"Good to see you Jewel, whatever you want... it's on the house." Isabella smiled warmly at her Capo.  "Get a chance to hit the casino out in Vegas?  Maybe take in a show or two?  Tell me all about it.  I'm eager to hear how things are going out west."

Isabella took a seat and waved over a waitress.  "Take good care of my friend Jewel here.  I want her to have a great time tonight."

Grinning Don Isabella. "Well, Don...I did not do any of that I  stayed at this hotel thing, I think Cali owned or manged it..it had a pool , so I used that a lot. It was a beautiful place. I will have to make another trip for strickly entertainment.. there seems to be a lot to do there. Any shows or casinsos you recommend? I kinda made this a work vaca together, with it being the first time, it sounds like it will take many times to do everything!"

I had to think for a minute on what to order, land or sea....so many opportunities for delicious satisfaction. Alfredo linguini with crab and broccoli, I ordered. A little bit of both land and sea..eh whynot, a shark eats crab too! 

"How how long has this establishment been opened, it look like a great place. A great atmosphere is important for a restaurant establishment, I think. Also, a menu with something for everyone, I suppose would be a good thing to bring patrons in the door, and advertisement and word of mouth

Lushie had been out from The Tower headquarters doing her work since the early hours which was unusual for her, must have been due to that early night she had the night before which is very rare for her. When she got up this day, in order to not disturb the rest of the family in their slumbers she got herself up out of bed, showered, dressed and out and took her first coffee of the day down on the banks of the river where she had visited an establishment and got a whiskey put in it. It was certainly a different start to the norm for her and it was certainly proving a little challenging doing her errands with the occasional giggles that she found herself with due to the whiskey, "This won't do, too late for breakfast" she muttered to herself as she realised she had not even eaten this day. She starts to wonder if it was a good idea to go ahead to the post office to do her next assignment before getting some food into her, after all, she was more likely to be caught if she is sluggish and on top of that with the giggles to boot. 

Thinking further on she decided it would be a better idea to get a bit of food in her and another coffee, only this time without the booze added into it to soak up what she did have earlier. Lushie made herself across her home city of Detroit and back to Downtown to a restaurant her boss owned, The Blackhawk. She planned to check out the menu and to simply have an early lunch. 

Upon arriving she was greeted by a gentleman who introduced himself as Joe, "Greetings Joe, just a table for one please" Lushie asked in responding to him. She got shown to a table to sit at and was handed the menu to read, "Thank you" Lushie said to Joe as she went on to read through the menu. 

Either Lushie's eyes were bigger than her belly, or she simply was more hungry than she had first thought. She found great difficulty in trying to decide what to order, the choices on offer were pheromonal. She had to stop herself from going over the top due to it still being early in the day. After all, she didn't want to eat to the point she was unable to move, her plan was to recharge up and not land up in some food coma. 

Lushie summoned over a waitress to place one "Hello, I would like to order please" she started to say to the lady, as she went to also point things on the menu, "The Salisbury Steak, Mushroom Sauce with the Mash Potatoes and a pot of strong coffee please" she finished up saying as she closed the menu and handed it back to the waitress, "Certainly, any particular way you would like the steak?" the waitress asked Lushie for her to respond with a smile "Well done please" she said as the waitress nodded and headed her way towards the kitchens. 
 

Spotting Lushie at her restaurant was a pleasant treat.  Making her way over to the other woman, Isabella opened her arms wide with a bit of a smile.  "I hope the chef did right by you!"  She kissed her family member's cheeks in greeting.  "Are you enjoying the band tonight?  It's one of my personal favorites.  I can't help but move every time they get going."

Isabella waved over the waitress, "Make sure Lushie's meal is on the house tonight - a small gift from me to you, for all you've done."  She took a seat across from the other woman.

"I was hoping I might pick your brain a little bit about your hopes for the future here in Detroit.  Have you given much thought to where you'd like to see yourself in the next year or five?"

Tara walked into the restaurant with a black leather bag slung over her shoulder. Lately, she'd been wearing lighter, more elegant dresses, but on this particular day, she was dressed for action. Flats, black pants, and a white blouse under a black jacket made her seem formal, as well as flaunting her normal standards for dress. But with Detroit a battlefield due to the emergence of the McMasters as an enemy- not to mention all that Gavin, Isabella-Luciano, and William_Bowden were getting up to- she though it was better to be ready for anything.

She requested a table in the corner and, when seated, ordered a glass of pinot noir. Within a couple minutes, she was consuming her wine and the financial reports spread out in front of her in equal measure as she got comfortable and waited for Adonis.

"Here to meet someone. Tara Byrne?"

"Right this way."

The hostess lead Adonis through the lively restaurant. He slowly followed, catching as much of the live entertainment as he could, noticing some looks from what he'd assumed were golddiggers out on the prowl. Everyone was practically togged to the bricks. He also made sure to look smooth, but that wasn't anything new. He couldn't leave his place on Race Street Pier without triple checking his attire was complete.

Midnight black suit. Fedora to match. Black two-tone oxfords with a pearl white splash to pair with a handkerchief tucked into his jacket pocket. Usually he'd have a simple white shirt and colored tie to compliment his shoes, but tonight was different. Mostly black, like he was hot stepping into a funeral service.

He let his gaze linger on a looker at a table he was being escorted by. Cute as a bug's ear, he thought, whilst tugging down gently on the brim of his hat and lowering his head in her direction. Detroit. Aces so far. Remembering why he was here, his attention focused on a table he was now standing before. And someone he was about to properly meet for the first time. He'd heard much about her. And sometimes, received information and the like that had come from her.

It was always a step or two removed, though. As if she weren't someone you'd just bump into willy-nilly. Joe found that Race Street operated like that. Through a network of subordinates and careful means of communication, each a step, a layer away from the very top. And Adonis wasn't quite there yet. In his eyes, he was far from it. And likely seen that way by others too. 

But life was good. Things seemed to be looking up. Like he'd finally started getting somewhere. The note requesting his presence from Tara Byrne had to be confirmation of it. Why else would he be meeting her? He made sure to dress given the instructions in bold black flowing script. Ready for business, and he introduced himself in the same manner.

"Ms. Byrne." Adonis said assertively as he stood across the table from Tara, and just as the hostess pointed to her with an open palm facing upwards and a slight bow. He wanted to waste no more time and tried to present himself as professional as he could, standing to attention before his immediate boss' boss' boss. The environment around them seemed to be quite relaxed in comparison.

Adonis held his hands together in front of his waist as he awaited a response. He looked straight faced. But not like he should've emptied his bowels before he left to come here. Just confident, yet relaxed. White-collar like.

Tara's eyes flicked up, then back to the papers, before returning to the man approaching her table dressed to the nines. She hadn't had a real conversation with Adonis, but she began questioning her assumptions about him as soon as she saw him. It was also easy to see where the nickname came from. 

"Mr. Adonis. Thank you for coming; I honestly didn't expect you yet, but this is a pleasant surprise. Please have a seat. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

She quickly stacked her financial papers and slid them into her bag, gesturing toward the seat across from her.

Thirsty? He could drink a lake. But he wasn't going to let his habit get in the way of making a good impression.

"No thank you, I'm fine." Adonis said as he removed his hat and took the requested seat. He took a moment to get comfortable, tucking the table cover under and on his lap so he could make room for his legs to spread out a little. He then gently brushed his hand over his tie, to straighten it, and unbuttoned his jacket.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He said as he lay his hands down on the table. He felt like he should order something, but didn't want to get distracted. The note seemed important.

As the Don seemed to have sat down in front of me, I sorta looked around . Was she actully talking to me, about where I would be seeing myself? Well, I could not sit there in silence and not answer her question.

Clearing my throat a second, and trying to sound serious and not like I was scared to death ..." I am all about supporting this crew in what ever capicity that would mean, or is needed. I will always work hard, position or not, as I have always dn from the beginning, at least I hope I have been. I am at your service, well ultimtely, Gf Sal, and whatnot. Did you, um have something in mind"?

Tara smiled. Despite the chaos with the McMasters, she was in a good mood. Things were going well, overall, and the numbers she'd been studying seemed to increase the wattage of her smile. 

"Before we get down to business, since the next plane to Chicago doesn't leave for a few hours, I thought I'd try to get to know you a bit. You've made a good impression, Mr. Adonis, and I like to sit down and have at least one conversation with those who have... potential. Perhaps you can tell me a bit about yourself. Your story. Your skills."

She sipped her wine as she gestured to the menu.

"And please, order something if you'd like it. This isn't a test. You've had a flight to get here and you'll be on another plane shortly. As long as you're not eating meatballs with your hands, be my guest."

Adonis smirked. She seemed a lot more relaxed then he imagined she'd be. He grabbed at the menu, flipping it the right way around, and started to look at it when he suddenly remembered he couldn't read for squat. The words on the page jumbled together, like a foreign language, as they all were to him. He placed it to the side and had a stab at something he'd figure should be there.

"Whisky."

So much for not drinking. He had no clue what food a place like this would be serving. This was his safest option.

"Please. I meant to say please." He said, looking a little flustered. So much for relaxed and confident.

Adonis scratched his head, looking a little anxious.

"You wanted to know about me? Sure. Why not."

If there was one thing he could do well, it was talk about himself. He smirked once more.

"Did you hear about how I got my name?" He asked with a sly grin.

Tara smiled.

"No. But that sounds like the start of a story if I ever heard one."

As he opened his mouth, he quickly closed it again, realizing who he was sitting across from. It wasn't one of the usual face's he'd tell the story to. It had more, feminine characteristics. He loved telling the story, and each time he'd told it he'd added to it a little. The bare bones of it was quite uninteresting compared to how others had gotten theirs. A romp with a dame dating a more powerful and well connected guy than he was, whom he also ended up jumping the same night outside the place where it all went down.

"I uh, I better not." He said, then quickly tried to press on to another topic. "I did grow up in New York though, with my parents. Moved out to Philly just before I met Billy. Then Roger took me in so I could get to work."

Adonis looked over at Tara with a more serious expression. "Was in the slammer just before I left New York. Illegal gambling, they called it. All I was doing was holding a briefcase full of money for a pal."

He'd done time for a guy who'd thrown him under the bus, and while he was being cuffed the two shared eye contact. He'd practically pushed him under it as it was passing.

"I'll never forget his face. When they was puttin' me in cuffs. He didn't have a look of 'Sorry Joe, I had to' or anything like that. It was cold as ice. Like we'd never even grown up together. That's when I realized this life is all a fairy tale. A dream that eventually shows itself as it is. That wraps you in itself just to set you alight with its own bullshit pages."

He was trailing off into what he'd left New York to forget. The drink finally arrived. He took a good sip, not looking to savour the taste or look to open a relationship with its complexities. A good mouthful to wash down the sting of the memory.

"Anyways, Tara." He quickly continued, smiling again.

"Since then I've used my hands for a lot more of the so called dirty work than before. Still like a good game of poker, though."

Adonis took another sip of the drink, this time noticing a hint of honey before a smoky finish.

"How bout you? You've only been a reputation till now. What's your story?"

Tara seemed a bit disappointed in the lack of the story after a set up like that, but her eyes seemed to focus in as she listened to Adonis's background. 

"Your pal. What happened to him, if you don't mind me asking? You pay him back?"

"As for me..."

She was tempted to stay a reputation. Or at least slightly more mysterious. In the end, she caved. 

"... okay. But you'll only get the short version. I haven't had enough wine to go through all the details. Grew up in Newfoundland in the woods- middle of nowhere. My mother gave me better than a college education by the time I was fifteen. Literature. Math. Greek mythology."

She smiled- but it quickly left her face.

"Our parents died, and we wound up surviving a few years before we decided to make our way down to America and get rich."

The smile returned.

"And it worked. Met Jack Mezzo early on, and the rest is history."

"Oh?" Joe couged out after slurping a little on the drink, now more curious about the mention of Greek mythology than trying to figure out what else the whisky had to offer. He placed the glass down and focused back on his dinner companion.

"Greek mythology? You'd probably know more about my name than I do then." He said with a grin. He'd studied a little himself. Some even said that was the reason he had the name he did, on account of his own vanity. They weren't completely wrong.

"As for that pally, I ain't yet. He's more connected than he was before I did the two years. More so than I, even. And I know what happens to guys who bump off a friend of a friend. Not somethin' I want to experience. He'll get his though. As my father use to say, let karma get the people who wrong you, and let you be the karma for the people who wrong your family."

"One of the most beautiful mortals ever? A hunter?"

She laughed.

"It didn't end well for him, but what else is new? Many mortals who wind up tangling with the gods get worse than an early death."

Tara nodded as she heard about Adonis's pal. 

"Sounds like you've got a good stance there. A wise one, at least."

She frowned for a moment. She was enjoying the conversation with Adonis, and it seemed like everything she said could be followed up on... but they were here for business.

"On to the real purpose of our meeting. As you know, rogue acters don't fare well in our society. The violent ones, of course, tend to go out in a blaze of violence. But there are also people who just... stop checking in. Who leave the crew behind and act on their own. When someone's gone for that long... well, it's bad business to let them hang around. One of our... former associates... who fits this mold is currently somewhere in Chicago. Track him down and conclude his employment. Permanently. Hopefully it'll send a message to others who are thinking about heading off on their own as well."

Tara reached into her bag and slid a folded piece of paper across the table. 

Isabella smiled at Jewel.  "Your past family members have served the Tower loyally - since the first Tower in Chicago under LuckyLucy.  Right?"  She asked sipping her drink watching Jewel's reactions closely.

" Yes, Don Isabella, I believe that to be truth. I guess it just is in my blood, you could say. Maybe my blood runs a bit ivory more than red, if that makes sense, Don. I also want to make my family proud , the tower and my family that has passed before me.  If you don't that reflects badly on everyone affected, all the way up to the GF Sal, I am sure..no one wants to upset that guy, right?"

"No.  Assuredly no one wants Salvatore_Luciano mad at them.  I've been thinking a lot about loyalty lately - wanting to give respect to those who have stood with this family for as long as your bloodline has, it's just a small part of that.  Tell me Jewel - what's your goals?  I know you want to work hard for me and our family here in Detroit... but surely you want something for yourself in this thing of ours?  How can I help YOU?"

" Well, Don...since you are asking that....I actually want to see if I can flourish in a place of leadership, maybe even a crew leader, such as you are. Sadly, no one in my line has ever done that. I will never know, until I try it. I am sure you were scared to death when your father and GF Sal had given you your own family to run, and sure you would make mistakes, we all do, but we cannot be scared to get out of the comfort zone. I think I am ready to at least inch my way forward. I did enjoy the whole gang leader thing . (I hope you enjoyed the boat thread)