takila

Dossoles – Casino

Hey, what’re y’all looking at over there?

You gotta come check this out! The boss is throwing his hat into the ring with one of the gamblers. Hurry, the winner's about to be decided!

What's the big deal? Who's the foolish fella sittin' across the table anyway? Never heard of the legendary boss at the gaming table?

Hahaha, come over here. You'll see.

That's the guy.

What?! <i>That</i> guy? He's got the balls to come back here?

Pssh, the fact that he's got the balls to sit at the table means the Mayor already decided to write off everything he's done.

River. Any bets?

Thanks, I'll check.

You sure?

Haha, what is there to be unsure about?

That's the guy you're going in with, boy?

What difference does it make if you can keep one of his hands attached to his wrist? Look at him now. Wandering the streets, eyes completely dead. But, the moment he walks into a casino, tch... His eyes light back up.

C'mon, this is Dossoles, and people like that are everywhere.

Then why don't I see you sitting down at any of the other tables?

Well... The poor guy's only got one hand left. Life's gonna be pretty hard if he loses that one too.

Who knows how he lost his other hand. For all you know, a guy with his character probably lost it at some gambling table.

Actually... he lost it in a war.

Oh?

He used to be a soldier under my father's command. I've known him since I was little.

Molly, bring me another glass.

Give it up. You can't beat my hand.

Sorry about this, boss.

(Flips cards over)

Woah... That's a hell of a hand.

Royal... Flush? Haha, my god, that kid's got some absurd luck.

(Molly, think this kid's...?)

(I didn't see him making any suspicious moves. Do I need to call someone?)

(No, forget it.)

(I hear Señora Sanchez has some plans for him... So we'll consider this a favor.)

You're sure that guy's hand is worth so much to you? You'd have to give up all your chips. A pretty high price, if I do say so myself.

Hahaha! Boss, if someone offered you this much money for a hand, you'd be the last man at this table to hesitate.

Molly, untie him and let them leave.

Sure.

Make sure you check every one of the guy's fingers. With that price tag, we can't afford to be careless.

Haha, how could I question your integrity? Your good name is known far and wide.

As for you, Señor... You look like you haven't had a good night's rest in a long, long time. Go home, enjoy a nice shower, and sleep.

Ernesto, I...

Sorry, boss. I still have some urgent business to attend to, so I've gotta go.

Ernesto! Ernesto! Wait!

Hmm?

I kept calling for you, but you didn't answer so I had to follow you.

Señor, did you need anything else from me?

I don't know if you still remember me or not, but we met before. You were still young, barely up to my knees. Your mother was there at the time, leaning against the doorframe just like that.

I do... Of course I remember, Señor José.

My mother and I barely had a centimo to our names. If you didn't cross an entire warzone to send supplies back home to us, we would've had a hard time making it through that winter.

I was only following Señor Pancho's orders. I never deserved to stay in your memory so long, Ernesto.

After I joined the army, I wanted to find you and thank you, but my father told me that you had been wounded and subsequently discharged.

That's right. There's no place on the battlefield for a man short a hand.

Did you come back to meet... Or rather, visit Señor Pancho?

Yes. I'll see him at noon.

I'll leave you to it then. Don't be late on my account.

Ah... There are so many things in the past I thought I'd never remember again. But when I saw you, those days turned crystal-clear once more.

I thought I had forgotten it all myself...

Señor José... You should give up gambling.

Haha, you have the wrong idea. I'm going home, back to where I belong. After all you went through to bail me out, how could I dare to go back?

If, and only if you really need it, you can come looking for me. I can't guarantee you a whole lot of work, but it should be enough to get you back on your feet.

Alright...

Thank you, Ernesto.

Dossoles – Prison

You're late. I waited a whole hour for you.

Sorry, Dad. Something came up along the way and slowed me down.

Are you trying to make excuses for your tardiness, Ernesto?

The fault is mine. I'm very sorry, Father.

Hmph. Looks like a year at Rhodes Island has plucked some of those flowery words from your mouth.

There aren't so many people at Rhodes Island who need to be flattered, so I don't have to speak the way I did before.

Really now? You never mentioned any of that in your letters.

Because it's not important, I didn't feel a need to bring it up.

I suppose there's not much you could say on that silly little sheet of paper.

Right. Actually, there are a lot of things I want to tell you.

But, Rhodes Island's business is more complicated than I thought, and it's hard for me to find the time to sit down and write a comprehensive letter. The best I can do is to pick out some important things and go over them briefly.

Dad, did you know that Rhodes Island has several operators from Bolívar? One of them goes by Señora Dobermann. She was a soldier like you.

And I opened up a weapons shop. There are lots of knowledgeable hands there, and I always enjoy doing business with them.

Also, there's the Doctor and Señora Kal'tsit––

Enough, Ernesto! What did I tell you before you left?

Don't worry, Dad. I've been taking good care of Rafaela. She's in excellent health and enjoying her life.

I've heard that same story from you half a million times on your little scraps of paper.

She... is a grown woman, Dad. There are some things I can't just go asking her.

I said, enough! That's not the only thing I told you!

Oh... You're talking about that.

I see... right, that.

I told you to figure out your future, sooner rather than later.

Don't become complacent. Don't squander your talents in pursuit of a cushy life. Have grand ambitions.

I'm definitely going to end up in Bolívar. But it's not time for that yet.

How long do you intend to wait then? Until your hair turns grey? Until Bolívar is smashed to pieces?!

Dad, I... I still have doubts to work through. There are still many things I have to make sense of, both about myself, and about Bolívar.

This is all because I underestimated the influence that Candela woman had on you. I never imagined that even if you left this place and lost contact with her, you'd still cling to her bag of tricks the entire time.

I know you didn't agree with Ms. Candela's way of doing things, Dad, but I have to recognize that she also had her reasons.

You really take after your mother with all that indecisiveness. Had I known earlier, I would've ignored her pleas and raised you myself. At least that way, you could've at least been a resolute, unflinching soldier.

Mom never did anything wrong. Raising me under those conditions wasn't easy. The hardships and sacrifices she had to go through are more than you could imagine, it's not your place to criticize her.

Sorry, Ernesto.

Dad, do you know who I met on the way here?

Who?

Señor José. He was one of your runners for three years.

That one, huh.

Do you remember how many times you had him bring back supplies for me and mom?

Yes.

He told me, he still remembers my mother. Not the cold, unmoving version of her in photos, but the version of her that's vivid in his memories.

I thought I was the only one who still remembered her like that...