grinningdevils

[grinningdevils]

"I knew better than to doubt you," Eloise comments affectionately. It's the closest she has come to a compliment in weeks. "I don't know what I'd do if you had terrible taste, you know I can't hide my emotions. But seriously, how do those people in Las Vegas honestly think that they're the pinnacle of luxury? Ugh, it's all just so tacky." Her eyes travel instinctively to the bar where a few well dressed employees are shaking other people's cocktails. None of them look like a Marco, but Eloise is intrigued. "So what's his secret?"

“Yeah a tourist attraction wasn’t what I was going for when I designed the place. I wanted more and no stupid jokes about when Elvis was going to enter the building.” Aspen took pride in her design, something more modern and elegant than a classy casino in Las Vegas. “Typically I put all bartenders through a trial run with me, landing the job depends on how many drinks it takes for me to get a decent buzz. Though we have one bartender in particular, Marco, if he serves you anything you’ll be drunk without tasting a single drop of liquor at all — the man is a wizard behind the counter.”

[grinningdevils]

"Yeah well that makes two of us," Dylan mutters indelicately, traipsing back the way he came until he reaches the front door. "I'd much rather not be freezing my dick off out here today either but you know the drill. Job needs doin'." He brushes past Freddie into his humble living quarters not paying much attention to the surroundings - after all, his own place is no Hilton. "Yeah we can get a coffee," Dylan agrees before pausing, catching the faint scent of musky sweat in the air. "When's the last time you showered? You fuckin' stink, man."

" I don't wanna do it. " he says with a whine, but he still turns around and rummages through his drawers for some clothes before heading to his front door, swinging it open. " do we at least have time for a coffee first? " he's already stepped aside, inviting Dylan into the small apartment he once shared with Frankie.

[grinningdevils]

Eloise feigns a girlish blush at the touch, gazing up at Jackson through darkened eyelashes. She wonders for a moment why Violet detests him so much. He's a shameless flirt that's clear, but it's undebatable that he's got a talent for it. It's not so bad, to play along. Her own head tilts ever so slightly to the side, pondering his question. "Well that depends," she murmurs. "Would you be murdering me, or murdering for me?" The blonde takes another suggestive sip of her martini, making sure to take her time with it. "Oh really? Is it on the menu?"

Jackson's lips curve up at her words. If only it was that simple, murder. "and what if it was?" He asked as he tilted his head to the side. He reaches out to tuck a strand of her soft blonde hair behind her ear. "Would that scare you or excite you?" He questions as he raises a brow. He wondered if she'd be soaked at that thrill. "Hmm. I definitely know what you mean now." He said as he took her in, "There is a particular meal I'm hoping to have tonight as well."

[grinningdevils]

"Yes I can only imagine. My heart weeps, knowing that she's taken a liking to you," Eloise comments dryly, pre-occupied with the current state of her manicure. Of course, her trusted nail tech had to go on holidays right when she was needed most. She wonders if this is a Mean Girls situation, yet somehow she's become Janis, listening to Cady whinge about Regina when she's actually totally in love with her. That just won't do. Eloise is many things, but she is not a Janis Ian. "I don't speak Spanish," she says curtly, drawing her eyes away from her nail beds. "And I told you that I would compensate you appropriately depending on what you can find out for me. Being annoying isn't going to help me take her down. The whole world knows she's insufferable."

closed . @grinningdevils

"If ya thought she was insufferable with someone she hates, you should see how she acts when she's with someone she actually fuckin' likes, bro!" Alright, so perhaps his cute little status report on their little co-op fuckery turned into Camilo complaining about their victim for about ten minutes before he finally caught himself. "Okay, so, listen, this unforeseen circumstance of her being the reincarnation of la reina roja is gonna cost you extra. Which takes me to the next topic: what am I gettin' outta this again?" Playing the role of some dude that was dumb enough to walk straight into this particular rich girl's web was all fun and games. Until he had to deal with the type of crazy rich people can turn into. It was at a whole different level.

[grinningdevils]

Stella eyes the table, a tiny sense of satisfaction creeping up at the current standpoint. She would have loved to pretend that it was pure skill involved - that she was a secret pool shark on the weekends. But it has been mostly luck, flukey shots that she's passed off as intentional. There's no way she can get this last ball in from where it sits, but she chuckles and aims anyway. "Alright, well I was going to go easy on you but now that a round is on the table..." Stella trails off and lines up the cue, concentrating on where she wants to hit it. Pulling the cue back she takes a breath and shoots, missing. Badly. "Shit," she laughs. 'I'm just giving you a chance to catch up."

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 : @sinnerssquarestart ( 𝟎 / 𝟑 )

Theo stood with a pool cue in hand, gaze falling to the green felt that lined the table before him, head tilted slightly as he tried to calculate just how difficult it would be for his present company to sink the 8-ball. By the few balls he still had scattered amongst the table it was easy to tell he was out of his wheelhouse. Scaling a fifty foot rock wall? He could easily do in his sleep, harness or no, but the precision required to play pool? That was a whole other ball game and he wasn't above admitting defeat when it called for it. " Alright, if you can make this shot, the next round's on me. "

[grinningdevils]

"Oh don't worry, I know," Eloise laughs coquettishly, throwing Griffin a playful smile. "Still, what kind of good friend would I be if I didn't try to keep you humble? One of us has to be and I just don't think it fits me, personally." A role she'd been performing with ease since a child, even if it didn't always speak her truth. Her pretentiousness was armour. Carefully crafted and impossible to penetrate. "Well well, look at you being supportive. It's not a bad look on you, Gallo. I'm sure it won't be that bad, you have me for company after all. And if that doesn't help the time move faster, there's always champagne."

"Babe, please." He paused as he looked at her, "Of course, that is going right to my head. I have an ego that needs strict maintenance and stroking." He said playfully with his friend as he took her arm. "I have to admit, it is not my type of show or night." He exhaled, "I'm here for Lu, trynna support or whatever bullshit good people are supposed to do. I'm giving the less assholey thing a try, so if you are saying it's not completely ass, then maybe it won't be so bad to suffer through it."

[grinningdevils]

Dylan regrets saying anything about Amara as soon as her name leaves his mouth. He'd only meant it in jest, but mentioning anyone even associated with a rival gang is likely not the smartest thing to being saying to his gang leader. "I don't trust her," he clarifies, backtracking his jovial tone with a clear of his throat. "Although she's had plenty of opportunities to like, slip me a fuckin' cyanide pill and she hasn't. But maybe a prospect just isn't worth goin' after to them either."

"Yeah, just say the word," Dylan murmurs casually with a matching brief nod. All that needs to be said for mutual understanding: I will fight for you. Just ask. "I know what you mean, I'm not that great at it either." He catches himself in the admission, the sudden rawness in peeling back a layer of himself too confronting. Even at this much of a superficial level, he needs to stitch himself back up. Hide away. "Anyway uh, I think that's all the boxes. You need anything else done?"

Zak felt like he needed to stay agile, and prove to everyone he was okay. He refused to look weak. "Small gallo girl?" Zak raised a brow. "Nah, my doctor." He said but he heard whisperings of a Gallo working at the hospital. He really only kept tabs on the ones that were a threat to him, the twins mainly. Griffin did a number on them. "She's probably just faking and actually wants you dead. Don't trust her. Don't trust that bloodline."

Zak gave him a curt nod, "Of course. If you're willing to get in there, I support it." Zak said with a smile as he lugged the bag. "I know what you are saying and I appreciate it. Asking for help can be hard. Guess that's why I got you here over anyone else." Dylan owed him. "Chess is boring. Don't waste your time with that. Start branching out and secure your spot here." He saw potential in the lost boy, and he hoped he was right.

[grinningdevils]

"May she rest in peace or whatever," Dylan replies, going along with it despite knowing fuck all about English monarchy. "To be fair though, wasn't she like 100 years old or somethin'? Hardly a fair competition, just like this one won't be." A smirk forms on his lips for a moment, somewhat impressed that she's used his own quip against him. "Alright, hope you can handle your whiskey."

McKinley wasn't the overly confident type, most would really describe her as humble. But in this moment all stops were out the window as she sipped her drink. "No. I'm better." She said with a confident smile. "Seeing how I'm living and she's not." She gave a lazy shrug. "That's queen to you." She teased based on their last comments. "Good. what are we drinking then." She asked as she finished off her drink.

[grinningdevils]

Dylan finds himself so taken aback by Amara's sudden fire that he can only gawk at her, mouth agape and a humoured glint behind his eyes. So she is a Gallo after all, he thinks with a chuckle, before remembering what Zak had said to him only days earlier. Don't trust her. Don't trust that bloodline. Her sarcastic comment sours and Dylan's smile is quickly replaced with an unimpressed frown. "Yeah, I get it, Gallo. I'm fuckin' stupid, you made your point." Despite the sudden aversion, he allows Amara assess him, his body holding more tension than just a moment ago. He's fairly confident in his reflexive abilities to sense if a knife is about to be drawn to his throat anyway, and her small frame wouldn't be that hard to overpower if it came down to it. "Why do you care so much?" Dylan bites, rubbing at the spot on his collarbone she's just touched, as if to wipe all evidence of her off of him. "You know what I am now don't you? Who I fuckin belong to? It would be very convenient for you and your family if I was to die of natural... complications. So why're you tryin' to help me?"

"I'm sorry, did you just say you could be? Yeah, and I could be a fucking dinosaur with goddamn wings, right? I could be getting knowledge out of this argument, but I'm talking to you, so, negative, right?" She rolled her eyes, smirking as she shook her head. "When was the last time you went to school even, and think hard - did the carpet on the ground have the ABCs and were the chairs extra small?" She quipped back, a snarky Gallo trait they all had. Letting out a sigh, Amara felt the ligaments and shook her head. "And what part of you need to do physical therapy along with your medication don't you understand, Dylan? It is part of the treatment plan and I can't go above my main doctor and boss to just write you a prescription. I mean, I could - but I don't want to." She smirked again, but in all reality, she really couldn't. She was overseen by a head doctor and if he got on to her going around his written in stone treatment plans, it would be bad. "One day your collarbone is going to snap out of place and then it can restrict your blood vessels on your neck. They're extremely sensitive, Dylan, and then, one day when I'm on prep, they're going to wheel you in - except you won't be able to speak, because you'll be having a stroke. You want that? Does that sound fun to you, tough guy?" Amara knew how to wear down anyone - it was a talent the Gallos had. "It must be painful anyway if you want another refill. I don't know why you're so stubborn to the plan that will help you, you idiot." It wasn't professional at all to call him an idiot, but it was said with a smirk and familaritiy - seeing as she had seen Dylan many times now.

[grinningdevils]

"Unfortunate? Some might say lucky," Dylan snickers, his inflated sense of self shining through the sarcasm. All for show of course - his real opinion of himself could not be more hateful if he tried. Sad little street rat, parading around like he's actually worth something, having to pretend like he's Gods gift to, well everybody. "Are you really gonna let your stubbornness win over your fuckin' hatred for me?" He asks, incredulous at the fact Natalie has remained rooted in place. He takes another step - so close now that her breath tickles his cheek when she exhales. "How 'bout now?"

Stubbornness was deeply embedded within her. She had been resilient and obstinate her entire life. It was a trait she inherited from her mother. She missed the woman dearly, but she never talked about that or her father. No. She wasn't some weak, pathetic little wreck. She knew who she was. Gaze narrowed at him as she still refused to move. She wouldn't get closer, but she wouldn't create any distance. It seemed neither of them were willing to budge, and having him so up close made it extremely difficult for her to ignore the fact that he was attractive. "Do you make a habit of becoming a human door with everyone you come across? Or am I just that unfortunate? Why should I move? I was here first."

[grinningdevils]

Stella smiles in earnest, stirring her spoon idly in her coffee. She does hope the younger brunette utilises her offer, but she understands what it's like to be young and determined to fix everything on your own, and also how utterly dangerous it can become. She probably wouldn't have accepted help a few years ago either - and it was a foolish mistake. "Okay great," she nods, the potential of this future partnership becoming more lucrative the more they discreetly talk. It feels strange to conspire like this, but where has doing everything by the book gotten her? More people turn up dead every day at the hands of this gang war, and Stella feels no closer to helping anyone. Maybe it is time to resort to dirtier tactics to clean up the streets of her home. "Out of interest, what else are you working on?"

Sofia had faith in herself, even if things seemed difficult at the moment. She wasn't going to be too careless. At least, she hoped she could commit to that. Sofia nodded at the woman's words, knowing that she was coming from a good place. She had no idea what she was getting into with this new world. She knew she needed to practice caution, hence the reason she had been looking for a place with good security and been more mindful of the things she'd said. "I will," she promised, a slight nod of the head following. She was glad to know she had someone she could rely on, considering this was an entirely new experience for her. She didn't take the time to consider whether or not she was in too far over her head. Sofia just wanted to prove to herself that she was capable of many things. "An anonymous tip can definitely help you with that."

[grinningdevils]

The reception is just as frosty as Eloise assumes it will be. There's no love lost between the pair, yet she feels a fleeting pang of disappointment now hovering over her ex. A brief, historic montage of everything that could have and should have been between them presents itself before her in a cosmic flash; disappearing as soon as it has materialised. Their future, if Dean hadn't been so determined on self-destructing. "Yes I can see that," she clips, giving him a once over. "That's why it looks like you haven't showered in days. Because you're so resilient and capable of caring for yourself." A dispirited pout forms as she tosses her hair over her shoulder. A signature habit by now, when she's at her most petulant. "Well I'm here for an entirely different reason. Seeing you is just an unfortunate accident."

Dean had spent many nights at the alibi central. He was a regular and he knew that being a regular at a bar was not a good thing. He shouldn't have been there, he should've been anywhere else trying to be a decent person, but he just wasn't interested in growth. Eloise was not a face he thought he'd see there, so she had caught him entirely off guard. His gaze narrowed at the blonde before he finished off his drink, attempting to keep himself relaxed. He didn't want to deal with her, but he was too stubborn to be the bigger person and walk away. "It must be rather embarrassing to be so bored and out of place in here that you've gotta resort to annoying your ex boyfriend," he remarked. "What can I say? I'm resilient and capable of caring for myself," he stated before shrugging.

[grinningdevils]

closed for @honeyedsins

location: amara's place

As an only child, Eloise could not quite relate to the pain of losing a sibling - however troubled that sibling happened to be. Still, it is only appropriate as a friend to the Gallos to check in on the siblings. Griffin she knows couldn't care less (it wouldn't have been beneath him to have been part of it, knowing him), and Gavin is probably cursing the treachery most foul. A process of elimination that lands the blonde at Amara's front door, holding a bunch of flowers to express her condolences. Traitor or not, a sister is still a sister. Eloise has enough of a heart to at least comprehend that. She knocks daintily on the front door and takes a step back expectantly, wearing her most sympathetic smile and tapping her foot in anticipation to be greeted.

[grinningdevils]

"Still cute though, in any case," Eloise shrugs, undeterred by the assessment as she removes her coat and settles into the seat. It's quieter than the blonde would like, everyone in the bar easily accounted for at a quick glance and a certain air of solemnity among them like they're drinking to drown their sorrows, rather than to raise their spirits. "Well yes I suppose you're correct but look at you, compared to me." Eloise tosses of lock of blonde hair behind her shoulder. "You have a... looming quality about you. And besides, I always sit where you're sitting. You should be grateful that I'm so graciously allowing you to stay."

"Your attitude isn't as cute as you want it to be." Reyan replied with a bored expression. He took a sip of his drink and sighed. "It is perfectly acceptable to ask why someone would pick a seat beside someone when there is an entire section free. If I did the same to you, I would guarantee you would be asking something similar."

[grinningdevils]

"Well it could be, next time." It's a beige statement, delivered with an edge that makes it feel more like a threat. Dylan has no delusions about his role here - he's a foot soldier at best, expendable when the time comes. Unless he can succumb to the Ghost Rider ideology and lose himself in the process. Either way, he's bound for death. "You should know your brother well enough to know that he's not gonna let that shit slide. Surely you can see what's comin', D. Only one way this shitstorm ends. But I know you'll do what's best for you and get far away from here before it all burns down." He sneers at the brunette, delivering the jab, but internally it's a warning. A plea, almost. Get the fuck out of here. Don't die for this; for us. Leave that to me, I'll finish the job.

"Of course you'd say that," Dylan mutters under his breath, watching her rise hastily. However, as he glances through her to the customers reclined lazily in their booths, he can see that a few eyes have torn away from the girls and to them at the bar. Their window has closed yet Dylan feels no lighter, still weighed down by a lifetime's worth of insults and confessions he needs to purge. Shaking his head, he pretends to ring up the bill, busying himself with the register while he talks. "I just told you I wouldn't say nothin'. So I guess you're just gonna have to trust me with your life now. Doesn't feel good does it?"

[grinningdevils]

Stella sits cross-legged on the floor of Iris' living room, back resting against the foot of the couch. Long nights hunched over case files have seen her become a frequent customer of the Arby's near her place, and the sight of all the food laid out in front of her almost makes her eyes well up. A gentle reminder that she really should start taking better care of herself. Get her shit together. Everyone around her seems to be able to manage, why can't she?

"Ugh you're a godsend, you know that?" Stella sighs, suddenly aware of her weariness as she reaches out for one of the glasses, wasting no time it pouring a glass for Iris and then herself. "Yeah, insane is one word for it," she replies, eyeing the red liquid as it fills. "I've missed you too. Catch me up on well, everything."

@grinningdevils

LOCATION: iris' place, evening. FOR: stella cardenas.

THERE WAS IRIS' LIFE in the syndicate headquarters, and then there was her life outside of it. at least -- iris hoped things would remain that way. the longer this war raged on, she found those boundaries getting closer and closer to crossing over. stella was one of the closest people she had in her life, and while she knew stella was damn capable of protecting herself, the last thing iris wanted was for her to get wrapped up in something she didn't need to. thus, a girls night was exactly what they both needed. fingers curl around the stems of two wine glasses, while another holds a freshly popped bottle of red. a wide variety of food was spread out across the table. " there's more where this came from, stel. " iris smiles gently, placing the glasses down before taking her seat. " i know things have been insane lately... i've really missed you. "

[grinningdevils]

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