28-03-2019, 03:18 PM
Helena nodded, indicating Serious Time, then leaned forward and took a drag of the cigarette, letting out a long, narrow puff of smoke. She offered one to Mander.
"No thanks. If I smoked, I'd know better than to accept one of yours."
She grinned at that, indicating that it was Serious Time, but not yet Totally Serious Time.
"So, this is all right?" She gestured with the cigarette. "I'm kind of new to asking."
"Yeah," Mander responded. "I mean, I bought the ashtrays; it's gotta smell like a real pub too, right? So, by all means, help out with the stale smoke there, Your Countessness."
"Good, then let me shake off the last little bit of silly here, because... well, it's somewhat fitting." Helen took a shorter drag from her cigarette. "I have a problem, Mander, and I could use a man of your talents."
They both stopped short of laughing, and soon their faces got serious again and Helena started over.
"So, you've tuned that satellite dish to the news in the past month. You know some of what's been going on?"
"Some Spanish nutter had El Bonero for ya and jumped ya outta the castle tour group. You did that thing you do, but it didn't work. You were stabbed four times and he tried to cut yer throat, but yer late 'usband's bauble stopped 'im, then yer boys in green blew 'im away. I'm guessin' ya didn't fly all the way here cause that's all there is to it."
Helena raised her left hand up to her neck, up to the one external scar that the plastic surgeon had told her was too close to some vital arteries to risk complete removal. She reached down her neck and grabbed the gold chain, pulling it up to reveal the pendant out the neckline of her blouse.
"Haven't taken it off since I got the chain repaired. I've been wearing it in the bath, too." Helena took another deep drag, followed by another jet of exhaled smoke, as she tucked the pendant back down. "But that's the public version, yes."
"And you'd be here about the un-public one, then?"
She nodded.
"The un-public one is that he was an old pro, dragged out of retirement by someone who knew how to pull his strings, and I've spent the past couple weeks looking for the prick. He's a Yorkshireman, that's the biggest lead I've gotten on him without turning to The Man; admitting that he's some mastermind and bringing cops back into the whole mess, now that I've finally just gotten rid of them."
Mander nodded. Never go to The Man, even if you own him. She continued.
"I wouldn't even have Yorkshire to call him; if he hadn't felt the need to do the whole 'I want to play a little game with you, Mr. Bond' thing."
"Fucking northern monkeys." Mander muttered, motioning for her to continue.
"I think I caught him off guard with my cunning plan of 'not-dying.' That could be why I haven't heard from him since. I mean, he gave me this," She took out the burner phone that she'd been given in Ireland. "In case he felt like taunting me a second time, but he hasn't, yet. He's still got plenty of time to try again. You know about Seattle, right?"
Mander looked confused for a second, then thought of what she was talking about.
"Oh, yeah. Saw that on the tele, too, figured it were one o' those. And bravo on the name!"
"I can't take credit this time. But yeah, that's why he did it. There's something he wants, he knew I'd want it as well, and tried to take me out of the running. And now that it's happening, you know the drill. No shenanigans once we're inside, but until then..."
"Open season. Yeah, I dig. Luckily, Your Countessness has got them Ultimados to watch yer back. And that general I keep seeing with ya."
"You saw how jumpy the Ultimados are right now. They all know I can do The Thing, they all know it was the only reason Ramirez couldn't put a stop to it; lucky for all of us, Velasquez and Maisson were there. Ramirez was their commander before he became my Generalissimo, back when they were just San Finzione's Special Forces. Now that Maria and my protection is part of their duties... they don't hold Ramirez at fault, but they see it as 'a stain on the regiment.' They, as a group, let me down, even though they totally didn't. This is personal for them; I can't have that in Seattle. That's how innocents get hurt, and that's Yorkshire's game; not mine. I... need the Ultimados elsewhere. And right now, Ramirez is advising Maria, which is the best place for him. He's needed in San Finzione."
"No thanks. If I smoked, I'd know better than to accept one of yours."
She grinned at that, indicating that it was Serious Time, but not yet Totally Serious Time.
"So, this is all right?" She gestured with the cigarette. "I'm kind of new to asking."
"Yeah," Mander responded. "I mean, I bought the ashtrays; it's gotta smell like a real pub too, right? So, by all means, help out with the stale smoke there, Your Countessness."
"Good, then let me shake off the last little bit of silly here, because... well, it's somewhat fitting." Helen took a shorter drag from her cigarette. "I have a problem, Mander, and I could use a man of your talents."
They both stopped short of laughing, and soon their faces got serious again and Helena started over.
"So, you've tuned that satellite dish to the news in the past month. You know some of what's been going on?"
"Some Spanish nutter had El Bonero for ya and jumped ya outta the castle tour group. You did that thing you do, but it didn't work. You were stabbed four times and he tried to cut yer throat, but yer late 'usband's bauble stopped 'im, then yer boys in green blew 'im away. I'm guessin' ya didn't fly all the way here cause that's all there is to it."
Helena raised her left hand up to her neck, up to the one external scar that the plastic surgeon had told her was too close to some vital arteries to risk complete removal. She reached down her neck and grabbed the gold chain, pulling it up to reveal the pendant out the neckline of her blouse.
"Haven't taken it off since I got the chain repaired. I've been wearing it in the bath, too." Helena took another deep drag, followed by another jet of exhaled smoke, as she tucked the pendant back down. "But that's the public version, yes."
"And you'd be here about the un-public one, then?"
She nodded.
"The un-public one is that he was an old pro, dragged out of retirement by someone who knew how to pull his strings, and I've spent the past couple weeks looking for the prick. He's a Yorkshireman, that's the biggest lead I've gotten on him without turning to The Man; admitting that he's some mastermind and bringing cops back into the whole mess, now that I've finally just gotten rid of them."
Mander nodded. Never go to The Man, even if you own him. She continued.
"I wouldn't even have Yorkshire to call him; if he hadn't felt the need to do the whole 'I want to play a little game with you, Mr. Bond' thing."
"Fucking northern monkeys." Mander muttered, motioning for her to continue.
"I think I caught him off guard with my cunning plan of 'not-dying.' That could be why I haven't heard from him since. I mean, he gave me this," She took out the burner phone that she'd been given in Ireland. "In case he felt like taunting me a second time, but he hasn't, yet. He's still got plenty of time to try again. You know about Seattle, right?"
Mander looked confused for a second, then thought of what she was talking about.
"Oh, yeah. Saw that on the tele, too, figured it were one o' those. And bravo on the name!"
"I can't take credit this time. But yeah, that's why he did it. There's something he wants, he knew I'd want it as well, and tried to take me out of the running. And now that it's happening, you know the drill. No shenanigans once we're inside, but until then..."
"Open season. Yeah, I dig. Luckily, Your Countessness has got them Ultimados to watch yer back. And that general I keep seeing with ya."
"You saw how jumpy the Ultimados are right now. They all know I can do The Thing, they all know it was the only reason Ramirez couldn't put a stop to it; lucky for all of us, Velasquez and Maisson were there. Ramirez was their commander before he became my Generalissimo, back when they were just San Finzione's Special Forces. Now that Maria and my protection is part of their duties... they don't hold Ramirez at fault, but they see it as 'a stain on the regiment.' They, as a group, let me down, even though they totally didn't. This is personal for them; I can't have that in Seattle. That's how innocents get hurt, and that's Yorkshire's game; not mine. I... need the Ultimados elsewhere. And right now, Ramirez is advising Maria, which is the best place for him. He's needed in San Finzione."
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