Rabyte, Capo of the Thumb

the noises in the vents stop, and she's back in her room.]

🔪 Do you? Or do you think you do? Grandmother, Olive, do you think she's as bad as that man tells you she is? And isn't just broken, like all of us?

You know how well Alice speaks of her.

🐰 . . . We're done here.

🔪 Very well, I'll talk to you again soon.

[She dissapears, and after a few moments,

just condemning those to being controlled, like you once was?

🐰 How do you- Ah, right. Alice.

🔪 Hundreds, perhaps thousands, even more, will be killed, locked away, sold for profit, abused, and exploited.

Why would you, with your own past, want such a thing to be?

🐰 I- I have faith in him-

be polite?

What else... right. Carlos is a terrible person, and he knows it. I can't say much, I chose to be his right hand ma-

🔪 You join him because you feel like you owe him.

Tell me, is his goals, ones of toppling the Head and taking control of the City, are they actually good? Or are you

You have your doubts, your grievances, your disagreements.

Come on, it's just me and you. I'm all ears.

🐰 ...hah, fine then. For one, the hierarchy system is extreme, I don't... quite exercise such... brutality if a Soldato, no matter their placement meets my gaze. Isn't such a gesture supposed to

plentiful access to corpses, just had to find the right one and make it realistic enough for your mother. Not like I'd kill you anyways, again, not a child killer.

🔪 Hmmm... is that doubt I'm sensing?

🐰 Doubt? What do you mean?

🔪 Oh please, I can tell that your faith in all this isn't absolute.

🐰 Ah... hello.

...do you always do that?

🔪 Small enough. Proud smirk.

🐰 Yes, fair, but it's dangerous.

[She points a knife she got from... somewhere? at the Capo.]

🔪 Since when did you care? Accusatory glare...

🐰 I'm not a good person, but I'm not heartless enough to kill a child. I had

How did she-

What do you mean she's escaped-?

...ah shit she's in the vents.

[Suddenly, appearing from a grate in the ceiling was the girl he was *supposed* to have locked in a room right now.]

Ah. You.

🔪 Surprise~ [Despite it obviously having a more musical tone to it, it still came out flat.]

[Picks up his phone and quickly dials a number, also taking the time to pick up a cigar and light it.]

@sottocapocarl.bsky.social

[With a quick confirmation, he walks out, into his office, and closes the door behind him.]

[He approaches a side room that has been converted into a holding cell.]

I'm not that much of a monster.

[He places the child in the cell and locks the door behind him, and calls out to a few Soldato's.]

Keep her safe and if yous hurt her or do anything to her, you're dead men, understand?

[The lone capo walks into the base, a wide, dark smile on his face. He's carrying... someone, a child, and a sickly one at that, ash and soot covering the both of them.]

Gotta say, kid. For how young you are, you put up a fight, but... well, not good enough. I could've killed you, but... well...

better at this than that other Capo...

[Focus... focus... those memories, the ones that define you, extract that emotion and focus-

A small, faint glowing ring forms around the Capo's fist. He smiles sharply, and manages to hold the ring for a few minutes, before dissipating.]

Heh... getting good at this. Only a matter of time till I'm

dead, then what? What other goals do you have? Will it stop at her, or will the rest of her allies fall to us?

And then what about the long term? What do you hope to get out of all this eventually?

. . .

[The Capo is sat down, prosthetic hands performing maintenance on his rifle. He takes it apart, pieces it back together, and again, does both. It's already cleaned, inside and out, yet he continues, mind racing with burning questions.]

Haahh...

@sottocapocarl.bsky.social

Once Olive is

I see... claimed to be the saviour of them all, and now you're finally seeing the truth. You were never the saviour *or* the hero.

Merely a front for your true selfishness.

Heh... good. If this shall end, it shall be done by our own hands.

I must admit, it is rather... breathtaking, sir.

Will this be enough?

That easy? Right then.

[He grabs an ampule from his pocket and injects it into Carlos.]

...we may need to devise new strategies.

...how do you treat concussions?

. . .

[The glass containing him explodes from the sheer heat and pressure.]

@sottocapocarl.bsky.social

Carlos, are you alright?

...what THE FUCK WAS THAT!?

THIS IS BULLSHIT!

I'VE BEEN GIMMICKED!

...motherfucker.

[He continues to punch the glass, it breaking more and more.]

. . .

[He inhales and exhales sharply, before proceeding to rapidly punch the glass over and over.]

...I resent these glass confines.

[He glares at Catalyst from behind the glass.]

[He tries to block the light lightning, but still gets scorched by it, the lightning also temporarily stunning him.]

Gah-

You little shit-

Of course it is. And so is what will happen to you.

[He moves out of the way of the blade, moving with surprising agility.]

Better hurry up, Crayola. She's running out of time in there.

[He hits the tank, cracking it slightly, but it doesn't break.]

. . .

Fine, so be it.

[His prosthetic hands catch on fire as he goes into a fighting stance. He charges forward, knocking into Catalyst and strikes the ground with a fist, sending a trail of fire at her.]

[Ge dashes over to the tank, blocking Catalyst's path.]

You're not doing *anything*.