The House of Cards
Friday, 10:00 PM
The ApothecaryInteractions: None.
“Alright, what the fuck is this?!”Luna came crashing through the double doors, then the back doors, holding her phone in her hand. It still had the text she received from Valencia, calling for an ‘emergency meeting’. Luna saw most, if not all of the heads of the Family had gathered, speaking in hushed tones over a room covered in white cloths, and a gaping hole in the vent.
“You better explain this shit or-”Luna froze, noticing the cloths covered something…
Her stomach twisted in a knot, eyes glancing around the heads of the Family for anyone to give her an in, an explanation. None returned her beseeching eyes, until she finally turned to Valencia, at the head of the room.
“Val, the fuck is going on?”Valencia glanced at Luna, gave a long sigh, and gestured her head towards the cloth. The one in the center of the room.
“See for yourself.”Luna’s eyes narrowed, before pursing her lips, and approaching the table. She pulled the cloth back, and sucked in a sharp breath, visibly recoiling. It was Phantasia Vorpal, cold as ice.
“Fuck.” She glared hot at Valencia.
“The fuck happened?”Valencia stared cooly back, before lolling her head to the side, in the direction of Mr. Roosevelt, who was still dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief.
“Mr. Roosevelt heard the whole thing. Apparently, Dollhouse came sniffing around, determined to box Mother in. Mother, as tradition would serve, refused, attempted to flee, fight back… Hell, it doesn’t really matter.
“They killed her, Luna. Her and four of our men. In cold blood.”“W-well we gotta fuckin’ do somethin’.” Luna exclaimed, but Valencia simply raised up a hand.
Instead, Valencia turned her attention to the group gathered around Phantasia Vorpal - Mother Cards. She placed a hand on the table, addressing the heads of the Family.
“You know why I’ve called you here. In the absence of our Mother, we are in need of a new Boss.”Isabella Blackthorne, hat lowered to her chest, side-eyed Valencia.
“By way of hierarchy, you are in place to become the new Boss, Valencia.”Valencia nodded, crossing her arms before regarding each face in the group.
“I need to hear it from each of you. I doubt I’ll have to wrestle any of you for the chair, but let’s follow Mother’s formalities…”A new voice spoke up, growling as he chewed on a cigarette.
“Let’s just be fuckin’ honest about this.” He tossed back his blond hair and pointed a hand at Valencia.
“This has always been your power play, hasn’t it? Lying in wait - hell, you probably caused Mother to die, huh?!”“Silence!” A voice on the other side of Valencia spoke, a white-haired man with ice in his eyes. He lifted a hand, and a tiny speck of darkness appeared in front of the blond man, tugging him dangerously into its infinite depths.
“You will not speak to my wife, the new Boss of the House of Cards, like that, Lorenzo.”Lorenzo grumbled, sweating a bit, before he held up his hands in waved surrender.
“Fine, fine.”The speck threatening Lorenzo disappeared, and the white-haired man lowered his hand. His eyes slid over to Valencia.
“Please continue, Mother.”Isabella spoke up next.
“You have my vote, Mother.”Luna grimaced, before she nodded her head.
“I’d follow you anywhere, heir of the Cards.”Other voices rang out.
“Here, here!” “I’ll follow Mother!” Before every head and capo had, in turn, pledged their allegiance.
Valencia nodded, her face serious and resolute. Her eyes glanced to Isabella.
“Isabella, I’m promoting you to consilierge. Please serve me well.”Isabella nodded.
Vanelcoa then turned her gaze across the room of capos, before her eyes settled on Luna.
“Luna, step forward.”Luna did as she was asked, sweating a bit. Valencia ignored it, staring through half-lidded eyes.
“You have a little Boss in your head, loyal to our cause. Your plans and advice always hit their mark. I’m promoting you to UnderBoss.”Luna’s jawdropped, before she forced a neutral gaze on her face, and nodded.
“I’ll serve you well, Mother.”Valencia nodded back, before tilting her head back and sighing.
“Someone get me the orphan. Layla needs to be informed.”A deadly glint appeared in her eyes.
“We have… much to plan…”
Saturday, 10:00 AM
The Hearts Club CasinoInteractions: None.
Layla found herself standing in front of none other than the Hearts Club Casino, the lights shining bright, promising a place where you could forget your pain.
Yeah. Definitely something she could use. Though she wasn't sure how effective gambling would be compared to the itch growing in her mind, the sting of withdrawal from Mr. Devola's medicine.
Trying to wipe away the haggard look from her eyes, Layla entered the establishment. She wore a
blue sweater dress, attempting to look put together for the meeting. Attempting to look like she simply wasn't just trying to keep her head above water.
A hostess approached her.
“Miss Hyacinthus?”“Y-yes?”“Right this way, please. You're expected.”Layla was led past the shiny slot machines ringing with enticing jolliness, some promising fantasies, others promising fortunes. She could see the enraptured of the guests, well-dressed and enthralled with every pull. Layla was brought up to the second floor, where she could see guests wholly focused on card games, hollering with glee if they happened to win. Finally, Layla was taken to the third floor, where a yawning, long hallway with bold colors beckoned her. The hostess opened a side door, and Layla saw an empty conference room.
“Have a seat. They'll be with you shortly.” The hostess said, before softly closing the door behind her.
Layla blinked, before she walked up to one of the leather swivel chairs in the center of the large oval, and took a seat. Several minutes of biting her nails went by, before the conference door opened again.
In walked Valencia, white hair swept back, earrings gleaming and suit looking trim. two body guard in matching dark suits, lapels shining, took up the rear. They stood behind Valencia as she took a seat opposite of Layla.
“Layla… You look like shit.” Valencia stated plainly, head tilted at the girl.
Layla narrowed her eyes.
“Things haven't been easy for me, thanks.”Valecnia's head rolled slightly, eyes never leaving the girl, before she leaned back in her seat, head propped on a palm.
“Phantasia's dead.”Layla sat there, blinking a few times, the shock evident on her face. When words failed her, Valencia continued.
“She was found shot in the back of the Apothecary. Which means I've taken over the family business, and your business.”Valencia looked bored at her, inspecting a nail as she spoke.
“Now, I don't care much for revenge, or magic-stuff. It's not what makes us money, or at least hasn't for many years…”“But…” Valencia leaned forward.
“I'm nothing if not loyal to my Mother, and that means seeing out her vision to the end. What she wanted for you…
“She didn't want you involved with the Void Hard thing, but I beg to differ. I think we can use you, and I think you want to be used, yes?”Layla blinked in silence, before slowly nodding her head.
“Good. Now, nothing’s for free, but I think you’ll be willing to make the trade if all goes well... Meanwhile, here's what I want you to do. It's essential for phase two. And who knows, you might get lucky. Lucky enough that we don't have to get things messy…”
Saturday, 12:00 PM
Nautical CafeIn collaboration with @silvermist1116
It’s midday and Tayla sat in the Nautical Cafe across the street from Coastal Harbor Mall. It’s the day after 8th Street attacked them. She took the day off to handle business. Earlier that day she met with Greyson to kill him. That didn’t go as planned, but his death is still the first thing on her list if shit goes wrong. For now, she’s meeting Tsukino. She set the date and time the day before after they flew away from the conflict.
She had a plain bagel with plain cream cheese. The food here was big and she definitely wouldn’t finish it, but she hadn’t eaten that morning so call her eyes bigger than her stomach. She paired it with hot green tea. She sent a text to Tsukino saying she was there and waiting.
It was then Luna walked up from behind, dressed well for the occasion in an elegant
black dress with matching silver adornments. It was always best to be well-dressed for situations like these, and Luna was no stranger to business.
She took the seat opposite of Tayla, placing her phone back in her clutch and setting it to the side on the table,
“Good to see you again, Tayla.”She blew air through her teeth, recounting how they met last. In the middle of a shit storm of a fight.
“I hope you’re well. Not sore or hallucinating still from the fight, I trust?”Though she didn’t have any food, she had a small bottle of water with her, which she took a sip from.
“You got a look in your eye. What’s on your mind?”Tayla gave Tsukino a once over. Girl’s dressed like she’s on a date. Tayla was still in her overalls she wore when out on the boat, a black long sleeve shirt, a baggy white jacket, and her headphones. Nothing special. She made a show of touching the side of her headphones twice to ‘pause’ whatever she’d been listening to.
She broke off a piece of her bagel and spread cream cheese on it, taking a bite of it. She ate slow, her stomach never did well when she rushed, before she answered.
“Greyson’s been into some serious shit lately and I want to reveal that to the group. The original plan was to have you out him for his shit by saying you’ve been stalking him. Drake, Sully, Stormy, and I would’ve been the ones to say that it’s plausible considering how you were in the tree watching us, but things have changed. It’s a lot more dangerous than I thought and we need as many people aware as we can get. More than just Father Wolf is out to get us.” She paid close attention to her thoughts, hoping that what she’s about reveal wouldn’t backfire.
“What do you know about the Dollhouse?”Luna stared for a moment, before her lip twisted in a frown. She tried to keep it off her face, but her mind immediately became a hurricane of raw emotion. Quickly, thoughts flashed in her mind, retro in style, but still fresh. A cellphone in her hand, reading about an ‘emergency meeting.’ Flying like a mad women to her second home. And, in the dimly lit back rooms of the House of Cards' sanctuary, white cloths, blood and bodies strewn about, all cold as ice. Screaming at a short-cut white-haired woman about ‘what the fuck’ was going on. Pulling aside one of the cloths to see none other than a woman with dark hair, who no longer had her signature hat. A woman Luna knew as Phantasia Vorpal. How the white-haired woman, Valencia, explained how forced negotiations had gone wrong. Horribly wrong.
And
Dollhouse was to blame.
“...I know they’re a bunch of bastards that think they control the city.” Luna said in a cold tone, her voice laced with venom.
“What about them?”Tayla bit into her bagel to quickly hide her shocked expression. Phantasia was dead? But she just met with Greyson a week ago. Holy shit. The Dollhouse works fast. They need to come up with a way to get both her and Greyson off their roster of cronies.
“Greyson’s in hot water with them. They think he can restore our memories of where the Sycamore Tree is, but he can’t. He’s stalling for time. Once they find out he’s useless, they plan to kill him. Don’t get me wrong, normally I wouldn’t care, but I’ve seen the truth of him. And try as I might, I’m not heartless enough to leave him hanging. Can you help us?” There was a long pause before Luna leaned on her elbows, resting her head on interlaced fingers. Her eyes had a hungry glint to them.
“You know you’re proposing suicide, or mutually assured destruction… right?”More thoughts raced through her head. The thought that she was being used for her connections. The sick pleasure in feeling used by her objects of affection - they didn’t know she’d happily die for the sake of the Coven.
She felt sick to her stomach going toe-to-toe with the Dollhouse, and she knew Valencia would need coaxing to get on board, but this suicide mission would be do-able with everyone’s help. Dollhouse was the monster that would eat them all up eventually. That’s how power-hungry madmen operated.
Tayla ate her bagel again. The chewing helped her school her expression from hearing Tsukino’s thoughts. She got pleasure from being used for the Coven’s sake? She’d die for them? That’s fucked. She’s seen fucked shit during her stint with the Wolfpack. This isn’t like any of that, but whatever floats her boat. At least she’s willing, despite feeling nauseous at the thought.
There was just one thing she needed in return for going ahead with this.
“Well… I’m going to be honest with you, it’s fucked you wanna do this. But Greyson is a friend, even if his work is messed up.” She leaned forward a little more, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“But I’ll need a favour. Help me make good with the rest of the Coven, and my connections and I will do everything we can to help.”Her head tilted.
”Deal?”“I was going to offer that anyway, so deal. I’ll let Greyson know, but don’t do anything towards them yet. We don’t have a solid plan in place on what to do, and I don’t want them tipped off too early. Poking around before we’re ready will raise alarms. Getting you in the Coven won’t matter if they come for all our heads prematurely.” Luna leaned back, waving her hand dismissively,
“Relax, we’ve suffered a heavy lose from those bastards already. Anything we do will be done with at least a hundred hours of planning put into it first.”Her lips pursed, before her shoulders slumped a bit, and she exhaled a string of curses in Japanese.
“...Alright.” She leaned forward a bit.
“I’ll let you in on something I learned. Why going toe-to-toe with ‘em monsters is literal suicide unless we can find a way to counter it.”Her gaze went cold, eyes sharp as flint.
“They got body possessors. All done with the mind, from what my associates said. Nothing you can do about it, either. Like a puppet on strings.”She leaned back, eyes half-lidded.
“Still thinking of a way around it. Otherwise whatever you or I do will result in an untimely death.”Kinda hard for her to relax when if this all goes belly up, she’s dead and her son will be without a mom. She kept her expression chill. Didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention by seeming distressed. That was harder said than done with Tsukino dropping a massive bomb like them having something that can possess them. What the fuck? She should be safe with the headphones on. Dollhouse assured her nothing can get through. Everyone else is for sure fucked. She broke off a piece of her bagel.
“We lay low. Continue on like we know nothing, then they won’t feel the need to use those possessors. Maybe we’ll find something out about them with the Coven still looking into Kari. A lot of weird shit happened at the house.” She’d gotten some information during the battle. A lot of it was jumbled up and didn’t make much sense to her. Whatever they uncovered in the house will probably be the main topic in the next Coven meeting.
“We’ll worry about that later. For now, let’s work on how I’m going to get you good with the Coven. I can vouch for you all I want, but Drake and Auri didn’t want anything to do with you yesterday. It’ll cause a fight when I bring you next time. We need to give them some type of information to butter them up. I’ve felt your intent with my Lux, but that might be a hard sell. I’m not as good at it as Greyson.”Luna’s mind burned with a vivid possibility. The Sycamore, sitting around a table. Luna across from Drake, passing over some type of information, and him actually cracking a smile across his stony face.
It was possible. And because it was possible, she wasn't adverse to getting her hands a little dirty.
“There's one way…” Luna started, head tilting slightly as she sat there.
“From the visions, it's obvious 8th Street knows something. If I were to get ahold of one of them…the information I could get could prove to be incredibly valuable. Enough for everyone to realize I'm a boon, not a bane.”Tayla’s eyes widened. She wants to interrogate or infiltrate 8th Street? Considering she fought them yesterday and left running, she’s not sure if that’ll be the best thing to do. Not that she had a better idea, ‘cause anything else she knew would be the things they can’t tell them yet.
“Jesus Christ. And how will you do that without ending up dead? From the way you turned tail yesterday, it doesn’t seem like that’s a good idea.” She held her hand up.
“Not to say you running was cowardice. You were outnumbered. That’s why I’m concerned.”Luna looked at Tayla for a moment, studying her face. Concerned? Was she really… concerned?
A hint of a smile crept on Luna’s face.
“I appreciate the concern, but you don't need to worry. This time it would be done proper, with the right firepower.”She leaned back in her seat, uncapping her bottle to take a sip.
“I’ll see if home base can’t figure anything else quietly about Dollhouse. Just intel…”Her eyes slid over to Tayla.
“I’ll do everything I can to help Greyson. He don't deserve it. They're a bunch of-” Her gaze darkened. “-bastards.”There was a pause, before Luna tilted her head.
“Anything else you wanted to get off your chest, Tayla?”She wasn’t a fan of Tsukino poking around or about her hitting 8th Street, but if she can get some intel, why not.
[color=DE198A]“You’re cracked,” she said with a straight face. [color=DE198A]“Be careful with both 8th Street
and Dollhouse. I’ll let you know when Greyson and I have a plan. We gotta figure out how we’ll tell the gang about Dollhouse. Once you get info on 8th Street, hit me up. We’ll plan on how to present what you found out.”
She read Tsukino before she asked her if she wanted to get anything off her chest.
“Nope,” she answered, short and sweet.
“We’re done for now.” There’s not a thing about her she wanted to share with Tsukino. There’s already three people in the Coven that know too much; one she volunteered information to, one went rooting through her head, and the other had the unfortunate opportunity of meeting her ex. That’s more than enough.
Luna nodded, before she gently stood.
“It's been a pleasure, Tayla. I appreciate your help. And your trust.”She picked up her clutch and her bottle, before half-turning away.
“Let's keep in touch, yes?” Before she waved, and walked away.
Tayla waved goodbye and watched her go, wondering if this would all work out or if they were working themselves to an early grave.
An unmarked letter with elegant cursive arrives at Edict's door.
You have been cordially invited to
Phantasia Vorpal's Funeral
To be held on November 4th, 2:00PM, at Saint John Baptist Church, St. Portwell
Edict, still unsure of his footing in the situation involving his Mafiosa counterpart, opens the bespoke letter with a feeling of fear and dread. Unfolding the paper, revealing the contents, his hand trails up to his mouth as he's brought back to the conversation with Luis.
"Dollhouse doesn’t jump to the nuclear option unless strictly necessary…"Thats what Luis had said... So...
”Phantasia... What the fuck happened over there?"He took a deep breath, folded the letter back up and stuck it in his pocket before heading for his phone. Calls needed to be made. Condolences.
The House of Cards
Edict Devola and the Devola Family
November 4th, Saturday, 2:00 PM
Saint John Baptist ChurchIn collaboration with @AtomicEmperor
The clouds were a dull, grey mist overhead, hung heavy and low. At the Saint John Baptist Church, black vehicles, slicked with rain, filled the stalls in front of the church. In the back, where the cemetery spread out with its pegs of stone and mounds of earth, a small group had gathered in front a casket, held by ropes over a freshly dug plot.
Valencia stood there, black suit and a thin veil over her face, as the priest began talking about the afterlife, and giving the deceased their funeral rites.
A man with white hair held her umbrella, Isabella Blackthorn stood on her other side, Luna Inoue a bit behind her, and many of the Cards men loosely clung together, heads bowed though no tears were shed.
Edict was almost sure it was a plot to get him away from Britney as a confirmation, but when it wasn’t just Valencia there, he was a bit more sure that the worst had really come to pass. He had been under the impression from the getgo that Luis only wanted to set them straight: It was actually a bit surprising that he hadn’t sent anyone to represent their interests and show face, which only made Edict feel more at odds with what had happened.
But he knew how to mourn, and arrived much like the others draped in black. It was cold, and he’d taken the shawl he got at a thrift shop as it matched the austere occasion with its equally dark woolen fabric. His Uncle, who knew of Phantasia and their crew but stayed well out of their way, as well as over a dozen of the Devola family’s top earners and soldiers were there to recognize her death.
Edict stood at the head of the pack next to his Uncle. They didn’t say anything, but the dark-skinned pudgy man hung his head low as the priest spoke. He couldn’t help but shake his head slowly as he stared out at the coffin.
What the fuck happened? What’d you do that got Luis to kill you? You… Really wouldn’t bend even a little?He knew what the score was: Revenge wasn’t going to end. It was just going to transfer from group to group until everyone’s heads were gone, or until they got exhausted and couldn’t swing anymore. His eyes narrowed at Luna Inoue, vaguely remembering her presence during the 8th Street Raid earlier that week. He wondered if she was like him… If she struggled as badly with how things ended.
He decided he’d try and connect. Another person on the outs wanting back in could mean trouble, but it could also mean a stronger bond. Even if the outward impression of the two of them working together was anything but a good thing.
But still, he listened to what the priest had to say, wondering if the Holy Father even knew a lick of what he was talking about.
Luna’s eyes glanced at Edict, feeling his gaze on her for a moment. He was special, she knew that. A fellow mafioso, but with a unique connection. A connection that changed everything - Sycamore. And due to that reason, Luna held a quiet admiration for him, like she did for all of Sycamore. An unreasonable, illogical obsession that her Mother had quietly nurtured.
Now that her Mother was dead, Luna struggled to hold onto that admiration. Was Valencia right, after all?
Valencia, in question, briefly glanced towards the white-haired man before gesturing towards the newcomers with her chin. As the priest spoke, Valencia and the man slowly made their way over to Edict’s side of the coffin, and Valencia stood on the other side of Edict, staring solemnly at the coffin.
While the priest spoke, she spoke in a low, neutral tone.
“Heard a lot about you, Mister Edict. Heard some of Mother’s last words too. Not all of it kind. She said something along the lines of… ‘Edict… that son of a bitch.’” Valencia side-eyed him, her face showing no hint of malice, but also showing no hint of warmth.
“Kind of strange, isn’t it? After calling you a friend, too… Any reason why she’d be cursing you in her final moments…?”Edict stood straight, taking a deep breath as he listened to the new Capi speak in an accusatory tone.
”Let’s take a walk, Val… You and me.”His hand reached into his pocket, pulled out his cigarette case, and offered one to Valencia after taking his own. If she took one, Edict would in turn light it as the two of them made way away from the ceremony proper. The trees had given up their leaves, and the ground was cluttered all around them with gold and brown.
”I told your Mother the same thing I’m going to tell you. We live by a code. Fuck the magic, fuck the craziness, fuck the magical testicles, fuck it! La. Cosa. Nostra. Does that track? You can ask my Father: This was a hit from outside, and I have a good idea of who it was and why it happened. Not that I think you’re gonna like it, but it’s just a hunch at the end of the day anyway.”Valencia took a puff on the offered light, smoke curling around her face. The smoke helped settle the anger she held tightly behind a visage of neutrality. She was interested - a morbid curiosity, really - if Edict would be the man to dig himself a deeper grave.
“You really think we were born yesterday, huh?” Valencia paused in her step, eyes focused ahead on the road paved between gravestones.
“We had a man on the inside when it happened. We know who targeted Mother, where, and why.”She turned to Edict, her sharp eyes wholly focused on him.
“Real question… is why a pretty birdie like you sang…”Edict shook his head slowly, not wanting to make this a bigger problem. It was already solved, fixed, finished. Why dredge up more feelings?
”I'm not sure if you're hearing me, Val. I don't know what you mean, there are no birds, there is no singing. There's a dead Capo and a very dangerous group of people out there who are trying to kill us.”Valencia watched him for a moment before sucking on her cigarette, staring out at the gravestones. He shook his head again, exhaling a long drag from his cigarette and stuffing his thumb into his eye to rub it.
”Now, if you want to talk about inside men and things like that, you may as well be candid. Luna over there saw me yesterday morning… I know she did because we were at the same Coven event. Have you asked her about the 8th Street Members I killed defending Sycamore?”Valencia bit down on her cigarette a bit, staring out at the colours of grey skies and grey stones. She knew it. There was no point interrogating this man on a hunch withot Mr. Roosevelt here. It was dangerous to make any more of a fuss over it. Not like she was looking to fight Dollhouse
and the Devola Crime Family.
No, she needed far more tact.
Valencia blew out another stream of smoke before gazing at Edict.
“My apologies, I’m a little high-strung ‘bout my Mother, you know?”She rolled her head slightly, feeling the little droplets of face on her face.
“I thought I’d have a lot more years of being under her shading wing ‘fore all this.”Valencia sighed, before side-eyeing Edict.
“So, Boss man? Did you figure out an in for us for getting Mother’s Void Heart back?”Edict’s nose scrunched up tightly at the mention of Void Heart.
”Jesus Christ, Val… You don’t know how to put two and two together without her, do you?”His whole posture shifted, body turning to face her directly. Both hands reached out, gently gripping against her shoulders.
”Whatever happened to her… I don’t doubt it had to do with this ridiculous fucking obsession. You are not doing her memory justice by trying to let that fucking monster back out. Stow it. Lock the memory up, throw away the key. Sometimes it's better to do that… Take it from me, Sis. Please. Stick to what we’re all meant to be doing: Making money for the Firm. Let’s just be rich, and fuck the problems of yesterday. Capice?” he asked, shade covered eyes being opened to an unobstructed view as he pulled them up to look at her properly.
Icy amber eyes met striking green as Valencia looked up at Edict. She listened, trying to keep the flicker of resistance off her face. Before she smiled. Smiled wide, revealing bright teeth. Sharp teeth. A slight wrinkle around the eyes, a resignation.
“Capice.”She waited for Edict to look away and let her go.
He let her go, but wouldn’t make the mistake of looking away.
His face was serious, in a rare way.
”They’re going to kill us all if we don’t do things right, Val… All in due time.”Regardless of her suspicions, he knew they had at least one agent that could hear direct thoughts. Best not to give a second one any chances… But the allusion was fairly direct. It was only because he didn’t want any of this to happen; he wanted Valencia to back off and get the hint, because if she didn’t, business was only going to get worse. It would make things move faster, and he couldn’t see a world where things move any faster than they already do.
It would be a nightmare if they did.
It can’t happen. You won’t take her from me. You won’t.Valencia’s cold smile only widened.
“I’m a businesswoman, Edict. I’m concerned about the same things as you, overhead, assets…”She took one savoury pull of her cigarette before tossing it, grinding it under her heel as she shoved her hands in her pant pockets.
“We should get back, huh? Don’t want to miss throwing my rose on Mother, all that..”
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Said the soft words of the priest.
“Amen.” echoed around the funeral congregation, Valencia and Edict having made it back to the fold just in time.
Demos eyed Valencia, returning to his position of holding an umbrella over her head.
“Everything okay?”Valencia nodded, her face a careful mask, before a flicker of sadness washed up over her features. Demos passed her a rose, and she approached the casket first. It was nearly time to say goodbye, and bury Mother under the earth. Before that, roses were being passed out, allowing people to say their piece.
Valencia hovered in front of her Mother’s casket, her face flashing with unwilling emotions. Gruffly, she pushed them down, and cleared her throat. “Mother always had her people in her heart. Even her enemies, she tried to understand them, give them the respect and dignity they deserved. We have lost someone near and dear in our hearts, and she will be missed.”
Annoyance crossed her face. ”No. No. I’ll be a bit more frank with you. Today we all lost a Mother, but I lost
my mother. But she left me with an example, how I want to lead the Cards moving forward…”
Her eyes looked up from the coffin, looking over the group, lingering on Edict, before she looked to Mr. Roosevelt, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. She spoke, words coming out strong. “Mr. Roosevelt had the honour of hearing her last words. The words we live by as a Family:
‘Long live the fighters.’ That only means one thing. She went down with a fight, and that is the best death any mafioso could ask for. She died with honour, something we can only hope to achieve in this lifetime. Today, we honour the bravery of my mother.”
She placed the rose in the center of the closed coffin, and slowly stepped back.
Edict headed the Devola procession, each of them leaving a rose on Phantasia’s grave until the very last man. The typically soft spoken Mario Devola, acting boss of the Devola Family as his brother Luigi sat at the apex of their world. A King on his throne couldn’t be bothered to make the event knowing his son was there.
But Mario came. And as he shuffled at the back of the procession, he held a large bundle of flowers; carnations, white lilies, roses of all sizes and colors, gladioli and of course forget-me-nots. See, Mario was an old school gangster, and one who had gone through some terrible courses in his life. There were people out there whom he cared for like blood. Not least of them being Phantasia Vorpal, who had run with the crews since she herself was a young girl.
He’d known her so long now, it was hard to think that someone he saw like that was gone. She was a niece, or a sister even at the best of times. And he was truly mourning a loss the cause of which he would probably never fully grasp.
And he stood in front of the woman’s casket, and he let a tear slip.
“Oh, you poor fuckin’ Bambina…”
Turning to the crowd, he cleared his throat.
“Boy she… Really was magical, wasn’t she?” he tried to chuckle, his vague understanding of the spiritual world around him tenuous at best. But still, a joke was a joke.
“I met Phanny when she was ten years old, runnin’ dice with a bunch of little scooters by the Shore. At the time, we were just told that there were games we wasn’t cut in on. We were the little guys then, and we pull up to bust heads. But we find this little Queen. Sharp as a knife, she had us wonderin’ how she got all the kids in the neighborhood hooked on gamblin’...”
The old, portly man paused himself for a moment. He took a deep breath and shook his shoulders a bit.
“I was there when she was Made… I was there when we toasted to the first Casino. I was there when it burned down. The Agreeable Night, the merging of the Castle and the House… It was my voice that spoke up, that weighed where her’s wouldn’t… Because I believed in her. I still believe in her. And I believe that we’ll figure out who the fuck did this to her. I swear by the Code.”
Greyson’s jaw clenched tightly. He had a lot of respect for his Uncle, and he hadn’t realized they knew one another like that. It certainly didn’t make him feel any better about what's been done. If anything, he felt his carefully cultivated shell crack ever so slightly… It’d be better not to think about, however, so he stowed the emotions for later use. For now, respect and care; after all, he knew it wasn’t his problem unless he really wanted to make it his problem.
Valencia bowed her head a bit as Mario spoke. An old face that she knew Mother was familiar with. She wasn’t aware they were
that familiar, however. It begged the question why they didn’t have a formal alliance.
She noticed the flowers, of course. Mother had taught her that. From Mario’s bouquet, he had pulled meaning in a thoughtful way.
‘We remember the innocent Phantasia as she departs, we are grieved, and we are your friend in this time. We are devoted to Phantasia, now and forever.’ Valencia pulled the veil a little further down her face to hide the dust in her eye.
After a few moments of silence, one more figure approached the casket with a single rose. None other than Luna, her face an unreadable mask. She stood there in the rain, her hair matting to her face. She seemed unbothered by it, perhaps as a way to hide any tears being shed.
“Mother… was my grace, and my salvation. She understood my obsession with the Sycamore. How they’re unique in the world - no one else exists that are like them. She understood that. Supported me. Held me up when I was kicked out. Kept me busy with jobs so I wouldn’t cry.”Luna pressed a hand to her face, wiping down in a slow manner, wiping the rain and the tears away.
“...I have lost the light in my life. Mother, I will always miss you… Anata ga tsuchi ni mamirete iru no o miru no wa tae raremasen. Te o nobashite, izen no yō ni watashi o kangei shite kudasai. Onegaishimasu... (I can't bear to see you covered with soil. Just reach out your hand and welcome me like you used to. Please…)”Luna hovered a moment longer before placing her rose on the casket, and turning away. She moved past the House of Cards and left the ceremony, too torn to bear seeing the rest.
The priest watched with sad eyes.
”If there’s no more flowers to be placed, we will commence with lowering the casket.”When the congregation was silent, the priest nodded and gestured to one of his helpers. The young boy, dressed in black, pressed a button on one of the rollers that held the rope. Silently, the ropes began to unroll, slowly lowering the casket into the grave.
Valencia, Demos and the rest of the House of Cards watched with silent, sad eyes. Mr. Roosevelt was beside himself, continually wiping tears away.
Eventually, bodies slipped away, until all that was left was a grave and a slight drizzle.
Saturday, 6:00 PM
Elder LambIncollaboration with @FernStone
The Elder Lamb, with its hide-away atmosphere, comfort fare and solid drinks, had struck Valencia as a good place to do business, despite the fallout her Mother experienced not that long ago. The Devola’s had it right. No one would come sniffing around that wasn't suppose to. Just a good neutral place to discuss business.
Valencia reclined in one of the booths, chin propped on a hand as she surveyed the smokey room. She was dressed for the occasion, a
formal suit tailored to her figure. Silver dripped from her ears and neck. She blended in with the other up-do’ed patrons nicely.
House of Cards men were dispersed in a few of the other booths, mainly for Valencia’s own protection. Lord knew she needed it with the attack recently.
Her other hand idly rimmed the crystal of her double shot of vodka, eyes staring at the door. A new business opportunity, a Sycamore, no less, would be walking through those doors any minute now.
Exactly on time, the doors to the Elder Lamb opened, and Anya stepped inside. Dark eyes skimmed over her surroundings, taking note of everyone there. Her gaze paused on Valencia, alone and clearly waiting, and her crimson lips pulled up into a smile. With a slight nod, she made for the bar first. As she walked the light caught off the black, halterneck dress she wore, showing off the subtle, gold embroidery threaded through it. The tight bodice flowed into a loose skirt that fell below her knees, swishing as she walked, high heels making a pleasant tapping sound across the floor.
It was always best to dress to make an impression, and Anya made sure to do so, choosing out something both formal and well suited to her. She quickly ordered a glass of red wine at the bar, pleasantly surprised by the speed of service, before making her way over to the booth Valencia sat in.
”Valencia Vorpal, I presume? I’m Anya Baksh, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” Anya smiled, sliding into the booth opposite Valencia, and holding out her hand. Valencia mirrored her smile, grasping Anya's hand in a firm shake.
“Pleasure, Anya.” Valencia said in a cool alto.
Of course, they’d already spoken over the phone, but it was best to be polite when it came to first in person meetings.
After all, they were giving Anya the in she needed.
”You’ve chosen a lovely location for our meeting. I appreciate the privacy.”“Good drink here, and everyone keeps to themselves.” Valencia said, pulling out a cigarette.
She offered one to Anya.
“You don't smoke, do you?””I don’t, but thank you,” Anya smiled.
Valencia took a long drag, smoke curling around her. There was a tactful, intrigued look in her flinty eyes.
“I hope you don't mind me getting right to business, Anya. I understand you run a dreams gig. Can you tell me a little more about that?””Of course.” Anya was more than happy to get straight down to business. It was, after all, part of why she was here.
”At its basic, I run a highly qualified dream interpretation business. People come to me with their dreams, and I help them understand more about themselves thanks to that. I also offer a service where I give people the dreams they would like to have. It’s a complicated science, primarily done via subtle manipulation of electrical impulses to the brain via a device I programmed, to control what the brain will show someone while they’re asleep.”Valencia ran a thumb across her lip as she listened. She leaned forward slightly.
“By any chance, are you able to see these dreams yourself?””Under specific circumstances, yes.” Anya's smile widened slightly, watching Valencia with a genuine expression that didn't give much away. Of course, the circumstances weren't that specific. She just needed to meet someone, and then for them to be asleep and dreaming. But giving the illusion she couldn't just slip into anyone's dreams was much more beneficial in most situations. And without magic being explicitly mentioned… well she'd keep toeing the line between it being that and a scientific process.
”I need the… target, let's say, to have a specific object near them when they sleep, and preferably to be someone I know. This allows me to tap into their dreams. Since I cannot just slip in, it tends to be a consensual process… after all, I have no ability to slip something into someone's room.”She lied easily, near impossible to non magically tell that behind every small bit of truth was a lie covering her true capabilities. She reached into her bag to pull out a small, black cube. It was unassuming, without much to it - in fact, it was just a metallic square infused with a dream inducement spell. She put it on the table between them.
”Something like this.”Valencia was quiet for a moment, eying the cube, but not touching it. She swirled the vodka in her glass before taking a sip, and setting it down.
“...Hmm.”Her head slightly rolled to the side, eyes narrowing.
“...So, say I were to get you to see someone, and I managed to slip this device into their room. Would you be able to tell me their dreams?””I could, quite easily. Getting the device in place is the most difficult step for me alone, as it's outside of my expertise.” And entirely unnecessary. But it would prevent them from requesting too many dream visits from her, while ensuring Valencia didn’t know Anya could visit
her dreams. She took a long drink of her wine, eyeing her over the top of the glass.
”For a price, of course.”“Price is no issue,” Valencia stated, propping her chin on a fist again.
“However, I would like to test your… science. How do you feel about giving me a sample. Traversing my dreams, and we meet again here tomorrow to see your accuracy.””Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to buy a ‘product’ with no guarantee that you’ll see results,” Anya agreed easily. It was to be expected when it came to business meetings with any of the… smarter possible clients, rather than the ones who would gladly buy crystals and believe they worked magic. She tapped the small cube.
”If you take this with you, I’ll easily be able to prove the accuracy to you tomorrow.”Valencia stared for a moment before nodding, picking up the cube and slipping it within her inner suit's pocket.
“Feel free to order whatever you like from the menu, Anya. I'll have them forward the bill to me. Can't have my potential help work on an empty stomach.”With a small, wolfish grin, Valencia stood from the table, downing the rest of her glass and setting it against the wood. The cigarette was between her lips once again as she half-turned towards the door.
“Until tomorrow, then.”She gave a low whistle, and men stood from their booths, forming a group around her as Valencia walked out the front door.
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