The mafia is no place for sentimentality. As an entity she's an unsympathetic mistress who demands progress be made and will simply flatten anything that stands still and stagnates. Disorder had seen many mobsters come and go. Some with far reaching ambition, some on a short sighted power trip, all too often he'd seen the ego take control and watched men lose sight of the truth. They would become consumed with vanity and not appreciate they were just another vessel out on the ocean. The business was the water that supported them, the waves were not theirs to command.

'Boss?'  

zug had waited quietly for Disorder to notice him but the Godfather was clearly lost in thought. zug's voice brought him round. He looked up at his right hand with a stern expression.

"I know where you can find the sailors that didn't respect the sea."

'Oh?'

"At the bottom of it, and nowhere else!"

'Alright then.'

zug made a mental note to restrict the boss' consumption of Absinthe and stop the afternoon drug-cocktail experiments he'd become fond of since he retired from fighting. Keen to press on with practical matters, zug jumped into the day's business.

'Has the decision been made about the next family to set up here with us?'

"It has. I've decided to put a young sailor into the water this time."

'Can we stop with all the nautical bollocks now?'

"Yeah I think we'd better"

'Smashing.'

The two men then went on to finalize the details of the next auth and make all the necessary preparations. The most intense of these discussions naturally revolved around catering and entertainment. What was a new crew without the kind of party that caused at least one pregnancy and a change of religion? With everything in place the two men headed out.

As the party gathered, the music started and the drinks began to flow, everyone was well on their way to forgetting why they were there in the first place. 'Perfect!' thought Disorder as he saw the first of the giggling torn dresses run past him in a blur of drug induces excitement. Just as he was handed a drink a messenger came up beside him. Disorder's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"How much? Jesus of Nazareth! Get me my rifle!"

The party continued apace and by the time Disorder's favorite hunting rifle had been fetched, everyone was convinced something mightily amusing was afoot. The big man grabbed the fine antique weapon and climbed up the steps of the stage. There was a round of applause. The various expected faces climbed the stage behind the old Godfather. The new auth for whom this party was being thrown, his new right hand, DanGleeballs who was on hand to promote anything and everything and finally Disorder's own right hand, zug. Disorder took the mic and quieted the crowd.

"Good evening ladles and spoons. Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to demonstrate something I think is quite relevant. zug, if you would come and stand beside me please..."

zug stepped forward. Disorder moved to aim the rifle at zug. It was a long weapon and the space on the stage was limited. zug did his best to help Disorder but it was no use. In the end Disorder sighed and cast the rifle aside. The crowd chortled at the comedy of it but their laughter was cut to stunned silence when Disorder drew his revolver from his jacket trained it at zug's head. zug looked at Disorder and smiled, Disorder smiled back and pulled the trigger. The back of zug's head exploded and exited stage-left, the crowd gasped in shock and Disorder calmly slid his pistol back into it's holster.

"zug was a fine man. One of the best. He knew that our thing is a business, and so when news came that someone had slapped a one hundred million dollar bounty on his head, he was the first to come to me and tell me to take the shot. He asked me to invest the money in his son and our family. I was quite moved by his utter lack of hesitation. Far from having a death wish, he was someone who very much embraced life and enjoyed each day. That didn't stand in the way of his clarity of vision and decisiveness. So it is that I respected him and his wishes."

Disorder bowed his head for a moment. The party goers followed suit. After a moment's silence he picked up a glass and raised it.

"To zug!"

Everyone shared the toast and as the hired hands dragged the half-headed corpse of zug down off the stage, the somber moment gave way to smiles. Disorder beckoned Pollution to come and stand beside him. He put a big arm around the young Vegas mobster.

"This young man has shown great promise in the short time I've known him. He's put himself in harm's way and past numerous tests of character. A rising star in the local community that I feel deserves a shot at fulfilling his potential. Due to his age I felt he best served starting life as a new Leader here in The Strip under my direct supervision. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the newest family in Las Vegas!"

He motioned to the masons and the customary veil over the stone lintel fell away to reveal the new name above the door.

SMOG

United

The Strip, LV

Smiling he turned back to the crowd.

"Now please welcome our new leader Pollution to say a few words"

Pollution quickly leaned over to place his drink on the nearby table before hurrying beside Godfather @Disorder. He looked up at all of the huddled people within the crowd. Their attention focused entirely on the stage - focused on him. Shock instantly kicked in but disappeared just as quickly. Instead, he felt a warm sense of satisfaction fill his chest - or maybe it was the brandy. Either way, the lump in his throat was ever-growing. As Godfather @Disorder introduced him as the Leader of The Strip's youngest family, he couldn't help but feel his grin was obnoxiously painted unnecessarily across his pale face. After all, a highly respected Vegas face was still laying dead on the floor just a few feet beside him. 

As @Disorder finished speaking, Pollution took a moment to attempt clearing the lump from his throat before accepting it was there to stay. He couldn't help but wonder why he'd left his drink behind - what a rookie mistake. He looked over at the crowd in front of him, allowing his brain a few seconds to attempt forming a sentence or two.

"Good evening... Ladies and gentleman..." Pollution paused and cleared his throat in a last effort to rid the lump,

"I have to say... I am absolutely gobsmacked at just how many of you are here, today. Thank you.. I know you all love a good excuse for a party but really, it means a lot to me, to have you all here celebrating with me today."

His eyes searched the crowds a bit more, before continuing,

"There are a lot of you here that I've never had chance to properly meet. It's a shame and I apologise for my lack of voice before now. Allow me to introduce myself a little more - As you know, my name is Pollution - No, my friends do not call me Polly."

"My parents died when I was young and so I learned the importance of Family very early on. Luckily, I was not left without one. Without hesitation, I was welcomed to Vegas and that was the real beginning of this life for me. Without the likes of @Lillith and @Baba_Yaga, I'd have been left with nowhere to go and never have been fortunate enough to have such a great collection of people around me."

"Now, Godfather @Disorder has even given me the ultimate opportunity of working with him here in The Strip. I cannot begin to explain how much this all means to me."

Pollution took a moment to think,

"There's someone else that has stood by me from the word go. She's a bit of a crazy cow, I won't lie. Okay, she's utterly delusional most of the time, but it completes her personality. Let me introduce you to @Ermintrude - my very trusty and respected Right Hand Moo."

"I'll try not to keep you any longer.. I see you all running desperately low on drinks." Pollution chuckled.

"However, I'd also like to say a huge thank you to Godfather @Disorder and those working around him. An opportunity like this does not come up very often and I know I would be a fool to pass it up. So thank you, Godfather. I look forward to being a strong part of Las Vegas' future."

Pollution leans in, taking @Disorder's left hand in his before kissing the ring finger of his Godfather.

Pollution turns to look back at the crowd, "Okay... Go and get yourselves drunk, you beautiful people! You've earned it after listening to me harp! Enjoy your evening."

Pollution smiled and stepped back from the limelight.

As X wandered down throught the streets he saw Godfather Disorder addressing to the crowd gathering in front of him.

X was high enough already on this pure air of Las Vegas as he heard about Pollution taking over a new position as a crew leader in the strip, it was sure a huge honour and X joined in the front still smelling like marijuana and gun powder.

He was wondering why would such a young gangster be getting this position but who was he but just a shadow in this world so he said.

"I want to say good luck to this new member in Vegas, i'll be such a fucking honour to work with you by our side."

What a rollercoaster of emotions this day had been and the night was still young. Ermintrude had been chewing on poppy flowers throughout the events, they really were one of her favourite things to eat. Not that they tasted great but she was all about that good sensation. As she watched the unexpected event of poor zug's demise, she said a little prayer and wished him well in the afterlife. 

Thankfully the evening took a turn towards celebration when Disorder announced that her dear friend Pollution would be setting up in The Strip. Pollution had been an excited little puppy, practicing his speech in the mirror and wondering which suit to wear. Adorable. Finally it was his turn to speak and as he did, Ermintrude stopped masticating as a great big smile spread across her face. With the speeches done, she made her way closer to the stage, she nodded toward the great Disorder before handing him a little bag of poppies. When she reached Pollution she threw her arms around him and gave him a big squeeze.

Congratulations my dear friend! I told you that speech would be fine, you didn't even stutter or anything!

Flashing him a cheeky grin she reaches under her hat and pulls out a perfecting rolled joint.

I think you've earned this and I am really looking forward to this venture together. It's gonna be a blast!

Ermintrude then turned her attention to her surroundings to find where all the booze was at and clopped off in that direction.

Zelda sat at a table in the back, contemplating lighting the joint that she'd been twirling between her fingers as the speech started. She was still new to the area, so she didn't recognize too many faces. Hmm, maybe the joint would make her more social. She lit it and inhaled slowly as she listened to Disorder speak. She may have not known him well, but she'd heard about the parties he threw. Zelda only hoped she wouldn't be the one leaving pregnant. She eyed the crowd suspiciously and weighed the pros and cons of being social versus being paranoid as hell. "Too late now," she thought to herself as she took another hit.

The sound of the gunshot startled her, causing her to choke on the smoke. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Holy shit, what was in her weed?! Thankfully, she managed to stop her coughing fit just in time to hear the explanation. Well, okay then, fair play. She willed her heartbeat to return to normal as she raised her glass to zug. 

Her spirits lifted a bit as she watched Pollution stroll out. Finally, a face she recognized! Wait, was he... was he nervous? Zelda chuckled to herself and took a sip of her drink as she listened to him begin to speak. She wasn't going to let him live this down. Although it was highly likely he'd smoked a fair bit before his speech; she could relate to the paranoia. 

After the speech ended, Zelda tossed the end of her joint and made her way up to her new boss. "Congratulations," she beamed at him as she began. "While you and Ermintrude were there with Lillith and Baba_Yaga, it feels like I've known you a lot longer than I really have. Somehow I just know you're going to work hard for this, and you're going to make Las Vegas proud. I'm honored you let me tag along on what I'm sure will be adventure. At least we have Ermintrude to keep you in line." Zelda grinned and quickly excused herself to get another drink before her sass got the best of her.

Late to the party as always she rushed around to get together a few of Pollution and his love ladies' favourite things together...

Cookies, bacon, muffins, bacon, beer, bacon... Yep, all there... Oh shit, I'm missing something... Fuckiy fuck fuck.

She frantically searches through her fridge and finds it...

Ahhh there we go. Nothing but the finest mead for the kids.

Gathering herself and the basket of happiness together she races out the door and after a short ride to The Strip she basically falls through Pollution's door in her rush.

I'm sorry I missed the festivities my dears, I do hope that you all enjoy these treats. Congratulations my darlings.

Still stood starstruck, Pollution's mind couldn't help but run away with itself. Luckily, he had little time to be distracted by his brain as his fellow mafioso waited, eager to congratulate him.

"Thank you, X. I appreciate your kind words. I look forward to becoming a greater part of this great City's future." Pollution smiled and shook the man's hand.

Without time to even turn fully, Pollution found himself tackled by an excited Ermintrude. After managing to steady his balance, he spots the magnificent cone of goodness Ermintrude had revealed from the underside of her hat.

"Ooh! Good call, Moobag!" Pollution reached inside his jacket, pulling out his ronson standard de-light. The end of the joint crackled as the smoke traveled from within the sealed space of the rolling paper to his lungs.

"You couldn't give me this BEFORE my speech, huh?"

Releasing his chest full of smoke, he spots an abnormally smiley Zelda walking towards him.

Pollution continued smoking while Zelda shared her excitement for the future, squinting his eyes as she finished her sentence with a cheeky quip.

"Hey... You better be careful what you're saying now! I'm your boss!" Pollution chokes on his smoke as he laughs.

The party was in full swing. Ermintrude had found herself a quiet corner for most of the night where she'd attempted to put Disorder out of wine for the foreseeable. Whether she'd succeeded or not, nobody knew - but she certainly wobbled like she had! Her corner was a little less quiet now she'd found herself doing handstands across tables for bar bets.

Zelda had found her voice from somewhere. Usually, she was the quieter type - certainly not today! She'd clearly come across some dutch courage in her cocktail of spirits (or was it some dutch maryjane?). Where her confidence had come from, was anybody's guess! But she had definitely been keeping the place lively.

Pollution couldn't help but bear the hugest grin as he made his way round the guests, shaking hands, sharing cigars and making new acquaintances. Life was about to get much busier for him and apparently, that started tonight. He'd been pulled aside by one of his heavies a little later in the night and regardless of how much the walls might be leaning, he found himself in an office taking care of some business.

Suddenly, while Pollution was mid-sentence, Lillith came bursting through the door, catching herself before she landed in a pile on the floor. Clearly eager to share her well-wishes, Pollution chuckled and threw his arms around her.

"Thank you, Godfather Lillith. Extra bacon - just perfect!"