[work (the butcher)]
Dec. 13th, 2017 02:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
carolinelichfield posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
anofferyoucantrefuseCaroline's got the shop mostly to herself today. Benny's got Benny things to do, so he's ducking out for most of the day. Fair enough. Means she's stuck on counter duty longer than usual. Not the most exciting. But it's not bad. It's been slow for a while when this guy comes swaggering in. He's obviously mob but, in Caroline's opinion, it's also pretty obvious he's not made yet. He's coming on a little strong with how tough he wants to seem for him to really be in good yet.
He makes a show of strolling around the entire storefront and eyeing everything. If Caroline didn't know better, she'd think she was about to get one of those 'pay us protection money' talks. But Benny just paid Vitti's guy. Like two days ago. And Benny always pays. Hell, last time the guy stuck around for half an hour to talk about how Benny's family's been. So... what the hell is this?
"Can I help you?" Caroline finally asks, very politely.
He grins unpleasantly. "Uh, yeah actually you can," he says, changing course toward the counter. He comes up and leans on it in a way that's supposed to intimidate her. Mostly it annoys her and demonstrates what cheap fucking cologne he uses. "See uh, I guess you guys don't know but uh, things are changing around here."
"In what way?" Caroline uses the same very polite tone, but she's rapidly losing patience. And boy, after this she's gonna re-petition Benny for her right to have a baseball bat or something behind the counter. This is ridiculous.
"See, we know youse guys pay the Manettas." He pauses and gestures vaguely toward her. Caroline even nods agreeably, because they do and that's not a secret. "But the Manettas..." he trails off and seesaws his hand. "They're on their way out. You don't wanna stick with them no more."
Caroline blinks. Wow. Wow. Who the fuck is this guy. "We don't?" she manages after a moment. Since he's so damn chatty, she'll just let him finish talking. Maybe he'll even tell her who the hell is making a play here. This is a solidly Manetta/Vitti neighborhood. Is and has been. What idiot is trying this?
He smiles again and shakes his head. "Nah. Nice folks like you? You want people you can depend on." He looks very proud of himself. "People like... the Maronis."
There's a beat of silence. And then Caroline laughs. It's not a kind laugh. "Are-- are you kidding me?"
The idiot's grin fades. He looks like he'll get around to looking mad soon, but it'll take him a minute. "No. I'm not kidding. Look--"
Nope. Caroline shakes her head and holds her hands up in a very clear invitation for him to stop fucking talking. "No. You look." She leans forward into his space now. "This block? This whole neighborhood? Has been Manetta for fucking years. Shit changes hands sometimes, sure. But to take over someplace like this that's been solidly one family's turf longer than your mama's let you stay out after dark?" She's started poking at his chest at some point during this and she's actually not sure when that was.
"You'd really have to mean it to make something like that work out. And the Maronis?" Caroline scoffs. "You guys don't have the fucking balls to pull this off. Get the fuck out of my store."
Oh hey, he finally looks mad. "Listen you bitch, I tried to be nice--" He lunges and tries to grab her shoulder, but Caroline jerks back out of range. "Get the fuck back here!"
Caroline laughs again. "Oh no, don't worry." She edges around the counter slowly but steadily, mostly hoping to get him far enough away that she doesn't break anything. "I'm not going anywhere, asshole."
He makes a show of strolling around the entire storefront and eyeing everything. If Caroline didn't know better, she'd think she was about to get one of those 'pay us protection money' talks. But Benny just paid Vitti's guy. Like two days ago. And Benny always pays. Hell, last time the guy stuck around for half an hour to talk about how Benny's family's been. So... what the hell is this?
"Can I help you?" Caroline finally asks, very politely.
He grins unpleasantly. "Uh, yeah actually you can," he says, changing course toward the counter. He comes up and leans on it in a way that's supposed to intimidate her. Mostly it annoys her and demonstrates what cheap fucking cologne he uses. "See uh, I guess you guys don't know but uh, things are changing around here."
"In what way?" Caroline uses the same very polite tone, but she's rapidly losing patience. And boy, after this she's gonna re-petition Benny for her right to have a baseball bat or something behind the counter. This is ridiculous.
"See, we know youse guys pay the Manettas." He pauses and gestures vaguely toward her. Caroline even nods agreeably, because they do and that's not a secret. "But the Manettas..." he trails off and seesaws his hand. "They're on their way out. You don't wanna stick with them no more."
Caroline blinks. Wow. Wow. Who the fuck is this guy. "We don't?" she manages after a moment. Since he's so damn chatty, she'll just let him finish talking. Maybe he'll even tell her who the hell is making a play here. This is a solidly Manetta/Vitti neighborhood. Is and has been. What idiot is trying this?
He smiles again and shakes his head. "Nah. Nice folks like you? You want people you can depend on." He looks very proud of himself. "People like... the Maronis."
There's a beat of silence. And then Caroline laughs. It's not a kind laugh. "Are-- are you kidding me?"
The idiot's grin fades. He looks like he'll get around to looking mad soon, but it'll take him a minute. "No. I'm not kidding. Look--"
Nope. Caroline shakes her head and holds her hands up in a very clear invitation for him to stop fucking talking. "No. You look." She leans forward into his space now. "This block? This whole neighborhood? Has been Manetta for fucking years. Shit changes hands sometimes, sure. But to take over someplace like this that's been solidly one family's turf longer than your mama's let you stay out after dark?" She's started poking at his chest at some point during this and she's actually not sure when that was.
"You'd really have to mean it to make something like that work out. And the Maronis?" Caroline scoffs. "You guys don't have the fucking balls to pull this off. Get the fuck out of my store."
Oh hey, he finally looks mad. "Listen you bitch, I tried to be nice--" He lunges and tries to grab her shoulder, but Caroline jerks back out of range. "Get the fuck back here!"
Caroline laughs again. "Oh no, don't worry." She edges around the counter slowly but steadily, mostly hoping to get him far enough away that she doesn't break anything. "I'm not going anywhere, asshole."
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-15 04:41 am (UTC)"Yeah, we've got a number. Uh, Angelo, the guy who usually comes by." Angelo who is probably gonna have kittens when he hears about this. He's not yet had any hint that Caroline's anything but small and very nice, and he seems a little prone to fussing. You know, in a mobster way.
"Benny won't let me keep a bat behind the counter, though. I already asked." She pouts a little. Hey, at least she can probably get him to change his mind now.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-15 05:22 am (UTC)"I'll, uh, talk to Benny about that. In the mean time, you got all them big cleavers, right?" Roman pats around his jacket a bit until he remembers what pocket he actually put his goddamn list in. Ah, there it is. He carefully unfolds it and extends it in her direction. It's not terribly long or thorough - he's a lot broker than his suits would let on, or his pride would let him admit. "I feel kinda awful, but is there any way I could get you to get an order ready for me? I gotta go tell folks about this Maroni thing. You can have Benny put it on my tab, just mention it's for Roman."
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-15 06:22 am (UTC)She grins sharply at the cleaver comment. "Can I get that in writing? Maybe framed to put up on the wall?" Caroline likes this guy. He's full of good ideas.
"Oh, no problem." Caroline steps forward and takes the list from him. She glances at it just enough to see it's not very long or full of stupid shit. "Looks easy enough. I'm Caroline, by the way." Without really thinking about it, she offers her hand to shake. Other times she might not bother, but there's something about Roman here.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-25 07:40 am (UTC)Roman clasps and shakes her hand fairly firmly and shakes it, if briefly. "Good job on that idiot," He says, stepping back and adjusting his own hat. "Might call on you for a thing sometime. You're pretty good at hittin' things and this town ain't got a shortage of that, so..." He trails off. He better get going, actually. The Family is going to want to hear about this shit as soon as possibly.
"See you around, Caroline," He calls back over his shoulder. The door's bell chimes again on his exit. From there it's... time to walk, and quickly.