A meeting.

charlieluciano:

By the time Charlie leaves Darning & Weaver’s the sky’s already fading from blue to indigo-black. He’d meant to leave earlier, but Meyer kept his attention longer than intended - just talking, keeping close, attached even more than usual after two days of quiet in their suite at the Fairmont.

Not that he’d come for reason other than to check on his friend, to begin with - aside from bringing food, and casually dropping yet another box of watches on Meyer’s desk for him to roll his eyes at. 

What? 

When are you buying us that push-cart? 

Still, for all it’s late he can still meet Darmody on time. Intending to settle things between them a little more soundly than gruff meetings or being held at gunpoint, he’d extended the invitation for drinks not really expecting the other man to accept. Yet he had - though maybe not quite so enthusiastically as Charlie was used to. But as Meyer said (and told him to stop whining, which Charlie’s sure he never did) - it was something. 

He flips open his cigarette case only to find it near empty - scowling as he lights one, he checks his watch. Darmody’s due to meet him at the bar he’d mentioned in just under an hour, so he could just pick up more on the way. 

Jimmy still can’t believe he’s in New York City. There’s so many things he should be attending to back home, business and otherwise, but instead he’s wandering around Lower Manhattan in search of a speak he’s not even entirely convinced he’s going to find.

He doesn’t much like Luciano, doesn’t really trust him either. Not on a personal level, anyway. But when he called suggesting they meet for drinks, saying they should try to settle their differences, if only so they could work together more efficiently, Jimmy found himself agreeing and accepting the invitation. 

There’s so much tension and bad blood back home. He’s not sure who his allies are anymore. If he can clear up even one thing, solidify just one alliance, he thinks, maybe things will start to get easier. 

Besides, all the things he should be attending to are not things he’s particularly looking forward to doing. Charlie dumped a good excuse to avoid them right in his lap, and he would be stupid to have ignored it. 

As he rounds a corner he recognizes the name on the street sign. The place should only be another couple of blocks downtown. Ignoring the part of his brain that tells him it’s not too late to back out now, he digs into the inside pocket of his jacket for his cigarettes and soldiers on.