Fully pushing back on his requests pissed him off. I did not care. "If all you're going to do is piss me off, why even come here?" he snapped at me. "Listen. I simply do not care. I did not vote for the war. I thought it was all stupid from a monetary point of view. You being here to maybe try and cut the cashflow doesn't matter to me. You guys clearly can't. Stay out of my way and this district is safe." Acario just chuckled. I waited for him to stop. "So that's how the great Martino Nesta thinks. Money, money, money. There is something that you clearly don't get." he said, looking directly at me. I cracked a smile. "Well, I am an orphan. There were no parents to teach me. What is it that don't I get, Mr. Cordone?" "Honor." he responded. I blinked. "I have done my jobs with distinction. I don't believe I've failed a single thing I have put my mind to. A slight dishonor came from La Troupe Dei Bellissimi Sogni, but I do not see how you can judge me for that." I said. He just waved that off. "A mistress and bastard or 2 is common." "Then what are you talking about!?" He wagged a finger. "You are just a scrappy kid."
Getting a chuckle out of me at the comment, he frowned. Acario was a middle aged man. "Did I say something funny!?" he growled. "I'm sorry. Is it really dishonorable to be a scrappy kid?" I said. "No. You're problem is that you confused picking the roles and jobs that would keep you from getting killed while fighting for scraps in that shitty orphan crew with actual honor and integrity. That, and you're a faggot." he said. I just rolled my eyes. "Really? Is that all it comes down to? I have 4 kids." I said. His eyes grew judgmental. "Alright then. What was the last job that really did it for you? The one that you can talk with your friends about? The one that you can hint at towards your kids. They'll never really know all the shit that it takes being first generation, but it's enough that they can look to their father." I leaned in closer. FOG was only a big videogame to me. Nothing really mattered. If I died, I would respawn in a minute. That was usually an hour in the server this world was on. If Acario died, he was gone forever. Keeping that in mind, I took a deep breath. "I see. You can take the high ground there."
He seemed surprised. "Are you just saying that to appease me, boy!?" he demanded. I shook my head. "No. I just honestly saw how much it means to you. It was Nicolò that wanted to be a big gangster. Emilio and I were just along for the ride. I would totally deny it if it ever left this room, but I was the brains and Emilio was the heart to his muscle." Acario got a good laugh out of it. That was nice. We were hopefully getting a rapport together. "Yeah, that tracks. We've done all our research on you guys. I guess that Emilio is a big shot doctor in Gravitt, right?" he responded. I nodded my head. "Like I said before, I honestly don't mind you being here. I think that Askill is big enough for both of us. As far as Square and The Hills, I'll never hit any of your rackets unless attacked first. Nicolò is his own lieutenant. I can't speak for Payday district, but he is having his own meeting about now as you're well aware." He nodded. I stood up and extended my hand. I said "Thanks for the chat. You have given me a lot to think about. I really do hope this war ends soon. I bet we can find ways to make lots of money."
I thought that he was going to ask me for something else, but my phone began to ring. "What was it?" I asked him to continue. He waved it off. "Answer it. Go." he said. I nodded and saw that it was Nicolò. "Hey. How's it going on your end?" I asked. "Get the fuck out of there! Roberto's dead!" he yelled before I heard some gunshots on the other end of the phone. "Oh my god! Are you okay!?" I asked. "Just barely got out the building. I got to get back to the hotel." "Keep running. I will meet you." I said. It was a bad situation. Acario was holding a gun out at me. I just looked at him. "C'mon! I thought we were making progress." I whined. He smirked. "Sit. I'm not going to kill you today, boy. But like you said, he's a dumbass and the real muscle of Payday district. He has to go." I shook my head at him. "He's my childhood friend. I at least have enough honor to try and rescue his dumb ass. I am leaving." The man just sighed and waved me off. I bowed my head and said "Thank you, Mr. Cordone. I am in your debt." "Don't forget that now, boy!" he warned. I left his office and got Romeo. This was all bad.
