fight for my survival — leonardo.
#1
[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: andale mono; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px; color: #484a4d"]tw. mention of underage drinking

His jaw was clenched, so tight it was as if teeth had been welded together by the sheer horror. Just as business had picked up exponentially — just as he had planned — suddenly it felt as if the opposition were dying to get in the way. First came the death of his cousin which had been awfully convenient considering he was the man in charge of the bar enterprise itself, and next Edmund had found that their alcohol supply had been sabotaged. Everything. All of their hard work, destroyed. Even the Stirling’s family recipe for whiskey had quickly become frowned upon as something which, although it tasted delicious, had caused massive controversy around the lodge. The stomach upset had been intense, enough to have any man writhing in pain.

What had ignited his anger the most was that along with the rest of the guests who had tried that particular keg of lager, it had also been young Henry who had fallen ill . Luckily, Edmund favoured his whiskey that he decided to drink no more of after his suspicions had been raised, and so he hadn’t been personally affected. But, the horror still tormented him, especially since this was his reputation in ruins for the damage that he, as Captain, had allowed. And, perhaps it had been Edmund’s fault all along for sneaking a fourteen year old something to drink, but he felt that Henry would have been entirely fine with having a drink with this older brother if Eddie was accompanying him that evening. His guilt had been overwhelming. Nobody deserved the anguish.

The more Edmund had time to linger on his conversation with the Knope family when they visited their casino, the more Eddie began to realise that this had been a ploy all along. Frederick’s death, the casino night, the sabotage of Flintlock’s bar; all of it led back to the Knope family, and Eddie wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. Twitching his nose, Edmund fidgeted slightly as he welcomed Leonardo into his office. Gently shutting the door behind him, Ed then stepped carefully into the room, gaze darting across the immaculate conditions he’d leave his workspace in. ❝ Leo, I— ❞ With a sigh, he pressed his thumb and ring finger firmly against either side of his temples.

He was deep in thought. If anyone would be able to help Eddie deal with this situation promptly and with finality, it would be Leo. He understood Edmund in ways that many could not; they came from the same background, Leo knew Edmund’s position within his family, the dark jobs they had to perform in confidentially because no normal civilian could know the kind of monsters they’d brought into their lives. And, with what Eddie was planning on ordering next, he needed someone who would understand the importance of what he was about to ask. ❝ Remember when we discussed what would happen to The Badlands if they were to ever target us? I need you to get that job done for me. Arson, an explosive, I don’t care. I just need that casino gone because without it, those bastards are nothing without it. Only then can we have the upper hand and ensure they never interfere with our lives again. ❞


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I'M OUT OF MY MIND, REPLAYING THE SCENE
[sup]AS THESE THOUGHTS START TO ASPHYXIATE ME — NOTES.

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#2
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YOU DON'T WANT MY CONVERSATION X
JUST NEED SOME CONFIRMATION
Stepping into the room, Leo already had an idea as to what Edmund wanted to talk to him about.
He wasn’t there when everything went down, but with the way everyone reacted it wasn’t hard to find out at least some details, and he regrets the decision to not show up now. Even through the murmurings of what had gone down, the intricate details were always left out- he knew people were sick but he didn’t know if they would die, or even if the person who had done all of this was captured, and he wishes that he had been there to help.

When he hears the door click softly behind them both, and hears the way Edmund stutters, he knows something is weighing on his mind. Understandably so, since it was his family’s recipe that had been messed with, but was there something more to it?

“I can get it done.” Leo says simply, and, damn, does he wish he wasn’t this person- this quiet, awkward person, never being able to say much more than a response. From Ed’s expression it was obvious that there was a lot going on in his head, and he wanted to be able to talk this out more with him.
His eyebrows furrow and he gives a small frown, looking down and away at the ground. The frustrated expression is more for himself than anyone else, and he tries to push through the unnatural silence, trying to find something to say, anything that could help him understand what happened at the bar.

“What happened?”
Leo nearly winces, he honestly wanted it to come out more… delicate? Not as direct.
He resorts to using his hands to sign what he wants to say,
“I wish I was there so I could’ve helped. I know someone spiked the alcohol. Is everyone okay?”



TOO DAMN EASY TO HIDE AWAY TO RUN AWAY
[size=9pt]I JUST NEED A REASON TO STAY —— INFO
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#3
[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: andale mono; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px; color: #484a4d"]Edmund was relieved when Leonardo agreed to help Eddie with this task. It was a big thing to ask of someone but both Ed and Leo were part of crime families and understood the extent of loyalty. If Leonardo ever needed something from Eddie, he could always be rest assured that Ed would be there for him, and vice versa. And, in this instance, Eddie knew that he could trust Leonardo to get the job done. ❝ Good. ❞ He murmured softly, head nodding as he processed the information. ❝ That’s good. Thank you. ❞ Not only had this perpetrator damaged his reputation as well as his family recipe’s longstanding multigenerational reputation, many people were unwell now, including a young teenager. He knew he could rely on Leo, though; after all, sometimes the quietest of people were the deadliest. Take it from Eddie — he rarely spoke and yet he was widely feared.

❝ People are all right from what I can tell. Sick, but not dead. ❞ Eddie explained carefully as he sat back against his office desk, knuckles slowly turning white on the hand that clenched down on the edge of the desk. He couldn’t or wouldn’t be optimistic about the situation, at least not until he had unequivocal proof that this was a storm that would pass. Brows raised ever-so-slightly as Eddie’s eyes averted to the side of him, clearly deep in thought as he then thought of his next words carefully. ❝ My brother is ill from it at the moment y’know, ‘ey? The youngest one. I let him have his very first lager to appease that curiosity of his, and now he’s sick. ❞

Ed’s lips tightly formed a line, watching Leo’s face carefully as he then pointed out quite matter-of-factly, ❝ If he dies, I will stop at nothing to ensure I seek justice for him. If he lives, I’ll make sure they learn their lesson and not put innocent lives at risk again. I hope that you can understand why it’s imperative to me that this is done. ❞ Whilst Edmund’s requests often painted him in a sinister light, it was solely down to the fact that he was a stern and no nonsense Captain who refused to let any outsider tread on his toes. If one were to look past the blood and destruction that followed him in his path, they’d see that he was not a bad man — only a man who did whatever it took to protect those that he cared for.


[align=center]
I'M OUT OF MY MIND, REPLAYING THE SCENE
[sup]AS THESE THOUGHTS START TO ASPHYXIATE ME — NOTES.

[/sup]
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#4
[align=center]
YOU DON'T WANT MY CONVERSATION X
JUST NEED SOME CONFIRMATION

Leo nods gravely and speaks softly, he wants to use his voice to reassure him,
"It's not your fault."
"You didn't know."

He knew that Edmund had taken this mission seriously before, trusting him to be discreet and pull it off as cleanly as possible, but knowing that his little brother had been caught in the crosshairs of this feud between Flintlock and The Badlands, he knew Edmund would put a lot of importance on this mission- his family had been disrespected, and in more ways than one.
And he expected Leo to help get revenge.
He couldn’t fail.
Leo signs quickly, “Do you want me to make it look more like an accident?”
Honestly he figured if they were going to do this so soon after The Badlands had spiked the drinks, they were going to connect the dots either way.
But really, with this feud, even if they waited a whole year The Badlands would still probably figure it out.
“Do you think The Badlands would put the pieces together?”
He didn’t know if Edmund just wanted him to get into the place, light the match and leave, or if he wanted to be more delicate about this.


TOO DAMN EASY TO HIDE AWAY TO RUN AWAY
[size=9pt]I JUST NEED A REASON TO STAY —— INFO
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