It was another beautiful afternoon in Vegas. Cork had begun to enjoy the "dry" heat lately, or at least he'd convinced himself of that lately. Cork had enjoyed his last conversation in the streets and was excited to come back out to hear more from folks like @fluffy_tummy, @ian, and @Busterscruggs.

This morning he'd received a package that he'd been waiting on for a long time. It wasn't special to anyone besides him but to Cork it meant the world. It was a bottle of wine he'd never open. He'd been searching for it for years, spending countless resources to no avail. He'd heard rumblings that this particular bottle had surfaced lately. He'd sent out so many feelers with no response that he'd given up and assumed it was just another wild goose chase. He'd off hand mentioned it to @Layla and went about his day. Imagine his surprised when he opened up the package and found this bottle of wine. He wasn't sure how she'd done it but he knew that it was Layla.

This experience sent him down another rabbit hole of thought. It's important to trust people, to have friends and family members that you consider close. We all have many people like that in our lives. There was another group of people inside that other group though. The one's you could always count on no matter what. Layla and her line had always been one of those people for Cork. There were a few others like @meursault and his loyal bodyguard Bret that fit the bill as well. In this particular life he'd been fortunate to find a few more lately and they knew who they were. It made him more curious for the rest of the community. He opened another bottle of wine and sat down once again on his all too familiar patio with a few glasses. He turned to whoever would hear the musings of an old man and asked.

Who in this world can you truly count on? Who are your people?

Cork smiled and poured a few glasses of red, expecting some guests soon.

This is a good question and one that I've gnawed on for a few hours, deciding if I should speak about anyone in my private life. After I murdered all of my bodyguards (sans my most powerful who I found in a jail-busting operation, a great guy) there were a few people in my life who I could lean on about it:

Little Louis - This man isn't even little, but that's his name. First name Little, last name Louis. It's a family thing. You wouldn't understand unless you're from the neighborhood. He eats a lot of dairy even though he's lactose intolerant, and man can he really pack down that stuff-- a cow's greatest enemy, this guy is. 

Frank - I don't know anything about him, real quiet kinda man. Just know his first name. One time he let me borrow a bowl so that I could have something to eat my world-famous spaghetti with. I'll never forget that act of kindness.

Then there's...

"Hey, I've never heard of any of these people, boss.", his only bodyguard left pipes up from behind him. Buster turns ice cold for a moment, his eyes glistening with sadness with what he's about to have to do. He was right in the middle of a story, and, sure, some of it may have been made up, maybe sometimes he liked pretending that he had friends. So the fuck what? 

1.  Success! You wounded a single bodyguard.

Do NOT interrupt me ever again, got it? I was in the middle of something. Sorry, it is getting increasingly hard to find a good bodyguard these days, I've never really liked that one. Stop crying, it's just a bullet. Anyways, where was I? Fuck. I've lost my train of thought! What were we even talking about? 

Just then, Buster received word that BricktownCL had descended upon Detroit and knew that now wasn't the time for inventing friends in his mind but rather a moment for action! So he jumped up and rushed off to the airports to take a flight over to the city mostly known for cars, but would soon be synonymous with one man-- HIM.

She was reminiscing about all of the good times, the talks and the mischief they got into when they worked in the same crews. Although still very close and in line with continued progress within Las Vegas, Cork once again had his own crew within the city. Words, as if carried on the wind, swirled through her mind and Aqua felt compelled to pay a short visit to her dear friend, Cork. 

There he sat, an opened bottle and glasses poured. His gaze was fixed on an unopened bottle in front of him and he smiled as she was ushered in by one of his most loyal bodyguards. "Good evening, my friend", She smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I see you still have great taste when it comes to wine and liquor". 

They spoke pleasantries as she made herself comfortable in a nearby chair. His question, had it been directed specifically at her, would have hurt her feelings. But as it was, the musing was placed out into the universe and those in this small part of this world understood what he meant. 

"As a child, I counted on my parents to provide and care for me. As a young adult, I learned hard lessons and depended on only myself. Now, I have been brought into this life of ours and I am a lucky woman to count on both hands the ones I can count on", she smiled and placed a cool hand upon his for a brief moment. "I don't think it any secret who 'my people' are nor do I wonder about the loyalty that has been proven to flow both ways within that circle", a twinkle in her eye as she gave a coy wink. 

"Now, tell me about this", she motioned to the unopend bottle in front of him. "This is no ordinary wine, I assume. It looks expensive...and maybe sentimental", she canted her head with a wry grin. "From someone special, eh"?