A large mansion that serves as the home of the Minella family and those who work or them who choose to live there. Please Label where in the mansion your character is at in your post.
( Ok, I'll start everything off by using this post to start of my first plot idea, Nick Minella's death leading to Natalie having to take control and how it affects the city as a whole)
* Early morning before dawn*
Nick Minella, the boss of the Minella family had only been outside the gates of Minella Mansion for barely twenty minutes when he was felled with a single clean shot to his temple. The first to notice Nick's murder was one f the guards who was in the security booth next to the gate checking camera footage when he heard Nick get shot, but it was too dark for anything to be seen on the cameras. He ran outside the gate to check what had happened and found Nick laying on the sidewalk with a dark pool of blood pouring out of his head.
" Boss, are you ok?" the guard asked, but quickly realized that Nick wasn't going to answer him. The guard radioed for another guard to keep watch over Nick's body while he ran in to inform Nick's younger sister, Natalie who was next in line to become boss. Of course she wouldn't be very thrilled to be awoken this early in the morning, but she had to know what happened to her brother. The guard ran into the house and up to the second floor where most of the bedrooms were and burst into Natalie's room.
" Miss Minella! Wake up I need to inform you that something terrible has happened!" he yelled loud enough to wake most of the other family members.
" What the fuck do you need to tell me, Alex. You are supposed to report to my brother not me." Natalie hissed as she lifted her top half off of her bed to glare at the guard who'd so rudely interrupted her sleep.
" Miss Minella, Nick was killed not too long ago. I report to you now." Alex explained. Natalie instantly shot up from bed. " I understand. Do me a favor and ensure that Nick's body is taken to the coroner's and that the medical examiner that preforms his autopsy is one of our allies in the police department. I'll be out of y room shortly to begin making calls to our allies to inform them of what has happened. For now I'd like you to resume your post." Natalie said as Alex left to make the call to the Police department and do as Natalie said. Today was going to drag on, he just knew it.
* Early morning before dawn*
Nick Minella, the boss of the Minella family had only been outside the gates of Minella Mansion for barely twenty minutes when he was felled with a single clean shot to his temple. The first to notice Nick's murder was one f the guards who was in the security booth next to the gate checking camera footage when he heard Nick get shot, but it was too dark for anything to be seen on the cameras. He ran outside the gate to check what had happened and found Nick laying on the sidewalk with a dark pool of blood pouring out of his head.
" Boss, are you ok?" the guard asked, but quickly realized that Nick wasn't going to answer him. The guard radioed for another guard to keep watch over Nick's body while he ran in to inform Nick's younger sister, Natalie who was next in line to become boss. Of course she wouldn't be very thrilled to be awoken this early in the morning, but she had to know what happened to her brother. The guard ran into the house and up to the second floor where most of the bedrooms were and burst into Natalie's room.
" Miss Minella! Wake up I need to inform you that something terrible has happened!" he yelled loud enough to wake most of the other family members.
" What the fuck do you need to tell me, Alex. You are supposed to report to my brother not me." Natalie hissed as she lifted her top half off of her bed to glare at the guard who'd so rudely interrupted her sleep.
" Miss Minella, Nick was killed not too long ago. I report to you now." Alex explained. Natalie instantly shot up from bed. " I understand. Do me a favor and ensure that Nick's body is taken to the coroner's and that the medical examiner that preforms his autopsy is one of our allies in the police department. I'll be out of y room shortly to begin making calls to our allies to inform them of what has happened. For now I'd like you to resume your post." Natalie said as Alex left to make the call to the Police department and do as Natalie said. Today was going to drag on, he just knew it.
Very few things happened without Æsc knowing about them soon after. It was quite remarkable, really, how quickly the boy could pick up on gossip - and so it should surprise nobody that, within a half hour of Nick being killed, Æsc was poking around the mansion grounds to see what he could glimpse.
He was hoping to get a look at the dead body - and maybe a quick little rifle through the man's pockets - but there was no way he was getting particularly close, and there was only so long peeking at a dead man could hold the teenager's interest, and so he pottered off towards the mansion itself, in search of someone more alive.
"You a'ight?" he asked, as he wandered up to Natalie once he'd found her. Æsc thought that, given she was the heir to being boss after Nick, she was likely to be quite busy, which made her the perfect person to strike up a conversation with. "S'anything you wan' my help with an' all?" he offered. Æsc was nothing if not considerate of other people's needs.
He was hoping to get a look at the dead body - and maybe a quick little rifle through the man's pockets - but there was no way he was getting particularly close, and there was only so long peeking at a dead man could hold the teenager's interest, and so he pottered off towards the mansion itself, in search of someone more alive.
"You a'ight?" he asked, as he wandered up to Natalie once he'd found her. Æsc thought that, given she was the heir to being boss after Nick, she was likely to be quite busy, which made her the perfect person to strike up a conversation with. "S'anything you wan' my help with an' all?" he offered. Æsc was nothing if not considerate of other people's needs.
Nat's Office
Natalie looked at the boy with her arms crossed in front of her chest. " What might a boy like you be able to help us with. We have no leads and no idea why anyone would kill my brother." Natalie stated rather bluntly. " Unless you give me a good answer I will be forced to have one of my guards escort you out."
Natalie looked at the boy with her arms crossed in front of her chest. " What might a boy like you be able to help us with. We have no leads and no idea why anyone would kill my brother." Natalie stated rather bluntly. " Unless you give me a good answer I will be forced to have one of my guards escort you out."
"No need to be rude n' all," Æsc huffed a little, pretending to be offended. "You're lucky I'm so forgivin', 'cause I'm of 'alf a mind to just walk ou' and rescind my gracious offer of help, aye."
He drew himself up, shoving his hands in his pockets and raising his chin proudly. "You ain't got leads? I can get you 'em. You go strollin' in places, people notice, see? You're an adult. People don't notice kids. I hear things, y'know, things you'd miss, 'cause people shut up when adults are near. That's how I got inside here, too, aye: people don't notice kids."
He drew himself up, shoving his hands in his pockets and raising his chin proudly. "You ain't got leads? I can get you 'em. You go strollin' in places, people notice, see? You're an adult. People don't notice kids. I hear things, y'know, things you'd miss, 'cause people shut up when adults are near. That's how I got inside here, too, aye: people don't notice kids."
Natalie became interested. " I see your point, no one notices my niece during our functions. I think I will accept you help. What will I owe you for your help in our investigation?" Natalie asked as she dropped her arms now that she was negotiating with this boy.
Natalie's three Dobermans, Gunner, Striker, and Roxy all stepped in between Natalie and Æsc. The largest male, Gunner sniffed at the boy investigating him to judge if he was a threat or not. " Don't worry about them, if you are not a threat, they'll leave you alone." Natalie assured before patting Roxy on the head.
Æsc didn't look scared of the dogs at all - in fact, he looked delighted, offering Gunner his hand to sniff before going to stroke him, ready to pull back if the dog didn't seem willing to let him.
"Protection," he decided, as his price for helping Natalie. "S'a dangerous city ou' there an' I'm a kid on my own - you promise to protect me an' treat me like one of yours, an' I'll help you an' all, aye?"
He didn't really need that much protection - he was perfectly capable of looking after himself, thank you very much - but he was playing the long game, trying to work his way into the family and their sentiments, so that they'd be more willing to help him in future.
"Protection," he decided, as his price for helping Natalie. "S'a dangerous city ou' there an' I'm a kid on my own - you promise to protect me an' treat me like one of yours, an' I'll help you an' all, aye?"
He didn't really need that much protection - he was perfectly capable of looking after himself, thank you very much - but he was playing the long game, trying to work his way into the family and their sentiments, so that they'd be more willing to help him in future.
Natalie nodded. " It is my family's way to take care of those who help us as though they were blood. If you'd like I can even find you a place to stay in the mansion if you'd like." Natalie said
Æsc nodded, apparently pleased with that answer. "Wouldn't min' havin' a bed, if you got one goin'," he shrugged, with the sort of air that suggested he would very much like that, but didn't feel able to ask.
In truth, he really wouldn't mind having a warm room to return to sometimes, but the boy also wasn't about to give up his freedom completely - it was unlikely he'd spend more than a few nights a week there. Still, it was a good way of adding himself into the family.
In truth, he really wouldn't mind having a warm room to return to sometimes, but the boy also wasn't about to give up his freedom completely - it was unlikely he'd spend more than a few nights a week there. Still, it was a good way of adding himself into the family.
" I'm sure we have a bed to accommodate you. I'll get my sister, Victoria on finding a suitable place for you." Natalie said before using her phone to call her younger sister. " Vicky. I need you to help me out with finding a room for someone who's agreed to help us before you head to Ralph's tonight." She said into the phone, listened to Victoria's answer, thanked her and turned back to the boy. " She'll be here shortly."
"Aye," Æsc acknowledged. While she'd been on the phone, he'd been busy petting the dogs, smiling happily at them. Æsc often found he preferred animals to people - he likes the stray dogs he found that curled up with him to share body warmth on cold nights; he liked the cats that trailed him for the crumbs he gave them sometimes; he liked the pigeons who flocked around him with their clever eyes.
"So tell me what's goin' on," he said, standing fully, although he continued petting the dogs. "Who d'ya think's responsible for such an heinous crime an' all?"
"So tell me what's goin' on," he said, standing fully, although he continued petting the dogs. "Who d'ya think's responsible for such an heinous crime an' all?"
Natalie tapped a finger on her chin in thought. " My brother, Nick was found by ne of our guards early this morning just outside the mansion gates dead. It looked like it was a gunshot that killed him, but a contact in the police department sys it's too early to make conclusions. I took control of the family and now I want to find the son of a bitch who killed my brother and left my niece without her father." Natalie explained.
"Aye, so I 'eard. Wante' to see 'im, but I thought I ain't gonna get close enough or nothin'," Æsc said; it didn't occur to him that that might be a slightly insensitive thing to say - or possibly it did occur to him, and he just didn't care. One could rarely tell with Æsc. "You got any leads or anythin'? Anyone you think might be suspicious?"
" Nick, my brother, didn't have many enemies, but the Markin Family did want permission to do business on the Waterfront, which is OUR territory. My brother didn't plan on letting them though. He was supposed to give the Markin boss his answer today, but that's not happening." Natalie said. Her family put a ton of money into the city so most people wouldn't dare cross them for risk of losing the family's financial investments. " My sister is supposed to keep an ear out for anything that Markin employees are talking about at Ralph's tonight should they go to celebrate taking my brother down. " It also could've been an a group that thinks they could take control of this city if Nick was killed."
"So I shoul' be checkin' out the Markins firs'," Æsc summarised. That'd be easy enough - one family was little different to another, and if Æsc could work his way into one family, he could get into another just as well. "Gotcha. An' I'll get my contacts an' all to listen ou' for rumours of other groups, aye."
He petted the dogs one last time, thinking very much about how he'd like a dog of his own. It'd be fun, to have a puppy following after him. A proper stray - a mongrel of some sort, a creature of the streets like Æsc.
He petted the dogs one last time, thinking very much about how he'd like a dog of his own. It'd be fun, to have a puppy following after him. A proper stray - a mongrel of some sort, a creature of the streets like Æsc.
" Thank you. Know that my family and I are grateful for any information." Natalie said in all honesty. It was true the entire family is eager to learn anything involving the death of their former leader.
Riccardo spun the steering wheel of the dark blue 2018 Cadillac XTS. He got a good deal on it buying it used last fall. It's exterior was dark blue. Black leather surrounded him as he approached the Minella family home. Ritchie had money on hand to kick up to Natalie. He always learned that the most important role of an associate like him in the family was to pass money up the chain to the top.
Ritchie pulled up to the security booth. "How ya doin'?" He waved and nodded. "A friend of the family", he said, hoping he was recognized by now. His car idled outside of the gate in waiting.
Ritchie pulled up to the security booth. "How ya doin'?" He waved and nodded. "A friend of the family", he said, hoping he was recognized by now. His car idled outside of the gate in waiting.
The guard at the gate was still on edge, but did recognize Ricardo. " About as well as anyone who discovered the body of his dead employer is doing. Go in, Nat's in her office. You should remember where that is." he said as he opened the gate.
In her office or her brother's former office, Natalie sat at the desk, tapping away at her laptop checking on reports from everyone who did business with her family or was in charge of an area of the city and acting as her eyes and ears in that particular area of Minella territory. Her inbox was full of mostly condolences for her brother's untimely death and reports of investments she'd made into the city. " Well, nothing is going off the rails yet at least." she sighed before taking a sip from a wine glass next to her.