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

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor was sad to hear Evelyn's father was in jail, especially as it seemed he'd been there for some time seeing he'd been there since she was only 9 years old. "Ah, that's rough, not having an old man around when you were still growing up," he sympathetically told her. At least when Emmet had died, all of his kids were adults. "You know, my brother-in-law, Pete, is in that same place right now. I suppose it's a big prison, but that's still interesting." When Evelyn mentioned how Dale would be thrilled about her contact with one of the Sullivan kids, Conor chuckled at the enthusiasm. "Well, if you ever need company when you visit your old man, I'd be happy to tag along. I'd be quite interested to talk to him about my dad..." Conor thought for a time, the disappointment in himself for not being up to taking Emmet's position was something that often weighed on his mind. He wondered how Emmet had managed to do it when he'd been so young himself. "I mean, that's if you don't mind. I promise I'll be on my best behaviour," he remarked. The reason for such a comment was that he'd managed to piss a couple of wardens off during an earlier visit he'd made to Peter. He'd learned they had even less of a sense of humour the the coppers did.

Conor nodded in confirmation of his mother being Shannon. Listening as Evelyn spoke of Dale missing the gang business, he slowly nodded his head. "Well, I don't know if he's wanting to go straight when he gets out or not, but I'm sure James would hear him out if he did want to help with business again. We tend to stand by our loyal friends and family, so I like you old man's chances."

Conor went to get the bottle of whiskey and a couple of glass tumblers and returned to the table with them. "I won't tell a soul," he assured her. He then went to pour them a drink each. "Just say when..." he prompted, apparently not taking the request for a "wee" serving seriously. "We definitely need to keep the stocks coming. My places are always needing to restock. 'The Sullivan Pub' goes through it the fastest. Tink -Sinead- doesn't like that place. She says it's full of noisy drunken louts but I think that's its charm," he fondly told Evelyn. "Plus, it brings in the profits." He thought back to the matter at hand and sent Evelyn a reassuring smile. "I reckon James will hear you out on this one. We need a regular and stable supply."

When asked if things were running smoothly, Conor hesitated a little. Whilst the Porters were still very much in control of the city, the last few months had been some of the most testing since their move to Dublin. "We've been having a few issues lately, which are linked to our losses at Christmas. We've had some problems with a bunch of pricks who have an hard-on for explosions and an unhealthy distaste for anyone doing well in the city." Conor cleared his throat. "Sorry for the language, but we just buried a lad we all cared about. Those shitstains were responsible."

Pyroclast (Evelyn)

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan and James Porter​

James grinned when Lucy proclaimed Syd was a genius. "Of course he is. He's a Porter, after all!" he joked. "We can just get some extra sides to share too. I'll gladly finish off any leftovers," he added. With his workout regime, he knew he could get away with the extra portions as he'd soon burn it off again.

"We're getting desert too, aren't we?!" Sinead suddenly asked, worried they were planning on filling up on mains. She didn't often have much of an appetite - certainly not a big one - but she was feeling very hungry and always had a sweet tooth. "Whatever, because I'm getting cake or ice-cream, even if you lot don't." Soon enough, the waiter returned to the table to take the family's order. James sat back to let the other three order first, before he ordered himself a good, meaty steak, as he often did!

Sinead listened as Lucy spoke to Syd about the wedding. Considering what happened the first time around, Sinead was glad the wedding would be at home. It also had the added bonus that she and Peter could party all night without having to worry about getting home for the children, especially as she expected Skye would want to enjoy the celebrations too. Sinead smiled as Lucy told Syd he was part of the wedding. "You're definitely helping to set up, Syd. As the Maid of Honour, I will be bossing you around, Mister! I do get to boss people around, don't I, Luce?" she briefly turned to her sister for clarification. "I expect Skye will be your plus one and no doubt she will look stunning in a pretty outfit. You two will be adorable," she gushed. She liked to try draw a blush out of Syd and that was the reaction she was going for in that moment.

Bellz (Lucy) Pyroclast (Syd)

 

[Pyroclast]

Dale McKenna

Dale raised an eyebrow at George when he uttered some remark about the book on the table, as though in such a daze that he hadn't even looked at its title. Either the man was fighting to stay awake or there was something seriously weighing on him. Still, Dale had to chuckle at his sarcasm. "Aye, there's nowhere more welcoming than these grey walls. Why stay cooped up in your tiny cell when you could come hang out in this slightly bigger one?"

His eyes followed George's over to the gym where he had left Peter. The two men had been cellmates for a good few months now, and Dale wondered if Peter understood how lucky he was to have been landed with an inmate as harmless as George. There were so many snakes in this institution, so many criminals with a penchant for violence, and if Peter had been paired with any of them then he surely wouldn't have lasted a week here. "Yeah, well," he sniffed, lowering his voice again as he turned back to face his friend. "Besides ending up in this aul shitehole, I believe he's already heading in a pretty good direction on the outside. He runs with a good crowd, so he does."

When, after some hesitation, George revealed to him that he was going up in front of the parole board, Dale leaned forward in deep interest. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, George, but it'd be great to see you get outta this place," he said, his tone sincere. "God, if you're the furniture I must be the very foundations..." Dale caught George's smile, but didn't return it. Much as he had tried to keep to himself over the years, it was only human nature to want to make a few decent friends here and there, and he considered George to be one of them. But that didn't stop him from feeling a sharp pang of jealousy - although he didn't have much of plan sorted out for his own release, he wished it were him leaving soon to reunite with his daughter again. Especially after his talk with Peter, which had evoked in him a fresh interest in the Irish Mob. It had made him remember how exciting life could be on the outside, and he was in danger of fantasising about it again, undoing all his hard work to put it behind him. "You've got people waiting, have you?" he asked, assuming that George was downplaying his excitement so as not to draw attention to himself. "That's worth preparing for, then - you better get studying. You got a long-term plan, then? What you gonna do with yourself out there, George?"

Interactions
Misty Gray George

 

[Pyroclast]

Evelyn McKenna

"Oh, don't worry - I had plenty of old men around me, growing up with the rest of the gang," she joked. Her eyes widened when Conor told her Peter was in the same prison as her father. "Is he really?" she asked, perhaps sounding a little too excited. "Sorry - I know it's terrible, but wouldn't it be strange if they knew each other? I hope my da's behaving himself in there. Your Pete wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him. He can deny it all he wants, but once you've been in a gang, the mentality never truly leaves you." Evelyn held her smile for a moment. "I think he'd love a visit from you, Conor. I'll let you know when I'll next be going there."

Evelyn wasn't really sure what to say when Conor suggested that James might be able to find Dale a role in the mob when he was released. The two of them were both speaking on behalf of other men. Perhaps her father really would prefer to go straight when he got out - God knows how all those years behind bars had affected his vision for the future. Perhaps he wouldn't appreciate her giving his name out to mob bosses, even ones that he was already loosely affiliated with. The last thing she wanted was to see him go back to prison, after waiting her whole life to have him on the outside. "If he expresses an interest, I'll be sure to let him know," she said, a little hesitantly. "He's a loyal man, too, is my da. Very loyal."

Evelyn watched Conor pour out the whiskey and giggled as he poured out a rather large glass. "You'd better stop, Conor, or I'll have to leave my car in your driveway and get a taxi home," she grinned, but didn't hesitate to take a sip of the whiskey when he passed it to her, closing her eyes to fully appreciate the flavour and letting it tingle on her lips. She knew it would be the expensive kind, which is why she had asked for it. Sinead's description of The Sullivan Pub made her laugh. "Noisy drunken louts? Sounds right up my alley," she winked. Then, lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, "Don't tell Mr. Porter, but this air I put on is just for business' sake - I'm much more fun than this suit makes me look!"

The way Conor hesitated to answer her question was an instant giveaway that the mob's current situation wasn't easy to explain. It didn't come as a surprise, but Evelyn was still grateful that he was willing to talk a little bit about what they were currently going through. Although Evelyn hadn't been at the centre of a gang for some years since she got her job at the warehouse, she remembered how chaotic it could all be. "I'm sorry to hear that, Conor. I understand your anger - I wasn't always so distant from the action myself growing up, so I got some pretty clear insight of how tough gang life can be," she said, softly. With solemn eyes, she raised her glass. "Here's to your friend. May he be drinking all the whiskey he likes up there."

Interactions
Misty Gray Conor

 

[Misty Gray]

George Sanderson​

George grinned at Dale's comment about him exchanging his small cell for the bigger one known as the recreation area. The man was one of the bigger and more intimidating looking men in the prison, yet he was one he was most able to have a normal and intelligent conversation with. The two men had bonded over books some time ago and been on goods terms since. Dale was one of the few men George would miss if he did get out of jail, especially as he'd been one of the only faces in the jail for the whole ten years of his own sentence. Sadly, Dale's had been double the length of George's time there. He'd heard why Dale was in jail and whilst it first worried him, he couldn't help but think his victim had deserved it for what he'd done to the big man's wife. George had no respect nor sympathy for any man who hurt women or children.

"Aye, Peter's in with that Porter lot," George echoed Dale's thoughts. "I have to admit, I'd heard a lot of bad things about the mob, but Peter's opened my eyes to a different side of the family. They seem like decent people," he admitted. There was also the fact Finn had done an amazing job at changing George's mind about the mob too, but he figured Dale didn't need to know all about that.

George nodded when Dale said it would be good to see him out of the prison. "You can't have too much longer yourself by now. A couple of years?" he curiously asked. When asked if he had people waiting for him, George quickly nodded his head, but initially the only person his thoughts jumped to was Finn. He knew it should have been his own family. "Oh, believe me. I'm studying in overdrive! My brother's offered to get me a place to stay and find me a job on the outside. It won't be a glamorous or well-paid job, but if the board knows I've got stability lined up out of here then it'll help my case. If I can just get out of here, I'll worry about job satisfaction later," he reasoned. "Other than my brother and sister, I lost everyone when I got myself locked up. It'll be a fresh start, that's for sure," he apprehensively told Dale. He was worried about how much the outside world might have changed. It didn't matter how much his visitors told him about their lives and developments, he expected everything outside of the prison to be quite daunting.


Pyroclast (Dale)

 

[Enzyme]

Sergeant Patrick Higgins​

Patrick waited by the door, resting his weight against the frame. His hand rested on his belt, where his service pistol would've been located. Patrick could hear the timidness in Ronald's voice through the heavy wooden door. As the man asked to see his badge, Patrick's eyes shot to the peephole. moving to his buckle, he felt the leather under his coat. He pulled the belt clip off, raising the badge to the view of the hole. The sound of the heavy bolt unlatching confirmed his entry, allowing him to reattach the badge to his belt.

As he stepped inside, he couldn't help but make a mental note of how dark the room was. Most of the curtains were drawn, the only light being natural, coming in from the undisturbed window in the kitchen. Despite the lack of light, the room looked clean and neat, matching the expectations he had formed when being told about the man. "You seem ill, Mr. O'Donald. Is everything alright?" He asked, making his way to the couch.

After sitting down on the couch, he was displeased by the artificial feeling, as if the couch was a lot less soft than he was led to believe. It felt almost fake, the cheap springs bouncing up and down under his weight. He couldn't fathom how Ronald could comfortably sit on this couch day after day, but he dismissed the thought as his eyes fell back on the man. "Now, Mr. O'Donald, there has been a lot of rumors of human trafficking in this nice area. You look like a man of class, so I'm sure you'd want to rid of that filthy business as much as we do." He looked to the open window in the kitchen, capturing the spectacular view of the city. "The department believes you may have some information that could help us pinpoint these operations."

Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Enzyme]

Darius Rogers​

Darius' mouth didn't twitch in the slightest. Instead his arched eyebrows and small frown remained as they had, not amused in the slightest. He had taught Peter to stay out of his way and when they did come in contact, to do exactly as he was told. Peter had learned quickly and seemingly evolved from being an arrogant Porter, but he seemed to be undoing all of his progress. Darius couldn't understand why Peter would openly taunt him, as if he'd spontaneously grown a backbone. Peter's beady eyes and steady breath suggested he was standing up for himself, but was short-lived as he attempted to make a quick getaway. Darius' friends murmured to each other in disbelief. A few stepped forward to straighten him out, but Darius raised his hand, stopping them in their tracks. He hadn't broken eye contact with Peter, even if Peter's were to break off and look to the floor.

Darius continued to stare him down, taking a small step forward into Peter's chest. His head rested beside the man, Darius standing a few inches taller. "C'mere, Pete'," Darius uttered, using his first name and differentiating him from the rest of Porters for the first time. He didn't move from his position, speaking so close to Peter that his lips were almost touching the man's ear. "When you walked in here for the first time, you were scared shitless, pale white. Now look at you." The men stood around them in a circle, eyeing Peter as if they were seeing him for the first time; not as a Porter, but as a prisoner. "I broke you, but being afraid of somebody forced you to become somebody." Despite his words, his demeanor didn't seem any less cold, for he wasn't done yet. "You can leave these walls, but a piece of you will always be here."

The gym fell strangely quiet, Darius' voice breaking the silence. "Even if they do let you out of this place, things 'll never go back to the way they were. You don't fit the mold of a preppy Porter no' more. Your friends, your wife, your kids - they won't even recognize you," Darius spat, inching even closer. "So go on, Pete'. Run along." Darius finally stepped away, allowing Peter to walk past him. His facial expression didn't change, nor did they change on the men around them.

Bellz (Peter)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Peter was prepared for a fight, when it didn't come, the man's confidence began to dwindle. Darius and his group seemed to be confused by sudden turnaround and Peter was wondering why the man wasn't throwing the punches yet, it had to be some sort of trap, a mind game. The man got uncomfortably close and Peter felt like he couldn't move. Darius hadn't called him a Porter, using his first name for the first time since he'd been here. Peter didn't dare look up as the man spoke into his ear, claiming that he had pushed Peter to become somebody by breaking him. It was laughable, but in a sick and twisted kind of way. In Darius' words, was some truth that Peter would never admit to. The man stayed quiet, not saying a word as he continued on.

Around him, Peter glanced up to notice that everyone had now been eyeballing the scene. Clearly not being able to mind their own business they would rather watch a potential fight than continue in their daily gym routine. Peter's hands clenched into fists at his side, his thoughts going to the day he would be getting out of here...his life no longer watched by what seemed like a thousand pair of eyes. His jaw clenched, knowing that being in a place like this really had changed him, he couldn't argue with the man who had made his stay a living hell from the moment he stepped foot inside. Darius was crushing the hope Peter had, in letting this place go behind him, never looking back. He wanted to forget about his time here, he wanted his wife and kids to pretend like it never happened. But he had changed. Was it for the better? Peter didn't like change.

His blue eyes looked up to stare openly at Darius, who was now letting the man walk past him. Peter took a step back, wide eyed. He was letting him go? Hesitant the man took two steps past him before turning his head to make sure he wasn't being followed, then quickly, he sped towards the exit, leaving Darius and the rest to their exercises. Peter didn't let up, wanting to return to his cell. Quickening his pace, the man felt numb. The anger that welled up inside of him was uncontrollable. His hands shook no matter how hard he clenched them into fist, twitching as he ground his teeth hard. He wouldn't leave this place a changed man, he would make sure things would go back to the way they were before.
with: Darius Enzyme

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

"Ill? No, not quite. I appreciate your concern though, s-sir." Ryan shook his head briefly as he wrung his hands in an anxious manner. He was fairly sure that Higgins was just making himself look a little sympathetic before he cut to the chase. Still, Ryan rewarded the man's effort with a weak smile.

After the Sergeant sat down on the cheap sofa that used to furnished the apartment, Ryan paused as he waited for Higgins to dictate how the interaction would go. If the man continued trying to garner his sympathies, Ryan would remain play along and try to offer to make tea before they got brass tacks. Higgins however lived up to what Kennedy had told him and the man went straight to business.

Ryan made himself physically recoil a bit as if the thought of human trafficking was abhorrent. "Yes, s-sir. I unfortunately stumbled upon something that may be of service. However..." Ryan, who was still standing, moved to one of the covered windows and peaked past the curtains to outside world as if he expecting someone. After taking a few seconds to seemingly scan the outside, Ryan let the curtain block the window once again and started to pace about the apartment in a manic manner that he'd seen Tinsley do a number of times before. "...S-sorry, but I believe I may have also run afoul of some rather nasty people in turn. So b-before I hand over the evidence, I w-w-want a guarantee of protection. As much, I'd like t-t-to help, I'd rather not die." Ryan stopped his pacing as he stared the man with pleading eyes, waiting for a response.

Enzyme [Higgins]

 

[Enzyme]

Sergeant Patrick Higgins​

Patrick studied Ronald, watching the man nervously waddle around the room. The thin slice of light cut through the dark room as Ronald partially pulled the curtain apart, illuminating a silver of Patrick's face. As the man quickly closed the fabric, the room was once again shrouded in darkness. Patrick thought to himself, as Ronald made a reasonable proposition. The man seemed to be the skittish type and some flashy protection could get a full broadcast out of him. Patrick mumbled to himself as he thought it over. The issue would be assigning a task force to patrol the man's block, as relocating him would be even more of a hassle. With the current reputation of the station, maybe it would look good to see them taking a firm stance against something as despicable as human trafficking.

Patrick lightly nodded his head, before nodding stronger in affirmation. "Alright, mate. You've got yourself a deal." He offered the man a smile, assuming that this would relieve the man of a lot of stress. Patrick moved to his coat pocket to retrieve his clunky walkie-talkie. While it would only connect him to the operator at the station, it was more a power-move to assure Ronald that they were taking this matter seriously.

As he pulled the walkie-talkie out, the heavy plastic got caught on the lining of his coat. Slipping from his hand, the device bounced onto the carpet. "Whoops," Patrick chuckled, nonchalantly shrugging off his clumsy mistake. He bent over the side of the couch, leaning over to retrieve the walkie-talkie. Doing so, his attention was pulled off of Ronald entirely.

Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

The switch from a nervous stuttering snitch to the veteran enforcer was almost unbelievably fast, and all it took was Sergeant Higgin's momentary lapse in attentiveness to trigger it.

The first foot forward was light and made no sound as Ryan stooped low to a sprinting stance. Ryan would've liked to have been closer but he knew he could cover the distance fast enough to capitalize on his quary's show of weakness. The next motion was an explosion of movement and the second step towards Higgins was quite opposite the previous, heavy and loud. Before the man could react to the noise and realize that he was being attacked, Ryan was already coming into physical contact with him.

There was never a third step as his knee and weight of his charging body flew into Higgin's face. The man's head snapped up as a reaction and it was the last thing that Higgins registered before slipping unconscious. Watching the slump forward after recoiling from the blow almost seemed anticlimactic to Ryan as he was expecting a bit more of a fight.

After taking a few seconds to marvel at what happened, Ryan pulled his blade from the sheath that had been tucked in the rear of his pants. With the target unconscious, ensuring that the man would never wake again required relatively little effort. Before the blood spread too much, Ryan flipped the man over and rifled through the doomed man's pockets, coming away with the his wallet, badge, and revolver. There was also bit of paper with the current address written sloppily on it.

Knowing that Kennedy would eventually turn up to 'find' the body, Ryan decided to make himself scarce as his job was done and the dead could rest easy. Wiping the blade clean on the dead man's jacket, Ryan took a last look around to make sure nothing was left behind that could be tied to him or his affiliates.

It wasn't long before Ryan was walking through the alley behind the apartment building, and first thing to go were the glasses that had been annoying him since he put them on that morning.

Enzyme [The Stuck Pig]

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 14: The Big Day
Friday 6th May 1960
...3 months later...
Afternoon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Blue Skies
******************************

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The Armstrong Home
​

Jared and Grace Armstrong

The aftermath of the Porters' attack on the IWU had been testing for Jared and not just his own recovery from the gunshot wound in his thigh. The loss of Oliver Morgan hadn't just left a hole in Jared's election campaign, but the fact he'd lost a friend had also weighed heavy on his mind. He'd done everything he could to help Adam, offering the young lad a spare room at the Armstrong house and assisting with the funeral arrangements, as well as the financial affairs. Meanwhile, Jared had also had to switch his charm and magic into overdrive, by playing on the factory attack as the IWU being the victims of a disgusting act. Whilst he may have been the man to have the former mayor assassinated and he may have arranged the unsuccessful hit on Commissioner Morris, Jared did a stellar job at making the attack out to be an attempt on his own life - to prevent him from becoming the next mayor.

The polling stations had been opened the previous day, with the votes being counted throughout the night. Earlier today, the results had been announced and Commissioner Morris had been elected as the new Mayor of Dublin. Despite Jared's strong campaign, the bad press that had surrounded the IWU in recent weeks had unsettled the public and redirected their trust back in the direction of the Gardai. Whilst the Porters were an obvious choice to put his blame on, Jared believed it was the acts of his own men that had led to his failure. Carter, Evan and anyone else who had instigated the restaurant shooting were most at fault. He blamed them for the attack on the factory and Oliver's blood was on their hands too. However, Jared was a perceptive man and he knew he wasn't going to get time for revenge, certainly not without planning and recruiting trustworthy allies. For now, he knew he needed to get his family somewhere safe. at least until the dust was settled.

As they left the office in the town hall, Jared waved off his associates and campaign team. With one hand on Faye's waist and the other on Grace's shoulder, he led them to the Rolls Royce where his driver was waiting to take them home. He'd asked one of his men to now locate Quinn and Adam, having previously suggested his son took Adam out for the morning to lift the lad's spirits given that he'd recently lost his father. Jared kissed Faye's cheek as he held the rear door of the car open for her and Grace to climb into the vehicle.

"Dad, slow down," Grace said, hugging the man instead of getting into the car. "You might not have won the election, but I'm still proud of you. You tried to be a voice for those who need one and even if you didn't win, you were still heard. I'm sure of it. Plus, we get to go on that holiday now," she playfully told him, before getting into the car beside Faye.

Jared smiled at his daughter's words, but as he turned away, his face fell completely. Seeing Jack, he approached the man before he had chance to get in his own vehicle. "Jack, could you follow us straight back to my house? I have some matters I need to discuss with you before I accompany my family to London - it pertains to that funding you requested for publishing your work."

Jared then climbed into the passenger seat of the vehicle and asked the driver to get the car moving. He didn't want to worry his family, but he knew there were members of the IWU who had only held back in case he won the election. Some had been vocal enough about it. He needed to get his family to London as soon as possible, before anyone could get hurt. "We need to pack as soon as we get home," he spoke to Faye and Grace as the driver set off. "Things went on longer than I anticipated today and the flight is in just a few hours," he reminded them. He'd told his family they were having a two-week holiday, but it was indefinite and he would tell them the truth about that once they were safely with his business contacts in the English capital.

Bellz (Faye) Shireling (Jack)
Mentions: Fletchawk (Quinn) Pyroclast (Adam) Enzyme

The Sky Haven
​

Saoirse Fitzgerald

The last few months had flown by for Saoirse, but the void Bridget's death had left was still felt. She wanted those responsible to pay for what they'd done and she knew the Porters had been the ones attacked at the restaurant. She wanted them to do something. Anything. Why should Griff have to pay rent and insurance to them if their sister had been killed? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shift such thoughts from the back of her mind. She'd volunteered at church only three times in the last few months and she was starting to realise she was losing her faith in God completely. People were still getting murdered and the streets were dangerous. What good was prayer doing? Only the powerful men around them could answer her wishes.

With the grocery store covered for a couple of hours, Saoirse had talked Griff into joining her for lunch at the nearby Sky Haven restaurant. She needed a drink and something good to eat for a change. Plus, she hoped the change of scenery would help distract her thoughts for a time. When they entered the restaurant, they would to be seated. Once at their table, Saoirse smiled to her brother. "This is nice, right?" she warmly asked. She looked around at the other customers before looking back to her brother. "We need to find peace, don't we? Then we can get some normality going again. I mean... when was the last time you had a girlfriend, huh?" she probed, despite having not being out on a date herself since before Christmas. "Seen any pretty waitresses around here?" she continued to tease him, a bright smile finally managing to grace her face.

As they spoke, Saoirse noticed a familiar man enter the restaurant. He'd been around the store many times in the past and they knew him to be one of the Porters. "Isn't that Conor Sullivan?" she asked, a strange sense of suspicion in her tone.


Conor Sullivan
The last few months had been tricky, with Conor and Alex finally sitting down to talk about things. With him putting closure to their relationship, which hadn't survived their ten-year separation as much as he first believe it had, she moved into her own placed along with Michelle. They all remained on good terms, with Alex and Michelle being a big part of the family. Alex was a Romano, but she was also James' cousin, even if somewhat distant, so that tie wasn't about to be thrown away because Conor had split up with her. Conor made sure to keep seeing Michelle, and Savannah was always asking for her cousin to have a sleepover. The friendship between the cousins had also brought Sinead closer to Alex, so the woman was often at the Callahans place, even if not the Porters house.

Conor had spent most of the day checking in on his businesses and making sure that all of the alcohol stocks were back on track. Following Evelyn's arrival at the Porters house in February, James had agreed to keep the business going with Evelyn and also made sure to have a couple of his trusted men assigned to assist her with the shipments, in place of the good men they'd lost on Christmas Day. Conor had also kept his offer open to accompany Evelyn on one of her visits to Dale at some point. He loved meeting new people and Dale interested him greatly as he was an old friend of Emmet's.

After his final stop of the day, Conor's ever-big appetite was calling for food and so he went to his favourite restaurant. Possibly his favourite due to the manageress, but still. He cheerfully greeted the security guard before walking straight ahead so he could hop up onto one of the bar-stools at a free spot at the bar. He glanced at a menu as he waited to be served, checking a couple of times to see if Aliana was around. To say he enjoyed spending time with Aliana was an understatement...

Bellz (Griffin) @Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) @Moka-chan (Darlene)
Mention: @neverbackdown (Alex, Michelle) ?

The Archers Pub
The Duncan Gang: Johaan and Richard Duncan (brothers); Patrick (cousin); Vernon (cousin).​

It had been a few months since Conor, Rudy and Syd had shown up at the pub with some "crazy" idea the Duncans were running a secret casino in the basement. Though the interaction had started off hostile and violent, the three Porters and the Duncans had ended up having drinks and a laugh together. Conor had shown up a couple of times in March but it seemed the Porters had come to believe there was no underground casino at all. It was a relief for Richard, who didn't like any trouble in his relaxed and friendly establishment. Even more of a relief that the Duncans had got away with it and would be able to get their secret casino back in business.

The pub was quiet today, but Richard anticipated things would liven up in the evening - Fridays and Saturdays being the busy nights. The owner was standing at one end of the bar, having a rather interesting conversation with a couple of pretty female customers. Well, he was sure it was interesting, but he was mostly thinking about how attractive they were and they were certainly too classy to be drinking in his pub. He briefly broke off from the conversation as a regular entered the pub. "Down in the basement, mate. They're expecting you," he shouted across to the skinny man, then let him make his own way down the wooden staircase.

Inside the basement, Johaan, Patrick and Vernon were sat around the poker table with two other men. Cash and poker chips were stacked up around the table as the men played their game. "Ahhh, here he is!" Vernon called out as the their final player entered the basement. "Thought you'd wimped out, shitting yourself in case one of the Porters showed up, right?"


Despite the Duncans believing the heat was off them, Rudy and Ryan had been set the task of showing up at the Archers Pub again. James trusted his sources and still believed the Duncans were running the casino from the pub. Rudy and Ryan were to return to the establishment so they could check things out again. If they wanted to take a couple of men with them, there would be two available to join them. The Duncans were allowed to run their pub in Porter territory and a contract had been signed, but the casino was never part of that agreement and they all knew it!

Shireling (Rudy) Fletchawk (Ryan)
Enzyme (Johaan and Patrick?)

The Porter House
​

George Sanderson

George had a longer wait than he'd been expecting until he was finally put before the parole board. After a meeting every bit as painful and difficult as he'd expected, he'd been dismissed from the room only to have to wait another week as they reviewed his case. It had at least been better than the previous attempt, where they rejected his case without much deliberation or tact. When he was finally called back to the wardens office in the slowest week of his sentence, George was shocked to hear his release had been approved. It was a permanent release provided he was able to show "good behaviour" for a six week period. This all came on the condition he had a place to live and a job to go to on the outside. That was where Michael stepped in, along with his parents. As much as it pained him, George accepted their help. His brother paid for the first two months rent for an apartment above a pub and his father found him work in the kitchen of a busy diner. It ticked every box for his release and it even reunited him with his parents. Life was perfect?

George had been out of prison for 7 weeks now and for a few of those weeks, things had been just alright. It felt good to have his parents back in his life, but as time went on they began to suffocate him. Every time he was invited to their house for dinner, they would suggest he joined them in church and kept telling him about a lovely young woman he'd get along swimmingly with. After ten years of not wanting to know him, they suddenly wanted to control everything in his life. At times, he felt like he still didn't have his freedom. He certainly didn't have the freedom to choose his own path as long as his parents were fussing over him. He was living a lie every time he nodded along to them suggesting he took a lady out on a date.

Three days ago, George finally gave in, unable to keep up the act. The kitchen diner was even less fun than the prison kitchen. At least in jail, the prisoners were criminals too and he could talk to them. His colleagues in the diner didn't trust him and unless they were giving him the shitty jobs to do, they ignored him. He knew he had a criminal record, but he also believed he could do better than washing dishes and scrubbing ovens clean. The final straw came when one of the workers made a comment about him being a "piece of shit". George wanted to argue back but instead quit the job and walked out on the spot. News soon reached his parents and his father headed over to his apartment. In the midst of the heated argument, George realised he was never going to be happy as long as his father was in his life. As much as it pained him, George told the old man he wanted him to leave and made it clear he never wanted to see him again.

George had spent the last couple of days applying for jobs and seeking out other opportunities. One person who had been on his mind ever since he was released was Finn Sullivan. Initially, he hadn't been able to visit his friend, knowing if word got back to the courts that he'd been in contact with the Porters - known criminals - he could be in trouble. Then, as his parents had accepted him back, he worried he might never be able to see Finn, not with them butting into his life. But now, he was no longer on probation and his judgemental parents were out of the picture.

It had taken some courage, but today, George found himself walking along the street, through a couple of quiet neighbourhoods. He eventually stopped at the gates that led to the large Porter residence. He was pretty sure he was in the right place and he couldn't help but think how massive a change it had been for Peter, going from such a beautiful home to the cold cell they'd once shared. The voice of the gate guard, Brian, snapped him out of his thoughts. The questions were simple, yet George still froze for a moment. Who was he and why was he here?

"The name's George Sanderson. I'm hear to see Finn Sullivan. Were friends," he assured the man, flashing a friendly smile. George could fight the nerves and it wasn't because of the security - he was used to all that. It was the fear that Finn wouldn't want to see him. Why would he want to spend time with an ex-con?

Bellz (Finn)


Skye McKendrick and Shannon Sullivan

With Sinead gone to pick Peter up from the prison, Skye and Shannon were keeping the three excited children occupied as they waited. At the Porters house, Shannon was keeping Braden and Emery busy in the kitchen, having then help finishing baking the cake Sinead had set them off with. The excitement of the two kids was refreshing and Shannon was feeling quite relieved that Peter was finally coming home too. He'd been gone too long for her liking.

Skye didn't have to look after the children that afternoon, but she needed something to occupy her mind whilst Syd was training with Jackson. With Syd becoming more involved with the business, James had wanted him to spend time working with the key members, which included getting some of his training in with Jackson. It also meant Syd was generally spending more time with business, which she didn't worry about as much as she'd known Sinead to worry about Peter, but Skye did miss spending time with him and did have some fears about him getting hurt.

Skye was snapped out of her thoughts as Savannah waved her hand in front of the nanny's face to get her attention back. She snapped back to reality, remembering the two of them were standing at the far end of the Porters back garden. Savannah had wanted to collect some flowers for a bouquet so she could give them to her parents when they returned home. "Of course, Savvy. Those purple flowers will look beautiful with the pink ones, I'm sure of it," Skye assured the child.

"I'm really happy my Dad's coming home today. Hopefully Mum can be herself again too," she vocalised her own observations. "She had a real smile this morning, not a pretend one, and that makes me feel good too. I just want to have all of my family together again and I don't want to lose any more friends, either," she said, having been fond of Tommy and also missing having Michelle around as often. "Even Ryan doesn't stop by the house anymore."

[Skye and Shannon are open for interaction!]

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz Enzyme @Melanin-Gxdess Pyroclast Fletchawk Shireling mpower Rusty of Shackleford LateForDinner
​

Posts to follow as soon as my fellow GMs can post:
Enzyme - Will be occupying Jackson and Syd; Gideon, Jack, Minnie and Evan; Carter and Arlene
Bellz - Will be occupying Peter and Sinead; James and Lucy; Gwen and Aidan
Pyroclast - Will be occupying Evelyn and Ken; Adam and Quinn

​

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 14: The Big Day
Friday 6th May 1960
...3 months later...
Afternoon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Blue Skies
********************

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

Gweneth Sheehan​

All that Jazz Club​

Gwen sat at the bar turning her stool to look towards the stage that she would soon be performing on. There was nothing like the adrenaline that came before getting on stage, it was a rush and paired with a heavy drink right before, it did wonders for her confidence. ”Another shot, hun.” She murmured gently to the bartender not wanting to strain her voice. The bartender nodded his head with a smirk on his lips before grabbing a shot glass and placing it in front of her. The redhead watched as he grabbed a bottle vodka, twisting the cap off before reaching and pouring it into the tiny glass. Smiling lightly, Gwen grabbed the glass and raised it towards the man, ”Cheers.” She said before taking the shot. Slamming the glass down on the bar once done, it had been just in time to hear the audience clap for the performer on stage. Even though she had done this a million times before, there was still a sense of fear that came with performing. The what ifs often wrapped her in their clutches, luckily she knew how to keep a cool face.

The lights turned off on the stage and Gwen knew it was her time. Hopping off the stool, she fixed her red dress, running her hands down he front of it before fiddling with the straps. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked towards the stage, the house lights had turned on, giving the audience a chance to see for a moment as the next act was being prepared. The woman sauntered towards the stairs and walked up them slowly, her hand sliding up the rail as she nodded her head towards the pianist. The microphone stood, waiting for her to take ahold of it and begin. The house lights still revealed all the eyes on her…


Gwen smiled widely, before adjusting the mic to the appropriate level before tapping the mic. When nothing was heard, the woman’s brows furrowed and she spoke into it once, ”Testing.” Suddenly, the mic made a high pitch noise and she cringed before laughing. ”Great way to start out this performance huh?” She asked sweetly before clearing her throat. The lights in the house dimmed only slightly before the spotlight was swung on her. The piano began to play and the woman nerves were slowly calmed by the beautiful melody playing. Once again, she looked out to the sea of familiar faces, scanning the audience until her eyes happened upon someone who she thought she’d never see.

She had heard a lot about the Porters, both good and bad. When Gwen had learned that she was related to the powerful family, she didn’t know what to think. Coming from such wealthy and luxury, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get tangled up in that life again…on top of the crime the family was know for. James Porter and his wife sat in what was their usual spot in the club. Gwen had been working at the club for a few months and they hadn’t made an appearance until now. Someone whispered her name in an urgent whisper, snapping her from her thoughts.

All was quiet, the piano no longer playing as the pianist tried to get her attention. The redhead turned to look at the man, blinking a few times before she looked back at the audience. Someone coughed in the distance and the clinching of glasses could be heard as they were set down on the tables. ”Let’s give this another go.” The redhead murmured into the mic, looking to the side at the pianist, nodding her head for him to begin playing continuing on with her performance as if nothing had happened.
“Stars shining bright above you


Night breezes seem to whisper I love you


Birds singing in the sycamore trees


Dream a little dream of me…”​

She made it to the end of her song without any more problems, luckily. She bowed her head lightly as the lights came back on and the audience applauded her performance. Gwen looked up for a moment, her eyes finding the Porters at their table. She stared a bit longer than she had meant to before quickly turning and rushing off the stage. The next performer headed to the stage, leaving little time for the audience to sit and wonder what Gwen's rush was. The woman made a beeline for the bar, feeling that a drink would be the right medicine to calm her shaken nerves. Part of her wanted to just approach the mob family and confess to what she knew. But she felt as though she couldn't do it without Sinead around, not sure if it was because of nerves or because she was worried for her safety. Slipping into a corner bar stool, she sat looking towards the next performer on stage, getting lost in her own thoughts.

ames Misty Gray ; Lucy Bellz ; Nathan LateForDinner ; Aidan Rusty of Shackleford

Peter Callahan​

Dublin County Jail​

The last few months had gone by slowly. Peter stuck to his routine, going to the gym as often as he could. When he wasn’t spending time there, he was often alone in his cell. His new cellmate was often hanging out with his own group. He never bothered to talk to Peter, the two of them comfortable with not making casual conversation, just sitting in long silences. Things slowly turned into a routine, being the same old same old. Darius and his group continued to leave Peter along, not bothering to give him the time of day anymore, which was relieving. After meeting with Dale for the first time, Peter had been unsure if he could really do all the things the man was claiming he could do.

Now, he sat on his bed, elbows resting on his knees with his head in his hands, awaiting to be released from this hellhole. His cellmate was still fast asleep, snoring obnoxiously. Peter missed George, the lucky man had gotten out, just like he knew he would. Even though a lot of time had passed since Darius had spoken to him in the gym, his words still haunted his conscious. As hard as he fought, as hard as he tried, Peter had lost the battle that he had been fighting for weeks. He had slowly changed, becoming someone who he didn’t even recognize anymore. Drip drip drip drip… Peter lifted his head from his hands to stare daggers at the leaky faucet across the small cell. The man ground his teeth as he slowly stood to his feet, hearing footsteps coming down the long corridor of his cell block. It was time. He was ready. Peter slowly walked towards the cell door, not even bothering to say goodbye to his cellmate who he cared little for. ”Callahan.” A deep voice called to him down the hall, shortly followed by two guards who stopped directly in front of him. One of the men grabbed the keys from his pocket before fiddling with a few of them, finding the one that opened the cell door. Once the door was opened, Peter held out his hands, already knowing that they would need to be cuffed to pass through the prison to get the the front. The other guard slapped a pair of cuffs on him before leading him out of the cell.

As they walked through the prison corridors, Peter ignored the sounds of men taunting him as they passed, reminding himself that it wasn’t worth it to get upset over those thugs. His eyes were on the prize, he missed Sinead. His heart thudded heavily in his chest as the front office of the prison came into view. He was so close yet so far. Roughly, the guard shoved him along, ”Move it.” He said in a rough voice.

***​

Peter sat in a chair, waiting for his belongings to be found. His handcuffed hands sat on his lap as he waited, his eyes looking towards the yellowing white wall across from him. Although Sinead had visited hm frequently since his time in here, he knew that once he saw her on the outside, it would be like seeing her for the first time all over again…

Peter was allowed a break for breakfast after the jog and now they were out in the large garden doing other various exercises. Sinead had joined them and seemed to be amused by the men as they worked and Peter was getting a bit distracted by the beautiful young woman and her baby. James seemed to take notice, catching on to the woman who was 'reading' a book and warning Peter to ignore her. He was right, she was certainly putting him off now. His eyes tried to stay clear of looking towards Sinead and Savannah but he couldn't help but indulge in the sight of the sweethearts. Peter had a soft spot for 3 things : Beautiful women, babies and animals..

A small smile formed on his lips as he thought about Sinead that day, how she seemed to clutch him in his grasp without even knowing it…

“Callahan!” His name was called and Peter snapped his head up to see a guard holding a bag full of his belongings along with the keys to his handcuffs. ”Follow me” Peter didn’t hesitate to follow orders as he quickly stood and took long strides to catch up with the guard as he turned towards the exit. The men walked down a long white hall in silence before turning left at the end of it. As Peter walked through the door, he saw a lot of people. Most of them had been in handcuffs as well, speaking with officers who were getting them ready to go into the prison. Peter had been in their shoes many months ago…he would never end up in a place like this again, he would make sure of it. As he stood watching the others, his guard placed the bag on the ground by Peter’s feet before moving to take the cuffs off of him. When that was done, Peter slowly rubbed his wrists. He thought that he would have ran out the door as soon as he had the opportunity too but now that he had the chance to, he stood frozen. The guard eyeballed him closely, ”Get out of here.” He said with the wave of his hand. Peter nodded his head slowly before slowly bending down to pick up his bag of things. Slinging it over his shoulder, Peter turned away from the guard towards the door that red EXIT The small window in the door that revealed the outside was too good to be true. Slowly, Peter picked up his pace, turning the knob on the door and pushing through it. The bright sun blinded him, his arm moving over his eyes as they adjusted to the brightness.

He pushed forward, not looking back as he made his way towards the front security gate of the prison. His eyes looked to the guards in the watch tower before landing on the guards who stood in front of the gate. One of them moved to open the gate for Peter, letting him pass through. The man stopped just past the door as he stared wide eyed at his surroundings. He was free. The sound of the gate slamming behind him made him jump slightly before turning to stare at it. This was it. He was free...free. Turning to look ahead of him again, his eyes found his wife. A large smile immediately formed on his face as he jogged towards her, arms stretching out wide for her to fall into them.
Sinead Misty Gray

 

[Enzyme]

Chapter 14: The Big Day
Friday 6th May 1960
...3 months later...
Afternoon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Blue Skies
******************************

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

Jackson McCarthy​

The Porters involved in the Textile Factory shooting were forced to lay low the past few months. It was the only thing the papers wanted to cover. "Massacre at factory - Nineteen dead - Mayor candidate and several others wounded" The Gardai had shut down the whole block and ran an open investigation. Without any clear eye-witness accounts, the shooters weren't identified. With James and his close family being on vacation at the time, the shooting couldn't be connected to the Porters. Nevertheless, the Porters had to be on their best behavior, until the heat simmered. There were a few retaliation scares, leaving the grace period more nerve-wracking than ever. After three months of utter silence, however, the tensions died down. Lucy had decided to take precautions, despite the lack of conflict. Lucy had asked Jackson to train Syd in the past, but it was always low on the list. After the shooting, Lucy made it a top priority. Jackson happily accepted, acknowledging how important it was that Syd knew how to defend himself.

With the warm weather finally coming around, Jackson decided to hold their session outside in the garden, under the warmth of the beaming sun. He brought his old, worn boxing gloves, along with fresh hand wraps. He spent the first five minutes of the session teaching Syd to wrap his hands. While he was training Syd to defend himself in a street fight, rather than boxing in a ring, he wanted to make sure he protected his wrists whenever they trained or when he practiced on his own. He then tightened the gloves around the lad's hands. He smiled up to him; they fit perfectly.

"Right, now I know you've never had any propa' training, so I want you to throw away anything you know about fightin'." The boy looked eager to learn, which gave Jackson a lot more patience to spare. "First thing you need to work on is a stance - somethin' you can return to between strikes." He tapped Syd on the sides of his shoulders, motioning for him to stand up straight and neutral. "Now, you're gonna' want to spread your legs a shoulder-width apart and take a step back with your dominant foot." Jackson demonstrated as he spoke, stepping into a solid stance. "Now you're gonna' take your strong fist and tuck it right next to your chin." Jackson's fist instinctively straightened beside his jaw, his arm protecting his ribs. "Now you're gonna take your left and do the same, except that fist is gonna stick out a bit in front of your face." Jackson nodded to Syd to mirror his fighting stance.

Pyroclast (Syd)

********​

Carter Dresden​

The attack hadn't angered or disturbed Carter in the slightest. He found it all quite exciting, what he now considered a true "war". Through the smoldering wreckage, which was the Textile Factory, he found in the pit of the rubble was the fighting spirit of the IWU. If anything, this riled them up. The Porters had threatened to draw blood and now they had done it. Those that were on the fence before were now fully behind the battle, after watching their brothers and sisters ruthlessly murdered. Carter and the others finally had the support they needed to fuel the fire. Notes and shouts would turn to bullets and gasoline. Carter could almost smell the chaos in his sleep, restlessly rolling in his sheets in anticipation. The distant, unison cheers of a Socialist crusade could be heard echoing from the deepest parts of his dreams. All they had to do was continue down their golden path and their final conflict was undoubtedly guaranteed.

Carter casually sipped his coffee, his eyes dully resting on the spotless cafe window, evidently deep in thought. The waitress eyed him from behind the counter, waiting to make another attempt to take his order when the time was right. Carter hadn't even bothered to scan the menu, he already knew what he wanted; he was just waiting for his company. It was ironic for the two to be meeting at this particular cafe, considering their not-so-formal interaction in the building. Nevertheless, this was the first place he had met her, truly acknowledged her presence. Strangely enough, the cafe meant something to him.

His eyes fell back down on the newspaper sprawled across the table. It was old; the date labeled "April 19th, 1960". The header summed up the story nicely. It depicted the mysterious, grizzly attack at the factory and the tireless Gardai working day and night to track down those responsible. Carter imagined all the shocked, enthralled eyes scanning the ink, taking in every detail. Carter's eyes blankly scanned the words, as they had the first time he read it a month back. "the tireless Gardai". The sentence alone was enough to make him scoff. They knew exactly who was behind it, everyone did. Carter tossed the paper aside, his eyes looking back up to the motionless door, his coffee cup meeting his lips once more.

Misty Gray (Arlene)

 

[Pyroclast]

Chapter 14: The Big Day
Friday 6th May 1960
...3 months later...
Afternoon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Blue Skies
*****************

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

Porter House
​

Evelyn McKenna

Things had been running smoothly at the warehouse since Evelyn had re-established her contract with the Irish Mob. Her decision to approach them in such a direct way by coming to their house had proven to be wise - not just in terms of efficiency, but also for having got to know who she was working for on a more personal level. After her initial meeting with Conor, Evelyn had had many interesting conversations with her father about the Sullivans. It had inspired her to involve herself with the family more. There was once a time when she had considered herself central to the mob, back when she was younger and living in their care. Now that she had a more distant position, she had settled herself outside of a lot of the action. If there was anything good to have come from Alan and Milton's deaths, it was that she had started to integrate herself amongst the other mob members once again, rekindling her love for the business. Where business was concerned, Evelyn was feeling more secure now that James had found her a new worker. She had only met Nathan once, but he seemed personable enough and she was keen to get him started on the job properly. On top of that, she was eager to get to know him better, curious of his connection to James.

Since her first visit, she had been back a number of times, choosing to deliver monthly inventory turnover reports in person rather than through the post so that she could build more of a rapport with the family. It was for this reason that she found herself back on the doorstep of the Porter manor. With the report in her hand, Evelyn couldn't deny her excitement at returning to their magnificent residence. This time, she pressed the doorbell without hesitation, and again smiled at the sound of excited barking from the house's many dogs.

Interactions
mpower Kennedy

Morgan House

Adam Morgan​

​

​

In the months since his father's death, Adam had had a complete rethink of his course of life. With his mother written out of the will, the responsibility of dealing with the aftermath had fallen entirely on Adam. Amid the grief, having so much to do had kept him on his feet. During the day, he had little time to feel sorry for himself. At nights, he was taking on as many shifts as he could handle, the aim being to leave as little time to wallow as possible. On a whim, he had even broken up with his girlfriend, though that hadn't come without some regret - he did miss her, but was trying to force himself to move on so as to cut all ties with the Porters. He should have listened to his father and to Quinn and never involved himself with the enemy - a word he had never wanted to use to describe the mob until they killed his father. The whole ordeal had come as something of a wake-up call to him - it had made him realise that, while his father was alive, Adam had stopped trying to further himself, to achieve anything. So, he had made a decision to change his life dramatically: his plan was to sell his childhood home, put his prized possessions into storage and join the marines. Every part of his life in Dublin tied him to something his wished to forget or move on from: his mother's abandonment, his father's murder, the shame of falling in love with a Porter girl. Hard though it would be to let go of his childhood home, Adam believed he would benefit from the change of scene.

With the bulk of the paperwork now out of the way, Adam threw most of his energy into doing up the house to be sold. So it was that he found himself repainting the outer wall of the front porch, waiting for Quinn to arrive at his house. The Armstrongs had been very supportive of Adam in the last three months - although the workload and his job had helped him stay afloat, the only thing offering him any actual enjoyment were the family's company. Finding the time to socialise, he had discovered, was key in not falling prey to the tidal wave of sadness that threatened constantly to crash down over him. When he noticed Quinn approaching the house, Adam smiled broadly and climbed down from his ladder to greet his friend.

"Afternoon," he smiled, extending his hand. He soon retrieved it however, realising that it was covered in paint, and wiped it on his overalls. "Sorry for the mess, Quinn. It's all this house is these days." He opened the front door and lead him through the house. It was in the process of being emptied, the floors strewn with boxes of possessions ready to be sold or stored elsewhere. They reached the kitchen, and Adam took a six pack of beers from the fridge and then opened the back door, stepping out onto the veranda. "It's probably best we sit out here. I've kicked up a lot of dust in there today..." he said, gesturing for Quinn to take a seat and placing the beers on the table between them. He took one for himself and cracked it open. "How're you doing then, Quinn? I'm telling you, it's a relief to have you visit me. I think I've bitten off more than I can chew with this house - you're being here is the only thing stopping me from going insane." Adam smirked at his friend, only half-joking.

Interactions
Fletchawk Quinn​

 

[LateForDinner]

Nathan Bennett

​

Nathan entered the signature atmosphere of the club, becoming enveloped in its luscious decor and ambient performances. It's a lifestyle that he'll never get used to, nor particularly want to. Yet, he knows it's a requirement if he's going to settle into the Porter family, a lot of changes will be coming his way. Ever since he's arrived in Dublin, it's been a difficult transition. He knew full well that coming to find James was a risk, the impacts haven't hit him yet, but he's awaiting the consequences of entering the lifestyle of a highly powerful gang. Nathan only came to reunite with James, hoping to find some purpose in his skills - as well as a better income.The Porter Boss became an influential character in his life, one he can never forget. It's became a debt he has to repay.

Nathan has only met James a couple of times since arriving, simply exchanging lost time and brushing over details before he can start working for the family. This meeting was another one of those formalities. The lights highlighted subtle features on his face, whilst hiding other parts. His eyes took a moment to locate James and his dear wife, Lucy Porter. He felt a sense of admiration for James, as he found love when he couldn't. Nathan only hoped that she will take to him as much as her husband did. The prison was a long time ago, perhaps the marksman back then doesn't exist anymore.

As Nathan wandered the club for a moment longer before making a quick stop by the bar, hoping a quick drink will soothe his nerves, as well as give him an excuse to stand around and search the crowd. "A scotch on the rocks, will you, dear? Thanks." He gave a gratuitous smile before dealing with the transaction and lifting the whiskey to his lips. His taste buds savour and cherish each drop that sinks into his mouth, warming the back of his throat and setting a fire within his stomach. A burning passion for the craft. Nathan cleared his throat before giving the crowd another glance, finally locating the couple and breathing a quick sigh of relief. Who knows how long he could've been there for.


He took a passionate glance at his drink before throwing it down his throat, enduring the harsh flames within his throat before swallowing. It always pains him to waste a good drink, but the situation called for it. Nathan gave another kind smile to the bartender before swiftly weaving through the crowd and towards the table that the Porter couple sat beside. Thoughts began to rush through his head and nerves stewed in his stomach, he has never known himself to be this nervous. Especially in such a relaxing environment. Nathan cleared his throat as he stops beside them, nodding his head towards them. "James. Sorry I'm late." He quickly shot a glance to Mrs Porter, giving his best impressions. "Ma'am."

Interactions;
James Porter; Misty Gray Lucy Porter; Bellz

 

[Misty Gray]

Arlene Sullivan​

Since James had included Arlene in the plans for the attack on the IWU, she had been involved in more work for the Porters. Whilst she hadn't yet been carried out any hits or even used a firearm in any capacity, she'd instead been using her charms to keep some of the wealthier associates on side, usually by posing as a croupier in the Clover Casino where the businessmen foolishly threw their money away without much effort on her part. She was enjoying finally being given a chance since joining the family in Dublin.

Arlene had felt no guilt for making sure the cops were too busy to respond to the attack at the textile factory in good time. A number of IWU members had been slaughtered during the Porters' retaliation and she didn't care. Jared and his group had attacked her family on several occasions, with Tommy's death been the final trigger for the Porters' attack three months ago. The only thing she was upset about what that Armstrong survived the whole thing. Despite her indifference about the lost IWU members, she'd been relieved and glad to learn Carter had survived the attack. It was that thought that caused the blonde great conflict. No matter how wrong she knew it was, that bastard had gotten to her and she quite liked it.

Arlene entered the cafe with a confident stride in her step as she immediately sought out the man she was meeting. She approached the table and looked down to Carter. "Fuck, you look lonely sat there all by yourself," she drily told him. She then slid into the seat opposite the man and reached across for the discarded newspaper, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at the headline. Whilst she would gladly help her family to damage the IWU, like Carter would help his organisation to harm the Porters, the two of them seemed able to sit together without wanting to kill each other. "Real damn shame, that. What kind of sickos would do such a thing? World's gone mad," she remarked, tossing the paper aside like Carter had previously done. Folding her arms on the table, she leaned forward and nodded towards the menu. "What are the chances of a lady getting a coffee without any hidden extras, this time?" she asked. The last time she'd been in the particular cafe, her drink had been spiked and she was abducted by Carter on behalf of Jared. "I can hardly enjoy this sweet rendezvous if I'm unconscious, can I?" she told him, finishing her sentence with a playful wink.

Enzyme (Carter)

Dublin County Jail​

Sinead Callahan

The last few months had been slow and heartbreaking for Sinead, with her often believing she would never be able to last the length of Peter's sentence without giving up and losing her will completely. With the support of her family and friends, she'd managed to pick herself back up to get through the remaining months of her husband's time in jail. Peter was her rock and he'd always supported her when she needed him the most, so she vowed to spoil him rotten today. Whatever he wanted, she would give him. She'd cleaned the house and stocked up with plenty of food for a family dinner - just the five of them. Or if Peter wanted to go out, she would pay for a meal at a restaurant. They could even go for drinks. Sinead was going to let Peter decide what he most wanted to do, understanding that he had spent his time in jail being told what to do with little choice over his own life.

Sinead had arrived early but still parked her car up across from the prison gates where she knew Peter would be able to spot the vehicle as soon as he left the slum. In the meantime, she sat back in the driver's seat and allowed her thoughts to wander as the warm breeze blew against her face.

August 28th 1950

Sinead and Peter Callahan



It had been six months since Sinead and her family had all moved from Chicago to Dublin. It had been just two months since the redhead married her love, Peter. So much had happened over the last couple of years and things still hadn't looked set to settle down soon. Through all of the losses and changes, Peter had been there for Sinead. When she first met the sweet young man, she was still getting used to being a single mother to her tiny baby, Savannah. All the while, the young woman was still grieving for her murdered father. She was also coming to terms with the fact Savannah would never know her biological father. Through all of her troubles and distress, Peter had been there for her. He'd been employed to protect Sinead, but in a very short time, he became a ray of light in her life and he made it possible for her to truly smile again. When she decided to join her family in Ireland, she was ecstatic to find Peter wished to go with her. It was no surprise that the couple were soon engaged and had their wedding not long after, in a beautiful chapel in Dublin.

It was because of Peter's constant support and love, to both her and little Savannah, that Sinead had planned to spoil him rotten on one particular day in August, 1951. Not yet having her own vehicle, she seized control of Peter's for the day so she could do the driving whilst he sat back and relaxed. The day was reserved for just the two of them and she intended on making sure it was one her husband would remember forever. She drove them out to the coast where they spent the afternoon walking along the beach, drawing in the sand and paddling in the sea. She then treated Peter to a hearty dinner and then they watched a show at the theatre.

The final part of the redhead's Peter Appreciation Day involved a peaceful and romantic walk along the cliffs. The couple had soon found a bench enclosed in a cute wooden gazebo and sat in each others' arms as they watched the summer sun setting. It was then that Sinead turned to Peter with her infectious, bright smile that travelled all the way to her big, brown eyes. "Petey, I love you so much. Since that day we first had a real conversation and the day you first held little Savvy, you've allowed me to feel happiness again and you've helped to fix my broken heart. You've always been so wonderful to me and you treat my daughter like a good father should..." She paused as she failed to hide the excited smile from her face. "You're a great daddy to Savvy and it's official now. Everything was approved and now you're Savvy's legal father."

After giving Peter some time to let the news sink in, she took hold of his hand and gently squeezed it. She felt her cheeks warm up as she prepared to give him another surprise. "The day doesn't end here, honey. You get to have a two for one special..." Sinead pulled Peter's hand towards her and placed his palm flat on her tummy. "I'm pregnant, Petey. We're having a baby!" she told him, her joyful tears streaming down her face as she struggled to contain her excitement. "Our baby is due to be born next March!"

​

Sinead snapped out of her daydream and looked to her watch to see it was time Peter was due to be let out. She got out of the vehicle and leaned back against the door, her eyes now watching the gates for Peter to emerge. She felt nervous and she couldn't quite figure out why. Her heart raced in her chest as she anticipated seeing her husband again, but she could only conclude it was excitement at the thought of finally being able to see him. Whilst she'd visited him in the prison, it wasn't the same. The environment was cold and unnatural. There had been too many eyes on them and too uncomfortable an atmosphere. It didn't feel like her Peter was sitting across from her all of those time.

The redhead's eyes suddenly fixed on Peter and a big, bright smile formed on her face. It was one of the few genuine smiles she'd managed in the last six months and it felt so good to finally feel her heart become whole again. She remained next to her car as Peter jogged towards her. As soon as he was close enough, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and practically buried her face in his chest. She felt quite overwhelmed at finally seeing her Petey out of jail and finally being allowed to hold him in her arms. Somehow, it felt different to how she remembered - as her petite arms hugged her husband, he felt different to her. She pulled away and took a moment to look him over, working out what had changed. He looked more muscular, the result of his time spent in the gym with Dale. She ran her hand down Peter's toned bicep, wondering why she was only now noticing the changes and soon figuring it was because she'd only been seeing him in his baggy, bland, grey prison uniform. She looked into Peter's eyes and continued smile brightly, reflecting her joy as she remained speechless. Soon, she placed her arms around Peter's neck, stood on her tiptoes and leaned in to passionately kiss him. It had felt like a lifetime and now she finally had Peter back. When she eventually pulled her lips away from his, she rest her head against his shoulder. "I've missed you so much," she told him, gasping for breath as the whole situation overwhelmed her. "You're finally out of that place and you can come back home, where you belong. I'm so proud of you, Petey."

Bellz (Peter)

 

[Shireling]

Jack Brady
​

The rest of the winter passed in a flurry for Jack Brady. His right leg was pretty badly broken from his successful escape attempt and had taken several months to heal. While he had his leg wrapped up, he rarely left his apartment except for when he came to visit the Armstrongs at their house for dinners and to talk business. While he didn't like Jared, he commanded a certain level of Jack's respect - even more so as incipient violent character of Carter in particular had become more apparent after the attack. He did have to admit, though, that the Porters had left them badly bloodied. They needed to recuperate their losses, but squeezed between the rock of Carter's reckless murder and the seeming ineffectiveness of the more moderate wing of the coalition, he had sought employment elsewhere - specifically in France where socialist movements were gaining a lot of ground. When a letter came in February, however, telling Jack that there was no love for him in France for what they deemed "Eurocentric" opinions in his most broadly published work heretofore, Your Sheep Eat Men, he gave up and decided that, for better or worse, he was an IWU man and an Irishman to the end.

The election whipped everyone up into an increasingly fevered pitch. Jack, for his part, began stumping for Jared towards the end figuring that winning the mayoral election would salvage some of their influence. He made calls and canvased working class neighborhoods, but he wasn't surprised when the ballots were counted and the Commissioner was declared mayor. As he stood in the marble entryway of Dublin's townhall waiting for Jared to come out from officially conceding defeat, he was mentally closing a chapter of his life and beginning a new one that he hoped would be more profitable but that he knew would be more dangerous. Jared emerged with his wife and daughter, and Jack followed at a comfortable space behind, stepping out into the warmth of a late spring day. Jared first settled his women into the car before turning to him, "Jack, could you follow us straight back to my house? I have some matters I need to discuss with you before I accompany my family to London - it pertains to that funding you requested for publishing your work."

How could he refuse? He watched Jared climb into the car and turned as if to go to his own when he felt the shooting pain that he had grown accustomed to march up his right leg. He winced and held his hand against his thigh for a moment before settling into his own car and turning the engine. Whatever Jared was going to talk to him about concerning his book, or anything else, it was best not to keep him waiting.

Misty Gray

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Aidan Flannagan

Aidan was never the kind of person to go to clubs. He just wasn't a drinking person. But he loved jazz music, and, well, he did work for James, so he might as well stop by after being gone for so long. He'd been out of Dublin for a while now, mainly due to complications with his mother's health. He came back after she had already passed, still grieving as he walked down the cold streets of the city. He sighed as he pushed the doors of the club open, removing his jacket as he sat at his usual table, nodding at a few of his buddies as he waited. His sister worked here too, so he wanted to talk with her some before he talked to James. He lit a cigarette slowly, sighing as he took a long drag. The music began to play, only heightening the melancholy tone he was feeling that day. He looked around for his sister, not really paying attention to the woman on stage while she bumbled about. But that all changed when she began to sing. It was unlike anything he'd ever heard. Like an angel descending from Heaven itself. His gaze quickly jerked to the stage, his eyes fixating on the gorgeous redhead that was singing. His cigarette hung lazily in his agape mouth, slowly burning it's way up as he was speechless. He tried to say something, but the words simply refused to come out, stuck with the butterflies deep in his stomach.

The song was over before he could even comprehend everything, lost in the beauty that was this woman. He was eventually snapped out of his trance by a familiar voice. His sister tapped him on the shoulder, saying, "Ey! Aidan! Get yer head out of your arse!" The normally stoic man nearly jumped out of his skin, bumbling around as his cigarette fell out of his mouth and he struggled to catch it. He sighed, saying, "Faye, ya know you can strike up a conversation without scarin' the living soul of someone, right?" The brunette laughed, saying, "But where's the fun in that?" Aidan stood up, hugging his sister tightly as they say down. Aidan's gaze wandered over to the singer once again, watching her dart to the bar for a drink. His sister began to talk, the man oblivious to what she was saying. The woman chuckled when she noticed his distant eyes, saying, "Ah, so I see yer eyeing up Gwen? She is a pretty one. Though I do prefer my partners bearded and hunky." Aidan blushed, saying, "I-I you know how I am with women. What do I do?" His sister shrugged, saying, "I don't know. Just go up and fuckin' talk to ya. Half the women in this place want you to ravage them endlessly." She chuckled at her own joke, Aidan looking unimpressed as he said, "Can you not say that sort of thing, please?" He put out his I'm uncultured (the cigarette, not the slur,) nervously walking over to Gwen. He sat next to her at the bar, stuttering, "I-uh...hello. I'm uh...A-Aidan...." He was obviously nervous beyond belief, his face flushed to a nearly comical red, his voice cracking every other word. He felt as if he wasn't even concious, like he was just in some fever dream, and that he was going to wake up in his flat at any moment. He was in love with her. She was possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he wanted to talk with her, even if it meant he sounded like a child just learning to talk.

Bellz
Misty Gray ​

 

[Bellz]

Finn Sullivan​

Porter's House​

The last few months had been enlightening for Finn. After much deliberation with himself, Finn finally took the steps necessary to break it off with Eleanor, both had agreed that the relationship was going nowhere and they wanted each other to be happy. Even though Finn had known this, the pain he felt when Eleanor officially moved out was the worst pain he'd ever felt. His heart wanted love, wanted to be wanted and with Eleanor, he had all that. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the lass had a hold on his heart. With the break up came the depression. Finn didn't try to busy himself with distractions to keep the sadness away, seeing no point in holding back his feelings. Luckily, he had the support of his loving family and they took care of him as he sat around for almost two weeks in a funk. He didn't shower for days on end, wouldn't come out of his room. He couldn't eat and couldn't sleep. Finn was going to cave, he was going to beg Eleanor to come back to him for what it was all worth and yet he didn't.

By the third week, Finn had decided enough was enough. The first day was spent getting himself back together, picking up the broken pieces in order to function like a normal human again. The second day was spent applying for jobs around the local medical centers and hospital. As much as Finn wanted to travel the world again, just to leave everything behind and be on his own for a while, he knew he needed to get on his feet. Landing a job at the hospital had been a blessing in disguise for the man as he was busied with 24 hour shifts almost every single day of the week. It made the 7 weeks go by quicker than he would have thought.

Finn had just woken up a little bit ago, having had a long night at the hospital. He was just about to head to the kitchen to make himself a pot of coffee when someone called his name. Finn stopped in his tracks, seeing the children busy in the kitchen with Shannon and Sky, he turned to look to the guard who managed to track him down. Someone was waiting for him out at the gate? His eyes widened and he immediately wondered if Eleanor had returned, his heart dropped in his stomach. If she was back to try and work things out, he was going to have to turn her down..."Who is it?" Finn asked lightly. "Man said his name was George Sanderson." The guard told him and a smile immediately formed on Finn's lips. "Well? Let's let him in!" Finn said as he clapped his hands together before looking to the guard, "Never mind! I'll meet him at the gate, give him the grand tour."

Eleanor had completely left his thoughts now as he thought about his new friend George. He was overjoyed that the man was now out of prison, Finn had promised to show him around and what better use of his time than to do just that! Finn quickly made his way out to the front gate, his arms raising high, waving at George as he continued to smile widely. "George, mate! How the hell are ya?!" He asked before looking o Brian, "Don't worry, he's a friend!" Once George was through the gate, Finn didn't hesitate to wrap the man in a bear hug. "Finally can do this without one of those pigs yelling at me!"

with: George Misty Gray

Gweneth Sheehan​

All that Jazz Club​

Gwen turned her back to the stage a moment, ordering herself a whiskey before humming along with the music on stage. She was trying to act calm, but how calm could one be knowing that their long lost brother was on the other side of the club. He had no idea she even existed. As her whiskey was set in front of her, the woman raised it to her lips and took a long sip, pondering what she should do. Sinead was her safety net in case things took a turn but she wasn't around at the moment. She was about to turn her head to look in the Porters direction when a gentleman took a seat beside her. She almost didn't hear him over the music, the poor thing was so timid. Gwen looked him up and down, his rugged good looks certainly didn't match the timid personality. Gwen smiled sweetly at the man, hoping to calm his nerves a bit as she held out her hand, "Pleasure to meet ya, Aidan! Names Gweneth, but most people just call me Gwen." Her voice carried a natural melody as she spoke, just as graceful and as pure as her singing voice.

The woman turned her attention to her drink again for another quick moment, taking another long sip. Once she had set the glass back down on the bar, she turned her attention back to Aidan. "Hey now, don't look so timid. I don't bite that hard." She said, her brows knitting in concern as she let out a gentle laugh. "I hope you didn't catch that awkward moment I had on stage, I promise I'm not like that all the time." The redhead pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before placing her hand on Aidan's, smiling reassuringly at him. "So handsome, what you ordering? The bartender here owes me a few free drinks, anything you want is on me." Gwen's eyes looked past Aidan a moment over to where the Porters were sitting again. Now that she was distracted, she wouldn't have the chance to speak with them...not that she was going to.
with: Aidan Rusty of Shackleford
mentions : James Misty Gray

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Aidan Flannagan

Aidan blushed as he shook her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you too, Gwen. My sister works here. Her name's Faye. I was actually heere to talk to her." He swallowed, briefly getting lost in his thoughts before he snapped out of it. For a hitman, he could really be a scatterbrain. He was always like this, and his father just loved to point it out. Along with how the man was a "pussy," quote on quote. To Aidan's father, anyone who wasn't batshit insane like him was a pussy. Hell, he even considered James Porter a pussy, though he wouldn't dare say this out loud. He was a hateful, spiteful man. No wonder Aidan's mother had such poor health with him around.

The man blushed harder at her compliment, saying, "I-I'll uh...just have a water. I don't drink much, I'm afraid." He swallowed, chuckling as he said, "No, don't worry. You did great, Gwen. You sing very well." He leaned against the bar, nodding at the bartender as he looked at James as well. He just needed to make sure he checked in with the boss before he left, just so he knew that he was open for business once again. He didn't miss his job, but it was his job nonetheless. And he was damn good at it. There's a reason he's survived for this long. But now, he was just...living. He hadn't felt so energized in a while. Not since he was a boy, playing with his siblings. For once, his smile was genuine, and he was happy.
@Belle​

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

With the attack on the IWU having gone down during the Porters' holiday to the Lake District, Syd hadn't had too much to worry about where the investigations were concerned. Yet, having learned from his mistake at leaving the house unannounced after Jackson's apartment was blown up the previous year, he was mindful to keep a low profile for the mob's sake. Besides, there were still productive ways to stay occupied while waiting for the media shit storm to blow over. With summer now on the horizon, the weather had started to improve, and so when Jackson offered to train Syd out in the garden, he was keen to accept.

Although he liked to consider himself a fan of boxing, it was now nearing four years since Syd had last attended an actual club. The vast majority of his previous fights had been either spur-of-the-moment scraps with other kids, or planned informally between schoolmates to settle scores, often putting money on the table to make it more interesting. Nowadays, having drawn himself away from other people his own age and deeper into the family business, it was rare that he found himself in fist fights at all. With little action and even less guidance, he was excited to be reintroduced to the art of fighting that he had once loved.

Out in the garden, Syd stood with his hands held out, wrapped neatly as he had been shown. Jackson had brought him his own old pair of boxing gloves, which only reminded Syd of how experienced the man was, and was securing them to Syd's wrists as though passing on his expertise. He smiled back at Jackson when he was done, eager to begin; he was ready to place all his trust in him.

"Everything?" he blinked. Although it had been a while since he had learned the basics of boxing, he had learned quite a lot through real fights: how to take a punch; the most effective areas of the body to target; how to distract the opponent and disorientate them. Nevertheless, all of that he had mostly learned back in his school days too so there wasn't much he could claim to know anymore. Now that Jackson was there to finally give him proper training, Syd wasn't about to argue. With a shrug, he said, "Alright, you're the boss."

It was around then that Syd's attention was briefly stolen away - he had caught sight of Skye picking flowers with Savannah at the bottom of the garden, and for a moment he lost track of what Jackson was saying to him. A small smile crossed his lips as he struggled to take his eyes off her. When, with some effort, he eventually brought his attention back to Jackson, the man was showing him the correct fighting stance. Syd did his best to copy him, positioning his feet accordingly and raising his fists in front of his face, his right pulled in closer than his left. As keen as he was to learn, he found it hard to imagine himself fighting the enemy when the temptation to steal another glance at the girl he loved was so strong.

"How's this?" he asked, doing his best to concentrate. He gave a few soft punches with his right fist just to practice getting it back into position.

Interactions
Enzyme Jackson

 

[Shireling]

Rudy Meyers​

Rudy still couldn't believe it. A whole city block almost up in smoke, nineteen people dead, Oliver Morgan fucking brained by an explosive. It was truly a work of genius, but also one of unsettling violence. Rudolph didn't like to think of that, especially because he had to dig his heels in and help keep the Porters going strong. As one of the more senior members of the organization, although he wasn't James's actual leader in absentia, Rudy played an important role as an advisee and old friend of the family. He was more relieved, however, when the man he had grown to trust and respect was back at the helm.

They were going to pay another visit to the Archer's Pub. The drop-in was, like the last, purely business. If those rat bastards thought they were going to run a gambling racket right over the Porter's noses, they had another thing coming. Knowing they were probably in for a fight, Rudy had brought along a fairly large switchblade in his pocket and a concealed revolver, although he hoped he wouldn't have to use it as gunfire was hard to account for in what was otherwise a quiet corner pub. As he drove, he thought about the last several months that he had been staying low on the radar. He had travelled to England some, back to Germany once, and to County Cork twice to visit some relatives on his mother's side of the family. Other than that, he had been spending time with his fellow rogues at the Porter mansion. He had stayed away from his apartment more and more after his rat, Maximilian, had passed away. A good little pet, Rudy was satisfied that he had died of natural causes and not the housekeeper's negligence. His pet's demise did, however, make the place seem empty and utterly lonely. It was hard to put his nose back to the grindstone like he was accustomed to as well, considering how his usual functions as the inventory man had been taken over by Evelyn McKenna. He had to admit, she was better with figures than he was and overall more qualified for the position, but he didn't know her and as a typical man he was set in his ways about new faces coming in and seeing the actual guts of the organization.

He turned to Ryan, who had been sitting heretofore quiet in the passenger seat and tuned the radio to a milquetoast English jazz station, just something to put on in the background as he turned the volume down anyways to speak. "I don't like this McKenna lady. What? She knows someone that someone else knew way back when and she gets to take take inventory of our stock? Bad idea if you ask me," he said, betraying a bit of ignorance about how she actually had come to her position and more than a hint of jealousy, "Besides, keeping the stock is important. It's something for a made-man to be handling the family's crates and bombs and packages."

He turned to Ryan for comment.

Fletchawk Pyroclast (heavily mentioned)

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James had been pleased with how the two big jobs had gone down whilst he'd been laying low in the Lake District. Jackson, Rudy and the others had executed the attack on the Textile Factory and managed to do a decent amount of damage in the process. Although the likes of Jared and Carter had managed to slither out of it alive, Oliver Morgan and quite a few other men were killed in the process. After the repeated attacks on his family, he felt no remorse or sadness for the IWU members who had died as a result of his orders. Such a retaliation had been long overdue. The Gardai couldn't touch him, especially given that he'd been out of the country with his family and publicly seen there. The extra touch of making sure he was seen with William Russell, a less-than-clean businessman from London, had been done to appease prying eyes who would be concerned if James had purely been on a leisurely break. Meanwhile, Ryan and Ken had also carried out their orders without any hitches or sloppiness. James had expected no less of Ryan and Ken's part in the murder had gone a long way towards helping the Porters trust the cop. He knew it wouldn't bring Tommy back, but James believed the lad had been owed a debt and even if he wasn't alive to know, it had finally been paid.

The main thing on James' mind today was that Peter was finally being released from prison. He had wanted to be home when his brother-in-law returned, but he was aware of how much the day needed to be about him spending time with his wife and children. Also, Sinead had been very clear she didn't want any of them talking about business as soon as her husband stepped through the gates. Regardless, James was looking forward to seeing Peter and making sure he knew how grateful he was for what he'd done. Ryan, Jackson and James himself might have found themselves in prison, and for something much more serious, had Peter not taken one for the team.

James and Lucy had planned to go to the jazz club for a change of scenery. He hadn't appreciated such music when he'd been younger. It wasn't until the times when Emmet had tasked James with being Sinead's driver and bodyguard that he'd grown to appreciate jazz. At the time, she was barely twenty and so delicate that it had genuinely surprised him to hear how powerful her voice was when belting out her songs. There weren't many good memories for him from Chicago, but that had been one of them. It was from a time before Lucy, Conor and Sinead were dragged into the violence that surrounded their family's business.

James was now sat next to Lucy in their booth, his arm around her shoulder as he kept her close. He was still finding it hard to believe that their child would be born in the next month, but Lucy's baby bump was proof that it really was happening. He sent Lucy a smile, right before the light were briefly dimmed. He then kissed her on her cheek as the singer was about to begin. The redhead on the stage seemed reluctant or perhaps nervous, apparently missing her cue to begin singing. James reached out to lift his glass and take a sip of his scotch, brushing off any awkward silence. He could never get up on stage and sing, and not just because he couldn't sing, so he didn't envy anyone who got up on the stage to do so. Gwen soon got a hold of herself and belted out the song without further issue. As he clapped along with the crowd at the end of the performance, he noticed she couldn't get off the stage quick enough. He moved his head closer to Lucy to privately address her. "Well, she was good, wasn't she? A little nervous, perhaps, but I'd have been shitting myself, to be fair..." he half-joked.

James and Lucy were briefly joined by the bar manager, Kev, who informed them of the news that Jared had lost the election. Porter didn't even attempt to hide his amusement at such information and ordered himself another drink to celebrate. He knew he would have to find out what Armstrong's next moves would be and expected the man would no longer be held back by the need to protect his public image for the election. James knew things were far from over, but he was going to enjoy Jared's failure for a little while.

Not long after Kev had left, Nathan approached the table, as planned. The man apologised for being late, but James brushed it off with a shake of his head and offered the man a seat opposite him. "Don't worry about it. You just missed a good performance, mind you." Given that they'd arranged to meet in the club made things a little less formal. Had it been an official meeting and in a more professional setting, or an actual job, James might have been more concerned with timekeeping.

The jazz music hadn't been the only reminder of the past in Chicago, with Nathan's presence briefly drawing him back to their time together in prison. By the time they'd met, it was James' second stint in prison and the older man knew exactly how to handle himself in the place. The two men had become friends and by the time James' sentence came to an end, Nathan was one of the men he told to contact him on the outside. James was still one of Emmet's employees back then, but he saw potential in Nathan and would have put in a good word with the Sullivans, if needed. But now, James was in charge and he still believed Nathan would be useful to him. "We haven't had much chance to talk properly until now, so tell us, what have you been up to for all of this time?" he curiously asked the man. The use of "us" and the fact Lucy was still by his side, would leave no doubts that she was to remain present during their conversation. If Nathan was to be a bodyguard for the family, it was only right that Lucy should be present as it was her family that needed protecting, whether it would be their daughters, nieces and nephews, or even Lucy's sister. "Ready to help me look after this crazy family Lucy's tied me to?" he teasingly remarked as he looked to his wife.

Bellz (Lucy, Gwen) LateForDinner (Nathan)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Dublin County Jail​

The air was swept from his lungs as he hugged Sinead, holding her tightly in his arms as he hunched down, burying his face into the crook of her neck. His eyes stung with the familiar sense of tears and he squeezed them shut, not moving to reveal his face to her yet. The man took a second to compose himself as Sinead pulled away. He watched her closely as she tried to figure out what was different. It was a reaction he had been hoping for, the months of hard work and dedication he had put into his new gym routine was all for her. Her delicate had ran down his bicep, causing him to flex it lightly under her touch, his smile as wide as could be. They didn't say anything to each other, but that was the beauty of their relationship, they didn't have to. Sinead seemed speechless as she continued to smile widely, simply observing Peter as it had been a long time since they held each other like this. Her sudden and passionate kiss had the man's head spinning as he clutched her back and pressed himself against her, returning the passion. The kiss was wonderfully long and Peter didn't want it to end. When they finally did pull away from each other, Sinead rested her head on his shoulder, causing him to lean his head against hers, "I've missed you too." He murmured softly.

His smile widened a bit as Sinead told him that he could finally come back home where he belonged, but as she went on to tell him how proud she was, the man's smile slowly faded, confused by what she meant. How could she possibly be proud of him? He was forever a criminal now, he now had a record to prove it. Still, Peter didn't say a word about it, simply holding her tightly in his clutches for a few moments longer before planting a kiss on top of his wife's head. "I'm the one who should be proud."He said, leaning back to look into her eyes, "I knew you could make it without me." Peter smirked softly. He was relieved that Sinead had survived the last 6 months, it made it easier to think about what would happen if something worse were to happen to him. "I love you." He told her, taking a few steps back. Looking towards the familiar car that Sinead owned, Peter smiled. "Mind driving us home love? I would do it, but I might need a little bit of practice before I take on the road again." He chuckled at himself before stepping to the side to get into the passenger side. Once seated, his eyes looked to the bland and glum looking building that was the prison. His eyes widened a bit as he watched the guards in the watch tower as they circled the inside of it, watching from all possible angles for danger. When Sinead finally did set off for home, Peter continued to watch the building until he couldn't see it any longer, it fading away into a small dot before completely disappearing as if it was the most insignificant part of his life now.

Sinead Misty Gray

Lucy Porter​

The last few months had gone by pretty quickly for Lucy, feeling like her pregnancy was going by too quickly, she was trying to enjoy as much of it as she could before the baby arrived and things became very real. Unfortunately for her, the last month of her pregnancy was the least enjoyable part of it all. Uncomfortable was the only word that came to mind when she thought about it now. But she kept a brave smile on her face, reminding herself that millions of women had done it before her and she could do it herself. Lucy was in a particularly good mood this afternoon, her body allowing her to have a break from the aches and pains for a bit to enjoy some time with James at the Jazz Club. Lucy was enjoying the atmosphere with her husband's arm around her shoulder. He sent a smile her way which she retuned before the lights began to dim. Lucy's attention turned towards the stage just as James kissed her cheek, causing her cheeks turn burn and a bashful smile to form as she dipped her head for a moment, absolutely adoring the attention he was giving her. Composing herself after a moment, the woman looked up towards the stage again, watching the nervous redhead on stage. The young woman was a great singer, which wasn't a surprise as this was her sister's club.

As James leaned close, Lucy too leaned in to listen as he joked, she smiled softly and let out a light laugh. "You? I couldn't imagine that happening to a man like you." She murmured. Kev soon joined the pair and the news of Armstrong losing the election had brought a smile to her husband's face. Lucy watched in amusement as he ordered himself another drink in celebration of such wonderful news. While this was good news, there was plenty of things that still needed to be worried about. The blonde had gone quiet as Kev and James continued to talk briefly, captured in her own thoughts.

The pair only had a few more moments alone together before Nathan arrived. Lucy had looked forward to meeting the man, well aware of how James came to know him. She wasn't going to judge a man based on time spent locked away, she knew very well that not all criminals were dangerous. Lucy nodded her head in greeting to the man, offering him a graceful smile. James asked what the man had been up to as Nathan took a seat and Lucy was curious to hear the story of a man who would be a bodyguard for her family. James then teased her about the crazy family she had supposedly tied him into. The blonde narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose at him before letting out a light laugh, "Don't listen to a word he says Nathan, this man was just begging for me to marry him! So much so that we are getting married a second time! He loves being tied to this crazy family."
with: James Misty Gray Nathan LateForDinner [/USER]