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You stepped forward, feeling particularly bold in this very moment. Everyone except Silvio was staring at you now.
<span class="mu-r">“Silvio, the kid is harmless.”</span> you said. <span class="mu-r">“Besides, He’s not the one who double-crossed you. You wanna be mad at somebody? Be mad at the guy who just fucked ALL of us over.”</span>
That earned you a glare from the silver haired maggioso.
<span class="mu-r">“Besides, I’ve got an idea as to how Slip here could make himself very useful to us both.”</span> you declared. <span class="mu-r">“He’s talented, for one. I mean, he managed to steal from the Fantastic Four for Christ’s sake!”</span>
The other Desperados seemed to nod their agreement as they silently conversed amongst one another.
<span class="mu-r">“If I can whip him into shape, I’m sure he’d be more than willing to start setting things right.”</span> you continued. <span class="mu-r">“Ain’t that right, Slip?”</span> you asked, gesturing towards him.
The young man shifted in his sleep and blinked blearily at you. His eyes then shot open as he realized the position that he was in. He looked down in a panic and patted himself down, finding himself dressed in normal clothing, and not a malfunctioning super-suit that was bonded to him on a molecular level. He let out a ragged sigh, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders, only for it to return as soon as he saw the man he was sitting across from, a gun in his hand.
Slip’s eyes darted from left to right, taking in his surroundings as fast as he could manage without puking or passing out again.
Silvermane still had a hard expression on his face, so you decided that it was worth the risk to give him an extra push.
<span class="mu-r">“You knew the risks. You invited not just every other gang, but also the capes to your turf. You lost.”</span>
Silvio whirled on you, and you didn’t need your spider sense to know that his pistol was now pointed squarely at your chest. You didn’t even flinch. With all due respect, the old man couldn’t hit you if he tried. That didn’t stop your allies from shifting into combat-ready stances behind you, however.
His nostrils flared and his eyes flashed with renewed anger. But after seeing himself reflected in the lenses of your mask, he seemed to calm down. His shoulders slumped, and he returned the pistol to its holster.
You nodded. <span class="mu-r">“Now, instead of biting each other’s heads off, let’s try to do something productive.”</span>
SIlvermane was silent for a long time. You were almost about to change the subject when his head finally rose to give you a resolute nod.
<span class="mu-s">“What’d you have in mind?”</span>
—------
Over the next half hour, all of you spoke of possible options and routes you could take. Even Saya contributed to the conversation. Her father had been teaching her a thing or two about the family business, after all.
(Cont.)
