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[ It's a noteworthy question - one that might suggest something about Corvo - but Daud only stares at Corvo, deadpan. ]
I'm not looking for death.
[ He'd been trying to make a life for himself when the nightmares began, when he first realized what had to be done. That the Outsider had to be killed and he would be the one to do it, or to make it somehow happen. Ever since that realization, his life's been only a narrow-focused search for the blade that'll end the bastard. The blade he and Billie were so close to finding. (The blade that some, inexplicably, had nearly killed him.)
(There's a question: If it's true that they've healed something in him, that he's no longer making a fast approach to death, is there some chance of living beyond his mission? And if so, what will he do with the time? What would he possibly do?) ]
And I've had more than my share of fighting.
[ Recently, too. How many times had he entered that ring? He'd never known, never been able to keep track of anything in the baths, much as their contraption ached his mind, much as it tore him apart at every moment, pulling himself away from himself. ]
[ He shakes his head; that isn't the point, Corvo. You're missing the point. ]
I'm not looking for death, but if death finds me, so be it.
[ He's ready. Almost died once as it is, so what's one more deathly encounter? (True, he'd rather live. But at a certain point living's no longer an option. And he'd forfeited his right to live when he killed all those people, all those years ago. ]
He has to be killed, Corvo. Whatever you think, whatever your Empress believes, the bastard needs to be killed.
[ A moment's irritation transforms slowly into a ghosting smirk. All right, Corvo. All right.
It isn't the worst thing in the world to hear. ]
Huh.
You do as you see fit.
[ Inside, he's still half-coiled, waiting for Corvo to protest against his mission, waiting for some argument or some scheme to keep Daud marooned inside the tower. Only it's beginning to look as if - is it possible? - that won't happen. As if Daud really will be free to go (and return?) as he pleases.
Maybe Corvo realizes there's no stopping what's coming. Maybe he knows it needs to be done.
Or maybe this is all a fever dream, and Daud's still sunk within delirium. ]
If you don't intend to stop me, I'll offer no further complaints.
[ Okay so that might be unlikely. But, uh. It's a nice thought? ]
[Corvo knows that there's no stopping Daud if he's set on something. Sure, Corvo could try, but it would be a lot of time and energy wasted on both their parts. Besides, as a man who was once driven by revenge, he knows nothing would have come between him and that revenge. The same could be said for Daud.]
Good. I've enough complaints on my desk already.
[Corvo sweeps a hand over the papers to highlight the nature of his agenda today. Daud may, indeed, come and go as he pleases, but Corvo will certainly be watching him.]
[ Daud can't say what he thinks of Corvo's position. Can't say what it'd be to stand at the beck and call of so much business, and has never known how to measure Corvo's accomplishments against his own. (Accomplishments? No, his life had been mostly built one mistake upon another. He's going to change that, though. When he ends the black-eyed bastard, he'll change it.) ]
My daughter is empress, and she trusts me above all others. Especially after some of our own turned against us and helped put Delilah on the throne.
[Emily's trust will not be given away easily again, and until she finds those she feels she can keep confidence with, Corvo is going to suffer the weight of many responsibilities that keep the country running.]
It's hard to find honest people. Those who climb the ranks are too ambitious, but they wouldn't be moving up if they weren't.
[ All right, maybe that didn't need to be said, but the words out out of his mouth, short and almost snapped, before he thinks twice about them.
And Delilah. There's that name again, the one Corvo had mentioned on the Wale (he remembers the conversation clearly, sick as he'd been, half-convinced as he'd been that Corvo was no more than a spirit). The one that rings all too familiar, only it can't have been, can it? ]
This Delilah. How did she...?
[ He trails off because the question he wants to ask is something more like 'Who was she' or 'Was she a witch' or 'Tell me this isn't what I think it is.' ]
[Corvo isn't phased by Daud's bristly attitude. It's practically expected of him.]
She received help from the Duck of Serkonos. I lack every detail. Delilah cast a spell that trapped me in stone. It was as though moments had passed for me while Emily took back our kingdom.
[If Daud wants all the details, he can attempt to ask Emily herself.]
[ Daud will gnaw off his own foot before he asks Emily anything. It’s bad enough to share a space with her, to risk running into the clearest remaining reminder of what he’d done. (To inflict himself on the one he’d most wronged and saved, both.) He has no right to ask her any such casual questions.
And he isn’t going to drop the subject just yet. ]
You're sure Delilah's dead.
[ Because if she’d returned, it’s hard to believe she’s been silenced for good. Perhaps he should have killed her in the first place; sending her into that painting apparently hadn't been enough. ]
[ He tenses discernibly, eyes narrowing in clear displeasure. ]
That won't be enough.
[ It hadn't been last time, had it? Assuming this is the Delilah he'd known. Assuming she'd somehow found her way back into the world. What's to stop her from tearing free again? The woman's willful, clever, and capable beyond speaking; if she'd freed herself once, she could do it again. ]
She isn't—
If she's who I think she is, that woman's not one to be kept down.
[ It's an understatement, but he's not especially interested in cracking open the subject of Delilah or his life in Dunwall. It all risks exposing too much, leading back to conflicts he's not certain he wants to discuss with this man.
Still. Still, if Corvo's going to understand the danger Delilah poses, it might be necessary to share something more. Maybe in this case it's worth the risk of breaking open fraught recollections.
He doesn't like it. He scans the room, weighing his options. And finally, after several moments of silence— ]
[It's clear Daud knows a lot more than he's actually giving to him. Why Daud is not being forthcoming, Corvo isn't sure about. It's mildly suspicious, but Daud is also a man of many secrets.]
Half a story does me no good, Daud.
[Maybe Daud will feel inclined to tell Corvo more about his previous experience with such a dangerous woman.]
If Delilah's who I think she is, the uprising isn't the first time she's tried to take the throne.
It isn't an easy story.
[ Isn't a story he can tell without giving something of himself away. ]
And as you've said yourself, I'm not at my strongest.
[ Is tired, if truth be told, and suddenly wants very much to return to the room he'd come from. Only it matters that they knows. Only the longer he lets this sit silent, the greater that chance that Delilah will escape again. He can't... He can't keep this quiet. Has to try.
By the fucking Void. ]
After [ 'jessamine's death,' 'the empress fell' ] I killed your empress, I received word that someone was planning another upheaval. A quieter coup amid the chaos. It took time to work out the details, but...
She tried to take possession of [ 'the empress''your daughter' ] Emily. Something about her paintings, some magic she possessed. I don't know if it was connected to her Mark or to something else, but she came close to succeeding.
She ended up sealed within her own painting, the ritual turned awry. Should have been trapped there. Should never have been able to return.
[Daud is full of secrets, but not even Corvo can force them from him. Daud will have to volunteer any information he has. It pleases Corvo that the assassin chooses to talk, though he does get a narrowing of the eyes when he mentions Jessamine's death. Naturally, there's still some bitterness there, but his reaction ends with that look.
Corvo sighs and sits back in his chair, looking suddenly weary and far more his age.]
You know more about Delilah than most. All the more reason for you to stay.
[ 'Then you believe me.' There's a flash of something like eagerness in Daud's eyes, though he won't speak the words, won't let on that yes, there's a minor rush of relief at Corvo's speech. It's best that he hasn't found himself compelled to argue the point further. Best that he's not faced with parsing out the details, explaining just how Delilah had been banished, just who had been responsible. Best that Corvo understands - may understand - the situation's severity. ]
While I'm here, we'll speak of her.
[ Because he isn't giving up on the work that he's assigned himself. Tracking down the Outsider takes priority; Delilah's almost an afterthought. And as soon as Daud's well enough, he'll be back after the bastard of a god. (Won't he? Shouldn't he?) ]
Wherever she is, watch her carefully. Listen for whispers of her name, seek out those who followed her.
Don't let this wait, Corvo.
[ He shakes his head, sniffs. The deep weariness creeping over him is becoming more insistent; he needs to leave this room before he can't go on his own. With visible effort - a fact that he curses internally, grits his teeth against - he stands, ignoring the way the room wavers. ]
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I'm not looking for death.
[ He'd been trying to make a life for himself when the nightmares began, when he first realized what had to be done. That the Outsider had to be killed and he would be the one to do it, or to make it somehow happen. Ever since that realization, his life's been only a narrow-focused search for the blade that'll end the bastard. The blade he and Billie were so close to finding. (The blade that some, inexplicably, had nearly killed him.)
(There's a question: If it's true that they've healed something in him, that he's no longer making a fast approach to death, is there some chance of living beyond his mission? And if so, what will he do with the time? What would he possibly do?) ]
And I've had more than my share of fighting.
[ Recently, too. How many times had he entered that ring? He'd never known, never been able to keep track of anything in the baths, much as their contraption ached his mind, much as it tore him apart at every moment, pulling himself away from himself. ]
no subject
[Corvo knows Daud is stubborn and will continue to reject that idea, no matter how often Corvo suggests it.
He dips his quill into the ink and signs another form on his desk.]
But if you must, return here when it's done. Better to live your days in comfort here where I can keep an eye on you.
[Corvo's not going to pretend it's all charity. Daud would see right through that.]
no subject
I'm not looking for death, but if death finds me, so be it.
[ He's ready. Almost died once as it is, so what's one more deathly encounter? (True, he'd rather live. But at a certain point living's no longer an option. And he'd forfeited his right to live when he killed all those people, all those years ago. ]
He has to be killed, Corvo. Whatever you think, whatever your Empress believes, the bastard needs to be killed.
[ After a moment and an incredulous glance: ]
You don't need to keep an eye on me.
no subject
At the last part, Corvo looks up and smiles a bit.]
I don't care how old or weak you look. You're not fooling me with that. I'd have a knife on me if I was standing at your deathbed.
[Because no matter how old Daud gets, Corvo is never going to underestimate him.]
no subject
It isn't the worst thing in the world to hear. ]
Huh.
You do as you see fit.
[ Inside, he's still half-coiled, waiting for Corvo to protest against his mission, waiting for some argument or some scheme to keep Daud marooned inside the tower. Only it's beginning to look as if - is it possible? - that won't happen. As if Daud really will be free to go (and return?) as he pleases.
Maybe Corvo realizes there's no stopping what's coming. Maybe he knows it needs to be done.
Or maybe this is all a fever dream, and Daud's still sunk within delirium. ]
If you don't intend to stop me, I'll offer no further complaints.
[ Okay so that might be unlikely. But, uh. It's a nice thought? ]
no subject
Good. I've enough complaints on my desk already.
[Corvo sweeps a hand over the papers to highlight the nature of his agenda today. Daud may, indeed, come and go as he pleases, but Corvo will certainly be watching him.]
no subject
You're kept busy.
[ Daud can't say what he thinks of Corvo's position. Can't say what it'd be to stand at the beck and call of so much business, and has never known how to measure Corvo's accomplishments against his own. (Accomplishments? No, his life had been mostly built one mistake upon another. He's going to change that, though. When he ends the black-eyed bastard, he'll change it.) ]
no subject
[Emily's trust will not be given away easily again, and until she finds those she feels she can keep confidence with, Corvo is going to suffer the weight of many responsibilities that keep the country running.]
It's hard to find honest people. Those who climb the ranks are too ambitious, but they wouldn't be moving up if they weren't.
no subject
[ All right, maybe that didn't need to be said, but the words out out of his mouth, short and almost snapped, before he thinks twice about them.
And Delilah. There's that name again, the one Corvo had mentioned on the Wale (he remembers the conversation clearly, sick as he'd been, half-convinced as he'd been that Corvo was no more than a spirit). The one that rings all too familiar, only it can't have been, can it? ]
This Delilah. How did she...?
[ He trails off because the question he wants to ask is something more like 'Who was she' or 'Was she a witch' or 'Tell me this isn't what I think it is.' ]
no subject
She received help from the Duck of Serkonos. I lack every detail. Delilah cast a spell that trapped me in stone. It was as though moments had passed for me while Emily took back our kingdom.
[If Daud wants all the details, he can attempt to ask Emily herself.]
no subject
And he isn’t going to drop the subject just yet. ]
You're sure Delilah's dead.
[ Because if she’d returned, it’s hard to believe she’s been silenced for good. Perhaps he should have killed her in the first place; sending her into that painting apparently hadn't been enough. ]
no subject
[And his daughter's word is good enough for Corvo.]
She's been trapped within a spell. A fantasy. From what I understand of it, Delilah should be content to waste away there.
no subject
That won't be enough.
[ It hadn't been last time, had it? Assuming this is the Delilah he'd known. Assuming she'd somehow found her way back into the world. What's to stop her from tearing free again? The woman's willful, clever, and capable beyond speaking; if she'd freed herself once, she could do it again. ]
She isn't—
If she's who I think she is, that woman's not one to be kept down.
no subject
You sound like you know her well.
[Maybe Daud would like to explain.]
no subject
[ It's an understatement, but he's not especially interested in cracking open the subject of Delilah or his life in Dunwall. It all risks exposing too much, leading back to conflicts he's not certain he wants to discuss with this man.
Still. Still, if Corvo's going to understand the danger Delilah poses, it might be necessary to share something more. Maybe in this case it's worth the risk of breaking open fraught recollections.
He doesn't like it. He scans the room, weighing his options. And finally, after several moments of silence— ]
When I was living in Dunwall.
She and her coven—
I know what she's capable of.
no subject
Half a story does me no good, Daud.
[Maybe Daud will feel inclined to tell Corvo more about his previous experience with such a dangerous woman.]
no subject
It isn't an easy story.
[ Isn't a story he can tell without giving something of himself away. ]
And as you've said yourself, I'm not at my strongest.
[ Is tired, if truth be told, and suddenly wants very much to return to the room he'd come from. Only it matters that they knows. Only the longer he lets this sit silent, the greater that chance that Delilah will escape again. He can't... He can't keep this quiet. Has to try.
By the fucking Void. ]
After [ 'jessamine's death,' 'the empress fell' ] I killed your empress, I received word that someone was planning another upheaval. A quieter coup amid the chaos. It took time to work out the details, but...
She tried to take possession of [ 'the empress' 'your daughter' ] Emily. Something about her paintings, some magic she possessed. I don't know if it was connected to her Mark or to something else, but she came close to succeeding.
She ended up sealed within her own painting, the ritual turned awry. Should have been trapped there. Should never have been able to return.
I don't know what happened.
You can't trust her to stay sealed away.
no subject
Corvo sighs and sits back in his chair, looking suddenly weary and far more his age.]
You know more about Delilah than most. All the more reason for you to stay.
no subject
While I'm here, we'll speak of her.
[ Because he isn't giving up on the work that he's assigned himself. Tracking down the Outsider takes priority; Delilah's almost an afterthought. And as soon as Daud's well enough, he'll be back after the bastard of a god. (Won't he? Shouldn't he?) ]
Wherever she is, watch her carefully. Listen for whispers of her name, seek out those who followed her.
Don't let this wait, Corvo.
[ He shakes his head, sniffs. The deep weariness creeping over him is becoming more insistent; he needs to leave this room before he can't go on his own. With visible effort - a fact that he curses internally, grits his teeth against - he stands, ignoring the way the room wavers. ]
I'll leave you to your work.