Realistic or Modern A Family Affair: The Irish Mob - IC (Ended)

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

The men's demeanor had already made Ryan cautious as he approached, since he didn't know what was going on, but the man's immediate attempt to dismiss him rubbed him the wrong way. "Well, my food ain't done, so it looks I got some time to kill. Sir." Ryan replied, the roughness unable to hide the snarkiness of the last word.

Even though he was able to ascertain they were offering some sort of deal, that was shot down by McGrath, it hadn't quite come to mind that what kind of offer it was. Something had been bothering him about these men, and with his mind already working through other issues, it didn't click into place until the man started to imply the threat of fire being set to the restaurant.

Putting his hand on the McGrath's shoulder, he slowly pulled him back and stepped in front of him, making it quite clear that their dealings with the young man were done. Straightening up to his full height, Ryan took a step forward and crossed his arms. "I think it's time for you to go home, boys. Before you say something stupid again, wake up in the gutter, and wonder how you got there," his tone was low but the cold excitement in it was prevalent, as if he was waiting for them to give him a reason. Ryan wasn't going to throw the first stone in a place under the Mob's protection, but he was certainly going to make it clear that he wasn't just going to stand his ground, that he was looking towards a fight even with the odds against him.

Enzyme [Thing 1] Melanin-Gxdess [McGrath] Misty Gray [Thing 2] Shireling [Four-eyes]

 

[Misty Gray]

Evan Shaw​

When Leo refused the offer, Evan turned to Mickie and nodded his head a few times for effect. "Yeah, it's a real shame," he agreed with his colleague's words about being sorry to hear the refusal. "As I said. It's a real nice, family-friendly place you've got here. I just hope the place goes up in smoke on one of your quieter days." He once again diverted his attention to a young family at one of the tables. "They wouldn't stand a chance and you could have protected them," he said as his features took on a solemn expression.

Soon enough, Ryan stepped in front of Leo, making sure to put himself in the middle of the youngest man and the IWU members. Anticipating some kind of aggressive response, Evan couldn't help but smirk as Donahue stood tall and crossed his arms. "No, I don't think we'll be leaving this place just yet. You'd be better off returning to your table so you can tuck into your burger with that drunken Sullivan lout. Otherwise, you're just going to cause a scene and the poor, unsuspecting customers of this nice eatery will have their dinners ruined." Evan shrugged his shoulders. "Not that it bothers me. I'm really more interested to watch you try to make us leave this place. Accept my invitation." Evan edged a little closer, his stare practically inviting Ryan to try something. "It's a shame you're standing in the way of the young lad's best chance of survival," he said, referring back to Leo. "One day, this place will be ablaze. The next, who knows? Maybe Porter's mansion will be turned to rubble and any survivors will be crawling out to beg for our protection."

Fletchawk (Ryan) Enzyme (Mickie) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo) Shireling (Jack)

 

[Shireling]

Aldous Penshurst
​

The rapid departure of the Porter women had left Aldous with a bit of time to continue doing his books. He was through his third glass of gin when he noticed the commotion up at the front. From the looks of things, the Sky Haven was getting shaken down for protection money. This was odd to Aldous, who thought that the restaurant and bar was safely within the Porters' territory. He watched for a little while, pen on his bottom lip, as the group of men became more belligerent, all except the shorter one in the back who seemed to be watching the place with a marked level of anxiety. When Ryan stood up to accost the group, he could see that the foolhardy man was looking to fight and the odds didn't look great for him.

Aldous set aside his pen and pad for a moment and walked up to join Ryan and Leo by the greeter's lectern. His Oxford swagger and calm demeanor was markedly different than the thuggish interchange that had been going on between Mickey, Evan, and Ryan. Although he didn't look to be a fighter, Aldous had a great deal of reach with somewhat long and lanky arms and legs. He took a matchbook from the lectern and made sure his hand-rolled cigarette that he produced from his case had been lit before musing,

"Is there something wrong here, lads? Not enough tables?"

Enzyme Fletchawk Misty Gray

Jack Brady
​

The fact that Gideon was now in charge meant Jack never said no anymore, even to the jobs he would rather not say yes to. Working a protection racket was a far cry from what he thought he would be doing with his day, as he was hoping to finish a bit of a new book he was working on, perhaps go out that night for drinks and to see what the local female population had on offer. Instead, he was standing behind Mickey, who Jack thought had less than two brain cells to rub together to create a coherent thought, and Evan who he knew to be much more suited for this line of work. As the other two men interrogated the shopkeeper, Jack was essentially watching their six and scanning the restaurant for threats. He inaudibly groaned with Ryan Donahue stepped over, which he thought would precipitate an immediate fight. To avoid provoking the other side, he intentionally left his hands off of the switchblade in his coat pocket as if he wasn't carrying a weapon.

The Aldous appeared and he was visually more agitated. He remembered the man from the meeting some months ago, Porter's lawyer. He reminded Jack of a taller, more bourgeoise version of himself. He chortled softly at the thought, and silently watched for Mick and Evan to decide their course of action, hoping they would see reason and know that they couldn't just rake a business owner over the coals in broad daylight. He had suggested trying to squeeze the newspaper office, but no, it had to be one of Porter's fronts.

Misty Gray Fletchawk Enzyme

 

[Pyroclast]

Evelyn McKenna

Evelyn couldn't hold her grasp on the woman for long before Blake came between them with her gun outstretched. She let the woman go ahead, despite being a little surprised at her choice of action - it wasn't that Evelyn wasn't used to such weapons, she just didn't want this situation to become life-threatening. Still, it could at least be an effective threat. The woman froze, staring down the barrel of Blake's gun while the man began to explain their reasons for stealing the alcohol. Evelyn could see that he was nervous - he didn't seem like the type to commit crimes like this very often, so she relaxed a little. Her eyes shifted to the woman when she took over, detecting some emotion in her voice. Evelyn was empathetic, but she was no fool, and even while she let the woman speak she couldn't be certain that the story she was hearing wasn't just a lie to get themselves out of trouble.

Her words were strong, however, and when she took her brother's hand, Evelyn couldn't help but soften at the sorry sight of them. Aliana, on the other hand, didn't seem ready to show any kind of sympathy. Evelyn watched her as she yelled at the pair. She was angry, but rightfully so. It was only when she grabbed Blake's gun and aimed it at them that Evelyn thought her anger could become dangerous. Worried that things might take a turn for the worse, she inched towards Aliana and gently placed her hand over the gun, carefully directing it to the ground. "Take it easy, love," she spoke softly to her friend, before turning to Saoirse, apparently the dominant one of the two. "Youse lost your sister at Dax that night? I supply the alcohol for that place. I'm sorry for your loss," she said, in a firm yet sincere tone. "I also happen to supply the alcohol for this place - Ali here is the owner - and if your intention was to get Porter's attention, well youse got it now, okay? So hand that bag over and take a step back. God knows we'll be needin' a drink after this." Evelyn took a deep breath as she looked between the two of them. "If you swear you won't target Sky Haven or any other Porter-affiliated establishment ever again - and believe me, ye won't be wantin' to - then I can put youse in touch with Mr. Porter himself. He'll be able to answer your questions. Tell us your names, your business, and maybe we can work something out."

Interactions
Misty Gray Saoirse
Bellz Griff, Blake
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

 

[Bellz]

Rayna Taylor​

Rayna was pleased when James stepped off to the side with her, offering her son an easy going smile that didn't meet her eyes. When asked what was going on, she let out a sigh. "Well this situation isn't the easiest one to explain..but.." She trailed off and shrugged her shoulder gently just before James placed his hand on one of them. Rayna didn't say a word as she stared at her son now, taking him in. He'd certainly looked older since the last time she had seen him, his appearance looked disheveled and yet he was levelheaded. Turning her head back towards the two young men, she bit her lower lip as she tried to formulate the right words to say. She had been thinking about this moment for most of the trip and given the long history her son and Matteo's father had, there was no telling how it would all turn out.

"I need your help." Rayna finally said, turning her attention back to James as she lifted her hand to cover his on her shoulder. "As much as I want to say I am here just to visit...I need help with Matteo." Her voice lowered even further as she spoke his name. "Matteo is my niece's son, Sofia...I'm sure you've heard of her a few times before. Well the boy has been living with me for quite some time now after his mother fell back into her old alcoholic ways. I adore the kid very much, like he was one of my own but he just can't seem to stay out of trouble, James..."

Rayna looked to her son, knowing that this was going to be difficult for him to hear, "Matteo's father, is dead. Angel and Sofia had gotten together a long time ago..." She hoped she wouldn't need to say anything more than that about Angel being Matteo's father. Before James could have much time to react or say no, Rayna quickly spoke again, "He's such a lovely kid, with so much potential...I just fear that his situation has placed him in a bad environment and as much as I try to keep him out of trouble, its no use."
with: James Misty Gray
mentions: Syd Pyroclast ; Matteo Enzyme

 

[Bellz]

Blake Walsh​

Griffin Fitzgerald​

Blake kept her gun trained on the siblings regardless of the story that she was being told by the male. He seemed reasonable compared to the female, but Blake wasn't one to negotiate with thieves. When questioned why they were so protective over a few bottles of booze, Blake's brow furrowed and she scoffed, "To put it simply: you don't steal!" The fact that the woman was trying to rationalize her crimes was irritating to the blonde. She outstretched her arms as she held the gun with two hands now. Blake looked to the other ladies as the woman said that her brother was telling the truth. Blake could see where the anger was coming from with these two, the paid for protection and on the night they needed it the most, they didn't receive it. The Blonde stiffened at mention of Tommy, her eyes glancing Ali's way.

Griff reached out his hand seeing his sister reaching for him. He held her hand tightly as she concluded, his eyes staring widely at the woman who still held the gun before they turned to look to his sister. Not a moment later, Ali had reached over and grabbed the gun from Blake, "Ali!" Blake shouted as the gun was torn from her hands. "Woah! Woah..." The blonde held out her hands as Ali angrily spoke to the pair, saying the only thing keeping her from pulling the trigger was that they all didn't need anymore issues to deal with. The woman had hit a nerve when speaking about Tommy's death and Blake could see the hurt in Ali's face for that split second...

Evelyn took hold of the gun before Blake could and aimed it towards the ground carefully. Blake listened as she spoke to the siblings, apologizing for their loss. Griff nodded his head slowly at the woman's words, letting out a heavy and anxious sigh at the turn of events. He eyeballed the blonde and the owner of the restaurant nervously, as they seemed to be the most trigger happy before looking over to Evelyn, a small thin smile forming on his lips. "I think we can promise that...right sis?" He asked Saoirse, his eyes begging for her to just agree so that they could get this all over with. This whole thing was out of his comfort zone and he didn't like being out of it. Grabbing the bag from Saoirse gently, he slowly walked closer to hand it over to the ladies. "My names Griffin Fitzgerald...and this is my sister Saoirse, we own and run Fitz Grocery Store. We apologize for any problems we have caused you, we've been trying so hard to reach someone." His eyes specifically looked to Ali, noting that she had reacted the most to the mention of the man who also died in the restaurant that night.

with: Aliana Melanin-Gxdess ; Evelyn Pyroclast ; Saoirse Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

When Rayna said she needed his help, James' initial thoughts were that there was a problem back in Italy - a place he tried to stay well away from. However, she went on to point out that the problem involved Matteo. At least he was getting an explanation as to why the kid had been brought along to Dublin. It turned out Rayna had been left looking after Matteo because his own mother was more interested in alcohol. "Have you tried knocking some sense into your niece? Needs her fucking head testing, if you ask me," he bitterly remarked to Rayna. He wasn't a fan of those who chose their own selfish needs over looking after their kids. When she went on to say how much she cared for Matteo despite him being unable to stay out of trouble, James briefly looked over his shoulder to the young man in question before looking back to Rayna. "What, and Ethan can't handle him either?"

Soon enough, the bombshell was dropped into the woman's next sentence, causing James' expression to turn to one of pure contempt as he slowly shook his head. Hearing Angel's name alone was bad enough to add to the man's existing frustrations from the day. To hear the teenager in his lounge was that psychopath's own son made the rest of the the day's events seem like nothing at all. Before he could voice his thoughts, Rayna was quick to speak up and focus back on the fact she wanted to keep Matteo out of trouble.

"A lovely kid who just can't keep out of trouble?" James repeated, making sure to keep his voice low enough that Matteo couldn't hear him. "You know who else was charismatic and had the ability to fool people into thinking he was nice? The same man who gunned Emmet down in front of his own family. The one who shot Lucy and me at the wedding. Remember? You were there..." James moved his arm away from his mother's shoulder and instead clasped his hands together at the back of his head. Despite knowing Savannah was a sweet and kind child, even though she was Angel's kid, he couldn't help the anger that was brought up at mention of an old enemy. "Maybe you can't keep him out of trouble because he's destined to be just like his fucking father." He looked his mother in the eyes. "What makes you think I can help him? My whole way of life is a bad influence... that's why I try not to bring it to you in the first place."

Bellz (Rayna)

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

Gwen Sheehan​

Gwen looked in the direction that Sinead had pointed to, spotting another large home in the distance. Something about the way Sinead introduced her home stood out to Gwen and she couldn't quiet understand what was wrong. Surely Sinead wasn't disappointed in such a place like this, it looked like it had everything she could ever want and or need. Walking behind the women, she stayed silent as they discussed things together. Lucy let out a soft groan as Sinead reminded her that she still had a couple of weeks left, the blonde lifted a hand to her head and rubbed her temple lightly , feeling a headache coming on. "Don't remind me." She murmured. A small smile formed on her lips as Sinead shared her crazy urges right before she had her babies, a chuckled escaped her as Lucy thought about what she would do before the time came. Accepting the kiss on the cheek, Lucy hummed in response to Sinead offer for company. "That would be really nice Sinny, thank you." She appreciated how supportive Sinead had been through her whole pregnancy, her little sister had really helped over the last couple of months despite her own issues she was having.

Upon hearing about James and Syd, Lucy nodded her head slowly in thought, not saying anything at first. It was hard to not get sucked into being worried about the two but Lucy had somehow managed to keep her thoughts on something positive. "I'll have to track them down after while then, check on them both." For now, she was going to spend some time with her sister and Gwen, who was now trailing a bit slower behind them. Gwen kept her head down as she silently walked towards the house, disappointed that Aidan didn't follow along with her to keep her company. The redhead had to remind herself she was here for more reasons than a boy and forced herself to look up, just in time to see Sinead's hand reaching towards her. Gwen reached out her own hand and took Sinead's with a smile as she stepped in line with the two women, entering the house. Sinead seemed to pick up on her disappointment and informed her that life is so much simpler when single. Gwen certainly didn't argue with her but she tilted her head to the side curiously as she wondered where those words were stemming from. "I will, Sin. Thank you." Gwen murmured softly before letting out a sigh.

They all stepped into the kitchen and Gwen and Lucy took a seat as Sinead offered to get them drinks. "I'll just take a water." Lucy said, "Although this is my house, shouldn't I be offering you two something?" She let out a soft laugh before leaning back into her chair with a huff, having to push it out a little more so that her large belly could fit. "Got anything strong?" Gwen asked Sinead.

with: Sinead Misty Gray
mentions:

 

[Enzyme]

Matteo Davide​

Matteo remained seated as two men entered the room. He immediately recognized James from the family photos, although he appeared taller than Matteo had anticipated. Matteo removed the glasses from his eyes, sticking them in the base of his V-neck. He smiled at the two, although he did not attempt to shake their hand in a formality. Coming from a lower-class, favela-type situation, upper-class habits skimmed the youth of Sicily. He nodded his head as an introduction, leaning back in his seat.

When his grandmother introduced him, he slightly raised his hand off the couch in a semi-wave. He kept his smile, although his eyes quickly returned to admiring the architecture of the mansion. James seemed puzzled by Matteo's presence, and he was also curious why his grandmother was so eager to bring him along. The thought was exciting, as he was very familiar with what this side of the family did for work. The mafia was prevalent in Sicily, although they were no longer interested in their family after the death of the Romanos. The closest thing to the mafia that Matteo came in contact with were poverty thugs with handguns.

As Rayna and James retreated to a corner of the room, James' son approached him. He introduced himself as Syd but spoke in a mumble. "Matteo," he responded, his tone far more prominent and secure. He smiled to Syd, accepting the cigarette and allowing him to light it for him. He rolled the cigarette to the corner of his lips so he could speak better.

"So, what do you guys do for fun around here?" he asked, blowing the smoke from the other corner of his mouth.

Misty Gray (James) Pyroclast (Syd) Bellz (Rayna)

 

[LateForDinner]

Nathan Bennett
​

The conversation between the two went on for longer than Nathan had anticipated. Eventually, Kennedy mentioned his desire to go to the Sky Haven restaurant too. Naturally, the bodyguard offered to drive Kennedy there. He didn't feel it was right to abandon the conversation and leave him to find his own way. Plus, it would mean Nathan can eat sooner. His stomach was starting to punish him for his negligence. The duo promptly made their way to Nathan's car, sitting themselves inside and Nathan quickly got them moving down the road.

It didn't take Nathan long to reach the restaurant; the journey itself passed by even faster as he was engrossed in conversation with Ken. He began to take a liking to him, since Nathan doesn't get many chances to have a humane talk with another employee. When he isn't with James, he typically kept to himself. Whilst it's been a few weeks, Nathan still found himself making bonds with the other members. Quickly, the Sky Haven restaurant came into view and the marksman promptly parked outside; not far from what appeared to be the staff car park. "Here we are... Finally."

As Nathan slid out from the car, his head snapped to catch sounds of conversation coming from the other car park. It didn't sound pleasant, or genuine, but it did sound slightly hostile. "Hey, Ken. Are you hearing that?" He cast a quick glance to Kennedy, closing the car door as he moved around the car. Part of him wanted to forget about what he just heard; to move on and enjoy the meal he deserved. But the voices sounded too familiar and as its an establishment that James is close with, he felt an obligation to check. A small sigh escaped his lips as he gave in to his duty. "I'll go check it out. It doesn't sound too pleasant." He adjusted his coat as he made his way around the restaurant, feeling his heart sink as he got further away from the doors. But he quickly pushed past it to check on the drama unfolding from outside.



Once the scene came into view, Nathan took cautious steps as he took in the sight before him. Eventually, he stopped at the sight of a firearm. Whilst he recognised some of the figures, he felt uneasy about the gun being held between them. Instantly, he noticed Evelyn. Whilst he hasn't worked as closely with her as James intended, he had become acquainted with her. Hopefully she still recognised him. Then his eyes took in the two from his first visit to the restaurant. That woman. She was beautiful. Nathan had struggled to shake her from his mind. Now she was here again, with the same man, it appeared. The rest of them, Nathan wasn't sure about. He just hoped they weren't attempting to harm anybody. After quickly observing, the bodyguard built up the courage and stepped closer to the group. "Pardon the intrusion, is everything okay here?" His eyes lingered on Saoirse for a moment before he looked to Evelyn. "Ma'am?"

Interactions & Mentions
Kennedy Sullivan; mpower Evelyn McKenna; Pyroclast Blake Walsh; Griffin Fitzgerald; Bellz Aliana; Melanin-Gxdess Saoirse Fitzgerald; Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Saoirse Fitzgerald​

Saoirse listened as she was given the various lectures about stealing and how it was wrong. Were there not a gun pointed at her head, she would have been more inclined to argue back about how stupid it sounded coming from those affiliated with the mob. They'd been taking from the Fitzgeralds for years. Not to mention, the fact a gun was being pointed at her also went a long way to remind her of the violence and intimidation the gangs around Dublin were guilty of.

Clearly, mention of Tommy had hit a nerve with Aliana and for a moment, Saoirse could see how the loss had affected her and she knew what it felt to lose someone. Any guilt for getting to the woman was soon washed away when Aliana grabbed Blake's gun and aimed it at Saoirse herself, causing the woman to flinch. There wasn't time to formulate and consider any response as Evelyn spoke calmly, clearly wishing to diffuse the situation. "Yes, I had to watch my sister die in that restaurant. I saw a lot of death and violence that evening," she calmly explained as her eyes looked down towards the ground. Evelyn went on to explain she supplied the alcohol before asking for her to hand the bag over. Saoirse didn't move, instead only loosening her shoulder to make it easier for Griffin to take the bag from her and hand it over. It was never able the alcohol anyway, so she hadn't intended on keeping it. Evelyn then offered to put them in touch with Mr. Porter, which evoked a slow nod from Saoirse. She could agree to that, even if she doubted the meeting would actually happen. She turned to look at her brother as he gave their names and place of work but she made no attempt to physically or verbally confirm his words. Why would it even matter to the Porters? They wouldn't listen to their needs and their names wouldn't be important if they were going to be killed for crossing the mob.

Soon enough, they were joined by a familiar man who immediately caught Saoirse's attention. Her eyes lingered on the attractive man for a time, before she forced herself to look to the ground again and stop the very thin smile that had unconsciously fought its way onto her lips. She remembered him from the restaurant a few weeks ago and once against she was unable to divert her gaze for too long. She caught his eyes on her but quickly looked away, reminding herself of the situation she was currently in. It also registered in her head that the first time she had seen Nathan, he'd been sat at a table with James Porter. Given what she had just done, she wondered if she should be fearing the gangster rather than thinking of how good looking he was. Still, when he did address Evelyn, he used the kind of gentle manners she didn't expect from a 'thug'.


Bellz (Griffin, Blake) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) Pyroclast (Evelyn) LateForDinner (Nathan)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Syd kept his eyes on Rayna, interested in how she and James would interact since he couldn't remember the last time she had visited. From the look on his face, he hadn't been expecting a visit from her either. When she turned to look at him and commented on how he had grown, Syd looked away and cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks colour slightly. He wasn't usually shy, but the evening's events hadn't left him in the most social mood and the fact that his grandmother was practically a stranger to him left him unsure of how to talk to her. The pair soon wandered out of earshot, however, no doubt discussing the reason for their visit. Matteo asked him a question then, causing him to turn to the lad.

Perching on the arm of another nearby chair, Syd took a long drag of his cigarette as he looked the boy over. He seemed self-assured and cheerful, his accent impossible to miss. His question suggested that he hadn't been to Dublin before, but his English sounded flawless considering he had clearly been brought over from Italy by Rayna. Other than that, Matteo was a complete mystery to him. "Well, you know...there's a good jazz club, plenty of bars and pubs," Syd began, trying to put on a friendlier tone of voice. "Mostly our own. And a casino, if you're into that. City's practically ours, so the fun never ends."

Syd held the cigarette between his teeth and sent Matteo a crooked grin as he shifted to readjust his arm. Lady, the family's husky, then trotted into the room in search of attention and stuck her inquisitive nose in Matteo's lap, her tail beating with excitement at the new arrival. Syd snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor at his feet. "Leave him alone, ya' big bully," he softly commanded her when she proceeded to sit between his legs, then bending down to rub her neck affectionately. "Why do you ask?" he said, narrowing his eyes at Matteo as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "Are you on holiday here or something? Who are you exactly?"

Interactions
Enzyme Matteo
( Misty Gray James Bellz Rayna )

 

[Bellz]

Rayna Taylor​

Rayna knew exactly how the conversation would go down and while James' words struck her in a harsh way, they weren't surprising in the slightest. She let him speak his mind, listening intently to every single word he said. His arm moved away from her shoulder and she let her head drop just a bit to look towards the floor. When he finished, Rayna shook her head slowly clearly disagreeing with what James had to say about his way of life. "I've seen a lot worse. Don't you remember where I came from? James, your way of life is nothing new to me...just because I have a family that isn't involved in that lifestyle doesn't mean we don't want to be involved with you. Keeping me in the dark will do you no good, son." Rayna's voice raised only slightly at the end before she turned to look towards Syd and Matteo. ”I’ve seen what you can do, remember. As you reminded me, I was there. I saw the way you fought back. I knew what Vinnie and Angel fought for and it wasn’t for the same reasons. You fought for family, they fought for power and greed.” Letting silence fill the space between them, Rayna lifted a hand to brush a dark strand of hair from her face. ”I trust you, James, that’s why I think you can help him.”

“If he wants to live this type of lifestyle, who am I to stop him? I would only be fooling myself if I said I never saw this coming.” The two boys were chatting away yet, smoking cigarettes in the house, which Rayna noted to comment on after the tense conversation was over. Her eyes glanced back to James, ”I have faith that Matteo will not turn out to be like his father…I’ve given him a stable environment to live in, compared to what he had before he lived with me…I pray that will be enough.”

“I believe you can help him because you can teach him your way of doing things. There is a humanity in you James, whether you believe it or not is up to you. You are different from all the others around you. If you are such a bad influence you wouldn’t have such a beautiful family and friends who love and supports you.”Rayna let out a sigh as she concluded her speech. ”I understand if this is far too much to ask. I just feel Matteo would thrive working for you…it would give him what he wants but teaches him at the same time. I would know that he was in good hands. ” The dark haired woman looked away from her son as she let out an uneasy laugh. ”This is really too much to ask isn’t it? I knew it was…I was so unsure and I just want to help him..” Rayna shook her head and bit her lip, ”I’m sorry James, this was foolish of me.”

with: James Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James dropped his arms and folded them in front of his chest as Rayna shook her head in disagreement. He figured she had plenty to say in response to him and he was prepared to hear her out, even if he wasn't intending on agreeing with her. He couldn't deny she was no stranger to his way of life, having lived with the Romanos for some time in Chicago until her elders and Vinnie saw fit to force her back to Italy. He simply nodded his head when she told him it was no good for him keeping his life from her now. Rayna went on to point out he fought for family and she trusted that he could help Matteo. Were the lad not Angel's flesh and blood, James suspected he would have been more open to his mother's request.

As his mother went on, it seemed she genuinely cared about Matteo and it was important to her that someone helped him. But she soon came to realise how big of an ask ti was for James to give Angel's son any kind of help and guidance. He quickly nodded his head, as if confirming she shouldn't have made such a request to him. However, as she apologised and shook her head, James studied her face closely, seeing how much this meant to her. "No, I'm sorry... You've caught me at a bad time," he admitted. He placed his arms around Rayna's shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, realising it had been quite some time since they'd been together and that he'd not exactly welcomed her into his home. "It's good to see you."

James broke away from the hug but kept one hand on the top of his mother's arm as he continued to speak quietly to her. "So, what am I dealing with here?" he relented. "What's the kid been doing that causing you so much trouble? Does he know why he's here and that he's not going to spend his time lounging around in my house smoking?" he asked. "I didn't stand for any shit with Syd and the girls, so I'm not going to let him fuck about either." James scratched the back of his head as he turned to briefly observe Syd and Matteo. He caught a glimpse of the family photographs hanging on the wall above them before he turned back to Rayna. "Does he know he's got a sister here? Because I'm not entirely sure how well that's going to go down..." he trailed off. Given that Savannah's biological father was at times still an issue, he hoped it wouldn't drag up more problems for Peter.

Bellz (Rayna)
Present: Enzyme Pyroclast

 

[mpower]

Kennedy Sullivan​

Nathan seemed like the polite and humble type, something Ken highly regarded. Someone one could talk to without getting bored or overloaded with unnecessary information. Their goal, Sky Haven, seemed like heaven for Kennedy right now. After all the stress he had today, he really needed a nice meal and a coke to cool down, perhaps some heroine later but that's just a possibility he might have to take in case of the chance that his stress level won't be calmed down. His eyes trailed through the interior of the car of the bodyguard, and Ken enjoyed what he saw. Mr Bennett had a taste for cars, seemed like a guy Ken could befriend and actually have a conversation with if needed, without being all too cautious what Ken says, because this man seemed to be actually included in the mob. Surely he won't tell him about his profession yet, but he doesn't have to withhold on the rest.

It appeared as if Nathan also enjoyed their talk, he picked up on multiple topics and chuckled, which made Ken feel comfortable. Last time he had such a colleague, was probably in the army or possibly one or two Detectives in the Police. His driving skills also appeared to be confident enough, telling the Detective that the man took his job seriously and had experience. Now as they parked in front of the restaurant, Ken climbed out of the car and straightened his whole suit, firstly his jacket and secondly his tie. "Finally somethin' to bite", he grunted while stretching out his arms to the sky, feeling quite stiff, another trait he got after hours of sitting in office chairs.

Kennedy picked up on the noises the moment his companion did as well, he simply nodded as the question if he heard the same came up. He could only sigh along and say: "Should check that out then", he took a look at the entrance for a moment, noticing Nathan moving already, though he remained on his spot for one minute or two, observing the surroundings. He unbuttoned his jacket and shoved his badge further to the right at his belt, hopefully hiding it more, but his other hand opened up his holster, having his service weapon ready in case of hostility.

The only thing he could hear was the bodyguard excusing his intruding appearance of their situation, which did not seem all too well as Kennedy clearly noticed. He kept himself in the background with his right hand against his stomach, ready to draw his weapon in case of an escalation. After all, he had to be Nathan's back in this case. Though he quickly realised the separation of the parties here. Having Blake and Evelyn with Aliana on one side, while two strangers appeared to be opposing them. The weapon was in possession of the right side, though they seemed a tad too furious about the pair with a big bag.

So, Kennedy moved forward until he arrived next to Nathan, and leaned against the wall to his right, nodding slowly. He raised an eyebrow and looked towards Evelyn: "Well, interesting managing you're doin' here", and smirked slightly. He pointed with his finger to the two foreigners and asked: "What did they do?", and looked at the triplet then, adding: "Looks like you guys were about to lynch them for something."

LateForDinner , Misty Gray , Pyroclast , Bellz Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Pyroclast]

Evelyn McKenna

As the seconds passed, Evelyn grew more confident that the pair weren't about to make another run for it. Still, she watched them very cautiously as she awaited their next move. "Griffin and Saoirse, okay," she nodded, speaking as calmly as she could. Exhaling a small sigh of relief, Evelyn took the bag of alcohol from the man and passed it slowly to Aliana. "Well, ye can stop your trying now - if ye pull anything like this again there'll be serious trouble. I'll be making sure Mr. Porter hears what youse have done here, but I'll see that he arranges a meeting with youse both in the near future. How's that?"

Saoirse looked up then, but something appeared to catch her attention. Evelyn turned her head to see Kennedy and Nathan approaching the group. A little surprised to see them, she straightened up and smiled at her colleague's characteristic politeness. "Everything's alright, Nathan, don't be worrying yourself," she confirmed, decidedly speaking for the group. At Kennedy's sarcastic comment about her managing, Evelyn sighed and looked firmly into the man's eyes. "Mr. Sullivan, don't you start," she warned. The man annoyed her, but somewhere in it she loved it when he spoke to her, regardless of what he said. It was telling that his words so easily riled her, as though he held some level of power over her emotions - yet, no matter which way he looked at her, her skin always pricked with excitement.

"These two troublemakers have taken some goods from Ali's restaurant, but the goods are now back in our hands," she explained to the men. "They've something they'd like to take up with the boss, that's all." Her eyes darted between Blake and Aliana to see if they were both able and willing to compose themselves, before turning back to Saoirse and Griffin. "Do ye promise to be done, then, if we let ye go? You'll get your meeting with Mr. Porter, but please, leave everyone else out of this. Aliana here doesn't deserve your trouble."

Interactions
LateForDinner Nathan
mpower Kennedy
Bellz Blake, Griffin
Misty Gray Saoirse
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

 

[LateForDinner]

Nathan Bennett
​

As Nathan settled into the group, he began to understand what was happening more clearly. Now that he had heard brief parts from both parties, he didn't have to stay on edge as much. It reassured him more when Evelyn spoke for the group, confirming any doubts he still had. Whilst he has only worked with the woman recently, her wisdom and authority resonated with a part of him. He felt obligated to perform his duty to the best of his abilities. Perhaps it was his time in the military. He nodded in response as well as smiling back to Eve. "Looks like you have it all under control."

The marksman turned his head to take in Kennedy's input, almost smirking at the witty interaction between him and Evelyn. It wasn't professional, but still mutual. He felt as if there was something more than just business; even though Nathan didn't have much to go on. He's only been here for a few weeks. He turned his attention back to the group as they explained what had happened. It was surprising to witness a woman like Saoirse stuck in such a situation; she seemed so sweet and harmless. Perhaps she still is and this may not be her fault.

As much as the bodyguard would love to remove himself from the scene and enjoy a peaceful meal, it felt wrong to simply detach himself from the problem. He owed it to James and the family to ensure it's solved completely. By the looks of it, Saoirse and Griffin needed to have their voices heard. Nathan didn't want to leave it to chance, nor did he want Evelyn to be caught up in it any further. If he was going to move further up the family business, he had to take on such tasks without approval.

"Miss McKenna, why don't I take these two here and I can take on whatever their issues are. I'll bring it up to James myself if it's necessary." He turned back to Eve as he spoke; pushing some authority in his voice. Nathan made sure not to sound affirmative, but simply confident in his actions. They spoke louder than words, after all. His gaze turned back to the female, trying not to let her beauty intoxicate him. He had to focus. "Come with me, I'll hear you out."



Interactions & Mentions
Kennedy Sullivan; mpower Evelyn MeKenna; Pyroclast Blake Walsh; Griffin Fitzgerald; Bellz Saoirse Fitzgerald; Misty Gray Aliana; Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

When they entered the house, Sinead quickly nodded her head as she took Lucy's request of water. She was about to look to Gwen to see what she wanted when Lucy made a comment about who should be offering the drinks in her house. "I know, but I... I want you to rest and Gwen is our guest, it's up to me to serve the drinks!" she assured her. She allowed her hand to cautiously hover at the back of Lucy's chair, in the off-chance it miraculously decided to slide out from under her. Once her sister was safely seated, she looked to Gwen in time to hear her request for something strong. "Ugh, you're crazy, Gwen. I had some brandy earlier. Not nice, at all!" she complained. Sinead then went about getting the drinks, eventually placing on the table a glass of water for Lucy and a crystal tumbler of whiskey for Gwen. She then returned to the worktop to retrieve her own glass of wine before joining the two ladies at the table. "Is that drink strong enough for you, Gwen?" she asked.

After perhaps too long a drink of her wine, Sinead placed the glass down and looked between the two other women. "Do you ever look in the mirror and not even recognise yourself?" she suddenly asked. "There was a point in my life when I felt fearless and I had such big dreams. Then that monster came along..." she trailed off, figuring she didn't need to remind Lucy of the things the Romanos had done. "I wouldn't change having Peter and the children for anything, but I just wish I could have done more and that I could be stronger. I don't want people to worry about me and I want to stop worrying so much about them. I'm trying... I've already got myself a gig lined up for next week, but it's not just about me, is it?" she rhetorically asked. "It's clear I've been trying to hold Peter back and I know I have to back off, to let him do what he wants to do. But I realised I've been letting my own fears hold the kids back too. Savvy doesn't want to be home schooled and I keep refusing to let her go to a normal school. I'm stopping my daughter from doing what she wants to do and I feel terrible." Sinead cleared her throat and took another long drink from her wine glass. Clearly, the alcohol was only adding to the emotions her argument with Peter had brought on. "Surely it's all in my head. Savvy will be safe, won't she? Maybe one day Peter and I could even move into our own place, then you and James can have more space. And more peace," she said, letting out a short, uncertain laugh.

Bellz (Lucy, Gwen)

 

[Bellz]

Rayna Taylor​

When James apologized, stating that she had simply caught him at a wrong time, Rayna blew out a heavy sigh. He surprised her slightly by pulling her in for a hug, which she took no time at all to return the favor, squeezing him tightly as she closed her eyes. "You have no idea how much I missed you." She murmured after he said it was good to see her. When he pulled away from the embrace, Rayna couldn't help but notice the emptiness she felt. The touch on her arm reminded her that her son was right in front of her and for the time being, this is where she was going to stay.

Rayna let out a sigh as James went on to question what he would be dealing with. She was prepared for such questions. "Its nothing too serious in terms of what I've seen before. Simple stuff, he hangs out with these friends, who I know were to be a bad influence on the boy. He's stealing. Not to mention how he treats some of his poor classmates. I tried to raise him with respect and manners and he seems to be having none of it." Rayna clearly looked distraught as she spoke about Matteo's actions, her eyes even watering ever so slightly.

"He's been suspended god knows how many times and the only reason they allowed him back was because Ethan and I practically got down on our hands and knees and begged. A child shouldn't be without an education, especially a smart boy like him." When James brought up not taking any shit from Matteo, Rayna nodded her head. "He needs someone like that right now, he has no respect for authority. He's sworn at his teachers, the cops..." Rayna paused to look over at the boys again for a moment.

"I haven't said anything to him about Savannah." She stated simply, her eyes trailing back over to James staring wide eyed at him. "I'm not going to let you take this on if you feel like you can't. I just...he needs better direction..more than I can give him."
with: James Misty Gray

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

The one in the leather jacket certainly looked the part of a two-bit goon to Ryan, the other man that shifted forward had a different air to him though, and his sense of unease flared. The man's movements were a bit slow and relaxed, but the lack of wasted motion was what raised the alarms in his head. The man made no attempts to hide the fact that he was sizing up Ryan as he did the same, and likely came to the same conclusion of that they shared a similar height and build, albeit Ryan had a slightly stockier frame.

The mechanic's eyes narrowed when the man declined to follow his instructions, insult Conor, and double down on his threats. What agitated Ryan the most though, was the man's smirk, as though he was in complete control. "Is that that right?" he disdainfully rumbled. Even before the man continued on, Ryan was cobbling together a plan of action in his head. The continuation of the subject of fire hit a nerve, more than the actual threat, and slight eye twitch all but gave away his irritation.

The arrival of Aldous was barely acknowledged by Ryan, other than that he was an ally, as his vision narrowed on the men in front of him. His initial movement of stepping forward started slow as to not alarm his opponents, but shifted explosively as Ryan's direction change suddenly towards the man in the leather jacket. Not uncrossing his arms until he was already in motion, the first stride looked awkward, but it brought what Ryan decided to be lesser threat of the two men into striking range. Amid the second stride is when his stance lowered and his right arm coiled back as his left rose to a guard. The split second before his foot hit the ground, Ryan shifted his weight forward onto it and his fist snapped loose, clenching only right before it came into contact with the goon's jaw.

Ryan knew at the very least the man had been rocked, as he stumbled backwards in a failing attempt to regain his balance. Seeing man falling back, Ryan narrowed his stance and shifted so he could then face the irritating man that he'd designated as the biggest threat.

Misty Gray [Evan] Enzyme [Mickey Mouse] Shireling [Aldous + Jack] Melanin-Gxdess [Leo]

 

[Misty Gray]

Evan Shaw and Conor Sullivan​

Evan looked forward when Aldous approached the scene. He flashed a thin smile and gave the man a single nod at the newcomer. Evan remembered Aldous from the shooting at Dax Restaurant and didn't doubt the man recognised him too. "Now you mention it, we were never offered a table," the man calmly replied to him. "Not the best customer service..." The man trailed off, pushing aside any urges to mention the shooting as he'd noticed Ryan had seemed to switch off from the conversation. It appeared something was going on in the man's hand and the subtle signals had Evan prepared to react.

As Ryan looked about to go at him, Evan instinctively raised his arm in front, ready to defend himself from an attack. Instead, Ryan charged at Mickie and sent a heavy fist into the man's jaw. Evan took at step back from the situation, looking on as Mickie stumbled backwards. The dazed man had to grab onto one of the participation walls of a nearby booth to stop himself from falling over completely. Evan let out a short whistle and smirked as the family dining inside the booth screamed in surprise and rushed out of the way. "Bit uncalled for," he vocalised his observation to Ryan. He was sure he didn't need to worry much, figuring Mickie would recover and not cry about being smacked around.

In the midst of the attack, Evan had taken his eyes off the ball so hadn't noticed Conor had arrived on the scene and the taller man was presently standing behind him. "Is this a private punch-up or can we all join in?" Conor spoke up. He sent Ryan an impressed smirked having seen him punch Mickie. Trusting Ryan, Aldous and Leo, there wasn't a doubt in Conor's head that the three other guys they'd been talking to were causing trouble. He didn't want to step in the way of Ryan's and Rudy's fight, but he wouldn't hesitate to step in it necessary. As thoughts of slamming Evan's skull against the nearby podium crossed his mind, it was soon wiped away as the sound of a crying child behind him overruled his thoughts of hurting the man.

"I was hoping you'd show up, Sullivan..." Evan remarked. He quickly utilised the pause in flying fists to look Conor over, sizing him up as he's already done with Ryan and Rudy. "I just came here to talk. Like civilised people, with enough brain cells to conduct business without mindless violence," he said.

Conor had to resist the urge to react violently in order to avoid giving Evan what he wanted. Besides, knowing children were watching the scene made him less inclined to get into a physical fight. "Who are these wankers?" he asked Ryan and Aldous, expecting a straight answer from his friends. "I'm happy to help you show the pricks to the door," he said, intending on dragging them out, if needed.

Fletchawk (Ryan) Enzyme (Mickie) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo) Shireling (Jack)

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James listened as Rayna spoke about Matteo hanging out with his friends and stealing. It seemed familiar, as James himself had grown up practically living on the streets and stealing. But for himself, he'd been born into a life of crime and he broke the law to survive. From what he understood of Matteo already, the lad had Rayna and her family, who in turn had enough money to give him the things he needed. "Hey," he softly said, rubbing her arm as he noticed her eyes watering. He didn't like seeing how upset and helpless Rayna seemed about the whole thing. She clearly cared for Matteo and was doing everything she could for him, but he wasn't responding to her efforts.

James fixed his eyes on Matteo as Rayna explained the kid had no respect for authority. Though he himself had always despised the cops, he'd been more controlled and able to contain such contempt. Matteo seemed more than likely to end up finding himself spending nights sleeping in cells. Whilst James had always been relatively serious and focused, it was during his two prison sentences that he really matured and gained self discipline. Something told him Rayna wanted to avoid Matteo ending up behind bars...

"Alright. You're going to have to tell him the truth about Savannah and I'll have to make sure Sinead hears about Matteo directly," he told Rayna, not wishing to keep such secrets. He then cleared his throat. "As for dealing with Matteo. I'll give it a go, but I suspect he's not going to like it one bit... No kids gloves, Mum," he pointed out.

Deciding they'd talked in private for long enough, James approached Syd and Matteo. "You already know by now, but I'm James," he introduced himself to Matteo. As he did, he held his hand out to shake the lad's hands, but at enough of a distance that Matteo would have to stand up if he chose to accept the gesture. Either way, he would continue speaking. "I guess a good place to start is by going through some ground rules, don't you agree?" he asked. "One rule being: no smoking inside the house. Take it outside, in future." He sent Syd a look, despite knowing his son had offered Matteo a cigarette out of courtesy he knew he still needed to mention it. Besides which, it served as an opportunity to test the waters to see how Matteo would respond to being told what to do.

Bellz (Rayna) Enzyme (Matteo) Pyroclast (Syd)

 

[Enzyme]

Mickie Mckinely ​

Mickie hadn't paid much attention to Ryan as he stood there; instead, he kept his eyes on Leo. His hands shifted to a toothpick in a display case, picking it, he placed the pick in his mouth and smiled at the young man. Mickie nodded along to Evan's words, giving a fabricated, sentimental smile as if he felt sorry for the inevitable outcome of the restaurant. He let Evan take over for him now, looking back to where the greeter was once standing. The woman had grown increasingly uncomfortable and decided to retreat to the staff area.

By the time the blob in his peripheral vision had reached him, it was too late. The knuckles smashing against his face had caught him off guard, not having the proper reaction to clench up his jaw. The force of the hit caused him to lose his barrings and for his lower jaw to emit a loud CLICKING noise. His mind briefly lagged, and by the time he was falling on his heels, he struggled to grab onto anyone or anything for support.

He felt his spine crash into a booth, and as he slid down, his fingers quickly caught onto the wall to support himself. He slid down to the floor, his grip on the wall softening the fall. His senses slowly came back as his brain recovered from the blindside. The first thing he felt was the blood trickling down his jaw, and once he had, it had already soaked the white shirt under his leather jacket. His eyes darted crazily in every direction as he scrambled against the wall to get up.

Once, he made it to his feet. It was a whole new struggle to regain a solid balance. He still needed the support of the wall to bounce back onto the balls of his feet. "You fuckin-" he managed to say, his speech hindered by the tear in his cheek. His eyes were flying wild, his pupils dilating to find a constant pupil size. His hand moved for his pocket, producing a handkerchief. He pressed it against his bleeding mouth, causing the red to seep through the pristine white. "I'll fuckin' kill you..." he spoke, now using the wall to drag himself back to them.

Fletchawk (Ryan) Misty Gray (Evan/Evan) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo) Shireling (Aldous/ Jack)

 

[Bellz]

Blake Walsh​

Griffin Fitzgerald​

Griffin looked over to his sister for a long moment after giving away their names and where they worked, wondering if that had truly been the right call. Although they were protected by the Porters for being in their territory, it seemed like the Porters themselves couldn't even protect their own. Griff wasn't going to say anything like that to these people of course, but it was something that he couldn't help but notice. The attention was turned from them to another couple of figures who entered the room. Griff watched as Nathan entered the room and stepped closer to get a good look at the scene before him. The man couldn't help but notice as Nathan looked to his sister, causing Griff to push his sister behind him only slightly, his stance widening as if to warn off the staring eyes.

Distracted from Ali for only a moment, Blake noticed Nathan and Ken walking into the small storage area, clearly having seen an issue. Nathan asked if everything was alright but Blake noticed it was pointed more towards Evelyn, so she kept her mouth shut and turned back to Ali. Blake watched the woman closely as Evelyn and Nathan discussed what was to happen next. When it was decided that the siblings would go with Nathan, Blake turned completely to Ali and offered the woman an easy going smile. "You know what always makes me feel better? A nice tall glass of some dark liquor, the good stuff ya know?" She nodded her head in the direction of the exit and smiled a bit brighter. "I don't care if you get drinks for free here, I'm buying and I will not take no for an answer, missy." The blonde looked to Eve, her smile only fading a bit before adding, "You can come too, drinks are on me."

When asked to promise to be done with this whole thing, Griff nodded his head eagerly and nudged Saoirse a bit to get her to respond. "Thank you, we will do anything to get this taken care of.. We promise to behave." Looking to Nathan, Griffin hesitated before stepping in front of his sister, not liking all the staring that was being done. "Thank you for giving us a voice, Mr..." Griff held out his hand for Nathan to shake firmly.


with: Aliana Melanin-Gxdess ; Evelyn Pyroclast ; Saoirse Misty Gray ; Nathan LateForDinner

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

Gwen Sheehan​

Gwen laughed as Sinead called her crazy and told her about the brandy she had earlier that day. "But that's the best part, the satisfying burning in your chest before you start feeling all warm and fuzzy." When Sinead returned to the table with a water for Lucy and a tumbler of whiskey for herself, Gwen smiled happily and clapped her hands together once. "Oh this is perfect, Sin!" Gwen went about pouring her glass as she watched Sinead take a really long sip from her own. Gwen was about to ask if she was okay when Sinead suddenly asked a question that caught both Lucy and Gwen off guard.

Lucy took her water and drank only a little before placing the glass back down on the table. Her brows furrowed in confusion at her sisters question but she didn't say anything as she allowed her to continue on, wanting to hear where this was all going. It hurt her to hear that Sinead had some regrets in her life, especially since all her decisions were made out of fear of the past resurrecting itself. It was all very understandable and Lucy bobbed her head up and down along silently, letting Sinead know that she was actively listening.

When Sinead was finished speaking, Lucy reached over and placed her hand on her arm, rubbing it gently for a moment before releasing it. "Its alright to feel this way, Sin."Lucy started, "This isn't all in your head, the danger around us really is there and it affects us and our children unfortunately. Now I know this might not be what you want to hear right now, but I wouldn't be your sister if I didn't feed you some of the hard, cold truth. Savannah is old enough now to voice her own needs and as much as you may not agree with them...parenting is a compromise. Do I believe letting Savvy go to school would be beneficial for her? Yes, I really do."

Gwen nodded her head softly in agreement with what Lucy had to say before speaking, "I may be out of line by saying this so please correct me if I'm wrong, but school was always my favorite part of the day. It separated me from my family for a healthy amount of time so that when the day was over, I was really looking forward to coming home to see them."Of course, she only looked forward to seeing her mother, but that tiny detail didn't need to be included.
"That might be the type of space you need, Sin. You already have Braden and Emery and not that Savvy is a handful, but it would be one less kid to worry about." Lucy added in before taking another long drink of her water. When she finished, she spoke again, "And please don't ever think that you are a burden to James and I, we love having you close to us just as much as you love being here. If you chose to move, we would be just as happy for you. "

with: Sinead Misty Gray
mentions: