That's your role

Date | 12th of June 2022
Time | Afternoon
Location | Southside city center
Weather | nice and warm
Attire | Clothing + Hair & jewlery
Topic for | @Scarlett
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Jack had come to Southside earlier today with Scarlett wanting to talk to Linus and Francis about being welcomed back into the serpents. So, since Victoria only could do so much and have some knowledge in that Jack wouldn't try com for the Serpent king title again- she had made the choice to take Scarlett for a walk in the area. It was only a handful days since she had a showdown with Rafael, still having her right knuckles painted a weird mix of purple and yellow - her thought had wandered a bit the past days, mostly because of what had happened. The fact that Alicia had shown up and killed one of Rafael's pack members because he had went on a chase to try killing her, wanting perhaps to let him know it wasn't that easy. Still, it was a pack she had stayed close to for years, so not being able to be there had made her feel a bit odd - but knew she could only pay her condolences.

"So, how about you, just want to let Jack rejoin the serpents alone?" She teased a little bit and looked at Scarlett. Well, Jack she wasn't surprised he wanted to return, he had gotten a shock by Anthony's attack, but had gotten to taste the life in the city, getting to know his family. Even so she had seen it in his eyes that one day he had come to visit, he missed it. Not in the same burning longing for home as she had, but just like Eric, Southside was just a home you needed to be connected with once in a while. It was your roots and the place your closest friends and people whom you were raised with lived. "How are you feeling about all of that?" She wondered and turned her head to look at Scarlett for a moment, not hoping they had argued too much on the accords of the topic, well Scarlett was here right now wasn't she?

She would lie if she said she was thrilled about the idea that Jack was going back to the serpents—because, in her mind, the best thing that had happened was him getting away from the streets and into the apartment where he could then only focus on his job as a teacher. It pained her when he had said that he wanted back since she had seen it in his eyes how he wanted back in, and there was only so much she could keep asking from him before he would turn his back on her and go on his own way. Which was why she was here now, him off with Linus and Francis to talk about what his new role should be and her walking the streets of Southside with Victoria. The place already seemed cleaner somehow, like you could breathe in the fresh air and not start coughing because of the industrial smoke being too much.
Scarlett’s lips pulled up into a smile when Victoria joked about Jack being the only one joining, not that the smile ever reached her eyes before it disappeared again. She was so afraid of what this would mean to get her daughter back, always thinking, hoping, asking. Hopefully, no one would find out.
“Not really my thing,” she said with a sad smile; she had been branded once, belonging to a whore house because her parents couldn’t keep her. Sold her off, as it were. There she had been tattooed for the first and only time; the mark from where she had gotten her tattoo removed after joining River Dalton and his crew was still visible. As a much lighter patch on her skin, just over the back of her wrist on her left arm.
“Digesting it, I think” she decided to be honest; she wasn’t thrilled but also knew the consequences of telling him no.

"That's fine too," she gave Scarlett a warmer smile. Lucas and Rafael had been a part of the Serpents for a couple of years as well before realizing it wasn't for them - even if laws and all went against sheading skin. "Jack is not gonna be heavily involved, I will keep an eye on him as I always have," she assured Scarlett with a single nod. "I'm glad he has you, I don't think I've ever seen him love someone this much," she truthfully spoke rather bluntly perhaps not realizing it. But it was true.
"You are scared it will bite you in the ass with getting your daughter back?" Victoria theorized, could only imagine. Jack's actions could come back to bite them, but if Jack could be leader of the serpents and be a teacher - then she didn't see how much different it would be with him only having a small part of it all. Simply being welcomed back in the family with what that involved. Of course it involved something different with Linus and Francis running things, but she believed it could turn out fine.

Scarlett hummed when Victoria told her that she had never seen Jack this in love before. It scared her, even if she could also feel the warmth spread in her chest—because she would lie if she said that she didn’t love him too. Because she did; if she didn’t, she would have left long ago.
She looked toward Victoria when she theorised what the problem was, was she scared it would jeopardise getting her daughter back. She knew it would, “I’m not sure what you heard, but you do know that he had an understanding with the old headmaster, and that was why he was allowed to be a teacher, right?” a small smile formed on her lips and she stopped for a moment, lifting her head and tilting it just so, so the sun could shine on her face.
“I’m just—“ she shrugged and licked her lips, looking away from Victoria “, you didn’t see him the night you died, and things have been rocky ever since because he doesn’t really understand what he did wrong, and now, with joining the Serpents” she licked her lips and shrugged again, she didn’t say more after that, mostly because she didn’t know what else there was to tell if she was being honest.

"Yeah, I had the same deal -" she clicked her tongue a little bit. Levi had been doing that one good thing back then, Alison been even more kindhearted and empathic about it. It was a dark time, and sometimes you just needed a little bit of light to guide you in the right direction. Her life before Sol had appeared in it had been crazy, even so Dion and Cassian had made it brighter, but Sol had been the first one to fully take her out of the craziness and just be. And for a second she wondered what the mermaid was up to these days. "Jack never wanted to teach at first, neither of us did, we followed Lucas - seemed like the best idea at the time," she confessed, or Lucas meant it was Jack who had inspired him - everyone had different tales.

No, she hadn't seen Jack the day she died. But she knew how he could be, after all Victoria believed she had seen Jack at his absolute worst. Parts of him she knew would terrify many. Victoria knew Jack had wanted to get revenge for her, she would have reacted the same if it was him, truthfully. "It's because its the first place that truly accepted him. I met Jack when I was just a kid, found a lost boy and brought him home to my house, hiding him from my parents. Till one day it was found out, but Eric and I was all he had - sometimes I think when he gets to worked up he turns into that scared kid who only knows to fight - because he knows if he doesn't try to fight there is a chance he will lose," she clicked her tongue a little bit. Not knowing if Jack had told Scarlett about all the years in jail what had been done to him there. Jack wasn't one to share a lot, far from, it was only because Victoria had happened to find him at the right times that she knew these things. "He will always have a criminal record, and he will always be a part of this life even if he didn't officially rejoined us. He just needs to find a balance between this life and the life he has been building outside the boarders, with you, his brothers - you two will figure it out." She hoped they would at least.

She knew all of this; it wasn’t like she didn’t understand—that was why she had sought out the Elysium after her fight with Jack because when it came down to it, she had nowhere else to go. Maybe she was foolish to think that she would be enough, that his new family would be enough for him to turn over on a new leaf and leave this world behind—again, reminding herself that she would never make him choose. Just like that night, when she had told him if he left, she would walk away. Maybe that was why she was here because she wanted to be a part of it at least, even if it tore in her and made her scared to think that he would once again be a member of the Serpents.
“I’m sure we will, thanks, Victoria,” she said softly, not wanting Victoria to be dragged into the mess of her and Jack’s life, even though she had asked by theorising why it was bothering her.
Letting out a soft breath, she looked at the buildings she was passing; “it does seem like the city is going into brighter times”, she said; she couldn’t remember if she had ever seen the streets this clean before. Something was happening in Southside, and she was still sceptical if she thought it to be for the better.

She exhaled a bit and then looked out and about, "I don't think it's ever looked brighter than now," Victoria confessed, "but both Linus and Francis also work very hard to archive the greatness of all this -" she pointed out. It was so easy to just dismiss a person for the stories that were told about them, Francis and Linus were one of the stories you heard about in town. The rumors were endless and stories as well. But so, you could hear many tales of different women and men, good and bad, it was one of the reasons why she didn't listen to rumors. Victoria liked to pick her own mind about people, believing actions had more power than words.

Then she stopped and spun around for a second, having picked up on a familiar scent, odd, she had just thought about that scent moments ago. Victoria pressed her brows a little bit together, then narrowing her eyes to see if she could spot the mermaid she was looking for, and there she was. "List of people I thought I wouldn't see anytime soon," Victoria mumbled started thinking if she should approach Sol or not, at least it seemed like Sol hadn't seen her yet.

She nodded, looking around; at least that was something—seeing that the former Southside return, not that she had ever seen it with her own eyes, but she had heard stories as she had lived here about how Southside had once been a prosperous city where the houses had still been liveable even though the crime had been high. Streets hadn’t been littered with trash, and there hadn’t been a junkie or prostitute on every corner.
Scarlett turned as Victoria did, not that she knew the woman that walked as if she had one goal in mind. At least enough that she hadn’t taken notice of Victoria, that had smelled her. It wasn’t until she was about to turn a corner that the mermaid stopped and twisted her body—her eyes narrowed for a moment before the hard edges around her eyes softened and a small smile formed over her lips. Not that Scarlett could see it as a smile, only that she saw her as less intimidating.
Sol changed her course and walked toward the women with a slight smirk on her lips. “I’ll be damned, Victoria, back to the Serpents, I see?” tilting her head, not hiding the fact that she had known just how things had gone down with Anthony a couple of months prior.

Victoria thought for a moment it would be one of these moments, where you saw someone you knew, and then you could tell the story of how you saw that person and they didn't see you. But Sol changed course and walked towards them, making the shapeshifter lift her brow just a little bit, then letting out a light chuckle, "don't act so surprised, I think we all know I would find my way back here at some point," Victoria tilted her head a little bit to the side, then clearing her throat a little bit. "This is my friend Scarlett, Scarlett this is Sol," Victoria presented her company, not wanting to leave Scarlett here as a big question mark. The entire episode with Anthony still haunted her, some days more than others, but she did try move past it and not make it something that controlled her.  Luckily for her things around here kept her mind busy and she could navigate everything rather smoothly. "How are you doing?" She wondered asking Sol, she knew she of course had the diner with Luna, not that Victoria had heard anything about Luna for over a year - not since Lucas had told her Luna had tried to kill Mono. What a twist of reality that Luna in the end had gotten what she wanted, even if it wasn't by her hand.

Sol turned her eyes toward the banshee and nodded; Scarlett couldn’t shake the feeling of how death was hanging around the woman, not that she would know for sure as she had never explored her potential; hell, she didn’t even have any abilities which had always been weird when you hung around people that had so much power, and there you had nothing other than your wit, being able to read people and how to handle things with your fist and a gun.
“Pleasure,” Sol said with a voice that didn’t really have much emotion in it, so Scarlett just gave a soft smile and a nod but kept somewhat to herself. At the same time, she observed and tried to understand just what the relationship was between the two women, and if she couldn’t figure it out now, she would remember to ask Jack about it later.

Sol turned her attention to the shapeshifter as she asked how she was doing. How was the mermaid doing? that was always an interesting question, as Sol never really thought about it. She just went on with her day, as always, just one day after another. She did what was expected of her, and then, well, she did what she felt like doing afterwards, like going to different clubs around here in Southside.
“Like always, nothing major,” Scarlett noticed how a softer expression formed over Sol’s features, letting her believe that they had once had a romantic relationship with one another. “I’m actually going to the Siren’s club if you want to join?” she wondered, knowing that the chance was there, that Victoria wouldn’t leave her friend “you guys can go; I’ll find my own way back if you want Victoria” Scarlett assured her friend with a smile forming over her lips.

She chuckled a little, nothing major, meaning everything between all and nothing at once. Then lifting her brow as Sol mentioned she was going to the Sirens club, and invited her along. Now, Victoria was curious about what Sol was walking around in Southside doing, besides the things that were nothing major. There was always something up in the works of the beautiful mermaid, Victoria knew this. Before Victoria got to say something Scarlett said she could find her own way back to Jack, if she wanted to go. Now the temptation was there, there was no hiding that, because well she wondered if Sol knew a thing or two of what happened in the shadows around here - of course she did, Sol always knew more than what met the eye. "Okay, just two drinks -" she gave Sol a bit wider smile, then looking at Scarlett. "It's just a five to seven minute walk really, you can tell Linus I will be back in time for work, thank you," she thanked Scarlett, after all Victoria did have a bar to get behind later.

Scarlett gave her friend a big smile and nodded “yes, no worries” she made a small salute with two fingers against her forehead before she turned and started walking back to the serpent's bar, already feeling the need to make sure to ask Jack just who this Sol was.

The smile that curled over the mermaid’s lips was much warmer than they had been while the banshee had been around them. She didn’t waste any time and placed an arm around the shapeshifter's shoulder and started guiding her toward the bar. Now, she had already heard what had happened to Victoria, but she was going to ask how she was feeling. Sometimes you didn’t need a reminder that things weren’t entirely as you wanted them. No. What Sol could offer was a few hours of complete bliss where you forgot everything around you. But only time would tell how far they would get this time; “you look beautiful”, Sol whispered as she moved some of Victoria’s hair behind her ear and placed a soft kiss against the curve of it.

Jack was feeling things were falling back together, which for him it meant a lot that he could step back into Southside and rejoin the family he which had been the first family for him to ever find. It was an odd feeling because he hadn't thought he would miss it till he had visited the place and realized just how much he missed hanging out with anyone. One thing was however sure, he did not seek out to get his former title back. Jack took a sip of his drink when he after some time watched Scarlett come alone back to the serpents, at first a bit worried - why would Victoria leave Scarlett alone? "Did Landon steal Vic or something?" He wondered with a small chuckle, it wouldn't surprise anyone really if he had. Francis let out a small chuckle then taking another sip of his drink, finding the day rather incredible.

Sol placed her arm around Victoria's shoulder and they walked towards where the sirens club was. Victoria chuckled lightheartedly as Sol complimented her, as well as moving some hair behind her ear and then let her lips trace over the curve of her ear. "Is it that much you've missed me huh?" Victoria teased a little bit, "you don't look so bad yourself". It had broken her heart back years ago when they had forced to let things go, but it had been better than getting involved with whatever Luna and Lucas had been up to towards the end of it. It didn't mean it hadn't hurt. It was also weird suddenly seeing someone you had been in love with once after so many years, way different than her run ins with Rafael which had just been a chaos mess.

Scarlett had walked back to the Serpents’ Headquarters in her own thoughts, and before she knew it, she could push the door open to the Serpents; she turned and looked at Jack, even though the worry was still in the back of her head, she couldn’t help the loving smile form over her lips. “No, some stunning mermaid”, Scarlett chuckled as she walked toward him, sitting beside Jack, giving Francis a slight nod. It wasn’t the first time she had met him; he and Linus had, after all, worked with River. “Even if she was rather aloof, I think her name was Sol?” she said, looking at Jack to see if it rang a bell; of course, she had no idea how much Victoria had opened up about her life outside the serpents, as it didn’t seem like Sol was the type to hang around here.


A rare laugh left the mermaid, and she let her hand press gently against the dark hair. “Well, I do remember all your moods, and I’m not blind to see that you are in need of a little pick me up”, she hummed; of course, Sol was known as the unemotional bitch, as so many had a tendency to call her. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have feelings, and it surely didn’t mean she couldn’t read people better than most. The only difference between her and an empath was that she didn’t care about other people’s feelings, nor did she have the time to do so. But sometimes, rarely so, she found people in her life that she wanted to protect, Victoria being one of them, which was also why they had ended their relationship back in the day when Lucas and Luna had started seeing each other. What a mess that had turned out to be.

Francis pressed his brows a little together, he did not remember having come across any mermaids here - perhaps they just kept their distance, fire and water didn't always mix well. Jack however almost choked on his beer and blinked a little at Scarlett, "Is Sol in town still? Oh boy," He then shook his head a little. Now Jack and Eric were perhaps the people around Southside that knew Victoria the best, because well even if Jack hadn't been good at reading emotions he did notice change in people's behavior and how they seemed effected by others. It was first after meeting Scarlett really he perhaps had gotten some deeper sense of understand on how deep his own emotion actually went. "It's the ex girlfriend - not that I really got to know her, they were together while I was in jail, but now I'm curious," he took a mouthful more of his beer, chuckling a little bit. He for one wanted to talk to Victoria when she came back, "when was it she was supposed to be back?" He turned his head over to his shoulder looking at the brothers. Jack just wanted to send a text message with an eye emoji and a 'see ya' text. He felt humorous. "She just showed up and stole your arm candy, sounds like classic Sol," he chuckled a little while texting. Well, Jack couldn't really judge Vic based on how her life had been turned around when he had been thrown under the bus back then.

Victoria forgot how to breathe for a second, maybe it was the way Sol's voice sounded, she hum's soft ring in her ear that sent shivers down her spine from having the mermaid close. "I could use a pick me up," she escaped a small chuckle, but it wasn't really a lie. A change of scenery, something really. Victoria knew why their relationship had ended, she had also seen and lived through the chaos that had been Luna and Lucas. Oh, and to add to the list, Luna had tried to kill Vic's ex boyfriend - who was of course dead now. But it still was a part of the mess. Walking inside the Siren's bar, they were met by the kind smile of Anatasia who gave the girls a little wave, "hello ladies, what can I get you?" The vampire asked resting both hands against the counter.

Scarlett’s eyes widened when she got a very vocal reaction from Jack. Even if she was one of the persons that perhaps had seen Jack showing the most emotions in the short period she had known him. “I think they were going to the sirens bar to get a drink or two,” she said with a smirk. Then she turned and looked toward Francis. “So maybe in a couple of hours, if things are going smoothly, maybe even longer, depending on so much”, she hummed with a small smile. “Leave the poor girl alone”, she laughed, grabbed the mobile out of Jack’s hand, and reached it over her head, just long enough so Jack had to move closer toward her to get it.

Sol didn’t comment on it, mostly because sometimes the best thing to do when getting over things, was just to cancel out the thoughts and do something else for a couple of hours. If Victoria wanted to talk about it, she could and she hoped that Victoria still remembered that about her. But maybe if Sol could see that it was still bothering her a little further into the drinking, she might ask, but for now, she kept silent.
“A little pick me up, and keep them coming,” Sol said with a smirk as she sat down by the bar and watched Victoria sit down beside her.

Jack chuckled a little bit, feeling perhaps a little bit mischievous which let him want to tease his sister. He didn't take or get many moments like that. "What?" Jack lifted his hands out to the side as Scarlett grabbed his phone, then trying to reach it but let her have it - even if he didn't mind pretending to chase it for a moment longer. "Okay, okay I will leave her alone -" he said in surrender. Besides Victoria could use a few more good people in her life, the definition of good was very much up to her.

It wasn't because she didn't want to talk about it, a huge part of Victoria wanted to talk about it to someone who didn't have a foot in one or the other way. Victoria didn't like sharing too much, even if she expressed often if something was annoying, made her angry or the like. Things that made her feel sad or hurt was harder, it wasn't really emotions she liked sharing to just everyone. But she knew somewhere down the line that she could share these more dark thoughts with Sol. Victoria knew that. Anastasia nodded to Sol, giving the beautiful mermaid a little wink before then starting to find something for the girls. Victoria sat down next to Sol and ran a hand through her hair. "How is the diner going, I'm hearing its getting a pretty good rep?" Victoria asked, she had kept tabs on it obviously - curious she was after all. Then she had lived for some time with Daisy and Cassian - Roman had visited Katelyn and talked about his work, so of course Victoria had asked.

A smirk formed over her lips as she won, then she handed him his phone back and leaned in, placing a small kiss against his cheek. “Good boy”, she hummed lovingly, and for now, she could push down her worries about Jack being back in the Southside Serpents. Not only because she feared how it might end up jeopardising her chance of getting Nadia back but also because she would worry every time that he was out doing Southside business. If he would get back home to her again, especially when she always would know, maybe it should give her a sense of peace. Instead, it worried her because she had been through it once, and she wouldn’t want to lose someone she loved the same way again.

Sol rolled her eyes and let out a small sigh “one should think we would scare customers away, but no, people apparently want to meet the annoyed waiters now and get a little yelled at if they are behaving annoyingly” she shrugged and let out a soft chuckle, one that came from the back of her throat, and might not even categorise as a laugh. “But yeah, we are making a profit every day, and I had to hire some more people—who would have known Sol McNamara, owner of the very first insult diner, where people expect the waiters to spit in their milkshakes” she shook her head. She took the drink that Anastasia had pushed in her direction.

It was perhaps the questions that had been along the way, if he was sure it was a good idea, if he was sure he wanted to come back here. Jack had plenty of time to think about it, at least he thought so. There was just a part of him that belonged here, this had been his home, he couldn't just turn his back on it. And especially now he knew that so many of his friends looked forward to his return, how could he turn his back on them? He couldn't. It was weird not owning the place anymore, not having your home being upstairs, but he didn't need it anymore. He had his and Scarlett's apartment in Aston, that was plenty for him he didn't need much more than for Scarlett to be by his side for a place to feel like home. Of course it had freaked him a bit out when they had started seeing Nadia once in a while, because Jack had never thought that he would be able to take care of such a small child, or love any child that wasn't his. How was he who never had people to take care of him supposed to know how to take care of others like that? But then he had sat down with that tiny human, and he had just simply fallen in love. "Alright then, is there anything else you need me to do?" Jack looked to Linus and Francis, otherwise he would perhaps just think about going home or for a walk - who knew, especially before Landon came back and scared off Scarlett with his way of using words.

Victoria escaped a small laugh, and grabbed the glass they got served before taking a sip of it as she listened to Sol. "Who would have thought," she mused it a little, finding it funny how the tables have turned. But it seemed more like them, she couldn't imagine Sol and Luna serve a place where they had to pretend to be nice and just nod at all the guests. It was also one of the reasons why Victoria liked being behind the bar when she had been here at the Serpents or at River's casino. Simply because she didn't have to put on a mask of pretending to be nice, it wasn't like teaching at the academy where you had to be on your best behavior even when students were rude or other teachers were being annoying. Of course it hadn't all been bad, she just liked this better. "Cheers," she raised her glass a little in a toast before taking another mouthful of it, letting it soothe her nerves a little.

Scarlett turned her attention toward Francis when Jack asked if there was anything else that they needed for him; her eyes narrowed for a moment, and then she couldn’t help but roll them; “no, before you ask, the answer is, and will always be no” she pointed out with a smirk over her lips, knowing that there wasn’t much of this life that Jack actually knew about because she had very deliberately kept it to herself. It was a part of her life that was all over and not something that she intended to become part of the new life she was trying to build. Even if it seemed like fate kept throwing her back into a world, she tried to run away from.
Maybe she had been tempted to go back to River when it had seemed like Jack had chosen the Serpent life over her, even if she understood it didn’t hurt any less. Luckily for the both of them, Jack had come back before she had taken the plunge into the deep waters where she wouldn’t be able to get up from again.
“You say hi to Linus from me and stay out of trouble, yeah?” she knocked on the table before getting up from her seat and looking at Jack to see if he was ready to walk back.

“Cheers,” Sol said and pushed her glass against Victoria; she quickly knocked it back, pushing it toward Anastasia “another one”, she mused, before turning around in her seat, putting her elbows on the bar countertop, “So, you’re only back with the serpents, no Academy anymore?” she wondered, turning her dark eyes toward the shapeshifter. There had to be a story there, not that Sol had understood why Victoria wanted to teach anyway, but now she was just curious why she had stopped in the first place.

Francis lifted his hands up, not even going to argue on the note of Scarlett saying that Jack didn't have more left to do. He just gave the couple a small salute before walking over to keep up with some book work. Jack got up from his chair and walked over to Scarlett to follow her out of the Serpent bar. Looking around shortly as they exited from the club. "Where to next?" He wondered if she just wanted to go directly home or if she wanted to do a pitstop somewhere.

Anatasia nodded keeping the drinks coming, and let the other bartenders know to keep them coming, in case Ana wasn't around for the refill. Victoria took a slightly deeper breath in, it was fun actually, no one had really asked to her old teaching job or Lucas had - but in a way it made it sound like she had let every single of her students down by leaving. "I'm just back at the Serpents," she repeated with a warmer smile. "After the whole Anthony take over, I just couldn't really see myself anywhere, nothing made sense. Teaching even less sense and no one seemed to really understand that. So, why do something if it isn't passionate?" Victoria shook her head and downed the next drink a little bit. "I worked for River Turner for a month or so before Linus got me back to Southside," she added and placed her elbow on the bar counter much like Sol did. "It was fun while it lasted, but it was never for me really - just one of thousand good ideas Lucas had," there was many now that she thought about it. Lucas' idea about how life was supposed to be, what kind of life he thought she should have. She had also first started teaching after her and Sol had broken up, seemed like meeting Lucas and Rafael had really just pulled a page out of some random book and done a rewrite on how she was supposed to be.

She walked outside and stretched her arms over her head, turning as one arm was lying over her head and the other hand was grabbing unto the lower part of it. She was just about to say something when a yawn cut her off and a sheepish grin formed over her lips; “I was just about to say we could go to the forest, but guess I would rather just go back and keel over in the couch” she said and let her arms fold down the side of her body before he could say anything she skipped over and took his hand, pulling him along toward the station where they could take the train to Aston.

Sol did what she did best; she listened. Nodding a little with a slight smile on her lips, then she turned back, so she faced the bar rather than the rest of the club. It was a bad habit, always making sure that you knew who was coming and going, maybe in a way to make sure that you wouldn’t be ambushed.
Then a snort left Sol when Victoria mentioned Lucas; “right, Lucas” she shook her head, closing her eyes, as her fingers found the bridge of her nose. “Never liked the man, and now he is trying to be something that he isn’t, for someone that grew up on the streets, he really has a way of looking down on everyone else”, she hummed; oh yeah, she had kept taps on Lucas Hamilton. She would be a fool not to, especially after the stunt that Luna had pulled last year.

Jack chuckled a little bit, he didn't mind going home to the couch really. Putting the fan on and grab something cold to drink, even if it wasn't that humid today - he was still affected by how warm it was outside most days. He only assumed The Phoenix Brothers thrived in the hot weather - and he was only slightly jealous of it. "It's always something we got that fan installed," he laughed a little bit, tugging her a bit closer to himself as they walked. And got towards the train, luckily for them the train was so lovely cold it made him breathe out, clearly finding comfort in it where others started to pull their clothe closer to their bodies to keep warm, "see this is how I like it," he let out another small laugh knowing she might find it way more uncomfortable than he did.

Victoria knew there perhaps also was a slightly grudge towards Lucas in the way he had played a part of how her and Sol had felt like they needed to end their relationship. Shortly Victoria found herself wondering what would have happened if they hadn't split up and had just stayed together despite that, how would things have played out differently? Dangerous thoughts really. "Last time I told him that he started almost yelling at me - he had the nerve to come up to me at the casino and try teach me about my way of living after I split of with Rafael and left the academy. Because apparently the academy is the safest place I could possibly be," she snorted a bit and shook her head. Of course she had held other conversations with Lucas since then, and they were somewhat fine, till Alicia had killed one of Rafael's pack members in front of them. It had just been ten steps back instead of forward. And Victoria was starting to give up on it actually become any better. "But he is high up on cloud nine with all the things that are going right in his life -" she shook her head, even when you didn't talk about it bothering you - it didn't mean that it didn't. And Victoria for one was annoyed by how unsure she was feeling about Lucas. Never knowing where she had him. It was exhausting. "I just also found out that I have a whole new family, and its been like a lot suddenly dealing with," it was sometimes a wonder what you could do just because your body had taught itself to keep going.

When they finally stepped into the train, she couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief as well, then she turned and looked at him when he told her that this was how he liked it; ”I don’t blame you, I’ve lived in Russia for most of my life, the winters there” she shook her head “let’s just say this is like a vacation to the tropic countries compared to Russia” she hummed, of course, it depended very much on where you were in Russia, but even then it would only be Sochi that was a subtropical resort on the Black Sea. But the rest, well, that was just one frozen hell hole after the other. “So, this is nice”, she breathed out and walked over to sit down; there were a couple of stops before they would be at the on in Aston that would bring them the closets to his apartment.

Sol almost copied Victoria’s snort as she explained how Lucas had behaved after Victoria had ended things with Rafael; maybe it was just a friend who was desperate for some sort of control in his life and seeing things ending and not turn out how they had thought they would, that could scare anyone. It still didn’t give him the reason to behave as he had done. “Sometimes it's more about control, knowing that things will stay the same, that makes people do anything to keep it that way” she shrugged and started drinking her newly served drink. “Oh?” Sol turned her gaze toward Victoria “you want to talk about it?” she asked, only asking because Victoria herself had opened up about it.

"I have dreamt of Russian winters since the first time you mentioned them," he laughed a little and sat down on the train. "Cannot wait for summer to be over," he hummed a little as he fell further back in the seat, just relaxing a little bit further. Usually he was one hell of an annoying bastard to be around in summer, but no, there was something different about this summer. Maybe it was because he had Scarlett, his life had just turned upside down in ways he couldn't describe. He felt like he had lost Rafael and Lucas after having sided with Victoria in the whole Southside saga - which hadn't been a hard choice, odd how some people who had been so loyal to the serpents back in the day suddenly turned around and walked away - like they were better than any of the others. He suddenly understood way better how hurt and betrayed Vic had felt.

Control was everything. Once you let go and felt like you had no control of your life anymore, it was then it became dangerous. "Yeah - some people just try to hard," she took another sip of her drink trying to think a little bit more about it. It was still battling news about her family, because she wanted to know more, but given what her mother had been through, Victoria felt like she pushed and pushed. And there was just something in her that feared that her mother would only see the man who had raped and abused her more than once, everytime she looked at her - or Angela for that sake. But it was like Angela had a better way of dealing with that. "It's just weird, finding out the life you had wasn't what you thought it was," Victoria took a sharper breath in. "My father is a rapist and an abusive asshole, that I've been lucky never to meet - but its just like," she shook her head not knowing how to explain it really. "I feel like I'm a wondering reminder of the trauma she has been through," it couldn't be far from the truth, especially not when how things had happened when Angela also had showed up. "She had another daughter after, whom she raised as her own - not because I don't understand the trauma and it being rough, still doesn't change how I feel about it," she downed the next drink, and the following shaking her head. Zolia was amazing, sweet and kind, seemed to have had all the best choices in life and was able to go after just what she wanted. Far from the life you had when you were raised in Southside. Of course you couldn't help but be a little jealous, especially in times where life was throwing massive stones at you at all times. "I didn't mean to kill the mood with that one, it's just been a lot," she let out a sigh then turning her head towards Sol again.