The Gig [Finished]

[yamikuronue]

"Your funeral," he says bluntly. "There were three eyewitnesses, plus the lady herself. You're not that special."

[accalia]

Tony knows he really should back down but..... No, he really can't do that. Principles, they keep you on the good side of your conscience but they can also be a bitch to deal with some days. Tony puts on his best nonchalant voice.

"Not that special, that's good. Mean's I'm replaceable so your boss won't miss my services for too long. Guess that means the whole talking solution's off the table. That's a shame, but I guess I should have expected that... So, what now? Do i get to walk away and enjoy a life of looking over my shoulder, or do you shoot me dead and all that evidence i have stashed away gets found and brings the heat down on you and your family? I'll be honest, I'd prefer the option where I get to live, but the balls in your boss's court. Does he want to talk, walk, or burn the whole city to the ground. It's his call really. I'll wait here while if you want to use that payphone across the street to call him up and see what he wants."

[yamikuronue]

"You come with me," he says, with a scowl. "Not my call to make, but I'm not turning my back on you."

Hopefully Vic got somewhere safe -- he ducked back inside as soon as he saw who was waiting for Tony, which was probably smart.

[accalia]

"Hmm, Talking then, good, we can do that. You gonna drive or should I?" Tony asks. He's not concerned about Vic, he's clued the kid in on some of his precautions, and there really isn't any place safer for him than the precinct house. Besides Kate's taken a shine to the kid, so if the worst comes to the worst he'll have somewhere to go, well, unless he's too stubborn to take the offer.

[yamikuronue]

It's a tense drive to Big Tony's; the guy doesn't explain why that location, just shows him in without a word. Big Tony's smile fades when he sees the look on the guy's face; he didn't seem surprised to see them, but he seems slightly concerned to see them together like this. The guy marches him into the back room, gesturing for him to have a seat on a crate of tomatos while he uses the wall phone to call for reinforcements.

[accalia]

Tony sits easily where directed, wondering if they'll let him order a last meal before they shoot him. He hopes so. Big Tony he still counted amongst his friends, even if he was somewhat out of the family's favor. and as last meals go, tony couldn't think of a better one than one of Big Tony's famous Tori Specials.

[yamikuronue]

Giovanni sweeps into the stockroom, flanked by four armed guards; his face is a careful neutral, his arms crossed, as he waits for Tony to speak first.

[accalia]

"How unexpected to see you here. Has this one filled you in on the situation or shall I?" Tony asks mildly, indicating the man that had dragged him here. Tony's actually acting pretty polite, and ignoring the situation, instead acting as if he had met Giovanni in a coffee shop instead.

[yamikuronue]

"He informed me of your... resignation." The boss affects the same tone: genial, polite, patient.

[accalia]

"Then you're missing some rather important details, come, pull up a crate and we can talk. They're more comfortable than they look. If you can spare a runner, I could give him the money for a couple of cups of coffee. It's always nice to talk over coffee." Tony offers smiling sweetly. He doesn't consider himself resigned, but if that's the end result he'll have to deal with that. Hopefully Giovanni manages to keep things polite here.

[yamikuronue]

Giovanni checks his watch -- his very expensive watch. "I have places to be, unfortunately, so I'll have to ask for the short version."

[accalia]

"As you wish." Tony replies pleasantly and gives Giovanni the two minute summary of the conversation that lead up to this meeting, eventually concluding with "So the way I see it, I'm not resigning so much as offering you a choice between talking nice, like we are now, and everything works out rosy for us all, or us both walking away, secure in the knowledge that either of us acting against the other will destroy us both, or you decide you don't want to talk and you think i'm bluffing, in which case I get dead and you get to see if I'm bluffing or not."

Then tony pauses "I really didn't want it to come to this. It's so passe to hold such a doom over both our heads, but.... well this is what we've come to. For what it's worth, I am genuinely sorry."

[yamikuronue]

Giovanni gives a cold smile. "Well. You're certainly fond of catastrophizing," he says, nonchalantly. "But you've made a crucial error."

[accalia]

"Sure, I got bent as a cop. That meant my days were numbered from that very moment." Tony agrees evenly, jokingly "But you have a different error in mind I'm sure. Alright, what's the fourth option you see, left open by my fatal error?"

[yamikuronue]

"Your crucial error is thinking that you and I are on even footing." He reaches into his suit -- is he going for a gun?! No, an envelope, which he tosses to Tony casually.