John Jumped A Little As The Items Were Slammed Down In Front Of Him. He'd Been Zoned Out, Listening To

Something John had always been good at was listening to conversations that didn't concern him. He loved some gossip, he loved some drama, and as soon as he heard the woman talking to herself trying to work something out, he was hooked and invested and needed the whole story. Because to hear 'in my defense ya're kinda annoyin'' was the best response for an apology he'd ever heard and was immediately obsessed.

And how lucky he was to get offered a seat at her table as he walked nearer. John happily sat with his tea, leaning an elbow on the table. "Thanks for the seat. Couldn't help but hear some of that rambling--sounds like you've got a lot on your mind. Sometimes it's tricky to find the right words to say to someone you don't like," he said, "but, lucky for you, it's my job to make people like other people, so maybe I could help ya out?" He glanced at her page and saw more scratches than words on it--definitely seemed like she could use some help.

"So, what happened, if you don't mind my asking?" It must've been something good if she had to write an apology letter.

@pepper-doyle

How To Apologize | Open

JONATHAN BAILEY

Who What Wear (2024)

"No, not fully," he said with a wave of his hand. "Campaigns are more for the broader image, or when people know its you. We're just trying to be preemptive and keep the cameras pointing the other way, so to speak, so we don't have to do a full on campaign."

This was about the reaction he expected. John usually got this reaction from people. And this was Angel, and he thought she was great, but definitely a tougher nut to crack.

"That's the spirit," he nudged her arm as she let out the most disinterested groan he'd ever heard. "You wouldn't have to do much. You work somewhere, right? The Lucky Cat, right? I just want you to start by making sure you're always on time, saying please and thank you, greeting customers with your most annoying customer service smile, you know, all the basics." John pulled out his phone, scrolling through to find something he'd saved. That was a downside to Pixie's, it was so dark in here sometimes he felt like he couldn't see a thing. And he didn't want to blast his brightness, that just made things worse in a different way.

"Here, look at this--you only need to focus on the second slide," he showed her the phone. Maybe he was being a little bit of a smart-ass here, but whatever.

He switched his tone back to something a little more genuine. "Things like this matter, Angel. If there's a chance people see you as aloof or too antisocial, they can start connecting dots or making up their own stories. Not necessarily ones that'll direct them back here, but as information grows and spreads, news comes out, people figure things out. Especially in a small town. Especially when you bloody write out MAFIA in the ashes." He didn't think that touch was her specifically, but he's trying to make a point.

"Point is, love, just don't want you getting into trouble, okay?" And he did mean that. "The bad kind of trouble, that is. You can get into all the fun kind of trouble you want, so long as it's done safely and nothing escalates to fire-starting levels."

@angel-milano

Putting Your Best Paw Forward || Johngel

She did about what he'd expected and told him she was busy anyway. He just sat and waited, staring at her, being an annoying presence. She was stubborn, but so was he.

"Well," he started, leaning forward when she finally looked up, like she hadn't sounded like the most annoyed person in the world, like she was actually invested in this conversation, "I've been thinking, you know, things are getting a little... heated around town. They've been that way for a while now, if you know what I mean." He paused, waiting for any kind of reaction.

"And because of all that," he continued regardless of her reaction, "I was thinking what better way to take the heat off than by doing something cool." once again, an expectant pause. "And what's cooler than doing something publicly helpful for your community?" A lot of things, actually, and he knew that.

"It can honestly be anything, I won't be picky about that, just something to, you know--just in case anything were to happen--make it so when people hear your name they think 'oh, Angel? we love Angel, she would never be involved in any fiery, murdery crimes.'"

@angel-milano

Putting Your Best Paw Forward || Johngel

The only reason he was in Chapter Three was to listen. Hear chatter, listen for gossip. Belle owned it, right? Or something? He couldn't be bothered to recall. Just knew she had ties here, and she was one people were keeping an eye on. Not to mention, with her being married to the mayor, it was always a good idea to be looking for dirt on them.

Of course, he didn't see her around today, which was annoying, but he figured why waste a trip, so he just kept his ears open anyway. John leaned on a shelf, flipping through a book that he had no interest in like it was the most interesting thing in the world when he saw someone who was definitely interesting.

She looked like the bookish type, but also like she'd never been here before which led him to believe she was new in town. And those were always the most intriguing sorts of people.

"Hey," he called over to her, holding up the book in his hand so she could see the cover. "Have you read this one? Know if its any good?"

@wintersselene

Chapter Three | OPEN

John wasn't built for the sorts of missions that put him in harms way. Not to say he hadn't gotten his hands dirty before on behalf of the group or his own personal vendettas, but he wasn't much of a fighter. He wasn't fast enough at escaping--in person form--and he just did better when his weapon of choice was words.

He'd spun a tale or two, covered many a covert crime, played his part very well. He liked doing it too. So it wasn't a surprise when Karen came around for a meeting.

"Hey, Karen," John greeted with a grin, returning the hug. "Honestly only a matter of time, right? You lot cause the loudest commotions, I'm surprised I didn't get shipped off here sooner." He joked. He spent most of his time in London, some in Amsterdam, he'd been to the America's a few times for one reason or another. Usually cities with much higher populations.

"I take it this is more than just a friendly catch-up though," he inquired, tilting his head. "So what've you got for me?"

@into-the-voyd

The PR Game || Voydfellow

"Haven't been there in a while," John returned the grin. Karen was always a good time to hang out with. Maybe it was their way of buttering people up to like them more, but hey, if it was, John wouldn't say no to the benefits of that.

John took the phone, squinting slightly to read the words. Big article, big names. A Magick activist attacked, and the anti-magick public figure that was blamed for it all.

"I have now," he replied, skimming through the article. He processed. So they were doing this now--attacking activists? Isn't that friendly fire? John wasn't going to question it, he was smarter than that. And that was his job, right? They all got to be as messy as they wanted and he got to do his best to smooth out the wrinkles? Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting one.

"So what're you looking for from me--are we looking to boost support for the activist, maybe send some anonymous gift baskets or donation to their next fundraiser, or are we out to smear this fucker for this and even more shit?" He handed Karen their phone back.

"That was a bold move, I will say. Could've backfired on us big time--I'd say it still could, but I'm good at my fuckin' job. So I'm just glad it went off without a hitch." He looked at them again. "It did go off without a hitch, right? Please tell me no one tagged the scene again."

From the articles it looked like it did go smoothly, but who knew what people were keeping under wraps. However, usually people jumped to throw MAFIA's name into the ring if there was a reason to. Right now, it was all on Michael Anaclet, which was good for them. Until Michael started talking and throwing out his own thoughts and theories...

"No wonder you invited me for a drink in Queens," he said with a playful grin and a glare as he took out his own phone, ready to start writing down notes and ideas to make sure this mole hill didn't become a mountain.

@into-the-voyd

The PR Game || Voydfellow

John wove his way through the crowd at Pixie's, smiling to some familiar faces until he found the one he was looking for. She was seated by herself for now, which was good. Gave him time to slide in and have a quick chat with her. He knew most people here were just relaxing, but hey, he had a job to do, it's not his fault people often don't love it when you tell them their public image is terrible and that needs to be fixed.

"Heeyy, Angel," he greeted her with a grin as he took a seat nearby. "Wanted to have a quick chat with you and then you're free to enjoy your night, yeah?" it was a long time coming, in his opinion. "You're not busy, are you?" John wasn't asking that to be polite, but rather because she very clearly wasn't busy.

@angel-milano

Putting Your Best Paw Forward || Johngel

"Hm, alright, I'll keep that in mind. Don't usually read sad books, but a change of pace is sometimes good," he said, watching her. She had a sadness to her, one that was almost palpable. "If I'm honest, I don't do a whole bunch of reading. Maybe I should change that. Any suggestions?" hopefully not something super depressing? He was trying to steer her away from that but who knew if it would be successful.

@wintersselene

Chapter Three | OPEN

Putting Your Best Paw Forward || Johngel