they were a little more orchestrated now, mark’s run-ins with daniel. he had seemed a fine young man -- a stand-up guy, a natural follower... someone who could be manipulated. if he knew of mark’s true motives, they could really be taken as a compliment ! in the past decade-ish, there was not one soul mark had attempted to recruit -- not one soul he trusted enough to bring in the ranks. and yes, he was still sussing daniel out. and yes, he was still not entirely sure. but time around him was not necessarily wasted time.
catching sight of the man, he began trailing towards him, gait unsteady as if he was unsure ( but he was not ). “ daniel, that -- ” he cut himself short, the act of pretending he didn’t know whether the man was daniel or not now complete, and continued, “ daniel -- hey, man. ” glancing to his shirt, he continued the bit with feigned subtle surprise, “ you work here ? ”