2020-07-14 - So This Week's Gone to Shit on a Shovel

Dahlia's been around, more or less. Keeping her head down and doling out payments at Firefly when needed while bartending and making sure that Antonio stayed on the up and up with is payments. Quiet and not looking to rock any boats but she'd heard a little bit about what's been going on and figured she'd drop by the gym just to check in and maybe stop being such a hermit or something. She new exactly zero things about boxing properly but it was always interesting to watch at least. She's wearing a pair of black sweat pants and a white tank top, a pair of beat up sneakers. She didn't know what she was going to get up to, but she knew you weren't supposed go to potentially work out in jeans. Or something like that

Vic was sent on an errand up to Hoquiam, or she'd likely have been with Joey for the meet. When the text came she had a little bit of a freakout, because if Monaghan dies, that kills his agreement with Portland's Fantasmas de Sangre as well, and her father is no longer safe from the cartel. The Amazonian enforcer shoves the door of the gym open, in jeans and a wifebeater under an unbuttoned black shirt. Fuck the pretense of working out, but she did bring her gym bag which may or may not have actual workout gear in it.

She makes a beeline for where Joey is punishing a heavy bag and drops her bag at her feet. "You ok?" she asks, sternly. She's got that look about her, wanting to go out and shoot every one of the asshats responsible. She's been with Felix for years. She knew Andre. She is angry.

Nicole bursts in the doors of the gym, waving off whoever is stuck at the front counter. "Sleep," he said the night before. Yeah, right. Clearly, she has not done that. Uncharacteristically, her hair is a bit of a mess, pulled up into a ponytail, looking a little frizzy. She's dressed like she did yoga all night or something; wearing leggings, low-top canvas tennis shoes, and an oversized, off the shoulder sweatshirt in plum with a black tank underneath. She knew better with the call to question him or anything, but, she worried. How can one not? The gossip, of course, is already going around. Thankfully, Lacey was cool with covering for her so Nicole could see Joey for herself.

She gathers herself enough before she reaches Joey though, appearing calm, though her eyes look him over, mentally taking note of any injury she notices or thinks he is trying to hide. He's hitting the bag though like nothing hurts other than the raw anger within him. She stands, nodding towards Dahlia and Vic, staying quiet for now.

Joey looks up noting Dahlia. She's one of his absolutely favourite people because she makes money move and makes sure he gets paid. This is also why she's on the 'good Christmas bonus' list. "Hey D." Everyone's an initial. It's possibly a street affectation started when protecting one's identity became essential. Vic is speaking while the bag is busy being punished letting his fists do all the things they didn't get to last evening which might be anything from punching the asshole he instead shot until he makes involuntary squishy sounds... or pick up his puppy. None of this happened.

"Well I've sure as fuck been better." There are at least no new bruises, no patchwork, and not even so much as a bruise on the boxer though. If you go by how fantastic the paper made everything sound that's some sort of miracle. Jaw setting he looks up and answers the question with less vitriol and more fact getting that look now from Vic and Nicole. "I'm physically fine. Just... fucking ....pissed about Andre." Looking back to the bag he mutters, "And the paper is bullshit. Didn't even mention his fucking goddamn beanie babies." Like it's an important feature! They missed it and doom on them all the more for it. Still the bag buckles as he gets his aggression out before turning to Nicole. "Hey, baby. Sorry I'm late." Pointing he asks Vic, "You meet Dahlia? She's on my good to know list. D, you okay? People behaving over there?"

Dahlia gave a bit of a nod. "Hey, J." Offering a fleeting bit of a smile. She'd read the paper but she'd heard it from someone at Firefly late last night ,during closing about Andre and that just just put a real wrench in everyone's night and the mood when she dropped in early this morning. She wasn't really good at grieving and so she'd just sort of been internalizing. No tears yet. Andre had always been a steady presence at the club, always could be relied on, and definitely had helped ease some of her initial trepidation when she started working at the club and for Monaghan.

She lifts a hand giving a little wiggle of fingers in a wave towards Vic and Nicole. "Heya." Drawing in another breath and looking towards Joey. "I don't know if okay is the right word. I'm still in shock...a lot of us are. But place is still standing and no one's walked out or nothin'."

Joey is punching things and making introductions as Vic returns Nicole's nod with a quick one, and focuses on her boss. How he doesn't have a scratch on him would be miraculous anywhere else. Gray Harbor? That doesn't mean he wasn't bleeding half an hour ago. "I'm sorry about Andre. That big lug was too good for this world." Even if he punched people to death from time to time. She sniffs a bit, weepy? Or needing a fix?

She nods to Dahlia. "Vic. Nice to meet you."

Late? Nicole blinks at the apology then shakes her head. Late was the last worry on her mind. "No need to apologize.. Just.. Glad to see you." She nods at that statement. It is a true one, in so many ways. "So it's... true about Andre?" she asks softly. The paper has been known to get a thing or two wrong from time to time and perhaps she was hoping this was one of them. Her eyes are wide, an expression she uses to keep her emotions from running away with her. "I'm so sorry.... I loved that dude. Had a lot to thank him for..."

"Hey," she waves back to Dahlia, the energy spent bursting into the gym having left her. Nodding to Vic she agrees. "Far too good for this world, for anyone. Fuck." She sniffs, once. She's not gonna lose it, not here and now.

Rhys was working at Firefly rather than the casino last night, but he's not doing either right now. Not this second, anyway, though he might be on the way to change that in the near future, judging by the fact that he emerges from the locker room with a gym bag, damp hair, nice slacks, and a dark expression. The latter manages to at least lighten itself a few levels when he spots the little knot of women around Joey and the punching bag, though it doesn't get anywhere near cheerful. "Morning," he greets them; 'good' is for another day.

Joey takes a deep breath and rubs the back of his taped knuckles to his forehead. His job is to keep shit together. It is not presently together. The job is now shit wrangling and being human with everyone else. It's Dahlia he turns to her, first. "We tried. I'm sorry." Likely to all of them. His hand goes out, tapping Vic lightly on top of the shoulder which is what you do when your hands are taped up like q-tips of tapey death.

Looking back to Nicole there's the slightest flinch. He doesn't like bringing home bad news. Sometimes it just happens. Taking a deep breath he nods and murmurs to them, "Yeah. It was fucked up. Felix and I had a meeting. Normal. These... assholes roll up out of fucking nowhere. Took fucking Alexander Clayton hostage. Then the one guy got dumb and pressed his luck and tried making a run on Monaghan. And... ya know... Andre and I said fuck that shit." Deep breath his hands lift and fingers rest on his forehead, pause, and push his hair back. "Andre protected people." Because that's the story you tell people who care about him. Anyone in the know will know what that means. Looking to Vic he bitches, "They shot up my goddamn bike. We need to tell Itzhak I need a car." Rhys walking in gets a , "Sorry we shot up your parking garage." A typical Gray Harbor hullo.

Vic's teeth grit at the brief blow by blow of the situation. "On it. Gonna go get changed and make that call to Rosencrantz." She picks up her gym bag in one hand, and pulls out her phone with the other, giving Rhys an upnod as she heads to the locker room. Is there even a ladies one in here? Does she even care?

The door to the locker room opens and out comes Rhys. Nicole is on high alert at the moment, meaning, her nerves are on edge. She's going to be watching. Everything. She immediately looks up towards the movement and once she sees it is Rhys, she nods to him, lowering her head after. Yeah, good is not for today at all. She lifts her own hands, glancing at them a moment as if she'd like to maybe attack that bag too. Maybe later. She looks back up towards Joey when he talks, her brows knitting together. "Alexander okay? " 'Andre protected people,' Fuck, yeah, he did. He protected Joey a couple times. She knows that. She has to turn away for a moment, considers going for some water, but she looks back. "What can I do?"

"Yeah, well, don't let it happen again." It'd probably come with the grin on a more normal day; this time it only makes it to a sardonic half-smile sort of territory. "I knew you and Felix were scheduled to shoot the shit, but that doesn't usually include the parking facilities." Rhys's heart isn't really in it, and his fingers flex around the handles of his bag; the time he got in so far this morning apparently wasn't enough to burn off the anger, though it keeps it subtler. "Shitty timing, I should've been there." Possibly not the first time he's said it; it gets a headshake immediately after. Also a flick of a glance after Vic as she heads the way he arrived, then back to the others again. "Holding up okay?" This is presumably more to Nicole and Dahlia, since he's been talking with Joey already, but hey, once in a while things change.

Dahlia looks over as Rhys enters from the changing room. She lifts a hand to her boss in greeting. Just quiet, listening for a while. She doesn't speak up again until Rhys address her and Nicole more directly. She straightens a bit and shrugs. "Well enough." To how she was holding up. "Was telling Joey that I think I'm still sort of in shock about it. It's..." Her voice trailed a moment. "It's just sudden. And he didn't deserve to go out like that." Not that she actually knew the specifics but she could imagine and no matter what it was, Andre didn't deserve it. The bastards that killed him were the ones that needed to be dead.

Funny enough there is a changing room for the ladies that has a Bros, Fuck Off. sign on it. Super friendly. Very helpful. Useful advice! It's not making light of the situation when Rhys speaks: it's a return to normalcy. A clawing effort to find some normal to stand on. "No it's good you weren't. Casino management's got enough to deal with with Easton going missing you don't need to be shooting in defense of your place or people are gonna get the wrong idea." To Vic he says, heartfelt in all of its curtness. "Appreciated."

Nicole getting affected was going to happen if or if not any involvement on his so it looks like personal guilt is getting stowed if any. "I'd hug you but I'm sweaty as fuck. As for being careful? I dunno. Someone torched the Control Pad game shop and it wasn't anyone I know, so." Yeah be careful of the salon. His jaw tightened and his eyes fall to the tape on his hands, wiggling his fingers that little bit. "Well he got avenged. Just... not enough to undo the damage." Looking back to them he admits, "Graham's a mess. Clayton is patched up. Bruised. Got clipped. He's okay." Physically. Swallowing he looks between Nicole and Dahlia, "Look just be careful, please tell your people to be careful. I'm not going to let these fuckers tell us to live in fear but just stay aware."

Her left shoulder lifts as Nicole nods towards Rhys. "I am. Yeah..." When Joey speaks to him, she nods again. "I mean, he's right... there's jobs for a reason. Not that I know if you are good at shooting, but, I gather your Boss Man put people where they are strategically...." A nod towards Dahlia is given. "He didn't deserve to go out at all..." Another shrug, this one to Joey, and she says, "I'm always careful. As careful as I can be. Lacey knows to keep an eye out too, though she doesn't know why. She doesn't need to know why." She looks at Joey. Sweaty as he is, she likely doesn't care, but isn't going to ask for a hug in front of everyone. Not right now. "Okay, Alexander is okay. Good. I am tired of people going missing, kidnapped or otherwise." She lets out a sigh of breath. "I wish I could do more..."

"Nah. He didn't." Rhys absolutely means that; no one here's going to hold a little maiming or death in the execution of duty against a guy here, right? Business is business. "Figure we're all kinda shocked, really." He doesn't look 100% convinced by Joey's point about him not being there, valid though it is, and the bits about the unapproved arson -- in their town! -- and the state of the others there has his expression darkening a level again, jaw tightening a bit. "We need data," he mutters, possibly to Jowy but more likely just to himself, and shakes his head, shaking the darkness off and finding a small, brief version of the grin, long enough to offer, "I just showered. If you guys need a hug proxy, I'm willing to step in."

It does help a little, it seems. "Kinda like the Army some ways," he tells Nicole with a small shrug, "Everyone's gotta learn to shoot; not everyone's got the mad skills for killer accountancy." Which doesn't quite answer whether he's any good at the former or not, really, particularly when it's getting closer to his usual sort of joke in there. Still, there's not much humour in, "Pretty sure we all wish we could do more. Probably regardless how much we actually can."

"This city's going to hell in a hand basket." Dahlia pushed a hand through her hair and frowned a touch. She nodded in agreement with Nicole. "No he didn't." A look towards Joey with a faint hint of a sad smile. "It'll never feel like enough but...I'm glad he was avenged in some way." She straightened a little. "I think I should head out, back to the bar. Make sure people are doing alright still. I'll be careful, and I'll make sure the rest at Firefly and Platinum know too. It was good to see you, even if the circumstances are shitty. " A look over towards Rhys again, "I'll see you later, boss." She doesn't know Nicole very well, and a hug from her is likely nothing like a hug from Joey but she does give the woman a brief, one armed hug before she'd head out.

"Yeah well it's our hand basket. We decide where it goes and if it leaves." Okay not his best work. The metaphor is not what is important here! Walking over he leans up and presses a smooch to Nicole's forehead. Looking to Dahlia he says, "You need to blow up my phone, make it happen." Looking back to Rhys he says "I don't want to drag you into shit but...we gonna need hands man." There's a pause and he notes, "Also turns out from the text I got that it was Sparrow's workplace that they torched. I offered her Erin's job so..." Looking to Nicole he tiredly tells her, "It's a bad idea, but she's down a roomamte and a job so."

Nicole blinks a little at the one-armed hug from Dahlia. Surprised, a little, but she is not going to refuse it, especially not now. She in fact, gives Dahlia one in return; gentle and comforting in nature. "I'll see you later. Be careful." Once she lets go, she turns to Rhys. "Yeah. It's that, shock." Reaching across her own body, her hand rubs her other arm slowly. "I guess I should maybe pick up a gun myself, huh." It isn't a question, more just an observation. "But I won't shoot you if you come in for a hug." For the first time, she smiles just a little, crookedly, "I'll even hug a sweaty Joey. I'm not skurred." She steps closer and gives Rhys a hug for now. "I can at least keep an ear out for that data. And, you know... be supportive. I'm good at that." She releases Rhys and steps back, just in time for Joey to step in and smooch her forehead. Her lips curl slightly and her hand reaches around to rest on Joey's back, keeping him close. Looking up at him, she says, "shit, so it was like, totally torched... no re-opening? Why's it a bad idea? Wait, she's down another roommate?" Clearly, she needs to get in touch with Sparrow.

Vic comes back out of the locker room in sweatpants and a t-shirt that's just plain navy blue, no witty slogan, no images. Boring. She returns to Joey and his posse and reports back in. "Left a message with Steelhead Garage about your need for a vehicle. Any word on your car?" she asks, folding her arms over her chest and looking around the perimeter of the gym. She's on high alert now. She may have used some of her changing room time to inspect door and window locks.

Joey takes up his water bottle and drinks from it. He is so in a damn mood over this; a stormcloud with no wind to take his anger anywhere. "Vic I got a lead for you too." Looking back to Nicole and Rhys he takes a deep breath, annoyed, curious, not yet relieved. "So I got a test this morning from our girl Sparrow about a Henry ... Harvey ...Officer Liu. Soooo before their place was torched some asshole was giving them a hard time. Dunno if it's related. I don't think they'll go after the casino. There's no good way to do that, but definitely stay alert."

"I'll be there soon too," Rhys tells Dahlia, giving her a quick upward nod of acknowledgement, and a small smile as she goes. Nicole's reply widens it again. "Well, of course you won't, you don't have the gun yet," he points out Very Reasonably, and does indeed come in for the hug, under that assurance and logic, before relinquishing her back to Joey's tender sweaty mercies. The gym variety, at least. At the mention of needing hands, he simply nods.

But hugs are good! Particularly when the matter of that arson and Sparrow's relation to the place comes up. His brows do too when Joey mentions the offer. "Yeah? Pretty sure I could find something at the club or the casino if she wanted, but..." But that may not be any better an idea, all in all. "It looked pretty likely to take a while, I thought," is the best answer he has for Nicole, but since it wasn't technically a question for him, maybe it'll do. And that name connected to the situation is quietly noted and filed away, for now. "They'd better not." A sigh. "We need to root these assholes out and convince them of the error of their ways." Not news to anyone, nor expected to be. Agreement, spoken before or not. "...and I need to go make sure my staff are coping before I go check on things in the bay." It's going to be a busy day.

Arm around Joey still, loosely, Nicole gives an upnod to Vic when she returns. "Hey." She quiets again, letting Vic and Joey talk about important matters, letting him slip out of her arm to go get his water. "Officer Liu. She think he's the guy that torched it? Orr separate issues? Want me to do anything?" She wrinkles her nose and nods to Rhys' answer on the condition of the Control Pad. "I can help with work if they need. Rebuilding, that is." She nods to him as he starts listing his duties for the day. "Watch your back out there though, okay?"

"A cop? Not one of Felix's?" Vic asks with a sharp frown. "This about the Control Pad?" Were they doing...something for Felix? "Shit, if they're hitting the little guys they even THINK are on the payroll we need to get eyes on the businesses. Anywhere owned by friends or associates, places we use for covers, places we like to eat and shit. I mean the Strip Club, Firefly, TiBS, fuck even the trailer park." That'd be a bonanza, they'd get Greg, Vic, Tor and Joey Kelly's girl at the very least if they hit there.

Joey shifts his weight sliding one arm loosely around Nicole's back because the rest of him is about as welcoming as a Bull that just tore through a field at high speeds. "Listen to her, Rhys. She's the smart one. I'm going to call everyone back. Make them aware. If you can help find her a safer job than this do it. I don't have to sell you on her skills, man." Looking back to Vic confused, "Ya know what I don't get is that. Why her? She ain't tied to this. So what's she got that they want, or is this some message that they're just gonna run rough over all us? And the car is... coming along slow. We just got it back. Need parts."

"Like it's running find-the-lady," Rhys assures Nicole, finding her half the grin again, and he shifts the bag, preparing to go. Vic's remarks on places they could hit give him a moment's pause, though. Along with all those folks and others, his mom's in Huckleberry too. Well. Only further supports the need to get this sorted out, and fast. A small nod of agreement regarding Sparrow's skills and safe work if possible, but it's that wondering that holds him a moment longer. "Well, we can ask. Sparrow can, maybe, if they're already talking about it. If Mac knows who she thinks did it, she probably knows what oughta be a useful amount of why." A flicker of a pause as he thinks about that, then, "I'll talk to Sparrow about it. But for now..." Free hand lifts, pivots to point sharply toward the door. "Hear anything that might matter about anything, let me know." Unlike the finger, that request's aimed at everyone. "Stay safe." And he's off.

Nicole is not going to even pretend to know who all might be in Felix's web. She herself is only on the fringe, due to association, so she doesn't answer Vic, but frowns at the thought of it all. "Shit...." she mumurs when the trailer park is mentioned. "I hadn't even thought of that. Not like on the broad spectrum. I keep an eye out on my place, you know but... shit... " There are so many of them right there, including Joey himself when he stays over. "If you talk to her before I do," she says to Rhys about Sparrow, "give my future wife my love. And you stay safe too."

"Right. What's the next step then boss? All hands meeting? Or maybe not putting all the targets in one basket for easy shooting and do individual meetings?" Vic murmurs. "We need to get some safehouses established. If anyone feels like they're going to be targetted, we need to move them out of sight."

Joey leans over as his girlfriend talks about her bff/future wife. He smooches her temple. It's good to have people. Quietly he counts himself lucky for having the ones he does. "Agreed. I have a few businesses in the area, but mostly stuff I bought off Felix. One I didn't. We may take a look into seeing if the A-Frames or motel are viable for this." Taking a deep breath his fingers find his forehead. "De la Vega thinks I'm a viable target. I told him he's mistaken , but... he's likely not wrong so if I say bail, you bail got it? Until then? Yeah safehouse ain't a bad idea at all. I need to reach out to Byron and see who he goes through for real estate too."

Nicole looks to Vic as she asks her questions, then turns to Joey, curious to hear the answers. He smooches her temple and she smiles, briefly leaning her head against his shoulder. When he says he told Felix he was mistaken, she gives him a look that very clearly says, 'are you insane?'. "He's entirely not wrong." She pauses. She hates this part, but, she made a promise to Joey long ago. She gives a nod to him. "You say bail... we bail." Her eyes cast down. "So should I like... pack a bag or... close the salon for a few days and say it's for reno? Or... just sit tight and keep my eyes open?"

"The hotel up in Hoquiam is still running, but if these guys know Felix's business, they'll know that too. So the one here will have to do. You know, the one they tell me is called the murder motel. Which is why I bought a fucking airstream when I moved here." Vic was NOT staying in the murder motel, nope nope nope. "So far it doesn't seem like these guys are connected to any organized crime in Portland either, if my contacts there can be trusted." She looks to Nicole and nods. "Pack a go bag. Anything you can't live without, and a few days worth of clothes and toiletries. I'd pack two, keep one in your vehicle, and one someplace else you can retrieve if that one goes away." Like a car exploding.

"That's the one I was thinking." Taking a deep breath he looks to Vic, "You good with shortcuts yeah?" Looking to Nicole he asks, You ever learn how to use those or no?" Yeah he means the veil but let's oversimplify everything. Taking a deep breath he murmurs. "Well this has got to make the Baxters and Addingtons feel better that it's not just them. There's that." Not much of a lining. "Okay that kid, Tor? His family's got some mad connections. I know they got real estate. Let's reach out to him and see what we can find. We need to fund it talk to Rhys. He's the math guy and can tell me what we can get it down to."

"No murder motel..." Nicole shakes her head with wide-open eyes. She is not about staying there either. "Go bags... right. " Nodding, she hadn't really thought of that, but it makes absolute sense. She rubs her arm again, her mind starting to plan out what she might put in a Go Bag. She almost didn't realize Joey was talking to her. "Uh... shortcuts?" No clue there. Her veil knowledge is limited. "What about Sprout?"

"I do boss, but I'm not familiar with the...uh...terrain here for them," Vic admits. Portland sure. Hoquiam, you bet. But Gray Harbor? Other than the path she ran from the park to dump out at Ruiz' cabin, which she is NOT taking again thanks to being mauled by a mutant bear, and the one from the highway hotel where she found Joey's car and the area she wound up, she isn't too sure what leads where on the other side in this city.

The mention of Sprout has Vic frowning deeper. "You need to have your brother take her out of here yesterday, boss. Get them someplace out of state. They aren't in Portland, far as I can tell, so there would be a good place."

Well fuck. Nicole's not wrong. It's not something he overlooked either. Jaw clenching he nods quietly. The wisdom of the women in his life speaking the many truths today, yo. "Yeah, that's... Ya know it's summer and I can call Uncle Jack. See if they want visitors . Could be a good time to visit the Baja. He is taking her with him on the road a while. She'll get to see places. He won't let anything happen to her." Looking to Nicole he makes the shape of most of a rectangle in the air. "Yeah a shortcut. Lie the... door...thing... when we went to talk to the lady at City Hall. Shortcut." There's a pauses and he asks curiously, "Thoughyou remember what that lady said about ghosts? My house might be the safest place to be."

Nodding, Nicole says, "call Uncle Jack. She'll have some hands-on learning about the world around her, like an adventure. I got to go with a friend when I was a kid on a trip all around. It was awesome. And... nothing can happen to her. Ever." The little girl is probably as dear to her as she is to Joey, or at least, close to it. She watches him trace the shape in the air. "Oh... I thought those just happened. You can make them yourself? Or, I can?" She nods. "I remember. Are you asking me to move in with you, Joey Kelly?" She smirks, pausing, "temporarily, of course."

Vic tends to tiptoe around Glimmer talk with Joey, although not quite as much as she did with Felix. Felix is utterly clueless, Joey at least shines himself. "I'll go start making arrangements for my own stuff, boss. Need me back here after?" she asks.

Joey shrugs and levels with Nicole, "Hell if I know. I dunno if we punch a hoke in it or if it's there and you just have to cut away the wallpaper but I thought everyone knew about that? Like a rabbit pulling a magician out of a hat or something." And there in is the intrinsic difference between Joey and Felix. As for moving in he mutters dryly, "Yeah I know this whole situation is punishing." Looking back to Vic he arches both eyebrows. "Yes I want you back after. Fucking worry about you too. I know you don't know the layout though but you're smart and know what's usable. If you contact Tor and Rhys they'll be able to kinda guide you or lend their expertise. Come to think of it Dahalia may know. I dunno. Worth asking her. In the mean time I gotta see what Cruz knows about this Liu asshole." He pauses, nose wrinkling. "After I shower."

She's learned a lot since coming home, but apparently not that. Shrugging, Nicole says, "I'll figure it out." How hard can it be? Maybe it's something she can just wish into existence. Who knows. She nods then, agreeing with him. "So punishing." Her tone is even when it would usually sound much more teasing. When he mentions showering, she smacks his rear and says, "go shower... I'll hang out here and give the bag a really mean glare." When Vic mentions taking off to take care of her own things, Nicole says, "hey... " She nods. 'Stay safe' probably is understood.

"Got it, Boss. I think I might work on mapping out the nearest, uh, potential doors near our businesses on the other side, so we can maybe move there without being noticed." With that, Vic clasps Nicole on the shoulder companionably, then she goes back to the changing room to get her bag then head out. She isn't even bothering to change this time.