Nothing new in initial scene w/ Fango
Re: Frate and Ronaldo’s meal with Orco: ‘Though his throat was dry, his hands were shaking so he couldn’t drink……Of course he was nervous. The Don of the hostile Orco Family was in front of him. It was difficult to see that character in him when he was eating a juicy rib steak with his bare hands, but naturally he didn’t have the courage to point that out even as a joke.’
‘Ronaldo was composed even in front of Orco. There weren’t normally many people who opposed him even without him waving around his Galassia heritage, but here he was acting with even more arrogance than usual. I have to be imposing too, thought Fratem dropping his gaze to the glass. He wondered how that looked to the people around. He didn’t have the leisure to worry about it.’
When Orco says the line about Nero getting away, Frate ‘didn’t know how to answer correctly’. After he replies, Ronaldo follows on from him. ‘He relaxed.’
Orco’s thoughts are basically him not caring about the Vanetti’s family disputes.
Back at Fango’s, they’re housed in an old, cramped room. There aren’t enough beds, so someone has to sleep on the couch.
Corteo might have been going to voice his thoughts about the room after Barbero, but Volpe opens the door.
‘Relief spread around the room, and even Avilio smiled slightly.’ [Looking at the anime…was this before or after he turned to the window? Did he turn to the window to hide his smile? ARE THESE THE ACTIONS OF A PERSON WHO ONLY CARES ABOUT REVENGE I THINK NOT]
Volpe is dubious about Avilio’s supposed plan, but Avilio explains.
‘Nero acted so carefree you wouldn’t have thought he had a gun pointed at him. He had been the same when they had left town together and gone into hiding. Avilio suddenly recalled the absurd conversations they’d had over those few days.’
The guy who’s checking Nero loses his hostility at Nero’s attitude, but completes the check thoroughly.
When Nero eats the lasagna: ‘Of course, Avilio wasn’t holding back either. He quietly ate the rumoured lasagna.’
On Orco’s words about knowing Vincent for forty years: ‘Avilio didn’t overlook those words. If his association with Vincent went back that far, there was a high chance he was familiar with those around him, too. He might even have been close enough to call himself a friend of Avilio……no, Angelo’s father, Testa.
Corvo’s the one pointing the gun at Nero when Orco offers him a last drink.
[I love how quick Avilio is to correct Nero when he says that batch of Lawless Heaven is only one month old.]
[Nero drinking before Orco is, as expected, his way of showing it’s not poisoned.]
On Orco saying the drink’s delicious: ‘Of course it was delicious. This was a drink brewed with Corteo’s recipe. Avilio was secretly proud that his best friend’s masterpiece had been easily accepted by this man, who was so fussy about flavour. [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
The Lodge is a lil way out of Lawless.
Re: Avilio’s question to Orco: ‘ […] Orco’s reaction wasn’t the one he had hoped for. The word ‘letter’ didn’t seem to evoke any sort of response. He hid his disappointment. But he had decided what to do next.’
‘Once Nero handed over the brewery’s recipe, he would no longer be useful. Orco wasn’t the sort of person to let him live out of sympathy, either. The moment he handed it over, he was dead.’
Re: Nero and Corvo’s interactions in the Lodge - Nero’s composure makes Corvo nervous. ‘“Quit jumping at shadows.” Nero’s voice, lower than usual, was forceful enough to sound like a threat.’ When they hear the sound of something falling/banging into something else, Nero remains calm, but that’s a completely unnatural response.
[As with his earlier conversation with Orco (recorded in both anime and manga, Nero responds to Orco’s accusations by thinking, essentially, ‘you would have done it too’. It’s kind of interesting to me heading into the last episode from the perspective that Nero is absolutely the type to try and get revenge on someone.]
While he’s hiding behind the barrels, Nero hears gunshots - signs that Volpe’s still alive. ‘Then there was Avilio. He had been similarly restrained. In any case, he had to meet up with Avilio.’
On Avilio’s gaze when he’s about to ‘shoot’ Nero: ‘It looked completely as if he were an enemy of the family’s. But it wasn’t the first time he had been looked at like that. Avilio watched Nero with that cold gaze from time to time. As if the world itself was his enemy.’ [I personally think this is really good insight into how Nero saw Avilio/interpreted Avilio’s actions towards him!]
‘Before he could ask what those words meant, the gunshot sounded.’
[Quick detour to talk about how well the novel adapts the anime - it does a great job of translating the suspense and false leads into verbal form whilst retaining the omniscient narration. For example, during this section (and several other ambiguous scenes), it describes Nero’s reaction without describing his actual thoughts eg ‘He looked down with an expression of disbelief’ rather than ‘unbelievable’ or ‘he couldn’t believe it’. Personally, this makes those moments where the author does write in an actual personal response/thought process all the more meaningful.]
‘Avilio, who had cleaned up that troublesome opponent Nero and, on top of that, avenged his own parents, had made a good enough impression on Orco to lift his spirits.’ [I have…always wondered about this line? Nero is right there pretending to be dead, listening in. If Barbero was here he would have latched onto this line instantly.]
[I had originally wondered why Orco didn’t bother making Avilio test the drinks for poison first, and then how Avilio could have been so confident he wouldn’t be made to drink the poison, but eventually realised that it really only knocked them out, so it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d drunk it and collapsed as well lol]
When Orco looks at the bottle: ‘He must have seen the vision of a bright future in it.’
‘What was Orco seeing then? Avilio imagined it. The ceiling, coming into view. Then, a man, peering at them. Someone it should have been impossible to see.’
Re: rooftop scene: ‘Once, there had been days where he had enjoyed watching the sunset like this. He’d had a father, a mother, a younger brother. He’d had his best friend Corteo, too. Those had been kind, tranquil days. But now out of those, Corteo was all that remained. Avilio had lost a great deal.’
‘For seven years, time had stopped for Avilio. One letter had made it move again.’
On Avilio’s smile when he says he put his a lot of feeling into the line he fed Nero before he shot him: ‘Nero had no way of knowing the meaning of that smile, nor which feelings he had put into it.’
On Barbero voicing his concerns: ‘He was a reliable guy, but at least spare them at meal time.’
[I like!! how Nero tells Barbero to stop talking but when Avilio starts a conversation he’s like WHAT PLEASE TELL ME and by that I mean I’m so sorry Barbero, you deserved better. (It’s actually because Barbero always worries but Avilio’s painted himself as this gung-ho guy who doesn’t usually worry about danger but it’s still funny to me :P)]
‘Avilio locked eyes with Nero. The next instant, his features relaxed slightly. “Eat. The lasagna will get cold.”’
