094

[cautionarytale]

I'm taking a survey.

What did everybody do for a job before, you know, coming here?


[private to Howie; added later]

I think I had girl talk. Does that count as making a friend?

Comments

now I get to spam you with my guys.

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

Captain of the City Watch.

Which I think makes me the highest ranking and most experienced policeman on board, but that doesn't count for much.

hurray

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Is being a cop like, a lot of work? What kind of stuff do you get to do?

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

Depends on your variant of policing. What some of the Roundworlders seem to think counts is not how I would describe it.

I was not an ordinary cop. I was head of a specific watch house which looked for conspiracies against my Patrician and his government. For...elements which may cause an uprising in the city, that kind of thing. I interrogated people, I was in charge of surveillence and gathering evidence to enable someone to be deemed a conspirator. I looked out for rogue elements within other watch houses. That sort of thing.

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Torturing people with ginger beer, you mean?

private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

That's... that was not my idea, actually, and certainly not all I did. It is basically a principle of psychosuggestive torture. I'm sure you understand the principle.

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Uh huh. What else did you do? Without any euphemisms.

private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

Bluntly? Ran a police state. Tortured people, although indirectly - I was normally ordering it. I also had the power to persuade the Patrician to introduce laws. I had a weapons control law introduced, that kind of thing.

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

So you were a big fish in a little pond, huh? Was it fun?

Re: private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

Not so little a pond.

Satisfying. Fun is not the word I would use. I'm not a sadist. not like some people

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Oh. I forgot. You don't like sadists, do you?

Re: private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

No. I've been tortured three times since I got here. That doesn't make me angry. What makes me angry is that none of you did it for a good, constructive reason.

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Oops. I guess I forgot to have one of those.

Re: private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

Bizarrely, yours was the most constructive.

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't think anyone's ever said that to me. I think I'll take it as a compliment.

private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

You could. It was more a reflection on massive opportunities the Doctor missed and how deluded Libby was than your skills as a torturer. At least you were doing it in response to something I'd done.

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Libby is pretty deluded. But I'm still gonna take it as a compliment.

Re: private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

As you will.

I have to say, that skill of yours is most useful for the purpose.

Re: private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

It's most useful for a lot of purposes.

Re: private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

If the watch was in the business of employing women, I'd have employed you. Magic or not.

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Aw, that's real sweet of you, Szell.

Re: private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

My other objections aside...

Szell?

private

[cautionarystory.livejournal.com]

Movie reference, remember?

Re: private

[pleasesmirk.livejournal.com]

Oh. Right, yes.