Laurence Zelkovii

It wasn't quiet eleven o-clock when the young man fished the cellphone from his pocket and ran through the list of names. This morning he looked surprisingly good - no red eyes, mussed hair, or any real indication that he was suffering from one of his usual hang-overs, as would have been usual for him after visiting the graves. By all appearances, he hadn't touched a bottle of Black Velvet last night after he'd left Cassidy's. Sipping casually at a glass of soda set before him, Lanny clicked his phone shut and stuffed it back in his pocket. He'd given his friend a call a little earlier in the day, suggesting she could meet up with him at the Café if she wanted, though he'd tried not to sound as hopeful about her arriving as he really was.

Cassidy

Telling herself as an excuse that she had nothing better to do today, Cassidy managed to avoid scolding herself for going on ahead and meeting Lanny here. After all, with herself forbidden to work out at the bridge now, her time was essentially her own, and Johann hadn't objected when she'd told him she was meeting Lanny for lunch.

So it wasn't too long after Lanny sat down that she made herself known in the cafe - today she'd paired her infamous slacks with a sweater in three warm shades of pink and, almost in complete contrast to how she'd been severely under-dressed yesterday, she'd thrown a small jean jacket over that for the warmth and let her hair lay loose to cover her ears and protect them from the chilly temperatures. And as she came toward him, she was smiling - it didn't take her long to notice that he looked alert and thoroughly like himself this morning, with no signs of a binge from the night before. So she was perfectly content as she settled down across from him. "Morning."

Laurence Zelkovii

Customary for him and James during the winter, Lanny had a gray bunnyhug with the purple emblem of their gang embroidered along the upper right hand side. A pair of jeans made up the rest of his attire, showing just how much preparation and thought he put into getting dressed this morning - or any other morning, for that matter. At least this time though, his short, sandy-tan hair was combed through a bit. "Hey." Lanny greeted as she sat down, scooting a glass of sprite her way that'd he'd ordered a few minutes ago, just to be on the ready. "So... things go alright last night, after I left?"

Cassidy

Taking the sprite, with an unconscious note that he'd remembered from last night what she was drinking, Cass took a sip and set her purse in the chair next to her. She didn't seem to notice the difference betwen her well-put-together outfit and his rather hurriedly-assembled one; she was rather accustomed, by now, to looking a little more formal than anyone else in the gang, and she was the only one of them who consistently battled in high heels without seeming to notice that, either. But as she allowed herself to relax and let her spine rest against the chair, she told him with a shrug, "Well enough, I guess. Johann wasn't happy with the answers I gave him - he doesn't like me to keep secrets from him. But I can handle him, if anybody can."

Laurence Zelkovii

"I'd offer what help I can-" Lanny returned, in all seriousness at first, and then letting his words lighten a good deal as he finished off, "-but you're right on one thing. If anyone can handle Johann, it's you." Seeing there was little he could do to help her in that respect, since he could no more call Johann off of her than he could expect himself to stop wondering what her secrets were, the young man drifted to another topic of last night. It wasn't one that had been spoken on, but it had certainly caught his attention, "What about that phone call he took before I left? Did that turn out to be anything?"

Cassidy

She shrugged briefly and offered him one end of a smile. "I ought to be used to it by now, goodness knows. I've known him long enough to be able to safely say that secrets drive him crazy - he's used to being able to unravel things like that with his computer, and he can't, in this case. Makes him a little uncomfortable." She offered that casually, and that was perfectly understandable; Johann had made a career, albeit a slightly shady one, out of satisfying his curiosities about people... having that carrot dangled before his nose and being unable to bite in was something close to torture for him, particularly when it involved his little girl. But to Lanny's latter question, she replied, "He told me that it was just an update on the movements of the Akatsuki. They've been so quiet recently he's been keeping a sharp eye on them - but so far he sees nothing to suggest any suspicious action."

Laurence Zelkovii

"In your defense, it is your business." Lanny pointed out lightly, siding with Cassidy and saying things that he probably wouldn't have dared if the other man was around, "You have a right to keep some things secret, if you want." He may have said it in all sincerity, but just behind those words, he was wanting to know the exact same things that Johann had pressed her for so determinedly last night. "Them?" Lanny snorted at the name, "They're wise to lie low. Lucky for them we didn't go through with our plan, or they'd really be quite right now." Scrubbing briefly at his face, a little smirk twisted across his lips, "And I don't think Sohmers ever figured out where his pets went too. That's gotta be driving him crazy."

Cassidy*Others

Her smile altered just a little when he suggested that she oughtn't to be forced to reveal her secret; it became a little warmer, for even though she didn't particularly want to tell him who this man was, at the least she knew that he wanted desperately to know about it, and had the courtesy not to try to force her to admit to it. But she easily turned her attention to his threat against the Akatsuki, and her smile again altered, this time to something of self-satisfaction and twisted amusement. "It's about time we got some back at him... interfering little bastard."

Laurence Zelkovii

That single little smile proved all of his patience was well worth it. Even if he never figured out who the father was, he found it more important that he have her trust and respect, and was now more determined than ever not to lose it. Not to say that he wasn't going to drive himself crazy trying to figure out who the man was, but... at least there was an up side to it. "That's for sure. I don't think he'll ever learn though - he's still handing out over in the trailer park most of his time off. As if that'll keep them safe." The one thing that got Lanny a little edgy, though he didn't portray that emotion in his voice this time around, was the fact that Randy had been stolen back.

Cassidy

Cass shook her head to learn that the officer was still spending all of his off-duty time over guarding the small family, but declined further comment on it. She knew, without being told, that Lanny had been fond of Randy - she'd noticed at the fight where the child had been inevitably taken back that he held a certain affectionate protection over the kid, and though she'd never gotten close to the toddler herself, she could appreciate the connection the younger Zelkovii had found with the child. She wasn't about to broach that subject when she knew it was a very sore spot with the young man. So instead, she offered out, "Did you talk to James last night?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Taken away from thoughts of Ryan and the Wallocks family, before he could brood too long and start thinking of turning the situation around, Lanny lifted one shoulder in a mild shrug. "It went pretty well. I can't say he wasn't entirely furious that you'd run off without warning again..." A hesitant smile came into play, and he figured he didn't need to explain much more than that about Jame's anger. It was pretty well known that he didn't like his members up and leaving without notice or any way of getting in touch with them, "As far as the baby, he didn't ask too many questions; at least none that I couldn't easily deflect."

Cassidy

Cassidy hefted an airy chuckle, and it was difficult to tell whether she was actually amused, or using the sound as a cover-up for something else. But her words were patient and clear enough. "He never liked my wanderings any more than he liked yours. Makes me wonder what he does when he's got something on his mind." Of course, she knew the elder brother's habits almost as well as she did those of the younger, but she had always related more to Lanny's methods. That was part of the reason why she never complained when James sent her out to find his brother, aside from her growing fondness for the younger brother. But she didn't venture any further comments on that, choosing instead to nod to Lanny's report. "That's good - the first part of this is coming together nicely. For my part, I’'l tell you that what part of the night wasn’t spent updating his views on the enemy position was spent looking a little more carefully over Marachek's files and ensuring that there was nothing about her to arouse suspicion = she's clean as a whistle, but doesn't appear to have any prominent attachments to any powers; she's got a son who's in his middle twenties, but he lives off by himself, and they pretty well keep to themselves - he's in school for radiology, and she works at the hospital and hosts a book club. Altogether pretty unremarkable.”

Laurence Zelkovii

"I'll tell you one thing he likes to do is let everyone else know he's not happy." Lanny joined in with a chuckle of his own, even if James' temper was nothing close to amusing. "I guess he tends to be more vocal than he does brooding when he's got problems." Summing it up in a slightly more eloquent way, Lanny's eyes opened a little wider as he nodded, "Almost forgot about that part-" Setting down his glass that he was sipping on as Cassidy spoke, the young man filled her in on what he'd been able to get out of his brother last night, "He's arranged a meeting with Spelts for later today. I'm not sure if he's going, or if he's sending someone else, but by tonight at least, it should be mostly settled. I told him you'd likely want Maracheck, so that should work out." As far as listening to the information on the doctor, Lanny seemed genuinely appeased, "A neutral then - that can work in our favor, in most cases."

Cassidy

"That's a gentle way of putting it," Cassidy confirmed, for though she did not fear James' temper as many of the lower members did, such as the guineas, she respected it and knew exactly how far she could push him before something would erupt. As she did with everyone else, Cassidy knew where to draw the line in her finagling with James' temper tantrums.

But when Lanny continued on to the latter part of the topic, she nodded to show she agreed. "She's got a bit of a tough reputation - doesn't let anybody push her about, apparently. But from what he was able to find, if we play nice with her, she won't ask unnecessary questions and won't spread the word around, which would prove advantageous. And her medical knowledge is well-proven; she's got a history of difficult but successful deliveries. Other than saying he'd be happier if she were one of us, Johann had nothing to say against her, which is unusual for him."

Laurence Zelkovii

"If Johann is comfortable choosing her, she's got to be safe." Never doubting the man's impressive skills, Lanny had learned from early on that Johann knew exactly what he was doing. If he said Marachek was a trustworthy doctor, than she most certainly was. Lanny was still thinking things over a bit, always just a little leery of the neutrals in town, and even moreso because she would be dealing with Cassidy. "I'll have to talk with him about it later, I suppose, but I take it we won't have to show any bravado to get cooperation with her." If ever any of the locals gave them trouble, as once had happened at the Restaurant, a simple reminder of what gang they were in was usually enough to quell any troubles.

Cassidy

Cassidy knew well enough that if Johann trusted this doctor to deal with what could potentially be her high-risk pregnancy, then he'd been very thorough in researching her and being certain of his choice. If there was one consistent fact in the man's life, it was the fact that he cared for Cassidy more than anything or anybody else. So finally she nodded and told him, "I'm sure you’re right. He's got a bit of an obsession with perfection, so if he's satisfied, I'm sure it'll be fine." And from there, she went quiet for a moment, toying a bit with her glass before she went on, "Well... so where does that leave us? Whats left to be accounted for?"

Laurence Zelkovii

"As far as the doctor-visits go, James'll get in touch with Johann to figure out when and how often you need to go. Between them, that'll be sorted out." Filing things away in his mind and trying to sort out what still needed to be addressed, Lanny's feature took on a mildly scrunched-up look of contemplation. Compared to the drama at the Downs last night, this was cake, "I guess we've got some time to figure out the rest of the story - a few months at least." He laughed as he added that on, "I guess all we've got to worry about now is make sure nothing else happens until then."

Cassidy

With most of the tension from last night dissolved, Cassidy allowed herself to take a deep breath and relax now. All of the little factors were falling into place with surprising ease, and so there was very little to account for until she really started to show. "If preventative action is all we have to do, we'll consider ourselves lucky. The rival gangs have been so quiet recently that Johann doesn't think they'll lay low too much longer - the second they start to mobilize or look even remotely suspicious, he's got James on speed-dial. But if-" She stopped there, mostly in response to a loud buzzing in her pocket that indicated her cell was going off, and she made a brief face to indicate that she didn't particularly want to answer it.

But she finally rummaged it out, and murmured to Lanny, "Excuse me, won't you?" before getting up from the table and pacing a few lengths away from him to offer a semi-private conversation. "Hello?" Lanny was seated just close enough to barely understand the low words she was using, but if he was smart, he would pay more attention to her face, and the way it began to pale just a bit when she received the answer. It was impossible for the yougner Zelkovii to hear the voice on the other end of the line, but whomever it was, they were decidedly unwelcome to Cass' ears. She lowered her voice past the young man's hearing then, and one of her hands moved for her thigh, a subtle sign that she was checking the placement of her blades. As the conversation went on, very little else changed, but when she finally clicked the phone shut and tucked it away, her fingers held a slight tremble, and she didn't come back to the table immediately; she stood for a moment with her eyes on a wall across from her, seeming to stare through it.

Laurence Zelkovii

He remained back, though he did try turning his head ever so slightly to focus one ear her way, while distractedly swirling the melting ice cubes in his glass. When he failed to pick up on much of what she was saying, and nothing at all from the other end of the line, Lanny looked her way again, trying not to be too obvious about it as he glanced over her face, trying to judged her features and body language. As the conversation went on, he found that he didn't like what he was seeing, and his own features began to adjust accordingly. From the slight tightening of his jaws to the hardening of his eyes, he was slipping away from the easy-going Lanny that he normally was, and becoming something far more defensive. "Who was that?" The moment she put the phone away, he'd stood up and approached her, but spared his friend a voice that didn't harbor the harshness that his facade did at the moment; it wasn't demanding, but more spoken in a way of quiet, intent concern.

Cassidy

Her eyes didn't turn immediately to Lanny when he got up from the table; they remained staring vacantly for the space of a heartbeat before she let out a breath she'd been holding and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms defensively over the main part of her torso. It was another couple of seconds as she subtly took the time and breaths needed to calm herself completely, and then her voice sounded in its usual, business tone, though more quietly than she ever spoke. "He's not dead, Lanny. I-" She paused there, interrupting her train of thought, which was something that she had never been known to do; Cassidy was always completely assured of her intended words before she spoke. "...he should be dead," she whispered, and faded out.

Laurence Zelkovii

The unspoken words rang far louder than the ones coming from her mouth. Just watching how she folded back against the chair, becoming something less than the confident, smooth-minded young woman that she was let Lanny know that this was a very serious issue. He didn't need to question who that 'he' might be; the way she wrapped her arms around her midsection spoke as a protective gesture in his mind, even if he didn't realize it consciously, "What's his number? I'll call that bastard and give him a piece of my mind-" The low hiss of words came to a forced stop as he reminded himself that he had to play this much more carefully than that. As greatly as Lanny wanted to get his hands on this man, threatening some unknown person was going to get him no where. "Cass... you've gotta tell me who he is. I can't stand by and let him taunt you - I sure as hell am not going to let him hurt you again."

Cassidy

It was very fortunate that Cassidy was significantly more sensible than other women; most any other female being would have broken into hysterics or fainted to so soon hear the voice of the man who had brutalized them in the way this man had hurt Cassidy. And that would have caused a scene in the cafe that the CS certainly didn't want. But she was still significantly shaken as she let her weight rest back heavily and closed her eyes, listening to the angry hiss of Lanny's words. She took them as they were meant to be: a feirce assurance that her safety and that of her infant would be taken care of. And yet she still toiled over that tiny issue of trust - never had she told anyone as much about herself as she'd revealed to Lanny yesterday, and to go this step further was testing the quaky grounds of her ability to trust, which had been marred early. But after a long moment, her protective, motherly fear overrode her fear of being betrayed, and so without opening her eyes, she whispered, "Michael. His name is... Michael. Carlyle."

Laurence Zelkovii

Michael. The name brought up several faces in his mind, a few that he easily discarded, while others he let linger until she produced the last name. 'Carlyle'. The vile scum of a man! Little did Lanny know of the drama Conan's father had previously wreaked upon his own son, dragging not only him into the fray, but another one of Atroe's more notorious and infinitely secretive man - Benjamin Linus. The tangled web of connections reached out further than he could fathom, and though Michael was but a piece of the puzzle, he was a very important one. Taking him out would mean the end of a lot of troubles.

"I thought he left town..." Lanny half muttered this to himself, again not knowing just all that had gone down with Mr. Carlyle last year, or how he'd very nearly blown up his own son in a bomb-rigged house. "Did he say anything important? Did he threaten you?" Quickly dragging a chair over, so that he could sit down and be at eye-level with Cassidy, Lanny kept his voice low so that no others could hear.

Cassidy

The effect at finally letting out the secret she'd been harboring had nearly as pronounced an effect upon Cassidy as hearing it had produced in Lanny. But where it awakened anger in him and a need for revenge, it made her tremble just a bit, revealing just the kind of intense emotions she was suppressing to keep her cool right now. Benjamin Linus had his shaking hands to indicate that he was bottling a lot of emotion; in the same fashion, Cassidy shook, less noticeably, but all over. But that was the only sign Lanny would get that she might be the least bit afraid. Otherwise, she was her calm, cool-as-ice self as she told him, "Not directly. Just talked about being hard to kill, and being already 'half on the mend'. And a couple of slurs that I hear all the time on my talent at my profession."

Laurence Zelkovii

Finding that one café patron was staring, Lanny turned an ugly glare their way. To moment those deadly eyes met their target, the offending patron was quick to jerk their head the other way and go on with their meal; and anyone else who saw this thought twice before letting their vision drift his way. "Next time he wants to call you, turn him my way and I'll give him a fair piece of my mind." The young man rolled his shoulders a little, letting his eyes turn for a few seconds to stare at nothing in particular while his mind was putting together various thoughts. Normally, he'd head straight to James with this information, and the entire gang would be put on alert - Michael's head would have one heck of a price on it. But he didn't reach for his phone, turning his voice instead to Cassidy, "I know you don't want to tell the others, and I promise you that I won't if you don't want me to..." He offered that, wishing hopefully but not at all expecting her to give permission, "...we're going to have to be doubly careful. I don't want you going anywhere sketchy on your own until we put an end to him."

Cassidy

A small, sharp exhale of air that might have been an unsubstantiated laugh escaped Cassidy now; this was her airy way of expressing a mild amusement, though she just as often used it to indicate that she didn't want to comment on something. But when Lanny again ventured into sensitive territory, Cassidy actually looked up, and met his eyes with the firmness of her cool, hard gaze, which was unaltered by whatever amount of fear she was feeling. "You can't tell James... not yet. He'll ask Johann to look up things about him; and if I know him, that would be just enough to blow his cool. He raised me, Lanny, and I love him.... I don't want him to do anything foolish, particularly not for me." This was the first time she'd ever admitted to loving her uncle, though to anybody who knew them, it was quite obvious. There could have been no more love between them if Cassidy had been the old man's own child, but both of them were quiet people; they let their actions express affection in place of words. So it was rare to hear her verbalize it, but though she said it quietly, she made no attempt to recant it. And Lanny would likely understand the sort of intensity that could drive Johann to do something very foolish in defense of Cassidy - he'd been driven to threaten Lanny once, on the belief that he might try to hurt her. That alone spoke volumes.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny was slowly nodding, not at all surprised by her firm resolve not to let anyone else know about this. He had been lucky to hear the name at all, and getting that much out of her proved just how far the two had come in their trust of each other; Lanny had far less problem with it on his own account, but Cassidy had always been exceedingly careful in what she said, and never let anything pass her lips that she didn't want to. "He won't know of it." Assuring her this, Lanny noted in the same instance the way that she expressed concern for Johann in a way that he was pretty sure he'd never heard before. This he viewed not only as a sign of just how greatly she cared for her uncle, but another token of trust that she felt confident enough to say it around him. "This'll be between you, me, and that slime-bag." In a cautious move, Lanny reached a hand to rest on her knee, avoiding her touchy shoulders, but needing to further convey his intent to protect, if only in a subtle way.

Cassidy

Just hearing him promise not to tell made the young woman feel infinitely better about the situation; whatever happened, Cassidy would be devastated if her personal problems reached out and ravaged anyone in the select, small group of people she cared about. She signified this betterment of her attitude with a ghostly smile that warmed a degree or two when he offered his touch as further evidence of his intention to help her. It moved her enough that she leaned toward him again, and though her arms remained wrapped defensively about her slim middle, she leaned against him and her eyes closed, and she permitted her head to turn so that her cheek lay against the curve of his shoulder and the upper part of his chest, a more tender and personal thing than her quasi-embrace of the night before. "Okay, Lanny... okay."

Laurence Zelkovii

He'd been wrong when he thought her smile was reward enough for his patience, as this new show of trust was offered him. To return the sentiments, and further declare that he would protect her no matter what befell them, Lanny shifted his arm with careful movements to rest over her shoulders, holding her in a defensive embrace. Café goers know knew more than before that this was the wrong time to be peeping at the two. Those that dared a few glances would have something new to talk about now... did the co-lead of the CrypticSilvers have a new girlfriend? Whatever their thoughts, Lanny's were still locked on Michael, "We can see about getting a hold of Conan. He might be our best source for getting at Michael."

Cassidy

Always aware of when eyes were upon her, Cass nevertheless didn't care what the other patrons of the eatery thought; let them spread their rumors about relations between she and Lanny. They'd dealt with similar rumors before, both in his case and in hers, and they could easily do it again. Lanny's reward continued in that Cassidy didn't go stiff, even when he actually intiated the first hug she'd accepted from anyone besides Johann in ages, she remained relaxed, revealing subtly that she trusted the young man perhaps a little more than even her words suggested. "At least we know where to find the little weasel," she muttered quietly, opening her eyes slowly before sitting back and ending the embrace before anything worse than fibrous rumors could be spread. "And who knows... perhaps in the same move, we can get Randy back for Sheryl."

Laurence Zelkovii

Taking his arm back once she leaned back, Lanny gave a little snort when she spoke of Conan. A devious sort of glint came to his eyes then, signaling a shift in the conversation as an idea came to him, "What'd you say we have a little stake out tonight? Sohmers can only stay over their for so long..." What could be better than winning over Cassidy's trust today? Getting Raimi back certainly wouldn't hurt, and it would be a bonus to get a hold of Conan while they were at it. "James and Sheryl didn't know why we want Conan - getting Randy back would be reason enough for us to go after the Wallocks."

Cassidy

The moment Lanny started suggesting tactics, a complete change came over Cassidy. After the phone call, and even held safely against him, she had been deeply but subtly frightened, and tense beyond what was reasonably normal for her. Now, as he offered a new topic, she was able to snap back to her typical personality, already going over the details in her mind. "We'll have to watch it - he's guns like you, and with sniper-quality aim; he'll have me outranged if he proves difficult. And somehow I don't think he's given up all of his guns to live with the Wallocks. Of course, the kid's a pacifist, usually - he doesn't shoot to kill. Which gives us the advantage, because even though we want him alive, he doesn't know it."

Laurence Zelkovii

Noting her change without making any comment on it, Lanny welcomed the return of her usual personality. He wouldn't soon forget just how deeply troubled she'd been by Michael's call, and would use that as an endless source of fuel for his vengeance; but at least for the time being, he could put that vendetta to the back of his mind and look forward to things that were not nearly so stressing. For them, at least. "At least we know they won't be shooting back at us." The young man chuckled low under his breath, "Hopefully that damn tiger of theirs isn't out there. I think we got our fill of wild cat attacks already."

Cassidy

She allowed herself the kind of low laugh that reflected dry, somewhat twisted amusement in her. "Yeah, the two of them are a couple of hippies with a penchant for garage sales and herb gardening - about as harmless as you can get." And the familiar glint came to her eyes as she smiled and confirmed, "Not to mention Johann would strangle us both if he heard we were out playing with the kitties again."

Laurence Zelkovii

Her comment got him to grinning all over again, with his characteristic dimples coming to life as he laughed, "This should be a walk in the park, barring any surprise attacks by Conan. Wanna go it just us two? Or should we invite Brian?" Moving on into this sort of conversation with an ease that came after spending a life in a gang, Lanny let his eyes dropped momentarily towards his glass, giving the ice another swirl before he upended it and downed the last bit of watered-down coke.

Cassidy

Smiling herself now that the conversation had turned up, if a double kidnapping could be considered 'up' from what they'd been discussing, Cassidy murmured to Lanny, "I know a few of his usual tactics... if you can get him backed into a corner, he's lousy at melee combat. If we can keep his attention on you, I can come in from behind and catch him pretty easily, and from there it's all cake. But - that's not accounting for the Wallocks - so either we'll need to take Brian with us, or we'll need to pick a time when the two parents are out of the house." She said this as she considered her Sprite briefly, and then sipped it a bit before pushing it away from her, finding her stomach just a little queasy, likely from nerves, she thought. But it didn't show on her face as she waited on Lanny's theory as to which method he would prefer.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny gave the question serious thought, trying to decide whether they should go with the slightly safer route of bringing Brian along, or whether he just preferred Cassidy's company. There wasn't much debate in his mind before he'd reached a decision, also pushing aside his glass as he finished the contents and crunched through a half-melted ice cube, "I think we can handle them. I'll have Brian on standby just in case." Eyes drifted for the doors, then to his watch to see the time, "How about we meet in the lane across from the field? Around... oh, dusk?"

Cassidy

Even as Lanny was thinking over his idea of what they should do, Cassidy was trying to think of an excuse to give Johann. If she had been able to convince the man that her pregnancy was the result of faulty contraception, then she wouldn't have wondered; he'd never worried about her going out after dark. But with him distinctly unfooled by that approach, she would have to have a pretty good excuse. Finally, she came up with something, and nodded. "Dusk it is."