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

[Mitheral]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~
Katsya Grey​

“Honest? More or less? But I’m not convinced that’s all he knows. Toothpick? That’s you, Ross and don’t correct me. I need a few more questions answered. When did the guy call you? Did he call you at home? How would he know when and where to call you? What did he sound like? Was it quiet in the background while he spoke? Was he long winded or short and to the point? How much did he pay and offer? What sort of denominations? Old money or crisp and new? Where is the envelope now? How was it posted? Do you have any idea why he sent you after Emery? Why are you angry at Emery? I strongly suggest you answer that one with care.”

Katsya paused and looked at Adam. “Victimology. Who had reason to go after Emery? Emery can probably answer that. The person who called Toothpick here may not even be the one who wanted her hurt or dead. Could have been someone like you. Very doubtful though or they would have never hired Toothpick. Another possibility is that it was someone Emery doesn’t even know. That's the worst case scenario and means that Toothpick here was pretty much expected to fail. Then it could still be someone like you. You know, starting mayhem.

“One thing is certain. Toothpick is going to have some explaining to do to Seamus Sweeney. Like why he got Phelan here involved in something like this. Basically he’s put his life at risk. I can only imagine what would happen to me if I went and took a pot shot for a few lousy quid by way of a drive by - which is some real amateur bullcrap - at one someone well connected in a rival family - then went crying to Ms Harper, Olivia, to hide me. I suspect you and Conor would skin me alive.”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead she looked back at Ross. “About those answers? If you lie they will never find your corpse. On the other hand, I did bring a first aid kit. Faster you give answers, the better your chances.”

Misty Gray (Adam) + Ross, Phelan ... mitheral (Katsya)

 

[Misty Gray]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~​

Spoiler: Scene Head Count

Sullivan Gang:
Main Team: Adam, Aidan, Chase, Katsya, Stella.
NPCs/Distant Surveillance: Doyle, Lloyd
Sweeney Gang:
Phelan Sweeney, Ross
NPC Gang members: 6 - Doug, Eoin, Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane

Aidan Byrne​

Although Stella was quick to fire back at Eoin, Aidan didn't allow it to make him let his guard down and he kept his gun firmly trained on the group around the campfire. He sent the woman a glance, acknowledging her quick reaction in taking Eoin down. This prompted one of the more intoxicated men, Jay, to fall to his knees and check on his friend. It didn't take a genius to work out that Eoin was dead, but Jay didn't want to believe it, at least not until he'd seen up close. The man soon started crying as he pleaded with the dead man to get up. He was broken off when he heard John shout at the Sullivans, but he still kept his head down to face Eoin.

As John continued to yell at the Sullivans for what they were doing, Niall held his hands up in front to show he too wasn't holding a weapon. "Hey, man. Let's stay calm," he suggested to his friend. He didn't agree with what the Sullivans were doing, but Eoin had gone and opened fire despite having guns already pointed at the group. "We get through tonight and take it up with them when the odds aren't stacked against us," he quietly suggested.

The nearby gunshot was enough to cause Niall and the others to snaps their heads in the direction of the cabin where Phelan and Ross had been taken. This was followed by Chase informing the group that they were only there for the two of the men who had been dragged into the cabin. Niall didn't like it, not when he'd just heard a gunshot. Frankly, he didn't know Ross too well, so his anxiety was reserved for the safety of Phelan and what the man had got himself caught up in this time. "Let's all sit down," Niall repeated Chase's words as he perched himself on one of the tree stumps that had been fashioned into campfire seats.

Doug had stayed quiet throughout the exchanging of words, perhaps too scared to move in case his neck got cut much deeper than it currently was. Although he was experiencing fear in the situation, his breathing only seemed to get heavier and more strained. With it, Chase's proximity meant he would be able to hear the man wheezing before he struggled to stifle a cough. The man's heartbeat began to rapidly increase and Chase would feel Doug's weight increasingly pressing against him as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Hey! Is he okay?!" Niall shouted out as he slowly got to his feet. "He needs his asthma inhaler," he shouted. He quickly looked around the campfire area where various empty bottles and blankets where scattered around. "If it's not around here it'll be in the his truck," he said, fixing his eyes on Stella as he pointed to the pickup truck and two cars parked around 50 yards away.

"You're a liability, Doug," Aidan grumbled. He briefly looked to Chase to gauge how the man was going to deal with the Doug situation. "I'll keep us covered," he assured both Stella and Chase, switching his M1911 for the AK-47. Whether they chose to help the guy or not, Aidan wasn't going take his aim off of the group by the campfire.

Group 2: BloodThunder27 (Stella) Pyroclast (Chase), Misty Gray (Aidan) + Doug (asthma boi), Eoin (he ded), Jay (crying drunk), John (angry guy), Niall (reasonable dude), Scott, Shane

 

[Misty Gray]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~​

Spoiler: Scene Head Count

Sullivan Gang:
Main Team: Adam, Aidan, Chase, Katsya, Stella.
NPCs/Distant Surveillance: Doyle, Lloyd
Sweeney Gang:
Phelan Sweeney, Ross
NPC Gang members: 6 - Doug, Eoin, Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane

Adam Harper​

By inviting Katsya to give her input, Adam was able to take some time to study both Ross and Phelan as they responded to the woman. With her asking the questions, he wanted to consider and pick apart the answers. Given that he had more in-depth knowledge of the deeper transactions and potential issues at a higher level in the mob, he hoped he'd be able to find some clues from Ross' words that added up. The last thing he wanted was to have the shooting chalked up as an unsolved attack and he wasn't keen on putting it down to being the act of a simple lowlife out to cause drama.

"Can I at least sit down?" Ross exhaustedly asked. He didn't like being called 'Toothpick' but he knew he didn't have any choice in the matter. When Adam nodded to give permission, the bleeding man slid down the wall and sat on the floor as he continued to clutch at his shoulder again.

Adam listened as Katsya spoke to reason or make sense of who would attack Emery. He was aware the first suspicion Conor had about why she was attacked was that it was the Kings getting revenge for Spencer being beaten up. Whilst that suspicion had died down since the meeting with Bruce, Adam wasn't ready to dismiss it until they knew who was behind it. He nodded in agreement when she spoke of how Seamus would feel about Ross dragging Phelan into his mess.

When Katsya prompted him to answer the questions she'd fired at him, he took a moment to compose his thoughts and remember what he'd been asked. He nodded his head, keen on getting his wound treated before it was too late. "When? I got the call on... 16th April. Day after my birthday," Ross told them. Adam quickly worked out that was just days after Spencer was attacked; still keeping an open mind on the Kings being involved. "He called my house number. I do jobs for people willing to pay me, like break-ins and robberies, but being asked to kill someone was a first for me. I figure it's not hard to get my number. The guy who called me sounded local. He just asked me if I knew Emery and said that he would pay me to kill her. Told me to make sure it was public, to send a message or something," Ross explained, shrugging his shoulders.

Adam looked to Katsya with a curious expression as he recalled her words about the potential that Ross had been expected to fail. "And you say you've never been hired to kill anyone before? I know if I was going to pay someone to attack a family member of Conor Sullivan, I'd make sure I hired someone who knew what they were doing. Granted, I'd probably just do it myself..." he remarked. Deciding to hear more, he motioned for Ross to continue speaking.

"The guy offered me ten grand and gave me three grand up front. Mixture of twenties and fifties," he told her. He then pointed to a loose floorboard in the corner of the room, beneath which Katsya would find he had stashed the envelope of money along with his passport and a pistol. "I've spent some of it... The envelope was posted through my letterbox that night. I knew better than to try catch up with whoever had delivered it."

"So, someone clearly has money to waste, else they'd have hired a pro. It's a pricey message to send out," Adam considered. To him, the clues were still stacking up against the Kings, but he didn't want to let that distract him from other possibilities. The mob had a lot of enemies and ones who could afford to throw money away. The Morettis were one such enemy, but Adam had seen the theatrical messages they were capable of sending out and he believed neither him, Emery, nor Thomas would have survived the attack had Gabriel orchestrated it.

Ross shifted uncomfortably when asked why he was angry with Emery. The fact he had been told to answer with care made him soften his choice of language. "I've had past altercations with Emery and I don't like her attitude."

"He got his arse kicked," Phelan piped up.

"Yeah, but not by her! I owed your boss some money and when I couldn't pay her, she had the heavies beat the crap out of me. The bastards broke my nose," he explained. He looked Adam in the eyes before turning his gaze on Katsya. "That's everything I know."

Group 1: Mitheral (Katsya), Misty Gray (Adam) + Ross, Phelan

 

[Mitheral]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~
Katsya Grey​

"That's everything I know," Ross was saying.

Katsya nodded. She thought it was a little funny that Ross was telling her. Adam was the one who wanted the information. There was clearly a lot more going on than she knew. The game was now in Adam’s court - metaphorically and literally. The question was, was Adam the detective, the judge, or the executioner? She was leaning more toward the last option. At least the cash from Ross’ stash could pay off part of what he had owed Emery. Small win maybe.

“I think I believe him. We might get more out of him over time. But I think we are talking about diminishing returns not worth the time it would take. And I suspect you know a few things I don’t. I don’t know what else to ask.”

She hoped Phelan was going to survive this. She couldn’t blame the guy for not ratting. She could even respect it. That, and causing him harm would just increase tensions with the Sweeney family. Pissing off every small gang was a good way to waste the resources of a mob. Adam and Conor had to know that.

“I don’t hear any more shooting out there. Just one volley. Sounded like one dead. If you aren’t going to end Phelan, if you can drop him off with me at my truck I can run him home. I’d rather he didn’t get stopped for indecent exposure and have to explain it to a cop. My bad? Or .. I could let him use one of my sheets?” Her eyes danced with mischief as she realized Adam knew what sheets she meant.

“Do I need to get the medkit for Ross?” It was her way of asking if Adam wanted to waste the bandages. Fact was, the guy had owed money to AND took a hit order on a member of the Sullivan family. “And if so, what do you want me to do with Phelan here in the meantime?"

Misty Gray Adam) + Ross, Phelan

 

[BloodThunder27]

~Stella Kwon~Dublin, Ireland | Irish Wilderness

Stella felt blood partly dripping out of the fresh wound on her cheek. Not even flinching at the pain that it had initially brought, she wiped the blood with her glove. After all, it was just a graze, not a full-on bullet wound. As the adrenaline wore off, she placed her finger above the trigger of her rifle, briefly staring at the smoke at the end of the barrel. She watched as one of the other men knelt down towards the man that she had just shot and killed. He had fired first, so for Stella, it was self-defense. Not to mention he was warned early on to not try anything stupid. That warning was not taken seriously, and Eion paid with his life. One of the others, John, put his hands up before shouting at her and the other Sullivans before them. As Stella decided to speak, another gunshot had rang out within the home. Because she could not see what was going on within the home, Stella was a little concerned for both Adam and Katsya despite knowing that they could handle themselves. After Chase told the Sweeneys to be quiet and in their place, Stella took her chance to speak "Your friend shot first, even after we warned him not to do anything stupid when we got here. He didn't listen and he paid for it." She said coldly, showing that she had no remorse over Eion's death.

Then all of the men sat down by their fire. Hopefully now they'd behave so that they could all get out alive once this was over. Once Adam and Katsya got what they wanted from Phelan and Ross. Most of all, hopefully they all learned from Eion's mistake. Stella's concentration was soon broken when she heard someone breathing rather heavily. Upon hearing that the man in Chase's grasp had Asthma, Stella had a slight slither of sympathy. "I may be a killer, but I'm not a monster." She then let her gun dangle from its sling upon hearing that the man's inhaler was in the truck since it could not be found.

Aiden proceeded to assure both her and chase that he had them covered. "Alright, I'll go find the inhaler. Consider this an act of mercy. Because while your lives may not matter to me, no one deserves such a cruel and painful death." She said before leaving to go get the inhaler.

While walking towards the truck, she proceeded to draw her Desert Eagle and thumbed back the hammer after turning the safety on it off. Keeping the hand-cannon at the ready, the Bounty Hunter slowly made her way towards the beaten up truck once it came into view.

Interactions: Aiden Byrne Misty Gray | Chase Zegarra Pyroclast
Enemies: Doug, Eoin (Deceased), Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Sullivan's Pub
~Dublin City Centre, Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan​

Ali was truly grateful to have people like Conor and Blake in her life, especially during her low points. They were two of the only people she could trust to help make her feel better when she had moments of low self-esteem. She smiled at Blake when she echoed Conor's compliment. "What would I do without the two of you?" She said, leaning over to kiss her husband's cheek before leaning to give her best friend and gentle squeeze to her hands. For the time being, she would leave the bag unopened, deciding to open it later on in the night. "Thank you for this, but you didn't have to." She informed her friend, shaking her head. Despite always protesting gifts she was always given them. She then turned her attention to her husband, who had made a suggestively flirtatious comment. With a wink, she nodded her head in agreement. "I'm definitely holding you to that later." Ali rubbed her hand across his shoulders. "You are pretty attractive for a grandpa."

What Blake got up to wasn't any of her husband's business, especially when it came to her sex life, but Aliana knew why he was acting the way he was. Blake was his best friend's wife and now that he was gone he had taken it upon himself to watch over her and the kids. Almost like a big brother. But Aliana couldn't help but wonder if it was because of that or if it were because of the man in question. Would Conor still be acting this way if it weren't Adam? Adam was thick into the business, took care of most of the things Ali wouldn't want Conor taking care of. He was facing the same risks Jackson had before he died and for Blake to go through that all over again was cause for concern. So, maybe Ali would be okay to ease back from grilling her husband. Leaning back in her seat she listened as the two of them spoke, waving down a waitress to refill her cup.

"Adam's great. And I think knowing everything you've gone through, he'll be a lot more cognizant when it comes to his safety and taking unnecessary risks. I like to think that's what Conor did when he realized how serious our relationship was," she teased before turning back to Blake. "But I love you guys together!"

Blake ( Bellz )
Conor ( Misty Gray )

***

Alex's Home
~Bethnal Green, London~
Alexander King​

It wasn't just the father area he needed to be more responsible in it seemed. At the mention of their family business getting busier, Alex sank into his seat. So much more responsibility was to be had and he wasn't sure he was ready for it; he wasn't sure if he could do it. But, the last thing he wanted to do was let down his family so he was definitely going to do his best. "Alright then... Sign me up for the next meeting," he joked, taking a swig of his beer. "Jesus... Well, yeah, lesson learned and all that. Especially after he got sick last week. It was a disgusting mess." He shivered at the thought before the topic changed.

Spencer explained how he should settle down, find himself a good girl, and Alex couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Me? In a fully committed relationship?" He wasn't just laughing because he knew it was near impossible, but also because he had also thought about it. However, the pressure of ignoring all temptation would knock some sense back into his head and it would become a useless thought. "Plenty of guys out there are single dads. Hey! Look at Bruce. Sure, he's not our dad, but the only woman in his life after his wife died has been Darcey and I don't think they've ever been together." He shrugged his shoulders at the thought of being a single dad forever, though he knew one day he would truly get tired of the bachelor lifestyle. Maybe he would want someone to come home to and put him in his place, someone to help him raise Callum. When Spencer talked about the good image Callum had of him so far, he couldn't help but smile. The look on his kid's face whenever he came around made Alex happy. It was one of those looks you never wanted to fade. "Yeah, I know. That's why I'm serious about makin' this work, Spence. It's why I hate that he has to go to Dublin."

"You'll figure it out. You always do, anyway. What are big brothers for?" He teased, giving him a boyish grin. "Shirley? That pregnant lady from the other night?" He paused for a moment thinking on it before nodding his head. "Right, right. Well I mean, can't they help each other out when she gets better? You know Shona won't just leave the girl to fend for herself, especially if she's alone. You married a proper saint with that one. In any case, if you really don't think it's a good idea just tell her; doesn't make you a monster for having to take care of your house before trying to take care of someone else's."

Spencer ( Misty Gray )

***

Wycliff Family Home
~Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn~
Theodore 'Teddy' Wycliff & Elvian Moretti​

At the mention of Rocco's lack of training, Teddy couldn't help but chuckle. Was Gabriel taking a jab at him yet again? If not that was definitely how Teddy was taking it. It was probably due to the fact that he was already upset with Gabriel that he found something so minuscule to be bothered about, but he couldn't help it. Gabriel then moved on to how clean the Wycliff home had been, suggesting Paolo had been shipped off. "Ah, no. No, Val would kill him if I sent her favorite away," he joked. "No, my tiny helper is keeping him occupied for a moment." He said referring to his eldest. There were some days Teddy was sure Francis hated being an older brother - his past temper tantrums to blame - but as of late he was fulfilling the role quite nicely. Keeping his younger siblings occupied while Teddy and Valentina tended to other things had become something of a job for him, even though his parents repeatedly told him he didn't have to. "I suggest you enjoy the quiet while you can," Teddy said before shaking his head.

Teddy turned his attention to both Harmony and Quadir, the latter he had only met a handful of times. It seemed Elvian was adding more people to her collection of drivers. "He may seem cute now," he started, using his foot to guide the noisy dog elsewhere. "But he is a headache. Some days I wish I had never let them convince me to get him." Though Rocco was the family dog, it was Teddy that had almost always pulled the short end of the stick when it came to taking care of him. He couldn't even count how many baths he had given him, though that was because his children didn't understand they didn't have to bathe with the dog...

The moment Valentina appeared, Elvian wrapped her arms around her with a smile. She waited for her husband to finish speaking before shooting her daughter a wink. The look she was given was clear that Val was confused, but Elvian shook her head. "I'm not saying a word." She simply said, playfully throwing her hands up. A huge smile soon grew on her face when Cristina revealed herself and her pink hair. Elvian just knew Gabriel was about to have a heart attack, but Elvian herself loved it. "Look at this pretty hair!" She stated, softly running her fingers through it. Just as Valentina explained they were clip-ins she stopped so she wouldn't mess them up. "Well, I for one think it's fabulous! Just like dear Harmony." She said, turning to look at the younger woman with a smile. "I supposed this is your doing?"

"I'm sure they're the first set of many," Teddy joked, placing a hand on his daughter's head. Gabriel asked if the two of them could speak in private causing Teddy's eye to subtly twitch. He wanted to spend this evening focused on Valentina but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen tonight. With a reluctant nod, he kissed Val on her forehead before leading his father-in-law out into the backyard. He politely refused the cigar and waited until Gabriel positioned himself to start speaking. Of course, it was about the Porter situation. How could he think it was about anything other than the wretched man? Teddy took a seat in a nearby garden chair, leaning back to get comfortable. With his fingers laced together and sitting in his lap, he shrugged his shoulders. "What's there to say, Gabe? You made a decision to keep the guy alive. Never mind the fact I nearly paid for his transgressions with my life on two different occasions." He said, referring to the attack and having to tell Gabriel about what he had done. Those few months had been hell for him in both recovery and figuring out how to make up for his betrayal. "No, I don't fucking agree. You've killed men for far less and he's done far worse yet you're going to keep him alive? What, for some fragile alliance we're better off without? You're damn right I'm not overjoyed."

Gabriel ( Misty Gray )

***

Erik's Apartment
~Hackney, London~
Erik Snowden & Ava Moretti​

"'Course he will. Just gotta let 'im do it on his own." Ava found herself giving Billy more advice on Erik and didn't know why. He was a stranger to her - despite Erik talking endlessly about him to her. But even for the few minutes that they had spent on the phone together, she couldn't help but feel as if he were being genuine in saying he cared about him. There were plenty of people who had told Erik they cared only to end up not really caring. Ava had been there to pick up the pieces every single time and would continue to do so for her cousin. Yet with Billy, she wasn't getting that tingling sensation that told her something was amiss with this person. Realizing she may have just told him something she wasn't supposed to, she quickly stammered. "Oh- D-Don't tell Erik I said that! He'll kill me for sure." But, maybe it was good for Billy to know how much Erik talked about him and how much he valued their friendship. Especially since they had been on the outs so many times before. "But, yeah he does. I'm glad you reciprocate it too. Saves me from having to give another speech." She rolled her eyes on the other end out of habit, seeing as Billy couldn't see her face right now.

Ava paused for a moment, unsure if she should be saying anything more right now. It was Erik's business and the last thing she wanted to do was say something that would mess everything up. "Oh, I- I don't know if I should say, Billy." She bit her lip, contemplating the decision in silence for a moment longer. With a deep sigh, she tried her best to put it into words. "He's... Destructive when he gets overwhelmed. Makes stupid decisions. I can usually tell when somethings botherin' 'im that he ain't tellin' me about. Call it a sixth sense." She paused for a moment to let him take it in before continuing. "If you see 'im about to do something stupid, smack 'im around a few times. He'll be pissy but eventually, he'll calm down and be back to his normal, joyful self. But do not, under any circumstance, leave 'im alone while he's all gloomy. That's when the destruction starts." Looking at the clock again, Ava let out a gasp and jumped up from her couch, frantically trying to untangle herself from the cord. "Look, Billy, I'm so sorry but I'm running late for this thing and I've gotta go. I'd love to finish this chat some other time. Maybe I'll come to visit! Tell Erik I'll call him sometime next week and please, do your best to look after him!" Without giving him a second to respond, Ava hung up the phone.

Once the last of the suds had disappeared down the drain, Erik turned the water in his shower off. After he squeezed some of the water from his hair he wrapped his towel around his waist and stepped from the shower. The playful part of him wanted to just walk out of the bathroom nude and shock Billy, but he knew the two of them needed to have a conversation first. One they wouldn't be able to have if Erik was messing around. No, this was the time for him to be serious and that's what he was going to do right now. Instead, he kept his towel wrapped around him before moving from the bathroom to his bedroom, leaving the door ajar so he could shout to Billy. "Who was it?" He asked, quickly drying off his body before searching his messy room for clean clothes. A laundry trip had been planned but the day had gotten away from him. He had to sniff check a couple of items before putting them on and joining Billy in the living room. "All clean."

Billy ( Pyroclast )​

 

[Misty Gray]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~​

Spoiler: Scene Head Count

Sullivan Gang:
Main Team: Adam, Aidan, Chase, Katsya, Stella.
NPCs/Distant Surveillance: Doyle, Lloyd
Sweeney Gang:
Phelan Sweeney, Ross
NPC Gang members: 6 - Doug, Eoin, Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane

Adam Harper​

Like Katsya, Adam was inclined to believe Ross was telling them the truth. There were no outrageous claims and the level of information the man had on his unknown caller seemed about right. The caller may have just been a messenger for someone else, but either way, they'd taken steps to remain anonymous, which Adam deemed a wise move. Adam shook his head at mention of getting more details out of Ross over time. He was certain they'd got everything they could out of the man.

Adam flashed a crooked smile at Katsya when she spoke of not letting Phelan get stopped for indecent exposure. He had intended on rooting around the cabin, expecting Ross might have some changes of clothing around for Phelan to make use of. For now, he didn't want to agree to Katsya's plan to run the youngest Sweeney home as he wasn't yet ready to let Phelan think he was off the hook. "Ah, I'm sure Ross has some clothes Phelan can borrow. That is, if we let Mr. Sweeney here off the hook," he remarked.

When the woman asked if she needed to get the medical kit for Ross, Adam turned to her and lightly shook his head. His expression was a neutral one, free of anything resembling humour or even anger. He had his orders from Conor and one of those orders was to kill Ross. Adam agreed with his boss' wishes and if he was being honest, he'd killed other men for far less. Attempting to murder a blood relative of the mob boss was high up on the list of serious offences. Even if he did have any second thoughts about doing it, Adam still wouldn't hesitate. He'd been working for the Irish Mob for decades and his reputation was built on the fact he didn't go back on his word to carry out an order.

Adam was still holding the gun he'd confiscated from Ross, though his arm hung casually at his side. Turning to Ross, he looked down at the man who was sitting on the floor clutching at his bleeding shoulder. "I meant what I said about us being even for this," he assured him, using the tip of the gun to tap his own shoulder where the gunshot wound Ross had inflicted on him was healing up nicely. "The trouble is, you did try to kill Mr. Sullivan's niece. I think we all know what that means," Adam told him. Without giving opportunity for a response or chance for Ross to panic, Adam aimed his gun at the man's forehead and squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet ripping through his skull. Without hesitation, he fired again, this time emptying the gun with two bullets to the chest and piercing the man's heart. The first wound may have been all that was needed, but Adam felt the need to make sure the man's death would be as quick as possible .

Adam placed the gun in his back pocket so he could dispose of it himself rather than leave a murder weapon behind. Turning to Katsya and Phelan, he thought for a moment before slowly nodding. Judging by Phelan's shocked face at having just watched his friend being put down in front of him, the Sweeney man was learning a lesson about not crossing the Sullivans. "As for Phelan... Mr. Sullivan was inclined to let the man walk out of here tonight, but he left it to my judgement as to whether that's the right thing to do." He folded his arms in front of him, perhaps a good sign as it meant he wasn't holding any weapon to shoot or stab the man with. "You need to stop trying to get a reaction out of me and park your bikes on the roadside. If you piss me off again, I will break your fucking legs, and that will be on my own terms, nothing to do with my boss. And, if you see Olivia Sullivan again, you apologise to her for being so rude." Phelan quickly nodded his head in agreement of both points. "Finally, stop hanging around with people like Ross, who are going to drag you into their shit. I respect your loyalty to the guy, but think about the crap you're bringing onto your own doorstep. You have your brothers to thank for Mr. Sullivan's mercy on this one and he will be arranging to speak with them very soon, to make sure we're all on the same page."

Adam turned to Katsya with a smirk. "As you said, the guy needs some more clothes on," he finally vocalised his agreement for her earlier suggestion. "And I'll take you up on that offer to deliver him home to his brothers so they can be filled in on the trouble he's been causing this time."

Group 1: Mitheral (Katsya), Misty Gray (Adam) + Ross, Phelan

 

[Pyroclast]

Chase Zegarra​

Despite his imposing physique, intimidation had never been something Chase felt was a strength of his. His role within the mob had started out as being a drug trafficker, flying illicit cigars and cocaine between Cuba and the US, and later on he had taken on guard duties for the Irish Mob's establishments in New York. As a shy type, those jobs suited him fine; in general, he preferred to let somebody else lead an operation that required more charisma - like leaving Adam to interrogate Phelan and Ross while he kept the rest of the men in line. Never having been particularly confident at addressing a group, he was relieved that they complied with his instructions and sat back down around the campfire without putting up a fight.

It was around then that he felt Doug begin to squirm in his arms again - at first Chase just tightened his hold on him, and when he heard the man’s breathing change he still just assumed that he was upset about his dead friend. But Niall then stood up and alerted him to the fact that Doug was struggling to breathe. Chase was careful to react, aware that it could be a trick, but when he looked down at the man he was restraining he realised that his breathing had turned into more of a wheeze.

“Oh, joder,” Chase grumbled with a sigh. Doug was growing heavier in his arms as he struggled to keep himself upright, and Chase knew that there was little point in trying to hold him up if he didn’t want to end up carrying the man’s full weight. He quickly put away the Buck knife and, roughly grabbing Doug’s jacket into his fist, he shoved the man to his knees before kneeling down behind him. He kept a hold of him to prevent him from falling, forcing him to sit upright, and reached around with his other hand to loosen the man’s collar. Even though Doug meant absolutely nothing to him, Chase was keen to see him recover. Watching a man die was completely different than killing him on purpose.

“We told you to let him go,” John spat, glaring hard at Chase. “It’s your fuckin’ fault this is happening!” Chase glanced up at him, only to notice that everyone was now staring anxiously at Doug. Having to keep his attention on the asthmatic man, he had to trust Aidan to make sure that nobody drew a weapon. He would have liked to let Doug’s friends deal with the asthma attack instead, but he didn’t see the point of giving up the hostage now. “Jesus Christ, can you at least let us help look for his inhaler?!” John yelled, this time directed at Aidan, who had his gun trained on the group.

“Hey Stella, where are you up to?” Chase called out, hoping she was on her way back with the inhaler by now. There was a distinct rattle in each strained breath that Doug took and even in the low light, Chase could tell that his face was going off-colour. There were tears in his eyes and he was shaking, which made him wonder if there was a level of panic and grief making the whole thing worse. It was awful to watch, and at this point Chase just wanted it to end. With a heavy sigh, he decided he would have to resort to some gentle encouragement. “Slow it down, Doug,” he commanded, keeping his voice low in hopes that the rest of the men wouldn’t hear. He was supposed to be intimidating them, after all. “You’ll get through this, alright? Close your eyes and just focus on getting those breaths slow and steady. Your friends are all rooting for you, so don't let 'em down...”

Interactions
BloodThunder27 Stella
Misty Gray Aidan
+ Doug (asthma boi), John (angry guy), Jay (crying drunk), Niall (reasonable dude), Shane, Scott, Eoin

 

[Misty Gray]

Wycliffe Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Gabriel Moretti​

Gabriel kept quiet as Teddy spoke his mind about the situation with James Porter. His son-in-law was clearly angry with the plan to get the Irishman out of jail and he couldn't criticise him for it. After all, James had personally tortured and maimed Teddy in a bid to extract information from the man. Years prior to that, the same man was responsible for the explosion that wiped out most of the Moretti bloodline. Gabriel understood where Teddy was coming from and he'd spent the last couple of weeks thinking over the situation. Not just about kickstarting the process of getting James off the hook for the cop's murder, but what else he was planning to do after that.

Once he'd allowed Teddy to get things off his chest, Gabriel took in a long drag of his cigar before blowing out the smoke. "It's good to let off some steam once in a while," he lightly commented about the man's offloading. "You know, back in '72, I received the odd comment that I was letting my personal feelings get in the way of business. My advisers thought I could be focusing on seeking out vengeance at the detriment to the business. I didn't agree with that, because I knew exactly what I was doing and I succeeded in the end." Stubbing out the cigar in the ashtray in the centre of the patio table, Gabriel dragged a garden chair so he could sit directly opposite Teddy. "When we shipped the Irish rats out of New York, I made the decision to set aside personal feelings and put my business first. It benefitted us to maintain the peace deal with the Sullivans whilst we took over our newly acquired empire."

Gabriel sat back in his seat and took a moment to look out onto the garden whilst taking in the quite evening. He quickly snapped his attention back to Teddy and shook his head. "You are correct, that we don't need this alliance anymore. Riccardo's idea has provided the perfect opportunity for us to end all remaining agreements with the Sullivans. Conor wants to hand over all remaining assets and ownership he has in New York, along with putting an end to any contracts we have in place." Gabriel sat forward and allowed his eyes to fix on Teddy. "I've had a lot of time to think about this and as much as I hate to admit it, things are still personal. The Kings have a lot to offer us in the narcotics trade deal. They are also the key to helping me wipe out the Irish for good. A few more nudges in the right direction and they will be at war with the Kings - a war I can help the English win. Whoever arranged the attack that killed Mr. Moore really did help my cause. I suspect the Sullivans are realising their own streets are no longer as under their control as they had been."

Gabriel let out a sigh, not one for heart-to-hearts and sympathy. "Theodore, I understand the pain Porter caused you," he assured him. "He's caused my whole family a lot of pain, whether physical or psychological. Yes, I am letting Porter get out of jail alive. I've realised I would take no pleasure in having the bastard murdered in a cell by some scumbag prisoner or crooked prison guard. They haven't earned that honour. Nobody, especially not Riccardo, is aware of this, but... I'm letting Porter out so we can kill him ourselves. That piece of shit will never make it out of New York. I want him to suffer at my own hands and I want to watch him die a painful death. I want you to be a part of that," he told him.

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)

 

[BloodThunder27]

~Stella Kwon~Dublin, Ireland | Irish Wilderness

It did not take long for Stella to make her way towards the beaten up truck, keeping her gun at the ready as she was expecting someone to try and jump her. Thankfully, nothing really came of that and she was able to make it to the truck without incident. Upon trying the Driver's Door, she realized that the door was locked. Not wasting another second, she pistol-whipped the window as hard as she possibly could. As the numerous cracks formed, she elbowed the window, causing the glass to shatter upon the hard impact. Reaching inside, she opened the driver's door and took a quick look around. Finding the inhaler in one of the cup holders, she proceeded to grab it before shutting the door and started making her way back. Upon arriving back at the bonfire, she heard shouting, granted Chase was on the receiving end. He wasn't phased by it though and continued to keep Doug in his grasp.

Finally, Chase proceeded to ask what she was up to, prompting Stella to step out from the shadows, the Inhaler in her hand. "Well, I found the inhaler. I was just waiting for everyone to calm down." She said, looking straight at John, who had been shouting at Chase. "So your boy here has his medicine. Now you can either sit down and shut the fuck up. Or, I can tear your fucking head off and leave it on Phelan's bike tomorrow morning while you enjoy your trip to hell." She proceeded to hand the inhaler to Chase so that he could treat Doug's asthma attack.

After that, she brought out a Karambit Knife to show that she was serious about her threat towards John while keeping her Desert Eagle at the ready for the others, ready to kill them at a moment's notice should they even flinch or look at her wrong.

Interactions: Aiden Byrne Misty Gray | Chase Zegarra Pyroclast
Enemies: Doug, Eoin (Deceased), Jay, John (He's gonna get it if he doesn't shut the fuck up), Niall, Scott, Shane

 

[Misty Gray]

Wycliffe Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Valentina Wycliff and Riccardo Biancardi​

Valentina served her mother and their guests their drinks, trying to focus on that to take her mind off of being annoyed Gabriel had rushed to talk business with Teddy. She was already trying to hide her annoyance towards the plans to have James Porter released. Like Teddy, she hated the Irishman for what he had done to her family. Whilst she'd never liked the torture and intimidation of the more innocent Sullivan family members at the height of the New York war, she at least believed James and his successor, Conor, deserved to suffer. For now, she was trying to stay quiet on the matter and avoid riling Teddy up further about it, especially considering what James had done to him.

Hearing Jarrick was on business in Harlem caused Valentina to visibly tense up for a moment. She had no problem with Harlem itself, not even East Harlem, especially now the whole of Manhattan was now under Moretti rule. But just hearing the word 'Harlem' tended to stir a feeling of discomfort within her as the men who had attacked her and planned the attack were the East Harlem Crew, who at the time had control over that area. Thankfully, they were all long since dead and buried. "Ah, it used to be a real dump around there, before my father had the place cleaned out."

Saved by the sound of the doorbell, Valentina rushed to excuse herself. "I'll get the door," she announced. After quickly walking to the front door, she peered through the glass window to see the familiar man standing on the doorstep. Regardless of the armed security at her residence, she knew to always check who was at the door before opening it. She soon opened it and brightly smiled at her guest. "Ricky! I'm glad you could make it," she said, giving him a quick hug. "Where's Julia?" she asked, stepping away from the brief embrace.

"She's tied up with work right now. She's hoping to make it across before the end of the night, but she can't make any promises. I thought I'd at least grace you with my presence. Consolation prize and all," he joked at his own expense. He stepped into the house when invited, but remained in the doorway as he handed the birthday girl an envelope. Valentina opened it up to see a hand-crafted birthday card with two tickets inside. "Spa, dinner, theatre and a night's stay..." she read out the words on the ticket. "Oh, that's really kind, Ricky. Thank you," she happily beamed.

"You're difficult to buy for, Val. I mean, what do you get Gabriel Moretti's favourite, who already has everything she wants?" he teased. "I decided to gift you with relaxation and new memories."

"Good thinking. However, you'll find I am not my father's favourite. The grandchildren are the favourites - it's kind of weird seeing how sweet he can get with them. Paolo is six and has already been spoiled more than Tati, Marcus, and me were in our whole childhoods put together," she pointed out. "I'm almost jealous," she laughed.

"Ah, that's the law, though. Grandparents always spoil their grandkids more than they did their own. Anyway, take me to the party before you convince me Gabe has gone soft..."

Once they were back in the lounge, Ricky approached Elvian first and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder as he greeted her. "Good evening, Mrs. Moretti. Looking fabulous, as always. Fancy sneaking off together whilst your husband isn't looking?" he joked. He then straightened up and cleared his throat. "Don't tell him I said that. The ice I'm skating on is thin enough." Ricky then turned his attention to Harmony. "Great to see you again, Rainbow Girl," he greeted her with a bright smile.

Valentina rested her hand on Ricky's back as she directed his attention to Quadir. "Quadir, this is Riccardo Biancardi. Ricky, this is Quadir - you've already met his brother, Jarrick," she introduced him.

"It's good to meet you, Quadir," Ricky said as he reached out to shake the man's hand. "You work for Mr. Moretti too? What is it he has you doing for him?" he asked. Whilst not expecting a lot of detail, he was at least curious to get a sense of the big guy's position in the business.

Valentina returned to her mother and Harmony. "When Papa and Teddy return to the party, can we make it our job to stop all business talk from then on? We've had to skip many celebrations for the sake of the business, I won't have this party turn into another meeting."

BloodThunder27 (Harmony, Quadir)
Melanin-Gxdess (Elvian)

 

[Pyroclast]

Elena Velazco​

Elena smiled down at the border collie when Thomas pointed out that he didn’t quite live alone. “She pays rent with kisses,” she said fondly, waving at Lucky when the dog looked up at her. Thomas moved into the kitchen but Elena lagged behind him, still taking in the apartment. She pondered how much a person’s home reflected them as a person - it was hard to tell with her home in Cuba because she had never really had her own space. Even when it was as tidy as it could be it was always cluttered, purely for the amount of people occupying such a small area. Elena wasn’t really sure how to interpret what that said about her, if it even did. Yet, Thomas still had a mysterious air about him that she had a feeling she would have to work through in order to understand him; if the way he filled his apartment said anything about who he was, she had to at least try to read into it.

Before she could form any kind of real opinion, Thomas started telling her about how it had been to live at his brother’s house and how it compared to living alone. “Ah...I understand family,” she sympathised. “It’s not easy when we are together all the time. But I leave my family, and you leave your family...and now we are lonely and free. We can do what we want and nobody knows…”

It had only been a few minutes since she had arrived; since she had told herself to take it slow, to not assume anything, to be nothing more than a friend to Thomas. Yet, this was the first time they had really been in private together. There was a temptation there, like a magnetic force pulling her towards him, and she could feel herself losing sight of her rationality as it gave way to a more earthly desire. She soon found herself in the kitchen, leaning over a counter to watch Thomas open a bottle of champagne. The cork gave a delightful pop, and a geiser of foam erupted out, gushing onto the tiles at their feet. Elena giggled, and extended a leg to dip her toe into the pool of alcohol. Catching the bewildered look on Thomas’ face, she allowed his magnetism to draw her further towards him, no doubt in her mind that he was reading the situation the way she had hoped.

Before the tension between them could break, Lucky scampered into the kitchen and started licking up the spilled alcohol from the floor. Elena giggled at the dog’s bad behaviour and pressed herself up against the counter to give Thomas more space to mop up the mess. “She wants to have fun, too!” she playfully defended the dog, though really she didn’t want harm to come to the animal. Thomas soon passed her a glass of champagne and she quietly thanked him as she wondered how to get back to where they had been before Lucky had interrupted them. He then told her that the dog must be acting out of jealousy because she had never seen him bring a girl home. Elena blushed upon hearing this - despite Thomas' shy demeanor, it surprised her that he wasn't used to female company, and she couldn't deny that it made her feel special. She figured he must really like her, and he went on to back up this thought by telling her she looked amazing.

Too busy processing the compliment to work out a response, she instead brought her champagne glass to her lips. She took a tentative sip, never having had it before; standing in Thomas’ own apartment, she was feeling slightly self-conscious of coming from such a poor background and so had intended to drink as if it was no big deal. But she couldn’t hide her reaction when the sweet flavour fizzed across her tongue. ”Wow,” she exclaimed, peering into the glass to watch the bubbles fizz to the top. “Champagne is delicious!”


Still visibly affected by what he had just said to her, Thomas tried to move on by focusing on the meal he was set to prepare. "I never eat Italian food before," she told him. "You make tonight special for me." And in return, she intended to make the night special for him.

"I find your bathroom, Tomás," she announced, setting her glass down on the counter. "I come back soon, okay?" Sending him a smile, she sidled round the doorway and set off in search of his bathroom. Once she had found it, she faced the mirror and examined her face. Before leaving the apartment, she had packed a tube of red lipstick that Fergus, the hotel owner with whom she had been sharing a bed, had bought for her to wear. She also had on a set of lingerie that Fergus had also bought for her - nothing particularly fancy, but it matched at least, which was more than anything she had ever had before. She hated wearing anything Fergus gave her to fulfill his sick desires, but if it was Thomas she was going to impress she thought it was worth it. She put the lipstick on, untied her hair and shook it so that it fell in sweeping waves across her shoulders. Then, after checking herself over one last time, she quietly stepped out into the main room. While Thomas was still in the kitchen, Elena thought now would be a good chance to test the waters. She was thinking of what he had said earlier, about his dog never having seen her with a woman, and was wondering when the last time was that he had been with someone. In a roundabout way, she asked, "For how long do you live with Lucky?" and while he was busy preparing the food in the kitchen, she silently unzipped her dress and stepped out in just her underwear. With a small, sultry smile tugging at her lips, she crept back towards the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe, picking up the champagne glass that she had left and waiting for Thomas to notice her.

Interactions
Bellz Thomas

 

[Mitheral]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~
Katsya Grey​

Katsya nodded at Adam. “Understood Mr Harper. Well then, it sounds like it’s my time to get to work. She tossed Ross’ passport on his body. “I’ll be right back to clean up the mess a little. C’mon Phelan. You are going to have to suffer a little embarrassment with your mates.”

Checking up on Stella served two purposes. The first was actually checking to reassure herself that she was okay. She got her answer without having to ask. Almost okay and angry as crap. Not many people really intimidated Katsya. But Katsya did NOT like getting the girl angry or seeing her that way.

“Stella, I hate to ask, but can you watch Phelan along with the rest while I go back and get some cleaning supplies? Phelan, same deal as before. Mouth shut unless Mr Harper or one of those two have a question for you. Keep your mates quiet if you can. I don’t want to have to go back for even more supplies. As nice as it is for my end of the business, I don’t want to have to offer a bulk discount rate.” She eyed Stella’s cheek. “I brought a med kit. I’ll have a look at that later.”

With that she left Phelan there with his friends. She figured that by this time Stella would have made sure that none of them were armed. Getting back to her Go Bag she pulled out a couple drop cloths, some cleaning gloves, bleach and a spray bottle. All the gunfire outside would have spread blood everywhere and with no water on site, she couldn’t dilute the bleach. If Mr Harper wanted a thorough job done she would have to come back. And coming back for the bodies was for the best anyways. As an afterthought she grabbed a cloth tapemeasure. She headed back to the cabin whistling the dwarf work song from Snow White.

Once back, she went in and wrapped up Ross first. Then she came out and wrapped up Eoin and pulled the body into the cabin. At least in there the bodies would be safe from animals. And Adam wouldn’t have to explain a couple bodies if stopped by police. Her job was to prevent questions like that and she took her job seriously.

“Phelan,” she said, her voice deadpan. She jerked her head to give an indication of a direction to move. “Cabin … now.” It was an order. (She is just going to take his measurements.)

BloodThunder27 (Stella) Phelan (still in obedience training), Doug, Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane, Eoin and Ross (in Cabin enjoying there new afterlife as human burritos)

 

[Misty Gray]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~​

Spoiler: Scene Head Count

Sullivan Gang:
Main Team: Adam, Aidan, Chase, Katsya, Stella.
NPCs/Distant Surveillance: Doyle, Lloyd
Sweeney Gang:
Phelan Sweeney, Ross
NPC Gang members: 6 - Doug, Eoin, Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane

Adam Harper and Aidan Byrne​

As Katsya confirmed she would deal with Phelan and the clean up operation, Adam overheard shouting coming from one of the men outside. Clearly, one of Phelan's friend's was expressing his anger about the situation. Whilst Katsya tossed the passport on its deceased owner's body, Adam crouched down to retrieve the envelope of cash. Picking it up in his gloved hand, he shoved it into the inside pocket of his coat. He doubted there was much chance of tracing old notes, but Ross had made it clear he owed money to the Sullivans anyway, so Conor would likely appreciate the late payment.

Adam followed Katsya and Phelan out of the cabin. The group of men looked surprised to see Phelan not completely dressed, but the dire situation made it so none of them felt the usual need to tease their friend. His attention then fixed on Stella who was clearly pissed off with one of the men in the group. A quick glance to the group made it clear to Adam which of them had been shouting earlier. Adam turned and took a step up to Chase who was currently down on the ground tending to Doug. "Are you good?" he asked his best friend, wanting to make sure he hadn't been shot and injured. Once he received an answer, he looked at Doug as Chase took the inhaler from Stella and administered the much needed medicine to the struggling asthmatic. As Doug continued to struggle with his breathing, there was a moment when the man's panicked eyes fixed on Adam. Knowing Adam was in charge of the attack on the group of friends, Doug was worried the man might not be having the same idea of helping him that Chase and Stella had. "We ain't going to hurt you, Doug," Adam assured him, remembering the man's name from right before he'd grabbed him at the start of the mission. "Focus on what my friend here says and slow that breathing down. Every 30 seconds, yeah?" he asked, pointing to the inhaler, and Doug nodded. In his line of work, there were times when Adam was a bodyguard to the Sullivan family, within his extensive list of duties. He made it a point to learn how to treat gunshot wounds and other injuries, not only to patch himself up but also to tend to others' injuries. Asthma, however, wasn't something he'd felt he'd needed to learn about for his job until he found out one of Syd's daughters suffered with it. As such, he'd made sure to learn about the condition in case she ever fell into difficulty under his watch.

Adam turned his attention away from Chase and Doug, instead looking to Stella as he'd overheard Katsya mentioning her medical kit to her. He noticed the wound on her but the bounty hunter seemed otherwise uninjured or affected by it.

As Chase continued to deal with Doug, the man gradually began to calm down, his breathing becoming less strained and the wheezing dying down after a few vital puffs from the inhaler. "My wife," he began, between catching back his breath, "she keeps telling me to stop," he muttered, clearly referring to a smoking habit.

Phelan having returned back outside drew some mumblings from his friends, which only caused Aidan to focus harder on keeping his gun trained on the men. "What's that motherfucker want with you anyway?" John bitterly asked Phelan, who stayed silent and shook his head to try keep his friend quiet as Katsya had told him.

Adam's eyes fixed on John for a moment, before he allowed himself to focus more on the fact that Eoin was laid out dead on the ground. Clearly, he'd been the cause of the gunshots at the start and no doubt had brought it on himself. Another muttering from John caused Adam to raise his M1911 in John's direction. "Alright, fellas. I want each of you to clasp your hands together against the back of your head, stand up, and listen to me." Though it might seem like the only purpose was to intimidate the group, he was intending to ensure Katsya could retrieve Eoin's corpse without any of the men getting in her way. "Over there," he said, pointing to an empty space for the men to shuffle into.

"We're not going to cause any trouble. We just want to get out of here and back to our homes," Niall spoke out, all the while keeping his hands behind his head.

"It's been a while, Niall. How's the missus?" Adam casually asked him, having spoken with the local man on a number of occasions in the past. With Aidan covering him, Adam lowered his gun, though kept hold of it in case he needed to react quickly. Or just in case John uttered another word, though he would then be tempted to let Stella folow through on her threat if John tested their patience further. "There's no need for anyone else to get hurt here. This was Ross' and Phelan's mess, which has now been dealt with. You guys have just been unfortunate enough to associate with those two dumb fucks. Phelan has cooperated, he's learned his place, and he'll be going back home in one piece tonight. A few weeks ago, Ross tried to shoot Mr. Sullivan's niece in exchange for some cash. Through pure greed and idiocy, he chose to cross people who are much bigger than he was. Each one of you men knows the deal of how Dublin works. You know your place and not to overstep your mark. Take tonight as a warning and a reminder of where everyone stands in this city. Hell, at least two of you has worked with us in the past and ain't that so much better than this here, right now?" he asked, looking to Niall and Scott in particular. "As for tonight. You'll all do well to erase this night from your memory. If anyone talks, we will know."

Taking a step back, Adam watched as Phelan did as he was told, joining Katsya and Stella in the cabin. He wasn't oblivious to the fact John had yet again uttered some kind of complaint, so once the ladies had escorted Phelan into the cabin, Adam took a step towards the group. He aimed his gun at John's head and once close enough, dug the barrel of the firearm into the man's forehead. With his other hand, he grabbed John by the hair and dragged the man to one side. Before he could act, Adam punched the man in the jaw before kicking the backs of his knees to force him down onto the ground, dangerously close to the crackling bonfire. Grabbing the back of the man's head, he forced his face closer to the fire. "One more fucking word out of you and throw you, head first, into that damn fire. Understood?" he darkly threatened the squirming man. After a struggled nod of the head, Adam loosened his grip. "Over there and lie face down on the ground until we're done here," Adam calmly ordered, pointing to the spot on the ground halfway between Chase and the group of Phelan's friends.

Adam returned to Chase's side to check in on the Doug situation. "How's it going here?" he asked him. "We can drop him at the hospital, if he'll need checking over," he suggested. As far as Adam was concerned, the only thing most of the men were guilty of was being friends with idiots like Phelan and Ross. Or, in John's case, not knowing when to shut the fuck up. They were all smart enough to keep their mouths shut about what had happened this evening, so Adam wasn't about to kill anyone else just for the sake of it.

Group 1: BloodThunder27 (Stella) Mitheral (Katsya) + Phelan + Eoin and Ross
Group 2: Pyroclast (Chase) Misty Gray (Adam, Aidan) + Doug, Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane

 

[Bellz]

Blake McCarthy
The Sullivan's Pub
- Dublin City Center, Dublin - ​

Blake wasn't the least bit shocked that Conor was asking her questions about her relationship with Adam. He asked if she was worried about the fact that Adam would willingly take a bullet for someone else and before Blake could answer, Ali had spoken up first. Blake listened quietly as Ali stated that he'd be a lot more concerned about his own safety and taking unnecessary risks since he'd knew what Blake had gone through. She enthusiastically stated that she loved her and Adam together to which Blake smiled softly as she lifted her drink to her lips. She was sure Ali's answer wouldn't be enough to ease Conor's worries so Blake cleared her throat before setting down her glass. "Now now, Conor, I know that look. I'm a grown woman for christ sake's." Blake said with an exasperated sigh.

"May I remind you that before Jackson and I became an item, he was just as careless about his own life and safety as Adam and while that did worry me at first, he managed to change his ways." Of course, Blake didn't need to bring up his untimely death but that wasn't due to his own sloppiness or inability to protect himself. "I think you men tend to forget that we women can make our own decisions and understand what we are getting ourselves into." Blake said, shaking her head softly.

"I think the most important thing I've learned since losing Jackson is if I let fear dictate every decision I make...then I'm not living the life he would have wanted me to live. Hell, pair you two together and you were both extremely reckless and I'm sure you both ran into the face of deaths more times than you were willing to let Ali and I know...but did that stop you? No." Blake murmured wisely.

"13 years I have let that fear of finding someone else control me, I've always rationalized with myself that I couldn't bear to lose someone else in my life so I was content with the idea of just living the rest of my life alone...but we all know at this table that Jackson would be rolling in his grave if I continued to hide from life rather than live it." Blake paused, her heart pounding like it normally did when she talked about her late husband for long periods of time. It felt like it was squeezing so hard in her chest to the point it was going to explode. Taking a deep steady breath, Blake cleared her throat again and smiled at Conor.

"I know exactly what I'm getting myself into with Adam and I can reassure you right now that if he does anything to toy with my heart, he's going to regret it. But I don't think he's that kind of man any longer, he's really grown. You men mature painfully slow but I can say with full confidence he's a different person now. You need to trust my decisions, Conor."
with: Conor Misty Gray ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy King​

Hearing Ava plead for him not to tell Erik that she had spilled how much Erik talked about him put an amused grin on Billy's face. First it was Erik begging him not to tell Ava something, and now the other way around. "Don't worry, Ava, I can keep a secret," he assured her, his soft gaze settling once again on the bathroom door.

When she mentioned that she would have had to give another speech to Erik if Billy hadn't reciprocated their friendship, his smile turned puzzled. It sounded like Erik had experienced some rejections in the past...but his friendship with him was purely organic, formed through their business together and strengthened by the trials they had faced. In Billy's experience, friendship wasn't something to be reciprocated - it either developed mutually or it didn't begin in the first place. Unless Ava was talking about…romance? In which case, she must think that the feelings that Billy reciprocated were the wrong ones.

By this point his smile had faded completely and his face had turned a deep shade of red. He failed to figure out how to correct Ava without complicating the conversation so she was left to believe what she believed, and he was left hanging his head in embarrassment.

On the subject of how to handle Erik if he had a breakdown, Billy felt a brief whirl of anxiety twist in his stomach. All the words she was using - 'destructive', 'overwhelmed', 'stupid decisions' - they all instantly brought to mind the incident in Victoria Park. He had to pretend that he wasn't already familiar with what she was talking about, but the truth was he was more worried about him than she could know. It felt wrong to keep her in the dark about his current condition given how much she cared about him, but he couldn't betray Erik's wish to keep it a secret, at least not if he could handle it without her intervention. "I won't leave him," he told her solemnly. "Nothin' would make me leave him."

Ava then announced that she had to leave and Billy took a sharp intake of breath to try and reset the mood. "Yeah, come and visit, we'd both like that," he replied, before she told him to look after Erik. "I will. Bye, Ava." Just as he hung up the receiver, he heard the shower be turned off. Billy sighed, preparing himself to face Erik and see how he was really doing. Ava had brought all his concerns to the surface again and now he wasn't sure he could settle down for a chill evening with takeaway pizza without having a serious conversation with his friend first. Besides, Erik had already told him that he wanted to talk, and from his lack of eye contact, Billy got the impression it was going to be a hard conversation.

Looking out across the room, Billy began to notice things that weren't quite perfect. It was clean and tidy, he could tell that Erik had made an effort for him, but the coffee table could have been more in line with the edge of the island counter across the room, there was a framed picture on the wall that didn't look quite straight, the drinks mats were ever so slightly askew...the more he looked, the more tweaks he felt compelled to make.

He heard Erik call out to him from the bedroom just as he was starting to straighten the place up. "It was Ava," he called back, standing back from a framed picture on the wall to see if he'd got it perfectly level. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her nothin'. She was just checkin' in, that's all. Says she'll call you next week..." He trailed off when Erik walked in and stole his attention. A smile briefly graced his lips at the sight of the man. Somehow he already looked a little brighter than he had before.

"Oh, and she wants to come visit soon," he recounted, backing away from the picture on the wall before he could find out if Erik had noticed what he had been doing. "I told her I'd like to meet her. Is that okay?" He moved over to the counter and picked up the pizza boxes, then brought them over to the coffee table so the two could settle on the sofa. Whatever Erik wanted to get off his chest sounded hard for him so he wanted to make the atmosphere as relaxed as possible. He took a seat and then patted the space next to him as an invitation. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Unfortunately, before he himself could get fully settled down, he caught sight of a mismatched knob on the coffee table drawers. One of them had been fixed in place upside down, spoiling the symmetry of the entire table. Billy really tried to ignore it, but he felt that same knot in his stomach from before, from worrying about Erik's psychological state. He had no idea how to fix Erik's problems, but he could at least fix his table.

"Do you wanna sort drinks, actually? Think I left some beer in your fridge yesterday." The second Erik had his back turned, Billy whipped out his pocket screwdriver and worked at removing the drawer knob as fast as he could. He flipped it around and started screwing it back in place, glancing up at Erik to see how much time he had before the man would return. Sitting back to double check the symmetry had been restored, he exhaled a breath he didn't realise he had been holding and sat back, trying to appear relaxed. Really, he doubted he would be able to relax until he was sure Erik was okay - and there was no telling how long that take. "So you had something you wanted to talk to me about, right?" He asked again, leaning forward to open his pizza box. "Everything okay?"

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik, Ava

 

[Bellz]

Lorelei Costello
Starry Nights Bar
- Dublin City Center, Dublin - ​

Lorelei brushed aside Benjie's apology, shaking her head firmly. "At this point, you aren't the one causing the problem anymore, my father needs to learn to let things go." Lorelei told him softly before smiling as he offered to speak with Jason. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea, he's still pretty fired up about what happened, and if he won't reason with my mother or me...I'm not sure he'd listen to you." Lorelei said honestly.

The redhead was relieved to see Benjamin grin at her stating her Uncle would be a hypocrite for telling him to stay away from her. Lorelei let out a laugh as he then asked if her dad was as tough-looking as James. "He wishes." Lorelei said with a wicked smile, "My dad looks like a little puppy compared to my Uncle. Uncle James takes the saying, ' if looks could kill' to a whole new literal meaning." The atmosphere had grown serious as Lorelei was genuinely concerned about her Uncle James, she knew just how much her Aunt worried and she always kept that in the back of her mind but Lorelei couldn't help but fear the worse for her Uncle. Lorelei nodded her head briefly as Benjie reassured her that the prison would've contacted Lucy if anything would have happened to James, wanting to believe that with everything she had rather than what her head was conjuring up.

Lorelei was glad she could steer the direction in a lighter way, she always told everyone how dramatic her parents were and they never fully believed her until they had the pleasure to meet them. "You'd be a brave one to sit through it." Lorelei said teasingly and she rolled her eyes as Benjie asked if it was too late to back out of their relationship due to her being dramatic as well. "I'm not nearly as bad as my parents, but I do have my moments in the spotlight." Lorelei said.

When the conversation moved to drinks, Lorelei already knew what she wanted so she was curious to see what Benjie fancied. A tingle went down her spine as he wrapped his arm around her and stroked her shoulder, causing her cheeks to blush furiously under her pale freckle dusted skin. After a moment, he suddenly pulled his arm away and stood, causing Lorelei to shiver slightly at the absence of his warmth. "Hurry back." Lorelei said sweetly and watched him walk away before turning her attention to the scene around them.

She was enjoying the atmosphere and the music when she suddenly caught sight of a woman with familiar red hair in her peripherals. Eyes widening, Lorelei didn't dare look any longer to see if the woman was in fact her mother but just seeing a glimpse of her, Lorelei was sure it was Gwen which meant Jason was not too far away. Lorelei anxiously bounced her knee up and down as she waited for Benjie to return to the table. Seeing him walking towards her, Lorelei grinned widely as he sat next to her once more. "I was beginning to worry...I uh...I think my parents are here." Lorelei said honestly as she took her drink from him and downed half of it with one sip. "I don't think they know I'm here but I'd rather not stay for them to find out...Wanna go back to my place?" Lorelei asked as she moved to grab her purse from next to her, ready to jump up and leave at a moment's notice if Benjie wished to.
with: Benjie Misty Gray
mentions: Grumpy Pyroclast ; Gwen (Meeeee)

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter
Thomas's Place
- Dublin - ​

Thomas watched as Elena took a sip of champagne from her glass and smiled widely at her reaction. "I'm glad you like it, I got a lot more in the cabinet." Thomas reassured her, staring at her for a few more moments longer than he should have before returning to cooking. His cheeks felt like they were on fire and they physically hurt from all the smiling he was doing. "Ah well then you are in for a treat, Italian food is the perfect food for almost any occasion. Plus it's one of the easiest to make depending on what the dish is." Thomas said before she stated that he was making tonight special for her. He was about to respond but she suddenly stated that she needed to use the restroom. "Down the hall 2nd door on the left." Thomas murmured, "If Lucky tries to follow you in there, tell her to mind her business and she'll leave you be." Thomas said softly, watching as Elena walked away briefly before going back to cooking.

Thomas had been prepping the meal for a few more moments before deciding that it was entirely too quiet in the apartment. Moving to wipe his hands on a clean dish towel, Thomas moved to his cassette player to put on some music. Deciding it was best to just throw something on without reading too much into it, Thomas just blindly reached into his cassette drawer, opened the box and placed it into the player. When U2 started playing from the speakers.

He wasn't much of a dancer but he did hum along to the song as he reached for a frying pan and the olive oil to start cooking the ground beef. Thomas jumped slightly as he heard Elena's voice asking how long he'd lived with Lucky and with a small smile, he said, "About 4 years now...ever since I got back from Ira-" Thomas had turned to face Elena and the breath completely left his lungs as he saw her standing in her underwear in his kitchen doorway with the glass of champagne in her hands. "Elena! What...what....what..?" Thomas felt like he couldn't get any words out, his mind was scrambling to find any words to say but he sounded like a broken record.

He stared at her with his mouth slightly hung open, taking in every inch of her before he slapped his hand to his eyes to cover them as he turned away, his cheeks a bright red. "Elena...look...I really really really really really really like you. But I'm gonna be honest with you right now, I have never ever slept with a woman before, and given my current psychological state...I don't want to drag you into any of it..." Thomas said softly, peeking through his hand lightly to look her in the eyes before moving his hand and taking a few steps towards her tentatively. "You are...beautiful though. But I'm not...ready for any of this." Once he got close enough, Thomas placed his hands gently on her shoulders before moving to brush some hair from her eyes, hoping to God he wasn't hurting her by his words.
with: Elena Pyroclast

 

[Misty Gray]

Alex's Home
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer hadn't commented further on Alex's apprehension about settling down. He knew it wasn't something a person could be forced to do and he supposed it would only lead to another unhealthy relationship if Alex felt he was being forced to settle down with his heart not really in it. He just didn't want Alex to end up repeating the situation he was currently facing with Savannah and Callum. Whilst he understood where his brother was coming from about how Bruce hadn't had another woman in his life since his wife died, Spencer felt it was different. As far as he was aware, his uncle wasn't ever like Alex as far as sleeping around with women was concerned, so it was perhaps easier for him to stay single.

Spencer nodded along when Alex pointed out that Shona was a saint who wouldn't turn her back on someone who needed her help. "She's too good for me, that's for sure," he gruffly remarked. "I don't think there's anything I could say that would stop her from wanting to help her mate out. Nothing that won't result in me sleeping on the sofa with an earache," he half-joked. "I just know looking after Shona and the baby is going to be difficult enough. I might be able to take some time off from the Pharma company and pass the board meetings on to someone else, but we don't get holidays from the other side of the business. With the Sullivans acting like pricks and the Morettis now involved, there's going to be a lot more pressure on that front. I'm telling ya, the Morettis are pretty full on. I guess you realised that when Gabriel graced us with his presence."

Taking another drink of beer he remembered what else he was going to mention to his brother. "Have you spoke much with Billy and Harper lately? I've not had chance to properly check in with them the last few weeks, but they seem... weird. Harper was at the casino the other week and I got the feeling she was acting odd. Don't she and Billy stick together like glue anymore or what?" he curiously asked. Since his siblings had all grown up and Spencer was focused more on business, he didn't feel like he was as involved in the smaller details of their relationships with each other.

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

Conor flashed a crooked smile when Aliana said she liked to think Conor had ceased taking unnecessary risks when his relationship with her became serious. He knew that wasn't exactly the case and that it had taken him some time to sort himself out all of those years ago. Still, he knew he couldn't apply his own recklessness from back then onto Adam, especially as he knew the man had his head screwed on and had always shown a lot of control in his work. Conor glanced to his wife as she said she loved Blake and Adam together. Clearly, Aliana was a fan of their friend's relationship.

The man's attention was then drawn to Blake as she reminded him that she was a grown woman. He lightly nodded, understanding how his reservations could annoy her. She went on to remind him that Jackson had been risky with his own life when they first got together, but he had changed his ways. "I know you can make your own decisions about what you let yourself in for. I just don't want to see you get hurt again," he reasoned with her.

Blake went on to explain how she didn't want to let fear dictate her life. He couldn't disagree with her on that point. Nor could he deny what she went on to say about himself and Jackson being extremely reckless together. He hated to admit it, but he knew Adam wasn't nearly as impulsive and reckless as he had been himself before he became the boss. Conor used to have a hot-headed temper that he was unable to hold back and often got him into a lot of trouble from it. On that front, Conor knew Adam was a much more controlled man and therefore less of a risk compared to what Aliana had to go through with himself. But no matter how wise Adam might now be, Conor knew there was always a huge risk in his line of work.

"You're right, love. Jackson wouldn't want you to be alone, hiding away from living," he agreed with her. Similar to Blake, talking about Jackson still brought on a heartache even 13 years after the man's death. He let out a sigh when she told him to trust her decisions. "You're right, and I do trust your judgement. I also know Adam's someone we can trust, including with our family's secrets," he reasoned. "And if he does mess with you, I'll not take kindly to it either. I'll fuck him up," he remarked and flashed her a smile, despite being serious. "Honestly, though... I hope it works out for you both. Despite my concerns, he is a good bloke," he added, allowing his expression to soften.

"One thing we might be able to put to rest soon is the Morettis," he informed Aliana and Blake. Given that they were behind the ambush that resulted in Jackson's death, he expected they might take some peace from cutting off those ties. "I'm planning on signing over the rest of our assets in Queens and I'm arranging to get Jimbo back here in Dublin. We don't need the Morettis or the Kings involved in our business anymore. We have European and other allies and investors who don't bring personal baggage along with them."

Conor glanced at his watch, wondering if Sinead was still going to show up. "Speaking of recklessness and personal baggage, Emery's pissed at me," he said, looking to Aliana to see her reaction. "I've put her on a time out after she messed up on a job; putting herself and Aidan at risk to save some loser who owes us a debt. On the plus side, that means I'm in Sinny's good books, for a change!" After a drink from his pint glass, he sat back in his seat, looking between Aliana and Blake. "Did Savvy talk to you lately, Blake? I had a heated discussion with her recently. From her time in London, she's become close to Kerry Patrick. Apparently the woman's not happy in London, especially after she got whiff of the Morettis around the place. Savvy was going to let Kerry come live with her in here in Dublin, but I told her she needs to run it by you first. I've already told her the little bitch had better avoid bumping into me if she does move over here."

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)
Bellz (Blake)

 

[BasDorcha]

May stood looking in the mirror that reflected rows of bottles. The club was just getting full, and it was time for her to go play. The men joked and laughed, some sat in silence, all of them settled for the moment and not needing her much. She missed Kerry, at least then she had someone to talk to. Sighing, she adjusted the short black dress, pulling it down so it settled into place, sweeping her long auburn hair around her shoulder, and twisting it together. Deep hazel eyes peered back, questioning. Time to put on the game face. Time to earn those tips. Frosting her lips with a bright red lipstick she fluffed the thick eyelashes around her eyes, put on her best happy face, her smile beaming behind falsely happy eyes, and strolled around the bar to the piano.

“May! You’re finally ready to play? Good, lets here it!” The slender brunette sat down on the piano bench, fingering the keys lightly as she centered herself. “What do ya brutes want to hear?”

“Dancing in the moonlight!” There was a round of unanimous approval, causing May to shake her head. “So much for brutes. You bunch of fools are softies. Okay, as you will have it.” Her hands began to move smoothly across the instrument, followed shortly by a loud, clear, and entrancing voice. She played through, singing along as she went. The next song turned into Street Life.
“I still hang around neither lost nor found
Hear the lonely sound of music in the night
Nights are always bright
That's all that's left for me, yeah
I play the street life
Because there's no place I can go
Street life, it's the only way I know
Street life
And there's a thousand cards to play
Until you play your life away
You dress and walk and talk
You're who you think you are.”

The atmosphere of the bar had picked up and they were deep into their drinks, but a few folks stood around waiting for help, taking May back to the bar. A universal grunt of disproval hit the air, but someone eased it with some songs from the jukebox. Overall, it was a normal night. Show up, work, keep the men an arm’s length away. Still, she was bored. At her returned post behind the bar, she fell into autopilot. Smiling, laughing on cue, but never processing what was going on – it was to easy to know exactly what to do when it was the same thing day in and day out. She wanted more.

Maybe she could talk to the owners, find something they needed done, something that would break the monotony.

 

[BloodThunder27]

~Stella Kwon~Dublin, Ireland | Irish Wilderness

Stella's anger slowly faded once Katsya and Adam had come out of the cabin with Phelan in tow. Because she didn't see Ross come out and, considering how she did hear a gun discharge from within the house, chances were that Adam just killed the man. Either way, it was one less of a nuisance to worry about. Sure, her blood was boiling, but she had to keep control of that itchy trigger finger. Once she heard Katsya's voice, she calmed down a little more, but was nonetheless still angry due to being shot at. Eion didn't need to die, but obviously he thought that shooting the Irish Mob's Bounty Hunter was a good idea, so Stella shot back in self-defense. When Katsya asked her to keep an eye on Phelan, Stella nodded. "Sure. I doubt he'll try anything stupid. Well, unless he wants to end up like his friend over there." She said, directing her Desert Eagle briefly towards Eion's dead body.

Upon the wound on her cheek being addressed, Stella mostly played it off. "Don't worry about it. It's just a scratch." She responded. "I can patch it up when we're done here." Soon, Katsya would walk off to go get her other supplies, probably whatever is used to get rid of dead bodies or remove evidence from a crime scene.

Whatever it was, it wasn't a big concern for Stella. She just kept her eyes and her gun on Phelan and the rest of the men that were still at her mercy, while listening as both Chase and Adam spoke to Doug, stating that they were not going to hurt him before telling him to focus on the conversation they were about to have while getting his breathing under control. On impulse, she raised her gun as soon as John started talking, but since his question wasn't directed towards her or any of the other Sullivan Soldiers, she didn't pull the trigger despite wanting to. As the man muttered something under his breath, Adam proceeded to order them to put their hands behind their head, stand up and to listen to him, allowing Katsya to take Eion's corpse.

Finally, Niall spoke up, saying that they were not going to cause any trouble. Stella didn't really believe that, then ended up being surprised when it seemed like Adam knew him, at least well enough to ask how the man's wife was. Soon, he stated that no one else needed to get hurt and that Phelan and Ross were the only ones responsible for the current predicament. Since Phelan was...mostly cooperative, he would get to go home. He would then explain that Ross tried to shoot the Boss' Niece for money, and being blinded by greed and idiocy, he crossed very powerful people while telling them that they were smart enough to know how the city of Dublin works; each person knows their place and to not overstep their mark. To take tonight as a warning. By this time, she was helping Katsya, who had returned, take Phelan back into the cabin.

As soon as she stepped into the cabin, she heard a brief struggle and turned briefly to see Adam subduing John. Fucker probably opened his mouth again, but he wasn't her problem anymore, so she just closed the door to the cabin and sheathed her knife, with it clicking into place. "Now hurry up and get dressed. You wanna go home, right?" She asked coldly before holstering her Desert Eagle so that she would not be tempted to shoot him.

She proceeded to turn around and look out the window to see Adam and Chase checking on Doug. At least they weren't heartless about the man having asthma. If anything, he was the only one tonight that would get an ounce of sympathy from the Bounty Hunter. Hopefully after tonight, she would have better things to do then rough up a bunch of drunken dumbfucks who overstepped their boundaries. But at least this was a good way for her to get most of that bottled up anger out of her heart and mind.

---

Interactions: Aiden Byrne, Adam Harper Misty Gray | Chase Zegarra Pyroclast | Katsya Grey Mitheral
Enemies: Doug, Jay, John, Niall, Scott, Shane
Deceased: Ross, Eion​

 

[Misty Gray]

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Kerry Patrick​

After expressing her discomfort about staying in London with the potential of Morettis being around, Kerry had ended up accepting Maddox's and Ani's kind offer to let her stay with them. The Parkers' spare room felt much more secure than the apartment she'd been renting by herself. She still wasn't sure whether she would take Savannah up on her offer to go live with her in Dublin, knowing being near the Sullivans would bring its own problems. For now, Kerry was laying low and taking the time to consider her options.

Having quite her job at the bar at such short notice, Kerry had left one of her coats behind in the back office of the business. She'd been putting off going into the club in case she had to explain herself to Spencer in person. She couldn't tell him she'd been pushed over the edge by the appearance of the Morettis. So she had to go with giving him the second reason - that she didn't want to be put in an awkward position if the troubles between Alex and Savannah continued. The phone call with Spencer could have gone better, especially after the hot-head had made a point of telling her to 'man up'.

Regardless of not being in Spencer's good books, Kerry was determined to still collect her belongings from the nightclub. On account of the man being annoyed with her, she'd called the club earlier to confirm he wasn't on the premises before she headed over there. When Kerry entered the bar, she couldn't help feel good about being in the familiar environment. She'd always enjoyed working there and she wouldn't have quit if she didn't feel it was the only choice. She noticed May making her way back behind the bar after playing the piano, but was for a short time distracted as one of her former colleagues pulled her side for a quick catch up. Once they were finished, Kerry walked to the customer side of the bar and waved at May to catch her attention. "Good evening. You look bored... you must be missing me," she teased her friend "How are you doing? I hope Spencer isn't being grumpy with you after I left him in the lurch. I figured I'd sneak in while he's not around - I left my coat here."

BasDorcha (May)
Mention: Mitheral (Xavier) - you're welcome to have him come to the bar, if you want to.

 

[BasDorcha]

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Maeve Thatcher

Maeve had been so lost in the autopilot mode she didn’t even see Kerry come in, but true emotion shined through when she heard her voice. Grinning wildly, she perked up and brought her over a Sex On The Beach, sliding it across the bar with the speed of a professional. “I have missed you much. Its so boring around here without you to harass people with. I haven’t had to see Spencer much, and he hasn’t said anything to me. Some days I think I don’t exist to him.” She shook her hair, sending a cascade of thick curls around her face. Truth be told, she had been much of a fly on the wall for the last two years. At first, she had tried to keep herself away from the public eye as she was new, and still getting a feel for everything, but over the last year she had started making herself more known. It was a slow process, she wanted it to seem natural, but the truth was she was dying to see what happened behind the closed doors of the bar and the hide away rooms. Plus, there was something about the family that intrigued her on a deep level, seeming to draw her in.

Drama, it must be the drama. She lived for a good adventure, and it never failed that they always seemed up to something. Her life seemed so mundane compared to all the handsome men and women flittering around under family business. A mental sigh escaped into a verbal one as she had once again lost herself in thought. Laughing lightly, she waved a hand at Kerry, “Don’t mind me, just daydreaming away my life again. Oh, let me grab your coat.” She dipped way, into the office and grabbed the jacket, bringing it back out to hand to her.

“What trouble are you getting in tonight? I didn’t expect to see anyone but customers – not that I’m complaining. It’s nice to see a friendly face.” Pulling up the behind the counter bar stool, she poured herself a drink, dropping the money into the register with her opposite hand. “One of the other girls will be in soon, I’ve been here since noon covering as she had an emergency, so she’s going to come in and finish the night off for me. Might be a good night to play some cards.” She winked and nodded her head towards a corner table where a group of customers sat playing poker, then tapped the barely touched tip jar. “They don’t feel like tipping tonight I might have to take their money off them a different way.”

When May was genuinely enjoying something, she glowed – though she wasn’t aware of it. Her practiced mask for the public wasn’t a far cry from it, the only tell-tell sign was towards the corner of her eyes. After all, one can’t mask the windows to the soul as easily as a forced smile or painted skin.

Interactions: Misty Gray

 

[Pyroclast]

The Royal London Hospital
~ Tower Hamlets, London ~

Shona King​

Shona sighed when Shirley showed fear at the idea of getting a C-section or having her pregnancy induced. She squeezed her friend’s hand back, offering her a look of sympathy, but she couldn’t exactly promise her that she would get her way. She could see the woman was afraid of the surgery and the drugs that would come from an alternative method, but she didn’t seem to have thought of the scarring she could end up with if she tried to give birth naturally.

“The thing is, love, it might not be up to you,” she told her, trying to keep her tone tactful. “Your twins are overdue by quite a bit already, so a natural birth might just do more damage. And think of your legs - the strain they’d take from trying to push out one regular sized baby, let alone two overdue ones...they’ve been healing nicely so far but unnecessary pressure could undo all the progress you’ve made. Of course I’ll be here to help you as much as I can after your little ones do arrive, but they’ll need you back on your feet as soon as possible, Shirley. I know it’s not nice, but we really want to go for the least harmful option for you, don’t we? And the most practical, not just for your sake but for the twins’, too.”

Not long into their conversation, Shona heard the door open behind her and turned around to see the nurse again. “Hey,” she greeted her. “Look who’s awake!” She then turned back to face Shirley. “This is one of the nurses that’s been lookin’ after you while you were in your coma. She’s probably here to talk to you about your condition. Do you want me to stay with you?” Nurse Xiulian came further into the room and Shona looked up at her, still keeping Shirley’s hand in hers. “Shirley’s a little worried about the birth,” she briefly explained to the nurse. “What do you think’s best?”

Interactions
BloodThunder27 Shirley

Starry Nights Bar
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin~

Jason Costello​

Ever since Gwen had received the anonymous letter referencing the night she had murdered her husband back in 1964, a shadow had fallen over the house. Both Gwen and Jason tried to go about their days without letting it affect them - after all, they had Cian to protect, and he was far too young and innocent to be exposed to such darkness. He was an inquisitive boy and if he sensed that anything was wrong, he would ask question after question. Fear was contagious and the last thing Jason wanted was for Cian to get scared about something he was too young to understand. So, they did their best to keep it all under wraps while they waited for their anonymous writer to get in touch again. Even when they weren’t talking about it, however, Jason knew it was at the front of their minds all the time.

With all that going on, the situation with him and Lorelei hadn’t made much progress. The pair were still at odds with each other about her dating the man who had led to her arrest at the end of their first date. It didn’t sit well with Jason at all but the girl had become so distant from him that he hadn’t found a way to even meet the boy of her fancy. He felt bad that he hadn’t managed to sort it out yet - Gwen had enough on her mind as it was without having to deal with Jason and Lorelei’s bad spell. What he couldn’t understand was why Benjie’s behaviour didn’t bother Gwen as much as it bothered him.

All things considered, he wasn’t able to get much out of Lorelei as to what she was getting up to. He knew she was still seeing the young man, something she seemed to love pointing out, but he had forfeited his right to hear any details of where their relationship was going. Jason understood that trying to control such a stubborn young woman was only going to do further damage to the situation, so instead he had focused on the trouble they were in regarding Gwen’s past being resurfaced. It didn’t feel healthy to stay in the house dwelling on it for too long, so the couple had decided to go to town for a well-needed night out.

“Sure this place does live jazz some nights,” Jason commented between sips of his tonic as he looked around the room from their corner table. “We should come here then, don’t ye think? When was the last time you were really able to stop thinkin’ and just feel alive? I mean, apart from last night...” With a boyish smirk, he playfully nudged her leg beneath the table. “I just think maybe what we really need is a good dance. Get out of our heads, leave all the bullshit at home and act like 20-somethings on the dancefloor. I know we’ve got responsibilities but we’ve right to have fun too. Now more than ever.” Jason reminded himself to be careful of what he said. He knew it was healthier not to pretend that everything was fine, and it was hard to find a good time to talk about what was going on, but on their date night he wanted to avoid bringing it up before she did. Giving her hand a quick squeeze, he added, “Speaking of fun, I’m going to top up on minerals - d’ye want another?”

Picking up any empty glasses from their table, Jason meandered towards the bar, from where he could see more of the club. It was full that night, and he pondered whether the place would even be able to fit the kind of crowd live music would bring in. As his eyes scanned the room, one particular face caused him to do a double take. The man whose place he had taken at the bar was now taking a seat opposite none other than Lorelei. So that must be him… he thought, eyes narrowing as he took a good, long look at the young man from afar. He looked fairly harmless, a youthful face with boyish features, but unless Lorelei had been lying to him about continuing to see the man who had got her arrested just to spite him, this would be the guy.

“Y’alright?” the bartender greeted him with a smile, breaking Jason’s focus momentarily.

“Aye, I’ll let you move along,” he mumbled, and gave up his place in the queue. Before he could stop himself, he was moving through the crowd towards Lorelei’s table, and soon found himself standing over the young couple.

“So you’re the one, are ye’?” he said, with a put-on smile. “The little chancer worth goin’ t’jail for.” Ignoring Lorelei for the time being, he held out his hand to Benjamin. “Case you haven’t copped on, I’m the father of the beautiful lass you’re lucky t’be out with tonight. Seein’ youse two out here, I thought I’d take the chance to put a face to a name. It is Benjie, is it?” Despite his tone, there remained an ambiguous smile on his face as he stared the young man down. “The thing is, Benjie,” he went on. “Is with you happy out courtin’ my daughter here, you’ll be wantin’ to fix that first impression you’re after makin’ on me the other week. If you’ll get up and talk t’me now, I’ll leave ye’ to head on to where it is your night’s goin’. It’s that, or I end this little date now before it lands youse two behind bars again.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Benjamin
Bellz Lorelei, Gwen