#burningvalhalla

he was the last person she wanted to see. especially after what had happened at the ball. leyla had done her best to ignore him too. and for the most part, she was doing a good job. that was until now. even settled on not going out as much either. but it seemed as if her luck ran out on that day. of all days. "thought you would still be locked up." not once did she think he would be out already. it was a shame they had even let him go.

location: bash's place

the news was something she didn't think she would hear. dario, someone she knew and was close to, dead? it left her feeling heartbroken. sitting down on the couch, all she could do was stare at the tv for a few moments. getting her phone out, she texted gianna, asking her to come over and watch emira. when she agreed, it made her sigh in relief. she knew her and bash weren't talking. but she needed to check in on him. not that long ago, she had been in his shoes. and she could only imagine the pain he was in with losing his brother. as soon as gianna got there, leyla left to head to his place. pulling up to his place, she sat there in her car for a moment. taking a deep breath, she got out of her car and walked up to the door before knocking on it. "i know you're here bash. so just please open the door."

as soon as the tray of pizza was placed infront of them, jules wasted no time in grabbing herself a few slices. with skipping breakfast that morning, she was hungry. having lunch with sawyer though? that rarely happened. the two were friends. but getting lunch was a once in a blue moon thing. "let me just say, getting out of town for a weekend was nice." she had left for a concert. a concert she had gotten tickets too. "the concert though was amazing."

darryl stood behind the table with a bottle in hand, pouring himself a drink like it was any other night, the motion smooth and unhurried. he didn’t look up right away when bash stepped in, just let the sound of his arrival settle before setting the bottle down with a quiet clink. he had waited to call on bash for numerous reasons, but in the end…he had decided that the route he would take with bash was the only logical one. he tried, really he did, to find another solution. but every single one just pointed back to this decision. it had not been one taken lightly, then again, neither were bastian’s actions. such little regard for the club, and that was the main problem here. his gaze lifted, steady and unreadable, landing on bash after a moment.

“hello, bash.” he tipped the glass slightly in his hand before gesturing toward the rest of the bottles. “would you like a drink?” he leaned his weight back against the edge of the table, one hand loosely wrapped around his glass, the other resting flat against the wood. there was nothing sharp in his expression, nothing immediate, but it wasn’t soft either. just calm. controlled, more than anything. “seems like you’ve had yourself an eventful couple of days,” he added, voice even, taking a swig of his whiskey, watching bash from over the rim of his glass. he let the silence stretch for a moment, not pressing, he usually never did, just allowed the air to settle.

the steady thud of leather against the heavy bag echoed through the gym, rhythmic and controlled, each hit landing with enough force to make the chain above it rattle. but not enough to break it off for the fifth time this week, he really didn’t want to replace yet another bag. so, vinny didn’t rush it, working through the combination like muscle memory, like it was the only thing keeping his head quiet for a minute. sweat clung to his skin, breath even despite the force behind each strike, until the sound of the door cutting through the space pulled his attention just enough to break the pattern. one last hit landed harder than the rest before he stilled the bag with his palm, holding it in place as it swayed under his grip.

“look at you showing up early and shit,” he muttered, a faint chuckle slipping through as he glanced over at sawyer. he reached down for his water bottle, unscrewing the cap and taking a quick drink before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “get settled. we got a long session today.” his gaze flicked over her, quick but assessing, like he was already clocking where she was at before they even started. she was a good one though, always ready for him. more ready than he was on some days, but today he was entirely locked in. “how you holdin’ up, s?”

dario had claimed a spot at the bar not too long ago, drink in hand, deciding to give sav a bit of her own time to mingle. it felt wrong to be here, if dario were entirely honest. he was doing everything in his power to be the perfect date for savannah, from pulling out all the stops to sticking by her side as much as possible, but he couldn't shake the feeling he got tonight. daisy was dead, miles was dead, how many more were going to meet that same fate? his people were dropping like flies, and he felt powerless to help against it. all he could do was show face for his people, keep an eye on the ones who matter, and make sure sav had a perfect evening.

he had just placed another drink order, figuring he'd have one more before going to meet sav again. he didn’t need to look to know who was approaching—he felt it before anything else, that familiar shift that had his jaw tightening before he could stop it. bash. for a second, he considered leaving, slipping back into the crowd like it would be easier that way, because it kind of was. but he didn’t. instead, he stayed right where he was, letting out a low, quiet sigh under his breath as he brought the new drink up for a sip. even when bash came to stand beside him, dario didn’t turn, didn’t acknowledge him—just stared straight ahead like the space next to him was still empty, trying to fight back another frustrated sigh.