always where i burn to be,

biker with a law degree, have you heard that punchline before?

[leoichijo-blog]

She had spent the day after the Fourth in the bar too pissed off to do any actual work that would allow her to keep the place running. The books needed to be looked at, the money that had been brought in from the holiday needed to be counted, inventory done, the list went on and on. So when she had finally woken up and gotten her life together enough to actually think without seeing red, Kass had thrown on some workout clothes and headed to the bar. 

As much as she loved seeing it busy and full of people she loved, there was something about it empty and quiet that made her feel at home. She had done her homework at the tables, her name etched into the underside of the bar on a dare when she was younger that had landed her a good month of grounding. It was her home away from home. Standing there in the quiet she looked around at it and sighed, if her father could see everything now. 

Sitting on top of the bar with her books laid out in front of her, she added in the money taken in over the weekend and the holiday. They were ahead for the year, something that made her feel good considering how many free drinks she had given out to apologize for being a bitch over the weekend. There was plenty to tithe to the church, and even more to kick back to the Brotherhood if Seran pulled his head out of his ass that is. 

Hearing the beating on the bar door, the blonde bounced off the counter, grabbing her baseball bat in one fell swoop and marched across the room to see who was trying to be the obnoxious prick of the day. Opening it, she rolled her eyes at who was standing on the other side. “Don’t you have a room to go howl in for yourselves? Can’t your bartender there give you a drink?”

Frustrated or not, he was still a gentleman. He didn’t bust his way past her into the bar like he wanted, but instead leaned on the arch of the door, huffing and puffing at the woman in front of him. “Oh, ha ha. A howling joke. That’s why I’m here instead of there. For the jokes.” Leo considers that Kass isn’t the type to be won over by compliments, but rather shared bitterness, and oh did he have some of that. “Come on. Make me a drink. We can bitch about stupid MCs together and how fuckin’ stupid they are.”

[leoichijo-blog]

Comet: What’s your big dream? Asteroid: What does your dream life look like? Meteor: What’s something you wish you could tell, but can’t? Nebula: If you could undo one thing in your life, what would it be? Shooting Star: If you could bring back one thing, what would it be?

Comet: What’s your big dream?

“Don’t have one anymore. Used to think it was just making it to old age; is it worth it anymore?”

Asteroid: What does your dream life look like? 

“Somewhere in an alternative universe. Everything in this version is just a rollercoaster of fun.”

Meteor: What’s something you wish you could tell, but can’t?

[ &&& ]

Nebula: If you could undo one thing in your life, what would it be?

“Hold on... I gotta stop laughing first.”

Shooting Star: If you could bring back one thing, what would it be?

“My wife.”

[leoichijo-blog]

Cigar Galaxy: How’s your flirting skills?

“They’re dead.”

[leoichijo-blog]

“So… if you had to describe what was going on–like give it a name, what would you go for? I was thinking something like The Brotherhood of Wolves, because that sounds the best to me, and I still feel like I’m dreaming–anyway!” He clears his throat, taking a longer than needed pause. “What’s up with you, how’s it going?” 

“The Brotherhood of Morons... The Dumbass Wolves... the nerve of people thinking we’re going to join hands and sing campfire songs together, it’s all insane,” Leo rolled his eyes, answering the young Falcone’s with more bite in his voice than usual. Wasn’t directed at any specific person, more at the universe, more at decisions he wasn’t apart of. “It’s going to shit, how ‘bout you, Marcus?”

[leoichijo-blog]

@kassmitchell

Being a lawyer was a hobby, certainly more than a career. After spending eight years going to school for it, it was something he should have done more. He picked up cases for the club as they demanded, another prospect or two falling into a jail cell, but his real joy was the few public cases he allowed himself per month. After the recent changes in Jericho, he had made the decision to give those up. Who knows what hell would arise and he didn’t want any of his clients taking the fall for it. Shaking the hand of possibly the last innocent man he would save from the court systems, Leo turned away from the court house and for some reason, made his way to the bar of the Brotherhood.

Still early in the morning, his bad mood moved to worse when he saw the bar was not yet opened. They were best friends now, weren’t they? The Brotherhood and the Wolves. Kass wasn’t a real member, evidenced by the tense conversation they had shared at the barbecue, but she might as well have been. Leo knew, well enough, she’d be in as bad of a mood as him and he wanted someone pissed off to deal with. “Knock, knock,” he said, not loudly nor quietly, before contradicting his tone with the slam of his fits on the door. “What a guy gotta do to get a drink around here?”

[leoichijo-blog]

@carlieknight

Was this supposed to be his win? Was he supposed to be happy with this? The runaway night with Ariella in a dingy motel had not lasted nearly long enough. He didn’t know which half of his body to agree with anymore. Leo wanted to stay, wanted to stand by Julian’s side as he knew he was born to do. The other half wanted to go back into time and fix everything by avoiding it. He wanted the life he had pictured as perfect and ignore the obvious fucking truth that all you could do was regret your decisions, put your big boy pants on, and deal with them as you were.

Or drink them away, whatever, he was an alcoholic now.

The Brotherhood was a joke. The Desert Wolves in which he had once been so proud to be apart of were now apart of that joke. They were the punchline, even. His vision was starting to blur. Was he in a bar? He didn’t know where he was. He did recognize a female voice at his side, Carlie’s, young and innocent and something that shouldn’t exist anymore. “Go away,” he mumbled, lighting a cigar and trying not to look at the girl he would eventually fail to protect, just like his club, just like his president, past and present. 

[leoichijo-blog]

Meteor: What’s something you wish you could tell, but can’t? 

“I wish I could tell the future so I could’ve stayed the hell away from Jericho. Maybe my wife would be alive, maybe Julian Johnson wouldn’t be such an idiot. Well, he would be-- but I wouldn’t be here to see it.”

[sentencestarters-and-asks]

Send a space thing for questions

Planets: Life

Mercury: What’s your full name? 

Venus: What’s your first language? 

Earth: Where’s your home? 

Mars: What’s your sexuality? 

Jupiter: Do you have any siblings? 

Saturn: Any pets? 

Uranus: What’s your hobby? 

Neptune: When’s your birthday? 

Pluto: What time is it right now where you are? 

Moon: What are you currently studying/hope to study? 

Stars: Experiences

Sun: Have you ever had alcohol? 

Sirius: Have you ever failed a class? 

Rigel: Have you ever gone on a rollercoaster? 

Deneb: Have you ever been out of your home country? 

Arcturus: Have you cried out of something other than sadness? 

Betelgeuse: What’s something you can never forget about? 

Aldebaran: What’s something you care desperately about? 

Canopus: Have you ever broken a bone? 

Bellatrix: Have you ever been forced to lie/keep a secret? 

Alphard: Have you ever lost a friend?

Vega: What’s something you’ve done that you wish you hadn’t? 

Constellations: Favourites

Centaurus: Favourite holiday?

Orion: Favourite month?

Cassiopeia: Favourite book?

Delphinus: Favourite study?

Hercules: Favourite instrument?

Gemini: Favourite song?

Pegasus: Favourite place to be?

Libra: Favourite colour? 

Phoenix: Favourite thing to wear?

Aries: Favourite movie? 

Cygnus: Favourite weather? 

Hydra: Favourite sound? 

Galaxies: Love/Friends  

Milky Way: Who’s your oldest friend?  

Andromeda: Do you consider yourself social? 

Black Eye Galaxy: Do you believe in love at first sight? 

Cartwheel Galaxy: When was your first kiss? 

Cigar Galaxy: How’s your flirting skills? 

Comet Galaxy: Have you ever had to leave a relationship because someone changed too much? 

Pinwheel Galaxy: Would you date the last person you talked to? 

Sombrero Galaxy: Do you have a crush right now? 

Bode’s Galaxy: Have you ever had a secret admirer? 

Sunflower Galaxy: Would you date/make friends with someone out of pity? 

Tadpole Galaxy: Would you deny a relationship/friendship? 

Whirlpool Galaxy: Have you ever cried over a breakup? 

Other stuff: Wishes 

Comet: What’s your big dream? 

Asteroid: What does your dream life look like? 

Meteor: What’s something you wish you could tell, but can’t? 

Nebula: If you could undo one thing in your life, what would it be? 

Shooting Star: If you could bring back one thing, what would it be? 

Pulsar: What do you hope to do in the next 10 years? 

Supernova: What’s one thing you want to do before you die? 

Quasar: If you could spend the rest of your life with only one person, who would it be? 

Wormhole: What’s something you wish would happen, but know won’t? 

Black Hole: What’s the last thing you want to see? 

[leoichijo-blog]

She had to admit she was a bit surprised at the thought that someone in Jericho wasn’t looking for a drink. Sure, events in town had been a little more crazed than lately, but in her mind that was the issue of the smaller gangs. They wouldn’t dare pick on an event that had ties to BOA. Sure, if Kass wanted she could claim that she had nothing to do with the gang, but no one would buy it nor would she ever be able to bring herself to do so. Looking Leo up and down the blonde kept her face void of emotion, “We’re keeping up fine. Not the first year we’ve done this not the last. The only difference is the freshly twenty one year olds and the fact that this year we added giant Jengas. I can point you in the direction of the yard games if you want? Or maybe just back to your bike so you can continue on with your day.”

She was being civil and that did, admittedly, bring a small smile to Leo’s face. Not of joy, nor happiness, just-- amusement, maybe. He couldn’t name many of his emotions as of late and today was no different. Looking down at Kass, all he could think: a biker without a patch. And maybe he was imagining it, but he could almost spot a small portion of bitterness stemming from her mouth as she told him to return to his bike. Was she upset she didn’t have one? Or just upset he was still standing beside her? Leo didn’t, couldn’t, care either way, but it was worth the thought. “I cheat when I play Jenga,” he shrugged, well aware the only way to cheat at Jenga was to tackle the person you were playing with, i.e. Julian as he recovered from his injury months ago. Felt like days ago, only a couple blinks away. “And my bike is parked, for the night. Just enjoying my evening.” Just bothering you for all the bothering your non-president unofficial president does. Fuckin’ Seran. 

[leoichijo-blog]

Standing next to the make shift bar, Kass watched the crowd before her. She was proud of what she had managed to do with the bar since her dad had died. Sure, he had held the BBQ before, but she had turned into the damn near block party that it had become. But even still, there was an edge about her. She knew Jericho and part of her wondered if with the war that was beginning to be waged if anyone would act out on the Fourth. Scanning the crowd, waiting for the impending danger, she almost didn’t notice the person approach her from the side. Without even looking at them, the blonde pointed. “Food is that way, and I’m not pouring tonight. Find someone else to do it for you. I would start with those girls over there.”

Leo had found himself in a state of mind that was unfamiliar to him, as of late. He felt more like his father than he ever had before and while that was something terrifying in itself, it was also reassuring. It was his father’s instincts he would need, particularly when the bar that was gifted the opportunity to host the 4th of July celebrations was stained with the trash of Brotherhood. Leo didn’t know how to be friendly anymore. Was he supposed to be? Those instincts weren’t perfected, to an obvious measure, and he sighed with the effort of those who couldn’t be here. “Not looking for a drink,” he answered, his voice low, but his eyes were safe and still cool as if this was day one in Jericho and everything was fine. “Curious how your night is going. How your bar is doing keep up with the festivities.” 

[leoichijo-blog]

“I need five able bodied men,” Julian began, sitting at the table, surrounded by his crew. “I’ve offered us to help in Stevie’s funeral as a sign of support for the Vixens. I don’t care if you like it or not—you’ll show up. You’ll be dressed in black with your jackets, and you’ll pay your fucking respects.” He looked to Roxy before shifting his gaze around the room. “I’ll be one of them helping.” But that was out of respect to Alessa. He owed nothing to the rest of the Vixens. He flattened his hand against the table, glance casted down. “And then when it’s all said and done, I expect all of you to come up with some good ideas for puttin’ the Brotherhood and the Rebels in their place.” It was gone, the familiar sense of humour, as hues darkened in instruction. “It’s high time we remind them who Jericho belongs too.” With a wave of a hand, dismissal issued.

It took little, for the strides laid crossed the threshold, back into the abyss, opening of the Howling room, and he headed to the bar, sour-faced and content in his own thoughts. Too much to do, too little to be done. Innocent life taken, could’ve been more than just Stevie—and while he understood the severity of his position, Julian was not going to bow to them. “Gimmie a whiskey sour.” He snapped to the bartender. Now more than ever he needed something stiff, something to do with his hands before he broke something. Or someone.

There was no question whatsoever that Leo would be one of those five men, but all the same he stayed quiet during the meeting. There was no eye contact made to any of his brothers and he only responded if Julian or someone talked to directly to him. Otherwise, even what was required of him spent him of exhaustion. The mention of ideas for retaliation took away what little energy he had left after that and when the meeting ended, Leo didn’t move from his chair. He stared at the table and wondered where he was and where he could’ve been, if he had never brought his bride back home and swore whatever loyalties he had to Al and Robert, eventually Julian. Would he be happy? Or would he be even angrier he wasn’t here, to help? Leo no longer felt like there was any correct path for him or the Wolves. 

“Make it two, but give me the first one,” he announced as he sat beside Julian, most likely the only person he wanted to be around-- and also, the one person he didn’t want to be around. Julian was feeling everything worse than him along with the responsibility that came with it. Leo felt for his brother today. Didn’t mean he still wouldn’t steal his drink. “Gun shot wound doesn’t seem so bad now, huh?” 

[leoichijo-blog]

There was great pain in Ariella, sadness laced with rage and anger. She had already punched a hole in a wall, something that would get fixed once she knew the wall was safe, that her knuckles wouldn’t collide with it anymore. A thought at cane at first, it wasn’t fair how Stevie had been taken away, stolen from them. But this life wasn’t fair. There could be tears for the departed but there couldn’t be self pity. But that didn’t mean the bottle wasn’t of great comfort. Until she heard from Leo. Stepping quickly into the shower, coldness rinced off part of her drunken stupor. And now wet hair tied into a bun, helmet under her arm, Ariella was looking at the friend who pulled over.

“I should be good to hold on, at least to you.” She rode the night of Stevie’s murder, drove aimlessly trying to clear her head. But now wouldn’t have been safe and the woman was grateful for her friend coming through. She needed the road, she needed to get out of her four walls and to lose herself with Leo. “Take me away,” she said climbing the bike. “Don’t let me look back until tomorrow Leo. Make me go on.” She was still drunk, albeit not as shitfaced as she had been. “Where are we going Captain?”

If she couldn’t hold on, Leo didn’t think he’d have the strength to give her motivation to try. While he was usually the person to motivate when no one else could, as broken as Ariella’s voice sounded was how he felt. It wasn’t as though he had been terribly close to Stevie. He had drank at her bar, shared jokes as bartenders were talented at, and had felt loyalty to her as he did with all the Vixens. Any sort of loss was frustrating for him, however, particularly when the last building being burnt down hadn’t been solved yet and now there was another and were they all going to fall, one by one? He didn’t have any answers, couldn’t find them, and while he couldn’t escape for good, him and ‘ella could run away for tonight. 

“I was going to ask you to keep me going,” he looked back at her, for just a slow moment, trying to wonder if there was any point imagining further than tonight and he decided, for now, there was not. “I don’t know yet,” was his honest answer and he didn’t elaborate further, choosing instead to start his bike and after making sure both their helmets were on, he started driving. A part of him had started the journey to Phoenix, but he made a couple of turns, wrong or right he didn’t know, and it was close to midnight by the time he pulled over to a motel that had no significance, but more importantly, no memories or relevance to Jericho whatsoever. It was a scary sort of looking place, if you weren’t part of a biker gang. The two of them were and so he had no problem with getting off his bike, taking the time to stretch his legs first and light a cigarette as if he owned the place. He hoped Ariella was sober enough by now to get herself off the bike, as the nicotine might be the only muscle he had left in his body. 

[leoichijo-blog]

@ariellaleven

Death was something you learned to live with. You weren’t born knowing what was going to happen at the end, whenever it may be. If you lived a normal life, it might not be until a grandfather or someone that you know through someone passes that you have to learn what it means. Growing up in a MC? Leo remembers he was five years old the first time he heard of someone dying. He remembers the funeral with perfect clarity. Stevie wasn’t his family, like the Wolves were, but he’ll remember her funeral with perfect clarity when it arrives as well.

Today wasn’t that day and neither would it be tonight. Knowing no other strikes would hit tonight, a gut feeling, he intended to escape the town for the night. He had no plans, but once Ariella texted him, he knew she would be accompanying him. No one would need them for tonight, whether they like it or not. Pulling up at the address she texted him, Leo let his bike rumble for a moment too long, the silence being filled as a comfort, before he shut it off and turned to greet her. “You too drunk to hold on, too?” His words could’ve been taken as a joke, but his tone and voice was too somber to accept that.

[leoichijo-blog]

Ariella 📩 Leo

Ella: Thanks.

Ella: Tempting. Too tempting actually. I'll wait outside.

Leo: For a day. Vixens or Wolves can't afford us gone for any longer.

[leoichijo-blog]

Ariella 📩 Leo

Ella: Don't ask. I can't. I just. Can't.

Ella: Not drunk enough for this but too drunk to ride.

Leo: Yeah, I figured. Sorry all the same.

Leo: You want me to pick you up? We can run away, if you want.

[leoichijo-blog]

Ariella 📩 Leo

Ella: Where are you?

Ella: Are you okay?

Leo: I should be asking you.

Leo: I went for a ride, just coming back into town now.

[leoichijo-blog]

His club could hold his own. The drunk brunette who was attempting to help? She could not. “Carlie,” he said softly, moving to take her arm and pull her away from Harley... or what was Harley, if she was still kicking... “Come on.”

@carlieknight