Realistic or Modern Family Ties: 1980s Gangs - IC (Ended)

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Adam Harper and Conor Sullivan​

Adam caught the way Blake looked at Aliana, before grinning at the two friends. He wasn't sure if Aliana was feeling super awkward stuck in the middle of the flirting, or if the ladies were both just enjoying having a bit of fun at his expense. Either way, he had a thick skin, so wasn't about to go shy about the whole thing, even if Blake was just looking for some entertainment to wash the drinks down with. Having said that, his attraction to Blake was more than just trying to talk an attractive woman into bed. In reality, his feelings towards her were more than just physical and he'd be lying if he said he didn't care if they weren't reciprocated. It was extremely rare for him to have genuine feelings for a woman, let alone to go ahead and admit it. He'd spent most of his life avoiding commitment and opting for quick flings, but the last few years he'd started to think differently. Dare he say, he now wanted to explore a genuine and exclusive relationship.

He caught the way Blake's face took on a sad expression once he'd asked her about her type. He almost kicked himself for not realising directing the question back at her could bring up unhappy memories for her. She'd been married to Jackson for a significant number of years before he died, so of course the question was going to take her thoughts to her late husband. He used the short break in eye-contact to do another scan of the pub to check everything was still in order. He soon set his eyes back on Blake. Thankfully, he didn't need to apologise as Blake spoke and continued their flirting. He admired the woman's bravery and ability to pick herself back up. "I'll have you know I've never been called a bore... at least, not to my face ," he assured her, intentionally exaggerating his pride in that fact. "I don't think we need to go into my dangerous side, but I'm all about the spice... You know what, this feels like a whole lotta talk and no action," he began. "I've got some days off coming up. I hereby formally invite you to my house so I can cook you a spicy dinner and you can marvel at how spotless my house is. Granted, it's barely lived in..." he sarcastically trailed off. He then let out a dry laugh as Blake threw some shade at Conor's apparent poor time-keeping. He looked to Aliana and feigned disappointment. "You need to whip him into shape, Ali. If he was here on time, you wouldn't have to sit here listening to this," he joked, pointing between himself and Blake to reflect their flirting.

With a direct view of the entrance, Adam was quick to look to the door when it was pushed open, making sure to keep tabs on those who were coming and going. "Speak of the devil," he said upon seeing Conor step into the pub.

After briefly looking around, Conor saw them seated at the table and walked over to the trio. "Sorry I'm late," he apologised, his tone sounding more serious than it usually did when he first entered a lively pub. "I won't be a minute, love," he told Aliana, leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the lips before making a beeline for the bar and calmly greeting anyone who addressed him on his way there. When he reached the bar, he approached Thomas and Elena who were in conversation. "Evening, Thomas. How's the job going?" he asked, sending a brief glance to Adam. The boss then looked to Elena and sent her a friendly smile. "I hope my nephew isn't giving you any trouble," he told his new barmaid, flashing a friendly smile. "When you get chance, I'll have a pint of Guinness, please. I'll be over there," he told Elena as he pointed to the table Aliana and the others were occupying.

Once he returned to the table, he sat next to Adam and opposite Aliana. "I don't want to talk about this too much out here in public," he began, clearly about to reveal something serious. Although he knew most of the people in the pub, he didn't want anyone spreading gossip around. "There's been an incident not far from here. Matthew - Roxie's fiance - has been shot and killed. I've got my guys looking into it, but we're all sure Roxie was the intended target. Matthew got shot protecting Roxie and the kids," he informed them. He let out a deep breath and knew not to say anymore until he was in the privacy of his home or office. "So, come on. What have you three been up to. Have these two been giving you any trouble, mate?" he asked Adam. "They're a bloody nightmare when they're together."

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)
Bellz (Blake)
Mentions: Bellz (Thomas) Pyroclast (Elena)

 

[Misty Gray]

Billy's Place
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer leaned back against the worktop and eyed his brother somewhat suspiciously on account of Billy telling him he was good wasn't very convincing. Spencer casually folded his arms whilst willing Billy to keep talking. He started explaining they went to the guy's flat, drawing a few nods out of Spencer. He explained how Trevor was acting on edge, which didn't sound surprising as the man was supposedly a drug addict. "Maybe you knocked some sense into him," he commented upon hearing they'd knocked Trevor out. Billy seemed to be stalling, which Spencer was finding frustrating. "You got him in the car and then what?!" he urged his brother to continue. "The tea can bloody wait," he bluntly told Billy. "What are you fannying about at? Get on with the story," he said, letting out a confused laugh.

Not getting far with Billy, Spencer was glad when Erik spoke up to continue explaining what had happened. It soon transpired that Trevor was dead in the backseat of the car, having tried to kill Billy. "Wait... I appreciate that you killed the guy to save our Billy," Spencer began, putting the most important thing out there first; that he was relieved his brother didn't get killed. "But how the fuck...? How did the pair of you let some messed up druggie get the better of you so much that you had to kill him?" he questioned, shaking his head. "It was the only issue you ran into?" he sarcastically repeated Erik's words. "Oh. So you at least got the money Trevor owed?" he directed his question to Billy. He took a moment to catch sight of the bruise and trauma on Billy's neck after Erik had pointed it out. "Well I ain't kissing it better, you soft twat," he remarked to Billy.

Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to process the situation. "Right. So we've got a dead body in the car in the garage. How much mess are we talking here? I take it a clean up crew is needed?" He then let out a groan. "And in terms of the other kind of mess. Were there any witnesses? Is this likely to find it's way to our doorstep?" he seriously asked. "Uncle Bruce doesn't need this shit coming back to him. We owe it to him to get this mess dealt with, and quietly."

Pyroclast (Billy)
Melanin-Gxdess (Erik)

 

[Bellz]

Braden Callahan

Savannah Callahan's House
~ Islington, London ~​

Braden smiled when Savannah said that fish and chips were good with her before she seemed to zone out, smiling to herself lightly. Kerry seemed to notice as well before asking his sister what she was smiling at. His sister snapped out of her trance before looking at the two sitting on the couch before saying that she was just thinking about how glad she was that he was getting along with Kerry. She then asked Braden if Kerry was the sweetest and the man nodded his head softly, "Like candy." He agreed before looking at Kerry with a smile a bit longer than he probably should have. Noticing his staring, Braden cleared his throat before looking at both of the women. "So I take it they don't deliver fish and chips like pizza, shall we get a move on before it gets really cold?" He asked. Once it was settled that they would head down to the local fish and chips place, Braden opened the door for the two women before closing it and letting Savvy lock it.

As they stepped out into the cool London air, Braden had to pull his coat around him tighter as the breeze threatened to blow it open. He looked to the women with a smile, his teeth chattering slightly. "It takes me a second to get used to this cold." He said in defense, seeing the look his sister was giving him. "Ireland is the same way but honestly, that's why I miss New York sometimes during this time of year. The warm air during the spring after the snow melts away. It was like being wrapped in a blanket that just was taken out of the dryer." He hummed.

While he did enjoy Ireland, he did really miss the atmosphere of the big city and all his friends. After he hit rock bottom with his girlfriend leaving him and Hattie, he decided it was best to head back to where he had family and decided it also best to live with his parents so that he could have some extra help with Hattie. He didn't think he could be the parent she needed just living by himself with her. He would be forever grateful that his parents allowed him to move back in. But sometime soon, he knew it would be time to leave again...Hattie was getting old enough now that she could go to preschool. Glancing over at Kerry, he wondered what she would think of him living with his parents at his age.

His cheeks reddened with embarrassment at the thought of her knowing that so he cleared his throat. "So this place we are going to, is it the best fish and chips place around? I don't want to be eating subpar food when I came to get the full British experience." He said teasingly as he looked from Savvy to Kerry with a large smile on his face.
with: Savvy + Kerry Misty Gray

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Sullivan's Pub
~Dublin City Center, Dublin~
Aliana Cartwright-Sullivan

Playing the wing woman for her best friend had been more fun than she expected. Watching her and Adam go back and forth reminded her of their youth and the days when she flirted with Conor. Catching and keeping his attention hadn't been too hard, but the game they played was enjoyable. She didn't think it would lead to them getting married and having three kids but here they were decades later. It brought a small smile to her face as she engaged in conversation with Blake and Adam. Adam apologized for not inviting her over for fear of her falling for him. She couldn't help but let out a laugh as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, my type is more of the hotheaded, brutish type. Ya know, start a fight before even realizing he's starting a fight." She joked. The past few years he hadn't been like his old self and she was thankful for that. Bailing him out of jail at 4 in the morning wasn't something she was really interested in doing. In fact, she was more than likely to let him sit there until she felt ready to get it if he were to get arrested for reckless fighting. "So you're safe in that department. Just make sure to subtly pass on that a man mopping is attractive."

Ali listened as Adam explained he didn't have a preference, but he did like blondes. Looking back to Blake for a moment she couldn't help but smile at how brave he was being. To keep actively flirting with her in front of her best friend was truly ballsy. She had a lot of respect for Adam outside of this moment but this was definitely causing her to respect him even more. Once he asked her what Blake's type was, Ali glanced down to the ground. Jackson had been her entire world for many years and he had been the only man she saw her friend love, even after his death. It was normal to assume she would never date again because no one would ever compare, but maybe she was wrong about that. She looked to Blake to make sure she was okay as she gave Adam a flirtatious response. She smiled at the sight before the attention was brought on herself. "Oh, I've gotten used to it. Do you know how many dates were postponed because something came up or he was late because something had happened? I was just glad he made it to the birth of our children and our wedding on time." She gave a playful roll of her eyes before knocking back the rest of her drink and shaking her head. "Oh, but Adam, this just makes my night more entertaining. Besides, how do I know you would've finally made a move if I wasn't here?" She teased, tilting her head to the side.

Just as the topic had turned to the door he had come strolling into the bar, though she could tell something was wrong. This was supposed to be a relaxing night among friends and the look on his face with the tone of his voice said otherwise. She returned his kiss with a concerned look as she watched him walk towards Thomas and Elena. She couldn't help but look between Blake and Adam before sighing. "Why do I feel like our night is about to turn heavy?" She asked looking at her now empty cup. "Going to need another drink and tons of shots..." She said playing with the rim of her glass. Once he rejoined them he lowered his voice telling him he was about to speak about something both private and important. The moment he explained that Matthew had died taking a bullet for Roxie and the kids her heart broke.

Ali didn't know Matthew that well, but she did know her nieces and nephew loved him and he was kind to Roxie. Hearing that this saint of a man had gotten caught up in this world was heartbreaking. She knew not to ask about Roxie or the kids seeing as he would tell them if anything else had gone amiss. Ali subconsciously rubbed the top of her lip in thought before Conor changed the subject. At first, she was confused at the sudden change but realized where they were. She was quiet for a moment before clearing her throat and trying to muster up a small smile. "Hey, everyone has to experience the duo once in their life."





Blake ( Bellz )
Adam, Conor( Misty Gray )

​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Paulie's Pizzeria
~ Downtown Dublin, Ireland ~
Reina Richards

Reina watched as Roxie shook her head at Reina's declaration that Matthew's death was her fault. It didn't matter what her boss said, security was her job and that meant for Matthew as well. How was she supposed to call herself a bodyguard if she couldn't protect all the members of Roxie's immediate circle? She appreciated Conor's comment, giving him a strained smile, but it did nothing for her thoughts. After she finished talking she listened to Roxie admit to understanding why the shooting had happened. To be quite honest, Reina hadn't expected this to happen while they were in Dublin on Sullivan soil. Sure, she had that nagging feeling that just wouldn't go away earlier but she never thought someone would be bold enough to try and kill Roxie. The fact that it had been done in broad daylight as well meant they must have been desperate to get rid of her and would gladly risk it all to do so. It pissed her off that they would try it period but even more so that she had been out with her family, innocent children, and a man who was nothing but a saint. While listening to Roxie talk she couldn't help but ball her hands into fists. She could feel her nails digging into her skin but not pierce them.

Roxie expressed how her children should stay with Syd and Reina couldn't help but agree. It would make her job a lot easier if she only had one body to keep an eye on. Plus, knowing they were somewhere safe with someone that could be trusted set her mind at ease. At the mention of Roxie heading home, she wanted to protest. She didn't doubt that there was significant enough protection there, but she didn't trust anyone at the moment. Not knowing who had made an attempt on her life was sending Reina down a paranoid path. If she didn't know the person or already trust them she didn't want them around. At the current moment, she barely wanted Conor around but she knew he had nothing to do with this. Reina placed a protective arm around Roxie out of instinct while listening to him speak. He had sworn to get to the bottom of it and she struggled with deciding if he really could or not. "I-I can help if you need me to. Anything to get back at the assholes who did this." She said with a frown.

Hearing the sound of Roxie's voice begging them to tell her this wasn't real broke her heart. A lump formed in her throat as she opened her mouth to say something. No sound came out so she just closed it and looked to the ground. Reina hadn't dealt with her loved ones dying in the past in a healthy way, so she wasn't privy to dealing with grief. The most she could do was be there to listen to her rant, cry, scream, and whatever else she needed to do. Conor left them for a brief moment while Reina offered the woman more comfort as she started crying again. She was at a loss for words and definitely didn't want to say any of the cliche things she had heard people say. Instead, she rubbed her back and spoke softly. "I'm going to get the assholes that did this, okay? I swear to you." Her voice was serious and full of anger though she managed not to raise her voice. "For now, let's get this shit with the cops over and get you home, okay?"

Roxie ( Bellz )
Conor ( Misty Gray )

​

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~​

Thomas watched Elena closely as he continued to smile at her sweetly, their eyes met before the woman let out the sweetest laugh he'd ever heard. She asked what he was doing and to stop making her laugh which in turn started to make him laugh. "What?" He asked between laughs. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed as much as he was at that moment. It had to have been years since he last laughed, yet this woman, she was making him feel things he hadn't felt before, do things he hadn't done in a very long time. When Elena tended to one of her customers, Thomas turned to his glass of water and took a long drink, finishing off the glass just as she returned. She told him that he was an interesting man which made his cheeks turn pink.

He didn't think he was all that interesting even though it was true that he had traveled many places. She started to tell her story, that she had lived in Havana all her life and gone to school to study medicine, not by her choice but to appease her mother. She said she stopped going because she didn't like the blood, asking if he understood what she meant, he nodded his head lightly. She then went on to state that she was now in Dublin saying that she was looking for...well, he didn't get to know as she stopped her sentence before she could tell him. Very good at hiding his own emotions, Thomas continued to smile at her gently as he thought it was strange how the woman couldn't tell him why she was in Dublin. She then stated that she was looking for a new life, but after years of experience in reading people, he knew that perhaps that was a little far from the truth. She was about to say that she was looking for someone, who that was, Thomas couldn't figure out...but he wanted to know what the big secret was. He knew he was nothing more than a kind stranger to her...but if she let him, perhaps with time they would get to know one other well enough.

Despite them only meeting today, he felt this odd desire to get to know her for more than what she was just willing to tell him as a stranger. For someone who was very guarded, Thomas seemed to be willing to let this woman into his life...which made him feel strange and unsure of himself. Once again, Elena asked about Adam, more specifically asking if Thomas liked his work with the man. "Ah, Adam's a good guy, today is my first official day but I've known the man since I was about 11 so I think we are gonna get along just fine." She then stated her concern for taking him away from Adam, worrying that he would not be happy with her for taking Thomas away from him. Before he would say anything Conor's voice rang in his ear, causing the man to turn towards the sound. "Uncle Conor, nice to see you decided to show up for your date!" He teased gently. "It's going well actually, didn't think I'd be able to talk to such a beautiful woman on the first day of my new job." He said as he turned to smile at Elena. Thomas let out a laugh as Conor expressed to Elena that he hoped Thomas wasn't causing her trouble. "Me? Trouble? Never." He said with a smirk before watching as Conor made his way to the table with his Aunts and Adam. After a moment, he turned to Elena, "See? Adam's got all the company he needs, if he needs me, I'm sure he'd call me over." He said, hoping to relieve some of the woman's worry.
with: Elena Pyroclast ; Conor Misty Gray

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy King​

Billy was relieved that Erik took over the responsibility of explaining the situation when Spencer expressed further impatience. He reluctantly turned back around and folded his arms when told to focus, still refusing to meet his brother’s eye. Given that Spencer was clearly already frustrated, it came as no surprise that he was quick to show judgement over how the pair had handled the job. Billy could feel his face grow hot, staring hard at the floor while Spencer berated them for losing control over Trevor. Of course he was ashamed of what had happened, but it didn’t feel right to him that Erik should be taking any blame given that he had just saved his life. He wasn’t sure if it was the embarrassment of Erik drawing his brothers’ attention to his bruise or the way Spencer mocked Erik’s explanation, but Billy felt himself turn suddenly defensive when asked if they had at least got the money that Trevor owed them. “Hey, that wasn’t our fucking job!” he interjected, jabbing a finger in Spencer’s direction. “You think the guy was just stashing wads of cash around his scabby little apartment? He didn't even have food in the fridge or a sofa to sit his arse on. Nah, we all agreed to sort the debt out together after we brought him to you and Alex. So yeah, that was the only issue we ran into, and I’m sorry that it didn’t work out the way we planned but we can’t change it now. So let's just fucking deal with it, alright?”

Billy looked at Spencer with a sour expression, reaching up to his neck self-consciously as the man dismissed his injury by calling him soft. “Look, I’m not the issue here, so let’s just leave that,” he snapped, cheeks red with embarrassment. He couldn’t be surprised at his brother’s reaction to the whole situation, but it wasn’t helping him feel any less stressed out. He was grateful that they had come over because he knew he needed their help, but he hoped that once it was all dealt with he and Erik could be left alone again. Somehow, despite what he had done, Erik seemed the calmest of everyone.

As Billy had hoped, Spencer started taking control of the problem, asking some practical questions to assess how big their job was going to be. Billy nodded when asked if they would need a clean-up crew. “It’s all contained,” he informed him, dropping his aggressive tone. “I mean, the mess, it's all in the car. And -” He reached up to pull the shoulder of his jacket forward, revealing a spatter of blood. “But that’s gonna be it.” When his brother brought up the issue of potential witnesses, Billy looked over to Erik again, fresh concern in his eyes. He hadn’t thought about witnesses too thoroughly yet, too occupied by the shock of what had happened - and what had almost happened. “I don’t know...I mean, the windows are tinted, so we should be good there. Pretty hard to drive straight though when someone’s trying to choke you to death.” It somehow steadied him to keep his eyes on Erik, perhaps because he was the only one who had been through it all with him. "Maybe some people at the council estate? I don’t know, you know how big those shitholes can be. Maybe you'd rather we wear masks in public and stuff an unconscious guy into the boot of the car in broad daylight, but we were trying to not draw attention to ourselves.” Hearing himself try to shift the blame onto his brothers, Billy hung his head for a second before looking back up to Spencer with guilt in his eyes. “I’m really sorry,” he mumbled. “Thank you for coming to help. I just want this over...before Uncle Bruce even has to hear about it.” After exchanging another anxious look with Erik, Billy addressed his brother again. “Shall we show you the damage, then?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik
Misty Gray Spencer
Enzyme Alex

 

[Misty Gray]

Gabriel Moretti's Mansion
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Gabriel Moretti and Riccardo Biancardi​

Gabriel turned to meet Elvian's gaze as she explained how much she loved seeing people getting married and having kids. "And don't I know it!" he lightly protested. He couldn't help but chuckle when his wife then directed her attention on Ricky, pointing out the man wasn't getting any younger. "Go easy on the poor guy!" Gabriel playfully told her, in spite of the fact he'd been picking at Ricky all evening.

"Oh, jeez, Elvian. Here I was thinking you were a nice lady. Wow..." Ricky said, exaggerating offence.

Gabriel looked back to Elvian again, narrowing his eyes as she told him she loved him whilst patting his knee. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't noticed something between Ricky and Julia since they arrived. The way his wife was acting with the pair added more weight to his suspicions. But when it came down to it, he really didn't want to think about the two of them romantically involved. His main concern would be that it might compromise business and make them both soft. The last time two of his associates started a relationship it rendered the pair of them useless. Having been an effective and cunning associate for so long, Maddox's romance with Ani led the counsellor to suddenly develop a conscience. Maddox went on to choose that over business; betraying the Morettis in the process. So for now, Gabriel was going to ignore the signals and not bring it up. Heaven forbid he'd wind up encouraging Ricky and Julia to get together.

"I don't know..." Gabriel began, after Elvian said Ricky's potential kid wouldn't grow up to be a ruffian. "The key to making sure any kid you have doesn't end up that way is discipline. If you let them roam free, what you get is the Porters and the Sullivans," he commented. Catching Ricky's eye roll, Gabriel chose to elaborate. "The facts are clear. I have never been in prison, nor have any of my kids. Meanwhile, you've got James locked up. In the past Conor, Syd, Peter, and plenty of others have been in jail. Not an ounce of discipline between them," he pointed out.

"Well. Thank God you're a morally upstanding citizen and not like those Irish criminals..." Ricky teased.

"I'm not like them. I'm smarter. And I think if you focus, you can be too. I see a lot of potential in you and Julia," Gabriel said, nodding along. "It's why I believe we can continue to work well together and achieve even more than Giovanni and I already have. You just need to get Roxanne out of the picture, one way or another."

Ricky looked to Julia as she spoke about not being around kids in a long time and pointing out their innocent view of the world. He couldn't help but smile in a subtle manner at the thought. Though it soon faded as his thoughts only led him back to his own childhood and how he couldn't remember ever viewing the world in such a pure manner. Most of what he remembered from his childhood he wished he could forget. Ricky tried to push aside those thoughts and took in a mouthful of food to hide any evidence of his past traumas from his expression. As he chewed his food, he felt Julia take his hand to gently squeeze it. Despite having a mouthful of food, he still managed something of a smile as he briefly turned to look at her.

Gabriel took a sip of his wine before placing the glass down and nodding his head in response to Julia's comments about being proud of his family. "Oh, of course," he assured her, looking to Elvian with a genuinely proud smile on his face. Looking back across the table to Julia and Ricky, his smile remained. "Whilst I always try to be strict and push my children to their full potential, I'm very proud of them. All three have grown up to be hardworking and committed to the work they do. Our grandchildren are also showing great potential. Cristina, for example, is at the top of most of her classes." Gabriel looked to Elvian, figuring she should know having their children hadn't just been about creating future heirs. "Of course maintaining the Biancardi bloodline is important, but there's other things to gain from having children. So you'd best be quick and make a decision on that, Riccardo You too, Julia," he remarked. "It's more urgent an issue for women..."

Melanin-Gxdess (Elvian)
Bellz (Julia)

 

[Bellz]

Jeanie Carriveau-Porter
JJ Carriveau-Porter

Syd Porter’s Residence
~ classified information ~ ​

Jeanie and JJ immediately snuggled as close as they could to Syd as he sat between them all on the couch. They listened intently as he talked about what Matthew had done, saying that he shouldn’t have had to do it. Jeanie raised her head to listen as her father said that their mother must have been taking on some extra responsibilities at work...but they were going to make sure she had more security. Jeanie’s brows furrowed together in confusion as she thought about what extra work would lead to something like this happening. She knew her mother worked for criminals in and around the city, but they had never really had to worry about something like this happening. Sure, they had the security guards at the house and Reina always with them but...she didn’t think they would need more than that. Jeanie nodded her head in agreement that her mother was an important person and her face scrunched up in distaste thinking about the Prime Minister.

JJ couldn’t think past the fact that they had almost lost their mom, too wrapped up to think about the fact that he himself could have been dead like Matthew. When Syd said that Roxie was important, the boy agreed both physically and verbally. ”Way more important than that smell old bat.” JJ said the smallest of smiles appearing on his face. JJ looked over to Jane, who was on the other side of Syd and he reached a hand out to take her’s firmly. While his father and him didn’t exactly have the bond that the twins did, JJ was equally soothed by his words. For himself and most likely his sisters included at any other time, it would have been weird to hear their father talk about their mother so much like this. It wasn’t that he didn’t have good things to say about her...but they just didn’t speak about her unless they felt something needed to be shared. Often times, Syd didn’t ask about her so the children didn’t feel they needed to clue him in 99% of the time.

Hearing that Syd would help make sure their mother have protection was exactly what needed to be said to comfort Jeanie and JJ at least. Jeanie held her sister closely as Syd rocked them all, her own cries slowly diminishing and turning into hiccups as she fought to calm down. Both JJ and Jeanie nodded their heads as they were all told not to focus on mom for the moment and instead focus their energy on being under the blanket where it was safe. ”Thanks for getting us, daddy.” Jeanie murmured, ”We love you.” She said, her eyes were beginning to droop, feeling incredibly tired from the traumatic events that had occurred. JJ nodded his head in agreement with his sister’s words but was already too exhausted to say anything more as he leaned into his father’s side heavily.
With: Syd + Jane Pyroclast

Roxie Carriveau

Roxie Carriveau’s Residence
~ Ashtown, Dublin ~
​

After she felt calm enough to speak with police, Roxie had done so, keeping her responses to the millions of questions as vague as possible. When they were through with her, the sun had officially set, cascading the whole crime scene into darkness. By the time Roxie had decided to look back to where Matthew’s body had been, it was gone, only a figure of white tape laid on the ground to show where her fiancé previously was as he took his last breath. Too shaken to focus on anything else around her, Roxie asked Reina to drive in her car as Matthew’s car was officially taped off as part of the crime scene. The familiar gates to her home appeared in the front windshield and the guards recognized the car as they pulled them open for them to past through. As soon as the car was in park, Roxie moved to step out of the car. Archie and Dixie rushed towards her with excitement she couldn’t match but she knelt down to let the dogs greet her for a few moments before standing up to head inside.

Turning to her bodyguard, she let out a soft sigh, ”You’ve already done so much for me tonight, but would you mind doing a quick sweep of the yard with Zachary? If you want to stay here, I have the 2 guest rooms open. Please just make yourself at home.” Once she gave the woman another hug, Roxie moved towards her front door before reaching into her bag to grab her house keys. As she entered the house, the dogs followed her inside looking for the kids. Dropping her keys into the bowl by the front door, she shut the door before turning to look around the foyer. The silence was deafening as her lower lip trembled again. There had been many days that she had wished to have the house all to herself but now that she had it...she realized just how alone she really was.

Kicking off her heels, Roxie moved to bring her coat that was covered in blood to the laundry room before moving to grab herself a bottle of wine from the cellar. Once she had a glass and an open bottle in her hands, the woman moved to the living room with a zombie like pace. Placing her glass on the coffee table, she slouched onto the couch for a moment to stare up at the ceiling. Forcing herself to sit up, she grabbed the hair tie that was always on her wrist and moved to place her hair in a ponytail before she poured herself a glass of wine to the brim, setting out to drink it as quickly as she could. For what seemed like hours, she sat in silence to tired to cry any further, only hearing the dogs as the padded into the room to sit next to her. Once she finished off her glass, she set about pouring another one before deciding to give Syd a call to see how the kids were.

Having his number on speed dial, Roxie placed the phone to her ear as she waited for him or one of the kids to answer the phone. Her eyes stared vacantly ahead of the pictures of them on her mantle about the fireplace before her eyes landed on a picture of Matthew and her. Clenching her teeth, her lips trembled again as tears began to roll down her cheeks as she waited for someone to pick up. Hearing her ex’s voice, Roxie sniffed lightly before saying, ”Hey Syd, it’s me. I just...I just wanted to see how our babies were doing?” Her voice cracked before she moved to cover her mouth to stifle a sob. ”I didn’t think this would happen...” She said hoarsely as she shook her head. ”Thank you for getting them out of there as quickly as you did...I...failed them, clearly.”
with: Reina Melanin-Gxdess
On the phone with: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Pyroclast]

Tatiana Moretti​

Tatiana scoffed lightly at Damian’s subtle dig at the way Gabriel regarded her. It was true that she had always considered herself underestimated in the family business, that she had had to work harder than Marcus and a lot of their colleagues to get where she was. It was hard, even, to think of anyone who hadn’t put her down at least once during her career. Above any of her colleagues, clients, and family members, however, it was her father to whom she had needed to prove herself the most. Being an active, female member of the business was probably part of what had made her so independent and strong-willed, herself often being her only motivator when everyone else had their doubts. Considering it wasn’t something she ever verbalised, it took her by surprise that Damian acknowledged what she had had to put up with for so many years. She turned to him with an appreciative smile just in time to catch his broad, rather unsettling grin before he set his focus back on the show that the Taylor brothers were giving them.

What made it that little bit more interesting was the fact that the two men under interrogation were brothers, just like Quadir and Jarrick. Tatiana believed that it made the test especially suitable for the two drug dealers, since they would have an idea of the strength of a brotherly bond and how it can quickly become a weakness. Never having explicitly asked the Taylor brothers about their relationship, she couldn’t say for sure that the pair would act the same way as Roy and Dylan in such a situation, but given the smooth and effective way the two were working, she could only assume that they were well in tune with each other. All things considered, Tatiana respected their ruthless approach - even if they as brothers might empathise with the physical and emotional torture that they were putting the twins through, they didn’t show it, nor did they let it get in the way of the task.

Eventually, Roy caved and told Quadir and Jarrick where the stolen guns were. Although she was pleased to at least have an answer, she couldn’t help pass a hand over her eyes in disappointment of the man’s weak disposition. “Damian, I think it’s time to re-evaluate our initiation process,” she uttered under her breath. “I feel responsible for letting these tools get involved in our company. We can’t have people like this working for us, even on the lowest level...”

As a final measure, J.T. pointed his pistol at Dylan and shot him in the stomach. Tatiana pushed herself off the doorframe, ready to address Quadir who was eager for further instruction. “You boys did good,” she drily complimented them. “If you think you’re done, I want you to go retrieve the guns and bring ‘em back here to us. Damian and I will stay here and wait for you so don’t waste our time. If the guns ain’t where he said they were - and you’d better make sure you haven’t missed a single spot - then you come back and do better on these guys.” With a nod, she gave Quadir a firm pat on the shoulder, before looking over to Jarrick. “J.T., you’re off. Go get me those guns.”

Once the Taylor brothers were off on the next stage of their mission, Tatiana glanced at Damian before strolling over to the twins. Roy was hunched forward in his chair, crying over his brother who lay bleeding out on the floor before him. The man was so badly beaten that it would be impossible to tell that he was still conscious if not for his rattling, laboured breaths. Tatiana stepped closer, stopping just out of range of the blood that was pooling around the wound. “Well, that one’s a lost cause,” she remarked to Damian, to which Roy sobbed harder. She turned to him, unmoved by his pain, and gave him a hard slap across the face to shut him up. Looking up to Damian, she stepped away from the expanding pool of blood before it could stain her heels and withdrew a handkerchief to wipe her hands on. “This one we’d better keep before the boys return, just in case we need to extract more.”

“There is no more,” Roy growled between shuddering breaths. “I told you everything, I told you the truth. And you’re gonna let him die for it!”

Tatiana only raised her eyebrows at Damian as she reclaimed her position near the door. “You wanna do something to shut him up for the time being, he's all yours," she offered her colleague.

Interactions
BloodLightning27 Quadir, Jarrick
Misty Gray Damian

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik Snowden
~ Bethnal Green, London~

Spencer seemed to be in a mood as he listened to him explain what had happened. Erik knew the man was going to be upset and he was rightfully so. The two of them had been sent on an easy job and ended up making it complicated. However, he didn't like his tone and how it sounded like they were being blamed for everything. He couldn't help but tense up about it wanting to snap back at him. Billy beat him to the punch as he expressed that they had done their part. He turned to Billy and put his hand against the man's abdomen. "Calm down, alright? Snapping isn't going to help with anything." The was a bit of annoyance in his voice, though it wasn't towards Billy nor Spencer directly. The tone of Spencer's voice had gone and reminded him of his father. It wasn't something he wanted to think about as he reached for his breast pocket, remembering his jacket was in the car. He would have to wait until everything was taken care of for his little pick me up.

Billy went on to explain that their mess had been contained in the car before taking a pause to realize there could have been witnesses. "No. The most anyone would think was the driver losing control for a moment, not that he was being strangled by a burnout." He said sarcastically. "I'm sure the sounds of the tires screeching masked the sound of the gunshot. If not it was definitely faint and could be seen as a car backfiring or something." Erik explained, crossing his arms. Hearing there could have been witnesses at the council estate, Erik looked off to the side and thought about it. Considering he himself had been coming down from a high it was hard to remember if anyone could have seen or heard the scuffle. Unfortunately, he didn't have an answer this time around. He felt bad for Billy as it sounded like he was blaming himself. It didn't help that Spencer had basically made it seem that way. But Erik knew better than to involve himself in family business so he kept his mouth shut.

Erik lead the group to the garage and opened the back door to the car. Trevors face had been covered by Erik's jacket, now covered in blood. It was good that it had been contained in the car, considering the mess they had to deal with. The blood covered the backseat, the right window, and the back window. It hadn't seemed like the bullets exited the man's body though he would have to check just to make sure. The shoestring he had tried strangling Billy with was still in between his lifeless fingers. Erik took a heavy sigh before scratching his cheek with his index finger. "I doubt anyone will coming looking for him, which is good because he is very dead." He glanced at Trevor's now dead body before shaking his head. "Billy and I can take a drive and sit outside the estate. See if anyone come around?" He suggested. Really he just wanted to give him an escape from the stress of the situation.


Billy ( Pyroclast )
Alex ( Enzyme )
Spencer ( Misty Gray )​

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter​

The weight in Syd’s chest grew heavier at seeing JJ reach over to hold Jane’s hand. It was rare to see such affection between him and his sisters so it highlighted to him how much they needed each other to get through their shared trauma. It may have been exhausting at times to have them bicker and taunt each other, but at least they were full of life - it was a thousand times easier to watch them wind each other up than to watch them grieve their first loss. The four of them continued to hold each other for a while, with Syd gently swaying them as their cries simmered down. Syd could tell they were starting to get sleepy, all their energy spent on crying their hearts out, and when Jeanie spoke up to thank him he could hear in her voice that she was on the verge of falling asleep. “I love you, too,” he murmured softly, tilting his head to gently rest against hers. “I love you, too.”

After a few minutes of silence, the phone rang, causing Jane to stir. Syd listened to the phone for a couple of rings, at first not wanting to break apart from the cuddle, but he knew that he needed to pick it up. It was likely to be Conor with news of Roxie, and since he had told his uncle that he would call him later that evening anyway he decided it was worth answering the phone now. “I’ll go and get that, you three stay here and relax,” he softly instructed them, untangling himself from the blanket and draping it back over them once he had stood up.

“Yeah, hi,” he answered, assuming it to be his uncle. When he heard Roxie’s voice, however, Syd paused, feeling an ache unfold through his chest. He reached up to scratch his head as his gaze drifted down to the floor. “Roxie…” he murmured, keeping his voice soft and low. The grief and distress was present in her unsteady voice and when he heard her stifle a sob, his own eyes pricked with tears. He hesitated for a long few seconds, feeling too awful to know what to say to her. Eventually he cleared his throat, reaching up to cover his eyes before addressing her. “You did nothing to fail them, Roxie,” he gently assured her. “The kids are all together, safe and sound. They’re currently all cuddling each other under a blanket, if you can believe that.”

The sound of the front door opening caused Syd to turn his head, and when he heard the pattering of claws against the stone tiles in the entrance hall he remembered that his dogs would have just come home from their walk with one of the guards. In a matter of seconds he was surrounded by wagging tails and eager smiles, all three of them excited to see him again. Normally Syd would give them all a warm greeting in return, but in that moment he wasn’t in the mood. “I’m really sorry for what happened, Roxie...I heard about what Matthew did.” As he locked eyes with Maisie, the borzoi seemed to gather an understanding of the atmosphere and recalibrated her mood to match. Her tail ceased its wagging and she trotted off out of the room, with Bandit and Meatball bouncing at her heels. Once they were gone, Syd returned his gaze to the floor and set his focus back on Roxie. “I’m sorry that I didn’t see this coming. Conor and I are going to make sure you have a lot more protection from now on. And please think about it before turning down the offer - I already promised the kids I would help you out and I’d hate to go back on my word. They need some reassurance right now. They’re really worried about you.” Syd reached up to massage his head again, Roxie’s subtle sniffs painting a heartbreaking image in his mind. He was worried about her too, of course, more than he could bring himself to admit. “You have someone with you tonight? You’re not alone?” he asked. “You know, if you need anything, anyone...I’m only a phone call away, alright?”

Interactions
Bellz Roxie, JJ, Jeanie

 

[Bellz]

Blake McCarthy

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~​

Blake's momentary sadness had been replaced with joy as Adam observed that there was a whole lot of talking going on but no action. He said that he had a few days off coming up and formally invited her to his house. Chuckling sweetly, Blake looked to Ali before saying, "Well, I formally accept your invitation. Give me a day and a time and I'll be there." She murmured. As she looked at her drinks, she realized she'd only managed to drink one glass out of the 3 she had. Adam had done very well at distracting her and she was actually grateful that she had been able to talk to him while sober. Adam piggybacked on Blake teasing Ali about Conor and the woman laughed as he said that Conor needed to be whipped into shape. He continued to say that if the man was on time, she wouldn't have had to listen to the flirting. Ali insisted that it made her night more entertaining, which Blake smiled at.

Seeing that Adam looked towards the door, Blake turned as well and smiled as he commented on Conor's sudden appearance directly after they were talking about him. "And he shall appear." She finished the phrase for him as Conor walked towards the table. Immediately, Conor's tone sounded off and not as lively. He apologized for being late to which Blake just waved a hand. "We've been keeping Ali entertained in your absence, but I might have to start charging a fee for it." She said teasingly before the man walked towards the bar. Ali turned back to Adam and her and sighed, asking why she felt the night was about to turn heavy. "Wouldn't be normal if it didn't at some point, love." Blake commented. Noticing her friend was playing with an empty glass, Blake pushed one of her drinks towards her. "Take it. Looks like you are gonna need it more than I."

When Conor returned, she moved to sit next to Adam so that Conor could sit with Ali. Blake raised a curious brow as Conor said he didn't want to talk about something in public too much. Wondering what that was, he went on to say that Roxie's fiancé had been shot and killed while protecting her and the kids. Blake's eyes went wide as she looked to Ali and then Adam for a moment, wondering what the two of them thought of that mess. Blake wanted to question if the woman and the kids were okay but she knew Conor wouldn't want to speak of it anymore so she kept the question to herself. She hadn't talked to Syd's ex in many years but she felt that perhaps she would reach out to offer her support. Blake obviously knew what it was like to lose a partner...married or not, it was just as devastating any way it was sliced.

Conor took a deep breath before moving the subject to what the three of them had been up to, asking if Blake and Ali had been giving Adam trouble. He then stated that they were a nightmare together and Blake rolled her eyes, turning to look at Adam with a smirk before turning back to Conor. She noticed Ali's smile and tilted her head in concern before answering Conor for Adam, "I'll have you know, we've been nothing but perfect angels. Ali actually had to deal with Adam and I's banter, but she made it through like a champ."
with: Adam + Conor Misty Gray ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

Billy's Place
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer snapped his attention to Billy when his brother pointed out it wasn't his and Erik's job to get the money. He reminded him that it was himself and Alex who would deal with Trevor once he was brought to them, to try sort the debt out then. In all honesty, Spencer hadn't expected to be getting the money any time soon. He'd imagined the way it would have gone down would be Trevor would desperately agree to find the money and pay them back, after taking some heavy beatings. He also expected the man would continue to fob them off and the cycle would be repeated again. Now Trevor was dead, he wasn't going to be paying his debt at all, but in a way it had spared Spencer the time and effort of trying to beat the money out of him. Billy was clearly triggered by the way Spencer was talking to him, reflected when he swore at his older brother. Erik stepped in, placing his hand on Billy's abdomen whilst asking him to calm down. Spencer couldn't help but flash a goading smirk; the kind they would have done as younger brothers when getting in trouble for fighting back then. Soon enough, he dropped it, seeing Billy was still shaken by the whole thing.

Erik explained that the only thing any witnesses might have seen was Billy momentarily losing control of the car, which was somewhat reassuring, even if said through sarcasm. Spencer nodded his head when Billy pointed out he wasn't the issue. Clearly, Spencer had embarrassed his youngest brother, but he wasn't about to apologise for it and try to make him feel better in front of Erik.

"So the mess is all contained in the car..." Spencer repeated his brother's words. "Sounds lovely!" He stepped closer to look at the blood that had splashed onto Billy from the mess that was Trevor. "Well, that's easy enough to clean up, so I'll let you take car of that," he told him, not wanting to leave any traces behind, no matter how small. Billy and Erik continued to speak about the chance of there being witnesses on the council estate. Billy made a remark about wearing masks in public. "Don't start coming back with the fucking attitude, because I'll fire back harder," he warned him. However, he soon softened as Billy apologised and thanked him for rushing over to help deal with the mess. "Yeah, let me see the damage," he calmly agreed.

Spencer followed the two men into the garage and stood close by as Erik opened the back door of the car. Trevor was covered in the same blood which had also splattered onto the windows and coated the back seat. Spencer learned in to take a closer look, noticing the shoestring still in the junkie's hand. "I'm sure the seats will come out clean," he drily remarked before standing back up straight and taking a step back. "Yeah, the only people likely to come looking for that waster are those he owes money and they'll want to stay well clear," he pointed out. He nodded his head when Erik said he'd go with Billy back to the estate. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. We've got a few people round there on side. Bobby's Crew practically have run of the estate. If anyone saw anything they'll know, and they'll probably make sure people keep their mouths shut, for a few quid," he explained. "Most people on that estate know to keep quiet anyway - they wouldn't talk to the pigs if they saw someone get murdered right in front of them. That's not to say we should relax too much. Makes sure it's all good."

Spencer took another look into the back of the car as he began to consider which of his contacts he'd have help get rid of the body and evidence. Before the other two could leave, Spencer grabbed Billy by the shoulder and pulled him in close to his chest. He firmly patted his brother on the back before pulling away to look him in the eyes. "I'm glad you're alright, okay? Just be careful!"

Pyroclast (Billy)
Melanin-Gxdess (Erik)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Adam Harper and Conor Sullivan​

Although his exterior remained cool, Adam was deep-down relieved, and happy, that Blake had accepted his invitation to have dinner at his place. After that, the atmosphere had turned more serious upon Conor's arrival. Of course, it wasn't his boss' fault that the evening's events had led the man to arriving at the pub in an unexpectedly low mood. Hearing that Roxie's fiancé had been murdered was sad, but also concerning to him. He was quick to offer his services in helping catch those responsible, but Conor assured him a team were already dealing with it. Still, it served as a reminder to Adam that even Dublin wasn't completely safe, despite the amount of control the Irish Mob had over it.

From the way the others around the table were talking, Conor could tell the three of them had been having a good time before he arrived. "Perfect angels, my arse," he playfully teased Blake. Although he was glad to see they were all in good spirits, hearing there had been banter between Blake and Adam caused him to raise a curious eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he asked, sending Aliana a questioning glance. He was aware of the friendship between Blake and Adam, and he didn't doubt there was something of a spark between them. Still, the assumption neither would ever act on it made it easy for Conor to turn a blind eye. He trusted Blake would know when she was ready to move on and date again. He also respected Adam and thought he was a decent bloke, albeit one who in the past had been something of a womaniser. There was no reason to think they shouldn't get together, yet, Conor was struggling to play along and encourage it in that moment. Feeling protective over Blake and the kids since Jackson's death, he couldn't help but let his loyalty to his late best friend still influence him now. He was overcome with thoughts of whether Jackson would approve of Adam. "Hey, don't you be giving poor Adam the wrong idea," he finally told Blake, playfully shaking his head.

As much as he wanted to stay at the table drinking, Adam knew he needed to get back to focusing on the job, especially in light of what had happened to Matthew. "Alright. I'd better tear lover-boy away from Elena so we can do a perimeter check," he told them. After sending Blake a warm glance, he excused himself from the three of them and headed to the bar to get Thomas.

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)
Bellz (Blake)

 

[BloodLightning27]

~Dublin: Stella Kwon - The Boss Wants His Money~Having gone through at least three or four boxes of ammunition, Stella took some time to clean up the shell-casings that had been ejected from her firearms, namely her Winchester, not wanting to leave mess for the next person to clean up. As she started loading her firearms into the trunk of her Mustang, Stella checked her watch. Seeing what time it was, Stella remembered that she had another 'appointment' to attend. Sure, there were several people that owed her Boss money, but Patrick, a local musician, had a slightly more outstanding loan with Conor compared to half the other people that she has seen in the past. Thankfully, she did not completely forget, not wanting to reflect poorly on her Boss or the Colleagues who had helped her start a career with the Irish Mob. While it cost her what was left of her Family, she has come to embrace those who filled that void. Because she smelt of gun powder and lead, Stella did decide to make a quick stop at her Apartment to clean herself off as well as grabbing fresh clothes. With the way she was dressed previously, no one was going to be taking her seriously, but now that she was wearing darker colors and looked a little more formal, maybe they would. Minding her manners, she decided to leave most of her guns at home since she wasn't expecting a firefight.

Having been given a specific address, Stella quickly made her way over to a more glamorous side of Dublin, which she didn't really see since her Employer and Colleagues didn't really hang out in this part of town. Upon parking by the curb, she quietly disarmed herself, putting her gun belt in the trunk once more. After all, she couldn't be continuously reliant on them. And if she got into a jam, she could either use her hands, or disarm her opponents and just use their weapons against them. After locking her vehicle, Stella approached the front door and knocked. A well-dressed man greeted her. "Oh, its just you. Here to see Patrick?"

"Yes, I'd like to have a word with him." She responded with an ice cold tone, staring stoically at the scene behind her greeter. There was a bit of a party going on. Well, that's going to make it more fun...

The man stepped aside and Stella was able to walk into the lovely home without much of an incident. Putting her hands into her jacket pockets, she walked into the party, where she saw a lot of people just socializing and...drinking... While she was at one a couple of days ago, this one had zero familiar faces. What kept her from getting anxious though, was the fact that she was here on business, not to relax with her Colleagues and their Families...or watch them get into a fist fight. "Hey Stella." Patrick greeted her with a smile.

She had a rather annoyed look after he walked away, talking to a few other people. "Hey Patrick...I need to talk to you." She said, folding her arms.

Patrick simply ignored her and went over to the music box and turned the volume up, irritating her even more. Sighing, she walked over when no one was looking and pressed the pause button, prompting everyone in the room to start looking at her. "I said we need talk."

A few people in the crowed started chuckling, particularly the men. "Do we now?" He asked, before a few of the men next to him drew pistols. "You have no power here. Why would the esteemed Conor Sullivan send a woman to do a man's job? And a Foreign one at that."

Stella peered at the pistols that were meant to intimidate her, before looking straight at Patrick. "That's adorable. Yeah, that's what I said."

"Well anything you have to say. You can say right here, right now."

"You sure about that?"

"Absolutely, madam." He said in a mocking tone.

"Mr. Sullivan wants his money." She said coldly.

He chuckled. "Well that's a really funny way of him asking."

"He's not asking this time. You've had six months. You're behind on your payments to him, which he was kind enough to have his accountant work out with you. But since you haven't paid a single euro, he sent me. And I can assure you that I can look after myself. And I'll have you know that I came alone."

One of the armed men proceeded to back away, while another pointed his pistol at her head. "And I know for sure your debt with my Boss isn't the only thing you're behind on. You're also at least four months behind on your payments for this lovely home. Haven't released a new album over the last year, not a single concert for the last three and a half months. Behind on paying for studio time. Oh and, that's a lovely car you have outside. Lamborghini Countach, right? Brand new? Very rare, wow. Hmmmmmm, it would be a shame if something were to...happen to it."

Aggravated at his employer being mocked and disrespected, the last brave bodyguard pointed his gun at her. However, he made the mistake of being a little too close, so as a show of force, she swiftly disarmed him, ejecting the magazine before dropping the gun, prompting him to back away in fear. "I don't have the money right now, please, I need some more time."

"You're telling me you need more time...after you had half a year to pay him back? Alright, I'll let him know, but in the mean time, I'll be taking the car outside. Because he asked me not...to leave empty handed." Stella said coldly before holding out her hand. "C'mon now, don't make ask a second time."

Patrick took the keys out of his pocket and placed them in Stella's hand. "Someone will be by to pick it up." She placed the keys to the car in her pocket and turned around to walk away as Patrick stood in his place, feeling mortified.

Conor Sullivan (Mentioned) Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 3: Far From Home
Monday 25th March 1985
...6 days later...
Dublin: Late Afternoon - Sunny, Cool, Breezy
London: Late Afternoon - Overcast, Cool, Breezy
New York City: Mid-morning - Sunny, Mild, Clear Skies
Miami: Mid-morning - Sunny, Hot, Blue Skies

******************************

******************************

Rikers Island Prison
~ More details ~​

Nicholas Ramsey

The prison laundry room was filled with the usual tense atmosphere it tended to carry. The dozen-or-so inmates were all working hard away, and though there was no specific reason to expect it today, there was always a looming sense that something could kick-off at any moment. Although he'd had numerous opportunities to switch to working in the library, where it was quite and peaceful, James really had no choice but to remain working in the laundry room. The library did have its own perks, but the laundry room was the position the top dog tended to work in as it gave him more opportunity to conduct business whilst keeping eyes and ears out, where the more dangerous inmates were concerned.

After being beckoned over, James took a new position directly opposite Nicholas Ramsey at the far end of the folding table. It was clear to any other man with a brain cell that they were to keep away from the two men so as not to be accused of eavesdropping and then have the shit beaten out of them for it. Nicholas was loyal to Gabriel Moretti and since being sent to Ricker's Island in 1983, he'd become a part of the rackets that were being run in the prison on Moretti's behalf. Although, Nicholas' input was more along the lines of reporting back to his boss and 'motivating' James to keep up his end of the deal, than actually getting his own hands dirty. "What is it?" James asked the man in a lowered tone.

"A little bird told me you're refusing to carry out our boss' latest instruction," Nicholas said, his voice equally quiet.

"Moretti isn't my boss," James was quick to correct Nicholas.

"For as long as you're in here, I think you'll find he is. Regardless of what you choose to believe, the job needs doing and he's specifically requested that you do it. There have been concerns raised about your commitment to the deal you made with him and this is the way you will prove you're still keeping your end of the arrangement. Finch is a snitch who crossed the Morettis on the outside. Now he's locked up with us, he poses a threat to the business we have going on in here too. He's due out of isolation in a few days and you will kill him."

"If you're so bothered, go ahead and kill him yourself. Or do what you did the last time and turn enough prisoners against this guy too, so they do the job for you. I don't give a fuck what Finch does."

"Ah, that's right. You've got nothing to lose as you've already got enough shit against your name to keep you in here for a lifetime. Well, I'll be getting out of here soon and I don't need some snitch jeopardising that. Besides which, it's not my style. This is more your expertise, Porter. After all, you started out as a hitman, popping bullets in some poor scumbag's skull for a tasty little pay packet. What's one more added to the list?"

"Anything I may or may not have done, I would have done for a cause I believed in. For a family I respected."

As the bell sounded to indicate the end of the work period, Nicholas looked James in the eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "I think it's pretty clear what will happen if you let the boss down. It's a no-brainer, really. Is it really worth risking the lives of Lucy and... what's her name, again? Olivia?"

Before James could react, the Corrections Officer began firing out names of the prisoners who were to follow him to make their way to the visiting room. Whilst James was to head off to have his visit with Lucy, Nicholas and the other prisoners without visitors that day headed out into the exercise yard for outdoor recreation.

[OPEN FOR INTERACTION]

James Porter

After his conversation with Nicholas, James couldn't help but feel irritable. His face was stern and serious as he was led in single file along with the other prisoners towards the visiting area. The prisoners were made to stand against the wall so each of them could be searched before anyone would be granted access to the visiting room. This search was easy in comparison to the strip search every prisoner faced after their visits, to ensure nothing had been passed to them from their visitors.

Eventually, the prisoners were permitted to enter the large room which contained a dozen tables with chairs for each prisoner to sit at with their visitors. James was directed to his table and instructed to sit in his seat with his back facing the wall and Lucy would be able to sit across the table from him. Kurt had been directed to the table in front of James'. He gave his cellmate a subtle nod before Kurt sat down, his back now facing James. It had been less than two weeks since James met his new cellmate, but things seemed to be going smoothly between the two. Prison was a complicated and volatile place, but James was inclined to consider Kurt an ally and possibly even a friend, even though it was early days. One thing for certain was James had shared more personal and quality conversations with Kurt in those few days than he had with anyone else in the six years he'd been locked up.

As soon as the visitors began entering the room, James felt himself relax more. He kept his eyes fixed on the door to look for Lucy and as soon as she stepped into view, he couldn't help the natural smile that took over his features. Every day behind bars was tough, but seeing his family always seemed to recharge him and remind him of what he had to keep fighting for. He remained in his seat whilst he waited for Lucy to reach his table, knowing if he stood up for too long, he'd have the officers commanding him to sit down before he could even greet his wife. As genuine as his smile was, he knew Lucy would still worry. She always worried. It didn't help that the marks were still visible from his latest fight that had landed him in the hole.

Bellz (Lucy)

Benjamin Reznik

When Aidan had told him to keep some time free in his diary, Benjamin had expected their annual break to have been somewhere closer to Dublin. But when his guardian finally revealed he'd arranged for them to spend a week in New York so he could visit his father, Benjamin was overjoyed. He'd been saving up to pay for the trip himself and were he not so excited about the prospect of seeing Kurt, he might have let pride get in the way and refused Aidan's generous gift. Instead, he took it for what it was and he knew his guardian wouldn't have taken no for an answer anyway.

The two men had arrived in New York City three days earlier and were staying in a Sullivan-owned apartment in Bayside, Queens; part of the territory they Irish have retained in the deal with the Morettis and Biancardis. Today, Benjamin and Aidan were doing their own thing, so the younger man could visit Kurt in prison on his own. He was always nervous about stepping into the jail to visit his father, and today he felt that extra bit of apprehension. Seeing his father was exciting, but the setting wasn't a pleasant one and he'd never been to Rikers Island before.

After signing in and handing over his valuables, Benjamin was then processed through to the visiting area, subject to a mild frisk search along the way. It never got easier, but once it was out of the way, he was able to focus on the fact it was worth it to see his dad. As he was led into the visiting room, with its twelve tables, it suddenly felt familiar. It might have been a different prison, but the room was just a hollow, cold, and soulless as the others had been. Regardless, he was thankful he would be able to sit at the same table as his father, rather than endure the non-contact visits they'd sometimes had in the past. Talking over a phone with a window between them never felt right. The inmates were already seated at their assigned table and having six or so visitors walking ahead of him, Benjamin couldn't get a good enough look to spot the table his father was seated at. As soon as those in front were no longer blocking his view, Benjamin saw Kurt seated at his assigned table. A broad smile took over the young man's face and his eyes practically lit up as he was finally seeing his father again. Having witnessed a few of the others being permitted a brief embrace before being instructed to sit down, Benjamin outstretched his arms to give Kurt a quick hug too. Not pushing their luck, he soon let go and took his seat opposite his father, sending a brief glance to the nearby guard to make sure it the physical greeting had been acceptable.

"You moved house, huh?" Benjamin joked. It was enough to distract himself from the overwhelming feeling of happiness he was experiencing. "How's it going, Dad? What this place like?" he curiously asked. As far as he could tell, it was the same as the rest of the prisons, but he knew he was only ever seeing a small part of the place. "Did you know about Aidan's plans? I thought he'd be taking me on a break to Scotland or something, then he surprised me with the plane ticket," he explained, followed by an embarrassed laugh.

Pyroclast (Kurt)

Gabriel Moretti's Mansion
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~​

Gabriel Moretti

Gabriel's dinner with Ricky and Julia, the previous week, might not have ended with a decisive outcome but he was pleased with the evening regardless. He'd observed enough of the two Biancardis to give him plenty to consider and he still believed Ricky would be useful to him, especially with Julia by his side. The rest of that evening hadn't been so welcomed, as Valentina had called him to admit she'd kicked an important business associate of his out of her hotel. He'd rushed over to have it out with his daughter, and whilst he had initially expressed his disappointment at her actions, he soon relented and understood why she had done what she did. It was completely unprofessional, but Gabriel understood his daughter's need to stand her ground after the traumatic events she'd suffered in the past. In the end, the two of them got through the discussion without having the kind of bust-up they'd had a few years back. Before Gabriel could force Valentina to take leave from managing the hotels, she'd informed him she was taking a family vacation. Though he was sure Teddy had been behind much of that decision, he accepted that Valentina was finally willing to admit she needed a break.

The meeting with his associates from Miami the next day had gotten off to a rough start, with Gabriel having to appease the irritable men without actually apologising. He believed Valentina's assessment of the man she'd kicked off at, and as such, he didn't want to grovel to the sleazebag. As it happened, Gabriel soon made the Rodriguez men relax as he reminded them of how much a partnership with the Morettis would benefit them, given the fact they had business locations in Miami and wished to expand to New York. In the end, the meeting was a success and the complications had been worth it to get his youngest daughter to take a vacation.

Today, Gabriel had asked Marcus and Ava over for lunch, although, the fact he'd told them to be over in the morning was a clear indicator business was bound to crop up before the would have chance to sit at the dinner table. Gabriel stood in the conservatory as he watched hired man clean the swimming pool outside. "You do know that once they get back from Miami and there's a bit of sunshine here, all the kids are going to want to do is play in the pool," he lightly informed Elvian. "At least it will be clean when they do."

Gabriel turned to his wife and smiled at her. "I'm keen to find out what Marcus and Ava have been up to recently. No doubt you're keen to ask Ava is she's pregnant yet," he added with a chuckle.

@RayPurchase (Marcus) Melanin-Gxdess (Ava, Elvian)

Miami Beach
~ Miami, Florida ~​

Valentina Wycliff

Valentina had called Gabriel the evening before his meeting to tell him she'd kicked off at the very man he was about to conduct business with. Unfortunately, her father's dinner with Ricky and Julia had finished, so the man had marched over to the Wycliff home to basically give his daughter a lecture. The two managed to avoid having a falling out like they had a few years ago. Gabriel had made sure to give Valentina time to explain her side of the story, and given what had happened to her 13 years ago, he understood why she had to speak up against the guy. Granted, his instinct was to tell her to ignore the sexist behaviour of important associates in the future, but he knew by now he deserved to let her stand up for herself and others she felt she needed to protect. In return for her father's understanding, Valentina had compromised and agreed to take some time off. Gabriel figured he'd managed to talk some sense into her, despite the fact she'd already agreed with Teddy to have a vacation. In a bid to extinguish Gabriel's anger, Valentina agreed to start her break immediately and as such, the Wycliffs were already on their way to Miami a few days later.

Although Miami was under Moretti control and had plenty of security to take advantage of, there were still enemies of the family there and potential dangers. Not wanting the Wycliffs to travel alone, Gabriel had given Harmony the job of protecting the family. Whilst he was sure Teddy was capable, there were three energetic children and a lot of distractions, so it was better to have a bodyguard stay with them. He figured Harmony would fit in well; she wouldn't be intimidating to the children and he figured the young woman would catch any potential hostile off-guard.

Today was their second day in Miami, where they'd been staying in a cottage a short walk from the beach. They'd been on the beach for a couple of hours today, with Valentina taking as much time as she could to relax on on one of the four sunbeds they'd lined up. The kids, especially Paolo, seemed perfect happy sitting on their towels and making sand castles. It took a while, but Valentina eventually closed her eyes, which were hidden behind her sunglasses. She was taking in the peace and listening to the relaxing sound of the sea, blocking out the voices of people around them. That was, of course, until she suddenly felt someone prodding at her arm. Lifting her glasses up, she turned to see Paolo looking to her.

"How many days until we go to Disney World?!" he asked the same question he'd asked numerous times yesterday. "Four days, Paolo," Valentina groaned. "Remember what I said before?" she asked, now sitting up and resigning to the fact she wasn't going to have a nap just yet. "Mummy needs a few days to rest and recharge, so you, Francis and Cristina are all going to be patient. I want to have all of my energy ready for when we get to Disney World, so I can hang out with Mickey Mouse and have fun too!"

Once the boy relented and returned to playing in the sand, Valentina remained sitting up straight. As she was wearing only her bikini, she caught sight of the scar at the top of her leg and set about tying her sarong around her waist to conceal it. She didn't want any negative thoughts during her vacation. She looked to Teddy and sent him a warm smile. "This is the life, huh?" she asked him. She then looked to Harmony, not wanting the bodyguard to feel excluded. "I lived here for the first half of my life. New York is fine and all, but I do miss the beach and the weather," she told her.

The woman was young and beautiful, so it surprised Valentina that she was in the line of work she was. "What about you, Harmony? Do you get many vacations?" She glanced to Cristina before looking back to the woman. "Cristina and I are big fans of your hair colour, by the way," she told her. "Though I've had to keep telling Cristina the teachers at school won't let her show up with coloured her. They're pretty strict on the uniform."

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy, Francis) BloodLightning27 (Harmony)

Roxie Carriveau’s Residence
~ Ashtown, Dublin ~​

Riccardo Biancardi

In the darkest hour of the night, the large, dense woodland was lit only by the moonlight and the flashlight in his hand. Following the two gunshots that had sounded moments earlier, another deafening silence took over for a short time. The observer shone the beam of the flashlight towards the large hole in the ground that had been dug out in the middle of the uninhabited woods. He watched as another man, whose face was covered with a ski mask, began pushing the two fresh corpses into the unofficial graves that had been prepared.

Once the deed was almost complete, a wave of apprehension overcame the observer as his eyes fixed on the masked man who had turned his back on him to reach for the spade. The masked man stood over the deep hole in the ground, ready to began shovelling the soil in order to bury the two recently murdered men. After taking a deep breath, the observer shone the flashlight onto the masked man and raised his other arm to bring the gun into view. Two more gunshot sounded to reflect the two bullets that lodged into the back of the masked man's skull. Moments later, the victim collapsed forwards, toppling into the grave with the other two lifeless bodies...

Ricky woke with a gasp and froze for a moment as he got his bearings. It had been another of those painfully realistic dreams he'd been having for much of his life. They'd become more frequent since his father's death. Despite finding time in his slept to have such vivid dreams, he spent most days feeling tired and deprived. He figured with the stress and grief, it was no surprise he felt so drained. He rubbed his eyes before looking around the business class cabin of the plane. Thankfully, the cabin was relatively quiet, so he didn't have any strangers glaring at him after his sudden waking up. He looked to the aisle as a his well-built, male bodyguard appeared in his line of vision to check on him. He dismissed the man with a thumbs up before turning to Julia who was occupying the window seat behind him. "Have the clouds turned green yet?" he remarked, figuring they wouldn't be far from Ireland by now. He then reached his arm out over the armrest to hold Julia's hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

*****
​

A few hours later, the car finally pulled up at the bottom of Roxie's driveway. From the driver's seat, Ricky's bodyguard looked into the rear-view mirror to his boss and Julia who were seated in the back. Ricky told the bodyguard to remain where he was for the time-being, pointing out he was at his cousin's house and it was for personal reasons. His and Julia's bags were in the car boot as they had yet to check in to the hotel he'd booked them into for the next few nights. Given the way things had been at Giovanni's will reading, Ricky had no intentions of presuming Roxie wanted him around her house for too long.

Ricky walked with Julia along the driveway, letting any security guards check them over if they felt inclined to do so. His weapons were left in the car, so he had nothing to hide from them. "Thank you for coming with me," he thanked Julia, before pressing the doorbell and awaiting a response. As soon as he saw Roxie, he outstretched his arms to invite his cousin in for a tight, warm embrace. Regardless of their recent issues, she was his cousin and she had lost her fiance, so his natural instinct was to console her her. "I'm so sorry, Roxie. He was the best of us all..." he softly told her. Despite having often tried to wind Matthew up, calling him 'Saint Matthew' or 'Mr. Perfect', it was quite simply because there wasn't a bad bone in the man's body for Ricky to pick on. As nauseating as the religious man could be at times, Matthew was a good man and he hadn't deserved to be gunned down, even if by mistake.

Bellz (Roxie, Julia) Melanin-Gxdess (Reina)

♡ ♤ Lucky's Casino ♧ ♢
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~​

Emery Callahan

Clayton Byrne was something of a creature of habit; almost allowing his gambling addiction to partially define him. It made it easier to track him down, at least. The only question to ask was usually "which establishment is he trying his luck n, today?". After asking around for a while, Emery, Braden, and Stella soon found themselves parked up in the car across the street from 'Lucky's Casino'. Although the Sullivans had influence and control over most of Dublin, they didn't own every casino there. This particular business was independently-owned, albeit paying a fee to the Irish Mob for the pleasure of being able to run their business in the city. What that also meant was that the security guards working at the casino were not Sullivan-affiliated, so Emery and the others couldn't rely on the burly doormen to do the dirty work for them.

Emery climbed out of the passenger side of the vehicle and looked to the other two. Braden and Stella provided the physical backup, be it through muscle or expert firearm use. Emery knew her role in the small team was 'the mouth', be it metaphorically or literally. The redhead was known for being a talker and one who didn't pull her punches when it came to words. After all, she took after her late grandmother, Shannon. "I'll talk to Clayton and see if I can persuade him to pay up. The guy owes Conor a lot, so he might get a little defensive," she said, flashing a mischievous smirk. She knew if he refused long enough, her choice of words may well lead to him feeling threatened and defensive. "Not to mention, it's practically neutral territory in there, so I need you two to watch my back in case anyone around the place decides to try anything." The casino being neutral meant it could host enemies and allies alike, not just innocent folk out for a big win.

With her usual unwavering confidence, Emery lead Braden and Stella into the casino, flashing a flirty smile at the security guards as they granted them access inside. Staying ahead of the other two so they could look the casino over for any dangers, she headed straight to the bar and ordered a vodka martini. Once the transaction was complete, she held the cocktail glass delicately in her hand, switching on a feminine charm that hid the fact she was tougher than she appeared. As she walked around the casino, discreetly taking in the many faces at the tables, her eyes soon fixed on the man in question. There was no mistake it was him, and he was conveniently just finishing up a game of poker. As soon as a couple of men around the table stood up to leave the finished game, Emery swooped on in and rested one hand on the back of his chair, whilst carefully placing her glass down on the table.

"Good afternoon, Blue Eyes," she greeted him. "Have you had any big wins today?" she curiously asked him. If he had enough money to be spending his days gambling, then he had no excuse for not paying the Sullivans back what he owed them. She briefly looked away to meet Braden's and Stella's gazes, before looking back down to Clayton. "You and I need a word... somewhere a little more private. It doesn't need to take very long," she assured him, keeping her voice level.

Bellz (Braden, Clayton) BloodLightning27 (Stella)

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz Pyroclast Enzyme Melanin-Gxdess @RayPurchase BloodLightning27​

 

[Bellz]




Chapter 3: Far From Home

Monday 25th March 1985

...6 days later...

Dublin: Late Afternoon - Sunny, Cool, Breezy

London: Late Afternoon - Overcast, Cool, Breezy

New York City: Mid-Morning - Sunny, Mild, Clear Skies

Miami: Mid-Morning - Sunny, Hot, Blue Skies


******************************





******************************
Natasha McCarthy
Blake McCarthy
Collin McCarthy

Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~​

Although Leo may have thought that Natasha was joking about him owing her, Natasha made it clear a few days ago that she was anything but kidding. She was able to get the night off from watching any kids and when she arrived at the Sullivan home with her mother and Collin, she practically sprinted out of the car. "What's your rush, kid?" Blake asked as she got out of the car a bit slower, waiting for Collin to grab all of the things from the car before locking it behind the boy. Natasha rolled her eyes, "I'm not rushing." She protested lightly to which Blake laughed, "I haven't run in heels like that since trying to escape the police with your father in downtown Dublin." She said to which Natasha glared at her lightly before turning to continue to walk towards the front door of the Sullivan house. Not ever needing to knock, the blonde stepped inside. Kneeling down to pet the dogs, Natasha stood up as her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now I know I haven't really had to give you this talk before, but I feel I would be an irresponsible mother if I didn't at least say...don't do anything I would do." Natasha gave her mother a weird look as Blake laughed, "There's a lot I haven't told you about my past self and for good reason, just be careful. And since I'm playing both mother and father now, I will be having a talk with Leo before you go." Natasha cringed, "Mammmm, this isn't a date! We are just going out as friends!" Blake looked at her with a dead serious face, making it clear that she didn't by that for a second. "Well, if Leo is his father's child, then I assume he will think it's not a date." She said, her face relaxing as Natasha rolled her eyes.

Collin had been playing with the dogs before turning to his mother and sister, "If he gives you any funny business, I'll have to give him a purple nurple." He said, pointing his finger at Natasha. "Oh yea, kid? I'd love to see you try!" Natasha said, amused before her eyes turned towards the front entrance windows. She hadn't seen Leo's car out front, so she assumed that either someone else had taken it for some reason or that he'd forgotten that they were supposed to go out. But that very car pulled into the long driveway and Natasha moved to cross her arms as her mother kissed her on the cheek and took Collin's hand to go find Ali and the others.

Natasha tapped her foot impatiently as she watched Leo walk to the front door and the minute he opened it, he would be able to see the look of disappointment on Natasha's face. "You forgot. Clearly." She huffed before flipping her hair over her shoulder. "How was school?" Moving towards him, she took his backpack from him to move it into the hall closet. "We have reservations in 15 minutes, so let's get a move on. We might have to speed to get there."

Blake walked around the house looking for Ali and the girls with Collin. Once they were located, Blake gave her best friend a hug before smiling down at Collin, "
Go play with the girls for a bit while I talk with your Aunt, okay? Play nice." Collin nodded his head obediently before following Rhi and Sydney out of the room. Blake crossed her arms and looked around the house for a moment, "Tidying up I see. What's the occasion?" she teased
Natasha with: Leo Melanin-Gxdess
Blake with: Ali Melanin-Gxdess

Harper King

Billy's Place
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~​

After having inadvertently hearing about the rendezvous at Billy's place the week before, Harper was more than irritated with her older brothers. She had been pestering each one of them for years and years about getting involved in the business because to her, it simply wasn't fair that they thought it was best for her to stay out of it. She was just as much a part of the family as all of them and hell, she would even say her head was screwed on a little bit tighter than all of them. Well a few days ago, she had finally put her foot down. Knowing that confronting Spencer would be a bust, she had been contemplating on confronting Alex or Billy. Harper had been trying to get ahold of Alex for a few days, but it seemed the man had other priorities that were much higher on his list compared to talking with his little sister so Harper reached out to Billy. Her way of "reaching out" was actually cornering him at home, she had a key to each of her brother's homes in case of an emergency and although she was abusing that power, she felt it was justified. A day ago, she had been sitting in Billy's living room in the dark waiting for him to arrive home. As the younger siblings, they were very close but that didn't mean that Harper knew everything he was up to, especially when it came to the business. By the time he had gotten home, it was a quarter after midnight, and Harper, who had worked a 12-hour shift during the day, was fast asleep on the couch.

The sunlight from the afternoon sun was blinding as it shined in Harper's closed eyes. Stretching out her arms, she positioned herself upright on the couch before blinking a few times. Her brows creased in confusion before she realized that she must have fallen asleep on Billy's couch while waiting for him to get home. "Damn it." She hissed to herself before stiffly getting up from the couch. Looking at the time on her wristwatch, Harper's eyes went wide. She had slept until late afternoon, without her usual early morning alarm clock to wake her, Harper could sleep all day if she wanted. Luckily for her, she had the day off because if she would have missed work without calling in, she would have most likely been fired. Walking towards the kitchen, she wondered where her brother was. Surely he must have seen her at some point, why didn't he wake her up?

"Billy?" Harper called out as she moved to make herself a pot of coffee. "Why the hell did you let me sleep in this late?" She asked, hoping that wherever he was he would be able to hear her. "I've got a bone to pick with you, you know. That's the only reason I'm here!" She continued to holler. Watching the coffee slowly drip into the glass pot, Harper heard footsteps but decided to not turn towards her brother as she huffed out a breath. "I heard about your little meeting last week, I'm tired of you guys leaving me out of the action or at least, not preparing me for action. What am I supposed to do if one of your enemies decides to take me? I mean I've got a pretty mean bite, but I don't think biting is gonna cut it. I won't even argue with Spence on this because he is hopeless and I've been trying to get in touch with Alex but he's out doing god knows what with god knows with. So, you, dear Billy....are my only hope." She murmured before turning to face her older brother with a tired smile.
with: Billy Pyroclast
mentions: Spencer Misty Gray ; Alex Enzyme

 

[Pyroclast]

Chapter 3: Far From Home
Monday 25th March 1985
...6 days later...
Dublin: Late Afternoon - Sunny, Cool, Breezy
London: Late Afternoon - Overcast, Cool, Breezy
New York City: Mid-Morning - Sunny, Mild, Clear Skies
Miami: Mid-Morning - Sunny, Hot, Blue Skies

******************************

******************************

Adam's Place
~ Drumcondra, Dublin ~

Chase Zegarra
​

“Hellooo,” he called out cheerfully as he let himself in through Adam’s front door. Since he had been on duty a walkable distance from Adam’s place, he had agreed to meet Jasmine and the girls there after his shift so that they could all drive home together. He kept his jacket on to hide his weapons from his young children and let their voices guide him towards the room where everyone was gathered. Already smiling, Chase stepped over to Jasmine and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, mi amor,” he greeted her, unable to keep his focus on his wife for long before having to stoop down and open his arms to catch his daughters in a hug. He squeezed them both tight and dropped a few kisses on their heads before letting them go and then moving over to Adam. In the rush of all the greetings, he jokingly leaned in to give him a kiss too but quickly shook his head and waved him off. “Maybe next time,” he teased, instead heading over to the fridge.

After pulling out a beer he came and sat beside his wife, draping a loose arm around her waist. “I guess we’ll only be here for a bit longer. We’ve got to pick Michael up from church soon.” Chase sent Adam a subtle but knowing look, understanding how it sounded. Despite going to a Catholic school, his son had never outwardly expressed an interest in Christianity. To him it was just a part of his education and nothing more meaningful. Chase understood that Liam had been in some trouble at school and instead of spending his detentions in a classroom, the school had arranged for him to help out at the local church. “He’s just keeping Liam company, that’s all,” he clarified. “Kid’s in some kind of alternative detention. I think it was actually Matthew’s idea.” At the mention of the late teacher, Chase gave a soft smile. He only really knew the man through the school, rarely seeing the man outside of parents evenings, and therefore hadn’t been emotionally affected by his death. As a friend of Syd’s, however, he was aware of the trauma the Carriveau-Porter children had been through by witnessing his violent death. Regardless of their relationship with him, he knew it would be hard for them to deal with the loss of a person who had become a constant in their life.

“Anyway, if he starts considering God, then I’m not going to judge him,” he shrugged, taking a swig of his beer. “Just another conversation to have, right?” He briefly exchanged eye contact with Jasmine, wondering how she felt about the idea of welcoming religion into the family. Despite living in an extremely Catholic country and sending their kids to Catholic school, it hadn’t really entered their sphere on a personal level. Chase still remembered a time when Christianity was a natural part of his own life. It felt like a lifetime ago now, something that he hadn’t taken with him when he moved to New York at the age of 27. In fact, the deeper into the business he became the more he pushed any thoughts of God to the back of his mind. Now, he rarely thought about it at all - and he didn’t intend to start, either.

With a deep inhale, Chase pulled himself out of his head and set his attention on Adam, gesturing to him with his bottle of beer. “I just came into your house and talked at you,” he said. “I’m sorry about that. How are you doing, asere? Anything going on?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Jasmine, Adam, Emilia and Safia

St. Saviour's Church
~ Beaumont, Dublin ~

Silas Healy
Michael Zegarra
​

Ever since Matthew’s passing, there had been a shadow hanging over the school. Even the students who had liked to challenge him during his classes now directed their heckling onto the substitute teacher who had been assigned to temporarily fill his position. It wasn’t a joke like it had been with Matthew, but more hostile, more spiteful, clearly demonstrating their feelings about the loss. Michael wasn’t among them, never having been a rowdy child, but he still found it hard to make an effort for Matthew’s replacement. It just wasn’t the same not having him there, knowing that he was never coming back.

Father Healy had done an assembly in the school two days after Matthew’s death about dealing with grief and had increased his hours working in the school to offer counselling and support to any student struggling to process it. Despite the discussion surrounding his death, no school officials ever brought up exactly how it had happened. It was scary enough for the students to lose a teacher, let alone to have to worry about anyone getting shot in their hometown. The news, of course, couldn’t be kept hidden from them and so the word spread around fairly fast.

Michael hadn’t wanted to go to school at all at first, but he had already been getting the impression that his father was growing suspicious as to why he was so often too ill to go to school, so he knew he had to start rationing the days he could get away with it. He knew the story of the boy who cried wolf, and as hard as it was to face his bullies some days, he didn’t want to push his luck too far. He had hoped at least that everyone would be too occupied with the loss of Mr. Moore to pay him any unwanted attention. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t work out that way - some found the emotional reaction to his death worthy of mocking whilst others seemed to absorb the heavy atmosphere and allow it to turn them even more aggressive, as if it was their way of avoiding dealing with their own grief.

Three days earlier, the bullying finally caught the attention of one of the teachers. Unfortunately, it was too late for her to catch Michael being pushed around - all she saw was Liam jumping to his defence with violence. “I don’t think they’re ever gonna stop, you know,” Michael said as he walked with Liam towards Saint Saviour’s Church. “Maybe you should just let them do it. I don’t wanna be the reason you have to go to church after school every day.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, kicking a rusty bottle cap along the pavement as he walked. “Besides, it’s them that should be paying for it, not you! How come you have to go to detention and they’re allowed to go straight home? If they weren’t allowed out at break times half of this stuff wouldn’t even happen.”

Michael glanced at his friend. He hadn't been himself since Matthew was killed and Michael wasn't sure how to make it better. Although his bullies were relentless and Michael didn't believe they would ever leave him alone, Liam would at least jump in to save him from them when he could. In the same way, Michael knew that Matthew would never stop being dead and so the next best thing, he thought, would be to do what he could to save him from dwelling on it. It wasn't much, but after what Liam had done for him, Michael thought a nice way to pay him back would be to join him in his church-based detention. He hadn't dealt with grief before, but he had dealt with loneliness, so he figured the company would do them both some good.

As they were approaching the church’s large oak door, Michael stopped and turned to his friend. “I’ve never been to church before,” he admitted. “Father Healy seems okay, though. It’s not as bad as being in detention at school, right?” Michael was hoping Liam would be able to help paint a picture of what he was about to walk into - not the physical interior, but the atmosphere and what it was like spending time alone with the priest. He gazed up at the looming structure for a moment before lifting the iron door handle and timidly pushing it open.

The creaking of the door was almost painfully loud as it echoed through the ancient stone interior. The temperature seemed to drop when the door closed behind them with a solid clunk, sending a shiver down Michael’s spine. “There’s no one here,” he whispered, turning back to Liam with a shrug. “Maybe we should go?” A few seconds later, however, there came the sound of another door creaking in the distance, like a delayed echo. Michael was half-expecting to hear his own voice repeat his words. Fortunately, before his imagination could get the better of him, Father Healy stepped out into the sanctuary up ahead and began to walk down to greet them.

“Ah,” Father Healy said with a slight smile. “Hello, boys. I was only expecting the one. Have you been sent to detention, too?”

So used to being immersed in Catholic culture at school, Michael hadn’t expected to find the man so intimidating in a new setting. With all the assemblies and his role in the school’s welfare department, he seemed approachable enough - not that Michael ever approached him - but in the cold, empty church, his footsteps sounded like they belonged to a much larger man and his voice sounded more powerful with the church’s acoustics.

“I don’t bite, you know,” he lightly teased, to which Michael remained silent. “Zegarra, isn’t it?”

“Michael,” the boy said with a shy nod, tightly gripping the straps of his backpack. “I’m not in trouble - I just came along.”

“Moral support, I see. Well, Liam, you have a good friend, there.” Silas smiled at the pair before turning and walking back up the nave, his cassock flowing out behind him. “Come on. I have a job for you two.”

Michael glanced hesitantly at Liam before deciding to follow the man. The boys were led to the back of the church, into the room from which Silas had first appeared. It wasn’t a large space; half of the walls were hidden behind floor-to-ceiling cupboards, the table on one side was cluttered with boxes and log books “This is the vestry,” Silas told them, noticing Michael’s curious eyes exploring the room. With a light wave of his hand, he invited the boys to each take a seat at his desk before handing them each a stack of pre-cut paper, a box of felt-tip pens and a scribbled note containing details of a community food drive that the church was holding over the next couple of weeks. “Good Friday is in just under two weeks, which is when we will be assembling the donation boxes ready to be sent out to those in need. I want you two to start making the flyers - all the information you need to include is on that bit of paper, there.”

As detentions went, doing arts and crafts with his best friend didn’t seem so bad. Michael liked art, taking after his father, so drawing was something he could have been doing at home for fun, anyway. As he got stuck in, Silas came to sit at the other side of his desk and began reading through his organiser. “So, Liam,” he spoke up after a minute or two. “How was today? Have you made any progress with those boys from Friday, or had any new thoughts or feelings towards them?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Liam, Patience (if she is there / turns up!)

The Royal London Hospital
~ Tower Hamlets, London ~

Shona King
​

Coming into her 30th week, Shona was feeling exceedingly bored of being pregnant. There was no position she could rest n in that wouldn’t make something ache worse. Standing hurt her feet, lying down gave her heartburn, sitting down made her hips ache. And after trying everything she could, the only thing left to do was cry about it. Being constantly exhausted didn’t help her to regulate her emotions - all she could do was take prescribed drugs and lean on Spencer. However, with him dealing with stressful situations in the business, she tried to let as much of her time with him as possible be what made it all bearable. Throughout all of her daily suffering, he was her rock, and so she made an active effort to keep her complaints quiet so as not to bring him further stress. The way his mood brightened when he got to spend time with her touched her heart, and she didn’t want to snuff out that last bit of light in her day.

It took about 15 minutes of sitting down after the blood test until Shona felt steady enough to leave the hospital. Even though she had made sure to eat something beforehand, the procedure had still left her feeling weak and unexpectedly ravenous. The results wouldn’t come in straight away but judging by her low energy levels and intense cravings for meat, her doctor suspected anaemia. So when she spotted a bakery across the street, she made a spontaneous diversion to buy an uncontrolled number of pastries. Shona left the shop with a full bag, only then realising she would have some explaining to do when she got home. It was nothing that Spencer and his siblings wouldn’t be able to help with, she reasoned. As much as she hoped not to put on too much excess weight, she trusted Spencer not to put her to shame - if he did, she would have plenty to say to him.

On her way back to the car, Shona spotted a familiar face outside the hospital entrance and smiled. Hurrying to swallow her mouthful, she reached her hand up into the air and waved. “Shirley!” she called out. She made her way over to the woman as fast as she could, bag of pastries swinging under her arm, and by the time she had crossed the street she was so warm that she had to fan herself down. “Hi,” she panted through a wide smile. “How are ya’, hon’? It’s nice to see you again.” Raising the bag from the bakery rather sheepishly, she asked, “You don’t happen to be hungry for pastries, do you? I had a craving and went a bit overboard…”

Interactions
BloodLightning27 Shirley

Misty Gray Spencer (mentioned)

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter

Riker's Island
~ wouldn't you like to know ~ ​

Lucy had been in a bit of a rut ever since Thomas made it clear that he wasn't returning home with her to work for his Uncle in Ireland. Lucy had argued with him for a few hours about it, trying to make him see that he wasn't ready to do such a thing but he wouldn't listen. So Lucy flew home with Olivia and she hadn't talked to Thomas ever since. She tried to phone Syd to talk to him since he was staying with him for the time being but every time Thomas was handed the phone he hung up. It worried her greatly that Thomas was working for her brother and not for the normal reasons that she had been worried about Syd working for the mob...this time it was different. Thomas already had a lot of trauma under his belt and if that trauma were to be realized in a place where it consumed him, he would either hurt someone he cared about or he would end up getting hurt in the process. Lucy called Conor every day to make sure her son was doing alright on the job and urged her brother to make his best judgment if he felt that his nephew couldn't handle certain things.

When she wasn't worried about Thomas, she was often busying herself around the house or catching up with Olivia's day. When the girl wasn't busy with work, Lucy offered to take her out on the town to catch a movie or go shopping. On slow days, Lucy was often tidying up her already extremely tidy home. But today, she had made a point to dress well and to look her very best, as she hadn't seen her husband in a little while due to all the traveling she had been doing. Every day when she woke up alone in her room, she was reminded that James was in prison and not with her. Despite him being in prison for a while now, waking up alone never got any easier.

So it was easy to say that she was very excited to see James but going to Riker's Island always put her on edge. Her knee bounced up and down nervously as she waited in the waiting area with the rest of the visitors, her eyes looking to her hands in her lap as she toyed with her fingers mindlessly. When it was time to go into the visitors' room, Lucy entered and immediately looked for James, a bright and warm smile etched on her face. When she found him and saw his condition, Lucy's smile immediately disappeared. When she reached the table, Lucy reached her arms out to hug him as tight as she could very briefly before moving to take a seat across from him. The worry in her eyes was evident, as it always was, and her brows creased together in concern. "I've missed you like crazy, love. But I have to say, you've definitely seen better days." She murmured softly before tilting her head to examine his face closely. "Since I know you are gonna tell me you're fine and want to play off those wounds as nothing, I guess I'll inform you on how I've been first."

Lucy looked around her for a moment before shaking her head, "Thomas is still ignoring me since you and I last spoke. Syd has been doing his best to get that stubborn kid to talk with me but every time he's handed the phone, he just hangs up." Lucy's jaw clenched to try and hide the hurt she was still feeling after all this time. "I know my brother thinks he will be okay, but Thomas hasn't been presented with triggers since he's gotten back from Iran...he says he knows what will set him off but...I just don't know if I can trust that." Sighing softly, the blonde moved a strand of hair from her eyes. "There are a lot more things to fill you in on but I'd like to hear what happened to you before I dive into the messy details. I know you say you're fine, but those marks on your face convince me otherwise."
with: James Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

St. Saviour's Church
~ Beaumont, Dublin ~

Liam Callahan and Patience Davenport​

It was almost a week since Liam found out that his teacher, Mr. Moore, had been killed. Despite the detentions he was earning himself lately, Liam was a smart kid who liked to focus in class. Still, even he didn't like some of the teachers, but one thing for sure was that Matthew was one of his favourites. Not to mention, the man was practically family as he was due to marry Roxie. That's what made it even worse; knowing his three cousins were grieving and had seen their mother's fiance dead on the ground. Liam was brooding at the best of times, so his teacher's death would clearly be affecting him now.

Liam had managed to stay calm during his classes, keeping his head down while some of the other kids made the substitute teacher's day miserable. Admittedly, the substitute teacher wasn't as good at the job as Mr. Moore had been. Regardless, it took a lot for him to stay quiet when his classmates were messing around; knowing a handful of the kids had somehow managed to joke about their teacher's death in one moment whilst trying to use their supposed grief to get out of doing homework in another. Father Healy had been more active at the school, holding an assembly and offering counselling to the struggling kids. Liam didn't come from a religious family, but somehow he found some comfort in the Priest's words spoken during the assembly; reassuring the boy that if there really was a God, then He would be taking care of Matthew now.

At home, Liam had been even quieter than he usually was, and Sinead's best attempts to cheer him up weren't having much of an effect. His mother assured him things would get easier as the days went on and he kept repeating those words. He often bottled up his feelings, but lately they'd been spilling out more and manifesting in the form of aggression. Three days ago, Liam couldn't help but let his frustrations in the form of violence. When he saw his best friend, Michael, being bullied, he acted on instinct and attacked the perpetrator. Liam managed to get in a few pushes and punches against the ringleader, but was soon dragged away by the teacher before he could turn his attention on the others. In that moment, he hadn't cared about getting in trouble again as he believed what he did was right. Not only did he believe the bullies deserved it, but he also believed in sticking up for his friends. Even if they yelled at him, he believed that it was what his family would do too, even if in different contexts.

Today was the first day of his newest detention, though he'd been told to attend the church rather than sit in silence in one of the school classrooms. Michael had offered to accompany Liam to the church and he was glad for the company, so didn't refuse the offer. As the two boys walked to the church, Liam looked to his friend. "Maybe I should just hit them harder next time, until they do stop," Liam replied, lightly shrugging his shoulders. He then quickly shook his head at the suggestion he left the bullies to it. "No way. If nobody stands up to them, then they'll just get worse because they think they can get away with it." Liam looked ahead to the church in the distance, listening as Michael said he shouldn't have to go to detention while the bullies got away with it. "Detention sucks, but I'd still hit them again. They pick on innocent people... Like those men who killed Mr. Moore," he trailed off.

As they got closer the the old church, Michael stopped walking to tell him he hadn't been to church before. "It's okay," Liam said as he stopped walking too. "This will be way easier than school detention. Father Healy doesn't seem too bad; I guess he's just like the teachers but likes to talk about God instead of Shakespeare and stuff. And there's a woman who works with Father Healy. We'll probably just have to help her out in the gardens or something, so we can probably just muck around anyway," he said with a small laugh.

When they entered the church, it seemed eerily quiet. Liam anxiously ran his hand through his hair as Michael sounded creeped out, suggesting they just left. It was hard to imagine it was the same church he'd sat inside a few weeks ago for his grandmother's funeral. It had been much busier and full of familiar faces that day. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Silas walked into view and approached the boys. "Hi," Liam replied, with an awkward attempt at a wave. He listened on as Michael cleared up that he wasn't on detention but had come along by choice. "Yeah, he's a real good friend," Liam agreed with Father Healy, quickly nodding. The boys were told to follow Silas further into the church, making it clear they weren't going to have chance to slack off whilst Patience planted flowers. Catching Michael's hesitant glance, Liam lightly patted him on the shoulder and sent him a reassuring smile.

They were led into a relatively small back room of the church. Liam's observations of the room were more subtle than his friend's, so Silas addressed Michael directly as his mentioned the vestry. The boys were soon told to sit at the desk and handed a pile of papers each. They were instructed to make some flyers for the Easter donation boxes. "Sure," Liam agreed before reaching out for a felt-tip pen to get started. There was a silence in the room as the two friends got to work and Silas started looking at the notes in his organiser. Liam realised things were starting to feel more like detention, in that he became aware he and Michael couldn't mess around, or even chat together at all.

Father Healy broke the silence when he addressed Liam directly to ask how his day was and how he felt towards the boys he'd attacked last week. Liam stopped colouring and looked the Priest in the eyes as he shrugged his shoulders. It took a moment before Liam decided to actually answer. It felt different to when the Headmaster was asking; like he could and should be more honest to the Priest. The boy wasn't sure if he believed in God, but he was certain it was wrong to lie in church. "Today was still rubbish," Liam admitted, unconsciously placing the lid back onto the pen to stop it from drying out whilst he wasn't using it. "Mr. Moore made history more interesting. The substitute teacher isn't that great," he sadly admitted. He was sure the teacher was good, if given the chance, but Liam couldn't get past the fact they were standing where Matthew should have been standing. He then let out a sigh as he thought about Silas's other question. "No. I just ignored them today." Liam dropped the pen back into the box with the others and lightly shook his head as he thought more about it. "They um... they deserved it," he said, breaking eye-contact for a brief time before looking back to Silas's face. "I know it's wrong to fight, but I had to do it. I still feel the same as I did on Friday, because they were the ones in the wrong, not me. They're just not nice people."

Pyroclast (Michael, Silas)

 

[Bellz]

Julia Avvocata
Roxie Carriveau

Roxie Carriveau's Residence
~ Ashtown, Dublin ~ ​

The way things had gone at the Moretti's home was less than desirable to Julia but as she had assured Gabriel, she would make things right. Julia hadn't ever been to Ireland before so when Ricky asked if she could join him, the woman didn't hesitate to say yes. It was really hard to watch Ricky go through his sleepless nights, to see the happy-go-lucky spirit drained from him...so Julia was also happy to be there for him as his support. Julia had been dazing out the window for many hours...planes made her nervous and sleeping on one was a no-go for her. She flinched as Ricky woke up with a gasp and Julia immediately turned to him as she watched him get his bearings. "You alright?" She asked just as he'd given one of the bodyguards in the aisle seat a thumbs up. Ricky chose to move on rather than answer her, asking if she could see green clouds yet which caused the woman to laugh lightly. "Not yet, but I'm sure we will be there soon." She murmured and smiled softly as he took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

The rest of the plane ride had gone by pretty quickly and soon they were at Roxie's home. Julia raised her eyebrows in surprise at the large estate, not having pinned Roxie as the type to live in a big house but she guessed with three kids she would need a lot of room. As they walked towards the front door, Ricky thanked her for coming along and the blonde smiled widely. "I'd do anything for you." She said softly, "But I will be requiring payment later on." Winking at Ricky lightly as they reached the door, her teasing smile turned to a solemn expression as she prepared for his cousin to open the door.

Although Roxie had spent 2 whole weeks locked in the basement underneath the Statue of Liberty 13 years ago, she was almost sure that these past 6 days were a contender for the longest 6 days of her life. The night of the incident she hadn't slept a wink despite continuing to pour herself drinks until she couldn't think straight. She didn't show up for work the day after but luckily for her, she was her own boss and didn't need to ask for days off. That day she had spent the morning getting sober before deciding that it was time to go tell Matthew's parents what happened. As expected from any parents beside her own of course, Mr. and Mrs. Moore were devastated. Their sadness broke Roxie's heart but what had broken it even further was the fact that they pointed fingers at what happened to be her fault. Per his mother's demand, Roxie had quickly given her engagement ring back to the woman as it was a family heirloom painfully apologizing before leaving the family to grieve. She had once again returned home to drink herself into a stupor and that night she had gotten rough 3-4 hours of sleep before violently waking up to be sick. Despite not getting much sleep, Roxie had decided that it was best to go to work the following day.

It had become a routine in those few days, working until the late hours of the evening before coming home and drinking herself into a stupor, falling asleep before violently waking up a few hours later, and then continuing to her office early the next morning. Even the weekend didn't slow her down. This morning, Roxie had her routine psychologist appointment and after hearing what the woman had been through and how she was coping, he decided to place her on an antidepressant. He made it very clear that Roxie needed to handle the grieving process in a much healthier way than she had been, reminding her that she had children to think about. It had been almost a week since seeing the kids and she missed them desperately but she knew that she would do more harm to them if they saw her in such a state. After the session, Roxie mindlessly turned to her work in her study, deciding not to go into the office because Ricky was due to come by.

Roxie was on her 6th consecutive cigarette as she read over some notes from her current case when the doorbell rang. The dogs rushed from their beds in her office towards the front door. Knowing Reina was somewhere in the house, Roxie hollered to her, "Rei? Can you answer the door, I'll be out in a moment." Roxie read over the last of her notes quickly before moving out of her chair slowly to walk towards the front of the house. Once she was at the door, she thanked Reina for answering and Ricky reached out his arms to hug her which Roxie returned tightly, carefully holding the cigarette away from him so she didn't get ash on him. He softly told her that Matthew was the best of all of them and Roxie's eyes watered. She placed a kiss on his cheek before moving to open the door wide for Julia and him. Tears fell down her cheeks as she watched them walk in before she shut the door behind them. "Sorry the house is a mess." Roxie croaked, her throat dry from the number of cigarettes she'd been smoking. "The lounge is at least presentable. Let's go in there. Do you guys want something to drink? Eat? I know that flight is terribly long? I'll grab some refreshments, make yourselves at home." Roxie excused herself before turning to Reina, "I want you to sit in on this conversation with me if you don't mind. Keep them company, I'll be right back." She then walked to the kitchen to grab a variety of different drinks and some snacks. She had just asked one of her guards to run to the store for her the day before, so she was stocked.

Once she returned, she set the tray of things on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch as she'd noticed Julia took a seat in one of the two armchairs surrounding the table facing the couch. Roxie dabbed out her cigarette before reaching into the side table drawer beside her and pulling out another pack and lighter. Once it was lit and in her mouth, Roxie took a large inhale before releasing the smoke. Her eyes were raw and bloodshot, her skin void of any color. Clearing her throat, Roxie attempted a smile for Ricky. "Stay out of trouble in my absence in New York?" She tried to tease, though her voice sounded just shy of monotone. Julia offered the woman a small smile as she looked to Ricky, "He's been on his best behavior under my watch I can assure you." She murmured. Roxie nodded her head as she stared at the woman for a long second. When she was through, she looked to Ricky..."So it would seem I have a target on my back now...Conor has been tirelessly trying to figure out who shot Matthew but so far, no leads. What do you think?" Roxie was curious to know if Ricky would take this opportunity to rub it in her face that she was in no position to take over...he was playing nice but Ricky flipped at a moment's notice and the will reading made that crystal clear.
with: Ricky Misty Gray ; Reina Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Sullivan Home
~Sutton, Dublin~
Aliana Cartwright-Sullivan
Leo Sullivan

After hearing about what happened to Roxie, Aliana immediately made sure to call and check on her. It pained her to hear that not only had an attempt on her life been made but in front of her children as well. She made sure to offer her services on the off chance that she needed anything. Despite Syd and Roxie being divorced she still considered the woman to be family. It wasn't much, but Ali wanted to make sure the woman knew she wasn't alone. She understood what it felt like to have someone you loved killed when you had planned a long future together. Though she knew the attack was more than likely because of Roxie's new rise in power, she couldn't help but worry about her husband. It looked like the peace they had enjoyed for the past decade had ended. She wasn't sure how he would take the attack and that's what worried her the most. Not wanting to worry him, she kept her thoughts to herself for the time being.

Today Ali made sure to get the majority of her errands out of the way so that she could take it easy the rest of the week. While she put groceries away she was helping Rhiannon with her homework. When it came to science, she shook her head. "Oof. Yeah, unless it's English or Math I can't help you. Ask your brother when he gets home, he's the science major." She looked down once she felt Sydney tugging on her jacket, a wide grin on her face. Aliana knew exactly what it meant as she smiled at her. A few times a week she would let Sydney play whatever record she wanted out loud, though she already knew what it was going to be every time. Rhiannon just quietly shook her head as Ali walked into the living room where they set their record player. "Let me guess," Ali asked while digging through their records. "Chopin?" Sydney shook her head, which came as a shock to Ali. "Mozart." She had already taken out the specific one she wanted to hear and pointed to the specific arrangement. "Ah, you're in a dramatic mood today?" She joked before taking it from her fingers. Sydney nodded her shook her head no as she watched her mother carefully drop the needle onto the vinyl. "Must be if you wanted Fantasia in D minor." The two of them walked back into the kitchen just as the door opened.

Ali wasn't at all shocked when she saw Blake and Collin walk into her kitchen. Knocking on doors and ringing the bell was not something anyone in their family did. She had just finished throwing away the last grocery bag when she smiled at Blake and returned her hug. "Rhi? Will you take Collin and Syd into the sitting room? Give them something to color." Rhiannon took a heavy sigh before closing her book, ushering the children into another room. "She placed second in her competition over the weekend. Still not happy about it." She explained. "Didn't you hear? I'm a Stepford Wife now and my main purpose in life is to keep my home spotless." She joked before taking down two glasses and offering her a drink. "Excited about your date?" She winked before moving to fill their cups with whatever she asked for.

When it came to women, poor Leo was very dense. Despite her serious tone, he thought Natasha had been joking about him taking her out to dinner. Even when she made it clear that she wasn't he still had to go to his sister for help. Rhiannon just stared at him in disbelief that her brother was such an idiot. She was happy that it was finally going to happen but annoyed that it had taken this long. In fact, she was sure had Natasha not basically asked him out that he would have never gotten the hint. As much as she loved him she couldn't believe she was related to him. If he wasn't her brother she would have told Natasha to move on and find someone smarter.

The moment he set foot into his home he was met with an upset-looking Natasha. It took him a brief moment to realize that he had, indeed, forgotten about their date. He internally groaned and yelled at himself. "Forgot? I- Did- I did not." He stuttered watching as she walked towards him. She took his bag from his arms, causing him to smile at her. He liked the fact that even though she was clearly upset with him that she had still asked about his day. "Boring, of course." He hadn't gotten the chance to ask her the same question as she told him about their reservations. A part of him felt bad that she had done the setting up the date bit, but at the same time it was kind of nice. "Yes ma'am, but can I say hello to my mother first?"



Natasha, Blake ( Bellz )


​

 

[BloodLightning27]

Chapter 3: Far From HomeMonday 25th March 1985

...6 days later...

New York City: Mid-Morning - Sunny, Mild, Clear Skies​

~Riker's Island: Bradley Beckett & James Edwards~​

Now that he was halfway through his second week in prison, the former Navy SEAL mainly did his best to stay out of trouble, mainly just staying away from the people who looked like gang members, who were often identified by their tattoos and occasional menacing scars, some of which often reminded him of his days in Vietnam. Not very many of the prisoners were willing to approach him because of the Navy SEAL Trident Tattoo that rested on his forearm. So he often sat alone at Lunch, still unsure if he wanted to approach the two alleged Irish Mobsters, having grown weary of them himself as time passed. However, he did notice that they were well-respected and that many steered clear of them, James Porter especially.

Since it was laundry day, James was sure to avoid eye contact with the other prisoners and just focused on getting his done so that he could go back to his cell, the only place that he found in this shithole to be peaceful, seeing that he has yet to make friends or socialize with anyone else here. A couple of feet away, he overheard a few inmates whispering to one another, but wasn't exactly able to make out what either men were saying. Suddenly, he was elbowed by another prisoner. As James turned to look at him, he noticed the fellow inmate had a scared look and shook his head, probably subtly telling him not to eavesdrop on the other inmates. He gave the poor man a sad nod. By the time laundry was finished and he folded his last jumpsuit, he heard the Corrections Officer in charge listing a group of people to follow him to the visiting room. Because he did not hear his name be called, James reluctantly went to join the other inmates that were headed into the Exercise Yard for their Recreation time. Usually during this time, he would go lift weights, but it seemed like a lot of the other inmates had the same idea today, maybe tomorrow? Who knew...As he sat down at a nearby bench alone, he heard the sudden scream. As soon as he looked up, he saw a few prisoners gathering.

Jumping up immediately, he walked over to see what was going on. Forcing his way through a crowd, he saw a young man getting beaten up by some of the bigger and stronger inmates, letting out a cry of pain each and every time a hit landed on him. "No, please! I didn't do anything, I swear. Its just my first day!" He cried as he was grabbed by his jumpsuit by one of the bigger guys before being punched in the gut, spitting out blood in the process before being slammed back onto the ground.

Just as he saw another prisoner pull out a shank and jump on top of the boy, James knew that he had to intervene. He proceeded to kick the larger inmate on top of the boy away with all of his might. While he was struggling to get up, James was tackled, but he responded by elbowing his attacker in the back before throwing a knee into his face. The remaining three aggressors looked at each other and proceeded to charge before one of them was hit in the throat by James' forearm. The second was sent a flurry of kicks and the third was punched in the face, kicked in the groin and then elbowed in the neck and sending him to the ground with a loud thud. Looking back at the slightly smaller boy, who was still shielding his face, James walked over to him and offered a hand to help him to his feet. "That was nasty, kid. You alright?"

Bradley lowered his arms as he looked up to see an older prisoner looking at him, and started staring briefly at the Navy SEAL Tattoo on his forearm, before accepting his helping hand. "Yeah...I'll be okay...W-Why'd you help me?"

"Because it was the right thing to do." James replied. "Any idea why they were beating you?"

Bradley shook his head. "It's my first day here, and I just got booked in like...thirty minutes ago. So no, I don't even know what I did to get beaten up."

James then walked him over to a nearby bench while his former attackers squirmed and moaned in pain and had him sit down so that he could catch his breath. Bradley then proceeded to wipe the blood away from his lip. When he looked around, he saw that there weren't any Corrections Officers nearby. Given the amount of gang members currently here, James could only guess that they were bribed to look the other way if a fight broke out. "Not sure why either if you're that new...Probably just thought you were an easy target. You look a little too young to be in here. How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

James looked down at the boy, appalled. How did someone that young end up in here? Of all places... "What's your name, kid?"

"Bradley."

"Nice to meet you, Bradley, I'm James."

Bradley was taken aback by how kind James was. "How long have you been in here, James?"

"Two weeks. I'm gonna be here for the next fifteen years. They got me for Armed Robbery. What are you in for?"

"I stole a car. And Prosecution got me the maximum sentence...So I'm gonna be here for fifteen years and I'll be lucky if I get parole."

James frowned when Bradley told him why he was in prison. Fifteen years for just stealing a car? That's harsh... The former Navy SEAL thought for a moment before he noticed one of the weight machines being vacated as the inmates using it were done. But seeing that he got a good work out fighting four people, he didn't really think about it. Instead, he would spend the recreation time just sitting and talking with Bradley, hoping to keep the kid company since someone his age should not be alone. His eyes wandered around the yard and he saw one of the men who was talking to who he thought was James in the Laundry room prior to being let out for free time.
Misty Gray (James Porter - Mentioned) (Nicholas Ramsey - Indirectly Mentioned) Pyroclast (Kurt Reznik - Indirectly Mentioned)

 

[BloodLightning27]

Chapter 3: Far From Home
Monday 25th March 1985

...6 days later...
Miami: Mid-Morning - Sunny, Hot, Blue Skies

Dublin: Late Afternoon - Sunny, Cool, Breezy

London: Late Afternoon - Overcast, Cool, Breezy



~Miami: Harmony Ryu~It has been a year since Harmony has gone into a self-imposed exile from her home city of Los Angeles, California. Since then, she has gone on to work for one of New York's most powerful underworld figures, Gabriel Moretti. How she was able to find her way into being in his employ, she wasn't sure. Was it her resume? Could be. While she spent her first couple of months going from one assignment to the next, she was soon assigned to protecting the Wycliff Family, comprising of her Boss' Son-In-Law Theodore, his Daughter Valentina and his three Grandchildren, Ten-Year-Old Francis, Eight-Year-Old Cristina and Six-Year-Old Paolo. As this was one of her bigger assignments by far (much of the previous assignments just accompanying Moretti's men to business deals to ensure things went smoothly and occasionally working with the Taylor Brothers, who were apparently Don Moretti's top Cocaine Dealers in the Drug Trade), she did not want to screw it up at all. Despite not being the best in childcare, Harmony was going to protect these children with everything that she has...because if anything happened to them, Gabriel would have her head mounted on top of a Fireplace...That is if what the stories she has heard from his more...seasoned employees were true. Not all of them are...right?

Immediately after though, the Wycliff Family was going on a planned vacation to Miami and, from what she heard on the plane ride there, taking their children to Disney World. That did warm the Bodyguard's heart a little, as it made her think about the simpler times in her life before she and her late Brother, Hanzo, were swept up into Los Angeles' Criminal Underworld. One of the more fond memories that she had, included going to Disneyland in Anaheim when she was thirteen. And now, she was going to be headed to Disneyworld in a few days.

For such a big job though, it was very relaxing. Best of all, Valentina made her feel welcome. Rather then sleeping on the couch, which she was mostly accustomed to, she was staying in one of the spare bedrooms that wasn't being used. Was this Cottage being rented? Or was just one of the most likely many vacation homes that her Boss had? Probably not a question to ask. After Breakfast, the day was spent at the beach which was thankfully very close by. While the children built sandcastles, she just stayed with Theodore and Valentina, but still kept an eye on the children, making sure that they were behaving and not fighting with each other, granted the eldest child, Francis, was doing a good job at keeping his siblings in check. Her train of thought was soon disrupted when she overheard Paolo asking how many days until they were going to go to Disneyworld, something that he had asked on several instances the previous day, to which Valentina responded 'four days' and saying that she needed a few days to rest and recharge before expressing her own excitement on going to the famed amusement park. She then smiled a little when she watched Paolo returning to playing in the sand with his Siblings and it wasn't long until Valentina initiated a conversation with her. The older woman did appear to be fond of Miami, loving the beach and the warmer weather. This was something that Harmony could relate to, as the current weather and the beach setting, very much reminded her of Los Angeles. The thought of it made her smile. "This place reminds me very much of home. And I'm not exactly from New York. I've only been living there for a year." She responded, feeling heart-warmed by the welcoming reception. "This would be my first vacation in two years. Last one I really remember was when I was...20? So when I was told that we were going to be here in Miami, I was a little surprised. First two days on the job, vacation included. Not a lot of people can brag about that." She chuckled.

Harmony smiled still stayed on her face when Valentina said she and her Daughter were big fans of her hair color, which did surprise her. While he didn't say it out loud, Harmony did sometimes think that Don Moretti silently judged her for the Rainbow Highlights in her hair. Hopefully he judged the Taylor Brothers too for wearing all white all day everyday... On the bright side though, at least he didn't have a dress code, so that was a plus. Otherwise she would really be out of work...then where would she go? She did however, frown a little when Valentina told her about how Cristina wanted to color her hair, but could not due to her school's strict uniform. Hopefully she could do that over the Summer? Then go back to the natural color when school's about to start again? "I think she'd be adorable with hair like mine, but its a shame that teachers don't appreciate art and uniqueness." Her thoughts then proceeded to go back to High School, where she had dyed her hair numerous different colors on several occasions. While she usually went for blond, there was one time that she dyed her hair Silver (or Platinum Blond).

She would then look at the Tattoos on her arms, which was now out in the open because there was no way in hell that she was wearing long sleeves in this weather...For right now, she was just in a white sleeveless shirt and shorts, mainly so she doesn't sweat to death or have a heat stroke. One thing she did not enjoy was wearing flip-flops...But she wasn't about to be a complete weirdo and wear boots to the beach... She has had them (Tattoos) for about a year and a half now, so she was not worried about sun damage. Sure, she had a few more, but she wasn't about to reveal them yet...Especially the one on her back. Afterwards, she had gone back to relaxing in the beautiful sunshine with Theodore and Valentina, while also keeping an eye on the children.

Misty Gray (Valentina; Paolo & Cristina nearby; Gabriel (mentioned)) Melanin-Gxdess (Theodore; Francis nearby) Taylor Brothers (Mentioned)

~Dublin: Stella Kwon~

Almost a week after taking Patrick's pride, by taking his Lamborghini as collateral and then giving the keys to Conor...and whatever he did after that was his business. Whether the washed-up Musician would get his beloved car back, Stella would never know. It wasn't really her problem anymore. Her next big endeavor would see to her teaming up with Braden and Emery Callahan, Conor's Nephew and Niece, to collect another debt. Because there was three of them, chances were they were going to be dealing with a reasonably powerful person, though Stella could be wrong because not everyone she went after to collect debts was a gang member or criminal. The car ride there was mostly quiet, partly because Stella did feel a little awkward with Braden due to the fact that she witnessed him get into a fight with Thomas and Leo. Since they hadn't interacted very much before that, it was the only impression she really had of him. On the bright side though, he could very much handle himself in a fight, a trait that Stella very much appreciated.

Upon arriving in the parking lot, Stella checked her pistols, because she wasn't about to walk into a Casino with a Machine Gun or a Rifle. As soon as Emery opened her car door to exit the vehicle, Stella did the same. With the safeties on her Pistols, she would be ready to open fire at a moment's notice. Adjusting her long coat, she proceeded to tie her hair into a ponytail while making sure her belt was tightened up. She then had one revolver as a back-up and if she ran out of ammo...she could still use her hands. Either way, the trio was ready. When she said that their man, Clayton Byrne, could get a little defensive, Stella kept her straight face. "If he gets defensive, I can only guess how much he owes." She responded. "Don't worry, if anyone tries anything, its not going to work out for them. And if they want to learn the hard way not to fuck with you, that's on them."

It wasn't long until they were inside the Casino. Stella didn't really give the Security Guards a second look, but she was in fact keeping track of how many people were there, what they were there for, etcetera. Mainly though, she was keeping track of the amount of Security of the place. While the Casino may have been considered neutral grounds, they still had to pay their dues to Conor if they wanted to continue operating. However, that meant that Security was fair game if they wanted to try anything stupid. Adjusting her gloves, she continued to follow Emery, who's first order of business was...Ordering a Vodka Martini? Stella didn't mind all that much, but opted not to drink because she had to stay sharp, as Alcohol and Firearms absolutely do NOT mix.

Thankfully, it did not take long for them to find Clayton and the trio approached him as soon as people left the Poker Table he was at. Once Emery's gaze met her eyes, Stella reached up to put a rather strong and tight grip on Clayton's shoulder. "If I were you, I'd listen to the lady." She said coldly. "And don't make her ask a second time...You don't want me to be pissed."
Bellz (Braden, Clayton) Misty Gray (Emery)

~Dublin: Shinoa Bradford - No Way Home (Cameo)~

Pregnancy Tracker

Progression: 35.4/40 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 248/280 Days

Weight Gain: 66/68 Kg

Six days after the interview turned heart-to-heart with Sinead at Nostalgic Notes, Shinoa spent the next two days going to Social Services in hopes of getting ahold of her Father through them. Unfortunately, getting a flight was now out of the question because she was a few days away from being thirty-six weeks into her pregnancy. And Airlines often prohibited women who were that far along in their pregnancy from boarding a flight. Just when she thought she was getting through and finally establishing contact with him, Shinoa would learn that his number was no longer in service. She couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to him. Maybe he change his phone number? There was only one other option left; she could take her shot at writing a letter to him! While in her hotel room, she began drafting out the letter to her Father, thinking about everything that she's been through since she last saw him. From the day she found out she was pregnant to how she has been spending the last six months stranded in Ireland. The hardest part of this pregnancy by far was going to prenatal appointments by herself, with no one by her side, but the Midwife tending to her was very kind.

After about an hour of writing, she still felt that it was incomplete, but decided that she would have it finished by the end of the day...and then take it to the post-office tomorrow morning. Noticing that she had some leftover euros and that her hair was getting too long, she decided to go get a haircut at the Salon down the street from the Hotel. Thankfully for her, it wasn't very busy. As she sat down in the chair, her frown turned into a smile once the Hairdresser got to work.

Misty Gray (Sinead - Mentioned)

~London: Shirley Kwon~

Pregnancy Tracker

Pregnancy Progression: 31.4/42 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 220/294 Days

Weight Gain: 64/71 Kg

Shirley was now a couple of days into the thirty-second week of her pregnancy. Prior to this appointment, she had treated a few more people for their injuries, to which she did not mind because she needed the money anyway. And it was always nice to have a little bit of extra cash on hand. Aside from being a Street Doc, Shirley got most days to herself, so she got to relax and bond with her unborn babies, while also going to the tea shop every few days to get out of the house, not wanting to wander too far in her condition. While it was tough for her to walk and stand for extended periods of time, she still enjoyed going to the park. Aside from the heartburn, backache and the pain she felt in her feet. Thankfully, she had mostly prepared for that and bought some new slippers that were meant to help with the pain in her feet. Her favorite part of pregnancy though was definitely getting to wear floral dresses, and looking damn good in them.

This next check-up went by smoothly for her. The babies were healthy, her diet was fairly clean, the weight gain was going the way it that it should. However, her Midwife did note that she had to cut back on the tea, as excessive caffeine was not healthy for the development of her unborn babies. While Shirley did not entirely agree as she often read the labels and checked the ingredients, she definitely still listened because she did not want to harm the precious cargo. After the appointment, she made her way out of the hospital thinking about what she and the midwife had discussed.

Once she made it back outside though, she would once more run into Shona, a friend that she had made at her previous appointment. The other expecting Mother called out to her and came up to greet her shortly after. She proceeded to straighten out her dress and her cardigan as soon as Shona was next to her. "Oh, hello, its good to see you again too." She gave Shona a warm smile.

As soon as Shona raised the bag of pastries, Shirley's stomach growled rather loudly, prompting her to blush out of pure embarrassment as they were in public. "I can finish it off for you if you'd like, sure. By the way, did you have any plans for tonight? I was hoping we can get to know each other a little better and I'm just trying to get out of the house."

Pyroclast (Shona)