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

[Enzyme]

Carter Dresden​

Carter nodded along as the detective recounted the incident. He had remembered the day quite fondly, as it was a successful day for the IWU. They had gotten a chance to blow a hole in the laughingly serious Commissioner and scar Porter's daughter. "Ah, yes." Carter rolled his head to the side, his eyes now locking on the detectives.

According to Kennedy, a woman had seen Carter. Whether it was true, or the detective was lying to coax a confession out of him, didn't matter. "They had chased us into the parking lot. I only fired back in self defense. We did our best to get away, but they killed the man driving our car." Carter shook his head, pretending he cared for the man who had been killed.

Carter let out a short chuckle as he brought the topic to the Porters. "You mean the mob that extorts Dublin citizens? Not fond."

"Why am I here, detective?" Carter sat up for the first time, resting his elbows on the metal table. His eyes locked directly with Kennedy's, unwilling to break contact. "This is about the Armstrongs death, no?" He tilted his head as he asked, folding his hands. "I was at a cafe in Newcastle; the staff can attest." He nodded along to his words, shrugging lightly. "Have you questioned every single Porter member? Doesn't it seem likely that the same men who destroyed our factory a month ago, murdered innocent men and women with families, are the ones responsible?"

Carter leaned back in his seat, smirking to Kennedy. He knew it was a mistake that the man revealed his identity and he would certainly use that to his advantage. "Now, what is your stance on the Porters?" He asked, mirroring Kennedy's question. "Bloods thicker than water, I’m sure y'know." Carter's smirk widened, tilting his head slightly. "Sounds pretty risky to put a detective on a case related to his crime family, but then again, I’m sure you’re not biased whatsoever," Carter said, winking to Kennedy.

mpower (Kennedy)

 

[Misty Gray]

George Sanderson​

George grinned as Finn blushed and attempted to hide his red face from him. Despite the smile, he mentally reminded himself of where he was and who he was with. Perhaps he would need to tone it down, not just so Finn didn't feel uncomfortable but also so as not to draw any unwanted attention to them. Even if the pub belonged to the Sullivans, the blokes drinking at the bar didn't seem like the kind to be on board with the way he was currently interacting with his male friend.

As Finn responded to the question about a twin brother, George couldn't help but notice the worry in the man's eyes. It was in that moment that he realised he had gone a little too far with his comments, but perhaps it had at least served to confirm he had been imagining the signals he thought he'd been getting from Finn. He felt like an idiot for even thinking he had a chance with such a good man - a straight man, at that. He masked his growing insecurity for a time, keeping the wide smile on his lips and the sparkle in his eyes. "Conor, eh? I guess he's good looking... from a distance," he remarked, though knowing full well the man in question was likely not short of admirers.

George took a long drink from his glass before placing it back down on his table. It didn't happen often, but for a time he was struggling for words to say. He was torn, both feeling bad for making Finn feel so awkward and also for realising his own feelings for the man were more than just a crush, which meant it would be harder than he thought to just brush them aside. Looking around the pub, he couldn't help but feel out of place and more insecure than he could ever recall. Prison was hell, but the predictability and security of it was in a way comforting. The man shuffled in his seat before looking back to Finn. "Forgive me, Finn," he began, softly clearing his throat. "I shouldn't be here, mate. I appreciate you meeting with me this evening and getting the drinks in, but I need to go," he told him. As he stood up, a little flustered, he retrieved his jacket from the back of his chair. "Thank you... I'm sorry," he apologised again, before rushing towards the exit, dodging some of the drunks blocking his path.

Bellz (Finn)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aliana Cartwright

Aliana Cartwright didn't have many female friends. Sinny and Lucy were the exceptions, of course, but there were days where she didn't want to see their faces for a while. When Blake extended an invite for drinks at her restaurant, she happily accepted. She knew a little about Blake from when they blew up shit and shot people a few months ago and whenever they'd go out with Conor and Jackson, but this was the first time they had actually hung out without the guys around. Although to be quite honest, Jackson and Conor paid more attention to each other than they did the women they were currently dating. It didn't bother Ali much since she enjoyed Blake's company, which is why she was never vocal about it. Now sitting here at the bar with her, she was enjoying it even more.

Tonight's drinks of choice were whiskey from her own private stash, seeing as she liked Blake enough to share it with her. While Blake spoke about their boyfriends, she chuckled and almost spit the alcohol out of her mouth. "Oh, they most definitely are! If we weren't in the picture I'm almost sure they would end up together." She joked. "You'd think they'd miss us more than they do each other but of course not. That'd be preposterous." She gave a playful sideways glance at the blonde before returning to her drink. There was a slight pause as she was going to ask the woman a question but never got the chance. Ali followed Blake's gaze to Evelyn and heard the remark she made about her. It wasn't until she caught the look on her friends face that she nodded her head to herself and asked the bartender for another drink and three shots. At first, she was going to take all three herself, knowing she was going to need it but decided to offer them to the other women. They were going to need it too.

Since she herself had no issues with Evelyn, other than her alcohol problem, Ali decided to remain a neutral party. She nodded her head at Evelyn and smiled at her. "Hey, love. We are just," there was a pause as she looked to Blake, sending her a warning look before looking back at Eve. "Peachy. I'm glad you like the place; makes me feel good people enjoy the atmosphere." When Eve brought up the alcohol issue, her face grew serious. Well, as serious as it could get after several glasses of alcohol. "Well, Evie, to make a long story short, some shit is missing." Ali maneuvered herself so she could reach into her bag and grab an orange folder. "Take a look at the ledger and tell me what looks funny."

Blake ( Bellz ) Eve ( Pyroclast )
​

 

[Enzyme]

Johaan Duncan​

Johaan leaned against the bar table, resting the pints between his hands. He smirked as the lanky kid hauled the crate of spirits from the back room. Richard had to lend the kid and carry the craft himself. "Don't pull somethin' ye' old bastard," Johaan chuckled to Richard. He then looked back to one of the fresh faces as he thanked them for their hospitality. "Slán, lad," Johaan spoke out as the man left.

Johaan contorted his head towards the door as Rudy entered. The remaining customers did as they were told and quickly cleared out. He could see the evident confusion on his brother and cousins face, but he knew what was going on. Johaan let go of the pint and grabbed at his jacket. The brief rattling sound turned out to be a bottle of pills that he pulled from his pocket labeled, "Tofranil". Opening up the bottle, he poured a few pills in the palm of his hand. Slapping the pills into his mouth, he quickly washed it down with the cold pint. He then twisted the cap back on the bottle and shoved them back into his pocket. As James walked in, Johaan could feel his stomach twist. He had hoped that Conor would've sent a few goons to sort them out, but now the main Porter himself had walked onto their door step.

James immediately confronted Richard, who was quick to deny the accusation. Johaan winced, feeling contrite that he had seemingly led his brother into a trap. James proceeded to beat the daylights out of Richard, who was stumbling to defend himself. Patrick was also attacked, neither men showing any remorse to his family members.

Knowing that his punishment would be imminent, he lashed out at Rudy and caught the man by surprise. The first hit connected harshly with his jaw, enforced by the raised knotted ring on his knuckle. Due to Rudy's stocky build, his second did little to faze the gangster. He hadn't even noticed the truncheon in Rudy's hands and by the time he had, it had already struck the side of his head. The wood ripped a piece of skin off the side of his temple, causing blood to spray the wood floor as he collapsed onto it. Although dazed, he quickly covered his head with his arms as Rudy laid into him. He did the best he could to protect his entire body, which caused him to stretch out and then quickly constrict like a snake with every hit. As abruptly as the beating began, it ended. He had been too weak to look up, but felt the wooden club wipe against his jacket.

Shireling (Rudy) Misty Gray (James/Richard) Pyroclast (Patrick)

 

[mpower]

Det. Kennedy Sullivan​

Carter's expression of his opinion towards the Porters left Kennedy emotionless. He knew that this man and his whole organisation weren't fond of the mob and their doings in the city and Ireland itself. They had multiple violent encounters already and Ken could bet that in more than one of them, Carter had been involved, such as that parking lot shootout, about which Carter lied him straight in the face, due to information he had received from the Porter side
As the suspect asked for the reason he was being interrogated, Kennedy remained silent, somewhat sure that it was only a rhetorical question, shortly afterwards getting proved right. The Detective had the whole time the intention to establish eye contact. Now that he got it, he felt somewhat uncomfortable as it was usual for someone getting stared at, but his gaze resisted, filled with disdain and attentive observation.

Kennedy waited till the man finished and was about to start talking again as the man talked about his obvious affiliation with the Porters. Oh boy, do I want to wipe that smirk out of his face, Kennedy thought silently as he waited for the small verbal jab to finish.

He inhaled deeply and pushed his posture towards the edge of the seat, establishing a greater difference in height. "First of all, it is quite interesting how you connected this to the Armstrong family's death. If we think hard here, we could think that you were prepared for the fact that we suspect someone of the IWU. Why's that so? Did Jared have internal enemies and if yes who? Someone willing enough to murder a man and his whole family with him in such a gruesome manner? There are only a few people in this city who could do such things. If you know someone of you the IWU capable of that and you hide him or her from us or withhold information, you are partially involved in this slaughter."

His eyes squeezed together as he let that sink in, continuing then though: "Secondly, I am a Detective of the Gardai, that's the first and last thing you have to know here. The questions are also asked by me, not by you." His tone and talking speed had turned into a rather more slowed down and cautious art. "Besides, it is none of your concern on our progression on the case and whoever we interrogated or examined currently." Now Kennedy leaned back again, raising an eyebrow as he waited for the man to respond once more.

Enzyme

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter and Richard Duncan
​

With the gun pressed against his head, as well as being aware of what was happening to his brother and cousin, Richard knew he had to own up. He'd willingly agreed with Vernon and Patrick to carry out the robberies, with Vernon practically forcing Johaan into joining them as if it were his blood-born duty to do so. The landlord hadn't intended for civilians to be killed in the process, but controlling Vernon had always been a struggle. In a way, Richard was annoyed that particular cousin wasn't present for what could have been a wake up call. Instead, Johaan and Patrick, as well as himself, were taking the punishment Vernon had earned the most. Whether Richard believed owning up would save them or not, he knew he had to at least take the chance. He couldn't let anyone die through his own stubbornness. "Alright. Alright!" Richard relented, his voice pained and exhausted. "It was us, but Johaan and Patrick were forced into it," he admitted. It was a half truth. Patrick had been more eager than Richard to rob the place, but Johaan had not been at all enthusiastic about it.

Satisfied Richard had finally owned up, James pulled the gun away from the man's head and stood up, removing his knee from on his chest. In an instant, the pressure had been lifted from Richard and the man was able to let out a deep, relieved breath. "I could have forgiven the gambling racket you had going on here," James told him. Even though it didn't seem like it, Richard had got off lightly considering the severity of his family's actions and he likely wouldn't realise he had Johaan to thank for that. James sent a glance towards the other men and was not exactly impressed to see the state Johaan had been left in by Rudolph. His face remained straight and gave nothing away to anyone who might be looking. He turned back to Richard, looking down at him as he inspected his injured hand. The landlord wriggled his fingers around, wincing at the pain the action caused him. "Your hand will be fine," James flatly told him. "Now get up," he ordered. James took a few steps back, placing Richard's gun in his own belt, making it clear he was now keeping the firearm he'd been holding. James kept some distance, making it clear to Richard he wasn't going to be attacked again as soon as he was back up on his feet. Once Richard had groggily stood back up, James was satisfied the man was going to be able to take care of himself and the other two. If anyone was going to drop dead, James would want it to have been be his intention for them to die. "This place stays closed until I tell you otherwise," James ordered, raising his voice so the others could hear.

"What do you mean?" Richard asked. He didn't make eye-contact, instead focusing on wiping his bleeding nose onto his shirt sleeve.

"I mean what I fucking said," James warned him. "You and I will be discussing the future of this place and the contract in a few days. Not to mention that I want Vernon sorting out, once and for all. I won't be so lenient if I set eyes on him."

James took Richard's silent nod as agreement, or at least submission. Porter then approached the others, first checking Patrick was still breathing and then taking in a visual assessment on Johaan's injuries. Both of them would recover, even if Rudolph's idea of going easy on Johaan was vastly different to James'. "We're out of here, lads," James simply informed Nathan and Rudolph as he pointed to the door. He let the two men walk ahead of him as he turned back to Richard. "You got this under control?" he asked, referring to the man tending to his injured relatives. Richard nodded his head, but didn't grace James with any further words. He had enough first aid and medical knowledge to at least attempt to help them, as well as access to contacts who could come over if their injuries were beyond him.

After returning to the car and relieving Danny of his duties, James, Rudolph and Nathan all returned back to the Porters' house. There wasn't much conversation from James, but that was normal for the serious man, especially when on a job. Once he parked the car up in the driveway, James got out of the vehicle and headed straight back to the security gates to speak with Brian.

@LateForDinner (Nathan) Shireling (Rudolph) Enzyme (Johaan) Pyroclast (Patrick)
OOC: I figured I'd release you all from the pub scene.

 

[Enzyme]

Carter Dresden​

As Kennedy sat up straight to assert his dominance through his height, Carter leaned back into his chair, seeing the attempt as superficial. He knew that the Gardai, as much as they hated to admit it, were merely a shell of their former selves. They had become nothing more than the Porter's doormat and with their attempt to appear superior, it was only met with a patronizing smirk from Carter. Kennedy acted as if Carter acknowledging the death of his former boss had given him a leg up on Carter. He instead, crossed his arms, staring at the detective and slightly shaking his head.

Carter remained silent as Kennedy spoke up, filing his nails against the edges of his jacket. Once Kennedy finished, he looked back up to the man, staring into his eyes once more. The thing that Kennedy said, that really resonated with him, was that he would technically be considered involved in the slaughter if he withheld information. "If that's the case, detective, then your whole department is involved. I can guarantee that the same person who slaughtered that family is the same one who signs your Captains paychecks."

Carter sat up and leaned his elbows on the table. "Let's not stand on formalities." Carter lightly nodded his head, taking a pause before speaking once more. "If they wanted to question me about what happened in the parking lot that day, it wouldn't have taken them six months to do so." Carter tilted his head at Kennedy, his eye contact not faltering. "Stop tryin' to insult my intelligence - we both know why I'm here."

"The issue with the Gardai is that they don't want to follow the thread, because they're afraid of where it'll take 'em. You lot just want a little guy to pin it on; someone who won't cause a fuss. You want me to create some false confession? It's not happening." As Carter flashed a deviant smirk to the man, his tone shifted to something far softer. "I'll bet after your Comissioner got off his knees and wiped his mouth, he assured Mr. Porter that he'd never have to stand trial for massacring the Armstrongs."

mpower (Kennedy)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

The second the doors were closed, Syd's defences momentarily dropped and the fear he had been ignoring rose up inside him. He ran after Jackson and Peter, but they didn't get far before the sound of gunfire rang out from behind them. Fuelled by adrenaline and panic, Syd reached the Cresta in a matter of seconds, quickly diving down behind the body of the car before working on getting the door open. With Peter's help, Syd hauled John into the backseat with him while Jackson did what he could to defend them. "Jackson -" he started, but the man didn't waste time in getting into the driver's seat and starting up the engine.

As they drove away from the scene, Syd sank down in his seat, breathless and shaken. His hand still firmly gripped his gun and he raised his wrist to wipe away the blood and sweat from his forehead, wincing at the tenderness of his facial wounds. Twisting uncomfortably in his seat, he peered through the fresh holes in the shattered rear window at the chaos they had left behind. To his horror, however, it appeared to be following them - two cars came roaring towards them from the car park and Syd ducked back down just in time before more shots were fired their way.

While trying to remain as hidden as possible, Syd carefully positioned himself against the car door so he could fire his gun at the vehicles on their tail. It was hard to see or hear if he was doing much damage, so he had to be very careful with his aim so as not to waste his bullets. The pain, stress and frustration was all getting to him, bringing forth a dark side of him that didn't often surface. What angered him the most was that the men in the pub had allowed him to believe they weren't armed - they had played a mean trick on him, probably humouring him because he was young, letting him think he had the floor while they were secretly plotting against him. Now stuck in this tight situation, Syd vowed to himself that he'd never make that mistake again. He held his breath as he continued to fire. This wasn't a good time to be too hard on himself; he owed Jackson and Peter his highest concentration right now.

The Cresta shook from the impact of the men's bullets - Syd heard one of the rear light units explode, then the right-hand rear window took a bullet and shattered, sending more shards of glass into the car's interior. The cars behind them started to gain speed and Syd panicked. "Jackson, they're coming up beside us -" he warned, having to raise his voice above all the noise. With one of the cars now closer, however, it became easier to target and he managed to shoot through its windshield.

Interactions
Enzyme Jackson, John
Bellz Peter, Davin

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

At Sinead's mention of Conor, his eyes narrowed a bit as Ryan was fairly certain that her brother would go out of his way to not make trouble for his baby sister. However, Sinead paused and tried to start again, only to apologize as her friendly demeanor foundered. Ryan stood silent as he waited for her to find the words, and when she did, her now forlorn visage only magnified them.

Listening to Sinead left Ryan with a fair number of varied thoughts. The foremost was to comfort her, as it pained his heart to see in such a way. Averting his gaze from her so he control the urge to embrace her, Ryan also tried to focus on Peter. Her husband's actions, or lack thereof, sounded familiar as it wasn't rare for fellow soldiers to become distant from those they once knew after the war. Compared to the men they once were, they had become cold and hard, as if they were steel forged in fire. Ryan thought about his about when his father came back from his almost 5 year stint, and realized it had almost the opposite effect on him as he became more attentive to his family after he got out. Ryan made a mental note to ask his mother in his next letter about why that was.

While Ryan was thinking about what Sinead had said, he remained quiet as he absentmindedly ran his blackened fingers through his hair, leaving black smudges on his forehead. He knew Peter's relatively short time in the clink had been rough, but to change so much in such a short amount of time, he realized it must been much worse than the man had let on. Taking to deep breath, Ryan fortified his resolve before he brought his gaze back to the diminutive and now timorous woman before him. "Sinny..." Ryan said as he took a step toward before stopping himself from gravitating towards her, "...I'm not sure what I can do to help you. It sounds like Peter experienced something truly hellish, and speaking from experience, men don't come out of hell unscathed. It breaks them, Sinny. Once something is broken, it's never the same as it once it was, even if you have all the pieces," even though he tried to keep his tone level, Ryan's own words ached within himself, and the pained undertone could be heard in his voice towards the end.

Realizing that what he said didn't have much positivity to it, he forced a reassuring smile on his face. "I'm not saying that the man you love is gone, he's just needs time to piece himself back together. Just try to be patient and remind him why you married him. If you want, I'll talk to him about it. What happened in the clink, I mean," he said in a comforting way, although the words left a certain bitterness in his mouth. A little voice in the back of his head chastised him for not taking advantage of the situation, for telling Sinead to stay with Peter, but he reminded himself that it wasn't about what he wanted. As if it was a form of punishment, Ryan could feel a pain in his chest as if not only his heart, but the resolution he'd made was being crushed.

Along with wanting to change the subject, he also wanted gain some space from Sinead, especially when she looked so vulnerable. Since she initially mentioned him, Ryan fathomed that the original reason Sinead came to him was something to do with her brother. While Conor was also someone that he'd been meaning to talk to, he would've liked it to be on his own terms. "So, you mentioned your brother. I assume he needs something and sent you to ask?" he said, as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance.


Misty Gray [Sinead]

 

[mpower]

Det. Kennedy Sullivan​

Ken sensed how the man tried to provoke him and the other officers in each word. His arrogance seemed unstoppable and his evading of major questions were apparently his tactical addition to his verbal passive aggressiveness. It was not the first time someone accused him or his whole occupation as corrupt due to their somewhat obvious connection to the Porter mob. Once more he did not answer to the accusation of bribery and what else Carter had in his mind, but as the man leaned forward with his elbows planted on the table, Kennedy knew he was just starting.

The conclusion Carter took seemed logical to Kennedy and he nodded somewhat. "Obviously you are here for both cases."

Now it was Kennedy's time to listen, he leaned back and remained motionless as he still continued their somewhat primitive staring battle. Carter could notice the tiredness in his eyes, them being veined red, but nonetheless, Kennedy's brain was processing every single thing he could notice.

This fucker really held too much of himself

A larger pause emitted between them as soon as Carter had finished. Only the running recorder accompanied their silence. The Detective contemplated if he could get any information out of this man due to his defensive and evading behaviour. It was not easy but maybe he just didn't pull the right strings yet. He really had to keep himself away from insulting the man or provoking him, the tape was running and could be listened to by anyone after they had finished. So it clearly was essential to dodge the insults but keep the man somewhat in line.

So Kennedy started: "Hard accusations you're slinging at us. Seems like you're evading the essential topic here by trying to foreshadow my next step in this interrogation or switching into a defensive mode. It's almost like you're used to getting interrogated, nothing a normal /citizen/ would be. Not that I am trying to insult your intelligence or anything, but I personally think you're overexaggerating here. Your accusation of corruption is without reason and evidence and not topic here, hopefully, I do not have to repeat this over and over in this interrogation." He licked his lips for a second, a simple pause to get some fresh air in as the one they had down here was less than moderate. "You're placing words in my mouth, which I dislike and prefer not to have.-anyway. The question is still up. Did Jared Armstrong or his family have internal enemies in the IWU, if yes, who? Besides, you seem to have a negative opinion of the Commissioner, not that this is an accusation of my side, but isn't that a bit dangerous to display if you are partially here for the shootout during a parade, in which the Commissioner got targetted as well? You can shift blame here as much as you want, but we both know that your assumptions on the Armstrong massacre don't make sense."

Enzyme

 

[Pyroclast]

Evelyn McKenna

Evelyn was well aware of Blake's hostility towards her, but didn't want to address it. She hadn't expected to see the woman here. At some point, she knew the two of them would have to talk out their issues, but not when she was on business, and certainly not in Aliana's company. When Aliana ordered in a round of shots, a mischievous grin spread across her face. Drinking on the job wasn't exactly uncommon for her, but Aliana's choice of drink was usually the kind she only went for at parties. It showed her the kind of woman Aliana was, and, being quite the party animal herself, Evelyn decided that the two of them would undoubtedly make good friends.

"Sláinte," she said, raising her glass to the women with a wink before downing the shot. The alcohol gave her a quick buzz, but she didn't lose focus of what she had come for. Without hesitating, she took the ledger from Aliana and began to read through it, her expression becoming serious with concentration. Her finger traced down to the recent accounts and stopped when she reached yesterday's date. "Well, what's funny is that it appears to have been delivered," she said, her eyes still on the page. "But it was two weeks' worth of goods, Ali. Not that I doubt the popularity of this place, but if you're telling me two weeks' worth has disappeared overnight..." She closed the book and handed it back to Aliana. "I'm wondering could ye have been robbed? I'm already after speaking to my guys at the warehouse, and I'm trusting them to not have tampered with the load. It's their word, and mine either. Do ye believe me?"

Evelyn leaned back in her chair and gazed pensively at the bar. "Well, we've gotta get to the bottom of this. It isn't a bar without -" She didn't get to the end of her sentence, for out of the corner of her eye, Evelyn spotted two people making their way through an open door at the back of the room. Perhaps she was reading too much into it, but there was something suspicious in the way they moved. Keeping her eyes fixed on the door, Evelyn asked, "Ali, how many staff d'ye have working here tonight?"

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Aliana
Bellz Blake, Griff
Misty Gray Saoirse

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead watched as Ryan ran his fingers through his hair. She noticed his action had left black smudges on his forehead and usually she would make a point of calling him out on such a thing, but the observation didn't get beyond her silent, conscious acknowledgement. When he began to answer her, she listened attentively, her big brown eyes reflecting her focus on his words. She saw him edge forward, but he seemed to stop himself. She wondered if her presence made him feel awkward, but didn't feel it was appropriate to ask such a thing. She nodded as he spoke of his understanding that Peter's time in jail was terrible. As he went on to mention how such experiences could break men beyond complete repair, she turned her head away, not wanting him to see the tears building up in her eyes. Was Ryan right, that Peter would never be the same again? She was trying her hardest to stay patient and supportive of her husband, but was this really how their life would be now? She wasn't sure if she could live that way. At times, it was like living with a ghost or trying to find love from a stone. She took a deep breath, hoping to somehow maintain her composure, and eventually looked back to Ryan to continue listening to his words.

Ryan sent her a smile and reminded her that Peter needed time. His words echoed those she'd been hearing from her family, telling her to be patient with her husband. "Don't you think I've tried that?!" she unintentionally snapped. Immediately regretting reacting to her friend in such a manner, she briefly looked away. She unfolded her arms, reaching out to drop the bolt she'd been holding back down onto the workbench. She clasped her fingertips together and looked down to the palms of her hands, noticing the striped indentations the bolt had left imprinted in the skin of one hand. She looked back up to Ryan and took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself down. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that," she apologised to him. In all honesty, he'd received the reaction she'd wanted to give to her mother and anyone else who had suggested she wasn't trying hard enough. As if some of Peter's behaviour was her own fault.

When Ryan offered to talk to Peter about his time in prison, Sinead squeezed her bottom lip between her front teeth before slowly nodding her in in agreement. She didn't want Ryan to speak with her husband about their marriage, but it was clear that wasn't what her friend had meant anyway. "Thank you... I think I would appreciate that. You probably have a much better idea of what prison is like than I do. I think he might find it easier to talk to another man about that kind of thing..." she trailed off. "If you want to, that is. Perhaps he'll never find that piece of himself that once wanted to be close to me, but if he can at least just find peace with himself, it's a step."

Ryan redirected the conversation back to the reason she had approached him in the first place and she quickly nodded her head. "Of course... Conor," she said, pausing as if to remind herself of what her brother had wanted. "He's locked his car keys inside his car, so he called me to see if someone could get over to my jazz club with his spare set. I suppose I could have asked others around here, but I chose to ask you. It's not urgent, I know that. I'm probably wasting your time..." she began, wondering if she'd made a mistake asking to Ryan to help her brother. Catching the way her friend appeared annoyed, she quirked an eyebrow. "The reason I came to you was because I want you and Conor to sort things out. You used to be such good friends and I believe life is too short to hold grudges like these. You are such a good person, Ryan, and I think there is a part of you that might want to know Conor again. You know, sometimes the heart overrules the mind. Conor fell in love all of those years ago and love is one of the hardest things to deny..." Sinead rubbed the back of her neck before looking Ryan in the eyes. "I fell in love with the enemy too, Ryan. Savvy's biological father was Vinnie's right-hand man and I betrayed my family because I couldn't deny my heart." Sinead scrunched up her nose to emphasise her next words. "Do I repulse you, Ryan? I think it would break my heart to know you would throw away our friendship because of what I did, so I'm sure Conor is hurting knowing he no longer has your friendship... Are you angry with me like you are with Conor?" she gently posed the question, clearly expecting an answer.


Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Peter's gun shook wildly as he continued to aim it down at the drunk accountant, who was now awake, muttering some nonsense underneath his breath. Grinding his teeth harshly, it took all the strength he had in him to listen to Syd and Jackson as they both disagreed with his form of action. With Jackson's help, his gun was moved away from the accountant and before he could say anything more, he was instructed to take him outside. Nodding his head once, Peter did one more look around as he knelt over to pick up John. Placing his gun back in its holster, Peter grabbed the man's shoulders roughly while Jackson grabbed his feet, together they raised the man up high and began to make their way towards the exit. The eyes watching them and the people beginning to circle around them was making Peter more and more anxious as they finally made it out into the open. Jackson's relaxed attitude seemed to change immediately as he pulled John forward, Peter had to sprint to keep up with Jackson as they all ran towards the Cresta. The sound of gunshots almost caused Peter to drop John on his head. Jackson jumped into action to return the fired shots while Peter took complete hold of John, lugging him behind the car and out of harms way, at least for the moment. Syd had opened the car door and aided Peter quickly as they both shoved the drunk man into the backseat. Peter slithered out after making sure both Syd and John were secure inside and slammed the back door shut.

Crouching down again, Peter shuffled towards the passenger door and opened it quickly before throwing himself inside. "Stay down!" He ordered his nephew and as if the universe was trying to test their limits, two bullets landed in the rear window, causing it to crack and some piece to shatter, falling on Syd and John who were in the back. Before he could wonder where Jackson was and if he needed to be covered, the man pulled himself into the driver seat and they quickly drove away, all of them ducked low to keep from getting hit.

Peter stayed low enough for Jackson to fire two more shots back at the men before peeling out of the lot. Peter snapped his head back up and as he tried to catch his breath, the adrenaline and anger he had before now simmering down and causing him to feel weak. Just when he thought it was all over, the sound of a tired screeching caused him to turn and look behind him. Two cars had followed them out of the lot. Peter growled lowly, wanting to be left alone now after that brawl in the pub. He rolled down his passenger side window, his eyes briefly catching Syd in his peripheral vision. "You okay kid?" He asked, noting that he had seen his nephew catering to his arm earlier, wondering if he had injured it terribly. The sound of bullets hitting and warping the metal caused him to jump again and he quickly turned his head to look out his window.

Peter watched at the damaged that was being caused from the side view mirror and unbuckled his seat belt before turning his whole body, placing his knees on the seat as he pushed one hand off the back rest while grabbing his gun out its hostler again. Placing one hand out the window, he tried to use the side view mirror to aim instead of sticking his head out and risking getting shot. The cars were getting closer and closer and Syd seemed to panic.

Glancing out front windshield, he saw the road before them widen, and just as he thought about it, the two cars following them began to move to either side, ready to trap them in between. They were gaining speed and the nose of the first car was beginning to reveal itself as Peter could see the driver clear as day, "Duck down!" Peter shouted as he crouched down against the glove box as much as he could. The road wouldn't stay wide like it was forever and from the looks of it, the idiots from the pub weren't letting off the gas..."Fucking idiots! The road won't stay like this forever! Step on the brakes, Jackson!" If chosen to do so, they might be able to save themselves. Them braking would send the other two cars too far ahead to turn around and catch them, giving them just enough time to make their disappearance.
with: Jackson Enzyme ; Syd Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Finn Sullivan​

Finn had thought that he was good at hiding how he was feeling, but as George spoke about Conor, he noticed something different about the man and Finn was sure that George had saw the worry in his features. The Doctor prayed that George wouldn't read to much into it. This whole idea of homosexuality was still pretty new to him after all. He didn't disapprove and he thought that no one else should either. "From a very very far distance.." Finn teased lightly. As he thought about Conor, he wondered if what his family thought of homosexuality. It wasn't a subject that was brought up in conversation ever and this was the first time Finn had ever met someone who was gay...

The silence that fell between the two of them was unnerving and Finn was looking for a way out. He watched George closely as he took a long drink from his glass, staring and trying to make eye contact with the man. He needed to know if George was okay. After the long day he had, Finn had been looking forward to this time out with a friend...but what if George didn't want to be friends? After a long moment of trying to meet George's eyes, Finn turned his attention back to his own drink and stared down into the glass. His own reflection looked back at him, shaking ever so slightly from the movement happening around the pub. As he looked at himself in the golden looking liquid, he couldn't help but notice that he looked...different from his usual self. The man that appeared in the glass looked older, tired...lost. The table tilted roughly as George shifted in his seat, causing Finn's reflection to drown in the drink before him. Raising his head, he tilted it to the side as George asked him to forgive him. "What?" Was all Finn could get out as George continued. The shock that took over Finn's body was as cold as a bucket of ice water being throw over him, he didn't understand what was going on.

Seeing how flustered George look, Finn confirmed that the man had seen the worry that Finn had in his eyes and the man felt like a fool. He watched as George rushed towards the pub exit. "Wait..." He said softly, looking at the spot that George had just been seated in before snapping his head up to look towards the exit. "Wait! George!" Finn called out, clumsily jumping out of his stool and knocking over some of the alcohol on the floor in his rush. "Shit! Sorry!" He called to the bartender as he rushed towards the exit, hoping to catch George out on the sidewalk. "Hey! Georgie! I'm sorry!" He called out as he pushed the door open roughly, stumbling out into the middle of the sidewalk. The Doctor was beginning to panic. After the amazing time he had with George, he couldn't just let the man up and leave without any sort of warning or goodbye. After the day he had, he needed George. After ending things with Eleanor, he needed a friend.
with : George Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Blake Walsh​

Griffin Fitzgerald​

Blake knew that Evelyn shouldn't bother her, but, something about the woman made Blake want to reach out and just shake her vigorously. Keeping a neutral look on her face, she allowed Ali to answer her question, receiving a look that told her to behave, "Oh yesss, just. peachy. Blake echoed softly before snatching one of the three shots for herself. Peering down at the liquid for a moment, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before knocking back the shot quickly. Blake knew that she was going to need at least four more in order for her to even tolerate Evelyn's presence, but instead of running over to the bar, she decided to listen to the problem at hand, the missing alcohol.

Leaning back into her seat, Blake crossed her arms and listened carefully as the two woman discussed what could have happened. As popular as Sky Haven was, there was no way that two weeks worth of alcohol would go missing overnight.When the idea of robbery came up, Blake turned her attention to Evelyn, looking towards her for the first time. Irritated that she couldn't stare the woman in the eyes, she turned her body towards her and tried to make do with what she could. "Would have to take someone with experience to rob a place like this...also someone with a death sentence." It wasn't news that this place was under the Porter's protection, Blake had to question what type of person would be insane enough to rob from such a powerful family. As Evelyn asked whether or not Ali believed her about tampering with the delivery, Blake pursed her lips, doing everything she could to keep her mouth shut. For Ali's sake.

The hairs on Blake's arms stood on edge at such a question...if she was Ali, she wouldn't rule Evelyn out for a second. The woman continued to speak and Blake was just about to tune her out when she stopped her sentence. Looking to the woman a moment, she wondered what had gotten into her when she noticed where she had been looking.

Griff rolled his eyes at his sister and quickly looked around for a moment as he tried to see if anyone had noticed them. When he thought they were clear, Griff quickly followed his sister through the door to the backroom. "We've got to make this quick." He told his sister, sounding nervous as he looked towards the long shelves of alcohol. While Saoirse was busy trying to grab what they needed to grab the Porter's attention, Griff passed her, venturing further into the back room..looking for the nearest exit.

Rounding one of the shelves, he found a door the read exit in bright red letters and he nodded his head once before making his way back towards his sister. Grabbing as many bottles as he could carry, Griff gestured towards Saoirse, "Think you could put some of these in your purse?" He wondered out loud. "Here let's put these in there." Quickly handing her what bottles he could, he helped her fit as many as they could into her purse before she placed it back over her shoulder. When Griff was sure that this would be enough to grab anyone's attention he nodded his head towards the corner hall where they exit was. "We need to go." He told his sister firmly as he grabbed her arm gently, ready to lead her in that direction.

Blake had noticed the suspicious behavior as well and was almost sure that those two were not employees at the restaurant. "Looks like we found our thief...almost sure of it." With that being said, the blonde stood up quickly, not even swaying after the amount of alcohol she had. "Shall we check it out ladies?" Blake asked, the weight of her handgun getting heavier as she was reminded she had it resting in its holster under her light jacket.
With: Aliana Melanin-Gxdess ; Evelyn Pyroclast ; Saoirse Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

George Sanderson​

As early as the moment he started to walk away from Finn, George felt terrible for leaving his friend behind and alone at the table. Still, he believed it was the right thing to do in the long run in order to save them both from further upset later down the line. Yet, as he got outside and still heard Finn's voice calling after him, a part of him felt happy to hear the man had followed him. He was growing to hate the selfish part of him that was causing his conscience to be ripped in two. How could he be a genuine friend to Finn when he had intentions the other man could never be on board with? It would always feel like their friendship was a lie, but if he told the truth he was sure there would be no friendship to maintain at all. After being a fraudster in the past, he wanted Finn to only see the real George and have no doubts about him. He couldn't lie to that kind and wholesome man.

George stopped and turned to look behind him, seeing Finn standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He saw the doctor appeared to be in a state of agitation and knew it was because of the way he had just walked out on him. George felt a knot in the pit of his stomach and he knew he couldn't leave his poor friend in such a mess. "Finn!" he called out to him. He kept his face neutral as he cocked his head to the side, signalling for the man to follow him. He walked a little further down the street, sliding into the quiet snicket away from prying eyes and ears.

Once Finn had joined him, George looked the man in the eyes and let out an awkward chuckle at the situation. "I'm sorry for my behaviour just now, Finn. It was immature of me and you deserved better than that," he admitted. "You deserve the truth and an explanation for my actions," he assured him. "I value our friendship very much and I've enjoyed being in your company since the first time we spoke. However, I have to be completely honest with you if there's any chance of our friendship continuing." George let out an apprehensive sigh as he built up to spilling the truth. What he was about to say could bring their friendship to a quick end, but he knew it would be more painful to lose Finn later down the line. "I'm attracted to you, Finn. When I first saw you visiting Peter, I developed what you could call a crush. As we spoke and got to know each other, it grew into more than just a physical attraction. Whilst I respect everything we have as friends, I can't lie to you and deny the fact my feelings go far beyond that now." George rubbed his chin between his thumb and fingers, trying to gauge Finn's reaction. "The last thing you need in your life is this kind of complication. You already exceeded my expectations when you accepted my sexuality, but I completely understand if what I have told you is too much. Most people would be disgusted and would have rejected me the minute they learned the truth... I'm sorry to land this on you, but we can never be true friends if I continue to hold back secrets from you."


Bellz (Finn)

 

[Shireling]

Aldous Penshurst
​

He saw that the women he had sat next to were quite absorbed in their own conversation, so his sideways comment fell on deaf ears. Never mind that anyways, as the bartender arrived with his gin and tonic. He tipped the glass in salutation towards the man and opened the leather portfolio over the countertop. As he read, he swished a bit of the clear drink around in the glass before drinking a sip and setting it back down to puff his cigarette. He ran his hand over the seal of the Dublin Gardaí as thumbed through a few police reports on James Porter, just what was publicly available from his last few statements to the police. Nothing seemed overly incriminating, and he had carefully maintained his front which was also, crucially, partially true as a wealthy and philanthropic Irish-American businessman. He moved over to a file that had Rudy Meyer's picture paperclipped to the top right corner, a dossier that tied him to a bank robbery in 1947 but with no solid leads, and a murder in 1948, again no solid leads.

"You were a busy old boy, weren't you Rudolph?" He murmured, sipping his drink. He turned over the page and thumbed through a few other dossiers. Nothing of note. He had begun his second drink when he noticed the women beside him had dropped the chattiness typical of girls at the bar and had seemed to become very serious. He heard someone mention a thief, and turned to see someone leaving out a side exit and the blonde woman rising to her feet. Curious, but not wanting to interfere, he watched the proceedings out of the corner of his eye.

Rudolph Meyers
​

Rudolph had rode the rest of the drive in silence, clearly agitated by the fight. James had said he wanted Johann roughed up, and he roughed him up. He didn't want to be reprimanded for being too good at beating the shit out of people, it was his line of work. He was thankful when the topic didn't come up, and was even more thankful to get out of the car back at Porter's place. He walked to the side of his Jaguar and was about to open the door when he heard voices in the garage, male and female. He assumed this to be either Porter's son or daughter who both of whom he knew to be about the age where they should be chaperoned with anyone of the opposite sex. As he opened the door leading from the drive into the shop, the German could be heard preparing a lecture, "Syd Porter, if I catch you with a girl alone one more.."

He walked into the garage to instead find Sinead and Ryan talking. From the look on Sinead's face and the general tone of the conversation, it looked serious. Rudy became instantly embarrassed, not wanting to have disturbed a heart-to-heart conversation, and also not wanting to have stumbled across what it looked like. He knew that, yes, women and men who were friends or acquaintances did sometimes spend time alone, but given what even he knew to be the strained nature of the Callahan marriage, he was hoping he hadn't discovered something more sinister. The thought then occurred of his own state. Sinead being the mothering type, he didn't want her to baby him so he quickly attempted to conceal the still-bleeding cut on his lip and the bruising under one eye by turning his head slightly to the side as if he was admiring the Coca-Cola clock on the wall, which he most certainly was not.

"Sorry, I heard the voices and thought it was Syd again," he muttered, "hope I'm not...disturbing anything important."

Misty Gray Fletchawk

 

[Misty Gray]

Saoirse Fitzgerald​

Saoirse quickly nodded to Griffin, her movement matching the urgency of his words about them needing to hurry with their little plan. She could see he was nervous and in the back of her mind, she knew what they were doing was crazy, but if it would finally put them face-to-face with Porter's higher-ups, then she was prepared to continue.

In the stockroom, Saoirse proceeded to grab some of the bottles, shoving them into the bag she was holding and readjusting the handles so she could better support the new weight she was carrying. She took the bottles her brother had handed her and obligingly squeezed them into the remaining space in her bag. Once they had enough, she hooked the bag over her shoulder, with the new weight causing her arm to dip down slightly, but nothing she couldn't manage. She'd had plenty of experience lugging heavy supplies around when helping out in the church and its gardens, so this was nothing new to her. The thought briefly caused her to consider the church she'd recently turned her back on. What she was doing with her life at present was far removed from the wholesome world she'd imagined as a child. Her parents, teachers, Dylan, and now Bridget's killer had made Saoirse realise the world wasn't as good a place she'd hoped it was. Everything had made her feel like she was at the mercy of others and had no say in how her life progressed. She wanted to take control of her life and losing her sister had been the final wake-up call for her. Now all she wanted was to know those responsible for Bridget's murder were made to pay, and in Dublin, the Porters were the ones who were supposed to enforce that kind of thing. Hell, she and Griffin had paid out for their protection and they'd been let down. The mob owed them.

Saoirse agreed when her brother said they needed to go, though something about how they were rushing and sneaking around didn't seem right. She allowed him to lead her to the nearby exit, but stopped still by the door. "We wanted their attention, didn't we?" she asked. She pulled a bottle out from her bag and allowed it to slip out of her hand, smashing loudly on the hard floor beside her. The noise was enough to catch some attention if they hadn't already been seen. "What are you waiting for? Go!" she bossily told her brother before they escaped via the back door and outside...

Bellz (Griffin)
Bellz (Blake) Pyroclast (Evelyn) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

 

[Enzyme]

Gideon Burnell​

Gideon watched intently as the mess of a man looked up at him. His words were sharp, but his state was too weak. As the boy spoke, blood dusted from his mouth and landed on Gideon's wooden desk. The man didn't seem to care, not breaking his eye contact with Adam. "We are all family, Adam," Gideon assured him.

Gideon stood up from his chair, stretching to his full height. The windows behind him held the magnificent backdrop of the city, but he no longer paid it any attention. Instead, Gideon walked around the table. Stopping in front of Adam, he leaned back against his desk and looked down at the boy. "These ideas you have formed," Gideon paused briefly and shrugged, "You have prevented yourself from comprehending who you are, who your father was, and who you're destined to become." Gideon continued to stare down at the boy, reading his facial expressions.

"I loved your father; we all did," Gideon said as he stood up. He placed his hands behind his back and walked back over to the tall glass panels. "His downfall was that he trusted Jared too much - the man who used our resources for his own personal gain. That very trust cost him his life." Gideon shook his head subtly.

"The whole Armstrong family was a symbol of oppression. Their greed was fed off the backs of your family, Adam." He turned back to face Adam once more, his eyesight never faltering. "Your father knew his time was limited; that Jared would be his end," Gideon admitted. "I promised him that I wouldn't let you fail, by any means necessary."

Pyroclast (Adam) Bellz (Minnie)

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

Jackson McCarthy​

The Cresta ripped down the street, slowly being torn apart by gunfire. Jackson had no time to acknowledge the destruction of his car. The men used the sidewalks to catch up to the Cresta, attempting to pinch them on both sides. Jackson instinctively ducked behind the wheel as bullets flew at them, shattering his windows. "Fuck!" Jackson shouted. He raised the handgun with his left hand and blindly fired at the men beside him. The two cars pushed against him like a pinball machine, tossing him around in his seat.

John had no idea what was going on. He swayed about at Peter and Syd's feet, chuckling at the sharp movements. "Are we goin' to the beach, Jackie?" He hiccuped, patting at Syd's shoes.

Jackson heard Peter shout out, snapping his eyes to the no outlet. Peter was right and before they had time to smash into the wall, Jackson slammed on the brakes. The two cars flew past them in a split second, not having time to react. Jackson ripped the emergency brake up, causing the Cresta to drift into a side street roughly. He snapped the brake back down and shifted into gear. The two cars scrambled to follow them, now stuck behind them once more.

As the two cars continued to race after them, they shot out their windows at the back of the Cresta. Jackson looked over his shoulder at the two men in his backseat. "Lift up the cushion you lot are sittin' on!" Jackson shouted over the gunshots and roaring engine. "Under it is an AK in the wood frame!" Jackson was indiscriminate with his eye contact, not caring who was the one to do it.

Bellz (Peter) Pyroclast (Syd)

 

[Bellz]

Finn Sullivan​

Finn was relieved when George turned around, calling back out to him and motioning for him to follow George into a less crowded area. Once Finn had caught up with the man, he said nothing at first. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to say or how to act now, were things between George and himself permanently damaged because of what he did back in the pub. George went on to speak about his own behavior and Finn just shook his head slowly, "Its alright." He murmured lightly. As his friend went on to say that Finn deserved the truth, the doctor tilted his head to the side curiously. He stayed silent as George went on to explain, listening to every word carefully. The way he spoke and the words that were coming out of his mouth were beginning to intimidate Finn quiet a bit. Sucking in his lower lip, he bit it gently, trying his best not to interrupt George, letting the man take his time even though Finn was dying to know what was wrong, how he could keep their friendship alive.

When George spoke of being attracted to Finn, he swore his eyeballs were about to fall out of his sockets. Wide eyed, he simply stared at George as he continued to explain his attraction to Finn and when he finished up spilling his truth, Finn found it hard to speak at first. What could he say to all that? "Uh..." Finn opened his mouth, "I..." There was apprehension in his tone and his eyes continued to look widely at George as he raised an arm up to scratch at the back of his neck. "Well...you see..." Clearing his throat, he seemed to find his voice, "I'm sorry..." His cheeks were beginning to turn a bright red as he continued to think about what George had just told him. It had been a long time since he had a friend outside of his family, someone who had zero affiliation with them. Eleanor had only left a short while ago and thinking about being with someone...Being with George? What was he thinking? He wasn't gay! How do you know? His thoughts challenged and the intelligent Doctor who almost had an answer for everything came up short...he didn't know.

Finn huffed out a sigh and shook his head slowly. "To be honest with Georgie...I don't know how to process this. I've never thought of myself as gay...how does it even work?" He lifted both of his hands to rub his red cheeks a few times. Was he going to lose the closest friend he's had in a while? Either answer he gave meant losing him as a friend. Finn's eyes traced every feature in George's face, watching him stare back, clearly searching for an answer from Finn. The man's eyes were a color that brought a warm smile to Finn's lips. His intelligence and openness was something that he deeply respected, the way he laughed...

George had been the reason for his happiness when Finn thought he didn't deserve any. The talk he had about Eleanor led him to their breakup, and that was the best decision he had made. "I guess you just...know, right?" He murmured softly as his thoughts finally started to clear, the panic look in his eyes finally dimming. If he was gay, he would know.
with : George Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Gwen Sheehan​

Arriving at the Porter's gates in her cherry red Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, Gwen explained that she was around to see Sinead and was happily invited inside by the man name Brian at the front gate. The redhead knew that the Porter's had a lot of money, but upon seeing the residence, she had stopped just short of parking to stare at the face of the large home. She had once lived in this type of comfort, one that she had chosen to leave behind because it just wasn't worth what she had been going through. After staring at the home for another moment longer, Gwen stepped on the gas lightly and pulled up beside one of the many cars in the front lot. Getting out, she looked around the grounds for any sign of Sinead. When she didn't see her, the woman closed her car door and walked towards the large front door of the Porter home. At first, she knocked on the door a few times, waiting patiently for someone to get it. But after a few more minutes and no one answered, she tried turning the door knob and letting herself in. Biting her lip lightly, she poked her head inside the door and looked around the grand entryway.

It had just occurred to her that she was snooping around her brother's home and that there was a high chance of running into him. Since seeing him with his wife at the jazz club, she had been avoiding seeing him again. Running into him in his own home would need an explanation and although she was honestly here to see Sinead, she was known to run her mouth when in a nervous situation. Not seeing anyone, she opened the door wider and stepped inside. "Hello? Sinead?" Gwen called out. Closing the door behind her, Gwen stepped further and further inside the house. Looking into the large rooms filled with furniture, family pictures and other things, Gwen walked towards the large double doors that seemed to lead out to the backyard.

"Sinead?" Gwen called as she opened one of the doors and walked back out into the warm air. Once she shut the door, the redhead turned back around and smiled at the beautiful garden before her. "Well this is beautiful." She said to herself as she ventured further into it. Among the large bushes, she hadn't noticed the other two who were out in the garden until a familiar voice caused her to pause in her steps. She tried to listen for the voice now, staying very still. When she didn't hear it again, she pouted and walked towards where she thought she heard him. "Aidan?" Gwen said as she rounded one of the taller rose bushes, stepping out to see him and Mrs. Porter tending to them. "Oh! It is you! Hi!" She chirped happily, a wide smile growing on her lips and cheeks turning pink as she tried to rein in her own excitement.
with : Aidan Rusty of Shackleford

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Knowing that the approaching car was lining itself up to shoot, Syd ducked down immediately after getting his chance. He had been counting down the bullets he had left and now he knew it was time to reload. His broken arm was useless and the hammering of bullets colliding with the car's exterior was distracting, especially as he was laboured with the task of making sure their drunken accountant was staying low. Still, it had to be done fast. Syd quickly pressed the release and let the magazine drop into the foot well where he crouched. Peter turned to him and asked if he was okay, but Syd didn't believe there was time enough to address his injuries. "Never better," he called back, his voice stiff with concentration as he slammed the new magazine against the edge of the seat. They were already driving as fast as they could, and there were several more important issues to tend to first.

Though he couldn't see it from where he sat, the road had now opened out to three lanes and the two cars managed to catch up to the Cresta, firing from either side. Syd was waiting for a lull in the gunfire before he could shoot back with decent aim. John seemed utterly oblivious to the danger they were in and was beginning to get under Syd's skin. At first he ignored the drunk man - he was like a child almost, enjoying the ride in his blissful ignorance. It wasn't long at all, however, before he had had enough. "Shut up and stay down!" he barked, kicking the man viciously in the shoulder before leaning over to shove his head down into the foot well. Occupied with both watching over John and defending the group against their attackers, Syd barely had the capacity to acknowledge the state he himself was in. But he was shielded by both adrenaline and responsibility, and knew he would feel the pain more once the job was done. Heavily outnumbered, he could only hope that they would all get out of this alive.

Syd hadn't heard the exchange between Peter and Jackson so when the car skidded to a sudden halt, the recoil caused Syd to accidentally fire a round through the rear window. His momentary loss of control shook him and he dropped the gun down in the foot well, which drew from him a string of expletives. He was cut off when Jackson called out for someone to dig out his rifle and Syd had to take just a second to be impressed by the man's organisation. Having worked with cars since he was a child, he had come to love hidden compartments and features, and made an eager attempt to lever the seat open. As he picked up the gun, Syd glanced to John to make sure he was behaving himself. Then, after quickly checking the gun was fully loaded, he pushed the seat back down and knelt up. Positioning the gun to point out the broken rear window, he managed to fire it a few times in the direction of their attackers, but with only one of his arms in operation, it didn't feel stable and he worried his aim was compromised.

"Peter, take it," he said, turning round and passing the rifle to his uncle in defeat. "I can't hold it - you'll have a better chance."

Interactions
Bellz Peter
Enzyme Jackson, John

 

[Misty Gray]

George Sanderson​

George saw the wide-eyed shock Finn displayed upon hearing the truth about his feelings. Though it was uncomfortable to see, it was hardly surprising. The only thing that was hard to believe was that the revelation hadn't caused George to be met with violence or words of disgust. It's what most men would have done after being told such a thing. As far as most people were concerned, George was unnatural and his preferences abhorrent to what they deemed normal. He'd heard far too many insults and put downs to recall from some of the inmates at the prison. However, Finn's kind and open mind was what made George determined to be completely honest with the man in the first place.

George slowly shook his head as Finn awkwardly struggled for words. He didn't believe the man owed him any words and it pained him to see the doctor in such a position. "No. Don't be sorry," he reassured the man. "You have done nothing to apologise for." His own chest felt tight, the anxiety and emotional straight apparently causing his heart to sink. He knew Finn was never going to reciprocate his feelings, but it didn't make it easy to accept the confirmation. Still, he would make sure to hide his own disappointment in hopes of helping Finn to relax.

Finn went on to say he didn't know how to process the revelation. "Mate, you don't have to process anything. I'm not expecting acceptance or anything of the sort. I just had to be honest with you, rather than keeping quiet and feeling like a fraud every time I was with you. You deserve genuine friends - ones who aren't harbouring secret feelings from you." He managed a brief, devious smirk at at one particular question, in a way hoping to lighten the mood a little. "How does it work?" he repeated, briefly looking over his shoulder as though checking they didn't have an audience. "I hardly think this is an appropriate time or place to be telling you how it all works, Doctor," he lightly teased.

George firmly nodded at Finn's last words. "Finn, mate. You would know," he told him. "You are not gay, of that I'm sure. I didn't tell you these things to make you question your own sexuality and it saddens me to see my truth has brought you discomfort." He let out a deep sigh. "Now, I understand if this is where we must part ways. You owe me nothing and you don't need a complication like me in your life. You're meant to be getting out there and finding yourself a future - someone who will appreciate the good man you are.


Bellz (Finn)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Leaping back into his seat properly, Peter held the seat behind him just as Jackson slammed onto the brakes, causing everyone in the vehicle to fall forward. Peter reached his arms out to catch himself against the dash, watching as the two cars flew past them. They drifted into a side street and Peter struggled as he flopped about in his seat, trying to steady himself. The stunt had gave them only a second more of time as they two cars caught up, not able to get on the side of them do to the narrow street they were on. Peter looked back towards Syd and John as Jackson shouted about an AK being under the seat. He watched as Syd did as he was told, reaching for the large gun in the seat and pulling it out eagerly. Peter turned back around to watch out the front for only a moment when Syd called out to him.

Turning around once more, his nephew handed the rifle to him, a look of defeat in his features. Peter nodded his head once, "Lets switch!" Peter called out, making sure that Syd could hear him over the roar of the engine. Peter decided to slip into the back seat first, taking a risk by not ducking and throwing himself against John. "Go go go!" Peter told Syd quickly, "Keep your head down!" Peter would have a better chance of taking down the cars behind them from the back seat and Syd would have time to take a breather in the front, he looked like he needed a second. Placing his knees on the floor in front of the back bench seat, Peter positioned the gun against the broken back window and kept his head low. The road was rough and his adrenaline was high causing him to shiver and shake. His aim would be useless if he didn't gain control over himself. Placing his index finger on the trigger, he let off a few rounds towards the cars aimlessly watching as a few of them landed heavily against the front of one of the cars, metal making a high pitch scream as it was torn apart.

"God Damnit!" Peter growled out as he ducked his head against the seat, sucking in a heavy breath. His ears were ringing and his mouth was beginning to dry. "No no.." He huffed out as he pulled the rifle away from the window for a second, pressing it against the seat as he tried to gain control over himself. Count to three... he told himself and after that, he would pull himself together. He couldn't fuck up this job, not when other people's lives were at stake. Taking a few deep breaths he finally began to count, "1...." He pushed himself back up into position, lifting his head only slightly so that his eyes barely looked out the back window."2..." Peter then lifted the rifle and aimed it out the shattered window. "3." He aimed the gun low, looking at the front right tire on the first car. Pulling the trigger, the bullets lodged themselves against the headlight on the right side before Peter adjusted his aim and one lucky bullet hit the tire just as he wanted. The car swerved heavily, screeching as the rubber began to strip itself down.

Peter ducked just as their passenger began to return fire. Waiting for the split second of hesitation, Peter once again looked up and aimed, hitting the front windshield of the front car, causing it to shatter and begin to break off inside of the vehicle causing the car to swerve more. Peter aimed towards the driver, letting off another full round, not letting up as the car continued to swerve. The second car behind the first began to gain speed, swerving around the first car and cutting it off as it speeded towards the Cresta. Peter pulled the trigger again, firing more rounds at the car as the bullets flew and sparked off against the metal or lodged itself deep inside of the vehicle. The driver inside seemed determined as he continued to speed forward until its front bumper hit the Cresta from behind.

with: Jackson Enzyme ; Syd Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Finn Sullivan​

Finn felt panicked as George went on to say that he had nothing to process, that he wasn't expecting acceptance. His friend chose to be honest with him but Finn couldn't help but think that things would have been better if George would have kept his secret to himself. The Doctor wanted to beat himself up just for thinking that way. Here was George, putting all of his faith and trust into Finn and now the man couldn't stop thinking about how this was going to affect him, about what he was losing in the end. George was the one who would be losing far more. George was right, Finn deserved genuine friends, but as far as George was concerned, he was the most genuine friend he's had so far.

Informing him that he would know if he was gay, Finn's heart broke for George. There was no way out of this one. Now that his feelings were out in the open, their relationship could never be the same. Or that's what it felt like coming from George's end. Finn was even disappointed when George told him that he was sure he wasn't gay. The Doctor didn't know what to do. He was faced with difficult problems everyday but this was far different from anything he had ever face before. "I..." Finn was once again at a lose for words as George finished speaking. "Georgie..." He murmured as his eyes began to water. This was all too hard. He had lost the love of his life and now he was losing a good friend. Not to mention he was being sued on top of it all.

The man was overwhelmed and in his head, he couldn't formulate a proper plan. In order to prevent the tears from falling, Finn shook his head and shuffled on his feet before turning to look over his shoulder. "I'm sorry..."He said once again before taking a step away from George. "Its not you mate...I just...I need some time." Finn sucked in a breath to keep his lip from trembling as he then turned away from George. "We'll be in touch." He told his friend as he took a few steps forward, quickly distancing himself from George before he could let his own emotions get the best of him.

What was he suppose to do? George had admitted that he was attracted to him and now what was Finn suppose to do to help that? Their friendship would never be the same if they couldn't find a way to fix this. As Finn brushed past people on the sidewalk, he thought about his own sexuality. He had always been accepting of all walks of life. Never feeling closer to one gender or the other, he coexisted with everyone rather peacefully. When it came to dating, he had only been with a few women in his life. Thinking back to it, they had all been pretty unsuccessful. They had ended pretty quickly and the only reason Eleanor had been around as long as she had was because Finn felt like he needed someone there. They hadn't been officially together for a few months before the end of the relationship. Only fooling around with one another when they had too much to drink.

Reaching his car, Finn unlocked it before opening the door and slumping into the drivers seat. As he shut the car door and numbly looked forward, his mind reminded him of the times where Ellie and him didn't even sleep in the same bed. What had he kept her there for in the end? Why was she around for so many months after they stopped being together, after they stopped loving one another? Finn couldn't even answer this as he started his engine and made his way back towards home.
with : George Misty Gray