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

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

As soon as he mentioned his change of medication, both Sinead and Lucy were quick to question the safety of it. "It was his idea," he clarified, referring to his counsellor. Syd settled against the backrest of his chair and exhaled, raising a hand to keep his head steady. "Parker's been my counsellor for years now - if he thought it was dangerous then he wouldn't have changed my prescription." Something about his weary tone of voice could have been perceived as irritable, but he couldn't help it. In this state, he just wanted to say what had to be said so that he could go home and sleep.

Beneath the table, Syd's leg had begun to bounce up and down again, barely able to control the anxiety that came from confessing his feelings to his mother. Using the cuff of his jacket, he wiped the tear from his cheek, but another soon spilled over and he turned away in embarrassment, biting the inside of his lip to conceal its trembling. Only when he felt a hand slide over his did he will himself to look back; Lucy's kind eyes immediately latched onto his, a tender smile on her face. Sinead's answer to his question resonated strongly with him; being isolated from his family in any way always made him feel weak and disconnected, like part of his identity was out of action. He needed security in his family life in order to feel strong. To hear from her, and then Lucy, that repairing the damage in their relationship was what they wanted brought him great relief.

Syd turned his hand over to accept Lucy's and held onto it firmly as though afraid of letting her go. Exhaling a deep sigh, his gaze dropped, the lids of his eyes sagging from the combined fatigue and the weight of the conversation. "Well...you'll just have to trust me to make the right choices without you, then." In his already sensitive state, he couldn't help but take slight offense at his mother's insinuation that he would only succeed in life if she was there to make choices for him. But he didn't have the emotional energy to start an argument. The idea of having her back in his life was too important to him to risk now.

It surprised him to hear her talk about Roxie, and even more so to hear her admit that she was beginning to change her opinion of the young woman. The spark of hope her words ignited in him caused him to look up at her with wide eyes. He nodded, however, when she told him that Roxie was still going to be investigated for security measures. By now he had accepted that as protocol, and didn't take it as a reflection of her as a person. His mother's comment about him someday understanding the devotion that a parent would show their child hit a nerve with him, however, and his gaze immediately fell to the floor again. One of the most common of his despairing thoughts was the idea that he would end up never having children; even with the steps he had taken with Roxie, he had little confidence that she wouldn't eventually give up on him and leave him on his own again. But he didn't want to think about that, now, so he simply nodded in Lucy's direction and squeezed her hand. "I love you t-"

The meeting was brought to an immediate halt when a black Chevrolet panel truck collided with the back of Lucy's Mustang, propelling it forward until it bumped into a line of parked cars. "What the f-" Syd stumbled out of his chair in alarm, but before he could do anything the back door of the truck flung open and three masked figures dressed all in black stormed out. Syd only just had time to see Sinead get punched in the side of the head before a heavy hand struck him in the chest, shoving him forcefully into the café's exterior wall, then onto the ground.

Grunting in shock and pain, he rolled over and scrambled to his feet. The man swung at his head, but he caught his arm and threw a punch his way. His attacker was quicker than him, however, and managed to dodge the worst of it. He used Syd's arm to haul him in closer, hitching an arm around his waist to keep him trapped. Syd brought his fist up to hit him in the face, but not before the man managed to steal the gun from his waistband. He did his best to fend off his attacker but in his state he was just too weak to win. A solid punch to the ribs and a kick to the back of the legs brought him back down to his knees, and soon he was being dragged by his collar over to the back of the vehicle, unable to get free. Fingernails scraped across his scalp as his attacker grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed his forehead against the side of the truck. The force of it caused him to lose focus for a moment and it was only when the door of the truck slammed shut that he understood that it was too late to escape. "Mam...Sinead...are you -"

"I said, don't fuckin' speak." A harsh kick to the shoulder caused him to fall on his face again - but when he tried to push himself up, he found that his hands had been tied behind his back. Knowing that the situation was for now out of his control, all he could do until they arrived at their destination was fight the temptation to fall unconscious, and keep his eyes fixed on his mother and his aunt.


Interactions
Misty Gray Sinead
Bellz Lucy

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan and Ethan Turner​

As she observed her sister and nephew speaking to each other, Sinead couldn't help but smile to herself. She felt her heart flutter at the touching moment and was about the tell the pair she was pleased to see them patching things up. That was until everyone's attention was snapped away by the loud sound of a panel truck crashing into Lucy's Mustang. "Oh shoot! Your car!" Sinead exclaimed as she quickly stood up from her seat. Before she could say or do anything more, she felt a heavy fist collide with the side of her head. This caused her to hunch over. She nearly fell to her knees whilst clutching at her head, but her fall was broken when she was instead harshly grabbed by one of the masked men and dragged towards the Chevrolet truck. "Luce! Syd!" she screamed as her heels dragged along the ground. She was violently pushed against the vehicle and her hands then tied behind her back. As much as she wanted to try fight the man off and give him a piece of her mind, she knew she couldn't win. Having seen what happened the previous week, she knew not to test their attackers and hoped if she complied then she, Lucy and Syd would be freed as Savannah had been.

When Syd started to ask if she was okay, Sinead opened her mouth to speak but seeing one of their abductors kick her nephew, she instead let out a small whimper. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she looks to Lucy to see if her big sister was okay. As the driver of the Chevrolet set off, Sinead realised they couldn't see where they were being taken, with the only windows at the front of the vehicle being mostly obscured, though letting in enough light to allow those in the back see each other. She bit her bottom lip and quickly shook her head as she quietly tried to keep herself calm.

******​

The drive felt like an eternity to Sinead as she was forced to sit in silence despite having so much she wanted to say. She wanted to be closer to Lucy and Syd, to feel some kind of comfort and reassurance. It never came and the vehicle eventually stopped at the destination. One at a time they were dragged by two of the men into the building and down to the dimly lit basement. First, Syd was taken, where his hands and feet were tied to a chair, whilst a gun aimed at his head at the whole time to ensure he didn't try anything stupid. Next was Lucy, before Sinead - the one they deemed to weakest - was finally taken to the basement. The three of them were all sat tied to a chair each with Syd and Sinead alongside each other whilst Lucy was positioned to face them both.

The masked men soon stepped out of view, allowing Alistair, Ethan and Ammon to take over the situation. Ethan took a moment to circle the three Porters, studying their faces as he did. He briefly stopped in front of Sinead and pulled a twisted smirk as he watched the redhead trembling; trying her hardest to keep her crying quiet. He eventually found his final position, standing behind Syd's chair. He placed a firm hand on the younger man's shoulder and crouched down so his mouth was level with his ear. Despite the proximity, he still spoke at a normal volume. "So, this is James Porter's heir?" he spoke up. He then stood up straight again, letting out a short chuckle as he directed his attention towards Lucy and Alistair. "Do you remember the last blonde we had down here?" he asked Alistair. "Arlene was a trip, alright."

Ethan folded his arms and glanced to his boss. Even if Lucy didn't recall the familiarity of her present situation, he was sure Alistair would cast her mind back to that night over two decades ago. James and Conor had been the ones present that time, but she was now instead with Syd and Sinead.

Pyroclast (Syd, Alistair) Bellz (Lucy, Ammon)

 

[Misty Gray]

Maddox Parker
​

Once he'd picked Ani up, Maddox drove back to his place. Once parked up in his usual spot outside his apartment building, Maddox turned of the engine and stepped out of the car. He rushed to the passenger door to help Ani out and close it behind her. With his vehicle locked, he walked by Ani's side and into the apartment building. They headed to the elevator, where Maddox pushed the button for the 4th floor where his studio apartment was located. "By next year, I intend to have moved into a house. I want a garden, driveway and no need for elevators," he told her, flashing a smile. As much as he liked his apartment, he did find something awfully impersonal about the whole building. It lacked heart.

On the cue of the pinging sound, the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, allowing the couple to step out. Maddox motioned to the right so they could walked down the corridor to his apartment. "Mine is the third door--" Maddox fell silent as he noticed the two strong-looking suited men standing at either side of his apartment door. He stopped in his tracks and held his hand out in front of Ani to tell her to halt as well. He was about to put himself between Ani and the two strangers when he heard more footsteps approaching from between. Maddox quickly turned around to see three more suited men approaching. It was the footsteps belonging to the man in the centre that seemed to stand out the most. Despite him being flanked by the two armed men and there being no physical reason for him to have a louder presence, there was simply something more commanding and intimidating about the man's aura. They continued to approach and Maddox placed his hand on Ani's lower back, hoping to reassure her. "Mr. Moretti..." Maddox began, his heart by now racing in his chest as the powerful man approached. Gabriel Moretti was the surviving brother of Francesco. "Gabriel. I---" The counsellor couldn't help but stumble over his words. Normally so calm and confident in the Italian's presence, he knew it was because of Ani that he suddenly felt nervous. There was a whole part of his life that he had hoped to keep away from Ani. She was too kind and gentle to be dragged into it. No doubt too good to understand his deep darkness.

"Dr. Parker. You've been busy. I was starting to think I'd need to book a therapy session to catch up with you," the man's deep voice boomed in its strong Italian accent. "We have much to discuss."

"Gabriel, this is Ani--" Maddox began. He'd hoped highlighting the woman's presence would signal to Gabriel that it wasn't a good time for their unplanned meeting.

"You don't need to tell me who she is, Maddox," Gabriel interrupted, shaking his head ever so slightly as a crooked smirk grew on his lips. "Dr. Sarraf and I are already acquainted." The man motioned his hand towards Maddox's door. "I do not wish to conduct business standing on the corridor. Let us go inside." To those unfamiliar with Gabriel, it would have sounded like a suggestion. Maddox was aware it was an instruction he had to follow. As such, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He had many thoughts going through his head, one being his confusion as to how Ani knew Mr. Moretti. The more pressing being how he could possibly explain himself to the woman he cared for without her running a mile.

Gabriel stepped into the apartment, silently handing his overcoat to one of the two men flanking him so they could hang it up for him. He then walked towards the rectangular dining table and pulled out a seat for himself. He motioned for Maddox and Ani to sit next to each other, opposite him, as he too sat down. The two men guarding the outside of the door remained there, whilst the two who had been flanking Gabriel stood a few feet from the table, awaiting any instructions from their boss. Moretti saw the bottle of wine on the table and four glasses neatly set out. "May I?" he asked the counsellor, before having one of his bodyguards open the bottle and pour Moretti, Maddox and Ani a glass each. Gabriel took his filled glass and brought it to his lips, taking a slow drink from it whilst making no secret of the fact he was staring Maddox and Ani down. By the time he placed the glass down on the dining table, there was a unsettling smile fixed firmly on his mouth. "I didn't have either of you down as the type to mix business with pleasure," he finally let them in on what he was thinking.

Maddox turned to Ani and studied the woman's face, wondering if she was as confused as he was. He then looked back to Moretti, making sure to maintain eye-contact with the Mafia Boss. "With all due respect, Gabriel. I hadn't realised I was. How do you know Ani?"

"Hmm," Gabriel mumbled, studying the counsellor before deciding the man was being honest with him. He then looked to Ani and sent her an inviting smile that was contradicted by his intimidating gaze. "Ani, you do the honours. Tell Maddox how you and I know each other."




Bellz (Ani)
Mentions/Affects: Bellz Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess @Fletchawk @Inb4Cloaker RayPurchase @Fluffykitty9000 Bugsy @Enzyme

 

[RayPurchase]

Mitchell Van Gerwen

​

Mitch slipped a grin on as he entered. It may not have been completely natural, but what with the hum of easy conversation, the smoke stained décor and even the pair of thickset bouncers on the door it eased some of the tension that Mitch has been carrying over the past few days, the sense of safety and security that he had been lacking in his apartment. At the end of the day this was prime Porter territory, if he wasn’t safe here… He shook his head, now that was a line of thought which did not require further exploration. He spread his arms in greeting as Conor looked up from his stack of papers.

“How the tables have turned, I mean you’d need about another 15 folders I reckon to catch up with the amount of reading I had to do for you. But it’s nice to see you behind the stack of papers this time either way. And don’t you worry, I’ll try not to lower the tone too much or start any fights,”

He gave him a pat on the shoulder before continuing towards the bar. He was a good guy, that was for sure, and right now Mitch felt like he could do with being around some friendly faces, he'd have to have a proper catch up with him soon, see how the family situation was going and make sure that the sessions with Maddox were progressing nicely, no room for any slip ups with all the hard work that had been done so far. Speaking of friendly faces his smile widened a little as took a seat at the bar opposite Rachel, fixing the collar of his jacket as he did.

“Well thank god I got my dates right, almost walked out of apartment wearing my best tuxedo. Mind you don’t let me stop you from getting all dressed up. I mean it may make some of the work a bit difficult, but I’m sure you’re up for the challenge?”

He let out a quiet chuckle, it sounded somewhat forced, but he was determined that he was going to enjoy tonight. If the last few days were anything to go by he needed this more than ever. He just had to lose himself in the moment, a few drinks would certainly help, especially in a more public environment like this, drinking scotch alone in his office wasn't exactly helping to fix his frame of mind. He adjusted himself on the seat. And stroked at his chin.

“That mind reading capability of yours is getting better and better Rachel, a few drinks is just what I need. Go on, dealer’s choice for the first one, I’ll leave myself in your professional hands for an alcoholic odyssey around the bar,”

(Interaction: Misty Gray Conor, Rachel)

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Ammon Sarraf ​

It was hard to say the right thing with Syd these days, given his mood swings and almost erratic behavior it was getting even harder to have a conversation with him. Lucy couldn't help but feel a little discouraged at his answers but she had to keep the smile on her face. She needed her son back. Syd was just about to return her affection when she saw from the corner of her eye, a car slamming into her beautiful cherry red Mustang. Standing up immediately, she was alarmed when 3 masked figures rushed out of the offending vehicle. Lucy sprung back as one of the men reached for her and before he could grab her, she had the coffee pot in her hand. Unable to see the man's face, she only heard a chilling laugh before she flung the pot of hot coffee at him. It was still burning hot and the man screamed and cursed before springing forward once more and this time successfully grabbing Lucy by the neck.

Gasping for air, she was subdued into the man's grasp before they were all loaded into the car like a bunch of worthless cargo. Once in the car, Lucy reached for her throat and sucked in as much air as she could, feeling a bruised lump in the back of her throat, she wanted to scream but could only whimper as they drove away.

-----------

"Are they fuckin' here yet?"[/b] Ammon growled out as he played with one of the many knives he had laid out on a table in the basement. Poking the tip of his index finger ever so slightly, he watched as the small wound began to bleed, after looking at it for another moment he recited, "Blood in my mouth, I touch the wetness to my lips. The taste..." He carefully placed his finger in his mouth a moment before releasing it, "The taste reminds me, 'All is not lost!' it screams to me. 'Remember me-'" He was cut off by the sound of people entering the room and he almost screamed with excitement.

"Oh goodie, our guests have finally arrived."

Lucy struggled as she was pulled out of the car, giving the kidnappers a run for their money as she clocked one of them right in the jaw. She was pretty sure she heard something pop in her hand, but the adrenaline outweighed the pain in that moment. When she was tied to the chair facing Syd and Sinead, a wave of unwanted nostalgia hit her right where she didn't want it to. Her face was already pale but by now she was sure there would be no color left as she looked to the offenders before her.

"Fuck you!" Lucy snarled out in anger as Ethan mentioned Arlene. She twisted her wrists around in the restraints, causing the skin underneath to burn painfully. Tears welled in her eyes as the situation was getting a little to familiar for her and this time, James wasn't around to make everything better. This time, it wasn't him taking the brunt of it all.

"You touch a single fucking hair on their heads and I will make sure you never even existed!" She growled out in frustration. Looking to Syd and Sinead, Lucy's blue eyes stared them down, hoping to give them some reassurance. "Its going to be oka-" Ammon's laughter interrupted her and the woman turned her head sharply to look at the man.

"Let me guess, you are going to tell them everything is okay? Well pretty lady, I hate to break it to you..." He paused a second for dramatic affect.

"Actually, I love breaking it to people. Its not going to be okay. But we will have some fun today, yes?" Ammon looked to Ethan and Alistair for reassurance on that fact, that he would be having some fun with their new guests.
with: Pyroclast Misty Gray

 

[Pyroclast]

Danny Vaughan

Danny was somewhat surprised to hear that Savannah didn't miss anything about Ireland. His own educational career had been a bit of a mess; he had been a bright student, yet much of what he learned in school conflicted with the lessons his family taught him and ultimately he felt much more inspired by their hands-on approach. While his family had been trying to protect him from mundane teaching methods and questionable subject matter, he wondered if Savannah's homeschooling had something to do with her family being in the mob, that perhaps they were trying to protect her from something much darker. "Well I guess it's easier to leave your old life behind when there's nothing left for you there," he reasoned. "You're in New York City, now. Plenty of better friends to be made here! And I doubt you'd have trouble where that's concerned." With her natural charm and grace and her sweet personality, Danny couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to be friends with Savannah. It was even hard not to smile when he spoke to her.

It was clear before she even asked him for a distraction that she needed one. With Bailey's murder, the shooting at the theatre and the kidnapping, it seemed that most recent conversation that Danny had been involved in had been negative. It was refreshing to talk about something lighter for once. "What do I do for fun?" he echoed, a small smirk appearing on his face as he wondered what the hell he could get away with telling her. "You can find fun in anything if you try hard enough. Obviously there's no shortage of parties and clubs round here, so I kinda get drawn into those a lot -" he gestured around the nightclub they were currently sitting in to emphasise his point. "- but I also love a good movie, watching people I like perform on stage, heading out into the woods..." An uncontrollable smile had begun to grow on Danny's face, partly due to his light confession of liking her and also from his uncertainty of where to stop. But she had asked for a distraction, so after a second of deliberation he bit the bullet and withdrew the joint from his pocket. "Thing is, no matter what you're doing, you can always make it more interesting with one of these."

Glancing down as he spun it carefully between his fingers, he looked back up to Savannah to gauge her reaction. Despite her ties to the mob, Danny had her down as being a straight-edge type. Of course, he knew little about her beliefs and interests at this point, but going by the way she spoke she did come across as rather innocent to him. He only hoped she wouldn't be too put off now. Telling her the minimum of his drug habits was just a test - if she reacted badly, he doubted he would be able to tell her how he really made his living. "If you need a distraction, you're welcome to come for a smoke with me. I swear, all the bad stuff on your mind will disappear in minutes."

Interactions
Misty Gray Savannah

 

[Misty Gray]

Warren Taylor​

Warren thanked Keegan for the drink and didn't hesitate to take a mouthful from the tumbler. He studied the man as he took a little time to answer his question about those in the hospital. He was told some of the nurses had needed encouragement and Warren slowly nodded. "As long as everyone's getting out of there," he reasoned. He figured there could be some resentment among the hospital staff if they knew anything about the patients they were treating. Would they look upon mobsters as less deserving of their care than the innocent civilians caught up in the chaos?

"I'm alright," Warren replied. "Just kicking myself thinking over how things could've been done differently. I know James isn't pissed at me directly - if he was, I really would know about it. Still, I'd understand if he was." Warren quickly looked over his shoulder to glance Savannah's way as she sat a good distance from him. He knew she didn't want him babysitting, but he couldn't help but do a quick check. She was talking to Danny and seemed comfortable in his presence. Considering the younger man was employed by Syd, he felt no reason to think twice about them being together. If anything, it could only be a positive thing.

Warren turned back to Keegan as the man spoke of getting those responsible for the attack. "Oh, I'm counting on it. My brother's looking into tracking those responsible now. I suspect we'll all be involved in this, judging by the number of guys they were able to get to attack the theatre."

The Sullivan side of the family tree was still something Warren had to think about at times, but it didn't escape his attention that Keegan had lost a brother to the Morettis. He was aware that the man was a cousin of Liam and Arlene. Although Arlene was adopted by Jack Sullivan as a child, he figured that her recent murder would have still had some impact on Keegan's side of the family. "I'm sorry about Arlene," he told him. "James has been trying to get some pressure put on the cops over in Connecticut so we can go ahead with her funeral," he informed him. With investigations going nowhere, the cops weren't rushing to release the woman's body in case they could somehow find further evidence.


Bugsy (Keegan)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter
~ Alistair Sawyer ~

There were only a few seconds between the truck stopping and the back door being wrenched open. Parked in an empty, underground lot, Syd hadn't the first clue where he was when two of the men scooped him up off the floor and dragged him out of the truck. He didn't bother saying anything - with a gun pointed at his head and his hands tied, he knew it was pointless to try. Already feeling rough, he lacked the energy to come up with a way to negotiate and so he complied with their instructions, allowing himself to be guided into a windowless room and bound to a chair.

It relieved him to see his mother be brought to the same room. Although he was worried for what was going to happen - his eye had already caught sight of the array of knives on the table on his way in - he preferred to know where she was. They were soon joined by Sinead, who was visibly trembling. Syd looked between her and his mother, trying to communicate with his eyes. He wanted to assure them that they would somehow be able to work together to get out alive. Despite all of the losses he had encountered in the past, the idea of losing either of them was unfathomable to him.

"Some privacy, please." Alistair politely dismissed the faceless men who had brought the three into his basement. He himself was not concerned with concealing his identity at all, having anticipated the day he would get to formally introduce himself to the Irish Mob for a long time now. Ever since they had been brought in, he had stood silently in the corner of the room, his eyes fixed on them like a predator sizing up its prey. Ethan was the first to make any movement, the echo of his footsteps interrupting the soft whimpering of the red-haired woman as he slowly paced between the three hostages. He placed a firm hand on Syd's shoulder, clarifying that he was James Porter's eldest son and heir, and Alistair raised an eyebrow as the young man tensed under his touch. He was shivering, white as a sheet, showing signs of weakness that Alistair hadn't expected. "Apparently," he replied, the judgement and doubt in his tone showing how unimpressed he was. At mention of Arlene, Alistair couldn't help but glance to Lucy. "Oh, Arlene...she was a funny one. Certainly put up a fight. I'll never forget her last words..." He smiled at the blonde woman, noticing the resemblances between the two.

Lucy was furious - it wasn't often that Syd heard his mother swear, but it didn't shock him in the slightest. As she struggled in her restraints and hurtled threats at the men in the room, he observed her distress manifesting in a very different way to Sinead's, who sat quietly crying in fear. It was always hard to watch either of them cry and so Syd looked down, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. The vehemence of her stare quickly lifted his gaze again, however, and she began to assure him and Sinead that everything was going to be okay. But she was interrupted by the third man's laughter, who began teasing and lightly threatening the three of them.

"Oh yes, there's plenty of fun to be had here," Alistair assured the man, slowly advancing towards the group. "Because we're going to be playing a little game." His eyes flickered over to Lucy and he advanced towards her, circling her chair until he stood right behind it. His fingers lightly graced the back of her neck as he loosened her hair, allowing it to fall neatly down her back. "Don't worry, Lucy - you've played this one before," he teased, keeping his eyes locked on Syd and Sinead. "As for your son and your sister...I'm sure they'll get the hang of it soon enough."

After giving her shoulders a tight squeeze, Alistair moved away to a position from which he was able to look at all three of them. He let out a short breath and smiled, delighted to finally have the chance to exert control over some of James' loved ones. "I hope you're ready," he told them. "You're about to find out just how much you really mean to each other."

Syd watched as the man in front of him retrieved a pair of black gloves from his pocket and put them on. The leather creaked as he curled and stretched his fingers and Syd felt heart begin to pound. His eyes moved to his mother and he stared solemnly at her, desperate to know what it was he should be expecting. As a child he had always been curious about his parents' scars, asking questions about where they got them from, what happened to them in the past. But as he thought back, none of the stories they had told him made this scene sound familiar at all. He didn't understand what was about to happen, nor why they had been kidnapped, and it didn't sound like the three men had the patience to explain it to them. Whatever it was that lay ahead, they all looked ready to begin.

"Ethan, Ammon, if you'd each like to choose a knife," Alistair calmly commanded, gesturing to the table on which the blades were neatly spread. His attention once again returned to Lucy. "So, my dear. You know the rules. Take your first pick - or we will do it for you..."

Interactions
Misty Gray Ethan, Sinead
Bellz Ammon, Lucy

 

[Misty Gray]

Rachel Harris​

Rachel nodded her head as the lawyer asked her to decide on his first drink. "Well, I think we should start off simple. A pint of Guinness, coming right up!" she enthusiastically told him. She took a clean glass and began pulling the man's pint. Her eyes shifted to Conor for a moment as the man continued to look over his paperwork. She was excited that he was going to let her loose with freshening the place up. The guy had always been very precious of the place, which was why her ideas weren't to drastically change the aesthetics of the pub. There were enough fancy cocktail bars and sparkly clubs around, which was why The Emerald Pub needed to keep it's charm and identity.

The woman focused back on what she was doing and soon handed the filled pint glass to Mitch. "There you go," she told him. She didn't make any secret of the fact that she'd looked to Conor again. There was something different about him and she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. She couldn't even decide if it was good or bad. Folding her arms on the bar, she looked back to Mitch and cocked her head in Conor's direction. "So, what's your story, Mitch?" she lightly asked.

Rachel couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle at herself. "Sorry, that sounded almost like you were about to be placed under investigation," she admitted, her cheeks reddening slightly. "What I meant to say was that a lawyer drinking in this place is rare enough, but for that same lawyer to be receiving free drinks from Conor Sullivan, it's nothing sure of a miracle. The Conor I know hates cops, lawyers, and general authority figures. You must have something special about you to have got him to even sit in a room with you for long enough to work on his parole, nevermind to actually succeed."

Once again, that fleeting reminder of her brother entered Rachel's head. As always, it was soon pushed to the back of her mind. As terrible as she felt for thinking it, her life was easier with Noah in prison where she didn't have to feel responsible for his actions.

RayPurchase (Mitch)

 

[Misty Gray]

Savannah Callahan​

Savannah's attention was focused on Danny as she hung onto his words while he answered her question about what he did for fun. She pulled a curious expression as her asking had evoked a smirk from the young man. He mentioned the parties, to which she nodded in agreement. She'd been to her fair share of parties, even if most have them had felt like a chore as the atmospheres were often stuffy or she felt under pressure to act as confident as her friends were. Danny then mentioned how he liked movies and Savannah couldn't help but let out an enthused gasp. "Yes. I love movies!" she agreed with him. It then registered with her that he'd also mentioned he spent time watching people he "liked" perform on stage. She couldn't hide the smile from her face, but the fact she was unsure if he regarded her as a friend or if he liked her in more ways meant she was too afraid to ask for clarification. The last thing she wanted to do what make a fool of herself in front of him.

Savannah watched as Danny reached into his pocket and retrieved the small white stick, which he then brought into view. When he told her how the joint could make things more interesting, she let out a small yet uncertain laugh in response to his comment. It wasn't that she was oblivious to drugs and getting high, but it was simply something she'd never had need nor interest to entertain before now. She was certainly tempted by Danny's offer for her to smoke with him to help distract her from all of the horrible things that were on her mind. Still, she hesitated. She could imagine in that moment how her parents would react if they found out. Her mother was bad enough about people smoking cigarettes! The fact she was even considering what her family would think was an irritation. Most of her family were criminals who had done far worse than get high on drugs. Her father had been in prison twice; Braden was always out causing trouble with his gang of friends; and Emery was desperate to join their uncle's business. On the grand scheme of things, Savannah felt what she was considering doing wasn't wrong at all. It wasn't something that would hurt anyone.

"Oh, I haven't smoked... well, I haven't smoked anything before," she admitted, laughing to try hide her embarrassment. She then sat up straight and pulled herself together. "I would love a distraction from it all. To let my mind relax for even just a little while," she told him, her words now laced with certainty. She looked around the club before leaning in closer to Danny. "Is there somewhere out back we can go?" she asked him. She was an adult and free to do as she wished, but she knew that was often easier said than done with her family's guards never far enough away. "You're going to have to tell me what I'm doing. I haven't done this before," she ordered him, though her voice and features remained soft. She didn't intend to sound bossy, she just didn't want to be judged like her exes had done when they told her she was "boring". She wanted to try something new and she liked Danny, so she hoped he wouldn't see her shyness as her not wanting to smoke with him.


Pyroclast (Danny)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan
Rebel Holt ​

Peter had been shaken up by the whole kidnapping once it was all said and done. Even though Savannah was home safe again, he still felt on edge. He had opted to ask for increased security at both the house and Savannah's apartment complex. Savvy had returned home the night before and he didn't want either place having a weak point of entry. Having been called to meet with James at his apartment, Peter found his way inside easily but not with being checked out by every guard on the way up. Once inside the apartment, Peter moved into the lounge where all three were sat around the coffee table. Nodding his head once, Peter quickly moved to sit in the lone seat in the corner. As James reached into his pocket, Peter leaned forward with curiosity as he was handed a small size photo with a man who looked very familiar to him.

Rebel who was sat on the couch, leaned forward as well, chin raised slightly as she stared down towards the photo in question. Her eyes then looked up slightly as she watched Peter, looking for any sign of recognition. Peter's eyes squinted angrily as he nodded his head. "That's him all right." he said gruffly and Rebel looked to James as he spoke about who the man actually was. Luke Holland, what a name... sounds like some mushy teeny bop TV show name. Gross.

"Looks like a woman..."Rebel added in with a dark chuckle. Aliana jumped in and suggested they snatch him up and Rebel smiled widely. "I like this chick." She pointed at her repeatedly. "That's exactly what we should do. Cuz so far I ain't got nothin' boss. Seems almost like a ghost to me."

Peter was silent for a moment as he thought about what he had been looking into recently. "I've been looking for my own type of leads...and unfortunately I haven't found much as of yet. If he's in Harlem it might be difficult to find them. That area isn't know for being the safest place to go...do we really want to go in and 'snatch' him? I'm not sure how us trespassing into other gang territory would bode well.." The blonde man was all for getting this little worm and beating the shit out of him, but he didn't want to cause more damage to the family and he would avoid it if possible.
with: James Misty Gray ; Aliana Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James observed Peter as the man focused on the photograph before confirming it was the same man who had been involved in Savannah's abduction. When Rebel added her remark about Luke Holland looking like a woman, James briefly smirked before his face fell flat again. Aliana suggested they went and grabbed the bloke as he'd done with Savannah, to which Rebel clearly agreed. In his current mindset, it was a damn tempting idea. They had a lead and they needed to figure out the best way to use it, possibly before the man in question learned they were on to him.

Peter then spoke up and reasoned that Harlem wasn't the safest place to dive into head first. "Fair point, Pete," he simply spoke up. He fell silent for a time as he looked to the photograph again. He eventually tossed it down onto the table and sat back in his seat. "We know who he is and we know where he works. I'm inclined to have tabs on the prick until we know what we're dealing with. He works at a hotel. That's a pretty public place and easy enough for us to get some of our lesser known employees out on the field - ones they wouldn't expect or recognise.... Unless anyone's got a better ideas?"

Melanin-Gxdess Bellz

 

[Bellz]

Ani Sarraf ​

Ani was picked up by Maddox in the evening time so that they could drive back to his place for dinner. The dark haired woman was rather excited about this date as it was a lot more personal than the rest. Once parked, Ani undid her seatbelt and was about to open the door when Maddox met her on the passenger side and opened it for her. Headed inside of the apartment building, they made it to the elevator. Inside, Maddox revealed that he intended on moving into a house by next year, with a garden and a driveway...which sounded absolutely lovely to Ani. "Sounds perfect, Maddox." She commented with a smile of her own. The elevator rung out as the doors opened to the 4th floor. With eyes on Maddox, Ani nodded her head as he told her it was the 3rd door, but never finished his sentence...which caused the woman to turn to look at the door.

Her eyes widened at the two burly looking men standing on either side of his door. Ani was going to continue walking but she ran into Maddox's hand which was held out in front of her. Ani looked to Maddox before she also heard footsteps from behind them. Turning her head, she saw a man she was not expecting to see and really hadn't saw for some time. A hand was placed on her lower back and Ani found herself looking to Maddox once more, wondering how the hell he knew Gabriel.

From his expression, Ani could tell that Maddox was nervous. Why was he that way in the presence of Gabriel...how did he know him? Ani felt floored, her own heart was beginning to race, not at the unexpected company though. Numbly, Ani followed Maddox and Gabriel to the apartment door and swallowed hard. Maddox suddenly tried to introduce her to Gabriel but the man clarified that they had already been acquainted with one another. This caused Ani's eyes to go wide as she stepped inside the apartment after the men.

The dark haired woman bit her lip and moved to take a seat as Gabriel motioned, not wanting to dig herself into a deeper hole now that the cat was out of the bag. What is he going to think of me now? She questioned to herself. Now she didn't dare look at Maddox now as the wine was poured for the three of them. Gabriel's stare was going to turn Ani to stone if she didn't carefully avoid his eyes but the weight of his eyes was boring down into her soul.

He spoke and immediately Ani felt like a fool. Feeling Maddox's eyes on her, Ani couldn't return his glance as she stared forward at Gabriel. Mixing business with pleasure was something she definitely didn't do, not in the line of work she was in...especially not with the type of men involved...

She didn't know what to think about the man right next to her now...how was he involved in any of this? Her name was brought up and Gabriel wore an inviting smile on his face that didn't match his steel gaze. Swallowing hard once more, Ani cleared her throat. "I work for the East Harlem Gang...My brother and I are the..clean up crew...of sorts." Ani was unusually quiet but it was something she didn't want to have to say. Ani wasn't thrilled about her involvement in all of this darkness...but now that Maddox was somehow, her heart was conflicted.
with: Maddox + Gabriel Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan and Ethan Turner​

As Ethan spoke about Arlene, a lump formed in Sinead's throat. Her cousin had been murdered and now she realised she was in the same room as her killers. Not only did it deepen her mourning, but it did nothing to reduce her fear. Arlene hadn't got out of the place alive, so she could only worry she would meet the same cruel end. She tightly closed her eyes as she tried to block everything out. She tried to think of the best place she could be; at home with Peter and their kids, but it all failed as the voices around her were too much to ignore.

Sinead opened her eyes and looked to Lucy as the blonde growled in frustration. Her sister was about to reassure them, but was interrupted by another of their kidnappers, Ammon. The younger man told them it wasn't going to be okay, only making Sinead's stomach turn more. Ammon seemed eager to have "fun" and was asking who appeared to be his superiors for confirmation that he would get it. "This isn't fun," Sinead quietly spoke, though still loud enough be heard. "Go to a party or take a vacation. But leave us alone!" she spoke louder. Her usually sweet voice having a gravelly sound to it as she tried her hardest not to sound like such an easy target, to try evoke something reflecting courage.

Alistair had stepped into full view and confirmed Ammon would be having his fun. He then spoke of a game and mentioned Lucy was familiar with it. Sinead looked to Lucy, her eyes searching her sister's face to see if she had any idea what the men were referring to. Alistair had positioned himself behind Lucy and Sinead looked desperately to her sister, worried the man was going to hurt Lucy while she and Syd were forced to watch. "What are you talking about?" she cried at Alistair, unsure what her sister was supposed to have played before. She pulled her arms, trying to tug away from the rope binding her wrists together. She soon stopped, knowing attempts to struggle against the restraints would be in vain.

When Alistair told the other two men to choose a knife, Sinead gasped and once more tried to resist against the restraints. "No no no. Please, no!" she pleaded with them. Even the mere sight of blood was enough to panic her, let alone the thought of it being hers and her loved ones bleeding. She turned her head to see Ethan return to standing behind Syd, now holding a hunter's knife in his right hand. The blade appeared no more than 5 inches long, but terrified her nonetheless. Her trembling intensified as she felt sick seeing her nephew helplessly sat with some scary knife-wielding maniac standing over him. It almost distracted her from the fact she was in the same dire position as Syd, with some crazy man standing behind her too. That was, until Alistair told Lucy to pick between Sinead and Syd. "What? No, please don't do this. Just tell us what you want and we can ta--" Sinead argued, but found herself choking up on her last words. Everything around her was spinning and she knew she had to calm herself down. She took in a slow, deep breath, before blowing air back out as steadily as she could. She felt sick and frustrated that her anxiety was stopping her from trying to calm down. Her mother and nephew would be scared enough without her making things more upsetting.

Whilst holding the knife in his right hand, Ethan placed his left hand firmly on Syd's shoulder, giving it an overly firm squeeze. He tilted his head to look at Sinead and let out a small chuckle. "Hold on a second while I process this... She's the mother of the blonde our lads had the pleasure of entertaining last week." He used his knife to point in Sinead's direction and nodded his head with certainty. He then snapped his head forward to look to Lucy. "Ah, well this is too easy, right? Your sister was once screwing the bloke who murdered your father. She even had a bastard daughter with your old man's killer. If anyone deserves to be taught a lesson tonight, it's her!" he taunted Lucy.


Pyroclast (Syd, Alistair) Bellz (Lucy, Ammon)

 

[Misty Gray]

Gabriel Moretti and Maddox Parker​

Maddox didn't like the way Gabriel was staring him and Ani down. He didn't like how Ani and himself were being made to explain themselves in front of the man and his two nearby bodyguards. However, he was intelligent enough to know it would be easier to go along with the situation and do as Moretti wished. Maddox turned to Ani, making sure to keep his face soft and reassuring to help her speak after being put on the spot the way she was. The woman eventually spoke up and told him she was working for the East Harlem Gang, along with her brother. "Clean up crew?" Maddox quietly asked her. He looked back to Moretti before taking his glass and taking along drink of the wine that had been poured for him. Maddox was in relatively frequent contact with Alistair and Ethan of the East Harlem Gang. Although they were the only two he was in contact with, for the sake of protecting his identity, he knew exactly how that gang worked. A clean up crew was certainly something they always needed, he didn't doubt that. Maddox wanted to press Ani for further details so he could understand how someone seemingly as kind as she was would find herself associated with such dangerous people. He hoped they would get the chance to talk alone, as both Ani's quietness and Gabriel's overbearing presence made it feel inappropriate to ask in the present conditions.

Gabriel maintained a thin smile on his lips. His attention was briefly drawn to his two bodyguards as they stood at the back of the room looking altogether uncomfortable as they attempted to keep straight faces. The boss didn't have any doubts the atmosphere was an awkward one as the revelations brought on tension between Maddox and Ani; two apparent lovers. That aspect intentionally flew over Moretti's head. Business was his top priority and he'd long since stopped feeling embarrassed about what he considered trivial situations. What happened to the couple's love life once the meeting was over didn't concern him.

"Your turn, Dr. Parker," Gabriel announced.

Maddox tightened his jaw before turning his head to face Ani. "I guess I... Well, I work for Gabriel," he admitted. It hadn't been his original intention to work for anyone but if he was to take a fight to the Porters he knew he wouldn't have stood a chance on his own. One man against the mob? He'd have been dead the second they set eyes on him. "He and I have shared enemies," he told her, his soft tone turning more assured as his hatred for the Porters couldn't be denied.

"The Porters killed members of Maddox's family just like they wiped out almost of all mine," Gabriel elaborated. "Alistair's gang attack the mob on the street, to which your assistance is greatly appreciated, Ani. Meanwhile, Maddox provides us with intelligence on the Porters; valuable and personal information we could never have acquired without him. There are cracks within the family and the East Harlem Gang have been able to chip away at them from the outside." Moretti sat back and flashed them a rare, pleased smile. There was a sense of excitement behind the man's expression. "Everyone's hard work appears to be paying off and I'm confident I can now leave Miami," he informed them. He'd lived in Miami since his early twenties, instructed by his father to oversee business there. Whilst he'd made his family home in Miami, he'd never had much love for it. He'd always craved the city life and New York had always been in his sights. He would finish what his brother, Francesco, had started and rip the city away from the Irish Mob. "You're all going to be seeing much more of me now. I won't be leaving New York," he informed them.

Despite his concerns over his relationship with Ani, Maddox couldn't help but smile at the Italian's words. As intimidating as the man was, he was also powerful and capable of helping Maddox get the revenge he sought. If Moretti was confident enough to take residence in New York, then it could only mean the Porters' threat was significantly reduced. "Ani, can we talk about this after--" Maddox began, hoping she would let him try to explain himself. Once again, Moretti spoke over his attempts.

"I need you to keep doing what you've been doing, Maddox. Whilst you have many uses outside of your office, the information you're able to pull from the sessions of Syd Porter and Conor Sullivan continues to be of great use. I'm trusting you to decide when you've finished with Sullivan and he can be dealt with back in jail." Gabriel then fixed his eyes on Ani again. "You still work for Alistair, do you not?" he abruptly asked. "They're carrying out an important job as we speak. Were your services not requested or did you simply choose dinner over your duties?"


Bellz (Ani)

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Ammon Sarraf​

Lucy felt sick as she watched her sister and Syd. They didn't need to be dragged into any of this, they had nothing to do with this, at least in her head. Alistair moved closer to her and Lucy's eyes watched him until he stood behind her. She tensed up as she felt fingertips lightly graze the back of her neck, her hair falling to her back as he loosened it. Her heart was racing as she tried to piece together some sort of plan. The blonde tried to think of what her husband would do in this type of situation but just as it had been before there was really nothing to be done, only to let it happen...

When Alistair confirmed that they were going to be playing a game, Lucy shook her head harshly. This was all too familiar, she didn't want to be apart of their pain, not again. Alistair squeezed her shoulders tightly and Lucy was quick to try and shrug him off.

Ammon giggled gleefully before moving to grab the knife of his choice. A nice sharp butcher knife would do the trick for him. Practically skipping over to Sinead, he positioned himself behind her before moving his face closely to the side of hers. "Well hello pretty one...I'll be working my magic on you today, oh yes I will." He taunted before rising up and looking to Lucy.

All attention was on her as Alistair finally said what she was predicting him to say. Her eyes looked to the man with anger in her eyes and as the tears began to fall and cloud her eyes, for a moment...she thought she saw Vinnie in front of her. A gasp escaped her as her breathing became uneven, shaking her head, she tried to get the man's face to morph back into that of her current captor but all was lost. Lucy felt like she was going to faint and as she was asked to choose the woman shook her head again. "No, please....don't make me do this." She whimpered out desperately.

Ethan's words stung her heart and she shook her head once again. "I KILLED MY FATHER." She roared. "I was involved in the murder and it was my fault. She shouldn't be punished for that. I should!!"

Her wrists twisted against the restraints again and this time she let out a cry as it cut into her skin with a burning sensation. She rocked the chair as hard as she could, trying to distract them for at least a moment so that she could think. Alistair's face had returned once her tears had cleared and she sneered at the man, "I know what this is about. This is about my husband, and taking something from you. What is it that you want? I can give it to you. Anything. And if I can't..." Lucy looked to Syd and Sinead for a moment, taking in their faces, one was terribly frightened and the other was stoic much like his own father would be in the same situation.

"If I can't..." Lucy said hoarsely. "You can kill me, take me for ransom, whatever you need to do. But please...they aren't apart of this. " Ammon's giggle pierced the silence after her words and Ammon looked hungrily to Alistair. He hadn't been promised a kill in quite some time since Arlene.

"Now that is mighty temptin'." Ammon purred out as the tip of his knife slowly poked into Sinead's bare shoulder causing a small amount of blood to ooze from it. He licked his lips at the sight, bloodthirsty for more.
with: Syd + Alistair Pyroclast ; Sinead+ Ethan Misty Gray

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aliana Cartwright

Aliana couldn't help but chuckle at Rebel's comment. While she didn't know the woman, she did know she held her own during the mess at the theatre a week ago. She smirked and gave her a playful wink before tapping her fingers on the table, trying to think. None of them had substantial information about this Luke Hollan guy and to be frank, it was pissing her off a bit. Why was it the bad guys always had more information on them than her group did the baddies? It was frustrating, to say the least, and she didn't want to keep playing catch up to people who were hurting her family. They were losing the game that they had started and it wasn't good for any of them. Eventually, they would need to get back on track and eventually would have to turn into now. Peter's comment on the matter brung Aliana from her thoughts, her head snapping up from the spot she was staring at. He was saying it wasn't a good idea to go and just snatch him up without first knowing more about him and the area he resided in. "That's true, Pete." She agreed, reaching across the table for the bottle to pour herself another glass.

"But, how much longer are we going to keep losing against some pricks who will literally kill innocent people to get to us? They're targeting people who have done nothing to deserve the torture they're put through because of the ones who definitely deserve it." Taking a sip of her drink, she shrugged her shoulders and tapped the table with her finger. "I'm not in the market of losing any more people in my life to gang shit, so whatever we need to do I'm up for it." The reasoning behind her words was the fact that she was thinking about Leo again. The past attacks had her thinking about her life in Dublin and her brother's death, being gang-related. While she still thought it was a retaliation against James and not herself, there were still times where she blamed herself as well. She had joined, she had been apart of everything James gave the okay to, which meant Leo could if he wanted. It was karma, right? Life for life and now that she was a mother, now that she had her own family, it could be taken away from her just as easily as Leo and Tommy were. She was lost back in the thought of it all, not wanting anyone else to get hurt.​

 

[RayPurchase]

Mitchell Van Gerwen
The Emerald

​

“Can’t believe it’s taken me until my second trip here to have a pint of Guinness, when I first came I was certain that was all that was available.”

Gratefully taking the jat black pint, he took a deep sip, the white head rising and coating his upper lip with a foamy moustache. His eyes closed and he let out a contented sigh, the taste of roasted wheat and the slight bitter tang hitting the back of his throat. Definitely a lot smoother than the bottles he had been hitting over the past few days. A contented smile appeared on his face as his eyes flicked open. He let out a chuckle at Rachel’s first question and subsequent hasty apology.

“Don’t worry about it, hell a couple of months ago I wouldn’t even imagined myself sitting here, probably back in some overpriced swanky joint round the corner with an edgy name.”

He craned his head round, glancing in Conor’s direction for a moment before settling back on Rachel.

“Well it wasn’t easy I’ll say that. He made me work for my money, and earn his trust, but I managed to work my magic… eventually, there was a lot of bumps along the way mind you, nearly ended up going grey on at least 3 separate occasions I reckon before we managed to get him his day in court. He’s a good guy though, he’s had his issues but he’s served his time and him getting out was on him, I just helped guide him along the right path… once he learnt to trust me, but then again I’d say that having an inherent mistrust of lawyers is probably a good thing, finding a trustworthy one is like finding a needle in a haystack,”

He took another sip, the flavour continuing to grow on him. Normally he just had one pint a year, reserved for St Patrick’s day of course but if he couldn’t make an exception for having one in a true Irish Pub, then he probably didn’t deserve to drink it at all.

“How about yourself though, how’d you end up running quite possibly the best Irish Pub I’ve been to,”

He frowned for a moment and leant forward, lowering his voice.

“Whilst I do mean that as a compliment, admittedly I could count the amount I’ve been to on one hand,”

(Interaction: Misty Gray Rachel, Conor)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter
~ Alistair Sawyer ~

Alistair smiled to himself, taking pleasure in the fact that neither Sinead nor Syd seemed to understand what he meant by the game that Lucy would be playing. "Looks like this is between you and I, Lucy," he told her, locking his piercing eyes onto hers. Syd was already so overwhelmed by the situation and his lack of understanding that he had begun to disassociate. Brows furrowed, he stared vacantly at the floor ahead of him. Although conscious of his aunt's cries and his mother's terror, his mind could no longer function fast enough to keep up with what was happening. His family had been through so much trauma: torture, kidnappings, raids, ambushes, betrayals, manipulation - it just kept on repeating itself. There was no end to it. As Ethan and Ammon went to collect their knives, Syd reflected on the repetition of pain that his family experienced, and how it might always be this way. This particular occasion was just a drop in the ocean. It was like he had stepped out of the scene itself when he realised that he and his loved ones were trapped in a cycle of endless suffering. Even if they did get out alive, they wouldn't be free, nor would it be over. They had lost both Arlene and Bailey within a short space of time and now, having come to expect pain around every corner, Syd was running out of hope. His dark thoughts had pulled him so far out of his surroundings that the tight squeeze on his shoulder came as a reminder that he was in fact there in the room and was very much visible. The realisation drew a groan from him, a surge of terrific sadness flooding through him as his last ounce of hope was vanquished.

Alistair folded his arms and listened as Ethan pointed out that Sinead had betrayed her family by both becoming involved with and having a daughter with the man who had gone on to murder Lucy's father. It was this daughter that Steve Kelly and Luke Holland had recently kidnapped. Lucy's reaction was fierce as she keenly took the blame from Sinead for her father's death. "Well, well...Apparently Lucy doesn't think she's being punished," Alistair tutted, glancing to Ethan with eyebrows raised. He then watched as she thrashed in her chair as though attempting escape; yet, knowing that she couldn't, he remained calm. Soon, she tried to negotiate, offering herself as ransom, giving them what they want or even her life in exchange for sparing Sinead and Syd.

As expected, the opportunity to take her life excited Ammon and he began prematurely teasing Sinead with his knife. Alistair didn't say anything to him, instead keeping his eyes fixed on Lucy for a moment before taking some steps towards her. "You want to know what we want?" he asked her. Rather than continue to look down at her, Alistair took a step closer and crouched down to be at eye level. "We want to run you, your family, your empire into the dirty ground. We want you to realise the mistake you made in coming here. To understand that you are not as safe as you think. We want you to live in fear, to lose a bit of hope each time we take something from you until eventually you run out altogether. You see, it was supposed to be James in your place tonight. But when we saw the three of you all out together, the temptation was too strong to resist. I would say that it turned out very well in the end - after all, they do say it's the women that hold a family together. And once we break you down...Well, I don't expect it will be long until the rest comes crashing down in your wake."

At some point during the exchange between Lucy and Alistair, Syd's shaking had intensified. Alistair's threats to wear down their hope had struck him like an arrow and he realised that his own despondence was only fulfilling the man's wishes. He wished he could be stronger for his family, but ever since Maddox had lowered his dosage of antidepressants he had been struggling to win the fight against his despairing thoughts. Now, he simply sat shivering in his chair, unable to speak.

Alistair soon straightened up and surveyed the room once more. It was only then that he noticed a lack of participation coming from Porter's son. He approached Syd, who was leaning forward in his chair to distance himself from Ethan, and, rather than bend down, placed a hand on the young man's forehead and forced his head to tilt back. Syd glared up at him and watched as the man withdrew a small knife. His heart was racing; he wanted to ask what he was doing but the words caught in his throat as he tried to choke down his fear. Although the hand on his head was rough, Alistair was careful in bringing the knife towards his face. It pressed lightly into the skin just beneath Syd's eye and he instinctively closed them tight, holding his breath in anticipation. As he did, several tears he had been trying to hold back fell down his face. Alistair then pulled the knife back, barely leaving a mark, and slowly brought it up for inspection. "Do you see that, Ethan?" he asked, eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the knife which now carried teardrops on the surface of its blade. "Weakness."

His expression darkened as he turned towards Lucy, wiping the blade with a handkerchief before putting it away. "See? Your family are wearing down already. We brought your eldest here today, the supposed heir to the mob, in hopes that he would stick up for you. And still, he hasn't even said a word. Your son is weak. You should be ashamed of yourself - and more so of him." Alistair returned to his position in the centre of the room and tugged at the cuffs of his leather gloves to secure them. "But you never know - perhaps if he survives this, he'll kill himself anyway. God knows he's had enough practice." He looked to Sinead then, a slight smile forming on his lips. "And if we're lucky, your sister will do the same. Another woman at the core of the family, integral to its structure and stability. Except with her own unstable tendencies, that familial structure might suffer a significant loss of integrity. I suppose we'll just have to see how she copes, won't we?" His smile broadened as he gazed upon the red-haired woman, whose pale face was now wet with tears.

Syd was so shaken by the man's words that he felt like he could be sick any second. Sweat poured down his face, coalescing with tears that he could no longer keep back and the room about him was swaying so violently that he couldn't focus on anything. That these men knew so much about how their family worked and about their past traumas made him feel violated and extremely vulnerable. He wanted to know something about them, anything, but he knew that if they were on the same side as the men who had kidnapped Savannah then the answer would likely be the same: that they didn't have to tell them anything at all.

Sensing Ammon's impatience, Alistair finally turned back to Lucy and said, "Since you decided not to play by the rules, you're now going to see what happens when you try to cheat." He looked to Ammon and Ethan in turn and gave them each a nod. "This is your punishment, Lucy. You failed to choose between your sister and your son, and now you will watch as they both suffer the consequences on your behalf."

Interactions
Misty Gray Sinead, Ethan
Bellz Lucy, Ammon

 

[Bugsy]

KEEGAN LYNCH
​

He had waited till Warren had taken the first sip, taking one almost straight after the other man had. The wry smile continued to remain on his features on the subject of the nurses had continued - nodding his head slightly as Warren hoped for the best result out of everyone who had been injured. Most of the nurses were certain that they were of a certain 'breed' of men; the fancier suits, the willingness to stand guard outside with weapons loaded under their jackets, it gave away who they were. But, everyone could relate to those who have suffered grief and tragedy. The police couldn't touch them, they were only protecting their family.

What sane individual didn't?

Aside from his sorry excuse for a father who had left them to fend for themselves. Keegan had to push the intrusive thought to the back of his mind

Keegan had listened to what Warren had to say, listening to the fact that the younger male wanted to change the outcome; or what had happened during the theater attack. His eyes narrowed in interest at the sound of Warren's brother being on the hunt of who was responsible, and there were plenty (it seemed) that wanted the Sullivan-Porter family out of power but there was a certain Italian group that had his interest - the certain Italian group who had murdered his brother. They held a grudge, the Lynch brothers and sisters all held a lingering grudge; and seeing how the Porters were under attack made him want to clamp down on his family even further - stop their own hurt and torment. His brothers knew what they had signed on for but his sisters?

They were innocents.

The Irishman knew that there was no love from the enemy about collateral. He had been on the receiving end as well as the giving end on his mini-vengeance trip. With that thought, Keegan tipped back the tumbler and drained the rest of it's contents before shortly requesting the bartender bring him another two. His lip twitched in a mixture of emotion as Arlene was brought up, he was still bitter by her death (another loose thread that needed to be dealt with, in his mind) - she was akin to a third sister to him and they came back around to the point of wanting to protect family. He brought the cigarette to his lips, taking a long drag before removing it and holding it between his fingers, using it to gesture at Warren. "They're going to pay for that too. She was like a sister to me; a bullet through their heads is too good for them." There was a venom to his tone as he spoke. "Hopefully we can finally lay her to rest proper."

Tag: Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Spoiler: Trigger Warning

WARNING: the material you are about to read mentions suicide; also depicts violence, abuse and/or otherwise very real situations. This could be uncomfortable for some readers and we please ask you to proceed with caution.

Sinead Callahan and Ethan Turner​

Sinead's eyes were diverted from Syd's direction when Ammon skipped over to her. Having selected his knife, the man stood behind Sinead and moved his face in close to hers. She looked straight down to her lap, afraid to look at Ammon or the other two East Harlem men. Her bottom lip trembled as she couldn't help but look to him from the corners of her eyes. His face was close to hers and she let out a sickened whimper as having him in such close proximity was disturbing. She tightly closed her eyes when he carelessly teased about working his magic on her. She wanted to block it all out until she could wake up and realise it had all been a nightmare. She quickly shook her head; it felt too real to be just a bad dream.

Ethan then made his comments about her past relationship with Angel. It stunned her to realise the men knew she'd once been in love with one of her own family's enemies. Not only that, but they knew she'd had Angel's child and that he had been the one who murdered Emmet. Once again, it felt like the night her family found out about her betraying them. She felt helpless and alone, like she did now. She'd felt like Lucy would never forgive her and even though her sister did forgive her, Sinead still felt guilty now the past had been dragged up again. She was terrified of being punished, yet she was sure what she had done would make her more deserving of being harmed than her sweet nephew was.

Lucy shouted out that she was the one who killed Emmet, causing Sinead to quickly look up to meet her sister's eyes. She softly shook her head, not believing her sister was to blame for what had happened. "No, Luce..." she spoke up, now shaking her head more rapidly. "Don't hurt her. Leave my family alone!" Sinead desperately asked, forcing herself to look at Alistair. "She is being punished. We've all been punished and suffered enough," she protested the man's words. Seeing Lucy struggling in her chair was upsetting and she hated seeing her sister in such a helpless position. As Lucy tried to bargain with them, offering to give them what they wanted from the family - from James - Sinead's eyes widened as she hoped it would be enough to open the men up to reason; to make a deal instead of hurting them.

With Alistair's attention then drawn to Syd, Sinead turned to look at her nephew. The young man looked withdrawn and exhausted, which was just as worrying to her as it would be if he was kicking and screaming. She felt herself tense up as Alistair mentioned him being weak. She wanted to yell for them to leave Syd alone, knowing her nephew had suffered too much in his lifetime already. She barely had time to process how upsetting it was to think about Syd's past suicide attempts before words were then cast in her direction. Alistair spoke so coldly about her, mentioning how unstable she was and the possibility of her killing herself even if she survived the ordeal. Sinead could feel her stomach turning at the thought, recalling times when she had felt at her lowest and had wanted to end everything. It was shocking to her how casually Alistair spoke about it. She couldn't believe how much their captors knew about the family's personal issues and it was worrying to speculate what else they might know.

Lucy couldn't choose between Sinead or Syd, telling the men to kill or harm her in their place. There was no relief to be gained from her sister's grave offer as the thought of Lucy being harmed was too upsetting. Tears streamed down Sinead's face as anything that could potentially happen was bad. Sickening. She felt the sudden, sharp pain in her shoulder as Ammon poked the tip of his knife into her skin, piercing it to draw blood. She yelped at the feeling and instinctively lowered her shoulder, trying to move herself from beneath the sharp blade.

It didn't take long at all from Alistair ordering for both Sinead and Syd to suffer for Ethan to spring into action. The man remained standing behind Syd and used his left hand to grab him by the hair, forcing Syd's head back to expose his neck. Ethan brought his knife to the throat of Porter's son, only lightly allowing the silver mental to touch the skin. Bringing his face close to Syd's, Ethan took in a deep, content breath. "Just like a pig in my slaughterhouse, I could slit your throat right now," the butcher calmly spoke. "That's the way Arlene went," he reminisced, his hatred for his lover's killer still present. "But no. Not you," he decided, pulling the knife away to leave only a tiny scratch. He let go of Syd's hair and let the young man's head return to a more natural position. Instead, Ethan violently yanked Syd's shirt, pulling the top of it down to reveal the man's collar bone and upper chest. "I do apologise if this isn't the way Mr. Romano did it," he said, briefly making eye-contact with Lucy. Without further warning, he sank the blade of his knife into the skin of Syd's left shoulder and dragged it along his collarbone whilst cutting into the flesh. He stopped once in the centre of his chest and pulled the knife away as his head snapped to look to Sinead and Ammon.

"NOOO! STOP!" Sinead screamed out as she watched Ethan cut her nephew's skin. She felt ill at the sight of the blood that began to escape the fresh wound. It was almost enough to forget the crazed man hovering over herself...


Pyroclast (Syd, Alistair) Bellz (Lucy, Ammon)

 

[Bellz]

Rebel Holt
Peter Callahan ​

Rebel was quiet for a moment as Ali spoke up in response to Peter's words about not wanting to go in blindly. The woman's words were understandable even though Rebel had only just begun to get into this fight, starting with the theater. A few innocent lives had been taken that night and if there was one thing that Rebel hated more than anything...it was people who killed the innocent. The woman herself had killed many people in her lifetime, but none of them were considered innocent.

"I do have some connections in Harlem." Rebel spoke up after a brief silence overcame the room when Ali was done talking. "I would consider them to be a pretty sure bet considering that a few of them still owe me favors." Rebel leaned forward before fishing out a pack of cigarettes from her leather jacket pocket. Tapping it against her knee lightly, she continued. "Harlem ain't so bad when you have the right connections, I can contact them soon so we can have a plan within the day. I agree with sweet cheeks over here that youse people have lost too many people. At least that's what I've been gatherin' in my time here." Picking out a cigarette from the pack, Rebel placed the stick behind her ear to grab conveniently after while.

Peter observed Rebel as she spoke and wondered if they could really trust the woman. James seemed to and normally that would be enough for him but lately, he's had little to no trust in new people around him. "These connections...what are you referring to when you say they owe you a favor?" Peter's eyes squinted ever so slightly in concentration as he rubbed his chin.

"I've taken different types of compensation in the past and those who wanted to save their money would exchange a favor to me at a later date." Rebel immediately answered, looking over at Peter as she slipped the cigarette pack back into her jacket pocket.

Peter nodded his head before looking to James, "Honestly, this information could change my opinion...I still don't think we should go in there with everything we've got, but getting information would help push this whole thing along. What do you think, boss?"
with: James Misty Gray ; Aliana Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Ammon Sarraf​

Lucy clenched her teeth as Alistair watched Syd. Her mind was racing trying to think of ways to get out of this situation but it was all going to be in vain. She didn't know if she would get out of this situation without one of her dearest family members being killed. Alistair's plan was to break her down and at this point, she felt like it was going to happen quicker than she wanted to admit. The man walked towards her son and Lucy struggled against the restraints, the rope tearing deeper and deeper into her wrists as she began to lose all feeling in her hands. The warm blood oozed down her palm and fingertips as it dripped to the floor.

"Leave him alone!" The woman barked hoarsely as she continued to struggle in her own restraints. "Don't listen to him!" She commanded to Syd as she desperately watched as his head was forced back. Alistair pulled out a knife and brought it to her son's handsome face. Lucy hissed out lowly, "I will fucking kill you." She promised just as she saw the tears running down Syd's cheeks. Seeing her son in such pain and misery only made her heart pound painfully in her chest. She held her breath as the man only lightly brought the knife to her son's skin, saying that Syd was displaying weakness. Once Alistair turned away from Syd only then did Lucy release her breath.

The dark expression on Alistair's face did nothing to calm her nerves but she was so tired that for a moment, she stopped struggling. Lucy's eyes continued to stare directly at Syd as Alistair's words bore into her head. Shaking her head, Lucy's eyes welled up with tears as he suggested that Syd and Sinead would kill themselves, trying to play mind games with them. "SHUT UP!" She barked out. Lucy couldn't seem weak, she had to be strong for the two in front of her. She couldn't let them down and yet, she was already doing that by not choosing. "NO!" She shouted again as Alistair went on to say that this was her punishment, that she would have to watch them both suffer.

She wiggled in her chair and Ammon giggled out loud once more, sending a chill down her spin as he circled around Sinead like a hyena, ravenous for a quick meal. Lucy thrashed now in her chair as she saw Ethan bringing his knife to Syd's throat. He then apologized to her for not doing it the exact way Vinnie had done things before yanking at her son's shirt to reveal his collarbone and the top of his chest. He suddenly brought the knife down and Lucy gasped out, choking back a scream as she turned her head away. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry!" She whimpered out.

As Sinead screamed, Ammon was quick to grab at the redhead's hair and pull her head back roughly. "Shut up would you! You're fucking up my concentration!" The man growled out before bringing down his own knife. No warning involved, he sliced expertly into the woman's arm, from her elbow to her wrist he sliced down and deep. "Look how pretty! Crimson is your color!" He admired before bringing the knife back up towards his face, looking at the blood that stained the blade. Lucy turned her head back just in time to see the action and this time she thrashed so hard in her seat, she was sent tumbling face first into the ground. Hitting the concrete with her head harshly, the woman saw stars as she faced towards the right, stuck in an uncomfortable and awkward position.

Dizzily, Lucy spoke hoarsely, "You will never break my family and you will never break me. I swear that we will never quit and what you do to us today will only be the start of your inevitable downfall."
with: Pyroclast ; Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Ani Sarraf ​

Ani looked down shamefully as Maddox repeated her words about what she did for the East Harlem gang. It wasn't something she liked saying out loud and it wasn't something that she liked, period. The only reason she had gotten into the business with Ammon was to keep an eye on him, she couldn't have him flying off the handle and becoming some crazy axe murderer. The gang gave him his "creative" freedom to do as he wished but within certain reason. Ani wanted to believe that what they were doing was for the better of others...but lately she hadn't been so sure. The only reason she wasn't with her brother tonight was because Alistair said she wasn't needed. Gabriel prompted Maddox to speak and that's when Ani returned her gaze up to his. She saw the way his jaw tightened just as he began to speak and she slightly tightened her own. He admitted that he worked for Gabriel himself. Revealing that him and the man across from them had shared enemies was something she wasn't expecting to hear.

How could Maddox make any sort of enemies? He was such a gentleman with a soft spoken voice...he treated her so kindly and yet...here they were. The Porters were brought up and Ani had a deep understanding of who they wrong...but she would have never thought Maddox would be enemies with them as well. Nodding her head slightly as Gabriel reminded her that her assistance was greatly appreciate, she moved her hand from her knee under the table to place it on Maddox's knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. Turning her head, she looked to him directly for a moment before her gaze returned to the Italian before them as he mentioned permanently staying in New York.

She didn't catch the smile Maddox had on his face as she tried to focus on what Gabriel was truly saying. Things were changing quickly and Ani needed to be careful, she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to get out of this one and with the new information, she wasn't sure she wanted to...

Maddox spoke up, causing her to sharply turn her head but he didn't get much of a chance to finish what he was saying before Gabriel interrupted him. He instructed Maddox to keep doing what he needed to before dark eyes turned to Ani, causing her to freeze. His abruptness caused her to flinch slightly and the woman swallowed harshly as she cleared her throat, "I-I" She stuttered as her mouth went dry. "Alistair told me that my services were not required for the job at hand today." She finally managed to say. All was true but for some reason around Moretti, she couldn't find the confidence in herself. "I would never choose dinner over my duties, sir." She murmured quietly, meeting his eyes for only a second, making sure he knew she wasn't lying about that fact.
with: Maddox+ Moretti Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Gwen Bryant ​

Gwen had been trying to play nice with Jason since he busted her hand but it was getting harder and harder every rehearsal, especially since he knew her little secret. Now here she stood, ready to kiss him on stage, leaning in closer and closer until their lips were barely touching. "CUT!" Gwen immediately backed away, careful not to push Jason away like she wanted to. Her good hand reached up and ran itself through her long red hair as she let out a huff, "What was wrong with that?!" She complained to which the director didn't look amused.

"You both look so awkward on stage, you make me want to puke!" Gwen rolled her eyes at the director for being such a drama queen. "I'm serious! I don't see what the problem is here, you two have been working together for weeks now! You both are attractive adults, why do you act as though you are kissing a toad?"

"A toad would be better..." Gwen mumbled under her breath. "Again, I want you to start from the top and this time, give me more feeling and less like I want to puke, okay? Same spot, move it!" Gwen groaned out before moving back towards the vanity and sitting down roughly.

After a moment to let everyone settle back in, Gwen started the scene with a smile on her face as she looked at the mirror that showed Jason behind her.

"Constantly!" Her tone was smooth and her accent flawless. "I use to love pretending to be someone else-someone quite mysterious and fascinating. Until one day, I grew up and realized that I was mysterious and fascinating. I'm Sally Bowles!" She chirped.

Getting up from the vanity slowly, she picked up the glass beside her with her good hand before sashaying over to Jason slowly, a gorgeous smile on her lips as her large brown eyes bore into his. That coy smile on his face made her heart jump a bit and she wondered if it was all just part of the act. Gwen had to fight hard not to bit her lip but was unable to win that war with herself. Teeth biting down hard, she reached her arms around Jason's neck before releasing her lip, "Happy New Year, darling..." She sang softly before leaning in to kiss his waiting lips. Eyes closed quickly to make sure she wouldn't duck out of it and before she knew it, her lips were firmly pressed against his.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but someone cleared their throat and it caused Gwen to immediately break away, which caused the director to sigh harshly, "Come on Gwen! We need to get through this scene without you cringing like that! Again! This time, Jason, move in closer. I want you to sweep her off of her feet, not literally of course! But I'm not seeing the spark! Make sure she doesn't pull away for two or three beats! Let's go, from the same spot!"
with: Jason Pyroclast