Laurence Zelkovii

The weather in the Valley was warming, with spring in full swing. On this evening it was mild enough for a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a light jacket to be enough to deflect the cool breeze sweeping at random down the streets. Lanny's jacket sported the typical gray color that was custom for any CrypticSilver to wear, complete with the gang's purple emblem embroidered on the front and back. Laurence was a familiar enough face that he didn't need to wear the colors to let people know who he was or that he was a part of the CS - most in town knew well who he was - the colors were worn mostly as a statement against the other rival gangs in town, and as a show of pride. "If it doesn't get too chilly, we should take Raine down to the bay after lunch." Gang or no gang, the sandy-haired young man was as well mannered and easy going as the next guy when he wasn't worrying about 'business', and had even become a bit more settled in his ways the more time he spent with Cassidy and his adopted daughter.

Cassidy*Others

The young woman's wardrobe had gotten simpler since Raine's birth, though one could never call it less stylish; mostly, 'simpler' referred to the fact that the fabric actually covered all the needful areas of her anatomy, and consisted of no random holes in the cloth or peekaboo panels, which was all but unheard of for the young woman before the child was born. She still wasn't one to go as casually in public as the other gang members did, even though she could frequently be seen at home in a t-shirt and an old pair of jeans, many of which were still a little large on her, indicating how long it had been since she'd worn them. Today, her choice was somewhere in the middle between her racy choices of the past and the t-shirts of the apartment, being a soft, flowy dress of warm brown that was deceptively light and bouncy, and yet still sufficient enough to keep the girl from feeling the slight chill, which was enhanced by the bit of breeze that blew the soft red curls a little as Cass swept into the building and meandered toward a particular table, which had become a favorite of theirs over the past little while. She winced a bit as tiny, nimble fingers caught hold of one of the large gold hoops that dangled from her ears, but smiled as she reached up and took hold of her daughter's hand, gently steering the inquisitive touch away, and toward the matching necklace, which at least would not hurt too much if tugged. With a joyous cry of "Shineeee!", Raine cheerfully settled to this alternate toy, her lengthening red curls bouncing adorably as she turned her head in childlike distraction and grinned at her father, displaying one of a handful of teeth she'd finally begun to sprout. "Shineeee, Daddy!" Smothering a giggle in her palm, the girl's mother returned, "If she doesn't pass clean out after all the excitement today. A whole morning with Uncle Johann is usually enough to knock her out before this... the two of them wear each other out."

Laurence Zelkovii

Upon sitting down, Lanny took note of those in the small diner with them out of habit. They were all familiar faces today, from the older couple chatting over the newspaper a few tables away, to a group of highschool kids grabbing a quick bite to eat during lunch break between classes. A man in a booth down at the end of the diner was recognized by Lanny as a local businessman, who could generally be counted on to have his cellphone in hand and a cup of coffee nearby. Lanny leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table, feeling confident and relaxed around these locals and assured that there were no rivals in the vicinity that could pose any danger to Cass or their child. "What's that you go there Raine?" He flourished a smile at the toddler that brought characteristic dimples to either side of his mouth, "You're a bit young for things like that, don't you think?" After reaching forward to ruffle a hand through the child's hair in an affectionate gesture, Lanny nodded to Cassidy, "In that case, we might just pass the bay and take a quick swing around the ice cream shop instead." From the corner of his eye, he noted his brother's truck pulling up in a parking spot outside, and although it perked his curiosity, Lanny didn't pay any mind to it.

Cassidy*Others

"Gots shiiiiineee, Daddy." The child nodded seriously, bringing a look of concentration onto her features. It didn't last long though, because Lanny's affectionate caress produced a grin equally as dimpled as her father's and a shrill giggle, which turned a couple of heads to see the child's joy - though no one dared let their attention fall there for long, as they knew of the protectiveness that both parents devoted to Raine. Cass laughed, a light, joyous sound, and turned yet another smile to the young man. "Just wait til she's old enough to know the difference between this cheap costume jewelry, and the real stuff." She fingered her earring in a graceful movement of one hand, and settled Raine on her lap as she seated herself; very rarely did she resign the child to a highchair. "This is just a layer of gold paint on nickel." She hadn't seen the truck pulling up, but then, she was facing away from the parking lot, and focusing more upon the casual conversation they were having.

Laurence & James Zelkovii

Indeed, no one was daring more than a few moments of attention linger on the gleeful child and the happy looking couple, no matter how curious they might be of the situation. Word had long since gone about town that Lanny had a stable relationship at last, and with a young woman that most would have never suspected, given her previous profession. Whatever they thought of it, it was now common knowledge in the small city, and eyes quickly turned back to their own business as the three continued on with their light-hearted conversation. "A shiny necklace." To engage the youngster and feed her growing vocabulary, Lanny frequently fed her words when she showed interest in any object. Although at this moment, his attention was turning back to the windows at the front of the diner and the figure of his brother getting out of his vehicle, with a general expression and posture of one who was not in a good mood. The smile Lanny carried faded a little, even as he went on to reply to Cassidy, "By then, I hope to be making a lot more money than we are right now." It was a slight joke against the idea of Raine wanting fancy, expensive jewelry, which Lanny would likely get for her anyway, with as much as he doted after the young girl already.

Cassidy*Others

"Neh-cuss," the child parroted brightly, and beamed at Lanny, something which never failed to melt Cass. She giggled and planted a kiss in Raine's curls, making the little girl squeal in a combination of joy and ticklishness. The young woman deftly dodged her daughter's hand as they moved for a fistful of her hair, and swept her own, longer curls gracefully behind her shoulders to keep them out of harm's way. "As if she's not spoiled enough," she answered tartly, rolling her eyes a little and producing car keys from her pocket to occupy Raine's fingers. As the child gleefully set into relatively noisy play, she went on, "Between you and Johann, she's positively rotten already. And we-" She stopped on a dime, not because she'd lost what she meant to say, but because the faint change in his facial expression alerted her to something amiss - she might not be manipulative toward him anymore, but she still was able to read his very slightest moods. From there, she followed the direction of his gaze, and swiveled to look over her shoulder. Lot of storm clouds on his face. That was the first thought that came to her, when her eyes landed on James. She was silent for a second or two more, deriving who knew what from every nuance of the elder brother's movement, and then spoke up more quietly. "Somehow, I don't think James has happy news."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

His eyes didn't leave his brother, but he still responded to Raine and her attempt at 'necklace', even if Lanny was a bit distracted, "You've got that down, Raine. I'd bet you'll like one of those candy necklaces better than that one Mommy is wearing?" for the briefest of moments, Lanny's attention and gaze transfered to Cassidy to turn a mockingly innocent face at her, "Me, spoil her?" Of course Lanny knew it was true. Living in one of the most rundown apartments in the city or not, Lanny and Johann doted over the child in their own ways and always made sure she was as well cared for as any other child, if not moreso. He would have been happy to try and jokingly argue this with her, if not for the way James commanded attention towards him as he strode into the cafe and approach their table. "Great... I wonder what's up." Lanny put on a neutralized face, but before he could say anything, James was blasting off without even acknowledging Cassidy or Raine, "Where's the money, Lan?" The younger brother drew his brows together and stared hard up at his darker-haired sibling. "You mean Kenny's payment? I delivered it this morning, why?" The money in question was part of a payment Lanny had been responsible for handing over earlier in the day, and one which he left the apartment at seven in the morning to take care of.

Cassidy*Others

"Can-y can-y can-y!" Well, it was a given that any child's attention would be captured by that word. "Hush, Raine." That careful tone had come into Cass' voice, and Lanny would recognize it; it was the preliminary to shifting into her working mode, with her careful face and her keen, clever words. The subtle change was noted by the little girl, who offered her mother a curious look, but didn't get automatically distressed - she was somewhat accustomed to the 'working' version of her mother. She got quiet in caution and kept playing with her mother's necklace. Which left her only the second quietest, because at the first, Cass was completely silent and listened, gauging the level of James' behavior and Lanny's reaction to it. It wasn't until several seconds had gone by that she spoke up. "He left right after Raine's first bottle this morning - that was when we made the lunch appointment." Speaking up to corroborate Lanny's story, which ordinarily meant quite a bit, since she was well trusted among the gang members, Cass offered James a faint smile, as though she weren't worried at all - but she knew this mood in the older brother, and had more spines out that a porcupine.

Laurence & James Zelkovii

This time, Raine didn't get a comment from her father or anything more than a quick look that was meant to acknowledge her parroted words, but which failed to carry with it the smile she might have otherwise expected. He was too busy reading into Jame's anger and feeling some hostility himself when he perceived his brother's tones to be accusatory towards him. Jame's hardlined face didn't let up, "And you delivered it where you were suppose to? Was anyone with you?" Most in the gang would take these pressing questions and Jame's dark-eyed stare and answer as promptly and obediently as possible, but Lanny was quickly taking offense to it, knowing that he'd done just as he was asked. "No, there was no one with me, and yes, I placed it where I was suppose to. Think you ought to keep it down a little, James?" Lanny shifted his eyes about the cafe as he hissed the last part more quietly. James didn't seem at all appeased by this, and as he looked from his younger sibling to Cassidy and her corroboration of Lanny's whereabouts, his frustration didn't subside any. "You sure all the money was there before you left? Who was all at your place since last night?" This time the question was directed at Cassidy.

Cassidy*Others

Already, the young woman's brain was flying three steps ahead of what was being said around her; this was much more serious than the ordinary squabble between brothers. This was even more serious than the kind of fights they would have if James found out that Lanny had been doing something behind his back. There was something very wrong - which meant that it probably involved the gang as a whole. For the moment, she was quiet, observing the subtle indications of tension in Lanny, and the not-so-subtle ones in James. Raine had gotten completely silent, and was looking warily between her parents, but Cass kept her cool for now, and spoke up smoothly. "The same people who are at my place every night, James. Raine, myself, and your brother... and sometime around 7:30, Johann got home from his physical therapy, and he was with us the rest of the night." The toddler in her lap slowed in her play with the necklace and leaned back against her mother, sensing a rise of careful behavior in Cass that James wouldn't be able to see, but Lanny might. "James... I think we would get a little further if you would stop hinting and accusing and tell us what's wrong." Her tone was polite and quiet, and not accusing, but that was certainly how she was feeling. "I take it Kenny's payment was short?"

Laurence & James Zelkovii

Lanny already suspected what his brother was getting at, and had not Cassidy made a move to repeat the question, the younger brother would have done so. He could already feel a sinking sensation in his stomach and the start of perspiration building at his temples before James announced what was truly wrong, because whatever it was, this was no light matter. Had it been something of a lesser nature, James would never had barged into the Cafe like this to confront him when a simple phonecall would have done the trick. No, this was a very serious matter. "If you've been the only three with your hands on the money since last night, can you tell me why five grand is missing from it?" James finally spat it out. Lanny whistled quietly and leaned back in his chair at the news - half of the payment was unaccounted for. "I can tell you right now that all of it was there when I delivered it. You think one of us would really skim any from it and think it wouldn't go unnoticed?" Lanny's voice grew a little heated and drew James' stare from Cassidy back to himself. "You know I'd never steal from the gang."

Cassidy*Others

"James! Please..." The name was sharp, but she softened it a second later, because Raine had flinched and let out a whine at the harsh tone of voice he'd used. In a protective gesture, she reached one hand to cuddle the toddler against her, her fingers covering one of the little girl's ears, and went on quietly once more, even as her brows raised slightly in surprise to hear that half of the money was gone. "Now really... of all the people in the world to try and sneak a cut out of Kenny's payment, why on earth would you think that any of us would be responsible? Johann's been the informational officer since before you were born, Lanny's your brother - and you were just like my brothers, coming up. And surely you're not suggesting Raine has five thousand stashed somewhere." She kept the subject light, pointing out to James just how ridiculous the idea sounded, while behind her eyes the wheels were turning ninety-to-nothing; five grand didn't just get up and walk away. Where could it have gone? "Was there any chance of the drop-off point becoming compromised? After all, our mail was stolen a while back - nothing in the way of confidential things missing, but we know there's someone out there who has it in for us."

Laurence Zelkovii

With the sharp tone, Cassidy earned a darkened look from James that most would rightfully sweat under. However, he did let her go on without interrupting her since he genuinely trusted the lot of them as the young woman herself was explaining. Lanny jumped in shortly after Cassidy to back her claim, "What good would it do for us to steal from the gang anyway? I told you, all the cash was there last night. I counted it myself then and before I left this morning." He was brave enough to straighten his shoulders and return the pointed look his brother was giving him, returning an accusing look himself over the fact that James even suspected foul play on their part. James considered their words without appearing placated by any significant degree, "If someone did take the money before Kenny got it, why not take it all? Why leave half of it behind?" The gang leader looked between them both, "That doesn't make sense."

Cassidy*Others

One of the few people in the gang who would dare take such a tone with James, and almost exclusively because of how she'd been raised alongside them as a child, Cass didn't look away from the glare that he favored her with, but also didn't return it in the way that Lanny was doing. It was more to her advantage right now to do her best to mediate a little between the two of them so that their tempers did not prevent all the necessary information from being communicated clearly. She waited quietly until he had finished, cuddling Raine in comfort, and then asked, "So one of us taking money from the gang does make sense, James?" Low and polite, and yet very pointed, that was a good question, and she followed it up with more good points. "I'm not trying to take attention away from the problem here; Kenny's not going to take a missing five grand quietly. It has a definite potential for being a problem. What I'm trying to get you to understand is that you're wasting your time investigating the three people in the world who would never do any such thing. You need to turn your attention to other possibilities." She was bristling underneath her exterior calm, though - it wasn't so much that James was implicating that she herself could have been part of this, but he was accusing his brother, of all people, and Johann; and beside all that, he was frightening Raine. "Keep your voice down. You're scaring her." The child whimpered, making Cass turn her eyes down in sympathy and begin to stroke the tiny red curls, and thus it was a couple of moments before she went on, "Anyway I don't think we really need news of this to get out. At the tone you're talking at, the whole city will know by supper."

Laurence Zelkovii

Cassidy was one of the better people to have in a situation like this, where her clear level of thinking and her elevated status with Lanny and the rest of the gang gave her a better vantage point to sort out the kind of mess that was starting and keep James' anger from escalating too much further. Had someone like Tyler or any number of the members been a part of the mess, there would almost certainly be more arguing flung about and less problem solving at the get go. "Look, okay- it doesn't make any more sense that any of you would take it, but the money still disappeared while it was in your care." His tones finally lightened a smidgen or two as he noted the folly in his logic. He'd never known Lanny to steal from them, or do anything remotely damaging to the gang, and of course Cassidy and Johann had been with them longer than he could rightly remember. Still, the sudden predicament they were in and the unexplained loss of five grand would inevitably fall back on him as the leader of the gang, so he couldn't help but be tough with the ones who were last in charge of the cash. "Are you positive no one was at the house last night? And where's Johann now? I want to talk with him." He didn't exactly lower his voice any further even after Cassidy requested it, which led Lanny to grow more impatient with his brother's overbearing attitude. "Can we talk about this later, James? Listen, I'll call Kenny and talk to him myself. In the meantime, we can see about borrowing the five grand to pay the rest."

Cassidy*Others

Well, her words did accomplish one thing, and that was to at least get James to back off the suggestion that one of them might be involved in the pilfering of the money - but that still left them in the same place; five grand in the hole, no answers, and tension aplenty. When he still didn't quiet down, she pushed her chair back and stood, drawing to her full height, which still left her head only high enough to meet the elder Zelkovii's chin. "James, I'll let you yell at me all you want... but you're scaring Raine and if you don't lower your voice, I'm leaving. I won't let you yell at her, gang head or no gang head." First and foremost, she was a mother, and the quivering lip and threat of tears on Raine's part brought that out with all the ferocity of a tigress; she would have no problem at all with stalking out and leaving James flat if he didn't control his volume a little more, and he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't kidding. "With Johann's cat ears? No chance - he'd hear a caterpillar crawling across the windowsill. And at the moment, he's at the apartment, probably in bed; stubborn old man won't quit carrying Raine around in his bad arm, and she's getting heavy for that. I left his pain pills out, and if he took them, he's probably dead to the world."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

There was few seconds pause after Cassidy stood up before Lanny followed suit and rose up from his chair. He knew now that every eye in the cafe would be secreting glances at them and quieting their own conversations to hear what the three were talking about, a fact that James wasn't particularly concerned with apparently. "James, c'mon." Lanny didn't dare let his voice get too commanding, since he couldn't pull the mother card that Cassidy could, and furthermore knew that James was in a state where he'd put up with no backtalk. "Lets at least step outside if you want to continue this. Cass didn't have a hand in the delivery anyway, it was my responsibility, and if the money can't be recovered, I'll handle it." His attempt to draw James' attitude off of Cassidy worked, because James only gave Cass a lingering look before deferring to his younger brother. "You talk to Kenny and see about getting the money to him before tonight. We can't afford to have these kind of screw-ups." Lanny withstood a rise of frustration from James, and stood tensely by as he again spoke to Cassidy with marginally quieter words, "Have Johann call me as soon as he wakes up."

Cassidy*Others

As tiny as the effort was, Cass did note and appreciate the fact that James finally made an effort to control his temper a little more, and ceased directing those biting words toward her. Not that they hurt her in the least, but Raine didn't understand that this argument was between the adults, and to her toddler's perception, James was yelling at her. It had been this that had upset the little girl, and aroused that reaction from her mother, but now that she could see that the young man was making an effort to rein in his volume a little, she nodded quietly, and sat down again. Still trailing her fingers through Raine's hair, which was slowly convincing her to quiet some, she let her own voice go forth more calmly and clearly. "Thank you, James." Perhaps unnecessary between them, and yet it was meant to take a little of the sting off of the ugly words she'd just directed at him; she wasn't nearly as fond of him as she was Lanny, but they were family - as much as she had of one. Her chin tilted up to permit her to meet his eyes again as Raine calmed, and she answered, "I'll see if I can wake him, considering the situation; it'll only take about ten minutes to get home from here, once we eat. I can't make any promises though... that's some potent stuff Marachek gave him. At any rate, I'll have him call you, and while you wait for that, I'd recommend you make contact with any of our own who might have been close by between this morning and now - maybe they saw something, or heard something. By the time you've gotten a hold of all of them, I should have some manner of news for you. Say bye-bye to Uncle James, Raine." Upon prompting, the child turned tiny blue eyes out and away from her mother's dress, and peered cautiously at her uncle... and finally whispered, "Bye-bye Unca Jaaames."

Laurence Zelkovii

James was too much caught up in the problem to realize that his behavior was disturbing Raine so much. He'd normally give the toddler a friendly couple of words and wasn't bashful about trying to comfort her if ever she were in tears while he was around - not that he was particularly great at it - but he was seeing too much red to be in a kinder, more perceptive mood. "Do that, and I'll be back in touch with both of you tonight. Call me if anything turns up. See ya later, kid." James wasn't particularly disposed to being at all pleasant, but at least the two could take some relief in how he's temper with them dissipated some before he took his leave and walked out of the cafe. Lanny sighed heavily as he let out the breath he'd been holding, and waited until James had gotten into his truck before sitting down again. "I wasn't expecting that." He brought both hands to his head, drawing his fingers through his hair before setting them back on the table and taking notice of Raine, "It's okay Raine, Uncle James didn't mean to scare you.'

Cassidy*Others

It wasn't the kindest farewell, but it seemed to convince Raine at least that James wasn't mad at her. Something was still wrong, of course - Mommy and Daddy weren't happy. She turned and tucked her head back against Cass' shoulder, unaware that her mother was watching the fellow intently as he left. Her gears were whirring fast now, trying to settle everything into neat little places in her mind so that she could go about this in a calm, organized fashion, and it wasn't until Lanny spoke up that she rose from that task. "Your brother's always had a temper, and he's not always careful about showing it where he'd do better to keep it under the hat. But I've never seen him quite like this before. He's spooked." And with good reason, she thought to herself. "He has a point, though... if somebody were going after just the money, they'd have taken off with the whole bit. Just the half... either they're making a statement of power, or they're screwing with us." "Daddy." Wanting just as much to be comforted by Lanny, the little girl peeked out and leaned over toward her father, reaching for him and clearly expecting to be lifted into his lap and held, to be reassured that nobody was mad at her. Cass' eyes got a bit of anguished tinge to them - the kind one gets when their child is frightened, and there's nothing they can do.

Laurence & James Zelkovii

His brother's departure, and the whole confrontation in general, left a bitter taste in Lanny's mouth. This was more than just a mishandling of money, and he knew it every bit as much as Cassidy did. Something more was going on with his older brother than the loss of a few thousand dollars, and it had led James to get more aggressive with the two of them than either of them were use to. "Question is, what's got him spooked? If I had to lay money on it, I'd say one of our rivals might have taken the money, but that doesn't account for Jame's attitude just now. And Kenny's an understanding fellow, as long as we get the rest of the payment to him before tonight, he'll overlook this mishap." Lanny was thinking hard, but couldn't figure out what would rile James up so much as this. Besids that, there was still the issue of who took the money... "Whoever took the money, it's got to be a statement. But which one of our enemies would be so bold as to do that?" Since he planned on talking to James later, he figured he'd question his brother on what else was going on behind the scenes, which left him and Cassidy the task of figuring out where the money was, and how to replace it if they couldn't find the original five thousand in time. "Hey there, wanna see Daddy?" Through his concentration, Lanny still responded seemlessly to Raine's outstretched arms by leaning forward over the table to take her from Cassidy.

Cassidy*Others

"More than just the money, that's for sure." As Raine cuddled into Lanny now, burying her face in a stretch of gray and purple sweater, Cass turned her eyes up and met his eyes keenly, revealing that she knew all too well that there was more than just the problem that had been discussed going on here. "He's pissed at you Lanny. Royally - moreso than I've ever seen him. That was personal, make no mistake." There was weight to her gaze, reminding him that she would be able to tell if he tried to write this off as less. "Five thousand dollars, we can come up with, Lan... what in the hell is wrong with your brother?" Raine turned and peered at Cass now, not accustomed to hearing rough tones from her, and her mother forced a smile and a softer voice. "It's okay, Raine... easy, there." She shifted, and put her eyes back on Lanny. "I'm more concerned with that bee in James' bonnet than the money."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

James, what have you gotten yourself into? Think as hard as he could, Lanny still couldn't come up with any explanation for his brother's overly volatile attitude, and was wondering of maybe James had gotten into some sort of trouble that he wasn't willing to admit to them. "I can't imagine why he'd be mad at me, least not this mad. Sure it's a lot of money to go missing, but he knows I'll take care of it." Worry brought Lanny's expression down and erased any signs of his previous relaxed mood. He took to hold Raine against him and giving her a rub on the back, "Whatever he's got going on, it obviously involves me. I don't want you and Johann getting tangled up in whatever problem this is... just let me deal with it."

Cassidy*Others

In further effort to comfort Raine, Cass leaned over and fingered through her curls, and seemed a little distressed when the child only burrowed in more. Her eyes turned aside for a moment - the few people who were daring to glance at them in curiosity quickly turned back to what they had been doing before. Ordinarily, Cass found that amusing, but she had heavier things on her mind. "She's tired..." She ventured finally, and pulled Raine's down where it had ridden up a little. "Whatever this is, Lan... I don't like it." Her eyes turned up again, met his - firm, hard, calculating. "Trouble for James means trouble for all of us. We're a family. And you know perfectly well that if you try to close me out, I can make myself quite troublesome. After all... I can get a hold of your facts guy quicker than anybody. And he'll tell me anything I want to know."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

Lanny was slowly come down from the heightened emotions a few moments ago, enough to take more careful notice of Raine's silent distress. "We can skip the visit to the bay. It'd be good to get home and try to figure this out anyway, especially if it's one of our rivals out there trying to mess with us, and Raine can get her nap in." That he could settle for, but he was getting nervous about the prospect of Cassidy running into danger if this missing money issue was anything more than a random theft. "Cass, you let me deal with James and Kenny. If you can find anything on the computer with Johann, that'll help, but past that..." He shook his head a little dismissively, "Let me deal with the big stuff."

Cassidy*Others

The young woman shook her head a little, and leaned in, wrapping one arm around Raine, and partly around Lanny as an extension of the same movement; she was getting bolder about expressing her affection for the two of them openly in public, now that she had figured out that no one was going to challenge her on that. She lowered her voice a little more, and muttered low enough that even Lanny would have to try very hard in order to hear. "You know, Lan... you've gotten absolutely impossible about me doing my duty to the gang, ever since Raine was born. You keep this up, and I won't even know which end of my knife to stick into the bad guys anymore." She tucked a stray curl back behind her ear, and bent to plant a kiss on Raine's head. To prove the point of her sleepiness, the child scrubbed her eyes against Lanny and let out a heavy breath and a whine - classic Raine-speak. Turning up the collar on the little girl's coat to close out some imaginary draft, Cass drew back up again and lay her head against the young man's shoulder. "He's my brother too, Lanny. Maybe not the same way he is to you... and I hate his guts when he makes a scene like that, and when he scares Raine. But he's still one of us. And besides..." She leaned in closer, whispered in his ear. "If they're gutsy enough to go after James... they'll have no problem coming after a little nobody like me, and a little girl. The kind of person who goes after the head of the most prominent gang in the city is the kind who's got nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If we don't try to stop this before it starts, it'll extend to the rest of us eventually. I'd rather bite it in the bud before it begins.'

Laurence & James Zelkovii

A complimentary arm was moved towards Cassidy, to rest a hand against her shoulder in mutual comfort. As she grew more comfortable in getting closer to him, he had learned his boundaries about the often times touch-sensitive young woman, and often waited for her to make the first move, so that he could avoid accidentally startling her and risking a knife to the gut. "You're raising a kid, Cass, after a complicated pregnancy. I reckon that's plenty enough reason to back off gang responsibilities a bit." He was still dedicated and fierce in his protection with her and Raine both, especially since he knew how dangerous their lifestyle could be, and how easily she could end up on the wrong end of a gun barrel. Randy's abduction only magnified those feelings in him. "You know I can't stop you when you get that determination in you." He turned his head to her, and there was an underlying fondness in what he said. Lanny admired that quality in her, though in times like these, he wished he could convince the young woman to stay back for her own safety. "We'll get to the bottom of this tonight after I speak with him. If you do anything, I'd prefer you stick with working on the computer. I'll have Lance and Jeff post guard tonight just in case... and if this turns into something bigger, we'll go from there."

Cassidy*Others

"That was almost a year ago, Lan." Gentle and quiet, but still firm, Cass turned aside the idea that the admittedly complicated pregnancy might have had any long term effects on her at all. "It was a problem at the time... none of us enjoyed it. But it's over with, now. All my activities are cleared now, and even Marachek says I'm ready to do gang work if I feel like it. And I do feel like it. For this. Because nobody messes with the Zelkoviis." That was determined, something they'd often quoted to one another like a child's cheer when they were little, and she smiled faintly. Allowing herself to be protectively enfolded, she nevertheless continued on sternly in the next second, "I'm not made of glass, Lanny. I'm not going to snap the second you breathe too hard in my direction. So don't wrap me up in styrofoam as if I were. Whatever you've been told, or have been thinking, I'm not... delicate." She said that like it was a curse word, and tasted terribly foul in her mouth, but she offset it with an impish grin only seconds later. "It's me, remember? The kid who lambed you clean out onto the kitchen floor one fine November morning for calling me a girl. The girl who saved your high-dollar Zelkovii tush on a back street down town three Augusts back. The one who lobbed a wad of mud straight in your face when you were ten. I have never been one of those limp, helpless little girls. I'm tougher than you'll ever be."

Laurence Zelkovii

Much as he'd like to corral Cassidy into staying home and away from what he perceived could be a dangerous game of detective work, he already knew that his efforts would be in vain. He'd known her since they were kids, and never once could he recall her running away from anything dangerous, especially not when it concerned her family. "Oh, so you're going to pull that one on me, are you?" Lanny tried to inject some mild humor into the rather serious predicament, if only for a short moment. The references to their childhood quirked a grin at the side if his mouth and he chuckled lightly before sobering and taking a new look at their situation. "You have me there, you're no pushover. But Cass, you still have to remember we've got a family now, and actual family with a little one to look after whose going to want both her parents with her when she grows up." The young man was conceding to Cassidy's wishes, but with words of caution for her, "We still don't know who or what we're dealing with here. Lets take a cautious approach to it."

Cassidy*Others

She smiled now, and chuckled; her eyes turned down, and she noticed that Raine had decided to nap without them - she'd cuddled into her father and was now breathing slowly and softly. The young woman reached to wipe away the half-dried tears on the child's face, and told Lanny, "You pulled it often enough on me, when we were kids." That was true enough - but then, all of them had thrown that statement back and forth, as a vow, as a taunt... they used it for a lot of things. "I've never been reckless either, Lanny. I can mind myself; I've still got fewer injuries on record than you have, you know." She joked there, lightening the topic as best she could in the wake of James' storm and the idea that they might soon have an intense situation on their hands. "I'm not going to get myself killed. And I'm not going to stomp all over the investigations, either. Just because I have a child now doesn't mean I'm not the same old warhorse I ever was. I'm not going to shy at first charge, and I'm not going to get hamstrung on the way. I can balance being a mother and doing my job."

Laurence Zelkovii

For a small span of time, Lanny felt a little more confident and secure about battling the problem ahead of them. He had everything he wanted right here with him, and would fight tooth and nail to defend it, no matter what they would be facing in the next twenty-four hours, or in the coming days and weeks. Maybe it was a random passerby who took the money, and there was nothing more to it than that, or maybe it was one of the other gangs jostling for power and leaving them a message - Lanny suddenly didn't care - he, with the help of his extended family, would get to the bottom of it. "You know I've learned enough times not to underestimate you." The time he'd got knocked back flat by her was one of those times, among a few others until he'd eventually grew smart enough not to make that same mistake again. Lanny still couldn't help but want to keep her at the sidelines and out of danger, but... neither could he deny her her right to fight for the CS, and ultimately, to protect the small family they'd formed. "We'll get Johann helping us as soon as he wakes up. Our first order of business is to get the missing money replaced, and see if any of our rivals were seen in the area of the delivery drop off."

Cassidy*Others

"You just need reminding every now and again," she answered fondly, and grinned a little as she continued, "Tell you a secret... one of those things they don't tell you in school when they take you aside and teach you about girls." Her eyebrows raised humorously. "Girls are born with two basic neural functions; the purpose of the first is to teach your Daddy do whatever you want, and the purpose of the second is to teach your man to do whatever you want." She giggled, and though it wasn't as light and carefree as it had often been, since Raine's birth, it was still a sound of amusement. "I've had years to train Johann - I've gotten pretty good with him. But I'm very much aware that I've got my work cut out for me with you; you've got that Zelkovii hot head in you, under those dimples. I've seen it." It was only a joke, but it proved once again that her perception was superiorly sharp, and she wasn't the least bit rusty from her months of semi-invalid status. A second or two later though, she switched to thoughts of her uncle, and offered quietly, "I'll give him a call, if it'd be better... his ringer's always on the highest setting. Might actually get him."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

The young man gave a sarcastic roll of his light eyes and a mock groan to go with it for effect, "If our daughter is anything to go by, I would have to say you're right about all that. She's got only a handful of words down, and she's already a master at manipulation. Did you see how she finagled me into getting her a candy necklace a few minutes ago?" If Raine had been awake still, he would have drawn a finger down the length of her tiny nose, or made a funny face to get her attention, but since she was asleep, he left her alone and contented himself with continuing to hold her securely. "If my brother means to talk to him, calling Johann ahead of time to give him the heads up surely wouldn't hurt. I'm still hoping we can uncover this as some sort of mistake before it reaches that point." Or turns to something even worse.

Cassidy*Others

Any comment about Raine could achieve a quiet, motherly smile from the young woman, and was almost always enough to bring her out of any foul mood or blue funk, no matter how deeply embedded she might become. For years, she'd been a major fighter for the gang, and a prostitute, and had prided herself on her reputation as the 'cold-hearted bitch' sort that was impervious to any emotion but hatred and revenge. But now that she had a child, and a living one to help balm over the wound left by the sudden, violent death of her first, she was a warm, kind personality, and now it was able to be seen by those few select people close to her - namely Johann and Lanny - just how sensitive she could really be at times. For one thing, she had a definite weakness for her daughter and, more and more as the days went on, for the girl's adoptive father. It was still something that wasn't openly discussed, either between them or between the others when either of them were close enough to be in earshot, but it had become pretty general knowledge around town, and even Cass didn't try to object to the rumors anymore, as they were perfectly true. "She's got her mother's gift for that," Cass replied impishly, offering him one corner of a mischievous, teasing grin and poking a bit at his ribs, where she remembered he was still a tiny bit ticklish. Coming off of the lighter end of the topic though, her face wrinkled into concentration, showing little crow's feet at the corners of her eyes and a trio of tiny creases between the brows - worry lines, in a woman too young for them, brought on entirely by the rough life she'd lived. "It can't hurt to at least try it - let's just hope he's decently sober, on that stuff." So saying, she reached down for Raine's baby bag and rummaged from its depths her cell phone, quickly popping it open and beginning to dial the numbers. There was a pause while she waited for it to be picked up, and miraculously enough, the muffled tones of the old man were soon heard over the line. "Johann? Joha- Uncle, listen. Yes, yes. Wow... that stuff makes you loopy." That last bit was a mutter to herself, and a second later she continued, "Nothing, Johann. Listen - Lanny and I are having lunch at the cafe. I want you to hop up and get a cold shower to clear your head; by the time you get done with that, we should be home. Alright?" Another pause, and a crease in her features as she tried to understand what was being said; apparently the medicine had done what no amount of alcohol had ever been able to do - it had given Johann a slur. "Yes, yes - I'll explain it all when we get there. Remember - a cold shower, and coffee. Clear your head out for me. Alright... yes, we'll be there soon." The flipped it shut, and made a motion at the side of her head to indicate her perception of her uncle's state of mind, and told Lanny quietly, "I'm not sure how much use he'll be when we get there... but I've got him up, anyway. We've got time to get our lunch before he'll remember where the bathroom is and how to work the faucet - trust me."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

Lanny joined Cassidy in not caring what others perceived of them, and after all this time, he too was accepting the rumors as more than just that. It had been strange to wrap his head around at first, not because he was at all shy around woman - he'd had many girlfriends in the past - but because he'd always viewed Cassidy as a close friend. Of course, that had all changed now, and he found himself growing more comfortable with the idea than he had been initially, and Raine seemed to have cemented those emotions even further. "Does she ever." The young man flinched over dramatically at the tickle, yet somehow managed not to disrupt his daughter whom he was still holding. After that, he went quite for a few minutes as Cassidy went on to more important business, such as calling up Johann, who thankfully was aware enough to be able to answer the phone. "You sure he'll be alright? I can always stall my brother if he needs time to get his act together after that medicine." Either way, Lanny figured he was hungry enough not to pass up the meal they planned on having here. Before his own hunger though, he thought of their daughter and asked curiously, "I guess we can take home some french fries for Raine - she can mouth on those, can't she?"

Cassidy*Others

A tiny grin spread onto her features, both for the flinch she'd aroused out of Lanny, and for the statement she'd perceived to be an affectionate comment toward Raine and herself both. "And don't think I won't give her a few pointers, either," she joked back, and bent to whisper in the sleeping child's ear. "Now remember Raine - your Daddy's ticklish down by his ribs, and-" She didn't finish though, because her cell rang in her hand, and she leaned back to answer it. "Hello?" She paused for a second, and then smiled faintly. "Yes, Uncle... that really was me. Now what are you supposed to do?" Like speaking to a small child, she prompted him to answer her, and finally a mumble came over the phone, and she nodded. "Good - now get to it. We'll be home soon. Bye." Click. Shaking her head a little, she turned her attention back to Lanny, and answered, "No, you know he does some of his best work when he's a little hungover. Besides, I know that look in your brother... he won't be stalled long. We need to figure out what's going on before this goes any further. Johann can sleep it off later." Well, of everyone, Cass knew the old man best - and indeed, he had often proved perfectly capable of working efficiently, even with a bit of alcohol in his system. So she nodded, and told Lanny, "Potato mush is okay - just have to make small bites out of them."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

"Hey, hey now!" Lanny took on the look of being aghast, with the half-grin he was wearing clearly showing that he was just jesting still. "No need to teach her all those secrets." His next words were to the sleeping child, though quietly spoken so that he wouldn't actually wake her, "Now you just forget everything your mom just told you, those tricks don't work on me." Soon enough, the phone was ringing and their moment of peace and humor had to be suspended so that Cassidy could patiently deal with her uncle and his medicine-addled mind. Once she'd gotten through with the call, Lanny turned a little more serious again, "Listening to that conversation just now, I'd reckon his more than a 'little' hungover. No matter, at least if James does get a notion to call him sooner than we can get to him, he'll quickly learn that Johann isn't fit to argue with him, and he'll give it up for a while." Still, she was right on Johann's ability to conduct business when most others would be struggling, and also that they didn't have much time to waste in finding the answer to this problem. But first things first - food. "That settles it for her then. I think I'll have..." The young man raised his hand up, flicking his finger to get the attention of a passing waitress. As she bustled their way, Lanny held the menu out for her to take, "Number five, with a coke."

Cassidy*Others

Cass grinned more, and made a motion like she was going to poke him again, though she didn't actually do so, simply because she didn't want to make him jerk and wake up Raine. "Now, now... I wouldn't be raising my girl right if I didn't teach her how to manipulate her Daddy." She smiled, and leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment - at least until he signaled for the waiter. She sat up, but not hurriedly as she once might have; she knew from experience that no one would dare say a word to either of them. So instead of being concerned, she merely glanced at the menu and replied, "A number seven, with Sprite for me. Salad instead of potatoes. And an order of fries to go, for the baby." She bent a little, to put the cell back into the baby bag, and rummaged through the bottom, producing one of Raine's blankets. "Raise your arm," she prompted, and once he'd obeyed, she proceeded to drape it around the cupboard. "Believe me, a cold shower and he'll be right as rain," she went on, as the waitress disappeared. "You know how quick he can recover. That'll wake him right up."

Laurence & James Zelkovii

The waitress taking their order was a young lady that looked as if she were still in high school, but she was still knowledgeable enough in the social workings of Atroe City to know very well who both these people were. She gave them a polite smile as she scribbled down their orders, "Any dressing for your salad?" Her attention wondered from Cassidy to the child that Lanny was holding, "What a cute baby you have." It was an innocent remark that she would have given to any couple with a infant like this, only when she spoke to Cassidy and Lanny, the young waitress appeared just a little nervous for the comment that so many in the town were too wary to make. Lanny flashed a smile that was mostly for show, and after he said nothing more on the matter, the waitress hurriedly went back to business, "I'll be right back with your drinks." The co-lead watched her leave while he listened to Cassidy continue with Johann, and when she was finished, he nodded once, "Should we bring anything home for him?"

Cassidy*Others

Realizing that she'd forgotten to specify a salad dressing, Cass had to think for a moment before replying, "Do you have bleu cheese?" Unlike some of the others, the young woman wasn't often one to use intimidation to get what she wanted - she was more likely to manipulate her way into things, and intimidate only when that failed, which was rarely. But the compliment to Raine made her eyes shoot to the young waitress, looking very keen and guarded for a moment; it had mellowed some in her as time went on, but the young mother still possessed the overprotective, almost paranoid fear about somebody taking her baby. And as harmless a comment as it might have been, it still got a mild reaction out of her. She eyed the girl keenly for a second or two - and then finally let out a breath, relaxing some and offering a tiny smile, which looked genuine, but wasn't. "Why, thank you. I like to think she has some of her father's good looks. Right, Lan?" Just as quick as that, she moved past her momentary fear, and tucked the blanket in a little more snuggly around the toddler, just to give herself something to do. And as the girl walked away, she turned the false smile toward Lanny, feigning contentedness sheerly for the other patrons who were watching them, not really for his benefit. "It couldn't hurt to bring him a little something; get a little food in his stomach, and it might absorb some of that drug out of his system - make him a little saner, you know."

Laurence Zelkovii

The waitress was starting to regret her comment until Cassidy smiled as well and a comment to go with it. So, this baby was a Zelkovii? The young lady kept up her pleasant smile and looked briefly between the pair before she decided it was best to get off that subject and back to the reason why the small family was here, "We do." A note on the dressing was scribbled onto her notes before she strolled away to ready their drinks and hand the order over to the cooks. Lanny was a little guarded against the comment still, if only because so very few outside of their closer friends and family would comment on it, but he finally decided it was an innocent inquiry and he let it go. "Yeah well, I guess Marachek was right." Though he'd have adopted the child regardless, it was a secret pleasure for Lanny to know that Raine did bare some coincidental features that resembled his own. "And that might be safer. He might be a grand cook, but it worries me to have him anywhere near a stove when he's on those meds." It was said half jokingly, but... with a note of sincere concern as well.

Cassidy*Others

The tension reigned in Cass for a few more moments, wherein her weight was subtly shifted into a position that wouldn't mean much to others, but which her long-time companion would know as the first movement to make all of her blades more readily available to her hand. She wasn't going to go awol and start a fight in the cafe - not by any stretch of the imagination - but it indicated very quietly that she wasn't as comfortable as she'd been only moments before. "Dogs often grow to look like the people that love them... why not children, eh?" In an attempt to downplay the significance of the pose she'd just assumed, Cass made that light joke and smoothed her dress over her lap with a seemingly-idle motion of her hands. Glad to have the conversation turn to something else, mostly because she felt like she was sitting on pins between the elder Zelkovii's fit earlier and the vague compliment to her daughter, she nodded. "Not so much the stove I'd be scared of, as those knives of his. You've seen him, as often as I have - he doesn't even look at his fingers while he's chopping things. And it was bad enough trying to get him mended the first time around. It's the battle royale to get him to go to therapy for that shoulder, every day. Just imagine if we had to get one of his fingers sewed back on."

Laurence Zelkovii

The way that Cassidy adjusted her position, a move not even noticed by anybody else as anything more than trying to get comfortable, was noted as something much more significant to Lanny. It had been a long while since he'd seen her have to use her blades, and one of those last times he'd found her outside of the apartments plucking a blade from a wooded target. "Don't mind her, she's just a kid. She meant nothing more with that comment other than to see our reactions." Though he didn't know this for sure, Lanny felt safe in assuming this young waitress wasn't part of any gang or group, and wasn't any sort of threat to them or Raine other than a source of gossip about them. "Now that you mention it, that is a worrisome thought." Lanny switched seemlessly to the latter topic, ready to drop the former one since it had stirred Cassidy up. "You might want to call him after a bit and let him know we're bringing some food home. No need for him to go in the kitchen."

Cassidy*Others

It was a little harder to make her blades lie invisible under the soft, supple dress, and yet Cass was well accustomed to having to disguise them under many different costumes - moreso than any of the other fighters in the gang. So not the slightest wrinkle showed, even around her tiny figure, and the minor adjustment remained known only to Lanny. "We were just kids too once, Lan - and I was deadly with blades younger than she is." That was suspicion, echoed ever so faintly in the blue eyes as they turned back toward him... but it faded, with his assurance, and she reached to take a grip on his arm, squeezing a little to steady herself. From there, she made a concerted effort to draw away from her anxiety, and brought a smile onto her face once more. "He'll be just now figuring out which little knob in the shower makes hot water. I'll call him as we leave." She shook her head a little, just thinking of him peering in confusion at the shower and trying to figure out how to work it. "That stubborn old man can take liquor aplenty, and not slur a word, but you give him Lortabs..." She giggled a little, and that helped lift some of the tension - a lifetime's worth of watching her uncle drink, and she'd never gotten used to it, or liked it... but she'd learned to joke about it, under circumstances like this. It was a good thing that her uncle wasn't a fall-down, insensible drunk, because otherwise she probably wouldn't be able to turn it into a joke, and thus cope with it. "At the least, his temper won't come into play."

Laurence Zelkovii

Within short order, the young waitress was back with two sodas for the couple. She continued to carry the sort of professionally friendly look that would be expected from her job, but this time around, she refrained from making any comments other than to say, "A coke for you, and a Sprite for you. Your meals should be ready in a few minutes." Lanny took the icy glass of cola and nodded, "Thanks." And once the waitress had walked away to tend to other tables, Lanny spoke quietly, "And you've got a natural talent with them. I'd wager that girl's never picked up anything other than a butter knife her whole life." That was his final remark to try and sooth Cassidy's mild paranoia over Raine's safety, even if he too had been startled by the sudden, albeit innocent, interest in their daughter. "As long as you think that shower will keep him decently occupied, I guess we won't have to rush this." He swiveled his wrist around to look at his watch, "And if we're lucky, James will have enough errands to run today to keep him occupied for the next few hours. Hopefully."

Cassidy*Others

In keeping with her attempt to move away from the overly-heavy caution that had tried to lay hold of her, Cassidy offered the waitress a less artificial smile when she came back with their drinks, and paired it with a soft, "Thank you," to take any sting off of her earlier response, even if it had been entirely polite. And when she'd left again, she turned a much softer face to Lanny. "Sorry, just..." She looked awkward for a moment, turning her eyes aside, and then turned back again. "...well, you know I've been kind of... jumpy, lately." That was exceedingly quiet, since she didn't particularly want anyone to overhear that. She shook her head, and a hand raised, but she deterred it before it could rub over her eyes, instead sending it back through the blood red curls. "I can't shake the idea that... well, somebody's going to try to get her." She reached for her glass and took a drink, letting the carbonation hit the back of her throat a little too fast, deliberately making herself choke a little and giving her an excuse to bring a hand up to her face so she wouldn't spit Sprite everywhere. She'd done it on purpose, and the sensation of slight burning at the back of her throat and nose was a welcome way to clear her head. So even though she groped for a napkin and coughed a little, she was smiling when finally she got her breath again. "Heh... that's usually a you trick, Lanny." It was an effective tactic to keep from having to stay too long on such a topic; she wasn't good at discussing things about herself, particularly when the discussion covered her few weaknesses. So she used that to move the subject on, and then turned to Johann. "Maybe he'll find somebody else to take that temper of his out on. Could we arrange for one of the boys to try and steer him toward the gym? He's usually a little calmer if he gets to pummel some people for a while."

Laurence Zelkovii

For the sake of keeping Cassidy calmer, Lanny made it a point to be calmer himself. Not to the point that he wasn't paying attention to potential threats in the city - for there were plenty of them in such a place as Atroe - but he knew he'd gotten caught off guard by the waitress's comment, and his slight uneasy that fed his faux smile and lack of reply to the young girl surely hadn't helped Cassidy feel any better about it. "No one in their right mind would try to take her from us." The young man sounded entirely assured with his statement, confident that Raine's safety was secured with his position in the gang, and the gang's position in the city. There was a sense of worry in him however, because for as prominent as the CrypticSilvers were... it hadn't been enough to stop Raimi from being taken. "You okay, Cass?" Lanny was glad to depart from the first discussion before his own insecurities over Raine's safety were revealed, and Cassidy's incident with the Sprite was a quick way to change the subject. When it was clear that she was fine, Lanny followed her words along to Johann again, "Lance can do it. He's a regular at the gym, and he can handle any temper that Johann might have."

Cassidy*Others

Too bad that several of our enemies aren't always precisely in their right minds, she thought, and immediately scolded herself, drawing her mind forcefully away from the negative, because she knew that Lanny had become more attuned to her various moods, and could even see through her best neutrality, sometimes. She didn't want the discussion to fall back to her. So instead, she coughed lightly a couple more times and wiped her mouth and chin with her napkin, and went on a little hoarsely, "Now if only we could convince your brother to join them. Maybe beating a couple people to a pulp would improve his mood.." She shook her head a bit, and smiled faintly. "Maybe they could just wear each other out - Johann's been stewing about that arm of his; he's taken it a lot harder than he's let on, you know. He likes to channel that into anger and beat something hard... and James looked like a good round or two would do him some good, too." Very briefly, Raine stirred, making a small cooing noise under her breath and scrubbing her face back and forth over the fabric beneath her for a moment, rubbing her eyes a little in a way that took this least effort possible on her part. But finally, she sighed, kicked one of her feet into her father's gut, and lay still again, proving that she was only settling more deeply for her nap.

Laurence Zelkovii

Having James join Johann at the gym sounded like a decent idea to Lanny, yet he also had is reservations about it. "Somehow, I could see Johann injuring his shoulder even more, and James leaving the gym in a worse mood than when he went in." He mulled the thought over in his head for a moment or two, wondering how well his brother could curb his anger and funnel his temper into a constructive sparring match and a profitable talk with Johann. "I could ask him, but I don't know... when he gets into these moods, he can be dangerous. He wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt Johann, but I could see the match either going well, or horribly wrong." He'd still pass it by his brother though, since goodness knew that James could use a cooling off, and at least if he blew off some steam, he might be a little more reasonable for Johann and whoever else he was looking to talk with. "If those two go, we'd best be sure that one of the other guys joins them, in case things go south." Lanny suggested as a compromise at the end. And then he froze slightly to watch Raine, and smiled faintly as the youngster scrubbed at her face before returning to her dreams.

Cassidy*Others

I am not your lady!...
I am not any kind of a lady!
I was spawned in a ditch
By a mother who left me there,
Naked and cold and too hungry to cry;
I never blamed her.
I'm sure she left hoping
That I'd have the good sense to die!
Won't you look at me, look at me,
God, won't you look at me!
Look at the kitchen slut reeking with sweat!
Born on a dung heap to die on a dung heap,
A strumpet men use and forget!

That was something she hadn't thought of, and yet when Lanny spoke of it, she immediately recognized the wisdom; with enough medicine in his system to keep him from feeling the pain and enough fire in his mind to make him want to beat things into a pulp, her uncle might very well end up injuring himself more. "You're right about that," she answered at last, shaking her head with a bit of a smile. "I keep trying to explain to him that men over forty aren't meant to be muscle-bound and buff, but he hasn't listened to me yet. Just between us, I think he's bothered by how little use he's got in that arm, now. Stubborn old cuss." It was true enough that her uncle - who was often called 'the old man' by many of the younger gangs members, even though he was just now hitting his later forties - had very restricted movement in that arm now; after all, even though he wasn't as old as they tried to make him out to be, or even as old as he looked, he wasn't a young man anymore either, and the seriousness of his injury had prevented him from making a full recovery. As it was, he couldn't raise that arm over his head anymore, and that tormented him to no end. "I don't know, though... it migh-"

"Well, well! Cass th' slickie, Cass th' quickie - girl, what's goin' on?" With very little warning, a loud, slurred voice interrupted her words, and only that kept her from being as overreactive as she might have been when a large arm reached forward and took her by the waist, hauling her up from her seat. The owner of that arm was a tall, broad shouldered man with a large beer belly and a three-day-old scruff of beard, and he used his grip on her waist to haul Cass toward him, pulling her into a half-embrace and planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. It was difficult for her to resist his strength, with her so petite and the man so large, and she flinched harshly at the kiss he gave her - partly for the fact that she hadn't invited this affection, and partly for the rank of alcohol on his breath. She recovered a bit after a second though, and squared up her shoulders to address him. "Look Duke, I'm in no mood for your games. Now you've obviously been out of town for a while, so let me set you straight on something- I-" He tugged on her waist again, forcing her in closer to him, and took hold of her chin, holding it like a possession in his rough grip.

"Now now, Cassie," he broke in, and she scowled at the nickname - nobody was allowed to call her 'Cassie'. "None o' them formal'ties, eh? C'mon - I'm sure yer... buddy there... he'll 'scuse us, yah? He's got th' lil girl there, anyway - no reas'n fer him ta break in on our fun, eh? Wha' say... how much, then?" From her waist, his hand slipped a little lower, and though she tried to extricate herself, he was simply stronger than she was, and he clearly wasn't listening to her - so with nothing else she could do, she reached up and smacked him soundly, the sound of it breaking like a gunshot through the cafe. "I'll tell you just once more, Duke," she growled, as he reached up in stunned surprise to rub at the sore side of his face, which held a red imprint of her palm due to the force she'd used. "Let me go." He looked stupidly at her for several moments - and then in a flash, his hands adjusted and he whirled her about to face him more fully, his fingers coming to rest on her upper arms with a harsh, bruising strength. "Watch it, bitch gir' - there's more'n one way ta git wha' I wan' outta you."

You have shown me the sky,
But what good is the sky
To a creature who'll never
Do better than crawl?
Of all the cruel bastards
Who've badgered and battered me,
You are the cruelest of all!
Can't you see what your gentle
Insanities do to me?
Rob me of anger and give me despair! Blows and abuse
I can take and give back again,
Tenderness I cannot bear!

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny was nodding lightly to her response, sharing the exact same thoughts about Johann and the potential for him to over do it and damage his shoulder worse than it already was. With that taken out as a way for Johann to release some of his pent up energy and potential anger, Lanny started turning the wheels in his mind for a new solution, and as he looked down absently at Raine while he thought, he didn't notice Duke approaching their table. Not until the man started speaking, and with little to no warning, hoisted Cassidy right up and out of her seat.

The way he hauled her up and the stink on his breath was warrant enough to make Lanny stand up, and could have very well led to a forceful shove if only he didn't have Raine in his hold. With the youngster to think about, Lanny's reaction was restrained to a half-startled, half-livid look from his crystal blue eyes and a tightness in his jaws that accentuated the fine, chiseled angles on his face already. "Hey! Back off, buddy." The kiss he planted on Cassidy struck a real cord in him. First off, it was clear that Cassidy didn't appreciate it, and secondly... the young man felt a flair of jealousy. Within a matter of seconds, his tanned face flushed beat red and he could stand back no longer - Raine was placed in her carrier as quickly as Lanny could safely manage, and by the time he was standing back up, that loud slap had echoed through the room and Duke had responded by taking a harsher hold on Cassidy. "I said back the hell off!" Without Raine to stay his actions, Lanny reached for one of Duke's hands to pry it forcefully off of Cassidy's arm. The other man would have had a punch flying for his face, or a shove hard enough to send him stumbling backwards, but Lanny couldn't risk either of those assaults when Duke was gripping Cass as hard as he was. Although, judging by the fire raging in his eyes, either one of those two things was likely to happen as soon as he had a clear shot.

Cassidy*Others

If it had stopped at just the foul kiss on Duke's part, Cass would have probably tolerated it, and tried to talk Lanny out of his angry reaction - after all, she'd endured more than this before, at the hands of too many men. But one thing she had never had a taste for was a man who decided that she had no right to have a say in the matter; she'd slept with a great portion of the town's men, and knew her reputation was poor as a result, but she never let it go to the point where her choice was removed from the matter. Once - only once - had she ever had that choice taken from her, and that memory aroused ferocity in her, every bit as much as the confrontation itself wrought that in Lanny. "Watch it, pretty boy," was Duke's returned threat, delivered as his eyes flashed to the younger man and narrowed, clearly seeing him as competition for his 'right' to Cassidy, not understanding that Lanny had more right to her than anyone. "Ye've got yer lady there in th' basket... ya'd best settle it 'fore I settle you." When the young man stepped forward and began to fight with his fingers for possession of Cass' arms though, he snarled under his breath, a vicious, drunken sound, and released the hold with that hand so that he could place it square to Lanny's chest and shove him back. Simultaneously, Cass cursed vibrantly in Italian and kicked him in the shins, ignoring the shot of pain that went through her own legs because his were built more sturdily than hers were. With one arm free, a blade snicked into her palm, but before she could make use of it, Duke had drawn his hand away from Lanny again and swung it at her; stars shot into her brain as the overlarge hand connected harshly with her jaw, and she clawed the darkness aside to bring her knee up into his gut - at which point, he hit her again, and used his superior strength to throw her to the ground so that he could better deal with Lanny. Cass was a good fighter, and could hold her own against people much larger than she was - but only with maneuvering room. Hand to hand against the man who stood head and shoulder over her and outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds, she could keep herself alive, but she was going to take a beating. She hit the ground on her hands and knees and had to stay there for a second, holding onto her jaw and panting to keep the stars at bay, but she was, by now, an expert at thinking around pain - in another second, she'd be up and after him again.

Laurence Zelkovii

Due to his profession and the life he was born into, Lanny had been in his fair share of fights, and had both won and lost more than he could count. As with Cassidy though, the larger man had strength over him, and there wasn't a lot of footspace to move around with the tables and chairs cluttered like they were. Lanny had no time and no room to dodge aside the other man's hand, and being the lighter of the two, was shoved back a few staggering steps that almost saw him sprawled on the ground, if not for the table edge he managed to catch to keep himself upright. "You don't realize who you just tangled with." The young man snarled back, deaf to the gasped scream in the background that came from the young waiter; in the back of his mind, he knew she or someone else would be running to phone the police, but he didn't care. Hearing Cassidy being slapped, and seeing her on the floor... Lanny only saw red as he came forward with his hand balled into a fist. The Zelkovii brother lunged forward, throwing his momentum into his arm as he swung a punch for Duke's jaw, and had a second swing coming in from the left side right after that one, whether the first made contact or not. The second Cassidy was assaulted like that, all bets were off, and Lanny was ready to whale on this fellow, or get clobbered trying.

Cassidy*Others

One heartbeat, then another passed into Cass' awareness where she crouched on the floor. She heard Lanny growl something at the offender, but didn't quite understand the words; that was how she knew that she'd taken a harder blow than what she thought. All those old reflexes and instinctive judgments were coming back into play, where after a particularly volatile encounter with a customer she would mentally assess herself and make the decision of whether she needed to head home and let Johann have a look at her, or whether she was sound enough to fade into the wilds for a while and disappear, as she had been known to do, until the evidence of bruises on her body faded away. Very rarely had she let her uncle tend her, even at that - she hadn't ever wanted him to know that some of her customers were as rough as this. So she knew right now that the fire that was lancing down her jaw was not a broken bone, but nevertheless had addled her brain more than she would have liked. With that awareness, she knew that she was alright enough to stand up and fight back, though she wouldn't like it. There was a brief crash as Duke half-tumbled into a table a few feet away, and Raine erupted with a scream that sliced into Cass, mostly because hearing terror from her daughter was something that wrought instant pain and anguish in her, but also because the sheer volume and pitch was painful to her already unhappy head. Duke was too large to really be knocked back by Lanny, if he'd been sober - but drunk as he was, the older man's balance was already poor, and Zelkovii would feel a satisfying crunch of bones as his fist met Duke's face. One his large, meaty hands swung for Lanny - but in that moment, Cass got her feet under her, and flipped the dagger about in her hand, putting the pommel toward Duke and laying all her strength into her swing. She'd always been a fighter, and now she was a paranoid, over-protective mother - that lent her the needed power to land her blow beside Duke's temple, which resounded with a wet smack. It was followed by a resounding crash and a flying table that was toppled as the large man hit the floor, suddenly still and quiet; she hadn't killed him, but she'd managed to knock him out, and that was saying a good deal. Strangely enough, the second he was down, she was hastening to the large man and reaching down to feel for his pulse, and fishing a napkin from under his arm to press to the cut made by the various glass table settings he'd fallen on. "Dammit," she whispered, and the Raine's cries got her attention again, and she placed her hand against Duke's chest in order to rise and move toward her daughter. She didn't get there before she tripped though - much as she hated to admit it, the blow to her jaw was upsetting her center of balance, and making her very dizzy. Aside from the swelling there at her jaw and the bruises of Duke's fingerprints on her, she was unharmed, but the man had hit her just right, and thus temporarily dislodged her usual keen balance.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny didn't feel the stunning pain light in his hand, nor did he care that his knuckles would be black and blue tomorrow. He cared only that he felt that welcome break of his enemy's bones beneath his hefty blow, and that it had been enough to send the alcohol intoxicated man stumbling backwards. Lanny was ready to go after him and keep the fists flying until he'd either beat Duke senseless, or the police arrived to break them up, but Cassidy got to them first. He'd been about to command her away from Duke and send her to fetch Raine, yet the girl proved her deftness in blades was as good as ever, and with one calculated swing to the side of the man's head, Duke was down for the count and taking out a table in his fall. "Leave him." The Zelkovii brother muttered, even as he knelt down after Cassidy to turn the man's head to the side, and to check and see if he really was out. Satisfied that the threat had been neutralized, two things became his priority now, one being to see that Cass and Raine were alright, and the other was to flee the scene before the cops showed up. "Woah, easy... how bad did he get you?" Shortly after standing up and turning away from the prone Duke, Lanny was stepping quickly to Cassidy to catch her arm and help her keep her balance. His eyes darted from her to Raine in the next second, recalling the shriek the youngster had made only moments earlier to all the chaos around her.

Cassidy*Others

Cass took a harsh hold of the young man's arm, holding tight to it for several moments until she was more certain of her balance. But at the same time, she was grimacing, and shooting back a comment at him. "Leave him?" She shook her head, and didn't let go of Lanny's arm - she knew that her balance was bad, and so she took his support, using it to move over and tend to Raine, even though her hand was still clutching her jaw, indicating that it hurt fiercely. A moment later, she lowered her voice, and went on, "The man's got two kids and an invalid wife at home - if you'd really hurt him, who'd take care of them?" Raine was still crying, and Cass was covering up some of her own distress by tending to the child, tucking her blanket around her more certainly and petting the girl's forehead and arms. It wasn't doing much though, and the young woman was definitely dizzy - she was swaying even as she squatted before the carrier. But she wrote it up to the hit she'd taken, and shook her head to Lanny's concern. "I'm alright - I've had much worse. Not from Duke though; I've never known him to be violent. Though... I've never told him no, before. He always paid well." She rubbed her cheek as though that would relieve the pain, but went on, "It's not broken - but it'll swell like a balloon. Johann is not going to be happy."

Laurence Zelkovii

It became quickly apparent that Cassidy's balance was skewed, and the way she was holding the side of her face spoke enough about the damage that was done there. Lanny made sure to support her as they returned to their table, "Leave him." He repeated the statement, just as certain and defiant as he had before, even after she'd explained a brief snippet of his home life to her. "Who would take care of them? I'm more concerned about what he did to you, and how badly he scared Raine." The young man made his feelings clear on the matter. He wasn't a callous person, but he had been significantly frightened just now, not that it showed easily under his facade of anger; all he could see in his mind was Cassidy being struck down by Duke, and that's all he needed to write the man off as an enemy. "Lets not talk about him." A little quickly, he attempted to dissuade the discussion of the older man as he knelt down beside Raine, and took a look at the side of Cassidy's face, "We'll get home and get an ice pack on it, and if it gets any worse, we're going to the hospital. Can you stand okay? here, hold onto my arm." Quickly and efficiently, Lanny was trying to pick up the youngster's carrier and guide Cassidy back up, so that they could skip the cafe and head home.

Cassidy*Others

"I'm fine Lanny," she repeated, and turned her eyes back to Duke again, where he lay very still on the floor. "His kids are young - not as little as Raine. The younger one's five... I think the older boy's eight. And their mother is bed-ridden. If you had killed him, or hurt him badly, what would have happened to those kids, Lan?" Her voice was stern and fierce, and she took her shaking hand away from her face for a minute to pass it over Raine's face and murmur a soothing something to the child. The place on her jaw was already begin to darken with bruising and swell up, but she didn't hide it, knowing too well he'd see it perfectly well in just a few minutes at home. "I've had worse, Lanny. Much worse. Remember that week in June, when you were about seventeen, and I went away? I broke my jaw then, and a couple ribs... I wasn't going to tell Johann. I'm telling you - this isn't a big deal. I'm..." She shook her head, turned aside, "That's part of the job." She took up her grip on his arm as she said that, and held tight to it, pushing to her feet and staggering a second before she stayed upright. "I want to go home," she muttered, and waited for him to lead the way out.

Laurence Zelkovii

The young man didn't look back to Duke, nor did Cassidy's words stir any regret or sympathy in him. Sure, he did feel badly for the children and the wife that was unable to care for them or herself, but they were not his priority, and in the minutes after the sudden assault, his adrenaline was still running strong and his mind was fully absorbed in the thoughts of protecting Cass and Raine. "He should've thought about his family before he attacked mine. 'Duke' can count himself lucky if I decide not to put him on the list. And even if I don't do that, you can bet he's going to get a follow up message about not coming anywhere near you and Raine again." The underlying viciousness in the young man was being revealed in full. This was the Lanny who could murder another enemy in cold blood, or beat them near to death without feeling a tinge of regret. It was a side that didn't often surface, but it was a necessary side for the co-lead to have, if he expected to keep his place in the gang, and to stay alive. As he stood and waited for Cass to get a good hold on him, Lanny looked at the young woman more intently, "That's not your job any more."

Cassidy*Others

"He's too drunk to think squarely about anything - I would think that you, of everyone, would understand that." That was gentle, and sounded as she leaned in and buried her face into the front of his shirt, hanging onto his arm for dear life as the room spun a little. "I know you don't understand Lanny, part because you don't want to, and part because you've never worked at the bridge. But trust me, Lan, trust me..." The words were low and fast, and she took a deep breath in through her nose, beginning to cradle her jaw in one hand again. "If they're going to hit somebody, Lanny... I want it to be me. Because I can take it, and I can take care of myself enough so I'll be alive the next morning. Most of the girls on the rack can't say that. I knew them all - four got killed by beaters while I was working at the bridge. Thing is that if they're hitting me, they're not hitting them. And that keeps more of them alive." It was almost as if Cass thought it was something deserved for all that; because of course the fact that she could take the blows wasn't the point. She shouldn't have to - but she didn't understand that. Keeping her face planted against him, she whispered again, "Please Lanny, I don't want to argue with you - I just want to go home."

Laurence Zelkovii

Being called out on his tendency to go too far with drinking, softly as it was spoken, still struck a raw nerve in Lanny. He didn't react in anger about it though, but he did ignore the comment entirely, "That's not part of your life any more, Cass. If anyone lays a hand on you like that again, they'll find themselves sleeping at the bottom of the bay." The threat was not a euphemism either, as the gang had utilized the river and ocean around them to dispose of various unwanted things... a few people included. "And it's not your job to protect them out there. You've got a kid to protect." It was true that Lanny was not seeing the situation the same way that Cassidy was, and was too centered on getting himself and the girls out of here to think about much else, at least for the moment. "Okay... we're going home." At the end, Lanny relented to a softer voice. The edge of his anger was wearing off now that there was no threat for him to deal with, and the need to be comforting was edging in. He wrapped his arm around Cassidy as best as he could while she held onto it, drawing her closer against him as he strode out of the cafe with her and Raine. He didn't stop to look back, and no one dared try to stop him, though he knew they'd be dealing with the local authorities soon enough.

Cassidy*Others

"Maybe not," Cass conceded, turning her face out and away from his shirt when the dizziness faded some. "But you don't just wake up one morning and forget a lifetime, Lanny. I've been a prostitute now for much longer than I haven't been one, and that creates a bond between girls like us that you'll never understand. Usually we're fighting and spitting and cussing at each other, but when one of us has her back to a wall, the rest are always there. It's because we've all of us been there." She'd never discussed her former job very much with him, knowing that he had no more taste for it than her uncle did, but she justified her words of defense for Duke now with that statement. "Leave old Duke alone - he'll wake up, come back to his senses, and probably even apologize the next time I see him. No harm, no foul; that's the business for you. Men figure that a hooker's a cheap piece of trash to be used and forgotten, and to take out frustrations on. It's a purpose we serve, and are paid for. It's nothing different than when we go out fighting, and come back with injuries. At least we know we did something to deserve that." His arm went around her there, and unlike how she'd fought Duke under the same situation, she melted into Lanny's support at this moment, and let him help her as they started for the door across the debris left by the short fight. "Just because you stop working doesn't mean you're suddenly a different girl, Lanny... I've still got my duty to look after the others, and I take it just as seriously as I do anything that I do for the Silvers."

Laurence Zelkovii

"I don't want you going out around there any more. We had this discussion already." Though he was very stern about this, his voice had since softened as they were walking to the door. "Duke won't be coming anywhere around you either. If he wants to apologize, he can talk to me first." At a later time, after he'd had time to let his emotions and adrenaline settle, Lanny would be more prone to actually listening and altering his views on some of these things, but so soon after the assault he wasn't hearing any of it. "We can talk about this after we get home, and get your face looked at." Nevermind the fact that they still had food coming, and hadn't paid for the drinks they'd already received; the young man led them out of the cafe, with the young waitress and the others in the small diner too concerned about the fight to even think about this fact.