[ A master assassin never reveals his secrets, Will.
But it's true Daud hadn't attempted to enter Will's new room. Had refrained from making impromptu room checks since the first couple of weeks after arriving. It hadn't struck Daud as necessary or useful; there were other ways of garnering information on his fellow arrivals now. Other ways that carried no potential of being caught in the act and creating prohibitory rifts.
Daud's own expression was more worn than usual, a reflection of recent internal conflicts and too many nights of minimal sleep. Still, he listened close, cataloguing the information itself as well as the ways the man spoke, the words he chose to use. It all meant something, told a little more about who this man was.
The ideas proposed seemed sound enough, if incomplete. He didn't wonder far why Will would have come to him with this, knew the man had caught him in the midst of Daud's own investigations, knew there was no way of hiding some talents and tendencies. A question is who else Will had spoken to, who else he intended to speak with. And what he planned to do with the information. ]
You're right about knowledge. Information's a hard commodity to come by here. We need every piece we can find.
[ And they needed to make sure the right people had access to it. Needed to find ways of sharing what fragments they could wrangle. ]
At the moment? You're the first. [ Will said in the same mild tone. ] But I did happen to be walking past a fountain when Ezekiel was talking about his courier service.
[ He had also come to Daud because he knew the man had organized one of the most effective coordination of Chosen efforts to date. Methos and House had put up good short term projects, but Daud's was for a longer haul.
Sitting forward, Will laced his fingers together, resting them between his knees. ]
A lot of us are making observations and following up on different leads and you're right, we need every fragment of information we can put together.
But we are also at risk of becoming siloed and tunnel visioned in these projects and that increases the risk that we're going to end up with blind spots.
[ And wasting energy pursuing the same query from three or four different angles. Such a multi-faceted approach could be useful in certain cases - when a piece of information was especially dire, or when its truth was found only in the most tenuous pieces - but in others it only frittered away resources.
He could have pointed out that he was at no risk of tunnel vision, that he'd been conducting plenty of observations outsider the Watch. Only that wasn't the point. Only that didn't quiet the potential problem. (Only it was true that Daud may have borne, certainly bore a past filled with narrow vision, narrowed goals.)
These were solid points Will presented, necessary thoughts, and Daud was becoming almost glad of the man's summons. Having come in expecting next to nothing, he found these prescient points particularly welcome. And they told a little more about who Will was and how he perceived the world, what he was attuned to. Which perhaps wasn't terribly surprising; from almost the start, he'd seemed uncannily perceptive.
And that reference to the courier service... That could prove useful, couldn't it? In any case, it was a worthwhile idea to consider. ]
We need an effective way of sharing what we gather.
The Senate. [ He said simply, though he looked uncomfortable with the suggestion. ] It's gaining more and more momentum among us, and is about the only scheduled activity for us all.
It makes sense for a committee to be set up, the way hopefully our strategists will be doing. Then we can collaborate not only with each other but the other committees.
[ Of course trying to get a representative out of a group of people who didn't like being identified might prove a little tricky. Even now, Will was looking expectantly at Daud. ]
[ Daud understood that face. Daud could sympathize with that face. He intended to attend the upcoming month's Senate session for the sake of seeing it in action and judging it for himself, but he hardly relished the notion. There would be too many people for his comfort. Still, the fact was that the Senate couldn't be avoided, that Roy had already drawn the Watch within its reach, and that Daud would be better off knowing its basics.
And maybe the Senate was the right place to take Will's idea. Daud didn't know enough about the function of the committees to say for sure, but if nothing else, it was worth investigating. The trouble was finding someone who dealt in information and was willing to speak in the Senate. It clearly wasn't going to be Will, and Daud held no interest in the position. ]
I think we'd better decide who we want involved with this, first. Unless you're jumping to play spokesman yourself.
I'd rather not. [ He replied to the suggestion of jumping to play spokesman himself. ]
I can't say I've considered far beyond yourself and Ezekiel. [ He pushed to his feet and began to pace towards a window, leaning against the wall and turning back with a wry expression on his face. ]
In case it's missed your notice, I'm not the most sociable of our numbers. I expect you have a better inventory of who has been dedicating efforts towards gathering knowledge.
I know House is naturally intrigued by puzzles, and he will ask questions. A woman answered my fountain post and sounded like the type to want to take charge. Unfortunately I didn't bother getting her name.
[ There was a brief flash of exasperation at the mention of House; Daud preferred to keep dealings with the man to a minimum, though he could see the potential value in the man. Given the way Jimmy Asshole posed questions and pursued response, relentless. Given the all-too-sharp perception he'd displayed.
And Daud could hardly blame Will for wanting to distance himself from the representative's role. It'd become clear early on that Will wasn't a particularly social being; even coming to Daud with this seemed like a step. As far as the rest went, he could think of a few others who might be worth speaking with. But before getting to that, there was a point to be clarified. ]
Anything else you can say about this woman?
[ He had his guesses, but would rather not jump to conclusions without another piece or two of information. ]
Olivier. [ No need to dwell on the description; as far as Daud knows, there's only one woman in the Complex who suits it. Whether she'd be interested in spearheading some endeavor or dealing with the Senate, Daud can't guess. Certainly, she'd be competent enough. More than capable of taking charge of anything she might choose to grasp. ]
[ At the time, Will had been considering trying to point her in Xu Shu's direction, for tactics and strategy works. But she had mentioned the value of knowledge for winning rather than just surviving, so perhaps she might be a possible spearhead for this.
She definitely did not come across as someone who would resist getting up in front of people. ]
[ Head cocked, he considers, flitting through ideas of what this difference - surviving versus winning - might suggest, what Olivier might have to say bout the distinction. ]
I understand she's had her share of command.
I can speak with her. Can't say whether she'd be interested, but she has the capability.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
But it's true Daud hadn't attempted to enter Will's new room. Had refrained from making impromptu room checks since the first couple of weeks after arriving. It hadn't struck Daud as necessary or useful; there were other ways of garnering information on his fellow arrivals now. Other ways that carried no potential of being caught in the act and creating prohibitory rifts.
Daud's own expression was more worn than usual, a reflection of recent internal conflicts and too many nights of minimal sleep. Still, he listened close, cataloguing the information itself as well as the ways the man spoke, the words he chose to use. It all meant something, told a little more about who this man was.
The ideas proposed seemed sound enough, if incomplete. He didn't wonder far why Will would have come to him with this, knew the man had caught him in the midst of Daud's own investigations, knew there was no way of hiding some talents and tendencies. A question is who else Will had spoken to, who else he intended to speak with. And what he planned to do with the information. ]
You're right about knowledge. Information's a hard commodity to come by here. We need every piece we can find.
[ And they needed to make sure the right people had access to it. Needed to find ways of sharing what fragments they could wrangle. ]
Who else are you speaking to.
no subject
[ He had also come to Daud because he knew the man had organized one of the most effective coordination of Chosen efforts to date. Methos and House had put up good short term projects, but Daud's was for a longer haul.
Sitting forward, Will laced his fingers together, resting them between his knees. ]
A lot of us are making observations and following up on different leads and you're right, we need every fragment of information we can put together.
But we are also at risk of becoming siloed and tunnel visioned in these projects and that increases the risk that we're going to end up with blind spots.
no subject
[ And wasting energy pursuing the same query from three or four different angles. Such a multi-faceted approach could be useful in certain cases - when a piece of information was especially dire, or when its truth was found only in the most tenuous pieces - but in others it only frittered away resources.
He could have pointed out that he was at no risk of tunnel vision, that he'd been conducting plenty of observations outsider the Watch. Only that wasn't the point. Only that didn't quiet the potential problem. (Only it was true that Daud may have borne, certainly bore a past filled with narrow vision, narrowed goals.)
These were solid points Will presented, necessary thoughts, and Daud was becoming almost glad of the man's summons. Having come in expecting next to nothing, he found these prescient points particularly welcome. And they told a little more about who Will was and how he perceived the world, what he was attuned to. Which perhaps wasn't terribly surprising; from almost the start, he'd seemed uncannily perceptive.
And that reference to the courier service... That could prove useful, couldn't it? In any case, it was a worthwhile idea to consider. ]
We need an effective way of sharing what we gather.
I take it you have thoughts.
no subject
The Senate. [ He said simply, though he looked uncomfortable with the suggestion. ] It's gaining more and more momentum among us, and is about the only scheduled activity for us all.
It makes sense for a committee to be set up, the way hopefully our strategists will be doing. Then we can collaborate not only with each other but the other committees.
[ Of course trying to get a representative out of a group of people who didn't like being identified might prove a little tricky. Even now, Will was looking expectantly at Daud. ]
Thoughts on a good spokesperson?
no subject
And maybe the Senate was the right place to take Will's idea. Daud didn't know enough about the function of the committees to say for sure, but if nothing else, it was worth investigating. The trouble was finding someone who dealt in information and was willing to speak in the Senate. It clearly wasn't going to be Will, and Daud held no interest in the position. ]
I think we'd better decide who we want involved with this, first. Unless you're jumping to play spokesman yourself.
You said you've considered Ezekiel. Anyone else?
no subject
I can't say I've considered far beyond yourself and Ezekiel. [ He pushed to his feet and began to pace towards a window, leaning against the wall and turning back with a wry expression on his face. ]
In case it's missed your notice, I'm not the most sociable of our numbers. I expect you have a better inventory of who has been dedicating efforts towards gathering knowledge.
I know House is naturally intrigued by puzzles, and he will ask questions. A woman answered my fountain post and sounded like the type to want to take charge. Unfortunately I didn't bother getting her name.
[ Oliver, her name was Oliver. ]
no subject
And Daud could hardly blame Will for wanting to distance himself from the representative's role. It'd become clear early on that Will wasn't a particularly social being; even coming to Daud with this seemed like a step. As far as the rest went, he could think of a few others who might be worth speaking with. But before getting to that, there was a point to be clarified. ]
Anything else you can say about this woman?
[ He had his guesses, but would rather not jump to conclusions without another piece or two of information. ]
no subject
It might not be much to go on, but he suspected it would be enough for a man like Daud. ]
no subject
What did she say?
no subject
[ At the time, Will had been considering trying to point her in Xu Shu's direction, for tactics and strategy works. But she had mentioned the value of knowledge for winning rather than just surviving, so perhaps she might be a possible spearhead for this.
She definitely did not come across as someone who would resist getting up in front of people. ]
no subject
I understand she's had her share of command.
I can speak with her. Can't say whether she'd be interested, but she has the capability.