A Shining Sun

Kyron is not a good person. He looks at big picture things and cares nothing for the consequences of it. He will seem cheerful and kinda goofy but that’s mostly the person he wants to be able to be again.

Rourke is incredibly distrustful of just about everyone he meets. He also doesn’t believe that anyone can be wholly selfless as everyone has something they want. So those he distrusts the most are the ones who claim to be doing something “out of the goodness of their hearts” or similar claims. At least those with ulterior motives or wants were relatively simple to predict or at least understand. But the altruist? The altruist rarely understands the full consequences of his actions especially if he simply thinks his moral stance is correct, or so Rourke thinks.

Your lifetrap is: Defectiveness

The emotion most recurring in you is shame. Shame is what you feel when your defects are exposed. You will do almost anything to avoid this shame. Consequently you go to great lengths to keep your defectiveness hidden. You feel that your defectiveness is inside you and not immediately observable. You feel like you have to pretend to be someone you are not to be accepted. You hide your true self to fit in, but that also means that many people in your life will never know the real you.

tagged by: @zorkaya​

Zarina wondered when the owner of this place might arrive. She didn’t expect to get his attention that easily, but it was a pleasant change of plans. Rourke was quite famous, Sokolova knew what she had to know and it was a wonderful opportunity to strike deals that could be beneficial for them both in the future. The ash-blonde gave him a polite smile as she remembered the way she made a bit of a ruckus earlier with people crying for their money. What a beautiful game it was. It was as easy as taking candy from a kid, even though she wouldn’t have done it because that’s petty and shitty. Even mafia members had standards. 

“Who wouldn’t know you, Rourke?” The woman gave him a coy smile now, not fearing to show glimpses of her own intelligence and information she possessed. It was surprising that he even came here, she expected it to take much longer to even catch a glimpse of him. What a lucky night! Of course, there was no reason for her to act excited. It was natural. Her body language showed nothing but confidence and calmness in the talk. A bright smile only befitting someone who’s been in this business for years. “My name is Zarina Sokolova. I’ve never expected you to actually stop by. Quite lucky of me to make a good impression while I was just having a little bit of fun.” She politely bowed as a signal of her respect to the man. Her own name was quite known in the underworld, the twin sister of the future heir to the Russian mafiya. One of those devilish Russian twins. 

“I would be honored to join you. If you praise my game so much, I might get embarrassed,” not really. It was good to hear, she was proud of her card techniques. “And if the drinks are better, who am I to say no? Lead the way, sir.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms Sokolova. Right this way, please.”

Mutual benefit, or rather the potential for it, was the driving force behind inviting her upstairs. The truth was only members of Rourke’s organization and their partners were allowed upstairs. Taking Zarina up was the first indication that he was seriously considering working with her.

The atmosphere upstairs was much more subdued. It was accessed through a door at the top of the small flight of stairs. Soft jazz filled the air along with a light layer of cigar smoke. The men and women within were all almost uniformly in dark suits and spared only passing glances at Rourke and Zarina as they moved through to a booth at the back of the room. Thankfully it was part of the room free of the smell of cheap cigars.

“Get whatever you please,” Rourke said once he got comfortable. “It’s on me. Now then, I think we can dispense with the usual pleasantries. I have heard good things about you, Zarina. Even discounting your...family reputation.”

Her family was a known quantity for sure in the underworld. And his organization had dealt with Russians quite often in their arms trades. But in this moment Rourke was more interested in Zarina’s pursuits alone.

to be safe

no matter where you are, you can still feel the foundations of this building slowly crumbling apart. it's unstable, you feel unsafe. it'd feel better if you were somewhere soft, somewhere closed off, and safe, but you're stuck somewhere with falling debris, some sharp and small, some blunt and large. there's gaps in places, and it feels like everything is looking in. you can't stand to look out. you want to look away, for someone to help maybe, and take you away. or maybe, for something to go away, and for you to be able to go back to feeling secure. maybe you've never felt secure, and lately, it's tiring. you want the house to fall apart faster, or stop entirely, so you can make it to safety. there's a way to save yourself.

tagged by: @zorkaya​ (thanks a bunch!)

@celxstialisms​

Smart beyond her years and charismatic as a fox, the murmurs surrounding the hawk-eyed woman were quite fun to listen to. Yes, she was seen as a newbie in Arms Dealing, but no one dared to play against her. And so, she could only respond with a smile befitting a young woman: energetic, coy, but enigmatic. The same happened with the man before her today as the play of poker just finished, resulting yet in another win for her and major losses for another. Where she’d put the money for? Probably either give it away or share it with her team. 

“Interested in a game? Sorry, I was actually leaving the table.” Getting a drink was of the most importance as she glanced at the bar nearby. She didn’t care much about how men and women dressed here. Masks or not, she was used to weirdos being all around. Her business was not an easy one, she had to meet a lot of assholes along the way. 

The young woman was a new face in his world but had quickly made herself known as someone not to be idly underestimated. A woman of her talents could be valuable ally in their world. Or at least someone to have a mutual understanding with. The establishment was one of Rourke’s and even had an almost ominous “member’s only” area on the second floor.

“Oh I’ve had my fill for the day,” he said in reply with a courteous incline of his head. “I was actually going to extend an offer to come upstairs. You play a good, clean hand and I like that in my patrons. There’s better drinks upstairs, anyway.”

He had noticed her glance toward the bar and added the last in a bit of a hushed tone with a wink. The dealer at the table seemed to be holding his breath almost as the woman’s opponent sulked away from the table, cursing his luck. “Ah but where are my manners? My name is Rourke and this humble little place is mine.”