Conversation · The Hanged Man

"Okay," he mumbles for a second, then lowers his hand. "Maybe it's not customary in the 41st to perform an Ace's High. In the 57th we've carried over the custom from the Revolution. Maybe it's bad luck... anyway."

You left him hanging on an Ace's High?! What is wrong with you, you sharpshooting asshole?

Slap it and wait for an Ace's Low.

The High arrives with a sharp slap. As you turn around there is a moment of doubt -- feels like that Low ain't gonna connect...

Chill. It's gonna connect.

But then it does -- and with furious precision! The lieutenant is not one to leave an Ace's Low hanging.

"You've been policed."

"How did I do that?"

"By being a damn good shot -- Ace's High!" The lieutenant raises his right hand, waiting for you to slap it.

"Who's laughing now, you little shit!?"

"Fuck you, kyrpäle!" Despite her words, her tone seems celebratory.

Turn away.

A plume of smoke erupts from the barrel. Your hand goes numb from the explosion. With your ears still ringing you lower the weapon to see what happened.

You missed the belt, but hit the corpse straight in the chest. Bits of ribcage protrude from the skin. No blood, only a murky sludge dripping down his belly. The sudden stink makes your eyes water.

"Oh my god, he's gonna fucking cry, I knew it! What a mulkku..."

Are you? Because it sort of feels like you are. Please don't cry.

Ask for another shot. You'll get it with the next one, the god damn light reflected off some window, surely...

(Give the gun back to Kim.) "What now?"

"We try something else."

"Oh my god, what a fucking boring cop."

"Nice shot, though. Fucked him up good..."

He doesn't mean it in earnest. It's a cruel jest. He's going to say as much too, just you wait:

"Actually it was f****ted. Cuno just said that because he felt sorry for you, pig. It's not your fault you can't shoot -- it's your pig-hands."

"Pigs don't have hands. They have, like, fucking hoofs or something."

"Cuno has hands." He displays his little fingers, they're pink. "Cuno can shoot that shit down for you."

"That's preposterous. We're not giving you the gun, kid."

"That's preposterous," she whines mockingly. "What are you, a fucking earl?"

"We still need to get him down somehow." His tone is growing tired now -- the stench makes him turn away from the corpse.

"But how?"

"The bad way -- the way I didn't want us to." He sighs. "By asking the harbour for help. They have the tools and the men. If they put him up there -- they can take him down too."

"But -- won't it be dangerous?"

"To ask the suspects for help with the victim's body? To be indebted to Evrart Claire? Very much, yes -- which is why I would have preferred us to handle this ourselves."

"Clearly we can't."

"Suck my dick, bitches!"

"Let's get to it then." [Leave.]

"Good job we already found a way in the harbour."

"Hooray for us."

"Who's Evrart Claire?"

"The leader of the Union. A dangerous and corrupt man, from what I hear -- you don't want to owe him much."

"Yeah -- don't go bein' someone else's bitches. You're Cuno's bitches."

"How do we get inside the harbour?"

"From the gates -- by negotiating or fighting." He looks up to the east. "Or we can try the secret route we found. Where your cloak is. It looked doable."

To the gates! Let's fight, I say!

To the gates! But we negotiate!

Secret path, secret path, secret path!

To the gates! Let's negotiate!

"From the gates -- by negotiating or fighting. I'm unenthusiastic about fighting..." He looks around. "Or we can try to find some secret third path -- it's unlikely, though."

"What's wrong with being indebted to Evrart Claire?"

"He's a dangerous and corrupt man, and we cannot predict what he will want from us in return."

"No, Cuno. If I can't shoot him down, no one will."

"Cop's bitter cos' he fucked that corpse up, Cuno. What a fucking kyrpelö."

"Lieutenant, we should entrust Cuno with your service weapon. He says he can shoot it down."

The lieutenant does not dignify that with an answer. He snaps the button on his holster and says...

"I don't wanna do this anymore, this is boring."

"I agree. Police work is overrated. It is trying and stressful. However, it is still our job to get the dead body down from the tree." He takes his sidearm from you and holsters it.

"It's not the gun's fault you can't shoot. It's your pig-hands."

"Mulkku, vittupää? What is that?! What the hell kind of words are those?!"

"It's the song of my people, asshole!"

"Don't provoke her." The lieutenant takes his sidearm from you, then holsters it.

"Shot him in the chest." The creature is still in disbelief. "What a FUCKING IDIOT."