There was always something off about Gabriel Ur that the Boss of the Ain-Soph-Ur would feel, but never questioned. It was something about the fact that he was unbelievably loyal to the family, no matter what manner of evil they did, or maybe about the fact that he never seemed to change, or perhaps it was that he was always with the family since the beginning. Whatever iy was, it was unsettling, but under no circumstance was his integrity questioned. It wasn't that the Bosses were scared to ask, but rather there was an unspoken rule to never question it, that ignorance of Gabriel Ur's past was simply accepted.
Today, Gabriel and the young master Silva landed on Isla Al Battagi. It was a strange set of circumstances that led them to this place once more, but Gabriel himself welcomed the return to this land. He had no interest in what happened to the Ain-Soph-Ur family came to in the absence of the true heir, it was more fun that way, and he swore to never interfere. Rather he would train the young heir, as it was also his job to do so, but what Silva did to the power he was to inherit was none of his concern.
Silva left for school, and while he tidied up the house, he whistled to himself. A melancholic tone that was the accompaniment to a song long lost, older than civilization. The island seemed to recognized the tune he carried, and so the wind struck against the windows and whistled as well. The house was filled with a sad, yet hopeful song.
Wiping the table and washing the dishes were very pleasant to Gabriel, perhaps it was because not too long ago he would have never thought of doing these mundane things himself. The water wasn't cold, and the food he prepared wasn't all that messy, but he took to cleaning each plate and utensil to perfection, like everything he did. Perfection.
He chuckled. How stupid, the premise of perfection is. If he ever reached perfection, it would be the perfection of stupidity. He stopped. The plate he was washing had a crack in it. That wasn't there before, he thought. The infuriating thoughts occupying the old bodyguard's mind seeped through his hands and cracked the plates.
"Even now?" He asked nobody in particular, but the wind answered him, it's taunting whistle violently slamming the window closed. "Even now."
Gabriel set the cracked plate on the table. "I'll fix it later." There's always a second voice in his mind that doubts his own words. Years of failing his purposes have sprouted a very negative mental image of himself.
He put on a dark colored coat, something that would never catch attention from anyone. Today was Silva's first day at school, but that's not where Gabriel was going. In this island, he had something to find. He had someone to find. The island knows this as well.
He wandered aimlessly, with no clear destination in mind. The city has changed little since the last time he was here. A few shops were replaced by big convenience stores, family-run businesses succumb to the fast growing demand for quicker and faster wares. Even the timeless island is not immune to the changes of time. The city was vast, and now much different from what it was 13 years ago, when he last set foot here.
The city was centered around a busy intersection that each led to a highway that gave access to every part of the island. He couldn't help but sigh.
"I wonder if..." he thought to himself. Even in a busy city, there are places of tranquility. The less developed part of the city was, without exaggeration, a dump comparatively. Wood and metal mish-mash houses, tarpaulins of famous politicians being used as roofing. However, Gabriel had one thing in this place.
There was a candy shop he frequently went to when his Boss was away. It had the best hard candy, sweet and sour, blended perfectly. There was no way any machine-made candy could be as delicious as the hand made hard candy he always looked forward to.
Even from far away, while surrounded by smoke from kerosene lamps and old motor vehicles, he could smell the sweet scent. He can even see the old house where it was sold. Someone waved to him to come over.
Gabriel offered a smile, though he can't recognize who it was.
"You are Mister Gabriel." The young man said.
"I am. You are?"
"I'm the new owner of this small candy store."
Gabriel looked confused. "Where's the kind old woman who used to work here?"
"Grandma?"
Realization settled in and Gabriel's face lit up. "You were the little boy she always had running about!"
The young man nodded with a smile. "Yes, I am."
"So where is she? I still have her to blame for getting me addicted to the candies."
His smile disappeared, but his warmth never faded. "She... Grandma passed away... 2 years ago."
"Oh..." Gabriel covered his mouth for a moment, but he kept a stoic face. "I'm sorry."
"Oh no, no, it's fine, really." He offered a chuckle. "She... She passed peacefully. And happy."
"That's good to know."
"And I know why you're here." He reached behind the counter and pulled out a plastic bag filled with transparently wrapped green and yellow swirled candies. "This is a fresh batch. I haven't changed the recipe, just so you know."
Gabriel took the bag. "Well, you just can't change perfection." He opened and took one of the candies. It was just as he remembered it. The boy was as good a cook as her grandmother.
"Yeah. I wouldn't ever change it."
"You're very good." The aged Mafioso smiled at him. "The recipe is one thing, but cooking it is another."
"Hand-made candy is something rare and scarce nowadays. The times have changed." The young man smiled back, sadly.
"Indeed they did."
"I'm Max, by the way."
Gabriel offered a handshake. "Gabriel."
Max took it. "A pleasure."