Figuratively Speaking
They could've been in denial, maybe, 'cause they'd figured, against all odds, against all evidence, that upon entering the room Tala did not have a look on his face that said coolly, self-righteously: "Toldja so.""
And of course Garland did not have a look on his face that loftily replied: "You can't make me feel bad about putting you in a coma; it was an improvement, you long-winded jackass."
"Taken any candy from strangers lately, Gar? Followed any puppies into vans..? Posed on the playground for—"
"What's it like peeing through a tube, Tal?"
"As far as making a comparison you'll understand, Gar… almost as uncomfortable as getting caught in Boris' office with your pants around your an—"
And they could've remained in denial, chatting tensely amongst themselves, gripping their glasses tightly, 'cause they seemed not to hear when the conversation of stares, back and forth stares, escalated to the blunt sounds of fists hammering flesh and the splintery cracking noises of fists hammering bones and—
And they seemed not to worry when the conversation of stares ended in the eerie silence of death, with Tala and Garland looking away from each other's talkative eyes at the floor.