stay just a moment

“Yeah, I just got hired for this big party that’s supposed to be happening next month in Summervale. You know Leonardo Villarreal?” The name alone should have been recognizable. He was well known throughout the city for his success and charitable nature. He had hoped even an average joe like Warren would know who he was. “He just approached me last week to provide entertainment for some birthday bash he’s throwing for his siblings.” He chuckled as he recalled the conversation. “He tells me that he’s got an unlimited budget. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to have that kind of money or what I would do with it.” Now that he thought about it, the whole thing had come across a little intense. “It was supposed to be a regular meeting, but it felt like he was trying to interrogate me. No wonder the man so successful. He runs such a tight ship.” Marcus brought the last of his drink to his lip before ushering over the bartender. “Can I start a tab and get another round of the same please?” It seemed as though before he could blink again, there was new neat little glass of whiskey sitting before him. “I am. I am most definitely living the dream.” His knuckles rapped against the wood of the bar counter so as to drive any jinxes or curses or bad luck away from his good fortune.  "You have a dream job in mind? Since you’re a ‘glorified temp’, I’m assuming you’re biding your time and waiting for your reality to catch up with your dream.“ He smiled at the question. His favorite question. "My father. He’s a musician too. Taught me all that I know. I feel very humbled to be able to say that I put his teachings to good use.”

Indeed he did know that name. Quite well in fact, though he knew better than to let on just how much he knew. The ties that the Maddox family had with the other’s was something of interest to him. As was getting an insider view into all these events that happened. Especially given how the Holi party had turned out, he could only imagine that a party of similar scale would bring with it quite some ups and downs. Perhaps this time, more tumultuous waves than before. With the way that the man sitting beside him spoke, he could only imagine that the musician had no idea what the families really were like. He sounded absolutely ignorant to the happenings of Kingston, though to most ears, Warren likely sounded the same. “It’s hard to live in Kingston and not know that name,” he offered casually. “But you definitely picked a great place to settle down then because that’s all Kingston has it seems. People with unlimited budgets and no idea how to spend all the money they have.” The interrogation aspect was interesting though he could imagine it was to surveil whether Marcus was too nosy for his own good or if he’d be nothing more than background noise, unassuming and ignorant. “Did you happen to play the Lockwood’s party a few weeks ago?” It was from there that this man might have seemed familiar. After all, it was by some stroke of luck that Warren even ended up in the venue. For the man, it did sound like he had gotten to a place that was lucrative for him, as he put it, living the dream. There was no better place than Kingston where every family wanted to show off. “Nothing just yet. But I guess I think dream jobs are overrated.” After all, he had never had a job that spoke to him as much as a goal. But with one stroke of fate, it became impossible to ever realize that dream. So now he was just drifting, only one dream in mind before he’d resign himself to merely existing. “Must have been quite a teacher to compel you to follow in his footsteps.” 

Anastasia had put her own menu down, her hands clasped on the table in front of her as he spoke. He certainly didn’t strike her as the desperate kind. But she could hear the serious tone in his voice and wondered if he was just pulling her leg. Still she continued to listen as he went through different so called reasonable explanations. Calmly, she tilted her head to urge him to continue because whatever his reasons were—she was intrigued to know each one. She scoffed quietly at the second one because he seemed to be perfectly comfortable at that bar and from what she knew—guests could easily choose to eat their meal in peace there as well, and didn’t need to gatecrash her table or anyone else’s. “I was taking about the chair, but good to know.” She commented, her expression telling him clearly now just how much she didn’t care about his explanations. And even though he went ahead and sat down, telling her to take her time with picking an option, she went ahead and told him clearly where her thoughts were. “I’m going with the first option. Clearly I misread you, and you really are that desperate.” Anastasia took another sip from her glass of wine before sputtering slightly at his random question as if they were friends and he was merely asking her opinion. “Since we’ve already come to the conclusion that I misinterpreted you the first time—I really don’t want to guess what you’d like on the menu, so I have no idea what to suggest to you. But if you’re stuck, just go with the chef’s choice.” She unfolded her napkin and placed it delicately over her lap, still slightly unnerved at this stranger just sitting himself down at her table as if it was no big deal.

“I would—only because drinking for practical reasons almost makes it sound like a chore, and if you’re doing it simply for the sake of doing it—you’re better off not doing it. But that’s just my opinion.” She didn’t get people who tried to pretend to drink just for the sake of keeping up with appearances. Either you did, or you didn’t—but she didn’t find it impressive when people did it for the sake of others. At his little amused comment, she only rolled her eyes. “I’ll have you know—that not all shots are terrible.” She ended up taking a sip from her water before glancing back at him and shrugged. “I mean sometimes—you can try to embrace the good old days, right?” There was one part of her mind that was questioning why she was still sitting with Warren when she normally didn’t spare the man even a second glance. She took another sip from her glass before looking back at him when he chuckled—something she hadn’t really expected since the man usually always looked as if he was scowling at almost everyone around him. Still, she heard his words and shrugged. “It doesn’t surprise me, but it does make me a little curious,” Jhanvi commented before looking back at him. “But then how about you tell me why you’re looking into my reasons for being in this seedy bar? And maybe if I believe you’re honest—I’ll tell you the real reason as well.”

“Touche,” he resigned, wondering what it was that compelled him to stay seated at this bar. Was he drinking merely as a chore these days? When he was well aware that the alcohol’s impact would be negligible, what kept him coming back? Perhaps it was now a habit or misplaced hope that this night would be different. The drink would be stronger, his metabolism weaker, his aches duller. Something had to be different for him to expect an outcome besides the usual, yet day in and day out, he went home with the same distaste for his current existence and the same burning rage. “Not something you can sell me on.” In actuality, Warren rarely drank in the past. Even now he did not actually enjoy the taste of the amber liquid in his hands. The bitterness didn’t bother him as much anymore but in the past, there was little reason to drink. Besides, alcohol was an expense that was unnecessary and honestly, it was an expensive habit to have. And his family did not have the funds to support such a habit. So he had steered clear from the poison until now, when he had enough reasons and resources to support this lifestyle. “Can you? Does this really fool you into thinking you’re back in the good old days? Do you really feel like you’re paying tribute to your college life right now?” Somehow the man didn’t buy that the only reason she was here that night was because she was nostalgic for her college years. Granted Warren knew that his curiosity wouldn’t be enough to get him straight forward answers nor was his intrigue great enough that he’d expend too much time into searching for them. Her question was met with a nonchalant, almost disinterested shrug. “I have no reason to lie. I was merely curious. A woman of your standing, particularly one with your convictions,” conviction that she was superior to most, if not all those around her, “hardly seems to suit a place like this. So there’s nothing more than surprise as someone who can claim to know you. Be it slightly.” 

It had been some time but she was sure that the man was different. He had been lighter before, his presence in a room had filled a lot more space than it did now, the once bright male dim and huddled close to the bar. She wondered what had caused it, it could have been the job, it was enough to break anyone, and especially those that didn’t take the help they needed. She wasn’t about to ask him though, it had been years since she had seen him last and if there was something that had changed him so much then it was something that hurt - not the kind of thing you dragged up in the middle of a bar when you were nothing more than strangers with a name. “I’m working on yea, slowly but surely I’m working on it. There’s other stuff to fix too but we’ll get there.” She smiled in his direction in truth she was terrified she never would fix, that this was it for her, she’d taken hit’s before, she’d been shot, hit, almost blown up but she’d never lost so many people before, most of her unit that day had been hurt in one way or another and there had been too many casualties for her to fix, they were all her brothers and she’d had to choose in the moment, those that could be fixed needed her, and others had been left to bleed on the sand, that was the part she was having trouble fixing, how did you take those images from your head? “So you didn’t stay in huh? How long have you been out?” 

For Warren the military had been a stepping stone. He had done some shit in his life and needed to get himself on a better path. If he wanted to change their situation for the better, this was the first step in that direction. Once out, he’d be able to get to college and soon after, he’d be working. He hadn’t kept in close contact with anyone that he served with, only a few whom in reent years, he cut contact with as well. It was like Warren deliberately chose to completely isolate himself. The reappearance of Isla reminded him of the life he had before, of the terrible things he had seen but the dreams he had come out with after his tours. It reminded him when he was a human, not just a hardened shell. And that was what made him uncomfortable, the feeling that she was able to clearly see he was no longer the same and the fact that she reminded him as much. “I’m sure you’ll be back to your old self soon enough,” he offered, a shallow comfort given he had no idea how severe her injuries were. “How long have you been in Kingston?” There were plenty that could never go back and Warren didn’t know her much, but he knew that this was what she liked, this was what she’d want to do. “Oh yeah, yeah. It’s um, been a while. Maybe six, six and a half years?” The drink was now forgotten, the shock of seeing a familiar face completely sobering him up. After a moment he threw out yet another question, assessing how likely it was she would run into him again. “Where are you staying?”  

Jaxon nodded as he spoke on the alliances. It was all just a big show. No one cared about anyone enough to turn their backs on their own families. They could spew loyalty until their lungs gave out, but it wasn’t to be believed in any sense other than that exact moment. Things changed and people did too. Blood was the only tie that lasted the test of time. “I don’t doubt they’d bring one another down if they thought they could do it without harm. I suppose that is what this is all leading up to. One day, someone’s going to make a grab for top dog, and when that happens, this city is going to burn.” Jaxon only hoped he could do something that could put a stop to it before it came to fruition. “Here’s to that.” Jaxon lifted his glass in the direction of Warren’s before be brought the thing up to his lips. Tilting his wrist back, he took a generous swig before letting the alcohol burn a path down his throat into the pit of his stomach. He was confident in himself, but to deny good luck would be foolish of him. Jaxon could use all the help he could get. “Probably a waste of time and money. New York is always just going to be a backdrop to this. The longer you’re with the Maddox clan, the closer to home they’ll keep you, I assume.” It made the most logical sense. You sent the younger ones out farther, to jobs that weren’t near your base. If things went sideways, there wasn’t an immediate effect, and the distance could give you time to clean house before it reached any other associates. Warren had been with them a while now, but it was a blip in the grand scheme of things. You didn’t earn that level of trust with these families so easily. “But do what you want. You know what the Maddox’s are about better than I do.” Warren was more than competent enough to get through his queries by his own mind. The other was methodical and careful more so than any other human he met. It made him wonder what all went on in the male’s head. He knew his story, but the details and depths of his mind were still lost on him. 

Warren agreed with the assessment. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the dynamics of this city and its Council. They were predictable, as much as Warren was sure they’d like to believe otherwise. The fact that these people were all holding knives behind their backs, ready to strike at a moment’s notice only meant their alliances were shoddy and easily broken. The only thing that kept them from making the first move was uncertainty; the fact that they didn’t know what the others might do or have on them. It was an intricate and convoluted web of crime after all. Exonerating oneself while implicating the rest couldn’t have been an easy task. Thus it served as deterrence and only small shots were taken to test the waters before any major attacks. One could view the taking of the child as just that. A test to see how the Council would react, how the Villarreals would ( or wouldn’t ) respond. “You’ve been here your whole life. You’ve never gotten tired of it? They fight and the rest of the city bears the brunt.” And while he knew that Jaxon’s father’s passing had nothing to do with the families, it still could very easily have been their doing. It just so happened someone got to him before, but Warren didn’t trust that they wouldn’t have gone after his father had the man gotten too close for their liking. Warren couldn’t imagine staying in this city for a moment longer than needed. “You’ve never thought of just leaving? Taking your mother and going somewhere,” he struggled for a second to pick the right word. “Better?” It was unsatisfactory but Warren decided in his mind, anywhere was better than Kingston at this point. He agreed that it wouldn’t make sense for him to get an apartment in New York. Besides he had no intention of ever going back there and his hope was that he would get more of the things close to Kingston rather than having to constantly go beyond the town lines. Getting a place would only further reinforce his willingness to always be sent out and Warren did not need to send those kinds of messages. “You’re right of course.” Maybe a part of his reason for hating going into New York was the memories it held, the fact that it was where his life was supposed to restart and where it had all ended. 

The first time Warren introduced himself, it was easy for Weston to deduce this guy appeared to be almost as straight-laced as Ben. It had puzzled him to wonder what bought on Warren’s need to involve himself in the sort of life that he and the other families were completely immersed in. He was a cop and while he had no clue what sort dirty work he was doing in PD, the sort of vibe he got off the other male was not one he was used from men who had been getting their hands dirty for some time now. Warren had mentioned it and the raven-haired male also did his own digging about the drug dealing the other male did. From what he had gathered Warren didn’t come from a wealthy background. Much like Weston, who had his finances I better shape due to the Maddox’s abilities to complete jobs quickly and discreetly. He didn’t blame Warren for striving for the same sort of thing and his uncle paid the other male more than generously for his services. Valuable services, Weston was reluctant to admit some of the things he had managed to find for the Maddox’s were sometimes priceless. It was for the same reason he had allowed Warren to assist the other families should they ask for it and requested that he clue in Weston if it directly affects them.

It was a strange thing for Weston to be sitting here and humoring the ex-cop, and while at the moment he had nothing pressing that demanded his time, there was still a multitude of other ways he could occupy it. He supposed he could admit to himself that because he’d be working with Warren for the foreseeable future, getting to know him partially better wouldn’t hurt Weston. He didn’t know what it was about the other male but somehow he got the sense that like the Maddox heir himself, Warren to usually kept to himself, more so than Weston did these days. He understood that because the elder male didn’t have anyone to call his own and Weston only ever considered his baby brother his own, his uncle was absolutely no one and nothing to him. Reluctantly as it may have been, Warren had begun to earn his trust and Weston still went out his way for people who proved to their loyalty to him and this guy was no exception. His hazel still trained on the male beside him as he took sips of his own drink, seeing the other’s glass nearly empty he gestured toward the bartender to bring another for both and ask him to put a tab for Weston. Yet another thing they had in common, both knew what it was like to lose both parents. He’d lost his mother at a tender age and his father as a teenager and while the scars healed, the pain was there as a constant reminder especially for his father whom he had known far longer than his mother. “Drowning the sorrows then. Don’t know how that will help but there’s bliss in being numb, I suppose. Also speaking from experience with this but it won’t help you forever. Losing one’s parents, its something I’d never wish on anyone.” it was more of a statement because as Weston had said earlier, he didn’t do comforting. “I hope you don’t get wasted every night though, you do work for me and I like my men to be sharp, day or night.”

Warren had never asked for anything in life. He had no greed, he had no aspirations. Even in his childhood, when it was his right to be a bit demanding and unreasonable, he understood their circumstances all too well. Even when the actual concepts of debt and poverty were foreign, their symptoms were well known. And he couldn’t say what it was that had always kept him distanced from those around him. Why he always kept to himself even around those who he didn’t need to, Warren couldn’t be sure. Perhaps if his situation were different, if he were from a different family and saw a different childhood, his disposition would have been the complete opposite. Yet even at home, he had never felt he could speak with freedom, fear of hurting those around him or overstepping bounds always shutting him up. He had done so much in high school, gotten so far into the world of drug dealing and yet every member of his family died without knowing that truth. They were his everything and even with them, he didn’t open himself up completely. Maybe that was just how he was. It was for that reason that despite knowing he had to earn the trust of this family and that opening up was the best way to do so, he kept mum most of the time. Forget everyone else in town, there was no reason for Warren to speak to them outside of business. But the Maddox family had taken his from him and here he was, speaking about the sin to the sinner himself. 

Another round was brought forward, the liquid in his glass having disappeared faster than he thought it would. As Weston spoke, expressing some level of sympathy or pity or whatever, Warren’s grip on the glass tightened. A part of him just wanted to laugh at the irony of every word the Maddox spoke. Losing one’s parents, its something I’d never wish on anyone. His feigned compassion only enraged Warren further, albeit his expression remaining as hardened as ever. He knew that both Maddox brothers lost their parents as well and it only further reinforced in Warren’s mind how different he was from the family he worked for. They lost their parents and turned around and made sure everyone else did as well. Because they had no family, they destroyed those of the rest of the world. Warren had lost his family and wished to make sure no one else did. If Weston truly knew the pain of losing parents, if he was going to sit and paint a picture of eternal pain, surely he wouldn’t wish to inflict that on everyone simply for the money it would bring. But spewing lies and extending fake condolences were probably as much part of the act as the rest of the families’ fronts. They were all hypocrites at the core, securing their family at the expense of everyone else. “You’re right. I wouldn’t wish it upon even my worst enemy.” Warren replied, turning to look at the man, accepting the second round that came forth. Because if Weston’s parents were still alive, it would still be beyond Warren’s capabilities to target them. He would never be able to separate a family, even in the name of retributive justice. “Don’t worry,” he assured as he took a small sip of the drink. “I’m far from drunk and this is not a nightly occurrence.” It just so happened that tonight should have been celebrated rather than mourned. “Besides, it’s weak liquor remember.” 

“You’re telling me that you’d miss our little talks if something were to happen to me?” Rosalie fired back, almost surprised that he was admitting such a thing to her. “Careful with your answer, I might get the idea you’re fond of me if you say you would.” Her words were only meant to be teasing. She’d realized half the fun of their meetings was the banter. She enjoyed that the male’s humor was different from most, and in a way, she saw bits of herself in it. “True, but when it comes to fruition, it leaves wounds that stay much longer than any physical one.” The girl said, turning her head to look at Warren before shaking her head. “Our bodies are but homes for our minds. Break the mind, and the body will follow.” Rosalie wanted to laugh as the other said she was surrounded by familiar faces. That’d been one of the things that had bothered her in the first place. Everyone was familiar, and that meant she knew the dark things they were are all capable of when pushed to the brink. It wasn’t difficult to imagine that a close friend might turn into an enemy if there was a way to improve their own status on the line. “Some too familiar, if you will. Blurs the ability to think and see clearly.” The raven haired woman murmured as she popped a smile onto her lips as he brought up the possibility of smiling. “Give me a head’s up before you do. I’m going to need visual evidence that it occurred, and my imagination wasn’t just acting up.” Rosalie smirked, bringing her drink up to her lips as she winked at him over the rim.

A voice came from before him, but higher up as Krishna was on the ground. The dog was impairing his vision as Krishna had to wince while the cold nose and coarse tongue licked and nudged his face, Krishna thankfully not a germophobe. With a laugh, he pulled back finally to look up and see who it was, surprised as he pulled away from the dog with a final scratch behind the ear and looked at Warren. “ Hey. When did you get a dog?” He asked with a curious chuckle. While every breed had it’s differing traits, this particular animal seemed to be hyper and friendly and that didn’t seem like the type of dog Warren would own. Something more along the lines of a fierce and feisty pitbull trained as an attack dog was more likely. But Krishna wasn’t going to vocalize his inner thoughts and offend anybody. “She’s a sweetheart.” Krishna noted with a grin. “ How’d she get unleashed? Well, thankfully she didn’t run into the street at least, right?” Krishna was still all smiles, assuming that anyone who loved their animal would be happy about that and unable to read faces well enough to see though Warren’s dislike of the animal. 

Honestly Warren was glad that the person who found the creature was so skillful at controlling it too. Granted it seemed that all it wanted to do was lick his face and that would put it at ease. Under different circumstances, maybe Warren would have let it show him the same affection. But right now he was projecting his frustrations onto it, deeming it a representation of the joke his life had become. It was tiny but apparently it held the key to their next big catch. Whatever that meant, he was not made totally privy to. The instructions came on a need to know basis. As Krishna stood up, Warren responded to the greeting with a half-hearted nod, eyes trained on the creature that wasn’t near him yet. “I didn’t,” he clarified, in case later the Yashvardhan asked questions. “I’m just temporarily pet sitting for a friend.” It would explain its disappearance soon enough from his life ( at least he hoped it was soon ). It shouldn’t have gotten out in the first place. Casting a glance at her, the puppy seemed like it was more comfortable with Krishna than it was with Warren. “Yeah it’s a relief alright.” How would he have faced the Maddox patriarch if he failed at taking care of a damn dog? “I thought the leash was attached but apparently not, and before I realized that, she set off.” A lackluster explanation but he was predicating it on the fact that no one would imagine that a dog of all things could be the MVP in an illegal exchange. “Listen,” Warren was never one to ask for help, but in this case it seemed imperative. “Are you busy? Cause I think she likes you right now more than me and I can’t have her running off again. My apartment’s just a few blocks down. If you don’t mind,” he didn’t finish, assuming the other understood he was asking for Krishna’s help to bring her back to Warren’s place. 

At him repeating her words, she felt the need to explain what she meant and managed another smile before gesturing to him. “Someone like yourself, meaning someone who–looks so proper and almost–disinterested?” She was perhaps being too forward with this stranger but he was the one who sat down at her table so maybe it wasn’t such a horrible thing. “I just didn’t anticipate you being someone who uses this as a way to, I don’t know, approach single women?” She waited for him to explain before nodding at his words. “Very selective but no–not taken in the slightest.” She kept her eyes on him as well before smirking. “I mean the chair as well.” Anastasia had not at all anticipated her evening taking this type of turn but wasn’t as opposed to it, besides–she could always handle herself if the situation wasn’t what it seemed.

“Well I can offer you a number of reasonable explanations,” Warren began, noting that there was still a bit of time before Garrett would arrive. From a quick scan at the front, he’d figured the reservation wasn’t until later anyways. And this seemed like a better and subtler way to pass the time than just staring out the window from the bar. Sooner or later, others besides just this blonde would have noticed. “First, I’m actually just that desperate and I do use this as a way to approach single women, despite my apparently deceiving appearance.” He presented it as though it truly was a potential explanation, not changing his tone from the same slightly amused one he’d responded with earlier. “Second, your table is the only one that has an empty seat and I’m just that hungry and it has nothing to do with your relationship status.” As though to underscore his point, he cast a gaze around the entire restaurant that was fully booked for the evening. His gaze settled back on her as he presented the third alternative. “Or, something piqued my interest.” Given that she confirmed the chair wasn’t taken and she wasn’t actively shooing him away, Warren took the liberty of actually sitting down since he couldn’t keep standing without drawing some level of attention to himself. “No rush to pick. Think it over while we eat and tell me what you decided at the end of the meal.” He was definitely being presumptuous but his hands were tied and she was best equipped to help him in his current predicament. And the tone of his voice and the slight curve of his lip as he spoke his next question indicated that he also recognized how unbelievably ridiculous this probably appeared. “What’s good on the menu,” he shamelessly asked the stranger whose evening he had just hijacked. 

“No one said if it wasn’t practical that it would have to be the other extreme of being irrational and emotion driven.” She scoffed quietly before looking back at the man, not surprised to see the curious expression on his face. Somehow this didn’t surprise her. Most people always took one glance at her and believed they had her all figured out. But it wasn’t that easy and Jhanvi certainly didn’t help matters by being her normally elusive self. “But sometimes, I like to drink simply for the hell of it. Because it tastes good, and makes me feel good. Not because of whatever pain I’m battling.” She grinned at him in response before shrugging at his words. “Given how you get to find out things about people they like to keep hidden–I still think it’s a more interesting job than you’re leading me to believe.” Jhanvi took another sip from the glass at her lips and let out a small smile. “The direct approach, while normally effective falls flat where you’re concerned Mr. Trudeau,” she smiled before shaking her head. “Besides, you don’t need to try to find out what has me drinking tonight. It’s obviously not an assignment from your bosses.”

“But you’d prefer closer to the latter than the former,” he questioned, now not really digging for a better understanding of her but just to see if it matched the perceptions he already had. Because even now, he was surprised that she was staying and talking to him. Surely there were others whose company would be of greater interest to the Yashvardhan heiress. There was a reason that their conversations thus far had been limited to only business and while he wasn’t complaining that it was going beyond that at present, he also wouldn’t say he was necessarily pleased. Perplexed perhaps. “Ah of course. The pleasure of taking shots and appreciating the subtle flavor notes. How could I overlook that?” There was clear amusement since surely no one downed that many drinks purely for the sake of human experience without considering the fact that it would bring with it terrible experience the morning after. He was willing to entertain the thought. “I figured that pleasure passed once you left college but some truly are eternal.” There was no harshness in his tone, nor was the sarcasm all that biting. But given that they both knew how the other felt, there was no need to hold up complete pretenses either. Especially not in that moment when they were interacting not as employer and employee but as two individuals in a bar. “The results sometimes. But the process can be quite tedious.” His drink was emptied and he called for another, choosing it to be the last of the night since he wasn’t drinking to appreciate the taste. He chuckled at he insinuation, turning his attention fully on her. He expected as much from the woman who saw him as nothing more than a minion for the Maddox family. “As much as it may surprise you to learn Ms. Yashvardhan, not everything I do is a direct order from my bosses and not everyone I look into has been assigned to me.” 

“Seems this city has channels that reach even the outermost areas of the boroughs.” It wasn’t a comment about him being outside the council, but more about the run down bar they were both currently hiding away in. “It wasn’t a normal occurrence. I’m sure most people are still trying to make sense of it all for themselves.” After all, she was the one trying to soothe her swirling psyche in this place.  “I certainly am.” Emery paused to look down at her drink. Was Warren going to funnel their conversation back to Weston? She couldn’t be sure, and while he didn’t seem like the type for gossip, Emery decided a conversation shift would prove safer for her. “The party is over though. We really shouldn’t waste our breath talking about something that has already sorted itself out.” The girl’s green gaze rose upwards into Warren’s dark ones. “Do you want another round?” Her own glass was nearing empty, and Emery still felt she needed more to coat her insides and provide some sort of barrier between herself and her feelings. “My treat.” This utterance was softer as she watched her own drink be remade. Her tolerance wasn’t particularly high, but she could handle two drinks without getting out of hand. Anything after that would run the risk of her lips spilling a bit too much. She’d have to drink this one much slower and save her other drinks for the safety of her home. When the freshened drink was brought back to her, Emery accepted it and offered her thanks seconds later. Nimble fingers took the small straw and used it to stir the contents of her glass before bringing it up for a taste test. It was better than her first choice of wine, she’d admit. Gently, Emery returned her glass to the bar and ran her tongue over her lips as she thought over the notes in the alcohol. It wasn’t the smoothest, but it would do for now. 

“Word travels fast to those who take time to listen.” Warren was among those. Granted, it also only traveled to those that knew who to listen to. If he were completely on the outside, chances were the information wouldn’t have made it to him. Did every person in this bar already know of what transpired at the Yashvardhan party? Doubtful. That information was reserved for those on the inner circle and those who had connections to it. Warren naturally paid attention to the way she characterized the event, pondering just how unusual it was and if he would remain that way. Nonetheless, he took her up on her offer to both stop discussing the party since there was nothing new that he would get from her on it and also to for another drink. He was no where near drunk and one more drink for the night wouldn’t do any harm. Besides, as of now the there was absolute silence in the horizon. No storm would require his attention that night. His eyes continued to study the woman before him who, despite perhaps trying, did not hide her troubles all that well. Clearly her mind was preoccupied and Warren suspected even someone without his perceptions would pick up on that. Every action of her’s appeared distracted, as though her body was here but her mind was wandering somewhere in its own confines. He had agreed not to bother digging and he saw no reason to break that, even if there was a part of him wondering what could possibly have her so wound up. Instead as the drinks came, he looked forward and hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “Tell me Ms. Kobayashi,” In his line of work, Warren dug up the deepest and darkest secrets that people had, finding skeletons in closets others wouldn’t even know existed. It was the mundane questions that he never asked. There was a principled reason behind this rule of his. And it could have been Emery’s inability to mask her concerns or maybe he was just trying to entertain the company he was keeping, but Warren relaxed the rule, thereby humanizing her in his eyes. Momentarily. “Would you rather have fingers for toes or toes for fingers?” 

If she were far drunker than she was right now - hovering somewhere between entirely sober and not even near being the least bit buzzed Lydia would’ve responded with something cheeky. Maybe even flirted with the brooding masterpiece beside her. It would’ve made those rare interactions every neighbor had every once in a while if she were near a state to make such a stupid mistake as to run around with a neighbor. The attraction wasn’t so simple. Was it an attraction or was it the meeting of a kindred spirit? A long lost reunion of souls ripped from the same sort of story. It was a strange feeling to find a near mirror image of yourself one day out of the blue without having to say why or how that strange feeling overcame them. Raising her glass, she smiled. “Strange to meet someone who has the same exact eyes. Lydia is the name by the way. Don’t believe we’ve ever come to a first name basis before and it suddenly occurs to me we should be”

Did people notice him when he played? Sometimes they did, the occasional small group seated nearby indulging him with half-hearted applause. Wallpaper gigs were so unfulfilling. Little effort was required and they were easy pay, but Marcus had to find ways to entertain himself for the two or three hours while he sat there. Sometimes it was changing the melodies people knew so well; rearranging the bass line of “Moonlight Sonata” or slipping the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in the middle of some complicated jazz improvisation. Nobody noticed and if they did, they only cared enough to stare for a moment or offer a courtesy chuckle before resuming their prior conversations. “It’s great,” he nodded honestly, bringing his drink to his lips again. “I have complete oversight over my rep, nobody monitors me, I’ve got a loyal audience for my shows, and there’s always a new event to play for. Thank god for the rich and their constant need to entertain.” Without his own ties to Kingston’s high society, Marcus wasn’t sure he’d have as much work as he did. Thank god, indeed. “I needed to unwind,” he sighed, “It’s been a long week. What do you do for work?” Anything to keep his mind off of his disorienting evening with Rosalie earlier that week. 

Warren saw too many people in his line of work to be able to keep track of every single one. They had to be categorized in terms of their importance. This was true at any point in his life. He remembered those who he sold to, those who he bought from, and those who he knew would turn him in when he was younger and on the streets. In the force he kept track of the criminals that had priors and those who committed something beyond petty theft. The most dangerous to the least. Now in Kingston, it was most useful to least. Naturally in the city it wasn’t possible for him to know everyone, nor was it advantageous. Being inconspicuous, nothing more than one among the crowd made his job easier. However as the man continued to tell him about his profession, how work was in this side of the pond, Warren was slowly piecing together why he appeared familiar. Surely it hadn’t been just because they passed each other on the street. “They do love their parties,” he mused, trying to place the name of the last event he had attended. It wasn’t often his presence was needed or wanted at these elaborate affairs. He wasn’t important enough, just a man who did the grunt work. “Sounds like you’re living the dream.” Something about the lack of monitoring and being able to control his own work was appealing. Very far from anything Warren had ever done. Perhaps that was the kind of profession he ought to seek out when this was all over. Free and unregimented. “I dabble in this and that. Nothing steady. I’m actually between work right now. Consider me a glorified temp,” he said with a chuckle, still trying to place the man before him. It wasn’t a well known face but Warren couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t a stranger either. “What got you into the music business?” In the time it would take him to figure it out, he was adept at keeping conversations going.

It was Spring now and Krishna couldn’t be happier to ditch his thick coats for a simple T-shirt and take a stroll around the city at his own pace. Hands in his pockets, he’d just come out from treating himself to ice cream, the half eaten cone putting and extra pep in his step when the day got better than he thought it could. Out of nowhere a four-legged wonder came barreling towards him, barking and panting happily and circling his feet. Be it his warm, inviting aura or the food in his hand ( though Krishna would say it was the former) Krishna was happy to share as he got down on one knee and fed his treat to the dog with a “Hey, buddy!” and a broad smile. The affectionate pup was clean unlike a stray, which said it was loved by someone, but it had no collar. While most would go about their business having fed it, Krishna couldn’t. Already thinking about where the nearest vet was to see in the canine was chipped, someone came down the street he was on with a searching look on their face. Maybe it was the owner. “ Excuse me?” Krishna called by chance. “ Does this ball of fluff belong to you?”

Jaxon and Warren had both made their beds in a world they held contempt for, but he supposed it was either adapt or die trying. They all had their roles to play, and they’d found their’s in an unlikely place. If Ben hadn’t found him when he had, Jaxon would probably be a cop trying to clean up these streets. He’d be fighting tooth and nail with the very people he protected day in and day out. It was funny how the universe worked. When he’d first taken the job, the man had wondered if his father would be proud of him. Over the months, Jaxon decided he would be. He was doing this for the right reasons, and that would’ve been enough for his father. Jaxon could live with his job, but there had been times where he hadn’t been sure. “This world just keeps evolving. I feel like even the strongest alliances can be broken on a moment’s notice. You should have seen how quickly they all turned on Sofia Carlisle. It was insane.” Jaxon didn’t understand how anyone could have believed Sofia had a malicious side, and one that was directed at children. Anyone who knew her would know that children were precious to her, and she’d never do a thing to put them in danger. He agreed that she shouldn’t have left the baby unsupervised, but she hadn’t deserved the multitude of anger and insults she’d received either. Jaxon had had a hard time keeping his mouth shut as people whispered about the couple, but it wasn’t his place to be heard. He was just a body guard. “He’s easy enough to work with. Most of the time, it’s just sitting at city hall. Thankfully, things have been quiet, but I know that can all change within an instant.” Jaxon wouldn’t ever let himself settle into thinking things were going to stay the way they were. “What about you? Work treating you well?”

There were very few in life that Warren had come to respect mostly because he never allowed himself to get to know anyone enough to develop such a sentiment. There was of course the officer who had influenced his life, giving him the guidance he needed when he was veering off the straight route into the back alleys that would only get him in trouble. And while it was possible to respect him for that reason, the truth was that Warren respected his ability to forgive and offer a second chance. If he wished, he could have put the seventeen year old boy away with the evidence he had and no one would be able to contest. But instead he tried to guide him to a different path, seeing beyond just the criminality and focusing on the intentions. While one could respect Jaxon for his physical strength or his determination in his job, it was his ability to move on that warranted respect Warren’s eyes. After all, when he learned the truth of his mother’s death, the fact that he could find and punish the culprits was the only thing that kept him going and that was keeping him going now. He was not confident he could move on with his life like Jaxon had once this was all over and for that reason, he deeply respected the man and his opinions. Perhaps he would use him as a model of how to continue once he achieved his end goal. “None of those alliances are all that strong to begin with. They are just alliances of convenience, not trust. So even a spec of doubt is enough to send them crumbling. The true alliances are only to their own families. Where we fit into this whole thing, I don’t even know.” Whether he was also an alliance of convenience or not, only time could tell. Granted he didn’t know the relationship Jaxon shared with his employer, however positive it may have been at the moment. “Here’s to the good ol’ Mayor staying fit and fine,” he replied, sure that Jaxon would neutralize any threat should it arise. But why wish for such a thing. “Not bad. I’ve been traveling between New York and Kingston so frequently I’m wondering if I should just get an apartment there too.” It was a complaint phrased as a bad joke. How could he achieve anything if he was no where near the Maddox family most of the time? 

When the man began moving towards her, she waited for a second her eyes still on him to see whether or not he was about to exit, since the path was from beside her–or if he was actually planning on approaching her. The man had clearly opted for the latter given how he paused in front of her. “That depends entirely on why you want to impose? Surely someone like you isn’t at a place like this to seek out women dining alone.” She paused for a moment and took a sip from her wine. “Because that would be almost desperate and you don’t seem that way to me at all.” Her impression of him was honest, even as she wondered what on earth had possessed her to tell him so directly.

Though Warren’s attention was completely on the woman before him, his eyes still were able to catch any subtle movements near the doors should his target enter. Clearly it was not going to be so easy to just take a seat with the present company. Rightly so since it wasn’t often patrons allowed strangers to join them at mealtime. But so long as he could at least engage in conversation, he had a clear view. The blonde was a stranger to him like most in the town. And truth be told, it was more a relief to him when he didn’t know someone than when he did. It only meant there was a chance they weren’t completely caught up in the world he despised and an outsider was always a welcome change. “Someone like myself?” He repeated questioningly, entertained with her choice of words and forthrightness with her thoughts.  He chuckled to himself while nodding, “right.” Looking back at her, he continued. “So not taken. Just selective.” Though his eyes remained on her, he motioned to the chair soon after. “The seat I mean.”