《 Alvaro 》<br/>Location: Abendblume<br/>Present: Senor Hale<a class="username" data-user-id="6997" data-username="Sayd" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/6997/">Sayd</a><br/><br/><div class="bbm_float fright" style="float:right;margin:0 0 5px 10px">
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</div>Alvaro crossed himself out of respect for the late Liliana. Her suicide had made a deep impact on all the Hales as anyone would have expected it would. She was a lovely lady, too lovely for what the world had become. The two Raymonds had perhaps shouldered the loss the best, or at least on the surface they had channeled their grief into work. The younger two weren't of the same cloth, perhaps more like their mother, their emotion was closer to the surface and Amira still lacked much of the shine she had once had, and Roman, already sullen and angry from having his world torn from him, had grown more so until finding some kind of peace working with the children.<br/><br/>"Amira still shows the pain of her loss," he replied solemnly. "Roman seems to love the children, I can see he is like a father to many of them. He would probably say differently, but he should marry. A good woman would guide his purpose and perhaps even give him reason to take more interest in the welfare of the community. Where young Ray is bold, focused, and direct, your youngest son may serve well as the Abendblume picture of family and values."<br/><br/>They rarely talked about Hale's younger two children, but Ray Jr had been the focus of much negative commentary lately, and discussing the other two had its benefits. Did Ray Jr. have a violent streak? Alvaro didn't believe so. Could he? If left unchecked and undervalued; potentially. He couldn't belabor that with Hale without eluding to the private things Raimundo had spoken to him in confidence, but he could see more clearly now the stubbornness the elder Hale had. Ten years? no, senor Hale could not and should not try to lead for ten more years, nor should his son be expected, or need, to wait that long.<br/><br/>Also, Hales's offhand comment about his 'penchant for violence' showed him just how right young Ray had been when he said his father didn't appreciate his skills.  Alvaro wondered if the elder truly understood his skills. If he did, he wouldn't have so casually ranked him down at the bottom with the bloodthirsty gang and para-militia operators. He was a top-tier assassin, a quiet killer of select targets, and the right hand to a family whose influence had been felt across a nation. He was certainly grateful to Senor Hale for securing his freedom, but that didn't mean the businessman had the grace, dignity, and wisdom of Jericho and Silvia Rosales. It was a culture few Americans understood but at least Raimundo learned about, appreciated, and valued it.<br/><br/>Alvaro shifted, making himself more comfortable, locking down the feeling of insult before it reached his casual expression. "I understand Armando's feelings about training, but as you have said, efficiency is of more importance than perfection for our cause. We'll identify the best talent first and focus training on them, they, in turn, can train the others. Communication will not be an issue again."<br/><br/>Hale eluded to the potential of another list, but as much as Alvaro wanted to dissuade him from it,  he could see the effort coming off poorly on the tails of his son's insistence that he step down. It was an uncomfortable place to be, between two men he respected, but two men who would inevitably clash. The rift was easy to see now, and growing more quickly than Hale cared to acknowledge.<br/><br/>"I can only imagine you and Armando will soon be at peace again. He is family to you, and you to him," he nodded pleasantly.<br/><br/><i>And I will be your leashed monster again...The convenient foreign face of YOUR violent streak.</i>