Adel Dawson - Silver Canary, Khor Kosović - The Eel
Peccatore, Silverside
Night, Wednesday, November 2ndMentions:
@EstylwenAntonia Franchesca. Interactions:
@fluxKhor Kosović,
@YankeeAdel Dawson.
Adel did end up buying a few platters of sushi for the team.
After making sure to tell them this was the last time they’d be getting free meals out of him for the foreseeable future, he left them to chat away with each other. They discussed their assignments, their favorite and least favorite districts to operate in, and who among them would get the bonus their boss usually promised. At the moment most thought the man currently going through a rough recovery due to some sub-zero stab wounds would get it out of sympathy. The more veteran canaries knew better though.
Adel slipped out of the office and walked down Silverside’s streets, warm tan peacoat pulled tight and gloved hands shoved deep into his pockets. Nocturnia never slept, but in Silverside especially it was like night never really came. The reflective buildings bounced the lights of Jeweled Bank and Brewery back at them, and the borough’s own white lighting shimmered between buildings. For ne'er do wells finding a sketchy dark alleyway was difficult, especially after the sun went down. As Adel turned a corner and headed for the water way, he was greeted with the familiar sight of string lights strung all along the river bank ahead of him.
Since he’d treated his people, he was damn well going to treat himself tonight too. As he came up to the door of Silverside’s esteemed
Peccatore, he nodded to the host and doorman. They glanced at him, returned the nod, and the doorman stepped forward to let Adel inside.
For it being a Wednesday night, the
restaurant was still bustling with business. Soft chatter and the clinking of glass and silverware joined the warm lighting and ornately decorated ambience. Wildly, the patio was still open - but thanks to some gyfted on Chef Berardo’s staff none of the early November chill made its way to the diners.
Adel made his way to what might as well have been his regular table. It was set back in the main dining room, private enough without being tucked away. Halfway there he was joined by a waiter, and he rattled off his order to the mousy man.
"Osso buco please, and a glass of Barbaresco."“Very well, signore. Should we be expecting anyone else in your party tonight?”
"No."The waiter took Adel’s coat and left him to get comfortable while he put the order in.
Along the street a loud motorcycle slowed to a stop, the idling engine still audible somehow within the building. The sound died away shortly though and the atmosphere returned, patrons no longer disturbed. Peace was shattered soon again as a still helmeted rider walked into the dining area with a waiter pursuing in tow. “Reservations only you can’t just barge in masked up sir- madam-?”
Khor stopped suddenly with the waiter bumping into them and responded quickly. “You know what? I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you can guess which one I am.”
The waiter simply stood flustered. “I -. I don’t-. What do you-.”
Khor started walking away backwards “Too slow buddy.” Hands raised like finger guns at the waiter, then spinning around so they pointed at the Canary. Hands falling one grabbed a chair sliding it behind themself to the lone table before falling onto it, eyes looking over the room then the Canary again. “You know, this place isn't exactly low profile.”
The waiter began to apologize. “Sir I am so sorry, we’ll have this individual dealt with immediately”. The waiter turned to Khor, knives shooting from their gaze. “You are required to
leave!”
Before anymore of a scene could be made, Adel held up a hand.
"It's fine."The waiter sputtered, offended that the leather clad stranger might be allowed to stay in the restaurant - not even for the customers' sake, but for the integrity of Peccatore itself. Adel looked at him, giving the man a small but sharp smile.
"No need to disturb the other diners. It's fine."After some waffling the man took the hint and scrammed. Nearby staff and patrons threw looks at the table.
There was a dull throb in Adel's forehead and behind his eyes, but he kept his composure. Could he really not go one goddamn hour without something happening?
He then focused on the person across from him, gaze staring into the visor. He didn't know exactly who they were, but he had a good guess.
"And you'd know all about low profile I see," he responded, unable to keep all of the sarcasm out of his voice.
Khor shuffled uncomfortably on the seat. “About as much as you can probably tell this
really isn’t my kind of scene.” They stopped fidgeting, finding some comfort finally. “Decided to suck it up and be more neighbourly.” Khor removed a glove and reached for a shake, their hand surprisingly but thankfully clean. “The Eel. Pleasure to finally meet.” They tilted their head slightly. “Just to be sure we’re on the same page, my Akula’s haven’t given you any trouble have they?”
Got it in one, Adel thought to himself as he accepted their handshake.
"Adel Dawson," he said by way of introduction. The Eel most certainly already knew his 'title,' but if they hadn't known his name then they did now.
When Adel drew his hand back and resettled in his own seat, he was the picture of casual. But the facade was hard to maintain after he'd learned what had gone down in Brewery last night. Even so, there was no way that The Eel could be here for that reason - so Adel chose to believe them when they said they wanted to act neighborly. There were a lot of neighbors going at it across the river after all, it wasn't inconceivable that the factions on the east side were going to start moving in defense of their own.
At their question though, Adel raised an eyebrow.
"No, they haven't. Why?"Khor let out a breath of relief. “An ambitious captain potentially jockeying for a bullet in the head had… plans for your district. I’m glad to hear they weren’t stupid enough to try something, for his and your sake both.” Khor raised their hands. “The issue is dealt with, so I hope that alleviates any concern. Onto the business at hand though.”
The speed with which they blew right by that little reveal didn't even leave Adel the chance to properly process it.
What the fuck-Khor’s hands fell to the table with a gentle slap, the ungloved hand falling atop the gloved. “I’ll be honest. I’ve watched your operations for a while, and haven’t gleaned shit. You run a tight ship, made even more impressive by your age. Hell, I’m young for this game, but you? You’ve achieved an incredible amount in a very short amount of time.”
The praise did nothing to move the Silver Canary, his countenance remaining a stone wall as his brain automatically rushed to catalogue everything The Eel was saying and inadvertently revealing. A hint at their age range, the complexion of their skin, the hiccups in their command of their crew, the still present
possibility that Silverside might be in danger sooner than he'd like...
Khor lifted their hands and locked their fingers together, head resting on their knuckles. “What I have learnt about you though, as a person. The psychos in this city, they’re full of pride. They like to put on a show. The saviours in this city, they’re full of vanity. They like to be sure people know them. Either way, they always have a signature.”
Khor’s eyes now locked intently on the Canary. “You don’t have a signature. You hardly emit any kind of signal in regard to your work. On top of that, you’re not sitting here proud or vain. If anything, you look tired. Like you’ve just clocked off your nine till five for another day. Same as any other day. Doing the thing you have to do to pay the bills. To survive.”
Khor let the silence sit for a moment, looking for any reaction in the Canary’s face. Receiving nothing they pointed their fingers up before resting their head again. “I know we’ve only just met, at least officially, but I have to ask. What is this life to you? This profession we find ourselves in?”
For a long moment Adel didn't answer. There was no quiet between the two seated at the table as the rest of the restaurant's patrons prevented true silence, but there was some kind of tension, almost tangible, halfway between awkward and serious as Adel chewed on his next words.
"...did you really come here for some philosophy?" he responded. Deflection.
Khor’s eyes suggested a smirk while sounding a huff. That was expected. The Canary had no reason to just spill his guts to them. So Khor sat back, eyes still on the Canary, and decided to show absolute vulnerability first, hoping he would take the offer. “Growing up, I loved charging through the old towers. The vents, the corridors, underground. Met a lot of have nots doing that too, those who couldn’t get what they needed from the aid drops. Made me want to give back you know?”
While The Canary observed Khor, they continued. “Tried studying engineering. Too much goddamn red tape, so I went back to what I knew. Running. And it wasn’t long before I was getting those have nots the medicine they needed. Operations expanded to the point we can get most anything in or out of the city and here we are.” Khor raised their hands to highlight the moment. “That explains the runner’s, but not the gunner’s of my organisation though, does it.”
Khor leant in now. Voice dropping below the cover of the ambience in the room. “One fateful day I had some shady cargo. Peeking in I found people, most of them Gyfted, some not. I got them out so that’s a happy story, but they were set to disappear
outside the city.” Khor clasped their hands together below their chin. “So now we try to keep people safe from what the police can’t as well.”
Khor sat back again. “Now you know me, at least the important bits.” Clasped hands rolled forward to point at the Canary. “So would you like to try again? Or do you prefer we skip the ‘philosophy’ and assume we’re both just another threat to consider.”
"Some people would take that as a threat in itself," Adel advised. At this point he would have preferred if The Eel had just dragged him out of Peccatore and beat the shit out of him, because the thought of speaking about himself made his skin crawl. He was basically being held hostage here, just with a conversation. At the very least his partner had told him a fair amount, but in return he didn't have to be completely honest - he just had to seem that way.
Unbeknownst to him, he'd already displayed a moment of honesty. While Khor had been speaking, for the first time since they'd arrived there had been one involuntary tell they might have been able to see from the man across the table. During the mention of that 'shady cargo' Adel's eyes darkened, a memory pulled to the surface of his thoughts. His gaze reflected clear contempt for those kinds of smugglers, and something else too. A deeper feeling, a fearful one, and then it was gone as soon as it'd appeared.
That had almost been him, only no one had stumbled upon the shipment he'd been part of. Only he had escaped, without even a second thought about getting anyone else out. In that regard, Khor had a one up on him; they actually helped people.
Adel let out a shallow sigh through his nose.
"I try to stay out of these land grabs as much as possible," he began.
"Kind of hypocritical, I know, since I get hired to help mob bosses and detectives orchestrate them. And not just them - you wouldn't believe how many two-bit wanna-be gangsters scrounge up money just to learn something about one of the big family heads. Something they'll never even act on, if they don't die before they can. But it's like you said, I guess. That's what we have to do to survive. As far as I'm concerned, making enemies is not how you do that."His eyes traced the outline of Khor's visor, and seeing himself reflected in the dark material he put on a charming, if false, smile.
"So I'm everyone's friend instead. A fair weather friend, sure, but still. I stay out of everyone's business by being all up in their business."That was more or less his actual philosophy. Though it dimmed slightly, Adel kept the smile in place as he continued. He wasn't sure how exactly he should present himself to The Eel yet, so he was defaulting to cordial.
"I'm sure you know I've been looking into Akula too. Neighbors and all. You're a slippery one, but what I've learned is that you're the straight forward type, and you take care of your district. So if you're worried about me making some kind of move into Brewery, then don't be. The last thing I want to see is the east side turning into yet another bloodbath."Khor nodded, looking down the side of the table, digesting everything, then looked back to the Canary with kindness in their eyes. “I’m glad to hear that. I apologize if that sounded hostile before, I’m sure you understand the price of miscalculation in this game. I need to know who I’m dealing with.”
Khor chuckled. “Well, have an idea of, at least. You’ve got a hell of a poker face. I'll give you that.” Khor’s eyes looked to the side again. “And sorry for, well, you froze up a bit, when I mentioned those people being caged.” Khor raised their hand. “Don’t worry, I’ve no reason to use that, I’m not even going to pry. All I’ll say is if you want them dealt with, it’s in both our interests.” Khor’s eyes slanted slightly. “I have the feeling that’s something you’ve solved already though.”
Adel's expression tightened.
"It was a long time ago," he allowed.
A few moments passed during which neither of them said anything. Then it was Adel that broke the silence.
"You're surprisingly kind for a gang leader," he said. Briefly Poppy's face appeared in the Canary's mind. He knew that many mafias ran schools or charities either to further their own ends or offset their bad karma, but the way Khor spoke and even considered the feelings of not just a total stranger, but a potential rival, suggested that a rough life in Nocturnia had only given them a smooth and gentle side, rather than a jagged and jaded one.
If he saw their face he'd probably be able to read even their thoughts all too easily. That probably explained the helmet they were never without in public, beyond just their fashion sense. He wanted to get a glimpse behind it, but he wasn't about to ask. If Khor really wanted to foster a good relationship then Adel wasn't about to mess it up by being pushy at the start.
He did still have business in mind though, like always.
"You've managed not to be eaten alive so far so I know you can take care of your own, but if you find yourself in need of information feel free to reach out." He sat back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other beneath the table. While his gaze stayed on Khor, he gestured to the general interior of the restaurant.
"As you can see though, I'm not a cheap date."Khor nodded, eye’s closed briefly to suggest a smile. “I try, and so far, somehow, even managed to succeed.” They tapped their fingers. “And I’d be shocked if you were. On that note, I have to say I’m a little chuffed you were willing to share as much as you have. I’ll be completely honest, part of me expected you to have me thrown out
immediately. Like, picked up by the collar with boot soon introduced to ass, maybe head pinned to the table by a gun. Would have been a fun rush for sure, but this has been downright comfortable, pleasant even.”
If Adel didn't think all... what, 5'4? 5'5? of The Eel could still snap him in half he might have tried. Though to be fair, he was sure the chef that ran the place would have come and kicked both of them out by now.
Khor allowed themself a chuckle and leant in again. “For being such a gracious host, I’ll give you this for free. I have a little scheme cooking that might see
a lot of wealth flowing very quickly. It’s a classic. A good ol’ heist. I have the expertise and manpower, motivated and able, but should you be interested, we’d happily welcome a planner, a fixer. Someone with their fingers in every pie to ensure it goes as smooth as silk. I’d even let you suggest a target, if there’s someone you think should be knocked down a peg or two.”
Khor leant back. “Course, you could just decide to screw us, but you’d lose out on a lot of money and support.” They shrugged. “Guess life’s a gamble, and you seem like a good kid.”
Khor allowed themself to look around the restaurant proper. “Seeing what you’ve done with Silverside, at least the money would go to making Nocturnia a better place. Doing a better job at that than me, I’ll say that much.”
And that was where Khor was fundamentally wrong. Adel was not interested in making this shit hole of a city a better place; or at least that wasn't his objective. If he did, it was only as a byproduct to his own accumulation of wealth, and a way to protect himself, until he achieved his actual goal. None of those thoughts showed on his face though, because speaking of wealth...
"Kid huh," he sighed, dramatic enough to signal he wasn't offended. He hadn't participated in a heist since he
was a literal kid. He couldn't say the offer wasn't tempting, especially if he only had to act as a supporter. If only Khor knew that the man they were talking to could get them through any security door with just a word.
...wait. Did they know? Adel's other, much less used nickname wasn't exactly a secret. He didn't volunteer the information just in case.
Adel drummed his fingers on the table. Commissioner Franchesca would be so pissed at him if he did this. If she found out, that is.
"I'll think about it, if you keep me in the loop."Khor almost clapped their hands before thinking better of it. “Excellent. Don’t worry you’ll hear from me, in fact.” Khor shot their hand into their pocket to retrieve a crumpled list. “If you find a target yourself or even get into trouble, give one of those numbers a ring. Cross it off after the call. Special burners. Old smuggler trick.” Khor pushed it across the table. “We get along well enough and I’ll show you how it works maybe.”
They went back to happily tapping their fingers on the table. “Well I feel like I’ve taken up far too much of your time as is. Anything else I can do for you? Any questions?”
It seemed that at some point this had become less of a hostage situation and more of a job interview. Khor's earnestness almost amused Adel. He glanced down at the wrinkled note before tucking it into his breast pocket. In the same motion he took something from it, holding a clean business card between his index and middle fingers.
"Yeah, here," he said, holding it out across the table.
"Take this. And get some take out at least before you go, or I'm gonna hear it from chef for weeks."Khor’s eyes lit up as they took the business card. “Ooo good point. I’ll just flick through this…” Fingers traced over the menu on the table, their eyes going from excited to confused, then focussed to strained, eventually muttering to themself. “... is that english…how the goddamn do you even pronounce…” They blinked and eventually just pointed at something. “This one, we’ll see how horribly I mangle trying to say that.”
Khor looked up to find the waiter that tailed them in, glaring at them from across the room. “You know what, I’ll order and wait outside or I just
might get murdered yet.” They went to leave but patted at their other pocket. “Actually should probably…” Khor pulled out a hundred dollar note and slipped it to the Canary while nodding to the waiter. “Little something for him, for making tonight so uh,
interesting.” Khor finally began to walk away from the table. “If we meet again, I’ll hopefully show you my quiet spot. Take care Birdie~.”
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