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

[Pyroclast]

Jason Costello​

The mischievous smile that Gwen wore sent Jason back decades. Despite the fatigue he felt from raising such an energetic child, there was a part of him that still felt young, and it came out when Gwen showed him that adventurous spirit of hers that had first drawn him to her all those years ago. “Oh god, what have I done?” he asked himself with a grin, but she held her hand out to prevent him from asking any details. Perhaps it was just as well, because the waitress then came by with their drinks. Once she had left them to it, however, the suspense returned and Jason looked at his wife with a questioning eye as he took a sip from his tonic.

After only a few seconds, Gwen seemed to grow bored of keeping the secret to herself and gave him a clue that once again sent him back in time. This time it caused him to smirk. “Sure, you mean that one time we did that one thing in the green room?” The tiredness he had felt just a moment ago suddenly became overridden by a different feeling, and he could sense a fresh tension between them begin to arise. Jason could tell from the look in her eye that she was thinking the same thing as him, and when he felt her foot explore his leg beneath the table he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from grinning.

Thankfully, before her foot could slide up too far, she instead came over to sit beside him, to which he draped an arm around her shoulder. He had to laugh when she fondly recounted their impassioned fights and ridiculous anger towards each other before referencing what it would often lead to. A handful of examples played across his mind as she kissed him, and as soon as they parted he attempted to summarise what he understood. “So what you’re sayin’ is,” he began, with laughter in his eyes. “Your secret plan...is to piss me off so you can get a good performance out of me?” He turned to set his eyes on hers and smirked, equally amused by her suggestion as he was into the idea. “You know what, Gwen? I look forward to finding out how you do that.” After a second, his expression switched to mock suspicion and he raised a finger to her. “But don’t go for my record collection, or I might not forgive you!”

Interactions
Bellz Gwen

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Sullivan Family Home - Dublin
Leo Sullivan
Aliana Cartwright-Sullivan

Leo was relieved that Natasha had accepted his apology. Having Thomas made at him was one thing but having both of them mad at him at the same time? That was going to be nothing but a headache. The only person he would have left to talk to would be Sydney, knowing Rhi would have taken Natasha's side any day. While Sydney had been smart for her age, hearing her talk about Chopin was not something he wanted to endure everyday. He let out a soft chuckle when she mentioned him owing her. "How did I know you were going to say something like that?" He state, pulling her in for a brief hug.

Once he had finished explaining what was going on, Natasha spoke first in giving him advice. What it sounded like she was saying was for him to be the bigger person. A small scowl crossed his features but quickly disappeared when she mentioned his mental state. He hadn't even thought of it like that before, which kind of stung. How could he have forgotten about everything that his best friend had been through? His dad was in prison, he had to move back to New York far from Leo, and was kidnapped and tortured in the military. Leo had been so focused on the small things without seeing the bigger picture and it stung. He suddenly felt selfish and regretful now that the adrenaline had left his system. The error of his ways were coming to light and he did not feel good about any of it.

Conor speaking up only made him feel worse. He didn't want things to get to a place where they were irreparable but at the same time he didn't know where to start. Obviously he would have to apologize for starting the fight in the first place but where did he go from there? Thomas had been his best friend since they were kids and he couldn't imagine not being friends ever again. He had already decided that if or when he had kids that he was going to be their godfather and he didn't want to go back on that thought. Leo looked down at his feet in thought of his father's words listening to him depart. He had truly messed up tonight and had no idea how he was going to fix it. Ali made her way over to Leo and put her hands on his cheeks giving him a sad smile. "I know being the bigger person when you feel like you shouldn't have to be sucks, but it's something you'll have to do for the both of you. At the end of the day, you'll make the right decision; I know you will." She kissed his cheek before following after her husband, stopping by Natasha on the way. "Thanks for being here, love, I know it's not easy..." She gave her a soft smile before leaving the two alone. Leo looked up at Natasha after his parents departed, sitting back in his chair. "Where do I even start something like this?"

The moment Conor started speaking about Ryan and Jackson, she felt his mood shift. She knew it would be tough for him to talk about considering he hadn't discussed the events for years. He was always bottling things up until he couldn't take it anymore and she hated it. It worried her to no end and she knew it was bad for his health in the long run. She went to check on the mess that was created and was happy to see it had been promptly cleaned so no one would hurt themselves. After reassuring her party guest that everything was fine and apologizing, she made her way to her husband's office. She softly opened and closed the door before making her way over to her husband. "What do you need?"



Conor ( Misty Gray )
Natasha( Bellz )​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik Snowden
~London~

The moment Billy asked why the two never went out together, Erik shrugged his shoulders. "You never ask! Plus I always figure you're too busy playing bingo or somethin'. If you really want to prove yourself then pick a night and we'll go. Tonight, tomorrow, next week. Whenever you have a night off from knitting sweaters." He gave him a pat on the back before listening to him inquire about his nightly activities. He chalked it up to him wanting to get to know his friend more and nothing else, though when Billy commented his eyes and jawline he narrowed his eyes at him. Erik was usually able to tell when someone was flirting with him and when they were just complimenting him but he was having a hard time determining how Billy meant it. "You flirting with me Billy King?" He teased, lowering his voice so no around them heard. He let his words sink in so he could observe his reaction before snickering. "Kidding. But, you've got me pegged down to a T! I've yet to see anyone as handsome and as charming as myself around here which makes getting attention super easy." He gave another cheeky grin before clapping his hands together. "But don't you go around telling my secret. If I suddenly can't manage to bring anyone home, you'll be the one keeping my bed warm at night." Erik couldn't help but bat his eyelashes at him before leaning on the bar counter.

Billy deciding he was going to tag along tonight but excited and scared him. There was no guarantee Erik would be able to hide all of his tendencies from him, which made him nervous. Despite knowing each other for quite some time they hadn't gone anywhere besides the pub and work, nor did they know that much about the other. Their personal lives had remained a mystery to the other but it was all possibly going to change once they left this pub. This was going to be a fun step in their friendship. "To answer your question, I don't go out with people. I do, however meet people when I'm out. Sometimes we remember each other the next time and sometimes we don't. That's the fun part about it besides getting wasted and dancing the night away." He left out the part about doing drugs, not knowing how he would react to it. Erik decided to give him little by little since his life had been so... Different from what he thought Billy's was. He figured the only drugs he had ever taken were aspirin and the only alcoholic beverage he had was beer and whiskey. "I hope you know what you've just done, pal. I'm about to blow your mind. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to you."
Billy ( Pyroclast )
​

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

Conor figured it would only be a matter of time before Aliana joined him, seeing as she was receptive to his mood even when he didn't think he was giving off signals that he thought would cause concern. As his wife, she was always there for him, even when he didn't think he needed her to be. The reason for him removing himself to the party to take time out in his office hadn't really been done for the purpose of wanting to be completely alone, as Aliana was always welcome. Mostly, he'd took some time out to get a hold of himself in private before returning out to the party. He wanted everyone else who hadn't been involved in the drama to be able to enjoy themselves. That meant he, as their host, had to keep morale up and present himself in a positive, upbeat manner. Until he could do that, he was taking some time out.

Conor looked up to Aliana and sent her a weak smile as she entered his office. He got up from his leather desk chair to sit with her on the nearby couch. "i don't know, love," he said, resting his arm across the sofa back behind her as he sat back in the seat. "I know I've changed as far as the business goes. I had to toughen up and make a lot of sacrifices; do a lot of things I don't like, to keep us all safe. As bad as it is, it's not as much of a struggle as it used to be," he admitted. "But with our family and friends, I'm allowed to relax and be myself - the old me. Yet, the one thing I enjoyed the most is no longer fun. Parties, with all the family here. Getting pissed and having a fucking laugh... Right now I feel more comfortable sat in here than joining in out there." He let out a sigh. "Parties are when I most miss them. I mean, Pete and the others a bloody great blokes, but we're missing a lot of the others. We all know Jackson was my partner in crime and I miss us being a bad influence on each other; getting up to some dumb mischief and winding up the rest of you lot. Jimbo's not here to be wound up! Finn couldn't make it to the party. Ryan...." Conor let out a big sigh. "Not to mention, my Mam isn't here to call me a dumbass and get all pissy with me for making some kind of a mess." Conor couldn't help but let out a bittersweet laugh. He knew he was going to miss the bossy old lady more than he'd allowed himself to admit. "It's up to you to kick me into line now, love," he joked, though his face was unable to reflect any humour.

"Leo's a good lad," he said, suddenly redirecting the conversation to what else was on his mind. "I finally got a handle on my aggression years back and it's not often I've felt like I could lose control of my temper since," he began. Although he wasn't overly fond of the calculating man he'd become instead, he knew he was more likely to stay out of jail by using his head instead of losing his temper as he had done so many times when he was younger. "The way he was out there... I saw some of my younger self in him. I don't want him to end up like I did. Always kicking off and then ending up in prison. We can turn this around, can't we? He's a good lad and has good intentions, but if he's like me he's not always going to go the best way about things."

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

 

[Bellz]

Natasha McCarthy

​

Natasha nodded along with Conor as he backed up her point. It was true that someone had to break the ice, first, and Natasha had a definite feeling that it wasn't going to be Thomas taking that step. Conor finished what he was saying before deciding to let Leo think about it. Ali followed after thanking Natasha, to which the blonde smiled softly, "Nothing worth it is ever easy." She said in response before watching the pair leave before turning to look at Leo as he sat back down in his chair. Natasha sighed, moving to take a seat in the other chair next to him. "Perhaps we let things settle, for the time being, I am sure Thomas is going to need plenty of talking down before it's safe to talk to him again." She suggested as she looked at him closely, seeing bruises already forming on his face.

"I know Lucy is leaving in a few days, which means Thomas and Olivia are leaving as well. Maybe sometime tomorrow or the next day...you could invite him to have a drink? Or I don't know, invite him to do something that you both liked down together..besides getting into a heap of trouble ." She suggested an amused smile forming on her face as she said it. "Something that can remind you both of how much you love spending time together, something to show him that you are ready to make amends as long as he is." Natasha looked away from Leo a moment, just staring ahead of her glancing around the room. Conor had been very telling when talking about his relationship with her father and Ryan.

Natasha hadn't allowed her mother to speak with her about her father in a few years and tonight had been no different when her mother mentioned him. But somehow, it was easier to talk about him with other people...with Leo with Conor and Ali. She wasn't sure why it had been that way, but it felt good to be heard by someone different someone who was hurting in a different way than herself and her mother was. "Your dad and my dad were an awful lot like you and Thomas from what I gather from the stories...I wouldn't want to lose something like that over a silly misunderstanding." Natasha murmured softly. "Cuz I know you love our friendship and I will always be there for you...but even I can't replace Thomas...and you know it." She said, looking back to Leo with a small smile. "Can't ruin my reputation as the good kid in this family so I can go raise hell with you...Thomas was always meant to be your partner in crime." She teased lightly before standing and holding out her hand to him. "Let's go put some ice on that bruise, it's hurting me just looking at it. Then we can join the rest of the party in drinking until this whole incident is just a distant memory." Once he stood, Natasha, lead him towards the kitchen. "So I was thinking about you owing me, I decided that since the champagne has gone to waste, you can buy me a few bottles over dinner or a movie. Your choice." A smirk appeared on her face as she watched him for his reaction.
with: Leo Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau ​

Roxie smiled softly as Matthew said that he thought she was right about what she had said about everything she went through leading her to where she is now. Her cheeks warmed as he called her a strong and amazing woman, a bashful smile appearing on her face that quickly faded as he spoke about her relationship with Syd. He reminded her that there had to have been good days and reminded her of the children she was given from that relationship. He was right, it hadn't been all terrible...that was the hardest thing with her ex. Sure, Syd had gone through his whole breakdown with her...she had to deal with the constant ups and downs. But Matthew had reminded her of the moments where Syd was actually everything Roxie had ever wanted...or he had been before he broke her trust. I need to know I can trust you, or I can't...I can't be around you. Those words he had said that night after she had lied to him about meeting with Gabe rang loudly in her ears. They were the words that would come back to bite him. I trusted you...I loved you. She remembered just how hard it had been to say those words to him. You lied to me and now I can't be around you. That was the last thing she said to him, turning his own words against him before walking out the door with the twins 13 years ago. She had never looked back until recently and then again just now as she and Matthew talked.

Despite replaying that awful moment in her head, Roxie was all smiles for Matthew and even laughed gently as he said she could get soft on him whenever she wanted to. He told her he loved her too and Roxie was touched by the fact that he thought she brought warmth and happiness into his life, saying he wouldn't be Mr. Perfect without her. Cuddling closer to him, she hummed happily as he said he was excited to spend the rest of his life with her and the kids. She had been so pessimistic for so many years after leaving Syd, so sure that she was never going to find the right connection again...with someone who truly understood her. It was crazy to think that Syd had become that person for her in such a short amount of time but part of her understood, mostly from going to therapy, that a lot of what Syd and she had for each other was emotional understanding and though her therapist insisted that alone manifested itself in the form of feeling like love...Roxie never truly believed that. Roxie wasn't a liar, she understood her feelings for Syd...and when she said she loved him that day she had been saved from her father...she had truly meant it.

That's why it had taken her so long to find love again. She tried to find it in Mitch, but of course, that relationship truly was just an emotional understanding...the both of them confiding in one another to feel better to not feel so alone in the moments where they felt no one was there for them. She loved Mitch as a dear friend and she figured that out only a few months after dating him. "I hope you are ready for it, pal. Because as soon as those rings are on our fingers, I'm with you till the end. I'm afraid you Irish don't take too kindly to divorce." She said with a teasing grin. Before she could say much more, there was a knock on the door and Roxie looked at Matthew excitedly. "Finally! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" She said before hopping up to make her way towards the door. Once the cart of food was inside, Roxie shut the door behind the person who brought it in before smiling widely. "I hope you enjoy pasta now because it's going to be on the menu for dinner most of your life with me." She teased before grabbing the wine bottle and two glasses. "We might have to get fitted again before the wedding to accommodate the number of carbs we are eating. I know you can put more hours in at the gym and I can go on more of my runs, but I don't think that's gonna cut it." She said laughing as she opened the bottle of wine and poured a good amount into each glass.

"I don't want to think about today anymore, just you and me and the peace and quiet we will have before the terrors come home on Sunday." She said with a large smile before taking a large sip of her wine.
with: Matthew Misty Gray

 

[BloodThunder27]

~Dublin: Stella Kwon~​

While she had made her way towards the dining room, Stella was trying to take her mind off of what had transpired in front of her when it came to her Employer's Family. It wasn't long until she was once more approached by Lucy, who had left her briefly to break up a fight. While the Festive feeling was gone, it was nice to be in her company once more. "Yes, while waiting for you to come back, I thought I'd go find something to eat after my stomach growled." She responded, scratching the back of her head, still wondering what caused the outburst between Thomas, Leo and Braden.

But once she followed Lucy into the kitchen, the thought of the fight faded away once her stomach growled again...and Lucy had asked her for help to bring it out to the main room, to which Stella didn't mind. She then proceeded to help the older woman carry the food from the Kitchen into the Main Room and she received an apology for the Family Drama that she had to witness. Stella only frowned a little, but didn't really want to ask what caused it because she had only been working for the Family for a year. "Its okay, Mrs. Porter, it's not your fault. You shouldn't have to apologize if you didn't do anything wrong."

While Lucy carried the sweets and appetizers, Stella grabbed some of the main courses, but since a few them were on larger dishes, she had to be much more careful as dropping the food would likely have dire consequences, not to mention how much hard work was put into making them in the first place. With extreme caution, she followed Lucy as they carried all the lovely food into the main room, setting them down and proceeding to help the older woman before going back into the kitchen to grab the rest, making at least three additional trips back into the kitchen, with the last trip being the dish and silverware to set out. When asked if she wanted a stronger drink, Stella declined. "No, thank you. I have to drive later and I do not condone drunk driving."

With her tone, Stella was a little worried. Although she wanted to chew the boys out for the worry and embarrassment that they had caused Lucy, it was not her place to do so, especially since she was so low on the ladder, so it wasn't like they'd listen to her. Once it was time, Stella proceeded to grab a plate and helped Lucy with getting the other guests their meals for the night before proceeding to get her own. Thankfully, Stella wasn't a picky eater, so she was very much content.
Lucy Bellz

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 2: Making Connections
Tuesday 19th March 1985
...4 days later...
Dublin: Late Afternoon - Cool, Sunny, Breezy
London: Late Afternoon - Cool, Cloudy, Breezy
New York City: Evening - Mild, Clear Skies

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Savannah Callahan's House
~ Islington, London ~
​

Savannah Callahan and Kerry Patrick

Savannah had talked Braden into staying with her in London for a few days so they could finish helping the removals company to empty the furniture from Shannon's house. After picking Callum up from nursery, they all returned to Savannah's house as they couldn't do anything else at their grandmother's house until the next day. A note had been posted through Savannah's letterbox asking her to call Spencer. After a rocky start to the call, things were resolved and she'd agreed to let Callum stay with the Kings for a few days. Savannah had no intentions of refusing Spencer's request to spend time with his nephew, it was more his attitude that tended to grate on her.

"Callum, go choose which toys you want to take with you. Remember, there's plenty of toys for you to play with when you get there, so choose just three toys to take," she told the boy, holding three fingers up in the air as she spoke. The boy processed the request before rushing back into his bedroom.

Savannah let out an exhausted sigh as she she sat down on the sofa. "Shall we get a takeaway delivered tonight? I have plenty of drinks in the house to wash it down with," she suggested to Braden. "We might need it after a few minutes with Spencer," she remarked. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. She rolled her eyes, realising Callum wasn't quite ready which meant she'd feel obliged to invite the boy's uncle inside. "Let's be nice," she suggested to Braden, not wanting there to be an atmosphere with Spencer. The view through the frosted window didn't match what she'd expected to see for someone of Spencer's height or build. Instead, it seemed more likely a slender woman was standing outside. This prompted Savannah to relax a little as she unlocked and opened the front door. "Hey, Kerry!" she pleasantly greeted her friend and gave her a quick hug.

"I don't mean to intrude, I just thought I'd check in to see how you're doing and to let you know Spencer was asking about you on Friday. Not sure if I needed to warn you or anything..."

"Oh, don't worry about that. We've already spoken. Come inside and talk," she suggested stepping aside to invite her friend into the house. As they entered the lounge, Kerry noticed Braden in the room, prompting Savannah to speak up. "Oh, you know, Braden? My brother." The blonde then looked to him and smiled. "Brady, this is Kerry."

"Hi Braden," Kerry said, giving him an awkward wave. Whilst she had seen and heard about Braden before, they'd never actually spoken to each other. "I'm sorry for your loss," she told him, referring to Shannon. Kerry didn't mean to come across as awkward, but she was never sure how members of Savannah's family would feel about her. It had been 13 years since she'd been tortured and forced to betray the Sullivans, but the guilt never left her about the men and women who died the night the Sullivans were ambushed by the Morettis. Although she'd come clean to the Sullivans about the part she'd been forced to play in the ambush, at the time, it had been too late to stop the mob from walking into the Italian's trap. Some of the family, including Savannah and Sinead, had forgiven her and understood that she'd been terrified enough that she couldn't refuse Moretti's orders. Other members of the Sullivan family, Kerry was sure could never forgive her and while she'd never wanted to hurt anyone, she understood why anyone would hold a grudge. She didn't know how Braden felt about it, which is why she didn't want to overstay her welcome. "You know. I should go..." Kerry clumsily began, nervously smiling as she pointed towards the front door. "I only came to warn you about Spencer and you already know--"

"Hey, I want you to stay," Savannah said, placing a reassuring hand on Kerry's elbow. It dawned on her why her friend was being uncharacteristically anxious, so she looked to Braden to try figure out what he was thinking.

Bellz (Braden)

Nostalgic Notes
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
​

Sinead Callahan

Sinead had been working at the shop for most of the day. She didn't usually spend so much time there as the supervisor she employed was able to look after the shop without her being around to micromanage the place. Today, she had been been reading over job application forms and checking over the accounts. Between that, she'd also managed to squeeze in a couple of adult tutoring sessions in the private back room she used for teaching. All in all, it had been a busy day, but sometimes she liked that.

Liam would have usually been accompanied home along with his friends or cousins, but the boy was on detention all week, so couldn't leave school with everyone else. Unable to pick him up herself today, Sinead had arranged for one of Conor's trusted employees to pick him up and bring him to the shop so she could drag him on some errands with her once she'd closed up. Whilst the supervisor, Malcolm, dealt with a customer, Sinead stood near the guitar section with her youngest son. "I don't like you being on detention, Liam. I've already spoken with Mr. Moore and told him it's not right."

"Well, I did punch Daryl in the face..." Liam reasoned, shrugging his shoulders.

"I know and I'm still not happy about that! But making you sit in a classroom writing lines is pointless. What are you learning from that, really?" she complained. "Do your mum a favour and tidy these, will you? You always do everything so perfect," she said, pointing to the assortment of guitar strings and picks that had been mixed up by various customers. "Detention won't teach you anything you don't already know. You already know fighting is wrong, don't you?" she persisted.

"Well, yeah..." Liam muttered as he started tidying the stock. "Daryl was being a bully, though. Maybe sometimes it's okay to punch bullies, else they'll think they can always get away with it. Maybe if someone had stood up to those Morettis and put them in their place when they were kids..."

"Liam! You don't have to be worrying about sticking up for your classmates - that's for the teachers to sort out. You're a sensible and smart boy, so I'd rather you just focused on your school work. We'll talk more at home," she said, gently squeezing his shoulder. Leaving him to put his perfectionism to use by colour-coding the guitar picks, Sinead returned to the counter as she finished up sorting through a pile of receipts.

BloodThunder27 (Shinoa)

Outside of The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
​

Adam Harper

Adam had worked another late shift the previous night, overseeing the delivery of a large drugs shipment. Along with ensuring his team got everything safely locked up in the warehouse, it had been around about sunrise when he finally rolled into bed in his Drumcondra-based house. After enough sleep, he rolled out of bed before lunch and headed straight to his gym for a heavy workout session. Following that was the start of his shift at work. It was a pretty standard day in the life of Adam. Always a mixture of working for the mob and working at his gym, with some vehicle repairs and, if he was lucky, sleeping in his own bed. More often than not, Adam was too busy to get time to sit back and evaluate his own life, but those times did seem to be happening more lately. When it did happen, it left Adam unable to ignore the fact that other than spending time with the Zegarras, he didn't have much of a personal life and he certainly didn't have a family of his own.

Once lunch was done with, Adam headed to Conor's place to briefly go over his boss' instructions for the evening. Having expressed his wishes to join the mob, Thomas was to be shadowing Adam as part of his integration into the new job. Although Adam already knew Thomas, it was more in the capacity of him being the family of his employers - first as James' son and now as Conor's nephew. Now they were working together and Thomas was all grown up, he would be getting to know the young man as a colleague and no longer a child requiring his protection. Still, the fact Thomas was his boss' family and it was his first day on the job, meant Adam still felt some need to look out for the lad.

The first few hours of the shift had been spent with Adam driving the two of them around the streets of Dublin. He'd been pointing out important locations, businesses and bases, as well as introducing him to familiar faces along the way. Adam knew the city like the back of his hand, so was able to point out hidden locations and safehouses most people in Dublin would be oblivious of. Adam had been told about what happened between Thomas and Leo at the party a few days ago, which had also led Conor to mentioning the young man's PTSD. Although Adam hadn't fought in the kind of war Thomas had, nor had he suffered PTSD himself, he still had enough knowledge of it from his colleagues over the years. He also had experience of being in different kinds of warzones during the Irish Mob's gang wars, his time in prison, and his more dangerous mob missions in South America. Adam wouldn't outright mention the PTSD himself and he wouldn't patronise Thomas by putting on the kid gloves, but it paid to be aware of anything that could impact the young man on the job.

Having given Thomas the driving tour of Dublin, Adam drove them to The Sullivans Pub and parked the car in the parking lot. Having been made aware Aliana would be drinking there for the evening and Conor himself would be heading there after his meetings, Adam knew to treat the pub as a priority as far as security was concerned. As such, he's assigned himself and Thomas on lead guard duty there for the night, or at least until the Sullivans had left the pub. Adam stopped the car engine and unfastened his seatbelt, but before he got out of the car, he turned to Thomas. "It won't be long until the boring stuff is out of the way, Thomas... Do I call you Thomas or do you like it shortened or something?" he checked. "Once we're in there, we're good to relax a little but we do need to keep our eyes open, as well as checking inside and around the place every so often. That place can get a little rowdy if the regulars are in, so it's easy to get distracted. Dublin ain't as dangerous as New York was, but I've learned over the years to be prepared for anything." He then cocked his head towards the pub entrance. "Do you have any questions or are you ready to come play security guard?" he gruffly asked, flashing a smirk.

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

The Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~
​

Conor Sullivan

Despite the fight between Leo and Thomas, the rest of the party had gone by smoothly a few nights ago. It was the day after that various pieces of information were brought to Conor's attention, some concerning the Biancardis and other information pertaining to the Kings. This evening, Conor had arranged a chilled out few hours down at his favourite pub, but first he had some business to attend to. Having told Aliana and Blake to go on ahead to his pub without him, he arranged for Syd to check in with him about business first.

Seated at his side of the desk, Conor had his nephew sit across from him as they went over various matters. With Syd as his right-hand man, these meetings were by now routine more than being too official or upright. Although, he did have a couple of important subject to bring up. Sitting back in his chair, Conor folded his arms over his chest. "I was talking to Savvy before she went back to London and it sounds like Spencer has been running his mouth off, making her feel bad about bringing Callum up here." He lifted one hand to pensively rub his chin. "I've told her to get back here where she'll be happy, and not be concerned about how the Kings will react. At the end of the day, if they want to overstep their mark, they'll regret it. I'm not letting some jumped up English prick go running his mouth off and acting the hard man when we could very easy fuck up the lot of them. If Savvy wants to come home, the Kings can't do shit about it." Conor sat forward and rested his elbows on the desk, his face turning a little more grave. "If this family's history has told us anything, it's not to give small game like them the benefit of the doubt. The minute they cause us one ounce of concern, we have to hit them hard. The IWU wouldn't have caused any damage to us had we knocked them down before they could grow." Conor looked Syd in the eyes. "So, you'll let me know if you hear anything about the Kings, yeah? The slightest whispers they've got more weight than we know of."

Conor let out a sigh as the next matter needed to be addressed - one even more personal to Syd. "I think most of us were surprised about the Biancardis. Regardless of what I think of him, I was expecting Ricky to step into Giovanni's place, not Roxie. I had a good handle on Ricky and how to work with the bloke..." he trailed off, trying to gauge Syd's thoughts on the matter. "What do you think about it all? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't have Roxie down as the type to be doing this kind of work. Surely she's out of her depth... but you probably know more about her than I do. Have you both spoken since?" he asked, keen for Syd to share anything he might know.

Pyroclast (Syd)

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

Gabriel Moretti and Riccardo Biancardi

Gabriel had been surprised to hear from Damian that Giovanni had left Roxie in charge of the business. Everyone had expected Ricky to have inherited the title; even though Gabriel was not a man for complacency, any other outcome simply didn't make sense. The only assumption he could make on the unconventional choice was because Roxie may have been deemed as more psychologically stable than Ricky was. Still, Gabriel didn't have high expectations for the Biancardis with a woman in charge, especially one who had been personally involved with the Porters and for much of her life left in the dark about her family's business. Gabriel didn't care that his views would be judged as sexist. The fact, as far as he was concerned, was that it was a man's job to run businesses such as his own and the Biancardis.

There didn't seem to be a chance for Roxie to prove him wrong and let him approach the arrangement with an open mind, as she had returned to Dublin before a meeting could be arrange. Instead, Gabriel would deal with Ricky, who was for the most part continuing to stretch himself between the Morettis and Sullivans as he conducted the same duties he had done for Giovanni. Gabriel would label the man a pushover, were it not for the fact he respected the man's commitment and hard work. Besides that, it meant Ricky still held a lot of power and influence on the business transactions. He still had much to offer the Morettis, so Gabriel was keen to lure the man to his side. Keen to make a start, Gabriel had arranged a meeting with Ricky, but instead of it taking place in his office, he decided to invite the man over to the house for dinner with him and Elvian. He knew it might reduce the barrier Ricky often put up with male authoritarian figures. Granted, Gabriel did believe he was more powerful than Ricky, but he'd at least try to tone it down a notch to get his own way. Damian had also made a suggestion that Julia was permitted to accompany Ricky to dinner, stating she shared their own motivations where Ricky was concerned. Trusting Daman's insight, Gabriel told Ricky to bring the woman with him.

Whilst Elvian worked on dinner, Gabriel focused on setting the table as he awaited their guests. "I think Riccardo likes you," he told Elvian whilst placing the cutlery in its place with precision. "My feelings on him are mixed. If I could just rein him in and make a few adjustments to the man's mind, I think he could be very useful to us. Roxanne can't be here, but I don't think that's a bad thing, as we can use this time with Riccardo to our advantage." He then folded him arms as he turned to face Elvian directly. "I've met Julia on a few occasions but I'm curious to see why Damian felt she should be present. Maybe you can figure her out for me over the course of the evening. Your female intuition and all that," he said, whilst grinning.

The last few days for Ricky had been hard work. Business itself wasn't the problem, but those involved in it were. From his allies and colleagues within the Biancardi business, he'd been practically torn apart. As expected, there were a vocal number of people in the ranks who wanted Ricky in charge, not Roxie. Not everyone shared that sentiment, but it was difficult to ignore the vocal ones who wanted rid of Roxie. She was his cousin and he cared greatly for her, so he hated the thought of bringing harm to her and the weight it would have on his conscience. As it happened, he knew he wasn't going to get away from the subject any time soon. With Roxie returning to Dublin, the burden of meeting with Gabriel in the aftermath of Giovanni's will reading had fallen onto Ricky's shoulders. It seemed like he would always been the one forced to carry out the most unpleasant acts and he was sure he wasn't exaggerating in that belief.

The only good thing that had come out of the last few days was the change in direction for his relationship with Julia. They'd been friends since they were kids but it came as a surprise to Ricky that she liked him romantically. Perhaps a mixture of ignorance and the feeling nobody could ever love him, he'd never thought she liked him in that way. The revelation brought out mutual feelings and the same night the two of them ended up sleeping with each other. Ricky didn't like to jump the gun on such matters, but he had a feeling they could have a real relationship with each other - more than just jumping into bed together in the heat of the moment.

Upon arrival outside the gates of Gabriel Moretti's home, the guards opened the gates for Ricky to drive the vehicle onto the grounds of the property. He was directed to a parking space at the bottom of the driveway so he and Julia could be frisked for weapons before they were allowed to walk up the pathway to the front door. "Evening, boys," Ricky greeted Gabriel's heavy set guards. "Be respectful to the lady, yeah? he remarked. "You're more than welcome to grope me instead." The guard searching Ricky let out a small laugh and shook his head, evidently familiar with the man's jokes, before permitting the two to continue on their way.

Walking alongside Julia, Ricky looked up to the mansion and let out a long whistle. "I can never help but acknowledge that this is a great house. Much better than the freaky vampire lair he's got over on Staten Island," he commented. He the turned to Julia and smiled. "Thank you for agreeing to join me tonight. I can't decide if a 'casual dinner' with the Morettis is more or less unsettling than a stuffy business meeting in his tower block. Either way, I appreciate the company," he told her, briefly placing a gentle hand on her back as he led her to the front door. "Here goes..." he apprehensively began, pushing the doorbell to alert the Morettis of their arrival.

Melanin-Gxdess (Elvian) Bellz (Julia)

Wycliff Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~
​

Valentina Wycliff

Valentina had worked a few hours between the two hotels before finishing early to attend her doctor's appointment. As expected, they'd just given her more painkillers for her headaches and more pills to help her sleep. They didn't ask too many questions about her psychological wellbeing and frankly she was glad as she didn't want to talk to them about her past. How could she without giving away so much about her family's business?

Once she arrived home, the kids were already back from their day at school. Valentina had offered to make dinner to keep herself busy. Once dinner was eaten and the kids were relaxing in front of the television, Valentina had returned tot he kitchen were she started to practically giving the whole room a deep clean. She had something on her mind and she was trying to stay too busy to think about it. With the kids in the lounge, she waited to get Teddy's attention and turned to him, dragging the rubber gloves off of her hands as she turned to face him.

"How was your day, Teddy?" she asked him. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "We should watch a movie and eat junk once the kids have gone to bed. After spending some time together in peace over the weekend I just can't get enough of you, Teddy-boy," she told him, looking up to him and placing a kiss on his lips.

After awkwardly biting her lip, she looked up to Teddy again. "I just want to relax and forget about today for as long as it's possible. I um... I might have done something at work that Papa is not going to be happy about when he finds out..." she reluctantly told her husband.

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess BloodThunder27​

​

 

[Pyroclast]

Chapter 2: Making Connections
Tuesday 19th March 1985
...4 days later...
Dublin: Late Afternoon - Cool, Sunny, Breezy
London: Late Afternoon - Cool, Cloudy, Breezy
New York City: Evening - Mild, Clear Skies

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Council Housing Estate
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Billy King
​

Billy smiled as Erik got in the car with him, looking the man up and down. “Fresh as a daisy, you are,” he commented. “You’d never know you were out living a second life in those clubs half the week.” He revved the engine before his friend had even closed the car door. “Come on, come on, we’ve got a job to get done here! Sooner we drop this guy off, sooner we sit down and you can tell me how many hearts you broke Friday night.”

Until now, Billy hadn’t realised how much he had been thinking about Erik since their night out together on Friday. The man was wild, that much was for sure. He had definitely seen a side of him that only existed in one particular sphere of his life, one which Billy had now entered, and that was the party sphere. When they had first met he had seen Erik in his fitted suit and assumed him to be a serious businessman type, but then he supposed that he and his brothers also had to present themselves in that way often enough. While they were of course serious about their business, he knew his brothers more for who they were outside of work, and the memories he had of them growing up. He supposed it wasn’t surprising to see that Erik wasn’t who he had first expected him to be. Boundaries always got broken when too much alcohol was involved, and Billy knew that now he had seen Erik in such a state, and vice versa, they were much more than just colleagues now. In fact, he might even have to remind himself that they were at work and not just hanging out.

The two soon arrived at their destination: a council estate not far from the Royal Taphouse, where there lived a man with a serious debt hanging over his head. “At least he’s on the ground floor, that saves us the effort of hauling him out to the car if we have to,” he lightly commented. Once they reached his apartment, Billy banged on the door with his fist. After a minute or so, a bedraggled man came to the door, looking like he had just woken up - either that, or like he hadn’t slept for days.

“Not been paying your phone bill, Trevor?” Billy jeered. “You’re bloody hard to get hold of, you know.”

Trevor gripped both the door and the doorframe, hunched between the two. His eyes were set in a squint, as if blinded by the bright white clouds in the sky. “Who’s that?”

Billy looked to Erik with an unimpressed look on his face before turning back to Trevor. “Who do you think we are? We’re your fuckin’ service provider.” With a heavy slap on the arm, Billy strode past the man and into his apartment. It wasn’t exactly homely, to say the least. In fact, it looked like he hadn’t settled in since whoever had occupied the place before him, as the only decoration he seemed to have were a few hideous folk art pieces dotted around the windowsills and some dead plants. “Love what you’ve done with the place,” Billy commented, as he wandered over to the fridge. He opened the door and promptly flicked it shut again upon seeing the mess that was inside.

“What do you want?” Trevor asked, still squinting despite the blinds all being drawn. His posture looked hunched and he had his arms wrapped around himself tightly, almost shivering. Billy moved away from the fridge and came to stand a few feet away from him.

“You look like you’ve come to realise something, Trev’,” Billy prompted, tilting his head forward expectantly. The man just continued to squint, so he filled the answer in for him. “That poker ain’t a reliable way to pay off your debts?”

“My phone bill?”

“No, Trevor,” Billy tutted, his words steeped in sarcasm. “You gambled on our property and didn’t give us the cut we asked for. You said you’d win it back and pay up in 24 hours. Is this ringing a bell?”

As disoriented as he seemed, Trevor now appeared to understand that he was in trouble. Still holding himself in a tense posture, he started chewing idly at the dead skin on his lips, his wide eyes fixed on the floor at Billy’s feet…

Billy checked his watch. As much as he wanted to lay into the man himself, he knew that his job was only to bring him in for questioning and so couldn’t spend too long messing about. Spencer and Alex would be the ones to decide how to settle his debts. While Trevor looked to be frantically diving through his memories, Billy turned to Erik. “Ready to head back?”

After a few seconds of waiting for Trevor to catch on, Billy extended a hand into the man’s line of vision and snapped his fingers. “You’re gonna come with us, alright? We’re gonna have a chat, sort out this little problem we’ve got.” When Trevor didn’t move from the spot, Billy reached out to push him towards the door. Suddenly the man gave a pained scream and grabbed one of the folk ornaments from behind him. He swung it out in front of him, catching Billy on the side of his head before it fell to the ground in pieces. He then picked up another and threw it at Erik. In a rush, Billy jumped in and punched him in the face. He fell back, but Billy stooped down to get another one in for extra measure. That one left him unconscious.

Panting, Billy straightened up and turned to Erik. He came over to inspect his friend, reaching up to gently turn his head to one side. “You alright, Erik?” he asked, genuine concern in his voice. He could feel his own head sting where it had been struck by the ornament, but a slight pain he could deal with. “Drug addict, maybe?” he suggested, glancing back to the unconscious man behind him. “Playing with that kind of money, acting all edgy...Either way, I’m sure my brothers will have a lot to say. Shall we lug him to the car, then?” As he crouched down beside Trevor to haul him up, he looked back to Erik, failing to hide his concern. “You are alright, yeah?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik

Tribeca Base
~ Manhattan, New York ~

Tatiana Moretti
​

For someone as authoritative as Tatiana, sharing a job title wasn’t always easy. Whether she liked it or not, her decisions and actions could always be compared to Damian’s. Of course, Tatiana didn’t like to waste time comparing herself to him, as she had enough confidence and faith in herself not to dwell on whether Damian could have done something better. Knowing that the job was a way for the man to put his sadistic tendencies to use, Tatiana used to be slightly concerned that any crossovers in the ways they each carried out business would mean she was as sick as him. She had known some twisted people to come through the business, some of whom had worked for or with her father at some point, and she would never want to be compared to them. Now, after years of dealing with traitors and cowards and thieves, she had let go of those concerns. Damian might have been messed up in the head, but at least he got the job done.

After hearing about the Taylor brothers’ reaction to Damian’s gruesome game, she decided that the two men needed some serious training if they were to make it in this business. She and Damian had brought the two men to their Tribeca base with no information beyond telling them it was a training exercise.

“The thing is, boys,” she said, as they stood at the top of the basement stairs. “You don’t get to where we’ve gotten by being soft. We have a reputation to uphold, and that should be the least of our priorities. You know why? Because it should be second nature. We are at the top of the chain in New York. Nobody takes advantage of us, because they know what we’re capable of...and the ones who think they know better, end up behind that door.” She jerked a thumb towards the door that led down to the basement. “If one of you can’t handle the violent side of the business, then we have to re-evaluate how valuable you really are to us. Think of this as the last part of your initiation.

“There are two men in there, both new recruits, who we believe are responsible for stealing weapons from us,” she explained. “A Beretta 87 Target and an AMT Hardballer were stored beneath the front passenger seat of the van they were driving while out on a drug run and when we got the car back, the weapons were gone. When confronted, they said they’d never heard of any guns. Funny how that goes, ain’t it?” She flashed a smile at Quadir and Jarrick, wondering if they had caught onto what she was asking of them. “Your job tonight is to get the truth out of them. Do it however you want. There’s a generous array of tools down there, unless you think you’re smart enough to use mind games. So, shall we go and meet them?”


The sound of the door opening at the top of the basement stairs jolted Dylan out of his stupor. There was drool dripping from the corners of his lips from the ball of cloth that had been shoved into his mouth and held in place by a gag. and his ankles and wrists were bound to the arms and legs of a chair so tightly that a tug too vigorous could overbalance him and send him crashing to the concrete floor. Instead he sat patiently, going over the events of the last 12 hours in his head on repeat. He had been positioned to face away from his twin, probably to discourage signalling. Still, as the footsteps echoed on the staircase, he tapped his hands heavily against the armrest to make sure his twin was awake and ready for the confrontation.

“Oh, look, they’re ready for you and everything,” Tatiana addressed the Taylor brothers with a smile, opening her arm out to invite the men into the basement. “We’ve briefed you well enough, so it’s over to you, now.”

Interactions
BloodThunder27 Quadir, Jarrick
Misty Gray Damian

St. Saviour's Church
~ Beaumont, Dublin ~

Silas Healy
​

“I was thinking of the Sunday School readings…” he murmured as he gazed at the altar, trying to envision the display that would be set up for the Easter service in two week’s time. “The Sunday before Easter we’re to focus on the iniquity that Jesus carried and the way he was perceived prior to his arrest, with a reading from Isaiah...I think that will set up the Easter service well, don’t you think?” He picked up his Bible and flicked through it until he reached Isaiah 53:4, and cleared his throat. “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds...we are healed.”

Silas drew a deep, thoughtful breath as he closed the book. “On Easter Sunday we can have the children make that little diorama of the stone tomb like we do every year... and then I thought we could have them each read passages from The Gospel of Luke, from death to resurrection...and there, Patience, that will inspire the altar display. With the white linen cloth draped around the cross, or...well, I’ll let you work it out. You have a good eye for that sort of thing.” He smiled warmly at her, before turning to Matthew and walking over to him.

“I apologise Matthew, I know you must have a lot on your mind, what with the wedding coming up. How are the wedding plans coming along?” Silas reached out to squeeze the man’s shoulder before letting his arm fall. “Your fiancée, Roxie...you said she is from a Catholic family, but not a practicing Christian. Has she contributed any ideas of her own in regards to the service? You know I would like to honour you both with respect.” But of course without diverging from the traditional Christian ceremony, he added in his head. His true feelings about his friend’s choice of partner were kept well to himself, and he added a smile to reinforce his support. “I am looking forward to the day. I think even if she has left her faith in the past, she will ultimately be glad to have a traditional wedding. You and I both know that God will always watch over her, and it will please Him greatly to see her take this step with you.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Patience, Matthew

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin, Ireland ~

Elena Velazco
​

Nothing could have prepared Elena for the move she had made to Ireland. Until a month ago, she had never even left Cuba, let alone flown across the sea. She continued to look out for similarities, but had so far found none: the weather was cold, the language foreign, the food bland - and she couldn’t be more excited about it. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt truly motivated. Every morning she went to the library and read through dictionaries and phrasebooks before going out into the city and practicing her English. It was terrifying being alone in a foreign country and there were times when she doubted herself, but she knew it was too late to turn back now. Besides, she only needed one mission to keep her moving forward: finding her father.

Although her English wasn’t the best, her enthusiasm and cheerful personality was enough to have landed her a job as a bartender at the Sullivans pub, and she could not have been more grateful to work there. Having heard that it was a place her father frequented, she knew it could be an ideal way to meet him and so worked harder than she had ever worked before to retain her position. The pub was starting to liven up at this hour, with all the 9-to-5 workers and daytime labourers stopping for a drink or two on their way home. It was only her third shift, but she was doing her best to learn the names of all the drinks that they served and had by now grasped some basic required lingo, though she was sure that would be an on-going process. Still, she knew it would be worth it in the end - all of it counted as practice for when she finally came face to face with her father. When that time came, she wanted to be able to communicate well with him, and for him to see her as a good, bright person. So, no matter who it was, she greeted all of her customers with a welcoming smile, even laughing with them when they directed jokes at her that she didn’t understand. It wasn’t hard for her to be upbeat - she was driven by hope and excitement, and was relishing the taste of freedom in her brand new life. It felt like she had finally broken free of her mother’s control.

“Two...pounds...six…” Elena drew out, while a customer sat opposite her at the bar with an bemused look on his face. In the end, she just raised her hands and flashed them at him six times.

“Just put it on my tab, sweetheart?” he suggested, to which his friend beside him sniggered. Elena didn’t understand what he said, only catching his condescending tone. She tried to laugh along, still waiting for him to put cash in her hand. After a few awkward seconds, another bartender, a middle aged man named Martin, stepped in to take over the transaction.

"So when a customer says, 'Can I get a drink?' you say, 'Of course'," explained Martin after the customer had been served.

"Of course," Elena repeated.

"And then you say, ‘What can I get for you?’"

"What can I get for you?"

"And that’s when they tell you what they want.” Martin narrowed his eyes at her, hoping it was sinking in. “Okay, I am a customer,” he demonstrated, rounding the bar to face her from the other side. “Can I get a drink?”

Elena smiled brightly. “Of course! What can I get for you?”

“A pint of Timothy Taylors, please,” he shrugged.

“Ah! I know it!” she exclaimed, and put her hand on the right tap. Martin returned to his position behind the bar and patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll show you how the tab works in a minute,” he said as he wandered over to a new customer. “Learn your numbers, Elena...”

Elena watched closely as Martin served the customer, but their conversation didn’t match the one he had just taught her. Still, she continued to mutter the phrases under her breath to firmly store them in her mental glossary. So far that afternoon, most of the customers Elena had served had been men, so when two women came in together they caught her attention. Once they were seated, Elena approached them with a bright smile and a spring in her step. “Hello!” she chirped. “Can I get for you a drink?”

Interactions
Bellz Blake
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 2: Making Connections
Tuesday 19th March 1985
...4 days later...
Dublin:Late Afternoon - Cool, Sunny, Breezy
London:Late Afternoon - Cool, Cloudy, Breezy
New York City:Evening - Mild, Clear Skies

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Roxie Carriveau
Jeanie Carriveau-Porter
JJ Carriveau-Porter

Paulie's Pizzeria
~Downtown Dublin, Ireland~​

"I love how much cheese they put on this!" JJ said, mouth full of pizza as Roxie rolled her eyes. "JJ, I don't want to see the food in your mouth!" Jeanie exclaimed, looking to her mother with a gross expression as she pointed at her brother. "Can you please control your son?" She said and Roxie rolled her eyes at her daughter's dramatic behavior. "JJ, remember what I told you about talking with your mouth full." She said gently to her son, who sat directly beside her. Turning to face him, she saw he had pizza sauce on the side of his mouth and moved to grab her napkin before moving to wipe his face. "Oh mom! Stop! I'm not 5 anymore!" He complained as he squirmed before she grabbed his chin gently and turned him to face her. "Well maybe you should try not making a mess like a 5 year old and mom wouldn't treat you like one." Jeanie said to which JJ moved his eyes to glare at her before moving his face away from his mother's grasp. "It's not my fault pizza is so messy." He growled lightly before moving to grab another slice of pie.

Roxie looked to Matthew with an amused smile before saying, "Thanks for understanding that I had to move pizza night to today instead of Thursdays, guys, unfortunately, I'm going to have to stay in the office late that night and I didn't want to disappoint you all." JJ of course didn't seem to mind but looking at Jeanie, she definitely seemed annoyed. "Jane and I were supposed to go over to Cynthia's house to study for an exam tomorrow." She sulked to which Roxie wanted to roll her eyes but refrained from doing so, looking at her and Jane, Roxie offered the smallest of smiles. "I'm sure Matthew and I can help you study for this exam, I just wanted to make sure we spent some quality time together before I get busy again." She explained before looking to her fiancé and reaching out a hand to him. "I mean, you literally have a teacher right here to answer all of your questions and if he doesn't know the answer...which I doubt he wouldn't..I'm right here to help."

Jeanie didn't look too pleased but she didn't say any more on the subject as JJ looked to Matthew, "Could you help me with my history paper, Matt? I'm really having a hard time with it?" Roxie looked to Matthew before moving to ruffle JJ's hair lightly. "I'm sure he will, bud!" JJ laughed but then scowled, "What did I tell you about the hair, mom! I work so hard to brush it in the right way!" Roxie laughed, "Oh chillax JJ, it's not like we haven't seen you with bedhead before!" She teased and JJ blushed, "Yea but, Aria from school is right over there with her parents! I don't want you cramping my style!" JJ complained to which Roxie looked past Matthew and the girls to see a younger girl about JJ's age with her parents. "My my, she's awfully pretty." Roxie complimented softly to which JJ swatted her lightly. "Stop staring, you're gonna make her notice us!" Jeanie laughed lightly, "JJ's got a girlfriend! JJ's got a girlfriend!" She chanted before JJ picked up a breadstick and threw it at her, hitting her right in the face. "Ow! Mom! Do you see what he did?!" Jeanie hissed and JJ laughed so hard he snorted. "No food fights!" Roxie said as she looked at JJ who just bashfully smiled, "Sorry, mom."
with: Matthew Misty Gray ; Jane Pyroclast ; Reina Melanin-Gxdess (I'm sure she's hiding somewhere aha)

Lorelei Costello

The Funky Cat
~Dublin City Center, Dublin~​

Things had been picking up at the club over the last year without having the best advertisements for the place out in the world but Lorelei decided that perhaps it was time to kick things up a notch for her establishment. In the past, she and the staff made handmade posters and flyers to advertise the club but she figured now that the club was up there in reputation with other clubs in Dublin, it was time for something fancier and clean cut. She wanted to get a photographer to take pictures of the interior of the club, someone who could really capture the feeling of the club through a lens. After trying to search on her own, she reached out to family and friends who eventually led her to Benjamin Reznik who worked at a restaurant that the Sullivan's owned.

They had spoken on the phone the day before and Lorelei had liked the man's charisma so she decided to give him a chance, they were going to discuss pricing and the details over a drink while the club was closed so they would be able to discuss business without her getting distracted. While she was polishing some glasses, the woman looked at the time and saw that she had a minute or two to look over her appearance. Turning to the mirrored wall behind the shelves, she moved a bottle of vodka before looking at herself, using her hands to tease her curls slightly. Moving to grab her purse, she fished out some lipstick and placed it on before moving the bottle back in its place and moving to grab some whiskey and two glasses. Given they were in Ireland, she figured whiskey was a safe bet on what he would like to drink. Moving to sit down at the only table in the club that was set, she waited patiently for Benjamin to arrive.

When the door opened, Lorelei stood up quickly to greet the man, smiling charmingly as she held out her hand to him. "Ah, you must be Mr. Reznik, I'm Lorelei Costello but feel free to call me Rory as everyone does. How are you doing today?" She asked politely before motioning for him to take a seat. As he looked down to take a seat, Lorelei stole a long glance at his face and couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment, reminding herself that this was a matter of business, not a date, and to act professionally. "Wasn't sure what you'd want to drink, brought the whiskey because I figured that was the safest choice given our location." She chuckled lightly. "I know it's a little early for drinking, if you wish I can grab you a water or pop?" She had noticed his accent was Irish like most of the people who came through her club, so she was interested to know how he ended up in Ireland. "It's refreshing to hear an American accent you know? So far and few Americans come to this club if you don't mind me asking if it's not too personal. What's a New Yorker like yourself doing in Ireland? I lived there for a short while in my childhood, not long enough to pick up an accent though." She figured she would try to break the ice with a question about him before talking about what she wanted for the club.
with: Benjie Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Braden Callahan

Savannah Callahan's House
~ Islington, London ~​

Despite Braden normally being one to stay close to his daughter, Savannah had successfully talked him into helping get everything out of Shannon's house and staying with her for a few days in London. Hattie didn't often spend too much time away from him so it was weird having her not constantly pestering him, he would say it was nice but he honestly missed his daughter already and he'd only been in London for about a day. They picked up Callum from the nursery and headed back to Savannah's house. Braden didn't like the Kings very much considering they were giving his sister a hard time but he managed to keep his mouth shut as she talked to Spencer, playing with his nephew to keep him busy as she finished up the call.

Once she was done she told Callum to go choose some toys to take with him and once the boy understood the request he rushed off towards his room. Braden smiled at his sister once she sat down on the sofa, seeing how exhausted she was, "Ahh parenting, it's fun, huh?" He asked teasingly but he knew fully well that Savannah was most likely sighing from the phone call she had received. "Takeaway sounds like a good idea and you know I won't say no to plenty of drinks." He murmured before sitting on the sofa beside her, pulling her in to place a kiss on her head. "Ahh, he just sounds so lovely on the phone.." Braden remarked before a knock sounded at the door. They stood up at the same time, but Braden crossed his arms over his broad chest before his sister told him to be nice. Braden narrowed his eyes at her a moment before sighing, "I'll try." He murmured but continued to keep his arms cross as he inched closer to her as she opened the door.

Expecting to see a man at the door, Braden hiked his chin up to make himself look more intimidating but as he saw a beautiful brunette at the door, Braden let his whole stance relax, releasing his crossed arms to flop at his sides, his chin becoming leveled once more. Braden's cheeks warmed at how stupid he probably looked to the woman and when Savannah insisted she come inside and talk, Braden, prepared for an introduction. Braden hadn't caught the woman's name in the beginning so when Savannah introduced her to him, Braden's mouth slightly opened in shock. He had seen Kerry maybe once or twice before but she had definitely changed since he saw her last. She had waved at him awkwardly and all Braden could do was wave back at the moment, speechless which was not like him whatsoever. Noticing the silence he was creating, Braden cleared his throat, his cheeks warming as he regained himself placing a charming smile on his face to ease her clear concern. "Kerry, it's wonderful to see you again. Thank you, Grandma Shannon will be missed but we all knew it was time."

After he spoke, Kerry seemed insistent on leaving and before he could voice for her to stay, Savannah did it for him. His sister looked to him to see what he thought about it and Braden decided to lay on the charm. "Please, it's not often I'm in the presence of such a beautiful woman. Well...I guess that's not true, my family is full of beautiful women--ah, you know what..let me start over." Braden nervously laughed and shook his head. "I don't have any quarrels with you staying. Savannah and I could use the good company since little Callum is leaving soon. Have you eaten yet? We were going to order takeaway?"
with: Savvy + Kerry Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter
Blake McCarthy

The Sullivan's Pub
~Dublin City Center, Dublin~ ​

Thomas had expected Conor to take back what he said about him joining the business after Thomas knocked the crap out of Leo, but his Uncle surprised him. Today was his first official day on the job with Adam and things seemed to be going extremely well so far. Telling his mother had been a train wreck as he expected and currently she decided she wasn't going to talk to him. Thomas used to not talking to her often, but it was a whole new thing to not talk to her at all...normally she only lasted a few days before blowing up his pager but today he received nothing. He didn't mind though. He had more important things to focus on today, like not fucking up his chance of getting into the business and making a good impression on Adam.

Adam had given him a driving tour of Dublin before driving them to the family's pub, parking in the lot. Thomas unbuckled his seat belt and was about to step out of the car before Adam turned to him, explaining that it wouldn't be long before all the boring stuff was out of the way. He then asked what to call him to which Thomas smirked. "Thomas is fine, sometimes people call me Tommy or Tom but honestly, I don't have a preference." He told the man before he went on to explain that once they were inside the club, they would be able to relax a bit but to keep their eyes open. "Roger that." He said to Adam in reply before he went on to say that it could get rowdy in the pub at times and it was easy to get distracted. Normally, Thomas wouldn't worry about getting distracted. Before he was captured, Thomas was able to keep a clear head and focus on the little things around him without getting overwhelmed but since he returned home, the chatter around him normally was enough to distract him despite trying his best to keep his head in the game. Thomas understood the need to be prepared for everything and if Adam said he felt the need for it, Thomas would do his best to prepare for the same. When asked if he had any questions, Thomas should his head, smirking back at the man. "Ready to play security guard, sir. I'm sure I'll feel right at home with the task at hand." He said before getting out with the man. His eyes looked around the lot, taking in everything as best as he could. Nothing seemed out of order, so Thomas walked with Adam towards the entrance of the bar, noting the noise coming from inside.

Blake had been looking forward to her time out with Ali and Conor. It had been a long time since she treated herself to a night out and with Natasha watching the Collin and the Sullivan girls at the house, Blake knew she would be able to relax. "I cannot thank you enough for inviting me out, Al." Blake smiled as she looked around the pub for a moment. "I don't know why I choose to sit at home most of the time, but I've honestly missed having a social life. Guess I just worry about not spending enough time with the kids, but when they told me that they would like to see me go out instead of being stuck at home with them, I feel that was an appropriate wake-up call for me." Before she could say more, a new face to the pub appeared to take their drink order and Blake smiled at the young woman's accent. Seemed like she wasn't the best at speaking English but Blake was able to understand her easily enough. "I'll take a whiskey dry, love. I go through them like candy, so bring 3 glasses full of it for me okay?" She asked lightly before looking to Aliana to see what she would order.

After listening to her best friend order, Blake looked towards the entrance of the pub to see two familiar faces. Thomas looked a bit on edge with Adam as they entered but Blake understood that it was his first day on the job, so she was sure he was nervous. Thomas followed Adam's lead in looking things over in the pub. He hadn't been in the establishment in a few years as he wasn't one to drink often anymore but despite him feeling a bit on edge, he was able to get comfortable hearing the music over the speakers and the chatter around them. He scanned the room once more and saw Blake waving them over. Thomas waited for Adam to take the lead before following suit, smirking at Blake and his Aunt Ali. "Evening ladies, how are we doing?" He asked politely, noticing the pretty young woman taking their order. His cheeks warmed as he cleared his throat, he was about to say something to her before Blake spoke. "First night out on the job?" She asked the men, specifically Thomas to which the young man nodded. "Yes Ma'am." Blake smiled lightly at him before looking at Adam with an even wider smile, "Hope you're going easy on him." She teased. Adam and she were friends but it had been quite some time since she'd last spoken to him due to her isolating herself. "It's good to see you again, Adam. How are things going since we last spoke?" She asked curiously.
with: Adam Misty Gray ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess ; Elena Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Julia Avvocata

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

The fact that Ricky was left to meet with Gabriel instead of Roxie was not surprising to Julia in the least. It only reassured her point that Roxie wasn't fit for the position of leader given that she had to put her family before the business. Julia refrained from saying a subtle "I told you so," however because Ricky already had enough on his plate. Since sleeping together a few nights prior, Ricky and she had been spending plenty of time together doing more than just business when they weren't needed and Julia really enjoyed the time she had with him. She was more than pleased that she had been invited to join Ricky at Moretti's home for dinner, knowing that Damian most likely had something to do with it given that she hadn't been invited to such meetings before. She was used to the usual business meetings but when Ricky stated that Gabriel had invited the two of them over for dinner, Julia had been slightly perplexed.

It seemed that Gabriel was trying a different angle tonight and Julia was prepared to hear what the man thought of their current predicament with Roxie being appointed boss. Given the man's sexist views, she was sure Gabriel would have no interest in attempting to talk business with the woman which was expected by almost everyone involved in the matter. Ricky drove through the gates that securely held Mr. Moretti's grand home. Julia had never been to this home before so seeing that it was quite different than his home in Staten Island was interesting. The guards greeting them upon arrival wasn't shocking to Julia but she let out a laugh as Ricky insisted they be respectful to her and to grope him instead. The only thing she had in her hands was the bottle of wine she insisted on bringing as it was polite to bring something for someone hosting a dinner. The guard searching him seemed amused and they did as the man asked before letting the two continue towards the house.

"It's very beautiful." Julia agreed with Ricky as she took it in, laughing lightly as he called the other house a vampire lair. She stared up at the house for a moment before Ricky turned to her, causing her to look at him. He thanked her for agreeing to join him, to which Julia waved a hand. "You think I would let you go into the belly of the beast alone?" She asked lightly. "I've got the stake ready if he tries anything funny." She said in a low voice, eyeballing the guards to make sure they weren't too close. In reality, Julia was going to let Mr. Moretti say anything he wanted to because she knew that the man had the same mindset as her when it came to what Ricky needed to do. Plus, she was sure that her words, however damning they may be, would fall upon sexist ears. She was sure the man had some sort of opinion about her position of power within the family as well but considering that she was on his side, she was sure he was willing to let it go, if only a little.

Julia felt like Ricky needed some encouragement as he rang the doorbell so she took his hand for a moment and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting it go. The status of their relationship wasn't something that needed to be broadcasted to Moretti or anyone else involved and Julia planned to keep it a secret. "If nothing comes of this, at least we know there will be plenty of wine.." She made one last joke before the door started to open.
with: Ricky + Gabriel Misty Gray ; Elvian Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

St. Saviour's Church
~ Beaumont, Dublin ~

Matthew Moore and Patience Davenport​

Patience stood by Silas' side, albeit a few steps behind him so as not to overstep her mark. She followed his gaze to the alter and kept her eyes focused there as the priest spoke of his plans for future Sunday services. Easter was an important time in the Christian calendar, especially so for the likes of Silas and Patience. Lent had begun a few weeks ago and the young woman had been very strict with herself to make sure she honoured Jesus' sacrifice completely. Meat, sugar, tea, coffee, snacks had all been given up for Lent, leaving her with basic meals each day washed down with only water. She had also made of point of avoiding watching any television or listening to the radio. With the amount of work and outdoor interests she had, such devices were barely missed by her at all.

"I think it would set the service up wonderfully," Patience agreed with Silas. She listened with full respect as the man read from the Bible. When he closed the book, she turned to look at him as the focus wasn't so heavily on the altar or the Bible. She returned his smile and nodded along with him. "Leave it with me, Father. I know exactly what needs to be done and it will look perfect once complete," she assured him. She then followed the man over to Matthew and clasped her hands together in front of herself as the two men spoke.

"There's no need to apologise, Father Healy," Matthew kindly assured the man. "The wedding plans are going very well. The bulk of the hard work is complete, so it's a case of focusing on the finer details." He sent the man a warm smile before extending the gesture to acknowledge Patience. He looked back to SIlas as the man spoke of Roxie and her Catholic background. "Roxie and I have discussed a few final touches to the service, including our vows. We could arrange to sit with you and finalise things later this week?" he offered. His smile broadened as the priest said he was looking forward to the wedding day. "Roxie and I are very excited too. You know I will always respect her choices and feelings, but I don't rule out the possibility that she might find God again. Thankfully, I know He is watching over her with me."

Matthew looked at his watch, conscious of the time. He'd made his way over to the church once he'd finished supervising detention, but he was due to head out for pizza with Roxie and the kids soon. "The reason I popped over was more to do with work, really," he began, ensuring Patience felt included in the conversation as well as Silas. "Whilst I was away, in New York, a couple of my pupils ended up misbehaving and earning themselves a week's worth of detention from the cover teacher. I don't see the value in detentions, nor does Mrs. Callahan," he began, aware they already knew plenty of the local parents from the school and church ties, regardless of whether the families actively attended church services. "Her son, Liam, was in trouble for fighting; hitting another pupil. Mrs. Callahan made it very clear to me that she didn't agree with it and if I'm being honest, she's right. I think kids benefit more from doing something productive and hardworking. I was thinking of having some of the kids stay behind here after school to help out around the church, rather than be sat in detention. It'll keep them busy and show them the value of helping others."

"It would be Father Healy's final decision," Patience said, looking to Silas. "But I think there's plenty they could do here. There's still lots of flowers to be planted outside and the craft fair to prepare for."

Once the decision had been made, Matthew left the church so he could make sure he wasn't late for dinner. Patience turned to Silas and sent him a warm smile. "Oh, I do love it when the children help out around here. They can be so creative and sweet. Children are so innocent," she enthused. Still, her smile very subtly dropped, as for all the ignorance she might have about the world outside of the church, she knew plenty about the Sullivans and other criminals in the city. She knew the Callahans were related to it all. "I hope we can help Liam and the others that needs us," she thought aloud.

Pyroclast (Silas)

Paulie's Pizzeria
~ Downtown Dublin, Dublin ~

Matthew Moore​

Matthew was glad to be spending an evening out with Roxie and the kids. Though he never had any intention of trying to replace Syd, he knew marrying Roxie meant the children were his family too. He knew he'd already grown fond of the kids and would do what he could to ensure they thrived. Still, he wasn't oblivious to the fact it was a work in progress for them. They had a father and he was aware their preference would be for Syd to be marrying Roxie over him. That wasn't how things had worked out, so Matthew knew it was a matter of being patient and understanding of the children's feelings. He wasn't their father, and on top of that, he was a boring teacher at their school, so he had an extra obstacle to overcome in gaining their acceptance. Regardless, he felt things were going well on the whole and he was willing to take on any challenges to be with the woman he loved.

Sat between Roxie and JJ at the round table, Matthew couldn't help but chuckle as Jeanie complained about the way JJ was eating. He listened on as Roxie joined in on the conversation with the kids but left it to his fiancee to manage the slight disruption. He then turned to Roxie when she thank him for understanding the change of pizza night. "Hey, it's fine by me. We missed out on last week's pizza night, so I was desperate anyway," he remarked, flashing a smile. Not everyone seemed impressed with the change of day and Jeanie went ahead to vocalise her disapproval, mentioning she and Jane were meant to have been revising for an exam. "Hey, you've got a teacher sitting right here," Matthew said, feigning offence. "Your mum is right. I can help you study. Once we've done here we'll head straight home and get to work. What's the subject?" he asked, having not kept up too closely with the specific exams that didn't relate to the classes he taught.

Even if the girls weren't enthusiastic about Matthew's offer, JJ seemed very keen for his input. "History? That's one of my specialist subjects. Of course I can help," he assured the boy. As Roxie set about ruffling JJ's hair, Matthew grabbed another slice of pizza to tuck into. The conversation soon turned to who the boy had a crush on, prompting Matthew to make an attempt at subtly looking over at the table Aria was seated at. "Well, your secret's safe with me," he reassured JJ, though he couldn't say the same for Jeanie and Jane keeping quiet.

"Hey, don't be getting us thrown out of the restaurant," Matthew lightly addressed JJ when the boy threw the breadstick. "I've still got a few slices left to eat before we get turfed out onto the streets," he remarked. With a slice of pizza in one hand, he rested his free arm over the back of Roxie's chair and turned to her, a fond smile on his face. Although he didn't say it aloud, he was clearly admiring the woman and thinking of how much he loved her.

Pyroclast (Jane) Melanin-Gxdess (Reina) Bellz (Roxie, Jeanie, JJ)

 

[BloodThunder27]

Chapter 2: Making Connections
Tuesday 19th March 1985
...4 days later...
Dublin: Late Afternoon - Cool, Sunny, Breezy

~Dublin: Shinoa Bradford~​

Pregnancy Progression: 34/40 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 242/280 Days

A few more days had passed for Shinoa rather uneventfully, aside from going to Nolstalgic Notes to finally turn in her filled out Job Application. The previous day, she had received a phone call back and agreed to a Job Interview. Overall, she was nervous and because she was alone, being unemployed was pretty much off the table. As she got her make-up on and got into her dress, Shinoa adjusted her necklace as she looked at herself in the mirror, even straightening out her hair. As she turned to her side, she frowned as she stared at her reflection. After a couple of minutes, she proceeded to grab her cardigan and her satchel before getting her slippers on and then leaving her hotel room. After locking her room door, she took a deep breath before making her way out of the front door, smiling curtly at the Receptionist as she walked out the front door.

Thankfully for her, Nostalgic Notes was not very far away. She didn't have a car, didn't know how to drive and she wasn't really using the public transportation, so applying to a place close to home was only fair. The primary downside is that it was getting tougher and tougher for her to be on her feet for extended periods of time along with the constant dull but nagging back pain. Shinoa was definitely over being pregnant, at least for now due to the lack of support that she received. If she had someone there for her...maybe it'd be different? Either way, it wasn't the time to be dwelling on that. After about a fifteen to twenty minute walk --or in her case, waddling--, Shinoa had finally made it to the block that had her potential employer. After a brief wave of nervousness, Shinoa mustered up the courage to open the front door, prompting a bell to ring as she entered. Doing her best to ignore the pain in her ever-growing belly, she quietly made her way to the front counter as she overheard a woman talking to a young man...and she sounded rather angry. Gently, she began holding her belly, interlocking her hands underneath it to help lift some of the strain off of her back. It wasn't long until she approached another gentleman at the counter. "Hello again, I'm here to see Mrs. Callahan." She said, greeting him as she felt more and more...uneasy.

Sinead Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

The Funky Cat
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Benjamin Reznik​

Benjamin loved the Spring and Summer months. There was more daylight and many more opportunities for getting out into nature to take photographs of the wildlife. Sadly, the imminent start of Spring also meant the anniversary of his mother's death was fast approaching. No matter how busy he kept himself, it wasn't a memory he was able to ignore and he supposed part of him would rather keep the traumatic thoughts if it meant never forgetting his mother, Dolores. She had been in last night's dream and the fact it had been a happy one meant it was one he hadn't wanted to end. When he woke up that morning and reality hit him that it hadn't been real, he tried to return to the dream. Though he fell back asleep, he wasn't blessed with another such dream. Eventually, he forced himself out of bed with a rare lethargy for a young man who almost always got up bright and early.

Benjamin had a day off from working at the restaurant and he didn't have to meet with the owner of the Funky Cat until later in the day. Instead, he met with Aidan for lunch, with his guardian having easily noticed the young man had things on his mind. Even though he was out being independent, Benjamin was still glad to have Aidan around to pick him back up when he needed it. By the end of their catch-up, Benjamin was feeling much more upbeat and returned to his apartment feeling more positive about things.

As the day went on, it soon became time for him to get ready to head to the Funky Cat for a potential new photography gig. Although they were just meeting to talk, he decided to bring his camera along as well as a trusted notebook. After retrieving the camera he thought would be best for the job, his attention became focused on the undeveloped roll of film he kept securely stored away in the drawer. It was the last roll of film he'd used before his mother had been murdered. He still remembered much of what would be in those photographs. The last time they went to the park together, his mother had been showing him how to use the camera she'd earlier gifted to him. He remembered taking some photographs of his mother and them messing around trying to get both of them into the same shot. He wasn't sure he'd seen her smile again after that - not a true smile. After that, her smile always seemed to have a sadness to it; her troubled soul betraying her forced sign of happiness.

Benjamin wasn't ready to develop the photographs yet, knowing after that, he wouldn't have any more 'new' pictures of his mother to see for the first time. With a bittersweet smile, he pushed the drawer closed and finished getting ready to meet with Lorelei Costello. Still making his way in the world, Benjamin couldn't afford to buy his own car yet. Aidan had offered to get him one, but Benjamin had declined, feeling the man had done more than enough for him. He wanted to try support himself before asking for help. Instead, he was happy with walking around the city or using public transport if needed. Besides, a big bonus was that it was much easier to admire the world and take unplanned snapshot of it when he wasn't stuck behind the wheel of a car.

By the time he reached the Funky Cat, Benjamin had more of a spring in his step and was more upbeat despite how he'd felt earlier in the day. Approaching the club doors with the messenger bag over his shoulder he was half-expecting the nearby security guard to want to check inside the bag, but the man seemed to recognise him and nodded to let him enter the club. Benjamin had been out drinking at the club before, but somehow it now looked very different whilst quiet and almost empty. He didn't get much time to study the interior as the pretty redhead rushed over to greet him. He met Lorelei's smile with a bright, charming one of his own. "It's good to meet you, Rory," he replied to her, gently shaking her hand. "Please, call me Benjamin," he assured her. Those closest or more familiar with him called him 'Benjie', but considering he and Lorelei had just met, it seemed more appropriate to go with his full first name. "I'm doing well, how about you?"

When asked, Benjamin took a seat at the table and hung his bag over the back of the chair, before turning back to look to the woman now sitting across from him. Her cheeks seemed to be a little flushed, but the rosy redness only complemented her fiery copper hair. He couldn't help but smile to her, the charm of it laced with a hint of shyness. He cleared his throat and sat up straight when she offered him a drink. "Whiskey works for me. When in Rome... Thank you, Rory," he accepted the alcohol, bringing the tumbler to his mouth to take a small drink. "Evidently, it's never too early," he boyishly assured her.

Benjamin smiled at her as she asked him about his accent, though his expression faltered slightly as he realised the full story of how he came to be in Dublin might not be appropriate in the current situation. He could hardly tell her his mother had been murdered by the Morettis and with his dad in jail he had to relocate to Dublin with the Irish Mob so he could live safely. He knew she would appreciate a more diluted version of it. "You lived there too? Who knows, our child selves might have crossed paths one day back in New York," he playfully told her. "I moved here about 13 years ago, with my foster guardian. My um... my Dad's in jail over in New York and my Mum died when I was a young boy, so Aidan looked after me from then." He paused as he looked around the place and recalled that he'd been told Lorelei was related to the Sullivans, which made him figure she knew at least enough about the mob. "Aidan worked for Mr. Sullivan, so when he moved his businesses here, it was best for Aidan and me to relocate too," he told her. "So what made you end up in Dublin? I mean, it seems like it was a good decision, because you have a beautiful club, Rory," he told her, now blushing himself as his eyes met hers again."

Bellz (Lorelei)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter​

There had been multiple periods in Syd’s life in which his health issues had left him with decreased or no responsibility at all within the family business. The responsibility had of course turned to getting better, but when he was ill it was hard for him to see the value of that. The family business meant a great deal to him and so he knew from experience that, no matter how chaotic and traumatising it became, he much preferred life when he was at work. The more responsibility he had, the more fulfilled he felt. So, with Jackson gone and his father in jail on Rikers Island, Syd was more than happy to have taken the position of Conor’s right hand man. He and his uncle had had their ups and downs in the past, but ultimately he loved and trusted the man and he found it an honour to work at his side.

Ever since finding out about Roxie’s designation as the new head of the Biancardi business, Syd had struggled to get her off his mind. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, and wasn’t sure he would unless he got a chance to talk to her at length about what it would mean for her, for business, and most of all, for their three children. He had been so preoccupied by the news that he had hardly given the King family a single thought. When Conor initiated the meeting with an update about the current tensions between Savannah and the Kings, Syd was forced to snap out of his repetitive train of thought. He was conflicted about the situation, because he had been separated from his children before, both after Roxie left him and again during his two years in prison. He had them on weekends now, of course, but he always felt a looming threat above him that Roxie might try to take them away from him again if she one day decided he wasn’t a good enough father. Still, Syd wasn’t going to sympathise with anyone who was giving his cousin a hard time, especially so soon after their grandmother’s death.

He nodded in agreement at Conor’s insistence that the Kings wouldn’t be able to stop Savannah from being in Dublin with her family, as his uncle then reminded him of their war with the IWU back in 1959. Ever since Conor had assumed James’ position as the boss, Syd understood that business had begun to operate with more extreme measures - harsher consequences and no second chances. The change wasn’t a reflection of his father’s approach to handling feuds, but it came from a lesson learned from all of their experiences. “Then we’ll hit hard if it comes to that,” he agreed, linking his hands together in front of him as he leaned back in his chair. “If you don’t object, I’ll send some of our best eyes and ears to London to see if they can pick up on anything. Like you said, we want to be ready to shut them down at a moment’s notice, but only if we know what we’re up against.”

When the conversation turned to Roxie, all of Syd’s concerns came flooding back into his head. Bringing his elbow to rest on the arm of the chair, Syd let his head fall into his hand and closed his eyes as his uncle gave his opinion on the matter. Of course he assumed that Syd would know more given his connection to Roxie, but when asked if they had spoken since the day, he still let out a light groan. “Yeah, we talked…” he opened, before bringing his hand away and looking his uncle in the eyes. “You know what, I don’t even know if you’re wrong. Pretty much everything I know about Roxie these days is from word of mouth and what the kids talk about, and that doesn’t exactly help me form my own opinion.” Syd cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly. “She called me to let me know she’d ended up taking over Giovanni’s position and told me she was gonna go through with it because she felt like she had to. Like it was the right thing to do. I don’t know what that says about her.” HIs eyes raised to meet his uncle’s once more, a look of slight discomfort in his expression. “I mean, isn’t that the kind of thing a person says when they can’t think of a better reason? It doesn’t say anything about her character, or her beliefs or values or even preferences. She’s doing it because it’s what Giovanni wanted. That doesn’t sound like enough to go on. Then again, I doubt I could say many good things about Ricky, either. But you know I never liked that guy…” Syd rolled his head back to gaze up at the ceiling and sighed. “Roxie and I don’t really talk unless it’s absolutely necessary,” he reminded his uncle. “But in a situation like this, I’m probably in an advantaged position to talk to her about the reality of it, given how it’ll affect the kids and all, so I'll try and arrange a meeting with her soon. I wish I could give you a full character reference to assure you she’s in a good position to take on the role, but unfortunately we’d have better luck asking someone else. We’re just not close.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Conor

Bellz Roxie (mentioned)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

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

After the party in the Sullivan household, Ali was left worried about her son and husband. Conor had confided in her about his losses to which she understood herself. She had also lost people who weren't going to be able to attend a party again and while she felt their absence, she seemed to be more accepting of it. Ali often wondered if her husband took the proper amount of time to mourn his losses but knowing him he hadn't. If anything she wanted him to take some time for himself, though to ask him to do such a thing wasn't going to go over well. It would more than likely end up as an argument and that wasn't something she wanted to add on to her list of stressors. Leo's behavior was enough to cause her more concern since his fight with Thomas. She was glad he had come to the understanding that there needed to be a talk, but the fact he had lost his temper was worrisome. Seana had been the main one to deal with his temper tantrums when he was younger, knowing how to work with him more than she. Now that she was gone she had left most of it up to her husband; Leo had, after all, taken after his father. A part of her felt like she had failed him by not trying to find ways to help, but she just didn't know where she would even start.

Hearing that she would be able to spend some time with Blake and Conor was a relief. She had been agonizing over how to help the two men in her life, along with Rhi's frustration for her routine. A stiff drink was seriously needed. The moment she laid her eyes on Blake she smiled widely and gave her a hug. "Of course! I feel like I hardly get to see you nowadays. I miss having my partner in crime around." Even though they lived close to each other, the two of them had been consumed with their personal lives. When they were younger it was easy to just decide to get a drink but now that they had responsibilities making it more difficult. Ali was going to take every opportunity she had to spend time with her. "They're at that age where you stop raising them and they start raising you." She joked before turning to the new bartender. At first she was about to give her a complicated martini order, but based off of her broken English she decided not to stress her out. "An old fashion please. But, more alcohol than water."

Ali turned back to Blake to finish talking, but paused as she saw Thomas and Adam enter the Pub. The idea of Thomas working for her husband worried her just as much as the idea of Leo working for him did. She knew Lucy wasn't going to like it considering it caused James to be locked away, but just like the situation between Thomas and Leo she had opted to stay out of it until asked. "Well then, Thomas Porter, don't you look snazzy?" She said with a smile. Though she was still upset about the threat he had made, it would be something he and Leo discussed. "Did my husband send you boys to protect us? Don't you know we've been taking care of ourselves for years?" She joked. Ali was aware of all security measures that needed to be taken even if she felt it wasn't necessary. Letting Blake speak with Adam she took a small pause, unsure of what to say to Thomas. She didn't want to say anything to upset, nor trigger him as she shifted in her seat. "Having fun yet?"


Thomas, Blake ( Bellz )
Adam ( Misty Gray )
Elena ( Pyroclast )
​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Moretti Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~
Elvian Moretti

The news that Roxie was left in charge of the Biancardi family business came as a shock to Elvian, though she would be lying if she said she didn't like it. It was about time a woman be in charge in a male dominated world. She wasn't going to outwardly say this around her husband considering how he felt about women in power. Elvian had long ago come to terms with her husband's old style views and had since stopped trying to change his mind when it came to certain topics. That didn't mean she didn't voice her opinion at certain moments when she felt he was being too unfair. The only concern she felt was warranted was her ties with the Porter family through her children. The possibility of her favoring them over the Moretti's was always a factor and was warranted to be a concern; her gender, however, was not. As much as she wanted to voice this opinion she did not. Instead she would wait for Roxie to prove herself or rather, hoped the woman would be able to.

She was currently cranking out her homemade pasta as the final touch for her crab pappardelle arrabbiata. Lately she had been in the mood for more Italian main dishes than Romanian, though her desserts were. Since Julia would be joining them for dinner for the first time, she decided to go with her papanasi. She could hear her husband speaking to her as she laid the pasta off to the side. "Hm?" She asked, letting his words process in her mind. She chuckled and shook her head at him before responding. "It's either the accent or the food. It seems to draw people in." She joked. While he explained he thoughts on the younger man she moved to add the pasta to the boiling water on the stove while everything else finished cooking. Elvian thought he was a sensible young man in his own right, but that was based off what she had seen. From what she heard from her husband and others, he was a bit of a wild card.

"Ah, so that's why you asked me to cook dinner tonight. Not only are you using me to distract him so you can work your magic but you would like me to work some magic on... Julia, was it?" She nodded her head at him in understanding, though she was merely joking. Elvian was happy to help her husband in any way she could and that he would allow. She wanted to him to be able to watch his grandchildren to grow up so she wanted to keep his stress at a minimum. Taking out four cups, she walked over to set them on the table before walking over to Gabriel. "Don't worry. I will charm them with my accent and food and my feminine wiles." With a smile on her face she kissed her husband's forehead. Before she had another moment to tease him she heard the doorbell ring. "That must be them. Will you turn off the pot to the left while I answer the door?"

The moment she opened the door she smiled at Riccardo, taking note of where his hand was. Whether it were simply friendly or more personal had not been clear yet, but the night was still young to figure it out. "Riccardo! It's been a while, hasn't it draga?" She gave him a hug and friendly kiss on his cheeks before turning to Julia. "And you must be Julia. My husband told me you were coming, so I made a special dessert just for you." She beckoned both of them inside and closed the door after them. Once they were back in the dining area, she moved over to the stove to check on the pasta. "Dinner will be ready in a few more minutes."


Gabriel, Ricky ( Misty Gray )
Julia ( Bellz )
​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Wycliff Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~
Theodore Wycliff

Hearing that Riccardo had basically been snubbed by his deceased father was amusing to Teddy. What made it even more amusing was the fact that it had been by a woman. Teddy actually liked and respected Ricky, though at times he could be unpredictable. Considering he had been taught the family business from a young age and Roxie hadn't it made sense to think he would be in charge. Old man Giovanni just had to go and cause issues on the Biancardi front, he thought to himself. When one problem was solved another was sure to take its place. The problem in this case stemmed from Roxie being in charge and having her own ties with the Sullivan family. Having been by Gabriel's side when dealing with them he understood just how big of a problem that would be. Roxie being in charge had been the old man's last, dying wish which meant there was nothing they could do to change it. But they would be able to control the situation in a way that benefitted them.

With Gabriel having dinner with the man, along with Elvian and Julia, he was sure he was going to hear about it the next time they met up together. In the meantime he had been taking care of other family business before it was time to pick up his children. He had been able to give his wife the break she needed as promised. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but he figured she would tell him in due time. Back during her attack he learned to be patient with her, letting her come to him instead of probing her when she wasn't ready. She had offered to cook dinner, which he thought nothing of, until she started cleaning basically everything. There was a nagging voice in his head that sounded an awfully lot like Gabriel basically telling him to put his foot down and get to the bottom of it.

Before he had a chance to say anything she turned to him and asked about his day. He gave her a smile before kissing the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her. "Busy, as per usual. Your children are a headache." He said chuckling. He glanced back towards the kids before looking back at Valentina with a mischievous grin on his face. "Hey, we can tell them to go to bed now if you want. We have a right as parents to make them go to bed to get some alone time." His voice may have been in a light tone, but he was also serious. Spending time with his wife had always been his favorite way to end his day. He returned her kiss before giving her a concerned look. He didn't like the tone of voice nor did he like the fact that she looked worried about something. "What have you done that Gabe may or may not like? I'm sure it's nothing to stress yourself over, Tin."

Valentina ( Misty Gray )​

 

[Bellz]

Lorelei Costello

The Funky Cat
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~​

Lorelei was pleased that Benjamin didn't seem put off by her offer for a drink so she quickly poured them both a glass and handed him his before smiling lightly. Taking a small sip as well, she smiled even wider as the man said it was never too early to drink. "Ah I like you already." She said lightly. She had hoped that the man didn't mind her asking such a question as to how he ended up in New York and when he smiled, she felt relieved. However, she noticed it falter ever so slightly but chose not to react as she patiently let him explain.

He was surprised to hear that she had lived there saying that perhaps their child selves could have crossed paths one day. Now there was a thought, having met this person back in the states only to once again meet. It wasn't impossible, she supposed, her parents after all had met in Dublin 10 years before finding each other once again in New York. Lorelei listened with great interest as Benjamin told her that he moved about 13 years ago with his foster guardian. His dad was in jail over in New York and his mom had died when he was a young boy. Lorelei made a sympathetic face at hearing that. She didn't know what it was like to lose a parent...her father had left her mother and her when she was just a baby, but she remembers how close she was to losing her mother to her heroin addiction back in New York. That memory always brought up unwanted memories so she moved to take another drink from her glass, regaining focus on Benjamin as he went on to explain that his guardian worked for the Sullivans.

He asked her a similar question to the one she asked him. A blush also crept up on her face as he complimented her club she had worked so hard to make perfect. "Aww, thanks." She murmured bashfully before moving to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "My parents are from here originally. My mother is James Porter's half-sister so we've kept close to him and his lot, including the Sullivans. I was born in the States and my mother lived with my Uncle after my father left us for many years." She said lightly, before sighing. "When it was time for the Sullivans to head back here, my parents decided to stay in New York for quite some time afterward both had very successful careers on Broadway and the entertainment business before deciding that it was time to come home. Dublin feels more like home to me than New York ever did, oddly enough. Maybe it's because our family is here." Lorelei shrugged softly before looking back into Benjamin's eyes. "I'm sorry to hear about your father being in jail back in New York, my Uncle is actually in the same situation. Do you get to talk to him often enough? I can't imagine being without my dad to talk to..."

Whatever his answer was, Lorelei, moved to take another drink before looking around her club a moment. "So I've heard you're quite the whiz with a camera. I have to say that whatever your experience is I'll be more than impressed, I can't take a picture to save my life." The redhead chuckled softly, "I've got a lot of other talents, but photography is not one of them and that's exactly why I called you." Biting her lip lightly in thought, Lorelei swirled her drink around in its glass. "What I'm aiming for here is pictures that can go on flyers and in the papers, something that'll really catch someone's eyes. Now I'm a creative person, but perhaps you could tell me what you think would be best?"

"Also, any price you set I'm willing to pay, I've had some money put away for this for a while just been too busy to pull the trigger on it." She reassured him, wanting to make sure she made a point that she wasn't going to cheap out on his artistic work. Lorelei had been underpaid more times in the past than she could count. Whether he needed the money or not, she knew it was a great feeling to be paid for something you enjoyed doing at a fair price.
with: Benjamin Misty Gray

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Council Housing Estate
~ Bethnal Green, London~
Erik Snowden

It wasn't until the next day that Erik realized how nervous he was about bringing Billy out. Introducing him to a different side of him could have either gone really good or really bad. Luckily it had gone good with the both of them leaving with some girl on their arm. Granted it wasn't who he wanted to leave with but it was fine. The night had also brought to his own attention the secret crush he had on Billy, although maybe he shouldn't keep calling it that. He had been thinking about being in a relationship with the man for a while, but that was a dead end. There were no signs that the man was even on the same wavelength as him so the thought was just that; a thought. If anything he was just glad they had been able to share more with each other. It was fine with him that they weren't dating so long as they were able to be friends.

Erik had taken off his jacket as he approached the car, sunglasses on to shield his eyes from the sun. The second Billy commented on his night life he flashed him a grin. "Me? Don't make me tell everyone what a party animal you are. I'm sure there's a recording somewhere I could get my hands on." He joked, opening the door to the car. "Calm down Speedy Gonzalez, I'm sure the putz will still be there when we get there." Once inside the car, he threw his jacket to the back seat. "Ah, I get it. You just wanna know about the girl I ended up inviting over. I gotcha." He shot him a wink before settling into her seat.

The moment the two of them arrived, Billy made a comment about the man being on the ground floor. He just grinned at him and shook his head before following his lead with his hands in his pocket. "What do you think? Straightforward or that he'll make us work for it?" He asked, waiting for the door to be opened. The moment it did, Erik visibly cringed and shook his head. The man looked rough, as if he were going through a withdrawal. It made Erik's finger twitch, hidden by his pocket as he walked into the man's apartment. He took a look around and audibly expressed his disgust at being inside. "Don't lie to the man, Billy, it's horrendous." He said, bent over staring at the dead plants. When Billy started speaking again Erik slowly made his way over towards him in case Trevor tried anything stupid.

"Yes, please," Erik stated with his face contorted into one of disgust, "Please." Erik started walking towards the door, thinking Billy and Trevor were going to follow suit. It wasn't until he heard Trevor scream that he turned back. He hadn't reacted fast enough to stop Trevor from hitting the both of them, Teddy being scratched on his cheek. Billy had been quick to subdue him. "Son of a bitch!" He shouted, kicking the now unconscious Trevor in the side. As upset as he was by being attacked, the moment Billy checked up on him he froze. He could feel his face getting hot and internally yelled at himself to stop. "Uh, just a scratch; it's not serious. You, on the other hand," he started, pointing at Billy's forehead, "You gotta get that checked out once we finish." Erik was surprised that Billy had been showing so much concern for him. They had only just gotten closer, which made him think it was just in the man's nature. "Definitely drugs, but that's not our problem is it?" He asked following suit to drag Trevor to the car. Billy asked about his face again which made him smirk this time. "Why, yes dear. I'm fine. Can we get going now?"


Billy ( Pyroclast )
​

 

[Misty Gray]

Nostalgic Notes
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead saw the pregnant young woman enter the shop, her immediate thoughts being that she was perhaps still in her teens. Figuring she was a customer, she looked back down to her receipts as Malcolm seemed to be helping with her query. When the man introduced her as Shinoa, the last applicant being interviewed, Sinead looked her employee in the eyes before realising he was being serious. She made a mental note to ask why whoever accepted the application form hadn't thought to give her some warning about Shinoa's clearly heavily pregnant condition.

"Shinoa. I'm Mrs. Callahan, but you can call me Sinead," she brightly greeted the woman. "Let's get you to my office," she said, leading the young woman in the right direction and holding the doors open for her. She'd have to have been blind to see the way the teenager's walking was becoming harder on account of the late stage of pregnancy she was in. Sinead was often seen as a soft touch; sugar-coating situations and going out of her way to do anything to avoid hurting someone's feelings, but even she could see protecting someone's feelings wasn't the priority in this situation.

"Please, take a seat. You look exhausted, sweetie," she softly told her. "I'm going to have to level with you now, before I make you go through the interview questions. The position I have available is a full-time and permanent job, and I need someone who can start pretty much immediately. After one of my employees found another job, we need an extra team member who will be here to support us for the foreseeable... Much of the day would be spent on your feet, be it carrying stock or approaching customers to help them." Sinead let out a soft sigh before looking the young woman in the eyes. "Shinoa, you are heavily pregnant and even if you think you could physically keep up, I have a duty of care to look after the well-being of my team. I've had four children myself and I can see that right now you should be resting and getting ready for the big day. Not to mention, you will need time afterwards to rest and be with your baby." She displayed a sympathetic smile. "Do you have support at home?" she asked her, aware of Shinoa's young age.

BloodThunder27 (Shinoa)

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy King​

Even though Erik had worked with the Kings for a while now and even longer for the Morettis, Billy still couldn’t help feeling partially responsible for the injuries the man sustained whilst out on jobs together. He knew he needed to stop seeing him as a guest in his country, as not only did he believe Erik had a lot to bring but also that he had done a good job of making himself at home. Especially when it came to the local nightlife, apparently. Maybe Billy just cared about him - but no more than the normal amount, of course...whatever that was.

When Erik told him he ought to get his head looked at after being hit, Billy quickly dabbed a hand to his forehead to check for blood. There was only a smudge, which wasn’t enough to concern him, but he could feel a bump beginning to form. He wouldn’t have thought he needed to get it checked out, but wondered if getting Erik to take a brief look at him might be enough. The thought of asking him seemed like crossing some kind of line though, so he just shook his head. “I feel fine, Erik,” he assured him. “I’ll trust you to tell me if I start acting like a twat, how’s that?” Sensing a strange tension in the air, Billy stepped away and instead turned his attention to the unconscious man on the floor. “I don’t think he’ll be a problem at all by this time tomorrow,” he pointed out matter-of-factly. Given that they were handing the man over to his older brothers, Erik would be able to understand what he meant.

At what he thought to be an innocent enough expression of concern, Erik made an unexpected comment which involved calling him ‘dear’ and it struck Billy so hard he had to laugh to prevent himself from reading into it. “Alright, mum,” he quipped, as he scooped Trevor into a firm hold and hauled him to his feet. “I was just making sure. Now help me get this deadweight in the car, will ya’?”

Considering it was still daylight, the two lay Trevor in the backseat instead of stuffing him inside the boot. “Look at him,” Billy said, twisting round from the driver’s seat to take in the sorry sight of the man. “Bastard’s out cold.” He lightly slapped him on the face for added effect. No movement. Billy chuckled and turned to face forward again before kicking the car into gear and pulling away.

“I know we’re meant to say, ‘no job is too small’ because it all helps, blah blah blah, but that almost seemed too easy. What else have you got going on today? You know, besides busting out those moves of yours at one of your many second homes.” With a teasing smirk, Billy poked Erik in the side. “Seriously, though. Spence and Alex didn’t say they needed us around for this next part. You wanna grab a drink down the pub or someth-” The rest of his sentence was cut off when a pair of hands shot out from behind him and a shoelace was yanked around his neck, pinning him to the backrest. Caught completely off guard, Billy automatically let go of the steering wheel, one hand grasping for Erik and the other frantically trying to dig under the string coiled around his trachea...

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

Adam was glad Thomas seemed keen to go ahead with keeping an eye on the pub for the evening. All being well that kind of enthusiasm would remain if some unexpected complication did arise. "Alright, Tom. Let's go," Adam said before getting out of the vehicle and locking the doors. Approaching the entrance, Adam could see through the windows that the pub was already quite active. He turned to a familiar customer who was stood outside smoking. "Avoiding the wife again?" he remarked, to which the man smirked and nodded his head, making a comment about avoiding housework. "Lazy bastard," Adam joked, before stepping inside the pub with Thomas.

Upon entering the pub, Adam stopped in the doorway for a moment as he took some time to take in the faces of those already inside. He then allowed his focus to fall onto Blake and Aliana as Blake could be seen waving him and Thomas over. He walked with the young man to the table the two women were seated at. His eyes landed on the young woman taking their order, having not seen her before he determined she was the new barmaid and so he made a note to introduce himself when she wasn't in the middle of taking an order. He turned back to Blake and grinned when she asked if it was the first night out on the job. Despite knowing for a fact she was asking Thomas, he couldn't help but respond with a joke anyway. "Nah, I've been doing this for years," he remarked before letting Thomas answer the question himself. He let out a chuckle when asked if he was going easy on the new recruitment. "Of course. I have to ease him in slowly before throwing him in at the deep end tomorrow," he said, turning his head to send Thomas a reassuring smile.

"Your husband wanted his best men here tonight, Mrs. Sullivan," Adam assured Aliana. "Sadly, those guys were busy, but Tom and I will do our best," he playfully told the woman. He then focused his attention back to Blake and couldn't help but smile as she spoke directly to him. "You know me, Blake. All work and no play," he told her. He was briefly distracted as he watched Elena return to the bar to get the ladies' order sorted for them. He looked back to Blake as he had to deliberate his next move. "I just need to do a couple of checks, but then I'll come join you for a bit, yeah?" he told the woman. He was more than keen to catch up with Blake and Aliana, but he knew checking the pub was secure had to come first. "I won't be long," he told his friend.

With Thomas having a brief catch-up with Aliana, Adam did a quick walk around the pub and checked the rear and side exits were securely locked so no unwanted guests could sneak in. One of the previous barmen had a habit of not locking the side door after taking in deliveries. When Adam returned to the bar, he beckoned Thomas over to join him. Positioning himself at the customer side, Adam caught Elena's attention. "Is this your first shift?" he curiously asked the young woman. "I'm Adam, and this here is..." he began, turning Thomas so the younger man could introduce himself. "We work for Mr. Sullivan too. We're working on security here, this evening, so don't be confused if you see us lurking around in the back," he assured her. "Martin can vouch for us," he said, pointing to the nearby barman who spoke up to confirm what was being said.

Having noticed the young woman's accent, Adam couldn't help but acknowledge it aloud. "Is that a Cuban accent I hear?" he asked her, flashing a smile. "¿Hablas español?" he asked once he was sure she did indeed speak Spanish. He then glanced to Thomas to see if he was blushing again, like he'd quietly noticed him do when they first entered the pub.

Bellz (Thomas, Blake) Pyroclast (Elena) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

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