@incorporearl continued from here
“You’re definitely right about that, and people are happy to give their opinion of how things should be done… but they don’t have to deal with the consequences,” he agreed sympathetically. His fingers deftly wove a symmetrical pattern, the strings coming together into a small flat piece. His face was calm, and now with something to busy them, so were his hands. The watchfulness in his eyes had relaxed a bit, and he seemed completely focused on what he was making.
“I certainly hope so… Were you always with the SSP? I know I’ve seen a number of different officers around town. Some people say they’ve had the same officer following them for ages, but I’ve gone through a number of them.” A frown twitched at his lips, but he didn’t look up. He was silent for a long moment as he meticulously picked out a sloppy knot and redid it. When he finally spoke again, his voice was flat, toneless. “Night Vale’s a dangerous place. People disappear all the time.”
“Mm, that they do,” Sam agreed, a fact of daily life. “That’s going to happen far less often under my leadership. People will be singing a different tune about me once they see the difference.”
As for the question, rather than answering right away, they were silent for a little while as they carved out a swooping neck and the beginnings of a head, revealing features previously hidden in the wood.
It was apparent from the shapes that the sheriff had mixed feelings, but the exact message wasn’t all there, like seeing a few words out of context rather than an entire page. They of course did not address this as they continued to carve and watch.
“Yes,” the answer was abrupt, and deliberately, it forcefully ended the silence that preceded it. “I have been an officer for several years now. I’ve never done anything else― excluding a few summer jobs I did in my youth, largely for my great aunt. Dreadfully bossy woman. Always keeps her spines out so no one will get too close.”
