29-03-2019, 05:55 PM
Since it was now between twelve and two in the afternoon, Nothing, as they say, was happening in San Finzione. The country still honors the old European tradition of "Go meet up with whoever you fuck, get laid, grab something quick, and come back to finish the day." It's sometimes nice to take a stroll and hear all the people who've left their windows open, because it's also really hot at that time of day, and know that hopefully most of the adult population, at that moment, is getting some. Since I knew that was what Stavro probably had planned for lunch, and his plans would take him to Maria, I walked over to the Citizens' Grievance Office to get a ride with him.
Stavro Poldouris was the oldest son of Costas Poldouris, the butcher who provided meat for the castle. He and Maria had made eyes at each other for years when he would make deliveries and she was still Helen's maid. They finally got together as an unexpected and happy result of an elaborate prank on Helen that I'm proud to say I got to be a part of. (I wasn't one of the people having sex in the park, I coordinated things on the computer back in Seattle.) Helen gave him a job as the head of her Citizens' Grievance Office, hearing The People's complaints and determining which matters were worth bringing to La Contessa's direct attention, which ones could be handled by someone further down the government ladder, which ones were in serious need of being told to go fuck themselves, and which ones Helen would probably want to tell personally to go fuck themselves. (Have I mentioned that San Finzione is not one of those "democratic" monarchies? It's a friendly country, and Helen makes sure The People's voices are heard; but she's got no problem telling someone who deserves it "La Contessa has heard your voice; We declare it to be a fucking stupid one.")
Originally, Helen created the office to give Stavro a decent excuse to come to the castle and see Maria regularly; as well as to give the young man, after finding out that the pretty maid who'd had an eye for him too all this time was really the Princess, the kind of position and income that would make a status-and-money-conscious, Greek butcher's son like him; who never would have thought twice about her if he'd known who she really was, comfortable dating Maria. And still help out at his father's shop. (Maria had been out of the public eye for a while as Helen's maid, and Stavro wasn't up on his royals. It was mostly Helen's picture hanging around the castle in those days. Helen fixed that, too.) But the office really does work to help the People with the problems that have realistic solutions.
We hadn't had much to say to each other for a long time, but that was for the same reason that it took Jeanne and I so long to get to know each other; I didn't have a common language with him. That's another thing that's changed since I "acquired" the Italian language. He's often overwhelmed by Maria's life and tends not to talk much around all the "important people and soldiers with guns" in her daily existence; and uncomfortable letting his mega-rich girlfriend pay for things too often. Now that he's found out I'm "working class like me and Jeanne," he's felt more free to talk to me about things. He also wants to kick Chad's ass if he ever meets him. (Chad was the jerk who used, beat, and stole from me for years before I met Troy. Haven't thought about him in a while. That's a good thing.)
Whether or not Stavro would help Maria with her problem was not a question that needed asking, so there was no recruitment talk required; and the trip back up La Collina was filled with conversation about the people Stavro had dealt with that morning. I have plenty of shitty customer stories too, but at least some of the people who came into the diner were there to just get their food, eat it, and leave quietly. I mean, they DO help the People who have actual problems and aren't JUST there to complain, but nobody stops by a government bureau called the Citizens' Grievance Office just to thank them for being there.
He drove me to the site of their rendezvous; a house that had once belonged to a now-dead line of faithful retainers to La Familia Royale. It was now an historic landmark, and the inside was closed off to tours and the public. The reason for this is because the escape tunnel from Helen's study that I mentioned earlier exits to a secret door in the basement. (Before it became her study, it was the castle's War Room, where the San Finziones of old would plot the deaths of their enemies. Some say it still serves that function.) This also makes it a good, private spot for Maria and Stavro or Helen and whomever to slip away from the eyes and ears of the castle and have their nooner in one of the bedrooms. I passed Maria coming the other way in the tunnel on the way up to the study and let her know Rita was on board with the plan.
By the time I made it to the end of the passage, an idea occurred to me. Rita was working through the midday break; which made sense. San Finzione's new film industry has discovered that when the streets are practically deserted for a window of broad daylight that can be taken advantage of if you're using the newer digital cameras that don't take hours to set up and take down, it's an ideal time to shoot a scene on location. That plus the fact that so many movie deals get brokered over lunch means that San Finzione Studios and the people who run it (Which, if you haven't guessed by now, are Società Finzione.) are exceptions to the "12-2 Rule."
Between most of them either working through the break or going home to get their own afternoon delight, the Business Wing would be as relatively deserted as the streets during that middle ninety minutes; when everyone's gotten to where they're going for their break and are getting to it. If there was a time to go snooping over there and see if I can learn anything about Lucinda's scheme, this would be it.
Stavro Poldouris was the oldest son of Costas Poldouris, the butcher who provided meat for the castle. He and Maria had made eyes at each other for years when he would make deliveries and she was still Helen's maid. They finally got together as an unexpected and happy result of an elaborate prank on Helen that I'm proud to say I got to be a part of. (I wasn't one of the people having sex in the park, I coordinated things on the computer back in Seattle.) Helen gave him a job as the head of her Citizens' Grievance Office, hearing The People's complaints and determining which matters were worth bringing to La Contessa's direct attention, which ones could be handled by someone further down the government ladder, which ones were in serious need of being told to go fuck themselves, and which ones Helen would probably want to tell personally to go fuck themselves. (Have I mentioned that San Finzione is not one of those "democratic" monarchies? It's a friendly country, and Helen makes sure The People's voices are heard; but she's got no problem telling someone who deserves it "La Contessa has heard your voice; We declare it to be a fucking stupid one.")
Originally, Helen created the office to give Stavro a decent excuse to come to the castle and see Maria regularly; as well as to give the young man, after finding out that the pretty maid who'd had an eye for him too all this time was really the Princess, the kind of position and income that would make a status-and-money-conscious, Greek butcher's son like him; who never would have thought twice about her if he'd known who she really was, comfortable dating Maria. And still help out at his father's shop. (Maria had been out of the public eye for a while as Helen's maid, and Stavro wasn't up on his royals. It was mostly Helen's picture hanging around the castle in those days. Helen fixed that, too.) But the office really does work to help the People with the problems that have realistic solutions.
We hadn't had much to say to each other for a long time, but that was for the same reason that it took Jeanne and I so long to get to know each other; I didn't have a common language with him. That's another thing that's changed since I "acquired" the Italian language. He's often overwhelmed by Maria's life and tends not to talk much around all the "important people and soldiers with guns" in her daily existence; and uncomfortable letting his mega-rich girlfriend pay for things too often. Now that he's found out I'm "working class like me and Jeanne," he's felt more free to talk to me about things. He also wants to kick Chad's ass if he ever meets him. (Chad was the jerk who used, beat, and stole from me for years before I met Troy. Haven't thought about him in a while. That's a good thing.)
Whether or not Stavro would help Maria with her problem was not a question that needed asking, so there was no recruitment talk required; and the trip back up La Collina was filled with conversation about the people Stavro had dealt with that morning. I have plenty of shitty customer stories too, but at least some of the people who came into the diner were there to just get their food, eat it, and leave quietly. I mean, they DO help the People who have actual problems and aren't JUST there to complain, but nobody stops by a government bureau called the Citizens' Grievance Office just to thank them for being there.
He drove me to the site of their rendezvous; a house that had once belonged to a now-dead line of faithful retainers to La Familia Royale. It was now an historic landmark, and the inside was closed off to tours and the public. The reason for this is because the escape tunnel from Helen's study that I mentioned earlier exits to a secret door in the basement. (Before it became her study, it was the castle's War Room, where the San Finziones of old would plot the deaths of their enemies. Some say it still serves that function.) This also makes it a good, private spot for Maria and Stavro or Helen and whomever to slip away from the eyes and ears of the castle and have their nooner in one of the bedrooms. I passed Maria coming the other way in the tunnel on the way up to the study and let her know Rita was on board with the plan.
By the time I made it to the end of the passage, an idea occurred to me. Rita was working through the midday break; which made sense. San Finzione's new film industry has discovered that when the streets are practically deserted for a window of broad daylight that can be taken advantage of if you're using the newer digital cameras that don't take hours to set up and take down, it's an ideal time to shoot a scene on location. That plus the fact that so many movie deals get brokered over lunch means that San Finzione Studios and the people who run it (Which, if you haven't guessed by now, are Società Finzione.) are exceptions to the "12-2 Rule."
Between most of them either working through the break or going home to get their own afternoon delight, the Business Wing would be as relatively deserted as the streets during that middle ninety minutes; when everyone's gotten to where they're going for their break and are getting to it. If there was a time to go snooping over there and see if I can learn anything about Lucinda's scheme, this would be it.
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