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

[Pyroclast]

Shona King

Shona smiled when Shirley told her motherhood was supposed to come naturally, despite the hard work. “I’m sure my future self will want to kick me for saying this, but I am already so in love with this little thing, I can’t imagine not wanting to look after it every second of the day…” The baby was already making life hard for her in many ways; she couldn’t do a lot of the things she used to be able to do. A lot of foods she was discovering she couldn’t eat, a lot of sleepless nights and mood swings and outbursts of despair and dread and overwhelming yet unexplainable emotions. She couldn’t walk for too long without getting a bad back, sore feet or chafing thighs. Sometimes Spencer annoyed her so much that she wanted to smack him even when he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Pregnancy was hard, and in moments like this when the love she had for her baby overpowered all the downsides, she had to remind herself that parenting wasn’t all going to be sunshine and rainbows.

“Oh, you’re a twin!” she exclaimed, then tried to tone down her enthusiasm in case she was misunderstanding their relationship. “Well that makes you more qualified to raise twins than most people. Ireland is a fair distance away...I’ve always lived in London myself, but we have family in Ireland and the distance can take its toll.” She wasn’t speaking of her biological family, but of her nephew, Callum. The boy had been taken back to London by his mother after her brother-in-law Alex had cheated on her. Having been in a series of rocky relationships with men herself, she liked to think that if Spencer ever broke her heart, her baby would stay with her. Still, it felt very different not having him around, and she could only imagine how hard it was for Alex not to be able to see his son.

Before she could give away too much information about the Kings without Spencer knowing, she backtracked to the talk of having siblings. “I have a sister, too, but we don’t really talk much. I don’t think I was a great role model for her so we don’t have all that much to do with each other these days. But you know what? Sometimes the family you make is better than the family you’re born with.” She glanced down once again to her baby bump. “These little blessings are our chance to make the family we want.”

The impression Shona was gathering was that Shirley didn’t have a lot of family around. Her twin sister was all the way over in Ireland, she had no contact with her extended family - and had she just talked about her parents in the past tense? It was a hard thing to ask someone if they were alone just minutes after meeting them.

“Shirley,” she spoke up, maintaining friendly eye contact. “You know, I’m sure we’ll end up seeing more of each other here - maybe we’ll even find each other in the same postnatal class, if you're thinking of going to one of those...but when my appointment is over, I’m heading to this pub in Bethnal Green called The Royal Taphouse. I won’t be drinking, obviously! But my husband is gonna be there, and some of his family, I think. If you’d like to join us, you'd be welcome. It’d be nice to see you there.” She smiled warmly, her heart beating at the thought of potentially making a new friend. Surrounded by Spencer's family, she wasn’t set to go through parenthood alone, but the thought of going through first-time motherhood with another woman was comforting - and if her impression of Shirley was correct, the woman might find it a comfort, too.

Interactions
BloodLightning27 Shirley

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau
Julia Avvocata ​

Roxie clenched her teeth together behind closed lips as Ricky spoke so bitterly to her. It wasn't like either of them to talk to each other in such a hostile manner. Julia spoke and Roxie wanted to roll her eyes at the woman. It was clear to Roxie that Julia always had some sort of crush on Ricky, and her cousin continued to remain clueless. Matthew reached out his hand and Roxie took it as he squeezed it gently in support. She managed to give him the smallest of smiles as he suggested that handling this the way Ricky was was not going to get them anywhere. Julia spoke again and this time Reina spoke up in Roxie's defense causing the woman to try and hide a satisfied smirk from her lips. Reina was her bodyguard but the two women had grown pretty close over time, she appreciated the woman's input. Reina also agreed with Matthew and Roxie nodded her head in agreement also. But Ricky didn't seem to agree. Roxie listened openly as he talked about how he was forced to keep the secret of their family away from her, letting her live a normal childhood. It wasn't something the two of them talked about regularly so for him to bring it up kind of stung. He said it as if she had a choice in the matter. He asked her what he was going to do if she was going to deal with everyone now. He mentioned Syd being a pain in the neck but said she's had a pretty easy deal going on in Dublin. This caused her to narrow her eyes once more.

Saying nothing, she let him continue to say that it was hard being the middle-woman even without the personal attachments she had. He then mocked her by saying he would love to see her deal with Conor and Gabriel, allowing himself to laugh. But in another instant, his face was dead serious. Roxie knew her cousin was a bit off the deep end but he'd never really shown it to her until now. Having dealt with Syd's unstable mood swings for an entire year, Roxie was very familiar with instability. Perhaps this was the reason Giovanni left her in charge. Ricky was far from stable. But unlike Syd who seemed to have realized the chaos he was creating when she pointed it out, she figured pointing out the same thing to Ricky would only make things worse.
"You done?" Roxie asked her cousin as she gave Matthew's hand a squeeze before letting it go and standing up. Turning away from everyone at the table, she moved towards the large windows that showed the city below them. It was a beautiful day and normally Roxie would have appreciated it, but given the circumstances she just wanted it all to be over. Staring out the window silently, it seemed everyone was going to give her a moment to really think before she sighed heavily. For a brief moment, she wondered how the kids were getting along at the Sullivan Party for Shannon. Probably having a better time than she was having currently. Hopefully, after this madness, she would be able to give them a call on the way back to the hotel.

"Here's what's gonna happen." The brunette finally said before turning to everyone, walking back towards her seat but continued to stand as she lifted the drink Mitch had poured her to her lips. Taking a large drink, she hesitated as the cogs continued to turn in her head. "While I wish we could go back in time and ask Giovanni what he was thinking, we can't. And while yes, what's written is written...I don't think I can do this completely on my own." Roxie looked to Ricky. "I know you are pissed at your father...but...being pissed at me is going to get us nowhere because Ricky, I'm the only family you've got now, and to let this tear us apart is just stupid." She hoped that he would agree with her as she searched his eyes for any sign that they would be okay.

"So if you can agree to it, I think this is what we are going to do. As you said, it's hard being the middle-man and I think your father knew how hard this was going to be on you, Ricky. So, if you are willing, we can work as a team. Sure, I'll be the one with the "title" but as far as I'm concerned that only really matters in a small number of issues. You are just as much involved in this leadership-wise as I am now. You've got to want to get on with your life as I have, you've got to want to live somewhat normally and I think this is your chance by letting some of the responsibility fall onto me." Roxie looked around the room to see if the others were on board before her eyes once again turned to her cousin.

Moving her hands to press against the table, she leaned over it as she stared at Ricky. "What do you say? Does that sound fair?" Julia shifted in her seat as if she was about to say something but Roxie shifted her head to glare at the woman, daring her to say something out of turn. When she didn't say anything, Roxie looked back at Ricky. "So? Do we have a deal?"
with: Ricky + Matthew Misty Gray ; Reina Melanin-Gxdess ; Mitch RayPurchase

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Morning...

Spencer had got up early in the morning - much earlier that he would prefer given he was more inclined to be out and about late into the night. He'd been extra quiet whilst getting dressed, not wanting to disrupt Shona too much. Given their baby would be born in a few weeks, he wanted to give her all of the rest she needed before then. Besides which, her hormones meant she could be pretty cranky with him lately even when he couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong. After placing a kiss on his wife's cheek, he make a speedy exit from the house and got into his car and drove off to London's city centre to the large building that housed the headquarters of King Remedial, the family's pharmaceutical company.

The meeting was a serious one and for all intents and purposes, one of the most legitimate of the deals Spencer found himself involved in. Although stuffy meetings were not something he enjoyed, Spencer was usually able to focus and conduct such dealings appropriately. This morning had been no exception and a deal with the Indian investor had been a success. Once the meeting was concluded, Spencer had debriefed his lawyer and financial team before leaving them to formulate the paperwork for him ready to approve on Monday.

*****​

Afternoon...

Spencer's meeting in the afternoon was one of a less savoury nature. In the back office of The Oakland Lounge cocktail bar he'd been reading over a potential contract with an arms dealer which would ensure the Kings had plenty of weapons at their disposal should such an event bring a need for them. His and his family's position meant there was always a chance of conflict or attack. The mere nature of the shadier side of the Kings' empire invited such challenge. Once the planning meeting was over, Spencer had seen his business associate out of the club before returning to his office.

After loosening his tie and altogether making himself more comfortable, he'd contacted the Callahan Household to speak with Savannah. Shannon's funeral had been days ago and Savannah had been in Dublin much earlier than that. Whilst Spencer had shown up to the funeral service, having been on good terms with Shannon, he didn't attend the wake or give the the Sullivans much in the way of conversation. He'd attended to pay his respects and then get himself straight back to London. Days had passed and there hadn't been sight of Savannah back at her apartment, which hadn't escaped Spencer's attention. Given the fact it was the Kings' turn to have Callum stay over for the weekend, he wasn't at all pleased to think they'd been let down. His phone call with Savannah confirmed she wouldn't be back in time for them to have their turn. Whilst Spencer appreciated Savannah didn't get to see her family too often, he was pissed off that she'd not apologised, nor had she told him sooner.

Things weren't sitting well with Spencer and he fully intended to have it out with the blonde when she was back in London, even if Alex wasn't there when he did. In the meantime, seeing as he was in the club and Kerry had started her shift, Spencer had took the opportunity to grill her on the subject. Kerry and Savannah seemed to get along well, so he'd pressed her for any information she had as it was possible Savannah might have confided in the barmaid. Despite his aggressive tone and persistence, Kerry hadn't told him anything he didn't already know. She was either a good liar or she was just as in the dark as he was.

*****​

Evening...

By the time evening arrived, Spencer's business suit was long gone and he was more than ready to start drinking. When he stepped into his pub, The Royal Taphouse, he could see the place was already full of life and his youngest brother was adding to much of the said liveliness. Spencer wasn't in the best of moods, but he was sure it was nothing a few drinks and a catch up with his family couldn't solve. He approached the bar in time to hear Billy's comment about people getting arrested. "No fucker's getting arrested on my watch!" he gruffly assured those around. He lightly hit the side of Billy's head with the back of his hand before moving in to swipe one of the whiskey shots from in front of him. He knocked back the shot before rounding the bar himself and scooting past Billy so he could pour himself a pint of beer. "What have you lazy bastards been up to today, then?" he asked Billy, Erik and anyone else within earshot.

As he took a drink from his pint glass, his eyes caught his sister. "Harper!" he said, setting his pint down on the corner of the bar and he beckoned her over. "You alright, Sis?" he asked her. "Have you spoken to Sav lately? She's still in Dublin with our Callum and didn't give me a clue as to when she'll bother coming back home... here," he told her, clearly annoyed. "I need to know if she's trying to pull a fast one on us. Our nephew belongs here but I get the feeling she's getting too cosy back in Ireland with the rest of the bloody Sullivans."

Bellz (Harper)
Melanin-Gxdess (Erik)
Pyroclast (Billy)

 

[Misty Gray]

Rikers Island
~ The Bronx, New York ~

James Porter​

James' jaw tightened when the other man assumed he was one of the Morettis and that the Italians were his people. He wanted to correct him there and then, but part of him didn't feel he had to explain himself to some new prisoner he'd never met. The man would have to fall into line or no doubt face the consequences from the other prisoners or even the COs. Still, the longer Kurt spoke, the harder it was for James to hold back. The crooked COs, the Moretti affiliates and anyone else with their eyes open knew James was carrying out Moretti business within the prison. However, none of them for a moment would believe James and Gabriel to be friends. It was a partnership of convenience. Moretti got his business done and James got to keep breathing, not to mention with the knowledge his loved ones were safe.

Kurt clearly had strong feelings against the Morettis, which wasn't that hard to believe considering how ruthless the Italians were. But as the man's emotions seemed to kick in, James had to wonder if the anger was more deep-rotted. Suddenly, Kurt grabbed James' collar and raised his fist to threaten him whilst demanding to know the truth. James might not have felt like he had to explain himself to anyone, but his pride couldn't let him stay quiet. To be put into the same group as the Morettis and have it suggested they were friends was not something he was willing to shrug off.

"I'm not one of the fucking Morettis and I'm certainly not that smug bastard's friend," James growled back at Kurt in return. "The only people I'm loyal to are my family. The Sullivans. Have been since birth and always will be," he assured him. "Now take your hand off of me and listen, because the shit that's going on here isn't that simple." James looked over his shoulder and out of the cell, wanting to make sure nobody was listening. "The Morettis own half of New York City and most of this place. But you already seem to have first hand knowledge of the Morettis? I'm working for Moretti, but not through choice. Everything I do is for my family..."

Pyroclast (Kurt)

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter​

Thomas watched his Uncle closely as he tried to read his face. Reading faces was something he had gotten good at over the years but it was always hard to tell what someone was thinking at times. Finally, Conor spoke and leveled with him that his mom would be pissed at the two of them if Thomas started working in the business. Thomas was fully prepared for that. A brief and genuine smile appeared on Thomas's face as Conor agreed to employ him. But it once again turned serious as he said he needed to know what he was comfortable with doing in the business. His Uncle pushed that he needed to be honest. Thomas hadn't really talked with his family ever about what he was comfortable with nowadays, that was something only he and his VA therapist talked about every week and how to overcome some of the boundaries he had set for himself years ago to keep himself from hurting anyone.

His baggage was something that would have to be discussed clearly and it made Thomas shift from foot to foot uncomfortably as he thought about what to say. He hadn't really put himself in a situation to see what he was still able to do, to see what he wasn't okay with. After returning home, he made sure to keep away from jobs like the one he was asking for now, in fear that if someone made the wrong move, he could hurt someone who didn't deserve it. "I guess..." Thomas started slowly, trying to think of what to say. "I need to start off slow. I haven't been in the heat of action since I returned home from Iran...so I don't really know what will trigger me, to be honest with you. I am interested in doing what I did back in the Marines, bodyguard work but if needed I can do something more but as I said, it's kind of a guessing game as to what my boundaries are at this current moment. Which I know makes me unpredictable...but I promise I can do this." Thomas said, looking his Uncle right in the eyes as he said this.
with: Conor Misty Gray

Natasha McCarthy ​

Natasha was beginning to worry that she was calling out to people who weren't actually home when Rhi poked her head out of her bedroom, waving her over to come inside. Nat smiled widely at the girl before walking into her bedroom and looking things over before watching the girl scramble to pick out a dress to wear. "What's the crisis, babe?" Natasha asked curiously as Rhi told her what the situation was. No one in the family understood what was happening apparently and that made Natasha feel awfully special that the girl felt she knew exactly what to say. It took the blonde a minute to understand what Rhi was saying but a second later she figured she was talking about her figure skating routine. "Doubles are for losers!" Nat agreed with a smile. "If you just settled for the double, you'd never learn how to master the triple, and then you'd just be stuck doing the same old thing all the time. You have more talent than that, sweetie." Natasha complimented her as the teen pulled on a black sweater.

Just before Natasha could say anymore, there was a knock on the door. Turning her head, she looked to see who it was and immediately smiled as Leo poked his head in. He didn't seem to notice her yet as Rhi had to clarify he was speaking to her and when he opened the door full, Natasha waved lightly at him. "Hey Leo." The blonde said as her cheeks began to feel warm at the sight of his chest underneath his dress shirt. Natasha forced herself to look at Rhi as she asked if there was a reason he had his chest out and the young woman let out a breathless laugh.

Leo asked how she was doing and Natasha reminded herself to look him in the eye when speaking. "Pretty good, pretty excited to have a party going on, despite the circumstances of it, of course. It's been ages since your folks have thrown a party." She said with a smile. Once his shirt was completely buttoned, Natasha let out a light noiseless sigh before looking at the pair of them. "How have you two been? Staying out of trouble I hope?"
with: Rhi + Leo Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Pyroclast]

Tatiana Moretti

As she grabbed the keys to her candyapple red F-150 Ford pick-up, Tatiana caught her reflection in the hallway mirror. One last check before she made an appearance at her parents’ house: fingernails clean, hair in place, make-up neat, clothes ironed, bruises concealed. Time to put her job aside and enter her role as daughter, sister and aunt. It was a sharp contrast sometimes, but especially on days like this. The day had started in a way far worse than she could possibly have expected; anyone who walks into their girlfriend’s apartment to find her in bed with somebody else would know exactly how she felt. They hadn’t been officially together for very long, but after a couple of months of a casual open-relationship, they had finally become exclusive two weeks ago. Clearly, the woman had struggled to let go of her previous lifestyle and dishonestly continued to do what she wanted behind Tatiana’s back.

Fortunately, Tatiana didn’t need to be in a good mood that day. One of her dealers had allowed a regular customer to build up a debt, which went against a strict rule that Tatiana imposed. She had had one of the enforcers bring the customer to her, where she had planned for the dealer to take out the punishment on him himself. In the end, she ended up beating both of them, for betraying her trust and for the irresponsible behaviour that she apparently hadn’t made clear enough that she did not tolerate. She had left them alive, but with threats hanging over them both. It had been exactly the punching bag she had needed to vent out her anger - at least enough, she hoped, to get her through an evening with the family without her emotions returning to her.

With a sharp exhale, she whipped the keys around her finger and bent down to kiss her pitbull, Eightball, before shutting the apartment door behind her. By the time she had parked up in the driveway, she could see that her sister had already arrived, and hopefully with Teddy and the children. Tatiana had never planned on fitting children into her life, and unless she ended up falling for a woman who had children from a previous relationship, she didn’t have to worry about accidentally becoming pregnant. Being an aunt was enough for her: a bit like parenting, but more of the fun and less of the disciplining.

“Hey,” she called out from the foyer, stomping the grit from the sole of her boots. The house already sounded full even without Marcus and Ava there, but that was exactly what she felt she needed after the day she had had: there was nothing quite like the noise of active children to drown out her thoughts. “Mama,” she smiled, approaching her for a kiss and a comforting hug. "You look beautiful. And it smells delicious in here!" She even reached up to kiss her father on the side of his head, something she didn’t often do. “Sora mea…” She then directed her affection to her younger sister with a warm embrace before greeting Teddy with the same warmth. “Where are my nipoti?” she asked, expecting a welcome from Paolo, Cristina and Francis. “Your Aunt Tati’s waiting for her hug.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Papa, sora, Cristina, Paolo
Melanin-Gxdess Mama, Francis, (Ava)

RayPurchase Marcus

 

[Misty Gray]

Gabriel Moretti's Mansion
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Gabriel Moretti and Valentina Wycliff
~ Cristina and Paolo Wycliff ~​

Gabriel listened as Teddy told him things were quiet and apparently easy to balance. The man glanced to his daughter as she spoke with Elvian. Regardless of whether or not she was listening, he decided not to hold his tongue. "Being quiet could be a bad thing. Complacency will get you nowhere. It sounds to me like you're not being challenged enough, Theodore." He lowered his voice a little. "My daughter is doing very well for herself and I'm proud of what she has achieved, but she doesn't need to be on-site at the hotels micro-managing them. She employs staff who are capable of running the place for her. You need to man up and try get her to compromise. She should be at home with the children more than she is," he pointed out. "Not to mention she looks exhausted from where I'm standing. Not that I'm allowed to address such a matter with her!" he drily remarked. He couldn't help but recall the time he and Valentina had fallen out the last time he raised his concerns. The two of them had stopped talking for months after that.

Valentina smiled as she listened to Elvian expressing how much she enjoyed having all of the family over. She loved her children and it warmed her to see how much her parents did too. Whilst she was proud of her professional work, her children were her greatest achievement. "Yeah, Papa isn't great at the small talk. Everything he says always has to be serious," she trailed off, curiously looking over her shoulder as she wondered what her father was saying to Teddy this time. She quickly turned back to Elvian and let out a sigh. "I am tired," she reluctantly admitted. "The headaches always kick in when I'm tired and I haven't been sleeping well the last few weeks. Shitty memories and nightmares, y'know?"

Thankfully, before Valentina could get too deep into conversation about her bad dreams and before Gabriel could say something even worse to Teddy, Tatiana arrived at the house to reignite the positive energy. Gabriel received the kiss on the side of his head from his eldest daughter and gently rubbed her shoulder in return. "It's good to see you, Tatiana," he told her. Granted, they saw each other often enough for business, but now they were all together for family time. Whilst Gabriel knew a lot about his eldest daughter on a professional level and was proud of her success, they still didn't share much on a personal level. Whilst Gabriel had long since come to understand and accept his daughter's sexuality, her private life was a conversation he wasn't likely to instigate, instead letting her start such a conversation.

Valentina then accepted her sister's hug, returning the embrace with just as much warmth whilst smiling at having Tatiana present for the evening. When his aunt demanded her hug, Paolo reluctantly let go of his cup and left it on the worktop. He approached Tatiana and tightly wrapped his arms around her waist. "Where's Eightball? Why doesn't anyone in this family bring their dogs for dinner?" he complained before walked back to where he'd left his drink.

Cristina rolled her eyes at her brother before greeting her aunt with a warmer and more gentle hug. She then took a step back and looked to her. "Can we hang out together soon?" she softly asked her aunt, flashing a sweet smile. "Oh and guess what? I got the highest score in my tests at school today. The teacher was so impressed," she excitedly told Tatiana.


Melanin-Gxdess (Elvian, Teddy, Francis)
Pyroclast (Tatiana)

​

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Jeanie Carriveau-Porter
JJ Carriveau-Porter ​

Lucy smiled lightly as Ali joined in on teasing Syd but Syd's answer made the blonde's smile lessen as she thought about her son spending the rest of his life without a partner. It was true that the kids still had Roxie who had graciously decided to stay in the country as to not make it difficult for their kids, but Roxie had met someone else and was intending on marrying that man rather soon from what Lucy gathered from the last conversation she had with her about a month ago. Despite their separation, Lucy had grown to like Roxie very much and when they split, Lucy took into account that the woman didn't have any family in the country. So she had helped her get settled someplace new. It was unclear as to what Syd thought of it because Lucy didn't directly ask him. As much as she loved her son, she understood why the separation happened and Lucy wanted to make sure the mother of her grandchildren was taken care of. From what she gathered from their talks, Syd was hesitant because he didn't want to do what he had done to Roxie to someone else.

Rolling her eyes, Lucy sighed lightly, "I guess I can let Conor off the hook for tonight as well." She told Ali as Syd expressed that this was the perfect occasion to get drunk. He handed her a glass of champagne before he clinked his glass with hers. Lucy hesitated to take a sip as she thought about whether it was a good idea to get drunk. She had been awfully emotional lately when she drank too much and she didn't want to damper anyone's mood. She was sure her mother was shaking her head in disapproval from up above but Lucy didn't want to take it too far.

Thomas announced that he would catch up with everyone later and Lucy watched him leave, staring in the direction he had gone in for a long moment in thought before Ali asked if she knew that Thomas and Leo were still fighting. Lucy turned to look at Ali with raised brows. "Really?"[/b] Lucy asked clearly surprised. Ali said that she was told to butt out but Lucy hadn't even been informed that their fight was still ongoing. Ali asked how Thomas was doing and Lucy was struggling to find the words. "He's...just like his father." Lucy said with a small fond smile, "And by that I mean he's a closed book...I mean, even James was more open with me compared to Thomas. I had no idea they were still fighting." Lucy admitted before looking down at her champagne glass before taking a sip.

"I feel like I'm losing him. I honestly don't know what to do. He's completely shut me out of his life. I hardly get two words out of him most days." Lucy looked from Ali to Syd, her eyes watering slightly. There was a sound at the door and Ali excused herself, so Lucy took that opportunity to compose herself. Clearing her throat, she looked down and let her curls fall in her face a moment allowing a single tear to fall before she wiped at it secretly. Once she lifted her head, there was a smile in place as she looked over her son again.

"Thanks for the spritz!" Jeanie said to her twin before Jane went on to say that no one would be able to tell since they were great at acting. She referenced all the times they would pretend to be asleep when their parents came into the room to check on them or even when they told Matthew they left their completed homework at their dads. She then asked how hard could it be to pretend to be sober which Jeanie laughed at lightly. "I don't know, have you seen dad try to act sober when he's not? We can't over do it. We will never hear the end of it from mom or dad if they catch us! But they haven't caught us misbehaving yet, so let's do it!" Jeanie encouraged before finishing doing herself up.

Jane took her hand and they walked out of the bathroom together happily. Jane whispered to her and Jeanie's eyes narrowed as she took in the table full of champagne. Jane took the role of distracting and Jeanie nodded as she watched her go. "I'll meet you in the other lounge, no one is in there at the moment." She told Jane as they broke off.

"I know you struggle to see it, Syd. But your son is your twin." Lucy informed her son as she shook her head, "He pranked Jeanie into drawing a line straight down her face with a pencil-colored coin. I wonder what the little devil is up to right now?" Jane interrupted the conversation as she asked if her father was wasted yet and Lucy let out a laugh. Syd asked how he was meant to get wasted if he had to keep an eye on her to which Jane just rolled her eyes. So much of her mother Lucy could see in Jane, especially when she rolled her pretty little eyes. Lucy's eyes light up as Jane asked her to help her apply her lipstick. "Of course, love! Come here and pucker up!" Lucy said as she applied Jane's lipstick perfectly. "You are mighty lucky that your mom and dad let you wear make-up at such a young age. My daddy wouldn't let me put on lipstick until I was nearly 17! Can you believe it? Told me I'd attract men like flies and he didn't want to be responsible for calling their parents to report he swatted them to death!" Lucy rolled her eyes.

Jeanie had dipped behind the table which was covered with a table cloth. Getting under it, she reached her hands up slowly to grab two glasses of champagne before pulling them under the table with her quickly. Hearing Grandma and her dad still talking with Jane, Jeanie crept out from under the table and made a beeline for the other lounge as quickly as she could. Just as she thought she was safe, she turned her head in the last moment causing her to stop dead in her tracks as she stood face to face with her younger brother. "Busted." JJ said tauntingly as he crossed his arms. "Alcohol huh? I don't think dad and grandma will be too happy to see you have those!" He said to which Jeanie grit her teeth. "What do you want twerp?" She growled out to which JJ instantly smiled.

"Yours and Jane's allowance from both mom and dad's house for 3 weeks!" He said immediately. "You were just waiting to catch us in something weren't you?" Jeanie accused to which JJ laughed, "You both make it pretty easy to catch you in an act." Jeanie rolled her eyes, "Fine, deal. But if you say anything to dad, mom, or grandma...I'll kick your ass." JJ laughed before walking away as if he saw nothing. Jeanie sighed and moved to the lounge to sit the glasses down on the coffee table

Lucy finished applying Jane's lipstick and smiled at her granddaughter. "Gorgeous! There you go, sweetie. I love this color on you!" She complimented before kissing Jane's forehead, "Now do me a favor and see what your troublemaker brother is up to so your dad can actually get wasted now." Lucy winked at her before sending the girl on her way. Lucy watched her go before looking at Syd. "They grow up so freaking fast. It seems like yesterday they were just babies."
with: Syd + Jane Pyroclast
mentions: Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

Oak Tree Restaurant
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Adam Harper and Jasmine Zegarra
~ Emilia & Safia Zegarra ~​

Although Emilia was reading through the menu herself, Jasmine was taking some time with her own menu studying the options on both of her daughters' behalf. Safia wasn't exactly fussy, but Jasmine still needed to find something suitable for a toddler and that would create as little mess when out in public as possible. Emilia was the fussy one, with her likes and dislikes seemingly changing every time they ate out. "You liked the pizza the last time we came here. How about that?" she asked her daughter. The girl responded by pulling a disgusted face and shooting down the suggestion. "Chicken tenders?" Jasmine suggested in an exasperated tone.

"Nope," Emilia replied, quickly shaking her head. "Adam's having a cheeseburger. I want that too!" she decided, smiling enthusiastically.

"Trust you to have us ordering burgers at a fancy place like this," Jasmine joked, directing her comment at Adam. "We may as well have just gone to McDonald's!"

"CAN WE?!" Emilia excitedly asked, but was soon shushed by her mother and told they were staying at the restaurant.

"What? There's no shame in a cheeseburger, Jas. Don't be getting all fancy on us now," Adam remarked. He then turned to Michael and raised a curious eyebrow. "What are you having, kid?"

When conversation moved away from deciding what the kids were eating, Adam focused on Chase and listened as the man explained work had been busy recently. He caught the fond smile the man sent to Jasmine and briefly glanced away. He didn't really talk about his deeper feelings or his regrets about never having a family of his own, but that didn't mean it wasn't something that was often on his mind. Still, it wasn't like there was any point on dwelling on something that couldn't be changed at this point in his life. Besides, he had three perfect godchildren and friends who were as good as family. Life could be much worse for the guy!

Adam looked back to Chase when the man addressed him again. "Yep, I've been working a lot more lately. Mostly it's been a breeze though, not much in the way of anyone causing trouble for us. I'd expected Spencer King to stick around after the funeral but he pissed off once the church service was done with." It wasn't that he'd wanted or expected trouble at the funeral, but they were often a perfect environment for some kind of drama.

"Adam swore," Emilia whispered very indiscreetly into Chase's ear before letting out a mischievous laugh.

"As for relaxing..." Adam began, ignoring the fact he had indeed slipped up by swearing. "You know me, the only time I relax is when I sleep. Running the gym keeps me occupied when I'm not working for Conor." Seeing Emilia had focused her attentions back to Jasmine, he spoke a little quieter to Chase. "I think Conor's wanting us to check in with our friends over in Cuba in a few weeks. Long overdue face-to-face and all that," he explained.

Pyroclast (Chase, Michael)

 

[Misty Gray]

Carriveau & Van Gerwen LLP
~ 42-40 Bell Blvd, Bayside, NY 11361 Suite 500 ~

Riccardo Biancardi and Matthew Moore​

Ricky turned to Reina when she spoke to Julia to tell her she wasn't the one who had been shafted. "That doesn't mean Julia's not entitled to speak up about what's glaringly obvious. No need to sugarcoat the fact Giovanni fucked me over," he pointed out. Of course he took it personally that his father appeared to have more trust and faith in Roxie than he did in his own son. Clearly, only a minority in the room saw it the same way.

When Roxie asked him if he was done, Ricky slowly shook his head. "No, not really. But go ahead..." he flippantly replied, holding his arm out towards her to invite her to speak. Instead, she got up and turned to look out of the window. As the room fell silent, Ricky sat back and massaged the back of his neck, trying to ease some of the tension he was feeling. "This is awkward," he whispered to Julia before turning back to see if his cousin had finished daydreaming out of the window yet. Once she turned back to everyone and continued to speak up again, Ricky sat forward and paid attention, focusing on her every word should they need analysing deeper.

As his cousin spoke to him and reminded him she was the only family he had, his face softened as he met her gaze. Of course he didn't like being horrible to Roxie, but he'd gone from mourning a father he'd loved to struggling to accept the feeling of betrayal that left him questioning everything he felt about Giovanni. The man wasn't alive for him to take his frustrations out on, so Roxie was the next best thing. He didn't like being that way towards her, but he couldn't take it back as that would feel like he was bending over and accepting the outcome. He couldn't apologise for the way he was feeling.

Roxie went on to suggest they worked as a team, albeit with her holding the title. She made it sound like they would be equally responsible for the leadership of the business, which was of course reasonable. It still didn't soften the blow of not being given his father's blessing and he was sure others within the Biancardi business would be shocked or at least surprised at the news of the unexpected new leader. His cousin continued to suggest he could share the responsibility with her and he should want a normal life. Ricky had tried to pursue some normality and had gone as far as getting engaged to Claudia, but in the end she rejected him and made him decide he wasn't destined for that kind of a life. He was naturally a non-conformist and one who couldn't hold back from questioning everything, no matter how disrespectful it may be received. From his Uncle Stefano's strict and overbearing ways, to the abuse he'd suffered at Father Miller's hands, Ricky was forced to hide so much about himself from a young age. Meeting Claudia a few years ago, he'd finally been able to relax and feel comfortable enough to commit to a woman long enough that he was able to open up to her. Of course, she left him and forced him to question who he was, in turn causing him to realise he wasn't destined to be that kind of happy. That left him with only the business and over the last year he'd grown comfortable with putting all of his focus on that. The hectic schedule and constant interactions between the Morettis and the Sullivans didn't leave him much time to dwell on his traumas of the past. Now it felt like he didn't even have that responsibility and purpose to hold onto. He'd got too comfortable and now he'd been punished for it by his own father.

When all was said and done, he knew he couldn't change what was written in the will. He looked up to Roxie as she leaned over him and asked if they had a deal. "Under the circumstances..." he began, pausing as he seemed to looked through Roxie for a short time. "I suppose we have a deal," he said, giving a single nod to his cousin. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an exhausted breath. "Perhaps we should discuss the finer details tomorrow, whilst you and St. Matthew are still in New York." He looked around the room at the others before calmly getting out of his seat. He pulled Roxie in towards him and gave her a brief hug. "I'm sorry for being a dick to you," he apologised to her. "This is just a lot to take in."

Ricky retrieved his jack from the coat hook, making it clear he wasn't planning on sticking around. "It's been a long enough day already and we have plenty to think about. I'm going to do my thinking over some strong alcohol in my big house," he remarked. Remembering how Julia had defended him against the rest, he didn't want to abandon her in the room with the others. "Fancy a ride home with me, Julia?" he offered his friend.

Once Ricky and Julia had left the room, Matthew felt the tension ease off. However, that meant those remaining had to face what the revelation meant for Roxie. He looked to her and smiled, albeit a level of concern laced within it. "Are you sure this is what you want to do, Roxie? This is a big responsibility and a risky one. I don't want you to get stressed, especially with the kids and your other work taking up a lot of your time. I don't want you to be put in danger," he admitted. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind in front of the others, not after everything they'd already managed to sit through.

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

 

[Pyroclast]

Kurt Reznik

Having let his emotions escalate, it took more than a second for James’ words to convince Kurt that he wasn’t an enemy. Unless a mobster was undercover or being interrogated by the authorities, only the cowardly would ever deny their affiliation. It was a matter of pride and loyalty. This man looked to be in his late fifties to early sixties, his skin was weathered by scars both fresh and old, and he carried a look in his eyes that told Kurt he had been through the wars. If he was a Moretti, then denying the fact in an institution as large as Rikers would just as likely get him killed as remaining true to it. Kurt’s grip on his shirt slackened, his glare simmered down and he lowered his fist. When the man turned to scan the corridor for any unwanted company, Kurt let go of him entirely and backed off to perch on one of the rungs of his bunk’s ladder.

“The Sullivans? As in, Jack and Arlene?” Kurt rubbed at his chin as he processed what he was hearing. He glanced up at the man, the menace all but gone from his eyes. He had started to describe the position that the Morettis held within New York and Rikers Island, but with Benjamin having moved to Dublin with the Irish Mob in 1972, Kurt was already mostly aware of the rise and fall of tensions between the two gangs. Instead, he was hung up on the idea that he and the stranger in his cell might in fact not be total strangers after all. “First hand knowledge is right,” he muttered, his gaze falling to the floor. “I’ve been behind bars a long time, but I got a son in Dublin with the Sullivans. Those Moretti fucks killed his mom when he was a kid. Francesco Moretti, he got his hands on her..." His head dropped forwards and he wrung his hands, not used to talking about his wife with anyone, much less a stranger. “And your, uh...one of your guys took my boy in. Just like they took me in when I was his age. For me, that was Jack and Arlene. I owe a life’s debt to the Sullivans...” Frowning, he stood up again and turned to the man, though without expressing any intent to go for him this time. “So who are you exactly? And what are you doing working for the Morettis now?”

Interactions
Misty Gray the mysterious Sullivan

 

[BloodLightning27]

~London: Shirley~​

Pregnancy Progression: 30/42 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 210/294 Days

Weight Gain: 63/71 Kg

As Shona expressed love for her unborn baby, Shirley smiled a bit because she felt the same way with her twins. Sure, pregnancy wasn't easy, but she was powering through it. What Shirley didn't like was that she was going through it alone because the babies' Father was long gone by the time she found out that she was expecting. At the current stage, her life was very difficult now and Shirley was surprised that she was still able to treat gunshot wounds and other injuries for people who show up to her house, granted it was getting more and more difficult because there had already been times where she had to power through contractions or her babies kicking. House chores were also getting strenuous as she could no longer stand for extended periods of time and cooking was difficult as her belly was in between her and the stove. Plus her unborn twins weren't exactly getting any smaller. Worst of all, she had to deal with a lot of pain in her back and her feet, which she could no longer really see. "I've only been in London for less then six months. My Sister and I aren't exactly talking right now. She doesn't even know that I'm having twins."

Although she missed Stella dearly, Shirley was still unhappy about how she got swept up with the Irish Mob. Sure, she was already asking questions on why her Sister started coming home with gunshot wounds and eventually, she found firearms hidden around the house. Not to mention sewing supplies as her Sister was often closing up bullet holes in her shirts and her pants. Then there were times she came home and saw Stella cleaning bloodstains off of her boots. Her train of thought was disrupted when Shona said that sometimes the family that they make is better then the family they're born with. Shirley's heart sank a little. "You're probably not wrong. My Sister got into a lot of trouble when we were growing up, but God knows what she is up to now. And I haven't heard from my parents in five years. They moved back to Korea shortly after I turned eighteen. And then it was just me and my Sister up until three months ago when I decided to move."

It wasn't long until the two made eye contact. One thing was for sure, it was nice to talk to a normal person. Usually, she just kept company with injured gang members, at least until they recovered enough to be sent on their way and they only stayed in her home for twenty-four hours maximum. So far, she was lucky that the Police didn't knock on her door yet and her neighbors have yet to question her. "Yes, I am considering a Postnatal Class. Raising Twins is going to be a challenge and I could use some help so I don't walk into Motherhood blind." One of her babies proceeded to kick the palm of their Mother's hand, unfamiliar with the other voice that accompanied their Mother.

At the mention of going to a pub, Shirley ended up feeling a little uncomfortable. Sure, she wasn't going to be drinking as it would be harmful to her babies, but the smell of it she very much hated. Half the time, she had to hold her breath whenever she had to use the medical alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean blood or treat wounds. "I'll see how I'm feeling after my appointment. Last two weeks I've been dealing with a lot of pain in my back and my feet, so I cannot stand for long periods of time."

Between going to a pub and going home to rest, Shirley definitely preferred the latter as the thought of resting in bed was comforting to her. Finally, a Woman dressed in scrubs came out to the waiting room. "Shirley Kwon? We're ready to see you."

"Looks like my Doctor is ready. Be seeing you, Shona." She gave the other woman a warm smile before getting out of her seat to leave with the Nurse that was waiting for her.
Pyroclast (Shona)

 

[Misty Gray]

Rikers Island
~ The Bronx, New York ~

James Porter​

James was glad when Kurt seemed to calm down and let go of his collar, no longer holding his fist up in a threatening manner. James had enough to juggle and stay alert for within the prison without sharing his cell with a hostile prisoner. Still, he hoped Kurt had a good reason for attacking him the way he had, otherwise, with his position in the place he couldn't exactly go soft and ignore the fact the man had just threatened him. James watched the man as he backed off and leaned against the bunk bed. When Kurt mentioned two names from the past, James' interest visibly grew. "Yeah, those Sullivans," he confirmed. "Although I was born and raised in Chicago, so like my father, I worked for Jack's brother, Emmet. I married his eldest daughter, Lucy. After Chicago, we spent a decade or so in Dublin but ended up in New York in the sixties, after Liam was killed. It's always been the Sullivans," he confirmed. There was a pride in his voice when he gave the clarification and it was now especially, being made to work for the Morettis, that James held on tightly to his own identity.

James listened intently as Kurt explained his own run-ins with the Morettis. The way the man gazed to the floor seemed to suggest such a history was a personal one. Hearing he had a son in Dublin caught James' curiosity, but he didn't want to interrupt the other man as he was keen to know what his story was. With mention of Francesco Moretti killing the boy's mother, James couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. He once again looked out of the cell to check nobody was standing within earshot before he stepped back inside and focused on Kurt. "I'm sorry to hear he did that to her. He was the same piece of shit that killed Liam and I had the misfortune of meeting him. But I heard he got what was coming to him in the end," he told Kurt. Though his voice had remained flat and neutral as he said it, there was something of a knowing look on James' face. Though he believed Kurt was being genuine, it was second nature for James not to say anything explicitly incriminating that could be used against him. It wouldn't take away any pain for the woman who had died because of Francesco, but he at least hoped Kurt could take something from knowing the man had got what he deserved.

Hearing that one of the Sullivans had taken in the man's son, James was sure he might know the kid in question, but it wasn't until the man revealed Jack and Arlene had taken Kurt in that he began to work things out. As Kurt stood back up and turned to him, James snapped his fingers. "Wait... are you Kurt?" he asked, remembering the name from past conversations with Arlene and more recently with Aidan. "And Aidan looks after your kid, right? I mean, last time I chatted with Aidan was before I was extradited, so I guess your son's an adult now?" he asked. Despite the tensions only a moment ago, he couldn't help but feel enthusiastic about meeting someone who was one of the Sullivans. For all of his allies within the prison, many were either loyal to the Morettis or aligned with James for their own self-preservation.

"Oh, I'm James Porter," he answered, realising he'd got through the conversation so far without Kurt knowing who he was. Whilst it was possible he didn't know him, it was more likely Kurt would know his name regardless of being behind bars for so many years. "Since Liam's death, I've become more than acquainted with the Morettis. After most of the Morettis were killed, Francesco's brother, Gabriel eventually fought his way into New York in '71. Not sure if you heard about that war, but it was fucking brutal. I lost a lot of people, including my brother and my son's godfather," he said, pausing as he thought of Warren and Jackson. "Arlene was killed too, by a group working with Moretti," he informed Kurt. "My wife and I adopted her daughter, Olivia." James folded his arms and frowned as he thought about his current position, working for Gabriel. "I'm not working for the Morettis by choice. It's a matter of survival, for myself and my family. Considering I was charged with murdering a cop, I spent the first few months in jail locked in the box and getting the shit kicked out of me by the staff. But I didn't agree to the deal just to save my own ass, as by then I was expecting one of the officers to take the beating too far and finish the job. But I've got family and friends on the outside who will pay the price if I don't work for Moretti. As long as I'm locked up, I have no other way of protecting them."

Pyroclast (Kurt)

 

[Pyroclast]

Danny Vaughan

The moment Danny left the room to pick up some glasses of champagne for the two of them, he was struck by a giddiness that resembled the high of ecstasy. It had been a long time now since the couple had broken up. They hadn’t been together for long before Savannah moved to London to advance her career, with Danny staying in the employment of the Irish Mob in New York, but the love they shared was true. A meaningful point in both of their lives that had unfortunately been defeated by the distance. Danny’s feelings hadn’t changed, but there was a level of frustration at not being able to see her for several months at a time. He told himself that phone calls and letters were enough, but in the end he felt he was ultimately holding her back, pulling her away from living her life. He didn’t believe their relationship was giving her what she deserved and so was willing to let her go, in the hopes that she would be able to focus on her more immediate surroundings. It had taken a long time to get over her, but Danny was good at finding the brighter side of things and embracing even the painful kind of change. Already used to not being around her, it was easier than he had expected to continue to go about his daily life and soon he had grown accustomed to living without her in his life, no matter how much his heart ached. However, now that she was right there in front of him and they suddenly had a perfect, unexpected opportunity to catch up, he felt about as excited as he had when they first became close all those years ago in New York. It felt inappropriate to be smiling so much in front of the grieving family, but he couldn’t help it; if a party was in itself enough to set his soul alight, Savannah’s presence escalated the feeling tenfold.

On returning to the room, Danny held out a glass of champagne for her to take and then sat down beside her, almost blushing at the invitation. Danny had always been the confident and charismatic type, so when a woman made him even the slightest bit flustered he had to give her credit. With her large eyes, soft accent and dulcet smile, Savannah was anything but intimidating, but that was part of why he had always liked her so much. To him, even after seeing her through the darker points in her life, she represented all that was good in the world. If somebody asked him to think of a good person, he would probably go for her before anyone else.

Danny settled into a comfortable position on the sofa, one knee hoisted up onto the seat so he could face her properly as they sat and talked. “You’re still as modest as ever,” he teased fondly. Danny didn’t know much about show business, but he knew how success could inflate a person’s ego. Savannah seemed to have resisted that, and not to his surprise. “I’m really happy this worked out well for you, Sav. I know I only saw you on stage the one time, but man, I always knew your audiences would love you. And it sounds like you’ve won London’s heart for sure.”

Her mention of Callum was sudden and brief - at first Danny glanced at her left hand, wondering if Callum might be her husband. Then he remembered. “Oh, that’s right,” he said with a smile. “Yeah, I heard you had a kid - with one of the Kings, right? He’s a really lucky guy to have you for a mom.” Having been sat swirling the glass of champagne in his hand as he listened to her instead of drinking it, he finally raised it to her. “Here’s to you, Savvy, and all the good you’ve brought to this world!”

Danny always used to find it ironic that an actress who shined on the stage was so eager to step out of the spotlight when it came to her own life. Even though he knew she was the modest type it still caught him slightly off guard when she started to ask him about his own life so soon. He noticed the way her eyes glanced down at his left hand just as he had done a moment ago, but he wasn’t keen to dive into that mess quite so fast. “Oh, nothing so glamorous,” he smiled. “I’m doin’ well for myself, actually. Conor treats me well, and I got people below me now who I get to boss around. And I gotta say, I thought I’d miss the big apple - and I do, sometimes - but I actually like it here a lot. New York is an intense place. Dublin feels more mellow, somehow...like, there’s more time to sort your shit out here, you know? Whereas back home, everything’s so fast paced all the time, everyone’s always pushin’ past you, stealin’ your cabs, squeezin’ up against you on the subway. But here in Dublin, you ain’t got a reason to rush. Just get to the pub in time for a few rounds and that’s all that matters!”

The joy at seeing Savannah again still shone in his eyes but his gaze fell downwards as he thought about how to tell her the next part. It wasn’t necessarily important, but he felt a pressure gnawing at him to tell her now, as if he might come to regret not telling her later on. “Actually, I did meet someone here. A woman.” Danny shifted slightly in his seat, passing a hand over his mouth as he thought it over. “Savvy, you ever been with a person so long you don’t realise how bad things have gotten?” His expression fell a shade darker before he caught Savannah’s eye again. “Well anyway, it went on long enough for me to put a ring on her finger. I never thought I’d go so blind. It’s kind of embarrassing to find out you can lose yourself like that, but mostly I’m relieved that I’m not stuck in a shitty marriage.” He took another sip of his champagne. Maybe it was the joint he’d smoked earlier that afternoon, or maybe it was the rush of being back in Savannah’s company again, but Danny felt like he could open up. “There were a lot of reasons why we weren’t a good match, but the worst thing was, she used to tell me she was pregnant, and she’d be all excited about it because we always talked about having a big family someday - big moments like that made you just forget all the other shit you put up with, ‘cause it all suddenly seems worth it. But then, maybe a few nights later, I’d come home and she’d be fuckin’ blitzed. Paralytic, or overdosing on some cocktail of hard drugs, just...whatever it took to kill what was growing inside her.” The smile had completely gone from his face now, and his eyes had lost their lustre. After a brief silence fell over him, he suddenly put a hand to his chest and laughed, settling back into a more comfortable position. “Sav, I’m sorry! I don’t mean to drag you into my shit. I’m two months free of her, and loving every sweet second of it. And now I’m sittin’ here with you, drinkin’ the fancy stuff and...well, it just reminds me to appreciate life. I guess that's what this party is about, right? A celebration of life. A time to remember the details of your gran's life and the memories you shared with her."

Interactions
Misty Gray Savannah

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Sullivan Home-Dublin
Leo Sullivan
Rhiannon Sullivan

Rhiannon clapped her hands together and gave out an exaggerated sigh. "Thank you!" She was definitely convinced Natasha was the only one who understood how she felt, her words confirming it even more. As much as she understood her family wanted the best for her, sugarcoating things to try and spare her feelings wasn't something she wanted them to do. Rhiannon wanted the truth and she was glad Natasha was around to give it to her. "I'm sure a few more practices and I'll land it but I swear if Leo or anyone else says to abandon it I'm going to lose it."

Watching the interaction between Leo and Natasha, Rhi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Her brother was oblivious, but she had a feeling Nat had a thing for him. If she were being honest the thought of the two of them had crossed her mind a few times. It was a nice idea and she thought Nat would be a good influence on him, but he was stupid and that may rub off on her. With her devoting a lot of her time to practice she hadn't had time to work her magic. That moment her competition was over, she would definitely try and play cupid for a little bit, amongst other things she wanted to butt into.

"As much as I missed having parties, the clean-up I did not." He stated, sharing a knowing look with his sister. Normally they were the ones who ended up cleaning the mess, along with a few others their mother hired. It was a headache to have to deal with especially if they were up late the night before. Rhiannon stood in her mirror putting on her earrings once she finished strapping on her shoes. "Pretty good, I guess. Getting closer to graduating." He stated, fixing his top button. Once he had himself together he went and took a seat next to Natasha while waiting for Rhiannon to put on her final touches. "And definitely not staying out of trouble. Our parents don't know, but Leo got into a fight the other day and had me cover up the cuts." Rhiannon said matter-of-factly, turning around to face the two. Leo was glaring at her before turning to Natasha and shaking his head. "It wasn't something they needed to know and it's not like I got arrested." Turning to Rhiannon, he pointed at her and narrowed his eyes. "So shut up." His sister rolled her eyes and pointed to the door. "Whatever. Let's go downstairs before a search team comes looking for us. Plus, I have to apologize for being rude."

Leo and Rhiannon w/ Natasha( Bellz )
​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Moretti Family Home-Brooklyn,NY
Theodore Wycliff
Elvian Moretti

Teddy didn't know what he was going to expect coming out of Gabe's mouth, but he definitely had a feeling it wasn't going to be good. The moment he mentioned Teddy not being challenged enough, he tensed. He had prepared himself for hearing about something on the business side of things, but that didn't seem to be his father-in-law's intention. Instead, he brought up his wife and her working habits. He had gotten used to his father-in-law giving advice on how to deal with his wife, though sometimes he found it annoying. The advice was sound and he sometimes agreed but it was still frustrating. He worked very hard to make sure his wife knew she was supported and always feared if he was to do exactly what Gabriel said she would feel like he wasn't. "Trust me, I know. But it's important to me to let her do what she feels she needs to do. The moment I notice she's putting too much on herself, that's when I step in." He had learned a while ago he had to stand up for himself when it came to talking to him as Valentina's husband. "Speaking of..." He started a slight smile on his lips. "How would you like the kids for the weekend? As you said, she's a bit tired and I have a relaxing weekend prepared for her."

Elvian's gaze looked up to glance at Teddy and Gabriel, listening to her daughter speak. "That's just how he is, darling. Always has been, but it's just because he loves you and he's passionate about it." She raised her hand to move a strand of hair from Val's face. Hearing about her headaches and nightmares caused her concern, worried about her health. "Have you gone to the doctor? Please go to the doctor; I want to make sure you're okay." The after-effects of Valentina's attack had always weighed heavily on her mind. The wellbeing of her children -- Teddy included now -- and her grandchildren were always going to be important to her. Knowing that Val was always pushing herself so far added on to the worry, but she would keep it to herself. She didn't want to seem like she was being overwhelming like her husband tended to be.

Watching as Tatiana walked in, Teddy gave her a smile and a quick hug. Hearing his aunt's voice, Francis immediately perked up and made his way over to her. "Aunt Tati!" He said, wrapping his arms and her waist. Francis loved seeing and visiting his aunts and uncle considering he always saw his family. "And here I thought your brother and Ava would be here before you!" Elvian teased, returning her hug and kissing her cheek. "How are you, dragostea mea?" She asked glancing down at her watch. While they spoke she moved over to the oven to take out the dessert and set it on the counter. "Once those two get here, dinner will be ready."

Tatiana ( Pyroclast )
Gabriel, Valentina, Children ( Misty Gray )​

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Savannah Callahan​

Savannah enjoyed being in Danny's presence. Despite not seeing each other for a long time, it felt so easy and natural to be sat talking with him now. He always managed to make her feeling relaxed and positive, even after so long. She could be herself without feeling like she was either being scrutinised or overlooked completely for not being loud and outgoing enough. She let out a small laugh when Danny pointed out she was still modest. "It was really difficult at the start, I can tell you that much. You've got to be strong and outgoing enough to take your place. In the end I just learned to accept the superficial aspects of it all because that was just a stepping stone to get where I wanted to be; performing on stage and on set. I made some genuine friends and ones I could be myself with when out of that spotlight. I believe I've taken the opportunities London had for me," she said, firmly nodding her head. Although she was sure she could find more work in London, the place didn't feel like her home anymore. Lately, Dublin was calling out to her and she had a feeling that even if that didn't work out, she would still want to move on from London now. It was a lively but lonely place for her.

When Danny said he'd heard about Callum, she couldn't help but let a warm smile linger. Not only was it the fond thoughts of her son, but also knowing Danny already knew about the boy and it hadn't made him awkward about sitting with her now. "Yes, Alex King is his dad," she said, her gaze falling to her lap for a moment at the mention of her ex. She soon looked back to Danny and smiled again as he said her son was lucky to have her as his mother. "Oh, I hope so. Callum is a sweet little boy. I love him so much and I just want him to have the best life... surrounded by happiness and warmth." Despite all of the bad things that had happened around her when she was a child, Savannah credited her family for giving her such a good life and she wanted Callum to have that too. She blushed again as Danny raised a toast to her. She raised her glass in return, even though she was a little lost for words. "You're still such a kind soul," she told him.

Savannah listened with keen interest as Danny told her how he was doing. She was glad to hear that Conor was treating him well and, despite the nature of the business, she was glad Danny had climbed the ranks in his time working for her family. "You're right about Dublin and New York. It's all so much calmer and chilled out here. I'd say Dublin suits you much better," she assured him. "I'm glad my uncle is being good to you, too."

Some of the spirit seemed to have been knocked from Danny before he spoke up again to tell her about his recently failed relationship. He told her he'd met someone, which would have drawn a smile from Savannah were it not for the negative vibes she was getting from Danny. Instead, she waited for him to speak more before reacting to his news. Her eyes widened when she heard he'd got engaged to the woman he'd met, but it was made clear his story wasn't heading down a pleasant path. Mirroring the man next to her, Savannah also took a drink from her champagne glass, giving him time to continue. Hearing the woman had been pregnant at first made Savannah curious to learn that Danny was a father, but as he continued to speak, that idea was soon shot down. It was upsetting to hear the woman had basically killed the unborn child through alcohol and drugs. Savannah could feel her eyes welling up with tears as she processed what he'd told her. "That's terrible. You deserve so much better than that, Danny," she sadly told him. When he apologised for telling her about it all, she reached out to place her hand on his to reassure him. "No, don't apologise," she told him. She slowly retracted her delicate hand and sent him a soft smile when he said he'd been free of the woman for two months. Happily so. "I'm glad to hear you're okay now. You shouldn't have been made to endure that kind of cruelty in your life."

Savannah took another drink from her glass before letting out a deep sigh. "It sounds like we were both blinded in our relationships," she admitted. She looked over her shoulder towards the doorway to make sure Callum was still playing outside and out of earshot. "Alex could be so arrogant at times, but I ignored it because I cared for him and we had fun together, which I guess outweighed the arguments. When I found out I was pregnant, I was so afraid about it but he promised we'd get married and we'd make a good go at being a family, so I believed everything would work out. But, I was only a few months pregnant when I found out he'd been cheating on me. Like, it wasn't that he'd fallen for another woman, he was pretty much just sleeping around without giving anyone else a second thought. Alex is one of the most selfish people I've ever met but Callum thinks the world of him and I could never spoil that for my boy. Now Shannon's gone, there's not many people left in London who I can be open with about Alex. Y'know?" she asked.

"You're right, though. We should appreciate life and not let those who have hurt us get in the way of that. I had so many good times with my gran and I'm so glad I stayed here longer than intended, for the party. I wouldn't have bumped into you, for a start," she said, sending him a bright smile.

Pyroclast (Danny)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

Conor was glad to hear Thomas say he wanted to start off slow. He would have been more concerned if his nephew was diving in at the deep end and rushing to put himself in the middle of the action. Considering what Thomas had been through, it certainly made sense for him to be gradually introduced into the job. But regardless of how much responsibility he was to be given at first, Conor wasn't about to put him out on a job without supervision. The young man had said it himself that he wasn't sure of his triggers and boundaries. "I'm inclined to agree with you. Security and bodyguard jobs will be the best for you right now. I doubt you need to be shown around a firearm, but there's a whole lot more that would come with the job." After a short pause to think, he nodded along decisively. "I'm going to have you shadow Adam and anyone else he thinks would be a good fit, but he'll be the one in charge. Adam's been doing this shit a long time and he won't sugarcoat anything or give you an easy ride with the training. If he thinks you're in over your head or a liability, he'll tell you and me, alright? Are you up for that?" he asked for confirmation.

Conor patted Thomas on the shoulder but looked him in the eyes as he next spoke. "I'm relying on you to tell your mother as soon as, too. I'm fully aware she'll come ranting at me either way, but it's still your responsibility to be honest with her on this." Hearing footsteps approaching, Conor looked over to see Aliana approaching and decided it was best to steer away from the conversation until Thomas wanted things to be out in the open.

"Wow. I need to open a window because it just got hot in here," Conor greeted his wife as she joined them. He placed his arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the lips. He waited in case Thomas and Aliana wanted to speak to each other before addressing his wife again. "How is everything going? Is it safe for me to start drinking or do you need any help setting up?" He then made a point of looking back towards the main area of the party. "Are all of the kids alright? I've only seen Sydney so far and the fact I haven't heard the words "triple axel" all day has me worried Rhi has left home..." he joked.

Bellz (Thomas)
Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

 

[Pyroclast]

Jason Costello

A fond smile settled on Jason’s face as he listened to Gwen talk about the love she had for their son. Despite his previous promiscuous lifestyle and general reckless approach to life when he was younger, Jason had never given much thought towards fatherhood. It wasn’t until he and Gwen crossed paths in New York City and fell in love for a second time that he was presented with an opportunity to help raise a child. Lorelei had been quick to embed herself in Jason’s heart and he found himself caring for her as a father would long before he and Gwen had even moved in together. Cian may have been unplanned, but with Gwen at his side and Lorelei growing up to be a reliable and high-achieving young woman, Jason hadn’t had much anxiety about becoming a father in the end. With a past full of abandonment, extreme poverty, alcoholism and years spent in prison, there were a dozen ways in which Jason’s life could have turned out for the worse, so, as exhausting as Cian could be, he was grateful every day to have defied those odds and ended up with so much to be thankful for.

When Lorelei began to play the requested piece, Gwen and Jason both turned to watch her for a moment. Given her mother’s profession, it didn’t surprise Jason that Lorelei had grown to be so musically gifted. Cian was sitting on her lap as she played, a great beaming smile on his face as he watched her fingers dance across the keys. “It’s one thing to play the piano and sing as well as she does, but another altogether to have Cian fidgeting on her lap while she performs. The girl deserves awards for that alone!”

Returning his attention back to his wife, Jason listened as Gwen expressed her gratitude for his entering their lives when he did. His heart swelled as she lifted up his hands and kissed them. “Well, Gwen, ye' both did the same for me. People say, don’t they, that there be’s no point in thinkin’ about what could have been - but me, I like to think about it. It keeps me from ever takin’ the life I have with you for granted. Where would I be now, if you and Rory hadn’t come back into my life? In prison? At the bottom of the bottle? Out beggin' on the streets? Sure I was trying to right myself and get myself on a better track when we met again on Broadway, but I didn’t know myself back then, not really. You changed my life when you came along, and all for the better.” Just as she had done before, he brought Gwen’s hands to his lips and kissed them delicately.

Gwen’s comment about him being old and grey drew a laugh out of him, but he couldn’t deny it. “Well, I can tell ye’ this: if I was doin’ this parenting thing on my own, I’d be twice as old as I am by now. I’d have a cane and a hunch and a big old grotty beard because I’d be too arthritic to shave my face. You keep me alive, Gwen, so ye’ do.”

A waitress came by then, one with whom Gwen and Jason were well acquainted by now.

“Will it be the usual for youse tonight? Or something different?” she chimed above Lorelei’s playing.

“The usual for me, love - just a lemon and tonic.”

Once the waitress had left with the couple’s orders, Jason glanced once again at Lorelei and Cian, who was behaving unexpectedly well but still clearly having the time of his life. When he turned back to Gwen he wore a soft smile on his face. “Tell ye’ what,” he offered. “One night soon, we’ll have Rory mind our little rascal and you and I can have a night out. A proper date, just you and me, like the before times. Or even a little weekend break somewhere...” Holding a soft gaze on her, he reached a hand out to gently caress her cheek. “What would make us feel young again, d’ye think? If I say now that I’ll do whatever you suggest.” His smile turned almost mischievous at his suggestion of going anywhere or doing anything she wanted. “What havoc would you have us wreak on this poor town?”

Interactions
Bellz Gwen, Lorelei

 

[Bellz]

Harper King ​

Despite the rowdy energy in the pub, Harper had positioned herself in a quiet corner of the large room to read a book and drink some gin, and smoking a cigarette. She lifted her head every once in a while to see what was going on in the pub but other than her brother being rowdy with others, not much was happening. To say she was bored was an understatement, the book was one she had read probably a thousand times now and she knew what happened at the beginning, the middle, and the end. Harper lifted her head when she heard Spencer's voice but figured if she was needed she would be called over. As soon as she glanced at her book to continue reading, Spencer called out her name and Harper immediately shut her book and polished off her drink before walking over to her brothers.

Raising an eyebrow at him as he asked if she was alright, Harper nodded her head lightly before looking over at Billy with a fond smile. "I'm doing alright, just don't think I could match all this masculine energy tonight." She said teasingly before listening to what her eldest brother had to say about Savannah. Hearing that he suspected that she was going to try and pull a fast one saddened her greatly. Besides Shona, Savannah was the only other woman in her life. Seeing her go would hurt Harper more than it would hurt her brother who had cheated on her, she was sure. Harper understood her brother's concern and wanting to keep Callum where his family was, but the boy also had family in Ireland and if it was Harper, she wouldn't have hesitated to go home to her family and stay there.

"I haven't heard from her in a little while." Harper informed Spencer lightly. "She's most likely trying to enjoy the time that she has with her family. I would be doing the same thing given the circumstances." She reminded him before sighing and moving closer to the bar to order another drink. "As much as it hurts me to see her go, Savannah has been hurt horribly by our idiot brother. Speaking of, where is he?"
with: Spencer Misty Gray ; Billy Pyroclast ; Erik Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Pyroclast]

Kurt Lee Reznik

Kurt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The chances of ending up sharing a cell with somebody who was strongly affiliated with the Sullivans was unlikely enough as it was, but as it turned out, the man had actually worked for the brother of Kurt’s guardian. Of course, Kurt reminded himself that this didn’t mean they were friends - he was still a stranger, after all - but he couldn’t help but feel a connection beginning to form between them. Strangers or not, they were clearly tied by something significant. Not only were they affiliated with the same family but also had suffered loss at the hands of Francesco Moretti. Kurt’s eyes flickered up when Francesco’s demise was mentioned. He remembered that phone call with Aidan like it was yesterday; he had been so overcome with relief that his wife’s abuser and killer had finally got what he deserved that he had had to fight not to cry in front of the other inmates. There was something about the look on his cell mate’s face when he spoke of Francesco’s demise that set a stirring in Kurt’s chest, but he said nothing.

Instead of telling him who he was like Kurt had asked, the man instead turned the question around. Despite their evident connection, it still took him by the surprise to find out the man knew his name. “Yeah, that’s me,” he answered with a slight frown. “Aidan’s the one, that’s right. Benjie’s an adult now, turnin’ 23 soon, but Aidan still watches out for him. Handsome kid…” Sensing a certain excitement between them as they discussed their personal lives, Kurt allowed a puzzled smile to form on his lips. When the man finally revealed his name, his jaw fell open slightly. “You’re James Porter?” He tried not to sound star struck, but that name meant a lot to him - the updates that Aidan had given him over the years had often mentioned James. Although he was behind bars and had been for twenty odd years, Kurt was still keen to stay up to date with mob politics on the outside, not just so that he knew how to deal with any gangsters that wound up in his prison unit but also because it affected Aidan and Benjie directly. Folding his arms across his chest, he nodded along as James gave a brief summary of the war that had occurred between the Irish Mob and the Morettis in New York back in the sixties and early seventies. His expression softened as the man told him of how he had lost his brother and his son’s Godfather, as well as Arlene. As far as he knew, Kurt hadn’t met either of the first two, but he remembered being told about Arlene - yet another one of many phone calls that he was unlikely to ever forget. He gave a small smile at hearing that James and his wife had adopted Arlene’s little girl. Just like how Jack and Arlene had taken him in when he was a young boy, and how Aidan had taken Benjie in after Dolores was killed.

He let out a heavy sigh once James was done explaining his situation working for Moretti. Given all their evident connections, Kurt was now willing to accept his story as the truth - as much as he didn’t like the thought that his cell mate was now allied with the enemy, he understood that James didn’t like it either and wouldn’t be working for him if he had a choice. With all the new information to process, Kurt sat himself back down on the ladder and clasped his hands together. “Well, shit…” he sighed again. “I wasn’t expecting this. Look, I’m sorry for makin’ assumptions earlier, I was...missin’ some context. Guess I’m not the only one in here with a reason to hate those Italian fucks. But God, what are the odds it’d be…” Wringing his hands lightly, he raised his head and took a good look at the man. James Porter, the Irish Mob kingpin, longstanding enemy of the Moretti gang and the one in power at the time of the massacre that wiped out most of the Moretti family, including Francesco. Kurt was staring at the man who had, albeit unknowingly, avenged his late wife. He drew a deep breath as the old familiar ache began to gnaw at his chest. “Uh, listen, James,” he said, clearing his throat. His eyes darted to the cell door, briefly listening out for any approaching COs. He heard nothing, but kept his voice low all the same. “What you did, that’s something I can never repay you for. For years, I wanted to do something, for Benjie’s peace of mind and for mine, and God knows I would have gone after him if I hadn’t been locked up - hell, I wouldn’t have let him go near her in the first place - but when I said I owe a life’s debt to the Sullivans...well, I guess what I mean is, I owe you.” Still wringing his hands, he looked up to meet James’ eye. “The last thing I wanna do is work for Moretti, but if there’s any way I can help you support your family, you just let me know and I’ll do it. After all, I guess my boy and yours might know each other over there, right?”

Interactions
Misty Gray James

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter
Jane Carriveau-Porter

Syd watched fondly as his mother applied his daughter’s lipstick, but still tutted when she brought up how lucky she was that he and Roxie let her wear make-up. “You joke, mam, but don’t be putting ideas in her head,” he warned lightly. Syd was aware of how much he worried about his children’s safety and that sometimes his anxiety made him go overboard. Stalking Roxie’s family had cost him the love of his life and that had been a striking wake-up call for him about his uncontrolled tendency to act on his paranoid ideas, but although he was now more aware of his behaviour, it didn’t always mean it was so easy to let those ideas go. If Jeanie or Jane ever got into a relationship, Syd wasn’t sure he trusted himself not to conduct subtle tests on their boyfriend or girlfriend to make sure they weren’t going to hurt his daughter or corrupt her somehow. He was dreading the day they started attracting men, mostly for their safety but also partly for what it could do to his relationship with them. Knowing how his paranoia and anxiety could affect them, the very least he could do was let them wear lipstick at a family party.

“Thanks, Grandma!” Jane said, rubbing her lips together before opening them in a sweet smile and wrapping her arms around her grandmother’s waist. “You’re the best!” While Lucy had been applying her lipstick, Jane had watched Jeanie out of the corner of her eye and seen her entering the lounge. It had been the perfect innocent guise - her sister had got away with their crime safely and in the process, Jane had got her makeup done from the family’s resident style icon. When told to search for her brother so that Syd could relax and get drunk, she grinned and said, “I’ll keep an eye on him tonight, don’t worry!”

Syd let out a small sigh as the girl skipped away from them, and then turned to his mother when she commented on how fast his children were growing up. “Ah, they’re still kids, really,” he assured her with a smile. “They’re a pain in my ass sometimes, so outspoken, challenging me on everything...and JJ’s always out to wind them up. But they’re still goofing around and having fun, like kids should. They still play with their food and need cuddles when they’re upset and if I come down in the morning and the light’s on, I know it’s because Jane got up in the night and was too scared of the dark to turn the lights off again.” He let out a chuckle at the thought, but once the laughter died he glanced at his mother with a more serious look in his eye. “I’m just worried about having three teenagers at once, you know? They’re going to want to date and go out at night and find ways of rebelling against me. I just want them to be safe, but I know if I try to keep them safe they’ll just end up resenting me and then rebelling in some dangerous way somewhere down the line. I don’t know how you got through it, mam…I want the relationship with them that you and I have, you know?” Syd sipped on his drink, letting it go down without keeping an eye on it. “No matter how much I tell them, they’ll never understand how much they mean to me. The weekends with them are always by far the best days of the week.”



When she reached the lounge and saw the champagne on the table, Jane clapped her hands together with excitement. In all honesty, she was more excited about sneaking around behind her parents’ backs than she was about getting to drink alcohol. “We did it!” she quietly chirped, directing a mischievous smile at her sister. “No one saw you come in here, right? Maybe we should drink them fast just in case someone walks in.” Jane knelt down beside the table and picked up one of the glasses. “Well, it smells nicer than most alcohol. I took a sniff of dad’s whiskey bottle once and it made my whole nose sting.” She grinned once again at her sister, relishing in the feeling of doing something bad. Then, she took the glass to her lips and took a daring, hefty swig. “Mmm, that’s quite nice actually...it’s just kind of a fizzy drink, but more bitter.” A hiccup punctuated her sentence for her and she giggled before taking another sip. “Are you drunk yet? How long do you think it takes to like, kick in?”

She was so distracted by the excitement of drinking that she almost forgot the other trick she had managed to pull. “Oh! And I have a surprise for you,” she teased, before reaching into her bag. After leaving a couple of seconds to build suspense, she then shot her hand out towards Jeanie, revealing a silver cigarette case. “I saw dad drop it in grandma’s purse! I managed to bend down and grab it on my way to the lounge…” She flicked open the case like she had watched her father do so many times before and retrieved one of his cigarettes. “Wow, there aren’t many left in here. I guess you’re right about him not giving up…” Feeling too upbeat to dwell on Syd’s unhealthy habits, however, she instead brought the unlit cigarette to her lips and pretended to puff away at it before giggling some more. “One won’t hurt us, right? I mean, the only reason dad has such a gross cough is because he smokes like, a thousand of these a day. Plus, if he notices that his case is missing one cigarette, we can bully him about opening the case in the first place, because he’s meant to be quitting!”

Jane quickly scanned the room for a lighter, before spotting a candle and getting up to bring it over. “I can light it with this. If I do it, will you do it with me? I don’t want to smoke a whole one of these on my own, and we are trying new things...” With a cautious glance towards the door, she held the cigarette hesitantly over the candle, before dipping the tip into the flame. “Okay…” she murmured to herself in a moment of concentration. She had watched her father do it countless times, but now that she had one in her hand, she realised she had no idea what to do. Frowning slightly, she brought it to her lips and sucked in a deep breath. Immediately her throat and chest were filled with an intense burning sensation and her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t like it, you have it!” she wheezed, thrusting the cigarette at Jeanie before starting to cough uncontrollably. It became hard to breathe, which panicked her, and, worried that her coughing would attract the attention of someone outside the room, she reached up to grab a cushion and buried her face in it to muffle the deep, painful coughs erupting from her lungs. “That’s horrible,” she croaked, once the worst of the coughing had stopped. “Why does dad want to smoke those all the time?” Drying her eyes with the heel of her palm, she reached forward to grab her glass and drained the last of her champagne.

Interactions
Bellz Lucy, Jeanie

 

[Pyroclast]

Tatiana Moretti​

Smiling as her youngest nephew rushed to wrap his arms around her, Tatiana crouched down to his level and squeezed him tight. She laughed when he complained about there being no dogs in the house. “Ah, Eightball’s busy doing a very good job at watching over my apartment while I’m gone,” she told him. “He would have loved to come, but your nonno gets enough trouble from you and me without our dogs tormenting him, too!” She glanced up at her father with a smirk before allowing Paolo to exit the hug and return to the drink he had left on the counter. “We’ll take Rocco and Eightball for a walk together soon, alright?”

“Hey, you,” she said to Francis, who was next to greet her with a hug. After only a minute of being in the presence of her family, Tatiana could feel already her mood lift. It was almost as if she hadn’t spent the day beating the wits out of her dishonourable employees. Drawing comfort from her niece and nephews, she almost felt bad about it now, as she probably could have found a less violent way to teach them a lesson if her mood hadn’t been compromised by her personal issues. Nevertheless, the loving attention she received from the children made her feel a million times better.

She couldn’t help but smirk at the way her niece rolled her eyes at her brother. It reminded her so much of the relationship she had with Marcus growing up. Tatiana had always had a soft spot for her younger sister, but Marcus, for whatever reason, she had always treated with less warmth. She did love him of course, but she often found herself growing irritated by him without needing much provoking. The fact that he had overtaken her in the family business hadn’t helped. Tatiana had proven her capabilities to her father countless times ever since she first joined the business, and even that had taken a lot. Despite her confidence in herself and her abilities she had always felt she had something to prove as a female gangster. There weren’t many other women around her who did the dirty work, as her father tended to favour male recruits, and that alone meant she was constantly underestimated. She had the scars to show for it, as many as the rest of them if not more, for all the wars she had willingly fought. After so many years of dedication and effort she had expected to rise to her father’s side someday, but instead he chose Marcus to be his consigliere. Even though he was her brother, and even though she enjoyed her job and excelled at it, she couldn’t help but resent both him and their father. With the way her relationships with the men in her life tended to go, Tatiana sympathised with her niece being surrounded by so many boys. Paolo and Francis were great kids but she still hoped that they showed respect for their sister and mother - and that Teddy was supporting Cristina in all the ways her own father hadn’t.

When Cristina asked her if they could hang out together soon, Tatiana couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t always easy to make time for them given her occupation and the hazards that came with it, but she certainly wanted to make more of an effort. “Sure, girl, just give me a bell,” she said, reaching to stroke Cristina’s hair. “I can always spend more time with my favourite niece.” The news of her achieving the highest test scores at school put an excited smile on her face that matched her niece’s enthusiasm. “Not as impressed as I am!” she said of Cristina’s teacher. “Hey Teddy, you better watch out for this one. She’s on her way to becoming the next president of the United States!” She turned back to her niece and sent her a wink. “And then we’ll show these boys who’s boss, huh?”

With a quick squeeze of her shoulder, she let Cristina go and turned to her mother as she teased her about her punctuality. “Hey, the only reason I’m later than those two is because I work so hard. Ain’t no rest for the wicked, isn’t that what they say?” She directed a smirk towards her mother, which soon faded into a softer smile when the woman asked her how she was. At first she didn’t answer, instead following her to the oven and leaning back against the kitchen counter while her mother tended to the dessert. “I’m doing fine, mama,” she told her, folding her arms. Her eyes naturally drifted towards the dessert. “Oh, that looks really good. Marcus and Ava had better be on their way or I’m giving them an ultimatum!” Falling silent, she glanced at her father to see where his attention was, before turning back to her mother with a now somewhat forced smile. “Today’s been a heavy one, ma,” she admitted, reaching up to rub her eyes while being mindful not to smudge her makeup. “Feels like lately all my energy has been going into dealing with people who aren’t worth it. I had a couple guys to discipline today and let’s just say, if they repeat what they did, there’s only one thing left I can do with them...” She made sure to be cryptic about business while the children were around, but kept her voice down all the same. She hadn’t intended on talking about business at all, but today she didn’t feel she had much energy left to maintain the lie that there was nothing weighing her down. “Oh, and I’m single again, by the way. As of this morning. So you might want to keep that dessert away from me or I’ll just eat the whole damn thing.” Her jaw tightened as she fought to push her emotions down. Now wasn’t the time to let it get to her. “Anyway, that’s fine. I wouldn’t want to settle down with a cheating bitch anyway.” Heaving a sigh, she worked on composing herself while maintaining eye contact with her mother. “Tell me you haven’t had a worse day than me. It looks like you’ve been productive at least?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Elvian, Teddy, Cristina, (Ava)
Misty Gray Gabriel, Valentina, Paolo, Francis

RayPurchase Marcus get your butt over here before Tati eats all your food

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau ​

Roxie let out a relieved sigh as Ricky agreed to her deal. Watching him pinch the bridge of his nose, Roxie moved back to let him have some space as he spoke about discussing the finer details of the situation tomorrow. Roxie nodded her head in agreement, she wanted to spend the rest of the day mulling things over and spending time with Matthew. Ricky got out of his seat and pulled Roxie towards him and she allowed it as he pulled her in for a brief hug. Giving him a tight squeeze, Roxie moved to kiss his cheek lightly before offering him a small smile. "I know it is. But we will figure this out, you aren't alone in this world Ricky, even though it may feel like it. I will always have your back." Once they released each other, Ricky moved to grab his jacket off the coat hook and it was clear to Roxie that he wasn't going to stick around.

"See you tomorrow." Roxie said goodbye and watched as her cousin offered Julia a ride home. Julia looked towards Roxie one last time, silently sizing her up for the millionth time before nodding her head at Ricky's offer. "That would be lovely." She told him with a smile before she left the room with him.

Roxie watched them leave before sighing once more and moving to sit down in her chair once more, slouching as she did. Tiredly, Roxie's eyes looked to her fiancés as he asked if she was sure this was something she wanted to do. Listening as he went on about how big and risky this responsibility was, Roxie wondered if she was making the right decision. Roxie sat up with effort before moving her hand over Matthew's on the table and looking into his eyes. "This isn't exactly what I want to do but...you saw how hotheaded Ricky got. I think my Uncle left me the title for that specific reason. My cousin has always been a little off thanks to the hell he went through, I think my Uncle worried about him taking over. I worry about him completely being in charge too, honestly. I'll divvy up the responsibility with him, make sure he's staying on the right track...it'll be okay."

Roxie looked to Mitch, "I'm sure there is some legal stuff that will need to be taken care of for this transition to work. But I feel we have all had enough of everything today. I know tomorrow's a Saturday but I'll need you in the office tomorrow to meet with Ricky and me to sort out details. I'll want these details in writing and legally binding." Roxie didn't say why she wanted it this way, but from what she had seen of Ricky's behavior today she felt that it was better to have the responsibilities be legally binding so that he couldn't pull a fast one on her.

"For now, you are relieved of your duties." She told Mitch with a large smile. "Gonna go show this one around New York before we have to leave tomorrow night." She said pointing to Matthew before standing to grab her purse and light coat off the rack. After saying their goodbyes to Mitch, Roxie, Matthew and Reina returned to the car they had arrived in and Roxie requested the driver take them back to the hotel they were staying in.

The afternoon was turning into early evening quickly and once Roxie got back to their hotel room, she flopped ungracefully onto their large king bed. "I just want to lay here the rest of the day." She told Matthew before turning her head to look at him and then the time on the clock behind him. Smiling widely, she slowly pushed herself up and off the bed before opening her arms wide to hug him. Once her arms were wrapped around him tightly, Roxie sighed against his chest. "Thanks for sticking up for me in there. I know you don't necessarily like this kind of business my family is tangled in and in all honesty, I don't either. But I feel like I would be letting my Uncle down if I didn't at least try this whole thing out." Roxie moved her head so she could look into his eyes before moving to kiss his lips lightly. "I love you." She said softly.

After holding him in her embrace for a moment longer, she kissed him one more time before moving to the closet where she had an arrangement of outfits. "Now, let's get out of these depressing funeral clothes so I can treat you with a night on the town!" Moving to reach the zipper on the side of her dress, she unzipped it and let it fall before stepping out of it and moving to grab another less depressing colored outfit. Once it was on, Roxie moved to the bathroom to check her hair. "Do you think I should give the kids a call now? I'm not sure I'll get an answer if they are busy having too much fun. I am glad they are having a good time."
with: Matthew Misty Gray
mentions: Mitch RayPurchase ; Reina Melanin-Gxdess

Julia Avvocata​

Once they had left the building and were in the car, Julia moved to sit closer to Ricky as she lightly places her hand on his shoulder. Once he had his attention, Julia smiled lightly at him. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I reacted in there. I know this fight is between you and your cousin, but I just can't help it. I mean, we've known each other since we were too small to walk. I just had the feeling that everyone else in the room was going to choose her side and I knew it was my place to be there for you because you are my friend."

"Coincidentally, my car is at the big house. So if you'd like some company for a while, I would be more than happy to stay with you and have a few drinks. You are absolute shit at mixing cocktails anyway, so might as well have me there as your personal bartender." Julia said, her smile growing sincere as she hoped he would allow her into his home. Once they arrived at the mansion, Julia moved to open the door for Ricky before shutting it closed behind him. Taking a look at the large home, Julia felt a chill move down her spine slightly. It was only a few days ago that Giovanni was alive and well in this house and now, besides the people who kept up the place...it was empty.

"Oh you definitely need me here." Julia told Ricky teasingly. "I know this house hasn't changed since you were born but now that your Uncle is gone, I get this weird creepy feeling. You are gonna want me to be there to protect you from the ghosts, for sure." She said with confidence before walking with him to the door. Once it was opened by one of the house workers, the pair moved inside and Julia immediately went towards the fully stocked bar in the lounge area. Behind the bar, she watched Ricky get situated as she thought about what to say to him next.

Things had not gone as planned, that much was sure. Ricky had every right to be upset about the fact that his father didn't leave him the boss of their family business. Julia couldn't wrap her head around why his father had done that to him. Giovanni loved his son very much and from what she could tell trusted him to uphold the business while he was sick. Julia understood that Ricky was a little different than most people when it came to his personality but she didn't see it as something that would make him a horrible leader. To her, she thought he was the perfect type to be a leader perhaps better than his all too kind and forgiving father. Once, Julia, had her drink prepared, she looked to Ricky, "What are we drinking tonight, boss?" She asked as she moved to take a drink of her martini.

"You know...I know I'm not the only one who will be averse to this transition in power to Roxie. I mean, I know most of your father's employees respect her but...I also know that it isn't going to sit right with them that she is a leader over you now. That worries me because we could lose loyal members."
with: Ricky Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Moretti Base - Riverside Diner - Basement
~ Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan ~

Damian Nicolosi​

Damian had caught the way Jarrick's expression changed upon hearing the comment he'd made about the brothers being squeamish. So when the man did speak up defensively about being nothing of the sort, it wasn't a surprise to Damian. Whilst he could have opted to respond with an antagonistic smile, he decided against it. They were all on the same side, even if their methods were very different. Quadir had interjected to calm his brother and thus put a lid on any need to dwell on the issue. Unlike the two brothers, Tony was more familiar with such a situation, especially given his past jobs working alongside the inhumane East Harlem Gang.

Damian silently nodded as Quadir spoke on behalf of both brothers to confirm Moretti's wishes were to be granted. However, this was followed by a questioning as to why Tony got to pull the trigger and an assurance the brothers were capable of doing the job. It was the 'torture porno bullshit' comment that finally evoked a dark and twisted chuckle from Damian. "Do I look like human resources? If you want to question your job title, you're going to have to speak to Mr. Moretti." Damian approached the old metal sink and began washing the remaining blood from his hands, apparently done with the torture for the time-being. He listened on as Tony spoke up to explain why he was to pull the trigger rather than the two brothers. The men then continued on to make arrangements for getting in touch once Hardy was found.

The sound of the basement door opening prompted Damian to turn back around to see who was joining them. One of the gang members who had been keeping watch over the diner stepped into view. "Damian, the Boss wants you at Biancardi's place. He said you'd know what it's about." The man glanced to the victim restrained to the chair. "Want me to finish up here?" he asked.

Damian nodded his head, welcoming the change of task considering he'd spent enough time extracting information from his poor victim. "Yes, I'm done with him now," he agreed. "My fashionably-dressed conscience over there," he began, pointing to the Taylor brothers, "tells me I've done enough down here today." Damian then looked between Tony and the Taylor brothers. "Alright, gentlemen. I'll let you all get back to work and I'd best put on some fresh clothes." Damian sent Tony a smirk. "All being well, Ricky will want shut of the Irish lot now the peacekeeper is dead and buried."

BloodLightning27 (Quadir, Jarrick)
RayPurchase (Tony)

Gabriel Moretti's Mansion
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Gabriel Moretti and Valentina Wycliff
~ Cristina and Paolo Wycliff ~​

Gabriel could see Teddy was reluctant to address the issue with Valentina. Of course, he understood why. It had been a few years ago since Gabriel and his youngest daughter had their big falling out. Equally stubborn, the two of them didn't speak for months after. For the sake of the family, Gabriel had surprised everyone by being the one to apologise and take steps to patch things up with Valentina. He'd learned to accept that she knew what she wanted and at the time he was impressed by her strength. For the last few years, she'd seemed to prove Gabriel wrong by managing to manage the hotels and her children. Lately, he was having doubts. Partly, his own old-fashioned views meant he felt she should be home with the kids more. Another part felt Teddy wasn't being used to his fulfil potential in the business. But mostly, he believed Valentina was putting on an act about having everything under control and he knew he'd be the last person Valentina would want to hear it from.

"I would prefer you to be more involved with the business, but if this is what you want..." he trailed off. "Just make sure you do step in and tell her when needed," he said, not evening dancing around the idea of it being a case of 'if' needed. "She should be at home more and at work less, especially when she's been through as much as she has." Gabriel let out a deep breath and decided he had to drop the subject for the time-being, though it was likely he wasn't going to abandon the matter completely.

Teddy then steered the conversation to the subject of him and Elvian babysitting the grandchildren. He could help but smirk at the request, but nodded in agreement. It made sense to give Valentina a break, especially after everything he'd just been saying about being concerned for her. Besides, he was sure Elvian would love the idea of having the children stay over for the weekend. "Well, seeing as you put it like that, how can I refuse?" he remarked. "Although it's conditional. Do not let them bring any computer games or movies. I won't have any of them staring at a screen all weekend."

Their attention was drawn to Tatiana and Cristina as the former made a comment to Teddy about the child becoming President. That in itself caused a brief inner conflict within Gabriel's poor mind. Torn between his belief a woman would never be President and his strong mindset that his family should always aim high - strive to be the best. In the end, it was his wish for his children to be motivated to reach beyond their potential that won out. He displayed a broad smile as he looked proudly to his granddaughter. "Having the President on side would certainly work in our favour," he remarked.

**********​

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)

Valentina smiled to her mother as the older woman brushed away a strand of her from her face. "I'll make an appointment with the doctor," she reassured Elvian. "I'm sure they'll just give me stronger painkillers and maybe some sleeping pills. What else can they do? They can't stop the nightmares... I'm so happy with my life, Mama. Teddy, the kids, our home, my job. I couldn't ask for more. It's only when I sleep that everything turns to shit..."

Valentina had been glad or her sister's arrival to steer the conversation in a different direction. It wasn't that she didn't want to open up to her mother, but she didn't want to come across as weak and have her family worrying about her. Instead, she could watch on with a small smile as Tatiana greeted the children.

"Um... I'm your only niece," Cristina was quick to point out when Tatiana said she was her favourite niece. Still, as her aunt went on to suggest she could be the President, the girl let out a laugh. "I think I'm still too young to be the next president, but I'll keep that in mind," she assured her. "For now I'll just keep showing my brothers who's boss." Figuring it was only a matter of time before the adults started talking amongst themselves, Cristina headed to the lounge to read her book until dinner was ready.

Valentina couldn't help but keep the smile on her face as the attention was placed on her daughter's achievements. She was very proud of her children. She was encouraged by the fact her daughter was excelling at school without having the strict home-life Gabriel had imposed on herself, Tatiana and Marcus as kids. She loved her father dearly, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of victory knowing that he couldn't fault the way she and Teddy were bringing up their children. Granted, she was worried about Paolo, but everyone knew he was naturally hyperactive and if he was to be a free spirit she didn't care as long as he was happy.

Valentina leaned back against the worktops. Her attention was briefly on Gabriel and Teddy, wondering what on Earth her father was bugging her husband about this time. Rather than cause a fuss before they'd even eaten, she decided she'd just ask Teddy in private when the opportunity arose. Focusing back to her mother and sister, she listened as Tatiana spoke about having a heavy day. Unlike her sister, Valentina had never been permitted to get involved with the darker side of the business but she was at least glad she'd been given some kind of responsibility in managing the two hotels. Judging by the way Tatiana was talking, Valentina for once was grateful the disciplining she had to do in her job was basically firing employees rather than the more fatal punishments Tatiana was hinting towards.

Hearing Tatiana's girlfriend had cheated on her caused Valentina to frown in anger. "I hope you gave the bitch a piece of your mind. Who the hell does she think she is? You can do a million times better than her anyway. You'll find the right one," she reassured her.

Melanin-Gxdess (Elvian, Teddy, Francis)
Pyroclast (Tatiana)