Last Stop New Vegas

[CortezHorse]

In a hurry, Ben stamped out his cigarette on his boot then all but stumbled across the room to his pack where he fumbled through and pulled out a pack of ratty cards. Crying out in triumph, he stumbled back and flopped down next to her, wasting no time in dealing them out.


"Hope you're ready to drink enough to drown a fish, missy. Poker is the game!"


He narrowed his eyes at her then looked down at his hand of cards. Freckle's popped her head up in his arms, cocking her head at his handful of cards until Ben nudged her out of the way.


"Hey, hey, hey, no cheating fuzzball."


So the game went, back and forth they played, both winning and losing hands. Of course for every lose hand meant a swig of the drink, which meant increasingly more intoxication as the evening went on until Ben could barely see his cards straight. He glared at them, as if daring the flimsy pieces of paper to keep moving.


"I'm not sure if I have, uh, two of, uh, a card or one."


Cocking his head didn't help his focus either and only sent him tipping over onto the mattress. He quickly recovered and popped back up before attempting to slur out another sentence.


"Well, I'd say that, I-I'm done just because I can't uh, see no more."


A pause and he squinted as if remembering something.


"Oh! Oh, oh, oh, hey, uh, lemme look at that side of, uh, of yers; I just wanna make sure you're ok."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

As it turned out, Darling wasn't half bad. This wasn't due to her skill so much as her apparent raw luck. That, or she just forgot exactly how much she was losing. It was hard to keep count between the bottle being passed between them and her uncontrollable laughter. Exhaustion was starting to catch up with her, though the defiance in her stopped her from saying anything. No, she would not be the first one to throw in the game.


It was with great joy that she tossed her cards down when Ben declared he was done.


"I think that makes me the hon-hono-hononor-" she frowned before trying again, "honorary winner of this game of ours."


With that, she flopped back onto the bed and giggled once more at her inability to speak, stretching her arms up and over her head. This had been a good idea, one of their best ideas if she said so herself.


Freckles had moved to crawl on her, laying on her chest and Darling lazily moved an arm to scratch her neck.


"Hmm? My side. No, no, nonono you can't see that, silly. It's ugly, so no one can see it."


Darling still sounded too cheery, her words bubbly and bright. She made kissy sounds at Freckles before finishing off her thought.


"And I patched it up myself thankyouverymuch."

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben snorted loudly and began to crawl over the bed, practically on top of her as he maneuvered himself to look at the wound to her side.


"Please, I know all about ugly, more than ANYONE ELSE so I will be the judge of ugliness!"


It was almost like he could hear how loud he was being but couldn't control it. Was there a reason he was yelling everything? Oh right, yea, drunk. He started to attempt to pull the side of her shirt up to look at the wound but was momentarily distracted by Freckles.


"Hey, how'd you get over here?"


He squinted his eyes in suspicion at the pup who merely yawned in his face.


"Ah, whatever! Ok, let's see this side of yours. I'm gonna make sure you patched it up right! Cause if you didn't it could get bad you know and I don't want that because Freckles and I....Freckles and I would be upset if something happened to you. Right?"


His eyes turned to Freckles who gave him an exasperated look and Ben nodded his head.


"Right!"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Well he was suddenly much closer than she had anticipated. Man he was fast for a guy who was missing a leg, or she just wasn't that good at paying attention when the world around her felt warm and perfectly fuzzy.


"Beeeeeennnnnnn," she dragged his name out in almost a whine. "You know I'mma good, uh, doctor. I patched you up when you had a hole 'n you an' I stopped it from gettin' all inf-infecde- nasty and stuff so I think I know how to handle an ugly wound."


When did it get so hard to talk?


Pulling the side of her shirt up enough to expose part of her side, she exposed a bit of the bandaging that covered the marks and had been done pretty damn well if she said so herself. That done, she yanked her shirt back down and tapped the top of what was left of his missing nose.


"See? I'm jus' fine an' you know it. Yoooou just wanted to get my shirt off."


And, seeing as how that was the funniest joke she had ever made, Darling lost control of her giggles and resorted to hiding her face in her hands once more. If she was trying to keep quiet and trying to stop the sounds, not even she could say.


Freckles huffed, annoyed that her bed wouldn't stay still.

 

[CortezHorse]

He peeped the white bandaging but pulled a grumpy face when she hid her side the next minute. She was being very difficult! His grumpy expression didn't last long because his fuzzy mind caught on to her laughing and he smirked then laughed to, his face somehow ending up in her hip as he muffled his laughs. He popped his head up and reached up an uncoordinated hand, giving her nose a boop.


"If I wanted to get your shirt off then I could because I am soooo charming. Girls love me, you know that? I mean, I'm ugly! But I can STILL get girls to throw their panties at me!"


He snorted then, thinking what he'd said was the funniest damn thing ever spoken by a human being. Panties, he totally said panties, ha!


"I'm also a pretty good kisser even though I, uh, don't got much of my lips left. I bet I'm better than ALAN."


Ben crinkled up his face as if saying the name was a dirty word but then snorted a laugh once again. Ha, ah man, he was hilarious tonight.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He said panties and that was enough to send her into another fit of laughter. Hands sliding down her face she looked at him. Man, her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. When did he get so funny?


"Better than Alan? Well if you ever wanna test that lemme know 'cause I kissed Alan a lot back in, uh," where did she live again? "My home town."


Some part of her remembered that she was supposed to go do something with him and yet, she couldn't quite bring herself to care. So what if she totally bailed on him, she was having fun, and after the shit they had gone through lately, fun was what they needed. Swimming and getting drunk on the same day was turning out to be almost a vacation in and of itself.


Freckles had given up by then and crawled off of her, moving up to rest on one of the pillows.


Darling pouted for a moment, her head tilting back into the bed because that seemed to be a better option than actually turning to look back at the dog.


"I don't think she likes us bein' so noisy."

 

[CortezHorse]

Better than Alan? Well if you ever wanna test that lemme know 'cause I kissed Alan a lot back in, uh, my home town.


Normally Ben would be blushing and mumbling at this point, doing his best to avoid her gaze. Under the influence he was apparently much less shy and instead of grumbling in embarrassment, laughed at the challenged she issued. Wait, was it a challenge? Well she did say if he ever wanted to test it then he could. Hey, she use to kiss Alan!? He knew it! That bigoted snot was her boyfriend! Oh, he was totally a better kisser than him and he'd prove it!


Darling tilted her head back to look at Freckles and Ben wiggled up closer, planting a clumsy kiss on her exposed neck.


"Hey! Hey, turn your head I didn't get your lips!"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He kissed her neck and she all but squeaked, giggling at the weird and unexpected sensation as she rubbed the skin. That tickled. Biting her lip for just a moment she turned her attention from Freckles back to Ben.


"Sorry Ben, you only get one shot to prove your point. It's part of the rules."


She held up a finger at the mention of one shot as though that would prove her point before letting her hand drop. Her nose ended up wrinkling a bit as she teased him. Taking any thing seriously, at this point, was impossible. Granted it was a little less fun to poke fun at him when he didn't blush and look away, but he was witty enough to keep the game going.


"You used your chance and I gotta say, I'm not all that impressed."

 

[CortezHorse]

You used your chance and I gotta say, I'm not all that impressed.


Ben's face scrunched up in disapproval.


"Oh, no, no, no! You said, you said if I ever wanted to test it out I could, you didn't say NOTHIN about no one chance! Besides, I missed and that doesn't count! I'm WAAAAY better than that! Sides you can tell everyone you went and kissed a stinky ghoul afterwards."


He laughed, pressing his face into her shoulder as he muffled himself. A lock of her hair brushed his scalp and he looked up, immediately distracted from his previous goal and reached up to take a soft curl in between his fingers. He twirled it, watching the light play off of the golden strands then stared as it bounced free.


"Wow, you have, you got really nice hair."


His words were slurred but Ben's tone was obviously enamored as he continued to play with her hair.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The way his face scrunched up was almost as funny as his protests.


"Snarky ghoul." She corrected, "But oh man I bet Alan would hate that."


For some reason, that was amusing to her. She hummed after her giggles subsided, feeling her shoulders relax as he hid his face against one. He was warm. She didn't notice her eyes had lulled shut until he mentioned how nice her hair was. The comment made her open a grey eye, watching as he let the bit of hair spring free.


"Mm, thanks, grew it myself."


Her grin was softer that time and Darling realized she was starting to feel tired, her words messy and quiet. Absently, she draped a hand just behind his shoulder, fingers lazily drawing lines on the back of his neck. The dips and grooves still felt weird, but it was a nice kind of weird.

 

[CortezHorse]

The moment her fingertips began tracing along the back of his neck, Ben melted into a pile of mush. He made a pleased rumbling noise in the back of his throat, letting his head sink back down to rest on Darling's shoulder again. Her fingers were soft, every part of her was soft, smooth as silk and he couldn't help but be lulled by that and her warmth. His fingers found her collarbone and he traced the edge of it, back and forth, watching how her pliant skin moved and tugged with the motion. So much different than his own skin, he quite liked it.


"I'm glad that you, you were the one that found me."


His words were much more quiet than they had been as he fought falling asleep under Darling's soft ministrations. He turned his head and pressed a sleepy kiss to her shoulder before settling back down, snuggled against her.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

I'm glad that you, you were the one that found me.


She liked those words. She liked what they meant, how soft they were. They were simple, and that was the best part.


"I'm glad I found you too."


For a while she continued to trace along his neck before her eyes became heavy and her hand slowed to a stop, still resting on him as her muscles went limp and Darling fell asleep. Oh yes, she'd regret drinking alcohol in the morning, but for now, she could let herself rest easy, both her nightmares and dreams kept at bay. Unlike normal, she, for once, wouldn't wake up at the crack of dawn. Instead she'd let herself linger in sleep. They deserved it, and if they were going to sleep in, it might as well be in a safe place like this.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben wasn't far behind her, falling asleep only minutes after. It was mid-morning when he finally began to stir. Lazily he nuzzled into the warm soft bed which took him longer than he'd wished to realize wasn't actually the bed. He froze, waiting for his sleep fuzzed mind to catch up before he cracked his eyes open. The first sight that greeted him almost had him rear straight up but he resisted the temptation and simply stared wide eyed at Darling cuddled with him, their limbs practically tangled together. How did, when did, what? Ever so slowly he began to lift up and away, gently pulling her hands away from him, untangling himself so he could sit up on the edge of the bed.


Once he freed himself he sat there and stared at her, willing himself to remember what happened. He knew they'd drank, his dull headache was a reminder of that, but what else? Cards, there were cards and a drinking game to go along with that and then. Ben lifted a hand slowly to the back of his neck and softly traced the skin there, it didn't feel the same, it wouldn't, but he could distinctly recall the sensation of her fingertips drawing out patterns over and over. His eyes widened a bit then and he looked away from Darling's sleeping form, a blush creeping up in his cheeks. He'd kissed her neck; dammit of all the times he could have been blackout drunk why wasn't this one of them?!


He leaned on his knees, staring at the floor, embarrassed and ashamed of himself for what he'd done last night. Darling would be mortified if she remembered any of it. She was kind and caring towards him, sure, but everyone had their limit. They'd cuddled and he'd kissed her! Ugh, she'd be sickened by that! He rubbed his hands roughly over his face, trying to wake himself up but also doing his best to scrub away his bubbling emotions. Maybe there was a chance she wouldn't remember anything from last night and they could carry on as before. Why didn't he just let her go have dinner with that wretched Alan?! Yea he would have been grumpy about it and disliked it but it would have been better than embarrassing her like this!


One last look at Darling and he sighed heavily then pulled on his boot and quietly left the room. The least he could do for her was get her a hot beverage for when she woke up.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The click of the door behind Ben was enough to wake Freckles up. The pup hopped up and barked, trampling over Darling's splayed out hair as she ran to the edge of the bed and hopped off. The sharp pain of having her hair pulled yanked Darling out of her sleep and she groaned. Shit her head hurt. Her vision was blurry and her tongue still tasted like stale whiskey.


Laying there for a long moment, she rubbed her face and tried to ignore the throbbing pain that matched the rhythm of Freckles's yapping. Oh yeah, this was why she didn't drink. With all the strength she had, Darling pushed herself to sit up and slowly, agonizingly, made herself stand up. Shuffling over to her bag, Darling blindly dug around for a bottle of water and wasted no time in downing about half of it. Feeling light headed, she plopped herself in the middle of the bed, crossed her legs, and hid her face in her hands. Freckles eventually calmed down and found that playing with the half empty bottle was more interesting than barking at the door.


What happened? She remembered cards and drinking far more than she probably should have. She remembered laughing an obnoxious amount, remembered...Ben falling asleep on her and making jokes that she really shouldn't have made. Oh, well, that was probably why Ben had bailed without waking her up. Was this a bad sign? He never woke up before her, so she didn't really know what to make of it. Maybe he didn't remember, maybe he would just laugh and make fun of her. Yeah, that was something she could deal with. Hell, she was probably going to make fun of herself. Taking in a slow breath, she barely had time to internalize this and resign herself to her fate when the door opened.


"Morning." Her voice was quieter than normal, for she knew if she spoke too loudly she'd only make her head feel worse.

 

[CortezHorse]

Two cups of dark black coffee, it was easy to come by but the drink did look something akin to thinned out mud. Hopefully Darling wouldn’t mind it. He quietly opened the door and to his surprised was greeted by a soft voice. Despite her gentle tones, Ben still winced at the greeting. He was hoping she’d still be asleep when he came back, just a little longer to wallow in his shame privately.


“Mornin’.”


He replied as softly as his rough voice would allow. Ben sat one cup of the dark brew on the table in between their beds then sat on his own bed which had barely been touched since they’d arrived. It was cold, hadn’t been slept in.


“Got some coffee, thought it might help.”


Maybe, just maybe she didn’t remember anything. His guilt was gnawing at him and he could barely look at her because of it. Even if she didn’t remember, he did. There was no way he’d be able to carry on like this; he’d constantly be avoiding her gaze, avoiding her.


“So, uh, I’m sorry about last night.”


He sipped his own coffee, winced a bit at the bitterness of it then took another sip. His eyes were glued onto his lap, thinking hard on what else to say.


“Also sorry you missed out with Alan last night.”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The coffee smelled strong and she reached out to take the mug that had been placed on the nearby end-table. The mug was chipped in a few spots, but it was warm in her hands. Thumbs moving along the sides, she looked down into the mug before taking a drink. It was bitter, but it was better than whiskey. God she'd never drink that again if she was about to die of dehydration.


It was Ben's comment that made her look up. Maybe he didn't notice, he seemed to be avoiding her gaze and it took all of her effort not to do the same. His apology almost caught her off guard. Still, she smiled at him, taking another drink of her coffee.


"Hey, no worries, we were just having a bit of fun. And Alan wasn't the one I wanted to spend last night with anyway."


Maybe she'd take up writing to him as well, now that she knew where he was stationed. Darling liked keeping up with people, besides, she'd feel less guilty about blowing him off if she made an effort to keep in touch. She pushed those thoughts back, however, and opted to take this chance to just move forward. Last night had just been a chance to blow off some steam, to take a moment and relax. There was no reason to linger.


Mussing up her hair, she drew her knee up and propped her elbow on it, looking at him as though things were perfectly normal between them.


"Thanks for the coffee by the way, my head feels like it got trampled by a Big Horner. I can't imagine you're feeling any better than I am, if memory serves me right you drank more than I did."


Though, not by much apparently.

 

[CortezHorse]

Hey, no worries, we were just having a bit of fun. And Alan wasn’t the one I wanted to spend last night with anyway.


Almost timidly he looked up, as if he were hopeful of, of something. She didn’t want to spend last night with Alan? That had to mean she wanted to spend it with him, right? That was the only explanation but still he stubbornly refused to believe it. There was no way she wanted to be with him when they spent all their time traveling together.


She took up a relaxed pose and just the sight of that had Ben feeling more relaxed as well. Her tone was even, soft, obviously not worried about what happened last night. He let his shoulders sag a bit and he smirked at her.


“Nah, m’sure you were the one who drank more. Definitely remember you losin’ more card hands to me than the other way around.”


Freckles came trotting up in between their beds, holding Darling’s water bottle proudly in his mouth.


“And you missy.”


He swept the pup up and she gave a tiny growl.


“How could you let us drink so much? This is all your fault you know.”


She dropped the bottle with dull thud then and began lapping at his face.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"I may have lost more hands, but I took smaller drinks than you."


She half lifted her cup to make her point.


But she was also smaller than him, and with her lack of tolerance, she probably was really more smash-faced than he was. It wasn't as though she regretted it, she didn't, but there wasn't a chance she'd do it again. The chance to be an idiot without a filter wasn't worth the pain behind her eyes. The water and caffeine was helping, though, and soon enough she'd be just fine, or, mostly fine.


Darling smiled at Freckles, finishing off her mug while being careful not to drink down the grinds. Reaching over, noticing that extending her arm didn't make her ribs hurt, she put her mug back where Ben had originally placed it.


"Maybe making her the responsible one wasn't our best idea. Well, neither was downing a bottle of whiskey now that I think about it."


It was amazing they hadn't died.


Ben looked like he was feeling better, though and she could feel the air in the room starting to relax. It had taken awhile for Ben to loosen up around her in the first place and she was glad she didn't have to start over from scratch.


"I think I'll just stick with sarsaparilla next time, at least then I won't be giggling every other word."

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben plopped Freckles on the bed beside him and went back to drinking his coffee. He grinned into the steamy cup when Darling made a comment about their bad ideas last night; they’d had quite a few. Honestly, even though he was embarrassed about it, he’d have to say that getting to kiss and cuddle with Darling wasn’t one of them. That was an opinion he’d keep to himself though.


I think I’ll just stick with sarsaparilla next time, at least then I won’t be giggling every other word.


He chuckled, setting aside his now empty mug.


“You did seem to think I was pretty hilarious last night. Weren’t jokin’ when you said you get all giggly were ya?”


It didn’t bother him though; he found it kind of, cute. He smiled at her, letting Darling know that he hadn’t been bothered at all but her amped up bubbly nature last night.


“So, I was thinkin’. We ain’t got much in the way of caps and just in case we run into trouble again, we might wanna think about stayin here for a small spell and doin’ some bit jobs for pay. Thought that Alan could tip us off to folks that need help; watcha think?”


It wasn’t ideal to ask Alan for help but they needed money and since he was a local he might be able to help them find work. Ben was itching to leave the soldier behind in the dust but if they found themselves in another bind and without ample funds to re-supply then he wasn’t quite sure what they’d do. He wasn’t going to doom the two of them just because he didn’t like Darling’s old childhood boyfriend. He’d dealt with bigots before and he could do it again.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She blinked.


He had a point. They needed more money. It was amazing they had come this far with everything they had to face, anything more and t hey'd be pushing their luck without a doubt. The fact that he was willing to have her talk to Alan for them really told her just how determined he was to get some caps back in their pockets. Really, she was a bit impressed that he was willing to put that first little spat behind him. If Darling could get over being left for the military, Ben could put some rude comments behind him. Hopefully.


"You know, I think that's a pretty nice idea. As soon as I don't look like a nightkin, I'll go out and see if Alan has any leads for us."


Her shirt was wrinkled and twisted, hair an impossible mess, and worst of all that meant she'd have to actually step out into the Mojave sun. the dull light filtering through the blinds on the window was bad enough. Man she was glad she had sunglasses.


"But, lets try not to stay too long. If I get to sleep in an actual bed long enough I might not want to get out on the road again."


It wasn't as though she had a time limit, she could be gone for as long as she needed to, and yet, Darling felt the need to keep going. If she could have gotten to the Strip any faster, she already would have. But, maybe they did need a place where they could rest, where they could eat and shower. They'd be better off for it in the end, more prepared to handle whatever hit them next.

 

[CortezHorse]

You know, I think that’s a pretty nice idea. As soon as I don’t look like a nightkin, I’ll go out and see if Alan has any leads for us.


Ben snorted a laugh at that, really taking in her entire disheveled image.


“I think you look fine.”


He smirked and looked down at his lap before mumbling.


“Look just as pretty as always.”


It was bold, part of him wasn’t sure why he’d said it at all, but another part needed to get it out. Slowly he was becoming more open with her, it was uncomfortable at times but the more he opened up the more relaxed he felt, he could breathe easier. He could easily write it off as a simple compliment if she took offense to it and move on. She was acting so carefree about last night though that it gave him more confidence, it emboldened him.


“Well, Imma go out and see what I can find. Don’t get to comfortable with that bed.”


He tossed her a grin, something else that was coming easier these days, and walked out.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Look just as pretty as always.


Was she blushing at that? No, no Darling couldn't possibly be blushing at such a simple compliment. She'd been called pretty before, beautiful even, she had become accustomed to hearing those words, but only ever when she actually tried. She was pretty when her hair was washed and brushed, when she had perfume and lipstick to wear, not when she had just woken up with a hangover and hair that would break a brush if one wasn't careful. She looked like hell, and he still called her pretty. She'd be lying if she said she was anything short of flattered.


He walked out and Darling fixed herself up as quickly as possible. Making sure her eyes weren't red and her breath didn't smell like whiskey, the blonde tugged on her boots and headed out, pausing only to drop a handful of caps off at the front desk to ensure their room would still be theirs for another night.


That little chore done, she stepped out into the sunlight.


There was always work to be done in towns be it mending fences or stepping in for a sick cook. She wasn't worried about them finding something to put some caps in their pocket. What she was worried about was that people might be a bit too bigoted for a duo like them to last long here.


Trying to ignore that little nagging fact, she headed out to try and find the barracks, and Alan, before Ben bumped in to him on accident.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben wandered about the small settlement, looking for anything that struck him as open for work. It became a quick talent of his, spotting people and places that looked like they'd need a hand. The tip offs were usually stacks of crates, crowds, sounds of tools or anywhere that had people moving heavy items; it wasn't hard to get someone to pay you to move a piece of heavy ass furniture so they wouldn't have to do it themselves. So far he wasn't having much luck, the locals were a bit standoffish towards him which was to be expected and in all honesty Ben wasn't trying his hardest to make pleasant small talk with anyone either.


He took a pause, leaning against the side of a building to light one of his precious cigarettes when a familiar figure caught his attention. Ah, Alan, perfect. Wow, even the voice in his head was sarcastic. Ben took a long drag of smoke then practically let it all out in a defeated sigh as he started walking toward the soldier. Just man up and ask him where work is. You're traveling with Darling so he'll want to help her out at least.


"Hey."


A simple opening.


"You know anyone who needs any sort of manual work done round here? Darling and I are runnin' low on caps, need some pay before we head out."


He flicked his cigarette, knocking the ash off of the end of it, doing his best to keep a polite air in his rough voice.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

It was the same thing day in and day out in this little town, not that Alan minded too much. It was better than some of the places he had been stationed, and after Bitter Springs...well, he wasn't looking for a fight any time soon. Or, not a gun fight at least. He saw Ben coming his way and found that he was straightening his shoulders a little, standing up to take full advantage of his height. He watched Ben flick the cigarette and frowned.


Of course the zombie smoked. A disgusting habit for a disgusting thing.


"This place is pretty self sufficient, can't blame people for not wanting to pay strangers who will just take the caps and leave."


He sounded professional, calm.


"You could always just take to begging, someone would take pity on you I'm sure."


There was a pang of regret that hit him as soon as the words left his mouth, yet, he made no attempt to retract them. Sure he wanted to help Darling out, knowing that she could get caught out in the Mojave without a cap to her name genuinely worried him, but he still didn't like this ghoul. The fact that darling made friends with him didn't say much for the zombie's character, after all, Darling tended to try and make friends with anyone who would give her the time of day. It didn't make this guy -Ben was it?- special.

 

[CortezHorse]

The conversation started out alright, although Alan was less than helpful, claiming that people wouldn't be willing to pay neither he or Darling for work. He was about to press the matter, to say surely someone needs an extra set of hands, then the passive aggressive bigot from yesterday reared his head yet again.


You could always just take to begging, someone would take pity on you I'm sure.


Ben's jaw muscles tensed as he began gritting his teeth, trying to hold back a slew of nasty insults. What would it solve? The bastard was a soldier so would either end up shooting him or throwing both he and Darling out. So, despite his boiling levels of anger, he calmly placed the cigarette back to his lip and inhaled.


"Alan, what exactly is your problem with me?"


The words came out in an even, patient tone as the smoke seeped from his mouth and the hole where his nose once was.


"Is it cause I look different? You got a problem with the fact that I ain't got a fuckin' nose or somethin? Maybe you think I ain't as smart as you, that it?"


He dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out.


"Cause I'm gonna let you know right now Alan, I've seen a lot of shit through my long, horrible life and a lot of it was done by people like you who thought you were better and knew better than anyone else. You're the type of folk who would rather see me runnin' around with a collar round my neck. Just because you're wearin that armor." Ben took that moment to flick Alan's armor. "Don't mean shit. You ain't one of the good guys just because you wearin' their logo boy."