Event Finished Gone

Shay looked down at the water and made a face. She hated murky water (who liked it, anyway?). She didn't like the idea of anything being around her that she couldn't see. She didn't bring it up to him. It sounded childish, even in her head. No need to be afraid, Shay. You're almost home free.

The girl gave a beatific smile on hearing about his mortality. She liked his answer. He wasn't immortal, but he seemed calm and fearless. It made her feel better about being human. He, in general, was making Shay feel better.

Maybe it was the situation, her earlier fear and the euphoria she was getting from coming off it, but Shay was in a state of bliss. She slipped her right hand further into her sleeve and reached forward to take hold of his hand when hers was safely tucked away. Even in this state of mind, Shay felt a little odd touching someone, but it did make her feel secure.

"What kind of messy business?" Shay asked, curious. All her earlier mistrust depleted. "I'm Eroshay, by the way, but you can just call me Shay."

The twelve-year-old was looking all around at everything. She hadn't paid attention after the wave hit, but it looked bad. Terrible. Her heart squeezed, her grip on his hand mimicking it.

Shay tried hard not to giggle when he said adult business and proceeded to explain he meant violent adult business. Had he thought she would believe he meant sex? Well now she was thinking about it, but mostly, it served to confuse Shay, so she moved on when she heard his name.

The girl sounded it out, tasting both his first and surname to see which she liked better. "Gen O Ve se. I think I read that name in a book once." Shay knew she had. And she remembered which book, too, but it was her subtle way to ask whether he was a mobster. As adult as Shay was, the idea of meeting some infamous gangster was fascinating. It made her want to ask a thousand questions she was sure she wasn't supposed to ask. Or, as a little girl, even know.

She wasn't sure how common the last name that was among Italians, but that would have been a convenient coincidence.

To Shay, calling him Angelo or Officer Genovese didn't appeal to her. His first name was too intimate and calling him by his title was too formal. So she mixed the two for now. "You seem too nice to be a gangster." She was dropping her subtlety here.

Shay appreciated his honesty and it furthered her giddy behavior. There was a way about this man that had her letting down her guard. She should have been more perturbed than she was. "I do read a lot of adult books." Then she watched him as he explained about mafias and her smile only grew.

"That's because most American-Italian mafias have their ten commandments, while gangs don't, so the mafia is more dangerous but gangs are more unpredictable," Shay said with a good-natured nod. "I never thought I'd meet one because we don't have mafias on the island. I think the closest we have is Rosales' people, and I've never met any of them either." Shay slowed.

She was giving so much away, acting like a child. How long had it been since she'd felt so open? Longer than six years. It was nice. "What is New York like? Is it as busy as the books say? I've never been off Manta Carlos, but I've read a lot about other places. Is the snow there nice? What made you come here? Why are you a cop?" Her eyes widened some. Was he a dirty cop? She decided it was better not to ask that question.

Shay's mouth popped into a little 'o'. She hadn't known the American-Italian Mafia didn't follow the Cosa Nostra. When Angelo laughed, Shay was only encouraged to ask more things, to find out all she could. She was interested in his life outside Manta Carlos. Was the real world less dangerous? Because it didn't have magic?

"When you're talking about multiple organizations, do you just say the Mafia or Mafias? Or is it just the Mob? But that implies one, and there are more than one." Her nose scrunched up as she thought. "I guess that means Rosales' couldn't be like the mob, then, I don't think. Maybe they're more like a gang? You'd think the police would be able to catch Klaus, with how small this place is."

The water was lower here, and they were nearly out of it, but Shay didn't realize. She was still too busy mulling over everything Angelo said as if he were some superstar. How very like her age, to be so impressed by the seedy side of the world, constantly romanticizing it. Of course, Shay knew all about death and torture, but even with that knowledge, she couldn't help her romanticized views.

"Does that mean you turned rat? Or something? I thought you weren't allowed to join the police otherwise they'd kill you?" Of course, Shay was also sure asking about the interworkings of the Mafia was a good way to get killed too, but for some reason, she wasn't nervous about it.

"Nope," Shay said, popping her 'p', "I've never met him. I thought he was a wanted man? Which meant you had all the evidence." She thought on it, but what Angelo said made more sense. It would be easy to catch someone after you had everything in order. "Or you want something on him. That makes more sense. How come you guys can't prove he did anything bad? Everyone knows he's a criminal." She was sure he'd have to leave something behind. Everyone makes mistakes, right? Then she was back to grinning.

Now, she was thinking about all the things he must have seen as a cop. "Have you ever had to use your gun? As a cop I mean. Also, are you married? Do you have kids? How long ago did you come here? Where your other mob friends nice or did they like hurting people? Were you in a high position?"

She was talking more than she had in a long time, but this felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Of course, now she knew Angelo lived here and where he worked, so she could visit him.