Spud

Avengers Academy (1x1x1 Drew/Spud/Chao)

ahhhh Lucky in Kate's pic!!!! <3 will Lucky be in this RP too? heh

Infectious: Zone B Archives

@Spud, we can collab on the next post if ya'want.

@Briza

Yeah sure, why not :) Im intense college mode till friday evening so ...I wont be as active till the weekend!!!

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

@Spud Still interested in making a Tyrell or Bannerman?

@MrDidact

Sorry, I got snowed under with a huge load of assignments, but if I can get through everything I'll pop by this thread for sure!!!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Drew/Spud)

Haines was gagged, silver duct tape roughly slapped over her mouth. She was relieved when the SHIELD agents and the mysterious red haired woman, burst in to haul her out, but with her mouth taped, she couldn't warn them until it was too late. HYDRA had no intentions of doing anything with her, they wanted Captain America, for reasons she didn't quite know, but she presumed the soldier with the metal arm and dead eyes was something to do with it. At the very least, he was the one who would be facing her, and he expected Stephanie, but did she know what she was getting herself into?

As soon as her hands were free she ripped off the tape, not even taking time to shriek at the painful lip-wax she'd just given herself. She had to warn them.
"Get out of here- Quick- This is an ambush" she warned, but Captain America wasn't there ... Haines found herself half disappointed, half relieved. On the one hand, Cap had saved her once, had she disappointed the Captain by getting herself recaptured? Was she not important anymore because she'd wound up in trouble again? But on the other hand, it was safer with Captain America out of the way. She had to count her blessings where she could find them. Captain America or no, she was getting out of here alive with any luck. Milliseconds ticked by without the Winter Soldier pumping them all full of bullets. Haines didn't know what he was capable of, but he'd blown up a mutant rally causing countless civilian casualties just yesterday. Dropping a grenade or opening fire on a group of SHIELD agents was probably childs play to him.

She stared up at the upper levels of the secure but largely disused warehouse. She was certain the Winter Soldier headed up in that direction, to get a good vantage point of the main doors where the SHIELD agents had stormed in. She couldn't make out his figure in the shadows up there, but she assumed he was lurking up there somewhere, watching. There was no movement, no noise, no gun-fire from the upper platforms ... if he was there, he didn't engage with the SHIELD agents at all. He did nothing to stop them help her up.

A soft thump from the upper level revealed the arrival of Haines hero, and at present, her worst nightmare. Captain America had come after all, using what would usually be a smart move, a high entrance while the main team served as a distraction coming through the main doors... Somehow the Winter Soldier had known or .. anticipated this plan. While a meagre band of HYDRA goons put up minimal resistance, some straight up fleeing to lead SHIELD away so they wouldn't break up the impending engagement on the upper levels. Cap swept the area, clearing half the upper levels without confronting the Soldier before she wandered into position and waited right where Winter Soldier had wanted her.

The Winter Soldier watched Stephanie from behind as she leaned over the railing, his figure concealed in the shadows of a disused office, likely the next spot Cap would survey once she finished watching Haines' evacuation ... not that she'd have a chance now. It was too late. He studied her with the curiosity of a child examining an insect under a magnifying glass before they pulled the insects legs off one by one. Pausing to study her form, how she moved. He should have had a sense of deja-vu, familiarity, but there was none. She was a stranger. She was a target.

She was his mission.

"He's here-" Haines warned, shouting as she was being escorted out of the building. "The Winter Soldier- Cap look out!"

Once again, Natasha's fears were more than confirmed. The man with the metal arm was the deadly Soviet Assassin ... a whisper even in the KGB. Training in the Red Room ... Natasha had encountered him once before. Before the Black Widow Program graduation ceremony, the sterilisation and memory implantation, there was a test, a fight against the Winter Soldier. None of the Black Widow trainees had beaten him, but they were younger then, had less experience. Those who had performed well against him proceeded to graduation, those who did not perform well left with grievous injuries and shame. Most just vanished. Nat had been one of those girls to face him, he hadn't said a word but his eyes burned into hers as she fought fiercely ... the rest was a blur then... Perhaps something more had happened, but he was a ghost and ghosts had the habit of disappearing or sometime lingering in memory. No one involved in the Black Widow program saw him again but some of them heard whispers. Sometimes on missions, KGB spies would report mysterious covering fire on missions they thought they were flying solo on ... most assumed it was the Winter Soldier, no one else was a quiet and deadly as him. Although he was on their side, he terrified them because they neither seen nor heard him. But he was there.

Stephanie would experience that fear now. She wouldn't hear or see him, until it was too late.
The shadows peeled away and he closed the narrow gap between himself and Stephanie. Haines, and a significant portion of the SHIELD agents were carrying out the extraction of the hostage, covering their exit.

The Winter Soldier had a number of factors in his favour. First, the element of surprise, second, he had no concerns about friendly fire. Any HYDRA agents that had been holding the warehouse were already captured, dead or fleeing. They knew the operation, to minimise friendly fire they had to stay out of the way, or if they got in the way, they had to eat bullets. If The Winter Soldier threw himself into the middle of a fire fight, even surrounded by SHIELD agents, they'd pull their punches, but he wouldn't hold his. The fact that the clumsy reporter was tied up in this only made it easier for him. They wouldn't shoot in close quarters for fear of wounding the hostage or Captain America and he knew the average SHIELD agent couldn't take him down, even a handful of them would have a hard time besting him hand-to-hand.

There were two disadvantages though ... Captain America could match him blow-for-blow, that was why the hostage and other agents gave a slight advantage to him, she'd do whatever she could to reduce casualties while he could focus on the fight ahead, but if they stayed out of the way, the fight would be a tough one.
Secondly ... Black Widow was there. She was a variable HYDRA could never have anticipated ... HYDRA assumed SHIELD would underestimate the soldier and send in a handful of agents and Captain America, no one could have presumed Natasha Romanoff would be there and she was a several steps above the average SHIELD goon ...

The Winter Soldier flicked his combat knife from its sheath on his thigh, it whispered a 'shwink' as it slid free of its cocoon, freshly sharpened.
His arm moved in such a fast arc that the knife let out a keening sigh as it cut through the air, two forward steps and he closed the distance between himself and Stephanie, seizing the arm closest to him and wrenching it back so he could easily slice open her throat.

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

Hey ... just saw this ... looks cool ... Would there be space for another Tyrell/Tyrell-Bannerman or something?

Infectious: Zone B Archives

does anyone know how to fix the alert system cus I'm not getting alerts and I'm subscribed and I wrote the freaking thing T^T
sos

p.s. don't be afraid to boop me at any time. chances are I was not notified of something so just throwing that out there.

@SilentWriter83

I booped our RPs hopefully they'll come up for you know, I missed your replies

Avengers Academy (1x1x1 Drew/Spud/Chao)

Full name: William "Billy" Kaplan/Maximoff
Alias/Codename: Wiccan/Demiurge
Year: Freshman.
Skills: Hero Trivia & Norse Mythology.
Powers: Electrokenisis, teleportation, flight, [Reality warping magic]
Brief bio: The reincarnated son of Wanda Maximoff a.k.a the Scarlet Witch. Billy's soul was lost, when Mephisto cast his soul, and the soul of his twin brother, into worlds unknown. As a result of the loss of her twin boys, Scarlett Witch lost control of her powers wreaking devastating destruction. In her grief, she vanished, never to be seen again ... but the fate of her two boys was not quite over yet... Nor was she. Those two lost souls reincarnated, Billy was one, his brother Tommy (a.k.a Speed) was the other. Taking after his mother, Billy inherited devastating magical abilities which lay dormant for most of his childhood.

Billy was raised with two younger brothers in a Jewish family completely unaware of his "other" birth and his extraordinary powers, Billy had an average upbringing. High school was tough, he got bullied because of his nerdy-obsession with Heroes, Norse Mythos and comicbooks and also his homosexuality.

As luck would have it ... Billy wasn't entirely alone in the world. After another incident of bullying in school, he met Teddy Altman and encountered Scarlet Witch, whom told him he had great powers, he had to stand up and believe in himself.
Instilled with confidence thanks to Teddy and Wanda, Billy faced up to his bullies, accidentally awakening his powers and electrocuting the thugs. Fortunately there were no fatalities.

This terrifying awakening startled Billy and he refrained from using his powers, for fear he couldn't control this mysterious force. He was later coaxed into experimenting with and learning to control his powers by fellow "mutant" Teddy Altman (Hulkling). Unaware of their origins, the two believed they were both "mutants" and found comfort in one another and quickly formed a relationship.

Despite initial hesitance, for fear of losing control of his abilities. Billy showed great promise, particularly when Hulkling helped him practice controlling his power (through self-help books no less). Together they discovered that chanting a spell helped Billy to stay focused and maintain some control of his powers. The pair began using their powers to clean up the streets, under the aliases "Asguardian" and "Hulkling" and came under SHIELD's radar. In the field, "Asguardian" greatly reduced the level of his power, to protect his partner and civilians and also to try and keep a low profile. He limited his attacks to lightning based and flight, emulating one of his heroic idols, the Asguardian prince, Thor Odinson, however the true extent of his powers goes far deeper than levitation and lightning bolts.

(For official use only)

The information herein is For Official Use Only (FOUO) which must be protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. Unauthorized disclosure or misuse of this PERSONAL INFORMATION may result in criminal and/or civil penalties.

Initial observation report: William exhibits great potential but lacks confidence in his ability to control his power, limiting his skill-pool and refraining from pushing himself to achieve his full potential.
Training regimen/expertise: Training in flight/levitation is required to ensure safety in combat. William will also require tutoring in electrokenisis/precision training to prevent cases of accidental friendly-fire from stray shocks. Reality-warping magic lessons should be approached carefully and incrementally, focusing on maintaining control primarily and secondarily focus on increasing magical strength and dexterity. [William displays great awareness when meditating on his powers, however in extreme stress or emotion he shows less control and restraint (e.g. when T. Altman faced peril in combat, William unleashed substantially more aggressive/uncontrolled attacks.]
Potential outlook: A powerful asset. He shows a desire to protect his peers and would be a valuable asset on any team if he can maintain control of his emotions and his powers.
Best case scenario: A loyal Avenger with the ability to devastate enemies of SHIELD.
Worst case scenario: If he loses control of his powers/emotions, particularly after achieving Demiurge level of power, the results could be catastrophic. SHIELD must also be cautious about introducing William to his long-lost twin brother, Thomas a.k.a. Speed

Avengers Academy (1x1x1 Drew/Spud/Chao)

Yo Drew, could be a stupid question but uh ... do we fill in the (For Official Use only) part too or ... nah? Im jetlagged on a bus ...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Drew/Spud)

"The Winter Soldier", he has a metal arm with a red star, cold, dead eyes ... he wears a black mask and never speaks.
The Soldier didn't utter a word as he pulled Haines up on her knees, she knelt in front of him, arms tied behind her back, tears streaking down her face, head pulled back and up by the hair in a cold metal hand, a Russian combat knife pressed to her throat with the other hand, she managed to catch a glimpse of the blade before it was thrust against her neck- There was a serial code ... she wasn't sure if it would be any help, but filed away information for later. It was a KGB issue knife, cleaned and sharpened, if it wasn't regularly maintained it would be rusted away from dozens of uses.
Bizarrely, he didn't kill her, the HYDRA goons snapped a picture, catching Haines in all her glory ... filthy and kneeling on a dirty floor with tears on her cheeks, her captor was cut off from the shoulders up, but the metal arm was in the picture. Captain America would be able to remember that much at least.

Then he left. Haines slumped down to the floor and he vanished into the night.

Captain America's apartment wasn't hard to find, it wasn't under super high-tech security, heck, she was a super soldier, if someone broke in, they would need protection, not her. But she wasn't there. Breaking in and planting the photo, and a lock of Haines' hair hastily hacked off, was easy and the Winter Soldier vanished without even being seen.

Times like these were ... few and far between. The Winter Soldier didn't usually take hostages, he took hits. Karpov's plans remained a mystery, he only left the instruction to wait. The Winter Soldier didn't know what he was waiting for, or how long it would take, only that this was necessary and had to be done.

Haines snivelled, willed herself to be less pathetic, to suck it up and after a few minutes, on the cold concrete floor ... she pulled herself together.
"Alright Haines, you have two options. Sit here and wait for a miracle possibly die ... or you can put all those episodes of Criminal Minds to use"

"What's your name?" she asked. Serial killers and rapists sometimes befriended their victims ... spared them ... she had to get him to talk.
"My name is Caroline"
There was no response. The Winter Soldier just watched her with cold dead eyes, almost unblinking.
"Your parents didn't name you the Winter Soldier ... what is your name?"
Still nothing.
"Can you understand me? Can you speak English?"
She began to wonder if he had a voice at all.
"Can you take off your mask?" she asked, as if that might coax a response.
He blinked at her. Understanding. She knew he could understand English, but he still refused to respond.
"Someone will come and help me ... you know that right? It'll be messy." Haines warned, Cap or Tony were probably on the way right now.

She was surprised when a dark, gravelly voice emerged from beneath the muzzle.
"I'm counting on that."

Haines blanched. She was the bait ... Which wasn't entirely surprising given the company she kept, she had ties to all the big political figures, not to mention Tony Stark ... The Soldier must have been after him, who else was there?

She didn't know ... but the trap was laid not for Tony Stark, but for Captain America instead. Haines was about to make another important friend.

Full House

Leiren Collab Part 2
Home Alone

The end of Leith’s shift couldn’t come soon enough, work took agonisingly longer than usual with Ceren sitting there, innocently enough, but so darn tempting. Finally the shift ended and Ben and Nick waved Leith off, Leith didn’t take a moment's pause to drag Ceren over to the pick-up truck, pulling him up into the cab section of the car.
Heated kissing erupted, the shyness in their relationship long since forgotten, they’d been together long enough that hesitancy had melted away, plus, living with Leith’s family had really put a damper on things, when they finally got a moment to themselves, it was more often than not very physical and tactile. Hands and lips exploring each other quite liberally before breaking for a moment to catch their breaths.

”We should get back” Leith admitted reluctantly. Aunt May might have started on the dinner, and he didn’t like to make things difficult to her by showing up late. Little did he know there was no one home for dinner, they’d all gone to be with Richard.
”Twenty minutes,” Ceren panted softly, tugging Leith back into him. Their lips collided once more, Ceren tugging the other into the cabin of the truck. Lips moved expertly along a scruffy jaw, thoroughly enjoying the burning of short hairs scraping against his lips and tongue. He nipped along his lovers neck, smirking when he got to just the right place. Teeth sank into the curve of warm flesh, knowing he’d get Leith to agree now. ”Twenty minutes and we’ll go,” he swore in a breathy whisper.

”Uhuh- twenty-” Leith agreed, or rather, he had no choice but to agree, Ceren had located the spot that made Leith’s knees weak and he was powerless to resist and yet to build up an immunity to this damned trick.
Of course, still parked out the back of the garage,the “staff only” parking, meant they wouldn’t be disturbed or get ticketed for public indecency, Leith didn’t park out on the street where they’d get into trouble.
The back of the truck wasn’t necessarily … romantic … Heck, Leith would likely never have proposed sex in his truck if there wasn’t any other alternative. Before moving in with his mom, they had comfy, clean areas … His truck was not one of those areas, it was cramped littered with tools and parts from time to time. He kept it clean enough but it was hard to keep a fresh valet feel when he was working most of the time. Granted, it had enough space to do the deed, and relative privacy compared to his home at least.

A little over twenty minutes later, as Ceren had guestimated, they were done … Having fuck all time for fucking had made them surprisingly quick at getting off given the chance, though Leith missed being able to take his time, any time they could have was blessing enough.
He was surprised to find the house quiet when they pulled into the driveway at home.
“Mom? Aunt May? Bails? Tar?”
No responses. He looked around the silent, darkened house, flicking on lights as he went. Sure enough, on the fridge was a note from mom. Leith was half annoyed, half ecstatic.

Richard invited us to dinner this afternoon,
feel free to stop by if you can make it.
Some cash for you and Ceren to have dinner together.
❤ Mom.

“Cer, no one’s home. They went out for dinner.”

Dinner Prt 2
Grey, Si & Spud

“Do they have pizza and chips?” Bailey asked, high-end cuisine didn’t quite cater to her young, fast-food-loving palette. Potato chips and whatever was on top of her pizza was pretty much the majority of the vegetables that Bailey ate.
“I don’t think so sweetie” May said gently, scanning the menu. There wasn’t a snowballs chance in hell Bailey would dare eat sushi or squid, maybe she’d settle for chicken katsu … at the very least it was sort of like regular western chicken … maybe she’d be convinced to have some noodles too, but she was incredibly fussy. Japanese cuisine wasn’t exactly the most popular for kids Bailey’s age in the US!! They lived on pizza, McDonalds and burritos.

Pizza and chips? At a place like this? Oh poor dear, your social class is showing. Richard smiled, looking down at the options, wedged over to one tiny corner was a more westernized flare which surely Meri was eye for her kids. Not a whole lot of choices, either something from the kitchen at best, maybe some sort of fried rice or teppanyaki’d chicken. But certainly no pizza or chips, at least to the best of Richard’s concern yet if Bailey really wanted it he was sure he could get the kitchen to prepare something special for her with a bit of pushing.

Taron's eyes were glued to his phone. He was awaiting a text from his girlfriend, barely paying attention to his family. With the new addition to his gaming devices, the idea of telling Ceren popped into his mind. Taron was sure Ceren and his brother were far too busy with each other to get a reply but he figured he may as well tell him. Ceren was his best friend after all.

Quick fingers tapped against his screen, text spelling itself out word by word. It wouldn't be a secret that they went out to dinner with Richard so Taron felt no need to keep the gift a secret. He and Ceren would just share snarky jokes about it anyways. Although, Taron would admit it was nice to be showered with gifts, shown that someone thought about him.
“Who are you texting? Is it your giiirrrllllffffrrrriiiieeennndddd?” Bailey teased, leaning over to try and see her brothers phone. She made kissy-face noises and May shot her a serious look.
“Bailey, please behave, we are at the dinner table”
“No, It’s Cer,” Taron shrugged his sister away, glaring at her from the corner of his eye. His gaze flickered to his mother for a moment, curious about her reaction before he returned it to his phone, message sent.
“Fine” he sighed.

It was going to be a long dinner. Bailey and Taron were, well a handful at times. Taron with his girl, Bailey, well she was the youngest. But thank gods for May or else Meredith would have to handle all three children tonight. Still Taron seemed to be too busy with his phone to even begin to think about dinner, Bailey was all too busy bothering her brother and quite possibly there was nothing that would seem appetizing for her.

“Taron, put it away. Please.” A stern motherly voice disapproved of texting at the table. Although Richard had his phone out and set on the countertop. Only adults evidently got to play with their phones at dinner time. Eyes returned to his mother, rolling around in annoyance. Honestly, Taron wondered if she could get any more hypocritical. He didn’t exactly listen, putting the phone in his lap where she couldn’t see, but he didn’t openly not listen either. He could practically hear Leith scolding him now.

“How about we split something Bailey sweetie? Uh I think the Chicken Katsu or the Teriyaki Chicken? Oh there’s a Chicken Katsu and Tempura Shrimp Bento combo, you get fried rice, Tempura Shrimp, Chicken Katsu, Tempura veggies, uh sweet potato salad or kombu salad, not sure what kombu salad is, and California or Philadelphia rolls, I think those are not raw fish ones right May? Richard? And house salad with ginger dressing and miso soup. Oh and look Bailey you get uh… A choice of Yuzu Sorbert or Green tea Ice cream. Wow, that’s a lot of food. How does sound sweetie? How about you Taron? Or did you want to split something with Aunt May?”

“Oh Meri, Taron’s big enough to get his own meal, and so can Bailey. What they don’t finish you can take home I’m sure. If not don’t worry about it, let the kids order themselves, May any particular champagne you prefer? Meri? We can always get two bottles and compare which if you ladies has better taste.” A light-hearted chuckle, as Meri uncomfortable laughed along with Richard as her eyes darted quickly to her sister, can you believe this guy?

“I”ll take the Surf and Turf with fried rice please. Oh and a platter of Gyoza for the table, and some fatty tuna Nigiri, let’s say eight? Maybe the kids want to try, and a Kirin for me please. Ask the ladies what sort of bubbly for the table. Do you kids want anything else? Don’t be shy, just ask Uncle Richard and he’ll get it for you. Especially you princess. That Tiara looks perfect on you, make you never let mommy borrow it okay? She might want one for herself...”

Taron….wanted to puke. Uncle Richard? Seriously? Sure, he didn’t hate the guy like Ceren did, but he wasn’t his number one fan. The Uncle Richard bit was over the top, a small smile gracing Taron’s lips as he thought of what his friend would say. His eyes glanced to the gaming console ‘Uncle Richard’ had gotten him, his smile faltering a moment. He couldn’t be that bad but, his gaze turned to the man with too much money and a smooth tongue, the things he said about his brother….

“Oh Rick, you really shouldn’t spoil them so much. All the gifts and the dinner, we’re just a simple family really…” There was nothing simple about their family. The Meyer’s, still somehow sticking with the last name, probably since it was such a hassle to go through a legal name change, that Meredith kept her husband’s name, plus the kids all had his name. There was Leith, and Ceren, Taron and Bailey, May, Meredith all living in a house meant for five. It would all work out if Ceren.. May could take Meredith’s room, Meredith could sleep with Bailey, Taron had his room and Leith had his room. Ceren and Leith, thinking of them even at a place they weren’t at, how did they manage to always be on her mind? Nevermind them for now, tonight maybe, just maybe through the magic of Richard’s bank accounts, they’d be able to enjoy some semblance of a normal family life, even if it was the good life.

“I think that selection sounds lovely Richard” May said sweetly, the sooner they stuffed themselves, the sooner Meredith could get home and put her feet up and relax for just a little while. She more than deserved that.
“Fatty tuna?” Bailey mumbled, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
“Just give it a try dear, you might like it” May suggested, trying to placate the fussy young one. “I’ll have Leith order some take out and if you don’t like anything you can have that when you get back” she whispered, Bailey perked up a little at the suggestion. At least that was one less thing for Meredith to fret about.
May tapped out a message on her phone beneath the table, quickly, discretely.

”Order take-out for Bailey, and enough for Taron too in case, we’ll be back later.
May x”

Leith would obviously find the request strange since Meredith left a note saying they went out for dinner, but he’d oblige regardless … if he wasn’t otherwise ‘occupied’ and didn’t check his phone …
“One champagne ought to do us Richard” she smiled sweetly, gliding smoothly as ever, for Meredith’s sake. “I’m sure the whole wine menu is delightful, but anything will go down a treat. How about number seven? Perrier? Sounds like it’ll go well with the gyoza” May scanned the wine list and picked a mid-range wine that wasn’t too strong, Meredith had already had a drink this morning at the house and there was no need for them to get too tipsy now. Meredith liked to keep her wits about her around Richard. Her sister nodded in agreement to Richard’s glance at his girl.
“Can I try some?” Bailey asked perkily.
“Sur-”

“No Sweetie, it’s for adults, you wouldn’t like it.” A gentle but firm no, as Meredith gave Richard a look. Really? Really Richard? She’s not even old enough to drive! Maybe if Taron ask for some Meredith might, MIGHT, let him have a sip just to see how it tastes, but Bailey? She was just a little girl, “That’s that Bailey, and I’m sure Richard wants to keep us both happy tonight doesn’t he?”
“Of course, maybe we can see if there’s some sparkling juices for you princess. Or would you like some fizzy sodas? Tell the waitress what you want to order Princess. And if you want any desserts you tell Uncle Richard, I’m sure I can convince your Mom she doesn’t have to worry about it since I’m buying after all.” Beaten and cut off at this turn, but how the tables were turned. Reading between the lines, Meredith was put back in her place by Richards slightly snarky comment which would probably go over Bailey’s head, maybe Taron might catch it, but certainly May and Meredith would understand Richard was throwing his wallet around.

“May, I’m going for the Shrimp and Salmon combo. Looks pretty nice. And not too overwhelming. Everything on the menu seems to have at least half a dozen things. Plus Rick’s got us appetizers and sushi. We might even have enough to take home…” For Leith to try. He deserved it just as much as her other kids, working hard to keep them afloat somehow, him and May both deserved this dinner more than she did.

Finally, the complicated order was made, the awkward dinner could commence. As awkward as family dinners could be at home, May thought that this one took the cake. It wasn’t right with two faces absent from the table that simply should have been there. Even though dinners at home could be filled with awkward silences, at least everyone was there (some of the time at least, Meredith didn’t make it to every family dinner but she damn well tried). Ceren was never rude at the dinner table, even though May had her reservations about the young gay couple, she couldn’t fault Ceren for his manners, she’d take dinner with him over Richard’s toxic attitude any day.

Champagne arrived and May politely toasted, what else could she do. Bailey knew things got worse with Richard and Leith when one or the other was around each other … It was almost an unwritten rule that you simply didn’t mention Leith wherever possible if Richard was in a mood. Still, she knew her brother ought to have been with them and she also knew he was old enough to drink.
“You’d probably let Leith have some” Bailey quipped as May set down her champagne flute.