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Sween Myth-tery of Life :: Asprin Robert
Страница: 87 из 110isn't a shoot-out or a gang war. It's an ordinary D&D scenario."
"D&.D," I frowned. "You mean that game you were telling me about with the maps and the dice?"
"No. I'm takin' about a 'domestic disturbance.' A family squabble ... just like you had goin' on here when I came in. They're deadly, Boss. Especially one between a husband and wife."
I wanted to laugh, but he seemed to be utterly serious about what he was saying.
"Are you kidding, Guido?" I said. "What could happen that would be dangerous?"
"More things than you can imagine," he replied. "That's what makes them so dangerous. In regular hassles, you can pretty much track what's going on and what might happen next. Arguments between a husband and wife are unpredictable, though. You can't tell who's gonna swing at who, when or with what, because they don't know themselves."
I was beginning to believe what he was saying. The concept was both fascinating and frightening.
"Why do you think that is, Guido? What makes fights between married couples so explosive?"
My bodyguard frowned and scratched his head.
"I never really gave it much thought," he said. "If I had to give an opinion, I'd say it was due to the motivationals."
"The motives?" I corrected without thinking.
"That too," he nodded. "You see, Boss, the business-type disputes which result in violence like I am normally called upon to deal with have origins that are easily comprehended ... like greed or fear. That is to say, either Boss A wants somethin' that Boss B is reluctant to part with, as in a good-sized hunk of revenue generatin' territory, or Boss B is afraid that Boss A is gonna try to whack him and decides to beat him to the punch. In these situationals, there is a clear-cut objective in mind, and the action is therefore relatively easy to predict and counter. Know what I mean?"
"I think so," I said. "And in a domestic disturbance?"
"That's where it can get ugly," he grimaced. "It starts out with people arguin' when they don't know why they're arguin'. What's at stake there is emotions and hurt feelin's, not money. The problem with that is that there is no clear-cut objective, and as a result, there is no way of tellin' when the fightin' should cease. It just keeps escalatin' up and up, with both sides dishin' out and takin' more and more damage, until each of 'em is hurt so bad that the only important thing left is to hurt the other one back."
He smacked his fist loudly into his other hand, wincing slightly when he moved his injured arm.
"D&.D," I frowned. "You mean that game you were telling me about with the maps and the dice?"
"No. I'm takin' about a 'domestic disturbance.' A family squabble ... just like you had goin' on here when I came in. They're deadly, Boss. Especially one between a husband and wife."
I wanted to laugh, but he seemed to be utterly serious about what he was saying.
"Are you kidding, Guido?" I said. "What could happen that would be dangerous?"
"More things than you can imagine," he replied. "That's what makes them so dangerous. In regular hassles, you can pretty much track what's going on and what might happen next. Arguments between a husband and wife are unpredictable, though. You can't tell who's gonna swing at who, when or with what, because they don't know themselves."
I was beginning to believe what he was saying. The concept was both fascinating and frightening.
"Why do you think that is, Guido? What makes fights between married couples so explosive?"
My bodyguard frowned and scratched his head.
"I never really gave it much thought," he said. "If I had to give an opinion, I'd say it was due to the motivationals."
"The motives?" I corrected without thinking.
"That too," he nodded. "You see, Boss, the business-type disputes which result in violence like I am normally called upon to deal with have origins that are easily comprehended ... like greed or fear. That is to say, either Boss A wants somethin' that Boss B is reluctant to part with, as in a good-sized hunk of revenue generatin' territory, or Boss B is afraid that Boss A is gonna try to whack him and decides to beat him to the punch. In these situationals, there is a clear-cut objective in mind, and the action is therefore relatively easy to predict and counter. Know what I mean?"
"I think so," I said. "And in a domestic disturbance?"
"That's where it can get ugly," he grimaced. "It starts out with people arguin' when they don't know why they're arguin'. What's at stake there is emotions and hurt feelin's, not money. The problem with that is that there is no clear-cut objective, and as a result, there is no way of tellin' when the fightin' should cease. It just keeps escalatin' up and up, with both sides dishin' out and takin' more and more damage, until each of 'em is hurt so bad that the only important thing left is to hurt the other one back."
He smacked his fist loudly into his other hand, wincing slightly when he moved his injured arm.