《Alvaro》<br/>Location: Abendblume<br/>Present: Ray Jr<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/><br/><div class="bbm_float fleft" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 5px 0">
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</div>Alvaro found an appreciation for the way Ray Jr. parsed through the information he'd presented and considered them to their logical conclusion without an emotional reaction. That was the way a leader should think and not let pride or disagreement cloud his judgment. Alvaro cleared his throat and made a gesture to the side of the bed before he simply moved to take a seat on the side of it. For a moment, his eyes rested thoughtfully on the man lying there before saying anything else.<br/><br/>He nodded softly, sorting his thoughts before he replied. "I believe it will..." he paused with a bob of his head as he tried to streamline his thoughts and separate them from his feelings. It was a task that rarely presented him with any trouble, but he still felt the heavy eyes of Jericho on him even though the sun had broken the long night. "Your father treats Abendblume like a business and casts people out as though they have been fired, but back when there was a business world, fired people only moved on to new jobs. He is already thinking of getting rid of more. But all these 'fired' people will not see the 'opportunity' that has been given them. They will be resentful of the injustice. Your father does not create opportunities for them, he creates enemies."<br/><br/>He sighed and settled a little deeper into his seat. "If this were my world, it would be very different. People would not be fired from the Family, they would disappear. They would not be allowed to become enemies. But this world, it is not a business or a cartel. These people, they are commoners. We cannot fire them or make them disappear...."<br/><br/>He grew quiet, losing his thread of thought for a moment as he searched for the points he wanted to make and the wisdom he'd learned from his former life. Ray Jr. knew about a fair amount of that life, with only it's more personal details left unspoken. But Alvaro found now that those personal details were some of the most important ones; the ones that drove decisions and actions. He paused a moment longer before stepping over the boundary of common knowledge and personal experience.<br/><br/>"Jericho is disappointed in me..." he bowed his head with an air of shame, "I could see it in his eyes when I spoke to him last night. I have served your father well, faithfully, without question, just as I served Jericho, but..." he looked up, across the room at nothing and shook his head, "Some things your father has asked me to do are things Jericho would never have done or asked anyone else to do. Jericho would not turn his face against commoners, he would not ask me to harm a woman. Violence was for enemies; protection..."<br/><br/>Again he fell quiet, his expression showing his concerns through the deep furrows of his brow. "She's alive...the woman who tried to save her place here with seduction and lies. Likely more of those exiled are still alive...I think, we cannot just make more enemies and I cannot be used like a vessel for the blood your father does not wish to have on his own hands."<br/><br/>He looked over to Ray Jr. again, his expression softening from shame to regret. He wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to say, but truths were slipping out and he felt some relief that Raimundo had invited him to speak his mind. He reached out to pat lightly on the young man's arm. "As for this marriage thing, it is perhaps good for your brother, but for you, you need to be very selective. You must choose a wife not for love, but for usefulness. She will be in your inner circle, your queen, and that is a difficult position to fill. Jericho..." he found himself raising the dead again, "first married for obligation and that ended badly. He had his children but in the end, she sought to sacrifice him for her own ambition and retribution for not loving her as she felt he should, and so...she disappeared. His second wife was a true queen, a business partner who did not mix business and pleasure. Together they ran the business and he had his true love elsewhere."<br/><br/>"The moral of this story is, let your brother be the face of a loving marriage and family values. After all, he is America and apple pie, is he not? Become closer to him and your sister, they will also be your inner circle. Your closeness will be an example for your people. And you," he could almost feel Sylvia with him, guiding his thoughts on the subtleties of public relations and personal desire. How he missed her brilliance. He lightly poked Ray's arm, "you choose a wife who is invested in this community and has the skill and cunning to make it work. It will be very difficult to find a Sylvia Rosales here if there even is one. But that is what you need in a wife and you must take your time. Love, should you desire it, should be someone trustworthy who does not crave the limelight."<br/><br/>He could feel his tiredness riding in deeper on the coattails of his lengthy reply. "Forgive me, Raimundo, You asked me a simple question and I went on and on."