lionhearted.

[oflicnhearts]

oflicnhearts. dependent multi-muse blog for pantheon-hqs.

― BLAIR MADDOX BAKARI ( vanessa morgan ) › thirty-one. social liaison for the reserve & owner of flair salon + spa & celeb makeup artist. the miss belle of the bayou 2012 and don’t you forget it.

introduction • interactions • inspo • visuals • pinterest

— HANNA ROSSI ( brittany snow ) › thirty-nine. federal judge & consigliere for the mob. though she be but little, she is fierce.

introduction • interactions • inspo • visuals • pinterest

― MAXIMA 'MAX' HERRERA ( melissa barrera ) › thirty-two. forensic crime scene technician for the nypd & assassin for the contingency. former foster kid who doesn’t trust you and has no plans to try.

introduction • interactions • inspo • visuals • pinterest

[giannarossi]

"I'm not going to tell you not to." An immediate response void of any thought. Except for that one about how she wanted to be the favourite relative that Hanna's kids had - a point she'd make known she'd convinced the purchase of vehicles. Still, their wellbeing, neither her cousins, would be fixed with such a gift. At least, not in the long run. "What I can tell you is that the car doesn't fix the off feeling." Which Gigi could take a shot in the fucking dark and comprehend that Hanna already knew that. "Just takes time."

Hanna's vulnerability landed the way it always did - a blink and you'll miss it, because Hanna didn't do it often enough that Gigi had grown accustomed to it. Still, there was something specific that was ingrained in her to take care of those she held closest - in whatever instance she could, in whatever worked for them. Hanna's just happened to be pretending it wasn't fucking happening. Hence, the wine glass she was now lifting to her own lips. "What kind of cars, though?" The corner of her mouth pulled into something not quite a smile, but held the warmth of it.

[oflicnhearts]

Letting out a slow, frustrated huff of a breath through her nose, Hanna leaned back in her seat with a slight frown tugging the corners of her lips downwards. She knew Gianna was right, agreeing with her ex-husband and getting the boys their own cars wouldn't fix the distrust that the Pantheon releasing her secret had threaded through her usually stable family life. Her husband understood, of course he did it wasn't his daughter she'd secretly carried and given to a beautiful family, but it was the boys' half sister and the news of her existence had shaken them more than they'd wanted to admit. "Remember when they were toddlers and all I had to do was give them ice cream and kisses and they'd love me?" The question was asked with an air of both nostalgia and sadness. "I miss those days."

She allowed herself a moment to sit with her feelings, a very brief moment, before she sat up straight and hardened her spine. Bringing her glass of wine up to her lips, the judge took a polite sip of it before flashing a small, grateful smile her cousin's way. A silent thank you she knew the other woman would understand. "Their dad wants to get them SUVs, said something about Range Rovers but I think that's completely unnecessary. I don't see why a simple Audi sedan can't work, or a BMW. They're probably going to wreck it anyways, might as well get something safe."

[rachelxhan]

character: Hanna Rossi @oflicnhearts

location: The Archives

Rachel was pretty good at finding excuses to be at The Archives and ever since the masquerade she had found even more excuses. She felt like a silly teenager, twirling her hair in Cesar's presence. She was hanging near the front counter waiting for him to come out from the back when she noticed there was someone else in the shop. "Oh hey! Finding everything alright?" She asked as she turned her attention towards the front of the store trying not to look so suspicoius.

[oflicnhearts]

Hanna's legal aid's birthday was coming up and while this was an errand she'd usually send the law student on themselves, even she wasn't heartless enough to send them to find their own gift. They'd been talking about the first edition of a book who's title she'd already forgotten and luckily had stored safely in her notes app, something about its significance to their childhood, and Hanna thought it'd make the most sense as a gift. Something they couldn't get for themselves but wanted— that was what birthdays were for after all, weren't they? But as she perused the shelves, she found her attention turned away from her task at hand and looking at the woman who'd spoken. "Do you work here?" She asked with slightly pinched brows, recognizing Rachel but not putting her with the store in particular.

[criminaltypes]

       despite  the  façade  of  a  dealership  cash  wasn't  perusing  the  showroom  for  the  actual  purpose  of  buying  a  car.  he  couldn't  help  himself  though  and  had  to  look  over  the  beautiful  machines  regardless  while  he  waited.  truthfully  he'd  been  so  focused  on  the  ferrari  and  circling  it  he  hadn't  realized  he'd  stationed  himself  right  beside  an  actual  shopper.  when  her  question  voiced  between  the  two  of  them  cash's  lips  curved  north  at  one  side,  finding  some  amusement  in  the  assumption.  the  sales  agents  here  wore  designer  suits,  not  the  tshirt  and  jeans  combo  he  had  on.  certainly  not  a  backwards  cap.  maybe  she  only  saw  a  figure  or  felt  a  presence.

"yeah...  you  put  a  kid  in  this  and  he  likely  will  destroy  the  car  or  themself."  there  was  also  a  chance  of  both.  "why  are  you  even  looking  at  a  ferrari  for  a  sixteen  year  old?"  amused,  a  greenish  hazel  flashed  at  the  blonde  beside  him.  "haven't  you  heard  of  subaru?"  with  a  laugh  he  shook  his  head,  realizing  that  she  might  not  follow  the  joke.  "stick  with  the  sedans  over  there  like  audi  or  mercedes."  then,  after  a  beat,  "you  know  i'm  not  a  salesperson,  right?"

[oflicnhearts]

His answer caused her nose to scrunch, a grimace nearly crossing her features before she got her expression under control and her face was back to the passive indifference and slightly piqued curiosity she'd had it at before. "I'd much rather it be the car." She muttered, mostly to herself, arms coming up to cross over her chest as she continued to stare the vehicle down. She was silent for a brief moment before her gaze turned away from the classically red vehicle in front of them and towards the man she'd roped into her car inspections (because she certainly wasn't shopping, at least not yet). "Oh, the Ferrari isn't for my boys." She said with a smirk— he didn't need to know she couldn't drive— though the expression quickly morphed to one of disdain at his next sentence. "If I wanted a Subaru I'd be at a Subaru dealership, wouldn't I?" Her tone was a bit more terse than she'd like and she'd had to clear her throat to right herself. It wasn't his fault her twins were growing up and she was having a quiet existential crisis about it.

Instead, she simply shot him a knowing smile and her appraising gaze quickly scanned over his outfit. "Yeah, I know. But a salesperson works on commission and doesn't give a shit about what I'm looking for— they just want to make the sale. You aren't burdened with quotas, so I figured you'd actually be truthful."

[kennedycamara]

𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. “i…max, what?” kennedy followed her line of sight across the street, squinting a little like that might somehow clarify the situation. she rubbed a hand over the back of her neck. “i’m sorry,” she said slowly, eyes still on the alley, “the artist guy or the fetish guy?” her gaze flicked back to max, brows lifting in tired disbelief. of course those were apparently the two options. “i have so many questions and even more fucking concerns.” she shook her head before adding, “you actually witnessed a girl’s butt plug fall out?” she didn’t know where to start with that one. “i hate this city sometimes.” she tilted her head slightly toward the carpet. “did you check if he’s actually dead?” that was probably more her job, but she was very much off the clock.

[oflicnhearts]

Max's body leaned easily against the brick exterior behind her, amused smirk on her features at the look on Kennedy's face and the confusion in her voice. "Wait, you're telling me you've never heard of Kevin and Georgio?" She asked on an exhale of smoke, head turned away from the other woman so as to not blow any in her direction. "You been living under a rock, Ken?" She teased, though a quiet snort of laughter left her lips at the continued line of questioning. "Yeah, it was pink with a little jewel on the end." She recounted, inhaling another drag from her cigarette. "But it wasn't the weirdest thing I've ever seen fall out of someone." Shrugging her shoulders, she flicked a bit of ass down onto the ground, her attention turning away from her friend towards the man they were speaking of. "Nah, don't have to. You can see him moving sometimes if you squint. He's exactly where he wants to be."

[conallxward]

It wasn't until his sister hit the deck that he realised just how much he'd been pushing it, apology coming through his own heavy breathing as he fought for his breath back. "Shit, sorry Max." Hands rested on the top of his head, knowing there was only so much lying he could do to her when their relationship had been built on trust. "Just work." Water bottle was pulled out, handing it to her before taking a drink himself. "Wasn't really satisfied with the way we closed the ADA and the Councilman's cases." An understatement but also as close to the truth as he could get. It wasn't a lack of trust in his sister, more he didn't want to pull her into whatever he'd gotten himself sucked into. That and the more people who knew the more of a liability it was, something he wasn't prepared to create when it wasn't just his future at stake.

[oflicnhearts]

Laying back and allowing the concrete to help cool her overheated body, Max's eyes closed momentarily as she focused on getting her breathing back under control. She was in good shape, great shape, even, but their pace today had done her in. It seemed like they weren't running just for the endorphins like they usually did— no, today they were running from something and Max didn't know what.

Opening up her eyes in time to gather her strength and push her body into an upwards enough position to take the bottle he offered to her and take a long drink before returning it, Max's brown eyes stayed assessing her brother. He'd been the first person she'd been able to trust completely, the first person she let in after everything she'd been through in life, and that bond meant she knew him— really knew him, and she had a nagging feeling that there was more to the story than a simple suspiciously closed case.

"Why?" She asked bluntly, never one to hold back. "I wasn't the tech who worked the case but they didn't say anything was weird about it." Maybe Max needed to actually look into it.

[giannarossi]

"Did this happen near The Box, by any chance?" Gianna stood beside her, her own cigarette burning low between two fingers, gaze tracking across the street to the carpet situation in question. "No, no, Kevin's the fetish one. He's a fucking freak. One of my bosses worked on a case after a raid at a fetish club on Lex and allegedly, he was banned from there. You know he's like a trust fund baby, right?" She flicked ash to the ground, settled her weight to one hip. "Also, think I saw Georgio set up camp last Tuesday near the park," a small shrug, "process of elimination."

[oflicnhearts]

For a moment, Max was silent, going over her memories in her mind before she nodded. "It did, why? Were you the girl with the butt plug?" She mused, though she knew her old friend was in fact not the woman she'd seen lose more than just her dignity that day. But as soon as the teasing words left her lips, Max's head was shaking adamantly. "No, Kevin's the one who's been doing this shit longer than we've been alive. He's the performance artist." The words were said with a bite that conveyed just how much she didn't believe the things the man had been saying for decades now. "Georgio is the guy with the fetish. He like, goes to sex clubs and stuff." For a brief moment Max once again had to pause to think, to ensure that she wasn't arguing for nothing, but when her mind stayed solidly on the words she'd said she continued. "Why were they raiding a fetish club? I know I work for 'em but the cops need to mind their own business sometimes."

Bringing her own cigarette down to flick ash onto the concrete beneath them, Max nodded her head in agreement, finally. "Yeah, you can't spend nearly three decades spending your day rolled up in carpet without having family money. It's such a rich kid thing." She mused, eyes rolling. "You think he's stayed there this whole time?"

[emildelcastillo]

CLOSED FOR: @oflicnhearts (Blair Maddox-Bakari)

LOCATION: the champagne room

Although Lady Luck's opening night had been shattered by a case that was now closed, Emiliano had noticed just the number of people who'd attended - who was in the high rollers room and who wasn't. Whenever he attended a social event of such magnitude, it was rarely for his own enjoyment, outside of socializing with people he already talked to almost everyday; his family. Instead, he used them as a way to find new revenue and growth. Now that The Reserve's casino seemed to have a clear name, courtesy of Pantheon, he assumed, Emiliano figured it was time to offer business that he knew would work out for everyone involved.

He'd never talked to Blair, but seeing as she was related to Alix, Emiliano assumed this conversation would take longer than most of his business meetings. Terrible news for him, but he could handle it. He had spotted the woman upon his entrance, but had only approached her after a glass of scotch was in his hand. "Blair," he offered her a nod in greeting. "Emiliano del Castillo." It was an scheduled meeting, so he figured she'd lead him to a private room, away from the noise and the crowd that continued to grow around them.

[oflicnhearts]

Turning from the conversation she was having with a regular and quickly and easily excusing herself, Blair's smile was warm and wide as she peered up at Emil, a polite nod of her own directed at him. "Mister del Castillo, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Giving the familiar customer's a hand a quick squeeze as a final, silent, goodbye, Blair motioned for Emil to follow her as she turned. "Please, come with me. It's a little loud for a meeting in here and I'd hate to lose my voice before Coachella."

As she began to walk towards the back, Blair glanced over her shoulder to ensure he was following behind her, friendly grin on her features as she weaved through the crowd (waving at a few people as she went) towards a back room she'd already prepared prior to his arrival. She opened the door and allowed him to enter first before shutting it behind them, the noise of the crowd and the music of the Champagne Room becoming immediately muffled.

Blair moved through the room easily, walking over to the small table flanked by two plush, comfortable chairs, and poured herself a glass of chilled champagne before taking a seat and motioning towards the other one with her free hand. "Please, join me."

[oflicnhearts]

WHO: blair + @jackiekc WHERE: flair salon + spa

Letting out a huff of (only slightly) playful annoyance, Blair grabbed onto Jackie's hair and pulled on the dark strands, forcing his head to lean back into the wash bowl as she once again tried to rinse his hair. "I swear to god I'm about to waterboard you if you don't put your phone down for five seconds and let me get this conditioner out." She was leaning over the bowl, looking down directly into his face. "And if that's not scary enough, please remember I have access to bleach and clippers, don't test me."

[oflicnhearts]

WHO: blair + @criminaltypes ( fidan ) WHERE: some fancy restaurant, u choose <3

She wasn't a stranger to fancy food or Michelin star restaurants, but this one... well, when the appetizer came out and smelled like it did, Blair tried to chalk it up to the restaurant being new (it was the opening night after all) and the edible she'd eaten on the way over, but now? With the unidentifiable next course in front of her, her fork simply pushing the food around rather than attempting to bring any of it to her mouth, Blair's gaze lifted from the plate to the woman across the table from her— a look of sheer disgust coloring her usually saccharine features.

"Uh..." She began, gaze glancing back at the plate, then around the room for any nearby staff, and finally back on Fidan as she lowered her voice. "I'm not entirely sure this is actually edible... it might be poison? I've been poisoned before and I don't remember what it smelled or tasted like but... this had to be it, right?"

[oflicnhearts]

WHO: blair + @criminaltypes ( sonny ) WHERE: idk his place or somewhere she'd find him to return his jacket lol

"Special delivery." She grinned, pulling the heart shaped lollipop from her mouth as she moved the now dry cleaned suit jacket from being draped over her shoulder by the hanger hook to being held out between them. "I know you ditched the jacket with me so you didn't have to wear it anymore but it kind of saved my life." She teased, head tilting back to look up at him as she let out a quiet chuckle. "So I figured the least I could do was get it cleaned and return it to its daddy."

[oflicnhearts]

WHO: hanna + @softstcps ( hande ) WHERE: milk & honey

She'd already had three cups of coffee that morning, her docket proving more insufferable than normal, but on some stroke of luck (maybe the universe was apologizing for the way her secret had been revealed weeks ago) the defendant decided to accept the prosecution's deal and plead guilty. So she now found herself with an open afternoon and half an hour before she needed to leave for her late lunch reservation, opting to satisfy her sweet tooth rather than debate what car to buy the boys with her ex-husband.

Once she got to the front of the line, she offered the woman there a polite smile before asking, "Hi, do you guys still have those big oreo cupcakes? The ones with oreos in the cupcake and frosting with the little mini cookie on top."

[oflicnhearts]

WHO: hanna + @criminaltypes ( cash ) WHERE: regency auto haus

Hanna knew nothing about cars. Not what a good brand was, not what she should be looking for, not even how to drive one— and yet her ex-husband insisted that their twins learned to drive. The boys were already 16, had completed most of their behind the wheel hours, and were both rearing to gain the independence that a license would bring. It all made Hanna nervous, knowing that her boys were both responsible enough for the responsibility but still afraid of everything a car and a license brought with it. But still, she found herself at the dealership, perusing the luxury cars like she had a clue.

"Which of these would you say is the car that a sixteen year old would be least likely to die in?" She asked, head turning towards the man standing next to her. "Because this one looks like a funeral waiting to happen."

[oflicnhearts]

WHO: hanna + @giannarossi WHERE: dinner at carbone

With her ex-husband out of town, Hanna was currently spending nearly all of her free time doting on her teen twin sons. Things had been tense between them when the news of the half-sister they didn't know existed had been brought out of the shadows and into the light, and Hanna had been doing her best to get things back to the way they'd been before. And it was working— albeit slowly— but Hanna knew she still had some work to do to regain their trust.

Luckily, not everyone in her life was as upset as her boys at the reveal of her deepest secret. Something she couldn't have been more grateful for as she sat across the table from her cousin. "Tell me not to try and bribe the boys to love me again with fancy new cars since they're getting their licenses this summer." She said in a rare show of vulnerability, bringing a glass of red wine up to her lips to take a sip. "They're finally talking to me again but everything still feels off."

[conallxward]

"You look like her when you pull that face." Almost scary, really, how she managed to take on her mannerisms. Usually he liked the reminders that they were a family but now he found the gesture too needling, contrary to what he wanted which was just to stew for a few minutes and get back to it. "Just wound up." He shrugged, admitting it didn't lessen the feeling. It wasn't the kind of burden she could share with him, no words would take the edge off. Something he tried to make clear with his next words, bringing up how it always felt like they were a losing battle. "Seems inevitable something will go wrong but we're just waiting for it to happen." And that was the frustration, his inability to do anything to change it.

[oflicnhearts]

"Funny, because I was just coming to show you I actually came to one of these things of my own free will. Wasn't looking to interrogate you, Con." Had she been worried about him lately? Yes. But had she come over to pester him about it while they were stuck on some island in a glass house that looked like it could be taken down by one good boulder with momentum? No. Not this time. So him automatically thinking she had come with those intention had her hackles raised. "Obviously." She deadpanned, though there was a twist in her gut where she knew that he was keeping something from her— something that was clearly weighing on him. However, she knew she'd be a hypocrite if she pushed, if she tried to guilt him into talking to her, because she had secrets of her own she hoped he never found out. Still, it didn't quash the worry churning around inside her.

His words had her shoulders relaxing slightly, at least he was still letting her in on some of what was going on in his mind. "Inevitable seems right." She agreed, unable to lie to either of them and try and find a way to spin the event into something positive. "But you're gonna give yourself an ulcer sitting in the corner worrying about it. Has there been any chatter?" She asked, hands itching for a cigarette. Her position allowed her a lot of knowledge about crime, but usually only after it happened. Not the plans to prevent it.

[chanelcalloway]

If there was anything Chanel had learned about navigating a crowd, it was that the nice guy always finished last. If you stood around and waited for people to clear, you were never going to get the bartender's attention. And if you were at a concert and didn't elbow your way to the barricade, you were going to get stuck behind a 6'3" tall man with his girlfriend on his shoulders.

As the bar grew busier and busier, she had watched Max struggle from a distance, annoyance evident in the woman's expression, even if she'd yet to make it known. It was enough to convince the woman to take matters into her own hands. At least until Max got the wrong idea. "No, I'm trying to help. Now follow me." Grabbing her friend by the hand, she pulled her through a narrow gap and up to the edge of the bar, where she was already waiving a small tip in the air to grab the bartender's attention. "See how much easier that was? Now what would you like?"

[oflicnhearts]

Max wouldn't hit Chanel, she knew that, but the simmering rage beneath her skin had her wanting to act on instinct rather than taking time to think. Luckily, she'd had enough practice in self control to trust herself not to react— instead, she merely tensed for a moment as Chanel's hand found her own, before she forced her body to relax and follow behind the other woman. But not without sending a glare that probably could have killed had any of the offending woman bothered to notice her.

Once they reached the other side of the bar, Max stood behind Chanel and rolled her eyes, though there was a ghost of a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "Who even carries cash anymore?" She asked, but quickly continued, "An anejo tequila. Double." She paused, then, as if remembering something, she quickly added, "... please."

[phemerals]

closed starter with: oisin and whoever <3 (@oflicnhearts) setting: the ball, at the bar

Oisin liked champagne well enough. One glass was fine, even a little pleasant, but he wasn’t someone who could drink it the whole night, going on and on about effervescence and notes of stone fruit, or whatever he was supposed to be tasting. What he really wanted was some disgusting, cheap beer that would go through him like water. Bud Light, PBR, even a Coors Light. That’s it. That’s all he wanted. He waited for the bartenders to get through the queue, finally bored enough to strike up a conversation. “I’d offer to buy you a drink, but if you want it anytime soon, I think it might be quicker to jump on a boat back to the city and stop at the first bar next to the pier.”

[oflicnhearts]

Once again, Max found herself in the line for the bar— she'd never taken to champagne, it being a drink she'd rather avoid in favor of things like tequila or a seltzer. Her alcohol taste usually consisted of any tequila and whatever she could find that sounded good at the local corner store— she was still getting used to these fancy parties and the alcohol, food, and company that came with them. However, she'd had enough alcohol and smoke breaks at this point to stay calm in the crowd, the unfamiliar voice pulled her out of her head. "I don't know about that, the wind's been picking up... I don't know shit about boats but I've heard that they don't do great in wind and choppy seas. Unfortunately, the overworked bartenders here might actually be our best option."