Wouldn’t expect Boc until later tonight anyway (I think) so it’s all good 🤙🏻

How long had it been? Years. But Nene was coming over. Nene was coming over!
Finally, someone wanted to hang out.
She kept it brief on the phone, just said she was stopping by. But I made sure the fridge was stocked with Coke.
There was a knock on the door.
She's here!
I tripped with a honk, on my way to answer the door, but quickly composed myself. Always Be Chill.
I swung the door open, and Nene waddled in.
"Yo," I said, coolly. "Wanna hang?"
"No kid," Nene replied. "But do you want to make a few bucks?"

She started to tell me all about the job.
The mark was Dr. Liz Doomore. Nene never talked about her, but I know there was some nasty business between the two of them before Nene and I ever met. Real nasty. Any time her name came up, Nene would get this look in her eyes, and it was really noticeable because of her giant eyeglasses.

"So, we're going to hit her office?" I asked. "Need me to stand guard like old times?"

"No, kid," she replied. "Doomore is hosting a charity ball at her mansion in Goosebury Hills. She will be selling her books and other merchandise there. There are supposed to be a couple of live demonstrations of her talents as well in human/animal social interactions. AND she's also charging admission. I doubt any of this money goes to anyone but Doomore. I want to hit her where it hurts."

"So how do we get in?" I asked. "Need me to distract the people at the door? You know that's my specialty."

"No, kid," Nene. "I mean, yes, kid, but not exactly. It might be a little more complicated than that. I want to put the entire team back together."

"Whoa. Cool."

The entire team. Ryan.

"Yeah, so you in, kid?"

Am I in? Ha! I have been waiting for someone to want to hang out with me for years. Years!

"You son of a bitch, I'm in."

The Location: Dr. Doomore’s charity ball at her mansion in Goosebury Hills. Will be very crowded and will feature live demonstrations of her ability to speak to animals

Steve’s Agenda: To finally have someone to hang out with? To create the biggest diversion at any cost, whether it’s in the mission plan or not?? You tell me Christian!

Up next: Ryan is visited by twin brother Steve, and Zersch will detail what the crew will be stealing from Doomore’s charity ball

Curtis @ 8/6/2022 10:01

The Location: Dr. Doomore’s charity ball at her mansion in Goosebury Hills. Will be very crowded and will feature live demonstrations of her ability to speak to animals Steve’s Agenda: To finally have someone to hang out with? To create the biggest diversion at any cost, whether it’s in the mission plan or not?? You tell me Christian!

oh yeah, Obviously to hang out with people. And to see my identical twin brother again. And to impress the team so much that they'll always want to hang out.

I love making pottery. What can I say? Decorative bowls and ashtrays, mugs, anything you can think of. I even made a cuckoo clock once.

It's also convenient since my roommate has the same hobby. Sometimes late at night when Carmen is using her pottery wheel, I just can't resist getting into the action. I slide my big strong wings around hers and help guide her wings. She never seems to notice me but she does seem to get warmer. It's a little strange.

Anyway, I must say her clay-forming abilities do seem to improve when she has a little help from me. Her glazing abilities.. well, that's another story for another time.

lol the roommates both rolling pottery, perfect

Now I get it why their are all these new geese avatars

The gruff, tattooed hawk sat across from me, gingerly rubbing his wing. I did my best to hide my smile by jostling my toothpick.

"You were THAT close. Almost had me."

Every damn word of it was a lie. I held out my mighty boat paddle of a wing and took the embarrassed bird of prey's cash. It was a familiar scene. He shuffled off, the latest in tonight's line of losers leaving twenty dollars lighter. It was about this time I had taken to rifling through my ill gotten gains when the bartender and temporary referee punched me on the shoulder.

"Look sharp Big Wing, you got a live one coming in. Heh, get a look at this guy."

I half turned in my seat and motioned the newcomer to the spot the hawk had just vacated. I watched the goose in the colorful vest closely as he made his way over and plopped down opposite of me.

"Yo." The goose spat out his word.

My eyes narrowed and I took an even closer gander at the gander across from me. Something was familiar about him, but different. I couldn't quite place it.

"What brings you to the Skein? You don't look like an arm wrestler." I needled him, I could tell he walked in here with an agenda that did not include winning twenty dollars from me.

"Bro."

When the strange goose removed his sunglasses, it was as if a blindfold had been simultaneously removed from my own eyes. I froze in place, and it wasn't until I heard my golden toothpick clatter on the table top that I snapped out of it. Just looking at him I felt so many different emotions welling up inside of me... mainly how decidedly not cool our last escape had ended. I thought he hated me... but here he was.

"Steve?" I said meekly.

"We need you for something really cool."

We? The Squawd? Why would they come calling after so long, especially after... last time?

"Liz Doomore. She's having a par-tay!" Steve drummed on the table.

The happiness of the reunion was blunted just slightly.. Doomore. I'd heard that name around here more and more as of late.

"She's talking to animals and has a lot of money. We're gonna take it and do much cooler stuff with it." Steve leaned back in the wooden chair, thumbs up, cool as a cucumber.

"Talking? From what I hear, that's the least of our worries." I scoffed.

The Skein was a rough place. Only problems had come to roost within its walls, talking all sorts of unsavory business. And nothing runs its mouth more than a gaggle of drunken birds.

"Whah?" Steve said, perplexed.

"Her 'little' machine. Babel. It's what has brought her all of the riches. We get our wings on that and we can print money on demand, never mind what she's made from her books and seminars. Some cuckoos came through here clucking and tweeting about it last week. Everyone ignored them, but I was eavesdropping. They say she isn't just speaking to them, she is controlling them. Say she'll have every single one of us back in petting zoos, probably after this shindig." I quickly noticed I was biting down on my toothpick out of anger.

"Babble? None of that sounds cool at all except for the money, what the hell." Steve was disgusted. "...It DOES sound like you're down to party, though."

I stood up and began to slowly pace.

"It's tempting... But I could never... I could only drive her. Gander is a miracle worker but he can't raise the dead." I lowered my head sadly.

Steve reached into his purple vest. He pulled out a familiar key ring, sans keys, and laid it on the table where he still sat.

"Never say never bro. You do this and Gander has promised the Oiseaux. Reborn from the ashes like the cool mythical bird it is."

I picked up the keyring. My key ring. My baby. And I clutched it so tightly that my brown wing turned white.

"You son of a bitch, I'm in."

The Take: Babble - a device created by Dr. Doomore that has allowed her to secretly control animals, which she plans on using to send all animals back to zoos, shelters, and the wild after the benefit. Also up for grabs for some side scratch, Doomore’s impressive fortune that she has amassed as a result of her scheming.

Ryan’s Agenda: To get his feathery butt behind the wheel of his beloved Oiseaux, his getaway car thought to be destroyed during that last…one last job

Up next, Percival is recruited by the man who saved his hide back in prison. Boc tells us what job the crew needs to pull off or what they’ll need to retrieve before even thinking of waltzing into Doomore’s benefit for the main heist

Zersch, you certainly have a way with words and with birds.

I crack wise about everything in life except for when it comes to birds.

Dead serious about birds.

Mafia All Stars Vern! @ 8/6/2022 11:26

Now I get it why their are all these new geese avatars

silly goose.