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

[BasDorcha]

Somewhere They Shouldn't Be
~Dublin~
Jocelyn Justice​

Jocelyn had been doing much better since the attack. Tati had been busy, but Jocelyn seen her whenever she could. The months since May 31st seemed forever away, and yet just yesterday, the damage causing her to still have some sort of psychological speech block. It had improved much, with Jocelyn returning to work a few days a week. When she had finally gotten back in contact with her father, she had given him a story – using her secretary to communicate a written letter – that a car accident had caused her to have a short-term coma, and since the doctors did not know who to contact or have any emergency information for her, no one was able to be contact about it.

She also explains that she had what was called Aphasia – a medical disorder that could clear as her ‘brain injury’ healed from the accident. At the end of the call, she had taken the phone and told both her parents, “Love. Dad. Love. Mom. Talk soon. Better soon.” Her mom had cried, saying they’d come see her soon, her dad had sounded concerned – at least as much as he ever did. The man was aloof and not exactly emotional – a businessman even at home. She had communicated with them a few times more since then, each time giving more words, more sounds. As her life returned to normal, she had found her voice, a lot of it thanks to Tatianna making her feel protected, and the incident with Kit making her feel capable of taking back her own power.

Since that night, she had taken all the skills her father had ever taught her with competition shooting and self defense and increased it with all day training – only going to work when absolutely necessary. Night when Tati had been busy, she roamed the streets watching for the scum so much like the three she had already dealt with. She had saved two women from similar, less severe, situations. Sure, she wasn’t anyone important in the world, but the vigilante side of her had helped to over come the ptsd she was suffering from. The two bodies she had left never even made the news – shit head pricks no one missed preying on women.

When Kit called her, she had been surprised. None of the King’s had ever brought her in on that kind of business before, but Jocelyn figured after the last time with Kit, and maybe some well placed words from Tati who had been shooting with her and seen her deadly aim, someone had changed her mind. It was weird she didn’t get a call from Spencer, but he had also been very busy – so much so she hadn’t even checked in on how the new Gin label had been doing except by stopping into the bar where they told her it had in fact been a hit with the women who loved fancy cocktails. The day came to leave, and the travel had been much like the previous time, idle chat and silence when they both wanted it.

It had been a wish of hers to travel to Ireland, but this was not a vacation. Kit handled the money, paying people as needed, and they had gotten in with ease. They had been following their prey for a while, constantly watching for an opportunity. After speaking to Alex the previous day, their instructions had changed to include both of the people, and now they sat there waiting for them to exit their current location. Her partner in crime was taking beside her now, making sure they were both clear on the plan. “Understood. Two, not one. Don’t hurt ‘em. Get the info.” Kit would be use to her broken English at this point, she still struggled to complete full sentences, but at least the important things were easier to say now.

Up ahead, the door of the building they were watching opened, and two figures walked out, unaccompanied this time except for the two of them. Jocelyn pulled her hair back in a hairband, getting the loose hair out of her face. In her boot, one on each side, was a small gun strapped to her leg. A third that she held in her hands, or in a hip holster, was a Colt Cobra .38 special she had been given by her father after winning a competition as a older teen. It had ivory handles and detailed engravings all down the barrel. Her name was Scarlet. “Go?” She asked the woman, nodding her head towards the two as they appeared to not be joining anyone.

Mentions/Interactions Misty Gray - Spencer is mentioned
Pyroclast - Tati the romantic interest
Melanin-Gxdess - Kit

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

A Place to Toast
~London ~
Ava Moretti

​

Ava nodded her head in understanding as Klaus informed her of her tells. "Little do you know there are very few women that have tattoos back over in America. Even less now that they've made it illegal," she said with a roll of her eyes. Ava's eyebrows shot up learning that the tattoo on the man's arm was his family crest. Her own family had something of that sort, but hers was tatted on her thigh. "It's so intricate! Whoever did it knew what they were doing." Ava had always been impressed by other tattoo artists' abilities. There were still some things she needed to learn and even practice- styles she wanted to incorporate. So knowing there were people out there with such abilities made her want to branch out and find them.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't watched his eyes gravitate towards her legs. Watching on in amusement, she pushed her back and propped her elbow up on the countertop once more. She rested her cheek in her open palm and when their eyes met again her heart fluttered once more... As well as, other places. He was alluring and charming and so far seemed to share similar interests; even his drink order was the same. "They're my best feature," she said, deciding to playfully call him out once more. If he were the type of man she thought - one who wasn't serious all the time - then he wouldn't be offended... She hoped.

"Klaus in public, Niko in private then?" Ava immediately pursed her lips together, regretting the words from coming out of her mouth. She blamed the tequila for loosening her tongue so quickly as she closed her eyes and momentarily hung her head. When she looked back up at him she let out a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "That... Wasn't supposed to come out of my mouth." At least, not yet she thought to herself. But it had and now she had to deal with the repercussions. She noticed that he seemed confused by her stuttering and figured she would have to explain what she meant. Luckily, however, the bartender returned with their drinks and she hid behind hers before taking a sip.

He called her fraulein again, that shiver shooting down her spine. She wasn't sure what it was but she sure did like it when he called her that. "Oh, definitely not the German you're speaking," she sarcastically said, followed by a smile. She raised a curious brow when he began to tell her his story, specifically that he was a cop. What a shift, she thought, from a mobster to a police officer. As soon as he mentioned his 'late' wife, both Ava's smile and eyes softened. She'd been doing well not to think of Marcus while trying to talk to Klaus. But hearing that he was also a widow suddenly shifted her thoughts to him. "You're a widow," she softly asked, looking down into her cup as her finger traced the rim. "What are the odds? I'm sorry for your loss- I know it can't have been easy. I lost my husband a few months ago so..." She was still looking into her cup when he denied being interesting, Ava looking back at him. "Sometimes looks and charms are all you need. Besides, you're a lot more interesting than some of the men I meet in my bar." She shook her head, resuming her former position with her elbow on the bar. "No, just him. He's here for... Work. He's in consulting," she said, knowing full well she couldn't say what he actually did. "Family is in New York, actually. Queens. What about you?"

Daddy ( Bellz )

Somewhere They Shouldn't Be
~Dublin~
Nikita Blake

The moment Kit's eyes landed on Sinead and Liam she perked up in her seat. There had been another couple leaving at the same time, so when Jocelyn asked if they were to go she shook her head. "I don't want too much attention. Wait." Despite it being night outside, Kit slid her sunglasses from the top of her head over her eyes. She wasn't wearing a mask and had no intentions of doing so. Besides, if Sinead and Liam were to see someone approaching them with a mask on they were definitely going to freak out. Kit was aware of the attack the two had gone through a few months ago and she wasn't about to be sloppy.

Kit took another second to tell Jocelyn what she wanted to do. "When we get out, you're going to take Sinead and I'll worry 'bout the kid. Remember the location?" She was referring to the abandoned house not too far from them. Kit had gotten things set up there, including a landline for when Alex needed to call or vice versa. "You're gonna drive us there with Sinead in the front." Once she was sure Jocelyn understood everything, Kit looked toward Sinead and Liam again. They were now at the car about to notice the flat tire that Kit had caused after they'd gone inside. "Now."

Once out of the car, Kit fixed her clothes to tuck her gun into her waistband and covered it up. Before moving from the car she checked to make sure the child locks were switched up in case any funny business was tried. She nodded her head to Jocelyn to signal her to go ahead. Kit kept her head on a swivel, making sure no Sullivan guards were around. She was sure one or two of them may be somewhere so she definitely had to play things correctly or they'd be fucked. "Sinead?" She said inquisitively as if an old friend seeing her for the first time in years. As she got closer, she planted a big fake smile on her face and giggled. "Oh my god, it is you!" She clapped her hands together, turning to Jocelyn. "Morgyn, this is the woman I was talking about- you know, about that pianos and jazz and all that." As soon as they got close enough for Kit to hug her, she did.

"I can't believe you're here," she said, before quickly switching to a whisper and more serious voice. "Please play along. I wouldn't want things to get messy and in front of poor Liam. Hasn't he been through enough?" When she pulled back she was smiling and turned to look at Liam. "Is this your son? Oh, the resemblance is uncanny!" Really it was to make sure she had the right kid and not the wrong one and once she confirmed it was, continued. She walked behind Sinead to throw her arm around her shoulder, using her other hand to reach and stealthily take her gun out and secretly make it known to Sinead that she had one. "Your ma is famous kid." Pretending to be shocked about the tire, Kit then offered to give them a ride home, her eyes reminding Sinead not to object. When they eventually got back to the car, Kit slid in the back with Liam while forcing Sinead to take the passenger seat. "I can't believe you had another one! I was so sure after Savannah you'd be done. You know, your career and all that. Speaking of, how is she?"

Jocelyn ( BasDorcha )
Sinead, Liam ( Misty Gray )

 

[Pyroclast]

In the Streets of London
~ London ~

Billy King​

Living in pain and discomfort every day, Billy didn’t need Caspian to tell him that the road to recovery was going to be long. Yet, almost as suddenly as it had been brought to the front of his mind, his gunshot wounds took a backseat in his priorities. Alex had been suffering in a way he could only imagine since they found out Savannah had taken Callum away and Billy couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was extremely rare to see his usually lackadaisical, carefree brother so upset and anxious; normally Billy was able to cheer him up with a fun night out together, but not this time. It seemed quite obvious to him that Savannah had taken Callum to remove him from harm’s way, given that the boy’s two homes had become a war zone, but even after Sinead had reportedly told Spencer that she had no idea where Savannah had taken him, Billy didn’t believe that Savannah wasn’t allowing those closest to her to access her son. After all, depriving Callum of contact with his family was undoubtedly cruel.

Any other family might find it crazy that not four weeks after being shot, there were bigger things to worry about, but the Kings tended to attract drama - more so than ever during a feud with Ireland’s most powerful crime family. Still, it was all the more reason for Billy to stop feeling sorry for himself and get back to work. The resting was necessary, of course, and he had very much enjoyed his bonding time in the apartment with Ava, but he was frankly bored of being housebound and since his energy had started to pick up enough to attend brief meetings about the reconstructing of the Mercury nightclub, Billy had decided to try going out on other jobs, too.

As it was his first day back on the job since being injured, he hadn’t been put on any particularly taxing tasks. This time he was just accompanying Spencer and Erik on a few confrontational errands, some being friendly, others perhaps not so much. Billy still wore his arm in a restrictive sling to discourage shoulder movement - he had tried taking it off so as not to appear vulnerable, but it hadn’t gone very well - and so had resorted to using his left arm. Fortunately he had been trained to be an ambidextrous fighter, so if any of the day’s confrontations went south, he hoped his injury wouldn’t put him at too much of a disadvantage. Overall, it just felt good to get back in the business, into that purposeful and confident state of mind.

It wasn’t really until Erik got out of the car to use the toilet in a laundromat that Billy felt the awkward atmosphere. Spencer hadn’t seen much Billy and Erik together since he had caught them about to have sex, and Billy got the feeling that his brother was reminded of it every time he saw them. Though there wasn’t much logic behind it, he worried as soon as Erik left the vehicle that Spencer was thinking of it at that very moment, or that he might even make a comment. The silence felt awkward to him and he didn’t meet the man’s eye when he first turned around to face him - but thankfully, he only asked about how things were going with Jeremy.

“Nah, that’s in the past,” Billy said with a wave of his hand. He still felt ashamed of how he had treated him, especially punching him when he was already concussed, not to mention the fact that both Jeremy and Ava had had to watch him cry so uncontrollably. It wasn’t something he really wanted to discuss, but at least it wasn’t as excruciating as getting caught with Erik in the bathroom of the Mercury. “I mean, I still mean what I said. It’s shit to think of losin’ someone ‘cause of somethin’ you did. But whatever…it happened, and we’re mates again. Bigger things to worry about now, innit.” He shrugged with his left shoulder. What Jeremy did that night still haunted him, but he didn’t really see the point of staying mad at him, especially when he didn’t want to be. In tough times like these, with so many injured, the war escalating, and the whole family being completely cut off from Callum with no knowledge of his whereabouts or if he was safe, it was important to stick together.

As soon as Erik returned, Spencer announced that he was going to run to the shop before they set off and asked the pair if they wanted anything. “Mm…an energy drink,” he requested vaguely, lightly tracing the bags under his eyes with a fingertip. Spencer then threw a teasing remark their way about leaving them alone together and Billy recoiled. “Fuck off, ya’ prick,” he hurled back, reaching to help shove him through the door. Once they were alone, however, Billy naturally shifted into the centre of the backseat so he could be closer to Erik. “Shoulda’ known he couldn’t go a whole day without doin’ that big brother thing,” he tutted. “Should give him a show to come back to, teach him not to take the piss.”

Misty Gray Spencer
Melanin-Gxdess Erik

Chase Zegarra​

The funeral for Aidan had been a dark day for Chase - not only because the mob had lost a valued soldier and friend, but because from the night he had been killed up until Kurt had arrived in Dublin, the Zegarras had been taking care of Benjamin. He had witnessed his grief up close, and seeing the young man have to cope with the loss of one of the most important people in his life reminded Chase of what he had been through when Gabriel Moretti murdered his father. Aidan’s death had hit close to home and as a result Chase had come to feel deeply protective of Benjamin. He remembered assuring the man that he and the rest of the mob would personally take care of avenging Aidan, and since making that promise he had been waiting for the order from Syd.

The last time a team had been sent over to London, they had only managed to injure a few of them, though two of those wounded had confessed to killing Aidan, so it seemed likely they had dealt some kind of retaliation at the very least. However, they couldn’t end it with a few simple injuries - especially when the top two figures in the English family remained untouched. So, this time, their aim was to take Spencer.

Chase was glad to be part of the team this time. He sat with Marco in the back of the transit van, peering through the windscreen as he awaited their cue from Dermot. Spencer, Billy and Erik were in the car they had been tailing, and even though it was mainly Spencer they wanted, Chase was by no means against Dermot’s suggestion that they may have to hurt the other two in the process if they didn’t get a good opening soon.

But then Spencer got out of the car. At Dermot’s command, Chase secured and concealed his gun and got up to leave. He didn’t want to use his gun in public if he could help it, but it was useful to have in an emergency. “Be ready to pull up at the shop front,” he told the driver. Then, in a nonchalant manner so as not to draw attention, Chase hopped out of the van and, with Marco at his side, they headed towards the small shop Spencer had entered.

“Okay, Marco,” he said in a low voice outside the door. “You go in there, keep track of him, and follow him out. Don’t let him see you. When he walks out with you behind and me right here by the door, we’ll come at him from both directions and take him down together.” He clapped a hand on Marco’s back, putting all his faith in him to get it done right. “Enseguida te alcanzo.”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Marco
Misty Gray Dermot, Glynn

 

[BasDorcha]

May's House
Bethnal Green, London
Maeve Thatcher​

May hurried around the house – only slightly less empty then it had been before – trying to make it look as nice as possible. The normally calm and collected woman was nervous – she had never had anyone over to her place, except Christian once, and especially never had a party. Part of her wondered what the hell she had been thinking when she planned this. At the time she had not known about Harper, Spencer, Billy or Alex, or Trevor. Her and Christian hadn’t… A blush tainted her cheeks and a small smile crept on her lips. As much as she tried to tell herself that he had not given any indication that it was something special to him, she couldn’t help getting her hopes up. Maybe it was because she was still young and pure of heart, but she still had a fairly girly view of romance and Christian was the one she’d set her desires on.

As the time neared for everyone to start arriving, May moved around the house, opening doors and windows so the fresh air would fill the room and cool everything down. There wasn’t a hole to the outside that wasn’t opened, the air ripe with the pleasant and dewy petrichor of the rain. She also had a variety of alcohols and a small bar in the living room set up for whatever drinks the ladies might want, along with sides and garnish. Turns out working in the bar paid off in more ways than one as she now knew how to set up the perfect home bar. On the table in the living room was finger foods and sweets, music floated through the air from the radio station she had turned on.

When Kerry showed up, May had just poured several shots of tequila fully dressed. Placing them on a tray, she looked down at them, shrugged, and decided to take it to whoever arrived. New house rule – party nights, you take a shot to enter. As she greeted Kerry, careful not to spill the shots, she gave her a big hug, glad to see her friends face. “Kerry! I feel like I haven’t gotten to spend nearly enough time with you lately, I’m so glad you came. I will gladly oblige pulling you in. So far, it’s just you and me… I’m not sure if anyone else is going to show up. Shona canceled, she had to take baby duty. Also, here!” She shoved a shot into her hand, grinning. “Time to pay the cover charge. One shot to enter. You got lucky, I was just pouring these up.” Stepping back, she took her now free arm and ran it through Kerry’s, holding up her end of the bargain as she started to drag her in, only to be stopped as Darcey and Harper arrived.

She grinned and couldn’t help feeing a bit giddy that they had both come. It was the first time she’d seen Harper since the night at Spencer’s and maybe it meant that they could finally go back to normal, or possibly even start relearning each other as sisters. As the two women greeted them, May waved them in, passing them shots along the way. “As I was just telling Kerry, there’s a cover charge – one shot to start the party. Since we’re all here at the same time, we can take the first shot together! There’s also a mostly full liquor bar in the living room stocked with normal mixes and garnish, food and sweets on the table, come on in.” May had never held a party, so she wasn’t sure if it would be entertaining enough for them, but she hoped she could be a good host.

“Kitchen is that way, you ladies can put anything you don’t want to carry around there in the coat closet, and I ordered Chinese and set it up to arrive here in a while in case we wanted more then snacks and sandwiches.” May chattered nervously, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she lifted her shot, cheered the ladies and knocked it back. A warmth spread through her chest that instantly started loosening her up. “Make yourselves comfortable!” She headed over to the seats, turning the music down just enough they could hear each other, and started playing with a deck of cards so keep her hands busy. Kerry was aware of what kind of card shark she was, but May had no intentions of taking anyone’s money tonight, she simply wanted to shuffle it so she wouldn’t fidget as much. If they wanted to play though, she would happily concede.

For a moment, she could see it being a successful night, the women relaxing and all bonding, and everything would be different going forward. That was before her depression started snarking away in the back of her head. They just feel bad for you, none of them want to be here. A slight sadness tried to reach her eyes and her smile flickered away for a moment before she forced it back on. Just breath, you’re over thinking things. This is all for fun but you’re making it weird. May chided herself. Still, in the back of her head, she was forcing every doubt into a box and locking it away, at least for tonight.

Cast and Honorable Mentions Misty Gray - Kerry/Christian
Pyroclast - Shona
Bellz - Harper
Melanin-Gxdess - Darcey

May's House - Van
Bethnal Green, London
Tommy Thatcher​

Tom sat in the van, hat pulled low, watching his sister’s house as her friends arrived. The night had to go perfect, but he had a feeling in his stomach that it wasn’t going to. He chalked it up mostly to the fact that he previously would never consider using his skills against his sister, but this was absolutely necessary for her safety, even if she didn’t know it yet. The trip over from Dublin had been average, the job cosigned by those above them in agreement they could kill two birds with one stone. The goals? Find out exactly how May was involved and if she was a liability, and send a message to Alex King. His pettiness had been increasingly annoying and everyone over in Dublin was getting sick of it. He looked around at Braden, wondering what he must be thinking.

“Look, I know we got a job to do, but unless it absolutely needs to happen, we don’t lay a hand on my sister.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a picture of her to show to Braden. “This is her.” He knew the man had likely already been informed, but he wanted to be double sure. As the rain increased, he noticed she left the door open and shook his head. “I’ve always told her not to leave the doors and windows open and unlocked, and here she is with a bunch of gangster’s women and kin, every door and window in the house open. Typical May. I know everyone thinks she is a risk, possibly a spy, but as much as I love my sister, she is not the smartest person. Kind of clueless and innocent for someone her age and the things she’s been through.” He couldn’t help a small smile, his sister always brought one to his face.

“It’s a bunch of women… How bad could they really be.” May certainly was nothing to be concerned about, she had never been much of a fighter and had always been easy to overcome. Across his lap was his mask, the same from the restaurant, a couple feet of rope, and various other things they might need. He hadn’t bothered to bring a gun; this was not a mission set to end in killing. Hopefully this would be a quick in and out job, even easier than expected, and Joe would only be waiting for them a very short amount of time.

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

May's Place
~London ~
Darcey Hargraves

​

Darcey listened intently to Harper as she explained she was doing her best. She gave her a soft smile, reaching over to move a stray hair out of her face. The moment Harper decided not to tell her everything Darcey felt conflicted. In the past, she'd been the first person Harper ran to when there was an issue and now she it felt she was hiding something from her. Darcey knew she couldn't expect her to always call her first - Harper was an adult now and had other people she could call on. But still, it stung to know there was something else and Harper didn't want to tell her. But she wasn't going to hold that against her and would allow Harper to tell her when she was ready. So, instead of probing her she simply smiled and said, "Okay."

Once the two of them joined May and Kerry in front of the former's home, Darcey put the thought out of her head. Tonight was for relaxing and taking a moment to themselves; not for stressing about things plaguing their minds. Tomorrow, she reminded herself, you can get back to stressing tomorrow. May put a shot glass in her hand and explained the 'cover charge' before she had a chance to greet her. She let out an amused chuckle, wasting no time in throwing the shot back. It wasn't until the contents of the glass were empty that Darcey realized the woman intended for them to take it together, to which Darcey slightly shrugged. "Can you tell I needed that?" She playfully stated, giving May a hug and then moving over to Kerry. "Hello, darling! Surprised to see you here," she said once she'd pulled back. "How are you and Alex," she asked, unaware of their current status. "He's a nightmare right now, ain't he? Hopefully it ain't too much for you."

The four of them then moved inside and Darcey took a brief look around. "This place is really nice, May. Nice to see I'm paying you enough," she joked in an attempt to keep the atmosphere light. She then walked to where May said the alcohol was and set out to make drinks. "Orders, ladies, so we can allll loosen up and started telling our deepest, darkest secrets." She started working on the drinks as they were told to her as if an expert. And once they were done, passed them around the room. With her bag in hand, Darcey moved to sit on the couch - careful not to spill her drink on it. For a moment she thought about what to talk about. Because of how tense things had been the past month, the last thing she wanted to ask was how everyone was doing. Bad, obviously, and it would surely ruin the mood, right? No, she needed something else. That's when she noticed May playing with cards, to which Darcey immediately asked, "Are we playing a card game?"

Harper ( Bellz )
May ( BasDorcha )
Kerry ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

May's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Kerry Patrick​

Kerry couldn't help but notice the shots May had prepared. "Oh, it's one of those nights, is it?" she asked. Granted, the way she was feeling she could probably go for being blind drunk. Kerry nodded in understanding when her friend said they hadn't spent much time together recently. "I know. I've had some things going on, not to mention Spencer's had me working longer shifts. Not that I'm complaining about the extra money," she reasoned. From what she'd learned over time, the man was very particularly about who he employed in his pub, especially given it was a favourite place for the family to spend time in. Still, it would be nice to have more bar staff to ease the workload. She nodded in understanding when May explained that Shona had to cancel. "Well, I hope I'm not too boring for you if nobody else shows."

Just as she was entering the house, Harper and Darcey arrived, which Kerry was grateful for as she didn't want May to think people had ditched her. When Harper pointed out they'd brought the same bottle of wine, Kerry lightly laughed. "Guess we've both been having that kind of week... or month," she drily reasoned. "And yes, these drinks will go down easier without the guys around. Granted, I'm going to guess the men are the main reason we all need to drink right now."

Kerry hugged Darcey back and smiled at her as they'd pulled away from it. When Darcey asked how she and Alex were doing, Kerry visibly tensed before lightly shaking her head. "I guess he's worried about Callum," she reasoned when the woman pointed out Alex was being a nightmare After briefly hesitating and considering not answering the questions about herself and Alex, Kerry decided to give Darcey a straight answer. "Not that I'd personally know about that. There isn't a me and Alex now," she informed her. Though her voice was casual, her eyes gave away that she was hurt by it.

Kerry placed the bottle of wine on the counter before taking a seat and knocking back the shot of tequila. She then sat back in her seat as Darcey asked the ladies if they were playing a card game. "Not me, thanks. I'm just going to sit back, relax, and drink."

BasDorcha (May) Bellz (Harper) Melanin-Gxdess (Darcey)

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
May's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

Harper had been all smiles, putting on the best performance of her life up until May handed her a shot of tequila. The blonde looked down at it, a smile still somewhat plastered on her face as she eyeballed the liquid. She could smell it from where she held it low below her nose and it was already sending her stomach turning. Harper didn't want to make the woman feel bad, however, despite not feeling like taking a shot for fear of emptying her already empty stomach all over her poor carpet. Darcey had already thrown hers back, which distracted Harper from her own thoughts as she smirked at the older woman. "Looks like you might need another too." The blonde commented before looking to Kerry to give the woman a hug as well. "You're telling me..." Harper said to Kerry's comment about the rough month they had been having.

Harper then turned to May to give her a hug as well if she would accept one, "Thank you for inviting me...I know I was a bit of a downer last time, you know..." She felt like she could say enough without saying much at all about the last time they saw each other. "Anything to get away from my apartment and from my babysitter is a go for me." Completely a lie, considering that she couldn't get enough of the latter this last month. But no one else knew that and she planned to keep it like that for as long as she could, the last thing she needed was to be the subject of everyone's gossip, especially her own family's.

When Harper pulled away from her hug with May, Darcey mentioned Alex and the woman stiffened as she looked to Kerry. The woman informed them that there was no Alex and her right now and Harper frowned deeply. Kerry's voice was casual as ever but the hurt in her eyes was something that Harper could see clear as day. The blonde hadn't been kidding when she told her friend that she would be kicking her brother's ass if he hurt her. Guess she would be cashing in on that promise a lot sooner than she anticipated. While Harper was extremely worried about her nephew, she knew that he must have been with Savvy. It wasn't like he wasn't safe. But apparently that wasn't enough for Alex. Harper had never wanted to be a mother, never wanted the big nuclear family...but she understood the protectiveness and love Spencer and Alex had for their kids.

What frustrated her was that they didn't seem to realize that they were the part of the problem. Eddie and Callum would never know a normal life, to just be kids because of the war they chose to continue to fuel the fire in. Realizing she was lagging behind the other women as May led them inside, Harper followed behind slowly, shutting the door behind her as she looked out it one more time, locking it out of habit. She then turned to look around the house.

Darcey's comment made her laugh as she shook her head, "Way to rub it in, Darce." Harper said, laughter still gracing her tone as she looked to May. "This is really a nice place, I like the decor. We have similar tastes...which makes sense given we are sisters and all." Harper murmured softly. When Darcey asked for drink orders, Harper was reminded of the tequila shot in her hand and she looked down at it as if it was poison.

Realizing that they had all knocked down their shots, Harper was left the odd one out. No where to dump it like she had been planning on doing, and she didn't want to make May feel weird. Counting to three in her head, Harper knocked back the shot and clenched her teeth as she swallowed in order to keep from throwing it all back up. The liquid burned her throat and made her eyes water as her stomach turned, quickly, she moved to take a seat turning away from the women in order to hide the open disgust on her face. Once the feeling of initial nausea past, Harper took a seat besides Kerry on the sofa.

"Could you just break open one of those bottles of wine, Darcey? I think we all need some of that right now." Harper finally said as the woman requested drink orders, her eyes looking down at the rug below her feet as she continued to fight the way her mouth dried, threatening to be sick.

There was food and snacks out, but Harper knew she wouldn't be able to stomach anything, especially in that moment. When Harper finally looked up, feeling confident enough that she steeled her nerves and the feeling that she was going to hurl, they found May's. The woman looked uncertain, self-conscious even. Darcey saw the deck of cards in the woman's hands as she shuffled them and asked if they were going to place cards, but Harper could see what the young woman was doing. Jeremy always chewed on his thumb when he was anxious, it seemed that perhaps May's way of letting out that anxiety was by fidgeting with something.

Harper had seen that look in her own eyes many times before. The blonde's head tilted, not in a predatory way as if she was hunting her prey...but in a concerned manner. "So May..." She finally started, "How are you liking your new place so far? I know it can always be an adjustment. Do you need any help unpacking still?"

"I don't want to volunteer Darcey or Kerry for anything they don't want to do, but I think if you need help they would be willing to do it and I can help as well. I'm quite the organizer."
with: The Pink Ladies Misty Gray BasDorcha Melanin-Gxdess

Braden Callahan
Down the Street from May's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

After the night of the explosion at the Mercury, Braden had sworn to himself that he would never step foot in London ever again. Well, the mob definitely had different plans for him. Especially after Alex kept bothering his mother and family over where Savannah had gone. Braden knew why his eldest sister had run, why she wanted to give a better life to Callum...but she didn't realize the damage that she had left in her wake. The family had been doing damage control ever since she left, keeping Alex at bay as best as they could. But his father, Peter had been at his breaking point, insisting that Conor do something about it.

It was a three for the price of one type of mission. Tommy Thatcher had become a trusted ally to the family who ended up having a close relation to someone who was closer to the King family. So one aspect of the job was to sniff out where her loyalties lied. The thing that made it messy was the fact that this person was his sister...

Having two sisters of his own, Braden knew just how much of a liability Tommy could be if shit ended up going the wrong way. Him defending her if she was in fact, on the King's side would also make him an enemy. And that would prompt Braden to do something he didn't want to do to the lad. But for now, Braden focused on the other portion of the mission. Sending a message to Alex King. Braden and Alex never got a long, the man had an arrogant attitude and Braden was never one for arrogance especially since the man had done his sister so dirty. He always thought that Savvy was too good for that man, but she didn't listen. Callum was a beautiful result of that mistake but that didn't make Braden any less eager to give the man a message that would pack a punch.

The plan was to hit the Kings from both sides, Chase and others were handling the men, Braden and Tommy as well as Joe were handling the women who had gathered at May's place. Braden had no intention on hurting any one of them, never the one to hurt a woman. He was planning on shaking them up a bit and putting the fear of God in the Kings. Brady had immediately recognized Kerry as she got out of the car, a relationship that wasn't meant to be. The feelings he had always had for her had been squashed and now, he had to go on pretending that she was nothing to him.

As he looked through his binoculars, he noticed Darcey and Harper King get out of the car. It had been a few years since he'd seen both of them. Harper had definitely changed and he had been horrified to learn that she had almost been killed in that explosion. The kid didn't deserve any of what she was getting and he really did feel for her. She had always been the nicest of the Kings to his family, always the nicest to Savvy even when Alex cheated on her. Braden watched as the blonde turned her head, looking to the van and staring at it. Smart kid... He thought, wondering if she would actually catch on to them. But her head turned back around and walked with Darcey to the door.

Tom told him that they don't lay a hand on his sister and Braden nodded his head, "This isn't my first rodeo, kid." Brady informed the young man before Tom pulled out a picture to show him what May looked like. Braden only silently nodded before he turned to look back out the window again. Brady watched as the brunette left the front door open, all of the windows were open in the house and there had to be a back door open somewhere too. Tom explained that his sister was innocent for someone her age, even after the things she had been through. Brady was about to make a comment about even the most innocent being the most lethal.

"Looks like Harper is shutting the front door, smart kid." Braden said, as he watched the blonde poke her head out one last time before shutting it. Tom asked how bad it could really be and Braden let out a scoff. "You have 3 women in there who have been surrounded by the mob all of their lives. Two of them I know for a fact have guns on them as they are the closest to the Kings. Darcey knows how to use hers...not sure about Harper. Kerry...may have one." Braden said before moving to put on his mask.

"Besides, it's not going to be the women we have to worry about. When Bruce, Spencer, Alex, Billy and Jeremy show up...it'll be the end of us if we don't get out of there fast enough." The man said before moving to grab his pair of pistols, shoving them into their holsters under his shirt. Tom hadn't bothered to bring one, but Braden would have one for him just in case. "Never forget to carry a gun with you, Tom. Even if this job seems easy, it won't go as smoothly as you hope. Your sister may be gentle and innocent. But the rest of those women are hellcats and will be ready to kick your ass, both of our asses in fact." Braden said, before reaching in his bag and tossing Tom the spare gun he had.

"The house has a back door on the side of the house. We will have to go through there or one of the side windows in order to not be seen. But we are going to wait a little while. It looked like they had a few bottles of wine ready to go, they will be less likely to kick our asses if they are tipsy and uncoordinated." The man said before checking all of their supplies.

"We are here to just give Alex a warning. We are not here to hurt them. Just shake them up a bit. Leave them tied and give a phone call to Alex before dipping. You can sniff your sister out however we need to but if I say we need to leave we are leaving. Got it?" Braden's voice was gruff as he turned to the young man, raising an eyebrow.
with: Tom BasDorcha
mentions: Kerry +Spencer + Savvy Misty Gray ; Alex + Darcey Melanin-Gxdess ; Billy + Bruce Pyroclast ; May BasDorcha

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Out and About
~City of London, London~
Erik Snowden & Marco Jimenez

​

Just before Erik could start the ignition up again, Spencer stated he had some things to pick up. He offered to grab them something and Erik had to fight all urges to make lewd jokes. "Uh, nope. I think- Think I'm good," he said, shaking his head. He then laughed at Spencer's joke, glancing back at Billy as Spencer walked away. "I mean, I think five minutes could be enough if we really put our minds to it, don't ya think?" Billy then commented on his brother's teasing and Erik turned to face him. "Oh, really? You into people watchin' ya now?" He teased, leaning close to his lips. "What a pervert."

Meanwhile, Marco had been shoving his hands into a pair of black, leather gloves, chewing a piece of gum. He listened to Dermot's update on the situation while he finished getting his things ready - making sure his gun was loaded, knife strapped to his thigh, and other safety precautions. "Messy," he repeated, slight smile on his face. "No manera- there's too many civilians. Too risky." Marco may have been a man who was more than comfortable with killing someone, but only if they deserved it. He was glad when Dermot himself came to the same conclusion seconds later, Marco moving to look out of the windscreen. Erik was returning back to the car and Marco assumed nothing else was about to happen. He moved back to his seat, trying to think of any other alternatives.

The moment Dermot told them he was on the move, however, he no longer had to. Instead, he climbed out of the van next to Chase and made sure to conceal his own weapon. They needed to look as inconspicuous as possible; Marco ironing out his shirt and glancing around. The two of them then approached the store, where Chase paused to give him their game plan. Marco was sure he could trail Spencer without attracting attention - just act like he was shopping. "Del otro lado, mi amigo," he said before entering the store. It didn't take long for the man to spot Spencer once more and from there keep tabs on him. And just like he'd planned, Marco pretended like he was shopping. He walked around, trailing Spencer with a loaf of bread in one arm and a bar of chocolate in another. When Spencer went to check out, Marco went to check out and took his time doing so. He wanted to time it just right so that Spencer was far enough ahead of him that he wouldn't notice Marco creeping up. "Gracis, mi amor," he said to the cashier before following the man out of the store.

As soon as Spencer stepped outside the doors, Marco was behind him with his gun pointed directly at his back. He kept his eyes on both Spencer and his surroundings, making sure his actions were alerting anyone. With Chase in front, Marco was able to ensure Spencer wasn't about to run away nor try any funny business. "The van. Let's go; I'm sure you know the deal." He was really hoping Spencer wouldn't put up a fight - then things would get messy and Marco didn't want messy.

Erik had been teasing Billy when he looked towards the store and saw Spencer talking to two men he didn't recognize. Things looked a little tense, Erik sitting up in his seat and craning his next to see if he could get a better view. "Hey Bill," he said, curiosity in his voice, "You uh, know those guys over there? Talkin' to Spence? Things look a little-," it wasn't until Erik watched Spencer quickly walking with the two men that Erik realized something was wrong. "Fuck!" He shouted, not wasting any time explaining to Billy what was happening. Quickly reaching into his glove compartment he grabbed his gun and hopped out of his car, but by the time he had the van had sped right past him. "Shit, shit, shit," he muttered. "Billy, get in the front - they took Spencer!" Erik threw himself back inside his vehicle and the moment Billy was in the passenger seat, tore off down the road.

Spencer, Dermot ( Misty Gray )
Billy, Chase ( Pyroclast )

 

[Misty Gray]

Beachside Steakhouse
~ Burrow Beach, Sutton, Dublin ~

Sinead and Liam Callahan​

When Sinead reached the car, she was about to unlock the door before Liam caught her attention. "Hmmm, Mam, don't you think that's going to be a problem?" he drily asked as he pointed to the flat tyre. "What is it with you and cars? Wait until Uncle Conor hears about this one," he teased.

"Hey, now, Mister. You're talking like someone who would rather be grounded than get another day out to the movies," she told him. "It's not my fault the roads are so rubbish around here," she grumbled. Running her hand through her hair, she looked around for anyone who could help or at the very least to spot a payphone. She watched curiously as two women approached her, one of them addressing her by name. Pushing her hair back away from her face, she quirked her eyebrow. "Yes?" she awkwardly asked, trying to place if she recognised either of the women. As Kit moved closer and giggled whilst smiling widely, Sinead planted on a fake smile as she tried to figure out the woman who she was sure she didn't recognise. When Kit addressed the other woman to mention the piano and jazz connection, Liam visibly rolled his eyes as he anticipated he was about to be left standing around for ages as the three women chattered on and on for ages.

Kit hugged Sinead, but the usually tactile woman barely reciprocated, feeling something was off about the situation. Then, the stranger whispered to her and seemed to confirm Sinead's reservations. Kit told her to play along, making a clear threat and reminding her Liam had been through enough. Sinead almost instinctively asked who the woman was but she caught herself as she realised that wouldn't constitute as playing along.

Liam quirked a sceptical eyebrow when Kit said he shared a resemblance with his mother. "Really? Everyone says I look like my dad," he flatly pointed out.

Sinead tensed as Kit walked behind and put her arm around her. Glancing down, she saw the gun the woman was holding. Her eyes immediately darted around to see if anyone was nearby, if any security would see her and who she was with. When they were offered a lift, Sinead had no choice but to accept, not wanting any harm to come to Liam if she refused to play along. Not only was she worried and afraid, but she was angry. Angry that she could never just do something normal without being babysat and having the fear someone was out to hurt her. "We're already running late, so my husband will appreciate you getting us home before he sends out a search party," she lightly told Kit, hoping she would understand how much trouble they'd be in when the Mob found them.

Once they were in the car, Sinead looked over her shoulder to Kit and Liam, making sure her son was okay. She glanced to the woman in the driver's seat before hearing Kit speak about Savannah. "How about you get us home and we can all talk over coffee," she suggested. Sinead looked to Liam and sent him a reassuring smile before looking ahead to see where Jocelyn was driving them. Even though his mother hadn't said anything, Liam could tell something was off. Between looking out of the window next to him he kept staring at Kit to try suss her out.

BasDorcha (Jocelyn) Melanin-Gxdess (Kit)

 

[Misty Gray]

Around the City
~ City of London, London ~

Spencer King and Dermot Murphy​

It hadn't taken long for Spencer to find the bread and milk. On his way to the drinks section, he stopped by a small old woman who was struggling to reach a box of teabags from one of the higher shelves. Gripping the milk bottle and bread in one hand, he reached up to get the teabags the lady wanted. Handing the pack to her, he flashed her a boyish smile. He always made the effort to be polite around the old folk, both out of respect and wanting to disprove the kind of judgement the older generation had for people like him - supposed thugs. Granted, if she knew the kind of things he was involved in she'd be well within her right if she did want to judge him as a thug. "Need anything else?" he asked her, to which she declined and thanked the helpful young man.

Spencer walked away then stopped by the alcoholic drinks, but after briefly looking over the wine selection, he decided he'd instead stop by the pub on his way home so he could grab a bottle from there to treat Shona to some higher quality wine. Passing by the refrigerators, he grabbed a couple of energy drinks before making his way to the cashier. He placed the goods down on the counter and retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. "Can I get a carrier for those, please, mate?" he asked the make cashier. After handing the employee some cash, he briefly looked to Marco who was being served by the female cashier to his right. Thinking nothing of it, he turned back to the man serving him and took his change. "Cheers, pal," Spencer thanked the cashier before taking the plastic carrier and walking out of the store.

Spoiler: Le Van

Spencer didn't think much of the large transit van parked outside the convenience store, at least, not until Marco came up behind him and made his presence known. Despite being aware of the gun, Spencer turned his head to look at Marco and let out an audible groan. "You wanna think about backing the fuck off while you can, ya prick?" he darkly warned him. However, as he was ordered to the van, he looked to Chase who was waiting, and tightened his jaw. As he stepped towards the vehicle, Spencer dropped the carrier of goods and was about to make a quick move to try disarm Marco or dodge the firing line. However, Dermot soon stepped into view from inside the back of the van and aimed a gun at the Cockney's head. He didn't need to repeat the order Marco had given as Spencer climbed into the back of the van where Dermot was waiting. The roof of the van was about a inch above Spencer's head, giving the men room to stand.

"He bought us groceries?" Dermot asked, hinting for Chase or Marco to bring the bag with them. Without warning, Dermot grabbed a clump of Spencer's hair and slammed the side of his head against the inside of the van. The action gave the other two Sullivan members time to get into the van and close the door. Granted, part of the reason he'd smacked Spencer's head against the interior was motivated more by the fact the Kings were to blame for him having to attend Aidan's funeral last week. "Alright, Glynn. Put your foot down," Dermot told their driver to drive.

Placing his hand to the side of his head, Spencer took a moment to compose himself before looking between the three men. "Not too late to stop yourselves from doing something dumb here. We'll chalk it down to a bad judgement call," he suggested.

Dermot couldn't help but smirk before letting out a low laugh. "You ain't calling the shots here, Spencer," Dermot pointed out. "Put this wanker in his place and have a word with him, would ya?" Dermot suggested to Chase and Marco, figuring they'd want to get down to the point of their business in London. He was sure at least one of them had plenty of frustration to get out of their system, but if they didn't, he'd gladly get his hands dirty messing up a Cockney.

Pyroclast (Chase) Melanin-Gxdess (Marco)

 

[Bellz]

Ani Parker
The Parker Residence
~ Islington, London ~​

"Amara! Riley! Time for dinner! Go get cleaned up, I don't want to see a streak of paint on those fingers." Ani said, her voice firm but not irritated in the slightest. She had made sure that they were kept busy after getting home from school in the afternoon. Finger-painting was a fan favorite around the house and the kids have even convinced Ani to join in on the art project. She was sure her husband would appreciate the art especially since today's canvases looked hauntingly similar to the Rorschach tests. "Mummy! Riley got pain in my hair!" Amara called from the bathroom and Ani stopped what she was doing as she set the table to walk over to them. Amara's beautiful long dark hair was smudged with bright pink paint and Riley immediately stopped laughing as he looked bashfully at his mother.

"You're lucky this paint is washable, mister. Or you would have been grounded from TV for the night." Ani said as Amara started to cry. "Oh no no no, it's alright little love. It'll come out with a little bit of water. Let me take care of that for you." She hummed before looking at her son. "Would you go finish placing the silverware on the table, dear? Your father will be home any moment now." Riley nodded his head, drying his hands quickly before hopping off the stool he used to wash his hands before running out to the dining room.

Ani had just finished removing the paint from Amara's hair, pulling it back before braiding it when the door opened. "Daddy's home!!" Amara squealed as she jumped off her own stool before running towards the front door. Amara was the first to greet him as she practically crashed into his legs. "Daddy! I missed you!" She said, looking up at him. "Riley got paint in my hair!" She announced and Riley who had come running around the corner skid to a halt looking shocked, "Nu-uh! I did not!" He defended himself. "You're such a tattle, Am!"

Ani slowly made her way into the entryway, shaking her head as she did at their children. "Now now, you two. Let's give Daddy some space, Riley gave him a hug, and then take your sister to get seated at the table." Riley quickly hugged Maddox before grabbing Amara's hand, practically dragging her out of the room as they bicker at each other.

"Welcome home, love." Ani smiled at her husband, walking forward to embrace him before kissing his lips. "How was work? Anything interesting happen?"
with: Maddox Misty Gray

 

[BasDorcha]

May's House
Bethnal Green, London
Maeve Thatcher​

Harper’s hug caught her off guard, but she returned it without missing a beat, feeling for the first time that maybe there was some hope for things to turn out alright after all. She’d gladly accept going back to acting like they weren’t family if it meant she wouldn’t have to feel awkward around everyone again. “Hey, it’s alright, don’t sweat it.” She didn’t need to hear Harper break it down, she understood. There were a lot of things going on that May was not involved with that if she were, would be hard on her too. For some reason when Harper touched her though, it was like a light zap passed between them, and for a brief moment she felt sick to her stomach. A few breathes later, it passed, but it had been a weird sensation. With everyone here and talking, she quickly forgot it as she took a seat beside Kerry.

She couldn’t be happier to have the three ladies before her in her house. As her boss and friend offered to make drinks, May called out an order for a Car Bomb, followed by a glass of the wine with the ladies. “Sorry, Darce, I don’t have any secrets, except…” She blushed deeply and instantly snapped her mouth shut. The redness spread all the way to the tips of her ears and without thinking about it, her eyes and hands snapped back down to the cards, shuffling them a little harder than intended.

“It’s always the men” May laughed lightly, sipping the wine until she ready for the car bomb. May looked around, her eyes landing on the open window that faced her road. Outside a van sat just barely in view, an observation that made her nose scrunch. They had been sitting there for a while, and she kind of thought she remembered seeing it before, but then she shook her head and dismissed the idea. Considering that she worked at the Galleria that was probably what made her feel like it was something she’d seen before.

“Well Kerry, he’s a fool and jerk, you are two amazing for him. You ever want some company I am always free for you.” May said, trying to make it look like she bought the calmness in her voice. She had known how much Kerry liked Alex, she had seen it in her eyes the same as she was seeing the hidden pain now. Grateful she had decided to do this so she could be there for her friends made her feel better about her little party, and just a little bit less nervous. “Oh, if you want,” May laughed But I think Kerry’s scared to play with me.” She teased, making May think about the last normal night of her life when she and Kerry – her lovely accomplice after some friendly begging – had taken quite a bit of money off a man at the Mercury.

The grin she gave Kerry said it all. “Last time Kerry played cards with me, all our lives changed and now I have new siblings.” The happiness on her face looked genuine, the wine in her glass raising to her lip for a long drawl. “All part of my plan, of course. According to Alex, I’m a glutton for trouble and planned all this trouble” The sarcasm in her voice was impossible to miss. “Makes me wonder if all the King’s Men are masochist if the current level of stress for everyone is considered fun.” She was trying to make light of the darkness they were all sharing a feeling of for various reasons. “At least we know why they like strong women,” She winked, her dirty joke hopefully landing.

At the offer of help to unpack May immediately blushed and shook her head, holding her hand up, “No, there’s nothing left to unpack, this is everything.” The room was a little sparce, but the bare essentials were there. “I never brought much with me when I came to London, and my last space was so small I didn’t need much. Now I’ve got to much space and nothing to fill it with. I think what I need instead of a moving hand is an interior decorator.” The only thing in the room besides the TV and the bar was a set of silver revolvers that were on display on the counter top, one at each end, and a short barrel shotgun on top of the TV.

“After everything happening lately, I decided my best investment was some things that not only looked pretty, but served a purpose. Can’t be to careful being a women who lives alone. I don’t even have a dinning room table yet.” She laughed dismissing the mostly empty room that sat diagonal behind her.

Mentions Misty Gray - Kerry
Bellz - Harper
Melanin-Gxdess - Darcey

 

[BasDorcha]

Somewhere They Shouldn't Be
~Dublin~
Jocelyn Justice​

Jocelyn waited when Kit said to, though she was ready with a long coat that covered her weapons and steeled herself for what they were about to do. So far she had only used her skills against bad men, men set out to hurt others. This mission was different, they weren’t hurting but the mental pain could be terrible if they did it wrong. She hoped that the woman cooperated with Kit’s plan because she didn’t want to things to get messy. Plus, from what she had heard, there had been an attack on these two not to long ago so they were likely to be skittish to begin with.

When Sinead let them walk right up to them, she was shocked though her face did not let it show. She paused next to Leo, giving him a friendly smile and little wave. “Hi!” She said, but didn’t try to speak more as she could not form the best sentences and was nervous about speaking around those she didn’t know. She just stood like an interested tag along, watching the three but blocking them from fleeing away from Kit as they stood between the two once Kit wrapped her arm around Sinead’s shoulders. She looked down at the tire and frown, as if surprised by it. “No good.” She murmured, feigning sympathy. She pulled her coat around her a little, as if cold, and took a few steps waving them towards the car. “Come. Ride.” She smiled again – a believable smile even. All those years running PR for her dad’s company had thought her how to smile like she meant it even when she was falling apart inside.

Realizing that Kit had it under control for now, she stepped back letting her take the lead, believing that Sinead would get into the front seat without too many issues. Once sitting, she pulled one of her guns out, setting it in her lap where Sinead could see it, but not Liam. With all the calm in the world, she cranked the car and pulled out, turning on some low music as if this was the most normal thing in the world. The music was just loud enough to drown out the silence but not them speaking to each other. She passed in and out of traffic, taking her time but just enough it would keep the suspicion down. When they drew close to the abandoned house, she pulled into the drive way and parked it far enough up it was visible easily from the road. As she came to a stop, she looked up, locking eyes with Kit, waiting for her next move to get out of the car.

Mentions Melanin-Gxdess - Kit
Misty Gray - Sinny/Liam

 

[BasDorcha]

Michelle's House
Dublin, Ireland
Michelle Romano​

Michelle had been having a fairly interesting month to say the least. After the events at Finn’s house, she had gone home with Dermot Murphy, and the fun had not disappointed. It was such fun, in fact, she had found several excuses to have him assist her over the next couple of weeks, all resulting in repeats of that night. Dermot was fun, but he had yet to indicate he wanted anything serious – which was fine with her – and because of that, when James Edwards asked her out, she agreed. In Portugal, it wasn’t uncommon for a woman to court several men if she was single, so it never occurred to her that it might be a problem if anyone knew what was going on. Instead, she just followed the golden rule of not kissing and telling, and if something more… just more started to develop then she would make her choice then.

Right now, she had been married for over ten years, and single for only a few months. It had been, before Dermot, almost two years since she’d been intimate as her and her husband had stopped when she found out he was cheating on her. She could never bring herself to sleep with him again after she discovered he’d soiled their wedding bed with some skank he picked up. So as the evening got closer, she dressed in the mirror, her kids with the babysitter down stairs. The sound of running feet could be heard, and little Lauren came to screeching halt in the bathroom, her arms thrown around her mothers’ legs. “Mija, what do you want, I’m getting ready.” Lauren immediately picked up some of her make up, twisting the lipstick up only for Michelle to give her the look as her kids called it. Lauren smiled sheepishly and put it back down.

“Where are you going momma?” Lauren asked curiously.

“On a date with a nice man that works for grandpa.” She paused what she was doing and turned around, squatting down to be level with her child. “What do you think kiddo, is that okay? I know it must be tough on you.”

“That’s okay momma, daddy already has a new girlfriend, you should find a new boyfriend. Maybe you won’t be sad anymore.” Michelle smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter, hugging her tightly. Such a sweet girl, always asking her to smile and be happy, and being the key to that doing so many times. “Thank you, mija, now go, let me finish so I can come down and show you what it looks like all completed. Hey, and tell your brother to come here too please.” Lauren turned and ran, stomping back down the stairs with speed. “MICHAEL, MOMMA WANTS YOU!” Shaking her head, Michelle quickly finished the last bit of her make up, letting her hair down and running a brush through it.

Michael showed up on the steps a few minutes later, looking bored and wondering what his mother wanted. “Yeah?” Michelle finished brushing her hair out, stepping out of the bathroom into the hallway where Michael was leaning against the frame of the bathroom door. She reached out and ruffled his hair, pulling him close with a hug, “I just wanted to see if you were alright with all of this, mi corazon, you know, me going on a date and all.”

Michael seemed to think it over, quiet for a moment. He nodded once he made up his mind, shuffling his feet while he stared at the floor. “Yeah, that’s okay. Just don’t date any jerks, okay, or I’ll have to get rid of them.” From the look on his face, Michelle believed he’d at least try his best, and his protectiveness made her smile. With him being tall for a kid, and her fairly short, it didn’t take much to reach his forehead, giving him a kiss as she hugged him close. "Thanks kiddo, be good tonight okay. Don’t let your sister have any ice cream before bed either.”

Once complete, she headed down the stairs to the living room where the kids sat watching a movie with Stephanie, her babysitter. They told her how great she looked just as a knock came at the door. Blushing, she told them all goodbye, headed to the entry way. She opened the door, and there stood James, his car in the background. She smiled, greeting him, “Hi, perfect timing, I just finished getting ready.” He greeted her, and when he handed her the chocolates her grin grew bigger. “Why, Mr. Edwards, I believe you’re sweet on me.” She winked, hoping her pun landed. She stepped back inside to the foyer, setting the chocolates on the table there. Stepping back outside, she nodded towards the car, stepping down the stairs towards him. “Shall we then?”

Mentions BloodThunder27 - James Edwards
Misty Gray - Dermot

 

[Misty Gray]

The Parker Residence
~ Islington, London ~

Maddox Parker​

It had been a long, but productive day for Maddox. Although he usually made a point of not working late on Fridays, this one had been an exception as he'd had to attend court for the verdict on his client's attempted murder trial. Having been the woman's counsellor since before she attacked her husband, he had no doubt in his mind that she had acted in self-defence against the abusive man. Despite his own strong witness statement and records to back up the woman's claims, Maddox had been concerned the jury would believe her convincing husband over her. Thankfully, justice prevailed on this occasion and his client was found not guilty. So even though he knew he was going to be late home, he was grateful the result was a positive one rather than him returning home feeling deflated.

Maddox parked his car in the garage before entering the house through the front door. He was immediately greeted by Amara who had no doubt heard him close the garage door. "Woah! Hey, cutie," he greeted her as she bounded into his legs. Crouching down to put his briefcase on floor he found himself at the five-year old's height and so gave her a cuddle along with a kiss on her cheek. When she informed him Riley had got paint in her hair, he took a moment to look at his daughter's hair before softly smiling. "Well, it looks like it's all out now," he reasoned. Ignoring the mild bickering between the two children, Maddox hugged Riley and smiled at him. "Good to see you too, son," he teased at the boy's lack of greeting. "If you kids have been painting, I'm looking forward to seeing your art," he told them as he stood back up in time to meet Ani's eyes as she joined them in the entryway.

With the kids sent off to take their seats at the table and continue their light bickering, Maddox was able to focus on his wife. "Thank you, beautiful," he said, giving Ani a tight hug before moving in to lovingly kiss her lips. When she asked how work was, he pulled away from their embrace but held her hand in his as he answered her. "Today went well. The jury went the right way and Janette was acquitted, so that's a huge relief," he explained. "My morning sessions ran smoothly too," he told her. He'd had another session with Harper and though the young woman raised quite a number of issues, he wasn't feeling out of his comfort zone with her. After his time in New York and in his career as a whole, he wasn't often shocked by the things his clients told him anymore. Granted, once in a while he was told things that sickened or surprised him, but he had long ago mastered a poker face strong enough to hide his true reaction. Although he could tell there was a lot to unpack and work through with Harper, his biggest concern was the fact she was a part of the King family.

Harper wasn't the only person whose ties to the Kings was under Maddox's radar. As he walked to the kitchen with Ani he kept hold of her hand. "Have you heard from Kerry today? She seemed sure yesterday that she was still going to go to her friend's place this evening, but I got the impression she could change her mind," he pointed out. Letting go of Ani's hand, he filled a glass of water and took a long drink to quench his thirst. He then proceeded to remove his suit jacket and hung it on the hook by the side of the back door, figuring he'd put it in the laundry later. "Obviously it's not my place to say it outright, but she'll be better off steering clear of Alex King. I think she needs to find herself a man without any risk or baggage."

With his own updates and concerns out of the way, he looked to Ani and smiled. "How has your day been, love? Dinner smells amazing, so I hope your day has been as good as your cooking suggests!"

Bellz (Ani)

 

[Pyroclast]

Blake's House
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Elena Velazco​

There had been many moments in Elena’s life that had turned her world upside down: the birth of her baby brother Benito, the day her stepfather and his children moved in, escaping Cuba and arriving in Dublin, meeting her real father. But none of her experience with dramatic changes could have prepared her for the trauma of being kidnapped. More and more of it was coming back to her as she recovered, constantly tormenting her in her head, and she realised that even though she was home again, she still wasn’t really free. She couldn’t sleep with the lights off anymore, she couldn’t sleep alone anymore. She had to see that Thomas was there beside her, both to know he was safe and well and also that he could protect her - or at least put off anyone trying to enter the room and do something to her.

Lucky’s presence was very calming, too. She never expected for Thomas’ support animal to be ready to support her, too, but the dog was trained to pick up on distress and had been a huge help to them both. Isabella kept coming over to make sure she was doing alright, but it only stressed her out more. The woman was rude to Thomas in his own flat, seemingly blaming him for being one of the reasons Elena was refusing to go back to Cuba. Given that Thomas was also injured, she decided to bring them what groceries she could get her hands on - most of them likely stolen from the market - and was almost bitterly proud in presenting the shopping to the young couple, as if trying to shame Thomas for not doing enough. The truth was, Thomas was being a huge help considering he was recovering as well - the only issue was that he would have to drop Elena off at Adam’s or Natasha’s before he could go and run errands, because being alone in the flat would bring back too many frightening memories of the cabin.

While she could feel her body get stronger by the week, Elena’s mood swings were still as bad as they were when she first came home. Her naturally upbeat and optimistic personality hadn’t disappeared and there were times when she was so relieved to have made it out alive with Adam, Leo and Thomas that she would just throw her arms up in the air, laugh, cry, make small plans for the near future to celebrate life. And then, in a matter of seconds, it could all change; the turning of a doorknob, the creaking of a floorboard, the muffled sound of male voices through a closed door - even the smallest, most ordinary thing could have her suddenly paralysed with fear or breaking down in tears. Being out in public was impossible unless she had someone with her, and using public toilets was out of the question. Her lust for life remained, but so much stopped her from enjoying it.

Thankfully, the perfect occasion came up to ease her back into life: Blake’s birthday. A quiet, intimate indoor occasion surrounded by family and friends. Still, she found herself squeezing Thomas’ hand tight as they approached the front door…some days, just leaving the house gave her anxiety. However, it eased off a little when Blake invited them inside with a warm welcome; the sight of her drew a beaming smile from Elena and she returned her hug. “Happy birthday,” she said in a sweet yet quiet voice. The smell of the rich, spicy Spanish food wafting in from the kitchen was so homely that she felt instantly comforted and thought perhaps she might be able to give Thomas and her father a bit of peace without constantly clinging to one of them. Still, when her boyfriend called her beautiful she couldn’t help but lean into him with a smile, reaching to kiss him on the lips.

Soon Natasha came skipping down the stairs, her golden curls bouncing after her with every step. Her greeting was equally warm, quick to compliment Elena on the lacy white dress she was wearing. She hadn’t brought much with her when she first arrived in Dublin, nor did she have money to buy herself many clothes - the hotel owner she had been living with before Thomas had bought makeup and lingerie for her, but what she had in the way of actual clothes was very scarce and certainly nothing fancy. Of course, having a boyfriend and a father, she had since been treated to some lovely new clothes, and it made her grateful and happy to be able to fill a wardrobe with outfits she felt good in. The only dress she had since thrown away was the one she had worn to the casino.

“Natasha,” she smiled. Even though the first time she met the girl was the night of the kidnapping, she had taken comfort in her presence since. “We can share clothes, like sisters! And curl our hair together - it is so pretty.” She pointed at Natasha’s flowing locks but didn’t touch them. Leo turned up to greet them then, and Elena’s smile faltered. He had featured in many of her recent nightmares: the relief upon seeing him, quickly disturbed by the terror of realising he was severely injured or close to death. Ever since she had recovered that memory from the night of her rescue, she had been worried about him, especially knowing that they weren’t close enough that she could ask him outright for the details of his recovery process and expect an honest answer. Still, it was reassuring to see him on his feet and smiling.

With the four of them all together, Elena was reminded again of their double date to the casino and she gripped Thomas’ hand. Thankfully, before her mind could begin to properly spiral, she heard her father call everyone in for dinner and she exhaled with relief. She remained glued to her boyfriend’s side right up until they were seated at the dinner table, with her taking a place beside her father. There was a beautiful spread of tapas dishes laid out for everyone to dip into, and her eyes feasted on each one, trying to determine what was what. There was charcuterie, red sausage with a spicy aroma, prawns, shrimp, peppers, olives, salsa, potato and cheese…it all looked delicious and wonderfully adventurous.

Adam finally took a seat between her and Blake and he asked her in his calm, soft tone of voice if she was okay. “Sí,” she whispered back with a beaming smile. Whether he knew it was because he was sitting beside her, she couldn’t tell. She waited until the others started to load up their plates before diving in herself. Her appetite was still quite low; having lost a significant amount of weight in the five days she had spent at the cabin, Olivier had set her a diet plan to help her body adjust back to normal portion sizes, and even four weeks later she was still working on it. Her hand hovered over the serving of chili peppers, but ultimately she was too suspicious of them, so decided on some prawns and patatas bravas instead. “I did not know la comida española y cubana is so different,” she remarked, nibbling on a chunk of potato. The flavour was so strong and so delicious she almost laughed with delight. “It’s delicious…but I did not know you have so much spice. Not like in Cuba or Ireland!”

Interactions
Bellz Tomás, Natasha, Blake
Misty Gray Adam
Melanin-Gxdess Leo

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

May's Place
~London ~
Darcey Hargraves

​

Hearing Kerry and Alex weren't exactly on the best of terms had been a shock. If anything, she'd have thought Alex would lean on someone who was important to him. At least, Darcey figured Kerry was important; especially with the amount of time they'd spent together. Alex was never known for seeing the same woman more than once let alone wining and dining them. Darcey could tell Kerry was upset about it and began to regret even saying anything. Tonight was meant to ease their minds and distract them - not make them think about the things stressing them out. "That's unfortunate- the two of you are so-," realizing her comment may make things worse, Darcey just offered a smile. "All the King men are special." She said, sending her a wink.

Once Darcey had drink orders she set about fulfilling them. She paused for a moment, searching for the wine opener, and when she found it set about opening the wine. As she set about filling up the glasses, she listened to Harper make small talk. She was relieved that she was actually trying. It was all Darcey wanted her to do- wanted all of them to do; give May a chance and get to know her instead of being so cold. If anyone were to make the first step, she thought, it was definitely Harper. "What was that, May? You said you don't have any secrets except?" Turning around with a tray of drinks, she raised a mischievous brow at her. Darcey caught the reddening of her cheeks the moment she faced her and knew something was up. She set out to pass the wine around the room before going back to back the harder requested drinks.

It didn't take much longer before she was done and able to sit down next to Harper. She rolled her eyes when Alex was mentioned again- her least favorite problem child. "He's a skeptic. And while his motives and reasons may be in the right place, they're all for the wrong reasons. He'll come around sooner or later," she reassured, taking a sip from her cup. The truth of the matter was, she didn't actually know if he would or not. Alex had been very unpredictable ever since learning about May's family tree. And the worse things got and the more gruesome the attacks on their family, the less he seemed to trust anyone he hadn't grown up with. Darcey found it to be a ridiculous notion but then again this was Alexander she was talking about. Shaking her head to herself she sighed and focused on the women present in the room.

"Unpacking? Oh, that'll give us a chance to snoop through your stuff. Excellent plan, Harper," she chuckled. As quickly as it was brought up, it was shut down. May had already unpacked everything and Darcey sat back in her seat. "We'll find out other ways then." She hid her smirk behind her glass before taking a sip. May called out the sparsity of the room, something Darcey hadn't noticed just yet. What she did notice were the guns set about and listened as May explained why. She had a point, especially in light of recent events. "Point made. Now, about this 'I don't have any secrets except' business. Do you have a gentleman caller, May Thatcher?"

Harper ( Bellz )
May ( BasDorcha )
Kerry ( Misty Gray )

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Somewhere They Shouldn't Be
~Dublin~
Nikita Blake

For the second time in her life, Kit was impressed. Sinead complied without hesitation nor without fighting back. Most mothers she'd found herself in this situation with almost always freaked out immediately. But then again, Sinead wasn't like most mothers. Most mothers hadn't been kidnapped and tortured or gone through even a quarter of the things Sinead had- with her own child no less! But, Kit didn't know all of that information. She only knew that Sinead and Liam both had been attacked once before while they were together. She applauded Sinead internally for knowing not to call Kit out; the woman never bluffed and never gave out threats, only promises.

Jocelyn did well in picking up the act that Kit was playing. She was relieved that she'd done so so well and not fucked it up. She'd have been angry, otherwise. Once in the car, Sinead warned her that Peter would possibly be looking for them soon. Kit knew what the warning was and sent Sinead a half smile, letting out a chortle. "Oh, don't you worry! We'll be home before you know it. Promise." There were a lot of things Kit feared - intimacy, stability, even romance - but the Irish Mob was not one of them.

Instead of answering her question about Savannah, Sinead once more tried to get Kit to reconsider. "Oh, but then the car ride would be awfully quiet. I know some people are comfortable in silence but it creeps me out!" She gave an exaggerated shudder before turning to look at Liam. "Isn't it so weird? There are a million and one things to talk about and you can even get to know people and learn things yet some prefer to sit in silence." She sat back in her seat, letting out a deep sigh. "Conversing is so interesting." There were hidden meanings in Kit's speech that if they were clear enough, Sinead would understand. As in, Kit telling Sinead to wise up and just answer the fucking question. "Oh, uh, sorry Morgyn." She said to Jocelyn before turning to Liam once more. "My friend suffered some really horrible accident. Can only speak in broken sentences."

By the time they'd gotten to the point where Sinead and Liam could tell they weren't going home, Kit knew it would be time for things to get rather dramatic. The moment, if it ever came, that one of them asked or stated they were going the wrong way, Kit scratched the back of her head. "You're a smart kid, Liam. Been starin' at me this whole time, huh? Susin' me out." She chuckled to herself, shaking her head as she pulled out her gun. "Now, everyone's just gonna relax. That means you, Sinead." Kit warned, watching as they turned down the road leading to the abandoned house. If you didn't know where you were going, surely you'd mess up. The house overlooked a cliff, the ocean clawing at the jagged rocks below. Trees surrounded the area until it was secluded from the outside world.

The car jolted to a stop and Kit opened her door, quickly flicking the child safety lock so Liam couldn't get out just yet. As if a chauffeur, Kit opened Sinead's door for her and once she was out closed it. "I'm sure you know how this works by now, yeah?" Was all she said before letting Jocelyn handle taking Sinead inside. "Use the zip ties- they leave less of a mark." The words almost made her throw up, preferring to use rope because of the marks they left. But Alex was clear - no wounds. She opened the door for Liam to come out, gun in full view. "First kidnapping, huh?"

Jocelyn ( BasDorcha )
Sinead, Liam ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

Blake's House
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

Adam couldn't help but smile as Blake complimented the food. Given that something like a family dinner was actually out of his comfort zone, especially as a way of treating someone on their birthday, he was glad to see that Blake was receiving the gesture well. Long nights out getting wasted or whisking someone off onto a last minute weekend away were things he was more familiar with, so a gesture that would seem more normal to most people had actually been a huge step for Adam. "Time flies when you're having fun, love," he assured her.

The positive words for the food he'd prepared continued, with Natasha also thanking him for the dinner and expressing her excitement for the main course. "Ah, any time, Nat," he casually replied to her. He was glad both Natasha and Collin seemed to be accepting his presence in Blake's life. A concern he'd had about their relationship was that her kids wouldn't approve or be comfortable with it. He believed it was perfectly acceptable for Blake to move on, having denied herself of it for years since Jackson's death. However, he was prepared for the kids to find it difficult and he was sure they'd have been within their right to reject him from entering theirs and their mother's lives.

Adam watched as Leo handed Blake a gift from Aliana. As tempting as it was to try sneak a look into the bag, he had a feeling there might be something in there he wasn't meant to see. Knowing Blake and Aliana, it was something that would cause even Adam to blush. The last thing he wanted was to look embarrassed in front the the young bunch around the table. He sent Blake a playful, somewhere amused, smile before he focused his attention back to Leo who had sounded shocked that there was more food yet to come. "Strong lad like you Leo? You should be more than able to eat all this. And with your dad's genes... The guy's like a human trashcan," he joked, though he was fully aware his own and Conor's large appetites were mostly a product of the bodybuilding and exercise they did.

Adam was glad to see Elena smile as she confirmed to him she was okay. Whilst he was sure she was far from okay in the grand scheme of things, he just hoped she could at least feel calm, relaxed and happy this evening. One day and one step at a time. Adam reached forward to help himself to a selection of the different foods, nodding along as Elena spoke of the different flavours and comparison to the Cuban food she was used to. "My grandmother and mother had a lot of influence over the food in my home growing up. I expect if my old man had been responsible for cooking, it would have been the same bland meal every day," he commented, stopping short of confirming his father was a bland and boring man. "Your grandmother was a top lady," he assured Elena.

As they tucked into their food, Adam couldn't help but look around at the others. Had things gone wrong last month, they might not all have been in a position to sit around the dinner table - or any table - today. Elena, Thomas, and Leo had all thankfully made it home with their lives. Adam was grateful for that and he'd even started to ease off on Thomas dating Elena now. He seemed to be good for her. Hell, they seemed to be good for each other. As the minutes went on, Adam couldn't help but think about how usually if he was sat around a family dinner table like this, it was at Chase's house with the Zegarras, where Adam was their guest. This time was different, with Adam being the host, sitting with his own daughter on one side and the woman he loved at the other side. He wasn't quite sure he deserved any of it, especially after all of the things he'd done and the danger that surrounded him.

Adam still had some food on his fork when he placed it down on the plate. "I need to go check the paella," he informed those around the table. Without haste, he got up from his seat and made his way into the kitchen. The food in question was on a low heat and didn't need checking just yet, but still, Adam took a moment to check on the food regardless, as if validating to himself his reason for leaving the table. In reality, he'd suddenly felt a rare wave of anxiety overcome him. The nausea and the quickened heart rate prompting him to open the back door and step outside to cool down in the fresh air. This wasn't a normal feeling for him. Tense and risky situations he could always handle with controlled calmness, or at the very least it would manifest as adrenaline. This all felt different and he couldn't switch off at the end of a shift when it came to the people he cared about.

Bellz (Blake, Thomas, Natasha, Collin) Pyroclast (Elena) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)

 

[Bellz]

Nikolaus Jäger
A Place to Toast
~ London ~ ​

Klaus couldn't hide the sensual smile on his lips as Ava told her that she would call him Klaus in public and Niko in private. That insinuated that this would be more than just a simple bar conversation...and Klaus would not complain in the slightest if they ended up leaving this place together. He let out a light laugh, "Hey, now we are even, my dear. We both said things that we shouldn't have...but at the moment felt right, no?"

He hadn't missed the way her body shivered, his eyes practically dragging themselves down her spine as an amused yet controlled smile returned to his lips. It was a word that most women tended to swoon over, but it looked even better on her at that moment. The chemistry was there and so was the hot tension of the moment...he was sure that they could leave the bar and head back to his place without a second glance. But Klaus wasn't that kind of man, always the gentleman...he saw more to this woman than just looks. She intrigued him...having more than just his curiosity now.

The man laughed as she was sarcastic with him. "Now all this time I was told I was speaking Spanglish. Now I look like a fool." He responded with an equal amount of sarcasm. Klaus had watched her every move as he explained his situation. He didn't end up telling a lot of people about his life...or even his late wife. Only his buddies at the station knew of his backstory and even then, Klaus had a lot of secrets that he kept under lock and key. He observed the look in her eye as he mentioned his late wife, seeing something change in her...a look he was all too familiar with. When she clarified that he was a widow, he simply nodded his head silently. Klaus wondered if she would be turned off by all that baggage, but her next words surprised him.

What are the odds? She asked, prompting a confused look as she then explained she lost her husband a few months ago. The conversation took a turn as she answered his comment about him not being interesting. An easygoing smile once again graced his lips as she said he was a lot more interesting than most men she met at the bar. He wondered how she was really feeling, the look on her face confused him...for someone who had just lost her husband she seemed...strong.

Klaus would never judge anyone in their grief journey, he had spent years missing his wife but that didn't mean everyone had to do the same. The journey was one that had so many different routes that it would only be hypocritical to judge someone for how long or short that road to recovery was. Instead of bringing any attention to it at the moment, Klaus let her explain why she was in London. "Consulting huh? Not to be rude, but that sounds dreadfully boring." Klaus commented, looking at her from where he sat, watching as she looked to the back of the bar. "New York? That is actually one of the places I've never been to...I hear it is...unique." Klaus couldn't help the laugh that bubbled past his lips as he said this.

"Me? Most of my family is from Germany...Berlin more specifically. Not terribly big anymore thanks to the 2nd World War but a family nonetheless." He murmured. "And in case you have any hard feelings against us Germans, my father was one of the good guys in the German forces. Not all of us are Nazis though I never grow tired of people throwing it in my face." Klaus said darkly, shaking his head. "One of the reasons I've never been to America...parents were always warning me that they don't take very kindly to my people." The man looked to Ava, "Though I will say, if the people there are half as nice as you are, then maybe I could pay the states a visit."

"I am also sorry for your loss...the widow club is not a fun one to be in, but humbling. You really get to know who your friends are after losing someone while losing yourself."
with: Ava Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Blake McCarthy
Natasha McCarthy
Thomas Porter
Blake's House
~ Sutton, Dublin ~​

Blake for the first time in a while felt like things were normal as everyone bantered and laughed. It was the perfect birthday present, she could have died happily on the spot. Adam had brought everyone that they loved together and that was the best gift she could have asked for. No drama, no danger...just peace. As Leo handed her the bag from his mother, Blake raised an eyebrow, attempting to keep the dirty smile off her face. "That woman spoils me, I swear. She owes me, we need to have another night on the town very soon...or a beach trip! Whatever she prefers." Blake for a moment, remembered the beach trip they had taken a long time ago...the night that had them both too drunk for words. They expressed themselves in other ways that their husbands at the time would have probably keeled over for on the spot. She could still remember her best friend's hands traveling up her thigh in a moment of drunk bliss... A blush rose to her cheeks at the thought as she looked at Adam, who looked like he was doing his best not to look into the bag too eagerly. It was definitely going to be something that she shouldn't open at the dinner table in front of other people.

"We'll have to open this later, love." Blake said as quietly as she could to Adam, biting back a knowing smile as he gave her a playful look. Forcing herself to put on a different expression, Blake listened to Leo be surprised about the fact that more food was on the way. Blake was going to make a joke about his father being able to put away way too much food but Adam beat her to the punch.
mentions: Adam Misty Gray

Nat looked amused at Leo and then at Adam as he called him a strong lad, letting out a laugh. "Are you kidding? I am able to put away two cheeseburgers before this guy even touches his food and then when I feel bad I have to force him to eat one extra one than me!" Nat said jokingly, though she had quite the appetite despite her small frame. Blake laughed as he called Conor a human trashcan, "That's quite the accurate description honestly, I've seen that man eat food that should never go together and I fear would cause me a stomach ache. He's got a gut of steel I think. Ali's grocery list is massive solely because of your father." Blake said to Leo before looking to Adam as he spoke to Elena.

Natasha looked to Leo, still smiling wide from all the teasing. "I'm glad you could make it tonight." She mentioned to him, her cheeks flushing with color. They had been on awkward terms over the last few weeks but she hadn't hesitated to agree to let Adam invite him, knowing that Leo could use the social interaction after everything he had been through recently. She had spent a little too much time in the mirror earlier, looking her absolute best for when he came over. Perhaps there was a motive behind it, perhaps not...but she wanted to see what he would do. Nat wasn't going to make the first move this time...she wanted to do what he felt comfortable with doing...even if she wanted to attack his bones. The thought made him back bite a smile as she moved to pop another piece of food in her mouth. "This is so good." She raved over the food again, trying to distract her mind from spilling her guts to him, begging him to just take her back and for things to be normal again. "How have you been feeling recently?"
mentions: Leo Melanin-Gxdess

Thomas had been watching Elena protectively, despite being in a house with people he trusted, he couldn't let that keep him distracted from watching her every move. He had seen the absolute torment she had gone through, even in the healing stages from what happened. Lucky had been a good girl, using her service dog skills and applying them to Elena who she had grown attached to as well. When Thomas wasn't sleeping in bed with Elena, he was sitting in a chair allowing Elena to cuddle with Lucky who took the opportunity to calm her down. Elena's mother had stopped by their flat on more than one occasion and Thomas wasn't sure if he could bite his tongue for much longer with her, Isabella hadn't wasted a breath to tell him how he failed. Even when she wasn't sucking the oxygen out of the room with her hateful words, she was bringing over groceries and other supplies to the house, showing Thomas just how much he was failing her daughter.

He had never been in a situation where he needed to take care of someone for so long, not since the hostage situation in Iran anyway. Thomas wouldn't leave Elena alone and she made it clear that she didn't want him to. Isabella was too ignorant to understand that going to the store meant leaving Elena or bringing her somewhere where she might have felt unsafe. Thomas was normally unbothered by such things, but Elena's mother was hitting all the low blows. Despite all this, he'd managed to hold his tongue and would try to continue to until he saw it really disturbing the woman who had completely stolen his heart. He was keeping track of every mood change and so far was able to keep up with it. Tonight she seemed to be in a happier mood.

Thomas had touched some of his food but only had eyes for Elena as she watched her eat, a smile spreading on her face that caused him to grin as well. Adam had seemed to be more accepting of their current relationship, which was a relief. Thomas would never hurt Elena...he had learned too much from Syd's relationship with Roxie to make the same mistakes. "You really outdid yourself, Adam." Thomas complimented the man, "Your cooking may give my mom a run for her money...but please don't tell her I said that." He joked.
mentions: Adam Misty Gray Elena Pyroclast

It seemed that the man had something else on his mind, however, and Adam sat up rather quickly before saying he needed to check on the paella. Blake watched him leave before looking around the table..."I'll go help him." The blonde announced and Thomas and Natasha nodded their heads in understanding. Once the two were gone, Natasha looked around the young people at the table, "Well this is nice, hmm? I mean, it's nice to have a dinner where Thomas and Leo aren't throwing food at each other!" The young blonde teased the two men before looking at Elena. "These morons used to throw any kind of bread that they could get their hands on at each other! Nailed me in the face one time even though Syd, Thomas's older brother was the target 90% of the time!"
with: Elena Pyroclast ; Leo Melanin-Gxdess

Blake had walked into the kitchen quietly, leaning against the entryway as she watched Adam halfheartedly check the food. He hadn't noticed her as he moved to the backdoor and stepped out, concern was written all over her face as she followed him. "Adam?" She asked gently, not wanting to startle him as she moved to shut the door behind them for a moment of privacy. "You alright, love? You seemed to be pretty shaken in there for a moment. Anything I can do to help you?"
with: Adam Misty Gray

 

[Pyroclast]

Le Diner
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

When Alex had first burst into the back room of the Royal Taphouse, interrupting his meeting with Gabriel and Teddy, Bruce had some doubts about his nephew’s reason for panicking. A child admitting down the phone that he didn’t know where Savannah was didn’t seem like enough of a reason to assume she had gone missing or run off. Children had other things on their mind, they didn’t always know what was going on and so it sounded to Bruce like Savannah could have just taken Callum with her to a friend’s house for the night without Liam paying attention. Added to that was the fact that Alex had been under a lot of stress in recent months in this painful tug of war over his son, and so Bruce didn’t hesitate to go looking for evidence that could reassure him of his worries.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Alex was right. Savannah had left, taking Callum with her, and nobody seemed able or willing to tell them where they had gone. It was heartbreaking, particularly to watch his nephew fall apart. He didn’t deserve to be denied contact with his son, nor Callum with his father, and Bruce was determined to track them down, doing whatever he could to look after Alex in the meantime. He had seen his nephew make great progress in growing up recently, becoming a more present father and not shirking his responsibilities - to see him throw all of that away in favour of unhealthy coping mechanisms would be a huge waste.

As the three men sat in the diner, Bruce looked across the table at his nephew, observing his pale face, slightly unkempt hair and dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. The sleepless nights and anxiety were written all over him and he knew he hadn’t been eating well - the fact he hadn’t ordered any food since the waiter came over was a tell-tale sign that he was only getting more sick with worry. Bruce had ordered an extra large plate of chips with his fish in hopes he could get him to steal a few.

Jeremy was the first to break Alex out of his distant gaze with questions about the on-going search for his son. However, he then withdrew a bag of brownies to give to him and as soon as he said the words ‘party favours’ Bruce knew exactly what they were. He shot a glare in Jeremy’s direction and quickly reached over to grab the bag before Jeremy could, placing it down in the space beside his seat. “I’ll keep hold o' that for now, thank you,” he said with a disapproving tone. Habit-forming or not, his family had addiction in their blood and with Alex in such a low place and with his history of escapism, Bruce was worried he would abuse the high. If Alex really wanted to do it, Bruce would want to be there with him to make sure he didn’t just start getting high all the time.

Setting a reminder in his head to berate Jeremy for offering his nephew drugs to help him cope, Bruce let it go for now and simply focused on Alex’s well-being. “You are gonna have to eat somethin’ for me, though, son,” he gently encouraged. “I know it’s hard, believe me, but I ain’t gonna let this eat you alive. We need you strong so you can fight for your boy, alright?”

“Moretti and I have both sent people out - trusted private investigators and our best debt collectors who know how to tracker a fucker down,” Bruce told him. “They report back to me every day and they ain’t givin’ up any time soon.” He leaned across the table and put a hand on Alex’s arm. “They will find him, son. We will find him.”

Just then, the waiter came back with their food order, and had to ask if they were expecting anything else given that Alex’s place on the table was empty. Bruce just thanked him and sent him on his way, but after attention had been drawn to his nephew’s lack of appetite, Bruce didn’t hesitate to push the large plate of chips into the space between him and Alex. “Eat,” he commanded, more firmly this time. “Callum needs you strong.”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Alex
BasDorcha Jeremy

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

A Place to Toast
~London ~
Ava Moretti

​

Ava couldn't help the way her finger ran across her bottom lip while listening to Klaus talk. He hadn't taken offense to her comment nor did it seem to make him immediately want to take her home. And while she was relieved with the former, it was the latter she seemed almost disappointed with. But then again, that just meant he was a gentleman, right? "You got me there," she agreed, nodding her head. "But I won't slip up again."

Throughout their conversation, Ava found herself leaning further and further into Klaus. It hadn't become completely obvious to her until his equally sarcastic response caused her to lean back and laugh. "Not only is he charming, but he's funny too. What a package." There was no denying the attraction she had for Klaus whatsoever. In fact, the woman was barely hiding it at all! Back in New York, if she were interested in someone, she would pretend she wasn't; make him chase after her. But with the man next to her there was no need. She didn't feel the need to have him chase her nor that he was trying to do the same. It felt... Natural? Normal? Definitely intriguing.

There was nothing more to be said after the two of them shared the fact they were both widows. Ava had met a few before and after Marcus' passing and understood that 90% of them felt the same. They didn't need to talk about the gaping hole left in their hearts or how cold the other side of their bed had gotten. The dreams they'd have where they were alive and wished they didn't have to wake up. Despite death being common for her, Marcus' left her confused and feeling emotions foreign to her. She wasn't sure what to do with them, but the support she'd been receiving definitely helped.

Hearing Klaus call Erik's job boring tickled her. She let out a soft chuckle, looking back at him. It was ironic, to say the least, considering the first time she'd come to London was because he'd gotten hurt. But, again, there was no way she could tell Klaus any of that- she knew better. "It may be. But my cousin always seems to find a way to make it a bit more interesting." She knew he wouldn't understand what she meant, but that was fine; he didn't need to. He then described New York as 'unique' and she couldn't help but let out a playful scoff. "Unique? Ain't the word I'd use to describe it. I mean, sure, it has amazin' places like Central, but only if you're up for gettin' mugged. By civilians and cops. But if you ever wanna come visit," she said, unable to hide the teasing smile on her lips, "I'll protect you."

As Klaus went on to explain where he came from, Ava couldn't help but notice a slight hostility in his voice- as if he were expected something bad to happen. She'd come across all sorts of awful people in her life- her uncle being one of them. And being a bar owner, she was able to sort of learn when someone was a shitty person or not. So the moment Klaus made it clear he was not a Nazi, Ava believed him. "Hey, I believe you. I've met a couple o' those guys and they tend to be a putz about it- want everyone to know they lost a war," she reassured, subconsciously placing her hand on his in comfort. He commented on New Yorkers, assuming they were as nice as she, and she laughed, picking up her glass. "They're all fuckin' assholes. Remember that when you come, and maybe you won't get eaten alive." She winked at him, downing the rest of her drink.

He then reverted their conversation back to their dead spouses, giving her his condolences and she nodded. "Of all the clubs I've found myself in, one for widows wasn't exactly what I had in mind..." She trailed off, staring into his eyes. Though she'd been given support and kind words from all sorts of people, Klaus' words were the ones that stuck with her the most. He understood - better than most - how she was feeling and what she was going through. And, the fact that he was a stranger and sharing his personal trauma with her meant something. "You're dangerous," she suddenly said, playfully wagging her finger at him and shaking her head. "Very dangerous."

Klaus( Bellz )

Blake's House
~Sutton, Dublin ~
Leo Sullivan​

"A beach trip," Leo echoed, "Yeah, she could probably use one of those before the summer ends. She needs it. I'll relay the message," he said, unaware of what a beach trip actually meant. He missed the way Ali's gift made Blake respond, Adam's teasing catching his attention. He let out a laugh and shook his head,. "Hey, I'm more than capable, okay, I just didn't know you could cook like this, Adam. It's impressive." Natasha then called him out on his eating habits when they were together, Leo turning to her with a feigned hurt expression. "Et tu, mei amore, et tu?" He shook his head, starting to pile food onto his plate. "For your information, I like watching you eat. You're so tiny, yet the way you take down a cheeseburger," he paused, placing his hands over his chest. "Majestic." Blake then chimed in, agreeing that Conor ate a lot and it must have been passed down. "Oh yeah, for sure. He's the reason I have to bring in so many bags during grocery trips."

Natasha informed Leo she was glad he came, to which Leo just smiled at her. "Me too." Being locked up in his house and bedridden for weeks drove Leo crazy. Though his sisters tried to keep him company with games and talking about their summer activities, he was still bored. It was being confined in his bed that drove him mad, really. Not being able to go to work at the garage or even go to the gym was really grating on him. So though the dinner wasn't as physical, he was still able to get out of the house and have a change of scenery. Plus, he was able to spend more time with Natasha and begin repairing their relationship. Looking over at her, he had to stop himself from being too mushy- the desire to pull her in close was eating at him. Instead, he gently placed his hand on her thigh. "Better. Physically, I mean. Mentally-," he started, the smile on his face wavering. "Well, I won't ruin dinner with that one." He cleared his throat, asking the same of her. "Been hangin' out with your troublemaking friends?"

With Blake and Adam having excused themselves, Elena, Thomas, Natasha, and himself remained. It felt like what the casino outing should have been and for a moment, Leo thought about it again. Had he not been so stupid, he thought, glancing at Natasha, and talked to her beforehand maybe Elena wouldn't have gotten kidnapped. Then he and Thomas and Adam and Elena wouldn't have gotten hurt; wouldn't have very narrowly lost their lives. Had Natasha not spoken up when she did, Leo definitely would have continued beating himself up just moments after telling Natasha he was okay. She brought up the days when he and Thomas would throw stuff at Syd, chuckling fondly at the memory. "A casualty of war," he said, looking down at Thomas. "Who won at the end of all that, anyway?"

Turning his attention to Elena, he nodded his head at Thomas. "To be fair, he was the one who instigated it all. We've both got troublemakers on our hands, so we'll have to stick together," he joked.

​

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

 

[Misty Gray]

Beachside Steakhouse
~ Burrow Beach, Sutton, Dublin ~

Sinead and Liam Callahan​

Sinead frowned as Kit spoke about how there were lots of things to talk about and how conversing was interesting. "It depends on what the subject is. Sometimes people don't have an opinion or knowledge on a subject, so what can they so?" she spoke back. Whatever these people wanted from her, Sinead was certain she couldn't help them with. When Kit explained that Jocelyn had been in an accident and could only speak broken sentences, Sinead looked to the driver and studied her face until Liam spoke up.

"Like a car accident? A brain injury?" Liam curiously asked. Sinead tightened her jaw as Liam spoke as she hoped he would stay quiet and not entertain the two strangers who clearly had ill-intentions. When Kit then directly addressed Liam, Sinead was quick to look over her shoulder and send her a look that said to leave the boy alone. Liam glared at the woman sat beside him as she pointed out how he'd been trying to suss her out. Maybe she was right. Liam knew this situation wasn't right and he wondered why two women would be getting involved in trying to scare him and his mother. When Kit pulled out the gun, shock took over Liam and he shuffled towards the car door away from the gun.

"Hey now! There's no need for guns here. No need to be doing this to me and my boy. Just stop the car and let us go. Leave us be!" Sinead anxiously protested. She looked out of the window as they approached the abandoned house and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. "Whatever this is about, you've picked the wrong people. We have nothing for you!" she firmly asserted.

With the car stopped, Kit got out and opened the front passenger door for Sinead to do the same. Reluctantly, she got out of the car, but didn't take her eyes away from Liam as he remained sat in the back. "Leave Liam out of this. I have no part in any business and he has even less. He's just a kid!" she firmly protested, sending Kit a cold stare. Despite Jocelyn having been told to tie Sinead's hands, the woman was more concerned about Liam as he was invited out of the car by Kit who was still holding the gun. "Leave him alone!" Sinead's high-pitched voice yelled.

Liam had wanted to get out of the car the minute his mother had been told to do so, so when his door was opened, he didn't hesitate to get out, even though he was worried about the fact one of the women was carrying a gun. It was because of the weapon that he didn't try anything like knocking Kit out of his way and trying to get to Sinead to help her. Liam maintained his familiar serious, stoic expression as Kit asked him if it was his first kidnapping. "Not exactly," he bluntly told her. "You need to listen to my mum and just let us go. I'm not stupid, so I know what's going on here. But neither of us know anything. We're just trying to get on with our lives and you should too, cos we can't help you. It's not too late to do the right thing."

BasDorcha (Jocelyn) Melanin-Gxdess (Kit)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Le Diner
~Bethnal Green, London~
Alexander King ​

Alex could hear Jeremy talking to him but he didn't say anything. He just shook his head and took a drag of his cigarette. The words were going in one ear and out the other; his own thoughts taking up space in his head. Not only was he worried about Callum and where he could possibly be, but there was also the business with Kit. Kidnapping Sinead and Liam wasn't his best moment. An act of desperation is what he kept calling it. Finding different ways to justify what he'd done was getting harder and harder but he knew it was too late now. Glancing down at his watch, things had already been set into motion. The thought of how it could change things and what it would do didn't exactly cross his mind either.

The crinkling of a bag grabbed his attention, Bruce taking the brown paper bag away from Jeremy. He'd missed what the man said about the contents of the bag, but based on Bruce's comments drugs were inside. He let off a soft scoff, shaking his head before lighting up another cigarette. It was one after another at this point. The original one hadn't even fully gone out before he was on to his next one. Alex rubbed his thumb against his temple, leaning back in his seat. Bruce wanted him to eat. Jeremy wanted him to eat. Even his body wanted him to. But he couldn't bring himself to do so. There was no desire to put anything in his mouth and he was sure the feeling wouldn't go away until he got his son back.

Hearing that Morettis men were on the case eased his mind, but it also pissed him off. Gabriel Moretti, he thought to himself, big man on campus. He was supposed to be all-powerful and could find anyone yet here he was a month later without his kid. And sure, the sane part of him knew it was difficult to find someone in such a big world but his feelings about it didn't change. "Why haven't we heard anything by now then? You're tellin' me Sullivan is so powerful that he was able to make a person just disappear? That's fuckin' bullshit." Alex never respected how strong or influential the Sullivan family had been. Even when the Kings were in cahoots with them he hadn't. Maybe it was that cocky attitude of his, but he believed his family would always come out on top. That they were the superior family and now that didn't seem to be the case. They were making them look bad and Alex was sure they were laughing behind his back about it.

Bruce tried again to get him to eat and Alex snapped, slamming his head down on the table. "I don't want fucking food! I want-," he had to pause, his tongue swelling in the back of his throat. "I want my son back." His eyes glistened, tears threatening to fall out of them. Not wanting his uncle to see such a thing, he turned his head to look out the window again.

Jeremy ( BasDorcha )
Bruce ( Pyroclast )