Claude glances at Thace, then chuckles. "Well, that's definitely not inaccurate," he agrees, reaching into a pocket. What he pulls out is a card, which he slides over the table. "But I think you actually underestimate just how much I know."
It's immediately recognizable as a secret from the Indeedees from not so long ago. The text, however, is new.
I never wanted to kill you. That knife to the throat gesture was just grandstanding. Hell, I wasn't even really going to break your wrist. That was just screwing with you too. I actually like you as a person, even if you were a pain in our ass at the Christmas Market.
There's a slight smile on Claude's lips. "Not only do I know you're a Rocket, but I know you're the Rocket who threatened me during the Christmas heist. I know who the other Rocket who attacked me at the Christmas heist was. I knew that Rocket otherworlders are pressganged into service even before you told me. I know where the headquarters are." His grin broadens a little. "I'm no slouch at information-gathering, you know."
He leans back in his seat. "That said, you've got nothing to fear from me. As you've seen, what I know doesn't necessarily translate into me acting on what I know. And I've got no interest in punishing people forced into awkward situations. I would like to get at the people calling the shots behind Team Rocket - to say that I don't agree with what they do is an understatement - but I don't plan on moving on anything I know until I can be sure innocent, or mostly innocent, people aren't going to get caught in the crossfire. I don't believe in doing harm on the path to doing good; any plan that requires that isn't a good enough plan. So I'll find one that is."
He cocks an amused eyebrow at Steven. "I wasn't even really planning on confronting you about what I knew about you - and I think you can gauge by that secret just how certain I've been, and for how long - until you slipped up the way you did. I couldn't resist cornering you on that one. And at the end of the day, I don't think that the three of us knowing exactly where we stand with each other is really a bad thing. You've got nothing to fear from me, I hope I have nothing to fear from you, and those are things worth knowing for sure instead of just optimistically hoping."
no subject
It's immediately recognizable as a secret from the Indeedees from not so long ago. The text, however, is new.
I never wanted to kill you. That knife to the throat gesture was just grandstanding. Hell, I wasn't even really going to break your wrist. That was just screwing with you too. I actually like you as a person, even if you were a pain in our ass at the Christmas Market.
There's a slight smile on Claude's lips. "Not only do I know you're a Rocket, but I know you're the Rocket who threatened me during the Christmas heist. I know who the other Rocket who attacked me at the Christmas heist was. I knew that Rocket otherworlders are pressganged into service even before you told me. I know where the headquarters are." His grin broadens a little. "I'm no slouch at information-gathering, you know."
He leans back in his seat. "That said, you've got nothing to fear from me. As you've seen, what I know doesn't necessarily translate into me acting on what I know. And I've got no interest in punishing people forced into awkward situations. I would like to get at the people calling the shots behind Team Rocket - to say that I don't agree with what they do is an understatement - but I don't plan on moving on anything I know until I can be sure innocent, or mostly innocent, people aren't going to get caught in the crossfire. I don't believe in doing harm on the path to doing good; any plan that requires that isn't a good enough plan. So I'll find one that is."
He cocks an amused eyebrow at Steven. "I wasn't even really planning on confronting you about what I knew about you - and I think you can gauge by that secret just how certain I've been, and for how long - until you slipped up the way you did. I couldn't resist cornering you on that one. And at the end of the day, I don't think that the three of us knowing exactly where we stand with each other is really a bad thing. You've got nothing to fear from me, I hope I have nothing to fear from you, and those are things worth knowing for sure instead of just optimistically hoping."