12-04-2019, 03:37 PM
La Contessa's helicopter descended onto Fort Ernesto, San Finzione's Armed Forces headquarters, and home base of La Squadra de Ultimados; San Finzione's elite Special Forces unit, and personal guard of Contessa Helena and Lady Maria de San Finzione.
A brass band was playing the national anthem of San Finzione on the edge of the helipad below, losing the sound battle to the helicopter's engines; and Generalissimo Hernando Ramirez, supreme commander of San Finzione's Armed Forces, stood in his parade uniform, next to Capitan Gregorio Ortega, commanding officer of La Squadra de Ultimados. Behind them, on the surrounding field, every available soldier was in attendance. As she landed, and the engines died, the band started up again. Ramirez and Ortega ran up to assist La Contessa out of her vehicle.
"This wasn't supposed to be anything official, Hernando." Contessa Helena de San Finzione told the Generalissimo as she accepted his hand out of the vehicle.
"La Contessa does not make official visits to the base." Ramirez replied, under his breath. "The troops wanted to show their support on her special day."
Helen allowed herself a tiny smile as they walked toward an awaiting Jeep.
"It's not my special day, it's theirs. And yours. You and Violeta have something planned?" She asked Ramirez, debating lighting a cigarette, then deciding to wait until the Jeep had reached its destination, rather than try to smoke in an open-air vehicle.
"We have a sitter for the Niños tonight. I'll try to be on time for dinner for once."
"Well," Helen replied, as they got in. "Tell her I'll do everything I can to keep some psycho from blowing up the world tonight without you."
Ortega remained silent but nodded sternly, as if his Contessa had just given him that order. The Generalissimo smiled and responded.
"I will tell her this." His tone changed to a slightly more serious one. "And what are La Contessa's plans for the evening?"
"Probably the same thing I was doing all morning before coming here." Helen replied. "Going out there, finding people who look like they'd make cute couples, and telling them 'Don't move. Are you seeing anybody right now? Well, what do you think of her?'"
The Generalissimo had worked alongside La Contessa long enough to tell when she was trying to avoid answering a difficult question with humor.
"Troy, Julie, and Susan are all in town." He replied, musing in a way that was clearly not idle. "As is Señorita Sullivan."
"So is Jeanne, and any hot man or woman who happens to catch my eye. Well, Jeanne was at the Ministry of Science, pretending to be a computer, last time I saw her. She's got the night off, so I don't know what her plans are. And there's every chance that Jeanne made dinner plans with the Agapetron 3000, so I presume she'll be busy. The Equals, Susan, and Colleen are all busy helping with the Festival. Julie did something like this last year, so she's got some experience; if we'd thought to make it a contest to see who could get to the most people today before the four of us left the castle this morning, she'd be winning. This isn't about me, though, this is ABOUT the People. And right now, it's about two very important ones to me. Apart from all the ones I usually say are important. Besides, it's still sort-of Troy & Julie's anniversary, so they have something planned tonight. I think Susan and Colleen do, too."
Ramirez nodded. The Jeep came to a stop, and he escorted La Contessa to the office where two Ultimados stood at attention. Ramirez left her with them, and Helen lit a cigarette and sat behind the desk, opening her black Prada Arcade bag, looking for something.
Primo Tenente Marisol Velasquez and Dr. Tenente Paul Maisson of La Squadra de Ultimados stood at attention until she motioned for them to be seated. Maisson had just sent a text and put his phone away. She then found the item she was looking for in her purse and set it on the desk.
"You wanted to see us, Contessa?" Primo Tenente Velasquez asked after a few moments.
"Yes, I did." Helen said at last. "You're both aware of what a special day it is in San Finzione, right?"
The two of them nodded. La Contessa continued.
"Letters have been pouring into the address we set up for Cupid a year ago, from San Finzione and from tourists planning to visit us on this day, asking that Cupid hear their plea. We've been reading them, analyzing them, doing background checks where possible, to weed out the creeps and perverts. Most of the letters have been addressed to Signor Cupid. A few have been addressed to me." La Contessa smiled before picking up the object she'd removed from her purse earlier; a small blue envelope. "And then there's this one. Left on my nightstand about two months ago, written on my stationary."
A brass band was playing the national anthem of San Finzione on the edge of the helipad below, losing the sound battle to the helicopter's engines; and Generalissimo Hernando Ramirez, supreme commander of San Finzione's Armed Forces, stood in his parade uniform, next to Capitan Gregorio Ortega, commanding officer of La Squadra de Ultimados. Behind them, on the surrounding field, every available soldier was in attendance. As she landed, and the engines died, the band started up again. Ramirez and Ortega ran up to assist La Contessa out of her vehicle.
"This wasn't supposed to be anything official, Hernando." Contessa Helena de San Finzione told the Generalissimo as she accepted his hand out of the vehicle.
"La Contessa does not make official visits to the base." Ramirez replied, under his breath. "The troops wanted to show their support on her special day."
Helen allowed herself a tiny smile as they walked toward an awaiting Jeep.
"It's not my special day, it's theirs. And yours. You and Violeta have something planned?" She asked Ramirez, debating lighting a cigarette, then deciding to wait until the Jeep had reached its destination, rather than try to smoke in an open-air vehicle.
"We have a sitter for the Niños tonight. I'll try to be on time for dinner for once."
"Well," Helen replied, as they got in. "Tell her I'll do everything I can to keep some psycho from blowing up the world tonight without you."
Ortega remained silent but nodded sternly, as if his Contessa had just given him that order. The Generalissimo smiled and responded.
"I will tell her this." His tone changed to a slightly more serious one. "And what are La Contessa's plans for the evening?"
"Probably the same thing I was doing all morning before coming here." Helen replied. "Going out there, finding people who look like they'd make cute couples, and telling them 'Don't move. Are you seeing anybody right now? Well, what do you think of her?'"
The Generalissimo had worked alongside La Contessa long enough to tell when she was trying to avoid answering a difficult question with humor.
"Troy, Julie, and Susan are all in town." He replied, musing in a way that was clearly not idle. "As is Señorita Sullivan."
"So is Jeanne, and any hot man or woman who happens to catch my eye. Well, Jeanne was at the Ministry of Science, pretending to be a computer, last time I saw her. She's got the night off, so I don't know what her plans are. And there's every chance that Jeanne made dinner plans with the Agapetron 3000, so I presume she'll be busy. The Equals, Susan, and Colleen are all busy helping with the Festival. Julie did something like this last year, so she's got some experience; if we'd thought to make it a contest to see who could get to the most people today before the four of us left the castle this morning, she'd be winning. This isn't about me, though, this is ABOUT the People. And right now, it's about two very important ones to me. Apart from all the ones I usually say are important. Besides, it's still sort-of Troy & Julie's anniversary, so they have something planned tonight. I think Susan and Colleen do, too."
Ramirez nodded. The Jeep came to a stop, and he escorted La Contessa to the office where two Ultimados stood at attention. Ramirez left her with them, and Helen lit a cigarette and sat behind the desk, opening her black Prada Arcade bag, looking for something.
Primo Tenente Marisol Velasquez and Dr. Tenente Paul Maisson of La Squadra de Ultimados stood at attention until she motioned for them to be seated. Maisson had just sent a text and put his phone away. She then found the item she was looking for in her purse and set it on the desk.
"You wanted to see us, Contessa?" Primo Tenente Velasquez asked after a few moments.
"Yes, I did." Helen said at last. "You're both aware of what a special day it is in San Finzione, right?"
The two of them nodded. La Contessa continued.
"Letters have been pouring into the address we set up for Cupid a year ago, from San Finzione and from tourists planning to visit us on this day, asking that Cupid hear their plea. We've been reading them, analyzing them, doing background checks where possible, to weed out the creeps and perverts. Most of the letters have been addressed to Signor Cupid. A few have been addressed to me." La Contessa smiled before picking up the object she'd removed from her purse earlier; a small blue envelope. "And then there's this one. Left on my nightstand about two months ago, written on my stationary."
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