Reborn is halfway to the Sfondo famiglia's manor and is crossing a platform to switch trains. He gets into the next one, idling with its doors open until it needs to leave, and finds a seat by the window.
The famiglia is quite far out into the countryside so he settles down to wait, watching people walk along the platform through his window.
Verde is standing in front of a pillar, trying to read the train map plastered over it and occasionally looking down into a fancy screen he's holding to try and match the data.
Reborn tells himself that he shouldn't encourage this but he still gets up and sticks his head out of the open doors. "Verde!"
Verde looks over and pockets the device, walking up to Reborn. "The signal got lost because you're too far underground. I was trying to predict where you might switch train lines to."
Reborn begins to ask how long Verde has been following him but instead blurts out, "Am I weak?"
It's been bothering him, these past few days. Reborn doesn't really need any backup. He'll go in, reject the offer, get out. Easy.
Because he's going to be the world's greatest hitman one day, he doesn't need these people. So why did he automatically look for them as soon as he encountered trouble?
Verde's eyebrows drag together when he sees Reborn's expression shutter into something cold and blank. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Reborn offers up a wry smile. "Go home, I don't have time for you today, I have a meeting."
"You called for me," Verde muses. "Is that why you think you're weak? Because you wanted me to follow you to wherever this train will take you?"
Reborn narrows his eyes. "I'm not weak."
"If you know that, then why are you asking me?"
Reborn rubs his fingers against the soft material of his pants. He checks the time, a huge clock on the platform. The train should leave in five minutes. "Why do I want help?"
"Interesting choice of words," Verde sighs. He crosses his arms over his chest. "You don't need, you simply want. So you understand perfectly well that you can go on without help, but it would be comforting to have it nonetheless."
Reborn looks away with a frown. "It's fine, I'm being stupid."
"It's not a weakness to have friends loyal to you. To have someone who would fight with you," Verde points out. "Strength, independence - these things are not inversely proportional to the amount of people who love you."
Reborn hesitates. "I can do it by myself."
Verde peers down at him. "If you would like that. But you don't have to."
"I'm…" Reborn pauses. "You have to wait outside. I need to be dramatic."
"Aren't you always?"
"Don't push your luck, Franken fuck."
Reborn parts ways with Verde about twenty minutes out from the big iron gates. The famiglia has rolled out the red carpet to greet him politely and sends beautiful maids and handsome butlers as a distraction. Reborn does see the guards, the main power of the famiglia, hanging around the edges and watching him.
They lead him to a comfortable room bathed in hues of pale orange and Reborn is not impressed by the overdone colour scheme. Yes, Sky flames are orange, wow, how incredible – does not look good as wallpaper.
They make him wait because of course they do; they need to prove who's in control. In a famiglia like this, Reborn would be a figurehead. He's desired but more like an expensive painting.
Honestly, he'd kill them all if he was feeling any more annoyed. Yes, they do have many allies and are firmly entrenched in Mafia politics but Reborn could just off a few key higher ups to cripple them and they'd be too busy scrambling to keep themselves together to bother him.
People would think it's to boost his reputation and most would applaud the audacity. Might even thank him when they engulf the headless famiglia in the sudden power vacuum that comes after.
But Reborn is restricted because Skull is very bad at dodging bullets, and Colonnello is just starting to move up in COMSUBIN, and Verde looks so weak and flimsy because he hides away in his laboratory most of the time, plus Fon and Lal are…Fon and Lal would probably have fun with it but they don't count.
So Reborn could go in guns blazing but he has people now. He needs to think about consequences, how to protect them.
God knows those idiots would probably dive head first into some stupid and definitely violent plan if they ever found out about this.
Fifteen minutes after they get Verde's message, Colonnello rushes down the stairs with a duffel bag of guns and ammo slung over a shoulder and Lal right behind him. He burst out through the open doorway to see Verde's weird car open for them. Colonnello throws his duffel towards the back and the top of the boot retracts to catch the bag before sliding shut again.
Lal gets in and Colonnello ducks after her. Even before the door closes, Skull has floored it and the vehicle lurches forward.
Lal very quickly puts on her seatbelt but still snaps out, "Someone tried to sell Reborn?!"
