"An ancestor of mine once was quoted as saying, "In this life, we all cast ourselves as heroes... but if you spend more of your time trying to tear people down than you do try to build them up; then chances are pretty good that you're wrong. Here on these shores, a good way to tell which you're dealing with is to watch the stuff they're sharing in the streets. Are they teaching?  Or bitching about what they don't like? Are they leading?  Or whining that things aren't the way they want? Are they encouraging people?  Or are they insulting them?"

She shrugged, "Point being when someone tells you who they are with their actions, you should believe them."  

Isadora wiped her mouth with a napkin, "Truth be told I'm about done too.  I'm glad you enjoyed the meal."  She pushed her chair from the table and began cleaning up.  "If you'd like to put the coffee on, the canister is just there beside the stove."  She began putting food into the fridge and washing up the serving plates, leaving the pan from the oven to soak a while.

"I'm honestly contemplating doing about a survey of the families.  Find out what people are really thinking.  Not everyone cares to voice opinions in the street, but that doesn't make their desires less valid.  Ask some of the tough questions people are afraid to answer.  Try to get some real useful feedback for those who hope to be leaders in the future.  Granted I'm still not convinced a wit of it will matter, but I want to know.  I want to hear what people have to say.  I mean to live the best life I can, regardless, but it's good to have an honest view of the world around you - ya know?"

She puts dishes into the rack. "Maybe I grew up hearing too many of the romanticized stories of our way of life for my own good, I own that like most girls I'm looking for certain things in this life that I might never find, but what if I'm not?  What if I'm not the only one who wants these things and the only people we ever hear from are a few bitter assholes who still bother to speak up when the vast majority of people are maybe just waiting for a real leader to stand up... and do what real leaders do."

Isadora blushed.  She'd said too much.  "I'm sorry.  You, especially, must think me naive.  Saying such things as all that..."

Lordian chuckled and shook his head as he put the canister on the stove and began to prepare coffee. "I just got finished telling you that the most important thing in your own life should be to do the things you want to do with your life and damn anyone else, and damn the consequences. Why would I think you naive? Maybe you're right, maybe the world is waiting for the right kind of leader. Maybe you're wrong and they aren't. I don't claim to have any idea, I only know that if and when the time comes to help someone, I'll be one of the people ready to do it, however I can, which to say, is mostly monetarily."

There was a knock at the front door then just as the two were putting the dishes on the rack.

"You neighbors always this punctual?" He turned to look at the front door.

Isadora blinked twice as she looked out the kitchen window and across the yard toward her neighbors.  She could see their light on and the two of them still having, what looked like, angry words in the kitchen. 

"It's not my neighbors."  She said softly, moving quickly and quietly across the dining room and into the foyer.  Pausing at the entryway table, she pulled open the drawer and fished out a small handgun.  With no small amount of caution, she pulled aside the curtain to see who had come calling so unexpectedly.

"Shit."  She whispered, "One night... can't a girl just have one fucking night?!?"

"JUST A MOMENT."  She called out.  The pounding on the door came louder.  "Stay out of sight."  She threw back at her guest.  "This should only take a few minutes."

Turning back to the door she put the gun in the pocket of her apron which now, to Lordian's eyes, seemed almost suited to it.  Opening the door she backed up as two very large men in suits came in without an invitation.

"Mrs. Esposito, you're lookin' real nice tonight.  That roast I smell?"

"I just put it away, gentlemen.  I'm afraid there's nothing really left to be had or I'd gladly invite you in for some.  In fact, I'm expecting my neighbors for coffee any moment so..."

The men didn't seem interested in what she had to say, instead, the bullies pushed their way into her den and threw themselves down on her couch.

"Gentlemen, it's Friday.  You're not due until Monday.  I don't mean to be rude but I'm fairly confident your boss does not want me explaining your presence to the president of the neighborhood watch when she shows up in less than ten minutes."

"Don'tchu worry your pretty head Mrs. Esposito, we ain't plannin' to be here long.  See, our boss sent us over to clear up a little rumor he heard.  Word is you're joining Katrina's gang in Corktown.  Now, the way we had things understood was you weren't following your kin into the business.  It's why our boss gave you such a break on that debt of your husband's... but now,"  The man, whose fingers were the size of large sausages, rolled a toothpick across his lips with a terrible sucking sound.  "Well, if the situation has changed, then things have changed."

Isadora crossed her arms under her breasts, "Oh?  Is that so?"

"Afraid the arrangement for the discounted amount is no longer on the table.  Mr. Fannuci's boss, he's sent us to pick you up and bring you by for a little chat.  He hears you're a pretty dame and so he's going to overlook Mr. Fannuci being missing and all - that guy had whatever he got coming to him... but he wants to make a counteroffer to Don Katrina.  He doesn't want you crewing up in Detroit... he wants you to stay here.  If a Fazzone is returning to this life, he wants her workin' for him." 

The second guy took a handful of candies out of the candy dish on the table and shoved them into his mouth and chewed them like a cow who was making a glutton of himself in the field.

"I'm... sorry but I'm going to have to decline.  If Mr. Fannuci's boss thinks I owe anything else, then he can give me a number and I'll settle up with him, but the decision to join Don Katrina is already made."

Both men stood back up, "I'm afraid, Mrs. Esposito, that the invitation was not optional."

Isadora's hand moved slowly towards the pocket on her apron.

Lordian made his way from the dining area into the den and was not even remotely quiet about it. "Mrs Espo... well what luck, two large gentlemen, what a wonder! Your timing is perfect boys, I could use me some help with a small problem actually." He watched as both of the men exchanged a very confused look. Clearly Isadora was meant to be alone tonight, and the fact that there was a man there, a well dressed one, one who clearly had some cash, well that immediately complicated matters. Not only that, but Lordian was being loud, loud enough that anyone within earshot of the house could easily tell that he was talking to some folks.

"So boys, you free tonight, or are you busy with some bullshit babysitting gig?" He gestured toward Isadora then. "You guys don't want to baby sit this dame anyway, I hear she's got some friends. What I heard actually was that some guy, Fanucci, he was giving her trouble. Next thing I heard, that guy disappeared, and his restaurant out in Detroit? New guy swoops in and just poof, it's his now. Strange how that works sometimes huh?" He rubbed his hands together then and pointed at the gentlemen on the couch as they started to move.

"You get up off that couch and I'll introduce ya's to Fanucci myself you fucking pricks. You know the rules, or are you too low in your own morals to follow em? Husband? Sure, go after the guy. Men over 16? All fair game? Dames? Off the table right? Especially if they belong to someone." He punctuated his point by giving Isadora a quick slap on her backside. "Head into the kitchen doll and get the coffee ready huh, these boys won't be staying long, they know they overstepped, don'tcha boys?"

Isadora yipped loudly as the smack on her ass caught her off guard utterly, causing her to leap into the air just slightly.  She was moving before she'd realized it.  Years of habit, hearing orders and following them without thought as to whether or not it was what she really wanted.  She was already in the kitchen before it occurred to her what she'd done.  She was actually pulling out cups for coffee and putting them on a nice tray when her jaw tightened to the point of teeth cracking and tears filled her eyes, the memory of gun powder still burned the inside of her nose ever so slightly.

She froze.  A deep breath.  A count of three and then she was moving again.  She re-entered the room with gun pulled and safety off.  She pointed it towards the goons, "Your boss' name?"

The men's eyes went wide.  Whatever Lordian was just saying forgotten as they took in the steadiness of her hand, the look in her eyes and very likely the memory of who the hell's bloodline they were fucking with.  Gone was the gentle housewife of moments ago, replaced by someone capable of doing the thing she was threatening.

The one who had the mouth full of candies earlier managed to eek out, "Garibaldi.  Giuseppe Garabaldi."

"Garabaldi..."  She chuckled dryly, "I got my roast from his shop just today."  She shook her head her gun arm still locked in place, "You're going to leave my house and inform Mr. Garabaldi that if ever sends someone to my home again unannounced, I will send them back to him in pieces.  There is simply no call for bad manners, he can call in advance if he'd like a date with me... like a gentleman.  Now... GET OUT."

Isadora waited, expecting to be obeyed by the goons - unsure of what she would say to Lordian when and if they did as she'd instructed.

Lordian waited, and watched. Isadora knew how to use the piece she had, there was no doubt about that. The men in her den had upset him on a personal level, but now was clearly not the time for revenge, and he still was a nobody, for now, so it's not like her could do all that much, but a little cash would grease a palm or two and it wouldn't involve him at all.

He waited quietly as the men made their way past Isadora and out the door. He waited, almost to the point of holding his breath until he heard the engine start and the tires pull away down the street. Once they were out of the picture, Lordian's hands went straight up into the air.

"Miss Esposito, I meant no harm and no offense. I was just trying to get you out of the room before someone did something stupid. Men tend to be stupid and since they did not know who I was, or who I work for, they were hesitant to say or do anything that could get them in trouble. I suspect you might have both saved the day and also condemned yourself to a poor fate should you choose to stay here long-term. That being said, please accept my apologies for my action, if you will but let me, I will quickly see myself out."

He waited there, arms up, watching the woman he had assaulted. For whatever the reason, the fact was, that's what he had done, and he would have to live with that fact. He had certainly had no problem assaulting others before, but this woman was someone he had begun to earn the trust of. He doubted very much that was going to continue much longer at this point.

"I know what you were trying to do..."  Her voice as softer speaking to Lordian than it had been to the goons, but her gun still in hand as if she hadn't decided whether she was going to use it on him or not.  She stood there a long while, longer than was comfortable especially considering she was holding a gun. 

She began to open her mouth to speak once more and then the doorbell rang.  As the sound of Evangeline and Giovanni's voices came through the door, she closed her eyes and sighed.  Quickly she stowed away the gun in the table by the door.  

Glancing back to Lordian she mouthed, "Later."

She opened the door and smiled brightly, the perfect hostess suddenly returned from seemingly no where,  "Evie!  Gio.  Come in.  Please!  Oh look they brought brownies!  Oh you shouldn't have... and they're still warm."  She gave both guests a quick kiss on the cheek before leading them into the den.

"Lordian, dear, I'd like you to meet my friend Evangeline and Giovanni.  They're my neighbors I told you about earlier."

Lordian smiled as best he could, and made sure his palms were not sweaty as he shook Giovanni's hand and gave Evangeline a kiss on the cheek. "It's very nice to meet you both, Miss Esposito has been telling me much about you, and your son Timmy too, seems he's got quite the energy that son of yours."

Lordian waited for the new guests to sit and then also made sure to sit far enough away from Isadora to make sure she was still somewhat comfortable with him there.

"So, how long have you all been neighbors?" He asked the room rather than any one person in particular. A nice, neutral topic, then maybe one brief conversation and he would make up something about business and make his way out of the house. That was the plan, then again, Isadora had really thrown his previous plan for a loop, so who knows how the rest of the night would go.

And the brownies did smell good.

Isadora went to fetch the coffee while Lordian made small talk, by the time she returned she realized he'd placed himself on the opposite side of the room.  She wanted to smack him.  Didn't the fool man know how to pretend to be a boyfriend?  Well maybe that was the point, perhaps after all that happened, he felt like he shouldn't stick around.  The sore spot on her bottom certainly didn't disagree with his assessment, and yet, as they chatted with her neighbors and the memory of the goons faded some, she found herself less cross with the charming man who had done his best to protect her from a very bad situation - even if it had been ill-conceived.

Breaking out some cards, Isadora enticed the other couple to join her and Lordian at the dining room table for a few hands of Hearts.  It was pleasant enough and once or twice she caught herself laughing and really meaning it, meeting her guest's eyes in unspoken attempts to tell him there was more to be said about earlier and not all of it horrible.

"We should be going."  Evangeline finally said as they finished the game.  Isadora rose up out of her chair smoothly.  "It was so nice to meet you Lordian.  I know Isadora will be moving away soon, but if you two ever get back this way, maybe I can host you both for Hearts at our place?"

Isadora smiled and gave a quick hug to Giovanni, fetching Evangeline's coat for her.  Once the other two were gone Isadora fell against the front door.  "That was not at all how I expected this evening to go."

Lordian nodded his head as he heaved a sigh of relief. "You could certainly say that again, although not all of it was terrible, the roast was delicious and the brownies were certainly worth it, though next time..." He stopped himself then. That was too forward.

"Sorry, slip of the tongue. If you'll let me just grab my jacket from the other room, I'll be going. I do wish you would consider letting me put you up somewhere for a bit though, I didn't like the look of those goons from earlier. I'm sorry all of that happened that way." 

He made for the dining room again to gather his coat as he said he would.

Isadora watched Lordian go for his jacket and followed behind him slowly, leaning against the wall blocking his reentry to the foyer.  "I think we need to clear something up." She didn't finish speaking until he had his coat in hand and was coming back toward her.

"You said I belonged to you."  Her voice was quiet, it might have been flirty if it weren't for her nerves.  "Was that just part of your ruse to protect me?"

Lordian furrowed his brow. He was entirely unsure of how to take the question. "I don't think people belong to other people Isadora. That is not how life is supposed to work, and the people, the men in particular, who think that way, deserve a long walk off a short pier."

He put his jacket on then and lowered himself so he could look into her eyes.

"I know I overstepped tonight, and I truly am sorry. I was doing what I thought was best in that situation, they clearly weren't going to take no for an answer, certainly not from you who they saw as a woman, a thing less than them, a widow who needs a man to guide her properly. That is, they thought that until maybe tonight I think." He leaned backward against the wall then.

"I really do think they'll try to do you harm sooner rather than later though, and wish you would consider letting me put you up somewhere until you can get something settled with Katerina." He gestured toward the house next door. "After all, your neighbors think you're moving already, if you go missing, it's not very likely they call anyone to come look for you. It's more likely they assume you started your move and will come back for your other things, and by the time they realize you're not coming back it's too late." He shook his head. "If I were you, I'd grab the money from under your bed, maybe go and get a hotel somewhere with a fake name, just get out for now, come back when it's safer." He shrugged then. "But I'm the creep who claimed you earlier tonight, so I don't blame you for not listening. I'll call tomorrow, check in on you at the very least." He nodded and then stood up straight again to indicate that it was time for him to leave and to remind her she was in the doorway.

Isadora nodded.  "You're probably right.  I should probably make myself scarce, but first,"  She stood up off the wall, stepped close to him, took hold of his tie and pulled him gently towards her and kissed his lips as gently as she'd ever kissed a man before.

"That's ... for trying to be a hero."  She twisted the tie around her hand and pulled him harder toward her mouth and kissed him passionately, the way she'd been thinking of doing all night since he'd said she belonged to him.  Her mouth was hot, the kiss demanding and unrelenting, ending with her holding tight his bottom lip for a moment longer than the kiss itself lasted as if she meant to take a bit of him with her.

Her eyes locked on his she exhaled.  "That and a hotel that will bring me breakfast ... which you're paying for... is for the slap on the ass."  She smirked at him.  "After all,"  She began walking down the hallway toward her bedroom, going for her things as she continued talking, "I generally wait for the third or fourth date for that sort of thing."

Lordian stood alone in the dining room.  Flabbergasted. It was the only appropriate word or emotion to describe the man's state of being.

"Uh, of c...course I'll put you up in a hotel." He manage to stammer out down the hallway. His mind in part focused on what had just happened, in part wondering if that was the purpose of this the whole time. Still racing through thoughts, about the pot roast, about the apple pie which he suddenly now was craving, about what hotel, and how to get there quickly as neither of them clearly had a vehicle to use. He hadn't thought to rent one, he had gotten a cab out this way. Walking at night like this, just the two of them, that would be dangerous.

His mind raced thinking of a solution, but continued to get side tracked along the way. She was certainly in some sort of mood, and for the first time, Lordian wondered exactly how long she had been a widow for. Not that it mattered for what had just happened, but it might inform her passions.

"Do you have a telephone Miss Esposito?" He began to make his way back into the den again, if the radio was there, it was likely the telephone would be there too. "I can call for a cab while you're gathering your things." Then a thought ran across his mind. Did she expect him to stay at the hotel with her? That was a bit forward, even for the situation, or so he thought.

He shook his head to get the thought from his mind. It was something he could deal with once they were anywhere but in this house.

"Yes.  It's in the den, near the davenport."  She called down the hallway as she pulled out the suitcase and began packing her bag.  She'd just take a few things she knew she might need for the night.  She'd send someone back to her house later to pack up the rest.  Surely she could hire someone to handle the move for her.  She certainly had the cash now.

The face in the frame beside her bed caught her gaze as she closed her bag up.  Sal in that stupid hat of his.  She sighed and put the picture face down.  Grabbing up the suitcase and her bag she made her way back down the hall.  

"Are you feeling alright?"  She said as she caught sight of Lordian in the dim lamplight of the den.  "You look a little pale.  Should I grab another brownie for you while we wait for the cab?"

Lordian hung up the phone just as Isadora made her way into the den.

"Pale? I'm Irish, that's normal. Comes out even more in the moonlight." He smiled and made his way toward her. "Got everything you need? I know a good hotel in the city, better there than anywhere someone might look for you." He looked down and nodded his approval at her bringing the suitcase as well. "Not that you need me for anything right now, but you let me know if you want me around for anything. I don't like the look of those chumps and I certainly will be putting in a phone call or two of my own."

He looked out the window and watched for headlights down the street, it hadn't even been two minutes, but in times like this one could never be too anxious.

Isadora smirked but suppressed it quickly.  "I'll let you know if I need you."  She paused before continuing, "But I am quite capable of taking care of myself.  Unlike some ladies, I like to think of myself more as partner material than arm candy." 

She gave him a wink as she exited the house, locking it behind her as the two of them made their way to the car.  "Will you be flying home tonight or staying in town?"

Lordian shook his head. "I'm sure as shit not flying home now. My newspaper is in jeopardy."

He smiled that mischievous smile of his as they got into the car. "Can't have that now can we?" He turned to the driver. "Take us downtown please, somewhere nice. I'd like to treat the lady this evening." He threw a clam into the front seat and then took Isadora by the wrist and pulled her onto his lap.

When he spoke next his voice was low enough that the driver could not hear. "I assure you this is for your protection. You never know who Bill up there works for, so you sit right here and we'll pretend to be necking the whole ride and we can talk freely without worry." He shrugged. "Or we can neck a little bit, that's fine too."

Her eyes went wide when Lordian pulled her into his lap and then as he whispered her affronted look faded into a smile.  She ran a hand along his cheek and whispered back, "Well, I did spring the last kiss on you.  I supposed I'd like to see what you can do when you know the kiss is coming."

She closed her eyes and leaned in slow enough he couldn't possibly mistake her intent.

Upfront the driver tried to avert his eyes, but the 'lady' was anything but silent.  The occasional soft giggle between the kisses and approving noises that came from Isadora was hard to disregard as her hands wandered and she shifted suggestively across her partner's lap.  The movement could not have been incidental from the car's motion. 

The truth was he was highly entertained, and he rarely did this except to the drunkest of passengers, but Bill took the most scenic route to the downtown that he could.  He didn't suppose either of his passengers would notice, or mind.

As the car slowed to a halt, Lordian was the first to open the door and slide his way out leaving room for Isadora to follow. He glanced up and down the street, warily watching for any headlights. If someone was watching the house they could have been tailed, thankfully Bill there had taken the long way round and, if someone was watching them, inadvertently lost any tail. Lordian nodded as he pulled Isadora out of the car along with her bags.

"Thank you Bill, for your wonderful driving." He said as he handed the man another bill from his jacket pocket and made his way into the hotel.

He had asked for something nice, and nice is what they got. The chandelier hanging over the three story foyer was adorning a gilded cage of a room, complete with a small waterfall to one side and the door to the bar/restaurant on the other. The front desk was directly opposite them, and they wasted no time heading there. After tipping the doorman, and the bellhop Lordian looked to Isadora.

"Are we getting one room or two?"