PC CATCHALL FOR VAN ZIEKS

[greatdeduction]

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[winebar]

[I'm happy for them.]

...
[Well, really, he should have known the detective would see right through him.]

I... I simply felt that I had to see you. That is all.

[greatdeduction]

Well, I am very much here.

[He'll put out his pipe and put it away, before turning to face him directly.]

...Are you a dancing man, my dear fellow?

[winebar]

... I know how to. But I have not been much given to attending such events that require it, in recent years.

[Rusty.]

[greatdeduction]

Excellent.

[And he is more than happy to step forward, one hand to the other's hand, the other slipping around his waist.]

I would hope you would not complain, then, if you would let me lead.

[winebar]

[HELLO???? Van Zieks was clearly not prepared for this contact, and the flush that rises on his face is unfortunately wildly visible on his pale skin. He doesn't push Sholmes' hands away, however;]

A-are you mad!? What if someone were to happen upon us??
[HOW WOULD HE EXPLAIN THIS AWAY??? For that matter, does this mean Sholmes returns his feelings?? There is a lot to stress about right now. Mirroring his distress, Adelheid shrinks to her harvester form.]

[greatdeduction]

[The blush surprises him, and he can't help but let out a light chuckle.]

For a creature of the night like yourself, you really can be quite adorable, can't you?

[Irene lowers herself to gently nudge the harvester with her nose, while Sholmes shifts closer.]

Come now. Relax. Its just you and I, here. You want to enjoy a dance, don't you?

[winebar]

[Listen if you didn't expect van Zieks to be an inexperienced blushing virgin about this I don't know what to tell you. This man has never fucked.]

I... You really are an impossible man.
[Mods said love arrow doesn't overwrite how annoying he thinks Sholmes is, which is very funny. That said, yes, he does want to enjoy a dance, if only for the closeness it allows.]

You will take full responsibility if my fears are realized, however.
[He rests his hand on Sholmes' shoulder. Lead on, sir.]

[greatdeduction]

[sir please realize that handholding and dancing is not actually nsfw you massive virgin]

[But he just grins at that.]

You really need to keep going with the praise. I quite enjoy it.

[He says, with an air of amusement, before he pushes them forward with a step, and then shifts back to get them started in the characteristic steps of a waltz.]

[winebar]

[Everything is ratcheted up a tier of Improper when it's two men doing it, as far as van Zieks and his Victorian high society sensibilities are concerned.

In any case, between being used to taking the lead and being out of practice, van Zieks is a little unsteady on his feet at first. He manages to find his bearings after a moment.]

More praise is the last thing you need. I've hardly met a man with a more inflated need for attention.
[And yet!!! Here we are.]

[greatdeduction]

[sholmes: i have been gay for years, get on the train, nerd]

[He is remarkably patient with Van Zieks, though, allowing him to shift his feet where needed as he continues to move them along.]

And yet, how funny. You say I don't need it, and yet here you are, giving me your time.

[winebar]

[No he likes it here in the closet it is dark like his soul.]

... I cannot account for the sins of my own sorry heart.
[He didn't choose to feel this way!! Leave him be.]

[greatdeduction]

Your...oh, come on, man.

[A little bark of a laugh.]

These are hardly "sins". And if they were, I would be the grandest sinner here, wouldn't I be?

[winebar]

[Squints at him.]

Would you be?
[EXPLAIN, SIR.]

[greatdeduction]

But of course.

[And smirking.]

I'm giving you my time in return, aren't I?

[winebar]

["giving you my time" is the hottest new euphemism for being gay.]

That should put us on equal grounds, not make you grander.

[greatdeduction]

Ah, but I'm a great detective, and that adds to my grandeur.

[shut up]

And indeed, my heart may be caught in quite a conundrum, here. But I cannot deny the feelings. I am not one to lie to myself, you know.

[winebar]

[Also daemon update, Adelheid has gone back to a cat.]

... No. I suppose you aren't. You've always been unabashedly yourself.
[Reflectively.]

It's not something I've ever had the station or ability to do.
[Even if he had wanted to live like Sholmes, his noble background demands he behave a certain way.]

[greatdeduction]

[Irene is going to hop up to put her paws on Adelheid and snuffle at her neck.]

Why was that? Let me have a guess. Your noble standing? It's almost funny. One would think that money would allow you to live the way you want. But I see that isn't quite the case.

[He's drawing closer now as they twirl, nose brushing briefly against the man's cheek.]

[winebar]

[Irene may have more grooming for her trouble!! Little sandpapery kitty kisses. Happy for the furry lesbians.]

Of course not. Power comes with responsibility, and with station comes a certain expectation in how one should behave.

[But then they spin, and Sholmes is so close, and that renews the redness on his cheeks, which he tries to master.]

Th-that isn't to say I don't see the appeal in the freedom you have in your way of things.

[greatdeduction]

There is "I must know how to behave in my role", and then, well, there's just being a big stick in the mud.

[Guess which one Van Zieks is!]

You should loosen up, my dear fellow. I always think that, when I look at you. You're too wrapped up in notions and preconceptions to even allow yourself to live a little.

[winebar]

How can I? First with the tragedy of Klint's death, and now with the tragedy of the sort of man he truly was. I already sullied the van Zieks name enough by allowing the myth of the Reaper to persist as long as I did. It is all I can do to maintain what little decency we have left.

[greatdeduction]

Tell me.

[He actually stops them in the dance for a moment...and then, without warning, he just dips him, smiling wide.]

Are you a family name, sir? Or are you a human being?

[winebar]

[THIS IS BULLYING]

I-A man can be more than one thing!

[greatdeduction]

[Pulling him back up to move back into the dance as if nothing just happened.]

If that is so, then why put so much priority on a name instead of your own life, free to be who and what you are? You and those nobles...when you will realize that all you need to do is to simply focus on your own world instead of another's, then you'll truly understand what it is to be free. You need only open your eyes a little.

[winebar]

[Sir you are a villain and a cad. He sinks into silent contemplation for a long moment, before, softly;]

After everything that has happened, what right do I have?
[All the people he couldn't help, couldn't save. And at the end of the day, wasn't he nothing more than a pale imitation of Klint?]