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Red Water



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Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:23 pm
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Elinor says...



It's 1923. Silent films are all the rage, the women bob their hair and the men sport bow ties. Jazz is all the rage and alcohol is illegal. But you in live in Chicago, where bootleg alcohol is easily accessible through one of the many speakeasies in the city. The Red Water Tavern is only one of them. With a bookstore as its cover, it is led by a nefarious gangster. While the Red Water enjoys daily business, it comes at a cost, from dodging the law to disputes with rival gangs, the most ruthless being one Dean Carver, of the Sea Lion speakeasy. Whether you a patron or an employee of the Red Water Tavern, and you are involved to the neck. Have fun.

Rules

- While both violence and romance are encouraged in this SB, please keep it PG-13.
- Respect your fellow Storybookers and communicate with them regularly in the DT.
- Please be committed to write at least two posts per week.

Character Slots

Note: Dean Carver and his associates of the Sea Lion will be our main enemies throughout this SB, and they will be NPCs that we will all control, as will the honest police.

There can only be one dirty cop and one leader of the Red Water, but the numbers for the other are flexible. If you're stuck on how you want your character to fit in, feel free to ask me for ideas!

Spoiler! :
- Isadora Lanx - Via
- Bootlegger
- Bootlegger
- Patron/Employee - LittleSister
- Joseph Silver - Rydia
- Patron/Employee - Liv
- Caroline Craig - Elinor Brynn
- Other Patron/Employee - ReisePiecey


Character Template

Code: Select all
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b] (18+)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (a picture will suffice, but feel free to write a written description)
[b]Role[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b]

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:44 pm
Liv says...



Love this idea! Can I reserve two patrons/employees??





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Wed Jul 02, 2014 3:25 pm
Elinor says...



Definitely!

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:13 am
Editor says...



Can I reserve a patron?
ï' ø вøɾε





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Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:28 am
Elinor says...



Yes!

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Wed Jul 09, 2014 5:03 am
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Via says...



I'm reserving a female bootlegger for when this gets off the ground ;)

Or I'll take the leader of the tavern. Up to you, El!
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"I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met." -The Wedding Date





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Wed Jul 09, 2014 7:34 pm
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Rydia says...



I'll take the dirty cop, I'm thinking he'll be a male because I think that fits the setting better :)
Writing Gooder

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The light shines brightest in the darkest places.





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Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:08 pm
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Elinor says...



Caroline

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and alcohol and a saxophone tune that carried through the air. As Caroline took in the scene around her, she noted that it was just as busy a place, if not more, than its legal cousin, and it felt more exciting, somehow. She saw herself coming to work every day, singing tunes to patrons until the wee hours of the morning. There was danger, to be sure, but it represented a freedom from the restrictions of every day life, the kind her parents had known, the kind that her parents were trying to keep her bound to. Ivy turned around and smiled, noticing the expression on Caroline's face.

"I think you'll like it here."

"I think so too," Caroline said. "It's a lot to take in."

Ivy gestured to two spots at the bar and set her bag beside a third. Ivy's husband, John, would be joining them after he'd finished work for the day. Caroline's shift didn't start for another hour and a half, but Ivy wanted them to come early so she could meet everyone. The bartender saw her and waved.

"Two white wines."

He nodded and supplied the drinks. As they chatted, Caroline became aware of a girl staring her down from across the bar.

"Who is that?" She asked Ivy.

"Her name's Isadora. She's a regular here."

"She doesn't seem to much like me."

"Because you're new. But once they hear that voice of yours, they'll all love you."

Caroline nodded. Before she knew it, John had come, and then she was ready to take the stage and sing her first song.

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Thu Aug 14, 2014 9:09 pm
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Via says...



Isadora Lanx

The air around her was thick with smoke, almost chokingly so, but it wasn't uncommon and Isadora didn't seem to notice. Probably because most of the smoke was coming from her own cigarette--a long shiny black piece that set between her delicate fingers. She puffed on the end and scanned the tavern for well known trouble makers, but didn't see anyone worth noting. A few new people had arrived, which was often a rare occurrence for Red Water and wasn't always welcome. A girl looking her direction nervously, and a couple in the corner with their body language saying "we're just getting pissed before we sneak off to her place"...this was not an unfamiliar appearance to Isa. She knew it well. She did it well.

Isadora lifted a cup to her lips and tipped it up, realizing it was empty as no liquid grazed her soft red lips. She tapped her glass on the counter and spun around to face the bar, where the bartender was already standing with another bottle of vodka and beginning to pour.

"Long day, Isa?" The bartender smiled as he poured.

"Oh Sal. None of my days are long with you around!" Isa turned up one corner of her mouth in a flirty smile as Sal put the bottle away.

"You're just saying that." He said, still interjected in the playful flirting.

Isa leaned forward, "So what if I am?"

Sal leaned forward on the counter and came up within two inches of Isa's face, "Miss Isadora, I do believe you're starting something you don't intend to finish."

"You clearly know nothing of my intentions, sir." Isadora leaned back in her stool, taking a swig of her drink.

"I always finish everything I start. Just like this drink."

Sal chuckled, and walked to the other end of the bar as he was beckoned by another patron. A nightly banter between the two of them.
My Literary and Arts Blog

"I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met." -The Wedding Date





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Fri Aug 15, 2014 3:17 pm
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Liv says...



Theodore Riley

The moment Theodore Riley walked through the door it was as if he was home - the clouds of smoke so thick you could hardly see straight massaged the tension of the day's work that he notoriously carried in his shoulders, the smell of booze gave him back the pep in his step, and the sight of all the tavern's regular customers was like a kiss hello from the wife he didn't have.

He approached the bar in his slow-mannered way, deliberate and without any rush, the sound of his oxford shoes, a gift from his mother, clicking against the wooden floors. He beckoned to the bartender Sal, pulling him away from one of the tavern's other regular customers - Isadora, or, as she prefers, Isa.

Sal poured Theodore a whiskey on the rocks without needing an order, always having been one to know what customers need when they come to his counter, though it helped that he had prior knowledge of Theodore's taste for straight liquor.

He picked up the heavy glass with familiar ease, bringing it to his lips and taking a slow sip, his eyes never leaving Isa. There was something different about that woman who knew the workers so fondly. He turned his gaze when she caught him staring and, instead, looked over just in time to see an unfamiliar face climb the stairs to the stage. When she opened her mouth, words strung together by song came sliding out like silk.

"Hey Sal," Theodore asked, turning his head slightly towards the bartender who was wiping a glass, though his eyes never left the girl on the stage, "Who is that?"





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Sat Aug 16, 2014 7:15 pm
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Rydia says...



Joseph Silver

There was already quite the crowd as Joey arrived at the Red Water Tavern but then, it was a popular place. There were some people he knew and some he didn't (like the doll on the stage with the big, doe eyes and even bigger voice) but Joey tried not to look too hard at any one of them. That was part of the agreement.

He stalked up to the bar and sat himself down on a stool next to a decorated cloud of smoke.

"Whiskey. Make it a good one." Joey hunkered down low over the bar as he waited for his drink and when the glass was set in front of him, he handed over less notes than was really proper. Sal didn't look like he was happy about that but Joey was in an unhappy kind of mood. Besides, they had the agreement.

"You want another one?" Joey only half looked at the girl next to him and without waiting for a response, he snapped his fingers to get Sal's attention. "Hey, she'll have another one."

Joey started counting out the notes with every intention of counting them wrong again. Maybe he was looking for a fight, or maybe he just wanted to see just how far his luck could stretch. All in all, it had been a lucky kind of day

At least so for him anyways. Not so lucky for the two cops who took five bullets between them, or for the man who fired the gun.

"And another for me."
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The light shines brightest in the darkest places.





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Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:07 pm
Elinor says...



Dean

At three in the morning, the city was a much different place. Aside from the occasional straggler leaving the speakeasy or passing car, it was peaceful, serene, devoid of the miserable, vapid people that polluted it during the daytime. Chicago was still better than the farm, of course, because of the possibility, the opportunity to be whoever you wanted to be if you were not too fearful to reach out and grab it. The city at three in the morning reminded Dean of who who he had been, what he was and how not being afraid had got him there.

It was a warm night, and Dean could hear the distant sound of chirping night bugs, of the howling wind. His back was pressed against a building that the most beautiful woman in the world was going to exit in any second. By day she was an unassuming girl, but by night she was brilliant, brilliant enough to conceal it from those that knew her in the Red Water. Too brilliant. She was the only one who he really feared. Yet his passion for her was too great. It was a difficult crime, loving her. But he was not here for a lover's quarrel. He was here on business. He heard the door open and tipped his hat down so as not to draw attention to himself. And when she passed, he grabbed her arm and pulled her beside him.

"Izzy."

"What do you want?" She spat.

"We need to talk."

"I don't want to see you."

Dean sighed and pulled a crumpled letter from his pocket. It was one that Isadora had sent him in their relationship, one in which she described the great intensity of her feelings.

"You still have that?"

"Of course. What do you take me for?" He handed it to Isadora so she could reread it. "As you know, there's a large shipment of booze coming in through Lake Michigan tomorrow afternoon. My people are to have it, and yours are not to interfere. I think you remember how the last little meeting between our people ended up. But just to hammer it in, If you do..."

Isadora sighed, no doubt remembering the loyal bootleggers she had lost in their last battle. "That was for us. How did you find out about it?"

"It doesn't matter. But if you do you can guarantee that I will get this letter in the hands of one of your beloved patrons. And you can kiss the Red Water goodbye."

"I can just tell them it was a forgery. They'll never believe it."

"Do you you really want to try me?" And with that, he left.

All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.

-- Walt Disney





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Mon Aug 18, 2014 7:51 pm
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Via says...



Isadora Lanx

Isadora, still leaned back on her stool some, narrowed her eyes to the man who sat next to her and ordered her a drink without so much as looking at her. She knew who he was, well, and knew the way this evening--and all others--would go. Joey was a cop, and she knew he had power over her establishment, but he was also costing her money, and she had a business to run.

She leaned forward and took the drink he ordered for her as Sal slid it her way. She nodded to Sal, who gave her a look that was half jealousy, and half worry, before he answered another beckoning.

“That was quite bold of you.” She said, leaning up on the bar once more to be in line with Joey, but no longer looking at him.

He still didn’t bother to spare a glance her direction as he handed over the cash to Sal, “What? Assuming you want another drink while sitting at a bar? Down right reckless.”

Isadora turned up an eyebrow and scoffed, “No. Assuming I don’t want yours.”

She reached her non-cigarette hand across the bar and took his whiskey gently, almost as if teasing him. A smile came across her face as he stared her down. She drank it down without a moments hesitation, and set the empty glass back down in front of him.

Isadora reached for the drink the cop had ordered for her, but before her fingers could brush against the glass, his big hand clamped down on it and he lifted the drink off the table and threw it back. The man smacked his lips loudly and then made a slight grimace of distaste before holding two fingers up to Sal.

“Both whiskies. I don’t need no ritzy slosh to give me a headache of a morning.” The man hunkered over the bar again and shot her one long, calculating look with narrowed eyes. “Both doubles. I’m not so sure about myself, but she looks like she can handle it.” He smiled then, but it was a grim and dark kind of a smile, like the dark side of the moon.

Isadora dropped her smile, narrowing her eyes his direction. She was very certain in her business and definitely didn’t want anything to get in the way, but she also had her ego to contest with. She took the drink as Sal poured, and slid closer to Joey so she could whisper to him outside of earshot of any patrons--or even Sal.

“I think you’ll find, Mr. Silver, that I will “handle” anything that comes my way. You’d be advised not to test this theory.”

She didn’t turn her hues his direction again, held her drink up with a nod to Sal, and slid off her stool to join the other patrons around the bar.
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Sun Aug 24, 2014 8:39 pm
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Rydia says...



Joseph Silver

It was gone 2:00 am before Joey stumbled into the door of Mrs Tryndall's on 74th street and let out a sequence of one syllable swears. He fumbled a key out of his pocket and crawled up the stairs to the youngest child's bedroom.

Joey had been living at Mrs Tryndall's for almost two years, along with another young gentleman who he occasionally passed on a morning and shared brief pleasantries with. The house was often cold, but spacious, and Mrs Tryndall's prices were as reasonable as her breakfast service.

For an unattached and uncompanionable young man, it was as close to a perfect lodging as one could come.

Or it would have been if the youngest child's bedroom had not been up two flights of stairs and along the dark and narrow hall.

Joseph uttered one more oath and then sprawled over the threshold and lay, narrowly breathing, against the bedroom floor.

But even in the safety of his lodgings, there was no peace to be had for Joseph Silver. He lay, half dreaming and half recalling the bloody work of the previous day and he heard the gun shots again bang bang through the sterile morning air. Bang bang.

"Mr. Silver! A caller here for you."

Joey blinked twice and stared bleary eyes at the wooden floorboards washed in his drool.

"Jus' a moment," he mumbled as he stumbled up and smacked himself in the face, first one side and then the other. "Just a moment!"

Joseph wobbled to the adjacent bathroom and used one hand to wash himself down while the other took care of urgent business. His head was pounding something awful; definitely the ritzy shit that doll was drinking.

Back in the other room, Joey changed his crumpled suit for his police attire and he was just staring down at the holes in his socks when Mrs Tryndall herself poked her head into his room. The demure old lady had her hands over her eyes and she stepped on his discarded trousers as she shuffled forwards.

"Mr. Silver!" she said in an over loud voice. "A gentleman is-"

"Here." The man came in behind her, his police smarts the very mirror of Joseph's and a ten O'clock shadow under both chin and eyes showing he'd not had the best of nights either. Joey reached up and rubbed his own chin, but beards had never much taken on him. A day of not shaving hardly left a shadow over his face, or certainly not one as long as the alcohol had.

"Thank you Mrs. Tryndall." The little old lady uncovered her eyes, gave a small smile and a nod and then proceeded back down the stairs. Joey picked his hat up off the stand and covered his head with it.

"What are you doing here, Gus?"

"The chief asked me to pick you up. It's just a precaution but he dunt want you walkin' the beat on yer own. He dunt want you walkin' the beat at all today. Not with Ripley's boys shakin' things up."

"Ripley's dead, Gus."

"You think I don't know that, huh? Joey, what- what happened yesterday?"

Joey took a deep sigh and shook his head. "You'll hear it at the station soon enough."
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The light shines brightest in the darkest places.








Attention is the beginning of devotion.
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