"Politics is simply the highest form of the social contract," Gabriel replied, not about to pass up an opportunity to coax a listener into a better version of the truth. His version, specifically. "The same social contract that has you offering a cigarette for a moment of my time, rather than either of us simply... taking."
He gestures with his cigarette as he talks. Long fingers, elegant hands, and a half-smile crooked into his lips when the cigarette returns to them. "The purpose of the social contract, of all social contracts, is to mediate inequality. In this conversation, in this social contract, you and I are equals. No need to assert dominance: we can compromise. But the clever and the ambitious find ways to exploit the social contract. To manipulate the conversation. To corrupt the political structures."
Gabriel blows out smoke again, slow and languid, letting it curl up his cheekbones and wisp back into his nostrils before he releases it once again. He licks his lips. "Are you saying that you're one of those, Mr. ... what was it, again?"
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He gestures with his cigarette as he talks. Long fingers, elegant hands, and a half-smile crooked into his lips when the cigarette returns to them. "The purpose of the social contract, of all social contracts, is to mediate inequality. In this conversation, in this social contract, you and I are equals. No need to assert dominance: we can compromise. But the clever and the ambitious find ways to exploit the social contract. To manipulate the conversation. To corrupt the political structures."
Gabriel blows out smoke again, slow and languid, letting it curl up his cheekbones and wisp back into his nostrils before he releases it once again. He licks his lips. "Are you saying that you're one of those, Mr. ... what was it, again?"