Fantasy Susan Takes Charge by TMaskedWriter

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"So, we know Lucinda lies." I told them. "Despite, or maybe because of, her whole 'not enough religion in San Finzione these days' deal. Or maybe because lying is simply a survival skill in La Familia. So far, my recon trip didn't net me anything more than putting myself on Lucinda's radar and possibly letting her know that Helen is out of the country. She's right, if Helen had really needed something from her office, she'd have sent Jeanne or a page, not asked me to do it. Five or six people would have to be out sick today for Helen to get down to asking me to go fetch something for her and Lucinda knows that; I see that now."

Suzy-Q's eyes lit up and she started hopping up and down in her chair, getting into her role.

"She's always known!" She shouted, pointing at me. "I know how we all hate spirit guides, so I don't want to sound like one of them, but the answer's right there in front of you; and it's so obvious that I think even your subconscious knows and tried to tell you with that thing you randomly grabbed from Helen's desk that you haven't even looked at yet."

I reached into my pocket before realizing that it was still in my real pocket out there instead of in here, so that wouldn't help. (And yes, we take a dim view of spirit guides around here. If you know the answers I seek, just fuckin' tell me! Don't make me go through a series of trials that are obvious metaphors for the problems in my life, don't answer all my questions with more questions, just tell me! The plan if a spirit guide ever shows up is for the other two to hold it down while Sue beats the answers out of it.)

"And you've been paying a lot more attention to time than you have to." Suzy-Q continued. "I know that's a thing Helen does because it's saved her life a couple times; and maybe that's why you're so conscious about it while we're dealing with one of her problems. Because yes, it's a couple hours away, but it's a party, not a bomb! Whatever Lucinda has planned is going to happen there, and we should be ready for it, but stressing about it until then accomplishes nothing. You've got the meeting with the others in a little bit, figure that out, instead. For now, though, you should return to reality, make the connection, and tell Maria."

I nodded. This sort of thing is the reason I don't go on medication over them.

"Thanks, Mes." I told them. "Still don't really have a plan yet, but when I do, I know I'm gonna love when it comes together."

* * *

I opened my eyes and stood up. Time to see if Suzy-Q was right, and the thing I'd grabbed was the answer to all this. I took it out of my pocket and looked at it.

Of course that's what I grabbed. I looked down at the wood and rubber object in my hand. The object that contained the answer that Lucinda knew damn good and well that she would have gotten if she'd come to Helen with this idea, so she had to come to Maria. And the fact that Maria is going through with it is proof enough that Helen isn't here to say anything, because then Maria's next move would only have been to tell Helen, and we all know what her answer would have been the moment she found out.

Instead, Maria did what every good member of La Familia is supposed to do when someone comes to them seeking information about or with a deal regarding La Familia Royale: Accept the offer, play along; give them a little something if you must to get in good with them, but learn all that you can and report it to Helen as soon as possible. She was just going to wait until Helen got home for the "report it" part. Good for her, but it also told Lucinda what she wanted to know.

I looked at that answer in my hand; the phrase carved in Italian into the rubber, reversed letters that would be Helen's final word on all of this if she were here:

"FUCK YOU! We are NOT doing this!"

Suzy-Q was right, my subconscious had been trying to tell me the answer. (It's a bit less "sub" than most. Ya know, except Suzy-Ho.) I checked my phone. Almost 2. Stavro's probably back at work and Maria's somewhere around. I messaged her and was told she was in the Banquet Hall, so ran there.

* * *

I found Maria doing what Helen is usually doing the day of a ball or a gathering: Sitting in a chair, overseeing the room, and telling people putting up decorations and stuff what to do. Jeanne was there with a cup of tea for her as she gestured instructions across the room at the workers. I approached them and got in close enough so only she and Jeanne could hear.

"Lucinda knows that Helen's out of the country." I told them.

"Si." Maria replied casually, still sipping her tea and looking regal as she waved orders about. "I have reasoned this. Great-Grandmama would have stepped in and put a stop to things long before now if she were here. Lucinda knows this. This means that her true motive is also something that had to wait until La Contessa was out of the country."

I listened to Maria casually tell me what it had taken most of the day for me to figure out. I was about to ask her how she figured it, when it occurred to me that part of her lifetime training by the Count and Helen to one day be Contessa herself likely included old-college Italian political games like whatever Lucinda's up to.

"I keep coming back to TV and movie plots." I told her. "Is there some kind of rule where if Helen's not around, and Lucinda manages to get into the Vault, put on the tiara, and hold the scepter, she's Contessa now?"

Maria tittered at that.

"No. I cannot think of anything that Lucinda may be up to that Great-Grandmama cannot simply undo when she returns."

I thought on that for a second.

"No." I told Maria, still trying to appear to anyone looking that I'm just having a chat with my old pal The Princess. "She wouldn't have to wait for Helen to get back. You could undo whatever she's up to, Maria; if it was something bad enough that we'd have to drop the whole 'Helen's still around here somewhere and running the show right now' façade and tell everyone you've been La Contessa for the past month!"