#the_ice_cave

She leaves, silently, moving into the walls to avoid detection.

"Will walk you tonight, you want to go." (He stops, and rasps in Hebrew) "Guy says he will meet with you."

"Gotta go sometime." she pushes back her bangs. "He does?"

"Don't speak in English," (He turns to look at her, dark-eyed) "Took an Oath not to talk about him, but got permission to talk to YOU about it. But me, I can't let anybody else know."

She nods, eyes closing. "Alright,"

(This still in Hebrew) "Want me to set it up? Or just give him your number?"

(Hebrew) "I... you have met him. Maybe that would be best."

(H) After a pause "I am glad Earl convinced you."

(H) "Yeah. Guess I am, too." (A quick grin, and a rasp) "Guy's a hardass."

"The Sainer. Old guy. Shoe leather."

(h) "You'd need one like that"

"Does it... help? Feel different?"

( A snort. Then he thinks) "No. But I understand better." (He shrugs off his jacket and turns his back, the pulls up his shirt to show his back. There are deep gouges, that if she didn't know better, she might mistake for a passionate woman's nails) "Said it was one of the harder ones he'd seen."

(He waits a second, then drops his shirt and turns back around, shrugging)

"Walk you home?"

Her hand extends, not touching, then drops. She nods. "Home."

"...Saw her. Friday."

"Yeah?" (He pulls his jacket back on, looking at her with open curiosity) "That why you been moping around?" (He waits for her by the door)

She shrugs. "It's fine. Not like she'd know, right? Not after this long."

"Probably not. Besides, you see how fucked-up HE is after a week? She was there fifteen YEARS."

"Yeah. Exactly."

"Lucky if she's not in a diaper drooling into her applesauce.

"No. They have a bedpan."

"Okay, guess they're not so lucky. But, least you got her back, got your alter cocker back." (Eyes narrowed) "Maybe she'll get better, maybe she won't."

"Doesn't matter. It's fine."

"If it's fine, act like it's fine. If it's not, quit lying about it." (Bluntly, eyes on her)

"Promised I wouldn't make things harder."

"Why?"

"Got what I wanted, right?"

"Yeah? So did the people owned a Monkey's Paw. Be careful what you ask for." (A shrug, rolling boneless gesture, eyes still intent) "But, if you don't like it, do something about it, or learn to deal, right?"

"I'm dealing. "

"You, not so good at the last part, so what are you going to do?""

"I'm -dealing-. "

"You're really bad at it, if you look like you did the other night." (bluntly) "But, you don't want to talk about it, don't. Sounds like it didn't go like you wanted, though."

"I just... I know, I have to be better. So I'll do my best, right? Help out, don't make it worse for everyone else."

"If that's what you want to do." (Shrugs) "If you don't feel like that, don't."

"Raise hell."

"I just want to sleep."

"Yeah, but you gotta wake up sometime. Then, you have to decide, what you going to do, Ghost." (His eyes narrowed) "Stop trying to make everybody else happy. YOU got them what THEY wanted. They owe YOU."

"I didn't. Didn't do anything.... Hirim, he rescued her."

"Yeah? Like his wrinkly alter cocker ass would have been there at all, if you hadn't started asking the questions in the first place?"

She shakes her head.

"He had his chance fifteen years ago. He fucked it up, stopped looking, hid it from you, took everything you told him and USED it," (He is coming closer, his rasp harsh) "THEN took off without you, without telling you, and he STILL couldn't have done it. Now YOU giving him all the credit, trying not to cause TROUBLE?"

"Ghost, you ever stop to look at it a different way?"

"He ever even THANK you?"

"All I did was make things harder. For everyone."

"So what if you did?" (blunt) "Why should you care?"

"Can always throw her back, you know."

"All I ever do. Stupid, timid, cowardly waste..."

(Eyeroll) "Whatever. If you're going to keep saying that, then you want to believe it."