COMPLICATED.

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[guspereira]

❛ when you look at yourself, are you a man or a monster?

GENERAL DETAILS.

FULL NAME:  xavier ramzi.

NICKNAME(S): x, ramzi.

AGE:  thirty-seven.

DATE OF BIRTH:  november 1st, 1984.

PLACE OF BIRTH: jersey city, new jersey.

CURRENT LOCATION: lancaster, arizona.

GENDER: cis male.

PRONOUNS: he/him.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteromatic

RELIGION: none.

OCCUPATION:  district attorney / sgt. at arms for the sinful ones.

EDUCATION LEVEL:  juris doctor.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: three bedroom home outside of city limits.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, ETC.

FACECLAIM: zeeko zaki.

HAIR COLOR AND STYLE: dark. keeps it short.

EYE COLOR: dark brown.

EYESIGHT:  20/30.

HEIGHT: six foot, five inches.

WEIGHT: two hundred and twenty pounds.

BODY AND BUILD:  athletic.

TATTOOS: none.

PIERCINGS: none.

CLOTHING STYLE:  casual / business.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: beard, eyes.

HEALTH.

MENTAL DISORDER(S): officially, none.

PHYSICAL DISORDER(S):  none.

ALLERGIES:  none.

SLEEPING HABITS:  he doesn’t sleep much. too much stress.

EATING HABITS:  likes to cook, rarely gets to. prefers cleaner takeout.

SOCIABILITY: charming when needed.

ADDICTIONS:  none.

DRUG USE:  none.

ALCOHOL USE: daily.

FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS, ETC.

MOTHER: odion ramzi.

FATHER:  zahara ramzi.

SPOUSE: florence razmi née ortiz.

BEST FRIEND: 

EXES: 

SIBLING(S):  none.

PET(S): 

KEY POINTS

trigger warnings: hint of a death threat.

Xavier grew up in a medium income home in Northern New Jersey. He looked over the river at New York City growing up and wondered if he’d ever make it there. It was a driving force behind everything he did. Growing up, he kept his head down. While other kids wanted to have fun, all he wanted was to learn.

He worked hard to stay at the top of his class. He volunteered wherever he could and even went as far as job shadowing a prosecutor from the DA’s office near his residence. His grades, volunteer work, shadowing, and his persuasive essays were enough to get him into NYU’s undergraduate program for law.

He did well, but when it came to law school, he surprised everyone when he announced that he would be attending the University of Arizona State over NYU’s law school. It wasn’t about going to the better school, but he wanted a fair chance at making a name for himself and he didn’t think he’d get that in New York.

After graduating law school, he relocated to New Mexico thanks to the state having reciprocity with Arizona. His first big challenge left him eager to accept. The DA told him it would make or break his career, but Xavier hadn’t known how much truth that was. After two weeks, he was sipping whiskey from a plastic cup in a one bedroom apartment when a knock at the door changed his life. They gave him two options: join their club or wish that he’d joined the club.

After that night, he was brought into the fold of the organization. At first, it was turning a blind eye to the petty criminal advances of the group. He didn’t like betraying his oath to uphold the law, but he chose to see the positive side of making changes.

After ten years of unofficial consult, he was offered a position. SGT. at arms. How could he say no to such a thing? Of course, it came at a cost. There were moves in play that required him to take yet another step up. The first time they mentioned him getting married to a woman he barely knew, he thought it was a joke, but soon enough, they tied the knot and had a role to play.

The job? This time, it was to Lancaster. Getting in the District Attorney’s office as Assistant District Attorney was the easy part. He played his role for a couple of months and like magic, the District Attorney decided it was time to step down, leaving the role up for grabs. He laid on the charm thick, promised himself to the people, and had a shining record to match his radiating smile. It was no surprise when the votes dropped and Attorney Ramzi was named the new head of the prosecutor’s office.

KEY POINTS

Connections page can be found here.

fellow law companions or enemies

coffee associate

enemies to friends

unlikely friends

neighbors

anyone from his past

[exulcnsis]

The blonde gives a brief nod of her head, a faint hum escaping her lips as she does. "That wouldn't be a problem. It'd basically just be making a duplicate inbox for the tips to be sent to - if we were using something like a Google email account, it'd be difficult, but for confidentiality reasons I created the database in the framework of the website - anyone with moderator approval to post on the website or edit information can assign someone a password and username in order to access the tip box. That way, there's a record of who has access to the tips, if there are any issues. You can check the inbox at any time, as well as whoever gets assigned to keep track of it, or if a new person ever gets that assignment. It's all very adaptive - given the nature of the information, I figured cyber security and accountability was important." To everyone, of course, but her - she had eyes on every corner of the website, but he didn't need to know that.

"I think we'd be well prepared for a launch on Monday, as long as there's nothing you want to change. Color palette, which images I used from the portfolio you sent me - if everything meets your approval, I just have a final scan to do of the code to ensure everything is working properly."

[guspereira]

It was far more complicated than he could have ever imagined requesting of her, but the more she spoke on the topic, the more impressed he grew. It was dangerous to allow anyone outside of the loop such authorization, but in hopes of not drawing too much suspicion to himself and to the club, he offered a smile and nodded along as if he believed it was the best route one could take. "And you're sure you wouldn't want a job here? Because I don't know how anyone is going to keep up with all of that. If we do this and I think that we most certainly should, I only want you giving authorization to people. Of course, with my permission first. I don't know the guys down at the local department well enough yet and I'd to give that over without learning more about how they operate." More so, he needed to know who'd be willing to turn a blind eye to certain tips and who would play by the law book in an unforgiving manner.

"I think it's absolutely perfect. Far better than what I had imagined." He'd set his sights low, but Winter had gone above and beyond to prove herself. His only piece of advice was that her talents were well worth the salary he could offer in keeping her on board. "Will you need anything from me on launch day?"

[exulcnsis]

A faint hum escapes her lips as she gestures to an innocent-enough looking link to the side of his website. "Well, studies show that the longer a case goes unsolved and with no updates, the less faith the public has in the police and detectives. It has very little to do with you, realistically - you take the case to court, any investigating is on the shoulders of the department, but..." She clicks the link to navigate to the page, before a faint hum escapes her lips. There's a proud header above a submission form, proclaiming some sort of PR spiel about Xavier's desire to bring closure to families who may have lost hope - that he's here to listen to all of their concerns. "Attach your name to it, and suddenly people don't see them as submitting their anonymous tips to the police department, but to you. It's totally encrypted and tips are programmed to go directly to the police department, so you virtually have to do nothing. As long as they put some desk duty officer or probie on keeping an eye on it, and sending them to question on anything with validity, you'll get all the credit for any cold case that gets solved... Without any of the work." Winter's smile is bright as she looks at him, shoulders lifting in half of a shrug. "There's also always the option of spending the money to provide them with a few rounds of beers at a local watering hole, to get their willingness to tell anyone they talk to that 'DA Ramzi takes your concerns very seriously', but at the end of the day... That's credit to you that you don't have to work for. I even added an extra layer that automatically discards any IPs more than a hundred and fifty miles away from town, that way if any prankster finds it, we're not overwhelmed with bogus tips."

Everything she told him was true enough, at least - except for the fact that in reality, all of the tips were sent to her - but she'd be more than willing to forward things to the police department. She just wanted to know everything first, in case anything interesting showed up. "Presence wise, it creates a good look for you."

[guspereira]

He watched with a calm front, his arms folded before him atop the desk, hands clasped together in a note of interest for what played out before him. He'd asked for her to build him a website, one appealing to the public, but comforting in ways that would add a layer of trust without them realizing it. Her idea, as back channeled as it seemed, was brilliant. Only suggestion? Those tips actually came to him, or he had a level of control over seeing them if he wished. "What if I want a bit of the work? To see what's coming through? Believe it or not, I'm not afraid of a little extra work being put in front of me." He appreciated it though, her creativity, the way she'd taken his ideas and turned into something else entirely.

Xavier chewed at the inside of his cheek, a breath stilled in his chest. Did she believe that he didn't want to put in the work, or was it an easy assumption to make? "So, is it possible that I could have access? To dig through the tips whenever I'm feeling up to the extra work?" Not total control, but some, more than she was suggesting. That way, if anything about the club came in and it was worrisome enough, he'd cut it off before it reached anyone of importance.

"I want to be more than just a good look. I want to make a difference. This," he paused, his gaze darting towards the screen before returning to her, "is a good start. How long will it take to be ready to launch to the public?"

[crookedroads]

The free drinks was one of the perks of this job. Everyone wanted to drink with the bartender and most times, Bea tricked them into thinking she had taken the offered shot. Taking a sip of water right after, the shot would go in the water bottle and her mind would still be clear. It was an old bartender tricks. If she was to take them all, she wouldn’t be able to do her job. But there were exception and getting something top shelf was one of them. Two glasses were filled and there was something in Bea that was glad for the down time, the opportunity to talk with Xavier. He was preoccupied by something and part of her didn’t like it. Caring about anyone in the Sinful Ones had never been the plan but the more she delves deeper into her affiliations, the more the lines blurred.

“I don’t think I’ve seen one of these in decades,” she said with a small laugh. “But how hard would it be to fake it? There’s always a woman, either a spy or double agent, always a love interest, testing his loyalties. Then explosions, gun fights, near death experiences.” All of it suddenly sounded too close for comfort. “Tell me big guy, what’s a decent movie?”

[guspereira]

His curiosity never flickered in the light of those under the club's thumb the same way as he was. He often wondered how many members were actively choosing to stand up for themselves and how many were indebted the club itself. How many people had been given an option upon recruitment, and how many hands were forced into being a part of something bigger? "Probably for the best." Even something as enjoying a movie hadn't dawned on him. That by comparison to the excitement of his work, all messes aside, nothing else seemed to matter.

The irony behind her teasing words left him swallowing down a bitter laugh. Things were never quite as they seemed, but when it boiled down to it, their life, their loyalty to the club and all the chaos it caused, was just as bad as a Bond movie. Teeth raked over his bottom lip slowly, a quiet pop falling from his mouth as a quiet knuckle tap against the bar left him shrugging off her question.

"I'm a big fan of Jurassic Park. The original Scream was good too. It doesn't always have to big some dramatic action film to make things exciting." He wondered if she would have expected either answer from him. Had she assumed he'd lean towards a film more... formal? Like the suits he wore and the barely-there smile that hung on his mouth from time to time. "Bond movies wouldn't even make my top one hundred."

[retributionfm]

Though she wouldn't say it aloud, knowing full well it didn't matter, he could have chosen death. The day they'd shown up on his doorstep he could have chosen to say no and keep his morality safe, floating on into the afterlife with a moral compass pointing north. He'd chosen life instead, and chosen to be a part of this... and the fact that that was true meant that NOW that he actually had MORE to lose he wasn't likely to pull the ripcord... but he'd probably talk about it a lot.

Instead, she watched as his hand tugged away with an implacable expression and drew her hand back to run her thumb across her own lower lip; a habit when she was thinking. He was obviously thinking far too deeply on this right now and, though she wanted to help address it, they were in far too public a place for her to start offering consolation or advice. Yes, Xavier, here's how you deal with wanting out, let me spell it out where anyone can hear.

"It's never enough, Xav. We both made choices. Yours might have been more pressing but you still made a choice." Or, perhaps, she would bring it up. Maybe she was frustrated by the idea that this was being brought up at the worst time, or maybe she just didn't have the patience to sugarcoat it in that moment, "You reap the benefits along with the ill. You chose to spill blood just as much as I have. We chose."

The last bits were in a hushed whisper, though there was something far more intense behind it. She loved Xavier, he was family, but she felt like he was not only calling himself out but specifically her as well and her emotions were too raw to take that. He had something to lose and she knew that, but she also knew exactly what was going on in that situation too and how tenuous any of it was to begin with.

At current, Maria had nothing but the club and the family she'd made within it. She'd not express it now, or possibly ever, but she wished Xavier were free. He'd live long, at least.

[guspereira]

Trust was everything within the club and he knew his role well. He'd taken an oath to protect the scales of justice, but there was no balance beneath his touch. The scales would always lean in favor of those on his side. Everyone else be damned, the sinful ones wouldn't be touched. Even if that meant swallowing down every word he'd sworn to upon taking office, even if it meant shredding the last bit of morality he had left.

He'd taken the coward's way out. Rather than save himself the corruption, he'd folded under the pressure and was just as bad as those who had blood on their hands. Blood that he'd never agreed to spill, but had covered up for the sake of what some believed to be the greater good. Keep your head down, play your role. Like a puppet on a string, he was doing just that.

"Maybe I did what I did because I thought I could make it better." In theory, it was a small part of why he'd said yes without much thought. He'd done everything that had been asked of him and after years of being the good little soldier the club needed him to be, he'd earned a spot at the table. A spot that he'd wanted to use for good, only to be left realizing that there was nothing good about it.

Grip tightened around his whiskey glass, the desire to toss it in the same way he had so many times before in the safety of his own home being far too grand for him his liking. Composure. He needed to find it. "I didn't want to kill anyone." He'd been all for applying pressure to all the right places, but he'd never suggested murder and he wouldn't have agreed to it either. Not if there was another way and from where he sat, there was always another way.

"When I got the call that our shipment was compromised and that two of our own were killed, I let myself jump to the worst case scenario." Losing people wasn't easy, but it would have been a hell of a lot harder if it'd been her. The attack, provoked or not, had shown him how quickly things could happen. How quickly even the strongest of plans could fail. "I don't want to ever get another call like that, but it's a war, right? Nothing we can do to stop it now."

[internetstarlets-deactivated202]

Maggie Bell & OA Zidan in FBI 5x09 “Fortunate Son”

[ttinyedits]

[retributionfm]

There was a shift of her gaze to look over Xavier and a single brow lofted; she could tell there was a battle going on inside of him, they'd been friends for far too long for her to not notice the tell-tale signs of a conscience getting louder. She had her own, sometimes, but it turned out it was easy enough to quiet if you just focused on the end game.

"You're not the other guy and you'll make it through. I mean you have no choice at this point, Xav. We're not talking about dipping your toes in the pool and deciding it's not for you. You've fully dunked, you're in the deep end, and it's either keep swimming or drown." Maria's metaphors might be a bit wonky but they made sense to her and they fit the situation.

A hand moved across to touch on his, shaking her head slowly. He was like family to her at this point, and people generally knew that. She knew about his wife, his situation, almost everything about him. She was the keeper of his secrets and he knew a few of hers as well, but...

"Tell me you've got this and I'll believe you... and as for if I can blame them..." A shrug lifts her shoulders and she exhales slowly, eyes rolling closed for a span of lid-fluttered beats before they open to focus on him again, "I can blame everyone."

Likely not the response he'd wanted or expected, nor was it even clear if he had wanted an actual response. But she was right in everything. Xavier was too deep now to make a clean exit and she worried about what she'd do the day he actually gave voice to those thoughts that crept around his mind.

[guspereira]

What if he didn't swim? What if he chose to go down to spare himself the torture of his own morality? It was selfish, really, to consider walking away when he wasn't the only one with skin in the game. If something happened to him, there was still Flora. If it meant keeping her safe and maintaining a club balance, he'd stick it out, even if it drove him mad in the process.

"Some of us didn't get the option to dip our toes in. We were dunked into the deep from the start." He never asked for the club to break into his apartment. Hadn't asked for them to make an offer that not even the devil would take. No, they'd done that for him and now all he could do was swim. Swim until his body gave out and even then, it was up to him to keep going. "But sure. Guess I'll keep swimming."

He could handle himself, even in the midst of a crisis, he wasn't going anywhere. He could unravel at the seams and at the end of the day, he'd use scotch and what little dignity he had left to patch himself up. That had to be enough.

Her touch, as gentle as it was, caused him to flinch. She knew him, perhaps better than most people in the club, and yet, she couldn't see the way he was breaking? He pulled his hand from her reach, fingers curling around the whiskey glass before him. It wasn't scotch, but it'd do just fine.

"At what cost?" They were the ones who came in with blood on their hands. They'd taken a man from his family and regardless of what he'd done, Xavier wasn't quite sure it was worth the loss they'd taken in return. Two lives for one, but how many others would fall to the fight? "When will enough be enough?"

[lucianaortiz]

"Nothing surprises me anymore." She admitted, though holding on tightly to any further admissions of caring about him too. Their situation was complicated enough, the last thing she wanted to do was play into their marriage well enough that even she would start to believe that she was in love with him. Love in this world didn't exist. Relationships were transactional, beneficial, an alliance that was meant for a greater purpose. There was sex and flirting and agreements, but there wasn't love. There couldn't be. But there was a certain comfort she held, in knowing that Xavier cared about her, a level of protection she felt sharing a home with him. Even if he wasn't a magician. "They've always been like that, but desperate people will take desperate measures. Could you imagine the mess they'd make without you?" Flora questioned, her gaze meeting his as her fork stilled, still not having lifted even a single piece of rice into her mouth. Truthfully, she wasn't hungry, her focus was only on the man at the table beside her.

"I like being busy, less time to think." Especially when it came to thinking about her past and what led her to where she was now, so blindly loyal to a club just because she grew up in the midst of it? If she thought too hard, she realized that her reasons for being so loyal to the club became smaller and smaller and she was afraid one day, she'd simply run out of them all together. "Sounds like you could use less time to think too." She wondered what it would take, for Xavier to turn his brain off for the night, to not worry about the club or the criminals or things that made him want to throw a glass against the wall and leave it to shatter into a billion tiny pieces. His compliment left her distracted, a smug grin pulling on her lips. "Wouldn't be quite as convincing if we were both as stiff as a cardboard box, now would it?" Flora forewent mentioning that even if she had to go an extra mile to make up for his lack of affection in public, the few times his palm would settle on her waist always managed to set her skin on fire nonetheless.

[guspereira]

There were moments where he wanted to bare everything to her. His childhood, all of the things he'd longed for while growing up. He wanted to share intimate pieces of himself because that's what a marriage was supposed to be. He wasn't a man built for tradition, but he wasn't entirely heartless either, no matter how cynical he seemed. At the end of a long day, he craved comfort in a woman he doubted would stick around if ever given the chance to leave. Dark hues floated down to the plate in front of him and against every turning feeling in the pit of his stomach, he reached out for the fork and brushed his thumb against the handle of the cool metal. "I don't see how anyone is going to win this game. They kill some of ours, we kill some of theirs. No one is coming out of this okay." Too many loses would make the whole war worthless. As a man in his position, all he could do was ensure that moral conduct within the club was maintained and that no one stepped too far out of line without permission.

"I'm tired of thinking." He'd pace his office for hours before coming home and doing the same thing for different reasons. He'd take calls, listen to pleas, and be given orders like the good little soldier he was. He hated it. He wanted to change it, but how did he change anything when everyone was too busy seeking out revenge for one loss or another? He scooped up a pile of rice, a sigh falling from his mouth as it settled in the pit of his stomach. It was the first real food he'd had all day and after the first bite, he went for another, and then another, only pausing for a drink. "I think we do just fine when you take the lead." It was safer that way and easier too. If she was controlling the touching, then there was no room for discomfort.

[crookedroads]

There was a dedication to her work, whatever it was, that made her a good employee. Bartending was something she had learned for this assignement, an easy enough way to have ears on the ground. People talked a lot in bars and she had perfected the art of listening, even when it looked like she wasn't. Any piece of information could be nothing, or it could be something big. Like Xavier Ramzi being part of the Sinful Ones being something really big. Maybe that was why she couldn't help but push his buttons. It had became a hobby of hers, to do it as much as she could and the half smile that appeared on her lips at his request was clear indication of that.

"If you're paying," she said with a shrug. Xavier was in a mood, which was her favorite Xavier and despite him asking, playing nice was not something she could do. "Of course." The words were sweet, hidding her usual bark, which would come out sooner than later. "So what are you in the mood for? Stock exchange? International politics? The latest Bond movie?"

[guspereira]

"Wouldn't dream of giving you something to hold over my head. Put it on my tab." He pulled his credit card from his wallet before he tapped it atop the bar for her taking. Out of everyone in the club, it was her who'd learned how to burrow beneath his skin without much effort at all. A single look was it took on most occasions, but when his walls were staged higher, she had no problem rising to the occasion. If he weren't so busy being annoyed by it, he would have been impressed by her dedication.

None of the above, he thought to himself. "Is that what you consider decent film?" He wasn't even sure if he'd watched the original, let alone every remake and sequel that followed. "Surely you've watched something else." Talking about movies while the world fell apart around them seemed... juvenile. He needed that though. For one night, he needed anything on his mind other than club business.

[lucianaortiz]

There was a softness she felt for the other, buried somewhere deep inside of her chest, a feeling she would never let see the light of day unless it was over her cold, dead body. There were times it tried to break through, though, after the first time they met and even after the ultimatum to get married was given to each of them, times when his frustration peaked and she could sense another package of whiskey glasses already on their way to be delivered to their doorstep, the sound of glass breaking against his office wall echoing in her ears for days after. The times the softness would try to break through existed in the moments between when he'd crawl into bed after cleaning up his office and when they would fall asleep, physically more close to each other than they would have ever dared to be in the past. When she usually woke, that softness would be shoved back down again and in its place would reside jokes about hits and laughter over hypothetical death threats.

But in a moment like this, when she could feel the frustration in him rising, yet not to the level of broken whiskey glasses, the softness still threatened to peek through, because she knew how it felt to be on his side of things, to be indebted to a group of people and have to bend every time they come to collect. It was just, he didn't know she knew, not like that, at least. "You care about me," Flora couldn't help the deadpanned tease that fell from her lips, eyeing him as her fingertips rested on the glass of bourbon in front of her. The alcohol she'd consumed already threatened the integrity of her chest that held the softness down, tiny pieces of it already managing to break through. "They know what they're doing, they wouldn't have went into this without knowing there'd be risks. Just trust them and do your job and clean it up the best you can." And mostly, though it went unsaid, don't give them a reason to sacrifice you too.

Club dealings were something she tried to stay out of. She was in it because she owed them, because she didn't have anywhere else she belonged, because of some long lived allegiance passed down from her mother who peaced out and left her daughter to fend for herself. Eventually, the group was something she made into a home, and for that she would remain loyal for as long as they kept her. "Okay," She reassured him, voice quiet as she picked up her fork and made a circle in the rice on her plate. "It's mostly just stitches and band-aids and people complaining about ear aches and stomach aches, but we get a good trauma case sometimes. I find ways to stay busy." Stitching up club members to pass the time, for one. "I had dinner with Cemre a few days ago. It's always nice to catch up, hear about her son. She's convinced we're in some sort of fairytale level of marriage."

[guspereira]

He wasn't nearly as cynical as he painted himself to be. It was a protection strategy. If people believed that he was indifferent about every aspect of his life, there wouldn't be anything that they could take from him. Whether she'd believe it or not, he cared about what did and didn't happen to her. In a way, they were one in the same. Neither wanted to be in their predicament, but having no other choice. "Is that surprising to you?" He didn't expect her to feel the same. In fact, he had convinced himself that it was hate that ran through her veins, even if there was a layer of understanding buried deep within. Did she blame him for not taking more of a stand? Believe him to be a coward amongst men because he fell into line when told to do so? Truth was, if it meant keeping her safe, he'd do whatever they asked, however many times they asked him to do it.

"That's the thing, I don't know if they care about the risks. They think I can clean up everything, but I can't. There's only so much I can brush off before someone starts sniffing around wanting real answers." He was the district attorney, not a magician who could cover up every petty crime and felony murder that came across his sturdy mahout desk. No one thought about those implications though. No one dared to ask how complicated it would be to cover up their sins and hope that no one ever found out and if they did, that he'd be able to make them go away. "It doesn't matter." There was nothing that either of them could do about it and the longer he trailed on, the more he wanted to toss a glass.

He didn't ask what other things kept her busy. A safe guess was the club, but there was another part of him that wandered towards another thought. One that made his wedding band feel two sizes too small. "Doesn't sound like a bad thing. You could use the break." As could he, but only one of them were fortunate enough for that to happen. For one night, he'd push aside everything for a taste of normalcy, but it was easier said than done. "Guess we're not that bad at faking it after all. Probably thanks to all your touching. You really know how to sell it." While he lingered close, a hand on her side from time to time, Flora wasn't at all shy about making their story a little bit more believable.

[lucianaortiz]

If she were to try and put a price tag on the other's head, in the eyes of the club, it definitely wouldn't be an amount she would be so willing to cough up, not when the same amount could probably buy them a vacation house on some island or some kind of private jet. Xavier was right, the club put a lot into them, into their image, into the picture perfect lawyer that the man appeared to the public, all so he could continue to do their bidding without a single questioning eye being turned his way. To lose that would be outside of any realistic price tag and definitely wouldn't be because of the whim of some bored wife. Even if she did ever want to DIY it, she knew she wouldn't even see the next sunrise if she did.

Whether or not Xavier wanted to sit and enjoy the meal she made was none of her concern and even though his words forced their way through Flora's ears, she focused on pouring another drink instead from the bar cart that contained alcohol that had always been way outside of her price range growing up in a trailer where Bud Light and whatever bottom shelf was the cheapest to replace were the only things that existed. It was a habit that followed her throughout medical school and until she married the man that stood in front of her now. Now, she found herself craving the specialty bourbon that their double income could afford to splurge on, a splurge she took full advantage of before finally turning back to the man near the table. "It's really not as serious as you're making it out to be. Things happen, just do your job and clean them up and then you can forget about it." It was how she survived being at the mercy of the club, long before the other came into the picture. Do what you're supposed to and try to have some fun in between, how else would one get by without insanity slowly creeping into their bones and taking over?

Moving back toward the table, Flora took her seat once more, glancing up at the man still standing. "Sit. Eat. I didn't poison the food, that would be too obvious." She motioned toward the plate she'd made him. "Whatever happened a couple of weeks ago will still be there tomorrow."

[guspereira]

In another life, maybe they still would have ended up together in a way that didn't feel as if it were their only option. He wondered, especially in that moment, if maybe part of her did want something to happen to him. It would mean her freedom, would mean that she could whatever she wanted without the worry of what the club would do. He couldn't blame for wanting such a thing — more often than not, he wanted the same damn thing. A life where the club wasn't controlling his every move. A life where his career was built on honesty and justice. A life where his home was built on love and nothing less than that. He could want as much as he wanted, as could she, but there was nothing that would change the path they'd been forced onto. A path that had left her bored enough to inquire a hit and thing it was comical. One filled with anger and resentment that neither ever spoke on, not directly at least. He had enough broken whiskey glasses behind him to argue otherwise, but truth was, most of those angry nights were tamed by her touch. The gentle promise that everything would be okay and an Amazon order later, it was as if nothing had happened.

"Two of our people are dead. Not injured. Not missing. Dead. That's drawing more attention than we need right now. They're pushing back, and you know, I can't even blame them." He knew that the deep seeded rivalry between clubs wasn't something that either could ever look past, but he hadn't expected his own allegiance to be put to the test so quickly. It was retaliation. It was revenge. It was deserved. "I knew it was going to be a lot. I knew that when we signed up for it." A pause, because the bitter taste that coated his tongue was too much. They didn't sign up for anything. He hadn't signed up for the madness. All he'd wanted was a fair chance at practicing law on his own terms, not beneath the thumb of a club he'd hoped to change for the better. "Just be careful." Clearly she was more than capable of handling herself, but in a time where chaos reigned supreme, no one was safe.

An attempted argument was silenced by the hunger that hit him full force. Just as she asked, he found solace in the same chair he often left empty. "Can we just... not talk about any more of it tonight? I'm tired and you're right. It'll all be there in the morning anyway." When he wasn't playing DA or mister fix-it, he wasn't sure that he even knew who he was anymore. "How's the hospital treating you? Staying busy?"

[rebelycll]

If one thing was certain it was that Andrea didn't envy Xavier's position in any way, shape, or form. Having to wear that many masks? Being everyone's pony that was led and steered by the reigns in every which direction?

She couldn't fathom it.

What Andrea had learned early on, thanks to Mitch and seeing who a major porn producer was connected to, was that anyone could be bought. Most of all...

Politicians.

"Oh, some of us work good and honest for our money," the sharp tongued woman attempted to tease. The only problem was the glint of trouble in her emerald eyes and the smirk that hinged on her lips rather than a teasing smile.

Without further ado she made his usual and set it in front of him. "How's that for good?" Andrea was never one to rattle off at the mouth when it came to information, despite the ties unless the request was direct. This felt more conversational or as though Xavier needed to blow off steam.

"Wanna talk about how another day in the monkey suit was?"

[guspereira]

Playing with fire in a position like his was a slippery slope to nowhere. If he wasn't too careful, he'd burn beyond repair. Lady Justice was tipping the scales and all he could do was fumble to keep some sort of balance.

"It's all about perspective, isn't it?" The club would have considered his sacrifice to be the greatest thing he could offer, while others would cry corruption and toss him to the wolves for such hypocrisy.

Luckily, no one had to know. No one that would give much of a damn.

The hint of a smile played on his mouth. He should have expected something of the sort, but her teasing words were enough to ease the weight atop his shoulders. "I do think there's room for improvement. Maybe next time?"

A quiet breath of laughter rolled off his tongue. He'd long gotten used to the confinements of finely tailored suits and pressed ties. "Nothing important has come my way if that's your way of asking. Another day of sitting idle. I'm working through cases that were here before we slipped into town. You wouldn't believe how much the old DA didn't touch. Either because the Wild Coyotes paid him not to, or he just wasn't doing his job. Too early to tell."

[exulcnsis]

Her smile is easy, charismatic - if there's one thing that Winter is good at, it's being charming. She'd spent her entire life learning how to schmooze with the best of them, the perfect princess at events for her father, and though they'd never been quite as wealthy as the people they'd brushed shoulders with, the blonde had learned the art of confidence from those with money, and it had formed who she was when it mattered most. Specifically, when it came to work - when it came to people in power, they liked hiring people who were confident in what they were doing, and Winter had confidence to spare.

"As honored as I am, I think I'd finish it faster than you think I would, and then where would I be? Redesigning the website every few months because I got bored? I tend to stagnate working on one project - it's why my turnover rate is so quick," she hummed, though she did throw out an easy, "But I'm always available for consults, if you find yourself particularly desperate."

She sets the laptop on his desk, quickly closing the window of code on the side, because that's not something he needs to see - before turning the screen towards him. "Coffee would be amazing - like any true computer nerd, I do tend to live off of it. There's just something comforting about it, to me at least," she hummed, before running her mouse along the first feature of the website. "These are all the basics that every website should have, but the last piece here is something I added myself."

[guspereira]

The creation of his social media presence wasn't a suggestion from the club, but it was important enough to maintain if they wanted to keep him in his position for as long as they could. Of course, it would take more than a well made website to gather votes. He had a plan for that though. Tough on crime in all the right ways and what he couldn't cover, he'd offer charm. It was manipulative, but every political game was. It was better him than someone else too far gone to know right and wrong.

"I'm sure we could find something more for you to do, but I understand. I'm sure you have plenty of people wanting your expertise. It would be criminal to take your work off the market." Website design was complicated enough and the career path itself was niche. How many other crafty tech gurus were roaming the streets of Lancaster? Truth was, her skill could prove useful. "I'll remember that."

Without hesitation, Xavier picked up the phone, a quick dial out and a couple of trills later, his secretary's kind voice rang through. A few jokes and a sweet request later, he was turning his attention back to the blonde. His dark gaze shifted between her and the computer screen, a smile stretching thinly on his mouth. "And what would that last piece be?"

[lucianaortiz]

What did she expect? That was a tall question that she didn't even bother to think about answering, especially because when it came down to it, she didn't know what to expect. From the moment she was thrown into the marriage laid out in front of her, she'd found that every corner they turned was unexpected, and eventually she just stopped trying to figure out the future and lean with the curves instead, finding any morsel of amusement she could in an otherwise sticky situation. "Calm down, it was a joke. I'm a doctor, if I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have to inquire about it with anyone, I'd just do it." Her eyes rolled as she drew out the word 'really' and the curve of her lips never dropped, not even once. The more frustrated he became, the more amusement she got out of it. Even if he didn't realize it, Florence would never have the guts to actually off anyone, not again, and definitely not intentionally. She was more a one and done girl, that one time the reason she was even in this situation in the first place.

She hushed the parrot, who became obsessed with Xavier's question, with a slight wave of her hand, shooing the bird to another chair at the opposite end of the table. Pollito quieted once he resettled, head bobbing as his sight darted between them, ever used to their stand offs. "High doesn't even begin to describe it, turns out your worth to the club is priceless, mi querido." The member she'd contact about the hit on her husband had simply laughed at her inquiry and she laughed back playing it off as a joke, which made the reaction that Xavier was given make sense. It wasn't as though she was serious about offing him, just a little fun and games was all. With a melodic hum, she finished the bourbon in her glass and set it down on the wooden table with a soft thud, standing up from her seat with a renewed energy, moving toward her husband to tilt his head down with the gentle tips of her fingers and press a barely-there kiss to his cheek, a shadow of what a typical marriage's welcome home would be like, minus the death threat. Then, her hand slid to his upper arm and squeezed reassuringly before dropping all together. "Sit, I'll get you something to eat. I wasn't sure how many places I'd be setting tonight." A whispered chuckle followed her into the kitchen area, grabbing two plates from the cabinet before plating them with the chicken and rice meal she'd actually had time to prepare that day. Then, she made her way back into the dining area, sliding the filled plates into place. "You need to loosen up, all of this stress can't be good for you."

[guspereira]

He could still remember the pull he'd felt the first time they'd met. She was a bright minded woman who was leagues above everyone else he'd ever known. Her presence alone was intoxicating, but all that good fun had crumbled down around them with a simple suggestion from the club. Neither had taken it all too serious until it was more of an order. Play the part, they'd directed. It's for the club. Even if she had put out a hit on him, there wasn't much room to blame her. Marrying him, much like marrying her, was complicated enough. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you'd save money and do it yourself?" Even with a promising threat such as that, and with the inquiry in mind, he didn't actually fear her. Truth was, he'd learned to trust her in the midst of getting to know her. She was in the same situation as he was, her value reliant on his ability to perform. If he failed, she failed.

Dealing with Flora was a breeze by comparison to the parrot she'd came with. When most people spoke of having baggage, the baggage didn't talk back. "Are you surprised? They worked hard to get us here. It'd be a shame if all that came crumbling down because my wife made a bad call." If this was how she cured her doses of boredom, they'd need to get her into something else. Therapy was a good start, but suggesting such a thing seemed like a fine line to walk.

He stood in place and watched as she padded over to him, her touch, unlike her words, soft. If he hadn't of known better, he could have bought into the same image that everyone else did. Picture perfect marriage, perfect wife, perfect life. And then there was the reminder of what she'd nearly done. "Loosen up? You know, I think you're right. I should forget about the guys we lost a couple of weeks ago, and how everyone wants answers. Legally speaking, and you know, club-wise. I shouldn't think about how complicated this is getting, and to top it off, when my wife gets bored, she calls around about hits, but hey, you're right. I should loosen up." Every word dripped off his lips in sarcasm as thick as honey, slow and overly sweet, but with a bitter undertone she couldn't possibly miss.

[lucianaortiz]

A smile started to curve on her lips the moment the sound of their front door slamming echoed throughout the home she shared with the man who just made his entrance clear. Her gaze sparkled with the slightest bit of amusement as dark hues fell on her husband, unfazed as his hands settled roughly against the table top. "Guess it's good to know who the snakes are, hm?" Her eyebrow raised in question as she settled more comfortably into her seat at the head of the table, nothing but a glass of bourbon, neat of course, in front of her. The intent behind her call wasn't about finding out which club members would go straight to her husband and it wasn't about actually getting Xavier killed either — or even the price tag behind it, for her consideration. No, she was simply bored and instead of sitting around, waiting for day to turn to night and her shift in the emergency room to come up again, Florence figured a little game of how mad will your husband be if he finds out you tried to put a hit on him was better entertainment than throwing on a pair of comfy pants and binging Keeping Up With the Kardashians all night. Sure, she was coerced into marrying the man standing above her, but it didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun with it, right? As if right on cue, the grey parrot perched on the open chair to her left bobbed a few times, muttering 'was that necessary?' on repeat. The smile grew, straight into a cocky grin as she hummed and reached for the glass in front of her, casting an amused glance toward Xavier. "You wanna know your price tag?"

[guspereira]

He could control a lot of things, like how far a prosecution went or quickly a case could be dismissed due to simple protections of due process being violated. What he couldn't control was his wife, and truth was, he had no interest in trying. It was easy to assume that she blamed him for their situation — blamed him for falling into line with whatever the sinful ones wanted? Maybe he blamed himself too, but in the midst of the mess they'd found themselves in, it was her that he gained the most comfort from after a long day, even if he had a shitty way of showing it. "You inquired about a hit on someone that's a pretty deal. What did you expect?"

There was no real threat behind her inquiry, her idea of a good joke having been written off by everyone. He shot a look towards the parrot as it echoed his question. It was frustrating enough to see how little she cared, but this? This was something closer to torture. "Sure. What would my wife need to pay in order to order to take me out? I hope it's high." He stood straight, uncaring of the wrinkled mess he'd made of his shirt, half untucked from his slacks while the other half looked unbothered.

[retributionfm]

Maria sat back in her seat as Xavier spoke, watching him with a critical eye and her attention formed solely on him for that moment. It was a look of appraisal, a look to see if he was telling the truth about how he was doing, knowing full well that he wasn't always capable of telling everything he wanted to.

A shrug lifts her shoulders and she nods, "You know it'll never slow down, a DAs work is never done."

There was a grin against her lips as she leaned in to drain the rest of her own whiskey and scooping up the other as it came to settle at their table. Her eyes narrowed slightly, down at the glass more than at him, "You should always be concerned, 'vier. After the hijacking of our product we're waiting for the next move... I'm sure it'll be fine but while it's not I'd be careful of what you do, you know?"

A grunt parts her lips and she drinks, closing her eyes for a moment to savor that feeling and allow the burn to pour down her throat and to her core, before she offers, a bit less conspiratorially as she didn't seem to know fear in that moment, "I hate it when we're idle like this."

[guspereira]

A title that should have brought him pride left nothing but a bitter taste on the of tip of his tongue. He'd taken an oath to protect the due process and to ensure the delivery of justice to those who deserved it. Though, truth be told, his corruption was no deeper than every other politician he'd ever had the displeasure of working with.

"I can see why the other guy took an early leave." He knew that someone had played a hand in pushing him out, but with a caseload like his, Xavier wouldn't have blamed him for running the other. If it wasn't the stacked files driving a man made, it was what was within those stacked files that should have sent him running.

Her inability to offer a conformation word left him blowing out a huff of frustrated air. Not towards her, but over the fact that something had happened in retaliation to what they'd done. "Can you blame them?" With anyone else, he never would have asked a question so bold, but with her, he trusted it would stay between them, even if her response was something akin to a scolding.

Over the course of time, he'd found peace in their silence. Despite knowing what was waiting for them in Lancaster, he'd still agreed to every move, if only because there was no other choice. For himself, for Flora. "It gives me a chance to clean up what's already been done." Legally, at least.