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

[Misty Gray]

James Porter & Olivia Sullivan​

James followed Thomas' voice to find his son in the lounge with Lucy. The man returned the boy's smile with one of his own before allowing it to drop at the questioning of where he'd been. "Yeah, you got me, kid. I was on the phone again... selling all of your toys," he sarcastically remarked.

"No, but then he was smoking outside," Olivia added to the man's story. She then crouched down behind Bruno and hugged the dog, seemingly using the cute animal to protect herself from any backlash for being a 'snitch'.

"Wow... And I thought you had my back, Olivia," James remarked, but made sure to smile as he spoke so the troubled child wouldn't think he was being at all serious. The subject was soon shifted as Thomas asked James for a boxing match. He didn't miss the mention of Syd, but chose not to respond about his eldest son out of fear it would lead to Thomas asking to see his brother. It wasn't that he would wish to deny Syd and Thomas time together, but until he'd had chance to discuss matters with his eldest, James wasn't prepared to make any promises to the boy standing before him. "Mate, I will kick your arse. You sure you want that kind of embarrassment on your shoulders?" he teased. He smirked as Lucy was quick to inform them they would have to take their fights outside. "Yes, Boss," he replied to his wife. "You hear that, Thomas? Stop trying to get your old man in trouble!"

When asked if she wanted anything, Olivia shrugged her shoulders, looking up to Lucy with an uncertain expression. "Can I have some soda, please? And maybe a cheese sandwich, but no vegetables. And Bruno would really like a biscuit, I think," she said, softly petting the puppy. The rottweiler might have been one of James' dogs, but the blonde child was clearly claiming the animal for the time-being. The man was aware of it, but all things considered, he decided he would just have to share little Bruno for as long as Olivia needed the puppy.

"Wow, so nobody's backing me in this fight?" James asked Lucy, as she commented on Thomas having the upper hand. It was nice to hear a little normality from Lucy, but he knew deep down she was still taking Arlene's death hard. "What are you having, love? I'll have whatever you're having to eat," he suggested to encourage his wife to eat something. "I need some energy to beat tough lad over he," he said, motioning to their son.

Bellz (James, Thomas)

 

[shadowz1995]

Chapter 4: Somewhere to Call Home
Friday 16th July 1971
...6 days later...
Afternoon - Sunny, Dry, Warm
*******************************
Roxie Carriveau​

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Roxie was feeling a lot better now that she was up and about. Syd had been with her until she inevitably fell asleep and when she woke, his number and address could be found as promised which made her smile faintly as she was reminded of the dress he was going to buy her soon. Her parents never showed, which was really no surprise to her though, it was odd to not hear anything. Roxie was even missing her mother’s weekly phone calls to fill her in on all the hot gossip around her family and friends, which was even stranger. But the brunette tried not to think about it as she looked at herself in the mirror, turning from the left, and then the right. Her outfit wasn’t anything designer but simply casual, the way she often liked to dress when she wasn’t in work or at dinner parties. Pulling up the overall straps, she clipped one on, then the other before sighing at herself and pursing her lips. Was this acceptable? It wasn’t like this was a date or anything…

She didn’t allow herself to expand on the thought, instead moving to grab her hair brush. Deciding that she needed a change after getting out of the hospital, the woman chopped off more hair than she thought she would have liked, but after much deliberation, she found that she actually liked the look. Roxie didn’t look like she was ready to shop in the expensive stores that downtown had to offer and she hope it made her less intimidating in Syd’s eyes, still getting the feeling that he didn’t completely trust her as of yet. The brunette couldn’t dream of doing anything to harm others and she really hoped the Porters would see that as well, the explosion was something out of a movie and whoever was behind it wanted to make sure that her guests were dead.

Looking to the time, she knew Syd would be at the door any minute, so she turned from the mirror and headed out of her tidy room towards the kitchen, where she was going to pour herself a stiff one to calm her nerves. Roxie wasn’t so sure what she had to be nervous about, maybe it was just because this was the first time seeing him in a non-business setting? Well there was the party but things were different during that time, they were far to intoxicated to really have a good conversation not to mention his attitude towards her before. She was really curious to know what made him change his tune but as James Porter had kindly and bluntly pointed out, it was a crush.

Men were strange and she could swear on her life that she wasn’t going to ever figure them out. There was something about this Syd Porter that she couldn’t really put her finger on, besides all the broodiness, there was a softness. Roxie really wanted to see that side of him, she had really enjoyed his company in the hospital even if it had been for a short while. He was the only one to visit her and care for her safety during that time, he didn’t have to do anything and yet he did. Absentmindedly, Roxie moved to the window with her scotch in hand moving the sheer white drapes to look out to the city below, she wasn’t sure what she was looking for, or rather, she didn’t want to admit who she was eagerly looking for.

Knock…knock…knock

The brunette jumped from her leaned position against the window and turned to stair at the door for a long minute. Get it! She internally screamed at herself, her feet willed her to move towards the door. Without even looking, she grabbed the handle and unlocked the door before swinging it open, ”Hell-She peaked her head around the door, only to notice no one was there,”o?”Roxie finished her greeting eyes scanning the halls before finally looking down to her feet.

A white envelope laid flat on the ground, right on the jazzy looking welcome mat that was tie dyed in different colors. The handwriting was immediately familiar and she bent over to pick it up. Once in an upright position, her eyes squinted a bit to see the lettering but it was just her full name written out in curly and elegant letters. Only her family used her full name, and only her father had this delicate handwriting. ”We are living in the 1800s again, old man,” She shook her head, moving to close the door she also muttered, ”Can’t pick up a phone, but you can write a fucking letter…”
mentions: Syd Pyroclast ; James Misty Gray

Ricardo Bianchi​

”Drop em right there.” Elon pointed to the chairs in the middle of the room as two of Porters men dragged in Ricardo and a buddy who was unfortunately with him at the time. They were all here to make sure that these two squeal. As the men were being dragged into the room, there was clearly a struggle. ”Let me go! Who the fuck are you! What do you want with me?” The man’s thick Sicilian accent making the form together a bit, it was a bit challenging to understand him, but they really didn’t need to understand him. ”Yea, right there, mate.” Elon nodded his head as the two Italians were thrown into the chair, still wearing their hoods as they were tied to said chairs. Calmly, he watched them from the far left wall he was leaning against, ignoring the most likely vulgar swears in Italian being thrown his way. Once they were tied, the hoods were removed and Ricardo looked around with his wide caramel eyes, finding Elon in the corner, his eyes then narrowed, ”Who the fuck are you?” He spat to Elon as the Irish man pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. Instead of answering the question, the man lit the cigarette and took a healthy sized inhale before letting all the smoke out in an exhale. ”I feel that’s a question I’m needin ta ask, mate.” He smirked, kicking his black boot off the wall, he moved towards the two men, noticing they showed no fear, no mercy in their eyes.

Reaching back into his pocket, he grabbed the pack of cigarettes before offering the box to Ricardo. The man look bewildered, feeling like it was some sort of trick. What kind of games was this Irish fool playing? But instead of refusing the cigarette like his mind was begging him to, Ricardo’s pride got the best of him. He nodded his head firmly before the cigarette was placed in his mouth before being lit. If the other accepted the cigarette, it too was placed in his mouth and lit. Elon sighed before taking another long drag, removing the stick from his mouth, he smiled. ”So boys, what brings ya in here today?” Silence. He eyed the two men closely as he continued to smile, ”You don’t know?” He asked curiously, wondering if they would take the high road and just admit what they did and what they knew. This Ricardo fella seemed like a tough egg to crack, but Elon knew Dante…and boy was he going to scramble this Italian into an omelette.

”Seriously, I offer you my cigarettes, even light it for you…nothing?” This time, there was at least somewhat of a response. Ricardo looked a bit disgusted at him before spewing the cigarette out to the ground. The stick burned slowly as it rolled to his feet, where he was unable to stomp it out due to the restraints. Elon’s eyes followed the cigarette before he finished his off in own large hit. The silence that took over the room was tense. If the men were to look around them, they would see they were in an empty warehouse, it was out in the boonies so it wasn’t like any damage would be done, this place was abandoned.

It was perfect, out by the docks, the boats horns going off every few minutes could mask any sort of horrifying sound coming from inside. Elon cleared his throat before shaking his head slowly, ”Such a shame really, I’m sad you couldn’t see things my way…but maybe my associate could make a caged bird sing hmmm?” Bending down, Elon grabbed the still burning cigarette before dusting it off a bit with his fingers, then he placed it between his lips with a shrug, ”Can’t waste the thing, shits expensive.” He mutter between puffs before turning his back to the men to resume his position against the wall, Dante would be there soon, then they would get down to business.
shadowz1995

Brady Callahan​

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Brady was eager to start his day with the Barons. He whistled lowly under his breath as Sanford and him crossed the crosswalk at an intersection. Sanford was easily distracted by big crowds of people and the sights and sounds of the city, he was still young yet, so he needed some training. Still, the pup obeyed and fell back from being ahead of him and came to walk by his side. They were nearly to the Barons meeting place, where he would be able to lounge and get as many treats as he liked. The Barons like to meet in a rather secluded area in the city, the rougher part of town, as people would call it. Brady didn’t see a difference in people, but rather a difference in materialistic quality. The large two story building that once belonged to a major newspaper company stood tall in the mid afternoon light. It looked abandoned, like most of the buildings on this side of town, but looks were very deceiving.

Getting inside the building wasn’t terribly tricky, since they were so small compared to the other gangs around. There wasn’t any fancy security entrance, no guards, no weapons. Just a door that lead to another and then to another before finally leading into the staircase. The Barons liked to watch everything from above, even though it made sense safety wise to stay in the basement. Brady liked watching over the city that he could honestly call his. His Uncle ran a lot of territories, but this was one of the few that had yet to be touched by the Porters. Brady loved his family very much, but the way they ran things now seemed to be far more business like than what he was comfortable with. What happened to the good old days? Fighting tooth and nail just for the hell of it without having some major plot to destroy one another? Those days were long gone and had been since he was a boy.

Finally making it up the steps, he arrived at the top floor, where two long tables were situated in the center of the room, along with some chairs and random belongings that each gang member had brought. Sanford’s tail was wagging so hard that it was hitting Brady’s leg and he knew that the pup wanted some playtime with his favorite people. His bed and toys were set up in the corner, so with a simple nod from Brady the pup was sent running towards them.

Shaking his head lightly, Brady let out a laugh before scanning the room. Where was Dane? ”And our fearless leader?” He asked, looking around to which most of the members shrugged their shoulders. That was strange to him, normally Dane was always the first one here. ”No one has any idea as to where he could be?” He was met by silence. This caused Brady to bring a hand to his chin to rub it roughly before shaking his head. ”If he doesn’t get here in the next 10 minutes, I’m sending a search party.” His eyes didn’t look to anyone in particular as he said this, instead, sighing as he moved to sit at his chair at the table, next to Penelope. ”Hey Pen.” He greeted lightly before taking a cigarette from his pocket and placing it between his lips. Lighting it, he took a drag before speaking again, ”How you doing?”
with: Penelope seasonedcat

"Hello, my old friend. So glad you could stop by. We didn't get a chance to say farewell to each other after the little incident at the venue. Now, that cuts deep.... Ricardo? Was it?" Dante half-yelled from across the warehouse as he finally entered. With him, the Roman carried two large suitcases and while the assassin seemed to have no trouble with them, it was clear that each one weighed a hefty amount. That was obvious by the fact that Dante's normally silent footsteps were quite audible as he crossed the distance to his prey.

"Now gentlemen. Today, I am sadly suffering from a horrible disease called Chronic Boredom because I have nothing to do! Luckily, the antidote to that disease is standing.... well, sitting.... right before me! The way you are going to help me is by NOT giving me the information I want."

Dante then sets the suitcases side by side a few feet in front of the captives and opens their contents. The left suitcase contained the stuff of nightmares. It was full of eerily well-maintained torture equipment that had obviously seen some use over the years. In the suitcase on the right, it was filled to the brim with medical supplies.

"I have plenty of things to keep you gentlemen in the game. I wouldnt want you passing out because then I'd get bored again. So, I have plenty of epinephrine."

The hitman then pulled his knife free from his suit jacket and approached Ricardo with his signature phantasm grin, "Now remember the game. I do NOT want you to tell me what you know. Otherwise, the game would end and you would lose and the fun would stop. So, with that being said," Dante then flipped the knife into an ice pick grip and stuck the blade two inches into the Italian's thigh, being mindful of the femoral artery. No need to kill him that quickly.

He slowly twisted the blade counterclockwise to make sure he really felt it before unceremoniously ripping it out and jamming it just under the kneecap and severing the tendons.

As the crimson liquid oozed out over the blade's hilt and onto Dante's bare skin, he added, "Let's get started. Shall we?"

(Rpn pls no ban. Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead had finished cleaning the house, again, so had taken some time to play the piano as she waited for people to arrive at the house. With Braden, Peter and Emery all out for the afternoon, the house was far too quiet for Sinead's liking. She was sure it would all change once Conor and the others arrives, but she welcomed it. The more lively and noisy the house was, the less time she would have time to think about all of the bad things. For now, she would practice for her performance the following week, over in Upper West Side of Manhattan. She knew she had to keep doing what made her happy, to outweigh all of the darkness that followed her family.

She hadn't heard the doorbell the first time, but when she finished the song she'd been playing, Sinead heard the it the second time. She closed the lid over the piano keys and practically skipped to the front door. She unbolted the security lock from the inside and then pulled the door open to see her three guests. "Good afternoon, my darlings!" she brightly greeted Aliana, Leo and Seana. She stepped aside to let the three enter before she closed the door behind them and led them into the lounge. "Well, don't you look smart?" she enthusiastically said to Leo. She lightly stroked his hair to smooth out a few strands that had fallen out of place. She then turned to Seana to give the older woman a friendly hug.

Sinead finally brought her attention to her best friend and gave the woman a tight hug. She then pulled back and sent her a suspicious glare. "Are you okay, Ali?" she asked her. The woman's sunglasses and apparent tiredness hadn't avoided Sinead's radar. She knew things wouldn't be easy for Aliana and Conor, but she hadn't expected her friend to look quite so exhausted already.

"Okayyy. Seana and Leo, both of you take a seat. What does everyone want to drink?" she offered them. She then took hold of Aliana's hand. "Come help me make those drinks." Regardless of the response, Sinead led Aliana with her into the kitchen. Once in private, she turned to her friend and folded her arms. "I already have a good idea, but tell me how you're feeling, Ali?" She let out a soft sigh. "I know he's my brother and I love him to bits, but you can still tell me anything. It would be great if you were here, but if you don't want to be here when Conor gets home I totally understand. But I just know he'll be so happy if Leo's here when he does arrive. Seeing him across a table in that nasty prison isn't the same as seeing him at home. Regardless of how Peter has been with me, both times he came home from prison, he was over the moon to see the kids. He needed that. Conor probably does too. Especially as I'm going to have to tell him about Arlene once you've taken Leo back home..." she trailed off, nervously biting her bottom lip.

Sinead softly sighed and displayed a reassuring smile to Aliana. "Everything's going to be okay. Whatever happens, Conor is a sweet person and he'll just want what's best for everyone." Sinead wasn't sure if Aliana would ever take him back, but she knew her brother would want what was best for his son.

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana, Leo, Seana)

Conor Sullivan​

Conor hugged Ryan in return and firmly patted the man's back as they greeted each other. He then stepped away from the embrace and grinned at his friend's comment about the prison guard. "Well, you know how difficult it is saying goodbye to those you love. Had to give him a parting gift and then shake him off," he remarked.

Conor wasn't oblivious to the fact Ryan was then looking him over. There was a brief confusion in the taller man's face as he wondered why his friend was looking at him in such a manner. He didn't need to question what was on his friend's mind as he soon voiced his thoughts, pointing out he could do to eat some burgers. "I'm all for cheeseburgers, mate. I'll start with two and see how I go from there," he said. Although he chuckled at his comment, he would indeed be ordering at least a couple of burgers. He was always known for his big appetite.

Conor smiled fondly at mention of Sinead, but quickly shook his head. "No, I don't need to be anywhere else just yet," he quickly answered. He wasn't expecting Leo to be waiting for him at the Callahans' house, as Sinead had been planning it as a nice surprise for him. He figured he'd be spending the rest of the day getting used to being out in the real world, having a rest in a proper bed, and then starting fresh the next day. If he had to make contact with Aliana to see his son, he knew he wanted to do it with a clear head and not have anything turn uncivil.

The drive to the eatery was more interesting than it should have been, with Conor's attention focused out of the passenger window as he took in the city around them. It was good to finally see something different from the inside of the drab jail or the shitty prison yard that had been labelled as a recreational privilege to step out into. "Ah, I nearly forgot. Rachel dropped the keys to my apartment off at Tink's. So if you want to take up that offer of living above the pub, I can give you the keys later today."

Once they entered Jarrell's Patties, Conor and Ryan were shown to an empty table then handed a menu each by the pretty young waitress. The woman's smile was bright and her voice full of positive energy. It was a drastic change from the last few years and in some ways, the colourful place and the happy faces around them was a little daunting to Conor. He cleared his throat before looking to the menu he was holding in front of him. His attention soon shifted away from the menu and instead to the back of the head of the man seated behind Ryan. To Ryan, it would appear Conor was looking straight past him, rather than at him, and it would be an accurate assumption. There was something familiar about the stocky shoulders of the dark-haired man who had his back facing Conor. The black suit, tanned skin, and shimmering gold wristwatch that flickered beneath the light. Conor was sure if that man turned around, his face would be that of Vinnie Romano. That thought only served to make Conor's heart race in his chest and his throat feel tight. Romano had been forcing his way into his thoughts for months and he couldn't shift it. As the man he was staring at turned his head to get the attention of the server, Conor felt a sense of relief and his tensed shoulders loosened up. It wasn't Romano at all and Conor mentally berated himself for questioning it. The monster was long dead.

Quickly forcing his eyes back to the menu, Conor's smile once again returned as he didn't hesitate to decide what he wished to order. The waitress soon returned to the table to take the order. "Please can I get two cheeseburgers, large fries, and a large glass of Coke? Hell, I'll have a banana milkshake too." He flashed the young woman a charming smile and a nod of his head to confirm that was just his own part of the order. Once she'd taken Ryan's order and stepped away, Sullivan smirked at his friend. "I'm bloody starving!" he casually defended his food choices.

Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Inb4Cloaker]

Farrid Al-Assad​

One by one, we reached to the sky to say;
‘One by one, the infidels will pay!’
Like a mass of scorpions, we rose from the sand.
All attacked in unison, like an orchestrated band.
Yet nobody dared to ask when the sand turned to mud;
‘What is truly the cost of spilling blood?’​

Farrid sat in his truck, alone this time. Blank, dark eyes stared out the windshield of his relatively clean vehicle and fixated themselves on the warehouse ahead of him. There was no sleep to be had as of recently, and the thoughts that plagued his mind were just that; thoughts, not idle dreams. With a slow glance over at his rear view mirror, the medic duly noted that his beard was starting to grow out a bit longer than he would’ve liked. In reality, he focused on his chin in order to avoid the tired expression that occupied his face. His silent stare would continue for a few more moments until he turned his attention to the empty passenger seat next to him. Silent and solemn memories were quickly replaced by the flood of recent events that unfolded with Bailey within the last week. Slowly, a small smile crossed his lips as the vision of the vibrant and colorful gunrunner fought back his worries. Assuming that not everything was well would be unfair, as he would at least be able to talk to her after work. Maybe she’d like another home cooked meal?

With one glimpse of a man entering the warehouse, the Syrian driver felt his positive intentions whisked away by the grim reminder of his task. It was no secret that he didn’t approve of unnecessary suffering, and his reasoning for not wanting to partake in it was nearly worn on his sleeve. Despite this, it was his job, and it had to be done. The sight of a package on his dash that had yet to be opened also hammered another grim reminder into his mind, but while he had reason to complain about witnessing a torture, he had no leverage to complain about the package. He did bring it onto himself, after all.

“At least this will be quick.” Assad muttered to himself as Dante crossed the threshold between his vision and the interior of the warehouse. While the medic didn’t know who was to be the victim of the phantom, he did feel a twinge of sorrow for the unlucky fool. Bowing his head, Farrid closed his eyes and allowed the man a quick prayer before sitting tall again. The prior insurgent saw no point in delaying his own entrance.

Dressed in a dark grey outfit consisting of cargo pants, a button up, and bloused black boots, the medic reached behind him and snatched up a matching shemagh scarf. Within seconds, his entire head and neck was obscured by the cloth, and his usually rolled sleeves were straightened out and cuffed, further ensuring his skin was concealed. While the people inside who would be a potential threat for Assad will most likely be dead soon, it was common for the medic to find discreetness beneath fabric during situations such as the one he was about to stroll into. Finalizing his outfit was a pair of brown gloves and a pistol holster that was strapped to his waist. Unlike the types of handgun holsters that were more streamlined by attaching directly to the belt, Farrid favored a formal, and old school, type of carry that fastened all the way around his core with small leather straps. While he felt as though bringing a weapon was unnecessary, he was still compelled to be prepared for the worse in light of recent events. Before stepping out of his truck and closing the door, he produced a small bag that mostly contained tourniquets and bandages. Farrid trusted Dante to bring the items he deemed necessary for the process of obtaining information, the medic was only present to lend a hand with prolonging the ordeal of need arose. Surprisingly, Assad also brought two books with him, both had different covers, but they would both serve the same purpose.

One of the books in question was a familiar piece of literature, and a religious text that was fairly common among those he encountered in the states. A Bible was not a book the prior insurgent would carry around on his own accord, but in an effort to demonstrate some level of consideration for the men who would most likely pass away in the warehouse, Assad decided that he would offer some respite for them through the words of a higher power. That is, if Dante didn’t outright kill them before he could find a fitting verse. The other text in his hand was his own personal possession, and something that he intended to read for his own well-being after the interrogation was over. Golden Arabic inscribed elegantly wrapped around its cover, and it seemed to be in good condition.

Stepping closer to the entrance of the warehouse, Farrid lowered the cloth around his face momentarily as he slipped through the door. It wouldn’t do him well to be unidentifiable and being shot at by his comrades. While he had faith that it would be easy for his coworkers to distinguish him due to his working relations with other mob affiliated allies, he also knew that some trigger happy guards may not know he was there to assist. The moment he crossed into the warehouse, he heard the voice of Dante and, immediately after, the sounds of what he could only assume to be bodily harm occurring to one of the restrained fellows.

“Blue, blue, blue. Don’t shoot me. Please.” Assad called out as he approached the scene, making sure to close the door before adding onto his introduction.

“Oh good. Already underway, hm? If I’m honest, sometimes, I feel as though I’d be better suited as a chaplain in this line of work.” Assad mused, nearing the scene as he lifted the cloth back up to his nose again.

Eliciting a muffled sigh, the medic avoided the area that Dante was present in, but kept a close eye on the situation. After he judged the situation by the damage already caused to one of the men, Assad confirmed that his suspicion of this being over sooner rather than later was correct. He delicately began to run his thumb over to the pages of the Bible as he contemplated whether he would be reading last rites or stopping someone from bleeding out first. He also took a moment to acknowledge Elon with a shrug and nod, pointing to the Bible and giving a weak thumbs up.

“Forget being a comedian actually, I’m gonna be a priest.”

كاهن سيء

Mentions: Dante shadowz1995
Interactions: Warehouse Personnel Bellz

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[Misty Gray]

Maddox Parker​

Maddox sat back in his seat, keeping his posture casual and open. He could see how nervous Peter was, so he didn't want to make the man feel uncomfortable or afraid to share what was on his mind. The counsellor lightly nodded his head when Peter pointed out he was at the session for his wife and inferred she couldn't handle herself like the kids could. He made a mental note to revisit the mention of Sinead and to talk more about the man's relationship with his wife.

"When you say you can't function. In what aspects of your life do you feel unable to function?" he asked Peter. He noticed the man's eyes looking down towards the table for a time. Peter then cleared his throat, but no words followed and the man appeared further troubled. The man's eyes seemed to look past Maddox and in the direction of the colourful painting on the wall, but it didn't appear Peter was actually looking at the picture itself. Maddox glanced down to his client's hands as the man gripped at the chair in apparent desperation. Maddox shifted forward slightly but didn't immediately jump in to disrupt Peter's thoughts, waiting to see if the man would naturally break out of his trance before intervention.

Peter suddenly jolted and began quickly blinking, telling the counsellor the man might have snapped out of whatever had taken over his conscious mind. Maddox leaned forward to retrieve his glass of water and took a small drink from it before carefully setting it back down on the coffee table. "Peter, could you tell me what it was you just saw?" Maddox asked, his voice calm and encouraging. "You looked shocked - perhaps afraid. Tell me what you were just thinking about. Describe where you were," he prompted him. "Is it somewhere you've been before?"


Bellz (Peter)

 

[Misty Gray]

Savannah Callahan and Warren Taylor
~ St James Theater - Midtown, Manhattan ~​

Savannah stood at the customer side of the desk in the theatre's box office. Serving her, was a lanky man in his early forties, looking a little puzzled as he briefly watched the tickets printing out of the machine. He looked back to the blonde and let out an exasperated sigh as he finished calculating the total cost of the tickets she'd requested. He briefly glanced to Warren, who was standing a couple of feet behind Savannah, dressed in a smart suit as he observed the transaction. The two men by now recognised each other, as Warren had been one of the men acting as one of the young woman's bodyguards since the show had opened a few days ago. The box office employee diverted his eyes back to the ticket machine and collected the printed tickets so he could bundle them together into an envelope for Savannah. "This is a lot of money, Miss Callahan," the man awkwardly pointed out. "Two private boxes and all of the front row? Are you sure you can afford all of this?"

"Hey, I have a big family..." Savannah protested, rolling her eyes. Given her family's busy schedules, it had taken some arranging to get everyone to commit to an evening to see the show. It would be one of the last of the play's showings the family would be attending and Savannah was kind of glad. Nothing made her more nervous than performing in front of her loved ones.

Warren stepped forward and began counting out the cash onto the desk. "How about you don't concern yourself with how much we're spending?" he abruptly remarked. James had sent his brother with the money as he didn't want to have Savannah walking around with a large amount of cash on her. Warren had by now seen a large section of the play multiple times and he'd offered to work the evening the family would be in attendance of the show. "There you go," he said, handing the cash to the man before taking the envelope of tickets so he could slide them securely into the picket on the inside of his blazer. He then straightened up his outerwear, mindful not to let anyone see the gun he was carrying.

Once Savannah and Warren had left the theatre, the man stopped to observe the busy street before turning to the blonde woman. "Come on, I'll drive you back to your place," he told her. Following the events the previous week, James had increased security. Savannah's refusal to move out of the apartment she shared with Roxie meant she was being "babysat" even more than before.

"No, I'll pass on that, Warren. I have to be back here for the next show in a couple of hours so I'm just going to spend some time window shopping," she said, clearly wanting to be left alone. "You're a nice guy and I appreciate your help, but I feel suffocated. Alright?"

Warren let out a sigh and quickly shook his head. "Yeah... I can't do that. Get in." He pointed to his car that was parked in front of the theatre. Savannah rolled her eyes and groaned as she complied, slamming the car door behind her once in the passenger seat. Warren calmly rounded the vehicle and climbed into the driver's side.

"Take me to The Lomax. Syd's place is already guarded, so you can get off my back for a bit, okay?" she reasoned. "You need to relax."

Warren nodded his head as he started the car. "Hear me out for a minute, okay?" he asked her. He didn't immediately set off, instead looking directly to the blonde as he tried to explain himself. "The first time I met my brother was at his first wedding to Lucy. I was just a kid then, but I remember everything that happened. I even remember your mother was there - pregnant, with you." He slowly shook his head as he thought back to that day. "I watched as James and Lucy were shot. I saw your Uncle Conor stabbed in the leg as he fought with Ang-- With the attacker. Members of our family nearly died that day. Including your mother..." he trailed off. "Ever since that day, all I've wanted to do it help my brother. The man who ordered that attack was related to me and even though I can't help that, I still want to redeem the name of those in my mother's family who aren't assholes. I want to help James, especially when so much shit is happening right now."

"I understand..." Savannah quietly agreed, softly nodding her head. "You can say it, you know. You can say "Angel". I know he did all of that. He was the masked man who hurt Lucy, James and Conor. He killed or helped to kill people they cared about. But he also saved my mum and me, didn't he? Did you see any good in him?" she curiously asked. It was such a sensitive subject with her family that Savannah was always desperate to grab any information about her deceased biological father that she could.

"Well, I mean..." Warren awkwardly began. "I was just a kid, Savvy. Before the wedding ceremony, I'd been staying with my ma and the others at Vinnie's place. Angel had been there some of the time and he did seem like a nice guy. He was good to those of us related to Vinnie, I can't deny that." Warren quickly shook his head, not wanting to be dragged into such a conversation. "The fact is, he then went and gunned down my own brother. Angel wasn't the person I'd first met."

"A man of two minds?" Savannah curiously proposed. Sinead had told her of the good side to Angel, yet it never seemed to outweigh the evil acts others spoke about. It was something that always left Savannah torn.

"I don't know..." Warren admitted, simply shrugging his shoulders.

*****​

Warren soon arrived outside The Lomax and let Savannah go inside without him, knowing the place had security of its own in place.

Savannah approached the bar and ordered herself a cocktail as she seated herself on one of the bar stools. As she looked around, she soon realised she wasn't searching for her cousin, but she was instead curious as to whether Danny was around the place.

[OPEN FOR INTERACTION]

 

[seasonedcat]

Penelope turned around with a smile at the familiar voice. Brady had taken a seat at a table that was right next to her, making it easy for her to find his familiar face in the crowded room. She rubbed her hands on her skirt as she smiled at him in a greeting, "Good to see you Brady."

She huffed at him lightly while putting her hands on her hips. Even if his company was pleasant she still had a job to do, and she couldn't have people thinking she was slacking off. Pushing a loose strand of hair back she tapped her chin at the next question. "If say I'm doing fine as of this moment. A tad tired I'm guilty of admitting, it is a truth a can not ignore. But I am rambling, how are you?"

She said with a light laugh, she could often go on about something longer than she should and it was often embarrassing. Not to mention she didn't have the luxury or time to go into a full on rant about how she was feeling, nor did she really want to go that much in depth about herself. Sometimes it just slips out, sadly, though.

Blushing she realized she had lost her train of thought. What had she just said? Did she ask how he was, or just say how she was? She couldn't recall, so hopefully that meant she hadn't asked the question, "Forgive my manors, I got lost in thought. How are you today?"

She smiled at him, not realizing she had in fact repeated what she had just said. People who often conversed with her were aware of the fact she often forgets what she had just said, and others either found it cute or annoying. She herself found it the latter of the two, she felt it made her stupid like all those girls who just care about dating guys and raising kids.

She shouldn't forget simple things like what she just said, it was stupid. The doctor said it was a result of brain damage, but even so, she should be smart enough to overcome something small like that. It's a good thing that she never usually figures out what she repeated unless someone points it out. Saves her some embarrassment with people who aren't asses.
Bellz

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Thomas Porter​

Lucy was glad to see that Olivia was out and about without clinging to her legs like she had been only a day or two ago. It was hard to look at her, as there was so much of Arlene in her that it was painful. Eyes watering, Lucy looked to James as he questioned her on what she would eat. It had been a few days since she'd even attempted to eat a full meal, she cooked for the others but would never touch the food herself. At the question of what she would be having, Lucy shrugged softly, "I'm not too hungry at the moment, so I figured I'd just pick off the plate I make you." There was a very faint hint of lighthearted teasing, but her voice sounded a bit too monotone for someone to really take notice, she was sure.

She continued to look up at her husband for a moment longer, just taking in his aura and trying to pull some strength from him. The blonde felt heavy, physically and mentally speaking. Just sitting on the couch was becoming a bit of a chore, she felt like she had become one with it and now it was even harder to get up. Letting out a soft, frustrated sigh, Luce heaved herself off the couch and slowly stood into a standing position. "To the kitchen then?" She asked, holding out her hand to James before looking to the kids and nodding her head. The dogs perked up at the word "kitchen" and immediately knew where their humans were going, hoping to get a scrap or two if they were lucky.

In the kitchen, Lucy let go of James' hand and leaned in to give him a gentle kiss before heading towards the fridge. Shopping had just been done recently so it was packed to the limit with food. Normally, it would have been half way finished through by now with all the meals Lucy would decide to make and the random guests they would always get but the house had been pretty empty as of late, especially since Syd wasn't going to show his face around. "Its a really nice day out, could get the grill going and cook up some chicken?" Lucy spoke to the little group as she peered into the fridge. Grabbing a few vegetable items, Thomas saw them and groaned, "Mam, can we go without the stupid broccoli for one dinner?" He asked, his voice sounding a little desperate as he said this.

Normally Lucy would smile at such a question, but she couldn't muster up one for him. Closing the fridge and opening the freezer, she grabbed the frozen chicken before setting it all out on the counter. "Thomas, I'm not going to argue with you, you know you have to eat those." By the unsettled look in the boys eyes, Lucy knew that this was more than just the vegetables.

WIth the help of some lukewarm water, the chicken was thawed and Lucy prepared it with seasonings and the likes for taste. They just needed to go on the grill. "Think you can help me out, handsome?" Turning to James, she held out the tray of chicken, a soft look on her face instead of a smile. Thomas seemed to be growing restless by the minute and before Lucy could try to help, he spat out, "I hate this." The blonde didn't have to ask what he hated because she already knew. Looking desperately to James, Lucy bit her lip, "Thomas, I know this is ha-" "Why can't you take me to see Syd?" He interrupted her. It was the first time he outright asked that question. The boy was clearly tense despite trying to be cheery earlier, Lucy was on edge now, she didn't need another repeat of what happened with Syd. "Its complicated, we just need to leave him al-" "No, I want to see him!" Thomas bursted out and Lucy's eyes widened at him.

"No!" She said, her voice raising slightly but there was no strength behind it. "I am not having this argument with you, young man!"

With: James and Olivia Misty Gray
mentions: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter
~ Olivia Sullivan ~​

When they'd entered the kitchen, James stood still as Lucy kissed him, allowing a small smile to creep onto his lips in response to his wife's gesture. He remained standing as he watched her open up the fridge to take out some food. "I could go for some grilled chicken," he agreed. There was a lot going through the man's mind, both relating to the business and the problems going on within the family. For the sake of all three of the people standing in the kitchen with him, James was prepared to go along with the casual and relaxed talk about the meal. When Thomas spoke against having broccoli, James was ready to make the usual running family joke about how Conor always ate his vegetables growing up, whilst Sinead didn't. Instead, he held his tongue as he saw the kid's problem wasn't really with the food.

James accepted the tray from Lucy and winked at her calling him handsome. "Oh, yeah. I can get the grill going outside, love," he assured her. The man was about to do exactly that until the sound of Thomas' voice saying 'I hate this' stopped James from walking away. Lucy began to reply to their son but she was soon cut off when Thomas interrupted her to ask why he couldn't be taken to see Syd. The boy interrupted Lucy as second time, causing James to lightly shake his head and placed the tray of chicken down on the worktop. James briefly rubbed Lucy's shoulder, realising how exhausted she was with the conversation, as well as everything else that was going on.

James moved his hand away from his wife's shoulder and turned his attention to Thomas. "Listen to what your mother is telling you, Thomas. We're both saying no. Not yet," he firmly told his son. He didn't want his two sons to be kept apart, but until he and Lucy had had time to speak with Syd, they wouldn't be taking Thomas there to visit. "There's a lot going on right now and you're going to have to be patient. Once we've sorted everything out, I'm sure you and Syd will be able to hang out again. In the meantime, don't argue with your mother," he instructed him.

Bellz (Lucy, Thomas)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Syd's brows furrowed slightly when Roxie told him of her family's annual event that she frequently got kicked out of. With everything she had told him about her father so far, Syd was beginning to piece together an idea of what the man was like, and it wasn't a pleasant one. The light-hearted tone of voice that she used when she spoke of her dysfunctional family sounded like a facade to him, an attempt to make light of something that possibly affected her deeply, perhaps even more so than she knew. Although these days Syd tended to wear his heart on his sleeve due to a lack of control over his emotions, he still knew that technique well, having used it many times. Bury it, laugh it off, act like it doesn't bother you. In this case, however, Syd didn't believe he was familiar enough with Roxie to call her out on it. Besides, they were only out shopping for a dress - it wasn't exactly the time or place for a serious conversation.

The Porter family knew how to dress well as it was integral to their image and reputation to be seen as professional and well-groomed, so while Syd didn't have much of an eye for fashion, he was at least able to appreciate the aesthetic value of a person's outfit. Being in show business, Sinead and Gwen always knew how to dress to the nines and his ever-glamorous mother in her modelling career would never stop turning heads when she walked into a room. Yet, it still wasn't often that Syd's eye was caught by the details of a beautiful outfit, and if the Tiffany blue gown was being worn by anyone other than Roxie he may not have noticed the way it flowed and twirled about her body as she moved swiftly towards the clothing rack again. It made a simple walk look like a dance - he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Syd sat patiently this time while Roxie changed into her next outfit. Seeing her in that gown had killed his curiosity for the shop, removing any need or desire to explore while he waited. For now, he was sufficiently occupied with thoughts of her: running his hands down her body, kissing her, her dress riding up as she -

The sound of her voice jolted him out of his thoughts and his eyes snapped open, in slight shock as to where his mind had wandered to. "Oh?" he responded, only for the sake of giving her some sort of verbal acknowledgement. It was strange to hear her joke about what had happened at the party, because at the time she had been angry enough to slap him. The only good part of her night that he had witnessed had been when she had danced with Mitch, which he still didn't like to think about. Frowning to himself, he gave a weak laugh. He wanted to make a joke about how good she had looked in her sopping wet dress after he had spilled his whiskey all over her, but decided against it. His face was red enough as it was.

Despite her warning, Syd's jaw dropped when Roxie emerged from the changing room. His whole body stiffened and he lightly rubbed the back of his neck to relieve the uncomfortable heat that pricked at his skin. "Hm," was all he could get out. Dressed in full leather, she was the epitome of rebellion: independent and headstrong, as though nothing and no one could get in her way. In other words, she looked like one of his oldest fantasies. He couldn't help his eyes from wandering up and down her body, her figure accentuated by the tight fabric, and it took a special effort to not keep glancing back to the bra that was now slightly on show. The whole outfit left little to the imagination, but Syd's mind was doing a good job of trying to fill in the gaps nonetheless. With a deep breath, he finally smiled and said, "Well, you're dad's definitely not gonna like it. But if it were my party, I wouldn't kick you out..." Syd got to his feet carefully and took a step towards her. But then he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back, not wanting to give her the wrong impression. What he had safely assumed to be an innocent shopping trip seemed to be turning into something else; he couldn't see why she would ask for his opinion on an outfit like that if she didn't want to leave a particular impression on him. He knew he wouldn't be able to get this image of her out of his head for a long time, and it seemed to him that that was her intention. He bit down on his lip in an attempt to suppress a smile, and there was a moment of silence as he didn't dare speak. The tension in the air was indisputable, though Syd couldn't quite tell what kind of tension it was. "Meet me by the till," he told her. "Then, I don't know...I'll take you for a drink somewhere, if you like?" He could have stared at her all day in all that leather, but he wanted to show her that he was capable of staying on track. Equally, after seeing her dressed like that, he didn't want to say goodbye just yet.


In the end, they didn't go out for a drink, but instead went to Syd's place. In terms of distance, it would have perhaps made more sense to go back to Roxie's apartment since Syd lived all the way out in Queens, but he was keen to show her his home, and in comparison it ran very little risk of bumping into a relative who would no doubt ask questions about why they were together. Despite being spacious and beautiful, Syd wasn't very happy living in his big house alone; no matter how many visitors he got, it never felt like enough. The second the front door closed, it felt empty again. So, even though it didn't make much sense to head all the way out there, he wanted nothing more than to see Roxie fill that emptiness with her fun, charming personality.

As soon as he turned the key in the front door, a crescendo of barks could be heard from the other side. "It's okay, they already know you," he assured her, remembering how well she got on with them the morning after James' party. Syd strode into the hallway so that the dogs wouldn't try to get through the door and then crouched down to give them a warm greeting. Arrow, Tanner and Jet gave him plenty of kisses before circling Roxie excitedly, beating their tails against each other as they fought to get as close to her as possible. As he watched her interact with them, he began to feel Skye's presence in the room. It was the first time he had invited over a woman that he was attracted to, and even though his invitation was innocent it still made him feel a little strange, as if he was being disloyal in some way. Skye had never been to this house, having died before the family had moved to New York, yet she managed to find her way to the front of his mind all the same.

Before he could give way to any misplaced guilt, Syd refocused on the present moment and gave a sharp whistle to round up the dogs. While he knew that Roxie was comfortable around them, he didn't want them to put her off. "Miss Popular over there," he teased her. "Sorry about them, they can be a bit much." Once the dogs had calmed down, Syd walked her to a comfortable room at the back of the house. It wasn't a room he used for much besides relaxing; facing south, it allowed enough natural light for him to keep the sheer red curtains drawn, casting a soft, pink glow across the floor. "Can I get you a drink of anything?" he lightly offered, though not being so much in the habit of drinking anymore he wasn't too sure of what he had in. Catching her eye, he smiled to her before nodding to the record player. "Put something on, if you want."

Interactions
Bellz Roxie

 

[Bellz]

Gwen Bryant
Lorelei Bryant ​

Gwen was use to her daughter ambition but sometimes it surprised her what came out of her mouth for being such a young girl. The redheaded woman's eyes found Jason's as he mentioned that show business was hard, and that Lorelei should listen to Gwen. She wasn't the one to let people overstep her authority but with Jason, the lesson to be learned was valuable so, she let it slide. It was better than him telling Lorelei not to listen to her mother, right? Jason probably already knew it, but Gwen was listening closely to every word uttered, every look, every movement he made she was analyzing.

It was clear that something she had said about Eloise hit a nerve with him, somehow. He was good, too good really. The response she got was both unsatisfying and satisfying and it left her in a confused state of mind. What was his type then? Surely it wasn't herself, given the fact that he so easily left her in the middle of the night, his type would give him a reason to stick around. Eyes widened as the motorbike was brought into the conversation. It had been years. He met her eyes with his own and Gwen swallowed hard at the knowing smile that curled almost tauntingly.

It was relieving to know that he didn't have anyone special in his life at the moment and that once again left Gwen very very confused. Nodding her head slowly, she just noticed the burger in front of both herself and Lorelei and blinked a few times as she took in the food. When had that gotten there? His tone was entirely too casual but yet, believable. Was he acting? She couldn't tell. This was a dangerous game she was playing, one he seemed to be all too good at. Lorelei was too busy wolfing down her food in front of her that the conversation was just between Gwen and Jason now, little ears temporarily muffled by the sound of chewing.

"Ditched that wild ride, years ago." She shrugged her shoulders, trying to be just as casual as he seemed to be...she was a fucking actor for Christ sakes'. Turning to look at Lorelei, she hoped the girl wouldn't speak or get to involved in the conversation. "Well, as you can obviously tell...I did get married at one point in my life, Lorelei was the only good thing to come from it and now, in another point in my life, he feels...irrelevant." The woman wasn't going to say more than that besides summing it all up to, "We separated a year ago." She murmured softly.

"I wish I could see Daddy." Lorelei whimpered between bites and Gwen stiffened at the words. Of course she wanted to see him...before this mess, she was always made out to be the bad guy. "Lorelei...we've talked about this...he...isn't coming back." The table then got quiet and Gwen immediately dove for her burger, practically stuffing her face before more could be asked about the situation. Lorelei seemed to remember Jason's question he had asked because she suddenly blurted out, "Jarrell's Patties!"
With: Jason Pyroclast

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

Once the two men were in the car, Ryan left Conor to watch the passing city blocks. He wondered if what Conor was feeling was similar to his own homecoming experience from Korea years ago. But dwelling on subject wasn’t very enticing, so he focused on driving instead.

"Mhmm..." he murmured, vaguely wondering who this Rachel was as he steered the vehicle around a corner, "Thanks. It'll be nice to not be the dot on the domino." He felt guilty for accepting the offer without actually leaving the place in Bedford. However, due to the fact that NYC wasn't his backyard, he was being extraordinarily cautious, if not a bit paranoid, about unwanted “visitors”. But since he didn’t want it to get Conor concerned, he couldn’t reasonably refuse his friend’s offer either.

Fortunately, they'd missed the lunch rush and were immediately seated. Taking the seat facing the door, he scanned the restaurant thoughtly before browsing the simple menu. Since it didn’t take long for him to decide on what to order, his attention shifted to Conor across from him.

Ryan was initially perturbed by the intensity of his friend’s gaze, but realized that he wasn’t the object of Conor’s focus when the man’s eyes followed the person in the booth behind him. He’d not been privy to much that’s happened to the Sullivans in the past decade, or even much of the years before then. Wondering if they’d happened across an enemy, he was about to subtly query Conor, but the waitress returned before he could ask. By the time the two had placed their orders, Conor had already visibly relaxed.

“Oh, I don't doubt it. I’m actually surprised you’re settling on so little. I guess you gotta make room for what Sinny is cooking up,” chuckling a bit before stealing a look at the person that had left the booth behind him, “Someone you know?”


Misty Gray [Conor]

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Peter's wide eyes stared in the direction of Maddox but he couldn't seem to understand the words he was saying to him. Describe where you were. Why the fuck would he want to do that? This had to be some sort of trick. Peter's mind was running a mile a second and he had to calm down, if not for his own sake, but for Maddox's as well. Biting his lip, Peter leaned forward on the couch and clasped his hands together. Letting his head hang forward, he said nothing at first, listening to the sound of the clock on the wall.

"Prison." Was all he spoke at first, letting that seemingly simple word pass between the both of them. Is it somewhere you've been before?" Too many times, in his opinion. Slowly, he nodded his head at the questions being asked of him and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Prison, is what I saw. The familiar clock on the wall behind you...looks so similar." He murmured, his eyes squinting to see the numbers before shaking his head slowly with a harsh chuckle. "All clocks look the same I guess...but the one in prison..." Peter had always counted the seconds from the moment he stepped inside that prison, waiting to get home to his family.

Conor had adapted well to the prison life, as he looked like he belonged in such a place. But Peter...they could sniff the outsider in him from a mile away. And they did. Peter the first time around, was beaten up for his association with the Porters and the second time around that still didn't change, regardless of Conor being there or not, people found ways to harass him.

There was two instances...both were situations he had never brought up with anyone else before, not even Sinead. He hadn't been in the same room when he froze up like that, but he remembered staying wide awake in his cell after he was patched up from the incident. To have no one to back you up...as much as Conor had tried...it was terrifying. Peter's jaw stiffened as the angry tears burned at the back of his eyes.

Shaking his head once more, the man leaned back into his chair again, letting his hands fall to feel the fabric of the couch, letting it provide some sort of comfort for him as he spoke, "Its not something I can just openly talk about Doc," He murmured to the man in honesty.
with: Maddox Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau​

Syd's reaction was priceless. Roxie wished she had a camera. Her eyes glanced to the camera Syd had been playing with in across the room and Roxie's lips pursed ever so slightly in thought. Regardless of what Syd actually thought of the outfit, she was getting this, it was absolutely perfect for her father's party. Roxie use to hate getting kicked out and for years it made her sick for their approval...but using those situations she finally came to her senses. Fuck their approval. She had been vying for half of her life in search of their precious approval and it had grown tiresome after a while. Syd had yet to say anything but she only looked to him through the mirror, her mind was already made up, but it would be interesting to know what the hell he thought. A mischievous smile grew on her lips and she let out a soft laugh, "You don't seem like the type of guy to kick anyone out."
 She told him. He stood and took a step towards her and Roxie watched him all the while, wondering what he was doing as he shoved his hands into his pockets, clearly trying not to scare her off. She wasn't easily frightened by such little things like that.

The tension in the air was heavy on Roxie' s chest but she did nothing to clear the air as Syd bit down on his lip, hiding that perfect smile, or trying to more like it. When he told her to meet him by the till, Roxie raised a brow but nodded her head. "We found a winner." She said before he offered to get her a drink. This threw her off a bit actually and she struggled to find the right answer to say at first, instead watching him turn and move towards the register.

***​

That drink actually turned in a trip to Syd's place and Roxie was just going with the flow of it all, too curious and far too attracted to the man in the driver's seat to say no to his offer to go to his home. Roxie was stuck in some sort of daze that left her unable to remember what was sitting on Syd's left hand, so she didn't pay any mind to the ring as he helped her out of the car. Dogs could be heard on the other side of the door and Roxie's face lit up at the thought of seeing the animals again. Her family weren't animal people and it was hard for Roxie to deal with that when she herself was such an avid animal lover.

Of course, she didn't have an animal herself but it was a goal of hers. Right now in her life, however, she was far too busy to take care of herself adequately let alone a dog. Roxie watched Syd greet his animals before they turned on her, "Well hello there babies!" She said happily as she bent down to let the dogs greet her. She gave them all lots of love before moving into a standing position, the happy smile on her face clear as day. At the sound of their owners command, the dogs backed off and Roxie rolled her eyes at Syd's comment. "I'm going to steal one of them if you aren't careful. Jet's a beauty." She admired as Syd walked her into another room that was covered in a comfortable pink glow. "Yes please," She responded to his offer, "Host's pick." Not feel entirely too picky about the al alcohol choice, but then she added, "Maybe not the wine." All in good fun.

He caught her eye and the woman smiled in return before turning her head to look at the record player. "You don't know this but you just opened Pandora's box..." Roxie moved over to the record player and looked at all the records he had in a organizer near it. "You have quite the collection!" She commented before her eyes saw what she was looking for, carefully she pulled the record from its sheath and placed it under the needle before placing it down gently.

The music started up slowly and Roxie swayed softly with it, sing along, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, started up.

I look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping
Still my guitar gently weeps
I don't know why nobody told you
How to unfold your love
I don't know how someone controlled you
They bought and sold you...​

Roxie wasn't the best singer, but she wasn't terrible either, able to hold the simple tune of the song. Looking towards Syd, she waved her hands to get him to come closer before she reached out, helping him with the drinks as she continued to sway. "This song, is very underrated compared to most song's on this album. But it sounds so different to the rest of The Beatles' songs you know? A lot more...rebellious...angsty." Then she reached out both of her hands to take his gently. "Dance? I think I owe you one from the last party." She had seen that jealousy on his face, and given what his parents had so nicely pointed out...Syd liked her.
with: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor chuckled when Ryan voiced his surprise at how much he'd ordered and lightly shrugged his shoulders. He then patted his stomach in anticipation for food. "Yep, I've got to save some room for whatever Tink makes me. Still baffles me how someone who eats so little makes so much food for everyone else," he remarked.

Conor's eyes scanned the diner before resting on a familiar redhead sat a few tables away. She looked somewhat familiar and it took a little time for him to recognise the woman as James' half-sister, Gwen. He hadn't seen the woman since back in Dublin in the early sixties, but he was sure it was her. There was an unfamiliar man with her and a child who was obviously Gwen's daughter. Unsure if the woman would remember him at all, he was about to talk himself out of doing anything about recognising her. Before he had chance to decide, Ryan spoke up to ask him a question. At first, he assumed Ryan was asking about Gwen, but his friend wasn't looking in her direction at all - he was referring to the man Conor had briefly mistaken as a ghost from the past.

Conor turned his attention fully back to Ryan and awkwardly ran his fingertips over his own stubbly chin, deciding how open he should be about the topic. Like himself, Ryan had bad memories of the former Chicago Mafia Boss. As with Conor's own father, Vinnie was the reason Ryan's old man was dead too. Conor cleared his throat before quickly shaking his head. "No, I don't know the bloke," he eventually answered the question. "But, for a moment, I thought I did. I've, um..." Conor sat back, letting out a deep breath as he welcomed the brief interruption as the waitress brought out their drinks. Buying a little time for the young woman to walk away, Conor sucked in a mouthful of milkshake through the straw and quickly swallowed the drink. "For the last few weeks, I've kept seeing Romano's ugly mug. I thought it would stop now I'm out of that cell, but it's still in my head. Vinnie's smug fucking face. The night when he nearly drowned me; tortured Luce and James... it's been back in my thoughts again."

The man displayed a uncertain smile as he acknowledged the reason for revisiting his old nightmares. "It's all the shit I've been keeping locked up for all those years and my shrink believed it was part of the reason for all the fighting and aggression that got me locked up in the first place. As much as I hated talking about it, he was right. Not bottling it all up anymore gave me more control and i'd probably still be in prison now, getting locked in solitary for punching some prick." Conor slowly nodded his head. "I just hope Dr. Parker can finish what he started, because Vinnie's face ain't one I want to keep seeing. There's only one face I want to see before I fall asleep every night, and she isn't a bloke," he remarked.

Not wanting to drown Ryan in his own bad memories about the Italian's destruction, he decided it was time to redirect the conversation onto the friend he hadn't seen for years. "Right, it's your turn to spill now, mate." Conor said, pausing to this time take a sip of his Coke. "When you visited me in the slammer, you said you had business in the city. So, come on. Tell me everything," he persisted. "Is it anything I can help you with?"


Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Misty Gray]

Maddox Parker​

Maddox nodded when Peter said the word "prison". His face didn't show shock and surprise, remaining neutral as his soft eyes looked encouragingly in his client's direction. Regardless of the information he'd taken from Peter when they arranged the appointment, making assumptions wasn't how Maddox wished to conduct his session. If something was causing Peter's psychological problems, Maddox wanted to hear the man's history from his own mouth. Still, some of the distant and uncomfortable behaviour now appeared to be directly related to Peter's experiences in prison. When the man went on to mention the clock, Maddox turned his head around to look over his shoulder at the clock before looking back to Peter and nodding his head. He gently smiled as the other man let out something of a chuckle then went on to compare it to the clock in the prison."I can take it down, if you prefer?" he casually asked, shrugging his shoulders to reflect how simple a request taking the clock down would be. "Some people like it, some people don't. It's no trouble for me to take it down from the wall," he told him. It was true that some patients didn't like the clock, be it the sound of the ticking or some deep-rooted metaphors about time. Others liked it, some preferring to feel like they'd retained some control over the timing and progression of their session.

Maddox had met with a lot of prisoners and ex-convicts, learning about men and women who had broken the law for all kinds of circumstances or reasons. The doctor was a knowledgeable man and that knowledge extended to knowing about the criminal ties of Peter's family. Even so, his first impression of the man before him was that he wasn't some hardened criminal and didn't strike him as a man who would have fit in well with such people. Those thoughts made him no less interested in helping Peter- if anything, it made him all the more motivated to understand the newcomer to his office.

Callahan admitted to the man that his experiences in prison weren't something he was ready to speak openly about. Maddox nodded his head in understanding. The man appeared deeply affect by his time in prison and it was clearly a subject that they would have to work towards delving further into once some trust had been built. "I understand, Peter," he gently told him. "Perhaps it's something we could work towards, but I won't pressure you into bringing up those experiences unless you feel ready to do so."

Maddox decided to steer the conversation elsewhere, hoping to pull the man's mind out of the memories of prison. "I would like to learn a little more about you, Peter. It would help me to understand your home life and support structures," he explained. "What about growing up? What was that like for you?"

The counsellor then decided it was time to revisit something mentioned earlier. "You mentioned your wife and how she couldn't handle herself as well as your kids can. Is there a reason behind that? In fact... would you be able to tell me about Mrs. Callahan and your relationship with her? How much does she know and support you with the difficulties you're experiencing?"


Bellz (Peter)

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

"Ah," regretting that he asked. Not because of the unpleasant memories that Conor's answer coxed to the surface, but for causing his friend to dwell on the subject.

While Ryan's hated for the Romanos had evolved into the broader category of most Italian gangsters, he'd mostly adjusted to his father's death. However, Conor's words didn't strike him as odd since the ghosts that haunted him were not few. Most were unforgivable scoundrels, like himself, but not all. Usually they haunted his dreams, but occasionally, they'd painted themselves on the faces of the living. Of course, he paid little attention to those he knew verily to be dead. It was just something else to deal with. It was his normal.

"Romano is dead," he said firmly, "Dust to dust, and his blood ain't on our hands. No reason to keep his worthless memory alive," taking a sip from the bottle of domestic that he ordered.

Now it was Ryan's turn to pause. Had it been fresh, it might of been awkward, but it was far from first time he'd explained his life mission. It was Conor's unknown relationship to Carrick that he was cautious of. He'd not heard the Sullivans mention the youngest sibling much, although their mother had mentioned a "falling out" shortly after he'd left Chicago. But having learned that dancing around sensitive subjects wasn't very helpful in his progress, he decided on how best to voice it.

"I'm here looking for my son, Owen. He was taken from his mother shortly before I was able to get to them. Still have no idea where he's at, so I'm looking for who took him, Carrick," the nonchalant voice that delivered the statement was almost monotone. For quite some time, Ryan had agonized how he'd deal with Carrick whenever he found him, but had come to the conclusion that he'd deal with in the moment long ago. Likewise, his other emotions on the subject faded by time. His drive however, was still very much there, fueled by the void that Owen's absence left in his heart.

Nodding his thanks to the waitress as she delivered his food, Ryan then unfolded the napkin and rolled up his sleeves. The tattoo of the eagle and anchor on his forearm was starting to fade, and the names that circled around it had largely bled together to look like a broken line encompassing it. Ryan tucked into his burger, giving Conor time to comprehend what he just said.

Misty Gray [Conor]

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aliana Cartwright

Hearing the doorbell being rung again, she popped Leo's hand. "Hey, we only ring once and then you wait mister." She started rubbing her temples, trying to massage the headache away to no avail. When the door was opened, all she heard was Sinead's voice. Was it possible that her voice sounded a bit more... Shrill and louder than normal? She winced as her friend let the three of them into her home. Leo stood up on his tiptoes, cuffing his mouth in an attempt to whisper to his adult friend. "...She went out drinking." Of course, Ali heard this but she wasn't going to say anything on account of the headache and tiredness. Instead, Seana sent him a knowing look before hugging Sinead back. "Good to see you, dear heart." She was glad she didn't have to say much about her daughter's condition, seeing as the younger woman was already so perceptive. Sinead then led them to have a seat while she took Ali to the kitchen. During this time, she looked to Leo. "You, sir, have to stop being a smart ass." She laughed before patting his knee and responding to Sinead. "Coffee and apple juice-" Leo cut her off obviously having switched over to a different type of juice. "Orange!"

As soon as Ali and Sinead walked into the kitchen, she sat down and put her head in her hands. She was definitely beginning to regret her decision to drink so much the night before. Sinead's question made her chuckle to herself before she contemplated how she was feeling. Did she want to lie or tell the truth to her friend? To be quite honest, she was in no state to even think of a lie so she went with the latter of the two. "Ohh... Physically or emotionally?" She sat for a second, letting Sinead finish off with her trail of thought and encouraging words. She didn't know how things were going to go when she saw Conor. The one thing she did know is that he was about to be asking a lot of questions and she didn't really feel like answering them. That was perhaps the only thing she was going to have trouble with. When Sinead finished, she sighed and took a deep breath. "Let's start with physically. I feel like shit.." It was more of a mumble as she fought to keep herself awake, resting her head in her hand. She still had her sunglasses on so Sinead wouldn't be able to see her eyes trying to stay open. When she realized she was falling asleep she sat up and took another deep sigh. "Still sore from the whole bomb thing. Ankle still a mess, cuts, and scraps are healing but not fast enough..." After coming to terms with the fact that's not what her friend wanted to hear, she ran a hand through her already messy hair.

"I... Honestly don't know what to do when he gets here, Sinny. I'm feeling so much, too much if you ask me and I thought by drinking I could numb it all but.. The only thing that's numb is my tongue! I bit it last night." Taking a moment, she continued. "I don't know what's going to happen now that he's out
Sinead. I do know I find myself questioning how I went about things... Not seeing him more and things of that nature. For the first time, last night I kept thinking about the reason behind my anger and I'm starting to ask; is it justified?" Ali then pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, puffy baggy eyes momentarily covered by the rubbing she was doing. She yawned and stressed her hands up above her head. "What do you think?" ( Misty Gray )​

[/CENTER]

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

"Maybe not the whiskey, either," he quietly joked, grinning to himself as he made his way towards the drinks cabinet. Roxie had put Syd on the spot by putting the decision of what to drink in his hands. He peered indecisively between the bottles and sighed; it wasn't the best idea for him to drink alcohol whilst on his medication, but he thought it would seem rude to leave Roxie to drink on her own. When he glanced back to her he noticed that she was busy studying his record collection. A small, modest smile tugged at his lips. Syd had always been a big listener of music, especially rock n roll, and was proud of the large collection he had built up over the years. There was a record to represent every part of his personality, every mood, every memory. It was like she was looking into his soul, and, even though many of these songs made it onto the playlists for his nightclub, in this setting it made him self-conscious. He quickly reset his attention on the alcohol and picked up a random bottle, which turned out to be gin. A martini would be a fine enough cocktail to drink in the late afternoon hours.

Soon he had poured out the drinks, even garnished them with a strip of lemon peel. Despite his low tolerance for alcohol and lack of professional experience in bartending, Syd had a few cocktails under his belt for the purposes of hosting guests. When at last he turned around to her, she was lowering the needle on his record player. As soon as the distinctive hammering of the piano sounded through the speaker, Syd identified it as The Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Syd found himself in a daze as he observed her sway and sing to the music, unable to stop the tender smile from spreading across his face. He didn't stop gazing at her even when she caught his eye, but advanced slowly towards her as she beckoned him and passed her a martini glass. He took a small sip from his own before placing it onto the coffee table. "Yeah, totally," he smiled. "And it's crazy to think it wasn't even popular with the rest of the band. Harrison was their greatest asset, if you ask me..."

In his younger years, Syd would always try to be cool around girls - but often, the more he wanted to impress them, the less successful he was. With his lack of experience with women since Skye passed away, it seemed that not much had changed as he began to grow conscious of his pointless rambling. However, Roxie didn't seem too put off by his awkwardness so far. Her offer for a dance made him blush uncontrollably, and his voice was low when he finally uttered, "Go on, then." Drawing her closer to him, he placed a delicate hand on her back and looked over her shoulder as they swayed together. Why was he acting so shy around her? He wasn't usually like this. It was only women - attractive women - that brought out this side of him.

What are you doing?

As the song alternated between the charged, dramatic verses to its soft, lamenting chorus, Syd's mind began to stir itself into a frenzy. Having struggled to let go of his love for his late wife, the voices in his head had always fought off any ideas of getting close to another woman. After his conversation with Dr. Parker, however, Syd had been doing his best to ignore any thoughts that told him to distance himself from women that he liked. The only woman this currently applied to was Roxie, and so far he had purposefully allowed himself to act on instinct, following his heart rather than his head. But things between them seemed to be developing faster than he could keep up with, and so whenever time seemed to slow down, the voices in his head took the opportunity to try to dissuade him from pursuing his feelings for Roxie. He thought of his parents' disapproval and the suspicion currently held against her. He thought of how he hardly knew her, and of what Savannah might think. Finally, and most unavoidably, he thought of Skye...

Syd shut his eyes tight and counted down from 10. There was a beautiful, interesting woman in his arms, dancing with him to a song they both knew and loved. Her touch was electrifying and made his heart flutter with excitement. By the time he opened his eyes, Syd's head was clear of all negativity and he let his smile return. His right hand slowly slid down her arm until he was holding both of her hands again, and he stood gazing into her deep ocean eyes. All worries set aside, he knew in that moment that he wanted this. He wanted her. Not allowing his unpredictable mind to intervene, Syd pulled her hands down and towards him so that she was close enough to feel her breath against him. "I've wanted to do this since the moment I first saw you," he told her, in a voice deep and serious. He gently bit down on his lip, holding his eyes on hers for a second longer. Then, he went in for the kiss.

It was over in a second, as though to clear away the last of his anxieties and make sure it didn't feel wrong. But their lips had barely parted before he kissed her again, this time more confidently. Her lips felt as soft as he had imagined. In fact, it was better than he had anticipated, better than all of his fantasies. He hadn't had a kiss like that in God knows how long. When it finally ended, he lightly squeezed her hands and brought his lips to her ear. "Put it on."

Interactions
Bellz Roxie

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Allen Cartwright
It was another day in the life of Allen Cartwright. Doing nothing much but eating the slop they fed in the cafeteria then moving on to what people have started to call 'Al's Library'. There were still so many books he hadn't read, but today he wasn't reading. Instead, he was trying to get the books in order from the different genres and in alphabetical order. These kids in here didn't know what organization meant, but he was going to teach them as soon as he was done here. While organizing all the books he had read over the years, he couldn't help but think about his daughter. He had heard about Aliana coming to visit Conor and to be quite honest, was shocked that it even happened. If she were anything like her mother, she would never step foot in a prison. It was at that moment that he made the realization that perhaps she was indeed different from Seana, to begin with. He had always noticed something in her, even through the letters she had sent him over the years. Maybe one day she would come to visit him after all if Conor held up to the promise he made. Granted, he was going to get his hopes up for such a thing, but the thought about it was nice, right? He was halfway through 'K' of the fictions, wondering when he got Kaaterskills Falls when he was approached by a guard he'd come to know as Fred. He was informed that he had a visitor, which was strange seeing as in all his years of being locked up he never got one. For the first time, he was nervous about seeing who it was. Could he have really thought up his daughter? Would he finally be able to see his grown daughter in the flesh after missing out on so much of her life? Or could it be his ex-wife, swallowing her pride and everything else to see him? No, that definitely wasn't an option so who was it?

When he got to the room, he saw a well-dressed man sitting before him. Allen had never seen the man a day in his life, yet he felt familiar. Once he spoke and introduced himself, letting him know who he was Allen began to assess. A friend in Conor? That meant he really was keeping up with his word, helping him get out to see his family again. Kid was a man of word, that's for sure. Allen took a seat across from Mitch, putting a hand up to politely decline his offer on coffee. He had given up the bitter substance a long time ago and was now more of a tea man. "No, thank you. Kicked the caffeine habits a long, long time ago kid." For a second there was a pause. Not an uncomfortable one, just one where it seemed like the two were sizing each other up before speaking. "So, a lawyer huh? What can I do you for then?"



​

Mitch ( RayPurchase )

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Thomas Porter​

Lucy felt a warm hand on her shoulder and she immediately leaned into James' for the moment he was there. When he turned his attention to Thomas, Lucy straightened back up the best she could and also turned to look at her son, who was also apparently out to give her a hard time now too. What was it with her sons? James' words back up her own and Thomas looked desperate as he looked between his parents. "But..but..." Lucy held up her hand and shook her head, "Thomas, please? Can we just enjoy tonight and then I promise I will find some way to take to Syd..." Her eyes turned to look at James as she said this. Maybe they needed to make the first move. Lucy had been waiting for Syd to realize how extreme his action had been but clearly the man wasn't going to give in first and Lucy couldn't take the tension much longer.

Thomas surprisingly didn't fight now that James gave the final word. He had been a bit temperamental lately so Lucy honestly was in shock. But with a sigh, the blonde had to let go of what happened. Exhaustion was clear as day on her face but she tried to at least be a little upbeat for Olivia's sake. "Now come on, dad's got a chicken to grill and terrible jokes to make!" With that, she took Olivia's hand and lead her outside with James and Thomas slugging behind them. It seemed that his reputation would help him in his mission to escape, his parents suspected nothing.

With a sly look on his face, the boy followed them outside. "I'm going to go find Nanna!" He told his parents before walking in the opposite direction, taking his time as he placed his hands in his pockets. Lucy looked on as their son stomped away but she knew that chasing him down wouldn't do any good, looking to James she said, "Let's give him some space." Turning back to Olivia, the woman tried to give her a smile.

Thomas rounded the corner of the house heading towards the line of trees on the property on the far right side. He took his time, watching as the guards watched him. They were more of a watch from a distance type of guys...he wondered if his escape route had been found out... This made him walk a bit faster as he headed towards the first couple of trees. Following the fence, he made his way deeper and deeper into the property line until he was out of sight.

Once he was sure he couldn't be seen, Thomas found the hole he had dug up a few months ago. There was this girl in the neighborhood that he had been having a crush on, they would meet up sometimes during the day when Thomas could find time and when he wouldn't have a chance of being caught.

Moving the pile of leaves that camouflaged it, Thomas quickly laid on his tummy to crawl underneath the fence and out into the world. Once he was through, he scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off before taking off into a sprint towards the back roads behind all the properties in Queens. It would be the safest way to get to Syd's house without getting caught. But as he made his way over to the dirt road, he noticed that he had no idea how to get to his brother's from here.
with: James and Olivia Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor slowly nodded his head when Ryan made his firm statement about Romano being dead. He was always in two minds about the fact the man's blood wasn't on his hands. He was sure it made him a better person for not killing Romano, but there were also times it made him feel like he'd let his family down all of those years ago. In the aftermath of his father's murder, it had fallen onto Conor to run the family business, but he hadn't stepped up to his duty and instead handed the responsibility to James. It had been James who finally killed Romano, and if it had been about who had suffered and lost the most at the hands of Vinnie, then James would have won, without question. Yet, Conor still felt like he'd let his own father down and failed to honour Emmet's name, as well as the Sullivan name as a whole. Now he was out of prison, he knew he'd need to find a way to help the family business whilst also convincing Aliana he'd changed. He wanted Leo to be proud of him and to look up to him. Similarly, he wanted to hear from his daughter, even if it was just a call from Michelle or a letter to tell him what she'd been up to over the last few years. His mind was becoming a jumbled mess and he was hoping for a distraction.

That distraction soon came with the answer Ryan gave him about his business in New York. The first time Conor had learned of Owen was over a decade ago, when Ryan left Dublin to seek out his son. It saddened him to hear that his friend hadn't had any luck in finding the young man. What was more shocking was hearing Carrick had taken him. Conor couldn't hide his confusion, though he didn't even attempt to. "Carrick?!" he repeated. He let out a surprised whistle but before he could say anything more, the waitress brought the food to the table. Conor rubbed his hands together before wasting no time in taking a large bite out of the first burger. He'd been craving the food for far too long, so his enjoyment of it was quite exaggerated.

Though Conor displayed a content smile as he finished chewing the mouthful of food, his thoughts were still fixed on what Ryan had told him. Back when Emmet was still alive and the four Sullivan siblings all lived together, there was often tension where Carrick was concerned. The youngest of the four didn't get along with Emmet or Sinead. Both Carrick and Sinead had always distanced themselves from the family's criminal activities, with Carrick showing little respect towards Emmet for the lifestyle they'd been born into. When Sinead tried to get her independence and distanced herself from the family in favour of pursuing a musical career, Carrick resented her for seemingly abandoning him. Carrick was closest to their mother, with Shannon tending to stick up for him first. Carrick and Conor were relatively close, though the latter often tried to get his little brother to lighten up and maybe even get drunk once in a while. In the end, even Conor had lost some respect for his brother. When Sinead first fell pregnant, Carrick's words to the terrified young woman as well as the yet to be born Savannah had be cruel and harsh. Though Carrick eventually apologised, Sinead had never forgotten what had been said. Conor had tried to stay close to Carrick, but when his younger brother moved away and only kept in touch with Shannon, Conor stop caring much at all about him. After all the family had been through, he felt Carrick should have made more effort with himself and Lucy, even if Sinead refused to acknowledge his existence.

"Well, I don't hear from Carrick anymore and not just because I've been locked up," Conor admitted. He glanced to the tattoo on Ryan's arm. "He only keeps in touch with my Mam... She's living in London, by the way," he said, unsure if his friend knew Shannon hadn't joined the family in New York. "Kind of pissed me off a bit that he didn't bother to keep in touch with me after rushing off to college and whatever else he's been doing ever since. After a while, I stopped asking Mam for updates on him. Hell, as far as Tink is concerned, he doesn't even exist," he remarked. He sat back and studied Ryan's face for a moment. "When you say he 'took' Owen, what do you mean? How and why is my brother even involved?" he firmly asked. He wasn't doubting Ryan - if anything, he felt more compelled to take his friend's side if Carrick had screwed him over.


Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead could tell Aliana was even more tired and hungover than she first assumed. She flicked the switch on the kettle on and let out a sigh. "That'll be a coffee for Seana and a strong one for you," she sweetly pointed out. "Apple juice. Apple... No. Orange juice. Boy's changed his tastes since last week," she quietly corrected herself. As she poured the juice from the carton into the glass, she watched as her friend replied to her. Sinead pulled an exaggerated yet understanding frown when Aliana spoke of physically feeling like shit. "I'm sorry you're still hurting, honey. You need to make sure you rest more until you're properly healed! It makes me so mad to know you and the others got caught up in that explosion." She placed the juice carton back in the fridge and gently closed the door.

Ignoring he kettle for the time-being, Sinead sat at the table, facing her friend so she could send her a look that encouraged her to answer the question she'd really asked. She lightly nodded as Aliana admitted she didn't know what to do when Conor returned home. "We've all been there with the booze. But now you've tried the drinking and it hasn't made anything easier, so we need to figure out how you're going to deal with this sober," she instructed her.

"Maybe you're not supposed to know what's going to happen. This might just have to be one of those things you have to take as it comes." One thing Sinead wasn't going to do was takes sides if there were to be sides. She loved her brother and she loved Aliana, so she would only offer her honesty and understanding to both of them. "I can understand you were disappointed with him, because he did promise he wouldn't get himself into trouble. But, I guess we've all made mistakes or been on the receiving end of broken promises. You have to decide if you still love him enough to forgive what he did, or if it's too late." Sinead looked down to her lap for a moment as she thought about her next words whilst forcing back any emotions that threatened to accompany them. She looked up to Aliana. "I think you shouldn't overthink it right now. Welcome him home, even if you're only doing so for the sake of Leo. Don't commit to any decision yet, just see how you feel in Conor's presence and maybe take it from there. You both need to talk about it - tell him why it hurt so much that he broke his promise, and I'm sure he'll understand. Maybe see how he responds and see where your heart takes you." She sucked in a deep breath and swallowed hard as she felt a lump in her throat.. "Just be prepared in case he's not quite the same person - if his time in prison has affected him, even temporarily. I made the mistake of thinking Peter would be the same person he'd been before prison; that he'd be thrilled and excited to be back home." She let out as deep breath and stopped herself from falling back into a dark place. "With Conor home, you won't have to be so busy keeping his businesses running and you'll get more time to look after yourself. More time to relax. More time to devote to Leo. Maybe even time to spend with Conor, in whatever capacity you feel comfortable with."


Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana, Leo, Seana)

 

[Bellz]

Ricardo Bianchi​

Ricardo just sneered as he looked Elon before another man walked calling him an old friend. When the familiar man walked into the light, Ricardo let out a low chuckle and dare to smile at the man. "Do not confuse me with one of your friends...we would never be such a thing." He went on to explain in a melodramatic way how the whole thing was going to go down, but Ricardo was just ready to get it over with. Apparently, they were there to help this man cure some sort of sick passion he had for getting information. Unfortunately for Dante, Ricardo and his friend didn't have information to give. He was getting the proper pay for himself if he should make it out alive, if he did not, his family would be compensated for the rest of their lives. At least he could have comfort in knowing that.

Before he knew what was happening, Ricardo didn't even have time to flinch as he stuck what appeared to be an ice pick into his leg. Ricardo let out a loud shout but quickly silenced himself with his teeth clamping down harshly on his lower lip. His whole body began to tremble with the pain coming from his thigh, the blood was a lot, but with a quick look to the wound it was clear that he wouldn't bleed out from it.

This told the Italian it wasn't going to be so quick and easy, like his boss had told him. The man twisted the pick and Ricardo let out a scream that he couldn't hold back, "SON OF A BITCH!" He hollered, he wasn't going to say a damn thing because again, he had no idea what his boss had in store for the Porters. Originally, this had all just been a game for his boss, wanting to test the Irishmen's ability to form a unit, see who was the strongest and who was the weakest.

It was easy information to get since the Porters seemed to be a bit more lax with security, but again, it had all just been a game before. "I don't know shit." He hissed out to the man, not sounding desperate but sure as hell sounded like he was in pain.

"How are you suppose to get your precious information when we don't even know it ourselves?" He was sure his words was going to take some convincing, which meant that this whole thing wasn't going to be easy for him.
with: Dante shadowz1995 ; (ITS NOT LETTING ME TAG YOU) Farrid @Tenko ; other guy Misty Gray

 

[Pyroclast]

Jason Costello

Having had to fend for himself growing up, Jason had learned to be independent from a very early age. There were few people who had ever made a lasting positive impression on his life, and while he was grateful to them, he knew how to get by on his own. It had been several years now since Jason had last set foot inside a prison and the closer he got to success the less he found himself turning to crime to survive. Being so independent, he was used to a lack of meaningful connections and so it was easy for him to act casual and leave his expectations at the door when he sat down to share a meal with Gwen and her daughter. Deep down, however, he half hoped that the two of them would become close again. She was his only chance at becoming special to someone; although he knew from experience that he could live without it, it would still be nice to be valued.

It appeared that Gwen was also acting casual, though being an actress Jason couldn't quite tell if it was natural or put on. He watched her as he ate and wondered what she meant by ditched that wild ride. It was difficult to be direct with her whilst in the company of her daughter, so he had to decide on his own how to interpret her words. Was she referring to him in particular, or the idea of dating in general? He hoped it wasn't the latter, though given their chemistry he doubted that if she did develop any sort of feelings for him, she would able to so easily deny herself the opportunity to pursue them.

Her confirmation of being married piqued his interest and he straightened up to listen intently to her words. It was clear she wasn't comfortable as she only talked vaguely, but Jason got the impression that it was a very sensitive subject for her. Lorelei's tearful voice caught his attention and he felt immediately sympathetic towards the girl. He had lost his own father at the young age of 10 and was abandoned by his mother and sisters later that same year, so he knew how it disruptive to one's life it could be to lose a parental figure. Even if the relationship wasn't a healthy or happy one, it was still hard to handle such loss. Jason didn't know anything of this man other than Gwen's veiled remark of his negative impact on the family, so he wasn't sure of what he could say. Since she wasn't willing to disclose much information, he began trying to piece it together himself. First of all, assuming that Lorelei's age was in the single-digits, the separation must have been fairly recent - if he had left 3 or 4 years earlier, she may not remember him well enough to miss him. Of course, that would depend on the closeness of their relationship, but it was a start. From there, and also judging from Lorelei's accent, he could deduce that Gwen had been living in New York for several years already. His face had grown serious and he put his burger down, watching as Gwen began to eat hers with haste. Lorelei appeared to overcome her sorrow quickly enough and suddenly blurted out the name of the diner. But Jason only smiled faintly at her in response.

A few more silent seconds passed before Jason remembered about the food in front of him and began to eat again, albeit with less enthusiasm than before. He glanced up to Gwen, wondering what was going through her head. "I'm sorry things didn't work out," he eventually responded, in a voice quieter than usual. Of course, he was referring to her marriage, but as soon as the words escaped him, he realised that he also felt the same about their own past relationship. "Have ye been livin' in New York all this time, then? What's your situation now?" He absent-mindedly dabbed one of his fries into a small pool of ketchup, but more or less kept his attention on her. Then, in a more playful tone of voice, he added, "Don't tell me you've been acting on Broadway since before Rory was born!"

Interactions
Bellz Gwen, Lorelei