Bertrand throws James in front of them and crosses his arms.

  “Apologise. Now,” Bertrand says, the usual tone of levity in his voice is absent.

  Danzo and Gusto watch as James coughs while slowly trying to stand up.

  “What is the purpose of this?” Danzo asks Bertrand.

  “After your whole scene with James and Gilroy, I went to speak and mediate the situation. I found out about the lies he has been telling about you two.”

  “I said I was joking!” James cries.

  Bertrand picks up James by the arm and lifts him. “Were you joking when you started making up stories about me as well?!”

  James doesn't answer.

  “Exactly what I thought.”

  “Don’t get cocky, you shrimp! When Gilroy finds out about this, you'll be sorry!”

  Bertrand turns and punches James before tossing him outside the tent.

  “Then tell him. I'm not afraid of that slimy bloater.”

  Bertrand closes the tent door and walks toward Gusto and Danzo. The sound of James scampering away is heard.

  Gusto glances back at Danzo, who is watching Bertrand.

  Bertrand laughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck. “Seems I was on the wrong side of things, hey fellas.”

  Gusto nervously laughs with him, but Danzo maintains his posture.

  Noticing his expression, Bertrand's laugh dies down, and he clears his throat. “I wanted to apologise for my involvement in Gilroy and James’ schemes. I followed them without question and thought it wasn't harming anyone.”

  Bertrand glances at Gusto, unsure of what Danzo is thinking, before continuing. “When I learnt of their intentions, I felt ashamed of my past actions. I can only apologise and try to do right by you two now. I am sorry and hope you can forgive me.”

  After his apology, Bertrand bows respectfully toward Danzo.

  Danzo watches in silence, unsure what to make of the apology. The only time he received one was from the Howells over minor things, but none to this level.

  Danzo looks at Gusto and back at the bowing Bertrand. Danzo closes his eyes for a few seconds before saying, “You're forgiven.”

  Gusto exhales as he leans back, and Bertrand looks up.

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  “What? Just like that?” he blurts.

  “Is there supposed to be more?” Danzo asks.

  “Well– no, I– what I did was serious! I thought you would want to kill me or report me.”

  “Do you want me to kill or report you then?” Danzo stands up and rolls up his sleeves.

  “No, I–”

  Before things escalate, Gusto stands up and places his hand on Danzo's shoulder. “Wait, wait, Danzo! You don't have to do anything.” Gusto turns to Bertrand. “Don't overthink it. If Danzo says it's fine, it's fine.”

  Bertrand's eyes widen, and he laughs a little. “Ha ha ha ha! My Strivilia! I was worried for a moment there!”

  Danzo returns to his seat and unrolls his sleeves. “Honestly, I don't understand how people get confused,” Danzo complains.

  Gusto takes a seat and sighs, “I keep telling you that there is a lot of nuance in conversations. By the way, were you actually going to kill him?”

  “If that's what he wanted, I would have. But not here.” Danzo takes the bottle of Firewater and pours a small glass for himself.

  “You were?!” Gusto says in surprise.

  “I'm not familiar with how apologies like this work. I thought it was extreme, but if that's how it goes…”

  Bertrand laughs again. “You are an interesting one, Danzo!” He notices the Firewater on the table and crouches near the edge of the table, studying it. “My Strilivia! Where did you get this?”

  Gusto chuckles, “This? I saw a stashed bottle of it in the Tower and took it during the party. I thought they wouldn't notice something like this missing. Why?”

  “I thought they stopped selling this liquid gold! May I?” Bertrand asks excitedly.

  “Uhhh, sure. Grab a glass,” Gusto replies as he places an empty glass on the table.

  Bertrand quickly looks around the room for a chair but doesn't find one. He swears under his breath as he leaves.

  Gusto turns to Danzo and asks, “So, what do you think?”

  “From what I have seen back home, Vito did keep this on the high shelf. He could be right about Firewater being hard to come by,” Danzo replies as he studies the bottle.

  “Not that. I was speaking about Bertrand changing his tune. Isn't it a bit too quick? One day, he is close with Gilroy and the others, and the next minute, he wants to befriend us.”

  “Hmmmm,” Danzo places his glass and puts his hand on his chin. “Your argument has value. But what would he stand to gain then?”

  “Maybe he is spying on us? Maybe they overheard our talk last night and sent him to monitor us?”

  “That is possible. But then why would he attack James and apologise? There are other ways to befriend us.”

  The two remain silent for a few seconds.

  Danzo leans toward Gusto and whispers, “Until we are sure, we don't share anything that he can use against us. No speaking about our plans or what we are going to do. Agreed?”

  Gusto nods once before they lean back. Danzo takes the juice from the table and dilutes the drink. After a few minutes, Bertrand returns with a chair and places it by the table.

  He fills his glass slightly more than the other two and raises it. “To a new way forward!”

  “A new way forward!” Gusto follows.

  “A new way forward,” Danzo joins in.

  They all take a sip together. Even though he diluted the drink heavily with juice, he can still feel it burn as it travels down his throat. Unable to hold it in, they all begin coughing.

  “What in the hell did they put in this?” Bertrand says as he coughs.

  Ugh, why do people like this stuff?