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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rystil Arden" data-source="post: 3894016" data-attributes="member: 29014">"Well, you have a good eye," Elise laughs, clearly in jest, "No, not really.  I'm not that vain.  No woman can be with whoever-she-is in the same room.  Of course, if flattery's your game, you'd do better with Ygraine over there.  She's a beautiful woman, but I think a tad insecure.  She likes to hear people telling her how beautiful she is.  Lives for it, almost.  For me, that's no way to be."*Elise frowns.*"Gambling?  A dreadfully bad habit.  It keeps sweaty men locked in rooms together for hours on end and away from their ladies, the endless call of gold bewitching them, or maybe they just like men more than women...I'm afraid I don't much care for gamblers, Gabriel.  That's why that man over there with Ygraine, Julien Sorel, I just didn't care for him when I met him tonight.  I think to him, his entire life is some big gamble.""Well, I think it's important to distinguish between a little risktaking and gambling, you know?  A little adventure can be fun.""Of course, Zoe, that's not what I mean.  Risktaking and excitement are one thing.  For me, gambling implies that you're playing some sort of game that includes the people around you, and that for you to win, the other people have to lose.  It may seem social at first when you see men gambling and talking together, but I find it to be intrinsically antisocial at heart.""Can't fault you on that one, and you can afford to be choosy, Elise--heck, if I was a man, I'd totally want to marry you.  You'll find someone wonderful, at least unless you wind up with an arranged marriage.""I think every woman is fortunate that you aren't a man.  Can you imagine your poor wife, in constant terror of the next cruel prank her husband will play on her--the poor woman!" Gerard conjectures in mock horror."Why you!" Zoe laughs at the jest and gives Gerard a playful shove, spilling his wine, "Oops--Good heavens!  O woe is me, I am such a dainty and delicate flower that I nearly fainted at your attack on my character.""Well, I can say for certain that most men will tell you that they would wish to do better by the ladies than that.  But how many would wish otherwise if not for the social constructs of our society.  Imagine, for instance, that you could pick your ten or twenty favourite women from this room and keep all of them as passionate and loving mistresses with absolutely no averse consequences.  Are you saying you wouldn't do it?""That could be quite helpful--how can I embarrass the young lad, do you think?""But of course, mon ami.  As was mine," Gerard waves a hand as if dismissing any other possible interpretations.</blockquote>

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