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

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau​

The emotions that were stirring inside of Roxie were mixed and clashed with one another violently as the pair swayed in that simple, yet sweet way to the music. He seemed to have a good ear for what they were hearing and Roxie agreed with his views on the band. The song was changing and with it too Syd seemed to be going farther and farther away from her. She could see it, the hollowness that formed in those soulful blues...

Her eyes carefully watched as he then closed his own. Roxie wished to know what he was thinking then, it was hard to read his face but she sensed something was up. Delicately, she lifted her hands to slowly move their way up his chest, not wanting to startle him. Before she could ask what was wrong, the man slowly opened his eyes. Roxie was so confused. Suddenly her hands were pulled forward and she fell against him almost limply.

Again, she wanted to speak but was silenced by him, speaking to her in such a serious tone. There was hesitation and Roxie opened her mouth, "Syd, what-?" Cut off, she pulled away from him slightly. Now it was clear of what was happening. Roxie let herself relax into him as he continued the kiss and when it was over, she was unable to keep the large smile that was growing on her face away. Syd's words surprised her, causing the woman to gasp lightly. Without saying another word, Roxie nodded her head gently with a sly bite to her lip. Pulling away from his chest, she kept his hands in hers before leading him away from the record player...

I don't know how you were diverted
You were perverted too
I don't know how you were inverted
No one alerted you
I look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
Look at you all
Still my guitar gently weeps
***​

Roxie stared up at the pure white ceiling above her, trying to find something wrong with it. Really, she was trying to find something wrong with what just happened. Blinking slowly, she sucked in a deep breath, letting the air fill her lungs until she thought she couldn't inhale any longer before letting out a slow and content sigh. Head turning, she looked to Syd who was laying beside her and she smiled for what seemed like the billionth time since he arrived at her apartment. Her cheeks were actually starting to hurt but there was doubt slowly crawling inside of her chest, like it always did with these types of things. Roxie wanted to know desperately what was going on inside of his head but she wasn't the one to just outright ask.

His face didn't reveal much and she wondered how long it took him to master such a skill. Roxie tended to be an open book, a big messy mushy book that when provoked turns into an angry crying mushy book. To put it short, she was a crier when it comes to two basic emotions: sadness and anger. "Soooo..." She murmured out before flipping the sheets off of her and moving out of bed. "I believe this is the part where I raid your closet for a dress shirt and you smoke a cigar in bed." Her tone was teasing, but she was on the hunt for a dress shirt, which she easily found folded neatly in a drawer nearby. "Are you a cigar smoker? I've never liked the smell but it reminds me of a much simpler time." She was rambling. Shrugging the white long dress shirt on, she made and effort to cover herself up by buttoning from the bottom. But as her thoughts went back to finding a flaw in all of this, she found her eyes moving up to stare at Syd from across the room. He was perfect. Those eyes...the tousled hair, he seemed to be hitting the gym, not that the last one mattered. Nothing was wrong with him and as she made her way closer, she was almost convinced there was nothing wrong with him. That was until new and damning evidence made itself known. Who was that on the nightstand? The woman's eyes only took a quick glance but it was enough to know that it was another younger woman. This caused something to almost itch in the back of her head and before she really understood, her eyes looked to his hands.

And there it was.

The one flaw. The one thing she could find that would make this whole thing end. That ring. It was unmistakably on his left ring finger. This had Roxie swallowing hard as she moved to sit on the bed. At the end, she sat with her legs out, just casually sitting as she returned her stare to look at him. "You okay?" She asked suddenly.
with: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Gwen Bryant
Lorelei Bryant ​

Gwen wasn't sure what to think of the apology Jason gave her. Things didn't work out but as far as Gwen was concerned with her late husband, nothing would ever work out. It felt like he wasn't just talking about the subject they were on, however, his voice was quieter than it had been before. Luckily, she didn't have time to dwell on it because he quickly asked her if she'd been living in the city the whole time, curious about what the situation was now. This really caught Gwen off guard and she had to stare at him silently for a moment, wondering what his game was.

Did he really care to know about her situation now? After all these years, now he decided to care. It made Gwen angry and frustrated that he was even attempting to be friendly with her, to try and get to know who she was as a person now...

Clearing her throat, Gwen lifted her drink to take a sip before setting it down again to speak, "I'm actually living with my brother now. He's helping me and Lorelei out while I was looking for a job. Hopefully this gig can get us into a place of our own, so we don't have to bother the old man anymore." Lorelei was giggling at the fact that her Uncle James was called an old man, she didn't think he was that old.

Gwen turned to look at her a moment and offered the girl a smile before she returned to look at Jason, "I lived in L.A. for a really long time, a few years after we..." The redhead was careful about what she said in front of Lorelei, so she let the sentence trail off as she was sure that Jason would be able to figure out the rest of it.

***​

The lunch ended soon enough and it was time for Gwen to head back to the theater for costuming. She made sure that Lorelei was in the safe hand's with one of the Porter's drivers before giving her a kiss on the cheek and a big squeeze. She was already pouting, as she didn't want to leave the two, "Mooooommmm..." She complained lightly but Gwen shook her head, "I'll be home later this evening. Be good." Shutting the car door, she waved to her daughter as they drove away before turning back to Jason.

The frustration she was feeling over his questions was still there, but she knew she needed to have a cool head going into costuming so she tried to let it go as they walked. Once inside the theater, she made a beeline for the dressing room and sure that Jason would follow, she trapped him in the room once he was inside, closing the door lightly. "Look, none of that was any of your business, "She started, "So please don't be using me as an interest piece for one of your elaborate stories." The words came out insecure and a bit aggressive but Gwen was overwhelmed. What she needed at the moment was something that she didn't have easy access to, not when her brother had his men sniffing about her business too. It was all becoming a lot, with it seeming like all eyes were on her. The woman was frantically trying to understand if anyone had found out, if she covered her trail well enough...could she trust the man before her with the information she had gave him.

How could she trust someone who could leave so easily like he did? He wasn't who she thought he was. Gwen turned to look in the mirror and her eyes found his, "Not a lot of people understand the reasonings why I left and I need you to promise me that you will keep what I told you to yourself."
with: Jason Pyroclast

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

Feeling that he was going to have to recite Su-yeong's story once Conor had recovered from eating actual food, he aimed to polish off the burger first. He was mostly done before Conor voiced his stance with Carrick, confirming what he'd suspected, but he needed to be sure. However, it also meant another dead end in his search. After wiping the residual juices from his face, he washed the last of the decimated burger down with beer.

"Well. I guess I'll just give you the nutshell of it while you stuff your face..."

* * *​

"...Of course, as much as I trust her, it's still only her side of the story. But it's only one I have to work off of," he finished, plopping the last few of his fries into his mouth.

The food had been good, and it filled him up, but he missed the home cooked meals he'd grown accustomed to. Even more so, he missed Su-yeong. It had been a almost a fortnight, and the longest he'd been away from her. It was a difficult feeling to describe, and found himself reminiscing about her as he tried to place it. It took a moment for Ryan to bring himself back to reality.

"Sorry, drifted off a bit there," apologizing as he reached over and glanced at the check, "But it's all old news, and we should probably take off before Sinny starts think something happened to us," he joked, but his smile evaporated when remembered the news of Arlene's gruesome murder, and how Sinead was likely taking it. He glanced at his friend, wanting to do something to soften the blow, but reminded himself that it wasn't his place to break the news.

Once he left enough bills to cover the check and a decent tip, he scooted over and a rose from the booth. Pulling the keys from his pocket, and spun them around his finger habitually, he addressed Conor, "Ready, partner?"

Misty Gray [Conor]

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor listened as Ryan told him what had happened surrounding Owen, Su-yeong and even Carrick. Not that he needed permission to do so, he contently tucked into his second burger and fries, managing to fully enjoy the meal whilst focusing on what his friend was telling him. It was a lot to think about, especially as his own brother was apparently involved. Now he'd been filled in on the situation, he was curious to speak with his brother himself, even if only to ask what the hell he'd been thinking.

There wasn't much time for Conor to consider things and commit to a response before Ryan apologised and suggested the headed to Sinead's place. "Of course. I'd hate to have her worrying even now I'm out of the slammer," he agreed. Conor watched as his friend left the cash to cover their bill and couldn't help but smirk. "I'll pay for the food on our next date," he remarked.

Soon enough, they were both back in the car with Ryan driving them to the Callahans' home in Queens. Towards the end of the journey, Conor finally decided to address what he'd been told. "I'll help you, mate. To look for Owen, I mean. I could even see if my mam will give me any details on where Carrick's at these days. I'm going to have to get in touch with her now I'm out of prison anyway."

When they arrived at the house and the car was parked, Conor climbed out of the vehicle to see a familiar young redhead relaxing on the garden bench as she made the most of the warm sunshine. "Bad news, Emmy. You ain't ever getting a tan," he said, touching his hair to show he was referring to her hair colour and fair skin.

"Wow!" Emery called back and rolled her eyes as she stood up to approach the two men. "Welcome home, you big, giant dork!"

"Jesus..." Conor began, taking a moment to realise how much his niece had grown since he'd last seen her. She wasn't the mouthy child he remembered. No doubt she was becoming an even more outspoken adult. "You must be... what? 30 by now?" he teased her. Before Emery had chance to say another word, Conor held his hands out defensively, knowing exactly what her next words would be. "No, that doesn't mean you can come drink in my pub. Don't even go there, kid," he said, unable to hide his grin.

Finished with the first greeting, Conor patted Ryan on the top of the arm and signalled for him to join him indoors. "Come on. you can get those keys from Tink."

When they entered the house, Conor stopped in the hallway. Rather than dumping his bag on some random spot on the floor, he delicately hung it onto one of the coat-hooks for the time-being. A mixture of the prison regime and him being conscious that the Callahans were doing him a favour in letting him stay in their home, Conor felt compelled to keep the place tidy. Unaware others were present, Conor called out his next words in order to playfully catch his sister's attention. "Honey, I'm hooooome!"

A brief glance into the lounge soon turned into a surprised stare as he saw Leo there with Seana. The fact Aliana wasn't in the room with them served to confirm to him that she wasn't present at all. Caught slightly off-guard, the tall man froze for a time. Soon enough, his features softened and he stepped into the lounge so he could see his son more closely. "Seana, it's good to see you," he appreciatively greeted his mother-in-law. She'd been the one to bring Leo for most of his visits and so it was good to finally see the woman in a kinder setting. He then focused his attention on Leo and allowed a broad smile to take over his mouth. He wasn't expecting to see his son so soon and he felt a little unprepared. Despite his exhaustion and the overwhelming feeling his freedom was still having on him, he couldn't deny he was ecstatic to see his kid. "You gonna give your old man a hug, or what?" he playfully asked, holding his arms out to invite Leo to do exactly that.


Fletchawk (Ryan) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo, Aliana, Seana) Misty Gray (Sinead)

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

It took Syd a lot of mental energy to block out the long list of concerns he had about sleeping with Roxie, but when it came down to it his efforts seemed to dwindle to nothing. Roxie had somehow made it easy for him to forget about everything that troubled him, had somehow managed to get him out of his head enough to just enjoy the moment with her. Given the context of the situation, Syd was in slight disbelief as to what he had just done. On the one hand, he was pleased to have got it out of the way, having put so much weight on it as the years went by. Maddox was right, he had always felt trapped by his grief for Skye - it had made every connection with another woman seem worthless. On the other hand, the repercussions of the act hadn't made themselves known yet and so Syd wasn't sure how he felt about what he had done. While physically he felt relaxed, his mind was so foggy he could barely piece together a coherent thought. His experience with Roxie already felt like a dream, in which he wasn't himself but rather some stranger who hadn't a care in the world. The reality, however, was that he hadn't gone so far with another person for such a long time that there were elements he had forgotten; despite not loving or even really knowing Roxie well, Syd was left feeling unexpectedly physically close to her now that that boundary was broken. Even with his troubled thoughts returning to him by the second, he at least felt comfortable lying next to her. When he turned to smile at her, he found that she was already smiling his way. If only he could hold onto that carefree feeling...

Roxie soon got to her feet, ending the moment and bringing them back to reality. Syd watched her as she stepped, naked, through a sunbeam, its light casting a gold sheen across her skin. He gave a soft sigh before smiling at her words. "Is that right?" he asked. "Got any cigars?" Only having been with one woman before, Syd didn't really know the 'routine', but if Roxie decided that it involved wearing of his dress shirts then he wasn't about to dispute it. Speaking of cigars made him wonder where he might have left his cigarette case, and he sat up to scan the room for inspiration. "Only on occasion - parties, and the like. Not enough to keep them in my bedside drawer," he answered, when asked if he smoked cigars. "The regular sticks are enough for me. But if you ever want to be reminded of simpler times, just say the word." For the most part he was just playing along, but his sudden craving was getting harder to ignore. His gaze soon drifted back to Roxie, who was buttoning up a shirt she had dug out of his dresser. Even with her hair all bedraggled she still looked perfect to him and he couldn't help but smile at her, still in disbelief of the situation he was in.

As he sat back against the headboard, Syd's eye was briefly caught by the photograph of Skye on his bedside table and his heart skipped a beat. It had been taken in the early summer of 1960 in his aunt and uncle's garden back in Dublin shortly before she had fallen ill. Her whole face was lit up with laughter, her bright eyes looking up into the lens as her dress flowed behind her. It was one of his favourite photos of her, because she looked so alive. With all that she had been through, her lust for life was one of his favourite things to remember her for and that photograph captured her positive attitude perfectly. Looking at it always reminded him of pleasant memories, and so he had purposefully placed it somewhere he would see it every day. Now, however, its positioning had come back to bite him, for all he felt when he looked at it now was guilt and confusion. His smile faded and he looked away, bringing his attention back to Roxie.

"Come here," he beckoned, raising his arms to welcome her back into bed. He quickly dropped them, however, when she chose to sit some distance away. Syd swallowed, wondering what she could be thinking. In his mind, as long as the focus stayed on physical affection rather than conversation, time would slow down far enough that he wouldn't have to confront his doubts or issues. He knew, however, that he would have to address things sooner or later. Roxie seemed to catch onto something then because she suddenly asked him if he was okay. He smiled softly and gave his usual response when he didn't know how to answer that question: "Don't I look okay?"

He held his eyes on her a moment longer, but as soon as he felt his smile falter he turned away and began to rummage quietly through his drawer in search of an old box of cigarettes. "I'm in bed with a gorgeous woman, cigarette between my lips -" he took a second to light it before taking a drag. "- and you're asking me if I'm okay?" Looking her in the eye, he put the smile back on his face and reached towards her with his left hand to lightly caress her thigh. "Honestly, Roxie, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than right here with you." There was a small pause. Syd became suddenly conscious of himself and of what she thought of this situation. She seemed relaxed, which he put down to her probably having more experience than him with these sorts of things, but there was a chance that, like himself, she was trying to hide something. "What about you? How are you feeling?" he lightly asked, keeping his expression as gentle as his tone of voice. After taking another drag, he held the cigarette out towards her so that she could share with him if she wanted to.

Interactions
Bellz Roxie

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James was grateful when Thomas eventually gave in and stopped arguing with his parents' decision. With everything going on, James didn't have the patience to have to deal with the boy acting up to add to the list. Lucy had told Thomas she would find a way to talk to Syd. James didn't respond to it. He knew it was hurting Lucy to have had the falling out with Syd, but he still wasn't sure if they should make promises to their youngest that they'd sort it soon. They hadn't spoken for a week and James hadn't forgotten the way the younger man told his parents to fuck off, only to then go off with Roxie. Whether she was innocent or not, it had surprised James that Syd acted the way he did towards him and Lucy. Still, they'd never fallen out and James didn't want there to be a rift between the family. For Lucy's sake, if not his own, James knew they might have to make the first move as he doubted Syd would now.

On his wife's cue, James picked up the tray of chicken and walked with the others out to the barbecue in the garden. "My jokes are not terrible. I can't believe you'd say such a thing..." he feigned offence. He then set about lighting the grill. As he focused on the task, James heard Thomas mention going to find Nanna. "You go right ahead, but just remember food will be ready soon." He simply nodded his head when Lucy mentioned giving Thomas some space.

James briefly looked down to Olivia and sent her a soft smile. "Now, what are we going to do with you, love?" he gently thought aloud. His eyes then met Lucy's as he wondered what indded they were going to do about the now orphaned child. He figured the kid needed stability and something permanent needed putting into place, to minimise the disruption and any uncertainty.

~ Luca Alessi ~

Luca had managed to hold his usually active and brash tongue when Elon had made his presence known, maintaining it even longer as the man spoke to him and Ricardo. Other than turning his head away, Luca practically ignored the offer for a cigarette. He wasn't about to accept anything from those clearly against him. Soon enough, Elon stepped away and Dante instead came onto the scene. It was clear the man was there to drag some information out of them and it wasn't going to be done via a questionnaire or over coffee.

Dante was advertising the situation as a game, where apparently talking and spilling information was the way the two Italians would be let out of their sticky situation. Despite expecting he knew the consequences would be unpleasant, there was nothing Luca felt compelled to tell his captors. Soon enough, the knife was jammed into Ricardo's thigh. Luca tightened his jaw and glanced down to his colleague's leg to see the blood that followed the removal of the blade. Luca's eyes shot to Farrid as he entered the room, but the man seemed to remain stepped back from the violent situation, other than cracking a joke.

When Ricardo brought up the point that they couldn't give any information if they didn't have it, Luca nodded his head once, showing agreement for what the other Italian had said. He had no time or care for the Porters, but he also didn't have anything he could tell Dante. "Looks like you're all wasting everyone's time," Luca gruffly pointed out, still holding back the usual cockiness or insults he would have spewed out by now.

Bellz (Ricardo) shadowz1995 (Dante) Inb4Cloaker (Farrid)
Sorry for the useless post, but I didn't want to not post.​

 

[RayPurchase]

Mitchell Van Gerwen
Manhattan Federal Penitentiary
​

"Fair enough, I'll just have to drink for the both of us. Keep my own habit strong,"

He took a seat on his side of the table, shuffling the files before him.

"Well Mr Cartwright, it is more of a question of what I can do for you. Conor asked me to take another look over your file, I cleared
this with my boss, and he's happy for me to come over and assess the odds on whether we have a workable case here."

He flicked the file open.

"From what I've been reading you've kept your nose clean, guard write ups are clean, almost the very opposite of what we were dealing with when
it came to Conor,"

He allowed himself a dry chuckle, those had been dark early days indeed, when your Client is their own worst enemy, you know it's going to
be an uphill struggle from the very beginning. He turned over the page, revealing a copy of the original charge sheet, Alan's face front and
centre, the mugshot from the day of his arrest. Some time ago now. 29 years in fact, a long time for anyone, and with the charges which he
had been convicted on, it was very much in the realm of possibility that he could end up spending a lot longer.

"Now I'm not going to mess you around Mr Cartwright. With Conor we had a relatively minor crime, but a bad prison record. That we can quite
easily work with and turn around. With yourself however we have a far more serious set of convictions. Now before I even start looking at a
case of this size and complexity, I'm going to need to ask you a simple question, even after this I will have to see whether we have a chance of
success here, whether it's worth the work and strain, for the pair of us of making it to parole."

He placed the paper down, and took off his glasses, staring intently at Allen.

"Do you want to get out? 29 years is a long time, and I've spent time with several clients, who have just given up on a chance of being back
outside. There's no shame in it, even if it's something that you wouldn't admit to anyone, least of all Conor I expect or your family. If that
is the case, let me know now, and I can simply say that this case doesn't have the necessary traction. Or if you're willing to fight tooth and
nail with me, then we can begin,"

His fingers drummed against the table, and he took a slow sip of coffee, carefully watching Allen's eyes.

(Interaction: Melanin-Gxdess Allen)

 

[Misty Gray]

Ethan Turner
~ Russo's Butchers, East Harlem ~​

Ethan finished counting up the takings in the back room of his butchers shop just in time to hear a familiar female voice speaking with his employee. Garret, in the main area of the shop. Ethan rarely served customers anymore as Garret had long since proven himself capable of looking after the place for him. After locking the money and cash books in the safe, Ethan made his way to the serving counter and stood alongside Garret as the employee weighed out the pork joint as requested by the elderly female customer. "Good afternoon, Delores," Ethan greeted the woman, flashing her a charming smile. He then nudged Garret and pointed to the cash register. "It's half price for Mrs. Johnson."

"Oh, I've missed seeing you around here, Ethan." The lady closed her purse and took the bag of meat from Garret once she'd paid. "I remember when you were growing up. I always knew you wouldn't end up a crook like that terrible father of yours. Do tell your mother I asked about her when you next see her, won't you?" she trailed off, still talking even as she'd started walking towards the exit of the shop.

"You're always right, Delores. I'm as good as gold," he agreed, painting on another smile for the woman. "I'll be sure to let my mother know and you look after yourself." Once the woman had left, Ethan turned to Garret to see his employee pulling a comical expression of disbelief. Though the man knew his boss was far from squeaky clean, he had no idea of the extent of the man's dark and brutal nature. Ethan's face was by now wiped of any smiles and back to it's usual serious expression. Before he could tell Garret to refrain from any sarcastic comments, his focus was drawn to the yellow cab that pulled up outside the shop and he soon recognised the driver of the car. "Looks like my ride is here. Make sure the place is clean before you lock up," he instructed him.

*****​

Ethan wasted little time in getting into the cab, sitting in the back behind the empty front passenger seat so he could see the driver's face as they spoke. The suit-wearing driver glanced at Ethan through the rear-view mirror as he pulled away and set off driving so he could take Ethan to see Alistair. However, the cab ride wasn't the main reason the two men were in the vehicle together and the driver wasn't a taxi driver at all. "You're a difficult man to track down, Turner," the stern-looking man pointed out, with a hint of Italian in his New York accent.

"You found me standing inside the business I own. Clearly I'm not that fucking hard to find," Ethan bluntly remarked. In reality, he knew he was good at becoming invisible when he wanted or needed to. "Come on, then. What have you got for us?" he asked, his voice now sounding more welcoming.

"Do you like the theatre, Mr. Turner?"

Ethan raised a curious eyebrow and flashed a twisted, calculating smile. "I enjoy tragedies, if that's what you're asking."

The driver briefly chuckled and nodded his head as Ethan's response had been as expected. "Glad to hear it. I've received confirmation of the show in question. Saturday the 24th July - Porter will be there... There's an envelope in the side of your car door which will give you the information you need." The man stopped at the red light and used the time to turn to look at Ethan. "We want the Porters, Sullivans, and anyone loyal to them to beg my boss for mercy.

"We could just blow the whole theatre up with the lot of them inside and I'd be happy..." Ethan drily remarked.

"But there'll always be another Irish rat ready to step up and run the mob," the man reminded Ethan. "Mr. Moretti wants Porter to beg him to take what's left of the city and his businesses off his hands. So make sure you do your part in fracturing Porter's empire."

*****​

After his taxi ride, Ethan was dropped off where he needed to be. Once inside, Ethan sought out Alistair to pass on the information he'd been given. When he did find the man, he handed him the envelope. "Sir, the date has been confirmed. One week tomorrow," he informed the East Harlem boss.

Pyroclast (Alistair)

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau​

Syd seemed too casual, and Roxie didn't know what to think of that. He responded to her question with a smile returning it with his own question. Biting her lip, Roxie didn't answer him as he began to look through the drawer on his side of the bed. He continued on and Roxie only grew more confused with the situation. Didn't he enjoy time with his wife? What was so wrong with her that he had to sleep with another woman? Why hadn't she remembered the ring before, she had seen it at the party! The woman crossed her arms around herself, rubbing her arms lightly as Syd explained that there was no place he'd rather be, which only made her feel worse. He returned her question and that was when Roxie let out a soft sigh.

Making eye contact with him as he held out the cigarette, she stared at him for a moment before moving and crawling towards him on the bed...here she was, doing everything she shouldn't be doing...Moving to sit right beside him, their arms touched as she leaned back against the headboard and took the offered cigarette from him. Without a word, she brought the stick to her lips and took a nice long drag from it. Letting the smoke dizzy her, she exhaled slowly before turning to finally stare at the picture on the bedside table.

Hoping he would notice, she bit her lip again before handing the cigarette back to him, "She's beautiful, you know." The woman spoke softly. It seemed that the both of them were trying to keep this whole situation light and Roxie wasn't going to shatter the mood as she could see something was wrong. Syd was keeping things from her, but yet they were so obviously there that she felt stupid for not seeing it before. "Is she nice?" Roxie wondered out loud, taking the cigarette from Syd again once he'd taken a drag.

Roxie felt dirty but yet she couldn't find herself able to leave in a huff...he was just so...Roxie couldn't put the word on it. There was a connection and the woman was now disappointed that he was with another woman, married and all. "I'm not upset." She also pointed out, "Not at you anyway.." Roxie couldn't be, clearly there was something wrong with his relationship and Roxie couldn't imagine what would push him to cheat. Or maybe he wasn't the person she thought he was. "This is all my fault..." Handing the cigarette back to him, Roxie looked away from the picture of the younger looking woman and shook her head.

Roxie had done a lot of things, but this was not one of them. Going behind another woman's back, breaking the bond of marriage...she literally felt ill. Roxie was sure she had turned green at this point, letting out another sigh the woman shook her head again. "Syd...I had a really good time with you today, and thank you for the outfit, but I can't go behind another woman's back."
with: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Peter stayed silent as the doctor asked if he should take the clock down from the wall. Was the clock on of his triggers...maybe. But to Peter, it seemed ridiculous and almost embarrassing for him to even think about making that request. Maddox was extremely understanding about the fact that Peter couldn't openly talk about what happened to him in prison and for that the man was grateful. He said that it was something that they could perhaps work towards and Peter wondered if he would ever get healed enough to make it to that goal. Right now, it seemed like he was stuck in a hole he couldn't get out of, and it was just getting deeper and deeper.

The subject was then turned to him, the Doctor wanted to learn a little more about him and Peter could actually talk about that subject as he had a lot of time to think things through. There was a few questions that he had asked and Peter was ready to take them one at a time. Taking a deep breath, Peter sighed before speaking, "I lived in a pretty strict Irish catholic orphanage, raised by nuns I never really knew the concept of family as I was never adopted out. If I was, i was returned to the orphanage like some dog in a shelter who's family couldn't handle him." Rough comparison but that was how he really felt. "I tried to be the brave one, but often I was weak, unable to fight for myself because I didn't think I was worth fighting for." On to the next question about Sinead.

With this one, he seemed a bit more hesitant. As this was not Sinead's session, he wasn't sure if he had the right to talk about her problems to another person so openly. Biting his lip, he decided to go only into a little detail. "She just has a lot of anxiety and depression from what goes on with her family. As I'm sure you have heard with the others, we don't exactly have the most perfect and spotless life." He paused for a moment before looking down at his hands and leaning forward, "Our relationship is...complicated. It feels like she understands what I'm going through...but then when I am at my lowest and need someone she doesn't seem to get it, almost like she forgets who I really am underneath all of this mess you know?"
with: Maddox Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Maddox Parker​

Maddox listened with interest as Peter spoke about his childhood growing up in the orphanage. Although he hadn't experienced anywhere near the kind of setting his client had, he was familiar with some of the strict nuns back in Ireland. His mother and step-father liked to keep up appearances by frequently attending church, but Maddox had never been able to appreciate it. He'd barely tolerated it back when he was a child. Now, he wasn't a religious man; he was a man of science and facts. However, in his profession, he rarely expressed his opinion on such matters and was respectful as well as open-minded towards the religious beliefs his patients or clients held.

"It sounds like your upbringing was a difficult one. Whether we are consciously aware or not, our experiences in childhood can have considerable effects on our adult lives," he explained. "It can be hard to talk about what you experienced as a child, but if you are willing and able to, I believe it's another area we should explore at some point, Peter. How comfortable would you feel doing so?" he asked the man, his tone staying gentle rather than reflecting any hint that he was being pushy about him exploring his childhood.

Although he'd heard similar from Conor and Syd, Maddox treated Peter's words about Sinead's psychological difficulties as new information. This wasn't Conor's or Syd's session, it was Peter's. Without speaking to confirm what he knew about the nature of Sinead's family's reputation, the doctor simply nodded his head to show he wasn't oblivious to the lives her family led. The man then went some way to open up about his marriage and Maddox sat forward slightly to somewhat mirror his client's position. "When you say she doesn't seem to get it. What exactly do you mean?" he asked for clarification. "Underneath what you believe your wife sees, who are you, Peter? How is that different to what you think your wife sees?" he challenged him. "You said your relationship is complicated. How has your marriage changed since the early days? Are you still close to Sinead?" he asked. There was a chance it would be too personal a question for Peter to answer, but Maddox wished to test the waters and see how much Peter was willing to talk about as well as the kinds of barriers he was putting up at the early stage of the counselling.


Bellz (Peter)

 

[Pyroclast]

Jason Costello

Jason detected some tension in Gwen's silent stare, but didn't let it affect him. His gaze remained level as he waited for her response, feeling secure in the question he had asked her. It was innocent enough, he believed, to want to get to know her. There was a limit on how much he could probe her for details while Lorelei was around, but after 11 years Jason knew that he and Gwen were closer to being strangers than anything else. Still, he wanted to start somewhere. They had once been extremely close to one another, so even if their chance at a relationship had been and gone, Jason believed that they were capable of becoming at least close enough to be friends.

After a long hesitation, she finally told him that she was living with her brother. Jason flinched slightly upon hearing this, reminding himself of her ties to the mafia. It was for that reason that he had walked out on her all those years ago; he simply couldn't take the pressure of never failing her, lest her family come after him and take their vengeance. The fact that she was still close to her family wasn't exactly a surprise to him, but while it made him a little uncomfortable, he still considered it valuable information. It could save him a potential shock later down the line. Even though he respected the mob for rising to power through crime, as he once had, he didn't want to cross paths with them if he could help it given that he was probably already in their bad books for causing Gwen grief in the past. Hearing that she had moved to L.A. just a few years after the two of them had parted ways was also hard to process. It would have been around the same time that he was released from prison. Jason had always assumed that Gwen was still there in Dublin after his release, and even though by then he was pretty much over the whole thing, he still kept his eye out for her. In retrospect, that had been a complete waste of time.

Despite the slight change of mood between them, Jason was pleased to have been able to spend time with her outside of work and also to finally meet her daughter. Seeing the young girl be loaded into a car by bodyguards was like a scene from a film - never had he seen such high security employed for a child before, and it provided him with some insight into what life must be like for them. Still, his facial expression didn't give any of these thoughts away, and he gave the girl a cheerful smile as he waved her off.

Jason had no reason to go back to the theatre other than to pick up his motorbike, but he walked in with her nonetheless. The walk back had felt slightly awkward, and he reckoned there was something she wanted to talk to him about in private now that Lorelei was gone - he just didn't know what. So it surprised him when, after entering the dressing room and closing the door, Gwen began to lecture him for asking questions about matters that apparently weren't of his concern. "What...?" Jason was dumbfounded. They had been in plenty of arguments before, but it was always clear as to what he had done wrong when she was angry at him. This time, he believed he had been careful enough not to upset her - yet here he was in, back in hot water. "Elaborate stories?" he scoffed. "What am I, a tabloid journalist? I was just askin' ye what you're doin' wit' yerself these days, that's all. Jesus, Gwen..."

Hands on his hips, Jason stared at her, a look of deep set confusion on his face. He didn't remember her being this unreasonable back when they were younger... "Why you left what?" he pressed. "Ireland? Your husband? Me?" He paused, and made an effort to soften his expression. "Look, I don't know what ye thought I asked, but I swear on my mam's name I wasn't tryin' to dig anything up. I promise I won't tell a soul." His tone was more sarcastic than he had intended, but he really didn't understand what he was promising, or why he had to promise anything for that matter. He hadn't learned anything incriminating about her, nor had he shown any desire to want to incriminate or humiliate her. As far as he was concerned, she was attacking him for no reason.

Interactions
Bellz Gwen

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

There was something in the way Roxie looked at him that answered his question for her. It was strange to him how fast the atmosphere seemed to have changed; just moments ago he had felt blissful, peaceful, something he rarely felt these days...Now, however, the quiet was starting to bother him. It was clear something was bothering her, too, and he wished she would give him some kind of verbal response to let him know she was okay. He couldn't exactly ask her twice.

A small smile escaped him when she crawled over to him and he let his arm slip behind her as they sat together against the headboard. Her body already felt familiar to him, and he found that holding her brought him some comfort. He let her take the cigarette from him and gazed straight ahead, allowing his vision to soften into a blur. The cigarette was already doing its part in soothing him, the smoke creating a faint haze around them, highlighted by the beams of light flooding into the room. After waiting for what seemed like far too long, Roxie eventually spoke up - but it wasn't to let him know how she was feeling, like he had asked. Instead, he followed her gaze to the photograph of Skye on his bedside table. "I know," he responded, his voice nearing a whisper. It made him a bit uncomfortable to hear her compliment his late wife given that they were currently in bed together. The guilt arose once again, this time clearly divided between Skye and Roxie.

Her following question confused him and he only blinked, turning back to observe her facial expression. Why was she using the present tense? Surely Savannah would have told her about Skye. Or maybe it wasn't the sort of thing to come up in conversation between them. Forgetting about the burning cigarette between his fingers, he let Roxie take it from him and watched her take a drag. She looked like she really needed it, and he put that on himself, even though he didn't quite understand why. She soon clarified that she wasn't upset with him, but her eyes and tone of voice betrayed her and Syd only grew more confused. "What do you mean? What's your fault?" he asked her. His voice was calm, but inside his heart was fluttering uncomfortably. He took the cigarette back, but his eyes remained fixed on her, impatient to understand the true reason behind the sadness in her eyes.

When she went on to explain herself, Syd's throat tightened, trapping the smoke he had inhaled and causing him to cough lightly. He stared at her, speechless. It wasn't just sadness that he saw - it was shame, too. Shame for coming between a man and his wife. She thought Syd was cheating. "Roxie..." he piped up, his voice wavering slightly. It hurt to break the truth to her, even though he thought it would bring her relief. "You can stop worrying, if you think she's going to walk through that door and see us together. She isn't." Syd's eyes flickered downwards and he stared at the cigarette as it slowly burned away without him. Ash had fallen into his lap, spoiling the purity of the white sheet. He raised his head, which felt heavy, and placed the cigarette between his lips so that he could reach out for the framed photograph of Skye. Then, having lost his will to care, he blindly stubbed his cigarette out on the bare surface of the table. His eyes were fixed on Skye, on her beautiful, happy smile...but he didn't smile with her as he usually did. Particles of smoke drifted out into the air when he sighed, and the silence around them seemed to hold time still.

"I can't believe Savannah never told you about her," he drew out, stroking the photograph once with his thumb. "That's my wife, Skye." Syd knew he couldn't leave it at that, but it still took him a few seconds to will himself to say the rest. "She passed away, 9 years ago. Brain tumour." In his day-to-day life, Syd had grown comfortable enough to talk about Skye without getting emotional, but this particular context had thrown him off. A lump formed in his throat and he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the photograph, unable to look at Roxie just yet. The picture was so animated he could still hear Skye's sweet laugh in his head when he looked at it, and it made his heart ache terribly. Not a day went by when he didn't miss her, and even though he had taken a great step in enjoying the affection of another woman, it didn't diminish his love for Skye at all. It felt odd to have feelings for two people at once. He wanted to talk to Skye and tell her about Roxie, if not to relieve the guilt then to at least help him lay out his thoughts in a clearer way.

Syd sniffed and gently placed the frame back down on the table, briefly noticing the scorch mark on its surface. He ran his finger over it lightly, and it came away stained with ash that he proceeded to wipe on his bed sheet. Turning to Roxie, he gave her a soft smile to reassure her. "It's okay," he whispered. The sorrowful look in his eyes was impossible to erase, but he hoped that a smile might at least balance it out. "There's nothing to feel guilty about. I had a good time today, too. Actually, I, uh..." He trailed off, wishing he had given himself more time to consider whether he was ready to confess his feelings just yet. A blush came over him and he let out a single breath of laughter before bringing his hand up to her cheek and directing her into a light, tender kiss. Hopefully that would dispel any insecurities that talking about Skye may have triggered. Once he had pulled away, Syd leaned back against the headboard and looked down to the ash on his lap. "I really like you, Roxie."

Interactions
Bellz Roxie

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

"Thanks, I'll take any help I can get, especially given the size of this zoo of a city. Plus I'm looking to stay out of trouble myself, so you won't have to worry about your parole," he said, flashing a Conor a quick grin before returning his attention to the road.

It was actually through Shannon's correspondence with his mother that she inadvertently alerted him of Carrick being in NYC for a time. It may of been old information, but was better than the nothing he and Su-yeong had. Su-yeong had wanted to press for more current information, but Ryan knew the woman was more than capable of orchestrating their demise if something ill befell her son as a result. While he thought himself to at least be in decent standing with the family, he wasn't a Sullivan, and he certainly knew what happened to those that ran afoul of the family. Discretion had to exercised, and he needed to be extremely clear on where everyone stood, himself included, before proceeding.

Pulling up in front of the Callahan's, the two men that he'd borrowed the car from were standing out front in their usual post. They were initially resistant to loaning out the Chevy to Ryan, a man they didn't know, but with Sinead's assistance, they became much more accommodating.

So while Conor spoke to his niece, Ryan tossed the keys to slimmer one known as Harold before addressing them both, "There you go, boys. Not a scratch on her, like I promised. Now, I got some business with Mr. Porter after I pop in for a bit, so if one of you fine gentlemen would give me a ride, I'll buy you both a round or three at the Emerald later. Deal?"

As Harold looked over to his companion, who'd give an indifferent shrug, before responding, "Fine."

After nodding to confirm he heard the man, Ryan followed after Conor, who would beckon him inside, "Oh, don't worry. I'm not leaving just yet. Sinny would kill me if I let you get lost between here and the door."

Once they were inside, and Conor announced his presence, Ryan saw the man freeze up. Looking past the man's large frame, he saw why. While mostly not wanting to interrupt the moment, a small part of him was envious of Conor, and so Ryan quickly shifted towards the one room in the house he was familiar with, the kitchen. It was there he saw Sinead and a rather rough looking Aliana.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" he asked, approaching the table to properly greet them, "As I'm sure you noticed by Conor being himself, I'm back. Aliana, it's been a while! You look ah..." cutting off his overly honest remark before it escaped him, "You look great! Conor's in the lounge with your son, if you want to... see... him..." he trailed off, remembering that the two were having difficulties in their relationship. Shifting uncomfortably, he switched his attention to Sinead in order to change the subject, "You have the keys to the place above the Emerald, yes? I was just going to grab them before I go."


Misty Gray [Conor, Emery, Sinead] Melanin-Gxdess [Aliana]

 

[Bellz]

Braden Callahan ​

Brady wasn’t kidding himself when he said women were a bit of a mystery to him. He’d never had a girlfriend before and when it came to how he spent his time, he’d rather spend it on doing jobs for the gang then getting tangled up in some emotional mess. Sometimes it got lonely but that’s why he had Samson. For now he was a Lone Ranger and for now he would keep it that way until he saw otherwise.

Penelope greeted him and Braden gave her a nod. “You as well.” He said politely as she took a seat next to him. It was starting to worry him that their leader hadn’t shown up yet, so when he answered the question of how he was doing, he shook his head softly. “Not well, love. It seems that someone is late to the meeting..” Standing up slowly, he looked to a few of the boys at the end of the table. “We are sending out a search party. You three, take the Northside. The four of us will take the Southside and Westside. Meet back here in...” his eyes looked towards the dusty clock on the wall before finishing his sentence. “Half an hour, we will continue on without him if he’s not found.” While this was a close knit group, they also wanted to keep up with the other smaller gangs in terms of territory and leadership.

“Everyone understand?” He asked before finally turning to Penelope once more, “ladies first,” he held out his hand to help her up before whistling for Samson to follow them all as they moved out onto the streets. Splitting up this way would cover far more ground and would keep the police from sniffing out their activity. Couldn’t catch them all if they weren’t all in one place.
Once they made it outside of the building, Braden pulled out his pack of cigarettes, grabbing on stick he lit it before placing it between his lips and taking a long drag. It was going to be a long search. Their leader didn’t have the best track record with the law and Braden wondered if it all finally caught up to him.

Only the quick and strong survived these streets. “Alright!” He turned towards the group of four, which included Penelope. “You two,” he pointed to the others. “Take the Southside and we will take the West. Remember 30 minutes.” With that, he turned and headed off towards the left. Expecting Samson and Penelope would be following, he didn’t look behind him as he took another long drag from the cigarette.
With: Penelope seasonedcat

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau/Thomas Porter ​

Roxie expected Syd to say anything other than what he was saying to her now...she wasn’t going to walk through the door? Maybe not at the moment but she’d be home soo surely? But even that passing thought was proved to be wrong as Syd then clarified that his wife, who’s name fit her beauty, Skye, was gone. Roxie felt a heaviness in her chest as she let the words sink in. Immediately regretting what she said, the woman shook her head slowly, “Syd...I’m so sorry.” She said in a whisper.

They sat in silence and Roxie didn’t dare say a word as she watched him. The silence was heavy but she wanted him to take as much time as he needed. He turned back to her after a few moments and smiled her way, but the sorrow in his eyes was obvious. Syd told her that she had nothing to feel guilty about and that soothed a bit of her worries, now feeling more concerned for Syd himself.

When he told her that he had a good time too, it was her turn to smile again but as she was about to respond, he trailed off and Roxie was hushed back into silence as she wanted him to finish. Syd’s cheeks turned red and a cute laugh escaped him before he caught her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. Roxie practically melted with the kiss before he pulled away all too quickly.
He confessed that he liked her, which she basically already knew from his parents of all people. Syd just made it more official to her. “I like you too, Syd...”

Thomas was sure he was almost there, recognizing the houses in this particular neighborhood, he trudged along as quickly as he could. Looking behind him, he hoped he had gotten away with escaping, not wanting to see his parents at the moment. If they would have just explained to him what was happening! Thomas just felt so lost without his brother, he never went this long without seeing him...

Thomas saw the familiar house just a little bit down the road and his heart skipped a beat as he broke out into a run for the place. Once he was at the front door, he knelt over to catch his breath and sucked in air a few times before finally standing up straight and knocking on the door. The dogs immediately started to bark at the door and Thomas peeked through the small windows on the side of it, peeking down at the dogs before looking for Syd.

No one came to the door immediately, so he knocked again...

“Maybe we could do this agai-“ a knock on the door had Roxie pause. “Expecting someone?” She wondered as she moved over to let him get out of bed.
With: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Gwen Bryant​

Gwen's eyes widened as Jason tried to guess what she was referring to and when Jason added himself to the list, Gwen only saw red. Letting out a huff, the woman shook her head violently as he went on. She didn't believe him for a second. "You know I don't believe you...I really don't. You also promised that you would stick with me and be there for me but look where we are now!!" She shouted at him this time, not afraid of who would hear anymore because it seemed that Jason was sorely mistaken on who left who. "Look it seems like you've cleaned up for good and life is working itself out for you but the past is the past! And YOU," She paused to glare at him as she started to undo the front buttons of her shirt, "LEFT ME! Do you remember that? I needed you, I wanted you...I lov-" Her emotions caused a lump to form in her throat to where she couldn't even speak, let alone yell.

Turning away from him towards one of the many mirrors, she shrugged her shirt off, unintentionally having to expose the track marks on her arm, she didn't even seem to notice as she stared at Jason through the reflection. "I can't have my daughter taken from me." Her voice was hoarse as she moved to take off her jeans. "He will find me and he will ruin everything, because that's what he did, ruined my life." Gwen's eyes filled with angry tears as she moved to grab the first costume she was being fitted into, which left little to the imagination.

The black lacy material shook in her hands as she moved to untie the ribbon from the back of the corset. How the fuck was she suppose to sing in this thing? "You know why I left you Jason, did it really come as a surprise to you? When you left me first? I couldn't be with someone who didn't want to be with me." But that's how it turned out in the end, "I ran from you into the arms of someone who tried to control me, to control my daughter." Gwen growled out. "I love her so much that I don't want to talk about her father in front of her because I know how much it hurts. She may hate me later in life but I will never regret the decisions I made that day! Never!" The aggression in her tone was hard to combat as she felt so passionately about what she had done. He, of course, never left...but he was never coming back...unless his soul came back to haunt her.

"Why are you trying to get involved in my life? Involved with my baby girl? You are just going to break both of our hearts in the end! So Why?! Please give me one reason why I should give you even the slightest chance!"
With: Jason Pyroclast

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Thankfully, Roxie was now beginning to look less concerned. Despite his anxieties surrounding his decision to sleep with her, Syd didn't want her to leave or give up on him. Beyond his doubts lay a curiosity, and beyond that a rare excitement that he hadn't felt for another woman since Skye. Roxie represented progress for him and he didn't want to throw that all away. Not only that, but he did genuinely like her. Hearing her admit that she liked him back put butterflies in his stomach and he surrendered to the deep blush that sent a tingling sensation across his cheeks. He pulled her in closer and rested his head against hers, smiling to himself in contentment. The silence wasn't bothering him anymore.

It was soon broken however, by the sound of his dogs barking downstairs. As far as he knew, no one was around besides the guards, so his first thought was that his friend Farrid had arrived with a patient. He didn't start to worry about who could be hurt though, not until he knew for sure who had arrived. "No, I'm not expecting anyone," he frowned, a little unsure of himself as he knew his memory wasn't the most reliable these days. He arose cautiously from the bed; as expected, he was met with a brief dizzy spell, a common side effect of his medication, but he stumbled through it, only tripping slightly as he pretended to look for his clothes through his momentary blindness. "You might wanna get dressed..."

Leaving Roxie to take her time, Syd dashed down the stairs and opened the front door to find his little brother, Thomas, standing alone on the porch. "Hey, trouble," he said, trying to hide his surprise with a friendly smile. "Are, um...are mum and dad around? Who brought you here?" Once the boy had entered the house, Syd glanced around his driveway for sign of anyone else before shutting the door and bending down to hug him tightly. Since his falling out with his parents, Syd hadn't been able to see his brother and it had been hard to go without him. Despite the large age gap between them, the two were very close and even though Syd loved to tease and prank him like a brother would, part of him also felt fatherly towards him.

His responsible side was taking over now as he looked the boy over, taking note of his disheveled appearance. "You alright, T?" he gently asked, picking a small twig out of his hair. Something was definitely up, and Syd worried that their parents didn't know that he was here. "Come on, sit with me," he beckoned, leading him to the kitchen. He got out a carton of juice and a packet of biscuits for Thomas and set them down on the coffee table at the side of the room, then taking a seat on the sofa beside it. There were several photos of the two of them pinned to the wall above their heads, going back as far as when Thomas was a newborn baby, as well as some drawings that the boy had given him over the years. Syd cherished them all - living away from his family, it made him happy to see their faces up on his walls. "Alright," he prompted, patting the sofa beside him as an invitation to join. He briefly wondered where Roxie was, and whether she would come down soon. "What's this all about, then?"

Interactions
Bellz Thomas, Roxie
Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Thomas Porter
Roxie Carriveau ​

Thomas' face lit up the moment he saw his brother coming towards the door and practically bounced on his feet. "SYD!" He cried out and immediately wrapped his arms around the man tightly. When asked if Mom and Dad were around, the boy shook his head roughly. When inside the house, Thomas was greeted by a pack of dogs, much like his own home. Thomas shook his head again when asked if he was alright and he pouted slightly as he followed his brother into the kitchen then to a sitting room that Thomas was too familiar with.

The boy quickly grabbed the soft blanket that he used when he was missing his mother off the chair in the corner before sitting beside Syd. He grabbed the carton of juice and poked a hole with the straw before taking a long drink. He hadn't realized how far Syd's house had been away from his own on foot and now he was extremely tired. Taking a deep breath, Thomas knew he couldn't get away with not explaining what happened.

"Mom and Dad were being mean, Syd." Thomas told him with a sad voice. "They won't tell me anything and when I asked to come to your house all they say is no! I'm a big kid! I can handle things!" The boy sniffed softly before taking another sip from his juice.

"I miss you and they don't seem to care." He paused as he heard footsteps from the other room, causing him to look to Syd, "Is Farrid here?" He wondered allowed to which a woman's laugh could be heard, soon followed by a pretty brunette revealing herself.

Roxie was fully dressed now, still in Syd's dress shirt, it was tucked away in her overalls as she slowly walked into the room. The silence was tense for a moment but Roxie cleared her throat and smiled kindly at the boy. "Hi, I'm Roxie." She murmured to the boy, to which he only looked back to his brother. Not that he was always in his life, but Thomas knew enough to know that his brother never had a woman over.

Remembering his manors, Thomas turned back to the woman and offered the best smile he could, "I'm Thomas, Syd's younger brother." He introduced himself, only to hear a car wheels screeching outside. His eyes widened and he practically jumped on Syd for protection from both Lucy and James.

The door opened, "Syd?! Thomas?! Love, are you here?! James I don't know where he could be!" Lucy was in hysterics as she stormed around the house looking for her youngest son. When she made it to the room they were all in, she was stunned into silence by another person she wasn't expecting to be there. Roxie. Sharp eyes glared at her as she took in the woman's disheveled appearance, was she wearing Syd's shirt? Her eyes roamed to find Thomas looking like he had been caught red handed.

"THOMAS PORTER, ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Lucy sobbed out. "WE THOUGHT SOMEONE TOOK YOU! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?!" She was furious, shaking, red and all. "You are grounded!" Turning to Syd, she pointed her finger at him before turning to Roxie and doing the same, clearly pressing her son's buttons. "And YOU! I can see things turned out well for you! IGNORING ME but I guess you were too busy fucking this one to care!" Her words her harsh but she wasn't in the most rational state of mind at the moment.
with: James Misty Gray ; Syd Pyroclast

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

As soon as they'd realised Thomas wasn't at home, James alerted some of his employees to get eyes out on the streets. Like Lucy, his first instinct had been that Thomas could have gone off to Syd's place by himself. Leaving Olivia in safe hands at the mansion, James drove himself and Lucy straight to Syd's place, putting his foot down on the accelerator for much of the journey. The phone at Syd's place had gone unanswered, but that didn't mean he wasn't home.

James had barely stopped the car in Syd's driveway and Lucy was already out of the vehicle, rushing into their eldest son's home. James switched off the engine and took the keys with him. Despite his hasty driving and indifference for making an effort, he'd still managed to park the car neatly in the driveway. As he rushed to catch up to his wife, James hoped Thomas was at Syd's place. The alternatives for his youngest's whereabouts were not pleasant ones and it worried James that his boy could be in danger. Having time to think during the drive, James had come to the realisation that it wasn't fair to let Thomas suffer, even if things between Syd and his parents weren't pleasant.

"THOMAS!" James' assertive voice boomed throughout the downstairs of the house. Lucy was hysterical and frantic, which made James sure to remain as calm as he could, for her sake if nothing else. As he checked the other rooms, he heard Lucy's voice crying out to ask Thomas if he was crazy. This filled James with a sense of relief, glad to know the boy was safe. As he stepped into the room, he heard Lucy tell the boy he was grounded and despite that being the truth, James was ready to ease up and tell the boy they would make sure he got to spend some time with Syd. "Thomas!" James' raised voice alerted the room to his presence, had they not already seen him enter. "We've been bloody worried sick about you. What the hell do you think you're playing at?! Don't ever do that again. You hear me?!" he lectured the boy. Although his voice was firm and clearly disappointed, the worry he'd been feeling was reflected in his face. James looked to Syd and studied the man's face. It had been difficult not hearing from his son since the explosion. They'd always been close and this was the first time they'd come to blows in such a significant way. James was ready to put the previous week's argument down to the stress of the situation and that his son taking Roxie's side over his family's had been in the heat of the moment. He took a deep breath, looked to Thomas and softened his voice as he began speaking his next words. "Listen, we'll make sure you get to spend ti--" he began to give in, to reason with the boy.

James' words had been cut off when Lucy's harsh words brought his attention to Roxie, whose presence he'd been too relieved at seeing his son safe to notice. All of a sudden, his desire to let Thomas spend time with Syd had been pushed aside, as had his thoughts of trying to speak to his eldest son. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he exhaustedly asked as he looked back to Syd. It appeared his suspicions of Syd having the hots for Roxie had been correct. Although he wasn't convinced Roxie was behind the explosion, James was still looking into her and her family. Something still didn't sit right with him where she was concerned and that meant he wasn't comfortable letting Thomas stay with Syd if Roxie was going to be present too. What if danger often followed her? "You didn't think to call us, Syd? Let us know Thomas was safe and well?" he asked. James then turned his attention to Thomas. "If you've brought anything here with you, get it together now. You're coming back home with your mother and me," he instructed him.

Bellz (Lucy, Thomas, Roxie) Pyroclast (Syd)

 

[shadowz1995]

The assassin ripped the knife out of Ricardo's knee and looked over to the second man who seemed to echo the same sentiment. That neither of the men knew anything about anything. It seemed his message wasn't clear enough. He needed to fix that.

The Italian's hands were fastened tight to his chair which made it somewhat easy when Dante reached over into his little box-o-fun and pulled out a pair of pliers. He quickly grabbed his subject's pinky before he could retract it and held the digit firm. "I believe you gentlemen are misunderstanding. I do NOT Want you to give me any answers. I'm not wasting anyone's time. I'm doing this because I find this somewhat...." his expression turned pensive. His eyes looked up at the roof as if the metalwork held the answer he was looking for. As he gazed up, Dante applied the plier to the tip of Ricardo's pinky was. Where the last phalange and fingernail was located. A solemn hum emanated from the hitman's chest as he abruptly squeezed the pliers shut as hard as he could.

The sound of nail and bone being shattered was actually audible, despite it being a very small bone. Even over the sounds of his victim's agony, Dante continued thinking of what was the appropriate word. His face lit up after sometime, "Ah! Therapeutic! I find this therapeutic. I'm doing this because I genuinely enjoy causing weaklings, who like to think themselves brave or strong, unimaginable pain. You dared attempt to kill my employer and now you both sit here, glaring at me, saying you know nothing, and even have the audacity to act arrogant despite your situation."

Dante moved up to the next phalange and crushed it between the steel teeth of the pliers with merciless precision.

"I don't want information from you gentlemen. I just want your screams."

He then smiled like a father would for his son before moving up a bit more on the finger... and destroying it.

Misty Gray Bellz @mistycanyoupleasetagtheotherpeople

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Seana was playing in Leo's hair, much to his own dismay. He was trying to swat her hands away but she continued and smiled all while doing so. Hearing the door open, she thought nothing of it seeing as she was used to family coming and going from each other's homes. But when she heard Conor's voice, that's when she looked down at Leo. Now, if you couldn't tell from the energy the young boy was giving off that he was excited, you could definitely tell from the toothy grin he was giving grandma. He jumped up from Seana's lap to see his father standing in the doorway. Leo hadn't even let him finish talking before he ran into Conor's legs, wrapping his arms around them. It felt different, Leo thought to himself, to be able to actually hug his father and see him away from that cold metal table. He pulled away for a moment to speak, "I'm so glad you're home! I forgot to bring Charlie, Charlie, and Charlie but that's okay because when we go home you can see them!" When he took a pause, he pressed his face against the side of Conor's leg again. "Anyway, I'm so excited! Let's get mom and we can go to the boardwalk or the pier or-" Seana swiftly cut him off, looking to Conor. "Leo, he just got home. Give him a sec, you busylickum." Leo frowned at her and shook his head, letting her know he was indeed not a busy body. Seana looked at Conor and smiled, "You'll get used to this, love. Good to have you home." She gave her son in law a hug, not holding any type of ill-wished towards home. Granted, she was upset for a while because of how it made Aliana feel but she grew to understand something her daughter didn't.

Aliana took Sinead's words to heart, knowing that there was a lot of truth in what she said. That was probably what she loved the most about her relationship with the other woman. Whenever the other was going through a tough time, smart words were spoken and there was no judgment for the way they felt. There was no sugar coating to protect feelings either. They were honest and open and loving and at the moment, Aliana definitely needed to hear it. Sinead explained that now she had gone and done the reckless thing it was time to be an adult and deal with her issues. Granted, it didn't come out that way, but it was how she took it. There was nothing but the truth in the words she spoke to her and she knew it. The only issue was actually doing something about it as she was never one to do what she needed or what was right for her. Ali let her friend's words sink in, trying to think them over. She was biting her thumb, tapping her foot nervously underneath her. Her fingers rubbed her temples as she tried to not only get rid of her headache but push her negative thoughts away. Conor was coming home and while she didn't care about their interaction, she cared about the mood for Leo.

Before she was given a chance to respond, she heard the door open and then his voice. She picked her head up and looked at Sinead, then the opening. Thankful that he would see Leo first, her heart started pounding. It beat harder than it did when she first saw him in prison. When she saw Ryan round the corner, she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. The heavy sigh she gave out was followed by a smile and Ali putting her shades back over her eyes. "Geez, Ry. I'm glad I don't have low self-esteem otherwise my feelings would have been hurt." She joked, giving him a strained smile. Her cheeks were actually beginning to ache from all the faking she was doing. She wasn't happy and pretending to be was making her tired. Seeing that Ryan needed to speak to Sinead, she slowly stood up from her seat, regained her balance and stretched. "Whelp... I should probably go check on them, huh?" She said before walking from the kitchen to the lounge. She leaned against the wall, watching Leo and Conor interact with her arms crossed. It was nice to see Leo so happy, a warmth growing in her pounding heart. He was going to have something that she couldn't and she was going to make sure of it. Even if it meant pretending to okay for a while. The smile he had on his face? She never wanted it to fade.





( Misty Gray ) Ryan Fletchawk (​

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Syd watched calmly as his brother began to explain why he had come over, wishing to provide him an ounce of stability in their tumultuous family life. It broke his heart to hear that his falling out with his parents had caused Thomas all this pain. "I know you can," he sighed, placing a big hand on the boy's head and gently sifting his fingers through his hair. "I miss you too, T. And I'm sure they do care...I've just got some things to sort out with them, and then everything will get back to normal, yeah? And you can come stay with me whenever you want. In the meantime, you can't go running away from home, alright?" Syd prodded his brother in the arm playfully, not wanting him to feel like he was in trouble. From the look on his face, he reckoned a lecture was the last thing he needed right now. "You're a little nightmare, you know that?" While he wanted to cheer his brother up, Syd struggled to keep his own emotions fully hidden. He always teased him about being troublesome, but he loved his little brother with every fibre of his being and couldn't bear to see him so upset. "Why don't I give 'em a call now, get this sorted out so we can all be friends again, hm?" Syd smiled sweetly at him before getting to his feet. Before he could begin to make his way over to the phone, however, soft footsteps sounded from the next room.

Seeing Roxie still wearing his dress shirt made Syd blush a little, though this time more out of embarrassment than anything else. He doubted Thomas would recognise it as one of his own shirts, but it did look distinctly masculine, especially where the broad shoulders hung off her small frame. There were a dozen compliments he would have given her, however, if Thomas hadn't been in the room. She introduced herself, which appeared to throw his brother off as he looked to Syd helplessly. Feeling rather awkward, Syd only cleared his throat and nodded to him to show that he had no reason to worry.

The sound of screeching tyres had all their heads turning towards the door, and Thomas rushed to cling to him. Syd put his arms around him protectively, noticing how afraid he seemed. "Hey, it's okay..." he softly assured him, though his own heart was pounding with dread. When, as expected, his mother's distraught voice rang through the hall shortly followed by his father's, Syd squeezed Thomas' shoulder. He said nothing, knowing that their parents would find them soon enough. It wasn't long at all before Lucy stormed in, and Syd's heart sank when he saw her expression fall upon seeing Roxie there with him. This was the first time he had seen either of his parents since the explosion and it was not at all how he had hoped it would go.

Syd said nothing at first, still holding Thomas securely as Lucy shouted at him. With everything their family had been through both in the past and in recent weeks, he wasn't at all surprised by her reaction and even felt sympathy for her, knowing full well how worried she could get. Still, he also felt sorry for his brother, as he knew he wouldn't have put himself in danger if Syd hadn't fallen out with their parents in the first place. James exchanged looks with him, and Syd realised then how desperately he wanted to resolve all of this. Though he may not always admit it, his father's acceptance and pride meant everything to him. That he was apparently too ashamed of him to even answer his calls had been hurting him considerably.

"Mam, please, he just -" he began, but quickly shut his mouth to allow his father to speak to Thomas, offering him the possibility of seeing Syd again. At least he was showing signs of coming around, though Syd couldn't be certain as to whether or not he was just lying to get Thomas to come home with him willingly. All the while, Roxie had been standing there, not wanting to draw attention to herself. To her dismay, and to Syd's, Lucy did it for her when she pointed at the woman, a furious look in her eye. James seemed to notice then, too, because he cut his sentence short and turned to Syd. His words and the weary look in his eye made him feel physically sick. Before he could respond, however, Lucy let all hell loose, shouting at him in an unrestrained manner. He did his best to maintain eye contact but his composure was beginning to slip. Regret and shame poured through his body, but it wasn't coming from him, rather put on him by his parents' vehement disapproval of his choices. Amidst all the chaos, Syd couldn't tell where it came from and only began to panic. His stomach churned in fear of losing his parents, already imagining them breaking contact for good.

Both Lucy and James accused him of not caring and not trying to get in contact with them and Syd couldn't take it anymore. He let go of Thomas and his hands shot to his head in despair. "I did call! I called and kept calling but you'd never want to talk to me so I stopped trying," he shouted, voice breaking. His breathing was suddenly way out of control. He had misheard his father's question about calling to let them know Thomas was safe, instead assuming he meant calling to repair the rift between them. Lucy's words about being too busy with Roxie to care about her had cut into him deeply. "Don't tell me I don't care, mam, please, you have no idea - I just want to fix this, I swear...please..." His voice gradually weakened as he looked to her through a veil of tears, both hands tugging fiercely at his hair. The pain somehow relieved some of the stress, or at least stopped it from escalating further. James' exhausted tone of voice replayed on his mind and his gaze dropped to the floor between his parents' feet, trying his hardest not to cry in front of everyone. "What me and Roxie do is none of your business, okay? You're both just judging her before getting to know her. You're not being fair."

Losing control of himself like this around Roxie for a second time was mortifying, but it seemed even worse this time. His weary eyes caught onto his brother's for a moment and he was struck with another wave of guilt. Thomas didn't deserve to be caught between them like this - it had already hurt him enough. Syd dragged a hand across his face, digging his fingers into his eyes as though trying to push the tears back in. "Don't go," he murmured, his voice reduced back down to a normal volume. "Don't go, not like this, not again. I don't want this. Thomas doesn't want this - look at what it's doing to him." Eyes sagging, Syd bit down on his lip to conceal its trembling and gazed pleadingly at his mother, then at his father. "You can't keep us apart forever."

Interactions
Misty Gray James
Bellz Lucy, Thomas, Roxie

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Allen listened to every word Mitch said to him intently. He shifted from one position to another, going from crossed arms across the table to having placed his elbows on top. His eyes were narrowed while he followed along. Was he saying there was a way he could be freed from this prison? When he was first arrested, he was told there would be no way in hell he would ever get released. He had come to terms with never seeing his family again, never having his freedom again, and forever staying within these concrete walls. Now that this man was here, he had begun to rethink all of that. Now, because of this man being here, he was beginning to have hope in what he thought to be a hopeless situation. But, how would he do on the outside after being in the compound for nearly 30 years? That probably scared him the most. Becoming accustomed to a new life after becoming accustomed to this one already. It wouldn't be that difficult, would it? Speaking honestly, all the man did was read and spend time in the library. On the outside, he was sure to do the same and spend time with his grandson. There was an apparent internal debate as he tried to decide what to do. Clearing his throat, he scratched his beard and looked at him. "What you're telling me is... You can possibly get me out of here? I can see my wife. My daughter, my grandson?" It was really the only thing on his mind, his family. He didn't really care about having to implement himself to this new world outside, knowing he had a young enough daughter to help him with that. No, his main concern was being able to see his family. "I want you to make a guarantee right now. You're not pulling my leg, kid. Otherwise, you'll be in a world of hurt."

​

Mitch RayPurchase

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead and Emery Callahan​

As soon as she heard Conor's voice coming from another room in the house, Sinead couldn't contain the smile from her face. She'd missed her brother greatly over the last few years. Regardless of whether he was still untidy or would still spend time teasing her, she was looking forward to having his energy around the house. She knew he would drop his antics in a heartbeat to comfort his loved ones and given how empty she'd been feeling as of late, she craved her brother's big, warm hugs. Soon enough, the smile dropped from her face and her heart sank as she was reminded of Arlene. She was dreading having to tell him about their cousin's death. It made her feel sick just imagining how he might take it. She hated that she would be the one to ruin his happiness.

Hearing someone step into the kitchen, Sinead looked up to see Ryan. Although she'd expected to see him, being that he was the one picking Conor up, it still took her a moment to register in her mind. Perhaps it was the fact the man had been gone for so long until his return the previous week. It was quite overwhelming, really. Two of the people she'd been close to had returned after years of being away. Surely things could only improve now.

After watching the interaction between Aliana and Ryan, Sinead looked to her friend and sent her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine, Ali. It'll all work out okay. Conor and Leo are probably both just going to be real excited right now," she sweetly told her. Sinead's attention was the drawn to Ryan who had mentioned he wanted to collect the keys before he left. She got up from her seat and nodded her head. "It's all nice, clean and tidy for you," she spoke of the apartment. She retrieved the keys from the hook on the inside of one of the cupboards before walking back to Ryan. As she looked to her old friend, her beaming, warm smile quickly fell from her face. Not only was she reminded of how cold Peter had been towards him the previous week, but she also thought of Ryan's own remark about her not showing up on his doorstep unannounced again. She figured it hadn't been his intention, but the comment had still hurt a little. It hurt to feel like she couldn't spend time with someone she cared a lot about and that he didn't seem comfortable with the idea. Added to that, she didn't want Ryan to get hurt - to be caught up in Peter's complicated behaviour. "It wasn't me, by the way. I didn't sort the apartment out for you. Rachel, who's been looking after the pub for Conor, she got it ready for you." Sinead held out the keys for Ryan to take. "I can't show up uninvited, right?" she remarked.

"Mum!" Emery's voice suddenly disrupted the interaction between Sinead and Ryan. "I heard the guards outside talking and I know one of them is driving Ryan to my aunt and uncle's house," she began. Since last week, she'd been reminded of who Ryan was, having only been a small child the last time she'd seen him. "So, what I'm saying is that I should accompany Ryan on his car journey there. If Harold's driving him, Ryan's going to be hard-pressed for conversation." Emery rolled her eyes and groaned as she looked to Ryan. "Harold is super-miserable. I'm convinced he can't string more than three words together at once!"

"Well, i don't think he's paid for the conversation, Emmy," Sinead reasoned. The truth was, she had told Emery she could go to the Porters' place, but had intended on it being once Peter was home. However, seeing as Emery was keen to go already, Sinead figured there wasn't much argument against it. "Alright," she gave in. "But don't you been cheeking off Ryan or Harold, madam. Best behaviour, alright?"

"Me?! I wouldn't dream of it," she replied, but displayed a mischievous smile to contradict her words. Emery gave her mother a quick hug before turning to Ryan and pointing in the direction of the front door. "Come on, then. Let's take you to see the Big Boss."

Sinead looked to Ryan somewhat apologetically, but not just for her earlier remark. "You sure you're okay with this?" she asked him. "At least I'll know she's heading over there safely," she added, sending Ryan a soft smile.

"Course he's cool with it. Let's go, Ryan!" Emery shrugged off her mother's concerns. More than anything, she was just eager to get a change of scenery. Braden got to hang out with his friends and Savannah rarely spent time with the family. But the worst part was the atmosphere between her parents, which didn't escape Emery's attention even if she put on a brave face around them. She just hoped Peter's therapy session was going well and that her parents wouldn't get into anymore arguments.


Fletchawk (Ryan)