[Compared to the last he saw him, Zoro does not look well. Hardly shocking, given the givens, and it's not even a surprise how stoic he is about it, but it's not something Vrenille likes to see. By silent agreement, he doesn't draw attention there, but he notes to himself how Zoro's chosen not to show it--the traces of reluctance that bespeak an opposition to letting it work for sympathy. He has respect for that. And for his own part he has no complaints. Sure, he's living in a basement, but the ceiling is whole, and he can come and go as he pleases.]
I've had way worse.
But on my word, it'll get better--it's actually looking good above ground. Be ready to move in soon.
Me, Hakkyuu, Kim, we all live here. I'm hoping you'll join us--city expects you'll join us half time at least. But you'll have your own room, your own space. And we're not bad guys to live with, I think. Kim's very civilised. [Himself and Hakkyuu? Eh, debatable.]
[He appreciates Vrenille's silence on the less-than-hospitable nature of his current accommodations. Even if he'd offered a pitying word or two, Zoro would have shrugged it off with his usual nonchalance. Years of going it alone, a skill forged well before he'd left his village, built a wall of self-reliance. His captain and crew back home, that was different – a flicker of warmth still burns in that corner of his heart. Here, though, it's largely been every man for himself, as familiar and unyielding as the bars keeping him enclosed.
Vrenille's offer was definitely a stark contrast to Zoro's usual mercenary deals. Somehow, this feels more like... purpose. A shared fight to survive the best they can. Something the warrior in him understands. Plus, the guy doesn't seem to treat his contract partners like disposable assets or playthings.
Zoro lets his gaze linger on Vrenille's relaxed clothes.]
...Didn't realize room and board was part of the deal. Does the city expect me to join you for half of quota, too?
Most days. [It is livelier, yes. And now that they're on video, he has the benefit of Zoro's expression to gauge whether for him that seems like a bad thing.
When it comes to it, he knows so much less about him than anyone he's ever signed a contract with before, and that makes it difficult to know a lot of what to offer him. It matters though. He wants him to be happy--or as close to it as possible in this place.] It's in the Up and out towards the edge of town though, so quieter too.
'Fore the quake, it was this stupid, massive glass house that got left to me by someone when they left this place. Always felt it'd be pretty mean me living somewhere so fancy while any of my people were anywhere less. House'll be different now, but I still feel that way.
Quota though, there's no expectations--not from the city or me. We can do as much or as little you like. Or need. Anyway, my quota's different. Kim's and Hakkyuu's too. We've all been here more than a year and they change it once you've "graduated."
[Zoro's poker face remains in place, a testament to his time bounty hunting alone that had taught him to keep his emotions close. Maybe later, once settled, he might let his guard down a notch. But for now, directness was key.]
Lively or quiet, doesn't matter much as long as it doesn't cut into my nap time. [A beat of silence. He shifts his gaze away from Vrenille for a moment, as though staring towards a distant horizon visible only to him.] ...My crew back home was pretty crazy too.
[Vrenille's mention of "his people" isn't lost on him, and he lets it hang in the air for a moment, turning it over in his mind. Zoro woudn't call this group his own in the same sense, his loyalty already pledged elsewhere. But practicality, gratitude, and the knowledge that his captain wouldn't want him rotting in jail on his account, nudge him forward.]
Good to know. Congrats. [He makes eye contact again, lightly tilting his head to one side.] ...What's the big deal with graduation, anyway? You said so yourself, you still have quota.
Nap time. Check. [Vrenille smiles back at that, easy and unguarded. It doesn't matter right now whether Zoro means it to be literal or figurative. It's a meeting place, a coordinate, like what he says next.]
Your crew. My guild. They don't stop mattering even when we're here. And both a bit crazy sometimes. Once you're outta there, maybe we share a bottle sometime and you tell me 'bout them. [He'd like to hear. He'd like to share too. Two way street. But there's also no pressure--it's an invitation, in Zoro's own time. The way power is distributed in this city, Vrenille considers it more than fair if he wants to play some cards close to the vest for a while.
He's got to snort a laugh on the question about graduation though.] Literally nothing. Used to be there was no quota once you graduated. They give you a whole hundred bucks and they call you a "citizen" here, but it's a farce mostly. Any freedoms we gained have been chipped away by the Creator through the years.
Now each month I get some special sex "assignment" to do. [He raises one hand to make the scare quotes.] This month it was outercourse.
[He watches Vrenille's smile unfold, easy and genuine, the kind that would disarm most people. No hidden agendas, no veiled threats — just a friendly openness, along with a promise to respect a man's naps. He's not surprised Vrenille has multiple contract partners, a large circle of people he trusts.
That sort of warmth with others isn't something Zoro displays often. In fact, his face stays impassive, though a flicker of something unreadable — perhaps curiosity — sparks in his eyes at the mention of Vrenille's guild. Sharing stories isn't exactly Zoro's forte. Drowning them in drinks, on the other hand...]
Make it two bottles. [He concedes, and for a moment the facade does soften, the corner of his mouth twitching faintly.] Then we'll talk.
[Graduation's "benefits" actually wring a humorless snort from him. A hundred bucks and a worthless title? That's not a reward, it's a participation trophy. Or a consolation prize for anyone stuck here, depending on how cynical they're feeling about it.
A hint of an edge creeps into Zoro's words.]
So, just meeting quota isn't enough for them anymore? Now they've gotta control how you do it, too?
[No qualms, no reservations, no counter-negotiating. Two bottles it is. He doesn't even call it a steep price. Why would he when he sees the play of expressions that cross Zoro's eyes, subtle and fleeting but no less marked--little signs along a trail pointing him on the way.
You have to take people on their own terms, let them lead you and see where they go. You have to surrender to their current or the only places you'll end up are ones you've already been--your places, not theirs. These are things Vrenille has learned by experience; they're the ways he's survived. Only now he doesn't do them for survival. Now he does them because he wants to, because it matters. Getting to know Zoro, coming to understand him on his own terms, that matters to him.
The edge of anger tells him some of it too. And Vrenille shares the sentiment; he's just had a lot longer to get used to it.]
Creator's bitter that no one's given him his own personal giganticus lupicus yet, maybe. I'll never put it past him just being a vindictive little shit. Whole damn experiment's basically his vanity project anyway. I'll tell you my thoughts on all that too sometime--that'll be three bottles.
[Actually, he'd tell him for less. He'd tell him for none. But he won't tell him over the network. It's too high risk for them both, even in a private conversation.]
But at least now I've only gotta jump their hoop once instead of three times. It's a trade.
[The unfamiliar term leaves him more confused than angry. But Vrenille had clearly signaled a desire to hold off on deeper explanations, so Zoro keeps his voice low.]
... You know what, make it five bottles. Seems like we've got a lot to unpack.
Oh, the giganticus lupicus. The great giants. They went extinct like ten thousand years 'fore the gods left. People who know 'bout this stuff say it was 'round the time of the last dragonrise--I mean before this recent dragonrise we just had.
[Yes, quite a considerable amount to unpack indeed. But a gloss on his meaning for now:]
It's like saying...he wants a unicorn. I think that's what the earth folks say anyway. [Which may or may not be helpful to Zoro.] He's searching for a unicorn without his "deceit gene" and so far we're all bog standard centaurs who have it.
Anyway, booze is one thing you don't gotta worry 'bout. We do pretty good for food too. [And here he's just going to casually steer them a little more towards the purpose of their call.] Good for a relaxing evening routine--or whatever suits you.
[He did notice that light sheen of sweat on Zoro's arms when the feed flicked on. That means he hadn't been sitting idle. He'll hazard a guess about that.] You train morning and evening? You've managed it even in there?
[Giant wolves, mythical horses, or whatever else — it sounds like a campfire story, which, yeah, he now realizes was Vrenille's point. But Zoro isn't one to lose sleep over fairytales. If the big guy is frustrated about his pet project, that sounds like his own problem.
As for the more practical matters...]
Whatever you've got. [A hint of sardonicism briefly crosses his face.] Probably beats jail rations.
[Sleep, booze, food, and training — those were the necessities. Confinement isn't going to stop him from staying in shape.]
Mornings and evenings, yeah. [There's a steely glint in his eye.] Always found ways to stay sharp, even in here. Fancy equipment's just a bonus.
[There's a certain bittersweetness these days when Vrenille thinks about food for the group--it's always been wrapped up in memories of home and guild for him, ever since he got here. But there are nearer memories now too, and food is also, for him, part of an older and hard-learned calculous of survival. It doesn't surprise him, then, when it's the echo of Carver's voice that answers in his mind:
No one starves here.
The only surprise is how it hits him, so close and deep that just for a moment he closes his eyes and, fleetingly, for the span of a breath, welcomes the ghost in.]
Yeah.
[He looks at Zoro again.] I reckon we can beat jail rations.
Probably actually got some of that fancy equipment too. Or we will do.
Tell me your routine? I mean the ideal version--no cell door, no restrictions, any kinda space you'd like. What would that look like for you? [Not that he knows if he can accommodate it, not that he's promising, but it's something that matters. If he has the capacity, he'll try.]
[Zoro silently observes the flicker of melancholy that crosses his face.
He chooses not to pry, letting the moment pass, and absorbs Vrenille's words instead. As he considers the question, he sits a fraction straighter on the cot, his dark eyes drifting towards the blank wall as he meticulously visualizes his ideal routine in his mind's eye.
Eventually, he begins in a low voice:]
Wake up before sunrise. Find a quiet spot with some space. Do some stretches, focusing on breath and form. Then, it's a mix — basic drills, weapon practice, footwork exercises. Gotta keep the body sharp, all of it. Push myself till the sweat runs.
Noon's for lunch and a nap. Back at it in the afternoon, maybe some sparring if there's a good challenge around, or I'll use a kit to clean my blades if they need it. Otherwise, I either do weight training, or focus on control and precision this time.
Ends with dinner, and then some meditation to clear the head and get ready for some more shut-eye.
[This is the most he's spoken at once in a while, likely more than he would've shared with anyone else. He recognizes Vrenille's question as a bridge, an attempt to build a connection.
With the hint of a shrug, he adds:]
Ideal's a luxury, not a necessity. The unexpected is just another training ground. I can adapt. A gym's nice, but space and the will are all I need.
Space is no problem--grounds are plenty big and there's the woods beyond. And once we've got the house sorted, most of this down here'll be converted back to a gym again. We made a plunge pool where a crater formed too.
And Kim's the only one here who doesn't meditate--he's a library guy. Hakkyuu usually starts his day with it. I'm flexible. [Maybe because it's been part of his life for comparatively less time.
Either way, they can pretty well tick a lot of Zoro's boxes straight off.]
You're getting in on the ground floor of how we set up a lotta the smaller bits, and I'm open to suggestions. This is gonna be your home too--for as long as you're happy in it.
[And he wants Zoro to be happy. However they've gotten to this point, from the moment they set the intention to contract, it became his concern to try and see that Zoro is as happy as the city will allow. If there are little tweaks or edits he can make in the arrangement of spaces that they'll all use, he's more than willing to do that.
This is also, however, an intensely dedicated training schedule that Zoro describes, and that illuminates other things. Opens up other questions. It's the first time Vrenille starts to properly understand Zoro's bounty hunting as a means to an end, what that really means in his life, and the more granular detail of his dedication that's veiled in the background behind it. Supporting him means supporting that, which, all right, that Vrenille can do.
Though also, counterpoint, which he says with just a touch of a sardonic smile:] Biggest challenge may be finding a reason why you'd wanna go out at all.
[Plenty of space sounds ideal. Less chance of interruptions, everyone can find their groove. He gives a slow nod, a flicker of something akin to approval crossing his features.]
That a cold plunge? I like those.
[At the mention of "home", Zoro pauses and experimentally weighs the word in his mind. Nothing about this concrete jungle had ever felt like home. But Zoro already decided when he first arrived, that he'd need to leave space within himself to embrace the unexpected, even if it was a sliver. Vrenille's spontaneous camaraderie, this offer, solidifies that choice.]
[There's a spark of challenge in his eyes as he raises his chin to meet Vrenille's.]
... Depends. Does that gym come stocked with a full bar?
[Oh, it's on now. Bring it, Zoro. He meets the first challenge and raises him.] Temperature controlled and everything.
[Zoro can have his cold pluge at exactly the temperature he wants it. Even in mid-summer.
As for the bar, he snorts.]
No. What am I, a heathen? [Beat.] The bar comes stocked with a full bar. [Two of them, in fact. Indoor and outdoor. But he'll leave a bit of mystery for Zoro to discover on his own.]
[It may be a subtle smile, but it's there, which he'll take as a win. There's a special kind of pleasure in making taciturn men smile a little, and Vrenille's always had a knack for it.
It also gives him an opening to broach another topic that he's kept waiting in the wings.]
In all seriousness, I'd actually like you to get a job. Can be anything you want--I'm sure I can help set you up with something if you're short on ideas.
As contract partner, I can authorise you to spend money whenever and wherever you like. But that doesn't do much good unless you've got money of your own to spend. I don't wanna be holding your purse strings. That's your business.
[Having lived off the grid for months, Zoro already has an answer in mind. He wastes no time in delivering it.]
Arena already gives me everything I need. But if someone with cash appreciates a clean takedown and the bottom of my boot, let me know. If it helps meet quota, even better.
[No shame in the work, not when it means a full plate, a cold beer, and most importantly, his freedom.]
All right. [Vrenille inclines his head once in approval, muting his smile just a bit to disguise how well he's anticipating Zoro and Hakkyuu are going to get along once they get to know each other--no sense in jinxing it.
Anyway, at the moment he's got other questions, mostly pertaining to Zoro's approach to quota thus far and how he seems to envision it going in the future.
Excepting one of the Stephens (rather a unique case), Zoro is the first person Vrenille's even considered contracting with who he hasn't had sex with beforehand. That's not a deal breaker for him, but it is different. He's used to having at least some gauge of his sexual compatibility with the men in his household, and while it's true that he's flexible enough to find sexual compatibility with almost anyone if he puts his mind to it, he would still prefer to get his bearings a little.]
You said something like that earlier too--'bout people who wanna be stepped on, or watched, and meeting quota that way. You said those things don't get you off. [He wouldn't judge him if they did, but right now, he's taking the statement at face value.
He cocks his head, attentive and considering.] What does get you off, Zoro?
[Vrenille's question lingers in the air for a long moment. Zoro doesn't rush to fill the silence. The answer lives deep within him, an instinct as primal as breathing. It's the surge of power, the dance of focus and exertion as he pushes his body to its peak. It's the complete control over every muscle, every fiber, culminating in a release so intense it makes him feel truly alive. But translating that raw experience into words feels like trying to cage lightning. Action has always been his language, not explanation. And this, he determines, will be no different.
"I already told you, I jerk off before bed sometimes," prickles on Zoro's tongue, sharp with frustration that has nothing to do with Vrenille. He stifles the retort, taking a moment to close his eyes. Finally, he answers with a question of his own:]
[It wouldn't have shocked him if Zoro hadn't answered, if he'd balked, if he'd snapped something back at him, and maybe not even out of stubbornness.
Vrenille, as it turns out, has a lot of experience in this area--not just sex, but listening. Listening to what men want about sex, even when they maybe can't say it, don't know it, have never quite figured it out. That's experience he gained long before he came to Duplicity. It's experience he literally survived by for years.
Zoro has never struck him as a man who doesn't know himself, though sometimes it happens that men know themselves well in every area except the sexual. Vrenille has known plenty of guys who've left erotic desire as the one dark continent in their lives, something cast out, cast low, a sort of adversary. So he's really ready for anything as far as an answer goes, and in the one he gets, he listens not just to the words but to the shape of things behind them where it's more a matter of feeling his way than reasoning it.
With a soft sound of assent, he nods once.]
When you start out, haven't done it much before, it comes on quick. It's a limit. You have to come back. Do it again. And again. Patient. And then the distance grows. And one day your lungs burn, but you don't gotta stop--it's like it's...with you, not against, and then it's like you can fly.
[That's in his own experience, the coordinate he can relate the question to. But tacitly, it's also a question in return, and he's watching Zoro closely to see what he does with it, whether the words resonate, coming close to something for him, or land wide of the mark.]
[A curt nod from Zoro, a beat of silence following. Not quite hesitation, but a man navigating unfamiliar terrain – the landscape of expressing his inner world.]
Pushing my limits. Empties the noise. [A beat.] ...Helps me sleep.
[It's a utilitarian approach, perhaps harsher than most. His self-reliance borders on the austere. Integrating a partner wouldn't exactly be seamless. But for Zoro, it's served him well so far.]
[Is that all it's for? Vrenille wonders. Pure utility?
As austere as it is, emptying the noise means that there is noise, noise which otherwise might irk, might disrupt. So it's a formula for keeping a disturbance at bay, maintaining the sort of strict self-discipline that certainly appears to rule Zoro's life through and through. Sex, or at least his body's need for release, takes shape as something that he's found a way to put into its place in the ordered regimen of life.
It's all rather divorced from desire like that, granted. But it's not Vrenille's place to question or challenge that--certainly not now or like this. You can't go around disrespecting people like that, believing they ought to live a different way, as if you know what's "good" for them, as though you could live their lives better than they are doing themselves. That's pure hubris.
And frankly, Vrenille being here at all, in context that's a pretty big step--he's being given a chance to meet Zoro on his own terms, understand his outlook. When someone offers you that, you honour it. So what he asks next, though his voice shifts a degree more sultry, the tone for secrets and words of collusion, is all about being with Zoro where he is, accepting a welcome and extending an invitation in return, accompanying, proposing maybe, but not disrupting.]
Do you edge yourself? Bring yourself right to the point where you couldn't stop yourself cumming and then back off 'fore you do. Wait till it ebbs, and then bring yourself that close again. See how many times you'll hold out for?
[Vrenille's sultry voice paints a clear scenario, but Zoro doesn't fully lean into it, opting to remain cautiously anchored for now. Still, there's a subtle shift in his posture. Curiosity, maybe. At the very least, it's not a dismissal.
Even if this seems to be an invitation, Zoro hasn't dismissed the possibility that it's also a test. So he studies Vrenille with the watchful focus of a tiger encountering a new element in its territory.]
[Vrenille's not going to pretend for a minute that he doesn't appreciate that sound Zoro makes, subtle though it might be. And he doesn't mind letting that be known either, because here's the thing: with anything sexual, as soon as a second person is involved, an element of risk is introduced.
It's a craps shoot, ultimately, especially on a first encounter. One can maximise their odds in any number of ways, but no matter who's topping or bottoming or domming or subbing, it's always impossible to be sure in advance whether your partner will satisfy or disappoint (or frustrate, or embarrass, or hurt you). And some guys don't like that. Everyone has their own appetite for risk with sex just like anything.
So that watchful look Zoro is giving him? Vrenille's not phased; he's not even particularly surprised. What he is is very well practiced at handling sexual risk. And what experience has taught him is that there's a lot of value in taking the step to make himself vulnerable first.
He does it now simply by letting his teeth tug the edge of his lower lip, letting the expression in his eyes shift a degree closer to want, and handing Zoro the power to turn him down, shut him down, rebuff the advance.]
You ever do it with someone? Matching each other. Leading each other. Finding a rhythm, and telling 'em when to wait, when to go?
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I've had way worse.
But on my word, it'll get better--it's actually looking good above ground. Be ready to move in soon.
Me, Hakkyuu, Kim, we all live here. I'm hoping you'll join us--city expects you'll join us half time at least. But you'll have your own room, your own space. And we're not bad guys to live with, I think. Kim's very civilised. [Himself and Hakkyuu? Eh, debatable.]
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[He appreciates Vrenille's silence on the less-than-hospitable nature of his current accommodations. Even if he'd offered a pitying word or two, Zoro would have shrugged it off with his usual nonchalance. Years of going it alone, a skill forged well before he'd left his village, built a wall of self-reliance. His captain and crew back home, that was different – a flicker of warmth still burns in that corner of his heart. Here, though, it's largely been every man for himself, as familiar and unyielding as the bars keeping him enclosed.
Vrenille's offer was definitely a stark contrast to Zoro's usual mercenary deals. Somehow, this feels more like... purpose. A shared fight to survive the best they can. Something the warrior in him understands. Plus, the guy doesn't seem to treat his contract partners like disposable assets or playthings.
Zoro lets his gaze linger on Vrenille's relaxed clothes.]
...Didn't realize room and board was part of the deal. Does the city expect me to join you for half of quota, too?
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When it comes to it, he knows so much less about him than anyone he's ever signed a contract with before, and that makes it difficult to know a lot of what to offer him. It matters though. He wants him to be happy--or as close to it as possible in this place.] It's in the Up and out towards the edge of town though, so quieter too.
'Fore the quake, it was this stupid, massive glass house that got left to me by someone when they left this place. Always felt it'd be pretty mean me living somewhere so fancy while any of my people were anywhere less. House'll be different now, but I still feel that way.
Quota though, there's no expectations--not from the city or me. We can do as much or as little you like. Or need. Anyway, my quota's different. Kim's and Hakkyuu's too. We've all been here more than a year and they change it once you've "graduated."
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Lively or quiet, doesn't matter much as long as it doesn't cut into my nap time. [A beat of silence. He shifts his gaze away from Vrenille for a moment, as though staring towards a distant horizon visible only to him.] ...My crew back home was pretty crazy too.
[Vrenille's mention of "his people" isn't lost on him, and he lets it hang in the air for a moment, turning it over in his mind. Zoro woudn't call this group his own in the same sense, his loyalty already pledged elsewhere. But practicality, gratitude, and the knowledge that his captain wouldn't want him rotting in jail on his account, nudge him forward.]
Good to know. Congrats. [He makes eye contact again, lightly tilting his head to one side.] ...What's the big deal with graduation, anyway? You said so yourself, you still have quota.
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Your crew. My guild. They don't stop mattering even when we're here. And both a bit crazy sometimes. Once you're outta there, maybe we share a bottle sometime and you tell me 'bout them. [He'd like to hear. He'd like to share too. Two way street. But there's also no pressure--it's an invitation, in Zoro's own time. The way power is distributed in this city, Vrenille considers it more than fair if he wants to play some cards close to the vest for a while.
He's got to snort a laugh on the question about graduation though.] Literally nothing. Used to be there was no quota once you graduated. They give you a whole hundred bucks and they call you a "citizen" here, but it's a farce mostly. Any freedoms we gained have been chipped away by the Creator through the years.
Now each month I get some special sex "assignment" to do. [He raises one hand to make the scare quotes.] This month it was outercourse.
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That sort of warmth with others isn't something Zoro displays often. In fact, his face stays impassive, though a flicker of something unreadable — perhaps curiosity — sparks in his eyes at the mention of Vrenille's guild. Sharing stories isn't exactly Zoro's forte. Drowning them in drinks, on the other hand...]
Make it two bottles. [He concedes, and for a moment the facade does soften, the corner of his mouth twitching faintly.] Then we'll talk.
[Graduation's "benefits" actually wring a humorless snort from him. A hundred bucks and a worthless title? That's not a reward, it's a participation trophy. Or a consolation prize for anyone stuck here, depending on how cynical they're feeling about it.
A hint of an edge creeps into Zoro's words.]
So, just meeting quota isn't enough for them anymore? Now they've gotta control how you do it, too?
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[No qualms, no reservations, no counter-negotiating. Two bottles it is. He doesn't even call it a steep price. Why would he when he sees the play of expressions that cross Zoro's eyes, subtle and fleeting but no less marked--little signs along a trail pointing him on the way.
You have to take people on their own terms, let them lead you and see where they go. You have to surrender to their current or the only places you'll end up are ones you've already been--your places, not theirs. These are things Vrenille has learned by experience; they're the ways he's survived. Only now he doesn't do them for survival. Now he does them because he wants to, because it matters. Getting to know Zoro, coming to understand him on his own terms, that matters to him.
The edge of anger tells him some of it too. And Vrenille shares the sentiment; he's just had a lot longer to get used to it.]
Creator's bitter that no one's given him his own personal giganticus lupicus yet, maybe. I'll never put it past him just being a vindictive little shit. Whole damn experiment's basically his vanity project anyway. I'll tell you my thoughts on all that too sometime--that'll be three bottles.
[Actually, he'd tell him for less. He'd tell him for none. But he won't tell him over the network. It's too high risk for them both, even in a private conversation.]
But at least now I've only gotta jump their hoop once instead of three times. It's a trade.
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[The unfamiliar term leaves him more confused than angry. But Vrenille had clearly signaled a desire to hold off on deeper explanations, so Zoro keeps his voice low.]
... You know what, make it five bottles. Seems like we've got a lot to unpack.
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[Yes, quite a considerable amount to unpack indeed. But a gloss on his meaning for now:]
It's like saying...he wants a unicorn. I think that's what the earth folks say anyway. [Which may or may not be helpful to Zoro.] He's searching for a unicorn without his "deceit gene" and so far we're all bog standard centaurs who have it.
Anyway, booze is one thing you don't gotta worry 'bout. We do pretty good for food too. [And here he's just going to casually steer them a little more towards the purpose of their call.] Good for a relaxing evening routine--or whatever suits you.
[He did notice that light sheen of sweat on Zoro's arms when the feed flicked on. That means he hadn't been sitting idle. He'll hazard a guess about that.] You train morning and evening? You've managed it even in there?
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As for the more practical matters...]
Whatever you've got. [A hint of sardonicism briefly crosses his face.] Probably beats jail rations.
[Sleep, booze, food, and training — those were the necessities. Confinement isn't going to stop him from staying in shape.]
Mornings and evenings, yeah. [There's a steely glint in his eye.] Always found ways to stay sharp, even in here. Fancy equipment's just a bonus.
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No one starves here.
The only surprise is how it hits him, so close and deep that just for a moment he closes his eyes and, fleetingly, for the span of a breath, welcomes the ghost in.]
Yeah.
[He looks at Zoro again.] I reckon we can beat jail rations.
Probably actually got some of that fancy equipment too. Or we will do.
Tell me your routine? I mean the ideal version--no cell door, no restrictions, any kinda space you'd like. What would that look like for you? [Not that he knows if he can accommodate it, not that he's promising, but it's something that matters. If he has the capacity, he'll try.]
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He chooses not to pry, letting the moment pass, and absorbs Vrenille's words instead. As he considers the question, he sits a fraction straighter on the cot, his dark eyes drifting towards the blank wall as he meticulously visualizes his ideal routine in his mind's eye.
Eventually, he begins in a low voice:]
Wake up before sunrise. Find a quiet spot with some space. Do some stretches, focusing on breath and form. Then, it's a mix — basic drills, weapon practice, footwork exercises. Gotta keep the body sharp, all of it. Push myself till the sweat runs.
Noon's for lunch and a nap. Back at it in the afternoon, maybe some sparring if there's a good challenge around, or I'll use a kit to clean my blades if they need it. Otherwise, I either do weight training, or focus on control and precision this time.
Ends with dinner, and then some meditation to clear the head and get ready for some more shut-eye.
[This is the most he's spoken at once in a while, likely more than he would've shared with anyone else. He recognizes Vrenille's question as a bridge, an attempt to build a connection.
With the hint of a shrug, he adds:]
Ideal's a luxury, not a necessity. The unexpected is just another training ground. I can adapt. A gym's nice, but space and the will are all I need.
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And Kim's the only one here who doesn't meditate--he's a library guy. Hakkyuu usually starts his day with it. I'm flexible. [Maybe because it's been part of his life for comparatively less time.
Either way, they can pretty well tick a lot of Zoro's boxes straight off.]
You're getting in on the ground floor of how we set up a lotta the smaller bits, and I'm open to suggestions. This is gonna be your home too--for as long as you're happy in it.
[And he wants Zoro to be happy. However they've gotten to this point, from the moment they set the intention to contract, it became his concern to try and see that Zoro is as happy as the city will allow. If there are little tweaks or edits he can make in the arrangement of spaces that they'll all use, he's more than willing to do that.
This is also, however, an intensely dedicated training schedule that Zoro describes, and that illuminates other things. Opens up other questions. It's the first time Vrenille starts to properly understand Zoro's bounty hunting as a means to an end, what that really means in his life, and the more granular detail of his dedication that's veiled in the background behind it. Supporting him means supporting that, which, all right, that Vrenille can do.
Though also, counterpoint, which he says with just a touch of a sardonic smile:] Biggest challenge may be finding a reason why you'd wanna go out at all.
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That a cold plunge? I like those.
[At the mention of "home", Zoro pauses and experimentally weighs the word in his mind. Nothing about this concrete jungle had ever felt like home. But Zoro already decided when he first arrived, that he'd need to leave space within himself to embrace the unexpected, even if it was a sliver. Vrenille's spontaneous camaraderie, this offer, solidifies that choice.]
[There's a spark of challenge in his eyes as he raises his chin to meet Vrenille's.]
... Depends. Does that gym come stocked with a full bar?
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[Zoro can have his cold pluge at exactly the temperature he wants it. Even in mid-summer.
As for the bar, he snorts.]
No. What am I, a heathen? [Beat.] The bar comes stocked with a full bar. [Two of them, in fact. Indoor and outdoor. But he'll leave a bit of mystery for Zoro to discover on his own.]
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Now you're making me wonder if you even want me to leave the house.
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It also gives him an opening to broach another topic that he's kept waiting in the wings.]
In all seriousness, I'd actually like you to get a job. Can be anything you want--I'm sure I can help set you up with something if you're short on ideas.
As contract partner, I can authorise you to spend money whenever and wherever you like. But that doesn't do much good unless you've got money of your own to spend. I don't wanna be holding your purse strings. That's your business.
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Arena already gives me everything I need. But if someone with cash appreciates a clean takedown and the bottom of my boot, let me know. If it helps meet quota, even better.
[No shame in the work, not when it means a full plate, a cold beer, and most importantly, his freedom.]
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Anyway, at the moment he's got other questions, mostly pertaining to Zoro's approach to quota thus far and how he seems to envision it going in the future.
Excepting one of the Stephens (rather a unique case), Zoro is the first person Vrenille's even considered contracting with who he hasn't had sex with beforehand. That's not a deal breaker for him, but it is different. He's used to having at least some gauge of his sexual compatibility with the men in his household, and while it's true that he's flexible enough to find sexual compatibility with almost anyone if he puts his mind to it, he would still prefer to get his bearings a little.]
You said something like that earlier too--'bout people who wanna be stepped on, or watched, and meeting quota that way. You said those things don't get you off. [He wouldn't judge him if they did, but right now, he's taking the statement at face value.
He cocks his head, attentive and considering.] What does get you off, Zoro?
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"I already told you, I jerk off before bed sometimes," prickles on Zoro's tongue, sharp with frustration that has nothing to do with Vrenille. He stifles the retort, taking a moment to close his eyes. Finally, he answers with a question of his own:]
...You ever try running until your lungs burn?
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Vrenille, as it turns out, has a lot of experience in this area--not just sex, but listening. Listening to what men want about sex, even when they maybe can't say it, don't know it, have never quite figured it out. That's experience he gained long before he came to Duplicity. It's experience he literally survived by for years.
Zoro has never struck him as a man who doesn't know himself, though sometimes it happens that men know themselves well in every area except the sexual. Vrenille has known plenty of guys who've left erotic desire as the one dark continent in their lives, something cast out, cast low, a sort of adversary. So he's really ready for anything as far as an answer goes, and in the one he gets, he listens not just to the words but to the shape of things behind them where it's more a matter of feeling his way than reasoning it.
With a soft sound of assent, he nods once.]
When you start out, haven't done it much before, it comes on quick. It's a limit. You have to come back. Do it again. And again. Patient. And then the distance grows. And one day your lungs burn, but you don't gotta stop--it's like it's...with you, not against, and then it's like you can fly.
[That's in his own experience, the coordinate he can relate the question to. But tacitly, it's also a question in return, and he's watching Zoro closely to see what he does with it, whether the words resonate, coming close to something for him, or land wide of the mark.]
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Pushing my limits. Empties the noise. [A beat.] ...Helps me sleep.
[It's a utilitarian approach, perhaps harsher than most. His self-reliance borders on the austere. Integrating a partner wouldn't exactly be seamless. But for Zoro, it's served him well so far.]
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As austere as it is, emptying the noise means that there is noise, noise which otherwise might irk, might disrupt. So it's a formula for keeping a disturbance at bay, maintaining the sort of strict self-discipline that certainly appears to rule Zoro's life through and through. Sex, or at least his body's need for release, takes shape as something that he's found a way to put into its place in the ordered regimen of life.
It's all rather divorced from desire like that, granted. But it's not Vrenille's place to question or challenge that--certainly not now or like this. You can't go around disrespecting people like that, believing they ought to live a different way, as if you know what's "good" for them, as though you could live their lives better than they are doing themselves. That's pure hubris.
And frankly, Vrenille being here at all, in context that's a pretty big step--he's being given a chance to meet Zoro on his own terms, understand his outlook. When someone offers you that, you honour it. So what he asks next, though his voice shifts a degree more sultry, the tone for secrets and words of collusion, is all about being with Zoro where he is, accepting a welcome and extending an invitation in return, accompanying, proposing maybe, but not disrupting.]
Do you edge yourself? Bring yourself right to the point where you couldn't stop yourself cumming and then back off 'fore you do. Wait till it ebbs, and then bring yourself that close again. See how many times you'll hold out for?
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...Yeah. Sometimes.
[Vrenille's sultry voice paints a clear scenario, but Zoro doesn't fully lean into it, opting to remain cautiously anchored for now. Still, there's a subtle shift in his posture. Curiosity, maybe. At the very least, it's not a dismissal.
Even if this seems to be an invitation, Zoro hasn't dismissed the possibility that it's also a test. So he studies Vrenille with the watchful focus of a tiger encountering a new element in its territory.]
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It's a craps shoot, ultimately, especially on a first encounter. One can maximise their odds in any number of ways, but no matter who's topping or bottoming or domming or subbing, it's always impossible to be sure in advance whether your partner will satisfy or disappoint (or frustrate, or embarrass, or hurt you). And some guys don't like that. Everyone has their own appetite for risk with sex just like anything.
So that watchful look Zoro is giving him? Vrenille's not phased; he's not even particularly surprised. What he is is very well practiced at handling sexual risk. And what experience has taught him is that there's a lot of value in taking the step to make himself vulnerable first.
He does it now simply by letting his teeth tug the edge of his lower lip, letting the expression in his eyes shift a degree closer to want, and handing Zoro the power to turn him down, shut him down, rebuff the advance.]
You ever do it with someone? Matching each other. Leading each other. Finding a rhythm, and telling 'em when to wait, when to go?
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cw: implied sex work
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