[M.E.] The Italian Job (Dom/Tash/Open)

[Sam Ballerino]

((OOC: Dom and I haven't actually had a real thread yet, but for the sake of time purposes, we agreed to assume that our characters have met.))

Sam had been quite the busy bee for the last couple weeks. The second Dominic had said he'd wanted to do something special for Tash, Sam jumped immediately at the chance to help. There was a rather popular trend going around Moral Crest these days, and Sam thought it would be a perfect time to get these two in on the fun.

So Sam had been on and off the phone nonstop with her mother, the party planner of all party planners; tailors, dress shops, bakeries, hotel clerks (most of them idiots) jewelers, banquet halls and the like; and, of course, Tash and Dom themselves - covertly, of course. While Dom knew that something was going on, he had no idea what, and hopefully Tash didn't even know that much; and Sam planned to keep it that way for the both of them until it was far too late. She tried to go to Dom as much as possible when she could, as she tended to ask rather cryptic questions. However, in the instances when Dom just wouldn't do, she tried to call Tash at the times she thought the girl would most likely be "flying high," to put it metaphorically, in the hopes that it would impede the girl's memory.

She called Dom again. "Ok. Meet me at 5pm on the 17th," she said, giving him the section of the beach he was to be at. It was three days from now. "Bring a swimsuit, but wear a tux - and a smile."

At noon three days later she was already there, making sure everything was in place for the day. She picked up her phone and called Tash. "Sorella? Can you come meet me? I've got something to show you." She grinned to herself as she looked at the dress still sitting on it's mannequin, waiting to be worn. "Bring a swimsuit, but don't wear it." Sam clicked her phone shut, humming quietly as she went about her business, waiting for the pair to show up.

It was a good day for a mock wedding.

[Dominic]

Dom hadn't a clue of what was going on just that Sam wanted him at the beach in a tux with a swim suit, at five o'clock.

At the appointed day and time he swung his Audii R8 into the parking lot at the beach. It was a nice day for a drive along the coast, especially when your car had a v-12 twin turbo. He had decided on his white tux, it was a beach thing anyway so it made sense to wear a summer tux regardless of the actual season. He had trimmed his close cut beard and attempted to tame his hair. He didnt know what was going on but if he was told to wear a tuxedo, he figured he should go the whole nine yards (as the americans would say).

He left the swim suit in the car and locked it. He could see Sam waving to him. Most Italian men know better than to trust a woman on such short notice, but that was in relation to Italian women. Sam, although of Italian descent, was truly a Californian woman. Dom should have known better to trust a Californian woman, who are just as crafty as Italian women but, he was new here.

He strode out to the sand noting that this coastline was far colder than the ones he was used to back home. He was suddenly glad to be wearing the tuxedo.

"You going to tell me what's going on mi ameci", Dom yelled to Sam.

[Tash]

She'd gotten a call from Sam. Come to the beach, bring a swimsuit...but don't wear it. Alrighty then. She'd been hearing from Sam a lot lately, not that she was complaining. She liked hearing from a fellow Italiana, but for some reason she couldn't ever remember what they talked about. Sam had a tendency lately to call while she was a bit high....

She packed a towel and a simple black bikini in her messenger bag, tossed in a big downy moss green towel, contemplated sunblock for a minute before shrugging it off. That shit never worked; she browned anyway.

If they were going swimming, she didn't need to worry about makeup or hair, so she neglected both, leaving her hair to its natural splendour and forgoing eyeliner (which was all she ever wore anyway). Tash made her way down to her car, put Bambino in reverse, backed him out of his spot and zoomed out of the lot and down to the beach location.

When she arrived she could see Sam and...Dom? That had to be his Audi in the lot. How many other Audi R8s in SF had European plates? She sat in her car for a minute before cautiously getting out, bag in hand. What was going on here...

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam saw Dom pull up and park in the lot, and she waved him over as he got out of the car. Ooh, a white tux. Nice.

"Yeah, I'll explain in a minute," she said as they reached each other. "You and Tash are-" she saw another car pull up, an instantly recognizable Mustang Fastback... "Merda!" She grabbed Dom by the hand and ran, dragging him to a small yet she'd set up as a changing room for Tash. She placed him behind it, speaking quickly as she pulled two rings out of her pocket.

“I’ll bring Tash in here. Just stand there and listen, you’ll get it. And hold those,” she added dumping the rings into his hand. “Sono spiacente.” She sighed. “Ho pensato che avessi più tempo.”

She came out from behind the tent, mentally preparing herself for what would probably be her most difficult task – convincing Tash to put on the dress. She gave her friend a hug as she reached her. “Ciao, sorella,” she said, grinning. “You brought a swimsuit?” She started walking back toward the tent. “I’ve got something for you,” she said, a sly smirk making it’s way across her face. A lot of somethings… But we won’t overload her all at once.

[Tash]

Sam gave her a hug - the first time they'd ever shared one. But it felt as natural as calling the girl "sister" in their mothertongue so that was perfectly fine. Tash hugged back and smiled despite her confusion. She lets Sam lead her away, holding out the black suit in one hand.

"Here it is. And I brought a towel. You said not to wear it....so I dunno what I'm supposed to be wearing. This is going to have to do."

She says, motioning down at her usual worn white wifebeater (a maroon bra was barely visible beneath the fabric) and lowslung cargo shorts with their thick black belt. Her sandaled feet made a hushing noise on the sand as she slouched after her friend. Tash wasn't giving up so easy: there was something up here. Sam's little grin only made her more certain.

"That's Dom's car." She says suddenly, looking Sam straight in the eye. It's not a question, it's not a demand or a thought. It's a statement, blunt and aimed to throw the other girl off.

[Dominic]

Dom knew how to hide, but on the beach in a tux. That was going to be hard. He instantly realized that Sam was up to something, but what was beyond him. Then Tash shows up, rather confused and then she notices his car. Dom flinches. He knows that obviously his presence is supposed to be a secret and that Sam was going to have to do some quick talking to make her plan work now.

"Jesus Cristo", Dom thought to himself, "Sam is going to try and put a dress on her!"

Dom couldn't help but smile at the thought of what Sam could have been thinking. This would be good.

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam bit her lip as Tash squared her straight off. She obviously knew something was up, and wanted no bullshit about it. Unfortunately, Sam wasn't ready to spill her secrets just yet. She gave Tash a small smile.

"Sorella, I told you I had something to show you." She took Tash's hand, leading her to the tent with another smile. "Fidarmi di, sorella."

Assuming the italiana followed, the two would enter the tent, and sitting on a mannequin would be a white dress.

"Put this on," Sam said, hoping against hope that she would just put it on. "I'll explain things to you when it's on," she added, hoping it would give her some incentive. Her eyes flicked momentarily to the opposite wall of the tent, where Dom waited. Hopefully he'd just keep himself hidden like she told him and wait for her to explain.

[Tash]

Tash let Sam take her hand and lead her away but a suspicious little frown on her face and her head on a swivel. There was no way there were two Audi R8s with European plates in town...okay well San Francisco was a big town. But Italian plates? Really? She thought not....but she didn't argue.

That was, until Sam showed her the dress. First problem: it was a dress. Second problem: it was white. Third problem: it had lace. Fourth problem: it was delicate. Fifth problem: it was a dress. An avalanche of words tumble out of her mouth and she backs away like a skittish horse.


"Aw, hell no!!! Perché state provando a comprimerli in un vestito bianco!? L'inferno si congelerà sopra! And they will make snowcones out of the Ice from Hell before I wear that dress!!!" She turns a pleading green eye on her friend. "Un vestito? Sam, sorella, dovete scherzare!? Prego... sere scherzare?"

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam bit her lip. This was going to be difficult. "Tash, per favore. Semi fidi di." She took the girl gently by the shoulders. Might as well explain everything. It would be such a shame if everything went to waste because she couldn't get her to put on a dress. "Dominic ha detto ha voluto fare qualche cosa di speciale per i due di voi, ma non mi avesse idea che cosa fare, in modo da gli dicesse che avrei aiutato."

Sam pulled her over to the mannequin. "Come on, sorella, please? Trust me, the two of you are going to like this. Can't you tell what this is?" A small smirk reappeared on the girl's lips. "A dress? A white dress? A horribly fancy white dress? And, as you so quickly deduced... Dom is here. And by coincidence, perfectly matching the color. Hmm." She turned her attention back to the garment for a moment to let Tash sort things out. The word "wedding" should be popping into her head in three... two... one...

[Tash]

Tash stared at her for a minute. She had nothing to say to that. Because it was suddenly very clear what Sam meant. One of those cartoon twisters, all funky lines and stars and curlicues had popped up in her head - like when Bugs Bunny gets KO'd and you see the little whirly cloud above his head before he drops. She bet you could see one of her head head now.

"Ah fuck! Sam, merde, you did not!?"

She wasn't angry. It was close to embarrassment really but she wasn't embarrassed about a mock wedding to Dominic. It was more having been wrangled into the whole get up in the first place and the fact that she and Dominic hadn't really gone public. In fact, most people at Moral Crest hadn't even met him yet. She narrowed her eyes at Sam, mock punching her in the shoulder.

"Ugh. I can't believe I'm letting you do this, sorella!" She says and gives Sam a quick flash of a smile as she snatched the dress away from her friend and stomped off to the dressing room. She emerged about ten minutes later barefoot and unsure of how she should act wearing any dress, much less.....(she facepalmed mentally)...a wedding dress. The garment fit her quite well: she had been endowed with enough Latin curves to fill out the strapless bust - exceptionally well, in fact - but all of her physical activity kept her waist pretty trim and she made quite the classic hourglass figure. Her almond skin contrasted beautifully with the white of the dress, lending an exotic edge to the class. She looked thoroughly overwhelmed.

"Alright, sorella. You win. Bring out the snowcones."

[Dominic]

"Snowcones?", thought Dom to himself. What in the hell are the snow cones for? Those bambinas had better not throw shaved ice at him! Dom was now far more fascinated at the fact that Sam actually got Tash, tomboy extraordinaire, to put on that dress. Dom was wondering, to be honest, how Sam got a tux on him. Damn that girl was clever, gah. Oh well Sam's time would come and Dom and Tash would massively tag her back. He knew that Tash would go after her friend for this, she had done it to him plenty of times, so he figured he would just ride the coattails.

Dom waited in anticipation to see how his lovely woman would look in this dress.

[Sam Ballerino]

Three... two... one... and...

Sam saw the dawn of recognition in Tash's eyes, and braced herself for the explosion, which ended up being much smaller than she'd expected. And then she grabbed the dress without further argument. Sam grinned smugly to herself as Tash stomped away.

"I didn't invite anyone or anything," she said as the girl changed. "I was going to. You know, big banquet dinner and everything, but I decided to keep it a tiny thing. It more intimate that way." And cheaper... "And since it's only a mock wedding, I certified myself. I'll be marrying you two this evening."

Her grin widened as she spoke, but fell off in surprise as Tash came out. "Jesu Cristo... La mia bella sorella." And she really did feel like Tash's sister at that moment. She grabbed both of her friend's hands. "Take that look off your face, you look gorgeous. I'll be right back." She dashed outside to where poor Dom was left standing. "Ok, come on. She's almost ready." She dragged him a little ways down the beach, to a makeshift altar made from a simple bridal arch covered in plastic flowers.

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure this out, if you haven't already, but this ring is for you, and this one is for Tash," she said, pointing them out. "Just stand there, and wait to be amazed."

She ran back to the tent as best she could in her pretty sandals and long white skirt. With her halter top and the flower in her long brown hair, she was SO ready for this summer wedding. She placed another white flower behind Tash's ear. "Come on, sorella. It's time to get married."

[Tash]

Oh Sam owed her. Sam owed her big time. It wasn't that she didn't love Dominic. God, she loved him even if she'd never told him. She was pretty sure he knew it too. And she knew he loved her.

It was just...this was so sudden! Add that to the fact that she's always been so used to keeping her feelings for Dominic in the dark, hiding them away, making what they meant to each other ambiguous and unclear, that this was something she wasn't mentally adjusted for yet. It was a major mind trip. Hell, she didn't even think Break - who was one of the people at 42 she talked to the most - knew she and Dom were officially an item.

Tash was a friendly person but discretion about her personal life was a big thing for her and this was.......not discrete. At all. She was mortified, but she stepped out onto the sand in the dress anyway. Why?

Because Sam was giving her puppy eyes. Because she might as well go with the flow, right? But most of all because she supposed that if Sam's reaction was anything to go by, she looked good (ick. ick ick ick.) in the dress. And it would make Domino happy to see her fixed up for him....he'd wanted to do something special for her. And she was a sucker for his smiles. That's what it came down to. If she did this, he'd smile and be happy and she loved that more than anything she'd ever known.

[Dominic]

Dom was still hiding. This was primarily for two reasons. First off no one had told him to stop hiding and come out so he really didnt know what was up. Secondly, there was probably a very angry Tash out there. There was no way he was going out there until the situation had defused a bit.

He knew that Tash would look good, she always did. However, she always bitched about her appearances, it was so annoying. How could she not see her own beauty. Not that Dom thought he was any great shakes, but that was so not the point.

"Well," Dom thought to himself, "I could always just take a quick peek around the corner there.
"

He stuck his head out just as the girls turned around. "DAMN!" Dom exclaimed.

[Tash]

"Snowcones snowcones snowcones." Tash groused to herself, spitting the word like it was the f-bomb as she noticed Dominic had noticed her. She was a girl who wasn't unaware that she was pretty but who was embarrassed about making a big deal about it. The look in Dominic's eyes was as infuriating as it was flattering. She wanted to blush and pummel him at the same time. She had no idea why she had such a hard time taking compliments but thyey made her so self conscious. Sure, again, she supposed she was pretty but she dressed down and hardly ever wore makeup on account of the fact that a) dressing down was comfortable and b) she didn't feel that she was pretty enough to make a big deal out ofof her looks.

She caught his eye and blushed. He was wearing a white suit and looked undeniably dashing. Some guys couldn't pull off a white suit but he did wonderfully. He looked like a mafia don's son. She almost giggled but managed to hide it by flinging her veil over her face and stuffing a fist in her mouth. A little smile still twitching at the corners of her mouth, she turns to Sam.


"Alright sorella, you little cadavere. Let's get this over with. You better have hired a damn good photographer!"