Billy-Ray Sanguine and "Jethro"
- Billy-Ray Sanguine: Point is, I'm calling you Jethro on account of how I once held this self-same blade to the throat of the first Jethro, the other Jethro, and he sounded an awful lot like you do now. Like he was scared I was gonna start cutting. Know what happened to him, Jethro?
- "Jethro": You... you let him go?
- Billy-Ray Sanguine: I like you boy. You got optimism in those bones. I like you so much that I ain't gonna tell you what I did to poor old Jethro, the first Jethro, may he rest in peace, may they someday find his head. I'm gonna let you hold on to that little sliver of hope you got burning inside you, that I let him go, that he lived out the rest of his life in happiness and harmony.
- "Jethro": Th-thank you...
- Billy-Ray Sanguine: He'd have to live it out without his head though, which wouldn't be the easiest thing to do, but I'm gonna leave that little story open-ended for you. Because I like you. Because I want you to think you might survive this, as laughable as that seems.
This has two deep meanings to me.
The first is that Val has absolutely no intention of being dependent on a man for absolutely anything. Her mother makes a joke about what a husband is for and Val’s immediate reaction is remove the need for a husband. Good writing, good characterisation.
But more importantly WHO THE FUCK DO WE THINK TAUGHT HER ABOUT ENGINES?
"The killer supreme wobbled, collapsed and started crying." — Derek Landy about Scapegrace
"A living skeleton isn’t enough for you, is it? What does it take to impress young people these days?" — Derek Landy- Skulduggery Pleasant
"Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough…" — Tanith Low, Book 1
- Beryl Edgley: I suppose Fergus has always defined himself by his job.
- Valkyrie Cain: And what did he do?
- Beryl Edgley: Sick leave, mostly.
- Skulduggery Pleasant: Do you wish you could go to the family reunion?
- Valkyrie Cain: What? No, no way.
- Skulduggery: Have you been thinking about it?
- Valkyrie: I haven’t really had time, what with the world being in danger and all.
- Skulduggery: Somewhat understandable. But still, these things are important. You should try to seize the opportunity to reconnect with the people who matter to you most.
- Valkyrie: Are we talking about the same family here?
- Skulduggery: Family’s important.
- Valkyrie: Tell me, and be honest, did you ever have an aunt as bad as Beryl.
- Skulduggery: Well, no. But I did have a cousin who was a cannibal.
- Valkyrie: Really?
- Skulduggery: Oh, yes. When they caught him, he ate himself to hide the evidence.
- Valkyrie: He couldn’t have eaten himself, that’s impossible.
- Skulduggery: Well, he didn’t eat all of himself, obviously. He left his mouth.
- Valkyrie: Oh, my God, would you shut up, you’re being – car.
- Skulduggery: I’m being car?
- Valkyrie: No, there’s a car coming.
- Finbar Wrong: Hey, who’s that with you?
- Skulduggery Pleasant: This is Valkyrie. She introduced herself.
- Finbar: Naw, man, not her. The guy in black.
- Skulduggery: Where is he?
- Finbar: Across the street, doing a pretty good job of keeping out of sight, but you know me, Skul-man. Eyes like a feathery thing. Whatchamacallit. Hawk.
- Skulduggery: And he’s watching us?
- Finbar: Yep. Wait, no. Not watching you. Watching her.
- Valkyrie Cain: What does he look like?
- Finbar: Black hair, pretty pale. Ugly scar on his face. Looks like a vamp.
- Skulduggery: You should get back inside, lock the doors.
- Finbar: You got it, kemo sabe. I’ll keep my crucifix close.
- Skulduggery: Vampires aren’t scared of a crucifix, Finbar.
- Finbar: I don’t plan to wave it at him, I plan to hit him with it. It’s really heavy. I figure I can do some considerable damage to his head.