"Let's go before Giorno and Mista's gang set out," Fugo whispered as the crew prepared for their arrival onto the Sicilian port.
Fugo was brilliant for this idea. Going before them to survey the public opinion would further lessen the risk of being outed.
He himself was practically an unknown member of Passione as of now outside, due to the whole -ordeal- with betraying her father all those years ago. It was the perfect setup for working undercover.
Trish and Fugo exited the pier and proceeded to make their way to the city line of Palremo, the capital of Sicily. The exact city to where the current don was going to inevitably leave his position of power over these people forever.
"Let's meet back here in an hour, that should be plenty of time."
Splitting up the island with Fugo wasn't exactly the plan that Giorno had mentioned back in Italy ... but Trish felt it in her heart's intuition that the best way to go about this was to space themselves out as much as possible. And to her luck, Fugo had agreed and was thinking on the same path all along, deciding to take the neighboring city of Bagheria while she took Monreale. Each city were specifically located in opposite directions.
"Right, let's get started."
Trish opened her umbrella that she had purchased from a sweet smelling candle shop as the small water droplets began to make their arrival onto the earth.
The wind-chill that clung to the droplets felt refreshing against the humidity that the city of Monreale was trapping in for whatever reason.
To her right, children running past her with their hands over their heads, desperate to avoid the water threatening to downpour among them.
To her left, a young couple walking briskly paced under one umbrella as they were trying to shield each other from the rain.
Trish walked a good mile northwards toward where the homes and neighborhoods seemed to be.
Among the establishments were local cafes, small and inviting.
Perhaps this is exactly where she should start.
Upon walking into the small cafe, she saw miniature trinkets of little shimmering animals resembling blown glass.
"How delicate these must be... and yet they still look handcrafted."
"Oh I see you've spotted some of my daughter's work," a voice approaching the counter said breaking her out of her thoughts.
"Please, ma'am, would you care to support the cafe by buying one? We could really use all we can get."
The voice came from a large elderly man with graying hairs. The man's eyes were kind yet clouded with age.
"Of course... but I need to ask you about something first," Trish stated.
The man's eyes saddened.
"Oh I'd love to answer all of your questions right now but I'm afraid I can't stay for too much longer at the moment. But here, take a menu and get yourself comfortable during this rain."
"Alright, Yes sir I'll be quick."
Trish's eyes scanned the basket of jeweled pieces, occasionally picking one up.
[Cat dancing with a horse, swan, rose, Dalmatian, dragon, koala bear, a wolf with a fiddle...] …The options were almost overwhelming, all of the pieces seemed equally pleasant.
That is ….until something in particular caught her eye.
A miniature frog, and a green one at that. A cute little thing with large eyes that stood out against the spotted pattern of the jewels against it's body.
"Out of all the things in here, you would choose a slimy creature such as that?" The man laughed.
"Are you sure? Very unexpected for a pretty young lady such as yourself if I do say so myself, I was thinking you'd pick something a little less amphibian."
She gently held the frog and handed it over to the man, his words bypassing any offense to Trish.
Trish took a seat by the window to where the man had pointed his daughter out before leaving. He was unaware of her motives but she knew that an opportunity like this couldn't be passed up.
A young woman sipping on her hot tea, who happed to be named Bianca, noticed Trish's presence and curled her lips into a smile.
"Aniya was it? What an unusual name. You from around here?"
"Not entirely," Trish responded. "But that's exactly why I wanted to talk to you. You see, I'm looking for a job in a small shop like this one, but I have no idea how to go about it... how should I start? What's the good and the bad about the town?"
Bianca sighed with a heavy discouraged breath. "Well if you wanted the bad you've came to the right place..."
"Our business is going bankrupt, and the markets are crashing... We may not even be here for another month."
"I'm so sorry, you and your father don't deserve that. May I ask why?"
" It's the fear HE'S putting into people."
Bianca's body turned to the television that was broadcasting a segment about a recent casualty.
"Nobody want's to leave their homes anymore for long periods of time with the gangs threatening to mug the innocent everywhere they go. They terrify us."
Bianca looked outside the window and Trish's eyes followed.
The street in front of them was vacant, silent if not counting the drops of rain.
Now that she mentioned it, the area was unusually quiet for as populated as it was supposed to be.
Trish replayed the memories of the kids she saw running past her with their hands covering their head, and the couple hurrying from the other side of the street...
"-They weren't worried about getting wet at all, were they,-" she thought to herself.
"We need a miracle, Aniya. I say this with the kindness of my heart. Go back to where you came from, there is nothing to provide you with here."
Curly black hairs swayed as the woman shook her head in frustration. It was apparent to Trish that even though what she had just described to her was not necessarily identical to the message on the bloody letter, the desperation that the corruption caused was all in the same.
"Bianca..."
Trish pulled out the jeweled frog she had bought earlier.
"There is something here, in this place. The situation is terrifying, I know, but you are so talented."
" You actually bought one?..." Bianca's eyes widened.
"Thank you so much!"
... "But I have to ask, why did you pick the frog of all things that I made?"
"Well..." Trish's voice trailed off while she stroked the smooth surface of the frog's head.
"It just reminds me of someone I like to think about from time to time."
" Interesting..."Bianca said, raising an eyebrow in confusion before turning her attention back to the television.
"Giorno Giovanna, huh."
Trish nearly jumped at the name.
"No! Wait, W….what do you mean by that?" She couldn't help feeling the stone that plunged into her gut in a bout of panic.
"Oh nothing crazy, I'm just reading off the headline."
Trish turned back to the television as well.
-[Italian Don] Giorno Giovanna seen walking within the streets of Palermo-
"Look Aniya, I appreciate the encouraging words but you have no idea what level of despair we are facing right now."
Trish let her fingers wrap themselves around her little marbled frog of glass.
"Trust me when I say this, Bianca. I have confidence that all faith has not been lost just yet."
"And how would you know that? May I remind you about who the actual resident living here is?" Bianca asked.
"It's just a feeling."
Outside, towards the back side of a small cafe was a large elderly man with graying hairs, eyes kind but clouded with age. In his hand, a packet of white and a blunt freshly lit.