( the creature he was a thousand years ago would have already killed this boy a hundred times over. for insolence, for presumptions, for pique. godric merely holds his gaze for the span of several heartbeats. )
Sheriff. If you're going to embrace formality, that is what you may call me.
( let the human be petty, it does not trouble him. his tone is lightly indifferent. )
[ It sets his teeth on edge to say the title, for reasons Sharkface doesn't particularly want to explore. Whatever. Just another job, another fucker to side with in service of the long view. It's a gamble, but most things are in the end. Have to make the jump. Survive the drop.
Doesn't matter. It gets him one step closer to home, and his mission. There's nothing else to do but see it through. ]
[ The fuck is he supposed to do with that? There ought to be clear lines with this sort of thing. A hierarchy. Someone with orders or at least a direction, a task, and then the fuckers who see it through. Like being back in the military, under the chain of command. And sure, that didn't end well, that went wrong in nearly all the ways it could. But it was simple. It was easy, and he could use some of that clarity now. A line in the sand.
Except this is happening, now. Sharkface just stares at Godric. Has to be a trick, right? ]
[ What the fuck. This was supposed to be simple. A conversation to clarify some things, try to ensure that Godric didn't go telling everyone about the night before. It would've made life more difficult, made it harder for Sharkface to operate around these people if he's seen as unstable. The sort of person who'd get blackout drunk and pick a fight with a vampire. He needs to be seen as useful, an asset instead of a liability. And most of the time his scars do a good job of maintaining distance. People look at him and see a threat. There's use in that, to a certain point. But this?
This is something else.
Sharkface twitches before he can hide it. Involuntary. ]
I'm not a good friend.
[ It's the only thing he can think to say. He can pretend, sometimes, but that's all it is. A performance. He has people he likes, even in this place, but he tries to maintain a distance. Keep them separate. Easier for everyone if they don't know what he is, or get hurt in the inevitable fallout. No matter how much he likes spending time with Angela, or talking with Gene. That's not real. It's temporary. A mask he's wearing, just like the name. And one day — maybe even soon — it'll be over. He only hopes —
Well. It doesn't really matter, does it? He'll try not to drag them down wit him, at any rate. ]
[ It's easier to take that as an order. Sharkface nods just once. Either way, it's a step in the right direction. Not an alliance like the one he's got with Angela, but it's something.
He can work with that. He follows Godric inside. ]
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Sheriff. If you're going to embrace formality, that is what you may call me.
( let the human be petty, it does not trouble him. his tone is lightly indifferent. )
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[ It sets his teeth on edge to say the title, for reasons Sharkface doesn't particularly want to explore. Whatever. Just another job, another fucker to side with in service of the long view. It's a gamble, but most things are in the end. Have to make the jump. Survive the drop.
Doesn't matter. It gets him one step closer to home, and his mission. There's nothing else to do but see it through. ]
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What I would appreciate more than a lackey, Mr. Ephemera, is a friend.
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You want a friend.
[ The fuck is he supposed to do with that? There ought to be clear lines with this sort of thing. A hierarchy. Someone with orders or at least a direction, a task, and then the fuckers who see it through. Like being back in the military, under the chain of command. And sure, that didn't end well, that went wrong in nearly all the ways it could. But it was simple. It was easy, and he could use some of that clarity now. A line in the sand.
Except this is happening, now. Sharkface just stares at Godric. Has to be a trick, right? ]
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( he tilts his head. )
I have had thousands under my command, vampire and human alike. What need have I of such things now?
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This is something else.
Sharkface twitches before he can hide it. Involuntary. ]
I'm not a good friend.
[ It's the only thing he can think to say. He can pretend, sometimes, but that's all it is. A performance. He has people he likes, even in this place, but he tries to maintain a distance. Keep them separate. Easier for everyone if they don't know what he is, or get hurt in the inevitable fallout. No matter how much he likes spending time with Angela, or talking with Gene. That's not real. It's temporary. A mask he's wearing, just like the name. And one day — maybe even soon — it'll be over. He only hopes —
Well. It doesn't really matter, does it? He'll try not to drag them down wit him, at any rate. ]
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( humans can be so blind. )
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Breathe, little brother.
He flexes his hands. Too late to hold still now. But it's better than clenching them into fists, or thinking about the knife up his sleeve. ]
Sure. Why the fuck not.
[ Friend can be another word for ally, just so long as he remembers the lines. Godric won't draw them outright, but they still exist. Fine. ]
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Come. Let us return to the others.
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He can work with that. He follows Godric inside. ]