Chương 50: Play Until It Stops Being Fun

Back in the Quadrilaterato, Cecilia watched her family doctor clean the cut on Bianca's arm in the infirmary. Aratone Checchi had been with the Leonellis since Cecilia's father had run the family. He was older now, his face lined, but his hands steady as he pressed gauze to Bianca's wound. Cecilia had been surprised to find out that he had selected a class, too.

Not one that changed his role much: Physicker—a healing class, the most basic and passive the System could assign to a man who had always made his living patching people up when they got hurt. She sat on the edge of one of the beds in the small, sterile room, the antiseptic smell making her think of every time she had needed these services in the past. The wounds from those days had mostly healed. But the memory of what they felt like never went away.

Checchi wrapped Bianca's arm neatly, taping the bandage at the elbow.

"It should be good as new in a few days," he said, glancing at Cecilia over his shoulder.

"But I'd still keep an eye on it." Bianca said nothing, her eyes distant. She had that look she wore when she was replaying a fight in her head, considering everything she'd done and everything she would do next. Cecilia had seen her like this a hundred times. After every fight where she didn't come away clean. After every close call. The difference now was that the fights were something new. The stakes weren't the same, but the work was.

The mechanics of violence hadn't changed as much as the System wanted people to think. Checchi finished his work and turned back to the medical kit, not expecting a reply from Bianca. That, too, was familiar. He looked up at Cecilia as he zipped the bag.

"I'm going to need more supplies soon. The market's tight, and the hospital isn't giving anything away anymore. Not even for old friends."

"I'll make sure you get what you need," she said, pushing off the bed to stand.

"If the pharmacies run dry, tell Dario. He'll find alternatives. How are you managing your class abilities?" Checchi's eyes narrowed just a little. He didn't like talking about the System if he could help it. He saw it as the world falling apart, not the source of new solutions. He was old-fashioned like that.

"Enough to get by."

"Be more specific." He sighed, putting his supplies back in order.

"Basic healing, a little regeneration, some detox. Nothing fancy. And before you ask, no, I can't bring back the dead. I can't even regrow lost fingers. But I must admit. Even if I don't completely understand how this is all possible, it does make my job easier." He gestured with his head toward Bianca.

"This one's going to get a lot of use." Bianca ignored the joke, testing the flexion of her arm.

"You'll upgrade," Cecilia said.

"And Giulia's work is advancing quickly. The two of you will end up being the foundation for more than just patching people up after a fight."

"It doesn't make sense for me to put myself at risk for extra power. The young blood like her..." He patted Bianca on the shoulder, getting a scowl from her in return.

"That's their business." Bianca gave Cecilia a look that meant she agreed with the doctor, but she kept her mouth shut.

"You don't have to be out front," Cecilia continued.

"Just keep doing your work and using your powers. You'll grow steadily over time. That's enough."

"Happy to oblige, la capetta," Checchi said with a mock salute. Then he softened, looking at her directly.

"And you... how are you managing?"

"I'm fine," she said, the answer automatic. The lie came easily, because it was easier to lie to people who expected you to be unbreakable. Even to people like him, who knew better. He let it be, because that was the deal between them: he didn't ask her to be honest about her own body, and she let him take care of the people who bled for her. They left him in the infirmary and made their way through the Palazzo's quiet halls to Cecilia's office.

She shut the door and leaned against the desk while Bianca stood across from her, waiting to hear what she was thinking. She didn't keep her waiting.

"That wasn't a normal monster."

"I noticed." Bianca's expression was still calm, like they hadn't just killed something that should have killed them both.

"It knew who I was, Bianca. That means it's not just a mindless spawn."

"Maybe it's something that keeps track of us. Like a bounty hunter." Cecilia nodded, thinking it through. The System had put an enemy right where she had to find it. Not random at all. There had been an intent. And it hadn't just attacked. It had tried to turn her into an asset. It had tried to sell her something.

"I need more information. The Analysis team might have seen this somewhere on their forums. If they haven't, they'll need to start monitoring for similar events. Find anything that mentions entities that act outside the normal patterns."

"You think this is connected to the bigger scenario coming?" Bianca crossed her arms, leaning against the wall.

"Too coincidental not to be." Cecilia pulled open the top drawer of the desk, taking out a file she'd kept from the pre-System days, a ledger of old scores, old enemies. It felt obsolete now. But some patterns remained the same.

"If the System is testing us with scenarios, then the B-class is the same thing, just personalized."

"So what does it want from you?"

"I don't know. But I don't intend to find out the hard way." Cecilia closed the file and slid it back into the drawer.

"Make sure everyone on the street is alert. If we're on a System-generated hit list, it won't be the last time it sends something our way." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"There's always the option to ignore or decline the Individual Scenarios. I've already declined one, and nothing happened. I'm still waiting to find out the catch." Bianca tilted her head, a slight shift in posture that showed she wasn't done thinking through her own solution. Cecilia considered that. Declining a scenario meant refusing to play. But every time you played into the System, you earned rewards. Experience, skills, advantages.

Ignoring the System was the same as falling behind in the world it was building.

"Decline only if there's no choice," she said, making the decision firm.

"I'm not giving up the advantage for fear."

"You don't scare easily," Bianca said, and for the first time, there was an edge to it. A question, almost, though not quite. Because Bianca never questioned her in a way that would seem like doubt. Cecilia watched her for a moment, and something loosened in her, just a little.

"I can't afford to," she said, and it was true.

"We don't scare easily, you and me." Bianca gave a small nod, the agreement passing between them without needing to be spelled out. The strength wasn't just hers, but it started with her. If she wanted the Family to stay strong, she had to set the standard. They'd all made peace with that bargain long ago. The door opened before she could say anything else. Ruggiero walked in, filling the doorway with his size, his face tense. She'd expected him sooner or later. News traveled fast through the building.

"I heard," he said, looking between the two of them, lingering on Bianca's bandaged arm with a glare.

"You went out to take a mission on your own. One we didn't approve altogether." He wasn't angry, not openly, but the concern was thick enough to feel. Ruggiero had a way of making his overprotectiveness sound like a command, because it was. And it wasn't just about her safety. It was about the family staying a team.

"There wasn't time to convene the table," she answered calmly, which was partially true.

"And Bianca was with me. We were fine." Bianca didn't say anything. She knew Ruggiero wouldn't like it any more if she pointed out that Cecilia trusted her, and that was enough. Ruggiero stepped closer, the floorboards creaking under him.

"Next time, you call me. That's what I'm for, Cece. I'm supposed to be your enforcer. Not Dario. Not a guy you're testing from the IT dungeon."

"Luca," she corrected him gently.

"Whatever. I'm the one you bring on this kind of mission, and I can handle it just as well as Bianca." The implication that he wouldn't mind doing this for her was something she couldn't ignore, but the need for him to be the one who put himself in harm's way was a weakness she couldn't afford to let him lean into. He was talking about her judgment again. It wasn't something they were going to solve in five minutes.

She let her voice soften, the same way she always did when she was smoothing the rough edges of Ruggiero's protectiveness.

"You're right," she said, a concession.

"But it wasn't about who was stronger. It was about who was there. I took the best option available. Don't question that choice. Just trust it." Ruggiero studied her, then nodded.

"I trust it. But if it's System business again, let me know. We're all in this now, the same as you. It won't help if I find out after the fact."

"Alright." The room quieted. It was enough for now. Ruggiero didn't need to say anything else to make his point. She understood him. He understood her. The lines between them had always been clear.

"I'm going to check the street reports," he said, turning for the door. Then he hesitated and glanced back.

"You should tell Dario, too. He likes to pretend he's above this stuff, but he still worries." She smiled.

"I'll let him worry later. Right now, I need him working." Ruggiero gave a grunt and left, closing the door behind him with more force than necessary. Bianca raised an eyebrow.

"We're just spreading good cheer around the house." Cecilia slouched slightly, the weight of the fight and Ruggiero's concern sinking in all at once. She rubbed at her temple. The stress had settled behind her eyes, dull and throbbing. She'd been ignoring it all day, the way she always did, but that didn't make it go away.

"He means well," she said.

"He does," Bianca agreed.

"But so do you." It was as close as Bianca got to taking her side, which wasn't necessary because Bianca would have done anything she asked anyway. That made it mean more, in its way.

"I'm going to rest." Cecilia straightened up, pushing away from the desk.

"If anything new comes from Luca, let me know. Otherwise, we'll talk in the morning."

"You should eat something," Bianca said as Cecilia walked toward the door.

"Later," she said over her shoulder. She wasn't hungry. She lay on her bed an hour later, staring at the ceiling in her apartment within the Palazzo. She should have slept. It was the practical thing. There was a city-wide Scenario coming, and she needed to be ready, but her mind was cycling. The Vagabond. It wasn't just some new monster. It had felt deliberate. Like a personal challenge. Or a threat. She rolled onto her side, the blanket heavy, and picked up her phone from the nightstand.

No messages from Dario yet. She didn't expect any. He knew she could handle herself. Still, she opened her message thread with him. > Are we clear in Mirafiori? The reply came after a minute. > All good. We're solid. Why? > Making sure you're not causing riots again. > No promises. She let herself smile at the empty room, the weight of the last few hours easing slightly. Talking to Dario made her feel lighter, even when they were just joking.

There was something about the way he never took anything seriously enough that helped her balance how seriously she had to take everything. She typed again. > I took on a B-class earlier. It talked to me. This time, the reply didn't come as quickly. She stared at the dots moving on the screen, imagining him on some rooftop, the smoke curling in front of his face while he decided what to say to that. > Fun. > Not exactly. She waited. There was more to say, and he knew it. It was why she'd messaged him.

Not for reassurance or protection, but for the one person who understood the thrill of the risk without caring if she lived or died. > Maybe the System is sending you love notes now His tone was flippant, the humor in place. But he was still typing. > Could be something bigger behind the pretty package. We knew the scenarios were going to start getting personal at some point. She frowned at the phone. Personal didn't sound right.

There was something worse about what had happened, like it was a sign the System was losing its neutral stance and starting to meddle directly with individuals who didn't play along. But it was also true that it could be a warning. And a test. She typed back: > Then I'll play until it stops being fun. There was a pause. Long enough that she thought he'd put the phone away, but then the text came through, short and exact. > Always knew you would. She put the phone down and closed her eyes, letting that sink in.

The System wanted to test her? Fine. She'd beat every test it threw at her. She didn't know if Dario was right about it getting personal, but she knew he was right about one thing: If she wasn't afraid, she'd keep winning. And the rest would follow. She slept deeply, without dreams.