``That is absolutely wonderful to hear. Gio can be rather.. troublesome,`` Lorelai giggled as she smiled brightly, her azure eyes twinkling as she lowered her hand once the other woman had shook it. She stook a small step backwards to glance between the couple, judgement and hesitance nowhere to be seen across her countenance; Lorelai was the nicest individual out of everyone in Giovan`s family, her kindness and compassion foreign traits in their ancestry for centuries upon centuries. Although she had been frowned upon and cast away for most of her life, she had proved herself when she had married none other than the leader of the Castro mafia itself. The man, one who was nearly as cruel and malicious as Givoan himself, had fallen for her because of everything she was and he wasn`t. Truth be told, he had found their love story the slightest bit adorable, even if it was absurd for him to do so. ``Ah, yes, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. Josephine. I hope you are able to meet the rest of us, even if we tend to be elusive.``

Giovan rolled his eyes at his cousin`s words, giving her a small shake of his head to convey that her last few words had been completely unneccessary; the Sicillians were deemed phantoms due to how random and scarce their visits/appearances were at public events, but it was all because of their busyness and avoidance of events that could result in wars or fights of any kind. His hand traveled downwards a nearly unnoticable amount to knead his knuckles gently against his woman`s side, a reassuring and affectionate gesture if anything. He was silent for a few moments before he finally spoke again, his voice curious and intriguied, ``You do not visit often. Did you manage to flee your husband?``

``Flee? Gosh, you make it sound like I hate his existence,`` Lorelai pouted and feigned hurt by dramatically raising her hand to her chest. She eventually laughed, however, and shook her head, tilting it to flit her beautiful blue eyes between them. It was clear that, although Josephine was the newest she possibly could be to this life and to being someone of such high importance to Giovan, that she had earned Lorelai`s respect and friendship, if need be. ``He`s out of state dealing with Castro business. Trust me, I begged him to take me, but he gave me another one of his dreadful lectures.``

``Give the poor man a break, cousin,`` Giovan chuckled as he looked over at Josephine, leaning forwards slightly to press a kiss to her scalp before refocusing on Lorelai. He wanted to make sure that, although he was conversing with Lorelai mostly, she knew that she was his main focus and priority, regardless of the circumstances and surroundings. ``He worries, especially with all those recent scares you`ve given him.``

Giovan could easily decipher based entirely on Josephine`s body language and demeanor that she certainly agreed with the words and implications that Lorelai had stated, causing a surge of warmth and amusement to wash over him. He preferred it when women always sought to be by his side, especially since he deemed it a reassuring sign that she wanted to be with him just as much as he wanted to be with her; it was certainly what fueled his possessive and overprotective nature, but he figured that Josephine appreciated it other than feeling overwhelmed and choked by it. Of course, she had not seen the worst of it yet, but he felt as if she would be handle it.. hopefully. Giovan hummed softly as his woman spoke, his eyes brightening further with love and affection as he looked down at Josephine. Although he knew that he should have verbally agreed with her, he had figured that there was no need for such a thing; she was probably more than aware of it by now.

``That`s precisely what I told my husband, yet here I am,`` Lorelai exasperated with a dramatic eye roll, pouting a bit and folding her arms across her chest. It was a childish display, yet Giovan was used to it from her; she was always so innocent-looking and kind that it was hard to believe that she had contributed greatly to her husband`s missions and immoral deads. She eventually dropped the annoyed act before she relaxed and took a small step closer to Josephine, patting her gently on the shoulder as if in reassurance. ``I bet Gio will take you everywhere. He`s more of the.. risky type, compared to my husband. Anywho, I must visit Mrs. Sicillian, it really was a pleasure, Josephine.``

Giovan waved his cousin goodbye, observing how she seemed hesitant to leave them. Apparently, Lorelai really was a fan of Josephine and clearly wanted to get to know her further. He remained quiet once Lorelai had rounded the nearest corner and had vanished from view, his attention shifting completely until it was fixated entirely on his woman. A small smile flashed across his face as he somehow managed to pull her closer, both of his arms enveloping her in his protection and warmth. He placed his chin atop her head as they stood there together, eventually whispering softly, ``She`s right. I will never let you stray from my side, unless there is no other option available.``

Giovan was incredibly satisfied and content with her words and it showed entirely on his countenance, especially due to the glimmer of bliss in his usually hardened gaze. He allowed himself a brief chuckle before he gave her another kiss as if he were rewarding her, cherishing the way her hand brushed repetitively against his side in a soothing manner. Josephine truly was unique compared to the other woman he had dared to show affection towards, whether it be real or fabricated; her personality matched his in all the right ways and her methods of showing affection were not too extreme or annoying for someone like him. He preferred doing grand gestures himself while receiving smaller ones from his lover, which she was doing flawlessly without knowing such a thing. Eventually, he forced himself to remove himself from her close proximity and shifted one of his hands to grip one of her own, beginning to continue leading her throughout the winding, elegant halls of the Sicillian Mansion; the building was his family`s greatest joy and pride, even if it had been built during a rather sorrowful era of their reign.

``I have a few tasks to complete, but I will let you decide which one we shall do first,`` Giovan began as he glanced towards her to ensure that she was still following closely, knowing the potential danger of her straying too far even though he had made it clear that no one should touch or belittle her. There were three potential tasks that Josephine could decide upon, only one of the three being at the mansion itself while the others will elsewhere; it was rather unfortunate that she would immediately be exposed to all of the horrors of his world, especially since they would be entering the territory of another mafia. It would be the territory of Lorelai`s husband, but things had been going astray as of recently due to her husband`s absence; this was most likely the precise reason why she was visiting the mansion today.

``We can tend to the one here or the two elsewhere,`` he began, pausing in his strides to face her. He wanted to give her the opportunity to ease into his world by having a small glimpse into it this way, but he understood if she wanted to see the true reality of it all immediately. If he had the choice, he would have easily chosen to leave the mansion and discover this world for himself if he were in her shoes; it was entirely up to her, however. Giovan waited pateintly for her to respond, his gaze soft and affectionate for her and her alone. ``The one here is nothing more than a meeting with my brother and a few of the high-ranking officers. Alternatively, I have business to tend to in Lorelai`s husband`s territory.``