Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 11, 2009 20:30:53 GMT -5
Between Mirage's confidant manner around her, his choice of location and the insight he just made into what she was thinking, Oracle is starting to wonder how many fliers he may have courted in the past. It's either that's or he's just that good and flattery aside she thinks she would prefer to believe it was experience.
Leaning into him, and making sure to keep her winglets tucked up so they don't bang his arm, she looks delighted. "That's wonderful. I did want to see it, and I thought I could just ask when we were done." Briefly she looks pensive before continuing. "If you wanted to see it as well, I think I can handle that." She wouldn't be able to fly at speed, but for sightseeing that wasn't the point of the expedition anyway.
Allowing Mirage to settle her at the table once the drinks had arrived, she was confronted with yet another thing she had never encountered before. That warning was definitely heeded because saying she was unused to spirits was a understatement. highgrade Oracle had encountered, though not often. This was an entirely different story.
Lifting her glass she looks at it curiously. "Have a care indeed, I suspect anyone not treating this with respect might regret it." It takes her a moment, but she does figure out he's trying to toast and with a shy smile she complies.
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Post by Mirage on Aug 11, 2009 22:49:40 GMT -5
After that gentle touch of glass to glass, Mirage takes a sip of his beverage. He makes a small sound of satisfaction. Perceptor's work was truly a thing to be praised.
He leans forward a bit. "I do hope you like the drink. It is a very close approximation of a rare vintage of which I am particularly fond."
Smirk. "But this night is not about me. It is about you." Mirage reaches across the table to try and gently grasp her free hand.
"Tell me about yourself. What you enjoy. What makes you happy. If, that is, you think I'm worthy of having such knowledge."
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 11, 2009 23:24:26 GMT -5
Taking a sip of her drink, Oracle is fairly sure a surprised expression crosses her face. She isn't sure exactly what she's tasting in detail, not used to discerning such things so it takes her a moment to sort it all out, but she likes it. "It's very good. I'm doubly glad you warned me though." She's thankful her now considering expression as she studies her glass covers her reaction to his question.
Where to start, how much to hide, which pieces to hide so that it wasn't obvious she was hiding anything considering how well he could read her...suddenly she felt like she was trying to walk over unstable ground. She knew she could probably take the out he was giving her, but after all this just shutting him out cold felt terribly rude.
A small part of her almost wished this was like sharing stories with Rattrap again, truth and lies both with full knowledge and that being part of the game. It was certainly easier, and fun in it's own way.
Oracle took another small sip, both to distract and steady herself as a tiny wry smile quirked her lips. "Well the obvious of course, I like flying. You also figured out I enjoy fighting, so you pointed out during our spar." She hadn't denied it then, so why deny it now. "I also enjoy exploring and finding new places, though sometimes I wonder if I didn't develop that fondness just as a reaction from spending so much time doing it." Though just like fighting, might as well like what you do, it was better then the alternative.
She wondered if she was going to get a chance to question him later in turn.
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Post by Mirage on Aug 11, 2009 23:58:04 GMT -5
Oracle can ask whatever she likes. Mirage will even answer. How he answers, though, will depend on the questions.
"Mmm, yes, I would expect one such as yourself to enjoy exploring. Don't think yourself so transparent," he adds quickly, as he rubs his thumb over her knuckles soothingly. "Not all you interact with are as observant as myself, and I have had the added bonus of seeing you in something akin to your element."
A sip of his drink, one that is bolder than her own, and he continues, "I would think exploration was not your primary function, however, more a necessity borne of it."
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 12, 2009 0:14:02 GMT -5
Oracle would have to figure out the questions before she can even think to ask them.
She's a bit taken aback when he refers to one such as herself. What exactly is that supposed to mean? She thinks on that for a moment as her free hand dexterously twists her glass between her fingers, and she watches the swirls of the drink inside. The answer doesn't come to her though, so she asks. "What do you mean, one such as myself. I hadn't realized I'd given you enough information to put me so neatly in a box." An amused glance up at Mirage from where she had been looking at her still swirling glass. "Observant or not, and in my element or not, you've had a pretty small sample of data." She isn't offended though, more curious as to his thoughts.
Stilling her glass she continues to look at it for a moment before taking a sip and responding to his other comment. "No, exploration wasn't my primary function, nor was scouting which is what I do now most of the time." Mirage already hit on the answer before, but she's not going to come out and confirm his suspicions.
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Post by Mirage on Aug 12, 2009 14:31:12 GMT -5
Mirage tries to bring Oracle's hand up and press a slightly lingering kiss to its back before disentangling his own hand from hers. He sets his drink down and folds his arms upon the table, leaning forward.
"'So neatly in a box'? Hardly. To put you in a box would be a grave disservice. Why deprive the whole my mind your beauty and charm, eh?" A smirk, a wink, all to show that he merely being coy.
As quickly as that though, his tone switches from light and teasing to serious, and his gaze turns thoughtful.
"You must remember, Oracle, that in my profession, I've sometimes but a minute or two at most to take in a situation, process it, to determine a course of action, or what is of most import to those to whom I report. And even before my war, I was adept at drawing a person's character quickly and efficiently."
"I have also learned that a person seldom truly wishes to be confronted with such a study of themselves. For we all do hate to find that anyone can see past our masks. Tell me, Oracle, do you really wish me to speak in depth about my conclusions?"
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 12, 2009 21:29:46 GMT -5
Reclaiming her hand after Mirage's kiss and crossing her arm in front of her on the table somewhat mirroring his pose, Oracle sets her drink down and rest her chin in her other palm. Leaning forward she smiles. "Deprive hm? Nice of you to say it that way."
Her attention sharpens at the change in his focus and slowly she nods. "Alright, I can see that. I don't really see how you can get more then a slice of a person's real character from so short a sample, but then again that's why I don't have your job." She flashes him a quick grin of amusement.
Then the amusement dies down and after a short pause Oracle shrugs slightly. "For all that the truth can be unpleasant, ignorance isn't actually kinder. Though perhaps my outlook is a bit different then many would have." She would much rather have the truth as Mirage sees it so she can see what damage control she needs to do after all, even if she very much doubts what he has to say is going to make her happy. "I don't really wish to hear what you have to say, no. But I would hate not to know more."
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Post by Mirage on Aug 12, 2009 23:10:58 GMT -5
"You would be surprised, my dear, at how telling a mere slice can be. Consider what I discerned about you before our spar was half done," Mirage says causally, head tilted slightly, lips barely quirked as he watches her. His own mask is up, that easy neutrality mixed with polite interest. "Certainly, one can be mistaken, all or in part, with such a limited sample to draw from. But the longer one studies, the more one practices, the smaller the margin of error becomes."
He props his chin on his hand. "Firstly some conclusions can be drawn from the fact that you are a flier, and even more from your particular design. Most of the typical, however, must be dismissed after a few moment's observation of you."
"For example, the average flier has at least some disdain for the ground-bound, which is evident no matter how polite they might be. They prefer groups of their own, used as they are to working in pairs or trines, they dislike being alone. They consider closing with a combatant barbaric, sophomoric, believing fully in the superiority of their ranged weapons."
He smiles, "And while I tend to put my faith in a well-cared for rifle myself, I know better than to think it will keep all opponents from me. I've known some fliers who truly believed that they were untouchable, putting all their faith in air, rifle, and maneuverability."
"But you, my dear Oracle, are solitary even when in company, and comfortable in that fact. You prefer to keep close to others, for you know that the closer they are, the more easily you can defend yourself. You have no visible weapons. And, you either are the most adept I have ever seen at hiding your contempt- and if so I am doomed to have my spark broken," smirk "you have no contempt, or are ambivalent. I think the latter, for to make such a black or white choice would be against your core. You, sweetling, are as morally gray as your plating."
"And then there is the fact that your design is based of the Seeker mold," he adds, pausing to take a drink, and to allow her time to digest what he has said.
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 12, 2009 23:40:39 GMT -5
Listening quietly with her chin still resting in her palm, Oracle appears to be relaxed as she takes in his dissection of her character. To spite his caution, so far she isn't worried really and her relaxation is real and not feigned. Nothing he's hit on is either new or something she dislikes confronting. Or for that matter, something she doesn't wish him to have noticed. Perhaps she might wish he was less observant, but this much she can live with.
Of course, she's positive this isn't all he has to say, even if his trailing comment wasn't a leading cue all on it's own.
"Well, I'm not part of a pair, trine or group and while sometimes I don't entirely understand the way the ground-bound think, why should I disdain them? So you can't fly, I can't race on a road, or dig a tunnel, or any number of other things. As I already said though, my outlook can be a bit odd." Oracle's demeanor has gone from vaguely amused to highly amused as she speaks. "Which I think covers my preference for melee over ranged weapons." Maybe it does now, but her outlook didn't determine why she was built for it.
The hand not resting under her chin makes a dismissive gesture as she continues. "I was alone for a very long time, with brief exceptions. Either one grows comfortable in your own company or you go mad." Which then utterly skips over commenting on the rest of what he said. She hears it, and acknowledges it, but she's not going to confirm anything. Again.
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Post by Mirage on Aug 13, 2009 10:00:37 GMT -5
"Mmmhmmm."
Mirage just nods slightly at her comments, then continues. She asked, and he feels she deserves- perhaps needs- a thorough answer.
"Now, the Seeker build is very obviously a war build, and not just in my own reality. Popular for it's very blandness, really, and for how easily it could be customized."
"And so," he settles back in his chair, "knowing that your reality's mechs are truly built versus starting with protoforms, one can conclude that your builders were after a fighter, one that even with a tweaked build, would have an inconspicuous build. Someone who could blend in."
"Someone easily dismissed when one appraises possible threats." Another smirk. "A misconception enhanced by your lack of visible weapons, your much more lithe and graceful form, which combined with the known fragility of a Seeker's armour, give the impression of one created as a trophy piece. You have an unassuming manner, and all of that combined may may one ignore the visor which hides your full expression." There's curiosity in his tone there, his words drip with it. Mirage has never seen a Seeker with a visor band, and he wonders if it retracts.
"All of that I could surmise within the first few minutes of being in your company, and very little is based on my actual contact with you. Do you still wish to hear the opinions formed after we began to spar?"
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 13, 2009 11:35:06 GMT -5
Finally Mirage is getting into observations that Oracle is starting to be a bit uncomfortable with. Probably she isn't reacting to the ones he might expect, but she is starting to get a little tense.
That tenseness does break momentarily when he mentions being created as a trophy piece, when a very amused smirk dances across her lips. Less observant mechs have actually called her that before, and she finds it highly entertaining. Probably because it's the furthest from reality and sometimes the illusion is fun to fool people with. Which went right along with the blending in, though around here she seemed to be failing at that on some levels.
His curiosity about her visor on the other hand, he can keep. If she has her way anyone that doesn't already know why she wears it has no business finding out. It had been bad enough she had been backed into a corner and told Kup, in addition to Perceptor finding out. Of course then she can't control who they may have told, though she very much hopes it didn't go further then up the chain of command if anywhere.
Attempting to distract herself, Oracle takes another sip of her drink, though she still keeps in mind that she ought to be respectful of it. To spite her minor hesitance, she nods in response to Mirage's question coming at the end of his observations. "Yes. I do still want to hear them. My own opinion of knowing the truth hasn't changed after all, no matter what you may have already said."
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Post by Mirage on Aug 13, 2009 23:37:46 GMT -5
Mirage smiles, then tips his glass, emptying the last half of his drink in one swallow. He sets the drink down neatly upon the table, then rises and offers his hand.
"The let us walk and talk, my dear. I've other wonders of my city to show you."
And talk he does, as he leads her back to the lift and back down and out of the building.
"I have already mentioned how your proficiency in melee is in itself a curiosity, along with your apparent lack of weapons. A few moments into our spar I conjectured that your style was designed to make best use of bladed weapons, and while you might just carry them in subspace, they were most likely a hidden part of your build." Mirage hasn't seen Oracle in battle, remember. "And so I deliberately adapted my own style to ferret out the truth of it."
He quirks an eyebrow as he looks over at her, "And yes, I knew exactly the risks of such a doing." He pauses in his stride, reaches over to try and gently cup her face, "But I trusted you."
Posing of Oracle done w/ permission.
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 14, 2009 6:07:19 GMT -5
Oracle doesn't even try to finish her drink as she takes Mirage's hand and stands, though she does take one last slightly longer sip. It's nice, but she doesn't want to risk an overcharge in case he has any more verbal minefields for her.
Still, even if she has to pay a bit more attention to the conversation then maybe would be fitting for a casual topic suited to a tour, she's eager to see what Mirage has to show her. If he calls them wonders, surely they must be interesting.
For the most part, she's content to simply listen to him talk as they walk toward wherever he's taking her, until his last comment. At which point she stiffens, and while she doesn't pull away from the attempt to touch her face she growls quietly at him in irritation. "I'm not sure you do know the risks, or at least take them too lightly. And what does trust have to do with it?" She leans in slightly and tries to poke him where her fingers left marks during their spar. "I warned you later about surprising me for a good reason, and it isn't because I'm worried about leaving dents again." Mirage is an idiot if he thinks she can turn her instincts off just because he trusts her. It doesn't exactly work like that, and she would be very put out if she did kill him by accident.
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Post by Mirage on Aug 14, 2009 21:36:16 GMT -5
Mirage takes the poke, then tries to capture her fingers and press a soft kiss to the tips. If successful, he murmurs against them, "We agreed no blades, and as serious as you took the match, probability was high that you had taken precautions against doing accidental harm."
"I weighed my own ability to survive even a possibly deadly attack from you against the possibility of your dealing such, and found the odds in my favor. A strike through the chest or a beheading is not always a death sentence for those from my reality, you see." Oh, the benefit of having diffused sparks!
He drops her hand, if he still has it, and resumes walking. The streets are more crowded now, couples and singles moving about, talking, laughing, paying little mind to the car and the jet as they move gracefully along the walk.
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 14, 2009 22:12:46 GMT -5
Oracle gives another muted grumble, but only sighs in resignation as he kisses her fingertips. "Your confidence is probably going to get you killed someday, but I doubt I'm the first one to say that. Though I suppose then, your comment on trust does have a point." She wondered about his trusting like that, but since he hadn't walking away sporting any perforations maybe he wasn't entirely crazy.
Wait a sec, if what he was saying was true, then maybe he wasn't in nearly as much danger as she had thought. "So if a central mass strike isn't the threat it would appear to be, what would you have to worry about?" She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Nevermind, I'll ask you later. I suppose our current topic is odd enough for a date, let alone you telling me the best methods for killing those from your reality." The information is very pertinent to her interests, but there's certainly a better time to find out then this!
When Mirage moves on after letting her hand go, for a brief pause she watches him walk off with a smile before she quickly catches up.
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