Cassidy*Others

It had taken both of the men a few minutes to settle into sleep - but after a while, when she'd watched Lanny grow limp in his chair, and heard the familiar sound of Johann's soft snoring starting up, Cass had relaxed, satisfied that her menfolk were taken care of. This was particularly important to her, since they'd both spent so long taking care of her. Johann had slept about an hour and a half or so - which wasn't really enough, but was more than he'd gotten the night before - and by the time he woke again, Cass was asleep, with Raine cradled on her chest, sound asleep as well. The very first thing he did was get up from his chair and soft-foot soundlessly to the door to confirm that the guards were still in place, and that all had been quiet while he'd been asleep. And once that was established, he'd headed inside again - and gradually drifted back to sleep again.

Laurence Zelkovii

Once Lanny had fallen asleep, he didn't wake back up. When he wasn't this dead tired, he'd wake up every hour or so, move around a little, and fall back to sleep again. This time however, he didn't stir at all as the dreamless hours went by, even though he'd been so unsettled right before going to bed. It wasn't until around six in the afternoon that he suddenly stirred and his eyes snapped open so quickly that it looked like he'd just come from a bad dream. "What time's it...?" Figuring that an hour might have gone by since when he first closed his eyes, Lanny mumbled a hard-to-hear question, without looking around to see if anyone was actually awake to receive it.

Cassidy*Others

Johann had slept on and off throughout the day, pulling his eyes open occasionally just to be sure that all was safe in the room and that Cass and Raine were both resting comfortably only a few feet away. When Lanny woke though, the movement he made got the man's eyes to snap open in a flash, flicking about the room keenly to try to account for the sudden noise. It wasn't until Lanny spoke, however, that he seemed to understand what had happened. He sat up and leaned forward, both to reconfirm that Cass was still asleep, and to check the bedside clock to find out what time it was. With it confirmed that both mother and child were currently resting soundly, Johann spoke quietly, his voice full of soft surprise. "A little past six," he whispered, as if not believing that either of them had slept that long, even though he himself had woken up several times.

Laurence Zelkovii

His face scrunched up a little while he briefly, gingerly stretched his arms and tried to lift his head. "Six...? You kidding me?" Finding a kink in his neck for having lain in the same uncomfortable position for the past few hours, Lanny rubbed at the sore spot before he bolted up... or rather, fumbled clumsily to lean forward in his chair and look at Cassidy, now that he was aware just how long he had slept. After seeing that mother and daughter were asleep and looked to be doing well, he scrubbed at his bleary eyes and addressed Johann, "When are you planning on heading him with Raine?" For Cassidy's sake, he hoped that it wasn't soon, but he figured it was a topic best discussed while the girl was asleep.

Cassidy*Others

"I wish I were," Johann quipped, his tone still surprised and bordering on annoyed at himself. He scrubbed one hand back over his bald head and shook himself a little to try to wake up more thoroughly, trying to knock the last of the bleariness out of his brain. The fact that both Cass and her child were apparently doing well and hadn't suffered for how long the two had been asleep helped to soothe him some, but he was still irritated with himself for not having awoken sooner. Finally, he looked up and met Lanny's gaze, and answered quietly, "I'd like to wait for the both of them to wake up, if I can. Make the transition a little easier, I think, rather than Cass waking up to her being gone."

Laurence Zelkovii

He gave up scrubbing at his neck, and instead stretched his legs and arms again, trying to wake himself up and loosen his cramped muscles. The young man looked to the clock himself when he'd finally gotten set up straight, and groaned inwardly when he saw Johann hadn't lied about the time - it really was getting into the late evening. He went on to nod to the uncle's response, figuring it was best that way too, and would let Cassidy have some time to say goodbye, and to see that her daughter was going off in good hands. And from there, his line of thought switched tracks entirely, as he saw fit to take advantage of the fact that Cass was still sleeping, "You have any idea who sent the gift?"

Johann*Others

Johann scowled deeply when Lanny brought that topic up again, not because he was angry that the young man had done so, but because he was furious that someone was again toying with Cass' emotions. Particularly when her health was still delicate at the moment, and there was nothing that he could do about it when he didn't know just who was doing this. But finally, he kept his temper enough to think straight, and began to speak, sort of thinking aloud, as it were. "If Linus sent the note, then he's already accomplished his task - he's made us all edgy, and reminded us that he could make our lives very unhappy if he tried. He's also gotten a bit of revenge at Cass for that... and once a job's done, he leaves it at that unless there is something else that develops. Nothing has changed, so I can't believe that he would send this as a secondary reminder - particularly when he knows who he's dealing with. So my guess is that this has to come from someone else. And though I don't like the idea, I have to admit that Conan's the only other person who immediately comes to mind with a motive for frightening her."

Laurence Zelkovii

He wasn't sure whether he felt better to know that Benjamin likely wasn't behind this, or more disturbed that it could be Conan who sent the gift. Up until now, the red head had been smart to keep himself out of the gang's path, only striking to take back his little brother. The idea that Conan might be getting more bold didn't sit well with Lanny, especially not since it was Cassidy who he was targeting. "If it's him, I'm not giving him the chance to try something else." They'd already talked about this, but Lanny brought it up again, changing his mind back to taking out the Carylye, "If I have to make it look like an accident, then so be it. But he's not getting away with it."

Johann*Others

"Don't jump into this too quickly, Lanny," the old man warned, leaning forward a little to make the younger man understand the intensity with which he was speaking. "I said that I can't think of anyone else who would do it... but I'm still not sure that he did it, or that he intends it as a threat." He knew that those words wouldn't make much sense to Lanny though, and so after a moment, he broached a rather sore subject once again. "When you cornered him that day - you asked him about the note. Do you remember his reply?" Indeed, he was betting on the young man recalling the conversation they'd had, despite the fact that he'd had most of his attention on wanting to kill Conan at the time. "I recall his words precisely: 'What sort of monster do you think I am, Lanny? To look after Raimi so keenly - to risk my own life and another's to get him back from you - and then to turn about on the other foot and attack a woman whose pregnancy will already be difficult for her? I may be only the second youngest son - but I know a little about birthing. Your girl's thin - too thin, even for not being expecting. The whole thing's gonna be hard enough on her without me trying to hurt her!'" The old man quoted the teen word for word, proving that Lanny wasn't the only one who'd revisited that event over and over in his mind since they had discussed it last. "'He may have raped your girl, but from the moment he got her with child, she was forever safe from me.' That was the truth, Lanny - like it or not, he's not going to do something to hurt her, now that she's a mother. If he sent it... it wasn't motivated by the things we'd be liable to think that it is."

Laurence Zelkovii

In a rather bullheaded, blind-eyed fashion, Lanny was gearing himself up to put aside whatever Johann was going to tell him, because he viewed Conan as nothing more than an enemy to be swatted down and eliminated. He hadn't counted on Johann to repeat the last words he'd heard from the younger kid, however, and despite his resolve not to invest in what the man was saying now, it did get to him and make him think. "So you think this is nothing more than a gift for his half-sister?" It might be an obvious answer to anyone, and particularly someone like Lanny, who's family had a very strong loyalty to family - but for his enemies, Lanny didn't give them that sort of credit. He had a hard time putting his prejudices of the enemy gang aside and accept that Conan was sincere in what he'd said that day, and he really was looking out for his unborn sister, and had no intentions of harming Cassidy, "I want you to look into this tonight. Find out what you can. If it was Conan that sent it... I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

Johann*Others

The old man gave a low sigh and scrubbed one hand over his eyes, indicating that he was still not quite up to his usual par in manipulation - ordinarily, he'd have been able to control that impulse, and keep Lanny from seeing that he was frustrated. "Don't look at me like that, Lan," he finally said, speaking up with a tired voice after a long pause. "I don't know what to think about this. I'm doing what I was born to do - I'm keeping the gang leaders informed on information they need to know. It's not my business to draw conclusions... only to provide information." He brought his hand down then, and met the younger man's eyes again. "The boy was telling the truth. That is all I can say. Draw from it whatever conclusion you wish. I am only trying to make you exercise some judgment in this matter - for your own good, and for Cass' sake too. If you get yourself in a mess because you go in without considering all of the facts, and get hurt or something, she'll be upset - I'm trying to stop that, if I can." And as if that couldn't be taken as a 'you're young and hotheaded' type of slur, he sighed softly, shifting his weight again and briefly closing his eyes. It wasn't until Lanny spoke again that they opened once more, and he answered quietly, "Yes, sir," without ever meeting Lanny's gaze.

Laurence Zelkovii

He may have gotten a good deal of his sleep caught up with, but that didn't do anything to unwind the young man's temper or allow him to approach the situation with the kind of calm mindset that he normally sported, in comparison to his brother's more blunt tactics. It might have something to do with Cassidy being threatened, of course, making it more of a personal battle for the young man than he was use to, and that was made more complicated because he still was confused about how he was finding himself thinking of Cassidy as more than a friend, of late. "Sincere words or not, this needs to be sorted out. If he sent it, the least I'm going to do is talk with him." In his mind, he was suddenly thinking of frightening scenarios of Conan trying to take Raine, as they had taken Raimi from him. And even if Conan wouldn't do that, Lanny wasn't going to take the other sending gifts and concealing his identity like that - to him, Conan was a threat, and he needed to be dealt with.

Johann*Others

"Alright... alright," Johann finally answered, again wiping one hand over his face to relieve a little tension. "Just promise me one thing - that you won't let this become a Zelkovii-Carlyle issue. That kind of generational hatred blinds people to the truth, and gets them into trouble that could have otherwise been avoided. Let it be a Lanny-Conan issue - okay. But don't let the gang influence come into play... not when we know that he was never in the gang. Don't let the actions of his brothers make you do something you'll regret in the morning." It was a good thing that Cass wasn't awake, because she wouldn't have liked this conversation at all, particularly not with Lanny once again intending to go out and confront the teen, when before he'd come back with a gunshot wound - an injury that she still believed to be Conan's fault.

Laurence Zelkovii

It was difficult for him to view Conan as anything but an enemy, even if Johann was one-hundred percent correct. Conan was never part of the gang, had never done anything to provoke the CrypticSilvers, until they provoked him. The kid was only acting in self defense and the protection of his only surviving brother in the times that he did attack, but none of these rationales were considered with any depth by Lanny. To him, Conan still was and always would be a Carlyle, and an enemy. It wasn't a fair way of thinking, but that's how it was with him in this particular situation. "I'll wait if I have to, until you've come up with information to confirm it was him or not." That was the only relenting comment he made, offering to hold back and wait for more information before he acted, without ever detailing what he'd do if he did come across Conan. Somehow, having a 'talk' with the kid didn't sound like a likely outcome for a meeting between the two of them, but if given enough time to think things over, he may yet go back to listening to Johann's advice, and at least not try to kill the teen.

Johann*Others

Here came one of their long pauses again, where neither had anything to say to the other. However, Johann knew that tone in Lanny's voice - no amount of arguing or persuading was going to move the younger man's opinion right now. So finally he muttered, "Fair enough..." And not a second later, Raine stirred with a whine - it was past time for her bottle. She didn't move around too much at first, and so Cassidy remained asleep, but Lanny would know from experience now that if she were not presented with her meal forthwith, her one little whimper would escalate quickly into a tantrum.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny remained wordless and a little edgy during the awkward silence that ensued, trying to map out in his head why Conan would have sent the gift, if it really was him that sent it - nevermind that Johann had already given Lanny a perfectly reasonable answer to that. The co-lead had his own ideas, even if they were biased because of previous interactions with the Carlyle boy. His mood wasn't allowed to slip any further thankfully, because before long, Raine was beginning to wake up and he figured out pretty quickly what would happen if no one responded to the innocent whine she just gave. Without a word, he got up from his chair and rummaged through his pack to come up with a container of formula and a bottle. Utilizing the nearby sink, he adjusted the temperature of the water until it was the appropriate degree, then got busy mixing it with the right amount of formula, working in a precise way that showed he had plenty of practice with this the night before.

"Ready for supper?" With the milk prepared, Lanny showed a little more confidence this time around when he bent over the bed to pick up Raine, though he did bite his lip in concentration before he managed to get her settled securely against him, and got seated safely in his chair again. Now came the task of trying to get her to accept the bottle, which was one of the harder tasks he'd dealt with on his first night with her.

Raine*Others

As might have been expected, Raine's little whimpers got more insistent even as Lanny worked on getting the bottle filled for her. It never quite got to a volume that would wake Cassidy, but it was enough for both the men to know that she wouldn't wait for much longer. Conversely however, she did not immediately take to the bottle as might have been expected from all her noise-making - she fussed and wriggled, and spat the milk back out a couple of times before she finally decided that this was okay, and settled into the serious business of eating.

However that wasn't what eventually woke Cass; her chest eventually grew cooler than it had been, thanks to the absence of the baby's warmth there, and it was this that made her wake suddenly, her eyes flying wide open quickly and searching the room. She didn't say anything, but she didn't stop looking until finally she located the infant in Lanny's arms, getting her supper. Quickly assuming a look that defied either man to mention the panic she'd just displayed - as if the more rapid beeping of her heart monitor didn't speak for itself - she spoke very casually. "Dinner time, then? Looks like I slept in."

Laurence Zelkovii

His exasperation over Raine's fussiness with the bottle was in a fond way. The young man was showing a little smile even he he talked back to the infant, murmuring in a low voice and complete sentences as if she could understand him, "If you do like you did last night, you'll need a new outfit and a bath before this is over. I know you didn't do all that fussing for nothing, or were you just looking for attention?" He happily put up with her fighting until she gave in an took the bottle, which then gave him the time to clean up the mess of spilled milk around her face - he'd by now learned the importance of placing a bib or small cloth against her chin, to catch most of the spilled milk and prevent it from soiling her shirt. His newly acquired smile for today only brightened when he saw Cassidy was awake, who's alarm and worry over Raine's wellbeing he didn't dare comment on. "You're not the only one. I can't believe I slept so long - but it looks like we all got caught up on a little rest."

Cassidy*Others

Raine's little eyes closed once she'd latched onto the bottle and got her concentration fixed on her meal. Johann noticed, with a small chuckle to himself, that she had the same look of concentration on her face that Cass would often get if she was focusing intently on something. In response to the narrative that Lanny was keeping up for his daughter's benefit, Johann said quietly, "Her mother used to do the same thing. Matter of fact, I used to feed her with just her diaper on, and me in my boxers - that way, when she spat stuff back out, it only got on skin... easier to clean, thataway." The old man wouldn't admit it, but watching Raine made him recall the days when he'd looked after Cassidy, and made him feel kind of sentimental and wistful inside. Despite the stress of having to raise a baby on his own when he'd never before had to deal with children, compounded by the grief of his brother's and sister-in-law's death, he had truly enjoyed being the girl's 'father'... particularly when she was quite small and still in that adorable, cuddly phase that small children seemed to universally go through. She'd been the only person he'd ever permitted to hug or touch him without so much as an ugly look - and when she'd stopped touching herself when she was about ten or twelve, he'd missed it, even though he hadn't mentioned it. Being able to watch and care for Raine was kind of filling in that void for him.

"After the night it sounds like you had last night, I'm really not surprised," Cassidy answered, carefully avoiding the topic of her panic that had caused Charlotte to sedate her again, and that was pretty well a hint to both men not to bring it up either. Instead, she pointed out, "Fussy soul, isn't she? Particular." "Like her Ma, and her Grandma before her," Johann quipped, and Cass darted him a look of annoyance, which wasn't at all serious - she was privately grateful for the way he'd directed the conversation away from her alarm over waking to find the infant gone from her chest and onto a more neutral topic.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny wasn't about to bring up the nightmare incident last night, and was smart enough not to mention a word of it if he wanted to be in Cassidy's good graces. He allowed himself to relax and enjoy a more calm topic than the one they'd been invested in earlier today, and had to chuckle a little at Johann's story, "I'll stick to using bibs and burp rags." Lanny wasn't the modest kind of guy that became self conscious sitting around in his boxers, especially in his own house, but he wasn't too keen on any of his gang members catching him like that, as they tended to show up at his place at random with this news or that. "So this is something that runs in the family?" The young man quirked a grin at Cassidy, letting his eyes stray briefly away from where they'd been carefully watching Raine. For the tough guy act that he often put on, Lanny was being extrodinarily cautious and gentle with the infant, as this was his first time dealing with a little one that was this young and fragile.

Cassidy*Others

"Yeah - that's what I said too... until I changed my shirt three times in less than three hours because she puked it all back up," Johann answered, and Cassidy groaned a little, though it was clearly a sarcastic noise. "You know, Uncle, we could have really done without the description." However, she was just as quickly turning her gaze back to Lanny at the tease he gave out, and adopting a false scowl. "Don't you say a word, Laurence Zelkovii. If you want to go on a blackmail stream, just let me bring up a few things that happened the year you turned eleven." She gave him a look of heavy significance, certain that he remembered exactly which events she was speaking of, and her scowl transformed into an evil grin. "Just imagine if some loose-lipped soul accidentally leaked that information." As they were discussing this, Raine was still eating contentedly, occasionally kicking her legs or swiping an arm this way and that and ramming into the young man feeding her. She didn't seem at all disturbed by the conversation everyone was having - their voices were all soft and contented-sounding, so she was focused on her meal.

Laurence Zelkovii

The grin spread like a wildfire across his face, although he nodded meekly and gave Cassidy a cheeky-eyed look, "Okay, you win, you win." There were plenty things that Cassidy could have said that would have made him red-faced, not that he actually thought she'd really share any of his more unfortunate stories, but he played along anyway. "You keep mum on that, and I won't say anymore about how Raine comes from a long line of fussiness." There was a pause, and he dared a follow-up comment, "Even if it's true." And as if he expected a thwap against the shoulder for his comment, he instinctively ducked his head a little as he chuckled; but it was all in good nature of course. With as many uncertertainties as they'd faced recently, he enjoyed the times in between where they could joke and generally relax, as they were doing now.

Cassidy*Others

The young mother smiled again, knowing perfectly well that Lanny didn't believe for a second that she'd bring up any of those things... and of course, her threats were empty ones - she wouldn't have embarrassed him unless his immediate health or safety would be adversely effected by her refusal to reveal such information. And though she darted him another non-serious glare for his muttered comment and chuckle, she then turned her gaze to Johann, and pinned him down just as effectively. "And nothing out of you, either - you know perfectly well that all I have to say about you is 'peanut butter'." She didn't specify what she meant by that, but Johann quickly averted his eyes - his version of the way that Lanny's cheeks would flame if he were reminded of certain foolish things he'd done. So obviously, he knew quite well just what incident she was talking about.

Laurence Zelkovii

"You sure are animated, for being such a tiny girl." Between catching the look from Cassidy and listening to her turn on Johann with a faux-threat next, Lanny was watching Raine move about in random hand swings and leg kicks. His attention was snagged back to Cass when she made the cryptic comment to the elder man, and he raised a brow in Johann's direction, "Dare I ask what that's about?" He didn't outright ask, and didn't expect a reply, considering how the uncle looked away quickly when he was confronted with the knowledge by Cassidy, but he couldn't help but pick at the man a little, all in good fun.

Cassidy*Others

Lanny's voice made Raine's eyes open - even though her vision consisted mostly of vague shapes and a few colors, she still felt the basic human need to figure out just where that sound was coming from, and peered curiously at her father over the top of her bottle. She studied him intently for several long moments, and during this time, she stopped sucking on the bottle, ceasing to consume her formula in her fascination and devotion to Lanny's voice. She was too young to make the connection of him being her 'father'... but he'd cared for her for the past twenty four hours, and in that time, she'd learned the sound of his voice, and begun to associate it with good things, like getting fed and being warm and secure. Once he was done speaking to her, however, she went back to eating, and the little blue eyes closed again.

And Cass was speaking again. "In his defense, he was completely hammered at the time; he'd been just drunk enough to confuse his cough medicine with a bottle of old painkillers that he had left over from the time he broke his collarbone a few years back, and when he took those on top of the alcohol, it made him completely daffy." At this point, Johann cleared his throat delicately, and reminded her softly, "Don't forget, child - you may be stuck here for now, but you have to come home, eventually." And even though he was partially joking, Cass smiled at Lanny, and said, "That's my cue to clam up - he's not gonna let me tell the story."

Laurence Zelkovii

He was tickled to see the girl just staring at him like that, so thoroughly devoted to investigate him and his voice that she stopped eating altogether. While she was doing this, and with his ears open to Cassidy's story of Johann, the young man took the opportunity to brush a finger over the top of her tiny nose in a playful but exceedingly gentle manner, "Don't let me keep you from your meal. You'll be squalling for more if you don't finish this." He said it was a grin and a quiet, slightly altered voice that would have raised the brows of his gang members if they heard him talking like that. It wasn't a baby-voice per say, but it wasn't his normal tones either. Once she went back to her bottle, he jumping in on the story that Cassidy had finished telling, and looking with a faux-mischievous glance to Johann, "Alcohol and pain killers, huh? I can't imagine how peanut butter works into this story, but I can bet it's worth a few good laughs."

Cassidy*Others

The infant's nose wrinkled up a little in response to the slightly-ticklish touch that her father ran over it, and her eyes blinked rapidly, indicating that she'd seen the quick-moving but blurry shape of his finger, but didn't quite realize that this had been what had caused the curious sensation that had run through her. She paused briefly to let a quick burst of air out through her nose, expressing a mild sort of annoyance and confusion, before she settled back to her meal, still staring in Lanny's general direction and listening devotedly to his quiet words. Her keen attention upon him almost suggested that she understood what was being said, even though she was merely taking in the familiar, soothing sound of his voice.

Cassidy wouldn't admit how touching she found this little scene, but the soft smile that was born on her face spoke for her anyway, even as she replied. "One of these days when he's out of it and can't stop me, I'll tell you all about it," she told Lanny, in a stage whisper that her uncle, only a foot or so from her, could clearly hear. He scowled at her, and she grinned... and finally, his frown melted away.