Living in the same aparment complex as James was reason enough to give Matt plenty of anxiety, though he had so far managed to avoid a real run in with the Gang leader. More than once, he had heard some strange things coming from the leader's room, and there was little doubt in Matt's mind that James was a seasoned killer at his young age.

Having just finished some recent work for YIGS, Matt decided to take a break from the hectic apartment and get away from the computer for a while. Dressed in a casual pair of loose jeans and a plain blue shirt, he entered the Night Club while trying to remain as inconspicuous as he could... well, until he was sure that none of the CS Gang was around.

Brushing a strand of black hair from his face, Matt seated himself at a table near the bar area. With a heavy sigh, he tried to forget about his worries and focus on having a good time.

Strong blue eyes lingered on Matt for a few decisive moments, studying the kid. It wasn't until Matt appeared to relax more that Laurence got up and moved with a purposeful gait across the floor, his sandy-blonde hair highlighted with the multi-toned lights that illuminated the night scene. His breath laden with alcohol, the young CS Gang member pulled up a seat right next to the techy.

Setting down a half-empty cup one the table with enough force to spatter some of the amber-hued content out, Laurence turned his red-rimmed eyes unblinkingly onto Matt. "Hey, Matt... isn't that your name?" He began, his words dragging and slurred with his drink-poisoned mind. "You're gonna do me a favor, ok? You listen'n?" Laurence moved his head in closer as he tried to better focus on the blurry looking person in front of him. "You gotta find who killed my cousin, killed him 'en, 'en the kids."

Laurence paused in his request to take a quick drink of beer. The everclear shots he had taken a few minutes ago were really beginning to hit him hard and fast, making his cheeks flush red and his words drift into each other. "You're like a... CSI or something... do what you do, 'en find who killed them." While getting drunk was something that Laurence indulged in, the death of his cousin Zach had hit him especially hard, and he had been drinking heavily since then.

With his own eyes on the ladies, Matt didn't notice the younger teen headed his way until it was too late to conviniently stand and disappear into the crowed. Swallowing hard, he pretended not to notice the other until Laurence outright spoke to him.

"Oh, hey... Lanny." Oh great, he's drunk as hell. Was Matt's first thought after recieving the less than articulate greeting. Tensing up, he spared a quick, furtive glance about the place, but failed to see James or any other CS Gang members right off the bat.

"I don't really..." Before he could politely deny Lan's request, the drunken kid went on to explain what he wanted, while Matt attempted to cut in where he could... to no avail. "...I'm listening, but..." As soon as the favor was requested, Matt felt his stomach knot up with all the anxiety he had just tried to get rid of.

"Dude, I'm nothing like a CSI. They-they have labs, and special equiptment, and... well, they have training." The 20-year old shook his head, not sure why he was trying to explain this to someone who clearly wouldn't understand in such a hindered state, "Get in touch with the ACPD labs, I'm sure they can help you. I mean, I know you and your brother practically own the place..." He added, hoping that a compliment like that would distract Lanny.

Fury became quite evident in the teen's face as his cheeks flushed a more royal shade of pink and his bloodshot eyes narrowed dangerously. His words, mashing together as they were, grew louder and greatly infuriated, "You th'nk I didn' try th't already? They don't give a shit, they-" Laurence paused as he crushed the plastic cup in his hand, spilling the last of his beer as he leaned his face threateningly closer, fists clenched so tight that his knuckles grew hueless.

"I know wha' shit you do, Matt. You're a'smart kid, so you gonna find 'em." There was no questioning tone in his voice now as he stared with glossy, unblinking orbs straight at the other. He was desperate to find the killers, and in his inebriated state, he was more reckless than usual.

Feeling the hair prick up along the back of his neck, Matt edged back in his seat as Lanny moved closer. "You don't understand Lanny, I - don't - do - forensics. I work with numbers, and computers... not fingerprints and blood samples." He explained as he shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't help you... you'll have to find someone else." His own face began to take on a slightly lighter shade as he sensed Lanny becoming more unstable. Crushing the cup in his hand didn't help ease Matt's anxious mind any, either.

The young man took another hasty look around the room, seeing that a few people were already beginning to look his way when Lanny's voice had been raised. Great, now they're going to associate me with the CS... Mentally groaning, Matt looked back to Lanny with more than a little apprehension.

Fire flared up in the teen's deadly gaze, "Are you tryin' to make fun of me? With tha' smart-ass tone of yours?" He demanded, standing up now and glaring down at Matt as his face broiled into a deeper shade. Not caring who might be watching him or the attention he might attract with his shouting, Lanny let his fury come out.

"You think I'm stupid? Huh?" From trying to seek help for his problem, the teen was now lashing out in defense of himself, feeling that the other guy was insulting him. Alcohol mixed with an easily ignited temper did not make for a very calm person, especially one who was already sitting unsteadily with his emotions. As his anger consumed him, Lanny finally lashed out, shoving his hands at Matt's shoulders in an attempt to bowl the other guy over in his chair.

"N-no! I'm not tr... hey, just calm down, man!" Matt said hastily, bracing the arms of the chair as he prepared to bolt from Laurence. "I d-don't think you're stupid! I..." Before he could get up and out of the other teen's way, a flash of light caught Matt's attention. He glanced to the side in time to see a sword being weilding on the other side of the room.

Distracting for a brief second, the next thing Matt felt were two hands slamming against his shoulder. With a gasp, he was flung back in the chair, toppling over and striking his head against the ground. The impact brought a wave of lights to his eyes, momentarily drowning out his vision. In the next moment, he was trying to scramble back out of the upended chair, and get out of Lanny's reach, "Hey, just wait a sec! C'mon Lanny!" Matt wasn't a weakling, but he knew better than to throw a defensive punch as James' brother.

In his drunken state, Lanny crashed over the chair as well, loosing his balance as it tipped backwards. Fully enraged and fed by the poison of drink, the younger teen threw some random punches at the retreating Matt. Though strong and undoubtedly a good fighter, his aim was horrible at the moment, and one punch in particular collided with a leg of the chair.

"I'll teach you ta' refuse the CrypticSilvers, punk!" Now he was back on the original subject as Zach came back to his mind. "Come back here, I'm not finishe..." As Lanny was struggling to stand up and hoist Matt up by the collar of his shirt, his cellphone rang. Abruptly foregoing his 'fight' with Matt, Lanny fumbled to retrieve the phone and flipped it open.

"Yeah? ....Woah, woah, what now? ...uh-huh... I'm in the middle of... you ok? ....yeah, sure.... yeah, I'll be right there." Laurence snapped the phone shut and jammed it clumsily back into his pocket. By this point, the shots were really beginning to hit him, and his state of awareness was diminishing. Completely forgetting about Matt, Lanny trudged through the crowed and headed out of the Club to meet with his brother.