Naw, B.O.B. would never do somethin’ that mean-spirited. Would ya, B.O.B.?
[ He calls out the last part to wherever the omnic might be standing, the rest of his attention fixed on Ashe. She looks good, but maybe too good considering the circumstances. Like someone trying real hard to look more fine than they feel. ]
Sure would. No better cure for the flu than a shot or two of whiskey.
Suppose you're right, B.O.B. is the nice one. [ She smirked at the comment. ] Guess that may have been me rollin' my eyes then.
[ Standing up, she walked over to a small cupboard which housed a collection of fine glassware and pulled two glasses. At least Deerington had provided. Even her cosmetics had been laid out in the bathroom when she'd first arrived, which had allowed her to cover up the signs of exhaustion. Nothing like a couple layers of make up to cover up the pale skin and dark circles.
She came back to sit down near him on the sofa and poured two glasses, offering one before holding her own towards his. ] Nothin' loves you or heals you quite like whiskey.
[ Jesse ignores the way his hand shakes when he takes the offered glass, and can only hope Ashe hadn’t given it any more notice. ]
Sure, until you wake up the next day wishin’ you’d never seen a bottle in your life.
[ Far be it from him to preach sobriety- but at the very least, he can keep her from finishing the entire bottle alone. Just for one night. And if any remaining ghosts decided to rear their ugly heads, then there’s an extra set of hands on-site to fend them off. With that in mind, he flashes one of his crooked smiles as he holds up his drink. ]
[ She shrugs, a tiny smile edging the corner or her mouth. ] I have been told before that I am not the best at understandin' love.
Cheers. [ She had noticed the shake of his hands, but she was pretty heavily focusing on him at the moment. She would have been aware of any slight changes. She tips her glass back and swallows the liquid. At this point she's gotten so used to the burn of it that her expression doesn't change. The relief of it rushed her system and she let out a sigh, closing her eyes and leaning her cheek against the cushion. ]
Might be the only thing this place has goin’ for it.
[ He knocks the liquor back with ease, his condition apparently not being an impediment to his ability to drink. It’s no impediment either to his ability to think, albeit about things he should probably leave alone. ]
You really got thrown into the deep end, endin’ up here.
[ He looks down at his glass, swirling what little is left at the bottom around. ]
[ She poured herself another shot, before sliding the bottle his direction. Leaning back on the sofa, she took in his words. Deep end. She'd been in the deep end all her life, or at least most if it. It was shocking to her that Deerington had any way of rattling her when she'd been so sure of her inability to be rattled.]
Aww Jesse. I've been swimmin' in the deep end all my life, this place is just one more lap, I'll manage. [ Even if she couldn't completely hide the exhaustion. She is glad to be free of their old enemy gang though.
His other words caught her a little by surprise and they burned more than the liquor when she drinks the next shot. ] Can't say I was expectin' us to end up in some alternate world together. I figured eventually you'd saunter into my path again, sooner or later. You'd show up, needin' something and usin' me and mine to get it...
[ She trails off, staring towards the high arch of the cathedral ceiling. ] Hopefully I won't find you first, I like that bike...
[ He'll not budge on that. He gave them a chance to profit without a fight after all, and they'd chosen a shootout. He refills his glass, chuckling at the memory. Not the scuffle, but after. ]
Rides real nice. Wouldn't expect anything less, with your taste.
[ But thinking about the bike makes him think about the picture, which goes back to Chloe mentioning it, which brings it all back full-circle. The past is always at its peskiest when it won't stay back where it belongs. Popping up in the present, causing trouble for everybody... real inconvenient. ]
... You had an old picture taped onto it. Afraid you'd forget what I looked like and miss out on the bounty?
Mhmmmm. [ She raises an eyebrow, and just shakes her head. Better to let that part drop for now, they may never see eye to eye on how that went down. The whiskey was at least making it easier to not dig her heels in, and there is the bike to think about. ]
Yeah, she's a dream, and when I go home, I want her back. [ At least here she had the bike, picture and all.
She'd never really understand why she'd kept it. It was a happy memory, but she'd been angry enough to tear it up, before taping it and keeping it. His bounty wasn't the reason. She had huge numbers of people, if she really wanted his bounty she would go to the extreme to try and get it, but she didn't. ]
I don't want your bounty. This whole thing. [ She waved her hand between them. ] It's personal, and I'm not going to let anyone else deal with it. Everyone else knows not to collect it either, just as an F Y I.
[ Huh. Well, that was a surprise. The way she explains it all makes sense though. No sentimentality to it, just a personal vendetta years in the making. It’s even a bit of a relief. This is familiar territory. ]
Could make you all a pretty penny though, if you change your mind.
[ He says it with a brief flash of a smile, but his demeanor shifts quickly as he considers what else he came here to say. ]
Given, y’know. This whole thing. [ He makes a similar gesture with his free hand. ] I wouldn’t have expected you to stay, when I…
[ While he died. And he’s not really stopped to think about it and process what happened, the fear and the pain and the last words he’d heard her say before-
Jesse takes a drink, knocking back far too much. He hasn’t dealt with it yet, and he doesn’t intend to now. ]
Y’know what I mean. You had no reason to, but you were there.
I ain't lacking in pennies, and I will deal with you my own way.
[ She just could never come up with just how she wanted to. It was hard to enough to admit to herself that it meant something, let alone admit it to him. So it would seem for the time being he'd keep assuming there was no sentimentality.
The other part was a bit harder to address or hide from. She'd gone over it so many times in her head while wondering when he'd come back. She tries to force the knot that's in her throat down with another shot. ]
You know, you don't exactly come for my bounty either. And if you want to talk about unpredictable things, you takin' a bullet for me was about as unpredictable as it gets. So why Jesse? Why do you act like you give a damn about what happens to me? If I died back home, it would be off your radar. Could be years before you knew...
[ Jesse rolls his glass between his palms and looks down at it like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. He should have anticipated that question and had something pithy ready to say. Should have being the key part. ]
Not givin’ me enough credit there. You don’t think I keep up with the gang? [ With her, in particular? Though he’s not drunk enough to put it that way. ] I knew enough about your goings-on to catfish you into a train robbery. I stay up-to-date.
[ Now, as for the rest of it… he’ll need more whiskey for that, which he readily pours for himself. ]
Sure, we haven’t been on anythin’ close to friendly terms for years. But that doesn’t mean I want you dead, Ashe.
[ Of course he kept up to date on the gang. She really shouldn't have been surprised. It made sense for why he had used the gang to collect his score. She wasn't sure how to feel about that, but they had been family first, so of course he kept up to date. ]
Guess we've been keep tabs on each other then.
[ She lets out a sigh when he admits that he doesn't want her dead. ]
Yeah, maybe not, but jumpin' in front of a bullet for me is a different story.
[ He doesn’t drink right away this time. He just lets the glass sit in his hands and watches his own reflection ripple in the alcohol. ]
I don’t want your bounty, and I don’t want you dyin’ a pointless death in the middle of someplace like this. We’ve got history, and that counts for somethin’. Not that I won’t fight like hell when you do decide to come get your due.
[ She wondered what would have happened if it had been her in that situation. Would she have jumped first. She wasn't that self sacrificing, but she'd been injured by protecting her stupid boys before, so when push came to shove she did care.
She shifted on the sofa after pouring another shot, and tucked her legs up under her as she turned towards him. ]
I wouldn't expect anythin' else. I guess...I guess I should say...thanks. And...don't do it again.
[ She looked away for a brief moment as if she were completely embarrassed. When she looked back, she noted how hot he looked. Quickly, while the alcohol was working through her system, she reached over and placed the front of her wrist against his forehead. ] Aww, hell Jesse, you're burning up.
[ While she’d been turned away, Jesse had looked up. He’d been in the middle of studying her profile, puzzling over the strangeness of the moment and wondering at the deceptively simple act of her thanking him. Then she turns back, and he expects… something that isn’t this. Maybe something sarcastic, or sharp, and certainly not her checking his temperature. Her wrist is cool against the veritable furnace of his fever-heated skin. ]
It’s fine, I’m fine-
[ He reaches up to nudge her hand away, only then noting how dry his mouth feels. He clears his throat and blinks away the fuzziness of his vision. The flu is to blame for all of this, of course. Nothing else. Certainly not the alcohol, or anything else in the room. ]
[ She pulled her hand back quickly enough, but goes to stand up and make her way toward the kitchen again. She'd been hoping that she'd enjoy watching him suffer, and she had insisted she would give him no help. It provides a good distraction at least, something to do while they talk.
Her own head feels light, but she hasn't had enough to really get drunk, just comfortable. ] For future reference, B.O.B. has the job of shieldin' me pretty covered. I know he was out of sight at that particular moment, but you can let him go back to doin' his job from here on out.
[ She returns with a cold cloth, and a glass of water with two tylenol. She takes her seat on the sofa again and offers over the water and pills. ]
Hey...do you remember that time just after we founded Deadlock, when we got hit with that really bad flu.
[ Will wonders never cease? Jesse takes the pills first, then water, half wondering if he should have checked to make sure they weren’t poison first. But really, given the way everything has gone, he doesn’t think she has it out for him. Not right this second. He’s not convinced Chloe had it all right either, but… there might have been some truth to it, maybe. ]
Damn, well I try not to because that’s the sickest I’d been, before comin’ here. Swear you had it worse off than me though.
[ He’s grinning when he says it though, despite how terrible the memory supposedly is. ]
B.O.B. had his hands full between the two of us, still tryin’ to run things outta our sickbeds.
[ Oh, she was going to have to have a talk with Chloe at some point about trying to make it sound like she cared. Those were things she wasn't sure how to explain and really didn't want to. The truth was that despite how there was still a lot of walls to climb over, Ashe had faced a lot while Jesse had been gone. She'd faced a lot and she wasn't at home in her usual patterns. She'd been plenty uncomfortable, but the things she had to focus on were different.
She gave a small chuckle over it. ] Yeah. That's what made me think of it. Your head is as hot as it was back then. [ Once the pills were swallowed. She sets the cold cloth against his skin. Despite the act, she makes sure to appear put out by the whole thing. ] Not that you ain't always hot headed. Good to know some things don't ever change. You are still a hot-headed dumbass, who does stupid things when sick.
Poor B.O.B. sometimes I feel sorry for him, always pickin' up after us. Be honest, he's the reason you won't collect my bounty, you don't want to make him sad. [ That, or maybe it was because she kept the lawless Southwest in some resemblance of order. Maybe not a good order, but order all the same. She'd cleaned it up with her rules and business model. Or maybe some other reason, she couldn't begin to guess.]
[ It wasn’t long ago that Jesse’d had Mercy fussing over him and tending to his fever, but this feels completely different. And Ashe does it like it’s not a big thing, casual as can be. The only reason he doesn’t say something is because he’s sure that if he brings attention to it, she’ll stop. ]
You talkin’ about me tryin’ to ride that motorcycle into town for more orange juice? Seemed like a great idea. That curb came out of nowhere.
[ He realizes he’s turned toward her at some point, his one arm propped on the back of the couch while the other holds his water. He grins and glances over to where the omnic is idling, for away enough to give them privacy but near enough to be of use should something happen. ]
Yeah, you got me. It’s the reason I always let him win at cards too. Can’t stand to see him sulkin’.
[ A straight-up lie. B.O.B. was just inherently good. Jesse had already been good at cheating, but trying to beat B.O.B. had been a big motivator to get better. ]
And then B.O.B. had a whole new situation to deal with. [ A half smile curves on her lips and her free hand goes for the bottle, to just take a swig of it. Her other hand continued to dab at his forehead with the cold cloth. ] I think I lost my voice yellin' at you We were such stupid kids.
[ Times since then had been so different, but the memories, she recalled so many good ones. Of course, there were the bad ones like the gang that had been chasing her around during his absence. But the good times were so good. Like the card games that B.O.B. had always beaten them at. ]
You weren’t far from losin’ your voice before that. Not my fault you had to holler ‘til you ended what the fever started.
[ Jesse’s smile slips easily into a familiar smirk. The weird thing about all this is how it’s both familiar and foreign all at once—but even so, nothing comes quite as easy to Jesse as grandstanding. It’s much too easy to fall into that particular habit, strangeness be damned. ]
Think so? You want to grab a deck of cards and prove it?
[ That was certainly true, she'd only made it worse. ] Yeah...well, y'know I had to yell where B.O.B. couldn't.
[ The look on her face shows clearly the amusement the memory had brought up for her. She never would have thought she'd have fond memories of a time like that. Least they'd fought it together. The same way they'd fought everything together back then.
Her tone turns teasing though as she continues to try and cool his head. It seemed to be helping. ] Seems unfair, seein' I am better than you at the best of times. Like this, you are at a true disadvantage. [ Whether or not she was better, she would stick to her claim. ]
Sure he would’ve had some choice words for me if he was the talkin’ type. Probably still does.
[ Her amusement is reflected right back in his grin. Between that and the whiskey and the cool cloth, he’s feeling better than he has since coming back from the dead. Not how he’d expected this visit to go, but in a good way. ]
Now those are some fightin’ words if I ever heard any. Just one round, Ashe. We can wager somethin' to make it more interestin'.
A little harder to yell in sign language. [ Chloe had been signing with him a lot recently. Ashe sometimes missed the conversation she might have had with B.O.B. but they had a certain language between them that only they knew, so for her it worked out. She had a feeling he'd give her a few choice words as well.
She hadn't expected it to feel this comfortable either. So much had happened over the years and Deerington had really sped things up into interesting directions. ]
Well if you are offerin' up free stuff, who am I to say no? [ She looked over towards B.O.B. ] B.O.B., grab me the cards would you? [ As he left to go get them, she turned back to Jesse. ] What do you wanna wager, cowboy?
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[ He calls out the last part to wherever the omnic might be standing, the rest of his attention fixed on Ashe. She looks good, but maybe too good considering the circumstances. Like someone trying real hard to look more fine than they feel. ]
Sure would. No better cure for the flu than a shot or two of whiskey.
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[ Standing up, she walked over to a small cupboard which housed a collection of fine glassware and pulled two glasses. At least Deerington had provided. Even her cosmetics had been laid out in the bathroom when she'd first arrived, which had allowed her to cover up the signs of exhaustion. Nothing like a couple layers of make up to cover up the pale skin and dark circles.
She came back to sit down near him on the sofa and poured two glasses, offering one before holding her own towards his. ] Nothin' loves you or heals you quite like whiskey.
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Sure, until you wake up the next day wishin’ you’d never seen a bottle in your life.
[ Far be it from him to preach sobriety- but at the very least, he can keep her from finishing the entire bottle alone. Just for one night. And if any remaining ghosts decided to rear their ugly heads, then there’s an extra set of hands on-site to fend them off. With that in mind, he flashes one of his crooked smiles as he holds up his drink. ]
Cheers.
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Cheers. [ She had noticed the shake of his hands, but she was pretty heavily focusing on him at the moment. She would have been aware of any slight changes. She tips her glass back and swallows the liquid. At this point she's gotten so used to the burn of it that her expression doesn't change. The relief of it rushed her system and she let out a sigh, closing her eyes and leaning her cheek against the cushion. ]
At least Deerington has some fine booze.
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[ He knocks the liquor back with ease, his condition apparently not being an impediment to his ability to drink. It’s no impediment either to his ability to think, albeit about things he should probably leave alone. ]
You really got thrown into the deep end, endin’ up here.
[ He looks down at his glass, swirling what little is left at the bottom around. ]
Not where I would’ve seen us meetin' up again.
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Aww Jesse. I've been swimmin' in the deep end all my life, this place is just one more lap, I'll manage. [ Even if she couldn't completely hide the exhaustion. She is glad to be free of their old enemy gang though.
His other words caught her a little by surprise and they burned more than the liquor when she drinks the next shot. ] Can't say I was expectin' us to end up in some alternate world together. I figured eventually you'd saunter into my path again, sooner or later. You'd show up, needin' something and usin' me and mine to get it...
[ She trails off, staring towards the high arch of the cathedral ceiling. ] Hopefully I won't find you first, I like that bike...
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[ He'll not budge on that. He gave them a chance to profit without a fight after all, and they'd chosen a shootout. He refills his glass, chuckling at the memory. Not the scuffle, but after. ]
Rides real nice. Wouldn't expect anything less, with your taste.
[ But thinking about the bike makes him think about the picture, which goes back to Chloe mentioning it, which brings it all back full-circle. The past is always at its peskiest when it won't stay back where it belongs. Popping up in the present, causing trouble for everybody... real inconvenient. ]
... You had an old picture taped onto it. Afraid you'd forget what I looked like and miss out on the bounty?
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Yeah, she's a dream, and when I go home, I want her back. [ At least here she had the bike, picture and all.
She'd never really understand why she'd kept it. It was a happy memory, but she'd been angry enough to tear it up, before taping it and keeping it. His bounty wasn't the reason. She had huge numbers of people, if she really wanted his bounty she would go to the extreme to try and get it, but she didn't. ]
I don't want your bounty. This whole thing. [ She waved her hand between them. ] It's personal, and I'm not going to let anyone else deal with it. Everyone else knows not to collect it either, just as an F Y I.
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Could make you all a pretty penny though, if you change your mind.
[ He says it with a brief flash of a smile, but his demeanor shifts quickly as he considers what else he came here to say. ]
Given, y’know. This whole thing. [ He makes a similar gesture with his free hand. ] I wouldn’t have expected you to stay, when I…
[ While he died. And he’s not really stopped to think about it and process what happened, the fear and the pain and the last words he’d heard her say before-
Jesse takes a drink, knocking back far too much. He hasn’t dealt with it yet, and he doesn’t intend to now. ]
Y’know what I mean. You had no reason to, but you were there.
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[ She just could never come up with just how she wanted to. It was hard to enough to admit to herself that it meant something, let alone admit it to him. So it would seem for the time being he'd keep assuming there was no sentimentality.
The other part was a bit harder to address or hide from. She'd gone over it so many times in her head while wondering when he'd come back. She tries to force the knot that's in her throat down with another shot. ]
You know, you don't exactly come for my bounty either. And if you want to talk about unpredictable things, you takin' a bullet for me was about as unpredictable as it gets. So why Jesse? Why do you act like you give a damn about what happens to me? If I died back home, it would be off your radar. Could be years before you knew...
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Not givin’ me enough credit there. You don’t think I keep up with the gang? [ With her, in particular? Though he’s not drunk enough to put it that way. ] I knew enough about your goings-on to catfish you into a train robbery. I stay up-to-date.
[ Now, as for the rest of it… he’ll need more whiskey for that, which he readily pours for himself. ]
Sure, we haven’t been on anythin’ close to friendly terms for years. But that doesn’t mean I want you dead, Ashe.
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Guess we've been keep tabs on each other then.
[ She lets out a sigh when he admits that he doesn't want her dead. ]
Yeah, maybe not, but jumpin' in front of a bullet for me is a different story.
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[ He doesn’t drink right away this time. He just lets the glass sit in his hands and watches his own reflection ripple in the alcohol. ]
I don’t want your bounty, and I don’t want you dyin’ a pointless death in the middle of someplace like this. We’ve got history, and that counts for somethin’. Not that I won’t fight like hell when you do decide to come get your due.
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[ She wondered what would have happened if it had been her in that situation. Would she have jumped first. She wasn't that self sacrificing, but she'd been injured by protecting her stupid boys before, so when push came to shove she did care.
She shifted on the sofa after pouring another shot, and tucked her legs up under her as she turned towards him. ]
I wouldn't expect anythin' else. I guess...I guess I should say...thanks. And...don't do it again.
[ She looked away for a brief moment as if she were completely embarrassed. When she looked back, she noted how hot he looked. Quickly, while the alcohol was working through her system, she reached over and placed the front of her wrist against his forehead. ] Aww, hell Jesse, you're burning up.
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It’s fine, I’m fine-
[ He reaches up to nudge her hand away, only then noting how dry his mouth feels. He clears his throat and blinks away the fuzziness of his vision. The flu is to blame for all of this, of course. Nothing else. Certainly not the alcohol, or anything else in the room. ]
It’ll burn itself out in a week, so I hear.
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Her own head feels light, but she hasn't had enough to really get drunk, just comfortable. ] For future reference, B.O.B. has the job of shieldin' me pretty covered. I know he was out of sight at that particular moment, but you can let him go back to doin' his job from here on out.
[ She returns with a cold cloth, and a glass of water with two tylenol. She takes her seat on the sofa again and offers over the water and pills. ]
Hey...do you remember that time just after we founded Deadlock, when we got hit with that really bad flu.
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Damn, well I try not to because that’s the sickest I’d been, before comin’ here. Swear you had it worse off than me though.
[ He’s grinning when he says it though, despite how terrible the memory supposedly is. ]
B.O.B. had his hands full between the two of us, still tryin’ to run things outta our sickbeds.
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She gave a small chuckle over it. ] Yeah. That's what made me think of it. Your head is as hot as it was back then. [ Once the pills were swallowed. She sets the cold cloth against his skin. Despite the act, she makes sure to appear put out by the whole thing. ] Not that you ain't always hot headed. Good to know some things don't ever change. You are still a hot-headed dumbass, who does stupid things when sick.
Poor B.O.B. sometimes I feel sorry for him, always pickin' up after us. Be honest, he's the reason you won't collect my bounty, you don't want to make him sad. [ That, or maybe it was because she kept the lawless Southwest in some resemblance of order. Maybe not a good order, but order all the same. She'd cleaned it up with her rules and business model. Or maybe some other reason, she couldn't begin to guess.]
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You talkin’ about me tryin’ to ride that motorcycle into town for more orange juice? Seemed like a great idea. That curb came out of nowhere.
[ He realizes he’s turned toward her at some point, his one arm propped on the back of the couch while the other holds his water. He grins and glances over to where the omnic is idling, for away enough to give them privacy but near enough to be of use should something happen. ]
Yeah, you got me. It’s the reason I always let him win at cards too. Can’t stand to see him sulkin’.
[ A straight-up lie. B.O.B. was just inherently good. Jesse had already been good at cheating, but trying to beat B.O.B. had been a big motivator to get better. ]
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[ Times since then had been so different, but the memories, she recalled so many good ones. Of course, there were the bad ones like the gang that had been chasing her around during his absence. But the good times were so good. Like the card games that B.O.B. had always beaten them at. ]
I bet I can still beat you at cards too.
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[ Jesse’s smile slips easily into a familiar smirk. The weird thing about all this is how it’s both familiar and foreign all at once—but even so, nothing comes quite as easy to Jesse as grandstanding. It’s much too easy to fall into that particular habit, strangeness be damned. ]
Think so? You want to grab a deck of cards and prove it?
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[ The look on her face shows clearly the amusement the memory had brought up for her. She never would have thought she'd have fond memories of a time like that. Least they'd fought it together. The same way they'd fought everything together back then.
Her tone turns teasing though as she continues to try and cool his head. It seemed to be helping. ] Seems unfair, seein' I am better than you at the best of times. Like this, you are at a true disadvantage. [ Whether or not she was better, she would stick to her claim. ]
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[ Her amusement is reflected right back in his grin. Between that and the whiskey and the cool cloth, he’s feeling better than he has since coming back from the dead. Not how he’d expected this visit to go, but in a good way. ]
Now those are some fightin’ words if I ever heard any. Just one round, Ashe. We can wager somethin' to make it more interestin'.
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She hadn't expected it to feel this comfortable either. So much had happened over the years and Deerington had really sped things up into interesting directions. ]
Well if you are offerin' up free stuff, who am I to say no? [ She looked over towards B.O.B. ] B.O.B., grab me the cards would you? [ As he left to go get them, she turned back to Jesse. ] What do you wanna wager, cowboy?
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I’d offer up the bike, but I don’t have it here. And I’m pretty sure you won’t take a promise as collateral.
[ He hums thoughtfully, eyes tracking B.O.B. across the room before he turns back to meet her gaze. ]
Suppose it depends on what you want.
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