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25 thoughts on “Chapter 20, page 14 – I had her removed”
Well, well, well. Billy Boy threaded the needle with that outburst. Hmm… what are the odds he threads TWO needles with it?
I’m cheering for him, but it doesn’t seem likely…
At the same time, Tirin’s looking might self-centered here. I know she’s young, but to not even have a passing thought that Billy might also have been affected? If she were a guy, I would call that a _serious_ dick move, there.
Trina, OTOH. That look in panel 4. She might be awfully young, but this is a significant lesson in actions having consequences, and she looks like she gets it.
From what little we have seen, naivety seems to be deliberately programmed in. It seems to me that it would be really tough to keep that plus hard limits to prevent situations like this up front.
Really hard to speculate on if you don’t know a LOT of details about the underlying tech, however…
If Billy Boy wasn’t such a wuss, btw, his response would be more like, “I did not ruin your business. I’m about to save you a lot of money. I’m going to wait for PANK here to wake up, and them I’m going to explain things to her.”
“You are making a living here, and I appreciate that. But you bit off more than you can chew, and now you have indigestion. You thought that because you are a big fish in this little favela, that you amount to something. You attacked me, even though I told you that I’m part of the Queen’s inner circle. Here’s the deal. Tirin is part of MY inner circle.
“So there are going to be a couple of changes. First, from now on, Tirin pays you nothing. You can still ply your business right where you are, but you are going to be certain that neither she, nor her business, nor her customers have any trouble.
“You did not get to be where you are by being stupid, but I’m going to spell out the second part so that there is no misunderstanding. If Tirin catches cold, if there is so much as a scratch found on this building, or if ONE customer has any kind of trouble at all, I’m going to know. I’m going to know, and I’m going to come in with a squad of enforcers, and I’m going to tear you into small pieces. One. Small. Piece. At. A. Time.
“You attacked me. You are still breathing. We are square. You owe Tirin a new door. Get it fixed. Now.”
She’s not just a big fish in a little favela, that is her favela (okay, not hers as in she owns it, but it’s hers as in she lives there)
And if Billy Ballsack does any of what you said, he will get the same tripled, and collected every month for a cycle
Hers? Did she build it? Does she have title? All she’s doing is collecting rent, and, frankly, she’s been stupid & cocky about it.
Sooner or later, someone was going to come to Tirin who actually knew how to use what she is selling, and, rather than buying their first, is looking for a holdout or special situations weapon. Such an individual is likely to have simply wasted PANK.
PANK has gotten off _easy_.
And no, if Billy Boy has even a single clue, he’s going to follow through with that threat of arrest. So far, however, he looks clueless.
Guesticules
Like said, it’s hers as in she lives there, just like how the neighbourhood you live in is ‘yours’
And if anyone else did do as you suggest, TirTeen would turn them into red mist for fucking with her livelihood
What interests me in Tirin the Younger’s setup, which has only just gelled, is why she’s paying vig. She’s the weapons expert. She’s the armed/unarmed combat expert. She has a nearly equally skilled associate. She has robotic weapons aides. There’s no reason she should be paying others; they should be paying her.
Being the nice lady that she is at core, the vig she could be charging the other businesses in the neighborhood could simply be their continued, quiet, uninterrupted operations. If they chose not to accept the new arrangement, it could be altered further, with unfortunate outcomes for their businesses.
Of course, Trina’s activity with the door would remain a disruption, and the initiative for repairs would remain TtY’s, but maybe with a different emphasis.
Eric Hines
I was thinking this as well. This is a favela. While it is true that this..ho could discourage _some_ of Tirin’s customers, others are just going to waste her because they don’t want to take the time to do anything else.
Tirin’s business attracts people with money, yes, but a disproportionate number of them will be low-profile mercs and the like. Great for business if you are a smart hooker. Great for your mortician’s business if you get cocky.
Anyone who has legit business with TirTeen knows they need to request an escort, anyone without an escort are not there on legit business and anything happens to them is justified and on them!
Maybe there have been others who have tried something, maybe claiming they are from the palace or somewhere else
You still don’t go to someone’s place of business, ignore the protocols of doing business, and then try and rough up the locals just because you don’t like them or their business
Remember, TirTeen is there on their grace, not the other way around
I can’t bear it… the robot reaction shots… Reny wearing a Lee press-on six-pack… my sides hurt.
I award you a comedy merit badge.
Now this humble webcomic reader gets to wonder, what happened to Mistress?
Was she extracted with a modded soul toaster?
Did she face the queen’s justice at last?
Or has she been transferred into another cute cyber-pet? “Saylorgi”?
Will the two be confined together and produce cyber-puppies?
Can Abby or someone else break the curse?
And is Oscar lonely again?
…oh, and nice touch showing that blood spatter does change color.
Knew there was a reason why those two were standing outside, and that there would be serious consequences
How much of Billy is going to be used to make reparations? Just one limb? Maybe two pints of blood and a couple organs?
Little shit had better not get away with his actions…
an equal pound
Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body pleaseth me.
However, Tarry a little, there is something else.
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;
The words expressly are “a pound of flesh.”
Or is there no such specificity in Billy’s offer of his bond?
On the other hand, considering what Elizabethans considered “flesh” a pun for, that loss would solve his problem, and make plain to Trina the impersonal nature of his treatment of her.
Eric Hines
Now available at Gumroad store (age 18 or over only - not for the faint of heart):
25 thoughts on “Chapter 20, page 14 – I had her removed”
H'Sishi
Oooops … and oooops …
StarFleetCarl
First panel you have two robots (Mistress Slaylock series?) with the same 063 ID number in it.
Also, I can heartily recommend to anyone thinking about it, the Rasimption Trial and Master’s Challenge.
merceneiress
You’re right! Thank you for pointing that out (corrected or should I say erased). 👍 thanks for the plug!
StarFleetCarl
Your site is one of the best graphic novel stories I’ve ever seen, including dead tree books, so why wouldn’t I support you? 🙂
Merceneiress
You’re too kind – thank you! 😊
Lurker314
Well, well, well. Billy Boy threaded the needle with that outburst. Hmm… what are the odds he threads TWO needles with it?
I’m cheering for him, but it doesn’t seem likely…
At the same time, Tirin’s looking might self-centered here. I know she’s young, but to not even have a passing thought that Billy might also have been affected? If she were a guy, I would call that a _serious_ dick move, there.
Trina, OTOH. That look in panel 4. She might be awfully young, but this is a significant lesson in actions having consequences, and she looks like she gets it.
E Hines
Trina’s body may be young, but her programming has been through generations.
Eric Hines
Lurker314
From what little we have seen, naivety seems to be deliberately programmed in. It seems to me that it would be really tough to keep that plus hard limits to prevent situations like this up front.
Really hard to speculate on if you don’t know a LOT of details about the underlying tech, however…
Guesticules
TirTeen had no reason to suspect Bitchlock even could have affected Billy, or she wouldn’t have just had her exorcized like a malignant tumour
And Billy couldn’t send a message, by courier if she wasn’t accepting his calls, letting her know Bitchlock did something?
Merceneiress
Glad you noticed her reaction in panel 4 – exactly!
Lurker314
If Billy Boy wasn’t such a wuss, btw, his response would be more like, “I did not ruin your business. I’m about to save you a lot of money. I’m going to wait for PANK here to wake up, and them I’m going to explain things to her.”
“You are making a living here, and I appreciate that. But you bit off more than you can chew, and now you have indigestion. You thought that because you are a big fish in this little favela, that you amount to something. You attacked me, even though I told you that I’m part of the Queen’s inner circle. Here’s the deal. Tirin is part of MY inner circle.
“So there are going to be a couple of changes. First, from now on, Tirin pays you nothing. You can still ply your business right where you are, but you are going to be certain that neither she, nor her business, nor her customers have any trouble.
“You did not get to be where you are by being stupid, but I’m going to spell out the second part so that there is no misunderstanding. If Tirin catches cold, if there is so much as a scratch found on this building, or if ONE customer has any kind of trouble at all, I’m going to know. I’m going to know, and I’m going to come in with a squad of enforcers, and I’m going to tear you into small pieces. One. Small. Piece. At. A. Time.
“You attacked me. You are still breathing. We are square. You owe Tirin a new door. Get it fixed. Now.”
If only Billy Boy were Billy Badass instead….
Guesticules
She’s not just a big fish in a little favela, that is her favela (okay, not hers as in she owns it, but it’s hers as in she lives there)
And if Billy Ballsack does any of what you said, he will get the same tripled, and collected every month for a cycle
Lurker314
Hers? Did she build it? Does she have title? All she’s doing is collecting rent, and, frankly, she’s been stupid & cocky about it.
Sooner or later, someone was going to come to Tirin who actually knew how to use what she is selling, and, rather than buying their first, is looking for a holdout or special situations weapon. Such an individual is likely to have simply wasted PANK.
PANK has gotten off _easy_.
And no, if Billy Boy has even a single clue, he’s going to follow through with that threat of arrest. So far, however, he looks clueless.
Guesticules
Like said, it’s hers as in she lives there, just like how the neighbourhood you live in is ‘yours’
And if anyone else did do as you suggest, TirTeen would turn them into red mist for fucking with her livelihood
Merceneiress
If only Billy were indeed a badass… but I won’t count him out (won’t say more…)
E Hines
What interests me in Tirin the Younger’s setup, which has only just gelled, is why she’s paying vig. She’s the weapons expert. She’s the armed/unarmed combat expert. She has a nearly equally skilled associate. She has robotic weapons aides. There’s no reason she should be paying others; they should be paying her.
Being the nice lady that she is at core, the vig she could be charging the other businesses in the neighborhood could simply be their continued, quiet, uninterrupted operations. If they chose not to accept the new arrangement, it could be altered further, with unfortunate outcomes for their businesses.
Of course, Trina’s activity with the door would remain a disruption, and the initiative for repairs would remain TtY’s, but maybe with a different emphasis.
Eric Hines
Guesticules
The reason she is paying others, is because, as you said, she’s a nice lady, and that is their neighbourhood she was forced to move in to
Lurker314
I was thinking this as well. This is a favela. While it is true that this..ho could discourage _some_ of Tirin’s customers, others are just going to waste her because they don’t want to take the time to do anything else.
Tirin’s business attracts people with money, yes, but a disproportionate number of them will be low-profile mercs and the like. Great for business if you are a smart hooker. Great for your mortician’s business if you get cocky.
Guesticules
Anyone who has legit business with TirTeen knows they need to request an escort, anyone without an escort are not there on legit business and anything happens to them is justified and on them!
Maybe there have been others who have tried something, maybe claiming they are from the palace or somewhere else
You still don’t go to someone’s place of business, ignore the protocols of doing business, and then try and rough up the locals just because you don’t like them or their business
Remember, TirTeen is there on their grace, not the other way around
Kylo Stimpy
I can’t bear it… the robot reaction shots… Reny wearing a Lee press-on six-pack… my sides hurt.
I award you a comedy merit badge.
Now this humble webcomic reader gets to wonder, what happened to Mistress?
Was she extracted with a modded soul toaster?
Did she face the queen’s justice at last?
Or has she been transferred into another cute cyber-pet? “Saylorgi”?
Will the two be confined together and produce cyber-puppies?
Can Abby or someone else break the curse?
And is Oscar lonely again?
…oh, and nice touch showing that blood spatter does change color.
Merceneiress
Thank you 😁 glad you laughed!! Glad you liked the blood splatter color change too! And very good questions! We shall see!
Guesticules
Knew there was a reason why those two were standing outside, and that there would be serious consequences
How much of Billy is going to be used to make reparations? Just one limb? Maybe two pints of blood and a couple organs?
Little shit had better not get away with his actions…
Merceneiress
One limb should be enough haha. Poor Billy will he ever get a chance to redeem himself? I don’t want to say too much more…
E Hines
an equal pound
Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body pleaseth me.
However,
Tarry a little, there is something else.
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;
The words expressly are “a pound of flesh.”
Or is there no such specificity in Billy’s offer of his bond?
On the other hand, considering what Elizabethans considered “flesh” a pun for, that loss would solve his problem, and make plain to Trina the impersonal nature of his treatment of her.
Eric Hines
Guesticules
No problem with Billy redeeming himself, just don’t want him to ‘get away with it’