Stone sits astride an empty tea crate and listens intently whilst many offer their opinion and thoughts regarding the subject raised by Gatsby. He waits patiently, consuming cigarette after cigarette until the response from the gathered throng diminishes. He takes a final draw from his last stub and drops it to the floor, extinguishing it with a twist of his heel before standing and offering his own thoughts………

This is a subject which in my opinion has only one answer, which has already been offered many times over. I would like to elaborate a little however, on the words that have been spoken;

Loyalty can only be to one thing, or one person when a choice has to be made. You cannot be loyal to more than one. It is for this reason that the choice has to be to that of family.

Family, after all, is all that remains when all else is lost. When friendships have dwindled and expired the loyalty that each and every one of us should, must, will always feel is towards family. The very bones of our society which stand firmly upon the solid foundations to which we all hold dear should never be called into question in my opinion. Family is it, nothing more, nothing less, The Family is it.

I do recognise the importance of friendships, the relationships that are forged between bloodlines and the struggle many may have between these and that of family. I fear we may however be confusing loyalty with attraction, admiration, adoration, infatuation, intimacy, love even. These things may exist for many of us outside of family and it is this emotional tie which will often confuse ones sense of loyalty. A loyalty that in my opinion should be embedded within the very essence of your soul, the root of your being, and the reason you as an individual have made the choice to follow this life in the first place. In order to become part of something, a family within La Cosa Nostra.

Finally, I would also say that to end a friendship with a bullet is a sign of respect. To terminate a relationship in the execution of duty and your ultimate loyalty to your family, is a true mark of respect to the existence of such a friendship and as such, would never pass on the execution of such a duty to anyone other than to myself.

Stone accepts another cigarette from a passing family Goomba before returning to the confines of the relatively comfortable tea crate.

Gatsby who has intently listened to the many thoughts on the matter is finding himself very much in the same boat as the others.

Aztec, i would personally like to see you start a new conversation with this question because i feel it will get lost in the thoughts here in the streets. It is thought provoking and a great question of loyalty and i can see why it is placed here. Personally i can see myself finding it very hard to defend a man who shot one who was innocent such as a shop keeper. No doubt in my mind would i ever willingly allow an innocent person to be harmed or encourage on to use deadly force on one. With that in mind i find myself encouraging my friend to admit his injustice, for i too find it an unjust murder old sport. For arguments sake, if my friend desired not to admit his fault i think i would be crossing into a negative threshold in which i swore absolute loyalty. Killing innocent shopkeepers is not ever in the plans of The Chicago Outfit. My friend, would either have to pay for what he has done with money which he seems to have none of, or by blood unfortunately. If i was unable to talk my leader out of killing him then i would ask to take the contract myself. I would desire to hear my friends dying words and give him someone to stay with him as he takes his last breaths. I hope that was not much more than you desired to hear old sport.

Now, Appelsap, to get a deeper insight into what you mean, I wish to know what separates a family member to you from a friend who has been with your grandfather since this bloodline started. As for me, my first ancestor has never left the side of the women who have helped change her and shape her. Deces, Duplicty, and Visas have all helped me become the person i am today. Our bloodlines have seemed to stay connected since my first ancestor. If my son or daughter desired to be with another family away from them, I would hope they would consider them family as i have. To me, family is the one who asks you how you are doing and does not settle for good. To me, those are the people worth dying for.

Stone, I have to completely agree with you old sport. To be the one, to place that bullet across your friends heart has to be one of the more difficult things this life will ever see but personally, i would much rather have a friend pull the trigger than someone i have never seen before. We will all die, we have come to this conclusion multiple times in our lifetime. When we do go, who do we want by our side. 

Taylor_Swift and -R-ichard-W-ad I understand your frustration with @Charlies words. As i too was frustrated but i think his apology shows his leadership and is more impressive than many others out in the streets. I feel his humility in owning up to his mistake is the very reason he is a left hand. I would ask that we do not carry on any further conversation other than the topic at hand. 

Appelsap hears Gatsby talk about some things but just as he was going to leave the discussion Gatsby turns to him. And he asks hims some interesting question. So Appelsap started thinking about this, and after sometime he had some nice answers. 

"You know what it is Gatsby I think I have a good answere for you but I don't know if you're going to like it. My answere your question is quite simple, as we don't want our offspring to be judged on our actions in this life of ours. I myself want to be jugded on the way I'm acting now. Not on the way my other people of my bloodline have acted, this because I had some strange people in my bloodline that are just a little bit strange. But also if one of my ancesters was a great man/woman in this world of ours I would find it strange to be promoted just because for instance my mother was a godfather at one point. "

"I know this doesn't answere your question but i'm getting there. In my life as Appelsap I will make a lot of new friends and I will also lose some friends of my father. but the way I see it if I need to live my own life I can also chose my own way in this life. And with this i may also chose my own friends and Family. The people that where friends of my father might become one of my friends, because we might have the same  ideas. But when I cho0se my family it's  the group I would die for and I expect they would do everything to protect me. "

"So Your family is a group you can trust, and need to trust you. And your friends are people you choose and they can change in your family. I know friends can be good to have but at the end I expect them to make the same choice I would make. And that's Family before friends, Especially in war time. But if there is another reason why my friends should be shot, I would try to help him with a good argument to safe his/her life. "

Appel hoped he had explained it the right way, If not he would be waiting in the chair he just say. 

A friend in need is a friend in deed is the way it goes, but in a game as ours the Famiglia is first!

I once had someone ask me why blood lines in my family were always so loyal to people like BBT, izzy, tiggy, and deano, who were written about in my blood line journals.

I told them because they were my friends.

They replied hell i got lots of friends.

My response was, I don't.

Gatsby looks around. He clearly did not expect people to be speaking so much and it definitely excited his little head. He put one hand in his pocket. No doubt a sign that he was not of old money. 

I do not know where to begin but i know i need too. appelsap I do appreciate and enjoy your response. I think what you are saying is vital as it is your point of view. If i felt my opinon was the only truth there was i simply would not be out here asking others there thoughts. The only opinon i could not stand to hear would be something along the lines of, "I am the only person who matters." That kind of arrogance a kind of i am the only important person never sat well with me. 

Ryda, i love the first part. A friend in need is a friend in deed. Then you go on to say but the family comes first. Old sport i do think back about all the times when leaders were friends and had their families jump to the aid of their friends. They put their family in danger for the safety of a friend. What does that mean to you? 

PremRhino I may not know you as well as i would like but i do know that friends are definitely hard to come by. I think, when one commits to friendship they are committing to something much deeper than most of us understand. When you say you are close with several people it lets me know that your friendship is a valuable thing.

Cerebellum working next to you i see that often family becomes friends. Working with you i realize that sometimes the people that are closest to us, those who deserve our sound loyalty are the ones who no doubt willing to give everything we have for others. 

Gatsby toasts the crowd. Perhaps there was more to be said. Why should Gatsby continue on to rant and think when it was no doubt a time for others to invest their thoughts on the subject of loyalty with friends. 

Violetta had come across a dwindling crowd of people discussing a very dear subject to her.  She unfortunately missed parts of what people had said, but grabbed someone nearby asking for a recap of the conversations.  She nodded hearing about how Gatsby brought an interesting topic to the masses, and several people spoke on what loyalty meant, and how it affects friendship.

“First of all, loyalty should not go to acquaintances over your own family or leader.  No matter how friendly you are with each other. Loyalty is a two way street, however, and trust along with respect comes into action as well.”

“Your leader takes you in giving you shelter, a place to call ‘home’, and protection from the cruelty the world has to offer.  The leader deserves to have loyal family members, just as each family member deserves to have a loyal leader.  One they can trust to protect you, back you up, or defend you if necessary.”

Violetta pauses a moment to clear her throat before continuing.

“Respect is a two way street as well, and I cannot discuss loyalty without mentioning trust and respect.  If you cannot respect the leader, then that can lead to no trust and loyalty which is a no win situation for all involved.”

“This thing of ours is based on loyalty, and the powers that be are supposed to be leading us by example.  Teaching us by actions what loyalty is, how to achieve it, nurture it, and allow it to grow.  Ignoring people or refusing to help those in need is not how to achieve a good reputation, respect or loyalty.”

She recalls in the past stories of broken loyalties, trust issues, and corrupt leaders, but Violetta is discussing in general how she felt about loyalty.

“Favoritism is a bad thing in this thing of ours because it blurs the lines to what is right and what is wrong.  Family First.  Friends should be that, just friends.  If they cannot understand your day to day struggles in this business, then they need to find a 9 to 5 job.”

Pausing once more, Vi smiles softly as she thinks to her family and husband.  Blessed to have him with her at work and at home, but they each knew the importance of loyalty to family.

“My dear husband is right beside me in our Family.  I know he understands the depth of my words when I say I am loyal to our leader.  They are not just empty words spouted for looks.  I do understand how things work in this world of ours though, and people become blinded by things beyond their control at times, led down the wrong path or being misguided.”

“We have core values of honor and loyalty.  Family First before anything else.  I will do as I am told, and there is no way around that.  However, as I mentioned earlier about losing the respect for your leader can be troublesome.  If I cannot respect my leader, I will not be able to swear my loyalty to them.”

Violetta sighs softly, as she understands leaders and family members can be misguided, or lied to, or just blindsided by people they thought they could trust.

“In some situations the loyalty can be given, earned, and reciprocated, but it also can be lost by actions on either side.  Once it is lost, death is the only option left.”

Violetta made eye contact with several people standing next to her as she emphasized her last statement.

“I for one view districts as one family, being our Godfather or Godmother has given permission for someone in our family to be allowed to work under them side by side.  To me this is just an extension of the family, but I realize not everyone agrees on this which is fine as it is my opinion.”  

“When it is stated repeatedly how a cohabitating district is one big family, and not seen as separate families, then to have the statement backpedaled 180 degrees in a situation of favoritism, well that makes me question the integrity and honesty of a leader.  The loyalty is now questionable in my eyes, leading me to believe death is a way better place than to be working with someone I can’t trust or respect.”

Violetta paused briefly before concluding her long speech.

“I realize I have rambled on and on, but I won’t apologize for speaking my mind.”