Laurence Zelkovii

Another good thing about Cassidy showing up when she did was that she'd prevented what otherwise would have been a killer hangover for the young man. That didn't mean he was feeling great the following morning however... there was a decent headache to remind him of his overindulgence last night, and the on and off waves of nausea that battled with his stomach, countering the fact that he was currently hungry. This wasn't the first time he'd had a hangover though, and he was up and about just like any other day; albeit, acting a bit more sluggish and squinty-eyed for the times that his head got to really hurting. But it wasn't just the hangover that was on his mind; he had gone over and over the discussion with Cass last night, and although it had ended on a good note, he was embarrassed all the same for having been caught in the tavern at all, and decided his best course of action was to not bring up the event at all, and to pretend that it never occurred. Trying to put those things out of his mind, Lanny focused on getting a batch of formula mixed up for Raine's breakfast.

Cassidy*Others

After returning home last night, Cassidy had taken Raine from her uncle and retired to the bedroom for the evening - but the soft 'shh' sound that her sheets made every time she moved went on well into the night, indicating that her sleep hadn't been all that peaceful. Still, at least an improvement showed in that she never woke up screaming or crying, as she often had during the month they'd stayed in the hospital, and somewhere close to the early am hours, she'd finally seemed to settle. When morning came, it saw Johann out of the house before Lanny had even risen, and a note on the kitchen table with his explanation - grocery shopping. Perhaps because of her late night, Cass slept later than the young man, despite his alcohol consumption and the hangover; it wasn't until he had the bottle nearly prepared that he might hear the shuffle in the next room that would indicate that Cass was finally getting up and about. After several minutes, he might hear her voice fading softly through the walls - she was speaking to Raine, who apparently was already awake. It was several minutes before the young woman appeared, babe in arms. "Mornin'," she mumbled, and rubbed her eyes drowsily; when need be, Cass could wake up in a heartbeat, but if she was left alone, the young woman was not a morning person.

Laurence Zelkovii

Unsure what he could handle eating this morning, Lanny decided to wait until Cassidy was up before he would attempt any sort of breakfast for the two of them... not that anything he made was ever particularly delicious. "Well look whose up?" Being something of a pro now when it came to making the bottles, since this was the umpteenth one he'd made in the last few months, Lanny already had the formula tested and at the right temperature as he crossed into the living room and handed it over to Cass. "Johann's gone out to get some groceries already. Hungry for anything in particular? I think there's still some cereal left." That he couldn't mess up at least, and such casual talk was a great way to smooth over any awkwardness that might otherwise come about if they were left to silence.

Cassidy*Others

"Yeah... somebody forgot to tell him that getting up before the sun rises is against the law," she muttered, as she reached to take the bottle with one hand while subtly adjusting her hold on Raine with the other arm, something which she was as deft at by now as the young man was at making the bottles. As she popped the bottle into the infant's mouth - and smiled sleepily at the excited kicking that Raine was doing to express how glad she was to be fed - she looked around herself a bit, and finally settled into the threadbare armchair beside the couch. "I should really call him and tell him to pick up some jars of baby food - Marachek says she's caught up enough to start trying semi-solids." So saying, she settled Raine so that the baby was seated upright, but leaned against her chest so that she wouldn't tip over, and held the bottle expertly in one hand, knowing too well that, though her daughter often grappled at the bottle with her hands, she just wasn't coordinated enough to hold it herself, yet. Masking a yawn with her free hand, she went on, "Yeah, cereal's fine - we might as well finish it up, anyway; I think it goes out of date next month." Judging by the sleepiness of her demeanor and the casual tone of her voice, she wasn't thinking about what had occurred last night - though certainly, when she woke up a little more, it would come to her mind.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny turned back for the kitchen, with his ears tuned to all that Cassidy had to say. He was secretly happy that no mention of the drinking had been brought up, and if it did get mentioned, he was ready to distract the discussion away from it quickly enough, something that he was rather good at doing. "Baby food? That will be something... I only hope she's not a food-flicker like her brother is." He would have been reluctant to mention Raimi at all since the boy's capture, but this morning, Lanny was in brighter moods thanks to what Cass had told him last night, and feeling more confident than ever that they'd get him back quickly. "I hope you like Cheerios, cause it looks like... yep, that's all there's left." A quick search through the cupboards found only this cereal left, which Lanny wasted no time pouring into two bowls, with a helping of milk to swamp them in. "Speaking of Randy.. does your uncle know what you've been up to?"

Cassidy*Others

"Oh Lord, I hope not," she groaned, rolling her eyes some and covering her face briefly with her hand. "I've heard some nightmare stories about that, and baby food's much messier - can you imagine strained peas all over the walls? Johann would have a fit!" That was a joke against her uncle, because for all that he was a busy man anyway, the old fellow was known to be a little OCD, and very fastidious in the way that he kept his home. Contradictorily, his desk and workspace were a mess - though if any person walked up to him and asked for a certain bit of information, he could pull the paper they needed from the mountainous pile on the desk without searching at all or even batting an eye. "I'd hear about that for weeks," she murmured, and then turned her attention to the latter topic he'd brought up. "I haven't advertised it to him, no - but you know how he is. He likely knows at least that I've been using the computer, and probably has a fair idea of what I've been looking up. In other words, he knows I'm interested in the indian boy, but doesn't know why, just yet."

Laurence Zelkovii

After retrieving two spoons, Lanny took a bowl in each hand and crossed the short distance back into the living room, where he set on dish on the coffee table near Cassidy, and found himself a spot on the couch where he could set into his own breakfast. Lanny didn't quite dig into the cereal however, wanting to take it slow, lest he upset his unhappy stomach any more than it already was. "At least with him, we know it'd be cleaned up in no time." The young man rolled his eyes, poking some fun at Johann without being all that serious about it. If anything, being in the uncle's presence for so long and done some to make Lanny a bit more responsible for his own messes, if only because he felt more obligated to help around the place to make up for the fact that he was over here so much. "And he hasn't said anything yet? If not, I don't see any reason to get him involved, unless you think it'd be a good idea. All we need to learn is when he plans on having this meeting with Tarak." The general feeling of illness this morning hadn't disrupted Lanny's thoughts on the subject at all, as he proved now by diving right into it without any encouragement.

Cassidy*Others

It took only a minute for Raine 'The Guzzler' Zelkovii to get through her bottle, and after spreading a blanket on the floor at her feet and laying the baby on it with a toy, Cassidy was free to take up her own meal, which she set into at a rate that matched Lanny's, mostly because she was just a little slower in the morning than he tended to be. "If he'd been all that concerned about it, he'd have asked me what I was doing," she answered dismissively, shaking her head and ruling out the necessity to tell Johann. "Either he already knows exactly what we're doing and knows he doesn't need to get involved, or he knows only part of it, and figures we can't get into too much trouble with it, so he hasn't bothered to figure out the rest. Either way, you know he'll find out whatever he wants to know about it without our input." That was one thing that could be counted on for certain - if Johann wanted to know something, very few powers on the earth could prevent him from getting the information he required. Taking another bite of her cereal and pausing to chew, Cass went on, "I found out last night that there was an attack on the house yesterday; nothing significant really - a bunch of wolves apparently. But a lot of the dogs were killed and several more are injured. I'd reckon that he's not going to set foot away from home for the next couple of days after that... but we need to get him before they all heal up, because then he might bring some with him. I was thinking I could keep track of his calls this next week, and give us a good estimate; I would think the end of this week, or maybe the beginning of next, he might head out that way."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny's bowl was half full still, with him stirring his spoon through the milk and Cheerios more than he was taking bites out of it, "I guess you're right on that." Considering the man's skills, he could be very helpful indeed in getting them the information they needed, but with Cass having that under control, and this being more of a personal war for Lanny, he was keen on keeping this operation more under their shared lead. "The less he has hanging around him, the better." As far as the dogs went, Lanny was no fan of them. He liked dogs as much as the next guy, but not packs of them that had the potential to attack. "A week? That'll give us plenty of time to stake out what we're going to do. I'll give some of the boys a heads up, and have them keep their ears open to anything they might hear of him." Lanny planned on doing a bit of research on the guy himself, "Until then, I might as well back off Tarak."

Cassidy*Others

"Let him think he's safe for a while," Cassidy agreed, thinking it wise for Lanny to cease his pursuit of the arab, at least for a while. "Let him - and all of them - think that we've given up on it. Get their guards down some; and give 'em a good shock when they realize how dumb they've been." She offered a sound chuckle to that, and one would have thought that someone had told a very funny joke, instead of her amusement benig focused around the prospect of stunning Conan and the Wallocks with what they were going to do with Tahmores. "By the time they've connected it back with us, we'll have gotten all we need to know out of the indian boy, and that'll be that. We can dispose of him as we like, at that point. Maybe dump him off somewhere close to Tarak's, let him know we're not finished with him."

Laurence Zelkovii

"Yeah." A complimentary chuckle came from Lanny, who could be stunningly brutal and cold when it came to gang-related business, or things that were as personal as this was. The average Joe on the street didn't have to worry much about Lanny, unless they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... it was then that his otherwise good-natured attitude took a total one-eighty. "All we have to worry about is getting him to talk. Though I've very few people who can't be persuaded into talking, under the right kind of pressure. And those who didn't don't matter anyway." He was not against killing the young man should he prove too difficult, though as Cassidy mentioned, he'd make quite a statement if left alive and as roughed up enough to be a reminder to their enemies.

Cassidy*Others

The creepy grin was back, and it was so starkly in contrast to the loving, motherly expression she'd favored Raine with as to make one wonder if another red-headed young woman hadn't taken her place on the couch. Just like Lanny, she could be impossibly gentle and caring, and even sensitive when those she trusted were around - and in the next moment, could become a ruthless, cold-hearted animal. And that was the side of her that was awakened now as she plotted over what could be done with Tahmores; she wouldn't mind getting her hands dirty, if it got Randy back to them and, more importantly, got Lanny back to a demeanor that was more normal for him. "If nothing else, I have my ways - Johann served as informational officer from way back in the dark ages... before computers." She grinned at the tease at her uncle's age, and then went on, "He knows a few messier methods of obtaining information, and I've picked up on a few."

Laurence Zelkovii

One thing was certain - it was hard to imagine these two people as the same ones that were impossibly gentle and endlessly attentive to Raine. It was a mentality that suited them perfectly for the kind of gang life they led, and one that was absolutely necessary for their higher role in the heirarchy of the CrypticSilvers. "At that point, I don't mind if he gets involved. He or James should be enough to get what we need." Some of the grin faded from him after that though, to be replaced by something more serious, "I'd rather you stick with tracing phone calls Cass, at least for a little while yet." Just the mention of her getting involved in Tahmores' interrogation spurred a protective side in Lanny, and abruptly changed the tone of their conversation. After all she'd been through in the past few months, he didn't trust her with any of the 'hands on' work yet.

Cassidy*Others

The shift in the conversation caught her a little by surprise, mostly because she simply wasn't altogether awake yet, but the words he offered touched the softer side of Cass, making her feel very special even though she would have rebuffed such gentleness from anyone else. She smiled, and leaned sideways until she could prop her head briefly on his shoulder - a touch that was becoming more and more frequent from her these days - and muttered, "You worry too much, Lan - I'm a big, tough girl; tie my own shoes and everything." A joke it might have been, but her tones were gentle in a way that acknowledged that she knew why he was concerned, and in the same moment assured him that she was fine, and he needn't be worried. She drew back from him in order to scoop up the last remainders of cereal and drink down the milk left in the bowl, and wiped her mouth unceremoniously on her flannel pajama-shirt sleeve. And just like that, she switched topics, back to light-hearted and mischeivous. "I call dibs on the shower! You've got baby shift first."

Laurence Zelkovii

He was ready to argue his point a short ways, without making it a huge deal, but Cassidy handled it in such a way that he could loosen the seriousness in his tone, and draw the corner of his mouth up in a grin once more. "Fair enough, but one of us has to keep an eye on Raine. And I think your her favorite." The young man always cherished the brief, mutually comforting touches, and always let Cassidy be the one to make the first move, since her comfort level was far more sensitive and uncertain as his was. As always, these times never lasted long, and as soon as she drew back, he did as well. "Alright, alright, you win. But don't hog all the hot water." It said that all in jest as he set aside a bowl of soggy Cheerios that he'd only managed a few bites of.

Cassidy*Others

"Nonsense... she's a Daddy's girl," was the light return comment he received, accompanied by the tender she smile she offered Raine as she bent down and stroked the downy-soft hair that was just beginning to come out all over her head - hair that was a dark crimson, just like her mother's. Raine smiled briefly, and cooed, and on that note, Cass stood up again. "You might do better with a cold shower, anyway - get some of the sleep and the alcohol out of your eyes." That was half a joke against his complaint about the hot water, and half a serious comment; she hadn't forgotten about his drinking last night, even if she hadn't said anything this morning, and that little note reminded him of it. Before he'd be able to answer that though, she left the room, and a few moments later, he'd hear the shower running. At that point, he might just as well settle in, because she was famous for taking a good, long while in the shower.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Did you hear that, Raine? I'm your favorite now." His attention drifted to where the young girl had been set down, and as soon as Cassidy got up, he moved to sit near the infant so that he could keep her entertained with goofy faces and random rambling while her mother showered. "Ehh, thanks but no thanks." He couldn't look up at her when she made mention of the alcohol, but he did wrinkle up his nose and let it be known that he wasn't at all fond of cold showers. "Just don't be gone more than an hour." As she disappeared from the room and made her way to the bathroom, he called one last joke in her direction, taking a prod at the lengthy showers she indulged in.

Cassidy*Others

Now having captured her father's attention, Raine smiled again and made a happy-squeal that would have made Cass flinch for the highness of it, if she hadn't already retired to the bathroom. Almost instantly, she stretched up one hand to grasp for a fistful of his sandy-colored hair, and then for his nose; and he would be occupied by that for quite some time, because she was always endlessly amused by the faces he made on the occasions when she met her targets - usually by him purposely leaning down far enough for her to catch them. So he would be gleefully occupied for the time that Cass was in the shower; a grand total of twenty-five minutes, rather than the hour he'd teased at. Finally, the young woman reappeared, dressed but her long red hair still piled up on top of her head and wound in a towel to dry, and she immediately came and leaned over Lanny's shoulder to give Raine's forehead a kiss. "There you go, sweet girl - kept Daddy busy while I used all the hot water." That was a joke of course - there was no way that a twenty-five minute shower would drain the whole tank of hot water, even in a cheap apartment like this one; this was an excuse to speak to her daughter, and to get back at Lanny for his 'hour-long shower' joke.

Laurence Zelkovii

The young man was careful about watching Raine's little hands, because after getting an accidental poke in the eye more than once by her inquisitive fingers, he'd learned to avoid such things. Having anyone else tugging at his hair like that would have been met with a batting hand to shove them away, but for the infant, he only laughed softly and continued to entertain her with various faces and general talking - mostly trying to convince her to say things like 'Dada', Lanny, and any number of words, whether she was ready for mimicking sounds or not. He interacted with her in this manner until Cass had finished with her shower, "If there's no hot water, you too will just have to deal with me being stinky." He knew better though, because he got to his feet after rustling a hand through Raine's hair, and proceeded on for his turn in the shower - one that would be only a fraction of the time that Cass used.

Cassidy*Others

"Or..." Cass prompted, getting a mischievous grin on her face, "We could always plop you in the sink and you could pretend to be three again." That was a definite tease, and a reference back to their carefree childhood days, when all of them - Lanny, James, and Cass herself included - had been bathed in the sink for as long as they could fit in it, to avoid the necessity of buying a child's bathtub. But just as quickly, she was reaching to take Raine from the young man and turning her attention to getting her daughter all tired out so that she would settle down for her morning nap, hopefully shortly after Lanny's shower was over, for she knew that he secretly treasured any time with the infant, and thought that he might like to lay on the couch with the baby for a while. By the time he did have the chance to get clean and dressed, Raine was already pretty drowsy and cranky - she was fussing a bit as Cass tried her best to get the infant's diaper changed. "Oh, hold still, wiggle-worm," she was whispering, though with affection and not with frustration.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny didn't stop as he strode towards the bathroom, but there was an echo of muffled chuckling from him before he disappeared behind the door, and hopped in for a quick shower. In less than ten minutes, he was out again, newly clothed and with a head of ruffled, spiky hair that he couldn't be bothered to dry with the dryer. "Somebody sounds about ready for another nap." He plopped down on the couch after observing this, letting Cass take care of the latest diaper change. "Has Johann called at all? I might have to make a run myself to the store, or do you think he'll pick up another case of soda?" He went back to casual talk, even though he'd spent the last ten minutes thinking over what all this week would entail, and who all he needed to talk to within the gang to get their plan rolling.

Cassidy*Others

It took a bit of doing, with all of Raine's wriggling and fussing, but Cass finally got the diaper arranged and fastened, and promptly scooped her up to hand off to Lanny. "I'll call him - coke, right? I think Raine can nap with Daddy today; I've got some mending to do, and I'd like to finish that last chapter of 'Anne of a Thousand Days'." So saying, she obsessively took up a small blanket and tucked it around Raine, getting part of Lanny's arms in the bundle sheerly because it was hard to separate between him and the baby, and with that, she swatted a hand in his direction. "Go on, scoot - I refuse to have you underfoot while I'm sewing; last time I stabbed myself three times thanks to your giggling at the way I sew." Truthfully enough, Cass did sew strangely - as though the needle was a dagger she was wielding, instead of the tiny instrument that it was. She stabbed at the fabric and yanked the thread through with the same strength of hand as she often applied to the flesh of enemies, and it was really a funny thing to watch her put on her 'game face' every time she moved to make a stitch.

Laurence Zelkovii

Getting an excuse to rest a bit was perfectly fine by Lanny. He wasn't going to say it, and he'd so far done a great job at covering it up, but he wasn't feeling up to par just yet - and probably wouldn't until about midday, so a rest with Raine was more than welcome. "You know me well." The young man held his arms carefully around Raine as Cassidy handed her off to him, and wrapped her up in the blanket. Then he eased back against the couch, lounging back against one of the arm rests so that the infant to lay more or less against his chest. "You sew like you're attacking the fabric, you know." With Raine in his arms and set to take a nap, Lanny was inclined to talk quieter, with a teasing grin directed at Cass and her peculiar sewing habits.

Cassidy*Others

"After months of you practically living over here, I ought to know what you drink," Cass teased, and as he moved over to the couch and settled Raine against him, she picked up the phone as promised. There was a pause while she waited for the old man to pick up, and then - "Johann? Hey, are you still at the store?" As she paused to wait for his reply, she moved across the living room and took up a small, ragged-looking laundry basket wherein she usually kept any clothing of theirs that needed to be mended, and set that beside the armchair. "Great - could you pick up some cokes for Lanny? I'm pretty sure we're out. Yes." She nodded absently, even though the man wasn't able to see the gesture over the phone, and as she seated herself and took up one of Johann's undershirts in her hand, and pursed her mouth as she threaded the needle, she listened quietly to whatever he was saying on the other end of the line. Halfway through her first stitch in the fabric though, she stopped. "No, of course not. It's fine, I promise. Don't forget the coke, okay? And hey - see if you can find some cans of baby food; Marachek said she can start in with semi-solids now. Okay. Alright. 'Bye." She set the phone aside, and went right back to skillfully - if over-exuberantly - plunging her needle into her Uncle's undershirt, going seamlessly back to speaking with Lanny. "Yeah well," she muttered, lowering her voice to match Lanny's in an effort to encourage Raine, who was already wriggling slower and drowsing where she was lain across the young man's chest, to take her nap. "You just let the fabric try to jump up and attack me - I'll give it the sewing of its life!" And she offered a little smile for that; over the past few months, her sense of humor had made a comeback, where before Raine's birth - and Lanny's consequential residence with them - she'd been a manipulative but generally solemn sort of person. It was a sort of life and genuinity that she hadn't possessed since coming back to the gang after her long sojourn, and Johann had noticed it too - it was partially why he'd permitted Lanny's planned stay of 'a few weeks to help with Raine and Cass' to go on for as long as it had.

Laurence Zelkovii

Reclined against the couch did wonders to make the young man feel better, and having Cassidy there to talk to, and Raine to watch over made it easy to forget last night's events. Or in the least, not to be bothered too much by them. "I don't doubt you would." Lanny chuckled back, before realizing that such movement probably wasn't helping Raine with her nap. He went quiet for a few minutes after that, part of which time he spent tugging part of the infant's blanket up around her more, even though Cass had done a perfectly good job securing her daughter with it. "When's he expected to be back?" Thinking back to Johann, Lanny turned a questioning look up to Cassidy and her sewing. He'd since called Scott last night, waking the younger kid up so that he and a friend could retrieve the bronco and return it to the apartments; and though nothing else had been said about the incident, Lanny wanted to prove that last night's slip was a one-time thing, and that he wasn't going back to the old days of drinking himself senseless.

Cassidy*Others

She smiled a little at his joke, and then made a half-serious shushing noise as the infant stirred briefly and whacked his chest with one of her small fists before giving a giant-sized yawn and settling down again. Waiting until the baby had stopped moving and gotten more thoroughly into the hold of sleep, Cassidy continued her sewing, complete with the peculiar stabbing way that she jabbed the needle into the fabric. She was a perfectly-fine seamstress, and anything she sewed was done neatly and well... it was just the way she went about it that was funny. "I should think relatively soon," she answered Lanny when he prompted a question, and she spared him her eyes for a moment just to verify that she was listening. "He'd made it over to the grocery half of the store when I spoke to him, which means he's almost done - he always gets the other things before groceries... he says that way the milk doesn't get too hot before he checks out. I'd say maybe ten or fifteen minutes, and he'll be back." She didn't say it in so many words, but she was aware of the purpose of Lanny's question - and certainly, that matter was on her mind. He'd promised her last night that he wasn't going to go back to his old habits, and she believed him... but she knew too well that sometimes, his drinking was a little too much for him to control. And that wasn't even to mention what Johann probably thought about it; it might not have occurred to the younger man yet, but Cassidy strongly suspected that Johann had deliberately gotten up before either one of them this morning, in order to be alone to think about what had happened last night.

Laurence Zelkovii

Preferably, Lanny would have liked a good two or three more hours to rest, but fifteen would have to be good enough, and as it was, he was sure he could pull off a sober, non-hungover appearance when the uncle did return. It was rather pointless, as Johann already knew where he'd been, but it would help play down how much he'd consumed last night, and hopefully be enough to dissuade any mention of it by the older man. The timeframe also served to tell Lanny how much time he had to talk about Tahmores before he'd need to go quiet about it again, "Johann is a smart man. Of course, when I shop, I'm in and out quick enough that I don't need to worry about that." Then again, Lanny didn't often go grocery shopping; that was usually left up to Sheryl. Another few moments of silence ensued before he spoke again, bring about a topic from last night as he did so, "You say that wolf kid uses knives, right? What about guns?"

Cassidy*Others

When Cass was involved in any conversation, it was pretty well a given that there was more going on below the surface in her mind than there seemed to be; her words might be casual enough, and Lanny was pretty safe in that her growing affection for him gave him a sort of immunity to her manipulation, but that didn't mean that she still wasn't pretty aware of what was on his mind. "You always could just get in a nap - he wouldn't wake you up for that, and you'd have a good excuse for it, for napping with Raine; he'd probably think it was quite adorable, actually. Tough old geezer he may be, but he's a softie." What Lanny couldn't know was that Cass herself had already caught a couple of really precious pictures of the young man and his daughter stretched out on the couch together, captured while Lanny himself was pretty well dead to the world and unable to protest. Anyway, she went on without any more comments on that in order to answer his next question. "He's blades like me - they've got guns around the house, and the woman and her son John know how to use 'em decently well. Not like you and James, but enough to where they could hit you. But John's barely home these days, of course, and what with that attack yesterday, I'll bet the woman'll be a little too busy to make use of hers for a while; she's looking for wolves, not people. There's only one thing that might gum up the works, if we're not careful." She paused there, completing one side of stitching for a long tear Johann had somehow gotten in the middle of the undershirt, and then as she continued to the other side of the shirt, went on, "As the name might suggest, Tahmores is Native American, and there's another one that's been seen about the premises. Doesn't seem to have a legal residence that I can come up with, but he lives nearby enough that he frequently takes meals with the family. He's older... in his early thirties, by the description of the neighbors, and he's got a trained bird of some kind - the farmer I spoke to said a falcon, but a lot of these local farmers don't know one bird of prey from the other; they just shoot at them all. And he says it's big, so I'm leaning more toward a hawk. Anyway, it's trained, and has been known to attack strange people on the property; he's also a very good shot with bow and arrow, as I hear." She said those things very carefully, but without looking at Lanny - she remembered all too well the day she'd limped onto the beach, an arrow lodged deeply into her thigh, and remembered his odd behavior; he hadn't looked at her directly at all, even after it had been removed and the wound dressed. She'd never known him to be queasy before, but the incident stuck out in her mind - she knew how he felt about the old-fashioned projectiles, which was why she'd mentioned it to him... she wanted him to be prepared.

Laurence Zelkovii

Now that she'd mentioned it, a nap did sound like a brilliant idea to the young man. He wasn't sure why he'd gotten up so early anyway, though the thoughts buzzing around about Tah and Nadeem might have something to do with that restlessness. "Good idea, Cass. It's hard to get angry at somebody when they've got a sleeping baby with them." Holding off a chuckle, the young man grinned instead, and let his pale eyes go closed. He didn't fall asleep quite so readily of course, and listened readily to Cassidy while she updated him on their target. "I wouldn't worry much about John anyway then, and the mother will be easy enough to watch out for. It'll be those dogs that I'll be watching for, but as long as I don't get close to the house, they shouldn't be an issue." Already, he'd put himself in as the one who was taking Tah, preferring to have Cassidy stay well out of the danger zone for this one. As she went on, another grin spread across his features, taking little threat from the hawk that she mentioned, if only because he'd never dealt with their razor-sharp talons or claws before, and underestimated the damage a goshawk like Elderwild could could. What took the grin off his face was the weapons that she mentioned. "Arrows, are you serious?" A low groan followed his lamenting response, "I'd bet my gun can handle him easy enough, anyway." That was his way of trying to shrug off and hide his anxiety about the arrows, and his peculiar uneasiness around them.

Cassidy*Others

"Just don't tell him I told you," she warned quietly, "Or he'll make my life miserable for several weeks... and don't think I won't share that with you." That was a joke, really - she knew he wouldn't rat her out to Johann, especially since she was helping to keep the trouble he'd be in for last night's escapades to a minimum. Finally finishing up with the undershirt she'd taken up, Cass reached for a small pair of scissors on the stand next to her and clipped off the excess thread, and after folding the shirt neatly and laying it aside, took up one of her own blouses that the hem had started to fall out of. Glancing over and noting that he'd wisely closed his eyes, she continued, "Just mind yourself... I don't mind pulling arrows out of me, but I'm not going to play doctor on you; you squirm too much. Besides, if you're picking him up between the ranch and Tarak's, you shouldn't have a problem, anyway... word is that this older guy doesn't travel far from home."

Laurence Zelkovii

He wasn't sure if he could manage a nap before Johann came home or not, but even a quiet rest like this wasn't bad, "Mum is the word." All too eager to put it behind him, and further encouraged by Cassidy's teasing nature when he knew he was lucky she'd been so easy on him about it, Lanny let the topic drop there. With eyes still closed, and feeling heavier by the minute, his tones were a little softer as he went on, but no less attentive, "Don't worry, I'm not about to let myself get stuck with one of those. Besides, I can pull a trigger quicker than he can draw a bow." Which might be true, but odds were that Lanny wasn't nearly as quiet or adept at stalking as the other man; his best bet lay with finding Tahmores away from his friends, both human and canine alike. "I'll stay near my car anyway. Can't shoot an arrow through that."

Cassidy*Others

"Not unless it's steel-tipped." That quiet snippet was Cassidy's detailed, informational side coming into play. Despite Lanny's sub-par estimation of the weapon, Cass was a little more familiar with the logistics of it, and pointed this out carefully. "There are certain forging methods, invented during the times of knights with plate armor, that can harden steel thick enough to go through metal, and light enough to keep from making the arrow unbalanced. That's why chain mail was invented.." Any other time, his general uneasiness with the idea of arrows might have convinced her to lay this point aside and not make it, but with him potentially going into a situation where he might be faced with arrows, she wanted to be sure that he understood the risks; she'd rather have him uncomfortable with the idea that they might come through the car door than ignorantly seek refuge inside the vehicle and take a hit for the error. "Chain mail took months to make... still does, even in these times. But the good sets were worth it - they'd stop spears, arrows... everything but bullets."

Laurence Zelkovii

Despite his want to rest, Lanny eased his eyes open to look sideways over at Cassidy, and the span of a silent second or two pretty well summed up his surprise, "Are you kidding me?" Lanny closed his eyes again and resettled himself on the couch a little, while doing his best not to disturb Raine or shift her around at all. "Arrows or no, I'm not dressing up in chain mail." He was again trying to be sarcastic and brush away his anxiety over the arrows, which oddly enough, bothered him more than the thought of getting shot or stabbed. "I'll take my chances with the bronco and my pistol. If need be, I'll bring Tyler or Jeff with me. They can keep a lookout, while I deal with our target."

Cassidy*Others

Still smiling privately to herself, Cass shook her head in amusement and turned her deep-blue gaze to Lanny. "Not even so I can get an embarrassing snapshot and post it all over the internet? Pssh... you're no fun at all." That was, of course, a joke, and Cass' attempt to move away from the topic of the arrows, which was clearly making the young man uncomfortable. In times gone by, she might have pursued the topic a little longer and made him squirm some more, in the sisterly affection and good-natured annoyance that she'd always shared with him, but that had changed with their growing relationship. She still held an affection for him, but it had evolved into something deeper - something that wouldn't allow her to too keenly pursue a subject that made him so antsy. "That's a better plan still - get someone watching your back, and I won't have to set foot in that hospital to look after you." It was light comment, and meant to keep the topic from becoming grim or overly-laid with emotion, but it made two things quite clear; first, that she cared enough that she didn't want to see him hurt, and second - and perhaps more important - she would square up against her own fear of the hospital to come and see him if he were placed there, which spoke to the depth of this unacknowledged thing that was slowly developing between them.

Laurence Zelkovii

Again, a dimple-forming half-grin creased his face without him ever opening his eyes to look across at Cassidy, "Especially so that you can't do that. I can't have my reputation tarnished, after all." An image like that would certainly get a few laughs and jeers from his friends and enemies alike, the thought of which almost made him laugh as he tried to picture himself in such a getup. As they moved away from that topic and onto the more serious side of it all, the grin slowly vanished to accommodate a more serious mood, even if he continued to talk about it with more of a casual demeanor than anything, "Jeff's a hunter as it is, so he'll hopefully be able to keep a good lookout if we make our ambush near the woods or something. And if one of those fools do think to shoot at us before we shoot at them, there'll be three of us, and can shoot faster." In his own way, he was trying to reassure her that he wouldn't be needing a trip to the hospital, and thus she wouldn't need to brave her fears to go there again. It was all an unspoken, and half subconscious leaning towards a building relationship that seemed to be forming without either one of them acknowledging it.

Cassidy*Others

"Maybe I could even find you an old, rusty helmet... perhaps about two sizes too large, so it would fall down over your eyes." Her tones were dry and sarcastic, harking back to a more Johann-like sense of humor now, which was something she'd picked up from him in their long association. "Save the pictures and then, when she gets older, I'll tell Raine about how goofy her Daddy is." The infant, of course, was completely oblivious to this, by now having cuddled her cheek in against Lanny's shirt and sleeping with the complete stillness and ease that only the very young seem able to accomplish. Since Lanny's eyes were closed anyway, Cass stole a glance over at the pair of them, and didn't bother to hide the expression that grew on her face for how adorable it was to watch them. After a second though, she cocked her head to one side, and muttered, "You'd better fall asleep quick - that's Johann's truck pulling up in the lot." Which was strange, because from four floors up, she oughtn't to be able to hear that noise, but she was apparently familiar enough with his silver truck that she instinctive knew that sound from the sound of any other vehicle, and knew to warn him.

Laurence Zelkovii

"You know the guys would have all sorts of fun with that one." Lanny muttered in good nature. Though it wasn't all fun and games all the time, the gang was a close-knit family of its own, and by extension of that, one could get teased endlessly if they did something foolish. And because he was more approachable and laid-back than his brother, the others were far more likely to openly joke with him, without worrying about him lashing back, "Don't think I wouldn't return the favor if you did that. I'll have you know I'm pretty resourceful." It was an empty threat of course, and before he could pursue that any further, Cassidy gave him a fair warning of Johann's arrival. "I'll trust your ears to that one." Lanny doubted he'd come close to falling asleep before Johann climbed the steps with all the groceries, and wasn't sure if he could feign napping or not, but he'd give it a shot. In the very least, he hoped that having Raine sleeping with him would buy him some immunity from the man, if he had any words in mind for the co-lead.

Cassidy*Others

"Exactly," she answered, her voice a little tart, but still warm to complement the little smile that had taken up residence on her face, even though with his eyes closed, he wouldn't see it. "With all the trouble you and Johann cause me on a daily basis, I deserve a little of my own back. Just look at this shirt!" So saying, she lifted one of his own t-shirts from her mending basket, which had both a long tear in the armpit area of it, and a small barbecue stain. "Be a miracle if I get that stain out now... why didn't you bring it to me at the first?" Still, even though that might have been a frustrated or angry statement in anyone else, it was a light one for Cass - so much drama had passed through their lives recently with her pregnancy and the subsequent months of nursing she and Raine back to health that the young woman was more prone to light manners these days than more serious ones. And with that joke made, she fell silent, hearing the soft steps of her uncle as he came up the stairs. When the door creaked open, she looked up from her mending and smile at him, and made a small gesture - which prompted Johann to creep forward and peer over the back of the couch, to note that Raine - and apparently Lanny as well - were both asleep. In compliance with that, he kept his voice low as he murmured, "Busy morning, then?" and she replied in the same manner, "You might say that."

Laurence Zelkovii

Where normally Lanny was the kind to joke around and be light-natured when he had nothing to stress over, Cassidy's build up to such a nature was more slow in coming. Hearing her like this made the months of toil well worth it, and Lanny couldn't be happier with how things were; well, happier perhaps if Conan was out of the way, and Raimi was back with them. "Did I do that?" Cracking an eye open to look at the shirt she was working on, the young man feigned innocence, with a not so convincing smirk. Before much else could be said however, he heard the muffled steps of someone approaching the door, and quickly closed his eye again and went silent. He wasn't sure if he could pull off pretending to be asleep, but he'd try at least.

Cassidy*Others

"Well it sure wasn't Raine," she muttered, and let the topic lie there since Lanny was going to be playing possum. And apparently, Johann was satisfied with the young man's performance for now, at least to a point that he didn't immediately call him out, even if he was aware that the young man wasn't truly asleep. In any case, the man moved quietly into the kitchen, accompanied by the soft rustle of grocery bags, and at the same time, he kept talking quietly with his niece, who returned her eyes to her mending. "So - you want to tell me just where you went to fetch him last night, or shall I list the more probable locations?" His eyes darted intently to her as he asked that, but she didn't react in any way that was visible... though certainly, a stiffness set into her spine anyway. "Once in six months, Uncle... give the guy a break. I admit it wasn't the wisest thing, but no risk was put to anyone but himself for that - Raine was perfectly safe with you, and I know the tender at the place where he was. Ralph's no fool; he'd have called me eventually." Contrary to the way she'd gotten onto Lanny for his ventures last night, she was defending him to Johann now - likely because the older man had a similar vice, now and then. But he didn't seem all that impressed, and as he removed a jar of peanut butter from a bag, his eyes sharpened upon her. "You're protecting him." Without looking up from her stitching, she answered calmly, "As I would protect you, if it were necessary. It just usually isn't; if you get drunk, James doesn't ring my phone and spend ten minutes in cussing about just where you are, and Lanny doesn't grill me when eventually you sober up. The arrangements may be different, sir - but the problem is the same." Her tones were a little cold as she told him that, and if there had been any way she could have gotten out of this confrontation, she'd have tried to - after all, she was aware, as Johann was not, that Lanny was very much awake, and likely listening to every word that was being spoken. And at the same time, Cassidy was pointing out a very important fact - Johann too was prone to his binges, even if they were more controlled than those of the younger man, and usually confined to his own home, as opposed to out in public to be featured for the whole world. And of course, there was that little factor of Lanny's temper; whatever it was that drove the older man to his own quest for numbness in drinks, he never lost hold on his faculties - he'd never yet been arrested for drunken brawling, something which the younger Zelkovii had a long record of, even if he'd never served more than a night to sober up thanks to their ties with the police force.

Laurence Zelkovii

It was a little difficult for Lanny to just lay there and listen to the argument go on about him, when he was awake and hearing all of it, but unable to defend himself unless he wanted to reveal that he wasn't actually asleep. He wasn't all too surprised to hear Johann jumping in right away about last night's episode, though he was gratefully surprised to hear Cassidy stick up for him... and to turn the argument back on Johann somewhat, at that. After a few moments, of listening to them, Lanny couldn't keep his thoughts to himself, nor did he think he could go on pretending to be asleep while his eyes were darting about beneath closed lids, "It's no one's business but my own." His eyes flicked open now, though he didn't try to sit up while Raine was still sleeping against his chest, or even try to look over towards the kitchen where Johann was putting the groceries away. "It's said and done with, and no more's going to be made about it."

Cassidy*Others

At this point, Johann made a 'hmmph' sound, which told Cass that she'd made a point that he couldn't refute, even if he wouldn't admit to it. There passed a second or two of silence before he went on, "I was never a drunk, Cass - I drink, and sometimes I get drunk, but I managed to raise you up alright, and never drank in front of you til you came of age. We had a talk about it at the time." Shaking her head some, and not meeting his eyes, she muttered, "A talk that consisted more of your forbidding me to drink than anything else, as I recall. I thought it odd at the time - but then again, you were hungover when that talk took place, and I wasn't about to cross your temper by telling you I thought you were full of a lot of hot air, either." Still quiet in nature, her words had nevertheless taken an edge to them, but where others would have flinched, Johann just looked at her. "I never claimed to be perfect, my girl - but let's not start naming sins, or we'll be here until next week." That got her a little riled up, to the point where she abruptly set her sewing in her lap and turned to face him, where until this point she'd been busily mending Lanny's shirt. "I have never consumed enough of any substance to a point where my reason was so compromised that someone else had to help me walk. Lanny's not the only one I've fetched from benders, Johann - I had practice with you, first." This was the edge of an issue that Lanny had begun to pick out in her months ago; she wouldn't speak it aloud, but Cassidy hated what alcohol had done to her uncle, and what it was doing to Lanny, and that was coming out now as he challenged her words - coming out in anger, since she wouldn't let herself show any more gentle emotion, right now. It was fortunate that the young man spoke up when he did, because his influence might be able to keep this from turning into a very ugly discussion. "Nice of you to join us, Lawrence," Johann answered calmly, just as though the young man had walked into the room instead of simply opened his eyes. "I challenge your words, on the grounds that you had an infant child at home to be taken care of."

Laurence Zelkovii

The slight pounding in his head, and a stomach that wasn't fully settled, went to make his mood turn sour very quickly. He'd been cautiously optimistic while talking with Cassidy and getting no grief from her, which he would have endured well enough, but he was not going to take it so easily from Johann. Nor was he willing to let her get heckled for trying to defend him. "I said this is non of your business, Johann." There was a faint note of warning in his voice as he tried to use his higher ranking to trump the older man's words and force him to back off. "Between you and Cass, Raine was fine." That stung him, just as it did last night. As much as it drove the guilt home and would make him think twice about repeating last night's stunt, it also spurred quite a bit of defensive aggression in him. Only Raine's presence on his chest forced Lanny to check his tones, and consequently kept him from sounding as forceful as he would have wished.

Cassidy*Others

"Don't give me your best head-of-the-gang tone, Lawrence... it doesn't suit you in the position you're in." Repeating the young man's full first name again, to reemphasize just whose house he was staying in, Johann's voice was nevertheless quiet and calm-sounding - it was the intensity in his eyes that made it clear he was unhappy. "In matters of the gang, I take my orders, and I follow them - but don't presume that you can begin telling me what's to be done with my own child in my own house. You've stayed here these months because it's worked out best for Raine this way; if you've got a problem, you're always welcome to leave. You know where the door is. This is a private matter that doesn't involve gangs or ranks - I've got the power here, not you." The careful, quiet man who sat behind his computer all day directing the attacks of the Cryptic Silvers would never have assumed that tone with Lanny, in or out of gang business, but that man was not the one peering out of the pale blue eyes - perhaps unwisely, that man had been packed away, and the fellow facing off with the co-lead was the man who'd lost his brother and sister-in-law as a relatively young man, and been forced to raise their infant daughter alone in gang society. He might be quieter about it, and less verbal and violent than Lanny, but one had to remember that, under the cool, calculated surface, Johann was just as haunted as the younger man was, in his own way. It was that internalized pain and defensiveness that was lashing at Lanny right now, whether or not it was the wisest thing to argue with the younger Zelkovii when he was slightly hungover.

Seeing that both of them were getting riled quickly, Cass spoke up in an attempt to draw attention to herself and keep the two of them from erupting into an all-out argument. "It's no different than when you used to drop me off at Lan's when I was a kid; you always told me you were out on gang business, but I figured it out pretty quickly when you came home every time smelling of cheap whiskey. I was taken care of then, and Raine was taken care of last night. No harm, no foul." That got her uncle's eyes to snap to her, and though his tones were still level when he answered her, they'd taken on a dangerous slowness and quietness. "No harm my eye - that's a lie and you know it." And though he didn't mention it, she understood the pointed glance he'd given her, and it silenced her for several moments - partly in surprise and shame to admit that he'd read her that deeply... and partly in fury that he'd been able to, when she'd tried so hard to keep that back. Of course, it was the latter of these that she let come to the surface, and her own voice lowered in the same way as his did, without either of them noticing that characteristic she'd adopted from him. "Mind your words, Johann..." she whispered, and it was a warning, where she'd never before been known to voice any such thing with him.

Laurence Zelkovii

If only he didn't have the infant, Lanny would have sat up now and matched Johann's look with his his own blue-eyed gaze. Fortunately or not, it was the 6-month old who was keeping Lanny more or less quiet and not nearly as confrontational as he could be when cornered with a topic as touchy as this one was for him. "I told you already, this isn't anything to stick your nose into." The way that he snapped back without showing the slightest hesitation or submission said that he wasn't going to be cowed by the man's authority, even if he was gracious enough to let Lanny reside at his place. "If you really want to hash out something that's over and done with, be my guest. There's plenty I could bring up with you." If his try at pulling rank didn't work, Lanny made a more subtle threat against the man, fair or not it may be. He honestly didn't think he'd dare bring up the shooting incident in front of Cassidy, but he hoped that Johann didn't know that.

Cassidy*Others

It had become a curious battle, between the three of them; it had gone from Cass vs. Johann to Johann vs. Lanny, and now back again as the older man focused his thoughts away from his own sins, and more towards the minor incident that had occurred last night. The old man's glare fastened intently on Lanny at the implied threat he gave out, indicating that he didn't truly believe that the young man would speak up on that topic... and yet, he didn't say anything, indicating that he wasn't going to call Lanny's bluff, for fear of everything blowing sky-high. Instead, he turned his gaze to Cassidy, the one whose threat he could deal with. "Like it or not, you know when I speak the truth," he told her quietly, facing up to the cold look she was giving him without a flinch. "Don't try that trick on me, girl - I taught it to you. I've said my piece, and I've spoken truth. There has been harm done here." There was a second where the two of them stood, silently facing off with one another - Cass' fingers were twitching a bit, indicating the impulse that would have made her draw her blades, if she'd been starting down anyone else; but even stark furious with him, she would not wield steel against him. There was a long pause... and then Cass abruptly turned away, quickly out the door and shutting it with a slam behind her; the volume of it woke Raine immediately, causing her to break into wails. Responseless to that, Johann cursed quietly under his breath and turned his back on Lanny, heading for the bedroom, leaving the young man a delicate choice of whom to chase after to confront.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny would have been happy to call an end to the confrontation when Johann backed off him. The bluff had worked it seemed... until the uncle's words turned back to Cassidy instead, and struck a nerve sharp enough to cause her to get up and vacate the room without any verbal response. The door slam that followed startled the poor infant out of her sleep, and though the wailing tugged instantly at Lanny's emotions and had him putting a hand soothingly over her back, the crying didn't sit all that nicely with his sore senses right now. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Since it was pointless to keep his voice quiet now, Lanny didn't hesitate in raising it to be heard over Raine's wails, nor did he hold back a particularly vicious glare at Johann as he stood up. Leaving the man to retreat to the bedroom, Lanny went after Cassidy, sprinting to the other door as fast as he dared with the baby cradled in one arm. "Cass!"

Cassidy*Others

"I could ask you the same thing," Johann spat back, though he clearly wasn't referring to the argument - he was referencing the younger man's drinking problem. And with that slightly-below-the-belt comment, he closed the door to the bedroom - though more gently than Cass had done - leaving the young man to go after the angry young woman. There wasn't any sign of her on the stairs, and he might go all the way down without seeing her; she'd apparently already left the building. But if he went outside, he'd find her car still in the lot; she had set off on foot, and couldn't have gone far, yet. If he circled around the building into the alleyway at the rear, he might find her.

He'd hear her long before he'd see her - there was the distinct sound of blades hitting wood over and over again, and that in itself would tell him what she was up to; she kept a wooden pole in this part of the alley, for the purpose of keeping her dagger skills up to speed. She hadn't been out here in months, at first because of her pregnancy and the weakness afterward that had kept her from standing and exercising as she once had, and after she'd been cleared last month for her usual activities, she'd been so busy being a young mother that she hadn't gotten back into the routine. But she was setting into it with gusto now - there were chips out of the wood that were splayed around the concrete about her, and she was going after it with all her energy. She hadn't heard him come after her, but the moment he made a noise, she would be aware of him, and liable to react in an unpredictable way, as tense as she was at the moment.

Laurence Zelkovii

Johann's retort was promptly ignored as Lanny dashed out of the room, not stopping to gather his shoes, and not caring that he'd be getting his socks dirty. His wooziness didn't stop him from moving fleetly down the steps, calling out Cassidy's name without care for who he might be waking up or disturbing in the other rooms of the apartment. A dash down the winding steps found them empty, leading Lanny outside without a second thought, and when he saw her car still in sight and with no one in it, common sense and the sound of blades against wood told him where the young woman had gone to. He'd instinctively covered Raine with both arms, as much to protect her from the brisk spring air as it was to shield her from any potential dangers - Cass's blades included. "Cass! Hey..." He rounded the corner slowly, with his voice quietly when he saw her, "Why don't you come back inside with Raine and I?"

Cassidy*Others

Raine's cries hadn't really quieted when she'd been carried out of the room, which made it unclear just how Cass was managing not to hear the infant's distressed noises; ordinarily, the slightest whimper from the child got a look from her attentive mother. As it was, the sound went unheard by Cass, who was apparently in her own little world as she worked out her frustrations; right up until the point where his voice sounded, and she tensed. There was a moment where she swung abruptly, and looked as though she might be going to fling one of the blades at him - but at the last second, she completed the circle and drove the dagger into the wood, with enough force to lodge it several inches into the surface, which would later make it necessary for her to employ another blade to help dig it out, as even the young man's strength of arm wouldn't be sufficient for that. Still, with that done and the baby still wailing, Cass didn't turn to face Lanny just yet, instead providing a long pause before she spoke, and that quietly. "We haven't had a fight like that in a long time... not since I stopped working at the bridge. He hated it."

Laurence Zelkovii

His immediate priority had been to locate Cassidy to make sure she was alright. With all that had happened to her recently, he'd become as worried and protective of her as he was with Raine now, and that didn't dim any even now when her health was returning to her, little by litter. Now that he could see that she was alright, at least in the physical sense, Raine's wailing seemed to reach him a little more and prompt the young man to pat lightly at her back; yet instead of talking in a soft voice in an attempt to calm her, it was Cassidy that he was directing his words at, "Well... that's Johann for you. Let him cool off for a while, and he'll come back around. Come on now, let's get back inside..." He'd waited for her to plant the blade into the wood before he dared to step forward and a reach a hand for her - not to dare rest on her shoulder, but rather her lower arm, so that he might guide her out of the alley.

Cassidy*Others

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 devils who've badgered and battered me
You are the cruelest of all.

It was a strange thing now, to see all of Cass' attentiveness and gentle ministrations, which generally applied to both Raine and her adoptive father, completely vacate her at this point. It was a rare occasion when she fought with Johann, mostly because they knew each other so well each and understood all the idiosyncrasies of the other... and of course, when they fought, there was never really any winner. That was obvious now, in the way Johann had retreated into the bedroom and Cass outdoors, each of them to stew and lick their wounds for a while. But because he had been the only family she'd ever known, and because she was more sensitive than she'd have ever admitted, Cassidy took his scoldings far more harshly than she should have - and than she would ever confess to. Coming away from the tense situation back in the apartment, Lanny's gentle words didn't do much to soften the blow, even if they were meant kindly. "That's just the trouble - that is just Johann. If he follows his usual pattern, he'll be in his cups soon, if he isn't already; he usually gets into them fairly quickly, after we've had a row like this." She didn't fight the grip he'd laid on her arm, or try to pull away from him, but she didn't allow him to move her from her spot, and didn't look in his direction, instead focusing her eyes on the honed edge of the blade she'd embedded in the wood. "He'll be insensible for the rest of the night anyway... I'm not going back until he's sober."

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

A bit of fury welled up in Lanny, fury because Johann was going to do the very thing that he'd just finished harping at him for... and now he was in a huff, and Cassidy was even more unsettled by it all. "If you want me to go talk to him, I'll do that. If he's going to preach about my drinking, he can at least not be a hypocrite about it." A touch of his anger drove his words, but more of it was aimed at wanting to find a way to make Cass feel better. "Or if you'd rather stay away from him, we can crash at my place tonight." That may not work out that great with Sheryl, but Lanny was willing to put his foot down on that for once, if it would benefit Cass. Either way, he wanted to do something to make her feel better, since he felt understandably guilty for being the one who was the source of the argument in the first place.

Cassidy*Others

"If you go back up there now, and try to talk sense into him, it'll just bring the argument up all over again." Her tones were quiet and neutral, which meant that she was exercising the control not to let him understand how she was feeling. Of course, Lanny ought to know by now just how touchy a subject this was with her, and be able to guess from there just what she was hiding from him. Contrary to her mother's even, quiet tone, Raine was still whimpering and letting out the occasional cry, and when finally Cass did turn to look at him, it was to stretch out her arms for the baby. "Here... let me take her." As she moved to cuddle the infant against her chest and run a soothing hand down her back, she darted a suddenly-sharp glance at Lanny. "With Randy gone and me with Raine? No chance. Sheryl'd eat me alive." It was the first time she'd verbally acknowledged just how much the other woman despised her, and if she hadn't been in such a negative mood already, she wouldn't have said even this much - but as it was, she was upset, and was not about to head over to the apartment Lanny usually shared with his brother and the other woman, because she wasn't going to confront Sheryl with Raine. Perhaps because of her paranoia because of what had happened to her son, and her knowledge of just how attached Sheryl had become to Randy, Cass was silently but powerfully frightened that Sheryl might try to take Raine away from her, as unlikely a thing as that might be. "I'd rather sleep in the truck than give her that opportunity."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny shook his head, "I can handle him." He knew before he'd found her out in the alley here that she was very much upset by the argument, though the scope of it became more clear as he watched and listened to her just now. And it was because she was this bothered that he even offered to lock horns with her uncle again, when he'd normally rather let the older man cool off before going near him again. "I don't want you feeling uncomfortable, Cass." After he'd transferred Raine back to her mother, Lanny's voice softened and he openly admitted concern for her. He didn't understand just how great of a tension there was between her and his brother's girlfriend, or why it would be a big deal for her to be over there, but thankfully Cassidy was smart enough to decline the offer and avoid the situation all together. "If anyone's going to be sleeping in a truck, it'll be him, until he's sobered again."

Cassidy*Others

It took a few moments even for Cassidy to get Raine calmed, but finally the child ceased her wailing and settled her head against her mother, tucking two fingers into her mouth as she closed her eyes and seemed prepared to return to her nap. When that was accomplished, the mother returned her gaze to Lanny, and her attention to the problem of Johann. "It's not his fault, really... he just... has a lot of things that he doesn't like to talk about." Rather like someone else I know, she thought, but had the sense not to say aloud. Instead, she turned away from him again, training her eyes on her dagger once more. "I hate it when he drinks, Lanny" she whispered after several moments, and it was something that she wouldn't have admitted to, a few months back. "He doesn't get smashed the way that you do, but I'd almost prefer it if he did. He gets just drunk enough to where he's not himself, and when he looks at me..." She shuddered visibly, and closed her eyes, keeping her back very carefully to the young man. "I don't know of anything I've ever done to make him hate me, Lanny. And when he's that far gone, I don't think he really knows me, anyway. But I keep being told I look like my Ma... and when he gets in that mood, I think that he thinks I am her. And I get the distinct feeling that he doesn't like her. He gets this look like he wants to really lay into me." Well, that explained why she didn't want to go back upstairs, even if it meant that she would get to sleep in her own bed tonight; she didn't want to face the old man in that sort of shape.

Laurence Zelkovii

The young man was feeling to defensive of Cassidy right now to take too much consideration of Johann's feelings or the reasoning behind his actions and why he was prone to drinking after bouts like this. Unsurprisingly, this feeling only intensified when her following words came in a whisper, with a revelation about her uncle that he'd never heard before, and certainly never suspected. Johann could be a very intimidating sort of fellow, but his dedication and love towards Cassidy was undeniable. "He's never hurt you, has he?" Rather than lowering his voice more, his tenure intensified and his bright, and oftentimes friendly blue eyes turned cloudy very quickly. He knew little of Cassidy's mother, only what he'd heard from others, and had no clue why the two might be at odds; but whatever the case, he was not going to let anything happen to Cassidy. If that meant getting into an argument with Johann, he'd do it.

Cassidy*Others

Fortunately for how quickly the young man had raised his awareness in response to where the topic was leading him, Cass had a quick, sure answer. "No. He's like you, in that way - he gets out of it, and doesn't know what's happening, but he'd never lay a hand on me. He'll get that look for a few minutes, and he won't speak to me, as though I've offended him or something... and then after a while, he'll shake his head, and put the bottle away. When he gets to that point, he knows he needs to stop." By this time, she'd turned to face him again, and looked him squarely in the eyes to emphasize that she wasn't hiding anything from him - she was telling the truth, this time. Her eyes turned away again though, and she fell back into a whisper. "I just... don't like to see him like that. I'm used to the Johann who can read into the feelings of a stone wall and track down information with all the efficiency of a bloodhound. I'm not accustomed to... him not having control of himself."

Laurence Zelkovii

That clarification eased him somewhat, but it didn't pacify Lanny enough to unwind the tension in his muscles or the hard look in his light eyes. "If it bothers you that much, he shouldn't be doing it in the first place." It was the pot calling the kettle black yet again, as Lanny and Johann both understood and acknowledged their drinking problems and how it upset Cass, but rather than addressing their own problems, they were verbally attacking each other over it. "You give me the word Cass, and I'll go up there right now and see that he doesn't take a sip of anything. I'm not afraid of him." When he started to realize that the problem was not just her being uncomfortable around him, but being concerned about him, Lanny dropped away from finding a place for her to sleep tonight, and focused more on preventing Johann from getting in a bad state in the first place.

Cassidy*Others

She closed her eyes again, shifting Raine against her so that she was in a more comfortable position, though she still hadn't pulled her arm away from Lanny, which was as much a sign as he'd get that she appreciated his support right now. But she still shook her head when he offered to go upstairs and have it out with Johann. "If you go up there now, things are going to go down, and words are going to be said between you that don't ever need to be. I want him to quit drinking, Lanny - I don't want him to use it as an excuse to get ugly with you and cause all manner of problems." Of course, she could have been speaking of troubles with the gang, and that was partially on her mind, but more important was a more personal matter; she loved Johann, and was caring more and more about Lanny everyday - she wouldn't be able to bear it if they started fighting. "I know you're not afraid of him Lanny. But I am - afraid of what he'll do and say, and what impact it will have on the rest of us."

Laurence Zelkovii

Having Lanny and Johann try to hash something out as sensitive as this was probably not a good idea, as Cassidy was very aware of. It was an even worse idea when Johann was as irritated as he was, and Lanny likewise, and with a hangover to further sully his attitude and sharpen his words. Whether it was a good idea or not, Lanny didn't want to leave it unresolved if he could help it, so he pushed for it one last time, going after it in a way he never would have if it were a personal problem of his own, "No one's going to be causing problems. We're both adults." Whether she changed her mind or not, the young man didn't want to chase that idea too much if she were dead-set against it, so directly after that, he made a new proposition, "If you'd rather me not, we can stay away from the apartments for a while."

Cassidy*Others

"I think you underestimate his temper," she told him quietly, still shaking her head even though she wasn't precisely forbidding him to confront her uncle - she was just making it clear that she thought it a bad idea. "I don't want the two of you coming to blows over this, and I certainly don't want it to change things as they are. I like the arrangement we have now. And Raine likes having her Daddy close by." She said that with a small smile, and finally opened her eyes again, trying to move away from the negativity of the conversation that they'd been having up til now. "Frankly, I wish the two of you would let the matter lie, but I know better than to expect that from either of you. For now, I'll settle for having the topic avoided until both of you are calm and sober, which certainly won't be tonight. Here, hold her." With that said, she shifted her grip on Raine so that Lanny could take her back and, once she was sure that the young man had her safely in hand, she turned her back on him again, moving toward her pole with her other dagger in order to dig out the one that had been lodged in the wood so firmly. Giving a small grunt for the effort, she went on, "Of the choices available to me, I'd prefer the last one - if we can stay away, at least overnight, he'll calm down. I usually end up over at the Downs when he's in a mood, but it's still chilly, and I don't want Raine out in the night air over there."

Laurence Zelkovii

As determined as he was to confront this problem, if only because it upset Cassidy as much as it had, Lanny decided against the talk with Johann and quite pursuing it. He couldn't exactly manage a smile yet, though he did take Raine up with a gentle hold, handling her as if she were made of glass. "At this time of year, the Downs is the last place we should be going." Lanny agreed on that, without commenting on Johann now, in order to get around what was making Cassidy so unhappy. "I won't be surprised if half the road is covered over by now anyway." It wasn't he gang and drug activity in the area that bothered him much, since his mere presence was usually enough to make others keep their distance, but the roads themselves were the trouble with the annual spring flooding. "I know Jeff wouldn't mind us bunking at his place tonight, if you're up for that?"

Cassidy*Others

She didn't answer his comment about the Downs, knowing too well just what he meant - and knowing that the memories surrounding that place, from the various memorials there to her own breakdown there last winter, made the place a very negative one for Lanny, and someplace that he definitely didn't want her to be. So she didn't protest his words, and indeed shifted a little to be closer to him as if to more definitely dismiss any notion that he might have of her taking off as she had the last time. "I've got some clothes for she and I in a bag in the truck, and enough formula and bottles to last her a few days; but her semi-solids are all upstairs, and so's her carseat." She didn't seem to take into account the fact that it might be concerning to him that she already had an emergency-bag packed and ready for she and Raine, in case the eventuality ever arose that she and the baby needed to leave quickly; instead, she was thinking logistics, and debating in her mind what to do. She really didn't want to go upstairs and risk attracting her uncle's attention, but she was certainly not going to take her daughter anywhere without a proper carseat. In any case, she murmured, "Jeff's place would be fine - he'll cool off overnight, and we should be able to come back tomorrow."

Laurence Zelkovii

He wasn't sure if he were surprised or not to learn that she had a set of supplies pre-packed to take Raine on a second's notice. One a way it was grimly encouraging, in that she was resourceful and wise enough to be prepared if a situation become dangerous enough that she needed to make a quick getaway with the infant. And yet, it bothered him more than he liked, knowing that she had run off in times past, and not being sure if she would do so again without any notice. He'd dealt with it before, but if she did it now... he wasn't sure how he'd handle it this time. Things were different. "I'll head inside and grab the food and carseat, but I don't want you standing out here by yourself with her." As he said this, his voice evened out and softened more, "You can stand in the hallway if you want; it'd be better than this alley."

Cassidy*Others

Do not talk to me of love,
I'm not a fool with starry eyes,
Just put your money in my hand,
And you will get what money buys!
One pair of arms is like another,
I don't know why or who's to blame,
I'll go with you or with your brother
It's all the same, it's all the same.
This I have learned:
That when the light's out,
No man will burn with special flame,
You'll prove to me before the night's out,
You're all the same, you're all the same.

It took her a few moments more, but finally with a grunt she was able to pull the knife from its place in the wood, though she nearly stumbled back with the force necessary to remove it. Recovering herself before she fell, she deftly placed the blade back in its place, and turned to take the baby from him again. It was only then that she looked up to meet his gaze, and that very quietly. "I'm not going anywhere, Lanny... I promise you that. My life's oath, I won't disappear again." He hadn't said anything on the topic, but he didn't have to - they'd already once discussed how uncomfortable it made him when she vanished as she'd been known to do. To emphasize her point, she drew in close enough to lay her head on his shoulder for a few moments; while she'd been weakened, she'd gotten more comfortable with physical touch where he was concerned, and hadn't let go of it altogether... but it had reduced in frequency some, since her strength had come back to her. She used it now to cement the promise, so that he would know she meant it. And finally, she murmured, "At least if I come with you, he won't get after you again; you fetch the stuff... but let me tell him where we're going."

Laurence Zelkovii

He attempted a light smile to acknowledge her words, but the thinness of it and the lacking warmth in his eyes spoke to the fears he had that she might still disappear, even if she was being sincere right now. While she dug the dagger out from the wood, Lanny stayed silent and watched, only speaking when she returned to him and consented to the sort of touch that had been so rare in past times. "Alright, but don't let him give you any grief." Lanny slowly drew away from her and moved back towards the door, which he held open to let Cassidy and Raine through. "I'd better give Jeff a call before we head out, to make sure he's home anyway." After they were both back inside, Lanny proceeded up the stairs behind Cassidy, being concerned still about any lingering weakness that she had from the troubled pregancy, and wanting to catch her should she stumble or fall.

Cassidy*Others

"He's already done that,' she whispered, and it was meant more to herself than for the young man to pick up on. And just as quickly, she adjusted Raine's weight again, and gave Lanny a smile that was just as papery and uncertain as the one he'd given her. "the sooner we get up there, the sooner we can go. Anyway... at least it'll give us time to lay some more certain plans; found out this morning that the wolf boy's made plans to go see Tarak day after tomorrow, and you'll need that time to get your strike force together." So saying, she turned toward the building and reentered it, climbing the stairs with a smoothness and ease that defied Lanny's lingering fears over her. She was well and truly healed now - physically, at least. There were some emotional scars of hers that would never heal, and all of them knew that. She paused at the apartment door to steady herself and take a deep breath.. but after a moment, she opened the door, and peered in. Johann wasn't immediately visible, but the bedroom door was still closed, which pretty well indicated where he was.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Two days' time?" Having a specific date set gave the young man more purpose, and settled some of his anxiety over when to expect things to get rolling. "I'll give Tyler a call tonight when we get to Jeff's. We'll just have to figure what time and where to stake out a place to hide." For a few moments, he let his mind wonder towards those things, briefly distracting himself from Johann, and all the while keeping his eyes on Cass as she ascending the steps. Lanny went silent by the time they reached the man's apartment, and stepped quietly inside after Cass. Warily letting her handle her uncle, he set about locating the baby food and the carseat.

Cassidy*Others

Not immediately seeing Johann, Cass let out a low breath and shifted Raine toward Lanny again, murmuring, "You'll need to get her in the carseat." And with that done, she turned her gaze toward the bedroom door and, after seeming to pause for a moment to brace herself, went to knock. "Uncle?" The return of the 'uncle' pretty well said that she was over her anger with him, since she had a habit of addressing him by name whenever she was unhappy with him, but silence reigned afterward. When she received no answer, she prompted quietly, "Come to the door, at least... I want to speak to you." She still received no response, but she didn't open the door; she didn't want to see him drinking. Finally, she went on, "Lanny and I are going to stay at Jeff's for the night; we've got some plans to make. Is Raine's blanket in there?" More silence... but finally the door opened, and there stood Johann, the small blanket she'd requested in his hand. Gazing down at the white fabric printed with old fashioned, pastel-colored flowers, Cass didn't meet his eyes, and that was well enough, because they were already a little red-glazed; he'd gotten to his bottle in a hurry. Instead of looking at him, she reached and took the blanket. "We'll be back sometime tomorrow afternoon," she told him, her voice softer now that she wasn't speaking through the door... and maybe also because she was still very much upset, even if she'd calmed some. He didn't say anything; he just nodded, and turned around, heading back into the bedroom. Before he closed the door though, his voice broke the silence. "You'd best mind yourself around that boy Tahmores; you're not the only one interested in him. Ben's already made the rounds over there." Cass looked up then, and focused her eyes on his back, since he hadn't turned around. She wasn't really surprised that he knew whom their target was and just what they were planning on, but this piece of information was one she hadn't come up with, and she didn't know quite how to respond to that. After an awkward silence, the door closed again, and there was the sound of abused springs as Johann sank back down on the bed. For a long moment, Cass remained still in her place, the blanket still in her hand and her eyes on the door between them. But finally, she whispered, "Let's get out of here, Lanny."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny took the infant again, holding her against him with one arm. With that done, he went about searching through the cupboards to find various bottles of baby food, selecting more than Raine could possibly eat in one day, but not really paying attention to that. He was glancing frequently to the door, and straining his ears to hear what Johann had to say - mostly to make sure that Cassidy wasn't being dealt with harshly. With as quiet as both of them were talking, he was hard pressed to catch anything, but he could at least be assured that there was no yelling going on, so after he'd gathered an assortment of food he grabbed the carseat and settled Raine in it. "How does a car ride sound, huh?" A momentary smile graced his stormy face when he spoke to the little girl, then faded back to something more serious and somber by the time Cassidy caught his attention. "Your car, or mine?" He hefted the carseat up with one hand and moved seamless towards the door, ready to get out of here as quickly as possible, for Cass's sake.

Cassidy*Others

"You drive," she answered him quietly, not looking all that upset in her expression; but then Lanny knew as well as anyone else that her expression didn't necessarily define how she was feeling. Rather, her words were closer to that now; ordinarily, she didn't care whether the young man was drunk or simply hungover, she would always insist on driving, even if he was perfectly safe to drive once the hangover had set in. That she prompted him to drive now meant that she was distracted enough that she didn't trust herself to drive safely, which said a great deal. But without saying anymore, she drew close and tucked the blanket around Raine where she had been buckled into the carseat, and then stood to take the young man's arm. "Let's go."

Laurence Zelkovii

Just because there hadn't been any angry voices didn't mean there hadn't been any tension or upset, and he knew it very well. Even if Johann had spoken civilly, the fact was that he was drinking, and that in itself was the reason Cassidy was not happy. If that wasn't enough for him to go off, her behavior clarified it further. Lanny adjusted the carseat handle, and sticking close to Cassidy, he exited the room and continued back down the stairs, and out to the parking lot where his bronco waited. It didn't take much to fit the contraption in the vehicle, and to place the food in the backseat, and once that was taken care of, they we on their way to Jeff's house.