His voice was teasing, but when Wufei looked up, the expression on Duo’s face was surprisingly gentle. Wufei fingered the naggingly damp cloth of his shirt, and sighed. He was sick of being wet. After another covert glance at Duo, he began shrugging out of his own clothes. The lack of conversation suddenly seemed stifling. Wufei could hear his own breathing, and feel his cheeks flame as he peeled the sodden shirt off his back. Uneasily, he glanced over at Duo, but the bounty hunter was totally engrossed in rearranging the fire to some standard. He seemed quite unfairly comfortable with his own state of undress, as though he wandered around near-naked all the time. His easy confidence put Wufei on the defensive, he didn’t like that feeling... “What made you decide to become a bloodhound, anyway?” he said suddenly. “Do you feel some perverse thrill in hunting men down?” Duo didn’t even look up. “Needed the money,” he replied calmly, unfazed by Wufei’s returning hostile tone. “You have quite a price on your head, Dragon. If I hadn’t nabbed you, someone else would have.” “Money. I should have known,” Wufei said bitterly. “Trading lives for gold.” At this jibe, Duo finally glanced up, but his lips were oddly quirked. “It’s not like I get a new job every week, you know. I bring in about four, five marks a year.” He tilted his head slightly, regarding Wufei. “So few?” Wufei was actually startled, though he quickly tried to push it down. “Pays that well, does it, Shinigami?” “You get what you pay for.” Duo finally abandoned the fire, and turned his full attention on Wufei. A sudden grin covered his face. “I am the best, after all.” “The best?” Wufei repeated, incredulous. “Uh huh.” Duo was unperturbed by Wufei’s doubt. “Eh... some bounty hunters will take any job. The easier, the better, and when the jobs are easy, they’re also cheap. So they take as many as they can, as fast as they can. Why do you think they bother with chains, with brands and crops? It’s not for control, it’s for convenience. Get your target as fast as you can, drive them to the point of exhaustion and you’ll get your reward sooner. Don’t waste any more supplies on them than necessary to keep them going. Those are the rules.” Wufei paused, taken aback. Those were all the stories he had heard, all that he knew of bounty hunters and their craft. And yet --
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY
Date: 2006-02-21 10:09 am (UTC)The lack of conversation suddenly seemed stifling. Wufei could hear his own breathing, and feel his cheeks flame as he peeled the sodden shirt off his back. Uneasily, he glanced over at Duo, but the bounty hunter was totally engrossed in rearranging the fire to some standard. He seemed quite unfairly comfortable with his own state of undress, as though he wandered around near-naked all the time. His easy confidence put Wufei on the defensive, he didn’t like that feeling...
“What made you decide to become a bloodhound, anyway?” he said suddenly. “Do you feel some perverse thrill in hunting men down?”
Duo didn’t even look up. “Needed the money,” he replied calmly, unfazed by Wufei’s returning hostile tone. “You have quite a price on your head, Dragon. If I hadn’t nabbed you, someone else would have.”
“Money. I should have known,” Wufei said bitterly. “Trading lives for gold.”
At this jibe, Duo finally glanced up, but his lips were oddly quirked. “It’s not like I get a new job every week, you know. I bring in about four, five marks a year.” He tilted his head slightly, regarding Wufei.
“So few?” Wufei was actually startled, though he quickly tried to push it down. “Pays that well, does it, Shinigami?”
“You get what you pay for.” Duo finally abandoned the fire, and turned his full attention on Wufei. A sudden grin covered his face. “I am the best, after all.”
“The best?” Wufei repeated, incredulous.
“Uh huh.” Duo was unperturbed by Wufei’s doubt. “Eh... some bounty hunters will take any job. The easier, the better, and when the jobs are easy, they’re also cheap. So they take as many as they can, as fast as they can. Why do you think they bother with chains, with brands and crops? It’s not for control, it’s for convenience. Get your target as fast as you can, drive them to the point of exhaustion and you’ll get your reward sooner. Don’t waste any more supplies on them than necessary to keep them going. Those are the rules.”
Wufei paused, taken aback. Those were all the stories he had heard, all that he knew of bounty hunters and their craft. And yet --