[Surprisingly, they do not go to a bar! They stop near an area where it's easy to move through blackout spaces. Dirk slips between camera lines of sights like it's natural for him and doesn't bother to check if Dave does the same. He doesn't bother to check with Dave at all as he makes his way to one of those cheap lockers you can rent for cash money, opens it up, and grabs a stashed backpack.
He switches jackets, puts away his shades, and pulls on a hat. Its effect on his hairstyle isn't even bothered with.
Dirk comes to the edge of a camera's range but not quite in it. He sits down there, against the wall, across from the bar. With the clothes and the backpack he looks like just another homeless kidβand he is one, so there's no real harm there. He isn't watching the bar. He's watching people moving across the streets, looking for the kind of person he needs for this.]
[ dave ghosts. he stays within range to be there in need of a threat but whatever dirk is up to - he doubts he'll get an explanation - the homeless kid thing can't really be sold with a dude in a nice suit who reads "cop" to some people and "ex-cia" to others.
if dirk looks around for him he might spot the guy, but he'll probably get the idea that dave is specifically staying in sight for dirk while lowkey avoiding being seen by others. apparently he doesn't see a point in arguing whatever-it-is dirk is doing and is more or less willing to play wait-and-see. ]
[What happens next is Dirk, eventually, stops a kid a bit older than him who looks just as abandoned by what safety nets are available, and hands him his coat and some money. The kid slips the coat on (it's part of the payment tbh) and walks over to Dave, and tells him, "He says we're supposed to look for it in there?"
Go on, Dave. Go with the kid into the club and find the nautilus for Dirk. Or Dirk will try to go in himself.]
[ it could easily be a trick to lose dave. dave is certain he could find dirk again if it is, or more likely that he could tap in megido to cover his failings. dave flicks a glance towards dirk, and - makes the choice he was always going to.
he nods, and smiles at the kid - the new kid - and takes him into the club. he'll probably order the dude a sandwich or something and cover the cost, because dave can't not recognize someone who hasn't been treated well.
he'll look for dirk's damn nautilus and leave it up to the kid whether or not he's there when dave comes back out. ]
[ oh good aradia won't quietly not-judge him which is WAY WORSE than rose judging him because aradia just seems so accepting and calm of all of dave's mistakes, like they're a foregone conclusion.
he loves megido but wow. dave makes his way towards dirk without seeming like that's what he's doing, messing around on his phone.
[I actually said it was Houston BUT I KEPT FORGETTING where would it even be in Houston fuck if I know. Anyway, Dirk gets the hint. It's the observation deck. Dirk makes a choice.
He decides to stop at a random food place and have a sandwich because he's fucking hungry.]
[ ..................................i forgot so whatever
dave...does not get a sandwich because while he is willing to buy other people food he still in his 30s has a weird fucking relationship with food and eating it. and rose or one of the others isn't around to badger him into eating like more than a goddamn bird. if it's a sit down place he will do a kid's coloring menu tho. ]
If you're gonna hack it again give me advance warnin'.
[ it's a request and not an order. hilariously, dave probably minds shooting people more than rose does, always. he will but even his suggested disarming of someone in an alley involved not shooting the dude. ]
What I don't like is the shit you're pullin' right now.
[His eyes are flickered up to Dave and it's that genuine anger again. A puzzle is something to solve. Whatever this thing is, he'll decide what to do once he figures out how it's being played and either go to the end or book it and disappear again. But Dave is making him angry. Dave keeps trying to tell him what to do on because I say so grounds and Dirk hates it.]
I can't give you answers without signin' your death warrant myself. And unfortunately Genie doesn't believe in makin' choices for you, so I'm not. I suppose you might think I am, but I won't stop you playin' this and I won't stop you winnin', either.
[ dave gave dirk the clue, and didn't falsify it. ]
So all I am tryin' to do is warn you and play interference for the threats I can stop since they ain't from your own damn choices. It has the unfortunate side effect of bein' Mr. Doom and Gloom.
[ the fuck off part. dave doesn't get to his feet. ]
I said I'd try to respect it when it came down to the wire. Since, y'know, I know what that's like. So. If it is, can you wait five minutes for a semi-coherent request that you not fuckin' die and why I think you might, and then make a choice?
[For Dirk to stop. For Dirk to 'be safe.' Dirk's quitting, Dirk's gotten rid of the private military people. He isn't at risk. So Dave can leave him alone and stop making him feel this way.]
For you not to die? Yeah. You don't have to listen if you don't want.
[ to an explanation, to the request, to whatever. rose had said something similar, hadn't she? what was it. ]
It's an option, and I guess what I'd most like is for you to hear it to completion before you make a choice? Whatever that might be. Which, if you want to go with this is chill?
[ but a ragequit might not stick. so. ]
Up to you if you want to hear it or if you'd like me to get the bill and leave you alone permanently.
[The thing is, Dirk will not stop until he finds out. He doesn't need the answer to the puzzle now but he wants to know who set the game up. Who has government access? Who would want or benefit from Silverpool's exposure? Who's smart enough to hack him back like that? He will ragequit the game, maybe. But now that Dirk knows enough of the situation, he isn't going to stop until he knows all of it.]
My day job is what it is. My real job is this: every so often through bullshit means we hear about a person. Someone who will be involved in a violent crime very shortly, on either side.
[ this is the part he's explaining. the "why", as vaguely as possible but still very quietly. ]
I'm supposed to stop that. Or at least...give people the option of havin' me stop that. These days, I think she's gettin' a little more liberal about what we need to look at. [ samaritan is involved here. is that what they need to know? ] But still. The point of me annoyin' the fuck out of you was for the sake of that job.
[ he likes it better than the old one. it's nice saving people instead of killing them. being rose lalonde's guard dog means dave has a shot at being better than he is, although he knows the second she decides to stop playing nice in honor of her mother, he's fucked all over again. because he will follow her down, and he doesn't pretend otherwise with himself. ]
I don't know if you quitting is the solution to the thing that was supposed to happen to you or not. I don't know if quitting is an option even though I fully endorse it. So...stay safe if you fuck off. Believe me or don't, and...do whatever you're gonna do.
[Dirk's quiet. Things click together and other things don't. He's quiet for ten, maybe fifteen seconds.]
That isn't the question I wanted answered.
[He wants to know what's happening. Irony of ironies? If he keeps going this way, he will get killed, sooner and without the chance to survive it that he would have had if he just kept playing the game. He'd have a chance to survive and seek help if Samaritan recruited him.
If Samaritan decides he's too damn curious, though, he's dead. And all of this has set Dirk off on a path that guarantees that end.]
Thanks for tryin'. Please play again.
[Dirk takes out his wallet and puts money on the table. Dave doesn't have to cover the bill.]
[ dave opens his own wallet, and produces a card. he's supposedly in narcotics still but. whatever. ]
The number works.
[ it's probable that dirk's number only came up because he was going to talk to dave. rip dirk because dave won't press the issue. he kind of hates genie's human choice thing but also? he does agree with it when it comes down to it.
if someone doesn't want help, they can't force it for too long. maybe long enough for them to make an informed decision, but then you kind of have to back off.
rose has never understood this impulse. dave has never required her to. ]
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Not anymore.
[ time to go to a bar I GUESS ]
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He switches jackets, puts away his shades, and pulls on a hat. Its effect on his hairstyle isn't even bothered with.
Dirk comes to the edge of a camera's range but not quite in it. He sits down there, against the wall, across from the bar. With the clothes and the backpack he looks like just another homeless kidβand he is one, so there's no real harm there. He isn't watching the bar. He's watching people moving across the streets, looking for the kind of person he needs for this.]
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if dirk looks around for him he might spot the guy, but he'll probably get the idea that dave is specifically staying in sight for dirk while lowkey avoiding being seen by others. apparently he doesn't see a point in arguing whatever-it-is dirk is doing and is more or less willing to play wait-and-see. ]
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Go on, Dave. Go with the kid into the club and find the nautilus for Dirk. Or Dirk will try to go in himself.]
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he nods, and smiles at the kid - the new kid - and takes him into the club. he'll probably order the dude a sandwich or something and cover the cost, because dave can't not recognize someone who hasn't been treated well.
he'll look for dirk's damn nautilus and leave it up to the kid whether or not he's there when dave comes back out. ]
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he loves megido but wow. dave makes his way towards dirk without seeming like that's what he's doing, messing around on his phone.
he doesn't talk, but he hums a song. ]
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He decides to stop at a random food place and have a sandwich because he's fucking hungry.]
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dave...does not get a sandwich because while he is willing to buy other people food he still in his 30s has a weird fucking relationship with food and eating it. and rose or one of the others isn't around to badger him into eating like more than a goddamn bird. if it's a sit down place he will do a kid's coloring menu tho. ]
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Anyway, Dirk takes out a laptop. He absolutely picked this joint for its shitty camera coverage if you were at all in doubt.]
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[ it's a request and not an order. hilariously, dave probably minds shooting people more than rose does, always. he will but even his suggested disarming of someone in an alley involved not shooting the dude. ]
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[So stop sulking. He's just trying to do some recon on this location. Plus, it lets him learn exactly what their coverage is.
He did however do one other thing: he just released the Silverpool files to several reporters.]
The private military guys shouldn't be an issue soon. You won't have to follow me around.
[Once that goes public there won't be any point trying to kill the person who stole it to keep it quiet.]
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[ he will not stop sulking. ]
You're not like me. I don't think you're goin' to like bein' a tool, even if you just made yourself into one.
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[His eyes are flickered up to Dave and it's that genuine anger again. A puzzle is something to solve. Whatever this thing is, he'll decide what to do once he figures out how it's being played and either go to the end or book it and disappear again. But Dave is making him angry. Dave keeps trying to tell him what to do on because I say so grounds and Dirk hates it.]
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[ there's a vague shrug. ]
I can't give you answers without signin' your death warrant myself. And unfortunately Genie doesn't believe in makin' choices for you, so I'm not. I suppose you might think I am, but I won't stop you playin' this and I won't stop you winnin', either.
[ dave gave dirk the clue, and didn't falsify it. ]
So all I am tryin' to do is warn you and play interference for the threats I can stop since they ain't from your own damn choices. It has the unfortunate side effect of bein' Mr. Doom and Gloom.
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[He grabs his drink and spills it on the laptop. There goes that piece of hardware. He drops his phone on the table.]
I'm done with the game, and I'm done with this shit. So fuck off.
[Dirk gets to his feet. He is leaving and he doesn't want to be followed.]
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[ the fuck off part. dave doesn't get to his feet. ]
I said I'd try to respect it when it came down to the wire. Since, y'know, I know what that's like. So. If it is, can you wait five minutes for a semi-coherent request that you not fuckin' die and why I think you might, and then make a choice?
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[For Dirk to stop. For Dirk to 'be safe.' Dirk's quitting, Dirk's gotten rid of the private military people. He isn't at risk. So Dave can leave him alone and stop making him feel this way.]
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[ to an explanation, to the request, to whatever. rose had said something similar, hadn't she? what was it. ]
It's an option, and I guess what I'd most like is for you to hear it to completion before you make a choice? Whatever that might be. Which, if you want to go with this is chill?
[ but a ragequit might not stick. so. ]
Up to you if you want to hear it or if you'd like me to get the bill and leave you alone permanently.
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[The thing is, Dirk will not stop until he finds out. He doesn't need the answer to the puzzle now but he wants to know who set the game up. Who has government access? Who would want or benefit from Silverpool's exposure? Who's smart enough to hack him back like that? He will ragequit the game, maybe. But now that Dirk knows enough of the situation, he isn't going to stop until he knows all of it.]
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[ this is the part he's explaining. the "why", as vaguely as possible but still very quietly. ]
I'm supposed to stop that. Or at least...give people the option of havin' me stop that. These days, I think she's gettin' a little more liberal about what we need to look at. [ samaritan is involved here. is that what they need to know? ] But still. The point of me annoyin' the fuck out of you was for the sake of that job.
[ he likes it better than the old one. it's nice saving people instead of killing them. being rose lalonde's guard dog means dave has a shot at being better than he is, although he knows the second she decides to stop playing nice in honor of her mother, he's fucked all over again. because he will follow her down, and he doesn't pretend otherwise with himself. ]
I don't know if you quitting is the solution to the thing that was supposed to happen to you or not. I don't know if quitting is an option even though I fully endorse it. So...stay safe if you fuck off. Believe me or don't, and...do whatever you're gonna do.
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That isn't the question I wanted answered.
[He wants to know what's happening. Irony of ironies? If he keeps going this way, he will get killed, sooner and without the chance to survive it that he would have had if he just kept playing the game. He'd have a chance to survive and seek help if Samaritan recruited him.
If Samaritan decides he's too damn curious, though, he's dead. And all of this has set Dirk off on a path that guarantees that end.]
Thanks for tryin'. Please play again.
[Dirk takes out his wallet and puts money on the table. Dave doesn't have to cover the bill.]
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[ dave opens his own wallet, and produces a card. he's supposedly in narcotics still but. whatever. ]
The number works.
[ it's probable that dirk's number only came up because he was going to talk to dave. rip dirk because dave won't press the issue. he kind of hates genie's human choice thing but also? he does agree with it when it comes down to it.
if someone doesn't want help, they can't force it for too long. maybe long enough for them to make an informed decision, but then you kind of have to back off.
rose has never understood this impulse. dave has never required her to. ]
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