Of Kings and Pawns (IC)

[KasperXIII]

If Tony was becoming defensive about his own feelings for Thalia, then most definitely, Frank was as well. Worse, he was defensive OF Thalia herself. Every time the older detective took a verbal stab at her, it seemed like Frank had to jump to her rescue. She's a big girl; she can handle herself. Or can she? Tony's bested her in combat before, and Ra's left her in pieces at the resort. Oh, how the driver wanted to call out the defensive comments that came from his partner, but Frank's words were much closer to a sense of equality than one of obsession or closeness to one side. Who knows. Maybe all three of them in the vehicle were lying to each other. But Tony couldn't help but try to be a good friend for Frank and protect him. If he really was in bed with the fiance of the leader of Al-Asheera, he was taking a huge risk. He'd studied Al-Asheera for long enough to know that they are backstabbers. If this were the case, his partner would learn the hard way that he should've never been involved with the mystery redhead. But then again, he was equally guilty of wanting in on it. But really, all Tony wanted was a one night stand with the girl. That's it. Then he could move on, marry Melissa, and live happily ever after.


"Can't help but feel a bit... over protective of my partner, Frank. After Richard? I can't lose another. Not like that. Partnership goes beyond the usual... I don't want to see you go down the same way he did." Genuine, but Tony wasn't worried about a gang of at least a dozen Al-Asheera brutes gunning Frank down. He was worried about some little girl they have using him as a pogo stick. Only because he wanted to be that pogo stick. Good old jealousy. This was, indeed, going to break out into a dick-swinging contest, with Thalia being the lucky girl. Not like she'd say no to two dicks anyway. Tony took her as the type. But maybe Thalia just wanted to slow down. No more hardcore shit when it came to having sex. Maybe it was time for her to calm down, be a normal girl. As normal as she could be. Wouldn't stop her from having a threesome of Frank ever so wanted, but she wouldn't get into the kinkier shit she'd been involved in before. Never again.


Sure, Tony was being an asshole with the constant insults and jabs at her. But he felt it justified, and just ignored Frank's comment about it all. He just listened to Frank's story, other things on his mind. So did Thalia, but she wanted to listen to him. Hear things about the man she was falling in love with. His choice of futures... his 'what ifs', they were certainly something that caught her eye. A smile came across her face as she listened in to his story. She wanted to know so much about this man, was that too wrong? Whenever Frank takes a day off, the most that she wants is to sit down and talk. Just... aimlessly, even if it's just about the weather. And she'd listen to him too. She already showed a bit of her talkative attitude when they finished the heavylifting in bed and relaxed, side by side. Did Frank get sick of her constant blabbering? Maybe. Who knows. But she loved it. She loved Frank even more, though. She had no regrets admitting her love to him. If only they weren't interrupted by Tony's rash decisions. More importantly, Frank had dreams. Dreams that came and went with his life story. Kind of attractive as well to know he played guitar. Thalia wasn't too crazy for musicians, but she did sleep with a few rock stars to steal their cash on hand. That was certainly a blast. Again, she was settling down from that wilder life. But she'd love to hear Frank play guitar for her someday. But once he finished, it was time for her to share.


"Well... my turn," Thalia began, laying her head back in the back seat, moving her legs slightly on Tony's chair, which subsequently bothered the driver, but he put up with it. "I don't know if I told either of you, but my family was a demanding bunch. My mom was a French immigrant who taught in grade schools, even my classes for a while. My dad was a pastor for some Catholic church in Philly. Don't ask about the sect, cuz I don't know and don't really care that much. They wanted me to be so much more than I thought I could be." She sighed, remembering the days with her parents, some of the happier days among a majority of miserable ones. "I was involved in more activities than you could imagine." she smirked. "Would either of you envision me as a ballerina? Or an altar server? Anyone? Nope?" Her smirk became laughter at those two activity choices. "It wasn't my choice. Nobody fucking as me to do ballet again, because I'll break your arm if you do." She threatened, but in a joking way, evident in her smile. "A lot of my childhood wasn't, and it wasn't just limited to ballet and altar serving. French club. Math club. Honors choir. Every play her school had, even if I was the tree in the background. Recycling club. Fucking recycling club. My middle school had that, and I was there with like five other goodie-two-shoes kids cleaning up the streets with a bunch of juvies on probation. I've read the Gospel for my dad and played Mary in his Christmas pageant every fucking year, with all the questions of why Mary had red hair. I would just say I got it from my mom..." Which was true, in all honesty. "My m.... Maman, wanted so much from me beyond the religious aspect from my dad. I would speak to her in full French back in the day. It's why I'm so fluent in it now. I've got nothing against it. It was just... weird, in front of other kids. Whenever I'd talk to her in front of my friends, it'd feel so strange. So much more strict. They say it's a romantic language? Not when you're being disciplined...." She stopped for a moment... "But me and Maman had many good times as well... Dad was always busy with the church, but I had good times with my mother. She'd.... always dress me to look really nice and pretty, taught me a bit of elegance, which I lost with Al-Asheera.... she brought out an ambitious side of my when I was 11 or so. I was kind of really involved in all the activities. I.... I remember when I was 11, I actually told her that I loved her... But when I turned 12, I kind of hit puberty. Started rebelling. Listened to a lot of punk rock and hardcore music. Started wearing more black, wearing black messy make-up. I almost wanted to learn guitar myself and join a band, but Maman...she wouldn't let me. I had the voice for it, sure. But she didn't want me around rock stars. That's all. I could've passed off as actor or a model, gone to a fancy college with the grades I had--I even skipped a grade. But I didn't want to do that with my parents choking me. Through 7th and 8th grade, they just kept.... forcing me into a corner. Yelling at me all the time, and I'd yell back. It went beyond usual teenage rebellion. And then.... fuck. I didn't even think how heartbroken they'd be when they couldn't find me the next day..." Her breaths became a bit uneasy thinking back. "I didn't know Maman was pregnant... that I'd have a brother. I didn't know that they'd do everything in their power to try and find me. They had a whole documentary back in Philly to look for me. My parents got up in front of cameras for so long, begging me to come home... and I was there. Watching every episode of the broadcast and.... regretting. Because I abandoned them and became a thief, of all things. Deep down, I wanted to be different from the pack. Do something to help people, not be forced into something I don't like. Even if I studied business or something simple like that, I think I'd be more of an individual than what my parents wanted me to be. They had a huge plan for me to get free rides to all sorts of universities but.... all for nothing. Because they lost their precious little girl...."


To avoid getting emotional, Thalia tried to cover it up by continuing the story. "Ra's told me when he took me in that... the girl that ran away from home, Thalia... that she was dead. And only Al-Jameela would remain. But now I know that Thalia's alive and well. And she wants a chance in this cruel world. I don't care if I'm someone's secretary and have do their dirty work. If it's going to help people I want to do it. And that's my dream now. Helping people. I've sent too many years hurting people by my actions, and I regret everything I've done for the past eight years. I regret hurting my parents like that. So... yeah. My 'what if'? I might've been some puppet to my parents. A doctor or something. I don't know.... but now all I am is a lowlife who wants to change her ways. To stop hurting people..."


Though he was mostly zoned out, the emotion in the girl's voice did touch Tony in a weird way. Change her ways.... he doubted it deep down. Whatever Ra's made of her might be there to stay forever. Sad but true. It's not like they were going to be best friends with Thalia forever. They just needed her to get rid of Al-Asheera, then put her behind bars, and if Tony has time, he'd get in her pants. But that was it. He wanted nothing further. All that really got to him was the misery of her parents. Those poor people. Losing a daughter. If it were him and Melissa, he'd surely be a wreck if he lost a child...


If only Thalia could talk to her mom and dad again. Talking about them both filled her weith regrets, despite the hate she carried in her heart for their ways. She knew they only wanted the best this whole time. They weren't pushing her away. She pushed herself away, and crushed them by doing so. I'm sorry Daddy... Pardon, Maman... Je veux revenir, bientôt. [I'm sorry, Mom... I want to come home, soon.]


Maybe someday, she will. But she remained poised on the outside.


A moment of silence between them. After some time, Tony looked over to Frank and told him, "Maybe you should ask the next question, for all of us?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

"There we go." James said, gently pulling the blanket up to Joseph's chest; he didn't tuck him in, though. He wanted him to have plenty of air so that he didn't get too hot during the night. "You look a lot better already. Close call, huh?"


"Yeah." Joseph mumbled, then sighed and gave a tiny smile. His smile soon faded, though. "I wanted to talk to you." He said.


"I know you did. Now's our chance, fella'." 


He thought for a moment and turned his head, staring off at the wall. "Are you and Karin really boyfriend and girlfriend?"


James smiled - The suspicion was there, but that wasn't something he was concerned about. Thinking of Karin made him feel giddy in a good way. If Joseph had asked this question three hours ago - even less than that, even - then he would have panicked. But now? Now he had a solid answer to give him, one that he meant.


"Of course we are." He laughed, "What makes you ask?"


"I don't know." He took a deep breath. "I guess I just... Don't really know how boyfriends and girlfriends... Well, work." 


"Well, simple. They love each other, they trust each other - like having a best friend, just a little more complex than that."


"I get that, yeah." He nodded, "James, I know you invited Frank and Tony over and all, but... Why were they here for so long? With Thalia, too? And you went out with Tony for... Hours, y'know?" He shrugged. "Is something... Has something happened?"


James knew he couldn't weave his way around it - he had to be at least somewhat honest. If he lied to Joseph's face, that was going to send a poor message about him to the boy that clearly trusted him so much. He wouldn't want to cause that level of betrayal pain on him. 


"Honestly, Joseph..." He sat down on the bed, then patted the space beside him. "Come here." He said, softly, and Joseph shuffled up and sat up, leaning against James' side and resting his head against the side of his chest. James put an arm around his shoulders and took a deep breath. "Look... You know how Thalia got in a bit of trouble?" He asked.


"Uh-huh...?"


"Well... As I know... A lot about computers and security and everything, and because Karin and I are dating and all that, she asked me to help Thalia out if I could. I'm helping the detectives clear up some of her problems. Nothing bad, don't worry, but... That's why they're all here, why I went out all evening. If you ever hear any arguing, too, it's all to do with that. It was a stressful time for all of us, for you, too." He said. "But I promise you, everything's going to be okay, and once all the problems are cleared up... Well, maybe me, you, and Karin could go on a little vacation somewhere. I don't just mean the beach, I mean somewhere exciting, a place you've never been before. How's that sound?"


"That sounds... Awesome." He gave a little excited laugh, and his arms wrapped around James' body. "So... You're helping Karin and Thalia out? And the detectives?"


"That's right."


"How long will that take?"


"Not long, hopefully." He said. "We're already halfway home, I'd say, so don't worry." He ruffled his hair. "Also, if you're feeling better tomorrow, I want to take you out for some lunch. Maybe we could have a look around in a few places, too - I think it's high time you got signed up to another soccer team, pal." He grinned, then patted his shoulder. "But in the meantime, you need some rest." He said.


Joseph quickly turned and gave James a tight and a sudden hug. It came as a shock in some ways, but, it was nice. James smiled and slowly hugged him back, patting his back a few times.


"Goodnight. You know where to find us if you need anything."


"Night, James." He whispered.


And that was that.


--


"I understand." Frank said to him, "But you don't need to worry about me - I appreciate the concern, of course, but I can handle myself. Remember, we're one step ahead of pretty much everyone right now. Thalia here, and McAllister for Bradan." He said, "If we play this right, no one else is going to die, or get hurt, or anything like that. Don't worry, Tony. Worrying will just make you bias things in one way or another, and I wouldn't want you at fault for something that got out of hand. Same here. I wouldn't want to be held accountable for any damage done. Look at Pigman. We're already in hot water for that, so it's best we stick together and take things one step at a time. Tomorrow, me and you go back to our regular day at work, as if nothing's out of the ordinary. We'll just forge some sort of duty report for the day, or something, while we're off getting McAllister out of the prison we sent him to. I don't know how much convincing it's going to take to get him on board with us, but I know a few things. He has a couple of kids, a wife..." He thought for a moment.


"I'm not saying we threaten them, but he's been locked up for a good few years now. We can at least play his weaknesses to our advantage. I've got a feeling his two kids are going to be the thing that draws him in - the chance to get out of prison and back to a nice house somewhere with them? That'd be the unique-selling-point of the whole operation." He shrugged. "Either way, we'll worry about that tomorrow." He said.


On another note, for as long as Frank was with Thalia, he wouldn't want a threesome.


Especially not with Tony. No thanks.


He sat there and listened to Thalia's story. It was a sad one, one that made him think about how, in some ways, lucky he was to be given the life he had. It was a bittersweet feeling. It just went with the lesson that there's always someone out there that has it worse than you, no matter who you are. Frank hoped that he'd never be the one that was the absolute worst, but, he couldn't see himself approaching that. He was going to keep living his life of luxury, but, that inspired his next question. He knew his life wasn't going to be something that he could continue living in a healthy and active way if he kept up the smoking. Even the drinking was risky, but he didn't drink as much as he smoked. One day, running up the stairs would be impossible for him if he kept the smoking up the way he was. He didn't want that. It'd depress him. He liked to be active, always doing something, or at least something exciting. It didn't necessarily have to be physical, but, exercising gave him a good feeling.


If he could wind back time, there was a lot of things he could change. He'd change his childhood, the choices he made, the people he met - and if he could, he'd go way back in time and tell Thalia to stay where she was. To stay at home. But if they didn't do that, would Al-Asheera have taken over LA already? Would they have fallen apart? Would Ra's have been busted in some sort of pedophile ring of some sort if he never had Thalia as a plaything? The thought sickened him, but the fact was there was no such thing as turning back time. Everyone wants to do that at some point in their life, and for all Frank knew, maybe one day they'd discover how to do that. But for now, they had to deal with it. They were both blessed, and cursed.


"If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas." Frank said, simply. "Sure, we've made mistakes, but..." He shook his head. "Nothing we can do to change them. But we can influence the future and what we do with it. Like the old saying goes... Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift - that's why it's called the present." He smiled a little. That quote always managed to get to him in some ways. It was somwhat soothing when he used that hand-in-hand with his own shaky past. "As for my question, though..." He thought for a moment.


"It can be a two-in-one sort of thing, as all of us might not be able to answer." He said. "All depressing things aside, I guess, if there was one thing about yourself that you could change, what would it be? Or, if you can't think of anything for that, are there any bad habits you want to kick?" He asked. "I know, pretty generic question, but... Hey, it's something to get us to know each other more." He shrugged, "For me, I think the only thing I'd change is the color of my eyes. I'd shift it from the brownish color it is now to a darker blue, I think. As for bad habits..." It didn't take long to think of one. "Smoking. Smoking while stressed. If I plan on having kids one day, that's definitely something I need to get rid of. Not healthy, anyway. Can't really remember when it was I started. I think it was when I got to LA, actually." He said, "But I need to kick the habit, the addiction." He said.


"What about you guys?" He asked.

 

[KasperXIII]

Frank is a big boy after all. Tony didn't have to watch over him so attentively and act like an owner taking care of his dog. But with a temptation as wild and unpredictable as Thalia, Tony couldn't help but feel the urge to be assertive in that way. Protecting his own from a threat even when there is none. And that's how he felt about Thalia. A threat where there was probably none, because all she was... was a confused girl who didn't get the life she deserved because she made a mistake. One that came at the price of her free life. Now attached to the strings of Ra's as her puppet master, she worked with these detectives to sever the ties. All he had to do was help be the scissors that broke her free, then never have to see her again. Or hear any of her sob stories, that might just be lies in his mind. But Frank brought up a bit of business in front of Thalia. McAllister. Pigman. Things the girl in the back had little to do with--arguably, they wouldn't have busted Pigman without her, but Tony still wanted her in the dark about the aftermath of that. He stayed quiet, but gave Frank a nod, a sort of nod that told him to shut up so the crook in the back doesn't pick up on their conversation.


The poetic nature of Frank's words certainly caught Thalia off-guard. Unexpected, surely, and his words were meaningful. The redhead certainly wasn't poetic in either of her dominant languages, but she could admire the point Frank was trying to make. Smiling a bit while scratching at her arms gently, she added on to his words, "Well, c'est la vie, [That's life] am I right?" Thinking of her mother only got Thalia in the habit of using her French more frequently. It was strange for her, but she knew how to shake it off. Knowing a second language benefited the girl in the longrun, though. Most definitely. Even saved her ass on many occasions. "I'd say fuck it. Embrace it."


Now for Frank's turn to ask a question in Tony's impromptu game. It came as a surprise to Thalia that her boyfriend smokes. But she couldn't judge him; she had no right to because she's equally guilty. And it was obvious by the patched burn marks on her neck. Thankfully, those didn't burn all that much anymore, and she could maneuver her neck with them. Felt good whenever Frank kissed her neck though, that she couldn't deny. But smoking was a nasty habit, one she didn't indulge in all too often, but it was still disgusting. And if she cared for her health and her better future, Thalia knew she'd have to change that about herself sooner or later. She didn't keep any cigarettes at hand, fortunately; only hidden away in her quarters out of Ra's' sight. He didn't like that she smokes, but not because it's unhealthy. It was a part of his psychopathic standards for perfection, that women shouldn't smoke. One of the many norms the man held sacred that she couldn't fathom. It's why he burned her, though. If anything, though, Thalia did like Frank's eyes as they were. Blue eyes? She could dig that as well. He was cute regardless.


Tony, however, went first to express his changeable aspects, not looking to his sides. "Well, if there's anything I could change, it's the fact I look like I'm 40. That's what the stress of 10 years as a detective does to you. And it... sucks. I'll say that. I just wish Father Time didn't hate me so much, you know what I mean? I swear, kids in the park call me Grandpa. I'm 35, damn it...." A genuinely annoying factor of Tony's life he wished he could reverse and do the right way. Not stress so much. Keep his youthful looks from the beginning. Nothing he could do now. At least Melissa finds him attractive. "I... really don't have any habits I wish I could change to be honest. That's just me."


Bull-fucking-shit, Thalia shook her head, but told herself in her head. You came close to fucking killing me earlier, and you don't think you have an anger management issue? But once again, the 21-year-old girl had to be the grown-up for a 35-year-old man who acts like he's a pouty 80 year old geezer. It was her turn now, anyway. Chuckling a bit at Frank's desires for change, Thalia could only relate. "I kind of wish I had blue eyes, too. Nicer than green, if you ask me.... maybe my hair a bit darker. Maybe. I wanted to dye it but.... well, Ra's is a bit picky with his standards of what women should and shouldn't do, but I'm happy with its color now, I guess." She shrugged briefly, crossing one leg over the other on the chair. Again, every leg movement the girl made bothered Tony to the point he wanted to stop the car and throw her out. But no. Not now. The light-hearted words of Thalia died down into more depressed, ashamed ones. "I'm... not proud to say I smoke, too. Not extensively. Whenever Ra's makes me angry or I feel stressed, I usually light a few up and.... well, I'm sure you get it. I started because of the bastard, and once he's out of my hair, I just don't want to be reminded of what I used to do to get over him. I need to quit... I think we all need to quit something in our lives..."


An indirect jab at Tony to stop... well, jabbing her. Maybe he'd catch on. What he didn't catch on to was Thalia's lingering eyes in Frank's direction, her heart extending to his, seeing they shared the same habit. It gave her an idea of a proposition to ask him about. One she could squeeze in now, seeing Tony stopped the car. "We're at the location James gave us. So let's get out," the older detective announced. 


The place had a metallic gate outside, equipped with a buzzer on the outside. Tony exited the vehicle, marching to the back, and propping the trunk open. Roland was still out cold, thank god. With that, taking control of the operation, Tony approached the buzzer and pressed the button, emitting the... well, buzzing noise. Whatever it meant was beyond him. He did as he was told: delivering Roland to be treated. Whoever would take him or come for them was no longer his business as he stared at the gates and waited for a reaction.


But with those brief moments alone in the car, Thalia undid her seatbelt and leaned forward to Frank, gripping his bicep to get his attention. Eventually, her eyes met his, and she almost instantly blurted out, "I've wanted to quit for years, but... never really had the motivation to. Smoking, I mean..." she clarified, a bit nervous with that moment of alone time, especially when Tony could turn around at any second and bust them. "Maybe we can try to quit together? It's for the best, Frank. Please?" It wouldn't hurt either of them. On the contrary, it would help them both live their lives healthier. Improve themselves. It's all she could ask for.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Fuck it, embrace it. Those are words to live by." Frank nodded, simply. He did like that - it was a way to put things into context in a slightly blunter way, even if Thalia hadn't initially intended for that to be a statement or anything somewhat poetic. Even if it was a general view, Frank saw it was something else. 'Fuck it. Embrace it.' - He was going to have those words stick to him, and they were probably going to help him out at a few points, too. Little things like that can make all the difference, really, and that was just something that he knew would have some sort of influence over his life. They all had things they wanted to change, though, and with Frank already speaking about his, it was their turns to give it what they had. 


In some ways, Frank felt bad for Tony. Stress from the LAPD really did this to you? Stress from everything? Frank didn't want to see himself going down the same route, but now, he'd found one of Tony's insecurities. Age, appearance, things like that. It wasn't nice, but, that's just the thing about life. As time goes on, you change a lot, more or less depending on what it is you do. Frank didn't think he could really salvage much of Tony's confidence in that factor of his life, but, he could at least offer some kind words. When Tony was finally done talking about it, he shook his head and smiled, his eyes locked on the road as the words fell from his mouth. 


"You've got nothing to worry about." He said, simply. "Sure, the kids may call you grandpa, but that's what kids are like. Some of them are cocky and all the rest of it." He said. "You'll always get the thirteen-year-olds that think they know everything, the ones who just say whatever they want to anyone to show off to their friends. They always have existed, and they always will, and they'll say things to you that will probably hurt. Things that'll hurt a lot." He sighed, "Trust me, I've been there. They don't think about it, but kids can be dicks, even if they don't realize they are. One day they might look back on it and think 'shit, that was really wrong of me to do that' - when they finally realize that eventually, life stops being so simple. They eventually realize life becomes more than just living with your parents and getting everything served up to you on a big plate. It takes time, but they see it eventually, and they look back on the things they've done and things they've said and realize that things aren't so great for them, either." He looked out the window.


"Time's something that gets all of us. We all get grey hair and we all start to look older. That's just life, and life? It doesn't wait for anyone." He shrugged. "Sure, stress might have taken its toll on you, but, that's not what matters. What's more important is who you are - plus, you've got Melissa, a woman that loves you. That's more than a lot of people can say. You've got a head of hair, shoes on your feet, all your teeth - That alone is enough to know that things ain't all bad. Who knows what I'll look like in ten years - Maybe I'll be completely bald, maybe I'll look fifty instead of thirty-seven. Who knows." He explained.


Over to Thalia, though.


"I think green eyes and red hair suits you." He said, "No need to change any of that, not at all." He smiled at her, faintly, in the rear-view. "Some people just have looks that go perfectly with them. I've been told I look alright with my hair and eye color, but, I'd still make it blue. Maybe I'll get contacts one day that change my eyes. Try it out and all." He shrugged. "Who knows, right?" He chuckled. "Either way, Thalia... Red hair, green eyes... That's a perfect combination, one that I understand a lot of people go crazy for. I hear a lot of people say that redheads are actually gods and godesses among men. If this was the 80's, then you'd get bullied relentlessly. Nowadays? Christ, anything that you could have gotten bullied for back then is now the new sexy - Red hair, glasses, being a geek, having little quirks and all that. It's all something people eat up nowadays." He grinned.


The good lord knew that Thalia being a redhead was something that Frank ate up. He thought the fact that she was a redhead was pretty magical, really. A strange way to describe it, but the best thing he could come up with for her, no doubt - magical.


When they got out the car, though, and Thalia came to him asking him about the cigarettes and quitting together, he smiled - He'd hoped that she'd ask him that, honestly, hoped she'd step forward and volunteer her part in quitting together. He was definitely down for that, even if it was something as simple as quitting smoking, time and effort put into something at Thalia's side was always something worth doing, in Frank's eyes. As soon as she was done speaking, he pulled the pack of cigs from his jacket pocket and looked down at them for a moment, then looked at Thalia and shrugged and smiled. He flattened the back between both of his palms, and dropped the flat packet down a grate for a nearby drain. The pack made a small plop as it hit some water that had built up in there.


"I think that sounds like a great idea." He said, simply, and winked at her. "Come on, we better get moving." He said.


The buzzer, however, was quiet for a moment, but eventually a voice came out on the speaker. 


"Who are you?" The voice of a man asked. "Who are you, and what do you want?


Frank walked up and gulped, "We've, um, got someone that needs treating. A guy named James told us you're the guy we should come to. He said he'd cover the bill." 


There was silence.


A long slence.


"Alright." The voice mumbled. "Bring them up to the front door." He said, and soon, the gates began to slowly open up.

 
​

It seemed they were meeting a lot of people who lived in big fancy houses. Was the doctor not going to come out and collect him?


Frank guessed that that was just wishful thinking. Onward and upward, after all. James had told them this guy was trustworthy, anyway.


He could only hope he was telling the truth, because if the gates locked behind them, getting out of there was going to be a tough job if the doctor didn't open the gates again for them. No need to worry, though. He was sure things would be fine

 

[KasperXIII]

Frank's kind words to express whatever ounce of youth that Tony still possessed were spirit lifting to a man who felt hopeless when it came to feeling young. True, it was the Achilles' heel of his morale: his own fleeting youth in the form of his age and physical appearance. He fell in love early, though. Before the life of a detective deteriorated his once-black hair into a shade of grey and wrinkled the features of his face. Not something flattering in front of Thalia to say, but he'd put up with it. They were all honest with each other. Bonding, of sorts, probably what James wanted. Still, Frank's reassurance did a number for his own feelings. His eyes left the road for a moment and gave his partner a smile. "That means a lot, Frank. I mean, one good thing comes out of looking old: I give more of that 'mentor' vibe to you as a newbie to the detective's bureau. Well, I already am a distinguished head among them, so it significantly helps your case right?" he chuckled a bit, looking back to the road as they arrived. "Just hope you don't end up going bald. I'm one of the lucky ones. Still have my hair on my head, god bless."


Then came Thalia, who Frank also had plenty to speak of for her. Flattering things, too, how he liked her hair and eye color. The kind of little things that would make any girl smile. Sure, most girls complain about how they look, but this particular girl wasn't looking for sympathy. No, instead of sympathy, she got a series of compliments about how her look works for her. Comparing her to a goddess. How her look was 'sexy' in a sort of way. Or maybe just Frank found her sexy. She wouldn't exactly deny that. After everything they've been through, how could he deny it? But all the compliments... they made her face grow red, quick, a sort of thing Tony shouldn't be seeing, her hands covering her face to hide it. But it was clear to the two of them, deep down in their minds, that they had a thing for each other from a physical perspective. And that Frank likes redheads, making Thalia the perfect fit for him. Home run. "Dawwww, shut up, Frankie," she joking giggled, nudging his seat from her place. Whatever the two had for each other, the magic was still there for each other. She was dying for more alone time to pour her heart out for this man. Maybe someday.


He's sooooo desperate for you. Think he'd dig sex in the car?


No. Bad thoughts, Thalia. VERY bad thoughts with Tony literally two or three feet away from you.


Tony gave very little attention to Thalia's blushing act, though, only expecting it from any girl who was told such things. Human nature, after all. Besides, with the three on okay terms now, why ruin it now? He wasn't going to bust Frank and Thalia by assumptions and pointing the finger. He'd need solid proof to make any sort of call. So he minded his own business and remained quiet until their arrival.


Quitting smoking together? Definitely the first activity for the new lovebirds. And Frank was already eager for it to begin. His smile to her was reciprocated as she watched him crush the packet and discard of it in a nearby drain. It made her happy to know he would make a change like this with her for their own sake. She'd hate to hear that the cancer sticks killed him. Worse: she'd hate it if the habit killed her first. This decision to quit was a long-lasting one that would benefit both of them. How could Thalia show her gratitude in a modest way that Tony wouldn't find too shady? A kiss was way too obvious. Maybe just a whisper under her breath, enough for Frank to hear, but not get close to his ear and make it obvious. "If Tony wasn't here to cockblock... I'd hug you and kiss you."


Teasing? Possibly. She'd done that a lot today, but more sexually. Stuff that Frank seemed to enjoy. They'd get plenty of chances for more of this anyway. Maybe in the future.


The team of three were given orders on the intercom-like device. Orders to deliver Roland to the front door. Tony nodded immediately, and, as usually, hauled the bald clansman over shoulders and carried him off. Fortunately, he didn't regain consciousness, and he was still alive. They got lucky. But why was it that Tony insisted on carrying Roland all by himself? Simple: Tony did it solo to show off. Show off to Frank that he was capable of handling things alone and that he'd kick his ass if he eve considered making a move on Thalia. And also to show off to Thalia how strong he had the potential to be, to flirt that he's a strong and powerful man. Talk about Tony becoming somewhat egotistic. All for the attractive redhead he was dragging along. Frank said it himself. All the uplifting comments about girls with red hair only furthered his own desire for Thalia. This was going to turn into a love triangle. Unfortunately for Tony, Thalia's mind was made for which guy she'd take. And considering the older detective's immature behavior, that opinion wasn't going to change anytime soon.


Eventually, the three arrived at the front door. With his free hand, Tony rang the bell. Silence struck them again. Thalia looked back and forth to her partners, her hands folded over her chest, confused. This guy is paranoid, sure, but how paranoid? And would he put the three in a trap? Should they call James? Does the doctor believe them? Whatever it was, if they didn't get his help, Roland will die. And if Roland dies, so does their leverage.

 

[DrTrollinski]

The teasing from Thalia was certainly interesting, and it was something that he definitely wanted to take her up on. Sadly, they weren't going to be able to do that tonight, because if he stayed at James' with her, then he'd end up pretty much forcing Tony to stay there, too, just to play the role of supervising parent and all that - Not a good image to give Tony, given the words of inspiration he gave him not all that long ago, but oh well. Things change. He didn't need the 'sleep on the couch' treatment from Tony, though. He knew what he was doing, and one way or another, he was going to end up back in bed with Thalia at some point soon. Once they got their day when he went on a nice date with her, somewhere a little more upstate, then that would be his true time to express his love and everything for her. Even though he didn't want to rush into things, at the same time, he did. He wanted to dig as deep as he could and plant himself right at the root of their relationship, and he wanted to stay there.


"You can call yourself a mentor if it gives you a good feeling, Tony, I don't mind." He chuckled. Figured he may as well let that one out there, too - not an insult, more just something casual. If it kept Tony happy, then he didn't care too much about what Tony wanted to say or do. As long as it was kept under control, that was what mattered. God, to think that he wanted Thalia on a leash, and now, it was actually him that had basically been put on one. Frank had to think, did he not realize that? Given everything that had happened, did he really not see that he was being kept at an arm's length by more or less everyone but Frank? Frank knew that Karin didn't like Tony at all, especially not after tonight, by the looks of things. Frank didn't mind the guy - he was a friend, after all. Thalia gave the impression of just being civil, and James? James, it was hard to tell. Frank wasn't even sure if James liked him.


Even so.


As they walked up to the door, and Tony didn't ask for any help with Roland - Fair enough. Less work for them. Why was he doing it? If he was doing it to show off, it didn't bother Frank. It didn't rattle him with fear. In fact, he didn't really care all that much for it. He had class, he was smooth, had that good vibe to him. He didn't need brute force to prove any points - Speed over strength is often the best thing you can have. Sure, someone can put their hands on your throat, but if you can fit in five or six punches to their upper-body while they're doing that? Chances are they're going to be on the floor a lot quicker than you are.


Not something to think about, though.


As the door was opened up, after a short while of standing there, they were met with the smell of your standard hospital, and more importantly, the barrel of a shotgun from someone who looked more like a grizzled war veteran rather than a doctor.

 
​

This was the doctor? Holy fuck, what had they walked into?  


"Who are you people?" The man barked, cocking the shotgun.


"Whoa!" Frank put his hands up. "We're just here to deliver a guy. James' guy. Right here, you see him?" He asked. "You know what they say, don't shoot the messenger."


"You cops?"


"Do we look like cops to you?" He asked.


"Funnily enough, yeah, you give me that impression." He snorted, then looked at the man on Tony's shoulder. "Who's he?"


"Guy James gave to us. Said he needs him alive. Got some sort of big... Connection to something."


"Something?"


Frank looked at Tony and Thalia - they had to convince him. It was make or break time, but, Frank took a big risk...


"Al-Asheera." He whispered.


The doctor looked at him for a moment, then nodded a few times as he lowered the gun down and set it against the wall, just inside the door. "Alright, you wait here. Don't set one foot inside." He said, and off he wandered. He came back thirty seconds later, a wheelchair in front of him. "Put him down." He sighed, and once Tony did, the doctor got in front of him and looked him up and down. "Certainly did this guy a solid one, didn't he?" He grumbled. "Way I know you ain't lyin' is just the guy alone. Looks like James' handiwork." He sighed.


Well. That was certainly a revelation. Had James done things like this before?


"Nasty cut on the eye. Ain't ever seeing out of that again." He said, then looked at Roland's arms. "Spiral fractures... Knees, you've got an infection growing in the right knee." He said. "Nasty bullet wound, shattered kneecap, cartilage damage, probably got a torn ACL, too..." He shook his head. "More or less the same for the other knee. Can't say I'll be able to send him out of here on anything short of a walking stick, but, I'll do what I can." He shrugged. "Might take some time, though... Guy doesn't look like he's got much left in him." He said.


"Ya'll can leave now." He grumbled, "Tell James I'll be in contact."


And that was that - The doctor didn't seem like the kind of guy Frank wanted to piss off, so, he nodded to Tony and Thalia, and that was their cue to leave. He didn't want to hang around for much longer than he already had.


--


The Next Day


James' House


Encino


9:42AM


So, the night before, James had taken the detectives back to Karin's house so they could get in the car they initially came in and head home, and after Frank had been dropped off, there was something else he needed to do that he'd sort of neglected for the last couple of days. He had to feed the dog and take it outside, too, just for a five-minute walk. He didn't really feel all that safe walking the streets at night, but, he had to do it now. That was that out of the way. The dog could take care of itself and behave while he was gone for ages, anyway. The dog had ways of entertaining itself, after all, and that was that. He went to bed after that, and even though the fact the space beside him in the bed was empty, it made him happy to think that hopefully sometime soon, Thalia would take up that empty space. Would he be right or wrong? Only time would tell.


As for James, well, after he got back, he did obviously let Thalia stay there, but he went upstairs with Karin, and the rest is history. It isn't exactly hard to figure out what happened from there on out - it wasn't like they had anyone out there that could disturb them, either, so they made the most of their time together in that room, and that was it. Eventually, they were both asleep after another glass of wine and some other romanticized stuff, but, that was all. They had their conversations upstairs, under the stars, and Karin enjoyed it. It had been a long time since she'd been given this level of affection from anyone, and even longer since she'd felt this level of affection towards someone else. There was one one listening but the stars, so, Karin and James discussed everything.


Histories, their childhood, their parents, their struggles and achievements - the future.


It was nice, really.


But one big mistake was made that night. One that would bite a few people on the ass.


We'll save that one for later, though.


Either way, the next morning, it was fairly quiet in James' house. Joseph had slept through the night, and aside from needing to pee when he woke up, he felt absolutely fine. God knows what it was that caused it. For all anyone knew, it could have just been a bout of bad anxiety that caused his sickness. It wouldn't have been a surprise after everything that had happened. The shooting, the gun in the faces, the dead body, the fighting between Thalia and Tony. Everything could have easily built up, but, the point was he was okay now, and he was one of the first people awake. Karin wanted to go for a swim, really, but, she didn't have anything she could wear in the pool, so, she vouched for reading on a Kindle that James had lying around, outside, in the morning sun. It was incredible. This was the sort of life she could get used to - for once, she had time to do what she wanted, to read, to relax. She didn't have to worry about work or making sure Joseph was supervised at all possible times. She was a bit of a helicopter to the boy, yeah, but... It felt good to not be like that, even if it was only for a while.


On another note, Joseph hadn't stayed in his room. He'd slept for well over ten hours in total over the past day, so, he was wide awake and ready to go at the early hours of the morning. The first thing he did was go out into the kitchen and have a poke around in the cupboards. Teabags. He wanted tea.


Wasn't hard to find - It took a while, but he got there in the end. He was more amazed by the amount of boxes of cereal James had. He had half a dozen types, at least. At home, Joseph would be lucky to be able to choose from more than two, and at best, they were the second-best in the supermarket. It was unlikely they were branded. He knew he'd be tucking into some of those while he was here.


So, Joseph was in the kitchen making himself a cup of tea, Karin was in the back yard, and... James was still asleep. Thalia could talk to a couple of people long before he got up if she wanted to - Maybe it'd be high time to ask Joseph about the French lessons, considering Karin kept on forgetting (Yeah, my bad).


--


Frank's Apartment


9:44AM 


He was up and ready a long time ago, and he was ready to rock and roll just as soon as Tony was. It was time to go and get McAllister at long last, from a place that was secure and off the record. They needed this more than ever for Bradan's people. Frank knew that convincing McAllister would be easy enough, it was a matter of actually sending him in and monitoring everything that'd be difficult. It was possible, though, especially with the terms they were going to give him. Just as long as they weren't in hot water with Pigman anytime soon, they could get this guy what he needed to infiltrate everything. Chances were he could get away with recording things just fine, but, it wasn't worth rushing into things. They needed to be careful if they were dealing with Bradan. Bradan may have claimed to not be a cop-killer, but people had been pushing their limits recently.


No way did they want to risk getting a bunch of cops killed by having McAllister get caught. Nope. Frank didn't want anyone's deaths on his hands. Things were going fine. They were one step ahead of Bradan and his group, weren't they? Frank liked to think so, but, what was actually the case could easily be a different story.


He sat down on the couch petting his dog's head, then reached to his phone and pulled up Tony's contact. He quickly sent him a text.


'Tony, come pick me up. We need to go get Bradan's man. He won't like waiting around for too long. Or would you rather me come and get you?' He asked.


He was wondering how Tony was doing - he didn't have Melissa to share a bed with last night, and that was worrying. Did he even sleep at all if the thought of her was fresh on his mind? The promise to have Melissa back was there, but whether or not it happened was still yet to surface. He could only pray that things wouldn't go pear-shaped. For Tony's sake.


Today, though, it was business as usual, and they had one destination for now: 


The Rehab Center that McAllister was being stored in. It wasn't too far of a drive from where Frank lived, so it would have made more sense for Tony to come to him, but he wasn't going to force him to do that. They just needed to get this done sooner rather than later. It had already waited long enough.

 

[KasperXIII]

James' House | Encino, CA | 9:49 AM


After everything that had unraveled between Thalia and Frank, it was almost a bit of a disappointment they couldn't share a bed to sleep to overnight, but clearly, both understood why. Whether they stayed at James' place or moved it over to Frank's, Tony would hound them to no end. He was still suspicious, and clearly looking for whatever outlet he can to catch them in the act. Sleeping under the same roof was a major red flag. No, it was better off for the girl to stay at James' place. She liked the master bedroom there, anyway. Big. Comfy bed. Bathroom included. window view, too. Whenever she gets her own place, she wanted her room to be simple, but also very cozy. Maybe with Frank, too. She wished he could've stayed the night, or she could've come with. But she understood the risks. More feuds between members of their team was unnecessary. And probably fatal, too. Especially when there was sex in the mix.


Thalia slept in this morning, longer than she did before. It didn't matter that she'd slept through a good bit of the afternoon, whether that was sleep or her blacking out was beyond her at this point, and she didn't want to remember that. It was relaxing. And so was her second round of sleep. She didn't mean to sleep in till almost 10 AM, but it would have to do. Today was their day off anyway. There was so much to say to Karin that she couldn't stand keeping her feelings bottled up much longer. She was dying to spill her heart out to her best friend. Excitement, that's a feeling she hadn't had so much of in a while. But she started her morning calm and slow, rising from her sheets at her own pace, stretching her arms and legs in bed before yanking the sheets off. She'd taken her pants off before sleeping, again. The tightness of her jeans weren't comfortable to sleep in. Hell, nothing was. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept with pants on, too hot and too uncomfortable, but it's not like anyone would barge in and mind. Except Tony, really, but from what Thalia noticed with Frank's question? How he got so defensive when he was popped the question if he had a crush on her? It was clear he might like it if he saw her in her underwear. He's a guy, after all, a guy into women, so no doubt he'd ogle at her for a few extra seconds if he could, even if he denies it at first.


There was a master bathroom, one that she rolled out of bed to go see. It looked pretty well-kept. Every room in the house seemed to be. Did James expect this many visitors at a time? It surely was overcompensating but to their advantage. She took a look at herself in the mirror above the skin. Her hair was still a mess, clearly, but her eyes looked refreshed, well-rested. That much was good to see. A look down, and she found a hairbrush. Thank fuck for James' overcompensating. She took it in her hands and ran it down her locks just to make it look a bit more presentable. She'd been a wreck after these past few days. Maybe she could try to make herself look a bit nicer. She cracked the faucet open as well, cold side all the way, cupping her hands beneath the falling water, then leaned forward to toss the water at her face. It stung, but the good kind of stinging. She liked it freezing. A good enough wake-up call for a day that she didn't know what to expect from. What would she do today, anyway? A mystery, truly. She was hyped, though. Once she finished washing her face, she shut off the flow of water and grabbed a towel to dry off. She couldn't help but smile at herself. Not only did she find herself pretty in that moment, but more importantly, she was happy. And today should be a good day. She'd make it good no matter what. She still had Ra's' pendant around her neck. She couldn't deny it was cool, so she kept it on. She also has a nose ring that she'd removed after the cafe heist earlier. Mainly to boost her own moral, she inserted the piercing back into the left side of her nostril. It gave her a bit of a more hardcore look, accompanied by a gothic-looking pendant, she enjoyed making herself look physically appealing in her own eyes. With that out of the way, she quickly brushed her teeth as well with the toothbrush laying on the mirror shelf, despite how someone with some nasty disease might've used it before. Thalia has used less sanitary things before, but she just wanted to freshen herself up as best as possible, maybe take a shower later, get a change of clothes. Once she found herself decent enough, she returned to the bed and grabbed her normal phone, laying on her stomach with her legs curled and elevated from behind, just looking around at the pictures on the phone, then at her contacts list.


Charlie.... last time she talked to him, she chickened out and got scared. Not anymore. She pulled up her old home phone number from Philly and dialed. She had no clue if her brother would answer, or someone else. She just wanted to hear someone's voice. She held it to her ear and smiled, toying with one of the ends of her hair, falling down her shoulders onto the bed. She was jumping up and down on the inside from excitement. Just to hear a few extra words from that boy.


Then they came: but from an older gentleman. Jacob Griffin. Her father. "Griffin residence."


This time, Thalia wasn't going to chicken out or get scared. But at the same time, she wouldn't reveal her identity just yet. Her skills in lying would come in handy now to give her an excuse to talk to her father. "Hello Reverend Jacob..." Her father's official title. Strange, instead of calling him Daddy. "This is Tania Randolf, I'm calling from the Lost But Found organization based in Los Angeles. We specializing in finding and rehabilitating lost children who've been separated from their families..." A fake name as far as she was concerned. If it's not, then on well. Her father wouldn't know the difference. "I couldn't help but come across your documentaries with you and your wife, Nicole, about your missing daughter Thalia? The ones from a few years ago?"


"Thalia? Wait.... do you... have any developments about her?"


"W-we might, Reverend, but no promises. Looking at the records, your daughter is 21 years old now, but I do have something you can follow...." Finally. An idea to bring herself close to her her family. Her father's frantic voice when he heard her name brought joy to her, but she kept her cover, maintaining her cool, but her legs swinging behind her from the hype. "We found a girl that matches some of the descriptions of your daughter. Red hair, green eyes, matching age, similar facial features, fluent in French, but seeing she's 21, we don't have the right to keep her in our custody. Nobody does, really."


"Oh.... my Lord.... Are you certain of this?"


"Mhm. It's really big, I know. She passed by yesterday, here in LA, but we didn't really make much of it at the time. Then I looked back into it... and I saw the documentaries. Reverend, I think your daughter is here in California. No guarantees, but if you come here and try to talk to her.... I think she wants to see you, judging by what she told us."


Silence came from the other end of the phone. Her father was clearly in shock. "What did she say?"


Thalia knew what she was going to say. A deep sigh separated her words before saying, "She said she misses her parents. And she wishes she could go back to Philadelphia to find them, but... she met someone here in LA. But the second she gets a chance, she'd come see you."


Out of nowhere, the call dropped. Thalia was confused at first. But judging the pants and nervous nature of her father..... they might be coming to LA. She sat back up properly, placing her phone down on the bed. But a smile came across her face realizing the possibility of something great as she rolled over onto her back. They're coming? Well, they'll find out the organization I gave them is a dud. But they might keep looking? Will they?


She could only hope so. But for now, her thoughts returned to Frank. The boyfriend she mentioned on the call. She missed him, and wanted to hear from him again before the big day began....


There it was. A temptation to live on the edge and do something a bit daring for Frank. Just to catch his eye wherever he may be. Using the phone number he'd given her would be useless after James confiscated his phone. But she still had the burner. An older flip phone, but it would do. It had a camera, so it would do the job of what she planned. The contacts were neatly arranged for all five of them. Frank, Karin, Tony, James, named appropriately. It would be quite embarrassing if they were misnamed and the picture she was about to send would reach one of the other three.... especially Tony. That would never end well.


She wasn't one to sext. That was something she preferred to do in person. But she was certainly one to tease.


Getting a non-mirror selfie off with a flip phone with no internal camera would be a pain in the ass, and even took a bunch of tries for Thalia to get right. With the phone turned around for the camera to face her in her right hand, she sat upright and extended that arm outward so that the scope of the image would encompass her, sitting in bed, as if she just recently woke up... which was very true, really. All she really did was brush her hair a bit. Her flawless face was at the top of the picture, her body beneath her but also in clear view. Her green eyes looked wide awake and happy, ready for the new day. Her smile was ear to ear, licking her lower lip as well, gleeful at just the thought of talking to Frank by text. She missed him already, and desperately wanted him to know. Her body itself? Well, she was in nothing more than her green tank to and black underwear. The strap on her left shoulder was drooping a bit down her shoulder, seeing she'd slept in it and hardly noticed the anomaly. The bottom of it was also folded up slightly to expose her slim stomach for the camera, which only made her want a crop top more than anything now that she was in California. Her pendant was dangling on the outside of her shirt, shining a bit from the sunrise, but not too much to create an annoying glare. Her bare legs were folded beneath her body, but extending to her left one on top of the other. How many guys do actually stare at her legs? It wasn't too often she'd wear shorts, so she wouldn't know. LA was just the start, the start to a lot of new experiences, anyway. And her left hand? It was looped beneath the side of her panties, pulling it slightly downward, not to expose any of her baggage, but enough to show a bit of her hip and lower the waistline of the front slightly. Of course, she wouldn't send him anything too serious via text. No, she would save that for when he's in person. Nonetheless, it was a suitable tease and something that would make him get nervous in public. Maybe a bit of revenge for all the nice things he said about redheads in the car with Tony, in which she couldn't control herself but blush like a motherfucker. She loved it, though. Hopefully he'd love the picture she'd taken for him. Once she was satisfied with the result, she sent the picture along with a few words, enough words to get her point across:


'Morning, handsome... I miss you.'


Simple as that. Short, sweet, and sincere. Hopefully it didn't sound too much like a booty call.


A few more moments of just laying in bed seemed like enough for Thalia, not really moving much from her sitting position, but looking out her window. Much like she thought when she slept at Karin's place, this was a new day, a new start for her. It was that philosophy that made her want to push forward despite the blunders of yesterday. Frank's very words in the car yesterday that told her to live for the present. And in the present? She had a bit of a day off. She just wished she could spend it with Frank. Maybe she could spend the day job hunting, or getting started putting her life together. She still had a lot to learn. But she'd get to spend it with Karin, who clearly had a lot to say as well. After faintly hearing her and James upstairs, both girls had PLENTY to say for themselves. Neither of them were innocent when it came to teasing and love. And as a playful best friend to Karin, Thalia wanted to know details. Not of the actual fun in bed. But what lead up to it. Talking about sex itself bored the redhead, after having done it with too many strangers to count. She wanted to slow down a notch. Get into the mushier romantic stuff now. Then again, she just sent a teasing picture to Frank, but he should've seen that coming.


But Thalia was hungry, no doubt. Now it was time for her to get out of bed, get something to eat, and find her friend somewhere in the massive house. She fixed up her shirt so no unnecessary skin was showing. After all, she wouldn't want Joseph to accidentally see her like that. She also put her jeans back on, because, well, last time she chose to walk around this house with no pants on, it took her quite literally a few minutes to get busted. Which reassured her that finding Karin would be a piece of cake. Once she was dressed and properly adjusted to walk outside, she did exactly that, slowly taking to the hallway and over to the kitchen. From the distance, though, she overheard someone in the kitchen, unsure of what or who exactly. Instinctively, she prepared herself for the worst: that James had an intruder. She snuck her way in there, taking slow but careful steps, helpful that she was in socks to not make so much noise with each step, a hand behind her back pocket to pull a weapon in case it was ever needed. Once she arrived, she was relieved that her paranoia was for nothing.


It was just Joseph. Thalia hadn't seen him in ages.


"Oh... hey there, Joe," she greeted, smiling to the boy and walking into the kitchen normally, not in a stance for combat. One thing was clear on the boy, which made the redhead a bit happier for him. "Well, you certainly look better than yesterday. That's good to see...." Maybe Thalia was scared herself. How does Joseph view her? Does he still see the scary woman who held up his sister's workplace in dark, unsightly makeup, a mask, and a pair of SMG's in her hands? Or have things changed? So much happened over the course of these two days, and the way this boy must view her.... it was up in the air. But she kept her fear to herself. She didn't want to abruptly ask him if he liked her or not. Instead, she took to the fridge. Breakfast. She was starving. What did James' kitchen have to offer.... Well, he had a few things that any normal person wouldn't have for breakfast, but Thalia could pass of as such. A sandwich wrapped in some plastic wrap to preserve it for another time, cut in two halves. Some spaghetti, it seemed. Some of that cheese she and Frank had yesterday. She took one of the halves of the sandwich, regardless of its age or who planned on eating it later. A bit rude, sure, but clearly James wouldn't mind. And if it tasted like shit, she'd cover it back up in the wrapping and put it back. She still didn't get her ice cream from last night. She could still take that back. Once she took her breakfast of choice, she hopped onto the counter next to Joseph, watching over him as he made himself tea. She wished she could be of any assistance. But she offered it anyway, even if she might blow up James' grand kitchen.


"If you need help, Joe, you can.... just ask?" she told him, smiling to him in the friendliest way she knew of, unwrapping the sandwich she'd raided from the fridge. She quickly took a bite of it like a prisoner who hadn't eaten anything solid in days. Turkey, some sort of fancy cheese, lettuce, mayo.... anything else in there, she couldn't determine. Not exactly a foodie herself, and not exactly a balanced breakfast either. But she liked it and would continue eating.


Then an idea hit Thalia, seeing this boy. He wanted to learn French, and Karin never got back to her about it. Once she swallowed her bite, she spoke up again. Was she sounding too desperate to gain Joseph's trust? Hopefully not. "Hey.... I couldn't help but over hear in the car when we came here that... you wanted to learn a romantic language? I couldn't help but over hear you mentioning French.... Well, it just so happens that, well, I know French. Very well, actually. My mom taught it to me a long time ago, and I guess it stayed with me after all this time." She owed a big thank you to her mom at this point. This was her bonding point with Joseph. "I mean, if your sister lets you.... I'd be happy to teach you a thing or two. Maybe you could impress the kids at your school? Tell her your friend Thalia taught you everything you know?" She gave him a smile of reassurance that she wasn't kidding. But she didn't want to overwhelm him just yet with a sentence of nothing but her codominant tongue just yet. Maybe he still feared her. "Look, I know I've made mistakes before, and I may not look like the friendliest kid on the block, but I really want to change, Joseph... I don't want to hurt people anymore. That girl who scared you and Karin? That's not me. I don't want it to be me. And I don't want to keep living like it was me... do you get where I'm coming from? I've made mistakes that I'm not proud of, and I just want to make them right..."


Perhaps too wordy for a ten year old. She quickly took another bite of her breakfast to get her mind off of her fumble. He's just a kid. What's going through his mind?


--


Tony's condo | 9:51 AM


In parallel, and quite contrary to Thalia, Tony didn't sleep well at all. Melissa wasn't there, and probably still suffering under the rulings of a heartless psychotic kingpin slowly taking over the city. More specifically, he was targeting the police that were giving their all to bring him down. And he was resourceful. Too resourceful. He captured Melissa in a matter of hours and is now using her as a pawn to get Tony out of his hair. It was half tempting to give in. How much more could Thalia or James be of any help before this all blows up in their faces? It was only regrets that ran through Tony's head as he lay alone in bed contemplating over his options. Worse: he was doing it all while drinking some expensive whiskey that his girlfriend bought a while back. Just to drown away his sorrows until he cried himself to sleep. While everyone else was moving on, Tony simply couldn't. Not with his girlfriend's life on the line. Even if they didn't have the same spark as he now had for the mystery redhead, Tony owes Melissa his career. If it weren't for that, he'd be in the unemployment line or something. This girl doesn't deserve to die to Ra's. And today, if the detectives get a chance, Tony will continue to pursue the lead. Even if that means turning Roland over without consulting James. Giving away the location of the underground doctor, too. Tony would do it if he had to. He had the address, after all.


Then he received a text from his partner to come pick him up to go to the rehab center. Groaning from his periodic depression, Tony got up from his couch, put his drink down, and quickly got himself dressed in a fresh suit. No time for coffee or complaining. After a whole day focused on Al-Asheera, they forgot that the Clover Boys were still a problem, especially now that Ra's has kicked the hornet's nest at full force with the Coral Cafe, and still is by trying to take control of locations that were owned by Bradan. And to add insult to injury, Bradan is retaliating. This war was starting faster than anyone could keep up with, and it was Tony and Frank's jobs as brilliant investigative minds to put it to a peaceful resolve.


Tony wasn't too dazed by his drink, thus making him legally capable of driving. He memorized where Frank's place was now, practically able to get there with his eyes closed. Like yesterday, he arrived just outside and honked a few times to signal for his partner to get inside.


"Morning, Frank," he muttered, clearly tired and lacking sleep in his voice. He didn't seem tipsy, but he did come off as cold. Emotionless. Pissed off. Anything that happens next could piss him off. Especially if it's related to Thalia, who would make his blood boil further. "Today, our order of the day is Bradan. We've put him on hold for far too long."


But Tony's fear of the one thing that could piss him off came true, when Thalia's scandalous picture of herself reached Frank's phone. Once he heard the vibration, he knew it wasn't his own burner. It was his partner's. And seeing those phones were only to be used by the five of them, the options were limited: Karin, James, or Thalia. And Tony had a hunch it was the last one. But he kept driving normally, but asked, "Who's messaging you this early? Aren't the others on break today?"


Yikes. Thalia picked the worst time to send that.

 

[DrTrollinski]

The morning was going well for most parties. Frank was up and ready, and about to get a nice picture sent to him, but... At the same time, that was going to be sent at the worst time possible, and even more so, Tony was one of those parties where he was having a really shitty day. Frank couldn't blame him for that, though. More on them in a bit, I suppose. Business calls for everyone in one way or another.


In James' house, James was asleep still, of course. He'd consumed alcohol, was up half the night doing the unspeakable with Karin, and now, he was in his recovery stage. He wouldn't really consider himself a heavy drinker - even though he was when other people weren't around - but... His body wasn't used to it. He was a bit of a binge drinker more than anything, but he did have a promise to deliver on today. He'd promised that if Joseph was feeling better, he'd take him out for lunch and some other stuff. He at least wanted to give the kid a good day - he trusted Thalia and Karin enough to look after the place and not drive his old butler into an early grave from stress. God knew the guy was halfway there was it was, so, he had to take it easy nowadays, but that wasn't the most important thing.


Joseph was in the kitchen happily making his tea, quite excited about what the day would hold, when Thalia walked in and spoke to him. He flinched, then turned to her, one hand on his chest. He laughed, though, and sent a smile back.


"God, you scared me. I didn't hear you come in." He chuckled. "Woo, I'm okay." He took a deep breath, then went back to making his tea. She did mention asking for help and everything, and he nodded to that. "Sure, yeah. I think the tea's all good in my hands. For now." He chuckled a little. For someone his age, he knew how to have a good sense of humor when he wanted to. The talk didn't end there, though, because she went on to talk about learning French, which actually made him stop dead in his tracks of what he was doing. Her? Teaching him? It sounded like a brilliant idea. His facial expression might not have matched the excitement within, but, the idea of Thalia giving him lessons was... Nice. If she really didn't mind, he was going to be taking her up on that, no doubt. 


She also spoke about how she'd made mistakes, and how it wasn't her in that diner. After what James had told him last night, he believed that even more than he already did. Thalia got into trouble, and James was there helping her out alongside the detectives - That was his interpretation of the story. 


Either way, he stayed quiet - sure, the silence might have been a bit unnerving, but he actually got a second cup from the cupboard and made a second cup of tea, with one teaspoon of sugar. He didn't want to push it, but, he was taking guesses here. He carried both cups over to Thalia and placed one down in front of her, smiled, then sat down opposite her, too. He took a sip of his tea and looked her up and down.


"I know." He finally said. "We all make mistakes... That's what makes us human." He said, shrugging. "That's what Karin told me when I was little, anyway. When I tripped in my soccer game and lost the chance to score..." He shrugged. "That's just what she told me. We all make mistakes." He smiled at her, "As long as you do your best to fix them, or take another shot another time at making things right, that's what matters. Learning from mistakes, and all that." He said. "The thing James told me last night... You got in trouble, and he was gonna' help you and the detectives to fix things up." He gave a bit bigger of a smile at her. 


Some people may criticize James for letting Joseph in on the secret between them, but, was it really such a bad thing? Now Joseph would be at ease knowing roughly what was going on, and there was the chance that Joseph's bond with Thalia would just improve drastically now that James had made her look like she was an innocent person in a bad place.


"I'd love to learn French from you, though." He grinned. "Everyone in my class would be impressed, definitely, because there's only like... Two other kids in the whole school that know a different langauge, and we don't know any of them. They're not American, though. One's German, and I think the other one's Chinese, so, they sorta' knew the language since they were young, anyway. They won't be learning it like I would. I'd be the cooler one, I'm sure." He laughed a little. "And... James said he'd take me for lunch today if I felt better, so, I mean, if you're not doing anything later, maybe we could do the first lesson when I get home?" He asked, an eager smile on his lips as he sipped his drink again.


At least he didn't seem terrified of Thalia, right?


--


"Hey, Tony." Frank chirped as he dropped himself down into the car. He looked over him a few times - Yeah, he didn't look so great, and he didn't look like he was in the right state to be driving. He wasn't going to be angry at him, though, not at all. He knew he wasn't having a good time, so, the best thing to do here was... Not mention it, really. If he mentioned Melissa and everything, chances were he was either going to open up a river of tears, or release a hurricane of rage. Neither of those were something he really wanted to deal with so early in the morning - one thing he could do, however, was go for coffee. That certainly wasn't out of the equation.


"Yep, that's definitely on our list of things to do. McAllister's probably getting restless. He's not in his home prison - he has no power in this place, and chances are, he might have a few enemies there. I think they've got him in solitary for now, so, he's safe, but we still need to get there quick. We leave him in solitude for too long, and he'll end up opening a lawsuit against us for inhumane treatment, and all that shit." He said, simply. "So, we best get there quick, get it out of the way and get him on board with the takedown of Bradan's crew. He's one of our only lucky breaks we're going to get. If we're lucky, he can expose the person in the LAPD. And in addition to that, he might be able to get enough dirt on Bradan to let us bust some of his guys, and maybe even him. But we need to keep in mind that if we plan on taking Bradan down, we're going to need some solid evidence. Physical evidence, confessions, conspiring. All the rest of it." He waved a hand around.


"Let's worry about that later, though." He said.


And then his phone went off. Shit. He knew it was Thalia, but he had to cover it up. He pulled his phone out and made sure he opened it just enough to see what was going on. The picture - Good lord. For a moment he thought he was going to have to step out of the car. It was something that took him by surprise, a cheap tease that got his heart pumping. For fuck's sake. Why couldn't he have been at James' place with her last night? If only he had his own car, he could have driven Tony home and then gone straight back there, but no, that made it too obvious. Considering he was dropped off first last night, too, he couldn't exactly go back with James.


Plus, he had to care for the dog.


Jesus, though, how he wished he could have been between the sheets again. It would have felt better than wearing a full suit on a summer's day.


Tony immediately questioned it, of course.


"Just James sending a message, I think. I haven't opened it - If it's anything important, he'd probably call." He cleared his throat and closed the phone again, tucking it into his pocket. "Until we get a phone call from one of them, I'm not replying, don't worry. Just like you said, business as usual today. We don't know each other. That's what James said." He shrugged. Even though it didn't entirely add up, James was a mysterious character - It wouldn't be unlikely for him to randomly send a text their way, but, still, it was a risky bluff.


Quickly change the subject, Frank.


"Tony, you want me to drive?" He asked, quickly. "I'll treat us both to a cup of coffee on the way there." He smiled. 

 

[KasperXIII]

Getting to know him further under calmer circumstances, two days after the robbery, Thalia grew to see that Joseph was a fun-loving kid. He had a bright sense of humor, and was also really polite from the get-go. He reminded her of herself from back when she was that age under her parents' wings. So innocent, and so caring too. It'd been too long since she's cared for people. Now, with this new bundle of allies, she has plenty of people care for. Even Tony to some unusual degree. The heart that Ra's work so hard to freeze was slowly thawing and reaching out to the people she was around and associating with. And on top of it all, every time Thalia looks at Joseph, she can't help but see a part of her own brother in him. Sure, she hasn't met him yet and only knows about him from whatever James gathered the previous day, but it was enough for her feel closer already. It brought her back to her mindset in the car with the detectives. About making a difference? That's what she wanted. Even if it's just for some ten year old boy she hardly knows.


She might've started the boy at first, but eventually he calmed down when he knew it was her and laughed it off. It was good to know he wouldn't get too scared of her and dart out of the room in fear. He seemed like one to forgive and forget. The diner incident was behind them, as she tried to explain, and she doesn't want to go back and dwell over it. It would really be her last heist or operation as a black-hatted crook. Would there be more with the plans to take down Al-Asheera? Most definitely. But once this was all over, she planned on erasing that half of her. But what surprised Thalia more... Joseph made her a cup of tea as well?! Maybe it was just common courtesy. Maybe he was reaching forward to make peace? What changed in him so quickly? Was it just the idea of shock and shutting down from a stressful situation that died down? Whatever it was, they seemed to be cool. After taking another bite of her breakfast, she gave the boy a reassuring smile and told him, "Thank you. You're really sweet." She took the cup of tea from beside her on the counter, placing the sandwich down, and took a quick sip. Hot, for sure. Not like she didn't see that coming. She just wasn't used to it. But she kept her own bewildered thoughts aside as she listened to what Joseph had to say to her.


Hearing the story about him fumbling in his soccer game was a bit of a treat. She tried not to laugh in a way that would make him feel bad. Instead, she just kept listening. He was right: we all make mistakes. Some bigger than others. Then came the part when he knew that 'she was in trouble'. Her smile faded for a minute, thinking back. Did he hear all of the screaming? All the crying? Roland wailing in pain? The fighting, maybe even saw Tony getting physical with her? Did he see anything he shouldn't? Kids have a way with the senses anyway. But all he knew, apparently was that she was in a troubled spot and that James was helping her. It seemed innocent enough. Knowledge of a group like Al-Asheera and the horrors they commit, especially after watching a man die in front of him just two days ago. It must be horrible for Joseph. Fortunately, he's not associating her with the same brute who murdered that man. His smile reflected back on her.


"Thank you for understanding, Joe... it's been a tough time for me. And your sister? She's really helping me out to get through this with my head on straight. She's really a great person, and I've really come to admire Karin. You are really a lucky kid to have her there for you. I.... I just wish I had her around before. She feels like that big sister I never had. She and I... I don't know if she talks about me when I'm not around, but I've really come to like her. She's the closest thing I have to a best friend. And she's helping me out of a really bad place right now. I can't thank her enough."


Such uplifting words about his sister.  Perhaps to keep that trust she's built up. Then came the idea of teaching him French. His interest seemed to pique instantly, and that left her overjoyed. A way for the two to bond.


"Hah, kids who know other languages from when they were born, huh?" she light-heartedly answered, hopping off from the counter, taking her drink and her food to the table to sit like a human being for once. "I was one of those kids. Except for me, it was French. My mom's from Paris. I think my dad was there for some sort of prayer gathering? He met her, and, well, I guess he swept her off her feet, like they say." Much like she was swept off her feet by Frank, but what they did in the bedroom wasn't something for Joseph's age, exactly. "How about I help you catch up with those other kids, learning a new language? When you get back, if you feel up for it, I'll happily teach you. Deal?"


It seemed settled. Perfect. As she took a seat at the table, she took another bite from her snagged breakfast. Was she eating like she's never seen food before? It might be because Ra's used to starve her, and whenever she'd eat, it'd be one meal at the end of the day. She became used to it without look weak and flimsy. But after swallowing, she asked the boy another question, "Mm.... Have you seen your sister? I kinda miss her. She and I haven't gotten much time to talk about, well... girl stuff. If you get what I mean."


Hopefully, he thought she meant literal girl problems. Not boyfriend developments, which is what she REALLY wanted to discuss.


--


It didn't take a genius to know Tony was out of it today. His tie wasn't done properly, his shirt untucked, his eyes a bit bloodshot from the lack of sleep, his hair a bit messy and ungelled, and he seemed edgy on top of it all. Driving while borderline tipsy wasn't a helping factor either. He'd wash up once they get to the rehab center and face McAllister, but for now, at least he remembered to bring his badge and backup pistol from home. It still pissed him off that James dismantled his old one. Today, he wasn't going to let any bullshit like that fly. He most definitely wasn't in the mood. Even the slightest inconvenience on the way there might result in road rage from him, out of his own control.


"Seeing you know most of the info about the Clovers, Frank, I'm letting you run point on the McAllister interrogation. Besides, I'm a bit.... off, today, admittedly. I didn't much sleep. Just too many bad thoughts in my head. With Mel still god-knows-where and Ra's probably torturing her.... what do you think he'll do now that his right hand man didn't come home for dinner last night? That's one member of The Ten dead, one MIA, and another who's a wildcard. Ra's has to be getting suspicious. And he might just blame me and make her pay for my mistakes. And if he kills her..."


No. Tony didn't want to think that way. His negativity was getting the better of him, which impacted his driving, taking more dangerous turns, speeding up at times; he even ran a stop sign at one point. But the location wasn't all that far away.


But if anything was going to piss him off further, it was Frank's phone. His first instinct was to believe that it was Thalia, probably sending nudes bright and early in the morning. Because that's quite all he saw Thalia for: sex. And that's how he assumed everyone else saw her, even if that wasn't the case for her and Frank. Not solely sex, at least. He kept the side of his eye on Frank, trying to see if he could get a reaction. If it was nudes, he'd quickly look away or become red-faced. However, either Frank was a great liar.... or it wasn't nudes. Whatever it was, he wanted an answer for why his phone dinged. Who was it? And why? He answered that it was James. How convenient; after saying 'take a day off', he sends Frank a message. Suspicious. But he growled a bit with his lips shut and kept his weary eyes on the road. "Whatever... not like I'm in the mood for hearing James complain, either. He said to take today off and go back to our day jobs. We've got some catching up to do anyway with our police work. Starting with our Clover schmuck."


Was it that apparent that Tony wasn't himself? Did he even look tipsy? Was he driving like he was under the influence? He couldn't tell and didn't want to know, instantly pulling over when Frank asked the question. He undid the seatbelt keeping him in place and exited the driver's seat. His steps were certainly uneasy, holding himself up on the hood of his car to keep himself walking straight. At least sitting in the passenger's seat was less stressful. His trust for Frank might've been a bit fleeting with the tension due to Thalia, but he literally had no choice at this point. He swapped seats and let his partner take control.


"Lead the way, partner..." he sighed, throwing his head back in the seat. He didn't have time to nap, but he could close his eyes for a few moments.... imagining whatever it was Frank received. He still couldn't shake off that it was Thalia. How right he was. But he'd never know.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"She does talk about you, yeah." He shrugged, "It's been a long time since Karin had any proper friends, and seeing as she... Had some sort of falling out with friend from work, Mary, I guess you're the only friend she really has." He smiled. Ah, Mary, the one who caused 90% of their problems in the first place. Or had she helped them? She lead the detectives right to their house, and that was that, they met the two that were so willing (sort of) to help them out a little bit. And here they were now, in a multimillion dollar mansion relaxing and chilling. For now. They'd made good process and gained some valuable assets. Both in terms of people and physical items. Who knew where they'd be if Mary had never cracked and ratted them out - maybe two entirely different detectives would have came out and just arrested them both on the spot, thrown them in prison, put Joseph into protective custody. Who knows, right?


"She likes you. She's glad to have you around, of course." He grinned, then sipped his drink. "It's nice she has a friend - and a boyfriend, too. I'm glad she finally got one." He said. "I know most the guys that liked her never really... Well, fell in love with her because she had to look after me." He gave a smaller smile and shrugged, "But, James doesn't seem to mind, so, that's good. I really like James, so, I kinda' hope Karin stays with him. He's nice." He explained. There was the clear bond between the two guys already, which was just adding to the relationship Karin and James had. Joseph didn't know what happened between Karin and James last night, though. What happened last night basically made things official, one way or another. Did he know how all of that worked? Not quite yet, because the whole Sex Ed didn't start until Fifth Grade.


That was going to be fun.


"I'd love to learn some later today, yeah." He grinned. The idea of learning French was more and more tempting every time it was brought up. Nervous? Slightly. It was completely foreign to him, obviously, and what he'd seen of French so far seemed quite... Odd. The pronunciation was a lot different to how the words actually looked.


He'd give it his best shot, though.


As for Karin - Girl stuff to talk about. 


"Oh, um..." He thought for a moment. "I get what you mean, yeah... I think." He shrugged. "Still, she's out by the pool, reading something on a Kindle, I think." He said, then shrugged. "I think she's free, so, yeah. You can go ahead." He smiled, "I'm gonna' wait for James to get up and make some breakfast, or something. I haven't got my laptop here so there's not really much to do." He laughed. "I'm alright, though." He smiled. 


He was joyful enough - cheerful. He didn't seem that shattered by the events that rolled out over the last couple of days, but, you never know with some kids. Some kids just lock it away and have their own way of dealing with things - Was Joseph one of those kids? It was honestly hard to tell.


--


Frank was going to keep things secret for as long as he saw necessary, and that wasn't going to be changing. He was okay for now with keeping things quiet about him and Thalia, but, in some ways, he looked forward to being honest with everyone about the relationship once things had settled down a little bit more. He hoped they'd reach that point eventually, but, would Tony be angry with him and Thalia? He was almost certain that he'd be furious, so for now, things stayed quiet until he had Melissa back. It was confirmed that Tony had Melissa's safety fresh on his mind, and he wanted to make sure that that wasn't something that came up too much. Tony did have questions, though. Was there something she was going through that they didn't know about? He hoped not.


"Ra's relies on his men to do things. He doesn't often do things himself, I don't think." He shook his head, "Plus, things have been quiet on your end. If he thought that you had Roland, he'd expect you to make a call and try and negotiate a deal. At that point, yeah, maybe he'd do something horrific to her. But the thing is, that's not happening now. We've got Thalia frightening the ever-loving shit out of Roland, and from what we can tell, she's going to get him to do whatever we want him to. That's a much safer bet than you just driving him out to Ra's, y'know? There's no need to suspect anything on his end, not yet. As long as we keep it quiet, we'll be fine. From what I can tell, these guys are manipulative, and they'll stab you in the back at the first chance they get. With one of them on our side, I think we'll get Melissa back, no problem." He said.


Hopefully that was enough to put him at ease.


And to make things better, he bought the lie about James - For now. That was always good.


When Frank took the wheel, he was happy to have done so. Tony may have been slightly under the limit, but it was still unsafe for him to be driving. The first stop, though, was Dunkin' Donuts. He figured that getting Tony to eat some breakfast and a hot cup of coffee would do best for him. At least he'd be a little more straightened out by the time they got to the correctional facility, right? So, yes, two breakfast donuts (glazed donuts with eggs and bacon in the middle of them, like a bagel in some ways - amazing), and two cups of coffee. That was food for the road - Journey Juice, I guess.


It didn't take long to get to the facility, though, and they were let inside as soon as they flashed their badges. After getting inside, it wasn't long before their request to have Mister Marcus McAllister brought through to the private visitation room. He was sat down in front of them, in cuffs, of course, and was cuffed to the bar that was bolted to the table, and the table was bolted to the floor. He wasn't going anywhere.

Another man that looked moderately pissed off and threatening. Fantastic.


"Mister McAllister." Frank said.


"Who the hell are you?" He snapped, immediately.


"Detective Hale, and this is Detective Walsh." He motioned a hand off to Tony. "We wanted to ask you a few questions, and I think you know what it's about."


"Fuck no. You're not gettin' diddly-shit outta' me, lad."


Frank nodded a few times, "Alright." He chuckled. "Tell me something, Marcus... You have three kids, correct?"


Marcus looked even angrier, and sent a fiery look Frank's way. He stayed quiet.


"Two sons, a daughter... The boys are the eldest, I see." He said. "Daughter's so young she hardly even knows you. Given the amount of time you've been locked up." He shrugged. "Your eldest son is thirteen next year. Your youngest son is going to be... Let's think... I think it was ten? In November, right?" He asked. "How many birthdays have you missed so far, Mark?"


He scanned him up and down. "Too many." He grumbled, quietly.


"And you really want to miss the boys' two of the most important age milestones? You don't want to be there for that?"


"Not like you can do shit for me. Not in as little time as a a few months - I've still got four fuckin' years to serve. Four whole god damned years, all because of that bastard Bradan. If he even thinks I'm talkin' to you, then guess what, my wife and kids' heads get fuckin' thrown over the fence during yard time." He shook his head. 


"Maybe we can." He said. "I can tell you don't like Bradan, as much as you don't want to admit it. What are you in for?"


"Aggravated robbery, posession of an illegal firearm." He sighed.


"Pff. That's nothing." He waved his hand, "I bet you're known as the biggest pussy on the block with a sentence like that."


That was sudden, really, but, even though Marcus wanted to say something, he pointed a stern finger at Frank, but no words fell from his mouth. To a reasonable extent, Frank was right.


"It's only because you're Bradan's lapdog that you haven't been whacked yet, and you know it. How long's it going to be before your family gets word that you've been stabbed to death in the showerblock, hm?"


"Wasting my time here, Hale." He grumbled again, pinching his forehead. "I'll word it a little differently - What in the fuck, is in it for me?" 


What's in it for me? The question that fuels all mens' power, makes them hungry, makes them want more. Just like James had said.


"A pardon and a place in the witness protection program for you and your family. That's assuming Bradan and his bunch are actually still running by the time we're done - If not, then you're completely home free. FBI will eat this shit up - they'll be more than happy to pardon you of your sentence if you help us. Sounds good, right? Let's start by knowing a little more about Bradan. How he acts, how he works, how he talks, even how he shits and eats."


Marcus was silent for a good long while, but the offer was all too tempting. He hated being in prison, and for a man that was only in his forties, the stress of it all had made him look so much older. Sitting on a secret where he was nothing more than the bottom bitch. He was forced to take the fall; his eyes went to the table, and after a deep breath, he spat out some words.


"Bradan's not your average guy." He said, "A lot of the boys back in his club all think he's actually gay, but he ain't never told anyone about that." He said - now that there was more sorrow, more shame, the Irish accent was coming out a lot thicker. "I don't know if it's true, but, he ain't ever married, ever even looked at a woman on the street. Sure, there's been times where he's had a little thing going, but, people think it's all a fake. A lie." He shook his head, "And I do, too. The way he acts around some people, some of the guys he has working for him, he's different depending. If they're married, chances are he's more distant. Single, more open, divorced, more... Caring, in some ways. Screams the fact he likes dick, if you ask me, but, that's not all." He gulped. "Bradan likes to walk as if he's got three guys behind him all the time - he's cocky, he's stupid, but at the same time, he's the smartest son of a bitch I've ever met. He knows what he's doing, and he knows how to get under your skin. If he knew you were here talking to me? Not only would one of the prison guards end up killing me in my sleep before the end of tonight, but, by tomorrow afternoon? Bradan would have found every single thing you ever cared about, and he'd rip it to pieces right in front of you. Any kids? Wife? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Consider them fucking dead. He's done it before, and he'll do it again. One man tried to sell him out, and you know what this sick person did? He slit his teenage daughter's throat right in front of him, and after giving him a while to think about it, he put a bullet in the guy and dumped them both in the ocean. Way out, too. Bradan has everything. Boats, helicopters, guns, drugs, even a little plane that some of his people use to ship shit around California." He shook his head.


Jesus. Frank wasn't expecting that much of an answer - they didn't have anything they could use against him yet, but, the more they knew, the better.


"So... You were his right hand for some time, correct?"


"Mhm." He mumbled, "Guy fucked me over as soon as that robbery took place. Easy gig, he said, you'll get the money and you'll leave. Jewelry store, it was, a small one. No one got shot, but he sent me in there with himself and some other guy, one he was close to. Ricky Douglas." He shook his head, "Ricky was always looking to get his lips around Bradan's balls, and I'm willing to bet he's actually done it by now. My theory is, seein' as I wasn't one to take shit from Bradan and his crew, he got tired of me refusing to be the bitch. He took me into that place, and he did me over." He said, "Before I know it, I got caught, and funnily enough, just before the cops got there, Ricky and Bradan slip out the back door and vanish, and from that moment on, I was done." He said. "He had messengers say... You know, it wasn't my fault, he would have changed it if he could. Guy might still respect me, for all I know. Didn't want me dead but wanted me out the way so Ricky could be his right-hand guy instead. Guy treats Ricky like some sort of... Shit, it's like a fucked up father-son complex they've got going on, which makes things even worse if Ricky's blowin' the guy on the sidelines."


"You think he could have put you away for the sake of a possible romance?"


"Easily. Bradan's a fuckin' weirdo like that." He snarled, clenching a fist on the table. 


"Alright, Marcus, I'll cut to the chase." He said. "I know the chances are that you don't know much about Bradan's gang anymore. In fact, for all you know, all the people that were there in your time are... Dead or retired. Who knows." He said. "But, what we need you to do is go back in there. Gain his trust. Find out his people. Stomp out the rat they've got in the LAPD." He shrugged, "You get us the evidence we need to prosecute Bradan and his higher-ups, and it's simple, you walk free, no strings attached. If you want it, you get a nice cozy house in upper California, central Nevada, southern Colorado - You name it." He said. "It's a risky operation, but, you know what? I think you're the man who can pull it off. Your face didn't show up anywhere before you were set up - On that note, out of curiosity, what was your role other than right-hand man?"


"Tactitian." He said, immediately. "Tactitian and a slight bit of accounting. I worked well with numbers, and because I have time in the military under my belt, they put me there. Robberies they did, they were most likely on me back then. If anything's slipped, it's because the dick-sucker Ricky doesn't have half the skill I do. The only job I didn't help plan was the one where I went down. Should have known something was up there and then, but, I was blinded by it all. I was on my throne of success and it bit me on the ass." He said. "If I do this for you, Hale, do I get to see my family? Or are you going to have me in custody 24/7?"


Frank thought for a moment.


"You'll have scheduled and protected meetings with your wife and children - Once or twice a week, depending." He said. "It depends how much we can trust you, Marcus." He said. "You'll be tracked, obviously. We won't let you out of our sight entirely - but if you try and do us over, you go back into prison, this time for even longer, is that clear?"


"I just want fucking out of this, Hale." He snapped. "Bradan trashed my life. Took it and shook it around and emptied it out into the fucking wind. I ain't ever gonna' be able to get back the years I spent in prison, I know that, but at least give me a chance to prove to you that I'm worth letting out."


"Maybe. You'll wear a wire?"


"Not in god's house, not at first." He shook his head. "First thing Bradan's going to do is give me a hug and feel me down for a wire. He'll do that a few times, but, anything else I can get hold of, I'll do it. You'll get a list of names for the first while, but no wires until he trusts me again." He said. "Which means if you get names, you can't act on it immediately. By all means watch them, but, if you go and arrest them straight away, Bradan will have me dead before they even reach a courtroom." He explained. 


The tactitian thing certainly wasn't a lie. The guy knew a thing or two about planning.


Frank nodded.


He looked at Tony. "Tony, you happy with everything? You got any questions?" He asked. So far, Frank was willing to take a gamble, but if there was anything Tony wanted to say or ask, then he had a chance right now.

 

[KasperXIII]

"Hehehe.... Well, I'll be damned." Thalia wouldn't have expected Karin to speak so highly of a girl she knew had the potential to be dangerous. She vaguely remembered the mention of a girl named Mary back at the bar. A supposed best friend from the diner, but seeing that they haven't had much contact since then, their friendship wasn't exactly on any sort of stable grounds. It didn't even seem like Karin wanted to talk to Mary at all, about any of this. Not even introduce the two. Hell, if she was at the diner, Mary would most definitely remember Thalia as the redheaded girl controlling the crowd and call 911, being the end of her. Maybe not such a good idea. Then again, how the hell did Thalia trust Karin so much? And with two meetings that were equally dangerous? What made her believe that this brave caretaker wasn't trying to sell her out? It probably wasn't that she simply believed her sob story about running from home. Maybe it was something deeper. Fate. Putting her food down on the table for a moment, she crossed her legs in her place and leaned in a bit closer to the boy. "I'm glad Karin sees me like that. And I'm glad she has a boyfriend now, too. James is really a cool guy. I mean, I was a bit sketchy about him at first, but eventually I realized that there... really isn't a better guy for her. Nobody would ever be as perfect for her. And he's great with you, too, which is definitely a plus in her books... I'm rooting for them. Most definitely."


Joseph seemed a bit nervous about the French lessons, and Thalia understood why. Being fluent in both English and French, she understood that they were vastly different, grammatically and from a pronunciation standpoint. She was lucky that her French doesn't linger in her English, and vice versa. "Trust me, when you learn French after English, it's a bit of a pain. It's oftentimes easier to learn French, then English becomes easier for you. I learned them both together, so I had things a bit easier. Confusing, sure, but hey. I can talk alright, right?" She laughed a bit, her smile trying to make Joseph feel comfortable around her. "I can pronounce every weird way to represent an 'e' with accent marks down to perfection in French, but at the same time still have a perfectly normal American accent with no weird mixes. Would you have guessed I speak French until I told you?" She smirked a second, knowing the answer would be no, then used her accent for once in front of the boy. "Que typique. Je ne suis pas surpris." [Typical. I'm not all that surprised.] It didn't matter too much if the boy understood her, which he clearly didn't, only because she was proving herself a good teacher, the confidence soaring in her accent as she shifted back to the one Joseph was probably used to. "It's tough, I'll be honest. But you'll be with a good teacher; before you know it, you'll be speaking French for the girls at your school and winning hearts over in no time. How does that sound?" In her eyes, nobody learns a romantic language without the intent to show off or impress. She didn't judge Joseph for it, thought. On the contrary, Thalia found it adorable. Young love was always the best. Well, not ALWAYS. Being forced into bed with Ra's at 13 or 14 was definitely not a dream come true. For the most part, really. She could only picture the look on Karin's face when Joseph comes home saying he has a crush and he's hitting on her in French. She's a dead girl to her friend, that's for sure, but it would still be a mission accomplished in her eyes. It was a reason for her and Joseph to become closer anyway. Karin might not entirely trust Thalia around a kid because of her past actions. She just wanted to prove herself more capable. Even reach forward and fist bumping his shoulder in the most friendly way she knew how to. They could be friends, too, and she hoped so.


Karin's outside. And there was a lot of unfinished business between the two. She placed her right hand back over her sandwich, grabbed it, and stood up. "Well... I'm going to go meet her. If you want, you can follow... or stick around and wait for James. If he asks, tell him I'm poolside with Karin. And that I'm doing alright today.... now take care of yourself, big guy, alright? Don't want you sick on your first day of French lessons, hm?"


Gleefully, Thalia winked to him before spinning on her heels and walking away in the direction of the pool. She was excited from that. This day was off to a great start. Far better than the previous day. A tease to Frank that probably got him all red-faced in front of Tony. A chat with Joseph to get a chance to bond. And now gossip with Karin. Boy, oh boy, the two girls had a lot of explaining to do for their actions this past evening. Karin already caught Thalia in the act, wandering the house in Frank's shirt and raiding James' refrigerator. It took a careful ear for the former thief to hear the sounds of two people having sex upstairs. A random skill she'd acquired that worked in her advantage this time.


And once she reached the pool and saw the seat where her friend was at, the redhead snuck up from behind, and once she was close enough, she reached forward, shaking the back of the chair, and called out, "Gotcha! Hah!" She couldn't help herself but laugh, even if she'd given her friend a mini heart attack. Almost instantly, she moved forward to Karin's side and greeted her with a hug, the right way rather than scaring her shitless. It was Thalia's attempt at being a playful friend, especially knowing that they were the closest female friends they had: each other. Besides, she liked hugs, oddly enough. Comforting. Once they parted, Thalia took a place in a fold-out seat next to Karin and laid on her back, putting her food on the table to her side. Now wasn't the time to eat. She had plenty of burning questions.


"How've you been?" she asked, giving a friendly smile to her friend, her head tilted in her direction, her hands bent upward with her palms behind her head. It wasn't often she got a chance to lay down in the sun by a fancy pool. "Clearly you're in heaven. I mean, look at this place. It's fucking paradise." But it went beyond that. James. He made her happy, too. "You know.... It doesn't take a genius to know that you and James got down and dirty last night. Hm? Anything you're not telling me?" Not like Karin needed to tell Thalia. She knew. "I'll share my story with Frank if you share yours. Isn't that what.... um...." she hesitated with the word for a moment. "Well, friends do?" She avoided using 'best', as maybe that word was still reserved for Karin to someone else. "Talk about their sex lives whenever things get fun?"


What a weird definition of friendship from a girl who never really had many.


--


Taking the passenger seat was a relief for Tony. He couldn't stand the idea of having to deal with the stress of driving. He needed to relax, even if it was for a few brief moments. It wasn't exactly a hangover. His lack of sleep and alcohol dosage was depressing him, and he had no idea how he'd last the day. Gotta love how the roles reversed. It was yesterday that Frank wasn't feeling well for being in front of an explosion. Today it was Tony in the heart of a depression phase. Coffee and breakfast helped though. The donut was heavenly, and the coffee surely woke him up. He gave his partner an answer about Ra's, though. "From the looks of it, all Ra's is is what his name is: a head. And all the head does is represent and give orders. They call Roland 'The Hand' for a reason, because he's the one that does a lot of the heavylifting. Now he's rotting in that doctor's place shitting himself out of fear Thalia will reenact his agony. God... when you study Al-Asheera like I did, it becomes a bit of an obsession. You want to know how they function. Why they act as they do. It's an interesting way of analyzing psychology. But enough of Al-Asheera today. The Clovers are our focal point today. Then we should check back in at the station and catch the meeting with the Sergeant this afternoon. I mean... going off the radar after Pigman committed suicide right in front of us looks beyond shady."


It really did. Hopefully they deem this whole thing as suicide in the end. It WAS  a suicide after all. Neither of them shot Bernard Sullivan. He stole Frank's gun, swallowed the barrel, and opened fire. Still a gruesome sight to bear witness to. He still couldn't unsee the sight of Pigman's blood and brains splattered across the mirror, sink, and even some of Frank's face. Watching a man die like that in front of you... He can see why Thalia doesn't condone the death of that innocent man at the diner. A death you don't want that happens anyway. Horrific. Tragic.


Tony was never a major part of the case against the Clover Boys, but he did know a bunch of rumors here and there about them. Seeing Marcus McAllister was not much of what he expected. He expected someone.... younger, possibly. He didn't know why, but that was just a hunch. And with ten years on his belt, Tony trusts his gut and hunches. But as he promised, Frank would run point. He was the expert on the Clovers, after all. And he wasn't all that well enough to lead an interrogation. It was interesting, though. Seeing the difference between two equivalent right hand men they've trashed recently. Marcus McAllister, Bradan's right hand man, and Roland Simmons, Ra's' right hand man. The way they resisted demands in the beginning. Marcus was more creative and polite in the way he resisted to cooperate. As opposed to Roland, who would only spit out the words 'fuck yourself', and a few obscenities about his family and Melissa. A true difference in Ra's' brainwashing. But Bradan did have influence over his men in jail over supposed loyalty. Anyone would. Even Tony, if he were ever arrested, he'd remain loyal to the police force. A similarity was that both of these men had families. Wives. Kids. Kids that they caved before above their positions in lives of crime. Neither McAllister nor Simmons could run their respective organizations if that day would ever come. They clearly didn't possess similar strength to their bosses.


Frank was on a roll, too. A proper interrogation with on physical coercion. All the right questions, all timed and planned properly to trick McAllister into complying. And soon enough, he did. He confessed and told his story. A similarity came up between Ra's and Bradan: they both are hungry for an ass bitch in their position of power. Ra's had Thalia, and god knows how many other underaged girls in his time. And being gay doesn't excuse Bradan from trying to force men into his chambers, and his pants. They even promote their loved ones just to keep them happy when they're not down each other's asses. McAllister as the right hand man, Thalia as a part of The Ten. Sex... paid off in a way? Geez, it all disgusted Tony. He couldn't tell which kingpin was more despicable than the other, especially after hearing what Bradan would do for his betrayal. But cooperation with one criminal seeking revenge after being betrayed would have to be the way to go. And the plan seemed very organized, too. They would send Marcus in there unwired a few times to get Bradan's trust, then slowly work their way up. It worked, and even if he was a bit dazed, the veteran detective could dig it.


This could move forward; Tony would greenlight the black op, just another one on the list, unfortunately. But he was dealing with it. Now came the next order of business: his questions. Honestly? Tony knew precious little about the Clovers. And Frank covered his bases well. But there was something Tony could ask. Standing up from leaning against the wall, he approached the prisoner and asked away:


"Mister McAllister... I respect your decision to do this for the sake of your family. I give you my word your family will be in good hands in witness protection. But... there's something I'm dying to know. I know they surfaced in LA recently and you probably know nothing about them but..." He sighed deeply, trying not to look so tipsy. "Al-Asheera.... do you know anything about them? Their leader? Their skilled girl, Al-Jameela? Their leader, Ra's? Their inner circle, The Ten? If there's anything you heard in the whispers of the underworld.... they are just as bad of scum as the Clovers. If you can reveal anything.... please do say. It would go miles to assist your case."


Wouldn't hurt to try, right? He probably knows nothing, but if he doesn't, then they could proceed.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Everything was all very impressive to him. Even more so when Thalia began speaking French - it gave him good faith in her teaching abilities, and even though he didn't understand it, he still grinned and nodded confidently. That was definitely something he wanted to learn to speak. "That's pretty awesome, and no, if you'd told me that you spoke French before, I wouldn't have believed you." He laughed. "It's pretty awesome, though, and learning it would be super cool. If you're teaching it, too, that would be really nice." He said. Yeah, Thalia seemed like a good person to spend some time with, and they'd probably bond quite well if she was teaching him French, too. It'd make them quite close friends, Joseph was willing to bet.He already considered her a friend as it was - was there that ounce of fear about what happened surrounding her?


Even though he knew that she was only in a bad place - yes, but he didn't view her as dangerous. He didn't even view her as the girl that put a gun to their heads. He just had that little thing scratching away in the back of his mind. He looked past it, though, because in his eyes, directly, Thalia was no one to be afraid of. She was nice, and beautiful, too - Not that that mattered, but, it was something that added to it, really. Joseph wasn't incapable of finding older women attractive. Same went for girls his age. He'd developed just fine in that department. Sure, he had limited... 'Knowledge' of relationships and all of that, but, that'd change eventually, as it does for everyone.


When Thalia got up to leave, though, he just nodded. "I'll take care of myself, don't worry. I feel way better today. I don't know what made me so sick yesterday, but, I promise. I'm fine." He smiled, "I'll probably just wait here for James to wake up. Tell Karin I'm awake and stuff, though." He said, simply. "Oh, and you better tell her my blood sugar's okay, too. She might panic otherwise." He laughed a little. Yep, he knew well that Karin panicked too much about his medical condition, but, it was much appreciated. He just wished she wouldn't worry herself as much about it. He needed breathing room on the whole thing, too. He'd be fine, and now that James was in their lives, things were going to be taking a quick turn on the medical side of Joseph's life, one that Karin was never going to be able to repay.


Even so.


When Thalia snuck up on Karin, she let out a tiny scream and dropped the Kindle into her lap, then looked at Thalia and laughed. "Oh my god..." He said, obviously hugging her back. "You bitch." She joked. "Good morning, though." She laughed again and sat up more, so that she could face Thalia and talk and everything.


"Well, I couldn't be better." She said, "A little sore, but, other than that..." She shrugged and smiled. Sore?


We all know what caused that.


Cough, cough.


"This place is paradise. I am in heaven." She nodded in agreement, a big grin on her face. "I've never been in a place like this before. I always thought this was just one of those houses that celebrities lived in and everything." She smirked, "But now here I am, dating one of the most handsome men I've ever met, and I'm out here by the pool sipping on an ice cold lemonade and reading a book. I couldn't ask for much more." She said, "I can't even remember the last time I got to put my feet up like this. I'd be happy just sitting here for the rest of my life, I hope you know that." She laughed, then shook her head. 


There was the talk of what happened last night, though.


The hesitation on asking if that's what friends did, though, just made Karin grin and roll her eyes.


"Honey, that's what best friends do, so on that note, I better tell you everything."


Well, Thalia - Best friend status = achieved.


"Alright, so, basically..." She thought for a moment, "We had more wine. We had a lot more wine." She laughed, "While you guys were gone last night we were hanging around out here for a bit, once James had taken Joseph to bed. Yeah, while you were gone, Joe was really sick - James was a star, though, took real good care of him." She smiled, warmly. "But, after he was asleep, we were out here, and drinking lead to some making out, and making out lead to something... A little more serious. Not all the way, but serious all the same." She wiped her forehead. "And Thalia, let me just clarify something - It's been something ridiculous like 3 years since I've been in bed with a man. So last night was a very good night for me." She laughed, loudly. "But we discussed a lot of things before we got down to it. We were talking about our past, our parents..." She sighed.


"Make sure you keep this between us - but, he did mention it before. His parents basically kicked him out and sort of... Stopped acknowledging that he was even a son of theirs, basically. Said he was a quirky guy in school and work, never really got on well with anyone once he got attached, but so far, I'd say he seems fine, right?" She smiled. "Still, big secrets - I found out his real name. I won't tell you the full name, but... His real name's Ryan." She whispered. "To be honest, I was amazed. He looked a lot more like a 'James' to me when I met him, but, you know. He said that now and me are sort of... A thing, and Joseph knows him as James, he's going to make sure once this is all over that he gets all his documentation altered so his name is actually James." She laughed, "There was one more big thing he told me, but, I can't share that. He was adamant I didn't mention it to anyone, not even Joe. It's nothing bad, not really much of a surprise, but... I'm gonna' respect that and at least wait for him to tell everyone if he decides to." He said.


"Keep the name a secret, though." She winked at him. "As for the rest of our time together in bed last night... God..." She shook her head. "Let's just say that James is most definitely a man of experience. He had the visor thing on his ceiling a little dimmed out, but we could see the stars and everything. It was fantastic. Easily one of the most romantic times of my life, and honestly..." She grinned again. "I was basically paralyzed by the time we stopped. Pretty graphic, I know, but..." She shook her head again. "I definitely got the jackpot, that's for sure." She laughed. "Now, your turn. Tell me everything about your relationship where Tony's hovering over the two of you waiting for the two of you lock eyes, or something." She nudged her friend's shoulder.


--


Frank didn't think Tony was going to be asking any questions like the one he did, but, it was probably for the best. If this guy had anything on Al-Asheera, then now was a good time for him to say it. For a moment, it looked like Marcus was buried in thought, but then his facial expression fell to one of uncertainty and he shrugged once, crossing his arms on the table in front of him.


"I've heard talks around the prison I was in before you had me moved here." He said. Well, they hadn't explicity stated that they had him moved here, but it was clear he figured it out pretty quick. "Obviously, I've been in prison a lot longer than Al-Asheera's been in LA, so what I know is sort of... Restricted." He said. "I've heard talks around the yard about it, and the rec room we had had a little TV in there that showed the news and MTV and everything." He explained, "On the news I saw the thing about The Coral Cafe. The Coral Cafe and The Clover Boys go way back, but you'll find history doesn't mean shit to Bradan. I wouldn't be surprised if Bradan went out and shot up his own place again once it's fixed up, just to send a message to those Al-Asheera bastards." He said. "He's like that. If you take anything of his over, you can expect it to get shut down quicker than you could count to ten. I also saw the 7/11 incident on the news." He said, shaking his head. "Had Bradan written all over it. We had one guy way back when, Andrew Sullivan. He was in charge of a lot of their black market stuff. Weapons, explosives, illegally imported and stolen vehicles, you name it. He's almost like the secondary boss of them. At least he was." He said. "Don't know if it's still the same now." He sighed.


"I've got a feeling some of the guards in my main jailhouse roll with Al-Asheera, but that's only a suspicion. Some of them talk a lot about it, more than normal. Basic things, too. You know, the idea of someone doing this and that." He shrugged. "Other than that, I can't say I know much else."


Frank nodded. "Alright." He said, "Is Bradan one to frequently take revenge?"


"All the time." He nodded, "If someone fucks with him, he'll fuck them back, and he'll amplify the way he does it, too." He said. "He's ruthless. Back to Al-Asheera, though, the most I've heard around prison is mutters of names. Al-Jameela, sure, they were something I heard a few times." He said. "Never heard what it was about, though. That place is a cesspit. You've got cuts from every cloth there. 580's to the Russians. It's a gangland, one that's pushing me into an early expiry date, y'know?" He chuckled once. "I've heard a few things, though - Al-this, and Al-that. Other than that, I ain't got shit for you, sorry." He shrugged. "If it's talk in Bradan's group right now, though, I can certainly find out." He said.


Frank nodded again.


"Alright." He sighed, "Tony, I think we have everything we need. Why don't you take Mister McAllister here out to the car, and I'll make a few phone calls, grab a few people by the balls and get them to make this thing go into full effect. The FBI will bend over for us if they know we've got this big of a lead on Bradan." He said. "Make sure he collects his belongings, yes? Unless... There's something else you need to add." He said.

 

[KasperXIII]

It was high time for Thalia and Karin to open up about their respective romances. Hell, it was simply high time to have the place to themselves in private. It's always been with James, Tony, or Frank around. Finally, they got a chance for some girl-to-girl conversations. Well, specifically about their nights with their crushes. Thalia was dying to know what Karin was up to with all that private time. But first: greetings. Startling Karin was a thrill on its own, but she meant no ill will. Once she parted her hands, she replied, "I'm a bitch, sure, but I'm your bitch. So am I out of that job?" Clearly a joke, a light-hearted one, too, as she fell over to the adjacent chair.


Seemed like Karin wanted to open up about things. No matter how graphic it would be, Thalia was ready to hear. She'd seen and done some pretty kinky things with people in the past. She didn't see Karin as the type who would get involved, so she didn't expect anything too wild. But soreness came up. It made the redhead smile and lift her head from the lying down position, propping herself up on her elbow to face her friend. "Sore? Damn, girl, he must've really went down on you or something. I mean, it might just be me being immune to it? But I really don't feel all that sore much after sex. Losing feeling right after, sure.... but geez, I've lost track how many people I've slept with. Good times. Good fucking times. Nothing as great as Frank, though, but I'll get to that later."


No, why cut off Karin's exciting story with James? She was dying to know what happened for that kind of outcome. "We are in paradise. I swear, Ra's had places like this in Philly, but they were literally just... there. Unkept and uninhabited. It was so lame. The size was definitely something impressive, and the inside? Even better. I've jacked a few rich douches before in their mansions, but never got a chance to kick back and have fun... raid the big guy's fridge. So we're all enjoying ourselves. And I'm so happy for you with James and all. It's your dream come true, and I REALLY want you two to work out. But on that note..." The obvious, but Thalia found it necessary to say, "I won't stay forever, just so you, James, and Joseph can be here together. You won't have to worry about me cockblocking your fun. I mean, for now, I'm homeless, but I will get my own place eventually. I can promise you that much. Till then..." she sighed, stretching her legs and arms forward in the chair until she sat up properly, "I'll enjoy it while I can..." Her green eyes took a peek to her side at Karin, winking to her. "And come visit you all the time. Come on, I can get my own place, but that won't stop me from missing you. Right?"


Missing her, was that too weird? But she did, honestly. Thalia owed a huge debt to Karin. Friendship was all she had to give, really. At first, she wanted to repay her financially, but if she was going to be with James, Thalia would never earn even one percent of what James has accumulated in his lifetime. So it'd be pretty useless.


...Best friends? Karin considered her that much of a friend? She hid her face in her palms for a minute, sighing in a sort of relief mixed with pleasure. "Believe me, Karin... that means the world to me. Sooooo...." She turned around in her chair, letting her legs dangle off the edge, and leaning forward in her place, giving her full attention to her story. "Tell me everything, bestie." She might've found her friend's sex life too amusing for her own good, but she was interested. It was her business, in a way. She was pushing Karin to do it, after all.


So from what Thalia could gather: fancy drinks lead to making out. Making out lead to the big guns. "Ooooh, shit, you are BAD!" She reached forward to slap her leg in a joking manner. "If I weren't going so fast with Frank, I would've called you out. But nope. You better take it all the way with him. It's in his eyes: he wants you. In my experience, you don't fucking deny a man of pleasure. You tease him, but don't take that from him." It came to her knowledge that Karin's been single for a while. Or at least didn't become intimate with anyone in a few years. She shrugged, still smiling to her friend, toying with her fingers together. "Well, I'd guess that much. I wouldn't know specifics.... cuz well, since Ra's started fucking me as barely a teen.... Well, let's just say I've been in frequent use. But he was the worst of it all... the random hookups with desperate rich brats, the rock star boys, the fancy men in suits, the drunk chicks in the bathroom..." In that case, she was getting ahead of herself with her past. "Uh, I'm not trying to show off," she gave a halting signal with her hands, palms outward. "Don't think that. I'm just saying I've had too much experience for my own good. I'm just so happy you got your happy hour.... if it, lasted an hour? Maybe more? I'd guess more? I dunno. Frank and I went for a WHILE."


James' real name came up: Ryan. She arched an eyebrow, crossing one leg over the other, and answered, "Ryan... I mean, I saw him as a James, too, even though I knew it wasn't his real name from the get-go. The sheer fact he was upfront about that should say a lot about how serious he is. He doesn't want any secrecy with you. And don't worry. His secret's safe with me. I'm not THAT big of a mouth, you know. His business is his own. Not like James knows much about me, anyway. He couldn't even find me on his computers and stuff."


In bed? Finally, the good parts that the redhead wanted to hear so badly. James certainly knew how to be romantic. And the idea of not moving afterward? It cracked her up with laughter of joy, clapping her hands at the same time, falling back in her seat slightly, her neck tilting up as well. Once she returned to neutral, still shaking off her chuckles, she continued with her assessment of Karin's night, "God damn it, Karin, I've never been so happy for you in the past two days. You deserve every bit of this, and I hope you're having a blast. James? He's a keeper. You better not let him go. He makes you happy, and I like seeing you happy and relaxed like this. You deserve someone like him."


Well, Thalia made a promise. Karin's story for hers. "Oh boy... my turn," she sighed in pleasure, lifting her feet up crossed beneath one another, her hands on their respective knees. "Where to begin.... Well, James has a weapons bunker somewhere in his garden, just so you know." Of course she'd begin there. "And eventually, Tony and James left us alone, and well...." The first time they kissed. What fun. Her grin went from ear to ear as she continued her story, her voice becoming a bit nervous, too. "We talked.... and I think you know, but I got a bit shy around him... and I asked for his address? And he gave it to me.... Then I kissed him. And then that started something really fun... pretty hot..." Her face became slightly pink, slowly becoming red, bowing her head slightly, her neatly brushed hair coming over her face slightly. She loved the story, and it felt all fuzzy inside to discuss it.


"Then... well, the next development? I passed out when I got in the getaway vehicle from Pasadena, so from there I really don't remember much until I woke up.... Frank was there. It was just me and him, and he... he had some whiskey or something." She giggled. "He brought food and drinks, and I guess things played out similarly to you and James? Drinks lead to me getting a bit tipsy, hiccupping and such. I found myself getting lost in his eyes.... then I guess, we both made it clear we wanted more?" She shrugged, trying to smile it off. Because now, things were nothing but innocent. "We kissed again. Then he started taking his clothes off... then.... well, it gets pretty graphic after, but I think you've got a bit of an imagination to see what happened next...." She extended a fist forward to knock at Karin's shoulder gently. "It was a lot of me, completely naked on top of him, teasing him to the extreme until I finally... gave him what he wants?" She scratched at her lips gently with her fingertips. It was clear what happened that night between the two. "It was a blast... I'll never forget that kind of fuck-till-you-drop feeling. Because both of us were left unable to move in the end... then we just.... talked. Talked about our shit lives until I felt hungry."


"So yeah, you saw the rest when you caught me in his shirt in the kitchen," She smirked. "We were probably a bit tipsy. And we went all the way. And boy, was it fun. It wasn't brutal or anything too wild, but that's really all I crave now. I just wanted something old school. Old school and hot. Because GOD, he's hot!" She rubbed her eyes, an aftereffect of her shyness, her eyes envisioning Frank in front of her now, the way she undressed him that night. "He liked it... I liked it... I even told him I love him last night. Not like... beating around the bush or anything. I literally told him to his face.... and he said he loves me back. Can it get any better than that? All those sappy fuzzy feelings that leave your heart warm... and then amazing sex? It was a dream come true!"


Yet Thalia's story didn't end yet. She retrieved her burner phone from her pocket and opened the picture of her cheap tease on the screen. She handed it down to Karin to see. "I sent that to Frank this morning. God fucking knows where he saw it. He might've seen it right next to Tony, who will probably fucking kill us if he finds out we're in love. And if he finds out we had sex? We'll never see the end of him." She couldn't help but laugh though. "It's thrilling, though. The idea we could get caught. I mean, you guys caught me last night trying to raid James' ice cream. It's a turn on, I swear.... But seriously, Tony's a real cockblock and he'll just ruin everything. So let's not tell him, okay? Let's actually enjoy our romances. Both of us. Something tells me Tony doesn't like that from us all."


--


McAllister's knowledge of Al-Asheera was minimal, just whispers here and there, but Tony could dissect these bits and pieces later. He had a greater purpose: taking down Bradan. And seeing that the kingpin's the vengeful type, he's definitely talking about Ra's and getting revenge for the Coral Cafe. Beyond the 7/11, of course. This was certainly all-out war now. When Frank asked if there was anything further he could contribute, Tony shook his head. "I think we're good. You, Mr. McAllister, are a gold mine. And in exchange for your vast knowledge, you might just save your own ass. You may not trust cops, but believe me when I say Detective Hale and I are not the most... orthodox of men out there right now."


Whoa, Tony. Was that... too givey? Was it the whiskey getting to him? 'Not the most orthodox of men'. That could mean anything. Hopefully Marcus wouldn't interpret that as them being dirty cops dragging him away for their own sick pleasure. No, the older detective meant only their involvement with Thalia and James. Only that way, were they 'unorthodox'.


Now with that out of the way, Tony reached for the binds keeping McAllister attached to the table and released him. He glared at Frank for one last time and told him, "Let's get him to your place first so we can set him up. It's closer than mine, anyway. You just make the calls so we don't have anyone breathing down our necks anytime soon. The last thing we need is the Feds crawling down our spines." Because honestly, Tony and Frank had enough problems. And with the general tension between detectives and Feds, having them sniffing around was not going to help their case. They could blow their covert operation to take down Al-Asheera, maybe even get Melissa killed. That was his sole motivation at this point. Staying underground might be what's keeping Melissa alive. He escorted the pissed off older man over his cell to collect whatever he had with him. Not that he'd necessarily need it. They were going to give McAllister everything he'd need for the operation. Tony felt this was only out of courtesy. To make him feel comfortable.


"Hurry it up," Tony twirled his index finger around a bit, tapping his left wrist as well. "We don't have all day, big guy..."


And once that was out of the way, Tony now only had to sign a few papers saying he'd be transferring this inmate for another operation that his knowledge would benefit in. That, accompanied by Frank's phone calls would be enough to let him by with no incident or questions. He would let Frank drive once again. Tony still didn't feel up for getting behind the wheel. Well enough to watch their new playmate. Not all that well enough to pilot a vehicle while still barely legal to drive.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Ah, the girl talk was certainly something Karin enjoyed. Was it a pleasure to reveal all of this to Thalia? Both yes and no. As much as she wanted it to be secretive, she wanted to scream it to the world, too. She felt lucky. Luckier than she'd ever felt before, and that much went without saying. She thought of what happened to her last night and what the two of them went through together, and that was something that just made her grin. It was such a fascinating night in so many ways - Not only had she found a boyfriend, but Thalia had, too, and to make things even better, the real icing on the cake, Joseph had found someone who might be able to fill the empty father figure gap. God knew he needed it now that he was getting older. That, and to top things all off, the cherry on top, James had enough money to support them both, too, which was a nice bonus on top of things.


"It sounds like you had a great time with Frank, though. It's about time. You guys were more or less crazy for each other from the get-go, and we were waiting for it. I have a feeling that all of us were suspecting it would happen, even Tony, which would explain why he's been all up in your shit since you guys met." She laughed. "The main thing is, though, we both had fun, and we were both in love with an amazing guy. And better yet, neither of us are fighting each other for one of them, so I don't think the situation we're in could be much better." She grinned.


There was talk of Thalia moving out, and finding her own place. As much as Karin didn't want to admit that it was true, she couldn't help but agree. One day, Thalia was going to have to get out of here. It wasn't that Karin wanted her gone, but, it needed to happen eventually. She couldn't just live here with them if they were going to be starting off their life. She would have liked for Thalia to stay for as long as she could, but, she couldn't imagine that James wanted to have too many people hanging around, either. He probably wanted his house back - after living alone for so long with just his butler, she couldn't help but imagine that her and Joseph were probably a lot to deal with alone, let alone having Frank, Thalia, and whoever else staying here. That was something that made her smile - at least if things did end up with her leaving, she'd have Frank. She could move in with him, and that would be them living happily ever after. The thought of it alone was a big comfort.


"Of course you can come and visit me." She laughed, "Yeah, sure, if things do work out how we want them to, me, James, and Joseph are probably gonna' wanna' settle down into a proper life. One that... Well, one that Joseph deserves to have far more than I do." She said. "I'm happy enough how I am. If I was alone in the world, the life I was living would have been enough for me, but, Joseph deserves so much more than that." She said, and her eyes wandered off towards the kitchen - she looked in through the window and saw that Joseph was there, but now, he was talking to James - Yes, James was downstairs, and he had a big plastic bag in his hand that clearly had something in it. Looked exciting - James did mention how he had a gift for both Joseph and Karin, which was something else that she had to look forward to at some point. When she was going to get that gift was unknown to her, but she'd been given a decent enough present last night. 


"It was definitely more than an hour for us last night. We had music and everything, I remember that much, so..." She laughed. "Yeah, things were definitely thrilling, something I'd like to happen again, but we'll see, y'know? Let's just give this whole thing time. I'm hoping I can go on a proper date with him soon enough. It's been too long since I've done anything like that. We're going back almost as far as my teenage years since I went on a proper date with a guy I liked." She smiled. "I'm sure James knows how to treat a lady on a night out, too, so we'll see how all of that goes." She said - The talk of her and Frank in the bunker, though, that was definitely exciting. She had to laugh about it, though, because it made her think of something that could have been counted as somewhat inappropriate. It was inappropriate, really, but, she had to say it.


"Damn, girl. Sounds like the introduction to a porno. The whole bunker thing." She laughed. "I suppose it's almost a shame it didn't go all the way in the bunker alone, but, it certainly sounds like you had a good time." She said. "The fact that you got all the alone time almost makes me jealous, too. You got to have that here during the day while everyone else was off busy doing something else. Impressive." She laughed. "It's a relief to know Frank's good in that department, though. I'm really glad you've got someone like him - You're happy for me, and I'm happy for you. You could do with someone that'll help you get through the thick and thin of things, someone that'll really be able to help you recreate the life you want." She smiled at her and reached out, putting a hand down on her shoulder. "If he told you he loves you, that's even better. And to agree with you on what you said... I can understand why the risk of getting caught is a turn-on. Keeping secrets is satisfying for a reason." She grinned.


--


Marcus was getting out of there. It was unbelievable. The smile that lit up his face was enough to keep Frank going - he went from looking like a tough man to someone who looked like nothing more than an excited five-year-old. He was going to taste fresh air outside of a fence for once. Maybe it was a little too givey, what Tony said, and for a moment, Frank was worried that it was going to make Marcus turn his nose up at the whole thing, but honestly, he was so distracted in the thought of getting out and seeing his family again that he simply didn't care what Tony and Frank got up to in their free time, legal or otherwise. Plus, this was yet another person that Frank didn't want to risk annoying, purely because he was bigger and badder than the two of them. Serving a few years in a gang-riddled prison would do that to you. Plus, they needed this man.


As Tony said, he was a goldmine, and a goldmine was exactly what they needed to get the drop on Bradan.


It didn't take him long to get what he needed from his cell. Only his memories, basically. His photos of his family, and that was about it. Other than that, he had to get the stuff from the prison reception that they'd taken from him when he was first arrested. His wallet, his old clothes that were now too small for the amount of muscle he'd gained on the inside, and his licenses and ID cards that were now two years out of date. It was strange, really, but it was something he had to deal with now. He was getting out of there, and that was the main thing. As soon as he was taken outside, he took one deep breath as he was walked to the car. Fresh air. Outside the prison gates. It was incredible, one that he couldn't ever forget. If this was what freedom tasted like, there was no way he was going back on the inside.


Back to Frank's place they went, and of course, he invited them inside and let them both have a seat in the kitchen. Marcus got changed into the clothes that were too small for him, but even so. Better than wearing a jumpsuit, wasn't it? 


He was hungry, though, so while he was sat at the dining table petting Frank's dog, Frank was off making some food. Scrambled eggs and bacon - it was for him, to help him settle into the outside a little more and hopefully get them on his good side a slight bit, too. As far as he could tell, Marcus had nothing against them, but making sure they were on good terms never hurt. Before they knew it, he was tucking into the food he'd been served.


"Now this..." He said. "This is something you'd never get in prison." He grinned, "Think, Hale, if the detective job doesn't work out, you'd make a great chef."


"And you'd make a great comedian." He said.


"Yep, yep." He chuckled. Frank also made them all a cup of coffee, too, which was also greatly welcomed by Marcus. "So, this business with Bradan. I can't do it alone." He said, "And by that, I mean I can't be thrown out on the street and left to fend for myself. I've got no money for anything, no valid licenses for a car..." He shook his head. "And if I can't go home to my family, I'm basically homeless until Bradan's dealt with." He said. "I could start working on all this as early as this afternoon if I wanted to, but, Bradan won't give me everything. He'll give me a warm welcome and then send me out on the street again, leave me to fend for myself, maybe have someone watch me, too." He said. "See where I go, what I do, things like that." He said. "So, I need a place to stay. Any suggestions?" He asked, simply.


Frank looked at Tony. They didn't exactly have state money to fund this operaiton, so, it made things a little complicated. Regardless, he was right, unless they could get him a car to live in. Worst case scenario, of course. Or they could help pay for a hostel until he could get some cash, but... Frank wasn't sure. Having him stay at one of their places wouldn't be a good idea... Would it?

 

[KasperXIII]

The past night couldn't have been more amazing for either of them. Earlier that same day, they were chatting with each other about their crushes. Hours later, they find themselves between the sheets with. Either all four of them are more desperate than meets the eye, or love was working some sort of strange magic over them all. Thalia felt it firsthand when she and Frank had their fun while Tony and James were in the desert torturing Roland. Magic... that was the word, out of lack of a better one. What else could she say? She met Frank when he and his partner had her under arrest. The next day, they're making out in a high-rise criminal's weapons bunker. Later, they're having sex in this same high-rise criminal's mansion. If only, much like Karin had James to wake up to by her side the next morning, that Thalia could've woken up to Frank by her side. But she understood why that wasn't an option at the moment. Maybe one day when this whole thing calms down, she can move in with the detective. Once she's no longer a prime suspect on a leash, that is. Till now, Frank's been literally sleeping with the enemy. And that's what Tony would see when he finds out.


"Well, I'm happy for you both," she winked to her friend. "You and your brother. You two were barely keeping your heads above water. Now, you're sitting in a place fit for a king, and you're dating a multimillionaire.... well, I could've said I was too. With Ra's." She sighed, remembering that her betrothed had a large lump-sum of money. "But the thing about Ra's, he would rarely spend. Sure, he'd spend a bit on me, but nothing all that great. I'm surprised the bastard pays for electricity. There was a place in Philly we had that he just gave up on the electric bills, so we literally were living off candlelight." She couldn't help but find it kind of humorous. Good times, in a way? But she shook her head and went on, "Sure, it was A BIT romantic when he wanted to get in my pants, but.... well, the brutal shit kinda killed it. But hey... sex in nothing but candlelight on someone's couch. I hope James wouldn't mind if we pulled that off."


Not that she'd surely do that here. Hell no, she felt awkward enough for sleeping in a stranger's bed, let alone fucking in it. With someone other than the original stranger. Worse: James knew exactly what she was doing in his bed with Frank. There was no way to mask it. And if he didn't catch her half dressed in his kitchen, he'd probably deduce it from their actions and looks at each other. She was so tempted to tease Frank with more pictures of her throughout the day. Childish perhaps, but she never got a chance to do that in her life. And it'd probably drive the man insane, being teased so much. He might just run back to the mansion and throw her into bed in a sort of 'enough is enough' way. But now more than ever did Thalia crave the intimacy with Frank, beyond the obvious. She told him she loves him. And he reciprocated. It couldn't be more true from her lips, and she believed him. Maybe she was a bit naive to believe it so blindly, but love was blinding her in any way. Soon, she'd leave the luxury of James' mansion for Karin to enjoy for however long their relationship lasts and move to a more humble lifestyle. It's all she ever wanted, really.


But it triggered the question: James is dangerous. If things end badly between him and Karin... would he hurt her? No. A horrible possibility that Thalia didn't want to believe to be true.


"Of course I'm not jealous of you. I have Frank, you have James, and we're both happy. It's like you said, Karin. Not grazing another girl's grass, right?" She smirked, mimicking her friend's words from before, crossing her arms over her chest. "Unless you WANT me to graze your grass, hm? And I thought I was nuts for wanting a threesome." She laughed, recalling when she offered to 'share' Frank back god-knows-when. She just might still do that if Karin so wanted. "I wouldn't say no, after all."


Creepy? Possibly. But Karin is probably accustomed to her unusual side comments. When her friend compared their encounter in the bunker to an introduction to a porno, she couldn't hold back and laugh. "My god, you are not innocent at all, are you?" Her hand extended for a high five. "That was NOT what I thought of when that went down. I mean, sure, things with me and Frank weren't all candlelight, drinking fancy wine with music in the background. Nah, it was more... on the spot? Primitive? Whatever you want to call it. Maybe sometime later, we can go on a date. Try to be a bit more romantic. He's great in bed, sure, and he's nuts for me. Let's just see... how nuts. Cuz if it's not clear, I'm sorta head over heels for him." Her tongue dragged over her lips briefly, thinking of what was to come. Dating.


"Some time down the road, would you consider double dating?" Thalia asked, seemingly out of nowhere. "I mean, I think we should date by ourselves for a bit, but once we're all settled, I think we should gather together. Hell, make it a triple. We bring Tony and Melissa with us. Everyone will be happy, no one left out or acting as a third wheel. But that brings me to the next order of business." She stood up barely off of the chair and moved her own closer to Karin. "You and I? It's been ages since you've dated. I never have. I've only been a one-time thing for people. And you've been out of it for years. I don't know if you agree, but I think we need.... well, I need. I have no clue about you... Sorry for dragging 'we' into this, but it's kind of me..." She sighed, scratching the top of her head for a moment, trying to word it properly. "I don't want to disappoint Frank. He has high hopes for me, and I don't want him to think I can't be that ideal girlfriend. The kind of girl who can fix herself up to be, well, 'date material'." She lifted her middle and index fingers in both hands and opened and closed them with each word, as if to quote. "I need a wardrobe upgrade. I like comfy stuff, but at least on the first date, I kind of want to surprise him... what do you think?"


Karin might have clothes to lend her, but Thalia didn't want to depend on her forever. It's part of the reason she wanted to get out of the house and hold her own. Her eyes browsed around and saw James with Joseph as well. The two got on really well for the sister's boyfriend with little brother. James was a strong figure for the boy, someone who could serve as a backbone for the boy. Now, it wouldn't be long until he comes outside. Not that Thalia wanted to get in his face. Well, not in a bad way. She wanted to joke with him, after he busted her in his kitchen in nothing more than Frank's shirt. Because now? He wasn't a good clean seed either. She didn't expect him to be.


--


Frank's place would have to serve as a temporary hideaway for McAllister, but could it be longterm? Tony had his doubts. As much as they could offer to the guy, he's still a bit unpredictable in his eyes. It's all the veteran's skeptic eye that made him see the worst in those he doesn't trust. He's motivated to behave himself, sure, so he can be with his family. Sure made a huge difference between him and Roland Simmons, who wasn't THAT triggered when his family was brought up. It made him even more of a hardass. The past day or two was truly one of sidepieces. First Pigman. Then Simmons. Now McAlliser. All smaller parts to reach the top. Ra's and Bradan, who were now butting heads in what could be a full-on war. 


Tony wasn't hungry at the moment. For now, he stuck with the coffee that Frank bought for him to keep him on his feet. That donut he had earlier was enough to keep his hunger satisfied for the morning. His day was off to a bad start on a personal level. The last thing he wanted was for it to get worse. His mind was distracted, but also torn. One half of it was fantasizing over Thalia. Why was it so thrilling that he wanted her, even though she was betrothed to Ra's, yet she might have feelings for his partner? Yet he wanted her for one reason and one reason alone: to sleep with her, just once. That would cure his desire and allow him to move on to the other half of his mind. Melissa. For so many years, he'd been loyal to her, not even looking at other girls or taking a break. He never even watched porn for the good second half of their time together. She literally gave him every bit of satisfaction he needed. But now, she was missing and probably being tortured. God knows how that girl would be returned to him, if she's returned at all. Thalia spoke of that girl Vanessa's head being stored in a closet with all of Ra's' other executions, while her body was cremated. Disgusting, perverted, evil. Was that Melissa's fate if he continues to kick the hornet's nest? He couldn't let the woman he owes his life and career to end up as just another head in the closet. The thought alone made him want to drink again. He was already doing exactly that this morning, not healthy at all, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to drown away his misery one way or another. And it was clear as day that he was down. Frank's already taken notice.


Back to business; his clouded thoughts returned to work and what Marcus would do now. He's literally got nothing to go by. No car, no license, no job, no place to stay. Tony's place was a no-go. Even if Melissa was still missing, she could come home any day, and coming back to this schmuck is far too suspicious. Frank lives alone, a plus one for his place. But would Frank accept to have this guy in his house while they do their jobs? If Tony couldn't trust him... He took a few steps closer to his partner, the drowsiness dying down from the caffeinated drink as he walked a bit more stably. His eyes still told the story of how tired he'd become.


It hit him there in his zombie-type state. Thalia began to lighten up to Frank when he wasn't feeling well after the explosion. If he shows up like that around her, would she show any sympathy? But James said lay low today. So that wasn't an option.


Focus, Tony. He whispered into his partner's ear, "I don't feel comfortable harboring him in my place. We're going to get Melissa back soon enough, and I don't want those two to see each other. She'll get scared, might report it, and blow the sting. I don't trust he'd be great in our homes, either. I know we're not exactly the richest guys out there, but... maybe James can give us a loan? Get him into a hotel or something? Of course, tracking him and everything so he doesn't do anything shady. But it's for the best."


Using James' money... not only would he get a chance to show off his drowsiness to Thalia, but it would also aid their operation. Win-win.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I've got something for you, Joe. I would have given it to you yesterday if you didn't spend half the time with your head in the toilet." He joked.


"Wow, okay." He shook his head and laughed, turning to face James fully. 


"So, you play games, right? Have a Steam account?"


"Well, yeah, but my laptop can't really run anything, so." He shrugged, "Some of the games don't even work at all." 


"Heh, don't worry, we've all been there. I've got a couple of things for you, actually." He said, then reached into the big bag he had and pulled out a massive box and put it down on the kitchen island in front of him. Joseph scanned over it for a moment, but it wasn't hard to figure out what it was. A grin hit his face, but before he could say anything, James put two more things down on the table, one that was in plastic-bag packaging and seemed rather soft, another one was a mouse - a gaming one, of course, and finally, there was a headset to go alongside it all. The look on Joseph's face was priceless as he reached forward and took the biggest box in his hands, having to force back the tears of happiness.


"Oh. My god." He whispered, shakily, the sheer excitement rattling his voice. "You... This.. All this is for me?" He asked, then looked up at James and grinned. It was Christmas come early - sat in front of him was a laptop he could only dream of a few days ago, and now, it was his. James hardly even knew them that well and he was doing things like this? He could see the bag he had wasn't empty. It must have been for Karin, or something.


"You bet it is." James reached out and ruffled his hair. "Asus Strix, can't remember the exact model number, but you've got a 1070 in there and everything. You shouldn't struggle to play any of those games of yours anymore."


Joseph immediately sprung to his feet and pulled James into the biggest hug he could manage. This was fucking awesome, quite frankly, and he couldn't even get words out that could express his joy and gratitude. James smiled and slowly wrapped an arm around the boy, too. In all honesty, James wasn't so sure with how to deal with such affection from Joseph, but, it was nice. It definitely helped repair a few battle scars he had over the past. 


"No need to thank me. You're welcome." He chuckled, "I'm sure you're dying to set this thing up, so, you go ahead and do that right here. I'm sure a bright kid like you can manage that just fine." He said, finally releasing him from the hug and ruffling his hair again. "If you need me, I'll be out back with Karin, okay? For the love of god, don't drop the thing."


"Oh, I'd never do that. Never. Never." He quickly said, then looked up at him with a big smile again. "James, you're... You're just the best." 


"I try." He winked. "Go on, have fun, and when I come back I'll make you some breakfast." He said.


--


"You're right about that. Me and Joseph were just about holding out alone, and as soon as I was short of a job?" She shook her head and sighed, "It wasn't going to be long before I lost pretty much everything. It sucks." She said. The sad part was, she sort of owed that to Thalia - She was the one that held up her place of work, after all, and it was one of her men that caused the place to get closed down by putting a bullet in someone. It was going to reopen eventually, apparently, but that was beyond the point. Business was going to be bad, and as Karin was suspected of some sort of association with the girl who held the place up in the first place, she was never going to be able to get a job there again, not unless she proved her innocence. Plus, would she even need to get a job in a place like that now that she'd met James? Now, if things worked out, the two of them could balance time spent caring for Joseph perfectly, and she could get a better job somewhere, maybe. It was all a big dream, but one she was possibly willing to pursue.


Or maybe James would just support them. Maybe he'd put food and money on the table and give Karin and Joseph the lives they'd always dreamed of. Karin could only hope that would be the case, but, if James ever said to her that he wanted her to start working and bringing in some money, then she'd do it, but, until that day... She was quite happy by the pool with her lemonade. Speaking of which, as it had been sat there a while, she picked up the lemonade and took a few big mouthfuls while she listened to Thalia talk.


Once more, the talk of sharing came back up. As exciting as it sounded, she enjoyed her time with James too much to volunteer him in that.


"Mm-mm." She shook her head and laughed, "James is all mine. You best enjoy Frank, too. You've got a real stunner there, as well. Last thing you want is some other girl in the equation to potentially screw things up." She laughed, "Not saying that I'm that fantastic, but, I mean in a relationship kinda' sense." She said, "I don't know why, but I feel like Frank would kind of get weirded out by the idea of all of that. He seems far too down-to-earth to do anything that crazy, but, you never know." She shrugged, and the more she thought about it, the more it made her grin - out of humor, more than anything. Frank in a threesome. He seemed far too innocent - innocent was maybe a bad way, but, in an odd kind of way, Karin could sort of see similarities in Joseph and Frank. Maybe that was why Joseph got on really well with Frank from the get-go. Still, they both had this vibe that Karin seemed to get from both of them.


Eh, whatever. She had to stop comparing the two now, seeing as Thalia was sleeping with Frank.


"Primitive is a good word for it. And primitive is romantic at some points." She said, "Girl I knew in Tenth Grade? Her and her boyfriend ended up having sex in this... Cave-like place. Obviously it wasn't a real cave and it was safe for people to enter, no animals or anything, but..." She laughed, "She said he lit candles and everything, got a double-padded sleeping bag and all that. To me, at the time, it sounded absolutely fucking crazy. Right now, though, I can see why it appealed to her so much." She explained. "As for double-dating, sure, I'd love to do that. We'll make it a triple if Tony brings Melissa along, who might just be his fiance at the end of all this." She smiled. "I hope so, maybe getting tied down will make more... Responsible. He's a little too... Crazy, in some ways, for my liking." She shrugged. "Is it just me that thinks that? Please tell me it's not just me being bitchy." She laughed.


When Karin looked over and saw that Joseph and James were hugging it out, and there were several boxes on the kitchen island, she could only assume that James had gotten him some absurd gift that he fell in love with as soon as he saw it. Judging by how Joseph started to rip boxes open as soon as James left, she guessed she was right. Now, in nothing but shorts and a tank top he wore to bed last night, James came over to them with a smile on his face; his hair was a bit all over the place, but, still, he looked handsome enough in Karin's eyes. 


"Well, if it isn't my two favorite ladies." He said, cheerfully, as he wandered over and looked over them both. "And then, of course... My Number One." He winked at Karin, then looked at Thalia. "No offence." He said, followed by leaning down and planting a kiss on Karin's lips. Once again, her heart started beating even more. "I won't hang around for long, but, Karin, I've got something for you seeing as I sort of broke your laptop yesterday. I picked this up and Joseph's gift just after we got off the line to each other." He laughed, reaching into the bag and whacking out another box. Karin wasn't sure of the model - she wasn't tech-savvy, but, it was a HP Laptop, looked slick and modern, and 4,000,000x better than her last one. A smile hit her face.


"Awww... That's so sweet." She grinned, and she placed it aside before getting up and planting a bigger kiss on his lips. "Thank you..." She sighed, happily, and ran a hand down the side of his arm. Well, looked like James had won her over, and was definitely getting some sort of star treatment later tonight.


"So. How are we both?" He asked. James may have had a gift for Thalia, but, it wasn't in the bag. It'd come in a different form - hopefully, she could figure that out, seeing as he wasn't distant with her, or anything. 


--


So, Tony wasn't comfortable harboring a fugitive of a sort, even if he was for a sting operation - that was fair enough. James didn't mind renting out his place for a while, at least until they could get some sort of loan from James, right? The loan idea was definitely one he was willing to follow up, but not yet, they needed to lie low for a while and make sure that Marcus' name didn't show up anywhere, on renting contracts or otherwise. He'd just have to make sure Marcus was known purely as a guest, and that was all. If his landlord figured out he was living there, then Frank would be in deep shit on the housing side of the spectrum, too. It seems no matter where the detectives turn, they can easily misplace one step and end up ear-deep in shit, doesn't it? Frank didn't like their odds in that sense, but as time went on, the board they were balancing on was getting wider and wider. 


"I'd rather not fall into heavy debt with James, but, if we ask him for at least a little something, maybe a few grand... If he wants it back, then me and you can easily split it over time, right? It's not like we don't make enough to cover it." He said. Frank would be eating his words soon enough - at least that's what he felt. He had this gut-wrenching feeling that there was going to be something that went horribly, horribly wrong, and after talking to Marcus at the prison, that feeling only amplified. He hoped that things wouldn't get too severe, but, he couldn't put his finger on what he was so concerned about. There was something Marcus told him that rattled him, honestly, but now, he didn't even know what that thing was. He just hoped he figured it out before something else forcefully reminded him.


"Alright." He said after thinking for a few moments. "What I'll do is keep him here for a while, at least until we can see James and ask him about setting us up with some cash. I know James has proven to be... Generous, but, we better not push it. Then again, we don't know how much that guy has. If he's in a house like that, I've got a feeling he could fill up a room with all the money he has." He said. "Probably even more than that, honestly. Either way, tread lightly. Last thing we want is for James to think we're fucking him over by using him as a money pool. That's what it'll look like if we ask for too much. But yeah, until then..." He looked over at McAllister, who was happily giving the dog a boatload of attention. Was he a kindhearted man deep down? That was one thing that made Frank trust him a little more.


Look at the way animals and children act around someone, and that's generally a good indication of what sort of person they are. Right now, McAllister had met one good requirement, so he was willing to take some chances here. 


Tony still didn't look all that great, though, and he just had to offer. Tony wouldn't be any good if he ran himself into the ground.


"Tony, no offence to you, pal, but... You're not really looking so hot. You want to take the chance you've got here and... I don't know. nap for an hour, or something? There's nothing else on our agenda, and I can figure things out with Marcus and fill you in later, if you'd want that." He offered. Couldn't hurt to give a friendly pointer, could it?

 

[KasperXIII]

Thalia had a newly-generated belief in fate. She thought back at the events from the past 48 hours. Had Ra's told her to hold up a different location than Karin's cafe... Had she not gotten up in Karin's face and took her mask off... Had that goon, who Ra's subsequently killed, not shot up that innocent man and caused a world of trouble for her... Had Thalia not chosen to come back to the scene, and had Karin not spotted her and followed her, had she not entered her phone number into Karin's phone before she gave it back... Had they not agreed to meet for drinks and get to know each other, had it been two other detectives other than Tony and Frank who showed up at Karin's house... Had Ra's not forced her to compensate for the innocent man's death, had Karin not clicked that deep web link and found James, had anything slightly different happened this past day, the two girls wouldn't be where they are now: both in love, both got laid the previous night, staying in a mansion, relaxing... For Karin, she was going to live a life for herself and Joseph that she'd always dreamed of. For Thalia, she was going to break the ties between herself and Al-Asheera for good. It was a rough road of abuse, screaming, disagreements, love, hate, blood, sweat, tears, and so much more. As much as Karin owed Thalia, the reverse was also true.


Happy for her friend, Thalia nodded at her happiness about her completely revamped lifestyle. "You deserve it, Karin. Believe me, no one's as a hard a worker, or as dedicated, as you are. No one who cares, but at the same time, can stand up to brutes. I mean, the way you got up in my face back at the diner..." Good times. When Karin and Thalia have kids with their respective lovers and explain where they met, it would be quite a story: a robbery. "I'll admit, I was drawn to you. Nobody usually stands up to a bunch of armed, tatted men like that. But you did exactly that, and I knew that if I even got close to hurting Joe, you'd hunt me down. I mean, it got to me, really. Partly because of my own connection to kids because of Charlie. Partly because of my being sick of Al-Asheera and the guilt it carried.... Partly because I honestly thought you were hot when I first saw you." She embarrassingly admitted, laughing and shaking her head and trying not to blush, covering her face for a short bit. Also hoping Karin didn't take it too extremely and freak out. But the redhead was treating it like nothing this time. Karin already knows that she's into girls as well as guys, so it wasn't all too awkward now. "Ahhh, hey, it's true, though! I found you hot when I saw you at the cafe, even with Joseph clinging to you for dear life... James is a lucky SOB to have you. Not that I'd move in on YOU, but you were up in my face, attractive, AND feisty? You can't blame me for the thought coming up for just a second."


It wasn't anymore, but it was certainly a thought she entertained shortly. Not too weird, was it?


"But nah. You've got a hot hacker boyfriend. I've got a hot.... cop, boyfriend." The irony of Thalia and Frank was still interesting. Thief and detective. Another fun story for their kids. "Sharing or not, Frank's mine. and James' yours. No jealousy. No pulling at each other's hair or anything crazy. What I CAN do, is say you've got a great match." She reached forward and shook at Karin's leg for a bit. "And so you know, Frank can be a bit of an animal in bed when you push him. I sure did. But hey. It's all fun. I bet he was as locked up as I was when I finished with him." Judging by how tired they were after, she was pretty damn sure of it.


"A cave? Christ..." she laughed. "I get living in the stone age, sure. Ra's is too old fashioned for shit these days. But a date? In a cave-ish place? God.... I mean, I'd be down for it, but I'm not so sure about Frank. I'm so adding THAT to my bucket list." And Thalia thought she was insane on a sexual level. She'd never attempted anything that nuts before. But double, even triple dating, was greenlighted. "Sweet.... And hey, if either of us has the right to act like a bitch around Tony, it's me. After all the yelling, beating, finger-pointing, I have every right to give him the cold shoulder. Like, seriously, he said he's been with Melissa for so long? I hope he's not THAT stiff around her. Guess not if she's tolerated him for so long. I can't stand him after two days."


Before Thalia could lift her feet up in the seat and kick back in the morning sun, James came outside, dressed as he was when he went to bed. Deja-fucking-vu, James.... Reminded her of when she left the room with Frank in nothing but another man's shirt and her underwear. Except this time, it wasn't so secretive. James wasn't beating around the bush when he said he was in bed with Karin. And seeing him and Karin kiss lit up Thalia's heart. Karin was so happy with this man, and she wanted to keep seeing her best friend so happy. Smiling to the two, she lifted her legs up from their place and got up from the chair. She certainly had a few things to say to him. Teasingly, of course, but she waited for him to finish giving Karin her gift. What a sweet guy. They say money can't buy happiness, but his wealth had its benefits. And it was making everyone happy, too. The second kiss after getting the new laptop brought a smile to Thalia's face. Impressive, big boy. No doubt she was cool with the two dating. She might've been on bad terms with the man in the beginning because of her not-so-cunning lie earlier about 'Derek and Liam', but that seemed to be water under the bridge. After all, James and Thalia had a common ground: of their little team, they're the only ones who could think and act like criminals. So in the end, they were chill with each other. Thalia wasn't expecting any gifts though. She knew that this was probably his way of showing his liking for the Helds. Why would he get her something, after all? She wasn't used to gifts. Even the pendant around her neck was a bit weird. Whether it came from Ra's, Frank, or a random stranger, she wasn't used to charity.


"Well," she smiled, crossing her arms and giving a smug smile to James. "Looks like me and Frank weren't the only ones who 'solved a few mysteries' last night." She was directly quoting James' own words when he caught her raiding his kitchen. But it was all while grinning, and eventually let her fist bump into his shoulder gently. "Relax. I'm cool with it, and I'm happy for you. Karin deserves the best, and you, my friend, are the best for her. I just hope my own thing for Frank isn't... too much of a problem? Sure, it's pretty sacrilegious for a cop and crook to be in bed together, but... as you can kind of see, James, once this is over..." She lifted her right hand out of her folded arms and traced over her tattoo. "I want nothing to do with any of, well, this. Not nothing to do with you. But Al-Asheera. I hope you get that."


Off of that, she had another question, more business related. "So I guess today we can do whatever? Or do you need me for something with the remainder of The Ten, or planning anything of sorts? Maybe go scare Roland again? Anything?"


--


So it was settled: McAllister would stay at Frank's place for the time being. At least until they could get him somewhere more permanent, by himself. Tony had a girlfriend who would eventually come home, so he had a valid reason for not keeping him around. But the sight of the man showing affection to Frank's dog.... perhaps things aren't so black and white after all. In any case. Thalia. James. McAllister. Karin, to a degree, with the watch snatching. Not every criminal was Bradan, or Ra's, or Pigman, or Roland. The shades of grey exist, some darker and lighter than others. So where was Marcus McAllister on that scale? He'd soon find out. If he's living with his partner, that was a big opportunity to find out about him in depth. Beyond the criminal underworld, beyond Bradan, and beyond prison.


"I agree... the last thing we need is to bite off more than we can chew, then have an angry James come after us. God, you should've seen James in the Mojave yesterday. He didn't gouge Roland's eye or cut off his dick like Thalia did, but still.... he's a brutal son of a bitch. If he could do that to good old Dickless, what would he do to one of us in the event of a double cross or overdue debts?"


Pigman. Dickless. All he needed now was a nickname for Thalia... Hot stuff. You're a desperate moron, Tony. You better not call her that out loud. THAT wouldn't be received well if it did.


Then again, he wasn't thinking straight. A mix of sleep deprivation, alcohol, and stress were all consuming him. His best course of action now was probably a nap. Some form of rest. He nodded to Frank, taking one last look at McAllister, who was getting accustomed to his newfound freedom. "Sure.... I just need an hour. But wake me up eventually, okay? I don't need to miss out on any of this. And if James calls... you for sure call me."


They'd settle their Marcus crisis in a little bit. Whether or not they keep him here, or get him a place on his own, or get help from their criminal ally. It was all up in the air. But for now, Tony removed his suit jacket, loosened his tie slightly, and threw himself into Frank's couch. Finally, a place to crash after a horrible night. He didn't dare mention that he was drinking on the job. Frank might understand, but it was still embarrassing if that got its way out there. No, instead, he let his eyes drift shut and fall asleep for a bit. His dreams would be dark, nothing there. But maybe that was better than the alternative of envisioning what Ra's was doing to Melissa. There had to be a faster way to save her... maybe that's what he'd relax over. Or just let the darkness of slumber take over and crash. That seemed easier. He couldn't think or be a proper detective without his full mind in the game. And that wasn't there. Maybe it would be soon enough.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I can't blame you, I suppose." She laughed - it was interesting to find out that Thalia found her cute in some ways when they first met. An odd situation to lust over someone, but... "I guess if I was in a similar position and I had someone stand up to me, it'd be their passion and all that that'd make me fall in love, even if it was only briefly." She said. "Sure, James is in love with all this tech stuff, just like Joseph is, but..." She shook her head. "Even though I don't get any of it, the fact that he has a passion he knows so much about and expresses so well is just... Well, I guess it makes him more dreamy than I already found him, y'know?" She smirked. Yeah, she was crazy for James for many reasons, and his passion was just one of them. God, she loved him. It was a fire she hoped would never go out, because there was something about him that just made Karin fall head over heels, even when she saw him approaching from the back door, she was a little more excited than before. 


"You definitely are allowed to give Tony the cold shoulder, too right. He's been way too harsh to you." She said. It was still hard to think back to how Tony treated Thalia over the past couple of days. Part of it really disgusted her, but, there was no point dwelling on it now. They had to just up and deal with it while they had the chance to do so. At least things had calmed down for now, but, she knew things would fire right back up if Tony ever caught Frank and Thalia in the act of romance. She could only pray that wouldn't happen, but a part of it felt inevitable. She knew that he was going to figure it out one day, one way or another. She could only hope that it was at a time where things had settled and Thalia's name had been cleared. She didn't get why Tony cared so much...


Why was it his concern what his partner did with his love-life, right? She couldn't imagine that Tony would be too happy if Frank started giving him advice on what to do with Melissa and how he should be doing things differently. Don't give if you can't take, I suppose.


James grinned at Thalia when she spoke, and he just nodded along.


"Yeah, that's right." He said. "Working on mysteries without any clues, Thalia, just keep that in mind." He winked, then looked down at Karin. "Right... Joseph's way better this morning, so, lunch it is." He said. "I'll make sure he gets some breakfast in him, and when it gets closer to the time, what I'll do is run him back to your place so he can shower and get changed into some clothes. Should have thought to bring some stuff with us yesterday, but oh well." He smirked. "Want me to grab any of your stuff? I'm assuming you're happy to stay here for at least a few more days, right?" He asked. 


"Yeah, for sure." She smiled back. "Just grab basically everything of mine and shove it in a bag. Same for anything of Joseph's. Also, if you're going out with him today, make sure he-"


"Checks his blood sugars and everything. Don't worry, he's a good kid, already got that all under control himself." He smiled. "You worry too much. He'll be fine with me - If anything goes haywire, I assure you you'll be the first person to know." He said. "We'll have a good time - you just take the day to relax. There's nothing to worry about."


"If you say so." She scanned him up and down and smiled.


James looked back to Thalia, "Your thing with Frank won't be a problem with me. As far as I've gathered, the only person with an issue with it is Tony. He's terrified of the idea of you guys being together." He said. "I know you want out of all of this, away from Al-Asheera, and don't worry, that'll be more than possible. I'll make sure of it." He said. "You'll have a new name and a new identity by the time this is all over, I assure you. And maybe a phone number for a guy that can at least get you a cover-up of that tattoo. Laser surgery on the hand would be... Very painful, I imagine. Could easily turn that into a nice sleeve, unless you really want rid of it that badly, in which case, arrangements can be made." He shrugged. "As for today, there's nothing else important that we really need to do. Until Roland's in more of a functioning condition, we can't do anything. He's in a rough spot, but, the doctor's probably made good progress. We've given him nothing short of eight hours of work, so, chances are he's going to chew my ass before the sun sets, demanding god-knows-what. Tough son of a bitch. War vet, spent some time in the police, went on to be a doctor and then lost his medical license due to a certain habit of borrowing the hospital's drug supply. Good guy, though." He chuckled.


James looked over them both again, "Anyway, I'm gonna' get moving, maybe take a shower and all that. You girls have fun today, and don't do anything I wouldn't do." He made a gun shape with two fingers and imitated taking a shot at them as he wandered away and back into the kitchen, sitting with Joseph yet again.


Karin looked at Thalia, "Jesus, he is fucking amazing." She muttered, taking a gulp of her lemonade again. "Well... I suppose we have the day to ourselves to do whatever we want, basically." She said, "I think you mentioned the date you'd be going on eventually with Frank - You don't need to worry, because, I'm gonna' be here to back you up. I'll make you look real nice, real elegant and all that. He'll love it, I'm sure." She said. "Look at us... I can't believe how eventful the past two days have been. At least we're having a break now - it feels like we've done years of work and we're hardly even getting started." She said.

 

[KasperXIII]

It was nice to see Karin and James very open about their relationship and not beating around the bush. It wasn't just Karin's own private words that really said it all. James wasn't shy to kiss her right in front of Thalia. It made the redhead rethink her standpoint about her newborn relationship with Frank. The longer it's kept bottled up, the more of a fallout it'll create when Tony figures it out. It felt like an armed bomb in their hearts, and the older detective was the emergency trigger. Sure, keeping it a secret was thrilling. She sure enjoyed the feeling that they could get caught in the weapons bunker at any moment. It was also thrilling when she exited the room the other night, her appearance making it clear as day she was just in bed with the man. And getting caught by Karin and James? She wasn't going to lie; she was afraid Tony would show up soon after and literally smack her stupid. But it was that same fear that turned her on further. Even when she was sent back into the room to get dressed properly and teased Frank further, that excitement and arousal from the fear of being caught in the act lingered around. But maybe it's for the best that Tony finds out soon. Preferably when this is all over and Thalia can prove herself as a worth significant other for Frank. Because all she could see herself as now was a girl from the street with no future and a criminal record. She wanted to be more than that, prove herself to be something better. Frank believed her; so did Karin, maybe even James. But Tony was going to be tough to convince.


Hell, the way the lovebirds were settling over Joseph's healthcare and activities was fun enough to watch. Kids... Thalia wanted one someday. Maybe two... However many Frank wanted.


James was also going to help Thalia disappear, which was an even bigger step forward. Erasing any trace of her being connected to Al-Asheera. But half of her was going to miss being, well, Thalia Griffin. She still wanted to see her parents again, who she's lured into LA not long ago, but kept it a secret for now. Meet that brother she never got a chance to know. Living under a new name wouldn't be hard to get used to, seeing how Karin kept telling strangers she was 'Taylor from high school', so a new name wouldn't be too big of a deal. Regardless, the people around her would probably still call her Thalia. Whichever name she would have to adopt as her own, she'd do it, so long as she could still see Charlie. But she felt a bit of a boil in her blood when he mentioned how painful removing a hand tattoo would be. She didn't expect it to be a walk in the park, and her pain tolerance was fairly high. At this rate, it was a question of what would be the most efficient masking or removal technique that was achievable. A whole sleeve might work. It wouldn't look blatantly connected to her old organization, but who the hell was going to hire a girl with a massive sleeve tattoo? Would Frank like it? She'd think about it later, because for now, she had to keep her cover in Al-Asheera. If she started removing tattoos now, or at least covering them up, she will definitely spook Ra's. She just nodded in agreement with what James was saying. Today was a break day, seeing she put Roland out of the count when they dragged him to the house. No one was complaining, though. It gave everyone time to be themselves in the midst of all the chaos. "Just promise me one thing, James..." she had to say it. No matter if it was stupid of her to ask.... "If I have to disappear forever, I at least want to see my brother. Even if it's just once and never again. Just a personal request."


Maybe too personal?


But James was very lighthearted as well, especially how he told the two to enjoy themselves today, followed by a playful warning not to tear the place apart. It even made Thalia crack a smile. Karin, on the other hand, was beyond excited. Thalia could definitely see what her friend sees in him. He's adorable, funny, good-looking, rich, carrying and good with her brother. He's perfect for her. "I keep telling you, Kar...." Kar? Where did that come from? Shortening the name? She'd take the slap in the face for it either way. "He's perfect for you. And he's DYING for something serious with you. Not to mention he's romantic as all hell with gifts and... well, the way you described having sex with him." She laughed. "Can't wait to see Frank trying too hard to be romantic, eh? And failing it up. I'll be sure to tell you all of that when it goes down."


Fun, fun. The conversation then moved on to Thalia's future date with Frank, whenever that would be. When could she? Half of her wanted to go to his address, show up all fancied up with one of James' expensive wines, and offer a romantic night together. Was that even a good idea at this time? She had to ask Karin, who was already offering to give her a hand in the cosmetic field. "Dawwww, you're too kind," she smiled shyly to her friend. "I still have his address you know.... what do you think he'd think if I showed up at his doorstep tonight? Surprised him or something. Too risky? I mean.... it's pretty dumb. What if Tony's there with him and asks how I got his address? That's a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe I should... tell him I'm coming? I don't know...!" She threw her head back to look at the clear morning sky, thinking over her options like a dumb teenager in love for the first time. "If anything, though...." She toyed with her phone in her hands a bit more. "I'm definitely sending him another one like this..." She flipped it open to show her friend the teasing picture of her from earlier. She liked the picture, honestly, and she couldn't say that about many of her own pictures of herself. Maybe because she was happy for once in her life? A boost of morale? Whatever it was, she found herself amused by it.


Alone at last. Flipping a lock of Karin's hair from her shoulder, Thalia took a step closer, then nudged her arm, smiling playfully. "Soooo, we have your rich boyfriend's mansion all to ourselves. And I'm dying to raid the place. See every room... Feel out the beds... see if he has another girl's panties laying around in some bathroom." She poked a fun little joke in between. She found it hard to believe James hasn't taken home at least one girl in his life to impress her. Even if it was a one night thing. "Not to say he still IS, but you know, it'll be fun! We won't make too much of a mess. Worst case, we trash his kitchen by raiding the cabinets and fridge. C'mon! You've been working for too long in your life, Karin. Let's change things up for you and have a bit of fun. You're not going to be young forever."


Perhaps not. Or Thalia was just hyper. Either way, all good 'clean' fun.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Some time went on for Joseph and James, and once Joseph had eaten some cereal - Yep, the branded stuff definitely tasted better - he was more or less good to go. He threw on the clothes he had on yesterday, and after running off and hugging Karin goodbye, as well as giving her a kiss on the cheek (he said bye to Thalia, too, but, no one could really expect him to start hugging her just yet), he was good to rush off and have lunch and do whatever else it was that James had planned. What James had planned initially was definitely a shock, though, because he had something that'd most definitely surprise the boy. He hadn't seen any of his fancy cars just yet, so, he was looking forward to showing him all of those. Muscle cars, a Range Rover, and a fancy sports car, too. Did he have other ones elsewhere? Karin imagined so. He seemed like the type of guy to never settle for second-best. She knew the look on her brother's face was going to be priceless as soon as he saw the cars James had, and a part of her wanted to see it, but... She thought maybe it'd be best for her brother and James to have some guy time. God knew Joseph was excited to do so.


"Right, Joe..." James looked over the the three cars that were all covered up. "I'll let you do the honors of picking what car we ride in today. The only rule I set is that you can't pick the Range Rover, but I imagine that once you see the other ones, you won't want to break that rule, anyway." He laughed. "You like the backpack, by the way?" He asked, patting the bag on Joseph's back. It was one built for carrying a laptop and just about everything else you could get into it, but, he was using it as a multipurpose thing. 


"Oh, yeah. It's real nice." He grinned up at him. "Can I pull the covers off?"


"Mhm, go right ahead." He said.


So, the first car, the Firebird. Joseph's jaw dropped, and he ran his hand over the hood and laughed, "Wow, that's... I love this one." He said.


"Keep going, you've got another two to go." James nudged him a little, and with a big smile, he went and uncovered the second one.

 
​

"What. No way do you have a Stingray."


"Oh, you know this one?" He laughed. "Oh, yeah, she's my pride and joy, Joe. One of the first classics I ever owned."


"I thought only movie stars and stuff drove this, this is... This is incredible." He said, in more of a shocked state than an excited one. He went to the third and final one, and he pulled that cover off, too. Once again, he was left with an amazed look on his face.

 
​

"You're kidding." 


"I'm not." James walked up and set a hand on his head, "2010 Model, though. Getting a bit outdated but still a beauty. What's it gonna' be, Joe?" He asked.


"It's gotta' be the Stingray." He laughed.


"I thought you were gonna' say that. Come on." He winked, and with that, he walked and fetched a key from a hook it was hanging from on the garage wall, and he unlocked the car at both sides. This was going to be a treat, that was for sure. First stop was Karin's house - yes, Joseph had got the key from Karin, too, before he left. No one knew his house better than he did, so he'd be taking point on gathering any stuff up. The house didn't matter, though, because now, they were roaring down the street in a car Joseph never thought he'd get the chance to sit in, all with James at his side. Before they knew it, Joseph had taken James' phone and put on some suitable music for their muscle car journey. It was the best feeling, lying back and watching the other people on the roads instantly turn to take a glance. Sure, modern sports cars weren't unusual around here, but... A car like that? There weren't so many people that had that level of class. James had always felt on top of the world being in a car like that, and now, Joseph did, too.


The car ride did stop eventually, though, as they inevitably reached Karin and Joseph's house. More on that later. Joseph only had to shower and get some stuff together, anyway.


--


Before James left with Joseph, obviously, he was there to stay for Thalia's one last request. And that was making sure she saw her brother, at least once, if things went haywire. He could organize that to some extent, but it wasn't something that he could just magic up in some potion. There were other factors they had to take into account, but he'd be as positive as they could. There was no need to wreck something that was turning out to be a perfectly good day - the best part of it for Karin was easily the fact that Joseph was heading out on the town with James. She'd already thought about it - the fact he was willing to do that, even after everything he'd been through at the diner, was amazing. It just proved to Karin that James was most definitely trustworthy, and seeing as she'd seen his physical combat skills, sort of, she knew that if by some chance they ran into trouble, James would have no issue keeping Joseph out of harm's way. The only thing she was worrying about was, of course, Joseph's insulin and glucose levels.


Then again, she had to learn to give him the room to take care of it at some point. She liked to think she'd done a good enough job of letting him find his independence, but, she was still a bit of a helicopter, not even she could deny that. All in good time, though. Joseph wasn't going to be a sweet-faced little boy forever, after all. Before she knew it, Joseph would be getting married and having kids of his own, too. She did wonder what sort of person he'd turn out to be, though. Hopefully a good one. She'd raised him to strive to be a good guy, but not to take trouble from people if they come looking for a fight. He wasn't so good at that part, but that was only because no one had ever really given him any trouble. All in good time, she guessed. For now, it was time to relax, with no one else than her, Thalia, and the nearly-eighty-year-old butler they basically had at their disposal.


"Don't worry, Thalia. If things do turn out like that..." James ran a hand through his hair. "I give you my word I'll do my best to make sure you meet him before you go AWOL. It'll be hard to do given the fact that... Well, your brother's not a computer, and neither are your parents. Making things happen like that won't be easy, but, you have my promise that I'll try." He nodded to her. Honesty was the best way - he couldn't just promise her that it'd definitely happen. She needed to know there was the risk that things might not work out. James gussed it was good not to get her hopes up too much, though, so hopefully the honesty of the situation would be appreciated, even if it was going to leave a bit of a sting behind. Like getting shots at the doctor, really - they hurt, but, it's for the better of things.


Once James had left, the gossip, of course, continued.


"I know he wants something serious. I mean, I'd say we've already got something pretty serious already - He's a lonely guy, Thalia." She said, "He might seem like this big hardass with confidence through the roof, but... Truthfully, he's probably one of the most insecure people I've ever met. He's just good at hiding it." She said. "Pretty sure the idea of rejection terrifies him more than anything - after what his family did to him, I wouldn't be surprised. I almost feel angry at them, even though I've never once seen them before in my life. How could his own parents and his brother just shove him out like that and act like he never existed? Younger brother, too. Un-fucking-believable." She ranted, shaking her head and finishing off her lemonade. "Yeah, it's for the better of things now. He met me, and Joseph, and we're all getting on great and everything, but... I wouldn't ever ask for the guy to suffer just so me and him could be together. Sure, I'm deeply in love with him, and I love how he gets on with Joseph so well, but... If it came down to it..." She sighed. "I wouldn't just let his life crumble away so I could keep him. That's just... Pretty evil, if you ask me. Selfish, I guess is the better word." She shrugged.


"I think Frank would be a cracking romantic." She grinned, "He gives me that impression that he knows how to be, but he does it more... Discreetly. I bet he's the kind of... Rose petals around the bedroom kinda' guy." She laughed. "You know, he may have all the muscle and everything, but I reckon deep down?" She patted her own chest, "I bet he's a natural-born care-giver. You wait. Something will happen that shows I'm right - I mean, the guy already has a pet dog, proving he's already partially good at looking after things. Means he'll look after you well, too - Not that I'm comparing you to a dog, or anything, but you get the idea." She laughed. Thalia did suggest surprising Frank, though, but honestly... On their day off, as much as Thalia wanted to agree, she bit her lip and slowly shook her head.


"I mean..." She sighed, "It'd be great for you to do that, but, you don't know what's going on with him right now. Even that picture you sent, as beautiful as you look in it, even that... That was risky, considering he's probably with Tony." He said. "You can probably send him another one - hopefully from the first picture, he learned to put his phone on silent." She grinned. "Or vibrate, I mean, so that way Tony doesn't get suspicious." She explained. "There's going to be plenty of chances for you to surprise him and love him up, so, don't rush. It'll make you both more excited if you wait it out for a while, and once this is all over, the two of you can run away into the sunset to wherever you want to go." She grinned at her.


Then came the final suggestion of raiding James' house and seeing what they could find.


"Oh, now that sounds like fun." She said, "I know he's got some luxury food in the kitchen, but, you know what else?" She asked. "Pool house, just over there..." She nodded to it, "It's got couches, AC, and a whole bar that's just chock-stock full of all types of alcohol. Vodka, whiskey, rum, tequila. You name it, it's there." She said, "I'm not one for morning drinking, but..." She shrugged and bobbed her head from side to side. "Who's to say we can't make ourselves a few cocktails before we have a real poke around?" She asked.

 
​

 
​

 

[KasperXIII]

The response about possibly meeting her family was... bittersweet, but expected. Thalia knew how things worked well enough to know that if she has to disappear, she couldn't just walk up to her parents' doorstep and say exactly who she is. Especially not if they match up the story of the mystery redhead with her. It wouldn't be long until the connection of the 13 year old girl who disappeared eight years ago was made. She just didn't want her parents to know. That would crush them, that she left home for a life of crime. They wouldn't even get a chance to hear that she's changed. She so desperately wanted to tell them everything. Every little emotion left inside of her, every 'I love you' she never got an opportunity to pour out to them. And every hug she couldn't give them. For once, Thalia felt like she had a heart. That she was human. Certainly, she'd look like the prodigal daughter by doing this, but if her father was as much of a man of God as he claimed to be, he'd welcome her home instantly... if Thalia Griffin could still exist after this ordeal. At the very least, she wanted to meet her parents again, even under a different name. It would give her some peace of mind. But she just nodded to James for now and told him, "Okay."


What else could she say? She just let him leave to think this over. And now, it was just her and Karin to gossip once again, girl to girl. "If there's anyone who can lift a broken spirit, it's you, Karin. What James' folks did to him? Not cool. If my parents did that to me, I wouldn't want to go back... but I kinda did the opposite. Pushed myself away, but that's besides the point." Really, Thalia and James were two different extremes in that regard. Nonetheless, they went on without their parents to be who they were today. Successful? James was. Thalia, more like infamous. Thank god that infamy was stapled to her alias and media portrayal and not her true identity. It gave her some hope for improvements in her life, a chance to be independent from Al-Asheera's chains. And from prison. "We all want to not feel alone, I guess. It's what drew me to Al-Asheera... it's why I felt close to Ra's, in some ways. We feel so desperate to want to belong or be with someone that we might end up falling in with the wrong people... or just shutting ourselves out. And that feeling would make anyone scared. If you can break those walls with James, then he's certainly lucky to have you. He trusts you. He likes being around you.... And I see the way he looks at you." She giggled, shaking her head. "It's clear as day, he can't take his eyes off you. You are his Number One. And you know what I think?" She paused for a minute, placing both hands on her friend's shoulders. "You told me to leave it all behind before? Maybe you and Joe should this time. Move in with James permanently. Start over in a better life, a better time. He can give you two the life you've always wanted, Karin. And I'm really advising you to do it."


Really, Thalia was no pro at giving advice. She was just speaking from her heart to her friend. She seriously wanted Karin to move in entirely. Not just for a few days. Then they brought Frank back up, how he had potential to be romantic. The idea of him having flower petals waiting for her in her room one day was a pleasant thought that made the nervous thief bow her head in a bit of embarrassment at the thought. She certainly had a bright imagination to think that through and get to a point that was rather... intimate, so quickly. Hey, she couldn't help herself. Then the comparison to a dog came up, which made her laugh and slap Karin's arm joking, "Get outta here! I may be a bitch, but in bed? Frank ends up MY bitch." Of course, she said all of that jokingly with no insults intended. Then came the thoughts about surprising him, which Karin advised against, and Thalia understood why. Sighing, she nodded. "Yeah... I might've gotten him into trouble by just sending that." She waved her phone slightly, indicating she was talking about the picture. "I'll... apologize, I guess. Once this is over, I'm sure we can do whatever we want without Tony bugging us, like you said.... and then I'll tell you all the spicy details later." A reason to get over the gloomy moment and smile again as she discreetly typed out a quick message to Frank, after the picture:


'Sorry about the picture. Did I get you in trouble? I didn't mean to.'


Hopefully Karin didn't get smart and realize what that was.


A pool house with fancy couches, AC, AND drinks? Talk about a fun day off this would be. "Oooooh!" she laughed, gripping Karin's bicep tightly, and beyond excited. "I don't usually drink in the morning either but.... it's not every day we get a girl's day out in a FUCKING MANSION! Why are we still here?!" Without even asking, Thalia immediately dashed in the direction of the pool house Karin motioned too. "I don't care what you think or fear. Joe's in good hands with James, and you're going to enjoy the day off from work and crime fighting. We're going to have a good time with no guys at home. We're gonna get shitfaced, we're gonna have fun with it, and you're not going to pussy out. Cuz you're going to mix this shit with me."


Quite a bold move from Thalia, but she had the best of intentions: for Karin to relax. Take a break from the usual hassle of her day. Once they reached the door, the hyper, tattooed girl released her friend's arm and tried to open the door. Unlocked? Odd, but it only promoted the fun. She opened the door, and her jaw dropped. Simple couches. Bean bags. An island counter with stools around it. A 60 inch TV, at least from what Thalia could tell by distance judgment. And the the best part of it all: the booze. All the goodies stored away in a whole wall of glass cupboards. As if paradise couldn't get any better...


"Shiiiiiiit," she gasped, out of breath, amazed, and happy by what she saw. She wasn't one to get drunk all that much, but after last night in bed with Frank, arguably tipsy, she had to do that again. Things would be more fun, and Karin would certainly loosen up a bit. That was all she wanted at this rate, patting her friend on the shoulder. "I don't care if I have to force this shit down your throat. We're mixing this shit like we're never getting a chance to again."


Thalia wasn't an expert at different alcohols, and what should--and should not--mix, so she literally marched over to one of the cabinets, threw it open, and grabbed two bottles, one in each hand. Again, not an expert, so all she could really make out from the names was that she'd snagged some fancy-named tequila. She placed them both on the counter and moved back to Karin, wagging her finger in a way for her to come along. Once close enough, she grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her closer. "You had a friend at that bar, right? Please tell me he taught you a thing or two about mixing. Cuz we're gonna concoct some disaster from James' little collection, and see what happens when it's in our systems." A devious smile came across Thalia's face. An evil idea that could darn well end with one of them in a shock-induced coma. Hence why she trusted Karin not to kill one--or both--of them. "And if anyone sees the aftermath, when we're probably so wasted, half undressed, either slurring random secrets about each other, or passed out in two different places with a mess in this little part of paradise? Well, I hope they enjoy the show." She nudged her friend's shoulder, tempting her further and further to give in.


They were in for one hell of a ride.


--


Al-Asheera HQ in Burbank | 10:32 AM


It seemed like whenever Ra's was going to meet with his underling messenger, he was indulging in some exotic drink from god-knows-where. He literally never buys his own alcohol. It was all his right-hand-man that had a taste for liquors: Roland, Al-Yed, who is now missing. And the disappearance of his closest, literally after proposing to his bride-to-be, was far too suspicious for his liking. Something was very wrong. And as a paranoid, stodgy son of a bitch, Ra's summoned his messenger to his quarters, sitting in his low-rising couch at a table with several unwashed glasses before him. All he needed were grapes fed by some bellydancer, and the bastard would quite literally be a king of sorts, though closer to a sultan given his middle eastern decent and choice of apparel, still in the purple leather gown he wore when he visited Al-Jameela.


"Yes, Mawlaye?" The underling bowed his head and asked once he arrived.


Ra's took a sip of his unusual beverage and spoke his mind, "Where is Al-Yed?"


"Um...." How was he supposed to answer. That's another member of The Ten that vanished in thin air. This wasn't looking good.


"What? I am listening."


"Mawlaye... Al-Yed hasn't checked in or spoken to us since Al-Rsas ended his life. He claimed he was going to follow up on that detective looking in to you. Anthony Walsh?"


"So he has disappeared? We must assume the worst, right?"


Nervously, he nodded. "Yes, Mawlaye. But we are actively searching for him."


"Mmm... he growled, still not making eye contact with this servant. He lowered his glass from his lips and looked at the strange blue-ish color, almost in disgust. "Al-Yed bought me this... shitty drink. He bought me many gifts. He was my best friend for many, many years. When I came to Philadelphia, he took me in as a brother.... and now he is gone."


"Um... I'm... sorry?" How else was this man going to answer? Ra's had a strange way of functioning. Quite literally. Out of nowhere, Ra's' large arm lunged back and thrusted forward, launching the glass directly at the servant, shattering upon contact with his chest and knocking him to the floor. No, Ra's was furious more than confused.


"That is TWO of Al-Ashra who have disappeared!"


"Mawlaye, Al-Rsas committed suicide for you!" he uttered, trying not to wail in pain from what just hit him. But the pain was getting to him. This wasn't comfortable at all. "Ack...fuck. Why did you do that, Mawlaye?"


Still without giving him even a glance, Ra's continued yelling, "You do not question my rulings, you pathetic filth! I should have known better than to trust Al-Jameela with the ring of the Head.... Sharmoota...."


"If you doubted her, why did you propose to her?"


"SILENCE!" His head finally faced the injured servant, squirming on the floor as if to bet for mercy.


"Apologies, Mawlaye."


Ra's didn't take long to erupt in a livid tirade. "This is your time to redeem yourself.... What has conspired within Al-Asheera is UNACCEPTABLE! And all starting from that bitch... She will pay for her mistakes, every single one of them...." Ra's paused, turning away from his servant and back to another older glass on the table. He grabbed the bottle of the same blue-ish liquor and continued talking, "Is Al-Aasifa still in Philadelphia?"


Al-Aasifa. The Storm. A name fitting for one of Al-Asheera's hitmen. But with a job Ra's was about to propose, he would've trusted Roland with it more. But seeing he's missing, this was a worst case scenario.


"Y-Yes, Mawlaye. Why?"


"Call him. Tell him he has one more job before he relocates to Los Angeles..."


"Which is?" The servant became good at masking his pain, only gripping his stomach with a few shards of glass lodged into it.


"....Reverend Jacob Griffin. The birth father of Al-Jameela. He has orders to eliminate the man during his afternoon prayer service, and kill everyone else in the congregation. Send that church to hell, and make sure it's obvious that it was the doing of Al-Asheera. A direct attack on the Griffin family, too. Make sure it is all known. But leave her mother and brother alive. They will be saved for later to show Al-Sharmoota that I am serious about her loyalties being in me. And me only."


"A-Are you sure, Mawlaye? Al-Asheera does not kill senselessly like that. Especially not a man of God..."


"I AM GOD, YOU MISERABLE PIECE OF SHIT!" He shouted, not even facing the man, but throwing the entire bottle of liquor at him while he was still downed. Now, Ra's was rubbing it in. "THAT IS AN ORDER! JACOB GRIFFIN DIES ALONG WITH HIS CONGREGATION! IS THAT CLEAR?!"


Whimpering at the second glass object slamming into his chest, the servant backed away and answered in sheer fear, "Y-Yes, Mawlaye! I will make the call, and it will be done in the hour!"


Ra's certainly was jumping to conclusions. His demented mind couldn't help but blame Thalia for everything going amiss. And her punishment? She was about to lose her father for good.

 

[DrTrollinski]

It didn't take long for Joseph to get showered and changed into some clean clothes. He was fresh and ready to go, and even had his own little bottle of cologne that Karin bought him for his 10th birthday. Just something to make him feel a little more grown up. Nothing flashy and expensive, but still, it was something. Once they'd got the bags loaded up, including another one of Joseph's backpacks, they hopped back in the car and went off to the city, right into LA. It was a good time so far, even though they'd only been on the road, but the day out had already been quite the good one in the eyes of Joseph. The place they eventually came to a stop at, though, was a Japanese-style place. A nice one, too, a place called The Lucky Palace. Joseph wasn't one for Sushi and everything, but, he was definitely up for having fried chicken noodles and all that, which was one of the things on the menu. it was basically a walk in and sit down sorta' place, so they had their table in no time.


They sat in a booth, sort of in the middle of the place by the window, but that was no big deal. At first, all was good, and Joseph openly checked his blood sugars without worry. He soon got out the pouch that held the pen with the insulin and everything. He'd already thought about what drink he wanted, and what food he wanted, too, so, this wasn't so bad. He knew how much insulin he was going to need. He'd managed to roughly estimate how many carbs were in each meal now, and he had to do his injection a little while before the food actually got to them. Just to make sure it all spaced out properly.


"James?" He called out.


"Yep?"


"Could you, um... Sit here for a minute?" He asked, shuffling up and patting the space beside him.


"Sure. Why's that?" He asked, smoothly drifting to the other side of the table and placing himself next to him.


"It's just... I don't like doing insulin shots in front of people. A lot of people look and stare, so, if you were sat there to keep it private, that'd be nice." He said. "I mean, I used to go into a restroom or something and just do it there, but, if you have to do it standing up it hurts more, and its not that clean in most bathrooms."


"No problem, buddy." He patted him on the head. "While I'm here, you could show me how it all works, if you'd like? If you're gonna' be staying with me I should probably know how you do it, just in case." He chuckled.


"Sure." He gave a little smile up at him and got one of the fresh needles (it was inside a plastic cap) and the injector pen handy. "So, first... You just need to peel off the seal on the needle, and..." After he'd done that, he stuck it down on top of the pen. "Once you've done that, you just stick it on there and screw it in, make sure it's tight. Then you can just pull the cover off." He explained, doing that as he talked about it. What was revealed was a 5mm needle. Tiny, really, but still frightening for most people. "My rations are kinda' different because I don't weight that much and I'm younger, so, I don't need as much insulin for the carbohydrates. But... You twist the top of the pen after pulling it out - you'll hear it click, and then you just twist it until you have the units you want. The only way you can undo it is by spraying some out, but, it doesn't hurt to do that. See? There's numbers on the dial you turn."


"I see it, yep." He smiled. In a way, James was just trying to normalize it - it was clear Joseph was in some ways ashamed of having to do it, so if he could boost his confidence in the matter, that would be nice. "What next?"


"Well, I've drawn up a little more so that I can just squirt some of it out to make sure it's flowing right..." He aimed it down on the floor and pressed the top of the pen gently, and out sprayed a line of insulin. It had a very distinct smell, one that stuck to you, really. It wasn't unpleasant. Just strong. "So after you're sure it's all good, you just have to... Well, inject it." He said, and with that, he pinched an area of his stomach to get hold of some skin, and, after a deep breath to prepare himself, he simply injected himself and shot the drawn up insulin into him. Seemed simple enough. James was certainly impressed that someone of his age was able to do it himself. Joseph did wince, though, at which point James just squeezed his shoulderr 


"That one hurt?"


"Yeah. Sometimes it does." He said. He did glance around, and he did notice that some people had seen the pen, and as much as he hated the fact people were looking, he knew there wasn't really much he could do about it. They weren't staring, though. James did notice tiny purple bruises on some areas of his stomach, though. 


"All those bruises from injections?"


He nodded.


Eventually, he pulled the needle out and screwed the cap back on, then took the cap and needle off the pen entirely. Just to be safe, he got a circular Tupperware container from his bag (one he'd picked up from his house) and dropped the needle inside. A practical way of making sure the needle didn't prick anyone, really. After he put the pen away completely, he leaned over against James and just rested his head against his chest, and looped his arms around his body. James obviously put an arm around him, too.


"You okay?"


"I just don't like it when people look."


"Makes sense." He sighed, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Joseph. You can't help it, can you?" He asked. "It's brave of you to do that by yourself - The thought of it even scares me." He laughed. "People are only gonna' stop and stare because they don't understand. That's all." He said. "You never know, some of the people that look might have family, kids of their own, that are diabetic. It's not an uncommon thing nowadays." He said. "Come on, we're here for a good while now, here to have a good time." He smiled. "Why don't you get back to your seat, we can talk about something else."


"Sure... Can I just stay here for a few more minutes?" He asked.


"Of course you can." He rubbed his arm, then took a deep breath. Could James ever help him build up confidence in himself? He seemed quite confident when he first met him, but was something like this holding him back?


--


Leave it all behind.


It was a thought that crossed Karin's mind in her short time in James' house. If they left it all behind, Joseph would live a happier, healthier life in a bigger room and a bigger house, and a swimming pool that would allow him to get good exercise on an almost daily basis. There was nothing better than that for a diabetic person - exercise, a good diet, and good healthcare. She wondered, was it something that James would condone? Like they'd already discussed, James was very clearly deeply in love with Karin, and if he was really developing a strong bond with both her and her brother? Then surely he'd appreciate the good company. No offence to the guy, but, Karin couldn't imagine the butler was all that fun to be around. He looked like the kind of guy that would keel over if his coffee was too strong, so, yeah, not the fitting accomplice for a 27-year-old man in the prime of his adulthood and the prime of his health.


"I've thought about it a lot, to be honest." She said. "If James would allow it, I'd have the house on the market by tomorrow, and I'd move both me and Joseph in here. I know Joseph would... Well, I'd have to talk to him about that." She said. "He has a couple of friends not far from where we live, but, at the same time, James isn't far from where we live. In fact, I think there's the high chance that James might actually be closer to some of Joseph's pals than we were." She smiled. "I'll have to sit him down after I've spoken to James about it, because... I wouldn't want to just force Joseph into it. I've got a feeling he'll jump at the offer, though. I guess only time will tell." She said, simply, and then smiled. "I would like to live here, though, that would be heaven on earth for the both of us. Joseph would be talk of the school, too. If he moved into a place like this, everyone would want to come to his birthday parties." She chuckled.


Meanwhile, Thalia did get a response from Frank this time.


'Tony's taking a rest so I have a chance to message you back. Really liked the picture ;-) You almost got me in trouble! But, luckily, I'm too good to actually let Tony realize what was really going on, so don't worry. Hopefully I'll be able to see that picture again in person soon. If you get what I mean.'


Now it was time for the pool bar. This was going to be fun.


"You're right. Joe's in good hands. Let's go wild." She laughed, "And I'll have you know you won't have to force anything down my throat." She paused for a minute, "That's James' job." But before she could even finish speaking that sentence, she cracked up and burst into laughter. "Sorry, that was really dirty of me." She wiped her eyes. "I shouldn't have said that. That was too soon." She chuckled again, then looked around at all the alcohol. "I can't say I know much, but I know how to make a Martini, Sex On The Beach, Tequila Sunrise, and Pina Coladas." She said. "You know, to fit the occasion, we're going for two tall glasses of Sex on The Beach." She laughed, then nudged her friend. She guessed it was appropriate, given what the two of them had experienced.


"No, you know what, scratch that." She said. "Let's mix a Sex on The Beach with a Tequila Sunrise. That should give us something to party about." She laughed, and, without further ado, she got the alcohol she needed to make the evil drink and started to throw it all into a big cocktail shaker. She shook it, spun it, threw it up in the air purely for comedic value, and then she got two tall glasses and filled each one with the dark orange liquid she'd made. It didn't look too bad, but she could practically smell the alcohol emitting from it. It was definitely going to blow their heads clean off, but there was nothing they could do about that now, was there? It was a matter of drinking and having fun. Sure, they'd have to deal with a spinning head in a while, but... What did they have to worry about?


Hopefully they'd both be sober by the time the bad news got delivered, but, only time would tell.


"Hope you're ready for a headache later tonight, because this? This is going to be evil." She said, holding up her glass - yes, it didn't take much to make Karin submit. "Now, how about we party like it's 1973 and just go crazy? A real girl's day, and I do remember us discussing that some day together, we'd get white-girl wasted. Why not let today be that day while we have the chance, right?" She smiled.

 

[KasperXIII]

"You better tell him yes," Thalia said, as if she were giving an order. "Or I'm saying it for you. And you better let me come and party here with you whenever we get the place to ourselves."


Partying. Getting wild, it was about time for the girls to attempt something of those proportions. A clearly more experienced Karin with a too-curious-for-her-own-good Thalia are what were about to hang on, let loose, and go nuts in James' mansion, even if they'd have splitting headaches at the end of all of this. But why let a perfectly good day off go to waste? It was even more satisfying for Thalia to hear Karin admit that she'd relax for a day, and even make a rather inappropriate comment. Simultaneously, she burst into laughter as well, rather uncontrollably at the mental image placed in her head of 'forcing things down her throat'. Poking Karin's nose teasingly, she finally got out actual words, "You, my friend, are BAD. Very fucking naughty. I always knew you had it in you, a dirty mind just banging on the closet door. I was just waiting for you to show it." Indeed, everyone was secretly dirty minded, some more obvious than others... Thalia was sort of obvious. "If this is something you're saying sober, I can't wait to see what you're saying drunk!"
 


Oh boy.... that would be one for the books. In general, there was no better way for the girls to bond than to get shitfaced in a mansion and see what happens. Before the chaos though, she looked back at the text from Frank. Close fucking call, indeed. When will the two see each other again? Anytime soon, hopefully? One thing's for sure: if Frank comes NOW? He'll be in for an extremely drunk Thalia. Perfect. If he liked her tipsy yesterday, he'd be in heaven now.


Names were something Thalia was extremely bad at, but just the name 'Sex On The Beach' said a number about the drink itself. As she watched Karin create the strange mixture of drinks, she sat up on one of the stools to the island counter, her elbow leaning over and her head tilting slightly with her right index finger at her mouth biting at the nail. Smiling, of course. She had no idea what sort of hangover was waiting after this, but it's not like any of that mattered now. 'Don't do anything I wouldn't do', James warned them. Well... was mixing Tequila Sunrise with Sex On The Beach something... well, James would do? He'd probably see the evidence of their monstrosity when he comes back. It'd be strange for Joseph to see the girls out of their right minds. So many unknowns to their little 'girl's day'. But the unknowns are what made it even more thrilling. The smell of strong alcohol reached Thalia's side of the counter, and once Karin took her glass, she did too and dismounted from the stool, getting a bit closer to answer her about her little call for action.


"I love evil," she snickered deviously, waving the drink in front of her and tapping it with Karin's. Looks like both girls were submitting to the idea of this sort of juvenile fun. "Well, looks like we're living our hopes and dreams earlier than we thought, right? Two days ago, it was all talk. Now, we're in someone else's house, mixing their shit together, talking dirty, and hanging loose?" Without further ado, with the strong smell of the concoction reaching her nose, Thalia took a sip, squinting right after as a result of the strength, but laughing too. "God, fuck, I don't think Ra's has ever given me anything like THAT before. But it sure feels better than half the other stuff he's shoved down my throat...." In that moment, she realized she made the same dirty joke about deep-throating. Exploding in laughter again, she placed the drink on the counter and propped herself up onto the island counter to sit on top of it. "Ahhh, I'll drink to that...... And you fucking get up here, too, you naughty girl. Or I'll pull you up." The look in her eyes was alluring, tempting, and even more so with the drink in her hands and taking another gul. At this point, whatever happens next would be purely wild, whether it's consciously doing so like now, or when the drink takes its effect on her mind.


"So tell me, Miss Held," she spoke on, putting a bit of emphasis on calling Karin by her last name for pure jokes. "James showed you around the house, a grand tour, so to say. Besides a pool bar and a shitton of bedrooms, what else can we see? Or trash?"


Things were about to get crazy with every drink the girls took. If that elderly butler were to see them, he might just be afraid. Or like it. All depends. If James comes back, well... hey, he'd like seeing Karin drunk.


--


St. Agatha's Church | Philadelphia, PA | 1:54 PM Local Time


A church that Reverend Jacob Griffin built on his own. How did such a humble man of God gather this sort of money? He did, indeed, have a large lump sum of inheritance under his belt after his father passed away. That, partnered with the donations of many generous people from his time in Paris, where he met the love of his life, Nicole, were all enough to fund his religious journey in America, but not before he got married. As a follower of the Eastern Catholic church, he was allowed to be married and then become ordained. An anomaly he took advantage of, and a strange relationship between him and his children. Thalia experienced that, and Charlie is going through having a Jesus freak father every day of his life. It's why Thalia wouldn't blame her little brother for following in her footsteps. Their father was rather... extreme in his beliefs. But as Al-Asheera preach, you can't forget where you came from. Hence Thalia's cross tattoo. Her father would find it blasphemous, but she didn't care too much. Rather, the prodigal daughter just wanted to see her family again. Say that all is forgiven. It's all she's ever wanted.


With the church being his own in a quieter part of Philly, Jacob lead three services a day at the place of gathering on normal days. One of them was an afternoon session... right now. He had plenty to say today during his homily, which he held very close to him since it was his opportunity to connect with his listeners. Little did he know that this would be his last service entirely, under the rulings of Al-Ra's.


It soon came time for his usual speech, and he had plans for exactly what to say:


"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, speaking at his usual loud and clear voice into the podium microphone. "I... figured today, we'd deviate from the traditional homily, and instead talk about a... developing, more personal event that has come up, quite literally an hour or so ago." He took a deep breath through his nos before getting into his announcement. It surely was important for him to cancel his usual homily for it. "As most of you know, I am a married man under the allowance of the Eastern Catholic church, and I do, indeed, have a daughter. My precious little girl, Thalia, who disappeared eight years ago, and who we are still actively searching for. We've put so much effort into finding her, and the efforts of you, my brothers and sisters, I cannot be more grateful for. Today, little Thalia isn't so little anymore. She's 21 to this day, and I have had my faith in the fact that this cruel world hasn't destroyed her. As fragile and vulnerable as she was as a child, I bet that she was a fighter. A survivor. And all this time, when people would tell me that all hope is lost.... I'd tell them all no. No, it's not. That my little girl is still out there somewhere, and that I wasn't going to rest until I knew for certain what happened to her. Where she went, what she did... and most importantly, I've always wanted to know why. Was she kidnapped? Or did she leaving willingly? Because if it was the latter...." He shook his head, a bit disappointed. Something deep down told him that the latter was correct. And it was, truly. "All I would want to do is apologize. I wouldn't ask her what I did wrong. If I could just see her one more time and talk to her, I would forgive her. And I'm sure her heart would reach out and forgive me, too. There was obvious something between us that I couldn't see coming or understand, and it drove us apart. Now, whenever my little boy, Charlie... whenever he asks about his big sister in the pictures on the walls, the loving memory picture in my home.... All I can tell him is that she left home a long time ago, and we have been trying so hard to find her..."


"But at long last, my brothers and sisters, our efforts have finally paid off. It wasn't all for nothing. I received a call from a woman in California... A woman who claims she's found Thalia. We... Hah... We finally have something to go on after all of this time. She claims that the girl in question is alive, in good health, and matches many of the prominent qualities that Thalia would carry. Red hair, green eyes, similar facial features, a corresponding age, and fluent in English and French. Sure, this could be just about any other French American girl out there, but there's something deep down telling me... God telling me, that this is a sign. That He's shown me the way to find my daughter. We finally have a lead, my family. And it's waiting for me in Los Angeles. Tonight, my wife, Nicole, and my son, Charlie, are going to take the next flight to the Golden State to find the woman that gave me a call to put me in touch with this girl... Even if this is for nothing, and this redheaded, French-speaking young woman has nothing to do with Thalia.... I will have tried. I might have been called insane to have this much hope in finding my daughter, but now? It's not so crazy any longer. Thalia might be closer than I ever thought. Until I get back, I will be on a temporary hiatus, and Reverend Tobias will take my place in the daily services until I return... and hopefully with good tidings." Never had Jacob been this happy in a while. For once, things felt complete in his heart. He might've just found his precious daughter once again, and his heart might be able to rest in peace knowing she was okay this whole time. But his same heart extended further to his congregation. "My friends and family... I couldn't have done this without you. Without your contributions, your words of wisdom.... it's all been inspiring. Unifying. Empowering. And that is what has gotten me through this past while. And I owe a very big thank you to every single one of--"


The homily might as well have ended then and there as the back wooden doors of the church blasted open with a burly man, dressed as if he were a biker, with the sideburns/stache getup, a bandanna over his head, sunglasses, a cigarette in his mouth, chains sagging from his pants, spiked bracelets on his wrists, and a typical leather biker's vest to top off the look. He was a perfect fit for any biker gang. Except he wasn't. He was Al-Asheera, evident in the right handed tattoo he bore. But nobody would have time to see that as he held a pair of MP7's in each hand and showered a slew of bullets into the men and women in the church seats. Men, women, seniors, and children, all dropping either from fear or with a bullet in them. Being the farthest from the chaos, Reverend Jacob ducked behind what he could assume was the safety of the podium. But that didn't shield him from the painful, blood-chilling screams of fear and pain from his congregation. One brute wiping everyone out. But why? A scary moment straight out of any horror film. And everyone was on the chopping block with death at their doorsteps.


How could he stand for this? How could the leader of this church just crouch behind the podium and listen to the shrieks of pain and fear? Each scream was like another deep cut into his heart, each worse than the last. No, not anymore. Thalia was valiant enough to survive all of these years alone, and he could feel it as a father's intuition. And after moments of cowering in fear, Jacob stood from behind the podium and boldly stood in front of the gunman, letting some inner bravery kick in. The sight of half of the congregation murdered before eyes made the pastor's legs shake, but he kept himself exposed, and the goon raised his sights at the man of the collar. "Why do you do this, my child?" he asked in a fearful manner, but curious, hoping the criminal would give him an answer. Would he fear God?


As any other Al-Asheera member would reply, he smirked and told him, "Fuck yourself, dress boy."


Not bothered by the rude comment, he elevated his hands in a form of surrender, and continued talking, "Why do you hurt innocent people?" In that moment, Jacob noticed the tattoo etched on the man's right hand that slowly lifted to point the submachine gun to his face. That tattoo was practically a trademark to Philly. How could he mistaken it? "So you're one of those Al-Asheera people... Have you no shame for your actions? Killing innocent people like this? Do you not fear God? Fear judgment?"


"Huh..." he spat out his cigarette to the carpet beneath him. "Ra's is my god. And so you know... Your daughter brought this upon you... 'Reverend Jacob'."


"W-What?" Where did Thalia come from in all of this? He couldn't even imagine his innocent little girl involved in Al-Asheera. How could she be? How could they take her in at 13?


"Thalia... This is because she's bothered Al-Asheera and disrupted the natural order of things for far too long.... and I hope that while you're in heaven, she burns in hell."


"Y-You have no right to speak--"


In that moment, before Jacob could say or think anything further, he found himself a bullet between his eyes and collapsing to the steps to the altar beneath, followed by a shower of unnecessary bullets from the gunman into his cheest. The survivors from the shooting screamed in fear that they'd be next, but also in shock at seeing their divine leader shot in the head so heartlessly, his eyes frozen to the ceiling and his body motionless on the fancy carpet beneath. But the biker man was finished. His job was done. The rest of the congregation would be spared. Slipping a thin piece of cardboard from his pocket to leave on the pastor's body, he announced to the remainder of the people, "You tell whoever shows up... that the murder of Reverend Jacob Griffin was Al-Asheera's parting shot in Philadelphia.... and that we have moved on to Los Angeles." And that was the grand slam for the brute as he marched out the door undeterred. Odds are, people would start calling 911 with him leaving, but he'd be long gone by then. The sight of the church, infested with bullets and dead bodies, was certainly a scene straight out of a horror show. Worse... Thalia lost her father, without even getting a chance to reconcile or make amends, to tell him how much she missed him and loved him besides their differences0. No, she was in LA now, and her father was gone, and told that his death was her fault. In full view of witnesses who would tell Philly PD exactly that.... Poor man at the center of the hallway, though. He didn't deserve this; nobody here did. But to Ra's, it was all 'necessary'. Now, all that remained was Jacob Griffin's bloodied and bullet-filled husk with a cardboard left behind by the brute on his chest... similar to the one that Tony and Frank got in the mail yesterday, but written in Arabic as follows:


...انتصرنا


العشيرة~


[We have won..]


[~Al-Asheera]


And it wouldn't be long until this makes the headline news.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Once Joseph had returned to his seat, he and James were soon brought the food they ordered. Joseph had the sweet chili chicken noodles, and with that came chopsticks. James ordered ramen, which obviously also came with chopsticks, but a ramen spoon, too. Over the course of time that they were eating, they spoke about a lot of stuff - well, it was mainly James asking questions about Joseph. The things he was interested in, things about school, friends, what sort of hobbies and talents he had. A bright young boy was how James saw him, quite simply, and even though James had never usually been one for sitting and having lunch with a kid, he liked it more than the usual stuff he did. Crashing the power grid got lonely eventually - this was almost a new lease of life. 


"Now I get to ask you something." Joseph smiled - James had to teach him to use chopsticks here, but, it didn't take long. He was getting through his food with ease.


"Fire away."


"Have you... Always lived in California?" He asked.


"Nope." He shook his head, immediately. "Was born in Nevada, and straight after that I spent the first three years of my life in Texas. We moved again to Idaho for a year, then my brother was born, and we moved to Utah. We stayed there for the rest of my childhood, basically. It only changed when I went to college, in San Diego. Once I graduated, I never looked back." He shrugged. "So, I've lived in California for the best part of five years." He smiled. "No, more than that." He shook his head, "Sorry. It'd be eight years if you include my college days." He smiled. "What about you?"


"Well, I was born in California, I went to school in California for the first ten years of my life, and here I am." He grinned.


"You, are too humorous for your own good." James pointed at him for a second, then laughed. "Well, Joey, there's loads of time for you to see the world, so don't you worry." He said. "That's another thing, how come nobody calls you Joey?"


He shrugged, "I don't know. My dad used to call me that, though."


"Oh... Sorry."


"It's alright." He laughed a little, "Yeah, no one calls me Joey anymore. I guess it only suited me when I was younger."


"Maybe."


Joseph was silent for a minute as he ate some more of his food. "Hey, James? What are your mom and dad like?"


"My mom and dad? Jeeze..." He thought for a moment and placed the chopsticks down to rest in the bowl he had. "I mean, at first, when I was younger..." He sighed, "They were really great. Loving, supportive, motivational - everything you'd want to see in parents, really." He said, "They pushed me to do my best, and that was that. I couldn't complain, because... It was what I wanted. Space, independence, the ability to do what I pleased, within limits, of course." He explained. "Things were great until I got older, they basically kicked me out when I went to college. Sure, I went home for Christmas and summers and all that, but..." He shook his head. "Once I graduated they basically said they didn't want me to come back home. We had a bit of drama between us all, and, my younger brother took their side, and I was dust in the wind. It's why I never looked back, y'know? They started off as a good mom and dad, but, eventually... Not so much." He said.


"I'm sorry, I didn't know things were... Like that."


"It's fine, don't worry." He winked. "I'm not suffering for it. I'm successful, and they could have had some of that success, but, they chose to not give me a second chance. Their loss, if you ask me." He said.


"Yeah." Joseph nodded a couple of times. "Don't you ever miss your brother?"


"I suppose out of all of them, yeah." He said. "His name's Michael, and when we were kids we did the whole talk of how one day it'd just be me and him against the world." He let out a single laugh, "Y'know, 'one day we'll leave mom and dad behind and travel the world', all of that." He explained. "I don't blame him for taking my mom and dad's side. We didn't get on well all the time when I got older, and, honestly..." He shook his head, "My parents probably manipulated him and lied to him to make him dislike me in one way or another. I'd like to make ammends one day."


"Why don't you?" He asked, "Why not, like, just call him tonight, or something?"


"Heh." He nodded, "I would, Joe, I would. If I had his phone number. I haven't spoken to any of them for years. It'd certainly be strange, but, we'll see." 


Joseph smiled at him, "I'm sure after so long he'd be happy to hear from you, wouldn't he?" He asked.


"I hope so, pal." He said, then took a deep breath before sipping his drink. "I hope so." 


--


"If he offers me the chance to move in with him, of course I'm going to say yes." She laughed. "I wouldn't pass that up for the life of me, and then we can party all night on the weekends if we wanted to. I guess it sort of depends how things unfold, right? Before you know it, Frank will be asking you to marry him, and that'll be the end of seeing you go absolutely crazy. Unless he likes to go wild, too. I guess we'll have to wait and see." She laughed. 


Having the place to themselves now and again sounded great. Even if they weren't drinking, having the day to chill around the pool and everything was certainly an idea Karin would have liked to pursue. She knew she couldn't just throw James out of his own house when it came to it, but, whenever he took Joseph out (which she hoped he'd keep on doing - it must have been doing Joseph a world of good) she knew they could just go wild. Her goal wasn't to trash the place, though - trashing it was a bit too far. It didn't seem fair to almost... take advantage of James like that. As much money and shit that he probably had, her moral high ground wasn't just going to allow her to lay waste to the place while he wasn't there. 


"Naughty is good, but, you see, Thalia - I'm both naughty and nice, bad and good, kind and evil. Sometimes it's good to be like that, isn't it?" She grinned, deviously, as she took a big gulp of the drink she'd made. God, it was strong, and it was probably going to make her feel absolutely dreadful when it came to it. She was one to live and let die, though, one to go with the party and drink til she dropped. Whether or not she was going to do that today was dependent on how crazy they were both willing to get. Right now, all bets were off, it seemed. They wanted to go wild and drink until they couldn't even remember their first names. Karin was more or less cool with that idea. As long as they contained themselves enough to not piss James off, then, that was the main thing. The last thing Karin wanted was James to come home and go batshit crazy at them.


Karin hopped up on the counter with her, of course, and sat there sipping her drink. She was having a good time already.


Now came the deal of potentially exploring some more of the place. Karin had a few places she wanted to see more of, but there was one ground rule.


"We're not gonna' trash anything." She shook her head. "We can definitely poke around and see if there's anything interesting to see, but, I don't want James to get pissed at us. He'll probably find some reason to not trust us if we wrecked rooms in his house while he's not here. Which makes sense, really." She laughed. "There's a pretty snazzy room upstairs, though. Two, in fact. There's the master bedroom I stayed in with him last night, and then there's some big room with nothing but computers lining one wall, and filing cabinets and all that other juicy stuff. I don't think it hurts anyone if we just go... Have a look around, right?" She grinned.

 

[KasperXIII]

Thalia knew she had to grow up at some stage of her life, but her philosophy at her age lied elsewhere: she was young, deprived of most of the luxuries a teenager would've had, so now she was making up for it. Her first step? Getting wasted with a friend in her boyfriend's house. Perhaps the mere mention of trashing the place was a bit too extreme. She was care-free, but not that reckless. But if the girls snooped around without breaking or losing anything, it would certainly be fun. Besides, there were other ways of having fun without sabotaging the place. Raiding the kitchen. Pushing one or the other into the pool. Consuming a chunk of his alcohol stash. The possibilities were endless while within reason. "Who ever said I'd be less wild?" she smirked, elbowing her friend before flipping her hair from her face. "I'll tell you, the look on Frank's face last night? He likes it wild. I mean, once crazy, always crazy. And don't tell me you aren't gonna miss all of our adventures." It wasn't like this was the only thing they'd be up to. She took another sip of her drink, then continued, "Besides this... smashing a laptop in your backyard? Come on, that was a blast. And that won't be the end of it. I promise you that."


Quite a promise, one to create some vibe of adventure, insanity, and spontaneity in Karin's life. How could she pass it off? When she turned 18, she had to become the substitute mother for Joseph. Now that James held a position in his life, maybe Karin could relax a bit without the overwhelming pressure on herself alone. No human can hold that weight alone. Thalia was even willing to help whenever and wherever she could. Though she had no experience with a child, there was one field she could help Karin with: letting loose. And that's exactly what they'd do, and creating some strange mixture of drinks she's never heard of before was just the beginning. 


A mix of both sides of the spectrum, good and evil, naughty and nice... she could understand that, grinning at the idea, then giving her own input, her drink in one hand, her other one reaching for the collar of Karin's shirt, tugging at it slightly, her head leaning up to her friend's ear. "I can dig that...." she snickered, her head tilting forward slightly, her voice almost seductive, "But when you're going to be naughty, I'll double that. Because two naughty girls is SO much better than one." Perhaps that was said from experience more than just a figure of speech. And maybe Karin interpreted it that way, especially with the advance towards her like that. A bit creepy, sure, but it's not like they were doing anything too serious. Rather than conclude with something too intimate or mindlessly flirtatious like a kiss or a bite, she instead blew at Karin's hair and poked her cheek to push her slightly away and get her attention. Once they met eyes again, she laughed, taking another drink from her glass. This shit was strong, maybe too strong for her, but it's not like she cared all that much. And once her glass was empty, she'd surely grab something else from the cabinet. It was way too tempting for the redhead to just go nuts, even if it might just kill her. "What're you looking at?" she shyly asked, squinting her eyes, but still grinning, clearly asking it out of sarcasm when Karin reacted to her poke. Shortly after the seemingly suspicious comment, she laughed again, bowing her head down to the drink in her hands at lap level.


"Well, maybe I was exaggerating about 'trash the place'," Thalia admitted, "I'm not gonna burn it down or something, or break anything or touch something I shouldn't. I mean a little something more like... well, drinking his fancy drinks, or messing up a few beds, going for a swim.... maybe if Frank were here, I'd fuck him on the dining room table... Come on, his place is HUGE, there's a lot to explore. And clearly he's given you the grand tour." Obviously. What else was he doing while she was stuck in a car with Tony interrogating her about her relationship choices. At this rate, and her hazed state, she didn't mind if Tony saw her in a full on foursome with Karin, Frank, and James. She just hoped he'd enjoy the show. That's how little she cared at this point. But she kept drinking away whatever cares were left. Because in her mind, work was washed away in the idea of fun. Good, sort of clean fun.


"Damn, I knew it!" she called out, pointing to Karin before hiccuping. Shit... do I really get drunk THAT fast? Really only Ra's could answer that for her, but she didn't want to think of him either. "I knew your highlight would be the room you had sex in! Or... one of them. I have no clue how wild you two got last night..." Her body slightly leaned to Karin's shoulder, staring at the ceiling aimlessly. "But I intend to accidentally hear all the juicy details as you show me around... Huhhhh." Her sigh came out rather blissfully, then gripped Karin's hand in her free one, fingers interlocked, and told her, "Take me to that room, bestie. I'm dying to see what secrets little ol' James has lying around."


--


"Mawlaye..."


The servant who'd been brutally assaulted by Ra's returned to his master, now patched up from the few glass shards lodged into his abdomen. The kingpin certainly had an unreasonable way of asserting himself, especially when in a state of fury. To say Ra's was mad would be a massive understatement. His right hand man and best friend had vanished less than a day after he proposed to Al-Jameela. Something was very wrong in his eyes. And he intended to get to the bottom of it, even if it meant making Thalia's life hell and erasing any chance she had of achieving her dreams. He hadn't even moved from the comfort of his drinking spot since he blew up at Roland's disappearance at first. Sure, Ra's was jumping to conclusions by assuming it was Thalia. But this assumption was more accurate than he planned. He only figured that by killing her father, she'd come home. But this broke a solemn code in Al-Asheera: past families are untouchable. He violated his own rule, which, in his opinion at least, was A-OK. So he remained in his seat as if nothing had happened, sipping on his assortment of liquors with three different cups before him. Mixing it up, cleaerly. "Is it done?" he asked in the form of a snarl.


"Y-Yes, Mawlaye. It will be on the news shortly."


"Perfect. What are the odds that Al-Jameela will see this gruesome report?"


"Very likely, Mawlaye..." the servant was clearly afraid of saying something wrong, especially in his next words, "But... how can you be certain that this was Al-Jameela's doing and not the LAPD--"


"BECAUSE I KNOW, YOU IDIOT!" he growled, slamming his large hands against the table, nearly making it cave under, and turned his head in the wounded servant's direction. He was barely able to stand up straight, his hands over his abdomen, gripping his wounds in pain, and shivering from the raised voice of his master. "So Jacob Griffin is dead, correct? And it is clear that Al-Asheera murdered him?"


"Y-Yes, Mawlaye."


"Good... now we wait for Al-Jameela to contact us... Leave my presence.


And the servant did exactly that, and the older Arabian man continued to gaze down his set of drinks. Which next? Did it even matter? His bride-to-be might've betrayed him. He felt.... heartbroken. Double-crossed. He needed to hear from Thalia again to assess her. But what if Roland's demise wasn't on her? Then he would've ordered the death of her father for no reason.


But only what is necessary for Ra's. And Reverend Jacob was a necessity.


--


Local News Network (any really) At 11 AM


The regular program on the news, TV and radio, was cut short with a live breaking news development:


"We interrupt your broadcast with a rather pressing story. Ever since the announcement of the withdrawal of infamous street gang Al-Asheera from Philadelphia and their residing in their newfound home, Los Angeles, things have been relatively quiet in their hometown. But now, they seem to have taken new measures and are still in Philly doing what they do best: spreading terror. A mass shooting has been reported at St. Agatha's church, a location of prayer built by Reverend Jacob Griffin and established in 1995. Not only that, but apparently, an alleged member of Al-Asheera has claimed responsibility for the attack, murdering dozens of innocent people in the podiums, including the founding father of the location, Jacob Griffin. On-scene witness have already spoken up, saying that Griffin was the target. Nobody knows if the faithful pastor has any connections to the criminal organization to be murdered in such a savage way in a place of God, but Philly PD is hard at work on the case, the only evidence there being are the weapon's shell casings, and a note left on the pastor's dead body saying, 'We have won'. Philly PD have claimed that an assassination like this is a strange act outside the usual MO of Al-Asheera, but the evidence says it all. Whether this is a copycat or the real deal has yet to be confirmed.


"Jacob Griffin, a married Eastern Catholic pastor, is a long-time and beloved citizen of Philadelphia, and especially had extensive media attention and recognition by the country after the disappearance of his daughter, Thalia Griffin, in 2008, followed by a slew of documentaries and fundraising programs to find his longlost daughter. Unfortunately, Reverend Jacob will never know the fate of his daughter after eight long years of being missing, whether she lived or died her ordeal after running away from home, or kidnapped, because even that is still a mystery to this day. If anyone has information matching up to the location or potential whereabouts of Thalia Griffin can call Jacob's wife, Nicole, on the toll-free number below on the screen. You will now see the last known picture of her from before her disappearance. The captain of Philly PD has released a statement about the case, saying that the best way to get justice for Reverend Jacob's death is to find out what happened to his daughter. Surviving witnesses from the shooting claimed that Reverend Jacob had a lead on Thalia, claiming he'd received a call that she's in Los Angeles. It is yet to be confirmed, but certainly worth the mention in Jacob's memory. If anyone in the state of California encounters a girl who matches the attributes of the daughter, they are to take her in and call the number on your screen.


"Al-Asheera, translating to 'The Clan' in English, are a Middle Eastern-originated street gang that were once situated in Philadelphia specializing in serial robbery, but have also functioned as murderers when the time calls for it. They are known to be armed and dangerous, as well as savage and heartless. They are most notably detected by their hand tattoo of an Oriental dragon on their right hands. If you do ever encounter a member from Al-Asheera, do not approach them. The police advise you to call 911 and wait for emergency dispatchers to arrive on-scene..."