The Gruff Man
The Gruff Man is a middle-aged man with long, unwashed hair and an unshaven face. He wears a large coat.
He is first seen in inner Lowtown laying a duffel bag near Meyer, the Keeper checking papers at a gate leading to Midtown. When Ricky tails him through the gate, the Gruff Man pulls him into an alley and aggressively confronts him.
Having gotten a good look at each other, they accuse each other of not belonging in this interlocal area between Midtown and Lowtown, though Gruff is clearly more streetwise than Ricky. In an apparent threat, he tells the printer’s apprentice that he will disappear without anyone noticing, and seems quite certain of it.
Gruff is caught off guard when he sees what Rick has printed. Meyer arrives on the scene and sends Ricky back to his authorized locality. Meyer and Gruff continue their conversation with an almost friendly familiarity.
Gruff is next seen at an Underground meeting with Subject. He tells Subject that he’d followed Ricky out of the city to the Annex that night and witnessed the Hangman Horde’s razing of the slum. He relays the fact that Ricky was left behind, alive, and shows Subject the pamphlet Ricky printed.
Gruff asks Subject for a token with a bass cleff sign as payment for attempting to bring Ricky to him. The tokens appear to be the fee for entry into these Underground meetings. He also asks for Hightown vouchers just for trying, and Subject agrees.
Subject also asks about “the brother.” Gruff tells him reports indicate “the Demon” hasn’t been seen lately.