Keme was sitting at the edge of the boardwalk at the local pond. She was taking a rest in the park and had placed her shoes off to the side as her toes gently touched the top of the water. There were a few people fishing, as it was allowed here, and others were sitting around having picnics or family outings.

As she tossed pebble after pebble, trying to make it skip across the water, her mind would wonder here and there as she observed the people around her. Frowning as she continued to fail at skipping pebbles, she paused for the moment.

"What matters anymore?"

She said, to no one in particular. No one really picked up on her voice and continued doing their own things.

"Does money matter to us? What about family?"

Shaking her head she switches routes.

"What gets a reaction out of you? What matters? What get's you going?"

Realizing her ramblings weren't making too much sense she tossed a few more pebbles, one happened to skip three times, which almost made her jump into the water.

"Why are we all here? Why do we live this life we live. What brings us to this world and keeps us running. For me I would say it is the bonds I have built and the joy of writing in my journals, even perhaps this random talking I do to no one in particular. This is what keeps me here. These are the things that keep me going on a daily basis. When I wake up in the morning and wonder why I chose this life I live. My family, my friends whether they are permanent or temporary friends, talking to random people or even just talking randomly without the people part, these are what keeps me striving for more."

"Like right now, you are probably listening thinking I am crazy, but will you just listen and not respond or will you take that extra step and join me here, on the pond, and tell me what brought you here, what is keeping you here with me or rather with this life of yours."

“Of course talking to a crazy lady probably isn't high on your list of things to do today, but take chance. Risk it, kid. You have a short life, why don't you start livin' it?”

Taking one of her pebbles she tossed it watching it skip four times across the water. After all the fails she had attempted before, she was finally accomplishing more skips across the water. Handing you a pebble she smiled.

"What matters to you?"

Vargas was passing by when he heard Keme talking to her self.... Vargas approached Keme and said...

''The chance to lead''

Vargas smilled and kept his way to his HQ....

An interesting question you pose Keme. It's one I'm sure will have many answers. However, I don't mean it will have a range of answers from a range of people. I mean that every individual, myself included, will have many answers to the question within themselves.

Keme nodded as she listened to those who were speaking up.

"Perhaps you may get that one day, Mr. Vargas."

Tossing a pebble in her hand as she listened to Satanta, she smiled. Her ancestry had always knew what brought them here. It was hardly a mystery for her. Her family had always loved to interact with others in the back alley's, business's, and streets. They enjoyed creating more of themselves for all to see. That joy of growing as a person each time by the way they spoke and acted.

"I enjoy what you have said, Mr. Satanta. I have noticed that along the way those things you mentioned that could drive yourself, have made their way into my daily push in life. Yet, I have always known why I boarded that ship to come here. My ancestor's history came from many years of acting out and speaking. Yet, once they arrived here they were quite shy to begin with. They feared entering the streets until that one person gave them that push. That little shove to say it was okay to try. Ever since then my family line can typically be found out and about, saying this in that, in their own way."

"So thank you for indulging this with me!"

Artorem notices a large gathering assembling next to the neighborhood pond. He passes through what seems like hundreds of bodyguards before he sees why they're all here; Keme, a Boss from Chicago's West Side with a whole crew of her own. He gets to the inner layer of bodyguards and after a (somewhat uncomfortable, but thorough) pat-down, he is allowed to sit next to her. He takes a pebble, rubs it in his palm a few times, then gives it a toss. It makes a small splash and sinks; no skip.

What matters to me? I don't think I've really sat down and thought about it since I became a mobster, and I suppose it's a good idea to contemplate it a bit in case I'm offered to become a Made Man. I guess a lot of stuff matters to me. My boss and what he thinks of me, my friends, my own progress as a member of the Mafia, they all matter to me. But there's more to it. There's an internal motivation to do more than that, to push myself beyond what's expected of me.

Artorem holds out his hand, beckoning for another rock. He takes it and throws it much harder, skipping once before making a splash and sinking.

I want to be different, but only so long as it's actually beneficial. I want to be remembered, but not in infamy. I want to stand out, but only for the right reasons. It isn't attention that I crave, because I am content with letting others take the lead or steal the show, so long as the show goes on. I've just always wanted to be a part of something new and exciting.

Artorem grabs another stone, this time noticeably frustrated. He throws it as hard as he can, and the rock still just smacks against the water and sinks.

What matters to me? I guess just making sure that years down the road, when I'm dead and gone, my grandchildren or great grandchildren can meet the descendants of my friends and reminisce about how great we were. About how strong we were. About how smart we were. About how much of an impact we made on the world around us.

Artorem drops his shoulders, and picks up what he hopes will be his final pebble. He gives it a toss, much lighter and with more spin. It skips once, then again and again as it cruises across the pond. A smile forms on his face as he turns to Keme.

But then again, maybe those are the wrong reasons. I guess I'll find out sooner or later.

Family matters most to be, without question. Money, power, fame, they're all fleeting attributes that can come and go with the wind. Family is rock solid, the real thing you need the most in this world. They're there for your good times, and your bad. When I was a nobody thug on the streets, trying to knock off a few post offices to make a bit of cash, all I had was my family to support me. They teach you what you need to know to survive.

Now as I stand here, Godfather of Staten Island, family means just as much, prehaps even more. I am their rock, and their support system. They where key in getting me here, so in turn, I give all I have for them. They're what matters most. When my pockets are empty, my gun is useless, and I lay in a pine box, decaying way, they'll be the ones who speak fondly of me. Their tears will be real, their love genuine. They're the ones that matter the most, they always have, and they always will.

I got to say family.Family is something I never take for granted.My line has always lived by death before dishonor  That will never change.I would rather die then dishonor my family.Friends are something I will always hold extremely close as well.From the journals passed down from time to time my line has become very close to more then a few people.And I try to stay in constant contact with their family tree as well.I consider some of them family.And then there is the constant "new" interaction.Meeting and working with new folks seeing who is really what they may or who they may be.

Warped watched as Keme attempted to skip pebbles. She shook her head, scoured through the nearby rocks picking a select few up, and began skipping them herself thinking Keme needed rocks with a flatter sides. Pebbles just don't work, Warped said to herself. Warped heard Kemes ramblings and began running them through her head. She began answering them as her rocks skipped cleanly through the water.

"What matters anymore?"

I've wondered this myself. Our world has changed so much that has become a tough question to answer. Friends come and go. Only a select few remain no matter what the circumstances are. I would dare to say those select few matter. Day to day life has just become going through the motions in so many ways. What is it we are doing all this work for? Will it ever matter? Warped added as an afterthought.

"Does money matter to us? What about family?"

Warped shook her head. I'm not sure money matters anymore. It is so plentiful and easily made everyone is able to do just about anything they want.

Family is another matter. Some are dysfunctional. When this is the case, once this becomes clear to me, I can not bring myself to care about them. In fact, I look to disassociate myself from dysfunctional families by any means necessary. Once you find a family that is a perfect fit, they matter. We will put our lives on the line for families that matter to us. At this time, in this very moment, family is extremely important to me. 

"What gets a reaction out of you? What matters? What get's you going?"

Ignorance and obviously bad leadership get a reaction out of me and get me going. I want to get as far away from ignorant individuals and bad leadership as I can. I have this new found ability to ignore those that get reactions out of me. This allows me to throw them in the "You don't matter" hopper which is great for my mental stability.

Warped listened as Keme continued. Some things she just did not have an answer for. She attempted to answer parts of it though.

What is keeping me here now is the RP that is being brought back into the limelight. It is why I came to these shores in the first place. I have found myself getting way out of character for the only reason being that I can. It seems this thing of ours has gotten away from the mafia lifestyle. Sure, business is a part of it but so is the corruption, the turf wars, the maneuvering for positions. Everyone seems to be holding hands or at the very least content on just getting by. I miss the action. Events that would have caused families to war go by the wayside with slaps on the wrists. Things are chalked up to "mistakes" and the plentiful money is thrown about to bury it. I find that disheartening. Warped realizes she has gone a bit off topic and stops. She throws the few rocks she has left into the water and gets the hell out of there.

Keme ran her fingers through her hair as she listened to those who were talking. Brushing it out of her eyes she nodded and smiled.

"It seems that a lot value family quite a bit. Family is very important, without them everything else wouldn't matter. Yet, like Warped said, having a family that doesn't work as one unit can be frustrating. You will have that though, not all families get along perfectly, but I'd like to think there are still those bonds there. Maybe not for everyone, which is why we see people leave this life and their kin come back. We even see rogues due to these reasons."

"I also couldn't agree more Warped, that is what I was hinting at before when talking to Satanta. Doing this, coming out here to talk to everyone, and to have them to respond is something I highly enjoy. Sometimes I can seem a little crazy, but I think that makes it more fun! Like who would just start talking to everyone at a park with a lake or who would go to a bakery and have her cat turn into a lion, he is such a good boy by the way?"

Keme pauses to think fondly of her cat, Kitty.

"You have to make things interesting sometimes."

I will be honest my family has lurked, lived and participated in business throughout these parts a long time, and in the old country before that.  I don't believe there is simply one reason but more a combination.  My family has enjoyed success, power, money, fame and at stages notoriety for their actions and partly i guess i am continue the work of my family line.

For many years we have achieved fought or competed alongside or against the finest and not so finest this place and the old country had to offer and is keeping that healthy competition open and leaving the latest mark of my family line.  I believe you have to want to exceed expectations and continue to adapt to a changing world and thats been part of the fun for my family line and the constant challenge with new bloodlines, styles of work and returning older family lines like Satanta's or Jono's.

I also think the community is part of the experience but is not one i overly immerse myself in, why you ask?

we are not here to hold hands and swap cookie recipes, there is a lot of money in this business and a lot to achieve or alter for the better.  Whether passing down the knowledge to a new generation or having a laugh with a few select blood lines i still trust and hold in high regard.  Some people make things worth attempting to build something with, but is always that adrenaline rush knowing all the risks, all the death, all the fame and fortune can be gone in moments and that's sometimes what keeps me going.

Zyzz smiles to himself as he remembers being in the coffee shop when Kemes cat just wouldn't stop eating..or growing. He then brings his thoughts back to the question in hand.

Why do i keep coming back? I think it's because every time my father dies, i always decide i'm going to do something different, change something. Try and go one better: be it rank, trust from my boss or just having a better shot. But as has been mentioned before, none of the effort for any of these goals ever comes if you don't have the backing of a good family and the desire to far surpass any of your ancestors. I'm a fiercely competitive person, and i don't like being outdone by my fathers.. Why do you think i spend so much time in the gym looking this good?

Zyzz winks