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Hayden Rae-Louise Moore

"It takes two to tango, but just one to have fun."

0 · 687 views · located in Chicago, IL

a character in “The Black City”, originally authored by xRoo, as played by RolePlayGateway

Description

Bartender In Training

Full name: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
Nickname: Hayden
Age: 21
Height: 5'7" 1/2
Eye color: Silvery blues.
Hair color: Dark brown
Image

Personality

Hayden has quite the personality when it comes to meeting new people. A lot of the time, she would go about her buisness or strike a conversation. She's sweet, kind hearted and she can be flirty. A lot of the other times, she had the tendancy to be bold, outspoken, sarcastic and sly. She hates being judged, for her past has a lot to do with her protective bubble, the one she uses to keep others away. She hates letting people inside her head, for the fear of them leaving. She's had a lot of experience with disappearances, and she tries her best to prevent it from happening again. In most cases, she has a lot of sense of humor, a joyous laugh and she seems like a free spirit.

Equipment

Hayden keeps with her at all times, a blade for protection, a book in which she keeps her sketches, a necklace that she refuses to move for it resembles the past memories of her life before the accident. Other than shot glasses, wine bottles, equipment has yet to come.

History

Growing up, Hayden was a well loved child, free spirit, giggly and always on the run. It was hard to put a leash on her, a hold to keep her from exploring and learning new things. She was always asking questions, trying to understand the world around her. Her mother used to teach her foreign languages, keeping her occupied in fear that Hayden would get into some sort of danger. She tried to put the child through lessons to keep the girl from knowing the truth about her father. Her father who was nothing less of a Hitman. Always out of the house, no time spent with the family. Hayden believed her father was just not there.

The age of fourteen, Hayden had her first kiss. Her first kiss belonged to a boy who truly made her believe no harm would come to her. After that first kiss shared, the boy told her that her father had killed his uncle and made it seem like a simple car accident. He pushed her out the window. Hayden fell down three stories, hit the tree on the way down and was put into acoma for seven months, four days, and three hours. She woke up screaming, covered in thin scars and plastic tubes to keep her stable.

Age nineteen, she was well and on her way to trouble. Her scars were replaced with fire fly tattoos on the back of her shoulder. Another scar, which is always covered by her shirt, was settled on her lower waist. She made a vow not to fall in love, for it wasn't real and it only caused pain and death. Age twenty, she found herself a place with her father because her mother died and she had no where to go. Her father's friend beat Hayden to the point that she had to run.

She found Marie a year later, begged her for a job and was soon accepted. Hayden used drawings as an escape. People always searched for her and she was able to get away. But lately, she had been getting some disturbing phone calls.

So begins...

Hayden Rae-Louise Moore's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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What's in a name, anyway? Maria pondered it as she strode down the sidewalk towards 'Buca', looking up at the sign. Behind it, the sun sank lazily, awaiting to be cradled by the night's clouds. The collar of her coat shrouded her facial features, so much that, the only things which could be seen were a pair of olive, buoyant cat-like eyes. The wind was wicked and wide, sweeping through all of Chicago and chilling it to the bone. She pitied anyone who had to work the pier tonight, and even more so, the working girls who had to strut among the night. She nearly tripped a few times, lost in her curious torpor as she inhaled what the city had to offer visually. Main Street was the only street so wide with so much parking, but still she often felt so suffocated by it.

Picking up the pace, she looked down at her brand new Christian Louboutins, sparkling and reminding her that business was good. With a smug, satisfied smile, she dug her petite fingers into the pockets of her coat and sauntered into the back entrance, through the kitchen doors of Buca. It was quiet, nearly empty. She had suggested to her father she open up a bit late, so that she could introduce all the new hires to the dinner rush rather than anything else. Sliding off her coat with a pedicured hand, she tossed it into a vacant closet in the kitchen. When she burst through the double doors, leading into the extravagant dining room, she somewhat meowed, "Welcome, everyone."

A crowd of employees, new and old, sat at some tables awaiting her presence. Running a hand down each arm to smooth the long-sleeved, peach colored top that was paired with a navy pencil skirt, she specified, "It's time to shed some knowledge and light," her cherry lips painted themselves into a Cheshire smile. Turning her back to the workers, she tapped her cheek thoughtfully, "As you may know we are getting extremely busy," she turned to face them again, "As I'm sure all of our old-timers here have noticed with the new hires and what not." A few older, gruff line cooks chuckled a bit.

"Generally speaking, my father oversees everything and anything that goes on in the bistro. I'm going to save all of your asses right now, and tell you flat out: if you screw up, bring it to my attention first." Sighing, she walked towards the front doors, which were still locked. "There's no shame in honesty, but if you're dealing with Big Daddy, you might want to hold you tongue, ya'know?" This earned her a buzzing atmosphere full of soft chortles, surely from the employees that had been there for years. Maria smiled, clearing her throat. Turning on her heel, she patted one of four cash registers and said, "This is where our hosts go; always wear a smile. And remember, customers are your paychecks." Someone raised their hand as to ask a question, to which Maria waved of her own in dismissal, "I'm briefing you, I understand you all might be really confused right now."

She paced to the bar elegantly, as if a gust of graceful gale blew her right on over to the Red Oak counter tops. Smacking the surface proudly, she broadcasted, "This is where I will be every, single, night. If you need me, you can find me right here." With her behind to the counter, she pulled herself up with her arms, plopping her bottom on it. Painstakingly, she crossed one leg over the other. The lights that descended from the bar area ignited the Tiffany roses she wove into her hair. "Wait staff will be trained by Aurora, who should be arriving shortly," Maria looked towards the clock.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by xRoo
There she sat, in the back with her back against the wall. Hayden was both excited to work with Maria, and yet, afraid at the same time. She knew her boss was strong and difficult. She was worried that she could mess something up and displease him. She couldn't help but smirk as Aurora walked through the doors. She seemed to be ditzy in a way. Though, she didn't mind it. However, the person in question was Maria. She talked to her before, asking for a job and was soon accepted to train in her footsteps. The girl didn't see her, perhaps it was because she was far in the back?

Hayden had quite a history with the darkness, now she seemed to find safety and peace within the shadows. She found that it could hide her fears, keep her hidden away from those who meant harm. Go figure. Harm...she hated that word. She's dealt with it quite a bit. Quickly, her fingertips strummed through the corner of her sketch book, one which was used quite often.

Her eyes locked on Maria before she cleared her throat softly, shrugging off her coat.

[[Short for now, sorry, had some issues, will be better from now on.]]

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skye Keaton Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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Curious eyes followed Maria's every word. She slid herself over the counter, so that she was behind the bar. Turning her attention to a metallic black box attached to the wall, she disclosed, "This is where all the light switches are, stuff like that; you shouldn't need to use it, but if you do you know where it is." With a few distinct 'clicks', the entire dining room was luminescent and seemingly glittering. Imported, divine lighting fixtures hung from the ceiling in rows. The smooth vanilla colored chairs looked inviting, begging customers to take a seat; just daring them.

She was just about to insist on saying something else, when she heard her name. Turning to face the voice, she was greeted by her quaint, somewhat whimsical co-worker and best friend Aurora. She was a bit behind schedule, but the two were always guilty of that. The small femme's face was flecked with cold, her cheeks rosy. Maria grinned at her friend, and noted, "It's a wonder you didn't blow away out there, in that goddamn wind." Shutting the box, she continued, "I was just telling the wait staff how you'll be training them; you know, show them the kitchen and the food racks, order writing and all that."

"Quite exciting," the Italian ingenue murmured as she began unlocking the liquor cabinets. When she rose again to stash her set of keys, she wielded a rather large one. "Get the front doors, will you sugar?" She jingled the key on its ring at Aurora, then tossed it to her. "Everyone else head to the kitchen, except for ---" Maria faced the batch of employees, her jade eyes scanning the crowd as well as one dainty index finger, "Hayden. There you are."

Just as she was about to beckon the girl over, another one burst through the double doors. Not surprised, but delighted, Maria looked to the young dark haired woman with grey eyes, "Hi there, we're just getting into training; Aurora will be helping you." Maria jerked her head in the direction of the league of workers heading towards the kitchen. Returning to her post, Maria disappeared behind the bar for a moment. A faint rustling sound was heard, then she popped up again with a bottle of Pledge in hand. To enlighten her new trainee, she said, "I polish these every day, once before I open and once before I leave."

She attempted to make the new bartender at home, wearing a warm smile and extending a hand, "Formally, nice to meet you, I'm Maria as you already know." Her musing was adored by most people, but some feared her. As much as her charisma and charm offered, she could still be quite macabre.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by xRoo
So many people were astonished by the many workers, their jaws agaped and their eyes wide with awe. She couldn't help but laugh at some of their faces as a person here and there scribbled quickly across their notepad, seemingly taking notes. Yet, one man was actually doodling in his notepad, half paying attention. She knew that he wouldn't last long if he kept that up. Hayden was so focased on the man that she nearly didn't hear her name being mentioned. She shifted her gaze and smiled. Yeah, Maria noticed her.

The bartender slowly stood from her seat, slipped the book into her backpack and listened as her boots tapped across the floor. She wore faded blue jeans, black tank top and her hair was done for this job particularily. She may not have a lot of money, but, she sure knew how to dress when she was supposed to. She lived in a house above a small cafe, one that she didn't care for much but, they were kind enough to allow her to live there if she cleaned the cafe in the early mornings. So, her early mornings were taken up, her late nights were taken up, she only could enjoy her middays.

"I'm Hayden, thank you so much for letting me have the job." She smiled, her hand gently shook hers in response. She was sweet for the moment, but she knew how to get a good kick out of showing people up. Only if they called for it. Maria, however, she was sure she would be good friends with her.

"Six o'clock, man doodling in his notebook. Not a single glance in your direction. Don't let him cook." She laughed quietly.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Roxanne Fox Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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With attentive eyes, Maria observed the clientele and workers spilling through the front doors as soon as they were opened by the nimble-footed Aurora. Roxanne strolled in, right on time, her blond hair glistening. Nodding to her politely with a glossy smile, Maria winked. Located just inside the indoor terrace was a VIP room for the call girls, draped with silk curtains for privacy. There was a doorway and, if need be, that door would be shut. After all, curtains weren't sound proof.

From the floor above, Mr. Occheto siphoned the life out of a Cuban cigar, the end of it burning furiously. When he exhaled, he grinned this malevolent, unnerving smirk at his daughter. She had always resented him, but she dealt with him. Perhaps her resentment was intuitive. She figured he'd be lost without her. The lighting on the terrace was dimmer than the actual dining room, casting odd mysterious shadows over Big Daddy, the men who handled business with him, and the occasional sugar baby that curled up in his lap.

"I'm just glad I found someone who knows how to dress," Maria mused as she began pulling out bottles, looking over at Hayden with a twinkle, "You wouldn't believe the applicants I got." Rolling her eyes, she laughed a little and catered to a particularly round, bald man who sat at the end of the bar directly under a hanging light. His voice was deep, thick with Sicilian descent, just like her father, "Mmm, fresh meat." Mockingly, Maria smacked his hand and ventured, "You want to eat up my new hire?" The man simply chuckled, asking for a vodka.

The pencil skirt accented Maria's womanly curves, the one thing she adored about herself. To say that her height or lackthereof crippled her was a vast understatement. There was a reason she was adorned in platform designer heels every night. Being 5'4" was obnoxious, especially when she was dealing with all these new, lean and long young girls she hired. She shook the thought, she hated to seem like one of those envious, self conscious young women. Turning her attention to Hayden again, she sighed, "Care to get this ol' guy a shot of vodka?" She gestured to the round man again with a playful grin.

Soon another bartender would arrive, or at least, he was scheduled to.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by xRoo
Hayden let out a smirk as soon as the man called her fresh meat. She was more than capable to get him a shot of vodka, however, she was going to have a small little chit chat while she did it. Hayden moved behind the counter, grabbed a rag, cleaned off the spot in front of him and placed a napkin down on top of the counter. She took a shot glass. “Fresh meat? I’m not even sure you could handle the liquor honey.” Hayden inquired. “Surely a shot would be too much for you?”

Hayden was joking, she made that clear when she gave a smile to the old man, poured him a shot and slid the glass toward his direction. She did it in a swift motion, it just came naturally to her. She practiced at times, but it wasn’t too bad because of some unknown natural skills. Hayden gave a smile as she leaned on the counter, her eyes settled on him. “Good luck.” She smirked softly.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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While Maria juggled a slew of other customers who varied in age and appearance, she tried to keep up attention-wise with what Hayden was doing. When she heard what Hayden said, her head snapped in her direction. Sure, it was okay to joke. But for a moment, Maria was scared by the young lady's tone. She didn't want to have her repeat customers being chased off by a new bartender. Much to Maria's relief, though, the round Sicilian man patted his front pocket, laughing and coughing a bit as he did so, "You're a firecracker, that's what they call them, right?" His thick accent was charming and sometimes a little funny. He never took his eyes off Hayden, and Maria was sure he'd ask her to dinner or to come home with him. That's just how Angelo worked.

"Angelo, stop eye-raping my new girl, alright?" Maria called out sportively as she poured a row of shots for two college-aged gentlemen who were ogling over the two bartenders. Leaning forward towards them, bottle in hand, maria salted her thumb for shits and giggles, licked it and reported, "Those shots might be too strong for you boys." Everyone who knew the little Occheto knew she had a foul and sexy sense of humor, sometimes astonishing customers. Would she get reprimanded by Big Daddy for it? Sometimes, but hell, she hardly gave a damn.

Maria waited for Aurora to finish up her training, in fact, it was quite odd to be working without her at the bar. Since all the renovations and new customer base, Maria was forced to hire at least two new bartenders. She argued that she could handle the crowd with Aurora, but Big Daddy told her that he couldn't afford to have his two best girls exhausted too often.

Most of the new hires hadn't a clue what the Occheto family was really about. They were blind to the hookers, drugs, filth, violence, and dead bodies stacked in the walls in the basement. Much like a motherly figure, Maria did her best to shield them all from the monstrosities her family conducted. Half the call girls that came in, she'd try to persuade to do something else with their lives. Maria often wondered what it would be like, where she would be, if her mom was still alive...

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by xRoo
"I think firecracker might be the right term." Hayden gave a smile as Maria warned him about eye raping her. She shook her head softly and wiped down the rest of the counter. She knew that Maria was probably scared at first for her reaction, but she knew that she would have to keep up her strength, because some drinkers, weren't always too easy to get along with. Hayden settled the vodka back to the bottom shelf, before she gave Angelo one questioning look. "Did you want another one?" She asked, her thumb tracing the rim of the bottle. "Or, perhaps you've had enough?" She wrinkled a nose.

That was a trait. One that either made her look adorable, or too sexy, depending on the person she assumed. The wrinkling of her nose was a habit she just couldn't seem to break. She smiled and sat the bottle down on the counter. She liked it here. The people seemed alright for the most part. However, something about the second floor caused her eyes to drift from the man's face to a puff of smoke. Who might that be?

Her eyes sifted through the smoke for a moment. She could make out a sihloette, but she knew it wasn't polite to stare. She sighed quietly and leaned against the counter.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Cole Occheto Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Roxanne Fox Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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COLE OCCHETO
Image
A glassy-eyed Cole stumbled through the doors, laughing a bit as he straightened his plain black tie, slid off his coat and took in the atmosphere of his father's restaurant. Behind him, two or three men came in. He probably pre-gamed too much with some of his dad's 'hard hands', as he called them. Keeping the company of men who broke jaws for a living had its perks. He thought they were some of the funniest bastards he ever met in his damned life.

Still incredibly appealing and winsome despite his buzz, he strode up the open stairwell. His father beckoned to his oldest child with a grim simper. Cole yawned, shook his wrist to hear the jiggling noise of his Rolex, and slumped in a chair. Extending one leg, he leaned back and retrieved his cigarettes from his jacket pocket. "You are drunk, il suo." Mr. Occheto grunted.
"Spare me the Italian BS today, pops, I'm not drunk." He stuck a Marlboro menthol between his lips.
"Very well," the man chuckled, lighting another cigar, "How did the shipment go?"
"There's possibly one dude swimming with some fishes." Cole riposted, flicking his lighter.

Below, Cole spotted Aurora and some new girls running around and buzzing. Roxanne was already there, whom had caught Cole's eye more than once. He wasn't the type to mess with the working girls, but he still offered them the service of his charm. Maria scolded him for having eyes for other women. To him, it was no big deal. Speaking of his sister, he saw her at the bar, laughing a bit and lecturing Angelo. For once, the old bastard wasn't staring down her shirt. Instead, he was looking over the new bartender.

Hmm, who's this one? Cole pondered it for a moment, raking over her with his eyes.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by xRoo
Hayden could feel eyes on her from the distance, and she knew it wasn't Angelo's eyes on her form. Her eyes lifted from the empty shot glass to the second floor again, settling on yet another figure in the smoky fog. She felt nervous for a moment, something in the pit of her stomach just didn’t feel right. She turned her gaze back to Angelo and smiled lightly. “I’ll be right back, don’t get too tipsy without my.” She smiled and hurried around the counter, toward one of the doorways. When she popped open the door, she fell right into the alley, suddenly greeted with the sharp cool open arms of the outside world. She
gasped, wrapped her arms around her body and sighed.

“Holy..” She muttered, rubbing her arms. She just felt weird inside the bar area. It was like someone was spying on her and she had enough of that growing up. Unfortunately. Hayden sighed, leaned against the alley and lifted her head to rest against the alley wall. “Easy Rae…Easy Hayden Rae-Louise..”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Cole Occheto Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Dominic Rowe Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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Agile as always, Maria's glaucous eyes darted around the room, paying close attention to the new employees. She wasn't necessarily trying to catch mistakes, but more so trying to take notes mentally. The behaviors they all had were unique, it would help her to identify them in the dinner rush. Like Skye, she had a tough exterior about her. Maria could keep tabs on her easily because she was the only girl employed that had such bold bodily statements, what with her piercings and what not. Either way, Maria thought she was a looker.

Aggressively glancing upwards after examining the clock, Maria gestured to her father that despite the card game going on, the pimps and their girls shouldn't be out in the open during a family-oriented meal hour. Big Daddy rose to his feet for a moment, escorting the girls to the VIP room in a gentlemanly manner. When he returned to his seat, he picked up his cigar again. Maria looked at him and the company he kept, almost keeping up with the game using only her vision. Undoubtedly, money would be thrown back and forth across that table all night. Her brother was glossy-eyed and relaxed, smoking his cigarette and occasionally winking at his little sister.

Angelo was charming, or trying to charm Hayden with his stacks of money and Sicilian language. Shortly thereafter, she disappeared through the doors of the bistro. "Where the fuck is she going?" Maria whispered to herself. With a sigh, she shook her head and returned to mixing drinks and pouring shots. Her brother whistled from the terrace as if to notify her of something, and she spun on her heel to acknowledge what it was.

She was met with Dominic, indubitably spending his wads of cash from poker. With a grin, her tongue between her rows of white teeth, she giggled. "Do you ever lose?" She posed, grabbing a glass without looking, her eyes still on Dominic's. With graceful, little pedicured hands, she scooped some ice into the glass and drizzled the whiskey painstakingly over the ice cubes, enjoying watching it fill up slowly.

Big Daddy would be asking for a call girl any moment now, the night was growing with age. Outside, the moon would be occasionally peeking out from behind its inky empyrean. The Chicago sky never failed to please, stretching across the city and glittering with stars despite the air pollution.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Cole Occheto Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by xRoo
Hayden took a deep breath and sighed softly. She needed to relax, though her nerves were going crazy. She hated being watched by unknown people. She fixed her hair, stepped back through the doors of the bistro and made her way to the stairs. She hiked up her boot on the step, bent down and began to relace her boots. She could hear the conversations upstairs and downstairs, some that caught her attention. She rolled her eyes and slowly released a breath of air before she made her way back toward the bar. She stepped behind Maria. "Sorry, needed to cool off. Got too hot for a moment." She answered, though her eyes would wander to those smoky gusts of fog upstairs.

She smiled at Angelo for a moment and poured him another shot. "Apologies, it's on me." She said gently.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Dominic Rowe Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by Adig01
Dominic smiled back, and grinned a little more at Maria's comment. "If I did, I probably wouldn't see you as much, not all of us get free drinks" he gave a small nod at Angelo as he shot his freshly poured vodka. Dominic looked around and let his eyes flicker over the various groups of people scattered throughout the bistro, turning back to Maria only when he was sure he had taken it all in. "Getting a lot busier nowadays huh? Do you ever slow down?" He gave another smile before lifting his drink slowly to his lips, the strong bronze nectar lining them as he sipped. Dominic let his eyes focus on Maria again, taking her in as he so often did. She always knew how to dress in style, and her hair and makeup never seemed to be even slightly out of place. Dom then looked up to where he was a few moments ago, examining Cole and Big Daddy. If not for them he probably would have asked Maria to dinner or something like that, but in this family business always came first, and Dominic couldn't be sure how the entire affair would go down. Either way, he was quite contented to have her serve him drinks with a smile and the occassional bit of banter on the side. Dominic now looked up at the other bartender, whos name he hadn't actually managed to catch. She seemed busy with Angelo though, so he simply turned his attention back to Maria.

"So, who's the new girl?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Dominic Rowe Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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Her hands became a bit heavy as the night weighed on her. Maria had chronic insomnia, she never slept much. Thrown in with the insomnia was the nightmares, and of course those didn't help. She never showed her exhaustion though, always wearing that pearly smile accompanied by her cherry-red lips. Angelo nodded in a business-like manner to Dominic, shifting his attention back to Hayden, "You came back for me, little firecracker." He laughed deeply yet softly, retrieving a lighter from his suit. He grinned at her as he dug through his pockets.

Before she would answer Dominic, Maria pinned her green eyes on Hayden, "It's okay, just try not to make it a habit; we're getting really busy." With a firm hand, she set the bottle of whiskey on the bar top and peered past it to Dominic who, to be completely honest, was almost better dressed than her brother. It wasn't common for her to see that in the bistro. But, since her last affair with Jackson, a fellow enforcer of the family... Well, let's just say, plainly, she thought men were a waste. Her casual bantering and flirting was usually more for business than pleasure. Showing genuine interest in someone employed under her father's hand could be dangerous. "Feels like I never do," she joked, stretching almost like a cat, craning her small toes in her designer shoes. The roses in her hair never seemed to wilt throughout the night.

"This is Hayden," Maria cocked her head in the girl's direction, "Word on the street is she's a firecracker." Chuckling, Maria fetched herself a cranberry juice, 'clinking' it against Dominic's glass. She never cared for alcohol, but she could share drinks, couldn't she? "Do you ever tire of poker and the antics of this bistro?" Maria leaned on the counter, bent at the waist and cradling her drink with one hand.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Dominic Rowe Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore Character Portrait: Sage Rinaldi
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#, as written by xRoo
Hayden heard the term Firecracker and her attention was drawn to Dominic and Maria. She couldn’t help but lean against the counter and shake her head. “Oh, nothing of the sort.” Though she still smiled. “Nice to meet you.” She finally said, bowing her head slightly in acknowledgement. She couldn’t shake his hand, held one too many bottles to do so. She sat one down, balanced the other two in her hands as she grabbed the rag. She was one to get the job done.
[[Oops short for now]]
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Sage spent about an hour or so working with the mummy. She took pictures, wrote down its history and closed the casket after she was done. Her grandfather had retired to bed, leaving Sage to finish up last minute cleanings and records. The elderly man waved good night to her and headed outside the museum, shut the door, locked it and headed across the street. It was convenient, to live in the hotel room with the museum right across the street. Easy access.

Sage kept the lights on, though she turned off a few to make sure people knew they were closed. She finished photographing the mummy before she slipped the book back into the drawer. “Alright Princess Nefitita. Welcome to your new home.” She whispered, locking the drawer.

A creak caused Sage to jump. Her eyes quickly darted around the room. There were few lights, some faint sounds of wind outside, nothing more. Something just didn’t feel right. Perhaps one too many mummies?

Setting

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Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Dominic Rowe Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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Maria smiled at Hayden, so supple and seemingly sincere. It was those types that she wish she saw more. What saddened her, was thinking of how her family's world of miscreants and contamination would unravel the poor girl. But, like her father always said, "There isn't time to feel bad, or feel anything." Though she rarely abided by that saying, she had to stick to it when it came to the people she hired. She'd gotten soft too many times.

When the crowd at the bar dissipated, Maria pulled up her step-stool, sitting on it to face Dominic. The low hanging lights illuminated his face in a way that intrigued her. Her eyes examined his face, fairly happy and youthful. Favorite bartender, what a joke. He was sweet, but she was sure there were better bartenders out there. With an ivory grin, wave of her hand and a giggle, she admitted, "Favorite? There's greater bartenders in Chicago, believe that." Scooping some ice from a bin, she let the cubes drop singularly into her glass. She smoothed her top, adjusted her skirt a bit before carrying on.

"What about me?" She was forced to grin again, a defense mechanism. Her grassy eyes sunk for a moment, as if she were truly contemplating answering his question honestly. Then, they shifted upwards to meet his gaze again, "I meet new people every day. I can afford the things I've wanted since I was a girl." Truth be told, though, she did get extremely tired of it all. Some days she just wanted to hide in her bed all day. Hopefully, with all these new hires, she would be able to at least once a week.

"Why do you think that you owe --- " she cut herself off, glancing towards the terrace where her father was dutifully watching her. Shaking her head, she let her voice trail off as she poured some more cranberry juice for herself, her small fingers adorned in jewels and clinking against the glass.

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Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Dominic Rowe Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore
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#, as written by Adig01
Dominic looked up at Hayden as her voice reached his ears, and he smiled as she bowed her head. "Dominic, nice to meet you too." He watched for a moment longer as the new bartender quite skillfully managed to balance all the bottles in her arms. "Looks like she might be a keeper" Dominic spoke offhandedly before turning back to the conversation. "You might be right, there could be a better bartender out there, but that don't make them my favourite." With another smile he picked up the bottle of whisky and refilled his glass, placing another note on the bar. "I guess it'd be nice to buy something you've had your eye on for a while, but even then, one person can only do so much. As long as you get some time for you and rest up when you can then I guess you're fine."

Dominic raised an eyebrow as Maria trailed of the sentence she had started, and he followed her gaze up to the smokey area. With that he understood, and decided to let it go. Dominic's eyes fell to Maria's fingers, then returned up to her face. "You mind if I asked whatever happened with you and Jackson? No one ever talked about it but ever since you dad had us... send him on holiday, I've been curious." Dominic examined the expression that showed on Maria's face, and let his eyes drop slightly, "Sorry if that was a little bit personal, you don't need to answer."

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Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore Character Portrait: John Lyons
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John lazily rolled over in his bed, and just barely opened his his to glance at the clock. In sudden realization that he was indeed going to be late, he hastily jumped out of bed. His apartment was semi small, a small kitchen and living room that was connected, and one room leading off which was his bedroom. He was only a bartender at Buca, so he didn't own a mansion. He quickly jumped into the shower, and only took about 10 minutes.
He hurriedly got dressed, and checked himself out once over in the mirror. Heading out, he made sure the door was locked, and left his apartment. Outside, he hopped on his motorcycle, and let the engine pur under him. Then with a roar, he sped off down towards the bar. Hopping off his bike in the back parking for employees, he strode in through the back door in the kitchen. He greeted his friends and coeworkers, and headed out to the bar.
He'd been working for the Occheto family for a year or so now, and although he wasn't in on the underground deals, he knew about a lot of them. Basically being a bar tender entitled you to hearing a lot of gossip, and easily befriending those around you. Today luckily, Maria mentioned she was hiring a new girl as a cobartender, which was good because she wouldn't be as mad that he was late.
And there she was, in the flesh and all her beauty, Maria. John gave her a mischievous smile, and a wink.
"Sorry I'm late." he said in passing her, not wanting to distract her too much from her conversations. Behind the bar he was a bit distracted himself, and he didn't even think to look at the new girl until he turned and saw her. She was to fit the part at least, her faded blue jeans and a black tanktop that showed off a bit of her curves. He might've froze in place for a bit, and not meaning to stare, but his blue grey eyes continued to trace over her. He watched her for a few seconds, before her silvery blue eyes met his. Hers had a shine to hers, and he felt his lips spread into a charming smile.
"Hi, I'm John. Lyons. Welcome to the bar." he said, trying to be polite and friendly.

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Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore Character Portrait: John Lyons
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#, as written by xRoo
Hayden felt eyes on her again, but this time, the feeling was far from creepy. She heard a voice behind her, greeting Maria and then another presence behind the bar. Hayden turned and her eyes settled on John, who seemed somewhat older than her but what attracted her the most was his smile. She smiled, the corner of her lips curved in greeting. She gathered some of the shot glasses, flipping them on the counter on napkins before she dried off her hands. He had a wonderful smile, yet, another feature were his eyes. They were blue, greyish, and they seemed to look into hers and for a moment, her heart must've stopped.

She cleared her throat softly before speaking. "Hayden Moore." She returned, "Thank you." She turned her gaze to Angelo for a moment, making sure he had everything he needed. Another man sat at the counter. "What can I get you?" She asked.

"Ohh, well, precious gem. I'd like a strong glass of orange bruce."
"Orange..." Did he just make that up? Was he testing her?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maria Mae Occheto Character Portrait: Maya Stillwater Character Portrait: Aurora Ivanova Character Portrait: Dominic Rowe Character Portrait: Hayden Rae-Louise Moore Character Portrait: Jackson William Mathis
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When Jackson threw himself into the bistro, garnished in his grand entrance under the harlequin light fixtures, Maria raised an eyebrow. For a moment she felt frantic, as if she should run and primp herself. It wasn't so much the need to impress as it was for her own peace of mind. Plus, she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to maintain her standing as the lustrous, polished femme who basically ran the joint. Jackson strode to the bar, regarding Dom with such permissible charm that it unnerved her for a moment. A smile tugged at the corner of the Italian girl's carmine lips as she nodded and fetched him his drink.

Beyond the bistro walls, the wind howled hungrily. The sound of it was blood-chilling. As Maria slid a drink towards Jackson, she winked, "On the house. For your return," then she clicked on the flat screen at the bar to check the weather. A hasty, older gentleman was gesturing along a green screen in the path a storm was supposed to hit. Seemed the weatherman himself was rushing to get home and beat the storm. She could have guessed by the way the sky ate up the moon, its clouds billowing darkly and rumbling. She knew Windy City all too well. Her eyes darted to the window, as if she were expecting a downpour right then and there.

"I guess we better batten down the hatches," she joked to herself and the crowd at the bar. Just as she was going to further weather forecast for them all, John brushed in past her. "Well look what the goddamn cat dragged in," Maria purred, laughing a little. "You know you're lucky you've been with us so long and I like you so damn much, or I'd have fired your ass." She licked a tab and stuck it to his forehead playfully, "Fetch the gentlemen and the end of the bar their shots, will you?" Maria noticed his attention being drawn by Hayden. To say the least, she didn't blame him, but it was certainly expected.

Shortly after John, Maya blew right in as well. "Well goddamn," Maria muttered, raking her eyes over her friend and coworker, "It's about time." She went right to her usual business, tripling and playing with the men at the bar. Maria playfully rolled her eyes.

Aurora stood by the entrance, charming the customers as she was so innately good at. Maria adored the girl for her concern and warmheartedness. She perhaps felt that where she lacked, Aurora thrived. The small young lady started decorating and enhancing a tray with drinks. Inevitably, Maria was proud. The bistro had become her dream, chased with a little bit of her worst nightmares.

The night dragged on, getting older and sapped. When the dinner rush finally died down to only one or two customers, Maria announced to her staff, "I would just like to say you've all been doing a magnificent job," she wore a kitten smile, running a hand through her hair and plucking the roses from its undulated veneer. By this time, the rain had started in small spurts. "If you're new around here, you'll get used to the rain killing our business sometimes." With her informative tone, she could have been a sultry teacher.


[ATTN: The Jackson I mentioned in my posts before our Jackson started posting is a completely different person. Sorry for any confusion and my lack of clarification, but carry on in the same direction. It's going great.]