Nina lounges on her office desk chair, leg tucked over another and hanging off the arm rest. The chair is power blue, plush and with diamante buttons decorating each tuft. The desk itself is metal with a glass countertop. Clean and lines and organised much like the rest of the office floor. Aqualux is indeed the appropriate term for the restaurant turned HQ. The Art Deco design is illuminated by a soft blue-teal glow from the fish tanks embedded in some of the walls. It's rich, tastefully decadent yet cold and impersonal.
Nina scrolls through her phone, keeping one eye on the latest and most popular hashtags and their levels of engagement while the other lazily looks over to her desk monitors. One has a video chat with her city administration and management team, the other monitor has her emails accounts up and a steady flow of messages are coming in.
The subject line has one common theme, and that's of the once thought to be dead Steven.
Nina scrolls through her phone, keeping one eye on the latest and most popular hashtags and their levels of engagement while the other lazily looks over to her desk monitors. One has a video chat with her city administration and management team, the other monitor has her emails accounts up and a steady flow of messages are coming in.
The subject line has one common theme, and that's of the once thought to be dead Steven.
It had been, what? 30 minutes since his video went live about his return?
Steven had not only crossed enemy lines and made his way to FM’s headquarters, he had also just finished bullying one of Aqualux’s staff into taking some photos of him posing in front of one of the larger murals in the club. It had been a mermaid piece he painted in his Mafia getup back before he disappeared… He was actually amazed that they had kept the piece up after all these years, and any signs of wear and tear it would have incurred over such a long time had been lovingly touched up. He traced a finger along the signature at the bottom, smiling softly to himself.
‘Martin’
It had been years since he was called that.
But that was a different time.
He was different.
With a few taps of his fingers, he posted the image of him and the mural to Stepbook with the caption ‘Guess where I’m at, fuckers?’, as he strong-armed another staff member into telling him where their Don’s office was located.
When they stopped in front of an elevator, the Aqualux employee mumbled something about Nina’s office being on the top floor and about ‘needing a card’ or ‘being invited to get up there.’ - He rolled his eyes, it was the same as the elevator in UGHQ, and he had programmed his. How hard could Mafia’s be to hack?
“Ah, don’t worry. She’ll be expecting me.” Steven hummed softly as he motioned for them to leave. They stared at him for a moment, unsure what to do. The UG Leader stared at them unblinkingly as he slowly began rolling his shoulders in tune with the ambient music that filtered into the hallway from the club, the steady glow of his eyes began to grow more vivid with each roll, and the air began to grow heavy with-
“Yeah, no. Our boss has this. See ya.”
And with that, the employee dipped out of there so quickly, Steven didn’t even have time to thank them for their help. Ah well, he could always thank them after his and Nina’s meeting.
But first, he had to crack this elevator...
After a few moments, there was a slight whine of metal that reverberated up the empty elevator shaft to Nina’s office, followed by a series of bassy oontz’s that steadily grew louder, as if someone was throwing a little mini rave in the elevator ride up. It all reached a crescendo as the bassy beats finally dropped with the backing track of screeching metal, combining together in a cacophony of noisy destruction. The elevator doors caved and crunched into the Funk Mafia Leader’s office in a burst of orange light.
A moment later, Steven climbed through the hole he made, and dusted off his hand on his pants before he looked for Nina. When he spotted her, he made his way over to her desk, an easy smile on his scarred lips as he motioned back to the twisted metal he’d left in his wake.
“Sorry ‘bout that. Been a hot minute since I’ve hotwired a lift so…I’ll pay for it…Er. Congrats on becoming you know-” He motioned a hand around the stylish room and then up and down at the lady lounging in the plush chair.
“Boss, I guess?.. So er, yeah.” Hm… he didn’t know if he should sit or not so he did what he thought was best and parked his butt right on her glass desk.
“We gotta talk about some business, yeah?”
Steven had not only crossed enemy lines and made his way to FM’s headquarters, he had also just finished bullying one of Aqualux’s staff into taking some photos of him posing in front of one of the larger murals in the club. It had been a mermaid piece he painted in his Mafia getup back before he disappeared… He was actually amazed that they had kept the piece up after all these years, and any signs of wear and tear it would have incurred over such a long time had been lovingly touched up. He traced a finger along the signature at the bottom, smiling softly to himself.
‘Martin’
It had been years since he was called that.
But that was a different time.
He was different.
With a few taps of his fingers, he posted the image of him and the mural to Stepbook with the caption ‘Guess where I’m at, fuckers?’, as he strong-armed another staff member into telling him where their Don’s office was located.
When they stopped in front of an elevator, the Aqualux employee mumbled something about Nina’s office being on the top floor and about ‘needing a card’ or ‘being invited to get up there.’ - He rolled his eyes, it was the same as the elevator in UGHQ, and he had programmed his. How hard could Mafia’s be to hack?
“Ah, don’t worry. She’ll be expecting me.” Steven hummed softly as he motioned for them to leave. They stared at him for a moment, unsure what to do. The UG Leader stared at them unblinkingly as he slowly began rolling his shoulders in tune with the ambient music that filtered into the hallway from the club, the steady glow of his eyes began to grow more vivid with each roll, and the air began to grow heavy with-
“Yeah, no. Our boss has this. See ya.”
And with that, the employee dipped out of there so quickly, Steven didn’t even have time to thank them for their help. Ah well, he could always thank them after his and Nina’s meeting.
But first, he had to crack this elevator...
After a few moments, there was a slight whine of metal that reverberated up the empty elevator shaft to Nina’s office, followed by a series of bassy oontz’s that steadily grew louder, as if someone was throwing a little mini rave in the elevator ride up. It all reached a crescendo as the bassy beats finally dropped with the backing track of screeching metal, combining together in a cacophony of noisy destruction. The elevator doors caved and crunched into the Funk Mafia Leader’s office in a burst of orange light.
A moment later, Steven climbed through the hole he made, and dusted off his hand on his pants before he looked for Nina. When he spotted her, he made his way over to her desk, an easy smile on his scarred lips as he motioned back to the twisted metal he’d left in his wake.
“Sorry ‘bout that. Been a hot minute since I’ve hotwired a lift so…I’ll pay for it…Er. Congrats on becoming you know-” He motioned a hand around the stylish room and then up and down at the lady lounging in the plush chair.
“Boss, I guess?.. So er, yeah.” Hm… he didn’t know if he should sit or not so he did what he thought was best and parked his butt right on her glass desk.
“We gotta talk about some business, yeah?”
Nina was indeed expecting Steven to make an appearance at the Aqualux but she wasn’t expecting so soon. She watches the notification that #SteveSpotted has gone live again and quirks an eyebrow at the latest post. Her video meeting has at this point has descended into a frenzy, different members bringing up security feeds and gesturing wildly to the post, there’s already some conspiracy style hashtag and #mermaid has also spiked in popularity. She puts a finger to her lips "shhh…." and sets the meeting to deafen.
Now the only sounds are metal twisting, destruction and a faint bass beat. "Ten seconds till curtain" she muses to herself as the elevator security feed goes dead. She leans over to her desk, takes a mirror and lipgloss and starts reapplying just in time for Steven to make his way to her desk. "Boss?" she presses her lips together in a kissy motion to even out the lipgloss. "I'm THE Boss".
Nina’s keeps looking at her mirror, sweeping stray hairs back, everything in its proper place. Her eyes then peak over the edge of the mirror giving Steven a long look up and down, her long false lashes practically giving him bedroom eyes. She closes the mirror with a satisfying click and places it down on the desk again, leaning in such a way she’s deliberately giving Steven a view. "Business? Oh… I didn’t think I ordered a snack but here you are, you have my almond milk latte babe?"
Nina is deliberately playing dumb, trying to find out what sort of trick this all is. She very distinctly remembers going to Steven’s funeral, she wore a large floppy hat with a lace veil, a Bardot cut dress. Black, dramatic and incredibly sultry. Yet, here this man stands. Very clearly a Man, not the tiny man-child she once knew. looks to be the same vibe, at least on the surface.
Now the only sounds are metal twisting, destruction and a faint bass beat. "Ten seconds till curtain" she muses to herself as the elevator security feed goes dead. She leans over to her desk, takes a mirror and lipgloss and starts reapplying just in time for Steven to make his way to her desk. "Boss?" she presses her lips together in a kissy motion to even out the lipgloss. "I'm THE Boss".
Nina’s keeps looking at her mirror, sweeping stray hairs back, everything in its proper place. Her eyes then peak over the edge of the mirror giving Steven a long look up and down, her long false lashes practically giving him bedroom eyes. She closes the mirror with a satisfying click and places it down on the desk again, leaning in such a way she’s deliberately giving Steven a view. "Business? Oh… I didn’t think I ordered a snack but here you are, you have my almond milk latte babe?"
Nina is deliberately playing dumb, trying to find out what sort of trick this all is. She very distinctly remembers going to Steven’s funeral, she wore a large floppy hat with a lace veil, a Bardot cut dress. Black, dramatic and incredibly sultry. Yet, here this man stands. Very clearly a Man, not the tiny man-child she once knew. looks to be the same vibe, at least on the surface.
Steven’s eyes watched Nina closely as she shifted forward in her chair, ready to hop off her desk and defend himself at the first sign of aggression. But when she simply put down her mirror and acted like he’s her PA, he eased up a fraction as a bubble of laughter escaped him, and his scared lips broke out in a positively delighted grin.
“Fuckin’- Come on..” He huffed in jest, his eyes never left Nina’s as his fingers made their way to the zipper of his jacket and slowly pulled it down to his waist. Two fingers slid just over his collarbone, just under his lapel before slowly pulled on a golden lanyard till a card came into view.
Steven held the card up - it was very similar to the one Nina owned - to the side of his cheek. A list of names that cluttered the small card, but there were only two that shared the same font. The second name and the last name.
Steve-O-Rizzle and The Rizz.
“We’re twinsies, mate.” He hummed cheerfully as he poked out his glowing tongue. He pulled the card back and looked at it fondly before he slid it back into his jacket.
“Can’t believe it. On my first day back and everything. But, don't worry I’ll go home and change so we don’t match after we have a little chat about OPP, Nina.”
“Fuckin’- Come on..” He huffed in jest, his eyes never left Nina’s as his fingers made their way to the zipper of his jacket and slowly pulled it down to his waist. Two fingers slid just over his collarbone, just under his lapel before slowly pulled on a golden lanyard till a card came into view.
Steven held the card up - it was very similar to the one Nina owned - to the side of his cheek. A list of names that cluttered the small card, but there were only two that shared the same font. The second name and the last name.
Steve-O-Rizzle and The Rizz.
“We’re twinsies, mate.” He hummed cheerfully as he poked out his glowing tongue. He pulled the card back and looked at it fondly before he slid it back into his jacket.
“Can’t believe it. On my first day back and everything. But, don't worry I’ll go home and change so we don’t match after we have a little chat about OPP, Nina.”
Nina smirks at Steven as he shows off his keycard. “Can you blame a girl for rookie checking? One of your replacements went through all the trouble of booking an appointment and forgot to bring his paperwork, tragic... sloppy, didn't last long”
Nina keeps her eyes locked with Steven and in turn picks up her phone from her lap, taps the screen in a complicated swirl pattern. “New branding to go with the glow up?” her phone case goes clear and it reveals her keycard behind the back panel of her phone case. There are only three names on hers, in a much neater arrangement. The word Nina sits perfectly in the middle.
She takes a sneaky photo of Steven and the phone case goes back to being a solid colour. “Is The Rizz how you’d like to be introduced in all formal communication from now on or can we keep it simple with first names here Steve?” she looks down on her phone to slap down some quick hash tags #SteveSpotted and #TheRizz. Some quick and easy social media engagement right there.
“OPP ?” Nina flicks her eyes over to her monitors and back to Steve again. she can tell that her video group is trying to figure out what she’s saying from just the webcam feed. “...Operations?” Two members have switched to their on the go cameras and are making their way through Funk Mafia territory in a hurry. “...O... P... P… hmmm, oh! You the mean “The Hub”. Your intel is a little outdated there Mista Rizz, have you really been taking a dirt nap all this time? I'll cut you some slack though, it is your first day back” Nina smiles like she has not a concern in the world.
Nina keeps her eyes locked with Steven and in turn picks up her phone from her lap, taps the screen in a complicated swirl pattern. “New branding to go with the glow up?” her phone case goes clear and it reveals her keycard behind the back panel of her phone case. There are only three names on hers, in a much neater arrangement. The word Nina sits perfectly in the middle.
She takes a sneaky photo of Steven and the phone case goes back to being a solid colour. “Is The Rizz how you’d like to be introduced in all formal communication from now on or can we keep it simple with first names here Steve?” she looks down on her phone to slap down some quick hash tags #SteveSpotted and #TheRizz. Some quick and easy social media engagement right there.
“OPP ?” Nina flicks her eyes over to her monitors and back to Steve again. she can tell that her video group is trying to figure out what she’s saying from just the webcam feed. “...Operations?” Two members have switched to their on the go cameras and are making their way through Funk Mafia territory in a hurry. “...O... P... P… hmmm, oh! You the mean “The Hub”. Your intel is a little outdated there Mista Rizz, have you really been taking a dirt nap all this time? I'll cut you some slack though, it is your first day back” Nina smiles like she has not a concern in the world.
“If I was rebranding, I would be going solely by Osric now.” Steven smirked as eyes slid to the phonecase, his smile tightening just a smidge as he scanned the first two names. “I just grew is all, felt like a bit of a change.” He watched Nina’s phone shift back with mild interest before he set his eyes back solely on her.
“Oh, Steve-O’s alright. Steven. I’m not too picky.” Steven felt his phone vibrate in his pocket but he ignored it for now as he heard the absolute tragedy that was OPP’s new name. He slid off Nina’s desk before he faced her fully, face painted in mock disgust.
“ The Hub ?? OPP at least had some history to it. Naughty by Nature?” Steven started to beatbox the first few bars of the song, the subtle orange glow of his eyes and scars grew a little before he rapped the lyrics.
OPP, how can I explain it
I'll take you frame by frame it
To have y'all jumpin' shall we singin' it
O is for Other, P is for People scratchin' temple,
The last P... well... that's not that simple.
“It's a classic! And you just went and called it the fucking Hub! Sounds like a bloody phone charger.” Wisps of translucent orange smoke trailed from Steven’s lips and threw his arms up in the air in frustration, despite the grin on his lips. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket again and decided this time to check it-
Ah he’d been tagged…
#SteveSpotted ? #The Rizz….
His face didn’t change when he saw the image Nina clearly posted of him… Well, two can play at that game.
“Well, whatever you’re calling it now, I’m here to serve you your notice. I’ll give you a few months to move out, no big rush.” He hummed softly as he took his own picture of Nina as he messed about on his phone. Damn it, he forgot he was cursed with ‘decent photo skills’, Nina looked...nice. Well, whatever. He posted it, making sure to tag it with #SteveSpotted #mermaid and #OPP.
“Oh, Steve-O’s alright. Steven. I’m not too picky.” Steven felt his phone vibrate in his pocket but he ignored it for now as he heard the absolute tragedy that was OPP’s new name. He slid off Nina’s desk before he faced her fully, face painted in mock disgust.
“ The Hub ?? OPP at least had some history to it. Naughty by Nature?” Steven started to beatbox the first few bars of the song, the subtle orange glow of his eyes and scars grew a little before he rapped the lyrics.
OPP, how can I explain it
I'll take you frame by frame it
To have y'all jumpin' shall we singin' it
O is for Other, P is for People scratchin' temple,
The last P... well... that's not that simple.
“It's a classic! And you just went and called it the fucking Hub! Sounds like a bloody phone charger.” Wisps of translucent orange smoke trailed from Steven’s lips and threw his arms up in the air in frustration, despite the grin on his lips. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket again and decided this time to check it-
Ah he’d been tagged…
#SteveSpotted ? #The Rizz….
His face didn’t change when he saw the image Nina clearly posted of him… Well, two can play at that game.
“Well, whatever you’re calling it now, I’m here to serve you your notice. I’ll give you a few months to move out, no big rush.” He hummed softly as he took his own picture of Nina as he messed about on his phone. Damn it, he forgot he was cursed with ‘decent photo skills’, Nina looked...nice. Well, whatever. He posted it, making sure to tag it with #SteveSpotted #mermaid and #OPP.
“Oh Steven, it's almost endearing how simply you view things….
Hub- The centre of a wheel, where spokes radiate.
Hub- A centre of activity, a central focal point. A core, A nerve centre
H...
U...
B...
A Historically Underutilised Business.
We don’t do things on a whim here, They are deliberate, backed by countless hours of market research”
“You see…” Nina stands up from her chair demonstrating just how tall she is, she steps forward, uncomfortably close to Steven.
She raises her hands slowly “Your” she sarcastically finger quotes “O P P has not been under UG… lets call it, ‘guidance’ for years. Have you seen it now? Like really seen it?” She leans over to look Steven dead in the eye. “It's thriving, Steven.” Their noses almost touch before Nina moves back to sit on the desk.
“You must understand how foolish you sound right now? To roll over and undo all that hard work." She rolls her eyes sarcastically and takes out her phone again, liking and reposting Steven's picture of her.
"Almost G-Reg levels of desperate for a W. You'll get em one day, my little pogchamp" she says almost to herself.
Hub- The centre of a wheel, where spokes radiate.
Hub- A centre of activity, a central focal point. A core, A nerve centre
H...
U...
B...
A Historically Underutilised Business.
We don’t do things on a whim here, They are deliberate, backed by countless hours of market research”
“You see…” Nina stands up from her chair demonstrating just how tall she is, she steps forward, uncomfortably close to Steven.
She raises her hands slowly “Your” she sarcastically finger quotes “O P P has not been under UG… lets call it, ‘guidance’ for years. Have you seen it now? Like really seen it?” She leans over to look Steven dead in the eye. “It's thriving, Steven.” Their noses almost touch before Nina moves back to sit on the desk.
“You must understand how foolish you sound right now? To roll over and undo all that hard work." She rolls her eyes sarcastically and takes out her phone again, liking and reposting Steven's picture of her.
"Almost G-Reg levels of desperate for a W. You'll get em one day, my little pogchamp" she says almost to herself.
Steven resisted rolling his eyes as Nina not only tried to insult his intelligence but also tried her damnedest to make her piss poor name sound so very innovative. But it still sounded shit no matter what soulless corporate babble she decided to spew.
He tilted his head nonchalantly to meet the taller woman’s gaze as she neared him, his shoulders rolling surreptitiously, keeping the vibe he built flowing steady and strong, humming softly just below the surface of his skin in case she did decide to touch him.
Maybe Nina thought she was being intimidating as she leaned over him, but Steven remembers the previous Dons. How they towered over him. How everyone used to tower over him. Well, at least he wasn’t breaking his back to keep eye contact with her now.
Steven’s smile turned a little wild as Nina implied FM made OPP better than it had ever been. As if she did anything more than slap a bit of paint on the foundations that had been built by UG for years, give it an inoffensive name, and claim they did all the work.
“Come on, Nina.” Steven sighed noisily as he took a few steps towards Nina’s desk to lean his hand atop the smooth glass surface, staring down at the busty leader. “It's been almost 9 years and what? Petty insults? Market research? Ugh, what a load of bollocks. You fuckers couldn't even completely take over one simple, foolish , desperate little faction since I was gone.” The UG leader pushed himself away from the desk, popping the collar of his jacket with a grin.
“But right now, you're in my house. I’ve served you your notice. And if you’re still there in a few months? There wont be any knocking, cus I’ll be kicking down the fucking door. So you and yours best be gone, cus if not-” Steven hips began to sway from side to side as he began to do a little, self-contained Cha-Cha on the spot.
The ambiance sound waves of the room quickly began to all be redirected to Steven, be they the slight crinkle of his jacket as his arms moved, the subtle hum of the screens on the desk, the intermittent bubbling of air filtering the aquariums, the soft exhalation of Nina’s breath.
In a matter of seconds, the room was plunged into a deafening silence as Steven vibe devoured every bit of sound for himself. He thought about pushing it a bit further, to start eating at the very light around him till it distorted and warped around his being, but he wasn’t looking for a fight right now. Nina just didn’t seem to remember who the fuck he was, so why not show off just a bit?
Steven exhaled slowly and the once silent room was flooded again with sounds of existence. He blinked slowly, eyes noticeably a little lighter in hue before settling back on the Funk Mafia’s Boss.
“You’d better bring the mutherfucking ruckus.[/b]” And with a wink, he turned on his heel and made his way to the hole he made in the elevator doors. He had gotten himself halfway through the hole when he added, cheerfully.
“I’ll get one of yours to show me out of the district, yeah? To make sure I behave myself.” And with that, Steven disappeared completely from sight as he made his way back down the elevator shaft.
He tilted his head nonchalantly to meet the taller woman’s gaze as she neared him, his shoulders rolling surreptitiously, keeping the vibe he built flowing steady and strong, humming softly just below the surface of his skin in case she did decide to touch him.
Maybe Nina thought she was being intimidating as she leaned over him, but Steven remembers the previous Dons. How they towered over him. How everyone used to tower over him. Well, at least he wasn’t breaking his back to keep eye contact with her now.
Steven’s smile turned a little wild as Nina implied FM made OPP better than it had ever been. As if she did anything more than slap a bit of paint on the foundations that had been built by UG for years, give it an inoffensive name, and claim they did all the work.
“Come on, Nina.” Steven sighed noisily as he took a few steps towards Nina’s desk to lean his hand atop the smooth glass surface, staring down at the busty leader. “It's been almost 9 years and what? Petty insults? Market research? Ugh, what a load of bollocks. You fuckers couldn't even completely take over one simple, foolish , desperate little faction since I was gone.” The UG leader pushed himself away from the desk, popping the collar of his jacket with a grin.
“But right now, you're in my house. I’ve served you your notice. And if you’re still there in a few months? There wont be any knocking, cus I’ll be kicking down the fucking door. So you and yours best be gone, cus if not-” Steven hips began to sway from side to side as he began to do a little, self-contained Cha-Cha on the spot.
The ambiance sound waves of the room quickly began to all be redirected to Steven, be they the slight crinkle of his jacket as his arms moved, the subtle hum of the screens on the desk, the intermittent bubbling of air filtering the aquariums, the soft exhalation of Nina’s breath.
In a matter of seconds, the room was plunged into a deafening silence as Steven vibe devoured every bit of sound for himself. He thought about pushing it a bit further, to start eating at the very light around him till it distorted and warped around his being, but he wasn’t looking for a fight right now. Nina just didn’t seem to remember who the fuck he was, so why not show off just a bit?
Steven exhaled slowly and the once silent room was flooded again with sounds of existence. He blinked slowly, eyes noticeably a little lighter in hue before settling back on the Funk Mafia’s Boss.
“You’d better bring the mutherfucking ruckus.[/b]” And with a wink, he turned on his heel and made his way to the hole he made in the elevator doors. He had gotten himself halfway through the hole when he added, cheerfully.
“I’ll get one of yours to show me out of the district, yeah? To make sure I behave myself.” And with that, Steven disappeared completely from sight as he made his way back down the elevator shaft.
Moderators: AJ_89 Steven (played by Robo-Craig) QnQ Hide Miyagawa (played by Monoclejack) Chroma (played by lewsey)
