Ronin was standing on the corner of Liberty and Main Streets, gazing out over the city. This was the first city in America he had ever called home. He spent the best part of his 20s in this city, learning the ways of the American mafia under the tutelage of a few different men. Their faces swam before his eyes; JohnHartman, Memento, Eredin. Only Eredin still lived, but he was some sort of alchemist, as he had found a way to turn back the clock and was now actually younger than Ronin. 

It was ironic that this was the city he would soon call his own. He had come full circle all the way back to where he first made his bones. After his time in Philadelphia, he spent a few years in New York under SpikeS, who worked for godfather Kimble. It was a fun time for Ronin, where he really learned the true value of loyalty and hard work. 

As the city grew, the need for expansion arose, and after a bloody period of cross-country mob war, SpikeS was sent to Detroit to take the mantle of Godfather himself. Ronin went along and was given his own operation in Detroit, first with SpikeS in Downtown, but then in Corktown for a short period. But things changed quickly and the need arose for a strong hand to take the mantle in Philadelphia. 

When Kimble and SpikeS approached him about it, Ronin was ecstatic. It was all he could have ever dreamed for. Sure, it would cost a metric fuckton of money, and he would have to leave behind his mentor once again. But Ronin was ready for this responsibility, for this opportunity.

He stood there in the cold January air, his breathing calm and measured, his eyes staring off into the white abyss of lightly falling snow. It was as if he was completely detached from the situation. As if he had not just murdered a legend of La Cosa Nostra in his sleep.

He looked down at his right hand; the blood had congealed and was now a dark reddish-brown. It blended with the tattoos on his hand, you wouldn't even notice it unless you were looking for it. He had done the actual kill entirely alone. Using information AudreyParker had collected, Ronin and a few of his best men had broken into the hilton on 5th Avenue tonight. The guards were nothing for Tesla, DeanWinchester, and ConnorMcDavid. they took care of them with ease. Ronin didn't even need to draw his gun. Foamy, the little rat the he was, had no trouble silently picking the lock to the penthouse. 

Ronin slithered into the room, his hood raised and his cloak flowing behind him. There the old man was, lying in a queen size bed with a lady of the night on either side of him. Using the skills he had learned in his youth in Japan, Ronin crept across the room without sound. The hookers were obviously drugged into submission; they would not wake up any time soon. Ronin drew his dagger from the folds of his cloak and pressed the cold steel to the old man's throat.

His eyes opened in a flash, but he did not move, he made no struggle. He just smiled at Ronin, as if he knew that this day would come eventually. Ronin's cold grey eyes probed the old man's deep brown ones, taking in the moment. He had always loved the thrill of a kill, and despite this one being so simple and easy, he had still never had more of a rush. With a flick of his wrist he slit the old man's throat. He twitched and convulsed as he choked on his own blood, but the hookers did not stir. Ronin turned his back on the scene and returned to the hall, where his closest advisors were waiting for him.

"It is done. I must address the city."

***

It took some effort, but Ronin pulled himself out of his reverie and focused on the present. He looked out over the small crowd that had now gathered around him. He saw familiar faces and ones that he did not yet know. Audrey, Tesla, Dean and Connor stood beside him. He saw Sidewinder grinning at him stupidly, DrSponge looking brilliant in his best new suit, even Agrippa had shown up and so far had managed to not soil himself in excitement. 

Cato and Miss_Niki from Bella Vista had come as well. They stood there waiting with eager faces, their people grouped around them.

"Thank you all for coming out here tonight. As you will have guessed by now, I have taken the life of the godfather this evening. I have taken his place as head of Philadelphia."

There was an outbreak of whoops and cheers at this; Ronin paused and allowed them to be raucous for a moment. He even cracked a rare smile.

"Now I want to take a moment and speak to you all, about what I expect out of this city now that it is to truly be a reflection of me and those I have placed around me. My vision for Philadelphia, if you will."

"First off, and let me be quite clear on this matter - The city of Philadelphia will always be allied with the cities of New York and Detroit. Always. I owe everything I have to Kimble and SpikeS, and can't thank them enough for this. I will repay them with my unwavering loyalty. I should also thank the other fine city heads of our world for giving me the nod - Mibbit and Psychopath in Chicago, Aztec in Las Vegas, and Don Tycho of Los Angeles."

"I am of the opinion that there is no single thing a leader can do that is better for his people than to lead by example. And this is how I intend to lead. I value street presence, business district activity, and respect. I envision Philadelphia being the forerunners of all of these areas. That is my goal."

He looked over to Cato and Niki standing to his right, and continued.

"I specifically asked for Don Cato to come along with me to Philadelphia, after the unfortunate death of my lovely friend Rita_Hayworth in Manhattan. I felt like he had earned a chance to have his own district, and that he could use some assistance with his godmother falling so recently. So here he is, helping me to build this fine city. His family is full of potential, there are a lot of gems over there in Bella Vista."

"ConnorMcDavid will be setting up his own operation shortly in Old City District as well. I think he will have a few words to say on that matter, but I feel like I should mention it so that it does not surprise anyone."

"As for my baby, South Philly. My great great grandfather was the godfather of that district for a decent amount of time, and that part of town is still very special to me. I won't just dump anyone into it just to fill it. When a worthy candidate arises, I will insert them into that role, but it won't be anytime in the next few weeks."

"My last point I should address is 'tainted' bloodlines in my city. I have always stood by the idea that no child should be held back because of the actions of their parents - except in rare circumstances. If you are looking for a fresh start, be open with me about who you are. I won't judge you or stop you from progressing. But I can assure you, it will be your only chance in this city, and I will have a quick trigger should you bring shame upon us."

He flashed a smile to the crowd and furled his cloak around him against the wind.

"But now, it is cold, and I am preventing Sidewinder and Foamy from becoming extremely drunk in celebration. Drinks on the house at The Hole!"

Connor stood beside Ronin as he gave his speech. His chest swelled with pride as he heard his name mentioned. He was looking forward to the speech he would give later this evening introducing his own crew.

As Ronin’s speech came to an end, and the whoops and cheers arose from the crowd, Connor couldn’t help but smile. Today was a great day for Philadelphia, and everyone was very excited.

Connor approached Ronin and extended his hand in a firm shake while everyone continued their applause and cheers.

“Thank you for the opportunity, Godfather Ronin. Ever since I joined you in Chicago I knew that we would achieve something special, and I could not be more excited to be here in Philadelphia alongside you, Cato, and DeanWinchester. To Godfather Ronin, and to the success of Philly!”

"What a day!" Dean exclaimed. He couldn't contain his excitement any longer. The crowd full of cheers, the smiles on all of the faces around him, and the huge changes in his beloved Philadelphia. Things were off to a great start here and a bright future was in sight. Dean had a busy night ahead of him, so he had to catch Ronin before he left the scene. It proved to be quite the challenge, but not one he couldn't handle.

"Godfather Ronin! What can I say? Congratulations on your new title. Chairman is a damn big feat. It's amazing to see you with such a big role. You've always been a real classy, motivated guy and I can't think of a soul who deserves this more than you. I'm honored to have the chance to work with you and Cato here in Philly. To a bright future!"

Dean grabbed a flask out of his jacket pocket and took a swig in honor of his new Godfather. He wasn't much of a drinker, but special occasions called for some rule bending. He placed the flask back in his pocket and started looking around for his former Right Hand, ConnorMcDavid. Upon sighting him, Dean walked up to him and gave him a hug.

"Connor, my main man! I'm so proud of you. Our parents knew each other well and my father always spoke very highly of you. I'm incredibly happy to see you getting this chance and I know you'll do us all proud. Congratulations!"

Dean took a step back and reached for his flask again, only to find it was empty. He shook his head. Maybe he would have to visit The Hole after all.

Jack had been summoned out to the streets, by his boss Dean. Tonight was supposed to be a special night because of two reasons. The first being that Ronin was becoming a Godfather of the city, and Connor McDavid was being auth'd! This was definitely going to be a very special night indeed.

He stood towards the back of the crowd, so not to draw attention to himself. Once Ronin had finished his speech, Jack got too emotional and overwhelmed, that he had to get his ass up to Godfather Ronin, and show his respect and appreciation for the man. Grabbing his hand, Jack kissed the ring that was on Ronin's finger, and he nodded his head towards him.

"Godfather Ronin, I do not know a man who deserves this rank more than you. Our fathers worked together back in the good old days, and I have come to know you well over the past years." Said Jack respectfully. He meant every word that he was saying.

"Furthermore, I want to wish you the best of luck in the future, and to let you know that the people of Philly, especially myself, will be here for you whenever you need us. You mean everything to this city! Long live the King!" Jack moved himself back to the crowd, and clapped his hands. Philly, finally had a new Godfather.

DrSponge had stood there listening to every word. Stood, cold as stone but inside he was ecstatic for his boss and the future of Philly.

After Ronin had finished his speech and everyone started heading towards The Hole for a few drinks and a celebration. The Dr made his way to Godfather Ronin and shook his hand.

"Godfather Ronin it is a pleasure to work for you. You deserve this more than anyone I know. Lets create Philly in to the place you envision. But before that, lets go and have a few drinks. I've also got some untested meds with me which could make people act quite funny" Dr Smiled and headed towards The Hole for a knees up!

The day had been long but the end result was worth it, Tesla thought when Ronin was giving his speech. So many things had happened since the move to Philly. He now stood next to ConnorMcDavid. A man he had met and discussed with many times over the last couple of days. A man he had quickly come to trust, and the trust was mutual. 

Tesla then looked at Ronin again, proud as any on the accomplishment he made. Well deserved, Ronin was a hard working man, who also took time to know his family and others. 

Ronin speech was coming to an end and he saw Connor move up to prepare his own speech. While the crowed clapped and cheered for Ronin Connor stepped up and addressed the crowed. He thanked a few people for the opportunity and then raised his glass to Godfather Ronin and Philly. 

As Ronin and Connor walked by Tesla embraced both men. 

"Congratulations to you both, it is a wonderful day for Philly and the rest of the country. Thank you both for the opportunities you have given me recently and in the past."

Before you took me into your crew as an associate, we had a conversation. It was a needed conversation that set the tone for the days to come. I knew your expectations, and I knew what I had to do to meet them. Goals where established and goals where exceeded on a personal level. I want to thank you for that, and for giving me a chance when you didn't have to. Just when I thought I knew exactly who you where, and what you where about, I found out I was totally incorrect. Proud to stand by you and offer my entire support to you, Aubrey, and this entire city.

May your reign be long and successful Godfather Ronin.

Audrey stood to Ronin's side as he started his speech, beaming a smile as he began. She was proud of him, which surprised even her. He called her earlier to tell her the good news, making sure not to exclude the gory details that she really preferred not to hear. Caught up in a daydream, she wrinkled her nose as her imagination ran wild with the amount of blood involved in the murder he'd described. She preferred her dealings to be cleaner, and much farther away from her intended target. 

Startled with the realization that she was already getting distracted, she quickly glanced up and inched back in the crowd behind Ronin. "Ahh, that's better," she thought to herself, letting the crowd block out the sun. Audrey didn't want her distraction to be obvious. She really was impressed with her boss; though she'd never let him know it, his ego was big enough. As much as he could drive her crazy, his work ethic inspired her, and she found herself constantly buried in her work in an attempt to keep up. Thankfully her leader and fellow city members also played hard, resulting in many evenings spent in a bar or sleeping in an unattended booth. It was a life Audrey enjoyed, sleep and coffee always at a precarious balance.

She grinned as Ronin brought his speech to an end and announced the invitation to The Hole. Fucking surprise that was, as the family had spent several nights there recently. She stepped forward after allowing others to extend their congratulations and chuckled when she heard Ragnarok pronounce her name wrong, knowing full well that he was probably still drunk from the last couple nights. "It's not going to be such a quiet bar if you keep inviting people," she quipped, nodding her head at her boss. "And then what am I supposed to do when I'm hungover?!" Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a pack of cigars wrapped in a ribbon and handed it to him, raising her eyebrow at his expression. "Don't judge my gift, you have strippers waiting for you at the bar. Congratulations boss, you deserve this."

Knowing she'd fulfilled as much of an appearance as absolutely necessary, Audrey stepped back and headed for the bar. Hopefully she could get a couple drinks in before running to her next appointment.

Frank - late to the show as always stumbled up upon Ronin making his godfather speech.  He stumbled over to Miss_niki and Cato and shoved a bunch of bills in their pockets - money he'd been out getting for the crew.  Frank drank some whisky to warm himself up in the cold Philly air (among other reasons - Alcoholism being chief among them) and took his place next to them.  Frank pulls up his ripped jeans and closes his leather flannel jacket against the brisk air and clears his throat.

"Ronin, it's only just begun.  Although we've just been placed here together, you have the reputation that precedes you - even before taking the infamous title of godfather.  I hear you're a great man, and that comes from a lot of great people.  That alone makes me happy to be here and play a small part in making Philly a successful city.  My grandfather and great grandfather roamed these streets, and it's always been nice to put the green suit on."

Frank pulls on his toque and raises his drink in the air for the Godfather of Philly.