jumpthegun | IC Inbox (v1.0)

I would never hide behind that. [He's not precisely sure what he wants to be labeled - Doctor? Consulting detective? Ex-military? He's typically defined himself by what he's doing, and in his mind, he's not quite police, but he's certainly not a civilian.] If you think I've been trying to use that as some sort of shield, then we've been having a serious miscommunication, Mr. Solomons. I don't expect you to treat me like a civilian. [He'd be insulted if Alfie did, really.]

You haven't been, so I didn't think that was at issue. What is, is a label. You think of me as something specific. I don't. That's all I meant by that. Treat me however you like based on that label, if it's the one you're going to give to me.

You do use it as a shield. How many times have you insisted to me that you're just a regular bloke? How many times have you told me you're not here to enforce any sort of law?

I've insisted because you keep telling me I'm acting like a policeman when I'm not. This time? Yeah. Other times? No. I know what I've done in my life and a hell of a lot of it's been outside the law.

[He probably shouldn't have said that.]

As part of my job. [Okay, just going to walk that back a bit.] That's why I say I'm not a policeman. I've helped them most of time. Sometimes I've not been on the same side as them. And I wasn't doing that anymore before I arrived here.

And I told you I'm regular relative to all the other people I used to be involved with. I still didn't expect you to treat me like a civilian. I knew we'd rub each other up the wrong way because of the way we do things. I knew we'd come into conflict. And I knew you might put a blade against my neck again.

[This is going nowhere. Or, really, it's going in the same circle they always go when they're arguing about this. John forces his tone back to something neutral.]

I don't want to fight with you, Mr. Solomons. You want me to leave you and Duster alone. I will as best as I can.

I want you to be fucking honest with me, and with yourself. So you've done some things outside the law. Yeah? So have I. And our sorts of illegal are very different beasts. So you're gonna do your very best to enforce a law that allows for your sort of illegal, but not for mine.

[Why are they continuing this? John doesn't even know. He'd expected Alfie to just slap his apology away and be done with it. But here they are, still coming back to this. And a part of him just wants to agree because... honestly, Alfie's not really wrong. He realizes he's been quiet on an open line longer than he should be.]

Yeah. Fine. Yes. That's what I want to do.

The only reasons I can think of where murder or excessive violence are acceptable are defense of others or defense of yourself from some physical harm. Those are the only things I'd accept. Anything else, I'd want someone to face some sort of consequences for what they'd done. Doesn't matter if the other person came back.

If I broke my own rules there, I'd expect to be punished for it. Somehow. I'd turn myself in on it to someone who would punish me on it, as well.

Yeah, you would, if you broke your own rules. But I wonder how you'd react if you broke somebody else's rules, and they punished you for it. Somebody whose rules allowed for their sort of illegal, but not for yours.

[He lets that hang in the air for a minute, and then moves on. He's interested in what Watson's response to it will be, but he wants him to think about it for a little while first.]

Yeah. Two more things before I let you go.

Gwen. I do not want you to talk or ask about her to Duster. I do not want you to talk or ask about her to anybody else. Understood?

[He knows Alfie is making a point about himself and Royce. He's not really sure what he would do with someone who was opposed to something as basic as no killing except when your own life and well-being or those you're protecting are on the line. But for the sake of it, he does try to imagine what his reaction might be.]

I'd try to reason with them and help them understand why I did what I did because it was necessary. Depending on what they had for a punishment, I might let them carry it out - something like staying with them so they could watch me for a while wouldn't be a problem. If it was completely disproportionate and they wouldn't listen... I'd try to get away from them.

[John isn't sure that's what Alfie wants to hear, but it's honest. As for Gwen, he's indescribably curious now, but he can keep that to himself.]

And understood, sir. [He corrects quickly.] Solomons.

Mm, yeah.

[His voice is still firm, but it's calmer now.]

So what you're telling me, right, is that you would do exactly what Duster did.

[He holds his tongue on whether or not it was proportionate, really. Duster had freaked out about being tied up as far as John's concerned. Given that Ecks had murdered him while restrained, it had, apparently, been a legitimate fear. If Ecks hadn't been there, it would have been silly, though. But that's not what happened.]

Yes, Mr. Solomons, that's what I'm telling you.

Hm.

[He hopes you think about that a lot, Watson.]

Me and Fiona are gonna try to meet up again, while I'm in the same area as the two of you. I will not hurt her to punish you. Never.

[Hurting someone to get to someone else isn't something Alfie is always above doing, and he figures that Watson could guess that. He isn't sure if it's a worry of Watson's, exactly, but he'd be surprised if he hadn't at least considered the possibility.]

[He'll think about it... and consider that there are vastly different moral structures going on here. It's easy to get sucked in, in the moment. But John knows perfectly well that what Duster did to House wasn't right. Even if he'd made a mistake in handling it, the fact that he'd tried to handle it isn't wrong. But that's for thinking about later when he isn't being sucked into the guilt and beaten down into some form of agreement.]

All right. I didn't expect you would.

[That thought had never actually crossed his mind. With the way Alfie is, he knows the man has limits. Women and children seems to be one of them.]

Are you going to do something else to punish me?

[Clarification would imply to him a plan for something else.]

We'll see.

[The answer is actually no, for a couple reasons. He likes being on Fiona's good side, and hurting Watson too badly would surely ruin that. He also really doesn't consider this his fight. He's upset and angry on Royce's behalf, but Royce hasn't asked him to intervene in any way. When it comes to actually doing something, he's more invested in debating Watson's mindset than he is in punishing any specific transgression.

But he'll let Watson be on edge for a little while, sure.]

['Resigned' might be a better term for it. He sounds tired when he replies.]

Is that all, Mr. Solomons?

Yeah. That's all.

Have a safe and swift journey, then. Keep an eye out for anomalies. Good evening.

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