RP:Los Pepes

Part of the Hour of Wolves Arc

Part of the The Dust Up In Cenril Arc

Summary: Hudson pays a visit to Lionel, to tell him what he's learned from his investigation of their prior night out clubbing in search of information on red dirt. Which is to say, Hudson tells Lionel that he's fairly certain the Larket mob is behind manufacturing the stuff. In telling Lionel this, he reveals that he is Cenril mob. He and Lionel agree to work together to accomplish a covert operation: Lionel will serve as bait to lure Larket's mob boss, Santiago, and they'll take him out for good. The hit will look like Cenril mob, and Hudson and his people will expand their territory to take over in Larket.

Frostmaw Fort Main Room

Hudson is shown in. He's dressed in flying furs and leathers for riding in the weather, but has got a quaint beach tote bag - obviously something borrowed from the home, whatever - under his arm. Inside the bag, just barely visible over the red stripe trimming, appear to be ledgers or notebooks of some kind. He approaches Lionel's vantage point, and sets the tote down in front of him. He then immediately pries open his jacket, revealing more casual apparel that's typical of Hudson's "work clothes" (it's a Cenril Cubs jersey). Hudson gestures at the tote bag. "So," he begins, meeting Lionel's eye. "We're going to talk about this," in case that's not evident. "That warehouse is empty now, cleaned out. They're hiding probably because me and my guy broke in and stole these. Have a look if you want, confirms the hunch I had that night. This is the Larket mob." He lifts his chin. "Ask me how I know."

Lionel passes three books to Esche. The elf is lithe in frame, so much so that even Lionel appears almost bulky by comparison, and he rushes to balance the books as best he can. He fumbles. “Comb through them for lines about this variety of high dragon,” Lionel commands him. “Of course,” Esche replies. Lionel considers the task. “What do you need? Three days? Four?” Esche chuckles softly. “You’ll have a report before the end of the night.” With that, he departs, leaving Lionel to blink in his general direction. The Catalian begins to make his way toward his office, multiple soldiers bowing and greeting him all-the-while, when Hudson appears so suddenly, it is as if he has spontaneously generated next to him. There’s also a bag. Hudson places it down on the cedar long table beside them, and, given his tone, Lionel is inclined to lift it up and peer inside curiously. An awkward moment passes. “...How do you know?” Lionel’s line delivery is halfway to comical, but there’s fierceness enough in his eyes to signal he cares.

Hudson for Lionel's benefit begins to lift the notebooks out of the bag, which is Alvina's and generally transports fresh diapers. It smells stridently of baby powder. Anyway. Hudson opens several of the ledgers, revealing a detailed datebook for shipments of some kind and a complex accounting for deli stock including one marked "bologna" which is apparently extraordinarily expensive for a deli meat. Or anything. Beyond all meats. Very likely this recurring line item is not what it seems. Hudson puts his hands in his pockets, nods at the ledgers. "Because I'm Cenril mob," he says offhand, offering Lionel a smile that's chillingly casual. "Feel like being honest today, but you maybe suspected that, maybe Alvina told you or hinted while we were separated," he continues coolly, not making eye contact but rather flipping through one of the ledgers and turning it to show Lionel someone's scrawl representing the notes from a 'business meeting.' Gotta love criminals who keep detailed notes. "'Santiago,'" he's now conducting a dramatic reading, "'advised to saturate market ASAP.'" Pause. "Santiago's the head of the Larket mob, just so you know," Hudson's making a dangerous bet here, "...in theory we're allies right now, but off the record between us chickens, he tried to go after my family, sooooo I have to kill him.... anyway, I'm here," going HAM and confessing his sins and taking a gigantic risk in trusting that Lionel won't simply have him arrested (he might, after all!), "...to ask you to help."

Lionel merely nods with regard to Hudson's confession. Eye contact is made, albeit briefly. "I suspected it, aye. Little hints here and there. Then there was the time Alvina somehow knew all about a certain type of magical explosive most commonly found in continental crime syndicates. I think she claimed to have 'heard about it through the grapevine'. Not too many grapevines like that growing in picket-fences Lithrydel." He'll refrain from further commentary on the matter. They're grown men, the both of them, and Hudson knew full-well it was a calculated risk marching into a heavily-fortified governmental headquarters and opening with such revelation. He knew the risks. Lionel need only do nothing about it to confirm the man's accurate estimation that nothing, will in fact, be done about it. "So we kill this guy. How many of my problems are off the table once we do? How much damage does this deal? In my experience," Lionel does not elaborate, "the dragons have three heads. Knock one down, another takes their place. If this Santiago commands enough loyalty, someone might don the mantle in their stead. If they don't, it's an opportunity. Either way, the substance runs the risk of reverberating through Frostmaw. Through everywhere else, for that matter." It should come as no surprise to Hudson that Lionel's desire to defend the realm doesn't end with Frostmaw's borders. "Other than that, I need numbers on his strength, suggestions on elimination methodology, and probably a coffee for the road."

Hudson grunts in response to this story about Alvina's knowledge of bombs. He resists making a snarky comment, like, Well she was probably trying to impress you! But he thinks it! Sore point, all that, his wife's tendency to swoon over the good guys. And yet, perversely, his wife's relationship with Lionel is why Hudson feels able to trust him. Anyway, rather than make an cutting remark, Hudson sighs and makes the following shady one, "Ugh, Gods bless her, she is transparent at times." He nods in response to Lionel's questions, which are legitimate. He'd have asked the same ones. Killing guys carries risk. He makes the same pitch to Lionel that no doubt actual drug cartel lords have made throughout history to the CIA: "My people do a sweep of his higher ups. Then I handle Larket, and it's the devil you know, and red dirt comes off the streets. It's a dirty product." A beat. "I should tell you Santiago's a prominent businessman in Larket. King Macon might be annoyed but this blows back on Cenril mob, if anything, not Frostmaw." He scratches at his stubble. "So, about how we take him out... I mentioned he and I have an understanding? I was thinking... I just tell him that I have a high-profile law enforcement type in my custody and that, you know, in honor of our friendship or whatever, I'd let Santiago come pick him up."

If Lionel is giving this plan much thought, he’s far too rapid-fire to show it. Yet there’s a coolness, a crispness, in the tone of his near-instant reply that suggests he’s in control, or thinks he’s in control, of the situation at-large. “You’ve got it. Make it look as convincing as you can. I’ll leave the sword at home. What could go wrong?” He tempts fate with that one, but his cynical countenance makes it point-blank crystal-clear how aware he is of the old superstition. “One thing. I’ve got an elf. Name of Esche. He’s been in my service near to a year. Good fellow, but so ill-suited to shady underworlds he’s as straight-edge as my enemies typically assume -I- am.” Much to their chagrin, of course, when Lionel shows up in battle dressed in thin black and manipulating the flow with as many dubious tactics as he can feasibly muster. “Incidentally, I want you to dress him up in a cliched trenchcoat and allow him to masquerade as one of your boys. It’s simple leverage. Gets me eyes on the mission while I’m left in your mercy.” Whether or not Hudson had anticipated using Lionel himself as bait, the Catalian has placed himself directly in the line of fire now. “I trust him implicitly. While he’s keeping tabs, he’ll be memorizing every bit of minutiae he gets his eyes on, so Frostmaw’s in the best possible place to deny involvement. We knock your slimy fellows down for you, I get to the dull but pivotal task of bringing this kingdom back on-track financially once the dust settles, and yes, that was a pun, but not a very good one.”

Hudson nods and chuckles faintly, of course Lionel's already figured out his role in the proceedings. There's no better bait, really. But Hudson waves off the suggestion of leaving the sword at home. "I got a warehouse where this'll go down, you can stash your sword in there if you want," he tells Lionel. He chuckles again at the suggestion that Esche join them, ostensibly to keep an eye on the bad guys. "Easy," he says in a tone of wry amusement. "I'm not about to piss my wife off. Which is to say it's fine to have your guy join us. I'll send you a note with the details, you personally gotta lay low so it looks like I've really got you, then guys just show up and play along. I'll have to send him something to prove that I've got the real deal Lionel, but I'll figure that out." He lifts his eyebrows suggestively, looks pointedly at Lionel's sword hand. People see what they want to see! Hudson grins and extends his own hand to shake. "Good fighting the other day, by the way."

Lionel may leave Hudson in mild confusion if the fellow hasn’t caught-on by now to the Catalian’s aromantic antics. There’s just nothing about the guy’s reaction to Hudson’s lampshaded bizarro love circle references that so much as causes Lionel to fidget. Hudson might even think he’s doing a fine, fine job acting like it doesn’t bother him when in fact it does, but it’s just a proverbial blank runestone, the whole of it. It’s like it doesn’t even faze him. “Much appreciated,” he says, shaking Hudson’s hand. “Well if you’ll excuse me, I have half a hundred rote and menial things to do before the next batch pours in, and I’ve terrified myself into actually enjoying half a dozen of these things, too. I look forward to the op.”

Hudson nods again along with Lionel's dismissing him. The bromance is business only, and today's has been concluded. "Cool, well will be in touch. Good luck with all that. I'm gonna uh, have lunch with my wife," says Hudson. "I'd tell her you said hi but she'd ask questions, and ehhhh." He offers Lionel a bit of a cavalier grin, and lifts his chin. "See you, man. Thanks for your time," are his parting words before he turns to make his way out.