Drieza blew the smoke off the barrel of his gun and wiped the blood from his face. Once again, the Queen, New York Don was approaching the public to speak on recent events that happened that evening.

“This will be short, sweet, and simple. Maybe? I like to talk.”

He holstered his gun and slowly walked down the town hall steps to approach the public. Drieza took off his coat and tossed it to the ground.

“I want to be clear; New York and Philly held no conflict with Chicago… until today.”

The people started to gather around the Queen’s Underboss and lend him their ear.

“The people of Chicago were considered friends. I know, surprise there, huh? It's like we all worked together to take down a regime. Majority of them were great help on the mission and stepped up to help us complete that goal.  And their place in that part of history can never be replaced, nor replicated.”

The gunman looks sideways with a sour look on his face.

“Some of them we associate with on a daily basis, and that’s what makes this harder than it should be, given the circumstances.”

Drieza swallowed the sour look and his face turned to stone.

“After Optimus and Bollix, I didn’t think the city of New York would be pulling the triggers on their guns any time soon… unless we were provoked into a war.

Chicago had mischievous plans of their own being whispered about behind the scenes, as most criminal enterprises operate. The short and sweet part of this whole story? Chicago had a private discussion and decided to kill people, a target being the city of New York. Why? I don’t know, that’s not my story to tell, and dead men don’t speak.”

Drieza shifted some while he stood.

“I have my assumptions and speculations, of course. But it doesn’t matter. The simple fact is that they were going to turn their guns on our city and the NYPH alliance decided to beat them to the punch instead of being fitted for a pair of cement boots ourselves. Such is the ‘Natural Selection’ of our world.

After knowing about their private discussions and their agreement, there was a comment from Don TomJoad about killing Godfather Dixxon. Knowing there was some truth in that statement, New York and Philly felt no remorse in pulling together a squad of gunmen to hit the city of Chicago before they had time to plan an attack of their own.

What started as a normal day for operations, ended with the sidewalks painted red.”

He looked sad. Anxious, but sad all the same. Pulling the trigger to murder a man was a thrill, but coming down from the high was always a complicated moral process.

“When given the chance, you defend your city from attack and losing loved ones that would defend you in any capacity at any time. Common sense. Case closed. We had the evidence we needed and weren’t going to let our city get slaughtered by some hot heated youths who didn’t know when to holster their guns.”

Drieza started to walk back up to city hall.

“They wanted to go out with a bang and on their own terms. I understand that. A part of me even respects it. And on the same notion, we will always defend ourselves pre-emptively. That’s the simple part of this story.”

Drieza turned around and thought back to the man they called HuffinDuster and whispered to himself, "His name would explain a lot now". 

He walked away from the crowd and stood at the front doors of the city hall, then threw out his hands in a gesture of, ‘what else would you do’ to the citizens watching on.

It is a shame when people talk out of turn and want to shoot Skorp, I guess. But gotta do what you gotta do. Clean wave. 

Thank you for the Trans-parency. 

I stayed in the back, half in shadow, watching the crowd press in around Drieza. The air still stank of gunpowder and rain, a mix that always clung to the streets after a war. His words carried over the square, rough and certain, the kind that cut through noise and made even ghosts like me stop and listen.

When he finished, the city was silent, save for the steady drip from the rooftops. I flicked the ash from my cigar and let the smoke curl up into the night.

“Appreciate you stepping out to speak again, Drieza,” I said quietly, more to the rain than the man himself. “Not everyone’s got the steel to face the streets after pulling the trigger. You’ve got a way of putting reason to madness, even when it’s soaked in blood. Takes more than a good aim to lead, it takes guts. And for that, the city owes you a listen.”

The wind shifted, carrying the last of his words down the empty block. I stayed there a moment longer, letting them fade before the night swallowed them whole.

To call this a stretch is a disservice to rubber.

A little actual history to go along with this story being fed to you.

62 days ago, a member of Chicago was mysteriously gunned down in cold blood. Mysteriously, no witnesses statement was ever found. The Chicago member in question had hereditary ties to the former regime and it was believed that his family line had been one to take part in Purging. 

While circumstantial evidence and common sense pointed to the assailant and/or accomplices/accessories coming from New York, no actual evidence could be found, so OMalley decided rather than risk more lives, he would let this go as a loss.

This did not sit well with OMalleys long time friend, mentor and benefactor TomJoad. Tom you see, had fought hard to bring and end to the Purging of the Regime, and was bound and determined to make certain that the new leaders did not fall in to the same trap of killing someone based on their ancestry. Tom is a good man you see, bound very hard to his morals and ethics.

That said, he wasnt pleased that OMalley wasnt pursuing the crime against their family. Even the best of friends can have disagreements. In a letter to OMalleys Right Hand Illuminatiated, Tom wrote, and I quote directly:

”We stand up for our people and not act like bitches. Should I shoot Dixxon to show you how its done?”

During a discussion about how to handle the murder cover up, Illu unfortunatly made the mistake of sharing that letter with the rest of the Chicago uppers and for whatever reason 62 days later, that RAT FUCK Roley decided to share that with whomever, and that is now why Chicago has been laid to waste.

…there was a comment from Don TomJoad about killing Godfather Dixxon. Knowing there was some truth in that statement…

I mean, oooookay? I guess Tom did say the 3 words “I shoot Dixxon” together in a sentence once, so clearly he had malevolent intent.  What did you guys think Tom was doing, giving you 62 days to build up defenses to make it a more fair fight? Nice of him really.

This is an absolute bullshit excuse and you know it. Tom had been the strongest gun in the game for months and if he wanted someone dead, you would have been dead. No plotting, no… voting? Did someone actually say that was a thing? I get it. You were bored and needed an excuse to wipe a city. Why not say “We wiped Chicago because OMalley was a lazy inactive cunt” or some shit, why drag Toms name through the mud?

2.5/10. Twats.

Roley listened to the bullshit that Doyle had spilled out trying to tell the full story knowing that he left out bits and pieces hilariously to try to prove his point.

"It is funny to me that you leave out full truths while trying to tell full truths, let us not pretend that TomJoad only sent a mail, he also took a flight to New York while talking to Illu attempting to get help to shoot the very people who helped him get to where he was to begin with. On top of that the mail he shared which you gripe about sparked support from other Chicago upper structure who were ready to back him in a suicide mission of speculation. Sure nothing took place that day but let us walk further down this path shall we?"

"Tom then decided to watch a couple of members of another city die and instantly jump on the purge wagon claiming that if people are being killed that they do not know then that there are people he does not know which as you would imagine was not the brightest thing for him to say especially when in reality the people who were killed was for legitimate reasons and was not a purge, but he did not bother to even handle that situation did he? Instead O'Malley continued to be the inactive Godfather he was all run who did absolutely nothing the entire time and let everybody else handle his problems and leadership responsibilities"

"Moving forward to just recently when on multiple occasions that O'Malleys lack of ability to lead was called into question his responses always included that we could pick a fight or start a war as an option to effectively end the run. Who was Chicago going to shoot? The very same people who alongside Tom put in dedication and effort to get us to where we are today? Spare me the bullshit, O'Malley took the mantle for an easy accomplishment that he had not received before and then let his city and his members rot while failing to give a single fuck. He made his choice to effectively be fine with throwing away everybody in his city due to his own inabilities to attack people I was very close to should that be the outcome people wanted and I made the choice to not allow that potential to become a reality."

Pig has never rogued though.

I dunno what he was considering a purge, but it doesn't really matter. 

As for FOM, well, whatever. 

Did you try to talk to your city about your concerns? Or were you just working as an agent. 

So that said, sounds like a rat Roley. All that you're saying is that your loyalty wasn't to Chicago. So you betrayed Transistor, Aether, Sao, and so on. 

Squeak Squeak. 

Roley the Rat!!!

Tony walked up to the crowd looking rough as hell. His shirt was half out, hair sticking up like he’d slept in a wind tunnel, eyes bloodshot and confused. He gave his ass a lazy scratch, then sniffed his fingers before realising that was a bad idea. He looked around quick, hoping nobody caught it, then tried to fix his tie like that would help. When he first opened his little suit business, Chicago were his most loyal customers. Sharp dressers, good payers, always back for a second fitting.

Rest in peace to the fallen. This thing of ours can be shitty sometimes. 

After the dust settled, Dixxon walked to the streets with his army of bodyguards. He wanted to see what the commotion was about. He dug his hand into his left pocket and fumbled around with keys, money, etc. He was looking for his lighter for his cigarette. Finallly placing his hand on the lighter, he pulls it out and lights up a cigarette.

"Rest in Peace to the fallen. Unfortunately, this is the life we live. Life is a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose."

The real lesson here is that Tom should've shot Dixxon two months ago when he said those things. When Enzo_Farrera killed SimonTheSwanHunter, he didn't stop to mail someone about it, he just saw the ugliest hunchbacked swamp-dweller he'd ever seen and fired a fat one right through his buck teeth. Always follow through on your convictions. 

We stand up for our people and not act like bitches

No Chicago did not. What they did was use conversations from previous line's kin just to remove said kin because they hurt someone's feelings about blocking a particular person from being able to contact them. Talk about going on all just to do the very thing that you claim never happens in Chicago. 

Anyways please continue trying to make Chicago seem way better than it truly was. I just hope someone brings some snacks around this way. 

Cin got ready to leave but paused briefly. 

Lastly, no one gets to hate Roley like I do. You are welcome to try though. 

"Anyone saying they wouldn't have done the exact same thing with the intel New York had is a liar, plain and simple. Don’t act all high and mighty in hindsight when someone actually made the call and beat you to the punch in a "us or them" moment.

This wasn’t a citywide witch hunt, it was a few people cooking up trouble that sadly got their city removed. Tongue‑in‑cheek or dead‑serious, they made their bed, and now they’re sleeping in it.

As it always mostly the case in this thing of ours, Chat shit, get banged. Simple as that."

New York totally did the right thing. Talk shit get hit. 

But thanks to Roley the Rat. 

Severe the Snitch. 

SQUEAK. 

"I'm sure we all appreciate the valiant attempt at deflecting blame from those who put a target on their own backs, but the fact that you, of all people, are out here stirring the pot about someone being a rat is genuinely hilarious.

You've got the audacity to point squeaky fingers, let's not forget who's been manipulating the odds for longer than most."

Esquie had decided to leave his cave for a short walk when he heard a commotion.  It seemed the humans had killed another human.  He decided to listen in.  After a few minutes of back and forth, he decided he knew what the situation needed.  He ran back to his cave, gathered a few things, and headed back to the meeting.

Mes amis, I bring you gifts.

Esquie lays down a load of mouse traps and rat poison.

I heard there were some leaky pipes leading to a rodent infestation. This should help for the future.  Remember, never trust a rodent who travels to you!  They'll always just look for the next piece of trash to feast on.

Esquie bounces away singing a song.

My father was never intimately aware of any plans to move against NY, in earnest. While he was quiet and reserved (for once), he would have done what he could to put a stop to something like that in a hurry.

That being said, there certainly was some eyebrows raised when a member of Chicago was wiped out without a trace, only to find the members of The Big Apple humming with their hands in their pockets looking anywhere but where the action was happening. Chicago had decided to let it go, much to the chagrin of senior membership indeed. Perhaps some things were said in confidence that should not have been. I was not a part of those discussions, so I can't speak on them- but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. If that was indeed the way the situation shook out, I think anyone would be frustrated that there was not a sit-down that early into a somewhat unproven working relationship. I imagine even those who felt the need to break Omerta might even have let a few things slip they might not want to get out. Let's not clutch pearls and pretend if cooler heads did not prevail, there would have been much bloodshed months ago.

It is my hope to have a long and prosperous life in New York, as the family lines currently residing here have always treated me like one of their own.

This will be the one and only time I speak on the topic.

Restful sleep to the fallen.

T

Some things should not be said even IF they are said in a joking manner. Sometimes you need cooler heads to prevail, and I say that as someone well known for not having a very cool head. I think that's the main takeaway here today. Sometimes things are said that can't be taken back, no matter how much you moan and whine and stomp your feet saying that it isn't fair.

I mean, oooookay? I guess Tom did say the 3 words “I shoot Dixxon” together in a sentence once, so clearly he had malevolent intent.  What did you guys think Tom was doing, giving you 62 days to build up defenses to make it a more fair fight? Nice of him really.

This I find particularly amusing. The notion that New York even needed to shore up defenses or anything for that matter to make a fight between the two cities a fair fight is honestly laughable. 

Thank you Drieza for once again coming out here and explaining the thought process of the leaders of this world. It is not required to do this, so I hope it is also appreciated by the masses.

In closing, I'm glad that once a problem has been found it is solved with the upmost swiftness.

TomJoad was hardly 'dragged through the mud' as you put it. It was an observation that his comments hit a little closer to home than we were comfortable with, given the situation that Bob and Father were cooking up. I respected TomJoad. I respected him as a person and his values to this world of ours. He's not the cause of Chicago's death - Bob and Father are the cause of Chicago's death. 

If that's what you took away from this speech, I don't know what to tell you. 

And I'm not sure where the assumption that someone from New York shot someone from Chicago comes from. A witness statement was asked for and New York didn't have one to give Chicago. Why did we not care as much? Well, did we have to? We were on alert for another shot to ring out in the air, but that shot never came. And personally, I don't care if someone's kin doing the previous dirty work of The Regime dies. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Seems my empathy for them will need some self-reflection. You know what they say, common sense isn't that common.

While Chicago was working off assumptions, we worked on cold facts. I could've provided the 'zee logs' of the conversation, but decided not to. And I didn't out of respect to the late Bob and Father. There's no point in shitting on them and the only city that needs the evidence is the city of New York, or if another Godfather of this world asks for said evidence - we would certainly provide them with it. If you felt that New York did something wrong, we never closed a line of communication with the city of Chicago. Perhaps the city's leaders could've done the simple thing and just reached out to us. 

You act like it's not a pain in our ass having to kill them. News flash, it's a pain in our fucking ass. Now we're responsible for filling the city given the criminal organization's lack of criminals that are walking away from crime. 

And please enlighten on me the bullshit. Chicago was going to shoot people and got a dirt nap for it. 

Guess that rubber seems more like rubber now. 

Who said anything about someone doing dirty work from the prior regime? I don't know who was purged so I can't comment fully. But I don't recall anything sixty-two days ago. Sometimes you kill things just on suspicion though. It happens. 

In summation, sounds like you purged out a threat, as anyone in a Regime would do. Chicago didn't like that or something. FOM wasn't a great leader or something. I dunno what BobTheBuilder was doing other than following along... TomJoad said something about killing Skorp. Roley Ratted despite being a hand and stuff and supposedly friends with those people in Chicago. You toppled Chicago. Fair play! 

ROLEY THE RAT SEVERE THE SNITCH EREDIN THE INFORMANT 

Milk hears the commotion in the streets and sets down his glass of 2% and steps out of the watering hole and lights up a smoke and takes a long drag and exhales before speaking 

If one city hears whispers that another city may be planning something... regardless of how the information was received, they need to act first and not second.  

all I know is what I have heard you all yammering on about while I was enjoying a nice cold glass of 2%.  

The city of New York took proactive action.  That is all.  

It would be foolish to think that any other city, given the circumstances wouldn't do the same.  

RIP to all of the fallen members of the Windy City... but from everything I understand, the leadership there brought this upon themselves when they plotted against the Big Apple.  

Milk takes one last drag of his cigarette, sighs and shuffles back into the bar back to his 2%