Parle Aboard Med Force One

[Exterminator]

One part of Cesar found Buonocore's words slightly amusing, and he let out a small chuckle, but his face quickly shifted back to a serious expression, fully aware that Buonocore was not here to make jokes.
"All that just to call me a stale old man, si? How long were you hiding on your pretty yacht? While you were gone, times have changed in Imperio, and so have I, or rather, I had to. After being honored with a seat on the Council of Elders, I could no longer be the el loco warrior you knew, instead I had to hold back, I had to show some wisdom too."

Cesar took a sip from his glass, placed it back on the large table, and looked at Buonocore, his tone turning more nostalgic.
"Do you remember the bombardment of Kassel that you personally assigned to me, together with El Machete himself, of all people? I carried out that mission proudly, without hesitation, without questioning you, even expecting imminent death, just as you ordered, for Imperio!"

Cesar looked down at his half-empty glass. "El Machete and I were the perfect pair of los locos for that job, a task you would've never taken on at the time." He shifted his gaze back to Buonocore. "The life of an elder comes with new responsibilities. You are aware of that, sí? One of many reasons I've changed."

Cesar's gaze turned back to Buonocore, now with less tension, instead willingless to explain his perspective. "You may not be aware of it, but tensions were building in Imperio itself years ago. Caramba, our hermano Alberto Rodriguez was given the elder seat and you are aware of his trademark hostility, si? As his right hand at the time, none other than me was responsible for keeping things in control, mostly... He made surprisingly good calls, if you can believe it, but the bad ones were something that was my job to stop. Without me that hombre would sink his own ship. We worked well together."

Cesar's face then showed a slight smile remembering the good side of the past. "And you, hombre... I remember you as an outstanding elder, more capable than myself..." he looked in direction of Doc Holiday "our amigo here can surely confirm that too..." then he once again turned towards Buonocore... "...but your sudden disappearance is something I consider even worse than what you call the lack of 'hunger that once burned in me.' I am nowhere near the might of elders Sephardi, Espi, Carlos Benitez, and others, but I did my job, whether openly or from the shadows. Do you think I could have done it better? I agree with you... thinking about it, my decisions, my mistakes and everything... I could have, and I still can. I will continue to serve Imperio until my last breath, whether as an elder or a warrior. My hermana Nina indeed has el fuego unmatched by many, but you will be disappointed to hear that she has recently announced her retirement from the seat..."

Cesar took another sip of his drink and sighed. "But let us back to the present... I can very much put my trust in your capabilities as an elder. You know that saying, 'action speaks louder than words'. Going as far as granting you the elder seat is quite a gamble, but..." he looked at Buonocore deeply in the eyes and kept a soul piercing gaze at him that felt like time has stopped "I can tell you are not lying... those eyes as they are now, are not capable of lying. If you truly intend to make Imperio greater than ever, then be it... I will be granting one final, and I really mean FINAL chance. A chance to show me what you said to me are not just words!"

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Join the Corsair Brotherhood / [TBH]