[network] @ADMIN; Arrival

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Comments

[devoutish]

When they're terrible at their fucking jobs, yeah.

[rubikscomplex]

do you 'fire' fire them?
or do you ice 'em?

[devoutish]

If I was known for killing my own men, none of them would be truly loyal to me.

[He's totally killed people from other gangs that he's worked with, though. RIP Billy Kitchen.]

[rubikscomplex]

what does a guy who gets fired from a gang even do?
aren't you guys, like, the employer of last resort for the poorest schmucks?

[devoutish]

Legitimate work, sometimes. Can you believe it?

Two years ago I fired a lad for being fucking stupid and a terrible worker. He went off, did other things, and came back six months later, older and wised up. I hired him back and I've had no complaints since.

[rubikscomplex]

[Honestly, he has trouble believing it. But then, House has never been in a gang before. They require not mouthing off and involve authority figures and structure. He'd been trying to get away from those things in his youth. Plus, military bases and being moved around every six months to two years aren't conducive to joining any sort of illicit group with long-term commitment requirements.]

i've heard of kids being scared straight by prison
don't think i've ever heard of them being scared crooked by honest labor
do you guys give good benefits or something?
better pay than the standard legal operation?

[devoutish]

His brother works for me, his cousin works for me, his dad worked for my father. It's not only me that it's a family business for.

[rubikscomplex]

so he's a sheep following the rest of the flock
got it, moses

[devoutish]

Then we've got the lads who don't need firing, but need to be pushed back into line sometimes. My secretary is one of those.

[rubikscomplex]

whack 'em with your cane?

[devoutish]

A whack with the cane, a smack on the cheek, a shove to the side.

[rubikscomplex]

see
i just yell at my staff and explain to them how they're being idiots
seems to work

[devoutish]

That's a good first step, but we're rough people, Dr. House. Sometimes they need an extra push.

[rubikscomplex]

no one needs to be physically assaulted to put them in their place
if you're doing the rest of your job right

[devoutish]

Is that where you draw your line, House?

[rubikscomplex]

well, i don't hit girls
if that's what you're asking

[devoutish]

Neither do I.

You're an interesting one, House. You know that I'm a criminal, you know that I've murdered, you can probably guess that I've cheated and lied. But this is the first time you've flat-out told me that something I do is wrong. Have you noticed that?

[rubikscomplex]

[It takes a moment or two for House to reply because that hadn't actually registered for him.]

wow, you caught me, solomons
my parents beat me every night
and now i'm on a crusade against physical abuse

[devoutish]

That would be a shame.

Beating one of my own men would be a bit over the top, wouldn't it.

[rubikscomplex]

some might say they had it coming

[devoutish]

Nah.

Now, I did knock a man I was working with unconscious once. He was from a gang out of Birmingham.

[rubikscomplex]

and his side didn't come after you?
lucky

[devoutish]

We were on the same side at the time.

I expect they didn't feel it was bad enough to warrant retribution.

[rubikscomplex]

any particular reason you decided to go after him?
did he make fun of jews?

[devoutish]

He didn't do anything. His friend, the man standing next to him, made a comment he shouldn't have.

I could have hit the joker. Would have been more fair that way, wouldn't it? But the way I did it, they kept each other in line more than they would have otherwise, if they didn't think another man misbehaving would affect them.