Realistic or Modern Empire City: The Irish Mob - IC (Closed)

James kept Lucy close as they made their way out of the building and away from the danger. He was used to getting injured and blocking out pain of some sort. Seeing his wife bleeding instead of him was not something he could tolerate. If he wasn't angry enough with the explosion, knowing Lucy was harmed would tip him over the edge for sure. Whoever was responsible for that would not get away with it. Still with his arm around Lucy, James looked around to check Aliana was safely on her way out of the place with Dante. The woman was family and her well-being was of great importance to him.

Hearing the sirens as they approached the door leading outside, James stuffed his gun back under his jacket and out of sight of any police officers. Noticing the blood running down Aliana's face, James stopped so he could address Dante. "Can you make sure Ali is safe and taken care of?" he asked, glancing to the nearby ambulance. The last thing he wanted was for Leo to be worrying about his mother, especially with Conor still out of the picture. "And keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. If anyone looks the slightest bit out of place or guilty, I want to know about it."

By the time James had finished instructing his trusty assassin, Lucy had rushed off to confront Roxie. He overheard his wife's angry words to the woman, causing him to turn and walk towards the commotion. Lucy looked ready to grab Roxie and whilst James would usually try to extinguish such a situation, he didn't feel at all compelled to. Like him, his wife clearly thought the other woman was accountable and seeing as he wasn't into attacking women, he was willing to let Lucy get it out of her system instead.

One of the last things James expected in that moment was to see his son getting between the two women and questioning Lucy's actions. This caused James to quicken his pace and join the three of them. Syd continued to speak up, mentioning that Roxie's might be concussed and apparently in a way that suggested his parents should care. Syd reasoned that the woman couldn't have been behind the explosion as she too had been hurt. James tightened his jaw and slowly shook his head as he processed his son's defence of Roxie. He took a deep breath as he placed his hand on Lucy's back, taking a moment to make sure his words remained calm.

As he watched Syd focus his attention on reassuring Roxie and giving the woman the impression she didn't need to worry, James removed his arm from around Lucy and took a step forward. "What are you playing at, Syd?" James firmly asked his son. "She was the one who invited us to this place and she is the one who handed us that fucked up little package, right before that bomb went off," he began, pointing at Roxie as he referred to her. "The fact she was in the room and injured doesn't mean shit. Have you forgotten the things that have happened to us in the past? Men and women willing to sacrifice their lives to hurt us? People loyal enough to a cause to put themselves in danger to get to us."

James rubbed his head as he tried to understand why Syd was defending Roxie rather than sticking by his parents. He didn't want to upset his son, but they could have all been killed in that building and some of them were injured. Lucy and Aliana were both bleeding from their wounds. "Snap out of it, Syd. I get it, you want to see the good in her. Hell, you've been making eyes at her since we arrived at the hotel, so it stands to reason you don't want to believe it. But come on... You only met her last week and, if you recall, she was slapping you around the fact then."

James looked to Roxie and shook his head. "You brought us to this place and you had plenty of time to plan this. You'd better start talking, Ms Carriveau, because I want to know who you're working with. Nobody fucks with me and my family."


Bellz (Lucy, Roxie) shadowz1995 (Dante) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) Pyroclast (Syd)

Roxie's eyes widened again as the blonde woman made a grab for her but she couldn't make a peep as she weakly braced herself for the attack. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for the moment but when it didn't arrive, she grew confused and opened them again. Unexpectedly, Syd placed himself between herself and Lucy, which caused the woman to drop her jaw in slight shock over her son's behavior. "Yes I'm hurt!" She answered her son but shook her head as she looked Syd up and down, "I'm not worried about me though..." Despite his behavior, Lucy was worried that Syd had been hurt. Not seeing too much damage, her worries were extinguished at least for the time being, though her eyes reflected rage as she turned to look at Roxie again.

Syd went on to try and calm the situation down even further, trying to tell Lucy and James both that Roxie was concussed, but the blonde didn't care. Before Lucy could say anymore as she watched her son turn to the woman on the bench. It was clear the young woman was hurt but it didn't matter, if she was the enemy, Lucy wanted her dead.

Roxie couldn't understand the conversation completely, as her ears were still ringing loudly so it was hard to hear everything that was being said. But she got the point of it, she was being blamed. Roxie's heart thudded hard in her chest as Syd turned to her once more, willing her to look at him. He wasn't leaving her. Should she be relieved by that? His parents were blaming her after all...

The young woman nodded her head once before leaning it back against the bench, this time being faced with James Porter himself as he stared almost menacingly into her very soul, with a pointed finger her way. He was dead serious about what he was saying and Roxie truly didn't feel like her words would be believed, no matter what she said.

The part about Syd making eyes at her was something that sincerely shocked her...had he really? Was that why he was being so defensive? Her head was throbbing still and it only seemed to be getting worse the more she tried to unravel this very confusing and horrifying situation. Mr. Porter addressed Roxie and the woman froze as she hung on to every word he said. When he was finished the woman shook her head slowly, the blood slipping further down her cheek. "I had nothing to do with this. I swear on my life. That package...it was just as new to me as it was to you. I don't know who brought it or where it came from!" Her voice was rough but panicked as she looked from James, to his wife and then finally to Syd. "I'm so sorry this happened, please, I had no idea." That was all the woman could say as she started to see the world around her spin, gripping the arm rest of the bench tightly, she leaned forward over her knees, feeling like she was going to be sick. After a moment, she caught her breath and spoke a little louder so she could be heard as she was hunched over, "I would never want to hurt you or your family. And I never meant to hurt Syd, if that's what you think." She whimpered.

Lucy watched the girl with a scoff before turning to her husband. "I can't believe this or her." She hissed lowly, clearly still angry as she reached up to lightly graze one one of the cuts on her cheek with her fingertips. The blood that stained her fingers made her glare towards her son, "You believe her? You barely know her, just like your father said. You are 30 years old Syd! Surely you are not that naive?"
with: James Misty Gray ; Syd Pyroclast
Ali Melanin-Gxdess ; Dante shadowz1995

Ani couldn't help but laugh as Maddox asked if she was testing him, shaking her head she looked to the waitress as she arrived at the table. Listening carefully as he ordered the drinks, she smiled with ease when the waitress left again, her eyes return to look at Maddox as he lowered his voice, admitting that he had no idea what he had ordered for the cocktails. This caused Ani to laugh again, a little quieter now as the orchestra already started up.

Once food orders were out of the way, Maddox went on to answer her question, to which she listened with great interest. Hearing his day with work was usual but when he spoke about his life outside of it, Ani was leaning forward against the table, very intrigued by what he had to say. 4th of July had been the following weekend and unlike most people, Ani had taken the opportunity to get away from the city for the day.

Thinking of that day, Ani hummed softly in thought when asked about what she had been up to. "Work as usual, but having Sunday off was a blessing. I was able to head Upstate for the day, which I often like to do in my spare time. It's just...quieter." The woman shrugged softly before her head turned towards the stage to listen to the orchestra for a brief moment. The music was beautiful and calming as Ani took it all in. It was a beautiful setting for a date.

"This is amazing," Ani murmured gently, a soft smile on her lips as she then turned back to her date. "Do you have any family in the city?" She asked him, diving a little deeper with the questions as she wanted to know more about the man.
with: Maddox Misty Gray

Reticent noises began to settle in around her, as the gunrunner opened her eyes to the sight of the low lamps, while the music recalled her long daydream. Was it a dream? Or reality? It was as if everything that Bailey had seen did not happened at all. The Lomax, as it was called, was all that was before her very eyes. It felt unreal to the girl, as if she was at a different place in time. The images of her recent predicaments were as fresh as if it had happened a mere second ago. Blinking a few times, before being snapped back into reality, Bailey gently tucked a cigarette between her lips, before lighting it with her lighter. Upon the table that stretched out before her, laid the bullet casing - what was left of it from the shooter. It all came back to her now, as her eyes diverted its attention towards Owen, of whom was still recently picked up by Farrid and her by chance. Where everything was supposed to come to light, the dim lights of the lounge would say otherwise.

"Sorry, BB. I mean, if they were after you specifically, I'd tell you. But I haven't overheard anything about the shooting, and even if did, I can't risk narcing on clients. Not when this is the least they can do." Owen said, prompting her attention. Bailey leaned back in her seat, taking in a long drag of her cigarette, all the while studying Owen's eyes.

"By the way, thanks again for keeping me pretty. Should be able to start hitting on the ladies soon enough. I owe you, so let me know if I can help you out with anything."

It was worth a try, albeit to no avail. If anything Bailey was glad Owen was still intact, given his recent circumstances. Perhaps justice would come around, but for now, it was far from her mind, as Owen had concluded. Bailey kept a straight face, as Owen diverted himself from their recent topic.

"We look after our kind. Otherwise, here would be laid off without someone to stitch up." Bailey chuckled lightly, as she eyed Farrid briefly, before drawing her glass closer.

"So how long have you've been together?"

Bailey abruptly choked on her whiskey, at the behest of Owen's words.

"W-W-What? No... We're no-.... Him? Me? Hahah- I mean..." she stuttered, trying to wash down the alcohol, as her face turned red - discerning the whiskey that went down the wrong pipe.

"It's pretty obvious, huh? Well, we did get caught in between a hail of bullets for our first date. It was an eye-opener..." Bailey remarked, as she turned away from Farrid and downed another shot.


*Note: (sorry for short post, just wanted to get something out)

Mitch leant back in his seat, placing his glasses in his pocket and shuffling the docket of papers back into place. As meetings went, this had been by far the best. Conor seemed positive, far more positive than the early days, he had kept his nose clean, and everything was falling nicely into place. Mitch wasn’t a betting man, or at least he tried not to be anymore, but they must have good odds for the hearing. He could almost taste that sweet note of victory. He let out a snort of laughter at Conor’s mention of a lock in. 2 months earlier he would have had to make sure that Conor was joking.


“Only if we list it as a nighshift. And even then I expect to be invited and drinks to be free. We can add it to my already considerable fee,”


Conor was an alright guy. Mitch had encountered far worse clients, it wasn’t the severity of the crime that shaped the perpetrator. He had represented people on misdemeanours who he would be terrified to be locked in a room with, and he’d represented people who had committed the most heinous crimes who he could have had a drink and chatted long into the night with. There were few people born truly evil in Mitch’s eyes, circumstance and luck, that’s all it was. Conor was no different, growing up in a family like the Porters, what chance did he have of staying on the clean and narrow, if anything it was the mark of the man that despite the family ties, he still appeared to have a good nature, in fact that could be said for almost all the family.



His eye twitched a little at Conor’s innocent comment about the rest of the family and associates. A week, a whole week had passed, and yet when Mitch closed his eyes at night he could still feel Syd’s hands closing on his throat, and those eyes. If there had been anger, fury, fear even, he could have dealt with that better he thought. But it was the lack of anything, no emotion at all, like a man inspecting a bit of muck on the end of his shoe. With a week to think about it Mitch wasn’t even sure what emotion he felt towards Syd, fear definitely, anger certainly, but something else. Pity perhaps? On his way out of Maddox’s, Syd clearly had problems… Realising he’d perhaps stayed silent for a little too long, he affixed his grin back into position. Talk less, smile more, don’t let them know what you're against or what you're for.


“Ah things are ticking over as busy as ever. If there’s one thing I’ve learn the Law in general is archaic and long winded, and your average man on the street has no idea how to work their way within or around it. Hence why snob noses like me are always so busy, Mr Porter’s party must have been my first full weekend off since… well I can’t even remember, I’m just chuffed I was worthy of an invite, gave my social life a much-needed boost, “


He scratched at his chin.


“Ah he was in fine spirits, or at least as much as a man can be who clearly hates a fuss being made over him. I think Lucy even managed to drag him onto the dancefloor, not sure how much that was down to the alcohol or her own force of will though,”

(Interaction: Misty Gray Conor)

Gwen let out a sort of half laugh/ half sigh at Jason's words. The woman standards were really too high for Gwen's liking, but she knew that this was what she signed up for. The redhead was full aware that she had eyes on her, but that didn't stop her from looking down at her hands in her lap, letting her mind wander off for a moment as she leaned her head back against the mirror and closed her eyes. She was exhausted from the night before. To say she was doing better...well it depended on how you looked at it. She switched from one drug to something a little less extreme and even though she could function just fine, she was sure she looked like shit.

At the light rustling of clothing, Gwen's eyes snapped open to look in Jason's direction, who was now sitting on the floor with her. He sighed and Gwen raised a brow, wondering what the man was going to say, if he was going to say anything at all. He spoke but immediately cut himself off, causing Gwen to tilt her head to the side a little bit. Gwen was calmer this time around, but it seemed Jason was walking on eggshells with her and he honestly had every right to be. Listening carefully to what he said, he made a few good points that Gwen hadn't given much thought too.

They needed to communicate, that much was clear after the first 45 minutes of their rehearsal. Angelica said they had no chemistry, but she didn't know the half of it. Gwen maintained steady eye contact with Jason, nodding her head lightly to show that she was listening.

He finished by saying that if she had anything to say to him, he would listen...how did she feel about that? She had trusted him before, let him into her life and trusted that he would help her, listen to her...but he walked out. What was different this time? They weren't together. They weren't even friends as far as she was concerned...

That was the boundary she needed, at least for now, to get her through this whole mess with him. "Thank you." She murmured after a brief pause. "And...I'm sorry. For before. Might as well start off by saying that." Her voice was rough and she cleared her throat, "Can we just agree that there needs to be no funny business between us?" With that, Gwen decided to get up before waving her hand over at Jason. "We can take this a few times by ourselves before the witch returns. Might be easier without someone barking in our ears."
with: Jason Pyroclast

Danny Vaughan

Savannah seemed pleased with Danny's enthusiasm for Oliver Twist. It wasn't necessarily his favourite production, though he did like it. His reaction, however, had come more from his familiarity with the role that Savannah would be playing. "Well, right now, your show's the first I'd wanna see," he said, a small smile appearing on his face. Danny didn't have much of a filter when it came to speaking, so often he would say things without thinking of the impact his words might have. Whether it sounded like he was flirting with her or not, he was speaking the honest truth. How could any other show interest him more than Oliver Twist if Savannah had one of the leading roles? "Maybe I will come. Unless you don't want me to?"

The look of awe on his face was soon overwritten by a broad smile as Savannah began to blush. Her humble attitude was endearing, though he was glad she was able to take the compliment. Modesty wasn't a trait that he expected a family member of the mob to have; the only one he had met before was Syd, who, as his superior, he knew to be assertive and, at times, aggressive or violent. Getting to know Savannah was opening his mind to the reality that he had created this image in his mind of the mob out of very little besides how the media portrayed them. His brief mention of his parents seemed to have interested her somewhat. Once it had crossed his mind that perhaps diving in to talk about his parents might not be a cool thing to do, Danny tried to direct the conversation more towards her, and so had ignored her suggestion to bring them to a show. But it wasn't long before she began to ask him further about them. Now turning modest himself, he sighed as he tried to work out the best way to answer her question. His childhood had been pretty unusual, and he always found it difficult to describe his family in a way that he thought most people would understand.

"My mother is a singer-songwriter, and my dad writes and performs poetry. But it's not - I mean, I don't know what kind of theatre you've done in the past, but it's not big like this," he explained, gesturing to the St. James Theatre. "They use their art to engage in social issues, I guess - peaceful protests, spiritual community events, that sorta thing. Always collaborating with other people - kind of like actors, right?" He looked to her, unsure if he was explaining it well enough. "It was always a great atmosphere, though, the kind of spaces they'd perform in. I always loved being there, 'cause you weren't just watching it...you were a part of it, too." Danny put a hand to the back of his head and gave a light laugh, hoping that he didn't sound totally crazy. Beat and hippie culture was normal for him, but he understood that a lot of people saw it as eccentric and a bit ridiculous.

When Savannah told him where she lived, Danny had to suppress his reaction. Lenox Hill was one of the wealthier neighbourhoods in Manhattan. Growing up in the Bronx, he had never had much business going there until he became a drug dealer for the Porters, many of whose clients were upper class. Her humble and sweet nature prevented him from making any judgement over her apparent status of wealth, however - she didn't seem at all stuck up, a common trait among the rich which tended to put him off involving himself with them. "Well, I just got off work, so I got all the time in the world," he told her. The two set off in a casual amble, contrasting against the general bustle of the streets, and Savannah reverted to his remark about her family. She spoke positively about them, describing them in ways that he would never have expected. "Wow, a family of creative types? Suddenly they don't sound so far removed from the rest of society. I always knew there'd be more to you than the media shows us - maybe you wouldn't know, being such a close-knit family, but from all the stories the rest of us hear about you, you ain't exactly relatable. Not a family I ever thought I'd identify with, anyway. But your mom and aunt sound cool - and so do you, Sav. Whatever your course of life, it's good to have creativity in your blood, and find ways to explore it. I never really inherited any of that, but at least my parents taught me to appreciate and respect art."

After a little while, Danny caught her looking at him and noticed a curiosity in her eyes. She went on to ask him more about his own life and what he and his family got up to. After learning that she had chosen not to follow in the footsteps of the gangsters in her family, he wasn't sure how much she would approve of his own lifestyle. "Uh...well," he murmured, unintentionally stalling as he worked out where to begin. "I mean, my parents aren't exactly around anymore - they moved to India a couple years back after joining the Hare Krishnas, so they're out there doing their thing, now. We'll only visit each other once, maybe twice a year. The rest of the time, I'm just sorta out here, working for your family, partying, enjoying the city." He grinned a little, realising how strange it was to be talking to the cousin of his boss. "I'm sure if they were here, you know, they'd love to come to your show. I bet it feels great to be up on a stage like this one!" Aside from trying to avoid mentioning all the things about him that he thought might put her off, Danny was enjoying her company. The Sullivan and Porter family had never been of much interest to him until Gwen became one of his clients, subsequently leading him to work for Syd. Since then, he had always found himself wondering more about what it must be like to be part of a high-profile crime family. Savannah was the first to help him see them beyond their reputation.

Interactions
Misty Gray Savannah

"Ah, mate. Course you'll be invited and I'll make sure you get free drinks. I'll ensure Rachel gets the memo. Not much gets passed her, so if she sees you walking off without paying," he half-joked, gesturing towards his own throat to suggest things wouldn't go down so well. He then feigned shock at the mention of the lawyer's fees. "Fees? I think there's been a misunderstanding here," he began, his own chuckling stopping him from speaking for a moment. "I thought you were doing this just because you enjoy it. Looks like I'll have to sell some of Leo's toys so I can cough up the dough..."

Conor smirked when Mitchell explained how busy he was, no doubt the Porters, associates and employees giving the lawyer more than enough cases to be on with. "Well, if you're stuck with us lot, you might as well take advantage of the fun parts too, even if the money is a big enough incentive on its own," he pointed out. Working for the mob wasn't an easy position to be in and not just because of how often Mitchell would have to defend the gang members. Though James wasn't as cold and ruthless as many in such positions of power, it certainly still wasn't an easy job to walk away from. The Porters had grown an element of trust for the lawyer and from that, Mitchell knew personal and confidential information. It was a loyalty the man wouldn't be able to break and he was practically tied into his position now. Conor was sure he was well aware of that already. "Stick with us. I'm sure there'll be plenty more parties and a social life for you to develop. Who knows, maybe you'll find a nice woman along the way?" he teased.

Listening to how James had danced with Lucy, he wasn't surprised. His sister knew how to get her way and she was probably the only person who James would willingly allow to command him. So if Lucy demanded a dance, that's what her husband would do. It was hard not to envy his brother-in-law and the man's stronger will. Conor loved Aliana and had promised her he would never end up in jail, yet he'd spent the last few years exactly where he said he wouldn't end up. He'd even continued to fail her during his incarceration.

"Thanks for your patience," Conor suddenly told Mitchell. "I know I gave you a hard time at the start, but I just figured you lot were all the same. Back in Dublin, James had one lawyer on his payroll and I couldn't stand that wanker. I figured the feeling was mutual. Smug little creepy fucker, that one was," he bitterly remarked.



RayPurchase (Mitchell)

Syd Porter

The sound of his father's voice made the hairs on his arms stand on end. Lucy had already got him riled up, but now James was speaking out against him, too. Syd turned to look up at him before getting to his feet. The man had always had his respect and admiration and so it was rare that they found themselves on opposing sides. Similarly, he and his mother had always had a close relationship and usually saw eye to eye on everything. To now have both of them disagreeing with him, and in a rather aggressive manner, made him uncomfortable and almost anxious.

"Yes, I know she invited us here," Syd spat, forcefully swatting his father's hand away when he pointed an accusing finger at Roxie. "But she wasn't the one that handed you that box, whatever it was. That came from someone else. Think back to who passed it to her. It arrived out of the blue, it could have come from anyone! Someone's clearly out to get us, that much we know - but that's all we know. You can't just decide who the enemy is just because you can only think of one possible suspect. If you blame Roxie for this and it turns out you're wrong, you'll have wasted time that could have been spent chasing down the real culprit. You can't afford to be narrow minded with things like this, so stop pointing your fucking finger at her!" Syd shot a fiery glare at his mother. Usually he respected her, too, and he was inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt only because he imagined she was shaken up from the explosion, but he hated how quick she had been to place the blame. He glanced desperately to Dante and Aliana then, wondering if they were listening. Since most of the time he was on the same side as his parents, he wasn't used to everyone being against him, and so part of him hoped that perhaps his aunt would have his back. Meeting his father's gaze once more, Syd took a deep breath. He could feel himself losing his grip and it took some effort to remain composed, not wanting to say anything he didn't mean.

Syd was offended at James' suggestion that he had forgotten the torment they had endured at the hands of past enemies who were willing to sacrifice their own lives to hurt the mob. He hadn't forgotten a single thing - how could he? He looked down to Roxie as he listened to his father's words. "Loyalty does that. It's done that to us, too...we've become so wrapped up in ourselves that it's almost impossible now to believe that there are good people out there." Syd turned back to face his parents but didn't look them in the eye. "I know trust is a big deal, that it's gotta to be earned. I know we need to be careful. Damn it, don't you think I know about trust, dad? Don't you think maybe I'd have found someone to settle down with by now if I didn't know how dangerous it can be to let your guard down, if you hadn't drilled it into my head that everyone out there is a potential threat?" He looked his father in the eye then, almost pleadingly. A lump had formed in his throat but he fought to hold his emotions down. "How are we supposed to do business with anyone if you constantly expect them to stab us in the back? How can we expect anyone to want to do business with us if they risk these kinds of accusations as soon as something goes wrong? Roxie could have been gathering information from Savannah for months but no one stopped them from living together. Are you gonna stop her from having friends, then? Hell, maybe one the actors in her play only auditioned so he could spy on her - are you gonna pull her out now, just in case? Maybe we should just isolate ourselves altogether, and I'll commit to a sad, lonely life where the only woman I'm allowed to be close to is my own mother."

His hands had begun to shake and his heart thudded in his chest - he wanted space, but he didn't want to step out of the way in case his mother made another reach for Roxie. Syd closed his eyes for a moment. His own words echoed through his head, making him realise he had let himself go too far. He reminded himself of what had happened last time he had lost control, the look of terror on the lawyer's face as he suffocated under Syd's relentless grip. It scared him to get angry like this and though he could never imagine hurting his parents, he wasn't confident in his ability to control it well enough.

When James told him to snap out of it, he found himself physically unable to respond, only letting his gaze drop to the floor in shock. The man brought up the way in which Syd had been looking at Roxie over the course of the meeting, making it clear that it hadn't escaped his attention. Syd swallowed, face reddening as his father exposed his attraction to the woman. It almost made him want to abandon everyone then and there. Allowing himself to admire Roxie and to try to be friendly to her had in no way meant that he had worked out how to deal with his feelings. The whole reason he had pushed her away at the beginning was because he was afraid to detach himself from Skye - he had wanted to give himself more of an opportunity to dismiss the idea of being with Roxie and settle back into his empty yet comfortable commitment to his late wife. But now, of course, James had taken that opportunity away from him, because Roxie would know now that he had been checking her out. His father's accusatory tone hurt him, not wanting to believe that the man would be so inconsiderate of the struggle that he faced when women came into the picture. It seemed like such a low argument to make, to embarrass him in front of the woman in question just because he didn't trust her. By now, Syd was so choked up that he couldn't even open his mouth to stop James from addressing Roxie.

The woman sounded weak when she attempted to defend herself, clearly only speaking because she felt intimidated. Syd looked her way and instantly felt sorry for her. He wondered if his father had any idea of how scary it would be for someone not involved in gangs to be spoken to in such a way by a high profile mob boss. Her eyes met his and he suddenly noticed how pale she looked; seconds later, she gripped the arm of the bench and doubled over, looking like she was about to be sick. Without hesitation, Syd rushed to her side, holding her firmly by the shoulder to keep her from falling to the floor and using his free hand to gently sweep her hair out of her face in case she threw up. It was as soft as he had imagined it to be.

Looking towards one of the ambulances, Syd caught the eye of a nearby paramedic and nodded to signal that Roxie required attention. His expression was dark as he peered up to his parents. "Look," he spoke, through gritted teeth. "It's not fair to do this now, not when she's clearly suffering a head injury. I want to know as much as you do who was behind this but please, don't ask her any more questions until she's well enough to answer them." Catching Lucy's glare, he returned one of his own, her words angering him past the point of being able to control his response. "I don't know what I believe!" he shouted. "You've both made sure I can't trust anyone! No, I'm not naive, and I'm not stupid, but someone's gotta show compassion and on the one occasion you choose not to be that person, mam, I've stepped up to make sure Roxie gets the help she needs!" The yelling brought on a fit of coughing, and he raised a shaking hand to his mouth, only then realising that it had balled into a fist. So concerned with helping Roxie, he hadn't protected himself from inhaling the smoke inside the building and it was only now making itself apparent. "Get yourselves into an ambulance and fuck off," he croaked, fixing his gaze to the ground between his feet. His eyes were watering, but he chose to blame the coughing fit rather than anything else.

Interactions
Misty Gray James
Bellz Lucy, Roxie
shadowz1995 Dante
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

"STOP!!!"
Brady just let out a breathless laugh as he ran down 42nd street, the flowers he had firmly gripped in his hand threatened to spill out of its packaging as it jostled around roughly in his hands. "Awooooooo!" Behind him, Sanford seemed to be having the time of his life on the run from the law, tongue hanging out to the side and all. The side walk ahead of him looked crowded as he dodged to the left out into the street, cars blaring their horns in heavy traffic as he jumped up onto the hood of a taxi. There was no way that this bicycle cop was going to be able to catch up. He knew it. "Sorry!" He called out as he jumped from one hood to the next, Sanford doing the same as he leaped on the hoods as well. "Atta boy!" Brady called out to his pup as he smiled mischievously.

Hoping from the last hood onto the opposite side of the street, flashing lights suddenly started up and the sound of a siren whooshed in his ears. "Shit!" He hissed, "All this for flowers?" He growled out as he turned left down into a narrow alleyway, sure that Sanford was still following loyally, making sure the police stayed away from him. "STOP!" Another pig shouted, "Or I'll shoot!" He cried out and carrying out his promise, the man let 2 bullets fly in Braden's direction. One grazed his arm and the young man ducked towards the ground to cover himself for a moment, reaching for his own gun in his side pocket. He loaded it as Sanford came to hide behind the cover with him. Loading his handgun, Braden was ready for the pigs as the two found him, holding him at gun point as they ordered him to drop the flowers.

This only caused Braden to let out a laugh, which confused the police more than angered them it seemed. "Drop the weapon!" One of them ordered, to which Braden simply shook his head, " No can do." Was all he said as he too raised his own gun, shooting quickly at the officer to the left before doing the same to the right. Not before the right had a chance to fire another bullet, shot was clumsy and it ricocheted off the brick wall behind him. Braden's bullet met his thigh a moment later and the officers were both successfully distracted as he turned again and sprinted out of sight, rounding the corner out of the alleyway and disappearing.

Braden didn't stop running until he got to his car, which had been parked at least 2 miles away. Still bleeding from his wound, the lad didn't pay attention to it, instead blocking out such pain as he loaded the flowers and Sanford into the car.

The ride home was pleasant enough, given what had just happened. Sanford had stuck his head out the window, loving whatever was so appealing about that and panting happily the whole way home. Braden pulled into the driveway of his familiar home, knowing that his mother and father were probably wondering where he was, he decided to try and sneak into the house.

Letting Sanford out and grabbing the flowers, Braden smiled lightly to the guards outside of his property, knowing they wouldn't rat him out, he walked with ease towards the window of his room. Looking up, the dull ache of his bleeding arm reminded him of his limitations, but he was determined. His mom would have a fit if she saw him in such a condition. "San." Brady called to Sanford, who obediently came to stand by his side immediately after investigating a small cricket on the ground. Braden bent down and grabbed the pup, "Jesus." He muttered at his weight, he wasn't a puppy anymore. Placing the dog over his shoulders, Braden grabbed the familiar lip that helped him get up the side of the house before lifting himself up it.

With a struggle, Braden managed to get Sanford into his room first, setting the dog down before throwing the flowers on his unmade bed. Hoisting himself inside, he hadn't realized his door had been wide open as he snuck through the window, leaving him exposed to being caught.
mentions: Sinny Misty Gray ; Emmy Misty Gray

James watched Roxie closely as she swore to him she had nothing to do with the package or the explosion. She was bleeding and her voice was panicked, which hadn't gone unnoticed. As much as it pained him to see a young woman looking so vulnerable, he couldn't ignore what had just happened. He couldn't ignore all of the times he and his family had been hurt because they showed compassion. The woman's fear and upset could be genuine, but it could be because she was guilty and knew she was now in trouble for it. Or, her emotions could be the work of an actress - a professional who wanted to hurt the Porters and their business. James had once been a man of greater mercy and was willing to give people a second chance, but that had proved dangerous in the past. One of his biggest mistakes in Dublin had been giving the now dead Duncans a second chance, only for them to set him up and lead him into the hands of the IWU. It was a mistake that had almost cost him his life whilst leading to him being hospitalised for weeks. Syd had been forced to watch as Gideon brutally beat his father. With that knowledge, James was now shocked that his son didn't understand why he couldn't just ignore how strongly Roxie was implicated.

James broke his stare from Roxie so he could look to Lucy as the blonde voiced her disbelief at the fact Syd was defending the woman. It wasn't that he needed approval to pass his judgement, but it was still reassuring that his wife was in agreement with him on the situation. If he ever strayed too far from logic or humanity, he was sure Lucy would call him out on it. It pained him to be in such a disagreement with Syd, but it softened the blow at least a little to know he wasn't simply being unreasonable.

When Syd swatted his hand away, James let the arm in question drop by his side but he took a step forward and stared his son down in that moment. He didn't want to hurt Syd, but in that moment the lad was seriously testing him. "You fucking kidding me...?" James muttered, but listened as his son went on. Syd continued to defend Roxie, but it was falling on deaf ears. None of them had known her for long, so why should she be given the benefit of the doubt? Why should they ignore how firmly she was placed in the centre of it all? Syd mentioned that they were wasting time that could be spent looking for the culprit, but he'd already intended on getting eyes out around the hotel and to see if anyone else was involved. But it still didn't mean Roxie was innocent. Then, Syd accused James of being narrow-minded and told him to stop pointing his finger at Roxie. This caused James to turn directly to his son. "You think I'm being narrow-minded? How about I point my fucking finger at you then?" he asked, doing exactly that and pointing his finger at Syd as he said his next words. "Get your head out of the clouds and look around, damn it!" he angrily told Syd. He then lowered his hand and his voice returned to its familiar calm, controlled manner. A cool manner James had long since adopted that could be more intimidating than when he was showing his fury. "Until I know who almost blew us up back there, I can't ignore Roxie's potential role in this."

James forced himself to hold his tongue as Syd lectured him on loyalty and trust. After everyone and everything they'd lost, he couldn't risk being so naive as to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. He did that for the Duncans and they betrayed him. When he ordered the hit on those men, he also vowed to be extremely selective with who he showed mercy to from that point on. He couldn't risk his family's safety in New York. They'd worked so hard for their security. Though he knew it hadn't been Syd's intention, the younger man's reminder of Savannah sharing an apartment with Roxie served to sound further caution in James' mind. He didn't want to stop anyone from having friends, but he was certainly going to inform Peter and Sinead of the potential danger of their daughter's living arrangements. He chose not to comment on the mention of him living a lonely life without a woman in it. The subject of Skye and the hole she'd left wasn't one for public airing. It wasn't something James wanted to taint in the heat of the moment. He knew how hard his son had taken Skye's death and that it was very personal to him.

Syd continued his angry ranting, talking about how he wasn't naive and suggesting his parents weren't showing compassion. James could have ignored that and when his son started coughing from the smoke, he was concerned. However, Syd then finished by telling his parents to get into and ambulance and fuck off. James briefly rubbed Lucy's back as he tried to remind himself to stay calm, but it didn't seem to work so well. "Don't you dare speak to your mother and me like that. We're trying to look out for this family and you are being fucking naive, and over someone you barely know!" he growled at Syd. Though his heart was racing in his chest and his words were heated, James remained composed in his posture and tone.


Bellz (Lucy, Roxie) shadowz1995 (Dante) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) Pyroclast (Syd)

If Dante always said everything he was thinking, he would have openly expressed how he thought Aliana was being something of a burden at the moment but there was no need to cause further discourse with the chaos all around them. So the Italian quickly put his head under her shoulder and helped her move on behind the man in black while everyone else seemingly got themselves together.

He kept his eyes on their "guide" to the exit the entire time. So, it wasn't lost on him when Ricardo suddenly.... vanished into the crowd he had brought them to. Sadly, the assassin couldn't do anything about it when it happened. Too many people, Aliana hung on neck and disrupted his aim, and he wasn't confident he could hit a fatal shot with all the panicked people and smoke. Dante was good but he was still human.

He sat the lady down gently once everyone stopped to take a breather and removed his suit jacket to wrap it around dusted and bloody frame, followed by his dress shirt. He pressed the grey cloth hard against Ali's bleeding head wound as if it was clockwork. Something he had done over and over again. Once Dante was confident that she wasn't going to die, he gave the bodyguard's shoulder a confident squeeze and turned to face the descent into full insanity that was the Porter family.

Dante had always made it a point to stay out of Mr. Porter's personal affairs as long as they didn't endanger him. But the moment Syd's little "stand" escalated and he actually raised his hand against his father.....

Well....

Dante stepped forward silently, his hands casually in his pockets before he got close enough to bring his arms up and start checking Syd's body out "How about we all calm down and take this moment to actually assess how bad our injuries are. We can discuss blame once we make sure that no one is going to bleed out. Adrenaline has a way of making you feel like you aren't hurt." The Roman's hands worked swiftly and when he got to the back of Syd's neck, a 2 inch steel blade was pushed just a centimeter where the skull meets the spine. Just above the vertebrae known as the Atlas, because it "holds the world" on its shoulders. Severing that connection is a guaranteed instant kill at worst.... At best, you will be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of your life.

"No matter how bad things get, Mr. Porter..." He said calmly despite the panicked people running by. "One should never raise their hands against the people who gave them everything in their lives. Its highly disrespectful... and dangerous." He said with a warm smile and kind eyes. As if he didn't hold the man's life in his hands and all he had to do, was push very lightly for him to suddnely drop.

He pocketed the knife naturally, making sure it stayed out of the line of sight. Roxie being the only one who had a proper view to see exactly what went down in that brief exchange. Dante squinted his eyes at the fresh wound in which a very thin trickle of blood was now flowing from, "Oh, some debris cut you in the back of the neck. Extremely dangerous spot too. If it had hit you a little harder, you might have died instantly back in that room. See?"

Dante turned around with a smile, nodding at James and Lucy, "Adrenaline. Makes you not notice exactly how much danger one could be. You could be staring death in the face and not even noticing it." He said with a small laugh before returning to Aliana's side, "James, I do truly believe we should just cut our losses and kill Ms. Roxie but the fact of the matter is that the man dressed all in black, Ricardo, is not just a simple security guard. No normal security guard knows how to slip and blend into a crowd like I saw him do. If I were to say, I'd say he is the prime suspect. He at least knows something."

He nodded towards the bleeding woman known as Roxie, "Even if she had a hand, it was unknowingly. She is practically pissing herself in fear. You don't go for the head of an entire mafia family and not be prepared for the consequences. She's also not acting. I'm sure you're...." He waved his hand around, looking for the English word, "familiar with what true fear looks like."

Bellz Melanin-Gxdess Pyroclast (Syd) Misty Gray

Roxie, Lucy ( Bellz ) Syd ( Pyroclast ) James ( Misty Gray ) Dante ( shadowz1995 )

Mitch smiled wistfully at the thought of a nice woman along the way. It seemed as though he had already found one to be honest. He hadn’t had the chance to meet up again with Roxie since their lunch had been interrupted. Could be worth giving her a call once he got back to the apartment, see if her Saturday evening was looking as quiet as his. Connor was right, as long as he was with the Porter’s he had might as well make his ride as comfortable as possible, go to the party’s and shindigs, rub shoulders with people, could stop another Syd situation developing, and would just make him even more of a permanent addition, could find himself with an increasingly cushy job.

“Who knows, stranger things have happened I’m sure, and as long as it gets me out of the office, and away from the desk I’ll list all such socials as incredibly good perks of the job. I mean you’re going to need to get used to a regular non incarcerated social, I’ll just turn up to a couple of your practice events,”

He shook his head and held up a hand as Conor attempted to apologise.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. To you I was just some jumped up Lawyer, a total stranger, at first I wouldn’t have trusted me. The beginning and middle doesn’t matter, just the ending, and right now you’re pulling through, and that’s all that matters. I mean being brutally honest with you, most of us pretty much the same, part of the reason why I set up my own practise, stuffy has-beens in suits slapping the backs of equally stuffy has-beens in suits.”

He let out a chuckle and leaned back in his chair.

“And once again you’ve described at least 4 former colleagues that I had. I mean we’re all slippery buggers, only difference is I’m a semi honourable one,”

He took a long sip of his now cooling coffee, draining the dregs from the polystyrene cup. He paused suddenly drumming his fingers against the table.

“Meant to say before I head off along my way, any messages you want me to pass on? I know they don’t exactly give you much time for phone contact,”

He pulled out a pen and notepad, he flicked past several pages, all tightly filled with his near illegible handwriting,

“I’d say don’t make it anything too crude, just for my own social embarrassment,”

(Interaction Misty Gray Conor)

Emery had been trying to avoid her younger cousins for the most part. She liked having fun and mucking around, but playing hide and seeks with the little ones wasn't quite so fun anymore. Their hiding places left a lot to be desired, which was no fun when finding them straight away yet pretending she hadn't so as not to be a spoilsport. No, she had better things to be doing that getting dragged into that game.

The redhead had been hiding out in her room since the afternoon. She'd wanted to go out to a party in the evening, but she hadn't been allowed to travel into the city on her own in the aftermath of the shooting the previous week. Apparently it was too dangerous to do what normal people did and that frustrated the teenager. As soon as she was old enough, she would go to all of the parties! For now, she was stuck listening to music and sketching in her book.

Emery had slipped out of her bedroom to use the bathroom and as she made her way back to her room, she passed Braden's open door. She stopped in the doorway just in time to watch her brother climbing in through the window. She folded her arms and mockingly shook her head. "Well, well, well..." she began, kicking her leg out behind to close the bedroom door so he wouldn't be caught out by anyone else. She then crouched down to playfully rub the back of Sanford's ears. "Hey fluffy boy. You still scared of my awesome cat?" she asked.

Emery stood up again and took a few steps closer to Braden. "What are you up to, Brady? You're so lucky Mum and Dad didn't bust you just now!" she remarked. It wasn't even late, but her brother must have been up to something if he was sneaking. "Luckily, their friend is here to distract them. The old guy who used to fix the cars over at Uncle James' house back in Dublin," she said. Having only been a little girl when Ryan was last on the scene, she was struggling to recall his name.

Emery looked at the somewhat worse for wear bunch of flowers and pointed at them. "Aww, are they for me? You shouldn't have. You know I ain't fussed about flowers." She then opened her eyes wider as a thought occurred to her. "Woah! Did you finally get a girlfriend?!"

Bellz (Braden)

Lucy was appalled. She had never seen her son act in such a disrespectful manner towards them before and she was honestly lost for words at what to do. Syd swatted James' hand away and her mouth fell open. Quickly, she looked to James to see what he was thinking and as usual he seemed to be calm and collected. Standing by his side, Lucy made sure to back up her husbands words with a nod here and there. When Syd turned to glare at her, Lucy balled up her cut up fists and shook her head. He then shouted, causing her to jump slightly. It was rare that he shouted, especially towards her. "Syd!!" Lucy gasped out, turning to look around the crowd, hoping no one noticed the scene before them. "Lower your voice!" She demanded before he stunned her into silence once again by saying that because she wasn't being the compassionate one, he had to step in.

The blonde looked between her frantic looking son and the sickly looking girl on the bench, not knowing what to say. She had been so quick to accuse that it slipped by her that Roxie was seriously injured. Sure she saw the blood coming from her head and the cuts and bruises forming on her body but Lucy didn't care if her family was in danger. Something about this woman didn't sit right with Lucy and she could try to explain that to Syd until the cows came home, he would never understand. A mother knows.. Her mother's own words echoed in her head. Then Syd started to cough horribly, causing Lucy to take a few steps towards him, "Syd please just..."

Hearing the words, fuck off , Lucy's face turned pink. He did not just say that to them. Feeling a hand on her back, her head whipped around to see James struggling to stay calm. She grabbed his hand quickly and squeezed it. Lucy's eyes burned as James told their son off and she looked up towards the sky to try and contain them. Overly anxious, her limbs began to twitch with pent up energy and she stiffened to make them stop. The pain she had been feeling from the explosion was practically gone due to the adrenaline from the situation but she knew that she needed medical attention.

Roxie stayed bent over herself as the arguing continued around her. Her heart raced in her chest and she wondered if Syd's defenses would actually hold up against the Mob. If they wanted her dead, she would be. After Syd told his family to fuck off, Roxie tried to sit up, wondering what the hell they all thought of that, she watched as the man who accompanied James Porter walk forward. Wondering what he was doing, it seemed that he only was checking the man out. But why?

Before she could read too much into it, a blade was visible in the man's hand and it was pressed against Syd's neck. Roxie let out a gasp and shook her head with wide eyes at the man, but it was over before much could be said. Was that how the Mob handled things? The woman used her arms to drag herself to him, wide eyes staring at him with questions in them. She noticed the cut on his neck and her head turned to glare at the man who was now playing it off like he had nothing to do with it.

When he turned away, Roxie stared daggers into the man's head. Her hate for him grew as he suggested to the Porters that they "cut their losses" and kill her! But then he spoke about Ricardo and she had just noticed then that the man was not by her side like he normally was...With confusion in her eyes, she turned to look back towards Dante and scrunched up her face at the fact that he said she was pissing herself, she wasn't!!

Roxie opened her mouth to say something and once again she was interrupted by another voice. Again, someone was claiming she was about to make a mess out of herself and this time Roxie growled, "I am not!!" She shouted before she winced. This caused Lucy to look over the girl again and as she listened to Aliana's words, she knew there was some truth behind them. As bad as her feelings were about this Roxie character, they weren't bad enough for her to come to the conclusion that she was out to get her family. The feeling of guilt was creeping inside her chest as Ali also reprimanded them for putting Syd's crush out in the open...Lucy hadn't meant for that to happen. Swallowing hard, Lucy continued to stare at her son as Ali went on to tell Dante that he wasn't going to kill Roxie.

That was music to the Italian woman's ears as she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, "Thank you." She croaked to Ali before shaking her head at the question. "I didn't know." Was all she said before the woman bent over again, feeling ill and overwhelmed with pain as her vision started to go spotty.

Lucy stared at Syd for a few more moments silently after Ali suggested that they just "put a pin in this." Once she tore her eyes away, she blinked back tears that inevitably flowed down her cheeks. "Let's go." She sobbed out to James as she turned into his chest, wanting him to take her away from her son. As they walked away towards the ambulance that would patch her up, Lucy couldn't help but turn to look at the woman who was responsible for the loss in her heart today. With one more glance in Syd's direction, she took in the young man she raised since a boy, feeling like she was losing him forever.

Roxie didn't watch the Porters and the rest leave but when she was sure they were gone, the woman weakly sat up just as the medics were getting to her.
With: James Misty Gray ; Syd Pyroclast ; Dante shadowz1995 ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess
Turns out she had a concussion, a pretty nasty one too. The bump on the top of her head was so noticeable she almost thought her head was shaped like a cone. Holding up a hand mirror that the nurse gave her, she played with the gauze wrapped firmly around her forehead and pouted slightly, "When can I take this thing off?" She asked, sounding much clearer than she had before. "How come he doesn't get one?" Point to Syd, who was sitting in a chair beside her hospital bed, she glared at him tiredly. The nurse laughed and shook her head, "He doesn't have a nasty cut on his head like you, love. Now relax. Doctor says you are to stay the night for observations." This made Roxie groan but she placed the hand mirror down on the bedside table beside her and leaned back against the pillows.

When the nurse left, Roxie lazily turned her head to look at Syd. The medication was starting to kick in it seemed and she smiled for some reason she couldn't exactly figure out, "Thank you." Roxie said sweetly. A few moments of silence fell between them and Roxie looked down at her hands in her lap, the smile on her face slowly fading away, "How were you so sure...it wasn't me?" She asked suddenly.
with: Syd Pyroclast

Conor couldn't help but laugh as Mitchell described his former colleagues in a less than desirable manner. "Well, I'll take semi-honourable over the lawyers I've encountered in the past. This is all assuming you get me out of here. Otherwise, I'm adding you to the shit list with the rest of 'em," he joked.

When Mitchell asked if there were any messages he wanted to pass on, Conor thought for a time before nodding his head as a number of things sprang to mind. "Nothing crude? You're no fun, are you? I was going to have you hire a female stripper for my welcome home party!"

Turning serious, Conor quickly shook his head and glanced down to the notepad his lawyer had opened ready. "First, could you do me a massive favour and get Pete to get in touch with me as soon as possible? I've got an important message for him. Nothing dodgy, don't worry," he said, wanting to reassure the lawyer he wasn't being implicated in anything untoward. After Aliana's visit and her questioning about Peter, Conor wanted to do something to try help the guy. He'd always heard good things from Syd about Dr. Parker and he himself now felt like the shrink was good. As positive as his briefing with Mitchell had gone, Conor didn't know for sure he'd get his parole. He wanted to know something was being done to help Sinead and Peter. From his understanding, Peter needed to get help and he wanted to put his brother-in-law in touch with a therapist he knew they could trust.

Conor then sat back and thought over his next words before clearing his throat. "There's a bloke in here who's been locked up about 30 years and he's really helped me while I've been here. He worked for my Uncle Jack before ending up in here. He murdered some wanker and has been in here ever since. I wondered if there was anything you could for him? Help the suits see that he's a reformed character and all that?" he curiously asked. He then pulled a slightly uncomfortable expression before giving further, important details. "It's Ali's old man... Allen Cartwright. He shouldn't be in this place anymore. He should be on the outside where Ali will finally feel comfortable giving him the time of day."


RayPurchase (Mitchell)
Mentions: Bellz (Peter) Melanin-Gxdess (Allen)

James listened as Dante suggested cutting their losses and killing Roxie. His face gave off no kind of reaction, emotional or otherwise as he procsessed the hitman's words. Though still seething from Syd's behaviour, James was also considering Roxie and how to deal with her. Despite his suspicions, they were for now unconfirmed. They were in a public place and if the scene continued then more attention would be on them. If Roxie was to end up dead, the Porters would be asked questions. It wasn't a risk he could take, especially not before he had facts tying Roxie to the explosion. That did mean there was a chance she was innocent. The bigger personal issue now appeared to be Syd.

James eventually nodded his head as he listened to mention of Ricardo and the man's ability to slip away undetected. Clearly, that man did have something to hide. "Yes, I want him found and questioned," he darkly agreed with Dante. "Miss Carriveau will need to get her injuries tended to in the meantime," he said, making it clear no killing or violence was to come to the young woman. Not until he knew for sure, at least. James struggled to tear his eyes from Syd, still unable to understand how his son was to easy to jump to a practical stranger's defence and shut out his parents the way he had.

When Aliana berated him for pointing out Syd's crush on Roxie, James tightened his jaw and held back from making any kind of retort. The fact was, innocent or not, both of the times he'd seen Roxie around his son, the outcome had ended in Syd being slapped or had unfolded into where they now were. James couldn't help but think she was trouble and the last thing he wanted for Syd was more romantic heartache. Aliana went on to speak to Syd and try to make him understand where they were coming from, to respect his parents. James was glad he hadn't disagreed with Aliana, seeing that she was trying to diffuse the heated situation.

"We're not killing her..." James echoed Aliana's words. Eyes would be kept on her and James was already intending on finding out more about her, but she would be alive for as long as guilt wasn't confirmed as hers.

Before anything more could be said, Lucy turned to James as tears rolled down her cheeks. She moved into his chest and asked to go. Regardless of any further commets Syd had fired back his way, James forced himself to bite his lip and suck it up for the sake of ending the present scene. Their conversation would be saved for another time. He didn't want to see Lucy more upset than she already was. James forced himself to turn away from his son and instead placed a comforting arm around Lucy as she lead him towards the ambulance. He expected Aliana and Dante to accompany them, so the former could get her wounds treated whilst Lucy was also being tended to.

As Lucy and Aliana received medical attention, James turned to Dante. "Would you do me a favour and drive us back home? We can drop Ali off at the Callahans on the way," he said, knowing she'd need to pick Leo up. Given his own and Lucy's moods, he would see about Thomas and Olivia sleeping over at the Callahans place for one night. "I'll be finding out as much as I can about Roxie, and I'd like you to track down Ricardo. I want to know who he is and who he's working for."


Bellz (Lucy, Roxie) shadowz1995 (Dante) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) Pyroclast (Syd)

A smile crept onto Ryan's face when he got pure, and earnest responses to his innuendo. It reminded him how well they suited each other, despite the difficulties they had in the past. Sinead's delayed embarrassment required stifling a chuckle, but it was good to she hadn't changed despite the world her family was involved in.

As Sinead stated her intent to pump him for information, he watched Peter separate from her, and hoped that he wasn't leaving the room. While he'd moved on from his infatuation, Ryan wasn't really looking to test it; especially since the redhead had a knack for doing horrible things to his heart when left to her own devices, albeit unwittingly. Thankfully, the man had just intended to keep his hands busy at the sink, so a small sense of relief came over Ryan as he switched his attention back to Sinead and her inquiry about his lodgings.

"Brooklyn. Bedford area. Won't give you an address though, 'cause it ain't exactly a friendly place, as I'm sure you're aware of," he stated, musing about it's inhabitants. Even if the landlord hadn't warned him, Ryan picked up on the eyes watching him on the street. They were quite similar to the ones he got in LA, so it didn't bother him, but he was remained aware. But if someone unwanted came looking around for him, it was a place where he could deal it without authorities butting in, although it had been a while since he'd gotten those kind of visitors.

Listening to the couple gush about their children left him feeling bittersweet, but forced his smile a little wider to make sure it didn't show. He was grateful to Peter for changing the topic to one he was also meaning to bring up, "No, not yet. I don't have James' private number, and there's some old business I need to talk to him about too." He'd thought about just finding out where he lived, but he knew NYC wasn't nearly as friendly as Dublin was, and he didn't want to get into it with James' men. He was getting too old for that. "So if you could let him and Lucy know I'm coming, I'd be grateful."

Ryan only nodded to Sinead setting the facts straight. Although it was a little unexpected that the two didn't have more, the idea of Conor having another child wasn't. He struggled to produce a face to match Gwen's face, but remembered that she was James' relative. However, he found the idea of Arlene having a child a little odd, especially since she'd given off the aura of a black widow. Ryan was about to quip when he saw Sinead's expression turn serious.

Given Arlene's line of work, Ryan wasn't overly shocked by the news. Concerned, due to the fact that he respected the woman's prowess, but not surprised. However, he tried to give Sinead some reassurance, "Missing doesn't mean dead, Sinny. Besides, she's disappeared before in Dublin for a while, and came back in one piece." Ryan's smile didn't quite reach his eyes, as he knew there was more than a fair chance of her demise. He'd bring it up with James if he forgave Ryan's own past transgressions, but his focus needed to remain on why he came to NYC.

"Well, if Thomas is here, I can just stick a note on him before I go," he joked, an attempt to keep the mood from suffering too much.

Misty Gray [Sinead] Bellz [Peter]

Rachel Harris

Although the evening had barely got going in the Emerald Pub, the customers were already full of beer and rambunctious spirits. Along with her young cousin, Penelope, and two barmen; Hank and Will, Rachel was doing well at keeping the drinkers under control. It was always the same in Conor's favourite pub. The majority of those getting drunk were male. Of the ladies present, most were more than comfortable in the place, with the odd few having been dragged there by their significant others or perhaps just stumbled in expecting a quieter atmosphere. When it came down to it, most of those stepping foot inside the pub were regulars and for all the craziness they brought, Rachel enjoyed the energy. As tempting as it had been at times, she felt no need to try change the business and no desire to overstep her mark, even if Conor had put her in a position of power to help lighten Aliana's workload since his incarceration. Rachel wasn't one to doubt herself either way, but she truly believed the pub owner would be happy with how the place had been maintained during his time in prison. She just hoped he'd be out soon to be reunited with his cherished watering hole.

As she finished serving one of the customers, her attention was drawn towards one corner of the pub, where two men had gotten into an intoxicated slanging match. Hank, the burly barman, had already rushed over to the scene to try separate the two squabbling fools, but he'd ended up being shoved aside so the arguing could continue. Rachel retrieved an unloaded pistol from behind the bar and concealed it under her blouse, held in place down the centre of her bra. She didn't like guns and certainly didn't like the idea of one going off in the pub, which was why she ensured it wasn't loaded and would merely serve as a deterrent if needed.

"I'll knock your fuckin' head off, you dumb cun--" one of the men threatened the other.

"ENOUGH!" Rachel firmly raised her voice to the two. "You! Get out of here, now! You're barred," she ordered. The man attempted to protest, but she raised her hand to silence him. "You assaulted a member of staff and this isn't the first time you've caused trouble. Must I remind you of who owns this place as well as who he's related to?" she asked, referring to Conor and then to James. "Go on..." She folded her arms as she watched the main trouble-maker begrudgingly make his way out of the pub. She then sent the other guilty party a glare that told him to sit down or get out.

"If I were forty years younger..." a familiar male voice spoke up. Rachel turned to the source of the voice to see Larry, a little old man, aged somewhere in his eighties. He had a reputation for wandering eyes, as well as wandering hands.

"You still wouldn't get anywhere, Larry," Rachel assured him, rolling her eyes at his audacity. "Keep your hands to yourself and stop ogling the young ladies. It makes them uncomfortable and I'd hate to have to throw you out too."

"Ah. You're no bloody fun..." the old guy grumbled as he turned away from her.

Rachel made her way back towards the bar, sending Hank a nod to confirm everything was under control and no need to alert the guys working security out on the street. Her eyes scanned the pub before seeking out her young cousin, Penelope. She decided to check on her, knowing how much hard work the place could be for even the stronger and more senior bar staff. She placed her arm lightly around her cousin's shoulder and sent her a warm smile. "How are you getting on, dear?" she kindly asked.


seasonedcat (Penelope)

Syd Porter

Syd knew that he wasn't going to get away with swearing at his parents but he hadn't been able to stop himself. He shook his head when James called him naive again. "No, I'm not," he argued, trying to keep his voice low as his mother suggested. "You're not listening to me, dad! I'm not telling you to ignore her potential role in this, I'm just saying now isn't the right time to interrogate her about it. For Christ's sake, look at her! Both of you, look at her!" Lost in his argument, Syd had forgotten to control his volume and was now near shouting at his parents once again. A headache began to develop as he got more worked up over the situation. By this point he could barely tell if his distress over the situation was natural or augmented by the medication he was on. He thought he had been doing well since the almost unbearable effects of the recent transition had begun to fade, leaving him feeling more stable. Yet, after his violent outburst against Mitch, Syd had wondered whether this new uncontrollable aggression came from some unconscious part of him that he had yet to explore, or simply a side effect of the new pills he was taking. His ill feelings towards he lawyer had been building up, but this was the first time he had yelled at his parents for as long as he could remember. Though he was unable to calm himself down or subdue his anger towards them, he could feel a rift begin to form between them and it broke his heart. He could hear it in his father's voice, see it in his mother's eyes. The guilt, frustration and anger all twisted together in his stomach and he let out a groan, dropping his head into his hands.

With eyes closed, Syd remained still for a moment, trying to block out his surroundings. At first, he didn't notice Dante approach him - not until the man spoke, prompting him to raise his head slightly. His suggestion to assess their injuries made him nervous and Syd immediately stiffened and leaned away from the man, placing a protective hand on Roxie's back. "Don't you fucking touch me," he grumbled, closing his eyes again to ease the tension in his head. Having never received any affection as a young child, Syd had developed something of an aversion to physical handling. It had faded significantly since he was adopted into a loving home, but often surfaced when he was in a heightened emotional state. The thought of having someone's hands on him to do a physical assessment right now made him physically anxious.

His eyes flew open when the feeling of cold metal met the back of his neck. Syd knew exactly what it was and didn't dare move. Roxie had sat up and was now staring at him in horror - he stared back at her, unable to speak. The pain he had been anticipating only made him grimace lightly, in slight shock as to what was happening. His parents hadn't said anything. Were they allowing this to happen because he had lashed out at them? Would they do that? Though Syd managed to keep his mouth shut, Dante's patronising words grated on him. The sharp, stinging sensation of the fresh wound was almost a relief, a distraction from the mental anguish that the argument had brought forth. He gazed into Roxie's eyes and focused on her and on the pain. Coreno seemed to be wired in a way that he couldn't understand. His actions, his words, the way in which he spoke and carried himself, it had always unsettled Syd slightly. It was only the man's apparent loyalty to the mob and his competence to perform his duties without leaving a trace that had helped him to overlook his odd character traits. But now that he had taken a knife to Syd's neck and cut him, his uncertainties regarding the assassin surfaced once again. What friend of the mob was ready to consciously harm one of its members and then cover it up with a lie? Does one's loyalty to a man not also extend to his family? Syd knew that his father valued their assassin, but would have thought this kind of action would make James at least question Dante's position. His father cared about him and would stand by him. Then again, he wasn't on his side this time...

Blood trickled down the back of his neck but he didn't reach up to examine it. Instead, Syd stayed still and quiet, focusing on steadying his breathing while the discussion above him continued. Given what Dante had just done, it surprised him to hear the assassin defend Roxie. His first instinct was to look towards his father to watch his reaction, but he immediately faltered as he turned his head, unable to look him in the eye. Aliana then chimed in, also advising his parents to leave Roxie alone. While he appreciated her support, her mention of him having a crush on the woman only stressed him out further and when she punched him in the shoulder, he glared up at his aunt. "Stop pointing at her," he growled, though his voice was growing weak. "Please..." While his aunt continued to lecture him, Syd let his throbbing head drop into his hands again and closed his eyes.

Fed up with arguing, the only thing that Syd deemed worthy of his attention now was Roxie. Even though she was the one he knew the least, in that moment he considered her the only person who didn't pose some kind of threat to him. Feeling her lean forward again, he opened his eyes and began to rub her back in slow, soothing circles. "It's okay," he softly told her. The paramedics soon made their way over to the bench to tend to Roxie. Keeping his eyes on the ground to avoid making eye contact, Syd turned to the rest of the group. "Why are you still here?" It pained him to push his family away, but the tension in the air was stifling and he knew it wasn’t just him who needed space.


From the moment they got into the ambulance, Syd had had enough to occupy him to keep the guilt from taking over. He knew that he had let himself get upset and, despite his initial efforts to avoid saying or doing anything he would regret, he was now left reflecting on how poorly he had handled the situation. The paramedics in the ambulance were asking him questions that he was doing his best to answer without raising suspicion; the concentration it required got his mind off his parents, but in the seconds between, the image of the tears in his mother's eyes would spring to mind once again, making his heart ache. He wondered if they were all okay.

After being examined at the hospital for potential injury to the lungs, Syd was dismissed with only minor symptoms. Part of him wanted to ask the receptionist if his mother or Aliana had been admitted, but he decided that he couldn't face them just yet. He didn't believe they would be ready to see him after how he had acted, and he wasn't sure how to apologise either. Instead he went searching for Roxie, wanting to stick to his word after telling her that he wouldn't leave her. When he eventually reached her bed, he found that she was acting rather strangely, as though dosed up on some heavy painkillers, and that her head had been wrapped up in a tight bandage. Syd sat down silently in the chair beside her. She pointed to him then, asking the nurse why he didn't have to have a bandage, too. It was the first time he smiled since before the explosion happened.

Syd gazed around the room in silence, his eyes occasionally falling on Roxie. He wasn't really sure why he was there. Or how long he should stay. The nurse had told her that she was to stay overnight, but he had no business doing that. After a while of glancing around the room, he eventually noticed that Roxie was smiling at him. She thanked him, but he wasn't sure what to say. The smallest of smiles flickered across his face before settling back down with the quiet of the room. The two both looked down. Perhaps the air between them seemed awkward, but to Syd it was only peaceful. After all the earlier chaos, sitting quietly in Roxie's company was exactly what he needed. Apparently, however, she needed something else.

The smile faded from her face when she asked him how he had been so sure that she wasn't to blame for the explosion. Syd blinked at her, his mind working slower than usual. "I wasn't," he replied, his face bearing no expression. "...I'm not." Suddenly the air did become slightly tense. Syd shifted in his seat, before linking his hands together and fixing his gaze on her. "That's something you have to understand about my family, Roxie...we don't trust people easily. We've been deceived, ambushed, stabbed in the back too many times. We've lost too many people at the hands of enemies. You're gonna have to prove to them that you weren't involved in this attack. Personally, I don't want to believe you're to blame. It just doesn't add up." He scratched his head with a small frown, unable to explain the reason why. Then he sat forward, narrowing the gap between them, and looked into her eyes. "But you don't have to explain yourself, now, Roxie. You just rest your head."

Interactions
Bellz Roxie, Lucy
Misty Gray James
shadowz1995 Dante
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana

Maddox gazed towards Ani's beautiful face as she told him what she'd got up to on her Sunday. He gently smiled when she mentioned the day off work had been a blessing to her - something he couldn't have agreed more with. His week in the lead up to the public holiday had been even busier than usual and the workload had been out of his control. At least, he hadn't been willing to cut his workload. He was committed to his job and knowing that people relied on him made him unwilling to push their needs aside by cancelling any appointments. It wasn't in him to turn his back on what he believed to be right. "What do you find yourself doing when you go Upstate? It sounds like you had a wonderful time, Ani. Did you have company?" he asked. He wasn't trying to ask if she'd been on a date, he simply wondered if she'd gone with friends or family. "I do keep meaning to book some time off work myself. Vacations are good for the mind," he pointed out.

Upon hearing Ani say the venue of their date was amazing, Maddox couldn't help but blush a little. "I'm glad you like it. I figured we'd both appreciate a little luxury away from our busy jobs," he told her. "And, I just had a feeling this would be an exceptional orchestra, so what better way to spend our evening?"

The drinks and then food were brought out just as Ani asked him if he had any family in the city. Maddox took a moment to sit back as the waitress poured their wine. Once the two were alone again, Maddox set about starting his meal and sitting a little closer to the table so he could cut into his steak. "I'm afraid I don't have any family in the city, nor in the country, for that matter. "I grew up in Ireland and a few years before I moved to New York, my mother and step-father moved to England, where he was born," he explained. It was because of his English step-father's overbearing influence and his middle class mother's soft-spoken dialect that his accent was predominantly the Queen's English rather than the Irish of the country he was born in. "My sister, Hannah, moved to the south of Ireland, to live with her husband, Jonathan. Down in Cork. I'm hoping they'll visit at some point," he mentioned. He'd only met his brother-in-law twice, at the wedding and then when he visited his sister a year ago. He still wasn't sure if he liked the uptight man, but Hannah always seemed happy.

"How about you, Ani?" he asked her. "Do you have relatives in New York?" he returned her question.

Bellz (Ani)

Savannah couldn't help but briefly look away and let out a a sweet laugh as Danny said her show was the first he wanted to see. It wasn't that she found his words amusing, it was more an automatic response to hide her bashfulness at his suggestion. She then looked back to him and toned down her smile when he seemed on the verge of backtracking by requesting clarification of whether she actually wanted him to watch the show. "Aww, why wouldn't I want you to? As long as you want to see the show, why not, I say! You'll be humming to the music as you leave the theatre," she cheerfully assured him. The closer it got to opening night, the more her nervous energy was being replaced with excitement.

As Danny spoke of the creative ventures his parents followed, Savannah couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow. He mentioned the spiritual and peaceful nature of their engagements. She couldn't deny, the first thing that sprang to mind was "hippies", but that wasn't at all bad in her mind. She was always sure her own mother would have been a hippy under different circumstances. Peace and love were messages Sinead had often tried to convey. Words that tended to be misplaced given that most of her loved ones were involved in the mob's business.

Savannah wasn't surprised when Danny voiced his expectations of what her family was like. To outsiders, they were likely only seen as violent, corrupt and intimidating. Whilst it was partially true, Savannah put more weight on who they really were as people and that they were loving, caring human beings. Albeit, overprotective at times, as a product of the enemies the business attracted. "I guess it all depends, doesn't it? If you really know them or work with them, then you'll see the good in them. But, I know how the media sees my family and I guess I can't argue with that, can I?" She knew part of the reason outsiders had a negative impression of her family was because that was for the best. If people thought they were nice, then wouldn't they just try to take advantage of them? In school, she remembered the kids messed around in classes when the teachers were too soft. But in the classes where the teachers were perceived to be scary and strict, nobody would dare to step out of line.

Danny spoke more about his parents and she looked at him with awe when he mentioned they'd moved away. "Wow. India? I bet it's so interesting there," she enthused. His explanation confirmed the hippy part, but that didn't hold any negativity in her mind, she thought it was nice that they were all for peace.

After they crossed the street, there was a brief silence as Savannah thought about how nice Danny seemed but also how far she was going out of her comfort zone letting a practical stranger walk home with her. The delivery truck parked up on the side of the road nearby didn't catch her attention, not until the driver unloading the vehicle ended up tipping over the trolley carrying some empty beer barrels. On instinct, Savannah placed her delicate hand on Danny's back and led him away with her, taking brief refuge in an empty shop doorway. Taking a few deep breaths, she eventually looked around to see the source of the noise had been completely innocent. Her eyes then caught sight of a vaguely family face belonging to one of the Porters male gang members. Seeing the guard looking her way, she quickly shook her head to reassure him she was perfectly fine and to warn him against attempting to approach her.

"Let's go that way, instead," she suggested pointing to the right so they could take a slight detour. She composed herself enough to smile again and continue walking with Danny. "Sorry about that. That noise startled me..." she understated. For all of her life, Savannah had been surrounded by danger and violence. Hearing the loud crashing sound only served to highlight how it was now automatic to fear the worst. Though she had no chance of remembering it, she'd been exposed to death when she was just a baby. She'd only been around 80 feet from her biological father when he was gunned down by the police in front of her and her family. Ever since, there had been death and violence all around her. It was easy to expect the worst now.


Pyroclast (Danny)

Hearing that Ryan was staying in the Bedford area raised a few concerns for Peter, but he shook them off knowing that the man could probably handle himself. "Oh yea, the city is so welcoming." He said with thick sarcasm in his voice and a small teasing smile. Talking about his kids helped to ease the tension he was feeling about Ryan's presence. The confusion he felt was becoming frustrating and he didn't like feeling like he was uncomfortable in his own home. He wouldn't be rude however, that was not his style. When he said that he hadn't reached out to James and Lucy, Peter nodded her head, understanding the situation. He would definitely let them know that Ryan was in town when he saw them next.

The conversation moved to talking about the baby sitting duties they had tonight and Peter chuckled and shook his head. "Its a mad house." He murmured to both of them but then he grew silent as Sinead brought up Olivia. Arlene didn't just disappear like that, at least for as long as Peter has known the Porters she hasn't, except for maybe in Dublin...but that was different. From what he remember, Sinead and Lucy were very close to the woman and were always in contact with her. Letting out a deep breath, Peter reached his hand up to touch Sinead's back lightly, for both emotional and physical support.

"I'm sure that this is just some sort of misunderstanding, hun," He tried to reason lightly, but he knew that he couldn't play with her heart strings too much, he couldn't give her too much hope. "We will find her, one way or another." Dead or Alive. He thought to himself before he looked to Ryan again. Looking to the time he said, "Well I think you best get over to the prison, visiting time is very limited and they aren't very flexible." He would know.
with: Sinead Misty Gray ; Ryan Fletchawk