[Danny blinks at that... before he suddenly laughs, as if that's the funniest thing he's ever heard.]
Oh wow, that's quite a poetic way to put it! I don't think I've ever had someone offer that interpretation before, even if it is undoubtedly correct.
[And then he turns away, spreads his arms wide to gesture to the operating room around them in an almost theatrical manner.]
Yes, that's a great way to put it, isn't it? On this floor, people are not just mentally tested, they are pulled apart at the seams to be literally inspected on the inside to see what makes them tick! After all, you can tell a lot about someone based on how they treat their own body.
[... And then, Danny drops his arms down.]
Although, in my opinion, you can usually figure those things out just by looking someone in the eye, don't you think? Some people don't realize it, but they give away a lot just by how their eyes appear when making eye contact with others. So it seems kind of unnecessary to go to such extreme measures to dissect what they are on the inside when you can just do that, right?
[Danny is quiet for a moment, before he tilts his head here not quite in affirmation, but not a denial either.]
"Judging" is a word for it, I suppose. Not the one I would use for myself personally in comparison to the others, but it's not necessarily wrong either, depending on how you look at it.
... Then again, perhaps we were the ones being judged instead? As an experiment to see just how far we were willing to go to fulfill our own ambitions, and prove our loyalty and usefulness to the one that played the part of our God, as we played the part of his angels... but then, that's just depressing to consider, isn't it? And right now I'm not interested in thinking too hard about such things here.
[He brushes the thought off, but the fact that he even suggested it is probably evidence enough that Danny has considered this line of thought about his position more than once before.
He then proceeds to sit on the operating table here, which is surprisingly the one surface that's still clean despite all the blood that had been splattered around in other places here. It seems that Danny has come to some kind of decision here that involves honesty, as he gestures around them again.]
Regardless, I am considered the master of this floor. There's no use in pretending with you at this juncture, is there? You've already seen too much for me to lie otherwise. Though I have to say... my dreams about this place are not typically like this. Normally, I'm usually alone here.
[Either just by himself on this empty floor, or with the company of corpses, moving or otherwise. So it's... surreal, sitting here and talking to Grimm, a person who is still living as far as Danny's memory is concerned.]
One of my dearest friends regularly eats her partners after coupling with them. I find it distasteful, yes, but I'm certainly not about to break up with you for it.
[Bugs are different from humans in a lot of ways. And no matter how eloquent he may be, Grimm is a bug.]
[Danny squints at that, like it's only now occurring to him that maybe he should have expected different moral standards from a bug than a human, but is still rather skeptical here.]
Well, I can tell you that it's usually considered a major dealbreaker for most in my world, as well as here in the world we live in now, depending on who you ask.
[Danny rests his chin against his hand, and as he tilts his head, the light off his glasses dim enough to properly show his eyes. Specifically, his alexandrite glass eye that has two pupils in it as opposed to one like a normal eye that it seems he's been wearing this whole time, though it's hard to tell if Danny knows this or not.]
And besides, I never said that my reasons for being involved in this business were noble ones. Judging people for their sins was more the Reverend and Cathy's thing than mine, where as my interests were... elsewhere.
[He says, with a side glance towards the back room at the right of here, where his collection of eyes is being kept.]
[Holy shit how dare you call him out on his own floor like this Grimm--he makes a really funny expression at being so bluntly called out on that before he schools his expression back.]
And what if I chose not to?
[Now his tone is a little more challenging, smile less pleasant.]
What if I decided I wanted to kill someone here in this world? Regardless of whether or not they attacked me first or did anything to truly deserve it.
[For some reason, Danny isn't happy with that. He doesn't know why he's suddenly so determined to try to find a crack here that can cause Grimm to hate him, but then, perhaps its having lived a lifetime of always waiting for the other shoe to drop that makes it hard to really believe that someone would still love him despite knowing this worst part of himself.]
Then... what if I decide one day to start a new collection, starting with taking your eyes for myself.
[He says, with a slight flourish of hand movement here. One moment it's empty, the next he's holding a sharp scalpel retrieved from his labcoat, pointed toward Grimm's face from where he's sitting.]
I wouldn't kill you of course, since even I know I'm incapable of succeeding in that regard. Not when your death is already predetermined by that "Ritual" of yours. But, I don't recall if you ever said that it could save you from being blinded before then...
[That amusement momentarily annoys him, until Grimm speaks of retaliation in such a... well, Grimm manner of doing so that he can't help but smile a little as well.]
"Dance", huh... come to think of it, we've never really done that before, have we?
[Both the kind Grimm means, and the traditional sense of the word, really.]
[Danny lowers his weapon, but doesn't let go of it either, eying his tools nearby speculatively.]
Mm... and how would you propose doing so? I'm interested to hear what you suggest.
[Doing this here, in this space of dreams? In the real world? Danny's pretty certain that he's outclassed regardless, but he's already made it this far into the conversation without backing down.]
I have an unfair advantage here in the dream realm, but it also makes recovering from injuries trivial. Whether you prefer that or the real world, I will abide by your decision.
Grimm, you're talking to someone who has in the past repeatedly been stabbed, shot, choked, electrocuted... injuries themselves become rather trivial when you're committed to your ambitions, provided that you treat them sooner rather than later.
[He may not be a literal bug like Grimm, but Danny sure does have the tenacity of a cockroach when it comes to surviving things most humans shouldn't.]
Not to mention, it just seems... less romantic that way, if you can't actually feel the warmth of the other person in a dance, you know? [A pause, before he shrugs.] Goodness, perhaps the saying that "the best first dance one can have is typically saved for the wedding" actually has some weight to it... or however it goes. I don't really recall it that well.
Propasal? [And just like that, Danny has gone from rather casual roundabout threats of gouging out his boyfriend's eyes to face turning pink and becoming flustered as he averts his gaze momentarily.
It's not like he hasn't thought about it before, the idea of getting married someday. But remembering what kind of person he actually is tends to put a damper on that at those times, and despite Grimm still apparently being interested in dating him... surely there's a limit to that, isn't there...?]
Don't tease me like that--I mean, really now, I'm definitely not actually someone marriage worthy... let alone still able to be admired that much, given...
[His poor boyfriend, so easily flustered. Grimm reaches for his hands to take them in his, not minding that he's still holding a scalpel that he just threatened him with.]
I do not have much time to give, but what I have is yours if you desire it. Even knowing all your flaws, you are still my beloved one, Danny.
[Are you sure about that Grimm, because you're making a really strong argument here for your perfection status otherwise.
Danny looks at their hands, before he smiles. It's not quite as manic as his previous ones, more natural as he huffs a soft laugh.]
You really love me that much.
[It's not phrased like a question as his habit to do during moments like this when his worst flaws are exposed. He can really believe it now, that love is the right word for this feeling here.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Dissection of the unworthy.
[Like bugs under pins and glass.]
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Oh wow, that's quite a poetic way to put it! I don't think I've ever had someone offer that interpretation before, even if it is undoubtedly correct.
[And then he turns away, spreads his arms wide to gesture to the operating room around them in an almost theatrical manner.]
Yes, that's a great way to put it, isn't it? On this floor, people are not just mentally tested, they are pulled apart at the seams to be literally inspected on the inside to see what makes them tick! After all, you can tell a lot about someone based on how they treat their own body.
[... And then, Danny drops his arms down.]
Although, in my opinion, you can usually figure those things out just by looking someone in the eye, don't you think? Some people don't realize it, but they give away a lot just by how their eyes appear when making eye contact with others. So it seems kind of unnecessary to go to such extreme measures to dissect what they are on the inside when you can just do that, right?
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[What makes a person tick tends to include guts and entrails of all kinds. Not clean at all.]
And you are an 'angel' that judges those who come here, yes?
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"Judging" is a word for it, I suppose. Not the one I would use for myself personally in comparison to the others, but it's not necessarily wrong either, depending on how you look at it.
... Then again, perhaps we were the ones being judged instead? As an experiment to see just how far we were willing to go to fulfill our own ambitions, and prove our loyalty and usefulness to the one that played the part of our God, as we played the part of his angels... but then, that's just depressing to consider, isn't it? And right now I'm not interested in thinking too hard about such things here.
[He brushes the thought off, but the fact that he even suggested it is probably evidence enough that Danny has considered this line of thought about his position more than once before.
He then proceeds to sit on the operating table here, which is surprisingly the one surface that's still clean despite all the blood that had been splattered around in other places here. It seems that Danny has come to some kind of decision here that involves honesty, as he gestures around them again.]
Regardless, I am considered the master of this floor. There's no use in pretending with you at this juncture, is there? You've already seen too much for me to lie otherwise. Though I have to say... my dreams about this place are not typically like this. Normally, I'm usually alone here.
[Either just by himself on this empty floor, or with the company of corpses, moving or otherwise. So it's... surreal, sitting here and talking to Grimm, a person who is still living as far as Danny's memory is concerned.]
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[If Grimm sounds honestly confused, it's because he is.]
We all have our bad habits. Yours is murder. Expecting your partner to be perfect is no basis for a relationship.
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[Guess that wasn't the response Danny was expecting here, faltering for a moment in his initial grandstanding stance on the matter here.]
I just told you that I'm practically a serial killer... and that's what you respond with? Really?
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[Bugs are different from humans in a lot of ways. And no matter how eloquent he may be, Grimm is a bug.]
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Well, I can tell you that it's usually considered a major dealbreaker for most in my world, as well as here in the world we live in now, depending on who you ask.
[Danny rests his chin against his hand, and as he tilts his head, the light off his glasses dim enough to properly show his eyes. Specifically, his alexandrite glass eye that has two pupils in it as opposed to one like a normal eye that it seems he's been wearing this whole time, though it's hard to tell if Danny knows this or not.]
And besides, I never said that my reasons for being involved in this business were noble ones. Judging people for their sins was more the Reverend and Cathy's thing than mine, where as my interests were... elsewhere.
[He says, with a side glance towards the back room at the right of here, where his collection of eyes is being kept.]
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[Can he see the eye collection from here? No, but he doesn't need to to know exactly what Danny's looking at in this dream.]
If you ever try to cure yourself of the habit and find healthier ways of indulging yourself, I will of course be supportive of you.
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And what if I chose not to?
[Now his tone is a little more challenging, smile less pleasant.]
What if I decided I wanted to kill someone here in this world? Regardless of whether or not they attacked me first or did anything to truly deserve it.
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[Don't track viscera into their bed.]
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Then... what if I decide one day to start a new collection, starting with taking your eyes for myself.
[He says, with a slight flourish of hand movement here. One moment it's empty, the next he's holding a sharp scalpel retrieved from his labcoat, pointed toward Grimm's face from where he's sitting.]
I wouldn't kill you of course, since even I know I'm incapable of succeeding in that regard. Not when your death is already predetermined by that "Ritual" of yours. But, I don't recall if you ever said that it could save you from being blinded before then...
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[And yet Grimm seems more amused by the threat than anything else. He doesn't bother to vanish that scalpel, even though he easily could.]
But I must warn you that if you wish to dance with me, then I will not hold back.
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"Dance", huh... come to think of it, we've never really done that before, have we?
[Both the kind Grimm means, and the traditional sense of the word, really.]
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[In both meanings of the word.]
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Mm... and how would you propose doing so? I'm interested to hear what you suggest.
[Doing this here, in this space of dreams? In the real world? Danny's pretty certain that he's outclassed regardless, but he's already made it this far into the conversation without backing down.]
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[He may not be a literal bug like Grimm, but Danny sure does have the tenacity of a cockroach when it comes to surviving things most humans shouldn't.]
Not to mention, it just seems... less romantic that way, if you can't actually feel the warmth of the other person in a dance, you know? [A pause, before he shrugs.] Goodness, perhaps the saying that "the best first dance one can have is typically saved for the wedding" actually has some weight to it... or however it goes. I don't really recall it that well.
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[Lightly teasing because he can’t resist.]
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It's not like he hasn't thought about it before, the idea of getting married someday. But remembering what kind of person he actually is tends to put a damper on that at those times, and despite Grimm still apparently being interested in dating him... surely there's a limit to that, isn't there...?]
Don't tease me like that--I mean, really now, I'm definitely not actually someone marriage worthy... let alone still able to be admired that much, given...
[You know. The serial killing.]
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I do not have much time to give, but what I have is yours if you desire it. Even knowing all your flaws, you are still my beloved one, Danny.
[No one is perfect, and he's certainly not.]
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Danny looks at their hands, before he smiles. It's not quite as manic as his previous ones, more natural as he huffs a soft laugh.]
You really love me that much.
[It's not phrased like a question as his habit to do during moments like this when his worst flaws are exposed. He can really believe it now, that love is the right word for this feeling here.]
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[It fills him with warmth that Danny might finally be able to accept that.]
Would you wake with me, my love? Romantic conversations are better suited for our bed.
[Not that there's anything wrong with Danny's hospital floor with the smell of blood...]
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Okay.
[A pause, before he says--]
You know, usually my dreams of this place end with my death, so it's kind of surreal, thinking I might wake up without that happening first.
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Allow me to wake you more gently, then.
[When Danny opens his eyes, he'll find himself in their bed with Grimm curled up around him, arms wrapped loosely over his waist.]
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