poly_chromatic | o o 7 . v i d e o

Entry tags:

boardwalk empire - al capone

o o 7 . v i d e o

Ever get the feeling that things are looking up or that the odds are your in your favor? It might not be a feeling that comes around for everybody, but once it does, you've gotta take full advantage. My mother used to tell me, never be afraid to ask for what you need. If you're smart, you'll find the people that can help you out and won't see a lick of trouble. If you're stupid--

[ A shrug. ]

Take what you can. Right now? We could all use a little victory, huh.

(filtered to Meyer Lansky)

Not that you ever leave work, but I need to talk to you for a couple'a minutes.

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[What.]

If you already have it, why're you asking me anything?

The cost is split four ways, problem is--

[ He looks over his shoulder towards the door to make sure they're alone. ]

It's a situation where nobody's got the balls to come forward and say we don't know shit about horses. So, I figure it's gotta eat and it's gotta shit and sleep somewhere. If that's the cost and the horse pulls its weight, we'll have a good turn-over, right?

The cost might be split four ways, but so's the profit. This can be a very expensive investment.

[Allow him to pour himself some more tea. He's going to need it for this conversation, he can tell. He even offers Al a cup.]

It's not just the eating and the shitting and the sleeping. There're a lot of hidden costs.

[ He accepts the cup, but still regards the tea with some skepticism. It's not fear of any impurities, but he can practically smell an unpleasant lecture coming. ]

At this point, I'm pretty sure we could bump-off the jockey and get someone cheaper.

[Oh, there's definitely a lecture coming. It's just going to take awhile to ramp up, that's all.]

You have the cost to keep the animal fed. You have the cost to keep the animal housed somewhere. You have the fees for the trainer, for the jockey, for the veterinarian if it gets sick.

[He's ticking these off on his fingers as he lists them.]

It ain't gonna get sick, the trainer gives it vitamins or some sh--

[ ...god fucking damn it. ]

Shit.

The vitamins cost money. The horseshoes cost money -- if it's gonna be running a lot, it needs a professional shoeing it. You gotta consider what you'll do if it gets hurt so it can't race anymore; some people buy insurance on their horses.

[A long sip of his tea.]

There're four of you. Say your horse wins first place.

[From his tone, he's obviously being optimistic, here.]

You can expect to take home maybe 60% of the profits from the race. 60% of the total split four ways -- you do the math. You get second place, your profits suddenly drop down to about 20% of the total payout.

I'm pretty sure it already knows how to run and which direction to go, so we'll nix the cost of the trainer.

[ Small solutions. He starts to drink the tea, but at the last moment opts for a cigarette instead. ]

His lineage ain't bad. We could get someone to endorse him the first few races, you know, build some rapport or whatever.

So the horse knows how to run. You want I should believe it knows how to feed itself? How to know what vitamins it needs to take? How to stay in racing shape even when it's not racing? You might've gotten a good horse, but color me impressed if you got one that smart.

[He shakes his head, lighting a cigarette of his own.]

Alright.

[ There's some difficulty involved, but aside from the volume of the interjection, he's managed to both stay in his seat and keep a relatively civil tone. ]

It ain't like it's impossible to make a few bucks. We're not hurting for funds, it's just a little more than expected.

[ He rolls the cigarette between his fingers. ]

Fuck.

Edited 2013-06-23 06:25 (UTC)

Sure, you can make a few bucks.

[He drains the rest of his tea and sets the cup down calmly.]

Maybe you'll get lucky. Maybe you'll find a great jockey and you'll win every race. Then, at least, you can just about break even.

I already got a horse, I don't need a jackass on top of it.

[This earns a small chuckle, at least.]

Look, I'm not saying it's a bad investment. Mr. Rothstein has horses. He does well.

[That's an understatement. Frankly, he's glad AR isn't here, but he'd never admit it.]

It's a gamble, that's all. You're a gambling man.

Arnold Rothstein's a lucky man.

[ They may be a million miles away from home but even he can respect that the insinuations stop there. ]

Between you and me, I'm not too hot with bets. Doesn't mean it's not enjoyable or that the circuits don't love me.

He's not lucky, he's smart.

[A pause, and then a slightly raised eyebrow.]

You might need to tell your partners that they're invested in something a lot bigger than they might've thought they were, yes?

[And he wonders how they'll take it. Not that it's any of his business, but he can't help being naturally curious, can he?]

[ He leans back into the seat and thoughtfully stares past the edge of the desk. ]

If that's how it's gotta be. I doubt they'll jump ship over it. Hell, if worse comes to worse, there's always the glue factory.

[ Even he's not sure if he's kidding at this point. ]

Sure, but...

[The objection doesn't come because he's soft-hearted. It's entirely driven by profit margins, by sheer analytical logic.]

... you send the animal to the glue factory, you lose any chance at profits. Plus, you got a lotta employees that're mad at you because you just took their jobs away -- the trainer, the jockey, even the guys who work at the racetrack, none of them'll be happy at losing a piece of the pie. You might be stuck with this one for awhile.

Fuck 'em. The four of us will rent it out for pony rides instead then.

[ Really, he's had his fill of the employees in this conversation. ]

What would you do?

I'd see if I could get a good deal on getting some people to train it, to ride it, and see how it does in the races. If it doesn't work out, rent it out for pony rides.

[He's only being halfway facetious about that.]

You're already in it. You might as well turn it to your advantage.

[That doesn't mean he thinks it was a smart investment, but you work with what you've got.]

Hm.

[ He'll have some of that tea now, but not before absently using the saucer as an ashtray. ]

Me and Theo were talkin' the other day. He said you had a birthday coming up.

Yeah. Next month.

[He doesn't know why Theo would have brought it up. It's not as though he intends to do anything for it.]

Why?

[ A shrug. ]

He said something about doing something small. I thought he was full of shit.

[ Something about Meyer doesn't scream birthday nor celebration. Surely he's not oblivious to this. ]

[C'mon, Al, everyone has a birthday, even Meyer. Celebrating it, though? He hasn't done that since he was a kid.]

He said he might get me a cake, yeah.

We'll see. With him you never know what you're gonna get.

[ Sure everyone has birthdays, but it just doesn't seem natural with Meyer. He's one of those kids that's been old since they were born...the kind that pop out of thin air.

It seems that way, at least. ]

You wouldn't happen to want a pony, would ya?

That's one thing I decidedly don't want.

[He's a little concerned about Al's statement about Theo, but he'll let it go for now. How bad can it be?]

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o o 7 . v i d e o

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