act21side

She closes her eyes, and falls into a deep slumber.

The vast wilderness is completely devoid of anything else. For a brief moment, it seems as if all existence between heaven and earth is but one human and one wolf.

Savagery.

Bernardo, if I told you that the Siracusa of your dreams already exists precisely because of what you're trying to destroy, how would you react?

It was never the famiglie that mattered. It's the rules.

Well, whatever.

Maybe I've gotten old too.

Hm? I didn't expect the geezer who spends his days sleeping to get all sentimental now.

Ben...

Care for a drink?

I'll pass.

How dull.

Agenir sits down next to Ben, picks up the bottle, and takes a swig not at all congruous with his appearance.

I thought you were just going to sleep in the courthouse until this was all over.

I thought you were going to side with the young wolf, Leontuzzo.

At least in name, I am still one of Sicilia's 'Bocca al Lupo,' am I not?

I didn't expect you to finally embrace that title.

After all, I'm a man of contradictions. I'm not too ready to acknowledge the glory of civilization, but I'm not after a pointless death either.

Although, you've got just as many contradictions.

You set the rules that have governed Siracusa for the past few decades, but unlike Sicilia, you never insisted you were right.

I only trust that I'm not wrong either.

Who knows?

Ben declines to say anything more, only taking a deep swig of the bottle of wine in his hand.

What are you going to do next?

Pretty much the same as always. I'll go wherever the good shows are.

How about you, old man?

Me?

Let me ask you a question.

Here you are today, sitting around helplessly watching the times change.

But what about the past, when you left Laterano with Sicilia, when you set the laws of this land into stone? How did you feel then?

I felt a torrent of emotions.

Time is a flat circle.

I've already told you this several times.

I never liked your rules, but that doesn't mean I'll like the new ones either.

A false civilization naturally pales before a civilization that comes from the heart.

However, what comes from the heart is invariably as short-lived as it is brilliant.

Sicilia is stubborn. She will take her society with her to the grave.

But what about you?

What you wanted wasn't an ironclad order, you just wanted to prove that 'laws' can be created. Isn't that right?

Yes. I've always been curious as to what exactly allows the Sankta to coexist on terms of absolute equality.

And she craved the power to allow all the famiglie to negotiate at the same table.

That's why we chose to join forces.

But, the moment 'guns and order' was brought into being, your goal of leaving Laterano had already been accomplished.

What kept you in this country decades after that was not her society itself, but the promise you made to her.

You've been around long enough, old man.

What, you're not going to leave, but you're going to try to persuade me to go?

I'm just concerned that your eyesight will get so bad you won't be able to see the road ahead of you.

Agenir.

You old sop, enough playing dead.

Zzzz......Zzzz......

I let you come here for your 'retirement,' not so you could watch everything happen from the sidelines.

Even if the results are basically acceptable right now, don't think that I'll forgive you so easily.

Zzzz......

Agenir.

Nnh... Getting angry so early in the morning is bad for you.

Answer me. You didn't forget, did you? I asked you to come here to take care of someone for me.

I suppose you haven't gone completely senile yet.

Which is why I asked you to come with me, Sicilia.

Some things, you won't see until you sit down on a park bench.

I've seen some interesting things, and figured you might want to join me.

And there are other things you won't see until you're sitting in Grey Hall.

I didn't come here to listen to this, Agenir.

Alright. I must say, we went a bit overboard this time.

I'll admit, I was in the wrong, in certain respects.

Hmph.

Now, it's your turn.

You sound awfully confident about what I'm going to do next.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here this time either.

Heh. Having a friend who understands you too well isn't always a good thing.

Signora Sicilia smiles and walks up to Agenir.

Then, the most exalted presence in Siracusa slowly kneels down.

Her expression is one of piety, like a devotee.

To whom are you praying for forgiveness?

To guns and order.

What is your sin?

I accepted the challenge of a young man.

And his goal is to destroy everything I've built.

Do you see this as a betrayal of guns and order?

I do.

Then why didn't you nip it in the bud?

Bernardo's methods went beyond the rules, and I could not tolerate them. But Leontuzzo chose to sit in front of me, risking his own life to offer his ideas.

I decided to give him a chance.

No, that's not the real reason.

...I told him, Siracusa will be resplendent while I live, but wither away after I die.

Do you not believe that the guns and order you created can live on?

I've learned one thing from the many heirs I've tried to cultivate: the next Signora Sicilia won't be born in an era of peace.

When I decided to make all the famiglie bow before me, the only things on my mind were ambition and passion.

And over all the years I've managed this country, I can't help but feel somewhat sentimental for this one word: Siracusa.

I will do everything in my power to crush him.

But, if he really does succeed in the end...

Then so be it.

On behalf of guns and order, your transgressions will be forgiven.

Signora Sicilia stands up slowly, her expression returns to normal, as if everything that just happened had nothing to do with her.

How long has it been since the last time you confessed to me like that?

I forget.

How'd it feel?

I feel even worse.

It's not easy to be honest with yourself.

Agenir... do you think you've failed?

What about you? Do you think you've succeeded?