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

[Pyroclast]

Elena Velazco​

It was still fairly difficult for Elena to understand every sentence the first time she heard it. What she had learned to do was react first and allow herself the time to piece the words together in her head. Failing that, she would just guess. With Thomas, it was easy enough - even if she didn’t immediately know what he said, she knew from his tender smile and tone of voice that it was something kind. She loved the way he blushed, not only because it added context to his words but also because he looked so charming that she couldn’t help but blush in response.

“I’m doing alright, too,” she said, repeating him through a bright smile. She picked up enough words: ‘busy’ ‘work’ ‘family and ‘pub’ to comprehend what he was apologising for. With a nod of acknowledgement, she replied, “I understand. You are busy with work for Adam, and me too, for Mr. Sullivan…But don’t be too busy, Tomás, okay? I like when you are in the pub with me. And then you see that I become better there - no more dropping glasses!”

Elena wished that she only had positive answers to his question. Being only their second meeting, the two were still barely acquaintances. She did feel drawn to him and found his presence comforting, as though she could open up to him, but when she first set out on her journey she had had to adopt a deeper sense of responsibility for herself, and that made her reluctant to share any problems with people she didn’t know well.

“You have more opportunity for seeing me at the pub, if you want,” she told him. “I try to take more shifts because...vivo sola. It is expensive...and I want to stay in Ireland.” Elena let her gaze drift away then, instead taking a moment to observe the gym members working the equipment and circulating the room. When her eyes met Thomas’ again they carried a slight sense of unease. Ever since she had snuck out of her mother’s apartment in Havana without telling her family where she was going, Elena knew that any problem she ran into on her journey would be hers to fix. Every time she got lost, every time she was held back by a language barrier, every time she ran low on money or came face to face with an aggressive stranger or couldn’t find somewhere safe to sleep, she knew she couldn’t rely on anyone to help her out.

Now, after staying in the same run-down hotel for several weeks, she was being threatened with eviction on the grounds that the hotel was not a permanent residence. If she wanted to stay longer, they told her they would have to start charging her double, which she knew she couldn’t afford. So, rather than ask anyone for help, she had just asked for more shifts whilst trying not to sound too desperate. It wouldn’t be the first time she had slept rough, but given that she was an illegal immigrant, she didn’t want to draw any attention to herself by joining the homeless on the streets. Plus, she wasn’t sure Conor would want to keep her on if she turned up to work without having washed for days. Nor would she have the guts to face her father, nor Thomas for that matter. There were too many people she wanted to impress, and if her journey ended up being for nothing then she wasn’t sure where she would go. So, she had to make it work. She had no choice. Put her brave face on, drown out her doubts with optimism - those were two things she was good at. Elena smiled brightly at Thomas. When she looked into his eyes, she found hope, and, after many brushes with unkind strangers on her solo journey, that was something she wanted to hold onto if she could.

Before she could think of how to change the subject, her attention was stolen by Adam making his way over to them. “Hola!” she chirped, her smile broadening in his presence. She hung onto every word he spoke, simply relishing the fact that he was speaking them to her. Catching the words ‘employee benefit’, her smile faded a fraction. She was glad to give the impression that she had enough money to join the gym even with the price reduced, but the last thing she wanted was to correct him with the truth, so she just placed a hand on her heart and thanked him for the kind gesture. She watched him address Thomas, apparently to let him know that he was now free to do something fun with his evening. As the man turned to leave, he nodded her way, which she reciprocated with a small wave. “Adios, Adam!”

When she turned back to face Thomas, her cheeks were glowing, and aching slightly from smiling so much. “You are at work? Not just at gym?” she asked with a slight tilt of the head. “Bueno...you are free for the gym now. Or maybe...” Shrugging a shoulder suggestively, she looked up at Thomas with a spark in her eyes. “You can be free for me?”

Interactions
Bellz Thomas
Misty Gray Adam

 

[Misty Gray]

Spencer and Shona King's Home
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer hated seeing Shona upset and if he could have hidden his physical injuries to spare her, he would have sucked up his discomfort if it meant she didn't have to worry. He sent her a weak smile as he knew he couldn't do anything to stop her from tearing up. His attention was then drawn to Billy as the younger man spoke. Things seemed to be happening quickly as Billy said he'd deal with contacting Paul. Spencer focused his attention back on Shona as she carefully examined his wounds. He could see she was surprised to hear the Sullivans were behind it, but knowing their reputation he could only assume it was because the most they tended to see of the Irish family was in the form of Savannah. Callum's soft-spoken mother was hardly representative of the Irish Mob.

When Shona put her arm around his waist, he tensed slightly in anticipation of her pressing against one of the spots the baton had struck him on. "Okay..." he mumbled when she told him to sit down. He was trying not to express his anger and frustration as he didn't want to intensify the already high emotions. As Shona said she'd speak to Savannah, it was difficult to hold his tongue. "What did she think was going to happen when she went home with a sob story?" he grumbled. "I ain't buying that fucking angel act any longer," he complained as he stepped into the lounge. Catching Shirley's eye, he sheepishly nodded. "Sorry..." he apologised for his foul language.

Billy was unable to get through to Paul and whilst his youngest brother was offering Shirley a ride home, Spencer tried to think of who else would be nearby that could come fix up his wounds. Erik had been about to ask what the Sullivans had done and Spencer was more than ready to answer that question. He knew of Erik's role and relationship to the Moretti family. He also knew enough about the war between the Italians and the Irish Mob. He was interested to find out what Erik would think of the situation and, even more importantly, if Gabriel Moretti would be interested to find out he had a shared distaste for the Sullivans.

Before he could pick Erik's brain, Alex entered the house full of energy and ignorance to London's troubles, having just returned from a holiday in Ibiza. When wasn't he on holiday? It took a moment, but when he saw Spencer's injuries, Alex assumed his older brother had pissed someone off. "I pissed off Sav's family, trying to stop her from taking your kid to Dublin. I told her not to keep him away from our lot and she went crying the poor tale to her daddy and the rest of the tossers." Spencer lightly shook his head. "Do you even care, Alex? Callum belongs here, in London. He's more English than he is bloody Irish," he pointed out, aware Savannah was only half Irish. "I need you to get your head out of the clouds and think about your kid," he told his brother.

When Shirley mentioned he looked worse than half the men she's patched up recently, Spencer figured she was a nurse. As she asked for a first aid kit, ice and whiskey, it became evident to Spencer that the woman was stepping into Paul's medical position for the evening. Once she was ready to start, Shirley told him to relax and keep still. "Alright, love. I wouldn't want you making a mess of this handsome face of mine," he remarked. As she started, Spencer tensed his body in order to keep completely still. Though he could still feel the pain of the needle going through his skin, it was more the fact the sharp tool was so close to his eye that made him keep still. There was a brief moment when he'd flinched and the woman briefly stopped, assuring him she was nearly done. "Great. Just try keep my eye in working order," he lightly suggested.

Once she was finished and his wounds were bandaged, Shirley spoke about the healing process. As he listened, Spencer took a moment to wiggle his jaw around and prod around his eye-socket, checking he still had full motion and feeling in his face. He was about to express his gratitude for her help, but she continued to speak. It was only when the woman spoke up about treating stabbing and gunshot wounds that Spencer sat forward with interest. What kind of nurse treated wounds he associated with gangs - especially without giving any thought to taking her patients to the hospital? He was suddenly suspicious that she was employed by a rival gang. And what part did her sister play in it all? "Hang on. Who do you work for? If you're some kind of back alley doctor, then you must be involved with one of the other gangs. And what's your sister's part in this?" he suspiciously asked. The last thing he wanted was for the enemy to be planting Shirley right in the centre of his family home.

Melanin-Gxdess (Erik, Alex)
Pyroclast (Shona, Billy)
BloodLightning27 (Dr. Shirley)

 

[BloodLightning27]

~New York City: Harmony Ryu - Ink Up at Maverick's~

When Ava talked a trip to the West Coast in the past, Harmony only wondered how long ago it was. But even if they had seen each other, chances of them meeting at all would have been slim to none as most of her own time was spent in Little Tokyo and occasionally Chinatown before her Brother died. There was also Seoul, but she absolutely hated it there. The change of scenery was nice, but all the tall skyscrapers were still foreign to her. When the Tattoo Artist said that the West Coast was too open, Harmony was a little inclined to agree, mainly because she spent her entire life in California up until about a year ago. When speaking about the Wycliff Family, the conversation took a much better turn. Compared to others who worked for Don Moretti, Harmony really did have it easy; all she had to do was Guard one of the Boss' Youngest Daughter, Son-in-Law and Three Grandchildren. "Yes, the children are quite adorable. Paolo is very energetic and so is the Family Puppy, Rocco. Have you met him yet?"

There was a moment of awkward silence when Harmony asked about how Ava was connected to the Moretti Family, but the younger woman assumed that she needed a second before resuming the work on the tattoo. As the Needle made contact with her skin, Harmony didn't flinch or move one bit, simply relaxing and letting the artist do her work. She was however, both curious and astonished to hear that Ava's Family was a prominent Biker Gang. There were Biker Gangs in New York? With such a big city where it wasn't always sunny, that was a little surprising to hear. They were very prominent back at home, but Harmony always knew them as hell raisers who had a strong hold in drug trafficking, namely heroin and methamphetamine. Well, there was also loving their big, bad Harley Davidsons. She then thought back to the few encounters that she had with them, where they bullied her Brother for the simple fact that he had a Honda Interceptor, which they dubbed as a 'Crotch Rocket'. Soon, that train of thought left as Ava mentioned the name of her Family's Biker Gang, the Mavericks and how her Bar got its name. Wait, the Bar was hers too? Wow. Now Harmony was a little more surprised when Ava told her about how she met Mr. Moretti, which was completely different compared to how Harmony herself did. She was dating the Boss' son? Before marriage, it must have been like Romeo and Juliet...well, minus the whole...tragedy and death...right? However, Harmony didn't blame her for being afraid of Gabriel. Hell, she was too! "I don't think I've met Mrs. Moretti yet. If I'm not with the Wycliffs, the only person I really see is Mr. Moretti himself. Sure, I've met Tatianna, but I don't think she likes me very much. And I remember my first meeting the Mr. Moretti too. He was judging me for my hair. I can tell by the look on his face as soon as I sat down in his Office." She chuckled a little, thinking about the annoyed look that Gabriel gave Quadir when he brought her into the Office for a Job Interview...before leaving in awkward silence.

On the bright side though, while Gabriel judged the rainbow hair, at least Valentina and Cristina liked it. That was refreshing to hear to be honest. Overall, Harmony didn't really care too much about how others think of her. As long as her employer was satisfied by the end of the day, all was well. But what mattered most was the safety of the Wycliff Family, mainly that of the children. As a man like Moretti was not without enemies, she did not look forward to the day that the children would be swept up in a Drive-By Shooting or a Firefight. If something like that ever happened though, Harmony would protect them to her last breath. She would rather die and meet with God herself, then having to see both Theodore and Valentina going through the pain of burying their children, something that her parents had to go through with her Brother...before her Father passed away not long after. As this train of thought made its way through her mind, Harmony continued to relax in hopes that it would leave and continuing to allow Ava to continue working on the new tattoo piece and the needle digging into her skin.

Interactions: Ava Moretti Melanin-Gxdess
Mentions: Wycliff Family, Moretti Family​

 

[Pyroclast]

Shona and Billy King​

As sympathetic as she felt towards her husband’s injuries, Shona had her own frustration to hide when Spencer began badmouthing Savannah. She would never turn against her husband, but she couldn’t help but think he was being ridiculous. She firmly believed that Savannah wouldn’t want violence inflicted upon Callum’s family. She may have asked her Irish family for advice on how to handle the dispute, but that was as far as Shona believed the woman would go. Savannah had always been gentle and kind, the sort of mother on whom Shona hoped to model herself. Unfortunately, where she saw an independent woman who had the strength to put up with Alex for the sake of her son, Spencer only seemed to see a weak, whimpering child. She hoped it was coming from a momentary emotion and that he would see her reasoning once his wounds had healed, but she knew better than to underestimate his stubborn nature.

Letting it go for now, she decided to focus on making him comfortable whilst they awaited some sort of help. Nobody managed to come up with an alternative for Paul’s medical service before there came a loud voice at the front door. In no mood to face Alex, Shona didn’t look up to greet him. There seemed to come a simultaneous sigh throughout the room.


Billy was surprised by Shirley’s response to the whole ordeal. Instead of agreeing to be taken home, she let on that she was used to the sight of injured men - more than that, she had treated them herself. Stunned, Billy said nothing when the woman asked for ice, whiskey and a first aid kit, simply moving to get what she needed. He briskly swept past Erik on his way out of the room, whose scent he couldn’t help but notice was now masked by his brother’s clothes. The tension spiked as he passed by him, at least for Billy, so much so that he had to keep his head down. He was glad in a way that Spencer, Shirley and Alex had all managed to claim the spotlight so that the awkwardness between him and Erik could safely slip under the radar.

While Spencer lectured Alex, Billy gathered the items Shirley had requested and leaned down to pass them to her before stepping out of the way. With the unresolved tension between him and Erik, Alex’s unexpected arrival and Spencer’s foul mood, Billy decided to take it upon himself to clear out of the crowded room. “Alex, you can’t be in here, mate,” he mumbled, pushing him back through the door. “Shirley needs to concentrate, let’s give her some space, yeah?”

He started down the corridor, beckoning his brother to follow, and led him into the conservatory where he hoped they wouldn’t be disturbed for a while. The temperature dropped by several degrees upon entering, and the rain that pounded heavily against the glass roof above their heads only added to the chill. At least, he thought, the pattering would mask their conversation. Fishing out his pack of cigarettes, Billy made his way over to the window to light up and perched himself on the windowsill. “So, how was your trip?” he asked, hunching slightly against the cold breeze that carried the smoke away. “‘Cause it’d better be worth it for what you’ve missed here. That son of yours, Callum? Remember him? While you were off galavanting in whatever party resort it was this time, Spencer’s been fighting this stupid custody war for you, trying to get him back in London. And today he got jumped for it.” Billy tapped the ash from his cigarette out of the window before bringing it back to draw another deep inhale. His eyes fixed on his brother. “Spencer’s right, you know. If you cared about seeing your kid, you’d stay here and fight for him. You’d stay here and actually be here for him. So, how come Spencer’s the one doing all the negotiating?” Billy leaned into the cold open air to release a breath of smoke, and when his eyes landed back on his brother they held a look of scorn. “Just grow some fuckin’ balls, Alex. We need you here and so does Callum. So, how are you gonna handle this?”


Back in the living room, Shona sat anxiously beside her husband, squeezing his hand as Shirley stitched up the deep cut on his face. Though she was appalled at what had happened, as well as taken aback by Shirley’s medical skills that she had kept a secret until now, Shona stayed quiet, her eyes fixed on the floor ahead of her while she waited for it all to be over. Images of Spencer getting beaten rolled across her mind, each hit tying another knot in her stomach. It worried her that the disagreement had escalated to the point of violence. She had seen enough times from growing up in the slums the mess that a dispute could turn into once violence was introduced. “Whether or not Savannah had a say in this, her family ain’t messing about,” she spoke up. “They ain’t reasonable people, those Sullivans. Spencer, please, please don’t let things get any worse than this...I don’t want to bring this baby into a war.”

Once Shirley had got the job done, Shona finally turned to examine her work. Though impressed by the neat line of stitches, it pained her to see Spencer’s face cut up and bruised. Her friend then went on to explain that she provided medical assistance as a service - but her mention of stab and bullet wounds suggested that her service wasn’t aligned with any official practice. Shona never would have thought that her sweet friend, in her third trimester of pregnancy, would be involved in some underground medical service. Spencer seemed just as surprised. When he started firing questions at Shirley, her initial reaction was defensive, not wanting to believe that Shirley would be affiliated with a rival gang - but given that they had never touched on what the King family did for a living, she knew that it was possible, and hopefully just a coincidence. At least then, she could rest assured that their friendship was still genuine.

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Alex, Erik
BloodLightning27 Shirley
Misty Gray Spencer

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter​

Still running on the adrenaline from hunting down and beating up Spencer, Syd moved as swiftly as if the King’s enforcers were already on their tail. Of course he was glad that his younger cousin had been stationed at Savannah’s apartment instead of coming with them to the fight, but now picking him up had become a detour and as he walked he prayed to a God he didn’t even believe in that Braden wasn’t busy fighting off more of the Kings. Seeing that the door was shut and hearing nothing, it appeared that they had got away with it for the time being. Like his uncle had said, all they had to do was grab their belongings and lock the door behind them. Then, they could be on their way back home.

So eager to move on, Syd was practically tripping on his uncle’s heels when Peter opened the apartment door. “Come on, Brady, time to -”

A familiar face stopped him in his tracks. It had been a long, long time since he had last seen the woman, a deliberate decision on his part. Deep down, Syd understood that Kerry had been under threat when she helped the Morettis set up the ambush that would kill his Godfather. She had been just an innocent, vulnerable citizen back then, not experienced or trained to negotiate with gangsters. She had had a choice, of course - everyone has a choice - but the alternative to obeying Gabriel Moretti he could only imagine was impossible for someone so young and fearful. Still, Syd knew how easily he could lose control of his emotions; no amount of reasoning could stop him from associating the woman’s face with the memory of Jackson dying in his arms.

Despite Braden’s best attempt to block their view of her, Syd’s eyes were already fixed firmly on Kerry. He stood there, barely two steps through the door, just staring at her while Peter and Braden talked. When his uncle reached to give his shoulder a squeeze his eyes flickered over to his cousin. “What’s this, then?” he asked, clearing his throat to try to maintain some control. “We having a little reunion?” Though he was trying to sound calm and friendly, he failed to mask the discomfort he was feeling in Kerry’s presence. So, he gave up the act. “Well, whatever the fuck it is you’re doing, it’s over.”

Syd’s right hand was beginning to twitch, still spattered with Spencer’s blood. When he strode forward to snatch up his overnight bag, he held it in a grip so tight his bloody knuckles turned white. It unsettled him to hear Braden speak to Kerry like a friend and watch him stand between her and his family, as though he wanted to protect her from them. “Braden, get a fucking move on,” he urged, his voice straining slightly as he struggled to remained composed. When his cousin turned to Kerry and told her to expect a phone call from Savannah, Syd looked to the ceiling and sighed. Why his family couldn’t all be on the same page about her, he didn’t know. Even after coming up with defences for what she had done 13 years ago, he saw no reason for anyone in the family to stay in contact with her. He wondered what Jackson would think of it all. He always knew what to do.

“Right,” he said, slapping a hand impatiently on his cousin’s shoulder and sending Kerry a hard stare. “Go home, Kerry. You’re in danger being here.” He was of course referring to the risk surrounding Savannah’s apartment, but he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t start raising his voice at her - or worse - if he stayed in her presence much longer.


Misty Gray Kerry
Bellz Peter, Braden

 

[Misty Gray]

Savannah Callahan's House
~ Islington, London ~

Kerry Patrick​

Kerry saw the way Braden awkwardly scratched the back of his head, which confirmed to her that she was right to be concerned about some of his family members and how they might react to seeing her. She apprehensively smiled when he said she didn't need to worry about Peter. Based on Savannah, Sinead and Braden, the Callahans had a track record for not despising her. The only members she remained in the dark about were Emery and Liam. The boy was perhaps to young to have an opinion on her at all, but from what she did know of Emery, she wasn't sure the redhead would be as easy going as the other Callahan women.

Braden spoke of Syd and it seemed like he wouldn't be so relaxed in her presence. She nervously bit on her lip as he spoke of how some of his family were unable to see the situation from an outside perspective. Hearing Braden show understanding from her perspective, by telling her it wasn't entirely her fault, somehow reassured her. Although she hardly knew Braden, his opinion mattered to her. Even though Conor had spared her 13 years ago, she was fully aware it didn't mean he'd forgiven her in the slightest. He'd simply shown himself to be a better and more merciful man than Gabriel had been. "Thank you. I'm glad we could talk again and it means a lo--" she softly began before being cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

As the two other men entered the house, Kerry's heart began pounding heavily in her chest and a nausea overcame her. She forced herself to stand tall and compose herself, especially as Braden stepped in front to try lead the attention away from her. Although she'd established 13 years ago that the Sullivans were not as cruel as the Morettis, she was fully aware the Irish had become more powerful in Dublin and potentially colder, in recent years. Not to mention, she had been handed a lifeline back in New York, but that was no doubt a one-off. She had no guarantee she would be safe in the present encounter. She caught Peter's hesitance but he seemed more keen to return home to his family than express disapproval for Kerry's presence or mere existence.

It was Syd's demeanour that was more telling and she knew enough about his relationship to Jackson to understand why he wasn't happy with her presence. She'd expected it, but it made her feel exceptionally uncomfortable, nonetheless. In that moment she wanted to be anywhere else but where she was standing. When Syd made his comment about them having a reunion, she lightly shook her head. She was about to explain how Savannah had asked her to check in on the house, but she stopped herself when she determined it was irrelevant. It wouldn't change what had happened all those years ago. "Of course,. You're right," she agreed when Syd said what she was doing was over. Though she kept her tone firm and mostly maintained eye-contact, she was petrified on the inside.

Kerry briefly noticed the blood on Syd's hand and it wasn't difficult to piece together the Irish Mob's presence was to deal with the Kings. That in turn made her immediately assume it was linked to the troubles Savannah had been having with Spencer. If that was the case, then she was sure that could complicate matters even for herself. Kerry remained stood awkwardly as Syd commanded Braden to be quick about getting ready to leave. Though the front door was in sight, Syd and Peter were in her path to the exit and she wasn't comfortable brushing past either of the men. Thankfully, Syd's next words, no matter how coldly delivered, clearly permitted her to leave. When he mentioned her being in danger at the house, she knew he wasn't wrong. Be it from him or from the Kings, she didn't want to stay in the house longer than necessary.

"Okay," she said, firmly nodding her head. Before she could take a step forward, she turned to Braden and briefly studied him. As much as she'd enjoyed meeting him and she would have liked to have spoken more, his family were making it pretty clear she wasn't going to get the opportunity to. Reluctantly, she reached into her handbag and retrieved the set of keys again and handed them to Braden, this time urging him to take them from her. "If you can get Savvy to call me, i will explain myself, but I can't look after this place while... while she's away." As much as she wanted to continue helping Savannah, and she still would have despite Syd's disapproval, the blood on the man's hand made it clear things had just become more complicated. She didn't want to be in Savannah's house if the Kings came around looking for a fight. Nor did she want to get dragged into anything. If the past had taught her one thing, it was that she didn't want to be forced into the middle someone else's battle, especially when one of the sides was the Irish Mob. "Thank you," she told Braden, before turning away and making her way out of the house without looking back.

Bellz (Braden, Peter)
Pyroclast (Syd)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik Snowden
Alex King

Hearing Spencer explain it was the Sullivan's who had done this to him, Erik was all ears. Just a moment ago he had been tense and annoyed because of Billy but now he had grown serious. With Spencer wanting to sever ties - and with good reason - from the Sullivan family, he was sure Gabriel would want to know about this. After all, his purpose of being in London was to keep an eye on things. Knowing the man would be in London soon Erik made it a point to give him a heads up as soon as possible. Listening to Spencer speak, it seemed like all of this was happening because of Alex, who had just appeared with a huge grin on his face. Erik had met the man on more than one occasion and each one he seemed to be more of a slacker than himself. It was no secret that things were tense because the guy had done the Sullivan family's crown gem dirty, but he never thought it would come to blows.

"Keeping Callum in Dublin? Yeah fuckin' right." He let out a dry chuckle and shook his head. Alex thought the situation with Sav, Callum, and himself had been taken care of but apparently not. To hear that she had gone and whined to her family pissed him off. His index finger rubbed the top of his lip while the other hand ran through his messy hair. The man was aware of how much his ex hated him but to go and use their son against him? She had to be lower than he was at this point. Spencer grabbed his attention once more asking him if he even cared about his child. He scrunched his face up in disbelief and narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you- how could you even ask me that, Spence? Of course, I do! If I didn't I'd let her take him and be rid of him but I haven't. Fuckssake." Erik watched with curious eyes as the King brothers went back and forth, trying to decide what information he would tell Gabe. Honestly speaking this private moment between them could be kept out altogether. All that really mattered was the attack.

Billy spoke up next, trying to get Alex out of the room while Shirley patched up Spencer. Erik wanted to leave the house but he had questions that needed answering right away. He narrowly missed Billy walking past him with Alex following close behind. He ignored him and kept all of his attention on Spencer and Shirley. "I don't mean to interrupt, but you know I have to ask. What did they say to you? And how were they even able to rough you up this way?" Erik didn't like being in professional, business mode but this was the necessary time for it.

Once they were in the conservatory, Alex began to pace around lost in thought. Things had gotten worse and this time it was Spencer who had paid for it. He was agitated for a number of reasons, but the main one had been because it was his brother who was hurt. The moment Billy started to lecture him Alex paused and looked at him. He frowned at his younger brother, not wanting to hear a word of lecture coming from his mouth. "Oh, piss off, alright? I don't need to hear any of that shit from you. I get it; I fucked up and now Spencer's fucked up." He paused to take a moment to try and calm down. Billy continued speaking, saying the things Alex already knew which only irritated him even more. The whole peacemaker thing was about to go out the window as he balled his hand up into a fist. "It's goddamn complicated! Of course, I love and care about Callum - he's my kid. I'm not dad and I'm not going to abandon him because I'm not a piece of shit."

Alex pressed his back against the door hitting his head against it. He wasn't going to admit it to Billy but the guy was right. He needed to be around more and fight harder for his own kid. Though he was sure he had been doing so it was apparently not enough and he needed to do more. "I'll tell you what I'M going to do," he started, putting emphasis on the fact he was going to take responsibility. "She's fucked in the head if she thinks this was going to make us back off because it's not; she only made things worse." He pushed himself off the wall and pointed to Billy. "I want my son. He's going to understand that I'm not a piece of shit." It was almost as if Alex was trying to convince both himself and Billy of this fact, that he wasn't a horrible person. He definitely wasn't a good one but he wasn't going to let the mother of his child paint him to be one.



Billy ( Pyroclast )
Spencer Misty Gray​

 

[Misty Gray]

Rikers Island Prison
~ Rikers Island, New York City ~

James Porter​

James listened as Edwards told him he'd previously been in the US Navy, as a sniper. Although he hadn't been in the military himself, he'd spent much of his life on a different kind of battlefield, fighting in gang wars. Although it was too soon to be revealing such details to men he'd just met, he privately acknowledge that he shared with Edwards the experience of being a sniper. Back in his earliest days working for Emmet Sullivan, as a hitman in Chicago, many enemies had met a sudden death courtesy of James' sniper rifle. Oddly enough, those were the easier days of Porter's career. The targets were merely targets and James was comfortable carrying out his boss' orders without consideration for the lives of the men he was putting down. He had no ties and no family whose safety he needed to consider every time he took a risk or made a new enemy. Obviously James' life had changed since then, over the years he'd fallen in love with Lucy and gained a large family. They were what made his life much more difficult, in the sense he now needed to consider their safety at all times, but they were also what made his life worth living. He was sure he'd have been killed long ago had he not had loved ones to stay alive for.

Hearing Edwards was in jail for armed robbery, James nodded along. It wasn't a crime that would land him enemies in jail and it was the kind of job James had orchestrated with his employees on many occasions during his years as the Irish Mob's boss. "Do you reckon your family wouldn't want to know you if they find out you're in here? If not, you should consider getting in touch with them. Seeing family or at least giving them a call seems to be the only thing that breaks away from the monotony in here."

James then listened as Bradley told his story and how he'd been attending University before ending up in jail. "You did better than me, kid," he commented, having ditched school more often than he'd attended it. Bradley explained how he'd stolen a car and taken it out for a joyride. It was reckless, but certainly something James knew many young people did. But hearing the cops stopped him to find drugs and guns in the vehicle caused James to raise an eyebrow and lightly shake his head. "Coke and Russian weapons? In New York?" he asked, his attention clearly now more engaged. "Any idea how much the stuff was worth? All I'm saying is, if that lot belonged to one of the gangs in New York, I can't imagine they'll be happy about losing it, and you practically delivered it all straight to the cops. You need to be careful in here," he warned him.

When Edwards asked him to elaborate on why he'd said not to trust Ramsey, James let out a deep sigh. "I'm Top Dog in this place, but half of the staff here are on the payroll of Gabriel Moretti - Italian Mafia Boss. When I mentioned gangs out in New Yok City, he's the worst one and is practically running Manhattan and Brooklyn, and other areas. He's also got a lot of power in this place. Ramsey is one of Moretti's most loyal men and everything he does is for Moretti's benefit, if not also his own. Probably wise to keep him on side, but always know in the back of your head that he can't be trusted. He's smart and he's sneaky." Again, it was too early into meeting the two new prisoners to go into more detail about his own ties with Moretti and how he had to cooperate with the man to protect his family on the outside. Too much information could lead back to his many crimes as well as implicate other Irish Mob members.

BloodLightning27 (James, Bradley)
Mention: Pyroclast (Kurt)

 

[Pyroclast]

Danny Vaughan​

Danny sat forward with interest as Savannah told him about the King family. He had never really needed to know what they were like as individuals, only how they functioned as allies of the Sullivans. He had no business getting to know any of them on a personal level, so there had never been a reason for him to ask Conor what they were like - only now, he was asking Savannah as a matter of interest to her life. The Kings were a big part of it, and because of Callum tying the families together, they always would be, regardless of their relationship’s stability. The way she described them was mostly positive - given Alex and Spencer’s behaviour, Danny hadn’t been sure what to expect from the others, but they sounded like they got on well with her and had welcomed her into their family.

“You know, they probably don’t want this to get messy, either,” he tried to assure her. “You gotta remember that Callum is at the centre of all this. No one really wants to put him in a dangerous environment or have him see his family get hurt, right? Surely everyone would rather settle this with words…” Though he wasn’t directly involved in the dispute himself, Danny was aware that it had gone on a while now. He also knew her family well, having worked for them for 14 or so years, and therefore knew it wasn’t out of the question that they would hurt Spencer like Savannah had suggested. “When you asked your family for help with the situation, you didn’t ask them to go out and physically fight the Kings, did you?” he went on. “So if they took it further than you wanted then that ain’t your fault. What I will say is, it’s a lot easier to clear the air before it gets stale...if you know what I’m sayin’.” He looked Savannah in the eye, unsure of how dangerous it would be for her to set foot in King territory. “If you’re worried about confronting them, I’m happy to come with you. But better to talk it out sooner than later.”

Danny thanked the waitress when she placed his Guinness on the table and he and Savannah paused to take a drink before continuing. He softly chuckled when she suggested he might be conflicted hearing about her badmouth his employers - as much as he respected them and got on well with them, he felt honoured that Savannah trusted him enough to air her current feelings. When he looked up from his drink, he found her eyes resting on him, and mirrored her smile with one of his own. “Aw, Sav,” he grinned. “Well, you deserve to smile. God knows the world could do with more of the light it brings.” His soft gaze lingered on her for a moment, and he felt a warmth begin to swell in his heart.

“Y’know, I’m happy to be a breath of fresh air for you when you need to escape your family drama,” he said, as he took a sip of his Guinness. “But actually, I’d like to apply for a higher position, if you’ve got anything going.” He cleared his throat as he sat back in his seat. “Like a friend, or...something like that.” A flirtatious smile tugged at his lips and he felt himself blush slightly. “‘Cause I’m enjoying spending time with you, too.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Savannah

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy King​

Emotions were high throughout the entire house, so Billy wasn’t particularly offended when Alex told him to piss off. He didn’t care if his brother didn’t want to hear his and Spencer’s lectures - his reaction didn’t change the fact that he had abandoned responsibility to go on holiday to a party town somewhere. Billy didn’t even remember where it was he had gone to - all he took from it was his absence, that the man didn’t seem to care enough to stay and help manage the situation with Savannah.

Still perched on the windowsill, Billy watched Alex pace, clearly stressed out by the situation he had returned home to, and all the blame that was being pinned on him. He drew on his cigarette and only recoiled slightly when he noticed his brother make a fist, suddenly anticipating a fight. But Alex didn’t make a move in the end, and when he argued that he was nothing like their absent father and that he loved Callum, Billy looked down for a moment with a faint smile. Alex wasn’t the most reliable person in the family so it wasn’t always easy to fully trust that he would stick to his word, but it still gave him hope to hear him proclaim such ardent love for his son and his determination not to turn out like their father. Being four years younger than Alex, Billy had to remind himself that his older brothers had memories of their father that he didn’t. The strongest memory he had of the man didn’t even feature him - just learning that he wasn’t coming back. Since it hadn’t been long between their father leaving and the death of their mother, which was when Bruce adopted them, Billy didn’t really resent their father much. He knew plenty of people whose fathers had been absent, but Billy had Bruce for a father figure, so his own father’s abandonment hadn’t affected him in the same way. Alex and Spencer would have remembered what he was like at home, though. And the way Alex spat his name demonstrated how much he hated the man.

Billy raised his eyebrows when Alex emphasised that he was going to take responsibility for the situation, leaning forward slightly with interest. Shoving his cigarette in his mouth, Billy clapped his hands together at his brother’s zealous answer. “Go on, then, Alex, show Trevor how it’s done!” he cheered, referring to their own absent father. “Be the guy Callum thinks you are.” Taking one last deep drag, he then flicked his cigarette through the open window, hopped off the ledge and strode over to his brother. His energy slowed as he tentatively reached up to place a hand on Alex’s shoulder and cleared his throat. “You, uh...you ain’t gonna hurt Sav, though, are you?” he asked in a quieter voice. “It’s just, you know...she could have done a lot worse after she found out you cheated on her, but she kept in touch so Callum could have his dad. Don’t get between him and his mum, yeah? This is about Callum, not you.”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Alex

 

[BloodLightning27]

~London: Shirley Kwon - Part IV: Revelations (Chapter Finale)~

~Pregnancy Tracker~

Pregnancy Progression: 34.4/42 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 241/294 Days

Weight Gain: 66/71 Kg

With the peaceful atmosphere gone, Shirley started feeling more and more uneasy. From everyone, in some capacity, berating Alex, whom she hasn't given much of a second look yet, to talking about the Irish Mob. With that in mind, Shirley got even more uncomfortable, because her new friendship with Shona will probably crash and burn over this! Overall, the young woman was scared. And when she saw how unhappy Shona was, it even made her want to cry. Due to the distressed feelings that their Mother had, Shirley's unborn twins began kicking, bringing Shirley slight discomfort and pain. She was even prompted to hold her breath when she felt one of them grab onto her ribs briefly before letting go.

"Hang on. Who do you work for? If you're some kind of back alley doctor, then you must be involved with one of the other gangs. And what's your sister's part in this?"

Shirley was a little taken aback when Spencer asked her who her employer was and accused her of being a part of another gang. But when he had the nerve to ask about her Sister, the young mother found herself in a bad position. She had been very honest with Shona thus far, so why lie now? Shirley bit her lip as a few tears rolled down her cheeks, mainly because she was scared and not only her hormones were taking over, but so was her Anxiety. Taking a deep breath, Shirley proceeded to look Spencer in the eye. "I don't work for anyone, nor am I affiliated with any gangs or organizations. While yes, I'm a back-alley doctor, I'm not really connected to anyone and I can care less about who my patients are affiliated with, because its none of my business. I just treat the injuries and then send people on their way. Stitch up a knife wound here, pull a bullet out there. As for my Sister, we're not on talking terms and I haven't spoken to her once since I moved here from Dublin. Why? Because she's not a safe person to be around. She was always hanging out with shady people and I wasn't going to put up with it because I'm pregnant and I don't want my children to be raised in a home where their Aunt comes home with bloodstains and nasty wounds every other night. And because she makes the worst friends, chances are she makes the worst enemies too. And I can't be putting my children in danger by just being around her." Her hands slowly moved towards her swollen belly as they formed a more protective stance.

"Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was just getting ready to be a Single Mom. Because I'm in a new city, new country and I don't know anyone. But Shona eventually broke that barrier, and I thank her for that." Tears rolled down her cheeks, as it became apparent that she was probably going to lose her newfound friendship, likely going back to being a loner. "And now because of whatever is going on between you and whoever jumped you, I may end up losing the only friend I have in this whole damn country-" Her hands soon started cradling the belly, except it was more protective then before.

Her expression went from upset to pained as she felt a rather sharp pain in her lower stomach. "Ow..." Because of how strong it was, Shirley began to worry that she may be going into labor soon.

However, the Twins weren't due for at least another two weeks, so maybe it was just Braxton Hicks? "Oh God, that didn't feel good." She soon started holding her back and her lower belly , but it wasn't the contraction, but more or so back pain that was inherent with pregnancy. A few more tears rolled down her cheeks and she took a deep breath as the contraction that surprised her subsided after about fifty-ish seconds. "I really hope I'm not about to go into labor, the Twins aren't even due..." She said as she started breathing more heavily as her stomach was still aching, as the pain from the contraction she just felt lingered.

Leaning back on the chair, she gently rubbed the very pregnant belly, hoping that the pain would stop sooner rather then later.

Interactions: Shona King, Billy King (Nearby) Pyroclast Erik Snowden, Alex King (Nearby?) Melanin-Gxdess Spencer King Misty Gray​

​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Alex King

Hearing Billy's claps he turned his head to him, eyes narrowed. At the moment he wasn't sure what to make of his brother's display; was he being sarcastic or serious right now? Alex had a reputation of not taking things seriously nor being a serious person - he knew it well enough. But in this very moment, he was being deathly serious. "You better not be fucking with me right now, Billy, because now is not the fucking time." He warned. Taking a deep breath he repeatedly raked his hands through his hair. He was trying to calm down and not do anything else stupid or irrational. He didn't want to do anything that would make the situation worse though he didn't want to get his point across to Savannah and her family; Callum was his son and they weren't going to keep him away from them. If he were being honest, he wished she hadn't gone and gotten her family involved in their business, to begin with, and had plans to tell her so the next time they spoke. What good was it going to do? Or rather, what good had it done? Whatever relationship the King family and the Sullivan's had was destroyed with little to no sign of being repaired.

Billy placed his hand on Alex's shoulder and though Alex was still annoyed with his younger brother, he allowed him to be close. The moment the man asked about him hurting his ex he pushed his hand away. "What sort of asshole do you think I am?!" He shouted, pinching the bridge of his nose. Any progress of him calming down had been undone by his brother asking such a stupid question. "No, I have no plans to hurt her. She's still the mother of my child for fuckssake." He then reached into his own pocket, fishing around for his cigarettes, and when he found them quickly lit it. "We're going to have a civil conversation. Preferably over the phone seeing as she let her kids' uncle get beat up. No telling what they'd do to me." Shaking his head he took a drag before continuing. "No, I'm going to be as calm as I can. Tell her the whole beating up my brother thing was incredibly uncalled for. Then I wanna see my son." He paused before shrugging his shoulders again. "Why do those pricks want my kid so bad? Don't they have their own little bastards running around? Sullivan already has his hands full with his own kids, why's he so concerned about mine?"

The main thing that bothered Alex about the entire situation had been the fact that Sav got her family involved. She was acting like a child who had gotten her barbie taken away from her. He was sure she knew what would happen to him - and his brothers - had she gone to her father and uncle. In his mind, there was nothing innocent about the girl. "I can't believe she did that." He continued to rant. "She knew they'd do something like this. I know her. She's not as innocent as she comes across; she's damn witty and dangerous." Though a part of him wants to believe that she truly was innocent in Spencer's attack, he couldn't. Her family was dangerous and, just like his own family, took care of their own and anyone who dared to cross or bother them. Surely she'd have thought about it beforehand? Once he was finished with his cigarette he turned back to Billy. "Am I allowed to join the big kids in the living room now?" He sarcastically asked.



Billy ( Pyroclast )
​

 

[Misty Gray]

Spencer and Shona King's Home
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer listened as Shona warned him against making matters worse, pointing out that the Sullivans weren't messing about. Although he nodded his head in understanding of her point of view, his following words didn't exactly go along with hers. "Her family can go fuck themselves. I won't intentionally make things worse, but I'm not going to cower down either. If they threaten our family again, I'm going to stand up to them. I don't apologise to anyone who's done shit like this to me," he said, pointing to the wound on his face. "Our baby can't have a coward for a dad."

Although he noticed Shirley looking upset when he questioned her, Spencer remained stone-faced until he knew the full story. It had already been an exhausting evening and he wasn't about to let his personal injuries prevent him from listening to the woman objectively. Whether the tears were genuine or not, he rarely let himself be manipulated by crying. Hell, if he did, he was sure he'd have bowed down to Savannah's doe eyes long ago and let the princess get her way without any resistance. Shirley looked him in the eyes and assured him she didn't work for anyone - the direct approach was at least something he could appreciate. Whilst he understood why she might have left Dublin to get away from the dangerous life her sister was leading, things didn't completely make sense to him. "You don't think treating crooks and gangsters here in London is dangerous too?" he asked her. "I think you've been lucky none of them have turned on you the minute you finished helping them out. Tying off loose ends and all that." He let out a sigh as he couldn't avoid thinking about her sister working in Dublin. "If she's helping people out in Dublin, chances are she's associating with the worse kinds of pricks. I can name a few right now," he remarked, clearly referring to the Sullivans.

As Shirley spoke of how Shona was her only real friend and how she was clearly worried about losing that friendship, Spencer looked to Shona to try see how his wife felt about it all. He didn't like the situation one bit and would rather just be end all ties with Shirley, but he'd seen how happy Shona had been to have a new friend and one who was a mother-to-be. Especially given how Savannah wasn't exactly going to be around as Shona's friend anymore, he knew how important it had been to her to have Shirley in her life. But he still didn't like what the newcomer was telling him. He struggled to let anyone into his family, even those without reasons for him to be suspicious. "I don't know. Shona, what do you think about this?" He rubbed his forehead with agitation, ready to call it a night and get cleaned up out of his grubby clothes. "All I know is, I'm not sure I want someone involved with this family who's potentially working for the gangs and groups we're not allied with. That's something I'd want to have control over, so I can be sure we're not being compromised."

When Shirley started showing signs of being in pain, Spencer immediately looked to Shona with a surprised expression. "Hey, alright. Do we need to call an ambulance? Or Billy. Billy can take you to the hospital? My new living room carpet ain't a good place for you to be giving birth on and all that," he remarked, quickly looking around the lounge as he awaited confirmation of calling for an ambulance or having Billy drive her to the hospital. Getting to his feet, Spencer grumbled as he felt the pain in his ribs sharpen. "Billy! Get your arse in here!" he called out.

Pyroclast (Shona)
BloodLightning27 (Shirley)

 

[BloodLightning27]

~Ricker's Island: Bradley Beckett & James Edwards (Chapter Finale)~

Although Edwards wanted to ask Porter what he was in for, the former Navy SEAL knew that asking about things like that was a privilege that had to be earned. On the other hand, Edwards just wanted to be honest and upfront with the man. But one thing was for sure. They were from different worlds, very different worlds. While yes, his training as a SEAL would help him survive these next fifteen years, it did not mean he was invincible or untouchable. If he pissed off the wrong person, be it the Top Dog or even Ramsey, that may be it for him. On the subject of his Family, Edwards wanted to shy away, but nonetheless gave an honest answer.

"Do you reckon your family wouldn't want to know you if they find out you're in here? If not, you should consider getting in touch with them. Seeing family or at least giving them a call seems to be the only thing that breaks away from the monotony in here."

"Well, I know my Dad won't be happy with me. My Mom probably won't even look at me as soon as she sees me in this jumpsuit." He said, referring to the prison uniform that all inmates wore. "But I guess once I get that one phone call, I'll at least call my Dad." He folded his arms, thinking about his Father whom he was close to.

Bradley frowned a little when Porter said that he did better...at least until he stole the car. The frown then turned into a look of both embarrassment and shame when Porter raised an eyebrow concerning what was in the car that he stole and went for a joyride in. Aside from the simple fact that there was Russian Weaponry in the car, but Coke too. If he remembered correctly, there was a Ballistic Knife in the Cup Holder.

"Any idea how much the stuff was worth? All I'm saying is, if that lot belonged to one of the gangs in New York, I can't imagine they'll be happy about losing it, and you practically delivered it all straight to the cops. You need to be careful in here."

As soon as Porter asked how much the stuff was worth, Bradley nervously scratched the back of his head and it wasn't long until he ended up divulging into the specifics, both because he was anxious and, like his compatriot, thought it was wise to be honest and upfront with Porter. "I overheard the cops talking about it when I was sitting in the back of one of their cars in handcuffs. One of the older looking Cops said that there was a warrant for the vehicle. That was when I knew I was definitely screwed." He admitted, having a crystal clear memory of that night...but to be fair, it was only like two weeks ago. "Like they pretty much thoroughly searched the car. There was at least twenty-five kilograms of Cocaine. I heard one cop say that it was worth seven-point-five...million, to answer your question. As for the Weapons, normal AKs weren't the only thing that they found. There was a Ballistic Knife in the cup holder. At least three out of the five AKs found had Grenade Launchers attached to them...and one of them was Gold-Plated. There were several other weapons too. Like, ten Pistols, three Submachine Guns, four Shotguns...I think I heard that there were at least three Sniper Rifles, one Semi-Auto and two Bolt-Actions...Two Machine Guns...Two Boxes full of Grenades...and a Rocket Launcher that was loaded and ready to go. Again, that's just what I heard the cops saying because the window was rolled down." He took a deep breath...after divulging way more information then anticipated...all in the name of honesty. "Only thing I know for sure...is that every weapon in that car was Russian-made. Given the...names that the Cops were using for the guns in question. And I think the Ballistic Knife in the Cup Holder is a favorite for Russian Special Forces."

Edwards folded his arms, surprised at every word that was just said. "That's a lot of weapons to cram into one car...What was it? Because there is no way in fucking hell you can fit all that into a goddamn sedan."

"It was a bigger SUV. Four-Door. I think it was a...a Mercedes G-Class. Brand new too. Custom and everything."

Edwards' eyes simply went wide and he simply nodded. Astonished. Like he knew the kid made a dumb decision of stealing the car, but now that he knew exactly what was inside, Edwards was just outright appalled. Whoever was the owner of that car was gearing up for a war and now because of a kid making a poor choice...they were come up short. Chances were they probably had someone hunting Bradley as a result, assuming that they saw his face and if there were any witnesses to the car theft. Hopefully not though, but it would make sense as to why the kid was jumped on his first day. If Edwards wasn't there that day...Bradley's body would just be in the morgue just waiting to be claimed...or it'd be in the Prison Cemetery if no one came to claim his body. Moving on from the subject altogether, Porter would elaborate on why the duo shouldn't trust Ramsey.

"I'm Top Dog in this place, but half of the staff here are on the payroll of Gabriel Moretti - Italian Mafia Boss. When I mentioned gangs out in New Yok City, he's the worst one and is practically running Manhattan and Brooklyn, and other areas. He's also got a lot of power in this place. Ramsey is one of Moretti's most loyal men and everything he does is for Moretti's benefit, if not also his own. Probably wise to keep him on side, but always know in the back of your head that he can't be trusted. He's smart and he's sneaky."

Well, that was comforting. Not only was there an Inside Man for the Italian Mob on the Island with all of them, but half of the staff was on the Mafia Boss' payroll. Seems like no one could be trusted in this hell hole. So far though, because he was giving the two newcomers advice on how to survive on Riker's Island, the due figured that he could be trusted, but had to be careful nonetheless. When they were given the explanation on Ramsey, Bradley felt a little uneasy about the man. "Well, I guess that means we just gotta be careful when we talk to him." Bradley said as he put his hands in his pockets, the breeze blowing against his hair.

Kurt Lee Reznik (Nearby?) Pyroclast James Porter, Nicholas Ramsey (Mentioned) Misty Gray​

 

[Misty Gray]

Scallion's Pub
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Savannah Callahan​

Savannah lightly nodded when Danny reassured her the Kings likely didn't want things to get messy. "I stayed in London so Callum could spend time with Alex and his family. I've only said positive things to Callum about his dad, even when that man frustrates the hell out of me. But I haven't been happy in London for a long time and I miss having my own family nearby. It was difficult being in London even before I met Alex, but now I'm single again and I have Callum, I want to see him make memories with my family and get to know his cousins over here. I'd planned to try come to some kind of an agreement, but then Spencer started sticking his nose in and being pushy. I'm the one who had drop everything and spend sleepless nights alone with a newborn baby, all while pretending to everyone that I was coping fine, while Alex got to live his life and just be a dad whenever he felt like it. I stayed in London so Alex could keep seeing Callum, but I've done that for four years and the moment I decide to do what's best for my happiness, it becomes a big issue," she complained. "I don't know what my family are going to do to Spencer, but I just know they're going to make it a million times worse and there won't be any chance of compromise." She let out a sigh. "I'll try call Alex and Spencer tomorrow, or at least once I find out what my dad and the others were doing in London," she reasoned, calming her voice down. "I still want to be able to take Callum to London to spend time with the Kings as often as I can, but I am now worried that might not be a wise option anymore."

Even though he had invited her to talk about it, Savannah didn't like complaining and bringing down their catch up. She wanted to be able to relax and enjoy their evening together, so it was good when they changed the subject to something more pleasant. When he said he'd like to apply for a higher position in her life, she looked up to him and a curious smile formed on her lips. At first he said he'd like to be her friend, but then he followed up with the words 'or something like that', and a flirtatious smile. Her large eyes fixed on his before she let out a playful laugh. "Oh, Danny. I enjoy spending time with you too, but... Well, I thought we were always friends?" she teased him. "Admittedly, friends in spirit and many miles apart was never quite the same," she reasoned. "I would very much like for us to be friends and to spend more time together, because I'm also enjoying myself. I always did enjoy spending time with you," she told him. She then cleared her throat and followed it up with a small sip of her drink. After placing the glass back on the table, she looked to Danny again. "And I'd certainly like to explore what 'something like that' entails," she flirted in return, with her own cheeks blushing as she smiled.

Of course she was attracted to Danny, perhaps even more so than when they'd first been together back in New York. Other than a few failed dates, she'd been single since Alex had broken her heart. She now felt she was ready and more than deserving of another relationship. Danny was certainly someone she would want to pursue a romantic relationship with, but she wasn't sure if he wanted something more casual or something serious. Did he really want to get involved with a single mother who had spent half of their catch-up complaining about her ex and his family? She hoped he did...

Pyroclast (Danny)

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy King
​

Billy often found it frustrating to be around Alex when he was in such a mood. They couldn’t always seem to read each other well; whereas Billy thought the energy had shifted from one of anger towards one of motivation and was ready to spur his brother on, Alex seemed to see Billy’s behaviour as patronising and sarcastic, and met his encouragement with a defensive retort. When he then shoved Billy’s hand away and asked him what kind of arsehole he took him for, Billy stumbled back slightly and he looked up at his brother with exasperation. “Well, you’ve pretty much covered every kind there is, mate,” he goaded, folding his arms.

Feeling a chill in the air, he set off to close the window, but quickly turned back when he noticed Alex lighting up a cigarette. The fact that he hadn’t thought to smoke by the window in Spencer and Shona’s house despite Billy already having opened it drew a sigh from him that he couldn’t withhold. He did hold his tongue, however, knowing that to nag him would only provoke him further.

Alex told him that he planned to approach Savannah calmly which, at that point, Billy just couldn’t believe. “Oh yeah?” he scoffed. “You’d better get practicing, then.” As his brother continued to rant about the Sullivans’ involvement in the whole situation, Billy pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath to try to keep himself from snapping. “I don’t know, mate,” he said. “Sullivan cares more about Sav than he does about you, don’t he? He probably doesn’t think much of you, anyway, and can you really be surprised? I bet if Sav had cheated on you, you’d have come raging to us just like you are now, wanting revenge.”

Billy stared impatiently at the floor as Alex continued his tirade. If there was anything he could have said to get Alex to calm down and think rationally, he was past the point of coming up with it. All he wanted to do now was provoke him further and it was draining having to resist the urge to hit him or raise his voice. He wished that he didn’t have to take sides, because if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to be on the side of the cheater. He had always known Alex to be the reckless, hedonistic type, but that still gave him no way of justifying what he had done to Savannah. But he did love Alex and would never want to lose him, and after all the family had been through together he wasn’t going to turn against him now. It just made it difficult to feel sympathetic towards him when the consequences of his actions came back to bite him.

Finally, Billy took a deep breath and looked up to meet his brother’s eye. “Why don’t you just skip Savannah and go straight to Sullivan, confront him about his response to this whole thing?” he suggested with a shrug. “You wanna sort this out soon, don’t wait to take it higher. Go call on the top dog, tell him what you want.” His eyes narrowed as he wondered how his brother would act in Conor’s presence, and he let a taunting smile creep onto his face.

Hearing Spencer call his name turned Billy’s head towards the door. He had let himself get sucked into the temptation to fight Alex when really the bigger matter at hand was happening in the other room. There was an urgency in Spencer’s voice that Billy knew he couldn’t ignore, so he stepped away from Alex, showing him only a look of mild disappointment. His brother’s voice dripped with sarcasm when he asked permission to join him, but Billy wasn’t having it and only shook his head. “Nah...I think everyone actually wants you to leave.”

Melanin-Gxdess Alex

Shona King​

Shona was conflicted by Spencer’s attitude towards the Sullivans; on the one hand, she didn’t want to have to worry about her family getting involved in a war while she had a baby to look after, but on the other, she didn’t want Spencer looking weak in anyone’s eyes. His tough, protective character was the first thing she noticed about him on the night they met, when he had stepped in to help her get away from her aggressive ex-boyfriend on a night out. It was one of the main reasons she had felt so drawn to him from the beginning. Whether they were at war with another gang or not, Shona had no reason to doubt that Spencer would protect her and their family and while she was in a vulnerable state she couldn’t discourage him from doing that. But if she was being honest, the Sullivans had scared her with their unpredictable violence, and she wasn’t sure how they would respond to Spencer standing up to them, even if he didn’t intend to make matters worse.

Her attention was soon caught by Shirley, who seemed terrified to answer Spencer’s question. Whilst she herself was never intimidated by her husband, she understood that he could have that effect on other people, especially when firing interrogative questions their way. Her instinct was to reach out and take Shirley’s hand to reassure her, but given the situation she felt it best to wait and listen to her reply.

The freelance medical service that Shirley was describing put a concerned frown on Shona’s face. Of course, the woman sounded formidable dealing with injured criminals, some of whom she could only imagine were rowdy, intimidating and willing to hurt Shirley if she failed to save a life or caused them more pain than they were expecting. Then she began talking about her sister. The impression she had gathered from hearing Shirley talk about her in previous conversations was that the two were very different people, that her sister was the type to chase trouble. Shirley solidified this explaining that the reason they weren’t in contact was because of her ties to dangerous people in Dublin. Shona glanced at Spencer, knowing that they were both thinking of the same people.

Her whole situation was pulling at her heartstrings. It sounded like Shirley didn’t recognise the danger that she was putting herself in by treating these criminals without the protection of an employer. Spencer didn’t hesitate to point out the irony of her cutting herself off from her sister to avoid the danger she brought home with her, considering Shirley was getting mixed up with criminals she didn’t even know. There must have been a softer way to put it, Shona thought, but she fundamentally agreed with him that the work Shirley did put both her and her babies in a dangerous position.

Tears formed in her eyes when Shirley told her that she had made her feel less alone in London. She felt an urge to wrap her arms around the woman and squeeze her tight, but there was too much doubt in the air for her to make a move before first reaching a conclusion on the logistics of their friendship. Spencer seemed just as conflicted, and Shona appreciated him not ordering her to break off their friendship immediately, instead asking for her input. Gently rubbing his forearm, Shona swallowed the lump in her throat and looked Shirley in the eye. “Shirley, I think it’s great that you have these skills and the bravery to offer them,” she softly spoke. “But I think it puts you in a more dangerous position than you realise, love. These people, they could exploit you so easily...they could use you to get information from your other patients. Some of them could be enemies. You don’t want to be dragged into anything that doesn’t involve you, you know?” She looked up at Spencer for a moment, wondering how open he really was to her opinion since he had asked for it, before resetting her attention on Shirley. “I think...I think it might be safer if we found you fixed work with us,” she suggested. “If you stop working for just anyone and work through us instead. We could protect you, Shirley. We’d hope to have fewer injuries for you to treat, of course, but we could find you other less dangerous work in the meantime. It’s always good to have a trusted medic on hand, ain’t it, Spencer?”

It became evident that the conversation would have to continue another time, as Shirley suddenly grimaced in pain and sat forward, cradling her belly. Shona’s eyes widened at the idea that she might be going into labour. Spencer sounded equally concerned and got to his feet to call Billy through. “Hey, Shirley, it’s okay,” Shona assured her, sliding into the seat beside her friend so she could rub her back. “We’ll get you something for the pain -”

Billy soon interrupted them by bounding into the room. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asked, his eyes first landing on Spencer and then on the pregnant woman that Shona was fussing over. “Shirley, you alright, love?”

“It’s okay, Billy,” Shona assured him. “Just get her a glass of water - and Spencer, sit down and stop fretting about the silly carpet. If that was a contraction, we’ll wait for another one before making any decisions, okay? We have to know how short the intervals are between each one before we know what to do. It might not have been a real one - but if it is, Shirley, I promise we’re gonna take care of you the whole time, okay?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer
BloodLightning27 Shirley
Melanin-Gxdess Erik, Alex

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 5: A Storm is Brewing
Friday 19th April 1985
..6 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening - Dry, Mild, Clear Skies
London: Early Evening - Dry, Cool, Overcast
New York City: Late Evening - Dry, Mild, Clear SKies

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

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



En Route to The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin~
​

Adam Harper and Emery Callahan

Emery had been out on yet another debt collecting job. People in Dublin just didn't know how to pay up what they owed without having a gun shoved in their face to spell it out to them. Today, she'd been accompanied by her cousin, Thomas, and one of the Sullivans' most senior enforcers, Adam. Given that she knew the older man through his friendship with her father, Emery was in enjoyable company for the job. Thomas was new to the job, but he already seemed to be settling into the role from what Emery could see, despite being aware of the troubles he'd been experiencing lately. As the three of them walked along the street, with Thomas to her left and Adam to her right, Emery was excited about their next stop: the Sullivans Pub. Once the cash was locked away in the pub's safe, she was certain there were many many drinks with her name on. "Did ya see the look on that dumb fuck's face when when you pointed the gun at him? I'm ninety-nine percent certain he shat himself a little," the redhead loudly joked.

Adam let out a dry chuckle as he listened to the woman recall the events. "You've got a real way with word's, Em. It's like listening to an angel speaking next to me," he teased.

"Nah, you've got me confused with Savvy. She's the angel of the family," Emery pointed out. Although there might have been a little sarcasm in her tone, for the most part, Emery had long since accepted the fact that her older sister was practically perfect. The blonde was successful, talented, kind-hearted, and literally a model. Emery had never felt able to compete with that, but she had found her own skills, and though she put them to use in her illegal role, she was proud to be supporting her uncle's business.

"Hey, no need to defend yourself to me. I'm hardly a role model for speaking proper, like the Queen," he reasoned. "What do you reckon about tonight, Tom? Have we earned a few drinks? Who knows, maybe your favourite barmaid will be working," he knowingly told the young man.

Spoiler: Streetmap

As they continued walking towards the pub, the evening had dropped dark and the streetlights were now illuminating the pavement they were walking along. He was always focused and on alert, but nights like tonight he was particularly focused, being that he was on duty as Emery's bodyguard. In his focused state, he even memorised the face of the young woman who had just walked past them in the opposite direction, moments ago. He'd noted she was heavily pregnant but seemed far too young to be in such a state. Not that he was the judge of anyone's lifestyle. With the streets mostly empty of other pedestrians, his attention was then returned to the cars driving by. A red car began driving towards them at the opposite side of the road, but something about the hesitant speed and the way it seemed to gradually veer over the white lines into the wrong side of the road caught Adam's attention. It didn't sit at all right with him, so deciding to take action rather than regret it later, he pushed Emery towards Thomas and placed his hands on each of their backs to signal for them to get down. "Tom, cover Em! Get down!" his powerful voice ordered.

In the same moment, the car got closer and a barrage of bullets were fired from the shooter's semi-automatic machine gun in the direction of the three Sullivans. Adam didn't hesitate to fire back with his semi-automatic pistol. His attempts to dodge the bullets meant his aim wasn't as accurate as usual, so the bullets avoided hitting either the driver in the front or the shooter in the back of the car, instead shattering the rear windscreen and rear door, with other bullets hitting the ground just away from the tyres. The car sped down the street before taking a sudden right turn around a tight corner. A loud crash was soon heard as the vehicle collided head on with a large skip on one side of the road. The car was clearly written off and as she was walking across the street from the collision, the crash would likely have startled Shinoa.

A brief silence overcame the street before the gunman climbed out from the back of the car and opened the driver's door to help the driver hobble out. Despite a cut on the forehead, the driver seemed only dazed by the impact of the collision. Handing his machine gun to the driver, the shooter rushed over to Shinoa and grabbed her by the throat as he pushed he against the wall of one of the closed shops on the street corner. He soon noticed the woman's pregnant state and seemed to be put off the idea of killing the witness. Still, he held a knife against her throat as he threatened her. "You keep your fucking mouth shut, else we will find you and kill you!" The man's accent was a strong Irish one, clearly a local. Even under the streetlights, it was clear to see he had a pale and gaunt face, despite appearing to be only in his 30s. He sported a goatee beard and his dark, greasy hair was pulled back tightly in a small ponytail. As the driver ran off, the shooter pulled the knife away from Shinoa's throat, but still managed to inflict a minor cut along her skin. "Keep your mouth shut!" he asserted, before sprinting off behind his partner in crime.

Meanwhile, Adam took a moment to catch his bearings before turning to Thomas and Emery. "You kids alright?" he asked, taking a moment to catch his breath. Emery quickly nodded her head as she slowly stood back up, she was about to point out the blood that was rapidly staining Adam's shirt, but he finally decided to acknowledge it himself. He looked down to his left coat sleeve, where he felt the most pain from one of the bullets lodging itself in the outer side side of his bicep. There was also an intense, hot stinging feeling from where another bullet had grazed the side of his neck, exposing some of the flesh and causing the blood to stream down onto the front of his shirt. "Fucking... God damn it..." he hissed, realising just how close he'd been to taking a fatal bullet.

Emery's attention was drawn to the street corner where the car had crashed. She noticed the two figures but could't see either of their faces. She was certain one of them was the pregnant young woman they'd seen moments earlier. The male soon sprinted off out of sight and Emery looked back to Thomas and Adam for guidance.

"Go after them!" Adam ordered Thomas and Emery. Thomas would have his own firearm, so Adam handed Emery his backup pistol which had been concealed in his inside coat pocket.. "Don't let the girl go!" he added, figuring she might be a useful witness. As he let the two do as they'd be instructed, he placed his hand again the bleeding wound and grimaced as he knew it was going to need tending to. The pub wasn't far off and he knew there was a medical kit there. Despite that, he decided his injuries could wait. He set about walking quickly behind Thomas and Emery, reloading his gun as he intended to catch up with them.

Bellz (Thomas)
BloodLightning27 (Shinoa)
Mention: Pyroclast (Elena)

Callahan Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~
​

Sinead Callahan

Sinead loved having her siblings and their family around, so she'd made sure to bake some treats and have plenty of snacks in the house. Conor alone was known to eat enough for two men, not to mention there were children around who's eyes and sneaky hands tended to take on more than they could actually manage to eat. Along with Conor, Aliana had also brought Rhiannon and Sydney to the house, which always brightened Sinead's day, especially given how bright and enthusiastic the younger of the sisters was. Lucy had also joined the gathering, but Olivia had had to decline the invite as she'd managed to secure a job at Adam's gym and was currently working her second shift there. Although Liam loved seeing all of his family, the large lounge had started to feel a little overwhelming for the more introverted boy, so the boy had taken himself away into his bedroom to watch television instead.

For the last fifteen minutes, Sinead had been sat on the piano stool next to Sydney as she took a little time away from the others to spend with her niece. The child reminded her so much of herself when she was younger and given her interest in classical music, Sinead was keen to give the girl more encouragement and knowledge to stick with it. For now, she was helping her find her way around the piano keys and teaching her some of the notes. "I think you're a fast learner," Sinead told her niece. "And these little hands of yours," she said, reaching out to gently hold Sydney's hands in hers as she studied them, "they're going to make some beautiful music." She smiled brightly at the girl before her attention was distracted by the sound of Callum loudly announcing his entrance into the lounge, having returned with Savannah from their day out in the city. "Sydney, how about you show Callum where the treats are and help him choose a cookie?" she suggested to the girl, feeling the house was getting too active to focus on piano lessons.

After Callum had given his Grandpa Peter a boisterous hug, Conor caught his brother-in-law's attention. "Pete, how about we have a quick catch-up before we start having too much fun?" he suggested, cocking his head towards the unoccupied conservatory. Callum being home also meant Savannah wasn't far behind and he wanted to speak with Peter before seeing his niece.

After putting her shopping away, Savannah made her way into the main lounge where she greeted her mother and aunts, before checking Callum was content spending time with his relatives. She'd seen Peter and Conor heading towards the conservatory, so she decided now was a good a time as any to speak with her uncle. Without hesitating, she excused herself and rushed out of the lounge.

Sinead hadn't figured her daughter would be on her way to confront Conor, so she instead shrugged it off. Still, as she turned to Aliana and Lucy, she let out a sigh. "Savvy is not happy with the men in this family," she pointed out. Conor, Peter, Braden, and Syd had all been involved in the attack on Spencer; something Savannah hadn't wanted to happen. "She's especially annoyed with that husband of yours," she told Aliana. "You married him, so Luce and I get to shift the responsibility of our brother's actions onto you," she sarcastically remarked. She then let out a sigh. "I'm not getting involved in this tonight. I just want us all to have fun away from this darn business, just for one night. Especially with the little ones around."

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana, Rhiannon, Sydney)
Bellz (Lucy)

**********
​

Conor Sullivan and Savannah Callahan

The day after Spencer had been beaten up by some of her family members, Savannah soon came to learn about what had happened. Though he'd done well to hide his anger for Callum's sake, it was clear from his phone call that Spencer blamed Savannah whilst also making sure to tell her exactly what had happened to him at the hands of her father and cousin. The same day, she also spoke with Kerry who had seemed distant with her as she explained that she felt uncomfortable looking after her house while she was away. As if those two calls weren't bad enough, Savannah had later had the pleasure of a telephone call with Alex himself. Unlike Kerry and even Spencer, Alex hadn't held back on how angry he was. However, like his brother, Alex was under the impression Savannah had told her family to attack Spencer. Along with the sharing of many angry words, Alex made it clear that he wanted to see Callum - and soon!

The last few days for Savannah had be difficult. She'd been desperate to give Conor a piece of her mind, but had been holding back to try compose herself so she wouldn't let her emotions get the better of her during the confrontation and therefore prevent her from asserting herself. Along with that, Callum had been asking about Alex and the other Kings, wanting to see them or at least talk to them. She knew she couldn't keep refusing him, but as it stood, she didn't want him even speaking to the Kings on the telephone when tensions were so high.

When Savannah returned home, she stepped out of the taxi with Callum and soon noticed Conor's car parked in the driveway. Although she hadn't set out to speak to him yet, now she knew he was going to be in the same room, she decided she couldn't hold back any longer. Once Callum was settled with the others in the lounge, she made a beeline to the convervatory where she'd seen her father and uncle go.


When the two men entered the conservatory, Conor sat on the two-seater opposite the one he expected Peter to occupy. "How's it going, Pete?" he asked his brother-in-law. "I just want to have a quick chat while we can. Savvy's pissed at me, so it's only a matter of time..." he trailed off. "I know the job went down well, so cheers for helping Syd with that. But what's this about Kerry? I know Tink and Savvy are soft on her, but she had keys to the house?" he asked. It wasn't that he thought Kerry was someone who would intentionally harm his family, but the past told him she was easily used by his enemies. No matter how innocent she was, she helped lead Jackson into a trap and Conor still wasn't ready to forgive anyone involved in that. Not to mention, he understood she was still friendly with Maddox Parker - a man with a talent for manipulating others.

Before the conversation about Kerry could progress much, the door opened and Savannah stepped inside, making sure to close it securely behind her. She stepped forward but remained standing where she could see Peter and Conor - her uncle in particular. "What gave you the right to do that to Spencer?!" she asked Conor, her voice carried a louder and harsher tone that they were all used to. "I never asked you to do that. I never told you to stick your nose into my business and have anyone step foot in London on my behalf!" she said, pointing a finger at her uncle.

"You wanna sit down, Sav?" Conor calmly suggested, sitting back in the sofa and stretching his right arm out to rest it along the back of the sofa, keeping his posture open and casual. Savannah had snapped back with a firm 'no', to which Conor lightly nodded. He opted to remain seated for the time-being. He knew that once he stood up, his height and muscular build had the effect of intimidating people. Apparently, in situations like this it came across as aggressive and he wasn't ready to be aggressive just yet. "The jumped up Cockney thug was asking for it. He was talking to you like shit and I wasn't going to stand for that. You felt intimidated by him and I take that as a personal attack on not only you, but the whole family. Guy's been asking to be put in his place for some time and it's better to deal with men like him before they become a danger."

"Are you serious?" Savannah asked, looking to Peter to see if he looked to be in agreement with Conor. She snapped her head back to face Conor. "This wasn't your problem to deal with. It was nothing to do with the family business - I've never wanted any part in that! When I came here it was to have a break and ask for advice on how I would deal with Alex's family. I told Mum and the others about what Spencer had said because I needed to share how I was feeling. I never asked you to stick your nose in and now you've made things worse. Do you realise how difficult it's going to be for me when I return to London now?"

"Yeah, it's going to be damn near impossible," Conor said, letting out a sarcastic laugh. "You're not going back to London any time soon and neither is Callum. It's too dangerous."

"Is he for real, Dad?" Savannah asked, looking to Peter. "It wasn't dangerous until you all stuck your noses in and decided violence was the only way to solve any of life's problems. This is my life you're ruining."

"Alright, sit down and listen," Conor ordered, now sitting up straight. Still, Savannah remained standing, but Conor wasn't yet pushed enough to tower over her, so remained in his seat. "This isn't all about you. Granted, I might have used your problems with Spencer to push me into action sooner than intended, but it was only a matter of time before it happened anyway. And don't you start telling me you're happy in London. You've been having auditions for work in Dublin and looking at houses here. You've been crying the poor tale about missing our family and about London being lonely."

"Yes, I intended to move back here, but on good terms with Alex and the Kings. How am I meant to take Callum to see his family in London now?"

"I'll say it again. You're not going to. If Alex wants to see the kid, he can drag his arse to Dublin. The Kings are welcome to come visit Callum here. Alex was the one who fucked this up and went around screwing other women behind your back. You're a sweet lass, Savvy, but you're naive and too soft, just like your mother. You sticking up for Alex like this and ignoring his many bad points is exactly what Tink used to do..." Conor trailed off, but it was clear he was referring to Angel - Savannah's biological father.

Savannah, took deep breaths as she tried to compose herself, not wanting to bring Angel into the argument when this was about Callum now. She looked to Peter as she struggled to distract herself from yelling at Conor. "What do you think, Dad? Surely you know he's talking crap? He's on a power trip, right? This man isn't the Uncle Conor I used to know," she said, quickly shaking her head.

Bellz (Peter)
Mention: Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~ Bethnal Green, London ~
​

Gabriel Moretti and Spencer King

Despite the meeting with the Biancardis going well and the civil relations with the Sullivans remaining relatively in tact, Gabriel was still keen to broaden his horizons and pursue expanding his business relations. The Kings and their pharmaceutical company had been something he'd been interested in for some time. That was why he'd had Erik working with the family and helping build up strong links with them. Gabriel had intended to arrange an official meeting with Bruce King, but only when he felt the time was appropriate. When he learned of the attack on Spencer by the Sullivans, of all people, the Italian decided to arrange a meeting immediately and step in while wounds were still fresh. Some wounds, literally fresh.

Along with a number of his trusted bodyguards, Gabriel had decided to bring Tatiana along for the meeting and leave Marcus to keep an eye on things in New York. As he expected Bruce's eldest son would be present, Gabriel decided to mirror the setup by having his eldest child present too. Of course, Erik would also be a part of the meeting, given the man had insight and familiarity with both families involved in proceedings. The Italians had arrived in London the previous night and stayed in one of the city's finest hotels. For the most part, Gabriel quite liked London. It was a city much like New York, with a vast array of business opportunities and even more areas for an operations such as his own business to capitalise on. Not to mention, he quite liked the historical buildings and museums which he had seen on previous visits to London.

Thankfully, today didn't offer much time to be distracted by sightseeing as the day flew by until it was time to head to the meeting. The two-Moretti affiliated cars drove close together through the city. Gabriel and his bodyguards occupied one car, whilst Tatiana and Erik were joined by two guards in the other. Gabriel had decided it was better to take separate cars than risk something happening to both him and his daughter whilst in the same. Instead of puling up in front of Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar, the two vehicles had been instructed in advance to park at the rear of the building, where the only Kings had private access to the backstreet. Having sent some of his men down to check the club out earlier, Gabriel was content the place was safe and secure for him to attend the meeting. Once the cars were parked up next to the private back entrance of the club, Gabriel stepped out and surveyed the backstreet, noting the Kings' guards keeping the area secure. After being searched and handing over any weapons, Gabriel, Tatiana, Erik, and a large Moretti bodyguard were permitted entry inside.

As soon as they entered the building, they were greeted by Spencer King...

**********​

Spencer hadn't been in the best of moods since the attack six days ago. Whilst he'd tried to remain calm and positive in Shona's presence, overall he was carrying a lot of anger and frustration. When he wasn't working in his office at King Remedial he was spending a lot of time training at the gym and in the boxing ring. Even though he was ambushed and outnumbered, Spencer still felt like he was weak during the attack, so working out wasn't only cathartic and distracting, but it was also a matter of self-improvement. He wasn't willing to let the Sullivans have the upper hand again. Despite her protests, Spencer still blamed Savannah for the attack and found it hard to believe she hadn't asked her family to step in.

This evening was extremely important, not just for Spencer, but for Bruce too. They were meeting with Gabriel Moretti and Spencer was determined to make a good impression - the last thing he wanted to do was feel like he'd let Bruce down, again. Spencer had put a lot of hard work into ensuring the club was safe and secure for the meeting. As well as arranging for the Italians to enter the building unseen, he'd also made the meeting room in the private section completely off limits. This meant that not even his staff would be permitted into the back area of the club, nor would they be serving any drinks to those in the meeting. Instead, Spencer had set up a wide selection of drinks and glasses in the meeting room, and if anything else was needed he would fetch it himself.

When they were informed the Morettis had arrived outside, Spencer left Bruce in the meeting room whilst he went to meet their guests at the door. Bypassing a handful of guards along the corridor, Spencer opened the private back door and stepped aside to greet the guests. "I'm Spencer King," he informed them. "Mr. Moretti... Miss Moretti," he greeted Gabriel and Tatiana respectively, firmly shaking their hands. He then looked to Erik and shook his hand, though he sent him a more familiar smile. "Erik, always a pleasure," he greeted the familiar man.

As Spencer walked them to the meeting room, Gabriel took a moment to acknowledge the bruising and healing wound on Spencer's face. He was fully aware the Sullivans were to blame for it, but he decided to hold back from commenting on the matter until a more appropriate and useful opportunity arose. For now, he was keen to meet Bruce King...

Pyroclast (Bruce, Tatiana)
Melanin-Gxdess (Erik)

La Casa (Private Club)
~ Upper East Side, Manhattan ~
​

Valentina Wycliff

Valentina had decided to give herself the weekend off from working at the hotels, and with Gabriel in London, Teddy was free from any duties her father would usually rope him into. Seeing as they both had some free time, they arranged to have a night out together, with the children having a sleepover at Marcus' and Ava's place. Deciding they deserved to be spoiled, they headed out to La Casa, which was one of the most exclusive clubs in Manhattan. Exclusive, on account you have to be on Gabriel Moretti's list to be permitted admittance. For Valentina and Teddy, they were of course close to the top of that list on account of being family.

Harmony had accompanied the couple to the club, but Valentina felt bad having the young woman have to sit alone watching the married couple on their date. Instead, she introduced Harmony to Ricky and Julia, who were in the club waiting for Damian to arrive. "Julia, please will you be the sane one at this table, for Harmony's sake?" she playfully asked, clearly joking at Ricky's and Damian's expenses. "Just give me a shout if you need anything, Harmony. And I'll do the same," she told the bodyguard.

Valentina walked with Teddy to the velvet upholstered sofa in the corner of the private seating area. The waitress soon came to take their drinks order before leaving the couple in peace. Valentina sat close to Teddy as she turned to look to his face. "I love it here," she told him, listening to the jazz music playing in the background. "And we can drink as much as we like tonight, with no work or children to make us get up early in the morning," she said sending him a mischievous grin. Having only recently had their holiday to Miami, Valentina had felt bad taking more time away from work. However, with Gabriel away in London, she felt it was okay to take a few more days off to relax with Teddy and not feel like her father would judge her for it. "But now all we need is for them to put some livelier music on while the boss is too far away to hear it," she mischievously suggested.

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)
Mention: BloodLightning27 (Harmony)

**********​

Riccardo Biancardi and Damian Nicolosi

Ricky was still trying to get used to having Roxie in charge of the Biancardi business rather than himself. Although he had settled down his protests in the wake of Matthew's death, he had been secretly surprised when Gabriel seemed willing to give Roxie a chance. Even if Moretti made it seem like he was just waiting for Roxie to make a mess and in the end resign from the position, Ricky was shocked that the man was giving her the chance at all. It wasn't that Ricky opposed his cousin nor that he'd wanted Gabriel to rip her confidence to shreds, but he'd deep down expected Gabriel to back him and fight for his cause. Ricky hadn't exactly admitted defeat, but for now he had opted to lay low a little and play along. In terms of his duties, little had changed from when Giovanni was in charge and he still had close contact with the Morettis, albeit, with his own ego having taken a knock.

One such Moretti ally, or even friend, was Damian. To many, the man was a sadistic freak who took pleasure in the suffering of others. Hell, even Ricky saw it that way. However, Ricky also saw the side of Damian that wasn't getting his kicks on the job. Be it a judge of Ricky's own character, but on a personal and social level, he quite enjoyed Damian's unorthodox company. Ricky had invited Julia out for a drink at one of Moretti's private clubs and given he was aware of Damian's upcoming birthday, he invited the man along too. It certainly wouldn't hurt to maintain bonds and connections with Gabriel's most trusted employees.

Ricky and Julia occupied the reserved booth in the reserved section of the lavish club. In the opposite corner of the private area, Teddy and Valentina were seated on one of the couches, spending some time alone as a couple. "Maybe next time we go out, I'll find us two a loveseat to hang out on," he flirted with Julia as he moved from the opposite side of the table to sit next to her. "For tonight, though, I don't fancy being sandwiched between you and Damian," he joked. No sooner had he put his arm around Julia did Valentina introduce them to Harmony, and Ricky didn't hesitate to invite the woman to take a seat opposite them, where she could still keep an eye on the club and protect the Wycliff couple.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Harmony. You must have had a pretty impressive interview with Moretti to get a gig like this. Looking after the Wycliffs and... y'know, being female," he pointed out. "Have you been working for the family long?" he curiously asked.

Against his better judgement, Damian had agreed to meet Ricky and Julia at the club. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy expensive drinks in a fancy club and in his friend's company, but he just wasn't a sentimental man. That extended to him not giving much of a damn about his own birthday. He was sure every day he graced the world with his presence was a gift, so there was no need to celebrate his existence just one day a year. He supposed if he just convinced himself he was checking off another year of avoiding death, then he could twist it into conforming with society's need for forced fun. Parties didn't exactly offer Damian entertainment. His sources of gratification were unconventional and extremely controversial. Still, he would switch on his charm and see to it that Ricky had a pleasant evening, along with the wonderful Julia.

When he entered the club he saw Jarrick stationed by the entrance, presumably there in a drug dealing capacity whilst posing as a bouncer. "Jarrick, it's so good to see you," Damian greeted the man with a wide grin. He was sure the feeling wasn't mutual but he was far too thick-skinned to take it personally. "I can assure you I'm on the list," he said, patting the top of the man's arm as he shuffled past him. "Feel free to join us for a drink when you can afford yourself a break," he suggested. With Gabriel out of town, he was sure everyone could take a more relaxed approach to matters.

Once he found the private booth, Damian slipped onto the bench next to Harmony and facing Ricky. "I see you've already met each other," he pointed out. Damian and Harmony had met on past occasions during their duties for the Morettis. He was sure the young woman was uncomfortable around him, but that was hardly a rarity. At least she had Julia and, to some extent, Ricky around to bring some level of comfort and normality to the night.

"I hope you've eaten, Damian, else you'll be drinking on an empty stomach,. You're going to be paralytic drunk by the end of the night, birthday boy," Ricky teased the man.

"Far be it for me to dampen your spirits, but I prefer to opt for a more low key affair. A couple of whiskeys on the rocks and that's all for me; I prefer to remain in control of my mind. You all knock yourselves out, though," he seriously suggested.

"Ah, did someone say control freak? Ricky teased, sending Harmony and Julia a broad smile. "Come on ladies, what are you drinking? I'm sure you can relax a little, Harmony. Nobody's dumb enough to try anything in Gabriel's own club."

BloodLightning27 (Jarrick, Harmony)
Bellz (Julia)

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

​

 

[Pyroclast]

Chapter 5: A Storm Is Brewing
Friday 19th April 1985
..6 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening - Dry, Mild, Clear Skies
London: Early Evening - Dry, Cool, Overcast
New York City: Late Evening - Dry, Mild, Clear SKies

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

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

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Billy King​

It had now been six days since Spencer had been attacked by the Sullivan gang. Moretti had been quick to respond to their request for a meeting and the fact that he had arrived to discuss the altercation with them within a week proved that he made problems with the Irish a priority of his. Billy hadn’t seen Erik leave. If he had, he would have at least had a chance to remind him to take his wet clothes home with him - though with everything that had been going on, he wasn’t completely confident he would remember, either. Erik was supposed to be the one with the flawless memory, anyway. All he had to do was look at something and it would be etched in his mind. Billy supposed he hadn’t actually seen them hanging up in the airing cupboard, but still...Erik must have been extremely distracted to not have remembered them. Especially given what was in his trouser pocket…

The evening of Spencer’s attack had seemed like a long one, although really once Shirley was done stitching him up, Shona was keen to send everybody home. Billy hadn’t actually seen Erik leave - it stung to think that his friend would have left without saying goodnight, but with the high tension between them, he didn’t feel like he could look for him, either. He had given Shirley a lift home, which had felt like a breath of fresh air after all the drama. After his attempt to flirt with her earlier that evening, he would have expected to feel slightly uncomfortable alone in her presence, but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t give Shona anything to worry about, instead simply taking the opportunity to thank Shirley for her quick, unexpected medical response to his brother’s injuries.

The next morning, he had tried to call Erik to remind him to pick up his clothes, but he didn’t get through. He hoped that the man wasn’t avoiding him after their small tiff the night before, like he had in the days after they had disposed of Trevor’s body. Figuring he might bump into him at Spencer and Shona’s house, he went round there the next morning, but there was no sign of him. Billy reckoned he might have stayed out late into the night at one of his nightclubs and was still sleeping in. Part of him wanted to wait around for him, but he didn’t want to intrude on his brother and sister-in-law after what they had been through the night before, so instead he just went to fold Erik’s clothes that he had hung up to dry.

As he picked up his t-shirt, he remembered how it had clung to his body in the rain, drawing attention to his athletic physique. Catching himself smiling slightly, Billy sped up the process, instantly blocking out any accompanying thoughts. He didn’t have to try very hard, however, because when he lifted up the pair of jeans, something fell out of the pocket that reset his mind completely. A small ziplock pouch containing a white powder landed on the floor at his feet. Billy stared at it for a few seconds before stooping to pick it up. He looked around as if it could possibly have fallen from somewhere else, but he knew it couldn’t have. He also knew it couldn’t have been from their supply, because Erik wouldn’t betray them like that. Maybe it was just one of those party favours that Erik had jokingly warned him against taking during their night out together a few weeks before. Maybe he was dealing? Frowning, Billy turned the pouch over in his hand before scrunching it up and putting it in his own pocket. He decided not to tell anyone about it. The last thing he wanted was to get his best friend in trouble or cast out of the gang. Plus, he reasoned, if Erik noticed that the pouch was missing when he came to pick up his clothes, it would give him a reason to track Billy down.

Six days later, however, he still hadn’t heard a word. It frustrated him that Erik wasn’t picking up his calls, because he knew he must have been thinking about him - worrying about what he thought of the drugs, if nothing else. But it wasn’t enough to get him to come around. On the other hand, it could have been just another reason to avoid him.

Billy decided he wouldn’t be able to avoid him for long, though. All that separated the two of them now was the staffroom door of the family-owned Mercury nightclub, which led to the private function room where Erik sat with Bruce, Spencer and their guests, Gabriel and Tatiana Moretti. At a nearby table in the main club, Billy sat beside Alex, chin resting on his fist and eyes resting on the door. "If you wanted to see me in only my boxers we could've gone to my place." How many times those words had gone through his head since Erik first spoke them, Billy had lost count. It still infuriated him, but what infuriated him more was his own response. He regretted calling Erik queer. Of course, he had intended for it to put him off making such comments again, but he hadn’t expected to hit such a nerve that Erik wouldn’t want to talk to him anymore. Billy had been kicking himself, telling himself that he just needed to get used to the man’s sense of humour. He was sure Erik knew as well as he did that they were just friends, and that there was nothing at risk of ruining that - nothing, of course, but Billy’s unnecessarily mean remarks.

With a heavy sigh, Billy sat back in his seat and picked up the Vesper Martini he had forgotten about. “What d’you reckon he’s like, then, that Moretti bloke?” he asked Alex. “Bruce says he’s one of those cold, classy types, never leaves the house without shining his shoes first. Probably has someone to do it for him, though, eh?” Flashing a nervous smile at his brother, Billy’s eyes quickly returned to the door that would lead to the function room. He wondered if the man had arrived yet, what Spencer thought of him so far and how Erik was expected to behave around him. “I heard the Sullivans massacred his family back in the 60s,” he went on, lowering his voice a little. He shot an awkward glance at Alex, realising he didn’t need to be giving him any more reasons to hate the Sullivans right now. “I’m just saying...he’s been in this game long before you and I were even born. He’s probably killed ten times as many people as you’ve shagged!”

With a mischievous chuckle, Billy fished around in his pocket to dig out a cigarette and offered one to his brother before lighting one up for himself. After taking a long drag, he exhaled heavily and his eyes drew back to the door. “God’s sake,” he grumbled to himself, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “I wish we could hear what’s going on in there. I don’t see why we weren’t invited to sit in, too, get a say in how this mess is dealt with. I mean, this whole thing started ‘cause of you, Alex, so if anyone deserves a chance to speak...and I’m - well, I’m Erik’s partner, ain’t I? Don’t that make me worth meeting?”

Of course Erik returned to the front of his mind then, causing him to absent-mindedly draw on his cigarette. He wondered if he was okay, if he looked better or worse for having gone a week without speaking to him. He wondered if they were truly through as friends, if he would even still want to work together after what he said. Maybe Erik would take advantage of the fact that he wasn’t in the meeting and demand to be placed working with somebody else, or even return to New York. And then maybe he would leave via the back entrance rather than come out into the main room, so that he could avoid seeing him. Billy heaved another sigh, taking a refreshing sip of his Martini as his gaze hung longingly on the door. “Wonder how long they’ll be,” he softly added, thinking of Erik. As long as he didn’t take the back exit, the opening of that door would also be the opening for Billy to intercept his friend and personally invite him for a drink where they could hopefully make up. He just needed the meeting to go well so that he would be in a good enough mood to accept.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to just sit here bitching and moaning,” he said, turning to his brother with a forced smile. “Just need to get a few more of these down me, I think.” He raised the glass to the man before steadily draining it in one go. Once he was done, he reached up to his cheek to wipe away the juice from where the lemon had almost fallen out of the glass. “Tell me where you’re up to, then, with this whole not-being-like-dad thing,” he said to Alex, before catching the eye of a waitress and raising his empty glass to her. “Any progress on the Sav front?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Alex
Misty Gray Kerry (nearby)

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 5: A Storm Is Brewing
Friday 19th April 1985
..6 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening - Dry, Mild, Clear Skies
London: Early Evening - Dry, Cool, Overcast
New York City: Late Evening - Dry, Mild, Clear SKies

******************************​

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

Roxie Carriveau

The Split Bean
Dublin City Center, Dublin ​

Roxie had decided to stay in New York for a few days after her meeting with Gabriel to get things settled in the townhouse she had purchased in Queens. She had gone out and purchased a bunch of furniture the day after the meeting and busied herself with building all of the easier pieces and decorating the place when she had some downtime. Despite having fought with her cousin about staying in Dublin, Roxie felt very comfortable in New York. It was a stark difference compared to when she had leftover a decade ago and she wasn't really sure what to think of it. New York was where she was born, her only home up until she moved to Dublin with Syd and the girls. Dublin didn't exactly feel like home especially after Syd and she had split but Matthew had started to make it feel like she belonged because he fought so hard for people to see her the way he did. Now that he was gone, the only thing she had left in Dublin was her kids.

With the help of Reina, Roxie had made the townhouse feel like home and just hours before she was due to leave, she suddenly felt a great desire to be selfish for once. She hadn't really done anything for herself in a long time, constantly waxing, waning, and bending to other's wants and needs. She wanted to come home and as she sat in her townhouse, she felt like she was. A fresh start was exactly what she needed...or at least it was what she felt she needed. But then the rational and compassionate thoughts reminded her that her children couldn't possibly be that far away from Syd. Their relationship and custody battle was already on thin ice as it was given her new position, she knew it would make things incredibly messy if she just packed everything up and moved to New York.

She had continued to think about it on the plane, eager to see her kids and Savvy again. She thought about what her friend was going through in terms of her relationship with her Ex, how determined Savvy was to come home to Dublin. Roxie could be the same way if she wished but the circumstances were a bit different. Syd wasn't a dead-beat parent like Alex seemed to be. Sure, he had essentially taken her love and trust for him and beat it senselessly with his paranoid delusions...but she couldn't find it in herself to hurt him as he had done to her. She understood how sorry he was, it had been clear after she found out she was pregnant with JJ just how much he wanted to continue to be in her life...to be able to love her along with their kids. He didn't have to take care of her when they weren't together, he didn't have to answer her calls at 3 a.m. when she was having a horrible case of morning sickness but he had done all of those things and more.

Despite not being able to take him back, she couldn't be cruel to him. She asked him to keep his distance and he did exactly that. Roxie couldn't take the kids to New York even though she longed to be home. Her daughters probably didn't think it but she would absolutely anything for them and JJ, she wasn't so sure they knew just how much she had to sacrifice to stay near Syd.

Having taken a day to settle back into her home in Dublin, Roxie decided that it was time for the kids to come back to her house. She needed time with them and needed a huge distraction from her thoughts. Keeping the kids on a schedule kept her unwanted thoughts in check. Work was going to be tricky now that she officially decided to give this whole mob boss shit a go, so she had decided to take a few weeks off to make sure she could focus her full attention on running her family's business. The fate of her professional career as a lawyer was yet to be decided, but she forced herself to not make any rash decisions until she was ready to make a choice.

Currently, she was sitting in one of her favorite coffee places in Dublin waiting for a man that she hadn't sat down and had an actual conversation with in years. When Syd had asked if they could talk, Roxie wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. She was sure that he wanted to talk about the children and what her new career choice meant for them but Roxie couldn't help but feel like there may be something more going on. She didn't forget his offer the day Matthew was killed after she'd call to check in on the kids...

Of course, her pride wouldn't allow her to call Syd when she probably could have used his help and advice but things seemed to be coming around full circle regardless of that. The kids had been picked up from school by Lucy earlier, so she was left to hopelessly speculate what Syd wanted to talk to her about for hours. Despite having looked like a hot mess for a few weeks after Matthew passed, Roxie was grateful that she had been able to pull herself together for her meeting with Gabriel and now her meeting with Syd. She would maintain a facade that she was doing perfectly fine given the circumstances but she was sure Syd wouldn't buy it for a second. He knew her far too well and a part of her hated that.

Roxie tapped her foot impatiently, looked to her watch, and moved to take a sip of her plain black coffee. Letting out a heavy sigh, she knew she was just a tad bit early. Moving her head towards one of the tables further away from her, she caught herself looking for Reina but remembered that she had asked the woman to let her come alone. Roxie turned her head back to look at her table before her eyes glanced towards her purse knowing her gun was right on top. Letting out another sigh, Roxie lifted her head to look towards the entrance, hoping Syd would arrive soon to at least save her from thinking much more about their conversation.
Waiting for: Syd Pyroclast

Lorelei Costello

Le Restaurant
Somewhere in Dublin lol ​

Lorelei had been shocked that Benjamin asked her out on a date the night he came to the club to take pictures. She, of course, had said yes immediately and the pair had arranged to meet at a restaurant in Dublin that wasn't associated with the Sullivans. Lorelei wasn't sure if she was too dressed up for the occasion or not but she decided to wear a black dress with her hair tied back in a low ponytail, something she rarely did but her mother had been so excited to see her out on a date that she insisted on helping her get ready. Looking at herself in the mirror, Lorelei wasn't so sure she liked the way her hair was pulled back but before she could protest to Gwen the older redhead looked to her daughter with a smirk. "Just trust me on this, Rory. You look beautiful! Just be happy that I left your father at home, he wouldn't let you leave the house dressed like this." Gwen chuckled before moving to stand in front of her daughter, taking her shoulders and moving to hug her gently. Lorelei hugged her in return but looked confused when she let go and saw her mother looking rather emotional. "Mom, what's wrong?" Lorelei asked lightly and Gwen shook her head, laughing at herself. "You're just so grown up now." She said, fanning her face to keep tears at bay. "God, I'm being so dramatic, even for me! Now go on, get going, you're going to be late!" Gwen said with a smile before gesturing towards the door.

***​

Lorelei had arranged with Benjie to meet him at the restaurant instead of having him pick her up. In her dating experience, it was better for her to take her own car in case the date didn't go as well as she had hoped it would. She was sure that this date would go well but she had also thought that before in a situation where she wasn't able to just drive herself home. After she parked in the lot of the restaurant, Lorelei took a moment to look over her appearance one more time. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out of her car before locking it. Walking towards the restaurant, Lorelei caught a few men staring at her that were standing out front having a smoke.

Keeping her eyes on the front entrance, Lorelei ignored them the best she could before walking inside. Benjie had said he would make the reservations so Lorelei asked the hostess if he had arrived yet. When she told her that he hadn't checked in yet, Lorelei nodded her head and moved to sit in the waiting area for him. She would have stood outside to wait for him but had decided against it since those men who had been openly staring at her were out there. She would just be asking for trouble if she went out there and she wanted tonight to go smoothly without any sort of drama.

Looking around the restaurant, Lorelei couldn't help but think about how nice the place was. She had seen it many times while driving to her apartment but she had yet to go inside. Most of her first dates had been in rather trashy-looking places, mostly bars. As much as she enjoyed her fair share of bars, she was pleasantly surprised when Benjie actually wanted to take her out for a meal.
Waiting for: Benjie Misty Gray

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~London~
Erik Snowden

Erik hadn't forgotten what his original job had been when he got put in London. Gabriel had generously given him something to do at the request of his daughter-in-law - Erik's own cousin. But, considering things had been quiet for the past couple of years he was coasting and having a pretty good life. So the moment Spencer returned home beaten and bruised shouting about the Sullivans, Erik wanted to beat the men responsible himself. They had gone and made Erik do work, which included calling Moretti and filling him in on the happenings of London. The man set out to get over to London as soon as he could and Erik had been completely stressed about it. Serious situations were never the man's strong suit. He always had an outlet for this - coke being his go-to vice. However, because of the severity of the issue, he hadn't indulged. He hadn't been that heavy of a user that he was getting sick, but he had been borderline. The fidgeting had been blamed easily on his nervousness about Moretti's arrival.

Not only did he have to worry about the stupid meeting but he and Billy hadn't been on the best terms... Again. Erik wasn't bothered by the fact that he had called him a queer whatsoever - he had been called worse. It was the way Billy had handled the altercation entirely. The two had always teased each other with Erik saying flirtatious remarks to get a rise out of his friend. Never had he responded the way he had a few days ago. Billy didn't know Erik was gay - he was sure of it - but his vulgar response did worry him. How would their relationship change if it turns out Billy was homophobic? Erik worried about what he would do; keep his true nature to himself or tell Billy just to be dramatic. Until he could get his thoughts together he hadn't spoken to Billy at all.

He was also upset with him for other reasons. Before leaving Shona and Spencer's home, he hadn't said a word to him. He had even avoided his gaze throughout the whole thing. Granted, Shirley's sudden scare had gotten the whole room on edge, but even so. Once everything had been taken care of the two of them still hadn't spoken. It wasn't until the next day that Billy had called, but it had been about his clothes. He was going to answer if the conversation started with an apology but it hadn't so he ignored it. It may have been a bit childish on his part but he didn't care. He was going to make Billy squirm. If he were being honest, he did miss him and hanging out. He was sure the man would have been able to ease his nerves about this meeting but he wanted an apology first.

Pursing his lips together he looked around the room he was sat in with the big players of both the King and Moretti family. He shifted in his seat and kept pulling on his button-down. A regular black t-shirt wasn't appropriate enough for this day, so he had to go out and buy proper clothing. Being amongst so many powerful men made him incredibly uncomfortable. He was worried he was going to say or do something wrong while giving his own opinion on things. The end of this meeting couldn't come soon enough. He needed desperately to unwind at a club or something. As he was walking into the room where the meeting would be held, he caught a glimpse of Billy sitting with Alex. His heart leaped at the sight of him after not seeing him for so long. Maybe the man had learned his lesson and would make sure not to make those sort of remarks again in the future.

Alexander King

It sucked that Alex was in a nightclub and wasn't really allowed to have any fun. The past four days had been nothing but a whirlwind and he needed to relax - despite just having gone to Ibiza the week before. Between Spencer's attack and the heated conversation with Sav, he needed a stiff drink or two. He flagged down a waitress to order a drink - an old fashioned to wash down his stress. Though the waitress was quite attractive, he could only muster up a small smile as she took his order. He leaned back against his seat, legs crossed as he started nervously biting his fingernails. What was he going to do to fix the issue he had caused? He turned his attention to Billy, who had begun to talk about Gabriel Moretti; a man he knew in name only. He was apparently the real deal and a meeting between him and Bruce had been inevitable. He just wished it wasn't because of his stupidity. "Ah, I caught a glimpse of him earlier. Seems like a real tough, bastard. A bit posh in my opinion, but aren't old guys?" Billy went on to inform him of how the Sullivan's had massacred his whole family, which made him scoff. "So the Irish bastards really aren't above going after the families of people they have problems with then?" It wasn't a surprise to be quite honest. He knew how they operated and understood they were cowards. Alex himself was the problem so they should have come after him - not the closest family member.

Alex let out a half-hearted scoff, the corner of his mouth turning into a smirk. "Well, considering he's probably as old as Bruce, I wouldn't put it past him." He joked, taking the offered cigarette. After taking out his own lighter he lit up his cigarette and watched as his younger brother began to get antsy. "Need another shot or something?" Alex wasn't blind to the fact that something had been bothering his brother. Whether it was something personal or because of what was happening behind those doors, he wasn't sure. He then voiced his distaste of not being in the meeting. "It would be smart not to have me in there, I guess, seein' as I'm the one who caused the issue." He shook his head, suddenly annoyed. Billy did have a point about being left out of the room. Both of them had been involved in the business as well, even if Alex was gone all the time. That didn't mean he was just fucking about. "Relax. We'll get our turn." The waitress returned with his drink and Alex asked for a round of shots. They may as well indulge a bit if that meeting were to be running long.

He took a sip from his drink and kept the cup in his hand. Billy asked him about his plans to be better than his father, causing him to give out a deep sigh. "I knew she was difficult, but I didn't expect her to be this difficult." He threw his head back to look up at the ceiling. "Her family - specifically the men - are making shit hard when all I want to see is my kid. Do I want to put a bullet in whichever I'm uncultured attacked Spence?" He paused to look at Billy nodding his head. "Abso-fucking-lutely. Am I going to?" He shrugged, nodding his head from side to side. He knew to do any sort of retaliation was going to cause even more issues. The guy was in enough hot water as is so he wasn't about to make it hotter. "No. I just want to see my kid and make sure he knows I'm not that much of a shithead." He drank from his cup again and wasted no time draining the contents. With the waitress returning he offered his brother a shot before taking one for himself. The liquor burned his throat as he made he face and shivered. "In any case, I'm going to fix this, alright? What about you? Why're you so fucking fidgety today?"
Billy ( Pyroclast )
Spencer, Gabriel ( Misty Gray )​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

La Casa
~Upper East Side, Manhattan~
Theodore 'Teddy' Wycliff

The meeting between Gabriel and Roxie had been more successful than he expected. The new head of the Biancardi family had shown promise and Teddy was interested in seeing what the future held for her. Though his reservations about her ties to the Sullivan family remained, he was giving her a chance to prove herself. He was slightly surprised to see Gabriel was also looking forward to it - not that he had any choice. The woman had been very adamant about running the business herself and left no room for negotiation. Roxie was here to stay and now that that problem had been solved he had another to tend to. Before the meeting began Gabriel informed him of a conversation Teddy would need to have with Valentina. It was one Teddy had been dreading, not wanting his wife to feel as if he were suddenly against her. He agreed with Gabe that she should take it easy with work and spend more time with the kids. Gabe also wanted Teddy to take a more active role in the business, which he had been all for. The problem was getting her to understand he still supported her; that he wasn't asking her to put her life on pause simply because he wanted to take on more responsibility.

Which is why the outing to 'La Casa' was the perfect opportunity. This would be more time she spent away from her work after their family vacation. He planned to ease her into the conversation in an attempt not to upset. There had been many times he was on the receiving end of her anger - and it matched her mother's down to a T. That was not something he wanted to deal with ever again. Though now that he thought about it, didn't he have a daughter? He internally groaned watching his wife walk back over to him with a smile on his face. "You tell the kids to behave?" He teased in reference to Julia and Ricky. Harmony had been new to their universe and based on the conversations they had, she was always going to be on her best behavior. It was Ricky and the others he had to worry about. He paused to order himself an Americano. Once the waiter had disappeared he turned back to Val with a soft smile on his face.

"Do you?" He asked, looking around. "It's very classy, that's for sure." He placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to kiss the top of her head. When she mentioned being free of their kids for the weekend, he raised a playful brow at her. "You're trying to get into trouble tonight, aren't you?" He teased. He then got closer to her ear so he could whisper, "I'm all for it." The moment he pulled away the waiter reappeared with their drinks. He thanked them and chuckled at his wife's comment about the music. "Sure, you tell them that." Shaking his head at her he raised his cup to immediately take a sip, calming his nerves. The dreaded moment had finally arrived and the sooner he got it over with the sooner they could get on with their night. "So. How have you been feeling lately? Enjoying all the time away?"
Valentina ( Misty Gray )​

 

[BloodLightning27]

Chapter 5: A Storm Is Brewing

Friday 19th April 1985
..6 days later...​

Pregnancy Tracker

Progression: 39.6/40 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 275/280 Days

Weight Gain: 68/68 Kg

Shinoa Bradford

Dublin City Center | See No Evil, Tell No Evil​

Compared to the last couple of prenatal appointments, Shinoa ended up attending one a little more into the evening. She was now five days from her due date. With it approaching so quickly, the teen couldn't help but feel scared and worried. Without guidance and support, she was overall surprised to make it so far. She couldn't give up now. Just because her Mother turned her back on her. And if her Father wrote back on the letter that she had sent a few weeks ago, it was either taking its time on arriving, or he never wrote back and probably accepted that his Daughter was gone and moved on. As all these thoughts traveled through her mind, Shinoa started her way back to the Hotel she's been staying at for the last six months. Money was starting to get a little more difficult to come by and she probably only had another two or three weeks until she would have to pack her bags and leave. But where would she go? She wasn't going to be able to board a flight with her newborn until they're at least three months old. Straightening out her dress and her cardigan, Shinoa looked up from her swollen belly to see three others walking the opposite direction. While they looked a little shady, Shinoa didn't really give them much of a second look and was making sure that she wouldn't bump into any of them.

As soon as she was about turn on the street corner, she heard the sound of gunfire. Terrified, she would attempt to waddle towards the alleyway, but before she could, the sound of car hitting a large object, as she looked over, Shinoa saw a crashed red car that had stopped in its tracks after crashing into a Road Skip. Initially, she wondered why it was in the middle of the street, Shinoa saw the construction site behind it. Her mind then went back to getting to the hotel, but then she heard someone running towards her. Too slow to react, a man then grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall behind her. Frightened to the bone, she looked down at the knife near her throat as the man who had grabbed her threatened to kill her if she talked about what she saw. A tear rolled down her cheek, she proceeded to plead for her life and that of her baby. "No please, I'm pregnant!" She cried.

The man only told her to keep her mouth shut and proceeded to sprint off. There was a brief moment of panic when the knife was lowered and the sharp end was pointed at her belly. As she touched her neck, she felt fresh blood on her hand. At least it was a minor cut and nothing worse. The expectant mother didn't think she'd survive in those last few moments and even thought she'd probably die right then and there...along with her baby. As the man who threatened her disappeared from her view, she slowly slid to the ground and started crying, a protective hand on her belly as her unborn child kicked. She even covered her mouth to muffle it, hoping that no one else would be coming for her.

Emery Callahan, Adam Harper Misty Gray Thomas Porter Bellz​

 

[BloodLightning27]

Chapter 5: A Storm Is Brewing

Friday 19th April 1985
..6 days later...​

Harmony Ryu & Jarrick Taylor (Cameo)

New York City| La Casa Nightclub | PARTY!!!!!​

Getting inked up again was certainly very nice and Harmony was overall very happy to have met her, even now having a go-to Tattoo Artist. While the tattoo Ava was currently working on for her wasn't exactly finished yet, they decided to keep the appointments spread out so that Harmony's skin would have time to heal. Now all she had to do was keep it covered up since tattoos were currently illegal here in New York City, which she very much frowned upon. Politicians don't know how to appreciate art. For this evening though, Valentina and Teddy had decided to send their children into the car of their Auntie Ava and Uncle Marcus. For this day, duty called. While the Wycliffs were having a date night, Harmony was tasked with protecting them. At first she thought that the children would be more of a priority, but Ava and Marcus were more then capable. Not to mention she thought that they deserved to spend some quality time with their Aunt and Uncle, especially seeing how kind Ava was and she hoped that the kids weren't taking their Aunt and Uncle for granted. Thankfully though for this evening, Valentina wasn't about to turn her into a Third Wheel and even encouraged her to live a little!

Valentina introduced her to a couple of other people, probably her friends, as she's never met either Ricky or Julia. So far, Harmony just felt super awkward, as this wasn't the welcoming and family-oriented environment that she was used to. Harmony's cheeks turned a little red when Valentina asked Julia to be the sane one at the table so that Harmony wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Afterwards, Valentinia told Harmony to 'give her a shout' if she needed anything and that she'd do the same. "Yes, ma'am." She nodded before the older woman walked to go spend time with her husband, leaving Harmony at the mercy of several unfamiliar faces.

Ricky would then struck up a conversation with her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Harmony. You must have had a pretty impressive interview with Moretti to get a gig like this. Looking after the Wycliffs and... y'know, being female."
"Have you been working for the family long?"

"Nice to meet you as well." She smiled a little thanks to the welcoming environment that resonated within the handsome-looking man.

Although she did have a bit of distaste on his remark about being a female. However, Harmony shrugged it off because it didn't seem like he meant any harm. However, on his comment about her interview with Moretti and how she got to be on protective detail for the Wycliffs, she wasn't sure of how to respond. She didn't get it right off the get-go... She then re-established eye contact when Ricky asked if she's been working for the family long. "I've only been working for the family for about a year now. But I've only been on protective detail for the Wycliffs for a little over a month now. But yeah, I guess the Interview with Mr. Moretti went well. Because I haven't been living in New York for very long. I've only been here a year." She said as she straightened out her hair.

Closer towards the entrance of the Nightclub, Jarrick was standing in as a Bouncer, but was also selling Cocaine. There were a lot of people here, so there was also money to be made. However, he was a little apprehensive because this was his first night working without his Brother, Q, who had been assigned to be a driver for Mrs. Moretti, the Don's Wife. He definitely had it easier, that's for sure. After selling a small bag of coke to a customer, he was then greeted by Damien. "Good to see you too, Damien." He said coldly, still not a big fan of Don Moretti's Go-To Torturer.

Nonetheless, he stepped aside and let the man pass because he was a co-worker. Sure, Jarrick wasn't a big fan, but they still had the same boss and since he's been in the organization much longer, or likely so, Jarrick had to respect that. At the suggestion of a break, Jarrick only shrugged. "If things calm down, yeah, maybe." He said before another party goer approached him and he pulled another ounce of coke from his jacket pocket. "So whatcha lookin' to get?" He asked, going straight back to business.

As Damien sat down at the table with her and everyone else, Harmony only gave him a quick glance as he talked with Ricky and Julia. Because she was fresh blood, she was for the most part quiet. But she was just shy, so it was tough for her.

"I'm sure you can relax a little, Harmony. Nobody's dumb enough to try anything in Gabriel's own club."

Harmony proceeded to look directly at him for his comment. "I'm gonna go with...I hope not. And I have to drive later, so I'm laying off on the drinking. Drunk drivers were...quite a problem where I'm from." She responded.

Thankfully, the Nightclub had Non-Alcoholic options, though Harmony ended up sticking to water because staying hydrated was important.

Riccardo Biancardi, Damian Nicolosi, Valentina Wycliff Misty Gray Julia Bellz​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Callahan Residence
~Dublin, Ireland~
Aliana Cartwright-Sullivan

Aliana wasn't sure how or why the men in her life were so adept at pissing people off. Leo had pissed off both Natasha and Thomas while her husband had pissed off Savannah. As much as she wanted to help fix whatever it was they had done, she decided she wasn't going to this time around. They had both dug this hole and jumped in and they could figure out how to get out by themselves. She'd be lying if she hadn't also been upset with Conor herself for what had transpired between him and their niece. Though she saw both sides of the argument she still thought Conor had gone too far and shouldn't have intervened the way he had. It was a struggle to get him to see that until she eventually had enough. The man had been more stubborn than ever and it was like talking to a wall.

The first thing Ali did when she arrived at Sinead's was set out to the kitchen to make frozen margaritas. The events of the past few days had done nothing but stress her out but what was new? Rhiannon set out to monitor her mother while Sydney had gone to spend time with Sinead. It was no secret the woman was one of her favorite adults, seeing as they shared similar interests. Ever since she was able to play the piano her aunt had sought to teach her all of the keys. It was easily becoming one of her favorite things to do next to drawing and eating candy. Sydney smiled at the encouragement she was given as she turned to the older woman. "Really?! Rhi-Rhi says my hands are always causing trouble." She shook her head and put her hands up. "She's completely wrong then!" She said matter-of-factly. Her head turned immediately to Callum who had interrupted her time with her aunt. Though it wasn't shown on her face, she was slightly disappointed about it. They had just started piano lessons and now she was being told to go do kid stuff, no doubt to let the adults talk. But it came with the treats that had been made so there was an upside to it. She nodded her head and slide down from the bench, leading Callum to the cookies. Wanting to make sure they didn't make a mess, Rhiannon followed closely behind them.

Ali passed by her children on the way back to the sitting room with a tray that held the now blended margarita in a pitcher and cups for herself and her sisters. "I will admit that this is more tequila than it is anything else, but it's still good." She joked, placing the tray down on the table. While Sinead talked she filled the cups up and handed them to the ladies. Hearing that Sav was upset with the men in her life, she wasn't surprised. Ali herself was upset with Conor and the way he had handle the situation and made it a point to tell him so. She felt like her husband had become a different person and didn't like it whatsoever. Where he thought he was doing the right thing, Ali hadn't been so convinced. However, she was tired of trying to help her son and her husband fix issues they were the cause of and stayed out of it. She immediately shook her head when Sinead teasingly shifted the blame to her. "Oh, no you won't. No one warned me that Sullivan men get more and more stubborn in their old age." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. She let Sinead speak again as she raised her glass to her lips nodding in agreement. "I've decided I'm not dealing with the men's shit anymore. Leo's pissed off Nat and Thomas and now Conor has pissed off Sav. I'm not going to be the one to give them advice nor help them fix what they've broken. I'm going to enjoy my frozen margarita and time with my sisters-in-law."
Sinead( Misty Gray )
Lucy ( Bellz )​

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce King
Tatiana Moretti​

For some time now, Bruce had been feeling confident about the way business was going. Having an alliance with the powerful Moretti family had put them in an advantageous position above other gangs, something that he was deeply grateful for. The Kings' relationship with the Sullivans had always been manageable, but Bruce knew he could only ever place true faith in his own family and the attack on Spencer the previous week had been a grim reminder of the fact. With tensions rising, it seemed the best thing to do was to arrange a meeting with Gabriel Moretti; if there was anyone who knew how to deal with them, it would be the man who had flushed them out of New York.

Fortunately, Erik had been quick to step up in response to the vicious attack, and had managed to have Gabriel over for a meeting within a week. Since business had been running smoothly for a while, it wasn’t often that the two families actually met up in person, mostly communicating through Erik instead when necessary. However, Bruce was concerned by the Sullivans’ unexpected act of violence against his eldest nephew and what it would mean for their relationship with the Sullivans going forward, especially since there was a young child tied to the two families, and the fact that Gabriel was willing to take the time to fly over to London to meet with him on the matter validated his concern.

Spencer had put a lot of effort into setting up the meeting with maximum security, ensuring that the chosen room was out of earshot of even the guards that stood nearby and that all their guests were searched for weapons on their way in. Bruce had no reason to expect aggression from them, but it was a habitual precaution he liked to take all the same. Once alerted that Moretti had arrived, Bruce allowed Spencer to show them the way whilst he awaited their arrival in the function room. It wasn't long before the door opened and he saw the familiar faces of his oversea allies.

“Gabriel Moretti, very good to see you, sir,” he jovially greeted the man as he stepped forward to begin shaking hands. “Tatiana, welcome to England. I hope London’s been treatin' you both well so far?” Placing a steady hand on Erik’s shoulder, he opened an arm out towards the leather sofa and armchairs that encircled a wide wooden coffee table. “Take a seat anywhere you like,” he offered, allowing everyone to find their places before he sat down himself. “Spencer, pour our guests here some drinks, will ya’, son? Good lad.” Turning back to Gabriel and Tatiana, he sent them a welcoming smile. “How are things? How are you, how’s the family?”

While Spencer sorted out everyone’s drinks, Bruce sat back in his seat and looked between his guests. “I appreciate you comin’ out here at such short notice,” he began. “I understand you’re busy people, so it means a lot that you’d find the time. You’re all aware of what’s happened, but allow me to outline the reason for this meeting.” Bruce cleared his throat, then raised his glass to his lips to take a quick drink before continuing. “There’s been a tension brewing between us and the Sullivans, all because of a child. Now my nephew, Alex, who’s sittin’ out in that bar there, and Conor Sullivan’s niece, Savannah Callahan, have been squabbling over their parental rights - who gets to see Callum when, et cetera. Recently, Savannah’s been taking a lot more than her agreed share of time with Callum, takin' him to Dublin without any notice of when he’ll be coming back, and her lack of communication has had Spencer here havin’ to take matters into his own hands to put it right - you know, some telephone calls to ask her for updates. Now, God knows why, right, but she couldn’t handle that on her own. So, she got her uncle to sort it out for her. And what does he go and do?” Leaning back, Bruce reached out and brought a firm hand down on Spencer’s shoulder to draw everyone’s attention to him. “The bloody bastard sends his men out on my boy.”

“Now, Spencer is a tough lad, so I don’t have to worry about him really, do I, Spence?” Not waiting for an answer, Bruce withdrew his hand and carried on. “But I don’t take this turn of violence lightly, all the same. It’s a big leap, going from a conversation over the telephone to a brutal surprise attack on our own territory. With a young child in the middle of all this, I wouldn’t like to see this fight get out of control, but at the same time, I don’t want me and mine to be watchin’ our backs on our own ground. Know what I mean?” After taking another sip of his drink, Bruce placed it back down on the centre coffee table and interlaced his hands. “So, I thought now might be a good time for us to meet up face to face, with the help of our lovely middle man here. Seein’ as how you have an extensive history in handling the Irish, I’d like to know what you would do.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Gabriel, Spencer
Melanin-Gxdess Erik