Nights on the Maltese

[lilbooth]

Oliva was used to getting by on little sleep, and today was no different. She was networking most of yesterday and then running dead drops until around two am. Her normal courier got into a motorcycle accident earlier in the week and was out of commission for some time. Olivia had still yet to recruit a new one, but maybe that would change later today... Despite her pitiful three hours of sleep, she sprung from her bed at the sound of her alarm. It was very hard to be groggy and sleepy with such a tune blasting in her room. Once she was up and had slipped on some yoga's and a sports bra she headed down to the gym. The Loft had security guards, aka grunts wearing long-sleeved shirts, posted at every elevator landing. Which would be every floor, but there were a handful of floors that could only be accessed by a VIP panel in the elevator. Or you know any firefighter in the city, but that little tidbit is on the down-low. The lowest earning associates all got guard duty at one point or another, even Olivia when she first started off. She only got trouble from the guards every once and a while. And by trouble, she meant catcalls and general harassment. Olivia was very fit, but not overly strong, so she couldn't overpower just any thug that gives her trouble. But a few phones calls from Olivia can really crush a career in crime.

Once she made it to the gym her next soundtrack kicks in and she hits her workout hard. She cools down with cardio and cycling while she goes through her laundry list of things to do today. During her daily planning though, Eugene called, throwing a wrench in her plans. She was sweaty and sore but ready to press on. Usually, she'd go shower then grab breakfast and be on her way. But she heard that a new dancer had started today, Amanda or Ashley or something along those lines. She decided that she'd go down to get breakfast, stop by the studio to meet this Amanda, go back to her room to shower, maybe with a cute thing in tow, and then get to the meeting. The fastest, and possibly best place, to get breakfast was Sal's down on the ground floor. She left the gym and made her way down. Sal's was run by Uncle Sal. Who's title was honorific, like Grandpa Al. Not every associate was actually related to Sal, just like not all associates had the last name, Alfonsi. Olivia had both. The Uncle Sal was indeed her uncle; her mother's brother. This did earn Olivia some preferential treatment from Sal but that came with its own troubles. You see Sal liked to trade in favors. Sal does you a favor you do Sal a favor Capiche? Well, let's just say Olivia owed the man more than one favor... But he was a kind man and made damn good food. She stepped off the elevator into the building's lobby and walked through the server door to the kitchen. Sal did really love to cook and most mornings you could find him cooking up a storm for the residents of The Loft. He always did a brunch buffet on Sundays but she was a bit early to just sneak through the line. So she went right up to Sal to ask for breakfast.
"Buongiorno Sal, cosa cucini?"

[MiscChaos]

Just because she was told to lay low doesn't mean that she'll stay at home all day. Since shit went down on the Maltese a week ago, she's been out and about having a blast whether with a bed warmers, a few clubs, or a few random killings here and there. She thought about reviving The Scarlet Letter for a bit, but figured that would be the exact opposite of laying low. The police never got any clues as to the identity of TSL and if she committed a few murders under her old M.O that'd likely change given how alert they are at the moment. So she just slaughtered a few pigs who thought she was young, pretty, and therefore obligated to fuck them whether she wanted them or not. She left them somewhere they could pretty easily be found and scattered enough evidence that an easy narrative of a vigilante that punishes rapists. With everything else going on, she imagines the police generally give very low priority to someone doing their job for them. She made is sloppy enough that officers should assume it's an amateur anyway.

But that took up a lot of her night last night so she turned in rather late. And she's made it rather well known she doesn't work on Sundays so she straight up ignores the call that comes in. If they can't respect her off time, she doesn't give a damn what they want and if they push the issue she's gonna kill them. Unfortunately her attempts to go back to sleep is interrupted by the one person she wouldn't kill for the crime of waking her up. "Mom, I say this with all the love in my black little heart. Fuck off." She knows that won't work and she knows her Nea won't take offense since this is a pretty normal interaction between the two of them. This is proven by the fact her Mom railroads over her words and instead plays the message that she missed earlier when she yelled at the holophone she wears as a wrist bracelet to fuck off. Which is an actual command she has that sends the call straight to voicemail. Annnnd there goes her day off. When Boss tells her to have her ass somewhere, she has her ass somewhere. Given the forces behind K.K., even Ali is wary of pissing the woman off. Oh, she'll creatively interpret orders and fulfill them in ways that amuse her, but she doesn't go too far with it and she completes the order to avoid angering K.K.

With a sigh, she lifts the covers off of herself and goes about getting ready for the day. She doesn't bother feeling embarrassed over the fact that means her adoptive mother is viewing her naked body. The woman guided her through puberty and has seen her in almost every state of undress she can think of. It's just not worth it to hide anything from her. Well, that and there was a long while in her hormone riddled days when... well, Nea was a strong, smart woman who had proven that she could take care of herself and anything Ali could throw at her. It didn't help that the lady is absurdly beautiful. So she might have had a crush on her mother. And came to the thought of being with her more than once. Compared to that, the woman seeing her naked is nothing. "I know it probably has to do with the bullshit I got mixed up in on the Maltese, but do you know if anything else is on the agenda? There's somethings I'd rather not be surprised by." She asks Nea as she gathers her clothes to get dressed for the day. She should also grab her guns and her knife and have them ready to go as well. K.K doesn't call frivolous meetings after all. She's gonna wanna be prepared for anything she could be ordered to do. "Also, are you gonna be my ride? Or am I going to have to arrange something else?" She should really know the answer before she hops in the shower, so she waits for Nea's response at the edge of the room.

[Blue56]

Drunk Hal had forgotten to close the curtains again, Sober Hal learned as the sun hit her face that morning. No big deal though, that was pretty common and nothing pulling the sheets over her head couldn't fix. That annoying noise was a tougher problem though, she thought with a groan as she shoved her head as far under her pillow as she could and tried to wait it out. But no, it just kept getting louder and louder and- fuck that was her Holophone! Hal wore hers on her wrist like a watch, something that made covering her ears to drown out the ringer a futile effort but that worked out in her favor in this particular case. The violet hologram popped out from her wrist as she finally answered the call and surpressed another groan as she heard an all too familiar voice. It was Eugene calling her in on her day off and he sounded about as happy with her as usual, which was to say not happy at all. "Be there with bells on, sir." Hal replies, voice raspy from just having woken up, before the call ends and she promptly leaps out of bed to get moving. Don't waste time? It pissed her off since she knew he wouldn't have said that to anybody else, but she was resolved to get there early now to prove him wrong. She had no problems charming every other Alfonsi she'd met, but for some reason Eugene had it out for her and if she had to work double time now to change that and take it easy later, then that was effort well spent in Hal's mind.

Luckily she had an advantage this morning in getting ready to go, namely that she hadn't changed out of her suit when she got home last night and just passed out in bed instead. All she had to do was throw on a different tie, smooth out the wrinkles, and she was good to go! Before anything else though, her head was pounding and she was parched, only natural to be hungover with how much whiskey she'd drank last night. Hal grabbed a bottle of water out of her tiny fridge, no way in hell was she drinking the tap water in this shithole part of town, and got hydrated while she got everything else ready. Her safe sat next to the workstation that took up the majority of her tiny home, accessible only by retina scan and voice ID. Inside, she kept the ledger in which she recorded all of her deals both personal and for the Alfonsi family which she grabbed and placed inside the briefcase that sat atop the safe. Next, her attention turned to the workbench covered in what Hal believed was organized chaos. Hal could only sigh as she looked at all the projects she had intended to work on today, guns, busted up holophones, machine parts, PCs. It was harder work now that she doing it for real and wasn't fixing it up just long enough to sell, but scamming people under the Alfonsi name was something that had been made clear from day one as unacceptable in the family's eyes. Still, fixing up junk had become something of a hobby of hers and selling it on the side to supplement her funds was always nice, not to mention a good way to keep her salesmanship skills sharp for work, something she desperately needed with all the shit jobs Eugene kept sending her way. From the table, she grabbed her trusty Alfonsi Special and her Shock pistol that she had freshly tuned up and put those in her briefcase as well. Not that she ever really wanted to use them, but it made for a great intimidation factor should she need to talk her way out of a tough situation and she had a feeling that the Boss didn't want to have her over for tea. No, it had been a week since shit went down on the Maltese and with the Boss's daughter left dead, Hal had a bad feeling that things were gonna get even more violent than they already had. She had been lucky enough to be stuck doing work for Eugene, though she hadn't felt so lucky missing out on the big event at the time but finding out she had avoided a bloodbath changed her tune pretty quick.

No sense worrying about all that now though, Hal had to focus on getting there before 9 first. Looking in the mirror, she already had her dark purple suit jacket and tie on over her violet button up shirt. She slid on her usual pair of violet tinted shades as well, to help hide her bloodshot baggy eyes. Finally she quickly brushed her messy blonde hair and sprayed on a nice fragrant perfume and bam! Instant presentable business woman. Now that she was ready to go, she just had to bundle up in her warm black coat and white gloves, and last but not least, light up a cig for the road and she would be on her way. First stop was a dive down the street, nothing special but it was cheap and right on her way to HQ. A greasy breakfast of bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee was just what she needed to help with her hangover and since she lived close enough, she felt confident she had time to do just that and still make it to Boss with time to spare.

[CondorBoH]

She kept her eyes squeezed shut for a good thirty seconds, hoping that the ringing was just part of a dream. But as with all things, it turned out that she was awake and due for a rude awakening. Rolling over and pressing 'Answer' on her holo, Rosella was ready to shout some obscenities until she heard that god damned voice.

UG.
That creepy fucker. Of course, the Boss probably wanted to get anyone involved in that fucking disaster the other day checked over. Wish it could wait a little bit longer though, like at least to 12. The bouncer sighed, sitting up and looking down at herself. Bullet holes were gone, healed up by good ol' med juice. Though not quite fully gone, as Rosella winced as she ran a hand over her sore abdomen. Maybe this is why UG sticks to hiding in his room, being a paranoid fuck. Don't have to worry about recovering from being shot.

Another sigh.
"Fuckin' hell."
With that, she rolled over and sat up. Best to get there early, rather than late. She wasn't in the mood for weights this morning, so it was down to some cereal and a much needed shower. Thank fuck the milk was still good, but the state of her cupboard at the moment was a nagging reminder to go shopping. Living alone meant having to actually take care of the place you live, but still...
Brush teeth, wash up, clear the kitchen, yada fuckin' yada. Life. How quaint. If it weren't for the guns stashed under her sink a visitor would think she was a normal protein junky in this place.

Rosella set a timer when she went into the shower. To keep to UG's asinine schedule, there was that. But mainly she wanted to stick in the shower for a while. Letting the water wash over her was nice, pleasant and calming. Letting the sweat fall away. Maybe she got a little into the whole 'relaxing shower' bit, as Rose slowly moved her hands over herself, squeezing and stroking her more sensitive parts. And just as she was about to start for real, finger just about to delve into her folds... the alarm went off.
Moment killer. Probably for the best.

A few minutes later, Rosella was out the door. Fresh suit, not covered in blood and holes, and her new weird as fuck shield stashed in. No Kevlar today.
Checking her holophone and remembering the route to HQ, she figured she could get there with about 10 minutes to spare. If traffic didn't fuck her over.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Just a few hours ago...

It wasn't exactly morning yet. The sun was just starting to raise over the horizon, so it was maybe... 6 AM. Raelia was rolled up in her blankets in bed, which was her clear attempt to stay warm in the winter's night/morning. But unbeknownst to her, she had an unexpected guest visiting... her door creaked open slowly, and a figure slowly stalked into the room, making sure to close and lock the door behind herself. The dark figure creeped up to Raelia's bed and loomed over her. The sleeping girl, for her part, had blearily opened her eyes when she heard the floorboards creak with weight, but she was suddenly shocked by a hand rushing to cover her mouth and a familiar pink-haired young woman entered her vision. "Shhh!" She put a finger to her lips, with a glare sent Raelia's way. "Don't cry now, Stupid Rae. It's just Santa Claus."

Or rather, it was Lia, dressed in her normal clothes and looking nothing like Santa Claus. She kept her hand over her younger sister's mouth. "Now, I'm gonna move my hand, and if you know what's good for you, you'll keep quiet. Blink twice if you agree."

Raelia, dressed in her light pink bra and panties, was confused as to why Santa Clause looked exactly like Lia, but suspected that it may have been the work of the Mole People, she expects this kind of evil from a people as dastardly as they. Believing she understood the situation now, she blinked seven times, because she has no idea how to count, and was eager to hear what Santa Claus' business was.

"... It's still a wonder to me how you're so stupid." Lia shook her head in utter contempt for her younger sister, then moved her hand back to let her speak. "I mean it. You so much as raise your voice above a whisper and you will regret it." Ignoring her for now, Lia reached for Raelia's blankets and proceeded to remove them roughly, throwing them onto the ground easily enough. The cold air immediately blew onto Raelia's skin as she'd done so.

This visit of hers wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Sometimes Lia would show up in the dead of night with some steam to blow off and take it out on poor Raelia, and though she came later, it didn't seem like this time was any different. "Do you know what we'll be doing this time, Stupid Rae? I'll let you guess." She smirked haughtily, pulling out a... big red bag.

Raelia shivered as the covers were pulled off of her, but did her best to ignore the cold. She wrapped her arms around her chest to try to warm herself up at least a little, as she watched Lia pull out a big red bag. "Uh we have a secret mission to save Christmas?" she asked, following it up with "Also, did the mole people change you to look like Lia? How does Mrs Claus feel about that? Did it reduce your age?" and during her barrage of questions, she grabbed her pillow and hugged it, since the blankets were out of reach.

Lia reached over to grab the pillow and wrench it from Raelia's hands, throwing it away with the blankets. "No. And I'm not Santa Claus, that was a joke you little... whatever." She opened the bag and pulled out a small pocket knife, then reached over to Raelia's shoulders and held her down while her knife went to the girl's bra. She roughly cut the undergarment in half, the knife also leaving a shallow cut on Raelia's skin, and she grabbed the remains of the bra to throw it away.

"I'm here, dear sister, because I'd like to work off some steam and I figured you'd be willing to help me out again. After all, that's what you're good for." The knife moved to her panties, and with expert precision, the last piece of clothing Raelia had on was ripped and thrown away.

Raelia whined as the pillow was pulled away, then started to cover herself with her arms again, but Lia grabbed her and held her down before she could. "H-hey, Santa, I like that br- ow!" she says, as quietly as she can, even managing to quiet down her cry of pain as Lia cut her between her breasts, a bit of blood trickling from the shallow wound.

As Lia cut away her panties, she whimpered "H-hey, I like those too..." she whined, as her panties were thrown to the side, then she tried to cover herself with her arms.

Lia smiled sweetly at the pitiful attempt, apparently also pleased by her sister's discomfort. "You don't need them. Stupid girls like you don't deserve nice things." She let Raelia try to cover herself for the moment as her attention was directed to her bag of bad things. From it, she pulled out handcuffs, candles, a whip, a... vibrator — she just seemed to have a lot of different toys in her bag. With the handcuffs, Lia grabbed onto Raelia's wrists and restrained her to her bed posts, then afterwards, she looked to her toys placed on the bed. "Next is..."

The sadist then grabbed the candles and her lighter, an old-fashioned classic, and placed the candles onto the bedside table before lighting them. Then, she pulled out... nipple clamps, it seemed. But futuristic nipple clamps that matched up with the times! They were magnetic pieces of metal with adjustable grip. Lia's favorites. "Do you remember these, Stupid Rae? You do, right?" She waved them tauntingly.

She let out a squeak as Lia secured her to the bed posts and struggled against them, despite knowing how this goes. "B-but I've been a good girl this year, Santa..." she whined, then when she saw the nipple clamps, she looked at them in confusion, her memory was terrible "F-fridge magnets?" she asked, sheepishly, despite a look of fear crossing her face.

"No, Stupid Rae. You haven't been a good girl, and these aren't fridge magnets. You've been a very bad, very stupid girl. You're an idiot, and idiots like you need to be punished... luckily for you, I'm willing to help." Lia decided to play along with her younger sister's delusions a little. She slowly moved the magnetic nipple clamps to Raelia's nipples, and she pressed the clamps down onto them. The tight pinch on such a sensitive place was likely not at all comfortable for the girl. Lia made it worse as she used the toy's magnetic feature to tighten. "You better remember to keep your voice down. I won't tolerate loudness for any reason, or this will only get worse."

With the nipple clamps secured on Raelia's nipples, Lia moved back to her whip. It was a small cat o' nine tails with small metal balls at the tips. Raelia knew from experience that getting hit with those metal balls would leave some painful marks. "Ready for the next part of your punishment?" Her older sister smiled.

When Lia clamps the magnets onto her nipples, she bites her lip to stop herself from crying, but tears still run from her eyes. Despite her biting her lip, her muffled cries of pain can still be heard by Lia. After a few moments of squirming, she settles back down, though her fact is still red. When totally-Santa-Claus raises the whip, Raelia's eyes lock on it immediately "P-please don't hit me with that, Santa..." she whines.

Lia looked to her whip, then to Raelia with a fake look of confusion. "You mean you don't want me to use this? Well, if you insist..." Lia opened her bag once more, and pulled out a... was that a cattle prod? She pressed a button on the device, and a small bolt of electricity shocked through the tips. "I suppose I could use this instead, but I thought you might want to take things a little slow. Would you like the main course then, dear sister?" Lia pressed the cold tips of the metal cattle prod against Raelia's stomach, then slowly rubbed circles around her navel, slowly moving it lower and lower...

A sudden jolt of electricity shocked Raelia for a split second, with the cattle prod just inches away from her pussy. "Oops! Sorry, my finger slipped."

Raelia shook her head vigorously when Lia asked about the whip, then looked in confusion at the cattle prod "Wh-what's that, Santa?" her confusion only lasting until she shocked her with it, at which point she bit her lip until it bled, to keep herself from shrieking in pain.

Lia smiled cruelly as she zapped the girl again, eyes watching her pained expressions with glee. One zap, two zaps, three zaps... she stopped at the fourth, perhaps just taking a break for a moment. "This is the only thing you're good for, Stupid Rae. In every other way, you're useless. You're worse than the garbage I throw away, do you understand? There's no need for people as dumb as you on this planet, but I'm giving you a purpose as my toy so kindly..." One more zap for good measure. "I came late so I can't stay for much longer. Still, I'll make sure to give you the full course before I go."

By the time Lia had finished zapping her, she was crying profusely, and her lip was bleeding from how hard to was biting it to stop herself from screaming. By now, she was watching Lia's hands to see what she was going to do to her next, warily. She started to pull her legs up towards her chest defensively, while trembling from both the cold and fear.

Lia moved towards Raelia's tear-stricken and bloody lipped face, staring closely with amused eyes at the proof of her younger sister's pain. "You look better like this..." She lightly slapped the girl's cheek, then with a deep frown, Lia slapper her harder. "Not that there's much improvement." The pink-haired woman straightened herself and turned to grab the vibrator she'd pulled out earlier. She turned it to its highest setting, then moved it to push into Raelia's pussy, making sure to move the girl's legs so that the toy could move into her smoother. The vibrator was once a simple one you'd see in any store, but in the capable hands of Raelia's older sibling, it became a more... powerful toy — uncomfortably so.

Lia made sure to push it in as far as she could, and as the vibrator was doing its work, her hands were moving to pull down and discard her skirt and panties.

Raelia flinched as she was slapped the first time, then started to say something before being slapped again, letting out a little yelp-like "Ouch!". She saw Lia prepare to push the vibrator into her and started to protest, but she suddenly thrusted it into her, causing her to bite her lip to stop herself from crying out, only muffled cries emanating from her. As the vibrator was left inside her, she let out more whimpers and squirmed on the bed, trying to shake it out of her.

Lia frowned, and moved to push the vibrator back in firmly, then swatted Raelia's breast. "Stop that. If you keep trying... actually, no." Lia smiled, laughing silently to herself. "I'm doing it to keep the Mole People out, Rae. If they see your pussy exposed, they'll rape you."

After saying this blatant lie, Lia stepped onto Raelia's bed and positioned herself to straddle the girl's face. Raelia could see that her older sister's pussy was wet with arousal, likely so from her enjoyment of the girl's pain. Insistently, she pressed herself down on Raelia's mouth. "Lick. And don't screw this up."

Raelia's expression softened only slightly and she started to thank her, but then she seemed to realize something that should have been immediately obvious "B-but you cut them off in the f-" she was cut off as Lia pressed her pussy to her mouth causing her to let out a muffled "Mmmph!". She obediently began licking her sister's pussy while squirming as the vibrator stimulated her pussy.

Lia smiled down at her, pleased by her obedience and her active tongue working. She moved her hand down to grab Raelia's hair and pull it, just for fun every now and again. "Good girl. Do your best, and I might leave you with a fun treat... aren't I so nice?" She rolled her hips, sighing softly in her enjoyment.

Raelia did her best to pleasure Lia, while also wanting to ask Santa Claus how she was doing, but being unable to do so because her mouth was full of pussy. Her lower body also squirmed as her juices started to flow profusely onto her bed, creating a large dark spot on her sheets.

Lia pulled Raelia's hair more, now griping with both hands as she was brought closer to her edge. She'd already gotten warmed up already from seeing her idiotic sister in pain, and now that her needs were being more directly satisfied, it wouldn't be long for her. Soft moans were coming from her every now and again, and she was more aggressively rubbing against Raelia's face, practically riding the girl by now... Lia turned around to see the mess Raelia was making of her bed, and she laughed to herself. "Look at what you did... if only you were smart enough to feel as ashamed of yourself — mmn... a-as you should be..."

Raelia squeaked into her sister's pussy as she pulled her hair, but her cries of pain were mostly drowned out by her folds as she obediently ate her out. In an effort to get her off of her sooner, Raelia began eating her out more vigorously. Her hips start bucking erratically as the vibrating becomes more and more unbearable over time, and her mess on her sheets becomes larger and darker.

Lia closed her eyes and openly moaned out her pleasure, her own movements becoming quicker and more needy as she rode the edge of her orgasm. "Good... good... f-fuck, I'm — I'm..!" The sadist bit her lip harshly and pulled Raelia's head forward as her body began to shake, and feminine cum sprayed out over her younger sister's face. She made sure Raelia couldn't move herself as she came. "Drink it, drink it drink it, drink it you bitch!"

Raelia coughed and swallowed as much of Lia's cum as she could her body still spasming erratically as the vibrator continued inside her, her legs clenching together and rubbing against each other as she continues to try to cope with it.

Lia panted, taking a moment to calm herself down after her climax. She released Raelia and moved off of her, sitting on the edge of the bed as she tried to relax. "Hah... hah... alright, you've earned your reward, Stupid Rae..." After she recovered her breath, Lia stood up off the bed and turned to grab the vibrator currently making a mess of Raelia's pussy. She wiggled it around, then started quickly thrusting it back and forth inside of her sister with a cruel smile.

Raelia bit her lip to muffle her squeaks and cries of pleasure, her entire body shaking as her sister rammed the vibrator in and out of her, causing her pussy to make sloshing sounds, and her thighs to fidget as she got closer and closer to orgasm.

Suddenly, all too soon, Lia pulled the vibrator out of Raelia's soaked pussy, tauntingly shaking it in the air. "Aah aah~" She smiled. "Wastes of space like you don't get to cum. You're fine with just staying like this, right? After all, the sun'll be rising shortly and I think my dearest Aesha may be waking up soon..." She moved the used toy to Raelia's mouth and shoved it in there, then she went about packing up her stuff, including her sister's underwear, making sure there'd be no trace of her presence. "Clean that off for me. I don't want anything from you on my favorite toy."

Raelia didn't look so much disappointed, as confused by Lia's sudden stop. She started to ask whether or not she was going to uncuff her, but her question was cut off before it could start by the vibrator being jammed into her mouth, leading to the question coming out as just a confused "Mmmph?". As she saw Lia packing up, she started to panic, but everything she was saying just came out as more muffled 'mmph'ing.

Lia huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. I won't leave you like this, no matter how much I'd like to. We have to keep our nightly excursions a secret, dear sister." She pulled the vibrator out of the girl's mouth and threw it into the bag. Then she pulled out a key... but paused for a moment. "Actually... I think I may have something else that may be a little more fun, before I go." Lia went back into her bag and pulled out a smaller egg-shaped vibrator. She looked at it for a moment, then moved to push it into Raelia's pussy. "You couldn't understand what this would do so I won't bother to explain it... but it'll be fun. Don't even think about trying to get it out though, or you'll be in for a nasty shock." Now she's uncuffing her.

When the vibrator was removed from her mouth, she coughed several times, then began breathing heavily "You keep calling me sister, am I related to Santa Claus?" she asked, just before Lia pushed the other vibrator inside her, causing her to grunt softly "Ungh. Is that supposed to keep the Mole People from raping me, too, Santa?" she asked as she uncuffed her.

"Yes, yes... you idiot. That's exactly what it's supposed to do." Lia sighed in exasperation, and put the handcuffs in her bag. She then remembered the nipple clamps and proceeded to tighten the grip juuust a little more to punish the girl further. "Don't touch those either. Don't let anyone see them. Don't tell anyone I was here... well, you know the drill by now." She mockingly patted Raelia's head, as if saying goodbye to an obedient dog. Then, Lia turned with her beg (after dressing herself) and left.

... Did she take Raelia's blankets too? She did.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After Lia had left, Raelia was left alone in the cold for a few minutes. The girl had tried to go back to sleep, but the lingering pains from her older sister's cruel abuse made it difficult to do so, and before she knew it, the sun was already rising and beaming her in the eyes through the window. She had gotten up to go close the blinds and try again to sleep when... oh, wait, Raelia doesn't own a Holophone. She wouldn't exactly know how to operate one.

Guess... never mind? No message for Raelia.

She's got a few other things to do. To the best of her knowledge, this is just a Sunday morning for her. She could dress up, go take a bath, do whatever normal morning stuff she does.

Raelia was lost in thoughts regarding Santa's apparent sex change, and how these weird... things are supposed to protect her from those same Mole People when suddenly she realized that she didn't get a message on a holophone she doesn't have. It's a strange thought and she's baffled as to why, but she does know that she feels very disappointed about it.

She decides that since she's up, she'll go ahead and take a shower, get dressed, then go sit in the living room. She goes about her morning routine, though significantly earlier than usual, then makes her way to the living room and starts deciding what to do. This is when she suddenly bolts back to her room, then comes back with a large pile blankets and pillows, and proceeds to build a pillow fort in the Living Room.

[Mark3000]

Henrietta awoke in her bed beside her latest lover. The old merchant had proved himself to be quite partner for the night. Giving him a smile, she rose from her bed and went to the shower. The warm water provided some relief from the chill of her Condo.

Once she was finished and dried herself off, Henrietta put on her robe and drifted down to the first floor kitchen. Before that, she received a call from business Holophone. The call was short and succinct, classic Eugene. She found the man's secretive nature somewhat annoying. But he was good at his job so it was enough for her.

Before she left, Henrietta made a quick breakfast of bacon and scrabbled eggs. With her new position, she could spring for the real deal. It was a long cry from the supplements and junk food that made up her diet as a youth. Food was just one of the things she couldn't take for granted.

Once she was finished, Henrietta dressed in her usual attire and went to meet her usually driver to take her to meet Crazy Al. On the table was a plate of Scrabbled Eggs and Bacon for the old merchant. A parting gift to cap of their night of pleasure.

[mrblah]

exalted

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

If Jansen had heard her shouts, he didn't respond. Still, a quiet Jansen is usually preferable to a loud Jansen. Jenny was able to calmly do her business just as she needed... up until she made the unfortunate mistake of expecting any semblance of politeness from him.

No door, metal, wooden, or locked could stop Jansen from barging in while anyone's indecent in the bathroom. The large and frankly always intimidating Tigerman barely gave any consideration for Jenny's privacy, and he openly stared at her. "Oi. What were you saying about the thing or another?" His gruff voice was guttural. Harsh, as if he'd been in need of water. He casually leaned against the door's frame as Jenny replied, then huffed at her question. "Whenever I get to it. You can try if you'd dare, but I have a feeling you wouldn't want my smelly fur all in your nice bed." He snorted. "Sure is a real work of art, that thing. Bet it's just as valuable as your whole shop!"

Jansen got caught into a loud laughing fit, needing to hit himself in the chest and cough to clear his throat. While she showered, he continued to watch her... not in a way that seemed interested, but in the usual way he watched other people as they moved. The strange Tiger creature had a habit of staring at anything and anyone moving with an unflinching, unblinking predatory stare... must be an animal thing. "You need my help with that? I've been feeling like working out some more pent-up frustration." His grin showed off his very large set of sharp teeth, asking the question right as Jenny had been finishing her 'check-up.' Nice timing, tiger, whether he knew or not.

A buzzing noise was barely heard over the sound of the shower, and Jansen pulled his Holophone out of his pocket. His was in the form of... a flip phone, for some reason. That was so old that Jenny only recognized the style due to her younger days in school when she was learning about the history of technology. "Aye? Oh, Rose, what's the need? Aye. Aye. Sure, sure, I'll be down and ready. See you." The conversation was short. Jenny recognized the name 'Rose.' She had never met the woman in person, but she knew that it was one of Jansen's friends who'd come in when she needed a mechanic. "That's my work calling. Oh, and all the towels are in the dryer. Have fun getting to them."

The big cat left abruptly, laughing at Jenny's expense. Goddamn it, Jansen.

MiscChaos

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Just as expected, Ali's adoptive mother hadn't batted an eyelash at the sight of the young woman's naked form. Nea did, however, look her over intently, her gaze becoming more focused when she glanced over Ali's upper body... though she was likely just taking the time to check her for any new scars or hickeys. "Wish I did. But... well, I'm sure you know. K.K isn't open about her intentions or anything else about herself. I bothered to ask Sinbad but he didn't give me anything even if he did know, so I know just as much as you regarding this. You'll have to just be prepared for anything she might want." Another puff of smoke left the older woman's lips, dissipating into the air.

"At the very least, we know several things she doesn't want. She's probably not angry with you since you woke up with all of your limbs attached, she probably doesn't intend on rewarding you since I didn't see a fruit basket by the door, and she probably isn't interested in a friendly chat because Sinbad would just do it for her." The older woman shrugged. It seemed like she's been considering this carefully.

"As for driving you... well, I might as well since I'll have to head back to HQ anyway. I came here on a very early unofficial lunch break... if you get what I mean." She winked conspiratorially at Ali with a chuckle.

CondorBoH

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Rosella got in her car and started it up, then she pulled out of her driveway and got on the road. As early in the morning as she was, it was close to work hours for many others, but she should have a good window of time to get to HQ before traffic hits.

The drive through Matera was quiet. Silent, and cold. She could see the usual sights pass by in the big city. People milling about in winter coats, some on their Holophones, some holding briefcases, some with others, but all generally shying away from the other strangers on the sidewalk. Homeless people could be seen in the alleys, some begging and some crying. A woman's scream was heard near a store and a man was seen dashing away with an alarmed look, holding an expensive bag in his hands that probably belonged to her. No one bothered to stop him as he ran. No one needed to.

The sound of a police siren loudly broke the silence of the snowy day, and a drone flew onto the scene quickly. The man let out a yelp as the drone zoomed in front of him, changed into its usual form of a CopyCop, and held out a hand to stop him. "HALT." Its shoulder-mounted guns flared to life and aimed at the man, who Rosella knew was well fucked at that point. CopyCops aren't too dangerous by themselves, especially for members of organized crime as she was, but for your casual civilian without a shield, the many pellets those shoulder-mounted miniguns fire would obliterate a man in an instant.

Lo and behold, the idiot panicked and threw the bag at the CopyCop. It didn't waste a second in opening fire on the man, his screams ringing out as his body was penetrated with the tiny bullets of the guns. He wasn't dead, of course, but that was only because the robot purposely aimed for non-vital parts of his body. It even shot through the bag in its job to painfully disable him, uncaring of anything but its objective. The man dropped to the ground along with the bag covered in holes. "My bag!" The woman indignantly screamed out as she ran to it. But there was a white substance leaking from it, and the CopyCop's camera scanned it... "ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE DETECTED. INITIATING ARREST."

Rosella passed the scene by. Just another day in the city. But... she was low on gas. A good friend of hers worked in a mechanics garage nearby, and he was nice enough to get it to her cheaper than normal gasoline. She had the time to make the stop. Just in case, Rosella placed a call on her Holophone to tell him she'd be coming around.

She pulled up into the garage named the Old America Speedshop, spotting her big friend waving her in. Her big, big, not so human friend. His name was Jansen, and his circumstances weren't any that Rosella knew. She first met him when her car broke down near his place of business, and the fellow was kind enough to take her car in and fix it up for her, half off. Ever since then, they'd had a good business relationship.

"Rose," he greeted as she got out, "great morning, ain't it? Birds are chirping, sun's out, and it's just so warm." He chuckled with his sarcastic joke. Guy probably wasn't even that bothered by the cold, considering the fur. "Anyhow, lemme fill you up quick. I know you've got someplace to be." Rosella had parked near a gas tank as she'd been directed to, so Jansen was able to get the gas pump into the car easily enough.

RandomRoninKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The amount of materials she acquired for her fort was heavy, but not more than she could handle. She begun stacking the pillows and laying the blankets around to form her fort, and by the time she was done, Raelia's latest pillow-based masterpiece remained at station in the living room, taking up way more room than anyone would allow for a fort. [Strength check; Variable. Raelia = 16.]

That's the sight her friend/roommate/caretaker/personshefollowsaround walked in on. Aesha merely sighed in resignation, knowing that she would be the one to clean up the girl's mess later. "Well, at least it looks like you got yourself ready before your usual shenanigans, so we can at least go sooner rather than later. I just got a message from work and we have to go in early." Explained Aesha as she was pulling on her shirt. Raelia noticed that Aesha also looked... like she spent a little longer than normal on her look for the day. There wasn't a wrinkle on her clothing, and her hair still looked damp from the wash. And was that perfume? "A-also, Raelia, we're meeting our biggest boss today, so you need to be on your best behavior around her, okay? It's very important that you do n-nothing that she wouldn't like!" She said as she was checking herself over again. "Okay... okay, now where are my car keys..."

Raelia had them, of course. Aesha dropped them under the couch's cushions.

Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Henrietta's driver was a nondescript man of no particular importance named Steve, who was wearing a '#1' shirt, for some reason or another. The man kindly greeted Henrietta as she got into the car, and drove off. It was a snowy morning. Chilly and cold, but Steve's car was warmed with heat, and Henrietta could simply enjoy the sights of the snow fall without needing to mind the cold.

The drive was silent with the exception of some annoying pop song playing that her driver liked. They were at a stoplight, waiting for their moment to proceed on the road, when Henrietta spotted something out of the corner of her eye. It was one of her prostitutes. She was shivering out in the cold, waiting on a bus Henrietta knew would never come. After all, that very same bus had just passed by them not a few minutes ago.

The woman sighed, pulling out her Holophone and checking it, then putting her hand back in her pocket. She glanced around subtly, keeping her head bowed with her hood covering it. She seemed... somewhat tense.

Blue56

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

With the closing of her car door and a twist of her key, Hal's car was on and pulling out of the driveway to get onto the road. It was a cold winter's day, equipped with snow, a gray sky, and the usual passersby all milling about in their daily business. Just another day in New America's jewel.

The drive to the local diner wasn't long, hence why it's 'local,' and Haley was soon walking through the door of the Broussard Family Diner, well-known for their flavor-loaded organic foods that are becoming so rare in society. As usual, the diner was pretty light on customers. Though they had good food and decent prices, their simple restaurant wasn't much to offer against their much more gimmicky competition just down the road. It was a quiet enough place for Hal to enjoy.

The owner looked to the door with curious eyes, and grinned when he saw Hal's appearance. "Look who's up so early on a Sunday morning! I wasn't expecting you 'til later around lunch, Hal. Boss interrupting your day off?" The older man laughed in a good-natured manner, though of course, it wasn't at her expense. This man was Teddy Broussard, a short middle-aged and brawny man who actually didn't matter that much in this story. As Hal approached the counter, Teddy looked back into the kitchen to shout something in his native language. It sounded like Spanish. "Sorry, just calling that stupid son of mine to get off break. What can I get you, Haley? The usual, or do you want to make this old man's day and order The Special?" Said special was a breakfast sandwich consisting of a lot of bacon, a lot of eggs, and a lot of ingredients that don't go well with those. It was Teddy's original idea and only addition to the menu. No one ever buys it, because honestly, it just isn't good for you.

Lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The Loft's kitchen was occupied with a plethora of food on its table, and the smell of a freshly cooked meal light in the air. It was warm, likely due to the previous storm of cooking, and the sink was filled to the brim with a variety of kitchenware to be cleaned later. Another occupant of the kitchen was a heavyset man by the stove, tossing up and frying what looked to be the next and last newcomer to the food gallery on the table. The man didn't even turn his head as he replied to Olivia. "Ah? Buon giorno, Ollie. Nothing particularly special today, I'd say. Right now, I'm just finishing the sweet potato hash." A jolly smile was on his face, and the man shifted his gaze over to Olivia. "Have you just come to see your Uncle Sal, or are you sniffing for an early breakfast? If it's the latter; you know I prefer to serve everyone at once, Olivia, even despite the wishes of impatient young donne such as yourself and my daughter."

This was indeed Uncle Sal. The man was dressed in a stereotypical chef's uniform with the addition of a more festive Santa hat, and he had an apron on that said 'Kiss the Cook.' Olivia knew that he'd gotten said apron from last year's Christmas from his daughter, and the man hadn't ever NOT cooked with it since.

Sal took the food off the stove and skillfully deposited onto a nearby plate, then tossed the new dirty dishes into the sink to free up the stove. Now he was moving the plate to the completely covered table to squeeze in another dish. He admired his work with a proud eye, his large hands resting on his hips. After some admiring, he turned back to Olivia to give her his full attention. "Of course, if you needed the favor done, then perhaps your old Uncle Sal could do one for you if you freed up some of yours, Ollie."

[Mark3000]

Henrietta didn't respond to the driver and merely took her seat in the car. Steve was a reliable driver though a bit to chipper for her tastes. Speaking of tastes, his choose of music was horrendous. Henrietta had always been more partial to a good jazz track.

While browsing her business Holophone. Both her Holophones came as a set of eyeglasses. A very classic design that she thought accented her face quite well. Just as her mind drifted to whatever the boss had planed for them, she noticed one of her girls waiting for the bus. At the stoplight, Henrietta could tell something was up.

"Steve, pull over to that bus stop." Henrietta commanded with a domineering voice. Her head motioning to wards the prostitute at the stop. Once they were stopped, the buxom madam rolled down the window and beacon the girl towards her. "Next bus isn't gonna be around for a while hun. Why not ride with me for a bit? I'm sure Steve would be more then happy to take you where need to go after dropping me off." She said with a sly smile.

[lilbooth]

"Si Sal, I'm always happy to see you." Started Olivia, "It's not just me. The boss called an early meeting. I figured it's only right to bring something along with me." She said with a shrug. "But I'll bite what does my zio preferito need from me?"
Sal rose a big hand to his chin, mock mulling over the request he'd ask, though Olivia knew he had already thought of it. The man could be theatrical sometimes, but he's the type who would think before he speaks. If he asked for a favor, he had something in mind. "Other than the other last few things I'd asked you, la mia nipotina preferita? Well, my daughter would be needing a babysitter sometime today while I'm out of town, my car could use a bit of fixing before the next emissions check next week, and it'd be nice if I could get a good cleaning in my house and perhaps a few other chores of that nature... but I'm guessing if ole' Al called you in, you're gonna be busy for some time today, eh?"
"I owe you that many favors Zio?" She replied with a bit of fake astonishment. "I'm hardly any good at fixing cars but I'll have someone take care of it., I've done my far share of cleaning, and If you daughter needs a handler for some time that can be arranged. I'm assuming you'd like to be there for the cleaning Zio?" She asked leaning against the table of food. "If I wasn't so busy I wouldn't mind getting a few favors out of the way now... But duty calls. What should I bring the boss?"
"Oh, no, not so many, Ollie. Those were just options I was mulling over! Still, if you'd like to do all of those, then that would clear up what you owe up nicely... and I wouldn't need to supervise the cleaning. You'd only need supervision if you decided to wear a maid outfit! Ha ha ha!" Sal laughed at his joke in his deep baritone, but calmed soon enough to continue his reply. "I will tell you what, nipote. You do those favors next I call for them and we'll call it even. Si?" The chef held out a slightly sweaty hand for Olivia to shake to seal the deal with a grin on his face.
"Si Zio, grazie" She replied reaching out to shake his hand
"Si figuri!" Uncle Sal firmly shook Olivia's hand, laughing a bit as he did. "Anything for you, Ollie! Now, hurry and take what you want before the others come. I've outdone myself this time, you'll love it!"

Oliva quickly gathered up a bit of all the best offerings and checked her phone for the time. It was too late to go chasing tail but she quickly jotted down her number and put a few corsettis in a box. She wrote Amanda across the top of the box and brought it up to the studio. She left the box near all the changing area and headed off to meet the boss.

[Blue56]

The drive to the diner was so short that Hal's tiny car barely had time to get warmed up, not that she minded that so much since she had dressed for the cold. No, the real tragedy was that she only got through about half her cig as she pulled up to the diner. Parking and stepping out of her car, she casually tossed her cigarette into a nearby snowbank before heading inside. Teddy's smiling face was there to greet her as always and Hal met his comments on how early she was with a wry grin. "Ugh, don't remind me... I'm trying this new mind over matter thing where I pretend I got more sleep than I actually did." She retorts, chuckling lightly as she makes her way over to the counter and takes a seat in her usual spot. Hal had been coming here ever since she joined up with the Alfonsi family and moved into this part of town. It wasn't the food, the prices, or even how nice and quiet it usually was, no those were just icing on the cake. That genuine smile every time she walked through those doors was the real reason she kept coming back, seeing as Teddy Broussard was one of the few people left in this town that was ever actually happy to see her. Not that Hal would ever let anyone know that lest they think she was going soft. No, she didn't regret her cutthroat business tactics that made her so hated in Matera, but even someone like her craved that homey feeling every now and then.

"Just the usual today Teddy, in a bit of a rush to get to work unfortunately. Don't waste time, says the boss." Hal responds, deepening her voice for that last bit in a poor imitation of Eugene, when asked for her order, already having an excuse not to get Teddy's special prepared since she walked in. Maybe one day he would talk her into it, but today was not that day. Bacon, eggs sunny side up, and some coffee was all she needed today. "Anywho pal, how's business been lately? Hope you've been well through all that nastiness last week." Hal casually inquires, engaging in some small talk as she adds plenty of sugar and cream to the cup of coffee Teddy brings her. She hadn't stopped in since last week before shit went down on the Maltese. She had heard through her connections in the family that the cops were out in force and she was curious as to just how active they were in her neck of the woods.

[MiscChaos]

Ali sighs as Nea says she doesn't have any additional information. It's about what she expected, but she kinda hoped that since Mom was pretty highly ranked in the family there would be more to say there. There's also the possibility that her mom does know more, but isn't allowed to tell Ali. Wouldn't be the first time that happened, but Ali only knows about that after the fact since Nea usually doesn't bother continuing to lie to her if it's not required. Meh, it's not really worth wondering about. She knows her mother loves her and if she was walking into a trap would at least warn her so she can make preparations. "So many other people would have been rubbed out for doing half the things you do." Ali says with a fond smirk on her face and an amused shake of the head. "Alright. I won't take long."

It doesn't take her long to take a shower for the day, deciding to use her work shampoo that's mostly scentless over her day off shampoos. If she's being called to go on a job it wouldn't do for someone with an advanced sense of smell to be able to pick strawberries where they don't know to be while she's sneaking around. That also throws out the scented body washes she likes to use to remind herself that she's not allowed to just murder someone unless they really deserve it. Finishing up and going through the other usual dailies, she gets dressed in her work outfit and steps out of the bathroom. Pausing for a moment, she picks up her lucky knife and straps it to the leg. Better to have something in case shit goes sideways and her guns prove to be useless somehow. Stopping for a second to shift mentalities from home to work, she steps back into the room where Nea should be waiting. "Ready when you are, Mom." She says, prepared for whatever the day may bring.

[exalted]

Jenny tried to ignore the tigerman's gaze as she showered, not sure which uneased her the most, the man or predator. She rolled her eyes as he mentioned her bed, thinking about the old cot she kept in the office before she twigged he was commenting upon her lack of a sex life.

"Well maybe if you showered every once in a while," she snapped back, "I mean what do you spend your pay on? Cause it aint shampoo, I thoughts cats were meant to be clean."

She nearly jumped as he commented upon helping her as she ran the loofah between her legs, feeling a strange tingling in her loins as she remembered the thought from before. She turned around and flicked water at him teasingly, posing with a hand of her hip as she looked back over her shoulder and wiggled her ass a bit at him.

"Awwww, I would Sweety, but you don't like a wet pussy," she laughed, "And I swear, put a hat on the door next time you start licking yourself, cause I aint walking in on that shit again."

Enjoying her slightly victory, she returned to her shower as his phone rang, not recognising the name 'Rose' as one of her clients. She let Jansen freelance a bit and keep his own client list, people with old cars could be fussy with who touched what and the sexist ones still didn't trust a girl wrenching on their machine. If Jansen could bring in work it was all fine with her. It took her a moment to realise what he had said, shuddering with rage as it sunk in.

"JANSEN! YOU CEREAL BOX MASCOT MOTHERFUCKER!" she roared, turning around but he had already gone and left the door open to boot.

Fists clenching and unclenching, she tried to workout the best path from here to the other side of the workshop where the dryer was, not wanting to face the cold outside the hot stream of water just yet. Realising she couldn't put it off any longer, she shut off the water and trudged against the cold, not wanting to risk running and slipping on the cold, smooth concrete with wet feet. She cursed with each freezing step, sodden skin afire in the cold as her nipples hardened and skin prickled in goosebumps. She didn't bother to cover up, Jansen had already seen everything if he was still lingering and his customer didn't sound like they had arrived yet from the call. Snagging a towel from the dryer, she trudged up the stairs back to office, drying as she went.

She spied out the window as she pulled on her cleanest shirt, panties and jeans, lacing up her boots as she saw what had to be Rose pulling up next to her petrol tanks. She cursed as she saw Jansen start to pump fuel into the car, hurrying up her bootlace tying as the tiger gave away her gas. The stuff was hard enough to come by these days what with no new petrol car being made since the days of old America and the few legitimate fuel stations charging an arm and a leg for it. One of the few perks she got from the Romano's was the under the table gas and here Tony was giving it away.

"Hey! Tony the Tiger! A word!" she shouted out to him as she stormed the stairs and out of the shop

[CondorBoH]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

I forgot to say on my previous post, bu Rose packs a set of brass knuckles into her coat before she leaves.

At the sound of a scream, Rosella turned the radio of her car down and peaked a bit to the side to see what was going on. The scene held her interest for a few seconds, probably longer than was safe while driving, but she turned away by the time she head the CopyCop go to arrest the woman. She knew that if the girl resisted, she'd end up in the same way as the would-be thief writhing on the ground.
Poor fucks.

The ping of low gas reminded her to stop in at her pal's shop, and a quick buzz later and that was well sorted. Pulling up and putting her winter coat on as she stepped out of the car, she grinned and shook the mans... paw? Hand?
Whatever.
"Sure is buddy, as you can tell by my plush winter coat, its positively toasty out here."

Rose stepped aside, letting him have at her car. The old thing had seen better days, that was for sure, but the tigerman sure knew how to keep her in good shape. She frowned when she heard someone shout, looking up to see a rather pissed lady looking out the window. Girlfriend maybe? The bouncer gave a quick wave to her, before turning back to Jansen.
"Yo, I think your missus wants something."

[RandomRoninKitten]

RandomRoninKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The amount of materials she acquired for her fort was heavy, but not more than she could handle. She begun stacking the pillows and laying the blankets around to form her fort, and by the time she was done, Raelia's latest pillow-based masterpiece remained at station in the living room, taking up way more room than anyone would allow for a fort. [Strength check; Variable. Raelia = 16.]

That's the sight her friend/roommate/caretaker/personshefollowsaround walked in on. Aesha merely sighed in resignation, knowing that she would be the one to clean up the girl's mess later. "Well, at least it looks like you got yourself ready before your usual shenanigans, so we can at least go sooner rather than later. I just got a message from work and we have to go in early." Explained Aesha as she was pulling on her shirt. Raelia noticed that Aesha also looked... like she spent a little longer than normal on her look for the day. There wasn't a wrinkle on her clothing, and her hair still looked damp from the wash. And was that perfume? "A-also, Raelia, we're meeting our biggest boss today, so you need to be on your best behavior around her, okay? It's very important that you do n-nothing that she wouldn't like!" She said as she was checking herself over again. "Okay... okay, now where are my car keys..."

Raelia had them, of course. Aesha dropped them under the couch's cushions.

Raelia blinked twice as if she didn't understand the question, then perked up from halfway inside her fort "OH you dropped them under the couch cushions, but I stuck your keys in the freezer, since they must have been hot after staying there so long. It also keeps them safe from the Mole People, since they don't like ice." she said, smiling and nodding at Aesha as if she hadn't just said something stupid and insane. She crawled out from under the fort and stood up, brushing herself off, then made her way to the freezer to get Aesha her keys.

[mrblah]

Littlemankitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Raelia said something of her typical quality and ran off to the kitchen to go get Aesha's keys, and not too long later, she was coming back with them in hand. The young girl moved to hand them over to Aesha, but suddenly dropped them to the floor. [Perception check; Variable. Aesha = 8.]

She'd heard a 'BZZT' noise sound very briefly and quietly, but she wasn't exactly sure what it could mean if it wasn't just her ears playing tricks on her.

RandomRoninKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

One quick walk to the refrigerator and a pull on the freezer's door revealed Aesha's keys just lying there, among all the ice and frozen products. Raelia noted that the keys were definitely cooled down now that they'd been in the freezer for a time. She grabbed them and closed the freezer door, then made her way back to the living room, where Aesha was. But just as she was passing the keys over to her, a sudden painful shock between her legs in a rather sensitive spot caused her to drop them to the floor as she shook from the force of the surprising sensation, along with whatever other reaction she had.

No doubt it was a reminder of Santa Claus's previous visit and what she'd done, but there's no telling why that strange egg thing suddenly shocked her, especially at that moment...

exalted

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The conversation between the tigerman and the woman halted at Jenny's call, and Jenny saw the woman wave at her. Jansen seemed to have said something along the lines of a goodbye, before he finished up his job and casually walked over to see whatever Jenny wanted, making sure to shoot a 'WHAT?' level glance at her through the window. As he was going up, Jenny watched the woman get in her car and prepare to leave. She'd gotten a good look at her face... [Intelligence check; Harder. Jenny = 6.]

But Rose didn't seem familiar in the slightest. Maybe she'll remember her though.

Soon enough, Jansen was stepping through the door with a calm expression on his face, though he did quirk an eyebrow (or not, it was hard to tell with him considering the obvious) at Jenny's look. That immediately changed as he grinned mischievously, baring all of his sharp big cat teeth. "Cold woke you up nice? Figured a good dose of fresh air's what the doctor would order when you're just waking up in the morning, right? At least it seems to have worked. You look refreshed, Jen!" The tigerman flashed her a thumbs up, but his supportive act was betrayed by his large amused grin and the shaking of his shoulders in what was no doubt silent laughter.

MiscChaos

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Aw..." Nea cooed at her daughter. "Every time I see you like that, it just reminds me that I did a good job raising you. I still remember when you were so small and wild like a rabid animal..." Before she could get carried away and pull out the metaphorical baby pictures, she stood up out of her seat and headed to the door after having her laughs. Ali followed after her, and soon, the mother and daughter pair were greeting the horse Nea came riding in on. Her mother's smile lit up at the sight of it as it always did.

Her mother's car was a very modern and sleek black electric car with bulletproof windows, its own personal VI capable of diagnosis, self-driving, and automatic paint changing, an augmented reality dashboard and the means to speed up to 277 MPH. It was Nea's pride and joy, and was so affectionately named Joyride. Ali knew she spent fortunes on the making of her car, and it does make her wonder just how much her mother makes to afford to custom make something so powerful. And dangerous. It's a wonder why she'd want it to run at 277 MPH in a city with so many twists and turns, but at the very least her car's fast enough to probably win any race. "Unlock." The car also responded to voice commands, and so it only took one simple word from Nea for its lights to blink in response.

The two got in the car with Nea in the driver seat and Ali in the passenger seat, and Ali watched as her mother took a good few minutes just... feeling the wheel. "Ali. One day, when you're making so much money you could buy something like this, you'll understand." She'd always say that as if to explain her actions. Then, she pressed her hand against a reader on the dashboard and the car powered up with a proud 'VRRRUM!' They then pulled out of Ali's parking space and were on the road in minutes. Of course, her mother insisted on driving herself and not using the auto pilot. She used the feature so rarely, it's a wonder why she bothered to get it at all.

Some time into their drive, and they were nearing their destination. They'd been having some conversation during their drive, but the topics weren't all too important and spaced out. In just one of these lulls, Nea spoke up in a more serious tone. "Ali... I'm sure you can tell that there was more to my visit for seeing you than just what it was. Truth be told, I have a request... one that I couldn't make over the Holophone. I don't want to put any pressure on you to answer me, so if you don't want to hear it, tell me now." She glanced over at her daughter. "This is one of those very confidential things that can't be ignored once you know it."

Blue56

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Teddy laughed heartily at the imitation. "Boss breathing down your neck again? I swear, girl, you need to get a new job! Go independent and become your own boss, like me!" That was often the advice he'd give to Hal's business troubles. Co-workers being dicks? Go independent! Missed a paycheck for whatever reason? Go independent! Lost your favorite set of clothes because of a deal with an enemy gang devolving into a mass shootout? Go independent!

Well, okay, she'd never said that last one, but he'd probably reply the same. "Eh, as for business, same old same old. Bills are piling up and I'm losing customers to that gimmicky piece of junk on the other side of the road, but what do I care if I lose people with no taste? I've been over there before, you know, scoping out the competition and all. I'll tell ya, the food was awful! If they didn't have those hot pieces of ass walking around I'd bet you they'd never get a customer!" Teddy let out a mocking laugh as he turned to the window leading into the kitchen. Looking through it, Hal could see a young man lazing about on his Holophone. "DIEGO!!" Teddy shouted at the top of his lungs, and the young man jumped up, dropping his device onto the floor as it was playing a holographic video. Teddy shouted something more in his native tongue, and Diego moved into action in response. Hal knew that was his son, Diego. Teddy would sometimes have him in the kitchen to get him to learn how to cook.

"Stupid boy..." He turned back to Hal. "Now, what was that other thing? Oh, yes. That thing back last week? You know the ole' Broussard family wouldn't get downed a mint by that! The people on this side of Matera are tough, and we're the toughest! It didn't hurt us any, don't you worry Hal." The man grinned. "How are you in all that? I hope it didn't hurt you any either. God knows I'd have to go to war if anything hurt my favorite customer!"

After a few more minutes of talking, Diego placed Hal's order on the window and hit a bell stationed next to it. "O-order up!" His voice cracked just a bit as he shouted out, and his father glared at him. "Uh... w-was that wrong?"

Diego disappeared back into the kitchen as Teddy yelled at him some more, then the older man walked over to the window and hopped up to try and get it. He couldn't. Teddy tried to call for Diego, but his son wasn't responding. "I keep telling that stupid boy to not put it on the window! He knows I can't reach it like this... now I've gotta get my stool."

CondorBoH

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

At the call of his... well, whoever that woman was to him, Jansen groaned in exasperation. "She always wants something... let me just finish up this job for you so you can be on your way. Not too sure whatever the deal is now or how long it'd take to get done." With those words, the tigerman gave Rosella's car a brief look over as her tank filled, then once his task was finished, he clapped his hands... paws... claws together, and turned to her. "Looks like everything's in tip-top shape since last I checked it. There's still those signs of age I've been mentioning though, and I still recommend getting a newer car or something less gas-intensive and more modern like an electric car, but for the most part everything's fine."

Rosella paid the usual price for the help, and with their exchange finished, Jansen was soon going over to see whatever his friend wanted. She paid one more look to the woman in the window... [Intelligence check; Harder. Rosella = 11.]

But naturally, since they've never met before, she didn't recognize her. Rose got in her car and was soon driving back on the road to head to her destination.

The rest of the journey passed by uneventfully after that, and she was soon parking in the back parking lot of a bar. The Fallen Sparrow could be read in broken blue neon lights on the store's front. The building was small and unassuming, located under Matera's Super Highway in the Belmont district. It didn't look at all as you'd expect the headquarters of a big mafia family to be, but looks can be deceiving. Rosella stepped out of her vehicle, shutting the door loudly and turning to immediately be greeted by a familiar person standing a few feet away from her. It was Henrietta! She remembered her ward from their time on the Maltese. Looks like they'd be working together again, if she was called too.

lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Olivia made her journey quick. The Loft was located close to headquarters, so it wasn't as if she had to travel halfway through Matera anyways. It was a simple drive through the area to get to her destination... a bar named The Fallen Sparrow. It was a small and unassuming building located on the edge of the Belmont district, with a big and broken neon blue sign flashing on the bar's front. Thanks to it being located just under Matera's Super Highway, it didn't get much attention from those who don't know of its real purpose.

Olivia stepped through the doors after being greeted by the bouncer, and she was greeted by the sight of a very normal bar. Bland jazz played as multiple average Joes drank their booze and played pool. Some were watching the big Gravball game on the TV, some were at the slot machines at the back of the store losing all of their money, and some were passed out on tables. A normal unassuming scene, if oddly quiet for a bar... oh, but just as she walked in, she spotted someone at the bar counter waving at her enthusiastically. It was a young woman with heterochromatic eyes dressed in nothing but a suit jacket and short shorts. That was Carmen Alfonsi. She wasn't anyone particularly important in the family, but she was well liked by most of everyone and she usually dealt out the jobs and information.

Olivia approached the smiling bartender as she beckoned her over. "Great to see you're still alive, Olivia. I was told you'd be coming early. Boss called ya, right?"

Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Steve obeyed Henrietta's orders and pulled over at the bus stop, much to the surprise of the prostitute there. She was even more surprised, but relieved, to spot Henrietta as the window rolled down. She still seemed a little nervous and hesitated a bit, but this was her boss who was inviting her. "Th-thank you, Madam Henrietta..." She stepped into the car as Steve opened the door for her from his driver seat, and soon after, they were back on the road to headquarters.

Henrietta might've known the name of this prostitute, but she was someone largely unimportant, so much so that she very well could go nameless entirely. Yet the woman would persist on checking her holophone periodically with a nervous air, and when she noticed that Henrietta caught one of these times, she blushed. "I-I'm late for a job, so... I'm very thankful for your help, Madam Henrietta."

Steve was soon pulling up into a parking space in the back of a bar, and Henrietta's door automatically opened for her at the push of a button. Steve, the unimportant bastard, said something that could be skipped over because he's even less important than the prostitute, and his disappointment over having his dialogue glossed over will be ignored. The car was soon pulling away... just as another one was pulling into the parking lot.

This other car parked next to where Steve had, and out stepped Rosella! Henrietta remembered her bodyguard from the time on the Maltese, and she hadn't seen her at all until today. Was she called too?

[lilbooth]

"Si Carmen. Eugene graced me with a call this morning. Said I was summoned here by the boss." She said as she reached the bar and paused to lean against it. "I'm glad your alive too hot stuff. She said with a wink. "So you know the scoop? Why was I called down here today? I'm not a big fan of surprises, especially from the boss." She asked as she placed her breakfast basket on the countertop and fished out a bagel. She munched away awaiting a response from Carmen.

[exalted]

Jenny grumbled to herself as Jansen ignored her shout and kept filling the hunk-a-junk gas guzzler at the pump. It was hard not recognise the make of the vehicle with its pseduo-military meets pampered soccer-mum looks. She was sure if her brother was here he would have socked the wannabe gangster or P.O.G. who owned it right in the mouth.

She met Jansen just as he reached the stairs, standing 3 steps above him with crossed arms so she could actually look down on him for change.

"Nah-ah, don't try and change the subject you little rat. Just where the hell do you get off giving away my gas?" she lectured, wagging her finger "I swear if I left you alone for a day you'd try to sell or just give away this place from right out under me. Just how am I a supposed to keep this place open, huh? With you just giving away my shit? What's gonna happen if I have a job to run and those tanks are empty?"

Shoving past him, she grabbed her jacket from one of the lifts, checking it was set to the shop's uniform, and shrugged it on.

"And don't give me any of that old 'code of road' bullshit," she continued, looking for her keys on the board by the roller door, "'Cash, Grass and Ass' ,huh? Just how did she pay? I know you aint dumb enough to bring no shit in here and get the cops on our ass, and you being all frustrated and pent up means you aint been rubbing up on her, so where's my cash then?"

She knew she was never going to see a cent from Jansen, but damnit, she needed to put her foot down every once in while or who knew what the damned cat would think he could get away with.

[MiscChaos]

Ali, despite having switched over to her work persona, can feel a blush coming on as her mother speaks. Nea is about the only person who can affect her while she's like this. "I was never like a rabid animal, Mom!" she says, slightly embarrassed. While she's not wrong, she's not exactly right either. When she was younger, she was a lot less careful about concealing herself and selecting her targets. If the cops had been any more competent at their jobs, The Scarlet Letter would have been caught and jailed long ago. Having a calling card at all was a stupid risk. Sure, she made a little bit of extra money as Witch Hunt because of it, but she could have made so much more if she had allowed her killings to fade into the background of the many, many other killings in the city and just ditched the Witch Hunt persona. She thought she was so clever making money off of both breaking the law and helping it, but she really could have fucked herself. Still not rabid animal unless you count the brutality she killed people, but still rabid in the context of the business they're in now. Clearing her throat to recenter herself, she allows her mother to lead her out to the car.

And is utterly unsurprised by the monster Ali calls SIB (which stands for Suck It Batman since the Batmobile ain't got nothing on Joyride) sitting in her drive way. Like Nea would drive anything else considering the amount of money dropped into that thing. She's half convinced the only reason Nea installed the self-driving component is so that if she's been knocked unconscious or bleeding out or whatever, she still doesn't have to allow anyone else to drive her baby. The fact that it requires her voice and handprint only backs up Ali's theory. And then Nea insists on just feeling the steering wheel. "Mom, are there any special features I need to know about? Cause you're so in love with this thing it wouldn't shock me if there was an option to have it fuck you." She jokes, but she also scents the air, just to be sure. She needs to be sure she's not sitting in Mom Juices or something.

She manages to relax for the rest of the trip just shooting the shit with Nea until her mom gets real serious. "Mom, you know there are very, very few people that I would take requests for, no quests asked, no fuckery involved. I can count that number on one hand." She says, holding up only her index finger. "That's you. So tell me what's on your mind and we'll see how we can get it done." It's sort of embarrassing being this real with Nea, but if there's anyone who she would dye the world red for, it's her mother. She'd even murder K.K., though she'd likely die soon afterward. The way she sees it, she wouldn't have survived much longer as The Scarlet Letter and Witch Hunt. She would have slipped or killed someone she really shouldn't have and being dead would have been the best option. So even if she'd betray the Romano family as a whole, she'd never betray Nea.

[Blue56]

"Yeah, yeah... Easier said than done ya know." Hal replied, answering Teddy's usual advice with a small smile. She had started out independent and look where that had got her, not that she had ever told Teddy about all that. Even if she felt like it, admitting how royally she had fucked everything up for herself just wasn't her style. "I'm still doing business on the side anyway. Saving as much as I can so I can get outta this town some day. Retire early and just take it easy. Yeah, that's the dream anyway..." It seemed like such a distant dream but she really was doing everything she could to make it a reality.

Hal then falls silent for a bit, immersing herself in her coffee while Teddy goes off on his competition across the street again. She had been there a couple times, something she kept to herself, and he wasn't wrong. The food was nothing to write home about, but the atmosphere was atrocious. Hal preferred to eat in peace. "Sex sells, man, that's a marketing tactic as old as time. Get some nice ass of your own in here and maybe you could even the playing field a little. And before you ask, I know mines great but you can't afford me!" She says, chuckling at her own joke as she sets her cup down for a bit. "But for real though, if you want a hand keeping your overheads down, you know I'll go to bat for you. Your suppliers aren't ready for me, pal." Hal knew the Broussard diner had been around awhile and it wasn't likely to go anywhere anytime soon, she still wanted to at least offer to do her part to keep her favorite restaurant open and profitable.

As the usual bilingual banter between Teddy and Diego ensues, Hal can't help but think that this might be something Eugene would consider 'wasting time'. "Kid's these days, eh? One of these days you'll whip him into shape." She comments absentmindedly, checking the time on her holophone to make sure she's still good on time. If not, she'd have to wolf down breakfast pretty quick here and think up a good excuse for being late, something that was becoming increasingly difficult the more she needed to do it. "I was lucky enough not to be anywhere near the Maltese that day. Only real harm done is me having to wake up early and go to work today I guess, so you'll have to save your rampage for another day Teddy." She replies as she watches Teddy struggle to get her breakfast from Diego. It was nice that he was trying to get his son involved in the family business, but Hal couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that Diego was still slacking today of all days.

[CondorBoH]

That got a chuckle from her, her grin growing wider.
"Picked up a needy chick did you? I wish I could hear the story behind that, but I'm in a rush today."
Rosella tapped the sight of her car, noting how beat up it looked at this point. She wasn't the type to get attached to cars or anything, but hey when you own something for long enough you start trying to look out for it.

As she climbed inside, nodding to the man... tiger... mutant? Guy.
The guy.
"You're probably right. An antique place would probably pay a good amount for this old hunk, unless you want to take it off my hands?"

With a wave she turned back onto the road. It wasn't as if many people came this way so getting the rest of the way wasn't going to take her any longer. Lo and behold, mere minutes pass and she was already pulling into a familiar parking lot. The space she chose was almost at random, but in a position where prying eyes wouldn't see the vehicle too closely. If Rose made a habit of choosing the same parking space every day, and then someone decided to get rid of a minor thorn in their side...
Well, if didn't take a genius to plant a bomb or where to put it to take out a guard.

She slid out of the car with business look on her face, expecting to be reprimanded for being two minutes early by UG. But to her pleasant surprise, the curvaceous figure of Henrietta greeted her. Were the others who fought (Or rather, survived) the machine here too?

"Business or pleasure, it looks like I just can't stay away from you Henrietta."
Rosella began to look around the parking lot, expecting more people to show themselves, especially someone acting on UG's behalf. Whether or not she saw anyone, she approached the woman with an arm held out to take hers.
"Are we expecting anyone else, or shall we head inside?"