drop the game — casino party, open.

[TEDDY.]

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They had piqued his interest, and that was a very dangerous position for them to be in.

When Papa warned him of their rising competition, Teddy was acrimonious. He had not fought tooth and nail to get to this point, only for the Knope’s attempts to crumble at the first sign of competition. And, to add insult to injury, Teddy soon heard through the grapevine of the Stirling’s dirty secret. They were well-esteemed in the criminal world, raised with a silver spoon in their mouth as they made their dirty fortune from a whiskey distillery with ease. This only frustrated Teddy even more. These people knew what they were doing in this alcohol-fuelled rat race which left the Knopes at a clear disadvantage. All because the Stirlings always had it all in their fine opulence and snotty upbringing.

Perhaps Teddy was envious to some degree; they always had what he wanted in life and they could do so that effortlessly, all whilst wiping out Teddy’s vigorous and determined efforts with little more than an insouciant nod of the head. From then on, the Stirling's would be so blasé in the way they’d dismantle Teddy’s work with little effort on Eddie’s part. Whilst Teddy had the nightlife down to perfection, the nightlife was no nightlife without the alcohol. Teddy had to ensure they monopolised it before it was too late.

Inviting Flintlock Lodge to a casino night seemed to be the most useless idea but Teddy had a plan. This one was going to be good. Lure the seemingly humble mountain folk in and show them exactly what they were meddling with. Perhaps a scare was all that was needed for them to realise that interfering with The Badlands was not a good idea. Whilst his people could do a good job at socialising with Flintlock’s people, Teddy, Micah and Juliette could find the opportunity for a one to one talk with the Captain himself, Edmund Stirling. Teddy had a lot that he could say to deter Edmund.

After all, it would be a damn shame if his people found out about the monster they looked up to. Because Edmund kept that part of his story very much a secret, right? The part where he was not the virtuous, steadfast leader he made himself out to be, as much as he was the cold blooded killer who was willing to tear down enterprises and end the lives of the innocent for his own benefit.

Teddy sat at the bar as he observed Flintlockers arriving in the casino. He did not act like the usual social butterfly he was, instead somewhat more closed off as he watched them with slightly narrowed eyes. He’d leave the socialising to the other Badlanders. After all, Teddy was looking out for one person in particular.

Slowly taking a sip of his cocktail — vodka distilled right here in The Badlands, might he add — Teddy waited several moments more before a mechanical, toothy grin soon curled at his lips at the sight of Edmund. Perhaps he should show his face for some time — keeping a close eye on the leader before making his approach — standing up before he began to approach the crowd of Flintlockers with a drink in hand, finding anyone that he could talk to.

[EDMUND.]

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This felt wrong.

There had been no verbal dispute between The Badlands and Flintlock Lodge but, ever since the death of his cousin, something felt off. Edmund was suspicious, quite frankly, as he stepped into the casino, adjusting his tie and carefully slicking his hair back whilst he stood near the entrance to scan the interior carefully. Badlanders appeared gregarious as they began to socialise with Flintlockers, and at face value it appeared that their intentions were overtly clear. This was just a party between two allies. But something didn’t add up in Edmund’s clockwork mind. He carefully clenched his jaw, muscles in his cheek protruding somewhat as his eyes darted warily from one stranger to the next.

Frederick’s death had been no accident. Leandro Aguillard had been dealing with the Knope family for some time, Edmund would quickly come to learn. Why had they been so heavily armed, as if in anticipation of some trouble with the Stirlings? Edmund couldn’t get his head around any of it as of yet which was driving him insane; Eddie’s analytical brain ached at the thought of being unable to work this enigma out. The Knopes surely had something to do with Freddie’s death, but why? What could motivate them to do such a thing? And this party ought to have been more than just coincidental.

Eddie struggled to figure out what was happening here, but he already knew that these barbarians were up to no good. ❝ Drink? ❞ A waitress holding a tray of drinks approached, Eddie watching her stoically before she purposefully hovered her hand around until picking up a particular glass.  ❝ Sure. ❞ Eddie murmured softly, taking the drink that she held out before watching as she moved on. Eyes soon lowered into the glass, watching the way the colours of the alcohol and mixers began to merge as one. Her choosing of the glass felt purposeful. Too purposeful. Perhaps his paranoia was eating at him, but Eddie began to wander carefully through the casino before eventually lowering the glass at a nearby table, untouched.

Soon, Eddie raised his head, gaze wandering as he tried to locate The Administration. As of yet, he hadn’t spotted any of them — additional warning signs, or another observation to ignite his ever-growing paranoia. Perhaps it was all for good reason, or he was driving himself fucking insane. Who would have thought that the loss of Frederick could impact Eddie in such a way? Upon noticing a Badlander smoking a distance away, Eddie brought out a pack of rolled cigarettes and a lighter himself, hands barely shaking with the anticipation he felt as he brought a cigarette to his lips and lit it up. This was needed, he decided. Something to occupy himself in the anxious wait.

[NIKOLAI]

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Nikolai wasn't suited for these types of events.

It was obvious that the young man didn't really desire to be here. He wore dark clothing, although nothing standout from what he usually wore. He looked a tad bit cleaned up, if anything. Dull eyes scanned the room, watching as strangers flooded in through the doors to partake in card games, socializing, and drinking. Nik knew that Teddy had thrown this party for a reason, to intimidate the competition, so everything felt so artificial and fake. He was not someone to socialize, but even if he did desire to meet some new faces, the interactions would probably feel extremely fake and artificial. As far as Nik was concerned, competition was not ally-material.

He stands back against the wall of the casino, sipping on a sea salt-rimmed margarita. It's a fruity and fun drink, not Nik's usual choice, but a nice change from hard liquor. Cautious eyes sweep the crowd once more as he keeps a lookout for suspicious activity. He's assigned himself as an unofficial guard for tonight; The Badlands could never play it too safe. Nikolai would much rather keep tabs on the strangers in their casino than goof off and get wasted, rendering himself useless should any trouble arise.

[Shiloh !]

text

SALEM

ENTRY #01

8.15.16

BL ENFORCER

[div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 333px; min-height: 347px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 7pt; color: #000000; line-height: 99%;"]Sometimes Salem wondered how she got herself into specific situations. Tonight, for example, she was dressed in an elegant, poofy black gown that she secretly despid, and had her hair done up in a bun, which took her hours of practice to get down. The bun hurt her head, and the stupid frills on the gown were making her itchy, but she knew tonight was an important night, so she had sucked it up, chose a fancy hairstyle she had seen before, and spent most of her recently-earned funds on a fancy dress that would hide her figure well so no one would suspect anything. She missed the days when she could show up to parties and act like Nikolai, quiet and observant in the corner.

Tonight wasn't about her, however. She had a job to do. Fishing out the rest of her earnings from the week, as well as a glass bottle filled with a brown liquid, she motioned for the bartender to come over to where she sat.

Good evening, Salem! I haven't seen you in a while, do you want something to drink? Her stomach curdled: so her absence from the bar had been noticed.

"No, thank you. If any Flintlockers give you alcohol to serve tonight, please put a bit of this in it. It's a mix of aloe, broom flower, and bearberry. Just a few drops should do the trick - sorry I couldn't make the solution clear." She handed the money and the glass bottle over to the bartender before he had a chance to respond and swiftly walked away, though she quickly stopped in her tracks as she heard a whistle.

"No drinks?" She heard an NPC call out, followed by laughter. It came from a group of Badlanders, some of whom she had served tea to, jeering her from the bar. "What's up, Sally? Haven't been feeling yourself?"

Sally. That nickname burned in her throat like bile, causing her eyes to cross and her jaw to clench. She couldn't believe that it wasn't just the bartender who was noticing her abstinence.

"What...did you say?" Pregnant or not, Salem was still a fighter. Trembling, she strode up to the group of Badlanders, pushing up the sleeves of her dress to reveal her muscular arms. All the while she was praying, somebody stop me. Please, please somebody stop me.

VITALS

> overall status: 100%

> physical status: stable.
> physical health: 100%
> physical afflictions: none yet.
> minor injuries: none yet.
> major injuries: none yet.

> mental status: stable.
> current status: stable.
> mental health: 100%
> mental illnesses: None
> mental damage: None

TAGS

━ ━xGENERAL
> Elisa Barone | "Salem"
> Female
> 23
━ ━xAPPEARANCE
>Human
> Dark brown hair that varies in shade, pale, blue green eyes.
> Carries at least 2 cigars at a time, a small handgun, and a small switchblade.
> tall, lanky and a bit awkward physically.
>
━ ━xABILITIES
> N/A
> N/A
━ ━xCONFRONTATION
> medium physically | easy/medium mentally
> non-violent power-play allowed
> no kill | request maim/capture
> ask to attack in bolded, underlined and italicized black
━ ━xRELATIONSHIPS
> Lionel King x Melissa Barone
> UNBORN CHILD
> Half brother Rafe
> Half niece Gigi
> Cat Chrisanthymum "Chrissy"
>Bisexual | no crush
>
━ ━xOTHER
> this text + this color = this meaning

I'VE COME TOO FAR TO SEE THE END NOW

━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ even if my way is wrong

a small everyone. | beware hidden scrolling

[LEONARDO.]

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YOU DON'T WANT MY CONVERSATION — X
JUST NEED SOME CONFIRMATION

There hadn’t been an order for him to attend The Badlands casino party, but Leo decided to show up anyways. Not that he especially hated parties, he just always liked to avoid these kinds of parties- you could never relax, everyone's on edge, you're amongst competition. But Edmund had to attend, and so Leo decided he should be there as well.

Walking into the casino, making his way in, a memory sneaks up on him. He’s reminded of walking into a party in New York, crime families all over the state travelling to attend, and he remembers specifically how upset he was having to wear a tuxedo to the party. His uncle and him had been arguing hours beforehand, “This gathering is important, you can’t wear anything else.”

He was young then, probably 15 or 16. He remembers being so frustrated that he ended up crying, and he remembers quickly trying to cover up his own tears before attending the party, so no one would see. Even now, as Leo walks into the casino, he avoids wearing anything too fancy- wearing a large black leather jacket over a simple black tee, black shoes, some jeans and a belt to hold it all together. Now that he's older he doesn't have anyone to lecture him over what to wear.
How stupid, he thinks, shaking his head at the useless memory. He had to focus. But being inside the casino now, scanning the area, he’s reminded of yet another part of that night in New York when he finally sees Edmund.

He remembers sitting at an empty table, his own family mingling with the others. He remembers constantly toying with his own tuxedo, feeling stupid while wearing it, and finally he remembers Eddie walking up to meet him, telling Leo “The tux looks fine.”
Beforehand they had met a few times at other parties across New York, but it was near the beginning of them getting to know each other, and so for him to pick up on the fact he was uncomfortable? Honestly, Leo became embarrassed.
But it worked, Leo became less self-conscious and from then on he would always seek out Ed at gatherings. To him, Edmund seemed to blend in so easily in these kinds of environments, even if he was quiet, and being around him he figured he could easily pretend to fit in as well.
Ed was silent, but he knew when to speak. Leo was silent, and he'd rather keep it that way.
It got to the point where Leo’s uncle would scold him for following Ed around, “You’re like a little puppy” is what he’d say.
Leo didn’t need to follow Ed around though, not anymore. He felt confident in himself enough now to be able to attend parties like this on his own, but as he watches Edmund discarding the drink a waitress had handed him he realizes he must be paranoid about attending.

It wasn’t exactly a secret that this party was meant to show off somehow- show off the drinks, show off the casino, intimidate the competition. Really, it was a regular thing that happened between competing criminal organizations, and he remembers these kinds of parties back in New York. The thing that gets Leo, however, is how careful his friend is being. He understands being cautious around The Badlands, especially with the plans they were both trying to put together, but he's not even pretending to enjoy the alcohol, why would the drinks be poisoned?
It's not like The Badlands suspected anything, was it?

The same waitress manages to catch Leo, approaching him with her array of drinks, “Would you like a drink?” and he simply nods in response and allows her to choose his drink for him.
She ends up handing him a colorful alcoholic drink. A deep red at the bottom, becoming more pink as it approaches the rim, decorated with a strawberry- honestly he hated the fact that Eddie had discarded his drink, cause now he’s questioning how safe it would be to enjoy the one in his hands.

“Ed,” Leo says simply, announcing his approach. “You alright?”