lethal justice ;;

chandni laghari. 31. homicide detective.

[chandnilaghari]

troycalloway:

The scoff makes him chuckle, Troy putting down his defenses if only for the fact that he respects women enough to not egg them on. Not that he doesn’t believe she can hold her own, he just wasn’t going to push her to that point. “From the way you were mouthing off at him, can’t say I blame him for thinking that.” Her glare only makes him smile wider, his casual and calm demeanor not easily shooking. Plus, he was in a rare good mood and he could use the entertainment for the day. “Because it—-y’know what, I’m not even going to answer that.” Shaking his head, his arms fold across his chest. “Well, Ms. Laghari, I’d be happy to help you.” The last name almost makes him roll his eyes, it explaining exactly why she came storming into the shop with a hoity toity attitude. “You could’ve kept walking but the next shop is about a half hour walk from here.” He points out just to be a smart ass. Finally, his demeanor shift and he becomes serious when he speaks again. “I can give you a lift to your ride and we can figure out what’s wrong from there. Sound good or do you wanna hitchhike instead?”

The smile on his face only frustrated her more. She felt as if the universe were playing some sort of cosmic joke against her today - that everyone in the world was having a damn good time, except for her. The special emphasis he placed on her name caused her to bristle. Her posture mirrored his as she crossed her arms over her chest as well. "Let me guess - my family's done something to piss you off too, right?" She swallowed the urge to narrow her eyes at him further, instead trying to calm her breathing and her tone before she spoke again. Chandni knew that she needed his help, and she knew that further testing his patience would not have consequences in her favor. "I'd appreciate the lift, thanks," she said. "But - oh God, please tell me it's not going to be on one of your motorcycles." Chandni took a step back, shaking her head. "If that's the case, I think I'll stick with the hitchhiking, to be honest with you."

[chandnilaghari]

location: alisha laghari’s home availability: closed for @kavilaghari and @alisha-laghari

All evening she had held back her anger. These dinners were a time-honored tradition, after all. No parents to judge, nothing to hold them back - all of the Laghari siblings together under a single roof. But it was different this time. There was an empty chair and a missing plate, a laughter that used to sing like a birdsong missing in Alisha's dining room. It stabbed Chandni inside every time she glanced over at that empty space, but a bubbling rage now accompanied it. As dinner came to a close, she set her fork down with an audible scrape against the perfect porcelain plate. She cleared her throat and picked up her glass of wine. "So did you know?” she murmured, swirling the contents inside the glass. The serene smile on her face didn't match her low tone. “Did either of you know about Ananya’s weekend, recreational activities, or was it just me who didn't have a damn clue?”

[chandnilaghari]

troycalloway:

Blue eyes follow the younger man as he literally runs away, almost tripping and falling on his ass in the process. The chuckle he lets out is cut short when his eyes fall on the brunette again, the look she gives him is enough to make a man drop dead if it was humanly possible. Heshouldn’t take the bait—-but when the fuck does Troy Calloway ever do what he was supposed to? “Isn’t he a little too young for you to picking on? How about you try someone your own size?” No, that wasn’t a threat or an invitation but the way his posture stiffens makes him think so. “Somethin’ like that.” He vaguely responds with a smirk, head canting to the side in amusement at the woman. “How ‘bout sweetheart?” Definitely shouldn’t keep goading this girl on,but he’s unable to stop himself. “If that doesn’t work, you should tell me your name and clue me in as to why you’re coming up to this shop raising hell? If you’re here cause one of the guys didn’t call you back last night, I apologize on behalf of everyone here but get in line—-you aren’t the first.”

She felt a grim satisfaction as his laughter died when he met her eyes again. Chandni had no delusions about the reality that her smaller stature often inspired underestimation instead of fear, but if the man in front of her was willing to take her seriously, then she was thankful for it. "What - someone like you?" she scoffed, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to her right leg. Chandni shook her head. "Then do him a favor and teach him some manners. Kid looked like I came in here to take his money and shoot up the place." She rolled her eyes at the smirk on his face, but the implication behind his words made her crane her neck to glare at him. "What is it with men and thinking that their dick is a fucking gift to mankind?" she muttered. Chandni cleared her throat. "Ms. Laghari will do, thank you very much. I came here asking for help because this shop is the closest one from where my car had broken down, but evidently, I now realize that I should have just kept on walking."

[corabrager]

    Working in a liquor store, Cora saw a lot of things she wished she could forget about. The most annoying had to be teenagers who were trying to buy alcohol, acting like she could tell the difference. “Listen you little shit, you’re not twenty-one. Do I look like I’m missing a few brain cells? Get a better fake ID. Now get out of here.” She watched as the kid walked out before turning her attention to the next person in line. “ID please.”

[chandnilaghari]

Her eyes followed the teenager's hurried retreat with a smirk. Chandni set the cheap bottle of wine on the counter, reaching for her wallet and pulling out her license. "Is that the first time he's tried to pull that shit with you?" she asked. "Because if you want, I can cuff him right now. Bring him down to the precinct, call Mommy and Daddy, and he'll never bother you again." Now that would be something beautiful, she thought. Big bad police detective, fighting underage drinking, one sad teenage delinquent at a time.

[chandnilaghari]

salvadorillescas:

His arms stayed at his sides, slowly slipping into his pockets only seconds after. It was sure to look like he was grabbing something, but his pockets were awfully small. So really, Sal was thinking that she had nothing to worry about. “If I was, I sure as hell wouldn’t tell you.” All he knew for certain was that she was a detective. Last thing he needed to tell a member of law enforcement was that he had a gun on him. Plus, she was a Laghari so he didn’t exactly trust her on principle. Regardless of how she felt or didn’t feel about the blood feud between their families. “Well, I don’t know what pisses you off so I’m on some thin fucking ice right now, ain’t I?”

She followed the movement of his hands from her peripheral vision, but otherwise kept her dark eyes trained upon his. His pockets were much too small to hold any gun, but knives were always a possibility, and Chandni knew it was better to be safe than sorry in her line of work. Her right hand travelled to the waistband of her slacks. "Not like you'd have to hide it, you know. Louisiana's an open-carry state." She spoke the last bit with disdain. Coming back from California, she was still readjusting herself to her home state's laws. Chandni scoffed, pasting a smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes. "You're really not, Mr. Illescas. Contrary to the rest of my family, my beef's not with you and yours." She tried to force an ounce of sincerity into her last sentence, because it was the truth, but her tense posture suggested otherwise.

[troy--calloway]

STARTER  → CHANDNI LAGHARI ( @chandnilaghari​ )

The shop was surprisingly slow today. Not that Troy minded as he lounged across the couch in the back area where the guys often hung around at for breaks. A lit cigarette in one hand and a book in the other, he’d been in engrossed in the novel when his attention was pulled away at the loud clatter. At first he thought it’d been one of the guys goofing around and knocking over some tools, but when he heard the high pitched yell he knew it was something entirely different. “Christ.” The man mutters, tossing the paperback to the side and stubbing his cigarette out on the side of the the able before begrudgingly getting up. Thinking some crazy ex or one night stand was going off on someone, he figured he might as well intervene before it gets nasty. “Hey!” He calls out, looking at one of the younger guys who has the fear of God in his eyes as a brunette goes off on him. “Whoah, whoah, whoah! How about you take it easy.” His comment is directed at the woman as he yanks the younger mechanic away by the collar and nods for him to retreat, which he happily does—practically running away. “Is there a problem? Because if you break any of our shit, I’m gonna make you pay for it. So, how about you take a breath and tell me what’s wrong, darlin’?”

[chandnilaghari]

The last 12 hours had been a whirling shitstorm for Chandni. Any occasion where she had to look Arjun Laghari in the eyes was a nightmare enough. This time it was a meeting that he had called to berate her about her failure to make any progress on her half-sister's murder case. Add in the fact that her car had decided to break down on her drive home, and her sour mood became perfectly understandable. Of course, the young man who had had the misfortune of greeting her was not at fault. But he had eyed her with distrust, and when she noted the symbol of that godforsaken motorcycle club on his back, her temper had boiled over. "If you've got a problem with me, you can file a complaint at the precinct," she had hissed, stepping forward and backing him into a corner. He had knocked a toolbox to the ground, the clatter of metal equipment falling against the asphalt echoing throughout the garage. "Or we can go right here, right now. Isn't that what you little shits have always wanted anyway - Laghari heads on spikes? Come on, I'll even let you hit first!" Chandni felt a bitter note of disappointment when an older man pulled her target away by the collar. Her victim scampered away, not even meeting her eyes as he left. She turned her ire to her new companion. "The only thing I was prepared to break was that kid's face. He's a little young to be recruiting for your little motorcycle club, isn't he?" She eyed him up and down, taking a step back to recover her breath. "You his boss or something?" Chandni's fists still remained clenched by her side, but her eyes flashed at his words. "And I'm not your 'darlin''."

[chandnilaghari]

xanderblxck:

Xander’s hand went to rest over his heart. “Ouch, don’t break my heart like this. I would never say you had an ugly face.” That was also because he wasn’t a fan of lying. Which she was clearly doing right now. She came here way too often for her to think his face was thatannoying to her. His hands rested on the table beside the cards as he looked down at her. An eyebrow rose at her comment and a shake of his head followed soon after. “Well, how you deal with loss is subjective so…” He drifted off as he eyed her. He was probably the last person to be saying something like that, but he wasn’t the one that had a dead sister people were talking about. “But fine, I won’t say you lost your dignity already, but you’re well on your way,” he stated with a grin.

"Oh, you'd never say it, but you've thought it, right?" she mused, humor dancing on her features. "It's okay - you can tell the truth. It won't break my heart... some of us are made of tougher stuff." The jab was spoken with no true malice. It was tired and weary, a deflection more than anything else. His comment caught her off guard, and like clockwork, her shoulders stiffened, her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes darkened. The alcohol buzzing through her veins created a warmth that contrasted with the chill she suddenly felt. "I'm dealing with my losses just fine, thank you very much," she hissed defensively, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. Her expression was petulant, her posture suddenly childish. "And losing an absurd amount of money to you is completely valid." Chandni had all but forgotten about the two others sitting at the table beside her. Their curious looks evaporated at the glare in her eyes, and after a brief exchange with one another, they left the table entirely. She breathed a sigh, turning her head again to meet his. "Fucking finally," she muttered under her breath.

[chandnilaghari]

xanderblxck:

“Aren’t you always feeling lucky?” It was a common line he had come to learn that she said. After all, she was here very often. If he didn’t learn things about her, he wouldn’t be as observant as he thought he was. And Xander liked to know what was going on around him so he wasn’t surprised by too much. As she slid into the chair, he shook his head. “Yeah, well, I’ll be the judge of that. I don’t like to lose.” Actually, he didn’t really care, but it was better for him if he won. Nevertheless, here she was at the table so all he could do at this point was deal her in. “Ready to lose?”

"Lucky? Around you?" Chandni scoffed. "More like I'm asking God why He gave me the misfortune of having to look at your ugly face again." She didn't miss the irony in her words; after all, it was she who sought him out, unable to resist the siren call of the flurry of cards between his fingers. But schoolyard insults were her specialty, especially after enduring them for the majority of her childhood. She waved her hand to answer, a resigned affirmative. "After the week I've had, sure. Can't lose anything else, right? " Chandni shook her head. "Besides my dignity - don't you dare say that I already have," she warned him with wide eyes and an accusing finger.

[xanderblxck-blog]

chandni

Xander was sure that, no matter what his job entailed after he got out of the military, he would hate it. Being a blackjack dealer had never been part of the plan for him. Yet here he was. To be honest, it was just the easiest thing he could do in his condition. Maybe he’d be able to do something else at some point, but this was it for now. His eyes focused on the two people in front of him. They were barely playing the game right now, but they were talking. As per usual, all he did was listen. Then a familiar face sat down at the table. “Well, look who it is. Watch out everybody. Chandni here spends too much time here to lose to you guys. Ain’t that right, Chan?”

[chandnilaghari]

"I don't know - I'm feeling lucky tonight." Another lie, but what did that matter in the long run? She hated every last inch of this place - the cigarette smoke lingering in the air, the neon signs, the endless cacophany of scraping chairs against hardwood and chips falling against each other. What she hated the most was that it felt like home. There were few vices that Chandni indulged in, and she hated that gambling the night and her wallet away was one of them. She slid into the chair, fingers tapping impatiently against the polished wood rail. Had she not already had too much drink, the movement might have been more graceful. "So the only person who's going to be losing tonight is you."

[chandnilaghari]

aphroditecassadine:

The last thing Aphrodite liked was being treated like she was wrong or told what to do. The thing with Aphrodite was that she knew all about everyone and their secrets. At least the secrets of the people that walked onto her boat. And to think that Chandni didn’t believe her only made her devious mindset switch into something more serious—something meaner even. “First off, don’t tell me what to do. I don’t care what today means for you. Your whole family has turned your sister’s death into a god damn parade for everyone to join in on and you want me to be respectful? Keep in mind, death happens all the time sweet cheeks and it’s not like you’re some royal family where the world has to stop just because you lost one of your own.” As she spoke, her tone grew more stern—agressive as she stepped closer to her and let a snarl cross her features. “And second, your family may stand with some high and mighty justice system but that doesn’t mean shit. You could be a child of God and still be spread your legs open like a pretty little prostitute. So don’t act like your family is above the rest. You want me to be serious? Well here’s the thing, Ananya was a prissy bitch who spent her weekends snorting coke in the bathroom of my club. Don’t believe me? Ask around, anyone will tell you. Or better yet, why don’t you come by the Haunted Star? I got security cameras that can prove that little Lagarhi was not as innocent as you like to think. What’s that one saying? Right, never say never, Chandni. Never say never.”

Chandni rolled her eyes. She should have expected this sort of behavior from the youngest of the Cassadine children - scathing tongue and cutthroat wit. She had assumed that Aphrodite was no more than a spoiled princess who never learned to face the consequences of her actions, and she had dealt with more than her fair share of divas back home in the Hollywood hills. From what she had heard about Aphrodite, the woman seemed like she belonged in the clubs of Sunset Boulevard, not in the backwater swamp that was New Orleans. Hearing the snarl in the other woman's voice only caused the bubbling rage inside of her to purr to life, always eager, always itching for a fight. "Think having that sort of mindset makes you stronger, Ms. Cassadine? That it somehow makes you better to be so callous about a young woman gunned down in broad daylight? All life is precious, and I would expect you, of all people, to understand and respect that." The details surrounding the Cassadine family were always murky at best. Perhaps it was unwise to venture into territory that she knew little about, to invoke the memory of the long-deceased Laura Cassadine, but Aphrodite's words had affected her more than she wanted to reveal. And if there was anything that Chandni excelled at, it was poking a sleeping dragon just for the thrill of the burn. She refused to let the other woman's movement affect her. Chandni stood taller, her spine straight and her shoulders filled with tension. She didn't want to believe the other woman's words, didn't want the golden memory of her angelic baby sister to be tainted with such vulgar images, but her mind forced her to confront the reality that perhaps there was truth to what she spoke. She didn't want that footage in the hands of the New Orleans Police Department. No, she couldn't allow evidence of her sister's less-than-perfect life aired to the public like that. She shook her head. "Fine then. I, and the NOPD, would greatly appreciate your cooperation on the matter."

[chandnilaghari]

amaralbella:

Isabella’s brows raised as she heard her boss calling out her name, wondering what on Earth could she had possibly done this time. She’d been called in his office before, punctuality being her worst enemy but she usually made up with being one of the best in her job, resulting in the rest of the staff usually leaving her alone. It had always been that way, she’d never really gotten in real trouble and much less heard her name with such a nervous tone in her superior’s voice but knowing full well she wasn’t to make him wait, she got up and left her loge. Isabella made her way to the back where the man stood, a look she would have guessed as disappointment or apprehension on his features as he simply nodded to his side and that’s when she noticed the woman standing next to him.

Fatigue had marked her traits and the bags under her eyes made her look ten years older than she actually was but even so, it would have been impossible for Bella not to recognize her. Her eyes filled with tears as her old roommate’s name left her lips, emotions laced in her voice before she ran to Chandni and threw her arms around her neck. The look the bouncer and her boss threw each other went unnoticed to the dancer and in that moment, nothing else mattered but the presence of the only person in the world who shared her secret and the fact that she wouldn’t be so lonely anymore. Back when they lived together, Chandni had been more than just a roommate, literally saving her life by getting the police off her back when they started digging in her case years ago and for that Isabella had always felt forever indebted to the woman. ‘’Is this really you, Chan? Holy shit, I can’t fucking believe this,’’ she let out, arms still laced around her friend, unwilling to let go anytime soon.

To say that Chandni was caught off-guard would have been a hideous understatement. Never one to welcome physical affection, Chandni's first reaction was to freeze, every instinct inside of her telling to push off whoever dared to touch her. But then she remembered that this was Bella, her roommate, her confidante, the one person she had gotten close to before their time together had come to an abrupt, painful end. Her muscles relaxed and she wrapped her arms around the other woman, melting into her warm embrace. The world faded away for the moment, the confused looks from the two men fading into her periphery. Her badge dropped to the ground, forgotten on the grimy pavement. "I've missed you so much," she whispered, the words barely audible as they were lost in Bella's hair.

Chandni was the one to pull away first. "You know I can't stay away from you and your dumb ass for too long," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. And it had been an awfully long time, after all. Going from being best friends - practically sisters - to silence on both ends had been harder than Chandni had expected. She missed everything about Bella. The absence of her vibrant company had dulled her life in California, the once bright hues washing away with gray dullness. She bent down to retrieve her badge, tucking it back inside of her pocket, then turned to nod her head at the two men both in gratitude and in dismissal. Shifting her attention back to Bella, she said, "Come on, let's go. We have a lot to catch up on." Her eyes, though gentle, held a note of caution in them. "Now don't take this the wrong way, but I really wish I didn't have to see you so soon." She took a deep breath. Chandni wasn't sure if she was bracing for Bella to hear the news, or for herself to say them. "I'm here because your name had popped up on a list of potential witnesses."

[chandnilaghari]

aphroditecassadine:

Looking down on all of us. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly. God, this woman didn’t know her sister, did she? If the whole heaven and hell thing did exist, she doubted Ananya would be looking down acting grateful. If anything, she’d be looking up from the fiery depths of hell, cursing the ground we all walked on. Ananya may have looked like Driving Miss Daisy, with a smile that could light up a room, but she was far from that. She was the perfect example of a nightmare dressed like a daydream. And Tee wasn’t about to feed into her Chandni’s probable wants and desires about her little sister. “Right, I’m sure she is.” She mused, sarcastically. How was it that the family was so unaware of this? Even Tee was good at hiding but when it came to family they always just knew, right? “You really have no idea? Seriously?” Brows furrowed, still so surprised by it. “Little Laghari was the prime example of a coked out crack whore. Sorry to rain down on your parade here, but your sister was no innocent flower. I’m surprised, honestly—you having no idea. Guess she was just that good at hiding what she liked to do on the weekends… or who.”

The truths that spilled forth from the other woman's lips made Chandni want to put her fist through that proud and beautiful face. She had heard plenty of stories about her sister when she first started investigating into Ananya's past. From those threads of gossip laid a meandering tale of an enigma more than a story of a woman's life, and Chandni had dismissed it as idle and jealous gossip. Chandni had no reason to believe Aphrodite's words any more than she had believed the others. She grasped at the fraying straws of her nerves for some semblance of professionalism as her temper rose inside of her. With a shake of her head, she hissed, "Could you please be serious, Ms. Cassadine? Or at the very least, respectful of the recently departed?" Chandni surprised herself with the bitterness that had wormed its way into her tone, coupled with an accusatory glare in her dark-brown eyes. "We're talking about a woman's life here - gunned down and murdered in broad daylight, not gossip over lattes about the shit someone get up to." A part of her knew this was a defense mechanism to deny the truth that she already knew - that perhaps she didn't know her sister at all. "My sister would never involve herself with drugs, or have you forgotten what my entire family stands for?"

[chandnilaghari]

date and time: feb 27, 4:52pm location: ace of spades back entrance availability: closed for @amaralbella

It was standard procedure to establish a character profile for the deceased - who they were, who they knew, what they liked, where they could most likely be found. Like a summary of someone’s life, reduced to bare bullet points and brief phrases, as if their very existence amounted to no more than ink on a stark white sheet of paper. It felt strange to do the same for her sister. A name had been tossed around the room that morning, one that rang with familiarity and caused a panic to blossom inside of her chest as soon as she heard it. With lightning quick reflexes, she had volunteered to handle this particular witness. Even after all this time, Isabella Amaral was her responsibility, and she’d be damned if she let someone else unravel the delicate web of protection she had spun for her former roommate.

She wouldn’t normally be caught dead in a place like this. Chandni prided herself on a false sense of moral superiority, as if her absence from places like the Ace of Spades gave her the right to walk with her head high and her nose upturned. She had almost been stunned into silence when she was informed that she would find her witness here, of all places, but she masked her surprise and disappointment with a curt nod. Her attire was as casual as she was comfortable wearing - jeans over a blouse with a blazer on top, as usual. She rose her chin with belligerence at the man standing at the door who gazed at her with an unimpressed glint in his eyes. Chandni pulled her badge, its golden shine radiant in the evening sunset, looking out of place in the grime and filth of the alley. “I'm with the New Orleans Police Department - looking for an Isabella Amaral? Is she here? No trouble - I just want to ask her a few questions.”

[chandnilaghari]

salvadorillescas:

What could he have expected from her? It was that typical Laghari hostility that they could only give to an Illescas. Nevertheless, here he was. Not moving a single step. Salvador had never cared about people’s opinions or thoughts and he wasn’t going to start now. He figured he could have a somewhat civil conversation, but he was sure it would turn south sooner rather than later. “Oh, I ain’t strapped so I think we’re good on my front. Unless you feel like you’re gonna start popping off.”

His height was vastly superior to hers and his stock-still posture only made her feel even smaller, but she was determined to show that he didn't scare her. In her line of work, showing an ounce of hesitation or fear was as good as a death sentence. She scoffed. "Yeah - like I believe that you, of all people, aren't packing heat." She shook her head and pasted a grin on her face that looked more like a grimace. She had no particular ill regard for any member of the Illescas family - that was Arjun Laghari's job - but his tone of voice irritated her and caused her temper to rise. "Not unless you give me a reason to, Mr. Illescas."

[chandnilaghari]

scarlcttcs:

Scar didn’t know what exactly she was supposed to do in a moment like this. She hadn’t really had to deal with anyone that she had bullied in her younger years in quite some time. Was she meant to argue with this woman, to tell her that what had happened was simply in the past and to get over it? Or was she meant to sit hear and grovel for her forgiveness? Neither seemed like the right answer, so she needed to find a middle ground somewhere. Looking around, she could see a few eyes staring at the two of them. Scarlette shifted uncomfortable and cleared her throat, causing the few people around to give them more space, “Listen, I get it. I understand that you’re not the same girl you were then, but what I need you to understand is that neither am I. I plan to work alongside you, not against you in anyway. This case is personal for you, you’re lucky to even be allowed near it, but I understand the need to work it yourself. As a matter of fact, I even respect you for pushing your way onto it. I will help you in anyway that you need, all you have to do is ask. But I expect the same respect from you as I am willing to give you.”

She had never been comfortable under the staring and scrutiny of others - to feel the prickling heat of disapproving eyes against her skin, to hear the vague whisperings that slithered into her ears like snakes. Don't let your emotions get to you, Chan, she told herself again, a mantra that she repeated to herself constantly. It was a lesson she had taught herself a long time ago. Don't let them see that they get to you. Memories of her past always brought out the worst in her. Scarlette seemed to hold a certain amount of power in the office, if the way the others went back to their respective tasks was any indication. In anyone else, she would have been impressed, but on Scarlette, she only saw it as a lingering symptom of the other woman's ironfist rule over her peers. Chandni swallowed the lump in her throat as she listened to Scarlette speak her piece - that lump of stubborn wounded pride and infantile anger. She nodded sharply. "I'm glad that we have an understanding," she gritted through her teeth, attempting to rein in the scathing tone of her voice. Nothing in Scarlette's demeanor since they started speaking hinted at any ill will, and Chandni was more than happy to accept icy professionalism. Although the idea of Scarlette having respect for Chandni caused her to raise her eyebrows and a disbelieving shine to appear in her eyes. "You respect me for that? Most of your colleagues don't share your opinion - not that I blame them, but... why? Don't you want the glory of solving this case for yourself?"

[chandnilaghari]

aphroditecassadine:

To say that Aphrodite wasn’t a fan of funerals would’ve been a drastic understatement. The young woman would’ve preferred to not come at all even, had it not been good for reputation to make an appearance. The Cassadine’s didn’t meddle with drama over the other so-called notorious families, but they did work the room as best as they could and tried to stay on somewhat neutral terms. Which, of course, was why she attended but nothing stopped her from the obvious annoyance that swept her features as she watched everyone suck up to this damn family. They lost a loved one, she respected that, but it didn’t mean she wanted to have it blown up in her face. Thus, she continued to sip on her overly spiked drink, using its fill to hopefully get her through the rest of reception. But as she waited by a few of the familiar faces she saw that day, Aphrodite was then greeted by one of the infamous Laghari siblings. She didn’t know Chandni too well. Not at all, really. Her name and her face was about as much information she retained, other than that, the woman was a mystery. “Yeah well, didn’t exactly have much of a choice,” she began; not one to hold back her words, even in a time like now. “I guess you could say familiar though, yeah. One of my closest friends is a Devane. Ananya came on my boat quite often but our relationship with one another —well, let’s just say there really wasn’t one. She followed me on social media and spent her open weekends doing blow in the bathroom of my club. So yeah, suppose I’m familiar with little miss sunshine.”

She raised an eyebrow at the other woman's words, unaccustomed to such blunt honesty. In her years in California and in her line of work, she was used to either empty and false flattery, or outright curses and lies. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm sure that Ananya is looking down on all of us from above and is grateful that you were here to help lay her to rest," Chandni said, attempting to keep her voice neutral and steady even as her eyes narrowed. She was familiar with that information. The first place that the NOPD would look would, of course, be the Illescas, but after them would be the Devanes, to explore the ties that each member had had with Ananya. Chandni nodded along to Aphrodite's words with eyes trained to the floor, until one particular phrase caused her to whip her head up so quickly that the joints in her neck made an audible sound. "Wait - what?!" she sputtered, catching the attention of other mourners in the room. Arjun cast a disapproving glare in her direction - not that that was anything new - and she rolled her eyes. Nevertheless, she lowered her voice again and controlled the shock bubbling up inside of her. "'Doing blow'? What the hell are you talking about?"

[chandnilaghari]

stellasharpes:

The words kind of left her feeling a bit uneasy. Wanting to wish for boring and predictable? She was already hoping that would be the case now. Sure this place had some hype to it and it’s own quirky traits, but she was hoping it didn’t get much more than it was now. “Does it get pretty crazy then?” She laughed, softly, genuinely curious about the woman’s experience in the city. “Anthony’s… noted. I’ll have to go there then. I’ve never been a big pizza person,” mainly because she wasn’t allowed to have it. “But maybe this will change my mind, though.” Hopefully. Maybe she’d fall in love with the taste. “Definitely, you’re a real lifesaver. And honestly, just a change of scenery. My sister and I wanted to move. Stayed in the same city all our lives and thought what the hell… you know? Mix things up a bit. What about you? Are you from here or did you move here?”

She nodded her head vigorously. "Oh yeah. People come here to get drunk and do crazy shit - which I'm sure you saw plenty of over Mardi Gras last week." Her brother always regaled various tales of inebriated merrymakers making life difficult for everyone at the NOPD, and she had experienced it firsthand again for the first time in almost a decade. At the mention of the other woman having a sister, Chandni's eyes brightened. "Well, I hope you and your sister are settling in well. My own siblings have been living here their entire lives, but I just came back to town for work," she declared, head held high. "I'm sure you've heard about the recent murder of Ananya Laghari not too far from where we're standing, right?"