au_muses December topic: All people want is someone to listen. -Hugh Elliott
Pain loosens tongues in a way that even whiskey can't compete with. Oh, you can use a potion, but Amycus prefers the hands on approach. He finds that, deep down, people want to reveal their secrets. The things they keep to themselves are weights they must carry alone. Here he is, a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen to their confessions. Granted, he is the reason they are crying, but that doesn't mean he isn't there to comfort them when they break.
That is the trick to doing what he does; providing pain and comfort. Knowing when you step back and soothe them before inflicting more scars. People, Muggles and Wizards alike, merely wish for someone to listen to what they have to say. They want to know that they are important enough to be granted time and attention when they chosen to reveal their fears, confess their misdeeds, and share their secrets. Amycus is a good listener. He takes note of not only what is said, but how it's said. The body language. The tone of voice that is used. A hissed out whisper does not hold the same weight as an anguished scream when it comes to determining the amount of truth in the revelation.
He thinks that if he were not one of the Dark Lord's most faithful and dedicated servants, he would most likely be a bartender. They need the same listening skills of course. People reveal more to their bartender than they are likely to reveal to their spouse, therapist or best friend. Perhaps he would have been a professor. Molding young minds and providing a shoulder for them to cry on as he provided a listening ear. Yes, perhaps that would have been his destiny if he were not so brilliant at what he already does.
That is the trick to doing what he does; providing pain and comfort. Knowing when you step back and soothe them before inflicting more scars. People, Muggles and Wizards alike, merely wish for someone to listen to what they have to say. They want to know that they are important enough to be granted time and attention when they chosen to reveal their fears, confess their misdeeds, and share their secrets. Amycus is a good listener. He takes note of not only what is said, but how it's said. The body language. The tone of voice that is used. A hissed out whisper does not hold the same weight as an anguished scream when it comes to determining the amount of truth in the revelation.
He thinks that if he were not one of the Dark Lord's most faithful and dedicated servants, he would most likely be a bartender. They need the same listening skills of course. People reveal more to their bartender than they are likely to reveal to their spouse, therapist or best friend. Perhaps he would have been a professor. Molding young minds and providing a shoulder for them to cry on as he provided a listening ear. Yes, perhaps that would have been his destiny if he were not so brilliant at what he already does.