[IC] Drunken Whalers

[Koda]

Aggressive expansion. That's what the matriarch decreed, and that's what the Children of Siris would do. Having taken over the position when the last patriarch met an untimely death, the organization had moved rapidly to spread its influence. From a policy of diplomacy to a policy of expansion by any means necessary. It was a change. That was for sure. However, for Lunamaria it was a very welcomed change. The played with a lock of her hair as she sat on the rooftop of a safe house. It was time Dunwall knew the wrath of Siris.

Straightening out her overcoat which showcased the black and red colors of Siris, Lunamaria stood up. The past few months had been busy in the smuggling branch of Siris's actions. New partners and routes had been secured, but there was an obstacle to the smuggling routes. A number of partners needed to unload at the docks. Though the law enforcement regulated the docks, everyone knew the Silver Squids controlled the main docks. While the Second Sons tried to contest the ownership, it was indisputably controlled by the Squids. Lunamaria smirked. What the hell kind of name was the Silver Squids? She was going to have fun taking one of their precious docks from them. Her reputation among her group was disconcerting to many. Though sporting a pretty face and a ravishing body, violence was an art form she continuously refined.

Hearing footsteps come up the stairs, Lunamria rested a hand on one of her tomahawks. A man walked through the door as he showed the marking on his wrist. "The other acolytes are ready to go, Apostle," he said. "You give the word, and we'll commence the operation."

Lunamaria nodded as she walked past the man and down the stairs. The acolyte followed. "The matriarch has asked this of us personally. My sect. There's no room for error," she said. Walking into the main room, the others lounging about stood up. All the eyes were trained on her. "You all have your assignments. Your roles. None are expendable. Aggression not recklessness. But enjoy it. I expect to see all of you after we've taken the docks or in the next life. Enough standing around. Lets go."

---

The smell of salt plagued the air as Lunamaria tried to ignore it. She never really understood the fascination of it all. How could the sailors spend months out on that liquid trap? Miss the wind, and that'd be the end of it all. Even the dock workers. The place looked filthy. Just with one cursory glance, the woman knew the place hadn't had a good cleaning in quite some time. Her cleanliness obsession began to kick in. She wanted to get a mop and start fixing this place up. She knew it was beneath her though. She wasn't about to become some dock worker herself.

The group had split up as per the operation. Another Apostle was here as well. Yussef. She didn't like him. Too cocky. However, she wasn't about to deny the hierarchy. The organization was clear on how it dealt with insubordination. Walking with her group, she carried out the decoy/assaulting force. Namely, raise as much hell as possible while the others did their job.

As she continued towards the docks, she saw a number of dock workers look her way while some scurried off. Feeling the trust weight of her tomahawks and clockwork pistol, Lunamaria looked about. There wasn't a law official present at all. Not at this hour anyway. If one did stumble upon this stand off, they'd be dealt with accordingly. The kingdom was already in turmoil. They were needed elsewhere Lunamaria was sure.

Nearing the main structure of the docks, Lunamaria spotted a dock worker as she walked up to him. Turning the man about and pushing him hard against a crate, she drew one of her tomahawks and pressed the edge to the man's neck. "The Squids. Where are they?"

The man looked at the edge then back to her. "Squids? The ocean I reckon."

Lunamaria pressed the edge further and blood dripped down from his neck. "Without the sarcasm this time."

The dock worker pointed at the biggest building in the dock. "They always move around. I reckon there there. I sure as sure. No sarcasm this time," he said. "Don't kill me! Please! I be as quiet as a mouse. Quieter if you'd like?"

Lunamaria gestured to a pair of acolytes. "Go."

As the two went off, she refocused on the dock worker. "Now what to do with you," she said with a hint of amusement. "Do you like pain? I love it. I like it fast; I like it slow. It depends on my partner. Catch my drift, you reckon?"

The man swallowed yet again. "Please, I have a family. A little girl I do. A little girl!"

Lunamaria tsked. "I had a sister. She's gone now. Everyone always goes away. If not now, someday."

[Engel]

Another day at the docks, another day feeling the wind in her hair, the smell of the sea and right at home. Clover had more or less grown up on boats. It just didn’t feel the same to be anywhere else in Dunwall, especially not if it included prolonged periods on land away from the sea. She jumped between boats, casually evading falling into the water or placing a foot wrong, as she made her way from one side of the docks to the other. The people of the dock didn’t all work for the silver squids, but they all knew about them one way or the other. No one raised their voice when she ran past and intruded on their territory, which they may have done if it was one of the dock’s many orphans, or even a lower ranking member of her gang.

Clover had risen in the ranks over the years to captain, and now she was the highest she could get unless someone killed the Fleet Admiral. She’d entertained the thought of being the leader, but wouldn’t admit to ever thinking about killing him. Even if the bastard died, she wasn’t the only captain and it was uncertain who would come out on top if the gang began fighting amongst themselves over the leadership. It was better to have him alive, everyone knew it, because they would continue to operate smoothly.

The silver squids were aptly named. They had a hand in pretty much everything that took place at the docks or passed through them. Slimy tentacles that got everywhere, and made everyone feel dirty after the encounter. They had become one of the wealthiest gangs that way. Perhaps even the wealthiest. There wasn’t a lot of goods that didn’t have to go through the docks, either on their way out of Dunwall or coming into the city.

Clover reached the side of the docks she’d been jumping towards, pulled her cane out and headed towards one of the larger buildings. Nothing like an early morning stroll. The sound of her cane echoed against the paving. It was a beautiful object, crafted from whalebone inlaid with gold, and more deadly than one would think from a first glance. It hid a blade, and the cane itself had been strengthened to withstand a considerable amount of force. As it was possible to split it into two parts, she could block with one and stab with the other. At least in theory, but a battle often got messy and being predictable could be a death sentence.

Before she reached the building they were supposed to be having a meeting in, she noticed some people that didn’t seem to belong walking there ahead of her. That couldn’t be right. She knew pretty much everyone that would be hanging around the docks this early. None would dare to intrude on a silver squid gathering if they knew what was best for them. Clover may have been the butt of a few jokes for being late again, but if she ended up warning her fellow squids because of it then she’d at least not have to listen to as many.

Clover removed her gun from its holster. She considered firing a warning shot into the air, but everyone would hear that and she could still get the drop on those heading towards the building. It’d be a shame if she shot someone innocent and even worse if she shot someone who’d been invited. Fuck it, she thought, and fired at the back of one of the men. The silver squids had hidden more than a few bodies through the years. Worst case scenario she would never hear the end of how she’d killed some random citizen because she’d had too much to drink. She hadn’t even drunk that much that night. The man collapsed, and everyone must have heard the gunshot.

Clover retreated into the dark of an alley before anyone retaliated. Damn gun wouldn’t fire more than once without having to be reloaded. She started to fiddle with it to reload. The familiar voice that could soon be heard shouting about what the fuck was going on, calmed her down some. She shouldn’t respond since she couldn’t know if there were still a lot of enemies around, but she did anyway.

“Fookin’ shot someone, didn’t I!” Clover slurred as loudly as she could. “Probably more about!”

“Is that you Clover? How drunk are you tonight!?” A male voice, belonging to another captain shouted back. “No wonder you’re the captain of a sinking ship!”

For fucks sake, she hadn’t drunk that much. It was a speech impediment if anything that made her voice sound slurred. Besides, the sinking ship had once been the silver squid’s pride. A large ship that had run aground a bit outside from the docks during a particularly bad storm, but they still used it. It was a good position to use as lookout and safe storage among other things.

“Fookin’ shot old man Barnett, didn’t she!” Someone shouted, probably a low ranking member of someone else’s crew. Laughter followed shortly, which made Clover roll her eyes. Oh, she’d never hear the end of this. Thankfully, the laughter soon stopped and was replaced with noises of an actual fight. She hoped she’d been so lucky that she’d accidentally warned everyone by shooting the wrong person.