Only Memories (Lani.)

Lani's nights weren't going much better. Worry had grown in him for his not quite friend. The last time he had seen him he looked like death. Lani sighed as he looked out at the night sky. How strange was it that people could be like sides of a coin. One side could be happy and taunting, then there was a flip and the other side was fragile and despairing. He shook his head and chuckled to himself. "Stop tying to be philosophical," he told himself aloud and pushed the window closed cutting off the cold breeze. Turning he caught his eyes in the mirror. "It doesn't suit you." Lani smirked at himself and shook his head again laughing at himself. Wow, he really needed sleep. This was starting to get bad. Talking to yourself was always the first sign of craziness. He opened his minifridge and drummed his fingers on the door. How was it that the only thing he had in there was milk a to-go container and a few beers? He was hardly worried about being caught with that, it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing he had been caught doing.

He closed it again and flopped back on his bed. He drew out his tennis ball from his desk drawer and traded tossing it in the air with his hand for his mind. He bounced it off the ceiling and caught it with his hands and started flip flopping using his power for using his hands. The room was dark but the dim light of the falling moon was making the room seem unbearably bright. His mind was racing in a million different directions and no matter how cozy he was able to get under his blankets some other thought always wiggled out of the depths and demanded his attention. So he had given up. He had tried everything, even read his physics book for an hour to try to fall asleep. Oh, it had worked no doubt, but his dreams were strange and angular and the idea of being a projectile had jerked him awake again and he had to start the process all over again. The rhythmic pounding of the ball on the ceiling occupied his mind and started to get a hypnotic effect on him. It was strange that he wasn't completely upset that Martin had delayed his date with Adrianna. He was sure she was about to give up on him and his dancing failures, but she hadn't. He smiled thinking about her. She made all of his problems disappear.

A sudden crash caught his attention. His heart jumped into his throat for a moment and he sat up rigid. He did a slow inventory of his room and realized the sound was coming from the hallway. He glanced up at the tennis ball quivering at eye level prepared to go launching off at a moment's notice. He cut off his power to it and caught it in his hand before depositing it on his bed. He pulled the first shirt he saw on his floor over his head and crept out of his room. He slipped like a shadow past his roommate's doors. Like a breeze their suite door opened and Lani poked his head out. With bare feet he padded down the hall his footsteps making no more than a whisper. His nocturnal life made this a rather strange thing, he didn't feel tired. He had been annoyed with his lack of sleep but now he was simply curious. He had found he slept best when the sun was shining and he could find a nice warm spot in the sun. He rolled his eyes at the thought. What was he... a cat? Well, curiosity killed the cat.

The cause of the noise surprised him. Martin. He looked even worse than when Lani had last seen him. A complete mess. There was a broken picture frame on the ground across from the sad crumpled mass that was his not quite friend, not quite enemy. A sweater and something else, a collar? Had joined the broken frame on the ground. Lani wasn't sure what to do. Should he sneak back to his room before he was noticed? That would have been preferable, but he couldn't leave someone like this. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms against the cold. He kept his distance a little ways and looked down at the man. "Who's Rhett?" He asked when the name was uttered. He looked down at the redhead and searched desperately for something to say. He was so terrible with this kind of stuff. "Martin," he said softly, "What's going on with you?" He tried to catch the redhead's eye.

Lani had never been good at knowing what to do when someone was upset. His go to solution was to try to make them laugh, it had always worked with Caroline, but he hardly thought that was going to help this. Looking back his heart went out to Martin, Lani had his share of problems but none of them had struck him down so hard as Martin’s was. Lani had always had a solution, or at least a distraction. He couldn’t avert his eyes and his brow came together as it became clear that Martin was weeping. Lani couldn’t think of anything short of death of a loved one that would destroy a person so much. There was a strange agony in his heart that someone he knew was suffering like this and there wasn’t anything he could do. This wasn’t his sister, he wasn’t making him feel better about being sick or about having a surgery. This wasn’t something he had experience in. He had never lost someone close to him. He had almost lost his sister but there had been hope. He had also watched her, took care of her, he knew and was prepared for the end. He considered himself blessed a million times over that she had lived.

Martin looked at him and pocket watch came flying at him. His power stopped it but he still moved to the side not fully trusting his power. It worked well yes but he was not about to put that to the test against projectile watches. His eyes became wide, he had expected an unwelcoming response but not this. He looked sideways at the pocket watch. Martin’s harsh words struck him and his eyes flipped from shocked to a glare. Clearly he wasn’t wanted here. He dropped the object in his palm and looked at it. A pocket watch. He ran his fingers over it absently memorizing its features. He looked back up at Martin and pushed himself off the wall. He turned to leave Martin in his sorrow when the man apologized. He turned back a little shocked. That was probably the first time Martin had ever apologized to him. He nodded a little his lips offering a little smile. “Don’t worry about it,” he muttered in response. He followed the path of Martin’s finger to the picture. Lani started to work things together. Perhaps not a death but a bad breakup. The state of the picture and the swear that Martin had uttered spoke of someone angry and betrayed not someone angered by a death. He wouldn’t be cursing the man if he wasn’t at fault.

Pocketwatch in hand Lani paced over to the picture. He crouched and let his curiosity take over. He looked down at the face in the picture. It wasn’t anyone he knew but he had seen the face around. He looked back at Martin and set the image back face down on the ground and looked back at Martin as he spoke about the person. There was so much more in his voice than he was letting on. "So this guy was your friend," Lani thought aloud as he frowned down at the image and decided not to like this mysterious person. "What happened?" He hazarded asking. He had to admit he hadn’t known that Martin could fall to pieces like this. It was just something that he had assumed that the redhead had no ability to do. When he looked up Lani’s eyes were bright with compassion and they met with the anger in Martin’s without faltering. He rose at the same time Martin did and he chewed his lip moving toward him to help but he got up before Lani had a chance so he backed off. Lani raised a brow as he was given permission to call Martin Odion. His eyes narrowed and he cocked his head at the boy lacking the understanding behind it. “Alright, Odion,” Lani said with a nod. Martin… Odion then approached and Lani had to admit that for a moment he was frightened. He kept his eyes level and watched his approach. When Lani thought he was going to run into him the redhead diverted and went into the hallway.

Curious Lani turned and followed. There was a box full of what looked like a random collection of stuff. Odion grabbed the box and Lani moved to help. The other fell into him and Lani braced himself catching Odion before he fell. The box was less lucky. It fell and dumped its contents onto the floor. “Odion!” Lani called after him as he fled. He sighed his inability to understand was killing him. Lani looked after the redhead and then down at the box. He quickly righted it and piled the random collection back in. As he did so he considered the smell on Odion’s breath. He shook his head, the man was drunk. He looked down at the box and with a quick zip of his power he hid it under the counter where he could get it later. Then he followed Odion into the bathroom, if Odion was drunk he was not going to leave him to his own devices. He stood in the doorway and planted his feet and crossed his arms blocking the exit. He looked at Odion and gave him a firm look. “You’re drunk.” He said his voice slightly scolding. “When is the last time you ate anything?” Maybe Lani couldn’t mend broken hearts but he knew how to take care of bodies and he was going to work with what he knew.

“Do you have any food in your room?” He asked not letting the question go to rest. Lani looked around the bathroom unconsciously looking for things that could do his not quite friend harm. He glanced down realizing he was still clutching the pocketwatch in his hand. He needed to get Odion calmed down before he tried to dig deeper into the true depths of what was bothering him. Lani wasn’t at all pleased with Odion, drinking was probably the worst thing he could have done. He held the pocketwatch in his palm and locked his eyes with Odion’s. This meant something to Odion, it wasn’t Lani’s place to get rid of it. “What do you want to do with this?” He asked. What can I do? How can I help you? Lani wanted to ask but the words didn’t come up his throat.

Lani considered himself lucky to not have to deal with anything like this, at least not yet. He liked Adrianna, but he wasn’t so close to her that he couldn’t break away. In some ways he and Rhett were alike. Lani liked to be able to have the freedom to run and flee when he pleased but unlike Rhett the people Lani cared about dwarfed all of his desires. His sister was the most important thing in the world to him and he would never leave her behind. Having considered disappearing to drop his boss Lani had quickly discarded the idea. It would leave his sister without him and unprotected. But that wasn’t right. Lani couldn’t live without her. He couldn’t even imagine what would happen if she were harmed, what he might do. Everyone knew of Lani’s dislike for death and violence but they wouldn’t doubt that he would tear whoever was responsible for hurting his sister to shreds. He tried to understand and failed, he couldn’t even fathom something so horrible. This was strange. Lani felt so helpless, and if there was anything Lani hated it was being helpless. He didn’t know how to help Odion and so he just shifted awkwardly.

His eyes rested on Odion and his curiosity and compassion mixed. He chewed on his lip a little trying to tell himself again that he should walk away. Let it be. Why did he care? Odion drove him mad and Lani could distinctly remember thinking about throttling the redhead the last time they had met. So why did Lani care? He honestly couldn’t find the answer. It was more than just the inability to leave someone so obviously being destroyed from the inside out. Would he consider Odion a friend? Perhaps not but an ally. A fellow thief in the world. He shook it off unable to discover the answer, great. More questions to keep him up at night. Perhaps he could just leave it that they were friends. But were they? Not like any friends Lani had ever had before but still. His thoughts took a backseat to Odion’s problems as he saw the man’s eyes fill with tears. Odion avoided Lani’s eyes and Lani was able to get a good look at the terrible condition that he had been reduced to. Lani smiled softly and let out a little half-hearted chuckle. “I know,” he replied, “Forget about it.” He hoped he assured Odion he really didn’t care. Lani wasn’t important right now. Odion was.

He looked from the picture to Odion and back again and with a little nod made a decision. Yeah, he hated this Rhett character. What kind of person did you have to be to get up and leave like that? Lani winced inwardly but his expression didn’t change. Hadn’t he thought about that more than once? “Fair enough,” Lani said, “But for whatever it’s worth he doesn’t sound like he’s worth it.” Lani rose to his feet and shook his head. Perhaps being so blunt wasn’t such a good thing but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t much for eloquent speeches. And being told that everything was going to be alright wasn’t what Odion needed to hear. It wouldn’t. It would get harder before it got easier. It was hard seeing someone he had viewed as strong in such a mess. Would it be more polite to leave and pretend he hadn’t seen anything? No. It was too late to walk away. As he followed after Odion more than a little worried. What use was having a heart of stone if someone could still weasel their way in and make you concerned for them? Especially if this person had done nothing but rub him the wrong way every time their paths had crossed. Dammit, he did not want to feel sorry for Odion, but he couldn’t make his heart agree with him there.

Lani swallowed and averted his eyes, mostly because when he saw other people vomit his stomach started to imagine that it had to rid itself of all its contents as well. Lani was envious of how well Odion handled it, all things considered. That would have been the last straw for Lani. He snorted and shook his head. “You’re welcome Lieutenant Clueless,” he replied with the old retort his sister had come up with for that particular comeback. His eyes widened as the redhead spoke again. That was what Odion thought? Well of course, he thought to himself, for all he knows you’re going to use this to blackmail him so he can’t blackmail you. The epiphany didn’t make Lani feel any better about it. Damn logic. He looked down at his feet and shook his head. He got his thoughts in order and found the courage to look back up at Odion. He rubbed is legs wishing his sweatpants had pockets so he could figure out what to do with his hands. “That’s not why I’m here.” He frowned at Odion when he didn’t answer his question. He didn’t have an explanation though so he neglected to do so. Matching his eyes with Odion’s Lani felt a small smile sneaking onto his face. He wasn’t sure why, there wasn’t anything to smile about, but there was that little spark of the old Odion.

Listening to Odion Lani was completely curious. What had transpired between the two of them? And why had that man in the picture picked up and left? Lani cocked his head at Odion and then looked up at the pocket watch. “So he got this for you? But you can control time can’t you? Why would someone who can control time be late?” He pressed the question and with a little of his curiosity seeping in. When Odion reached for it Lani made a split second decision and with a little toss of his hand his power caught the watch and flung the window open letting the gold object slip through. He looked at the window for a moment shocked at what he had just down. “Oops,” he said with an innocent shrug, “My hand slipped.” He shook his head at the redhead. He tried to leave the room and Lani took advantage of the closeness and grabbed the man’s shoulders and steered him the short distance and pushed him down into the desk chair. “It’s not for me,” he said absently and went to the fridge. After digging around for a moment he decided that for Odion’s stomach the most merciful thing would be bread. He tossed the whole loaf at the redhead and gestured for him to eat. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Looking down at Odion, Lani used the same stern look that had gotten his sister to crumple and eat when she hadn’t wanted to.

In some ways Lani wished Odion would talk to him. Maybe talking would help. But then again, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Maybe Odion was right. And honestly it wasn’t Lani’s position to ask. If someone pressed him he would either hit them or tell them to fuck off or both. It wasn’t their business. So it wasn’t his business. Rhett got him thinking though. What if he did leave? He’d have to do it soon before he got sucked into getting close to people. He swore silently to himself, how was it that Adrianna had slipped into his life and into his heart? She was so sweet and just the thought of her made him smile. She was wonderful, always smiling. But there was something else. She was someone he could take care of. Maybe that was why Lani couldn’t leave Odion. He had this strange urge to help people, to make up for all the wrong he had done. Adrianna had some skeletons, but Odion, Odion had monsters. Perhaps that was why he was interested. Adrianna he could help with words and with touch, but Odion was a challenge. And at the same time Odion had indeed barreled through his walls. Odion already knew one of Lani’s biggest secrets and he was hardly comfortable with that. Lani ignored the fact that when he took on other people’s problems he ignored his own. Adrianna always made him smile and his problems were gone. He wanted that and thought he needed that. But when the final dam broke and Lani’s secrets came spilling out what would happen. That uncertainty terrified him. So maybe he was more selfish than he thought and seeing people with problems consoled him in his own.

Lani had no idea how much analysis he was under from Odion. If he knew he was like a specimen under a microscope he might be a little more distant. Lately security had taken special notice of him and he was given a little bit of a break to get them off his back. He didn’t have very long. He caught sight of the little smile Odion managed and a little relief snaked through him. Well at least he wasn’t completely gone. Of course he was drunk and Lani wasn’t sure he’d remember this tomorrow… or later today, but either way Lani realized a little uncomfortably that Odion was allowing him a look under his skin. Under his shields. Not too long ago Lani had read a book, the main character had blocked off his heart so much that in his nightmares he was stuck in ice with no one around and he was dying. It had struck Lani hard. He wasn’t sure why, but his heart was starting to feel icy and the few moments it warmed with Adrianna’s presence or heated with a curious anger when he confronted Odion on the rooftop. Lani mentally scolded himself, he should have known better. He was never meant to have a heart of ice, he cared too much.

Odion’s explanation made the situation all the worse, for Lani finally realized the depth of the love he had had for Rhett. A love that apparently hadn’t been returned. Lani’s first assumption wasn’t that Odion and Rhett had been lovers. He didn’t really allow himself to think that way. Besides Odion didn’t seem like the stereotypical homosexual. He shook his head and tisked. “Why would you do that? I mean leave your family everyone you know to follow some joker?” He asked curiously. He had read Odion’s file but hadn’t found anything about a family, but Lani couldn’t image in a world where people didn’t have a close family. Sure he and his father couldn’t stand each other but when push came to shove they were there for each other, and his mother and Caroline. Especially for Caroline. Lani had never been in love so he couldn’t fathom wanted to follow someone to the ends of the earth, unless the ends of the earth had something to do with his sister. He would go to hell and back for her. “A selfish bastard, probably doesn’t even…” he cut himself off before what he said could make Odion feel worse. Instead he settled for a scowled with his teeth bared in disgust.

Lani looked up a little surprised. “What?” He asked initially then a sly smile flashed across his face and he looked at his feet. “Oh, um… sorry, forget I said that, reflex,” he said in vague explanation. He wanted to slap himself in the forehead, why were jokes his go to thing? Now is not the time for jokes Lani! He scolded himself. Lani locked eyes with Odion. “Really,” he answered. Of course he was suspicious. Lani would have been too. Lani shrugged at the question and didn’t take his eyes off of Odions. “I was up and I heard a crash so I came to investigate.” He summed up his thought process with a shrug. He wasn’t planning on giving an explanation, at least beyond that he was worried Odion was going to kill himself if he kept this up. But he was not about to let Odion know that. What Odion would think of him if he knew Lani was worried about him! That would certainly make the redhead laugh. He was thinking like a thief, like Lani would if he were in this position. There had to be an ulterior motive, there always was. “Stop over thinking it.”

Lani’s eyes snapped from side to side in a shifty way as he was called out. Had he really just let that slip? Oops. He must be more tired than he thought. He was good at gaining and selling information so lapses like this were rare and it did freak him out a little. “I heard it from someone,” Lani lied easily; he didn’t want Odion to know that he had gone snooping in his file. He was really glad that Odion didn’t know him well enough to know when he was lying. This could get hairy otherwise. Lani nodded in understanding that would be a terrible existence. He would go mad, his entire life was made out of plans and while there were spontaneous moments splashed in but he had to rely on plans or else he would never get his quotas on time and would never sleep. Lani tucked his hands behind his back and shrugged as Odion looked at him. Well considering Odion wasn’t trying to strangle him it was a pretty good bet that he hadn’t done something too insane. Insanity. That had to be it. He was going mad, besides he was already talking to himself. The first sign they all said. Insanity certainly explained all of this. Why he was trying to console someone he should hate, why the same person was keeping him awake at night, why he had just tossed a pocket watch out of a window… Yes he must be… Lani blinked and his thoughts came back to reality as Odion thanked him. That was when it hit him. Dammit. He cared about the redhead, it wasn't worry or concern for a person clearly going down a hard road. No, he cared because it was Odion. Not insanity, though insanity would have been easier to deal with. His heart softened and he smiled softly at Odion unable to think of anything to say.

Lani rolled his eyes but refused to rise to the bait. He wasn’t here to fight, so no matter how annoying and prickly Odion intended on being he was not going to leave him to his own devices. Lani didn’t notice that his stance tended to be the same a lot, it was habitual. He usually chose to stand rather than sit because it was easier to leap into action that way. The balls of his feet were always bounce ready to bound away at the slightest sign of trouble. As for the crossed arms it made him feel a little distant, like he was protecting his heart. His stance might intimidate his sister but he knew after the jab from Odion that he wasn’t going to be intimidated by a stare. Odion put the bread on his desk and Lani raised a brow. He didn’t know what kind of fight he was in for. “I don’t care,” Lani said harshly and with a gesture knocked the bread back into Odion’s lap. “You look like hell, you need to eat. Besides bread will help settle your stomach. Eat.” Lani sighed wondering if there was a way to get through to Odion. “Look, this guy up and left you, right? Well wouldn’t that just be the best gift to him to show how much it’s killing you?” Lani waved his hand lazily before tapping his chin. “So, what you should do if you really want to get back at him is show him how well you’re doing without him. And that starts with taking care of yourself. You look like you haven’t slept in a week or eaten in much longer. You can see your bones and you look like the walking dead. And now you’re making yourself sick drunk.” Lani’s voice was harsh and sharp and he was merciless with his tongue.

Maybe Lani was delusional, maybe he was wise. Or maybe he was completely brainless. Lani wasn’t about to let all those maybes, what-ifs rule his mind. Sure they were always flitting around like finches in his mind and hard to ignore. When it came to romance, Lani was so inexperienced he didn’t know where to start half the time. Adrianna was patient and kind. As much as he hated to admit it she reminded him a lot of his sister. Trusting to easily, innocent and always there to offer a good word or support. Now that he thought about it maybe he should have gotten Adrianna, she had to be better at this kind of stuff than he was. Not just because of her past breakups but she was a woman she understood emotions and stuff. Lani was good at reading people’s emotions but once he had the information he was rather inept at knowing what to do with it. When it came to his emotions, forget about it. He won’t let people in that far to give them a chance to analyze his emotions. Even now he knew Odion was analyzing him as much as he was analyzing the redhead. Weren’t they an interesting pair, both too afraid to trust and to wary of the other to admit that they were in a sense cut from the same cloth. Lani’s opportunities just happened to be a little better than Odion’s, though if Odion had been approached by Lani’s boss would he have said yes? Maybe he didn’t have enough riding on it for the man to be able to get under Odion’s skin to get him to fall for his ploy. Lani often reflected on how ignorant he had been when he was young but if he had to do it all over again if it meant life or death for Caroline he would have done it again in a heartbeat.

The challenge of stealing was what drew Lani in now. It had gone from a need to a want. He hated being under watch but he wanted to show them that they didn’t own him. He did what he wanted. Sure it made his life hard but instead of going out night after night he had gotten into the habit of vanishing for a few days here and there. Lani looked up at Odion and for a moment he just stared a curious expression on his face as if he were trying to figure something out. There was something about the redhead that repelled him but there was something that drew in his interest. It was the latter that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Lani spent a lot of time thinking about what other people thought of him. Law enforcement saw him as a demon and he was sure that he wouldn’t get any sympathy in the courts if he were caught, not that they could hold him anyways. But his family saw him as the protector of his sister and most of them thought he was the perfect child. His parents were too afraid of what they would think if they knew the other half of Lani’s life. The more of a thorn he could be in the side of Hammel’s staff the better. They had torn him away from everything and he was just extracting a little bit of revenge. Sometime he imagined if people would sing delight or lamentations at his funeral. He shook his head a little, he was getting distracted.

Lani frowned at Odion’s answer. He found that terribly sad. Lani didn’t want to think of a life without his family. Mostly his sister. Caroline was as much his rock as he was hers. Sometimes more so. Whenever Lani got crazy ideas into his head about leaving or asking his boss to release him her protection always caused him to rethink the idea. For his mother and father he was the stable, strong support. His mother had often turned to him when she couldn’t bear the thought of losing Caroline when his father had drowned his sorrows in alcohol. Maybe that was why he acted like he didn’t have problems, he had to be strong for them, so that they could be motivated to do something. Lani chewed on his lip and his eyes softened. “I’m sorry,” he said. What else could he say? He couldn’t imagine going through life without someone there for him. Someone he could help. A life without Caroline. His heart plummeted at the thought and he made a mental note to call his sister and let her know he was thinking of her. He hadn’t talked to her in a while. She usually called if she was having problems in school. Big Bad Lani could make everything better. He had intimidated a fair amount of bullies. Some of the older students around his age had made fun of her when she was bald going through her treatments and Lani had made sure that they would never think about teasing her again. The fact remained that no one messed with his loved ones. Or anyone really. They could threaten them to get him to do things but that was far different than actually acting on those threats. Poor Rhett wouldn’t know what hit him if Lani ever saw him.

Lani shrugged in response and let the topic drop. Several people had told him that curiosity was going to be the end of him. How many times had he eavesdropped on some powerful official to get information to sell or hung out in an air vent just out of curiosity when a police officer came around one of his heists. Lani’s eyebrows rose and he gave Odion’s challenge a sly grin. If anything he was mostly glad at Odion seemed to be doing better. He had been completely sure that Odion was close to offing himself in a drunken spur of inspiration. It was a really good thing, considering most people committed suicide when they were on the upward slope of recovery. He raised his hands in yielding and bobbed his head. “I suppose that’s fair,” Lani said, “People like us really can’t afford not to.” He agreed, he was a little less caught up in over thinking things as Odion, he didn’t trust people but he didn’t like to over think their actions unless they were someone he knew was trying to get something out of him. He let his arms hang for a moment before tapping out a random rhythm on his leg. His hands couldn’t seem to stay still. If Lani had been shocked by anything Odion had said this night it was completely overshadowed by his assumption. Lani felt for a moment as if he had been slapped by lightning. “What?” He shook his head a little in shock. “I do not like you,” he tried to assured Odion. But they both knew that was a lie. Lani had only hoped it hadn’t been so obvious. He certainly couldn’t say he hated Odion anymore. He did care, but why he couldn’t tell. He was intrigued by Odion, much in the way Adrianna interested him, but that wasn’t… He shook the thought away before it could take hold.

Lani shrugged at the question deciding to ignore it. Admit nothing, that was what had always been drilled into his mind. Admit nothing. Odion was a clever little bugger though, much sharper than anyone who had mock interrogated him. Admittedly, Lani was not surprised. You didn’t get to be successful in this business by being dull. The questions made him nervous and he bit his tongue to scold it for its slippage. He glanced around the room the terror of being caught slowly leaving as he reasoned with himself that Odion was not going to turn him in. Being trapped was the most terrifying thing Lani could think of, imprisoned or chained, it was unbearable. He already had a leash, but his master’s hand was light and his leash long. But lately that had changed and it was making him feel uneasy. Like he was constantly being watched, they were waiting for him to screw up, let slip that he had a power. He was taking great care now to make sure that no one his boss was connected to could send word back to him about Lani being a telekinetic. Now with Adrianna Lani had to look out for her because his boss had already made her a target. Never a moments rest for the worrier.

The urge to throttle Odion arose again. How was it that one moment he was on the floor practically sobbing his eyes out and now he was being more stubborn than ever. Well two could play at this game. Now it was a stubborn redhead against a stubborn blonde and it would be interesting to see who yielded first. Lani was sure it wasn’t going to be him. He rolled his eyes. “Yes Odion, you look like hell because you’re a soulless ginger,” he drawled sarcastically. “That still doesn’t get you off the hook though.” Lani bit his tongue and didn’t react when he launched the bread out the window. He just caught it and calculated him next move. It was like an elaborate chess game, sometime you had to give a little to capture a better piece. He glared. “You said yourself he has ESP, who knows what he knows. But no, you’re right, it doesn’t matter,” he raised his hands as if giving up. “You can’t change it, not even with your power. So yeah, this is exactly the way to deal with it. Let him knock you into the dirt.” Lani’s voice was rising against his best efforts not to let it. “Dammit Odion, you’re stronger than this.” He practically hissed in frustration. It was all irrational, he didn’t understand. Lani’s rage was fast to come and even faster to leave. It was strange because he wasn’t angry with Odion, he was angry with Rhett and with the situation.

Lani straightened and braced himself as Odion stared out the window. He cursed himself for letting his temper slip. Odion was fragile right now and Lani had no right to treat him so harshly, no matter how frustrating the situation became. Odion pushed at the screen and Lani’s heart jumped into his throat and he took a step away from the wall. He breathed a silent sigh of relief as instead of jumping Odion beckoned for him to follow him up. He humored Odion and slipped himself out of the window. The cold night air was like jumping into a cold bath. His toes protest as he shoved them bare into cracks in the bricks. He wished he had had the foresight to bring a coat; it was rather chilly out tonight. He was curious and a little wary about what he was about to see. He pulled himself up on the ledge and he swung himself over the ledge. It was a beautiful night out; there was even a little proof that the sun was going to rise as a slightly brighter blue inched across the eastern horizon. Lani sat just a little ways away from Odion crossing his legs under himself offering his chilled toes a little bit of warmth. The sudden change in light made Lani’s dilated eyes shrink suddenly and he squinted out at the scene Odion had recovered from the past. It took him a while to make his stomach stop flipping from the strange lurch in time, honestly it freaked him out a little. But if Odion was willing to trust Lani enough to show him than Lani was going to suck it up and do his friend that favor. Lani watched it and he realized how wrong he had been about their relationship. They weren’t friends, they were lovers. Wide green eyes looked at Odion for a moment in shock before they softened and became pained. “Odion,” Lani said hesitantly rubbing his eyes with his hands partially to ward off the chance in lighting and partially because he was ashamed of himself, “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

Odion spoke again and Lani just stared off at the city still a little unsettled that he had just traveled through time. He didn’t look at Odion but watched the lights of the city. “Yeah,” Lani agreed how true that was. Now Lani looked over at Odion feeling a burning anger for Rhett. “He’s a fool.” Lani said unsure of what he meant by it. It was one thing to be cryptic with someone else but another thing entirely to not even understand his own mind. This worried him because when things got like this his power went completely haywire. Lani slowly got to his feet and balanced on the ledge looking out at the night. “I love the constellations out here,” he said absently partially to distract Odion from the fact that the loaf of bread was sneaking up behind him. “You can’t see stars like this in Boston.” The loaf of bread bumped Odion in the back of the arm like a loyal dog. The wind rushed past them and Lani looked down at Odion and smiled a little. “Do you want to know the truth?” He asked and without waiting for the answer he turned away and scuffed his foot on the ledge, “I’m worried about you, Odion.” Odion was willing to show Lani his relationship, Lani could at least do him a little favor and tell him what he was thinking.

Trust was an interesting phenomenon. Some people did it easily, for others it was very difficult. It was a very hard thing to build and to gain, again more so for some. Yet, it was more fragile that glass. If physical it would be a strange property. Something that when mature was stronger than fiberglass and yet if the wind of betrayal blew a breeze it would shatter into a million pieces never to be mended. Perhaps that was why Lani was more comfortable on his feet. It was easier to run when you were always on your feet. The trust Lani had for the world had been shattered long ago and though people had caught pieces as they fell and kept his trust it was hard to give it to new people. Even with Adrianna, everything was so easy, so nice. But he still hadn’t been able to even open up about his concerns about failing his classes. His father would never believe it, but yes he cared. It was true that Adrianna deserved better. There was a small part of Lani that knew that but he refused to believe it. It was a way to be normal, a possible way to leave his thieving ways behind. As if he could. He was a bordering kleptomaniac and everyone knew it. He looked at Odion and wondered if he felt that rush of adrenaline when he got away with something. If he ever got that sly feeling of pride if something was reported missing. Lani couldn’t lie he loved to see his cases on the news, they were always the same. No clue, no suspects, in and out like a shadow. His boss saw those and it made Lani valuable. Lani was lucky he was as good as he was or else he wouldn’t be allowed this freedom and any mistake he made was brushed off where any other would be smacked around a bit.

Then Odion had stolen from him. Granted if his mind hadn’t been in the mood to fall asleep in random places that weren’t his bed he liked to believe it couldn’t have happened. The redhead was good and Lani was a little jealous. He could get in and out of a building without leaving a trace but Odion could go up to people and just take stuff. Lani hadn’t felt a thing. He bitterly had to accept that Odion was the better pickpocket even if Lani was better at bigger heists. But even then Lani had been good at that before his power and he could pickpocket with his power if he were very careful. But Odion could stop time and walk right in the front door and take everything and walk back out. No one would ever know, Lani always had to be careful watch for cameras flashing lights and listen for footsteps and the breaths of the authorities. Back in Boston it was almost more entertaining because the cops thought they knew his patterns and sometimes lay in wait in one place and Lani would rob another place altogether. But that was partially because of planted information. His boss certainly had connections. Lani had thought more than once that having someone like Odion around would be very useful but he wasn’t willing to let Odion that close because he might find out about Lani’s boss or worse his boss might find out about Odion. Lani had a feeling that there would be an ongoing competition between the two of them though, trying to prove who was the better thief. But of course it was Lani. Or so the blonde assumed.

Lani had a flashback as Odion scolded him. He felt as if he had just had this kind of conversation with Adrianna. About how they both hated it when people gave them that look. And now he was doing it to Odion. Did that make him a hypocrite? Probably. He blinked and forced himself to swallow his pity and think of how much he would hate it if he had been in Odion’s shoes. When he finally opened his eyes he narrowed them and his eyes gained a calculating light. He looked into Odion’s blue eyes and tried to take a different view. Look at it from a different angle. Odion certainly wasn’t about to get all weepy because of that, if anything Lani was more surprised. If he had been alone like Odion had he wasn’t sure he’d ever come to trust another human being. He wondered if Odion would ever be able to trust again. It only took a tap to break trust and it seemed like Rhett had hit it with a hammer. Lani sighed a little bit and regained his comforting pose. “Sure,” he returned and cocked his head at Odion, “That’s why you’re shit-faced drunk.” He couldn’t resist feeling a little bit of payback with that comment. This was very similar to a conversation they had had earlier about being in control only Lani had been on the other side of that conversation. He liked to think that he could take care of himself and he hadn’t had anything to show he couldn’t but when Odion had oh so gracefully barreled into his life (though it was probably Lani who had done the barreling falling skateboards considered) things had gotten confusing. He wasn’t so sure anymore. Flexibility lead to mistakes and mistakes got thieves caught. But things that night hadn’t gone as planned but the world hadn’t ended. Therefore?

Lani raised a brow. What? That was completely unexpected. That must be the alcohol speaking. Odion would never admit something like that, would he? For some reason Lani felt the need to be stubborn. His gut reaction was to protest. He wasn’t changing his answer. Odion was too infuriating. Now it was Lani’s turn to over think. Why would Odion say that? The only logical explanation had to be that he was drunk. It was a ploy, a ploy to get Lani to drop his guard. Odion’s guard was down at the moment and perhaps he wanted to make it even. Before he could question Odion he explained himself. Fine, so Lani cared. Were they friends? Yes, friends, albeit a strange, wary and untrustworthy pair. He moved from his comfortable pose and pressed his hand against the wall while the other waved randomly in the air. “Whatever, don’t make a big deal out of it,” Lani rubbed his brow instead of hitting himself in the forehead. That was weak. Out of all the things he could have done, the protest he had on his tongue or even a flat denial, but no, he had gone with bored indifference? Really? Good job Lani. A+. Odion’s smile pulled an impish smile out of Lani. He looked sideways at the redhead looking like a sly fox. He found himself chuckling at the promise of secrecy. “What are you embarrassed?” He teased knowing that Adrianna and Odion weren’t the best of friends. Adrianna hadn’t told him too much about that but just from their meeting it was clear, Adrianna hadn’t told him about her past relationships yet and of that he was glad. He really didn’t care if she knew; he just knew that what Adrianna didn’t know wasn’t going to kill her.

If the pair of them were dogs and Odion had been let off his leash then the stray could be a bad influence on Lani. Lani looked into Odion’s eyes trying to gauge if he was upset by Lani’s silence or not. Odion’s blue eyes were sometimes a little too intense for Lani. He didn’t want to break eye contact first but sometimes it felt like they were watching him a little too closely. Did admitting something to someone in this situation really incriminate him? He wasn’t sure but he also didn’t want Odion to become angry with him. Now that he thought about it Odion had probably stolen a peek at his novel of a file. No, that was information Odion was going to have to do without for now. “Right,” Lani said with a grin, “You just devour the souls of the innocent.” The question threw Lani off guard. How was he supposed to answer that? He just wanted the guy to eat a slice of bread was that really so hard? “Um… I’m not sure it’s a who so much as a what.” Lani’s answer came out more like a question. That was thinking a little too deeply for him this early in the morning. Hadn’t Lani already had to stop himself from being philosophical today, he didn’t like to have to do that more than once a day. It was strange how differently it was possible to see things when you were sleep deprived.

He nodded at Odion, that was good to know. He wasn’t sure he would want to be anywhere near someone with ESP. He could know things and Lani wouldn’t want the risk to his secrets. He considered Odion’s talk about love. He couldn’t refute that, nor could he confirm it. “A strange saying,” he said as he tapped his chin. “It’s too bad love isn’t simple. Everything in life is so complicated it would be nice if there was just one thing that was a given. Besides death, I mean.” Most people included taxes in that but then again Lani didn’t really have a job where he had to pay the government. Friends came and went, that was too true and too apparent when his so called friends from his old school hadn’t bothered to see if he was alright. One had been bright enough to text him and ask if he was in jail. It was then that Lani realized his friends were very dull and uninteresting unlike most of the people here at Hammel. He was pretty sure the stupidity of the one sending the text was an isolated incident since they let people use their phones in jail and such. The only thing that was certain in life was family and it was important to keep them close. He bit his tongue, but Odion didn’t even have that.

Lani’s anger had dulled to frustration. Odion was still defending Rhett even after everything that happened. If Lani had been in his shoes he liked to think that he would be finding solace in the fact that the person wasn’t going to cause him to break down and beg them to come back. He liked to think he was stronger than that. But then he had also thought Odion was stronger than that. He didn’t regret following Odion but he found himself bouncing a little to keep the blood flowing to his feet. He curled into himself and used his crossed arms to warm them. If he had thought that going outside was a possibility he would have been more prepared. Oh well, he wasn’t too focused on the cold as time began to warp. He wasn’t too disappointed he didn’t have this particular power, it all seemed a little hazy to him. How it all worked, time was something that wasn’t supposed to change speeds or move backwards. It was the only thing consistent in his crazy life and now that wasn’t even true anymore. He didn’t blame Odion for that; it was almost as random as Lani’s power. Sometimes people said powers fit personalities and Lani was inclined to agree, telekinesis was the power of tricksters. He didn’t know if he knew Odion enough to agree that time manipulation fit his personality unless he went with the idea that Odion waited for no one.

Rhett seemed like a nice guy in the memories, so why had he left so suddenly? That was probably the precise question Odion was asking himself. Lani chewed on his lips and for a moment became very disoriented as he didn’t know what day it was or when it was exactly. This could have been when he was running around being a nuisance or it could have been before Lani had even come to Hammel. The questions bubbled in Lani’s throat: How far back can he go? What if something changed? Could he possibly bring someone back, stop them from leaving, or dying? Or if they went back to change something would it always have happened because in time they were always there? Oh this was making his brain hurt. Time was supposed to be a straight line, a continuous line. Not this fractal. He couldn’t quite wrap him mind around it and for once he was glad that at least telekinesis was relatively simple, if it was overly powerful and hard to control. It was as simple as grab that move it there, of in Lani’s case grab that and toss it over there. Lani laughed a little and bobbed his head in agreement. “Nope, not really,” he agreed. “Thanks for showing me that,” he said feeling strangely touched that Odion would show something so personal to him. It made Lani feel really guilty about not answering his earlier questions. He signed and decided to go against his better decision. “You’re a lot less black and white than your file,” he said his tongue feeling strange in admitting to this crime, “I’m sorry, I might have taken a peek.” He scratched the back of his head and gave Odion an apologetic look.

Lani stood and looked down the building’s side. It wasn’t as high as it looked but being this high always made things look a little farther away. For Lani he was never more comfortable when he was standing at the edge of something high. It made him feel powerful and unlimited. This was part of the reason he was jealous of the fliers, they could just up and fly away whenever they wanted. Lani was envious of their freedom. He glanced down at Odion and gave him a little smile. “That doesn’t mean you can’t admire them.” Lani wasn’t much better with constellations but he knew a fair amount. For Lani stars were so much more than something to look at. They were proof that there was still something beautiful; something good was still out there. Perhaps undiscovered. Lani had always loved the feeling he got when he looked up and felt really small. Lani looked down at Odion and raised a brow at the assumption that he was thinking deeper than he was. Lani cocked his head in thought, it was an interesting thought, because wasn’t truth only what someone believed at one point in time. Lani shook his head at Odion. “Perhaps,” he said and found himself a little surprised by his idea. “You sound like my sister.” Lani commented without any more explanation than that. None was needed, Lani worried about everything, he couldn’t help it. He shrugged to himself, Odion was going to have to deal with Lani worrying about him. It was just what Lani did.

Odion’s decision was abrupt and Lani knew it was final. “You mean if you had a soul to find?” Lani wondered aloud smiling at his own joke. The bread nudged Odion again and just floated in space undeterred by the frown. Lani crossed his arms and in response to his demand did the opposite. The bread rubbed up on Odion as if it had never been so happy to see a human to eat it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with a sly grin. Lani was glad to share the burden, that was what friends were for. A shared loss is not nearly as heavy as loss held alone. Lani, no longer paranoid that Odion was going to kill himself just watched the redhead swing back into his room. Lani followed swinging himself down so he was hanging then dropping onto the windowsill. The warmth greeted him like a hug and he was very happy to be back where there was heat. He flexed his hands a little and dug his toes into the rug. The bread following him inside and dropped into his hand. “C’mon, just once slice,” Lani pressed wiggling the loaf in his hand. No, Lani was not going to let this go. Unless he knew Odion was going to eat and take care of himself he was not going to let this slide.

As much as Odion kept people away Lani brought them close. He didn’t mean to but he found it easier to hide his true self when people only saw his mask. They would think they knew the real Lani and the illusion would be stuck. In many ways he held people at a distance but only in his eyes. He would end up knowing everything about them and yet he himself would let slip very little. It had happened that way with Adrianna, he felt like he knew her very well, though all of her secrets were not his knowledge. Lani however had given away very little, that his sister had cancer and that he liked her. Beyond that Lani was still a mystery. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that had Odion’s position not been so fragile Lani would still be just as much in the dark about the redhead’s thoughts as he was that night on the roof. It would be easier to just push people away but Lani always found a reason to care. He was like that with children especially. For the most part he was very good with them but he didn’t have to get into deep discussions with children. Others he saw like his sister. Now Adrianna, she was so much like his sister. He felt the need to protect her. Maybe that was why he was here with Odion. He felt a need to protect people and he couldn’t be there for his sister so he was desperately trying to make up for it. Perhaps that was where Odion was better off than Lani. He didn’t let people get close enough to care about them. Lani just couldn’t let them pass him by. Perhaps that was why he was keeping Adrianna close, he knew that his boss had targeted her and he knew the best way to keep her safe was to keep a close eye on her. Odion, he could at least count on to be able to take care of himself. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t keep an eye on Odion either. He couldn’t guarantee the safety of anyone around him, which just killed him and if anything happened the Odion or Adrianna or Caroline he’d never forgive himself. And in Caroline’s case he’d probably never be sane again.

Imagining Odion as being approachable and friendly would probably cause Lani to think he was in an alternate universe. Lani unlike Odion hated competition. He had so much at stake he couldn’t afford to risk someone coming in and taking his treasure. That was why when a competitor appeared it was the Boston rule that it was first come first serve and anyone disobeyed that they were shut down. In more extreme cases permanently. So Lani wasn’t a fan of competition. He knew there was more among pickpockets but when what a thief was doing was running the risk of heavy prison time there was a common understanding that alliances were temporary and brief and that was where friendship among cons ended. There were a few friends that Lani risked having in Boston and they were all outside his boss’s circle. They could keep an eye on them and on his family for him. But he had done them favors or worked with them and their systems had been similar. But most of the time when his boss assigned him a partner it was a partnership filled with bitterness and conflicting egos. Some people did have partners but Lani had never risked getting that close to someone. Though most of the thieves under his boss were collectively brothers in their hatred for the man.

Lani gave Odion a knowing smile when he relaxed. His lapse in judgment hadn’t completely put Odion off. He had to keep reminding himself that Odion was drunk, he was a surprisingly well articulated and thoughtful drunk. When Lani was drunk he liked to imagine that he could sing… that never went very well. Lani joined him in laughter, it was good to hear him laugh again. That wasn’t strange, was it? He wondered absently before he let the thought slip away. “Well then, as long as we’re on the same page.” He gave Odion a shrug and raised a brow his eyes flashing with a touch of jealousy reading more into that than he should have. So Odion was working solo, he assumed, it was nice to know that he didn’t have anyone to answer to but then again Lani couldn’t stand the fact that he was a failure in letting himself get caught in that trap. “That doesn’t always mean those are good choices,” he said, “Though I have to say I’m enjoying the drunk Odion, he’s very friendly.” Lani wasn’t sure what he was trying to get at with that, whether it was to tease the redhead or goad him into a fight he wasn’t sure. He smiled though to take away any sting that might have been in that statement unintentionally.

“Ha ha,” Lani rolled his eyes in mock humor. He shook his head recovering from the shock. Lani could have lied and said he was just keeping his enemies close, but that ship had sailed. Lani huffed and crossed his arms giving Odion a sullen look as he laughed. He tripped over himself as he tried to figure out how to turn this around. He was glad Odion was smiling and laughing again, though he would have liked it not to have been at his expense. “For the record,” he pointed out shaking his head, “People love me.” He decided to build on that, “You see, I knew it was only a matter of time.” Now he was just desperate to turn this away from himself. Lani cocked his head at Odion a little confused when his joke turned on him. He shifted his brow coming together. He didn’t understand. Why should he be embarrassed? “Wait, what?” He shook his head smiling thinking he was walking into some elaborate joke. “You’re not making any sense.” Either way, Adrianna didn’t own him, generally the first time someone tried to control him and who he hung around that was the first moment he pushed them away.

Lani’s eyes locked on Odion’s and he realized with a grin that Odion was very good at hiding his emotions. It was either that or Lani was actually helping him to feel well enough to smile and joke and laugh. A few moments ago Odion had been launching things across the hall and in a sad heap on the floor and now it was like he was a new person. Perhaps this was his mask and he had gotten it back into place after it had slipped. Lani’s grin didn’t vanish with Odion’s instead he pointed at Odion. “I’m making perfect sense, you just can’t see it,” he insisted more sure of himself now. He held up a finger trying to get Odion to hear him out. “You see it wouldn’t be anyone’s hook you’re on because like you said you handle yourself, but… but if you think about it… if I can’t get you to eat anything then you’re obviously not on my hook, but that still begs the question of who’s hook you’re on. So either it’s a what or you’re stuck on your own line.” Lani paused his eyes wide as he waited for Odion to have some sort of epiphany. The silence grew and Lani thought back over his convoluted explanation. He laughed at himself and this time did smack himself in the forehead. “Wow, you’re right, that doesn’t make any sense.”

Lani nodded not as unaffected by the comment as Odion was. Death always freaked him out a little. Especially since his sister had been knocking at its door for so long. Lani had no clue that their thoughts were going parallel and that he was getting Odion to think that telekinetics also had some sort of mind-reading abilities. That was laughable; Lani couldn’t even keep his own thoughts straight. He had read about a telekinetic in that book he had lifted from the library who had had telekinesis and telepathy, he was apparently the greatest thief of his time. This man had never been named precisely because he had never been caught. The only way they knew about him was because one of his students was caught and spilled some secrets. Lani nodded absently and closed and flexed his hands. They were itching for something to do. “Of course not,” Lani agreed, “No one ever said it was gonna be easy.” He scuffed his feet tapping them on the edge of the ledge. Oh if only life were simple. He envied people who had less complicated lives. Not simple, just less complicated. Oh well. In his own selfish way Lani was glad he had seen this side of Odion, the side that could be hurt. It comforted Lani to know he wasn’t the only one with a sensitive spot.

Lani wondered if it was the alcohol that had made Odion want to show him his past. He didn’t like that thought, he didn’t want this to be because of Odion’s drunkenness. Odion didn’t even seem very drunk anymore. No just as he wouldn’t like his secrets known he usually didn’t try to make people give him theirs. It meant so much more when it was of their free will. That was where trust came in. Most of Lani’s problem was that he didn’t trust people not to use the information against him. He figured Odion was very much the same. He glanced down at the redhead and gave him a knowing smile. Well now he didn’t feel so bad about it after all. Lani chuckled and raised his head a little bit in pride. He had to admit he liked the recognition. “Don’t be jealous,” he chided teasingly. At least they were even. He was always curious about his own file but he usually just flipped though it every few weeks to make sure they weren’t putting anything together. Once he had found a new article of a robbery he had done in his file. There was a question mark on it and a circled date. Nothing had ever come of it, but mostly because Lani had thrown that and the documentation of him going missing that day out. No one ever knew. He usually didn’t pay much mind to the teacher reviews, they were all the same. Slacker, never comes to class, smart but lacks motivation, that kind of thing. Nothing important. Odion’s had been rather void of information. He really tried to stay in the background. The only thing Lani had gotten was his power and that he had average grades. The one thing that had made him laugh was that someone had noted ‘does not work well with others’. That was a given really. As much as his friend was starting to open up to him Lani had when he first met Odion never wanted to see him again.

Lani smiled but didn’t take his eyes off the stars. “Makes you feel small sometimes, doesn’t it?” He wondered aloud. When one was standing on a high place or on the edge of something truly majestic it only made sense to feel small. It wasn’t often that a person liked this feeling. Lani had never traveled and he had always wanted to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon or watch the Northern Lights. Any place wild and majestic. That was part of his terror of going to prison. He would never see these things, his freedom would be gone. “Hmmm,” Lani hummed in agreement. His sister hated it when he worried about her but he really couldn’t help it. It was strange that the normally so abrasive Odion was speaking so softly. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he looked out over the trees. “That doesn’t stop me.” He commented and grabbed a pebble from the roof behind it and dropped it into his palm. He bounced it a few times but at Odion’s next observation he pulled back his arm and tossed the pebble off into the darkness. He didn’t want to answer that. It was too close to his heart, too right. Even with all of this power he had he couldn’t stop his cancer if it ever came back. It made him feel helpless and if there was anything he hated it was feeling helpless, useless.

He followed Odion off the roof and grinned at him. “But you know, C.O. can also stand for Commanding Officer, and I’m not sure you want me around that much power,” he smirked a little liking that Odion was joking around just as much as he was. Lani sometimes it seemed hid behind his jokes and lacked the ability to be serious. But there were some things he just didn’t joke about. Lani caught the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders gratefully. “Thank you.” He raised his hands in yielding. “Alright, deal.” He grinned as Odion snatched it and set to making sure Lani knew how displeased he was about it. While Odion set to downing the slice Lani curled his legs underneath himself and snuggled into the blanket. He leaned against the bed and tucked his legs under himself and wrapped the blanket around his legs and torso. Once he had himself wrapped in a rather nice lump up to his ears in the blanket he looked back up at Odion. For as tall and lanky as he was he was remarkably compactable. He was very grateful Odion had tossed it over he was about to think he’d never feel his toes again. It wasn’t too cold, to be honest, but when the temperature dropped into the low forties overnight and you were out in a t-shirt and barefoot it tended to give a nice deep chill. He grinned up at Odion and gave him an amused look. What did he think that Lani was just here and would leave soon after, not quite. He had just settled in and gotten comfortable, he wasn’t about to leave yet. Lani looked up at Odion and gave him a wide eyed and innocent look. “But I thought you liked me,” he teased and made a decisive motion of snuggling into the blanket. He shook his head. “Nope, it’s certainly…” he paused looking for the right word, “an interesting experience,” he decided on, “Do you ever try to change things?” He asked curiously.