Realistic or Modern A Family Affair: The Irish Mob - IC (Ended)

Sinead picked at the sequined lace on the hem of her dress as she heard Lucy knock and then speak her name. She sniffled and then used the backs of her fingers to dab away the tears that had dampened her cheeks. Feeling her sister's arm wrapped around her shoulder, she gasped for air as she'd been holding her breath in for a time. "I can't stop worrying about him, Luce. No matter how hard I try," she confessed.

The redhead quickly nodded as her own advice to Lucy was turned back on her to tell her not to worry. Hearing they'd fall apart if they spent all of their time worrying about their family caused her to scoff. "I know. I know..." she mumbled, lowering her head to look back down to her lap. She remained silent, simply listening as she was told she had to look after herself and that Peter needed her to stay strong. He needed her to hold it together and give him nothing to worry about whenever she visited him. Sinead turned her head to look Lucy in the eyes. "Do you really believe that, Luce? That if Peter wasn't going to make it he'd be defeated by now?" She bit her bottom lip as she thought about the suggestion. "Because that's what I've been telling myself. He's been there for three months now and I keep thinking if he wasn't going to survive, I would have lost him weeks ago." She let out a sigh. "I just hope he doesn't grow to regret knowing me. Peter deserves only the best and I cause him so much stress," she remarked, smirking at her own expense. She shuffled closer to Lucy and rested her head against her sister's. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and frowned. "And now I'm causing the three of you stress too..."

As soon as he heard Sinead's voice, James felt his heart sink and muttered a "fuck" under his breath. He quickly stood up and turned around. Before he could say or do anything, Lucy made it clear she would try to calm Sinead down. When Syd asked if she had heard them, James knew it was a rhetorical question but he still nodded his head in a grave manner. As his son paced the room, James scratched the back of his neck, trying to predict how much Sinead had heard and how much of it would be a genuine surprise to her. She was naive and idealistic, but she was also one of the most intelligent people he knew and he honestly didn't believe it was all such a big surprise to her. "We weren't to know, Syd..." he tried to reassure his son. When he said they should explain themselves, James nodded in agreement. "She's probably going to want to hit me, mate, so try not to get in the way of it," he remarked. It wouldn't be the first time she had done so...


Hearing Syd's voice, Sinead looked to the door and let out a soft sigh. She grabbed the nearby face towel and began to dab her face again, hoping her make-up wasn't too smudged and she didn't look as much of a mess as she felt. "Of course, Syd..." she sweetly told him, not wanting to be snappy with her nephew. She looked at Syd and James, her eyes wide open. "You both just confirmed what I already suspected. I appreciate you all trying to sugarcoat things for me but what if I lose Peter because I don't help him enough? I mean, I can't help him. I can't go in there and make things better for him like he always does for me." She took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from saying what was on the tip of her tongue... failing to stop herself. "Peter's in jail because he was helping the family's crooked business, so why isn't anyone in this family helping him now?!" she asked, clearly frustrated. She knew James didn't have control over everything or have magic powers in the prison service, but she just needed to let out her frustrations.

Sinead tightened her jaw and looked to Lucy. "Do I look a mess now?" she asked. "I won't spoil everyone's evening. We're going out for dinner," she firmly decided.

Bellz (Lucy) Pyroclast (Syd)

Syd Porter

Syd wasn't sure he wanted to be first to enter the room if Sinead was in the mood to hit someone like James had suggested - he had seen her get angry before and wasn't keen to be in the firing line. But when she answered him, her voice carried a relatively gentle tone and so, after one last glance to his father, he slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

As his aunt began to berate the two of them, Syd struggled to keep his eyes on her. Normally when she was crying he would want to help and comfort her, but this time he was in trouble and wasn't sure how easily she would take comfort from him. He hovered near the doorway, holding onto one arm like an abashed boy as she told them off - mostly because he knew she had every right to be upset with him so there was nothing to get defensive about and no fight to be had.

"You are helping him, Aunt Sinead," he attempted. "I mean, if he didn't have you visiting him he'd be way worse than he is. You're his reason to survive that place and get out, you and the kids." Syd looked to his parents in turn, hoping his choice of words wasn't making things worse. He had winced internally when she had described the business as crooked - of course it was, but it seemed like such a negative word for something he loved and believed in so strongly. "We'll help him when he gets out, I promise we will," he continued, his voice steady but getting quieter as he lost confidence in his ability to cheer her up. "If my dad can go to prison and come out a stronger man, what's to say Uncle Peter won't?"

Interactions
Misty Gray Sinead, James
Bellz Lucy

"I really do believe that, love." Lucy spoke gently. When Sinead leaned her head against Lucy's, the blonde squeezed her sister a little tighter. "You aren't causing us stress." Her voice was a little more firmer than it had been before, wanting to make it clear that Sinead was not part of the stress that James, herself and Syd had on their minds. The two men were still trapped in the mindset of business, she could only guess and Lucy was too busy stressing about the baby. "Sin, we aren't stressed, we just want to see you smile some more hmm?" She asked, lifting her head up to look at her sister now. "The signature Sinny smile that we all love so much, its been a long time since we've seen it meet your beautiful eyes." Lucy smiled gently at the image of her sister being completely happy again. Before she could say anymore, there was a knock at the door and Syd's voice was asking if they could come in. Sinead sweetly told Syd he could come in. With their imaginary tail between their legs, the boys shuffled into the room.

Sinead spoke to them, saying that they had confirmed what she already suspected. Lucy bit her lip softly as she looked to James then to Syd, knowing both of her boys felt bad for what had happened. It was an honest mistake, they had no idea Sin would overhear. Lucy rubbed her back gently as her baby sister let all of her frustrations out. Lucy glanced down as she listened to her sister speak up until she blamed Peter being in jail because of the crooked business. The blonde wasn't sure why, but it had hurt her heart to hear such words coming from her sisters mouth. Sure, was it an honest business? Not really. Was it danger free? Absolutely not. But it was the business that had kept the Sullivans comfortable for many years. The three of them wouldn't have the life they were living if it wasn't for the business. Her father had worked so hard for his family, despite the dangers and risk. Peter was doing the same thing. She knew how much James wanted to help Peter, he talked about it often..

Syd spoke up then, looking to both Lucy and James, seeming unsure of his words. She nodded her head at Syd, a small smile forming on her lips as their son spoke. Lucy couldn't have been more proud of the young man before her, so even and intelligent, and he was doing everything he could to comfort his aunt. At the mention of James going to prison, Lucy looked to her husband. He had certainly came out a stronger man, but there were factors that played into it all. "Sinny, I know you are frustrated. But you must understand that James is doing everything he possibly can. Its hard to help someone from the inside of a prison." She murmured to her sister. Looking to her as she asked if she looked like a mess, Lucy shook her head. She continued to rub Sinead's back in small circles, knowing that her next words may not be as comforting"But this crooked business...has given us everything. We wouldn't have been able to live such comfortable lives back in Chicago if it wasn't for this business, our children wouldn't be living the lives they are now if it wasn't for this business. Daddy worked hard for the business and James is working just as hard. Peter chose to work for the business and he knew the risks going in. He's a good man who wanted to help his brother in law provide for his family. Like Syd said, you are helping him just by going in a visiting him. This business is giving him an opportunity to help you and the kids thrive. If I know Peter like I think I do, that's all he's ever wanted for you."

Lucy looked to James again, giving him a look that showed how proud she was. "Alright, now we should get to dinner."

with: Sinead Misty Gray
mentions: Syd Pyroclast

Minnie continued walking with a nudge from Evan, following his directions as they set off for the windows cautiously. She thanked her lucky stars that she had coaxed Evan into join her, probably would have been looking like swiss cheese now if she hadn't. Smoke was coming from the floorboards as they walked through another corridor, causing Minnie to hold her breath as she shielded her eyes. Last thing she wanted to do was cough and give away their location. When they made it past the smoke, Minnie let out a big breath of air and blinked a few times as her eyes watered. They made it to the window after a short time and Evan began to open the window, struggling with it only for a moment before he lifted it open. Lifting her left brow, she too stuck her head out the window to see that a truck was parked beneath it. "How very convenient." Minnie said as she took a step away from the window. After a moment Evan stepped away before offering for her to go first. The brunette's eyes opened a bit wider as she looked to the open window. Heights wasn't her friend and she liked to avoid them at all cost. But it was either jump out a window to live or be littered with a bunch of bullets. She still had a lot to live for, so she took a deep breath and a step towards the window. "Such a gentleman," She purred smoothly, not wanting to reveal that she was nervous to save face. "Alright..." Minnie took another step towards the window and stuck her head out of it, looking down towards the truck that was positioned below.

She stood there a moment, wasting precious seconds that they could have had to escape. "You sure you don't want to go first. Brains before beauty as they say?" She smirked, there was voice shouting a short distance from them which quickly made up Minnie's mind for her. "Fucking hell." She growled out before swinging her leg over the window sill and straddling it for a moment. Just before she could swing her other leg over, Carter's voice called out for backup. Minnie looked to Evan, trying to decide if they should just ditch the others in their time of need or go back into the fire fight. Minnie groaned out as she swung her leg back over, "Come on." She growled out but this time not grabbing his hand, not forcing him to follow if he chose not to. Minnie reached for her firearm again and began to jog towards the sounds of men shouting.

Minnie pressed her back against the wall, aiming her gun at the Porter men as she shuffled closer to their own men who were barely dodging the bullets that were flying, not having proper coverage from it all. "You called?" Minnie shouted back to Carter as she pulled the trigger, she didn't check to see if Evan had decided to stay like she had, not wanting to turn her head from the action and risk getting shot.

Minnie clenched her jaw before shuffling forward, hiding behind one of their men, tall enough and wide enough to be a human shield. Looking from behind him, Minnie carefully shot a few more bullets, unsure of where they were landing at this point in the fire fight, just shooting to injure more than to kill. At a quick glance, she aimed her weapon in the direction where Rudy was ducked and fired off 2 bullets, careful to conserve the ammo she had. The man in front of her suddenly shouted out in pain before doubling over, leaving Minnie out in the open. The woman quickly sprinted towards the wall, looking for cover when a bullet hit her in the leg, causing her to tumble forward. Pulling herself towards the small cover from the indents in the wall, she hissed out a line of curse words as she put her hand on the wound, the warm blood oozing through her fingers.
with: Evan Misty Gray ; Carter Enzyme ; Rudy Shireling

Dale McKenna

Dale stood a few feet away from Peter, his arms crossed and a look of unwavering interest upon his face. Since Peter had mentioned the Porter name, he couldn't help but look at the man slightly differently now. It would be hard to confirm just how connected the two were on the outside considering Dale had been locked up for 23 odd years, but the more they spoke, the less of a stranger Peter seemed.

The way he asked about his connection to the Sullivan family made Dale chuckle lightly. "Familiar?" he asked, shaking his head in mild amusement. "I was working for them by the age of 18, I was. Married a girl from our travelling tribe and took her away to be stationed in Dublin. It was exciting for us, staying in one place, and the gang were good to us. We all considered ourselves above the law - us travellers always just out of reach, the gang able to use bribery. Back then, it was even easier to fool 'em, the little shites. Aye, we worked with 'em 'til...well, 'til I was put in 'ere back in '37." The smile had gradually faded from his face as he approached the subject of his wife's death, fortunately avoiding it at the last moment. "They made sure little Evelyn was well looked after, anyway."

Dale stood firmly before Peter, but when the man began to express his appreciation for his company, Dale looked dumbfounded. He wasn't used to fellow inmates talking so openly and freely towards him - most either kept out of his way or spoke only of prison-related business, no one daring to tell him what they thought of him to his face. "Ah, now," he mumbled, sliding into a brief pause. "Don't go tellin' people in here you trust them, or they'll take advantage..." Dale looked over to some of the other men in the gym - he had seen them in there almost every day, yet thanks to Peter's openness he somehow felt he knew Peter on a more personal level than any of them. "But if you and I really are on the same team out there, then I'll say you can trust me. Tell me more about the Porters if you like - or don't. I just know I've been out the loop for a while...Even though my Eve works for the boss, it's only from a distance - she can't tell me much. They're good people, then?"

If he was being honest with himself, Dale's first impression of Peter hadn't been the best. He had come across as weak and submissive. But now, the man was turning out to be more three dimensional than that, and the more they spoke, the more Dale found he could relate to him. He hoped that the other gang members running Dublin now would be a bit tougher than Peter, but if they were anything as friendly then his daughter was surely still in good hands.

Interactions
Bellz Peter

Sinead faintly smiled when Lucy reassured her that Peter was surviving and that she herself wasn't causing people stress. Sinead looked at Lucy's face as the blonde told her they wanted to see her smile - the real, bright smile she was known for. Though this did bring a wide smile to her face, it didn't reflect in her sorrowful eyes and that wasn't something she could consciously force. She affirmatively nodded her head, however. "I am trying. I will try. There's just a piece of my heart missing and I can't just fill it in." Peter had taken a big chunk of that with him and a small part also belonged to her friend, Ryan, who had been doing his best to avoid her since his recent admission. She still wasn't sure how to repair their friendship when he was insisting on keeping his distance.

Sinead focused on Syd as he reassured her that her visits were helping Peter and she was likely his motivation to survive the place. "Do you really think so?" she quietly asked. "I try my best. I dress up how he's used to seeing me and I tell him all of the good things about the children. The silly things they do or the achievements they make. It seems to cheer him up. I just feel there's something different, like what I'm saying isn't enough to give him the encouragement he needs," she went on. When she did visit, she tended to focus on their children because of how important they were to both of their lives, and because she worried talking about herself too much would make him see through her facade to realise she was struggling without him. She quickly nodded when Syd said they would look after Peter when he gets out. "I'm sure you all will, I really am. I just fear for him in the meantime," she admitted. She then glanced to James as his own survival in prison was mentioned. James was a strong, at times detached, man and that was who he was, she just couldn't imagine Peter being that way. She thought her husband was perfect the way he was and she loved how gentle he was. The fact he wasn't big and muscular was never something that entered her thoughts either. It didn't matter if he was skinny, fat or ripped. She would love Peter no matter what he looked like... though she was sure she wouldn't kick him out of bed if he did come out of jail physically stronger...

James was glad when Lucy backed up the fact he wasn't a miracle worker and couldn't just assume control over a prison. "You know I'm already trying on that front," he spoke up to Sinead. "So far, none of the guys I am in contact with are in the same section of the jail as Pete. As for the wardens - they're not easy to influence like the cops are. Prison has its own sets of rules compared to out on the streets."

Sinead sighed as Lucy went on to reminder her of what the business had done for their family and how hard their father had worked to provide for them in Chicago. She knew it was all true and that without James continuing the business her children's lives wouldn't have been as enriched as they were. She just always believed there was a legal way to get by, albeit with less home comforts. But she also acknowledged she was something of a dreamer and an idealist, that her beliefs weren't always realistic. "I know you're right. You're all right. It just doesn't make it all that much easier to accept," she relented.

Sinead placed a kiss on Lucy's cheek before standing up and straightening out her dress. "You're right. Let's go get dinner. James is buying, yes?" she cheekily asked.

James quirked his eyebrow, suspicious at how relatively easy it had been to calm Sinead down. He stepped aside, motioning to Syd and Sinead to lead the way. It was partly to confirm that Sinead was indeed ready to go, but also so he could steal a private moment with Lucy. "Shit, I'm sorry, love. I kind of fucked that one up," he whispered to her. He placed his hand on his wife's lower back and looked her over. "You look stunning, Luce," he complimented her.

Bellz (Lucy) Pyroclast (Syd)

Evan chuckled as Minnie confirmed he wanted her to go first. He was about to help her fully climb out of the window when he heard Carter's voice call out for assistance. He was probably the last IWU member he'd abandon, so he was going to have to pass up on that nice escape route he had in front of his face. Minnie had the same idea and she climbed back into the building, then rushed ahead of his to ascend the stairs to the second floor.

When Evan arrived on the scene, the bullets were being fired from both sides but in his estimation, the Porters were now outnumbered by the IWU members. He kept to wall, dodging the path of the bullets and found himself standing next to an injured Jared. Against his better judgement, he decided to cover the man. "Move down the wall and take cover in the first room, until it's safe for us to help you outta here," he ordered, estimating the first room in question would be the janitor's closet. As Jared shifted down to take cover into the room, Evan covered him and fired off some bullets in Rudy's approximate direction.

Evan moved back against the wall, reaching into his back pocket for a fresh round and effortlessly reloaded his handgun. His attention was drawn to Minnie who had taken cover near to him, but not before she'd taken a bullet to her leg. Evan crouched down, not taking his eyes off the approximate location of the enemy, and tapped Minnie on the shoulder. "Stay down or follow that prick," he firmly ordered her, referring to Jared. If needs be, Gideon could use any remaining ammunition she had in her gun.

Evan then moved a little closer to the source of the return fire and sent two more bullets in Rudy's direction, hoping to buy Carter some time for a breather and possible reload. The Porters on the second floor would by now be aware they were outnumbered by the IWU members...

Bellz (Minnie) Enzyme (Gideon, Carter) Shireling (Rudy)

The IWU men continued to suppress fire as Minnie and Evan arrived. The hallway was now aligned with bodies, pressing themselves so tightly against the walls that it looked as if the drywall would cave in. The smoke in the hallway had begun to clear from the explosion, but the endless rounds fired created a haze barrier of its own. Empty shells were strewn across the floor, chunks of the carpet torn from bullets and stained with blood, pieces of wall scattered across the hall. With the clear tilt in power, some of the IWU goons began to get more ballsy in an attempt to finish off the two Porters. One such man used the covering fire to sneak closer to the men. Rudy had continued to fire, so he pressed his back closer to his side to avoid being detected.

Hoping to get the drop on an unsuspecting Butch, he raised the barrel of his gun parallel to the side of his head. Sneaking closer to the small divider in the hallway, it was hard to make out the large man through the mist. As he stepped closer, he could clearly see two barrel holes aimed at him. Unable to react in time, Butch fired off both barrels simultaneously. The near point blank impact was enough to blow the man's arm clean off his shoulder, along with mangling the rest of his upper torso and lower jaw with pellets. The force of the blasts effortlessly threw the man off of his feet and sent him crashing against one of the apartment doors, breaking open the thin wood. Now inside the small apartment room laid a man, almost unrecognizable as a human being. Butch loaded in two fresh buckshot rounds, daring another man to round his divider.

Watching the man get launched through the air stopped anyone from following in his path. Carter was relieved, however, when Evan took the heat off of him. Able to pull a spare magazine out of the back pocket of the man in front of him, he slapped in a fresh set of rounds into his 9mm handgun. Racking the slide back, he shot his aim back to Rudy, who appeared to be the only one returning fire directly at them. He rested the weight of his aim on the man's shoulder, looking directly down the iron sights. "Come on, you dryshite! Stick your bloody head out!"

Shireling Misty Gray Bellz

"You'd like that, wouldn't you!" Rudy hollared back, just hearing Carter over the din of gunfire. He glanced over at Butch, wondering if their cavalry was actually going to arrive or if Jackson was also pinned down on the first floor. If that was the case, there was little hope of him getting out alive, and that thought sat heavy in the back of his head, causing a tight knot to rise up in his throat. He poked his hand around the corner just quick enough to pop off two more shots then glanced at Butch, who he noticed still had their duffle slung over his shoulder.

"No chance we still have a bit of dynamite in that bag is there, Butch?" He asked while standing up a bit to keep himself from cramping up. Two bullets smacked the door frame with resounding thuds and kicked up more splinters which bounced harmlessly off of his heavy maintenance coveralls, but he dared not poke his head out for fear of worse than a bit of wood shrapnel.

Enzyme Bellz Misty Gray Melanin-Gxdess

It excited Peter to think that he had someone who was on his side now, well besides George. The man listened eagerly as Dale went on to explain how familiar he was with the Sullivan family, a sincere smile forming on Peter's face as the man dived into his story saying that he had been working for them by the age of 18. Peter was not that much older when he began working for the Sullivan's himself. Dale seemed to be missing such a life from what Peter could tell. Peter missed it too, being in the action. To most of his family and friends, Peter was always seen as the gentle one. He was sure that most of the men back home thought he wasn't going to make it out of here alive. He thought that too. But with the interactions with Dale brought a strong sense of hope and renewal. He wasn't going to be the same man he was before, but did he want to be? That was a hard question to answer.

Dale looked confused as Peter had thanked him. The man he once was revealing itself. He would always say thank you to someone who was helping him, he couldn't help it. The man before him was a beast, taller and stronger and yet Peter's words seemed to soften him just a bit. "Well it sounds to me like we are on the same team." He said lightly. When he then asked if the Porters were good people, which Peter nodded his head firmly to, "Some of the best people I know and that's coming from someone who grew up in the exact opposite of situations." There was a brief smile that formed on his face, thinking of the family who was probably at home now, living life without him. "I'm actually married to Emmet's youngest daughter, and James Porter is married to Emmet's oldest daughter...that's how he came to take over the business." Peter looked around again, this time he actually met some of the glances he was given, staring down a few men before turning back to Dale.

"They take care of there own and have a weak spot for the orphans." He said, lightly chuckling as he was one of the orphans they decided to make apart of their group. "I'm not surprised to here that they continue to take care of Eve. Its surprising to meet such terrifying yet compassionate people like the Porters...you don't come by people like them very often."

with: Dale Pyroclast

Lucy's heart broke for her sister, wanting to take all her worries away a single hug. She knew it wasn't easy and she couldn't imagine what she was going through. Six whole months without Peter was taking a toll on her. The blonde only hoped that Sinead would make it these last few months before Peter gets out. Lucy feared for how Peter was going to be when he finally did return home. She wouldn't say it out loud and she was sure her sister already knew, but he wouldn't return the same man. Petey was the gentle one, very different from the rough and tough exterior of most of the men in the household. Finn and Peter were more intellectuals than they were fighters. Lucy expected that to be different once he returned home.

Listening to all the things Sinead did for Peter, to try and help him. Lucy nodded her head along and pulled her sister tighter to her, knowing that she was trying her absolute best. "We will most certainly look after Petey lovely." She murmured in agreement with Syd. James was a very different man compared to Peter, he had a lot more experiences; if that was even the right word to use. The conversation they were having now was a productive one and Lucy hoped that they would be able to get everything out in the open. She expected them to not make it to dinner, knowing how much her sister worried and how long it took to calm her down. If it got to that point, Lucy would suggest for the boys to go have dinner on their own while the girls talk everything out.

Much to her own surprise, however, Sinead agreed with what Lucy had said rather quickly and was ready to go to dinner, kissing Lucy's cheek sweetly and standing up. Lucy looked to James who looked just as surprised, standing up slowly, Lucy straightened out her own dress as much as she could before walking towards the door. She stopped next to James as he waved the other two out the door. "Don't worry about it, love. I think its better this way, for her to be in the know.." Her cheeks warmed up as he complimented her appearance, "Oh stop," She giggled and swatted his bicep playful, "You are looking good enough to eat!" She murmured sweetly, "We should probably get to dinner quickly then?"




The group of four arrived at the restaurant, a little late for the reservation but that wasn't a problem for them as they were lead to their table by the hostess. Once in their seats with drink orders out of the way, Lucy smiled at everyone at the table before clasping her hands together, a mischievous look in her eyes as she looked at the boys as if they were her pray. "Now that Sinead and I have you trapped where we want you. Its time to discuss wedding details." The blonde looked to Sinead for a moment as an excited smile formed on her lips, "So this time around, Sinny is my maid of honor of course! But this wedding is extra special because we get to share our big day with our children, nieces and nephews and all of our family and friends." Memories of her previous wedding were being remembered but she tried to push them aside, continuing to smile. "And I know we said August baby, " She looked to her husband, mentioning the month that they had originally planned the wedding for, "But Sinead suggested I take a little more time to adjust to the baby and taking a little more time for myself, that way I can focus all my attention on making our day a one to remember." The conversation was briefly interrupted as the drinks were being set in front of them.

The waiter stated that he would give them a few more moments to decide before hurrying off to his other tables. Lucy took a moment to pick up the menu again, looking over what she wanted for dinner. She was very indecisive tonight. The blonde scrunched her nose in distaste at some of the entree descriptions, simply imagining how disgusting it would taste to her. Sighing heavily, she looked to Sinead, "I can't decide on anything.
" She huffed.


with: Sinead Misty Gray
mentions: Syd Pyroclast

The days that followed Tommy's funeral was filled with busy work for Ryan as he put together the final preparations to assassinate Sergeant Higgins. Thanks to Kennedy's intel and his willingness to send his contemporary to his death, Ryan would be able to hopefully able to take the sergeant's life with relative ease and free of loose ends. That is if everything went roughly according to plan.

Ryan kneaded bridge of his nose lightly as he wasn't used to the fake glasses that he was currently wearing. They were thin and smart frame but he was still unused to the extra bit weight on his face. He stared blankly through the largest window of the flat as he played out multiple scenarios in his head to past the time.

While he mentally prepared for the worst case, which was of course that this was all a trap and multiple police officers burst through the door to arrest him, he paid little attention the bland view of the neighboring building's masonry. Ryan wasn't much for on the spot acting, but he'd had time to prepare and the vaguely opaque reflection in the window was barely recognizable to even himself. While he was no stranger to a suit, he wasn't used to a starched shirt and such a clean shaven face. He wasn't one to neglect his personal hygiene, but to be this clean cut looking felt a bit off.

Still, Ryan couldn't help but wonder absentmindedly if this would of been a more natural look if he'd picked a different path in life. A snort escaped Ryan as he reminded himself the fruitlessness of such thoughts and he moved away from the window.

The apartment had a nice, clean appearance, and was a touch bigger than his own flat but it didn't really suit his tastes. It had a radiant heater instead of the peat burning stove in his own place and it didn't produce quite as much heat as he would've liked.

The knock from the door resonated through the whole space and a man's voice made its way through door clear enough to tell him that there was a good chance that his target had arrived.

Ryan could feel his heart quicken a bit as he steeled himself for the encounter. Breathing deep as pulled the image of the person he intended on mimicking into his mind, a compatriot back in Chicago that ran a numbers racket, Michael Tinsley. The man was a bundle of nerves almost at all times, and Ryan had spent enough time around the man to remember some of Mr. Tinsley's mannerisms. He wasn't confident that he could keep the facade up for very long but long enough to serve his needs.

As he crossed the room to approach the locked door and looked through peephole tentatively check who it was. Ryan had never seen the Sergeant in person but the photos he'd been shown matched the man that stood outside the door.

Still, he spoke through the door in suspicious tone, "The Gardai? Who are you? Let me see your badge!"

The inquiry was mostly to double check the man's identity to make sure it was indeed Sergeant Higgins before Ryan would show him in. Of course, when the proof was given, Ryan would unlock the door and show the detective in before resecuring the door.

Ryan's new timid and cautious demeanor showed as he showed Higgins to a sofa in the small living area, "I apologize, s-sir. I'm just a little on edge."

Enzyme [Higgins]

Butch looked to Rudy through the splinters of wood, squinting his eyes to protect them from the flying debris. He had entirely forgotten about the pack around his shoulder. The weight began to feel more prominent as he reached around for the pockets. Placing the sawed-off beside him, he tossed the carpet bag in front of himself and viciously ripped open the zipper in a panic. "We got a few sticks left!" He shouted over the gunshots. He smirked to Rudy, giving him a nod as he pulled a long explosive stick from the pack. Pulling a set of matches from his vest, he used the velcro strip on his Maintenance uniform's sleeve to ignite it. The indent in the wall protected him from the pouring sprinkles, allowing the match to stay lit. "Cover me, mate!" He shouted to Rudy, pulling the flame under the thin string. The fuse was immediately set ablaze, resembling a spasmodic sparkler and releasing a distinct hiss.

Butch tossed the dynamite down the hall, the stick encircled by a red halo as it cartoonishly bounced off the floorboards. "Get back!" A man shouted from down the hall. As the fuse reached the explosive, the burst was quick, but the fallout was slow and menacing. The explosion shot the discarded debris into the air, briefly covering the hall in another wave of dust. Acting as a hiccup in the gunfire, the brief silence was followed by a few men shouting in pain. It wasn't long until the voices were masked by the ensuing gunfire. Seeing as it managed to push the IWU back a few feet, Butch began to light another stick.

Misty Gray Shireling Bellz

Jackson had been indiscriminate with his gunfire. His fury held no bounds, not letting up for even the men cowering behind desks. With each pump of his submachine gun, the only thing he felt when executing the workers was the recoiling butt of the firearm. He had moved to take cover behind one of the many destroyed pillars, loading in a fresh drum magazine. The few IWU men directing their gunfire of him felt confident to proceed forward to flank him. Jackson lowered his stance, his shoulder nearly touching the floor. Leaning out from behind cover, he let out a burst of gunfire to drop the two men like sandbags.

Aliana's voice caught his attention as she yelled over the shots. He looked over to her, catching her bright green eyes. Jackson looked around the small room from the protection of his pillar. Most of the gunfire seemed to be coming from Porter barrels, as they finished off the remaining workers downstairs. He looked back to Aliana as if she was a cue for the next step. "We get the hell out of here before the Gardai show up." As he spoke, his ears picked up more gunfire. Although close, it sounded muffled, as if it were going on directly above his head. "Shit!" He shouted, slapping his gun up to his chest. He sprinted past the elevator, to the door indicating the staircase.

After reaching the second floor, he was no longer oblivious to the war going on up there. He caught sight of the backs of Rudy and Butch, Riley laying dead on the floor between them. Sending his boot to the door, he fired into the black cloud in the hall. Unsure of where the enemy was, he used Rudy's line of fire as a reference. He was soon met with direct bullets, now aware of where the threat was. He slammed himself into the cover of a divot in the hall, only a few doors behind Rudy and Butch. "Let's cover each other and get the fuck outta' here!" He shouted to them, firing off burst shots at the IWU down the hallway.

Melanin-Gxdess


Carter couldn't help but smile at Rudy's defiant response. Cheeky bugga'. Nevertheless, he continued to pop shots at the man, hoping to catch the corner of his skull and nail him. He looked to the other wall as Evan began to escort Jared back. In the heat of the moment, he had to resist the urge to shoot Jared in the back as he stumbled away. His mind even considered how he could get away with it, with no proof that was him who pulled the trigger. He easily shook the thought away as Jared disappeared into the janitors closet. His eyes fell back on Minnie, who was bleeding from her leg. "Makes you feel alive, don' it?" He shouted to her, holding a crooked smile.

He quickly moved across the hallway to avoid being hit, landing beside Minnie. "Put pressure on it, luv'," He ordered, raising the handgun to eye level and firing off rounds to where Butch was. The steaming hot shells ejected from his handgun, falling to the endless piles on the floor. He could make out commotion from behind Butch's divider, sensing that the man was about to run for cover. He held his aim, ready for the man to pop up. Instead, he saw a long, bright stick thrown in their direction. The loud whistling was all too familiar, causing Carter to drop his aim. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around Minnie and forced their bodies to the floor. Unsure if he was saving her, or using her as a cushion to fall on, they two of them narrowly missed the lethal explosion. A loud ringing sound pierced his eardrums as pieces of the floor and brass shells rain downed upon them. He quickly got to his knees, throwing himself back to the wall.

Groaning and shouting followed up, an IWU man stumbling up from the floor. He attempted to drag himself, half of his leg hanging back as he struggled to pull his weight along. Carter popped his handgun back out, opening fire before the two men got too confident. As he pressed himself harder against the wall, another Porter appeared in the stairwell, firing down upon them with automatic gunfire, a new for this gunfight.

Misty Gray Shireling Bellz Melanin-Gxdess

The explosion rocked the second floor a second time, although this was more of a short jolt than the violent explosion earlier had caused. Rudy's ears were ringing badly and he felt like he was going to throw up for a few seconds until the ringing subsided. The smoke was starting to disipate as the gunshots fell quiet on the IWU side for a few seconds. About that time, he heard Jackson's footsteps on the stairs and heard the familiar man's voice over the gunfire calling them to retreat. As much as Rudy wanted to press the attack, to make sure that Jared was dead, he relented. Either the bomb did its job or it didn't, it was out of his hands now. He ordered Butch to fall back first as he and Jackson covered the large man, then Rudy followed suit. As he hit the stairwell, he clapped Jackson's shoulder with the friendliness that comes natural to comrades-in-arms.

"Thanks, mate. I thought we were going to bite it up there. You saved my ass. I have no idea if that bomb did the job or not, but I think Jared's dead." He reloaded his pistol with his one spare magazine and nodded his head. "Alright boss, we're with you." He said, joining the general retreat.

Enzyme Misty Gray Melanin-Gxdess Bellz

The hard impacts of his shoes on the pavement could be heard for a block and a half as Jack ran, as quickly as his legs could carry him, away from the textile factory. He had been upstairs on the far side, working on a union newsletter, when he heard the explosion followed quickly by gunshots. Fortunate that his makeshift office had a window, he clambered out onto the roof and was able to drop down onto the pavement, although not without sustaining what he imagined to be a sprained ankle but was probably worse. His right leg shot up and down with pain, but he wouldn't stop running. Fear overcame Jack, only a young man and certainly not ready to die, and forced him on until he could run no more.

He halted, finally, on a deserted street in a quiet residential corner of the old city. Panting, he walked into a nearby phone booth, shut the door, and leaned against the wall of the booth, sliding down in a breathless mess. After a few minutes, he was sufficiently recovered that he could stand back up, the pain in his leg now almost unbearable, and inserted a few coins into the phone.

"Operator, can I get the Gaurdai on the phone?"

There was a short tone, then.

"Dublin Metropolitan Police, what is your emergency?"

Panting, Jack wheezed out, "There's been a terrorist attack, old textile factory," he gave the address, "you need to send men quickly, it's urgent."

"Are you there sir? Are you safe?"

"I'm fine, just hurry," Jack grumbled impatiently as he placed the phone back on the hook. He stumbled out of the booth, his leg now causing him to limp noticeably. He winced with every step as he looked about trying to get his bearings, and as he did so he kept repeating to himself, "They're dead, they're dead, they're fucking dead - ah, me. I'm gonna go down for this. They'll pin me up in all this." He cursed breathlessly as he hobbled in the direction of his apartment, doubled over in the cold weather.

Despite the pain coming from her leg, Minnie was determined to continue fighting on. Looking behind her, she saw that Evan was covering Jared, getting him to cover in another room before the man could be killed by the Porters. Minnie wondered why Evan would do such a thing, after everything that had happened earlier. Only distracted for a moment, she turned her head back to the action and was about to struggle getting up to her feet when Evan grabbed her shoulder, ordering her to either stay down or follow their leader into the other room. "Blow it out your ass, Shaw." Minnie growled in response, getting sick of people treating her like she was some helpless being because she was a woman. Still, she decided to stay down, the bleeding from her leg was beginning to make her head spin. Evan pressed forward before she had the chance to make it clear that she was listening to herself rather than listening to him. She pressed her back against the wall and set her gun down beside her, keeping her head low as she tried to assess the wound. The bleeding wasn't going to stop completely. Suddenly, Carter came crashing right beside her and she looked up to him with wide eyes. Her eyes watched as he fired off a few rounds in the direction of a Porter, shells falling to the floor as he continued to fire.

The throbbing pain from her leg pulled her attention back to her wound. Stop it. She told herself. Now he choses to pay attention to me, instead of that stupid blonde slut. Pressing her already bloodied hand to her wound, she let out a low hiss that could only be heard by her over all the noise. Minnie was so distracted thinking about the man beside her that she hadn't heard the loud whistling that came from the stick of dynamite being thrown her way. Arms wrapped around her with out warning, pushing her to the ground forcefully. She hit the ground hard just as the stick went off, debris falling all around them as they laid there. Her heart thrummed in her chest as the ringing in her ears was the only thing she could hear. Disoriented, Minnie looked up to Carter for a moment, trying to figure out if he had really just saved her and why. She laid on the floor when he got up, confused as to what just happened between them.

She stared up at the ceiling above them, taking in the pieces that were hanging, riddled with holes from the bullets and explosion. Her ears were slowly beginning to clear up, finally hearing the fight that continued to move on without her. The throbbing from her leg pulled her back into reality and this time, she was up with renewed strength. Minnie pressed her back against the wall and she reached for her gun, grabbing it and aiming it towards the two Porters left. It was only that way for a second as another Porter revealed himself, firing an automatic weapon their way. Minnie looked to Carter and shouted, "We need to press forward, get these fuckers in a corner." As she said this however, she could see through the thin veil of smoke that the Porter men were now escaping down the stairwell. Minnie pulled herself to her feet, ready to chase the fuckers down the stairs, injury or not.
with: Evan Misty Gray ; Carter Enzyme ; Rudy Shireling

James was glad they'd still managed to arrive at the restaurant to find their reserved table was still available for them. With Sinead taking a seat next to her sister, James sat opposite Lucy. Before he had chance to comment on how nice it was to be in the stylish and relaxing restaurant, the waiter came to take their drinks orders. He let the others order first, smirking to himself as Sinead deliberated over the list of fancy fruity cocktails like her life depended on it but then went with a glass of champagne anyway. He ordered himself a Scotch, with much less fuss around the decision as it was his usual choice of spirit.

As Lucy started by mentioning she and Sinead had him trapped, James pulled an exaggerated worried expression and glanced to Syd for help. "Here we go..." he grumbled as she mentioned discussing the wedding details. It wasn't that he wasn't excited about it, but the thought of both Lucy and Sinead talking at him about the wedding with no way to escape it... It would be a long evening hearing about colour schemes and outfits, he feared. Luckily, the conversation was more about the date and less about fashion. "Phew..." he remarked, with a playful grin. "I thought I was going to have my ear chewed off about how many shades of white exist. Again." He nodded in agreement, though. He just wanted them to have the perfect wedding they missed out on the first time and that meant whenever Lucy was completely comfortable to have it. "Of course we can wait longer. We'll do it whenever you're ready, love," he reassured her. James thanked the waiter as the drinks were brought out and then took a sip of his alcohol. "It doesn't matter when we do it. We'll make it a day for everyone to remember."

"This is going to be great," Sinead mischievously spoke up. Though her eyes were on the menu, her mind was already imagining different colour schemes and adorable little outfits for the children. However, she was snapped out of her daydream when the pressure was mounted to choose what she wanted to eat. Her eyes quickly scanned the menu until she found the food she hoped to find. She looked to Lucy as she said she couldn't decide on anything. "Well, I'm obviously getting the roast chicken," she informed her, as it was her favourite food. "What's the one thing you want the most, Luce?" she asked. "What do you think baby wants?" she sweetly added. She'd always craved chocolate milkshakes during her pregnancy, but that wasn't going to help Lucy pick food for dinner. She then nudged Syd's arm with her elbow. "Have you decided yet, Mister? Help your mother out here," she playful teased him.

Bellz (Lucy) Pyroclast (Syd)

Jackson ( Enzyme ) Rudy ( Shireling )

There was an unspoken agreement that Butch would go first since he was the largest target among the group. The three of them fired down the dark hallway as Butch rushed to the door. "Go!" He shouted to the rest. He allowed Rudy to run for the door, while he and Aliana used their submachine guns to suppress the corners of the hallway. He walked back down the hall, rapidly shifting his aim from each corner. He knew how eager the IWU goons would be to pop their heads out, so he didn't give them the chance.

Once they reached the natural light in the stairwell, he pressed his back against the brick wall. A few bullets shot through the wooden door, but it remained undisturbed after. Jackson nodded along quickly as Rudy spoke, appearing to be half listening as he jogged down the stairs. From the look on his face, there were a million things running through his mind. Luckily, Blake was left with the rest of the Porters downstairs; one less thing he had to worry about. When Ali asked if it was time to leave before they were arrested, Jackson nodded and spoke, sounding out of breath. "I'd reckon that's the plan."

Once they rounded the large pillar in the center of the staircase, he shot his aim above, aiming at the second-floor door that they had come from. As he expected, two IWU goons appeared in the doorway, raining down gunfire upon them. "Go! Go! Go!" Jackson ordered to the group, staying behind to overpower the two. His bullets slammed into the metal lining of the door, causing sparks to the fly. It seemed to scare the two off enough, their heads shooting back behind the ledge. As expected, the drum magazine didn't last long, quickly running dry. Without a second to spare, Jackson released the submachine gun and let it bounce on the sling over his shoulder. Moving to his waistband, he ripped the P210 out from behind his belt and popped off a few shots. Butch had a dynamite stick to spare, lighting it up with the match set. He tossed the burning stick over the ledge, and the Porter group escaped down through the ground floor door.

Shireling Melanin-Gxdess Bellz

Carter couldn't hold the same level of enthusiasm as Minnie, seeing as the group was making a hasty getaway to the door. He attempted to peak his aim over the corner to land a hit or two, but before he could reach his hand out, a piece of the wall was blown off directly in front of him. He quickly shot his head back behind cover, completely deterred. Before he could speak, Minnie sprinted after the group, as if she had forgotten a bullet had blown clean through her leg. Carter looked to the man beside him, raising an eyebrow. "She's a nutta'," He chuckled, before turning on his heels to follow her.

After reaching the balcony above the staircase, they were able to catch sight of the Porters below. Carter allowed his hand to lean over the guardrail, firing off a few shots. He was only able to let off two shots before Jackson returned fire with his powerful automatic. Carter pulled himself behind the cover of the rail. It appeared to be in the nick of time, as the metal railing was immediately lit up, sparks flying all over the floor. "Christ," he muttered. He felt his body jolting back and forth as if he were in a fist fight. He was anticipating the Porter's last bullets, so he could cut the man down before he could reload.

Unfortunately, the fight was cut short at the familiar sound of another stick of dynamite being lit. As Carter suspected, a single stick flew over the rails, trailed by a small string of smoke. Instead of bouncing, it rolled directly between Minnie and Carter. Without a moment of hesitation, Carter grabbed Minnie's shirt and yanked her back through the door. Slamming the door shut and throwing his body against the wall, he anticipated the explosion for the brief second he had to spare. He hadn't underestimated its power, the explosion shaking the floor and blowing the stairwell door clean off its hinges.

Bellz Misty Gray

Whilst Minnie, Carter and others rushed after the retreating Porters, Evan kept his focus on his current position. Though the enemy had likely given in, he still didn't trust it to be that simple. He turned the opposite way and kept his gun aimed ready for any further onslaught from other directions. As he moved, he noticed some injured IWU men struggling against their wounds, motivating Evan more to ensure there wouldn't be a further attack on them. There wasn't much Evan cared about, but he cared for his own people - those members of the IWU.

As he got deeper down the corridor, he managed to intercept two more armed IWU men. "Check Staircase C and gun down any Porters trying to use it," he ordered. Satisfied there were no more immediate threats, Evan returned to the smoke-clouded area where the shootout and dynamite lobbing had just minutes ago ceased. He passed the door of the janitor's closet to see Jared covering his own leg wound. He couldn't help but smirk at the IWU boss, glad the man hadn't escaped the attack without injury. "Mr. Charisma, keep applying that pressure. Gonna need you to switch on that charm for when the cops get here. Use those fancy words of yours to keep our good name sweet," he remarked. Three months of patience was all that remained for Evan. Either Armstrong would win that election and be bound to follow up on his promises to the IWU. Or he would lose the election, and Evan would be through following the man's orders and he suspected he wouldn't be alone on that front.

Turning away, Evan crouched down to one of his fellow IWU members so he could assess the wound to the guy's lower abdomen. "Hold my gun and cover me would ya?" he asked, not ignoring the fact the bleeding man's arms were still working enough. The familiar smell of smoke that had been moments ago accompanied by gunfire and explosions filled Evan with a strange sense of nostalgia. He was already itching for a retaliation against the Porters - to bring more weapons of his own to that party.

Enzyme Bellz

Dale McKenna

A slight smile crept onto Dale's face as Peter told him about the new gang. He wished he hadn't missed the transition of power. Of course, after being locked up as long as he had, society would have changed dramatically: the economy, the standard of living, societal attitudes, music, technology, vehicles - he knew that he would have a lot to adjust to once he was finally released. But it was the memories he held of his former life in the gang that he knew would be the hardest to let go of. With his wife dead, his family off the map and his old gang disbanded or torn apart by violence and murder, he wouldn't have much to return to. Over the years, Dale had seen many inmates return to the institution numerous times - it was clear that they had no life on the outside to return to but a criminal one. It was an easy lesson for an observer like Dale to learn: that if you don't want to end up back in prison, you need to go straight. However, even though he had spent 23 years away from the action, hearing Peter talk about the Porters piqued his interest and it seemed only natural that he would end up seeking them out someday.

"Takes over your life, doesn't it?" he smirked. "You never turn back to your old life once you join a gang. Everything else seems boring, irrelevant." Dale looked at Peter with a thoughtful expression - the man seemed to be a lot more comfortable talking to him now, even daring to look around the gym at the other inmates. When Peter explained how he related to the Porter family, it made Dale wonder how far the mob extended now. He had once considered them family, but now they were mostly strangers to him. If he hadn't ended up in prison, the man before him would probably be called family - but standing here, despite being affiliated with the same people on the outside, Peter was still a stranger to him.

"Listen," he said, clearing his throat and taking a step back. "We got distracted today - next time you're in here, we'll put some more focus into getting a routine for you, alright? But in the meantime, if you want to talk more about this, don't hesitate to come and find me. You know where my cell is. I gotta get going now, I told George I'd find him before rec's over...I'll be seeing you, Callahan." As he was heading through the door, he turned back and pointed to Peter - "You stay outta the infirmary, now!"



Dale was expecting George to be in his cell, so when he spotted him through the window of the communal area at an empty table next to the gym entrance, he almost walked past him. "What you doing here?" he asked, taking a seat opposite the man. "Not shadowing your friend, are you? Seems he finally wants to toughen up and look out for himself." A quiet chuckle escaped him as he thought about how far Peter had to go. Still, he had hope for the man - especially now knowing that the woman waiting for him on the other side was Emmet's girl. Seeing the rather vacant look in George's eyes, Dale pushed down the book that he was holding so that it lay flat against the table, demanding his full attention. "Got something on your mind there, George?"

Interactions
Bellz Peter
Misty Gray George

George's eyes had been scanning the words on the the pages, but next to none of it was actually being processed or stored in his mind. The words he had retained made him think of New York and the name Gatsby, but they were fleeting thoughts as the prisoner has much more powerful thoughts taking over his mind. He was beginning to feel nervous about the parole hearing, dreading being rejected once again. His imagination was being cruel to him, thinking up the possible questions they could ask. What if every little rule break he'd committed had been noted and collected together to throw back at him by the stuffy men in suits who would callously decide his future. Pinching chocolate or smuggling in alcohol. Not to mention getting hold of weapons for the other prisoners. In an ideal world, he would have been able to keep his nose completely clean, but he'd survived by procuring items for inmates who demanded them.

When his thoughts turned away from being cruel to him, George found himself dreaming of what would happen if he did get released, instead. Having his own place and the ability to plan his own day. He could go to bed when he wanted to and find a job that actually paid him for his efforts. Then there was Finn. He wondered what it would be like being able to speak more freely with the man and go out around the pubs, knocking back as much booze as he wanted. Finn had given him even more to look forward to and more determination to fight for his parole.

The book he was holding became heavier, until George snapped out of his thoughts and saw Dale sitting opposite him. The man's comments and questions had entered George's mind. He was slow to recall them, but he soon realised what had been said to him. He looked down to the book and closed it, setting it down on the table. "The Great Gatbsy? I've read that before..." he mumbled, only now acknowledging which book it was that he'd picked out. He then looked to Dale and focused on the large man's words. "I figured I spend a lot of time reading alone in my cell. Decided to enjoy the warm and welcoming atmosphere out here, instead," he joked. He glanced in the direction of the gym at mention of Peter. "I'm glad to hear he's doing something proactive to try survive this place. It's not like I can give him backup," he remarked, by now comfortable with his own lack of physical presence. "It's real good to know you're helping him train, too. I had a hunch you might be able to help lead him in the right direction..."

When asked if he had something on his mind, George deliberated with himself if he should speak of his news or not. He didn't want most of the others to know, especially not if he was refused parole again. Dale, however, made him feel like he could be honest. The man seemed like he was capable of keeping things to himself and he didn't strike George as one who would mock him should his appeal be rejected again. "Yeah, I have, mate." He tapped the book cover with his fingertips. "I'm up in front of the parole board again in a couple of weeks. Bloody nervous just thinking about it. You understand even more than I do, but I just need to get out of this place now. I feel like I'm becoming part of the furniture and going round in circles." He flashed a small smile to Dale. "There's people on the outside I want to see and spend time with. I'm just trying to imagine every question the board might throw at me and the best answers I can give them."

Pyroclast (Dale)

Syd Porter

After arriving late to their reservation at the Cedar Manor restaurant, Syd took a seat opposite to his aunt at the table. He still carried some residual guilt after she had caught him talking about Peter with James. Once or twice he would catch her eye and smile at her, but mostly he just fiddled with his cuff links, avoiding her gaze. Not being a connoisseur of alcohol, he had had in mind to order whatever drink his dad chose, which turned out to be a scotch. Catching on to his mother's mischievous tone when she spoke up, Syd raised his head and exchanged a quick glance with his father, smirking slightly at his little comment. He didn't know the first thing about weddings, so being 'trapped' in a conversation about the planning process didn't exactly appeal to him. Of course he was excited about it - he had never attended a wedding before, and the fact that it was his parents' ceremony made it all the more special - but he wasn't really sure how he could contribute.

When the waiter arrived with their drinks, Syd left his alone, his attention more on his mother as she struggled to make a decision on what to eat. It was impossible for him to fathom such a dramatic change in taste buds, but as Lucy's pregnancy progressed her eating habits had been all over the place. "Go for something easy, mam - something not so rich," he suggested, after Sinead prompted him. "If you're not sure, how about you pick two dishes and I'll eat whatever one you can't handle?"

Syd took up the glass in his hand and slowly swirled it around, gazing into the whirlpool of whiskey. His mind had returned to the subject of the wedding. Whenever he had heard it come up before, he hadn't found much to say, yet now that he had been dropped into the conversation - trapped, so to speak - he found himself thinking of it for the first time like it was something he was actually involved in. "How exactly do weddings work...?" he asked. "Do we have to go to church? Are we throwing together a massive party, or is it gonna be a small crowd? How am I meant to help out?" He took a sip from the glass and then set it down, bringing his elbows onto the table and looking between his parents and his aunt.

Interactions
Bellz Lucy
Misty Gray James, Sinead

Darius and his group of friends entered the gym, as they usually did after finishing up their quotas for the day. Darius had been busy in the workshop, where he had a tendency to steal the metal sheets, that could later be shaped with the corners of the bunk beds. After collecting a respectable amount, he planned to sell the sheets throughout the prison, where they could be fixed into plenty of useful items, mostly weapons. Anyone caught stealing would be locked in solitary, which deterred most from doing so, hence why Darius had so much business. He was able to get away with stealing with the most basic tactic in the book, bribing the guards.

Around noon, most of his friends would've finished up their daily tasks. Walking into the gym was far more than exercising, as it was a place to establish dominance. Subconscious competitions would begin; who was the quickest, who could lift the most? With a group of friends behind him, no machines were off limits, and no one would dare refuse to give up their weights for them. Some gym enthusiasts were unshakeable, one such being Dale. Darius and his crew responded by not paying them much attention. With a mutual understanding of their presence and nothing else, no trouble would be started.

As Darius and his friends made their way down to bench press, Darius caught sight of Peter with Dale. He and Peter's altercations had diminished over the past few months. It was obvious that Peter was avoiding him at all costs and when Darius did make eye contact with him, it was in an overpopulated room with too many Gardai eyes. He hadn't made well on his promise of endless suffering, but Darius had admittedly lost interest. While he had an unquenched vendetta towards the crime family, Peter never put up much of a fight. There was only so many times you could kick a stray puppy before it's cowardly response grew boring. He was disappointed by Peter's timidness, but not surprised.

An impulse struck him, however, where he didn't feel an immediate sense of hatred when his eyes fell on him. As he made his way down the gym, Dale had turned the other way and walked off. "Porter," He greeted him, his voice sounding strangely convivial. "Me and the lads wanted to do a few reps," He said, motioning to the bench Peter was sitting on. "I'm in a good mood, so why don't you get up out of here before I'm... Not."

Bellz

Evelyn McKenna

Evelyn gave Conor a strange look when he assured her that the men responsible for Alan and Milton's deaths would get what was coming to them. She hadn't been able to closely follow the feud that the Porters were currently caught in due to distortions and gaps in media coverage, but considering the violent way that the men had been killed and their affiliation with the mob, she had expected that the perpetrators had targeted the Porters for personal reasons, rather than it being a random attack. Conor's words insinuated that the Porters were already taking matters into their own hands, but it was obvious that he was trying to play it down. Still, Evelyn took a chance to assume that she had read between the lines correctly. "Show no mercy, Conor," she quietly advised, the slightest of smiles showing on her face and a sincere look in her eyes.

Evelyn's smile widened when Conor showed an interest in their connection. When he gently acknowledged the possibility that her father might not be around, Evelyn's expression softened. "He's in the Joy," she nodded. "Mountjoy, I mean. Since I was 9 years old. He'll be getting out in a couple of years though. Oh, he'd be thrilled to talk to one of the Sullivan kids! Just wait 'til I tell him I met you today!" Even though she had come to the house for rather sombre reasons, she found herself now laughing with delight. Since Dale had been locked up, Evelyn had been crossing off the years until his release and now that his sentence was supposedly reaching its end, she was often struck by waves of happiness at the prospect of having him properly back in her life. This feeling combined with the surprise of meeting a Sullivan had put her in an exceptionally good mood.

"If your mam is Shannon Sullivan, then yes he would," she said. "I think over the years he's had to adapt to a life outside of gang business, so he doesn't talk about it all that much these days - only when I come to him with news. But he has told me a lot about what it was like before your family left Dublin. I believe deep down he still misses it all, you know." She followed Conor's glance back to Alex and gave the woman a small nod to show her gratitude, before following him through to the dining room. Again, Evelyn had to apply some effort to rein in her amazement at the beauty of the room's interior. Having been raised among gang members, she wasn't exactly a stranger to wealth, but this manor made her own city apartment look like a cardboard box.

"I'll have a wee whiskey, please, if you won't be telling on me," she winked. "Thank you, Conor - I expect most of our business comes from your alcohol stocks, with the amount us Irish get through." When he asked her about how things had been going for her since Christmas, her expression became a bit more serious. "They've been alright, I suppose," she nodded. "If a little insecure, you know - it may have sounded like I was joking before, but a lot of our business nowadays does come from the Porters, so when we lost two of our only men willing to work more closely with you, I've been a little on edge. Though we did hold a small ceremony for them at work, God bless them - a few of the newer employees aren't aware of our contract, so we had to make it a bit less personal, but it was nice all the same. How about here? I've never found myself in such close quarters with the mob before today, and I just can't trust what the papers say. Are things running smoothly for you?"

Interactions
Misty Gray Conor

The brunette wasn't going to lose the men as she hobbled towards the staircase, making her way through the stairwell door, forcing herself to forget the pain in her leg. She at least wanted to return the favor by firing a few bullets into the back of a Porter's skull. Minnie's eyes caught movement a few cases below and she quickly arched her upper body over the railing before firing off a few shots. Minnie hadn't noticed that Carter had followed her until he fired off his own gun. Minnie didn't have time to process the meaning of it all before one of the Porter's men returned the fire, causing her to dive down on the step below her. The man didn't let up as the sound of bullets hitting metal was all she could hear, sparks flying as she looked to Carter. She thought that it was impossible for the man to continue shooting forever, that he would have to reload at some point. Minnie placed both her hands on her gun, holding it close to her as she positioned herself into a low crouch, ready to spring into action. That moment never and a familiar whistling noise could be heard causing Minnie's eyes to widen.

She stayed crouched down, not risking standing to run and becoming an easy target for the men waiting below. The stick flew over the rail and right in between herself and Carter. The man didn't waste a second as he grabbed her shirt. She scrambled, dragging her limp leg up as quickly as she could as he pulled them through the door before slamming it shut. Minnie stumbled back against the wall beside Carter as the explosion shook the building, the door blowing away as if it were made from paper. Minnie let out a scream of surprise as she turned her face towards the wall, covering it from the metal and debris that blew into the hall leading to the stairs. Turning her head towards the blown open doorway, she covered her mouth with her now torn shirt as she looked through the smoke, searching to see if the Porter's returned to finish them off or if they were smart enough to escape. The veil of smoke slowly dissipated and the voices of Porter men retreating could be hear. Minnie didn't have any more pep in her step now, not wanting to face another explosion, her ears slowly beginning to lose the ringing sound. "Saved my ass again, Carter..." Minnie murmured, sounding out of breath as she turned to press her back against the wall. "I owe you." She said, her tone suggesting that she would gladly show how thankful she was. The brunette then let out a low hiss as she placed more weight on her left foot looking to her right at the hole in her leg. "Shit." She hissed again before applying pressure to the wound. "They ain't gonna be so tough without those explosives." She growled out, straightening her posture.
with: Evan Misty Gray ; Carter Enzyme ; Rudy Shireling

The gunfire on the ground floor was not letting up, the group not giving any of the workers in the building mercy as they pressed forward, cornering anyone who had been unfortunate enough to be on the floor. There wasn't much of a fight anymore as the Porter's had taken over the ground floor. Blake looked to Aliana as she spoke up asking what their next step were, Jackson answered that it was time to get the hell out before the Gardai sniffed out the place. Before they could make any decisions to start their escape out of the building, the dull sound of gunfire could be heard from above them. Jackson sprinted into action, heading to the staircase. Ali followed after him but Blake didn't dare to follow, knowing that she was needed to hold down the ground floor. Oblivious to the fight happening on the second floor, Blake and the rest of the men on the ground floor did a quick sweep of the area making sure that they had gotten all of the IWU scum that they could. Blake had been kicking her boot into the side of a dead man when someone came stumbling through the staircase door.

Jackson, Aliana, Rudy and the others had come bursting through the doors much to Blake's relief. She jogged towards them with a smile on her face before her eyes looked towards the door. "Now can we get the fuck out of here?" She asked, her eyes continuing to watch the staircase door incase any surviving IWU members came through it. "The Gardai will be here any minute."

mentions: Ali Melanin-Gxdess ; Jackson Enzyme ; Rudy Shireling

Peter looked to Dale with interest as he cleared his throat. It was easy to trust Dale, and that was a dangerous risk. He still didn't know him well enough and yet here he was running his mouth like his life depended on it. Regardless of how he felt running his mouth, Dale was kind enough to extend an offer to listen if Peter ever needed it. With that, their workout session would end for the day. The blonde offered Dale a small smile as he said he would be seeing him and as he was heading to the door the man turned and told him to stay out of the infirmary. This caused Peter to laugh, "I'll try!" He told the man before turning back to the weights that were still left on the floor. If one who knew him well enough, they would be able to see the pep in his step now, more energized than he had been in weeks. The man felt more confident now that he had more support, both inside and outside of the prison.

Grabbing the weights he had been using from up off the ground, he placed them back in the right place before a familiar and terrifying voice called his name, well, his pet name. Peter stiffened not turning around as he slowly rose from his bent position. He rolled his shoulders lightly, listening and feeling the light pop in his bones. Staring towards the others in the gym, he tried to steady his breathing. You can talk yourself out of a fight. He told himself. He had to stay out of the infirmary, for himself and for Sinead. Still, there was something in him, something that just...clicked. "Ahhh Darius." He said, turning around to face the man before sitting down on the bench."Are you really in a good mood?" He questioned, his eyes narrowing at the man as if he was trying to find some sort of indicator that Darius was actually happy. "I guess after years of scowling like that, it tends to stick?" He asked, his tone rising to a taunting one before he patted the cushion between his legs and stood up. "Luckily for you, I was just on my way out." Peter took a few steps towards the Darius, who was standing in route of the door.

Peter's heart was racing as he just stared at Darius, he wasn't taunting or challenging the man now. If he were to start a fight, Peter would at least be ready for it. His conversation with Dale had renewed the man's hope. He was going to make it out of this place, with as little injuries as possible. Peter's hands twitched at his side, finding it hard to stay in a calm frame of mind. As he looked at the man in front of him with his little group, all he wanted to do was throw the first punch. He ground his teeth together hard as he cleared his throat, "If you would be so kind..." He murmured in a deep voice, taking a few steps closer to Darius, indicating for him to move out of his way.
with: Dale Pyroclast

Lucy enjoyed teasing James into thinking he was going to have to sit through hours of figuring out color schemes and outfits, luckily she was kind enough to leave him out of all those fun details. "Hey. To you, they all may look the same but a trained eye knows how to see it." She responded to her husband's teasing with a playful glare. She knew he was only kidding, he was supportive of whatever decisions she decided to make. Lucy was pleased to hear that he was okay waiting a little longer, they both wanted to make the day memorable for everyone, not just themselves. Lucy looked to Sinead as she spoke up and smiled widely, "I'm very excited." She murmured before turning to her menu again. She continued to purse her lips as she glanced over everything, not finding what she wanted yet. Shrugging her shoulders at the question of what she wanted most, the next question she laughed at, knowing the answer clearly. "Well if I were to get what the baby wanted, I would be skipping dinner all together." There was cheesecake on the dessert menu that was calling her name but she was going to force herself to wait until after dinner.

Lucy continued to get a closer read at her menu when Syd came to her rescue. Looking to him as he spoke, she was touched. Reaching out a hand, she grabbed his free one lightly. "Picking two is a great idea!" She said gleefully, looking to her menu again before letting Syd's hand go. "Our son is a genius, James." She said to him, filled with pride over the simple solution to her problem. Finally, the indecisive woman decided on two dishes; the chicken, like her sister, and the lamb. Both would have some flavor but not too much, she only worried now that she would like both and have nothing to share with Syd. That worry was soon clouded as Syd began question the details of the wedding. This made Lucy smile widely as she reached for her water, taking a sip before answering, "Well, we are actually having this wedding at home, feeling that everyone would be comfortable in that setting. I would like the ceremony to be just our family and close friends but the reception would be open to more guests." She took a second to let that information sink in before continuing, "Both the Sullivan's and the Porter's have never been the fancy party type and as much fun as it is to throw a fancy shindig, I think it would be more fun for everyone to throw a casual reception." Lucy then pointed to Syd, "Now your involvement in the wedding is completely up to you, we could always use help setting up and of course your going to be in the wedding.."


with: Sinead Misty Gray
mentions: Syd Pyroclast