[ What is this? An AU? Who knows! Probably! Wait, that's a terrible start to a tag. Begin again. Freddie's pencil has been whittled down to enough of a nub that he really can't tuck it anywhere without losing it and can't do anything with it in his hands beyond clutch at it and hope he won't drop it. Still, it is better lugging ink all over the place and hoping it doesn't get all over every thing he owns and/or run out at the exact second he needs it most. ]
Musn't believe everything you read, particularly not advertising. [ And then, with barely a breath to signify a change in topic: ] Is that how these things usually work for you? See something that someone has put up somewhere and go off and do it, no questions asked?
[ Seems like a perfectly legitimate start to me! ]
That would depend on the thing in question, [ King responds, apparently perfectly content to follow the conversation from thread to thread. ] But, for the most part, yes. If there is a bounty to be had, then there will be a bounty hunter to collect it; I have merely thrown my proverbial hat into the ring. I suppose it's one of those instances of simply believing what you read, but what can you do.
[ Freddie scribbles something down. A note documenting this answer, more or less, in case he needs to return to it later. Generally Freddie is not a note-taker, but it's helpful sometimes. ]
So it's a matter of supply and demand, then. [ Because if there's anyone who could manage to be a socialist before socialism became trendy, it would be Frederick Lyon. ] The demand exists, which means that sooner or later someone will come along to fulfill it and reap the benefits of compensation for their labour. So why not you?
[ Schultz raises his hands in a gesture that reads of course in the way that most people might answer the question of is there snow at the North Pole, his smile drawing crows' feet at the corners of his eyes. Still, not a moment passes before he's leaning forward again, one arm braced upon the table and the other propped up, three fingers raised. ]
In my experience, Mr. Lyon, people choose professions that can, for the most part, be sorted into one of three categories: what they love— [ he lowers a finger with each category ] —what they are good at, and what will make them the most money. Fortunately for me, bounty hunting falls into all three categories. [ It's a slightly altered answer, yes, but seems to hit closer to the truth where Schultz is concerned. ]
I don't see any reason not to take advantage of serendipity. Wouldn't you agree?
[ Freddie's head tips to the side, not in agreement or disagreement but just because that's a thing Freddie does when he's thinking. Just like how, a moment later, he raises his thumb to his teeth and bites thoughtfully at the already ragged nail. ]
I can't say I believe in serendipity, [ he says finally, removing his fingernail from between his teeth and using his newly-free hand to gesture. ] It's entirely too convenient. [ The neatness of it, Freddie would tend to believe, can't exist in the untidiness of the real world. ] Besides which, those aren't the only considerations in choosing a career. What about contribution to the community? Work hours? Tell me, Dr. Schultz, do the ethics of your chosen profession ever bother you?
[ The laugh that now breezes its way through Schultz's frame seems to have less to do with actually finding anything funny and more to do with finding pleasure in having someone intelligent to converse with. (Unfortunately, among those that he hunts, quick conversation is a rarity.) ]
I'd like to think that ridding the world of a few more public menaces serves as a contribution to the community, and the work hours are flexible so long as you've earned enough money to allow for that sort of leisure. And as for that last question, you're a clever sort of fellow— [ a beat passes, in which Schultz allows himself a last huff of amusement ] —I'm sure you can divine the answer yourself.
Oh, I have all sorts of answers, right here at my fingertips.
[ Freddie raises both hands and gives his fingers a demonstrative wiggle. He smiles a bit as well, and it's a smile that's not all that different from Dr. Schultz's laugh. If Freddie were more self-aware -- and he is, poignantly so, on some topics and utterly hopeless on others -- he might think that there's an element of chase to both of their professions that probably explains a great deal of their appeal. Dr. Schultz's chase is the quite literal kind, but this, what is happening right here and now in this conversation, is Freddie's. ]
But I would be far more interested in hearing yours, [ he concludes, dropping his hands back down again. ] For example, is it that you're killing someone who has killed before and likely will again? Or is it that you simply don't believe that there's an inherent worth in human life?
Oh, of course there's worth, [ Schultz says, feigning offense as he raises a hand to pat his chest. ] The proof is in my billfold, is it not?
[ 'Amoral' isn't a pretty word to throw around, but in some cases, it's the only one that applies — for the most part, when 'sociopath' falls just short of the mark. Schultz understands Freddie's line of inquiry perfectly — the half-apologetic expression that he wears is proof of it — and his answers are non-answers only insomuch as they are indirect. That said, the gist is this: the crimes don't matter to him, nor does the body count. Nor, however, is the enterprise entirely about money. As he'd said: it's also what he loves to do, and what he's good at. ]
[ When one lives life in a near-constant state of outrage at society -- as Freddie does -- it can be hard to fathom how other people can get along without being outraged. So it is fair to say that while Freddie has not been actively attempting to get a rise out of Dr. Schultz, he is mildly surprised that it hasn't happened yet. That the most he has managed to achieve is that mildly offended hand gesture. ]
I meant that more in the intangible sense. The sanctity -- if you'll let me use that in a decidedly irreligious sense -- of human life and thus the complementary evil of bringing it to an end.
[ To Freddie's credit, however, Dr. Schultz is a hard man to shake. He's waving a hand in the air before Freddie has even finished speaking, in a sort of I know, I know. ]
Good and evil are subjective properties, as well as a little too black and white for my tastes but, much to my regret, the big picture is often measured in similarly broad terms. That aside — all lives end. Mine will, too, eventually. The men that I make my living hunting — scoundrels, for the most part — would hang, had their respective courts been able to incarcerate them properly. I simply move the process. In short: I am not particularly concerned— [ (not concerned at all, more like) ] —with the ethics involved.
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no subject
What is this? An AU? Who knows! Probably! Wait, that's a terrible start to a tag. Begin again.Freddie's pencil has been whittled down to enough of a nub that he really can't tuck it anywhere without losing it and can't do anything with it in his hands beyond clutch at it and hope he won't drop it. Still, it is better lugging ink all over the place and hoping it doesn't get all over every thing he owns and/or run out at the exact second he needs it most. ]Musn't believe everything you read, particularly not advertising. [ And then, with barely a breath to signify a change in topic: ] Is that how these things usually work for you? See something that someone has put up somewhere and go off and do it, no questions asked?
no subject
Seems like a perfectly legitimate start to me!]That would depend on the thing in question, [ King responds, apparently perfectly content to follow the conversation from thread to thread. ] But, for the most part, yes. If there is a bounty to be had, then there will be a bounty hunter to collect it; I have merely thrown my proverbial hat into the ring. I suppose it's one of those instances of simply believing what you read, but what can you do.
no subject
So it's a matter of supply and demand, then. [ Because if there's anyone who could manage to be a socialist before socialism became trendy, it would be Frederick Lyon. ] The demand exists, which means that sooner or later someone will come along to fulfill it and reap the benefits of compensation for their labour. So why not you?
no subject
In my experience, Mr. Lyon, people choose professions that can, for the most part, be sorted into one of three categories: what they love— [ he lowers a finger with each category ] —what they are good at, and what will make them the most money. Fortunately for me, bounty hunting falls into all three categories. [ It's a slightly altered answer, yes, but seems to hit closer to the truth where Schultz is concerned. ]
I don't see any reason not to take advantage of serendipity. Wouldn't you agree?
no subject
I can't say I believe in serendipity, [ he says finally, removing his fingernail from between his teeth and using his newly-free hand to gesture. ] It's entirely too convenient. [ The neatness of it, Freddie would tend to believe, can't exist in the untidiness of the real world. ] Besides which, those aren't the only considerations in choosing a career. What about contribution to the community? Work hours? Tell me, Dr. Schultz, do the ethics of your chosen profession ever bother you?
no subject
I'd like to think that ridding the world of a few more public menaces serves as a contribution to the community, and the work hours are flexible so long as you've earned enough money to allow for that sort of leisure. And as for that last question, you're a clever sort of fellow— [ a beat passes, in which Schultz allows himself a last huff of amusement ] —I'm sure you can divine the answer yourself.
no subject
[ Freddie raises both hands and gives his fingers a demonstrative wiggle. He smiles a bit as well, and it's a smile that's not all that different from Dr. Schultz's laugh. If Freddie were more self-aware -- and he is, poignantly so, on some topics and utterly hopeless on others -- he might think that there's an element of chase to both of their professions that probably explains a great deal of their appeal. Dr. Schultz's chase is the quite literal kind, but this, what is happening right here and now in this conversation, is Freddie's. ]
But I would be far more interested in hearing yours, [ he concludes, dropping his hands back down again. ] For example, is it that you're killing someone who has killed before and likely will again? Or is it that you simply don't believe that there's an inherent worth in human life?
no subject
[ 'Amoral' isn't a pretty word to throw around, but in some cases, it's the only one that applies — for the most part, when 'sociopath' falls just short of the mark. Schultz understands Freddie's line of inquiry perfectly — the half-apologetic expression that he wears is proof of it — and his answers are non-answers only insomuch as they are indirect. That said, the gist is this: the crimes don't matter to him, nor does the body count. Nor, however, is the enterprise entirely about money. As he'd said: it's also what he loves to do, and what he's good at. ]
no subject
I meant that more in the intangible sense. The sanctity -- if you'll let me use that in a decidedly irreligious sense -- of human life and thus the complementary evil of bringing it to an end.
no subject
Good and evil are subjective properties, as well as a little too black and white for my tastes but, much to my regret, the big picture is often measured in similarly broad terms. That aside — all lives end. Mine will, too, eventually. The men that I make my living hunting — scoundrels, for the most part — would hang, had their respective courts been able to incarcerate them properly. I simply move the process. In short: I am not particularly concerned— [ (not concerned at all, more like) ] —with the ethics involved.