A Little Night Music Ch. 13

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Maria calls her first meeting as the others arrive.
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Part 13 of the 22 part series

Updated 06/08/2023
Created 04/20/2017
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"I'm your only friend.
I'm not your only friend.
But I'm a little glowing friend.
But really, I'm not actually your friend.
But I am."
-They Might Be Giants, "Birdhouse in Your Soul"

Contessa-In-Reggenza Maria Louisa Francesca de San Finzione stood in the secure meeting room in Castle Finzione. Night had fallen, the lockdown lifted, and tourists released two hours previously.

Stavro had been unable to contact his parents during the lockdown, due to a signal jammer being activated to prevent any unauthorized transmissions in or out of the castle. He didn't want to leave Maria, but he needed to look in on them; and he would not be able to stay with her for the top-level meeting in any event.

He promised to return as soon as he made certain they were all right. Stavro refused the offered limousine home and back; as he didn't care to take advantage of Maria's status for himself. When Capitan Ortega and Sgt. Pappas; the Ultimado who'd tried to grab Stavro before linking up to form Maria's human shield with him, offered to take him in apology and gratitude for his assistance in the park, he accepted.

A pair of Ultimados flanked either door as the older men and women came filing in. Each of them approached La Contessa, shook or kissed her hand, and muttered assurances of prayers. Maria would nod, and then they'd go to the pitcher, pour themselves a glass of water, and hold it while they talked amongst each other. Maria might have thought it the world's most boring cocktail party if the group of people weren't supposed to be her top advisers. Her mind played over the words on the video that her Great-Grandmama had left her.

"If you haven't had your first official meeting with your advisers yet, call it now." Helena took a long drag of her cigarette before continuing. "They're going to underestimate you. They underestimated me. The ones who didn't see me as Vincenzo's trophy wife, a gold digger, or a genetically engineered CIA Sex Assassin; check that one out sometime, there's still conspiracy sites about it; saw a 23-year-old girl whose strings they thought they could pull.

"Some might show you disrespect. One guy even told me to my face that I was 'just there until a true San Finzione heir is crowned.' You've met Salvatore; the old fellow who works in the castle gift shop, putting the little plastic replicas of the tiara on the little girls' heads. I like the way he grumbles when I come in and bend down and ask the little girls if they're the true San Finzione heir. He's a far better tiara-fitter than he ever was Minister of Natural Resources, anyway. Smack that shit down with no hesitation." Another long inhale of her cigarette before continuing.

"Now, unless I've taught you The Thing already, I'm afraid it's going to be worse for you. They just thought I was a whore, but to them, you're Little Maria! You're the baby girl they remember toddling around the castle; the one who came up to them and sat on their knees. The one whose Great-Grandpapa would give her piggy-back rides in the garden." She sniffed a little. "Who looked so cute and so brave saluting your parents' coffins as they rolled through the marketplace." Helen leaned forward and held her head in her hands before saying the next part.

"The one rumored to be the young personal maid who engaged in secret rendezvous with La Contessa. That won't help matters at all, and it's my fucking fault, and watch disc 3 for my apology in full.

"This means that gaining their respect will be an uphill battle. I bet at least three of them will make empty offers of 'If there's anything I can do.'"

Maria had heard the offer seven times already.

"Here's what I'd do if I couldn't do The Thing, but not if it's Ramirez; HE wouldn't be late without a damn good reason, and I'm pretty sure he'll be your biggest ally in there. Trust your own judgment, Dearest One, but here's what Orson Welles would do on the first day of a new movie so everyone knew not to fuck with him from Day One..."

Maria looked around the room at the men and women in suits. La Contessa's advisors, and now hers. Generalissimo Ramirez and the Prefect of La Policia entered together.

"Who is not yet here?" Maria asked loudly enough to get everyone's attention. The conversation took a moment to die down as everyone looked around the room. "It does not matter."

She turned to the Ultimados at the door.

"Seal the room," Maria told them. "I called this meeting forty-seven minutes ago. Anyone not yet here is fired!"

The room stopped and turned around. Even the Ultimados were stunned by the words that all of them were hearing in the voice of dear, sweet Lady Maria. Some wanted to tell her that it would be a big mistake. Her mouth opened again before anyone else spoke.

"Did your Contessa say 'please?'"

Ramirez immediately stood to attention and saluted.

"No, Contessa. Nor do you have to." He turned to the Ultimados with a stern look while pointing to Maria. "You answer to myself and to La Contessa de San Finzione. Your Contessa has just given you an order. Must I do so as well?"

The Ultimados saluted and exited the room, joining the pairs that were already flanking the outsides of the two doors, to turn away latecomers as the doors to the room sealed. Ramirez nodded to Maria; she smiled back.

Maria walked to her chair at the head of the table, and all the others assembled except the Generalissimo went for their own seats. She pulled the chair away from the table to sit but stopped before doing so; forcing everyone else, including those who'd already begun sitting, to stand back up.

"Nobody sits until La Contessa sits," Helena's instructions had told her. "Remember that. Some of these people are old and have bad knees. It's cruel, it's petty; it's an advantage, and a quick way to remind everyone who's in charge. Use it!"

Maria leaned against the chair and armrest and spoke again.

"A few of you served my Great-Grandpapa." She paused while a chorus of forever does he reign in our hearts went around the table. "And all of you have served my Great-Grandmama." The odd murmur went around the table. "You all know me, too. I have memories of sitting on some of your knees, being given candy when you came to do business with Great-Grandpapa. We would all like to have his guidance now."

She sat. The others took their cue. Generalissimo Ramirez finally walked to his seat by her left side and took his chair. Maria continued.

"If Great-Grandmama were to walk through that door right now, I would happily give this seat back to her. I am to be fitted for La Contessa's tiara in the morning, in case I am needed to serve permanently. I would love nothing more than to cancel that appointment; however, I can assure you that when that little girl was not running through the castle, she was being taught by two of the greatest rulers that San Finzione has ever had. Taught her whole life to serve the people of San Finzione as well as the ones who will forever reign in all of our hearts. I hoped it would be many years before I needed to do so, however, make no mistake; if this is my time, I am prepared to face it."

Everyone around the table nodded silently. Maria's usual smile, tempered with the seriousness of the task ahead, returned.

"What can you tell me? We'll start with the Prefect of La Policia."

The Prefect stood to attention and saluted his Contessa.

"Forensics reports fragments of glass and the plastic stopper of a vial found roughly where the assassin was standing. Whatever liquid it contained had evaporated. The fragments are being sent to the Ministry of Science for further analysis. Identification on the body names him as Carlos Jimenez of the Basque region. An airplane boarding pass indicated that he arrived in San Finzione six hours previously. We believe the identification to be a forgery, however, are checking hotels to get a possible CCTV trace."

La Contessa nodded. Ramirez leaned over and whispered to Maria.

"The Minister of Science is currently sequestered with a number of his people on a special project for your Great Grandmother, Contessa. This is why he was unable to attend. He very possibly has not even heard the news about her."

Maria turned to him.

"Thank you, Generalissimo. While we are talking, what do you have to report?"

Ramirez stood to give his report properly.

"I have been with Contessa Helena most of the day. Tenente Maisson, one of the Ultimados who dispatched the assassin; was a field medic who has recently obtained his degree. I contacted the Ministry of Medicine and got his medical license application expedited through the process. Dr. Tenente Paul Maisson is now part of La Contessa's medical team and is keeping me updated. I am presently awaiting a call from an old friend with Interpol who may be able to help identify the assassin."

Maria took in the information and nodded.

"Thank you, Generalissimo. You may be excused if that call comes during the meeting. Let's hear from the Minister of Intelligence now."

The man stood.

"The usual groups are claiming credit for the attempt on La Contessa's life. We are checking up on all credible leads. Based on the assassin's seeming knowledge that she would be appearing on the tour today, we are investigating any possible security leaks as well. Intelligence channels have reported no indication of a follow-up attack, but we are still monitoring for the possibility."

Maria nodded and gestured for the man to sit again.

"I will be expected to address The People soon," Maria said to the table. "I will be asked questions, I must have immediate answers. Most will probably be about La Contessa, so you're each going to give me one question that is likely to be asked about how the situation affects your ministry, and then you will give me a concise answer. Starting with you."

* * *

Suzy-Q and Helena sat on the couch in Helena's study in Castle Finzione. Rather, they were in a place in Helena's mind that took the form of her study while surgeons worked to save her life in the real world.

They had concluded that whomever had tried to kill her was also going to blow up the Ministry of Science soon. However, because Helena was still in surgery and under anesthetic, she had been unable to wake from her current state to warn anyone. So, they had nothing to do now but talk.

"Well, hey," Helena said, picking up a cup of cocoa just the way Propappou always made it from the coffee table. Susy-Q picked up one that was waiting for her as well. "Since it looks like we've got some time here, and this is too good an opportunity to pass up; I HAVE to ask you: What does Susan really think of me?"

Suzy-Q closed her eyes and thought for a moment while sipping her cocoa. She opened them and set it down before speaking.

"Well, she thinks it's a bit funny that The Great Contessa Helena de San Finzione seeks the approval of a diner waitress. She hasn't worked the diner in about a year, but still feels like that's who she is a lot of the time."

That gave Helen a smile. She repeated Suzy-Q's gesture of taking a sip of cocoa and then setting the cup down.

"Julie and Troy love her, especially Troy. That alone means I already sort of love her too. I like talking to her. When you're Contessa, nobody ever just CALLS you on your shit like she does, you know? Not without an agenda. And her only agenda is caring about them, so it's refreshing. Even if it weren't for Troy & Julie, I'd like her for that alone. So yeah, I'd genuinely like to be her friend. I'm aware that I was stupid and selfish and fucked that up and would love nothing more than to make it up to her."

Suzy-Q went in for another hug. She didn't move back after.

"That's the kind of thing to tell her, then. Which reminds me, I wouldn't advise telling her that I was here, or about me at all. My friends and I are sort of an 'I'll let you know if and when I'm ready to' thing with Susan. You're starting to grow on her, but if you told her now..."

Helen completed the thought for her.

"There'd no way she'd believe I never put spies on her, I get it."

Suzy-Q raised an eyebrow. "The way Susan does," Helen thought.

"You've never put spies on her? Not counting Rob and Eric, I mean; she gets why you did that, by the way."

Helen gave Suzy-Q a tiny experimental kiss. The kind that could be written off as "Sorry, I thought that was really cute and was kind of in the moment there" if it turned out to be a problem.

It wasn't. When Helen tilted her neck back, Suzy-Q's had remained stationary, as if waiting for her to answer the question before passing judgment on the kiss.

"No," Helen whispered, close enough now that anything other than a whisper would be more awkward than the kiss failed to turn out to be. "I wouldn't. Not on her, anyway." Helen took a deep breath. "This one night, I was at a party; everyone was coking up and good ol' 'Parking With' Parker failed the Trial of Peer Pressure yet again, so when I got home, I might've had some coke-fueled idea and had Chad tracked down. He seems to be taking Troy's advice to heart, so I called them off."

Suzy-Q cocked her head, still moving it neither forward nor back, then returned it to the previous position with a new smile.

"Hey, Susan's got all the same reasons you have for not being big on booze and drugs, but she can't plead innocent to having a few and Doing What You All Do to kick off the odd lesbian orgy herself." They both giggled at that. "But yeah, too soon for that story as well. In time, she'd probably file that one under 'genuine yet Helen-like effort to be nice,' like the Ultimados, but she's not there yet."

Helena was about to say something when Suzy-Q spoke again.

"Oh, that reminds me; thanks for the Batman advice. I feel like you should have something back for that, so, do you know what 'special name' Julie picked up when she and Troy tried X together?"

Helena didn't know and gave her head a small shake. Suzy-Q told her the name. Helena's cracking up at it started Suzy-Q doing the same, and they fueled each other's laughter, keeping it going longer than either thought it should have. After a while, Helena's eyes became fixed on Suzy-Q's large breasts bouncing up and down inside Lara Croft's boob shirt.

Suzy-Q's laughter was at its peak when she noticed that Helena was staring at her bouncing tits. Her nipples began to stiffen, seeming to Helena like they and the look on Suzy-Q's face were trying to close the gap on the five second head start that her thoughts had on them. When the laughter died away, they each had a hand on the other's waist; Helena's moving up toward the breasts that fascinated her so, and Suzy-Q's moving down, causing a ripple through the sequins of her dress and making the dragons encircling her own breasts as they battled the invisible creature seem to move and shift from black to emerald green.

"So, ah..." Suzy-Q finally whispered into the silence. "Speaking of opportunities too good to pass up... er... you know, while we're stuck here... Eh, screw it, wanna fuck?"

Helena's hand reached its destination and began to explore through the fabric. She answered in-between sighs as Suzy-Q's hand found the slit in the side of her dress and began slowly exploring for another.

"As long as you promise... not to pull that... stupid dream trick... where we're going up to my bedroom... and get sidetracked somehow."

Suzy-Q pressed her lips up to Helena's. They parted and her tongue slid out, requesting permission to dock. Helena granted access, and docking procedures commenced. Suzy-Q broke the seal.

"Your dragons are green now. This is still your head, and you're still Contessa Helena de San Finzione here."

They stood, and Contessa Helena de San Finzione led Suzy-Q through the secret passage up to her bedroom.

* * *

"Wow," Julie Equals said, looking out the window of the limousine. "Troy, look, she's still there!"

Troy Equals, her husband, looked out her window at the Yia-Yia, illuminated by a streetlight and drinking her vino. They both waved, even though there was no way the old woman could have seen them through the tinted glass.

"You know her?" Susan Bailey asked, also looking out a window at the Yia-Yia.

"We met her last time we were here," Troy explained. "We should stop by again if we get the chance."

The limousine made its way slowly toward the hospital. Because Colleen now lived in San Finzione for business, the driver had delivered her to long-term parking at the airport. They'd said their goodbyes and promised to see each other again during their stay before proceeding into the city.

Troy, Julie, and Susan continued looking out the windows at the sidewalk and hospital lawn where people stood holding candles and signs. Susan tried to read the ones that she could, but English was the only one of San Finzione's four official languages that she knew. A few signs amongst the others were in a different language altogether.

"Let's see," she said. "English, Italian, French, Spanish... What's that other one?"

"Swahili," Troy replied as the limo turned onto the hospital drive. "San Finzione's Uongoian community is very supportive of La Contessa."

They pulled up to the main entrance. Because the Ultimados had standing orders from Contessa Helena that, should they come to San Finzione, under no circumstances are these personal friends of La Contessa to come in contact with the press; the reporters had been pushed out past the vigil. The entrance of the hospital had also been darkened to discourage tele-photography for the limousine's approach, and a security canopy covered the walk from the car to the main door. Troy motioned for Scappa, Helena's chauffeur, not to bother getting the door and stepped out.

He turned to help his wife out of the car. When he turned back to Susan and offered his hand, she wouldn't take it.

"Susan, hon?" Troy asked, looking at Susan's face. She was concentrating on something distant, focused on it. Troy turned and saw nothing but the sliding glass doors of the hospital at the end of the long, white tunnel, the universal red-on-white crosses on either door. He looked back at Susan, discomfort growing on her face as she tried to will her foot to continue its journey that final two inches to the ground.

Troy stopped a moment, realizing that this was something they hadn't encountered before. In the year that Susan had been part of their lives, they'd gone to doctors' and therapists' offices with her, but those were office visits; they hadn't had call to go into a hospital with her. He placed his hand on Susan's shoulder and started easing her back into the limo.

"It's ok, hon," he assured her. "It's all right. You don't have to come. Only Julie and I have to go."

Julie stopped walking, noticing that the other two weren't behind her, and walked back toward them. Susan's leg was retreating into the car when Troy turned and took hold of Julie's right hand with both of his.

"Sunflower," Troy said, looking Julie in the eyes. "Susan's had a very stressful day. She's done a lot for us, and it's taken a lot out of her." He emphasized the word "stressful" by looking at her more intently and glancing toward Susan. Julie nodded her understanding as he turned back to Susan.

"Susan, hon, why don't you go on ahead to the castle? Maria's there, and she's waiting for us. We'll come later." He gave Susan a brief kiss. "We love you, Susan. Go be with Maria. If you're with her, then we are, too."

Susan nodded and sat back down in her seat, fighting off tears. Troy gave her a smile that said she needn't shed any and closed the door. He took Julie's hand and they walked toward the entrance as the car pulled away and toward the castle.

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