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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 1:24:37 GMT -5
"Maybe Erik, Julian," he answered, still wise to keeping Valmont out of the discussion. "Maybe will find new Love love, not broken, should know how to make-love. Okay."
Erik's buttons had lost out to the coversation and the little man shifted in his caregiver's lap, curling against him. "Man, woman make-love more than man, man? Why? Why is different? Only see Erik, Julian. This is not natural? And...all people make-love with their offspring? F' what purpose?"
Thanks to Henry, he did have a vague understanding that offspring were the result of lovemaking, but that was all.
"Julian will have offspring now?"
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Post by Erik on Dec 9, 2008 10:51:11 GMT -5
It was rather a lot of questions, without good answers. It forced Erik to look at his own life, which he did not typically do; he merely did, and anything he did was justified by either his own superiority or the rejection of society.
"I suppose men and women make love more because that's how babies are made. And because most people like the opposite sex better. As to it being unnatural for men and men to make love... Perhaps. Erik cannot say. But he assumes that very little Man can desire is truly unnatural." He chuckled lightly. "No. Most people do not make love with their offspring. That is Erik and Julian. We are not like other people."
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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 13:29:24 GMT -5
"And Julian will have Erik's babies now? Yes?"
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Post by Erik on Dec 9, 2008 13:33:59 GMT -5
"Er, no," Erik said. "Julian is not a woman; typically, women have the babies." It hadn't been that way with him, but he assumed that was an atypical occurrence.
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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 13:41:57 GMT -5
"Oh. What about Mortimer? Could have babies? Not man, woman..."
The creature shifted on Erik's lap again, leaning over the desk ((or piano or whatever)) where Erik had laid his score, examining it with his head tilted.
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Post by Erik on Dec 9, 2008 13:50:59 GMT -5
Erik ran a hand down Mortimer's back.
"I don't know," he confessed. "You're unlike anything I've ever seen before. Erik cannot tell what you might be capable of; but it seems unlikely you would have a baby in the conventional manner." He just wasn't equipped, from what was visible.
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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 13:57:41 GMT -5
"Oh. What are dots?"
He had the answers he wanted as best as Erik could provide them, and his attention now turned to the sheets of music before them.
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Post by Erik on Dec 9, 2008 14:03:19 GMT -5
Erik was grateful for Mortimer's shift in subject, which did not disconcert him at all. "It's a notation system for music," he explained. "Each dot represents a note: its pitch and length. So one can read this paper and sing, or play, what I have written."
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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 14:09:17 GMT -5
"What's this one sound like?"
He smiled, pointing to a note at the middle of the page, and then noticing the different structure of the notes. "What do the different shapes mean?"
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Post by Erik on Dec 9, 2008 14:12:10 GMT -5
Erik hummed the note indicated. "It's all part of the system for rendering music into writing," he said. "The different shapes mean different lengths; and there are other symbols to indicate how fast or loud or where to pause. With sheets like this, one can understand an entire opera without ever hearing it. Though it is less pleasant to read on the page."
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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 14:18:13 GMT -5
"Oooh. Erik will teach how to read notes?" He pointed to the note Erik had hummed and repeated the sound in his rich cello voice, then took a moment to look at the notes surrounding it and hummed them out perfectly, though without any rhythm or knowledge of sharp or flat.
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Post by Erik on Dec 9, 2008 14:50:41 GMT -5
Erik stared at him in astonishment, a wide smile breaking across his face. "Mortimer, that was nearly perfect! Pitch-wise, that is. Of course, Erik will teache you; whatever you like!" He was delighted, visibly so, and his hand tightened on Mortimer's shoulder.
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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 14:58:21 GMT -5
For himself, Mortimer was delighted to have pleased Erik, and pleased that Erik agreed to teach him.
"Mortimer could sing-stories, like Julian? Erik will teach words too, please. Hm, would like to choose my own foods f' eat with friends."
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Post by Erik on Dec 9, 2008 15:05:50 GMT -5
Erik blinked at the non sequitur. "Erik would like nothing more than to teach you opera," he said. "But as to food... Erik has always given you what you asked for." He did not like the implication that he was not caring properly for Mortimer; to his mind, if the creature asked for apples, fish and chocolate and seemed happy, it was because he did not want for anything else.
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Post by Mortimer on Dec 9, 2008 15:14:04 GMT -5
"Yes!" he agreed, giving a purr and kissing Erik's jaw. "But Above, I eat with M. Chowland, Valentine, M. Valmont. Want to choose own foods, not have to make friends choose f' Mortimer can't read."
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