Darrow, disguised as an Obsidian and escorted by Valentin’s Gray lurchers, descends through Luna’s low districts to the Lost Wee Den. Passing Eo’s massive graffiti and the city’s decay, he enters the crowded tavern, notes a skull-tattooed Obsidian near a guarded table, and finds the Jackal waiting openly. Victra introduces them and leaves him to the meeting.

The Jackal needles Darrow about his fall from favor, refuses prosthetics for his missing hand, and casually claims Pliny has already emptied Darrow’s accounts. He positions himself as a practical “businessman,” interested in ownership and influence rather than duels, and insists he is returning from exile on his own terms.

He then reveals a strategic lever: a near thirty percent penetration of the communications industry with a silent partner, describing media as a pipeline he can contaminate to shape perception. Turning to politics, he asserts Pliny cultivated Leto to remind Augustus of Claudius, making Leto the likely heir and placing Augustus under Pliny’s influence.

Finally, the Jackal sketches a broader plan. He says the Sovereign and her Furies curate Lost City’s crime syndicate, but some members are restless. He intends to help these lowColor climbers seize control, and, as his price, they will “solve” a perceived menace by killing Ares and the Sons. When Darrow asks what he wants, the Jackal answers, “Your head,” leaving the meeting edged with threat and the prospect of a perilous bargain.