Summer Wallock

Parking the sputtering chevy along the side of the street, Summer waited for a line of cars to pass by before getting out and working loose the straps of Raimi's safety seat. "Have you ever been here before, Conan? I'm not much for the night scene, but they do have a great selection of breakfast and lunch items." After getting the toddler out and back in her arms, she moved towards the building, opening the door with one hand and balancing Raimi expertly with the other, having had plenty of practice with a baby Greg in this sort of thing. "What do you think Raimi might like?"

Conan*Raimi

As he got out of the truck, Conan shook his head to indicate that he'd never been here before, and proceeded to answer the other question with his fingers. If it holds still long enough and doesn't bite him, Raimi will eat it. He isn't particular. In fact-

"Zekovi kovi kovi!" cried Raimi, and his brother froze, fingers fixed in stone halfway through a sign. Raimi was grinning, remembering that this was the place where Lanny and Sheryl had so often brought him, and anticipating seeing his friends again. But Conan recognized the mangled name the tyke produced, and that was what made him stop abruptly, eyes wide and just barely restraining one hand from moving back to the concealed gun as his gaze swept the street.

Summer Wallock

Summer was just giving a laugh to Conan's reply when the younger brother began to chant out the name. It was one that she was all too familiar with, and try as she did, she could quite keep a tightness from setting in around her jawline. There was a fleeting moment where she just stood there, shocked beyond reason and unable to bring up in her mind why Raimi was suddenly parroting the name, and just where he'd learned it.

After this brief spell, Summer brought the familiar control back to her face as a group of customers were brushing past them to take their exit. Using this minor distraction, the woman tried to smile away the incident and distract the youngster as she stepped into the diner area of the Night Club. "If you're anything like Greg was, I'll bet you'll want chocolate milk for a drink? How about you, Conan?" Taking a highchair from a stack near the wall, Summer dragged it over to a small table and began to seat the toddler in.

Off towards the further end of the restaurant, unhearing of the name that had been chanted, Lanny was reeling from last night's binge. With his face tucked down and hidden in his arms, which were folded across the bar top, he didn't notice just who had entered the place.

Conan*Raimi

Feeling both of them freeze around him, Raimi instantly froze too, suddenly silent. Conan was still glancing around them, eyes penetrating every nook and cranny within a hundred yards of them, making sure no assassins peered out of those corners.

But at long last, when Summer moved forward again, Conan forced himself to relax and move with her. Keeping a little behind her as they walked, he moved into the building and sat down at the table Summer had chosen, watching her settle Raimi into the highchair and slowly relaxing. It was very fortunate that neither Raimi nor Conan had spotted Lanny as they came in, or Raimi would have called joyfully for his favorite 'uncle', and Conan would have put an abrupt end to their little outing.

Summer & Lanny

Once the three of them were settled, Summer passed a little fold-open menu towards Conan, and one for Raimi so he wouldn't feel left out. As she was looking over the selections, the woman innocently brought up a topic that she thought the boy would be interested in speaking about, "Mr. Linus seems like such a nice fellow; did you have a fun time watching his horses? I'm afraid we aren't big equine enthusiasts, but Greg's friend Kate sure is. She has two over at their house, if you ever want to go there to see them."

Conan*Raimi

As both brothers picked up the offers menus, Conan actually to make a selection and Raimi to instantly turn his upside down to look at the pictures, Summer innocently chose a very bad topic. He didn't freeze again, but Raimi looked up from the menu pictures, meeting eyes with his brother. With his control restored after conquering the nightmare this morning, Conan managed to keep calm and carefully redirect the conversation so that he wouldn't have to tell Summer any more lies. I have a horse... somewhere. An Egyptian Arabian mare, purest lines you'll find around, except perhaps Aralyn's horse, Psyche. Her name's Ammit. She's... a bit skittish, half-wild you might call her. Not much for people, but she's tame as a kitten for me and Raimi. Only problem is, about the same time Aralyn and Raimi both vanished from home, the last time I was in the hospital, so did Ammit.

Summer & Lanny

Knowing pretty well what she wanted, Summer set her menu down after a brief look-over. She couldn't help but smile at Raimi and his upside-down view of the list, but knew that turning it around wasn't going to help anything, so she focused back on the flying hands of Conan, "I'm very sorry to hear that, Conan. If she's half-wild like you say, I'll bet she's running with one of the local herds. You know, they're really starting to fill the area lately, like I've never seen before. If you can convince Greg to ride, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to show you where all the local herds are established, and maybe you can find Ammit out there."

Swamped by a headache and the turmoil of a very unhappy gut, Lanny found every little bit of stimuli very unnerving and aggravating. Vaguely, he recognized Summer's voice, but didn't think anything of it until... did she say Conan...? The teen lifted his head slowly, squinting bloodshot eyes against the light he'd been hiding them from. Everything was rather fuzzy and out of focus, but his groggy stared soon picked out the flare of familiar red hair across the other end of the room.

Hangover aside, Lanny was in no condition to make any confrontation right now. His right hand was still casted, as was his left leg and ankle from the attack at the Aegis Den. He could not hope to hit the broadside of a barn with his non-dominant hand, and in any case, he was alone at the moment.

Conan*Raimi

Grateful that her attention had been diverted away from the 'caring for Ben's horses' topic, Conan was almost relaxed as he lay down his own menu, still open so that he could point to what he wanted for the waiter, and answered Summer. She's not much of a socialite. Kind of a loner sort. Even if she is with one of the wild herds, I doubt that she'd come to me with Greg sitting there nearby. No offense to him... Greg is a good guy. Just... Ammit's a little man-shy. In fact, I don't think she'd have come to me if she hadn't been wounded and half-starved at the time. But, there you have it. A great friendship started because I had medicine and food to offer.

And Raimi, soon boring of looking at the pictures, had dropped his menu on the floor, which Conan bent to retrieve, and was looking around the room, watching the faces around him with the fascination of all small things. But he was quiet enough until his tiny brown eyes met Lanny's across the room, and then his face fell. There hadn't been many times when Lanny had been drunk in the toddler's presence, while Raimi was staying with them, but the few times had made a definite impression upon the kid. He didn't quite understand the concept that the young man was trying to drink his troubles away, but what he did get was that whenever Lanny drank, he was sad, and that sadness got worse as the drinking went on, like a deep internal wound closed over by new skin, but left to fester inside. So his whimper was oh so quiet. "Lanneeeeeee..."

But even that soft word caught Conan's attention, making him turn his efforts to comforting his brother, who looked like he'd break down and cry at any second. But fortunately, in his preoccupation with the kid, he gave no though to the word Raimi had produced.

Summer & Lanny

From where he was seated, with his pulse drumming strongly in his ears, he didn't catch with the toddler said. But, even in his state, he could see the way the kid's face dissolved somewhat, and how he spoke in the quiet tones that, unlike his usual chatter, was a sign that he was troubled. The teen clenched his teeth and curled his good hand into a fist. His devotion and care for the kid, which could so easily be taken in the wrong way, was merely the innocent want to protect and look after what he saw as something of a little brother figure in Raimi. And seeing the toddler for the first time since he'd be stolen back almost brought a wave of violence into Lanny's dismal stare. However, he remained where he was, breathing hard and heavy to keep his building temper under control and prevent himself from standing up and letting himself be known. Yet.

"Poor thing, I understand. I do work with shelter animals, and I come across that scenario far too often." Summer returned, taking a pause when the waiter finally made his way over to take their orders. "It's a wonderful thing that you were able to help her out. It seems that so many people these days delight in cruelty to those less fortunate." The woman shook her head in dismay at the thought, and before she could go on about it, she noticed the way Raimi seemed to break down at random, "Raimi, what's wrong?" Leaning towards the toddler, she ran a hand across his head, parting her fingers through his hair.

Conan*Raimi

Conan also put forth his efforts to soothe his little brother, turning in his seat a little to stroke the kid's back and mutter halting things to him under his breath. But neither this nor Summer's fingers running through his hair were acknowledged, as Raimi's eyes were all for Lanny, still whimpering in his place. And though tears hadn't made an appearance yet, they were well on their way.

Puzzled and concerned, Conan signed to Summer, Only one thing causes this level of distress in him, and that is if a friend is hurting. He has an awareness for the feelings of others that is very keen... What I don't understand is- His hands broke off the sentence as he followed the toddler's gaze across the room and locked eyes with Lanny. Almost instantly, the fingers flying before Summer switched thoughts. We've got to get out of here. Now.

Summer & Lanny

Up until this point, Summer had devoted her attention to talking gently to the youngster, trying to comfort him from this unknown source of grief. Her storm-cloud eyes were then on Conan's hands, reading through his signed words till they abruptly left off. And before she could turn her gaze up to follow where his eyes had gone, the hands were zipping through rushed words with a flare of intensity. "What's wrong?"

Lanny didn't know sign language, but his eye for body language was as sharp as a tack. Not that it was needed in this situation; he knew just how Conan felt about him, and the feelings were mutual. With narrowed eyes, the older teen stood up and began to cross the floor towards the three.

Conan*Raimi

Conan didn't have a chance to answer before Lanny was up and making his way toward them. Instinctively, he was up on his feet, moving between the oncoming young man and both Raimi and Summer, shielding them from view with his body and facing down the inebriated fellow. His hand was trembling a little at his side, but he didn't draw the gun yet, since they were in a public place and he didn't want it to be said that he attacked first. Whatever Lanny dished out first, Conan could take, and that would be the only provocation or legal reason he needed to draw the gun.

But in contrast to his brother's anger, Raimi reacted with still more distress, alternately whining, "Raaasss-Raaaassss," and "Lanneeeeeee", as if calling the two young men's names in that mournful tone would belay the explosive situation that was building between them.

Summer & Lanny

"You've been damned lucky, Rasputin. But your luck can't last forever." Stopping a few feet shy from the three, Lanny leaned heavily on his un-casted leg, while staring unblinkingly into the other's eyes. "Looks like you found yourself a family, did you?" Vicious eyes shot to Summer before landing back on Conan with a vengeance.

Summer was up already, taking Raimi out of the highchair and holding him tightly, "Lawrence!" She was not a physically confrontational woman, but the sharp voice and piercing stare was far from timid or meek.

Conan*Raimi

He swept his non-dominant hand back at Summer, telling her to stay put as she grabbed Raimi from the chair, and he shifted again to best shield both of them. He wanted to cut and run, taking Summer and Raimi with him, but that would only rain anger down upon Summer, Collin, and Greg, something which he wanted to avoid. So instead he remained in front of Lanny, and mustered the strength and concentration to return the insult. "Lo-oks like - you f-found you-rself... the bo-tt'm of a - glass." He was seeming to have a great deal of trouble getting the words out, as if there was something in the way that he was having to force past. The words came in irregular bursts, but he finally managed them, his face wiping clean to take up neutrality as he sized up his potential opponent.

And at this moment, the tears started rolling down Raimi's face, reaching one hand for Conan, and one for Lanny, though he couldn't touch them with Summer's arms firmly around them. But his voice was just barely loud enough to be heard as he spluttered, "Noooooo... my Ras-Ras! My Lanneeeee..."

Summer & Lanny

Something insatiably dark and horrid glinted in his eyes, a terrible thing that could have been spawned by deep hate or despair, or a mixture of both. Whatever it was, the nerve was hit by Conan's halting words. And it was all that was needed for the troubled kid to loose his shaky grip on control. As his face twisted in an ugly snarl, Lanny propelled himself forward on his good leg, bunching his hand into a solid fist and letting it fly for the other's jaw.

"CONAN!" Summer did not want to stand idle and watch the fight, but she couldn't very well set down the toddler, or try to break up the fight with him in her clutches. Instead, she shrilled out the other's name, and then began in earnest to call out for help, trying to draw the attention of any other bystanders to corral the unstable Lanny.

Conan*Raimi

Conan took the blow solidly on the jaw, and though it jerked his head back quickly and loosed a grunt of pain from him, staggering him a bit, he remained still between Summer and Raimi and the drunken teen. He never fell over, thank goodness, by the sheer fact that he was taking after his father, and outweighed his opponent by a good bit. The other advantage he had was that his vision and motor control were unhindered by alcohol.

And though he wanted badly to send a good slug to Lanny for his trouble, the murder of Carl two days ago still was fresh in his mind, and he could not bring himself to cause more harm so soon. So, instead, he raised his left arm to block whatever follow-up attack the intoxicated older teen came up with, and then moved into a twisting motion that he hoped would put Lanny's back to him long enough for him to grasp hold of his arms and force him down onto the floor. And all of this set Raimi wailing in a high-pitched tone, drawing what attention hadn't been captured by Summer's scream. "NOOOOOO!!!!! RAAAASSSSS-RAAAASSSSSS! LANNEEEEEEEE! NOOOOO..."

Summer & Lanny

Withdrawing from the first punch, Lanny was setting a second one in motion, only to have it parried by Conan's quicker reflexes. "I'm not done with you yet, you son-of-a-bitch!" He snarled, trying to turn to the side and plow into his rival's gut with an extended elbow. But again, the stronger of the two prevailed, twisting Lanny about and hooking his arms powerlessly against himself. With a muffled sound of protest, he plunged for the floor.

"Someone, help! HELP!" Summer continued to call out frantically, holding Raimi tight and stroking at the side of his head and face in a fruitless attempt to console him. In her own defensive nature, her maternal instincts had her turned to the side, where Raimi was effectively out of the line of sight of the two boys, though she could do nothing to stop him from hearing the fight.

"I'll kill you!" Lanny raged out, trying to wrestle out from under the other's hold, while doing with he could to kick and elbow Conan.

Conan*Raimi

Once he had Lanny on the floor, Conan put a knee into the small of his back, most of his weight keeping the other down, though he was surprisingly careful about not using enough force in any of his restraint to cause further damage to the young man's casted limbs. And though every once in a while a foot would connect with his back or an elbow with his stomach, Conan never flinched: he'd felt far worse pain, beatings and otherwise, in his short life.

Instead of responding to any of the other's comments, Conan readjusted his grip on Lanny's arms, being very sure that he had control over their flailing before bending down close to his attacker's ear and forcing out. "The - only rea-son I do nnnot be't y-you sensssseless is - for Raimi. Be - g-glad he lik-kes you, or I - would fi-inish thiis."

And still Raimi continued to wail his heart-wrenching pain, loud and clear for everyone to hear, but those who heard the ruckus were standing or sitting tensely, as if more afraid of interfering than they were of watching the fight unfold in their midst. Over and over Raimi shrieked the name of his brother and his favorite uncle, trying to get them to stop quarreling, but to no avail. And his cries lessened no bit as Summer turned him away from the violence.

Summer & Lanny

Several more colorful threats were winged snarlingly at Conan. Amped by his grief at not only Carl's loss, but of seeing 'Randy' right there and being unable to take him back, Lanny was in full fight mode. The alcohol helped to lessen would would otherwise be a highly uncomfortable pressure against his back as the older teen bucked and tried to roll to the side, doing his best to throw Conan to the side, or at least free his good hand. "You don't know who you're messing with!"

"Lan, please! Conan!" Still keeping herself and Raimi back just out of hit range, Summer pleaded on deaf ears to the embattled pair. A quick look to the bar area told her that an employee was on the phone, and she could only imagine that it was the police.

Conan*Raimi

The threats passed over Conan as if they were no more than a brisk wind, but the bucking and rolling... not so much. Despite Lanny's smaller weight and the awkward position he was in, the liquor was lending him a good bit of determination, which was a good substitute. The result was a resounding crash as Conan was thrown free of his opponent and back into the table he'd so recently been sharing with Summer and Raimi, causing the plates on it to topple onto the floor, sending the sound of breaking glass reverberating around them as the table dropped over onto him.

He was on his feet in an instant, however, putting himself in front of the vulnerable ones again as he faced off with the unstable young man, not bothering to wipe the blood from a superficial cut to his temple he'd recieved when the shards of a plate exploded into his face.

Summer & Lanny

Even clumsied by drink, the familiar task of reaching for a weapon had Lanny's workable hand fishing for his pocket the instant it was free. Before he had even picked himself up, there was a glint of silver clutched in his hand, and this was thrust for Conan's guy in the blink of an eye. While the employee was shouting back to Summer that the cops were on their way, Lanny was sending his knife blade for his opponent, not caring whether this was just to wound, or whether it would kill, or even miss all together. Whatever his wild swing did, the older fighter was scrabbling back to his feet, and thrusting the blade madly for Conan, pouring all of his hostilities and depression into the assault.

From where Summer had scrambled back to keep from getting bowled over by the table, she hadn't yet seen the flash of silver, or her frantic calling would have certainly increased in pitch.

Conan*Raimi

Now working almost entirely on instinct, Conan did not dodge the knife attack, knowing that this action would leave Summer or, God forbid Raimi, to take the stabbing. But neither did Conan particularly want another gut wound. So his hand lashed quickly up from under Lanny's arm, the top of it just barely brushing the underside of the other's wrist before the hand snapped around to grasp sharp hold of the joint. As he felt the blade carve a valley into the already scarred plains of his arm, Conan's fingers were moving for the pressure points on either side of the wrist, to dig in his fingertips and force the elder teen to drop the knife, at which point the red head had a foot ready to propel the knife back behind him across the floor. Whether or not this was successful, he shifted his sliced arm, which was now dripping blood onto both his jeans and the floor, to shove Lanny back, hoping to buy a second or two of time.

Summer & Lanny

The blade fell as soon that the pressure points were hit, earning a muffled grunt from the enraged teen, followed up by another curse. And when the weapon was kicked from his reach before he could rightly figure out how to combat the new move, Conan was shoving him back.

This time, Summer kicked into action, seeing the tainted blade and gasping in horror. With Raimi turned well out of Lanny's range, she ducked briefly and kicked out a foot, catching the blade that Conan and sent across the floor. The weapon was then sent skittering across the tile several feet, now out of range of both the fighters.

"Hey, HEY! That's enough!" The employee who'd called the police was now rushing out from behind the counter and taking both of Lanny's arms, trying to haul the boy backwards and upwards, attempting to restrain him. "Both of you, enough!"

Conan*Raimi

As soon as the employee moved to take hold of Lanny and haul him away from Conan, the teen backed to stand warily in front of Summer and Raimi, not relaxing his guard yet in case the irate and struggling young man broke free of the restraining hold, but not moving to pursue the attack, either. His pacifist leaning were coming back into play again, something that would hopefully keep him out of trouble when the cops arrived, since they had been fighting in full view of the breakfast crowd and any of the customers or employees could testify that Conan had only been defending himself. This was supported by the fact that, though he considerably outsized his opponent, the red head was the only one who bore wounds of any kind, with a half-dried line of blood running from his temple and mingling with an already purpling bruise on his jaw, which was not to mention the arm, from which blood was still pouring, coating his jeans with the thick flow of it. But he seemed not to feel any of this as he passively faced off with Lanny, carefully guarded but not doing any more to attack him.

Summer & Lanny

The employee, with a great deal of effort at first, finally managed to completely subdue the enraged Lanny and guide him further away from Conan. When his struggled ended, the teen dropped into silence, with his reddened eyes fixated on Conan in a look of pure loathing and murder.

"Conan! Conan, are you alright?! Oh, honey... your arm." Still holding protectively onto Raimi, Summer moved in towards the older brother once it was apparent that Lanny was contained and not going to cause any more trouble. In the distance, the wail of sirens would soon be heard as the squad car approached the club.

Conan*Raimi

With Lanny safely restrained by the employee, Conan proceeded to ignore the darted glares he was getting, though his attention never fully moved away from the violently-inclined young man as he moved to assure Summer that he was fine, instinctively moving to place a hand on her arm to keep her from moving beyond his protection just yet, not realizing that in this motion he had just broken the forbidden touch barrier between them, since his eyes were still fixated on Lanny.

The only other thing that held his attention was the continued sound of Raimi's screaming as he squealed, "Lanneeeeee... jo mukhnat! Lanneeee!" and strained toward the restrained young man, before his eyes turned to his brother and he repeated the same thing, with his brother's name in place of the young man across from them, as if unable to decide who needed more comfort.

Summer, Lanny, & Ryan

Raimi's words spurred one last attempt by Lanny to bust forward and assault Conan again and return the young boy to the care of the Zelkovis. His efforts were put to quick rest by the employee, who forced the struggling teen down against the wall where he'd initially seated him.

One hand was still stroking across Raimi's head and back, and the other wrapped around the youngster to keep him in her firm hold. Without a spare hand, she couldn't inspect the wound as she wanted to, though she was reluctant to do such a thing anyway, at least while tensions were so high.

The sirens grew louder outside, until they were joined by a chorus of flashing lights. The squad car pulled up in front of the store, and with the three-toned lights still blazing in authority, officer Sohmers stepped out and headed briskly inside. "Zelkovi." A simple look in Lanny's direction warranted the almost exasperated sigh from the officer, who'd twice encountered the teen this week for public intoxication, and had plenty of run-ins with him in the past. Moving towards Summer and the two brothers, his first course of action was to establish the security of the area; and judging by how Lanny was occupied by the employee, the situation was most certainly contained for now, "Do you have any other injuries, sir?" Seeing that Lanny was intoxicated again, Ryan focused on Conan with the questions, stooping down a little to look at the arm, "Can you tell me how this all started?"

Conan*Raimi

Without half realizing what he was doing, Conan had flinched back from Sohmers, quickly moving the wounded arm out of range of the questing eyes and fingers. It was only after the movement was complete that he silently cursed himself for it, knowing that this would set off a tiny internal alarm in any policeman's head. So he refrained from moving any more, other than to keep the bloodied arm away from the prying eyes.

With that taken care of, Conan moved to answer Ryan's second question, but when his mouth opened and emitted only a hoarse sound, the red-head turned pleadingly to Summer, motioning her forward and beginning to sign so that she could speak for him. We were preparing to have breakfast. He came over and began making threats without provocation. I stood up, and he attacked me. I am willing to believe, however, that he is suffering from an excess of drink and trouble. The two combined build a lot of anger, which is something I can understand. As I am the only one harmed, I will press no charges.

Perhaps this might stun Summer, but Conan knew well enough that any charges he did attempt to hold against Lanny would inevitably be dropped, and resfused to waste his time or give the other the satisfaction of escaping the charges.

And after all of his struggling, Raimi was beginning to quiet. Though Conan would still not step out from in front of Summer, keeping himself even between the officer and the woman, Raimi could still see Lanny crouched against the wall, and the tears quieted from the anger and fear he'd been expressing to that low, heartbroken murmuring that he'd once expressed pressed into the younger Zelkovi brother's bunnyhug. But unlike the comfort he had sought from Lanny at that time, Raimi was straining against Summer's protective hold, trying to go to either Conan or Lanny, the first of whom did not feel safe taking him from the woman, just yet, and the second of which could not take him.

Summer & Lanny

When the boy withdraw his arm from sight, Ryan almost took a reflexive step back and reached for his weapon. But he was quick enough to see that the other's actions were not in motion for an attack, but rather a defensive measure, "There is an ambulance on the way. They'll have-"

"No, it's alright, Ryan. I can bandage his wounds." Summer's voice, rather shaken and strained, had dropped back into its soft and calm self as much as it was possible at this point. "Sshhhh, shhh, Raimi. It's alright." The woman continued trying to reassure the toddler, while taking the step to show Conan that their early discussion hadn't been forgotten. If he didn't like hospitals, he wouldn't be made to go to one. And when Conan began to sign, she obligingly recited his words for a rather confused Ryan.

"I'd like you to stick around for a bit longer. At least let the EMTs have a look at the arm." The officer returned, relenting a little but still bound to the obligation of his duties and seeing that this ordeal was straightened out in a professional manner. "You can sit down over there, I'll be back to speak with you in a moment." After radioing in to base, Sohmers went to Lanny next to get his side of the story.

Conan*Raimi

With the long-standing perception he possessed, Conan saw how his reaction had effected the officer, and so was careful to make no more sudden moves. And despite the thousand things in his mind that were fighting for his attention, he noted Summer's offer and remembrance of their earlier conversation, and relaxed a little. He still wasn't exactly eager to let anybody have a look at the slashed limb, but he found himself slightly more comfortable with letting Summer bind it up than with letting a stranger do so. The only thing that hand him uncomfortable now was the fact that, even through the thick wash of blood that was plastering his arm, it was still quite obvious that though this was the newest wound, it wasn't by any measure the only one, or the worst he had taken. That had partially been why he'd taken his arm away from Ryan: he didn't want the officer to see.

Raimi was still voicing his distress, but now had turned to Summer, burying his face in her shirt and seeking reassurance, still muttering both names every now and again in a whimpering tone.

Summer & Lanny

At the other end of the room, the conversation was going a little more roughly than it had with Conan and Summer. Though the teen's raised voice wasn't quite loud enough to make his words dicernable to the other party, it was clear by his face and animated hand gestures that he was not a happy camper about any of this. Ryan remained professionally calm throughout the ordeal, taking down notes and speaking levelly with the teen before moving on to witnessess and the employees.

Taking a seat at a table just past the one that had been overturned, Summer moved Raimi to her lap, never stopping in her attempt to soothe him. "Conan? Can I have a look at your arm?" The woman asked quietly after a moment, giving both herself and the teen time to collect their wits after the surprise attack.

Conan*Raimi

He'd just been working on getting himself calm and returning back to a more normal mode of behavior, remembering that he had the gun in the back of his jeans, though at least he had a liscense to carry, a rare thing for a sixteen year old but not altogether unheard of. Still it had him a little bit worried and jumpy, so it was good that Summer kept her voice low and soft when she spoke to him. Even still, he considered her for a long moment, fist clenching and unclenching and muscles flexing and relaxing in the shredded arm before he finally sat down across from her and put the limb on the table between them so that she could have a look.

Summer, Lanny, & Ryan

She didn't touch the arm at first, instead just examining it critically as it was laid out before her. "I just don't understand what happened with him. Lawrence use to be such a sweet little boy." She murmured sadly under her breath, letting her head shake faintly, before speaking louder, "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that... I promised I would keep you safe, but... I didn't expect this."

There weren't many customers that willingly spoke on the matter, but those that did told of the same story, and one which backed up Conan's tale word for word. He was merely acting in self defense, which wasn't hard for Ryan to believe, considering Lanny's temperment. "He's being taken down town for questioning. Considering his affiliations, I will escort you back to your home, and provide security for a few days. Whenever you're ready to go, we can head out." Having collected all the statements he needed, the officer was back with the three victims, explaining in brief the situation.

Conan*Raimi

The teen was looking at the table between himself and Summer, unconsciously keeping a submissive pose as he didn't meet her eyes, though the muscles in his arm were clenched tight to express his apprehension, letting be known his urge to bolt, but he was trying desperately to trust Summer, because with Aralyn in the hospital and Nadeem under the control of the ATHA, he badly needed someone to cling to, somebody that he could relax with and not feel like he had to put up a front. So, though he was frightened and clearly uncertain, he left his arm on the table between them, letting her look it over.

He flinched again when Ryan came back toward them, silently cursing to himself again and wanting to take the arm away, but after the results of this the first time around, he didn't dare, plus he didn't want to hurt Summer's feelings. So he left the liberally scarred appendage there on the table, nodding his understanding to the officer.

Summer, Lanny, & Ryan

Without any bandages or supplies with her, Summer could do little for the injury right now, though at least she noted that it was not a life-threatening wound that needed immediate attention. "We'll get that cleaned and bandaged just as soon as we get home." In the middle of explaining this, the woman looked up to Ryan when they were approached, and flashed an appreciative smile, "We're ready to go now, if that's alright."

The officer nodded, "It should only be a few minutes before back-up arrives. Why don't the tree of you get in your vehicle, and I'll be out shortly." He returned, taking a pause to respond to a message on his receiver. The scars that decorated the boy's arm had him staring for a brief second, then quickly darting his gaze away with a mental curse, figuring that Conan didn't appreciate the attention.

Hoisting Raimi back to her hip, Summer took her stand, and after giving Conan a reassuring smile, headed back outside to put the toddler in his safetyseat.

Conan*Raimi

Conan winced internally when Ryan's gaze focused a little longer than was comfortable on his arm, but it only increased his submissive tone, instinctively making him shrink a little bit, though he managed to battle back the idea of altogether fleeing the building, which suddenly felt tight and oppressive to him. He was infinitely relieved when Summer rose to lead them outside. When they made it out the door, he was slowly able to relax, leaning against the car and closing his eyes for a long moment as Summer fastened the toddler in, though he was careful to keep the bloodied arm away from the car so as not to make a mess. If he hadn't been in public, Conan would have removed his shirt and used that to staunch the bloodflow, but there was no way he was doing it where that cop could see when he wasn't even comfortable letting Summer see his arms yet, which bore the mildest of his mother's creative art projects. Instead he stood patiently, one arm resting on the top of the car and most of his weight propped on it, treasuring the open space like a first breath of air.

Summer, Lanny, & Ryan

It didn't take long for the backup car to arrive, where two uniformed officers moved inside to collected the handcuffed assailant and lead him to the vehicle. "This isn't over yet! We'll have him back!" As he was being guided into the backseat, Lanny shot out this threat, before his head disappeared and the door was closed behind him.

Leaving the other officers to deal with the kid, Ryan moved back to his car and got in. "You sure you don't want to let the medics take a look at that arm?" He questioned, turning around to look at the three in the backseat, but his question was dismissed a second time by Summer. Ending the discussion at that, Ryan pulled away from the Night Club and headed for Midtown Gardens.

Conan*Raimi

The threat cut into Conan with ease, bringing yet another flinch and moving him to step in front of Summer again as she strapped the toddler into the car. It was only after the other teen had been closed into the other squad car and Summer was finished loading Raimi that he stepped out of the way and, waiting for her to get into the car, slipped down on Raimi's other side, beginning a low hum to soothe the still bawling child on the way back to the trailer.