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

[Misty Gray]

Family Ties: 1980s Gangs
Dublin, London and New York, March 1985

IC THREAD



:: RULES/INTRODUCTION :: CHARACTER SHEETS :: BONUS SCENES :: AMA THREAD ::
:: THE MULTIVERSE ::
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CHAPTERS
Chapter 1: Family Comes First
Chapter 2: Making Connections
Chapter 3: Far From Home
Chapter 4: Confrontations
Chapter 5: A Storm is Brewing
Chapter 6: Second Chances
Chapter 7: Unpacking the Truth
Chapter 8: Something Gained, Something Lost
Chapter 9: Secret Ties
Chapter 10: Cause and Effect
Chapter 11: Father Figures
Chapter 12: Dust to Dust
Chapter 13: Making Up for Lost Time
Chapter 14: Into the Fray
Chapter 15: Point of No Return
Chapter 16: Love and War
Chapter 17: To Die For
Chapter 18: Precarious Situations
Chapter 19: The Grim Reaper
Chapter 20: Endings, Beginnings
Chapter 21: Beginning of the End - Part 1
Chapter 22: Beginning of the End - Part 2

Spoiler: Bonus Flashback Scenes

1st July 1949 - London - Laura and Trevor Stewart
17th October 1960 - London - Laura, Trevor and Spencer Stewart/King
12th September 1962 - New York - Adam Harper and Liam Sullivan
19th September 1968 - New York - Benjamin/Dolores Reznik
17th October 1968 - Miami - The Morettis

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Pyroclast Bellz Melanin-Gxdess BasDorcha neverbackdown

:: 1948-1949 :: 1959-1960 :: 1971-1972 :: 1985 :: 1997-1998 ::​

**WARNING: the material you are about to read depicts violence, abuse and/or otherwise very real situations. This could be uncomfortable for some readers and we please ask you to proceed with caution. Thank you... the GMs. **​

 

[Misty Gray]

✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵
I will only accept new characters that have direct ties or familial relations to existing characters/plots. PM me to discuss.​

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 1: Family Comes First
Friday 15th March 1985
...The Beginning...
Dublin: Evening - Mild, Dry, Clear Skies
London: Evening - Mild, Breezy, Overcast
New York: Afternoon - Mild, Dry, Sunny

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

Gabriel Moretti

It had been 13 years to the day since the war between the Morettis and the Irish Mob was brought to an end. Gabriel had made a fair offer to the Sullivans which had resulted in the Irish leaving New York City to return Dublin. Despite the fatalities and bloodshed on both sides during the early 1970s, a peace deal was signed and both families were able focus on their businesses in their respective cities. The arrangement with the Biancardis working as middlemen for any business between New York and Dublin had proven to be a success over the years without much in the way of complications or disagreements that couldn't be resolved. The Morettis and Biancardis had worked well alongside each other, both able to bring New York under their respective control. Despite this, business would always come first for Gabriel and there wasn't room for complacency. Things we profitable and his empire was continuing to grow, but that didn't mean he was about to sit back and rest. There were other organisations that had caught Gabriel's attention, including the King Family business of which he had men, including Erik, working with to scope out such expansion opportunities. Were he to find value elsewhere, Gabriel wouldn't lose any sleep in cutting the Sullivans loose.

As he had done with Miami, Gabriel had built up his empire in New York, an achievement his elders had never been able to do. The war against the Sullivans had been destructive to the city, but since the Morettis succeeded in 1972, Gabriel had brought order and promise to the city. Ironically, bringing such order was done through corruption, violence, intimidation and a catalogue of unspeakable acts, but it got the job done. With the streets no longer being on high alert and any threats soon brought under control by the heavy hand of the Morettis, Gabriel gained the respect of those in high places. Politicians and law enforcement officials were all willing to turn a blind eye in return for their streets being under a control they alone could never achieve, along with the odd off-the-books favour when needed. That wasn't to say there weren't challenges. From time to time, the Morettis were faced with potential competition and organisations attempting to cross them, but they weren't too great a challenge for the Italians. The fact there hasn't been a challenge as great as the one the Sullivans presented hasn't escaped Gabriel's attention. He is fully aware there are employees within his organisation, some high ranking, who crave another war with the Sullivans or something equally thrilling. However, business has always been Gabriel's top priority, regardless of how much he savours in watching his enemies suffer by his own hand. The most pressing matter presently at hand was how Giovanni Biancardi's death would affect the strong partnership of the last decade or so.

Whilst his devotion to his business had not changed over the years, one thing that had was Gabriel's interest in spending some time with his family. Having lost many members of his family in the late 60s, the number of Morettis had been severely reduced. However, his family had eventually started to grow again, giving him more of a desire to take a small amount of time away from work to be with his loved ones. Valentina had married Teddy before the couple went on to bless Gabriel with three grandchildren. Marcus had married Ava, connecting the Moretti's with Marcus' in-laws - the Snowdens.

Having dealt with any business earlier in the day, Gabriel had returned home to get prepared for the family meal he'd arranged. Although this wasn't business and he was looking forward to a family catch-up, Gabriel had still been a stickler and formal in ordering his family to all arrive on time. Though he might not be quite as strict on his grandchildren as he had always been with his own, the man still believed the kids needed to be disciplined and so the adults of the family had to lead by example. Not that such a mindset hadn't caused Gabriel and Valentina to come to blows at times, and on account of them both being stubborn there was always a possibility of them having further disagreements.

Once changed out of his business attire and into a different suit, Gabriel made his way to the kitchen to find his wife. "How can I assist you on this special day, my love?" he asked his wife placing his arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "I'm quite looking forward to seeing everyone together today. Even the little troublemaker, Paolo," he chuckled. Despite the light-hearted comment, it was the youngest of his grandchildren that exasperated him the most, though pointing out the boy's lack of discipline was apparently controversial subject. "Speaking of trouble. Has Vincenzo arrived yet?" he asked of his cousin.

Interaction: Melanin-Gxdess (Elvian)
Tags: Melanin-Gxdess (Ava) RayPurchase (Marcus) KaramelKarma (Vincenzo) Pyroclast (Tatiana?)
(Don't be late!)

Wycliff Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~
​

Valentina Wycliff

Despite being a wife, mother and a successful businesswoman, Valentina still felt like she had to work hard every day to prove herself. Whether it was at work or with her family, she didn't feel she was permitted to show any weakness. She'd worked hard to stop others patronising her and seeing her as a victim that she never felt able to let her guard down in front of them. So, that morning, she had woken before sunrise and dressed in smart attire. After getting the children off to their schools she then arrived at one of her hotels to check in on her employees. The Palermo Hotel was hosting a large wedding the following week and so she had to make sure all of the preparations were in order.

Aware of dinner with the family later in the afternoon, Valentina had to rush home early to get herself and the children ready. Knowing what her father was like, she was determined to have everyone presentable and ready on time. After some protesting from the youngest, all three children were soon dressed into fresh clothes and looking simply perfect! This left Valentina some time to sort herself out. Entering the master bedroom she shared with Teddy, she closed the door behind her and exhaled in an exaggerated manner. "Who's idea was it to have three kids?" she sarcastically asked her husband. She then walked towards him and draped her arms over his shoulders as she looked up to his face. She leaned forward and moved in to kiss him for a short time before reluctantly breaking away from the moment. "I hope Papa doesn't keep us too long because I'm feeling tired already," she told Teddy. She would never admit to the rest of her family when she was exhausted, but she could tell her husband anything. "We're having a sleep-in tomorrow!" she decided. "Maybe if my parents are in a good mood today, they might like to have the children sleep over at their place tomorrow night so us two can have an overdue date."

After placing another quick kiss on Teddy's lips, Valentina walked over to the mirror so she could brush her hair. She glanced at the clock and smiled to herself as she realised they were on schedule to arrive at her parents' house on time or maybe even early, heaven forbid! "Ohhhh, I hope we manage to beat the others in getting there today," she playfully told him.

The calm mood was soon broken as a gentle knock was heard from outside the bedroom door, followed by Cristina's sweet voice. "Paolo's made a mess. He's knocked his pot of paint all over himself," the girl informed her parents.

"Fucking..." Valentina grumbled, loud enough for only Teddy to hear. She quickly shook her head as she looked at her husband's reflection in the mirror. "Why does he always do this? How has that boy not made me go grey yet?!"

Interactions: Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)

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

Damian Nicolosi

The cold and dimly lit room resembled a dentist's room, were it situated in the depths of a horror movie basement. The counter along the back wall was chipped and grubby, the sinister medical tools and sharp knives lined up surprisingly neatly considering they were stained with fresh blood. Strapped to the old dentist-like chair in the centre of the basement room was a blood-soaked man dressed only in his boxer shorts and a vest. His right arm hung lifelessly over the side of the chair with his hand pointed downwards towards the floor. The soundproof room had fallen so silent in those moments that only a dripping sound could be heard as the blood fell from the victim's severed fingertips into the metal bucket which had been positioned below.

"I told you want you wanted to know. Why are you still doing this?" the desperate man pleaded in a pained tone.

From his spot in the corner of the room, Damian stepped out of the shadows to stand alongside his victim. His footsteps were quiet, aiding to the captor's stealthy natural state. "Well, now I'm going to have to do the other hand, because you just ruined the moment, John," his oddly calm voice spoke in apparent annoyance. Damian reached for the nearby medical supplies and set about wrapping up the man's wounded fingers, wanting to keep the man as alive and lucid for as long as possible. An unconscious subject was never interesting. "Despite all of those unsuspecting fools upstairs filling their mouths with burgers and fries, nobody has a clue you're here. The diner is loud and unruly, but down here is surprisingly refreshing and peaceful. If you'd stay silent for more than a minute you would be able to appreciate the silence and become truly absorbed in what's happening to you. I was enjoying being absorbed in the moment until you spoke up and ruined it. Thankfully, you have a second hand and I'm quite fond of getting more opportunities to fine tune my technique."

Damian let out a sigh as he calmly circled the chair his victim was strapped to. Of course, John had eventually given in and told him exactly what Damian had been instructed by Gabriel to find out. His interrogation had seemingly proved successful and now he was awaiting the arrival of Tony and the Taylor brothers to arrive so they could carry out the next task at hand. Until they had completed their part of the job, Damian was inclined to keep John alive until it was confirmed what he'd squealed was the truth.

Damian leaned back against the edge of the counter behind the chair and out of John's view. "You quite right, however," he informed him, his tone louder and more forceful but still carrying a calmness to it. "It would appear you have given me the information I needed, but that was for Mr. Moretti. What I want is this," he said, outstretching his arm to towards John, regardless of the fact the other man couldn't even see the gesture. "The reason I'm still hurting you is quite simply because I want to." Damian removed a damp towel from the basin and began to casually clean the other man's blood from his own hands. Whilst the monetary compensation the Morettis gave him would never be turned down, Damian wasn't fueled by the materialistic rewards. What he most desired in the world was to watch others suffer.

Mentions: RayPurchase (Tony) BloodLightning27 (Quadir, Jarrick)
(Damian is waiting for you)

Oak Tree Restaurant
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
​

Benjamin Reznik and Adam Harper

As Spring approached, the days were starting to get longer and that pleased Benjamin greatly. It wasn't that the dark hindered him or prevented him from stepping outside, but Benjamin much preferred the daylight. From his climbing and sports to his photography, he found it was all much more enjoyable in the milder months. There was so much more of nature to discover and appreciate when it was gracefully illuminated by the sun. The young man had been up bright and early today, wanting to make the most of his day before starting his late shift at the restaurant. After a morning training session with his local Gaelic football team, he'd met with Aidan for lunch. The man had looked after him since he was a young boy, taking on the responsibility in the wake of his mother's death and considering his father, Kurt, was in prison. Despite loving and appreciating everything Aidan had done for him; every opportunity and taste of family normality a boy could ask for, Benjamin always stopped short of calling the man as his father. Given that Kurt was alive and always an important part of Benjamin's life, he was the only father he had. Aidan was Benjamin's guardian and the man he respected the second most after Kurt. Of course, they had their disagreements and in Benjamin's younger years his guardian wasn't afraid to punish him as he would have his own son. The two had a mutual respect and even as an adult, Benjamin knew he could go to Aidan for help and advice, in his biological father's absence.

Benjamin spent most of his afternoon photographing wildlife in Phoenix Park. His day had left him with only a short window to go home to get changed for work, but he tended not to mind the days where he was busy as it all fed into his love out being outside and making the most of the freedom he was grateful to have. As soon as he started his shift, the dining reservations list told him it was going to be a busy evening at the restaurant but he had every confidence in the team of colleagues he was managing.

After taking a business call in the back office, Benjamin returned to the public side of the restaurant, he saw a familiar man seated at the end of the bar. "Adam. Is it your break time already?" he asked the Sullivan mob member.

"What do you mean "already"? We don't all get scheduled breaks like you in your cushy job, mate. Granted, I've ordered a burger, but don't be under any illusion this is a rest," he remarked as he accepted his pint of beer from the bartender. He then flashed a grin as he took his first drink. "I'll be out of your hair soon, kid. How's everything in here tonight? Is there anything I should be concerned about?"

"Everything's been good here. In fact, the only dodgy character I've seen in here tonight is you," the young man teased.

"If I'm the worst you've got to worry about, then you'll be having an easy night," Adam assured him. Having met Kurt during his own prison sentence back in the 1960s and then later learned of Dolores' death, Adam couldn't help but have a soft spot for Benjamin. Granted, over the last decade or so, the hardened gangster had grown many soft spots for those he worked with and their families. Benjamin was no exception. Though Adam didn't hear much at all from Kurt these days, it made him no less inclined to keep an eye on his friend's son. "Are you in the gym this weekend? You need to work on those muscles if you're going to find yourself a girlfriend."

Benjamin leaned against the bar as he continued to speak with Adam. "I have no issues finding myself a girl if I want to, but how are those muscles working out for you, big guy? They don't count as girlfriends if you only spend one night with them. You should be setting an example at your age!"

"You cheeky little shit," Adam quietly fired back, mindful not to lower the tone in one of Conor's more fancy and civilised establishments. "Go see how my burger is coming along. Some of us have real work to do," he playfully suggested, not wanting to distract the young man too much from his work. Whilst it wasn't in Adam's nature to dwell on things or get too wrapped up in sentiment, he couldn't help but admit to himself that he had changed over the years. Once a man who shunned any form of romantic commitment and was happy living the life of a bachelor, his mindset had changed. Perhaps it was allowing himself to grow closer to his friends within the mob and having three godchildren in the Zegarras, but he had been evaluating his life choices lately and realising he may have missed his time to settle down.

Tags: Pyroclast (Chase, Michael)

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

 

[Pyroclast]

Chapter 1: Family Comes First
Friday 15th March 1985
...The Beginning...
Dublin: Evening - Mild, Dry, Clear Skies
London: Evening - Mild, Breezy, Overcast
New York: Afternoon - Mild, Dry, Sunny

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Rikers Island
~ New York ~
​

Kurt Lee Reznik

“Now squat and cough.”

The order was given with a somewhat listless attitude, which is exactly how Kurt treated it, too. It wouldn’t ever be a pleasant experience, but it was as standard a procedure for him as it was for the correctional officer. His mind briefly turned to the young man who had been there in the holding cell with him. He couldn’t have been much older than Kurt had been when he had taken his first step inside a jail, and the way he had held himself for those five long hours gave away that this was his first time. By the time they were called out, he looked about ready to piss himself, having been too afraid to use the exposed toilet in front of all the other inmates. If this was his first strip search, Kurt only hoped the kid would take it on the chin.

Once cleared, he got dressed into his new prison uniform and was handed a plain sweater, a pair of pumps and a few basic necessities that he would no doubt be challenged for later on. The group was then split up to each be taken to their respective housing units. The CO that Kurt was issued with gave him a brief tour, laying down the rules of each area of the complex in that same dreary voice, but Kurt made no effort to draw a conversation out of it. Unlike some of the other inmates who had waited with him in the holding cell, Kurt was a prison veteran who had experience of how places like this were run. He followed the CO through the corridors, the rancid smell of body odour and sewage marking the territory of hundreds of damaged men. Their heads all turned to check him out as he strolled through the unit and despite his intention to keep to himself he couldn’t help but catch a few eyes. They were just sizing him up, of course. Kurt was sure that if he shot them a glare some of them would back down.

They eventually reached the long strip of cells, one or two of them occupied despite the recreation time. When they got to the end, the CO stopped outside an empty cell and heaved open the barred door. “And that’s you,” he said.

Kurt didn’t move at first, simply taking it in. Most of the cells they had walked past were single cells, just one bed, a toilet and a sink. This one had a bunk bed. “I got a cellmate?”

“Lucky you,” the CO answered with a lopsided grin, leaning with one hand against the bar. “Make your bed, inmate. You can pick up some slippers from commissary in the morning.”

The CO left him to it then - perhaps knowing that he was no stranger to environments like this, or otherwise as a test to see how he would survive his first day. Either way, Kurt didn’t investigate the clamour coming from down the corridor, instead doing his best to settle into his cell.

Misty Gray James

The Royal London Hospital
~ Tower Hamlets, London ~
​

Shona King

At 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Shona knew her way around the maternity ward at The Royal London Hospital almost as well as she knew her own house. She had had the same obstetrician-gynecologist since the beginning: a sweet middle-aged Pakistani woman called Dr. Karima who had 6 children of her own and a sense of humour to show for it. Shona had always felt safe in her care from the very first scan and by now she was more than confident enough to show up to her appointments without Spencer at her side.

Having left her husband to get on with his own business, Shona drove herself to the hospital and took her seat in the waiting room. This would be her very first check up since she entered her third trimester of pregnancy and she was keen to see what the next stage would bring, even if only so she could prepare herself. She was expecting the appointment to be a breeze, anyway. Of course, as the weeks went on, it was taking an increasing amount of effort to get things done during the day and she did suffer a few common symptoms, but despite the fatigue, sickness and aches, there wasn’t anything she was concerned about.

It was quieter than usual in the waiting room, perhaps for the time of day. Shona picked up a magazine from the coffee table and thumbed her way through it. It was a fashion magazine, one that she often enjoyed reading and took inspiration from. She quickly found herself sucked into a spread on outdoors fashion - ‘This summer, go camping in style!’ - and gazing longingly at all the shimmering jumpsuits and high-waisted shorts that clung to the slender models like a vacuum. Shona looked down at her own figure, and the way her shift dress puffed out over her round belly. Most of the time she looked down at it fondly, thinking of the precious baby growing inside her. But all the changes to her body often made it hard for her to feel like herself. As her eyes poured over the page, she decided that she looked more like the tent they were camping in than any of the models themselves. She quickly closed the magazine before tossing it back onto the table. “Why do they have magazines like this in the maternity ward?” she scoffed, blindly addressing the woman sitting a few spaces away from her. “They’re clearly designed to make us feel fat.” When she looked up, her eyes found the woman she had spoken to and realised that she recognised her. It wasn’t uncommon to see the same faces in the ward, but Shona had a feeling that she had seen this woman around more than most. Based on the size of her bump, she appeared to be a few weeks ahead of Shona, but it was hard to be sure how far along she was. When she was caught looking her way, Shona sent her a friendly smile. “Hi,” she said, somewhat sheepishly. After a small pause, she added, “I feel like I see you almost every time I come here. I'm not going crazy, am I?”

BloodLightning27 Shirley

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~
​

Billy King

To the unsuspecting eye, the Royal Taphouse was just like any classic London pub: dark mahogany bars to suit the dim yet warm lighting, red leather seats, a broad selection of alcohols and, most importantly, the best beers on tap. To the Kings, of course, it was a great deal more than just a pub. Billy didn’t usually like to be the first one to arrive at any kind of get-together purely because the waiting around bored him, but this place belonged to his big brother and was therefore practically an extension of his home. He never felt alone when he was there - it had been easy to strike up friendships with each member of staff since Spencer had been the one to hire them, filtering out any unsuitable characters. Being a Friday evening, however, the place was already heaving, so all the bartenders were too busy for a chat. With a pint of London Pride in his hand, Billy swivelled idly on his barstool as he waited for the gang to arrive.

Only a minute or two later, he caught sight of a woman at the door. “Oi, Mads!” he shouted across the room, and waved his cousin over with a broad smile. “You got here any later and I’d have drunk this place dry!” He pulled Madison into a secure hug before gesturing to his barstool for her to take and rounding the bar so that he could serve her. “So how is my favourite cousin?” he asked. “And more importantly, what are you drinking?”

Before he could even reach for a clean glass, Billy spotted Nolan entering the pub and raised his arms into the air with a dramatic flare. “There he is!” he announced, as if the man’s attention was particularly hard to get. Once Nolan had reached the bar, Billy smiled at him. “This round’s on me, by the way,” he clarified to the pair as he went back to fixing Madison her drink. “A sign of forgiveness for keeping me waiting.” He soon moved onto fixing Nolan's drink, his eyes subtly glancing towards the door before fixing his attention back onto his friends. "Tell me, how are you, mate?" he said to Nolan, leaning his elbows on the bar and leaning forward. "How's the kid?"

_amaranth_ Madison, Nolan
Melanin-Gxdess Erik (join any time!)
Bellz Harper

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 1: Family Comes First
Friday 15th March 1985
...The Beginning...
Dublin: Evening - Mild, Dry, Clear Skies
London: Evening - Mild, Breezy, Overcast
New York: Afternoon - Mild, Dry, Sunny

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The Sullivan Home
~Dublin, Ireland ~
Lucy Porter​

It had been 4 days since the true matriarch of the Sullivan family had been laid to rest and 3 weeks since her passing. Although in the past, Lucy tended to be the more resilient sibling out of the bunch, she was struggling terribly. With James in prison, she was alone during the times where she would wake up in the middle of the night and cry over her mother's death and that made things even more emotional for her. Her children and grandchildren were the only things keeping her going anymore but despite feeling like that, she tried to hide behind a smile. Lucy wasn't in such a party mood but her siblings had insisted on giving their mother the party she deserved and knowing that Ali didn't like to take complete control on stuff like events, Lucy was left to do the bidding. Normally, she would be ever so happy to plan a party but to her, this just didn't feel like the right time to be partying.

Having arrived in the afternoon at her brother's house, she was glad that she had made arrangements with some of the staff to help her decorate everything and help with the food. Although Ali wasn't a fan of organizing events, she and Sinead were a huge help in putting everything together. Once the last of the champagne glasses were placed and filled on the table, Lucy let out a sigh and took a step back to few the work that had been done. Being a perfectionist, she was convinced she would never truly be satisfied with her work but over the years she learned not to let it get to her so much. "I think everything is ready to go." She said to both Aliana and Sinead before turning to look at her sister-in-law with narrowed eyes. "You know I probably won't be here for the next event you have, though I will be sure to put my pager on so you can call me with any questions you have. I hope after watching me slave away for decades has taught you at least a little something." Her tone was teasing but heavy with exhaustion.

Lucy hadn't expected her age to catch up with her so quickly and she believed that she would probably still have a spring in her step if James hadn't been sent to prison. Before she could say much more, the familiar sound of children causing mayhem filled the house. "JJ! I am going to KILL YOU!" Jeanie's voice sounded out loudly as JJ made his appearance known by running in between Lucy, Sinead, and Ali to then hide behind his grandmother. "I thought you would have noticed!" He cried in defense and Lucy raised her eyebrows as Jeanie walked into the room with a clear dark line that went from her forehead to her chin. "Look what he did Grandma! My face is ruined!" Lucy bit her lip to keep from smiling but took the girl's face in her hands and observed the line. "How in the world did he manage that?" Lucy spun to look at JJ behind her, placing her hands on her hips. "I colored the rim of a coin with a pencil and told her that I bet she couldn't roll the quarter in a straight line down her face." He fessed up immediately.

"So it's not permanent?" She asked and the boy shook his head, his big wide blue puppy dog eyes reminding the blonde of the looks her son use to give her at that age when he was in trouble. "Still! I've been walking around the house looking like this! No wonder the staff was giving me weird looks!" Jeanie expressed and Lucy held up her hand. "Now now, just go wash it off and it'll be fixed. Easy peasy." Jeanie pouted, "But my make-up!" She said and Lucy smiled. "I'll help you fix it, love. Just go wash it off and we'll take it from there. And you," Lucy turned back to JJ, "No more pranking your sisters. You remember what your mother said about doing that. Don't make me get your father involved." JJ nodded his head quickly. "Sorry Grandma Lucy, sorry Jean."

Once both kids had gone their separate ways, Lucy sighed and looked back at the women in front of her. "Sometimes, I still feel like a parent even though I'm supposed to be the fun grandma now. The mayhem in the Sullivan home hasn't changed since Conor was born, I swear!" Most of the family was already at the house, but Lucy looked towards the front door to see if anyone else had arrived.
with: Misty Gray Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess

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

Roxie Carriveau ​

Despite the heaviness that hung in the air over the last two members of the Biancardi family, that being Roxie and Ricky, the day was mild and sunny. A rather beautiful day in the city that Roxie was sure her Uncle would have enjoyed if he were around to see it. After the service, the surviving members of the family along with a few of their closest gang members were escorted in private cars to Roxie's and Mitch's law firm in the Bayside. Roxie looked out the window for a long while as she let the city pass her by. Currently, it was just her and her fiancé Matthew, Reina, and Mitch in one car with Ricky, Julia, and the rest in the other. Turning to look at Matthew, Roxie offered the man a small anxious smile before moving to take his hand. Squeezing it gently, Roxie sighed softly. "There are times when I think I truly miss the concrete jungle that is New York City..." She murmured thoughtfully to him and the rest, "But I don't think anything beats that fresh Irish air back in Dublin." She said with a small chuckle, knowing most likely that Matt would agree with her.

"The service was lovely though." Roxie said on another note, "Just the way my Uncle would have wanted his funeral to go. I just hope Ricky is doing alright." Her cousin was a hard one to read and Roxie did her best to be there for him when she had the time between running not one but two law firms and taking care of 3 relentlessly hyper children. She felt bad for putting Ricky on the back burner but now that Uncle Gio was dead and gone, she was going to put more of an effort into making sure Ricky was okay. Especially since he was the one who was going to take over all the businesses and deals her Uncle had strategically left for his son. Roxie couldn't imagine the amount of pressure that kind of responsibility put on someone and she would do her best to be there for her only cousin every step of the way.

When the car came to a stop in front of her familiar office, Roxie looked to Mitch with a smile. The man had changed a lot in the 13 years she had known him, they briefly dated back in '75 but that fling had soon ended after both of them realized they were just using each other to get over the intense trauma the mob and past relationship had created for them. Roxie loved Mitch as a good friend and partner in her firm but at the time, she just wasn't ready to commit to anything serious and from what she gathered, he wasn't either. "Home sweet home." She commented lightly before the driver came around to open the car door for them all. Roxie stepped out first and looked at the building that held her office. It had been a little bit since she'd been back, not wanting to leave the kids for too long without her being there.

Syd had gone to prison in '77 and came out in '79 but Roxie was still understandably cautious about leaving her children alone with not just him, but his family as well. As much as she adored his family and as much as she had loved Syd in the past, it had been proven that not even the Irish mob could keep everyone safe. Roxie had a hard go at being a mother in the beginning but her children were her entire life now and if anyone were to harm them emotionally or physically, the woman would make sure there would be hell to pay. Her thoughts went to them for a moment and she lifted her arm to look at her wristwatch. It was evening time in Dublin and Roxie was aware that the Sullivan's would be having a funeral party for Shannon who had passed a few weeks prior with her funeral only being a few days ago. Roxie would make sure that after they all went over her Uncle's will, she would give the children a call. Jeanie, Jane, and JJ all had voice pagers to communicate with her until she or they could get to a phone to call each other. If for whatever reason they didn't answer, the next option was to page Syd but it was on the rare occasions that would happen though she did talk to her ex often when the kids were at his house.

Letting Mitch lead the way up to the office, Roxie thought about her ex for a few moments longer. Her hand still firmly in Matthews, she completely moved on but it didn't stop her from worrying about Syd and his well-being. Just because they had separated didn't mean she didn't care for him, which was odd explaining to her therapist when she had her sessions. Taking the elevator up with everyone inside, they had finally made it to the suite that held the firm. "We'll discuss the will in the conference room," Roxie told the group, letting them all head there before moving to her office to grab the will. Her Uncle had prepared a will years ago with the help of Mitch but Roxie felt that she should hold onto it because she was family. As tempting as it was to sneak a peek at the will, Roxie had some self-control.

After retrieving the will, Roxie went into the conference room and shut the door, smiling at everyone as she closed the blinds to the windows that gave a view of the entire office, allowing the will to be read in privacy without prying eyes looking their way.

Once Roxie was seated at the head of the table with the will in front of her, she looked to Matt who was seated to her right with a smile before looking to Ricky who was seated not too far away. Taking a deep breath, Roxie opened the folder and read the front page containing who gets what out loud. "I, Giovanni Biancardi, being of sound mind, write this last well and testament with a list of what I own and who shall receive it. My estate goes to my only child Riccardo Biancardi. All businesses along with the fortune associated with the Biancardi name will also go to my son Riccardo." Roxie looked at Ricky to see if he understood what he was getting before moving on to read on silently in her head, seeing her name pop up. Roxie's mouth opened slightly before a look of confusion crossed her face. Looking to Mitch, she waved him closer.

" However, the title and responsibilities of running the family business overall will be given to my only niece...Roxanne Carriveau." Lifting her head to look at everyone in the room, her gaze finally settled on Ricky as she let Mitch take a look at the document himself though he had seen it before. "This can't be, right? Right, Mitch?" She asked, then looking to her fiancé to see what he thought before looking to Mitch finally. "Is this the only version, did he renew or change it and I just have the wrong copy?"
with: Misty Gray RayPurchase Melanin-Gxdess

The Funky Cat
~ Dublin, Ireland ~
Lorelei Costello
Gwen Costello ​

Friday nights were pretty busy at The Funky Cat but since it had been bringing in double the amount of revenue since it first opened a year ago, Lorelei was able to handle enough staff to handle the crowds, which was truly a blessing because she didn't know how they would be able to handle so many people with the original 4 employees who worked there. Lorelei was tending the bar while her bartender was on break, while her friend and business partner Cara was manning the piano in Lorelei's place. Once the customers in front of her all had drinks in her hand, Lorelei took a moment to herself while polishing off the clean glasses and putting them away. Seeing a full house in her business made her immensely proud of herself and she knew her folks were proud of her as well. She thought about them a moment stuck in her own head when her eyes caught a familiar face in the crowd.

Face lighting up, Lorelei moved to one of her employees and asked her to watch the bar while she spoke with her parents and little brother. "Mom, Dad, Cian! What are you all doing here? This is such a surprise!" Lorelei said happily as she hugged her parents before reaching up to take Cian in her arms. "Oh we just thought we would stop by and get this terror out of the house for a while. He's making us age by the second." Gwen said to her daughter with a chuckle though her face seemed very serious.

"Ah I'm so sorry I can't babysit him more often, mom. This place has just grabbed so much of my attention in the past year. I really miss hanging with the little dude." She rustled her brother's hair playfully before looking at her parents again. "You both do seem to be aging by the day, I barely recognize Dad anymore." Lorelei teased Jason, smiling widely before moving to punch his shoulder lightly. "You two seem like you could use a break, tell you what, I have a few days off this next week. I could watch this monster for the night while you guys go out and wreak havoc on this beautiful town?"
with: Pyroclast

 

[Misty Gray]

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

Riccardo Biancardi and Matthew Moore​

When Roxie learned of her uncle's passing, Matthew hadn't hesitated to reassure her he'd accompany her to the funeral. He was grateful the school had been so understanding and able to get a substitute teacher in to cover him at short notice. He hadn't done much travelling outside of Ireland and the United Kingdom, so the trip to New York was a relatively big thing for him. Granted, much of his apprehension was formed on account of the horror stories he'd heard about the city when the Sullivans had been at war with the Morettis. Regardless, he had no reason to be concerned for safety and had every motivation to be there to support his fiancee.

The funeral service had been a respectful one and soon enough Matthew was in the car with Roxie, Mitch and Reina on their way to the law firm for the reading of Giovanni's will. Matthew had no concerns on that front, figuring it was a straightforward handover to the deceased man's only son, Ricky. Matthew was also aware of the past relationship between Roxie and Mitch, but he had no reason to let that concern him. If anything, his impression of Mitch was a good one and more than anything he was inclined to be friendly with the lawyer. He didn't know much of Reina, but if he was to go on first impressions he'd say she was more of Ricky's or the Sullivans' sort - the kind who was happily involved in the criminal lifestyle and the danger that came with it.

"Don't get me wrong, as I can see the potential for beauty in this city, but you can beat the peace and the fresh air of Dublin. New York is even more lively than I'd anticipated," Matthew replied to Roxie. "Don't you find it exhausting, Mitch?" he asked the other man in the car. Matthew then focused his attention back to Roxie and gently squeezed her hand in return before placing a comforting arm around her waist. He turned to her with a fond smile and lightly nodded. "The service was beautiful. Giovanni would have been impressed, for sure," he reassured her. He paused when she raised her concerns for how Ricky was doing. "Well, he seemed fine back at the church. I mean, he was his usual-unusual Ricky self," he pointed out. Truth be told, he found Roxie's cousin to be hard work at times, but Matthew was a patient man and he could see Ricky genuinely cared about Roxie.

Although part of him remained stunned about his father's passing, Ricky had for the most part managed to stay level-headed since, especially as he'd made sure Giovanni's funeral would all run smoothly. That didn't mean he wasn't feeling anything. He felt a great sense of loss and it would take time to get used to no longer having his father around. But as he was seated in the back of the car with Julia, the will reading filled him with an apprehension he was managing to keep under wraps. Ricky believed he was capable of stepping into his father's shoes and that he had worked so hard over the years that leading the Biancardis would feel deserved. He'd worked tirelessly to maintain the bridge that connected the family businesses between New York and Dublin. He felt it was reasonable to be proud of his achievements. Not only learning how to handle Conor, but also showing great restraint when dealing with the challenge that was Syd. Then, there was Gabriel. A man Ricky had felt intimidated by upon first meeting but over recent years had grown used to and dare he say, found a mutual understanding for.

Once inside the building, Ricky walked with Julia, a woman he'd grown up alongside. He briefly rested his hand on her back as they walked, getting her attention so he could make a comment to break the draining silence. "Don't worry. I promise I won't fire you, nor will I demote you," he joked, referencing his expected ascension to the Biancardi leader position.

With everyone seated at the table, Ricky sat back in his chair, his fingers interlocking as he rested his hands on the top of the table. As Roxie read out the words of the will, Ricky nodded along. His father had left him the estate, businesses and fortune, as expected. Of course, he was glad his father had left him what was rightly his, but now was no time to celebrate. The fact his father was dead took away any kind of excitement at the prospect. His eyes met Roxie's, feeling almost as though she was patronising him, as if only she and Mitch were privy to their lawyer jargon. However, the real reason for her stare soon became known as she read out the rest of the will which stated the title and leadership of the family business was being left to Roxie. Ricky couldn't stop himself from sniggering at what he'd just heard. As Roxie fumbled around asking Mitch if everything she was reading was in order, Ricky turned to Julia and Reina with an amused grin.

Of course his cousin had misinterpreted what she was reading. Ricky had practically torn himself into two supporting the Biancardi business whilst maintaining relations between the Morettis and the Sullivans. When Ricky was still a kid being dragged into the dark side of the business and suffering traumas along the way, everything had been kept secret from Roxie so she could have a normal childhood. With her career, the charity work and having kids, there was no part of Ricky that saw her wanting to replace his father. Therefore, she really was misinterpreting the will.

"Go on, Mitch. Let's have an expert read it, as Roxie's clearly been on the bloody hard stuff already!" he remarked.

"Come on, Ricky. Show some respect..." Matthew interjected as he rested his arm over the back of Roxie's chair. Whilst he wouldn't dream of being as rude as Ricky, Matthew did find himself hoping Roxie was mistaken. He wasn't sure how he'd feel about his fiancee being in charge of the family business.

"Alright, Saint Matthew. Don't get your panties in a twist." He didn't mind Matthew as he was a stable option for Roxie, so he was comforted knowing his cousin was in safe hands. At the same time, the man was practically Mr. Perfect and Ricky found it nauseating at times. Directing his focus away from Matthew, Ricky turned his attention to Mitch. "Clear things up for the room, Mitch," he implored the man.

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

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Elvian Moretti

Elvian Moretti had absolutely no qualms about the past 13 years. She not only gained a new son in Teddy but also gained three grandchildren she was able to spoil and spend time with. When Ava was brought into the family she was ecstatic, but mostly because she was worried her son may never settle down. For a moment while the two were dating, she hadn't been too sure the two of them would. Ava didn't seem like the type but was proved wrong when they made the announcement to the family. All the dreams and the things she saw for her family were finally happening, which made her the happiest she'd ever been. Now, Tatiana needed to get married or at the very least be in a stable relationship and Marcus have his own children and her family would be complete.

Today was the family dinner Gabriel had arranged for them. She had spent the past two days getting things ready for this day. From the floral arrangements to the dinner and desserts, everything had been laid out and prepped. Elvian had grown increasingly proficient and a lot more organized over the years. It could have been because she had more mouths to feed during family gatherings or because her business had been growing. Whatever the reason, she was coming up with more ways to do both of her jobs. Currently, she was taking the main dishes out of the oven and replacing them with dessert dishes. Despite her growing older, she was still drifting throughout the kitchen with ease.

She hadn't heard her husband come into the kitchen, having been focused on the task at hand, so when he spoke she jumped and put her hand over her heart. "Dumnezeul meu, you scared me." She playfully hit his chest with an oven mitt before smiling at him. Gabriel made a promise to her years ago that they would spend more time together and he did not disappoint. She found herself falling more in love with him every day and made sure to tell him every day that she did love him. With what they had gone through in the past, she never really knew when a conversation might be their last. "If you'd like, you can start setting the table. I just have to make the children that lemonade they like and then the adult version for the bigger children." She turned to get the ingredients for the pink lemonade. "I'm glad that you are. It's been a while since we've all been at one table, hasn't it?" Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time the entire family had been sat down and enjoyed a meal together. "Oh, Little Paolo. I miss them when they're that age. Just not with his temper." She made a tsk noise as she set out to juice lemons, looking up to respond to her husband. "I don't believe he has. I haven't seen him yet."




Theodore Wycliff

Theodore had settled into domestic life better than he expected himself to. Once he got over the shock of him actually getting married and having kids -- three at that -- his life was smooth sailing. Things had been quite peaceful since the war between the Sullivans had ended and he had never been more grateful. Granted, that meant less work to do, but that was okay with him. With Valentina busy most of the time, it allowed him to become something of a stay-at-home dad. His wife had always been a busy-body and didn't expect her to stop anytime soon. As much as he wanted to tell her to slow down for a moment, he knew it would start an argument so he kept his mouth shut. The best he could do was take care of the smaller things and their family while she did what she felt she needed. If he couldn't, he would help figure something out to save her the stress.

Once his kids were picked up, he made sure to have them do their homework before dinner. He had learned a long time ago that they either were or pretended to be too tired to do their work after dinner. His kids were crafty, but not crafty enough. They had protested it was the weekend and they had two days to do it, which made him scoff. "Don't you think you should do it now so you don't have to worry about it later?" After watching the gears turn in their heads, he nodded and pointed to the dining room table. "When you're finished, leave it on the counter and I'll check it. I am going to walk Rocco, do not get up from that table." He commanded, putting the dog on his leash and taking him out. Theo wanted to knock it out now so they wouldn't have to worry about it later.

When he returned he could hear his wife desperately trying to get their children dressed and ready to go. He left the discipline to his wife, seeing as he was never really disciplined when he was younger. He figured if he tried to help, he would only make matters worse so he minded his own business. Hearing her enter their bedroom, he poked his head out of his closet and gave her a cheeky grin. "We're going to say it's you considering you know I can't say no to you sometimes." He met her halfway, standing in his black t-shirt while his hands made their way to her hips. Returning her affections and kissed, he couldn't help but joke. "What, you trying to have a fourth?" In no way did this man want a fourth child. If it so happened that they had one, he would love them to death the same way he had the others, but he was not purposefully trying to have another. He was pushing 50 and the three he did have was driving him nuts.

At the mention of not being at his in-law's place too late, he nodded his head. He fully understood this meant his wife needed a break and was already making plans for it in his head. "A sleep-in? That sounds nice. I'm sure Elvian would like to have her grandkids around if not, we can ask Marcus and Ava. Give them a little taste of parenthood." He gave her a mischievous smile while watching her in the mirror. Before he could give her any kind of retort to her joke, he could hear his daughter at the door informing them of a mess. His hand immediately went to his forehead as he rubbed his temple. "You haven't gone grey because I have for you. You're welcome. I'll go check on the troublemaker while you finish getting ready." Once he was outside the room, he looked down to his daughter and smiled. "Alright, princess, take me to the mess."
​

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

Conor had come a long way from the reckless man he was in the late 1940s causing trouble in Chicago and choosing to define 'home' as his studio apartment over his noisy pub. The present day showed a very different man to the hedonistic person he was in his early twenties. No longer plagued with insecurities about failing his father's memory, Conor was now the head of the family and the leader of the Irish Mob. His decisions were no longer directed by what he perceived others wanted from him and instead he was confident with his own instincts. The minimalistic apartment from almost four decades ago had now been traded for a large mansion by the coast of Sutton, overlooking the distant view of Bull Island. Married and still in love with his wife, Aliana, along with having three of his children living with him, Conor considered these years the peak. Still, he had no intentions of descending the mountain he had conquered. No matter what the cost.

Within the large mansion was a section that remained off-limits to the children and anyone else not involved with the business side of things. As well as Conor's large office, there were also other rooms in the secured area that he didn't want the kids walking in on. Whilst his office was well decorated and homely, one of the downfalls of leading the business was days like today when he'd been stuck inside the same four walls for too many consecutive hours whilst his family was preparing for the party. His private office had been welcomed earlier in the week when he'd needed time to adjust after his mother's funeral, but now the same room felt suffocating. He preferred to be outside in the fresh air and conducting business out on the streets.

Conor still had to finish up in his office before he could join his family in the heart of the home for the party they were having. The knock on the door signalled Danny had arrived for the quick catch-up, which prompted Conor to glance to his watch and conclude the conversation he'd been having with one of his enforcers. "Sergeant Murphy has overstepped his mark one too many times, Garret. For now, I need you to gather as much information as you can about him. Where he lives, if he has any family or other loved ones. Any incentives I can use to keep him in his place. You understand, don't you?" Conor quietly asked, to which Garret smirked and nodded in confirmation.

As Garret left the office, Danny was invited to step inside and sit down at the other side of the desk to where Conor sat in his own leather chair. "Danny, mate. How's it going?" he asked his trusted drugs distributor. As he sat back in his chair, he briefly studied the younger man. Although Danny and Savannah had ended their relationship years ago, it was all mutual and Conor never had any reason to treat his employee any differently to how he had when the young couple were dating. He liked Danny and his trust in the man had paid off as he had grown to be a valued member of the mob. "I'm not going to keep you long as I've been stuck in his office all day. Not to mention, you and I have a party to join," he commented. Even if Danny hadn't already been invited to the party, it was clear from Conor's tone that he was now expected to attend. "So, is there anything I need to be concerned about? Is everyone under your watch pulling their weight?" he pressed the man.

Pyroclast (Danny)

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

Savannah Callahan
~ Callum King ~​

Savannah had been in Dublin and staying with her parents for over a week, having arrived a few days before her grandmother's funeral. Deep down, she was dreading returning to London, which was why she jumped at the chance to stick around for the family's party and get a few more days out of Dublin. It had also enabled her to have an audition for a new show being filmed in Ireland. The way she felt, she didn't need any encouragement to leave London, but where the Kings were concerned, she felt obliged to provide an excuse. She wasn't sure telling them she wanted to live close to her own family would go down too well on its own, but having to leave London for her career would put more weight and confidence behind her decision. Either way, she expected such a revelation wouldn't go down too well with some of the Kings, considering it would mean taking Callum with her and separating him his Alex's side of the family. She liked the London family and she couldn't deny that most of them had made her feel welcome, but she missed her own family and since Grandma Shannon had passed away, Savannah felt even more isolated in London.

Savannah was enjoying spending more time with her family and she wasn't looking forward to leaving for London again in a few days. Spencer had been on the telephone earlier that day wanting to know when she was 'bringing Callum home' for the Kings to see the boy. Her vague answer hadn't gone down too well, but Savannah had opted not to dwell on it. She didn't like feeling as if she was upsetting the Kings, especially when the whole situation was Alex's fault to begin with. Why should she have to feel like a prisoner in London and have to appease them when she had done nothing wrong?

Despite being brought together for her grandmother's funeral, Savannah was loving spending time with her parents and siblings. It was always good to see Sinead and Peter so happy to get quality time with their grandson. Savannah had arrived a little late to the party, having had to make a couple of calls to her agent, but once she was ready she rushed from the Callahan residence to her Uncle Conor's party. Seeing Sinead was helping Lucy and Aliana with setting things up, she relieved her mother of having to also babysit Callum. Not that the boy was any trouble as he sat flicking through a comic book Sinead had bought for him.

"Hey Mum!" Savannah greeted Sinead with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Aunt Lucy. Aunt Ali," she then said, moving on to embrace the two ladies in question. She had a smile firmly etched on her face as she stood with the women, which only broadened when Callum rushed over and jumped up into her arms. "Hi there, handsome boy. Have you been good for your Grandma and Aunties?" she asked, to which the boy quickly nodded.

"Yep. I've been even gooder than the older kids," he assured her, having just seen the antics JJ and Jeanie had been up to. Granted, he'd found it amusing himself. "Is Daddy here?" the boy curiously asked. This caught Savannah a little off-guard and her smile faded. Her unpleasant call with Spencer had left her feeling a little sour where the Kings were concerned, but she refused to speak ill of them in front of Callum.

"No, he's still in London. You'll see him when we get back there." Excusing herself from the other women, Savannah carried Callum with her to the lounge. She put him down and pointed over to her little brother, Liam. "Why don't you go play with Liam and the others? You're always wanting to see him when we're not here," she reminded the boy. He didn't hesitate to rush off and join Liam. Considering her little brother's age, Savannah still found it funny calling Liam Callum's uncle.

Mentions: Bellz Melanin-Gxdess
[Savvy's free to interact]

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aliana Cartwright-Sullivan

A lot had transpired in the Cartwright-Sullivan family in the last 13 years. Between becoming the new head of the family, the passing of her mother, her heart attack, and the birth of her daughters, the woman had her hands full. With guidance from her mother-in-law and her sister, however, she was able to come up with a game plan and learn how to balance all of it. Perhaps the only thing she hadn't truly gotten a grip on was planning big family events. They were more stressful than planning children's parties and stress was something she was trying to stay away from. So when Lucy said she would take over, Aliana did not hesitate to leave it all in her hands. It wasn't just for selfish reasons -- though it could definitely be seen that way -- but because she figured the woman should have something else to focus on. Ali knew how it felt having her husband locked up in prison and having her mother pass felt. Although she had a decade between both events she could still relate.

This evening the Sullivan family was doing what they did best; having a party. Most people would have thought it unconventional for them to have a party days after a funeral but they didn't understand how the family worked. It was in her mother-in-law's honor and would more than likely lift everyone's spirits. She just hoped it would provide a good enough distraction for her sister. The entire day had been spent finishing the final touches on the party, Ali pouring the final glass of champagne and placing it on the table. The three women looked at their handy work and Ali smiled. When Lucy mentioned watching her slave for years as the designated party planner, Ali couldn't help but grin and wrap her arms around Lucy's shoulders. "Oh, but everything looks so much better when you do it." She playfully whined. "You've taught me well, so I may be able to pull it off. I still recommend you be on standby though." As she opened her mouth to say something more, she was interrupted by her niece and nephew running into the room. For a moment, she tried thinking about a time when there weren't children running around the house causing some kind of chaos; she couldn't seem to think of any.

After hearing what her younger brother had done, Ali had to cover her lips with her fingers. It wasn't supposed to be funny, but she just couldn't help herself. Her nephew had been quite the trickster and it was very entertaining. But her niece was upset so she couldn't outright laugh at the situation. It seemed like Lucy had thought something similar as she made the same face. Once the situation had been explained, Lucy chastised her grandson and had him apologize. Once the two set off on their separate ways, Ali couldn't help but shrug. "I mean... It was kind of funny. I'm just glad I had girls after Leo so I don't have to worry about that." Her head turned at the sound of the door opening, Savannah making her way inside and over to the three of them. Ali smiled and returned her hug just as Callum came around the corner. It always warmed her heart seeing how much her nieces and nephews had grown over the years, especially when it came to them having children of their own. She couldn't wait for Leo to finally settle down and start having kids. Granted, her youngest was five so maybe she shouldn't be hoping for grandchildren so soon. "They grow up so fast."

​

 

[_amaranth_]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Madison MONAGHAN

"Are you even listening to me?" The rough, rather raspy voice hit Maddie's ears, forced her to look up from the pile of papers in front of her. It was way too late for her to be still at work and quite honestly, she imagined that at this time, she would already be forgetting the day with Billy and the gang. Yet, the guy was still sitting here in front of her, mistaking her office with a marriage counseling. Why did she agree to this again? Ever since she started to work for the Kings, she didn't really need to take other clients but that was just her. Stupid, kind-hearted Madison who wanted to save the world. Give that woman a halo 'cause she's a saint. Yeah, sure.

"Of course, I'm listening to you, Mr. Romero. I'm just trying to figure out the relevance of what you've just told me to the whole case we have here. I am your lawyer and I did promise to make sure you'll get to keep all your money but please, next time you come in, you make sure you know what is written on my door, eh? 'Cause it sure ain't Madison Monaghan, psychologist. Now, do you have anything useful for me or shall we wrap this up and conclude that your wife is a stone-cold bitch feeding off of your money while enjoying herself with her young lovers?"

What? She was polite! There were so many other ways she could say that. Yet, the elder man in front of her still looked at her as she had three heads. "I'm paying you a great deal of money for counseling, girlie, so you're going to listen to me as much as I pay you for." he hissed and stood up, buttoning up his definitely tailor-made jacket. He just didn't know that the useless cane he always carried around poked the viper and poked her in a bad way. Madison looked up from her papers, set the pen down and folded her hands on the pile, fingers neatly braided.

"Or you don't need to pay me a penny more. You walk out of that door and it will be the last time I see you here. You show that ugly nose of yours in this place again and I promise it will be the last time you'll need that cane. I promise you that, Mr. Romero. I am no girlie to you, nor I am some of your lackeys. You are going to treat me with respect as I have treated you the whole time." she spoke in a calm tone but it was dripping with poison. The young woman stood up and walked across her office with a few long strides to reach a painting on the wall. Old-fashioned but she liked the fact that there was a safe behind it. Not that she used it a lot, she was not that snotty, neither she had that much cash on her that she needed it. It was more of a little something she enjoyed, no matter how tacky it was. The only cash the safe stored was the very same one Romero had set on her table a few weeks ago when he approached her, seeking an advice from the lawyer. Now, Maddie took the stacks of money and set it on the very same spot. "Take your money, Mr. Romero. Count them even, I never spent a penny. But we are done here as you clearly don't respect me as a professional. Have a good night." she spoke, sporting the most fake of the smiles.

No need to say that the man was furious. Fuming, he collected the money from the table and marched out of the office, mumbling something about a lawsuit or whatever. Maddie was not interested. This was that one case she never should have taken up in the first place. And maybe she overreacted. Didn't matter now. He was gone and she was finally free to enjoy her evening. The redhead stretched her tired, sore neck until she heard a series of cracks and sighed. Leaving the office in the evening instead of four or five in the afternoon as normal people do. Who does that?

It wasn't long after this little hitch in her path that Maddie was walking in the pub. Dressed to the nines, exactly the way you're not supposed to look like in a pub, she walked in, looking around for familiar faces when she heard the cheerful voice of her cousin. With her lips curled in a playful smirk, she approached Billy and returned the tight hug. That guy was probably her most favorite person in the world and could make everything go away. "Stop bullshiting me, Billy King. You'd drink this place dry even without my charming little moi." the redhead laughed and took the offered seat, setting her document bag next to her. Yes, a document bag. Yet another thing you bring to the pub. "I'm peachy, Billy, just...pour it. Whatever it is. Pour it and keep it coming. Thank god, it's Friday." she groaned just as Nolan joined the pack. Mads nodded at the man, greeting him shortly. The two knew each other only because of the Kings, never had any deeper conversation anyway.

"And most importantly, I need my drinking buddy tonight so make sure you have time for me." she spoke to Billy again, drumming her fingernails on the wooden board of the bar. Thank god it was Friday indeed. Possibly the most perfect time too get her a snazzy little hangover.

Pyroclast (Billy)

code by g o l d i e l o x x

 

[BloodLightning27]

Chapter 1: Family Comes First
Friday, 15th of March, 1985
...The Beginning...
New York: Afternoon - Mild, Dry, Sunny
London: Evening - Mild, Breezy, Overcast
***********************************************************************************

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~New York City: The Taylor Brothers~​

Its has been a couple of years since the Taylor Brothers formed a Business partnership with renowned Businessman and Crime Lord Gabriel Moretti, fully taking advantage of the crack epidemic that now had a very strong foothold in America. In exchange for having a steady supply flow and protection, Q has agreed to give Moretti forty percent of the profits generated from the sales. In addition to the business partnership with Q there was one other thing that the two brothers wanted: Revenge against the Medellin Cartel for the murder of their parents. Moretti has yet to make a move, which left J.T rather frustrated, but Q was always there to reassure him that Moretti is a man of his word. From what the elder Taylor had heard, the Moretti Family was still picking up the pieces from their war with the Irish Mob, which he had heard to be very long and bloody. Even then it was very long time ago, as he had yet to step into the Cocaine Business at that time. "Q, its been almost six years, at some point, we gotta get back at the Medellin fucks for what they did to Mom and Pops. We can't wait forever. What the hell's taking Moretti so long, man!?" He asked angrily as they drove into Hell's Kitchen.

"Look lil bro, I wanna get back at them too. But if Boss Man ain't ready, he ain't ready. You know that he had some beef with the Irish fifteen years ago. You do realize how long it takes to recover from a war of that stature, right?" He asked, hoping that J.T would settle down. "Going into a war while you're still recovering can prove fatal and we don't want that. Fighting half-assed can get you killed, you should know this bro. I'll talk to Boss Man about it later and hopefully he'll be in a good mood. Mainly because I don't really like being around him when he is pissed off."

J.T only sighed in frustration. "Yeah...fine. So where we goin' today?"

"Well we still good on supply, but I got a call from one of his homeboys, so we gonna go to Hell's Kitchen to see what's up." He said as they continued to navigate through the New York traffic.

After a couple more minutes of driving, Q went ahead and parallel parked between two vehicles that he recognized belonged to Moretti's men. Soon, he shut off the vehicle and checked his pistol to make sure it was fully loaded while J.T did the same. In addition to having Cocaine in the trunk, they had a couple of other weapons prepared in the event they got into a tight situation. Making sure the car was locked upon exiting, the Taylor Brothers proceeded to walk into the Riverside Diner. Upon arriving in the basement though, the two Brothers started getting rather uncomfortable, as they saw blood on the floor and a man strapped to a dentist-chair only in his boxers and a vest. "What the fuck...?" Was all Q could say as he walked a little closer, stopping about six feet away from the man being held captive, shivering a little as he saw the bloodstained medical tools and fresh blood that partially covered the floor. "Don Moretti sent us, Mr...um...Nicolosi...How can we...be of service?" Q asked, sounding nervous for the first time in a while.

Despite his streaks of violence, even J.T was visibly uncomfortable with the environment that he was now in. "I don't like this, Q." He growled, folding his arms.

Misty Gray (Damien)

~London: Shirley Kwon~​

Pregnancy Progression: 30/42 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 210/294 Days

For expectant mother Shirley Kwon, pregnancy was not exactly getting any easier. On this day, it had been a little over ninety days since she had left Ireland and moved to London after becoming estranged from her Sister. Getting a new home wasn't easy, but she had gotten lucky. Getting a more legal job however, was currently next to impossible, or so she thought. Shirley very much doubted that anyone would be willing to hire a very pregnant woman, let alone a migrant. And even if she was able to find a job, she certainly wouldn't be working for very long because no one would be home to care for her newborns. So she has stuck to her more...less then legal source of income. In a discreet manner, she had been providing impromptu medical services to the worst people of London, from gang members to drug dealers. As long as she was paid, Shirley would not report them to authorities. On this evening though, Shirley was not going to be home, so hopefully she would not arrive to a bleeding gangster on her porch, as that would not look good to her neighbors or authorities.

Although Shirley spent most of her time at home, one of the few times she would leave the house was for appointments with her Obstetrician/Gynecologist, whom she was now seeing twice a month and after the next appointment two weeks from this one, she would starting seeing her Obstetrician/Gynecologist on a weekly basis. Thankfully, her pregnancy was progressing very smoothly. Shirley was expecting her pregnancy to have a few complications or concerns, especially since she was expecting twins. Unlike her though, her babies were fraternal twins, whereas she was an identical twin. As she arrived at the London Royal Hospital, Shirley quietly made her way to the Maternity Ward. Like the last couple of visits, Shirley was at first, a little uncomfortable as she was always coming in by herself, whereas most of the other women who came usually had their spouses with them. As she made her way into the waiting room though, Shirley was able to relax a bit more as she sat down to wait for her Doctor. Taking a deep breath, she took a seat in the waiting room after straightening out her dress, which was a little more empty then she was used to. Her first assumption was that most of the other women who have been here in the past have likely delivered their babies by now.

After sitting down, she felt a little more relieved as it was getting more and more difficult for her to be on her feet for extended periods of time. In this stage, Shirley had been dealing with a lot of pain in her back and her feet, but according to her Obstetrician/Gynecologist, it was normal for pregnancy in the later stages, which was a bit of an understatement since she was expecting twins. Although her eyes and her hands were more fixated on her very pregnant belly as well as the material of her dress, her train of thought was soon disrupted by another woman who was sitting nearby.

“Why do they have magazines like this in the maternity ward? They’re clearly designed to make us feel fat.”

As she realized that the other woman was talking about the Magazines that were on a nearby table, Shirley started feeling self-conscious about her weight, as she had gained sixteen kilograms since the pregnancy began. Once they made eye-contact though, the other woman greeted her before commenting on how she sees Shirley almost every visit to the Hospital. Gently, Shirley rubbed her belly as one of the babies started kicking, likely because they were unfamiliar with the other voice.

“Hi."
“I feel like I see you almost every time I come here. I'm not going crazy, am I?”

"No. I'm sure its just a coincidence that we happen to have our appointments on the same day, at the same time." Shirley responded, partially matching the sheepish tone, granted it was unintentional. "And if it makes you feel any better, I've gained sixteen kilograms and I'm expecting twins." She said as she continued to cradle her belly.

Pyroclast (Shona)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Reina Richards
~New York~

Reina absolutely hated funerals. She wasn't sure if it were all the emotions involved or how long they ran or even the fact that most of them were held in churches. Whatever the reason, she tried to avoid them as much as she could. Unfortunately, Roxie's uncle had passed which meant she was being dragged along to the funeral service. She knew to make any kind of comments about her discomfort would be rude, so she kept it to herself. At one point, she had even nodded off but because she was wearing sunglasses, no one had noticed. Hearing sermons and benedictions were boring and she couldn't wait for it all to be over. The last thing on the list would be the Will Reading where they would all find out once and for all who was going inherit everything. It was already assumed everything would just go to Ricky anyway so she didn't see the need to even attend. Alas, she was an employee and had no say in where she was going for today. She was along for the ride, a red lollipop in her mouth as she listened to the idle car ride conversation.

When they arrived at the law firm, Reina gave a two-finger salute to both Julia and Ricky before walking next to Mitch. Reina hadn't said much of anything today considering she was worried about what could fly out. The last thing she wanted was to say something out of pocket and be rude. That's one of the reasons she had the candy in her mouth, keep it preoccupied. Once they exited the elevator, Roxie escorted them into the conference room and closed the blinds. She took a seat close to Roxie and leaned back, getting comfortable. The gun strapped to her left side caused her to lean over to her right for easier access. Once everyone had gotten settled, the will reading had begun. There was nothing very surprising nor exciting being given away; Ricky was getting everything. As the son to the big man himself, it made sense and was necessary. At least that's what Reina had been thinking until she heard that 'However' come out of Roxie's mouth.

Anytime someone had said 'however' around her, she took it the same way she did 'but'. There was nothing good to be followed after such a word. This became apparent the more Reina listened to the words coming out of Roxie's mouth. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and sat properly in her seat, her attention grabbed. Ricky and Roxie seemed to be thinking this was some misunderstanding, but Reina had a feeling it was not. She noticed the amused grin on Ricky's face and had to cover her mouth with her hand. Not because she was about to laugh but to try and hide the expression she felt coming to her face. Her eyes, on the other hand, she knew would betray her so she quickly put them back over her face again. While Mitch took a moment to read it over and confirm or deny what was written, Reina shook her head. "And here I thought funerals and will readings were boring."

​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik Snowden
~London~

Erik was eternally grateful to Ava for suggesting to Gabe to send him to London. He knew it was supposed to be for business and business he did well, but London was far more fun than New York. Access to drugs was easier -- and far safer -- than they were back home. The party scene with someone of his background was a lot more accepting too, though he still kept that information to himself. It wasn't that he was afraid to tell other people, he just wasn't the kind of person who talked about themselves without being prompted. There were rumors, but he wouldn't confirm nor deny any of them. Letting people run with their own ideas of him was more his speed until he felt like he couldn't take it anymore. So far he wasn't even near the point where people were going to piss him off, so all was good in Erik Snowden's world.

He had planned on going out to an underground party later that night, but first, he had to make a stop. The Royal Taphouse was always frequented by the King family and their associates. It was the perfect place for any kind of pre-gaming. Plus, there was a chance she Billy would be in attendance and he enjoyed hanging out with him. The two were pretty close, though he had managed to keep his drug issue from him... Or so he hopes. Erik hadn't been addicted per se but he was definitely on the road to getting there. Even now, sitting in the back of a taxi he was shoving the white substance up his nose. After a few moments to let it settle and make sure the evidence was gone, he stepped out into the night air. He sniffled a few times and rubbed his hands together, walking into the familiar pub. It seemed to be busy tonight, which he shouldn't have been too surprised of. It was the weekend, which meant more drinking and partying before work resumed that Monday. He caught sight of Billy standing with his cousins and made his way over to the group, a grin on his face. "Do my eyes deceive me or is Billy King out and about?” He teased, placing his hands on the mans face to see if he were real or a ghost. “He’s real all right. Looks like Billy King isn’t all work and no play.”

​

 

[Misty Gray]

Rikers Island
~ The Bronx, New York ~

James Porter​

"Where are they?" James' threatening words could be heard to those in the recreation room. Though he barely raised his voice, the power behind it was enough to show he was being serious.

"I don't know, man." the other prisoner's weaker voice replied, the side of his face pressed into the wall by James who also had his arm pinned tightly behind his back. The skinny prisoner attempted to wriggle out of James' hold again but to no avail.

"You'd better start thinking, because if my friend over there doesn't have those smokes returned to him by lights out tonight--" James was interrupted from his threat as the voice of the heavy set CO boomed out the word 'inmate'. Granted, it was the same officer who had been stood watching the altercation since it began and only now had decided to intervene. James hesitated before letting the thief go and stepping away from him. The whole thing had been over a box a cigarettes, which on the outside meant very little in the grand scheme of things, but in jail was a huge deal. Whilst he had heavies in his gang who would generally take care of such business, James had to pull his weight regularly to remind everyone of where they stood and who was in charge. It was far removed from his hopes - or pipe dream - of retirement he'd had some years ago.

The first few months of his sentence six years ago had told him having a quiet life in a cell wasn't going to happen. His original prison sentence being for murdering a cop meant the prison staff gave him a rougher time than any of the prisoners could have. Months were spent in solitary confinement and beatings were regularly arranged. This was soon followed by the authorities opening up more investigations into James and him being transferred to Rikers Island after serving only a few months. It soon became apparent that the influential Gabriel Moretti had played a part in those matters when the Italian proposed a deal which James had little choice but to accept. In return for conducting Moretti business and providing intelligence from behind bars, the safety of James' family was guaranteed and his life in jail made somewhat easier with staff backing off as well as some turning a blind eye when needed.

A quiet life blending into the shadows within his own cell would have been preferable. Instead, everything was about survival and maintaining his position, no matter how unpleasant he had to be...

"Come with me," the CO ordered James. As they walked along the long strip of cells, James and the CO slowed their paces as any conversation would end upon reaching the destination but there were words to be said. "The vacation was a real treat. Honeymoon in Maui. Bliss," the CO intentionally gushed with the knowledge the inmate wouldn't have any chance of seeing Hawaii for himself.

"Yeah, well while you were gone one of those new recruits sent me on vacation to the box for a week. You might want to have a word with that one otherwise I can't keep my end of the deal with Moretti and it won't be me having to explain why to him." Were it not for the health and safety of his family on the outside, James would gladly do everything he could to sabotage the control Gabriel had over the dealings within Rikers Island.

"My colleague was just doing his job by punishing a violent thug," the CO remarked to James. "For what it's worth, the new recruit has been transferred to look after the crazies in the psych wing." As they approached James' cell, the officer continued to speak. "There's no need to be ratting him out to your old friend Moretti..." When they stopped outside the cell, the CO used his thumb to gesture in the direction of the recreational area. "Ten minutes and I want you back there."

The officer hadn't bothered to inform James of why he was being taken to his cell and made a point of leaving before the prisoner asked any questions. When James turned around to enter his cell, it soon became evident why he'd been escorted there. Briefly glancing over his shoulder, it was clear the CO wasn't in the mood to provide answers, so he didn't bother calling out to him. The first instinct was to assume the uninvited visitor in his cell was there to either steal or plant something there. However, Kurt was making up the half of the bunk that had been empty for quite some time. The only suspicious thing was the fact that James appeared to be getting a cellmate for the first time since his sentence had begun. James was aware it had mostly been done to isolate him and to allow business to be conducted without a cellmate listening in. If he were being honest, James' preference was to be left alone whenever possible, as lights out was the only time he had opportunity to find some peace.

"I'd have ordered in some drinks if I'd known you were coming," James spoke up to Kurt as he entered the cell. With the surprise of a new cellmate, it hadn't yet entered James' mind that Kurt may have heard the tail end of what the CO had been saying when approaching the cell.

Pyroclast (Kurt)

 

[Pyroclast]

The Sullivan Home
~ Dublin ~​

Syd Porter and Jane Carriveau-Porter

It wasn’t often that Lucy was home these days, or at least it seemed that way to Syd. Everything had happened at once to disrupt her life and she was torn apart. As much as he wanted her around, Syd knew he had to let her make the decision for her own well-being and start encouraging her to put herself first. It was hard to see her go, especially at such a hard time. His brother, father and mother were all scattered and each trying to survive their own awful circumstances. By now, things were relatively more settled - Thomas was home and in safe hands and James seemed to have found some ground in his unit on Rikers Island. Syd had his children and businesses to focus on, as well as serving as Conor’s right hand, and most of the time that was enough to keep his head on straight. But when Lucy did come and visit, it always reminded him of just how much he missed her.

So, if there was anything good to have come from his Grandma Shannon’s passing, it was that he had managed to spend some valuable time with his mother and be there for her while the grief was fresh. The pair of them could constantly argue over who worried about each other more, but when they were together he felt like he didn’t have to worry so much. Never having been much of a host himself, he was happy to see Lucy occupy herself with the party arrangements. She always did a great job of making people feel at home - even in somebody else’s house.

“Dad?”

Syd jumped at the sound of the voice ringing out from the corridor. He had seconds, if that - without hesitation, he blew out the last breath of smoke through the gap in the window and stubbed out his cigarette in a nearby plant pot. When Jane appeared in the doorway, she put her hands on her hips. She always saw right through him - though with the guilty look on his face, it wouldn’t be hard at all. “Dad, you said you quit smoking.”

“I have quit, sweetheart,” he sighed, pushing himself off the windowsill and walking over to her. “Just sometimes, you know, the urge is stronger than I am. I’ll try extra hard from now on, okay?”

Syd could tell by the way Jane was looking at him that his words hadn’t reassured her. Maybe he had made that same excuse and that same promise too many times. He came over and wrapped his arms around her.

“Then why today?” she asked, her voice muffled by the tight hug. Syd bent down to look her in the eye and a warm smile formed on his face. If he could take all her worries from her then he would in a heartbeat, but he knew it was in her nature. She was his daughter, after all - and that didn’t just mean inheriting certain traits, but witnessing them, too. Even the slightest sign of him expressing anxiety put her on a slight edge, knowing the person he could become when he was stressed out.

“Hey, you don’t have to worry about a thing, okay? It’s just a hard time for the family right now, we all just need to help each other get through this.” Syd brushed a strand of Jane’s hair out of her eyes, which instantly fell back into place. It was just as stubborn as she was, probably styled to be exactly the way she wanted it. “Why don’t we go join the party? See where your sister’s got up to?”

Jane smiled as her father guided her back out into the corridor. “Fine,” she agreed. “But if you’re smoking, then I’m having a drink!” Before he could protest, she bolted ahead of him and disappeared around the corner. Syd was too exasperated to bother chasing her down - he just made a mental note to keep an eye on his children throughout the night.

As he made his way back to the party, he spotted Lucy hovering over a table of filled champagne glasses, her eyes on the front door. Aliana and Sinead were also there, and his natural response was to draw towards them. “Wow, the party’s looking real nice,” he said with a smile as he approached the group of women. He kissed his mother on the cheek, partly in an attempt to steady her nerves, then, gesturing to the table of champagne flutes, he asked, “So is there anything left to do, or am I allowed to take one of these?”

* * * * *​

"God, there you are," Jane sighed, launching herself into the bathroom where Jeanie stood at the mirror. "I keep losing people at this party. Oh, and Dad's smoking again..." She gently pushed her twin aside so there was space for her to check out her hair. That's when she noticed the line on Jeanie's face, and couldn't help an amused smile from crossing her own. "What are you doing? What happened to your face?"

Interactions
Bellz Lucy, Jeanie
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana
Misty Gray Sinead

 

[Misty Gray]

Wycliff Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Valentina Wycliff​

Valentina laughed off Teddy's joke about her pushing for a fourth child and then quickly shook her head to assure him he had nothing to worry about. She loved her children and in an ideal world she would have more of them, but regardless of her stubbornness to admit it, she knew she couldn't go through having a fourth child. She was so focused on her career and proving to others that she was successful that she couldn't afford to take another break from work to have another baby. Besides which, had Paolo been her firstborn, she was sure she one have stopped at just one child, considering he was such hard work.

She was relieved when Teddy said he'd go check on Paolo. "Thank you, love," she called out to him. Once she'd finished fixing her hair, she headed into the en-suite bathroom to take some pills for her growing headache.

Cristina looked up to Teddy and flashed him a bashful smile before leading him in the direction of the lounge. "Maybe one of my aunts or uncle would like to adopt Paolo? You've got enough kids, so you really should share," she teased and rolled her eyes. Once in the lounge, the girl moved so the sofa was between herself and her little brother, not wanting to risk any paint getting on the white dress she'd picked out to wear. Teddy would see Paolo standing with a grin on his face as his trousers were covered in the spilled green paint. Luckily, it was only the boy's trousers and hands that were messed up, so far.

"Look! I'm the Hulk," the boy announced as he held his bright green hands up for Teddy to see.

"Yeah, you got that right. You're messy and destructive! But unlike the Hulk, you're just a little weed." Cristina taunted her brother.

Valentina joined everyone in the lounge and lightly shook her head as she caught sight of the Paolo's green hands. "No bickering, please," she asserted. She gently readjusted Cristina's hairband before sitting on the sofa next to Francis. She figured she had a few minutes to rest whilst Teddy tended to Paolo. "How was school today?" she asked her eldest child. With Paolo commanding a lot of attention and Cristina being their 'princess', Valentina always made sure she didn't overlook Francis, especially as he tended to be very little trouble.

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)

 

[Pyroclast]

Danny Vaughan

Danny would never dispute the way Conor did his business - not because it wasn’t his place to, but because it hardly affected him. Having worked in the mob’s drug distribution sector for over 13 years, he knew his way around that side of the business and as long as he did his job well, that was more or less all he needed to know. Still, everyone had their personal opinions and so when Conor invited him in for a business meeting during the celebration of his late mother’s life, Danny couldn’t help but find the timing a bit odd. He had offered to postpone it for a later time, but Conor was the boss and ultimately he had to respect his busy schedule. So, just to be in-keeping with the atmosphere, Danny had dressed up a little smarter than usual with a black suit - freshly ironed and everything.

“Evening, Mrs Porter,” he chirped as he entered the Sullivan’s elegant home. “Mrs Callahan, Mrs Sullivan... My deepest condolences to you all.” Parties were where Danny felt most at home, so naturally he would have stayed to chat. However, he knew that Conor needed to get back to his family and hoped that he would do just that as soon as their meeting was out of the way. “I’ll see you all another time. You take care, now.” With a warm smile, he slipped away down the corridor that led to Conor’s office. He and Conor got on well enough and although he knew the mob boss was violent in ways Danny didn’t want to even think about, he personally wasn’t afraid of him at all. Just as he was about to rap on the door, a well-built man with a vaguely familiar face opened it and stepped out of the room. Danny gave him a passing nod before Conor invited him inside.

“Not too bad, man, not too bad,” he answered with a cheerful smile, reaching out to shake his hand before dropping himself into the opposite chair. “How’re you holdin’ up, boss?”

Danny didn’t miss the subtle invitation to the party, and even though he didn’t know Shannon on a personal level, his smile broadened at the gesture. “Well, thanks, Conor,” he said. “Sure, we can make this quick.” The opening question was the same as usual: a general check up on how Danny’s dealers were operating. “Actually, there are one or two I’ve had to pull up,” he admitted. “One guy, Swanny, he’s showin’ a real interest in the business, but he’s actin’ like he’s higher up than he is. Keeps tryin’ to give me advice and ideas. And you know, I used to do what he does, so I know there’s a lot of freedom in dealing - but he’s tryin’ to push territorial boundaries now. He doesn’t seem to understand what can happen when you sell in the wrong places. One of these days that kid is gonna find out the hard way, you know what I’m sayin’?”

Danny’s eyes drifted to the ceiling as he thought about what else there was to report. Being involved in gang business, his pacifist beliefs were constantly challenged. He was good at his job, and he enjoyed it, but it was moments like this when he knew he could be landing someone in some kind of trouble with Conor. Where the Irish mob boss was concerned, there was no telling how far he would go. “There’s another guy we should talk about, too,” he added. “He’s been with us a few months now, his name’s Colm...I’ve been watchin’ him these past few weeks and I’m pretty sure he’s stealin’ from our supply. He’s got a problem, I think. A coke problem.” His smile had faded now, his once cool disposition now turned a little uncomfortable as he thought about what Conor might do to him. “I think we just need to drop him, honestly,” he quickly suggested. “Maybe he wasn’t an addict at first, who knows, but as long as he has access, of course he’s gonna take it. He just can't help himself.”

Interactions Misty Gray Conor

Bellz Lucy
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

 

[Pyroclast]

The Oak Tree Restaurant
~ Dublin ~​

Chase and Michael Zegarra

“Okay, here we are!” he announced, switching off the engine of his maroon Ford Cortina. Between working in the mob and being a father of three young children, Chase didn’t often find time to relax. Every part of his life was unpredictable, so he had grown used to thinking on the spot and, unfortunately, sacrificing plans when necessary. Sometimes he arranged a rare night out with his wife but was pulled away just as they arrived; other times he had to find someone to cover him at work at the last minute because his children needed him. But he didn’t mind - as long as his duties were all taken care of and he found enough opportunities to spend quality time with his family, that was as much as he could ask for.

“Emilia, come on,” he prompted, offering his hand for her to hold while they crossed the car park. The family had arrived at the Oak Tree Restaurant for their weekly meal out. As the eldest and most mature of the three, he expected Michael to show a good example to his little sisters and not encourage any hyperactivity or provoke any tantrums, but recently the boy’s moods had become a little harder to predict. Chase was just hoping for everyone’s sake that the night would go smoothly and they could all just enjoy themselves.

As soon as they walked through the door, Chase’s eyes found Adam seated at the bar and he bent down to Emilia’s height, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Who’s that sitting over there?” he whispered to her, pointing in Adam’s direction. “He looks a bit lonely, doesn’t he? Go on, I think he’d be very happy to get a hug from you.” He let go of the girl’s hand so he could check into the restaurant and find their reservation. Once the waiter had pointed out their table, he made his way to the bar to join the others.

“Hey, Uncle Adam!” Michael smiled as he climbed up onto the barstool next to his Godfather. Holding out his fist, he added, “Remember our secret handshake?”

“Don’t get too close to that one,” Chase warned Adam. “He was off sick from school today.” Chase shot a glance at Jasmine but didn’t say anything outright. The truth was, he wasn’t so convinced Michael was actually sick - it was the seventh time that term that he had fought for a day off school, and it was getting to the point where Chase was half-expecting a phone call from the headmistress about his attendance. Plus, when one of the children was ill, it never failed to spread to the other two, and Safia and Emilia so far both seemed fine.

“You fancy joining us at our table, asere?” he offered. “You don’t look like you’re working too hard.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Adam, Jasmine, Emilia, Safia, (Benjamin)

 

[Pyroclast]

Jason and Cian Costello

Ever since Cian had come into their lives, life for Jason had begun to feel like one very, very long day. Sleep was sporadic, his routine changed with every project he worked on and when he looked in the mirror, his manic reflection laughed back at him. He once went to an audition in a mismatched suit and had to leave his jacket at the reception desk, only to realise that a one-year-old Cian had sicked up on his shirt. Every day was a test. That being said, he did adore his little family and wouldn’t change it for the world. If he could just get some sleep, then life would be perfect.

Tonight, he and Gwen had found a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time together: by visiting Lorelei’s piano bar, The Funky Cat. With any luck, the liveliness of the lounge would wear out Cian enough that he would sleep past 5am the next morning. It was always a treat to visit, but especially when Lorelei gave the reaction that she gave them this time. Jason smiled at her as she took her little brother up in her arms. Cian laughed when his sister ruffled his hair, and pulled her head towards him so he could give her a big kiss on the cheek.

“Ha ha,” Jason drily responded to his daughter’s teasing. “Save your sense of humour for this one - you’re gonna need it.” Lorelei went on to offer to take Cian off their hands for the night, and as if to illustrate her point, Jason was silenced by a long yawn. “Wreak havoc?” he repeated wearily. “Sure, if by 'havoc' you mean 'bed' and by 'wreak' you mean 'pass out in', that sounds like a top idea.” As he stood before the young woman, he couldn’t help feeling immensely proud of her. Despite only being in her life for 14 or so years, he had been lucky enough to watch her grow up from a curious little girl to a creative entrepreneur and owner of a classy piano lounge, doing what she loved and already riding the wave of success at the young age of 20. When he was her age, he was already in prison serving a 4 years sentence; alone, dirt poor and with no prospects on the outside. That life was all behind him now, of course. Given the way things had turned out for him, Gwen and Lorelei, he couldn’t regret a single thing.

“But don’t you be worryin’ about us, Rory, not while you’re at work. With him around, ye won’t get anythin’ done.” It was tempting - so, so tempting - to just leave Cian with her and escape somewhere for a good long break, but the boy needed constant supervision. Cian was as charming and social as a boy of his age could possibly be and if left alone would no doubt have made friends with everyone in the bar by the end of the evening - but as his parent, it was Jason's responsibility to make sure he didn't get himself into any trouble.

“Look, mammy, guess who I am!” Cian giggled. While Lorelei held him in her arms, he had draped her long red hair over his own head. “Guess, guess!” As exhausted as he was, Jason couldn’t help but grin at his son’s daft behaviour. He always described him as the most cheerful nightmare - the enthusiasm and happiness the boy exuded matched his boundless energy, and even though Jason swore he could feel his hair falling out by the day, he couldn’t imagine his life without him in it.

“I’m Rory!” Cian announced, and screamed with laughter. The band that was playing came to the end of their song then, inciting a round of applause from the room which the boy instantly clapped along with before almost losing his balance and having to cling back onto Lorelei’s shoulder. “Rory, can I go on the stage now?” he asked, twisting his head to gaze at the band. “Can we play on the piano together?”

“Alright, well, we’ll just take a table somewhere and if you need to head off, you just hand him back to us,” Jason told her, eager to sit down. He stretched out a hand to pinch his son’s cheek and said, “You be good now, little man.”

Taking Gwen’s hand, they meandered through the crowd until they reached an empty table at the side of the room, where Jason slumped into a chair. He heaved a cartoonish sigh that morphed into exasperated laughter, dragging a hand down his face before pushing himself upright and resting his weary eyes on Gwen. “I love having a kid,” he drew out, in a flat, subtly sarcastic tone. “Having a kid at 46...really, really underrated idea if you ask me.”

Interactions
Bellz Gwen, Lorelei

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan and Savannah Callahan​

Conor nodded his head when asked how he was holding up. It wasn't a lie that he was coping well with his mother's death, though some might argue he'd taken it all too well. Conor had plenty of reasons as to why Shannon's passing hadn't hit him hard and he was clinging onto those as they steered him away from the growing fear that he wasn't the man he used to be. The war with the Morettis had changed Conor. After losing his cousin Arlene, two of his best friends, Jackson and Ryan, along with many other friends, it was like he'd been repeatedly stabbed in the heart. He'd never wanted to feel so much pain and loss again, not after that horrid year. His first plan of action was to do whatever it took to protect his family, even if that meant stripping away some of his humanity and resembling something more like the monsters from his past. In doing that, it perhaps paved the way for him to cope if that plan failed and he did suffer loss again, which was by locking his feelings away and no longer allowing his emotions to take the wheel.

The reason Shannon's death hadn't hit him so hard was the simply fact it was expected. His mother hadn't been well for some time and when she was hospitalised with pneumonia, the family had been told to prepare for the worst. That was where his mother's loss differed from all of the others - it was nature that had taken her. No murder commanding acts of revenge. Purely old age and nature, allowing for the family to prepare and say goodbye whilst the woman was still alive.

"I'm doing alright, mate," he assured Danny. Still, there was some grief still bottled up, but Conor had enough distractions to keep him from giving his feelings the time of day. "My Mam was a fighter to the end and she practically demanded this party, threatening to haunt the shit out of us if we all wallowed away after she died," he explained, letting out a fond chuckle.

Conor sat forward and allowed his features to turn more serious as they got to discussing business. He was interested to hear about the two concerns Danny seemed to have about members of his team. He waited until the situation about Swanny had been explained before decisively nodding his head. "It's good that he's taking an interest, but he needs putting back in his place before he gets too cocky. Remind him of exactly where the boundaries are and if after that he still doesn't get the idea, come back to me and I'll decide what to do with him."

Danny went on to mention Colm, a man who had apparently been stealing from the supply and seemed to have a drug addiction. Of course, Conor could feel sympathetic towards the addict, but he knew it would be foolish to take pity on one man when the business was bigger than just Colm. He was a liability and giving a man like that some sympathy had potential to escalate into a problem for the business. Conor was not taking that kind of risk. "Alright," Conor said, letting out a sigh before slowly nodding his head. "You don't need to concern yourself with Colm. Leave it with me and he'll be out of your hair. We can't have a liability like that on my payroll, let alone stealing from me. He'll be dealt with," Conor confirmed, his words final and decisive.

Conor let out a long sigh before placing the palms of his hands down flat on the desk and standing up from his chair. "That's enough work for one day. There's a party in my house and I'll be damned if I miss it. When those three women get together I don't stand a chance against them..." he remarked, referring to Aliana, Lucy and Sinead. Conor fumbled with his tie before removing it completely and tossing it onto the chair along with his suit jacket. Feeling less suffocated, it was time to switch off from work. "Come on, mate," he said, patting Danny's shoulder before leading him out of his office.

*********​

Savannah was happily taking a moment to herself on the sofa whilst she could, before the party kicked in and the kids grew hyperactive in the atmosphere. For the last thirteen years, she'd lived in London and having her grandmother around had help her adjust. Shannon had certainly helped her to deal with the Kings. Shannon and Spencer had been on good terms, but the woman also had enough guts to put the hot-headed man in his place when called for. Savannah had a feeling she'd need someone like Shannon around if it came to informing the Kings she was moving to Dublin with Callum. Before she could dwell for too long, she was soon interrupted when Liam and Callum stepped into view.

"Sav, can Callum come outside and play football with me?" Liam asked his big sister.

Savannah looked up to the two boys and sent them a warm smile. "Of course... Oh, but make sure you stick to playing on the lawn. Last time you boys were playing outside he ended up grazing all of his knees when he fell on Mum and Dad's driveway. We'll have no injured knees today."

"Yeah, but that's because there was ice all over so the ground was slippy," Liam pointed out.

"There doesn't need to be ice for this little fella to get carried away and fall over. He trips over his own feet," she said, playfully ruffling Callum's hair. "Go on. Go out and play, but stay on the lawn," she told them before watching the two boys head off outside.

Having lead Danny out of the private section of the house, Conor continued to walk with his employee even when they were in the main area of the house. Conor briefly stopped by Aliana and the others, placing a kiss on Aliana's cheek, but he still continued walking Danny through the house. When they reached the lounge, Conor was happy to have found his niece resting alone on the couch. "You remember Savvy, right?" he asked, making sure his voice was loud enough to catch the blonde's attention.

Hearing her name, Savannah turned her head to look to the doorway. She was surprised to see Danny standing there. Whilst it was perfectly reasonable for him to be at the house, it had been a while since they'd seen each other. "Danny?" she rhetorically asked as she stood up and turned to face the two men. "H-how are you doing?" she asked, taking a step towards him but awkwardly stopping a few feet away.

"Well, I'm going to see if I still recognise my own kids after spending half my life in the office," Conor joked. Of course he sensed an atmosphere between Savannah and Danny, but he'd be lying if he said it hadn't been his intention to have the former couple bump into each other at least once whilst they were at the party. The two may have split up quite some years ago, but he at least figured they'd appreciate a friendly catch-up.

Conor didn't stick around long enough before returning to the heart of the party where his eyes soon landed on his youngest daughter. "Ahhh, there's my ray of sunshine!" he energetically exclaimed as he lifted Sydney high into the air before giving her a hug. "Did you find the secret stash of sweets yet? I hid the best ones just for us two." He placed a kiss on her forehead before putting her back down and crouching down to the child's level. "But first, have you drawn that picture of our house that you promised me?"

Pyroclast (Danny)
Mention: Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana, Sydney)

[Conor is open for interaction. Catch the poor fella while he's not stuck working!]

 

[RayPurchase]

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

Tony Harris

​

The cough echoed down the alleyway. It wasn’t a healthy one, you didn’t need to be a doctor to know that. It racked the body of the man as he stood hunched, a hand bracing him against the wall. Tony could feel the dull ache starting up again, with every laboured breath of air he took, the stabbing pains began to permeate his chest. His right hand began to flap towards his jacket pocket, retrieving a small orange tube of pills, shaking a pair out onto his hand before throwing it down his throat. After a few moments the cough faded away, the pain followed, but not completely. Never completely. Tony’s hand remained clutched to his chest, these episodes were less prevalent now, a few times a month perhaps, not as bad as those first 2 years. The assassin’s bullet may not have put him down as its goal had been, but it had caused lasting damage. The best part of a year he spent in that hospital, when he had gone in their peace deal had been fresh, the ink still not dry on the page, by the time he was out it was a way of life. The war was a distant memory already, and he was but the last casualty of a past conflict, his calls for renewed violence, to push the Biancardis (In his eyes nothing but Irish lackeys) out of New York were brushed aside, where before he had swayed minds, now he was just some mad warhawk, one to be ignored until he calmed down. Like hell that was going to happen, in fact things had spiralled, expensive alcohol, cheap women, and whatever drugs he could lay his hands on to ensure that he could enjoy a dark dreamless sleep at night. It wasn’t just his physical injuries haunting him, and some days he almost wished for those days lying in his bed unable to sleep because of the pain, unable to dream. It was those that scared him, truly scared him, the faces and names, half remembered in the cold light of day, arose to meet him with renewed clarity and intensity. A hundred spectres stretching before him, a sea of accusing eyes and grasping hands, grasping for him. They never caught him, consciousness came for him each time, but they were getting closer and closer. Not by much, but enough for him to know that he wouldn’t always be able to escape, and then what…?

Tony let out a growl and shook his head, banishing the thoughts that threatened to continue to circle and swirl around his like some dark maelstrom. He just had to carry them all for a bit longer, not let it slip. He wasn’t a young man anymore, he couldn’t live that illusion anymore, but his strength came in his armour, the countless wounds that pitted his exterior, his simple longevity was intimidating enough, he’d celebrated his 50 a year ago, and not many of his rank and station made it that far in this business. He was the exception, he told himself, and he’d keep going until he fucking said otherwise, not his dreams, not Gabe, not his enemies. Tony lived his life on his terms, and this car still had some mileage left.

Tony was the last to enter the little basement of horrors, coming through the back of the diner to avoid the lunchtime hustle and bustle. The smell hit him first, that metallic coppery tang of freshly drawn blood hit his nose, causing it to wrinkle slightly, more an automatic reaction than any true worry or disgust, he’d had to stomach far worse smells over the years. It was already getting a bit crowded down there, especially with the mess plastering the floor of the place. The Taylors had already arrived, 20 years his junior and hungry to rise up the New York food chain. Their new partners into the Cocaine trade that was already so prevalent in Miami. Well maybe partners was a stretch, that hinted at a semblance of equality, and that had come in short supply since the conflict with Harlem, no outsider had risen to that station in the subsequent years.

Stepping inbetween them, Tony clamped a hand on each of their shoulders, giving them a squeeze bordering on uncomfortable. “Bit too strong a sight for you gents? Thought the pair of you had far stronger stomachs than this. Don’t tell me I’ve gone underestimatin’ the pair of you?” Tony stepped forward past them, slowing as he circled the rather unfortunate man confined to the dentist's chair. The bloke was a mess, and judging by the amount of crimson liquid slopping about in the bucket next to him, he'd had a hell of a session with Damian. Speaking of the man Tony looked up and gave him grin. It'd been a long time since he'd seen him, not since Miami, which seemed like a lifetime ago. He'd always been a sadistic bastard, even back then as a precocious little scrote in Miami, left behind to help manage the shop whilst Tony and Teddy had left for the big leagues. The boy had done well for himself though, earmarked himself a nice roll in the business, management no less. Such a thing didn't interest Tony particularly, he was more of a point at an individual problem and watch it disappear as opposed to the big picture.

"Well well well Damian, thought you moved in more refined circles now? Surprised you've still got the time to get your hands dirty. We'll have to have a proper natter and catch up some time, somewhere other than a bloodstained basement of some diner," Tony sniffed again, the coppery tang hitting his nostrils. "Speakin' of which, I guess you haven't invited us down here for some sort of social call. What's the deal with this poor bastard?"

(Interaction: Misty Gray Damian, BloodLightning27 Taylor Brothers)

 

[_amaranth_]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Nolan BANNER

“But when will you be back, daddy?” A quiet, almost mousy voice sounded from under the soft comforter, covering the tiniest body of the Banner household.

“Soon. I won’t be long, I promise. And I’ll have Emma to check in on you so you won’t be alone here, sweat pea, okay?” Another voice was added, the voice of Nolan Banner, trying to calm his daughter down. The girl was actually used to staying home alone and considering she was only five, close to hitting her sixth birthday, she was quite advanced on her age. Nole was so proud of his girl and every time he was leaving her behind hurt him.

Yet, the nature of his job had him leaving more often than he would appreciate and thank god for Emma. She was a neighbor, a forty-year-old cat lady, owning at least seven of those beasts, always carrying at least one of them in her arms. Charlie was always incredibly squealy when she could play with them and it was for the best if Nolan could keep her occupied while working.

Not tonight though. Tonight he just wanted to go grab a beer, just rest after the whole week and relax. On his side, it was not going to be for long, a beer or two, weave a few shots maybe. And then he would come home. But before that happened, there was a set of tiny fingers squeezing his tattooed forearm, a pair of blue eyes, the very same as Nolan himself owned was looking at him, glimmering with anticipation. “Come on, now. Are you gonna be afraid here on your own? I thought you were a superhero. Was I wrong?”

It definitely worked. Those blue orbs sparkled with a flash of determination. “I AM a superhero!” Charlie exclaimed and Nolan pressed the index finger on her lips, chuckling quietly. There she was, Charlie he knew and loved.

“Okay, okay, I believe you. But don’t shout, eh?” he laughed quietly and they both heard a soft knock on the door. “See? Emma’s here.”

“Did she also bring a kitty?” Charlie asked, shooting up in her bed. With a soft sigh, Nolan walked to the front door, letting the neighbor in. As expected, there was a large, gloomy ginger tabby cat sitting in her arms. Nole scratched the fluffy animal behind its ears and knew that from this moment, it was up to Emma to tame Charlie and get her to bed. If he returned to the bedroom, he might have never left the place.

Instead, he just grabbed his jacket, said his goodbyes to Emma, she reassured him that everything was going to be alright and he finally left only to enter the Royal Taphouse some time later. Slouched a little, the tall man approached the bar and nodded to the redhead sitting there already. Billy King was already behind the counter, mixing the drinks like the best of them.

“A pint of your best and a shot of whiskey.” Nolan turned to the self-proclaimed bartender, tapping the hardwood board. Once his drink was in his hand, he took a long healthy swig, smirking over the question. “Can’t complain. And the kid? Feisty as ever. You want to babysit some time?” he asked, laughing already since he was sure, Charlie would give anyone a good run for their money. “How’s you, Billy? Having a good one?”

Pyroclast (Billy)

code by g o l d i e l o x x

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Thomas Porter
Jeanie Carriveau-Porter

​

Now that everything was taken care of Lucy was starting to feel a little down again. With all the preparations for the party done, there was really nothing left for her to do but to try and enjoy it. Her mother was very clear that she didn't want anyone moping at her party and Lucy was going to try her very best to not be so sad, she didn't want her mother haunting her after all. "Oh don't worry, I have nothing else to do in my old age but to standby and wait to help with party planning." It was true really, now that her children were all adults there wasn't much she needed to do anymore. Of course, when she was needed Lucy was always there but after Thomas so lovingly put it that she was being kind of a helicopter mom, Lucy decided it was time to just let her kids do what they needed to, as hard as that was.

After the situation between her grandchildren was solved, Ali shrugged, revealing that the whole thing was kind of funny and that she was glad she had girls after Leo so she didn't have to worry about such incidents occurring. Lucy chuckled softly, "That boy reminds me very much of his father." She said before the door opened to reveal Savannah. Accepting her hugs, Lucy kissed her forehead gently before smiling down at little Callum. It amazed Lucy at how grown up all the original children in the family had become. Specifically, Savannah, who had been in the family since the very beginning. It felt like eons ago that the Sullivan family was dealing with the Romanos, eons ago since her father died. "God, they really do." Lucy murmured in response to Ali saying that the children grow up so fast.

Before she could say more, a familiar voice complimenting the look of the party made her smile widely. "My boy!" Lucy said happily before he kissed her cheek. "Oh please take one, everything is finished." She told Syd before looking him over and narrowing her eyes. "You've been smoking again, haven't you?" She asked as she raised a single brow leaning in to take a whiff of him. Nodding her head to herself, Lucy then shook her head. "Nasty habit you need to kick if you want to live a long time, Syd. Kicked that to the curb years ago, why do you think I never age?" She said teasingly before someone stepped into view from the corner of her eye.
Her youngest son, Thomas, had been so lively and full of energy in his youth. Unfortunately, as she had told him...the military sucks the life right out of people. Especially in someone who had gone through the torture and turmoil, he had been through. "Mom. Syd. Aunt Ali. Aunt Sinead." Thomas greeted the bunch with the nod of his head to each, clearly not moving to reach out to hug anyone. Affection wasn't really a thing of his any longer since returning home from capture. "Hello baby." Lucy murmured and reached out a hand to smooth her son's tie. "How are you doing today? How's the headache?" Thomas's mouth moved slightly into a smirk at his mother calling him a baby. He was 24 years old for crying out loud. But he guessed to her he would always be small. "Doing better, pain meds the doc gave me really seem to help with little side effects." Thomas looked to Syd and his smirk grew, "Is it me, or have you aged even more since we got here?" Lucy chuckled, "It's the cigarettes." Knowing she would most likely get a dirty look from Syd, Lucy smiled, "I'm teasing! You look as young and as handsome as ever! Don't let your brother tease you." She said to her son before moving to hand both him and Thomas champagne. "Go easy on the drinks tonight boys, don't want to be cleaning up your messes. I'm too frail and old for that now." Lucy looked to Ali, "Might have to tell your husband the same. When they all get drunk together it's like a tornado goes through this place or really any place for that matter." Thomas took a sip of his glass before looking to where he'd seen Uncle Conor go.

"I'll catch up with you all soon." He said before moving to track down his Uncle. Finding him with little Sydney, Thomas watched the pair for a long moment before clearing his throat. "Uncle Conor, sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to talk to you in private for a moment. If that's okay." Looking to his daughter, Thomas managed to muster a small smile, "Hi Sydney."
Lucy is with: Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess
Thomas is with: Misty Gray Melanin-Gxdess

*****​

Jeanie nearly jumped a foot into the air when her sister practically launched herself into the bathroom. She was gently pushed aside so the two could look into the mirror. "Aww, missed me already?" Jeanie asked with a smile before a frown immediately took its place at the mention of what was on her face. "JJ happened. I was foolish enough to fall for one of his stupid pranks." Jeanie grumbled as she lightly dapped at her face with a wet hand towel, trying to take off the pencil mark without messing up her make-up. "Wipe that grin off your face, I was just trying to be nice and go along with his stupid game." Jeanie growled at seeing her sister's smile before finally being able to get the rest of the pencil mark off.

After a minute, she had to laugh at herself. It's kind of funny I guess. But I would have rather had it happen to someone else than to me." Rolling her eyes, Jeanie backtracked so they could discuss their father smoking again. "When did he ever stop? That man is like a walking chimney! Mom complains about our clothes smelling like smoke all the time. Though she did say the smell can stick for ages. She's not gonna be too happy if she finds out about that though." Jeanie sighed.

"Aren't we suppose to get a phone call from her soon?" Jeanie moved to her pocket and fished out the pager. Nothing yet. Placing it back in her pocket, Jeanie looked to Jane. "Wanna see if we can sneak a drink? I bet you if dad gets hammered like he normally does he won't even be able to tell if we had one or two!"
with: Pyroclast

 

[BloodLightning27]

Dublin: Evening - Mild, Dry, Clear Skies
New York: Afternoon - Mild, Dry, Sunny
***********************************************************************************

***********************************************************************************
~Dublin: Shinoa Bradford~​

Pregnancy Progression: 34/40 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 238/280 Days

Several months have passed since she became stranded in Ireland rather then making it to Portland, Oregon back in the United States. Because she had no almost money and no way back home, Shinoa reluctantly settled into her stay in Dublin. In terms of getting a job, she had some trouble because not only was she too young for most jobs, but the fact that she was pregnant often had employers turning her away. To get by, Shinoa had been doing odd-jobs here and there, mainly cooking since it was hard for her to do anything else as her pregnancy progressed. Most of the money made though went to her hotel tab, food and medical care, much to her dismay even though they were completely necessary. Now she was almost eight months pregnant, no stable income and no permanent home, not that she was looking for one though because she wanted to get back to America, back to her Father who must be confused and terrified thanks to the stunt her Mother pulled. However, there was one more place she was going to try. Nolstalgic Notes. It seemed like a relaxing place to work, at least from the young mother's perspective.

After filling out a Job Application and two days of resting, Shinoa finally mustered up the courage to finally go to Nolstalgic Notes to turn in her Job Application and hopefully get a job interview. Of course the goal was to get an actual place of employment so that she would no longer have to scrape funds in order to get by, which made the pregnancy more difficult then it needed to be. Putting on her robe and tying it shut, Shinoa proceeded to straighten out her hair and find some slippers. Looking at her reflection in the mirror though, she frowned as she placed her hand on her back before turning to her side and staring at the size of her belly. "I don't think I'm supposed to be this big at my age, but...I guess this is what happens when you get knocked up." She sighed.

Grabbing her filled-out job application and a small satchel, she set it on a nearby table, wanting to be ready for tomorrow. At this stage in pregnancy, she did have to deal with more pain in her back and her feet, so Shinoa hoped that she wouldn't have to be on her feet too much longer. Assuming that she was even able to land a job, would there be proper accommodations for her? Perhaps something she could work out with the potential employer? And since she didn't have much longer until the baby was due, she had some questions on how things were gonna go after the baby is born. Either way, she still needed money to sustain herself and save for a plane ticket back to America.

Her mind filled with questions and how to get out of her current predicament. If she had checked her plane ticket all those months ago, maybe she'd be in America and not Ireland. Sighing and rubbing her swollen belly, Shinoa slowly got comfortable in her bed and straightened out her robe. Having taken a nap earlier, Shinoa expected to be up for at least another hour or so. As the night was still young, she simply decided to pass time, bonding with her unborn baby and massaging her belly. "You're gonna be worth it, but I don't wanna feel like this anymore..." She said, frowning before taking a deep breath.

~Dublin: Stella Kwon~​

It had been a little over ninety days since her younger Twin Sister left Ireland for London. Although a lot traversed through her mind, the only thing she couldn't help but wonder about was the fact that her Sister was pregnant...and how Shirley was able to hide it from her for so long. Most of all, she had to find out through an argument, which left her feeling as if she got the short end of the stick. However, she didn't even complain because neither of her parents, who were all in South Korea, were not aware that their youngest daughter was expecting and that they were going to be grandparents. And she had yet to respond to the letter that they had sent her, which arrived a few days ago.

In hopes of getting her mind off of the stress, Stella decided that she was gonna go to the House party that her Employer was hosting. Maybe one night of living a little can get her mind back on track, rather then the hot mess she was currently...at least outside of work. When it came to her work though, Stella always made sure that her emotions and outside elements were not affecting her work ethic or focus. Some days, sure, it was easier said then done, but as long as she did what her Employer needed her to do, it didn't matter. Looking at the clock, she finally decided to get out of bed, having been laying there and staring at the ceiling for the past...hour and a half maybe? Soon, she started walking towards her closet and began to look for an appropriate outfit to wear to the party. Mainly because she doubted that her Boss would be happy or thrilled with her showing up dressed like an American Outlaw...

Throwing together the most formal look she could find, Stella felt out of place. She wasn't used to dressing so formally. Long-coat, turtleneck...tapered trousers, slippers. On the upside, the long coat gave her more of a chance to conceal her revolvers. But she definitely wasn't going to be able to ride her motorcycle this way. Perhaps it would be a good time to bring out that Vintage Mustang?

Smiling, she proceeded to grab the keys and made sure that her Revolvers concealed. Grabbing her trusty lever-action rifle, she proceeded to go towards her garage making sure she to grab her bandolier and put them in the trunk of her car. Hopefully nothing would happen to where she needed to go and get them. Taking a deep breath, Stella proceeded to open the garage at the touch of a button and starting up the car. After pulling out, she proceeded to press the button to close it and started driving, making her way to the Sullivan Household, hoping to make a reasonable impression as she had never been there before. Though to be fair, she had only been working with the Irish Mob for about a year. And since she wasn't Irish on either side, it wasn't like she could formally be initiated into the mob. A shame, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Thankfully, the drive was not lengthy and it wasn't long until she made it to the Sullivan House. There were a couple of cars parked in the driveway, so she just parked by the curb, making sure not to block anyone in case they needed to leave. Taking a deep breath, she exited the Mustang and locked it before walking to the front door. Briefly hesitating, she knocked on the door five times. "First party...here we go..."

Misty Gray (Conner Sullivan, Savannah Callahan, Sinead Callahan) Bellz (Lucy Porter) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana Cartwright-Sullivan) Pyroclast (Syd Porter, Jane Carriveau-Porter, Danny Vaughan)

~Riker's Island, New York: James Edwards~​

Earlier that morning, James found himself convicted of Armed Robbery and Attempted Murder. Despite being angry at the Jury's final decision and the likely incompetence of his defense attorney, James was prepared for fifteen years at Riker's Island. Cut from any contact with his Family, his friends, none of whom were aware of him being imprisoned. As noon rolled around, he was on a boat, with numerous other new prisoners. During a majority of the boat trip, James mainly kept to himself and limited interaction with other prisoners as well as the guards escorting them. From a decorated career as a Navy SEAL to being convicted of Armed Robbery and Attempted Murder. Just what was he thinking...?

Once he had finally arrived to Riker's Island, James, along with a couple of other prisoners were slowly escorted off the boat. Avoiding eye-contact with the guards and other prisoners who were already there, it did not take long for James to get himself situated, like changing from his normal clothes to his prison jumpsuit. As soon as he was finished, a Corrections Officer put him back in handcuffs and he was soon escorted straight to his cell, which was gonna be his new home for the next fifteen years. After closing the cell door behind him, the C.O removed his handcuffs and left him...alone. James just sat down on his bed, reflecting on his actions that had led him to Riker's Island...and wondering how he was going to get out. Sure, he may be a former Navy SEAL, but James heavily doubted he could outswim the Coast Guard or whoever patrolled the waters surrounding the island. Not to mention he was alone. No gang affiliation, no criminal ties. Finally he just laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, slowly spacing out and drowning out the voices of the other prisoners.

 

[Misty Gray]

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

Damian Nicolosi​

Despite hearing two sets of footsteps making their way down into the basement, Damian made no effort to move or rush to hide any evidence of what he'd been doing to poor John. Hearing the profanity spoken by Q drew a low chuckle out of Damian and prompted him to stand straight to take a step closer. "Good afternoon, gentlemen." Noticing the brothers looked uneasy around the blood, he flashed a surprisingly warm and friendly smile to the pair. "Of course, do stay back. We wouldn't want you getting blood on those light colours," he suggested, referring to their white clothing. He nodded along knowingly as they explained Gabriel had sent them, having already been pre-warned of who his boss would be sending over.

The men were soon joined by the final arrival and a man who Damian had known since the years when everyone, including Gabriel, were stationed back in Miami. Whilst Tony and Teddy had relocated to New York with the Boss, Damian had been asked to remain in Miami as at that point he was still climbing the ranks. "Always a pleasure to have you present, Tony," he welcomed the older man. He let out a sly grin as Tony make his remarks to the brothers about them not being able to handle the gory sight.

It was only when John began letting out pained cries for help that Damian decided to do something about the bleeding elephant in the room. Grabbing the nearby damp cloth, he forcefully stuff it tightly into the man's mouth to silence him to mere muffles and remove the distraction. He then turned back to Tony and took a step forward, listening to the man talking about a catch-up. The way Damian casually stood listening was almost like there wasn't a tortured man just a few feet away. "You know me. I do enjoy the more refined aspects of my work. I am quite partial to the tailored suits, expensive alcohol and planning away with the finest two-faced politicians this city has to offer. But once in a while, it's good to get my own hands dirty and set an example for those who have to do this kind of work for a living," he said, glancing back to John. He then flashed a smile and nodded. "A catch-up sound wonderful. I'll let you choose the establishment and I'll dress appropriately," he confirmed to Tony.

"No, sadly it's not a social call. If I had time for one of those today, I'd have been hoping for an invite to the wedding anniversary of the Moretti Family and New York City," he remarked. He wasn't around for the war with the Sullivans, but by all accounts it sounded like something he would have loved being a part of. "This poor bastard John here has been very cooperative today. Mr. Moretti had his suspicions about who had tipped those Puerto Ricans off about the weapons shipment. John has kindly given me everything we need to know about that mess and Mr. Moretti wants the man in question dead. Which is where you three fine gentlemen come into it." Damian cleared his throat and folded his arms. "The man you're after is Austin Hardy. He's around Tony's height and build, though in his early 40s. Cheap dragon tattoo on his neck and jet black hair liberally coated in gel. I'm told you will find him somewhere on the main club strip in East Village flashing the cash." Damian pointed to the Taylor brothers. "Be it the marvel of these elaborate years, but even in those flashy white clothes, you two fit in to that club scene far more than I could, so I expect you will use your contacts and familiarity to find the whereabouts of Austin Hardy." He then pointed to Tony, resisting the urge to pat the man on the shoulder on account of the blood that remained on his hands. "And Tony here can put the rat to sleep for good, especially now I know you're both quite squeamish," he lightly commented.

BloodLightning27 (Quadir, Jarrick)
RayPurchase (Tony)

The Sullivan Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

Conor saw his nephew approaching and sent him an inviting smile. Thomas looked like he wanted to talk about something, so Conor decided to have his youngest go off and play. "Anyway, Sydney, you go find the other little midget kids and enjoy yourself before it gets late," he suggested. "And I want that picture on my desk tomorrow," he teased, flashing a broad smile before standing up. Once Sydney had walked away, Conor turned to Thomas and motioned for him to follow to sit at an unoccupied side table in the large dining room.

"Are you alright, mate?" he asked Thomas. He knew his nephew had been through a lot since his return from the military and the ordeal whilst being held hostage. Still, it wasn't something he ever felt was appropriate for him to bring unless Thomas initiated such a discussion first. The young man was quite closed when it came to such conversations and opening up about his feelings. "Have you been in touch with Old Jimbo lately?" he asked about his James. Whilst Lucy and Olivia saw the most of James, it was still interesting to hear things from Thomas's perspective.


Bellz (Thomas)
[Please forgive this rare small post]