Realistic or Modern Empire City: The Irish Mob - IC (Closed)

[Pyroclast]

Danny Vaughan

If the young woman standing before him hadn't made enough of an impression on him when he had met her briefly at the club, she was doing a good job of charming him as he stood trying to make conversation. "Yeah, I'm not too bad," he nodded, but the uncontrollable smile on his face made it clear his response was an understatement. "Savannah...I'm not usually too great with names, but something tells me I won't forget yours." Her name sounded beautiful to him, and was certainly unique. It wasn't uncommon for Danny to forget a person's name moments after learning it, so he usually practised using it immediately to help it stick in his memory. Although he was confident he wouldn't forget Savannah's name, he still wanted to use it all the same.

When Savannah looked over her shoulder to the theatre, Danny's eyes followed hers, and then frowned slightly when she began to laugh. "Seen what?" he asked, intrigued by her mysterious answer. He noticed her step towards him slightly - for some reason he almost stepped back, not wanting the closing distance between them to become uncomfortable, but in the end he stood his ground. At her mention of rehearsing, Danny raised his eyebrows; when she admitted she was currently playing the role of Nancy from Oliver Twist, his eyes lit up. "Oliver Twist? 'Course I know it!" he enthused. "Nah, I wasn't on my way in - just making a call to my parents. Man, they used to take me to the theatre all the time - even if it meant skipping school. They always told me I'd learn more in a theatre than I would in a classroom." He shrugged then, unsure of the impression that might give her. But his parents had educated him well, ensuring that he was both cultured and well-informed, regardless of what school taught him. "They're performers, too, 'cept not exactly in the kind of thing you're doing. Nancy? Wow..." Danny stood gazing at her for a moment, in awe. Despite his parents' efforts to open him up to the world of poetry, music, theatre, cinema and art, he had never found his own passion or drive to become skilled in such fields. He preferred to admire the works of others. Somehow it seemed too forward for him to ask her about getting tickets to see her show, even though he was eager to watch her perform.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Savannah, but it kinda surprises me that there are artists like you in the family. The way your cousin seems to run things, I always just imagined the whole family involved in the same kind of business. But it sounds like you've found something totally different to excel at." Danny glanced up at the theatre, only now properly noticing the signs advertising the play that Savannah was to be in. He hoped that admitting his assumption about the mob wasn't offensive to her. He quickly concealed his awkwardness with another bright smile as he set his eyes on her again. "Shall we walk? Where are you headed'?"

Interactions
Misty Gray Savannah

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James observed as Syd continued the discussion around security. He listened on as his son questioned Roxie further about being able to to bring their own security staff to guard the potential charity event. He was pleased with the young man's initiative and clear focus on the subject at hand. It was the kind of subject James had been hoping Syd would actively consider. He wanted to know the business was in good hands, should anything happen to himself. He wanted to know his son was ready to at least help him run the family business. Roxie answered the questions, informing them it wouldn't be a problem for the Porters to provide their own security. The mob boss nodded his head to Roxie in understanding and acknowledgement. He wasn't ready to ask any further questions until they'd seen the ballroom and until he'd heard Dante's assessment.

As they walked towards the elevators, James dropped back with Dante to his left whilst Lucy was close to his right with Aliana walking next to her. James looked to Dante and listened carefully to the man's evaluation of the venue. Unfortunately, he was making a lot of good points about the number of entrances and the vulnerable position this could put them in. It only served to confirm to James that he wasn't being overly cautious or paranoid. His own concerns had been objectively backed up by Dante. James wanted to know he was in full control of a situation and that nothing would occur that they were unprepared for. Ever since Emmet Sullivan's public murder and the attack at James' first wedding, he had tried to steer clear of having events in large, public places. This hotel was both of those and there wasn't a chance in hell he'd agree to the venue if he wasn't completely satisfied.

Dante offered up suggestions of where to place their security to prevent any intruders from entering. "I agree, we need to use our own security. There's no chance I'll trust any other parties to oversee our safety." James glanced to Lucy, trying to assess what she thought of the place. Whilst it was no doubt stunning, they had to have full control of the venue if he was to even consider it. He was sure Lucy would know what he was thinking, given everything they'd been through in the past. "We'll take a look at the ballroom, Dante. See what the situation with windows and entrances there is. I want to minimise the number of doors in use to ensure everyone is screened on entry."

Once in the elevator, James couldn't help but observe the interaction between Syd and Roxie. Despite being impressed with his son's earlier questions, he wasn't blind to the way Syd was looking at the woman. It was clear the young man was attracted to Roxie and James wasn't sure how that was going to go down. Whilst they were conducting business, James wanted to know Syd was focusing on that rather that making eyes at the lady. He didn't want romantic feelings to get in the way of clarity or to cause awkwardness for Syd should they decline Roxie's choice of venue. He wanted Syd to be happy, especially after how hard he'd taken Skye's death. He just hoped if his son's sights were set on Roxie that business wasn't going to complicate that.


shadowz1995 (Dante) Bellz (Lucy)
Present: Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) Pyroclast (Syd) Bellz (Roxie)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

There was a brief pause as Roxie mulled over Syd's question. The two hadn't managed to clear the air properly since the previous weekend so part of him suspected Roxie might be feeling slightly uncomfortable in his presence. Syd kept a professional smile on his face as she answered him, but despite her confidence, and as much as he enjoyed her attention being on him, he wasn't entirely convinced by her words. Whoever her past clients were, he doubted they were at such a high risk of attack as his family and their guests. "We'll appreciate your efforts to make them see things our way, but ultimately, if they're not happy to accommodate our security needs, then I'm afraid there will be no deal." Once again a silence fell between them and this time Syd detected a new sort of tension in the air - one less uncomfortable, and more...intriguing. Her steel blue eyes latched onto his and he found himself unable - or unwilling - to break his gaze.

In the end, Roxie was the one to look away first and Syd drew a deep breath, having to look to the ceiling for a moment to gather himself. She soon suggested that they all took the elevator to view the ballroom and he nodded in agreement, only then realising that he was blushing. To his surprise, Roxie came to walk at his side. It seemed that she was trying to make an effort with him, and he wondered if she had had a conversation with Savannah similar to the one he had. He glanced to her with a curious smile when she described the Porter family as being all work and no play. It was ironic to him considering she had attended James' recent birthday party and had therefore already met them in an unprofessional setting. "Hey, don't be calling us dull, now," he drily teased her. "Or we might just invite you to another party..." The meeting so far was going smoothly, but as soon as the words left him he grew conscious that his reference to the previous weekend may have embarrassed her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped into the elevator, hoping that he hadn't made a mistake.

As soon as they entered the ballroom, Syd's attention was immediately grabbed by its interior. The designer had clearly put a great deal of thought and effort into its décor. The colour scheme made him think instantly of a wedding, as it was very inoffensive and easy on the eye, but he imagined it would be suitable for all sorts of events. Roxie was clearly pleased with it, and Syd looked over to her, finding it easy to admire the room when she was clearly so happy in it. Before he could lose himself in her contagious smile, a man dressed in black from head to toe stepped into the room and Roxie was quick to explain the purpose of their visit and summarise the questions they had asked about security. Syd wasn't sure what to think of the man's lack of engagement in the subject and only raised an eyebrow at his minimal response. It almost seemed suspicious to him, but when Roxie turned back and told him that it was just his way of expressing agreement, Syd gave in and nodded.

"Well, it's a big assumption, but provided security is prioritised and meets our standards...yes, I think it looks ideal. Dad, mam, what do you think? Dante, any concerns?" Syd walked to stand closer to Roxie but turned to gather the others' opinions. "What's the capacity for this place again?" he asked her, glancing around the room to try to envision how many people would be able to fit. "And uh...in terms of smoking areas..." Syd shifted on the spot, still with his hands in his pockets - he knew that it wasn't just him that had an addiction, and didn't trust all the guests to abide by security policy as tightly as he would. "We won't be able to stop people from indulging in that, so it's important that security extends to an open air space. How easy is that going to be, do you think?"

Interactions
Bellz Roxie, Lucy
Misty Gray James
shadowz1995 Dante
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

Lucy had been in the Plaza once or twice before this, both were for different charity events, so this place wasn't unfamiliar to her but it always refreshed her to see such glamor in one building. Smiling sheepishly as her husband opened her door for her, the blonde took a step out onto the pavement and stood gracefully. James compliment tickled her ear and she giggled softly as he placed a kiss on her cheek. Their attention was soon turned to Roxie who came out to greet them and Lucy followed closely to her husband as they were lead inside.

The woman took in the familiar and grand entrance of the hotel, smiling to herself lightly at the decor. It was always pleasing to the eye to see such art come together in the form of a room. She knew James wouldn't appreciate it as much, his mind usually always went to the security points first. She wasn't surprised when he asked about just that when Roxie finished speaking about the Plaza itself. The blonde offered the girl a look that was clearly apologizing for her husband's bluntness as they headed towards the elevators.

James must have been picking up on what Lucy was seeing because even his focus seemed to have shifted onto their son, who was making big round eyes at Roxie. It had been a long time since she'd seen that look on his face and as much as she wanted to see him happy, Lucy couldn't help but feel off about the girl he was showing affections for. Fully aware of how quiet she had been since she arrived, she continued to stay that way as she watched the two. DING! the elevator opened and revealed a glamorous ballroom. The first thing that stood out to her was the colors, not too bright or out there...very reserved. Lucy was all for it!

A moment later, they were greeted...well, sort of, by another person. A barge of a man dressed in all black, making him all the more intimidating. Eyeing him closely, Lucy wondered if the statue was even breathing, but then he grunted , confirming he was alive. The conversation Syd was having with Roxie shifted over to the four of them and Lucy nodded her head softly. "I love it, this place holds a lot of parties I hear, as long as it checks out with these two old men." Her voice was teasing as she looked to James and Dante, her eyes briefly looking to Ali along the way with a smile.

Her son's point about access to the outside was true, but she couldn't help but feel some sadness about the fact that her son was also addicted to those toxic little sticks. As far as she could see there was no balconies, so it was important to cover that small detail.
with: James Misty Gray ; Dante shadowz1995 ; Syd Pyroclast ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

00:05:50

Looking at the clock as it counted down their last minutes, Angelo took a long drag from his cigarette, the red neon seconds changing rapidly with every...well, second. Sighing heavily, a puff of smoke rose around him as he pushed himself away from the doorframe. He could see the young one in the corner, barely even 19 from what he had told him. He couldn't afford to feel sorry for the kid, they all would meet their end someday. Heavy boots thudded against the carpet as he walked over to the kid who was bent over his knees, soft sobs escaping him.

"Ecco, io vi ho dato il potere di calpestare serpenti e scorpioni, etutta la potenza del nemico; e nulla vi danneggerà." It would either comfort the boy or not, either way, they had a job to do. Part of it was already done as the clock continued to go down. He turned his head, staring at the red numbers from the other corner of the room.

00:04:20
Time seemed to be going by slowly but soon, they would be out of time. "Come. Its time." He told the boy, placing a rough hand on his shoulder, which caused him to sob harder and shake his head. "Either you do it or the mob does? Don't you want to at least go in your own right?" He asked the boy.

00:04:00

He hurried over to grab the two chairs in the small kitchenette area before bring them over to the coils of thick rope tied into a noose. "Come on boy. Times running out." He said gruffly before standing on the left chair he had placed out for himself. The boy stood up, almost robotic like as he moved towards his own chair.

He would rather die at his own hands than at the hands of anyone else. Low sobs continued to sound from his chest as he too stood up on the chair. Head turning towards Angelo, he reached for the noose and placed it around his neck.

00:03:30

"Ecco, io vi ho dato il potere di calpestare serpenti e scorpioni, etutta la potenza del nemico; e nulla vi danneggerà." Angelo said again, noose wrapped around his neck as he turned to look ahead of them. Closing was just about to close his eyes as the boy suddenly grabbed his hand tightly. Opening them widely, he turned to see the boy, eyes closed and trembling. Angelo's throat closed at the sight, having to turn away and force himself to close his eyes. "Ready?" He asked, to which no one answered. Sure that the boy knew what had to be done, Angelo spoke a final time.

"E l'Eterno rispose, "la mia presenza andrà con voi, e io vi daròriposo"

Foot kicking the chair from beneath them, both men swung in the air from the momentum, instantly greeting death.

00:03:00​

 

[RayPurchase]

Mitchell Van Gerwen
New York Correctional Facility
~ Lower Manhattan ~

​

Mitch glanced over the top of his glasses as Conor entered, lowering the papers and standing up, offering a hand in greeting.


“Evening Conor. No worries as state institutions go this still rates in the upper half for me,”


Sitting back down he grabbed the two coffee cups.


“I’ve got a black coffee, and one with milk. I’m not sure what your preference is, my taste buds are shot after years of constant coffee drinking, so take your pick, got a pocket full of sugar and sweetener too,”


He dumped a couple of sachets on the table. He didn’t mind Conor, I mean admittedly in the early days of the case he had been… well no need to beat around the bush, a pain in the arse. There was a reason why the others convicted along with Conor were already out on good behaviour. Every opportunity had been quashed by an assault or violation of some sort, each one a nail in the coffin of another opportunity Mitch had found. Credit to him though, the last few months, Conor had cleaned his act up, whether it was Mitch’s pleas, Maddox’s sessions, or just something switching in Conor’s head, Mitch didn’t care. All that mattered is that it had paid off. He leaned back in his chair, a sly grin appearing on his face.


“Well I’m happy to say I’ve received some very positive news. I have just received papers informing me that the Judiciary department of the great state of New York, have set a time and date for the formal parole board for Mr Conor Sullivan,”


He slid the papers in question over the table towards Conor with a flourish, he waited a moment for the words to sink in and for Conor to have a glance over the paper.


“Now obviously we don’t want to jump any guns, but you’ve done a great job over these last months keeping your nose clean, and its paid off. I just need you to keep your cool for another 5 days, dot your I’s and dot your T’s, and within a week you can be back with your wife and kids. We’ve got a strong case, and I won’t bullshit you, we’ve got a very good chance of a positive result,”

(Interaction: Misty Gray )

 

[Bellz]

Gwen Bryant​

Gwen was furious about what Angelica had just said to them but she knew that it wouldn't get her anywhere, so she swallowed her own pride. Instead, she only rolled her eyes as Jason spoke about only wanting to play his part, not believing it for one second. As fucked up as she could get, Gwen wasn't stupid. The redhead couldn't simply put him from her mind even if she wanted to. That night she got home from the audition had been spent trying to forget him, it was clear no drug in the world could do that. One week later and she was trying her best to stay clean again, she wasn't going to let Jason ruin progress that she was making, no matter how small it may have been, it was progress nevertheless. With that word of advice out of the way, Angelica seemed ready to start. Henry silently walking over to the piano to play the number, Gwen watched him for only a moment before her eyes returned to the woman. Gwen could picture it, this Sally character, there was a lot of similarities between this woman and herself.

Gwen had learned a lot about herself during her exploration into her career in LA. One thing in particular that she learned: she was a method actor. She had a hard time connecting to a scene if she didn't put herself in the characters place, both figuratively and literally. This has gotten her in trouble over the years, going as far as to start a drug addiction with her ex-husbands help for a job, where she played a drug addict. Knowing this, she was very aware of the fact that in order for her to act with Jason...she was going to have to believe she was with him...to some degree.

Outside of the theater they were nothing, Gwen would make sure it stayed that way too, or so she hoped. They were starting towards the end of the song, when the pair finally saw eye to eye on the whole moving in situation. It was an odd starting point, but Gwen said nothing as Angelica stared at Jason, shaking her head. When she stated that they were standing too far apart, Gwen was sure she turned pure white. Jason did as he was told and looked to her, stepping close as he took her in his arms. Gwen, trying not to look stiff, relaxed her shoulders, looking as natural as she could.

The counts started and Gwen let Jason lead her as Angelica instructed, "Closed Change, Closed Change.. 1..2..3..4...outside turn, inside turn and dip! Stop! stop!" Gwen stumbled over Jason's feet as she was brought into a standing position. Slightly breathless, she watched as Angelica came over to her, immediately pressing her hand between Gwen's shoulder blades. "Lift from the chest! You are performing! Animated! Where is all of that Gwen? Again!" She barked out and Gwen nodded her head before looking to Jason. The last time she'd danced, it had been back in California, but before that...Jason had whisked her off her feet with such moves.

A heavy feeling radiated through her chest...part of this was just too painful for her. Sighing, Gwen bit her lip, "Again." She said to her partner as she put on what she thought Sally's expression would be, trying to be more animated. They took it a second time, and a third time. By the fourth, it was more about the both of them screwing up. "No no no! Where did that chemistry go?!" Angelica shouted as Gwen sucked in a few short breaths. Didn't this lady know there was nothing left between them. What they may have seen the other week was all Jason and her had left to say, nothing more. They were done. "Take a 10." She muttered to the two of them, storming out of the room with Henry on her heels.

Gwen pressed up against the glass with her back, watching as the woman left before sliding to the ground to sit. Her wide brown eyes looked to Jason, "She's pleasant."
with: Jason Pyroclast

 

[Fletchawk]

Owen Yu
​

The atmosphere of The Lomax was almost completely different from when Owen was there last week. The original Rocker vibe could be felt at the bar area, but it went well with the soul music filling the air. Owen found it noise enjoyable, and watching people dance was fun, although his busted ribs kept him from participating. However, Bailey and Farrid's company certainly kept him dwelling on it too much.

"Sorry, BB. I mean, if they were after you specifically, I'd tell you. But I haven't overheard anything about the shooting, and even if did, I can't risk narcing on clients. Not when this is the least they can do." he said gesturing to still healing face. Leaning back into the circular booth they all shared, Owen flashed the couple an uneven smirk now that the business was finished.

Owen knew going back to East Harlem probably wasn't going to be pretty, especially given what Danny had shared. Despite giving a rather vivid description of the man that led the goons, he still got himself a second serving of a knuckle sandwich. Although they mostly avoided bodyshots, he was still in fairly rough shape when they finished their punishment. He ended up crashing on bench for the night before being able to carry himself home, where Bailey was looking for him. This would be how he would meet Farrid, who Bailey called in to have him patched up.

Owen grabbed the matches provided by the club. Pulling out the cigarette that he'd stashed behind his ear, he struck a match, and lit it. After taking a couple quick puffs to make sure it was lit, he lightly flicked the spent match into ashtray. After a moment of enjoying the music onstage, he reminded himself to thank Farrid again for patching him.

"By the way, thanks again for keeping me pretty. Should be able to start hitting on the ladies soon enough," he joked, tracing the large scab above his eye with his pinky, "I owe you, so let me know if I can help you out with anything." After pausing to sip his drink, and to take another drag, he pointed out how much closer Bailey was to Farrid despite sitting in between the man and himself, "So how long have you've been together?"

Pilgrim59 [BB-8] Inb4Cloaker [Smells of Banana Oil]

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

It wasn't long before the first guard came back out of the house, who emitted a sharp whistle to get his partner's attention, and motioned to let Ryan pass. As Ryan walked by him, the guard told him to head to the kitchen. When Ryan asked where that was, the guard merely waved him off while lighting another cigarette.

The house reminded him of the one in Dublin, as it was decorated with Sinead's distinct flair, and the sound of children echoed throughout it. Fortunately, due to its smaller size, finding the kitchen was relatively easy. Of course, Ryan did his best to soothe his nerves before entering by taking a deep breath.

Seeing her trademark smile made him mirror it as he leaned forward to accept her hug with a single arm. Even though Peter wasn't nearly as friendly, Ryan gave him the same smile before returning Sinead's greeting, "I know, it's certainly been a long while." Ryan returned his gaze back to Peter, "You look..." he paused as examined the man, "...healthier. At the very least, you two seem to have been keeping busy," gesturing to children's chatter from further in the house.

"I'm doing fine, and before you ask, Ma is as well, 'though she's been getting very forgetful lately. Sue stayed behind to keep an eye on her..." Ryan drifted off for a moment as he pondered what she was doing at the moment. 'Likely preparing dinner, or playing cards with Ma,' he thought to himself before realizing what he was doing, "Now that's a very long story, one I can't share today, at least not if I want to make it over to the prison in time to see Conor. But I'll be in the city for a while." Although he'd had completely given up his feelings for Sinead long ago, he still cared for her on platonic level. So he felt guilty for not being forthright with her, and tried to reverse the flow of the conversation.

"How about you two? How are the kids? I'd imagine you wouldn't let them wander too far from home, Sinny."

Misty Gray [Mother Hen] Bellz [Petey]
Others: Melanin-Gxdess [Leo]

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor snorted when the lawyer played off how dismal the prison was. "Well, I mean... It does have an on-site gym going for it," he remarked. He raised a curious eyebrow as Mitchel brought his attention to the two cups of coffee. "I'll take the one with the milk. I'm a growing lad." As he joked, he flexed his right bicep, pointing out the silliness of his comment being that a big, muscular man like him had done more than enough growing for one person already. For a moment, a big playful grin was visible. It was a smile that he'd always been known for but had been a rare feature over the last couple of years. Instead, there was a darker and more serious look about him now. The punishments he'd endured in prison were partly to blame, as was the breakdown of his marriage. In addition to those, having too much time to think over the last few years had dragged up the tortures he'd suffered in the past. The face of Vinnie Romano, a man 22 years dead, once again plagued his thoughts. So now, being offered a small luxury in the form of coffee was amplified into a greater gift than others would give it credit for. He took the sachets of sugar and wasted no time in tipping the contents into his coffee. A feeling of lethargy had been taking over him as he'd been trying to stay in his own company over the last few days, so he hoped the coffee would give him some much needed energy. "Thanks. I appreciate it," he told Mitchel, before bringing the cup to his mouth to take a sip of the warm drink.

The talk turned to business; Conor hung on the lawyer's words as the man mentioned there being positive news to report. Upon being told the date for the parole hearing being set, the prisoner's eyes widened at the prospect. He was sure it would be coming in the next few weeks, having heard Dr. Parker suggest as much. Yet, to hear it was official suddenly brought a reality to it all. A lump formed in his throat as Mitchell pushed the papers towards him. Conor hesitated before looking down to the papers then sliding them a little closer to himself. His reading glasses had managed to go missing a few weeks ago and like anything else, the prison staff were in to rush to prioritise arranging a replacement. Conor focused in on the words and soon realised the date was only five days away. "Bollocks. That's soon..." he muttered before awkwardly biting on his bottom lip. It wasn't that he was unhappy with the news, it was simply the shock of it being only a few days away. He was ready to stand before the parole board and beyond desperate for his release, but he hated the possibility of having his parole rejected again.

"Five more days? Yeah, piece of cake." There was a slight apprehension beneath the usually overly confident man's words. Perhaps it was exhaustion. "Trust me, mate. I am trying. Sometimes I wish they'd just lock me in the cell all day so I don't have to keep my cool. It's mad. The guards, the dickheads, and even my mates all want me to fuck up. But, five days... Yeah. I can do five more," he said, decisively nodding his head.

The mention of him getting back to his wife and Leo caused Conor to sadly frown. "Yeah..." he trailed off. He took another drink of his coffee before placing it back down on the table and staring into the remaining contents for a short time. He then looked the lawyer in the eyes again as he addressed him. "The board do know I'm going to be living with my sister and Pete, don't they? I know I can't go back to live above the pub, as you and the Doc said it wouldn't be considered a stable living environment. But Ali won't have me back. Sinny and Pete offered. Theirs is a structured home environment; providing stability and all that." Conor folded his arms and sat back. "Obviously, I can assure the parole board that I'm still on good terms with Ali and we'll be working on getting back together, as a family. Deep down, I'm not sure she'll have me back now." Realising he was losing the momentum and the encouragement Mitchel had given him, the big man sat up straight again. "Dr. Parker mentioned I'd have to keep going to his sessions during the probation period, if I am released. Is that true or does he just have the hots for me?" he remarked. If it was true, he'd make sure to show willingness if it was brought up during his hearing.

RayPurchase (Mitchel)
Mentions: Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana, Leo) Bellz (Pete)

 

[Misty Gray]

Savannah Callahan​

Savannah noticed the way Danny was smiling and she couldn't help but mirror it with a prolonged grin of her own. He repeated her name and mentioned that he wouldn't forgot it. She lightly nodded her head, having had people comment on her name in the past. Those who knew her mother knew the woman liked to sprinkle some sparkle and beauty around her, which had even extended to naming her children. Savannah liked the names she'd been given, including the surname she'd received when Peter agreed to adopt her. He had always been the father in her life and she was proud to carry his name. Her thoughts had caused her to stare off ahead for a moment, until she recovered and her subtle smile turned a little bashful.

Danny seemed interested when she told him about the show she was performing in. When he spoke up, his words for the tale of Oliver Twist were reassuringly enthusiastic and she was thankful it seemed to be one he was favourable towards. "Well, maybe you should bring your parents to see a show here. Not that I'm trying to sell you tickets for my show," she told him.

Savannah had been home-schooled until she was 11 and she'd always yearned to go to school. When Sinead finally agreed to it, Savannah was excited. Looking back, her own feelings about school were mixed. The education and eventual friends she made were things she would never wish away. However, her introduction to school hadn't been a kind one. Her introversion and innocent imagination had made her an easy target for bullies. Despite growing up with dangerous and powerful relatives, she hadn't been prepared to deal with the social pressures of fitting in with her peers. In the end, her family taught her to defend herself and her popularity soon increased, even if she had continued to be more interested in learning than socialising.

"So what kind of performers are you're parents?" she asked, his comment evoking curiosity from her. Soon enough, Danny's reaction to her playing Nancy caused Savannah's cheeks to rapidly turned a deep shade of red as she couldn't help but blush. "I'm... Um. Thank you," she softly replied, trying not to milk his compliment.

She listened as Danny voiced his surprise about her being in the performing arts, crediting her family's reputation as to why. She nodded her head when he pointed out she'd found a different career path to follow. Whilst it wasn't a new concept for people to question it, she still found herself struggling to get the words out that would form her response to his comments. The young man soon spoke up again and invited her to walk with him, asking where she was headed. "Sure, let's walk," she agreed, a bright smile returning to her face. "I'm actually heading home. I live in Lenox Hill, though. It take nearly an hour to walk back - are you sure you're up for that?" she asked. Most of the time she would arrange a lift home from one of her family's drivers or get public transport, but some days she just wanted the freedom to enjoy the city from the outside of a vehicle.

As they walked, Savannah decided to go back to Danny's earlier comments. "You'd be surprised about my family, Danny. Business is important, but they're all so close and so caring. It's never been a path that interested me, just as it never had for my mum. She owns her own jazz club, but she's a performer too. She sings and plays the piano. It's because of her that I'm in the theatre now; she taught music to me and I think I inherited the rest," she fondly told him. "You know. I have a sort-of-aunt who works in theatre too. She's another artist in the family." Despite her conscious detachment from the family's business, she still felt the strong desire to defend them and their name to others.

Savannah looked to Danny and curiously observed him for a time. "What about you? I've already told you lots about me. What do you and your family get up to?"

Pyroclast (Danny)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aliana Cartwright

After the visit with Conor, Ali needed a break. Her heart hurt, her mind hurt, and at the present moment so did her body. She had done some working out to clear her mind and to take out a lot of the pent up anger she had. Instead of a healthy workout, she pushed her body until it couldn't go anymore in the past few days. Eventually, she knew she would have to take a break and her helping with the charity event was going to be it. But now, she would have to help by limping around and making achey muscle faces, pretending to be okay. Leo was out with Sinead, who she hadn't revealed her findings to yet. Aliana wanted to be sure that she would be able to keep her emotions in check in case Sinead felt bad for letting her go see Conor. That was something she wasn't going to allow Sinead to feel, especially when Ali had been so dead set on doing it, to begin with. Seana, taking advantage of not having to watch her grandson, was out shopping and taking her own little spa day.

At the moment, she was out with James, Lucy, Syd, Dante, and someone she didn't have the pleasure of meeting before. She was sure there would be plenty of time for her to chat once they finished deciding on where they wanted to hold the event. With so many other things that happened whilst Ali and Leo were visiting Conor, it became apparent to her how alert they all needed to be. That was why Dante was along and why there was so much more going into security lately. Ali's arms were crossed once they began walking through the hotel where the event may be held, she was nibbling on her thumb in thought. For once it wasn't about what was going to happen with her and Conor, but more like what their decor would be. Yes, this charity event was right up her alley in terms of a distraction. In her head, she was already picturing the different things they could do and she applauded the way Roxie was presenting it to their group.

Eventually, they made their way upstairs where everyone would speak their own opinions and such. "It's quite lovely, you guys." She said, still slightly entranced by the place altogether. She'd never been to the plaza, always too busy to visit but now she had a reason. Ali chastised herself for never taking the time to even visit the place before this and made a mental note to come by more often, even if to just escape her own home. Hearing Syd's comment about his cancer sticks made her chuckle. "Say it'll be very hard so Syd can take a break from smoking." She playfully pats him on his back before shaking her head before looking at Lucy. "You have your husband to blame for this habit, you know." She teased before winking at her.

​

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau ​

Roxie knew she should keep things professional but it was hard with Syd. She felt herself slipping and if she didn't catch herself, she was gonna do something she would regret, Roxie was sure of it. Syd made a comment, about inviting her to another one of his families parties. It surprised her but she didn't say anything and continued to say nothing on the matter as Syd made eyes with Ricardo. "This holds as many as 500 guests for seated events and 1000 guests for cocktails." She offered an answer to his question, watching as he looked around the massive space. Roxie wondered what the man was thinking, if it was anything other than business, she was dying to know. He was surprisingly harder to read, at least when he was sober, which was frustrating to her.

Her thoughts were pulled away from her attention as Syd spoke up again, this time about smoking areas. That was always the tricky part about these types of events, there was always going to be the guests who needed more accommodation. As she was happy to provide it, there was going to be things that had to be worked around. Seeing as there was no chance these specific clients would be without their own security, she would ensure that they would get what they needed. "As far as smoking goes, unfortunately there aren't any balconies within the building. But! In the past, we've arranged it so that all of our guests feel safe. I'm sure Ricardo can fill you in on those measures taken.." Roxie's eyes moved to the door as one of the servers from the kitchen was walking towards the group...

Lucy looked to Ali as she teased James and laughed lightly, "I really do have him to blame, now that I've kicked that nasty habit." Luce looked to James fondly for a moment, smiling sweetly all the while.

00:1:20:00​

Noting the small samples, Roxie was relieved to see everything in place. Her eyes gravitated over to a box that was sitting on the servers tray and a look of confusion took over her features. The server smiled regardless and made his way over to the woman.

"This came in for our guests, on behalf of the charity, Ms. Carriveau" He spoke, a broken accent made it a bit hard to understand, but Roxie got the point.

00:00:40​

Regardless, the woman smiled and nodded her head before taking the box. "This would be for you then!" She gestured to Mr. and Mrs. Porter, giving the box a once over before gently handing it to them.

Lucy took a moment to glance at James before taking the box from Roxie. It felt light, almost like nothing was in it. Giving it a slight shake, her brows furrowed, "There doesn't seem to be anything..." Her words trailed off to read the tag, He who has no charity deserves no mercy. -warm regards. The blonde was confused by the message but her heart began to thud in her chest, "James, I-"

00:00:01​

Before another word could be said, an explosion erupted from above so loud that it made Roxie's ears ring, the whole building shaking, feeling as though it was about to tip over on its side at any second. The brunette stumbled on her feet at the jolts and fell onto the floor with a hard smack. Debris rained down from the beautiful granite ceiling, causing a smaller piece to hit her in the head. The woman was knocked back over and she saw stars as she tried to scramble to her feet.

Lucy looked up as the ceiling began to crack and debris started to fall. "Move!" The blonde shouted to her husband and Dante as one of the chandeliers snapped from the ceiling and began to fall. Shoving the men as hard as she could, she fell forward with the chandelier collapsed on the ground, sending shards of crystal and glass flying. Lucy screamed out and moved her arms to cover her face from the glass as she laid sprawled out on the floor.

Ricardo and the other server shouted out as they stumbled on the moving floor, Ricardo was already shouting for the other guards to secure the area. "We need to get you out of here." He told the group as bits of fiery ceiling continued to rain down, cuts and a forming bruise covered his own face as he moved his arm up to swipe at it. The smoke was heavy in the room and the fireball above was barely visible under it all.
with: James Misty Gray ; Dante shadowz1995 ; Syd Pyroclast ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[shadowz1995]

Everything had proceeded normally and Dante had fully expected James and Syd to agree with him on the security terms. Also as expected, it was the ladies of the group that seemed far more enamored with decor rather than the practicality. Almost as enamored as Syd seemed to be.

Oh how many of his past targets committed that same fatal error.

How many came to regret it in the end.

The hitman maintained a healthy sense of suspicion and caution over this Roxy woman and her apparent associate that approached dressed in all black. Much like Dante was himself.

Chances were there was no reason to be suspicious of either of them but that was also the reason Dante got paid everytime he worked. He was suspicious of everyone except the man who gave his orders. As the night club incident showed, anyone that James Porter has marked for death, shall die. It wasn't his place to question who or why.

Even if it was the woman who hung so sweetly by his side. Her blood would kiss the earth just as easily as her lips kissed his cheek.

No one was aware of that, of course. Probably not even James himself though the assassin imagined he probably had an idea. The mob boss was smarter than he let on. It was just a matter of faith, he supposed. He maybe had faith that Dante wouldn't do such things if asked.

Having faith in an angel of death to not deliver death.

When the "gift" arrived, Dante's entire body language shifted. A hand snaked towards James's shoulder and he gripped it tightly. He leaned into whisper with a healthy amount of venomous caution, "Sir.... who else knows we are here? Well enough to send a gift."

The very moment Lucy shook the box and Dante heard nothing within, the hitman's eyes shot over to Roxy and that one known as Ricardo. He reached into his suit jacket and managed to grip the handle of his firearm before gates of hell opened with an ear-rupturing explosion.

Everything was falling apart around them in a very literal fashion and a metallic snap caused him to look upwards at the chandelier. The hitman was already moving out of the way by the time Lucy's hands found his shoulder and his own grabbed James's collar and yanked him out of the way.

The Roman hit the ground with a roll and popped up with his gun in hand already. Some falling debris very nearly landed his partner in security today, Aliana, and Dante was able to shout a warning before turning his sights, both eyes and iron, on the people that brought them here.

Even disoriented, at this distance Dante would not miss. It was only the look of shock and fear on the faces that stayed his trigger finger from pulling that extra centimeter that would have spelled the end for them both.

Ricardo shouted his brilliant idea of needing to get out of here and that caused Dante to train his sights specifically on him now. He aim was directed towards center mass and the Roman shouted over the smoke and fire, "Then get moving! If you take us down a route I don't like, you and your colleague are both dying here!"

Amidst the panic, it was obvious Dante was not experiencing the same fear. His eyes werent filled with terror but rather cold observation. He was taking everything in and making dozens of decisions. One of which was the ever so difficult decision to not pull the trigger. The hitman had already committed the route here to memory and if this man dressed in black deviated from that route, he would put two in his head and the tour guide's and cut his losses. No one would miss them that he cared about.

@alldapeopleindabigboomroom

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

As the conversation on security continued, Syd voiced that the suggested measures seemed ideal. When he directed the attention to his parents and Dante, to ask for their concerns, James didn't respond, his expression showing he wasn't finished assessing the venue. Soon enough, Lucy voiced her love for the place before once again directing the final say to James and Dante. Deciding not to keep quiet, James cleared his throat. "I'm satisfied, so far, but I would like to see more to make sure we're not missing anything," he told all who were listening.

Talk turned towards arrangements for the guests who smoked, with James himself interested as he was a smoker too. "Hey now..." he lightly protested as the blame for Syd's smoking was directed at himself. "How about we just hand over a tip and you let us smoke inside," he remarked. Given how spectacular the ballroom was, he figured smoking inside would be completely out of the question, but he was still going to joke about it. Ricardo had been about to offer his two cents on the smoking arrangements but attention was soon directed elsewhere.

A box was handed to Roxie who proceeded to offer the gift to the Porter couple. Lucy took the box and pointed out how light it seemed. James furrowed his eyebrows as he read the words on the tag. "What the fuck..." he gruffly mumbled. He was about to take the box but heard Lucy begin to speak at the same time as Dante gripped his shoulder whilst questioning who else knew they were at the hotel. "I think we--"

James hadn't had any time to process the message and the sinister vibes it was sending him. Instead, the building was rocked as a loud explosion erupted from the floor above. As debris began to fall from the ceiling, James tore his eyes away from Roxie's direction as his thoughts instantly turned to the safety of Lucy and Syd. Before he could shield Lucy from chunks of falling ceiling, his wife instead shouted for him to move and shoved him to one side. With Dante grabbing his collar and pulling him away, the boss was safely out of the way of the falling chandelier. The effects of being pushed and pulled by two people had caused James to lose his balance, landing on his hands and knees. Both his physical fitness and the adrenaline meant James sprang bang onto his feet straight away.

Having seen the chandelier smash onto the ground, he also saw Lucy fall over close to it. With Dante able to check Aliana was okay, James rushed to Lucy, crouching down by her side. He noticed the cuts to her face and arms, caused by the broken glass from the chandelier. He wanted to tend to her wounds there and then, but the more pressing matter was getting her safely out of the dangerous building. His jaw tightened in anger at the thought of his wife being injured by what was clearly an act against them. "Luce, you okay?" he asked, looking her in the eyes. "Come on. We need to get out of here," he quickly added. He reached his hands out to help his wife to her feet so they could get out of the building, and fast. As he stood up, James looked around to seek out Syd. His eyes landed on Roxie for a time and all that raced through his mind was that she would have a lot of explaining to do. It had been her idea to come to the hotel, after all.

With Dante ordering Ricardo to lead them safely out of the building, through the appropriate route, James put his arm around Lucy to make sure she was able to keep up. With his free hand, he reached inside his jacket and removed his handgun from its holster. "Syd!" he shouted to his son. "Quick, mate. Let's get out of here... Both of you," he said, pointing at Roxie. "I don't want her out of our sight," he firmly ordered.

Bellz (Lucy, Roxie) shadowz1995 (Dante) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) Pyroclast (Syd)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

As soon as Syd raised the issue of accommodating the attendees' smoking habits, Aliana jumped to tease him about his own, which his mother then added to. Although it was an issue he considered important for such an event, it still embarrassed him slightly to have one of his vices exposed to the woman he was trying to impress. He looked to the floor with a sheepish smile as Ali patted him on the back - he remembered quite clearly the events that had prompted him to take up smoking, and, as far as he was concerned, his father had played no part in it. Still, he didn't defend him, only looking to Roxie and nodding to accept her response.

Syd scaled the room once again, picturing the 500 seated guests. That kind of capacity would enable them to host events larger than usual, which would be great for business as long as security regulations were adhered to properly. The larger the crowd, the easier it could be for someone uninvited to slip through. Syd glanced over to his parents and smiled at them, feeling hopeful about the venue.

Naturally, his attention soon fell back to Roxie, and his eyes followed hers to one of the staff approaching them with a small gift box on a tray. On behalf of the charity? His curiosity developed into suspicion as the box was brought over to his parents and a ball of anxiety began to form in the pit of his stomach. As far as he knew, nobody knew that they were there besides the rest of the mob and the hotel staff. They weren't expecting a delivery of any kind. The puzzled look on his mother's face worried him further and he took a step towards them. Before he could vocalise his concern, however, a thunderous explosion sounded from above. The room shook from impact and Syd ducked to the floor, covering his head with his arms. After experiencing so many attacks in the past, he had to come to always anticipate threat. This wasn't supposed to be a dangerous outing, but neither had his first job, and that had seen several people get killed. Tommy, an old friend and valued member of the mob, had also died after a peaceful sit down turned into a shootout. There was nothing he let himself be too surprised about anymore - no matter how peaceful or easy it was supposed to be, it was never worth letting your guard down. Whatever caused this explosion, it was natural for him to assume that they were under attack; the priority now was to get everyone out and to a safe location.

The first thing he saw was Roxie fall hard onto the floor; without hesitation, Syd jumped into action and ran over to help her, the ringing in his ears throbbing with every step. A terrific crack soon followed, along with the jarring clatter of crystal as the grand chandelier swung precariously on its chain. Syd gazed up at it in horror; the ceiling was beginning to give way and a piece of debris fell directly onto Roxie's head, knocking her down to the floor again. Syd hooked his arm around her and helped her to her feet. "It's okay, you're alright," he assured her, but of course he couldn't know for certain - he just wanted to comfort and help her. More of the ceiling began to rain down on them, bringing flames down into the room with it, followed by plumes of thick, black smoke. His eyes darted to his parents just in time to watch them both narrowly escape the chandelier as it came crashing to the ground. Lucy collapsed with a scream and his heart jumped. "Dad!" he called out, though James instantly moved to help his mother. He lifted her to her feet and shouted back to him to get out of there, ordering him not to let Roxie out of their sight. Syd frowned at his accusatory tone of voice, but there wasn't time to address it. More heavy debris was falling through and the room was filling with smoke; the longer they stayed in there, the less chance they had of getting out alive.

He followed Ricardo, Dante and Aliana through the exit that seemed the safest, holding up Roxie with one arm and moving up his free hand to lightly cover her mouth to protect her from smoke inhalation. She had suffered a hard blow to the head and he hadn't had time to assess how badly it had affected her yet, so for now he could only do his best to help her avoid further injury. Once they had escaped the worst of the smoke, Syd moved his hand to retrieve his gun - his biggest priority was supporting Roxie and making sure she kept up with him, but he also had to be aware that the enemy may be in disguise and waiting for them at the exit. He needed to be ready for anything.

Interactions
Bellz Roxie, Lucy, Ricardo
Misty Gray James
shadowz1995 Dante
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aliana Cartwright

Hearing everyone agree on the space made Ali nod her head. It looked like this would definitely be where they were going to have their little soiree in a few weeks time. As long as they covered all of their security details, she was sure it would all go off without a hitch. She glanced over to Dante who, as always, stood rigid and looked oh so serious. She knew the reasonings behind it, of course, but no one knew about them coming here to plan out the event. Ali put her arm on Dante's shoulder, leaning against him as support. Granted their was a significant height difference, meaning she had to stretch her arm out more, but that wasn't the point. The point was getting him to stop looking so pouty all the time. Before she teased him, she had to finish teasing Syd. Looking at Lucy, she returned her smile then turned her attention to Syd. "I'm sure you boys can just step out for a while. The clean up dealing with the smoke is probably very costly.." She stated before removing her arm from Dante's shoulder and clapping her hands together. "Well then! Let's get to planning, planning huh?! This is exciting." She said, although it was more so because she was ready to distract herself again from her own life.

When a server came by with a box Aliana thought it to be very peculiar. A gift for the Porter's? Here and now? Something like that definitely could've just been delivered to the house and been dealt with at a later time. She felt funny though, watching Lucy pick that box up and read the tag. The look on her friend's face said more than words could ever express. "Lu-" she started before she heard the noise. It was defeaning and awful, something she could never wish upon anyone. Aliana was disoriented by the blast, hearing Dante's muffled scream at her to move. She did her best to move her legs, her muscles still aching. Something was dripping into her eyes, something warm and gooey. She wiped her hand across it and looked before seeing the blood. Glancing around her, she heard the muffled voices again screaming and shouting. She couldn't make out much, but she was able to assess the chandelier about to crush them all. With the adrenaline going through her body she was able to quickly move out of the way, but not before shards of glass exploded around her. A piece landed in her shoulder, but at the moment she didn't feel any of it. All she knew was they needed to get the hell out.

Still disoriented, Ali looked around for her friends to make sure they were okay and to see where they were. "Guys..." She tried to speak, but it was hoarse. The dust and debris made her cough as she found someone's shoulder to hold onto, that someone being Dante. She held onto him for support and to try and get him to guide her. The blood dripping into her eyes was obscuring her vision. To say she was terrified would be an understatement as she had never truly been in a situation such as this. Usually she was getting shot at but she was also shooting or she’d be at home while this happened to other people. In that moment she wished Conor was there to protect her, but he wasn’t. It was sure to add to some of her hatred and disdain that was growing for her husband but for now she was focused on getting out alive. Leo only had one parent at the moment and she wasn’t going to leave him.​

 

[RayPurchase]

Mitchell Van Gerwen

​

Mitch offers Conor a grin. I mean the grin sort of hid his own fears, he was hoping for a slightly more positive and watertight response to asking him to stay out of trouble for just another 5 days. But if Mitch didn’t show confidence in his own client, then Conor stood no chance of making it through the next 5 days without incident.


“You’ll do it Conor, you’ve made absolute strides recently, and I’m not just saying that. I mean what’s 5 days, it will absolutely breeze by, mark my words,”


He took a long sip of coffee as Conor spoke. It wasn’t the greatest coffee he’d had, probably not even the top half, but right now it was doing its job, getting his brain cells sparking, and his neurons firing. He shuffled a couple of papers round and nodded his head, selecting the necessary form.


“That’s correct, your living details have already been submitted as part of the docket for the parole board to consider, living arrangements are up there, Pete and Sinny are a good choice, play quite nicely into our hands here, stable family, no black marks against them, and given the fact they’re close family the board will look highly on that. Only other thing we need to finalise are your working arrangements, we’ll want to make sure that all your hours at the pub are properly taken down and sent over to your parole officer, but we can look into that more after the hearing…”


He turned over another piece of paper, glancing back up at Conor as he spoke about Ali and his family. Mitch couldn’t imagine the strain that must be placed on Conor or Ali, a family split apart like that, only able to see each other on either side of a table a handful of times a month if that much. It would be tough for any one, he’d seen it before, and this wasn’t likely to be the last time he’d see a family torn apart by such a thing. He sighed removing his glasses and rubbing at his eyes.


“Give it time. I’m not marriage counsellor, and I’m not therapist, but I’ve seen similar situations countless other families have found themselves in. This here is the first step to rebuilding, we get you out of here, and you’re a free man. Free to start making the right decisions, once which will get you and Ali together, or at the very least rebuild some of what you had before. It’ll be hard, no question at all, but these are first steps to a happy future, right here,”


He removed another piece of paper, clearing his throat and slipping his glasses back on. Got to keep his mood up. Conor may be right, and Ali could be gone forever, another couple left broken and mangled by the wayside. But right now he needed a goal, something to strive towards.


“Well I’m happy to say that you will be with Dr Maddox for whatever they deem the probation period to be. Submitted to the board is a, at this point, rough schedule of a session per week, with room for Dr Maddox to alter this depending on your progress. I don’t know if he’s got the hots for you, but it will be pretty easy for you to find out. But if you do end up sleeping with him, for the love of god keep it quiet, otherwise it means a ton of paperwork for me and it means me having to track down another less attractive therapist,”

(Interaction: Misty Gray Conor)

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor was glad to hear the Callahan home had been submitted as his suggested living arrangements. He fondly smiled as the lawyer spoke of them being a good choice and how their stability would work in his favour. Conor knew it wasn't strictly true. Even from prison he'd been made aware of the ongoing troubles between Sinead and Peter. However, he believed the couple would overcome their differences. They were both kind-hearted people trying to defeat their own personal demons. Conor knew how that felt. Even if he couldn't secure his own happiness, he'd be damned if he'd watch his little sister's marriage fall apart. "I'll be sure to make it up to them. I know that much."

There was then mention of his working arrangements and having to record his hours. This caused Conor to send Mitchell a curious look. "Does that mean no lock-ins at the Emerald, for me?" he asked. Though he grinned, there was a seriousness behind his eyes. He knew he had to make some changes, not just for his parole but to convince Aliana he wasn't going to mess up again. With Aliana checking in on his businesses and Rachel being left supervising the Emerald, he had to wonder how much of his favourite pub he would still recognise. "Who knows? Maybe I'll walk into that place to find the ladies have glammed it up and imposed actual closing times," he said, letting out a chuckle. He doubted the regulars would have Aliana or Rachel wrapped around their little fingers, so if the ladies had wanted to shut the pub at a reasonable hour, Conor was sure that's exactly what would have happened.

Conor couldn't help but laugh as Mitchell played along with his comment about Maddox being attracted to him. "Nah, I think we're safe on that front. Even if Ali wants rid of me, I won't be turning my attention to blokes. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm happy with the ladies." He couldn't help but think of his favourite cousin Finn who had fallen in love with another man over a decade ago. He hoped when he was finally released from prison that he could make contact with Finn and catch up on his life. He still felt bad for the way some of his family, especially Shannon, had reacted to Finn being gay. He hoped his cousin was happy now.

Conor finished off his coffee and sat in silence for a moment. He was content that he'd been told everything he needed to know and that there was enough down on paper to back up his parole. All he needed to do was stay out of trouble and not mess up when stood before the parole board wankers. Which reminded him to try not to swear in front of the suits. Not to let them get to him when they read out all of the mistakes he'd made in the past. Not to lose his cool and call one of them a "snooty prick" ...again.

Not in a hurry to be ushered back to his cell, Conor studied Mitchell for a moment before deciding to try talking to the man on a casual level. Their relationship so far had been all about legal stuff or Conor making snide remarks. As with Maddox, Conor had stopped making Mitchell's life difficult and was finding it much easier to cooperate. "How are things going for you, then? Hopefully the rest of my family and associates are causing you less stress than I am. Is everyone playing nice?" he asked. Given the nature of the family business, he imagined it wasn't an easy position for Mitchell be in on their payroll. Hell, Conor found James hard work and they were family. "Did you go to the big guy's birthday party?" he asked, clearly referring to James. "If he wasn't dancing by the end of the night, then that lot didn't get him pissed enough," he joked.


RayPurchase (Mitchell)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Peter didn't answer when Sinead confirmed that Ryan was at the house. Instead he just watched the letter in his hand closely for a moment, wondering if he should be worried about the fact that his own wife had been sending letters to another man. He tried to stay as cool as a cucumber, given the fact that Sinead seemed overjoyed by the news. He had barely noticed when she took ahold of his hand, only noticing when she gave it a gentle squeeze, which he returned just as gently. Now wasn't the time to be standoffish and he knew that, but he just couldn't shake the feeling he had around Ryan. It wasn't often that he got a bad feeling from people, but when he did, his gut was normally right.

Ryan made his entrance and Peter tried to put on the softest expression that he could, offering the man a light but hesitant smile as he stood by his wife. Allow the two to hug, Peter continued to watch on. Ryan smiled his way and Peter again tried to look just as friendly, "Healthier is something I always want to be, so thanks." He commented before saying, "Busy is an understatement." Peter decided to keep himself busy as Sinead and Ryan caught up, not wanting to annoy his wife with his stares.

Giving her a kiss to the forehead, Peter turned towards the sink and grabbed a few dirty dishes before setting them on the counter, clearing the sink to wash them. At the question of how the kids were doing, Peter decided to answer. "Ah you know how they are, they look older but still need their mom and pops. And of course, you know Sinead would never let them wander too far. As much as I tell her that they need to try and fend for themselves sometimes." He turned his head to give his wife a teasing smile and a small laugh. "Have you stopped by the Porters yet? I'm sure they would be just as happy to see you in town."
with: Ryan Fletchawk ; Sinny Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter/Roxie Carriveau​

Lucy hissed out in pain as her hands pressed against the broken glass on the floor but as she looked behind her, she could see that they all made the right decision by moving out of the way. She was furious as James reached her, asking if she was alright. "What the fuck just happened?!" She said a little too loudly due to her ears still ringing loudly from the explosion. "James?" She asked, letting him help her to her feet. Looking him over, she was relieved to see that he wasn't as injured as he normally would be. After a moment, she quickly turned to find Syd and Ali, noting that Ali was with Dante, Lucy's eyes found Syd and all she could do was stare daggers at the little bitch he was helping.

Lucy nodded firmly as James told both Roxie and Syd to start moving, adding that they didn't want the woman out of their sights. As far as Lucy was concerned, Roxie was guilty. How could she not be? Lucy's thoughts tangled together as they started walking towards the stairwell.

Roxie felt something warm oozing down the side of her face and she fluttered her eyes open. Her head felt like it was going to explode and as she struggled to take a deep breath, she found herself coughing from the amount of smoke in the room. Her mind couldn't even begin to think about what had just happened as someone began to lift her up off the ground. Letting whoever it was control her movements, she stumbled on her feet, hardly able to hear the comforting words being spoken to her. The woman tried hard to not lose it right then and there as she leaned against Syd's hard frame.

The woman's eyes widened as she watched the Porters narrowly escaped being smashed and before she could push herself off to even try to help them, James' was pointing at her accusingly. Did he think this was her fault?!?! The panic was beginning to set in her chest as she wondered what the hell the outcome would be of all this. Now she was hoping that she would succumb to her wounds, wanting to escape the wrath of one of the biggest and baddest mob leaders in the state.

Ricardo quickly lead the group through what appeared to be the safest exit, having to climb down 5 flights of stairs to get to the lobby. The stairwell was full of people, non-injured and injured alike. A hand moved over her mouth and at first, she tried to push it away in fear that she was about to be silenced for good. But the hand only lightly covered her mouth, seeming to want to protect her from breathing in the smoke. Roxie was dazed and confused at why Syd was making such an effort to help her as the crowd made its way down the stairwells.

The man in all black took the opportunity with the crowded stairwell and made himself disappear before the Porters could track him down, slipping through the 3rd floor door in the stairwell and disappearing down the hall. Roxie found herself looking for him with blurry eyes as they made it into the lobby, but didn't say anything to Syd as they made it out into the open air, where emergency vehicles were already waiting for them.

"Just set me down here." Roxie told Syd, seeing a bench near the front of the hotel. Once sat, the woman moved her head back and reached a hand out to feel her wound. The familiar warm and wet feeling of blood met her fingertips and she winced. Moving her wide eyes to stare up at Syd, Roxie bit her trembling lower lip, "I don't know what that was, but I swear I had no ide-" She was cut off by Lucy angrily walking towards her, wounds still bleeding horribly. "YOU! You think you can just set MY family up and get away with it?!" Her words were backed with deadly rage as she made a move to grab the woman by the collar of her dress.
with: James Misty Gray ; Syd Pyroclast
mentions: Dante shadowz1995 ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

When Ryan made his comment about her and Peter being busy, Sinead didn't initially catch his meaning as he gestured to the noise of the children in the other rooms. "Oh geez, you're right there! Peter and I are always so busy. It's seems to be non-stop these days..." The redhead trailed off as Peter spoke about it being an understatement. "No, I think meant..." she quietly began. She blushed a little as she realised Ryan may have actually being making a joke about all of the children around the house, not their hectic work and home lives!

"I'm glad to hear your mum is okay," she said, but her soft smile was a sad one as she thought about the woman having memory troubles. Sinead wondered if she was having problems of the same nature as Ryan mentioned the someone who was staying behind to look after her. "Sue, huh? You'll have to tell us more about this Sue," she playfully teased her friend. However, Ryan had made a point of it being a long story, seemingly one he wasn't going to share there and then. "Hmmm. Well, I'll squeeze the details out of you sooner or late," she assured him.

With mention of visiting Conor, she slowly nodded her head. "Oh yes, I'm sure he'd really appreciate that. Seeing you would cheer him up! Admittedly, I haven't visited him as much as I should have. The place is just so dreadful..." she said, sadly glancing to her husband as she thought of his suffering in prison. "And those security guys doing the searches. Very handsy!" she warned Ryan, turning her nose up. Deciding to quickly change the subject she focused on his words about staying in the city for a while. "Where are you staying?" she curiously asked. She knew she couldn't offer him a room, partly due to not wanting to step on Peter's toes. There was also the fact Conor was meant to be staying should he be released and the house wasn't as big as their one in Dublin had been.

Sinead listened as Peter answered Ryan about their kids, smiling as he pointed out they still needed their parents. Her husband then brought attention to her need to still have them close and to spoil them, which caused her to blush. "They'll always be our babies. I'd have given anything to have had both of my parents around, even when I was in my twenties," she said. Her thoughts turned to her own father and how even now she still missed him. She'd love to have him around, still wanting to make sure she was safe and happy. Her attention soon returned to the room and she listened as Peter asked Ryan if he'd been to the Porters yet. She nodded her head in agreement. Given the recent shooting, she figured James would appreciate an extra pair of trusted hands around the city.

Still dwelling on Ryan's earlier joke, Sinead decided to set him straight. "We still just have the three kids you know of, Ryan," she pointed out. Not that she wouldn't have jumped at the chance for more children. "Petey and I are just on babysitting duties tonight. We've got Thomas here," she said, knowing Ryan had seen the boy when he was just a baby. "Conor's boy, Leo, is here too. Gwen's daughter, Lorelei. And..." Sinead cleared her throat as she looked to the ground for a moment as she thought of the small blonde child. She looked to Peter for reassurance. She then turned back to Ryan. "Arlene's little girl, Olivia, is here too. She, um." Sinead checked to make sure no children were nearby to overhear. "Arlene is missing and it seems really serious. Lucy and James are looking after Olivia. It's not looking good, though."

Bellz (Peter) Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Misty Gray]

Maddox Parker​

Maddox couldn't help the smile that hung on his lips as he listened to Ani tell him she wasn't sure what she liked to drink. The part English in her accent was like music to his ears, being that he too carried an English accent with a hint of Irish blended in. Minus his stepfather's strict and commanding ways, hearing the familiar accent in Ani's voice brought a little nostalgia back to him of the good times he'd had growing up.

"Is this a test, Dr. Sarraf?" he teasingly asked as she put the choice of drinks in his own hands. Then, a decisive glint flashed in his eyes just in time for the waitress to come take their drinks orders. "We'll have a bottle of Malbec," he requested the red wine to accompany their meal. "And can we get two Brandy Alexanders?" he followed up with a cocktail order as his eyes quickly found the words on the page of the menu. When the waitress left again, Maddox couldn't help but grin as he lowered his voice to speak to Ani. "I have no idea what that cocktail is I just ordered. I figured I'd surprise the both of us," he admitted to her. As much as he'd gone for a formal setting for their date, he didn't want it to come across as too uptight. A little spontaneity was always welcomed in Maddox's life, especially considering how heavily controlled his work was.

The waitress then came to take the food order. Maddox let Ani order first before he made his request for the filet mignon steak.His attention was soon focused back on Ani, even when the orchestra had began playing the classical music. "Things have been great. I've made a couple of breakthroughs at work and I've taken on two new clients." He then grinned as he thought of his life outside of work. "I was pretty worse for wear on Monday morning, mind you. Sunday's celebrations went on much later than I'd intended to stay out for," he admitted, referring to the 4th July party he'd attended. "How about you, Ani? What have you been getting up to?" he curiously asked her.


Bellz (Ani)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Roxie leaned heavily against him, but it didn't slow Syd down. The surrounding chaos on the stairwell was dulled by the ringing in his ears, giving the scene a surreal touch as though he were out of body. Yet, the adrenaline kept him alert. The possibility of further danger was more pressing than any physical side effects he may be suffering, and so the aim of getting himself, his family and his associates out of the collapsing building provided a successful distraction. He just wanted to know that everyone was okay.

A crescendo of sirens filled the streets as fire engines, ambulances and police cars began to arrive on scene. Syd was nervous that their enemy could still be close by and, despite the presence of the authorities, the feeling only intensified when they made it outside. He wanted to get far away from the scene, but Roxie asked him to set her down on a nearby bench. It was clear she needed to sit down, so he complied, figuring it would give him a moment to gather everyone together and figure out the next step. Crouching beside her, Syd could see now that she was bleeding and grew concerned. "Roxie, I'm gonna get you to a hospital," he asserted, placing his hands on her arms to steady her. She looked to him with eyes wide, her bottom lip trembling as she began to defend herself. Syd shook his head immediately, not believing for a second that she was behind the attack.

Lucy had other ideas, however, and appeared behind him seconds later, spewing hateful accusations. Syd stood up to face her but was shocked when she reached for Roxie's collar and put himself between the two women. "Woah, hey, what the hell are you doing?! Don't touch her!" For all the noise around them, Syd had to raised his voice - but it was partly a natural reaction to witnessing an act of aggression towards somebody he was trying to look after. "Mam, sit down, calm down - are you hurt?" His tone changed to one of concern and he put a hand on her shoulder to set more of a distance between her and Roxie. Lucy was a tough woman, but Syd still couldn't bear to see her bleed. Anyone who hurt his mother would expect violent retaliation from him. Having been unable so far to check how badly his parents had been hurt in the blast, his intention had been to check in with them as soon as he knew Roxie was safe. The moment he had picked her up off the ground he had assumed some level of responsibility in making sure that she was okay, and, as much as he cared about the people he had come to the hotel with, it seemed immoral and unprofessional of him to leave Roxie to herself.

Lucy's aggression shocked him - it wasn't often he saw this side of her, much less that he found himself in disagreement with her. Coupled with his father's pointing of the finger, Syd felt compelled to speak up in Roxie's defence. "Can we all just take a step back? Please? Roxie's hurt, she might be concussed," he argued, doing his best to keep his mother at a distance from the woman. "And what the hell makes you think this was her fault, anyway? She was in the room same as us when the explosion happened, in just as much danger. Did you not see how happy she was to be showing us this place? She obviously didn't know she was about to get hurt." It embarrassed him a little to be admitting how closely he had been paying attention to her, but his determination to defend her overrode his pride.

Trust was a difficult thing to earn in this business. Having been a member of the mob since the age of 18, Syd was wiser by now than to assume anyone's innocence. But he didn't want to believe that Roxie was working against them. He had kept a close eye on her ever since their arrival at the hotel, watching her facial expressions and the way she was acting around him. Nothing had stood out to him that raised his suspicions, and although he understood his parents' reluctance to assume her innocence, it seemed unfair of them to blame her before considering any other possibility. As concerned as he was for his mother, her aggressive accusations were making it difficult for him to give her injuries the attention he knew they demanded. Instead, he tore his eyes from her and crouched down beside Roxie again. Head injuries were often unpredictable - if she had a concussion, he knew it shouldn't be overlooked, and thought that talking to her might help her to overcome the shock and encourage her to stay conscious. "Look at me. I'm not going to leave you." He spoke softly to her, keeping his gaze steady as he looked into her deep, blue eyes. "Don't worry about them, I'll deal with it. How's your head? If you feel sick or anything, tell me." As far as Syd was concerned, his parents were being unfair. He didn't want to have this argument in front of Roxie - for now, he cared more about making sure she was safe.

Interactions
Bellz Roxie, Lucy
Misty Gray James
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana
shadowz1995 Dante

 

[Pyroclast]

Jason Costello

Though this wasn't the first time Jason had worked on a big musical production, he had never felt so apprehensive as he did for this one. Never having had a stable home and spending a total of seven years of his life behind bars, he thought he had never put roots down. The excitement of a new successful career had distracted him from the stress of moving to England to work on the West End so hadn't experienced much homesickness, but America was so much further from everything he had ever known. Despite his confidence, moving to New York left him feeling like a fish out of water. With no family he was willing to meet and no real friends, his new job on Broadway was all he had, and he wanted to throw all his energy and time into making sure his drastic choice to move overseas was worthwhile. He had been a vagabond for most of his adult life and if he didn't make it in New York, he wasn't sure what he would do with himself. The pressure to succeed was driving him forward, but it seemed there was lot holding him back. First of all, there was the issue of working alongside Gwen, which had already proven to be difficult after their shouting match the previous week. Now, it appeared their choreographer would be difficult to work with as well. He and Gwen had agreed not to bother each other off stage, but once the door to the dance studio had shut, leaving the two of them alone together, it suddenly seemed unnatural. Almost as though it were a ploy to give them a chance to work things out.

Jason wanted to smile at Gwen's sarcasm, her attitude reflecting his own. Angelica was working them hard and her patience was lacking, expecting them to pick up the moves without flaw. "If she took 10 minutes longer to go through the moves with us properly then she wouldn't need a 10 minute break to calm down," he muttered, dragging a hand across his face. Gwen had sat down on the floor, but Jason remained standing, wanting to keep a slight distance. He looked over to her; even though being around her was a constant reminder of the past, he was beginning to distinguish the woman before him from his memories of the woman he had once known. She had changed, of course she had. And so had he, in some ways. Furthermore, he was working on separating her from the character she was playing. Even though he still found it difficult to be comfortable around her, each incremental step helped to reform his perspective of the woman. Of course, he had to force it a bit in order to work alongside her without inciting an argument. There was a lot he wished to say to her, but at least when he wasn't riled up he knew better than to provoke her while they were at work.

Holding Gwen closely against him as they danced had stirred up so much unexpected emotion inside him that it had surprised him to hear Angelica claim that she couldn't detect their chemistry. Perhaps he was doing too good a job of deflecting his true feelings, like a defence mechanism to shut down any desire. As much as he had tried to ignore it, he had certainly felt a spark. The thought of having to pay attention to it in order for it to show through in his character was daunting, but he knew if he wanted this job he would have to do it anyway. Jason was slowly pacing the room, going over the dance routine in his head so that when Angelica and Henry returned he could focus on his mind rather than his footwork.

After a minute or so, he sat back against the mirror-lined wall, resting his arms on his knees. Finally, he let himself turn his attention to Gwen. They couldn't sit in silence for a full 10 minutes. Jason gave a small sigh, glancing to his hands before looking back over to her. "Gwen, I, uh..." he began. A feeling of awkwardness overcame him, cutting him off. Given how rapidly their last conversation had turned into a fight, Jason wanted to be very careful of his choice of words this time. "I know we said we'd keep to ourselves off stage, to avoid...you know. But thinkin' about it now, it might actually make things harder for us. I mean, for the sake of the show - we're supposed to be workin' together. That takes more than choreographed footwork, it takes...communication. I'm gonna need t'know where you are wit' all of this, from start to finish." He spoke slowly and hesitantly, struggling to maintain eye contact. "I don't mean we need to start hangin' out altogether, but if we can just...be honest? I know things are tricky between us, but Angelica thinks we don't have chemistry." As much as he didn't want to say it aloud, Jason knew that that was the last thing the two were lacking, and he was sure that Gwen felt the same way. "So, uh," he continued, clearing his throat before settling his gaze on her. "If ye have somethin' to say t'me, I'll...I'll listen."

Interactions
Bellz Gwen