Liberi Reader

The lighting in the theater is almost a little too bright, as if trying to light up every face in the building. A well-dressed businessman stands in the center of the stage, lightly tapping the glass of red wine in his hand.

The crisp note is not loud, but it still gets the guests to quiet down.

The Kazimierzian businessman continues on once the applause dies down. He talks of the year of the vintage, how it was made, and of course, intercity cooperation and logistics systems.

Every word falls into place, with nary a syllable wasted.

A few rude voices force their way out of the crowd, and begin to spread throughout the audience. But under the bright lights, the businessman's face shows no signs of displeasure.

As the lights dim, Czarek takes the opportunity to accompany Leontuzzo off the stage, to appreciate the performance from some nearby corner.

Leontuzzo, however, does not look to the stage. With no glaring lights to blind him, he can see the man calmly walking up to him.

As soon as the words leave his mouth, footsteps ring out from between some shelves around the corner.

A Caprinae with a hood obscuring his face lowers his head as he walks through the shelves, heading for the stairs leading up. Soon enough, he has left the cellar.

Gambino shuts up the moment he hears more agitated footsteps.

Another Caprinae appears from the shadows, following the echoing footsteps of the orchestra member from earlier. She, too, quickly leaves the cellar.

This time, both Capone and Gambino saw suspicion on the blonde girl's face.

The orchestra takes the stage, and the lights dim once more.

The strings begin with restrained, gentle tones. Soon, they are joined by the woodwinds. Though the melody can hardly be called brash, it serves as a vector to reveal the notes in their most perfect forms.

The audience lifts their glasses, slowly swaying them along to the music. Leontuzzo sits in the front row, watching his neighbor Demetri refuse yet another glass of red wine from an attendant.

Leontuzzo does not answer. He simply turns his head away from the stage and back toward Demetri, his eyes falling on the bowtie around his neck.

It's been too long since they last met. He's not sure just how much of Demetri's current business-like demeanor is sincere.

The Kazimierizian businessman beside them is clearly in a good mood.

He stands up as the performance ends, lightly applauding as he signals the attendants to prepare the next step.

The conductor on the stage gives a graceful nod to the audience, before being guided by an attendant to the table of red wines at the front.

He lifts his hand, beckoning the attendants to fill three wine glasses from three decanters.

The tall musician nods, a serious look on her face as she lifts the first glass. She sniffs, sips, swallows, and stops.

It is the third glass that Paola savors the slowest. She takes a sip, but does not immediately swallow, letting the red wine linger on the tip of her tongue for a moment.

Czarek turns to the audience and raises his hand, as if he were already standing atop the podium.

Czarek is practically already reaching out for the bottle behind the third glass. His voice is more excited than before, but he maintains his composure.

Czarek freezes. He slowly looks down at the bottle. The moment he gets a clear look at the label, the smile on his face dies.

But only for a moment. A moment so short that almost nobody can react. Once it passes, his rictus grin is plastered back onto his face.

The attendants begin refilling the guests' glasses. Applause rings out once more, more enthusiastic than before.

Applause that includes Leontuzzo's clapping.

Demetri smiles, but does not answer. He simply raises his glass, giving it a gentle clink against Leontuzzo's.

Before the clink can fade away, a light, incongruent cough makes itself heard from the other side of the stage.

Paola's hand stops in midair, the glass between her fingers trembling ever so slightly, as the wine leaves irregular streaks on the glass.

She wants to finish speaking, but all her subconscious lets her do is steady her breathing. Her second cough comes out sharp. She tries to lower her voice, but she cannot cover it up completely.

The blonde girl who is always by her side is the first to notice the look on her face. Paola lifts her hand to prop herself up against the table, but she can no longer stand steady.

The glass falls from her hand, letting out a muffled thump as it falls onto the carpet.

She falls forward, her body unable to support itself.

Some cry out, some rise to their feet, and some reflexively take a step back.

Before the attendants can rush to the scene, she has already collapsed by the table, no longer breathing, her lips taking on an odd hue under the lights.

The blonde girl babbles things like 'Paola!' and 'Help her!'.

The smile instantly disappears from Demetri's face. Czarek stays standing, but does not speak.

With the flash of chaos now over, the theater sinks into a surreal silence.

Moments ago, they were toasting things like 'fairness', 'dignity' and 'victory'.

But now, nobody reaches for the wine on the table.

The disturbance did not last long. Thanks to the mayor and some municipal staff among the attendees, the situation is quickly reined in.

Many people simply stand there, unsure if they should move closer, or leave.

Leontuzzo stands to the side. He does not answer immediately. He looks at the table the attendants have moved away from the rest, and then at Demetri, who still stands in the same spot.

Demetri says nothing. He does not approach, nor back away. He gently puts the wine glass he is holding down, which lets out the lightest of clinks as its foot meets the table.

The noise prompts Czarek to continue.

The crowd's gazes wash over the scene like a wave, before inevitably landing on Demetri.

Czarek lowered his voice, but the reporters and cameramen invited to the venue to capture the championship seem to have heard every word.

The cameras are flashing much more frequently than they were.

Under their glare, Demetri steps forward.