bury the castle

make sure to build your home brick by-by boring brick Carla Beneventi-Vespucci || Lawyer || Sovrani

[carlavespucci]

Location: Smoke & Mirrors Date: 31 July, 2026 Open to: All but Russians (soz, no way you're allowed into a French owned club lmao)

@mobscene-starters

Was this old age? Sitting in a jazz bar listening to live music on a Friday night? Considering Carla would never have been caught dead in this situation when her age started with a two, she was pretty sure this made her old. Well.... there were worse fates in life.

She clapped politely as the band up on stage finished their set and leaned across the table to her companion. "What do you want? Next round's on me."

[carlavespucci]

Carla Beneventi-Vespucci attends Valentine’s Day @ The Barbican Centre.

Date: Friday, February 13th, 2026.

Escorted By: No one

[giorgiopecatti]

@mobscene-starters Location: Any bar that isn't Russian. Date: 30/1/26.

"What, never had a nosebleed before? Vaffanculo."

The bartender had cast him a particularly judgemental stare when he'd caught sight of bloodied shirt cuff on his right arm. Clearly too much to be a nosebleed and they both knew it—his story further hindered by the bruise blooming beneath his eye—but even in his pride, he wouldn't broadcast the city had one less Russian to worry about.

Another corpse to dispose of, mind you.

Just as he was about to take a sip of his scotch, someone settled into the stool beside his. A questioning glance sure followed as they too noticed the blood.

"Don't ask stupid questions, and I won't give stupid answers. Accordo?"

[carlavespucci]

"It's this winter air. Even in London, it just dries you out." Carla shrugged and sipped at her own old fashioned.

Luckily for Gio, not asking questions was something Carla was particularly well-versed in. It was especially helpful when your dad was arrested or when you knew your clients were guilty but were still committed to giving them the best defense possible.

"I'm glad you got your nosebleed resolved. They can be awfully stubborn and annoying to deal with."

[kathleenzhao]

"This is why I spend so much time at Vespucci's. At least I know the food there isn't going to kill me. The people? Maybe. But the carbonara? Never."

Not to mention that being around the Italians always made it feel a little more like home. A little less like the whole city could fall apart at any moment...

"Culinary catastrophes aside, are you settling in okay? As someone who's been here a lot longer, I promise it's not so bad once you get used to all the rain. And the people being miserable. And the tea alarm."

[carlavespucci]

"Nobody is going to kill you at Vespucci's. Mom would make them take you outside so that they don't make a mess in her restaurant." Nobody in the Sovrani would dare face Allegra Vespucci's wrath, especially not in her own domain. More than once, Carla had seen fights break up with just one look and within minutes the would-be participants were talking and laughing like life-long friends.

"I'm settling in a lot better now that I'm working. Sitting around at home is not the life for me. The busier I am, the less I notice the rain and general miserableness. I do miss the sun, though."

[erdogan-nevra]

"Sorry but, what else is it supposed to come with?" Americans sure did have a way with complaining about everyone else's normal. It was difficult to keep the offence out of her tone.

[carlavespucci]

"Fried rice? Egg rolls? Crab rangoons?" Funny how even after a year in London, the homesickness never really went away. Would London ever become her normal? Carla still wasn't sure.

[kathleenzhao]

Though she wouldn't deny the Chinese food here was a little better here than back in the States—especially in Chinatown—and she was grateful she didn't ever have to see another fucking egg roll again, the Brits sure did have some odd combinations. The chips were the least of the problems.

"Yeah. Imagine how I feel." Kathleen grimaced. The woman had met Carla before, though only briefly, thanks to her connections with the Auditore family. Enough that she felt comfortable enough engaging her in conversation in the middle of an unsurprisingly empty restaurant, at least. "Do you think they have restaurants in China that sell beans on toast with deep fried crickets on the side? Is this 'fusion' cuisine?"

[carlavespucci]

"Well, now I hope they do. I want to go just to try it now. Though, they could use American baked beans and that would just be a culinary crime." Not that Carla has developed a taste for beans on toast herself. American beans were too ingrained in her brain and every time she looked at them, she expected to taste barbecue. "You have my sincerest condolences for what you have to put up with, though." At least Carla had her mom's cooking whenever she wanted a taste of home.

[carlavespucci]

Date: 18 December, 2025 Open to: @mobscene-starters

"No matter how long I live here, I'm never getting used to Chinese food coming with fries." Carla wiped her hand on a napkin and chuckled under her breath. "Sorry, I mean chips.

[keremdogulu]

FOR: @mobscene-starters WHEN: October, 2025. WHERE: A party. Open for it being anywhere.

"All I know right now-- is that I need this fuckin' drink." the music boomed, but he cared little as he beelined for the assorted array of liquids.

[carlavespucci]

"Well, it seems like you're in the right place for that." Carla sipped her own drink. "Though I don't think you have to rush that much. They're not going to run out in the first five minutes."

[carlavespucci]

"You have my condolences and my thanks for the vital public service you're performing. I'll make sure to keep your drink refilled all night."

Carla twirled around and curtseyed for Gianna, meeting her half smile with a full one that quickly turned into a dramatic pout.

"Believe me, I tried. I even pouted at him. The fucker wouldn't budge. I suggested Donkey too, but somehow he liked that option even less than Shrek. I can't imagine why."

[gianna-palazzolo]

"I would appreciate that. I just hope his coming dressed up as Rocky Balboa isn't an indicator he's ready to start with the KOs. Though maybe the Cheeto outfit will make me a more durable human shield."

As the woman before her twirled like a certifiable princess, Gianna couldn't help but let out a chuckle. This would certainly be a costume for the history books. No doubt she and Sexy Pac Man would be taking home awards for best dressed.

"So boring. I haven't bumped into him yet. I bet he's dressed as the Men in Black or something. Fairly sure the suit is fused to his skin."

[carlavespucci]

"In Gio's defense, words I cannot believe I'm saying, I don't think he's the one itching for a fight the most here. He's up there, but I think a few are beating him out."

"Now, now, the stick isn't quite that far up his ass. He also has boxing clothes fused to his skin sometimes." She loved Vinnie, she really did. And she understood the image he needed to maintain. But, would it kill him to at least loosen his tie every once and a while?

[gianna-palazzolo]

"I'm on duty. Giorgio babysitting duty."

Surely enough to drive anyone to the brink of no-contact.

Carla was, at least, a welcome sight amidst the chaos. There were plenty of Italians in attendance tonight (thankfully), but few Giovanna had genuine patience for in a mood like this. Sexy Lord Farquaad over here got a pass. The brunette eyed the woman for a moment before her lips begrudgingly curved into a half smile.

"I didn't remember him being so hot," she teased, before throwing back the drink she had in her hand. "Please tell me Vincenzo is Shrek."

[carlavespucci]

"You have my condolences and my thanks for the vital public service you're performing. I'll make sure to keep your drink refilled all night."

Carla twirled around and curtseyed for Gianna, meeting her half smile with a full one that quickly turned into a dramatic pout.

"Believe me, I tried. I even pouted at him. The fucker wouldn't budge. I suggested Donkey too, but somehow he liked that option even less than Shrek. I can't imagine why."

[gianna-palazzolo]

@mobscene-starters Location: The Venue. Date: Hallowe'en, 2025.

"The idea of being a Cheeto was that people wouldn't be able to get close enough to me to talk..."

Unfortunate, then, that her plan seemed to be failing spectacularly. The woman was positioned near the bar--close enough to obtain all the sambuca she needed to stay somewhat sane--looking out across the steadily growing crowd. It made her uneasy. They always did, these days. When she took note of the person beside her, she shot them a sideways glance to acknowledge the proximity she could have done without.

"Aren't Hallowe'en costumes supposed to be sexy? What are you, anyway?"

[carlavespucci]

Carla looked around the room and then back at Gianna, her eyebrow raised to her temple. "You're in the wrong place if you wanted personal space." Bodies pushed against one another and while there was space, it was rapidly being filled in. "How have you never seen the cinematic masterpiece that is Shrek? I'm Lord Farquaad, obviously."

[carlavespucci]

Carla Vespucci attends Halloween 2025

Costume: Lord Farquaad Location: The Venue

[gianna-palazzolo]

"This is why you're everyone's favourite, Carla."

It wasn't even hyperbole. Gianna wasn't sure she'd ever met someone as universally liked as the woman before her, and she was no exception. Better yoinking her shot than a Russian who'd take her head off before the fighting even began. The Brit wiggled her fingers at the bartender in search or more alcohol. A few more wouldn't hurt. Reaction times were less of a concern when fighting was fucking innate, and frankly, if she was going to have to stare down a Russian to finish off the women's rounds, liquor was a necessity as opposed to a gift.

Gianna's expression resembled something akin to concerned for a moment, before it eased off again as she settled onto the empty stool. Whilst it was no secret Carla had grown up in a crime-adjacent life, seeing it on such bold display was another thing entirely. "You ever been to something like this before?"

[carlavespucci]

Carla glanced over to make sure the man was fully engrossed in chatting up the woman to his other side before she snickered. "Believe me, you did me a favor by taking that drink. I thought he would never shut up. You know it's bad when the lawyer is saying someone likes the sound of their own voice too much."

So far, the atmosphere was familiar. Loud voices, boozy drinks. Add in three simultaneous, overexuberant arguments and it could almost be Sunday dinner. Except for the fighting ring in the middle of the room. "No, I haven't. But you know I couldn't let you guys fight without being here to cheer you on."

[gianna-palazzolo]

@mobscene-starters Event: Fight Club 2025 - Pre Fights.

If Lara was trying to be a petty bitch, she'd missed the mark by an impressive margin. Whilst Konstantin's wife's personal bodyguard probably wouldn't have been Gianna's first choice, all she'd wanted was a Russian. Any one would do.

Would it be an easy fight? Probably not. But Gianna was quietly confident.

"This yours?" There was a shot laying unattended on the bar—well, in front of someone too busy talking to drink it, at least—and she didn't hesitate to help herself. Awful. Of course, she'd order another round for them, but fuck waiting ten minutes when her nerves needed tempering. "Mine now."

[carlavespucci]

It was poor form to ignore the shot sitting in front of her, but in Carla's defense, the man who bought it for her was the one to strike up the conversation. Not that it was much of a conversation. More of a monologue, if she was being truly honest.

Three polite attempts to end the conversation later, a familiar voice echoed beside her, saving Carla from her fate. She opened her mouth to greet Gianna with a smile, but instead stood there gaping as the other woman helped herself to the shot sitting in front of her. "You know what? You look like you needed that more than I did."

[carlavespucci]

Carla Beneventi-Vespucci attends Fight Club 2025

[amescastaignede]

FOR: OPEN TO ALL. TAGS: @mobscene-starters WHEN: March, 2025. WHERE: Islington Café.

Time kept moving, just as the world continued to spin: that was the two certainties she had no qualms or doubts about. And it showed no interest in slowing down. Spring was upon them, soon summers arrival — and she'd made only minor leads in the past months. It was like she was being tested, and the days grew longer when her brother was out there, choosing this life over her. It both ground her gears and tore her apart.

Tapping away, the early morning had promised blue skies, and they'd been correct. A coffee settled next to her, Amélie wrote away, albeit furiously as she tried to work out her frustrations with her own novel.

Almost complete, just on the edge of being finished. Even if no one ever read it, the accomplishment of saying she'd done it had far outweighed the cons. Though, to say she was proud of what she'd produced was understatement. She wasn't often big-headed, but...

she had a good feeling about this book.

About to head into the second to last chapter, she heard the scrapping on the chair at her table as her eyes locked onto the intruder. She didn't speak, simply stared.

Oh god. (Father, forgive me for the blasphemy.)

[carlavespucci]

Sitting at an already occupied table was a cardinal sin as far as Carla was concerned. She'd spent her fair share of time sprawled out in coffee shops and cafes, typing furiously and reading opinions until the letters all blurred together. That space was sacred and she respected it.

Unfortunately, there were no empty tables to choose from and there was only so long she could stand in the middle of the cafe looking like an idiot with her pastry and coffee mug.

Her gaze settled on a woman typing away furiously at her laptop. If there were both engrossed in their work, maybe it would be less awkward.

The stare as she pulled the chair away said otherwise.

"I am so sorry. I promise I won't interrupt your work, I just....didn't have any other options." Carla gestured at the other occupied tables.

[the-izabele-anasenko]

@mobscene-starters

To say that Izabele was in her element was quite the understatement. Growing up, their family had very little which meant that the only fun they ever had was something either free or affordable, which meant they'd taken many a camping trip. Growing up with 2 older brothers, she'd been a tom boy for a majority of her childhood before becoming part of the modeling scene.

Her boots squished deliciously as she searched out her tent. She was observing some people throwing tantrum and she had to cover her mouth as she walked by a brunette who was struggling to walk on the ground because she'd brought, of all things, heels. To a camp out.

Tell me you know little about the outdoors, without telling me you know little about the outdoors.

She took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh air. Having been partnered with Sveta was a blessing. She wasn't sure if she'd ever met the other woman before, but she supposed she soon would. Though...how 3 people would share a small tent, she didn't know.

"It's beautiful out, don't you think?" She asked a person as she walked back to the main part of the camp site.

[carlavespucci]

Carla breathed in the cool air, exhaling it slowly and with a smile. It was nice to get out of the city (temporarily, she wasn't entertaining delusions of moving to the countryside) and let things slow down. Her life at the moment was studying and learning as much as she could about British law and a break was something she desperately needed. Even being crammed into a tent with two strangers and having to pay for her own drinks did nothing to dampen her spirits.

"It really is. It's nice to take a little bit of a break from London. Now, ask me again on Sunday if I still feel that way or if I'm begging for my phone back."