Laurence Zelkovii

With a few minutes to spare, Lanny pulled into the parking lot of Atroe's small airport and parked the bronco. He was half worried about needing to transport the Elders, and wondering if they're be enough room in the old vehicle for everyone, especially since he hadn't exactly cleaned out the backseats, and he couldn't imagine piling the older men into the very back of the vehicle where there was space for them, but no seats or seatbelts. "I really hope Jeff is here. Maybe he can give us all a ride to wherever they want to go." Lanny spoke to Cassidy, as he looked into the mirror and checked his hair, making sure it was brushed back neatly and that he'd shaved well enough. Satisified with his looks, not that there was much time to do anything else about them, he turned to Cass, "Ready?"

Cassidy*Others

I never asked for this
Or planned it in advance
I was merely blown here
By the winds of chance
I never saw myself
As a Solomon or Socrates
I knew who I was:
One of your dime a dozen
mediocrities

Then suddenly I'm here
Respected - worshipped, even
Just because you seemed to need
somebody to believe in
Does it surprise you
I got hooked, and all too soon?
What can I say?
I got carried away
And not just by balloon...

By this time, Raine had grown enough for her carrier to be turned around to face the front, and she'd always enjoyed looking out of the windows, now that she could see things. And to some extent, that excitement still held through there ride, but her usual enthusiasm was muted; she kept up with the noises because it got a few smiles out of Cass, but also could detect the change of energy in the truck. So they weren't going to the park or to eat lunch, and they weren't going to visit a friend - those things always made them happy. Well, the thoughts weren't concrete in Raine's mind at all, but that was the basic concept of her perception, and it kept her a little quieter than normal, on the way to the airport. "Even if we didn't have so much stuff in here, it would be hard to get all of them in... maybe we should have brought my Jeep." Bringing the other vehicle had been out of the question of course - it was open air, and they couldn't risk the importance of their first appearance to the Elders on whether there might or might not be rain - but Cass was saying it in a mostly conversational way, to keep from revealing how tense she was. When finally they pulled to a stop, she reached over and unbuckled the child from her seat and slung the diaper bag over her shoulder, which was equipped with all the basic supplies, and plus a few toys to keep Raine entertained. She too peered into the mirror to examine herself and then, before she would let her hand move for the door, she whispered, "Hey Lanny?" Raine turned her gaze to her father, knowing that 'Lanny' was what Mommy called him, and after a moment, a second pair of blue eyes joined them on the young man's face. "Whatever goes down today... thanks. For... you know, all of it."

A man's called a traitor - or liberator
A rich man's a thief - or philanthropist
Is one a crusader - or ruthless invader?
It's all in which label
Is able to persist
There are precious few at ease
With moral ambiguities
So we act as though they don't exist!

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Raine's quietness was not missed by Lanny, and with a bite of guilt, he almost wished they'd kept her home. Yet as his brother had mentioned, leaving the child at home would have made the Elders either suspicious, or expressed distrust. "I didn't think of that. Well, they can't expect anything too fancy in a town like this, I guess." He tried to assure himself of that, when in his mind he was thinking of all the luxuries and the extravagant homes that the Elders lived in. They had nice cars, beautiful houses, and at least one private plane in their possession, and when compared to he and James, the young co-lead wondered what they'd think about the small city. It had been... ten years now, since they last visited? Lanny tried to set aside these worries, since there wasn't anything he could do about them. "Yeah?" Cassidy's whisper caught his attention as he was unbuckling his seatbelt. A half-smile drew up the corner of mouth, as true and sincere as any of his full smiles. "We've been in this together, from the beginning. Don't worry Cass, thing will turn out alright."

Cassidy*Others

"Should I maybe call Johann and tell him to expect a few for dinner?" If they were supposed to entertain the Elders while they were here, that would be a good first step; Johann was quite the gourmet cook, and could feed them for much cheaper than having to pay for eating around here. And with a little bit of adjustment and a table borrowed from James' apartment, they could entertain in their own apartment. "I don't know whether they'll even want to see our place, but if they do, it might be better to be prepared, and Johann will need time prepare to feed extra mouths." Now she scooped Raine out of the seat and cuddled the child close, but turned her ear toward Lanny - and was reassured by his quiet words, in a way that little else could have achieved. "Okay... okay, I'm ready. Let's do this." And so saying, she reached to open the door, and got out, promptly propping Raine on her hip. "Lanny, can you come get the bag?" Finding that the strap was digging into her shoulder, she made that request. "I swear it feels like we have a brick in there."

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

The young man nodded, "Better safe than sorry. He did mention he was cleaning the apartment, didn't he?" He vaguely recalled Johann saying that before they left, but with all the things Lanny was preoccupied by, he couldn't quite remember. "We definitely don't want them going to James and Sher's place, with the mess that it is. And personally, I'd feel better if they were at our place or Jeff's, rather than out about town. That whole money issue..." Lanny drew the seatbelt over his shoulder and moved a hand to open the door, "..it makes me wonder." 'Frightened' would have been a better word, but not one that he was going to openly admit to. After stepping out of the bronco, Lanny walked around to take the diaper bag from Cass and sling it over his shoulder. "Geeze, are you sure there isn't a brick in here? -oh hey, there's James! And Jeff. Hey guys!" The distance from the parking lot and the building was not a far one, and he could see his brother and the other man through the front windows already.

Cassidy*Others

"Yeah, Johann always cleans when he's worried," the young woman answered as she shrugged the bag off for him to take. It was a characteristic that she unwittingly shared with him, as the fact that she had moved to clean the closet right after her fight with Lanny made clear. "Jeff's might have more room for everyone... but that depends on what kind of shape their house is in. We can clean the apartment in under an hour, but their house is a lot bigger." When he spotted Jeff and James, she felt tension set into her, and moved in close to take his hand as a source of reassurance. "Here we go - Raine, hold still, sweetie." She reached with one thumb to scrub a bit of grime away from the child's cheek, and then began to step forward with Lanny, slowly pulling all that she felt back into that little box that she had always kept them in. It was rare for her to do this, nowadays - her face would look a little alien to Lanny, who had gotten the privilege of seeing what she was feeling for sometime now, instead of her game face. But she had to be on top of things and keep a hold of herself, and so she forced all of that back again, and put on her pleasant, polite face as they moved toward the building.

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Lanny found himself looking upwards as he approached the building, missing the wave that Jeff gave him when he heard the younger man's shout through the flimsy windows and a door that was cracked open. There was no plane in sight, but if the Elders were on time, it should be flying in any minute. "I have a feeling they'll want to see our place, now that I think of it. Hey, who knows-" The co-lead tried to sound perky as a random idea came to him, and even manged a wry joke, "-maybe they'll see about buying a house for us. One of those nice ones up at the Staghorn Estates." He honestly didn't believe for a second that they'd do that, and even if they had in in mind to bestow a gift to the Zelkoviis, it would go to James first. "Cass, Lanny. How ya doing, Raine?" Upon entering the building, Jeff was the first to greet them, with a squinty-eyed smile that was typical for him. The group got a nod from James, but no verbal greeting; the gang leader went straight to business, "They should be here in about three minutes. It's Tom and Dave from what I understand, and they're looking to stay at least three days. Cass, we'll need to have Johann extra vigilant these next few days, and as far as his shoulder injury goes, it was strictly a car accident."

Cassidy*Others

Raine was quiet, still sensing the change in the way her parents were feeling, but she wasn't whining or looking distressed, which hopefully would hold throughout the situation. Cass strolled calmly alongside Lanny, using her grip on his arm to help her navigate the bumps and cracks of the concrete, needing his aid due to the high heels. "Hey Jeff. Raine, say hi to Jeff, sweet." Two fingers popped in her mouth, the child murmured, "Hihi Jeffy," and Cass smiled calmly, kissing the child's forehead and smoothing back her curls. "She's not quite awake yet; she was still asleep when you called, James." She used that statement as she turned toward the gang leader, and she nodded as she listened to him. "Johann wouldn't want that information shared, anyway; and you can be sure that he's on his most heightened level, for the moment. He might not sleep until they leave. Anyway... we've made arrangements for them to stay somewhere, right? Because even clean, our apartment's full up as far as beds. Lanny's still on the couch."

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Somewhere in the distance, a small plane was coasting in over the mountains and gliding down into the valley, making for the small runway of Atroe City's airport. Lanny couldn't hear it yet, and thus could continue to focus on what his brother and Cass were saying, and on a more subconscious level, to holding onto the young woman's hand. He was starting to feel a little defensive now, knowing that the Elders already approved of him, but unsure about what they'd see of his relationship with Cass, and the 'daughter' that had resulted from it. James looked more confident in this moment, if not a little tense himself, "That and the money incident aren't to be brought up at all." For the darker-haired brother, it was the gang as a whole that he was most concerned about, which meant that their latest flubs and incidents, from the most minor things to those that were bigger, needed to be kept quiet. "They're staying at Jeff's place for tonight, in their guest room. That's likely where we'll have lunch, unless they chose otherwise."

Cassidy*Others

The young woman nodded, indicating that she would keep the few recent screw-ups very quiet and away from the ears of the Elders. Behind her intelligent gaze, her brain was racing over all the facts and rumors she could recall ever hearing about Tom and Dave, trying to build a working picture of how to deal with them. It wasn't good for much, since she had never met either of them, but it was instinct for her to do so; it was one of the things that had kept her alive on the street, where others in her place had died. She had to have the best idea she could get of how to deal with them. "I'm still going to call Johann and be sure he's prepared, just in case they don't like that plan. We've got enough stuff in the freezer I think - do you think they'd mind Italian?" These were all questions she was asking to make sure all would go well with them, and to cover the way that her palm was sweating a little where it was clasped in Lanny's, feeling more and more stress descend upon her with every moment, with the subconscious knowledge that the Elders were drawing closer.

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Jeff, the man who rivaled Johann in shortness, had turned away from Cassidy and Raine after giving them a greeting and making it a point to wave his fingers at the child. He was the first to see the small plane touch down outside when he caught movement on the runway, and as nonchalantly as could be, informed the group, "The Elders just landed." This caught the immediate attention of the brothers, stopping James midway through nodding at Cass to tell her that Italian would be a perfect meal for the two gentlemen. "Get your game faces on guys, here we go." He was the one that led the group forward towards the doors, where the arriving passengers would be ushered in after leaving the plane. Lanny stood tall beside Cass as they waited, and gave her hand a slight squeeze to re-emphasize his support.

It seemed like forever as the small plane taxied down the tarmac, eventually coming to rest not far from the back entrance of the building. No more than eight people exited the light craft, and two of those stood out prominently from the rest; one was very tall, towering a solid inch over the already leggy Lanny and Tyler. A head of white hair and a stick-like figure was unmistakably that of Tom, someone that Cass would likely recognize from the descriptions that the brothers had given her. At his side was a shorter fellow with a head that was half bald, and what hair there was encircling the sides was entirely greyed. A sharp face, and an even sharp nose marked him as Dave. Both were dressed in a pair of black suites that looked out of place in Atroe City, though only the foolish would tell them so. "Dave, Tom, it's a pleasure to see you both again. How was the ride in?" James spoke up the instant that the pair walked into building, citing Dave's name first, as he was the de-facto leader in all of this.

Cassidy*Others

Cass' attention had been so much on the planning for what would happen once the Elders arrived, she didn't even see the plane touch down; Jeff's voice almost made her flinch, but she restrained it just in time - she was in work mode now, and wouldn't let that past her defenses. She squeezed Lanny's hand back, and after that, their personal moment was over - the Elders were walking toward them. She took the few moments she had to observe them, noting everything from the way they walked to where their eyes landed as they approached them. She felt a mild rise of panic in the back of her mind when she perceived the eyes of both gentlemen centered on her at one point, but she quickly tamped down any fear. Whatever she showed to these men, she had to be very sure that it was what she wanted them to see. So she offered a faint smile of greeting, polite but not very personal since she didn't know either of them, and indeed hadn't even been spoken to yet. She was glad for the moment of quiet though, because she could observe them more while they were speaking to James. It was Raine who finally drew attention to them ever so subtly by whispering, "Daddy...?" It was a query meant to attract her father's attention, which she hoped would prompt an explanation out of him; who were these people, and why was Mommy so quiet?

Laurence Zelkovii

Instead of a greeting for each of the four adults waiting for them, Tom spoke up first and answered Jame's question. "Not much turbulence to speak of." A smile graced his tanned face, looking sincere enough, while his blue eyes were sharp and calculating. Dave might be the head honcho, but the taller man was always known to be the driving force behind the gang, and the one that struck more intimidation into others than Dave. "And you darling must be Cassidy? I've heard very much about you." Where Jeff got a nod to acknowledge his presence, and James a rough hand on the shoulder, Cassidy was the first to be addressed by name. "I've heard there was a new addition to the family." Now he hunched down and drew in close to meet Raine, an act that Lanny knew might be a little off-putting to Cassidy, since Tom was both a stranger to her, and one of the two men who would very soon be asking them a lot of questions. Lanny piped up quickly, "This is Tom." Without thinking, he addressed the child first, then Tom, "This is our daughter, Raine. I'm sorry you haven't met her sooner, but with all the hospital visits and her braces, it was a bit much to secure a flight when she was an infant."

Cassidy*Others

The moment that Tom approached them, every sense Cass had was in high gear - but she offered an easy smile, and reached a hand forward out of courtesy to shake. "I could say the same, sir. And don't worry... I don't believe most of what they said." Far from that light answer, hoping to start off the interaction on a good note, Lanny would feel the muscles in her arm tense up when Tom drew in close to look at Raine; this was that critical moment, where she was half expecting him to give once glance to Raine, and then shout 'Carlyle!' for the whole city to hear. But she was nothing if not a professional; the smile did not waver, and she turned her gaze lovingly to Raine. For her part, the child was probably the only one with no ulterior motive in this conversation - she regarded Tom openly, thumb and forefinger still poked into her mouth, and furrowed her brows into a concentrated expression. "Toooom," she tried slowly, parroting the name after her father offered it, and when Cass prompted her, she murmured, "Hi Misteeer Tom in a low voice. It wasn't that she was reacting negatively to the man; she was just having a rare moment of shyness, probably brought on by the subtle tension around her. "She's due to be fitted for the long braces sometime next week," Cass offered conversationally, turning her eyes back to rest on the men and stroking the child's one crooked leg in a sympathetic way. "And I am not looking forward to that battle, I'll say."

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

"She's got her mother's looks." Dave made himself known with a comment on Raine, effectively bringing himself into the conversation, and focusing all attention on the mother and her child. The cheery smile spread across his face, with wrinkles drawn about the corners of his eyes and face, somehow looked more inviting than Tom's. Reached around to shake hands with the shorter man, while Tom took hold of Cass's in a brief shake as well. "Is Jeffery talking bad about me still?" Cass's joke paid off; at least for her, because attention was turned on the shortest man of the group, who instantly developed the faintest of redness to his face. He managed to shoot Cassidy a look before Tom turned to him, and even Lanny couldn't tell whether that look was in jesting anger, or whether the friendly man was actually irritated that Cass had inadvertently gotten Tom after him. "Only the best Tom, only the best." Jeff breezed back, "It's a shame you didn't bring your wife with you. Mary's been wanting to do some more gardening with her, after that last visit." Tom chuckled and patted a hand against the other man's shoulder, a gesture that Lanny had mentioned he was known for doing. "Maybe later this summer you guys can come visit, but that not what we're here for today." He turned back to Cassidy again, and to the child that had been prompted to talk to him after her brief show of shyness. "Braces huh? James said there was a problem with her leg?"

Cassidy*Others

Cassidy offered a giggle, the charming sound that could turn heads in a bar and at the same time set just about anyone at ease. "Ohhhhh, now really," she murmured with a blush, and flapped a hand at Dave. "Flattery will get you everywhere, you know." She was playing contented and affectionate mother well, and also displaying just enough charm so that she would impress, but without pouring it on so thick as to make it obvious - Cass as a master of subtlety. "Oh no, it's all good, I promise. I just like to tease him every now and then." She offered Jeff a mischievous wink, and then turned her eyes back to Tom, turning casually to the subject of Raine's leg. "Yes, apparently it's a hereditary thing; totally harmless though, the doctor assured me of that. And with the braces, that should all be straightened out before she's even kindergarten age. No long term effects; I was sure to ask about that... you can't blame a Mom for being a little worried about a cutie like this, right Raine?" She cuddled the child a little closer with a smile, and scrubbed her nose against the toddler's in something that she often called an 'Eskimo kiss' when they were at home. That perked the child up a little, and she smiled faintly, showing dimples around the fingers in her mouth and lighting up the area some; she had one of those adorable grins that could make any person with half a heart gravitate toward her.

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Thus far, Cassidy was handling the situation with a grace and charm that kept things rolling, leaving no room for awkward silences or falters that might show what she was really feeling. "Flattery will get you far." Dave remarked back, wearing that same smile that he'd tugged into place upon greeting everyone. Tom's had faded some, not out of lack of interest or from unhappiness, but because the introductions were over and he was ready to get on with business. "That must be on your side. I don't know of any hereditary problems like that with Zelkovii blood." Lanny managed to stifle a sharp breath and keep a courteous half-smile plastered unwillingly on his face. He respected Tom, and he obeyed his word loyally, but when the older man went from smile and friendliness, to making blunt and borderline rude remarks like that, Lanny found it harder to stomach. "She's getting along great otherwise." He tried to distract Tom, and even James pitched in, "I imagine you two are hungry after that flight?"

Cassidy*Others

Any amusement that Cass might have been feeling - which couldn't be much, with as much tension as was suffocating everything else internally - fled completely with Tom's comment. It cut deeper than what she would have admitted, but she didn't show it, instead circling her arm more protectively around Raine and petting the top of the child's head. And miraculously enough, she answered them smoothly. "It's entirely possible you're right - goodness knows the medical bit of it is beyond me. And she certainly doesn't know the difference - Lanny and I get our exercise chasing her around the apartment, right Lan?" She turned her smile to the young man, squeezing his hand in what looked like affection, but was really looking for a little more reassurance, with that cold remark to shake her some. That was all she allowed herself though, as she resettled Raine's weight on her hip. "I know they've prepared the fatted calf, here... you won't go hungry, during your visit. Lanny here can tell you about that." That was a gentle tease aimed at the young man, and also wrought in a subtle reference to their home life, which was familiar and comforting to her, and helped to steady her nerves.

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Tom didn't seem to be aware, or perhaps just didn't care, that he'd caused a fair amount of tension, and a hint of awkwardness with the young couple. He carried on as if he'd not just stated something that would have gotten him a fist to the face if he'd been anyone else, and even came up with a light smile, "She looks like a happy child. Raine's a cute one, that's for sure." That remark might have redeemed him a little, but for Lanny, there was already a bitter taste in his mouth that he was trying to hide, "From what I hear, she's every bit as active and run-around as I was at that age." It was a very, very subtle way for Lanny to establish that the child was his, without directly lying about it yet. Thankfully, Tom didn't make any remark yet about her parentage, if indeed he even suspected that Lanny might not be her father. The co-lead kept a firm grip on Cass's hand, in ongoing support for her, and a visual display of closeness for Tom and Dave to see. The topic of food managed to get the tall man from talking about Raine for the time being at least, "I don't know about Dave, but I could go for a meal now. What kind of places are there to eat around here? Cass, Lanny, what about your place?"

Cassidy*Others

"Uncle says that she looks like my mom," the young mother commented, releasing Lanny's hand only for a moment so that she could tug down on the leg of the gray pants the child had on beneath her dress, which had begun to ride up a little. She immediately took up his hand again, and offered both men a smile - her statement had been a perfectly proper one, in response to Tom's comment about her cuteness, but it served the secondary purpose of giving them someone to compare Raine's looks to, to minimize the chance that they'd draw conclusions back to her paternal bloodline, even though no one yet had even suspected that the Jones-Zelkovii baby might in fact be a Jones-Carlyle instead. From there, the Elders' attention turned to food, and she offered the perfect-hostess smile, and told them, "We'd be happy to have you; we're staying with my Uncle at this moment - it saves a bit on rent, when you've got a little one who needs new clothes every month because of how fast she's growing. I don't know whether you've ever had the opportunity to learn it, but Johann's a marvelous chef. He makes a mean lasagna alfredo... do you like Italian?"

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

An expression that looked slightly more sincere crossed the old man's face, "That's the first thing that I noticed in her. Those are her grandmother's feature without a doubt." From that statement alone, Lanny and James both got the impression that Tom had shared a fond side to Cassidy's late mother, and if that were to be believed, Lanny felt a slight ray of hope that he and Dave would be more approving of Cassidy as his girlfriend. As it stood now however, he was still entirely unsure of what to expect, especially after the remark on Raine's hereditary leg defect. "Kids are expensive. I should know, with two of my own, and five grandchildren." Tom laughed lightly, and so did Jeff for good measure, "I could never pass up a homemade Italian meal, and it'd be nice to see Johann again. I understand he's been in some sort of an accident recently?"

Cassidy*Others

The woman also noticed how the expression on Tom's face solidified and looked more real, and that helped convince her that she'd said the right thing there; she allowed herself to smile too, and it was a little softer, which was not only appropriate to the topic, but actually a reflection of her relief to again hear that Raine really did resemble her grandmother. "It's always nice to hear that someone else agrees... I don't have too many memories of Mom, anymore, and most of those are probably left over from my imagination when Johann used to tell me stories about her, when I was a kid. Watching Raine kind of fills in the gaps for me." The tight grip she had on Lanny's hand relaxed a little - so far, this appeared to be going well. And when they confirmed that Italian would be fine, she smiled, and turned a little so that she could offer the child to her father. "Here Lanny - hold her a minute and I'll call Uncle; if I let him know now, it should be just about ready by the time we get back to the apartment. You excuse me?" That gave her an excuse to take out her cell and move just a little bit away from the rest of them without seeming suspicious, if only because the plane engine had yet to shut down and it was rather noisy. And as she dialed the phone and plugged the other ear, Raine whispered, "Unca Jooooo...? Daddy?"

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

"It's a shame I didn't bring Joane." Tom commented, speaking of his wife that had stayed behind at their home, "She knew your mother better than I did. But we can pick up this discussion after lunch." That announcement kicked the others into gear - Tom was done standing around in the terminal talking, so it was time to pack up and get to the apartments. "Jeff, help me with their bags." James brought the shorter man over to retrieve the Elders' luggage as it was brought in from the small aircraft, and while they were doing that, Lanny was taking up Raine in his arms and covering the question that Tom had brought up. "A traffic accident, and... it really shook her up. He's basically a father to her, and all, and it was a pretty serious wreck." He told all the facts without covering the entire truth of the incident, and also hinted that it was a subject that bothered Cassidy, hoping that it would be enough to deter the older man from talking about it any more.

Cassidy*Others

While everyone was dealing with the bags, and Cass was on the phone, Raine got quiet in her father's hold, leaning in against him and popping her fingers back into her mouth and turning those big blue eyes at all the men around her. "Yes, Uncle... we should be there in, oh about twenty minutes, once they get all the luggage into the truck and everything. Well, there's seven of us here, including Raine, and there's you... hey James, do you think Sheryl will be stopping in? Or Mary?" Her eyes turned to Jeff for that latter question, trying to get a workable idea of how many the old man needed to prepare for. Of all the tension she was dealing with right now, Cass definitely did not want the over-defensive Sheryl in their apartment right now, but knew perfectly well that she could not let the Elders know that anything was wrong between them. And because common courtesy dictated that she extend the invitation to James' girlfriend, she couldn't keep quiet about it. "Auntie Shay-shay comin'?" The child asked, her words slightly muffled due to her fingers, but otherwise sounding very intelligent for a child of her age; she was pretty advanced in vocabulary, for a kid who wasn't quite one and a half yet.

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Lanny's remark must have gotten to Tom, because the white-haired man seemed satisfied with the answer and turned away to direct Jeff and James to which luggage was theirs. That gave time for Lanny to heft his daughter up a little higher and bow his head down closer to her face, "Maybe. What do you think about having a dinner party?" He ruffled a hand over the top of her head as he often did, partially for his own distraction for all that was going on. In the background, he heard Cassidy calling over to James, and held his breath as his brother responded, "Yeah, Sher'll want to come." James had no idea of the tension between the two, which wasn't surprising considering that Lanny hadn't even picked up on it until Cassidy had explained it. Jeff responded after him with an affirmative nod, "If you guys have room. I need to swing by the house anyway, to drop their bags off. Tom, do you want to ride with me or them?" Lanny had to speak up quickly when that was brought up, "Actually guys, I'm not sure there's room in our car. Tom, if you want to ride with Jeff or James, we can meet you guys at our place." "We'll ride with Jeff."

Cassidy*Others

Affection from her father helped to cheer Raine up a little bit, and she smiled faintly, cooing and leaning against her father's chest as he ran a hand back through curls. "Party, Daddy?" After the small party that they'd thrown her for her first birthday, Raine knew what a party was; of course, a dinner party with grown ups might not be exactly the thing she had in mind, but it made the dimpled grin grow a little. She patted her hands on his vest in a rhythm that made sense only to her, and giggle, and by focusing on that sound, Cass kept from making a face to hear that Sher would be coming over. She nodded to James in a confirming and respectful way, which was odd between them on a regular basis because their relationship was pretty casual, for the most part. But then again, that show was mostly for the Elders as she went back to speaking into the phone. "Alright so Sher and Mary... that makes an even ten, I think. Yes. Oh? Well, I suppose I could be persuaded into whipping up some triple-fudge brownies." She offered Lanny a smile there, knowing what a fan of chocolate he was, and listened to the phone for a moment before replying, "Uh-huh. Sure. You too. 'Bye." With a click, she shut the phone and moved back over to Lanny, tucking it into the diaper bag again and taking a hold on his arm, since his hands were now occupied with Raine, and piped in on the tail end of that conversation. "Yeah, it's probably better you ride with them... I have a sneaking suspicion that somebody needs a changing, anyway. If you get there before us, we're on the fourth floor, room five. James knows where it is."

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Lanny chuckled and finally brought out a grin that showed off the same dimples that Raine had, an ironic similarity between them that was one thing that would help their case in trying to get the Elders to believe that he was the father. "Sure, we can call it a party. There's going to be a lot of people there; uncle James, aunt Sheryl, even Jeff and Mary." Behind him, the others were getting situated, then pairing off and heading for the exit. He glanced to Cass when the brownies were mentioned, and flashed her a grin that managed to break through the tension. He couldn't imagine that the dinner would be a particularly fun one, or even enjoyable for that matter if Tom intended to use that time for a big discussion, but at least a bit of good food could help ease the nerves. "We'll meet you there." Tom called and dipped his head in a nod before he stepped out of the door to follow James and the others. That left Lanny and Cass for a moment by themselves, and a chance to drop the charades, "That went a little smoother than I thought it would. And you got a taste of Tom's... well, penchant for saying things without fear of consequence. Expect more of that tonight."

Cassidy*Others

"Paaarrrty!" The child still didn't understand why her parents were so quiet and intense; she wasn't old enough to understand most of the words that were being said, but she knew when Daddy and Mommy were disturbed. But with the smile from Lanny, she was easily convinced that all was going to be well, and that allowed her to imagine the idea of having a party with more enthusiasm. Cass too relaxed just a notch, mostly because the smile he offered her in response to brownies was familiar and expected, and almost could be perceived as part of their everyday lives - something which she didn't have to calculate and carefully judge her reaction to. She smiled at him in return, and cuddled against his shoulder as the Elders walked away with Jeff and James. Raine didn't need a diaper change of course; that had been an excuse to give them a moment to talk. "He's one of Them, Lanny... he doesn't have to worry about consequences from us. That puts him in a very powerful position, and he knows that he can get away with it. He has to put a polite face on it, for the gang's sake, but he can say just about anything he wants to. He's in control, and he knows it. It's a spot that any manipulator thrives off of." She knew that very well, having felt that feeling of power herself, and having seen it in Ben during many of their more intense negotiations; the manipulative mind absolutely flourished off of the knowledge and subtle power they held over others. Tom was just another one of those people... only he wasn't as subtle about it as Cass or Ben would have been. "He plays his cards too quickly, though - now we know he's not afraid to fight dirty, if he has to, whereas he still doesn't know whether or not we will. He's overconfident... been in that position of power a little too long. Got comfortable."

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

The hard part was still to come he knew, but it still felt like a relief to have gotten through the introductions as smoothly as they had. One thing that he took from the brief interaction was how Tom had commented positively on Raine, for the most part, and how she took on some of her grandmother's appearance. And yet... Cassidy had him pegged very well, and that reminded Lanny that the older man was one of those manipulative folks, and he hadn't even gotten started with the heart of the discussion with them yet. "Power is something he craves, and he has the smarts and know-how to achieve it. He's not technically at the top of the hierarchy, but he carries himself like it." He leaned slightly against Cassidy in mutual comfort, "He might play his cards too quickly, but he knows it won't cost him this time around. If he even suspects that we're trying to pull a fast one on him.." Lanny shook his head, "..we might as well pack up and take our leave of the gang."

Cassidy*Others

"Other thing is, he kind of views me as bottom-of-the-barrel nothing," the young woman went on, not sounding offended by that, because it was an attitude that she was well accustomed to dealing with where men were concerned, as her face-off with Duke a few days ago had emphasized. "He lit up a little when Mom was mentioned... looked genuine to me. I still have no idea of what kind of standing Mom had in the gang. Johann and I haven't talked about her since I was really little, and even then, it wasn't gang stuff. It was old stories she used to tell, the songs she used to hum to herself. I could never get him to discuss their gang connections. Which makes me wonder what she did to impress Tom."

Laurence Zelkovii & Others

Lanny shook his head, though he did agree with Cass, "He views most people like that, Tom does. James and I might be leading the gang here, but you better believe he looks down on us too." He couldn't detect anything in her tone that suggested she was upset about it, but he moved to reassure her anyway. And just as quickly, realized that he'd been talking bad about the head of the gang the entire time. "He's not the worst out there though, and he has led the gang for... almost forty-five years now." Truly, the reason they were jointly bickering about the man was because he represented a threat against them and their child, and Lanny couldn't forget that. "We might ask about that, as a conversational piece." Almost a little too quickly, Lanny tip-toed around talking of Cassidy's mom, because he now knew more about her that Cass did, and he did not want to be the one that informer her of her mother's... less that innocent ways. And based on what Johann said, he felt reasonably sure that Tom wouldn't know of those things either.

Cassidy*Others

"That's a stupid way to look at people," Cass answered roughly, shaking her head and something stern coming into her features. "You underestimate somebody for too long, and one of two things will happen; they'll either believe you and lower themselves to the level you expect, and lose all the potential you might have taken advantage of, or they get seriously pissed at you for it after a while, and they rise up and take you down." She shook her head, clearly not thinking too much of Tom at the moment, but that was probably her anger at him for that ugly comment that he'd made just coming out in a different way. She leaned over and kissed Raine's curls, smoothing them back and trying to calm down some. She took another moment to move in close to Lanny and lean on his shoulder a little, taking a few breaths and letting all that anger ride out of her, knowing that she needed the control for the next few days. She stayed there for several minutes before she whispered, "Okay Lanny... we better go. They'll start wondering."

Laurence Zelkovii

"It might be, but that's how it is." That part he entirely agreed with, but it wasn't often that he could speak his mind about Tom to the fullest. "For his faults, he's still intelligent enough to secure his post. He has the money and loyalty to assure his safety, though... around here, he will have to play a different game." He shared another moment of silence with Cassidy, using that time to build up his composure before she whispered to him again. "With any luck, they'll spend some time at Jeff's, and give us a bit more time to get things ready back home." The young man started for the exit at last, and as he strode towards the bronco, he sincerely wished that they would get back to the apartments before Tom and Dave.