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Vento Aureo SBR AU: Golden Blood
Chapter 14: La Prima Donna e Il Fantasma
1907, Location Unknown:
Ring, ring, ring…
The high-pitched ringing of a telephone reverberated echoed throughout the confines of a small office.
Ring, ring, ring…
A man wearing thick garbs and a hood, despite it being very dark in the office, the only source of illumination available being from the flame of a half-melted candle, sits, staring at the telephone in front of him called out to be received.
Ring, ring, ring…
After the third set of ringing, the Mysterious Man reached out, grabbing the receiver, and putting it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Praise to you, my lord. I bring you an update regarding the mission you have placed upon us." A monotonous voice responded from the other end of the line.
"I am listening." The Mysterious Man answered.
"Ahem. We have successfully two unknowing factions against each other. The forces of Passione and the group surrounding Caligula Risotto, The Pact of Blood, are now fighting a war they don't even know they are fighting. On March 29th at 12:05 AM, you had successfully crippled Caligula Risotto and separated him from Patrizia Madonna, who ran into Narancia Ghirga, whose guardian is the Lieutenant of the Passione controlled Little Italy district. Later that day at 12:19 PM, Risotto called upon the Pact of Blood, setting the war plan into motion.
On April 1st, at 1:38 AM, the informant based at the Stone Ocean Maximum Security Prison released our old operator, Oyecomova, from his captivity, dying in the process. Soon after at 7:21 AM Oyecomova encountered Narancia Ghirga, who defeated and killed him in combat…"
"How unfortunate…" The Mysterious Man mused. "His stand was awfully dangerous, and he could have been one of the Upper Echelon had he not decided to switch loyalties to President Valentine during the Steel Ball Run. What else?"
"Giorno Joestar entered the scene…"
Neither person spoke, as if the Mysterious Man needed time to digest the information given to him. "What came of it?"
"We will return to the Joestar, but he heals Ghirga of the damages he sustained against Oyecomova. Next: At 8:05 AM, Loreta Abbachio and Patrizia Madonna investigate the scene where you attacked Risotto, only to be attacked by Spilla di Toscana." The Mysterious Man unconsciously leaned forward in anticipation. "Then Pannacotta Zeppeli intervened, killing her."
"EXCELLENT!" The Mysterious Man cheered loudly, his voice echoing around the room in joy. "Spilla has been a thorn in our operations that we needed desperately removed. And we have eliminated one of the few people actively investigating us. Ahem… Please continue."
"I was personally able to take a photo of the Zeppeli, and mailed it to the informant of the crime underworld, Kento Nijimura, in a bid to attract more powerful foes against the Zeppeli. I will touch on that in a moment…" There was a short pause.
"Next, at 12:49 PM Bruno Bucciarati, and his entourage, Loreta Abbachio, Narancia Ghirga, Pannacotta Zeppeli, Guido Mister, and Patrizia Madonna all dined at The Cow Post, where an operator for the Gianfranco Petroleum Firm, only known as The Red Death poisoned everyone, sans Patrizia Madonna and Bruno Bucciarati. Infecting them with his stand that caused them to be incoherent, rage fueled monsters. Bucciarati killed him, and at least 12 people were killed and the other 39 heavily wounded from the stand attack, including his group…"
"And now they are out of commission, easy pickings for us if need be." Unless…
"That is the thing, My Lord. The Joestar child returned, alongside his mother, Hot Pants Joestar and completely healed everyone."
The Mysterious Man tightened the grip on the phone's receiver, fist shaking slightly in anger, only to calm down moments later as he heard the sounds of the metal stressing under his iron vice. It seems that the Joestar is unconsciously attracted to this group.
"What else?" Although no longer as angry as before, he couldn't help but growl through his teeth.
"Finally, at 1:19 PM, Giorno Joestar and Pannacotta Zeppeli were isolated from the rest of the group. This is where the photo I took of the Zeppeli comes to play." The man on the other side explained. "Fritz Von Stroheim, Caligula Risotto and Spilla's armorer, attacked the two boys, and almost killed them both. However, something happened…"
"What?"
"Well… The informant observing the entire exchange said this: 'I saw that von Stroheim fired a steel ball at the Joestar, point blank. However, a sudden flash of light knocked everyone back, and healed the Joestar, Zeppeli, and Stroheim, turning his chest plate back into that of a human torso…' Afterwards, the Joestar child turned the rest of Stroheim's mechanical parts back into human tissue, letting the arms dealer walk free, most likely to return to his family."
"Annoying. But expected. Giorno Joestar has an uncanny ability to pull a victory or a stalemate from an impossible situation… And there is Stroheim. Although he is severely weakened, he is still a weapons dealer to the Pact of Blood. I need him eliminated."
"I will send a squad to properly dispose of him and make it seem like the fault of the Pact of Blood, My Lord… And this concludes my report. Although… May I have permission to ask a question, My Lord?"
"Go ahead."
"Why are we doing this?"
"Because, Tizzano, the most effective way to eliminate two powerful enemies is to get them to annihilate each other. The wealth and influence that Passione and the denizens of the Underworld have over Manhattan threatens our continued existence." The Mysterious Man explained. "The time for us to rise up and walk-up Heaven's Stairway is almost upon us. And when we do, there will be no one to impede us. Let them fight… Is that all?"
"Yes, My Lord." Tizzano said. "I do hope that your operation in La Patria is successful. Glory to you, ad victoriam."
The line cuts dead. The Mysterious Man set the receiver back on the phone rack.
Our roads of purity are hung with the bodies of those who tried to stop us. When there is no one left in the Underworld of Crime, we will step up and be the supreme rulers of all of Existence, and Non-existence. [Blood Royale] grabbed the pedestal that the melting candle stood on, bringing it closer to the Mysterious Man's face. There were no sounds in the room except for the faint crackling of the candle. There will be no one to stop me from obtaining the Saint's Blood. It is time to pierce the veil of non-existence.
FWO!
One deep breath, and the candle light was gone.
1907, Portofino, Italy, 1 Hour West of Genoa:
"I AM LOSING MY MIND!" Lady Madonna; Donna of Passione, the largest criminal organization in the world, having influence in much of the soft European Underbelly known only as Italy and much of the Eastern American seaboard; screamed out in fury into the Italian night sky.
Despite all the power and fortune, the black and pink haired woman was still susceptible to a case of violently chronic boredom. She stood on the ship's deck, near the bow facing starboard as she looked into the horizon of the Mediterranean Sea. She leaned on the railing, tapping her foot impatiently, neither the cool winds coming from the sea, the smell of sea salt permeating the air, or the luminescent full moon ascending a pristine, almost purple sky couldn't calm her down. It almost seemed like nothing would.
That was, until a pair of arms came from behind her and wrapped around her waist. "Now, now, Lady…" A somewhat high pitched, but soft voice said, causing a shiver to go up her spine from the beauty and caring tone of the voice. "All of this anger will make you wrinkly, and we know you hate that. Now for a breathing exercise. In 1, 2…"
Lady inhales.
"Out 3, 4."
Lady exhales.
And as if it were magic, all of the ennui-based anger that seemed to be as hot as the lava spewed from a volcano suddenly transformed itself into a steam that escaped the Donna's lips. That anger is no longer part of her, it opted to join the air of the sea.
"Thank you, Aceto…" She mumbled, still suffering from agonizing boredom. "It's just that this storm near Monaco will not seem to end. We have already finished negotiations with the Committee (Comitato Veneziano Gioco d'azzardo), and I just wish to return to Manhattan. I miss my home, I miss my clothes, and I miss my bed…"
She dramatically dropped onto the deck floor, arms still dangling over the edge of the railings. Aceto crouched down and patted her on the back with a practiced smile hiding behind a tuft of hair that covered 50% of his face.
"Are you sure those are the only things you're missing? I am certain that there is another thing we are forgetting…" Lady Madonna nodded her head, as the existence of her only daughter slipped through the confines of her mind. "Oh, and do you miss the bed, or the man you usually find on it?"
Lady Madonna craned her neck to the side to stare at her husband's face using only one eye. She sported an unimpressed look, despite Aceto not being able to see due to her arm obscuring the rest of your face.
But that look drops, replacing it with a playful if lustful smirk. "You're a very sly man, Aceto~"
"Of course I am!" Aceto {giggled} as he buffed his gloved fingernails on his dusty jacket lapel. "My gift of speaking made many men question their loyalty to their old employers."
"And your voice, mmm, even if you didn't have your way of word, I would have still married you from the sound of your voice alone~ It helps me sleep at night."
"You hear it every night, Lady~" Aceto whispered in her ear, eliciting Lady Madonna to lick her lips in anticipation.
They were alone on the ship. It was their own, personal ship, and the crew and the captain are in town, resting until the storm ends. They will return on the morrow to sail back to Manhattan, after the storm subsides. So why not? Why shouldn't they just enjoy themselves here?
And they were dangerously close to start too, as Aceto leaned down for a kiss.
"Donna Madonna!" A voice from off the boat called out to her, interrupting the moment before it could even begin. The whirlwind of fury that Lady just dispersed returned to her, tenfold.
"Oh, figlio di puttana-" Aceto moved out of the way as she quickly, and ferociously stood up and screamed over the railing, starboard. "WHAT?"
A dark gray-haired man with dark tan skin, and pencil mustache wearing a big, puffy, auburn coat waved to them from the dock below. "My apologies for interrupting you, Donna Madonna, but something happened! The Venetians are requesting your presence immediately!"
Lady and Aceto gave each other a look. The former being that of confusion, and the latter being one of cold calculation and thought. The Donna turned her gaze back to her mafioso underling, quaking an eyebrow, already internalizing, this is a trap.
"I'll be there in a moment…" She growled, standing up with assistance from her diligent husband.
"I will be in the bedroom…" Aceto said before their lips connected. After they broke away, he whispered. "Be safe, don't keep me waiting…"
"I can take care of myself Aceto." She returned her affection by running her finger from his throat to his chin as he turned away. Her warmed smile dropped in favor of her stern, professional glare. "Let us get this over with."
Stepping off the ship onto the dock, she followed the mafioso that reeked of burnt tobacco to the port, where she was going to be driven back to where the meeting she just returned from had taken place. What she didn't realize were the multiple people dressed in all black emerging from the sea. Many of them emerged from the water without making so much as a misplaced droplet sound, scaling the hull with rapid succession.
Aceto was sitting by himself in his lodge, deciding to pass the time waiting for Lady by sitting down and writing in his journal, unaware of the many men who had invaded the ship. Scribbling away, his ears perked at the sound of the metal door creaking open, not even turning around as he was busy writing his final thoughts in his diary. "Oh? You have returned so soon. I thought you would be gone for long-"
Aceto froze as he saw four men wearing wet, black clothing and face paint with plastic wrapped rifles pointed at him.
"Do not move. Any sudden movements and we will be sure to smoke you." One of the men spoke in a low, but commanding tone of voice. "Hands up, slowly."
Aceto raised his hands as he stood up, neither his face, nor his body betrayed any form of emotion. "There is no need for this, gentlemen. I am sure we can come to a peaceful unders-"
"Shut it," the forward man barked, turning to another armed man beside him. He jerked his head to the side, a gesture towards Aceto. "Tie him up…"
"Waitwaitwaitwa-" The man did not wait. The armed man roughly grabbed Aceto by the lapel of his jacket and slammed him, face first onto the ground, bloodying the poor man's nose. "Ow… why…"
"Don't worry about why, now shut up."
Tears of fear trailed down Aceto's face as the armed men began to gag him so he would not make a sound, and as they did, this bang that covered half of his face was shifted. Uncovering a white mask that went up to his hairline all the way down to his chin. The eye and mouth portions were decorated with large eyelashes and succulent red lips respectively, with the eyehole being completely black. That was, until the black was wiped away by a milky white-pupiled eye. Aceto Madonna's Stand, [Temporary Secretary].
And despite him being gagged, unable to speak physically, he channeled his voice through his mind, screaming out into the metaphysical plane: "LADY, HELP ME!"
From the docks, those three words rattled in Lady Madonna's brain, she widened her eyes and turned back to look at the ship.
"Aceto?" she whispered.
Click, click, click, click.
The sound of many lever-action rifles priming could be heard in the quiet docks. Looking around, Lady Madonna realized that there are rifles pointing at her from all directions, muzzles pointing out of the seawater. Another click came from behind her. Looking over the shoulder she saw her own subordinate pointing a revolver at her head.
"Sorry, Donna Madonna, it's nothing personal…" The pencil mustache mafioso smirked, revealing unhealthily yellowed teeth.
"Funny, it seemed to me that it was personal." She narrowed her eyes, seemingly uncaring for the fact that she is completely encircled by people who do not intend to take her alive.
BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!
The mafiosos fired their weapons into the center of the circle, and as the smoke cleared, Lady Madonna was still standing, unharmed. The pencil mustache mafioso's smug face dropped into one of horror, but he didn't stand for long, as blood began to squirt from a particularly large gunshot wound on his neck, by the carotid artery. He clutched his neck, trying to pinch the wound shut, but to no avail as a puddle began to form on the dock, seeping through the wood and staining the waters below.
Actually, the once clear sea water surrounding the docks were now dyed red, as four bodies floated on the surface.
Lady Madonna walked briskly up to the last surviving traitor who began to choke on his own blood, smiling wickedly as she kneeled down neck to him.
"… how…" Was his last word as he gagged on the coppery-bile taste in his mouth.
"I simply executed all of you the first day I met you." She chuckled darkly. "Oh, and you won't have to worry about providing for your daughter anymore, Fumatore…" She lowered herself to whisper into the dying Mafioso's ear. "Because she was never born…"
Tears ran down Fumatore's face as his world began to fade into darkness, cold, despairing, knowing he will not be able to see his own daughter in the afterlife, because she never existed in the first place.
Lady Madonna stopped up, spitting at the man's corpse. "That is the power of [Past Mistress]."
She turns her attention back to the ship. I am coming, my love!
Back at the ship, two of the armed men listened in on the silence that came after the storm of gunfire.
"Sounds like it's over." One mumbled, lighting a cigarette. "Heh. Donna of one of the most powerful organizations in the world, and she still fell for one of the most obvious ambush traps in the book?"
"I know!" The other laughed out loud. "What made her so powerful in the first place if she is so gullible?"
"I don't know, would either of you like to find out?" A third, evidently feminine voice said coldly behind them.
Snapping their heads around with their rifles pointing the voice's directions, they immediately found themselves disarmed. Lady Madonna, elbowed the man on her left in his face, flattening his orbital bone, causing blood to fly everywhere. She then stomped on the knee of the other man, causing his leg to cave backwards, shattering his kneecap and snapping the man's leg backward. He screamed out in agony as he fell backwards, and Lady pounced on him, stabbing him in the throat with a blade she reaped off of Fumatore. And with one sideways slice, the man's throat was cut wide open.
She stood back up and went back to the man whose face she had just broken, stabbing his leg before twisting it to cause maximum damage and pain.
"You're going to tell me what you're doing trying to assassinate me and take my husband captive, and why…"
The man growled in pain, spitting in her face with the blood that pooled in his mouth. "Fuck you, puttana."
"Oh-ho, fuck me?" She smiled widely. "I am sorry, but only my husband can do that."
She pulled out the blade from his leg and stabbed it deeply into the right side of his chest, causing him to hitch his breath at where her blade pierced. "Quit your tough man act, the blade is now in your aorta. I pull it out, you will bleed out and die."
"We were paid to betray you, and kidnap your husband…" The man explained, as the twinkle in his eye darkened in despair.
"By who?"
"The Capo of Genoa" He responded. "He mailed us all a downpayment of $700, said he will give us more when we finish…" ($700 in 1907 is ~$21,000 in 2023.)
The Capo of Genoa? He is giving all of these people more than $500 just to do this mission. He shouldn't have that much money… Before Lady could continue her train of thought, the door to the cabin opened to reveal another armed traitor. He raised up his rifle and fired at Lady, who just shoved the Mafioso she was interrogating, who caught the bullet with his head.
She swiped a revolver from the falling mafioso's holster as she dived behind a crate.
"THE DONNA SURVIVED, SHE'S ON THE BOAT!" The traitor called out from behind him, prompting 3 more armed traitors to come out, taking cover behind other crates as they fired their weapons at her.
Lady counted the amount of bullets in the rotating chamber, 6. Let's count them down…
She put her back on the cold, sealant ground, and using her legs, she pushed the crate she once covered behind with surprising strength, causing it to ram another and knocking down a mafioso traitor. Using the moment of confusion to her advantage, she lifted herself up and fired a single shot as she ran to another crate for cover, hitting one of the four traitors in the eye, sending him to the ground.
5…
One of the traitors advanced on the Donna's position, while the other two who had rifles stayed behind to provide covering fire. Lady realized the predicament and shifted her position to the next adjacent side of the crate, trying her best not to flinch as bullets splintered the edges of the large wooden box. Looking around the corner, she found the shotgun toting traitor skulking cantankerously towards her, to commit his devilish deeds. Taking her new opening without a second thought, she fired her revolver twice, hitting him both times in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground.
4… 3…
She then shifted positions once again, deciding to advance on the traitor, getting behind another crate closer to the other two. She prepared to make her assault, but realized that the traitor she shot twice earlier was still reaching for his rifle, so to compensate she put one more into his head.
2.
Lady then decides, fuck it, and threw herself on the sealant ground, blindsiding the last two mafioso by suddenly sliding next to them, firing the last two of her bullets, hitting one straight in the forehead and the other in his mouth.
"Phew." She dropped the revolver and picked up one of the many lever-action rifles lying around, an 1860 Henry Repeating rifle.
Before making her way into the cabin she first grabbed as much ammo as she could and loaded up the rounds that were missing in the loading chamber. She then briskly walked up to the cabin door and opened it up, entering without a moment's hesitation, she was on a mission. Except that mission seemed to come to a screeching halt, when four armed men appeared at the end of the hall, two on each side, and pointed their weapons at the Donna, a firing squad. She was completely bottlenecked; she'll be unable to dodge. Looking around the hall she stood in, she found a large metal door, and slammed her shoulder into it as the four fired upon her, forcing the door open on the first attempt as slamming hard onto the ground.
Pain exploded in Lady's shoulder, hissing as she stood up. Looking to her left shoulder, she can see her clavicle clearly dislocate, pushing the skin up. Hearing the rapidly approaching footsteps of two pairs of feet, she quickly grabbed her left forearm and yanked it across her chest, she could feel her shoulder bone pop back into place.
She positioned herself at the very back of the room, adjacent to the doorway, pointing her rifle, ready for them. The moment one of the traitors showed a sliver of his head, Lady immediately fired her gun, destroying his entire prefrontal cortex, sending shards of skull and brain matter into the wall. The mafioso behind the newly deceased forward man recoiled backwards in shock, but he unintentionally gave the Donna enough time to come out from behind the wall and shoot him. Hitting him in the chest, pushing him backwards into the wall, where he was shot three more times as he fell to the ground.
The last two gunmen rush for the room, but are quickly stopped by Lady Madonna, kicking one backwards, landing on top of his newly killed teammate. The other gunman tried to whack her in the back of the head with the stock of his gun, but she ducked out of the way, causing him to hit the metal wall, causing a loud bang to echo deafeningly throughout the hallway. The Donna didn't let that slide, so she retaliated with her own stock strike to his face, knocking him backwards.
The other mafioso finally got up, but Lady stuck the muzzle of the gun in his throat and advanced, cutting off airflow as she pushed him against a wall. She removed the muzzle from his throat, opting to hit him in the chin with the barrel of the gun, before turning to the side to hit the gunman behind her,the one whose nose she just broke, in the solar plexus, knocking with wind out of him. She then recharged the rifle, ejecting the empty round, and put the rifle on her shoulder, muzzle pointing at the mafioso behind her.
BANG!
Not only did she shoot the mafioso behind her in the head, but the recoil caused the butt of the gun to slam into the face of the gunman in front of her. She then moved to grab him by the collar, while reentering the room she used to dodge the hail storm of bullets. She slammed his head on the doorframe, knocking him out, but she doubled down, closing the large metal door on his head with a resounding slam! Not wanting him to ever get back up she then slammed her foot on the door, shutting it completely on his head. The room was then shrouded in darkness, the only sound being akin to tap running water. In actuality it was the sounds of the poor mafioso's popped upper head gushing water onto the floor.
The last two traitorous gunmen were in the living quarters, guarding Aceto. They had listened to what just transpired in the hallway and they stared at the door, appalled by the sounds of utter, unbridled bloodshed. When they heard the door slam along with a faint pop, they both knew that it wasn't over, not at all. They both blanched at each other, not knowing what to do next.
"You go out there." One said to the other without a shred of hesitation, or guilt at what he was condemning his partner to.
"What?" The other gasped at him. "Are you fucking crazy? Didn't you just hear all that? No damn way I am going out there!"
"Well, one of us has to go see if the bitch is dead!"
"Why can't it be you?"
"Well, I am responsible for the hostage. So…" He motioned towards the door. "You have to go out there."
"We'll flip a coin. Whoever it lands on stays here with the hostage. I call heads."
"What- I- Ugh. Fine… Tails it is…"
The gunman pulled out a 1000 lira cent and flipped it in the air using his thumb. He then let it drop into the palm of his hand before flipping it onto the top of his fist. Removing his hand, he sighed loudly in relief. "Heads. So, you go out."
"CAZZO! FINE!" The unfortunate gunman shouted in anger, charging the handle of his repeating rifle, slowly approaching the door.
He opened it, throwing an ugly glare at his partner before slipping out, not bothering to close it. There was a brief if tense moment of silence, but it seemed to stretch on for quite a while. Huh, maybe we actually got-
WHAP! Oh god, oh shit… SOCK, OOF, CRUNCH.
The gunman gripped his gun tighter in fear.
CRUNCH! CRACK! "AHHHHHH!" A clearly masculine voice screamed out in agony as the sounds of brutal bare-knuckle fighting, which was clearly not going in the direction the mafioso was going for. SLIPT, SLASH, CREKEKEK-
The mafioso decided to hauled Aceto by the collar, positioning the Donna's secretary in front of himself, pointing a revolver at his head, causing the purple haired man to flinch in fear, unable to audibly express himself due his mouth being completely bound.
CHA-CHICK… BANG, CHA-CHICK, BANG, CHA-CHICK, BANG, CHA-CHICK, click, click, click… The silence returned after the sound of gun firing echoed through the hall. Then came the footsteps, the sound may have been padded due to the material of the sealant, but the power behind each one of them was still there. The door began to creak open once again.
Lady Madonna was covered in blood, but one would be a fool to say it was due to her injuries, because they would be mistaken. She had not a single scratch on her body. She stepped a single foot into the room, but the gunman holding Aceto hostage pulls the hammer on his revolver. "DON'T TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD OR I AM BLOWING HIS FUCKING BRAINS OUT, PUTTANA."
She stops in her tracks, her face showing no emotion whatsoever. Her brilliant emerald eyes were now deathly dull as she stared at the traitorous mafioso taking her husband hostage. She then turns her attention to Aceto, shaking in fear. Behind those cold eyes of her was a certain warmth, only reserved for him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"GET OUT, GET OUT! IF YOU DON'T WALK AWAY NOW IM SHOOTING HIM, I'LL DO IT GOD DAMN IT! YOU'LL HAVE TILL THE COUNT OF THREE. ONE… TWO…"
On Lady Madonna's midriff was a large lapel of a pink butterfly with white accents and brilliant pearls circling around her waist. One may double take it laying their eyes upon it due to its eccentric beauty, but what most would not realize is that it is the physical conduit for her stand, [Past Mistress].
Lady Madonna sighed as the mafioso counted down and focused her energy within her. "[Past Mistress]…"
1903, Manhattan, NY:
Bottino Caruso had just been accepted into Passione, being inducted into the Divisione gioco d'azzardo (Gambling Division,) who calculate the profits made from illegal gambling and monitoring casinos for any infractions. For his first assignment, he is tasked with being the muscle of some watchmen in a casino, however he was on break after working a few hours straight. Kicking heads in, as he restrained people from fighting at poker tables, and "taking people out back for a smoke," when they are caught not playing the game by the rules. Hiding cards, card counting, you get the picture.
He was reading the newspaper, drinking a glass of scotch, casually lounging around the break room with a few other mafioso, when suddenly a black man wearing a sharp suit walked in, footsteps carrying power, yet urgency. Amaru Shakur Avdol, the son of some wealthy Afro-Islamic family from Egypt, and the pseudo-owner of the gambling house.
"Right, Ladies, get up. The Donna is going to visit in a few." He said as he walked in, prompting the lazy mafiosos to stand up and form a line, ready for instruction.
Whoa, the Donna coming down here of all places on my first day? Wonder what this is about… Bottino mused as stood up.
After a moment, the door that Amaru had just walked through opened once again, revealing a man with silver hair wearing a black cap and slim cut black suit, his eyes were completely black sans the red pupils staring into the souls of everyone in there. The Demon Child: Caligula Risotto, the Madonna family bodyguard.
Behind him was a pink haired woman, wearing a pink designer vest with an above the knee skirt wrapped by a beautiful white satin garment that flowed down to her feet, with a ridiculously expensive looking lapel on her midriff. Lady Madonna, Donna of Passione.
It was quite a sight to see her, especially when she was wearing a serious expression. The room was quiet as she made her rounds inspecting each mafioso looking them up and door before staring at their face, squinting her eyes. Bottino was cool as a cucumber as he knew he had done nothing wrong as he just joined and pledged his loyalty, keeping a completely neutral expression as Donna Madonna looked at him from his brown oxfords up to his head. She stared at his face for a moment, a moment longer than she did the others. Her green eyes staring into his. Pursuing her lips, she nodded, taking a step away from him, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Phew, for a moment there I thought I did something wr-
With a roar, Lady Madonna stabbed him in the love handle, causing him to choke out a scream of agony. She didn't stop, even as he fell to the ground, stabbing him in the same area before stabbing him a third time in the midsection. Not stopping there, she then put the blade up to Bottino's throat, watching as it cut deeply as the mafioso tried to fight back, kicking his legs unable to scream.
Behind them, Amaru and the other members of the Gambling Division watched in horror, wide eyed, pale as a ghost or as green as grass, some even decided to step out of the room to either vomit, or avoid watching what was happening, while Caligula watched on, seemingly stoic but internally, fucking horrified. Lady Madonna then took the blade out of his throat before stabbing him, again, and again, and again, even as he rolled over to try to avoid the pain, only to receive stabs to the backside.
Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab.
Each one getting increasingly vindictive even as Bottino's eyes roll to the back of his head, and blood seemingly leaked from every orifice produced by Lady Madonna's own knife. Finally, the onslaught came to an end, as a thick silence enveloped the room. She stood up, breathing heavily, shaking with adrenaline and manic rage. Even Caligula seemed shocked at what she had just done, seemingly unprovoked.
"Why would you do that?" He asked with a low voice, appalled at the display of carnage. He was the only brave enough to even breathe loudly, as he was the next strongest stand user in the room, with power that even he could snark with the upper echelon of Passione. A bravery unfounded in this case.
She looked around the room, face caked in blood as a result of it squirting from each individual wound, looking around with a crazed look in her eye, before calmly, if hatefully, whispering in Caligula's ear. "Because I couldn't fucking kill him when I wanted to…"
Caligula knew immediately what she was implying, even then those in hearing distance of her whispers didn't.
This was the power of [Past Mistress].
1907, Portofino, Italy, 1 Hour West of Genoa:
Bottino was bleeding, everywhere. His eyes, nose, mouth, neck, the40+ wounds that suddenly appeared all over his torso, back, legs, arms. He collapsed to the floor, dead, letting go of Aceto and the gun he was threatening the Passione secretary with. Aceto stumbled forward before collapsing into the embrace of his wife, who held his head by her chest.
"Ladyyyyyy…" Aceto wailed loudly from relief, his wife only caressed his hair with a blood-stained hand, the secretary not caring if his purple hair turned red as a result.
"It's okay, my sweet Aceto…" She whispered softly, holding him tighter. "You're okay…"
After a few minutes of Aceto and Lady standing in an embrace, they went down to the docks, passing by every dead body made by the Donna of Passione, until they reached a warehouse. It was full of large crates full of foreign items that neither remaining mafioso knew or cared about. Walking up a metal staircase, hand in hand, they entered an office. Aceto pulled out a wooden chair for Lady to sit down in as she fiddled with a telephone, punching in a number.
After a few seconds of waiting for a response, she heard a voice from the other side.
"Ciao?" A tired sounding voice asked from the other side.
"Canolo…" Lady droned, obviously not in the mood for pleasantries. "Liquidate the Capo of Genoa, and his entire group."
"Oh! I- uh… One second." The voice on the other end of the line suddenly sprung to life. After a few seconds, the voice returned. "Yes, ma'am, right away."
"Oh, send in a cleanup crew as well. There were… 17 fishes that got on board, and on the docks."
"That can be arranged ma'am-" CLICK!
Lady slammed the receiver back onto the phone, cutting the phone call short as she laid her head on her hand. A small hand holding a box of cigarettes appeared beside her, looking up, she saw Aceto had one in his mouth. She didn't hesitate to grab one and plop it into her mouth.
"That was something… To be betrayed by one of my own… Merda." Lady mumbled as Aceto lit a match, lighting both his and her cigarette. "I fell for a simple trick, and you could have gotten hurt…"
"If it makes you feel better, seeing you covered in blood by that doorway was one of the most beautiful things I have seen." Aceto said, puffing out some smoke from his nostrils.
"Ugh…" Lady sighed loudly, exhausted both physically and mentally. "I would be happy that you say that, but there is something bothering me…" Such as, how was the Capo of Genoa able to pay all of those traitors to try and take me out, but not Aceto? There is no way Aceto would make a move for the throne, he made it clear he doesn't want to be the successor should I step down, which is why I am training Patrizia. Adding onto that, Patrizia doesn't take her training seriously, so there would be no logical reason to try and coup me. Merde… This could be bigger than I think it is.
"Something is going on, Aceto, I can feel it."
"What is?"
"Something big…" Lady looked out the window, looking at the night sky, the thousands of white and yellow specks representing that past image of stars, millions of lightyears away. "Something that will threaten our rule at the top of Passione. We have to go back. CALL THE CAPTAIN AND BOASWAINE."
"Yes, my love!" Aceto made a mock salute before a realization dawned on him. He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "We still have to wait for the storm to subside…"
"DAMN IT!" Lady Madonna's rage will never seem to disappear.
End of Episode 14
Stands and Music References seen in this chapter (the following are creations of vanillaprinces):
[Past Mistress]: Lady Madonna's stand; named after The Beatles' 1988 Compilation, Past Master.
[Temporary Secretary]: Aceto Madonna's stand; named after the 1908 Paul McCartney song of the same name.
