Even now, as he blends drinks in his private bar in Nuova Volsinii, Demetri occasionally thinks back to the last time they were gathered around the dinner table of the Bellones' house. He had met with his informant in the Famiglia Rossati earlier that day, and returned home to see the dinner table already set up. It was not a particularly special day, but it was a rare one: Leon was back from the Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici, and both Bernardo and Lavinia were home. Such occasions had become hard to come by. He sat down in his usual seat and began to talk about the information he had garnered, but Bernardo took a glance at the look on Lavinia's face and interrupted him. He knew that Lavinia, unlike the other famiglia-backed judges, had her own ideas about the mafiosi of Siracusa, but assumed the day would eventually come when she truly became a part of Bellone. That Bernardo only meant that now was not the time. He decided to give his report later that night. The information gathering operation had been Demetri's own idea. Bernardo had been giving him fewer orders recently, allowing him to act on his own judgment most of the time. The famiglie were stirring as the new city neared completion, and he felt the need to be aware of their movements. It was his duty as the advisor to the Bellones, after all. He would prove to Bernardo that he was worthy to carry the famiglia's future. He carved the stewed meat with his knife and served the soup for the others. The heavy atmosphere brought about by his news of Rossati's movements had dissipated—Leon was chatting excitedly about what he saw at the Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici, with the occasional comment by Lavinia. Bernardo said little, but nodded from time to time. The Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici has long been closely watched by the famiglie, and those experiences were of no doubt mixed with bloodshed and violence, yet Leon's words seemed to carry hope and expectation, as though they were heralding a brand-new future that was completely different from the past. Demetri thought his words were naive. Not that there was anything wrong with naivete, of course. It was only natural that the future Don should expand his horizons, so that when the time came to take over, he would have the vision to see the big picture and choose the best course of action. He would have to understand and take care of all of the famiglia's members, and ensure Bellone's continued prosperity. Though Leon's path had deviated somewhat from his expectations, Demetri had believed that he would groom Leon into the perfect Don, at which point he and his knife would become the Don's perfect tools. Thinking back now, perhaps he was the truly naive one. Demetri cuts the ice cube into a sphere with his knife, and places it into the glass. This knife has been with him for so many years and remains a useful instrument to this day; he is much the same.