Gunshot

Are you nonno's... friend?

Friend?

Friend, teacher, master, employer, client... my relationship with Umberto is not so easily defined.

I am the master of these wilds, pup, and your grandfather is my Fang.

A most incompetent one, I might add...

—

Guess I'm really getting old.

Ten minutes ago.

Do you mind if I kept working while we talked?

I was delayed by an old friend's unexpected visit. I must hurry and finish the most important work on this suit.

Luchino can take care of the final touch-ups himself.

Why?

Hm?

I smell no scent of wolf from you, even a little bit.

Nor have you masked it in any unusual way. I was watching, I can tell.

...Are you really the last true wolf?

True wolf? Ah, you mean the Fangs.

Yes, you've come to the right place, young one.

I observed Umberto for a long time.

I watched him serve customers of every kind, casually putting his scissors through some of their throats while taking measurement, without getting a single drop of blood on himself.

He was not a warrior, like Ingrid, but he was smart and knew how to make the most of who he was.

He was also good at disguising himself. He spent most of his time in Tailor de Montano, and he was equally in demand as a tailor as he was as an assassin.

That's why I chose him. I told him about the Signori dei Lupi, and the existence of the game.

Nonno's stories were true!

You're the wolf from the stories... no wonder he wanted to leave the famiglia. He was the Signore dei Lupi's chosen, the most special tailor in Siracusa. He sure is very lucid!

Did nonno accept your deal?

No Fang can reject the Signori dei Lupi.

But Umberto set a condition.

C-Condition?

He was not the first Fang to try to bargain with the Signori dei Lupi. Impertinent fools! I know a hundred ways to destroy them and find someone else to take their place.

What did nonno want to do?

Umberto wanted to raise his pup to adulthood, before delivering my victory.

His wife had passed away, he said, and his young pup, Luca, was too young to survive without him.

That was it?

That was it. I agreed.

The society of humans was no more dangerous than the wilderness. I did not imagine it would take up so much of his time and energy.

I visited the tailor's shop from time to time to make sure he was not deceiving me.

That day, Umberto shut down his assassination business, devoting all his time to the sewing machine, fabric, and the young pup as it grew.

But his hands were still steady, and his eyes still sharp. Therefore, I kept my promise.

I needed a Fang that would not break, not easily-distracted prey. I gave him time. I had plenty of it.

But papa...

Died meaninglessly.

I gave Umberto plenty of time to recover from the shock.

It may not have been how Umberto planned it, but at least now he was no longer burdened. And so one night I visited him again, and demanded that he hold up his end of the bargain.

But my Fang once again bargained with me—

Do you mean...

He learned that his pup had a pup of its own, the last family he had... He wanted to raise you to adulthood too, before the hunt begins.

'Shameless human! Up to the same old tricks again!'

That was you...

This time, I did not assent. But he seems to have forgotten who he was, and who I was to him!

Every time I pressed him, he babbles something like how life keeps repeating itself, while shamelessly promising that he will hold up his end of the bargain.

...

But nonno was never in good health, as long as I could remember.

My Fang could hardly defend himself now, much less deliver my victory.

The only result of my patience was that he had grown old.

Nonno actually—

I know.

I know he's only ever cared about his shop, the suits he made, and the people he loved.

That's why he did those things, which he was never made for... Umberto was a fool. I was wrong about him.

...

Why are you telling me all this, Signore dei Lupi?

All my effort and patience have only earned me an eternity of scorn from the pack for breaking the rules of the game.

You are his pup. Now you must face punishment.

P-Punishment...

All your efforts tonight will be futile, whether you are trying to destroy the weapons, or destroy the ship.

Look down at your chest...

Whatever you want to become, pup, learn to sew your own buttons first.

Now, get lost. Go back to Umberto!

...

You are a terrible actor, Vargo.

That mock anger... were you afraid we would harm that pup?

He was not part of the game—

Have you forgotten the decision of the pack, Vargo?

The Signori dei Lupi shall stay here until this round is decided, and shall not intervene in any manner, or else...

I've already lost, Caesar.

The wind brings a familiar scent. Red has done her work.

I won't be shameless like Zaaro, Caesar. I have gone against the decision of the pack, and I shall accept my punishment.

Are you mourning your Fang?

...

Just bitter about losing.

I wouldn't have found you without grandma's help.

Grandma?

That's how you call your wolf? I've never thought of them as being particularly kindly...

But then, Vargo must have figured out a long time ago that he was being deceived. There's a soft heart there, underneath the surface.

...

You won't resist either?

Either?

The last true wolf that I killed didn't resist.

She just watched me pierce her chest as she cuddled her limp leg.

She sighed and muttered, 'Finally, no need to live in fear anymore...'

Sounds like death was a relief to her.

Well, it's not as if I stood any chance if I tried to resist. Besides, I don't mind this chat going on for a while longer. It would ruin this new suit if we started fighting right now.

Phew—almost there.

Measure, cut, shape, trim... that's how plain cloth becomes stylish clothes.

There are about four hundreds and fifty steps to a standard Siracusa suit, but it doesn't take as much time as one might think, if you go about them step by step, calmly and patiently.

...

Do you mind if I lie down? At this age, I get dizzy whenever I work for an extended period of time.

Grandma was right. True wolves are good at disguising themselves.

I do not understand why you don't smell of wolf, but it doesn't change what you did to grandma.

You ate grandma's eyes, arms and heart...

Answer me, true wolf. Why do you engage in such a cruel game?

...

I see. That's how you understand the game to be like.

I take it you asked the last Fang you killed the same question.

I don't have an answer either, young one. We were all chosen by fate, by happenstance.

Whether it is lies or the truth that accompanies us, however, all of it will converge upon a single end... What will you do when that time comes?

Find the other true wolf who escaped me.

Her bow is weak. She is no match for me.

No, what I mean is, what happens when you've killed all the true wolves?

The game ends, and grandma is saved.

*Cough* And what about you? Where will you go from there? What will you do?

...

...

Have you been seeking out and killing true wolves all this time?

(Waggles ears)

No. I was helping Kal'tsit. There are many things at Rhodes Island that I need to do...

I have wasted too much time.

You're not afraid, true wolf?

Of course I'm afraid. I always am, whether you're here or not.

My health has been in a steady decline for a long time. You can't help but be afraid when you know that you don't have much time left.

But at least I was not like the one you spoke of, who spent a long time waiting for death's visit... that's much scarier than death.

Come to think of it, I didn't really achieve anything in my life.

A killer who racked up a mountain of blood debts, a father who watched his son die, a grandfather who doesn't know how to teach his grandson, a Fang who never played the game—

But I was a good tailor, a lucky old man.

How many can say that they were doing the work they loved on their deathbed?

I'll leave the finishing touch to you, Luchino...

...

I don't understand, Grandma...

Seems like you hate Siracusa even more than I do.

Ha, you think I'm doing this for revenge?

No?

I've already said goodbye to my past, Texas.

Maybe there wasn't a formal ceremony, but that doesn't make it any less serious.

...

I didn't tell you how I became a taxi driver, did I?

I never asked.

Hahahaha.

Zaaro and I came across this pile of scrap metal in the wilderness—

The two of you got together?

Not many people would interrupt me like this, you know—yes, he's my lackey now.

A few Siracusans came to Nuova Volsinii together, but started brawling out in the wilderness for no reason, and the car ended up in front of me.

Siracusa invited, so I had to answer, just like you had to return to Volsinii last year.

Are you absolutely sure you're not just recalling the plot of a radio program?

Hey, I would be happy to sell the story to a radio station or filmmaker. I think it'll make a good road movie.

One year ago, I was sitting at that table in the Grey Hall with you when you won this new nomadic city from that Befana Sicilia.

You could call me one of the startup investors in this youthful dream of a new Siracusa.

Of course I needed to be here at the one-year anniversary of Nuova Volsinii, to celebrate with my friends!

...

You know, I think I deserve some gratitude for all the problems I dealt with behind the scenes to make sure the festival proceeds without a hitch.

Like scattering weapons across the square?

Haha, much more than just that.

Such as?

Such as my dear father, who is quite, let's say, ambitious about his plans for the new city.

I thought Alberto was in custody.

Oh, come on, haven't you spent enough time in my family to know what a stronzo the Saluzzo don is?

He wouldn't tolerate the thought of anything being outside his control, despite his failure at Volsinii, despite the vigilance of Nuova Volsinii's City Hall and courts against his interference.

What did you do?

Are you SURE you're not doing this for revenge?

Well, I guess that's a matter of interpretation.

Oh, and these masked dudes on the square. You remember seeing their boss, that cheerful Perro, in court?

Venezia Junior...

It's often those who despise the game the most who understand the rules most thoroughly.

He and his Venezia Trucking have never been in violation of the New Urban Management Act. As a matter of fact, he is a two-time winner of the Outstanding Young Entrepreneur award...

He might hate Siracusa more than either of us, Texas, but he know how to read the winds better than most wolves.

But...

But what?

I don't like his hairstyle. Too oily.

I prefer Vulpos who aren't so much like wolves.

A Vulpo mother from a distant land, who returned to Siracusa to seek justice for her Oripathy-afflicted daughter... Touching story, isn't it?

Besides, I happened to know that mother.

What did you do this time?

Helped her find the culprit. Super easy, barely any inconvenience.

I'm sure you would have done the same.

Sounds like the City Hall should give you a medal for outstanding citizenship.

What better time to do that than tonight? You can do the honors.

...

Nah, it wouldn't sit well with my conscience.

After all, things have gotten to the point where they are, even with all the 'business' that I threw a wrench into.

Now, let's get back to that wager.

Two packs of wolves, increasingly antsy... the end is approaching, Texas.

...I'm glad you're here, Ingrid.

The White Wolf of Saluzzo has disrupted our plans. I'm going to the port to deal with matters, lest she ruin everything that Venezia has built in Nuova Volsinii.

I returned my emblem a long time ago. Whatever happens to the famiglia is none of my business.

Drop the act, Antonio. You know why I'm here.

...

How did you know it was me?

When you told me you knew the truth.

But it was your reaction just now that removed the last vestige of doubt.

Why did you think the Sicilian betrayed you the moment you saw me?

Ah. You tricked me.

Did I?

I had my suspicions, Antonio. If the Tancredis wanted to assassinate the Venezia don, doing it through a child was a highly unreliable method, to say the least...

No matter how intricate their plan was, they could not possibly have prepared a doll that Lisa had only fallen in love with half a month ago because of a movie.

There never was an assassination attempt. You hurt Lisa to agitate me, in order to run me out of the famiglia.

If that was so—

Oh, you spared no expenses to make sure that Lisa wanted for nothing when I brought her back. She called you the 'really nice Perro uncle'.

And the way you beseeched me to come home, after I arrived in Nuova Volsinii...

You wore your mask perfectly, Antonio. You put on such a natural act that it would put the real thing to shame.

No, no, it was all real.

Lisa. Lovely, clever child. I was happy from the bottom of my heart when she called me uncle.

But you were in my way, Ingrid.

I could never have risen in the familglia with you around, much less rise to my present position.

The struggle between Venezia and Tancredi had reached the point where nothing was off-limits. It was a chance I could not afford to miss. Lisa was your only weakness.

As for why I tried to bring you back after chasing you out from the famiglia, the answer is even simpler...

Times have changed, Ingrid. Be it within the famiglia, or in Nuova Volsinii, Venezia Junior needs a strong right hand.

I even made preparations to sponsor Rhodes Island under the name of Venezia Trucking, in order to allow them to devote their full effort to Lisa's treatment.

...

The Don took us in, and we lived together as Venezia for more than a decade. But somehow, you have it in you to hurt the people closest to you—

Are you going to chastise me for lacking in 'decency', Ingrid?

I'm curious: Do you truly agree with what the old man says, or are you just playing dumb?

We keep emphasizing 'decency,' acting like we're principled, pretending we're filled with love, and claiming we're so different from the other famiglia!

But we're no different, are we? Just a bunch of stronzo with blood all over our hands.

That tailor, Umberto. He's done dirty work after dirty work for the old man, just because he owed the old man one back in the day.

If decency was really about the famiglia, why did he leave the famiglia to focus on his suits?

That scar on your face. Is it a mark of honor, or shame? Behind the scar, how many lives were taken in the name of the famiglia?

Who's really decent in this swamp they call Siracusa?

No one amongst us, at least.

Good. This is the right distance for stabbing.

You really are forthright, Antonio.

I just believe we shouldn't expect something unrealistic from one another.

What the Siracusans should do is be prepared to lose everything, including those they love the most. That's what I used to admire you for.

—

This is your Arts? You hid it well.

Doesn't do much, except cause a strong flash of light... it even looks a little silly, doesn't it?

...

This is the second time I've ever used it. Without this light, I would not have dodged that bullet while kneeling in the mud of the jungle.

I would not have been able to hold that drunken noble who circled our names away from the list, before cutting his head off.

Anger and distract me with that speech you just gave, then create an opening with the flash—you planned this the moment you saw me, didn't you?

You never had a chance, Antonio, the moment I found out what kind of person you are.

...

You know, it's funny, I was actually trying to think of an excuse to spare your life on my way here.

Lisa's condition can never be cured, but she has found friends at Rhodes Island, even became an operator for them, working to help other Oripathy patients.

I was worried about Lisa's education, but life has thrown her a bone by the strange deliverance of fate—

Sorella! Ingrid Venezia! You will insult me with this 'decency', even now?

You would never have missed my heart if you didn't mean to—*cough*—I shouldn't still be talking.

...

You're mistaken.

It's just plain Ingrid. A mother whom you've angered.

If I was thinking about decency... it was only so that you wouldn't die with any.

I left you alive so that you could bleed to death.

You deserve the pain, Antonio.

...

I still can't get in touch with Antonio! What the hell is going on?

And where's Capone at a time like this? I knew you couldn't trust a Sicilian.

What do we do now?

What do you THINK we do? This ain't a movie when you just call 'Cut!' and go to lunch.

Everything has been exposed. City Hall sees us for who we are now. Do you think we can go back to being 'honest citizens of Nuova Volsinii' after this?

Complete Antonio's mission, capture the courthouse, then get in touch with the port.

Do the reinforcements have their weapons?

Yeah.

Good. On my order.

Maybe some of us haven't touched a weapon in a year, but we ain't any more out of practice than these cargo-hauling scemo.

Eirene...

You have the answer?

...

It's not the one we want to hear, is it?

Tell Eirene that I'm very sorry about Sommer...

But I will not sign this verdict, and this decision is final.

Nuova Volsinii will not tolerate the crimes of the mafia, but that doesn't mean other people can use the opportunity to achieve their own goals.

I've gotten letters from many friends over the past year. Some of them are judges or lawyers in other cities; others have chosen to pursue a different career.

They shared a lot of advice with me, about the jurisprudential basis of the New Urban Management Act, and specific room for improvement.

I read many feelings between the lines. Concern, confusion, hope, even envy...

The New Urban Management Act is a unique thing in Siracusa. It is the basis of this city's existence. Many have their eyes upon it; even more have sacrificed for it.

It's true that it can be powerless at times. But it's especially in times like this that I cannot allow it to become empty words, much less a tool to be exploited.

Still the same old Lavinia.

Hey, Eirene.

What is it?

Listen to me carefully.

These people have gotten their hands on weapons. They have become true wolves. The situation is out of control.

I saw what the mafiosi are capable of when I first came to Siracusa as a kid. They slaughtered my uncle's entire family in just half an hour.

In a few moments I will release smoke to obstruct their view. Get the guys out of here when that happens. Hand signs, signals, whatever, I know you have a way.

You'll need to be quick. I've never released smoke in such a large area before, so I don't know how well it will work, or how long I can keep it up.

The trucks are right behind us. Get in, get away.

I wasn't with Sommer that night. It's partly my fault that he's dead...

There's not much that a luckless loner like me can do, but I can't let my brothers and sisters die here.

...

That's a gun, not a spanner! Stop pointing it at me—

—

No, I don't mean point it at yourself!

B-But I don't know how to use it...

Then point it in front of you, Pedro.

...

But that's—

Don't worry about it going off, or accidentally touching the switch on some Arts unit.

I've talked to Judge Lavinia. These mafiosi have been declared outlaws under the New Urban Management Act...

No one is going to hold you responsible if you accidentally shoot them.

So, take a deep breath, and hold your weapon firm. We're protecting Justice Lavinia, protecting the courthouse, and protecting ourselves.

But, Eirene...

Listen.

What?

The cheering. It's getting nearer and nearer.

The parade will reach Court Square in just a few more minutes.

How will the people interpret what they see? They're the ones who will pass judgment.

The law needs only facts, doesn't it?

...