There was a faint bit of pink light creating a barely discernible rectangle in the room. Worth stared at it, fought the urge to touch it, increase the brightness, let him actually take a look at his surroundings, but, as near as he could tell, Conrad was still sleeping. He figured he'd test the waters to be sure. His right hand moved, felt the side of Conrad's head, and traced the outer shell of his ear. Fingers ghosted along slightly then pulled back and shot forward sharply, flicking the vampire's ear hard enough to make an audible thwack.

No stirring and no bitching. Okay, he was still asleep.

Worth had slept okay, but not terribly well. The recliner was nice, certainly a welcomed break from constantly lying on his side, folded up like an accordion to keep his feet from hanging off the edge of the camper's bed. He hadn't slept on his back in ages, not on something soft, anyway, and it had been a pleasant change of pace. But all the same he had felt himself waking with confusion more than once, pawing at the chair, keenly aware of the lack of a body beside him in his sleep. He didn't know when he'd become so goddamned domesticated. At this point, he didn't much care, either.

Stiff joints popped and the springs in the chair whined as he sat up, kicking the foot rest back into place. They had walked right into a hell of a hornets' nest this time, and he wasn't entirely sure how they would get out of it. To be fair, he was never quite sure, but at least he had mostly dealt with humans in previous situations. A hoard of Unseelie weren't exactly within his realm of expertise. At least, not when he couldn't just go right in and shoot them.

The doctor sighed, thinking back fondly to easier times when the most threatening creatures of the night had been cockroaches. Somehow over the past decade that had evolved to all manner of creepy crawlies, the vast majority of which wanted little more than to gnaw your face off. Now he had to navigate without getting himself killed, without getting Conrad killed, and without blowing their cover. He was reasonably certain he was only good at one of those three tasks. It was probably just a matter of time before another Unseelie or a group of them decided Worth was the other white meat and decided to take another chance at a still-breathing meal.

"Good thing I got my lady o' th' night with me, eh? Keepin' me safe 'n' sound close ta her bosom."

"Fuck off. 'm not a prostitute."

Oh, so he was awake now. Worth settled a bit deeper into his chair. "Fact remains ya got a bosom."

"I have a chest," he grumbled, voice muffled slightly by the couch cushion, "not a bosom."

"Naw, ya ain't givin' yerself enough credit here. Ya filled out a bit. Might even make it ta a big girl bra one o' these days."

"Worth."

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"Shut up."

"Love ya, too."

"I wonder."

Worth paused, licked his dry lips, stared at the pink edges, now turning maroon, one step away from violet. "So how we doin' this?"

A sigh and the sound of fabric moving as Conrad was apparently giving up on trying to sleep. "Doing what?"

"This. This whole...thing."

"We stick to the plan and hope it doesn't kill us."

Oh, so it was back to business as usual. Fine. That made things easier, really. "Right. D'ya still trust them others, though? Seemed awfully convincin' last night when they gave their oaths."

"I don't know. We knew going in that they were going to pledge allegiance. We knew I[] was going to pledge allegiance. Do you question where my loyalties lie?"

The edges of the window had turned plum. "Dunno. Guess not. But I've known ya fer awhile now, Connie. Jus' met th' other buggers last night. Sides, yer too attached."

Conrad snorted. "Attached? Really? To what?"

"Well I caught ya talkin' ta th' RV few weeks back."

"That doesn't count. I was working on her-"

"Oooh assignin' a gender? Ya sound long gone."

"Look, it doesn't count. I was working on the vehicle and talking out loud to figure out a problem. It's normal behavior. Besides, female is a common gender assigned to automobiles. Try learning French."

"Vraiment, vous adorez votre voiture."

"That...may be the most disturbing thing you've ever said to me."

"Why? Prefer me bein' an uncultured swine? Or yer mad I don't mind sharin' ya with th' camper? 's okay. We all got our dirty secrets."

"Maybe. Just...let's move on, shall we?"

"Ta th' love of yer life?"

Conrad's voice went deadpan. "Let me guess. That's supposed to be you, isn't it?"

"Aww, sweetheart, ya didn't need ta guess at it. Ya knew it all along. Je t'aime, mon petite chou."

"Ugh, stop. No more French. It's making my ears bleed...did you just call me a small cabbage?"

"Mebbe. Could call ya somethin' else if ya like."

"No. No, I do not."

"Little cabbage it is."

"NO! That is not what I-you know what? Fine. Whatever. I'm too tired and hungry to argue right now."

Worth frowned, squinting in the dark. "When'd ya last eat?"

"I don't know. When did you last feed me?"

He took a breath. Time was funny without clocks and calendars and the sun across the sky. He sort of generally had an idea of things, summer, fall, winter, that sort of thing. Dead bloke kept note of the specific dates and would announce the more important ones. Last he'd heard Fourth of July was over. He just wasn't sure how long ago it had been over. He tried to count out how many sunsets had awoken him since the last time he had a needle in his arm. All it did was make his empty stomach cringe. "Cabbage baby, I ain't gotta clue."

"Well there's your answer. God let's just get this fucking over with fast so we can go back and eat something."

"I'll agree with ya there, Connie."

"Might as well go now." An irritated huff and even in the dark Worth was sure he could see Conrad's hands on his hips. "I'll have to move the furniture again."

"Guess it's true. Ya kin take th' fag outta th' home, but ya can't take th' interior decorator outta him."

"I barricaded the door so nothing would come in and surprise eat you in your sleep. Also, that barely made sense."

He was guided to a wall again and stood there, listening to the scrape and stutter of furniture. "Well...suppose that was real thoughtful of ya. Don't expect nothin' less, though, since I'm yer one 'n' only 'n' you'd be lost without me. Jus' can't bear th' thought of another man's hands on me, can ya?"

"Yes, Worth. Of course, Worth," a hand clasped the doctor's as he was led out of the room, "Anything you say, Worth."

They made their way outside and Conrad belatedly released Worth's hand a few blocks from the building they had stayed in. Worth didn't comment, which probably made things a bit weirder. Whatever. He was pretty sure he smelled food and Conrad seemed to be sashaying his way in its general direction.

Just like with humans and Seelie, the Unseelie formed small patches of groups, smattered out across the streets in haphazard puddles. There was a tiny park right outside the building they had slept in, sandwiched between roads, and most were gathered there, hunching over food, some squatting, some standing. Lots of trees, which probably meant some decent shade in the daytime, but nearly half of them had been reduced to splintered stumps, limbs scattered haphazardly. The old fashioned lampposts were mostly intact, but bent in the sorts of ways that likely meant multiple collisions with Unseelie heads. Well, lay of the land was pretty obvious. Now to figure out where to go to eat.

It was easy to figure out as there was a general sort of line forming. The line wasn't perfect, and was really just a mass of bodies shoving one another out of the way or taking advantage of scruffles to insert themselves at a higher point along the line. Reminded Worth a bit of a raucous bar, everyone trying to gain the attention of the bartenders, random fights. He was disappointed there wasn't a pool table that he could see. Not so much because he played pool, he could, sort of, was piss poor at it, though, but mostly to make some jokes about bending Conrad over and hitting balls with his pole. Standard, really. He'd have to try and find a pool hall somewhere in order to get the joke in. Note to self.

An actual fight broke out as they neared the group. Worth knew the difference between a scuffle and a fight. Real fights involved people watching. Real fights were clenched teeth and grunting, none of that talking bullshit. Real fights also often involved weapons and Conrad started as a spray of hot, black blood spritzed across the side of his face. Good news was with others watching the fight, Worth was able to sidle right up and grab a leg of, well, shit, a leg followed by the rest of the rabbit, out of a slowly bubbling pot. Good. Extra to eat and the bonus of knowing exactly what critter he was actually putting in his mouth. With a group like this, there were more options than he really wanted to consider at the moment.

Holding onto the leg, ignoring the burning it created in his palm, he nudged Conrad, chin pointing toward a wrought iron bench across the street and in another, slightly less occupied section of the small park. They walked over and sat, Worth pulling a pocket knife out to help separate bone from body and aid his eating as the carcass lay on his lap. Jeans would probably be fucked after this. He might have a spare set somewhere in the RV. Conrad sat rigidly, looking like he wanted to crawl out of his skin, slowly and methodically cleaning his glasses, muscle in his jaw jumping as teeth bore down on one another. Hopefully he wasn't hiding some special expensive veneers in there. If so, one of them was about to crack.

"Ya missed a spot," Worth said around a mouth of meat. Gamey, but fuck it, food was food.

"Please don't remind me. I am trying to forget what just happened."

"Jus' a li'l blood. Ya had worse on ya."

Pale lips scowled, snaggle tooth fang pressing into lower lip. Fingers continued to work fabric against glass. "Not asking. Not giving you an opening."

Worth grunted and tossed the mostly meat free leg he had been working on off into the street. He wiped his hands off on the cleaner sides of his thighs, then turned. "C'mere." He cupped Conrad's face.

Pushing glasses back into place, the vampire pulled back and batted at Worth's hands, irritation instant. "God, what are you doing now?"

"Will ya jus' c'mere?" Within his hands the vampire relaxed slightly even as he continued to glare, and Worth leaned in, looking at the drying blood splattered against ivory skin. He rubbed his sleeved arm against his side, working it low enough for his fingers to grasp the cuff. Fabric in hand, he lifted his arm and fastidiously wiped the side of Conrad's face. "There. Feel better now, princess?"

Lips pursed. "Yes."

"If ya want it really clean I gotta use a li'l spit, though."

Conrad shoved him away and leaned forward, forearms resting on his thighs. "It's fine. I don't need your spit, thank you."

"Suit yerself...there're other fluids I could use but it might take a li'l assistance ta-"

He rubbed his forehead, eyes sliding shut. "I am not giving you a hand job in the middle of Boston."

"Huh. Well, I guess I'll jus' take ya up on things when we're on th' outskirts then." With that, it was back to eating and watching the fights. Not that bad of an evening, really. Had to hand it to the Unseelie - hot grub and plenty of entertainment so far.

It was around the time when Worth was wondering what else he could scavenge off the rabbit's body that Caiohme and Hey appeared. Worth held out the mostly stripped carcass to Hey and she immediately sat on the curb, small bones cracking between her teeth.

Caiohme sat beside Worth delicately, smoothing her skirt, watching the blue skinned girl devouring the skeleton. "How's the food?"

He nearly complained, but was interrupted by Conrad. "Nothing special." Oh, right, code words for "Have you found him?" and a reply of "No". Good thing Conrad was the woman in this relationship and never let Worth get a word in. "I assume the same for you?"

She nodded. "We lost track of Ram and Nigel last night. Hey and I mostly wandered and kept to the edges. We wanted to stick together but..."

"They might think we were up to something then," Hey supplied.

"Wouldn't want that now, would we," The fight across the street had died down and Worth scanned the area, taking quick mental snapshots, trying to single out big bad important types from the average canon fodder. "Sure we'll bump inter each other eventually. Ya need a place ta stay? Connie 'n' I are shacked up a few blocks over."

"Maybe. Big, loud groups make me nervous." Her gaze settled on the losers in the fight before the food pot, left to bleed out across the brick sidewalk.

"Eeh. 've had better company, I'll give ya that." A thoughtful look crossed the doctor's face. "Smelled worse, though."

"Worse?" Large brown eyes blinked at Worth.

"Sure. Ya ever spend time inna frat house?" At her head shake he shrugged. "All it takes is one party with a busted toilet 'n' an' angry skunk 'n' ya wouldn't believe wot ya smell in th' mornin'."

"I always wondered, Worth."

"Mmm? Whassat, love?"

"For how long you've led such a charmed life. Apparently, it's lasted decades. I'm starting to believe you're part cockroach."

"Eeeh, coulda been worse. Shoulda seen some a th' places Mont lived."

XXXXX

It took two more days before Worth and Conrad made contact with Ram. Nigel had remained little more than a memory; no one had seen or heard from him. Probably actually did go turncoat, or maybe he was off writing poetry about the beauty of bleats and looking for a pretty, shiny bell to put around Caiohme's neck. Speaking of Caiohme, she and Hey had wound up holing themselves away in the same building as Worth and Conrad and had become somewhat useless, all things considered. Hey had a tendency to attach to someone and follow them around. Good if you needed a pack mule, not as helpful if you needed an independent thinker. Caiohme's nerves were making her shake too much to feel like she could go out in public. He guessed he couldn't blame her too much. Fear wasn't exactly a good thing to advertise to this crowd. Still, he wished they'd been sent out with spooks possessing stronger back bones.

So far the only thing they had discerned was that the Unseelies were restless and bored. There was no real established order, and the chain of command could (and seemingly did) change from day to day. Whomever was calling the shots hadn't made up their mind on what to do yet. That was somewhat encouraging. The fact that food was plentiful, however, was discouraging. Easiest way to a rebellion no matter what species you were looking at was food shortage. With plenty of food, well, the only thing to rebel against was the lack of guidance. Considering small raids for shits and giggles went off randomly, Worth had a feeling the group was only going to grow in size and power rather than start defecting. If anything, the raids would increase in frequency and brutality. He didn't exactly like where things were heading.

"So how's the food?" Conrad asked the naga, looking worn and sluggish. Worth knew the locals were noticing it, how worn down and lacking in energy the vampire was becoming. That wasn't good for either of them. He needed to get Conrad eating and soon.

Ram slithered in a sauntering manner, moving Worth and Conrad away from the edge of a Basilisk fighting pit, stopping when he was beside two trolls. "Believe it or not, I had a pretty good meal the other day."

Both the doctor and the vampire perked. "That a fact?"

They weren't alone. There was no real way to be alone without drawing attention. Worth very nearly had a target on his head and as much as it chafed, he couldn't go anywhere without his escort by his side. Hmm...there was a hooker joke in there somewhere. No way to openly ask for details or for Ram to go back to their place for a private chat, so they would have to play this by ear.

One of the two trolls standing near Worth spoke, conveniently taking the heat off. He didn't mind trolls so much. They were slow of body and of mind. Hard heads, though; bullets would just ping right off of them. Fortunately, they had enough softer areas that made excellent targets. "Where? Good food? Where?"

"Oh, well, I don't know if I should tell you that," Ram replied, toying with a ring on his thumb. He glanced up at Worth, then back down. "If I do, you'll probably just want to go eat there, yourself, and then that's less good food for me. I'm not even sure I know the right way to explain where it is."

"Tell. Location. What there?" A club hit the ground for emphasis. "We find. We no tell others."

"Well only if you're sure. I can sort of explain the location. But I may need you to fill in the details for me so I can be certain of the location of the good food."

Sneaky bastard. Snakey might be growing on Worth after all.

"Yes. We find out. No tell." They seemed terribly proud of themselves, puffing out their barrel chests.

"Well, alright. But this is just a secret between us, okay? So," he leaned against the brick of building and gestured vaguely, "you know that plaza? By City Hall?"

"No. What hall?"

"Oh I think there are other buildings nearby..." he put a finger to his lips, thinking. "Cambridge Street? There's a Post Office."

They were looking confused and upset. Worth was starting to wonder if he and the trolls were being trolled.

"It's a plaza...oh! There's the police station? You know the one, with the traitor?"

"We know!" They grinned, wide, uneven teeth gray like granite. "We know there. We no go in. We no have partners. Maybe in future? Food good?"

"Yes, the plaza over there. I considered going in the jail to see the traitor as well, but I lack a partner, too. Amazing all you need is a partner in order to enter the jail and see her. Oh but I'm rambling, aren't I?" He smiled, sharp and bright. "Why don't you head over now? Hopefully they haven't run out of good things to eat while I've just lazed around talking."

The trolls bounded off, or, well, bounded relative to how trolls move. It was Worth's turn to grin. "I know ya said I ain't yer type, but if I was, I might risk wifey's wrath 'n' kiss ya right 'bout now."

"Sounds dangerous," Ram chuckled, looking off to the side, hands rubbing up and down his arms. "Not sure you should risk it."

Conrad glared. "If you hadn't just told us what you did, and were lacking in good literary taste, I might throttle you for going along with the wifey comment."

Thick eyebrows raised and Ram looked back over to the vampire. "You're going to argue it?"

A scowl to go with the glare. "I'm no one's wifey."

"Yeah, I guess I was gettin' ahead of myself there. Gotta do th' one knee thing 'n' ceremony first, ain't I?"

Conrad turned his back on the doctor, stalking off in the direction of the trolls. "The moment I am feeling better, you will be in pain."

"Music ter my ears, Connie."

They weren't too far from the plaza and wound up walking along the road side by side, Conrad doing his best to glare when an Unseelie spent what he deemed to be too much time staring at Worth. It mostly just looked like he was trying not to fart, which Worth found amusing. Wished he could have taken a picture; mental snapshots only got you so far. He noted how much slower he had to walk, though, and shoved his hands in his pockets, right hand toying with his pocket knife. Hopefully the Unseelie took the sedate pace to be a leisurely stroll and not Conrad simply being too tired and stiff to move any faster.

The doctor cleared his throat after Conrad hissed a warning at a slightly too close bogman. "I was thinkin'."

"Wonderful. Superb. So terribly thrilled for you."

He continued, "Mebbe tonight ya oughta eat somethin'."

"I would like to, but pray tell, how am I supposed to do that?"

Worth's eyebrows raised, rolling skin into wrinkles across his tall forehead. "Pretty sure it involves bitin' 'n' suckin'. Don't quote me on that if ya know some other method."

"I'm not...I'm not biting you. Not here. Not...no."

"Why not? Oi, if it's that yer afraid a hurtin' me," he began to snicker and Conrad crossed his arms. "Well, I'm real touched by th' concern, but if ya haven't realized it yet-"

"Please," the shorter man interrupted, "That's not a fear I have, believe me. It's just...There are no facilities to wash up. Everything I've had from you or willing donors has been sterile. This would be," his face twisted, nostrils widening as he worked the words around in his mouth and head before speaking, "not. Not sterile."

"So ya get a li'l dirty," Worth stepped into the street to avoid walking into a fire hydrant, then back onto the sidewalk, "ain't like yer th' picture o' pristine skin yerself right now." The vampire remained quiet and after some time, with the plaza just ahead, he spoke again. "Kin do like with th' coffee. Remember? Back when we still had a regular society? Saw ya faggin' up a coffee shop late at night 'n' jus' nicked m'hand. Gave ya a li'l snackie in yer toy teacup."

"Espresso cup, Worth. And yes, I remember. I don't know that you should be cutting yourself without medical supplies around."

"I was fine. I'll be fine. Connie. Oi," he stopped walking and grabbed Conrad's arm. "This is important. 'm serious." He guided the vampire back against the small alcove of a building's doors and leaned down, voice low. "Ya might think they ain't noticed, that I'm th' only one who has. They know, Conrad. They know jus' as much as I do that yer fadin'. Ain't safe."

Red eyes searched Worth's face and the blonde fought the urge to look away. "Self preservation, then? Is that it? Feed so that your body guard can keep you safe?"

Exasperated he sighed. "Yeah, some of it. But this ain't jus' about me, Conrad."

"What is it about, then?" His chin stuck out aggressively.

"Goddamn it are ya serious? Don't know how damn many ways I gotta say this." Scowling he pulled back, felt shadows behind him. "Startin' ta think it's better ter jus' beat it inta yer skull."

"Hold. Time enough for that later," good old Oxtree or at least something that sounded like him. Worth turned and took stock of the speaker in the middle of the group of ogres. Huh, well then. Something that sounded like him, but definitely not him. This thing wasn't misshapen. This one made Worth immediately feel what he assumed to be a well-founded and healthy fear. This one was a disciplined killer. This one knew what the fuck it was doing. It was covered in armor, bearing a human form, but much taller and broader than any man Worth had ever known. If he'd had more slime to him, Worth might have knocked on the steel and asked if Fell was inside that trash can. "Your presence has been requested."

"By whom?" Conrad snipped, and Worth had to work to keep the vampire from pushing to stand in front of him.

Bloodstained red hand clenched, metal squeaked. "The Rider."

"Wot so like, a fancy cowgirl? She wearin' them li'l, whatcha call 'ems? Daisy Dukes? Holds high score on-" Worth would have finished his question with "electric bull ridin'?" but he found it very difficult to speak with a hand around his throat and his feet off the ground.

Skin sizzled and steamed, Conrad's limbs elongating. The soldier's right hand began to uncurl as his head turned toward the shifting vampire. Worth's vision was dimming, head pounding. And then, just as quickly as he had been grabbed, he was released, falling to land in an ungraceful pile of limbs. He coughed, eyes watering, windpipe screaming, brain sending out happy little spurts of endorphins as blood rushed back into his head.

The soldier again closed his right fist, turned, and began to walk. "He has little patience. Come."

Kneeling, joints popping as Conrad's form began to return to normal, the vampire reached out to Worth. The doctor shoved him away blindly and rose. "Don't need yer help, Conrad."

"Really? So you had that all under control? You-"

"Come or I will drag you by your eyesockets."

Worth had a feeling that wasn't a bluff. The ogres formed two rows with space between, the soldier stood at the far end, looking down the empty middle at Worth and Conrad. It was like Moses parting a sea of mud. "Catch more flies with honey than-"

"Shut. Up." Conrad hissed and walked past Worth, shoulder roughly jostling the blonde's arm as he passed.

The doctor followed, casting a glance to the stars above. He wondered if he would see them again as the group approached the steps to City Hall.

XXXXX

City Hall was about as dark and foreboding on the inside as the doctor had expected, lit with more fancy glowing symbols on walls and plenty of candles. Worth made a mental note to nick a few candles if they made it out alive. He didn't much mind when Conrad pressed him against walls in the dark, but it would be nice to be able to see where he was going to lie down to sleep rather than stub his toes until he found it. Smelled odd, though, a combination of smoke, barnyard, and overripe vegetables.

Of course, that made sense when the doors to the main council meeting room opened and he spotted a black horse roaming around, a chunk of hay drooping from the corner of its mouth. Considering the variety of creatures he'd had verbal interactions with, he was almost expecting it to start into a villainous tirade. Instead, the horse looked up, then ignored the procession, choosing instead to focus on scratching its rump against the edge of a desk.

Worth and Conrad were guided to stand in the middle of the room, just before a raised desk. Ogres shut the door and stood in a single file line behind the two, and the soldier stood, much like a bailiff, beside the raised desk. They waited. Worth had regained control of his coughing by then, but his throat still felt like it had been crushed. Most likely because it had been. He wondered if this was a part when he should say something to Conrad. Was there anything left to say, though? Hadn't he said and done it all? Well, maybe not everything.

"Oi," Christ but it hurt to speak. Sounded about as good as it felt, too. He swallowed over the swollen fire inside his esophagus. "Connie."

"What?"

"Was thinkin' again."

Conrad took an unnecessary breath, eyes shutting momentarily. "You will bother me until I ask so, what? What is it?"

"I know ya ain't s'good at expressin' yer feelin's fer me. Or plannin' shit out. But I gotta hand it to ya, this is 'bout th' best and most unexpected shot gun weddin' I think any bloke's had. Ya got th' gothic chic ambiance 'n' yer bridesmaids," he glanced behind himself, "good on ya there, makin' sure none of 'em's as pretty as th' blushin' bride so yer groom don't get that wanderin' eye. Now we jus' wait fer th' judge ta come on out 'n' then, well then we got th' honeymoon, 'n', darlin'?" He wheezed, feeling the strain threatening a coughing fit. "Lookin' forward ta that."

The vampire stared. He could feel the ogres eyes on his back, as well. Red Right Hand shifted. The horse wandered past them to chew on a pile of hay on the other side of the room.

Wordlessly, Conrad blinked once, and then twice, shook his head as if jostling and rebooting his brain, then pinched the bridge of his nose.

With barely a sound, a door in the back of the room opened. So now it was time for the show to begin. Stylishly late, of course, can't have those pesky captives thinking you're anxious to interrogate them. You're a very busy and important spook, yes you are, and no one better forget that. Always make an entrance. Then again, considering the Unseelie they assumed was the leader walked up a few steps, set his head on the desk, and then sat in the chair, well, that alone would have been memorable enough.

The eyes on the head wiggled and jerked, the skin was of a texture and color similar to old, moldy cheese, looking almost like it was melting and puddling slightly onto the desk. The body leaned forward slightly, steepling fingers together. The head spoke. "I have been meaning to meet with you, Mr. Achenleck, Doctor Worth. I have, however, been busy. I trust your stay has been good thus far? At least one of you seems to have been eating well."

Fantastic. Worth popped his neck. "Been okay. Better if yer boys weren't s'damn in'erested in my ass."

"Confusing, yes." Eyes continued to tic, occasionally rolling back so that only the whites showed. "It's not as if you would be much of a meal." A hand waved and the body leaned back in the chair. "I suppose that's enough pleasantries. We've established that we know who you are, we also know who you have worked for or who you may still be working for."

Worth was careful to keep his expression neutral. The body language spoke of confidence. The words spoke of some doubt. Doubt was potentially good. "I ain't workin' fer no one. 'm jus' Connie's sex doll."

"What do you want?"

"What I want, Mr. Achenleck, is to get to know you a little better. You see I only really know you by reputation. I know you both have a rich history of killing whatever you think needs killing, animal, human, Unseelie, even Seelie, I would assume. I understand your loyalties, if there are any, have lain more with each other than any other group or creature. I can respect that. We believe true honor comes in self-reliance, not self-sacrifice. Nothing can truly be gained by giving yourself to another's goals. You are aware of that. You have chafed under the council and their rules. Rules that only serve to benefit them." The body stood and began to pace behind the desk.

Oh. Was it monologue time, already?

"They are stuck in the old ways. They refuse to accept that the true workings of this world are chaotic, changing. That which is static, does not evolve, does not adapt, will perish. That which grows, learns, embraces will thrive. Humans were stuck. Humans died. The Seelie are the same, clinging to the ideals of beauty, as if a pretty song will save them when a knife is at their throat." Palms pressed against the desk, fingers splayed wide as the body stopped pacing and leaned forward. "They reject passion. They sit back in their clean castles demanding others give their lives and happiness to defend the honor of the court. It's bullshit. All of it. The wolf does not care how beautiful the fawn. Anything that tries to defend it is wasting its life. In the end it will be alone, defenseless. It will be taken. Iit will be devoured."

A pinky finger made its way into Worth's ear. "Uh huh. Don't really answer Connie's question."

"We are the wolves. I thought I was making that clear." The body sat back down, steepled fingers again while the eyes did a full 360 rotation in the head. "You are welcome to join us and fight for our cause. In fact, it would please me greatly."

"Well we're here, aren't we? What more do you want?"

"Information."

"We ain't got none."

"Oh, I'm sure you do."

"You want information on the council, don't you?" At an incline of the body, Conrad continued. "We never spoke to them. Not once. No private or public talks. I've only seen them during treaty anniversaries. Worth never listens to anything anyone has to say," it was true, Worth was half tuning Conrad out, watching as the horse sniffed at the soldier's helmet, "so how could we tell you anything? We were never asked, never included. Just sent out when they wanted something done."

"Well, that does make you less useful than I had hoped." The horse began to use the soldier's arm to scratch its forehead. "Don't let her catch her eye on anything, Ly Erg. Hard to find a good mount these days. If she loses something, you'll lose something." A finger scratched along the head's hairline. "You see someone scratching and next thing you know, you have an itch, too. So, we've established you're either lying or useless when it comes to information on the council."

"Sorry ter disappoint."

"We will move on. You can tell me about Hanna."

"What about him?"

"Where is he currently?"

Horse and spook were currently engaged in a do-si-do routine as Ly Erg attempted to avoid being used as a scratching post. "How th' fuck should we know?"

"You traveled with him. In fact, you did so up until very recently."

"We aren't with him now."

"I'm growing tired of talking in circles, fledgling. Provide us with information, and do it now."

Muscles in Conrad's back tensed. Worth wasn't sure what the vampire would or could say. Even if they needed to save their own skins and rescue the undercover council agent, they couldn't say too much without actually risking Hanna's life. Well the best lie was one with plenty of truth to it. He threw his hands in the air and spoke. "Ain't much ta say. He's th' council's errand boy 'n' he's a goddamned idealistic idiot. Ya ever see mosquitoes 'n' bug zappers? Danger's th' zapper 'n' Hanna's th' bug. Jus' oohs an' aahs 'n' buzzes all th' fuck around it 'n' somehow he manages ta avoid gettin' zapped. Thinks he kin save th' world. Thinks he kin fix everyone's problems by throwin' us at 'em. There's yer info. Th' fuck else ya wanna know?" His face wrung itself for a moment, exasperated, pulling at straws. "He's allergic ta beestings 'n' whines when ya sew him up after he went dumbass 'n' got himself hurt."

Falling silent, the only sound left in the room was the creak of the headless horseman's chair as his body shifted slightly. "I see...So. After years spent with Hanna, traveling with him, working on council directives, you realize the folly of your ways and defect. You wish to join the Redcaps and bring down the Seelie fascists. We accept you into our ranks." Another squeak of the chair. "And the best you can provide is knowledge that we could cause some truly unfortunate swelling in Hanna's extremities."

"I dunno," doc Worth added, miserably, "he burns real easy in th' sun."

The rider's voice brightened. "Oh, well that changes everything."

"It...does?" Conrad asked, sounding just as bewildered as he looked.

"Oh yes. Of course. With such useful information, I think I'll make you my second and third in command here."

Pale lips began to form a "what" as Conrad looked to Worth who waved him off. "'s called sarcasm, sweetheart."

"Oh. Well. Of course." Hands settled on hips, the vampires' voice terse. "Look. That's it. He never told us anything. He would send us out with vague information and we would do our best. Why the hell do you think we wanted out, anyway? We were constantly moving, constantly without any real direction past "Oh, go get some books" or "Go take down this body snatcher, hope it doesn't hop into your body" or "drive this guy to the deep south while I disappear and you wind up on a fucking death march and get to spend a few nights stuffed in a bloody tool chest on the back of a truck"."

"Christ I hate Florida. North America's goddamned armpit."

"So, yes. I absolutely want to keep helping him. I completely want to stay with him and keep being sent on wild fucking goosechases where I nearly die constantly. Absolute best holiday I could hope for." Conrad was close to seething, which meant he was pretty much sneering death and danger in the face and daring it to fuck with him. It was kind of turning Worth on. If they made it out of here, he would have to do something about that. "So, whatever. There. Either you believe us or you don't. I'm about done talking in circles, too."

Yellow and blue skin sat sagging on the desk, eyes jiggling and darting in sockets. They drifted slightly, pointing in opposite directions and Worth wasn't sure which one to look at, so he just stared at the head's nose, waiting. When the head spoke, the doctor's eyes narrowed. "Very well. If that is all, please exit through the front of the building. Ly Erg and the rest will see you out. Oh, and one of you bring a shovel and wheelbarrow back when you're done. Room needs to be mucked."

This was too simple. All of Worth's instincts were screaming at him. "Yannow, ya could jus' keep th' horse somewhere else. Won't shit up yer meetin' room."

"I could, but I think I would miss the company. She's a good horse," he stood, lifting his head and tucking it under an arm before walking down the short steps to the door in the back. "You have three levels of intelligence. Complete idiots, who cannot think past what they're told and simply accept things as they happen. Middle ground who know enough to ask questions, wonder, worry, fight back and look for new options. And the highly intelligent who have brains that prevent them from asking questions, already aware that the answers would be too much for them to handle. Too difficult to reconcile reality with their preconceived notions of normalcy." A hand patted the mare's neck, smoothing down her mane. "She is in the first category. Easy to train, quick to accept a master. Doesn't object to requests. A highly intelligent one would likely obey as well, once convinced it was for the best. I hate the middle ground. Too much work to make them fall into line."

"Uh huh. 's like pickin' up a chick inna bar. Go fer dumb 'n' sober or th' ones who think they're smart 'n' are wasted. Rational ones with a buzz are th' most work."

"You have," Conrad bit out, eyeing the ogres, "the strangest fucking analogies. I don't know if they make sense to anyone but you. Do you listen to yourself? Honestly."

Ly Erg opened the back door for the headless horseman with a slight bow. "Perhaps. We'll talk later. See if you remember anything useful. In the meantime, enjoy your new accommodations."

"Well don't that sound nice? They're gonna put us up somewhere real nice, sweetheart. That mean we're on our honeymoon already?" The back door shut and the ogres surrounded the man and vampire, two of them reaching behind the raised desk, hands returning with two sets of old fashioned and rather heavy looking iron handcuffs. "Well fuck me. Not that I mind hand cuffs or group sex per se, jus', yannow. Mebbe a li'l early ta start gettin' inta th' heavier stuff? At least invite yer hot girlfriends ta th' party if thass wot we're doin'."

"I hate my fucking life."

XXXXX

It wasn't the nicest set of bars he'd been behind, but he supposed it could be worse. He wasn't sitting in mud, at least, and there was a bench within the steel cage he and Conrad were headed towards. This was a lower security area of the police department - intended for the shop lifters and drunkards to sleep overnight while paperwork was filed. Something else was already in the cage, a bizarre, fizzling mass of shifting black and purple sparks. It was attached by chain to the bars and seemed to move, shifting like sand in a bottle, when the door was unlocked. Worth knew he and Conrad could try to make a stand here, but he also knew it was pointless, especially with how weak Conrad was at the moment. A long nap and time to think might actually be good for them. They didn't need to shove him in, he walked ahead of his own volition, Conrad close behind.

The electric creature shifted again, huddling deeper into the far corner while the ogres secured Worth and Conrad's chains to the bars of the cage. He was fairly comfortable, actually, and with some shifting would likely be able to pull his hands from behind his back. No reason for them to realize that, though. He could sit plenty still for the time being.

Ly Erg locked the cage, then walked to the nearest window, making a show of pulling back the curtains. The window itself had been blacked out, and the end of curtains began to rub at the paint, gradually clearing part of a pane. "It is dark now. It will not be in a few hours."

"Oi, so yer big plan's ter ash a vamp 'n' gimme a tan?" Shoulders shifted and he hoped it looked like he was uncomfortable.

"Not precisely. You are aware that the magical creatures are bound more by agreements than the humans have been. Our word is our bond." Scratch scratch, wipe wipe, more of the window was being cleared off. "I give you my word, your vampire will not die tomorrow or the next day. He will, however, grow increasingly burned." He stepped back and released the curtain. Most of the window was still blacked out, but there were plenty of areas that would be allowing light to enter the room once the sun rose.

Worth tried not to look at Conrad, unmoving several feet away and directly in the line of the window's eventual light show. "Uh huh. Knew we shoulda packed th' sunscreen."

Approaching the cage again, Ly Erg spoke. "When it becomes too painful and too much to bear, we will have information. We will move him elsewhere where it is dark and let him feed to regain his strength. Until then, I will continue to clear the window bit by bit. Think on that." He nodded slightly before heading for the door they had entered through, one a guard would no doubt be stationed at. "We can be patient. We can wait. His suffering does not move us to action."

Hands fisted behind Worth's back, his wiry body leaning forward. "An' if he don't talk? Seems a waste ta jus' let 'im go up in smoke on ya."

Looming tall in the doorway, bending slightly to make clearance, Ly Erg turned his helmet towards the cage a final time. "We do not expect the vampire to talk, doctor."

The rest filed out behind him, leaving Worth to stare at the ceiling.

In the corner, the mass of high pitched darkness began to shift again, folding and unfolding itself like dough in a baker's hands. "Ffff...Fffancy meeeeting you hhheeeeeree. Thhhhhought you weren't thhhhhhhhe hero type."

He looked over then, frowning, searching the form for some sort of familiarity. "I ain't. 'm jus' here escortin' her royal highness." He couldn't remember seeing any sort of electric lint ball roaming the various places he had been in the past. Then again, he'd been less than sober on several of those occasions. "'m guessin' yer th' spy then? We know each other somehow?"

It lit up more, like heat lighting across a summer sky. His nose was hit with a faint but unmistakable scent of nothingness mixed with motor oil at the same time that a set of eyes made their way to the surface of the tangled mess.

"Well fuck me."

"Triiiiied," a soft, breathy word accompanied by a painful attempt at a laugh.

"I'm surprised you failed." Surly, Conrad had yet to look up from his slump on the ground. "He'll fuck anything with a pulse."

"Nnnnnnoooottttt..exactlyyyyyyy."

"Gotta at least have a nice ass, Connie," he replied, distracted, still looking at what had become of the succubus. "Christ, th' hell'd they do ter ya?"

"Creaaativeeee lot," more shifting, no smells in the air now but that of dust, long forgotten paperwork, and linoleum. "Ironnn...hurtsssss...prevents me frommmm...solidifying...Then, shhhhow fooood...deny fooood."

Memories surfaced, blended, added and mixed together. "They made ya watch people fuckin' but ya couldn't get any action."

He could feel it coming off of her, rolling waves of need, the desperate, hollow, yearning ache. He knew the feeling. He knew it all too well.

"Do nnnot trussssssst thhhhemmm...Thhhhey will...misssslead. Halfffffffff truthsssssss. Nnno ffffreedom ffffor him."

"Weren't plannin' on givin' 'em wot they wanted." Scowling, he wriggled, working his hands under his hips and then down his thighs. Hell of a lot easier when he was younger and still had a good range of flexibility in him. "Jus' figurin' out how th' hell we're gettin' outta here."

"Try a casket." Conrad rose on one elbow, then pushed himself the rest of the way upright.

"Coffin made fer two, buttercup? Jus' make sure it's extra long. I'll need th' leg room. 'N' th' dick room, too."

"You're disgusting."

"Jus' 'cause I don't mind talkin' 'bout our sex life in front a company? Hell," he raised his cuffed wrists, "she already knows we're inta th' bondage. What's it hurt ta let her know I'm hung? It's okay ta brag, sugartits, long as we ain't stretchin' th' truth."

"Of all the times you could pick to bring up our completely non-existent sex life, by all means, Worth, make sure to do it now."

"Non-existent? Well, Christ, less fix that right now."

"You know what?" Skin was paler than normal, taking on a nearly translucent blue tone. Conrad kicked his feet out ahead of himself, the back of his head lolling on the bench. "If you manage to actually get us out of this, maybe I'll consider it."

"...Got a sneakin' suspicion yer only sayin' that 'cause ya think I can't do it."

"...Yessssssss," A breathy confirmation from the corner and Worth decided to shut up for the time being.

XXXXX
It had actually been harder than he had expected.

Worth had lain on his back on the bench, thinking and waiting for sleep. The first few rays from morning had been muted and Conrad had already fallen asleep, a dead lump of cool flesh slumped more or less upright against the bench. Worth had managed to doze a few times, but kept waking up, wrists pinched by cuffs, concern for Conrad, light behind eyelids. As the day wore on and the light grew brighter, he was eventually entirely unable to sleep, stuck staring at Conrad's face and neck, at the patches of pink growing brighter and angrier.

"Heeee willll...surviiiive."

"Yeah. I know." Back ached, eyelids formed sandpaper curtains. "I know."

The succubus rolled, slid side to side. "No plansssssss for essssscape?"

"Thass th' business o' heroes. Ain't no hero. Remember?"

"Noooot even...for himmm?"

A sigh drifted through the doctor's chest, old dry leaves skittering across concrete. Conrad's skin was blotched with burns. "Would if I could."

"Thhhhiiink," she whispered. "You hhhhaaave tiiiime...uuuuuse it."

"Yeah," he said, a worn, impotent man, watching the bloom of rose as it slowly morphed to bitter wine.

XXXXX
The first noise Conrad made when he awoke was a hiss. Exposed skin had all suffered in varying degrees, some areas a pale pink and others a deep maroon. He moved stiffly, and Worth didn't know if it was the ache of unmoved joints and starvation caused rigor mortis or the tight sting of burned skin. He didn't ask. He was too busy watching the headless horseman sitting at a desk. Asshole was carving an underripe pumpkin, serrated blade working its way through the fruit's greenish walls. There wasn't much Worth wouldn't give to have free hands and five minutes alone with him and that little blade.

"You're awake." The head spoke, "Good. I'll be with you shortly. Not as easy to work on these before they're ripe. A little softer and bigger then. Call me old fashioned but, well, a pumpkin isn't really a pumpkin till it gets that orange hue."

Chapped lips tightened as Conrad wiggled himself a little straighter, red eyes opening and looking around the room. He was still drowsy. It took some time for him to come out of his sleep state - especially when he hadn't fed. Everything about him would grow increasingly sluggish and arthritic, he would sleep longer and more deeply, too. Maybe starvation was the vampire equivalent of growing old.

Gloved hands set down the knife and turned the pumpkin around to face the captives. "What do you think?"

"That depends," Conrad rasped, head looking heavy on his shoulders as it swiveled to gaze over at the pumpkin and The Rider, "if you were a five year old, I would commend you for not cutting yourself and making something of a passable semblance of a face. Triangles and circles and zig zags are somewhat advanced for children, so I wouldn't point out how lopsided the triangles are, nor would I mention that the proportions of the face simply don't work on a canvas of that shape and size.

"As what I assume to be an adult, I'm afraid I have to hold you to higher standards. Shall we examine this piece from a post-modern minimalism viewpoint? Sloppy at best, where are the bold shapes and angles? Did a drunken monkey fuck a pumpkin? Is it meant to be a contemporary piece? I suppose I feel about the same viewing that as I did when I first saw Serrano's Piss Christ Someone's simply trying too hard to be edgy and unique, but all he's managing to do is make most people roll their eyes. Or-oh, I think I see. Were you attempting cubism? Maybe that's it." He shifted slightly, tendons in his throat flexing. "Oh. Well. That's cute."

Funny thing how complete and utter silence makes a room feel so much larger than it really is. Also funny thing how it amplifies every sound that normally doesn't register or is overlooked. It was probably the wrong time for Worth to mutter "Never thought I'd get a boner hearin' someone talk 'bout art." Unfortunately, Worth never was very good at saying the right things at the right time, or, really, at just saying the right things in general.

Conrad spared him an aggravated scowl. Worth shrugged.

"Well." The horseman turned the head to face the holding cell, and then picked up the pumpkin itself, bouncing it lightly in his hands. "I guess it's a good thing I never fancied myself much of a studio artist. Always was more into the performance side of things." The horseman's boots thunked as they tapped against the desk. "Moving on. How is your memory holding up? Any improvements?"

"Yanno, I mighta remembered somethin'."

"Really?" Eyes jiggled, voice dripped with derision.

"Yeah. Weren't you stood up by some guy?"

"What?" Conrad's eyes narrowed as he redirected his face towards the doctor.

"I ain't s'good with th' American history but, there was some real big party, yeah? 'n' ya wanned ta go with some Ichibod bloke? Only he was standin' ya up fer some hussy 'n' so ya threw a li'l queen fit, started screamin' 'n' chasin' him, throwin' shit." His head tilted. He grinned. "I know, it kin feel real bad when that special someone don't wanna be with ya, but ain't it a li'l long ta be holdin' that grudge? 'm sure he felt real bad 'n' woulda made it up ter ya, letcha pick out th' design fer th' outhouse or sommat. Can't blame every handsome bloke ya see comin' through here fer one bad date. 'm sure if ya try real hard ya kin find that special someone."

"Ly Erg?"

"Sir?"

"I think it's time to let in a little more light."

"Yes, sir." A mild bow and then the demon strode to the window, rubbing off more of the protective black out paint.

The horseman deposited the pumpkin on the desk and stood, pocketing the knife and picking up the keys and his head. His movement was slow, deliberate, and that had Worth worried. The lock clicked and the horseman entered, stopping when he was beside Doc Worth. He set his head on the bench, inches from Worth's ear. Worth kept his eyes on the hands, even as the smell of rotting flesh, human and plant, wafted into his nostrils. "This is a bit of a treat, really. I do so much distance work that I rarely get to see a human's face up close. You can't appreciate it as well. Can't see pupils dialating, or the way you all start getting those small little beads of sweat, popping up all along your hairline like little mushrooms."

A finger brushed along Worth's forehead, leaving a sticky trail of pumpkin innards in its wake. "Or how you swallow. Peculiar thing. Human physiology. How it responds to fear. To pain."

When Worth had heard Ly Erg and the horseman approaching the room, he had wriggled his way into having his arms behind his back again. The moment the horseman's boot slammed into his windpipe and held steady, he wished he hadn't. It was hard to sneer with a foot on your throat and a knife approaching your face.

Chains jittered and rattled. Conrad was swearing. He couldn't do anything. Not in his current state. The succubus was in just as bad a position. Worth watched the tip of the blade as it descended, then disappeared from his vision. He felt it then, sharp along his cheekbone, just under his left eye. Cold where it first touched, then warmth and wetness in its wake. His vision was dimming, graying out as the knife trailed over the bridge of his nose. "Oh," the pressure on his throat lifted and he gasped, coughed, swallowed air. "I forget you have that breathing thing sometimes. I was going to doodle a penis on your face, but I doubt you'll hold still properly if I go in for seconds now."

Blood dripped down Worth's nose, splattered on his upper lip and trickled over his chin as his lungs worked overtime, eyes still fixed on the knife. He could try to trip the body, maybe bite the hand, something to free the blade. He had a feeling it wouldn't work, though, and even if it did, even supposing he managed to somehow nick the horseman's body, well, his BFF body guard was right there.

It didn't matter, though, the boot was pressing on his chest now, pinning him back against the bench. "Feel free to make some noise, doctor." This time the knife didn't near his face. This time the knife didn't slide across and split skin. This time it sunk into the meat of his shoulder.

It wasn't the first time he'd been stabbed. Previous experience didn't prevent this time from hurting like a bitch.

His face contorted, tipped forward. He grit his teeth just in time to bite back a cry, just in time to turn it from what it would have been into a choked groan. Eyes rolled up in his head much like those in the demon's face as the knife was wiggled back and forth before being removed.

Worse without it in. He wished it would have stayed there. Good Christ he was going to murder this asshole as soon as he was free.

"I believe I made my point. Ah, point. Good, yes? Ly Erg?"

Ly Erg stood silently in the cell doorway.

"Ah, never was one for humor that one. So serious about everything." The body approached Conrad and Worth found himself straining against his chains. Kneeling, the horseman's body held out the blade, crimson and shining. "You look as if you've had a rough day, fledgling. Why not have a snack?"

Conrad was snarling. "Take off these cuffs and ask me again."

"Mmm, no. No I don't think I will do that. You seem agitated." In the horseman's hand, the blade twisted slightly. "Tomorrow will be worse. You will blister. You may want to accept my offering. It will help somewhat."

"Fuck you."

"Lacking in originality, but I felt the sentiment was genuine. Shame. So wasteful." Standing, the body wiped the blade clean on the horseman's pant leg, then pocketed the knife. Scooping the head up again, the horseman walked out, handing the keys to Ly Erg as he exited the cell. "Well as long as the doctor doesn't bleed out tomorrow, I will look forward to speaking with you again."

Worth did his best to grit his teeth and glare at them until they had left the room. Once it was just the succubus, the vampire, and the doctor, he closed his eyes and allowed his head to drop forward, chin digging into his collarbone.

"Worth? Worth!"

He couldn't hold back a groan, equal parts pain and weariness before he replied. "Yeah?"

"I just...you're not passing out, are you?"

"Depends. Ya gonna take advantage of me if I do?"

"What? No."

He looked at his bloodsoaked sleeve. "Gonna take advantage of me if I don't?"

"Isss thissss the...joke? Wheeeere yoooouuu..." strained sounds and swishing as the jumbled mass of succubus twisted around itself, "cannot take advaaantaage...of...the willinnnng?"

"Mmmm," noncommital answer, mostly because Worth was working on drawing up the courage to slide his arms back around to the front again. It wasn't going to be fun when he did. Or maybe it would. Who knew?

"Look, I'm serious. You've...you're bleeding a lot. I don't...I don't know if you're going to pass out."

The doctor turned his attention from his shoulder to the vampire. Even in the low lighting he could see Conrad's pupils were blown wide, turning his eyes from red to black. He wasn't really looking at Worth's face. He was leaning forward, eyes jerking back and forth along the line of Worth's arm, mouth opened slightly, upper lip curling occasionally, tongue jutting against the back of fang. It was probably the first time Worth had ever thought Conrad truly wanted him. There had to be something to it in the way the succubus was writhing and making pitiful keening noises in her corner. She fed on sexual energy and she was wiggling just shy of a frenzy. Just his luck. The one time he could probably make some serious progress and even if he managed to get free, he wasn't sure he was even in the mood.

He sighed and rolled into the fetal position, breath catching as he worked his wrists under and out. It relieved the strain on the shoulder, and with luck the stab wound would be able to knit back together a bit when he slept. If he slept. Fingers prodded flesh experimentally and both he and Conrad hissed as a fresh spurt of blood dribbled down the doctor's knobby fingers. "Sorry, Connie. Wish I could share th' bounty but I can't quite reach ya."

"But you're...okay?"

Eyes shut. Christ he wanted a cigarette. Hell, he wanted a full pack at this point. Just sit there and chain them together, a noxious nicotine trail of distraction. "Yeah. Fer now. If he'd hit anythin' important I'd have bled out already. Dunno if it'll get infected, though. Not like he took th' time 'n' courtesy ta sterilize b'fore stickin' me. Think 'm gonna have ta take it up with management."

"I think he technically is management."

"Corporate then. Go ta th' news stations." Rubber soles scuffed as Worth stretched his legs out. "Tell 'em he kicked my dog. Ain' no faster way ta vilify someone than ta accuse 'em of puppy kickin'."

"The next time he's in here..."

"Next time he's in here yer gonna be covered in blisters an' runnin' on empty, Conrad." He snapped, scowling, angry and sick inside knowing what the future held. With a sniff, he tried to regain composure and continued. "Trust me. Tryin' ter attack won't do nothin'. Smear campaign's th' way ter go."

Slumping against the bench, Conrad tore his eyes away. "We really are going to die in here, aren't we?"

"Naw, well, mebbe me. But yer safe."

A snort. "Really? How exactly do you figure that?"

"Well...yer already dead, ain't ya?"