This Alexa xo

Celal: are you fucking drunk or something? I'M ENDER'S BROTHER. My name is C E L A L. Celal: I'm gonna ram my head against a wall in a minute. Celal: *me considering inviting you for drinks...* Celal: Now very much reconsidering. You can't even remember me, and we work together? Jesus.

Ruby:

Celal: Fuck you, Ruby. :) Celal: Ender's brother. Ffs. Celal: I hate explaining myself like that.

Ruby: Oh, Ender! Why didn't you say it was you? who tf is Celal?

Celal: Do you usually leave it this long to reply to people? Jesus. Celal: Celal, dipshit. 😁 Celal: Your fave annoying lil shit. Celal: Well, maybe not your FAVEEEEE but.. :)

Ruby: Who?

Texting 📱 Ruby

Celal: I would say...I can't see you and haven't been able to find you, but this is a festival and my eyesight might be a little shocking... Celal: That was a long winded way of asking...where the fuck are you? Come and rescue me.

Ruby: who's this?

futvreuse

when he first moved to tonopah valley, apex was a place tristan often visited, eager to use one of the skills he'd picked up along the way. it wasn't exactly like he could go around and shoot whatever he wanted, at least here he could shoot some things.

tristan approached the stalls and saw a familiar head bobbing around in one, it had been a while since he'd last seen ruby, but the same could be said for just about anyone not involved with the sons.

"ya know, they did once," he said taking another step forward despite the weapon aimed at him. "but something tells me you might have been told some things and chosen to ignore them as well," tristan suggested as he nodded at the gun.

"is this how you say hello to everyone?" he asked with a small smile before placing his gun and box of ammo on the counter of the stall next to hers.

Her gun followed him even when he stepped closer. Tristan had been in Tonopah longer than she had, well, since she came back, but the guy was interesting enough for her to look into him. When in came to her hometown, somehow it attracted the most interesting people, with the most interesting backgrounds. Se'd always have ATF and herself to thank for getting information she needed.

"Something? Or is it the gun that's pointing at you? I can see you're not actually blind." With that, Ruby finally lowered her gun, but didn't look away from him.

"No, only to special people." She grinned and eventually placed her gun down on the counter, moving to get her next box of bullets. As she pressed the button to bring her target to her, so she could change the paper, she smiled happily seeing all the bullets gone through the bullseye. "You seem a bit special, you know. Can't quite decide if you need a bullet in you or not." She was mostly joking, as if she'd actually shoot him in broad daylight. "Someone got you pissed off or are you here to... Show off?" Though it was just the two of them there besides the staff.

#;; tristan rhodes

"Is it working?"

Ruby always had this very specific way of needling him, like a pincushion being poked and poked until the stuffing eventually began to spill out — thankfully, it was a game he didn't mind playing. Leaning back against the bar, he cast a sidelong glance, lips quirking. He'd been prepared to drink alone, but he didn't exactly mind the company. But she was right about one thing—they were stuck with each other for the foreseeable future. Whether that was a good thing or just outright fucking unnerved him, he hadn't quite decided yet.

"No one's getting rid of you, Batista. You're like the fucking plague." He snorted to himself. However, her question floored him. Stopping with the shot that had just arrived touching his lips. Talking about himself wasn't exactly a strong suit. He preferred to listen — make snide or sarcastic remarks until they got pissed off enough that they usually left him alone. How he'd ever managed to cheat on his wife was beyond him. For some, his thoughts might've made it seem like he regretted it — and in some ways he did, but in most...he simply didn't.

It was the easiest place to start. "I'm in the middle of a divorce." he didn't wait to knock the shot back, before turning to face her with a smile. "Your turn. Every time someone answers with a fact, we drink."

"Can't argue that Ender has...." His nose scrunched as he shook his head. He was not having this conversation about his older brother. He appreciated the banter; it eased the tension that often lingered between those thrown together by circumstance rather than choice. And it happened far more regularly than any of them wanted. Usually, there was always one dimwit on the team who'd fuck everything up for everyone else. "Can you not. There are plenty of other men out there. Talk about them. What were those guys everyone used to be obsessed with? Edward and Jacob? Yeah, them. Talk about them."

Celal had always prided himself on being the golden boy. But as years had come and gone, he'd fallen behind on that title. Ender had moved by leaps and fucking bounds and Celal's life was literally falling apart. He didn't hate him, but sometimes...just a little — he envied him.

Ruby shot him a look which asked, fucking really? As, obviously, she was still sat there, not moving and, figuratively, enjoying her night.

Once he started to talk about his divorce, Ruby flagged the bartender, gesturing for a second drink as she downed the rest. "Are you putting a label on yourself, Yilmaz? Who the fuck cares if you're getting a divorce or not? I couldn't give two fucks, but obviously you do? Seriously, it's as if that one life event would define you?" Ruby rolled her eyes, nodding once the new drink was in front of her. Some people really wanted to label themselves just so they could moan about shit, and Ruby wasn't going to have it. "Don't even think I'm going to ask you about any of that shit. Just keep it to yourself and stop crying about it."

Ruby wasn't the kind of girl who would swoon at anyone, let alone a man with crocodile tears. "My star sign is a leo." She threw the easiest thing at him because, for obvious reasons, she wouldn't, couldn't tell him a lot of her life. Everything else - he could have looked up.

Arching her brows at him, Ruby once again shook her head. "You need to read better literature. And why I'm bringing him up, because you lot are doing a fucking family reunion at the force. That's just fucking weird." Next, they'd be bringing their kids into work.

nikodimopoulos

Niko let out a scoff. "Looks can be deceiving." He mumbled, bringing his beer to his lips. Sure, the Dimopoulos' were this big, loud, happy family -- that much was true, but there had always been a darker side to them that they seldom let any outsiders see, even the ones who knew they were involved with Los Santos. The money laundering, the family members that worked under the table with expired green cards -- hell, the inability for any of them to have real, honest conversations or show complex emotions? Maybe it didn't compare to the shitstorm that Ruby grew up around, but it was far from straight.

"Maybe that's the problem." Doing everything for them. For a cartel, an organization that didn't give them shit in return. One that crumbled under the slightest sign of weakness. Niko was starting to see things clearer now, for better or for worse. "So, what, you're going to stay with ATF while you look for your next fix? Sell guns and drugs from the evidence lockers and what not?"

Brows narrowed, he turned to look at her. "You have ways to help me? What does that even mean?"

"Don't I know it." She managed a small grin at his words. Maybe for the first time, she didn't actually mean anything bad with it. She just knew, having read up enough about Niko, to have some understanding. Funnily enough, now that they felt like friends, she didn't want to invade his privacy too much. Trust was a funny thing, and she wasn't sure how Niko, out of all people, got it. She guessed because he was still there, in the same boat as she was. Though, of course, he could also leave the next day too, but at least he was here now. "But you just said you were thinking about a straight way, at least. Doesn't that count for something? The thought in itself?"

While maybe Niko was right, she didn't agree with him. Even if she had done so much for them, she didn't regret it. Yeah, she hated how quick it was gone, how quick they were disregarded, but for so long, they had been her family. The only people who had ever looked after her.

How fucking sad was that?

"It's my job." She said, not wanting to get more into the conversation of LS, so Ruby chose to ignore it. "I'm not going to go out of my way to do shit. That's not in my morals. As funny as it sounds." She grinned at him. "I'm just..." she shrugged, because in reality, she didn't actually have an answer to it.

"It means what it means. It means if you need help, I'm there." It was something that Ruby hardly ever offered to people outside her circle. What she meant was that she would help him with what he needed, and he knew how capable she was. The kind of help just wasn't defined, and it was better that way.

#;; niko dimopoulos

Where: Apex Gun Range Who: @tristanrhodcs

The gun range was one of the few places Ruby could get away from people. In general. While ATF did offer training grounds, there were times, like the one today, where she didn't want to be surrounded by anyone at all. The mess she had in her head was already enough, without others babbling on and on about some shit she didn't care.

At least here, she could go round after round, imagining there was someone's head on the targer. Though this time, she actually brought props - a clowns head in the middle of the paper target. She couldn't exactly be that obvious.

As she was relloading her gun, Ruby felt the presence of somone else, and she quickly turned her head, poiting the gun (with no bullets) directly at their head. "Didn't anyone tell you it's not nice to sneak up on people?"

#;; tristan rhodes

"Ever thought of a different career? You'd make a fantastic pickpocket."

The coat moved like magic, had the corner of his lips curling. Cute, if it wasn't masked by the devil horns that went with Ruby. A snort slipped from him, a quick shake of his head. He hardly knew the girl, but they worked together.

"My mouth, huh, I mean...awkwardly, not the first time I've heard that? I've been told I talk too much for my own good." Celal raised his glass in a mock toast before taking a large sip, letting the whiskey settle in his chest. It wasn't a lie, and it was something he often wondered about. Was that the reason he'd never been able to get past his station in politics? Was he too outspoken in that regard?

"Johnny Walker Blue, coming right up," the bartender echoed, and he did his best not to grimace. Not to look at how much this was going to cost him, but he didn't care. Not really. Especially when he was in a new place and knew fucking no one. A hum, swift, grunted as he eyed Ruby for a second.

"My brother's face? What did he do this time?" An ice-breaker, of sorts. Because he couldn't imagine Ender having done anything. "Somehow, I doubt that it was bad enough to get you two in the ring. But I'll bite."

"Trying to get rid of me already, Cely?" She grinned, tapping her fingers on the counter. "Tough luck. You're going to have to be stuck with me for a little while longer." Well, like all the people within ATF, until there was going to be something new for them.

Her eyes focused on him, even when the bartender put her drink in front of her. "Well, why don't you make that mouth be more useful, then? Why don't you tell me something I wouldn't know about you now that we're going to be working together?" Since neither one of them was undercover, they kind of had to.

Ruby poured a mouthful of her drink into her mouth, placing the glass in the same place. Maybe she wouldn't have to stick around for as long as the drink went down smoothly. Or was that even a thing? With LS dismantled, Ruby was really trying to find her place in the world now and she didn't exactly know what it was.

Was she supposed to go find another gang? Really put herself into the ring with ATF? Would that even bring anything since she'd never been one to trust the government? What a fucking pathetic situation she was in. Nico mentioned about going straight, but she doubted she had it in her. But with no choice? She downed the rest of the drink.

"Nothing at all. I was just saying he's better looking than you." She said back with a roll of her eyes, but there was also a teasing smile playing on her lips.

logandonovan

Logan typically enjoyed hanging out with Ruby. Sure, they had been competitive back in school, but who could blame them? Now, though, with the probing questions Ruby was throwing at her in reagrds to her brother, Logan couldn't help but feel a bit confused - not sure what exactly she was hinting at. It wasn't like Logan knew every little detail of Nate's life—she didn't need to know—but still. "I think every town has secrets," Logan countered with a casual shrug, her small smile gradually making its way back to her lips. "It comes with the territory."

Internally, Ruby sighed. If anything, Logan would have been good for Los Santos, or maybe another gang, due to her fierce loyalty. Though then again, she technically was a part of one. In a way, at least.

"Forget I asked. I must be going crazy because I probably need a vacation." Probably she did, but also she liked to annoy Nathaniel by any means. Too bad his sister wasn't talking. "How about I go, take a nap and we meet up another day to get absolutely wasted or some shit? You can throw a drink at me if that makes you feel better?"

#;; logan donavan

"I wasn't expecting anyone," Celal corrected, gesturing down to the drink in front of him as a sly smirk crept onto his lips. Since his and Afet's impending divorce had become public knowledge in his family...let's say things had shifted. He'd once been a man who took pride in appearing as a family man. But when love had become lost, he'd lost all momentum to want to care, until he hadn't any more. "Hence there being one drink and my coat not being draped over that one." Pointing to the chair she was about to take: Celal was, of course, joking.

If she wanted it, it was hers. It wasn't like anyone was going to tell Ruby otherwise. He hadn't known her long at all, and in their brief encounters, he couldn't deny that she was...hard fucking work. "Whatever the lady wants," he told the bartender in passing, before resting his elbow on the bar top. "You always bust everyone's balls that you meet, or is it just me? I've been told I have a punchable face." A few too many times, something he wouldn't admit.

"What coat?" She asked, pointing at the back of her chair where there was no coat. Once she sat down, she had already removed the coat swiftly to the next chair, and really, if she wanted to, she could have also checked through his pockets. You never knew what men these days were hiding. Especially the ones in the ATF. For her, everyone had secrets and what she learned was that the ones in gangs, or whatever one might call ones, had a reason for everything. It made sense, the whole fight against the government and the way things were done. Usually, it was people wanting a better life in some ways because they came from fuck all. But it was the ones in governments that had the nastiest secrets to hide. She already had checked his background, so the pockets would come another day.

"Now that you're paying... Johnie Walker Blue label, double." She definitely couldn't afford it, but since he was so kindly offering. "Depends who you ask." She smiled and then looked at him, analysing his face. "I don't think it's your face that's punchable. Actually, it's a quite nice looking face... Not sure yet if it quite matches your brothers, but... I think probably it's your mouth that people want to punch."

FOR: @rubybatistax WHEN: June 24. WHERE: The Scarlet Lounge.

"I didn't expect to run into you so soon — you following me or something?" Celal jested over the rim of his drink, a slow, easy smile spreading across his lips, brow kinking into an arch. For a man who'd never been interested in alcohol before, he now found himself frequenting bars more often than he otherwise would. "Guess you're here for the same reason as me—that briefing today," blowing out a low whistle, features falling for a second, pausing to raise his hand to order another drink. "Next one's on me. I think we both need it."

"Yet, you were expecting?" Ruby arched her brow as she slipped into the seat next to him. Was she passing the time? Yes, quite frankly, but there was nothing better to do and Celal and his brother were fresh meat in town. "God, didn't know your life was so boring that you counting the time when you see your co-workers." On that, she grinned and finished the rest of her whiskey. Yes, she twisted his words to her own meaning, but that was Ruby - she did what she wanted to. "Is that the day? Yeah, the pour me another."

nikodimopoulos

"Isn't it obvious? Why wouldn't you just go straight at this point?" He question, knowing it was probably the safest and the simplest path forward unless she wanted to uproot her life again and move on to Vegas. Niko wouldn't fault her for that, either -- after all, now that Los Santos was in the past, there was no reason to keep his loyalty in place. "No. Makes me want to pull my fuckin' hair out, though." Which, in a sense, would result in the same thing. "Doesn't really matter what I want or don't want. I'm just trying to figure my own shit out so that the restaurant can survive without cartel money."

Ruby wondered for a second, why wouldn't she? Really, there was no one left for her. Obviously, everyone left her, which really didn't sit right with her. But then, where did this leave her? To leave or stay? Was there really a right fucking answer for her? Was there even an answer at all, besides just doing something that would put a bullet in her brain? Maybe someone would cut her throat the way her father's was?

"I don't know how to do that." She finally muttered, taking a sip of her beer as she did that. She was never much of a sharer, but in the months, she just... Well... Niko was still here, wasn't he? That mattered to her. That counted. "Unlike your life, my life has never been something that was straight, as you call it. My home life was shit and after it was just LS. Everything I did was for them." And now, she didn't really have anything. "You can. You should." He already seemed to be getting his life in order, now that he had a girl he was running around with.

She thought for a moment, and again, she did something she never usually did. "Let me know if you need help. I have ways to help you."

#;; niko dimopoulos

ender-yilmaz1

Raising a brow, Ender sighed and leaned back in his seat, “Last time I checked, you weren’t a criminal, and I don’t really make it my business to read up on my colleagues, so,” he explained with a shrug, detailing his reasoning for not really knowing much about her background. Unless she was a person of interest or already convicted, he felt he really had no business reading up on her. It felt invasive in a lot of ways, but that was a conversation for another time, he supposed. “Then I’ll leave that to you, huh?” The drawing lines bit, at least. He’d always preferred working at arms length, because he’d learned the hard way that there was danger in attachment, and Ender certainly didn’t want to run the risk of that happening again. Those were all the things he didn’t say out loud, but they were very much the reason he tried to work from a distance now. “Excuse me?” He started, eyeing her incredulously as she spoke about using his body to get information. It might have been the most unprofessional thing he’d heard in a while, one that might have even made him laugh in disbelief if he wasn’t so floored by it– particularly in that it’d come from someone he could barely call an acquaintance. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.” Shaking his head, he flipped open the file on his desk again, preferring to just work instead of linger on that. Grateful that her next set of words were related to the case, Ender blew out a long breath and shook his head, “If it were me…I’d make them disappear,” he answered honestly, fearing that that was already on the mind of the man in question. He didn’t have long to linger on it before he saw his water being swiped from right in front of him and brought to her lips. He eyed her again, wondering where the fuck this total stranger got her nerve. “Don’t remember you asking if you could have that,” he remarked, scoffing softly, “But by all means– it’s yours now.” Shaking his head, he set the file aside, knowing now that if they didn’t figure out how the other worked, and soon, they likely wouldn’t accomplish much together, “First plan is setting some boundaries. I’m here to do a job, alright? Just want that to go as smoothly as possible.”

That was the problem with most ATF agents, she thought. They all trusted everything so blindly, and it was why so many of them got killed in the process. Yes, she understood loyalty, but even that - apparently didn't mean much to others as she was left now alone in the mess, trying to find her place now that her whole existence was riddled to nothing. So why trust a piece of paper and some experience? Sure, Ruby was with ATF probably before she even became an official agent, but not checking anyone you're working with?

She hoped he was lying, otherwise he was just dumb.

Watching him get... Flabbergasted? By her questions? By her movements? Ruby wondered which places he'd been assigned to before. Because if little things like this made him uneasy? Maybe he should have stayed working for the Whitehouse... Though surely neither Cali, nor LA streets were clean... "Didn't say you actually had to sleep with anyone." She winked. She was taught differently, perhaps because she was a woman? The shit she had to do on missions before coming to Tonopah was different. But she didn't mind.

"Not the ATF way, though." She smiled, putting the glass down. "Gotta work on strategy and work on putting all of them behind bars. Though some of them still manage to have a good life there." The bribes, it was always what flowed in prisons. "You're going to put a boundary with me for some water?" Ruby bobbed her head to the side, her eyes remaining on the man in front of her. "Alright." Not that she'd put them there, but she can let him think that.

#;; ender yilmaz

haydencassidyy

@rubybatistax

Location: ATF Office

Hayden walked into the room, as she looked over at Ruby. "Whatcha got for me?" She asked, before plopping down into the chair across from the brunette. She threw her legs up on the table with a practiced nonchalance, fixing her gaze on the other woman. aving spent her day wading through the rap sheets of pretty much every member of the Motorcycle Club—all of whom seemed to have one—she figured it was time to stretch her legs and catch up on any solid leads, especially since Roman was out revisiting the leads from the bike festival.

Ruby was reading the local newspaper, the actual paper version, which was surprising it was still around. Some grandma gave it to her on the way to the office, telling her she should read her horoscope. As if the stars could tell her anything. "Ah, guess something annoying is going to happen to me today." She said, as she heard Hayden's voice, but didn't look up. "As a virgo, apparently you should look out for shady alleys, as apparently the love of your life is going to jump out of there. Interesting." Only then did she look up. "From when do I answer to you?" Even if Hayden was a sniper, and probably could kill her in her sleep, she didn't care. "Guess our zodiac signs aren't compatible."

#;; hayden cassidy

lorenzoriccis

Lorenzo didn't consider himself the type of person who was easily scared -- but, hell, Ruby seemed to bring it right out of him. He was coming out of his third (fourth?) conference call of the day, all of which could have easily been turned into simple emails and not long, drawn out pissing contests between board members who wanted more of a say on how the advertising money was spent. Literal torture.

Alas, the moment he stepped into his office, he immediately jumped, a hand flying to his chest as he locked eyes with the brunette. "Jesus chr -- you scared the fuck out of me. How did you get in here?" Closing the door behind him, Enzo took a moment to catch his breath. "Actually, fuck it, it doesn't matter. I don't want to know. But like -- did my assistant let you in? He's fucking useless, gives me an excuse to fire his ass." He shook his head. "Excuse you. My order has always been and always will be sesame shrimp, and I'm pretty positive you know that by now. You pay way too close attention to shit for that."