Marked!Geoff AU

Tagged as Geoff Curnow, Emily Kaldwin, Daud

Creator: Edge

Description:

Corvo and geoff return home. While corvo greets Emily, Geoff continues on to his post by the empress. Before long corvo returns with the news. Geoff tells him how he has cherished their time together at sea and fucks off (jk he just kinda goes and smokes a blunt eh hem I mean cigar somewhere) and takes in dunwall. It’s good to be home again after several months locked away on a boat.

Soon he hears shouting. Gun fire. A young child, Emily, screams. Geoff’s hand is already going for his sword as he retraces his steps back to the gazebo. He is not the first there. Hiram and a few guards have beaten him. He can’t see much, just a pool of blood. He gets closer. Two bodies lay on the floor. The empress, who he just saw grin ear to ear as she saw her royal protector for the first time and forever. And Corvo, the man he just spent several nights sharing cigars and talking about everything and nothing. Emily is no where to be seen.

Hiram takes over. Geoff slowly returns to his normal life in dunwall, yet every day he grows more and more frantic as callista remains missing. The plague worsens. He looks at every weeper face a little more closely, just in case.

One day, he gets an assignment. A group of rebels had just been taken down, and they need extra help to take care of the cleanup. He and his squad goes, some place called the Hounds Pits Pub, he has never been. Somebody gives him a briefing, says they have two under arrest and the overseers have another, one of their own that they insisted on keeping themselves.

They also said theres bodies in the courtyard, unknown who, looks like some servants who got in the way, no big deal apparently.

It’s a big deal. He feels like throwing up.

He locks himself in the tower nobodies investigated yet, as far away from anybody else as he can get. The note in callistas cold hand is now clenched in his. He can’t bring himself to read it yet. He is breathing too hard, he’s shaking. He thinks that it was almost better not knowing.

He looks at his surroundings, a room slept in. By two people. He needs answers. He rips the room apart, and it pays off.

Campbell’s black book isn’t just famed by the overseers. It’s a city wide legend. And suddenly, all those doubts, all those deaths these past few months, make him stop. He takes the book home. He doesn’t tell anybody about it.

He finds a way to decipher it (go smart boy go!) and what he reads shocks him. His friend’s death, the empress’ death, Emily’s kidnapping, all planned. And it’s been under his nose the whole time.

Yet, he finds something even more interesting. Campbell didn’t know where Emily was. He makes note of her at the Pendleton’s house but, a few pages later grows paranoid, stating the girl is gone, taken from right under their noses. Geoff thinks back to his journey around the tower at the hounds pit and remembers the broken pencils and the scribbled portrait of two men, eerily similar to a certain pair of nobles. He has an idea of what happened.

Anyways, that night, he can’t sleep. His closed eyes only see callista’s lifeless ones, he imagines the pain she must have felt. He can’t sleep. But eventually, something else pulls him under.

He awakens, and his first sight is the gazebo. Corvo and Jess lay in bloody pools on the ground. Jess holds the paper, the note him and corvo brought back from the isles. Geoff knows what it says, he picks it up anyways.

YOU COULD NOT SAVE THEM.

He shakes his head. Takes a deep breath. He keeps walking.

Next, he sees the girl, Emily. Next to her, a smiling callista. They’re both gripping pens and scribbling on paper. Geoff stands there for a while. It’s the closest to an alive callista he thinks he’ll ever get again (;) maybe)

He passes several other scenes. Tall boys shooting down innocents. Hiram and a noble woman, their faces close together, whispering. Geoff cannot make out her face.

He finally reaches the last scene. It’s one he knows very well. He saw it not but two days earlier. A body, wrapped in white cloth. A slim hand peeks out, a wad of paper in her hand. He still hasn’t read the original one. He reads this one.

YOU COULD NOT SAVE HER.

A good man, a trustworthy one, who lost everything but his honor. Was it worth it, the outsider asked. Would you rather have wondered about her fate for the rest of time, or is the knowledge of her death a relief of some sort? Now, he has the chance, the opportunity, to make things right in the crumbling city around him. And he also has the outsiders favor. So, the outsider asks him, will that sense of honor and pride urge you to make things better, or, with your last piece of Hope crushed with your niece, will you disappear forever.

He considers it. Why does he owe this city anything. It tore itself apart, it murdered, it killed,

It took callista.

The city killed people like callista and those other servants. Helpless against the high and mighty who hide in their mansions and the plague and the watch. He can’t leave them behind. He can’t leave the girl, all alone now in the world, behind either.

He takes the mark. But there’s one more thing the outsider wants from him.

(Okay and for clarification, the loyalists are the ones who basically took corvos missions, and it’s why they got caught. Martin was able to steal Campbell’s book, but he barely got out which meant that he was now seen as a traitor and couldn’t take high overseer, but still had the book. Treavor was a little more entwined with his brothers here and managed to sneak Emily out under their noses. But, he also got marked as a traitor and was unable to do anything politically against hram)

The heart beats in his hands, its surface surprisingly dry and rough. The gears bite into his skin, but do not cut him. It beats, once, twice, then faster. Then a voice speaks, and he almost drops it.

“Why am I here? What has been done to me?”

It’s…her voice. But, not. Just an echo. He grips the heart tighter.

This will guide you to my runes, and will share many secrets, if you so desire. How you use these gifts, well, now thats up to you. I will be watching, Geoff, with great interest. This was a path that was very unlikely to play out, and I am fascinated by what you choose to do next.

Geoff awakes. The mark remains burned on his hand, and a steady thump beats on his chest. He ignores it.

He sits there for a moment, contending with himself. He has no stake in this. He owes this cit nothing. Why should he stay. He opens Callistas note. It’s addressed to him. She tells him what a good man he is, how much she looks up to him. She talks about how much she misses him and hopes to see each other again. Geoff tucks it back in his coat. Well fuck, now he has to do something, doesn’t he.

He decides he needs to find emily, and while while Campbell doesn’t have his notebook anymore, but the man knows everything that goes on in the city it seems. Plus, Geoff already has an excuse to come and visit him.

Geoff meets with Campbell, who offers him a drink. Geoff, curious, remembers what the outsider told him about the heart, and points the heart at him. It beats frantically. Geoff “accidentally” drops the glass, and apologizes, claiming he has butter fingers. Campbell seems frustrated but leads him down to his secret room. Geoff examines the painting, but something in him makes him pause, and he turns around to face campbell and narrowly dodges the blade aimed at his gut. Geoff draws his gun and shoots campbell in the shoulder, making him fly backward and howl in pain. Geoff throws him against the wall and spits in his face, demanding Emily’s location and in return, his life.

Campbell begs Geoff not to kill him and admits Hiram’s agents grabbed Emily from the pub, giving her to the Boyles rather than the Pendletons this time, as obviously they cannot be trusted with such a simple task. Lady Boyle, according to Campbell, is somehow involved with Hiram. Funny how when his life is on the line Campbell lets all his secrets spill. Geoff spares his life, but it comes at a cost; the brand. His new power he just got comes in handy too. He wipes his face and name from Campbells memories of the fight and being branded. Now, he doesn’t have to worry about him ratting him out.

(Anyways I need to characterize the heart more bc I’m lazy writing heart lines but I feel like unlike Jess callista would be more connected to the world? Death is fresher, shes less powerful. More so commenting on how people and places effect Geoff in particular rather than just in general)

Geoff takes a few days to regroup. As far as people are concerned he left the premises well before Campbell got uh, eh hem, fucked over as I’ll say it. Campbell doesn’t remember Geoff’s face either, so he’s off the hook.

He plans to find Lady Boyle next, so he figures the most likely place they would keep Emily is their house. He sneaks in one day on a week he knows they would be busy at Parliament. There’s some guards and servants around, but with his new powers they’re easy to avoid. He searches the whole place, nothing. Then, he finds Waverly’s diary and it makes sense. Where would be the place that Hiram’s allies could all keep an eye on her, and she could be hidden in plain sight?

The next day, he sneaks into Parliament. He has and idea of where she could be. While the majority of the nobles would never speak up if they found Emily, a few might, so they would hide her well. Down in the basement most likely with servants that were paid well and threatened violently.

He sneaks down, slowly making his was through the servants quarters before finding a locked door. He backtracks, find the key, comes back. Emily huddles in the corner. He asks if she remembers who he is. She hesitantly nods that she recognizes him. He reintroduces himself. He then asks her if she remembered Callista, his niece. Her face brightens up. She asks when she is. Geoff tells her she’s gone, but he is here to take care of her. He knew her dad and her mom, and he wants to protect her. He shows her one of the drawings he pulled off the wall of the tower. Emily is scared, she doesn’t know who to trust, but decides that this man is more trustworthy than any of the stinky nobles she’s been stuck with these past few months.

Geoff isn’t sure this is the best plan but he doesn’t have a choice. He just kinda drops her off at his apartment, unsupervised. Hopefully she doesn’t blow anything up.

He returns to Parliament, he isn’t done yet.

If Emily ever did take the throne, she would need support. Boyle never would, her heart belonged to the Regent. But Hiram paid the Pendletons. With a little bit of cash, they might be swayed to the other side. Geoff scoffed at the idea of working with such awful nobles such as them, but the truth was, he was alone. He needed allies, anyway he could.

Not to skip details, but I don’t feel like going into the logistics. He drains Boyles funding, she will no longer provide Hiram with anything. Then, he puts that money to good use. As the parliament meeting ends, he carefully follows the Pendletons home with his powers. He drops into Custis’ study as he is signing something. Its almost comedic how the pen flies out of his hand and he almost falls out of his chair. Geoff proposes his plan. Support the Empress when she retakes the throne, and they would get double what Hiram gave him. Custis, shocked, immediately agrees. Hiram was becoming intolerable with his demands anyways, and the funding would help prevent them from bankruptcy.

(So I think that here geoff doesn’t have the same options as Corvo. He doesn’t have the loyalists he is LITERALLY alone, he’s desperate for any support and if that means he has to pay for some seedy nobles at this point he takes it

that imagery of like, Geoff dropping down from the ceiling straight onto like Custis's desk and he missigns something and ink spills everywhere and Custis just quickly ripping off his glasses like what the shit. Custis says fuck as he quite literally falls out of his chair)

Geoff comes home from his meeting with Custis to find a surprisingly bright Emily sitting at his rickety dining table with her pens and paper. His heart almost breaks as he sees what shes drawing. Corvo.

He sits across from her, unsure how to begin. He has no children, and the only child he has ever truly interacted with was Callista, almost a decade ago. He decides to speak to her like an empress, because the only thing he is sure of at the moment is that she is the Isle’s rightful ruler.

“I remember you now” Emily says. “You were with Corvo on his journey around the isles. I didn’t recognize you before, but Callista used to tell me about you. She said you were the best man she ever knew. If Corvo and Callista trusted you then so do I”

Geoff nodded, slowly, as to not let his emotions spill over. “Then I am honored, your Majesty.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “Callista, when she was young, loved to draw like you did and… I always had some spare paper and pencils for her to use. Would you like some?”

Emily smiled, and Geoff felt some tension leave his body. It was all going to be okay, he can do this.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to leave a child, let alone the Empress of the Isles alone unsupervised in his apartment, but he didn’t have much of a choice, did he? He needed to end this, once and for all. At least he hid all his swords very well before he left. Well, decently well.

Geoff walked briskly towards the tower. It wasn’t a long walk, and luckily his powers allowed him to perform crimes against the state without it negatively impacting his job. He slipped through the back alleys, dangerous, perhaps, but a path he has taken several times. He has his pistol, he is not concerned. That is, until he hears the air move behind him. And again. And another puff of air in front of him.

He recognizes the whaling mask presented to him, but only from the wanted posters. Fear crawls up his spine as he draws his sword. But before he has a chance to attack, or for the whaler to attack, a gruff voice echoes behind him.

“Stand down”

The figure in front of him immediately sheaths their sword and disappears in a puff of smoke, confirming Geoff’s suspicions that the whalers are indeed void marked. Another puff echos behind him, and he turns around.

Another face he recognizes from the wanted posters. Short brown hair, wide shoulders, a craggily face, and a scar, splitting it in half. He also knows what he’s done. “Daud”

Daud nods, and simply watches as Geoff draws his sword. “Yes. And I know who you are captain, and what you’ve been doing this past month.”

Geoff freezes, sword still level at Daud’s chest. “You’ve… you’ve been watching me?”

Daud, unfazed by the sword, takes a deep breath. “When I killed the empress and took her daughter, something broke inside of me. I’ve had enough killing and I want nothing more than to leave this city. But, not before I see that young empress back on the throne. That worried, small man Burrows, he’s fucked over the city, and it’s all my fault. I can’t take back what I did to her, but maybe I can help her. Before I leave this city forever, I do this for her, and you and the rest of Dunwall will never hear of the Knife and his Whalers ever again.”

Geoff slowly lowers his sword, but his body remains tense, and he does not sheath it. “How can I trust you”

He shrugs in response. “Don’t see many others offering to help you. You’re all alone Captain. It might help to have some backup.”

Geoff thinks it over for a second before begrudgingly putting his sword away. “Fine. But if I ever see you again after this night, I will kill you where you stand.”

Daud only smiles. “I wouldn’t expect any less”

Geoff enters the tower, blending in as simply another guard on duty. He has no idea how, but somehow Daud and his whalers found a way in too, perched high above him on the chandeliers. He decides not to ask. As he enters, he sees the Regent on his screen, panicking about a shadowy individual on his way to kill him. He’s scared, good. It will make this next part easier. Slipping up into the Regents bedroom only requires a few silent and sneaky transversals before he finds himself alone in the too clean, too white bedroom. A safe behind him is relatively easy to crack, especially considering its contents.

Daud transverses beside Geoff, just as the audiograph player clicks to a stop. “Burrows is up in his safe room, if you want to kill him it will require some maneuvering around the tall boys and guards up there. My men also found something potentially helpful, the broadcast system. It’s only across the hall, but we need to find something to broadcast, obviously, which will be difficult.”

Geoff simply plucks the card out of the audiograph player. “Actually, it’s perfect.”

Geoff has seen many, many criminals get arrested. Gang members, killers, thieves. But none have filled him with such satisfaction as watching Burrow’s panic as his own admission plays over the loudspeakers, frantically pleading with the guards as they drag him away. His job, it’s finally done. He turns to Daud, who nods, and disappears. Their work together is done. They will never see each other again.

The next few days are a blur as Emily retakes the throne, alone. Her advisors, bursting with excitement, frantically crowd around her, eager to be the right hand to the newest empress, and a young one at that. Geoff watches, detached. Emily’s journey from here will not be easy, but she has taken her rightful place. The empire is in good hands.

Geoff is unsure of where to go next. He feels a sense of justice for Corvo and Jess, and he hopes he has lived up to Callista’s expectations of him. He will never know. Where will he go next? He supposes he could stay as a captain. Perhaps travel to Serkonos. He quite enjoys it there. He didn’t expect the next option though, the one Emily herself presents him with, as one of the only people she can trust.

And so, Emily Kaldwin the First and her new Royal Protector, Geoff Curnow, lead the Isles into a new era, away from the sickness and corruption, with their new allies the Pendletons, and Geoff stands at her side, protecting the girl his niece promised to protect as well, and every day, hoping to live up to the good man Callista thought of him as.