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Roman Killens

The Intellect

0 · 1,814 views · located in New York, NY

a character in “The Lost and Found”, as played by Cure

Description

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I was born under the name of:
Roman Eugene William Killens

You can call me:
Roman or Killens, whichever really

My age is:
20

I was born on:
December 22

I was born in:
England

I have been homeless for:
8 years

Role:
The Intellect


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People would describe me as being:
It depends who knows me. For the people I'm closest to, I'm quite silly with them; I'm quite myself. The majority of people, though, I don't know too well, and if we're being honest, I don't go out of my way to change that. Once I become comfortable with something, I don't like mixing it up. So I'm sure there are times where I can come off kind of rude since I'm quite a closed off person. I'm not very friendly, but I wouldn't go as far as to call myself mean. I just get kind of uncomfortable and overwhelmed and tend to over think things, so I just sort of shrink away. I tense up, and it's almost habitual for me to just be a bit more distant than I need to. That's why when I find something I like, including people, I stick to it. Of course, I have no problem with most people. I do like everyone in the basement, more or less, it probably just doesn't come off as such. So maybe I'm this stubborn, standoffish guy. I don't know. I've never asked and I don't really plan on it.

Some things I like are:
  • Sleeping
  • Autumn
  • Being alone
  • Pretzels
  • Pickles
  • Food? Just all of it.
  • Cigarettes
  • At the risk of sounding cocky, my tattoos

Some things I dislike are:
  • Fighting, odd enough. Arguments in general
  • Expectations
  • Short talk
  • Being around people constantly
  • Finn and his god damned remarks
  • Talking about anything remotely related to me before being on the streets. Whether that's me being a 'prodigy,' or talking about my parents. I hate it.
  • American's fish and chips. Just stop.

My biggest fears are:
If we're being honest, I just have this immense fear that I just won't amount to anything. I don't know who I'm working for or why, but I just feel that if I make one slip up, it's the end of the world. I want more from my life, but I just don't think I can get it. I hate dreaming big. I hate that outside world with all its fast paced, bustling opportunities. I'm just afraid of looking in the mirror and seeing that nothing has changed.

My dreams consist of:
I feel like they change all the time. Basically, my short term goal stays the same: just make it to the next day. Long term? I guess I don't want to die on the streets, so maybe I kind of do want to get out of here. I also want to see my family again, should I ever get the courage.


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I ended up here because:
I was born in England to a Benjamin Killens and an Emily Westin. Both of them were wealthy business people. My father was one of those invisible tycoons that owned and controlled a lot but was relatively unknown to the general public. He'd taken after his father initially, being a stockbroker, but then decided he wanted more so he went into the entrepreneurial side. My mother, on the other hand, was basically the head of a major company that sold equipment for geneticists.

I grew up comfortably, needless to say. They were both very strict on me, believing from the day that I was born that I would take on a similar path in life. They started noticing signs of "genius" from a very young age. When I was seven months, I was walking. I knew the alphabet. But then I kind of slowed down. I didn't talk until I was two, and my parents sort of freaked out because all I did was collect weird things in the backyard and sit in the library and look at these huge books that my parents were sure I couldn't read. I was taken to see someone, to see what was wrong with me; maybe I had a learning disability. It was discovered when I was three that I was somewhat of a prodigy. I took a test because my parents were worried I had developmental issues, but obviously I didn't. They said after that, it seemed like I just opened up and absorbed everything. I could read chapter books while they thought I was illiterate; I absorbed math equations and asked millions of questions. I took an IQ test when I enrolled in private school my first year and got a score of 124, the 95th percentile.

ImageEverything was about school. It made me excited at first, with all the attention I got and people seeming genuinely astounded by intelligence. When I was eight, it was clear I wasn't truly being challenged, so when I got a formal invitation to this prestigious American school, my father signed me over to my grandparents without a blink. I begged him to let me stay. I started failing every assignment I got to convince him I wasn't smart enough, but he completely ignored me. I moved to Delaware a few weeks later. It was cool coming over, feeling that excitement towards me again, being in the paper, feeling pretty valuable. After a while, though, the kids in my school sort of despised me. I was fucking miserable. I started failing purposely just so I didn't look like a show off. That was when I went for private schooling. It was a hell of a lot harder. It was basically just me doing these long ass equations or, again, the weird tests, but I kind of liked it. I did this for a few years, then I got my diploma when I was twelve.

By this point I was already scared. I wasn't even a teenager and my life was moving faster than I could keep up with. My parents were ecstatic. On the phone they talked about how universities across Europe were offering enrollment, that I had so many options, how I could finish in two years if I really took my time. And the entire idea just scared the shit out of me. I didn't want this mind anymore; it was bigger than I was; it was consuming me. And that was when I ran away for the first time. I didn't make it a day before I was returned because a cop saw me walk into Arby's to use the restroom. I developed a really intense anxiety problem where I couldn't sleep at night, I would get panic attacks thinking of my parents, the future. I just felt smaller and smaller. Eventually, my grandparents convinced my parents to let me take some time off for myself. They were already retired, so we seriously just hung out the entire time. I finally left Delaware and saw other states, I went to a few different countries. When we were in Germany, I remember walking around completely unknown, nothing expected of me, and I suppose after a while I got used to the feeling.

Right after I turned thirteen, my parents surprised me for New Years. I hadn't seen them in maybe a year, so it was exciting. I was nervous at first, thinking I was going to get lectured about my future, but there was none of that. My father was nice for once, not scornful and criticizing my every move. Everything was just ethereal. It was sort of too good to be, and I was right. One morning I overheard everyone talking downstairs. My father was saying how I needed to be packed soon because the plane for England left in a few days. My grandparents were sending me back and I was going to a boarding school that would offer me special courses. I remember I had a panic attack that night. Everything was feeling like it used to, and I don't know. I was afraid of it all. All I could think of was disappointing everyone. They saw so much in me, and it made me fear it. I couldn't bear letting them down. So I took my backpack and stuffed a bunch of junk food in it, a shirt or two and then left.

I don't know how I made it the first few months. I just remember how miserable I was, how badly my stomach cramped. I was scrawny back then and was scrawnier now, so it made me a target. I'd gotten my ass beat more times than I could count, and I would have been dead if Nick didn't intervene when he did. After that, we became friends. I sort of followed him around like a puppy since I had no clue what I was doing. I basically owe that guy my life, you have no idea. I chose multiple ways of making revenue, none of which I care to detail, but it all went to my head until I started street fighting a little before I turned fifteen. I don't get any sick pleasure out of hurting people, but it sort of became an outlet and it proved to be a good survival skill. So that's what I stuck with, and now it's quite some time later and I'm here. This is the life that's accepted me. This is the life that I have.
I make a living by:
Street fighting, mainly.
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Height/Weight or build:

I'm basically all height and that's about it. I'm 6'2 and pretty slim. I'm not bone thin; I couldn't make a living by fighting if I was, so obviously I have a somewhat muscular build, but I'm no body builder. I still consider myself lanky and pale, just as I was when I was a kid.

Eye color:
Blue

Hair color:
Dark brown/black

Other:
I've got a bit of bruises everywhere from fighting. And I've got a lot of tattoos. My hands, my arms, my legs, and a few across my chest. I also never seem to stop having the resemblance of endless bedhead.

Face claim:
Ash Stymest

So begins...

Roman Killens's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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#, as written by Cure
Roman watched the tired excitement in Holly's eyes as he handed her the ice bucket. It was almost saddening to see her constant curiosity and restlessness. There was no way she'd be able to survive on her own, and as he walked with her down the hallway, he felt a pang of guilt for being anxious about his own troubles. They no longer seemed as urgent or validated as before. Sure, he had a lot to worry about, just like anyone else, but next to Holly they didn't seem as bad. He was able to fend for himself, but Holly was a different story. A lot of the people in the basement, mainly the girls, thought Holly was implausibly adorable because of her hyperactivity and other childlike qualities. And while, like a kid, there was a natural charm about her, he couldn't only see the good in her personality. It was almost scary to see how Holly seemed to be in another world. For a four-year-old, being excited over getting ice made sense, because they were four. But at sixteen or however old Holly was - he wasn't entirely sure - there came an inevitable worry at that same excitement.

Halfway down the hall was an alcove that held two vending machines, one for soda and one for snacks, and the ice machine. Roman grabbed the bucket, still letting Holly keep hold of it, and guided it against the lever. The machine shook alive and churned and, as expected, expelled large chunks of ice. He went over to the window and looked at the few cars that passed on the streets. A strike of lightning briefly illuminated the sky from miles away then seconds later, a roll of thunder cracked overhead. He looked back at Holly, wondering how long this would entertain her. He typically didn't interact with her for more than a few minutes, and then Makayla would intervene, but there was no telling how long she would take now. Roman's mind pulled over different things that might appease Holly. It was hard, considering normal things like ice didn't excite him, but he tried to remind himself that simple things spiked Holly's curiosity. Still though, he thought it could border on being somewhat detrimental to think her so simple-minded that anything would interest her. For now though, this seemed to be doing the trick as the ice overflowed while she spoke to him.

"We should get one of these for our house, right? Because then we can fill up the whole basement with ice and it will never be hot again. It will be like Alaska because I think that's supposed to be the coldest country in the whole entire world."

"You would want it that cold?" Roman asked her, but before she could respond, Makayla appeared, taking Holly by the arm. She again seemed in a rush, and in a breath said, "Thanks for staying with her. We can go now; I'll pay you back as soon as we get in."

Killens took the bucket from Holly as he reached into his pocket. He figured Makayla should be by herself, and to be quite honest, he didn't want to be around her. He was sure she probably didn't want him around either, and anyways, he felt like he had already intruded enough as it was. He handed her the cash, suppressing the sigh that was building up in him. He wasn't sure when she'd pay him back, and money was tight to begin with, but he didn't really have a choice now. "Here," he said. "Just go without me. I have to go somewhere, and it's faster to walk, so." It was a lie, but he knew Makayla wouldn't question it. As Makayla pulled Holly away, he heard part of her protest, "But I didn't finish helping Roman with the ice..." before it trailed off.

After realizing he still had the bucket and should probably return it, he dumped some of the ice out so it wasn't as full and walked back towards 308. A growing uneasiness settled in his stomach as he got closer to the door. He stood outside for a moment, his hand hovering over the door, before he finally knocked. It took long enough for him to worry if Cara was still inside, but sure enough she answered the door. Her face was blotchy and her eyes were red, clear evidence that she had been crying, but he tried not to focus on it and pretended he didn't notice. He lifted the bucket in his hand some.

"Hey," he said. "I thought you might want this back."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Robbie Amello Character Portrait: Jackson King
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#, as written by Bandit
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Makayla knew that she needed to get out of the hotel as soon as she could. Just as the door slammed behind her, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes like Cara was feeling too. She regretted snapping at Cara already. While she didn't appreciate her authority over Holly being disregarded, she knew that Cara was not a Brooklyn. She didn't blatantly do things or tell Holly to do things just to irk Makayla. In fact, all that Cara had ever done to the sisters was be nice. The way that she went about it wasn't always the best and sometimes ended up putting more stress on Makayla, but was it Cara's fault that Makayla was broke and couldn't compete with the blonde's generosity towards her sister. No, it wasn't. Even with her anger (and hormones) still at a sky high level, Makayla knew that. She knew that she had just snapped at a girl who didn't deserve it and that she had possibly just severed the strongest relationship she had on the streets. It was hard enough for Makayla to learn to trust Cara with having Holly's best interests and she didn't think she could do that again with someone else. Besides, she didn't think she could ask anyone else to be what Cara was to her and Holly. Even though most of the others tolerated Holly, spending hours with her a day when Makayla needed a break or more frequently, needed to work, wasn't as easy. It was a big task and Makayla had too much pride to beg any of them to babysit for her. She never had to do that with Cara, who just seemed to naturally take on that role with Holly, and of course, Makayla had to go and ruin it.

She had half a mind to leave the hotel on her own. She would leave Holly with Roman, go back to the warehouse, ignore whoever was there, take her forty dollars and use it for a train or a bus ticket out of the city. She would go anywhere that the money would take her and start over. There were bound to be open shelter beds in less populated cities and without having to carry Holly with her, she could get a job and truly start over as her own person. It wouldn't be easy, but it would be the easy way out, and as Makayla headed down the hallway, the perky voice of her sister echoing throughout the hall made her regret even thinking something like that. She needed to stop blaming everyone else for her problems. It wasn't Cara, or Lennie, or Holly's fault that this was her life. It was her's.

Feeling the tears well up in her eyes made her grab Holly's arm even harder than she intended when she found her collecting ice with Roman. She refused to make eye contact with Roman, not out of any emotions towards him, but because she could feel herself losing control and didn't want to make this more uncomfortable than it already was for him. "Thanks for staying with her. We can go now; I'll pay you back as soon as we get in." In a move that Makayla appreciated immensely, Roman claimed that he had somewhere else to be, gave her money and told her to go without him. She clasped the money in her free hand and tugged Holly towards the staircase. She didn't have the time to wait for the elevator to come, or the patience to deal with Holly's youthful excitement in the elevator.

"But I didn't finish helping Roman with the ice..." Holly complained as they reached the stairwell. "We have ice at home, Holly," Makayla muttered, really doing her best to keep herself composed in front of her sister. She was sure that the way Holly was practically jogging to keep up with her as she sped down the staircase illustrated that she was not in the mood for whining. Then again, Holly rarely picked up on social cues. The redhead's silence suggested that she was either surprisingly tired, or maybe, just maybe, she did realize that Kay was angry. Makayla didn't realize that it was the latter until they were in the back of a cab on their way back to the bar. "Are you mad at me?" Her sister said, after what felt like a long bout of silence considering how talkative Holly was. Makayla's eyes had been glued to the window for the first three minutes of the ride, and although she thought the silence was helping her regain her composure, her sister's attempt at breaking the it came close to breaking her. She liked it when Holly was aware of things. It was reassuring sometimes to see that the girl wasn't living in a completely different world than everyone else... that sometimes, if the stars aligned perfectly, Holly would make it apparent that she was more present than anyone gave her credit for. There was more going on inside of her mind than she showed, or could show. At this moment, though, Makayla probably would have preferred for her sister to be trapped in la la land, where her biggest worry was not getting to fill the ice bucket up for as long as she had desired.

Along with Holly's awareness came guilt for Makayla. This wasn't a time where Holly had done something to bother her, like knock over a display in a store or run off on a crowded street. There were tens of times a day when Holly could feel bad, but right now wasn't one of them, and it made Makayla feel even worse than she already did. "No, I'm not mad at you. Never," she said, quickly swiping at the tear that had fallen before it was noticeable. She looked over at Holly, giving her the most reassuring smile that Makayla could conjure at that point, and offering her hand a gentle squeeze. She could tell that Holly was tired when she didn't inquire any further and only responded by shifting slightly to nestle closer against Makayla.

By the look on Holly's face, if the cab ride had been even two minutes longer, she probably would have fallen asleep. "Let's get right to bed, Holly," she said, stuffing the five dollars change from their fare into her pocket as she pulled the metal doors up and led Holly down the steep, side staircase. She spotted Jackson's hunched over form deeper in the alley, huddled behind the dumpster but didn't offer him a second glance. She was too busy for his antics right now and even though a night with him would definitely relieve some of her stress, Holly was her biggest concern right now. "But I need to brush my teeth, and put on my pajamas, and brush my hair because it's still wet, and--" Holly wasn't being loud, but Makayla hushed her once they got to the bottom of the steps. Most of the others were out at night working or drinking or getting into trouble one way or another, but Makayla didn't want to risk waking anyone who might be asleep at the normal nighttime hour. Robbie was there (and Makayla purposely avoided eye contact with him because of how drugged out he seemed earlier), but other than that, the basement seemed empty. "Find your pajamas," she instructed as she occupied herself with rummaging through her bag. She had forty dollars left from tonight's work, and five dollars left from the money that Cara refused to accept earlier that night. Along with the chance from the fare, she owed Roman another thirty dollars. She only had two twenties and the five though, so she shoved twenty-five dollars, plus his five dollar change, into his pillowcase and made a mental note to pay him the other five when she broke her last twenty.

"I need more tank tops because it's really hot down here and I don't like wearing t-shirts to bed all the time," Holly complained from across the room. Makayla was too tired to fight and she could tell that her sister's tiredness was going to transform into whining if she didn't fall asleep soon. Rather than argue, she returned to their area and plucked a t-shirt and pair of gym shorts out of a container herself for Holly. They had "borrowed" them from the lost and found at the gym they had belonged to for a few months last year when Makayla had been doing well enough to pay the cheap fee for shower usage. "Come," she said, opting not to comment on the request for new clothes as she grabbed their hairbrush, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and led Holly into the tiny bathroom. As Holly got changed, Makayla readied her toothbrush with toothpaste. She knew better than to let Holly do it herself, since it was all too frequent that when she gave her that freedom, half of the tube ended up in the sink. As soon as she was changed, Makayla handed her the brush and while Holly hovered over the sink, Makayla brushed the girl's hair out. She wanted Holly in bed as soon as possible so that she could go to bed as soon as possible too. This day had proven to be too stressful and sleep was probably the only remedy for it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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Image

Well, it was official. Cara was going to have to go back home, or at least reconcile with her father to a pint where she could get him to finance an apartment for her. Makayla had just ended their friendship, and Cara still was unsure why. For "flashing around" her money? Cara didn't think she did that. In fact, she made an effort to not do that. She wasn't Brooklyn, coming home with hundreds of dollars worth of clothes and makeup or blowing the same amount on alcohol at a club. She took Holly to average restaurants and treated her to ice cream or a pair of shoes now and then, and for the first time in how long she had known her, took her to a hotel. Was that "flashing her money around" or "using mommy and daddy's credit card" - which, if Cara was going to be petty, she could get defensive over since Makayla didn't know her story either, really. Having a deceased mother was something that Cara was very used to. It had happened when she was young enough that she grew up without the maternal figure and in a sense, that allowed her to not feel the emptiness of the death. Still, Makayla didn't know that. Makayla didn't know who she was or where she came from on a level deeper than the surface level explanation Cara had given. Maybe it was obvious that she wasn't poor and by her habits, had never been poor, but Makayla didn't have the authority to judge her for taking care of her sister! She had only done good for those girls and now she was being berated for it?! Unbelievable.

Cara didn't have much time to sulk before there was a knock at the door. She was sure it was someone from the hotel's staff. They had probably received a complaint about the yelling and were here to either make sure that everything was okay, or ask her to leave. Cara was going to have to play dumb, she decided. She would say that it was the television on too loud or that it was the people in the room next to her. Her tear stained cheeks weren't going to help that lie, she noticed as she darted towards the door, so she made a pit stop in the bathroom. After a few splashes of cold water on her face, she decided that she looked as good as she was going to get. Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying and her waterproof makeup was starting to reject its waterproof guarantee, but she had no other choice but to answer the door. She pasted a smile to her face and cracked the door open halfway, only to find Roman standing in front of her, and not some bellboy in uniform. That was random. After dealing with Makayla's tirade, she had honestly forgotten that the guy was even in the room minutes before. The fact that he was handing her an ice bucket made his appearance even more random, and even in her foul mood, she quirked an eyebrow and offered him a confused smile. "It would have been a nicer gift with a bottle of wine inside, but thanks." She pushed the door open all the way as she took the bucket from him and wandered back into the room to place it by the mini fridge.

Cara didn't know Roman very well. Their relationship wasn't necessarily bad, but it just wasn't... there. They would exchange a "hello" or "good morning" on occasion, but unless they were forced to talk, it didn't really happen very often. Tonight she was feeling emotional and with the alcohol in her blood, a little careless. She didn't want to be alone right now, and though it was out of character for her normally quiet and gentle self, she wanted someone to vent to. She needed to be reassured that she wasn't crazy or flashy with her money like Makayla had so brazenly accused her of being. "You can stay here 'til it stops raining, if you want. I mean, the room's already paid for so I might as well get as much use out of it as I can, since Holly can't enjoy it. You can use the shower if you want." As she pulled open the fridge door, she found the two small bottles of Jack Daniel's that she had left in there. She unscrewed the cap on one and glanced over at Roman, who still lingered in the doorway. "Do you drink whiskey?" she asked, not waiting for his response as she tossed him a bottle before downing hers.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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#, as written by Cure
Roman watched in the doorway as Cara headed back inside, unsure if he should leave or not. He glanced at the window draped in expensive-looking silk curtains when she offered him to stay until the weather cleared up. Maybe she couldn't tell, but from the looks of it, the rain didn't seem to be anywhere near finished. Although he didn't talk to Cara very often, just like most of the others in the basement, he was mostly indifferent to her. Of course he never thought she came off as a bad person, but he didn't imagine her to be as chivalrous as she was being now. He caught the bottle of whiskey she tossed him and rolled it in his hand until the label was facing him. Yet another surprise. Just from looking at her one probably wouldn't picture her as drinking something as hard as whiskey. She seemed like she would enjoy the fruity, softer beverages that they served at clubs or drinks like strawberry coolers.

Pulling him from his thought, a few rooms down, he heard the door open and voices progressively getting louder as they neared. Still not wanting to be seen, and partially out of impulse since he was feeling a bit too tense to think things through, Killens moved so he was no longer leaning on the door to keep it open. He grabbed the doorknob behind his back, slowly letting it close. The liquor swished in his hand as he thought of something to say.

"I, uh, didn't mean to intrude."

"Trust me," she said. "I wish you would have intruded earlier." Unsure of what to say to that, Cara saved him from having to do so as she launched into a slurred rant which left him even more out of words. "Makayla has seriously lost her mind. You should have heard what she said to me. It was as if I tried to hurt Holly by bringing her here." She then proceeded to rummaging through the mini fridge again. After seeming dissatisfied with what wasn't in it, she frowned and turned to him. "I need to order something from room service. Everything in here sucks. What do you want?"

He already knew that she wasn't exactly in the same predicament as the others at Finn's. She always seemed put together and didn't carry with her the same exhaustion and weariness as the others did. Even before he knew what was really going on, he always got the feeling that it all just seemed like a sleepover or something to her. He knew he knew more than he should have. She probably told Nick her backstory, Brooke likely probed him about it, and it got back to Roman. It was pretty much inevitable that he'd find out provided how close he was to the two of them, but he knew better than to flaunt that knowledge. Everyone else, he was sure, could tell that Cara wasn't struggling like the rest of them and the hotel itself, coupled with how she went about the room comfortably, opening the drinks without a second thought and speaking of room service - which he imagined had skyrocketing prices in a place as nice as this - only reassured him of what he already knew.

Just as she asked him what he'd like, he felt his stomach cramp. It was a feeling he'd gotten used to by now. While he wasn't starving, he hardly ever satisfied his constant, diluted famish. He couldn't afford filling his stomach with a large breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and even though he considered the pizza he had earlier with Brooke a good meal, the sound of a real one awakened his stomach. Cara didn't mind, he was sure, and he wasn't against it for any real reason asides from not knowing her that well, and the growing conspicuousness that she was definitely not sober. For a moment he was unsure if she should even be left alone. If Brooke wasn't working he would have called her down to at least make sure the girl didn't drown in the bathtub or anything.

"Uh," he said after a long pause. "Thanks, but I'm not really that hungry." The weight of the bottle in his hand grew as he became more aware of its presence. He was on the verge of putting it back, but he was confident that she would probably consume it just as readily as she did the bottle she held just a few moments earlier. "It's been kind of crazy and tiresome with Brooke returning and everything else that's happened," he said, trying to look for a good transition into what he was about to say. "You should probably just lie down or whatever."

Unconcerned with hiding her immense annoyance at his suggestion, she rolled her eyes and gave a theatrical sigh as she crossed the room to the night table between the two beds and picked up the phone. "Makayla just made fun of my dead mom, and you're not going to even stay and have a couple drinks with me, Roman?" He was in the middle of taking a swig of the alcohol in the midst of his anxiousness, but he immediately coughed after he heard her. The sting of the liquid worked it's way down the wrong pipe and he could feel it burn in his throat and in the back of his nose. When he looked back to Cara, she held a hand up to him, gesturing for him to be quiet as she turned her attention back to the person on the other line. "I need a Manhattan and a...rum and coke, and two prime ribs sent up to room 308 ASAP."

Killens wasn't sure what to react to first, or how, but right now he was focused on getting the last bit of whiskey out of his throat. Before he figured she was just a little bit tipsy, but now he was sure she was definitely past that; she didn’t even seem like the agreeable Cara he hardly knew. If he had any doubts about leaving her alone, they had disintegrated once she guilt tripped him into staying after bringing up the dead mother he didn't know she had. He sighed inwardly and took a larger sip of the drink in his hand, washing down the burn with more burn. What did you say to someone who just mentioned their late mother? He dared to walk further into the room, in front of the mini fridge.

"I'll just stay for a little bit," he told her, only because he felt he had no other choice, wasn't sure what else to say, and didn't want to be personally responsible for her looming accidental death should she be left alone.

Cara smiled with satisfaction when Roman agreed to stay. A few hours ago, she would probably list him as the last person she wanted to be with in a state like this. He definitely didn't seem like the guy you would go to when you needed to cry about your trivial problems but he was her only option tonight. Maybe it was the lighting... or more likely, the alcohol... but not only did he seem more emotionally appealing tonight, but physically too. He wasn't the type of guy she would normally be attracted to. His hair was not neatly trimmed and he wasn't sporting a Ralph Lauren polo or blazer, but she could go for the rough and tough guys too... the type of guy that would give her dad a coronary if she brought home on a holiday. She could do that. She could do that.

The thought made her smirk and she didn't attempt to hide her eyes that were now roving over his form as he stood on the other side of the room. She definitely needed that Manhattan if she was going to be as reckless tonight as her mind was insisting she be. "Thanks, you're a really good friend," she smiled, batting her eyelashes at him in a brazen attempt at being seductive. Cara's flirty attitude seemed to come hand in hand with alcohol consumption. She was sure that she had flirted with Lennie before when she was drunk, not to mention the many times she had slept with Jackson under the influence. This attitude wasn't specific to Roman, and was probably the first time that Roman was on the receiving end of it, but Cara felt like she had to turn it up since he seemed so uncomfortable. It made her wonder if he was a virgin. Her egotistical, entitled thoughts that she desperately tried to separate from her "street Cara" persona were taking over as she wondered how he wasn't all over her by now.

She wanted to walk towards him but her legs had other plans, as she tripped over herself and grabbed the edge of the bed for support. That obviously wasn't going to work. Instead, she did the smart thing and positioned herself on the queen sized bed. She could still see the indents on the thick comforter from where Holly had been jumping, and it was enough to remind her why she was even here. For a moment, it sidetracked her thoughts back to the original problem. "I bring Holly here for one night so she's not around Robbie shooting heroin into his veins and Makayla gets mad at me over it!" She recounted, her speech clearly slurred by now. "Holly is such a poor little girl... no chance at a good life like people like us, and th-that bitch is just soooo jealous of me." Cara's slurred rant continued for another five minutes before there was a knock at the door. It was room service, and after another failed attempt to get on her feet, she shooed Roman to the door. "Tell them we want a bottle of Grey Goose too! Unopened! I don't want them pouring that cheap shit in and telling me it's Grey Goose!"

Roman had quickly averted his eyes when he saw the way Cara was looking at him. Even as she blurted everything she was thinking in a nearly incoherent jumble of drunkenness, he refrained from looking directly at her. When someone finally knocked on the door, he felt relief, but only momentarily. He knew better than to order her vodka in her current state, but he wouldn't have been surprised if the person outside the door had heard her. Killens reluctantly answered the door, ignoring the brief but noticeable strange look the guy gave him upon seeing his appearance. The guy lingered in the doorway for a few seconds longer than he should have, and Killens finally realized he was probably waiting for a tip, which he sure as hell wasn't getting tonight. Killens mumbled a rushed goodbye as the door closed behind him and he set the tray of food on the bed that Cara wasn't occupying.

There was really no good time to escape, and as he waited and waited for Cara to just fall asleep, the minutes seem to move slower. To pass the time, he nervously busied himself with finishing the Jack, then the drink Cara had ordered him, and the vodka the room service guy ended up bringing, still looking for extra money, which he still did not receive. The rain outside had turned into a storm; perfect weather to go to fall asleep to. Killens worked to keep his eyes open, only providing short responses to Cara when they were required, and even then they were delayed by the alcohol running through his system. When he opened his eyes again, thinking he had only blinked when in fact he had dozed off, he saw Cara lying on the bed with her turned away, seemingly asleep. With more focus than it would normally require, he worked his way over to the nightstand to turn the lamp off. As he walked, he stumbled and kicked one of the bottles that had somehow fallen on the floor. He watched as Cara shuffled and turned to him, evaluating him for a second before she sat up some, leaning closer to him, a mischievous, drunken smirk spreading on her face.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" she said. He looked at her without response. Not particularly caring about being discreet, he took in her features. Her eyes were brighter, more appealing. It might have been the alcohol, of course it was the alcohol, but everything about her seemed more appealing as she leaned closer, the smell of the alcohol filling the small space that lingered between them. "I bet I could get you to stay," she said. Again, he didn't respond. He only looked at her for a moment longer before closing the gap between them and kissing her.

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Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn Archer Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Savannah Stonecraft
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Saturday, July 2nd | 11:00 AM


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Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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Cara probably could have slept until mid-afternoon had her stomach not had other plans. She went from a peaceful sleep, on a soft mattress, entangled in clean sheets, to running to the bathroom in a matter of seconds. She was groggy and half asleep, trapped in exhaustion and a hangover, but after stumbling over a stray shoe, she managed to reach the bathroom before getting sick. Apparently, she had one too many chugs of that whiskey... or was it the vodka? Maybe one of the mixed drinks she ended up ordering? Her memory of the previous night was very blurry. She remembered taking Holly out to dinner and coming back here, getting into a fight with Makayla and maybe having a few drinks with... Roman? It sounded bizarre enough that she might have been mistaking that with some weird, alcohol induced dream, but she could have sworn that he was sitting across from her as she downed some of the drinks. When she was finally able to pull her spinning head out of the toilet, the last thing on her mind was Roman, though.

She took advantage of the toiletries the bathroom was stocked with as she brushed her teeth, emptied out the entire travel-sized bottle of mouth wash, and got into the shower. She was still exhausted enough to be able to sink back into bed and sleep for another five or six hours, but she had only reserved the room for one night and it was already eleven. The cleaning service was bound to be knocking on the door any minute and if she wanted any shot at being functional today, she needed to take a cold shower. They always seemed to help wash her hangovers away, even if on mornings like this, not even a miracle pill would be able to cure the pounding headache she had. Cara drank frequently, but she was a thin girl and hard liquor never left her feeling well the next morning. No matter how many times, on those mornings, she would swear to never drink again, hangovers like these seemed to be a weekly occurrence. She was going to need more than a cold shower to save her from what she was about to discover, though.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked, her towel nearly falling off her figure when her hands grasped her mouth in shock. Laying in her bed on the far end was Roman. He was wrapped in the comforter from the waist down, but she could tell he wasn't wearing a shirt at the very least, and the sight of him suddenly made her foggy memory less foggy. He was barely stirring, even after her scream, so in a frantic move, she grabbed a sneaker, the first thing she could find, and chucked it at him. "Why are you in my bed?! Tell me that... that nothing happened!" This had to be a dream... or maybe a nightmare. A nightmare, not in the sense that there was anything wrong with Roman, because even though he wasn't her normal "type", he wasn't a bad looking guy... and if the memories started coming back to her, she would remember that he wasn't bad in other ways either... but this was bad. This was bad if this was a thing, and as she held her towel tightly to her chest, she prayed to whatever deity was out there, that it was all some innocent misunderstanding.

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Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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He'd slept long and hard of nothing. It wasn't uncommon for him to sleep in, especially on the nights he worked. Sometimes he would sleep much later than that depending on when he got home. Given the current circumstance - soft pillows, an actual mattress, and a room that wasn't murky and full of putrid smells - he probably could have slept longer, and he likely would have had he not been awakened so rudely. He grunted and sat up some, his head feeling heavier than usual. His face was stiff and his eyes puffy from a mix of sleeping so hard and the after effects of the alcohol that was in his system. In the midst of his confusion, he stared at the object in front of him which was slightly fuzzy. Roman could already tell that something was off just from the feel of the mattress beneath his hand and soft blanket that was covering part of his body. Along with the high pitched squeaking coming from his side, he was out of it. It took another moment for his grogginess to subside enough for him to realize that what had woken him, and what was in front of him, was a shoe. And when he looked over to the squeaking, which happened to be a voice, he simply blinked because the voice belonged to a towel-draped Cara. What the hell? He turned back to the sneaker, frowning at it hard before he lifted it in his hand and showed it to Cara.

"You threw my fucking shoe at me?" he said.

Roman was one of the lucky ones who didn't really get hangovers. His following day typically consisted of a heavy stomach - which would eventually lead to the need to vomit, a lot of grogginess and sluggishness, and general lethargy until he ate something. Finally getting over the sneaker situation, he looked at Cara for another moment, everything around becoming clearer as he started to come to, and he realized the fog wasn't due to a dream, but all of the drinks he had the night before. The realization played overtly on his face as his memory, albeit still hazy, came back to him. Although it was delayed, he was finally registering what she'd said to him when she woke him up and without thinking, he reached under the covers with a prayer on his lips. At the feel of his bare thigh - and with another look around the room, the clothes on the floor and the empty bottle of vodka - the blood from his face drained. It was less problematic because of what happened than it was who it had happened with and the fact that the two of them were as good as strangers. And on top of that, he had to live with her. Killens found himself slightly put off by her reaction though. She was acting like she'd just found out she fucked Steve Buscemi or something. None of that was really important to begin with though. What was more important was finding his clothes, probably more urgently his underwear, and getting the hell out of there.

"Yes, I threw your 'fucking shoe' at you!," Cara said, still panicky. "I don't know what the fuck is going on and I don't want to know!" She kept an even tighter grip on her towel now as she grabbed his clothes from the floor and chucked them at him. "Just... get dressed!" Cara was freaking out and as the seconds passed and this shocking twist of events forced her to wake up, she began to wish that she didn't know what was going on. It was all coming back to her, or at least as much of the memories as the liquor hadn't erased, and it was bad. It didn't even matter that she had a one night stand, since Cara wasn't a stranger to waking up after a night at a club with some random guy, but it was Roman... possibly the most awkward person that she could have slept with. He wasn't Jackson who was so much of a conceited ass that sleeping with him felt like sleeping with some self absorbed football player from high school. It wasn't like sleeping with Robbie, who would have been so high on drugs that she could just claim he was lying, or Zero who was new enough that she could claim the same. It wasn't even Nick, who she knew at least somewhat on a personal level. It was Roman, a guy that she had lived with for close to a year, yet had never even held a conversation with. This was bad. "How did this even happen? Oh my God..." she was speaking more to herself than to him as she paced away from him as he got dressed.

It wasn't atypical for Roman to wake up and not really be in the mood for social interaction. As if he wasn't already quiet enough, after getting up he preferred to keep to himself for a bit or else he would feel too overwhelmed, like now. Not only was he bombarded with a growing nausea in his stomach, but he had to deal with Cara's overreaction to the whole thing. The hotel room which was large enough to host two queen sized beds, a sizable mini fridge, along with a desk and wardrobe felt cramped now and he hastened to get dressed, which really didn't help his nausea much. He got that Cara was used to a certain lifestyle - just look at the room they were in - and used to be around people of her same status, but she didn't have to act like he was such a bad person to sleep with. He wasn't any more pleased than she was. Too tired to really want to escalate things, he tried masking his annoyance, though it was hard. He simply muttered, "We were drunk," as he danced his legs through his pants and put his shoe on. A minute of frustration passed trying to find his other shoe before he realized it was still on the bed, and now his frustration with the girl had only increased.

Still in a shrill, worried voice which was growing more irksome by the second Cara said, "Obviously if...this happened!" Roman finished slipping his shoe on and tugged his shirt past his head, the offense far past taken. He always thought she was a pleasant person since she seemed kind, but it was nice to know what she really thought about him. He could feel his cheeks beginning to flush in embarrassment, not so much from what they'd done, but with Cara's reaction to it. Another heat of red flooded his face, this time more so from anger with himself for even giving a damn about what she thought. Roman stood up quickly, ignoring the dizziness it caused him as he made his way for the door. Cara was standing around the corner, taking a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm herself down. She'd realized she might have sounded a bit bitchy, but Roman couldn't tell, especially since he was refusing to look at her. "Okay, I'm sorry," she said. "Let's just pretend this never happened, alright?"

Killens didn't bother trying to be polite anymore. He was rudely awakened, he was offended, and he was sure he was going to vomit any minute now. He rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Pretend what never happened?" he said before going through the door and closing it hard enough for it to echo in the hall, but not so hard for it to really be considered a slam. The New York air did nothing for him in terms of comfort. He was sticky, he was wearing black - dirty - clothes, and he had a bad taste in his mouth. Killens reached in one pocket for his wallet and in the other for a cigarette to hold him over until he got back to the warehouse. His wallet was there, but his pack of cigarettes weren't, probably falling out in the midst of last night's recklessness. As he glared into his wallet after realizing this, he had to refrain himself from punching something when he saw he didn't have the money for a cab. Well, not money for a cab and food later. It took ten minutes to get to the hotel last night without traffic, so that meant it would take him about twenty minutes at a brisk pace. However because internally he felt like a disaster, and in terms of his mood and his luck he was no better, it took him half an hour to get back to Finn's place. Killens entered from the alley entrance, realizing after he was already in the basement that he could've just purged there, but he was already crossing the room and going into the tiny, sad excuse for a bathroom. When he exited five minutes later, he felt better, at least as far as his stomach was concerned, but he was still in a bad mood and that could really only be cured with a cigarette and something to eat.

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Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn Archer Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Robbie Amello
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The idea of spending the night with Savannah and Brooklyn in the same room was just too much for Nick to handle. Even if Brooklyn was going to be out until the early hours of the morning and Savannah was almost too kind, he didn't have it in him to be there if a conflict did somehow break out. Maybe it was because he didn't want to see the girls clawing each other's faces off, or maybe it was because he still didn't have the answer that he owed Savannah, and both of them, really. He knew that all of this wasn't fair to Savannah. She had only recently joined the group but was going through so much, and he had been a rock for her just as much as she had for him. They had gotten close in more ways than one, and neither of them could deny that there was chemistry there. She had started as a shoulder to cry on about Brooklyn, but turned into an amazing friend. Even after that night together, she wasn't just a rebound girl that he was using to get over Brooklyn. She definitely was a distraction from Brooke, and a good one at that, but there were real feelings there. Now that Brooklyn was back, it just made things more complicated, though. He was on the path to getting over her and had she been gone for another two months, he probably would have moved on to Savannah or another girl completely, but seeing her back now left him with a muddled mess of emotions.

He didn't have the money to blow on a hotel, but while street-level dealing didn't bring him drug lord riches, it did leave him with a fair amount of connections. In exchange for a measly dime bag, he was welcomed onto the spare couch of one of the college-aged kids that was a regular client of his. It was nothing luxurious but it sure beat having to deal with the awkwardness of being in the basement on Brooklyn's first night back. He even considered requesting another night's sanctuary there, but when morning rolled around, Nick knew that he had to face his problem sooner or later, and his conscience told him that sooner was better. Again, it wasn't right for him to not give Savannah an explanation for what they were, and what was going to happen now that Brooklyn was back. But again, he didn't have an answer! He didn't know what Brooklyn wanted or if he could give her what she wanted, now that he had learned to live without her. If he had to guess, Brooklyn probably still had the same ultimatum that she had given him before she left. Either he conform to all of her demands, including getting a "real" job and making enough money to get them off of the streets, or she didn't want him at all. Those wouldn't be such unreasonable demands if Brooklyn made those same attempts herself. While she was berating him for being such a bum, she was making double and sometimes triple what he made, yet blowing it all on equally frivolous things. For a while... for years... he dealt with that and sometimes even believed that maybe he was the problem in their relationship. After being separated from Brooklyn for two months and having Savannah by his side, he realized that he wasn't the problem. At least, he wasn't the entire problem, and with that new perspective on his relationship with Brooklyn, he doubted that he could return to it if she wasn't willing to recognize her flaws as well.

Thankfully, today was much nicer out than it had been yesterday. The rain had even caused the extreme heat to die down to an extent where the forty-five minute walk back to Finn's didn't leave him drenched in sweat. That didn't really matter much, though, because he was sure that as soon as he saw Brooklyn or Savannah, he would end up drenched anyway. So, when he ended up in front of Finn's bar, he decided that there was no use in running away anymore. He needed to face this and get it over with, and since Finn's bar wasn't even open this early and Finn himself was undoubtedly still passed out in his apartment, Nick couldn't even get a beer to calm his nerves. He had sold all of the weed that he had left with last night, and was forced to go downstairs into what he expected to be hell, completely sober.

Surprisingly, there weren't handfuls of blonde hair or puddles of Savannah's blonde visible upon entry. In fact, aside from Holly's voice, it was pretty quiet in the basement. This was normal considering that many of the others often slept until mid afternoon, but today, it left Nick feeling uneasy. Was it the calm after the storm, or the calm before the storm? He didn't know and almost didn't want to know. The fact that Savannah wasn't in the basement made him feel a little bit better. Brooklyn was there, which almost instantly negated that relief, but the fact that Holly was right there made him hope that she would be nice. Holly's presence hadn't stopped her from being nasty before, and honestly, usually enabled that side of her to shine through, but Brooklyn didn't look very agitated at the moment. Her makeup was smudged, hair tangled and face noticeably tired, but she looked gorgeous, like always. It almost made him wish that he had woken up next to her like he used to get to do, but the blank expression she gave him when they made eye contact reminded him that maybe she didn't want him back in the first place. He was so set on believing that she was back here expecting that they would get back together, but none of her actions last night spoke to that assumption. Without Savannah here, it seemed like the best time to figure out what she wanted and why she was back. If she was the one who was so well off that she didn't need to be living in this dump, why was she back? His eyes inadvertently looked towards Roman at that thought, but he opted not to say anything to his friend yet. That was a conversation that he also needed to have, but he needed to deal with one thing at a time, and without Savannah here, Brooklyn seemed like the priority.

"Got a second to talk?" he said, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck as Brooklyn finally stood up and looked at him.

"A little busy," she replied curtly, nodding towards Holly, who she must have just then realized was looking through her things again. With a less-than-gentle kick to Holly's side, the younger girl had put down the makeup products she had filled her arms with and was on her feet too. "I'm going to help Brooklyn get the glitter out of her hair in the shower!" Nick could barely give the exuberant Holly a smile and a distracted nod as he returned his attention to Brooklyn. "It'll only take a minute," he insisted. Maybe he was right that she didn't come back here for him. She seemed perfectly fine with the cold interactions they were having since her return. Then again, this was Brooklyn, and she was the master at playing hard to get. "We don't have a minute, Nicolas! It's already a million minutes past Brooklyn's birthday and she needs to get the glitter out of her hair so we can go birthday shopping!" It reminded him that he had missed Brooklyn's birthday, and knowing her, that was one more thing that she would try to use against him when they spoke... if they ever spoke, which didn't seem likely at this rate. How was he supposed to get her something for her birthday when not only did she probably expect to get a Porsche, but she didn't live there anymore and he had no idea where she was living? Still, it made him feel like this interaction was even more awkward. Leave it to Holly. "Right," Brooklyn said, giving Holly an unusually kind smile as she refused to make eye contact with Nick and side stepped him to lead Holly up the stairs.

It was obvious that Brooklyn didn't want to talk. Since when was a shower so urgent, and since when would she rather hang out with Holly over him? Nick didn't know when they would have another chance to talk though, and he wasn't going to skip out on this opportunity. So, rather than return to his bed, grab his marijuana stash and smoke his worries away, he followed them upstairs to Finn's apartment.

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Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn Archer Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Savannah Stonecraft
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It had been another awful night of sleep for Savannah, another horrible dream that had her awaken much sooner then she had intended.
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Her head still ached from the night's events prior to her nightmares. She and Lennie had an interesting night. Interesting wasn't actually a good thing.

Lenny could only seem to smile when Savannah came out all ready to go and only nodded in response before they began walking down the street side by side. They walked like that for a good ten minutes while Len pondered in her mind where to go. The arcade maybe? At this time of night there shouldn't be much people there but what if she doesn't like games? The silence between them was a bit awkward so the blonde spoke up turning her head to face Savannah.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"Hmmm." Savannah said, looking around. New York was simply lovely at night, it seemed to come alive.
"Let's just, walk." She said. "See what we'll find." She said with a small giggle."It'll be an adventure." She told her, as they walked along. Savannah decided it would be a good time to get to know her, after all, if they were to be wandering about, she'd like to know who it was she was wandering if.
"If you don't mind, Want Lennie short for?" She asked her, "Savannah is my middle name, ironically, my first is Brooklyn, I just go by Savannah, since it's my Grandmother's name." She told her with a shrug.
"Heh" a small chuckle escaped form Lennie's mouth before she bit her lip for a second, thinking. " That's a good question actually." Her eyes wandered down to her feet before her gaze lifted back up to the girl standing next to her. " Lennie really isn't short for anything, it's just Lennie," she went quiet for a second before the smallest smile crossed her lips. " but I do have a nickname though, It's Minah, though, my friends back home use to call me Minnie." She kept eye contact with the girl, it was always a habit of her when she talked with people. "Savannah is pretty name you know that? It's not really a common name, I like that." She admitted with a slight playful bump into the woman's shoulder.
Savannah chuckled a bit, "Well, thank you." She said a bit bashfully. "Um, tell me about yourself, I must admit, since coming here, I really hadn't gotten to know everyone as well I as I would have liked," She said a bit sheepish, "except Holly, but I think that's because the girl likes to talk." She said, laughing, "I really didn't have a choice in the matter." she added with another laugh. "Where are you from?"
Lennie lifted her head up until she was gazing up at the twilight sky. She thought for a couple of seconds before internally agreeing to share some things about her. "Alright well I'm originally from Minnesota, My father is an army man, or was I really don't know his status now." she shrugged nonchalantly befroe continuing. "I can eat popsicles at nearly any time, I hate being yelled at and underestimated just because I'm nice." she stopped for a second thinking of what else to say from the top of her head. "Oh! and I'm a total nerd when it comes to horror or mystery novels." she answered rather excitedly.Savannah laughed. "Cheers!" She chirped. "Those are my favorites to write!" She said, glad to have something in common with someone else. "My parents are farmers." She told her, reciprocating the sharing of information. "As you can probably tell, I'm from the United Kingdom, it's not as grand as it sounds, actually, London isn't much different from New York, really." She told her thinking back on it. "I personally have an addiction to chocolate, and um..well...books." She said shrugging. "What do you like to do for fun?"
"Oh really? Got to let me read something of yours sometime, yeah?" She smiled happily before shoving her hands into her pockets. "I know this cool little coffee shop not too far from here. It's quiet and they sell hella awesome hot chocolate. The way they have everything set up gives it a cozy, home feeling but at night it turns into a pretty good bar. You can find some cute one night stands there." She joked nudging Savannah a bit. With a laugh escaping her lips Lenny looked over to the woman biting her lip. " Well, does eating count?" Another laugh escaped her mouth before continuing once more. "Honestly, anything that catches my eye really. I like to dance, read comic books and well hell sex is pretty fun if it's done right." she joked again winking at Sav. Savannah found herself laughing alot, which was good, she needed it after the day she was having. Lennie last comment had her blushing. Savannah was never really one for one nighters, Nick didn't really count, though it had only been one night. Shaking that thought away, Savannah smiled. "you know, I rarely dance, but I do like to sing, I've written a few songs, but I never sang them." She said, and wasn't sure why she was telling her that, that was typically reserved. "We should go dancing, for the hell of it." She said. "How about it?"
"Yeah!" Lennie answered excitedly as a wide smile grew on her lips. "Lets do it!" she exclaimed taking Savannah's hand and running across the street. The two only walked for a short time before entering the first club they saw that looked promising for their little dancing night out. Once you stepped into the big building all you could feel was the ground underneath your feet rumbling and shaking from the huge dancing crowd and pounding music. Her heart automatically began to race from the music that seemed to course threw her viens. "We picked the right place huh?" she looked back at Savannah with a grin then guided her through the crowd towards the bar. Lennie instantly ordered two jager bombs and told the bartender to keep her tab open. She picked up the shot glasses and handed one to Savannah. "Something to loosen us up and get up going" she cheered before swinging back the liquid that burned as it slid down the back of her throat. Savannah felt the music in her chest. She took a deep breath, she could feel the excitiment coursing through her. She was already giddy when they walked in, but now she near bursting. She cheerifully followed Lennie to the bar and she grinned. She took the glass from Lennie, she wasn't a bit drinker, but she thought, tonight, she would. It's been one of those days. "Cheers!" She said and knocked back the shot. She shook her head with a big grin. "How about another?" She asked her, but just as she was about to offer to pay, two men approached them. "How about we pay for it?" one of them asked, a handsome blonde, and his slightly less attractive but still handsome dark haired friend smiled in agreement. " What do you say, Lennie, shall we?" She asked Lennie with a grin.
Lenny took a second to eye the guys up and down before grinning along side Savannah. Shit, free drinks? Must be my lucky night. She thought before actually opening her mouth to speak. "Sure, why not!" Lennie said cheerfully as they ordered another round of shot of many colors. Lenny began with one then that one turned into 3 and then six. By this time her head felt as if it was in the clouds. She was nothing but giggles, smiles and jokes which was a good thing because no one likes an angry or sad drunk. She joked around with the guys some who looked like they were nearly about to pass out, luckily Lenny could hold her alcohol a bit better than they can. The asian danced with the blonde but he was a bit too smashed to do the simple bump and grind on a dance floor and Lenny was a bit too giggly to actually do that with him so instead they danced like two idiots, laughing as they did. Savannah took to the dancefloor with the other friend after taken in about four shots. Her mind was blurred, and she was nice and ripe. She was dancing and laughing with the dark haired friend. His hands roamed her body and she didn't care once. Lucas was dead, Nick was avoiding her, she wanted some attention, and she got it. After a moment though, the dark haired guy got a little too handsy, and she stopped him. "That's enough of that, Love." She said, but he didn't let up." C'mon Queen Victoria, we bought yours drinks" He urged and she sobered up enough for a vicious slap to the face." I said that's enough." She shouted, loud enough to go over the music that at the very least, Lennie could hear. He grabbed her arm roughly, clearly having had a bit too much to drink himself, "Let me go!" She shouted, snatching her arm away, or trying to.
While in the midst of her idiotic dancing with the blonde guy she heard what she thought was Savannah. Lennie slowly did a 360 trying to locate where the voice came from before her eyes landed on Savannah being man handled. That struck a nerve in the asian which made her sober up a little. She was no longer smiling but instead a serious expression replaced that once happy face. Lenny quickly walked up to the man and shoved him back, her arm instinctively wrapping around Savannah. "Back off asshole, she said no and no means no." she growled before shooting a glare at the blonde she had been dancing with who came to collect his friend before the situation got out of hand. Lenny watched them as they stumbled out of the club before turning back to Savannah expressing her concern. "You okay hun? Did he hurt you?" Savannah nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, Thanks." She said, but she had enough of this. "I think I'd like to go someplace else now....somewhere with coffee." She said, before hugging Lennie gratefully. "Let's go." She said, rubbing her arm, that held a nice purple ring around her wrist.
Lennie nodded and kept her arm around the woman's shoulder as she escorted her out. Now where to get coffee at this hour. She questioned herself before the light bulb above her head lit up. "Hey, is starbucks okay?" she asked curiously while looking down at her.
"Works just fine." She said running her hand through her curly hair. She and Lennie walked to the nearest Starbucks, and this time, Savannah took up the tab. She had a bit of cash, but not a great deal, it was enough to pay for a couple of lattes. "That was enough excitement for one night." She said after they took their seats with their hot lattes.
Lennie nodded in agreement but her head was still slightly spinning, no doubt the blonde was still feeling a slight buzz. She sipped on the hot latte hoping that it'll help get her head straight. Reaching over Lenny gently grabbed Savannah's hand and took a peek at her wrist. "hmm, I think I have something back home for that. Does it hurt much?" she asked while rubbing her thumb softly over it thinking about how she could have knocked that guys teeth out if given the chance. Savannah smiled gratefully. "It's fine, I'll be alright, honest." She told the blonde girl, she watched how tender Lennie was being, and Savannah was glad for it. She could use a bit of tenderness, and while admittedly it was a bit odd coming from a girl, but Savannah didn't mind. She placed her hand over the asian girl's and smiled at her. "Thank Lennie, my dame in shining Converses." She said with a small laugh. "How about we take latte's to go?"


There was a look that had come across Lennie's face that was very odd now that Savannah wasn't drunk. She really had to stop drinking. She knew the effects could be horrendous if over done. Her head ached and her wrists were still sore from where the guy had grabbed her, she had a nasty purple bruise there. She was very glad Lennie had been there, regardless on how odd the night had gotten.

Sitting at the bar, she was chasing away her hangover with a cup of strong earl grey, coffee worked enough but Earl grey had loads of caffeine and simply tasted better. She turned her head, and noticed Nick walking up the stairs, she wanted to say something, or more correctly, she wanted him to say something.

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Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn Archer Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Robbie Amello
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"What day was your birthday?!" Holly asked excitedly when Brooklyn revealed that her birthday had occurred recently as well. "Maybe we have the same birthday and are twins! Like Zac Efron and Troy Bulton."

"They're not twins, Holly. They're the same person."

"No they're not. Haven't you ever seen High School Musical? That's where Troy Bulton lives and Zac Efron doesn't live in that movie. He lives in real life."

"Zac Efron plays Troy whatever-his-name-is in the movie. He's not actually a real person."

"Yes he is!" Holly insisted. She looked towards Makayla who was still in bed, facing away from them. "Makayla! Tell Brooklyn that Troy Bulton is real!" Holly only waited a couple of seconds before the silence that Makayla responded with seemed like an invitation for her to go over and demand an answer from her.

Brooklyn was feeling unusually nice, or maybe unusually bad for Makayla, and grabbed Holly before she could stray towards her sister. Makayla hadn't even flinched at the sound of Holly's voice and even though Brooklyn wanted to believe that she was enough of a bitch to pretend to be asleep just to force her to deal with Holly, she knew she wouldn't do that. If Makayla was awake, she would have forced Holly back into their area or at least appeased her with a false confirmation that the movie character was real. Brooklyn, through gritted teeth, would have to play that part this morning. "Okay, okay, it's fine. If you say he's real, I believe you. Just sit for a minute while I find my hair conditioner," she said, pulling Holly back down to the floor. She still hadn't really gotten situated after only moving in yesterday afternoon and it took her five minutes just to find all of her toiletries scattered in different boxes. Over those five minutes, Roman walked in, Nick walked in, and Holly had messed up whatever organization she had started to establish in her box of makeup. Brooklyn tried to ignored the first two and only noticed the last when Nick had walked over and she looked over at Holly who she was now not only going to hang out with as her good deed of the year for Makayla, but because she needed a reason to avoid Nick.

Even when she made it blatantly obvious that she had no desire to talk to him, he still followed her and Holly up the stairs. Luckily, Holly seemed to be on just as much of an anti-Nick mode as she, since the girl was doing as good of a job at telling Nick to fuck off as was possible for someone as nice as Holly. "We still don't have any minutes for you, Nick!"

"Then I just need a few seconds," Nick said, following the girls from a few steps behind. He shouldn't have been surprised that Brooklyn was basically going to make him beg to just have a chance to speak with her.

"Do we have any seconds for him?"

"Tell him he had seven years worth of seconds already," Brooklyn responded with little emotion. Maybe she did want Nick to beg for her forgiveness, but aside from that, she really just wasn't in the mood to talk right now. She was still half asleep, needed to shower, and didn't want to talk to Nick when she looked like this and had Holly to deal with.

"You already had eighty nine hundred million seconds and there are none left until later," Holly looked back at him with a frown.

Nick was usually one of the better ones with Holly but god, was she annoying today. It wasn't her fault. Brooklyn was the one egging her on and manipulating her into being a nuisance, but still. He just wanted to talk to Brooklyn and it seemed impossible with her literally standing between them. So, rather than engage in an argument with Holly, he kept his mouth shut until they were in Finn's small apartment. "If you don't want to talk, then will you at least listen to what I have to say?"

Holly had run ahead of her to the bathroom, so Brooklyn couldn't feed a snarky response to her to send back to Nick. She was forced to spend a few seconds with him alone, and he hadn't lied when he said that was all he needed. "Are you really going to be this way, Brooke?" She answered him with silence and attempted to quicken her pace, only to have him step in front of her and force her to stop. "You have to at least give me some sort of answer. Why are you ignoring me? What did I do wrong this time?" She looked at him with disgust. She was ignoring him and he did do something wrong, but no, she didn't have to give him an answer. She didn't report to him and after seven years, he damn sure better know that! Besides, like always, she had planned on doing this on her own terms. When she got sick of giving him the silent treatment, she would talk to him, but she didn't want or plan on Roman or Nick forcing a heart to heart. There was no way around this, though. "I'm not ignoring you. I just didn't have anything to say to you that was worth wasting my breath. But... There was always a "but". "If I have to give you an answer, then yeah, I am going to be this way. And 'this way' isn't me being a bitch or me being rude, like I'm sure you'll try to spin it as. This is me coming back to the basement that was my home before it was your's, or that of any of your little ragtag friends, and doing me, like I always should have done. So I'm so sorry if I don't have time to talk to you, or bake cookies with your with your little girlfriend. I'm over it, Nick. I just don't have the time or energy for your games anymore." The sound of something falling in the bathroom was the perfect reason for Brooklyn to spin around and leave Nick before he had a chance to respond to her. She got the last word, like she loved doing, and shut him down in the process. She didn't necessarily mean everything that she had said, because if "it" was she and him, she certainly wasn't completely over it, but she didn't want to delve into those emotions now.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn Archer Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Savannah Stonecraft
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Makayla was on the brink of being asleep and being awake, but it felt more like being on the brink of life and death. That was how ill she was feeling this morning. It was what becoming the "usual" feelings of morning sickness, mixed with a pounding headache, an aching body and the heavy stress of knowing that she had just possibly severed ties with Cara for good. It wasn't just the idea that she was no longer going to have a friend to hang out with and confide in, but more so that Cara had been the person she could trust with Holly. Without her, Makayla didn't know how she was supposed to work and make money and have even just an hour a week or relaxation. She could ask Lennie or Savannah to look after Holly on occasion, but she would never task them with being Holly's regular caretaker like she had been lucky enough to get with Cara. The feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty that came along with that left her feeling even worse than the physical ailments did. When the basement became silent again, she wasn't even thinking about where Holly had run off to or what trouble she was causing. She knew that she needed to see a doctor. There was no way that she could go on feeling this lethargic and ill for another day. She knew that there was an outreach program uptown that provided medical services, meals and showers to homeless people because she had used the service once a few months back when Holly had gotten strep throat. Normally, she would have been reluctant to go. She hated the spiels that most outreach workers gave about all of the dead end resources that could help her, and how she had so much potential, blah, blah, blah, but today, she was desperate.

Standing up from her bed felt ten times worse than it had when she had first ran outside earlier that morning. She put on the first pair of clean shorts and a t-shirt that she could find, slid her feet into flip flops and stuffed the few dollars she had left into her pocket. She was beginning to wish that she hadn't paid Roman back for the rides yesterday. It was Cara's fault that I even needed to go all the way down there. Should've made that dumb blonde bitch pay for that too, since she's clearly sooooo rich... Cara had cost her thirty dollars and their fallout was probably going to make it impossible for Makayla to work tonight, and possibly ever again. She considered just leaving without even giving any thought to her sister's whereabouts. What's the worst that could happen? crossed her mind briefly, before she actually considered what could happen when it was Holly she was talking about. She could irritate Brooklyn to a point where she strangled her, bother Finn until he kicked them out, decide to try to find Makayla and get lost in Manhattan, accidentally eat a bag of Robbie's drugs... the possibilities were endless. Even though Makayla only planned on being gone an hour, with her amazing luck, something bad was almost guaranteed to happen.

So, she headed up the staircase that Brooklyn, Holly, and Nick had walked up a few minutes before. She knew that Finn's bar was still closed at this hour, but hadn't been awake enough to pay attention to Brooklyn saying she was going up to shower, so she assumed they were in the closed bar. The silence in the place should have been enough of a signal that Holly wasn't in there, but Makayla was too tired to be intuitive right now. She was more relieved than she would have been to actually find Holly, when she spotted Savannah sitting alone at the bar.

"Hey, Savannah. Sorry to bother you, and I know this is asking a lot, but is there any chance that you would be okay with just keeping an eye on Holly for an hour? I've been feeling really sick for the past few weeks and I'm sure it's just the flu, but I think I need to go get it checked out. I would ask Cara but we aren't... she's not here right now. I promise I'll be quick, and Holly's upstairs with Brooklyn and Nick right now, but I just don't think I can keep putting off seeing a doctor any longer." Savannah was the newest member of the group, so that alone left Makayla hesitant to ask such a big favor of her, but for the few weeks she had lived with them, she had been nothing but nice and patient with Holly. And again, Makayla was desperate. So, when Savannah agreed to watch Holly, after many thank you's and promises to be back as soon as possible, she headed to the nearest subway station.

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Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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When he emerged from the bathroom, he took the time to survey the basement. He first saw Nick who only gave him a quick glance before turning his attention to Brooke. From the looks of, Nick had gotten the courage to talk to Brooke for more than a few seconds before towering away. Normally Roman would care, but today he was too sick and irritable to really bother. Plus, there wasn't the satisfaction of having Savannah around to witness Nick going after Brooke, so none of it was as exciting as it could have been. He slugged his way to his mattress and upon hearing a jingling in his pillow when he'd lain on it, he reached in and discovered the money he loaned Makayla the previous night. Without counting it, he stuffed it in his pocket. Even if he did count it and see it was short five dollars, he wouldn't have cared. From the looks it, right now he had enough for a pack of cigarettes and a pretzel and that was all he really cared about. It took him ten minutes to wash down in the bathroom. Usually it only took him five minutes since it wasn't uncommon for him to go to a store's handicapped bathroom and bathe before things got questionable, but he didn't have the incentive to go looking, especially when a bathroom was so close to him. Feeling better in his fresh clothes, he left the basement and took to the streets of New York.

Although it was one of those days where it was easy to hate everything, the one good thing about living in the city was how easy it to find any kind of food stand. Not even a block later and he was in line for a pretzel. He knew the ones to go to, the ones that weren't embarrassingly overpriced on account that tourists wouldn't know any better and were likely more concerned with sightseeing than anything else. This was a good stand though; pretzels were $1:50, same as hot dogs. And despite telling himself that he would only get a pretzel and then drink water when he got back to the basement, his poor mood led to indifference about his future finances and even poorer decisions. He smelled a pretzel, but he also smelled a hot dog and saw a Pepsi coated in precipitation staring right at him. So what should have been a dollar-fifty lunch turned out to be seven dollars worth of food that was gone in less than ten minutes since was hungover and deserved to get something he actually wanted for once. Sure enough, he would regret his choice later, but right now he was happily sitting on a window pane across from the pretzel stand and enjoying his lunch. In his current mood, a pretzel, two hot dogs, and a soda that was $2.50 didn't seem so bad. After he finished, he made his way for the first store he found to sell cigarettes. At almost $15 a pack, the dent in his wallet was getting hard to ignore. Wasting nearly $25 before the day was halfway through while he still had no means of gathering money for the next fight showed no clear indication of making any economic sense. The calming, rewarding sensation he felt when he finally inhaled on the cigarette made him shrug at that concern though.

Today he was feeling different things, but part of what he felt was defeat. It was just one of those days where he was tired of trying. He was tired of living dollar to dollar, minute to minute, fight to fight. It wasn't fair that most of his food came from pretzel and hot dog stands or McDonalds, and even then he had to bargain. Sometimes he'd walk longer just to get to the pretzel stand that sold a pretzel ten cents cheaper because he desperately needed to save money. But now he didn't see the point in fighting it. No matter how much he tried to save or how much he tried to do, no matter how many fights - and bruises - he won, he still wouldn't have any money. He'd still be living in a basement with other people that were going no where in life and the world would keep moving, and today, damnit, he was moving with it. And as he moved with the crowd, purposely ignoring his responsibilities, he stopped at another hot dog stand and bought another hot dog. Even though later tonight, and if not tonight then definitely tomorrow, he would completely regret how wasteful he had been, right now he enjoyed pretending that none of that mattered or even existed. And as he walked, he enjoyed pretending that he was walking into a different life where such subtleties like the price of a hot dog or cab fare were arbitrary, disregardable details. He'd kick himself for it later, but for now, he enjoyed his hot dog.

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Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn Archer Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Savannah Stonecraft Character Portrait: Robbie Amello Character Portrait: Jackson King
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Cara was too relieved that Roman was gone for her to notice how upset or angry he seemed on his way out. She couldn't believe that she had actually slept with him. It really had very little to do with him though. She had done a good job at making it seem like her shock and disgust was a personal attack towards him, but as she sat on the edge of the bed, still donning just her towel, she knew that it was meant more for herself. She wasn't disgusted with herself for the one night stand type of night, but just that it was that with someone she knew... but didn't know. Roman wasn't Jackson, a guy who was enough of an ass that it just wasn't awkward to sleep with with no strings attached. She didn't necessarily know Jackson very well either, but she knew him enough that she could sit down with him for dinner without an awkward air being undeniably present. The same couldn't be said for Roman. It wasn't because he was awkward, because he was obviously smooth enough to get laid on what Cara would imagine to be a regular basis if she remembered much of anything about their night in bed. It was just that she and Roman didn't seem to have anything in common, and even after living with him for nearly a year, Cara had never actually spoken to him. Their conversations had never amounted to much than a simple "hello" or being involved in the same conversation if Holly was the common link between them. And now, suddenly, they were sleeping together. It went from one end of the social spectrum to the other in a matter of a night and Cara didn't know how to react to that aside from freaking out.

It took her twenty minutes to calm herself down enough to call down to the front desk and book the hotel room for another night. She knew that she couldn't return to the basement after that, or at the very least, she couldn't return for more than ten minutes to pick up her things. Since she had gone to the extent to pay for another night at the hotel, she figured that there was no use in trying to live on her own anyway. Even if the Makayla fight hadn't made her wary of staying in the basement, the Roman event had sealed the deal on that one. She wasn't ready to get on her knees and beg her father for forgiveness and succumb to the rules and regulations that his gold-digger wife would try to impose on her, but what other choice did she have? Makayla hated her for no reason and she had just not only slept with Roman, but was a complete bitch to him after the fact. It seemed like it would be completely and utterly impossible to face either of them. And then again, she hated how she thought her problems were so big. Here she was, sitting in a nice hotel room, sulking over an unjustifiable fight with a friend, and sleeping with a boy who was aesthetically pleasing. She had the option of running back home to her extravagant penthouse with the only con being making up with her dad and putting her pride aside. It didn't seem that easy in her shoes, but in the grand scheme of things, that was it. Her problems meant nothing compared to Makayla, Alex, or Lennie, who worked jobs that left them with the chance of being diseased or killed, or Roman who literally took a beating for a living. Everyone in that basement had it worse than her, and here she was, thinking that her life was over.

She had lived on the streets for close to an entire year. It was a minute amount of time compared to some of the others, but for a girl like her, it was a big deal. If she could stay out there for a year, she could survive for at least a little while longer. She wasn't ready to give in to her father just yet. She did plan on coming back to the hotel later tonight since she had already paid for it, but for now, she needed to face her problem. If things went wrong, she knew in the back of her mind that running back home to Daddy would still be an option. It always was. After getting dressed, she left the hotel and started to walk back to the basement. Halfway through, she stopped at a Duane Reade with the original intentions of just getting a bottle of water to combat the summer heat. While she was in there though, her confidence started to dwindle and she decided to pick up a few things to hopefully make reconciling with Makayla and Roman easier. It would probably only make things more awkward, considering how Roman was and how she still didn't think she had done anything wrong to Makayla, but Cara just wanted things to be normal if she was going to remain in the basement. Duane Reade was no Barney's, but she picked up some makeup and personal hygiene products for Makayla. With absolutely no clue what to get Roman, a blank greeting card which after purchasing, she scribbled an "I'm sorry for being such a bitch!" message, and on her way back, a pack of cigarettes from a corner store.

It was a major relief when neither of the two were in the basement when Cara arrived. Nick, Jackson and Robbie were three of the first people that she spotted upon entering, but she was a moment late to hear Nick's inquiry about her whereabouts and had jogged up the stairs to the bar before anyone could call her back down. She needed a drink to boost her confidence level before either of them came back to the basement... but of course, the bar was closed. Cara groaned internally at the sight of the vacant tables and the unusual quietness that filled the space without Finn's loud voice. Had she not spotted Lennie and Savannah at the bar already, she probably would have abandoned her shopping bags downstairs and ran to the nearest bar that was open. However, she had no problems with either of the girls and actually liked both of them. "Hey! Have either of you seen Makayla, Roman or Brooklyn?" She hoped that the answer to the first two would be a no, but she was suddenly craving a chat with the last listed. Cara was well aware of how close Brooklyn and Roman were. For a few weeks when she had just moved in, she was sure that there was something going on between the two of them, despite knowing that Brooklyn and Nick were in a relationship. The two of them just seemed to bring out the good in the other, and now, Cara was hoping that their relationship really was just platonic. She did not want to get on Brooklyn's bad side, especially if jealousy was the cause of that. She would leave that role up to Savannah.

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Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn Archer Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Savannah Stonecraft Character Portrait: Robbie Amello Character Portrait: Jackson King
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ImageSavannah had been absentmindedly stirring her tea, when Makayla appeared. The poor girl looked about as tired as Savannah felt, she gave her a sweet smile as she called her name. "Hey, Savannah. Sorry to bother you, and I know this is asking a lot, but is there any chance that you would be okay with just keeping an eye on Holly for an hour? I've been feeling really sick for the past few weeks and I'm sure it's just the flu, but I think I need to go get it checked out. I would ask Cara but we aren't... she's not here right now. I promise I'll be quick, and Holly's upstairs with Brooklyn and Nick right now, but I just don't think I can keep putting off seeing a doctor any longer." She said and Savannah nodded with a frown. "Of course, of course, I'll look after her, no problem." She said and with that Makayla was off. Savannah looked after her until Lennie walked up. Savannah returned her smile. "Hey there, babysitter."Lennie teased and Savannah gave a soft laugh. "It'll be fun, I'm sure." She said standing up, preparing to find Holly, she knew she was with Brooklyn, but she wasn't going to let her diplomacy keep her from being around Brooklyn, honestly, she didn't have a reason to hate her, Savannah had said but a few words to her, nothing to imply any animosity, yet that didn't seem to stop Brooklyn's clear disdain. Problem was, she was with Nick...she hadn't spoken to Nick at all last night, which since she'd been here, the two of them were nearly inseparable.

It was then she saw Cara come in and she smiled at her too. "Hey! Have either of you seen Makayla, Roman or Brooklyn?"
Then, Robbie made an appearance, saying he hadn't seen them but due the fact that he'd just woken up.
Savannah smiled. "Makayla went to the doctor, she wasn't feeling well, Brooklyn is downstairs, and I'm sorry, I haven't seen Roman." She said with a tight lipped smile. Two of the three, she could do without for the time being.

"Excuse me," Savannah said politely to the two women. "Makayla requested that I look after Holly whilst she's gone." She said and after that, she made her way downstairs. She saw Nick and immediately her heart stopped. She wished he would just say something, A simple hello, how are you, would be nice. Him avoiding her like the plague was killing her. She hadn't really noticed until she saw him. She continued her stride, right to him.
"Good Morning, Nick..." She said, a bit nervously. "I um...I just..." She stammered over what to say. It didn't used to be this hard to talk to him.

"Uh, Have you seen Holly, Makayla asked me to look after her, I said I would," she said, trying her hardest not to pressure him for anything, despite how much she wanted to. She suddenly felt cold, as the memory of being in his arms crossed her mind.

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Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Robbie Amello Character Portrait: Savannah Stonecraft*
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Nick couldn't blame Savannah for not wanting to get dinner if Brooklyn there, because realistically speaking, she was right; Brooklyn wasn't going to want to get dinner if Savannah was there. It was wrong of him to expect either girl to want to, really. Savannah, because Brooklyn would certainly be a cold bitch to her for no reason, and because Brooklyn was the girl that Nick had spent hours ranting about to Savannah. She had heard the worsts of Brooklyn and had put up with Nick's venting sessions when she had no reason to care, and it was probably a bit of a slap in the face to throw all of those feelings out the window the second Brooklyn showed up again. It wasn't fair to her, and it wasn't fair to Brooklyn either. Sure, she had been the one to end their relationship and yes, Nick did know that it was mostly her fault for being so selfish and demanding, but why should she be expected to get along with the girl that Nick had almost moved on to? In a perfect world, Brooklyn and Savannah could both get along and give Nick the time he needed to figure out what he wanted with his life, but it was callous for him to expect them to shut off their emotions to protect his own. He knew that, but he also didn't see any other sensible alternative if they were all going to live together. Brooklyn and Savannah would need to be civil with each other if they were going to be sleeping only a couple of yards apart every night. It wasn't like Savannah was currently working either, so it was more than likely that the two of them would spend time together inside the basement during the day too. The basement already wasn't the most cheerful place to live in, but if the animosity between Savannah and Brooklyn progressed - which is was nearly guaranteed to - than it was going to be completely toxic down there.

Robbie's suggestion seemed like it could work. It would be wrong to stoop down to Roman's level of secrecy to try to get the two of them to sit down and talk to each other, but he was sure that Brooklyn would be even more hesitant than Savannah to do it if she knew that Savannah was going to be there. "Maybe I don't owe you anything, but you deserve a real answer from me on what we are... and I want us to be something, but... like you said, seven years is a lot of time, and with her back so unexpectedly, I just don't know where my head's at right now. If I get her to come have dinner, will you come? You can even ask Lennie or Makayla or someone to come too, if you feel more comfortable that way. I just... I think it would be better for everyone if you guys are on amicable terms, you know?"

Holly had come down in the middle of his response, and luckily hadn't made her way over until he was finished speaking. She made her presence known now though, as she boldly tugged at Savannah's hair as if they had known each other forever. It was a perfect example of how different Brooklyn and Savannah were. If it were the blonde being pulled and poked by Holly, Holly would probably have a hand print on the side of her face by now. Savannah was so gentle and patient and kind. Without even realizing it, briefly watching their interaction made him smile. Holly started to go on about Makayla and some shopping trip, and Nick figured that now was a good time to figure out how he was going to ask Brooklyn to dinner. "I don't need an answer now, just think about it," Nick said to Savannah as he headed past them and up the stairs that led to the alley. He was halfway up when Roman started coming down, and asked where Brooklyn was. "She was in Finn's apartment a little while ago. Cara just went up there too, I think," he said. "I'm going to go grab a drink, come if you're in the mood," He offered, not waiting for Roman's response as he stepped past him and made his way into the alley.

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Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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One o' clock had turned around by the time he decided to leave Central. With his belly full and some time alone it was safe to say that he was now in a better mood than he had been when he woke up. There was still some leftover grogginess from the hangover, but that was sure to go away with time. He'd have stayed longer and enjoyed the sounds and scenery of the park, but the parch was beginning to form on his tongue and the longer he waited, the harder it was to ignore. The many food stands surrounding him were tempting, but now that his head was clearer, he knew he couldn't afford to buy another soda, not that he was able to afford it to begin with. It would make the most sense to just go back where he could get a drink for free. On top of that, it was beginning to get hotter and he could feel the burn in his skin getting stronger. Taking in everything for a last time, he headed down Manhattan, the crowds and hustle familiar to him, and soon enough Finn's was in his view.

Seeing the bar inevitably brought him a feeling of dread. It wasn't so much the place itself. He knew he couldn't complain too much about the basement to begin with since he could be sleeping under an underpass somewhere. Plus he'd was so used to not having a formal living space by now that it would somehow seem stranger to live in a house or apartment. The dread, though, came from everything inside the basement. The past two months brought so much change, pretty much none of it good, that it was hard not to expect the worst. For all he knew, Brooke could have fought with Savannah, or Holly could have made some kind of mess. As he drew closer to the bar, he didn't ignore the aversion he felt. It happened so often now that it felt natural. Still, though, he wished there was somewhere else for him to go. It wasn't the basement itself. Unlike Brooke, staying in a basement wasn't beneath him. He'd grown up in a quite privileged lifestyle, one he didn't care to detail very much, but the shock that accompanied the sudden change from rich to poor knocked out any bit of pride he had when it came to living conditions. It would just be nice to not feel trapped in his own home, if the basement could even be called that. Brooke had friends whose place she could stay at; it was what she did while she was gone. And Nick had a few connections just from all the people he interacted with his job. And he sure as hell wasn't like Cara who could afford a hotel to vacation from her vacation. Killens, though, couldn't really rely on any of that. If anything, he tried to make sure he didn't run into any 'coworkers' for lack of a better term. Brooke and Nick were his only real friends, which he was fine with by all means, but when he'd rather be anywhere but the basement, it would be nice to know a few other people just to get away for a bit. Right now, his only options were to just go walking or to hang out in some public place, but even that got tiring.

The first face he saw was was Nick's. A quick glance around the room confirmed his distaste for staying downstairs. There was Savannah and Holly and Jackson, all of whom were annoying in their own right; but it might have been the last bit of his foul mood talking. Without much of a second thought, he mumbled, "Have you seen Brooke?" Roman was set for the stairs that led to the bar before Nick mentioned Cara being upstairs with Brooke. He stopped quickly. Now the basement was the second last place he wanted to be right now. While he was out, he'd managed to forget the morning's events, but now it was all coming back, especially now that he wasn't as foggy as before. There was definitely no talking to Brooke now. Luckily Nick saved him from too much decision making as he offered him to go out for a drink, not seeming to care if Roman said yes or no since he continued up the stairs without waiting for an answer. Killens knew he didn't have the money, but if it meant avoiding the impending awkwardness should he see Cara then he wasn't going to turn anything down. "Yeah, I'll go," he said quietly as he turned around and followed Nick.

Thinking he had done something clever by avoiding the tension between him and Cara, he forgot the situation with Nick. He couldn't tell from any expression on Nick's face, but the only bit of trouble that showed seemed to be from something else and nothing going on between them. It was both a relief and a cause for concern, but Roman wasn't one to pry with Nick unless he felt he really needed to. He saw it enough just to walk with him to wherever they going, and he was sure Nick was fine with it as well. Still, he wanted there to be some short exchange, even if it was something as mundane and conspicuous as asking him if he was done with work. For someone who wasn't much of a talker, it was slightly out of character, but for once the silence bothered him. "You've finished for the day, I assume?" he said in reference to Nick's line of business, although he already knew the answer, should this day be like the rest. Killens wasn't looking for a long conversation, but for some reason he still felt the urge to say at least something, even if all he got in return was a one word answer.

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Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Holly Madden Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Robbie Amello Character Portrait: Jackson King
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It took Makayla a half an hour to been seen by the doctor, and only fifteen minutes for a diagnosis to be made. She was pregnant. It shouldn't have been that much of a shock to her. She and Jackson had been having unprotected sex for a good three months, but as ignorant as it was, she didn't think that she would ever wind up pregnant. He had made a big deal about how much condoms cost him, and insisted that he would pull out every time (with that almost never happening), and well, she never paid much attention in her high school health class. So much so, that she believed him when he said that she could only get pregnant on the first day of her menstrual cycle and had made sure to never sleep with him on that day. But she was pregnant, and wow, did that news hit her like a ton of bricks. The doctor wasn't an OBGYN but estimated that she was ten to twelve weeks in, and after giving her some pamphlets on abortion clinics in her areas and churches that helped new mothers, sent her on her way. He had other people to see and couldn't waste any more time on the distraught girl who have slept around and was now paying the price. And she was literally going to have to pay the price. A quick glimpse at one of the abortion clinic pamphlets informed her that it would cost $450 dollars to get the abortion in her first trimester. If she was already at twelve weeks, that meant that the window for that would be a few days at most, and after that, she would be forced to pay over an extra hundred dollars for each week! It was mind boggling, yet it seemed like such a typical display of how cruel the world could be. Whenever Makayla thought that things couldn't possibly get worse, her life plummeted even further.

Makayla had managed to keep herself composed until halfway through the subway ride back home. A young woman who couldn't have been more than two or three years older than herself was seated across from her with an infant in a sling across her chest. Maybe it was just the pregnancy hormones making her extremely emotional, but the sight of what was apparently going to be the future-her made her crack. She didn't start sobbing, and the silent tears dripped down her face in a way that went unnoticed by the other passengers who surely had their own problems to worry about. Makayla didn't necessarily want them to notice anyway, but she wanted someone to notice. She wanted someone to save her and make all of these problems go away. When she got off of the subway, she was at a point where the thought of jumping back onto the tracks crossed her mind. She didn't stand on the edge and contemplate it, nor did she jump into the busy road like she considered as she walked back to the bar. They were thoughts that crossed her mind though, and while she wasn't actively suicidal, it didn't seem like a horrible choice at this point. She was either going to have to someone muster up the cash to get an abortion and kill her unborn child or give birth to a kid that would either live a horrible and impoverished life with her, or a potentially good or potentially bad life if she put it up for adoption. But then she would have to deal with seven more months of a grueling pregnancy, all while living in the poor conditions of that basement, with Holly still as a dependent. None of the options seemed to be good ones at all, and even if she was somehow able to come up with the money for an abortion, she didn't know if she wanted to abort the baby. There was so much to think about and on top of all of the other issues that Makayla was dealing with, this was just too much. To make matters even worse, the doctor had advised her against drinking or using drugs and she had never craved a blunt half as much as she was craving one right now.

Jackson didn't know where Cara was and was too lost in his own laziness to even answer Nick when he asked about his whereabouts. Robbie had woken up moments before and asked to get food, but Jackson wasn't in the mood to socialize. He was hungry and craving Chinese food but now with two warm beers swishing around in his stomach, he didn't know if he could stomach any of the cheap crap he was normally able to eat. He pressed his eyes shut as he heard Savannah came down, and then Holly. There were times when he could be a jackass and make sarcastic quips to purposely piss off the girls in the basement, but he wasn't in that playful mood this morning. He still felt half asleep and the beer's disgusting taste that he had thought would pull him from his slumber was now only making him feel more ill.

Nick dismissed himself once Holly came downstairs and Jackson had kept his eyes glued shut for long enough to miss both Robbie leaving and Roman coming halfway in and then back out. However, when Holly's annoying voice and Savannah's oh-so-British voice were the only ones left present he decided that it was time to get food. He figured that getting some fresh air would be good for his mood. At the very least, it couldn't hurt when compared to the humid, musty air that had filled the basement since early June. He hated the harsh New York winters but the heat of this summer was starting to make him crave the cool weather already. The thought of doing what Robbie was doing and stealing some food from Finn's kitchen crossed his mind, but as much of an ass as Jackson could be, he wasn't going to do it. Finn had housed him for a couple of years and expected nothing in return and while other people's emotions weren't Jackson's top priority, he had enough respect for the bar owner to try to stay out of his hair. Jackson had become acquainted with the streets in the three years that he had been homeless, but he didn't think that he would ever be comfortable with them enough to be okay with getting kicked out. For the standards of homeless people, they were already living a pretty luxurious life down there and Jackson had to be thankful for that.

He had managed to get halfway down the street when he spotted Makayla coming towards him. At first, he had smirked. She was one of the few people that he could be playful with no matter what time it was. There was a sort of spunk in her that just wasn't comparable to anyone else, but when he got close enough to actually speak to her, the smirk dropped. She was crying? Yeah, she was crying. She wasn't making any noises, but her body was shaking and her face was stained with tears. "What's wrong?" he asked, his brows narrowing as he tried to evaluate her further. She didn't look physically hurt or anything, and he had just seen Holly in the basement, so it wasn't like she had died. What else could be bothering her?

"I- I'm pr-pregnant." Once she had opened her mouth to speak, it was impossible for her to keep the sobs inside any longer. Saying, for the first time, that she was pregnant made it even worse.

"You're... you're pregnant? Are you fucking kidding me?" In an instant, Jackson felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks too. He wasn't speaking loudly or offensively, just in a quiet, shocked voice. "You're pregnant?" After that question rang in his head twenty more times, he reassured himself that it wasn't with his kid. Makayla slept with tens of guys a month. What were the chances that it was his kid? Probably pretty good since he had never once used a condom with her and she was adamant about using ones with the guys she prostituted herself to... but he wouldn't accept that just yet. He wouldn't bring it up now either though, because he did care about Makayla. He cared about her enough that it seemed instinctual to pull her to the side of the sidewalk and wrap his arms around her as her chest heaved with sobs.

"I can't do this anymore, Jackson. Oh my fucking god, I can't do any of this anymore."

"I know, it'll be okay though. It'll be alright, okay? Look, let's just go get something to eat and chill for a little. Holly's okay down there with Savannah, I just saw them. We can hang out for a little while and you'll see that this is all going to be fine, alright?" He was definitely not the most comforting person by nature, but Makayla also wasn't the type of person who just broke down for no reason. Jackson knew this was bad and as much as he wanted to convince himself that he had no part in this and it wasn't his fault or his kid, he knew he was in trouble too.

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Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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Nickshrugged in response to Roman's question about whether he was finished selling for the day or not. He didn't really know himself. Most days, he had set stops to make and once those were over, he would say he was done. With Brooklyn back though, he was feeling more strapped for cash than he actually was. It wasn't like she had made a single move to show that she expected him to buy her anything or take her out for "nice meals". Just her mere presence reminded him of how financially insufficient she made him feel, and it had his thoughts drifting back to Cara. He couldn't ask her for money. Not only would it be a major hit to his own pride, but it would just be wrong to ask that of her. He knew she came to money and he and Brooklyn speculated that that flow of cash hadn't stopped once she had ran away from home, but if she still had an endless amount of money, why wasn't she living in her own apartment? He didn't even know how much he would ask her for, or how he would explain it. Telling her that he needed money to pretend to Brooklyn he had earned wasn't going to go over well with either girl, and even if he was able to convince her into lending him a grand or so, what would he do when that money ran out? That wouldn't even pay a month's rent in New York, and once that was gone, he would be back to square one, with not having enough money to please Brooklyn or keep them living the lifestyle that she dreamed of. It sucked, it really did. Without a college diploma or even a high school diploma, getting a job and making an honest living seemed just as hopeless too. He didn't even want to get a real job. Being tied down to a schedule, reporting to some power-hungry boss, having to dress a certain way and speak a certain way and act a certain way... it just wasn't him. After being on the streets for so many years, he had grown to resent those sort of expectations. Dedicating forty hours a week behind the grill at some shitty fast food place would leave him with half of what he made selling drugs anyway. It just didn't seem worth it.

"I don't know. Depends, I guess. I don't know if you were there last night, but sorry if you were. I just couldn't be down there with the two of them on the first night back, and I ended up making a couple extra stops. One of the kids from Hunter that buys a shit ton of weed from me let me stay the night, but I wasn't trying to leave you to deal with the two of them." Nick had lit a cigarette while they walked and offered the open pack towards Roman. "Guess you've been hanging out with Brooklyn a lot more than I thought, though, so being around her again shouldn't have been such a big shock to you." He wasn't saying it with any malice in his tone. His voice was actually rather emotionless as he kept his head straight and weaved his way through the crowds. He wasn't walking with any set location in mind. One of the many positives of living in New York was that no matter how long you lived there, you could always find a new place to explore. After about ten minutes of walking, the duo approached a populated strip of restaurants, bars and stores and Nick nodded towards the first pub he saw. It made little sense going into a restaurant so similar to Finn's, when he'd likely be coughing up twenty dollars for a burger and some beers there, and zero at Finn's. It was worth it right now though, when all Nick wanted was to be away from all of the drama in the basement. "This good with you?" he asked, already pushing the front door of the place open.

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Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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Killens wasn't expecting any kind of apology from Nick, especially not one over leaving him in the basement with Brooke and Savannah. It never crossed his mind until now since he didn't sleep in the basement last night, but he wasn't going to tell Nick that. As Roman took the cigarette Nick held out to him, about to tell him not to worry about staying elsewhere the previous night, he watched Nick closely for any hint of animosity after his comment about him hanging with Brooke more than realized. From the looks of it, nothing was there. If anything the guy just looked tired and drained. He considered making a jab anyway. Something about how he had Savannah to occupy him while Roman was with Brooke, or how he was surprised Nick had noticed since he was so caught up in Savannah recently. As he lit the cigarette, he decided against it. He knew he'd be taking his frustration out on the wrong person, or even if Nick did deserve it, he didn't deserve it right now. Instead he just breathed out the smoke and said, "I guess," although he was sure Nick wasn't listening anymore; he seemed off in his own world today.

Maybe Killens's plan on escaping the basement's suffocation proved futile since it was clear what was bothering Nick. Roman would have helped, or at least tred to, but he was biased. He didn't like Savannah. He wasn't going to pretend to like her. The way he saw it, Nick liked Brooke but Savannah was in the way. Brooke liked Nick but her pride was in the way. Nick didn't seem troubled until Brooklyn came back, so it was clear he wanted to be with her. Roman's only advice would be to drop Savannah; that simple. Of course, it was his own selfishness that he didn't recognize that made him want Nick and Brooke to get back together. He knew close to nothing about Savannah, but the same could said for most of the basement's inhabitants. He knew Nick and Brooklyn's relationship better than Nick and Savannah's, and he could honestly tell himself that what they had wasn't the sweetest, but for him it was what he was used to. Even with all the bumps and hurdles that he was inevitably tossed in by being friends with the both of them, it was a normal for him, and Savannah disrupted that normalcy. He wanted them together less because they were meant for each other, but more because it was just how it always was. Even with the growing amount of people in the basement, he'd managed to get over it and be mostly indifferent because everything closest to him had still remained the same. With his real family he was never very close because the concern was more about his successes than anything else. He didn't grow up going to birthday parties or sleepovers or summer camps, and as it had a tendency to show now, he never mastered the skill at making friends. So in a way Nick and Brooke were the closest thing to a family he'd had and probably would have. But with Savannah there, she threatened everything and Roman wasn't willing to change, or even sure if he could.

Of course, Killens didn't see himself as the bad guy in the situation as he was too concerned with placing that title on Savannah. To him it was Nick and Brooke's own stubbornness that kept things from getting solved. Brooke and her ego and then Nick and his seeming unwillingness - which Roman didn't understand - to just forget Savannah. He thought he knew more than he did from the simple fact that he'd known Brooklyn and Nick the longest, but he wasn't aware of the bond that Nick had formed with Savannah and how that played a part in his uncertainty. As far as he was concerned, he'd done the noble thing by managing to get Brooklyn back and it was likely his own frustration with Nick not immediately going back to her after Killens had to practically beg for her to return that made him not want to really comfort the guy. Instead, he resolved his own selfish reluctance to Nick looking like he didn't want to talk as he followed him into the cooled pub. The pub was pretty Finn-y and he wasn't sure why they came here, but he didn't care or focus on it too much as they found a seat somewhere.

"I don't know if you're eating, but I'm not really hungry," he said, which was true, but his lack of funds also played a big role. From a glance in his wallet, he was under a hundred as of now. And the guilt he was sure to have felt after his lavish lunch was starting to come full force. Guess he was skipping dinner tonight. "I'll just get a drink or something," he said as he looked around and took the building in. Sometimes it was fun just to people watch, and with Nick or Brooke, he didn't feel pressured to talk so he took his time taking in the surroundings until he finally turned back to Nick and looked at him for a moment. He was in a good mood before and he wasn't going to let Nick deteriorate that just because he couldn't make simple decisions. Killens stretched his arms out, taking up the length of the table as he yawned, smiling some and the playfulness apparent in his voice. "You know, Nick, you might have some competition coming your way. My shitty job's not really doing much for me; might resort to selling too, so you better watch out."

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Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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Nick didn't pay much mind to Roman commenting that he was just going to get a drink. He wasn't rolling in cash at the moment either, but he could spare ten dollars for a burger. He was hungry so the food would serve its intended purpose, but he also needed something to take his mind off of Brooklyn and Savannah. Roaming about the city on his own would only do him good for ten minutes or so before his thoughts would end up back on the two girls. Sitting here with Roman and eating seemed like it could be a good distraction. He hadn't hung out with Roman very frequently since Brooklyn left, and even less once Savannah stepped into the scene, and he figured that now was as good of a time as ever to break that cycle. He wanted to still be annoyed at Roman's sly move of bringing Brooke back without warning, but he tried to tell himself that it was bound to happen, with or without Roman's influence. Besides, the last thing that he wanted to deal with right now was more drama, and especially not with his best friend. Despite Killens rubbing him the wrong way yesterday, they were like brothers and hanging out would always be easy and carefree.

Even now, as they went without conversation for a few moments, it was comfortable. Their silence was never awkward, but today of all days, Nick needed the distraction of conversation to keep his mind from wandering back to his relationship issues. Even Killens' playful remark couldn't alleviate the dismal mood he was in, though. "You better watch your ass out there if you do. Sell on the wrong corner and you'll be shot before you make a single sale," he shook his head. Nick's job was definitely less dangerous than Roman's, but Nick was also experienced in dealing. Years ago before he had even met Roman, he was involved in the game a lot more heavily and had learned first hand how things worked. Today, he was only dealing on the street level and barely that at all. College and high school students consisted of a huge portion of his clientele and with good reason. There was a high demand amongs them for the light drugs that he sold, and in New York City, most of them had the money to allow him to only have to sell to them. He wasn't forced into the projects or bad parts of towns and rarely ever had hard drugs on him, because he didn't have to sell those. It made the risk of him ever being caught smaller, and the penalties associated with being caught smaller too. That wasn't to say that drug dealing was an easy or safe gig though, and while he knew Roman was joking, he also wasn't going to shy away from insisting that Roman would make a better fighter than he would a dealer.

A waitress came to their table before the conversation could go any further. Nick ordered a burger and a Guinness and waited for Killens to place his drink order before thanking the woman. Besides the fact that he knew he wouldn't be able to tip her very well, Nick tried to be overly nice to his waitresses since meeting Brooklyn. The horror stories that he heard from her, though he knew most were exaggerated with her short temper, reminded him of how poorly service workers were treated. If anything, he was saving this girl's boyfriend from having to listen to her complain on and on about how bad of a customer he was. When the two were alone again, Nick resumed the conversation where they had left off. "Fighting's not looking good, though? What's up with that?" He waited for Roman's response and again, thanked the waitress as she placed their drinks on the table, before turning to him with a more serious question. "You know I'm the last person to go all 'Brooke' on you man, so don't think I'm being like that, but do you have any idea what you're gonna do when that fighting shit stops working out for you?" Nick really was just being curious, and not judgmental. He didn't have any idea what he was going to do for the rest of his life either, but again, drug dealing wasn't as immediately dangerous as fighting was. It didn't seem as necessary to have an immediate backup plan on deck.