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He's been watching the boy for three weeks now. He's been watching, gathering information, and his Whalers have been watching. Their continued interest in the boy depends on Daud's opinion, but he likes to hear the input and observations of others, as well. Sometimes they'll catch a sign he hasn't noted, or they'll find the link to understand some piece of a potential recruit. His judgment is what counts in the end, but he's not about to neglect their talent, especially since they'll all need to live and work with the new candidate.
There's also the matter of safety, of course. The more eyes Daud has on a candidate, the better the chance of discerning whether they might turn on the group, whether they might pose any kind of danger. He once had to end a young man who accepted the offer, only to attack Thomas and start shouting about going to the authorities. That was it, though; Daud's been pulling young men and women from the streets for years now to form his gang of Whalers, and aside from that young man, there have been no upsets.
Truth is, there have been questions about this new boy. Oscar. Questions about whether it's too late, whether what he went through so recently has left him unsuited for their group, maybe unsuited for anybody. Billie in particular has questioned Daud over and again about whether the boy is the right fit. He's too much of a risk, she'd said, there's too much anger and we can't say where it'll come out.
The objections were legitimate, yes. But the boy has talent. But he could be great. Maybe not quite at Billie's level (maybe?) but certainly close. And as soon as Bridge had let him to the candidate, Daud had seen the potential. There's a deep resilience to him. A capacity for doing what others might consider immoral (really, it's only business, one way to make a living in a corrupt city). If stories are correct, the boy's shown a strong streak of loyalty in the past. And it doesn't hurt that he appears to be a lone. Thoroughly, utterly alone.
Still. The potential in the young man is too much to pass by, and the early evening finds him tailing the boy. (There are questions to be asked about why he's flaunting warning signs. Of course it could turn out all right, but it also might now. There are questions to be asked about why his own behavior has been erratic of late. Questions about why it's becoming harder and harder to hold any sense of what's best for the Whalers, for himself, for Dunwall. He doesn't want to dwell on any of those questions.) Slipping across rooftops and balconies, Daud follows Oscar to a near-deserted section of dockyard. It's here that he finally moves down to the street, landing several yards behind Oscar, scarcely making a sound.
"Oscar. I'd like to speak with you."
If the boy recognizes him - from the wanted posters plastered around Dunwall, from stories and descriptions (the scar alone is a major giveaway) - fine. If not, Daud will introduce himself when he feels the time is right.
such a long time, but I didn't want to half ass this tag
You do many things for survival on the streets of Dunwall, and Oscar has taken to (ironically enough) stealing from the wealthy and even a few thieves in order to make due. (There's also the matter of some of them being dead in their own hideouts, some of which are messy as hell, but Oscar mostly attributes that to self-defense and not any seething hatred toward thieves in general. He may be lying.)
Of all the shady, quite frankly questionable organizations that have contacted him either with outright threats or requests to join them because a former high ranking member of the police who once had the ear of one of their greatest, near incorruptible enemies is valuable, (but honestly, Oscar would tell them all unless they are certain thieves he doesn't really give two shits about them) the Whalers are... unique. They don't seem to care about his past, or what he did before he was on the street. All that seems to matter to them, is the present and how he performs there.
But they deal in blood, and lots of important people in Dunwall have been dispatched by them. Granted, many of them deserve it. If he knew he'd have the company of assassins off vengeful, obsessive, out of spite 'visits' to that woman's hideouts just to pettily steal some things (and secretly hope she's there just so he can let out his bottomless, acidic rage out on her, but she never is) he would've left well enough alone. Still, he doesn't really object to the assassins following him and watching him. They have a sort of grace to them that he envies a bit.
They tell him they have been watching him, and who in their right mind in this city tells the large band of assassins with powers to fuck off? Still, he's a bit wary. Are they here for business, information, did she pay them to kill him? He doesn't really know. So he remains careful.
On this night, he's sort of sure he's being followed by them, it's why he's cornered in dockyard fully expected one of them to come out and tell him something... but this one looks different. No mask, but his face is known throughout the city. The founder and leader of the Whalers, The Knife Of Dunwall himself: Daud.
Either he wants him for something important... or he's going to die. Either way, you don't refuse this man.
Daud isn’t surprised to find that Oscar stands unflinching. The ‘sir’ surprises him, would elicit the hint of a smirk if Daud didn’t keep his expressions so regulated.
“You know who I am. Good.”
And he knows about the boy. Knows the blood he’s shed, the way the boy’s been murdering thieves, and the hatred he carries for them (despite the theft Oscar himself commits; Daud’s seen it, as have several of the Whalers). He knows there’s rage in the boy.
And what of that? If the boy’s a potential danger - and if he is, it’s no dire threat he poses - it’s better to have him close than let him run untethered. (Best of all to have him dead, Lurk would have pointed out. Has pointed out. She’s watching somewhere nearby, now. Out of sight and too careful to be caught, but he has no doubt she’s followed him here.)
Should the boy join the Whalers, he’ll be kept under watch by a rotating trio of assassins. It’s standard protocol for new recruits; what alters from one to the next is the number of guards and the number of weeks they remain on watch. There won’t be trouble from the boy. Daud’s sure of it. (Mostly sure of it, though he’s not about to admit that doubt to himself.)
Besides, what matters to Daud is the way the boy exists. The will toward survival that he demonstrates. The skills he so clearly possesses. There’s something in this boy that might be of use. Something to be done with his talents that doesn’t mean simply burning out in the streets or winding up gunned down by the City Watch.
“I've been watching you. I know what happened to you. How you were abandoned.
“There isn’t much left for you in Dunwall, is there?”
"Everyone that lives in this city knows who you are."
If Oscar knew about Billie's thoughts about him, he wouldn't blame her. His actions towards the thieves of Dunwall (and others of the underworld, those haven't even been reported because they aren't important enough) don't really have a reason behind it besides pure and utter malice and hatred of them on Oscar's part. (Unless one does the research and knows the actual truth to the relationship he had with his former superior. Then it makes a little sense... merciless, vicious, borderline crazy sense. But sense nonetheless.)
It isn't Oscar without a fair amount of hypocrisy on part of his actions. (It also isn't him if he doesn't really give a shit about it.) These were now empty hideouts with treasures and money inside... he doesn't wish to be on the streets again fulltime. (To him, it's only fair.)
Still, he is aware that he can't do this forever and will get caught eventually, left with an addiction and a bit of a broken mind. Just... not this soon (that wicked, awful whore of a woman still takes breath) and by them. His suspicion only grows in his head, but he doesn't show it.
"What do want me for? Or rather... who ordered you to find me?"
He's made even more enemies since then... he wishes he could care anymore.
Well as he knows his own infamy, it’s still flattering to hear.
Though Daud doesn't know every detail bound up in Oscar's reasons, he's been thorough enough in researching the boy to make some strong guesses. And even before that research, he'd sensed a purpose driving the boy's actions. Maybe the boy doesn't know what it is, maybe the purpose is corrupt, largely drawn by hatred, but there is a purpose there, Daud's certain of it. Recognizes it the way he knows his own drive, his singleness of pursuit. So long as there's a purpose, even the most reckless-seeming people can be reasoned with, their purposes brought into the open and dealt with.
"Don't presume too far, boy." Daud folds his arms, expression impassive.
"You may have garnered some attention, but no one's paid to have you killed." Not so far as Daud knows. It's possible that someone's requested it. Possible that someone's contacted Daud about a contract, that the letter's sitting on his desk along with all of his other unopened correspondence. He'll have to take a look, burn anything that might mention the boy's name. There's no good in giving him reason to mistrust the Whalers. (He'll have to deal with those contracts, too. Have to take on one or two to keep his Whalers from asking questions. He can't put it off interminably.)
For several moments he watches the boy, silently scanning him. It's true Oscar appears unassuming, but there's capability in him, and speed. "You have talent. A determination that could do you credit, with training.
"Good." Oscar's response is one half relief, another half uncertainly at Daud and The Whaler's reasoning. He was a former member of police, a group of assassins shouldn't want anything to do with him. But they are speaking to him, asking him to join... but why?
He doesn't quite know how to ask without getting a generic answer. Surely the group of assassin's that practically are the shadows in Dunwall have some scruples, right? Right?
"'Talent' doesn't drown out the past or the risks that come with it, you should know that." Talent doesn't stop you from failing, becoming corrupt with a scrambled brain and nursing limitless amounts of anger.
"I'm not interested in what you think I should know." There's a warning edge to his voice, though it's restrained, only the slightest ripple against nonchalance. It goes without saying that he understands those risks. (Understands, yes, but has he moved past bare understanding in this case? Has he listened to any of the warning bells this boy sets off? He shouldn't be standing here, but never mind that. He knows what he's doing. He knows.) He tells himself they don't weigh so heavily in this case. Tells himself the boy could be a Whaler worth the risk. (Only that's wrong, too. Daud's never been a man to take unnecessary risks. There's nothing that can justify this. Maybe. Maybe.)
"Every one of my assassins carries their past like a wound. Don't think you're the only risk I've taken."
It's so easy to say (never mind the warning twinge at the back of his neck). He speaks and holds himself with confidence. Never mind that there's a difference between a carefully calculated risk and a knowingly dangerous leap. Never mind that he has plenty of assassins as it is, that this new recruit is perhaps uncalled-for as well as potentially perilous.
"You'll be watched around the clock. Your actions monitored and reported to me. I don't intend to let you roam free until you've proven yourself."
The man is very matter of fact about the fact he wants him to join. Almost too much, as if he's somewhat trying to tell himself this is a good risk to take. But Oscar holds his tongue in front of the leader.
After explaining he'll be watched, Oscar sees it even more as a sign he could be unsure. After all, why keep such a close watch on him?
"I assume you do that to everyone that recently joins the fold?" The unspoken part hangs in the air: "Or is it because I'm a risk?"
What Daud knows is that this boy ought to be a Whaler. That he has talent and nowhere else to take it. That whether or not a new recruit is necessary, he'll be a sign that Daud's still planning for the future of the gang. That everything isn't falling to pieces.
He also knows - is finding out all too well - that this boy's audacious, challenge after challenge written clearly in his voice. He appears to have no qualms against questioning the man who's offering work, the man whose name is known throughout the city, the man who could cut the boy's throat in an instant.
There's something admirable in that brazenness. (Something worrisome, as well. But Daud's gathered recruits with similar attitudes. But Oscar isn't the first to pose questions. And Daud would rather gather assassins-to-be who bear a mind of their own, who can think - but not act without need - beyond the bare instructions.)
"You assume correctly." There's a hint of a sneer, though his gaze remains unmoved. "And you're no unique case. We could use your talent, but we can also do without it.
"Your options are more limited." His voice is back to its level tone, the final statement more an observation than anything else.
Admittedly he feels a bit (if foolishly) bold. Maybe dying in an alley with his throat slit by the assassin of Dunwall isn't a bad way to die. But he's not doing to go out merely accepting whatever he gives him. (Or maybe he's just feeling reckless. Thieves speak about him like a faceless destructive force of nature. He is not afraid of talking back to the Wolf of Dunwall. He's afraid of few things anymore.)
But then he has to remind him of an obvious thing: he can't do what he's doing forever. And Oscar becomes a bit sheepish. "I know."
There. There, at last, the boy's admitting to reason. Which suggests he isn't so foolhardy or frenzied as rumors - and as some of Daud's Whalers - would imply. (It doesn't suggest anything of the sort, really. It'd taken too long to coax the boy to this point. Had taken the unrelenting words of a master assassin to draw out a simple 'I know.' Well, so the boy's prideful. Fearless. It might not be ideal, but Daud can work with it. He tells himself.) Daud continues to watch Oscar for several long moments, letting the boy's admission hang in the air.
You just caught him at the right (and lucid) time, Daud. Honestly he's just trapped in a corner with nowhere to go and nothing to protect himself. So of course, he will agree to whatever Daud asks for.
Shh shh shh... Let Daud pretend that there's solid reasoning behind what he's doing here. Let him pretend this isn't another in a line of ill-advised decisions, a sign of just how far the world is shaking beneath his feet.
"It isn't a pleasant one." Meaning that the choice is almost exclusively between agreeing to join and ending this conversation with a gaped wound to the throat. Meaning that there may be a chance the boy can escape without joining, but the choice is razor-thin, dependent on Daud's mood. "But you do.
"Are you opposed to the idea." Driven with a slight note of acridity, meaning 'does it disagree with your scruples.'
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you know what have this fucker too (let me know if this ought to be edited)
There's also the matter of safety, of course. The more eyes Daud has on a candidate, the better the chance of discerning whether they might turn on the group, whether they might pose any kind of danger. He once had to end a young man who accepted the offer, only to attack Thomas and start shouting about going to the authorities. That was it, though; Daud's been pulling young men and women from the streets for years now to form his gang of Whalers, and aside from that young man, there have been no upsets.
Truth is, there have been questions about this new boy. Oscar. Questions about whether it's too late, whether what he went through so recently has left him unsuited for their group, maybe unsuited for anybody. Billie in particular has questioned Daud over and again about whether the boy is the right fit. He's too much of a risk, she'd said, there's too much anger and we can't say where it'll come out.
The objections were legitimate, yes. But the boy has talent. But he could be great. Maybe not quite at Billie's level (maybe?) but certainly close. And as soon as Bridge had let him to the candidate, Daud had seen the potential. There's a deep resilience to him. A capacity for doing what others might consider immoral (really, it's only business, one way to make a living in a corrupt city). If stories are correct, the boy's shown a strong streak of loyalty in the past. And it doesn't hurt that he appears to be a lone. Thoroughly, utterly alone.
Still. The potential in the young man is too much to pass by, and the early evening finds him tailing the boy. (There are questions to be asked about why he's flaunting warning signs. Of course it could turn out all right, but it also might now. There are questions to be asked about why his own behavior has been erratic of late. Questions about why it's becoming harder and harder to hold any sense of what's best for the Whalers, for himself, for Dunwall. He doesn't want to dwell on any of those questions.) Slipping across rooftops and balconies, Daud follows Oscar to a near-deserted section of dockyard. It's here that he finally moves down to the street, landing several yards behind Oscar, scarcely making a sound.
"Oscar. I'd like to speak with you."
If the boy recognizes him - from the wanted posters plastered around Dunwall, from stories and descriptions (the scar alone is a major giveaway) - fine. If not, Daud will introduce himself when he feels the time is right.
such a long time, but I didn't want to half ass this tag
Of all the shady, quite frankly questionable organizations that have contacted him either with outright threats or requests to join them because a former high ranking member of the police who once had the ear of one of their greatest, near incorruptible enemies is valuable, (but honestly, Oscar would tell them all unless they are certain thieves he doesn't really give two shits about them) the Whalers are... unique. They don't seem to care about his past, or what he did before he was on the street. All that seems to matter to them, is the present and how he performs there.
But they deal in blood, and lots of important people in Dunwall have been dispatched by them. Granted, many of them deserve it. If he knew he'd have the company of assassins off vengeful, obsessive, out of spite 'visits' to that woman's hideouts just to pettily steal some things (and secretly hope she's there just so he can let out his bottomless, acidic rage out on her, but she never is) he would've left well enough alone. Still, he doesn't really object to the assassins following him and watching him. They have a sort of grace to them that he envies a bit.
They tell him they have been watching him, and who in their right mind in this city tells the large band of assassins with powers to fuck off? Still, he's a bit wary. Are they here for business, information,
did she pay them to kill him? He doesn't really know. So he remains careful.On this night, he's sort of sure he's being followed by them, it's why he's cornered in dockyard fully expected one of them to come out and tell him something... but this one looks different. No mask, but his face is known throughout the city. The founder and leader of the Whalers, The Knife Of Dunwall himself: Daud.
Either he wants him for something important... or he's going to die. Either way, you don't refuse this man.
"Of course. What is it, Sir?"
Be respectful, it might save his life.
<3 <3 <3 <3
Daud isn’t surprised to find that Oscar stands unflinching. The ‘sir’ surprises him, would elicit the hint of a smirk if Daud didn’t keep his expressions so regulated.
“You know who I am. Good.”
And he knows about the boy. Knows the blood he’s shed, the way the boy’s been murdering thieves, and the hatred he carries for them (despite the theft Oscar himself commits; Daud’s seen it, as have several of the Whalers). He knows there’s rage in the boy.
And what of that? If the boy’s a potential danger - and if he is, it’s no dire threat he poses - it’s better to have him close than let him run untethered. (Best of all to have him dead, Lurk would have pointed out. Has pointed out. She’s watching somewhere nearby, now. Out of sight and too careful to be caught, but he has no doubt she’s followed him here.)
Should the boy join the Whalers, he’ll be kept under watch by a rotating trio of assassins. It’s standard protocol for new recruits; what alters from one to the next is the number of guards and the number of weeks they remain on watch. There won’t be trouble from the boy. Daud’s sure of it. (Mostly sure of it, though he’s not about to admit that doubt to himself.)
Besides, what matters to Daud is the way the boy exists. The will toward survival that he demonstrates. The skills he so clearly possesses. There’s something in this boy that might be of use. Something to be done with his talents that doesn’t mean simply burning out in the streets or winding up gunned down by the City Watch.
“I've been watching you. I know what happened to you. How you were abandoned.
“There isn’t much left for you in Dunwall, is there?”
no subject
If Oscar knew about Billie's thoughts about him, he wouldn't blame her. His actions towards the thieves of Dunwall (and others of the underworld, those haven't even been reported because they aren't important enough) don't really have a reason behind it besides pure and utter malice and hatred of them on Oscar's part. (Unless one does the research and knows the actual truth to the relationship he had with his former superior. Then it makes a little sense... merciless, vicious, borderline crazy sense. But sense nonetheless.)
It isn't Oscar without a fair amount of hypocrisy on part of his actions. (It also isn't him if he doesn't really give a shit about it.) These were now empty hideouts with treasures and money inside... he doesn't wish to be on the streets again fulltime. (To him, it's only fair.)
Still, he is aware that he can't do this forever and will get caught eventually, left with an addiction and a bit of a broken mind. Just... not this soon (that wicked, awful whore of a woman still takes breath) and by them. His suspicion only grows in his head, but he doesn't show it.
"What do want me for? Or rather... who ordered you to find me?"
He's made even more enemies since then... he wishes he could care anymore.
no subject
Though Daud doesn't know every detail bound up in Oscar's reasons, he's been thorough enough in researching the boy to make some strong guesses. And even before that research, he'd sensed a purpose driving the boy's actions. Maybe the boy doesn't know what it is, maybe the purpose is corrupt, largely drawn by hatred, but there is a purpose there, Daud's certain of it. Recognizes it the way he knows his own drive, his singleness of pursuit. So long as there's a purpose, even the most reckless-seeming people can be reasoned with, their purposes brought into the open and dealt with.
"Don't presume too far, boy." Daud folds his arms, expression impassive.
"You may have garnered some attention, but no one's paid to have you killed." Not so far as Daud knows. It's possible that someone's requested it. Possible that someone's contacted Daud about a contract, that the letter's sitting on his desk along with all of his other unopened correspondence. He'll have to take a look, burn anything that might mention the boy's name. There's no good in giving him reason to mistrust the Whalers. (He'll have to deal with those contracts, too. Have to take on one or two to keep his Whalers from asking questions. He can't put it off interminably.)
For several moments he watches the boy, silently scanning him. It's true Oscar appears unassuming, but there's capability in him, and speed. "You have talent. A determination that could do you credit, with training.
"We may have a place for you."
no subject
He doesn't quite know how to ask without getting a generic answer. Surely the group of assassin's that practically are the shadows in Dunwall have some scruples, right? Right?
"'Talent' doesn't drown out the past or the risks that come with it, you should know that." Talent doesn't stop you from failing, becoming corrupt with a scrambled brain and nursing limitless amounts of anger.
no subject
"Every one of my assassins carries their past like a wound. Don't think you're the only risk I've taken."
It's so easy to say (never mind the warning twinge at the back of his neck). He speaks and holds himself with confidence. Never mind that there's a difference between a carefully calculated risk and a knowingly dangerous leap. Never mind that he has plenty of assassins as it is, that this new recruit is perhaps uncalled-for as well as potentially perilous.
"You'll be watched around the clock. Your actions monitored and reported to me. I don't intend to let you roam free until you've proven yourself."
no subject
After explaining he'll be watched, Oscar sees it even more as a sign he could be unsure. After all, why keep such a close watch on him?
"I assume you do that to everyone that recently joins the fold?" The unspoken part hangs in the air: "Or is it because I'm a risk?"
no subject
He also knows - is finding out all too well - that this boy's audacious, challenge after challenge written clearly in his voice. He appears to have no qualms against questioning the man who's offering work, the man whose name is known throughout the city, the man who could cut the boy's throat in an instant.
There's something admirable in that brazenness. (Something worrisome, as well. But Daud's gathered recruits with similar attitudes. But Oscar isn't the first to pose questions. And Daud would rather gather assassins-to-be who bear a mind of their own, who can think - but not act without need - beyond the bare instructions.)
"You assume correctly." There's a hint of a sneer, though his gaze remains unmoved. "And you're no unique case. We could use your talent, but we can also do without it.
"Your options are more limited." His voice is back to its level tone, the final statement more an observation than anything else.
no subject
But then he has to remind him of an obvious thing: he can't do what he's doing forever. And Oscar becomes a bit sheepish. "I know."
How did he manage to get himself into this?
no subject
"Well."
What'll it be, boy?
no subject
"Do I even have a choice?"
no subject
"It isn't a pleasant one." Meaning that the choice is almost exclusively between agreeing to join and ending this conversation with a gaped wound to the throat. Meaning that there may be a chance the boy can escape without joining, but the choice is razor-thin, dependent on Daud's mood. "But you do.
"Are you opposed to the idea." Driven with a slight note of acridity, meaning 'does it disagree with your scruples.'