[Near nods, and then gets up, walks to the living room and comes back with a box full of tarot card decks. This will be significantly easier if he keeps his hands busy with his cards.]
As you know, I don’t do heartfelt conversations. But I have no references, no precedents set for this, and my research was pointless because the cases I found were strikingly different from our situation, thus rendering any comparison grossly inaccurate and pointless.
[He takes a sip of his own tea before pushing his cup and saucer aside so he can lay the cards out on the table, one by one.
Mello is the only one I consider my equal, and he is also my former rival. We competed as children, and although I always have been number one, he was always behind me, pushed back to number two by minimal differences in test scores. He has always been the one person who challenges me the most, and that has never faded through the years; if anything, the need to challenge each other has grown stronger.
Despite our clear differences, we were meant to have worked together all along. Mello’s initiative against my passivity, my levelheadedness against his aggressiveness and passion… I’m sure I don’t need to give you more examples. This is why our partnership works so well.
[It’s clear that this is a subject that Near feels strongly for, despite how he doesn’t explain anything further about their past, and how his tone of voice betrays nothing at all.]
While the equation of our relationship remains the same, some variables changed as we grew closer. We still know just where to sink our knives into, but we’ve agreed to keep them away, whereas before we would have used them strategically. There are other things, too… new things.
[The marks on his neck say it all, really, and even though they have never done anything that could be considered sexual, they have taken very big steps in their relationship so far.]
We always challenge each other. It’s a constant struggle to come out the winner, by making the other react while keeping our composure intact. But there is something I don’t understand.
[action]
As you know, I don’t do heartfelt conversations. But I have no references, no precedents set for this, and my research was pointless because the cases I found were strikingly different from our situation, thus rendering any comparison grossly inaccurate and pointless.
[He takes a sip of his own tea before pushing his cup and saucer aside so he can lay the cards out on the table, one by one.
Mello is the only one I consider my equal, and he is also my former rival. We competed as children, and although I always have been number one, he was always behind me, pushed back to number two by minimal differences in test scores. He has always been the one person who challenges me the most, and that has never faded through the years; if anything, the need to challenge each other has grown stronger.
Despite our clear differences, we were meant to have worked together all along. Mello’s initiative against my passivity, my levelheadedness against his aggressiveness and passion… I’m sure I don’t need to give you more examples. This is why our partnership works so well.
[It’s clear that this is a subject that Near feels strongly for, despite how he doesn’t explain anything further about their past, and how his tone of voice betrays nothing at all.]
While the equation of our relationship remains the same, some variables changed as we grew closer. We still know just where to sink our knives into, but we’ve agreed to keep them away, whereas before we would have used them strategically. There are other things, too… new things.
[The marks on his neck say it all, really, and even though they have never done anything that could be considered sexual, they have taken very big steps in their relationship so far.]
We always challenge each other. It’s a constant struggle to come out the winner, by making the other react while keeping our composure intact. But there is something I don’t understand.