INTERIM - HOME ALONE

[z-Avalon Wilson]

Leave it to Marissa to be a total bitch, Lona sighed to herself. Out of respect to the tenuous truce they had forged, she didn’t actually say it aloud. Scraping the syrup off her plate with the edge of her fork, she licked it clean thoughtfully. 

“Honestly,” she said to Cass, “I don’t know her very well. I’m not sure what exactly was said that upset her. Though,” she glanced meaningfully at Marissa, “I have a few guesses.” Leaning over, she picked up the keys and pocketed them. “I’ll see both Cade and Cora at game, so I’m willing to take the responsibility of getting theirs to them.” 

After seeing them holding hands, she wasn’t sure she wanted to see either of them, or at least not see Cora until she found an ugly stick to beat her with. Not nice, she chided herself. Grow up and deal with the disappointment. It’s not like your jock-worthy dating material anyway.Stay in your lane, Avalon.

“So. Are we working together?” she asked the room. “If we start the ass beatings, I’m going to throw in the towel rather than fight over it. But Bannon’s right -- we’re stronger together. We have the brains, the knowledge, and a number of willing helpers to make this work. Since we don’t actually have a king here -- sorry, Devin, no prima nocta for you -- let’s vote. All for following Bannon’s plan to assess the bridge and determine how to stop people from crossing it without getting put on the Homegrown Terrorism list?” She raised her hand.

[Cassandra Allen]

Cassandra quickly raised her hand as well.

There was some weird shit going on here, and this was her best shot at getting in on the ground floor. She wasn't blind to the risks...hell, only she and Devin weren't blind!...but if she walked away from this, she'd spend the rest of her life wondering. That was worth risking a...whatever-gina attack.

Though maybe...

"Anyone got a knife or something? I mean...prehistoric tigers, weird floaty smoke-monsters...we might need to protect ourselves."

[Clara Lys Wright]

Clara raised her hand as well. She pulled out a pocket can of mace and a taser with the other arm, nodding to Lona, "We both have these. Good for cougars, annoying creeps, and hopefully extinct prehistoric cats that disappear."

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly was a little surprised at Sara's reaction, causing her to think about it for a moment while Cass chased after her. She was getting to know Sara, the perpetual loner who was tying to open up and trust and the others went too fat too fast.

"Great start, guys." Lilly sighed as she set her glass of orange juice on the counter.

"If it were not for Sara, we would not all be here now, talking. She shared a place that had been virtually unknown to others and did more to set up the party than most of you. In case you hadn't noticed, she's never really had many, if any, friends. She is trying to open up and trust and gets insults and jokes. One is uncalled for and the other we are nowhere near at the level of comfort with her for.

She's gone out of her way to help us, to secure the trailer, think of way to protect it... Her ass is in the fire as much, if not more, than any of our's. What is the old saying, 'Beginnings are such fragile things'? We all know each other and, for better or worse, know Devin and Marissa to various extents. Sara is still getting to us and we are getting to know her." Lilly said as she slung her backpack ofver her shoulder and walked to the door, pausing to look back.

"So maybe go easy on her to start? She is probably more sensitive than you think. Probably why she bulked up like she did. I'd wager it's armor to try and protect herself." she said and then pulled out her keys, slipped out the door and went jogging to her pickup, hoping she'd be able to catch Sara.

[Cassandra Allen]

"I didn't insult or joke," Cass points out. "And she already rode off..." she quickly calls after Lilly.

Cassandra spread her hands.

"Welp."

[Bannon]

The twin's hands stayed down, Devin shaking his head as Marissa shot a sharp glance at the departing Lilly's back.

"I'm cool with looking and maybe faking it being out of order, but property damage is not my bag."  Devin said simply, his twin nodding agreement.  "But yeah, we need to get the papers and shit down here so Beautiful Mind can do his-  Hey, where is Bannon anyway?"  The six teens remaining in the kitchen all looked at one another, then Marissa went to the doorway leading into the hall and peered out.

"Jason?"  she called quietly, the sound being absorbed by the metric shitload of books lining everything.  Distantly she heard Lilly's truck leaving down the dirt road, and there was the ticking of a grandfather clock filling the lazy summer silence of the house's interior.  She looked over her shoulder at the others.

"Okay, that's not creepy at all."  Lona muttered. Charlie cupped his hand over his mouth and made a muffled 'tch-tch-tch-hah-hah-hah' sound.  Lona backhanded him on the shoulder. muttering  "Don't.  Just don't."  Marissa narrowed her eyes at the smirking thespian in annoyance, then started to turn back to look up the staircase only to come face to - well, chest with their gangly host.  

"Jesuszombiechrist!" she cursed as she recoiled, then pushed with both hands against him as she realised that it was just Jason.  "Asshole!" she snapped up at him, furious dark eyes meeting his pale ones as Jase tilted his head to one side and gave her a faint smile.  "That was so not funny."

"Eh, was kind of funny."  Devin said, smiling.  "Whatcha got there, rain man?" He said, pointing at the duffel bag over Jase's shoulder.  "Tell me you raided the armory.  I want a phased plasma rifle in the forty-watt range."

"No guns."  Jase said firmly as he approached the table and set the bag on it.  Unzipping the sturdy canvas, the teens saw canisters of some kind of aerosol.  Peering in, Devin recognised it immediately.

"Bear mace?  Oh, good call!" he nodded approvingly.  "Dad has some of this stuff in his four-by-four for work."  He held up a canister and examined it.  "Frontiersman Bear Attack Deterrent."  he read off the can.  "An excellent vintage."

"I figured it would be useful.  Cats have very sensitive noses and eyes, and if this will stop a charging grizzly at thirty feet, it will do for a smilodon.  Nine ounce can, sprays a continuous jet at just under two ounces a second, range of thirty-five feet.."  Bannon remarked, scanning the label with his eyes.  "About twice to four times stronger than normal capiscum-based sprays carried for self-defence."  He looked up at them.  "And is completely legal to carry, though using it on a human being might be considered aggravated assault."

"But it's better than a bunch of teenagers loading up for Desert Storm."  Marissa said with a smile, forgetting she was annoyed with Jase at least for now.  "I'll take two.  Kitty comes back, it's going down."

"We should probably head up there, then."  Clara said, feeling a bit more secure with a can of bear mace than with her smaller personal defence pepper spray, the others likewise taking one or two cans as the mood took them.

"Daylight's wasting."  Lona agreed.  "Anyone got anything to add before we go?"

"Yeah, what are we going to do if the cephalogina shows up?"  Charlie asked.  Bannon frowned in thought.

"Watch for a black cloud - it will be daylight, so easier to see.  If you see it, run." he suggested, then glanced around.  "Anything else before we get going?"

[Sean Cassidy]

Sean had stared at Marissa as though he had never seen her before when she revealed she knew what a beholder was. No, he had stared at her as though he never seen anything like her before. It just boggled his mind. And then she eviscerated Sara's idea and he recognized the Mantis again.

Sean watched Sara leave with a regretful slump to his shoulders. He hesitated going after her and when Cassandra, then Lilly, followed her, going himself seemed excessive. He'd been surprised to see Sara holding back tears as she left. He hadn't expected words would do that to someone as big and strong as Sara, but if anyone's words could cut, the Jauntsens' could. Caught up in his own self-image issues, Sean had overlooked that Sara likely had her own, though if she did, she had hidden them much better than he had.

Or maybe she'd been embarrassed that with her idea cut down so hard, she might be seen as a dumb musclehead. More than once, Sean had been called or assumed to be a bimbo due to his curvaceous appearance, if only by those he hadn't even gone to school with him, and it infuriated him, every time. Her idea might have been excessive in his opinion, but he totally understood her desire to protect their discovery.

Quote

"I remembered putting it there so they could find the trailer."

Or maybe it was something else...

Sean had something to add before they headed to the trailer, but he hesitated for a moment. It was Sara's discovery and it felt somehow wrong to reveal what he had found out without her here. But he was curious, and the rest of the... the... - we aren't calling it the bloody Fellowship - the rest of the group wasn't going to be held up pursuing the mystery. He promised himself he'd talk to Sara later.

"I have something, two somethings. The main one is I still want to know how the hell you know what a beholder is, Marissa, but we'll put a pin in that for now. The other thing is this," Sean admitted, reaching into his computer bag, then placing something slim and black on the kitchen table with a sharp click.

"A phone," Marissa proclaimed with biting skepticism. "Even the poors have those these days."

Sean's cute nose scrunched up with the effort not to scowl at her. "It's not a smartphone, it's not even a dumbphone, though it is a telecommunications device. Sara found it in the trailer, and handed it to me when we were leaving, to see if I could figure anything out."

"And why didn't she share that with all of us then?" Cassandra queried, not quite accusingly. She would not be left out. Of anything. Anything about this. She was sure there was other stuff she totally wanted to left out on.

Sean shrugged. "I... can't say for sure. It was a weird night, I think we can all agree?" Sean nodded towards Devin's drawing on the table and the cans of bear mace in various hands. "We had to get the party wound down, and the device would just be one more thing we would talk about without actually knowing anything about." He tapped it with a slender finger. "I know something about it now."

Jason considered for a moment, then nodded without any judgment. It was done and couldn't be undone now. He tilted his head, asking Sean a question with an arch of his brows.

"Battery's out. That's one of the problems. I don't want to leave the battery in for any length of time, in case it can be pinpointed. It's a high-end communication device,  but it isn't cellular. It's actually active on Very Low Frequency radio waves. Submarines use them, so do some secure military communications. They are also slow ass waves with limited bandwith, so real-time audio transmissions are a no-go. Also means it can't be used as a bug, at least to listen to things live. This thing can make audio and video messages, texts too, and encodes them before sending them out."

Sean seemed quite excited about the device, hands moving animatedly. "It's also a GPS tracking device."

"Could you find where the device has been?" Jason asked, picking up the device and giving it a once over.

"First thing I wanted to do, but too risky to leave the battery in long enough to look without knowing if its location can be tracked and how often they look for it," Sean said, reaching for the device, then pulling his hand back and began pacing briskly up and down the kitchen. "I opened it up. Very high end components - NSA or CIA level stuff at least. I recognize or could infer what some of them are, though I haven't seen stuff configured this way before and I can't tell who manufactured them. This thing isn't something you can get on the market. I haven't even seen something like this before."

"So this thing is from the NSA or CIA?" Cass inquired leaning in close to Jase and the device, intrigue rising.

"Maybe?" Sean, and most of the others, winced at the valley girl upward inflection that just slipped out.

"If I had to guess, I'd say some black budget military division or something, because few other than the military use VLF. I did manage to unlock the pho- the device. It wasn't easy, I tell you, because I didn't want to leave it on long. Managed to glean a few things. When I put the battery in It was in the process of receiving a transmission. The device's call number is 007-06. There were several decoded text messages in the trash folder than hadn't been deleted yet - requests for reports from call numbers 007-02 and 007-03. Those are dated Wednesday and Thursday. And the last thing is when the battery was put in, it was also encoding a text: Locate and Investigate this transmission."

"You're worried about this thing being traceable and you got all that?" Charlie asked, leaning away from the phone as though that would help.

"It wasn't all at once and I read fast," Sean countered, going for Bannon-level blandness, but the tightness of his shoulders giving away that he was at least a little concerned. "It's something, at least, but I want more. I want the GPS data and find where this bastard's been. That's problem two. I can disable the GPS transmitter, I just need some time to run some tests, time mostly with it active, which has the whole probably traceable thing going on. I can get around that with something like a faraday cage or shield, attenuated to the right frequencies - regular wifi blocking isn't going to cut it. But for that, it's also more time to set up. And I need some components I don't have on hand.

I can get them in Great Falls - I know a guy. We can probably get some cameras or recorders there too, he also sells nanny-cams and stuff too. So, while most of us go check out the trailer and retrieve the maps and files and junk, does someone want to give me a lift to Great Falls? And, uh, a credit card, in case we can get the surveillance gear?"

[Clara Lys Wright]

She watched the drama around Sara unfold, clearly a bit confused on why the other girl was so upset. Her idea wasn't given a standing ovation, but they were brainstorming, right? Okay. Hmn. I hope she's okay, but I don't really know what to do with that. She shook her head; others had gone after her and there were still all the matters at hand to deal with.

"I can pull out some cash. We don't want a credit card, it's too traceable," Clara said. She bit her lip, thinking. "Devin, you offered to take Lona up Great Falls. Why don't we just roll that all up together? I can take all four of us and we can make a varied shopping trip of it. Less noticeable if someone is watching us now, at least." She nodded to the phone, leaving since we don't know when or where that came from unsaid but implied.  

She wanted to go the trailer. She wanted to get her hands on all the stuff they left there, but she also had a fuel efficient, fairly large vehicle and between her and Devin, probably the easiest access to enough money to get everything they needed without raising flags with parents or....whatever else those without rich families did to get their hands on cash quickly. Besides, she trusted Jase - both to be careful getting everything from the trailer and to keep the rest of the group wrangled, most especially if the Jauntsons were split between the groups. Marissa seemed to listen to Jase, at least. 

"Sound like a plan?" she asked the group.

[Lilly Pryor]

It was clear very quickly that Sara was not slowing down at all, though Lilly was pretty sure Sara had to have seen her in her rear view mirror. She must be really hurt and upset, to the point of not wanting to talk to anyone, which Lilly found understandable for somebody who had always seemed to be a loner, by choice or not. Lilly would have to speak to her later, when she was more ready to talk, and try to mend things.

Lilly pulled over and rested her head on the steering wheel with a sigh that that turned into a kind of momentary growl of frustration. The music was off and the truck was quiet except for the grumbling engine, and in the sunlight she could smell old upholstery that the little' vanillirama' air freshener tried to cover up.

 She was frustrated, more so than she had been in a long time. Thus far she was not happy the impact the Jauntsens had made on her friends as a whole thus far. Anybody was capable of turning over a new leaf, of trying to improve themselves and be a better person, but those two were taking their time and causing a lot of damage along the way, it seemed.

Lilly lifted her head, checked both directions and pulled back onto the road, making a U-turn to head back to the Bannon farm. As she came down the road Lilly could see the others exiting the house and moving toward the various parked vehicles, including Devin moving toward his bike... with Sean? WTF? Lilly pushed on the gas a little more and slowed to make a right turn, pulling up her truck perpendicular to the parked cars with her window rolled down so she could talk to the others without getting out.

"What going on?" she asked.

Charlie walked over, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand.

"Devin and Sean are going to Great Falls to get spy gear to watch the trailer and hack the phone. The rest of us are going to go grab the boxes and files and stuff from the trailer. You truck sure would help." Charlie explained, somewhat inaccurately, but close enough.

"What phone?" Lilly asked, confused.

"The one that Sara found in the trailer and gave to Sean on the DL after the party." Charlie answered with a bit more accuracy this time.

"What? Ugh. This just gets more and more...." Lilly said, letting her voice trail off.

"Fine. Whatever." she said to Charlie shaking her head slightly.

Lilly then raised her voice to address the others moving around behind Charlie and around the cars, "If anybody needs a ride up there, hop in." she offered.

 

[Bannon]

"Remember."  Marissa fixed Jase with a look across the roof of her car as Charlie hopped into Lilly's truck a dozen yards away.  "This is a Mercedes, not the Roid-Rager Hay-Mobile.  Try not to touch anything."

"I could always ride in the back of Lilly's truck."  Jason offered calmly, meeting her eyes, his relaxed demeanour clearly showing that he was not offended.  Mari's dark gaze softened just a fraction of a hair's breadth, but her delicate snort as she thumbed the lock release on her key fob was vintage Marissa.

"Just get in already - and keep your boots off the dash." she retorted with a ghost of a smile as she ducked into the driver's seat.

A few yards away, Sean was not feeling copacetic as Devin handed him the spare helmet.

"...and when the bike leans, lean with it like you've got a stick up your ass that keeps you at the same angle.  Don't try to stay upright."  Devin finished.  Sean looked at the helmet unhappily, then at Devin, who just swung his leg over and settled into the bike's seat.  "Hey, you want to get to Great Forks and back today, we better get going, Sean."  He patted the pillion seat, and Sean muttered a curse as he pulled on the helmet, noticing it smelled of girly shampoo, probably from Tawny.  Meanwhile Lona and Cass bundled into Clara's car, engines started up, and the convoy got on the way to the campsite and trailer, Sean wishing he was going with them as he swung his leg over and settled behind Devin.

= = = = = =

"So?"

Jase looked over at Marissa in the air-conditioned luxury interior of the Mercedes, his previously distant gaze coming back into focus at her question.  They had been driving for a few minutes and hadn't spoken, Mari concentrating on the road and Jason's attention somewhere inside his head - or more likely somewhere in the woods on the reservation.  "So...?" he echoed, causing the lovely brunette to make an exasperated female noise.  His brow furrowed in puzzlement, then he ventured "It's a very nice car." causing Marissa to laugh.

"Not the car!  The dating thing!" she giggled, demonstrating the admirable(?) quality of being able to put a pin in a conversation when it was interrupted, only to take it out and poke someone with it later.  "I was asking why you were scared of dating, remember?"

"Yes"  Jason nodded, turning his gaze to look out the window again as he considered.  "I'm not scared, though.  Just..."  he searched for the word.  "Reluctant.  I guess 'shy' would work."

"Okay."  Marissa nodded, glancing sideways at him then back to the road.  "Shy.  But you're not shy around girls because they're girls.  I've seen that.  You don't get tongue-tied, blush or stammer or any of that stuff virgin introverts usually do when anything in a skirt walks by."  Her elegant nails tapped the steering wheel.  "You also don't check girls out.  Like, really check them out.  I've noticed."

"You noticed, hmm?"  Jason said without looking at her, smiling faintly.

"Yes."  she asserted.  "Like, my rear in these jeans is killer, but you didn't do more than glance while I was walking around your kitchen.  Lilly can bounce quarters off any part of her body (the bitch) and you don't stare.  There was all sorts of premium country hottie at the party and you didn't treat them any differently than the guys."  She narrowed her eyes.  "Are you gay?  Is that it?"  Now Bannon laughed, and her lips tightened.  "Asexual, then.  I heard that's a thing."

"No."  Jason shook his head, still smiling as his laughter faded.  "I'm neither gay nor asexual.  I suppose I might be bi, but I've not met a boy who does that for me."  He added with a complete lack of self-consciousness.  "I have, to my knowledge, all the usual heterosexual drives of a normal teen male."

"Way to sex up the conversation."  Marissa rolled her eyes and smirked.  "Okay. so why aren't you a leering pervert like everyone else?  Including, and especially, my brother."

"Two reasons."  Jason shrugged.  "Firstly, it's rude to stare, and my stare in particular might creep people out.  Secondly..."  and he smiled slyly.  "I have an excellent memory.  So every hot girl I see and the attendant emotional response is stored in my mind.  Every bounce, every sway of their hips, every step.  Every stretch, every glimmer of sunlight in their hair, every tonal inflection of their voice - I take it in with a glance, and I just need to close my eyes to relive it. Whether it's Lilly at training, Tawny smiling at me, Clara's hand in mine at the fair, or watching you silhouetted against the kitchen window as you look outside my house.  It all stays with me in super 4K."  He leaned his head back against the seat-rest.  "Plenty of time to leer."

There was a silence in the car for a few more miles, as they crossed the bridge to the party site and drew near to where they'd need to disembark.  Marissa was dealing with the faint heat in her face at the unexpected frankness of her passenger, and Jason was apparently content to remain silent.  As they pulled up in the clearing where the old logging camp had been, Marissa realised something.

"Hey, you still didn't say why you were shy about dating."  she accused him as the engine shut off.

"You noticed."  Jason said as he opened the door to get out.  He met her gaze with a faint smile on his lips.  "Exciting, isn't it?" he asked, a chuckle in his voice as he exited the car.

= = = = = 

Cans of bear mace in hand, the teens trekked up to the trailer, which seemed much closer in the daylight than in a night-time woods filled with terrors.  The plan was simple enough - get all the files and maps down to Lilly's truck and the cars, resecure the trailer, then get back to the Bannon Farm and set up an operations center in Jason's hayloft.

What could go wrong?

[Jaunt]

The sleek black Ducati pulled up in the Cassidy's driveway and the two boys let themselves in through the front.  Sean needed a backpack to carry the stuff in and so a stop was required.  He gave a shout that he was home as he ran up to his room (while the barn was still undergoing renovations).  His parents were at work so from the back of the house Devin heard the loud reply of his sister, Laurie.

Devin was waiting by the door, sliding his Tinder to see if there were any 18-21s in the area he could hook up with when Laurie stormed around the corner in her pajama bottoms, a t-shirt and a head full of disheveled red hair.  "Sean, Mom said you have to-" She stopped cold in her tracks as her eyes met Devin's and he gave her a once over and smirked.  Her cheeks grew flushed but at this point he'd already seen her and she was resolute in not showing him any sign of weakness.  "SEAN!  What the hell is he doing in this house?!"  She screamed up the stairs.

"Going to Great Falls," Sean's faint yelling could be heard.  "Need a back pack!"

Narrowing her eyes she gave the top the steps a 'WTF' look, even flipping up her hand in a shrug motion.  With her usual ire she spun and focused on Devin.  His crush on her hadn't abated any, but right now she was looking less than her hottest and they really weren't that far along in their relationship for him to be seeing her in her morning clothes.  "Fuck is going on Jauntsen?  Fuck are you doing in my house?  What have you bullied my brother into?"

He played it cool, leaning on the wall by the front door, swiping his Tinder choices.  ""Going to Great Falls.  Waiting on your brother, and, nothing.  We need to pick up a few things for something we're working on.  They got a mall there, want us to pick you up a bra?  You seem to have lost yours," he grinned at her with wandering eyes.

"I swear to god I hate you," she snarled at him.

"Everyone hates me, Red."  Devin held out his arms wide as if to accept the slings and arrows of all those not in attendance for his public crucifixion at the hands of Laurie Cassidy.  "It's not like you're pioneering any new ground here.  What I can do though is work to change people's opinions, I can't however, make them change.  You are way too angry."  Sean stomped down the steps as if on cue and Devin shot her a wink and a smirk and let himself out.  "Love the hair by the way."

They walked back to his bike and got on it.  Devin smirked as Sean continued to go over the details from memory.

"...lean with it, not against it."  Sean repeated.  "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Devin started the impressive racing bike and flipped the visor on his matte black helmet down.  "I'm totally gonna bone your sister."

"What?"  Sean asked, barely hearing Devin as he was sliding on his helmet.

"I said 'hold on'."  He lied with a wicked smirk under his helmet.

The bike tore out of the rocky drive and onto paved road like a black laser, screaming past everything with Sean holding on for dear life.  He was thankful that, being Montana, Devin at least has ATs on the thing.  The two tore through Shelly, evading it's three major speed traps and all the while Sean couldn't help but feel a weird ease from Devin and the way he controlled the bike.  He was only sixteen, and while he had a penchant for extreme, adrenaline prone activities, he was far from a professional at them, how could he be?  Through Shelly though, then out on to I-15 heading South they were like a bullet streaking through the lazy 'traffic' and somehow managing to avoid any and all police, like Devin knew where they were.  A part of Sean wanted to know if his helmet had some sort of H.U.D. in with Google Maps or Waze telling him where to look out for police, but he didn't see a battery pack or optical link.

Devin hadn't needed a GPS for quite some time.  Angles, distance, trajectories, travel times... they all came easy to him, like someone just hitting '=' on a calculator.  He generally knew distance before others did and he was rarely wrong.  He knew he wasn't as smart as Bannon or Sean, but... he knew he had some kind of gift and people with gifts get sent off to special schools and camps.  Screw that.  He knew how far to lean the bike to lose the least amount of speed, he knew how far ahead the next vehicle was and knew when and how to swerve the bike to lose the least amount of speed and still remain in control.  It honestly seemed the faster he went, the more control he seemed to have.

Sean was relived though that Devin didn't drive like a complete jackass.  They sped, sure, but not much more than anyone else did and he did try to show off in the slightest, keeping his focus on the road and getting them there in one piece.  The normally one hour and eighteen minute drive was shortened to about fifty-five minutes.  No matter how Sean did the math... that just didn't make sense.  The speed they were moving would have saved them five, maybe ten minutes... not... twenty three?

They stopped at the place Sean pointed out, they could talk through the helmets, but Devin didn't.  He seemed to be concentrating a lot.  The bike rolled to a stop and they proceeded to dismount.  Devin pulled off his helmet.  "Woo.  Shit thing about a bike, you can't drink with these helmets on.  Alright let's do what we came here to do and we gotta fill up before we go."

Sean slid off his helmet and set it on the bike.  "That was, kinda cool."  He half smiled, still a bit awkward around being with his tormentor.  He looked at Devin and then averted his gaze, going back to being quiet.

"What?"  Devin said, noticing the awkwardness.  When Sean didn't say anything he pressed the issue.  "What Cassidy?  Spit it out."

Sean was quiet for a second more and then finally spoke up.  They were in the street so it's not like Devin would just pummel him in public... would he?  "I-I don't know... it's just you... it's like being with an abused dog."  Devin raised an eyebrow and that told Sean he needed to explain himself, quick.  "I wanna be cool with you, but... I'm not quite sure when you're gonna take it the wrong way and bite me.  I mean, come on, Devin... you've been beating me up for how I look for years now."

Devin laughed silently.  "A fair assessment, I feel ya.  Except the part where you think I picked on you for how you look.  It was never about how you look, Cassidy."

"Then, why?"  Sean asked.

"Because you let me."  He smiled and shrugged.  "Always be careful what you tolerate, Sean.  You're teaching people how to treat you.  You think I got an entire school to bend knee to me by acting like a little bitch?"  He slapped Sean on the arm and nodded to the store.  "C'mon, let's get this stuff while you think about that."

[Lilly Pryor]

As the makeshift convoy headed from the Bannon Farm to the campsite Charlie did his best to fill in Lilly on what Sean had said and the plan that was formed.

"Okay. So where are Devin and Sean going? I mean, forget the fact that just seeing Sean riding bitch on Devin's bike is, like, Twilight Zone-esque." Lilly asked as the makeshift convoy headed from the Bannon Farm to the campsite.

Charlie thought for a moment about where to begin and just ended up kind of blurting everything out.

"Sara found a phone in the trailer and gave it to Sean to crack. It has some like GPS and low frequency transmitter though, like it is NSA or military level stuff, so to do more work on it needs to make a fair weather cage or box or something to jam it or something. So they are going to Great Falls to a place Sean knows to get the stuff he needs and Devin is taking him because his bike is fast and cannot haul stuff and he has disposable funds.

It was decided that we should put cameras or something to keep an eye on the trailer, even though we are going up there to get all of the boxes and stuff and bring them to Jason's farm or barn or whatever so we can make heads or tails of them because, you know, the place is not creepy enough or whatever all ready. So Sean and Devin will also be getting nanny cams or whatever to set up to watch the trailer too, while they are there." Charlie explained and then took a breath.

Lilly listened and mulled over what Charlie said, trying to make sense of it. She tried to speak, but could not get a word in edgewise as Charlie verbally vomited all of the info he could think of or thought was relevant.

"Okay... so... now we are stealing the files and stuff and Sean is going to try to hack, like, some NSA phone that could be, like I dunno, espionage or treason or whatever the heck crime it is to steal and tamper with property like that...? You know, instead of, I dunno, just turning it in or something?" Lilly asked.

"Something like that. yeah." Charlie nodded. 

Lilly sighed and shook her head.

"Okay. Just checking." she said.

At the very least, this certainly was the most excitement she'd ever experienced in Shelly.

"So, without a dolly or cart or something, this will take a lot of trips. Good thing everybody had breakfast." she said with a shrug.

 

[Bannon]

It did, even with them all pitching in, take a lot of trips.  The initial trips up and back were tense as well as sweaty, every bird call and rustle in the undergrowth causing Jase, Marissa, Cassandra and Clara to go on alert and grip their cans of bear mace.  Their tension was infectious enough that Lona and Charlie picked up on it and even Lilly, ensconced as she was in her healthy skepticism, could not quite shake it off.  She had never seen Jason - well, the only word was spooked, though he wasn't freaking out at all, merely hyper-alert - and although Marissa might be a Grade A Prime B-AI-TEE-CEE-AITCH, even Lilly had to acknowledge that the normally composed young woman was not exactly an excitable hysteric, and even though she didn't know her well, Clara also came across as a collected, together person.  Lilly had more or less come to the conclusion that they had seen something, and though she still wasn't buying the sabertooth story she also kept a keen eye on their surroundings.

They stayed together, locking the trailer between trips as they ferried the contents back to the truck and cars.  As they relaxed somewhat into the work, they travelled a little faster, were not quite so cautious and silent, and the task became less oppressive, even though it was no less hot and sweaty.

"So I can't help but notice you and the Mantis get along well."  Charlie probed as he and Jase brought up the rear of the next procession carrying file boxes to the transport.  Jase glanced sideways, dappled sunlight from above the trees dancing in his gaze before it shifted to scan the woods and the trail ahead.

"Yes."  he said simply, not volunteering anything more.  Charlie frowned a little - he'd always found Jase to be a hard read, and for an actor that was frustrating.  Aspergers, or something like that had been his not-so professional diagnosis.  That would explain the detachment and apparent lack of caring for social norms, right?  But at the same time, he'd studied the way Bannon expressed and found it weirdly muted, like he just didn't feel right to the other boy.  Before, with Jase slouching around and not meeting anyone's eyes, it could have been put down to chronic shyness... But now he seemed different.

"Well, she's not the easiest to get along with, is all I'm saying."  he ventured after making sure the Mantis was not in earshot, not willing to give up.  This time he was heartened by a faint smile curving the edge of Bannon's lips as the taller boy glanced sideways at him once more.

"Nor am I."  he stated with a simple elegance to the shrug that followed.  There was a pause, then:  "You are an actor.  A good one.  I've seen you on stage and at the game table. I envy you your skill to become whoever you wish."  He remarked calmly, inclining his head with a nod to the thespian.  "Tell me, can you read someone's actions and ignore their words?"  Charlie blinked at the apparent tangent, then narrowed his eyes and fell silent as he thought for a few minutes, concentrating on where he put his feet.  His first thought was to say Of course! but really, could he say that honestly?

"Yeees..." he said slowly.  "If I concentrated on that and ignored what they were saying, I guess I could.  Never thought about it before, though."

"I don't trust words."  Jase said simply.  "Words that are spoken in the heat of a moment especially.  People lie, or conceal, or even fool themselves by repeating aloud their delusions or insecurities.  Actors speak words to entertain and spin an illusion.  Words are worth very little.  Actions - actions I trust.  Actions have verisimilitude."

"So you're saying you like her for how she acts?"  Charlie furrowed his brow in confusion, then saw Jase shake his head.

"No, I like her for what she does, despite her attitude or words.  Important distinction."

"Hunh."  Charlie digested that, nodding slowly, thinking of how fake and false his dad was, how he'd lied and acted like everything was okay whilst being a philandering dickhole.  "I guess so."  He glanced at Bannon again, smiling.  "You know, this is the most we've ever talked."  His companion chuckled softly.

"I'm trying something new."  he repeated what he'd said earlier.  Charlie blinked as something else occurred to him as they exited the trail and started loading the truck up with their burdens.  He didn't mention it to anyone else, or even to Jase, but something about the tall loner had struck his detail-oriented mind.

Jason Bannon didn't seem to sweat under the late morning summer heat.  Or even appear hot, despite the fatigue on his face as he shook out his arms from carrying the file boxes.

= = = = =

It took maybe an hour for the seven of them to load up the truck's flatbed, the loose maps going into the back seat and trunk of the Mercedes.  Locking the trailer for the final time, the teens, tired but triumphant, re-embarked and headed back to the Bannon Farm.  Pulling up near to the barn, they all piled out and waited as Jase unfastened the two padlocks keeping the door shut.

"I'll show you where to go.  Please don't touch anything on the ground floor unless I say it is okay." he said, for all the world seeming like a mother cat about to let someone into where she kept her kittens.  Opening the door, he stepped inside, the others following past a hanging plastic curtain, beaded with moisture.

The first thing that struck the teens was the humidity, somewhat higher than the Montana summer outside.  The second was the smell of rich earth and growing things.  But by far the most striking sensory impression was the sight of rows upon rows of... flowers?

It was a indoor garden, the interior of the barn having been turned into a greenhouse, subdivided into varying microclimates.  Roses of a variety of hues were the first to greet them, hanging baskets of brightly variegated smaller blooms overhead filling the air with their scent.  Jase pulled the door closed behind them, then pushed through the silent teens and led the way past lillies, chrysanthemums, small flowering shrubs, honeysuckle and jasmine, and into a second curtained partition.  Here the heat and humidity were higher, occasional sprays of mist from overheard creating dew on the riot of colorful orchids and other tropical plants, flowering creeper vines criss-crossing overhead.  There was deadliness here as well as beauty.  Here and there pitcher plants filled the air with their scent, now and then a Venus flytrap closed or opened amidst the seemingly chaotic tangle.  Somewhere there was a trickle of water into a small pond, off amidst the rows of plants, but Jase was already leading them on to another door at the far end.

"Holy shit."  Lona muttered, stopping and blinking at the sight.  Clara nodded silently.  It was unexpectedly beautiful, something utterly at odds with the outer appearance of the farm... and incongruous with their perceptions of it's inhabitant, who was opening the door before him to reveal a staircase leading up.

"So long as people don't hold the curtains back and move through quickly, we can keep the doors open."  he said, looking at them, all business.  The facade slipped a little as he saw their faces, and he smiled a little.  "Do... you like it?"  he asked, seeming unsure what their expressions meant.

[Marissa Jauntsen]

Marissa seemed lost in a sudden wonderland.  Her smile seemed as genuine as one could be and her expression lit up like pure happiness.  She even laughed a bit in surprise the Jason had, this hiding away.  With feather-light care her finger tips gently raised a few of the specimens to her nose where she could take in their fragrance.  The scents, the color, the beauty, Shelly High's resident fashionista and Princess was, to the absolute least, impressed.

"Jason," she laughed pleasantly as she inhaled the sweetness of the air around her.  "This... this amazing."  She seemed more human that usual, like just another friend of their as her Mena Girl persona fell away if only for a moment to enjoy the wonderment of Jason Bannon's hard work.  She was all of track now.  Whatever tasks they had planned she had set them aside so she could wander and enjoy Jason's museum of botany.

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly lifted her sunglasses from her face and rested them on her head as she looked around in a bit of awe. She had gotten to know Jase a little better than probably most of the group, with maybe the exception of Sean, and had seen that there were certainly layers to him and few ever saw, but this was more than a little unexpected, though certainly well within what she knew Jase was capable of.

She closed her eyes, tilted her head back ever so slightly and slowly inhaled, her chest swelling for a moment as she medley of scents rushed through her nose. For just a moment everything else dropped away. She enjoyed the feel of the faint mist on her bare skin, especially after the work they had just put in the drive in her truck sans air conditioning. And the smell of vibrant, scented growing things... of life in such beautiful a delicate forms... brought a smile to her lips, causing her face to light up and the joy she felt deep down to radiate from her smile.

At Marissa's reaction the thought occurred to Lilly that Marissa and Devin really had no idea what each of the 'nerds' she was now in the company of were really capable of if they set their mind to it. This would likely the first of many surprises for the Jauntsen twins, if they managed to stick around long enough, and not get eaten by cephloginas or zombies, or smilodons or whatever.

Lilly walked around with slow, leisurely steps, taking in her surroundings and letting her fingertips brush a leaf or petal here or there absentmindedly, her smile showing no signs of fading. So much life and beauty hidden inside what, on the outside, looked to be an old, dilapidated barn. Just another facade that Jase was using to hide more about himself. The thought made Lilly pause and glance over at Jase, regarding him as she considered facades.

Everybody wore social 'masks', a different one at home, with friends, or at work or school, because it was too dangerous to take the mask down and show your true self to anybody but those with which you had the most trust, the most intimate of connections. Jase, it seemed, did not just have a mask, but masks over masks, even with his closest of friends, that he was only just now beginning to remove, one at a time, revealing ever more about himself, even after several years of friendship. On one level, it made her wonder just what else he was hiding, but on another it made her thankful that he felt comfortable enough to share this and give a peek, if not wholly remove, another of his many layered masks. And if Marissa she had to thank for it...

Lilly sighed.

As her knowledge of what a Beholder was had indicated, maybe, just maybe there was more to Marissa than she had revealed to the rest of Shelly too. In that moment, Lilly decided to try and put aside old feelings and judgments and try to give Mari, and even Devin she supposed, an honest chance.

[z-Avalon Wilson]

Lona was no fan of hard work, but she found the camaraderie of working as a team pleasant. Even hot, sweaty, and tired, the satisfaction of accomplishment provided a surprising enjoyment to the young teen. It reminded her of the days working on the farm, but this was something that was theirs. Even adding the presence of Devin and Marissa to this group, Lona found that she was a little possessive now of their secret. They owned it, and none of the adults could interfere.

So long as no one screwed up, that is.

She followed the others along to the barn, her arms aching and bone tired, but aware that they had more effort coming. Clara let out an audible gasp once into the barn; Lona had to push her to remind her to keep walking so everyone else behind her could get in, too. After Clara managed to pick her jaw up off the ground, she made her way over to Jase, setting down her box of files with a bit of a ‘oomph’. She fished out her phone and put a hand on the taciturn teen’s shoulder.

“Hey, could I take a picture of the flowers?” she asked with a bright smile. She didn’t keep eye contact with him, her own gaze still trying to take in the enormity of his hidden botanical masterpiece. “I’d like to make it my screen saver. It’s beautiful in here. This is amazing.”

“Yes,” he said with that little smile of his. Despite not showing much emotion, his expression was full of pride. 

“Yeah, Bannon, you’ve got a beautiful secret here.” Lona added, gazing around the area. The mist hanging in the air suffused with light and made the flowers seem to glow. Some weird trick of the light made a small orchid appear to shimmer with a soft green. Without thought, she put down her box and cupped gentle fingers under a blossom. It’s hungry. The thought came unbidden, as if from outside herself. Blinking, she took a second look at it; the plant appeared fine and healthy. Weird.

Shaking it off, she turned back to the room, waiting for Clara to finish her photography and the group to resume lugging old boxes. 

[Bannon]

Studying each of his friends as they'd, despite his warnings in a couple of cases, gotten lost in the beauty of his creation. Jason was as gratified as he was surprised.  Abstractly, he'd known people liked flowers, of course.  But he'd never connected that with his own abiding love of them, isolated as he was from the main flow of human emotion.  It was a deep current of contentment that he gained from feeling that connection to living things, so delicate and lovely, that only recently had been expanded to the sense of touching another person.  Pride suffused him as Clara asked to photograph the flowerbeds for her own personal enjoyment, and at Lona's words; a smile of pleasure curved his lips as he watched Marissa lean over some fragrant blossoms as though finding herself in a dream, and Lilly radiate awed joy as she carefully brushed her hand over a few leaves.  Charlie and Cassandra likewise murmured as they looked around them, Cass raising her own phone after a questioning look bought her a nod of quiet permission.  He felt eyes on him and turned his pale gaze to meet Lilly's speculative glance, his eyes inscrutable over the faint smile as a single eyebrow quirked in what might have been a question / challenge.  What? he seemed to ask her with a smile, and she smiled back and returned to looking around her for a few more moments.

"We should probably get everything upstairs."  Charlie suggested reluctantly, receiving some nods from the others as they once more hoisted their burdens and followed Jason through the door he held open.  Beyond was a staircase leading up, and the teens trooped up valiantly, finding themselves in a large, clean loft, only some small clutter to one side on a workbench covered with potting equipment and small gardening implements intruding on the open space.  All but one of them, any way. Jase looked through the door as he realised someone had not received the memo to keep moving.

"Marissa." he called, smiling as he saw her dark hair a couple of rows away, flitting amongst the plants like some elfin creature.

"Mmmhmm?"  came back the distracted voice.  He smiled, shaking his head.  "Hey, this is hibiscus.  I love hibiscus."  she remarked, bending to inhale the scent with a sigh, then glancing as he gently tapped her arm, her eyes shining.  "This is so... so...  so-ish.  It's amazing." she repeated.  "I don't want to leave."

"You can always come back."  he told her quietly as he met her eyes.  "You're welcome here.  But right now..."

"I know..." she sighed, pouting slightly.  "We've got mysteries to solve.  But I'm taking my study breaks down here."

"Deal."  he agreed with a quiet laugh.

The seven of them worked fast, sweat and aching muscles somewhat buoyed by the paradise they had to pass through to get all the boxes upstairs.  Finally, the last boxes were carried up as Jase finished pinning the maps and aerial photographs in place on the walls, and everyone collapsed onto benches and chairs, groaning, even Lilly feeling as though she could skip training tomorrow.

"I can't move my arms."  Charlie complained, stretching.  Muttered sympathy and agreement from the others.

"I can't move my anything."  Marissa panted, the strands of dark hair sticking to her face.  Jase went to a small fridge and pulled out some bottles of water, passing them around, taking one for himself as he sat on a stack of growbags.

"It's about lunchtime."  he stated.  "I think we can break, shower, relax and eat, then get on with the brain work.  How does that sound?"

[Sean Cassidy]

17 hours ago, Jaunt said:

Devin laughed silently.  "A fair assessment, I feel ya.  Except the part where you think I picked on you for how you look.  It was never about how you look, Cassidy."

"Then, why?"  Sean asked.

"Because you let me."  He smiled and shrugged.  "Always be careful what you tolerate, Sean.  You're teaching people how to treat you.  You think I got an entire school to bend knee to me by acting like a little bitch?"  He slapped Sean on the arm and nodded to the store.  "C'mon, let's get this stuff while you think about that."

Sean stared up at Devin, absently rubbing his arm. It hadn't hurt, exactly, but it was unexpected. Like a lot coming from Devin in the last few days. Mari too, for that matter - Beholders?! Sean's returning grin was more strained than Devin's, but seemed genuine all the same.

"You're tall and built, we've been in the same gym class, Jauntsen," Sean said.

"I'm flattered, Cassidy, but the gingers I'm interested in need a certain number of holes." Devin smirked, thinking of one particular red head.

"Not what I meant and you know it, dickwad," Sean growled in annoyance, sounding far from intimidating. He was often Devin's - and not only Devin's - favourite target in dodgeball. Sean was not built for dodgeball. " Yeah, I mean, you're tall and strong and I'm... not. Attitude counts but It's not as easy as you make it seem, trust me. But I will think on it. If you return the favour and think on something yourself."

"Oh?"

"Paraphrasing Jurassic Park, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. Just because you found a victim to victimize, didn't mean you had to, man."

Devin gave a muted chuckle, but he glanced away first, not for the first time, especially lately, what he had in Shelly, and what he didn't. "Fair enough, fair enough."

Sean lead the way into Sulli's Computers and Electronics, pushing open the door into the iron-barred vestibule, then the second door into the store proper, an electronic beeping sounding. Sulli's looked like an Apple Store, a GameStop, and a Radio Shack had a baby. The sales floor was ringed on three sides by glass counters, most of the more expensive products under the glass or on shelves and pegs behind the counters. One side of the store was dedicated to consoles and video games, both new and retro, neatly organized with out all the garish signs found in a GameStop. The other side had various electronic and computer components and products. The place looked clean and modern and was blessedly free of lens flares.

Sean grinned, feeling a comfortable tingle in the air that made the faint flush fade from his cheeks. He was so glad Devin hadn't noticed the whole reason for his awkwardness. It wasn't just riding a Ducati with a guy who had made his life hell for the last several years. It was riding a motorcycle. It had been exhilirating, stimulating. He was grateful that the molded cups of his bra had hidden that he'd been standing at attention for an all points bulletin, as it were. Second vehicle is so gonna be a motorcycle...

On the other side of a glass partition into the backroom, a stocky man going prematurely grey looked up from the computer he was assembling, and smiled at seeing one of his best customers. Sean was an odd one for sure, but more than pleasant to look at - like a living version of far too many guys' MMO avatars - and he really knew his stuff. Sulli hustled from the back room and made his way to the counter.

"Hey Sean--" Sulli greeted him cheerfully in a slightly nasal voice, his cheer droopping when he noticed Devin behind Sean, clearly with him and seeing in him every jock who'd given him shit in high school when he was their age. "-- and guy. What can I do for you? Building another computer or here to pick up a game or three."

"Not today Sulli." Devin could see the change in Sean in a place where he felt comfortable and assured. If he was the same all the time in school instead of just the few classes he excelled at, Sean wouldn't have had any problems at school. Well, fewer anyway. "Got another project I - we're - working on, just need a few things. Can you show Devin what surveillance equipment you have?"

Sean said the last as he sauntered into the short aisles of electronic equipment.

"What project? School doesn't even start for a few weeks," Sulli muttered. He shook his head and looked from Sean to eye Devin dubiously. "Surveillance gear?"

"You know, nanny cams to spy on dad to see if he's boinking the nanny. Tiny cameras to see if your trophy wife is doing the poolboy," Devin explained helpfully with a taunting curve to his lips.

"I know what they are!" Sulli retorted. "I was just expecting you'd want the newest Call of Duty rather than spy cameras."

"I already have it. The tears of ten year old assholes and thirty year old manbabies sustain me, but I have varied interests."

"Riiight... What do you even need them for?"

"I already said. Hot nannies. Trophy wives, varied interests. Look, this is for the same project Sean is working on. Help a dude out, okay."

"Oh! Why didn't you say so? This way, I don't have much... "

When Sean made his way back to the counter, his arms full with the components he needed, Devin was slapping down the last fifty for the three wireless security cameras and one nanny-cam Sulli had suggested. They had recalled Clara's suggestion, and while both of them thought it was verging on paranoid, there was an alien man-eating starfish out there, and Devin had stopped for cash on the way to Great Falls. Sean also noticed a combo-pack for Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel with all the DLC.

Sean raised his brows. Those looked pretty high-end. "You didn't upsell him, did you Sulli?"

"Of course not!" Sulli sounded affronted. "I have some low-end stuff and some high-end stuff. He wanted the high-end, and I even gave him the friend of a friend discount."

"Thanks, Sulli. I owe ya. This is all kind of last minute." Sean dumped his selections on the counter. "Here's what I need."

Sulli gave the components a skeptical look, but just shook his head and he began ringing it through. "What are you guys doing?"

"Prank. Potato Railgun. Gotta capture the reactions for posterity," Sean claimed blithely.

"Oh, fine, don't tell me."

Their purchases made, Sean tetrised them into his backpack for the ride back. All of them except for the dusty pink... "Is this supposed to be a rabbit or a teddy bear?"

"One of those, maybe both, Cassidy. Like you, it straddles both sides. It's very you."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Fuck you, I hate pink. " Sean strapped the pink teddy rabbit to the top of his pack with some bungee cords, then slipped the backpack onto this shoulders. "Alright, let's head back, we still have an hour to go."

With less hesitance, Sean got on the Ducati behind Devin, and he barely had time to get his arms around him before they were off. With the experience of one ride, Sean was able to let himself enjoy the ride back. It didn't feel like they were going any faster than before, though Devin's control was superb and sublime, weaving around the slower moving cars on I-15. But if anything, they made even better time, shaving off a few more minutes, the engine revving with strong, steady power that surprised Devin, yet he took every advantage of it.

Devin and Sean made it back to the Bannon estate just as the others were leaving the barn for showers and lunch, the Ducati kicking up a spray of dirt and gravel when Devin slewed to a stop. Sean couldn't help it, he was laughing as he swung himself off the Ducati, pulling off the helmet and brushing his hair with his fingers. "Thanks for the ride, Jauntsen, it was fun, really," Sean admitted before calling out to the others as he began to join them. "We got everything we were looking for. You guys?"

[Bannon]

"We're all set."  replied Lilly, grinning at Sean's good humor.  "You guys have fun?"

"Bonding experience."  Devin said as he set his helmet down.  He stifled a yawn, blinking a little.  "Next we'll be quipping while chasing drug dealers, but the only one we know is Jase."  The nine of them headed for the house as they talked, their spirits high.

"Deej, you've got to see what Jason has in the barn!"  Marissa was weirdly happy looking to Sean, her usual snark dimmed by genuine enthusiasm.  "It's gorgeous...  Devin?"

"Shounds'cool."  Devin nodded like his head was attached by a string, then took a step forwards and sideways.  "It'sh bodies'on'hooks, righ'?  Calle' it."

"There he goes."  Jase said quietly as he stepped to try and brace Devin, the more solidly-built youth almost sending both of them sprawling before Lilly stepped up and looped Devin's arm around her shoulders.  She shot Jason a look.  

"'There he goes' where?"  she asked, steering Devin to the other side and guiding him up the porch steps.

"What's the matter with him?"  Cass asked, eyes wide with shocked concern.

"He pounded a bunch of energy drinks."  Marissa's own concern was evident as she took over Devin's right side from Jason, glancing at the taller boy.  "He'll be alright, right.  You said he would."

"He'll be fine."  Jason said calmly as he opened the door.  "All he was running on was B-12 and a purpose.  The energy drink boost is probably down to fumes right now, so as soon as he unclenched the fatigue hit him."  He guided them through to the lounge.  "Lay him here." he gestured to a large couch, moving forward as Lilly stepped back from helping Devin recline, Marissa grabbing a cushion and pillowing her brother's head.  Jase examined Devin with a bony hand on his forehead, then opened an eyelid briefly, smiling a little as Devin grumbled.  "He'll be fine.  He'll sleep the rest of the day and probably most of the night, then wake up feeling shitty and hungry."  He stood up and stepped back, nodding at Marissa.  "I'll fetch you a couple of blankets and a pillow so he can be comfortable., and you can keep checking in on him."

"Jason..."  Marissa smiled as Jase paused from ushering the others to the kitchen and turned to look at her.  "Thank you." she said simply.  He nodded in return before leaving the room.

= = = = =

Everyone took an hour to wash up and eat, relaxing on the porch as they scarfed sandwiches.  Marissa ate with them, but disappeared shortly after to check on Devin, coming back a short while later reporting that he was snoring fit to saw logs.  With the rest out of the way, the teens set to work.

Sean and Jason went through the files, Clara, Cass and Marissa taking the findings and sorting them further.  Lona, Charlie and Lilly helped too, checking over boxes and setting promising leads in front of the two boys in the center of the expanding pattern of paper, photographs, tapes and maps, then arranging sorted piles next to maps designated by the ladies.  As they gradually made progress, the room became less chaotic and more orderly, the talking turning away from discussion needed as to what needed doing with what, and more towards relaxed banter, Sean setting up his laptop and speakers in a corner to fill the loft with music as they worked.

"Really?  You couldn't say 'Hey Sean, I like growing flowers'?"  Sean shook his head at Jase slowly.  "That hurts, man."

"It wasn't intended to.  I've always been a private person."  Bannon replied mildly.  "And besides, you never asked."

"You never ask, but I tell you my interests."  Sean smiled as he sorted more files into a pile for Marissa to take.

"That's called oversharing."  Jase said, his attention on some pages of statistics.  Sean stopped and stared at him for a long moment, eyes narrowing, only for Jason to raise his eyes to meet his gaze and smile slightly.  Sean made an exasperated noise.

"Asshole." was all he could say to that as he laughed.

"Any more secrets?"  Lilly inquired archly as she brought them another file box.  "Jet under the milking shed?  Armory in the basement?"

"That's not a secret."  Marissa smirked as she swanned past.  "He told me about it earlier."  Lona laughed at that.

"Offered to show you too, I bet."

"Actually, no."  Mari shrugged, smiling.  "I must be losing my touch.  Most guys can't wait to show off their dad's guns.  All I got to fondle was the bear mace."

"Okay, I want to know."  piped up Cass through the laughter. "What was the deal with the fair and Chet, Todd and Cody Sikes?  People were saying you went nuts and threatened them with a hay hook."  Eyes swivelled to Jason, who calmly picked up another file.

"Utterly untrue."  he stated, raising his eyes to Cass.  "There was no insanity, temporary or otherwise, and all I did was predict the next thirty seconds of their lives - unless they apologised to Cora."  He opened the file and started sifting the paper.

"Cody Sikes is a creep."  Lilly sniffed, a sentiment echoed by Lona and Clara.  "I'm glad he pissed himself.  You don't have to worry about him or those others, Jase."

"No, I don't."  Jason said so offhandedly coldly that several of the more sensitive individuals in the room felt a chill.  Then he looked up and smiled at them, the chilly air dissipating.  "I have good friends, after all."