@ignames : stop looking at me like that .
" DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO. " the childish response slips from simeon before he can do anything to stop it – though, once it's out, he quite quickly realizes he wouldn't have bothered anyhow, not any more than he's bothered hiding how annoyed he often feels when he and dorian pavus are stuck in a room together. it seems to baffle people a bit, the way he harbors such a distaste for the company of someone so similar to himself. sim struggles to see what they find difficult to understand. he had never pretended to be able to share the limelight effectively and certainly not one with the other man's attributes. dorian is taller, dorian is somewhat absurdly handsome, dorian is noble and charming and wealthy and learned and certainly a better fucking mage.
and simeon – well. ever since his arrival on the continent, simeon has never felt particularly threatened by another. rather, he's accustomed to being the life of every room, as sparkling as a fine champagne, with the sort of charm that draws the eye and draws others into his orbit with ease. others may be attractive, even delightful company, but they lack sim's magnetism, the infectious energy coursing beneath the surface of him. since his earliest days amongst the nobles in orlais, he capitalized on this, perfecting and layering his allure with precision. he is light and radiance and desire to which few can compare.
except dorian fucking pavus, apparently.
he's too proud, of course, to admit he feels utterly outdone by the man, or that he's wondered more times than he probably should whether this is how people often feel around him, too. despite what he says, he pulls his gaze away from dorian after a few moments anyway, a scoff in the back of his throat, a sound too ugly and bitter to suit the fresh-faced foreigner. the somewhat venomously sweet tone of voice he takes when he speaks again doesn't help matters. " first I've ever heard you complain about being looked at, in any case. you're typically quite vocal about how much you enjoy it. " hypocritical of simeon of all people, at best. " am I doing it incorrectly? "