Handling the belongings of deceased loved ones is never easy and it doesn't help when they lived in such squalid conditions to the point that you'd not even believe that they were a millionaire upon death. There were no beds in King Revan's Castle, in fact most of it was just there for show as he preferred to spend most of his days in secret a few hundred miles away from Philadelphia in the middle of Pennsylvania in what he called his "shack".

Arriving in the area, it was tough to find at first being tucked away in what looked to be a grove of some sort. Inside he found very little outside of confusing medieval weaponry and a single cot that was placed in the middle of the room for seemingly no reason whatsoever. There was a lump in the cot however, and upon inspection Sisyphus found a book-- or rather, a diary? Skipping through most of the pages as they seemed to mostly gush about his ascent to the Philadelphia throne, there was one excerpt which caught Sisyphus' eye.

I've been lost in the woods for three days now and I've been staying alive on berries and my own piss. I may not make it out alive, but if I do, remember the name "We All Scream". Awesome ice cream idea. Do it. Philadelphia will love it. Think I heard a bear. Might die now. Bye.

Knowing he obviously didn't die seeing as how the diary continues for over seventy more pages, Sisyphus tucked the book into his back pocket and collected a few other odds and ends before leaving. He had a great idea now, one that just came to him in a vision and wouldn't get out of his head. Fever dreams of the thought haunted him for weeks until finally in a spur of the moment decision he bought an entire plot of land in his city of Detroit and began the groundwork on what would become the premier ice cream shop in the entire area, and he knew just what to call it now too...

We All Scream

Ice Cream Flavors - Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Mint

Ice Cream Sizes: Small, Medium, GIGANTIC

Ice Cream Cost: .10, .50, $2.00

Drinks - Sodas, Beer, Lemonade - $.50 each

Slot Machines in the Back

COME TODAY!!!

It was... perfect, the store was finally ready to open. The inside was painted in bright purple and green to really draw in the crowd, while large counters that you could peer into and see all of the ice cream circled the place as you walked through the doors. There was always a person standing behind the counter willing to take your order; deeper inside you would hear the whirls and buzzing of slot machines which were constantly active and ready to be pulled.

Then there was Sisyphus, sometimes he would check in on the shop happy to take your order himself, but he preferred to only talk shop while here as the cold treat itself was just a way to make money and not entirely his passion. Either way, the doors were now open and anyone could come and enjoy.

She had heard about the new ice cream shop, Sisyphus wouldnt stop talking about the damn place.  He insisted she had to stop by, so she made time in her busy schedule.  Not that she minded, who doesnt like ice cream.  She walked into the store and looked over the menu.  It was pretty basic, making it easy to decide.

She looked around, hoping Sisyphus was here.  Not seeing him, she gave her order to the girl behind the counter.  She took forever, not able to decide if she wanted a medium or gigantic.

I guess I will have a medium chocolate please. 

She dug some change out of her bag and put it on the counter.  She looked around the empty store for a place to sit.  

Empty wasn't the word that Sisyphus would use for his store, as there were many people who swept in and out of the quite busy establishment. Sure there weren't too many people from the mafia itself making their way inside and utilizing his slot machines or private room to deal in secure business, but that was to be expected from an ice cream start up that had such a quirky name to drive in sales from the sweet itself.

That's why when Katerina made it inside there was a distinct quietness from all of those around, especially the owner himself who was perched quietly in the back only able to see her through a slit in the door that was only slightly ajar. Sisyphus hadn't made a name for himself yet and was hoping that she would approve of his newest venture, one that had cost him a lot of time and money-- not to ignore the effort put into helping build the large 'We All Scream' carved into a piece of wood out front. That's why when he heard her ordering the treat there was nary a peep from his mouth as he listened in intently.

"I'll have a, wait..."

"Maybe..."

There were a few more moments of this back and forth until finally the silence was once again broken with the ordering of a medium chocolate ice cream. Nodding enthusiastically from where he was perched there was a small creaking sound that popped from his chair, and in that moment he had to wipe some sweat from his brow as there was a lot of tension hoping she had not heard him. Alas, he was lucky and she did not. Finally she walked out of view and this is when Sisyphus had an internal debate on if he should go out and say hello to the woman who had been keeping him in her employ.

It was a simple enough task. Just go out there with all of the gusto he could muster and introduce himself as the owner of the place, it was something so simple that you'd not expect it to be difficult at all and yet he we were. Taking what seemed to be ages in between his decision on speaking up or not, it was decided that he would give her a quick hello. After all, she had never been anything but kind to him while in the headquarters themselves the few times he was allowed inside; mostly they had him in what they called a special secret room where he spent most of his time alone in solitude, he was assured that every associate had to go through this, and yet he never met another one who was sent to the space.

Not dwelling on that much longer there was a suave move that he had picked up while spending a few months abroad in Europe, he opened his back door and walked past the ice cream counter and over to the seat where Katerina sat. Pivoting his feet towards the floor and using the gravity from the ground to pull off a spin, he gave her the finger guns and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth... which all sounded so much cooler in theory.

"I hope you're enjoying your treat. Compliments to the chef."

Again unable to stop himself from making a mockery of the situation, he pointed to himself with both of his thumbs and flashed a terrible wink that was immediately regretted by both parties. Trying to salvage this situation, Sisyphus sat down beside her and called over toe woman behind the counter whose name he still hadn't learned.

"Bring me some chocolate, too."

Once it arrived he looked back towards Katerina and smiled widely.

"So welcome to the shop! I'm glad that you could make it. You're the first person I've seen come in here who I've personally known, so I'll be paying for your ice cream. Think of it as a bribe to forget everything I've just done."

Placing his spoon into the creamy substance, he quickly took a bite and waited to see what Katerina would have to say about the place. He was more than sure she would be very impressed by all of the hard work put into it, and if not, well, the least she could do was lie and pretend.

"No...No...No...SCOTT! NO"

"ICE-CREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!"

"Fuck..."

Scott rushed for the place, not even bothering to see if Brisa was keeping up with him, they had just left Dale's joint and she would think that the young man was full from all of the stuff he ate. No, he wasn't even full and that is what made this all the more amusing. Wondering if he had a stomach the size of a crater. 

Brisa had finally caught up, finding him talking to the owner with a small blinding grin, it did not seem like he was even trying all that hard to hide what he wanted. His eyes had been drawn to the cookie dough ice cream, the man had smiled back for a second and decided that was that. He wished for it, he would get it. 

"Thank you, sir, how much do you want?"

Brisa placed a hand on his shoulder, raising an eyebrow towards him and he pouted for a second. It would like he was fourteen and not a man of twenty plus years. With that in mind, he simply gave the man a little tip on top of what he had gotten. He gave the man a small grin again, deciding to walk off. 

"How comes I never got any Scott?"

Scott turned back, handing her own ice cream and she smiled at the thought he had for her. He noticed that he was smiling back, seemingly knowing that despite her protests she would want some of the sweet ice cream. Deciding to walk off then, both of them wondered continued to wonder what was next for them, it was a wonder really. 

"You know....I have to say, that man does not get enough credit than he usually does but here we are anyway."

Both knew what Scott was talking about, it seemed that everyday life on the streets had changed. People were slandered, of course, some had chosen to rise above it and some were here, deciding to head to the businesses and discuss among themselves and enjoying what they could to themselves. 

"I know right, this ice cream is fucking awesome...I will have to come back here for seconds."

Scott gave her a knowing look, almost like he had proven something to her. Only for Brisa to avoid his gaze, knowing what he was trying to do. It was that easy for her now, she had grown used to his looks, puppy dog eyes and when times got very tough, his sad eyes. He always got her with the last one, now she had avoided his gaze ever since Los Angeles, he was...something.

"Told ya! Now come on, I see the Blackhawk Restaurant, I can't believe that place is still open...I hear it's under new management now though."

Latom had been walking around smiling to herself all day. She knew Mark wasn't the sharpest knife, but ending up shooting himself while trying to kill his wife was a real low. Someone that useless sure deserved e lengthy prison time. The poor woman was even sleeping at the time and it still went down this badly. The poor dog having to bite a bullet as well. A true moron at work.

As she was walking around a corner a big sign reading "We All Scream" caught her eye. What kind of place could this be? Surely it had to be some kind of rival to Atrocities, which she had accidentally walked in to a few nights before. The name of the place absolutely screamed of some kind of brothel with a speciality into the darker more unpleasant sides of baby making. It had to be. Or could it be some kind of local talent search. The kind of place that usually only attracted really bad singers and in a funny way tried to play on that in their name. Day after day listening to the next wannabe superstar only to end up with a scarecrow destroying something beautiful. Surely using the name We All Scream would give them at least one chuckle a day. Or could it even be a theatre venturing into the more dark themes of this world. The horror in evil from fantasies or even just the every day horror of wise guys.

Latom was intrigued. Her imagination was spiraling and she just had to go check the place out. So she crossed the busy road and walked straight through the doors without glancing through the window. At first she couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed, but that quickly faded. Who didn't love ice cream. In the mood she had been earlier ice cream was perfect. Walking up to the counter she took a moment or two deciding what she felt like. Licorice had always been a favorite.

"- I wouldn't mind a Gigantic licorice ice cream" Latom said in a better mood again. 

As she got the ice cream, which was bigger then she had expected, she went to find somewhere to sit. A corner seat was still available which was perfect. You could never be too careful being able to see everything happening around you.

There was a stir in his voice when the words licorice had been uttered in his store. He had spent a lot of time trying to forget about the taste that had haunted him since a child. Being forced to eat the black disgusting substance on multiple occasions by his father who had a strict policy of trying everything at least ten times before deciding if you like it or not; a rule that would ruin many things for the entire family and ultimately is what he attributes to his attempt at rising the ranks of the mob. 

"Y...you want... what?"

Fighting back the urge to pummel the counter with his powerful fists in a brazen display of anger unmatched by most not in the boxing circuit, he forced his signature smile. ScottMcCall had just left his establishment with someone he couldn't quite tell who, and so the place was a bit empty outside of Katerina still sitting off in the corner with nothing much to do but eat her ice cream as slow as possible. Because of this, he only had Latom to serve.

Where would he find Licorice in a place that has banned the consumption of it since 1918? His own personal policy and ban, which he would gleefully tell anyone who asked. Thinking fast, but not smart, he began to mix the chocolate ice cream with even more cocoa powder in an attempt to make it darker. Trying to mimic the gross and bitter taste which comes with the flavor, Sisyphus ran to the pantry and began raiding it of all the spices he had. Some lemon juice, a little bit of fresh squeezed lime, and something that went by the name of turmeric.

The creation was complete and ready to serve. Walking over towards Latom he slid the frozen desert towards her. It was oozing a bit, and smelled off to say the least, but either way it would be the closest thing that one could find in the store which resembled licorice, which was her fault for ordering in the first place.

"There ya go. Please tell all of your friends about We All Scream, the premier ice cream shop in all of Detroit."

Nailed it.

Having just sat down Latom took a deep breath to relax. It was moments like these you had to enjoy. Usually the day was full of dirty work, including running errands, bribing officials, scaring people, collecting money. Busy days indeed. But every now and then you had an hour or two to just enjoy life. Spend some times with only your own thoughts as a friend. The occasional ice cream as well.

Latom turned her attention to the ice cream in front of her. It looked deli... Or did it? Something seemed wrong. The ice cream looked like no licorice one she'd ever seen before. She picked it up inspecting it. Something was off. It didn't have the look it was supposed to. But then again, looks could be deceiving. Just take Mark for example. He seemed to be the luckiest guy in the world with his perfect family, house and work. But get to know him and you'd knew he was a disappointment.

Having a taste Latom almost choked. This was not licorice. What was happening? It had a strong chocolatey flavor, with some sour after burn. They must have messed up surely. What kind of establishment was this? Latom stood up and walked back to the counter. Standing there waiting she had a look around the counter but couldn't find any ice cream with a sticker saying licorice.

"- Excuse me. I think my order might have been messed up."

He knew the complaint was coming and had been hastily creating a sign with his whittling technique taught to him by his very own father, a man who had been quite the woodsman in his heyday. Sisyphus however did not share in his competence and had to make due with what was an extremely crude and hard to read plaque made entirely out of the finest birch that the city of Detroit had to offer-- pointing to the words that now sat firmly on the counter in front of the ice cream flavors, he shrugged confidently.

No Rafends

"I am sorry to inform you, but we have and never will serve licorice in this establishment. I just did not have the heart to tell you until now, after you already paid your money. I thank you for your service and if you would like a chocolate or perhaps mint gargantuan, I would be more than happy to service you for another two dollars."

Smiling, he placed out his hand as if waiting for the cash to be pressed into his palm.

"We thank you for shopping at We All Scream!"

Waving around the place to no one in particular, that same creepy smile crept up on his face and he wore it for what felt like a minute too long until suddenly snapping back into the most stoic look one could muster. Unsure of if she would bite on another flavor, he waited in hope for a positive response.

Kat just stared, not sure what to make of his odd behavior.  She quietly ate her ice cream, waiting for his next strange gesture.  He sat down in the booth and started talking about the shop.  She smiled when he mentioned free ice cream. 

I think its best to forget everything that just happened.

She laughed and looked around the shop.  It really was a nice place, she hadn't seen anything like it in her travels recently.

Your shop is great.

No, that would not do, he was looking for a magnificent compliment. 

I mean, its stellar?  Very nice place, I will surely be back in the near future. 

She noticed a few people waiting at the counter, and watched Sisyphus jump up with a disgusted look as someone mentions licorice.  Who in the world would order that?  She continued eating her ice cream, wishing she had gotten the gigantic one. 

Latom felt an anger building up inside as she was looking between the plaque and the creepy smiling guy in front of her. It took all of her will power not to explode. She was known for many things. She could break any bone in a mans body if ordered to. She never got it wrong. Talking her way in to establishments she had no business visiting... Not a problem. Telling if someone was lying was a good trait to possess as well. Anger management was not one of them though. Impulse control was a big nono as well. She looked at the plaque again and read the words slowly while focusing on her breathing. No Rafends. She took a breath. No Rafends. Another. What the fuck kind of word was rafends by the way. It made her think about some special bread of foxes. Foxes are nice. Trying to focus her mind on foxes she felt how her heartbeat started to go slower and slower. 

Feeling calmer Latom looked at the hand that was slowly inching towards her. If this dude was about to tickle her all bets were off. Was there any way she could claim it was self defense? Would she have to run? Seeing the hand stop she took her so called ice cream. Put it upside down in the mans hand and 2 dollars on top of it.

"- Is it possible you might have some lemon sherbet in that case?" She was trying to smile as she uttered the words but could tell right away, in the mirror in front of her, that it was a bad decision. That kind of weird looking frown would probably scare anyone into silence for the rest of their lifes.

Holding the ice cream in his hands he felt the coldness drip from finger to counter with every passing moment. Squishing it around and giving it a playful toss into the air before it fell down behind the countertop and to the floor down below, the words lemon sherbet ran through his mind with an almost ringing in his ear-- did he hear this right? Was someone asking for a sherbet in a land made specifically for ice cream? Perish the thought!

"Sh...sheb... what? We do not serve sherbets, sorbets, gelatos, and DEFINITELY not popsicles."

Keeping his composure was a task befitting of his rather lackadaisical demeanor and yet some things could not be forgiven. What would be next? An attempt to buy ice cream placed in between cookies? The madness of it all. People wouldn't stop until there was nothing left to the sanctity of the treat. He already pushed his limits by adding mint, but this was one or two steps further than anything he could have ever anticipated.

Yet there could be a way around it all and in only a few seconds he whipped up a sludge concoction of various fruits and the vanilla ice cream he kept in his shop. Cherries, lemons, and even the core of one apple were all placed inside what he would now call his very own sherbet.

"Only $5 for such a beautiful thing."

Sliding it over to Latom he put his attention back over to Katerina who seemed to be enjoying her ice cream which at this point was nearly gone. Excited to attempt and sell another, he came up with a brand new idea on the spot in an attempt to further create more revenue so that he could continue to follow his dreams.

"So, Katerina. My lovely leader, Katerina. I have a deal for you. The deal of a lifetime. We are currently doing a promotion. Buy one, get a second to go for only $4. Since your first was on the house, how would you like to take some of it home? A gargantuan box!"

Re-purposing one of his gigantic cups into a carrying cup by adding a piece of string to the top so that one could hold it on their way home, he shoveled some chocolate ice cream inside and slid it over to Katerina, his large smile once again looming over his face in an attempt to win her over and secure yet another satisfied customer such as Latom already was.

"Give it a try!"

Feeling a little embarrassed about her previous actions Latom felt a need to try and not overreact this time. Even though it was the second time she didn't get what she ordered. She was a woman usually used to get whatever wanted and when that didn't happen things had a tendency to get out of hand. She was determined not to let that happen again. After all it was only an ice cream they were talking about.

Deciding she was going to give this creation a fair shot she slid the man behind the counter another 3 dollars while she had a taste. It was surprisingly eatable. In fact. It was delicious. 

"- I'm sorry about the mess. I overreacted. This one was actually quite good." She said while sliding the man a few extra coins as a tip. 

She took the ice cream back to the spot where she was previously seated and sank back into that relaxed state she had found herself just moments ago. Looking out the window watching the busy street practicing her deduction skills. As a street hustler it was always important to be able to tell what kind of person was standing in front you. During her days living on the streets she had noticed she was usually quite good at telling who a person was by looking at the way they dressed, the way they talked and they way they moved. A skill that she loved develop and hone even more.

His life was quickly losing all of its meaning. If he were serving sherbet now then what was the point in calling himself a purveyor of fine ice cream? What would he expand into next? Italian Ice? Thoughts began to circle around inside of his brain, constantly attacking and attempting to dissuade him from carrying on in this life. Yet Latom seemed to be satisfied, and it wasn't as if he had to place it onto his menu; this was clearly just a one time thing. Yes. He was satisfied with this answer.

"Thank you for visiting!"

Now all that would need to be done for the rest of the day was a quick cleaning up of the establishment on the off chance that someone else decided to join in on the festivities. Many ideas fought their way into his consciousness to bring in new members of the underground society to his business-- the fan favorite to him seemed to be allowing a large amount of rats into one of the back rooms and racing them for extra cash, or perhaps cock fights to allure the seedier and more dangerous element. Everyone needed ice cream, after all, it was a time honored tradition that was well respected by anyone.

Going into his back room and waiting for another visitor, he began making some phone calls to see how much a few roosters would hit his wallet. There wasn't much else to do here until then.

It felt like an eternity had passed since Damian last visited Detroit. It was before he had decided to take some time out and live in obscurity as opposed to the life of crime he had indulged in until then. Now months had passed and it seemed like the landscape of the city had undergone a rapid change while he was quietly living a regular life in Seattle, his daily routine only entailing a short trip to the factory he worked at. There were days when he took a detour to visit the ice-cream parlor at the end of the street on his way back home. It had started off as a sudden craving but slowly developed into a guilty pleasure. Soon he made it a point to visit the place at least once every week.

It was the impromptu thought of ice-cream which forced him to take a second look at the place with the odd name. Perhaps the "Scream" had resonated with the word Ice-Cream in his head, but when he noticed it was indeed an ice-cream shop Damian knew that he simply had to go check out the place. Maybe this place would be his new ice-cream stop whenever he visited Detroit. Now that he was stepping out of the shadows and already was climbing up the bottom rungs of the mafioso order, it could be fairly often.

Pushing open the door, he was greeted by a room full of purple and green. It was nothing like the small and quiet ice-cream parlor near his house but rather quite the opposite. His eyes swept over the multiple choices before he finally made up his mind.

"Chocolate, please. Medium."

Having placed his order, Damian took a seat which gave him a view of the street while he waited for the ice-cream to arrive, only occasionally glancing over at the door out of curiosity whenever someone new entered.

A day in the life of an ice cream salesman was one of a fast paced mindset and you wouldn't believe it but the moment that Latom had received her final treat, there was another customer walking through the doors. Putting on his greatest smile that he could muster, he worked his way through his office and into the main room. Waving some bubbles around the place to really give it a more charming aesthetic, he looked at what had been ordered.

Medium Chocolate. It was a bit of a stretch to assume that Damian had made this order under duress, who would only order a medium when gargantuan is in large bold letters? Needing to push more of the larger sizes, he snapped his eyes to the table where Damian now sat and walked over with the chocolate treat in hand.

"One medium, good sir."

Placing it on the table, he posed a question for the man.

"Why a medium, if I may ask?"

Using tactics he had learned in ice cream selling school, Sisyphus would attempt what is called in the car dealing world as an up sell. Times were tough and this would be his ultimate test on if he had what it took to be in such a difficult business with so many competing stores all around. Only time would tell.

Finished with her ice cream, she stood up as Sisyphus walked towards her, some strange cup in his hands.  He handed her this cup full of ice cream, apparently wanting her to carry it home by this flimsy string.  She took it from him, hoping it didn't drop to the floor and ruin her new shoes.  He was smiling, seemed so proud of his creation, she didn't want to offend him. 

She smiled back, said thank you for the ice cream to go, and headed towards the door.  Luckily it was a short walk home, or the ice cream was sure to melt all over.  She would definitely be back, hopefully it would be less awkward next time. 

The last visit to Detroit, Vidic was tasked to take care of some 'business'. This time, he had the luxury of having his associates do the dirty stuff for him while he supervises from afar. The task at hand was fairly simple today, and he was done without having to break a sweat. He handed his associates their dues and gave them the rest of the day off. He had been craving for something sweet since he boarded the flight from Seattle, and heard of a place where they serve excellent ice cream. Taking a moment to ensure that nothing was left behind, Vidic put on his hat and headed out. 

The journey did not take long by cab. He paid the driver handsomely and stepped out of the vehicle. Straightening his jacket, he looked up and admired the sign. He chuckled at the name, shook his head and entered the ice cream shop. There was already a small crowd within. Not wanting to lose out on seating space, Vidic quick-paced to the counter and was greeted by a man named Sisyphus. 

"How are you today, what will you be having?" Sisyphus said cheerfully behind the counter. 

Now Vidic felt dumb. In his effort to hasten and book a seat, he did not consider which flavour to have. He looked up at the menu and blurted out the first flavour he saw, stammering in the process, "Uhhh, I-I-I'll have the Ch-Chocolate please." 

Vidic attempted at a smile, but the feeling of dread sank in when Sisyphus followed up, "and what size will you be having today?"

Yep, I am stupid, so much for being made! - Vidic thought to himself. 

"A medium will do, thank you."

Vidic had ordered a medium chocolate ice cream, which was such a simple dish that he allowed his second-in-command-in-training to handle the whole affair. Something about this just wasn't hitting him in the right spot, the scooping and serving, the have a nice day's and how do you do's, it was all so drab for a man who was used to breaking in guys faces with bats and extorting money from older ladies who didn't have a good grasp on their purses-- something was just... missing.

"Chocolate, eh? Chocolate? Why aren't we doing MORE? Where's the toppings? What's the point of only serving four flavors?!"

Eyeing up Vidic as he takes his treat into his hand, he calms down a little. Look at how happy this man is with his treat, how good it must taste when shoveled into his mouth. Isn't that what he was doing this for? The smile on the faces of every happy customer? and the illegal money from the slot machines didn't hurt.

"Have a nice day."

And he meant it. His faith in ice cream had been restored.

Meliodass stopped by the ice cream shop to buy some ice cream. There were only four flavours and they were quite simple ones, but it was enough for Mel. Chocolate flavour was there, so she needed nothing else. She was even more excited to see there's a GIGANTIC size for the ice cream.

"Give me one GIGANTIC chocolate ice cream!" She said, with excitement showing on her face and voice.

He had finally finished up some work in Philadelphia that he had been putting off for the past few days and now he was ready to take a flight back to Detroit where he originally had come from. One of the very first things that he did in this trip was check up on 'We All Scream' which had been running smoothly without him, or so he was told. That's when he noticed Meliodass who was ordering an extra large ice cream for herself, this was the perfect opportunity to see if he had retained his skills.

"One extremely large, coming right up."

Placing a small shovel into the chocolate bin, he scooped out two very large massive scoops and compacted them into a bucket which was then slid over to the woman. Slapping a sticker which read "GIGANTIC" onto the side of it, he smiled.

"This is a good one. My own personal chocolate blend, I think you'll love it."

While he was unsure if she would actually love it or not, a good salesman never let on to that sort of fact.