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Set the evening of Kindred Souls
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael's apartment isn't that far from Rittenhouse Square, though it's one of the least posh buildings in the area - no doorman. He'll buzz Aurelio up when he arrives. His own apartment proves to be an absolutely tiny studio - barely room for a futon (currently a couch) and a coffee table, the kitchenette so small there's not even a stove/oven and only a half size fridge, though Raphael has added a hotplate and the smallest Keurig-style device he could find. There's a bathroom, with a full length mirror that hangs over the door college dorm style facing into the main room, and what must be a closet. Every doorframe, windowsill, and mirror frame has a small warding rune incised into it. Raphael has recently added a string of Christmas lights, and they add a much needed note of color and cheer to the otherwise very bare room.
Raphael is dressed as he was earlier - well-fitting slacks, button down shirt, brown and gold brocade vest, cravat, though he's taken off his dress shoes, wearing only socks. The leaves in his Mantle flit through a bit faster than normal, like he's nervous about this meeting. Or about how Aurelio will take the time and place of it.
Aurelio Menegi:
Not long after he was buzzed in there was a solid two-fold knock on the apartment door, with the Torrent standing behind it in the same dark clothes as before when it was opened. He gave Raph a nod, taking in the place once he was let in.
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael lets him in and locks the door behind him. "Good evening, Aurelio. Thank you for agreeing to meet me here. I apologize for how... miniscule it is. Please, have a seat. May I offer you some refreshment? I have coffee and tea and water, and a few snacks, but I could order something if you would like supper."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Quite welcome, and no worries. Is enough for you, that's what matters." He moved to take a seat on the futon, doing so gingerly just in case. "Water would be fine, thank you."
Raphael Sharpe:
"It is not, really, but once I'm set up thornside, it will be just a facade." The futon is fine to hold his weight. Raphael pours two glasses of water from a Brita pitcher in the fridge, refills it before putting it away, and then hands one glass to Aurelio, taking a seat at the other end of the futon and fidgeting delicately with his own glass.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Fair enough. Did something similar for my own hollow." He took the offered glass and lifted it in a small salute before taking a sip. "Thank you for the hospitality."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Of course." Answering with a little lift of his own glass before sipping. "I try not to stand as much on ceremony, these days, but I would never abandon good manners."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Agreed. Tends to go over better than the opposite, at the very least."
Raphael Sharpe:
"'...with a mastiff/ Manners may prevail.' " If he happens to know the poem Raphael's quoting, and he might well, as it's likely Dickinson's poems were largely published not too long before both were taken, it also includes the line "Flattered by Obeisance/Tyranny demurred’—" ... darkly suggestive, coming from one of the Lost.
Aurelio Menegi:
He thought a moment on the line, nodding briefly after. "Very true."
"What did you wish to discuss that was not possible in the open?"
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael takes a deep breath. "Well, just... I suspect there are... specifics. About how it works for us both, for how you manage it. Dates." As in, years, not going out. "Having to talk around everything was getting rather awkward." Another breath. A beat. "And I was concerned I was getting... a little... emotional." His cheeks darken.
Aurelio Menegi:
"True...being able to speak plainly does help." He nodded, allowing himself a small smirk at the darkening cheeks. "You were fine, no worries."
Raphael Sharpe:
"I was not, but thank you for saying so." Oh god, that smirk. He knows that one. And it makes him blush harder. "I, ah. I realize what this must look like. I... I honestly did invite you to talk, Leechfinger to Leechfinger." With a very faint grimace, though it seems more directed at the general situation than the specific one. "I am essentially incapable of not appearing seductive. It's not... well not always... intentional on my part. I was attractive even as a human, butShe made me... I believe the modern term is 'a thirst trap'. That whole dream-vampire... thing."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Understood and again, no worries. I did assume it was just to talk."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael looks away for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out as he tries to regain his composure. "I wasn't sure, with the.... look you just gave me," he admits, then looks back at Aurelio. "So. uh. I was born in 1870. Taken in 1895. First class at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Yourself?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"Close on both counts. Born in 1868, taken in 1892, came back late 2018."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Very close, as I suspected from earlier. Though you still seem to have adjusted better than I have. Faster, in any case, though I think that's partly a matter of Seeming."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Perhaps. Was still quite a shock, though, and it took time to get my feet under me again. Had good help on that front."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Yes, I had a lot of help in Baltimore. Unfortunately, as a Wizened, 20th century history...."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Believe the term is a lot of wrenches thrown into the works, yes?"
Raphael Sharpe:
"Close enough. They had to drag me out of my own head a few times, and take a week away from it several others, and it was a long time before I could be among humans on my own, without someone to cover for my... gaps and anachronisms."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Took a while on that front for myself. First few months I left the freehold rarely, more to keep contact with what was outside the thorns than anything."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Right. Sanity alone. It's... really nice to meet someone from the same era, honestly, almost even more than another Leechfinger."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Agreed. We have all lost some time, I know, but those who have lost less sometimes show more...pity than understanding, that I have seen."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Sometimes, yes. It's one thing to let humans think this is all an affectation, but it can hurt a little when our own kind do. Some of the older vampires actually seem to get it better... have you met Guy? he comes off frightening at first glance, enough so I can taste the way regular people react to his entrance." He licks his lips, not even seeming to realize he's doing it. "But he's actually really nice. And he's about to be 500."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Affectation?" He gave a curious look at the unfamiliar word, then nodded quietly. "Not yet, no. Good to know, though."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Oh. ah... putting on airs?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"Ah...I see." Another small nod. "That can get tiring, yes."
Raphael Sharpe:
"At least steampunk means I can get away with it." He sighs, and sweeps a bladed hand through his hair... somehow not cutting scalp or hair, though it disshevels the perfect coif. "And pray... sorry, please do let me know if I use a word or phrasing you don't know. It's probably one of my ... old habits."
Aurelio Menegi:
"That or my newness to the tongue. Will ask if something comes up, either way." He took a small sip of his water, sitting back a bit in his seat on the couch. "I tend to do more listening than talking when it comes to those outside, if only to help with getting familiar. Has worked well enough so far."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Ah. I'm doing more talking, lately, as a guide at the museum... but I've researched or been trained on
the exhibits, and most people are too busy staring at all the spooky stuff to really worry about any little slips. And that's enough interaction I don't have to... try to make human friends, or anything."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Fair enough. Been getting to know my current coworkers, so making some headway on that front. Connecting with others outside of that has been...interesting."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Yeah. Coworkers are good. Stablizing. It's tricky, since... most of time people meeting strangers are looking for a date. Which is absolutely not going to happen between me and any mortal. And even when they aren't, they expect handshakes."
Aurelio Menegi:
"True...have some issues there, but not quite as much as you, I imagine." He glanced at the scalpels briefly. "Running colder than most does get noticed."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Yes. It's... just too dangerous. For the mortal, and for getting unwanted attention."
"So you just... drain the heat off someone?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"I have seen some with claws and whatnot in similar arrangements but they could retract them. Are you not able to do so?"
"For the most part, yes. Where I was taken was very cold, and often dark besides, and light and heat were only rarely gifted. Over time the cold seeped in and...changed things, and I had to take that warmth from others."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael holds up his hand so the other man can get a good look. It's not just claws; the scalpels actually replace the last joint of his fingers.
"I was Taken because of the advancements being made at Johns Hopkins. She wanted to upgrade Her grand surgery. And then, as best I can remember.... She employed me there. Sometimes as surgeon, and... sometimes, I think, as scalpel."
Aurelio Menegi:
He took a look at the offered hand and nodded. "I see. Mine tended to take artisans as they reach their prime, and with me She set me to work repairing some of the displays She had about Her home. Finding the work acceptable She...didn't let me go, until I worked with others to make our own way out."
Raphael Sharpe:
"She had a thing for making monsters. I eventually made one myself from spare parts to ride out to freedom."
"Giving me.... our more particular capability... was pure cruelty, from what I can remember or puzzle out. Because doctors are supposed to heal, she made me.... have to hurt, to survive."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Indeed. Turning one meant to create to a path that requires destruction is quite cruel." He went quiet for a moment, looking down at his own carved hands before turning that pale gaze back to the Wizened. "One does what one can with the cards given, though."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Mm. I don't so much mind that I can, in so far as.... our existence is often dangerous. What I mind is the way it feels when I do. The way I find myself .... wanting to. You said you also... get 'darker thoughts', yes?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"At times, yes. The cold can be...overbearing at times, and the want to feel something more can lead to darker pathways for the mind to walk. Is part of why I joined the Spear, I think; good way to put those urges towards protecting others rather than just my own benefit."
Raphael Sharpe:
"It must be terrible, the cold, to feel that so sharply with a Mantle - and a job - that provide so much heat. But it's... its own kind of hunger, isn't it? Nothing else ever really sates it." Raphael meets his eyes directly, with the sympathy that comes of knowing.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Indeed. The taste never lasts long, but while it's there things feel...normal. Or close to, at least."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Mine is... well, it's meant to cause pain, and it does, horribly. To the other person, anyway. It's too cruel to let myself, unless it's in self-defense. Except I just learned I can... change it, a little. Guy said that vampires can choose to cause pain when they take, but they can also cause... pleasure by it, if they're gentle, like a...cough like a lover biting you, only stronger. And since I'm... well, like I said, similar enough in spirit..." Raphael takes a deep breath, his cheeks darkening again, and looks away. "...I am lucky that someone was... willing to let me try, when I couldn't shake the thought. It still hurts, pretty severely I suspect, but... if someone's... inclined that way, it apparently isn't... all bad."
Aurelio Menegi:
"I admit, I don't know what it feels like for the other person. Never been in the place to ask." He gave a little nod as Raph continued, an eyebrow arching a touch at the thought of making the sensation feel different, and deigned to make any comment on the Wizened's now-flushed cheeks. "Hmm...good to know."
Raphael Sharpe:
"I admit, your... method is different enough, it might not be possible for you. But I'm not sure yours is as agonizing as mine... the way I knew to do it before, either." Raph takes a deep breath, still flushed, and looks back at him. "Apologies. you understand, I think, better than most, how awkward discussion of... that kind of thing is for me."
Victorian repression: it's a thing.
Aurelio Menegi:
"I can imagine. We were - and are, I imagine - not quite as...restrained at times, so I follow. I hold no judgment, for what that's worth."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Italy? Most likely not, no. Thank you, though it won't prevent my being embarrassed by it, sometimes." Raphael meets his bright gaze, and for a moment looks like he's going to say something else, but drops his eyes again, and takes a large swallow of his water.
Aurelio Menegi:
Aurelio watched quietly, taking a sip of his water in kind. "Something you wish to ask?"
Raphael Sharpe:
"....a number of things." He admits. "But I'll go with the polite one. How do you turn the hunger to constructive ends, when it has you? When there's not enemies to turn it on."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Training, when able. The grounds at the Summer Hollow work well for that. If not, I draw or try to get those feelings out in other ways through art."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Mm. Maybe I should ask about training with Summer, sometime, then." Raphael is 5'9", slightly built, and Wizened; he doesn't look like he'd be able to handle it... but his fingers are blades, after all. "I never had the skill to make art, but I started working with Lux on it, after they... reminded me, how much I used to at least enjoy looking at and discussing it. I tried the... the image of how, that came into my head, from their inspiration... and it came out more beautiful than I'd have guessed was possible. And brought some of my feelings back into my control." A sigh. "Some of them."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Would be willing to help with that. Do some blade work myself, although more focused on close combat." He gave a small nod. "Good to hear. Catharsis can take many forms, and finding one that works for you is good."
Raphael Sharpe:
"I have a pretty unusual style, myself, but I'd be glad to actually train, instead of going by my... fae instincts. Mm, once we get the method worked out fully, I'll have to show you... it's pretty experimental. Half paper cutting, half performance art."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Both training and instinct have their uses. My main style doesn't work well on those like us, able to slip bindings as we are, so learning other methods has helped."
"Sounds interesting...would like to see that."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Mine is.... I don't remember learning it. Maybe it was simply given to me. But I know that it comes from my time There, because no human would make a style designed for hands like mine."
Aurelio Menegi:
"True indeed. Would be curious to see it in the ring, at some point."
Raphael Sharpe:
"We'll try it sometime. If it's the two of us fighting... well, we can sort ourselves out unless we're both very injured. And then I can use Gift of Warm Breath. Actually, now that I think of it.... if my combat skills are up to par, that could make us pretty formidable on a real fight or Hedge patrol, working together. There's not many who can heal as easily as that, provided we carry enough Glamour." Raphael looks thoughtful; he's never actually considered that particular tactic before. "Twisting the 'gift' around like that, I like that. Provided we can both bear to do it."
Aurelio Menegi:
He sat back as the thought rolled around in his head, an eyebrow quirking up after a moment. "Not a bad tact to take, no...may be worth trying at some point."
Raphael Sharpe:
Now that he has a valid reason, and not just curiosity.... Raphael sits up straighter, looking directly at Aurelio, and sets his water glass aside with a casual grace unlike the careful delicacy Aurelio has seen before now. Something's changed in his demeanor, and though he's no less beautiful, he seems sharper, more dangerous. "You said you'd never had the chance to ask anyone what yours feels like. Want to find out?"
Aurelio Menegi:
That added sharpness in the other man's bearing was noted, a hint of curiosity forming in the Torrent's own expression. "If you do not mind."
Raphael Sharpe:
"It's nothing I won't heal from quickly. If you take too much - or if you just want to see what mine's like - I can always do the same to you."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Probably best to keep it small for a test." He held out a hand, waiting for Raphael to take it. "If I may?"
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael takes a deep breath, bracing himself, and then lays not his hand, but his wrist, in the other man's hand - to reduce the chance of frostbite if it the cold is especially focused.... and to make sure his own hand is also in position, the scalpel points resting ever-so-lightly against Aurelio's forearm. He may be curious enough to risk it, but he's not going to make no precautions.
Aurelio Menegi:
Aurelio took the offered arm in the standard warrior's grip, watching the blades as they rested against his skin before giving a nod. With a moment's focus the already-present chill of the marble sharpened, setting nerve endings screaming at the sudden shock before swiftly going silent from the deep cold that permeated through him.
As the measure of the Wizened's spark was taken from him Aurelio's eyes glowed an electric blue, his posture straightening more on reflex than anything. Once the moment passed he let out a slow breath, relaxing his hold on the other man's wrist. The glow remained for a few moments longer before fading, returning his gaze to the normal pale blue. "Thoughts?"
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael gasps at the cold and the pain, eyes wide and momentarily unseeing, then fluttering closed as he shivers and takes several short, deep breaths.... and then the drain stops, and he takes a slower one, still shivering slightly, and opens his eyes again. Despite his best effort, the sharpness has faded back a little; his eyes are a bit hazed over as he looks into Aurelio's brilliant ones, and his voice trembles a little. "Damn. That... was intense. Like... like jumping into ice water, but worse, and then... deep, aching cold all the way up to my heart."
Aurelio Menegi:
Seeing his reaction brought a small frown to Aurelio's face, a small nod given at the description. "I can...feel it reach out and bring the warmth back with it, so that sounds right. If you need to take to mend, do so."
Raphael Sharpe:
"I... want to," he admits, with a faint, bitter smile. "But I don't need to. I know how much.... how much we harm someone, in that length of time, and it's nothing that won't fade in a bit." He hasn't actually pulled his hand away, though, and is still shivering.
Aurelio Menegi:
"The choice is yours, I am willing to give if you wish to take." Meanwhile he moved a bit closer on the couch, if only to let the warmth from his Mantle do its part to warm the poor Wizened up.
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael looks at Aurelio intently, complicated emotions flickering across his face... but with consent given, the desire is too stong to resist. "Do you want the harsh way, or the.... other one?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"I leave that to you."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael draws a slow breath, his gaze locked on Aurelio's. There's only the faintest darkening of his cheeks, though that might be because the lingering cold has his body pulling the blood to his core. "I think I... owe it to you to be very clear, so as not to cross a very different line of consent. If I try to make it easy on you, it apparently comes across as... " he hesitates, because it's still not the easiest thing to say, "....erotic."
Aurelio Menegi:
"...I see." He nodded quietly. "Perhaps the first, then, for now."
Raphael Sharpe:
Was that a flicker of disappointment across Raphael's face? Maybe, but before Aurelio can think about it, Raphael tightens his grip just slightly, and though there's only a pinpick from the scalpels, it's followed by a searing agony, radiating from Raphael's fingertips, up every nerve in Aurelio's arm. There's a strange sensation of pulling with it, a deeper pain that makes the edges of Aurelio's vision go dim.... and then the brighter pain and the pull stop, though the deeper pain remains. Raphael's eyes are fever-bright, his lips parted slightly, but he keeps relatively good control of himself, watching Aurelio's response.
Aurelio Menegi:
A hiss of pain hit the air as the blessing went to work, but beyond that and the tension in his posture that lingered until the pain retreated there was little reaction from the rather stalwart Torrent. Nonetheless it still took him a moment to compose himself, meeting Raphael's gaze. "That...was something."
Raphael Sharpe:
"You're a hell of a stoic. Usually people scream. Are you ok?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"Will take that as a compliment." He allowed himself a small smirk at that, giving a small nod. "Need a minute, but I should be fine."
Raphael Sharpe:
"It was one. Do you want me to use Gift of Warm Breath? I have water mostly heated for tea, already." Raphael no longer shows any sign of the chill, of course. Though he's smirking a little too, because... well, Aurelio no doubt gets it.
Aurelio Menegi:
"No need for the working, should pass soon enough. Won't say no to the tea, though."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael lifts his hand away from Aurelio's arm, and rises fluidly, going to put on the hotplate. It whistles in only 30 seconds or so, and Raphael pours it into a pair of mugs already prepared with tea balls to steep. "Then the working is no trouble - I blended the herbs myself, so giving you the tea will activate the loophole." He smiles, a touch smugly - he's definitely back in that sharper mode, though that's probably less surprising, now. Maybe the mugs were just prepared in the name of hospitality. Or maybe Raphael is Autumn enough to have had this experiment in mind already. "What are your thoughts?" he asks, softly, leaning against the counter a little, while the tea steeps.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Ah...clever." He smirked, relaxing back into the couch as Raphael tended to the tea. "It was like something burrowing, moving with the pain to reach out and pull back."
Raphael Sharpe:
"That sounds... unsettling. Do you regret not going with the gentler option?" A quick glance at the tea, to see if it's steeped enough yet - not quite - and he looks back.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Not exactly regret, no. Good to know the baseline before modifications."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael was about to pick up the tea and bring it over, but raises an eyebrow. "Do you mean to indicate you wish to feel that, also?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"I am curious, I will admit."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael pulls the tea balls out and rests them on the edge of the sink, then brings over the cups, a spoon, and one of those bear shaped honey containers, setting them down but not handing them over. "I won't do it without clear consent, but of course if that's what you want....." The smile he turns on Aurelio is beautiful, but a little disturbing. "... you know I won't say no."
Aurelio Menegi:
"I imagine you would not." He thought on it for a long moment before polishing off his water and setting the glass to the side. "Go ahead. No time like the present."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Then we'll save the tea for after." You know, aside from the tea we just spilled, there. Raphael sits down again, much closer than before, but has the manners to simply hold out one bladed hand in invitation. "If you don't want your arm hit again, you may place my hand elsewhere," he offers, as if that were just a polite offer and not a come-on.
Aurelio Menegi:
"The arm is fine." He let the Wizened get into position, bracing himself for what was to come now that he had some idea of what to expect.
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael takes gentle hold of his arm again, without comment, takes a slow, deep breath and lets it out - making sure he has complete control of himself - before there's once again that tiny set of pinpricks from the scalpels. There's still very intense pain - there's no way the power will ever not do that - but as Raphael indicated earlier, the feeling is more akin to being bitten hard by a lover, instead of some sharp-toothed predator. If Aurelio resists it, it'll still be extremely unpleasant - but if he lets it happen, there is indeed some pleasure in it. Not quite as tilted that way as an actual vampire might be able to make it, unless he's a pretty hardcore masochist, but still a mostly good hurt instead of a bad one, and the pulling sensation is... extremely reminiscent of the usual way people 'suck the vital essence' out of a man, as it were.
Aurelio Menegi:
This time around there was a much more noticeable physical reaction from the Torrent, with his free hand closing into a tight enough fist that if he weren't made of stone the nails would leave rather solid dents in his palm. A quiet muttering of something that was decidedly not English slipped out on a light breath, muscles once again tense but for rather different reasons.
When the wave ran its course he slowly sank into the couch, letting out a slow breath. He didn't seem disturbed by it, at the very least, just surprised, and he gave Raph a 'well damn' look that he wasn't quite able to verbalize.
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael chuckles, soft, low, and darkly amused, shifting his grip so the scalpels are no longer touching, but keeping his hand on Aurelio's arm. To judge by his own expression, it probably felt a little different for him, too, but he knew what to expect. "Not as bad, is it?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"Not as, no...more than I expected, but not as bad."
Raphael Sharpe:
"The tea's ready whenever you're up to drinking it." Raphael's tone is gentle, but amused, like he's expecting it to be a minute. "I know where you are physically, of course, but how are you feeling about it? Ok?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"Alright." A small nod, followed by carefully sitting up to claim the tea cup and taking a sip, eschewing the honey for the moment. "Wouldn't have taken the offer if I had issue with the possibilities."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael intercepts to actually hand him the tea, because magic, and the soft glow of the Contract radiates out from where their hands touch on the cup, easing away the ache left by Raphael's blessing. His Mantle makes it feel more like a refreshing breeze than the way it does if a Spring casts it, but it works all the same. "That kind of thing can.... trigger things you weren't expecting it to. I wanted to make sure you're ok, since the whole point is to be less nasty." Raphael is trying not to look smug, and totally failing. "I take a lot of pleasure in being able to... reshape something She wanted to do only cruelty. And I don't just mean directly."
Aurelio Menegi:
He relaxed as the contract went to work, offering a quiet Grazie before taking that first sip. "Would say you succeeded, having felt both now."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Thank you. You're actually the first one I've been able to try both ways, and you understand exactly what I'm doing, so it means a lot to hear it from you." He seems way less anxious about... everything, after using his power. Even the first time, really, since it was done calmly and by consent, but particularly now. "What was that you said in Italian, when it hit you?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"'Good God', at it's base." He replied with a slight smirk. "Was more...surprise than anything."
Raphael Sharpe:
Raphael laughs, sounding delighted. "Well, listen. This was actually really helpful. And really enlightening - I've never been on the other end of it, or gotten to really... properly experiment and get feedback on the change, so that wasn't just me... indulging. But I also feel a lot better for having done so. Even though that's morally illogical, it.... well, I feel better."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Happy to have helped." He nodded, lifting his cup in a small salute before taking another sip. "Always good to know how a change in technique settles out."
Raphael Sharpe:
"You ok? I... think I covered what I wanted to know. Anything else on your end?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"Not at the moment. Was good talking with you, though."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Yeah. It's... nice to have someone understand. I'd love to come train, and... if you ever really need it... well."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Perhaps." He replied with a small smirk. "Feel free to call when you wish to talk again."
Raphael Sharpe:
"Thank you. Have a good night." Raphael does not attempt to press the situation any further, because.. well, if Aurelio wanted that to happen, it presumably would have already.
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