Send me “📚” for me to find the closest book, flip to a random page, and make a starter from the first sentence I see.
“The fact is tha’ they always go after yer weakest point – th’ way wolves chase down th’ weakest sheep in th’ herd.”
Eric merely shrugged and gave a dry laugh. “I s’pose even I don’ know th’ answer tae tha’.” In his eyes twinkled a certain darkness that only experienced reapers could achieve. “I s’pose all o’ us, given our nature, are sheep. Sheep tha’ woke up one day tae be told tha’ they must live as wolves until th’ end o’ time, f’r all eternity.”
This was the point where William lit a cigarette and took a long, pensive drag. When he spoke, it was with unmasked bitterness. “For all eternity… hn. And the sheep are meant to accept it without question and parade their pretty little pelts through the gore without batting an eye. What rubbish.” Remembering himself, he straightened and puffed silently at his cigarette again.
He didn’t consider himself to be particularly gentlemanly, but basic manners dictated that he offer Eric a smoke as well, so he held out his cigarette case wordlessly to him.
“Oh, aye. Faceless shepherds, dictatin’ orders an’ guidin’ us all through the bloodshed an’ piles o’ corpses wi’ no end goal other than forgiveness f’r bein’ sheep in th’ first place.” Eric accepted the cigarette, took a drag, and returned it to Will with a nod of thanks. It was rare that the two of them spoke this way, or that he ever saw William’s bitterness rise to the surface and crack his immaculate mask. He didn’t take it lightly. “No’ like we e’er ‘ad a choice.”
He’d have to be smart to be able to carry out his plan undetected for so long and also presumably keeping up with his legitimate reaper work on top of that
Exactly! I think people really forget he was a villain, tbh.
[ i really dislike the interpretation that Eric is dimwitted. i could see that he would lack certain specialized skills (gardening, languages, that kind of thing), or maybe that he wouldn’t necessarily flaunt his sharpness, but i don’t see him as inherently stupid. i think he’s calculating, intelligent, but selfish to a fault. in the end, to me, that was his downfall – selfishness. not his level of intelligence. that’s what makes him a villain.
i could also see him being the kind of guy that thrives in organized chaos. not that he would be a slob. he wouldn’t. but i think if anyone else tried to go through his notes or maybe tried to find something in his office or home, they’d end up going mad because the system of organization he uses only makes sense to him. that’s pretty common in intelligent people. ]
Send me “📚” for me to find the closest book, flip to a random page, and make a starter from the first sentence I see.
“The fact is tha’ they always go after yer weakest point – th’ way wolves chase down th’ weakest sheep in th’ herd.”
“Ah, but tha’s th’ trouble wi’ it,” Eric’s voice was low and rough, as if the great resonance of his words had worn it down. “There’s no man on Earth tha’ hasn’ go’ a point worth exploitin’, nor a man without enemies tha’ ‘ave th’ resolve tae uncover them.” He paused a beat, expression solemn. “Even wolves can become sheep, an’ even sheep can masquerade as wolves.”
William grunts at that, a rather undignified sound of bitter agreement. This time, he removes his glasses completely and sets to cleaning them, even though they’re not dirty. “Am I to assume one of your tender spots has been exposed and risks being taken advantage of?” Or perhaps it was the other way around. Sliding his glasses back into place, he levels a scrutinizing stare at his coworker.
“Which are you, then… the wolf in sheep’s clothing or sheep pretending to be the wolf?”
Eric merely shrugged and gave a dry laugh. “I s’pose even I don’ know th’ answer tae tha’.” In his eyes twinkled a certain darkness that only experienced reapers could achieve. “I s’pose all o’ us, given our nature, are sheep. Sheep tha’ woke up one day tae be told tha’ they must live as wolves until th’ end o’ time, f’r all eternity.”
