore? Or is it the other way around?
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Date: 2022-09-14 07:47 pm (UTC)Hah. You think anyone could stop likin’ me?
[ he says it in a haughty, rhetorical way, but… he's really asking. he pushes his empty glass towards shylock again. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-09-15 11:15 am (UTC)I don't know. Do you?
[ haha, take that. time to pour him another glass, then. ]
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Date: 2022-09-15 12:29 pm (UTC)………I dunno. Gettin' mixed signals is way worse than being outright rejected.
[ he lifts his gaze from the glass back to meet shylock's eyes. ]
Not that you'd know. You have a stupid cat sucking up to you all the time no matter what.
[ okay maybe that's not exactly what’s going on between shylock and murr but let him have this for a moment. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-09-15 11:10 pm (UTC)Murr would never. No matter how much I train him, he'll always do whatever he wants... That's one aspect of him that I can never control.
[ why did he have to put it that way? because it's pretty much that. ]
If you want this certain person to be at your every beck and call, just do what I did. [ he jests. maybe. not everyone can read shylock's true intentions, after all. ] But I won't guarantee that it'll work.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-15 11:32 pm (UTC)Man, you're so creepy.
[ but as weird as shylock is, he's one of the few wizards bradley actually likes. gross. terribly slim pickings. he reaches for the glass finally, gulping it down in one go again. it takes him a few seconds to continue. ]
...I said something stupid. Something I've never said out loud. It was fucking horrible to hear myself say it, but he dismissed it like it was nothin'. I didn't make a big deal out of it 'cause he's a spineless coward and he woulda cried on the spot, but I wish I could take it back.
[ he's making it sound more dramatic than it was, but showing vulnerability and admitting that he doesn't want to live alone? probably the worst thing that could happen to a northern wizard. he might as well have shot himself in the head. the second best thing is to come here and hope shylock poisons him. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-09-15 11:40 pm (UTC)[ that's the first thing shylock zooms in on. chuckling, he summons his pipe with a flick of his wrist, taking a long drag from it as he thinks. bradley really is being dramatic about all this, isn't he? it's rather unlike him; usually it's the twins who would ramp up the drama, not the sanbaka. ]
This spineless coward you were talking about... He's here, isn't he? It'd be easy for me to figure out who it is, considering that you'd only just arrived here.
[ incredibly easy, not that shylock doesn't already know. what if he just wants bradley to say it outright? ]
For someone like you who wished you could take it back -- you must love him, don't you?
no subject
Date: 2022-09-15 11:54 pm (UTC)but his bravado falters the moment shylock says the l word. bradley doesn't think about that and never bothered naming his feelings, so it's both shocking and offensive to hear it in such plain terms. scary, too. mostly scary. ]
Shut up. You don't know shit.
[ says, even though shylock knows everything. he'll continue in what will feel like a sudden change of topic even though it's really not - not in his head, anyway. but also a little bit because let's not talk about love, ever. ]
...These "apartments" or whatever... they're fucking stupid. No self-respecting Northern wizard would take something given to them. We take it by force or not at all. Of course you and the others wouldn't get it.
[ maybe owen would but fuck owen. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-09-16 10:04 am (UTC)[ his smile widens. northern wizards may be universally feared, sure, but there's nothing like being read by western wizards that makes the skin crawl at times. bradley and nero's conversations on the app may be available to be read by everyone, but who's to say that shylock read it? he's a tad too busy and he doesn't often try to use technology if he can help it.
but who knows, really :)
anyway! shylock goes along the topic change just as well. ]
Well, you'll need a roof over your head whether you like it or not. Is it any different from taking residence in the Manor despite our initial protests?
no subject
Date: 2022-09-16 03:30 pm (UTC)[ the thumbs his empty glass… thinking of the mansion… ]
It was full of idiots.
[ doesn't specify if this is a good or a bad thing, but clearly sounds wistful about it. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 11:28 am (UTC)[ his tone also sounds wistful as he agrees with brad. ]
I miss them too. But we must try not to be too homesick, else our magic will go awry. After all, the heart wants what it wants, whether we like it or not.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 12:31 pm (UTC)…Do you live with the cat guy?
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 12:33 pm (UTC)Of course. Where would you think he'd rather be?
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 12:38 pm (UTC)Hah. So you also can't stand the idea of living alone?
[ ignore the “also”. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 12:48 pm (UTC)We wizards are all too accustomed to loneliness, after all.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 12:55 pm (UTC)eventually, he looks away. shylock is free therapy but at what cost? he clicks his tongue, annoyed. mostly at himself. ]
You'd still rather live with him than not. [ tch. he’s jealous. ] …Maybe I should kill him and move in with you instead.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 01:02 pm (UTC)Fufu. As if I'd let you take his life when he'd already risked his centuries ago.
[ he'll never let murr go through that again. ]
But of course, if you want... [ he leans over to whisper softly into bradley's ear ] Murr might not be home tonight.
[ and then he pulls away with a cheeky smile on his face. ]
Or maybe he is. He'd love another roommate.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-17 01:24 pm (UTC)shylock was an oasis in the desert in that regard. he's used to the brash way bradley speaks and doesn't take offense in it, and to bradley, he's not only a familiar face, but his last resort in finding comfort. that's why he didn't mind walking for hours in the dark looking for his new bar. it was worth it because shylock made it worth it. he hates feeling vulnerable - it’s unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but if anyone in the world was going to see him like this, he'd rather it be shylock and no one else.
he closes his eyes when shylock leans in to whisper in his ear. what a terribly sultry voice. he huffs a laugh. ]
Hah. You know I'd never say no to that.
[ if nothing else, shylock was good at stroking his ego and not making him feel like a loser begging for company. also his voice just makes his dick hard simply for existing, so that's a plus. ]
look it was murr's idea!!! also if u do actually wanna thread the smut just lmk heheh
Date: 2022-09-17 01:56 pm (UTC)Excellent.
[ he looks at the time. just a little over a half-hour until closing time. already the patrons are starting to make their leave, bidding shylock their farewell bows. ]
Now, if you could stay for a while longer, I will accompany you to wherever you wish to go.
[ because who knows if murr would be home. what if he wanted to join? would brad like that? he'd better be. nothing like a western wizard threesome to really fuck you up. ]
i'm always down to clown, let's do this :3
From:rubs my hands together let's fucking goooooo
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