We've all seen Tenley, better known as Melis, come out to the streets and share her opinions. It is no secret that she values loyalty highly and berates those who do not. She's a little miss perfect, isn't she?

Well then, answer this. Why in the hell did she survive while the rest of her city died? Should she not have went down with the ship? Should she not have shot back at the attackers, to honor her loyalty to the city she was part of?

You tell me.

Tenley - are you a hypocrite?

Mobsters are supposed to be loyal to their family. Where does "loyalty to a city" come from? If anything, different families within a city compete against each other for control of the rackets. But what do I know. I'm just a lowly petty thief.

I have never heard about families in proper cities "competing" against each other. Maybe you're new around these parts, but normally, cities work together. When the head of that city dies, that whole city will usually follow suit. Unless, of course, it's an internal matter as we saw in Las Vegas earlier.

Since this was directed at me I will take a moment to address it. Am I hypocrite? No. I very much believe in loyalty just the same as I always have.

I do have my own family to be loyal to. But on top of that, I have only been in Philadelphia a short time. I was formerly a part of Chicago, who happened to be the ones that gave me my chance at running my own family. So while I looked forward to growing Philadelphia with the other leaders, I owed them no loyalty.

You're speaking about loyalty, Bobby. One of the pillars of Cosa Nostra. That loyalty is to a family, not a city.  Is a member of the Bonanno family loyal to the Gambino family? Does the Lucchese family "work together" with the Genovese family?  Of course not, yet they were all families in New York. They did not operate as one big, hand-holding family. They competed for control of the various rackets and pushed the limits as far as possible, without trying to step on the wrong toes. If you want to be completely historically accurate, families had very little to do with other cities at all. All the conflict and competition was contained in a single city, as each wanted the most money and power for themselves.

While I may be fresh off the boat, my family has been around for more generations than pretty much anyone on these streets. I understand what you're trying to say. You're referring to how business is usually done on these streets. My point is that it just doesn't jive with how Cosa Nostra operates. Every once in awhile someone needs to point out that there is a turd in the punch bowl.

Your own family, Tenley? You mean the whole two members you have? I think going down with the ship would have been a smarter option than to play the "I have a family to protect" card. You have no family; you only have an HQ.

Your short stay, sure, you can look at it like that. But you were a part of Philly, correct? Your loyalty should have been with them, not with your former city. Chicago was the past. Philly is the present. Be loyal to the city you're a part of - not a city you once were.

TheBestNameEver, I am not talking about one family being loyal to another family. I am talking about leaders being loyal to their (acting) Godfather Chairman. It's that person that allows them to have a family in their city, yes? Do they not deserve your loyalty for all of the trust, time and effort they have put in you? To just let them die and move on with your life is incredibly disloyal and heartless. I appreciate where you're coming from, but what you are saying isn't how things work around these parts.

"Last I checked, Mista, Tenley is operatin' outside of the old city district, over in Bella Vista. Though this logistical detail only counts for a small portion of tha' other factors that need consider."

Stepping out from her cab, Tammy takes a deep breath and enjoys the sights and sounds of the city she was raised in. 

"You also have ta' remember that she wasn't raised in Philly, she had no moral obligation ta' lay her life on the line for people I doubt had any say in her movin' into 'their' city in the first place.

"On top of all this, I assume you are makin' your own assumption on the basis that the leaders of Philly were fiercly loyal to each other, had been through thick an' thin, emergin' with a unanimous and mutual agreement that they would die for each other. To me, that's tha' kinda relationship I would expect ta' see before anyone is expected to lay down their life for another. 

"So do ya' know or believe this to have existed?"

What is with you assuming I'm the child of a recently deceased, Donnie? Assumptions get you nowhere. Check your facts before making such accusations. I am merely pointing out what did happen and what should have happened with no correlation to the late Philly or present Chicago. Regardless, I have already addressed Tenley and explained why I feel she is in the wrong - I've no need to explain it all again to you.

TabithaGato, despite how hard it is to understand you, you do make a good point and word it well. Allow me to ask you then; should leaders just be plopped into cities, as Tenley was? Should they not have to earn their position first by working with or through the current residents? Perhaps know the leaders of said city before setting up there? I know this is a stretch from the original topic, but I'm quite curious to hear your thoughts on this.

"I think we both know that opinions on how ta' run operations around this place are a dime a dozen, an' very rarely everyone will come together in support of a single ideal. I'm happy to offer ya' insight into my own though. In keepin' with your question, should there be a ploppin' or should a position be established first, I personally wouldn't accept or pursue a position of power unless I was confident in tha' relationships which exist between myself and the existin' hierarchy. 

"My family have witnessed entire cities swell while peace was maintained through a single link. When that link was broken, the weight of both cities annihilated each other as there were no bonds ta' fall back on when the strongest link broke. I feel that those who expect ta' be supported by their crew, district or city, should ensure that they do everthin' in their power to make those links stronger. Hell, they can throw a couple of back up chains between them jus' ta' be sure while they're at it. Maybe the foundations for this was already in play, however it takes time ta' build these bonds. Time I don't think Philly really had. 

"I'd question though, would you expect miss Tenley ta' be supported by the rest of Philly if she was attacked? Would she be askin' too much ta' assume that she would be supported? If the shoe was on the other foot last night, would we have just accepted that she had no justification to call on those of the Old City District to come to her aid, or would there be as much disdain for them because they did not?

"So that's my view. Like everyone else, I can offer my approach, I can stick to my approach and if tha' day ever comes where I can extend my approach to my own subordinates, I will do. Why? I don't know, why do we want people ta' 'play the game' like ourselves? Do we believe that we have tha' secret ingredient ta' a successful reign? Or do we just enjoy it better when everyone else is singin' from our own hymn sheet? That's probably a larger discussion ta' be had though."

She smiles and nods her head.

"I've enjoyed this, Mista... Bobby? And hope I didn't make too much of a hash o' that"