Laurence Zelkovii

Managing to make it out of the Downs without too much trouble and cursing, Lanny had soon enough found his way back into the heart of the city, eyes briefly scanning the river level as they went over the bridge. "Here's to hoping we don't get too much more snow... anymore, and we'll have another flood come spring." He commented as he pulled into a parking space and flipped the headlights off. Being on the forth floor meant Cassidy's room wasn't in danger, but it was quite the hassle to wade through muddy waters to get there.

Cassidy

She'd been forced to scoot away from Lanny in order to make use of the seatbelt, with the middle seat and the shifting column now placed between them and not allowing her to lean against him. And she didn't immediately seek out his touch when they climbed out of the vehicle either; she knew her guardian well enough to say that when he was in such a protective mood as he was now, any closeness with anybody was liable to come under his suspicion. But she answered pleasantly enough, "Goodness knows that's all we would need - remember when the garbage cans floated away last year, and they ended up clear down by Fifth Street?" She waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the named road as she began to mount the stairs to the apartment, going on, "Getting those back up here was a hassle and a half. If they'd - hello, Johann."

Her uncle was at the top of the stairs, and stepped quickly down a few to hug her tightly, nothing in his demeanor suggesting how worried he'd been, if one discounted that he held on for quite a while before he let her go. "You. Inside," he told her shortly, with a clear tone that said she wasn't to argue, and she knew well enough that though he was being rude about it, Johann didn't mean it. But instead of arguing, she gave Lanny a glance and moved for the door, heading inside. It was when she'd disappeared beyond the frame that the small man spat, "And you..." His voice was rumbling, and almost threatening in a way, but after a moment, the harshness in his face softened. "Thanks for bringing my girl back, Lanny. Come on - supper's almost ready." And on no more ceremony than that, he headed inside.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Too bad it didn't take Miss Baitmen with it!" He laughed in a whisper as he followed her up the steps, clearly not thinking much of their landlord. Mirth aside, Laurence had to adopt a more formal demeanor when they'd reached the top floor and were met with a rather brusque Johann. Lanny waited obediently at the side, knowing that even with his rank, he couldn't just invite himself into the this man's home without his permission. And when he got it, Lanny flashed a brief grin and a nod before ducking inside the door and following after Cassidy. "Mmmmmm, smells good. What is it?" Keeping the peace and retaining a neutral topic for as long as it might last, Lanny didn't hesitate to sniff at the air and the thick aroma of cooking goods.

Cassidy*Others

When the men moved back into the apartment, Cass was just coming back out of the single bedroom, newly cladin a multi-toned blue sweater that was infinitely preferable to the cami she'd been wearing. Crossing the room, she returned the coat to Lanny with a small thank you and then headed for the kitchen, were she set about fetching dishes to set the table. "Chicken and potatoes, and mixed veggies," Johann spouted, offering out the menu for Lanny's interest, "Though you'll have to ask the girl about dessert - she's the baker, of the two of us." Cassidy smiled there, and giggled a little. "Between the two of us, we're a great cook," she joked briefly, now moving for the small dining area that joined the kitchen and the living room. As she was laying out silverware, she called out, "What do you want to drink, Lanny? I think we can pretty well cover the scopes of most liquids."

Laurence Zelkovii

"Ah, delicious!" He wasn't sure if he dared to crack a joke about Sheryl's lack of cooking skills or not, but figured it was better safe than sorry in that case. Finding himself a chair at the table, Lanny set himself down, and out of the way of Johann and Cassidy as they went about preparing things. He could almost forget about the topic the two of them had only recently covered, or the impending worry about this mystery man who his friend was after, and what might happen if she slipped up a second time. Instead, he took advantage of the light atmosphere and rode with it while it remained, "Got any Coke...?"

Cassidy*Others

Johann did offer Lanny an undisguised smile for the compliment - one surefire way to please the man was to appreciate his food. Apparently, despite the rather rough start that he'd imposed upon Lanny's apparent desire to become closer to Cassidy, the old man was warming up to the younger Zelkovii in a way that he hadn't warmed to James in all the years he'd worked for the gang. And it was pretty safe to bet that a lot of that had to do with how Lanny was helping him to look after Cassidy.

And the young woman was clearly trying to keep her mind away from the somber talk she and Lanny had earlier pursued, busying herself in the kitchen. "I've already got muffins in the oven," she notified Johann, when he again asked if she was preparing dessert. "I had some batter left over, anyway. Hope you like chocolate chip, Lan." Even as she said this, she produced a Coke from the fridge, and a Sprite for herself before lifting Johann's personal bottle of whiskey from a table beside the couch and beginning to set each of these on the table. As she passed by, the man caught her elbow and whispered something into her ear, but she shook her head and kissed his cheek gently, apparently not agreeing with whatever it was that he'd said. At least he didn't seem bothered by it - he kept right on serving up plates and balancing them deftly, beginning to carry them to the table. "Those muffins'll be done by the time we're through eatin, huh?" Johann asked as he placed the food on the table. Cass nodded as she took her place beside Lanny, where she'd be between the two men, again offering him the better view of Johann's features. Her reasoning was simple - she knew the old man well enough to work around him without having to see his face, and with Johann likely to go on the attack soon, she figured poor Lanny could use all the help he could get.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny saw the smile as a positive step forward in all of this, pretty well knowing that if he stood any chance at getting closer to Cassidy, he had to get through the ultra-protective Johann first. "Thanks." Taking the soda and cracking it open with a distinctive hiss of escaping carbons, Lanny gave a giant grin to Cassidy when she mentioned what kind of dessert they were having, "Anything with chocolate chips in them is alright by me. You can't go wrong with chocolate." The young man didn't have a major sweet tooth, but he did have a penchant for chocolate-chip pancakes in the morning.

When all was said and ready, and the plats and foodware settled on the table, Lanny had to admit to himself that he was thankful that Cassidy choose to sit between him and Johann. Part of him felt a little awkward for feeling safer because a girl was their to buffer him somewhat from Johann, but it was true - the man was easily intimidating, and Cassidy knew him better than anyone.

Cassidy

As the three of them set into the meal with very few formalities, Cassidy led the discussion into polite conversation, asking Johann how he'd passed the day and listening intently about the movement of certain groups of their enemies and what he expected them to do next - talking shop was the only way to get him to really 'chat' with anybody. But when they'd gotten well into the meal, Johann broached the topic that the two young people had rather been dreading.

"So you want to explain to me why you saw fit to take off, and not answer my calls for two days?" The tone of his voice was quasi-scolding, rather like a father, as he was the closest to such that the girl had; it was as though she were his daughter who had come home two hours after curfew, and he were giving her one chance to explain herself before he revoked all of her privileges. Cassidy answered him quietly, "I had a few things on my mind, and didn't really want to talk to anyone. I didn't mean to worry you. Either of you," she ventured, turning her eyes to Lanny and apologizing as she hadn't been able to do earlier.

Laurence Zelkovii

After scooping out a generous portion of chicken, potatoes, and veggies onto his plate, Lanny went to town on the feast. For being second in command of a successful gang, there was little problem with him finding food to eat, but even going out to restaurants just wasn't the same as a good, home cooked meal. In between hardy bites of food, he was contributing comments and substance to the casual conversation, talking about these activities as if it were a normal occurrence for any family. His mood changed substantially when Johann finally brought up the topic they'd known was coming, and he smartly stuffed a big piece of chicken for his face, giving him a few seconds of thought as he chewed threw it to clear the way for a reply. Taking his time downing the bite, without dragging it on too long, Lanny nodded to collaborate Cassidy's downplay of the incident, "I came across her just a few dozen yards down the road, where you said her cellphone was." He'd caught the look he shot her, taking it to heart, but making no more response to it than a subtle look of understanding to say that all was well.

Cassidy*Others

Johann nodded, satisfied at least that his information had helped Lanny locate the girl, but not willing to lay off of the topic just yet. "In that thing you were almost wearing when you came in?" He asked incredulously, and if not for the seriousness of the situation, Cass might have laughed - he'd never really approved of the skimpiness of her wardrobe, and it was an old fight between them for him to tell her she was 'almost' wearing something, in reference to the fact that there was little cloth to the garment. But given how upset he already was, she kept her amusement to herself and told him honestly, "Yes, in that outfit. I'd fallen asleep against a tree... Lanny woke me up."

"Asleep, no less! In this weather! Cass, you might've died out there, with none the wiser, from the temperature alone if not for the animals and the lowlifes in that area." He kept his voice low in its exasperation, finding as Lanny had that he simply couldn't raise his voice to her. "What possessed you, my girl? Galloping off explicitly against any training I ever pounded into your head? You'd sure as hell better have a good reason." Cass had long since stopped eating, resting her hands in her lap as she faced off with Johann, but when he directly broached the most sensitive area of the topic - just why she'd run off - her hand moved subtly beneath the table, which was small enough to allow her fingers to just brush the thigh of Lanny's jeans in a nervous gesture as she murmured, "I think I better fetch the muffins before they burn." But Johann's eyes followed her as she got up from her seat to head for the kitchen - he wasn't fooled by the distraction.

Laurence Zelkovii

Laurence might have agreed with what Johann was saying about the girl's attire, but he was wise enough not to back the man up. He needed to get on Johann's bad side, but not at the expense of getting Cassidy riled at him, and he'd learned that most girls didn't appreciate having their clothes being the center of negative light. Again putting a bit more food to his mouth, Lanny kept his thoughts to himself, trying to avoid conflict until Johann got down to the more sensitive stuff.

The young man almost flinched at the touch, out of sheer surprise, but managed to keep his composure. If the touch hadn't done it, her obvious change of subject told him what he already knew - Cassidy wasn't comfortable telling the story over again. Not willing to make up a lie in front of Johann, and definitely unwilling to spout off the girl's secrets without her approval, Lanny tried to play off the question as best he could, "Women." He shrugged with a forced look of well-tempered exasperation, "Trying to figure them out is enough to make your head explode. Ask James - he and Sheryl get into it sometimes, and it's nothing pretty."

Johann*Others

He'd watched Cass as she headed for the kitchen, his eyes following her as she reached up to a high cupboard for oven mitts and moved to set the muffins on a rack to cool, but when Lanny ventured a comment, manners bade him turn around and answer, "That one particularly, Lanny. She's so chock full of secrets it's a wonder she doesn't explode." He muttered that in a calm but slightly bitter tone that said he wasn't happy with the distraction that Cass had put up, nor did he believe it. But he tolerated it for a long time as the girl fussed about in the kitchen, trying to give herself time to think and compose her thoughts.

But after a few minutes, Johann spoke without turning to face her. "You can stay in the kitchen all night if you like, Cass - but we will finish our talk. And I think it will be easier to do so before it gets too late." She heard that tone in his voice; it was useless to try to stall longer. Setting her task aside with a sigh, she came back to the table without bringing the muffins, and seated herself again. Her chair had been scooted aside when she'd gotten up in such a hurry to change the subject, so she was seated much closer to Lanny this time as she almost timidly squared up to Johann's firm gaze. "How would... you like to be a great-uncle, Johann?" She offered that in a light tone, hoping to disarm him, and it did accomplish that - but only momentarily. The next second, he was glaring with immeasurable venom at Lanny, speechless with fury. But Cass was quick to defend him. "It's not Lanny's fault, Uncle... it's not his child." His gaze darted back to her, and he snapped, "Reminding me that we're related won't help your cause, girl. Explain yourself."

Laurence Zelkovii

Prepared to follow along with whatever Cassidy ventured to say, Lanny felt himself particularly nervous, even though he wasn't the one who was trying to explain the situation to Johann. Loyalty to the girl was what brought him here in the first place, and concern over her feelings made him uneasy just thinking about how uneasy she must be. Finding that his stomach was pretty well full by now, Lanny was idly scooting some carrots around his plate, finding a distraction for himself when Johann got after Cass about talking.

Hearing the girl finally admit what had sent her off, Lanny at first looked up hopefully, to see what sort of reaction this would get out of Johann. Unfortunately, he was taking a sip of pop at that exact moment Johann turned deadly eyes at him. Half choking on his mouthful of soda, Lanny was temporarily unable to speak, but Cassidy had thankfully explained that he wasn't the source of her pregnancy. "Not-me..." Reaching for a napkin to wipe up some of the coke that had sprayed out, Lanny coughed a few more times before he seemed to recover himself and work for another attempt at speech, "I bet Sheryl could help with getting baby supplies." It sounded terribly awkward, but that's the only thing his startled mind could come up with after getting that look from Johann on such short notice.

Cassidy*Others

After displaying a suitable amount of concern over Lanny and being sure that he was alright, Cass hopped up from the table with the excuse of getting more napkins, chickening out for a moment as she sought refuge away from Johann's piercing gaze. Her hands shook just a little as she came back with the napkins, but she quickly disguised this by again placing them in her lap as she seated herself again and managed to draw her eyes back up to meet her uncle's, with an effort. "It's... complicated, Johann," she began finally, in the identical exercise she had used to introduce the idea to Lanny. "I wasn't careful enough... let's leave it there." This wasn't precisely a lie - she hadn't been as guarded as she should have been, out on the bridge that night. But it had nothing to do with contraceptives, as her words suggested; it had to do with her own self-defense.

Johann sighed heavily and got up from the table, shoving his chair back with a force that knocked it over; his back was quickly turned, so he didn't see how Cass flinched at the noise. He moved toward the window and looked down into the street, and was quiet for a long while. He seemed to have forgotten that Lanny was in the room - he was buried in his own thoughts now. After a long, awkward silence, his voice came again, and it had deepened. "When... when my girl?... will you stop lying to me?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Deciding he was lucky he at least hadn't shot any of that soda out of his nose this time, Lanny was more embarrassed by it all than anything. Gladly being a distraction while he could, even if it wasn't intentional at all, Lanny accepted the extra napkins from Cassidy and assured her he was fine. After that little spiel, he once more became quiet, letting Johann and Cassidy have at it again for round two. However, after watching the girl flinch and Johann stalk silently towards the window, Lanny decided to offer a little defense for the girl. Clearing his throat, both to ensure that his voice had returned fully, as well as to break the tension of Johann's last words, the young man braved forward, "Johann, I know you're just worried about her, but sometimes you've got to back off a little. This is... it's a touchy topic." He generally wasn't afraid to verbally go up against someone else, but with Johann, even those like James had to be a little careful. "These things take time to explain, I'm sure."

Cassidy*Others

Cassidy would have warned Lanny not to head into that end of the topic, if she could have; suggesting anything as to how he ought to behave toward Cassidy was liable to bring out Johann's temper. But fortunately, the man seemed past that, for now - not turning away from his view of the window, Johann sighed and murmured, "Touchy is hardly the word, Laurence." And just the editing of his name indicated a shift in the conversation - he always called Lanny by his full name when he had very serious topics on his mind. But at least his voice had lost some of the edge - he was no longer angry, having faded into concern and a kind of self-loathing spawned from knowing that Cass had been hurt, and he hadn't been able to do anything about it.

He didn't return to the table, so Cassidy got up and went to him, not having to reach up to wrap him in a hug from behind him - he was unmoving for a moment, by after a pause he reached a hand up and lay it on her embracing arms, a sign that he would accept her affection and was again ready to speak on the topic. "All the more reason why you shouldn't have been out there in the snow," he said softly, and her response was to close her eyes and lay her face against his back as she had done against Lanny's shoulder earlier. "I know," she whispered. He seemed to take more from that statement than she said, because he gently disentangled himself from her embrace and turned from the window, now addressing Lanny without returning to the table. "So... where do we go from here. When do we tell James... and how much?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Taking the brave step at actually confronting the man with his words, Lanny went silent when he picked up on the signs that he'd perhaps gone a little too far. Hearing his full name issued was the main warning flag, and it told him he'd best watch himself right now. Instead of continuing on, the young man watched and listened as the interaction went on between Cassidy and Johann, relaxing a little when they showed their affections, reminding Lanny that even for all of Johann's roughness, he cared for the girl more than anyone could guess. When the issue of how to handle the topic with the others came up, Lanny jumped in again, "I can handle that, I think. It's a private matter - he's not going to dig for information unless it has anything to do with the gang." Here he had to be careful - he knew that the father of the unborn baby was an untrustworthy man, but Johann hadn't been led to this information yet.

Cassidy*Others

It was a forgone conclusion that Johann was not done questioning the girl about the situation, but Cassidy was sure that she was more than capable of keeping him from discovering that darker part of the secret that she'd revealed to Lanny. She'd never explained her year-long absence to Johann either, despite his forceful questioning - and she hadn't yet surrendered even to Lanny the most fateful part of the tale; that the father of her first child had been the co-head of a rival gang. Despite her general unhappiness and weakness over the topic, there were certain things that Cassidy would not yet surrender to anyone... though as time went on, she might learn to trust Lanny enough for that.

As it was, Johann seemed satisfied with Lanny's answer, and signified it by walking back and joining him at the table, after righting his chair and Cassidy's and gently bidding her to sit with them. She seated herself quietly, still a little shaken in the face of the intensity of the conversation, but much calmer now as she instinctively reached for Lanny's hand, not thinking what her uncle's reaction might be. Be he didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't mind - his attention was on the topic of Cassidy's pregnancy, and ensuring her safety and that of her child. "You're not working at the bridge anymore," he informed her bluntly. "Not until the baby's born and you and I have a long talk about this. Until that time, I've enough resources to keep us afloat. Lanny, you'll have to think up some excuse - thin as she is, this whole thing is going to be risky enough without her getting involved in active battles and providing her body more stress... you'll have to think of something to tell James. Can you manage that?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Pleasantly surprised by the handhold, as he learned to let Cassidy always make the first move in any sort of physical contact so that he didn't risk himself getting a hit by a defensive blade-jab, Lanny closed his fingers around hers. He was judging the two again as best he could, finding this situation every bit as intensive as gang-negotiations with other leaders - and maybe even moreso, considering his emotional attachment to Cassidy herself. He may not be in physical danger in this sort of situation, but if he didn't react correctly, he could risk distancing himself from Johann, or even hurting his relations with Cassidy.

"Our rivals have been keeping quiet lately, so I should at least have some time to think of something, and convince James that she needn't be fighting. Once it becomes apparent she's pregnant, that'll be reason enough for James to keep her out of any dangerous work - the question is, how are we going to handle that?" The easiest way he saw to get her out of the fighting was to play on her condition; but in order to do that, he needed their permission, and the information that they were willing to give about it. What if someone asked about the father?

Cassidy*Others

Cassidy relaxed a little more when his fingers closed about her own; feeling that she had his support made her more content and less defensive. If Johann hadn't been studying them both so intently, she might have given Lanny a smile, but as it happened, the man was keeping a careful eye on them, even as they thought. "By the time that happens, I'll have thought of something," Cassidy murmured, carefully inserting herself into the conversation. "For now, you can offer James your guess on the situation - that I had a small mishap with a client. Afterward, if I think of something better, we can always say that your guess was incorrect, with none the wiser." Johann was nodding now, seeing the wisdom of tactics in this idea, though he looked back at Lanny to get his idea of this course of action - as Cass knew Johann best, Laurence knew his brother best.

Laurence Zelkovii

"He's likely to believe that too." Lanny nodded in agreement, "I'll give him that, and impress that it's not a big deal." The only thing he had to be careful about was to lead his brother into believe what Cassidy had tried in vain to lead Johann to; that it was just a contraceptive-related mishap, and nothing more than that. To suggest that she was attacked was just asking for trouble. James may not be as personal or sensitive to such things as Lanny was, but he was most certainly a loyal and dedicated gang leader. If someone attacked a member of his extended family, he would make a point of hunting them down just to show any other would-be aggressors what happened when the messed with the CrypticSilvers. Lanny let out a quiet sigh, like a release of pent-up tension, "Alright then, we've got the first part of this planned out."

Cassidy*Others

Glad that Lanny seemed to believe that this idea would pacify James, Johann put that into the back of his mind so that if James were to question him on the topic, he might back it up. But Cassidy turned her gaze to him, a little confused. "The first part? What's the other part?"

"What to do until then," Johann told her, "and how to keep you safe and see to it about getting you a doctor and all the right appointments and medications to see to it that you stay healthy. How to see to it that word of this doesn't spread to our enemies, where they could put it to use against us - that's a whole different issue." Johann was already working over the communication issues, while simultaneously putting just as much thought into getting Cassidy a proper doctor for the first time in her life. He hadn't been mistaken in his words earlier - Cassidy was tall, but she was exceedingly thin and small-boned, and if she did not receive proper pre-natal care, pregnancy could become a life-threatening thing for her. And he'd be damned before he'd let anything happen to the girl or her baby.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny was about to open his mouth to reply, when Johann explained it for him. Pacifying James would be easy enough, but once the baby bump was revealed, they'd have to face everyone else, and that could bring out a whole new box of troubles if the wrong things were said to the wrong people. "The Great Springs has state of the art care. I can pull a few strings to get her set up with care at little to no cost." That was one of the boons of working in cahoots with the local powers. As long as they didn't push their demands too far or too often, the CrypticSilvers could indulge occasionally in these sort of benefits. "Just tell me which doctor you want her to see, and I'll have James get in touch with the Mayor."

Cassidy*Others

The elder man kept on nodding, already flitting through his near-endless mental trove of names and faces around Atroe. Cassidy knew that he often quietly played the mental game of walking down the street and silently naming off the people he saw, their ages, and their occupations and points of interest - part of what had made Johann into the professional hacker and informational officer he was today was his unending curiosity and interest in people. After a moment, he looked up at Cass, seeming to consider her carefully, before he spouted out, "Marachek. First name Laura. I've read up on her - she's got a lot of experience in the area. And a practical kind of personality - no nonsense." Goodness knew that Johann liked people who came straight to the point, and Dr. 'Call Me Laura' Marachek was definitely one of those.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Marachek?" Lanny repeated the name to put it to memory, as well as to assure he'd gotten it right. "I'll give James the heads-up, and he'll get things squared away." From the discussion they were having previously, this one was considerably less taxing, and much less stressful. There was still the issue of who the father was, and the fact that Lanny knew this man was dangerous, whoever he was - and he was keen to keep that a secret from Johann. "I guess you'll have some shopping to do in the next few months...?" The young man grinned a little, "I think Sheryl might be better help for you in that area than me."

Cassidy*Others

Seeming satisfied that Lanny was going to take care of that end of matters, Johann fell out of the discussion and occupied himself studying the two of them while they talked. "I was thinking about that," Cass admitted, "But I was wondering if it might not cause a bit of trouble - what with Randy gone and all. Not that I'd mention it to her, of course..." But relations had always been a little tense between the two girls, and there was no way that Cass was going to give Sheryl any more excuse than she already had to hate her. Though the friendship between she and Lanny was quickly blossoming into something a little warmer... if Jame's girlfriend had noticed that, then there might be less of the jealousy problem that had always divided them.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Oh, I didn't think about that..." Truthfully, he missed the little kid a great deal still, but only dared to bring up his name if either Sheryl or James did so first. They'd of course been keeping tabs as best as they could on Raimi and Conan, but with so many different affairs to take care of recently, they had to be content with just watching him from a distance and waiting for their next opportunity to strike. Aside from that, Lanny was just a slight bit blind to the depth of female aggression between Cassidy and Sheryl, as he didn't quite understand that issue of jealously that the latter seemed to harbor. "In that case, I suppose I might be persuaded to go baby-clothes-shopping." He dragged out that suggestion in a highly sarcastic manner, with the grin he boasted showing that he really didn't mind the idea, though being a 'tough guy' demanded that he resist the notion somewhat.

Cassidy*Others

Now Cassidy really rolled her eyes, and actually shoved Lanny playfully, letting a quiet laugh escape her. "Oh, you'll live!" she teased, and for that second she was the same Cass that he'd known when they were children, before all the drama that had passed between them and served to harden her into the manipulative person she was today. Obviously, she wasn't fooled by his front, which of course he hadn't really expected her to believe, anyway. It was just one of those understandings between them where words didn't have to be spoken. And here, Johann actually broke into the tease in his dry voice. "Perhaps I should provide you with a list of risks involved and what sort of armaments you might require to accomplish this safely."

Laurence Zelkovii

A hearty laughter a bright flash of teeth met the playful shove by Cassidy as he chided back, "At this rate, I'm not sure..." For the first time in many days, he felt better now than he had in a long while. It had been too long since he'd seen this side of his friend drawn out of hiding, and it reminded him of the old days as carefree kids. He wasn't sure how, but somehow... this day had gone from absolutely horrible to almost perfect. "I think I might need your help on this one, Johann. I don't suppose I could ever drag you into joining us in this adventure?" Of course, that last thing he wanted was for him to follow along with them while shopping for baby and maternity clothes - that had awkward written all over it.

Cassidy*Others

Considering that the day had started with despair and tears on her part, things were definitely looking up, in Cass' world. Earlier, she'd been only able to concentrate on the grim circumstances surrounding her pregnancy, and the terrible events it had reminded her of, but now she was able to concentrate on the more anticipated aspects of the idea - the shopping, the fun of picking out names, the joy of informing friends. She could put aside, for now, her fury and embarrassment at not having protected herself properly, and focus on the positives. And she expressed that with a ripple of laughter as Johann let his eyes get wide and shook his head. "Go shopping for clothes with a soon-to-be very emotional female? No thanks, Lanny - I prefer to keep what's left of my mind in tact. You're on your own." Knowing perfectly well the silent code that dictated how embarrassing it could be if he tried to tag along for the endless rounds of ready-making for this new arrival, Johann turned it down without ever wondering on the topic - he wasn't going to barge into this.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Looks like you're stuck with me, Cass." Lanny summed up as soon as Johann expectedly backed out of the shopping venture. Without even realizing straight away, he was placing himself in the position of main support for the girl, readily volunteering himself to help her out with things and more or less putting it out there that he was ready to help her with it all. He'd always been like that, but there was almost a sense of new excitement in the way he spoke, as if this were his own child, and he were the excited father. But no... Cassidy was just a friend... wasn't she?

Cassidy*Others

For the third time in the last few minutes, Cass rolled her eyes, and in heavy sarcasm, she murmured, "Oh, good heavens... however will I manage?" But at the same time, she squeezed his hand just a little bit, a kind of silent message that she was glad that he'd be coming with her, and if Johann's relaxed face were any indication, he was slowly beginning to accept the relationship that he saw forming between the two young people, even if the two of them didn't seem willing to own up to things, just yet.

Laurence Zelkovii

For the moment, he didn't even notice that Johann was studying the both of him, or he might have been tempted to downplay his actions in favor of looking more 'mature' in front of the man, but Lanny was far more at ease when he wasn't forced to be serious all the time, "Somehow, between Johann and I, I think you'll manage." He returned the hand squeeze, relaying in just the same sense that he was glad to be going with her. For all the jesting he was doing, he actually didn't mind one bit about it. After all, almost everyone in town knew who he was, and aside from his own gang members, no one would dare make fun of him for shopping for baby clothes. On the other hand, when they saw who he was with... that was bound to spread rumors.

Cassidy*Others

That was one aspect of this situation that Cassidy hadn't thought of - wandering around and shopping for baby clothes with Lanny would definitely spread rumors about a couple situation going on, and after a while, people would likely begin to question whether or not the child was his. Undoubtedly, she would think of it soon, or either she would be liable to react a little unfavorably the first time she heard wind of such a rumor, but for now, it was the farthest thing from her mind. Finally, Johann noted, "It's late - I'm surprised your brother hasn't called you, Lanny. Cass - whatever happened to those muffins of yours?" With a start of something that was almost surprise, Cassidy gently reclaimed her fingers from Lanny and got to her feet, moving for the kitchen again, leaving the two men alone for a moment as she piled the muffins on a plate to carry them back to the table.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny was thinking on a slightly different track at the moment. Most of his reasoning for shopping with Cassidy was because he genuinely wanted to be around her, and even if that meant walking around and looking at endless displays of baby blues and pinks, than so be it. As he thought more about the other aspect of it however, he came to see a potential - if not slightly dangerous - upside to it. He may not know who the real father was, but if he broadcasted his closeness to Cass by hanging around with her all the while, he was almost hoping to draw the unknown man out from hiding. "James...? I'm surprised he hasn't called." The young man muttered under his breath, not always that appreciative of his brother's well-meaning but sometimes overbearing need to know where his little brother was at all times. "I'd better get back to him sooner or later, or he'll send someone after me."

Cassidy*Others

"Nah - he won't send anybody after you, because the first person he'd call is me." That was Cassidy's answer as she came back toward him with the promised muffins, all hot and melty from the oven and tasty in that warm, sticky-delicious kind of way. Sitting these on the table and selecting one for herself, she went on between bites, "I'm the onyl one who's ever come back from fetching you unscathed - he was impressed."

Laurence Zelkovii

The muffins took his immediate attention, reminding him all over again just how much he liked his chocolate-chip filled goodies. Reaching for the plate, Lanny flinchingly tossed his chosen muffin from one hand to the other, finding it a little too hot for his liking, "...he learned pretty quick." Lanny said in half distraction, finally setting the bakery good down and picking it apart with his fork, ready to start eating it whether or not it burned his mouth in the process, "I think it was Daniel who got the black eye the first time he tried to get me to come home when I didn't want too."

Cassidy*Others

Cassidy had to chuckle there. "Daniel was never very persuasive... poor guy." Johann had to back that opinion up with a deep round of quiet laughter. "The kid can fight, Lanny - but he couldn't lie to a tree stump without getting caught and he couldn't persuade a dead man to stop breathing." Even as he finished, though, his pocket vibrated, and he rummaged up his phone, placing it to his ear and heading for the bedroom, where his computer was - apparently, somebody had something they needed to know.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny was setting into the dessert, not having the willpower to wait a minute or two for it to cool down to a more manageable temperature. "Th't describes 'm pretty g'd." The young man muffled as he finished off a bite, with a hand over his mouth to at least cover up the see-food as he spoke. Watching as Johann responded to a call, Lanny was implored to check his own phone, and his eyes lit up when he saw what time it was. "Ah... I hate to cut this short, but I'd better be heading home. But hey, call you tomorrow sometime?" Standing up and pushing his chair in, Lanny smiled hopefully to Cassidy, waiting for her reply before he'd then take his leave.

Cassidy*Others

She half-suppressed a giggle when Lanny's eagerness to get to the chocolate forced him to cover his mouth to preserve his manners. There had been a time, being raised by a man and being almost a sister to two boys, where she'd have made an off-color joke about his lack of control, but she'd long since grown past that and refined her personality. So the only thing she did was to smile and tell him, "Sure... you know where to find me," as she moved to see him out. "Thanks, Lanny," she whispered quietly, leaning forward to lean against him in her own edited version of a hug. "Talk to you soon."