"I won't bore you with fluffy stories, making you watch me walk from my bunker made of tissue paper in New York or even let you take note of my appearance. I feel confident in saying on behalf of the majority of the country, it has been a long fucking week." Grace said. 

"I won't get anything for this, no accolades, praise, magical coins. But that's not the purpose of this. Perhaps I'm talking for the sake of making sure my head is on straight, but also to make sure that everyone is distracted by my ... " Grace paused and watched as half the world fucked off because it was already over the speech word limit for most, "Well damn," She muttered shaking her head. 

"Circle-of-Fire has died, and I have failed her." Grace held up her hand, "My family line has made it clear time and time again that the Starting Point, the container crew, was the last upper position it would hold. It was supposed to be a month or so, and yet here I stand with how many Godfathers dead around us, how many people lost to time and bullets, and the last true leader left was the one who only did to help this world." 

"I won't lie, I barely give a shit about most of you. Your family lines are names that provide a slight tinge of recognition, but overall the majority of you are unknown to me. You speak of numbers, past names and I am so uninterested that I've been told at least three times this week and I still barely understand the vitrol behind everything. In fact, I'm still not certain which one of you is related to Asher." 

Grace shrugged, "Don't have anything to lose now, do I?" She said to them. "Tomorrow when Circle is finally processed through the pearly gates and can look down to see what bullshit I've been up too, she's going to absolutely hate this." Grace said, "But someone needs to say it. The woman who died today, Circle-of-Fire is the best that this world has to offer." 

"Innocent in the initial reason for the war, because purge lists are stupid and some of you need to get over yourselves, it was known that this woman would fight for those she called friend. And fight she did. And regardless of what side you're on, or what you think of me, The sheer number of people desperate to keep her alive, and in extension me, is quite frankly mind boggling." 

"My family line doesn't care for war, we dip out early and often. But for her, my family line kept at it. Not that I did anything, remember." Grace says, pointing to her crown of uselessness. 

"But for her, I cared." Grace said. "And since she can not say it, and I am not long for this world I thought I would pass on a message that unfortunately her and I have been too busy to share during the longest week of our lives," she said. "Thank you." 

"To every person stepping in to protect us, to those spending hours trying to find a way to win, to those who encouraged me to keep going even if you weren't aware you didn't need to, thank you."

"To those of you who expressed regrets and apologies, who checked in on us, who made us laugh in the worst week of our lives. To the friendships we built with Los Angeles, where we can all agree that Stefan is quite possibly too in love with his own face to ever find a woman."

"To the friendships found in the other cities, or grew stronger with the other cities. To the Dutch, who taught me that while I may know enough German to order a bottle of wine and be offended by someone stealing my pants, I don't speak Dutch. But I understand more than I did before." Grace laughed, "Just kidding, I have no fucking idea what you people were saying, how infurating." 

And most importantly, to our family, even those who joined the opposing side, we have been blessed. We were small, many were never around, but when we had activity in the Result headquarters, we loved every moment of it." Grace said. "So once again, thank you."

Grace stood in New York staring towards her home, like a lodestone it kept calling to her.

The news came to her too late, and she was disgraced. 

Godfather Circle of Fire, and her family name, are legendary. Surely she deserved a fight to the death from her most trusted ally and appointed RH? Taking out a rebel or two before an inevitable death? How very honorable of you to turn the gun on yourself despite having enough firepower holstered to take down several enemies as they circled you.