Declan took a puff of his cigarette as he glanced across the sky. He was stood outisde of the diner. It was quite late already, the afternoon had slipped away quickly, as he had been with his friends. He smirked to himself. [i]Friends.[/i] He thought it sounded strange when he said that word. He would have never used it back in Ireland. Though, he didn't have any real [i]friends[/i] back there. Only fellow gang members, who he knew would turn on him in seconds if they had any provocation. 

He always used to keep an eye out for anyone trying to stab him in the back, but he didn't now, not with his new group. He was amongst people he could trust, or, at least, he believed he could trust. They had changed him. He used to threaten anyone or anything that looked at him the wrong way, he used to get absolutely smashed on a consistant basis any he used to go home every night with cuts and bruises all over his face. Now, that sort of thing rarely happened. He was a different person, more in control of himself. More mature. Hell - before he had got up to walk outside the diner and have a cigarette break, he had even said "Excuse me." He would have probably been ridiculed for even having the politeness to leave the diner to smoke if he was with his old crowd.

He finished his cigarette and let it fall to the ground, stepping on it to put out any remaning embers, before turning to the door of the diner and entering, reclaiming his seat beside Corey at the table without a word. He rubbed his eyes and glanced around the table. Today they had essentially been integrating Riley in to the group. It was all quite trivial, the whole tradition of welcoming a new member, but Declan did not mind. He enjoyed it, even. Tonight they would be partying, and even though Declan tried to separate himself from alcohol, he let his worries slip for occassions like this. He hadn't had any serious alcohol related issues since he moved to America. Declan leant down Magnus and scratched his ear affectionately.

"Well ladies and gentlemen," Corey began, snapping Declan out of his trail of thought. "I believe it's time we celebrate the adoption of our new family member. The party at the scrapyard should be starting right about now. Everybody up for it?" Corey glanced around at the group, as if to ask for confirmation.

"Have I ever [i]not[/i] been up for it?" Declan grinned, shifting out of his seat, speaking clearly in his calm yet assertive accent.