Summer & Others

Summer had done all she could to get Conan to relax, knowing that it was a well nigh impossible task now that Raimi had been taken. She'd insistently reminded him that the gang wouldn't harm his little brother, and that she and Collin where there to help him however they could. Eventually, when words could do little more to offer assurance to the teen, Summer and Collin and tucked in for the night, with Ryan bunking in again to help keep a watch out.

Conan

The teen had spent the greater part of the night in restless thoughts. He'd avoided his own room at all costs, splitting his time between the bathroom and, very carefully, the living room. He'd already proven once that he was quiet and sneaky enough to get past Ryan, and he continued to light foot so as not to wake the officer, but he spent most of the rest of the night obsessing over what had happened and what else he could have done, even long after Summer and Collin had gone to bed.

And when light started to come in the trailer's windows the next morning, there were two people in the living room - Ryan in his place on the couch, guarding the safety of the family... and Conan, laid full-length in the middle of the small floor and taking up the area between the worn armchair and the couch completely. His head was pillowed on one arm and tossed to one side so that the incoming light shone warmly upon the tousled red hair and lit up the soft line of freckles that were spread across his nose. He hadn't found his version of dreamless sleep until nearly five-thirty, and now he was still and limp on the floor. The multiple creases and strange position of the blanket he'd grabbed for the cold revealed he'd tossed quite a bit before he'd found rest, and beneath the blanket there was a clear impression of one of his bandaged arms curled up near his chest; if one came to examine him closely, they might catch a glimpse of worn, badly-ruffled brown fur - the top of the head of Raimi's teddy bear. It was a painfully keen reminder of the fierce protection that Conan felt toward his brother, and the depth of depression and pain that was left to the teen in the toddler's absence. His close-eyed face was still, but the lips turned down in a concentrated frown... and even as the rest of the household began to wake, Conan didn't stir.

Summer & Others

Aside for the felines, Collin was the first one up in the house, moving through the house with a light tread that was only outdone by Conan's skillful abilities. Ghostly from the kitchen to the living room, the bearded man paused long enough to note the way that Conan was curled up on the ground amid the tangled blanket and... the teddy bear. The man had kept a respectful distance when dealing with Conan, always presenting himself as open and approachable if Conan wanted to take the step in talking with him, but not forcing him to talk or trying too hard to interact with him. Summer herself acted in much the same way, allowing Conan to adjust to them at his own pace, without smothering him or treating him too much like their little boy.

Collin stopped at the tiny hallway, taking a second blanket out from the closet and carrying it over to the area where Conan had chosen for a bed. Moving carefully so that he might not wake the teen, Collin draped the blanket over him, before turning back to the kitchen, where Summer was just emerging and setting a pot to boil. The two exchanged whispered words, where the woman turned a sorrowful glance to the boy; neither one had the heart to wake him, but it was such a disheartening scene that begged for some sort of comfort.

Conan

The teen didn't stir when the heavier warmth of the second blanket settled over him, a sure sign that he was truly and deeply asleep. If he'd known the sort of heartbreaking scene that was being presented to Collin and Summer at the moment, he'd have been significantly embarrassed, or tried to write it off to something less important... but in his sleep he did not know it, so there was no cure for the sad situation they were left with. Rather, the only movement he offered was to cuddle deeply into the second blanket, which suggested that he'd unconsciously been a little cold and the greater warmth that was offered was welcome, and kept right on sleeping.

And it wasn't until nearly ten o'clock that he finally showed signs of waking, and that first in the way that the heavy sound of his breathing stopped, indicating that he was holding his breath. He'd long since taught himself not to scream upon awakening, when the nightmares came to him... but the adaptation had cost him in forcing him to hold his breath to prevent that. The soft sound of his breathing got quieter, and then stopped... ten, twenty, thirty seconds went by where he didn't move, didn't wake... and didn't breathe.

Summer & Others

A heavy, deafening silence pursued in the quaint little home, with the Wallocks talking in nothing louder than hushed whispers. Ryan had wakened around nine, and after being carefully informed of Conan's sleeping place, was careful not to step on the boy as he went about folding up his own blankets and putting them away - the way he did every night that he slept over at the Wallocks, even though they insisted otherwise.

Enduring the next hour in much the same silence that he'd waken up too, Ryan had been quick to take note of the disheartening scene on the ground. Being the kind that tended to get a bit more emotional than was good for his type of job, Ryan channeled the sorrow into workable anger. Thinking things over and over in his head, Ryan didn't realize he'd been listening to Conan's heavy breathing until the boy stopped. The officer froze for a few seconds, listening and waiting for the breathing to start, but when it didn't, he hopped off the couch and pulled the blankets aside in one swift movement. "Conan-!" Not quite as cautious and thoughtful as the Wallocks were as far as Conan's touch issues went, Ryan got right down there, tossing aside the covers and giving the boy's shoulder a harsh shake.

Conan

What Ryan couldn't know was that Conan could hold his breath for quite a long time; the boy's mother had possessed a sadistic pleasure in half-suffocating her son, and so he'd taught himself to hold his breath for long periods of time do to conditioning - up to two minutes, which was admirable for any human. And the other thing the unfortunate officer couldn't know was that Conan would react before he woke up - the instant he felt fingers on his shoulders, the teen was reacting instincitively. One elbow jabbed harshly up behind him in an attempt to knock the wind out of his perceived attacker, one foot lashed out backward for the shins... and in the next moment Conan was twisting violently under Ryan's hold to free himself and jumping to his feet, his eyes wild. The combination of fear and protective fury was very prevalent in his eyes as they rested firmly upon Ryan... the teen was breathing very hard now, due both to the exertion of his defensive attack against Ryan and his own panic. It took the space of a few tense breaths before the intelligence and sanity began to filter back into his gaze, and he began to understand that Ryan wasn't going to hurt him. "Don't... do that," he murmured hoarsely, signalling his return to a normal attitude.

Summer & Others

Crouched as he was, Ryan's balance wasn't so concrete as he'd reached a hand out to shake the boy's shoulder. Before Summer or Collin could warn him away, Conan was reacting in his defensive way and sending Ryan toppling backwards in an ungraceful heap, complete with a breathy 'ooofh!' as the elbow hit with blind accuracy. "Easy, kid...!" Picking himself up and taking a hearty step back, Ryan rubbed a hand briefly over his midsection, and spoke just a second later, "You stopped breathing there, for a minute. Are you alright?"

This was far from the calm way Summer was hoping he'd wake up, but seeing that neither of the two seemed truly harmed, she worked quietly around the tense interaction as she sat down in the rocking chair. A cup of tea was held out for Conan as she spoke, offering a warm drink if he wished for it, "Good morning, sweety. We'll have pancakes started here soon, if you're wanting breakfast, and I think Greg and his friend are stopping over." Making not comment on his sleeping area, nor letting her eyes fall on the teddy bear and potentially embarrass the boy, Summer worked to offer him little things as distraction.

Conan

It took Conan a second to relax a little more as he worked over the situation in his mind and confirmed just once more that it was only Ryan, and that Ryan didn't intend to hurt him. When he'd satisfied himself with that, he briefly nodded in answer to the officer's question, and murmured, "Sorry... star..." Finding the longer and less definite word 'startled' a little much for his still-recovering voice, he reluctantly offered out the more accurate, "...scared me." He knew that Sohmers had already figured out a great deal about him, in the most general sort of way. The manner in which he'd always feared the older man and how he'd flinched dramatically away if ever Ryan had tried to draw close spoke volumes to Summer, so it should not be lost on the policeman's trained perception.

Summer fortunately picked a good moment to step in, and a good excuse; Conan liked tea, and what with the chill of the outdoor weather, the warmth was certainly welcome. So he took the cup from the woman in one hand, and then quickly had to pull it close to his body and use the other hand to keep the shaking cup from spilling. With the trembles stilled by bracing them against his stomach, the teen set about drinking it, settling himself wearily down in the armchair, not moving just yet to scoop up his blankets or the bear that was now half-exposed because of the sudden way that the teen had reacted to Ryan's unexpected touch.

Summer & Others

Ryan scrubbed briefly at his head, running his fingers through a mess of brown hair as he thought about the tangled problem he'd gotten himself into. "No harm done." He'd known after this long of staying with the Wallocks that Conan was a flinchy sort of kid, but that knowledge escaped him in the wake of seeing what he thought was an emergency. Now that Summer was taking charge of seeing to the boy's needs, Ryan could take a step back and remind himself just how traumatized the teen was, if his smarting shin didn't remind him enough. Making better note not to touch Conan in the future, Ryan moved back to the couch and sat himself down. Unlike Summer's caution in avoiding the subject of the teddy bear, the officer's attention went back to that when his keen eyes drifted over the blankets a second time, leading him to speak in his own way of consoling the boy, "We'll get him back, Conan. I promise you that - you'll get your brother back."

Collin kept himself busy with mixing pancake batter, with the idea that Conan probably didn't want a bunch of people swarming around him at the moment. And Summer did her best to deflect the anguish of Raimi's capture by providing Conan with more information, "I think the boys were going to go out hiking today. I bet they'd be more than happy to include you, if you like that kind of stuff."

Conan

When Ryan began to assure him that he'd find a way to get Raimi back, Conan swallowed a good mouthful of tea, not reacting to how the hot liquid scaled his mouth and the back of his throat - it served to clear his head just a little, and gave him a good excuse to look a little surprised for a brief moment. By the time he'd finished swallowing he had his impulses under control again, and he nodded silently to indicate he'd heard Ryan, though he didn't offer any words in answer. He wouldn't say how, last time, it had taken both he and Nadeem nearly getting killed to get Raimi back from the Zelkoviis... his nod simply indicated that he knew that Ryan would try his best, even if Conan himself didn't believe that the best would be enough.

And he wasn't even going to begin to cover the topic of Raimi right now... not after the toddler had willingly gone to Lanny. Conan didn't blame the child for it - after all, he was only two, and had no clear view of morals or how the world worked. No, as with everything else, Conan blamed himself for that, and if he wouldn't yet admit it to Summer, there was no way he'd even acknowledge the topic with Ryan. So instead, he turned his attention to Summer's words. He'd always felt he was imposing a bit, whenever he'd gone out with Greg and his friends under the mother's suggestion - he knew that she meant well and that they were trying to help him to build some friendships with people his own age, but he always felt like he was in the way, not because of anything the other young men said, but because of his instinctive lack of self-value. But today, he nodded to indicate he'd go with them; at least, it would get him out of the house, and away from the constant reminder that Raimi wasn't here. As he finished his tea, the teen got up and headed to put the cup into the sink, rinsing it out and settling it there for when he'd clean the kitchen later. And then he grabbed and filled one of the many watering cans in the house, beginning to make rounds and check all the plants, just as though this were an everyday sort of morning. It wasn't until he moved to head outside though, likely to scrape snow away from the roots of the few winter flowers that had managed to survive the freezing temperatures, that he stopped cold in the doorway. It was unclear at first what made him freeze so; the front yard was just as it had been every other morning. But if one looked closely, they might see a tiny item stabbed into the grass at the edge of the Wallock's property... one of those tiny fifty-cent American flags that small children liked to wave at parades. It was a common-enough little object - but it froze Conan in his tracks.

Summer & Others

Ryan got the hint quick enough, seeing past the way Conan took in the hot tea a little too fast, and again understanding the swift but subtle way Summer brought the conversation to a different end. Seeing that he was doing little in the way of help as far as talking was going, Ryan excused himself as he moved to the bathroom, to brush his hair and teeth and get prepared for what he was sure would be a long day of work.

Summer spent the time speaking either with Collin, or talking on random subjects; mostly related to Greg, and what he was doing in helping Nadeem's newest branch of research. At some point, she left off to feed the cats and clean out the litter boxes, and while she was carrying out a small garbage sack towards the door, she saw the way in which Conan was froze. "Conan, is something the matter?" Setting the trash aside, Summer swept her eyes from the teen to the yard, noting the little flag stuck in their yard, but entirely baffled as to why it would elicit such a reaction from Conan.

Conan

As stunned and wordless as he had been last night, the teen again took a few moments to collect himself and be certain of what he was about to say. During that time, he moved out of the house and plucked the flag up out of the icy ground, holding it delicately between two fingers as he came back into the house and presented it to Ryan. It was only then that he lifted his fingers to sign, looking to Summer for her help. A message from my father. Quote - things are getting hotter and hotter, so stay in the icebox like a good little salad. In other words, he knows that the CS is looking for him, and knows that I have told you. It serves as a warning.

Summer & Others

Ryan was just getting out of the bathroom, donning a fresh work suite and newly brushed hair. Being slightly eccentric as he was about order, the multitude of cat hair and general clutter of the tiny home was enough to drive him crazy. "Ryan, Conan's got something to show you." The familiar voice drew him back into the living room as Summer nodded to Conan to signal that she understood that he was asking for her help.

The officer listened silently to Summer's recital of the teen's words, his expression churning quickly to anger once again, as his emotions were always laid out there to see. More than that, it bothered Ryan an untold amount that Michael had been that close to the house, and had gotten away. "If there's one thing on our side, it's that he's not affiliated with the CS. I'll head down to the station and see what I can do about this."

Conan

With it clear that Ryan meant to look into the matter, Conan seated himself again, and kept on signing, this time only to Summer. Raven had a long series of girlfriends... starting from when I was pretty small. When I was about seven or eight he actually had a decent one - her name was Melissa, and she was always kind to me. When she figured out that Da and I didn't get along very well, she began using the flagpole in front of the house as a signal to me. I would usually be gone most of the day, out wandering the countryside because I didn't go to school, and she'd use the flagpole to tell me when it was safe to come home. If the flag was down on the lower half of the pole, it was safe; Da was sleeping or too drunk to notice me, and I could come home and eat, or hide and make myself scarce. If it was up high, he was well awake and raring to penalize me for the errors of my ways... my father found out later, and that ended the relationship... he uses it as a message to me now. He didn't seem particularly frightened by this; it was just another fact of his life.

Summer & Others

He may not be able to do a whole lot with the CrypticSilvers, but as far as Ryan knew into the sketchy underdealings of the ACPD, Michael Carlyle had no safety net with them. On the other hand, he didn't realize just how sticky of a web he was crawling into, and how his actions could easily stir up what was already a precarious, volatile situation. Leaving the Wallocks with the promise that he'd get in touch with them if and when he found out anything, Ryan was off.

Summer's eyes took on that same look as they had last night, awakening a subtle but prominent feature that went as close to anger as her gentle nature would allow. Collin would have likely mirrored his wife's expression if he were in on the conversation, and certainly would agree with her following sentiments, "I don't often talk ill of other people's relations, but your father isn't deserving of his title. No one has the right to treat another living creature that way." As gentle as her words came out, they were laced with anger in a way that made them sound unreal coming from her. Following that, Summer looked down briefly, sweeping in a quiet breath prior to the anger fizzling out of her features, "I want what's safest for you, Conan. If your father knows your here... it might be safer if you stayed with Greg and his friends. For a week or two, at least."

Conan

Conan shrugged a little to answer Summer's initial words; his father's unworthy treatment of him had been a topic that Aralyn had often tried to cover with him, with very little success. This was mostly because blaming his abuse on his father was something that Conan was unable to do, since Michael had been sure to remind the boy constantly that if he'd only been a decent son, Michael wouldn't have to hurt him. The teen had never liked his father, but as a child, and somewhat still to this day, he believed what the man had unjustly told him. SO he added Summer’s words to the endless supply of such words he had from Aralyn and others who had cared about him… things that he wanted to believe, but didn't dare consider, just yet. Instead of commenting on her first words, he skipped over to her latter suggestion. I have been thinking of that for some time – perhaps it would take the pressure off of the two of you for awhile. Perhaps the change of scene... would help prevent things like this morning’s events. He trailed off awkwardly – he didn't want Summer to think that he no longer desired to stay with them, after she and Collin had been so kind to him... but he didn’t think he could spend another night in the trailer without Raimi for a long while.

Summer & Collin

A smile came to her features, softening them again and turning the tiny crows feet and miniature wrinkles at the sides of her eyes and lips, "I don't want you to think you're any burden when you stay here. Far from it, in fact." The biggest thing that Summer was worried about was for her adopted son to get the wrong message. She'd also known, from combination from her own intuition and some insight from Nadeem, that Conan had definite self-esteem issues, and she certainly didn't want him to view the situation as them getting tired of putting up with all the extra baggage that came with the boy. "We enjoy having you around, especially now that our Greg has moved out. We just... feel it'll be safer for you to keep quiet for a few weeks, until Ryan can help settle this mess."

Conan

Fortunately for the nebulous relationship that was just beginning to build between them after the teen's months here, Summer chose just the right words to use to reassure him that he hadn't done anything wrong to prompt this suggestion. He wouldn't have protested at all if she'd said something about it, for goodness knew that he often thought that he brought nothing but trouble and danger to Collin and Summer, and he always felt guilty for that. So he felt a little better when she asserted that he was still welcome here, and nodded solemnly. I guess the best thing to do, then, would be to set my things in order. I could head over there when we're finished with hiking, I guess. He paused, and then ventured almost timidly, Would you mind terribly if I took the exotic orchid book with me? I'm just halfway through it... True to form, he looked almost as if he expected her to slap him for insolence - he wouldn't have dared make that request of anyone else, and even asking it to Summer, who had never given him reason to fear her, took a lot of guts, in Conan's case.

Summer & Others

"Just think of it as a short vacation." It broke her heart to some degree that she was sending him away from their home, and that they hadn't been able to properly care for him and Raimi. The blow was softened by the simple fact that one really couldn't prepare for such a random assault as they'd taken, but the outcome was all the same. Glad to have his approval and understanding with it all, Summer's sincere smile brightened to show her teeth, "You can take whatever books you'd like. Greg has quite a few over there as it is." Keen to end this whole note in a positive way, and keep it from being the gloomy subject that it really was, Summer went on in a more dismissive way, "And don't let that Matt give you a hard time. He's really such a sweet kid, but I think he enjoys those video games too much."

Conan

As determined as Summer apparently was to keep the whole topic from turning sour, Conan offered a little smile in answer to her permission to take the book - the first one he'd managed, since all of the chaos last night. And after a moment, it grew just a smidgen. He can't be all that bad - the guy likes Guitar Hero, at least. I used to sneak and play that on my brother's system when I was by myself in the house... it's addictive. And with that said, he left off the topic and went right back to life as usual, or at least seemed to - Summer and Collin would notice that Conan took nearly twice the time to set the table this morning as he had every morning since they'd stayed here, with Raimi wrapped around his ankles and legs and making the task infinitely more difficult.

Summer & Others

It took a little longer than expected, but the two arrived after a good fifteen minutes. Already clued in as to what had happened and what the new course of action was, both teens were careful not to mention anything about Raimi as they set foot in the house. "Hey Summer, Collin. Wow, pancakes... I love you guys. Oh, hey Conan." With a smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear, and a personality with little restraints when in comfortable surroundings, Matt sort of took in everyone at once as he slipped his shoes off and headed for the table, "You ready for some sledding today?"

Greg was distracted by a hug from his mother, followed by a nod to his dad as he set himself down at the table next. Collin was busy setting out pancakes on everyone's plate as his son spoke out in general, aiming to keep things placid, and to try and earn some interest from Conan when the kid was in definite need of distraction from Raimi, "Kate found a little of four cubs last night - thinks they're cougar hybrids. One's pretty bad off, but the other three look pretty good."

Conan

Now that there were people other than Summer and Collin in the house, Conan put forth the needed effort to speak aloud. Summer understood his signs, and even Collin had managed to pick up on some of the simpler things, during his stay here, so he never needed to speak to them really, but with the two younger men, he usually tried to vocalize so poor Summer wouldn't be kept busy translating all the time. "Hi Greg... Hey Matt," after a pause or two, he managed a basic greeting and the pair's names, which was a good sign - some mornings his voice was better than others, and apparently, this was a good voice day. He only nodding to indicate that he'd be interested in some sledding, but by now the two otehr young men ought to know that he often used gestures if words weren't necessary - it allowed him to use his voice more when he needed to.

As he settled down at the kitchen table and began slowly shoveling pancakes into his mouth, eating to keep Collin and Summer happy, though he really wasn't hungry and indeed felt just a bit nauseous. His attention was captured by Greg's words, at least... he showed his interest only by the subtle way in which he stole a sideways glance at Greg, fearing to let his interest be known openly but hanging onto every word offered all the same. The good part about this was that Conan was fairly well distracted at the moment.

Summer & Collin

"Hey, your speech is getting better." He meant it well, muffled as it was coming through a mouth of half-chewed pancakes, but Matt got a sharp look from Greg anyway. Summer might have looked a little taken aback by the abrupt comment, if only she hadn't known the kid since he was little. "What?" The ebony-haired kid defended himself when he realized he was getting stared it by his best friend. Greg just shook his head a little, "Anyway, they're only about a week old, we think. Conan, do you think you can give us a hand feeding them? We've got a bit more than we can easily handle, and I've already sent a few Nadeem's way."

Conan

It was hard to tell whether Conan was upset by Matt's words or not, but as it was, he simply nodded and murmured a soft, "Thanks," to hopefully diffuse the situation somewhat. He certainly didn't want to be the start of an argument between Matt and Greg, even if it would have been quickly forgotten. And soon enough, Greg offered another question that Conan was pleased to nod to - he'd willingly help them take care of the cubs while he was staying with them. He looked after small creatures almost as instinctively as he breathed. "Sure... I can hand-," there he paused, again searching for a simpler word. "I can do... bot-tles."

Summer & Others

"We can stop by Nadeem's later if you want." Another incentive for Conan to look forward too, and from there, Greg and the others carried on with idle chatter as they went about breakfast. Greg and Collin passed information about how this plant or that was growing, what the needed to order in for the upcoming season, and the like, while Summer switched between chatting with Conan to Matt.

As the meal began to wrap up, Collin drifted back into the main bedroom to get ready for work, leaving Greg and Matt to help Summer and Conan with clearing the table. "We've got that bird still." Matt glanced to Conan as he finished scraping off a plate, "You know the one that sings songs and squawks at the dogs all the time? Now she sings when I play the guitar - you've gotta hear it."

Conan

Breakfast went normally enough, with Conan commenting sparingly here and there but not taking an active part in the conversation unless Summer or someone else made the effort to engage him. But after the meal was over, he was taking plates from Matt and piling them into the sink, setting some of the stickier, syrup-coated ones to soak in hot water to make them easier to clean later, and he actually offered half a smile to the other boy's comment, and a small, airy noise that was all that was left of a chuckle, thanks to his lack of voice. And he even ventured in a good-natured way, "That... I need to see."

Summer & Others

Once all of the dishes were put to the sink, Greg got another hug from Summer, and Matt was even corralled into one before he reached the door to get his shoes on, "Oh, you'll see and hear that bird enough in one week to last you a life time."

"I'll call you later, mom." Greg promised as he struggled with his own pair of shoes, prefering to try and wiggle his feet in without bothering to untie and retie the laces. "We'll stop by our place first to feed the cubs." Conan was next on his list of people to talk too, "And maybe bring Starlit along with us."

Conan

Conan brightened up a little more to the idea of bringing Starlit - he remembered the Lady's dog well, and how she had been a comfort to him, the last time he'd been at the farm. Figuring this was as much of a signal as he'd get that they were leaving, the boy ducked into his room and retrieved his backpack... and stopped briefly at his last night's sleeping place to pop the teddy into his bag, though his slight of hand would make it difficult to see what he was doing. And then he moved to the door, offering Summer a polite and even slightly warm goodbye, pausing to listen for her answer as he laced up his own sneakers.