Book 3 Chapter 20: But You'll Own Me
Dantes walked the streets of Uptown carefully, which actually meant boldly strutting like a peacock. He wanted it to appear as if he belonged to avoid the suspicion of the increased guard presence there. The murders had slowed down considerably, but when the usually untouchable nobility started to fall to blades in the night, they tended to take it very hard for a long time. He didn’t relish traveling to Uptown himself, but felt he was the best person for this particular job. Jayk was solid, but his ability with people was limited. Jayson on the other hand had that ability in spades, but not the intelligence to leverage it well. Zak… well if he needed someone beaten, Zak was always a fine choice.
While he was there, there was going to be a raid on a number of his operations throughout midtown and the docks by Pacha and his men. Dantes had known of their plans for weeks through the monitoring he’d been doing and so had already had all the valuables moved and the men warned. It wasn’t something that required a lot of attention for him.
Jacopo sat in his jacket, watching the street with him through a small hole
“These people walk very oddly.”
“Yeah, they aren’t weighed down by quite as much as the people in Midtown.”
“Not just that. They are fearful, and cast glances at one another as if they’re dangerous, but they don’t maintain those glances. They don’t watch darkened alleys or look down either.”
Dantes chuckled a bit. “Even a murderer on the loose won’t make them stop certain courtesies. It’s impolite for them to stare, especially if that stare implies fear of one another. Not looking down or checking alleys though? That’s just because they’re not used to having to. They simply haven’t really considered it.”
“Stupid.”
“In some ways? Absolutely, but they’re knowledge of how they are supposed to act with one another is a very powerful tool. Something that’s taught to them without which they can’t thrive here in Uptown. For them knowing not to stare might be as valuable as knowing to keep your hands in your pockets on Flea street is for us.”