Show Your Hand | flight-of-the-thieving-magpie/stripes-and-smoke
It's possibly the most cunning job interview in history, and Jim is quite proud of himself.
Sebastian Moran had come to his attention some time ago. First as a recurring name that had reached his ears every now and then, usually a complaint of some sort. This man Moran has built quite a reputation for himself, all seeming to revolve around his exploits around the card table, his tendency not to play well with others, and his explosive personality. He is angry, he is violent, but above all, he is talented. As time passes, the man's name starts being associated with things other than brawling and petty crimes.
Jim could only handle hearing the name so many times before he grew curious enough to go digging, and it had not taken much effort to find what he wanted. A solider. 1st Bangalore Pioneers. Sharpshooter. Colonel. Dishonorable discharge. A skilled and ambitious man, but a crooked one. Jim always has a place in his fold for just such a wayward lamb. So he watches.
It only took seeing Moran in action one time to solidify Jim's opinion and make his decision for him, and he had sent one of his men to find Sebastian, leaving the man sitting in a pub holding one of Moriarty's vague, simplistic little business cards. A job on offer, and an interview to follow.
What Sebastian doesn't know is that the interview is being held a day early, around a card table, among strangers. Nor does he know it's happening, or who Jim even is as he buys the whole table another round and continues to observe Moran's habits and expressions. There is a certain value in hearing stories told when they are not specially tailored to impress someone specific, and in observing somebody being themselves in their natural habitat.
