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[trustinthedevil]

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[trustinthedevil]

Is it as spooky as it sounds?

[ He's just teasing, but the idea of an asylum on an island certainly conjures up all sorts of scenarios in one's head. ]

[heyboss]

For me, it's just a job.

[So yes, but also...no.]

Nothing spooky about it. What business are you in?

[trustinthedevil]

I'm a lawyer on the island of Manhattan.

[ He's not sure if he should use past or present tense. It's not like he's been practicing law any time recently. Present tense seems easier.

Matt takes a sip of his own drink. ]

I'd say it keeps the bills paid, but there was a time where we were getting paid in tamales.

[heyboss]

[Sheehan laughs softly.]

Ah, that's the life. I get paid pretty well, but what am I going to spend anything on when I don't leave the damn island.

What's with all the lawyers around here?

[trustinthedevil]

Are there a lot?

[ Matt's never noticed. Matt's never even really asked anyone about themselves much. ]

Maybe we all just need a little help being better people.

[heyboss]

Maybe. Is that something you need?

[He raises a shoulder in a shrug.]

[trustinthedevil]

[ Oh, Sheehan, you have no idea. ]

I think it's something everyone probably needs, to some extent.

[heyboss]

[He's got years of experience. He can absolutely see.]

I suppose that's true. What dies being a better person look like?

[trustinthedevil]

Is there a definite answer to that?

[ Matt's not going to give up more about himself than he needs to, thank you kindly. ]

[heyboss]

There isn't. Nothing in a law book, anyway.

[He laughs as he says it, taking another drink.]

[trustinthedevil]

Definitely not.

[ Matt can drink to that, too. He does have a moment where he looks thoughtful, though. ]

The more good you are, the harder it is to become a better person. There's less room for growth, the bar's set higher. A bad person has to meet a minimum requirement, at best.

[heyboss]

Is it as black and white as good people and bad people?

[trustinthedevil]

No. If it was, there wouldn't be an option to become better. You'd either be good or you'd be bad. But I think most of us have grown up with ideals put in place that define the two, so it's a reasonable benchmark to start at.

[heyboss]

[He hums, thoughtfully.]

Perhaps, but we should grow from that, hm? To say that a person can become better by what? Making better choices?

[trustinthedevil]

I mean, it's a start, but do we say that a man who chooses to shoplift a pack of beer is better because he decided not to steal the money in the cash register?

[ Matt's brow furrows a bit. ]

He didn't put anyone's life in danger this time, but he still broke the law.

[heyboss]

Now you're getting philosophical. What is the impact of the pack of beer versus the money in the register? Was he armed in both scenarios?

[He smiles.]

[trustinthedevil]

We needed a hypothetical situation to get going. Let's say he was armed both times. Does that negate that, when taking the beer, he probably was pretty distant from the clerk and didn't immediately cause any threat or harm? And knowing that a pack of beer costs the store less than the loss of the cash.

[ Matt smiles, too. This is the best conversation he's had so far. It reminds him a bit of law school, back and forth conversations with Foggy at bars when they should have been studying for exams. ]

[heyboss]

You can't take the distance from the clerk into consideration. The presence of a gun introduces an intent for potential deadly harm, no matter if a bullet is fired or not.

What's the motivation for stealing?

[Sheehan's having a great time, actually. These sorts of thought experiments keep him going.]

[trustinthedevil]

Sure, but having a gun waved directly in your face is going to cause more distress just by nature of proximity.

[ He taps his fingers on the table for a moment. ]

Let's put him in a position for empathy. He's had a hard time recently, down on his luck. Taking the money puts him in financial gain, maybe he can feed his kids tonight. Taking the beer is self-serving. Does taking the beer become a greater offense because it's selfish?

[heyboss]

Well, here we're talking about a desperate man with a weapon, threatening the life of another person for his kids against a man who is going to commit armed robbery for beer, which means that he might feel just as desperate.

You can't compare the size of two men's feelings.