03-04-2019, 04:54 PM
Susan Takes Charge Pt. 05
By Special Guest Author Susan Bailey and T. MaskedWriter
***
"Dear Mr. Occupant, to whom it may concern.
I thought I'd leave this note for you to read on your return.
Your daughter came to see us play, me and all the band.
And since you're not around today, I knew you'd understand
if we...
FUCK YOUR DAUGHTER! WRECK YOUR HOME!
CALL LONG-DISTANCE ON YOUR PHONE!
EAT UP ALL YOUR FOOD AND STEAL YOUR BEER!"
-Sloppy Seconds, "Steal Your Beer"
Because La Familia didn't get invited over to the Palace Wing often, red velvet ropes and signs advising the way to the Banquet Hall had been put up. The stated purpose of these cordons and signs was that it had been so long since La Contessa had seen them, she didn't want them getting lost on what little time they'd have together tonight. The true reason, as you might have guessed, is to keep any of them from wandering off to where they might find something to steal. (A command that I know Helen HAS given to all of La Familia, after those first couple visits, was a mysterious and irresistible compulsion to make sure all silverware they "found" has been returned; and anything that "fell into their pockets or bags" be put back where it "fell from" before they can leave, remembering only once they were halfway down La Collina that they'd meant to steal something, but it must've slipped their minds.)
A few Ultimados were, as usual, poorly; disguised as servants in the areas they were most likely to stray towards to "help them back," forcibly if needed, to an approved area. Before they became La Familia Royale's elite guard, La Squadra de Ultimados was San Finzione's special forces unit. Because it's only been in the past two years that they've taken on their new role, their training in undercover work has been lacking. Helen's been working on that; especially with the two Ultimados who live across the street from our house in Federal Way full-time now, watching over "some highly valuable foreign assets of San Finzione's." (Us. Troy, Julie, and I are the "highly valuable foreign assets." It applies only to Troy & Julie now; however, Helen says that's because as a Citizen of San Finzione, I'm now a "highly valuable domestic asset.") Dr. Paul and Marisol Green, our new Greens Across the Street, are a much more convincing couple than the last pair.
For most of the castle, the work day was ending, and buses were coming to take them down La Collina and to the car park at the bottom of the hill. There weren't as many ending their shift today as usual. That was because around 3 o'clock, some of them were advised by Lady Maria and Jeanne carrying "La Contessa's orders" (We just didn't specify which Contessa.) that they would be needed to stay late tonight, but that it would be worth their while. I saw the workers for the castle's print shop hurry on board, having just carried out a last-minute job for La Contessa before the end of the day.
"We have to do several things here." I told my crew before we parted. "The first is 'not really hurt anyone, because they WILL all be Maria's family in there.'" Waiting for the shift change to go into action would minimize potential bystanders. I turned on my iPad and did the part of this that might be considered "light treason" if I didn't have La Contessa-in-Reggenza's approval; I signed in to that app that Jeanne has that lets her monitor stuff around the castle. Since Jeanne was the only person meant to use it, there wasn't an option to locate her, so I pressed the button for La Contessa.
The app informed me that La Contessa was not in the castle, ("Thank you, Susan, but our Contessa is in another castle.") but that Rita was currently posing as her at the castle's gift shop. Patching into the gift shop's cameras showed "Helen" rounding up a stop-in and shaking hands with a couple of tourists before getting into her own dress for the reception. Jeanne was in the background, standing next to her cart, which was plugged in to a nearby outlet and charging.
I smiled. She was doing something that I knew the real Helen enjoyed doing; meeting tourists and giving them a story to take back home. Over a year ago, Helen was doing the same thing when someone ran out of the tour group and stabbed her. As soon as she was able to again, she went right back to doing it. A little more careful, and maybe with some more Ultimados lurking just out of earshot, but she wasn't going to let that fuck stop her from doing something she loved. I looked around the shop for a moment. As I suspected, members of La Familia were trying not to be noticed buying out the last of the items in the Baby section.
By Special Guest Author Susan Bailey and T. MaskedWriter
***
"Dear Mr. Occupant, to whom it may concern.
I thought I'd leave this note for you to read on your return.
Your daughter came to see us play, me and all the band.
And since you're not around today, I knew you'd understand
if we...
FUCK YOUR DAUGHTER! WRECK YOUR HOME!
CALL LONG-DISTANCE ON YOUR PHONE!
EAT UP ALL YOUR FOOD AND STEAL YOUR BEER!"
-Sloppy Seconds, "Steal Your Beer"
Because La Familia didn't get invited over to the Palace Wing often, red velvet ropes and signs advising the way to the Banquet Hall had been put up. The stated purpose of these cordons and signs was that it had been so long since La Contessa had seen them, she didn't want them getting lost on what little time they'd have together tonight. The true reason, as you might have guessed, is to keep any of them from wandering off to where they might find something to steal. (A command that I know Helen HAS given to all of La Familia, after those first couple visits, was a mysterious and irresistible compulsion to make sure all silverware they "found" has been returned; and anything that "fell into their pockets or bags" be put back where it "fell from" before they can leave, remembering only once they were halfway down La Collina that they'd meant to steal something, but it must've slipped their minds.)
A few Ultimados were, as usual, poorly; disguised as servants in the areas they were most likely to stray towards to "help them back," forcibly if needed, to an approved area. Before they became La Familia Royale's elite guard, La Squadra de Ultimados was San Finzione's special forces unit. Because it's only been in the past two years that they've taken on their new role, their training in undercover work has been lacking. Helen's been working on that; especially with the two Ultimados who live across the street from our house in Federal Way full-time now, watching over "some highly valuable foreign assets of San Finzione's." (Us. Troy, Julie, and I are the "highly valuable foreign assets." It applies only to Troy & Julie now; however, Helen says that's because as a Citizen of San Finzione, I'm now a "highly valuable domestic asset.") Dr. Paul and Marisol Green, our new Greens Across the Street, are a much more convincing couple than the last pair.
For most of the castle, the work day was ending, and buses were coming to take them down La Collina and to the car park at the bottom of the hill. There weren't as many ending their shift today as usual. That was because around 3 o'clock, some of them were advised by Lady Maria and Jeanne carrying "La Contessa's orders" (We just didn't specify which Contessa.) that they would be needed to stay late tonight, but that it would be worth their while. I saw the workers for the castle's print shop hurry on board, having just carried out a last-minute job for La Contessa before the end of the day.
"We have to do several things here." I told my crew before we parted. "The first is 'not really hurt anyone, because they WILL all be Maria's family in there.'" Waiting for the shift change to go into action would minimize potential bystanders. I turned on my iPad and did the part of this that might be considered "light treason" if I didn't have La Contessa-in-Reggenza's approval; I signed in to that app that Jeanne has that lets her monitor stuff around the castle. Since Jeanne was the only person meant to use it, there wasn't an option to locate her, so I pressed the button for La Contessa.
The app informed me that La Contessa was not in the castle, ("Thank you, Susan, but our Contessa is in another castle.") but that Rita was currently posing as her at the castle's gift shop. Patching into the gift shop's cameras showed "Helen" rounding up a stop-in and shaking hands with a couple of tourists before getting into her own dress for the reception. Jeanne was in the background, standing next to her cart, which was plugged in to a nearby outlet and charging.
I smiled. She was doing something that I knew the real Helen enjoyed doing; meeting tourists and giving them a story to take back home. Over a year ago, Helen was doing the same thing when someone ran out of the tour group and stabbed her. As soon as she was able to again, she went right back to doing it. A little more careful, and maybe with some more Ultimados lurking just out of earshot, but she wasn't going to let that fuck stop her from doing something she loved. I looked around the shop for a moment. As I suspected, members of La Familia were trying not to be noticed buying out the last of the items in the Baby section.
Like, Comment and Give Rating.
![[+]](https://xossipy.com/themes/sharepoint/collapse_collapsed.png)