██ ( ✖ ) Good Intent (uc/a)

[Nightmares_Shadow13]

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𝔐𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔰 ℜ𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢
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Another day had bit the dust. Another day, trying to prospect a job, a means to be able to stand on his own two feet. One was an absolute bust. He even got shot at, which made his other couple interviews a little shaky. He had stumbled on his English more than he had recently after that crazy club owner shot at him. Fortunately, the old lady at the bakery seemed really nice and to understand. Russell couldn't tell for sure if he would be given a job, but it was just nice to have someone be a bit nicer to him. He hadn't been able to meet with the owner of the flower shop, although he had put in an application and hoped that he would be able to interview for the job, but for now, all he wanted to do was get home and relax for a little bit. He needed to relax and breathe. He didn't even know what he was going to tell Adam if he asked how the job hunt went today. He couldn't just tell him that the crazy lady shot at him and threatened him, but he couldn't lie either. Letting out a small sigh, the German continued walking down the street towards Adam's house. He had already untied his tie, but left it around his neck. He had learned better than to walk down the street of this neighborhood looking too well kept. He learned that lesson the hard way the first week he had moved in with Adam. It wasn't pleasant, but at least he didn't have anything for those people to steal when they attempted to mug him.

Shaking the thought from his head, Russell continued walking down the street until the house came within sight. The sun was setting, the street lamps were being turned on, everything peaceful and quiet. Occasionally a dog bark could be heard down the street, but nothing out of the ordinary. Getting to the mailbox, the blond checked to see if there was any mail and frowned to see nothing. Normally there was one bill or junk letter. Of course, as he walked up the driveway, Adam's car was still gone, signifying to the German that Adam must still be working. It wasn't all that much of a shock. He was rarely home at normal hours of the day. As he rummaged through his pockets to find his keys, the blond could have sworn he heard footsteps, which caused his eye brows to furrow before shrugging it off and unlocking the front door, stepping into the main entry way and locking the door behind him. He slowly walked into the house, turning on some of the lights as everything seemed in place. Walking to the kitchen, he grabbed a kettle and was about to make some tea when he noticed the kitchen door was unlocked. Normally Adam made sure the house was locked up and secure. Did something happen that Russell wasn't aware of? He then heard footsteps again, this time he knew they were in the house. "Allo? Adam? Are you home?" The sound was coming from Adam's bedroom. He was a bit cautious as he knew he wouldn't be able to fight if it were an intruder, but he also couldn't let the intruder get away, if it was one.

Carefully, Russell made his way to the bedroom to see some blond haired man standing there. Nothing seemed out of place, which was strange to him. Why break in on someone's home and not take anything? Standing there in the doorway for a minute, the German blinked, trying to think of something to say, hoping the guy wasn't armed. "Sir, you need leave. This is not your house. I do not want trouble. Please, I will not call cops if you leave now." He tried to use his agreeable nature to talk this man down from any aggression. Because nothing seemed to be gone, there was no reason to call the cops unless this man started to get aggressive or if he ended up trying to break into the house again. He didn't want to be the one to get anyone in trouble if he didn't have to nor did he want any altercations if he could avoid it.

OOC: Sorry it's a little bleh.

Sir Leo Portier

[CapelIa]

WHERE: Church of Saint Thomas
WITH: No One

tab tab While the day’s events created a mountain of work for the Los Angeles Police Department, Detective Adam Crane was lucky enough to weasel his way to a night off. Well, as close to a night off as he could possibly get. The vice detective was on his way to the Church of Saint Thomas, a local cathedral about a six-minute drive from his house. Someone happened to steal money from the church's charity box on the same day a favored bar downtown was made the site of an explosion. Everyone, from housewives to veterans, was shaking their fists, more or less at the sudden "decline in ethical stability". It was the city's responsibility to make everything right again. At the police station, the commissioner and the captains delegated tasks, setting the bombing and security downtown as their top priorities. Some departments were short on staff thanks to the deaths and injuries brought about by last night's shootout, so Adam volunteered himself for the simplest gig on the list: the church theft. His argument was simple: he had no business on the bomb case. There were other detectives on the payroll that had superior experience when it came to explosives. That, and he'd already spent the night and most of the morning busting his a** trying to cover up yesterday's mess. He was well liked around the Wilshire neighborhood and could promise to clear the "issue" up, one way or another--and by issue, he referred the unrest, not so much the actual theft. It took some extra lobbying but his persistence was what ultimately granted his wish. Adam was all for working, but even he knew his own limits.

tab tab He parked in a lot a short ways down the avenue from the church. He walked down the street with his head tucked and his hands shoved in his coat pockets. The air quality was poor tonight, so much so that women and children he saw wore either scarves or bandannas around their nose and mouth. He took it to be a bad omen for the night. Even the weather was trying to screw him over. Adam took off his hat as he passed through the church's stone archway and paused to take in the sight. Although the sanctuary was lit and the pews were mostly empty, an eerie haze gave the room a suffocating feel. It was as if a dense raincloud was pressing down on everything and everyone in the church. Then again, his heart felt that way every time he came St. Thomas. Adam sighed and approached the nearest clergyman he saw. "LAPD, I'm here to investigate the theft. Can I see Michael?" he said. He grimaced a second later and corrected himself, "I mean Father Michael. Is he in?" The elderly man looked at him and smiled. He took one of Adam's hands into both of his and shook it gently. "It's good to see you again, Adam," he started. The detective made a face, but resisted his urge to look away. He only stared at the other man until the silence became too awkward for him. "Business as always, I see," the priest sighed. "Well, Brother Michael is in his office. Wait here. It'll only take a moment." Adam smoothed his features and nodded. "Appreciate it." He watched as the priest went off and turned to face the confessional boxes. It'd been a long time since he sat in one. Just looking at it made him feel guilty for nothing and everything all at once. Adam swallowed hard and kept his nose to the ground. The sooner Michael showed up, the sooner he could be on his way.

Sir Leo Portier

[CapelIa]

before the skip: francesco's
with jacob davies & julianne
[mostly a way overdue reply for leo encompassing jacob & ang's lunch. some bits were collab'd]


tab tab Angeline wasn’t familiar with Francesco’s. Her first guess upon being warned about “Maria” was that she was a pretty waitress that had an entertaining crush on him. She couldn’t have been more wrong. The trio entered the café and was instantly greeted by just such a pretty girl Angeline was thinking of. She was blond and friendly with a nice speaking voice, not childish but not deep either. Her speech and body language were too casual to seem interested in Jacob as anything other than a patron, though. Angeline broke her analysis and cracked a wide grin at the greeter’s comment about Jacob sitting alone at the restaurant more often than not. She expected him to be the type to always have a woman on his arm, and if he didn’t have one, he was capable of picking one up quick enough from the streets. Perhaps he wasn’t as sleazy as she’d thought he’d been.

tab tab The waitress greeted them in a language assumed to be Italian. Julianne’s eyebrows shot up at Jacob’s reply, particularly at the word “mama”. She leaned over to her mother and whispered, “His mommy doesn’t know English.” Angeline wrinkled her brows, but didn’t look to scold her daughter for her comment. She glanced at the other couple only to find them in the middle of not an argument, but a heated discussion. It didn’t take much to guess the woman was the Maria he mentioned. The frustration smoothed from Angeline’s face as she thought of how best to answer. “She does, darling. See?” she whispered back. The four of them carried on their separate conversations until Angeline heard herself being addressed. She sat with a smirk on her face, neither confirming nor denying Maria’s speculations of a relationship. She was far more interested in how Jacob’s reactions. The usually cool, collected gentleman seemed embarrassed, frazzled even by the little Italian woman. It was interesting, if not amusing, to see the man in a looser setting. The show began to wind down when Jacob asked for a cup of tea, but Angeline wouldn’t let him get off that easy.

tab tab She extended her hand out to Maria. “You must be Maria. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Angeline. I own a jewelry store just a few streets down. It’s a pleasure meeting you,” she said, introducing herself. If she could tease anything more out of this, she would. “Julianne is my daughter, yes, but I’m curious now as to whether Mr. Davies here has children of his own. If he has any daughters, perhaps they can be Julianne’s playmate?” Maria’s face lit up for a moment, as did Julianne’s, but they both settled down after seeing the look on Jacob’s face. She confessed that he didn’t have any children—at least none that she was aware of—and was content to end the topic then and there.

tab tab Angeline cracked open the wine menu in defeat. She feigned indecision when she was asked for her order, but she’d known what she wanted the second she walked through the door. Her eyes flicked up to Jacob once then looked back down before she spoke. “I’ll start with a glass of wine, from your priciest bottle, and Julianne will have lemonade,” she said. Francesco’s wasn’t the most expensive place in town, but that didn’t matter much to her. She was prepared to take advantage of the rare kindness of being taken out to lunch by her rival. "And to eat, I think I'll have the fettuccine carbonara," she said. She looked to Julianne who was resting her chin in her hand, "Macaroni and cheese."

tab tab Maria left the table to fetch their drinks. As if on cue, Jacob proceeded to make excuses for the little act. Angeline kept her attention on the menu, seeming only to be half listening to him. Julianne ignored him as well, although a different purpose. She was too busy staring at a man who’d just walked in. It wasn’t an act of rudeness on Angeline’s part, so much as strategy. Jacob wasn’t the type of man she liked to give her full attention to for extended durations. He was conceited, rude, overconfident. Ignoring him every now and then left a subtle message that her world did not, and would not, revolve around him. “I can see she is not your mother,” Angeline finally said. It offended her somewhat that he would think she’d make the connection that Maria was his mother. That said, Angeline couldn’t hold too much against him for being defensive. It was clear that the man was more than embarrassed by her actions. Being a family person herself, she could understand the motherly urge to spoil and smother children. She could also understand the painful social consequences of a child outgrowing public displays of affection.

tab tab Jacob continued on about how the lunch date was precisely that: a date. Angeline wasn’t sure she bought it given all the drama the night before, but she wouldn’t call him out on it just yet. She shook her head at his complaint about not serving him breakfast in bed. “I never have and I never will,” she said, laughing gently. “Mr. Davies, a meal prepared in my kitchen is a luxury not even you can afford.” Julianne looked up at Jacob with a proud, condescending smile. One could only guess what sort of remark she had waiting at the tip of her tongue. Angeline gave a sly smirk. She absentmindedly pushed a pea around her plate and tilted her head. “Maybe if you had more to offer besides witty conversation and the occasional laugh.” She quirked a brow as if to egg him into her challenge. It was little jabs like these that kept things interesting between the two of them.

tab tab Jacob excused himself from the table just then to take a call. Julianne took the opportunity to tug her mother’s sleeve. Her eyes were fixed on another restaurant guest, the same one she was staring at earlier. “Look. He’s so big, just like Mr. Pryce. Is that his brother?” she said. Angeline stopped and looked over to see a rather large male who was either a bodybuilder, a veteran, or up to no good. Julianne recently came into the habit of auto-assuming that every exceptionally tall male with a muscular build had to be related to an acquaintance of theirs. One week ago, Angeline enrolled her daughter in a day of self-defense lessons at a gym in Hollywood while she settled some business out of town. When it was time to pick her up, Julianne couldn’t stop chatting about her instructor, Mr. Pryce, and how strong he was. It amused Angeline to see her daughter attach to him. She wasn't sure if it was a child-crush or if he filled some desire within her to from her life. Either way, she would file the moments away to later embarrass her with.

tab tab The two received their entrees by the time Jacob was finished with his call; however instead of returning to their table, he made a beeline to the Pryce lookalike. Angeline’s interest in the stranger heightened. Her dark gaze examined him piece by piece as shamelessly as her daughter had until she finally had her fill. Her conclusion was that, while handsome, the man seemed a little too old for her personal liking. There was potential in him to be a guard position at Harvey’s, but little else. “No, I don’t think they’re brothers, but you never know,” she said. She lifted her glass from the table to down a swig of wine. “I want a brother.” Julianne mumbled. Angeline choked on her water and was glad Jacob wasn’t around to see. She brought a napkin up to her mouth as she coughed and cleared her throat. “But then you would have to share, darling. You don't want to have to share your things everyday, do you?" Julianne's brows sank as she considered her mother's words. As much as she wanted companionship, she wouldn't have it at the cost of her material things. "Eat up. We still have errands to run and we can't wait on Mr. Davies all day.”

tab tab Both Angeline and Julianne were well into their meals when Jacob returned. Neither one made a fuss about his taking so long, but Angeline did raise a brow at the mention of the tavern. Something in the vein of happiness filled her as she thought of McConnell’s being blown to bits. A mangy thief who often targeted Bijoux frequented the bar. He was a gutsy little urchin she could stand to do without, with greasy blonde hair an almost indecipherable accent. All Angeline could think was “good riddance” if luck would place the man in or near the blast. ”Unfortunate,” she said, to avoid being rude. The lack of compassion in her voice was clear as day. Before Jacob took a bite of his food, he took the table by surprise and blurted a confession of his true purpose. Angeline smirked as she listened in a smug manner as if to say “I told you so.” She sat up a little straighter, if it were possible, and crossed her legs beneath the table. She continued to eat her meal, but the air at the table took a noticeable change.

tab tab “Secrets are not my business, Mr. Davies,” she said as she twirled pasta noodles in the curve of a spoon. “I attribute a large portion of my success to the fact my girls and I don’t go sniffing through our clients’ dirty laundry. It can be dangerous.” Angeline raised her fork to her mouth and chewed in silence. She watched Jacob as she weighed her options in her head then swallowed when she decided. “First, give me the names of the persons you are interested in and a general idea of what kind of information you are seeking. After that, I will tell you if it can be done and name my conditions.” She already knew the price she would ask for the service. There was a particular block within his jurisdiction downtown that she’d been eyeing for months. A new movie theater would be opening soon and she wanted to capitalize on it.

tab tab Jacob raised his eyebrow and smirked, seeing his lovely guest acting very professional but allowing him to maintain her audience. He placed his fork down gently before unscrewing the cap off his pen, scribbling down the list of names he could remember from the night before. The alarms were blaring, emotions were high, the sprinkler system nearly destroyed the document, but he focused on the names not blurred by the water. It was shorter than he wanted, but for now it would do, because any evidence on the Kings would be worth its weight in gold. He paused a moment and scribed two more names in addition, for his own curiosity. He slid the paper over to Angeline when he was finished.

tab tab I don't expect this to be a frugal endeavor, but any and all information would be greatly appreciated because I know it is of considerable risk, all except Crane. He's... not telling the truth about his station, so with him, whatever contacts he has, what he does in the club, etc. Schouler... I think even you know how corrupt he is, so definitive evidence of a crime, bribery, assault, the like. The others, all I can say is that I need something powerful enough to be granted a chat with them in person. I want them to feel vulnerable, enough for blackmail."

tab tab Angeline skimmed the names as she listened to him speak. Her brows knit themselves for a moment but she kept her expression smooth, otherwise. There were several people she couldn’t recognize on the list coupled with a few anyone living in LA would know in a heartbeat. She couldn’t imagine why Jacob would need to blackmail anyone on the list but she also knew it wasn’t her place to ask. “I can only help you with three of these: Miss Laughlin, Mr. Schouler, and Adam.” There was reluctance in her voice as she spoke Adam’s name. She had an attachment to the cop, but she wasn’t above doing what was best for business—for the right price. “In return, I want two things. First, I want to be able to post my girls on the block at 6th and Oliver, where the new theatre is being built. No dealers. No accidents. No trouble.” She gave him a serious look and turned back to her meal. “The second thing I want from you is an open favor. That way I know who to call when Julianne needs a clown for her birthday party.” Jacob smiled, but didn't have any objections. He nodded his head, urging her to continue while he ate.

tab tab “Mr. Schouler and Miss Laughlin will take time. I can tell you all I know about Adam right now. We used to talk a few years ago, but he's stopped visiting me. I've seen him around town and by the looks of things, I doubt much has changed since then... It’s true that he sometimes dirties his hands with little favors and deals, here and there. I'm not sure about the extent of it, but I do know that he does these things because Mr. Schouler tells him to." She paused and kicked her foot beneath the table as she thought. "It would be better to pry the commissioner. I have had the feeling that he might be blackmailing Adam... Whatever it is, it's important enough for Adam to chose it over his wife.” Jacob looked up, surprised. "Yes, he was married. I've never seen the woman before and he refuses to talk about her. I'm sure you could find out about her in whatever records are kept for those things," she said, waving her hand as if the matter was trivial to her.

tab tab The rest of their lunch was filled with more casual conversation. The topics were kept light and ranged from general gossip to current events. Even Julianne chimed in with her own additions every so often. The mother-daughter duo enjoyed themselves so much that they sat for a few minutes even after the bill was paid. It was Angeline who made the move to leave after being reminded of the time. She gave Jacob an informal hug in parting. Julianne avoided shaking his hand, but the playful smile she wore reassured him that she meant no ill will. Girls will be girls, after all.


“Sir Leo Portier”

short ending & lazy new layout since this post is so massive.

[Sir Leo Portier]

♣ ═════╣ Angus McGuiness ╠═════ ♣
♠ Freelance Locksmith ♠

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
x ♥ Location: » Detective Crane’s Home
x ♥ I'm with: » Russell
x ♥ My disposition: » Anxious
x ♥ My thoughts: » Stay calm, be quiet, you’ll be fine.
x ♥ I'm wearing: » White Button-up, Black slacks, Suspenders, Leather Coat
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McGuiness was getting ready to leave, feeling a bit disappointed; both in the fact that Adam had little dirty laundry and that the only thing that was worth something was very sentimental. He turned out the corner of the bedroom, only to see light pour through the open front door, casting a shadow of a figure as well. Angus quickly turned back into the detective’s room and hurried to try and find a way out. He cursed under his breath, forgetting to double check his surroundings to see if anyone was coming. No one could be heard approaching, so the thief took the opportunity to move to the window and tried to open it. It looked filthier than the grimy wallpaper, as if it hadn’t been opened in ages. What was worse, was the fact that the paint seemed to be adhered to the runner, essentially jamming the window closed. He didn’t want to take the risk of breaking the glass, getting cut by it and being caught, so he moved back to the closet to think of another strategy. He hoped that the assumed detective would have to use the bathroom and the blonde could sneak out then, but all those hopes were dashed when he heard a name called out. "Allo? Adam? Are you home?" Not only did that mean the person wasn’t the police officer who owned the place, but they were coming right that way. The locksmith quickly took a winter scarf off a coat hanger and began to wrap it around his head, trying to minimize any appearance this person could use to identify him with. He tucked the excess tails of the scarf down onto his chest and zipped up his coat hastily, pleased that the only thing visible was his eyes. He turned around and was surprised a bit, seeing the person already standing there in the doorway and that the person was also a dainty boy. "Sir, you need leave. This is not your house. I do not want trouble. Please, I will not call cops if you leave now." The accent was a dead giveaway that this was a German confronting the thief at the moment, since Angus had seen hundreds of them around while being processed through Ellis Island, during The Great War. It was strange that this young person just so happened to be another displaced foreigner, yet called this place home. This was a bit of information that McGuiness had no problem reporting to the gym owner. Knowing he had no other options and that hopefully this person would hold to their word, the blonde thief silently nodded and his hands relaxed, also preferring to avoid conflict if at all possible.

He slowly moved passed the German fellow and moved faster while going down the hallway, heading straight for the back door, the way he came. He opened the door and quickly removed scarf, throwing it behind him as he sprinted as fast as he could out of the yard, not turning back so the house guest had no chance to see his face. Anonymity was of the highest importance and he always tried to remain unseen during a job, but settled for second best when discovered. After deftly hopping over a neighbors fence, he continued to run quickly, though was introduced to a large dog in the yard. The Irishman did his best to pay little mind since someone following him would have more consequence than the canine springing into action to protect its territory and home. The pickpocket burst through a hedge and ran down the block, hearing the steady barking of the overweight dog getting further away with every few steps he took. Glancing over his shoulder with just his eyes revealed that he had successfully evaded the German and the mutt, so the thief slowed his pace down and headed in the direction of his borrowed car. Reaching the little shop the vehicle was parked across the street from, named Dolly’s Bakery, Angus looked inside the window and examined the glass display cases, still partially filled with sweets and delectables that only made his stomach churn and grumble loudly. He hadn’t eaten all day and hopefully with payment upon delivery, he could enjoy a filling meal. Grimacing knowing that he had to wait longer; he turned away and took a few steps before noticing a familiar man walking towards him. He furrowed his brows trying to peer under the mysterious man’s fedora, who in turn, returned a bright eyed smile. It was an old friend the Irishman met at a church, getting some free soup and warmer clothes, ones the locksmith still wore to this day. At close inspection, the associate had on a good charcoal wool three piece suit, but the man’s hair seemed greasy and the face a little grimy, as if he hadn’t washed in weeks. “Oh shite, it’s just you Rich. Had me worried some cop was just gonna slap irons on me wrist. The fuhk are you doin’ in that foppish suit anyway? Thought all ye could afford were handouts at the church. Someone aunt went tits up on ya, Richie?”



♦ OoC: » Working on the others to get them out.

[Nightmares_Shadow13]

╔═════════════════════════╗
𝔐𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔰 ℜ𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢
╚═════════════════════════╝



Well today had been eventful, and not necessarily in the good way. Travis had shown up late. Fortunately he had shown up, but he showed up with someone who had caused a large distraction for the employees and the press seemed to try to strongarm their way into the club. Elise didn't have anything against Sharon Katz, but she wished that, of all the days, she would not have come to the club today. The club was popular enough as it was, they didn't need anymore publicity. And then of course there were her employees asking for autographs and some of the men were even trying to woo the actress. It got to the point where Elise had to step in and not be her nice and understanding self. As far as she had been concerned, Sharon Katz was just another person. She had fame but that didn't mean that she was royalty or anything to be praised non-stop. And from the looks of it, the starlit didn't seem to enjoy all the attention. She could tell that this was going to be a long day. She just hoped to get it done and over with.

Up to this point the club had definitely been swinging. The band had held plenty of people's attention as they flooded to the dance floor. Elise had been behind the bar most of the night. While she wasn't nearly as flashy as some of the other bartenders, but she was definitely just as fast and what she lacked in showmanship, she had in speed. Of course, she wasn't able to really hear any juicy gossip. It was a little disappointing, not being about to work on her secondary job, especially since there were some of the big players there at the club that night. Everyone was there to see The Elevators. Of course there was still plenty of press there and a few of the vultures had gotten into the club and started pestering her about how her brother knew Sharon Katz. She hadn't even known the two knew each other and as far as she was concerned, if he knew her and if she were his newest girl, that was his business and no one else's. She kept the media at bay, and occasionally getting a couple of the bouncers to throw the press out if they got on her nerves. She couldn't imagine how hard of a time Travis must have been having outside. She almost felt bad for him. Almost. This was his fault though. This was what he got for being involved with a star. The only thing that was on her mind at that moment was survive the night and then crash when she got home. She was already feeling exhaustion pulling at her, but they were far from closing. She just had to breathe and maintain a pleasant enough attitude.

{{It's blah, but I've been having trouble coming up with anything for her. }}