17-02-2020, 02:26 AM
He signaled his understanding. She took the cigarette away from her lips and took a deep inhale of air before continuing.
"For those who weren't there, why Mander's 'pro boner' joke went over well enough with Maria and I for me to set him up for it a second time was because La Familia's motto happens to be 'Malum Pro Bono Mutuamur.' One of the ways that can be translated, Vincenzo's favorite; you all get a pass on saying it for now. HIS favorite way to interpret it was 'We Harness Evil for Good.' He lived by that. It was why he kept Santori around. It was why he kept the rest of La Familia on the business side. He knew they were going to steal; he did what Propappou told Troy to do; make them come to HIM for PERMISSION to steal!"
She took a deep drag. A warm breeze caught the smoke and carried it away.
"You've all figured out that I'm Juliessa Skankeko, right?" Everyone did. "Apart from having to learn screenwriting, why it took me so long to write the script was that I had to hold back. I want the world to see the Vincenzo I knew without gushing all over the page. Being pregnant with twins and having Maria in charge gave me time but I had to step back from it often. Played a lot of 'Stardew Valley' on the Switch; watched a bunch of the classic 70s sitcoms both he and Propappou loved. Made me wonder if I could be the kind of parent Propappou was or if I'd become so overwhelmed that I'd..." She needed a drag before continuing. "I'd be the kind Vincenzo had a little gallows humor joke about admitting he'd been. He didn't have my ability to cut through politics both international and familial to do what's right for The People. And I never broke a vow to the man. Not our wedding vows, not the one to take care of Maria and the country..."
Helen needed another breath of air.
"And not the one he made me take after I offered to teach him The Thing; to never offer it to him again."
The others gave her a moment while she mentally pimp-slapped her tear ducts into submission.
"Of course, I told him. It was a few nights after he proposed. I revealed why I had such a 'way with people.' I didn't ask the others' permission to teach him, but can any of you think of someone more deserving? Even in the short time he had left, how much MORE good he could have done with it? I TRY to harness it for good; he would've done it easily. He said that the absolute power he already possessed was sometimes too much for him and the last thing he needed was more of it. When I'm really feeling his loss, the thought that comes out of the darkest part of my head is that he might have had the motto in mind when he proposed: Absolute power recognizing absolute power and deciding to harness it for good. I knew what it is to bear The Ring. He didn't want TWO One True Rings. That is the man that the world should know!"
Her cigarette burned out while she'd been speaking. There was a decent drag or two left, so she re-lit it.
"My husband had his moment to take revenge for the murder of his parents. He didn't do it. And if he were alive now and learned that Schell still lived, he still wouldn't do it. He'd do what he thought was right and let the courts decide Schell's fate."
She took one more drag, dripped the cigarette, and stomped it out.
"As I'm reminded multiple times a day, I am not Vincenzo. I'm going to decide his fate because I am Contessa and I claim that right! Therefore, I am going to find Werner Schell, I am going to bring him back to San Finzione, and I am going to deliver the sentence that Vincenzo was too good a person to, but I am most definitely not. For his parents, for San Finzione, and yes, for myself; I call for the death of this enemy of San Finzione. I don't know what shape he'll be in and don't care if I'm going to have to get an iron lung shoved onto a cargo plane; nobody executes him but me. We have one lead to finding him; Tad Chase's dad. Dietz doubles that number. So, I want him alive now, too. His goons won't have been told enough to be any use to us. I call three Nazi thugs acceptable losses. The Avanti's guns are ready to level the place, bombs and all, with nothing of value lost as soon as I give the order. I'm not going to, though."
Helena opened her purse and took out her phone. She began dialing the film studio.
"The question of bombs and bluffing is a mental coin-flip and I keep coming up tails. We need to exhaust their ammo. You're right, Luc. If Scott had enough bullets lying around to arm all of them AND hold out in there for any decent length of time, you'd have found some evidence; empty crates or you would've found something on his computer, Luc. They took a bunch to the caverns; they can't have much left. Tell La Policia to stall. He thinks we're going to storm in and kill him any second, so he's bluffing for time. Ask what his demands are; that's a curve ball he won't see coming and will give ME time to get MY idea in motion."
"Are any of us going to get to hear the plan?" Mander asked.
"As soon as I see if it can be done. I'll need to ask for a couple of your people as well, Hernando. We need to get them panicking and shooting at shadows.
* * *
"For those who weren't there, why Mander's 'pro boner' joke went over well enough with Maria and I for me to set him up for it a second time was because La Familia's motto happens to be 'Malum Pro Bono Mutuamur.' One of the ways that can be translated, Vincenzo's favorite; you all get a pass on saying it for now. HIS favorite way to interpret it was 'We Harness Evil for Good.' He lived by that. It was why he kept Santori around. It was why he kept the rest of La Familia on the business side. He knew they were going to steal; he did what Propappou told Troy to do; make them come to HIM for PERMISSION to steal!"
She took a deep drag. A warm breeze caught the smoke and carried it away.
"You've all figured out that I'm Juliessa Skankeko, right?" Everyone did. "Apart from having to learn screenwriting, why it took me so long to write the script was that I had to hold back. I want the world to see the Vincenzo I knew without gushing all over the page. Being pregnant with twins and having Maria in charge gave me time but I had to step back from it often. Played a lot of 'Stardew Valley' on the Switch; watched a bunch of the classic 70s sitcoms both he and Propappou loved. Made me wonder if I could be the kind of parent Propappou was or if I'd become so overwhelmed that I'd..." She needed a drag before continuing. "I'd be the kind Vincenzo had a little gallows humor joke about admitting he'd been. He didn't have my ability to cut through politics both international and familial to do what's right for The People. And I never broke a vow to the man. Not our wedding vows, not the one to take care of Maria and the country..."
Helen needed another breath of air.
"And not the one he made me take after I offered to teach him The Thing; to never offer it to him again."
The others gave her a moment while she mentally pimp-slapped her tear ducts into submission.
"Of course, I told him. It was a few nights after he proposed. I revealed why I had such a 'way with people.' I didn't ask the others' permission to teach him, but can any of you think of someone more deserving? Even in the short time he had left, how much MORE good he could have done with it? I TRY to harness it for good; he would've done it easily. He said that the absolute power he already possessed was sometimes too much for him and the last thing he needed was more of it. When I'm really feeling his loss, the thought that comes out of the darkest part of my head is that he might have had the motto in mind when he proposed: Absolute power recognizing absolute power and deciding to harness it for good. I knew what it is to bear The Ring. He didn't want TWO One True Rings. That is the man that the world should know!"
Her cigarette burned out while she'd been speaking. There was a decent drag or two left, so she re-lit it.
"My husband had his moment to take revenge for the murder of his parents. He didn't do it. And if he were alive now and learned that Schell still lived, he still wouldn't do it. He'd do what he thought was right and let the courts decide Schell's fate."
She took one more drag, dripped the cigarette, and stomped it out.
"As I'm reminded multiple times a day, I am not Vincenzo. I'm going to decide his fate because I am Contessa and I claim that right! Therefore, I am going to find Werner Schell, I am going to bring him back to San Finzione, and I am going to deliver the sentence that Vincenzo was too good a person to, but I am most definitely not. For his parents, for San Finzione, and yes, for myself; I call for the death of this enemy of San Finzione. I don't know what shape he'll be in and don't care if I'm going to have to get an iron lung shoved onto a cargo plane; nobody executes him but me. We have one lead to finding him; Tad Chase's dad. Dietz doubles that number. So, I want him alive now, too. His goons won't have been told enough to be any use to us. I call three Nazi thugs acceptable losses. The Avanti's guns are ready to level the place, bombs and all, with nothing of value lost as soon as I give the order. I'm not going to, though."
Helena opened her purse and took out her phone. She began dialing the film studio.
"The question of bombs and bluffing is a mental coin-flip and I keep coming up tails. We need to exhaust their ammo. You're right, Luc. If Scott had enough bullets lying around to arm all of them AND hold out in there for any decent length of time, you'd have found some evidence; empty crates or you would've found something on his computer, Luc. They took a bunch to the caverns; they can't have much left. Tell La Policia to stall. He thinks we're going to storm in and kill him any second, so he's bluffing for time. Ask what his demands are; that's a curve ball he won't see coming and will give ME time to get MY idea in motion."
"Are any of us going to get to hear the plan?" Mander asked.
"As soon as I see if it can be done. I'll need to ask for a couple of your people as well, Hernando. We need to get them panicking and shooting at shadows.
* * *
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