It was early in the morning by the time his flight landed here in Detroit and it was much more chilly than he had expected. Sicily was always pretty warm but with the early onset of winter on the rise here in Detroit, the temperatures were already dipping into the mid to lower fifties which entailed for a pretty cold winter. Cuffing his coat up a bit, he stepped out of the cab and onto the sidewalk, his loafer giving off a slight clank as it touched the cold pavement. Pietro had finally made it to America, and it was definitely something to behold as he twirled around a little bit and took in the scenery of the large buildings, something this country was quite proud of, and something that Italy and more specifically his hometown of Palermo did not have much of.

The door to the cab made a loud thud as it was shut behind him, bringing his attention back to his sister who was already now behind the car and pulling their luggage out, it wasn't but a moment later before she gave off a slight sigh and glared at him, making him chuckle.

"Can you pleas help me?" she murmured at him

"So eager for a drink. Relax, I was taking in the sights for a moment."

He walked over to the back of the car and yanked the two giant suitcases out of the back and placed them on the curb, the cabby man was a fat overweight smelly beast, well he just mostly had a foul stench of alcohol but it was an odor Pietro could not stand. The man had finally waddled his way to the back of the car, presumably to help take their luggage out, but he was so fat and slow that he was already too late.. he began to say something before Pietro just held a ten dollar bill out for the man and shooed him away with his hand as he continued to look around at the tall buildings.

"This place is so much more fascinating then back home.. wouldn't you say?"

Pietro looked to his left where his sister SantinaCuneo just stood but, she was already walking off, the woman was really impatient this morning which was sort of unlike her, he shrugged and thought nothing more of it, probably just the jet lag. Gripping his suitcase now with his right hand, he proceeded to follow behind her towards the building called Boozy Barney's. A drink this early in the morning? Well.. why not.. would be evening time back home anyhow.

The two were quickly seated once inside the establishment, the place was pretty quiet since it was so early in the morning, but as it was back home, you had your local pub dwellers who were here sun up to sun down, and all through the night. 

Ordering the rusty nail for himself he turned to look at his sister now who was still deciding on what she wanted to drink.

"For marching your way in here, you sure are undecided on what you want to drink!" he teased

It was a long, really long trip. By far the longest trip of her life and to be with her brother the entirety of it was for lack of better words, way too much for her sanity. Generally she was able to handle her brother for extended periods of time but for some reason this trip was different. Perhaps it was the length of the journey, the constant bickering from Pietro, her unease of leaving everything she knew back in Sicily. It’s was more so the combination of everything. Sure getting to their hotel, kicking off the shoes and getting some sleep would be nice but a drink seemed a bit more appropriate. 

With their bags sitting off to the side, a look of which you don’t often see in a setting like this. One of which caused a couple of odd glances, ones that were quickly directed back to where they were originally. In a place like this, as long as there was no more disturbance, they general populous cared more about the beverages in front of them. Typical alcoholics, only caring about one thing. Kind of exactly how the drug addicts worked too, just with a different material.

That side of things is something she knew quite a bit about. No she wasn’t a user, not anymore at least. Though she did know quite a bit about supplying and distribution of said illicit substances. Was kind of what they… well what her brother was known for. Being a woman in the old country wasn’t what you’d call ideal. She was often overlooked, bypassed and downright left out of any sort of decisions. It was okay though, she still did her thing in her brothers shadow. A spot she learned to live with and excel in. 

“Listen!” She snapped her head around towards him, the want to say something snarky was on the tip of her tongue, she was about to but resisted. It wasn’t her place to be rude, snappy towards him. Taking a moment, breathing in deeply, the bitchiness in her face subsided. “I just figured after a long trip like that you needed a drink. You seem a bit more testy than usual, a drink would do you some good, as for me… I’m not sure just order me whatever.”

Immediately she directed her attentions off the barkeep and onto the bag seated next to her. Pulling it onto her lap and digging through it, she pulled out a small compact mirror and her stick of natural pink lipstick. Puckering up her lips, she began applying the pink substance as she could hear her brother muttering something. Whether it was towards her or the barkeep, she couldn’t decipher.

His eyes narrowed as she snapped her head towards him, he was waiting for her to say something to him, he knew she wanted too.. she was never a person who liked to be beckoned at like a dog, and telling her to listen didn't help.. reluctantly she held her tongue and he chuckled and shook his head, she really was worked up from the flight. Santina was always calm and collected but this was a new place, new smells, new sights, a new world, yes, he figured that was the cause for her strange behavior so far. Looking up to the barkeep now, he ordered her a simple water. She was never much of a big drinker anyways, was always on rare occasion as she always told him it kept her mind clean.. something he was not too good at, especially when it came to alcohol.

Pietro placed his hand down now on the wooden bar and pushed the cash he had in hand towards the man before he left to get them their drinks. He had wished this place had a bite to eat but perhaps they could figure that out when they got to their lodging for the night.. he was told by his boss they would be put up in a hotel for a few days, something foreign to him but not to America as they had been popping up everywhere since the start of the fifties.

"Cold water and a rusty nail for you sir."

The glasses clanked against the wooden bar as the man set their drinks down and left them alone once again. Picking up his glass, he shook the contents around a bit, causing the small ice cubes inside to bounce around and jingle before he took a sip and set it back down.

"Ah yes that was exactly what I needed.. a drink.."

His eyes wandered around the place a bit now, seeing if anyone was close enough to listen to them, he didn't need anyone hearing about their business of course.. figuring the coast was clear, he pulled a small envelope from the inside of his coat and opened it up to pull some documents out. It was their new identities in America, or rather, the paperwork to make them legal citizens. He placed the paper down on the bar and slid it towards Santina, smiling as he did so..

"Here's your paperwork.. figure you should hold onto it now since we made it here safe and sound. The bosses back him did pretty well to get us this stuff, but you know it always comes with a price.. quei vecchi cazzi del cazzo! The day I can get out from under their fucking noses will be the day I become the richest man from Palermo.." 

He quickly took another drink before setting it back down, as much as he was loyal, he hated handing over the cash to them. It was his.. al his..

"Only thing they are good for is keeping my head on my neck, ya know?"

Her attention wasn’t completely locked onto him but more so the brownish liquid in the spotted glass sitting in front of her. Ice water… a shiver and a look of disgust formed onto her face. As thirsty as she was, there was no way she was putting that into her body, seemed like a good way to get sick and die. Sticking a finger out, placing it in front of the glass, she pushed it away from her. If this were any indication of what things were like in Detroit… in America, immediately she was second guessing the migration out here.

Not saying a word, she shifted her hand towards the papers her brother just placed down next to her. Grasping the envelope, Santina pulled it in towards her. Opening the flap and puffing out the sides of the envelope a tad, just enough to see the words on the first piece of paper. Her eyes glanced down, reading the first name on the paper she saw. “Anita Cullen” letting out a sigh of displease, the want to rip up the papers in front of her coursed through her mind but she knew better. 

She didn’t like the name but it was just a name for the American government correlated to her. Was nothing more and nothing less but Anita… really Anita? Closing the envelope back up, she stuck it into her bag, closed it up and sat it next to her. 

“Keeping your head on your neck is definitely a good thing, could be rather messy otherwise.” 

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Pietro giving her a smirk. A smirk that she pushed off as the thought of the name on the papers still played tug o war in her head, was something that she had to inquire about. 

“Did you have say in these names, the names in that envelope?”

His eyes watched as she pushed her ice water away from her, it wasn't until she did so that he noticed the brownish hue to it, now that was odd.. water back home was always nice and clear. She began to mutter something about the paperwork, names and such.. he wasn't bothered by it as he took another swig off his drink, feeling the warmth begin to slide over his face already.. that was of course until she spoke up a little louder as she put her envelope away. Looking down to his papers once again after the comment, he began to read it over a little.. the fuck was going on here this wasn't his name.. "Conrad Cullen" .. Conrad? he said over again in his mind before folding it back up aggressively and letting off a deep sigh.. this definitely was not the arrangement, he was still supposed to have his god damn middle name atleast, Vito.. it was American enough no? 

He sighed and shook his head at his sister who clearly acknowledged being addressed with the silent shake. Well, it looks like things were not starting off as good as he had hoped.. hopefully nothing else would turn sideways.

"Conrad..." he said outloud, and once again in his head.. there was no fucking way he was using that name.

"Well, it's not like we have to start calling ourselves that.. it's just for legal purposes..."

Pietro was trying to almost convince himself as he said that but knew it wasn't going to be just that easy.. even back home when he bought places under fake names, people would still find out.. people always find out.. sighing once again, he took another swig from the drink but it was practically all but gone now.. he tapped on the bar and stared at the bartender who caught the hint pretty quickly and brought him another, setting it down infront of him gently but it was short lived, Pietro quickly picked it up and took a swig before clumsily placing it back on the bar..

His eyes returned now to his sister who was still just sort of sitting there in her own world, almost not even paying attention to him..

"Your not going to start calling me by that are you?" he slurred a bit

"Huh?" Santina could feel his glare, was almost as if it were peering through her soul. It was a common tell, that he was drinking. Didn't even take a lot of drinking for this to occur, usually just took one for him to loosen up. Anything past that though was a crap shoot. There was no middle ground with him, he would either get belligerent, which never ended well or would be the complete opposite, a happy drinker. He was much more fun as a happy drinker, that was the one that she preferred. Cause who likes a belligerent drunk? Not sure that anyone does but it was something she has learned over the years to deal with it. Needless to say, she has grown quite the thick skin, thanks to years of verbal abuse. Not just from him while he is drinking but most of the men back home.

"Conrad!" He exclaimed, making sure to emphasis the d a bit more than usual. He was clearly starting to feel the affects of the booze, which probably wasn't a good thing. It wasn't her intentions to get him drunk but more so just to calm his nerves a tad.

They still needed to get to their lodging for the evening, she needed his able body available to carry some of the bags that were just sitting off to the side of them. There was no way that she was going to deal with a drunk Pietro, figure out how to handle all of this luggage and all while trying to figure out how to get to whatever lodging was set up for them. She refused to do it by herself. So she did the only thing that made sense to her.

In one motion she reached for the glass he had just placed onto the table, basically snatching it out of his hands. Bringing it up to her lips, Santina chugged the rest of what was in there. It wasn't what she would call ideal, actually quite tasted like something that they would use to clean the bar top. Must have been quite evident on her face how bad it actually tasted, cause instead of being angry she had just taken his drink, Pietro grinned from ear to ear.

"Not what you expected, my dearest Anita... huh?" Immediately bursting out in laughter.

She wasn't sure what hit his funny bone more, her reaction from the drink or the fact he slipped in the Anita comment. Knowing him it was probably a combination of the both. Neither of which she found overly comical but based on his reaction, it caused her to chuckle a tad.

"Shut-up, CONRAD!" She spoke loud enough so the few people within earshot heard her. "I don't know how you drink that stuff, seriously that was probably one of the worst things I have ever drank."

She watched as his eyes shifted onto the water glass she had pushed off to the side a bit ago. Without him saying a word she knew exactly what he was going to say. She was going to try to nip it in the bud but before she could say anything he was already speaking.

"Why don't you wash it down with your water, here lemme get that for you." He reached for the water glass, grasped it and brought it towards her face.

"Stop it!" She said, raising her hands up. One placed over her mouth and another on his hand with the glass, trying her damnedest to keep it away from. Which probably wasn't the best of ideas, as the struggle caused some of... most of... the water to spill out of the glass. Basically landing all over her lap. Sure it may have been quite the dirty water but it was cold, really cold. Causing her to shriek, a shriek which you'd think would have stopped him. It didn't... it only fueled him more. 

"Oh was that too cold for you?? Didn't seem to mind my fucking drink going down your throat just moments ago!"

He raised the cold glass one more time to her but this time she pushed his arm away a bit more, causing his hand to lose grip of the cold glass that had built up condensation along the side from being untouched until now.. it went splattering all over the counter.

"Ah fuck, now look what you did Santina" Pietro said in his native tongue..

Glancing around the bar now, it was quite evident they had caused a scene already, not anything to warrant any serious attention by the police or anything but still, it wasn't exactly the best of looks.. plus, he had realized he muttered her actual name instead of the fake ones they were supposed to be using. Looking back to the bartender now, he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled a twenty dollar bill out and handed it to him, it was a small gesture to say sorry for his stupid act just moments ago and one that he knew from back home always solved everything.. money.. it made the world go round.

Pietro pulled his hat off his head now and scratched the top of his head before brushing his hair back with his hand before placing this hat once again on top, he was trying to act as casual as possible to get the eyes off both of them, which did work.. the place began to get loud once again as everyone resumed their conversations.

"Well now look what you did, got everyone staring at us.. nice going." he scoffed at her under his breath

"It's your own fault, trying to force me to drink that-"

He swiftly glanced at her again, it was enough to cause her to skip a breath and stare back into his eyes.. he was just waiting for her to say it was his fault.. his fucking fault? She was lucky she even got to come with him to America.. the bosses back home wanted nothing to do with the idea of a woman going along for this shit..

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired. Where are we staying for the night?"

Slowly he shifted his glance down towards the bar as he watched the man clean up the dirty brown water that had spilled all over it. He was quite tired after the flight too, but hell he had just gotten here and barely had two drinks.. what was such the hurry? Not like the hotel was going anywhere.. looking back to his sister now he smirked as he shook his head at her and reached into his pocket, pulling out the one pack of cigarettes he had from Sicily. Pulling open the white square shaped container that read 'Phillip Morris' on the front, he pulled the long white cigarette out and placed it in his mouth.

"We can worry about lodging later, it's barely past 10:30 in the morning.." he said as he flicked his lighter open

"Do you want a smoke? I know you like these things as much as I do.."

Pietro extended out the pack of open cigarettes towards his sister as he took a long drag off his cigarette and flicked the cap to his zippo closed. It made a faint clank as he placed it on the bar so he could pull the cigarette from his mouth and exhale..

With as silent as she could, Tina huffed and puffed, it was rather faint and in the midst of all the noise in the bar no one could hear it. Not even her brother who was seated right next to her, though she was pretty sure that he noticed her body language. Was quite evident from the subtle change in his glare towards her. He was really quite good at getting under her skin, was almost as if it were some sort of cruel twisted game to him. Sure over the years, she learned to deal with it, cause she had to.

There were too many times she caught a backhand from an elder for talking back. Hell, didn't even have to be an elder she was talking back to. Basically anyone of the male orientation. She had lost count how many times, though it was something that hasn't happened in a while. Not since that one time.... Was an instance when they were a bit older, teenagers, most of it was still a bit blurry to her. All she remembered was the noise, the instant stinging sensation and then seeing her brother pummeling him. That was the first time she had seen that side of him, it was violent, it was messy... Is an image that she still can't get out of her head.

Him standing over the guy, knuckles coated in blood. Much so that it was dripping off of them onto the ground as he stood there. Blood splatter, covering his face and a few beads of sweat dripping from his brow. It was the moment that they locked eyes, that she knew where she stood in this world. As long as he was there in her corner, she knew things were going to be ok. Which was probably why she took so much shit from him now. It was just how it was to be, for her to thrive as well.

With one more huff, Tina nodded her head towards him, reaching over and taking a smoke from the pack. Placing it between her lips, she leaned a bit towards him. Signalling him she needed him to light it, a signal that he already knew that was coming. As he was already placing the pack onto the table, pulling out a book of matches from the same pocket that he pulled the cigarettes from. Pulling one out from the cluster, he struck it. The match lit almost instantly, he held it out towards her. Leaning in the met it with the tip of the cigarette, Tina took a few small puffs until it was perfectly lit then took one single large pull off of it. Holding the smoke in her lungs for a moment, letting it soak in just a bit more. Satisfied with the amount of time she had held it in, Tina blew a could of smoke out of the corner of her mouth.

Instantly a weight was lifted off her shoulders, that was exactly what she needed.

"Better?" He spoke, was almost as if he could see the tension leave her body.

"Yeah, I'm good... I needed that, thanks."

"Thanks? Wow, that might be the first time I have heard you say thanks since we left."

"Well... you're right. Sorry, it's been a bit stressful this trip. I know you have done a bit of traveling before but this is a first for me and you know, it's kind of a big deal. Hell we might never go back home. You think we are gonna make it out here?"

Regina_George entered the establishment and with the door open the sunrays streamed behind her, silhouetting the body of the queen-bee and highlighting how important and impressive she was as a woman. Swishing her long blonde hair behind her shoulder she looked around and smiled, not making any eye-contact and not really caring about the people there, but she knew they were looking at her. How could they not, she was Regina_George. 

Taking a seat at the bar, Regina_George set her purse on the bartop and smiled flirtaciously at the man standing there. "Are there carbs in a cosmopolitan?" Regina_George asked the bartender, picking up a menu and pursing her lips as she read it over. "I'm on a no-carb diet." Regina said, "I want to lose three pounds." 

Pietro turned his head away from his sister as he contemplated her question.. were they going to make it here? It was a question he had asked himself probably a dozen times now since they had gotten on that plane, America was a big place, and Palermo, not so big.. he was the man in Palermo, people knew him, knew his sister, the Cuneo's had a reputation that many feared but here in this new place.. nobody knew who they were, they were just 'Conrad' and 'Anita' .. weird fucking names but they were American.

Taking a long drag off his cigarette again, he nodded softly, knowing his sister's glare was still upon him.

"I think we will be just fine.." he said in a low tone

It was almost as if he had to convince himself of this as he said it, there were things that Santina didn't know about him, the other side of him. While Santina was very intelligent and knew of the life, she really had no clue had deep things went behind the scenes, the only bits and pieces she had managed was through him over the years, or when he had let things slip. In this new world though, there was not going to be any secrets.. she was the only family he had now, the only person he could truly trust here, it was time she was brought into the business.

Looking over his shoulder again to make sure nobody had sat down within earshot, he turned to his sister and smiled as he placed the lit cigarette down on the edge of the ashtray the bartender had brought over for them.

"You might have to take on some more things now that we are here though.. it is sort of in the nature since we are starting out fresh here. Nothing too crazy.. I know you really have no care for my business or what I do, call it dirty but, now that we are here.. you got no choice."

"What are you talking about, are you drunk already?"

He knew that was coming. In Italy, she knew her place, she knew that his business and his world was and will always be dominated by males so for him to say something like this, he knew she must be taken aback a little bit. Shaking his head with a chuckle he continued on.

"Not yet I'm not... look listen I'm trying to tell you something here.. I just-"

Pietro paused and turned his head away once more, it was completely against the vows he had taken to be discussing even this slightest bit with his sister, just even claiming there was 'something' behind the scenes, the business, all this was forbidden to be even mentioned back home and it quickly jumped into his mind as he tried to continue on, his sister should know the real reason behind why they were sent to America, all she knew was he was here on business' for the bosses back home but this was just the front he spun for her, he was here to do much more than just that..

Letting off a deep sigh now, he picked up the cigarette and took another long drag and exhaled the smoke, it plumed against the wooden bar and into the air as he stared ahead.

"Forget it. You don't need to worry about anything just yet.. hell it's our first day here we should enjoy! It's what Mom would have wanted if she was still around, god, can you imagine what she would say if she saw all of this, it was her and Dad's dream to come here you know..."

She didn't really know what he was rambling on about, he was mixing his words a bit. Clearly he wasn't drunk, cause she knew how he was as a drunkard and this wasn't it. Though she could tell that he wanted to tell her something, there was something there but he just wouldn't come out with it. Perhaps it wasn't the right time, perhaps it wasn't the right location. There were a bunch of people in this place and even though none of them seemed to care what they were talking about, you just never really knew.

The thought of it caused her to peer over her shoulder, from one side to the other. Giving the place a bit of a look over. There was one guy that caught her eye, sitting in the corner of the place. He just didn't look like he fit into the place, was kind of hard to explain why, just he didn't look like a regular. Probably what everyone else in this place though about her and her brother.

A subtle sinking feeling crept into her stomach, as thoughts of trouble bounced about in her head. It was something that she tried to convince herself wasn't a thing but just in fact her overthinking things. Which was something that she tended to do, more often than not. Once more she peered over her shoulder, her gazed locked onto his, causing her to quickly turn about, as if it didn't actually happen. Maybe she was crazy but something seemed off... something that she just couldn't really ignore.

Subtly she tapped her brother with her right elbow, hard enough to get his attention without seeming like she was doing it just to get a reaction. Looking towards him, he shifted his head towards her. They didn't even need to speak to know this wasn't just a random conversation piece.

"What? Who?" He instinctively asked.

"Guy in the back corner just over my right shoulder, so your left. The one with the black fedora. Not sure it is anything but both times I looked over there he was staring at us." 

Pietro smiled and started laughing, turning his gaze over his left shoulder to take a look at whom she was referencing. He took a bit longer than usual, generally in an instance like this you would just take a quick peek and move on. Not making it seem like you were actually scanning the place but more just being in the moment.

"Do you see him?" She whispered under her breath.

There was some silence followed by a response. "I... there's no one back there... no one in here with a fedora."

It wasn't the response that she was expecting as a puzzling look formed on her face. Turning her head about, she directed her gaze right onto the spot she was looking previously. This time the seat was empty, though there was still an empty glass seated on the bar top. Whipping her head about, scouring the place from corner to corner. Not seeing him whatsoever.

"Are you ok?" He asked

"No! I swear he was just there... I swear it. He was... He was looking right at us. The guy with the black fedora, well dressed." An uneasy feeling went over her, perhaps she was seeing things?

Pietro looked over his shoulder once again after she mentioned the man's clothing, still.. he saw nobody.. quickly turning back around he started to mutter under his breath as he was going over who it could have been. Santina had no idea but, their true identity and reasons for being here were not what was put forth by him.. Coming to America under the guise the bosses had sent him was all she knew, I mean.. she wasn't really supposed to know anything, but it was no secret back home who he was and what his business was... drugs... so telling her they were coming here to expand business was as much as she really needed to know, and knew already herself.

Everything though was a farce up to this point. Santina was completely in the dark, which was not the best place for her at this point.. back home, they wanted her dead, and now him for protecting his own blood over the Family, but it was a order that he could just not follow... Few months ago, he was asked to murder his own sister for some information about a hit on a rival family that HE had slipped while drunk one night, and infront of another made member of the organization, who ultimately told the bosses what happened.

He picked the cigarette up now off the ashtray as his thoughts continued to race, taking a long drag an exhaling. It was behavior his sister definitely noticed and she sort of nudged him again.

"Tell me what's going on, I'm not stupid brother"

Her words came out low in their native tongue, italian, something that they shouldn't be talking in but in times of stress it just naturally flowed. His eyes shifted over to her and he sighed a bit, still some smoke escaping his lungs.

"I told you already we are fine. There's no man in here with a fedora.. it's just the stress of the flight."

His reply came in italian, it was also a habit to reply when spoken to, but, it was definitely drawing a bit of attention from the people around them, attention that was not exactly wanted. Sticking his nose down now he continued for a few moments thinking of how to navigate this situation, his sister clearly was not going to accept that, as she definitely saw a man with a fedora in the corner watching them, it brought an uneasy feeling to him thinking that already within a few hours of being in America, somehow, they could have found them, but this was just not logical.. it had to be someone else...

Taking a final drag off his cigarette now, he stubbed it out in the tray and turned back to his sister to speak, this time he spoke in English..

"Look, in due time I'll explain everything but for now, keep your head on straight and don't worry about any imaginary man you thought you saw in the corner. It's just your nerves, I mean.. you were telling me that was happening back home but nobody would dare lay a finger on you back home, and nobody will here either.. got it?"

He'd had a rough day and hurt too many people, he knew it was time to take it all in, in the dark corner of Barneys where know one would recognise him.

He gently opened the doors of the establishment and had a quick glance left and right to make sure he was safe.. for a little while at least. He was, so he approached for bar.

Large one please barman!

He didn't know how long this time would last so he ordered another straight after.

So what d'ya know big man as the barman stared deep into Polios eyes

She did nothing but nod in his direction. Perhaps he was right, maybe it was all a part of her imagination running wild. Could have been a mix of a few things but mainly had to have been due to the recent travel and the lack of sleep that went on during it. First time on a plane, first time out of the country. There was just too much going on to get some proper sleep.

Feeling the gaze of Pietro, Santina looked over to her right, using just her eyes, not turning head where he was situated.

"Got it?" He asked once again, this time in a bit more of a stern tone. Cementing his point to her. Was a tone that she knew needed answered.

With a slight sigh, Santina situated herself upright. Using her hands to push herself up in the seat. Turning to him, she nodded before speaking.

"I got it, I know you won't let anything happen to me and I appreciate it but..."

"No buts" He cut her off. "As long as I'm alive you don't have to worry. Not even sure why I'm telling you this, cause this is something that you already should know." Pausing for a moment, he went to pick up his cigarette, momentarily forgetting that he had just stubbed it out. Causing him to mutter something in a jumble of words, ones of which she couldn't grasp.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled one out, handed it to her and grabbed one for himself. The previous one that he had given to her had already burnt out, the butt of it still seated in the ashtray where she had left it what seemed like ages now. Though attached to it was a long string of ash.

Placing it into her mouth, Pietro reached into his pocket and pulled out the book of matches. Pulled one out, struck it and leaned it towards her. It was a deja vu moment... probably cause it was something that had recently been done as well. Taking a puff, a sense of relief went through her. She watched as he used the same match to light his cigarette. Taking a puff, he waved the match, putting out the flame.

"You seem rather stressed you know? More stressed than I think I have ever seen you, you need to loosen up a bit sis."

He was right, she was stressed but she wasn't completely sure how to loosen up. At least she didn't know how to loosen up in this moment.

"You're right." She paused before speaking once again. "You are definitely right." Taking another puff from her cigarette, this time holding the smoke in, letting the nicotine infuse with her lungs. "Should we both get another drink? Perhaps we could get a bit tipsy?" She wasn't sure if it was a good idea, especially this early in the day but it seemed like a quick way to leave the stress for another day.

His eyes widened a bit, his sister wanted to drink now? So perhaps this morning wasn't going to be a complete ruin after all! He smiled, almost completely forgetting the troubles they were in, or about that man that she had seen in the corner.. all he could think about was getting another one of those rusty nails in him, whatever they were, he tapped his fingers on the bar loudly to get the man's attention who was serving a drink on the other end. Pietro took a drag off his cigarette that was hanging from his lip and stuck it in the astray as he spoke.

"Finally, you want to have some fun! This is what I was trying to get you to do all along since we got here-" 

Cigarette smoke plumed from his mouth as he spoke but was cut off when the bartender finally made it to him, asking him what he wanted with a somewhat irritated tone. It was something that Pietro took note of and one that quickly diminished his mood once again. He eyed the man for a few moments, thinking of if he should say something to him or not.. but he elected not too, it was too early to be getting into a conflict.

"Another rusty nail for myself, and this time my sister will take one instead of one of those brown dirty ice water's you brought her earlier..."

"Sure thing"

His reply was equally as annoying to him as the first.. again, feeling slighted, Pietro was quick to stand up from his seat in anger which caused the seat to push out a bit, the legs screeching along the floor as it did so. They locked eyes and the place got quiet once again, feeling all eyes upon him once again he left off a slight chuckle and looked around before speaking in a fake happy tone..

"What's everyone looking at? Man can't get up to take a piss sheesh.."

He turned now and walked towards the back, still feeling slighted, he was definitely not going to let things slide with that asshole of a bartender outside who had no fucking respect. Pushing the black door to the bathroom open now, he caught himself muttering under his breath again as he walked up to the urinal and began taking a piss.. that was when a stall door opened behind him and a man stepped out and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. Pietro didn't pay the man much mind, just heard the footsteps behind him and the sink turn on before finally glancing his way.. and it was what he was wearing that brought him some sort of shock..

Black Fedora, dark suit.. this was the man his sister had seen in the corner of the place.. so she wasn't seeing things.. he began to closely try to inspect the man but he quickly left the restroom after washing his hands, never looking towards him not even once. Flicking the last few driplets out of him in a hurry, he zipped up his pants and stormed out of the restroom, fearing for the worse but the man was gone once he made it back out to his sister, just a small glimpse of his person was in the corner of the window, and then gone as he walked down the block.

Pietro slowly sat back down at the bar and was happy to see his drink was delivered while he was gone.. he slowly took a sip off it and began to wonder once again who that man could have been, it was definitely not something to just brush off anymore.

"Finally your back, you know you could loosen up like me you know, take some of your own advice!"

"Yea.. your right.."

Before he could say another word the bartender was there once again, demanding the money for the drinks they had just ordered already.. it brought back to the forefront of his attention this punk who had disrespected him, that was something that also need to be taken care of.. and that was when it hit him.. what if he could knock out two birds with one stone? Yes.. this little shit probably knows something about that man that was sitting in the corner. Smiling at the man now with an evil grin he nodded.

"Ah yes.. I got your money for you.."

Pietro handed him the cash, but was now plotting a way to get him out and away from the store.. what time did this place close he wondered. Picking up the drink again he swirled the contents around before turning to his sister and whispering to her in italian after the man walked away.

"That guy knows something, we need to get him alone.."

There was a tone, a certain body language coming from her brother, one she had seen many times before. He was angry, he was annoyed and she could tell the wheels in his head were turning. All of this before he even opened his mouth. Was something she has just picked up on over the years, was something she couldn’t explain. Just call it a sisters intuition.

Was something that in the moment she was just going to leave be, especially after the conversation they had previously had. The whole stress and seeing thing, that apparently weren’t there. Even though she knew what she had seen but he has told her to ignore it and leave the stress behind, so here she was. Nasty drink in hand, a few sips already taken out of it. 

With the glass to her lips, she was about to take another sip, when she heard him speak. 

“That guy knows something, we need to get him alone.”

Her gaze quickly shifted toward the direction he was looking, which happened to be towards the bartender. Halting her next sip, Santina directed her attention back into her brother, questioning him.

”The bartender?” 

“Yeah, that little fuck knows something.”

Wishing she knew he was talking about, cause she really wanted to agree but in actuality, she had the slightest idea. With the affects of the first drink starting to play with her head, she said the first thing that came to mind. 

“I’m sure he knows something, I mean look… he made this drink. It could taste a lot better but hey he made it. So he had to have known how to make it, right? Doesn’t that constitute him knowing something?” She chuckled thinking about what she had just said before looking over to her brother, half expecting him to be chuckling too. To her surprise, he wasn’t. In fact he was stone cold serious, she could practically see the steam coming out from his ears. 

It was kind of a sobering moment, adjusting herself upright in her seat. There was a brief silence between the two and she began to try and process what was going on through his mind but she had nothing. 

“Explain?” She questioned.

He took a moment, eyes still locked onto the bar tender still before shifting his gaze back into her. Leaning a bit towards her, she did the same. Was a way to try and keep unwanted ears from hearing their conversation. 

“Well while I was in the bathroom taking a piss, I ran into someone. Seems you weren’t wrong and weren’t seeing things, cause the man in the fedora was in the stall. He didn’t do anything but he was there and you should have seen the look. He was definitely not someone that should be in a place like this.” He paused for a moment looking over his shoulder before continuing. “He left, went out the backdoor but I know that bartender knows something.”

A short smile crept onto her face, not from the fact some shady shit was happening but because she was right all along.

”So I was right? I wasn’t seeing things?”

”Shhh… that’s not the point, point is we have to get that bartender alone. There’s just something about him that isn’t sitting right with me, he knows something.”

”I could probably get him alone, if you know what I mean.” She gave him a bit of a wink, indicating something that she knew he would grasp. Though she wasn’t sure that was something he was going to agree to.

Weighing the options for a moment, well.. there was really only the one option that his sister had put out there and it was not really the safest for her.. but I mean, it was her idea right? Not like this guy was anyone dangerous, for all he knew that was... His brain tried to muster something, some other way but, it was really the only way. Nodding at his sister, he let off a sigh.. it wasn't right for him to use her like this but it was going to be the only way..

"Not sure we really have another choice do we? Not like the fucking guy is gonna walk out the front door with us.."

Letting off another sigh, he picked up his cigarette and quickly inhaled it. His brain was in full speed as he was already thinking of the different things he would do to this guy to make him talk, he sure did like it when they refused.. grinning a bit now, his eyes shifted down to the bartender who literally had not a clue in the world what was going to transpire, or that he really had wronged anyone.. he was just doing his job. Feeling the grip on his shoulder from his sister, he quickly turned his head to her and met her eyes.. it was the glare that was all to familiar to him, it was that same glare his mother used to give him when he was a child and was acting up, somehow she had managed to replicate that and it was the one thing that his sister could use to overpower him, well in certain situations that is...

Pietro let his body sink down as she pushed him into the chair, laughing a bit as she did it.

"That's it, sit down.. relax. No need to get so worked up.."

The door to the front of the store opened, sending the bell on it jingling and causing them both to quickly look in it's direction.. to Pietro's relief, it wasn't anyone there to actually murder them.. ever since he saw that man in the bathroom he really has had second thoughts about how safe they really are, that is why they needed to figure out who he was. Letting off a sigh that somewhat calmed him down now, he turned back to the brown wooden bar and placed his elbows on the edge and began to go over the plan in his head.. that was if his sister really did want to go through with this...

"You know, you and ma' always had a way with your looks, always knew just how to calm me down.. well, I certainly needed that. Fucking guy over there thinks he can talk to me the way he did though.. just gonna make getting that information out of him much more satisfying. So, your serious about this huh?"

The faint nod from her was all he needed before he continued speaking again, this time in their native tongue..

"I guess we are gonna have to wait for the prick to get off work. Should I just leave you with him and follow you back to the hotel in a taxi? I mean.. do you have any ideas on how you want to do this?"

Scrunching her face ever so slightly as she began to think which was the best way to tackle this. A man like that, well most men in general, crumbled to the attention of a women. Though this one might be a bit difficult, he already had a bit of hate towards her and her brother. So flirting with him may not be the easiest, especially since she’d have to rely more on her words than her looks. This wasn’t always the case, there was a point when beauty wasn’t an issue. 

Things had changed many years ago, now a rather large scar that sat upon her right cheek. It ran from underneath the center of her eye, basically down to her jawline. The skin around it rough and no longer baby skin smooth. It took a while for her to become comfortable again within her own skin but it was still quite the culture shock to basically anyone that she was around. 

Before answering, Santina picked up her lit cigarette out of the ashtray. Raising it to her lips, she took a puff, blowing the smoke out of the corner of her mouth. Making sure the direct it away towards her brother, even though he liked the smoke, it was just the nice thing to do. She took one more puff before placing it back down in the ashtray. 

“I guess the question really is do you think it is going to work. You of course know how I feel myself but you also know how others view me.” She ran her hand over her scar, fingertips following the rough edges. “I can definitely try but not sure he will even give me the time of day. Plus I kind of think he already doesn’t like you for some reason. Which will probably trickle down to his feelings towards me.”

She watched as Pietro reached for his drink, holding the glass for a moment while pondering. You could see the wheels in his head churning, you could see he wanted to comment but was holding back. He knew she was right but it was something he didn’t verbally want to agree to. As hard of a man as he was, he would never do anything to hurt his sister, in any regards. 

“You know I’m right, you don’t have to stay silent on this matter. It won’t hurt my feelings.”

Pietro took a rather large sip from his drink then lowered it but not placing it back down. 

“You’re perfect the way you are, don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.” He spoke, she nodded in agreement. Making sure he knew that she heard his words. “You might be right though, he already seems not too fond of us. Not sure you going over there to flirt with him would do the trick and in reality, I don’t want you in that position.” 

“I can handle myself, you know this? Right?” 

He nodded before speaking.