Chapter 5 Drop

[Mira]

Murphy also has admitted to being lost. She is by nature a protector. That is the seeming role of the Summer Knight. Now, let be honest, it's not nice, but sometimes the police aren't either. Also, Murphy kind of exists as Harry's conscience. I am pretty sure Jim won't kill off two major supporting characters and he is playing up Murphys weakness. Jim is often foreshadowing. And remember the Sidhe can't lie. From Murphy's point of view, this is an opportunity to be there for Harry when needed, keep him from going to far off the deep end.

Now of course there will be a catch as well. And Harry and Murphy will suffer for it. But I fully admit I can be wrong. But this would be well within character. And a way Jim can keep Murphy in the story without being ineffective. Also from Summers point of view, Murphy is a master martial artist in a defense based martial art. She is tailor made for the job.

But what will she do if Titania demands that she kick Harry's butt?  Or he, her?  Sorry but that is way too predicable.  Murphy isn't the only source of conscience for Harry, there is Michael.  Going by the last book he made more sense than she did.  I think if she survives the next two books she will survive the series, however to quote a wonderful old movie called "Dodsworth," as "the old wife of a young husband.."   Or old girlfriend to a wizard just hitting his prime..  Murphy is also out of her depth here, her thought process is too narrow, she still thinks like a cop.  She dismisses the scene between Harry and Eb as normal family dynamics, to an extent it is, but with wizards and what happened in Harry's history, it isn't.   

[Dina]

Well, Mab cannot order Harry to hurt Murphy, so it would be a brilliant move for Titania to have her as her Knight-And Murphy will be willing to kick Harry if needed, she and Sarissa may probably take some measures so Titania cannot force her to really hurt Harry. At least, physically.

[Mira]

Well, Mab cannot order Harry to hurt Murphy, so it would be a brilliant move for Titania to have her as her Knight-And Murphy will be willing to kick Harry if needed, she and Sarissa may probably take some measures so Titania cannot force her to really hurt Harry. At least, physically.

Maybe not directly, but agendas differ and that makes all the difference in the world.  Fix has never been an enemy of Harry, in fact back in Summer Knight you'd think they might even have become friends, yet at the end of Cold Days he was trying to kill him because Maeve manipulated Lily into thinking Harry was out to get her.  Fix wasn't playing either, so if push came to shove Murphy might find herself in the same situation or Harry could.   I also think it would totally end any romance between them for the fans who've wanted that.

[Dina]

I agree about the romance, and I don't think that is a problem. And about the rest, it could be interesting, like when Eleaine was the rival emmisary.

[Mira]

I agree about the romance, and I don't think that is a problem. And about the rest, it could be interesting, like when Eleaine was the rival emmisary.

Difference there though is Elaine was an old love and how she and Harry parted wasn't exactly how lovers usually part.  Harry/Murphy appears to be hot and on the way up so it could very well get in the way of things.  Actually it might bring back the dynamic we saw between them in the first couple of books.

[Avernite]

But what will she do if Titania demands that she kick Harry's butt?  Or he, her?  Sorry but that is way too predicable.  Murphy isn't the only source of conscience for Harry, there is Michael.  Going by the last book he made more sense than she did.  I think if she survives the next two books she will survive the series, however to quote a wonderful old movie called "Dodsworth," as "the old wife of a young husband.."   Or old girlfriend to a wizard just hitting his prime..  Murphy is also out of her depth here, her thought process is too narrow, she still thinks like a cop.  She dismisses the scene between Harry and Eb as normal family dynamics, to an extent it is, but with wizards and what happened in Harry's history, it isn't.

To be fair, I don't think 'go kick the other knight' is a common order; it's tantamount to a declaration of war between the courts.

STOP the other knight, though? That works, even if it's often lethal.

[Mira]

To be fair, I don't think 'go kick the other knight' is a common order; it's tantamount to a declaration of war between the courts.

STOP the other knight, though? That works, even if it's often lethal.

  I was speaking metaphorically,  but when one Knight goes to stop another it is more than waving a finger and saying,"tut, tut, don't do that."

[Arctos]

Doesn't Harry have the real Shroud right now, squirreled away somewhere?  Wasn't healing one of its supposed powers, back when we first met Nic?

Now I'm wondering if wrapping Murphy up in it is the funeral Butcher mentioned writing.

[Walter the skull]

Murphy may end up continuing to live with her injuries.  It happened to Micheal.  It would cause more emotional pain for Harry since he would end up seeing her suffer through recovery and set backs just a like anyone else.  People do end up regaining more function than doctors estimated from time to time.  If you think about it, as a doctor, its probably better to low ball the recovery estimate, to keep the patient from having false hope.   

Also at the end of Skin Game, didn't original doctor giver he a better prognosis?  I think Harry told Micheal that the doctor said she could get back to 90%. 

She might make out ok enough to be more than functional.

Lastly, Murphy won't make any deals to heal herself, but I think that depending on what the offer is, Harry might take a deal to make her better.

[Dina]

Doesn't Harry have the real Shroud right now, squirreled away somewhere?  Wasn't healing one of its supposed powers, back when we first met Nic?

Now I'm wondering if wrapping Murphy up in it is the funeral Butcher mentioned writing.

I've mentioned the Shroud as an option, I don't understand why Harry did not mention it.

[vultur]

  One of the things her fans seem to like the most is that Murphy is a simple vanilla human.  Making her suddenly Summer Knight or an Einherjar kind of goes against that, and her own religion as far as that goes.

I'll agree with the vanilla human part, but I don't think being Summer Knight would necessarily be a religious issue. From CD, the task is essentially to protect mortals from Winter - it seems that the SK bit about being the Court's assassin is kind of a cover story. And being the Knight doesn't require worshiping the Queen as a deity - Harry certainly doesn't worship Mab.

[Snark Knight]

Murphy isn't a shape shifting Alpha, they start out being able to manipulate their bodies from human to wolf..  Murphy is a forty year old vanilla human, she cannot manipulate any of her cells.  Don't know if it matters or not, but all the Alphas were also teenagers when they learned this spell, young bodies, more adaptable.

Sure, but there's never been a clear answer on how rare the ability to learn the wolf transformation really is. None of the Alphas have shown any magical ability other than that one thing, so it might be something relative vanilla's can still do with practice. Though, you're right, age might play a role too.

[morriswalters]

Doesn't Harry have the real Shroud right now, squirreled away somewhere?  Wasn't healing one of its supposed powers, back when we first met Nic?

Now I'm wondering if wrapping Murphy up in it is the funeral Butcher mentioned writing.

That isn't the way the shroud was meant to be used. Is it?  In any case not everybody in the gang can make it through to the end.

On a different note, the accountant would have had to be alive when the gang entered the vault.  At least as far as the police are concerned. The body is going to have a different expired by date unless somebody pays off the medical examiner. Has this been mentioned? 

Also for all the bullets flying around the cops are going to be missing some bodies, like  those those shooters who turned into goop. Didn't they charge the police lines as a distraction?  And what was stolen that can be inventoried? 

They broke into a bank, had a multi hour shoot out where thousands of rounds were fired, murdered a guard by slicing him to pieces, and nothing from the vault was taken?  Really?  And the only people to be found are Harry and Murphy.  So everybody else just walked through the police lines and vanished like a fart in the wind?  And Murphy and Harry are so stupid that they leave DNA and fingerprints all over the scene?  And Murphy a smart veteran cop?  Color me dubious.

And last but not least, somebody pointed out on reddit that Rudolf was a shill for the Reds and not too bright.  Here was one reply.

priscellie
Resident Intellectus

Several betas pointed out to Jim that he was pretty explicitly working for Team Red King in Changes, but he kept it, so... ::shrug:: Maybe Marcone purchased his loyalty in bulk?

[Mira]

Doesn't Harry have the real Shroud right now, squirreled away somewhere?  Wasn't healing one of its supposed powers, back when we first met Nic?

Now I'm wondering if wrapping Murphy up in it is the funeral Butcher mentioned writing.

No, I believe he turned that over to the Church.

I'll agree with the vanilla human part, but I don't think being Summer Knight would necessarily be a religious issue. From CD, the task is essentially to protect mortals from Winter - it seems that the SK bit about being the Court's assassin is kind of a cover story. And being the Knight doesn't require worshiping the Queen as a deity - Harry certainly doesn't worship Mab.

My point though is Murphy wouldn't subject herself to the rules surrounding being a Holy Knight and using a Holy Sword.  She has her own ideas, and I doubt she could conform well to being a Summer Knight.

Also at the end of Skin Game, didn't original doctor giver he a better prognosis?  I think Harry told Micheal that the doctor said she could get back to 90%. 

Yes, but treatments don't always go as planned, complications can always happen.  When they actually went into repair the damage, they found more than they thought there was.  Or as I said, Murphy has been very active over the years, her body has taken a lot of punishment from fights, there might be scar tissue build up.  Her hand to hand combat skills may have taken it's toll on the cartilage in her joints.  I'm surprised she isn't going in for joint replacement.  She may have had a post op infection which caused more damage. 

Murphy may end up continuing to live with her injuries.  It happened to Micheal.  It would cause more emotional pain for Harry since he would end up seeing her suffer through recovery and set backs just a like anyone else.  People do end up regaining more function than doctors estimated from time to time.  If you think about it, as a doctor, its probably better to low ball the recovery estimate, to keep the patient from having false hope.   

Murphy isn't Michael though, I cannot see her accepting being sidelined from the action.  The trailer shows she won't.

hey broke into a bank, had a multi hour shoot out where thousands of rounds were fired, murdered a guard by slicing him to pieces, and nothing from the vault was taken?  Really?  And the only people to be found are Harry and Murphy.  So everybody else just walked through the police lines and vanished like a fart in the wind?  And Murphy and Harry are so stupid that they leave DNA and fingerprints all over the scene?  And Murphy a smart veteran cop?  Color me dubious.

Me too,  as I said, they may be police, but they are not there on behalf of the police.  I think as soon as they recover from their moment of passion Harry and Murphy will realize that as well.

[Walter the skull]

Mira:  Post op infections suck.  It's a good point.  Murphy may not want to accept her new circumstances, and we do see her cut the cast, but for all we know she goes to stand up and falls.  I don't want Murphy to end up disabled, but it would really screw up Harry's world.  Who would he turn to for back up?  How does he handles being who he is, being a dad, and at least for a while a care taker?  How does he deal with something he can't even remotely influence?  We know Murphy's physicality is a large part of her character, so can she find another way to contribute?

Is it just me, or does this chapter seem to indicate a course change?  First Rudolph works for the reds, now its Marcone.  First Murphy is supposed to recover for the most part, and now she'll be lucky to walk normally.