A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Sir Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626).

Timoteo watched from across the room as the frighteningly self-possessed young Helene Marshal introduced herself to the dozen men and women who had either been selected or had volunteered to teach her control over her Dying Will Flames. The Vongola Nono had been honestly impressed by the teenager's mental acuity, family loyalty and willingness to compromise and had, after a multitude of private meetings and editing sessions, signed a contract between her and the entire Vongola Famiglia. The contract had nothing to do with her training; that was being supplied as repayment for her having saved the Cavallone heir and thereby prevented the outbreak of war between said Famiglia and the Vongola. The much debated contract with its codicils, conditions and terms was purely for the protection of Helene's family and associates.

Watching the seventeen-year-old with her red-streaked hair and icy eyes burning with Hyper Dying Will Flames, snowflakes dancing above her head as she verbally fenced with her prospective teachers, Timoteo remembered his own youth and training before he became Vongola Nono and wished either of his surviving sons had even half of her self-sacrificing nature and moral compass. Helene was unyielding in her belief that there were some lines that could not be crossed, some roads that it was better not to take and that some thoughts should never, ever be spoken aloud. Her adamant refusal to even contemplate certain options made the elderly Mafia boss feel his age acutely and wish he had a better choice of heirs. His legs, despite Brow Nie's repeated efforts, were not getting any better and he would soon have no choice but to retire regardless of the suitability of his successors. Federico was doing his best to learn, but the quiet, intellectual man was not at all charismatic and rather hesitant, neither of which were qualities that would help the Vongola to thrive. Quite the opposite in fact. Xanxus… well, the less said the better. Timoteo recognised that freezing the boy in Zero Point Breakthrough Flames was a temporary measure, but he could not bring himself to defrost the rage-filled teenager and explain in full why his youngest son could never become Vongola Decimo. Then there was Iemitsu, who had made himself ineligible upon becoming part of the CEDEF and Iemitsu's son Tsunayoshi, who was only eleven and didn't even know the Vongola existed. Hopefully Timoteo would never have to shatter that innocence.

It was in light of the deaths of his two primary heirs and the dubious suitability of those that remained that Timoteo had insisted on one of the clauses in Helene's contract. It was not a nice clause and one that made him feel a pang of guilt every time he met the eyes of the fierce, grief-stricken yet determinedly dutiful young woman to whom the entire Famiglia was indebted, but that could not be helped. The future of the Famiglia was on the line and if there was one thing Timoteo would willingly damn himself for, it was ensuring that the next generation of the Vongola would prosper. If it came to the worst then that clause would save the Famiglia, though no-one would thank him for it.

After an hour of light conversation Helene excused herself and left the room, forcing the would-be tutors to make conversation or otherwise entertain themselves. Timoteo watched the mixed group of applicants with a thoughtful eye: he had picked some of them, but others had come forward by themselves or been volunteered and those were the ones that interested him. Most interesting of all were the two Arcobaleno in the room, Lal Mirch of the CEDEF and Mammon of the Varia. Lal Mirch had likely been volunteered by Iemitsu, but Timoteo wasn't entirely sure how Mammon had come to be here. True, he was Varia and most of the Varia had thus far proved themselves to be extremely attached to Helene Marshal, but as far as he knew Mammon had never even met her before today and was not the type to allow others to pressure him into anything.

Helene re-entered the room and cleared her throat to attract the attention of her prospective teachers, a number of whom were starting to argue. "I have chosen my tutor; I would like to learn from Signor Mammon. My thanks to everyone else who offered their services."

There was some quiet grumbling but the room emptied of the unsuccessful candidates, leaving only Mammon, Helene, Timoteo and Coyote Nougat, his Storm Guardian, in the room.

"Why Mammon?" the Vongola Nono asked.

Helene turned to the Mist Arcobaleno. "Why did you offer to teach me, Mammon?"

The hooded and cloaked baby's response was prompt and blunt. "The Vongola owes you a great deal, so they are sure to pay your tutor accordingly. You are also wealthy in your own right, and would be willing to pay me for anything further you would like to be taught."

"And there you have it," Helene said softly. "Mammon will teach me anything I want to learn, regardless of the Vongola party line. The only limit on my learning is the one set by my budget, which you have agreed will be generous. Mammon will also not interfere in my private business, nor try to take advantage of me on behalf of the Vongola unless someone pays him to do so, and even then he will likely refrain in favour of informing me for a suitable fee. "

Mammon inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"How did you know to volunteer, Mammon?" Timoteo asked.

"Bel told me about Helene," the Illusionist said simply. "He mentioned she was clever, driven, very wealthy and that the Vongola owed her a favour."

Belphegor knew Mammon very well indeed to so clearly catch the venal Arcobaleno's interest.

"Very well," the Vongola Nono agreed, "but in order to meet the terms of the contract Helene will be moving to Japan. One of the conditions was that the Vongola would conceal her from the rest of the Mafia and keeping her here would be counter-productive." That condition was a very useful one, as it would also serve to limit her contact with the rest of the Varia as much as possible. In Japan, the other assassins could only visit in between jobs but if he kept her in Italy she would likely wind up living in their mansion.

Mammon simply nodded before vanishing as if he'd never been there. Timoteo turned back to Helene.

"Why him?" he repeated. Helene sat herself down in the chair opposite his, settling her cane across her lap.

"He truly has no ulterior motives," she said simply, the snowflakes above her head expanding their path to whirl around her whole body. "He does not care what I do with what I learn or whether I eventually ally myself to the Vongola, so long as I pay him for his services. He will teach me anything I want to learn and introduce me to new things that may interest me in the hope of getting more money out of me."

Timoteo had to concede the truth of her statement; she had Mammon down to a tee.

"Why not any of the others?" he tried, wanting to know why she had chosen the most personally difficult candidate as her tutor.

"They all had ulterior motives or were unsuitable," Helene replied promptly. "Lal Mirch did not want to be here and only showed up because her boss asked her to. Most of the others wanted to recruit me to their team or sought to curry favour with you. One just wanted to seduce me," she made a face, "and another wanted to use me as leverage against Squalo."

Timoteo blinked. He hadn't even considered that as a possibility.

"Squalo still loves me," Helene said flatly in response to his expression, "just as I still love him. We broke off the relationship because no matter what, to him I'm always going to come second to Xanxus. I have my pride and I refuse to be second in the heart of the man I love. However that doesn't mean either of us has stopped caring for the wellbeing of the other."

Timoteo nodded and apologised: it took great strength of heart to end a relationship before it went sour. Most people would have clung on and deluded themselves that it could be made to work; that Helene had not showed she could think clearly even when her emotions were involved, which gave him hope that she would not allow herself to be drawn into the internal unrest the Vongola was experiencing in the matter of choosing the next boss.

Helene is/was Mammon's student. This will indeed affect things further down the line.