Kim isn't just wearing plainclothes - he's wearing an imitation of a revolutionary aerostatic pilot from an era responsible for the death of his parents. Harry clings to disco; his idealized version of himself, to the good times, to parties - to an outdated "coolness" and "charm" that he uses to mask his melancholy, insecurity and rage. Kim clings to his childhood rebellion and dreams; he always wanted to be in the military (even at ten!) but had to keep settling until he eventually became a member of the RCM (there must be some organizations between RCM and an airforce, right?). Besides, would he truly ever be allowed to be a pilot, with eyesight so bad his Precinct 57 partner was getting called Eyes?
Kim's secret is smoking hemp - a not unusual activity, in fact maybe even normal for most teenagers in Revachol, but scandalous not just for an RCM officer but someone with Kim's projection. And it's a secret he considers scandalous enough to share with HARRY, who may or may not be high on fifty different drugs and brands of alcohol at the time. He KNOWS, or hopes rather, that because Harry considers him cool and stoic and all that, that the hemp will come as a surprise and a cool thing, and will get defensive if the fanfare he planned doesn't happen!
He relishes in the persona of a cool, collected, straight-faced man and makes the effort to keep it up - the souped-up Kineema, the one-cigarette a day rule -- the latter of which is also rebellion! Smoking a cigarette might not be unusual - especially for RCM officers - but having such a powerful handle on it is. It distinguishes him from non-smokers AND smokers in general. Smoking hemp adds an edge to his officer status - the illegality and banality of it being just the right combination to make it surprising to anyone that meets him.
He has a thing against bullies and disapproves of officers that use their status to draw guns and shoot people but his first instinct in any upsetting situation is to grab his gun (what did he expect to find in the fridge?). Even if he doesn't believe in Harry's amnesia at first, he still sees him as a fucked up, high-off-his-mind drunkard and STILL hands him a gun - on multiple occasions, including a room full of potential suspects! He points a gun at a mentally ill old lady. He has more kills than Harry despite having less cases closed and working as a juvie cop - and juvie cops most often deal with minors, delinquents, and fucking pinball rings. Even when he believes Harry that he REALLY don't remember anything, he keeps Harry around. Lets him take charge. He didn't know about Harry pre-amnesia. He didn't realize that Harry is a can-opener, an incredibly volatile supercop. He just saw a shambling madman that matched the description he got and stuck with it - and he WILL stick with it even if you play as the slowest detective ever.
And part of that is about protecting himself! He distances himself from his Seolite heritage to the point where he prides himself on his parents being dead and gone and not speaking a word of Seolite - though interestingly enough he must have some connection with his grandparents, or family records, to even know who in his family was from Seol at all. So he takes pride in Revachol, so he becomes a protector of Revachol, so he makes his entire external self all about being stoic, being a cop, being effective and useful and professional. He sees being a cop as protection - not from mistreatment, but from his reactions to it. And he's so repressed.
You can only convince him to do what he already WANTS to do but chooses not to. He won't go into the delinquent tent and he won't stay around to witness your reaction to talking about the Pale with Joyce, and you must either ask him to leave or do it when he's gone. He will dance but only if he gets to frame it as him show-upping you in the Church. He DOES want to hear about the cryptids, but only if you bear the brunt of the reputation it may bring. His professionalism and his reputation are vital aspects of his defense and he indulges in his own rebellion when they are cushioned through Harry. Because there's denialibility there. He didn't want to hear about cryptids, Harry did, and harry would not have left him alone if they didn't get it over with. He didn't want to dance, Harry did, and pulled rank on him, so what else is he to do?
He's not as pathetic as Harry on the outside, but he's a repressed wet napkin covered in motor oil stains that's been packed tightly into a little ball, held together by strings. He's so lame. He's so cool. I love him so much.
blakekathryn
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