The message comes by carrier pigeon actually, which is a pretty weird way to deliver a message but of course, it's thematic. A very pretty looking brown pigeon swoops down out of the sky to wherever Damian just so happens to be that afternoon and holds out its leg. The message is short and simple:
Got a job for you. Meet me at the farm at dusk. No show, no job. Keep it a secret, rewarded very well.
- Hal
P.S. Burn this.
And that's it. Of course, if Damian chooses to listen to the message, he will find the Sheriff at the farm at dusk, chewing a piece of tobacco and watching the sun set. He'll be greeted with a tip of his hat and one word:
"Bounty."
And then he holds out a small notebook. Looks like Damian's been chosen for one of those roles that were mentioned. Good luck.
[Damian shows up because he's been trained to show up when it's time to get information. There's not a lot about the Sheriff he trusts except he trusts the "man" to be as Western as possible.
He's not surprised when tobacco is spit after he's given the notebook. Disgusting!] Why?
[ The Sheriff is just going to give Damian a flat look as he digs into his pocket for another piece. Of course, his answer isn't going to be very helpful. ]
Uh, yeah? Thought that was obvious. Participants, game, festival, etcera. Where've you been, kid?
Just because you told everyone that doesn't mean it's true. [Please stop chewing tobacco like a cow with cud in his vicinity.] Who exactly are you working for?
What happens if I refuse to do any of this?
Edited (protip: dont tag at assoclock in the morning before caTCHING UP ON THE TOWN MEETING) 2017-01-17 19:12 (UTC)
[ New plan: chew tobacco like a cow with cud every time he's around Damian. ]
My employers. Ain't really got a name for 'em.
[ And the question about refusal just makes the Sheriff sigh. ]
Kill ya, I suppose. Send you home to a universe where all your loved ones are dead. Something like that. It's -- it's about the work you put in. More work you put in, better end for you here. Less work you put in, you go back to nothing good.
That's ridiculous. [His father wouldn't ever let that happen????? But Damian, regardless, takes a moment or two to look through the book he was given. It's sounds as ridiculous as Hal's ultimatum.] So we are entertainment. Guinea pigs in a gladiatorial ring.
[His scowl is deep when he looks back up.] I'm assuming if I just kill you instead, your "employers" will try to kill me.
No. They don't care. You could kill me all you want. I'll come back though in like, uh, I think it's like two days? Yeah, let's say two days. 48 hours without any Sheriff around. Not too safe for you with a target on your back though.
[ thank GOD because you were gonna FUCKING KILL HIM ]
I can handle myself fine without you. [Look, he gotta lot of pride.] It's the other people who wouldn't be able to handle themselves. Even if no one trusts you, they think you have all the answers, that you're actually "Sheriff" with the power and authority to punish.
If you're gone, idiots will try to step up and make rules for order, but it'll just turn into slavery. That's how tyrants are born. [He should... know... Just look at his mom's family. :')]
How can I trust you and your employers will keep your word? What if I kill the person with the role, and you don't hold up your end of the deal?
Uh-huh. You think that'd happen in two days? [ He whistles, vaguely impressed in tone. ] Shucks, I'd like to see that.
[ Such big words, Damian!! It all sounds so fascinating and the Sheriff sure is curious. What great ideas you have, little bat. ]
Eh, what's the point in not holding up? Just cruel, way I figure. Hype you up and not deliver... might as well not even bring you here in the first place if I was gonna do that.
It would happen in less time depending on the people here. [WHAT THE HECK STOP] We're not fish in a bowl. We aren't here for your amusement or to do tricks for you or your employers. We're people.
Tell your employers to stop being cowards. Don't send an android to do their dirty work. If they want a game, they should come here and run it themselves. Or are they too scared?
You say you're people like that's supposed to mean something. So what if you're people? Lotsa other things exist in the universe too, ain't just you folks.
Don't think they're scared. Little to be scared of when you're like them. This just ain't the only thing they've got going on, is all.
It does mean something. It doesn't matter if other things exist. They wouldn't deserve to be treated like playthings either. [Clark, Diana, Manhunter, Kori. They are all "other things," but he knows his father would never treat them wrongly, and so he wouldn't treat them wrongly just the same.
The lines of his face get harder.] You're no different. They made you as an accessory. You're nothing to them. They can replace you.
Don't you want something more than just being a tool? [Damian knows what it's like, being a tool, but it took living with his father for him to see it. A taste of freedom and prosperity for him to realize there's more than being a weapon.] After this, you'll only be participating in another one of these sick games. And another. And another.
[After a moment or two, Damian all at once tosses the notebook back down at Hal's feet.] Fine. Be a tool for someone else and grow dull and useless until you're replaced. I'm not going to waste my breath trying to change your mind.
What's the purpose of the role I'm trying to find? And what happens when people die?
[Bullshit. A small part of him dies because he isn't sure of how to proceed. "Half-life." They're not completely dead? But that doesn't make killing them any less of a kill, right? Not if they can feel it. If they know.
Would his father kill people who would not complete die in order to save everyone else? Killing is still killing... He's killed so much already.
He's trying to atone for it.] When do I make my first choice?
[ The Sheriff looks thoughtful for a moment as he considers. ]
Not anytime soon. Or maybe very soon. Right now, it hinges on if the Bandits refuse the offer first. If they do, do you want to be the one to kill one or do you want me to ask another Bounty?
If he chooses to take the job, he'd be killing. If he refuses, someone else will more than likely kill an "innocent" person because they don't have the same Bat morals.
He's been scouring the homestead for plants, but hasn't found anything that would give him a leg up on making people seem dead.] I'll do it.
[He hopes he has enough time to search for a better way, and he hopes he doesn't regret it.]
[ He just raises an eyebrow and continues to chew on his tobacco. A long moment of silence ensues as the Sheriff stares at Damian with no change to his face.
[It only takes about two seconds for Damian's face to pinch into something disgusted disappointed. What the fuck kind of hint is that?!]
Pick better hints next time instead of wasting them. [But fine--it's not quite as vague perhaps. The Sheriff said woman, not girl. That narrows it down just a little.
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sheriffexe) wrote2017-01-13 11:05 am
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