Fool Me Once

Chance had been in the kitchen with papers in front of him obviously researching all his drugs, and sales. He need everything back properly. He sure as hell wasn't going to get ripped off either. He looked over at his phone wondering if he'd be receiving any calls from his people yet. They'd better start delivering or... His golden orbs had dropped onto the gun that clung to his pocket. He had his men do most of the dirty work but from time to time he'd do it himself.
Turning his chair, he glanced over at the empty living room where Caesar would be playing video games, and Max doing some type of homework, or reading and writing. Where were they? Ah, oh well, Jessie had probably had this one.

Jessie really didn't understand kids anymore - this she had decided only moments ago, watching Caesar trying to blast a funky looking zombie's face off with his controller. Not that she didn't sometimes sneak onto the system herself when she was the only one awake, but that was a rare event. She liked to make use of her time, preferring to be out and about(causing trouble, to be specific), and the idea of playing a video game while the sun was still out came off as awful to her.

Wow, I sound Old

Finally turning her attention away from the garish scene, Jessie soundlessly moved away from the living room and into the kitchen where she found Chance buried in his papers. Typical. Placing one hand on the curve of her hip, she rested her weight against the wall nearest the table, where she looked down at the papers.

"Having fun, I see."

"Having fun? Not really." Caesar responded crossing his arms and leaning back as he responded to his wife not quite looking at her. "I know Clover, and Ivy are old enough to be out on their own, but what are those other two brats? It's about to be nine pm, street's 'round here ain't safe enough for them to be out." He pointed out. His patience was dwindling. "Some customer's cut me off short, I've gotta deliver a warning."

All Jessie knew of her youngest was a brief moment in the morning, consisting of quickly composed goodbye's and the two of them leaving out the door. So where Max and Caesar was, she had no idea. She tried to back off a little, to give them some freedom in retrospect to her earlier parenting methods; which meant detailed descriptions of where it was they were off to, what time they'd be back, and twenty some calls in between. However, all that teenage angst and 'you're making me look lame', made her lean back some.

"I'll call them here soon, tell them to get their asses back home."

Quickly, at her husband's statement, Jessie turned the conversation onto the topic of 'faithless' customers.

"What type of warning are we talking about here?"

"Why you gotta ask me the question you already know the answer to." Chance responded quietly sweeping his hand over the shiny grey machine attached to his pants. "It's one of my boys, ain't doing their job right." He pointed out and made his way over to Jessie. "Your cooking or ordering out tonight, or would you like me to take us out?"

Jessie had remained in the same position throughout the short conversation so far - her posture seeming calm despite the constant energy that bubbled beneath her veins, waiting to be released. That much was seen just by looking at her eyes, silver shapes that burned like wildfire no matter what she was doing.

"I don't feel like gluing myself to a stove for any amount of time right now, tempting as it might seem. How does Chinese sound right now?"

She didn't care if they stayed at home or went out to eat, and the Dragon palace was crammed full of people who spent an hour trying to decide between the sos chicken or the wasabi. But then again, there wasn't much to do here.

"Be my wisdom, won't you?"

The words came as a false purr - Jessie couldn't seem to pull off any serious act for long without doing something even slightly teasing, even if it was just tone.

"I hate deciding."

Which was total bull.

"Yeah I'll just take us out. Just give Caesar a call and tell him to get his ass home." Chance answered and picked up his phone as he walked out to the front door and began to talk over the phone to someone aggressively.

Watching Chance go off to yell at whatever poor guy was at the receiving end of the line, she only rolled her eyes and went for her own phone, which was tucked away in her back pocket. Nobody could say that she didn't try, god damn it.

Taking a moment to scroll through her contacts, she clicked Caesar's autocall - awaiting a response
(not sure if I'm supposed to make it up or what)

A lithe silhouette casted a shadow upon the couch, as the door creaked open. The porch lights had made an outline of the intruder's figure. Warm, soft air embraced upon Max's frozen cheeks. Nose dabbed with pink, black beanie sliding forward.

"Hello, Mom. Dad." It was late in the night, almost a full moon rose high in the sky. Voice coarse, full with coldness, hardly containing emotion.

A new tattoo was placed upon his bicep, one with a dragon swirling in fire. That was far to common for anyone to notice, as Max usually touched up his prized tattoos daily with new ink.
Max had returned from The Pier, were he usually went to on the weekends to run in the sheer cold with nothing but a loose tank top, and some baggy shorts. 'Endurance' as he called, was only formed underneath extreme circumstances. Yet, in the icy air he exhaled, was faint traces of pot and smoke. Max wasn't able to not do drugs, considering most of his male relatives worked in the trafficking business. Besides, Max knew his fair share of customers.

"Came back from a run, stopped at 7-11 for a smoke break."

"Yeah good, now where the hell is your brother Max?" Chance asked as he got off the phone with his 'client.' "And the fuck I tell you about getting ink without me approving, boy?"

Caesar's phone had simply rung and rung, yet nobody had picked. That alone was enough to piss Jessie's phone. What was the point in him having one if he wasn't going to fucking use it? He'd certainly hear about it from here later. Giving up and pressing the end call button, she stuffed the phone back into her pocket and headed towards the sound of Max's voice.

"You was smoking?"

Seemed to be her only concern.

"That is disgusting. I don't want to you touching anything until you smell less like lung cancer"

Max's back pocket was formed into the shape of a rectangle, yet with curved edges instead of straight ones. A lighter, and a pack of oddly formed cigarettes. A prickling sense of rebellion and fear halfway spread through Max's skin. He was too old to play nice.
"You should get one,"
Inbetween your eyes with the word dumbass. Haha, yet Max knew better than to get in a fight with his father. Without him, he'd get cut off to any supply of goods.
",God knows where Cesar is on a Saturday night. Probably clubbing."
Noting the distress upon Jessie's facial expression, a sly grin sprawled into his smile.
"The least effective way is to contact someone while they are clubbing. I'd be surprised if he even felt a vibration, because of the loud waves of music. I would go check it out.. but sadly I don't get paid to walk on Saturday nights to go play hide-and-seek with Ceaser."

"I'm home." Caesar said walking through with the two other chicks and began to head down to the game room basement. "I got all best systems around believe me." He told Pristine and Skylar.

"Pick up an attitude with me again and I'll send you to live in a shelter boy." Chance murmured and looked at Caesar. He was with a girl. Even he knew interrupting a boy when he was with a girl was inappropriate. He simply shrugged.

Jessie only frowned at her son, not sure why Max always had to behave like so. But nothing seemed to fix it - not when she tightened the reins, and even less so when she tried to be more lax. But for now, she was more focused on the god awful smell that was still lingering on Max's jacket.

"Did you not hear me? Go get that stench off you, or else I might support this shelter idea."

She really couldn't stand the smell of cigarette smoke - she didn't like it being anywhere around her, and wouldn't back off from the subject until it was gone




Pristine followed Caesar all the way back to his house - something she would probably regret later considering just how far away from it she lived. But one night of something new seemed like it would be worth the walk later on.

"This makes my house look like a shoe box"

She said, looking at not only the objects placed throughout the house, but the sheer size of it.

"Come on what game do you want to play, I got all the Xbox One games out there, oh my dad made a special copy or something of The Last Of Us original just to play it on here. Cool huh?" Caesar responded tossing her a controller.

The mention of 'the Last of us' immediately sent a spark of excitement into Pristine's seafoam eyes. She didn't know if the game picked was a mere coincidence or not, but she didn't seem to care - eagerly snatching the controller out of his hands when offered.

"If you're trying to get on my good side, it's working."

Sounding a little more eager than before, she was already fiddling around with the buttons, her controller not yet activated.

"I could play this game blindfolded."

"Better play." Caesaer smirked and immediately started the game and glanced at her. "Let's get at this." He chuckled. "Hey how old are you again? I'm Caesar by the way."

Pristine didn't wait for long - skipped ahead straight into the gameplay before protesting could even be considered. She obviously had a deep love for this game. So much in fact that if it wasn't for the game suddanly flickering to a loading scene, that she probably wouldn't have even heard Caesar's question.

"Mm? Sorry, I get distracted easily. My name is Pristine. And yes, I know it's weird. But at least I won't be getting stabbed 47 times."

She spoke the words with a hint of laughter, not really a noise even. She also happened to be a literature nut.

"And 17."

(no idea what how to age her lol. Caesar's thing said 17,so I figured good enough)

"What an original." Caesar rolled his eyes and kind of laughed. Oh well. "Hey you know what? After this game we should watch a movie or something before my friend Ross comes over."

After a moment of staring down the tv, Pristine looked to Caesar and nodded -- she'd probably be able to focus on a conversation better with a movie anyways, considering how addictive she found the Last of us to be.

"Sure, just as long as it isn't some sappy romance."

"Who has time for sap?" Caesar responded and began to put on an action movie. Particularly, The Hunger Games. It was a decent movie.

Clover had never actually wanted to leave the big house Chance and the family lived in, even for being 21. All she did was stay in her childhood room, twin beds shared with Ivy, the boys across the hall. Even if her father did get irritated with her just bouncing and exploring the familiar house most of the time, she knew he wouldn't kick her out anytime soon- she never got drunk, didn't have any tattoos, had never tried any of the drugs- pretty much Chance's entire rule book was followed for her. She was never interested, anyways.
Hearing the pattering of foot steps and then the creaking of floor boards interested Clover. They didn't have plans for company? Slopping down the stairs, she turned a rough corner and ran down those steps, entering the basement where Caesar was always making those triumphant sounds when he beat a level or something.
"Hey Cae." She cooed, falling onto the bottom step with a thud and a nod of her head, pointing in a gun-like hand motion at whoever he had taken home. "Who's the chick?"

Caesar simply shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Go away." He walked over and closed the door to lock it before returning to Pristine and sitting beside her placing a hand on her lap. "We got school tomorrow what's the latest you cna stay?"

Chance walked over to his daughter Clover and gesticulated for her to leave him alone. "Aren't you working?"

"Sure." Clover eased off the two, standing up to bump Chance in the chest. Stumbling forward on heavy legs and chicken-like feet, she turned to stare at her father, giving a huff as she stood up, brushing her black pants off from the dust-ridden floor.
"Maybe if I had a job." She coughed, glancing at her own barefoot feet, wiggling them around some, picking them up as she did so.

Before Pristine even had the opportunity to respond to the new woman, someone had already come in and set her away. Thank god. She really didn't feel up to meeting new people right now. Turning her attention away from the door, and back onto the screen - she wasn't all too surprised when Caesar's hand was suddenly on her knee. In the back of her head, she already knew that he'd try it in the first place. You don't ask a girl for a hunter and invite her to your place without some kind of intention.
And yet she had still come?

"No time limit on this one,"

She said, seafoam eyes flickering away from the scene displaying across the screen -- stupid cat -- and onto Caesar instead.

"Nobody's expecting me back home anyways."