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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 18, 2017 4:54:49 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location;; apartment
Current status;; bored
The music he had playing was loud, loud enough to make up for the thin walls of his apartment complex so he didn't have to hear the sound of his neighbors fraternizing in the complex across from him. It made him feel better to some extent, especially considering he'd been without a hook up or boyfriend for a couple of months. It was hard to find something permanent with his life style and Louis had all but ruined the notion of settling down for him. Losing Louis hadn't been the end of the world, especially when he had crossed lines and kicked Angel, but losing Angel had been like a kick to the balls.
It had been five years since he had lived in the apartment alone, only bringing home would-be lovers and one night stands every now and then. The border collie had doubled as his best friend and most faithful companion and he had been contemplating getting another dog for about a year, but the jobs were dangerous and considering how he covered up his royal f*ck up from a few years back, he was walking a thin a*s line.
Getting up with a groan, he could feel the joints inside of his body roaring in protest at his actions. Lazily shuffling over to his fridge, he pulled it open to look at the lacking contents inside. He would order take out later. Grabbing a can of club orange, he popped the tab listening idly to the sizzle of the carbonated gases as he sloshed the can around in disinterest before taking a long drink. F*ck, he was bored and he knew he had long over extended his sh*t with The Nolans. They weren't good for him anyhow, that had always been a given fact, but he had little to no choice. Where he lived, in Ennis, The Nolans were the big honchos ruling the streets against the warring gang who were a lot stupider - all things considered - than the demonic duo that Hugh and Ida Nolan were.
But hell, he was going to hate his position as much as he f*cking wanted to. He was one of the best thieves of his time, he'd been told that by employers, by Glen, by colleagues too. Probably not the best, but he thought it was only fair to say he was pretty damn good at what he did. Taking another gulp from the club orange, he placed it down on the table before glancing around at his apartment. He'd been considering leaving for some time, but it had been home to him since he was thirteen and Glen had given him a fake id and gotten all the paper work for the place filled up for him.
It wasn't a pretty place nor a spacious one, but it had been good enough for him and Angel had never complained about it. Only the d*cks like Louis, Kieran, Matt, and a handful of others gave him grief over it. The paint was always peeling somehow, there was always a leaky pipe somewhere, and the walls were paper thin much to his [ and his neighbours ] annoyance. Without Angel though, the apartment seemed to lose a lot of its charm.
It had bedazzled him and kept him a fateful patron when he had been young and in need of a place of refuge. He never moved because he got Angel here and they had grown close in this same apartment, but it was also full of bad memories. Louis had been here. All those days with Alain, Siegfried, and Eliza had been spent here. He had gotten everything he had ever had here and he had lost everything here too. He couldn't help but wondered why he still stayed after everything.
The good thing, was, and this was a very good thing for Quinn, was that he had a plan for a change of scenery. After all, everything considered, The Nolans kept his potential locked up, this apartment was slowly becoming less magical and lovely, and his interest had been completely and utterly piqued. There was a target The Nolans had wanted out of Ennis or just plain out dead. He had been curious, of course, despite being their golden boy - quite literally, might he add. He was a thief paid out by The Nolans, but he doubled for a street brawler and one helluva murderer.
He wasn't the assassin sort though, his attacks were bloody and violent with a lot more blunt trauma without the use of precise instruments like guns and knives. He'd never had finesse with weapons, finding more at home with using his dexterous fingers for picking locks and cracking safes and exchanging museum exhibits for fakes.
So, of course, he wasn't the person The Nolans brought up the matter of the newest threat to, but he had overheard it. Apparently a certain man - a dangerous sniper, Gale Amari or something - had entered Ennis and the Ida wanted Redmond, one of the family's best hitmen, to get rid of him. It had got him thinking, of course, and he had drawn up many iterations of these thoughts with crude stickmen, about how he could utilize the situation to his advantage. The man, a stranger to Ennis and probably completely ignorant to The Nolans bloody rule was going to be in a bad place.
Hell, Quinn didn't think he'd even know Redmond was coming for him and though, if he was as good as they were making him out to be, Quinn would wager he'd be able to get away, but he had a better idea. A stupid as f*ck idea, but one he was willing to take a gamble on. Glancing over to his large computer in the corner, he chose to instead pull out a laptop from his backpack carelessly strewn on the sofa next to him. He wasn't going to walk over there, hell no. The soda was worth the exercise, the grand master plan? Nah.
Opening the laptop, he waited for it to boot up before contemplating how unwelcomed his intrusion would be. Hell, he couldn't really bring himself to care if he was honest. It still struck him as both annoying and stupid that Hugh hated him as much as he did. Redmond would take his sweet a*s time finding the sniper the good old traditional way. Quinn had better ideas, utilizing the digital footprint of the other man - a stranger to Ireland - to locate and contact him. If the guy was the simple living kind of guy with his roots in asceticism and sh*t, he'd lose it. But if he was lucky, and he honestly wanted to wager he was one lucky motherf*ck, he'd be able to locate the sniper before Redmond.
And that was where the plan got downright stupid and brilliant. Nobody knew Ennis like he did. Well, other than the other local folk and the members of the family. But, the sniper certainly didn't know Ennis like he did and Quinn personally thought he'd make a great ally while the sniper would also be an asset to him. He wanted to get away from The Nolans, but it was definitely not a one man job.Utilizing an enemy of The Nolans against them sounded like a grand plan, unless he was shot dead. That would be... a lot less cool. And smart. Definitely a lot less smart.
F*ck.
Honestly he hadn't thought this over, but given the current events, he didn't have much time. There was a man hunt for the death of one Natalie Wilson and, with enough time, The Nolans would trace it back to him. Five years of getting rid of the evidence left him paranoid, there was only one other person who knew and Glen would never betray him. Except, nowadays, he felt uneasy around Glen.
Glen liked to use the knowledge against him and if The Nolans found out he had killed an eight year old, whether or not it was by accident, he was a dead man. He had to get out of Ennis before that sh*t happened. If he was going to be a dead man either way, this gamble was his best bet and f*ck it. If he was going to die, he was going out on his terms.
Staring at the now booted up screen, he tapped in his password before pulling up official databases. If he was lucky, and this was the best kind of luck, his search would stop at public transport. If the guy had a private plane or some stupid sh*t like that, he'd just f*ck himself up and dig deeper. Reaching out - hell yeah, long arms! - he grabbed his can of club, downing the rest before starting the search for one Gale Amari. It didn't take long, hell, it was actually surprisingly easy to get a read onto the sniper's location.
Honestly, he was baffled as to how easy it was and part of him felt like well, this was probably going to be a bad idea if it was this easy, but another part of him just didn't f*cking care. Shrugging carelessly, he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down the address of the location Gale was staying at. He was a decent dude, he got what he wanted. He respected a man's history privacy, he wasn't going to look at the sites the dude checked out. It was just the right thing to do, and that was exactly what he did.
Shutting down the laptop, he shoved it back into his backpack before checking to see if his computer was completely void of files. He had already transferred the files he needed elsewhere, so if sh*t went to hell and he wasn't going to be given the chance to come back, he was fine. Perfectly fine. One laptop, a sh*t ton of jewelry, a loaded credit card, his sketchbook, a handful of bills, and three different outfits all packed and ready to go with a handgun and his knucklebusters for good measure. He honestly wasn't going to regret leaving this place behind if they ransacked it, though the computer would be missed, but it wasn't something he couldn't rebuild.
So, with all his essentials, he headed out just to stop by the Chinese food place down the street to buy some take out and the convenience store to get some beer before making certain everything was secure on his motorcycle. Pleased and all set out, he headed towards the place Gale was staying. He didn't really bother to pay attention to what the living conditions was like, he was a man on a mission with food and beer. And he was f*cking starving.
Well, here went nothing. Raising his fist, he knocked twice and stopped to eye the peephole suspiciously. Then he paused, deciding that smiling was a better first impression. So he grinned instead, waiting for the moment of truth. He could get shot through the door. That would be unfortunate, but f*ck it, he was fearless.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2017 5:52:09 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: a run-down apartment in Ennis
current status: f*cked
He liked to think that he was pretty good at this whole 'pretending to be fluent in English' thing. Hell, he'd finally taken an interest in Irish and had a few books on it, but he hadn't exactly bothered studying yet. In fact, the books were sort of haphazardly thrown over his coffee table (with his Nintendo 3DS, because that had been where he'd dumped it last), and he was instead in bed, stretched out and with a blissful ache. The other man had left something like half an hour ago, mumbling something nervously about 'not gay' and 'having a wife and children'. Gale wondered if he'd become a homewrecker - and then decided that he didn't care, because he was happy and relaxed and warm, so he was going to try to stay in this bed as long as he could.
Admittedly, he had a job to work on. It wasn't a long-running job, but Gale had to wait, and that was what he was doing. Waiting for the perfect opportunity. If he happened to have had multiple men (not saying they were there at the same time but okay, fine, maybe two or three were) in his bed while he waited, well. That was just his way of passing time.
It took him an hour or so to feel gross enough to decide he wanted to shower and brush his teeth and generally look nice. He had a full day of games and maybe an evening of barhopping (again), and even if he wasn't going out for the duration of the day, he had fun with make-up and he liked feeling clean, so his shower was in order. A long, hot shower. He rubbed idly at some bruises on his hips as he showered and checked himself over, noted a few bite marks. Once his shower was over, he stepped out and grabbed a towel to dry himself off, and checked himself in the mirror. He touched a couple of fingers to his neck, didn't miss the marks made high up (just above his scarring), and frowned at the fact that he couldn't hide them but oh well, it didn't matter because he made sure that his partners were aware that he slept around. It was a thing. Safety was priority, and all of that.
Shower done with, teeth brushed, he pulled on some boxers and wandered back to his room to find some clothes. In the end, he threw on sweatpants and some sort of hoodie and called it a day, drying his hair with his towel in one hand while he checked his phone with the other. There were no new messages, but that wasn't a surprise.
He spent far too long d*cking around with makeup until he settled on his usual look (if there were some glittery remnants of a huge mistake around his eyes, well. He wasn't going to admit to it), and then he flopped on his sofa and turned the television on as background noise to his games. Gale eyed the Irish books for only a brief moment before deciding that nope, he was too lazy to learn anything right now. He'd been in Ireland for something like a week now, and he was still too lazy for the books he'd picked up. Really, laziness seemed to become more prominent within him the older he got, and he was not an old man. Maybe when he was fifty or something, he'd stop moving entirely. That was the ideal life. No more moving, just death. 10/10 would recommend.
The day was uneventful and it bored him half to death, but sometimes he preferred it like this. He was pretty sure he went back and forth and redid his makeup a few times (he couldn't get rid of the goddamn glitter), and he changed his clothes to something he'd usually wear (he wanted to be edgy, but he was learning that he was probably a hipster. Was it the plaid and the beanie? Probably), and at some point he went out to buy some books, but he returned to his apartment and settled down again. And ignored the books. His bookshelf was looking pretty full, all of books he'd bought in Ireland, and yet he'd read one of them so far. One. He was just buying them through sheer impulse, at this point.
He wasn't too surprised when his phone began to ring, but he did mute the television (and his game) and took a deep breath before answering.
"Yes?" he began smoothly, leaning back on the couch and tilting his head back. His neighbours were doing something. Probably something unsavoury. Then again, he probably upset them every night, so fair was fair. "What's wrong?"
"Listen, Amari," the voice on the other end was rough and unmistakably English (probably from London, it was the stereotypical sort), and did not sound amused. "I know you take your time, but you've only completely two of four missions. How much longer are you going to take?"
"I don't know," though he kept his voice semi-patient, he ensured that the other man could hear the mild annoyance. Very mild. Very subtle. He was pretty proud of himself for being subtle. "I've only been here a week, and besides, the other two aren't even near me at the moment. I have more prepwork to do," not a lie, and hopefully the voice at the other end knew it, "and it's all about timing. The f*ck you scared of?"
The silence at the other end of the phone made him think that the connection had been cut, and he pulled his phone away from his ear to check. Nope. Still fine.
"Alexei is growing impatient," now the other man was quieter, like he was trying to stop anyone else from hearing. Hell, Gale could barely hear. "You saw what he did to your mother. Don't make her mistakes."
"I'm not making a mistake," he tilted his head back, "it just takes time. The other two will be finished by the end of this month, and then I'll probably be out of Ireland. If anything comes up, I'll just have to stop this. Alexei knows this, and he hasn't even paid me yet, so."
"I don't think anyone would pay you in advance with the vanishing tricks you do."
"What can I say? I'm a magician."
With a deep sigh, the other hung up. Gale smiled absently to himself and threw his phone back onto the table and resumed his previous activities. Everything was fine, if he didn't complete the full job then he wouldn't get paid (well. Alexei would probably pay him for the two he'd already killed), and he could just do a vanishing act if Alexei was that pissed off. He thought about it briefly, before shrugging. Whatever. Everything would be okay.
He would not admit that he jumped when the door was knocked, nor that his heartrate spiked a little more than it should've. He took a brief moment to calm himself before walking to the door, checking the peephole (an unfamiliar man with a smile. Okay, then), and then he opened the door with one foot idly against the back of it in case he needed to shut it quickly. Or resist. One of those. The door didn't have a chain - really, poor design.
"Can I help you?" he raised a single eyebrow. He didn't think that he was expecting anyone - especially considering he'd have some vague plans for tonight. This dude probably had the wrong door - not that Gale was complaining. He was easy on the eyes. Oh well.
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 21, 2017 4:12:24 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location;; Gale's place??
Current status;; well hello there, handsome
Honestly, in hindsight, getting a picture of Gale Amari before coming to meet him would have been a better idea. Instead, he found himself staring at a younger man who was - and there was not way to deny it - cute. Hell, he didn't even get shot coming here with a reckless plan, so all in all his odds were pretty good despite the fact that Gale looked as if he'd been having a good time. Squinting curiously, he wondered if he was right to assume that of the sniper. It didn't seem impossible for someone like Gale to get laid when he wanted to. Quinn knew the same stood for him when he went for rounds at a bar, picking up strangers. And sh*t, he hoped he had the right guy. Oh well. Only one way to find out now.
Lifting up the Chinese takeout he had brought along, he could only manage a stupid grin as he looked at Gale who had been stealing all the jobs in the area. Ida and Hugh were p*ssed at this dude, and here he was, knocking on the guy's door with Chinese take out and beer like they were good old friends. Sh*t, he sure hoped this worked out or he would probably be the next body found left in a ditch in Ennis just to be forgotten and ignored by the police. That would suck.
Or maybe Gale would kill him. But hey, the guy was a sniper and if he was lucky the stupid meme of running up to a sniper and beating him up from close ranges would hold true. If he was completely and utterly unlucky, he'd just get his a*s handed to him. But come to think of it, dying by Gale's hands was a definite step-up from dying to Hugh and Ida. If he knew Hugh and Ida well, and he did, unfortunately, they would take their sweet time with him. Gale on the other hand would hopefully be quick, but he wasn't far too sure.
"Chinese take out for one Gale Amari," he said, shaking the bag a bit not far too concern about messing with the contents. It was probably a stupid idea. Hell yeah, f*cking smooth Quinn. "And Quinn O'Sullivan." Now, he knew he had a fair share of good pick up lines, but he was pretty sure this was the best he had probably done. And what was a little friendly flirting? It could probably save his a*s, it had in several cases. It had also gotten him into a lot of trouble, but f*ck it. He was here for a good time, not a long time.
Hell, he didn't even regard the fact that Gale could possibly and utterly be uninterested in men. Oh well. It didn't matter, maybe Gale would miss the pick up line. He had laid it on thick with several fellows before, and some of them were dense enough that every clever saying he could think of went over their head. Hell, it could have been one of a good opening statement for a strange friendship and unlikely alliance. Besides, he came with food and not weapons. The way to a man's heart was through his stomach, obviously, and look at how smart he was. Good job, O'Sullivan. You're a God.
He had honestly not thought out anything following this point. Like the plans on him helping Gale, and Gale helping him was... well, it was a rough plan at the very best. He hadn't really contemplated the details and the idea of buying food had honestly been a result of his hunger rather than honestly the best pick up line and entrance. So he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do from here on out, but he knew he was one hell of a good rambler. Though the rambling was insistent and annoying and he honestly didn't want to get shot in the face before he could even state his case.
"Look, can I come in? I'm not the most neighborhood friendly looking guy and I don't want to be seen out here," it was a bold question, he knew. But places like this? Run down apartments and sh*t? That was where some of the more younger fellows in The Nolans resided. If he was lucky, they were usually doped up and completely ignorant, but some were power hungry and eager to prove themselves. Getting dirt on older more experienced members? Hell, that would get them in Ida's and Hugh's good books.
It wasn't much of a family, it was like a competitive work environment except when somebody f*cked with one of the Nolans, they got f*cked right back. And he liked it. He liked the feeling of being backed up, of being safe, and being powerful and good at what he did. He liked the influence that came with being one of the Nolans but even if he was naive for his age, he wasn't stupid enough to think of himself as indispensable. And day by day, he was becoming more and more obsolete. It was only a matter of time at this point and he honestly wasn't eager to stick around and see when it was going to occur.
"I don't know how to say this, so I guess I'll be blunt and honest," he lowered his voice considerably, leaning against the wall just in case Gale wanted to slam the door. He wasn't interested in shoving his foot in the crack and brute forcing his way in. He didn't want Gale's body weight to crush his foot. He didn't know how people kept doors open with their feet. It sounded painful and as much as he could take a beating, he wasn't interested in not being able to run. Maybe there was a more useful way of doing the foot in the door technique, but he'd have to look into that some other time. "My employers want you dead. Like, really f*cking dead."
"And I've done something that would make them to want me dead too. So I bailed, and since taking on them isn't a one man job, I thought hey - and bear with me, I know this sounds stupid - but I thought hey, if they both want us dead, we could work together," he shrugged carelessly, hoping that the explanation was good enough for Gale. "Look man, at the very least, maybe we can talk it over some Chinese." Giving his best puppy dog look, he shook the bag a bit once again. "Promise, it's the best place in all of Ennis. I don't flake out on take out."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2017 12:56:21 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: an apartment that needs to be more organised
current status: oh no he's cute
For a moment, Gale was...dumbfounded. There were no other words for it. His smile flattened and his eye flickered with something like fear, but it passed quickly and he looked past Quinn to see if there was anyone there. There wasn't. This did not seem like some sort of ambush, nor did it seem like the other man had any sort of intentions to harm him. Just...Chinese takeout. And flirting. That was flirting, right? Jesus. He blinked and ran a hand through his hair (still tousled and drying from his shower), sighed heavily.
"This," he said, "would have been an awful lot of trouble for you to go into had I not been Gale Amari."
At the request to enter, he kicked the door open lightly and walked away, leaving Quinn to enter of his own accord (and for the other man to shut the door behind him). He regretted kicking the door but hell, he had to look like some sort of bada** from a movie. He wiggled his bare toes anyway and let himself flop on the couch, tilting his head back to the front doorway and raising a single eyebrow in some sort of amused fashion.
Quinn was good-looking. That was a fact. A little more innocent than Gale's type, but hell, the man made the look work. And bringing food? It was the ideal peace offering. It meant that Gale didn't have to figure out what to eat because, hey, he was being given free food. It probably wasn't poisoned. Probably. If it was, then at least he went out as a happy man.
"Your employers will have to be put on the waiting list," he smiled lazily, raising both eyebrows at Quinn. "There's a six to ten month wait until they can fight me, and then it's a fifty-fifty chance on whether I show up and beat their a** or just vanish from the country. Buuuuut, they sure as hell can try."
Maybe he was a little cocky. Just a little. He did, however, listen to the Irishman's words with a raised eyebrow and an open mind.
Gale worked solo. He had for a long, long time; last time, things had gone horribly wrong. If he was alone, then he could leave abruptly, could change his plans at the last second, and could generally get around as inconspicuously as possible. He could kill a man and be gone from the country within half an hour; having another person along for the ride meant communication, which sometimes meant that things were slowed down. He hadn't worked with anyone else for years. He wasn't really sure if he liked the idea, either.
"We can talk it out," his tone was less accommodating, now, and bordering on cautious. "Listen, Quinn. A lot of people want me dead, and your employers? They're not special. You're talking like I'm going to hunt them down because they want me dead; but frankly, if I took out everyone who wanted me dead, I'd have far more blood on my hands."
He had plenty as it was. Hell, he had far too much.
"And I tend to work solo. What are you bringing to the table that you're confident enough in to ask to work with me?" a slender eyebrow rose as he crossed his legs. "Unfortunately, good looks and puppydog eyes don't cut it."
It was very close to cutting it, but he wasn't going to admit that. There was some part of him, impulsive as f*ck, that wanted to say yes to Quinn solely to hear more of his voice and see his face more often; he was nice-looking. Softer and a little shorter than most, with very impressive eyebrows. Very impressive. While the thoughts continued to crowd Gale's mind (he'd barely woken up yet), he grabbed the little wastebin from beside the couch and absently began to put some cans in it. He found a half-full bottle of whiskey (hell yes), and an unopened bottle of wine. Nope! Make that two. The not-gay-I-have-a-wife-and-two-kids man must've really wanted Gale's a**. Decent. He made sure the coffee table was entirely clear before settling back and turning on the television, lowering the volume so that there was some background noise.
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 24, 2017 3:31:41 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
location: Gale's place, messy but same
current status: ABORT mission, too smitten to proceed
It was strange to say, but he liked it a lot better when Gale was smiling. Something about the other man beaming felt good in comparison to the sudden shift to a more defensive and guarded expression that would have hurt him had they not been both criminals and killers at that. It was reasonable, all things considered. He was pretty sure he would have pounded a guy's face in if he thought the dude was here to kill him and names were not a free commodity in the criminal underworld. They were titles, proof of strength and experience and renown. Some identities were kept secret. It kept them safe that way.
Smiling as he shrugged helplessly in response to Gale's sigh - it had been like five seconds and Gale was already sighing at him - he spoke, "Yeah. I've always been stupidly lucky." For somebody that was supposedly smarter than the general population, he honestly didn't think a lot of his actions through. His response could be be described as sheepish and meek as he accepted the offer to enter. At least Gale hadn't forced him to stay outside.
Accepting the offer, he entered the apartment with a slight air of curiosity rather than caution. Honestly, he should have been more cautious but something about Gale - and no, he wasn't talking about the disarmingly good look - made him trust the other. It was stupid, and he was probably an idiot for it, but hell, not only was Gale his best bet, he was also a hella cute bet. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to the couch and contemplated briefly before placing the takeout down on a table and sitting a fair distance away from Gale. Just in case.
Chuckling at Gale's snark, he found himself charmed by the simple nature of Gale's humor that was both unassuming but amusing. "Honestly, Hugh and Ida aren't the kind to be put on a waiting list. They'd force their way onto the VIP list," he responded with a grin of his own. But the tone of the conversation shifted fast and Quinn knew he had to keep up. They were criminals, it wasn't all fun and games and as much as he was starting to appreciate Gale's appearance and personality, he had to keep his wits about him.
After all, he was the mastermind to many a heists and judging from the shift in Gale's demeanor their temporary truce over food and not fighting was at risk. Leaning back into the chair he threw his arms up in a gesture of surrender, trying to prove he wasn't trying to push himself onto Gale. "Nah, man, I'm not stupid enough to want them dead," he laughed, trying to ease the situation somewhat as he glanced around at the apartment and the cans and unsavory things he had laying around. Hmm... No wait, get your mind out of the gutter you idiot!
"Two versus like, what, a good hundred or so gangsters? I'm not going to get involved in that kind of sh*t, but the thing is, getting out is impossible without a fight," he said softly, trying to state his case. "And let's be fair, if I could find you easily, there's no saying how long it'll take before the rest of the gang come along. And this ain't a threat, I'm not going to sell you out because I like my head where it is. On my shoulders. I'm just saying, they're not as stupid as they look."
"So listen man, you must be interested in how I found you right?" He raised an eyebrow, something told him that Gale wasn't the kind of man that was easy to find without the right tools. And lots of the guys Gale killed lack the right tools, but Quinn wasn't them. "I'd like to say I'm pretty handy with tech and you know what else I'm good with?" He was going to regret this, but his mouth was already working without his brain's consent. "My hands?" The sh*t eating grin on his face certainly didn't help his case and the innuendo was taking off before he could even try to stop it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2017 18:54:43 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: there's an entirely empty bottle of whiskey and the concern is rising
current status: oh no
Stupidly lucky. That was a way to put it. If Gale had been in a worse mood, he might've killed Quinn outright without thinking twice about it - any threatening people or people who were suspicious, and he was usually gone. And yet here he was, sitting with takeout and beer and actually considering the other man's words. He leaned back and laughed quietly, tilted his head back a little.
"Ain't no VIP list with me," he gave a lopsided grin and stretched his arms behind his head. He was still a little ache-y, still felt a little worse for wear, but he didn't mind.
Not stupid enough to want them dead. He frowned at this. It was...well, if he was being entirely honest, it was how he'd felt towards the Jackals, towards the end of their time. Of course, they had died anyway. He wasn't stupid enough to want Sabah dead, though. Wouldn't actively hunt her, wouldn't bother trying to find her. She was in Egypt and he was here, in Ireland. Though he wasn't quite sure for how long. If this gang was truly that annoyed with him, then maybe it would be a good idea to get the hell out of dodge.
There was a box on the floor - he tilted his head to look at it and felt his cheeks warm upon realising what it was. Maybe Quinn wouldn't notice! There was other interesting things in his apartment. Like the news. The news was suddenly extremely interesting, with the rapid-fire chatter. He focused intently on it and only glanced at Quinn when he spoke again, smiling with some amusement.
"So your plan is to join me and leave, and that's it?" he raised a single eyebrow and laughed quietly, shaking his head. "What makes you think I'm going to leave Ireland because of some p*ssy toddlers with their pants in a twist, huh? I don't care if they're not stupid, because I'm not stupid either."
He was actually pretty damn smart, but he didn't mention that. Instead, he focused on the words the Irishman said, let his smile drop and instead allowed a frown to form.
"I didn't really cover my tracks," he stated slowly, "I flew here under legal ID. I didn't think it would be hard to find me," he flicked his gaze away. He hadn't really been trying to hide, hadn't considered the possibility of someone actually wanting to find him. He was lucky that this man was a friendly face rather than someone who wanted to kill him. He had a lot of people who wanted to kill him. It was refreshing to not have to worry about a sudden gun to his temple or a knife to his throat. Relaxing, even. He blinked, then, at the change from tech to his hands, and his lazy smile returned.
Maybe, just maybe, Gale was having unsavory thoughts. He bit his lip and flicked his gaze over Quinn briefly before he looked away again.
"Are you good with both your hands and your mouth?" he asked, "I might be interested in that," he wasn't quite sure if he could find it in himself to regret the implications in that. He didn't think he could. Honestly, Gale couldn't help but watch for Quinn's reaction through half-closed eyes, his smile curving up a little more.
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 26, 2017 6:40:39 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: What's that? Oh. Oh.
Current Status: oh no x2
It was a nice kind of weird the two of them had between the two of them, if Quinn was to be honest. For some reason, the sound of Gale's laugh and his lopsided grin was familiar in a strange way to Quinn. It was charming to say the least, unassuming despite his dangerous occupational choice that left Quinn grinning nonetheless. It was like having a conversation with an old friend. Maybe a friend with benefits at that. Helping himself to his own food - Gale could do the same - he swallowed a mouthful of Chinese takeout before answering Gale's statement.
"Well trust me," he responded, brandishing the plastic fork he had gotten because he could never figure out how to use chopsticks, "The Nolans are well known for forcing their ways onto lists. VIP or not." He wasn't lying either. The Nolans were known for using their violent methods to get attention. They tore through people to get to the targets they wanted, innocent or not. They were cruel people with a hypocritical oath to never hurt the old, the young, and the pregnant. But everything outside of that was fair game. And Gale? Gale was fair game, as cute as he was.
Lowering the fork to continue eating his takeout, he found himself watching the small discreet movements of Gale's face. The way the frown made the corners of his mouth look harsher. Trying to conceal his own frown at Gale's frown, he shoved another bite into his mouth, chewing slowly as his eyes followed Gale's gaze down to the floor. So he hadn't been wrong about the unsavory things he'd thought' he'd seen. Plus some. Looking back up almost immediately, he tried to conceal the fact that he'd seen it. It wasn't honestly... that big... of a thing. Right, brain? Right? No big deal.
Ah well, he wouldn't be able to forget that innocent box for the rest of the evening, but that was fine with him. Chuckling at Gale's response, he couldn't help but feel that Gale was underestimating the Nolans. He had no doubt that Gale was f*cking good at what he did and deadly. They wouldn't have sent a professional like Redmond if Gale didn't warrant a heavy hand. Someone smaller and less impactful like Boyle or Neil would have been just fine.
"Well hey, I'm not saying you're stupid," he answered with an easy shrug. "I'm just saying, Ennis belongs to two gangs. The Nolans are one of them. And if they want you dead, then you're going to be very uncomfortable here. Even if you don't die at their hands, they'll make your life a living hell." It wasn't easy to say that there were a lot of dirty cops on the Nolans' paycheck. And even more so, there was a lot of kids roaming the streets hungry for the attention of Hugh and Ida. He had no doubt Gale was good, but having an entire gang weeding him out? Quinn prided himself on being a survivalist despite his own stupidity at times. And he didn't want to bet the odds in his favor if it was against the Nolans.
Raising his eyebrow at Gale's response, it was a surprise to him. Gale didn't think about covering his tracks? That couldn't have been right. Either that was sheer arrogance or some lack of foresight. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Laughing softly in surprise, he shook his head. "You're quite something aren't you? Flying in with real ID? Guess you didn't think these parts had the bloodthirsty kind of mobsters."
"Well," he leaned back in his seat, "Unfortunately for you Ida and Hugh Nolan only ever want outsiders dead. No conversation."
Honestly, he thought he was selling the offer really damn well. Hell yeah, Quinn. He wasn't exaggerating the details of Hugh and Ida. He had only ever seen a handful of people equally as terrifying and powerful as the demonic duo. But before he could continue, he found his jaw dropping and his eyebrows raising a considerable amount as Gale continued speaking. He couldn't have heard that right.
He couldn't help but feel an unnecessary warmth spread through him. No no no no no no. Mind out of the gutters... Mind out of the gut- aw, to hell with it. Snapping his mouth shut, he smirked widely leaning in close. "Well, I think I've already proven I'm good with my mouth," he answered smoothly. Oh no, Quinn, what are you doing? "And if you're the lucky kind, sometimes I multitask."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 23:11:53 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: hell, probably
current status: he totally saw and it's time to git some.
There was an ease with interacting with Quinn that he hadn't felt for a long time. It was nice, something comforting, though he wouldn't rely too heavily on it - this was a stranger, someone he had to be cautious of. Even with that in mind, he found himself relaxing into the couch, curling his legs underneath himself and thus giving him a slower reaction time if he had to react. He didn't think that Quinn would kill him - but that, Gale supposed, was his own downfall. He expected others to tell the truth as he did, and so...well. He didn't trust, but rather he would take someone for their word.
He hummed quietly, seeming to accept that the other man was telling the truth, but did not push forward. He wasn't too interested in the matter, really - if a gang hated him, then they did. It had happened before, he'd been hunted, he'd escaped and survived. It wasn't a big deal. The big deal, of course, was the fact that Quinn wanted to join him. A sniper, someone known for working solo. He didn't know how it would work out, really. Gale tilted his head as he thought things over, fingers twitching lightly over his lap - he wanted a cigarette, but it would be impolite to excuse himself to go sit outside for a while. Besides, that didn't seem like a good idea.
"Then I'll leave. No big deal," he shrugged. "I've just finished a job, so all I need to do is tie things up with my client and then I can leave. It shouldn't take more than a day. Two, at most."
The Egyptian couldn't help but scowl at Quinn's words, instantly becoming defensive. "I didn't want to use my legal ID, but I made a deal that I'd come into Ireland legally. Besides, it's less conspicuous because my legal identity doesn't have any real criminal ties to it, so it sorts itself out, okay? I'm harder to find under Gale Amari than I am any other identity."
Most tried to find him under Nuri Amari, or even Iabi Amari. Both unused names, but...well, he used them as identities, he supposed. Very few people believed that Gale was his real name - it was English, for one, and he was quite obviously not. Between his semi-heavy accent and his general appearance, it was generally thought that he had a different name, and that Gale was some sort of alias. Perhaps he should've thought better of letting himself be known as Gale Amari in the criminal underground - if Quinn had found him, then others could as well. It made him feel more unsafe than it should've.
But his mind drifted at Quinn's response to his innuendo, and he raised both eyebrows rather than just the one. For a moment, he debated the consequences of his actions - and then decided, f*ck that, and leaned a little closer to Quinn, a half-smile on his lips and his eyes half-closed, elbow resting idly on his thigh and chin resting in his hand. He studied Quinn's face (that was not fair, he was not allowed to look that god), and tilted his head to the side.
"Multitasking," he repeated, smile widening a little. "That is impressive," his gaze lowered briefly before he flicked it back up, "I've been told I'm pretty good with my mouth, but," he shrugged lightly, "I don't know if you want to take my word on that or not."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 27, 2017 2:30:09 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Heaven???
Status: This is going well
It was kind of a bad thing that he was starting to become fond of Gale's features. Hell, he liked Gale's voice too and his expressions and his lips and his... He'd have to stop himself right there. Quinn kept his eyes glued on the other man solely because damn. He couldn't help but smile as he listened to Gale's response, completely and utterly enamored. And- Wait.
No no no nono. Gale couldn't just leave without him. That wasn't supposed to be part of the plan. The plan was to fall in with Gale and get himself an easy pass out and maybe a new gang or organization to stretch his wings out with. Leaning forward a bit before contemplating if his action was a little aggressive, he settled back where he was trying to hid his interest in the other man. "Alright well like, I'm just saying, you might not have a day or two to spare," he answered honestly, trying to get himself back to topic at hand. Come on Quinn, you can do better.
The scowl that suddenly crossed Gale's face also startled him to some extent. Being an expressive man, he couldn't help but raise his brows in slight surprise. Perhaps he was wrong to speak so crassly as if Gale wasn't thinking about the consequences, because the way Gale explained it showed that he did. Though he was a little bit ignorant about the news that passed through Ida and Hugh's hands, he was plenty clever with why he did what he did. Sensible enough, if Quinn were to be honest. "Look, I'm not trying to sound like a d*ck, but Ida and Hugh are looking for one Gale Amari so I guess your name's only safe for the official intents and purposes, but in gang territory it's kind of not discreet."
He was a gangster, and that meant his name held weight in gang territory. But outside of that, he was exposed to the criminal underground the way Gale was. But with the Nolans on his side, he had protection. If he ditched them, would he be like Gale? It was... a matter to contemplate. He squinted, eyeing the other man. This was such a damn pressing matter and yet... He couldn't help the wolfish grin that crossed his features as Gale answered the rather blatant suggestions passing between the two of them. God damn it, Quinn.
"I say," his voice deepening slightly, "we put our actions where our mouth is." And god damn it, how terrible it was that both of them followed through on that implication.
It was sometime early the next day after having passed out with Gale that he came to, the sound of birds singing outside annoying him slightly as he tried to steal the blankets for himself and hide away from the light coming in through the blinds. He hadn't anticipated staying with Gale. Near him, yeah, but with was... well it was a pleasant surprise. Blearily blinking, he tried to make out Gale's form uncertain if the man was still in bed with him or gone. His side of the bed was warm as hell, so he couldn't really tell.
"You still there, love?" He called out, not really contemplating what he had referred to Gale as.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 3:02:25 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: a mildly comfortable bed
current status: yes
The day's conversation was gone from his mind, any possible response to give to Quinn gone, because he was impulsive and terrible, but hell if it wasn't good. He woke up sometime in the night and had tied up some loose ends while the other man had slept, and then he'd finally gone back to bed. Admittedly, two different men in the span of not even twelve hours was probably a habit he'd have to fix (but he'd done worse), but right now? He was okay.
He managed to doze for a little while until he felt the shifting of a body on his mattress, until he heard someone speak. Gale shifted his weight and absently curled up a little into himself. He didn't really want to be awake, but he supposed he was. It took him a few moments to fight with himself until he shifted his weight to angle his head towards Quinn, half-opening his eyes. He supposed he was a little vulnerable, undressed and without any weapons, but to be fair, he was pretty confident that the other man was unarmed, too. With one hand, he tugged at the blankets - he'd managed to salvage some by staying close to Quinn, had managed to steal some of the other man's warmth for himself.
"Love," he repeated, voice thick with sleep and tinged with mild amusement. "Of course I'm still here. It's my f*ckin' apartment."
To be fair, he had a point. A great point! It made more sense for Quinn to leave - but his mind drifted to the conversation last night, and he considered it for a few moments. Hm.
"Oh, yeah," he stretched his arms above his head and arched his back into something like a stretch. Something cracked, and he felt old - but then it settled and he was comfortable again, pulling blankets away from the other man to try to cuddle into by himself. He hated the cold. "Sorted out my loose ends, I guess. Pretty much," he paused to yawn, "oh f*ck. Anyway. Pretty much settled, now. Won't need to stay in Ireland much longer and christ, you weren't lying about being good with your hands."
Maybe that was unnecessary, but he felt like he needed to point it out.
On his side table, his phone buzzed with a notification - but he ignored it. Probably an alarm, or something like that. He didn't know, didn't care, and he found himself staring at the side of Quinn's jaw. The man had a nice jawline. A very nice jawline. He absently reached out to flick gently underneath the other's chin, angling his head to the side a little. It was on second thoughts that he realised that he was a bedhead and also had no makeup on, but whatever.
"As great as this has been," he smiled lazily, "I don't think I know why you want to work with me. I move around a lot, you know? Sometimes it can be so last minute that there won't be time to pack - it sort of depends on the location. Sometimes I can be on jobs for days, and those aren't fun; usually it's sitting around in hotel rooms or on rooftops. Also, the last time I worked with someone was messy, so I hope you'll forgive me for being more than a little concerned."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 27, 2017 19:20:50 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: mmmmmm, comfty sheets
current status: this is domestic
Mmm, Gale was still in the bed. That was nice. Absentmindedly, he reached out to pull Gale into an embrace. After the last night, he thought he deserved some cuddles following the good time they had had. Sleepily, he hummed, smiling softly at the way Gale's voice was still thick with sleep. It seemed he wasn't the only one who didn't want to get out of bed yet. Or at least, he sure hoped so. "Mmm," the sound vibrated from the back of his throat, "I dunno, thought I lost you because you weren't in my arms." He needed to be a helluva lot more awake if he was going to communicate and act like a normal human being and not some clingy puppy.
Feeling a tug at the blankets, he relinquished his iron grip on them because he could share. Kind of, not really. It was really nice what they were doing here, but something told him it wasn't going to last forever. Whatever. He wasn't going to bother to think about it. He was having a really nice time now and he didn't want to f*ck that up by thinking about how temporary this arrangement was. "Awesome, so you're done with your gig here," he said lazily, thinly amused at the situation as he squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds in an attempt to fall back asleep. It didn't work. "Means we'll leave soon, huh?"
Cracking his eyes open again, he looked over the other man. Gale was a lot younger than his usual type, but he couldn't lie. There was a certain kind of allure that Gale had and he couldn't help but find himself more or less interested in the other man. It was just a certain kind of charm that he found himself besotted to. Chuckling at the compliment, he leaned heavily into the not so soft pillow underneath his head. It was kind of scratchy too. Motherf*cker. "And you aren't bad with your mouth either. God, that was nice," he murmured, turning his body to fully face Gale.
Allowing Gale to move tilt his head, he stared through tired eyes at Gale, a lazy smile crossing his face even as he ignored the sound of a notification. It wasn't his notif tone, so it meant it was Gale's and he had nothing pressing to handle at the moment anyhow. Other than stay out of the Nolan's radar. However, Gale's words caused him to lose his smile slightly, replacing it with a small frown as he furrowed his brows. As great as this has been wasn't the kind of conversation starter he wanted after a good time. He hadn't wanted this to be just another one time gig.
A partnership with maybe some, but definitely not just a way to relieve himself of the stress. "I'm fine with moving around a lot. Listen, trust me on this, but I'm one helluva good thief and I can do a lot of things. Hacking is easy," he didn't know why he was having a job interview following a good night, it felt kind of weird. But he had to sell the point across. "I've ran many heists, come on, let's give it a spin and if sh*t blows the fan, we can go our separate ways. But hey, for now, it's nice for both of us so why don't we give this a chance and see where it goes?"
"Hmm, what do you think about that?" It was a nice proposition if he did say so himself.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 22:09:43 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: somewhere too warm to move, 10/10
current status: this is nice
It took him a couple of moments to debate if he wanted to cuddle, but eventually he let himself be pulled closer, absently hitching one leg to drape over the other's legs, and resting his chin idly on his chest. He wanted to sleep some more - but logically, he knew he wouldn't be able to. Gale gave a quiet, amused laugh at the statement. He lifted his head after a couple of seconds and reached out to check the time on his phone - 6am. That wasn't too bad. He set the phone back on the side table and settled down again.
There was a sort of lazy domesticity to the situation that he hadn't really had in a long time - most of the men (and some women, he supposed) that he slept with were often quick to leave. Like this morning. However, he had a feeling that Quinn was still adamant on coming with him - and his suspicions were confirmed. He was still trying to sell himself, still trying to give Gale reasons to bring him along. And hell, it was working, and he didn't like that. He frowned a little but still pressed a light kiss against Quinn's neck, thinking it over. He wasn't too sleepy to make decisions, but perhaps sleepy enough that he'd regret his decisions at a later date. He didn't know.
"I suppose," he said quietly, pushing a hand through his hair. "You have to understand, though. I do a lot of sh*t - but thievery? Heists? They're small. I tend to lean towards assassinations, towards arson. A lot of the sh*t I do damages a lot of people, and sometimes it gets messy. We're not just talking...jewelry store heists, or art thefts. Sometimes it is just that little," he made a little see-saw motion with his hand, "sometimes they're so small that it's not quite worth it aside from the amusement. But a lot of the time, it's going to include murder. If you do come with me, you don't have to get involved with the murder - I can do that myself - but I need you to be aware that these hands have more blood on them than you know."
Gale sat up, let the sheets slip down to his hips and pool around his lap. He scratched the back of his neck and leaned forward. God, he wanted to shower. Pack some of his things. He could grab something to eat on the way to the airport. Wanted to brush his teeth, too, because god he felt awful. The night had been good, but as he woke up, he felt the effects of it. Hm.
"If you really think you're up to it, then you can come with," he shrugged. "I'm not used to having another person around, I don't have any safety precautions in place for your safety."
It was a warning, more or less. Once Gale got a feel for how useful Quinn was (and he expected it was very, considering the skills already listed), then he could sort out various codes between them, sort out...well. Signals. Whatever. A safeplace. But for now, he wouldn't have anything but his own wits. It would be both of them for themselves until Gale saw this man in action.
"Why do your own gang want you dead?" his tone was softer, now. Brows pulled down. "You said you did something, but I can't quite figure it out. You're a mysterious person, even though you've been so open so far."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 28, 2017 6:23:23 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Warm Bed. Nice.
Status: shhhhhhh's gotten real
He liked the way that Gale had accepted his invitation to cuddle, the warm press of the other man's body nice against his own. He was a lot smaller than his usual partners, but it was a nice kind of small. Sure, he was hard muscles and lean, but it felt nice to hold him and Quinn felt his lips twitch upwards in a smile as he lowered his head to press a kiss into Gale's hair. He liked the gentle kisses, they were different from the roughness he'd experience before and it suited him just fine. Though the pace was by no means slow, it was a lot more vanilla and he quite appreciated it.
Humming softly, he chuckled, the laugh soft and rumbling unlike his usual bouts of giggles. "Yeah, they're small, but they pay a damn of a good lot without anyone getting hurt with the right hands," he responded, not at all peeved by having his occupation called 'small' business. Nah, he knew it. They paid a lot for crazy bank heists, jewelry thefts, art thefts, museum theft... The entire thing. He didn't dabble in murder simply because of how messy his usual handiwork is. "But if you think I've never killed people, then you're wrong about me. I've killed people for less than money." It was a scary confession, but between the two of them? It meant nothing. Just blatant honesty as he listed the facts like they were.
The bar fights he had gotten into had been for the rush. The accidental additional blow when his opponent was already down was more often than not lethal. He never regretted it for too long. They knew what they had gotten into. They knew the chances of dying in a bareknuckle fight against him or even worse - a no holds barred fight. "It's part of the life, so I don't care what you got on your hands as long as that blood doesn't get on me when we're having fun," his words held a slight teasing hint to them. Clearly another innuendo. And to think they had just finished the night before. God, he had to rein himself.
Feeling Gale slip from his grasp however, to sit up, he whined in a very unprofessional manner. He was just getting comfortable again and ready for a nap right after waking up god damn it. Turning onto his stomach after losing his cuddle buddy, he looked up at Gale with his head rested on the other man's pillows. At the very least, the compensation for the loss of his human body pillow was a very generous view of his torso.
"Trust me, love," It was strange, but he wanted Gale's trust, "I can take care of myself. I wouldn't be alive as long as I have if I couldn't. I'd be dead, in jail, or some other sh*t." He couldn't help but finish the words with a lopsided grin. It was the plain and simple truth. He was a recklessly brilliant man, but he wasn't stupid and he certainly wasn't bad at what he did. He could take care of himself just fine, but he had grown up as a gang member and he didn't know how to survive solo. He wasn't sure how he'd survive being alone.
Though he had nothing substantial in his life, he still had them. He would probably sell Hugh, Ida, and Glen to Satan for a corn chip like the damn meme, but until he had something to replace them with, he just didn't dare to. He didn't know what would become of him without everything that held him together. The fake family. The crude life. The violence. What was he to become without it? He needed this offer because if he was alone, what would he become? What would he do to himself? It scared him.
Shaking his head as Gale pressed at the truth, he felt his smile water down considerably to something far less happy. It was not a nice smile, something tight and almost fake. "I don't lie because I suck at it," he finally answered, voice equally soft. "It's easier to tell the truth and omit the details." People usually didn't press the details. But then again, most people weren't usually being forced into an unlikely partnership with him.
"They don't know it yet," he admitted. It was kind of stupid he was fleeing before the sh*t even hit the fan. "I f*cked up a solo heist, it was for something stupid. I killed a kid on accident," he couldn't look Gale in the eye, so he downcasted his gaze. "They're digging into the details. I think my mentor's going to sell me out. I gotta find an exit before they take me out and kill me themselves, y'feel?" It was a blatant disgrace, admitting he had f*cked up. He had never before. Not until now and somehow it stung more that when he was younger and foolish and naive he hadn't done anything as bad or as stupid as what he had done now.
God, that probably didn't sound good at all. Perhaps Gale would reconsider his options now that he knew the truth. F*ck.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 17:28:40 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: the bed's rougher than previously thought
current status: oh.
Without getting hurt. Gale considered this for a moment, exhaled slowly. He ran a hand through his bed-tousled hair, passed it over his face before absently resting his own hand against his throat. The slow beat of his heart steadied him, settled him in the present. He shifted his weight, watched his legs move under the sheets as he crossed his ankles.
Knowing that Quinn didn't mind was...surprisingly relieving. He didn't know why. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, trying to find the energy to move. He had to do things - plan their travel and sort out how they were going to move. The sooner, the better.
"Good," he said. "You don't seem like a killer. That's why I brought it up," his features didn't quite smooth out, brows remaining furrowed and quiet frown upon his face. He kept his eyes closed. "As long as you're aware. Some of my work is likened to that of a hitman's. I'm not that, though."
No. He had no pretty titles like assassin or hitman, wasn't always involved in the political side of things. He was the sort of criminal who sat in the background, who did his work quickly and effectively, didn't need much attention. The news covered the deaths of his marks sometimes, but he was never caught. The Jackals had been caught, once upon a time - and he hadn't made the same mistakes. His prices were sky-high and he had no qualms about killing his employers if needed. Admittedly, if he was bought, then he stayed bought - but that was it. He was not loyal to the degree that he was naive.
There was an underlying fear, of course, of being betrayed. There always was. He'd been betrayed before and it could happen again - it didn't matter if Quinn was a good lay and good criminal. Gale had learned, a long time ago, to have some sort of sense of self-preservation.
"I'm trying to trust you," his words were truth. "It'll take time. I'm not - I'm not stopping you from coming along, not stopping you from being with me. I haven't worked with other people for a long, long time. I'm used to being solo. I'm just giving you a warning."
He wouldn't forget that Quinn was there. His memory wouldn't let him - but if he felt the need to ditch the Irishman, then he felt like he wouldn't hesitate. Then again, would he be tracked down again? Sometimes he needed to use his legal ID, it was just a thing that he had to do from time to time. Finally, Gale moved his hand from his throat and dropped both of his hands into his lap, half-opening his eyes and watching the wall opposite him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Quinn's tight smile. He wasn't brilliant at reading emotions, but this man didn't seem to be a subtle one. The story that was coming, Gale felt, was not going to be pretty.
Gale hated being right.
He didn't really have a strong moral compass. He didn't bat an eye at murder, didn't care if innocents got caught up (though he did try to ensure that they didn't, for the sake of his job). Killing kids was - well. Sometimes it happened. Usually it was by accident. While he'd frown at people who actively murdered kids, he didn't care so much if it was a one-off thing. Hell, sometimes it was necessary to get to the boss of a mafia. It was cruel and unfair, but that was life.
"Accidents happen," he was not unsympathetic - hell, his tone was even softer than before. Gale shifted his weight and turned to look at Quinn, features softening just a little. "Sometimes you just...you f*ck up. I get you, though," he flicked his gaze away, "your own gang trying to kill you is...well. Not something I've experienced entirely. Two of them were dead before they could want me dead. The other one is probably sitting and rotting in his prison cell, waiting for the day he can come and get me. The other one stops me from going home."
Talking about the Jackals - even ten years later. It was strange, still hurt. They had been toxic and violent and so bad at being criminals, but they'd also turned him into a good criminal. He was solo because of them.
"It's fine. We'll be leaving tonight. I'm thinking either Hong Kong or...hell, Greece could be cool. I don't know," he shrugged idly. "Hong Kong has more business opportunities, but if you have any other countries that are far away from Ireland or decent to go to, speak now or forever hold your peace."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Aug 31, 2017 16:21:39 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: STILL in bed
Status: This is nice
It was kind of amusing to be told by Gale that he didn't seem like the killing sort. He could have said that right back to Gale. The man was small, unassuming, and looked devastatingly sweet and kind. He wouldn't have marked Gale for a killer if he hadn't been tracking a sniper the Nolans wanted dead. Huffing a soft laugh, he shook his head, finally deciding to respond with a gentle remark.
"You don't seem like the killing type either," for all of Gale's scars, he still looked young and soft for a man of his age. Innocent, even. It was a deadly weapon in its own right. It made him unassuming, definitely not the kind to be thought capable of that kind of sh*t he pulled off. Hell, he would have thought himself to look like the killing kind, but he supposed the open honesty was a added bonus for the innocence card or whatever. "But don't worry about it. People refer to me as a thief, but I do a lot more sh*t than just steal."
He got his hands into nasty shit. Sometimes he stole things because he could, not because there was some buyer. Sometimes he killed people for other people, like the folks in the dirtier and darker parts of Ennis. Those kinds of folk made enemies and if a story interested him, he took the job. It wasn't a pretty kind of living nor was the killing part very wealthy, but it was something he was good at. He wasn't the best in a fight, but he was stupidly good at enduring punches which gave him time to pull out a knife. He wasn't the kind of man to play fair and lose. Especially not in a fight.
It was kind of amusing to be told right off the bad that he wasn't trusted, but he was being given a chance. It was more than a lot of people were willing to do, but the sheer honesty from Gale made him feel like he was with a kindred spirit. Ducking his head and grinning, he chuckled, "It's wise to not trust people far too quickly, so I can't blame you." Shrugging helplessly, he continued, "I'm sticking with you, but I don't know if I can trust you either, but I'd like to. And I'm trying my best to, but you know sh*t happens." It was as honest as he could be.
He knew there was the chance that Gale would leave him. There was the chance that he would lose his use to the other man and be ditched in an unfamiliar place. At least, Gale would have kept half of his promise at that point but it was still some f*cky sh*t and it would hurt like hell, but he would be away from the Nolans at the very least. It made him sad thinking about being left behind, but then again, he and Gale didn't have a relationship. There was no reason for Gale not to. Whatever happened, it happened. There was no stopping that sh*t.
His smile was gone as he thought about it and as Gale's soft tone of voice roused him from his thoughts, he glanced up. Accidents happen. Well, it was one hell of a f*ck up though. He bit back a laugh, not wanting to seem rude as Gale was giving him a pass for his actions but there was a fair share of bitterness about what had happened - about what he had done. "Yeah, well I've never f*cked up before, and the one time I do I break the gang's taboo," he said, a fair deal of resigned disappointment in his voice, "Just my luck, am I right? But yeah, no, the Nolans don't give a f*ck who you are. If you break one of their rules, they'll make an example of you. Hugh Nolan shot his own god damn brother for accidentally hitting an old man when he was drunk and high as hell."
Weird to think that they were criminals with morals, but it seemed that was the case. He didn't hate them for their rules, but more because of how little room he had been given to work. He was being held back and he knew it, but also he had f*cked up, and perhaps there was a reason he was being kept from his true potential. Sighing in relief, the tension slowly coiling up in the pit of his stomach releasing at Gale's reassuring words, he raised his head with a small smile, but it meant the whole world to him.
"I'm glad we're leaving soon, because the later we leave, the uglier things will get," he said, glancing towards the door. How long would it take for Redmond to find Gale? Or him for that matter? "And honestly? I wouldn't mind Hong Kong. I don't speak Chinese, but like, I guess you do since you suggested it?" That seemed like a fair assumption, wasn't it? He raised an eyebrow in question, Hong Kong sounded nice. Cool, even. Hell, he'd always wanted to try to the food vendors on the streets kind of sh*t he'd seen in Chinese action films, but he'd never thought of visiting for himself. After all, he'd be lost and he didn't even know if the locals spoke English. Probably should have done some research, but he couldn't be f*cking bothered to care.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2017 1:50:09 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: need to get up from this bed
current status: things are going to be fine
The statement that he, Gale Amari, didn't seem like the killing type - it made him smile a little. Sure, he had pretty looks - but a lot of people were wary of him. It was the sort of thing that happened when one had scars and a certain way of holding themselves. It was just a thing that happened, where anyone in his line of work would nod upon the news of hearing that he was a sniper because that just made sense. Quinn saying that he didn't look like a killer - that was something else entirely.
He nodded absently and shifted his weight. It was tempting to go back to sleep - but he had so much bullsh*t to do that it was unreal. He had been hoping to stay in Ireland for a little longer, perhaps actually learn some Irish. But no, it seemed that moving was necessary.
"Well, I'm glad we understand each-other," he gave an amused little smile, "look at us. With this communication and sh*t."
He swung his legs out of the bed and winced at the cold air. As a rundown apartment that didn't cost much money to rent, it didn't have very good heating. Actually, he was pretty sure that it had no heating - and Gale, for one, hated the cold. And the wet. Maybe he just had something against the United Kingdom in general - Wales had been hell to work in, but hey! He'd befriended a sheep! So who was the real winner? Not him, probably, but he could pretend.
"I've f*cked up a lot and each time it's hurt or killed someone I've loved," his smile became a little more flat, a little more distant. "I'm a pro at recovering from this. But, sh*t, man, that sounds awful. The worst that happened with us was someone getting hit or, I don't know, once time someone got knifed, but hell, that's some next level bullsh*ttery. Why did you stay with them for so long?"
To him, it seemed logical to leave. He'd ditched Sabah not long after the incident, and was glad for doing so. She'd been a piece of work. Toxic as hell. He scratched his chin idly, felt the slight scratchiness of stubble but ignored it for now.
"Eh," he tilted his head, "I don't speak Cantonese. I speak Mandarin," he shrugged lightly. "I go to places even if I don't speak the language. Makes it more interesting, or something. I mean, I know languages that I haven't even been to the places of? I know Vietnamese even though I haven't been to Vietnam," he made a little motion with his hand, "besides, it should be find. A lot of people in Hong Kong speak English, too."
It was sort of an absent-minded thing to reach over and brush his lips against Quinn's cheek, but he did so before standing up and rummaging for some boxers (which he pulled on) and pajama pants. "I'm going to shower before I sort out our travel."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Sept 6, 2017 20:32:05 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Standing up, kind of. Not really.
Status: Missing the bed. :(
He wasn't going to lie, but he liked the way Gale smiled. It would have almost seemed like a domestic situation, like boyfriends or husbands or whatever if he just let himself fall into the lull of the false comfort of the warmth. They weren't safe here and though he was saying the truth about wanting to trust Gale, he had enough self preservation in himself not to. Entirely, at least. But he couldn't help it. He smiled back, amused at Gale's statement.
"Mmm, I think it's great of us," he said softly, drawling out the word lazily, "All great things are built on good communication or some sh*t like that, right? Looks like you and I are going to be just fine. Y'know just draw your boundaries and I'll live by them no big deal."
It was kind of weird because this was the same speech he had given his boyfriends and honestly? Cute guy, great smile, good time? That wasn't so far off and he supposed he wouldn't mind if he and Gale got close. There was something in the business about maintaining professional relationships, but he'd leave that to the cops with their sticks up their as-es.
Watching Gale lazily, he eyed as the other man swing his legs over the side of the bed. Huh, he should get up. Eventually. He was amused if he was to be honest. The situation had gone well, too well by his standards. To make things worse, Gale Amari was handsome and he wasn't really that hard to deal with either. The man was honest, he was kind of nice, and he wasn't a total as-hole. He'd been with as-holes, lived with one for the first dozen or so years of his life and Gale definitely wasn't one.
Hell, he was also pretty nice about the whole f*ck up thing. That was new. It was a kind of acceptance Quinn had never received before and it warmed him inside. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but it just felt nice. "That's gotta hurt," he said honestly, words quiet as he took in Gale's response. It was sad to hear the man had messed up terribly and lost loved ones and friends for it. He had too. He had lost all of his friends for f*cking up, but they had been young and stupid and they had all listened to him about joining the Nolans. That had been their biggest mistake and the reason why one was dead, one was dying, and the other didn't look him in the eye anymore. "But yeah, thing's got out of hand. The Nolans are d*cks, every last one of them. Not the good kind either, but you know they're the only family I've had for years. I don't have much going for me outside of them."
He sighed, lowering his head to find interest in his palms. Rubbing the callouses of his right hand, he didn't look up. It sounded needy, pathetic even, like he was some lost puppy kicked out in the streets. "I can make a living without them, it's just... I don't know where to start. I don't know how. They're all I've ever known, they helped me when I was at my lowest but nowadays I have a harder time telling if they helped me or if they used me because I was weak then."
It sounded stupid, he knew. "But you know, doesn't matter how afraid you are of the water, if you're on a sinking ship you'll have to jump eventually," he laughed, shrugging helplessly as he said the words.
Having spilling the beans he glanced back up looking at Gale only to perk up slightly when the man mentioned Hong Kong again. "Oh damn, that makes like three languages other than your native tongue, right? Uh, what is it Egyptian people speak? And English, Vietnamese, and Mandarin," he grinned, impressed with Gale. He only knew a few himself, "That's quite a lot!"
"But that's awesome, I'm glad they know English because I'll be so f*cking lost if all they speak is uh, Cantonese," he laughed, the kiss unexpected surprising him somewhat. Freezing up slightly, he looked to Gale for some explanation but got none and could only smile in response as he finally stood up, stretching out the kinks in his back as the resounding noise of clicks and pops filled his ears. Yikes. "Anyways, that sounds good to me. I'll take a shower after you," he added, watching Gale to see where he headed. Just so he knew where shower was. He certainly wasn't trying to check out that as-.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2017 23:45:57 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: shower.
current status: we get what we deserve.
The entire situation felt so domestic that it was almost nice - he could almost relax. But almost was not enough, and he instead chose to listen to Quinn as he searched for his jeans and a shirt of some description. For the other man to respect his boundaries was nice, though he angled his head to the side and watched him from the corner of his eye. What about your boundaries? did not quite make it out, so he simply shrugged lightly and stood up straight again.
"You get used to it," he said softly. He didn't mean that the pain got better - but that he learned how to distance himself. It was a way to cope, he supposed. He was more impressed with Quinn, being able to walk away from the Nolans, being able to escape when he realised that his life was at risk. Hearing about how they were, they were almost reminiscent of a time gone by. He frowned a little, continued to listen but remained silent until the other man was done speaking.
There was a degree of respect he felt for Quinn - for being able to get out of a sh*tty situation like that, for having the courage to escape without anything big happening to cover it up.
"They used you," he exhaled, absently running his thumb over the fabric of the shirt in his arms. "People like that always use the weak, and they get rid of anything that threatens them or their existence. That's just how it is."
It felt cold to speak like that, but it was the truth and he didn't want to lie.
"I speak a few more than that," his tone remained gentle, but he smiled faintly. "Egyptian Arabic is my native tongue, but some people speak Sa'idi Arabic," he spoke that too, but it would probably be best to introduce the Irishman gently to the amount of languages he knew. It often overwhelmed people. "I'm a linguist, kind of? I don't have formal training, but I learn languages and I tend to retain them fairly well."
That was a bit of an understatement, but he preferred to be modest. "Yeah, a lot of people will speak English too, so you shouldn't have to worry too much," he finally began to move down the hall to the bathroom, "sounds like a plan."
He closed the bathroom door gently behind himself and locked it, before throwing his clothes idly over the towel rack and turning on the water. It took a moment to get some hot water, but he stripped down again and stepped underneath it, feeling the water hit his back. To gain some of his balance, he put his hands against the wall (very cold), and half-closed his eyes.
Quinn's experiences rang close to home - they were different, but held mildly similar issues. The Nolans were a**holes, they were brutal, they would kill Quinn. The Jackals had been similar, had been the only family he'd known but they'd taken advantage of him. He didn't think he was taking on the other man because of pity or anything similar, but because...the experience of being hunted was all too familiar. If he could help Quinn escape, then that was just...something, maybe.
He couldn't go home, and he doubted that the other could once they left. Shoved away from their childhood home, forced to remain away because of mistakes made and because of the bloodthirst of their old gangs.
Gale swallowed thickly and focused on washing himself. I did something to deserve it, but he made a mistake, he mused, running his fingers through his hair a little rougher than intended. He was quick in washing himself, even quicker at drying himself, shaving, brushing his teeth and so on - once he was done and dressed, he washed after himself before exiting the bathroom. "All yours," he told Quinn.
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Sept 7, 2017 18:53:41 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Gale's abode
Status: This ain't bad
He had his back turned to Gale when he stood up, but promptly turned around as Gale spoke. You get used to it. It was sad words, but he supposed he understood where Gale was coming from. He'd gotten used to a lot of things, only through relative extremes did he finally know when to get the f*ck out of there and save himself. Like with Louis. He hadn't been happy, but he had been eager to please. If it hadn't been for Louis crossing the threshold of what he was willing to deal with, he wouldn't have broke up with him.
It was kind of strange how that kind of pain became familiar and though unacceptable, easy to be ignored. He sighed, smiling sadly at the words. "Yeah, I guess you do," he answered, and it wasn't a lie. But he didn't quite feel the words. It was disheartening if he was honest.
Damn, sometimes the truth f*cking sucked. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind as he walked over to his bag, pulling out a pair of clothes he had packed up. New jeans, t-shirt, and boxers. He hadn't really thought about what to do with his dirty clothes. Maybe he could get Gale to spare some space and put it with his. That sounded like a plan. "But you're right, people like the Nolans use people who are weak. And once they lose their value, they're gone. They're not worth staying around."
Man, he sounded stupid for sticking around as long as he did. Whatever. All was done and passed, once they got out of Ireland and away from Ennis, he would be given the opportunity to finally forget about them. He'd never need to talk about them again once they were through with this. It was kind of nice to think about it that way. It meant that he was finally able to just... well, leave it all behind.
Throwing his clean clothes onto the couch, he settled down next to them, watching Gale smile at his compliment. It was nice and a great way to get his mind off of all the f*cked up shit related to the Nolans. "That's awesome! I never really learned more than uh, English and Irish. I know some German too, but that's about it," he shrugged, knowing it wasn't much, but hey, he wanted to sound smart-ish too! Kind of. "You must be really smart, huh?"
It certainly seemed like he was if he was just that talented at languages. He didn't see how somebody could master a sh*t ton of languages without being really damn smart. But still, things were looking up with the choice of Hong Kong being their first destination. They spoke English! Hell, that meant he wouldn't have to worry at all about trying to crunch in some bad Cantonese. "Y'know," he said as his eyes followed Gale, "Hong Kong sounds hella good right about now." That seemed to be the end of that conversation however, as Gale closed the door.
Pursing his lips in a thoughtful frown, he hopped to his feet to look around the place. He wasn't going to touch anything, he just wanted to look around. He highly doubted Gale had anything important laying about if he was travelling for a job so he supposed there'd be no harm done. When the door to the bathroom opened again, he glanced up from where he had been looking at the alcohol Gale was drinking last night. Huh, whoever got this didn't have the best taste in his opinion. "Thanks," he grinned, putting the bottle back down and heading over to the couch to grab his clothes.
Going inside for the shower he realized how god damn sticky he was and just how nice it was to feel clean. He took a quick shower in relatively warm water. Things were looking up for him. He knew he should have been at all time down, but things were looking f*cking up and he couldn't be bothered not to smile. Opening the bathroom door, he headed out to find Gale and see what he was doing. "I'm done," he said softly, amused as he nodded to the other man, "What's up?"
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 14:40:48 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: wanting to go back to bed
current status: hungry?
Maybe the arrival of Quinn was a sign of things changing. Maybe he didn't have to be alone, but he didn't know. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he could trust this man. Sure, they'd...but that wasn't the point. Allowing himself to fall asleep next to the other man didn't mean that he was trusting - just that he was tired. That was it.
He didn't appreciate the reminder of the Jackals, but that was all he could think of when the Nolans were talked about. They were bad memories, things that sat at the back of his mind and taunted him when he tried to sleep. He didn't appreciate thinking about them during the day, but here he was, he supposed.
As he checked through his fridge to find perishables he needed to use up, Gale frowned at himself. Don't think about it, he told himself, taking eggs, found milk (he checked it to make sure it was fine), and that seemed to be it. For once, his lack of ability to get groceries was helpful. In the cupboard, he found some bread, sugar, and cinnamon - and decided that, yes, that was perfect. Glad that he'd found some food he actually liked, he began to prepare french toast. A good breakfast that would give him energy. Flawless, he was proud of himself. He even turned the radio on as he worked in the kitchen.
The sound of the shower alerted him to where Quinn was, and he decided that f*ck it, he'd make more french toast. If Quinn didn't like this stuff, then that meant there was more for Gale.
The other's voice behind him didn't make him turn around. Instead, he shifted his weight and tested the heat on the pan - still not hot enough.
"The ceiling mostly," he hummed softly, rocking back on his heels. The floor was cold beneath his bare feet, but hey, he could deal with that. "Making food, because I need to use the last of the eggs and milk. Uh, flight's tonight, so we have the entire day free, pretty much, once we've - I've - packed up, but that won't take long."
With the pan finally at the correct temperature, he put in a piece of the bread and poked it with his spatula before turning to look at the other man, smiling faintly. He studied the other man for a moment, before leaning back. "C'mere," he said, not particularly wishing to move from where he was by the stove. For one, he didn't want the bread to burn.
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Oct 22, 2017 22:19:24 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Not in the shower
Status: Is that food?
Gale Amari was a total smartas- and somehow that didn't come as a surprise to Quinn. Snorting a laugh at Gale's, he shook his head in disbelief. "What's down then?" He answered teasingly before falling silent at Gale's actual response. He was making food. Quinn could smell it and damn, it made his mouth water. He was hungry as hell and as he eyed the food curiously he couldn't help but smile. "Does this count as our second date?" He said, smiling as he spoke without much thought about what he had just said.
Snapping his mouth shut after the words had slipped out, he hadn't mean to be too forward. He knew there were men in his profession who wanted physical and professional relations exclusively, emotionally intimacy was... well it was crossing a threshold. Chewing on his lower lip, he offered Gale a sheepish smile in response as he headed over at Gale's words. He wondered if he had stepped over a line somehow with his words. If he would make Gale change his mind with the accidental joke that... well, had been more than a joke.
There was a tad bit of hope tied into those words that scared him. He liked Gale, he knew that. It was something simple right now. It was that he was attracted to the other man's physique and the bits and pieces of Gale that he had come to seen. The other man seemed kind, gentle, and understanding, but at the same time he was dangerous. There was also the bad part. Gale Amari was a loner. He was a sniper, he didn't need people to get jobs done.
The involvement of Quinn would change that dynamic that Gale had already created and he wondered if it would come as a bother to Gale. It made him slightly nervous that Gale would come to realize he didn't need Quinn and leave him in Hong Kong. That was not to say that Quinn was not self sufficient, he just... He didn't know how to live on his own. He never had to before. With the Nolans in his life, his life had been full of people whether or not they were good for him was another debate in and of itself. He had always had people he knew around him. If Gale decided he was useless and ditched him in Hong Kong because of one stupid joke, he didn't know how to feel.
Settling down, he looked over at what Gale was making for them. "French toast, huh?" He said with a grin, "You sure know how to win a man's heart." It happened again. He knew that Gale was interested in a physical relationship. He was afraid that the hints of a more intimate one, an emotional relationship would come as a deterrent. Frowning at himself, he glanced away. Get your sh*t under control, O'Sullivan he told himself sharply.
"So," he said, glancing up at Gale while the other man was cooking, "Any plans for the free day? I could show you the sights or something because I think this room is probably going to be compromised. If I could find it, the Nolan's will find it eventually." Now it was starting to sound like a real request for a date. God damn it, O'Sullivan.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2017 1:44:52 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: at the stove
current status: housewife mode activated
"Sure, it counts as our second date," an amused smiled flickered over Gale's features, but he hid it well considering he was cooking. He opened the cupboard above him (nearly knocked himself out while doing so), and, while absently rubbing where the cupboard door had hit him, he checked through. Hey, he actually had syrup. He was a god among men. He took it out and put it on the table before he grabbed two plates and set them next to him, and continued about his work.
Once had had two plates of food finished, he sat down at the table and gave one to Quinn while he kept the other for himself. It was in a rather absent motion that he used his hands to shred his own French toast - honestly, he didn't really notice that he was doing it.
He was more concerned with the matter of the man in front of him. Quinn was sweet and charming and pretty good in bed. At a normal time, that would've ticked all of Gale's boxes and he would've been smitten. As it was, he was paranoid as hell, and it was hard to take on the man as a sort of crime-based partner, let alone anything else. He didn't want to lead him on - but he didn't want to reject him, either. It was a pain.
"I had something else in mind," Gale, no, "but seeing the sights could be interesting. I haven't really explored much since I was here on jobs and not for sight-seeing," he rested his elbows on the table and shifted his weight a little, "does that count as a third date or as a continuation of the second date?"
His smile was a little mischievous and he ducked his head down a little to continue to pick at his food - he wasn't as hungry as he'd thought, but he was going to continue eating anyway. That was just how it went. Honestly, he was a little glad he had something to distract himself with; the sudden shift from Ireland to Hong Kong was going to be fine with him, but it was the matter of picking up jobs. There were plenty of opportunities there, and he had money to settle him for a while - but if he wasn't constantly working, then he was a little ball of anxiety. He doubted that Alexei would appreciate the move, but...well, there were risk factors. The Nolans seemed like a problem, and he wasn't going to deal with that.
"How do you feel about being a lookout?" he asked - rather out of the blue, really.
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Oct 23, 2017 19:50:19 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Looks like the kitchen. Probably the kitchen.
Status: Did he just say yes?
Having Gale tell him that, yeah, it was a second date had been something of a surprise to him. It made him feel warm inside and he couldn't help but grin as he settled down at the table ready to have some of the french toast Gale had made. Looking at the other man, he tore into the food realizing he was hungrier than he had first anticipated. It was good too. Stopping mid-bite, he finished chewing and swallowed before tilting his head as he looked at Gale. It felt better now that his advances had not been completely rejected. He could work with that.
"Damn, you're good at this cooking thing," he said, earnest to voice his appreciation. "That sh*t was f*cking great," he added before chuckling. "Maybe next time I'll make something for you, but no promises it'll be this good. Probably just cereal or cup noodles. Though those are classics, yeah?" It was almost strange that he was talking about next time, but he kind of wanted it to be a permanent fixture. He liked Gale's company. It was quiet, it was nice, and it was honest. It was everything he had ever wanted and never got.
He wasn't about to say he was in love, but hell if he wasn't smitten by the man's kindness. Strange to imagine of all things, it was kindness that he found most attractive. Having his suggestion accepted only broadened his grin. "Let's make it a continuation. You made me food, I take you to see the sights and bring you to a place I like. That sound fair?" He was already planning everything ahead of time. There was this small corner restaurant. It was a friendly place with an old couple running it.
They served some of the best homemade styled foods he'd ever had and it reminded him of the kind of sh*t Alain's mom used to make. The food was warm and had a sense of home he never felt anywhere else but under the safety of another's roof. There were also the sights. Quin Abbey was beautiful and though he was uncertain of the existence of God and hesitant about religion, he found the place both peaceful and beautiful. The name was an added plus too and telling Gale where they were headed when they decided to set off was certainly a subject of amusement for him.
When things returned to business, he had to remind himself that this was a working relationship. This was business first and anything that came as a result was the... less important parts of it. Trying not to show how dampened his spirits were by the question, he maintained his uneasy grin. Honestly, he reckoned he could take the job as a lookout no problem though it sounded boring to what he was used to. "That sounds fine to me, how hard can it be?" He responded, tone slightly cheery. "Though I'm a lot better at stealing things and breaking into places." Talking about his occupation made him light up.
It was strange. Some people had a passion in the arts. Dancing, drawing, writing, it was the things that gave them life. For him, it was the thrill of a steal. "I can get my hands on practically anything, y'know. I could steal an artifact and be off with it and we'd never have to work a day in our life again." Strange how he was making this suggestion to Gale when they had barely spent a night together and were now only eating breakfast for the first time. Trying to play it off, he laughed, "But where's the fun in that?" And there was a fair amount of honesty in those words. He didn't think he could ever settle down and live a simply domestic life. What scared him the most was that his mind had suggested it briefly.
Still, he hoped that Gale would take interest in his heists. Hell, maybe Gale would even introduce Quinn to his employer and get him a job. Though he feared that if he did landed a job, he'd never see Gale Amari again and that thought already bothered him.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2017 13:18:30 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: compromised
current status: this is a dangerous game
Being told that he was good - even if it was something as simple as this - made him smile and duck his head a little, continuing to shred up pieces of the bread in an absent-minded motion. He popped a piece into his mouth and glanced sideways to the television; it wasn't on, but it was something to look at, at least.
"Cereal or cup noodles," he repeated in an amused tone. "I think I'd like that."
Who didn't like cereal or cup noodles? Both were great options for food, and he ate both more often than he'd ever admit. Just because he could cook didn't mean he did it for himself often; he was usually too tired, too lazy, too busy to do it. It was a nice change of pace with having Quinn here - but he didn't want to rely on it too much, didn't want to rely on him too much. Gale had made far too many mistakes relating to trust to the point that he wasn't sure if trusting anyone - as edgy as that sounded - was a good idea. He didn't even trust his own employer - let alone a stranger who'd wandered in to tell him about a danger, which was...dodgy, and yet he'd decided to sleep with the other man anyway. When he thought about it like that, it was worse than bad.
But he found that he didn't care. That the chance of Quinn having potential to be something to him was thrilling in itself, even with the high risks it posed. He hadn't been truly close with someone for so long - the possibility of not being alone was part of why he'd agreed; Quinn's attractiveness was possibly another reason. He wasn't sure. The bed stuff was definitely a bonus, he had to say. "A continuation," he agreed, with a soft laugh. "Sounds like one hell of a date."
It did sound nice; even if he was leaving a place he'd managed to settle into (even briefly), some of the sting was taken out by having something to look forward to; the sights that Quinn would show him, and the idea of showing the other man around Hong Kong. Maybe he'd actually learn Cantonese this time. The world was full of opportunities.
Business made him frown a little, though it was mild - still changed by the mild amusement, still with raised eyebrows and something of a quirk to his frown, making it a half-frown, half-smile, of sorts.
"I've learned how good you are with your hands," he said lightly, resting his elbows on the table and pushing his own plate of food away from himself - it was barely half-eaten. "I think you underestimate the lookout job, though. I'm not looking for you to sit out while I'm doing other heists - I'm asking you to watch my back when I'm shooting," it was a much different, much more risky job. After a couple of seconds, he squinted thoughtfully at the wall just past Quinn. "Snipers, as a rule, don't work alone. Criminal snipers do, because we have no other choice. In the army - any army - there's usually a sniper, and a spotter. The spotter judges...a lot of things. Humidity, temperature, distance from the target, how long it would be until the target is in range, and so on - I can do that by myself. Really, the sniper themselves are just..the trigger finger. Someone to aim and shoot when they're told to. But along with that, they have the safety of someone at their back; someone who can tell them when the location's police are coming, someone who can pick out the wrong type of helicopter, someone who can hear people coming up the stairs so that they can both hide and relocate."
He paused, and took a deep breath. "When I ask you to be my lookout, it's a trial-run. To sit at my back and keep tabs on what's happening; to find out if the target has a change of plans, to find out if someone's found out. In America, I once had a SWAT team land directly on my back. They were as confused as I were," his smile was only mildly bitter, "I got out, of course, but I'd like to avoid situations like that, and a lookout is the way to go."
It was the best way he could explain it. He didn't want Quinn to feel like he was being sidelined; strangely, he wanted him to know how important the role was.
"Besides, the lookout is only for shooting jobs," he shook his head slowly, "heists, on the other hand - it would be nice to see you in action, I think," he tilted his head back a little. "And raids. Those are fun, usually on other criminal groups on the last day of my stay, if I have to do them."
Admittedly, they were a little rarer.
Gale flicked his gaze over the other man for a few moments before he stood up and took both dishes, setting them on the counter and absently washing his hands - for no real reason. The feel of lingering grease, maybe. He didn't know, didn't care. Once he was done with that, he walked over to Quinn and studied his face for a moment, before smiling.
"I should pack up," he said softly, "I have a few things I need to put in my bag."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Nov 22, 2017 19:06:48 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Heaven or Hell. Something like that.
Current Status: This man can have all my possessions, motorcycle and heart included
It wasn't the first time someone had sweet talked him, but it was the first time it felt like they meant it. The flirtations didn't last over the night, but with Gale Amari it did and it drove him on as he grinned, the amusement in Gale's tone warming him up. It felt nice to have somebody amused with him for reasons other than him making a fool out of himself. And, what more, Gale was interested in cereal and cup noodles? If that wasn't charming as f*ck then he didn't know what was.
"What can I say?" He laughed, tearing into the french toast before continuing, "I'm a chef. Cup noodles, cereal, sandwiches are all my forte. And if you're lucky, there's dessert with that." Winking playfully, he wondered if his suggestion was understood, but even if it wasn't, hell, he could be bothered to buy a candy bar or two for Gale. Candy bars and a little something extra was the ideal. It was terrible. Gale was enabling him and with every jest, he felt himself becoming more confident with his responses. It meant that the other man was just as interested as he was or he was being led on. And he highly doubted that was the case considering he was being taken along for a job, but if something extra happened... that was okay with Gale right? Because that was okay with him.
The other was everything on his checklist and more. Handsome, nice, and a good chef! Not to mention his voice was something that came as a surprise - but a pleasant one! It was deep and he couldn't find another way to describe it other than it sounded like liquor and honey milk combined together. Like a... Milk & Honey Cocktail! It just brought an extra layer of intrigue to Gale Amari.
"Love," he said, voice a tad bit teasing, "I know all the wonderful places here, so you're in for a trip. And besides, I'm a god with date nights. Alcohol and board games? Pizza and movie nights? I know what's up." It was something he thought he'd always been good at. Not the romantic aspects of dates, but the and fun and enjoyable parts of them. The late night conversations meant a lot more to him in terms of dates than the romantic candlelit dinners because he'd found out early on that people who were interested in candlelit dinners solely didn't care about the more exciting aspects of the life he led, but only about how he could maintain himself in a semi-professional setting. They only cared if he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of their families.
Seeing Gale frowns slightly, he straightened up, a little more alert and less relaxed as he listened to Gale's description of the job. He'd been told before that a lookout was important and he always made sure to have one on the group heists, but that was only because Glen had drilled it into him. They were a necessity, blah blah blah. He'd survived damn well enough on his own without a lookout on his personal endeavors, he scoffed at the role because it was boring, but hearing Gale describe it it sounded less boring.
Puffing out his chest, he smiled at Gale, not missing the slight bitterness at the mentions of a SWAT team in America. It was a story he'd like to hear eventually, but feared asking about at the current moment. "Well, you know what, you can trust me, alright, love? I don't make promises easy, but if a look out is what you need, then I promise I'll watch your back on those jobs." Hearing the additional jobs, he brightened up significantly. "I won't disappoint, I swear. Everybody tells me they'd want me on their side in case of a fight, you won't regret this."
Watching Gale get to his feet, he chewed slowly on his food before swallowing as Gale stopped before him. Returning the smile, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Alright, I'm all set. Just give me a holler when you're done and we can be off." Gale Amari, sightseeing, Hong Kong, and sniping. What a damn wild future he had ahead of him. It excited him and after finishing his meal, he washed his hands and wiped the residue on his jeans before slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Picking up his motorcycle keys, he settled back down on the kitchen stool and waited for Gale. Well, they were going to clear the place out before the Nolans got here, so that was a plus. He couldn't wait for Gale's response to Quin Abbey or the best food in all of Ireland. That and Hong Kong? Maybe he'd learn some cool martial arts like the flicks. Hella.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2017 20:13:50 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: ???
current status: why is he such a good man?
"Your taste is flawless," he laughed softly and shook his head, amused at the implications.
Honestly, he enjoyed the flirtations. He, himself, wasn't exactly brilliant at it, but he enjoyed being flirted with, at the very least. Quinn was a very nice man, and he was handsome to boot - there were bonuses all around. Naturally, he was cautious; not only had the other man come over to warn him of dangers, but he was a stranger, and at the moment he didn't want to push too much trust into a stranger. It wasn't clever, especially considering his occupation. He could wait and see what happened, could hope that he wouldn't get emotionally invested (although he knew that he would, he just knew it).
"Where have you been hiding all my life?" he asked as he opened one of the drawers to pick up a couple of brown envelopes. "Alcohol and board games are my specialty. Don't play monopoly with me, though--" he paused as he grabbed his keys and shoved them in his back pocket. "The last person who played monopoly with me called me a heathen and then stabbed me."
An eventful Saturday night. Admittedly, in hindsight, he had been claiming most of the board. Gale was a god at monopoly, what could he say? At least he hadn't been shot, because that would've been inconvenient. He did have a scar from the stab, but it blended into his others rather flawlessly. Don't ask, don't tell came in handy when it came to bullsh*t like that. Then again - he had just told Quinn, so...well, that didn't matter. They'd already slept together, so it wasn't as if it was unexpected for some scars to have stupid origins. After all; one of his hand scars was from Kesi accidentally stabbing him with a fork. He'd made a mental note, since, to keep his hands well away from cutlery when at a wedding.
Everybody tells me they'd want me on their side in case of a fight. That did sound promising, and if Quinn was good at close-combat, then that was even better. He considered it for a moment before he shook his head and smiled again.
"Can't argue with that." his huff was one of amusement, and that ended the conversation as he went into his room to pack up.
It didn't take him long - not even ten minutes, before he had a shoulder bag (predictably) over his shoulder, plus his guitar case (which was not, in fact, a guitar case, but he appreciated the appearance). He checked his keys over before he took off two of the keys and dumped them on the side - and then he wrote a note and stuck it under the keys.
git gud have an apartment for ur troubles.
Once that was done, he approached Quinn again and shrugged lightly. "I don't have a car, just so you know. I only have a bike," he was probably going to ditch it temporarily. Maybe he could get Kelly to retrieve it and ship it to him at some point, but that would have to be after the heat in this area was settled. "But we can go, now. I'm done here."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Dec 3, 2017 0:19:51 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: On the move
Current Status: I am LIVING
Having his taste complimented by Gale was something that warmed him despite knowing that his claims had been teasing and more of a jest towards his own inability, to have it reciprocated with a positive response was nice and he grinned. He found himself taking it all in a stride, pleased at himself and happy that Gale thought well of him so far. It only spiraled further into a terribly hopeful thing when Gale continued to return his advances.
He knew he couldn't think of it as a normal relationship. It was anything but a normal relationship and there was no saying this wold last or Gale wouldn't f*ck him over or he would f*ck up and f*ck Gale over somehow. Hell, there was no telling if the Nolans were here already waiting for them to leave and jump on them, but that was paranoia speaking and he just wanted things to be okay. He didn't think he had a high chance with Gale, but so far, the future was looking bright and he'd take everything if he could. It was the least he could do when the cards he'd been handed were bad up until the point he had met one Gale Amari.
And hell, if what Gale said was true about his monopoly prowess, then there was something endearing and sexy about that. Though the stabbing part was a little... extreme. "You've got to be kidding me," he laughed, "what were the chances I'd end up meeting some kind of monopoly god? But you got stabbed for winning? Looks like the other f*ck was a sore loser. Did you stab him back?" The words fell out in a jovial manner as he pushed all the negatives aside just for a moment to think about the image of Gale dominating at monopoly. He wondered if the man was the kind to trash talk people during board games. He'd known the type, it made for some of the most hectic game nights and some of the most stupidly funniest sh*t he'd ever been involved with.
Honestly, the story made him reminisce about one of his dumbest scars. He'd had his arm cut by a nail jolting out of the wall that he had accidentally leaned on and just shifted along, leaving a nasty cut. Good thing it didn't cause him tetanus or whatever the thing with rusty nails was. He wasn't sure, but it had healed pretty well despite hurting like a motherf*cker. Hearing Gale once again speak up, he glanced up, beaming slightly at the smile he was offered. Never had he had someone trust in him the way Gale had. And they had just met. It was something scary to him, but... it wasn't terrible. Hell, he was actually starting to like the warmth and attention he was given because there was a certain gentleness to it that shocked him to some extent given their professions.
Seeing Gale come back out, he raised a hand as a half hearted wave, watching curiously as the man wrote a note. He couldn't really read the contents, but something told him it was something that was going to p*ss off whoever read it. Even as Gale walked over to him, he glanced discreetly over the man's shoulder to try to read it from the angle he was at, but failing to he deflated somewhat and decided to focus his attention on Gale instead of the note.
"Well, that's alright. My bike's big enough for two," he said with a wide grin. "There's this place I think you'd like. It's pretty and the food around the area is that bad either, so you're in for a treat, love." Leading the way down the stairs to where he had his motorcycle parked, he lifted his helmet to wear before realizing he didn't have two. Extending his hand, he offered his helmet to Gale. "I'm a pretty good driver, but y'know, love," he shrugged, "it's better to be safe than sorry."
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2017 11:04:04 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: outta here
current status: oh no.
Despite everything - despite the situation and losing his (temporary) home, despite being in a fair amount of danger (and perhaps having pissed off more than just the Nolans that Quinn talked about), he found himself laughing without much of a care. For some reason, all of this was just amusing to him; it was like living in some surreal world. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder and patted his pockets lightly to make sure he had everything (he did), and then glanced up at Quinn with a raised eyebrow and a grin.
"I can't stab my own brother," perhaps he should've relayed that information a little beforehand, but the story was funnier without people knowing he was related to the same person who'd stabbed him. "And, to be fair, I told him that he didn't know how money worked, that he sucked at picking up good properties, and that he was a no-good wash up who'd end up like our father, but," he raised one finger, "it was purely in the heat of the moment. Also, he's stabbed me for worse. Like. Far worse."
And then Faruq had gone on to be a surgeon. That was mildly terrifying; but he had shown potential for it beforehand, so maybe it was just destiny! That had been a long time ago, though; he would've wondered how his siblings were doing, except he didn't care. And for the one that he did care about, he was semi-still in contact with and she could beat him in a fight easily so that was fine, and everything was fine. His family were probably quite happy and very much in Egypt. He doubted he'd see them anytime soon, but it was an interesting thought nonetheless.
Quinn owning a bike did not surprise him in the slightest; nor did it being big enough for two surprise him, either. At present, Gale had a small cheap one - so he supposed the change was a good one. He squinted thoughtfully before unhooking the bike key from his keychain and pushing it through the apartment letterbox - more gifts - and then he followed along in a fairly cheerful manner. Admittedly, he had to walk a little quicker to keep up, but...well. That was just expected, and he was not surprised.
When the helmet was offered to it, he gently pushed it away and raised an eyebrow.
"Trust me when I say I'll be fine without," maybe it wasn't a good thing to hint at not wearing a helmet for the most part - he'd been yelled at it enough in the past. Sometimes he wore one, and maybe that was still in his apartment (somewhere), but he didn't care enough to go find it. "Wear the damn helmet, habibi."
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Post by L’Éᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ on Jan 15, 2018 22:49:15 GMT -5
Quinn O'Sullivan
Location: Going to a Magical Place
Status: how do I argue with that
God was he a sucker for that smile. Quinn was starting to feel like if all he saw was Gale Amari's smile for the rest of his life, he would be totally fine with that and that would be the end of him. Hearing Gale elaborate on the story even further surprised him, causing him to a raise a brow before laughing. "You dirty talk better when you're playing monopoly then at night," he teased, amused at the things Gale had said. He could see how that was maybe deserving of a stab, but still. "Did you at least clock him in the face? He sounds like the kinda guy who need a good punch."
And maybe it was already too soon to admit it, but he would kill a man with his bare hands for Gale Amari. Gale didn't just have the charming looks, he had a compassionate heart and a soft, deep voice that was just so damn nice to boot. He was like the whole package deal and the fact that he was a sniper didn't make him seem more unapproachable. Rather, it gave him a layer of intrigue. Besides, considering that both he and Gale had all the chances to kill one another in the last twenty four hours, but were instead going on their second date must have meant something.
God, he was so f*cked.
Settling against his bike, he watched as Gale deposited what looked like bike keys in his apartment letterbox. He supposed Gale was really good at getting up and leaving without a care in the world, after all. A part of him was afraid of how that would work out for their partnership and... well, whatever the f*ck this was. Would there come a day where he would just put down everything, get up, and leave like this? It seemed possible and also a little hard to imagine for someone like Quinn, who had grown up one place all his life. He'd never been out of Ireland for anything other then an odd job from time to time and those were rare.
Still, he didn't find like he was in any place to ask. This wasn't something he expected to last. It was just a testy partnership with some benefits and hey, he wasn't supposed to make himself feel like sh*t just before their second date. Biting back the sense of worry, he shook his head as Gale pushed his helmet back into his hands. Sighing, he took it, but hesitated to place it on his head as he stared at Gale for a lingering moment.
"Alright," he said softly, finally putting on the helmet. Habibi... he liked the sound of that even though he didn't know what the hell it meaned. Grinning, he turned away from Gale, getting on the motorcycle and waiting for Gale to do the same. Once he felt a weight shift against him and he knew Gale was secured, he ignited the engine. The ride was a short one, but it was nice.
It felt free. It let him feel alive. It was exhilarating, but a part of him felt something reminiscent to pain. It was sudden, but he realized as he kept his eyes locked on the road, the familiar streets of Ennis passing by in a blur of motion, that he would never come back. When the truth got out and the Nolans were on his tail and they were gone on that plane to Hong Kong, he wouldn't be looking back at Ennis. All his years here would be nothing but a distant memory. He would never be able to come back for as long as both Hugh and Ida were alive and he had no doubt both those f*cks would cling to life up until their nineties or something.
Sighing to himself, he decided he'd let today be a good day. If this was his last memory of Ennis, he wanted it to be a nice one. At least he was spending it with Gale. Smiling at the thought, he found that, without even paying attention, he had brought them to the destination in mind. Parking in front of a run down but well loved pub, he got up off the motorcycle and glanced back at Gale. Waving a hand, he smiled. Yeah, today was going to be great. He'd make sure of it.
"Come on, love. I think you'll like it here."
The interior was warm. The colors were vibrant, but nothing clashing. They felt homely and upon seeing him, the woman at the bar perked up, smiling brightly though the smile dimmed slightly upon seeing Gale, something akin to curiosity flickering across her features instead. After the initial awkward interactions where she tried to prod a tad too hard into who Quinn's 'friend' was, the food arrived and it tasted as good as always. It felt like they were eating quickly for some reason. Maybe it was just him. Despite how warm and comforting the pub was, he felt like he wanted out.
Maybe he had just been contained this entire time and he just never noticed it. Once they had finished up, he had taken them a tad bit farther to Quin Abbey. Instead of leaving his bike immediately this time, he stood in place staring at it. It was like an old friend to him. The only constant in his life as everyone around him disappeared or changed or... well, proved they were never his friend in the first place. Somehow it felt sacred, the relationship between him and the place and a part of him couldn't quite remember why he trusted Gale to safeguard this place, but he did. He just did.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled. "This place is called Quin Abbey, and nah, I didn't choose it because of the name," he said with a laugh, though it felt a bit forced to his ears. He was anxious, waiting for Gale to say something. He wasn't sure what, but he felt protective of Quin Abbey and hoped that Gale would come to love it as much as he did. There was just this sense of familiarity it gave off. Past all the graves, inside, it felt like it was bathed in light when the sun shone through and it was there he felt free but also safe.
Freedom and safety rarely went hand in hand for him. Maybe that was why it meant so much to him. Maybe he'd find a Quin Abbey in Hong Kong or something. Or maybe... maybe he'd find it in Gale.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2018 23:24:23 GMT -5
Gale Amari
location: somewhere special, probably.
status: something feels off.
You dirty talk better when you're playing monopoly than at night. He wasn't sure whether to be offended or not at that, so he decided to dismiss it with a light huff and a roll upwards of his eyes. "I did not clock him in the face," a bemused smile passed his lips, and he decided that that was the end of that conversation. It was a little...not painful, but not pleasant to talk about his family. They were in the past and they were not a friendly part of his past. Hell, he wondered if he even had a friendly part of his past.
Thinking of himself as a sob story was not something he did, but he was rather certain that his childhood had not been normal nor happy. Sometimes, going home was a nightmare - not just because of what lay there in wait for him, but because of what had happened there. There was a sort of horror upon entering his childhood town that made his chest tighten and his breath shaky, made him unsure of if he was safe there. People had long forgotten, of course, but...the thoughts of seeing people from his past were scary, let alone people who'd actually hurt him or talked to him or whatever. From the teachers who dismissed home issues to the neighbours who laughed it off. People were a cruel sort, but he'd learned that it was best to keep expectations low.
For some reason, he found himself with higher expectations for Quinn. Maybe he saw the man as not just a potential business partner, but something else. Sure, the pacing was all too fast but...he was comfortable, and that was something of a rare thing, for Gale. To be honest, he was scared.
Scared of what? he wondered idly, as he settled himself onto the back of the bike and, after a moment of hesitation, put his arms around Quinn's waist. Yep, get nervous of casual touch after last night. That'll make you look normal. Absolutely.
Gale found himself quietly zoning out as they drove, absently keeping his forehead against Quinn's back and sorting through his thoughts. He'd tied up most of his loose ends, and while Alexei had been mildly annoyed that he couldn't finish all four missions, he seemed pleased enough with the results he'd gotten and so Gale had gotten half of the pay he'd been owed, so that was fine. He didn't have anymore Albu missions to do, so Hong Kong would be a good, fresh start, of sorts. A good place to test out Quinn's loyalties. With the triads there, he supposed it was best to be a little cautious; the less attention they drew to themselves, the better. He knew how brutal they could be, and he didn't particularly want to be on the receiving end of their knives. That said, it seemed like a better bet than to face people who just wanted him out of Ireland. At least the triads would (probably) be nice enough to tell him to get out. The Nolans hadn't even tried that. He was disappointed, but not really surprised.
When the bike stopped, he blinked as if coming out of a daze and glanced up. It took him a moment to actually move, but once he'd started, he felt a little more normal. Yikes. He shook his head a little before offering a small smile and a raised eyebrow.
The place reminded him of a few pubs he'd been in before, and he kept a patient smile on his face as he watched the woman and Quinn, as he listened idly to the sounds around him. Sometimes, Gale found it easy to forget that he was somewhat shy, that he wasn't exactly the most confident when it came to interacting with the world around him unless it had to do with his work. He sat with his hands absently on his lap, he ate quietly and left more food than he intended to - all little things that were habit, more than anything else.
He knew that he wasn't particularly good at reading people. Reading snipers? Yes. Did they count as people? Probably not. He could predict where an enemy sniper could be, could pinpoint where they'd be based from his own thinking alone - but this was all tactics and knowledge. People were harder to read, harder to understand. When they moved on and when Quinn stopped by his bike, Gale watched him with something like curiosity, and for the first time, it occurred to him that not everybody could be like him. Not everybody could drop everything at the mere hint of danger and leave. People had homes that they didn't want to leave, or things, and...he could understand that, to a degree.
But he'd never had a reason to stay attached to anything.
"Quin Abbey," he repeated quietly, gaze flicking to the structure. The stone walls looked like they had stood the tests of time, reminded him of the various castles he'd seen in Wales, primarily. Similar structures, he supposed. There was a sort of aura about it that made him a little...sad, perhaps. He looked at it for a few moments, before he glanced to Quinn again. "I like it," he said softly. "It's..." his gaze flicked back to the building as he figured out words, trying to place what his exact thought was. "Melancholy." the word was not said in English, but in Arabic. He couldn't quite gather his words, his vocabulary did not match his mind when it came to English.
Gale wondered if it was insensitive to bring up what seemed to be Quinn's...not sadness, but he wasn't sure what it was. Something solemn.
"Are you scared about leaving Ennis?" ah, hell. His mouth would go running off anyways. It always did. He'd just let it do it's thing. "I was scared when I first left El Zarqa. I hated the place but it was still my home," he absently linked his fingers together and looked down at his hands, smile no longer present. "It takes time to get used to traveling. You learn to replace bad memories with good ones, or...interesting ones, at least," though he could not remove them, he just knew how to sort through them. "It's nice to distract yourself, too. There's foods and culture and stuff to immerse yourself in, and there's work that helps, too. When I got really homesick, though, I used to stargaze. I still do, even though I don't connect El Zarqa with 'home' anymore." his pause was a little longer than he'd intended, but it took him a moment to gather his words again. "I don't have a home, really. I used to have someone who was home to me, but she died and I've been a little lost since."
He felt his cheeks warm and he inhaled deeply. Mention the dead mother a day into meeting, well done, Gale.
"Thanks for coming to my TED talk," his grin, now, was wolfish. "I rambled, I know. You can ignore most of that."
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