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

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Syd hopped to his feet and strode over towards the door, tutting in mock offense as though wounded by her taunting remarks.
"You tell Doctor Finn to stay where he's needed, thank you very much - no good tearing him from Sinead's bedside only to find me in mint condition," he said, punctuating his retort with a wink. "You faff around as long as you need - I'll be there in five." He opened the door to leave, but then spun round and dashed back to her side to plant a quick kiss on her lips. "Last time I'll be sweet to you 'til this is over," he whispered, and left swiftly with a grin on his face.

After having changed into a second gym outfit and made his way back down to the basement, Syd only needed wait about a minute for Skye to join him. She entered the room just as he had finished securely fastening the four large mats together on the floor, and he smiled up at her. The consistent eagerness he had shown towards fighting her was as true as it ever had been, and remained unchanged. But even so, the second she walked through the door he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. The two of them were still very much in the early days of their blossoming relationship, and they hadn't established these kinds of boundaries yet. What if he couldn't bring himself to hit her? Or even worse, what if he could?

Despite the niggling doubts however, Syd put on a mask of confidence and straightened up to greet her with his usual enthusiasm. "Don't I look it?" he responded, a mischievous smile upon his face. He wandered over to the corner of the room where the boxing equipment was stored and tossed her a pair of gloves. "So, you know the rules: no kicking, biting, below the belt action -" he shot her a hard glance as his said this, but the flirtatious spark in his eye was still there. "Pushing, headbutting and wrestling are also off the cards. You talk a big game, girl, so now's your chance to show me what you got." He pulled on his gloves and rolled his shoulders back so that they made an audible cracking sound. Then, flashing her a grin, he backed into the centre of the mats and beckoned her over before positioning his fists to guard his face. "Come on then - no holding back!" he said, still a little wary of throwing a punch her way.

Interactions
Misty Gray Skye

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue
​

Ryan was still regaining his focus after being rocked by his opponents opening strike when he caught the man's quip. "Ha." was all Ryan could sputter out in return, his mouth filling with a combination of blood and salvia. This gave him the urge to clear his mouth by spitting on the floor but the action was interrupted by Conor's movement to grab for the oil filter that he'd removed from the car not even a few minutes ago. Bastard. Ryan instinctually reacted to the projectile that was flung with alarming accuracy, but instead of dodging it, Ryan tried to catch it.

The filter rebounded painfully off of the side of his hand, causing him to wince. It was too late when Ryan refocused on his opponent, who had taken advantage of the opening and had grabbed ahold of the collar of his work coveralls. It was then that Ryan realized just how much stronger the man was than him as he tried to resist being pushed back to no avail. It was like trying to stop a car rolling down a hill.

The sound of glass breaking and his body slamming into the steel body of Conor's Imperial was muted by the pain that followed immediately after. The loud gasp of air that escaped his blood tinged lips was a involuntary reaction to having the wind knocked out of him and something instinctual took over. Besides the pain and the panic trying to set in from not being able to breathe, a singular desperate thought screamed at him to separate himself from the danger. It screamed at him to flee, but the soldier in Ryan knew that he was pinned and his only recourse was to fight.

The hand that was now numbed from the impact of the oil filter slid past Conor's face and wrapped the back of his head, not only to prevent the man from moving his head but to give Ryan a target to strike towards in his hazy state. The attacks that followed were savage and desperate as he launched several adrenaline fueled punches towards his hand only to buffet Conor's face instead. Feeling his strength waning from not being able to breathe, Ryan let go of Conor's head to bring his leg up between them and used it to push Conor away.

No longer pinned and his mind blurry from pain and lack of oxygen, Ryan dropped to his hands and knees. As a mix of blood and saliva dribbled freely from his mouth and starting to pool on the concrete floor, Ryan struggled to stay conscious until his diaphragm stopped spasming and he'd be able to breathe again, but until then he was spent.


Misty Gray [Conor]

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan
​

Ryan placed a firm hand to the back of Conor's head and before he knew it, the mechanic was sending a desperate barrage of strikes to his face. The first couple of blows had little effect, but then the knuckles of Ryan's fist collided with the outer edge of his eye-socket. It was almost enough to have Conor loosen his grip on the other man's collar. When another hit impacted against his bottom lip, then another against the side of his nose, Conor relaxed his hands and slowly let go of Ryan's outerwear. His opponent seemed to be tiring and before Conor knew it, he had been pushed back by Ryan.

Conor ran the tip of his tongue along the cut on his bottom lip and dabbed his bleeding nose with the back of his hand. As he remained standing, he looked down at Ryan who had now dropped to his hands and knees. Conor's breaths were heavier than normal as he concentrated on calming himself. With the adrenaline of the fight seemingly leaving him, Conor became aware of the pain in his leg. He'd had worse, but still felt compelled to slide his back down against the wall which he then used to prop himself up into a sitting position on the floor. He was still only a couple of arms lengths from Ryan but that was his intention as he watched the guy struggle to control his breathing. Conor grabbed a rag which had been dropped on the floor nearby and used it to briefly wipe the blood that was running from his nose and down his face. His eyes remained fixed on Ryan, making sure the man was recovering and didn't need any kind of medical intervention.

Conor let his head drop back against the wall so he could look up to the ceiling and shake his head as he thought about what had just happened. He felt he'd been provoked enough into starting the fight, but still wasn't happy about who it had been with. Fighting and injuring people he liked, or had at least been friends with at one time, was never as much fun as punching enemies or even strangers. Conor rubbed his thigh and looked back to Ryan. "Ah. That fucking punch to my leg, though..." he lightly commented, giving credit where it was due. He didn't know what damage the fight had done to their already shattered friendship. It might have allowed them to relieve their aggression but Conor was under no illusions and knew punching each other was likely the worst way of solving their issues. Still, it didn't stop him from still showing concern for the man before him. He sat forward a little closer to Ryan. "You good?" he asked. If the mechanic did need any kind of assistance, he hoped he would speak up. Conor knew he had lost control many times in the past and caused others severe injuries without intending to or even trying too hard. He wondered how close he had just come to doing that again, had he not come to his senses. A Romano gang member or Jared and his goons, he wouldn't have cared about. But he didn't want to cause Ryan significant injury, even after the things that had been said just minutes ago.


Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Enzyme]

Eli Porter​

Eli's eye twitched to James as he began to speak. "Oi, don't curse her name like that. She's a very lovely lady - just fidgety is all." He rolled back in his chair, his hand gripping onto the steel chain. "Hm, Grant..." He paused, squinting his eyes tightly. "It was strange really. Grant came to him in his slumba', told ol' Elijah that he did the pissa' a huge fava'. He wanted to die, Elijah was his angel that set him free." He looked to James, his emotionless, empty eyes resembling those of a deranged hyena. "Interesting," he softly said, appearing rather dangerous.

He raised his arm to James, now not acknowledging the handcuffs entirely. "Now Jared is a different story on his own. Blokes a snake, he is." He rolled his lips, pouting theatrically. "Type to say he's your friend, got your back. The moment you turn around, howeva', he shoves his filthy cock right up your arse," Eli spat as punched up in the air. Eli sat back in his chair as James told him he was planning on visiting Ciara. "Tell the wench that Elijah misses her dearly. Tell her that he wants to write to her, but they don't trust him with pointy objects."

He slowly slid his finger across the table, tracing aimlessly. His eyes hadn't moved back up until James placed two photographs on the table. "It's pops," He pointed to the photos, a shocked expression glazed over his features. "He always kept lollies in there as well." He pulled one of the photographs to him, memorizing his father's features. He picked up the photo he was studying, turning it to James. "Look at 'im. He looks like a fuckin' puff with that haircut."

Misty Gray (James)

 

[Shireling]

Rudolph Meyers
​

He took his lighter back.

"Don't know if I should have been the one to tell you this, but Conor has a kid. A little girl, specifically... With a Romano." He raised his cigarette to his lips and puffed smoke, "She's very cute." He added, as if it was an apology. The German strode over to the window and pulled the curtain back to gaze out into the garden again. He seemed disquieted and uneasy.

"I'm going to be frank with you, Miss Sullivan. You came at a bad time. The Porters are at war with the national union---Marxists the lot of them," he turned back at her, "I told James that we should be going to the mattresses, but so far he's just relaxed his hold on the family and his kids. I hope he's right, that Mr. Armstrong isn't after them directly but, I don't know. This is as bad as I have ever seen it."

Misty Gray (Arlene)

 

[Misty Gray]

Skye McKendrick​

"Hmmm. I suppose you do look like you think you're ready," Skye cheekily told Syd. She then caught the gloves that were tossed to her and began putting them on as he explained the rules. She snickered when Syd said no below the belt action, but soon recovered from her little moment of childishness. "Aww, as if I could ever headbutt you, Syd. I mean... surely it'd mess up my hair," she joked and playfully nudged his upper arm with her gloved fist. "And whaaat? No wrestling?!" she grumbled. Skye proceeded to finish off warming up and stretching as she'd always been told to. In honesty, she wasn't taking it all very seriously but she still knew the importance of warming up first.

Skye walked towards Syd as he backed away to to a central position on the mats and she stopped once she was close enough to him. She struggled to wipe the grin from her face as he invited her to make the first move. She took a deep breath and adopted a serious expression, having picked up on perhaps a slight apprehension in him. Skye started with two moderate left-handed jabs aimed between Syd's gloved fists. She then followed immediately with a right cross towards his face, using her left hand to try shield herself from his counter. She wasn't completely expecting to hit him quite so soon, but more than anything wanted to see how he would throw his counter.

Pyroclast (Syd)
((Sorry for my terrible descriptions in this.))

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James simply nodded when his brother defended Ciara and told him not to curse her. It seemed Elijah still had a soft spot for the woman and James didn't have to heart to tell him he should feel otherwise about her. If Elijah's memories of her were positive ones then he wasn't about to take that away from him. "I can believe that about Grant, mate. The man certainly had a death wish. Even went as far as to threaten poor Sinead," he added.

His brother spoke of Jared and gave an interesting metaphor for the prick's style of backstabbing. "Wow. You really do have a way with words," James said, managing a crooked smirk. "But you're right. He is a snake and I have no doubt he'd shaft anyone to get what he wants." James showed a soft smile as Elijah spoke of Ciara again. Personally, he thought the woman was venomous, but he felt there was very little to lose if she and Elijah did somehow communicate. "I'll make sure I tell her. Perhaps I can get her to write a letter for you, although she doesn't have a good track record with pointy objects either." The last James heard, the cop she'd stabbed was making a slow recovery, but he doubted attempting to murder a police officer would go down well at all during her trial.

James felt his heart warm a little when Elijah recognised their father and even called him "pops". He'd been worried his brother would be so drugged up that he wouldn't have a clue what he was looking at in the photographs. He chuckled at the remark about his haircut. "Ah, they had no sense of style back in those days, mate!" James frowned as he glanced to the clock on the wall, knowing the visit would have to end soon. Still, he wasn't going to leave until told it was time to. "Besides, I bet you wouldn't have took the piss out of his hair to his face. He would have kicked the shit out of you if you had," he remarked. It was true. Whilst Ronan was a decent man for a criminal, he wouldn't have stood for his kids cheeking him off.


Enzyme (Elijah)

Arlene Sullivan​

Arlene removed the cigarette from her mouth just in time to let her jaw drop in response to Rudolph's revelation about Conor. She was about to roll her eyes and make a comment about there being too many kids when she processed the real bombshell of it all. The kid's mother was a Romano? She took a very long drag of her cigarette before prematurely stubbing it out in the ashtray. Her mind was racing too much for her to even concentrate on smoking. Her outspoken nature and profanity were not quite as passionate as Shannon's, but she certainly shared much of those traits with her aunt. "How much of a Romano are we talking here? Distant cousin?" she hoped. "Or one of the Devil's own daughters?" she asked. Arlene had never learned of Conor's relationship 10 years ago so had no pre-warning for this. She shook her head as she thought more of it. Of course it would be one of Vinnie's daughters. "I'm sure his kid is cute and all, but I'm going to kick the fuck out of Conor when I see him." Arlene had been at Lucy and James' wedding. She'd barely dodged the flying bullets herself and certainly didn't avoid getting blood on her bridesmaid dress that day. She'd even watched Conor have multiple relapses for months after being tortured by the Romanos. Whilst she knew she would find it in her to forgive him, she would not make this easy.

Arlene contained her thoughts for long enough to listen to the rest of Rudolph's words. "I guess there's never a good time..." she pointed out. "Who is this Mr. Armstrong you speak of? Maybe I should go and give him a piece of my mind," she half-joked. "But in all seriousness, I'm not here for a holiday and fun family times, as nice as that will be. I want to help my family out over here. After the last few years in New York, I thought I was done with it all, but I'm not cut out for a normal, peaceful life," she admitted. "I've got a gun in my bag that hasn't been put to use in quite some time."

Shireling (Rudolph)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

"I mean, if you wanted to wrestle me to the ground I wouldn't object..." Syd flirted, as Skye finished up her warm up routine. "But I'd call you a cheat forever!"
It was the first time he had ever seen Skye in this context and he couldn't help but check her out while she did her stretches. There was something about stepping onto the mats with her to fight that excited him. Even though there was nothing wrong with what they were doing, being walked in on would make him blush and he knew it.

"I like the way you're looking at me right now," Syd remarked, eyeing her through the gap between his raised fists as she approached him on the mats. Skye's face wore a focused expression, and was looking him dead in the eye. "Like you're a predator, ready to -" She cut him off with a couple of quick reaches for his face, followed by a strong right cross, which he admittedly wasn't expecting. Still, he just about managed to dodge them, letting out a nervous laugh as he jumped back slightly. He couldn't quite believe they were actually fighting each other, and not just flirting.

Syd quickly regained his footing and took a few steps around her as if to assert dominance. Really, it was to ready himself for his first punch. Doing his best to ignore his innate principle of not hurting the woman he liked, he threw a quick punch between her fists and followed it with a neat, though not too powerful, left hook.
"What's the most damage you've ever done to a person?" he asked, eyes still locked on her. "And what's the most you've taken?" Before she could respond, Syd directed another jab at her face, merely to provoke her to raise her arms so that he had a better chance of accurately striking her in the solar plexus with his other fist.

Interactions
Misty Gray Skye

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue
​

It was at the edge of barely being conscious when Ryan was able to start breathing, albeit short breaths initially but they increased gradually. With his senses returning, Ryan gingerly pushed himself up into a kneeling position to observe his surroundings. Although Conor could of easily finished him, the man was instead sitting against the wall, alert and watchful. His face carrying a look heavy with thought and touch of concern. Their scuffle was over, the victor was obvious.

Ryan could feel the effects of his adrenaline wearing off and the pain that it no longer dulled. Ryan felt the heat of his cheek as it was starting to swell. He felt the tightness in his shoulders as he leaned forward to spit some of the blood out of his mouth. The salty metallic flavor wasn't a new thing for him but it had been quite some time since he'd last experienced it. Ryan leaned back against the door that now had an abstract impression of his body in it, moving his legs from underneath of him as he did so.

It was a somber scene, two men that were once friends, separated by time and passion. They now sat apart on the concrete floor, bloodied by their own hands. The two men staring at a more raw form of each other as the wall between them destroyed in their clash. The grand question being: Will the wall be left as is or will it be rebuilt stronger than before? Their next words would define the path they take.

The monster that was Ryan's anger was now defeated and Conor's concern coaxed something else that Ryan had kept caged with his anger. Something meeker, but he no longer had the power to reign it in. He knew that Conor was talking about his physical well being, but it was the bottled sorrow that forced a question out of his lips before he could stop it. "Why?"

Ryan shook his lightly to try and clear his head of the word, but it continued into echo with an increasing intensity. "Why? Why did it have to be her?" The first word was soft and tinged with sorrow but it crescendoed to a clear anguish by the time he voiced the last. The hurt displayed on his face was a result of Ryan's physical pain feeding into his emotions and him being too exhausted to stop it.

Misty Gray [Conor]

 

[Enzyme]

Eli Porter​

Eli's face scrunched slightly in disgust. He loved his father deeply, but he'd always idolized James more than him, for the fact that his brother had been more straightforward - not afraid and far from a liar. "Nah," he said, twirling the photograph between his fingers. "Back then, maybe. When I was a littl' piglet." He placed the photo on the table, sliding it back to James. "All grown up now, I could handle the fairy." He still held a grudge against his father's choice to send him away, envious of the love he showed James. Despite what he had always been told, those words can never mend his broken heart.

His eyes traced up to the guards in the room. "Oi, can I get ma' fuckin' stogie now?" His eyes beat back and forth between the two of them, anxiously waiting for one of them to go retrieve the pack. "I'm not patient, you lot know this!" He slapped his hand across the table, the chain around his hand stopping him from getting up.One of the guards finally turned around, moving off towards the heavy, metal door. Eli gestured a sarcastic 'thank you', before leaning back in his chair.

The man had taken his time with the pack, clearly peeved that he was taking orders from a loony. Eli let the man place the cigarette in his mouth and singe the tip with an inexpensive zippo. "How's the family, then?" Eli asked, pulling the cigarette from his lips with his free hand. "Lil... Lil' Delilah? Syd?" He squinted his eyes at James, rolling the burning cigarette between his finger tips.

Misty Gray (James)

 

[Bellz]

Blake Walsh​

Blake's world turned upside down in a matter of minutes, if she had been more aware of her thoughts, she would have laughed at how her world worked. She should have been more aware, she was a fool to live in such a false reality. As she could have seen them coming, like she always did. "NO" She cried out as a large arm wrapped around her neck and forcefully pulled her away from Jackson. Blake watched as the man fought for his life, while she was helpless. "STOP IT. STOP THIS!" Blake cried out in a panic, not even realizing that she was probably putting herself at risk as she plead with the men to stop hurting Jackson. Panic was clear in her eyes as the man holding her said something about the boss having ordered to kill him. Blake hissed out, "You fuckers best let go of me now!" Throwing her head back, she hoped to nail the man right in the throat. The grip was loosened momentarily when the man gasped cursed and made a gargled choking sound. She slipped from his arm and was making a dash for Jackson when the man seemed to regain some of his strength and reached out towards her, pulling her hair and her backwards. Falling on her ass harshly, she watch as the men placed a burlap sack over Jacksons head, all the while she fought with her attacked, kicking and screaming as he continued to grab a fistful of her hair, deciding that dragging her down the road in that style was suitable transport.
Blake screamed and cried out in pain, "JACKSON!!! JACKSON!!" She screamed out for him as the man didn't ease up on his grip and tugged even harder until she was pulled up to her feet again, once again returning an arm around her neck. Blake was trembling as blood dripped down her face. "No fucking theatrics huh? Well I hope the performance back there was noticed! HOW FUCKING DARE HE! Bet you he listened to Carter on how to handle this. That little man fecker likes the theater, but I guess those kinds of men do!"! Her words were useless against her attacker and she knew where she was being taken to. Jared would not be please, and frankly, she didn't give a shit. If Jackson were to be killed, he could just send her to the grave along with him.

With: Enzyme
mentions: Jared Misty Gray ; Carter Enzyme

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor looked to Ryan when he first asked why. The Sullivan pulled his knees in closer to his chest and folded his arms across them. Then the other man spoke again, needing to know why it had to be Alex. A perfectly reasonable question considering what had happened to Ryan's father. Not an unfamiliar question either. Still, it didn't make it any easier. Conor could see how emotionally painful it was for the other man, rendering any of the physical wounds meaningless in that moment. Conor let out a final sigh before decisively nodding his head.

"I guess it started off as a bit of fun. In my younger, more challenging head, I didn't see real danger when I saw Alex around town. I saw this pretty, little, fiery thing and I grabbed the opportunity to have a bit of fun. The more I saw her, the less I could ignore her." Conor briefly gazed past Ryan as he recalled the events and kept his face straight. "It started out as a bit of flirting and a few risky dates. Perhaps even a little of it was motivated as being a way for me to fuck Vinnie over. But she was nothing like her father and that was plain to see. I fell for her more than I should have and I grew closer to her than I'd ever allowed myself to with anyone else. I wouldn't have risked Vinnie's wrath like that if I wasn't in love with her."

Conor looked to his feet as he thought of the last ten years without her. "When James took the Romanos down, I had to help Alex escape Chicago and I never thought I'd see her again. Truth was, I never got over her in all that time. All of the women I've been with since just couldn't fill the void inside me. And I tried. I tried to make it work with them. Reminded myself they had nothing to do with the psychopath who killed our fathers. No relation to the monster that tortured me and hurt my family in so many ways. They could have even been a way for my mother to finally completely forgive me and see me as she did so many years ago. None of those thoughts helped. Then, when Alex showed up a couple of months ago, it was like everything suddenly made sense. She was the only person I ever wanted." Conor looked to Ryan and managed the faintest of smiles. "Now she's back and I have Michelle, I feel like I've got a reason to live. I have motivation to try be a better person, to stop trying to destroy myself and to look to the future again."

Conor lifted the rag to his face again, wiping away any stray blood. He then looked to Ryan in all seriousness. "I'm sorry," he told him. "I know this is difficult for you. I see it in my mother's eyes more often than she will admit."


Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano ​

Alexandra nodded when Conor left the room and told her to keep an eye on Emery. “So will we clean up or I’ll clean up and then you can teach me a new game?” She asked Emery before getting up and moving over to the sink to wash the dishes. “You’ll have to make me pancakes some time because I say they were the best pancakes ever” she exclaimed happily sending a grin towards Emery.

After the wash up was done, Alex played a few games before her eyes darted towards the clock. “Right I need to go collect Michelle” she told Emery “but we can all continue this when I get back?” She asked before standing up and grabbing her bag. “Tell Conor I’ll be home soon if you see him” she muttered as her eyes darted towards the back door, wondering where he had been for all this time. She shrugged to herself before walking out the door.

The streets were quiet for the time and Alex found it slightly unsettling but she just put it down to a rooted paranoia, ignoring it as a irrelevant fear. However she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. As she approached the town, she felt a hand shoot out from a side Alley and latch onto her arm tightly before pulling her down it forcefully. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out due to the shock running through her system. She tried to pull her arm back but found he was too strong for her to break the hold. “Give me all your money” a rough voice demanded her. Alex turned to look at him, the fear hidden from her face, she had dealt her with worse in Chicago “fuck you” she hissed as she laced a kick into his hip, causing him to loosen his hold just enough for Alex to pull her arm back away from him. Alex took two small steps backwards, her eyes trained on the man infront of her, suddenly she turned and began to run down the alley , only to come face to face with his friend. Her legs immediately slowed as she tried to figure the best way out.

“Fine If you want it this way, go to hell you Romano bitch” his words caused a shiver to run down her spine as she’s stood frozen, regocnising the voice as belonging to an old ex-boyfriend. “I see you haven’t changed you...” the words along with Alex’s breath harshly left her mind and mouth as she’s felt a searing pain in the back of her skull as she fell to the ground. The pressure feeling as though her eyes were about to pop out of her head. Alex tried to turn herself but felt another blow followed by a few more land on different parts of her body. When she heard the clanking off the metal pole hitting the ground, Alex turned herself around, squinting due to the pain these movement caused.

She watched in horror as he leaned down before trying to dig through her pockets. Alex bit her lip before using all her strength to try fight him off but he mearly laughed at her attempts. She felt a sharp pain in her jaw as his fist connected with the bone, the familiar taste of blood filled in her mouth within seconds. But he wasn’t feeling finished there, Alex threw her head up catching him on the bridge of his nose, the blood that ran out sprayed down onto her but at this point she’s didn’t even care. When he grabbed a hold of her hair, Alex knew immediately how screwed she was, she grabbed onto his hands trying to pry them off but failed miserably. She felt her head being lifted, his grip making it feel as though he was about to rip out all of her hair and that’s when her head was forced back down with insane straight, her vision went blurry as the day seemed to be getting darker to her. By the second blow she was unable to see but the searing pain could still be felt for a few seconds before everything went dark.



The man dropped her unconscious head sharply onto the ground before rummaging through her pockets and frowned when he found she only had a bit of pocket change on her. He looked at her unconscious beaten body lying in an awkward position on the ground, the blood pouring from her head mixing with the dirt of the ground, didn’t bother him however he knew that was the sign that he needed to flee before someone walked past. Motioning towards his friend the two men ran off out of the Alley and away from the crime scene

​

Meanwhile in the Porter household the telephone began to ring. Since no one had arrived to collect Michelle, the teacher rang the emergency contact that Alexandra had given her to make sure everything was ok and that Michelle had not been forgotten


Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James smirked when Elijah said he could handle their father now, compared to when they were kids. "Yeah, I'm sure you could," he agreed. His younger brother had grown up physically strong and unafraid of any fight, so he didn't doubt he'd stand up to Ronan were he still alive. James hadn't been happy when Elijah had been sent away. It had left James with his only family for many years being just his father, who wasn't too great with fatherly affection and he eventually became another victim of the Romanos. For the years that followed that, it really had felt to James like he was alone and without anyone to call family.

He sat back and watched as Elijah was given a cigarette by the warden. When asked about his family, James smiled. "The family is doing alright. Delilah's dating a new accountant of mine, Leo. Seems like a nice lad. Mal is busy with college and when she isn't she's pretending to be studying so she can get pissed," he remarked. "Syd has started training with me - I'm getting him into shape before I put a gun in his hand. He's taken a shine to the nanny, so he might be in a relationship soon too."

The voice of one of the wardens interrupted, informing them the visit was over. James held his tongue as he knew showing his own irritation wouldn't help Elijah. "Well, that was too bloody quick," he lightly remarked to his brother. James stood up and approached Elijah so he could lightly squeeze his shoulder. He shook his head as the warden seemed disturbed by even that amount of physical contact - worried in case he was up to something. They'd been pretty thorough with their search, but James was aware of the other holes in their security, which he wouldn't draw their attention to. "I'll be back again soon, Eli. Before we know it, I'll know this whole building like the back of my hand," he quietly added, so only Elijah could hear. He purposely left the photographs on the table, leaving it up to his brother if he kept them or not.

Enzyme (Elijah)

******************​

When he arrived home, James parked his car up close to the security gates. He knew he'd be heading out again in a short while and he needed to speak to someone who had been guarding the entrance. He was glad to see Tommy there as he'd needed to remind him of his task for the day. "Is Jackson back yet?" he asked, having missed the man earlier in the morning.

"Nah, James," Tommy replied, trying to hide the knowing smirk from his face. "He drove off with Blake right after breakfast, I think to her place. I reckon he's got something else on his mind right now, if you know what I mean?"

"Yes, Tommy. I know what you mean," James flatly replied. As much as he might have found the comment amusing, he had a lot on his mind in that moment and Jackson's sex life wasn't of interest to him. "I need you to trying calling Blake's place and if you do get through to them, tell Jackson I need his presence this afternoon. Make sure he knows it's important, alright?" James looked to his watch and paused for a moment. "After that, I need you to head into the city as we discussed. I've already scouted the area out and you won't get a parking space near the hotel nor the park. I need you to park up outside The Rose and Crown Pub. And stay put until you hear otherwise."

Once James had finished, he left Tommy to try calling Jackson, which would clearly prove fruitless. James was heading to the house when he detoured to the garage, figuring he was most likely to find Ryan there working on the cars. As soon as he stepped into the doorway, he could practically feel something cold in the atmosphere before he even set eyes on the two wounded men inside. His gave both Conor and Ryan a focused looking over. He'd figured it would only be a matter of time before Ryan confronted Conor about their issues and James had made the decision to let the grown adults have it out between themselves. He just wished they'd chosen a better time to do it. James looked to the damaged car for a time, exhaling through his nose with mild irritation. He focused back on the two men and sighed. "Are you both done here?" he asked. He hoped they'd got their hostilities out of the way or at least broken through the icy atmosphere that had been lingering around them. "I assume you're going to pay for that, Conor," he added, pointing to the car. Judging by the positions of the two men and Conor's strength, it seemed logical it had been him who had caused his own car to become damaged.

"I hope you two have at least made some progress. Perhaps released some of the tension. I wish I could give more attention to this right now, I really do..." James rubbed the back of his head, hoping they could understand that for the next few hours, he had more urgent and potentially dangerous matters to be concerned with. His attention fixed on Ryan. "Are you going to be good to head to the parade with me this afternoon?" he asked. "Seriously, if you need to rest or don't feel up to it, just tell me," he reasoned.

Fletchawk (Ryan)
Mention: Enzyme (Jackson) Bellz (Blake)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Monarch Hotel
Dublin City Centre

​

Jared Armstrong

In the penthouse suite, Jared stood by one of the windows in the living area. From the fifth storey floor of the hotel he had an unobstructed view of the long street which led towards the park. The usually visible entrance of the park was sealed off and blocked by the stage which had been erected earlier that morning in time for the Garda Commissioner's speech during the afternoon parade. Phillip Morris was the man in question and the most popular candidate fighting to be voted as Mayor in January's emergency election. Competition that Jared wanted removing from the race.

The man's eyes were briefly drawn to the windows of the apartment building directly across the street from him, but his attention was pulled away by the knocking sound on the door of the suite. Jared turned to face the large man who was guarding the door and gave him a nod to check who was on the other side.

The man who had first grabbed Blake had stayed in the back of the car with her as his accomplice drove them to the arranged location. When they reached the hotel, the car stopped next to one of the side fire exits, where they were then granted access. The two men practically dragged Blake indoors and into the elevator, making it clear to her that they were armed. When they reached the fifth floor, she was pulled towards the door of the penthouse suite. After knocking, there was a brief pause, before the door was unbolted from the inside and pulled open by the large man standing guard. The driver of the car that had brought them to the hotel remained standing guard on the corridor. The man who had led the attack on Blake and Jackson pushed Blake into the living area and closed the door behind them.

Jared was now standing by the small dining table which was positioned next to a window overlooking the street which would soon enough be filled with crowds attending the parade. On the table for two were some drinks glasses and a couple of menus standing upright. The man's attention was focused on Blake as he took in her appearance. He cocked his head towards the man who had grabbed her back at her apartment and then pointed towards the blood on Blake's face. "Why is Miss Walsh bleeding?" he calmly asked. The way he spoke in that moment sound calm and could be mistaken as showing concern for her. "Blake is a colleague of ours and I expected her to be brought here for lunch, unharmed." Jared let out a sigh before outstretching his arm to motion to the prepared dining table. "Come and sit with me, Blake. We have much to discuss. You haven't checked in with me since Ciara's arrest and I grew concerned for your safety. I understand Jackson McCarthy may have been making your job more difficult, so I decided it was time I had you removed from such a dangerous position and away from that man. You're welcome, by the way." Jared pulled out one of the chairs, offering for Blake to sit down. Essentially, she had little choice in the matter, but sitting down without causing a fuss would clearly be the safest option, especially with two armed guards in the same room. "Ciara only spoke positively of you, so I was shocked when I heard some unsavoury information regarding your time with the Porters... How are your loyalties with the IWU these days, Miss Walsh?"

Bellz (Blake)

 

[Bellz]

Blake Walsh​

***Monarch Hotel****​

The car ride was agonizing for the blonde. After having put up quite a fight for the men who were dragging her away, she knew she had to keep her composure in the car. Her tears were dried quickly as she was forced into the back of the car, and she was to make it look like she didn't give a rats ass what happened to Jackson. Inside, her heart raced and she felt like the will to live had been taken from her. It was all her fault. She was to blame for dragging him into this mess, the mess that she was suppose to take care of. Blake could have contact Jared a while ago, told him she was done and perhaps she would have disappeared in the middle of the night while Jackson slept soundly, and one day, forgetting that she ever existed. "Watch it!" She hissed as the men pulled her from the car and towards the building, making it clear that if she were to make an escape, they had weapons. Blake thought about it a moment, as she was dragged towards the elevator. The only thing that kept her from escaping was the possible chance to persuade Jared to let Jackson go. She was silent in the elevator, lifting a hand to her head gently as warm blood still fell slowly down the side of her face like a tear drop, leaving a trail of deep red as it fell on the tile floor. The doors open and soon she was pushed through another door into the living area of the penthouse. Blake tried not to narrow her eyes at Jared as her hands trembled with anger. Biting her tongue, she let Jared speak with the men who brought her here, a small smirk showing on her face as he expressed false concern for her. She could point out a lie when she heard one. Charming and Handsome as Jared was, Blake wasn't blind.

"Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there have a hard time following orders it seems." She said as her eyes looked to the men, who seemed to be rather uncomfortable being called out by Jared so openly. Blake didn't hesitate when Jared told her to sit, pulling the chair out for her, acting like a gentleman.Sitting down in the chair, she looked out to the incredible view they had and watched the people down below. Her eyes didn't pry from the view to look at him, letting him say what he wished to. Her hands squeezed her thighs tightly, letting her nails sink into her soft skin as he spoke of Jackson as if he were the problem in her life. When he spoke of her loyalties. Blake let out a harsh laugh, as she moved to grab a cloth napkin, moving it to her skull to stop the bleeding. "You know very well that I am allied with the IWU. Don't let Carter tell you any different. I'm sure he spoke with you about my loyalties, but I am just doing my job." Her eyes tore away from the view of people below before turning to look at Jared, blue eyes meeting his and holding his gaze.

"Thank you for thinking of me, but Mr. McCarthy is the weakest link in the Porter's chain of trust." Blake regretted her words, knowing that deep down, none of it was true. But she was an actress for now and the show must go on.

"The information that I have received from the weakest link is far more informative than anything I could squeeze out of the others. He's lonely, Jared, and right now, he would do anything and everything to have someone to be with." Blake bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders, "Even if I have to sleep with the man, the information is important." Her eyes looked back to the view and her eyes watered a moment before she cleared her throat. "Your flying monkey's including Carter have no idea what I have to do to get such information. Ciara spoke good of me because she knew how far I would go to get the information I so desperately want. She trusted me. I can't do business without trust Jared." Her voice was smooth and emotionless. She picked up the water glass that had been set on the table and took a sip before speaking again, "Besides, Carter is just as bad as these flying monkey's," Her eyes looked to the goons by the door. "Practically wanted to kill me right then and there, I swear, he might have been jealous of such interactions with Mr. McCarthy."

"My Loyalties lie with the IWU, and quite frankly, I'm offended that you doubt my work. With Jackson practically melting in my hands, I control the Porters and their information. James Porter and him seem to be very very close."

With: Jared Misty Gray
mentions: Jackson+Carter Enzyme

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue
​

Logically, Ryan knew that Conor had a reason for causing those around him heartache, but to hear it come from the man himself helped. It hurt to listen to be sure, but Ryan would not, could not respond to the man's apology. He still felt betrayed by the man who'd once been his friend, but Ryan could see that Conor was trying to make things right. It would take time for him figure out if he even could accept Conor's apology, let alone forgive him. For now, he'd managed to bring his emotions under control.

Ryan was drained, emotionally mostly. He could feel the heat as the left side of his face was starting to swell, it's tenderness was annoying as he gingerly assessed how bad the cuts on the inside of his cheek with his tongue. Wincing a little as he shifted his shoulders again the concave car door, Ryan could feel the tightness of of the muscles in his back. His shoulders had taken the brunt of the force as they made contact with the roof frame of the now damaged Imperial. Ryan expected the bruises would start showing soon. Overall, Ryan had been in worse shape after a fight, although his body would likely remind him thoroughly to not underestimate Conor again for several days, not that he was expecting there to be a second round.

The silence that permeated the garage was broken when the dull thuds of footsteps were heard seconds before the door to the garage open and James appeared. After an awkward moment of everyone looking at each other and the now damaged car door, James ended the silence with an irritated noise and addressed the elephant in the room. Ryan got up with a grunt of discomfort as stood up to responding to his boss. "Yes, sir. I'll take care of the car. It was my fault." He paused for a second as thought about the events that transpired and corrected himself after realizing that James likely wouldn't believe that Ryan voluntarily made the imprint in the door. "Mostly my fault."

Ryan intentionally ignored the question about them making progression and answered James' request. "Yes, I'll be able to accompany you to the parade. I'll probably need a double shot of whisky, but I've marched in worst shape." Ryan wasn't lying, although it wouldn't be exactly easy-going. Fortunately, Conor hadn't broken anything other than his car door; with Ryan. "Maybe make that a triple shot."

Misty Gray [James + Conor]

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 8: Fresh Challenges - Part 2
Friday 27th November 1959
Afternoon - Cold, Sunny
********************************
...Later that day...
********************************


The Monarch Hotel
Dublin City Centre

Jared Armstrong

Jared reached for the bottle of brandy, pouring the liquor into both of their glasses. He hadn't asked Blake if she wanted the drink or not and frankly couldn't care less if she didn't touch it. He held the empty bottle out to the side so one of his men could take it out of the way. She mentioned Carter and her assumption that he had spoken with him about her loyalties. He gave no reaction to confirm her words, as accurate as they might be.

"I understand you've been having sleepovers at the Porters' house. Really, by this point, McCarthy isn't needed for you to continue that. I'm sure you'd do a stellar job at acting as the grieving girlfriend, attacked by the IWU. Hell, you've even got the marks on your face to back your story up. The bonus is that you don't have to sleep with the guy anymore to do your job," he told her. His voice was continually calm and perhaps unnervingly so.

Blake explained that Jackson had provided more information than she'd taken from the rest of the Porters. A brief smirk crossed his lips as she told him McCarthy was lonely. He sat forward as she said she had to work hard to get her information and that Ciara trusted her. He took a sip of his brandy as she went on to explain about Carter wanting to kill her and being jealous of her interactions with Jackson. "Honestly, do you think I have time to think about you and Carter having petty little squabbles? I'm sure if Carter had really wanted to kill you he would have."

Blake assured him her loyalties were with the IWU and that she was offended he doubted her. "Here's the thing, Blake. I don't feel like you've given me anything to work with at all. As for Ciara, her word means very little to me since she started blowing buildings up and trying to get into bed with Porter's mentally ill brother." Jared placed the palm of hand down flat on the table a rapped his fingers on the surface for a brief time. His eyes then fixed squarely on Blake's. "I have very little concern for whether or not I have offended you. My concern lies with the fact I don't believe you've done enough to prove yourself to the IWU. Even Elijah Porter proved himself and he was doped up on medication most of the time." Jared turned back to the window, looking down on the street that would soon be much livelier. "I see great potential in you, Blake," he said, turning his head back so he could look to her. "This afternoon, you're going to kill someone. If you really are loyal to the IWU, you will remove one of our biggest threats. You can do that, can't you?" he asked her.

Bellz (Lucy)
Mention: Enzyme (Carter, Jackson)

Mayoral Election Parade
Dublin City Centre​

James Porter
~ Detective Donnelly ~

With Conor having to get Michelle from school and Jackson apparently choosing getting cosy with Blake over business, Ryan and Rudolph had been drawn in to attend the parade with James. He knew Ryan might not be fighting quite as fit as normal, but for the most part he just needed the extra eyes on lookout for any danger and the ability to still fire a gun would be preferable. The march that would begin the parade wasn't of too much concern to James, but he still wanted eyes out in case anyone in the crowd was suspicious. The National Guard would be present during the march, but it was above the Porters to check the legitimacy of each of the men holding the issue rifles. The part which concerned James the most was the candidate's speech as only then would the Garda Commissioner show himself publicly. Both James and Detective Donnelly had tried to talk the man out of making such a public appearance, but it fell on deaf ears with Philip Morris. Even without the possibility of Jared being elected a the Mayor, James held respect for the commissioner and deemed him as one of the few corrupt figures within the police force.

Tommy was parked up nearby, should anything happen that would require an emergency getaway. James was happy to know the young man was taking on more jobs as each day passed and he had proved himself on a number of occasions recently. His only concern was the lad's recklessness whenever the cops were involved.

James had asked Ryan and Rudolph to stick together or at the very least not lose sight of each other during the parade. There would be members of the police force also keeping watch, but James trusted his men to do a better job and frankly, he didn't trust all of the cops supposedly loyal to the commissioner. As the march began, Ryan and Rudolph wouldn't notice anything suspicious, but they would need to navigate through the crowd of supporters standing in the designated areas at either side of the road the march was being led down. They were also expecting to see Arlene somewhere in the mix. When she heard what was going down, she demanded to help out and reminded James he had no right to stop her. She wanted to help the family business and get back on the front lines. She believed the fact none of the IWU knew who she was couldn't make her much more inconspicuous in the task of looking out for any suspicious behaviours.

James, meanwhile, stood in the lobby of the Monarch Hotel. By his side was Detective Donnelly and two armed police officers keeping watch behind them. Standing opposite him was the Garda Commissioner. "Are you sure about this?" he asked the man. There was a big chance absolutely nothing would happen and he knew how unpredictable the IWU could be, but it didn't stop James from being cautious. "It's not that I don't have faith in your team, Commissioner Morris, but..." he began, glancing to Donnelly. "Actually, I have very little faith in them, if we're being honest."

Shireling (Rudolph, Ryan) Fletchawk (Ryan) Enzyme (Garda Commissioner)

Dublin Hospital​

Shannon Sullivan

Shannon had offered to take Lucy to her hospital appointment, knowing Sinead wasn't well enough to be venturing out and certainly wouldn't enjoy being back in the place regardless of circumstances. Shannon had driven them to the hospital and surprisingly only had two moments of yelling out profanities to other drivers. She never did have time for idiots on the roads. Soon enough, she parked the car up, pointed out some of the poor parking skills of other motorists and then walked with Lucy to the reception desk. When asked to take a seat in the waiting room, Shannon put her arm around her daughter as they walked to the seating area.

Once they were sat down, there was still something bugging the woman and she couldn't help but vocalise it, at least figuring it would cut through any tension. "Today is a busy enough day without her pissing about. Does she realise James needed as many of his men with him today? Conor shouldn't be doing the school run right now." The 'she' being spoken of was Alex, of course. "Michelle's a good kid and I wouldn't want to think of her left on her own thinking nobody wants to pick her up from school. If Alexandra is going to start taking the piss, I will not hold my tongue. Conor can sulk all he wants." Shannon wasn't going to comment on the fight between her son and Ryan. She'd known since Donahue had come to Dublin that there was tension and the bust up had been completely expected. She loved Conor, but she felt Ryan was within his right to feel the way he did. She known and attended the funeral of Ryan's father, James' father, and obviously her own husband - the father of her children.

Shannon took a deep breath and reminded herself of why she was really with Lucy. She put her arm around the blonde's shoulder and placed a kiss on the side of her head. "How are you feeling, love?" she asked her. "If anyone deserves this, it's you and James. You've done the best job with your kids back home and you're a natural with the younger ones." Shannon had watched her own kids go through all kinds of hell and even now they were all adults, it didn't stop her from wanting to protect them.

Bellz (Lucy)

Conor Sullivan

After leaving Ryan and James behind to discuss things, Conor walked back to the house, trying to shake off the pain in his leg that was causing him to limp a little. He thought his fight with Ryan would be the lowest point of the day, but when Tommy handed the telephone receiver to him his day was apparently about to get worse. When the teacher told him Alex hadn't arrived at the school to collect Michelle, his gut reaction was to think the worst, as was the most reasonable reaction considering the life he'd had so far. Figuring it would be best not driving in his own dented car and facing questions from his daughter about the cause, he figured he needed to borrow someone else's. He wasn't enthusiastic about asking James for one of his cars, so he instead grabbed the keys for Finn's and asked Shannon to let his cousin know he'd bring it back in one piece.

When he'd left to pick Michelle up, Conor asked a couple of the gang members to go out for a drive and see if they could find anything out about where Alex was at. When he returned home with Michelle, Conor was immediately met by Brian who had the vague message that something had happened to Alex and she'd been rushed to hospital. Brian hadn't been very subtle with the message, causing Michelle to overhear. Conor was unable to stop the child from worrying and wanting to go with him to the hospital. Knowing exactly how agitated he could get and how anxious he was, Conor asked Finn to go to the hospital with them. He needed someone to keep him in check so he could in turn keep his daughter in check. Also, to cut through any medical jargon the doctors often liked to throw at him.

Conor couldn't keep still as he paced the waiting area inside the hospital. He'd gathered she'd been attacked and mugged, which in itself only fuelled the anger he'd already had to suppress for one day. It was only his worry for Alex and his need to be strong for Michelle that stopped him from lashing out at the dismissive staff. Still, he was growing impatient waiting for news. "How long do these jackasses take?" he asked Finn. "You should go and show them how to do their job!" he flippantly commented. All he knew for sure in that moment was if he found out who had hurt Alex, he wouldn't hold back any punches and his car would be in a much worse shape, no doubt.

neverbackdown (Alex, Michelle) Bellz (Finn)

The Docks

The burlap sack had remained over Jackson's head throughout the drive to the docks and even when they reached their destination, Jared's thugs didn't remove it. With his hands zip-tired in front of him and his vision obscured, he wasn't in the greatest position as the men dragged him out of the car and walked him to the front of the docks. There was a damp smell and low sound of splashes hitting the the side of the wooden supports which would tell Jackson he was near water. He would feel one of the men let go of him upon being given the order to get the cement blocks to tie to his legs. He was still being held by one of the men standing behind him, but perhaps didn't feel quite so helpless. Not for the next few moments, at least...

Enzyme (Jackson)​

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz neverbackdown Enzyme Melanin-Gxdess Shireling Pyroclast Fletchawk
​

((More to follow. Didn't realise how big a task involving everyone was!))

 

[Misty Gray]

The Porters House​

Skye McKendrick

Skye grinned when Syd said he'd call her a cheat if she wrestled him to the ground. "You are no fun, Syd. Spoilsport!"

When Syd told her she was like a predator, she didn't flinch and instead kept a deadly serious expression on her face. She wasn't sure if he was trying to distract her, but she wasn't going to let him if that was the case. Still, when he dodged her attacks and nervously laughed, she allowed her face to crack and flashed him a playful smile. Skye blocked his first attack, and then the left hook, again flashing a brief smile for him. She figured he might be finding it a little more difficult fighting her, but hoped he'd relax into it.

Syd asked her a couple of questions which caught her slightly off-guard, but she managed to block his jab that was aimed towards her face. "I don't know..." she began, but stopped as his fist struck her in the stomach. "Ohhh, now it's on!" she said, hoping he didn't feel bad at striking her.

"I've not been in a real fight. I've just trained for them," she said, keeping her eyes fixed on him as she planned her next move. "But in the orphanage, there was one girl who was being a real bitch, so I hit her and broke her nose," she admitted. She felt no guilt for it, as the girl had been a bully and nobody else did anything about it. It was the second question that did distract her, causing her to lower her arms as her face seemed to lose its fight. She didn't mind being asked the question, but didn't much like the answer. "That would be the orphanage too. The staff there hated me and I wouldn't ever back down. I couldn't control my mouth back then and always has an answer for them. The only people who have physically hurt and wounded me where the adults in that place. I would have felt safer slumming it in the streets," she sadly admitted. It seemed like she'd lost the spark she'd had in her eyes only a minute earlier.


Pyroclast (Syd)

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra and Michelle Romano ​

Michelle had wondered why her mother never came to collect her, she usually would have expected her mother was just running late or had been held up at the restaurant but after what had happened to both her aunts, Michelle was beginning to get worried, what if her mother was hurt? Or worse what if she went to heaven to join the others in her family. She was relieved when her father finally collected her but she still had an unsettling feeling bubbling in her stomach, this feeling only heightened when she overheard a man tell Conor that her mother was in hospital.

Michelle’s eyes widened as reality sunk in and she demanded to go to the hospital too, tears streamed from her eyes and she begged her father to tell her that her mother was going to be ok, he couldn’t give her an answer however which Michelle couldn’t understand, why couldn’t he tell her that she was fine.

In the hospital Michelle watched quietly as Conor paced back and forth, she could see how stressed he was which only made her more upset and worried. She hugged her knees tightly into her chest and only looked up when a strange man in a white coat arrived over.

..........

“Im Doctor Smyth and you must be Conor?” The doctor questioned as he looked around at those present with him. “A word in private?” He asked not wanting to share the details in front of who he assumed was Alexandra’s child.

Once away from the others, the doctor turned to Conor a grim look on his face “Alexandra is stable at the minute however the injuries sustained to her head were severe and there was an intracranial hemorrage sorry eh internal bleeding in the brain” he explained deciding by the mans state it was better to use layman’s language. He took a deep shaky breath , this was the worst part of his job, giving bad news to the loved one of critical patients. “Alexandra is in her own room in the ICU department, she was left for a long time without help and due to this she is in a coma, I am very sorry but I can’t say when or if she will wake up, we have done the best we can but the rest is up to her” he said sadly. “I can take you to her now?” He offered.

When Conor was ready, the doctor led him towards where Alexandra was. He stopped hesitantly outside the room “there’s a lot of tubes and wires connected to her and a good bit of physical bruising and damage , I just need to warn you” with that he stepped out of the way to allow Conor to enter the room.

Misty Gray Bellz


((I know it’s a young picture of Michelle but needed one of her crying ))

 

[Enzyme]

Commissioner Philip Morris ​

Philip had been ushered out of his house before the sun had even begun to crack over the horizon. Both he and the Gardai had been made fully aware of the dangers of publicly addressing Dublin. He was kept in the Monarch Hotel for several hours, while the Gardai did their best to secure the perimeter and set up security checkpoints. While he would've preferred to stay in bed with his wife, the hotel's food service made it hard to complain; even when he had to explain to the staff that he didn't drink alcohol multiple times. By the time the sun was well above the city, the streets had become packed for the parade. Philip had calmed his nerves by then, with the help of Donnelly. Public speaking wasn't a fear of his, but more of the fact that he would be bare in the public's eye - with only a thin piece of kevlar protecting his heart.

Once James had walked in, the three of them had settled down for a quick brunch meal in the lobby. To his surprise, James had appeared more nervous than Philip. "These people need leadership. With buildings being leveled overnight and Anderson dying on your casino floor, the last thing this town needs is a Commissioner in hiding. They need to know that we aren't afraid. If that means putting myself in potential crosshairs," Philip shrugged lightly, cutting into the egg with the side of his fork, "So be it."

After finishing up his brief meal, he watched the parade ensue from the hotel's windows with James by his side. "We haven't always seen eye-to-eye, Porter. Hell, Anderson was the only reason I never slapped cuffs on your wrists," He looked to James, his expression seeming more friendly than hostile. "But I know you're not like the rest of the gangsters that plague this town. You have a heart, more importantly, you care about this city." He rested a hand on James' shoulder, looking off to the crowd. "If the people elect me as their mayor, you know my first order will be purging the force of corruption. You will no longer be protected by dirty cops, but I hope that won't lead to you or your family's demise. You have enough of the public's support to go clean, end your habits of extortion and contraband."

While Mayor Anderson was in office, Philip and James had always been at each other's throats. Despite the view of seemingly most in the department, Philip had no tolerance of corruption. Gardai were Gardai and gangsters were gangsters. Now that he was taking a higher position, however, it was time to stop seeing so black and white. "Porter, everyone holds a badge - something they pledge allegiance to. For me, it's this city. The future of these people is how I measure myself." He glanced to James now, his question not needing a verbal answer. "What about you? What do you pledge allegiance to?"

Misty Gray (James)

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

When the doctor came out and requested a word in private, Conor nodded his head. He looked back to Michelle and made eye-contact with Finn, knowing he'd stay close her in the meantime. Conor followed Doctor Smyth to an area out of the others' earshot and couldn't help but feel worried as he noticed the other man's grave expression. The word 'stable' was a familiar one and brought him a little hope, at least. That brief hope was pushed aside as the man continued explaining Alex had a severe head injury. That medical jargon reared its head and didn't fail to frustrate Conor, but luckily the doctor translated it to terms he did understand. Conor subconsciously took a step back upon hearing she had a bleed on the brain. In fact, the words made him feel sick. "A coma?" he repeated, almost choking on his own words. "What do you mean you can't say when she will wake up? It's your bloody job to know that!" he snapped back at the man. He knew it wasn't right to take it out on the doctor, but he just wasn't sure how he could explain to his daughter that her mother was in a coma and that she might not wake up again. He took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Sorry... Yes, I would like to see her," he agreed.

After asking Finn to stay with Michelle, Conor made his way to the room Alex was being kept in. He needed to see her for himself before he could even attempt to explain to Michelle what was happening. "I've see it all before," Conor told the doctor upon being warned of how Alex appeared. When he did step into the room, he covered his mouth with his hand. The sight of the woman he loved covered in bruises and bandages was still a shock to him. He'd seen many injuries in the past, but he never could be prepared for it when it was his loved ones. The tubes and wires were off-putting, but he knew they were only there to aid her.

Conor slowly approached Alex's bedside and looked down to the cuts and bruises on her face. There was always going to be his anger willing him to go out and find whoever was responsible for her suffering. But as he stood looking to her, all he cared about was Alex and wanting her to survive this. "Is this because I asked you to go see Shakespeare with Tinkerbell, in my place? That stuff bores me as well, but come on..." he spoke to her. It was a joke, yet the sadness which contorted his face and the tears trickling down his cheeks would make it difficult to tell, if anyone could see him. He reached down to gently hold her hand in his own and used his other hand to softly stroke her cheek. He bit his lip as he tried to contain his upset at seeing her in such a terrible state. "You're going to fight this, Alex. After everything we've survived, I know you're strong enough to fight this battle. You've lived through worse," he tried to assure her. He wondered if she could even hear his words, but if she could, he didn't want her to hear him expressing the real helplessness he was feeling deep inside. "And do you really think Michelle is going to let you stay asleep like this? Kids have no respect for our need to rest, so you'd better get up before she wakes you up," he remarked.

After a few minutes by Alex's side, Conor knew he couldn't leave Michelle and Finn in the dark for much longer. His daughter would no doubt be getting more worried the longer he made her wait. "Alex, I'll be right back, love. I'm not going to go far, alright?" he reassured her. He leaned in to her face and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Then let go of her hand and walked to the door. He didn't immediately step outside. Instead, he stood facing the door as he allowed himself to quietly sob and get the initial distress out of his system before he faced the others.


With his eyes dried and a little more composure, Conor walked back out to the waiting area and sat next to Michelle, so she was between Finn and himself. He turned so he was facing his daughter and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Michelle, love. Your Mam was hurt and we're not entirely sure what happened to her. Now, she's in safe hands and the doctors are going to look after her." He gently squeezed her shoulder. "She hurt her head quite bad and now she's in a coma," he told her. He glanced to Finn, figuring his cousin would understand the severity of the situation. "The doctor said she has to sleep until her head gets better..." Conor was still getting to know his daughter. He wasn't sure how much he should be telling a 10-year old. Knowing how smart and aware Michelle was, he wasn't sure if he wasn't telling her enough. All he knew what that he wanted to cause her as little upset as he could.

neverbackdown (Michelle, Alex) Bellz (Finn)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Porters House​

Sinead Callahan

When she'd heard about Alex and that Conor would be going to the hospital along with Finn, Sinead found herself becoming quite restless. With most of the family and their closest friends being away from the house, she didn't want to stay in bed, cut off from everything. She was stubborn and didn't give Peter any choice, instead pleading with him to help her get across to the Porters. Knowing Syd and Skye were home, it made her feel safer knowing if she did relapse, Peter wouldn't be on his own trying to deal with everything. She was sure the three children would behave themselves and try not to stress their sick mummy out, but if they did become too much for her and Peter, she was sure Skye would help them.

Once she was comfortable on one of the Porters' sofa and kept warm with a blanket, she sent Peter and appreciative smile. "Thank you, baby," she told him. "I know I'm demanding and hard work, but I just feel better knowing we're not alone back at our place," she told him. She could hear their three children happily entertaining the dogs in the hallway. They seemed to be playing nicely and behaving themselves as promised. "I can't wait to be up and about again," she said, pausing to cough and clear her throat. "I miss the Jazz Club. I hope Kev isn't messing up the bookings or anything." The man she'd left in charge hadn't messed up yet, but she couldn't help but worry, nonetheless. "I wonder how Ali is doing too. I hope she's not scared to be around us, considering what happened at my gig and then the casino. Tommy doesn't tell me much and I feel like I'm missing out on gossip," she admitted. "Has he told you guys anything about his love life?"

Sinead sighed as she realised she was letting all kinds of nagging thoughts get to her. "I'm sorry you're stuck here with me, Petey. I know James would have had you down there helping him out today. I'll be better soon, I'm sure of it!" she promised him, flashing a hopeful smile.


Bellz (Peter)
Mention: Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

The Mayoral Parade​

Grace 'Lily' Armstrong

Grace was excited about the parade. It wasn't so much the politics side of it, but just being able to take some photographs and capture snapshots of people in natural situations. She spent a lot of time photographing still-life, so it was nice to have an ample supply of living subjects. She hated violence and wasn't keen on weapons, but she was still taking pictures of the rifles being raised in perfect order and alignment. Brutal, deadly, organisation. Pictures of the ugly side of life were just as valid as the beautiful ones. She was sure the gun images could be placed into some portfolio of the darker side of existence.

Beaming, Grace turned to Faye and Quinn. One might assume she was excited about the parade, but they would know it was the opportunity to do what she most enjoyed and in the company of at least two loved ones. She held her camera up and gave them a playful smile. "Mum, Q..." she began, motioning for them to stand in front of some pretty shrubs. "Let me take some pictures of you. We can show Dad what he was missing out on whilst he was stuck in his dumb, boring business meetings," she groaned. "Come on, look super happy just to piss him off," she joked.

As she then watched the crowds of people, most of them likely present in support of Commissioner Morris, she couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. She figured it was selfish and wrong of her, but she took comfort in the atmosphere. Of course she wanted her father to succeed in his work and be able to support his family, but she wasn't sure why his existing position wasn't enough for him. In all honesty, she hoped Jared's opposition would be more popular and win the election. That way, her family would retain at least some time they had with her father included. Him being Mayor would only drag him away from home more and after what had happened to Mayor Anderson, she feared Jared could be targeted next.


Bellz (Faye) Fletchawk (Quinn)

 

[Bellz]

Blake Walsh​

***Monarch Hotel****​

Blake prayed anxiously that Jared would understand what she could do with such information but sadly, the conversation was not going in her favor. Instead he continued to offend her by informing she wasn’t really as dedicated to the cause as she thought. Her heart raced in her chest, wondering what the hell she was going to do, Jackson could have been long gone by now and she wasn’t even able to process it because Jared wanted to have this stupid meeting. Reaching for the glass of brandy, she took small sips of the drink as her nerves really couldn’t handle much more of this conversation. Carter was going to be made her bitch the next time she saw him, that much she was sure of.

Her heart practically stopped beating when he informed her that she was going to have to prove herself, by killing a major threat to the IWU. For a moment she wondered if she was going to have to prove herself by killing Jackson, but that was unlikely, because even though he was important to her, to Jared he was just another person to throw away. Disposable. Blake stared at him a moment, really taking in his facial expression, trying to read his mind. The blonde then looked back towards the streets below, knowing that this kill must have something to do with this whole campaign that Jared was working on. Her eyes slowly moved their way back to Jared as she nodded her head slowly.

”Well, if even Elijah can prove his worth, then this should be a cake walk for me hmmm?” Blake asked. Jared was eerily calm, and though she had spoken to him on multiple occasions, she couldn’t stand the way he could be stoned face in such a situation, making it hard to ready him. Blake’s mind went to Jackson again, wondering if they had finished him off yet. Her eyes watered once again and she quickly dropped her gaze to her lap. Sucking in a deep breath but pulling it off as a sigh, Blake lifted her head and gave Jared a confident smile, ”Who do I need to take care of, boss?”
With: Jared Misty Gray
mentions: Jackson+Carter Enzyme

Lucy Porter​

***Dublin Hospital ***​

Lucy was relieved to have her mother with her today. Though she wished Sinead could be with her to, she knew that her little sister needed plenty of rest after the poisoning at the casino. The blonde walked with Shannon up to the receptionist desk and smiled lightly, ”Hi I have an appointment, Lucy Porter.” Her voice shook slightly but the receptionist gave her a kind smile and told her that she was all checked in and she would be called back when they were ready for her. She thanked the kind woman before walking to seat in the waiting area. Sitting down, it was clear that something was bugging Shannon and Lucy already knew she was sure to hear it. And on cue her mother vocalized her concerns. With the fight between Ryan and Conor to the tensions that Shannon had with Alex, it was a very tense day all the way around. She understood her mothers concern for the situation though, wanting James to have as many men by his side as needed.

She wished he was here with her today as well, but at the moment there was too much going on for him to sit here with her, and she definitely understood that. ”I’m sure that this is all just a big misunderstanding Mum,” She reassured her mother. ”Its not like her to just leave Michelle like that…” Lucy had gotten to know Alex before they left Chicago, having helped the woman. She never would forget the time the woman hit her, but it wasn’t healthy to dwell on the past. There was quite a few of her family members who dwelled in the past for far too long. The subject was moved on thankfully so Lucy didn’t have to think of a way to defend Alex for long. Her mother wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder to which Lucy leaned her head on her and sighed softly as she asked how she was feeling, a smile forming on her face as her mother told her that if anyone deserved this, it was James and her. Lucy had tried very hard with her children, wanting them to forget the horrible lives they had lived in before and just grow up in a healthy and well balanced environment. And her nieces and nephews were a treat for her, loving how young and free spirited they were. ”Well…I’ve been feeling…you know I actually don’t know.” Lucy murmured to her mother. ”I just…hope that today will work in our favor, on all accounts. I don’t think I would have it in me to tell James that this whole thing was for nothing you know..” She sighed before her name was called. Lucy’s head snapped up quickly before she looked to Shannon. Standing up, she took her mom’s arm as they walked towards the nurse who had a door propped open for them to walk through. ”First door on the left, Mrs. Porter, I will need to grab everything I need to run the blood test and then we can begin.” Lucy did as order and walked through a door that had a number 1 on it. Stepping inside with Shannon, she moved to sit in on of the chairs instead of on the examination bed.

With: Shannon Misty Gray
Mentions:

Finn Sullivan ​

***Dublin Hospital ***​

Finn wasn’t worried about Sinead as much anymore, knowing just how the little firecracker could bounce back quickly, especially with Peter there, he knew he was leaving her in good hands. Now he was worried about Conor, who had asked him to accompany him to the hospital, with an incident concerning Alex. Conor wasn’t patient in the waiting room and Finn didn’t expect him to be. Shaking his head softly, Finn wondered what was taking so long as well. ”I know, mate, I know.” He said to his cousin as he sighed and looked around. In all honesty, this whole thing was probably worse than anything than Finn could handle, and he was sure that the doctor’s here were doing their absolute best.

When one of the doctor’s asked to speak with Conor in private, Finn already knew what his priorities would be. He stayed with Michelle and tried to keep her distracted while it looked like Conor would be able to visit Alex. When he returned, Finn didn’t like the face that Conor had, knowing that something wasn’t right he scooted over so that he could sit between himself and Michelle and listened quietly as Conor explained to Michelle what was going on with her mother. Finn remember the day that his parents died, the same voice, the same hesitation was used on him. Although he was confident that Alex would pull through, he couldn’t help but hear the similarities.

The man placed a hand on Conor’s shoulder as he understood the severity of the situation. Finn’s eyes looked to Michelle and wondered if she understood as well. In the brief conversations he had with the little one, he understood well that she was a smart girl. ”But the doctor’s are going to work tirelessly to wake her up Michelle, I will be sure of that.” It was one of the only things he could promise her at the moment. Not wanting to make any guarantees or promises. Knowing how those ended up being the things that killed himself and his sister Maggie in the end, when the promises were broken.

With: Michelle neverbackdown ; Conor Misty Gray
Mentions: Alex neverbackdown

 

[Enzyme]

Jackson McCarthy

​

Jackson's drowsy eyes forced themselves open. His senses slowly tuned, the head splitting migraine presenting itself. The constant sensation of a sledgehammer battering his frontal lobe and the distinct smell of his own blood, in the burlap sack, was enough to remind him of his situation. As the door to the vehicle opened, beams of light shot into the small openings of the bag. His body desperately wanted to submit, fall back into an unconscious state. Soon, he wouldn't have to fight his own mind, a strong grip forcing him out of the car. His legs quickly buckled on the asphalt, collapsing to the ground. He was able to hear a muffled, "Get up!", before the steel-toe of a boot connected with his diaphragm. He withheld the urge to vomit, finding the strength to push his zip-tied hands against the ground.

Two men held both his arms, dragging him down the docks. Jackson could feel the handgun in the front of the man's waistband for a brief second, before he was forced onto his knees. Despite being blinded, he could make out his surroundings by the crashing waves below. "Hold 'im still!" Jackson felt a heavy hand press on his shoulder, as the sounds of cement blocks dragged closer. Fully awake at this point, he was aware of what was about to happened. Any minute now, a bullet to the back of his skull would turn the lights out. With nothing left to lose, he wasn't going down without one last kick.

A gust of life surged through his veins as he shot his elbow into what he believed to be the man behind him. The sound of a sickening crack confirmed that he had struck a nose. His tied hands moved down to where he had originally felt the weapon, thankfully wrapping around the grip of the handgun. While his intentions were to take out as many of them as he could, before being finished off, he was cut short. The body of the man he'd hit collapsed onto of him, forcing him off the edge of the docks. As the two of them fell into the open water, Jackson blind fired three shots, striking a goon in the chest and shoulder. He felt his back crush through the soft surface, before the rushing water muffled his hearing. The burlap sack quickly soaked against his face, giving him a waterboarding sensation. He desperately tried to swim to the surface, but felt hands suddenly clasp against his foot. He shot his foot back into the man's head until he felt his grip loosen.

His tied hands immediately ripped the wet burlap sack off of his face, revealing the multiple bullets whizzing through the water. He turned around in time to see his attacker catch a round to the chest, passively floating up to the surface. As Jackson quickly wiggled under the wooden docks, a round shot by his leg, ripping his polyester pants and singeing his skin.