Fatal makes his way through the crowd up to the soap box, a place he has rarely ever been. A small crowd quietly gathers wondering who he is. He greets every unknown face and begins speaking:

"Ladies and gentleman, I have come to you today with a little curiosity. What defines a true mafioso nature? The question has been lingering in my mind since I've started in this business. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought of such a thing. But back to the simple matter. Everyone has their own personality, it is what defines who you are. I've been told that I'm quite goofy but does that make me any less of a mafioso? I have many friends within my family and outside of the family but does that mean I'm too soft?"

The small crowd accumulates to a medium size as he speaks once more.

"So my questions I have for you today is:"

"Do you think it takes pure boldness to be a true mofioso?"

"Do you think being friendly means you're too soft?"

*Lasko walking by, hears fatal speaking and is intrigued by his question. Not usually one to speak he decides to drop his two cents anyways.*

I wouldn't consider it being friendly as much as I would call it being cordial. Just because you speak to alot of people on a regular basis doesn't mean your friendly. It just means you have the respect to acknowledge those around you.

A true mafioso knows how to hold himself in a resectful manner and knows how to demand respect from everyone, be it other mafioso, cops, or regular civilians. To me he is a business man by nature, and a family man in his heart. He does what it takes to ensure that both his family, and his business, whatever it may be are well taken care of.

With all that being said if he lacks the "boldness" to stick up for what he believes in, he in no shape of form can be considered a true mafioso

*Lasko steps back to listen to the other comments about this subject that interest him so much*

Keenos stands, listening to Fatal's speech, and, pondering his own thoughts, takes a step forward infront of the crowd.

Sir I believe that a true mafioso knows when to be bold, hard & strict, and when to be friendly, polite and, dare I say it, even soft. It is about jugding the situation correctly and knowing when and how to act. There is no single, straight answer.

Even when it comes to your enemies. Sometimes you need to be soft and caring with them to get them to do what you want. And likewise with your friends, sometimes you need to be harsh to them to keep them in line. It is all on the situation.

Keenos slips back into the darkness.

*AK listens close until the last question was asked and the last opinion was shared then replies with words of his own*

However a mafioso is supposed to act, I think being respectful curves around every bit of it.

*AK sits back and waits for what other people have to say*

BabyBoy listens to the man on the box then listens to every1 response! Then BabyBoy steps up and says

"No matter how you act or who you are a true mafioso is some1 who is respectful to all."

BabyBoy then steps back and leans against the wall to listen to others.

Just as our reactions are determined by someone else's actions, I think our attitude towards a person is modified by their attitude. To get respect you have to earn it but from this perspective you have to give to receive. If you have to be bold to earn you respect so be it but there are multiple ways here you can recognize. Futhermore I agree with you all, we should all carry more than one trait.

Fatal waits quietly to hear the next opinion.

After listening to the various comments Anthony speaks up.

I think the question of whether to be bold or not is answered by our actions. By that I mean the meek don't snatch purses, the bold do. By the same logic, if you can't be silky sweet and appear like an honest genuine joe, how you going to con anyone? Hit a bank, only the bold. Extortion isn't done nicely, its done at the end of a gun. 

Anthony takes a drag on his cigarette.

As for respect, I think that is earned and given. If you interact with me, you might see power and prestiege, but maybe I see a purse snatching punk. Who should respect who, I earned a little by work and was given a lot by the powerful, maybe you aint earned squat yet and only manage to associate with the powerful. Who should respect who? That's not to say I can just disrespect who I will, it just means it's harder to take what I say or do as disrespectful if all you do is snatch purses all day.

Bigsby's face scorched under the summer heat. His hands had developed a routine, a movement that had become mechanical to him, of swiping a soaked handkerchief across his sweaty brow and dropping tiredly to his side, waiting for its imminent return to his dripping forehead. He had listened silently to the conversation, until he felt an appropriate time to talk presented itself. 

What image does the idea of a true mafioso provoke? For me, there is a hardened man, shrouded in stoic mystery, his face half hidden by the upturned collar on his dark overcoat and covered in shadow by his tipped down fedora. Sounds pretty tough doesn't he? I knew a man once who made thousands running a protection racket covering every business in Manhattan. He was a fat man who owned a corner store. He had two things: he had the money to pay his muscle and he had the respect to keep them in line. He was a man of values. If he gave his word, he was bonded to that promise. If he promised protection, that's what he would offer. If some foolish start up decided to open a restaurant in competition with one of his clients, he would make sure they were swiftly discouraged from remaining in business. He paid his boys well and they paid him back with unquestioning duty. There are men of temperance and caution, who plot each embezzlement with faultless intricacy, and there are men of action and violence, who leave banks with nothing but a trail of money and bullet shells littering their wake. And then there was the man I knew, who handled his business with the reverence and honour it deserved. 

He stopped to listen in, and after reasonable silence decided it was his turn to talk,

Pardon, but I do not think that just because your nice, or too mean, or "goofy" as you put it, makes you less of a mafioso. What determines that is your level of loyalty to your family. If you show true dedication, true support of what your family believes in, then in all actuality, you are mafioso. 

From across the street Mr.Adams listens attentively to Fatal and the group of paisans gathered round him, before he speaks his mind

Some familiar faces here! I've been listening to what you all said...

As a true mafioso you should practice what you preach, don't be all mouth and no trousers. You can bleat like a goat and be all cocky, but if you don't have the balls to act like it, you're not a real mafioso to me.

Yes, there are different ways to act in different situations. Nothing wrong with that. But keep this in mind: respond don't react. To react is letting your emotions get the better of you, which leads to behavior that's inappropriate for the situation at hand, regrets and apologies. A mafioso thinks through a situation before acting, and responds in an appropriate manner keeping respect in mind.

He leaves to take care of some Delaware scum

He stood leaning against a light pole, taking a bite from some ice cream he had bought a few moments ago. As his teeth entered the soft ice cream he noticed a young chump who had been ducking and dodging his associates for a while now.. quickly he put his ice cream down, pulled out his gun taking one shot and dropping the kid.. quickly he picked back the ice cream and took a bite without hesitation

You gotta pay your dues around these parts, make some connections and bid your time and then you can be whoever you want to be to a point while still being a good mobster. Image means a lot so you gotta be ruthless and follow through with your business, while being polite and proper the whole time. We are in a business to make money and connections so using those tactics (such as being soft.. maybe acting a part for a reason etc) so if you can do it respectfully and on a level that will not get you killed, our world is every shaping and changing and who knows whats next. I could sit here and say we have "seen them all and every type of mobster around these parts" but then again.. have we yet? People are crazy and the future is wide open.. so crack open a beer and enjoy the mob life I say.

Seph steps up and shakes the mans hand…

I guess really the answer to your question pretty much lays on the person you ask. For myself, I think being friendly or having friends in this thing of ours is never a bad thing, with the way ive seen things work out you will never know when you might need a helping hand might it be because of some crazy mis haps, or you need financial aid for a kin, or anything really. Having friends alone can make you a more powerful person I find, of course family has always come first and always will. This is where you need to make the difference between friends and family, your family will always take you farther then your friends will, family will give there life for you as a friend in another city you can not expect that from them, or shouldn’t rather. Business is business, and one day they could very well be standing in front of you with a gun even though they might not want to be.

As far as how you hold yourself as a Mafioso, I think by the book I would have to say you hold yourself in a respectful manner, a real business man, a man that honors the code of this thing of ours. Knowing that this particular trade was started to make money and grow, instead of focusing on the other impurities that sometimes blinds us from the actual factor that we are here to make money, and grow as a family.

Of course, in this thing of ours now, and how history has been written the newer style circle of life ill call it, the strong and well prepared last, and others well, they get to swim with the fishes.

Seph steps down and walks back to the front of the crowd…