2020-05-12 - Not So Small Business

Easton shouldn't have been surprised by the news. But he was. And in some ways a little relieved. He has thus far avoided making any direct contact with Felix Monaghan. There are financial connections, more than even Easton knows, but he's thus far kept his distance. His bar is only partially his, a good chunk tied up in corporations that lead quietly back to Monaghan, a fact that he is ever aware of but never discloses. And even the addition of new bar staff wouldn't have prompted Easton to do something as foolish as ask for a meeting. But this little chat he's planning? That needs to be covered.

Easton shows up at the gym with his workout bag, dressed in a pair of camoflage pants, light rain jacket over a black tee-shirt and his usual boots. He looks like he's just showing up for another workout, like many other days that he arrives at Kelly's gym. But he stows the bag in a locker and starts to look around for Joey. There is no boisterous yelling, no joking with any of the other members. He's focused. Quiet. Intense.

Joey is focused, quiet, and intent on finishing his @#%^&&^$#* sammich. Goddamn. Unlike his predecessor he's not really one for collared shirts and fine suits, not on club night anyways. He's still dressed in his clothes for business as usual: athletic shorts, tank top, a gold chain with a small medal of of St. Christopher and another beaded chain with a key on it, not dog tags. The door to his office is open and there's a fan in the room to cut down on the humidity. Such is the life, you get to be a crime underboss and he still hasn't put central air in here.

Looking up to Easton there's an upnod right before he stuffs his sandwich in his face, "Sup, Easton. What's poppin?" No he's not calling him three apples. He pays his union dues on time, provides tator tots, and served this goddamned country so he has the right to bitch about not getting his pickles when he ordered em. Who knows, maybe he brought the tots.

Standing in the door Easton takes in Joey afresh. It's the same guy who's been coaching him in boxing and getting him back in fighting shape, and yet now he isn't. Now he's also the local crime boss and Easton's about to shift from being a customer to an associate, unless Joey already knows? Easton sighs softly in the door and steps in, closing the door.

He did not bring tots.

"So. We need to talk." Easton looks down at the chairs and then back up at Joey considering if he wants to even sit for this. "Not that anything changes I assume." No one has explained the 'deal' to him, he found it out with the help of a PI and a memory from way back of his father doing business here in GH. "But I have a little situation with some loan collectors that need to have a stern talking to, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't about to step on Felix's toes. Now your toes I hear."

Joey looks up to Easton with those green eyes like Heineken glass. What he knows and how he knows it don't show but when he opens with we need to talk Joeygives the chair on the side of his desk by the door a slight upnod as in take it. "You breakin up with me or one of my guys do something I'm a need them to apologize to you for?" He finishes his sammich bite and licks the mustard from the corner of his mouth, hand brushing his short beard to make sure it's clean of crumbs. His hand flicks to the door. This is definiately a door closed discussion.

For better or worse Joey's body language hasn't changed and he seems steadfast as enduring as ever. There is quiet agreement, "Yeah, seems to be the case. Have a seat. Grab the door." It's not an easy transition to make and Joey seems to appreciate this in the small scale. In the end of the day he still does what he does and isn't squeamish about doing it by reputation.

He opens with, "I like you, Easton. I like working with you. If you got a problem let's hash it out. Catch me up?"

"No, we're still going steady and I'm hoping to get lucky later." Easton brushes off any talk of breaking up with his trademark banter though it comes out far more clipped than it normally might. He makes sure the door is closed and then takes a seat, his posture is perfectly vertical, rigid.

"We don't have any problems Joey. Unless the fuckle heads are in your crew." He hands over his phone with a picture that Frank managed to get for him. It shows three men who have been leaning heavily on Bennie, collecting debts that her father racked up. They are not a part of Felix's crew but probably are people they are aware of. "So I'm really hoping that answer is no. Because I like you too."

Joey watches the bartender levelly and says with all deadpan, "If there's tater tots involved ya might yet. What's the score man?" And now's where he gets to sit back and listen. It starts off good. Not having any problems? He likes not having problems. He likes even better not having problems with people that don't piss him off. "You met this business. They might be." He reaches over and with one hand that sometimes will be caught bending a quarter for the sole emphasis that he fucking can. Today though he handles the property with care and stares. Someone's not a fan of giving up details.

After a time he passes the phone back and arches an eyebrow. "I seen em. Not had to shake their tree personally. They causin problems for the bar? You? Threatening you?" Those eyes narrow faintly.

Easton makes a show of crossing his fingers, though it's clear his heart isn't in the joke. This is business and he's very much in business mode, his voice clipped and any smile offered not touching his eyes. "I understand." Easton is aware of the types of business that Joey's involved in but he certainly doesn't want any actual details.

There is a slight relaxing of his jaw as Joey only admits to seeing them. "Not me, not the bar." He looks at Joey as if considering trying to bullshit him before admitting, "Bennie. They're fucking with Bennie, which obviously makes me want to cut little fuckin' bits off them until they die a slow painful death.. but, I needed to make sure any conversation I had with them would be okay with you. Because it sounds like we both are fine with where things are, and I'd hate to see that change."

Joey relaxes back in his seat and lets Easton get this out the way he's going to get this out. He's not as impatient as Monaghan, but they do have the same principles, and so long as Easton isn't trying to bullshit him the yard boss seems perfectly at peace letting him tell it his way.

He says Bennie. Is Joey surprised? Naw. Not remotely. He doesn't know what that situation is nor does he give two shits enough to ask. Ain't his business. What is? Well the fallout would be his business. Joey doesn't answer right away, but when he does muses in that no-hurry gravel tone of his, "You know what my job is, Easton? My job is to keep the peace at all costs. I know you get that so I won't explain it to you." Drawing a deep breath he says rolling his hand, "The police stay out of our shit if we keep ours... out of theirs. Now these assholes? I don't care what happens to em really. Fucked up people do fucked up things and the situation? I imagine will end eventually pretty fucked too." He's got zero illusions here.

"What I do care about and the cops care about is Ms. Simmons' petunias. So if you're gonna go militant mohel don't let her find out abut it." Collateral damage bad. His jaw shifts and finally he asks with curious concern, "They askin for more than they agreed on? You need a loan? What's it gonna take to resolve this?"

"Understood." Easton agrees readily to the part about keeping the police out of any such things. He obviously has no desire to pull attention from the law in on this, unless he could actually count on them to handle it, which he does not think is the case. "The last thing I'm looking to do is get any attention on this. I will start with a conversation." The mention of Ms. Simmons petunias tugs up at the corner of his lips, "I am pretty sure I can resolve this quietly." Frank crumbled after one shot to the knee, unless these others are made of much sterner stuff he's not that concerned.

"They keep moving the marker, and they sent someone to fuck with her head, literally. They had a-." Easton stops short and looks at Joey with suddenly appraising almost suspicious eyes, "Someone who specializes in mind games screwing with her to keep her off balance." He wants to say Reader. Glimmer user. Words that have become familiar to him but he's suddenly not so sure where that lays with Joey. They've never been trapped in a Dream together. He's never heard him so much as say the Veil outloud in all their sessions. It just hasn't come up. And now is not the time.

Joey watches with the faintest trace of amusement as Easton gets it. Ms. Simmons is a good lady.

Still Ms. Simmons aside Joey's got no problem with the guy taking care of business, but perhaps because he's trying to do it clean. "I appreciate you coming at this with a plan rather than coming at it like an emotional mess. I can't work with people who're gonna fall apart and forget to think. Liability. Like fighting." He shrugs and says waving a hand, "You get emotional you stop thinking. Bad day alla round."

No one's heard Joey mention the Veil because... does he know? Who can say? The man is certainly analog enough. He frowns when it's mentioned Bennie's got someone playing head games with her. "a guy hat specializes in this? What like an asshole? " He looks past Easton to the window where the ring is in the room beyond and back to him in deadpan, "Funny. We got a guy that specialize in that too. Keep your guard up. Explain it if you have to and Get a hard number from em, tell em it ain't movin. Bennie bites but she's kidna too nice to do that I imagine. See what they need and if they don't accept it... talk o me. We're gonna get this resolved."

Easton can't quite suppress a smile when Joey talks about coming up with a plan vs being emotional. "You realize I planned actual battles, in actual wars right Kelly?" But he does agree, "So yea, no flying off half-cocked. No getting my panties in a bunch because someone needs to get put in their place."

"I've looked through the figures. She's done a good job of keeping track. They get a one time deal where I clear what I figure is the rest of the debt." He understands that Joey's not going to be entirely unsympathetic to people who's job it is to call in debts. At the same time, Easton's not exactly going to be making a generous offer. "Bennie is too nice for a lot of things." It's a critique yes, but one he can't keep the fondness out of his voice for. Aw.

Easton's face settles into a stone cold mask when Joey 'offers' to help get it resolved. "No offense Kelly but I already got yer dick farther up my ass than I planned. I'm not here asking for help or favors, just space to operate." There's certainly tension there, and Easton does his best to deflate it with, "And I assume you got no problem with me busting Vicky down to a dishwasher until she can learn to mix a fucking drink? I get she needs a proper job, but that doesn't mean I need to have her pissing off my customers for shits and giggles, right?"

Joey cracks a wry grin that reaches one ear giving the window a glance and back, "Yeah. I know. We talk about ti then you know it's important here. Too many these guys? They wanna be cowboys and think life's like the movies. I figure it's the same where you came form. I dunno. Kid thinks he's fucking god or Rambo and next thing you know you gotta make a call you don't wanna have to make." He shakes his head and sighs. "I ain't a fan of those fuckin calls. Don't like makin em." It's an admission, not an explanation. Easton already knows this shit.

Easton crudely declines the offer to get any more up his proverbial ass and both hands lift up. "They're not my business, Don't particularly need them to be. You are my business., and I know sure as my dick is long you're His business and eeryone's happier with you in one piece." There's no comment about Easton starting off here in two pieces at least. Point is out there.

"Clean it up. You hit a wall with them... lemme know and we'll find out what else they got goin on. Lean back on em til they decide not to be an asshole. Thank you for telling me." Vic though? That's another story. "My drink was fine." Funny. Of course his is. At the end of the consideration he says simply, "I'm not gonna tell you how to run your business. End of the day it's about staying in business. Run your house as you need to. Don't fuck up my tater tots or my beer and you got no shit from me, man."

Easton nods in appreciation that there are other people that might go off half-cocked on something like this. He sometimes pretends to be one, because it's useful, but in reality the person in here calmly planning and making sure he has everything run up the chain of command is closer to the truth. He's still a Marine at his core even if he's no longer in the corps. It actually takes some effort not to respond with a yes, sir when told not to make Joey make those calls.

"I understand." Boy does Easton not love being Joey's business, but that is not something he gets a say in. Nor is he going to show that if he can help it. "I will. I have a feeling I can put the right amount of fear of me into 'em." And if he can't, Alexander and the Veil probably can help push that over the top.

"Of course it fuckin' was, you drink two of the two drinks she can make. A whiskey and a beer." It's not like he has anything against those two things, he likes them both, a lot, in great quantities. "But yea, I think we can manage to not fuck up your tots and beer." He stands up and glances back at the gym and then back at Joey with a slight shake of his head.

"I didn't suspect a thing. I appreciate about that you."

Sure there was the fight nights, but that just seemed like a part of the culture, not an indicator of criminal ties. And Easton means it as a high compliment, even if it rankles him a little that he didn't notice.

Joey slowly cracks a grin and shakes his head admitting on the sly, "I imagine you can make him two very good offers, only one of which they'll like. " At the compliment there's only a nod. He's not some daisy to bask in compliments, but still it lands. Maybe not a comforting word but he offers the insight all the same, "Ya know, Felix always told me growin up 'lemme know if there's a problem before it's a problem'. You run into some shit and need back up man, my phone's on all the same." Easton's got people, but Joey at least likes him enough to say so.

He takes a drink of his coffee and asks curious, "Might have a couple fights lining up. Keep you posted if your'e interested. Sadly the FCN deal fell the fuck through so we got what we got to work with. What can ya do."

Easton, happy to keep the details of his own activity as oblique as Joey's, nods and only offers the smallest of smiles, "Something like that yea." The fact that Felix had a hand in Joey's upbringing doesn't surprise Easton, nor does the offer of help. It's only a shame that Easton can't take it at face value because he's convinced that there are all sorts of strings that would be attached to any offer of help. "I appreciate it." And yes, there might be a time when he needs to use that call, but it's not going to be his first one by a long shot.

The talk of fights causes Easton to pause as he turns for the door. He looks at Joey and nods, "Yea, do that." He's not ready, and they both know it, but he appreciates goal setting. He wants to get back to that level still.

"I'll be in for a workout soon, bright and early." Because even though he runs a bar, he still manages to be one of the first in the gym in the mornings.

"See ya around Kelly."