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. ]
[ WELP time to return to his day job and report to rose via texts that he's not sure they saved the number. she tells him he's an idiot when it comes to kids and she told him to be objective. he tells her to suck it and that's kind of that. they all know dave's really, really good with kids who have been abused. he's equally the opposite with kids who haven't, sometimes, because while he can fake charm it's harder with people who won't buy it (kids don't always) and he doesn't really get where they're coming from.
roxy is just about the only well-adjusted kid he doesn't say the wrong thing with constantly, and that's mostly because she makes allowances for her mother's pet military dog.
it's agreed that megido gets priority on all the upcoming cases with kids, which, you know. fair. she's not remotely sympathetic but at least she isn't dave's brand of fuck-up, which makes them a balanced team maybe a little too inclined to violence thanks to aradia and rose. ]
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
[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.]
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
[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.]
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
[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.]
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
He leaves.]
no subject
roxy is just about the only well-adjusted kid he doesn't say the wrong thing with constantly, and that's mostly because she makes allowances for her mother's pet military dog.
it's agreed that megido gets priority on all the upcoming cases with kids, which, you know. fair. she's not remotely sympathetic but at least she isn't dave's brand of fuck-up, which makes them a balanced team maybe a little too inclined to violence thanks to aradia and rose. ]