Path of the Vampire forum

There was a saying that went along with how Hannah was feeling at this precise moment. Something along the lines of having the rug pulled out from under her feet. What she thought about Levi and about Gino Valachi had been entirely wrong. Not in the sense of Levi being his boss, because that had been a passing thought, and a potential one, but there were other potentials too. Such as Levi working for him, in some way or another. However, it seemed that both those trains of thoughts were wrong and Gino wasn't necessarily someone that was working with or alongside with Levi, but may very well be working against him. Levi seemed to have a lot of 'friends' who wished him the very best it seemed. So now it came down to Hannah wondering just who Levi actually was and what he did to get under the skin of so many different people and groups.

Whatever those answers may be, there was one thing Hannah was positive about. She didn't like Gino. In fact, she might like him less than Takano. Gino seemed to hide behind grand statements and subtle comments, whereas, Takano seemed very direct. Hannah realized that she would rather be dealing with him, over Gino, now. Hindsight and all that. Hannah knew very well what was expected of her and what would happen if she didn't do what was expected, but Gino was hiding behind something. It made Hannah naturally suspicious of the guy. Still, what could she do right here and right now? Not a single thing.

Her blue eyes narrowed when Gino used the word 'cosy,' feeling a small sense of invasion from him in her life. While she doubted the Serpents viewed anything she did outside of hospital work as her personal life, Hannah still felt on occasion that she was in control of some aspects of her life. Take for instance, the night her and Levi had been on the roof, without any interference from the Serpents. Hannah had felt as if that night was well and truly her own and something she kept tucked away and hidden from them as best as she could. But what Gino seemed to be implying was the exact opposite. That nothing could potentially be private or personal. Just how long has he been watching her, and Levi? Weeks, was what he said. He could have killed her weeks ago.

Her gaze didn't soften when Gino went on about her purpose changing in a new direction, one that he had planned for her. Only when Gino mentioned risks, did Hannah's facial expression change into mild bewilderment. As if reporting things back to anyone about Levi was anything but risky; so what exactly were these 'risks,' he was talking about? So when Gino talked about her interests being both of their interests, Hannah couldn't stop the eye roll from happening. Especially not with what followed after. She found it unlikely that Gino Valachi really cared about what she wanted in this entire thing. And why should he? He had a hand full of spades while she was left with a lot of low playing cards in this game. “No, but neither have you.” Hannah pointed out, because he hadn't paused to actually ask her. He had questioned it, but he kept barreling through his wordy agenda, so again, Hannah couldn't help but not believe Gino.

When he asked if he could continue or if she had questions, Hannah held a hand up and shook her head. “Yes, I have a few questions. The first one being, what exactly is your purpose? What is it you want with L-him?” Hannah had to be careful to not say his name, since Gino didn't appear to want to say his name, even in the presence of good company. “But before you answer any of those questions, I will tell you this. I am not in the business of displacing people. So, if that is what you plan to do, or plan for me to do, then I am not the girl for you.” The hand dropped from the air, but swung to the direction of the door. “If that is your master plan, then this conversation has ended and there is the door. That is not something I will be part of. You want to know what he wants to read? Okay. What his favorite flavor of wine is, excellent. I hear he's a big whiskey drinker too. And his birthday is coming up. But, I suspect you already know all that. I'm not sure how you think I can help you, but there are some things I just won't do. And if that leaves me at the mercy of snakes, then so be it.” The hand moved to grab the chart and set it in her lap, simply to keep from focusing on him, or saying her real thoughts on things, because she suspected that wouldn't be the best thing to do. Sometimes, leaving things unsaid was better for everyone involved.

There was much to reflect on. Hannah had unveiled much of her personality, her understanding, and her assumptions in such a short amount of time. It wasn’t entirely impossible for people to see through the Sicilian’s charms, to recognise them as poison coating a lance. Or maybe he had always been wrong in his assumptions of people, maybe they saw the venom for what it was but were entirely too concerned with their own survival to question it openly. Perhaps Hannah was one of those people who simply wasn’t afraid of death, and so, any threats he candy-coated as favours were going to be rejected. Gino supposed that he should have felt somewhat disappointed in the fact that this was not going to be an easy victory. Instead, he was genuinely impressed and decided that this was an experience that exceeded his expectations. Growing older and therefore more cynical by the day afforded fewer opportunities to be pleasantly surprised. Besides, it was a blessing too; they would all require her fighting spirit to survive what was ahead. There was still a lot of work to do, a few variables to consider, and there was even a question concerning their ultimate intentions. Gino was not overly worried, in fact, he was exactly the right amount of worried for this situation. Hannah’s defiant personality gave him some hope, however. So, he decided to reward her with some key information, which might just sway her judgement somewhat and hopefully for the better.

“Levi is my nephew. I have no interest in… displacing him,” Gino said.

The tone of his voice sounded as though he was coming down from shock when he’d spoken. It offered something like concern within its indiscernible layers of meaning, but even so it would be difficult to distinguish given his features were invariably dull and everything about him held to the notion of expressing a measured, detached, and serious disposition. And while it wasn’t strictly true that Gino Valachi and Levi D’Amico were blood relatives, Hannah did not need to know the finer details as to why the statement held true nonetheless. The relationship between these esteemed Italians was complicated to put it mildly, but, they were as close as any nephew could be with his uncle and vice versa. Levi didn’t want another father, what with William having done a fine job of proving himself to be a complete ********. Likewise, Gino had his own child, one whom he had not been there to raise but couldn’t hope to replace either. Consider in the equation that William and Gino had a rather complicated association as well, and it seemed that the role of uncle fitted perfectly for them all. Gino would act as the guiding hand to sway the younger male into a direction that appeared for the best, but he could do so from of a place of incorruptibility. He was not Levi’s father and so, couldn’t take the blame for whatever stupid mistakes the other man made when he failed to comply.

“Remember that I mentioned how I am the man they send in to kill men like him,” he added. “I hardly think I would need the assistance of a petite young lady to do that much for me. Besides, he has proven to be something of a cockroach – incredibly difficult to kill. No, the role I have for you is different than what you’re currently doing, but not incredibly so.” He paused very briefly, his eyes set so rigidly on her, and his posture so unrelenting that he could be considered a stone carving in that chair. “I say that you can keep your proximity with Levi for all I care because he’s entirely smart enough to know that no person like you would ever be interested in someone like him. I’m sure he’s already suspected you’re not who you say you are and his Japanese friend must already be in the process of doing a complete background check on you. It shouldn’t take too long for him to make the same connections I did. At that point it might be better for you to not be standing in his line of sight. Or, you could at least try to make the light he sees you in a better shade of red. Rose is rather complimentary.”

The smile that crossed Gino’s features in that moment wasn’t remotely pleasant. It was not the smile of a gentleman offering a young lady some advice about her future, thinking of her betterment like he seemed to suggest. There was an ounce of sincerity in those words, but its purpose was ugly. The pretty face masked a malformed figure, a body of atrophic limbs, hideous scars, and parasite-riddled innards. The task he had for Hannah would not necessarily be for her benefit, but since there was the chance that she could unintentionally profit, he saw it as a valuable selling point. Like the Marketers that discover that their product has a long shelf-life on account of all the additives and preservatives that had been pumped into it. This no longer becomes a side-effect, but a unique selling point. Now, not only does that product take away wrinkles, but it will last longer than any of the other lotions, potions, and creams on the market. Of course Hannah might lose her humanity in the process, but she might just gain strength beyond her wildest imagination. So what was to stop her from turning that strength against their collective? A little bit of well-designed blackmail and a whole lot of misdirection, of course.

“But, since you asked,” Gino began. “My purpose for Levi is quite simple. I’m looking out for what’s best for him. As I have always done. Sometimes that requires I pick off a few issues on his behalf, before he notices that they are issues. This requires me to watch him quite carefully. Unfortunately, I cannot control whom he associates with all the time. We’re not that close. He generally hates my involvement, but, that is what family is for…” Gino paused again, deciding to take a deep breath, avert his gaze to the door, and then look back at Hannah as though he was entirely exasperated by it all. “It falls to me to protect my investment, Miss Lynn. I have sunk decades into his existence and I’m rather territorial, to be brutally honest. I do not like it when others step into my domain and proceed to tinker with things they can’t fully appreciate. This leaves me with two logical conclusions. I can welcome the intruder in and make them a friend, or, I can destroy them. I would really rather make friends,” he said sincerely, a touch of sadness lingering uncharacteristically. “It doesn’t always have to end in violence.”

The proverbial carpet had been pulled out from under Hannah when Gino professed to Levi being his nephew. She had been so positive that Gino had meant to hurt, or even kill Levi, that she hadn’t suspected that they were at all related, to be a remote possibility. Very slowly, the woman sucked in a breath of air, as if she had been punched and the wind had been knocked out of her. That was the only reaction Gino would get out of Hannah with the information he presented her with in terms of his relationship with Levi.

That was until Gino referred to his nephew as a cockroach, even if giving him a subtle compliment alongside with it. Once again, there were those not so subtle warning bells in her head. Out of everything in the world, it seemed unreal to Hannah that Gino would refer to Levi as something that was a disgusting critter that thrived in places that were dirty and littered with garbage. Very slowly, Hannah’s eyes slitted into a narrowed stance as Gino went on to further insult his nephew. Or maybe, he was insulting the pair of them-it was difficult to tell. In one breath, Gino was complimenting someone, and in the next, he insulted them. Even if subtly. Hannah was too smart and too observant to not notice when someone was calling ****, ****, even if they put a big red shiny bow on it.

“Then if I take your offer, I’m sure there is there is something you can do to make sure his friend doesn’t make those connections.” Hannah replied in bitter irritation, eyes still narrowed. “I don’t think it would be favorable to either of us, if he put two and two together. I don’t think you could cozy up to him in quite the same way.” Hannah snapped at Gino before she sighed. Wasn’t she in quite the pickle? The Serpent's wanted Levi for who knew why and what for, and was using her family as leverage, while Gino was willing to alleviate that burden for her, for something else, not yet determined or spoken of.

Just as the rage started to subside and be replaced with a coming to terms of taking the lesser of the two ‘evils,’ offered by Gino, he was at it again. Really, her and Levi weren’t that close for her to jump to his defense, but the thoughts were still there. Truthfully, had Gino talked about anyone she knew; professionally or personally, the results probably would have been the same. Very slowly, Hannah stood and pointed to the door. “If you weren’t such a dick,” Hannah began, her steely blues locked on Gino, “Maybe you could have gotten the results you wanted. He’s not a cockroach, a tool, an investment, a robot, or anything else. He’s a human being, who clearly doesn’t want your help. Not that I can blame him. Maybe, Levi just doesn’t speak fluent dick.” Hannah said as she pointed back to the door once again. “You should go, before I call security.” Maybe some things did have to end in violence. She said with her chin raised high, her hand gesturing towards the door. The threat was there, but the possibility of carrying it out was probably next to none. Hannah had more or less backed herself into a corner by the sink, and Gino was close to the desk, which meant he was inevitably closer to the phone than she was. Chances were, Gino probably knew the threat was mediocre at best, but he had added fuel to an already lit fire by referring to Levi as anything less than a human being at least two fold. “Please. I’ll consider your offer, but I have work to do.” Hannah added in, because it was better for him to leave on his own accord, than to be forced out of it. Questions seemed to arise when security, police and any sort of hired muscle got involved in things.

Surprise twisted in Gino’s gut and wormed its way onto his features. It was an uncomfortable knot, one that pulled his lips and brow into a hardened frown. It wasn’t Hannah’s outright dismissal alone that caused him to scowl at her, but the plentiful insults and the manner in which they were projected added some weight to the clout. It sounded as though she was horrified by the way Gino spoke about Levi, his veritable nephew, and it seemed as though she felt this overwhelming need to tell the Sicilian just where he could shove his proposition as a result. It was a curious reaction to have for a person who was barely invested in another person’s wellbeing, he thought. You don’t defend a complete stranger ordinarily, and you certainly don’t defend someone you despise – not even against someone you maybe hate more. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. It seemed to Gino that he and Hannah were, in a way, singing off the same hymn sheet. Yet, for the time being, Hannah was too overwhelmed by her personal feelings to consider what was good for her and good for them. He decided that he would give her time to calm down, to reflect – as she had requested. Though, time was actually ticking for the both of them. The Golden Serpents weren’t the only ones expecting results after all.

“Security won’t be necessary,” Gino said in a cool tone.

He rose from his chair slowly, his eyes set submissively low until he was standing. At that point, the mood changed and chestnut eyes targeted her like nuclear warheads. He took a step forward until the shadow of his tall frame loomed over her and yet there seemed to be a part of him that was not fully committed to the idea of intimidating the young woman.

“Do think about my offer, Miss Lynn,” he offered, that same neutral tone displaying a lack of any kind of feeling. “Whether you like or dislike me, you’ll see that your best choice is to work with me rather than against.”

He moved once more toward the door, which invariably put him closer to the brunette so that his shadow swamped her entirely. Yet, the look on Gino’s features was not a formidable grimace like one would expect and neither was it detached or aloof. In fact, it seemed like he was smiling, as though he had recalled a fond memory.

“Oh, and, just so you are aware. I actually rather like my nephew. His brutish ways and stubbornness have a… certain charm to them. We Italians don’t express ourselves in the traditional American way, so, I’m inclined to believe you’ve misinterpreted my words to a degree. Regardless,” he chuckled, before lowering his tone to that of a growling whisper. “Do think about my offer. Gift horses do not come around all that often in our world. If you do change your mind, leave me a sign. We are watching you, as I’m sure you’ve realised by now. Ciao, Miss Lynn. Have a pleasant evening.”

While the Sicilian was perfectly happy to leave the room, leave the hospital with his goons in tow, it was apparent that his connection with the young lady was far from over. Hannah would be left with a decision to make, one that gave her the illusion of choice and one that offered a harsh reality. For in that session of getting to know Hannah on a more personal level, Gino had made his own decision about how their futures would be. He needed people with her determination, people like her who were easy to dispose of. However, there was a risk in taking on a woman as wilful as Hannah Lynn. Should she gain too much strength that they could not overcome, they would be jeopardising their whole operation – maybe even their lives. Hannah’s ties with Levi were a gambit as far as the chess-thinking Sicilian believed, or more precisely: dare il gambetto. The Italian expression meant to put a leg forward in order to trip someone. In chess, the gambit was an opening move used by players who sacrificed one of their pieces with the hope of achieving an advantageous position. Some well-known examples include the King and Queen’s Gambits; sacrificing a pawn to open up the enemy’s defences. And Gino Valachi was already looking at the end game and smiling over his victory.

Just as Gino predicted, days went by and Hannah's temper had subsided, mostly. It had only taken a handful of hours for Hannah's annoyed state of mind to dwindle; thanks to getting off of work only an hour and a half after she was scheduled, and a couple of glasses of wine. She hadn't forgotten about Gino, or his offer during the days and nights that had passed, Hannah was deciding how best to deal with the arrival and proposition of the new man on the scene.

She could ignore it and hope for the best, an option she had seriously considered, but when Hannah thought about it, it wasn't the best option. Gino's offering wasn't something she could scoff at. Not when it came to the greater good. He was offering to more or less protect the lives of her sister, both sets of mothers and both sets of fathers, whereas the Serpents were threatening to take those very lives if results weren't given in a timely manner and to their liking. The woman was left with the question; so then what should she do?

Gino claimed to care about his nephew, yet felt the need to keep a 'tab' on him. Why? From what Hannah could tell about Levi, he didn't seem to have a careless bone in his body. If anything, the guy was too careful and too cautious about everything and anything. Still, there had to be a reason as to why Levi was so cautious and careful. What was he hiding? Why was he hiding, whatever it was he was hiding? Hannah certainly couldn't profess to being an open book with Levi, but she had the feeling he knew a lot more about her, than she, about him.

After careful consideration, Hannah decided that the reason Levi was so careful and secretive about himself was because he 'had' to be. Given he was somehow tied in with some illegal activities to some degree, he really wasn't left with any choice. What was he supposed to do? Start a conversation piece with her about drugs, guns, and/or killing people? She could almost imagine the introduction, 'Hi, I'm Levi D'Amico and I'm a cartel king.' Or whatever drug people in Italy are called. Yep, that would make a lot of friends really quickly.

So while she could excuse Levi's secretiveness (perhaps incorrectly), Hannah couldn't forgive, or forget Gino's. In her mind, someone didn't put tabs on someone they cared about and wanted the best for. After all, hadn't he said they were watching her, and he didn't know her from Adam and she was net to nothing-correction, Hannah was nothing to Gino. It was all one big puzzle and frankly, the only way to solve it was to 'dive' in, in a sense. Which meant, taking the path of least resistance, making sure that her family was still going to be 'safe,' maybe get the new vehicle she wanted (needed), and maybe a few other things, while finding out just what Gino was up to. The thought about a new vehicle had Hannah recalling Takano, and wondering just when the last time it was they had a meeting. Had it been more than two weeks? It seemed like it, but Hannah was a terrible judge of time, because her time was always so hectic and busy. Minutes turned into hours, hours into a span of an entire day and soon it was a brand new year, and the woman was wondering just where did the time go?

On the fifth night since their initial encounter, Hannah decided she would take the offer and worry about how to get out, or around it later. Once her ducks were in a row, she could focus on the bigger picture, which was getting out from under the clutches of not only the snakes, but Gino as well. It wasn't smart to have two groups of people watching one person. Hopefully, once Hannah agreed to help Gino, the serpents would either make their way back to Japan, or off the face of the earth (the latter would be the best, in her mind) and then she could start planning and plotting just how to get out from under Gino's grasp. With her mind made up, Hannah headed into her kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards and pulled out a bottle. Her steps traced back to the main living area, where she pulled back the curtains in the main (and only) window, where she set the bottle of olive oil in the window sill. She very well couldn't place a whole olive branch on it for the world to see, but what was olive oil to someone who just wouldn't grasp the concept of a form of 'peace offering?' Now, all Hannah had to do was wait and see just what this offering entailed.