I don't know what's sadder for Umberto: To slowly waste away from age and illness, or to watch how his pups get dumber with each generation.
Vargo
How sad and pathetic, humans.
Luchino
Y-You're—
The memory is blurry, but Luchino remembers the voice.
The night that Umberto brought him back to Tailor de Montano...
Sitting on a chair, Luchino looked blankly at the unfamiliar room before him, filled with various fabrics and tools.
Umberto was outside talking to someone. Suddenly, he turns around, and through the window Luchino thought Umberto was showing him to someone else, but does not see who it is.
His grandfather, his only living relation. Luchino feels his stomach churn with nervousness.
Then, he hears a voice mixed with anger and resignation exclaim, 'Shameless human! Up to the same old tricks again!'
Luchino
Are you nonno's... friend?
Vargo
Friend?
Vargo
Friend, teacher, master, employer, client... my relationship with Umberto is not so easily defined.
Vargo
I am the master of these wilds, pup, and your grandfather is my Fang.
I watched him serve customers of every kind, casually putting his scissors through some of their throats while taking measurement, without getting a single drop of blood on himself.
Vargo
He was not a warrior, like Ingrid, but he was smart and knew how to make the most of who he was.
Vargo
He was also good at disguising himself. He spent most of his time in Tailor de Montano, and he was equally in demand as a tailor as he was as an assassin.
Vargo
That's why I chose him. I told him about the Signori dei Lupi, and the existence of the game.
Luchino
Nonno's stories were true!
Luchino
You're the wolf from the stories... no wonder he wanted to leave the famiglia. He was the Signore dei Lupi's chosen, the most special tailor in Siracusa. He sure is very lucid!
Luchino
Did nonno accept your deal?
Vargo
No Fang can reject the Signori dei Lupi.
Vargo
But Umberto set a condition.
Luchino
C-Condition?
Vargo
He was not the first Fang to try to bargain with the Signori dei Lupi. Impertinent fools! I know a hundred ways to destroy them and find someone else to take their place.
Luchino
What did nonno want to do?
Vargo
Umberto wanted to raise his pup to adulthood, before delivering my victory.
Vargo
His wife had passed away, he said, and his young pup, Luca, was too young to survive without him.
Luchino
That was it?
Vargo
That was it. I agreed.
Vargo
The society of humans was no more dangerous than the wilderness. I did not imagine it would take up so much of his time and energy.
Vargo
I visited the tailor's shop from time to time to make sure he was not deceiving me.
Vargo
That day, Umberto shut down his assassination business, devoting all his time to the sewing machine, fabric, and the young pup as it grew.
Vargo
But his hands were still steady, and his eyes still sharp. Therefore, I kept my promise.
Vargo
I needed a Fang that would not break, not easily-distracted prey. I gave him time. I had plenty of it.
Luchino
But papa...
Vargo
Died meaninglessly.
Vargo
I gave Umberto plenty of time to recover from the shock.
Vargo
It may not have been how Umberto planned it, but at least now he was no longer burdened. And so one night I visited him again, and demanded that he hold up his end of the bargain.
Vargo
But my Fang once again bargained with me—
The Signore dei Lupi pauses and glares at the young tailor before him.
Luchino
Do you mean...
Vargo
He learned that his pup had a pup of its own, the last family he had... He wanted to raise you to adulthood too, before the hunt begins.
Luchino
'Shameless human! Up to the same old tricks again!'
Luchino
That was you...
Vargo
This time, I did not assent. But he seems to have forgotten who he was, and who I was to him!
Vargo
Every time I pressed him, he babbles something like how life keeps repeating itself, while shamelessly promising that he will hold up his end of the bargain.
Luchino
...
Luchino
But nonno was never in good health, as long as I could remember.
Vargo
My Fang could hardly defend himself now, much less deliver my victory.
Vargo
The only result of my patience was that he had grown old.
Luchino
Nonno actually—
Vargo
I know.
Vargo
I know he's only ever cared about his shop, the suits he made, and the people he loved.
Vargo
That's why he did those things, which he was never made for... Umberto was a fool. I was wrong about him.
Luchino
...
Luchino
Why are you telling me all this, Signore dei Lupi?
Vargo
All my effort and patience have only earned me an eternity of scorn from the pack for breaking the rules of the game.
Vargo
You are his pup. Now you must face punishment.
Luchino
P-Punishment...
Vargo
All your efforts tonight will be futile, whether you are trying to destroy the weapons, or destroy the ship.
Vargo
Look down at your chest...
Luchino looks down and sees that the front of his jacket has flown open. He must have dropped his button in the chaos.
Vargo
Whatever you want to become, pup, learn to sew your own buttons first.
Vargo
Now, get lost. Go back to Umberto!
Luchino
...
Caesar
You are a terrible actor, Vargo.
Caesar
That mock anger... were you afraid we would harm that pup?
Vargo
He was not part of the game—
Caesar
Have you forgotten the decision of the pack, Vargo?
Caesar
The Signori dei Lupi shall stay here until this round is decided, and shall not intervene in any manner, or else...
Vargo
I've already lost, Caesar.
The silvery Signore dei Lupi suddenly looks up.
He casts his gaze towards a corner of the city, a city engulfed in revelry, the night sky bright as day. No one notices that a certain cloud has dispersed.
Caesar
The wind brings a familiar scent. Red has done her work.
Vargo
I won't be shameless like Zaaro, Caesar. I have gone against the decision of the pack, and I shall accept my punishment.
That's how you call your wolf? I've never thought of them as being particularly kindly...
Umberto
But then, Vargo must have figured out a long time ago that he was being deceived. There's a soft heart there, underneath the surface.
Projekt Red
...
Projekt Red
You won't resist either?
Umberto
Either?
Projekt Red
The last true wolf that I killed didn't resist.
Projekt Red
She just watched me pierce her chest as she cuddled her limp leg.
Projekt Red
She sighed and muttered, 'Finally, no need to live in fear anymore...'
Umberto
Sounds like death was a relief to her.
Umberto
Well, it's not as if I stood any chance if I tried to resist. Besides, I don't mind this chat going on for a while longer. It would ruin this new suit if we started fighting right now.
There are about four hundreds and fifty steps to a standard Siracusa suit, but it doesn't take as much time as one might think, if you go about them step by step, calmly and patiently.
Projekt Red
...
The sound of the sewing machine stops.
The old tailor trims away the protruding threads, gets up from his chair, and walks by the huntress to hang the new suit on the wall.
He sighs, rubs his swollen eyes, and lies down on a sofa in a corner.
Umberto
Do you mind if I lie down? At this age, I get dizzy whenever I work for an extended period of time.
Projekt Red
Grandma was right. True wolves are good at disguising themselves.
Projekt Red
I do not understand why you don't smell of wolf, but it doesn't change what you did to grandma.
Projekt Red
You ate grandma's eyes, arms and heart...
Projekt Red
Answer me, true wolf. Why do you engage in such a cruel game?
Umberto
...
Umberto
I see. That's how you understand the game to be like.
Umberto
I take it you asked the last Fang you killed the same question.
Umberto
I don't have an answer either, young one. We were all chosen by fate, by happenstance.
Umberto
Whether it is lies or the truth that accompanies us, however, all of it will converge upon a single end... What will you do when that time comes?
Projekt Red
Find the other true wolf who escaped me.
Projekt Red
Her bow is weak. She is no match for me.
Umberto
No, what I mean is, what happens when you've killed all the true wolves?
Projekt Red
The game ends, and grandma is saved.
Umberto
*Cough* And what about you? Where will you go from there? What will you do?
Projekt Red
...
Projekt Red
...
Umberto
Have you been seeking out and killing true wolves all this time?
Projekt Red
(Waggles ears)
Projekt Red
No. I was helping Kal'tsit. There are many things at Rhodes Island that I need to do...
The huntress bows her head.
Projekt Red
I have wasted too much time.
The cold glint of a dagger shines out of Red's sleeves. She had been holding it all this time.
Projekt Red
You're not afraid, true wolf?
Umberto
Of course I'm afraid. I always am, whether you're here or not.
Umberto
My health has been in a steady decline for a long time. You can't help but be afraid when you know that you don't have much time left.
Umberto
But at least I was not like the one you spoke of, who spent a long time waiting for death's visit... that's much scarier than death.
Umberto
Come to think of it, I didn't really achieve anything in my life.
Umberto
A killer who racked up a mountain of blood debts, a father who watched his son die, a grandfather who doesn't know how to teach his grandson, a Fang who never played the game—
Umberto
But I was a good tailor, a lucky old man.
Umberto
How many can say that they were doing the work they loved on their deathbed?
Red does not raise her dagger. She does not need to.
The old man on the sofa is no longer breathing, as though he had expended his last bit of strength to finish the suit.
Red gazes unblinkingly at the old man's face.
She had seen the deaths of many, all of whom had died with an expression like a mask on their faces.
Even the limp true wolf that was waiting for death had terror on her face when Red came in, which only changed to relief in her final moments.
As for the Reunion members in the Lungmen ruins, and those who invaded Rhodes Island, their faces were twisted from rage or fear.
But the expression on the face of the old man before her never changed, from the moment she walked into the Tailor de Montano, to this very instant. Red was finally certain that he was not disguising himself.
Was the man really who grandma said he was?
Projekt Red
...
The true wolf died before the huntress, but not by the huntress' hand.
Maybe there wasn't a formal ceremony, but that doesn't make it any less serious.
Texas
...
Lappland
I didn't tell you how I became a taxi driver, did I?
Texas
I never asked.
Lappland
Hahahaha.
Lappland
Zaaro and I came across this pile of scrap metal in the wilderness—
Texas
The two of you got together?
Lappland
Not many people would interrupt me like this, you know—yes, he's my lackey now.
Lappland
A few Siracusans came to Nuova Volsinii together, but started brawling out in the wilderness for no reason, and the car ended up in front of me.
Lappland
Siracusa invited, so I had to answer, just like you had to return to Volsinii last year.
Texas
Are you absolutely sure you're not just recalling the plot of a radio program?
Lappland
Hey, I would be happy to sell the story to a radio station or filmmaker. I think it'll make a good road movie.
Lappland
One year ago, I was sitting at that table in the Grey Hall with you when you won this new nomadic city from that Befana Sicilia.
Lappland
You could call me one of the startup investors in this youthful dream of a new Siracusa.
Lappland
Of course I needed to be here at the one-year anniversary of Nuova Volsinii, to celebrate with my friends!
Texas
...
Lappland
You know, I think I deserve some gratitude for all the problems I dealt with behind the scenes to make sure the festival proceeds without a hitch.
Texas
Like scattering weapons across the square?
Lappland
Haha, much more than just that.
Texas
Such as?
Lappland
Such as my dear father, who is quite, let's say, ambitious about his plans for the new city.
Texas
I thought Alberto was in custody.
Lappland
Oh, come on, haven't you spent enough time in my family to know what a stronzo the Saluzzo don is?
Lappland
He wouldn't tolerate the thought of anything being outside his control, despite his failure at Volsinii, despite the vigilance of Nuova Volsinii's City Hall and courts against his interference.
Texas
What did you do?
Lappland
Took a few things out of his control, that's all...
Texas
Are you SURE you're not doing this for revenge?
Lappland
Well, I guess that's a matter of interpretation.
Lappland
Oh, and these masked dudes on the square. You remember seeing their boss, that cheerful Perro, in court?
Texas
Venezia Junior...
Lappland
It's often those who despise the game the most who understand the rules most thoroughly.
Lappland
He and his Venezia Trucking have never been in violation of the New Urban Management Act. As a matter of fact, he is a two-time winner of the Outstanding Young Entrepreneur award...
Lappland
He might hate Siracusa more than either of us, Texas, but he know how to read the winds better than most wolves.
Lappland
But...
Texas
But what?
Lappland
I don't like his hairstyle. Too oily.
Lappland
I prefer Vulpos who aren't so much like wolves.
Lappland
A Vulpo mother from a distant land, who returned to Siracusa to seek justice for her Oripathy-afflicted daughter... Touching story, isn't it?
Lappland
Besides, I happened to know that mother.
Texas
What did you do this time?
Lappland
Helped her find the culprit. Super easy, barely any inconvenience.
Lappland
I'm sure you would have done the same.
Texas
Sounds like the City Hall should give you a medal for outstanding citizenship.
Lappland
What better time to do that than tonight? You can do the honors.
Texas
...
Lappland
Nah, it wouldn't sit well with my conscience.
Lappland
After all, things have gotten to the point where they are, even with all the 'business' that I threw a wrench into.
Lappland
Now, let's get back to that wager.
Lappland
Two packs of wolves, increasingly antsy... the end is approaching, Texas.
The White Wolf of Saluzzo has disrupted our plans. I'm going to the port to deal with matters, lest she ruin everything that Venezia has built in Nuova Volsinii.
Ingrid
I returned my emblem a long time ago. Whatever happens to the famiglia is none of my business.
Ingrid
Drop the act, Antonio. You know why I'm here.
Antonio
...
Antonio
How did you know it was me?
Ingrid
When you told me you knew the truth.
Ingrid
But it was your reaction just now that removed the last vestige of doubt.
Ingrid
Why did you think the Sicilian betrayed you the moment you saw me?
Antonio
Ah. You tricked me.
Ingrid
Did I?
Ingrid
I had my suspicions, Antonio. If the Tancredis wanted to assassinate the Venezia don, doing it through a child was a highly unreliable method, to say the least...
Ingrid
No matter how intricate their plan was, they could not possibly have prepared a doll that Lisa had only fallen in love with half a month ago because of a movie.
Ingrid
There never was an assassination attempt. You hurt Lisa to agitate me, in order to run me out of the famiglia.
Antonio
If that was so—
Ingrid
Oh, you spared no expenses to make sure that Lisa wanted for nothing when I brought her back. She called you the 'really nice Perro uncle'.
Ingrid
And the way you beseeched me to come home, after I arrived in Nuova Volsinii...
Ingrid
You wore your mask perfectly, Antonio. You put on such a natural act that it would put the real thing to shame.
Antonio
No, no, it was all real.
Antonio
Lisa. Lovely, clever child. I was happy from the bottom of my heart when she called me uncle.
Antonio
But you were in my way, Ingrid.
Antonio
I could never have risen in the familglia with you around, much less rise to my present position.
Antonio
The struggle between Venezia and Tancredi had reached the point where nothing was off-limits. It was a chance I could not afford to miss. Lisa was your only weakness.
Antonio
As for why I tried to bring you back after chasing you out from the famiglia, the answer is even simpler...
Antonio
Times have changed, Ingrid. Be it within the famiglia, or in Nuova Volsinii, Venezia Junior needs a strong right hand.
Antonio
I even made preparations to sponsor Rhodes Island under the name of Venezia Trucking, in order to allow them to devote their full effort to Lisa's treatment.
Ingrid
...
Ingrid
The Don took us in, and we lived together as Venezia for more than a decade. But somehow, you have it in you to hurt the people closest to you—
Antonio
Are you going to chastise me for lacking in 'decency', Ingrid?
Antonio
I'm curious: Do you truly agree with what the old man says, or are you just playing dumb?
Antonio
We keep emphasizing 'decency,' acting like we're principled, pretending we're filled with love, and claiming we're so different from the other famiglia!
Antonio
But we're no different, are we? Just a bunch of stronzo with blood all over our hands.
Antonio
That tailor, Umberto. He's done dirty work after dirty work for the old man, just because he owed the old man one back in the day.
Antonio
If decency was really about the famiglia, why did he leave the famiglia to focus on his suits?
Antonio
That scar on your face. Is it a mark of honor, or shame? Behind the scar, how many lives were taken in the name of the famiglia?
Antonio
Who's really decent in this swamp they call Siracusa?
Antonio
No one amongst us, at least.
Ingrid
Good. This is the right distance for stabbing.
Ingrid
You really are forthright, Antonio.
Antonio
I just believe we shouldn't expect something unrealistic from one another.
Antonio
What the Siracusans should do is be prepared to lose everything, including those they love the most. That's what I used to admire you for.
The alley they are in is separated from Court Square by a high wall. Only a few dim street lamps illuminate the dark street. The sudden flash of light dazzles Ingrid momentarily.
You never had a chance, Antonio, the moment I found out what kind of person you are.
Antonio
...
Ingrid
You know, it's funny, I was actually trying to think of an excuse to spare your life on my way here.
Ingrid
Lisa's condition can never be cured, but she has found friends at Rhodes Island, even became an operator for them, working to help other Oripathy patients.
Ingrid
I was worried about Lisa's education, but life has thrown her a bone by the strange deliverance of fate—
Antonio
Sorella! Ingrid Venezia! You will insult me with this 'decency', even now?
Antonio
You would never have missed my heart if you didn't mean to—*cough*—I shouldn't still be talking.
Ingrid
...
Ingrid
You're mistaken.
Ingrid
It's just plain Ingrid. A mother whom you've angered.
Ingrid
If I was thinking about decency... it was only so that you wouldn't die with any.
Ingrid
I left you alive so that you could bleed to death.
Another firework explodes in the skies not far from here, casting its light on Ingrid's face. The parade is about to arrive at the square. Carnevale comes to a climax.
It will be a long time before they find out about the Perro lying on the other side of the wall. Ingrid snickers at the thought.
Ingrid
...
She walks over the figure lying on the ground and leaves the alley.
I still can't get in touch with Antonio! What the hell is going on?
Mafioso A
And where's Capone at a time like this? I knew you couldn't trust a Sicilian.
Mafioso B
What do we do now?
Mafioso A
What do you THINK we do? This ain't a movie when you just call 'Cut!' and go to lunch.
Mafioso A
Everything has been exposed. City Hall sees us for who we are now. Do you think we can go back to being 'honest citizens of Nuova Volsinii' after this?
Mafioso A
Complete Antonio's mission, capture the courthouse, then get in touch with the port.
Mafioso A
Do the reinforcements have their weapons?
Mafioso B
Yeah.
Mafioso A
Good. On my order.
Mafioso A
Maybe some of us haven't touched a weapon in a year, but we ain't any more out of practice than these cargo-hauling scemo.
But I will not sign this verdict, and this decision is final.
Lavinia
Nuova Volsinii will not tolerate the crimes of the mafia, but that doesn't mean other people can use the opportunity to achieve their own goals.
Lavinia
I've gotten letters from many friends over the past year. Some of them are judges or lawyers in other cities; others have chosen to pursue a different career.
Lavinia
They shared a lot of advice with me, about the jurisprudential basis of the New Urban Management Act, and specific room for improvement.
Lavinia
I read many feelings between the lines. Concern, confusion, hope, even envy...
Lavinia
The New Urban Management Act is a unique thing in Siracusa. It is the basis of this city's existence. Many have their eyes upon it; even more have sacrificed for it.
Lavinia
It's true that it can be powerless at times. But it's especially in times like this that I cannot allow it to become empty words, much less a tool to be exploited.
These people have gotten their hands on weapons. They have become true wolves. The situation is out of control.
Lyudmila
I saw what the mafiosi are capable of when I first came to Siracusa as a kid. They slaughtered my uncle's entire family in just half an hour.
Lyudmila
In a few moments I will release smoke to obstruct their view. Get the guys out of here when that happens. Hand signs, signals, whatever, I know you have a way.
Lyudmila
You'll need to be quick. I've never released smoke in such a large area before, so I don't know how well it will work, or how long I can keep it up.
Lyudmila
The trucks are right behind us. Get in, get away.
Lyudmila
I wasn't with Sommer that night. It's partly my fault that he's dead...
Lyudmila
There's not much that a luckless loner like me can do, but I can't let my brothers and sisters die here.
Eirene
...
Truck Driver A
That's a gun, not a spanner! Stop pointing it at me—
The beast masked-figures on one side, the truck drivers on the other, like they are standing on two sides of a river.
There is no weapon on the ground, only shattered boxes. The weapons are in their hands.
Everyone hears the sounds filling the air.
The rumbling of floats, impromptu band performance, the spirited yelling of acrobats... the parade draws ever closer.
Then, sounds that are fainter, but even more audible. The sound of guns being loaded and locked, Arts units being activated, crossbow safeties pins being unlocked...
There is nowhere to hide. There is nowhere to run.
No one has moved, yet. At the first shot, the dammed river will burst, and the tide of madness will wash over everything.
...
No one speaks. Nerves are wound to the very tightest. Everyone is listening to the sounds, and their own racing heartbeats.
