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

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead screwed her nose up when Ryan mentioned where he was living, knowing full well how unsavoury a location it was. It made her feel a little more guilty that she couldn't offer him a place to stay. "Yeah, that doesn't sound pleasant, at all," she agreed with him. "I hope you manage to sort out some better living arrangements soon. I know you fellas are tough, but still..." she trailed off.

Both Ryan and Peter tried to reassure her that Arlene could be okay and it didn't mean she was dead just because she was missing. Sinead sank back a little into Peter's hand as she felt his soft touch on her back and then slowly nodded. "I know she's a strong person, so... I hope you're both right," she softly reasoned.

Sinead managed to smile again at Ryan's joke about sticking a note on Thomas. "Aww, I'm sure he'd love that," she remarked, rolling her eyes. "But you should probably leave us your number and address, then James can find you?" she suggested. "I mean, I could just give you his address - you can hardly miss the place. But then, he does have some serious, moody men guarding the house and I suppose they won't recognise you, will they?" she pondered.

With Peter's suggestion that Ryan should get over to the prison, Sinead had to agree, as much as she wanted to catch up with her friend. "Yes, you really should be quick. Conor will be so happy to see you, I'm sure! Tell him to hurry up and get out of here before I rent the spare room out," she playfully threatened. "And tell him I've made the room extra sparkly and fluffy for him," she added. Was it a joke, though?

Once Ryan had departed, Sinead briefly checked on the children before returning to the kitchen. She rested one hand on the worktop as she gazed into the filled sink and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. It wasn't just the talk of Arlene that had overwhelmed her. It was Ryan's return, Peter's unwelcoming attitude towards her returned friend, and the mention of more children she would have loved to have had. With Peter so distant and the kids grown up, she felt a void in her heart. She hoped the club and her own gigs at least could keep her distracted from it all.



Bellz (Peter) Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[RayPurchase]

Mitchell Van Gerwen

Mitch began scrawling on the pad, near indecipherable except to his own eyes, letters missed out here, words there, and punctuation near enough completely absent, what it did mean however is that he could more or less keep up with Conor as he spoke.

“Don’t worry about dodgy, I’ll just plead ignorance every step of the way. Beside whatever you and Pete want to chat about, nothing to do with me, I’m just the facilitator,”

Well the authorities could always try and pin something on him, but just fetching Pete for a meeting, it would be damn well near impossible to tie anything down to Mitch, he had a clean record personally, and he had long made sure that nothing tied him directly to any wrongdoing. He was just there to clean up the legal mess after the matter, and he always made sure to be gloved at that point, no blood or mess on his hands. He looked up at Conor. Now that second one was a slightly stranger request. Getting someone else out. He jotted down the name before placing the pen down.

“Well obviously I can’t make any cast iron promises of getting him out, but I promise I’ll see what I can do. I’ll get his file pulled up and have a word with James, seeing as how he’s the one currently paying all my bills I’ll see if he’s alright with me picking the case up. If he’s all happy for me to go ahead I’ll start work on him as soon as possible,”

He pushed himself up from his seat, removing his glasses and popping them into his suit front pocket. He extended a hand towards Conor.

“Well hopefully this is the last time we’ll meet in this forsaken interview room. Stay strong for 5 more days, and we’ll walk you out of this place a free man,”

He liked the man there was no question, and that certainly made things easier.

“I’ll swing by Pete’s place straight after I leave here and try and catch him, worst case scenario I’ll leave a note for him and chase him until I’m sure he’s got it,”

(Interaction: Misty Gray Conor
Mention: Bellz Peter Melanin-Gxdess Allen)

 

[Pyroclast]

Jason Costello

Considering the unpredictable nature of his relationship with Gwen, Jason was relieved when she received his words well. She thanked him and then apologised for her actions, which caused him to look away with a small smile. "Nah, I'm sorry, too. I lost control - it won't happen again," he assured her, perhaps too confidently. "I agree, we need to put all that shite behind us and just focus on makin' this show a hit." Jason got to his feet as Gwen did, but when she suggested that they practice the moves on their own while Angelica and Henry were out of the room, he wasn't sure what to say. "Uh..." he stuttered, eyes flitting to the clock on the studio wall. Although he talked of being professional with her, it was easier said than done. In theory, he wanted nothing more than to get on with the work. In practice, he knew that he would struggle to ignore the feelings that pretending to be in love with Sally Bowles was evoking in him.

"Sure, why not? We've got time," he finally answered, trying to put aside his reservations. "Let's start from the same place as before. Maybe with less focus on our characters for now, and more on just getting familiar with the moves?" Jason wandered into the centre of the room and turned on his heel to see that Gwen was following him. He had noticed that she had seemed a little off balance during their earlier practice, but hoped that it was simply down to the unfamiliarity of the choreography. He knew that Gwen could dance or she never would have landed the lead role in the musical, yet, even though the steps were relatively simple, she had been tripping over his feet. Despite the slight tension between them, Jason hoped she would move more fluidly with Angelica out of the room.

"So I step from your right, take your hand and half spin you into a close hold, was that it?" He spoke gently, with the intention of diminishing the tension as best as he could. He then stepped around Gwen so that they were in their starting positions. "Right, let's say that mirrored wall's our audience...are ye ready?"

1, 2, 3 - Jason swept her into a secure embrace and the two spun round once before directing her left and right and then twisted to face where the audience would be. The second their bodies connected Jason felt his heart lurch - the chemistry was almost more intense now that they were taking the dance at a slower tempo. He looked up to her hand as he spun her outwards, watching it glide smoothly against his, and then pulled her back into him and caught her so that they were both facing the mirror. The sight of her wrapped in his arms suddenly stirred up some deep, buried feeling of regret. He paused, swaying her gently where Cliff would be singing his last few lines, and simply gazed at her reflection. They had both aged somewhat, but they still suited each other as much as they had 11 years ago. It looked like a bad dream, one that used to haunt him and remind him of the terrible mistakes he had made in the past. He held on to her hands gently, their bodies still pressed closely together. The effort it took him not to kiss her caused him to momentarily forget what he was supposed to be doing.

As soon as it dawned on him that he had held her for too long, Jason let go of Gwen's hands. Taking a few slow steps back, he cleared his throat. "How...how was that, then?" he stammered, running a hand through his hair before folding his arms tightly and looking to Gwen for her response.

Interactions
Bellz Gwen

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Once Mitchell had left the interview room, Conor was made to wait there until one of the guards came to escort him back to his cell. As he sat alone in the room, he couldn't help but think over the meeting he'd just had. Things seemed more positive than they had before and as much as he tried to stay grounded, he couldn't help but believe he stood a strong chance of getting out this time. The lawyer seemed like a much more decent man than Conor had initially given him credit for and he was glad the guy had stayed patient with him. It was also reassuring to know he'd get his message to Peter. Been on different cell blocks meant Conor hadn't been able to help his brother-in-law much when he was in prison with him, so he hoped he could help him on the outside instead. As for Allen, he hoped James would agree to trying to help the guy and he'd make sure to fight his father-in-law's corner if he had to. Conor hadn't needed physical backup in prison, but the advice and mental encouragement Allen had offered to him had been just as useful in surviving.

**********​

Conor had returned to his cell to find the place tipped upside-down. The mattress and sheets had been thrown about, whilst the few possessions he did have had been dumped on the floor. It had turned out the guards had sprung a cell search on the full block and found a knife in some moron's cell. There hadn't been anything to find in his own, so Conor wasn't worried. He was simply frustrated at having to tidy up and make his bed all over again. "Fucking pricks..." he grumbled as he tucked the sheet in under the mattress.

"SULLIVAN!" the guard's voice echoed from the cell doorway. "You fuckin' deaf?! Visiting time," he repeated.

Conor turned from the bed and looked to the guard with a puzzled expression, but slowly nodded his head. He'd already seen Leo with Seana a couple of days ago and he doubted Aliana would be visiting him, so he wondered who it could be. As long as it was a welcomed face, he'd be happy. Knowing the guards weren't big on answering prisoners' questions, he didn't ask the guard if he knew who his visitor was.

As he walked with the others to the shared visiting hall, Conor was joined by a friend, or ally, whatever he would call them. "So, we've got confirmation it was Donnie who ripped up your photos. You can't let him get away with that, right?" Clint quietly asked.

Conor looked down to the shorter prisoner and let out a long sigh. He knew the guys wanted Donnie taking care of because the guy was a threat to them. In another time, perhaps earlier in his sentence, Conor would have happily obliged and gone along with the plan to knock the bastard down. But now, there was too much at stake and he had to think of himself. His freedom was within reach and he couldn't sacrifice that for the other prisoners. They would have to fight without him. "Patience, mate. Leave it with me for a few days and I'll think of a plan. We can't just go in there guns blazing. If we're going to get him, we have to do it without getting caught. Play it smart, yeah?" Of course, Conor had no intention of planning anything. If he played his cards right, he'd be out of prison in a few days. If not, then he'd have to worry about figuring something out later.

Conor sat at the table the guard had pointed him towards. He slouched back in his seat as he acknowledged only one empty chair was placed at the opposite side of the table. Whoever was visiting him had obviously come alone.

Fletchawk (Ryan)
Mention: RayPurchase (Mitchell)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

It was nice to see things calming the hell down, seeing as she was beginning to get the worst headache she had ever had. Things were still tense walking away from all this, Roxie blowing up at the fact that people kept saying she was going to mess herself. Ali rolled her eyes, mumbling to herself about the girls comment. "IIt's a figure of speech, dammit." Eventually she leaned back against the concrete, hearing the rest of the retaliations before it all calm to a jolting halt. There was a lot going on, that was for sure. A bomb, injuries, a crumbling family. Damn, Aliana thought to herself, this was supposed to be a distraction from my own hectic life yet the shit just got worse. This definitely added on to her reasoning about wanted to leave the mob life, but that was something she was going to speak on later. Watching as Roxie and Syd finally left, she sought out her own form of medical attention. Luckily, she was only walking away with stitches and a couple of cuts and scrapes. The cut on her forehead was big, but not too big that it couldn't be taken care of from the ambulance nearby. The same could be said about the other injuries she sustained. Somewhere in the fray she had rolled her ankle, so she was told to keep it wrapped and try to keep off of it.

Once she was done, she made her way to where Lucy and James were getting treated. She knew why they were acting the way they were and even though she didn't feel bad about chastising them, she wished it'd have been in private. Their current moment was not a good enough one to even bring that up and talk about, so she didn't. Instead, the had a seat on the bumper, her heels in her hands. "Damn, I can't wear these for a while, huh?" She asked the paramedic. He gave her a 'what do you think look' and she sighed. Listening to James speak, she came to the startling realization that she would have to see Leo looking like this. The kid was going to flip his shit. "Ohhh you guys my kid! Do you know he is going to follow me around for DAYS because of this?" In reality, she was thinking about how it was going to make him feel, knowing he could have possibly lost his only other parent. The other was locked up for God knows how long, leaving him with just his grandmother. But with her declining health, who knew how long she would be around? "Luce, Jim are the two of you going to be okay?" She asked, suddenly concerned with their own well beings.
​

 

[Fletchawk]

Owen Yu​

All he could do was shrug when Farrid declined his offer, and acted as if the subject was dropped. Farrid mentioned it was his job to patch him up, but Owen wasn't affiliated with the Porters, and so he felt as if the debt fell on him. He disliked having debts, and while the man didn't seem like one to call on it, much less abuse it, it still bugged him. To help chase off the vexing feeling, he quipped back, "Oh, trust me. Beatings are something I'm quite good at avoiding. Last week was just shitty luck topped off with a shittier client." He said it with earnest, but a tiny bit of him held some doubt.

He was expecting some kind of reaction from Bailey, but not to the extent that she showed. The slight smile on his lips curled slowly into a mischievous smirk as he watched the redhead flounder. It was rare sight, and one he intended to capitalize on. However, Farrid came to rescue before he could tease Bailey further.

"A lucky man, huh? I'd hope so, since you're gonna need it if you ever piss the little cherry bomb off," he said, forcing the smirk away as he turned his attention back to Bailey, "I kind of like this one so far, so try not to shoot him. Might need him if I fall off a roof, or if you "accidentally" shoot someone again." Owen turned his gaze back to the source of the music, and took a long drag from his cigarette in order to conceal the grin threatening to crack his face wide open.

Inb4Cloaker [Farrid] Pilgrim59 [Bailey]

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

Lucy felt a strange sensation take over her body as she turned away from her angry son, his words still spewing hateful things their way as they reluctantly decided to give up on him for now. The tears slowly fell down her face but she didn't cry any further over Syd as they made it to one of the medics to get checked out. Complying with them, Lucy allowed them to check her over and fix her up before they let her leave with James by her side. Continuing to say nothing was easier than speaking and having to face what had just happened...

Ali reached them and spoke up about Leo, but the thought of the kid following around his mum for days out of concern couldn't make Lucy change her blank expression. Instead, she had been avoiding Ali, embarrassed by what she had said to them. This whole thing was a giant mess. Then the question came up, are you going to be okay? Luce's mouth went dry as her mind searched for an answer. Was she? This was the first time she had ever been in a disagreement like this with Syd. And calling it a disagreement was foolish...it was more than that. "Not sure." Was all she could say before the ache in her heart caused her to immediately start numbing the pain.

When all was said and done, it was Dante, James and herself that ended up heading back to the estate. It was a quiet ride home but Lucy wouldn't have had it any other way in her current state. Guilt was seizing her, she felt horrible for what she had said to Syd and exposing his feelings like they weren't valid...were they valid? Everything in Lucy screamed that they weren't...not because of him, but because of that girl. Lucy's intuition never steered her wrong...so she was right to feel protective.

Things had gotten out of hand and for the first time ever, when it came to her family, there was nothing she could do to diffuse it. Dealing with the fact that she couldn't even apologize to her son at the moment killed her. When the house came into view, it was the first time she had thought about Thomas and Olivia since she'd left. Again, guilt settled in her chest and she let out a soft sigh.
Her eyes found James' and she watched him for a moment or two as the car pulled up into the driveway. When the door was immediately opened for her, Lucy hesitated, "I love you." She told James, her voice weak as she said it. They were in this together, at least she wasn't alone.

Getting out of the car, Lucy watched as few of the dogs sprinted towards them, she wish she could have been excited for them, but the forced smile she placed on her face hurt her cheeks. "Hi girls." She said, bending down to pet Blondie and Ireland, who immediately gravitated towards her.

When she returned to an upright position, one of the guards came through the open front door with a conflicted expression on his face. "This came in, nothing written on it but we suspect something is inside." Luce became stiff and she slowly reached out her hand before James to take the envelope from him. Her eyes looked to her husband before back down to the envelope in her hands, she turned it and begun to open it.

Once the top of it was torn open, Lucy could see a matte back of what looked to be a picture. Pulling it out, she turned it quickly, not expecting what she was about to see. Her blue eyes widened and a strangled scream escaped her throat as she quick released the picture from her grasp and covered her mouth with her hands.
with: James Misty Gray ; Dante shadowz1995
mentions: Syd Pyroclast ; Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau​

It was oddly comforting, to see Syd crack a smile at her. If she would have been in her right mind, she would have done something a bit flirtatious, but all she could do at the moment was smile stupidly back. She had maintained it, but his seemed to waver and it was hard for her to settle into the silence of the room. Her question seemed to have caught him off guard and the woman shifted in her bed slightly to try and sit up but failed in doing so when the room spun. His answer surprised him and she froze when he clarified that he still wasn't sure. What was she suppose to make of that? She had felt safe but now? She wasn't sure.

Biting her lip, Roxie watched as Syd shifted forward and linked his hands together. His gaze was intense and the brunette found herself unable to look at anything else in the room, only staring into those incredibly blue eyes. There was something that she had to understand about his family and she was ready to know what that was, why they acted the way they did. Roxie was an understanding person but it only went so far...

Roxie listened as carefully as she could, nodding her head lightly occasionally as he went on to show she was still listening. He was expressionless, hard to read, something she hadn't really been exposed to yet. It was weird to see it. His faith in her was restored when he scratched his head and said that her being to blame just didn't add up. Roxie let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and leaned back against her pillow just as Syd sat forward. The space between them was narrowed and Roxie's eyes went a little wide.

Her mouth opened slightly, but she couldn't find the words...what was he saying? His eyes...they were so beautiful. Blinking slowly, the woman tilted her head slightly to the left as she moved to turn on her side. "Rest?" She mumbled, "I never heard of such a thing. I could run to India and back.." Her left hand moved from the bed to rest on his linked ones, she said nothing as she felt his smooth skin. "Thank you." She said once again, unable to look away from him. Her head was pounding and her body was screaming her to fall asleep but something was willing her to also stay awake. Syd told her to rest, to not worry about it now, but what he didn't know was that she wasn't worried about herself. What she had witnessed today was something that she was all too familiar with. "I know that I shouldn't be playing devil's advocate...especially since I'm the one being blamed...But your family loves you Syd." Roxie really hoped that she wasn't going to far, the pain from her head was fogging her judgement. But she felt it was important for him to know, she saw the look in the Porters eyes regardless of how they looked towards her. "My family..." Those words caused a stir inside her, her family...

Did they know she was in the hospital? Did they care? Roxie assumed they must have known given they had set this up for her. It wasn't often that she was able to cater to another family other than her own, but they had encouraged her to branch out...her father's words encouraging? that was laughable if she wasn't in such pain. Something didn't feel right, and she couldn't understand what it was.
with: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

"Hmm..." he murmured, pulling his sleeve back to double check his wristwatch, "Ah, yes. Still on Chicago time. Should still be able to make it though. Thanks for the heads up."

Ryan was still a bit hesitant about handing out where he slept, especially since he wasn't sure where he stood with James yet. After a few seconds of thought, he grabbed the pen from the inside pocket of his jacket, and proceeded to check his pockets for something to write on. Turning up nothing, his gaze started to survey the kitchen before settling upon the notepad next to fridge. Pulling out a piece from under a grocery list on the top, he quickly wrote his contact information.

Handing the piece of paper to Peter, he reinforced his previous statement, "Here you go, but no unannounced visits. Don't want a repeat of last time. We'll all go have lunch or something somewhere, and catch up then," Ryan clicked his pen a few times before putting it back, as if to chide her for catching him off guard in the past, "Until then, don't have too much fun, yeah?"

After say his farewell, Ryan was out the door, passing back through the small gate, and to its bored looking guardians. Once he confirmed which direction 71st avenue was from them, it wasn't long before Ryan was sitting on a subway car headed towards Manhattan. The car reminded him of the "L" back home; with the exception that the cityscape was replaced with darkness between stations, making the journey rather dull. This left Ryan unable to distract himself from dwelling on Arlene's disappearance, her brother, and the times he shared with the rival siblings.

* * *​

"Relation to the convict?" the unformed clerk droned as he copied Ryan's information from the ID he was provided.

"Friend. I'm in town for a bit, so I'm paying him a visit,"

The clerk only grunted in response before handing the ID back, and then peruses through a file with Conor's name on it for a moment, "Alright. Looks like Mr. Sullivan still has some time this month. But visitation hours ends in thirty minutes, so you'll have to make it quick. These are the rules..." the man then rambles on for a time, "...and finally, if any contraband is discovered, you'll be subject to arrest, and criminal charges. Any questions?"

"Nah, I got it," having zoned out amid the explanation, responded a bit too quickly.

The clerk's eyebrow rose for second before giving way to apathy, and buzzed the guard to let him through after putting Conor's file and his visitation form in a rack off to the side. Keeping his quips to himself, Ryan endured the heavy frisking that Sinead had warned him about, and was led to a room with several tables. One of which had a large man that bore a shadow of a resemblance to the boisterous man of his memories seated at it.

"Well, looks like I missed one hell of party. Could've at least sent me an invitation," he teased with a slight smile as he sat down across from Conor, "I'd ask how you're doing, but given where you sleep, seems kind of obvious. By the way, Sinny sends her regards, Peter too. I think."


Misty Gray [Sinead + Conor] Bellz [Peter]

 

[Pyroclast]

Danny Vaughan

Although Savannah spoke calmly of her family's image, her words made Danny wonder what it must be like to be misunderstood by people like him, people reading the news. Of course, he knew the media would never want to reveal the good, human side of the family. Any news outlet sympathising with the mob ran the risk of losing profit; from a safety standpoint, it was more sensible to demonise them, keep the public afraid and discourage them from identifying with criminals. Yet, while having a formidable reputation may work in the mob's favour, Danny could only imagine how hard it must be for individual members of the family like Savannah to have had to grow up with it. After giving her words some more thought, Danny turned to look at her with a smile on his face. "You don't think so?" he asked her. "Once those 5 star reviews come out for your show, y'know, all that could change. No one out there will be able to deny your charm, Sav, even with your family's reputation."

The young woman seemed interested in his parents' new life in India, and her enthusiasm made him chuckle. "It's interesting, for sure," he agreed, with a warm smile. "Kinda weird seeing all my family and friends settled somewhere so foreign to me. But even though I don't speak the language, I can kinda see myself living there, too, someday. If you ever get a chance to visit, you should definitely take it!"

Whenever a silence fell between them, Danny found himself in slight disbelief at the coincidence of meeting Savannah again and the fact that she had agreed to let him walk her home. It wasn't often he found himself in the company of such an attractive woman and he only hoped that by the end of their walk he would have made a good enough impression on her that they could hang out again in future. It took him by surprise when Savannah placed her hand on his back and lead him to the shelter of a shop doorway. So used to the noise of the Manhattan streets, the toppling of empty barrels hadn't been enough to penetrate his thoughts, rather escaping his attention altogether. "Hey, what -" he began, only then noticing the subtle look of concern in her eyes and the deep breaths she was taking. "Sav, what is it?" She shook her head and Danny followed her eyes to see a man ahead of them, looking towards her. When he turned away again, Danny reset his attention on her. "You alright?"

Savannah soon redirected them, apparently onto a route she didn't normally take. Having missed the source of the noise, Danny was at a loss to understand what had startled her. "Okay," he gently replied. With time on his hands, it didn't make a difference to him if their new route took any longer. "Sav, you seem kinda shaken up, are you okay? Who was that man back there?"

Interactions
Misty Gray Savannah

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Syd calmly observed Roxie shift onto her side to make herself more comfortable. Now that they were directly facing each other it became almost impossible to avoid looking into her eyes. Her joke of running to India and back drew a soft, sympathetic chuckle from him. "They really drugged you up, huh," he teased, letting her sweet sense of humour pull him out of his earlier bad mood. Finding humour in dark situations wasn't something Syd was very good at these days, so he was grateful to her for being able to make him smile in the wake of it all.

His heart leapt when she reached out to place her hand over his, instinctively leaning back to stop her. Catching sight of her manicured fingernails, he was thrown back to the tour of the hotel when he had watched her hands and imagined how they would feel to hold. It caused him to freeze up before he could pull away, but once he felt her soft skin connect with his, he began to relax. Very slowly, he unlinked his hands to let hers in, allowing it to slip between his. Before he could think of what he was doing, he was holding her hand. After staring down at it for a moment, he looked up at her and fell once again into her magnetic blue eyes. Part of him hoped she would be too dosed up to remember this interaction; another, more daring part of him hoped she wouldn't forget.

Roxie spoke up then to remind him that his family loved him, causing him to look down to their hands with a soft sigh. Of course they loved him. Sometimes, however, he couldn't shake the feeling that he burdened them more than was worth their time. He had expected to be more independent at this age, but life had thrown more curveballs his way than he could handle and now he knew he would be nowhere without his family looking out for him. He had no doubt that his earlier behaviour had pushed their patience with him to the limits. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him and his eyes grew distant and sad for a moment as he wondered where his parents were now, how they were doing, how they felt about him. Now calm and collected, it unsettled him slightly to think back to how he had acted, how disturbed he had felt. Pushed much further and he might have had a breakdown, something that he believed he was more or less free from these days. Still with his head down, Syd cleared his throat. "You shouldn't have had to see that, Roxie," he murmured. "Please forgive me for that, it was unprofessional of me and won't happen again."

As the shame set in, Syd found it harder to meet her eye again. It was only when Roxie mentioned her own family that he raised his head. However, she tailed off before she could finish her sentence. "Oh, of course - are they on their way? Do you want me to let them know you're here? Or anyone else?" Syd swallowed as the lawyer's face flashed across his mind. The name lingered on his tongue for a moment as he summoned the will to say it aloud, bringing a sour taste to his mouth. He almost let go of her hand, but stopped himself. "Should I call Mitch?"

Syd glanced up at the clock, thinking of his family once again. Then he fixed his attention back onto the woman before him. "Roxie, just so you know," he began, lightly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "However long you want me here, I'm willing to stay. If you need me tomorrow, or - or anything really, any help at all, just let me know, okay? I'll leave you my address and my telephone number if you want. And, you know, tell me to piss off and leave you alone whenever." A coy smile escaped him then, one he was unable to hold back. "Is...How's your head doing?"

Interactions
Bellz Roxie

 

[Bellz]

Braden Callahan ​

Brady froze as he heard his sister's voice coming from the doorway. "Em..." Was all he said as he lifted his head to watch her give attention to Sanford, who didn't know that they were caught.Shit! He thought to himself as he quickly shut the window as gently as he could before turning back to his sister. "Well, well, well..." He said in return, crossing his arms as he continued to hold the flowers tightly in his hand. "He's not afraid," The young man mumbled, but the pup didn't back up his words as he leaned into his sisters hand, panting happily at the attention. "He's just...cautious." When she took a few steps closer to him, Braden puffed out his chest.

Emmy filled him on all that was going on at the house and he shrugged his shoulders in indifference at being caught. He, of course, was worried as hell, but he wasn't about to let her know that. "Oh lucky me." He said, rolling his eyes at the fact that a guest was at the house. He hated social interaction. As much as his mother was a social butterfly, he didn't pick up on much of that like his sisters had. He tended to stick close to his father as much as he loved his mother.

At the mention of the flowers, Brady's head slowly turned to look at them. "No...these aren't for you." He muttered, rolling his eyes. Her higher pitched tone caused him to flinch before the words caught up with him, causing him to let out a harsh laugh. "Definitely no girlfriend." Brady informed Emmy. "These are just something for mom, to...brighten her day." Once again he shrugged his shoulders before taking a few steps passed his sister, "And by the way," He paused in the doorway before looking slightly over his right shoulder. "Out of my room."

With that, he let out a soft whistle and Sanford moved from his seated position to follow him down the hall and down the stairs. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to go downstairs in peace as his father met him at the bottom of the staircase. "What are those? Or more like, who are those for?" Peter questioned with curious look on his face now.

Braden gave his dad a similar smirk to his own, "Just a little something for mom." Was all he said before passing him, "Kid, you are making me look bad." He could hear his father saying, which caused him to laugh. A pain that caused him to remember his wound shot through his leg and he had to pause in front of the entrance to the lounge, "Shit." He muttered, looking down, there was a definite stain. How had his father missed that? Something shattered in the lounge and the kids went deadly silent. Peter could be heard sighing behind him. "What was that?" He asked and Brady eyed Thomas, who looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Uh...N-nothing." He stuttered before looking to Leo for help. Braden chose to ignore the rest of the conversation as he headed towards the kitchen, where he was sure his mother would be at this time in the day, especially with all the little mouths to feed. "Mum?" He called to her softly, limping slightly. Seeing her back turned towards him, he watched her in the doorway, leaning against it before clearing his throat. "Sorry they're a little squished, but I think they are unique." holding out the flowers to Sinead. He put on a smile for her as he could sense that something was wrong and he wanted to distract her from his leg.
with: Emmy Misty Gray ; Sinny Misty Gray
mentions: Leo Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Gwen Bryant​

It seemed that Jason was relieved by the fact that Gwen had given in and for now, she would keep it that way. The woman was far too strung out for things as trivial as fighting with her ex. She had a job to focus on, her daughter and the fact that she was suppose to be getting clean. He looked away from her when she apologized, which was unexpected, just as his own apology was. Gwen had been living in the past almost all of her life. Never catching a break and able to live in the moment. Before she met Jason, the shadow of her stepfather's abuse and mother's death cast its spell over her life, then just when she thought she could finally be free with Jason, he had left her at a time when she needed him. Although she had gotten over that pretty quickly, her ex husband had captured her in a relationship she soon found out she didn't want to be in. Now many years later with both men, she was dealing with the consequences. Why not make it easy on herself and give up for once? Jason wasn't going to hurt her...so long as she didn't rely on him for anything other than being her co-star.

By the time the words had slipped out of her, Gwen felt cautious about rehearsing with Jason alone, regretting her poor and impulsive choices. He agreed, surprising her yet again. Moving from her position, she followed him to the center of the room. This time, she had somehow managed to keep her balance, able to more confidently stride behind him. Nodding her head at what he spoke back to her, she understood the movements before he asked if she was ready. For what exactly, she wondered before positioning herself.

Gwen let him sweep her into his tight embrace, spinning around a couple of times before she went left and then right. He grabbed her firmly, before twisting. Counting in her head, Gwen was able to get the hang of the movements without stumbling this time around and she actually smiled a bit in success at the fact. Her hand glided against his as she spun outwards, her her hips helping to round it out before being pulled back towards him. When she was caught, her breath was heaving as they faced the mirror. It was strange, seeing themselves side by side again.

The view before her caused her heart to pound harder so much that it stung. She was in his arms for far too long now, which he seemed to realize as he backed away from her. The redhead could barely hear his question above the roaring in her ears. Swallowing hard, all Gwen could do was nod. She thought it was perfect, for herself and Jason alone. But she knew that with Angelica...it wasn't going to pass.

Gwen looked towards the clock...how the hell did they have 4 more minutes? Looking to Jason in the mirror, she cleared her throat. "If I may...?" She suggested softly as she turned towards him and held out his hand. "I think we need to be..." Gwen turned towards the mirror where the audience would be and sighed as she stared at themselves in the mirror, "a lot closer." Placing his hand on her hip, she lightly leaned her head back against his shoulder. "More...natural." They stayed that way for a moment before the door swung open behind them.
with: Jason Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Ani Sarraf​

Ani smiled at Maddox's questions about her journey Upstate. "I did have a wonderful time. I like to be outdoors, especially during the summer when nature is in full swing. Hiking is something I really enjoy." As he asked if she had company, the woman shook her head. She had been able to go alone fortunately, her brother left behind for good reason. "Just me." She clarified as he went on to say that he had been meaning to book some time off. "Its very healthy for the mind. Though I'm sure you would know better than I." She laughed charmingly.

The venue was truly something to behold and seeing Maddox blush only made Ani smile wider. "Luxury is always nice." She agreed with him before the drinks and then the food were served. There was some silence as the waitress arrived, but Ani didn't mind as she just took a moment to process everything. Things were going so well that she was a bit overwhelmed. Her salad was placed in front of her and the woman thanked the waitress before she left the table. Taking a few delicate bites before moving to grab her wine glass, Ani once again looked to the orchestra before Maddox answered her question about family. It was interesting to know that he grew up in Ireland, given that they both had similar accents. But then he clarified and it all made sense to her. Hearing all about his family caused the woman to sit forward a bit. She loved hearing about peoples history, as rare as it was to get the full story, she would take what she could get.

Taking another few bites of her salad, Ani processed what information she was given, ready to ask more questions before remembering that Maddox probably wanted to know more about her as well. And as if he'd heard her thoughts, he reciprocated the question. The woman was unsure of how to answer at first...her past was, messy. "Well..." She sighed softly, deciding to lean back into her seat as she revealed some of the information she rarely told anyone else. "I actually never knew my mother and father, it was said we came from somewhere in Cairo...but that was mostly speculation from my adopted parents." Taking a drink from her wine glass, she swallowed before continuing, "I grew up in England with an elder couple who could no longer conceive...and my brother, grew up in Brooklyn. We are twins you see, so we being separated for so long..." Ani didn't really know what to say, as she didn't know what to truly think of the brother she had been reunited with for more than 21 years..."My parents, unfortunately have passed on...but they were pretty old." She had to keep telling herself that, even though she knew who killed them.

The soft smile that had been placed on her face was slowly fading as the woman ran a stressed hand through her hair, flipping it so that it waved over. Unable to follow up with another question, Ani had placed the wine glass to her lips again and downed the rest in one nervous gulp. The surgeon was normally not like this. Ani was taught to be as steady as they come, never wavering with nerves or fear. But when she talked about her twin brother, it made her skin crawl and her heart want to jump out of her throat.

When she removed the glass from her lips, the woman's brown eyes glanced towards it in-between her fingers, empty. Her cheeks burned underneath her browned skin and Ani looked to Maddox with an embarrassed look. "I'm terribly sorry..." Her smooth english accent a little thicker with the emotion in her voice. "I don't know what has gotten into me." Her face turned towards the orchestra, face continuing to burn.
with: Maddox Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

The car journey home was a quiet one. James' thoughts were focused on the attack at the hotel and arranging for his associates to find out who had masterminded it. Whilst there was some doubt about Roxie's involvement, James wanted to know more about the young woman before he could consider her innocent in it all. He also wanted Ricardo found and interrogated until the bastard squealed. If there were people willing to blow up the hotel, then what else were there willing to do? James wanted the situation under control. Immediately. As all of those thoughts circled his mind, he was repeatedly struck with concerns about what had happened with his son. He was still angry with Syd, both for the fact he'd rushed to Roxie's defence over showing concern for his family and also the way he'd proceeded to tell his parents to fuck off. James was sure he could have brushed it off had it been said only to him, but the fact Lucy had been sworn at by Syd had been especially disappointing.

When they finally reached home, James was about to get out of the car when Lucy told him she loved him. "I love you too, Luce," he told her, looking into the blonde's eyes and reassuringly squeezing her shoulder. "We''re going to fix this."

James watched his wife as she crouched down to give some attention to the dogs that had rushed to her. He slowly walked with Dante and glanced to the man before looking straight ahead again. "I want Ricardo found and I want to know exactly who's behind that explosion. I don't care how much encouragement the bastard needs to make him talk," he explained. It was clear James wasn't concerned about the suspect's well-being. The man would have to talk or suffer. "And..."

James was cut off when Lucy screamed from nearby. He'd unsuspectingly watched one of the men hand an envelope to his wife and now he watched her as she dropped it on the ground. He rushed to Lucy and instinctively pulled her in close to hold her tightly. "Luce..." He had been about to ask her what was wrong but decided it would be better to see for himself rather than to make the clearly shocked woman speak up. Letting go of Lucy, James remained close to her but bent down to retrieve the envelope from the ground. He reached into the envelope and pulled the photograph out, making sure it remained facing away from Lucy so she didn't have to look at whatever it was again. Once the picture was fully revealed, James stood in silence for a few moments as he took in the image presented before him. "Arlene..." he spoke up. Dante would recall Arlene was Lucy's cousin and a woman who had recently been reported missing. "Another message," he confirmed to Dante and handed the photograph to the man so he too could see it. The image showed the corpse of the blonde woman, covered in what was apparently her own blood and with a deep laceration across her throat. Although he didn't say it, it would be clear to the assassin that something serious was going on and whoever was trying to get at the Porters wasn't to be taken lightly.

Despite his need to take action and get his employees out on the streets, James knew the most immediate concern was for Lucy's well-being. Having passed the photograph to Dante, James was able to once again wrap his arms tightly around his wife and hold her close. "I'm sorry, love," she softly spoke into her ear. He placed one hand at the back of her head and pressed his lips to her forehead for a time. "I'm right here." He used his other hand to gently rubbed the top of her back. Not only had she received confirmation that her cousin was dead, but she'd been informed in the cruellest of ways. He was used to the sight of death and the loss of loved ones, but even he was disturbed to know a woman as strong as Arlene had been killed so brutally. Not to mention the fact little Olivia was now an orphan...

Bellz (Lucy) shadowz1995 (Dante)

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau​

Syd's teasing made her cheeks burn a bit in the cold and crisp air of the clean hospital room around them, but she smiled nonetheless. Roxie really hoped that Syd didn't mind her hand on his hands but she just felt like she needed to comfort him in some way, to let him know that it was going to be okay. The brunette really wished that someone had been there for her when her parents turned their backs on her, it was nice to have someone to lean on in times of distress...just like what every and any human wanted and needed to function. Her eyes caught him visibly relaxing and unexpectedly, he unlinked his hands and let hers fall into them.

The woman's lips pressed together in the smallest of smiles now, cheeks having to be bright pink at that point. Her reminder seemed to be not needed as he let his head down and cleared his throat. He told her that she shouldn't have had to see that, which she made a face at, when asked for forgiveness, she could see the shame clear as day. The woman lazily shook her head as she once again let her head lean back against the pillow. "Not anything I haven't seen or done before, Mr. Porter." She said, her voice trying its best to sound professional before she let out an airy laugh, "Or do you only allow your father to be called that?" She wondered aloud.

Syd's head raised at the mention of her family and when asked if they were on their way, the woman shrugged her shoulders softly. "Who knows at this point. I'm sure they know by now...since they were the one's to set this whole thing up with the hotel anyway." She murmured, not aware of the connection. Instead, she shook her head, "No its okay, they'll make their way here if they care to see me." It was sad but true. They would have heard about the explosion by now, she was sure they had. She caught something in Syd's face that she couldn't place and before she could ask, he asked about calling Mitch. The woman paused, her face confused as to why he would even ask that. Mitch and her had only been out one time..."What do you mean?" Syd was here, did he want to leave? This caused her throat tighten with panic but then, her name was said, distracting her.

A small tickle could be felt on the back of her hand and Roxie quickly looked down with just her eyes to see his thumb moving. Once again, her cheeks burned. His offer was very generous and she wasn't exactly sure what to think of it. She couldn't believe he wanted to stick around. "That's very sweet, Syd." She said after he asked how her head was doing. "Its pretty sore...not gonna lie. But I think I'm going to live. I hope." Roxie chuckled lightly, but knew that the joke was a lot more serious underneath it all. She could have been killed twice today and Syd had saved her both times.
with: Syd Pyroclast

 

[RayPurchase]

Mitchell Van Gerwen
Callahan Residence
​

Mitch gunned the car into life, and the grey concrete behemoth if the prison slowly disappeared in the rear view mirror. The car windows were open, and the wind fluttered about the interior of the car. There was something about prisons, a certain smell, they all had it. He Gould never put his finger on the exact scent, he assumed it was most likely in his head, but a certain musty odour, like a room that’s been closed for too long. Best to get rid of it as soon as possible. He leaned back flicking on the radio for some background noise, but not paying attention enough to actually know what was on. He was heading in the direction of Queens, hoping to catch Pete whilst he was at home, there wasn’t much of his Saturday left now, but hopefully he could salvage an hour in front of the TV before invariably falling asleep on the sofa, he hadn’t actually slept in his own bed for 3 days now, never actually made it that far, instead awaking on his sofa, armchair, or head slumped against his office desk . Hopefully tomorrow would be a quiet one, but he knew better than to put too much faith in that as he left the hustle and bustle of the city centre and entered Queens.
His mind flicked to Connor, it was looking good, he reckoned at the very least a 70% chance of the parole approval, and as Lawyers they rarely went above 50%. Maddox had clearly made good progress with him, and everything was in place now, just got to present him as no longer a threat to society. It was going to be one of the easier ones, Mitch actually believed it, unlike some of the other family members, Syd for example. Clearly whatever was going on with Maddox wasn’t working yet, he hadn’t even thought of the threat that Syd had made during all his chat with Conor, too focused on the task at hand as opposed to the proverbial sword swinging above his head. Cross that bridge when he came to it Mitch supposed.

Pulling up outside of the Callahan residence, he brushed himself down and straightened his tie in the small car mirror. He hadn’t met Pete beyond a few social engagements and him being vaguely I’m the same room. Here’s hoping it goes better than his last new meeting with a member of the family. He strode up the path, bundle of papers under his hand, he'd rather not leave them in the car. They were worth more than his job, and more likely his life if they fell into the wrong hands, details on Conor, and some of the Family's business dealings, powerful stuff in the wrong hands. Composing himself for a moment, he pressed the doorbell. Hopefully Pete was more like James than Syd.

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

Roxie's reassurance that his earlier behaviour wasn't anything she hadn't experienced before didn't do much to lift the shame weighing down on him. It was only when she laughed that he realised what she had called him. A modest smile broke across his face. "You've always called me Syd," he replied, somewhat shyly. "Let's just stick to that. No need to be formal with me..." He glanced down to the delicate hand held between his and toyed with it for a second. With such boundaries crossed, formalities had now been made redundant.

Syd forced himself to disregard his concerns about how his family felt about him when Roxie sounded so impassive about whether her own family were on their way to see her. Though it was extremely rare that he fell out with James and Lucy, he believed that if it were him in this hospital bed, they would be at his side as soon as possible - even after the argument they had had. It saddened him to think that she had reason to doubt her own parents' love for her. Yet, as she went on to inform him that her parents had set up the business with the hotel, his reaction began to change. He tensed up, face set in a frown; suddenly she looked different to him. Spellbound by her beauty, grace and charm, Syd had forgotten that she was indeed a stranger to him, instead wanting to see her as a friend, someone he could care for. His parents were right: he didn't know her at all. Unable to tear his eyes from her, he raised a hand to cover his mouth, letting hers drop into the empty space between them. Initial feelings of betrayal began to form inside him, but part of him was still hanging on to the possibility that he had misheard her.

"I mean what I said," he replied, when she questioned his offer to call Mitch for her. His voice came out slightly rough now and another smoke-induced coughing fit arose from his chest. It left his eyes glistening slightly, making his expression appear all the darker. "Wouldn't he be worried about you? Don't you want him here? After he - I mean, since you and him -" He coughed some more and looked away. Perhaps he had entirely misread the situation between Roxie and the lawyer. "Nevermind, I guess," he whispered, drawing a deep breath. "Just, if you want him, or if you have someone else, a...a boyfriend or someone...I'll call him for you." Syd suddenly realised he had let his gaze drop to the floor, but found it difficult to look her in the eye. That he was now so uncertain of who this woman was that he was trying to look after made him uncomfortable. His faith in her had been shaken and as much as he wanted to, he didn't know how to restore it.

Still glowering towards the floor, Syd nodded at her honest answer of how her head was doing. As confused as he was, he still couldn't help but care for her well-being. Perhaps it was merely dutiful, as though he had taken her as a mission to ensure that she receive good care. He was even willing to pay the bill if he had to. It made him feel foolish to think of his unearned devotion to her, but even if she did know more about the attack than she had let on, it still wouldn't seem right to him to abandon her now. "Roxie, um..." He forced himself to speak up, but kept his head down. "What did you mean...when you said your parents were behind this?"

Interactions
Bellz Roxie

RayPurchase Mitch (mentioned)

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor had been observing the prisoners and their visitors around him as the room became filled with chatter and life. It took some time, but his eyes eventually fell upon a familiar man who was the last to enter the visiting room. He was sure the time taken to register his old friend was longer than it should have been, but it had been years since he'd last since Ryan. Both the toll of the last ten years and the fact he'd never expected Donahue to enter the room were no doubt the driving forces behind his disbelief. Conor sat up straight as the other man reached his table, looking up to the man with a fond, albeit uncharacteristically drawn, smile on his face. He listened to Ryan's teasing about missing out on his invitation and quickly nodded his head as he watched the man sit down opposite him.

"Believe me, it wasn't the best party I've thrown. You didn't miss much," he remarked back. "Usual story. Except, this time I got caught!" he pointed out. The men outside his pub that night had been throwing their weight around and intimidating some of Conor's loyal customers. Of course, Conor and Peter stepped in. Unfortunately, they finished teaching the guys a serious lesson to find the cops had front row seats to the show. "I've had better days, mate. Not gonna lie," he confirmed Ryan's assumption about how he'd been. He caught the way the man told him Sinead and Peter had sent their regards. He figured from Ryan's choice of phrasing that Peter hadn't given him the warmest of receptions. Whilst he knew Peter wasn't himself lately, he'd always sensed some kind of tension between his friend and brother-in-law back in Dublin. He'd considered the reason for the apparent atmosphere on many occasions, but none of his conclusions settled on it relating to his friend's affections for Sinead. As far as Conor was concerned, Ryan and Sinead only had feelings for each other that fell into the box of close friends. "I understand Pete's still having a hard time," he tried to reason. "I do miss Tinkerbell," he pointed out. He sometimes called his sister, but he hadn't seen her in a while. She'd struggled stepping foot in the prison to visit Peter and so Conor hadn't wanted to prolong her torture by expecting her to keep visiting him too.

Conor was able to bring his mind to the present and the fact Ryan was seated across the table from him. "Fuckin' hell, mate. I wasn't sure who was visiting me today and I have to say, you weren't on the list of possibilities. I'm really surprised to see you. Hell, I'd give you a big old hug, if bloody Hopalong Cassidy over there wouldn't get jealous," he remarked, cocking his head in the direction of the prison guard pacing the room and displaying a noticeable limp. "Idiot got in the middle of some brawl out in the yard," he explained, chuckling as he spoke. Already starting to settle into the unexpected visit, Conor's smile was now starting to reach his eyes and appear less troubled.

"Shit, I haven't seen you in ages. How are you doing and what have you been up to?" he keenly asked. He knew there wasn't a lot of visiting time left, so he wanted to get as much from it as he could, especially if Ryan wasn't sticking around in New York for long. "Who are you staying with?" he asked, assuming he might be crashing at the Porters or with others they knew.

Fletchawk (Ryan)

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead glanced to the clock on the wall but there was still some time left before dinner. Perhaps time to compose herself before having to force on a happy face for their young dinner guests. She decided Olivia especially could do without seeing her "aunt" looking troubled. Still, her thoughts crept back to Ryan's comment when he'd handed his address over to Peter. He'd mentioned the night all of those years ago when she showed up at his place to see him. She hadn't known at that time that it was a difficult position for him. Not until he'd ended up spilling his feelings for her. As she cast her mind back to that night, she anxiously bit her lip. She wondered what Peter had thought to Ryan's chastising of her unannounced visit. She hoped it had gone over his head and that it wouldn't be something he would dwell on. Things felt tense enough already.

Hearing Braden's voice softly addressing her, Sinead sucked in a deep breath and took a few moments to compose herself before turning to face her son. Seeing the young man holding out the flowers, her troubled expression gave way to a warm and appreciative smile. "Ohh, Brady. My sweet boy! Thank you, so much!" she gushed at his gesture. She rushed over to her son and took the flowers from him. Looking down to them and now getting a closer view, her expression turned to one of confusion for a moment. The flowers looked like they'd been through the wars. Despite their condition, her bright smile soon returned. Given the day she was having and the lack of affection from Peter, it was the gesture that meant so much and outweighed how the flowers looked. "Unique... Sometimes, the most beautiful things are the ones that stand out for being different, and not the ones that blend in to normality," she reasoned. "I'm sure I can save these squished little misfits," she playfully told him. She got onto her tiptoes and placed a motherly kiss on Braden's cheek. It had crossed her mind that her son might not have paid for the flowers, but with her family's history, she had little choice but to overlook the petty crime. He had thought of his mother when he procured the flowers, so that had to count for something. Still, it did draw her mind to the fact she wanted her son to try make an honest living or at least find a career. "Have you thought any more about getting a job..." she trailed off.

Sinead was distracted as she noticed a flower head had fallen on the floor near her feet. She crouched down to pick it up and from the corner of her eye she very briefly noticed a stain on Braden's trouser leg. "Sweetie, what's that on your trousers? Honestly, you and Emmy were always ruining your clothes back when you were children. Dinner will be ready soon, so perhaps you could change into something clean?" she suggested. Her mind was distracted by the flowers as she took a moment to move her face closer to them and take in their scent. She then let out a strained sigh as she tried to overcome the mixture of extreme emotions that had been weighing her down in such a short space of time. Her eyes glistened as stray tears threatened to escape them. Even the sound of the doorbell wasn't enough to divert her attention.


Bellz (Braden)
Mentions: Bellz (Peter) Fletchawk (Ryan) RayPurchase (Mitchell)

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau​

Roxie appreciated that she was allowed to call Syd by his name and not some sort of fancy surname. "Got it, no formalities. I think that's a good call given that my hand is already very familiar with your face." She tried to tease, her head rolling back to rest against the pillow, not able to hold it up any longer. She closed her eyes, allowing him to toy with her hand as she let out a tired sigh. Roxie knew that she was close to falling asleep, but she was fighting as hard as she could to stay awake. There was just something about the man who had stuck up for her that she couldn't keep from her thoughts. They were racing and unable to slow down but it felt like she was working as slow as a snail. Her thoughts consumed her until she felt her hand suddenly drop. Why was he frowning?

He answered her questioning before being thrown into a coughing fit. Roxie tried to push herself into an upright position now, her shaky free hand reaching for the pitcher of water next to her bedside, but before she could help, the coughing had subsided and she turned back to face a blurry eyed man, his expression looking a little darker than what she was use to. It made her shift in her bed as he asked about Mitch.

Roxie's brows furrowed in confusion as Syd seemed to insinuate that there had been more between Mitch and Roxie then reality. "Wait, what?" She asked, watching as he coughed again. Syd looked away from her and the woman leaned forward to try and grab his attention. It was clear that the woman had no idea what Syd was talking about but she knew what he meant and that confused her greatly. Had Mitch said something? What could he have said? They went to lunch.

"I don't have a boyfriend...or friend I fuck with. For lack of a better term. Don't look so worried." The brunette hadn't forgotten about the whole thing back at the hotel, about him having a crush on her. What was the verdict now? Undecided. He was acting strange. The silence consumed the room again and now she was left to stare at Syd as he let his head hang. Finally, he spoke what was on his mind and the question was almost too easy to answer. "My father had spoke with the hotel, to make sure that I was able to use it for the presentation and charity event. Said it would really help me with your folks..." As the words moved past her lips, even in her daze she couldn't help but feel like the whole situation was off. Her parents didn't really fuss with her life now that she was out of the house.

They actually ignored her most of the time. But this time, her father had reached out to her, "He never calls me, he found out about the meeting and wanted to help. He never wants to do that." Was she so blinded by the fact that her own father was paying her some attention that she let him put the Porters in danger? Was her father that kind of a man? The questions were pounding to be released in her head but she stayed as quiet as a mouse.
with: Syd Pyroclast
mentions: Mitch RayPurchase

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter

The hospital room was still and quiet, the only sounds coming from the few machines that surrounded them. Syd's question lingered in the air; his suspicions worsened with every second that passed. He wanted so badly to believe that she had no involvement in plotting the explosion, but her words had rattled him and now he needed some convincing. Even when she spoke up to answer him, he didn't make eye contact with her. Instead, his brows furrowed slightly as he strained to figure out what she meant.

"So your father, who never calls you and never wants to help you, decides to get involved in the organisation of this particular meeting...because he wanted you to rub shoulders with my family?" he slowly drew out, narrowing his eyes as he pieced it together bit by bit. Unsure of what to make of her claim, he ran his knuckles over his lips as he mulled the words over some more. In a way, the fact that she was telling him this at all implied that even if her parents were involved in the attack, she wasn't aware of it. If she was, then she would be working a lot harder to cover it up. Then again, she was dosed up on some heavy painkillers right now...

Heaving a sigh, Syd finally settled back in his chair and looked towards Roxie. Her big doe eyes struck him like an arrow and his expression instantly softened. He had never met her parents, but from the way she spoke about them, he didn't get the impression that she had a very close relationship with them. It was relatively easy for him to consider them suspects. Roxie, on the other hand, was different. Syd found himself searching for reasons to excuse her from the blame: the innocent look on her face, the apparent surprise she expressed regarding her parents' decision to help her, her confiding in him, her will to answer his question. As far as he was concerned, it all added up in her favour. But was it enough?

"You weren't the one who set up this meeting, then?" There was a brief pause, but he didn't take his eyes off her. "I'm afraid that whoever it was is going to be considered a strong suspect in this case. And my dad is no doubt gonna want you in for questioning, too, when you're out of here. I'll try to be there for it, though." Syd shifted in his seat, hoping that his attraction to her wasn't affecting his efforts to sound professional. Thinking back to his earlier offer to leave her with his contact details, he now wasn't sure if that was wise. However, even though his trust in her was damaged slightly, he knew he wanted to spend more time with her. Realistically, that could only happen if she was proven innocent. "I know my dad can be intimidating, but please don't be afraid. He won't have reason to hurt you if you just tell him everything you know. And you have me, too, to talk to whenever you want, about - about anything." Punctuating his sentence with a small nod, Syd grew aware of the blush that had begun to spread across his face. At this point, he wasn't really sure what he was actually trying to offer her. All he knew for certain was that he wanted more of her company. Especially now that he knew Mitch wasn't romantically or sexually involved with her. His blushing developed into a broad smile and he glanced down for a moment, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Once he had regained some composure, Syd's eyes began to pour over the woman on the bed. There was the delicate hand he had been holding, the soft, brunette locks that he had swept from her face. He longed to touch her again. Beyond the bandages, her hair was still speckled with dust from the falling debris and her face was slightly drained of its colour, most likely from shock or from the pain. But nothing could detract from her extraordinary beauty. He imagined every part of her up close: the taste of her lips, the heat of her body, the smell of her hair. As soon as he caught up with his thoughts, Syd looked away to clear his throat and ran a hand through his hair a few times. What had come over him? He hadn't fantasised about getting close with a woman for...years. Now, suddenly, he found himself fighting the urge to climb into the hospital bed and hold her in his arms. Instead, he remained glued to his seat and linked his hands together once again. "You've been through the wars," he remarked, sounding slightly dazed as he began to lose himself in her deep, blue eyes. "You should...you should rest. I'll call Savvy and let her know that you'll be staying the night here. I'll explain everything."

Interactions
Bellz Roxie

 

[Misty Gray]

Maddox Parker​

Maddox remained silent as Ani began telling him about her family. Although he could never completely switch off his professional side, he was for the most part able to approach social situations naturally and without the obligation to analyse what the other person was telling him. This was a date and not a counselling session, so he was free to be be himself with Ani. As free as one could be on a first date, which by nature came with its own obstacles and etiquette.

The woman told him she never knew her biological parents; a concept which always reminded Maddox of how grateful he was to at least have known his father before the man's death. As a child, his mother had barely let him see his father, but once he was old enough to make his own choices, Maddox made sure to know the man who helped bring him into the world. One thing even Maddox couldn't let go of was that he'd been robbed of valuable time with the man. But hearing Ani had never known her parents at all brought things into perspective somewhat. She'd never had even one opportunity to meet her parents. As she continued, it sounded like she'd at least had a nourishing childhood, one with an older couple who had raised her in England. The revelation she had a twin brother was very interesting to Maddox, though again, saddening to know she'd missed valuable childhood years with her sibling. He'd read a great deal about studies on twins and he was aware that the connection between them was stronger than with non-twin siblings. "You know your brother now, though?" he asked for clarification. "I can imagine how difficult it must have been to know you'd been apart for so long," he empathised.

As he watched Ani, Maddox noticed the way her smile had faded and how she seemed to be displaying agitation. When she brought the glass to her lips, Maddox did the same with his own and consumed some more of his wine. He wondered if his words had caused offence, but he couldn't see how. He could only assume he'd indirectly brought up something in the beautiful woman's past that was upsetting or difficult for her.

"Please, don't apologise," he softly reassured her. He placed his glass down on the table and followed her gaze towards the orchestra for a time. It was so much easier to deal with his patients and clients when they were upset. Now, he didn't have procedures and rules to abide by with Ani. He could simply be himself and he knew that could be far more risky, because he didn't want to do anything that would scare the woman away. He was very attracted to her and the last thing he wanted to do was push her away already. Still, she was clearly distressed and even if she only looked to him as a friend, a friend still needed reassuring.

"Are you okay, Ani?" he asked. As he did, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and softly looked her in the eyes. Her brown eyes were enticing and were it not for the seriousness of the situation, he was sure they would be drawing him closer to her. "We don't have to stay here. We can go out and get some air. Go for a nice walk. If you want to call it a night, I understand that too," he offered.


Bellz (Ani)

 

[Misty Gray]

Savannah Callahan​

As they continued walking, Savannah soon realised her small apology hadn't been enough and Danny wanted to know the reason behind her startled behaviour. "I'm okay. I'm fine," she assured him, quickly nodding her head to reinforce her words. She knew it wouldn't be enough as she was shaken and Danny confirmed he'd seen the man watching them in the distance.

Savannah folded her arms as they continued to walk, briefly looking down to her feet as she mulled over what to say to him. "I'm sorry if you weren't expecting all of this when you agreed to walk with me. Unfortunately, the drama in my life isn't just confined to the stage." She looked up and turned to look at him, flashing an apologetic smile. "You already know about my family and their connections around this city. It's been this way since long before I was born. All I've ever been told is to be careful and cautious; warned about the many enemies my family have. It doesn't matter that I'm not involved in the business, because people will do whatever it takes and use whoever they need to threaten them." She let out a soft sigh. "That's why that man back there was watching us. He's one of my Uncle's employees, so he probably saw me startled back there and thought I was in danger."

Thinking back to the noise that had caused her reaction, she couldn't help but blush at how silly she must have looked. "When I heard those barrels crashing around, I guess I panicked... Back when I lived in Dublin, my family went through some hard times. People I cared about were killed. Shot or even caught up in explosions. It just unsettled me," she confirmed. "It's probably why I'm not a fan of fireworks," she added. She let out a small laugh but her smile soon faded as she was reminded that the 4th of July had been another anniversary of her biological father's death. Whilst everyone had been celebrating James' birthday the previous week, she felt like the only one who had spared a thought for Giovanni Gambino. Whilst she understood how much pain and suffering the man had brought to her family over two decades ago, he was still half of the reason she existed. It still hurt that she felt she wasn't allowed to ask about him or mourn for him.

"I guess you won't be offering to walk strange young ladies home again, right?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. "I can confirm that not all women are this complicated!"


Pyroclast (Danny)

 

[Pyroclast]

Jason Costello

In the silence that followed their private rehearsal, Jason spent some time recomposing himself, trying to dampen the spark before it could ignite a flame inside his heart. He began to slowly pace the room, going over his own footwork in his head and doing his best not to think about Gwen dancing around him. But then she spoke up, catching his attention. Jason followed her when she reached out for his hand, trying not to show any sign of reluctance as she moved them back into their ending position in front of the mirror. Her voice carried the kind of confidence that Jason didn't feel he could match in that moment, so he let her guide him. Soon he had one hand placed on her hip and she was leaning back against him. Once in character, he imagined that this pose would be nothing short of perfect. Right now, however, he only saw himself in that reflection: serious, a little flushed and in disbelief as to what was happening. Although Jason felt inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt since they were working together on the choreography, he couldn't shake the feeling that Gwen was flirting with him. Eleven years may have gone by, but he knew her. He knew them. They had been so up and down when they had dated, caught in a whirlwind of passion. After everything that they had been through, even the conversations and arguments they had had since they had met at their audition the previous week, would she really be trying to stir that all up again now?

And yet, Jason didn't resist. He simply stood there, supporting the pressure of her body as it leaned against him and gazing into the mirror at their reflection. However hard he tried, he couldn't deny to himself how beautiful she still was after all these years. Keeping one hand resting on her hip, his other took hers and brought it up to his cheek. Certain that she could feel his racing heart, Jason slowly turned his head inwards, as though on his way to kissing her. He didn't want to, he knew he shouldn't, but the spark from before had now ignited and there was little he could do to ignore it. The chemistry was there and it wanted to draw him closer to her. Wasn't that what Gwen had said? A lot closer.

Suddenly the door to the studio was flung open and in marched Angelica and Henry. Their choreographer gasped at the sight of them before Jason could untangled himself from their intimate pose. "YES!" she squealed, advancing towards them with a spring in her step. "There is the chemistry I wanted! That is exactly what I wanted to see from you two. Come here, take a few steps back and let's see if we can go over that part a couple more times before we concentrate on Sally's first verse." The woman stood between them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "And let's make sure we end with that level of passionate intimacy that you two were practicing just now, hm?" Flashing them both an enthusiastic grin, Angelica added a pat of encouragement before making her way to the other side of the room where Henry also stood.

Jason caught Gwen's eye, and stifled a grin. But in the end it was hopeless - he burst into boyish laughter, turning away from Angelica and Henry and covering his eyes. He really tried his best to keep it contained, but the situation was too amusing to him. To have such an unexpectedly strong connection with his past lover be misinterpreted so heavily, to have that serious and intense moment interrupted by a third party's excitement, everything suddenly seemed silly to him.

"Jason?" the woman asked, in an attempt to get him to focus.

"I just need a minute."

"You've had ten already!" Angelica sighed, an impatient frown forming on her face. "You're an actor, you can keep a straight face. Come on, pull yourself together!"

Jason took a few deep breaths and eventually convinced her that he had his laughter under control. It still gleamed in his eyes, however, and when he turned to Gwen he found himself having to narrow his eyes slightly to help stifle the grin that he hadn't quite managed to wipe from his face.

"Okay?" Angelica asked, shooting a quick glare his way. Jason nodded, keeping his now watering eyes fixed on Gwen. "Take your places."

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