Realistic or Modern Gangs of Birmingham - IC Thread [Open]

[Misty Gray]

Gangs of Birmingham: A Fight for Power
IC Start Date: Friday 17th October 1975

IC Thread



:: CS Thread :: OOC ::
*******

Chapter Index

Chapter 1: The Families​

Current Active Cast: Misty Gray neverbackdown BasDorcha Bellz BeyondDandy purplecowdutch ReverseTex

 

[Misty Gray]

-- Prelude --

Smith's Butchers Shop
- Birmingham, England -
Thursday 16th October 1975

Tony Fletcher and Robert Walker​

Tony held the large silver meat cleaver up close to his eyes, inspecting the blade close enough to catch the hazy reflection of his eyes. With a small smile, he moved the butchery utensil away and hooked it up on the backboard along with the other hanging tools. "Spot on, Niall. Everything you clean should be to that standard, then you and I won't have any trouble," he told the younger man. Niall was in his early twenties, tall and slender, and though he was new to the job he seemed to be picking it up quickly. Usually, it would be one of the more experienced employees running the shop and training the new recruit, but once in a while Tony liked to step away from his bigger business ventures and spend a little time in the butchers shop; the first place he'd officially worked after leaving school.

Hearing the bell sound when shop entrance door was opened, Tony led Niall out of the back preparation room to the front front counter. Although he was caught off-guard by the presence of the two suited men, he didn't let it show on his face. Instead, something of a smirk naturally formed on Tony's lips as he looked straight at Robert Walker and the bodyguard at the man's side. "Niall. Go out and get some air. Call it a bonus break," Tony said, patting Niall on the back to subtly nudging him forward. Tony watched as Niall walked towards the door, the young man passing Robert and the bodyguard on his way out. The heavy set bodyguard closed the door behind Niall and switched the sign around to read 'Closed' to any customers who might approach.

"There's still another hour to go until closing time. It says right there on the door," Tony remarked as he pointed to the opening times sign. The sarcasm was ignored by Robert as the older man approached and stopped at the opposite side of the counter from Tony, the wooden structure providing a barrier between the two men.

Robert was fully aware of the time of day and it was an intentional move to enter the business in broad daylight, with witnesses around. That way, neither man needed any cause for concern that the other would make a drastic move on them. "This right here, Tony," Robert began, holding out his arms to gesture the humble butchers shop they were standing in. "This is exactly where you belong. This, the pub, the garage... Those are impressive achievements for a man of your status and you should quit whilst your ahead - accept this is your limit. You can now focus on your marriage, maybe even settle down and have kids."

Tony leaned forward, resting his hands down on the counter as he looked Robert in the eyes. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he asked, something of a taunting tone to his voice. He shook his head before standing tall again. "If you're here to trade life advice, then my advice to you is that you should retire. You're too old for this game now. Too behind the times to keep up with what makes this city tick. But you're not going to listen to my suggestion, just as much as I'm not going to listen to yours." Folding his arms, Tony let out a sigh. "Come on, then. Why are you really here? If it's about the lads causing havoc outside that pretentious meeting you had going on on Monday, I've already spoken with them. Gave them a thick ear and everything," he commented. Turning his tone more serious as he sensed Robert's patience wearing thing, he continued on. "I have told them to stay away from that part of town and hang about elsewhere."

"That was part of it, yes. If those men are seen around there again, there will be repercussions," Robert told him. Letting out a sigh, he shook his head and spoke levelly to Tony. "I'm here to request a service of you. One which might make me overlook one or two misdemeanours of yours. We've already established Charles' death cannot be tied back to you personally, but I still have no leads on who killed him. I have contacts, in high and low places, but you can reach the lowest of low."

"Gee, thanks," Tony remarked. "Listen. I ain't no rat, so I'm not going to do shit. Let's not sugar-coat this. Charles had a habit of pissing people off, so the places to look is endless. Maybe you should be looking closer to home."

Robert took a step forward, closing the distance between himself and Tony. "This doesn't involve the police," he assured the younger man, but in Tony's eyes Robert was barely any different. "You will make the effort to find the information I have requested and I will know if you haven't tried. Don't forget who holds all the power here. I allow you to conduct your business in this city and you show little gratitude for that. Do as I have instructed and keep your lot in line, otherwise you'll be the next man to be attending a funeral. Are we clear?"

Holding his tongue and knowing he'd already exceeded the older man's tolerance levels, Tony nodded his head. "Like I said... anyone could be involved in your son's death and I already assured you it was none of my guys. I'll see what I can find out, but it might not be the "low" places where you should be looking,"

"Just try," Robert firmly concluded.

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 1 - The Families
- Friday 17th October 1975 -
Evening - Dry, Cool, Clear Night Sky

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

The Red Lion Pub
- Aston, Birmingham, England -

Tony Fletcher​

It was Friday evening and Tony was ready to spend it in the pub getting drunk. However, on this occasion he found himself skipping the pre-drinks at home as he'd not only just got home from being out all day on business, but he needed to have a sober mind at least for the first hour in the pub. He'd told Sammy, Penny and Rory to be there. No excuses!

An exchange he'd had with Robert the day before had put Tony in something of a sour mood, but he'd easily masked it beneath his usual calm and confident self. He didn't give a damn who had killed Charles and other than wanting to give those responsible a medal, he was starting to wish he had done it himself, at least then having to listen to Robert drone on would make it all worthwhile. Regardless, Tony knew he hadn't been left much choice. Right now, he needed to play along as much as he could so the actions against the Walkers he was actually committing could continue to slip under the radar.

Dressed and ready to go, Tony waited in the living room until Julia had finished getting herself dressed up. When she joined him downstairs, Tony stood up and approached her. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he leaned in to kiss her lips. No matter what shoes she was wearing, he still had a good height advantage over her. "Alright, hot stuff. Let's get our sexy arses to the pub. There's a few pints there with my name on," he said, playfully grinning.

The walk from their house to the pub was only a short one, so it didn't take them long at all to get there. "Evening, wasters!" Tony playfully greeted a familiar group of drinkers who were standing at the bar. Ever since the group of men in question had been called wasters by Charles Walker, Tony hadn't let it go, instead teasing them at every opportunity. One of the group called Tony a "wanker" in return, prompting the man to laugh along before leading Julia into the private function room where his family would be getting together that evening. "What are you drinking, love? Wine?" he asked his wife.

After returning out to the bar to get Julia's drink of choice and a pint of beer for himself, he returned to the private area. After setting the drinks down on the table, he took his seat in the chair beside Julia. "They'd better not take too long," he spoke of his siblings. "The sooner business is out of the way, the sooner we can all have a fun night!"


-----
Get to the pub! neverbackdown (Julia, Rory) BasDorcha (Penny) Bellz (Sammy)
TBD: BeyondDandy (Sully)

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Felicity Walker and Beth Henderson​

Today would have bee Charles' 36th birthday. Robert had told the family they were getting together that evening for a catch-up over dinner. Although her father hadn't mentioned Charles, Felicity was certain her deceased eldest brother's birthday was the reason for everyone to be summoned for dinner together.

Robert had told everyone to be at the restaurant at 7.30pm, so Felicity made sure to be there earlier than that. As well as making sure members of their security were in place, she wanted to make sure the reservation and everything else ran smoothly. The round table by the window was reserved for the family, with the smaller tables surrounding it to be kept empty, except one for their security employees to use. Despite Robert trusting the restaurant staff would know how to set up the table, Felicity had much less faith. As she walked around the table checking the placemats and silverware, she was conscious of the restaurant owner watching from nearby. So when she'd finally finished checking things over, she approached Beth with a forced smile planted on her face.

"All looks good. Just remind the waiter to bring out fresh water once we're all seated," she told Beth.

"My staff know how to do their job, so you don't need to worry about that," Beth assured her, deciding not to take the other woman's words personally. "I'll be around until close tonight, so if you do need me at all, you'll be able to find me."

As she waited for her family to arrive, Felicity moved to the bar and ordered herself a glass of wine. Soon enough, she noticed the first of her siblings arrive and turned to greet them with a genuine smile. "Let's see how many of us can arrive before Mum and Dad get here," she remarked, a competitive edge to her voice. She was interrupted as the barman handed her the drink. She held the glass in her hand with an air of elegance before looking back to her sibling. "Even if Dad doesn't say it, let's face it. This dinner has been arranged because it would have been Charles' birthday. Let's try not to ruffle too many feathers tonight," she suggested.

Whilst Felicity was close to her eldest brother and had moments where the grief still caught up with her, she didn't believe the family could afford to become distracted by dwelling on it. If it was that her parents were stuck in their grief alone, Felicity could handle that. The problem was the obsession with finding out who had killed Charles. She would like to know too, but if it meant they were all focused on that and not on the business, then it opened them up for the likes of the scummy Fletchers to take advantage. Charles had many enemies and she wasn't sure they'd ever learn the truth. Somehow, she needed to get her thoughts out in the open without angering their parents.


-----
OOC: Whoever wants to go first can be the sibling Felicity is addressing...
Jump on on in! BasDorcha (Alfie) ingydars (Ezra) Bellz (Diana)
Pending completed/approved CS: purplecowdutch (Jackie)

Around the City
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Marco Alessi​

Along with April and Angela, Marco had been out on surveillance for three hours already. It had started out still daylight but by now the sky was dark and the streetlights were keeping the city's streets illuminated. One of the main reasons they'd been asked to be out on duty tonight was to keep an eye out for two men who had stolen from the Fletchers a week ago. A delivery of cocaine had been intercepted before reaching Marco and his two colleagues he was on duty with that night. Marco had caught clear sight of one of the men, but upon noticing they were armed, he couldn't confront them Now, he felt obliged to at least track down the culprit, even if he couldn't get the drugs back. Granted, Tony had told him to go out and find who was responsible, but Marco was certain he'd have been on the lookout regardless of whether his boss commanded him to be.

After spending so much time on their feet, Marco opted for him and his two female colleagues to take a break. Stopping at the fish and chip shop, Marco ordered himself a bag of chips [fries] and whatever the ladies wanted. They then sat out on the nearby bench as they ate. "Y'know, if we find this guy, I reckon between the three of us, we could sneak into his place and clean him out and he wouldn't have a clue how we even managed to break in," he said of their combined skills. Stopping to chew and swallow some chips, he then continued on. "So what is it that makes you both want to work for Tony? Never fancied being on snotty Walker's payroll?" he asked, smirking to show he was mostly joking.

Just as he ate his last chip, Marco noticed the two men getting out of a black car across the street. Standing to his feet, he absent-mindedly tossed his rubbish into the dustbin as he focused. The men were casually dressed, but seemed to carry a self-importance about them. Marco immediately recognised the stocky, bearded man as the one who had intercepted the drugs last week. He didn't recognise the lanky man beside him, but he didn't need to. One of them was enough. "That's him!" Marco discreetly informed April and Angela. "We need to figure out who they are so we can tell Tony. Not sure if we should confront a big fucker like that though!" Despite his confidence and at times impulsive nature, even Marco knew when he was outmatched.

-----
Cave_Town234 (April) BasDorcha (Angela)

Active Cast: Misty Gray BasDorcha Bellz BeyondDandy Cave_Town234 Coyotito neverbackdown

 

[neverbackdown]

Chapter 1 - The Families
- Friday 17th October 1975 -
Evening - Dry, Cool, Clear Night Sky

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

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Julia Fletcher
​

As she sipped her wine, Julia couldn't help but wonder how the night ahead would play out for the family. While they all had fun together when out in each other's company. she knew that a serious conversation was to be had after Tony's encounter with Robert the previous day and she just wasn't sure how that would go down. Her main concern was Rory off course, the fiery sparkplug that would with no doubt have a lot to say on the matter and Julia just hoped that an argument wouldn't come out of it all.

Finishing the wine in the glass, Julia sat forward towards her vanity mirror and applied her signature red lipstick before sitting back to admire her makeup, a smile gracing her lips as she took in her work. She placed her lipstick back into her handbag before standing up and making her way down to meet her husband.

A grin played on her lips as she caught sight of Tony, her arms wrapping around his waist as her lips met his. "Sexy is right" she teased, a playful tone to her voice as she stepped back to allow her eyes to trail over her husband before turning to grab her jacket from the hall, purposely adding a little more sway to her hips than natural as she walked away from him. Once her jacket was on, Julia hooked her arm with Tony's for the walk, which thankfully wasn't far from their house.

Julia nodded a greeting to the regulars but laughed as they called Tony a "wanker", a smirk playing on her lips clearly amused as they entered the private function room. "Yes white wine please darling" she took of her jacket, placing it on the coatrack at the side of the room before taking a seat at the table as she waited for Tony to return. Being on her own in the room meant that her vigilant side kicked into gear and she found her attention being drawn to the exit's and entrances of the room, her mind only relaxing as she watched Tony walk towards her.

Julia smiled at Tony, lifting her glass to cheer's his before taking a sip of her wine and placing the glass back on the table. "I'm sure they'll be here soon, they're normally on time" she commented, turning to face him with a gentle expression on her face, she opened her mouth to warn him to be patient with them but was cut short as the door opened and a familiar figure walked towards them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Victoria "Rory" Fletcher
​

Rory stood over the sink as she scrubbed her hands, her eyes watching the red water swirl around the sink and down the drain as she erased all evidence of the day. Not that he didn't deserve it but she knew that her siblings didn't always approve of her tendency to "jump the gun" as they say and so sometimes things like this were better left unsaid, a little secret between her and her victims. Most people had more sense than to rat her out, after all who wants to be known as the man that was beaten by a 5'2 girl.

Happy that the blood was off her hands, Rory turned her attention to her face and her eyes immediately caught the blackening bruise on her cheekbone. "Shit" she mumbled to herself as she examined it, her fingers carefully grazing the mark as she prayed it was just a bit of dirt but as the pain shot through her face she groaned and reached for her makeup bag, well makeup it is tonight so.

Once her makeup was finished and Rory was content that her bruise was as hidden as she could manage, she stood up to look at her outfit in the mirror, opting for a simple look of black jeans and a nice top, not that she had much option here anyway. She sighed as she cursed herself for not thinking this far ahead, although she reminded herself that this family meeting was very last minute and she didn't have time to go home, rather she had been staying in the apartment above the pub for the last few days due to the late nights she had been spending working here. Content in how she looked, Rory pulled on her leather jacket and made her way out of the apartment and down into the pub.

Her first rule of business was to check behind the bar and ensure that everything had been going smoothly since her slightly abrupt exit a few hours prior. "So did ya get him missy" Rory looked towards Paul, one of the locals, as he addressed her "Ah now Paul, you know a lady never hits and tells" she teased playfully, smirking as she poured herself a glass of wine. She shook her head slightly, amused as she watched him walk back to his chair chuckling.

"Ok any problems come and get me, I'm just in there" she told the barman as she grabbed her glass before she headed to the function room. Her eyes immediately found her brother and sister-in-law and she smiled as she approached them "Hey" she greeted placing her glass on the table before giving them both a hug. "You look as lovely as always" she said to Julia as she took a seat beside her. Julia complemented her in return and Rory smiled but shook her head "Ah I didn't have many options for clothes with me but look after a few drinks I wont care what I'm wearing" she laughed before she looked at her brother "So what trouble are we in now?"


..................................
Interactions;-
Tony Misty Gray
Julia (moi)

 

[BasDorcha]

The Red Lion Pub

- Birmingham, England -​

Penny Fletcher
Running her hand over the row of hanging shirts, Penny contemplated the next sale she would be having and what would be in it. It was the turn of the seasons, so it was time, and she needed space to bring in the new things she had stored and stocked for the cold months. As the clock on the wall chimed at her, she realized how long she had been lost in thought, thinking about her shop and hurried home to get ready for the evening. The apartment was just a few blocks away, close to her original building and easy to access still with the new move. It didn't take her long to get inside, run a quick brush through her hair and touch up her makeup before changing and running back down stairs. She had a habit if always making an appointment just in the nick of time and tonight would be no different. As she waved down a taxi, she crawled in as the told the driver where to go, asking him to make it quick.

The taxi driver obliged, moving swiftly down the streets until they reached the pub where the rest of her family was supposed to be meeting up at. Paying the driver with a hefty tip, she hurried out and into the building, making sure to wave to the regulars as she went. At the bar, she picked up a whiskey on the rocks and a pack of matches, before hurrying into the room where everyone else was waiting. Grinning as she came through the door, she raised a hand in the air and wiggled her fingers as her other hand held her drink and matches. As she made it over to them, she brought a cigarette out and was lighting it as she slid into a seat. "Evening everyone. It's lovely to see you all, I'm excited to see everyone together tonight. I've got a feeling it's going to be fun." She winked playfully, taking a sip of the alcohol.

Nudging her little sister gently, she teased, "At least, we will wont we Rory?" Settling in, she looked around, realizing that Sammy hadn't arrived yet. Looking confused, she cocked her head at Tony, "I'm usually the last one to arrive anywhere, think everything is okay?"

Misty Gray neverbackdown Bellz

 

[Bellz]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Sammy Fletcher ​

Sammy had been rather busy with work, per usual. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy messing around once in a while but lately, situations didn't necessarily call for having "fun." Normally, Sammy was the punctual one of the group, always arriving on time, early in fact...but in his intense concentration...he'd apparently lost track of time as he glanced up at the clock on his wall. "Oh damn." He muttered under his breath before moving out of his chair. He would only have a few moments to change into something different, walk the dog, and then head on out.

After changing into something much more suitable for the outside world, a little more presentable, Sammy went to walk Astro, his 2-year-old brindle-colored Boxer. Just a quick jaunt around the neighborhood and once he was ready to walk out the door, Astro was giving him the longest face he'd ever seen, "Oh come on now, don't give me that face. I just took you out. I'll be home before you know it, I promise." Astro cocked his head slightly to the side as Sammy spoke to him, before trotting up to him. Sammy knelt down to give his head a pat, "Be good, no tearing up my cushions." He warned. With that, he gave him a final scratch behind the ears before standing and heading out, locking his flat door behind him.

The drive over to the pub didn't take him too long, but it had him sitting in the car in silence for a bit. He would have turned on the radio had he not wanted to think about what it was that Tony wanted them to meet at the pub. The no-excuses thing really had him thinking that something was wrong and if something was wrong well...that was definitely going to be bad for business.

He'd made it to the pub with pretty record time, but he was sure he'd been beaten there easily. So with that in mind, he waltzed in. Catching the end of what Penny was saying, as he approached his siblings, Sammy smirked, "Can't a guy be late once in a while?" His voice had a hint of humor to it before his face fell into a serious expression, "Sorry, time slipped away from me, I also had to walk Astro. But I'm here now, late and all." He moved to greet Rory, Penny, and Julia with a hug before looking to Tony giving him a nod in greeting. "Happy to see us all in one place and in one piece, though I will say I'm a little worried, you're not already drunk, Tony. That's a bit of a red flag for me." Sammy's face was serious though his tone had dipped back to show he was being humorous.
with: Misty Gray neverbackdown BasDorcha

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham, England -

Diana Walker
​

Today was a sober affair disguised as a "catch-up" and Diana was already feeling uncomfortable about it. Charles' name had not been dropped once, but obviously, it was his 36th birthday and the dinner was no coincidence. At least in Di's mind. They were told to be there at the restaurant at 7:30. While Diana was never the punctual type, today was the exception. She actually would be showing up earlier than most. Diana had ditched a lot of her fancier attire years ago but held on to some for this type of stuff.

Typically, she wasn't the one to arrive first for the family parties, or be punctual, listen to directions or anything of the sort but...while she acted selfishly in that regard she understood just how much...perhaps secretly it would mean to her parents to just behave for one night. Tonight of all nights. Maybe it would take the heat off the fact that she would be without a job again in about a week. Or the fact that rent was looking a little scarce? But maybe if she behaved for tonight, all would be well and she could avoid the conflict that she absolutely hated facing at these things. And 99% of the time, something always happened.

But tonight, she would speak it into existence, for herself and for Charles who was just floating around in the universe...maybe? Tonight would be great in honor of him. Diana grieved in her own special way over her brother. While there was a 10-year age gap between them, she liked to think that didn't stop her from being close to him on some level. Thinking that someone out there was vile enough to kill him...hated him enough...

Clearing her throat lightly, Diana had been standing outside the restaurant for far too long with her burning cigarette which she didn't even attempt to smoke in her deep thought. "Wasting time, Di." Is what you do best. Shaking her head, she let the stick fall from her fingers to the ground before she stubbed it out with her heel. Deciding she stalled enough, the woman flipped a strand of red hair behind her shoulder, lifting her chin high before heading inside.

Immediately seeing Felicity, Diana smiled widely as she made her way over to her elder sister. The redhead laughed, "Well if I'm the second one here, I'd say we're all going to arrive before them." The woman watched as the barman behind the counter handed her sister a drink. Diana watched Felicity, whom she secretly always both envied and looked up to for holding such elegance and class in everything she did. How did she do it? Diana would never know. Before she could say anything to further the conversation, Felicity beat her to it. Diana was silent for a moment, watching her. Without answering, she turned to the barman grabbing his attention, and ordered a drink with a charming smile on her face. When he left, Diana turned back to Felicity, "I showed up early, the only feathers I'm ruffling are those cute barmans. And trust me, I knew what this was really about. That's why I'm going to be on my best behavior. Promise."
with: Misty Gray neverbackdown BasDorcha ingydars

 

[Cave_Town234]

Around the City
Birmingham England

April Daly

April was bored out of her mind. She hated being on surveillance. She was fidgeting with her pocket knife the entire three hours. She tried to focus less on the boring buildings around them. She stared around at the people instead, she played a game she made up as a kid in her head. It was just her trying to figure their dirtiest secrets just by looking at them. Affair, another affair, murder. Probably killed his sister’s pet rabbit or something as that was totally avoidable but yet he still did it. She sighed and rested her head in her hands.

She shrugged at Marco’s question. She didn’t exactly have a better way of making money and she tried not to question things she couldn’t control. “I don’t have anyone better to work for, either this or… yeah no just this.” She leaned back and grinned a little to herself.

When she spotted the two men she immediately started to bounce on the heels of her feet. She was ready for a show down and she didn’t quite care if they weren’t the kind to mess with. She pulled out her baseball bat that was covered in nails. She glanced at Marco before running toward the two men. “CONFRONTING THE TWO FUCKERS!”

Misty Gray (Marco) BasDorcha (Angela)

 

[BasDorcha]

Gatsby's Restaurant

- Birmingham, England -​

Alfie Walker

The sound of music was bypassing the walls of his office, and everywhere he looked was at least one or two specks of glitter, a discarded clothing item or a loose piece of jewelry. The girl, Janise, that laid naked on his couch asleep after their very carnal and exertive encounter had left the evidence everywhere. When she had knocked out, he went back to work, sitting at his desk in an unbuttoned shirt, tie hanging loose around his neck, pouring over ledgers and paperwork. Time had begun to slip away when he heard Janise start moving around, bringing him back out of his focus with a lopsided grin. Turning towards her as he reclined back in his office chair, he curled his hand in a "come hither" motion, bringing the girl to his lap where she settled down and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Does this mean you want round to, baby?" She asked coyly. Alfie laughed, patting her hip that his arm was casually draped around. Shaking his head, he handed her the few articles of dressing that were pushed to the edge of his desk and gave her a kiss on the shoulder closest to him. "No, love, sorry but I got plans, I need you to get your wonderful self presentable so I can get ready to go myself. Thanks for reminding me about the time though, I almost forgot to check the clock." She pouted for a moment playfully then laughed and nodded, standing and gathering her discarded things around the office. A few minutes later she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek as she headed for the door back into the club. "Call me. I'd love to do this again some time." Alfie perked a teasing eyebrow at her, underlaid by a slightly confused and questioning look. "Janise, love, you know I don't do back to backs. You'll have your turn again in the future." She rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully as she headed out the door, calling out over her shoulder just before it shut, "You're gonna miss me, Alf, you just don't know it yet."

Alfie laughed a quiet laugh to himself as he began to dress himself for the dinner tonight. Of course he knew it was Charles birthday, it had been the reason he lost himself in the arms of Janise instead of working the entire time. He needed the distraction. He loved his brother and had been silently grieving since he found out the news. He intended to show up right on time and looking at the hands of the clock face, if he got moving right now he'd be there just as it was supposed to start. He threw on one of his spare suits he left handing in the armoire, washed his face in his private bathroom, not concerned about the light stubble he had, and once he felt he looked presentable for public he left his private space and locked up behind him as he went. His office was off limits to anyone but himself unless he specifically asked them in, the manager already had everything he needed to do his job outside of the office in the employee's own half-office, half-lounge space.

Heading across town was a quick jaunt in his beautifully blue '73 Alfa Romeo Spider. As he pulled up and parked at the restaurant, he did one last check on his appearance in the mirror, straightened his tie and quickly hurried inside before he was late. He didn't see his father's driver around, so hopefully he had beat them here. Upon finding his sisters already at the bar, he made his way to them grinning that goofy smile along the way. He was with earshot just enough to hear his sister Diana stating that she was going to be ruffling the feathers of the barman, but promising to be on her best behavior. "Hey Letty, Di. We're doing the best behavior thing tonight? Damn, and here I came all prepared to act an arse and get into trouble with you two." His tone was light and playful, teasing them as he waved down the barman for the third time for their group and placed his order for a glass of whiskey. "Looks like I'll have to change all my plans, I can't be the only one acting up tonight. Say, I don't see Dad and Mum yet, think everything is okay?"

Misty Gray Bellz ingydars

 

[BeyondDandy]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -



SULLY FLETCHER

It had been a nostalgic few days for Sully having come back home to Birmingham after being away for a few years. He’d taken the opportunity that nobody knew he’d return to explore the city and any changes that had happened while he was gone. For the most part, the charm that he was brought up in had lingered on. The old diners ran twenty four seven, the smokers came out ever so often from their balcony to enjoy a puff and the people remained grounded to a fault. However, the conflict between the Fletchers and those above them grew bigger as word spread of Charles Walkers’ death and those possibly involved.

Sully found himself across the Red Lion that night, staring from the end of the street as waves of people crowded inside. He tightened his jacket as a breeze of cold air swept by and reminded him of the lovely city weather. With his arms crossed over his chest, he scurried over and found himself inside after a short wait - awing at the change that had been made to the establishment. The place glowed brighter, a modern touch Sully admired from his time working at a quality restaurant.

He shuffled his feet instinctively, looking down to see the red carpet that once covered the floor had been stripped off and replaced with fancier tile. He remembered his mother scolding him for bringing mud into the bar from his football matches. Sully looked to his left as people brushed passed him towards and began to walk in that direction to find the old jukebox he and his father had installed. After so many years the thing had finally been refurbished. Sully ran his hand down its brim with a grin as he reminisced on the good ol’ days.

Turning around he faced the bar, noticing how lively the place had become. People drank, ate and enjoyed each other’s company - a bigger and better version of what the old watering hole used to be. Sully made his way towards the bar and ordered himself a water - which got him odd looks from the bartender and those around him; but he didn’t care. He scanned the room, looking for anyone familiar. That’s when he noticed his entire family sitting at a private table in reaching distance.

Hidden emotions started to choke him, so he sipped on his water. He felt his chest tighten and body grow heavy with fear. How would they respond? Sully turned back to the tender and asked for two shots, shoving his glass of water to the side. He took them one after the other without a second though.

Bitting his lower lip and shaking off the nerves he started towards the table. Their faces became clearer as he approached and found it wild to see how much all of his family had aged in the last couple of years - especially his sisters. “Room for one more?” He asked the table as he planted his sweaty palms over Sammy’s shoulders and locked onto Tony’s eyes.

Misty Gray
neverbackdown
Bellz ​

 

[Misty Gray]

The Platinum Lounge
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Scott Ashworth​

It was a Friday evening, the second busiest day of the week behind Saturday. As such, the VIP club Scott managed for its owner, Robert Walker, was already bustling with the wealthy and powerful patrons of the business. Scott had been spending time mixing with some of the important guests, making sure to leave a good impression on behalf of the Walkers. However, his conversation with the an attractive female television celebrity had been cut short when other business was brought to his attention.

Scott had spent the last half hour on the telephone in his private office resolving an issue that had arisen between two feuding sex workers who were under his control. "Listen to me, Lenny. You need to get them under control. They either shut up and stay out of each others' hair, or you pick one and throw them to the curb. There's no room for this shit, so fix it. Don't call again unless it's to confirm this shit is sorted."

After abruptly ending his call, Scott looked to the wall clock and became aware it was just about time for his meeting. He'd told Talon to come to the club so he could discuss a business matter with him on Robert's behalf. Deciding to make sure the security guards didn't refuse the man entry to the club or make it difficult, Scott made his way towards the club entrance so he could keep an eye on the expected arrivals.

Scott was stopped close to the entrance as the Mayor and his wife intercepted him. "Gerald and Margaret, it's a pleasure to see you both, as always," he greeted them, giving the man a firm handshake and placing a gentlemanly kiss on the back of Margaret's hand. His tone of voice much more friendly and welcoming than the cold tone he'd moments earlier been addressing Jimmy in. "Your table is reserved and someone should be with you shortly to get you some drinks," he assured them, pointing in the direction of their usual table. Once the two of them walked away, Scott's attention returned to the door as he awaited Talon's arrival.

Coyotito (Talon, V)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Red Lion Pub
- Aston, Birmingham, England -

Tony Fletcher​

Tony sat back in his seat and put his arm around the back of Julia's chair as she told him the others would be on time. He met her gaze as she turned to him and could see she was about to say something more to him. His wife didn't get chance to continue as the door opened and his youngest sister entered the room. Removing his arm from Julia's chair, Tony sat forward and studied his sister for a moment, not taking much time to realise something was off with her even if she had made attempts to cover it up.

"Hey," Tony greeted Rory as he stood to return her hug. He sat back down as there was talk about clothing choices, which he honestly zoned out on as he waited for his moment to speak again. As it happened, Rory gave him his cue as she asked what trouble they were in. "I don't know, you tell me?" he knowingly asked her. "The answers to my next two questions had better be 'no' and then 'yes'..." he said, looking his sister in the eyes. "First. Does whoever you've been fighting with affect the family businesses?" he seriously asked. "Second. Did you win?" he asked, a subtle, crooked smile toying at the corners of his mouth.

The next person to enter the room was Penny, looking full of energy as she sat in the empty seat on Rory's left, around the round table. "Evening!" he replied to her but kept his mouth closed as she suggested the night was going to be fun. He couldn't think about the best part of the evening until the serious matters had first been discussed. "Let's focus on the boring shit before we start getting pissed, yeah?" he suggested to his sister's.

As Penny pointed out that she was usually the last to arrive, the door opened again and this time it was Sammy who entered the room. Whilst not the eldest, he was often the most sensible of the brothers, so Tony didn't feel it was an issue if Sammy was late on this occasion as he didn't usually take the piss. "I'm sure I'll allow it just this once," he remarked as he returned his nod to greet him. He tapped the empty chair to his right side to instruct Sammy to sit there, leaving an empty seat between Penny and Sammy. "Sit down and relax while you worry about me being sober." When his brother said he was happy to see them all in one place, Tony nodded his head, but still couldn't help but make a joke. "Fuck. We forgot Mum. Didn't anyone think to bring her? Daaamn, she's going to be pissed she missed this," he remarked, knowing full well their mother wanted nothing to do with anything relating to the Walkers, which is what this meeting was. It was a good enough distraction from the fact someone else was missing amongst the meeting of siblings and Tony wasn't about to mention their missing brother at all.

"Alright, kids. Before we all start having fun, I need to talk business. Business which unfortunately involves the Walkers and that dead prick Charles..." he trailed off, but fell silent as he saw the door being pushed open. "I said don't--" Tony began, about to kick off at whoever it was interrupting their private meeting.

Tony watched as Sully entered the room and for once was speechless. When his brother left the family all of those years ago, Tony had initially blamed himself for not keeping the family together. However, he soon decided he wasn't to blame and came to view Sully's departure as him ditching the family. He'd never told their siblings to have any ill will towards Sully and had kept his own feelings on the matter to himself. So even now, when he felt himself teetering on the edge of giving their brother a piece of his mind, he held back to allow his siblings to react in the ways they wished to. He would never want to get in the way of them being happy to see Sully again. When Sully made eye-contact with him and asked if there was room for one more, Tony scoffed before pointing to the empty seat between Sammy and Penny. "Looks like there is, doesn't it?" he commented as he sat back and once again rested his arm around the back of Julia's chair, briefly looking to his wife to pick up on whatever look she might be sending him. After giving time for the others to greet Sully in whichever way they wished to, he cleared his throat ready to speak again. "So, you're not dead, huh?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?"

neverbackdown (Julia, Rory) BasDorcha (Penny) Bellz (Sammy) BeyondDandy (Sully)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Walker Residence
- Edgbaston, Birmingham, England -

Robert and Caroline Walker​

At the end of the quiet cud-de-sac street was the large three-storey detached house were Robert and Caroline Walker resided. The large front and back gardens were both very well maintained and across the driveway a large garage housed the three expensive cars the gang boss owned. The neighbourhood was quite, but nothing compared the how silent it was inside the house. In the large living room, Robert sat in his arm chair, sipping from a glass of his favourite whiskey. The wall clock's ticking seemed louder than normal to Robert. It was almost enough to push him towards switching on some music as he waited for his wife to finish getting ready. In the end, it was the irritating ticking that drew his attention the fact Vinny was due to arrive to take them on the fifteen minute drive to the city centre restaurant.

Robert made his way upstairs and when he stopped in the doorway of the master bedroom, he saw Caroline knocking back her own strong liqueur as she sat in front of the dressing table still in her dressing gown, having apparently finished her hair and make-up but stopped after that. When he entered the fully completely, he could see his wife watching his reflection in the mirror but she didn't turn to face him. "It's almost a quarter past seven. You should have been ready by now," he pointed out to her.

"I should be ready. Charles should be alive," Caroline spoke in an almost mocking tone. She then turned and stood from her seat, now facing Robert. "You should have found his killer by now..." she snapped back.

Robert pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a step towards his wife to close the space between them. "You know damn well I'm doing everything I can. Don't you dare critcise me on this," he firmly told his wife.

"I'll say what I want, Robert!" she argued. "The Fletchers did this and they're making a fool of us. You've given that gutter family far too much leeway and I'm sick of it. If you want to honour Charles, then do to Tony what he did to our son. That's how you can honour Charles - not through some family dinner."

"Do not start this again. Do not test my patience!" Robert commanded his wife. Since their son's death, Caroline had taken her grief hard. Before then, it had been a long time since the married couple fought, which made everything seem so amplified now. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I don't believe Tony did it. I can read him like a book and I'm certain he's telling the truth." Reaching out, he placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and made sure she was looking him head on. "Look at me. I'm doing everything I can to get to the truth, but taking our anger out on the Fletchers won't do us any good. When have you ever known me to do anything rash or impulsive?"

"Oh, I could think of some examples," Caroline remarked.

"Let's stay on track, shall we?" Robert suggested. "This dinner and us all getting together will do us some good. We need to be there together and show a united front," he added. Of course, he didn't just mean for the sake of the kids, but for anyone who may be prying and srutinising them. Robert needed to ensure the image of a strong family unit was upheld. "So come on. Finish getting ready."

"We're going to be late now," Caroline pointed out in a resigned manner.

"I'll decide who's late," Robert assured her. "I told everyone to be at the restaurant for 7.30pm, but I never said that's when we'd arrive. So come on, put that dress on and meet me downstairs." After Caroline reluctantly nodded, Robert reached out and pulled her in for an embrace, albeit he made sure her make-up didn't touch his expensive suit.

Robert returned downstairs and made his way to the front door where Vinny was waiting for him. "Come on inside and wait," he greeted his chauffeur, inviting the man to stand inside rather than wait out in the cold. "Have you found out anything I should know?" he asked, having already told the man to keep his ear to the ground where Charles' killer was concerned.

Soon enough, Caroline descended the stairs, wearing an elegant black dressed and high heels. The smile she presented for Vinny gave no indication of how upset she'd been a very short time ago. Seasoned with putting on an act for public and business meetings, it was no difficulty to do the same now, even amidst the grief she was experiencing. "Time to go," she pointed out, brushing past Vinny as she walked out of the house. Shaking his head, Robert let Vinny leave next before he stepped outside and locked the front door behind them. Robert sped up so he could open the rear door of Vinny's car for Caroline to climb in the back. He then rounded the vehicle and got inside, sitting next to his wife. "Have you eaten dinner yet, Vincent?" Caroline asked. "You can join us all for dinner at our table."

Robert shot Caroline a glance before looking ahead at Vinny. "I'm sure there's a space to accommodate you," he said deciding to go along with his wife on this matter rather than invite an argument in the back of the car.

BasDorcha (Vinny)

 

[BasDorcha]

Around the City

- Birmingham, England -​

Angie De Luca

Angela kicked back in the seat at the restaurant, eyes scoping out the area around them as she listened to the creaks and cracks of the vehicles passing, the hum of the world and the silence of the night - what little there was. The lights added this feeling of warmth she couldn't explain though she always loved being a night bird herself. The job itself was a simple one: locate the thieves, get the product back or the equivalent of and teach the low grade thugs a lesson. She had been chatting back and forth with Marco along the way, with April joining them. When he mentioned cleaning out the guy who had their product, Angie grinned mischieviously. "Oh yeah, we could wipe him out like the Grinch, leaving not even a crumb for the smallest mouse." She laughed and threw a chip into her mouth, chewing down on it before swallowing and continuing, "Only we wouldn't be returnin' nothin' the next morning."

When he posed the question of how she came to work for Tony, she thought for a moment. Did she have any interest in being on Walker's payroll? Nah, not a chance, but only because she'd already found someone she thought was worth working for. "Fuck Walker, he's a fop. No one wants to work for him that's worth their weight in sweat. Nah, Tony took me in when I was a young no one, and I'd like to keep with the person who gave me a chance. Plus, Tony is more my style. I wouldn't fit in with none of those folks no way no how. I rather like you wankers you anyways." She grinned again, throwing a chip at Marco playfully.

Across the street the man in question became to focus of her attention as Marco drew their eyes to him. Ready to be discrete, Angie only lightly rested her hand on her hip and the hilt of her pistol. When Aril ran at the men with her baseball bat her eyes went wide in horror. What the hell was she thinking. Looking at Marco with a dumbfounded look, she gaped and looked around like she was in a prank tv show, waiting for someone to tell her it was all joke. "Wh-what?! Marco, what do we-" She stuttered, unsure if she should chase after the girl or pretend like they weren't with her.

 

[neverbackdown]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Julia Fletcher
​

Julia smiled as Penny arrived into the room "Lovely to see you" she greeted but her eyes flickered towards Tony as Penny began to talk about how fun the night would be, knowing that her husband wouldn't relax until the business side of the evening had been sorted. As Penny mentioned Sammy being late an amused smirk took over Julia's expression as she watched the person in question walk through the door "timing couldn't be anymore perfect" she laughed as she stood up to hug him back in greeting.

When Sammy mentioned the red flag a small frown played on her lips and she took a sip of her wine to hide the change in her expression. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous about how this would all go down, the hatred for the Walkers ran deep in their bloodline and she knew that they already weren't too impressed with having to stay on their good side and out of their way.

Sitting back in her seat, Julia looked towards Tony as he began to speak and tell them what had happened, when he stopped talking mid sentence Julia raised an eyebrow in confusion before turning her head to follow his line of sight. As she spotted Sully standing in the door, Julia let out a small gasp, her expression showing how stunned she was at seeing him there before she forced a friendly smile onto her lips to welcome him into the room.

She heard Tony scoff and her hand instinctively moved to rest on his thigh as she looked at him with a stern expression that would read "be nice" before she looked towards the rest of the table to grasp their reactions. She had met Sully back 10 years ago when her and Tony had first started dating but he had left before they had really gotten to know each other and so in this moment she decided it was best to stay quiet and let the family have their reunion.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Victoria "Rory" Fletcher
​

Rory raised her eyebrow as Tony questioned her, a serious yet calm expression on her features that quickly turned to amusement as she realized what he was asking "How do you know every time?" she questioned as she slightly shook her head before she leaned back comfortably into her seat "Nah won't affect business but will hopefully affect how he treats people and yes of course I won, don't ask silly questions" she smirked, she was about to give a bit more information when the door opened and her sister walked into the room causing the topic of conversation to be dropped.

Leaning into her nudge, Rory laughed as she held up her wine glass "Its always fun with us sis" she took a large gulp of her wine before placing the glass back on the table, fighting the urge to finish the glass as she knew she should stay sober until whatever Tony wanted to say was said.

As Sammy walked through the door, Rory couldn't help but laugh at the perfect timing of it all, standing up to give her brother a hug before taking her seat again. "No apparently you can't" she laughed "especially if I'm the first one here" she teased finding it amusing that it was almost as though they had swapped, with Rory normally being the last to arrive at any event.

"Awh shit not again, poor Mum" she laughed along with Tony's joke before a more serious tone settled on the room and Rory leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms and looking towards Tony to give her full attention. "Good riddance" she muttered quietly at the comment of the dead Walker.

As the door opened, Rory turned quickly and began to stand believing there to be a problem at the bar, potentially some drunken idiot harrassing the bar staff or that man back from earlier looking for round two, but the sight before her completely shocked her and she felt herself fall back into her seat. For once in her entire life, Rory didn't know what to say or do, instead she sat staring at Sully with a look of disbelief on her expression.

Rory looked towards Tony as he addressed Sully, the anger in his voice resonating with the anger bubbling within her. It wasn't unknown that Rory had problems with abandonment especially after her father had been arrested and so when Sully then left only a few years after that when Rory was about 13 the anger and hurt only grew, growing more with each year he was gone until she chose to forget him and the pain it was causing her.

A cold look played on her expression as she looked around at her siblings to see their reactions to the unexpected visitor. For once and only because it was family, Rory pushed her anger down doing her best not to "explode" as they say but she knew herself she was a ticking timebomb. She picked up her glass and drank half of its contents in once gulp before twirling the stem of the glass between her fingers, focusing her attention on that rather than looking at Sully.

****************
Interactions:

Tony Misty Gray
Sammy Bellz
Penny BasDorcha
Sully BeyondDandy

 

[Misty Gray]

Around the City
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Marco Alessi​

Marco stood in momentary shock as April went and did something completely reckless, even by his own often impulsive standards. "What the fuck? Stop!" he growled at her through gritted teeth. He caught the dumfounded expression Angela sent him, confirming he wasn't the only one shocked at April's actions. When she began asking what they should do, Marco shook his head. "Gotta bloody stop her," he said, already sprinting after April before he'd finished his sentence.

The two men saw the apparent crazed young woman running towards them with a baseball bat in hand. The lankier of the men swiftly withdrew his gun and pointed it directly at April's head expecting her to see the logic he would shoot her before she could swing for him. Whether she chose to stop or not didn't matter as Marco caught up to her, grabbing the back of her top to hold her back. He sent Angela a look that urged her to try keep April from doing something else wild. He then stepped between Alice and the two men, defensively holding his hands up in front. "Hey guys. She's drunk and we were just mucking around. We thought you were some blokes we knew and... well, yeah. Dumb prank," he said, trying not to focus on the gun that was still trained on April as he instead looked to the bulkier man who he believed he'd recognised from last week.

"I still ought to put a bullet in her skull," he skinny man threatened as he continued to grip his gun.

The other man was about to call for calm in such a public place, especially as any gunshots would draw unwanted attention, but he instead began to study Marco's face beneath the streetlight. Something was familiar about the younger man and he couldn't quite pinpoint it. "I recognise you. Who the fuck are you?" he asked, his large stature meaning he towered over Marco.

Marco shrugged his shoulders. "I'm nobody important... Name's Jimmy Valentino," he effortlessly lied, by now on track to having given out more fake names than he'd had hot dinners.

"Well, Jimmy. I don't much like people coming at me in a threatening way and since I'm not the kind of guy to beat up girls..." Without warning, he punched Marco in the side of his head before grabbing him by the throat and slamming his first hard into his stomach. Marco let out a low groan but for the most part tried to contain his discomfort. Having grown up in a neglectful household and had to look after himself from a young age, he'd learned to carry any pain on his own shoulders. He just hoped April and Angela wouldn't do anything to make matters worse. Maybe he could just take a beating and the men would move on. Another punch to his ribs made Marco fall forward, briefly grabbing onto the large man's coat as if to steady his balance. The man was quick to push him away, causing the back of Marco's head to smack against the brick wall behind him. The impact caused him to feel a temporarily dizziness as he doubled over and clung to the wall for balance.

"Are you two ladies going to back off or do you want to go next?" the man pointing the gun at April asked. "I suggest you drop the bat and back away," he urged her.

Cave_Town234 (April) BasDorcha (Angela)

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Felicity Walker and Beth Henderson​

Felicity smiled when Diana suggested all of the siblings might arrive before their parents. Despite her competitive edge, her face soon dropped to a frown at the fact their parents hadn't arrived yet. After all of the pressure Robert put on her to organise the reservation and make sure nothing was missed, she knew she would feel annoyed if he were late to it. Felicity was able to switch off those thoughts when her sister directed her attention to the barman and how his were the only feathers she intended to ruffle. Briefly observing the man, she turned back to Diana with one of her more natural laughs. "We could always get Beth to put in a good word with him for you," she said, referring to the restaurant owner.

Felicity was reassured that at least one sibling was going to be on their best behaviour with their parents this evening. She couldn't take too much comfort from it as her now eldest living brother arrived in time to overhear the subject at hand. Alfie's response was more playful when he joked about his original plans being to get in trouble with them tonight. "You definitely need to change that plan and behave tonight," she agreed. Although she understood he was joking, her tone was flat and serious. When Alfie spoke about their parents having not arrived yet, Felicity looked to her gold watch, the diamonds on the clock face sparkling beneath the lights. It was now 7.35pm, and they'd all been told to be there by 7.30pm. "I'm going to go sit at our table. Dad put all of this emphasis on me booking the best table and making sure everything ran perfectly, but he can't even arrive on time himself." Tightening her hold on her glass, she walked away from Diana and Alife without giving them chance to set off with her.

Felicity took a seat at the private table and proceeded to have a sip of her wine before setting the glass down in front of her. When her siblings got to the table, Felicity was about to address them but instead beckoned Beth over as she caught sight of her passing by. "This glass is chipped," she informed Beth, handing her the defective glass tumbler she's noticed. "Swap it for another one," she told her. Despite Felicity's abrupt tone and her dislike of it, Beth maintained a pleasant expression as she took the glass and walked away.

With Beth gone, Felicity focused on Diana and Alfie again. "It's not just them being late now, but I'm concerned about our parents. Dad is too focused on who killed Charles when he needs to think about the business. Last thing we need is to look weak. We're all upset about Charles, but after being told to told to always be professional and leave our emotions at home, it's hypocritical for him to be letting our personal business mix with work now." Felicity knew she might comes across as cold in her words, but it came after years of criticism for the times she'd shown emotional weakness. "And I think Mum is depressed again," she was quick to add. She knew the very subject was a personal matter, but they were on the subject of if their parents were okay.

Interactions: Bellz (Diana) BasDorcha (Alfie)

 

[BasDorcha]

Walker Residence

- Birmingham, England -​

Vinny McConnel

Vinny sat outside the house, waiting patiently for Mr. and Mrs. Walker to be ready to go. The day had been somewhat dull with everyone in a blackish mood, not without a good reason though mind you. Even Vinny knew that today was important because of Charles. As he waited, he wondered if tonight was going to go over well or not, knowing that normally family dinners did not go as planned. It would be interesting to watch if it did indeed become dramatic, but he didn't want to be involved that was for sure. More of a fly on the wall situation. That's where he preferred to be, unless he was meting out punishment for Mr. Walker, in which case he was happy to be the center of attention. Deciding it was time to check on them, he pulled the car to the front door, leaving it idle while he climbed out and headed to knock. Before he could, Robert opened the door and told him to come inside. Nodding a greeting, he followed the instructions and stepped in, straightening his suit as he did so.

Looking up to see Mr. Walker still talking, he listened then shook his head, his right hand clasping his left wrist in front of him. "Nothing yet, Mr. Walker, but I've got feelers out to see if I can't pick up any new information. We'll see how it turns out soon. I'm always keeping my senses aware and listening." He was sure there would be a nice monthly bonus for him if he found out the information that led to Charles killer, so it suited him just fine to keep an extra unpaid eye out. Couldn't hurt. At the very least, he'd probably be called into help sort the fucker out once he was found, so that had a benefit of its own.

As Mrs. Walker came down the stairs, he gave her a charming smile, offering his hand to her for a quick shake and half bow, a playful and cocky move he'd done for ages, as if greeting a queen. "M'lady, your carriage awaits." Her brush off didn't bother him any, knowing that he was nothing he had done in particular. After all, if he had done something wrong, he'd have heard about it already. He followed her out, moving towards the door but stopping when he noticed that Mr. Walker wanted to open the door for his wife. Nodding respectfully, he moved to his own door and got in, adjusting everything to pull out once they were settled in the back. At the invite for dinner, he gave them a somewhat surprised look through the rearview but nodded, quietly accepting. "I appreciate the offer. Who am I to decline such a prestigious invite. I look forward to it." His attitude had perfect graces and a publicly charming smile, his good looks helping with how easily he was accepted by strangers.

As they cruised the short drive to the restaurant, he quickly found the entrance and pulled up to allow them out. "I'll follow in a moment sir, you and the lovely Mrs. Walker go ahead and make your way inside, I'll feel better the less time she has to spend out in this cold." He smiled to her and let the door man open their doors for them, before driving a short distance away and parking the car. After checking it was locked and within sight of the restaurant, he headed back to let himself inside, making his way over to the family.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The Red Lion Pub

- Birmingham, England -​

Penny Fletcher

Penny blew raspberries at her brother as she got settled into her seat, complimenting everyone on how they looked. It all seemed off to a good start when a voice from the dead might as well have sprung up between them all. Spinning in her seat, she turned to look at her brother Sully, shock clearly written on her face. She had never held anything against him for leaving, but him showing up unexpected certainly surprised her. She stood, wrapping an arm around him and grinning, "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Didn't think we'd be seeing you here, welcome home Sully." Giving him a tight hug, she dropped back into her seat, looking carefully around the group to gauge their reactions. About what she figured, to be honest.

When Tony asked him about being dead, Penny couldn't help the light blush she got for him. It was embarrassing being put under Tony's spotlight, she certainly wouldn't want to be there. Catching Julia's hand sliding under the table to what she could only guess was her brothers leg, she gave her a small thankful smile for trying to cool him off so quickly. She knew this could turn ugly very quickly. She watched Rory, thinking she might be the next to go off. Another surprise caught her as she found her sister looking extremely interested in the wine glass in her hand. Quietly she thought, good girl, Rory.

Clearing her throat, she picked up her glass and took a drink. Cracking a big smile on her face, she looked around, encouragingly to her siblings, "Come, take a seat Sully, tell us what brings you here. I'm sure business can wait a few moments, huh Tony?" She gave him a pleading look, as if to say this reunion was the priority. They couldn't be focused on some other gangs issues when their own were so plainly staring them in the face.

 

[BeyondDandy]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

SULLY FLETCHER

Sully could feel the tension in the room run down his spine like a strand of sweat on a summer day. It made his body tense up, locking him in an awkward stance as he felt his big brother's judgment strike him like a bullet. It was Penny’s warm embrace that gave him hope. He curled his arms over her, bringing her small frame into him. He held back his tears as he let her go and gave her a sweet smile before she returned to her seat and offered him one.

The rest of his family couldn't seem to look at him however. He felt distant from them even though he stood a foot from every single one of them. Breaking the confines of his brother's disapproval, Sully returned Julia's smile as he trailed around the table to the open seat. He sat down to Rory's left, who played with her wine to simulate being too mid drink to say anything. Sully didn't know exactly what to expect when he first walked through the door. He'd played scenarios in his head the night before, all ending in a light version of kumbaya. Though as he sat down and looked at everyone at the table, he knew it would not end the way he'd hoped.

"I know I've been away for a long time. I've got no excuse for it, but I found my way back,” he started, gauging the room as he explained himself. He was specifically staring down Tony, feeling he was the one that deserved an explanation. Sully toyed with the glass of water in front of him, nervous about what he planned to reveal next.

“I spoke with Da’,” he revealed, letting the table react. Each of them would have known by now that Sully left ten years ago to escape the life the lie father had built. Sully had no interest in the family business and when their father killed a man with his fist and was sentenced, that was the last straw for Sully. Hence hearing him say he spoke to their old man in prison must’ve been shocking. Sully eyed Tony again, fixed right on his brother and no one else.

“I want back in, bruv. I’m ready.”

Misty Gray
neverbackdown
Bellz​

 

[Bellz]

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham, England -

Diana Walker ​

Diana raised a brow at Felicity's comment about Beth putting in the good word with the barman. "A good word? Not sure lying about me would do her any good, or him for that matter. But thanks, sis." Diana said through a smile that was still pointed the man's way. She knew she was trouble, she didn't like to lie to other people to save face about it. What was the point? She turned to look at her sister just in time to see their brother approaching from the corner of her eye. "Here comes trouble." Di sang lightly, her wide smile turning into a knowing smirk as Alfie began to pull Felicity's leg about being prepared to act like an arse. "I can behave for tonight but that's as far as I'll go with this goodie-goodie schtick." The woman said, her tone light in response to her brother's joking behavior but was firm in her intention. She wasn't usually so quick to comply with this shit.

When Alfie asked about where their parents were, Diana gave him a look that told him to can it, eyes going a bit wide. Felicity was already on edge as it was, and now she was paying attention to her watch again. Diana glanced once again at the cute barman, who was serving her brother just as Felicity stated she was going to sit at the table. Before she could really respond to her sister, the woman walked off, looking as tightly wound as well...their father.

Diana looked at her older brother for a moment, "As much fun as it would be to turn this entire dinner upside down, I'm really just trying to keep poor Letty together. So I promise not to push your buttons if you promise not to push mine." The redhead gave him a grin before her nose scrunched slightly as she picked up the smell of something. Leaning towards her brother for a moment, she took a small whiff before scrunching her nose even more, "You smell like cheap floral perfume..." Leaning away and realizing that she had broken her promise rather quickly, Diana wagged her finger at him playfully, "Okay, okay, starting now, no pressing buttons." Grabbing her glass, she gave the barman behind the bar one last look with an almost forlorn sigh before setting off towards her sister who had just finished berating Beth over a chipped glass.

Diana sent Beth an apologetic look but as Felicity focused her attention on her and Alfie, her expression changed to one of neutrality. When it came to Letty's concern over their parents, Di often didn't share that same concern. She wondered what it was like to worry about two adults who more than less, could take care of themselves and more often than not...did just that first. Felicity's emotions were valid, she had every right to feel the way she did but Diana felt that she could never make her understand that some of these concerns were just not hers to bear. "Well, Letty...Dad has always been a bit of a hypocrite. I think we all know this. The fact that he's late drives that point home, yeah?" Hearing that she thought Mum was depressed again was concerning but looking around, she wasn't sure this was the best place for that conversation. She knew it needed to be had though, at some point. "Is there something Mum is saying? Or isn't saying that is leading you to believe that? Should we intervene with her at some point? I'm worried that maybe she isn't getting the moments she needs to...grieve given who she's married to sometimes. Hypocrisy and all."
with: Felicity Misty Gray ; Alfie BasDorcha
mentions: LATE Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Sammy Fletcher ​

Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, great even which was putting a smile on Sammy's usually more composed features. He was even willing to bet that whatever business they had to discuss would be over and done fairly quickly so they could all get to the "fun" part of the evening. He would, of course, be drinking responsibly while looking out for the rest but hey, it was at least enjoyable to let the others have a messy time. After Sammy greeted his sisters, his brother, and Julia, Tony said he'd allow him to be late just this once to which he smirked, "Ah, a saint you are." He murmured before the conversation took a serious turn.

His facial expression fell as Tony pointed the conversation toward the Walkers and their dead family member Charles. Things didn't seem to be heading in a good direction, Sammy was focused on reading his brother's face...so focused in fact that he'd noticed immediately when he'd gone silent. Wondering what caused such a reaction, he was about to turn around...but Sully's hands suddenly came down to rest on his shoulders causing him to tense ever so slightly. Not because he was upset with him. But because he was startled...more than he would ever give on. His face was neutral but his eyes went the slightest bit wide as their brother asked if there was room for one more. Sammy's head turned to look up at Sully before looking to Tony and back again.

He would get in the middle if he had to. He didn't want to but, if things took a turn for the worse Sammy would intervene. It would be a bad look for their family to fight like this. He hoped that Tony knew that right now, the look in his eyes was...all too emotional for his liking. The scoff gave Sammy a little sneak peek of what he was feeling and the man looked to Tony with a neutral expression, trying to make sure he stayed at the very least...in line without throwing any fists around. Sully was bold for showing up, while Sammy didn't have any quarrels with him...he couldn't just up and forgive him. It was a balancing act. Even if they were all family.

"It's good to see you, Sul." Sammy said sincerely trying to keep things even as his younger brother took a seat. Tony started questioning him, being a little too pointed. "Ton'" He said lightly. Penny offered a warm embrace, but Rory said nothing. Julia was kind enough. This was uncomfortable.

Sully then went on to say that he knew he'd been away a long time, that he knew he didn't have an excuse for it but he'd found his way back. That was at least a start. Sammy's eyes were on Tony. He wasn't the most...forgiving at times with this stuff. Hearing a glass of water scraping against the table, his eyes then turned to his younger brother who seemed to be toying with it, he seemed nervous.

His next words shocked him but...he bit his tongue and for the first time in his life he actually had to bite it pretty hard. There were so many questions in his head at that moment. It was a little hard to keep up at first but eventually, Sammy found his way back to the awkward silence that was the conversation. Sully stated that he wanted back in and that he was ready.

Sammy continued to bite his tongue for one second...and then another...and then--

"A lot of things have changed around here, ya know?" Sammy said to Sully. "It isn't as simple as just divin' back into it. As lovely as it is to have you back and see you in good health....it's not all cut and dry." He looked at the man, his gaze trying to figure out what changed in him.
with: Tony Misty Gray ; Julia + Rory neverbackdown ; Penny BasDorcha : Sully BeyondDandy

 

[Misty Gray]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Tony Fletcher​

Tony had felt Julia's hand on his thigh at the same time as he caught the stern look she sent him. As much as he loved and respected his wife, there were times when circumstances and his deep-rooted feelings would overrule his desire to keep her happy. It was the same when in the presence of certain Walkers or the cops - it was difficult to hold back when he had such strong disdain towards them. Regardless, he lightly rubbed Julia's shoulder for a moment; his way of saying he'd received her silent message... even if he couldn't commit to following it.

Tony had taken time to observe how each of his siblings reacted to Sully's unexpected appearance. As expected, Rory didn't jump up to welcome their brother with open arms, instead he could see her trying her hardest to hold back on her anger. For now, this manifested as her saying nothing, instead trying to wash her thoughts and feelings down with her alcoholic drink. Penny's reaction didn't surprise Tony either, even if it was the opposite of how Rory greeted Sully. Penny had rushed to give their brother a tight hug and welcomed their brother home.

When his sister suggested business could wait a few moments, Tony said nothing, instead finding himself unconsciously reaching into his trouser pocket to retrieve his cigarettes and lighter. He'd had to support their mother in looking after the family when their father went to prison, so he knew that despite how important the business was, their family just about came first. Lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag from it, he observed Sammy as he also appeared welcoming to Sully. Of course they were all going to embrace their brother's return. They hadn't needed to deal with the fallout of him leaving them and the feelings they'd let their father down by not keeping everyone together. He hadn't inflicted his negative feelings about Sully onto them over the last ten years, so he wouldn't stop them from being happy he was back now.

Tony met Sully's eyes as he began acknowledging there was no excuse for his prolonged absence. Tony flicked the ash from the end of his cigarette into the glass ashtray, but maintained his focus on Sully as his brother pointed out he'd found his way back. Tony noticed the other man appeared nervous as he fidgeted with his glass of water. He was taking another long drag of his cigarette just as Sully revealed he'd spoken with their dad. He had to quickly pluck the cigarette from his mouth as he almost choked on the smoke, letting out a couple of sudden coughs. Balancing the cigarette on the ashtray, Tony sat forward, his apparent nonchalance now being replaced with genuine interest.

"What did the old crook have to say to ya, then?" he asked. Tony himself held a lot of respect for their father, so his words were aimed at what he deemed was Sully's dislike for their father's choices and imprisonment.

Even more of a shock than Sully visiting their father was him then going on to say he was ready and willing to be back in. Tony was gifted time to consider his response to that as Sammy spoke up first, pointing out that things were different now and it might not been so straightforward. "Sammy's right. I'm frequently expanding on our family's business, so we've got a lot more going on since you ditched us. The Walkers, who hardly tolerated us when you were still here now tolerate us even less. I've got Robert on my arse more than the cops are, but I ain't backing down on that. This business is going to keep growing, legal or otherwise, and the Walkers can go fuck themselves."

Tony grabbed his glass to have a long drink of beer, allowing the alcohol to silence him so he could take a breather and then allow him to speak with less haste once done. "For a little perspective," he began, setting the almost empty pint glass down on the table. "Charles Walker got himself murdered a couple of months back and the Walkers naturally think we had something to do with it. We didn't, for the record. On top of that, the Walkers have had set rules in place of where and what capacity we can conduct our business in, but I'm not sticking to them. I've got plans to keep expanding this business and they won't stop us." Looking to Sammy and flashing a smile, he then looked back at Sully. "Like Sammy said. It's not that simple. And everyone in this family has to do their bit for the business. Sammy, Penny, Rory... they all have to lift a finger, even in the messy stuff. And I have no doubts this is going to get messier."

BeyondDandy (Sully) neverbackdown (Julia, Rory) BasDorcha (Penny) Bellz (Sammy)

 

[neverbackdown]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Julia Fletcher
​

Julia smiled softly at Tony as he rubbed her shoulder, her warning had been acknowledged but she knew herself that received did not mean it would be followed. She returned Penny's smile as she essentially made it her job to try and keep Tony from flying of the handle although as Sully sat down beside Rory, her fear of reaction moved from Tony onto Rory and she found herself watching the youngest Fletcher with a growing sense of concern.

When Sully mentioned Norman, Julia sighed inwardly knowing the reaction that would pull out of her husband, she heard his gasp and turned to look at him but before she could ask if he was ok, the sound of smashing glass played to her side and Julia turned to look at Rory with wide eyes, she released a breath as she realized Rory had broken the glass in her own hand by accident and not over Sully's head but the relief was short lived as a new type of concern for Rory overcame Julia as Rory picked up the pieces of glass and excused herself quietly as she stood up and ran towards the bathroom.

"I'll go check on her" Julia assured the siblings, patting Tony gently on the shoulder before standing up and following after Rory. Thankfully the damage was minimal but Julia made a mental note to get Penny to look at her hand later just incase, but for now she wrapped Rory's hand in tissue to stop the bleeding and waited until she believed Rory was ready to face them all again but she was glad to get a small laugh out of her before they left the bathroom.

Upon leaving the bathroom Rory walked towards the bar without so much of a look in her family's direction and Julia followed her after briefly attending the table to get their drink orders. She felt like she needed another drink and based on the expression on all their faces she had a feeling they all felt the same.

Once the drinks were got, Julia helped Rory carry them back and place each drink in front of the respective person before she took her seat and placed her hand back on Tony's leg again in the hopes to give him some comfort. Her eyes trained on Rory as she watched her carefully.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Victoria "Rory" Fletcher
​

Rory kept her eyes focused on the glass in her hand as she steadied her breathing fighting back the anger bubbling within her. There was so much she wanted to say to Sully, so many questions she had and answers she needed but now wasn't the time especially not with heightened emotions involved. Normally, Rory would have at least thrown her drink by now especially when he was now within hitting distance but angry or not Sully was her brother, her blood and that was the only thing that was keeping the blinding rage at bay.

The mention of their father was almost like the light to the fuse, her head snapped up to look towards Sully, her mouth opening to comment on it but before the words could escape she was stopped by the sound of breaking glass. Her eyes looked down towards her hand as the crushed wine glass fell onto the table "shit" the word coming out almost as a whisper as she looked towards Tony. "I'll um ... yeah" Rory caught Julia's eye as she stood up and gave her a small nod as if to say she was okay before she walked away from the table and towards the bathroom to clean up.

Wiping the glass of her hand, Rory felt the tears stinging at her eyes threatening to spill but blinked them away as the door to the bathroom opened. "I'm fine and I'm sorry but I cant and wont pretend this is ....." unaware of who had followed her, Rory's defensiveness kicked in, getting her view and word in before they could talk but she stopped talking as she turned to be face to face with Julia.

"I don't expect you to be ok and I'm proud of how you've managed all that" Julia's voice was soft, her face concerned yet gentle as she reached forward and grabbed Rory's hand carefully to look at. "small cuts but nothing major your lucky" Julia grabbed tissue and wrapped it around Rory's hand carefully before letting go of her hand and wrapping her arms around her in a hug "take your time ok but how about we get you more wine" Julia pulled back from the hug as she smiled at Rory "but maybe a plastic cup this time" she joked as Rory laughed shaking her head.

Once the drinks were got, they returned to the table just as Tony began to give a little perspective to Sully on their dealings in the last few years, Rory sat silently as she listened, nodding as Tony confirmed that they all had been pulling their weight. Deciding against playing with the wine glass this time, Rory reached into her jacket pocked and took out a cigarette placing it to her lips as she lit it.

****************
Interactions:
Tony Misty Gray
Sammy Bellz
Penny BasDorcha
Sully BeyondDandy

 

[neverbackdown]

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Thomas Walker
​

Today was Charles' 36th Birthday and his Father had organized a catch up for the entire family. Whilst Charles' name had not been mentioned at all it didn't take a genius to work out that it was in connection with that. He just hoped that it was in honor of Charles and not some bullshit reason like "keeping up appearances" and showing unity. Now he understood that showing themselves to still be strong was important, especially in a time of weakness but he just hoped that they could put business aside for one night and just honor his older brother and the life he had.

Walking to Gatsby's, Tom checked his watch and groaned internally as he realized it was nearly 7.30pm and he was still a good few minutes away from his destination. He had really tried today to put in an effort to not be the disappointment, even going so far as to wear a suit, which he found extremely uncomfortable and restricting. If he had just worn his usual jeans and over-shirt he would have been early and wouldn't have wasted 20 minutes undoing and redoing the top button of his shirt to decide on what worked best. He went for the button closed but that only added to his discomfort, but today he would put on his best effort and be someone his dad could be proud of. Only for the day though, by midnight tonight he would be back on his regular antics and he would be burning this suit and every other formal piece of clothing he owned.

As he neared the Restaurant, a familiar car passed by catching his eye and Tom turned towards it with an almost look of horror on his expression before he broke into a run. "Get a red light, get a red light" he muttered to himself as he put his head down and ran past the car that he knew his parents were in, making sure to keep his head turned in the opposite direction in the hopes that they wouldn't see him from the window. If he was late to this then he knew the effort in his appearance would have been a waste and he could not let that happen.

Tom barely stopped to open the restaurant door, nearly running face first into it in his haste to get inside before his parents and be on time. Refusing to look back and see where the car was, Tom opened the door and ran inside only stopping as he approached his siblings. "Well .. well... fancy.... seeing.... you.... all... here" he joked but his tone came out almost strangled as he struggled to catch his breath after his spontaneous but necessary exercise. Bending slightly over Tom put his hands on his knees before standing straight and placing them behind his head as he tried to regain control over his breathing. Looking at their reactions he smirked "Wait were we all not running a 5k to here?" he asked in an joking exasperated tone as he looked over them all and finally found the ability to breath again. "You all look lovely" he commented with a more genuine smile on his expression.

********
Interactions;

Diana Bellz
Felicity Misty Gray
Alfie BasDorcha

Mentions ; Mother and Father dearest

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Robert, Caroline, and Felicity Walker​

Robert smiled and nodded his head when Vinny accepted the offer to join them for dinner. It was an invite that hadn't been discussed or agreed between the married couple in advance, which made him wonder if Caroline had made the offer to try throw him off-guard. It would take more than that to make Robert feel awkward and so he was happy to play along with her game. "The desserts are first class. Make sure to save room for one," Robert assured Vinny.

When they arrived outside the restaurant, Vinny told them he'd go park the car so Mrs. Walker didn't have to spend time out in the cold. The woman let out a playful laugh. "Well, aren't you a gentleman. Here I was thinking chivalry had died out," she lightly commented. "We'll save you a spot at the table," she assured Vinny.

Once out of the car, Robert walked alongside Caroline, greeting the doorman as he opened the entrance doors for them. Before committing fully into the restaurant, Robert pulled his wife aside and out of view of anyone else. "You look beautiful, love. You're stunning," he quietly told her, reaching up to gently lift her chin so he could stroke her face with his thumb as his eyes met hers. After the way she'd been back at home, he wanted to reassure her. "I know this evening will be difficult, but it's okay to be upset about Charles. You don't have to hide it."

"Save it," Caroline abruptly replied, reaching up to push his hand away from her face. "I know what I have to do. Present as the happily married couple but show grief for our son - humanise us for the public. I've been doing this for long enough now, Robert. I know the drill," she quietly told him.

Robert quickly shook his head. "We are happily married and we are grieving. It's not an act," Robert reassured her, reaching down to hold her hand. "But don't pretend this life isn't what you wanted. You chose to follow this path with me and you've never had any problems with our business nor the fancy social events you were always keen to attend," he firmly told her, maintaining his low tone.

"I'm not denying any of that. But I also signed up to marrying a man who would honour his vows," she said, pulling her hand away from his. "You broke those vows multiple times, so I think I'm permitted to question this circus from time to time."

"When will you stop bringing that up? It's all in the past--"

"No. It can never all be in the past and you know it!" she knowingly told him. Falling silent as a couple of diners passed them by, Caroline then cleared her throat and looked up at Robert. "I'm sorry... but losing Charles and feeling like this... it just brings up all of the other horrible things we've had to go through. I just..." she said, stopping herself as she moved to hold his hand again. "It hurts, Robert..." she said, before the man pulled her in for a reassuring embrace.

"It's okay. You're allowed to feel this way. About Charles and about what I did. We'll get through this," he said, lightly kissing the top of her head.

***********​

Felicity could only nod in agreement when Diana pointed out that their father was a hypocrite. It didn't just apply to him being late for the very dinner he'd arranged. There was even the fact that she'd been told to always be professional and keep personal feelings away from business, yet lately she felt like Robert was letting Charles' death get in the way of the family business.

When Diana asked what it was from their mother that was concerning her, Felicity lightly shrugged her shoulders before straightening her posture. "Well, she's been spending too much time at home, for starters. And her mood has--" Felicity stopped speaking when Tom made his entrance. She supposed a silver lining of their parents being late was that they wouldn't know Tom hadn't managed to get there on time either. Judging by the fact he was out of breath, he'd had to rush to get to the restaurant.

"You are so lucky Mum and Dad are even later than you are," she told him, managing to display a smirk to match his. "Tidy your hair up a little and you'll look lovely too," she suggested in response to his compliment.

Not long after Tom was seated, Robert and Caroline could be seen approaching the table. With her arm linked with her husband's, Caroline displayed a bright, well-practiced, smile as they reached the family table. "Well, isn't this just wonderful," she said, her smile faltering as she processed how the seating arrangement had changed in light of Charles' absence. She rounded the table to give each of the four siblings a hug. "How are you all getting on?" she asked, her voice filled with a level of enthusiasm that didn't resonate deep down inside of her.

"I'm good, though unsure why the table needed to be ready by 7.30--" Felicity began.

"Stop right there," Robert interrupted his daughter. "I told you all to be here for 7.30pm. I didn't say when your mother and I would arrive," he firmly informed her. "But I'm glad to see you're all here and looking smart," he said, his eyes fixing on Tom for a moment as his son seemed out of sorts. Given his youngest's ADHD, it wasn't something he needed to dwell on. He was at least grateful he'd made the effort to be there and not shown up in jeans.

"Oh, ignore him," Caroline said, waving off her husband's comment as she slipped into her seat. "We are late and it's my fault. No need to pretend otherwise." Looking to the empty wine glasses, she leaned back in her seat to try catch the waiter's attention so se could request a bottle. "When you get to my age you have to put more time and effort into looking good. Men are easily distracted, otherwise," she remarked. Her eyes landed on Robert before shifting to Alfie. Her son reminded her of Robert in a number of ways and not all positive ones. Given Robert's past infidelities and Alfie's behaviour with women, she couldn't help but figure her son had inherited such a trait from his father.

"You always look good, Mum," Felicity said, picking up on a bad atmosphere. She turned to Diana, sending her sister a knowing look as if her concerns about their mother were being confirmed.

"Of course she does," Robert said, meeting Caroline's eyes as he reached out to hold her hand across the table. Looking around at his kids, he lightly nodded his head. "Given that it would have been Charles' birthday today, I thought it would be good for us all to get together for a change. I want to know what you've all been up to recently," he said, looking around the table to prompt them all to speak up. His eyes landed on Alfie for longer than the others, in some ways still getting used to having a new heir at his side.

--------------------
Seating plan:


Interactions: Bellz (Diana) BasDorcha (Alfie, Vinny) neverbackdown (Thomas)

 

[purplecowdutch]

Jackie Walker, Gatsby's restaurant​

'Where are you going?' Cassie yelled, holding the now empty bottle of wine above her head, threatening to throw it right in his face. 'You have to calm down,' Jackie said while putting one arm in his jacket, clearly used to these charades. 'I told you I had that dinner, it's important.'
Jackie knew just how important it was and though he promised himself to stay sober throughout the day, he massively screwed up by hanging out with Cassie. They emptied at least two bottles of wine and half a gram of that white stuff. 'Are you coming back?' Cassie asked while putting the bottle to her lips. Jackie shrugged, giving her half a smile, 'probably.'

The door slammed on him as he rushed himself to his car, he was already late and now he had to hope traffic wasn't too bad but knowing his luck it would probably be worse.
It took Jackie ten minutes to get to the restaurantt with a lot of road raging and honking but he had arrived. The restaurant looked fancy, almost too fancy for what they did for a living.
Jackie wasn't really looking forward to dinner, his appetite was all gone and with his purple blouse he wasn't exactly dressed for occasion. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Stress was now really kicking in as he looked at himself in the rearview mirror, with shaking hands he made a small bump for himself. One for the nerves.

'Good afternoon all,' Jackie swung the door open, spotting the dreadful table and opened his mouth loud enough for the other people to hear. 'I am so sorry I am late,' he added, looking at his so called family around the table. The only one they missed was Charles. Jackie loved Charles and they got along really well - not like he did with anybody else at the table. Charles visited Jackie in prison multiple times and was always up for a party. God, how he missed that dude. Even though it was obvious who killed him, Jackie kept his mouth shut.

Jackie greeted Robert with a cold handshake, followed by Caroline who went in for a hug. God, he must have smelled terrible. Jackie sat down next to Vinny, giving half a glance to Thomas. He had no idea why but he couldn't stand the guy, somehow he was allowed in everyone's business and it annoyed the hell out of Jackie. Him and his father had worked their whole life to get here and they walk away with all the honor and he wasn't even fucking family. 'So, do we need some wine to discuss business or?' Jackie jokingly said, holding up his empty glass.