Let's Make a Deal [Goro+Giovanni]

Someone wandered up to Goro, and lit up a cigar in front of him. Were he simply out for leisure, Goro would’ve covered his mouth immediately, maybe turned away and attempted to block the foul smoke with his wings. However, he could do nothing of the sort here. There was a distinct chance that this would be Il Padrino, and if so Goro had to do everything in his power to get the man on his side. Much as it pained him to do so.

His heart sank a little as the other man spoke up, mentioning Goro’s villain moniker. Either this was the man himself, or a representative, but either way it meant bearing with the smoke for far longer. He held back a cough, then answered. “You presume correctly. Are you the one who goes by Il Padrino?”

When Goro got his answer, he’d beckon the other man to take a seat across from him, then begin the speech he’d rehearsed in his head for the past hour. “I understand from the villain chatroom, and some of my own personal digging, that you are a man of some importance in other parts of Japan, yes? I won’t bore you with recapping details of your own life, so I’ll give you the important parts of mine.”

“I work for an organization known as the Gifted Underground. Our goal is to userp the quirkless scum who will remain in power around the world, and allow Quirkers true freedom. While operatives such as myself are present in many countries around the world, the majority of our strength and influence lies in England. As such, we seek alliances with those of significant power elsewhere. Now, I do not know quite what your aims are, but I’m sure the goal of empowering those with Quirks will be helpful to you no matter what it is.”

“So, that is what I wish to find out today. What your group’s goals are, and how we may best make a deal between us.” Goro laid his hands on the table when he was done, to prompt the man across from him to respond.

Mere moments after the other man sat down, Goro noticed he could breathe easy again. He couldn’t tell why, God knows that wasn’t how smoke should work, but he was thankful for the fresh air all the same. Giovanni would almost certainly notice Goro’s breathing slow, as he took deep breaths.

As Goro spoke, he continued to watch the other man for changes in his expression; not only to see if he was impressing, but also in case he was boring him. Neither really seemed to show on his face. It didn’t frustrate him, merely make him anxious.

It didn’t take long to find out what Il Padrino truly thought. Once Goro was done, the other man started speaking almost immediately. He was right about the man’s identity, though it did come as a surprise that someone of any importance actually bothered to see him in person. He’d actually missed when Il Padrino had laid all this out in the villain chatroom, so it was a relief to have him willing to repeat himself. It certainly sounded like typical mafia activity, though his restraint toward unnecessary violence was unusual. Not impossible to reconcile with, but unusual. Their goal was back to the usual; money, power, the norm for mafiosos. That made things a whole lot easier for Goro.

“I can certainly understand that.” Goro nodded. “Thunder certainly seems confident that he’s too big to fall, but it’s only a matter of time. Should such a power vacuum form, I would prefer someone like you to take his place, compared to a group like Eternity.” He could trust Kyoko as far as he could throw her, and while they had Nick to ensure Thunder didn’t fuck around with them too much, Goro still didn’t like him either. It didn’t sound like Padrino had any plans to take down Thunder himself, but that suited Goro just fine.

“I see. Well, while our influence in Japan is limited, we will be able to offer you aid in expanding your illicit dealings. The Underground has enough operatives around the world to keep you out of trouble with the law should you desire to expand your business, and of course Tokyo becomes your territory once Thunder inevitably dies or is arrested. We have the resources, money, manpower, and information, should you need any. In return, I ask that you dedicate some of your resources to helping us, when we need it.”

So, Padrino was interested in the deal. That was good. However, then came the question. What was Goro’s role in the Gifted Underground? Was he really someone who could negotiate these kinds of deals for them? He sighed, silently, and adjusted his glasses.

“I’m not the leader, no, nor am I high-ranking in a general sense. However,” at that, he lay his other hand on the table, “negotiating and renegotiating with allies for the Underground is a role I often play. It’s unlikely for my superiors to turn you away, and I have already informed them of the potential our alliance could bring.”

That wasn’t a lie, not quite. He’d expressed interest in allying with Il Padrino to Mother, of course, but he had planned to only give them all the details once he’d solidified the deal. No worth in letting them know what they were missing out on if it had come to that. There was no way an alliance like this would be rejected, they weren’t losing enough for that to be a concern.

“And, besides, they trust my judgement enough that were they left wanting for information, it’d still be highly unlikely they’d reject the deal.” Now that the smoke seemed to have dissipated, Goro reached down to sip his coffee once again, and smiled slightly as he noticed it hadn’t started getting cold yet.

Goro nodded as Padrino accepted his offer. The rest of the offer in return though, surprised him. He hadn’t expected that he would get anything offered to him, personally, in fact the idea of him deserving such a thing seemed far fetched. But here it was, it was happening.

Goro tried not to look surprised, instead just reaching his hand over the table for a handshake. “Thank you for the offer. Should I ever find myself in need of cash, I will surely take you up on it.” Honestly, Goro was ecstatic. Money troubles were… common for him, and he really hated contacting Mother whenever it happened. If working for Padrino directly sometimes meant affording decent coffee beans again, he’d do it.

“Should the Trapani family ever require our help, all you must do is ask.” With that, Goro pulled a small, eggshell-white card from his pocket and slid it across the table to the other man. It wasn’t a business card, merely printed with the number for Goro’s burner phone. “Of course, you COULD contact me through the villain chatroom, but there's more of a possibility of being tracked through it.”
With that, Goro finished his coffee in one big swig, replaced the cup neatly on the table, and stood to leave. "Thank you for your time."