The Whaler’s eyes narrow and they lean forward to look at Delilah’s ‘cell phone’ as she explains. They’re still not sure she’s telling them the truth; how on earth could such a tiny little thing have so much information it? But she turns it on and sure enough, a little screen like nothing the Whaler’s ever encountered lights up and displays a small collection of pictures with labels like “Maps,” “Compass,” and one called ‘Kindling.” They can only assume it has something to do with setting fires.
Their head jerks up at the sound of Daud’s name, fast enough to make their mask shift upwards a little.
“Daud?” They can’t hide the shock in their voice, but they’re not exactly an amateur. “That’s—that’s the Knife of Dunwall, isn’t it? He’s here too?” They slip their phone back into their pocket and look around, as if afraid Daud will pop up behind them at any moment. They’ve seen enough civilians panic at the mere mention of his name to act the part.
Under the mask though, they’re struggling with too many emotions to name. Delilah’s bait is tempting, but the Whaler still feels Corvo’s blade in their gut like it was Daud’s, and maybe they could say something snippy about how she lost her fight with him, but how much do they want to defend the honor of the man that betrayed them and their brothers?
Forcing some composure, they look back at the oh-so-innocent Delilah.
“You met him?” they ask, passably incredulous. “I don’t mean to call you a liar, but it’s hard to believe the man who killed the Empress would leave you alive.”
The Whaler is either sincerely afraid or good at catching themself, she thinks. “Yes,” she says wryly. “He was... disappointing. Hardly a scratch on me.” Lies, obviously. And she’s not sure if the Whaler would know what actually happened.
“He was much too slow for me, much too incompetent. He’s not the only one who is... unnaturally skilled, and he’s hardly the strongest person to wield those kinds of dark magics.” She gives them a wink. “I was surprised too, but... perhaps he only had such an easy time killing the Empress because she was just another helpless aristocrat?”
She waves a hand. “Now, I only tell you this to warn you to be on your toes. After all, he might approach you if he mistakes you for one of his assassins. They wear those same masks, did you know?” And her gaze on them is intent, like she can see past the mask if she just looks hard enough.
“Not to mention being mistaken for one of Daud’s minions may attract enemies of Daud as well. What a shame that would be, if you were caught up in such things over a little misunderstanding.”
