Gilberto

* C&A
* Fanart by Shyranno

Gilberto Ordoñez is a dashing, honorable man with a dark past. The Ordoñez family was great with vast estates in Spain until a series of fires, famines, and other catastrophes forced them to rebuild in England. They spent Gilberto's childhood pulling themselves out of ruin. They borrowed money from Cholmondley Featherstonehaugh, the Jolly Good Person's uncle, but were unable to repay him after their money was stolen. He previously met the Jolly Good Person when he was perhaps six years, went to visit their uncle, and challenged them to a game of horseshoes.

A member of the Noble Gases Club in London, he has been granted The Order of Those Most Combative.

## Cakes and Ale

The Jolly Good Person can first encounter Gilberto while hiding in the garbage at the end of a dark, secluded alley. Failing that, the two will meet at the Noble Gases club house. Gilberto is trying to woo the famous opera singer Arabella Filigree, but his love letter is oddly focused on food. He later goes to the Dormouse Society to confront its leadership about poaching prospective members of the Noble Gases.

### Chapter 6

Gilberto attends the premier performance of *Jusqu'à ce que* at the Chantaclear Lyric Opera House, apparently to see his beloved Arabella Filigree. There, he may reveal his darkest secret to the Jolly Good Person: he is an insurance agent, charged to minimize losses. He takes a salary from Mutually Insured Deductions (Ltd.). His firm insures the diamond necklace that Arabella wears in the opera's final scene. Due to the rash of recent opera-related burglaries and Gilberto's own reaches, he believes that there is a high risk that someone will attempt to steal the necklace during the performance. He says, "There is a triple-indemnity clause paying triple the amount if the necklace is stolen during an opera performance while the wearer is wearing glittery wings." Gilberto has a hunch that the criminal may be someone from his family's past come back to taunt him.

## Romance Guide

Help Gilberto write a love letter to Arabella in the pool, go with him to talk to the Dormouse society, and find him at the opera to assist him in a secretive quest. Gilberto values courage and honor, so be a good-hearted person of action.

## Quotes by Gilberto

"*I think being in the same garbage heap counts as an introduction even in the very finest society, you know*." (Chapter 1)

"*My passion does not pour. It seeps. Because it is thick like honey or treacle*." (Chapter 2)

"*I don't know how the world got the way it is. Sometimes I think I was born at the wrong time. I should have been born in the Middle Ages, or the Dark Ages, or maybe even the medieval times. It is a real shame*." (Chapter 3)

"*Participate! Hearty fellowship all around! Whoever remains silent will answer to me!*" (Chapter 4)

"*One must set an example. For example, I shall be dancing tonight. And when I dance, I dance for the honor of the Noble Gases.*" (Chapter 8)

## Quotes about Gilberto

"*Here is Gilberto Ordoñez, a most cosmopolitan man-about-town*." (Ernie, Chapter 2)

"*This Gilberto is portrayed in a rather cruel way, suggesting that he is a completely brainless buffoon. It is brutal stuff.*" (Tabby, Chapter 4)

"*I like Gilberto very much. I saw him leap over a low stone wall once to accost someone who littered outside the Noble Gas Club. Poetry in motion. That is the phrase I thought of. He has a very strong frame. He told me that himself, actually, and then he pointed to the sky for emphasis, and broke part of the chandelier*." (Fitzie, Chapter 5)

"*And Gilberto! How marvelous to see you! And in such fine fettle. Your frame looks so strong, and there is something about the way you walk that suggests strength of leg.*" (Juniper Popinjay, Chapter 8)