((Bret Carter continued from Civilized Civil Lies))
Another day led to another night. The routine they had established continued. They moved across the island without encountering another soul, only empty landscapes. They heard the noises and echoes of other people's presence but never encountered them. That suited Bret fine, Wyatt needed time to calm down. Bret didn't want another incident like the one in the aviary. It was needless and dangerous, Wyatt had been lucky Jeff didn't have access to a firearm, or if he did chose not to use it. Sure, Wyatt himself had a gun but he had left himself open to retaliation. It could have led to an unneeded fatality, or something even worse. But it hadn't, Wyatt had gotten away with his rash action. It was both a blessing and a curse. Wyatt already believed he was untouchable, the fact he had suffered no repercussions was only going to reinforce that idea.
They had eventually set up a camp by the lookout area of the island. It made sense to a degree. There was only one direction they could be approached from which gave them an added level of protection. Add in the night vision goggles they had and there was a very low chance of anyone being able to sneak up on them during the night. That worked for Bret. The fewer people they met the better, at least considering that Tirzah had already killed, and Wyatt seemed intent on adding his name to that list at some stage. It was a source of concern.
It was something to ponder as he sat staring into trees. A half-eaten protein bar gripped in his hand. It was like chewing a piece of cardboard but it was sustenance and for the time being, that was enough. The goggles gave everything a green hue, like he was in one of those terrible horror movies. He had looked out over the cliff face at the island below with them at the beginning of his watch finding the view strangely beautiful. But now he had settled into the task of keeping watch. It was dull, but it gave him time to think. Time to think and plan without interruptions from either of his companions. He had a lot to consider and some decisions to make. So he sat, chewed and thought.
Swerve
B046 Death Thread
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MK Kilmarnock
- Posts: 1931
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:28 am
- Location: On one of the coasts, generally
((Wyatt Carter continued from... I mean, you probably know where by now?))
Bah duh dum. Dum. Dum.
Another one bites the dust.
And another one gone and another one gone...
Was it a little tacky, humming that song whenever he thought about his classmates dropping like flies? Yeah, probably. But did he also derive odd form of entertainment? Oh, oh lord yeah. It all seemed so distant, the screams and the occasional gunshot, and all Wyatt could think to himself was 'well, sucks to be that guy. Sucks to suck, fucko.' Because it was awfully hard to discern somebody's identity from a death scream, so it turns out, that kept everything and everybody far away. The closest anybody came was Ron. Ron, the only person Wyatt actually saw die in front of him, had come the closest to making that sticking impression.
I'm gonna kill him.
Wyatt distinctly remembered thinking those words, and maybe he said them aloud, he wasn't so sure... he had to admit, the veil between what stayed in his brain and what reached his mouth tended to be pretty... thin, and the memories had all started to blur together like it was 20-40 days ago instead of 2 or 4. Or 3. He hadn't lost count of what day it was, but the preceding days just didn't seem as important anymore. But he could remember, distinctly, that he definitely wanted to kill Ron. Maybe Tirzah beating him to the punch was the only thing stopping him from getting the job done, or maybe the breach between saying and doing such an act was more insurmountable than he thought.
Yeesh. He got lost in his thoughts again. Wyatt silently vowed not to do that, again, and sent up a prayer to any God that would listen that he wouldn't break that promise again. He knew he was probably going to.
"Bret? Anything out there?" He asked his brother in meaningless small talk. Wyatt's hands were folded up under his head and he stared up at the sky. Tirzah was nearby, but not in his current field of vision. He swallowed, still thinking, and thinking about thinking about something else. Anything else.
"... You think Hogan misses us?"
Bah duh dum. Dum. Dum.
Another one bites the dust.
And another one gone and another one gone...
Was it a little tacky, humming that song whenever he thought about his classmates dropping like flies? Yeah, probably. But did he also derive odd form of entertainment? Oh, oh lord yeah. It all seemed so distant, the screams and the occasional gunshot, and all Wyatt could think to himself was 'well, sucks to be that guy. Sucks to suck, fucko.' Because it was awfully hard to discern somebody's identity from a death scream, so it turns out, that kept everything and everybody far away. The closest anybody came was Ron. Ron, the only person Wyatt actually saw die in front of him, had come the closest to making that sticking impression.
I'm gonna kill him.
Wyatt distinctly remembered thinking those words, and maybe he said them aloud, he wasn't so sure... he had to admit, the veil between what stayed in his brain and what reached his mouth tended to be pretty... thin, and the memories had all started to blur together like it was 20-40 days ago instead of 2 or 4. Or 3. He hadn't lost count of what day it was, but the preceding days just didn't seem as important anymore. But he could remember, distinctly, that he definitely wanted to kill Ron. Maybe Tirzah beating him to the punch was the only thing stopping him from getting the job done, or maybe the breach between saying and doing such an act was more insurmountable than he thought.
Yeesh. He got lost in his thoughts again. Wyatt silently vowed not to do that, again, and sent up a prayer to any God that would listen that he wouldn't break that promise again. He knew he was probably going to.
"Bret? Anything out there?" He asked his brother in meaningless small talk. Wyatt's hands were folded up under his head and he stared up at the sky. Tirzah was nearby, but not in his current field of vision. He swallowed, still thinking, and thinking about thinking about something else. Anything else.
"... You think Hogan misses us?"
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
((Tirzah continued from Civilized Civil Lies))
Tirzah yawned. After looking around a bit she came back to wear Wyatt was. She plopped down her things, laid down and spread out her cultist robe over herself as a sort of blanket. Tirzah used her bag as a pillow looking over at Wyatt as he, in turn, looked off in the direction Bret had gone for the night watch.
The noises of the island were starting to become easier to ignore. She's been there for a few days, so just a few days more. Her second grade teacher Mrs. Frank said that she wouldn't do well in life if she didn't have a better sense of focus. It was meant to be said to her parents, but of course they didn't show up. And of course, she did have focus, but only for things she deemed to be worthy of focus. It wasn't her concern if their thoughts regarding that didn't align.
Bret had behaved just like she expected Bret to and Wyatt the same. All was going as smoothly as possible.
"Who or what is a Hogan?" she asked, looking at the boy sideways from her vantage point of "ready for bed."
Tirzah yawned. After looking around a bit she came back to wear Wyatt was. She plopped down her things, laid down and spread out her cultist robe over herself as a sort of blanket. Tirzah used her bag as a pillow looking over at Wyatt as he, in turn, looked off in the direction Bret had gone for the night watch.
The noises of the island were starting to become easier to ignore. She's been there for a few days, so just a few days more. Her second grade teacher Mrs. Frank said that she wouldn't do well in life if she didn't have a better sense of focus. It was meant to be said to her parents, but of course they didn't show up. And of course, she did have focus, but only for things she deemed to be worthy of focus. It wasn't her concern if their thoughts regarding that didn't align.
Bret had behaved just like she expected Bret to and Wyatt the same. All was going as smoothly as possible.
"Who or what is a Hogan?" she asked, looking at the boy sideways from her vantage point of "ready for bed."
"Hogan is our dog," Bret said in response to Tirzah, before flipping the goggles up and turning to Wyatt. "And I'm sure he misses you." Bret returned his gaze to the treeline and flipped the goggles back down drenching everything in the eerie green once again. It was odd, Bret hadn't really considered what was happening back in Chattanooga. He assumed they were doing something. Some form of police investigation was occurring. A manhunt and search into their disappearance. But clearly they were going to fail. They had been on the island for too long. If they knew anything or had any sort of hunch it would have been acted on long before the point they were at. No, help wasn't coming. He was sure of that.
Which left only one end result when all was said and done. That was a scenario that had been thinking about and weighing up his options. There was only ever one winner. Only one person was ever returned—not counting the rescue and there wasn't one coming for them—which meant that eventually, it would have to come down to him and his brother. Their options at that point were what weighed on him. Bret had yet to figure out how to approach it and as such had tried to put it off for the most part. But he wasn't stupid, he needed to confront the problem at some point. That consideration had led to him mulling over options in quiet moments, such as when he was on watch.
He was no closer to finding a satisfactory solution to the problem.
"He's probably sat at the door waiting for us to walk on through."
Which left only one end result when all was said and done. That was a scenario that had been thinking about and weighing up his options. There was only ever one winner. Only one person was ever returned—not counting the rescue and there wasn't one coming for them—which meant that eventually, it would have to come down to him and his brother. Their options at that point were what weighed on him. Bret had yet to figure out how to approach it and as such had tried to put it off for the most part. But he wasn't stupid, he needed to confront the problem at some point. That consideration had led to him mulling over options in quiet moments, such as when he was on watch.
He was no closer to finding a satisfactory solution to the problem.
"He's probably sat at the door waiting for us to walk on through."
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MK Kilmarnock
- Posts: 1931
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:28 am
- Location: On one of the coasts, generally
Hogan was always his dog more than Bret's, Wyatt supposed. It just... he wasn't sure what it 'just' did, actually. Disappointed him? Bummed him out? It made him feel something, how Bret thought their dog would only miss him. Seemed pointed in a way. There was an uncomfortable pause before Bret continued. In a way, it sounded more like him and... less like him, at the same time, as if he truly believed what he was saying but like...
Wasn't... looking forward to it? It sounded asinine as all fuck, but those were the only words Wyatt could put to how it made him feel.
"Shit man, you're gonna make me cry," Wyatt half-joked, turning his head from side to side like he was shaking his head no. But with his head resting against the makeshift pillow that was his bag, sleeping with his gun and sword for teddy bears, it had the effect more like simply rolling along. He turned his glance away from Bret and let his ear press into the rucksack, staring at Tirzah instead. That girl was never sleepy, it seemed. Not until she actually konked out, like she'd go from a hundred to zero with absolutely no in-between. Maybe it was just how damn big her eyes were.
"B'yeah. Our dog. Wish I'd'a brought him," Wyatt mumbled. "He'd eat half the chickenshits here... eh?"
If Bret responded, Wyatt never heard it.
Wasn't... looking forward to it? It sounded asinine as all fuck, but those were the only words Wyatt could put to how it made him feel.
"Shit man, you're gonna make me cry," Wyatt half-joked, turning his head from side to side like he was shaking his head no. But with his head resting against the makeshift pillow that was his bag, sleeping with his gun and sword for teddy bears, it had the effect more like simply rolling along. He turned his glance away from Bret and let his ear press into the rucksack, staring at Tirzah instead. That girl was never sleepy, it seemed. Not until she actually konked out, like she'd go from a hundred to zero with absolutely no in-between. Maybe it was just how damn big her eyes were.
"B'yeah. Our dog. Wish I'd'a brought him," Wyatt mumbled. "He'd eat half the chickenshits here... eh?"
If Bret responded, Wyatt never heard it.
Eventually, they both went to sleep and he was once again left alone with his thoughts. Given what they had been discussing before they had fallen asleep it was a much more subdued affair. Timing out the watches was also an imprecise affair, there was no real way to properly gauge time passing beyond tracking the rough path of the moon. Sometimes he wished he could have just had the joy of a full night's sleep but as good as it sounded Bret knew it had many more negatives than positives. There were too many considerations, things such as people stumbling upon while you were asleep being the main one. It was too big a risk, especially when he had Wyatt there to help him carry the watch load.
As he sat there scanning the treeline through the green hue of the goggles Bret thought he heard some movement. He wasn't certain and even if he did it was far away. Whoever had made it wasn't going to be crossing their path anytime that evening. But still, he didn't feel like sitting around throughout his entire watch. He was loathe to abandon his post however, not after Wyatt had done the same thing a day or so earlier. It would mean he also wasn't following his own plan, which would have only served to undermine the plan itself. He knew the best thing to do would have been to stay where he was and maintain his vigil.
He gripped the rifle loosely as he stood. He turned his head to look at his brother and Tirzah, lying there, completely unaware of their surroundings. It wouldn't have been difficult for anyone to walk up while he was away and do the obvious thing. Pushing those thoughts aside Bret ventured out in the trees for a walk.
He needed to clear his head.
As he sat there scanning the treeline through the green hue of the goggles Bret thought he heard some movement. He wasn't certain and even if he did it was far away. Whoever had made it wasn't going to be crossing their path anytime that evening. But still, he didn't feel like sitting around throughout his entire watch. He was loathe to abandon his post however, not after Wyatt had done the same thing a day or so earlier. It would mean he also wasn't following his own plan, which would have only served to undermine the plan itself. He knew the best thing to do would have been to stay where he was and maintain his vigil.
He gripped the rifle loosely as he stood. He turned his head to look at his brother and Tirzah, lying there, completely unaware of their surroundings. It wouldn't have been difficult for anyone to walk up while he was away and do the obvious thing. Pushing those thoughts aside Bret ventured out in the trees for a walk.
He needed to clear his head.
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Tirzah filed the information away. She wasn't sure how that made her feel. It poked down at the pulsating organ in her chest that pumped blood. She watched Wyatt's face as he spoke about his dog, and he was, perhaps, slightly human, slightly of the same species as her. She thought of her dog briefly, but quickly reeled it in. Still, she waited until Wyatt had settled, asleep for sure, then slept holding on to one of his beefy arms.
The last rays of the sun that has desperately clung to the trees, to the blades of grass, to the children, lost their grip gradually. The shining, manic day stepped aside for the sulking nothing. The sun sees what you do, but the moon knows. Lori chewed on her lip, pulled on the chipped polish of her finger nails -- chartreuse -- and looked at Claudeson.
She had to go to the bathroom, so she'd wandered a little ways away from their camp. On her way back though, she spotted the outlook. There were benches on the side, so she decided to go sit on one. It was a relic of civilization. A bench. A place where people were meant to take in the view. She had taken off the owl costume and was dressed in just her camisole and her now-dirtied sweat pants. Without the lights of the city, the stars winked and scintillated with the gentle haughtiness of being inestimable. It was hypnotizing. In the distance the only noise was the liquid noises of the ocean, which glinted back from her high up vantage point. All was suffocating warmth and sparkling and velvet dark.
Lori would go back in a minute. The ocean rolled in again. She thought of Michael and wondered what he was doing. Her thoughts then drifted to Claudeson. He was a little odd maybe; a tad stiff. But he had her best interest at heart, he'd said so. Nothing he'd done or said led her to believe otherwise, and if he was planning to kill her he'd have done it already. There was no tactical advantage to having her around except night watch, which she was currently derelict of.
If he died because she came to think for a minute, then she couldn't even do that right. The platform called to her for a moment.
((Lori Martin continued from Hoo-Hoo's There? ))
The last rays of the sun that has desperately clung to the trees, to the blades of grass, to the children, lost their grip gradually. The shining, manic day stepped aside for the sulking nothing. The sun sees what you do, but the moon knows. Lori chewed on her lip, pulled on the chipped polish of her finger nails -- chartreuse -- and looked at Claudeson.
She had to go to the bathroom, so she'd wandered a little ways away from their camp. On her way back though, she spotted the outlook. There were benches on the side, so she decided to go sit on one. It was a relic of civilization. A bench. A place where people were meant to take in the view. She had taken off the owl costume and was dressed in just her camisole and her now-dirtied sweat pants. Without the lights of the city, the stars winked and scintillated with the gentle haughtiness of being inestimable. It was hypnotizing. In the distance the only noise was the liquid noises of the ocean, which glinted back from her high up vantage point. All was suffocating warmth and sparkling and velvet dark.
Lori would go back in a minute. The ocean rolled in again. She thought of Michael and wondered what he was doing. Her thoughts then drifted to Claudeson. He was a little odd maybe; a tad stiff. But he had her best interest at heart, he'd said so. Nothing he'd done or said led her to believe otherwise, and if he was planning to kill her he'd have done it already. There was no tactical advantage to having her around except night watch, which she was currently derelict of.
If he died because she came to think for a minute, then she couldn't even do that right. The platform called to her for a moment.
((Lori Martin continued from Hoo-Hoo's There? ))
"Lori?" The voice hissed, a loud whisper if anything else. It searched, looking — waiting for a response. In the darkness, the shape blended in, keeping low to the ground and moving throughout the bushes as carefully as possible. Lori had not taken her things with her, and hence she would not have chosen to flee. If she were in danger, however —
Claudeson could not allow that to happen.
((Claudeson Bademosi continued from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream))
Keeping quiet as he crept along the forest floor, he was surprised to come upon a path. Holding Min-jae close, he squinted, and followed along the path. Were those voices, he heard?
He had to be vigilant. Lori might be close, but bad people and worse choices lurked everywhere.
Claudeson could not allow that to happen.
((Claudeson Bademosi continued from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream))
Keeping quiet as he crept along the forest floor, he was surprised to come upon a path. Holding Min-jae close, he squinted, and followed along the path. Were those voices, he heard?
He had to be vigilant. Lori might be close, but bad people and worse choices lurked everywhere.
It didn’t take him long to find someone else. It was shocking how close together they had actually been. A few feet over and they’d have been on top of one another. The figure was visible on one of the benches, he wasn’t sure if he’d have spotted them as easily without the night vision goggles. It was a moot point he supposed, since he possessed the goggles. He watched the form stare out over the horizon he has been looking over not long ago.
Slowly he crept closer, trying to get a good gauge on who it was. He could tell from the general size of their body that it was either a girl or a small boy. The green glow of the goggles made their features easier to discern. Satisfied that the identity of the person didn’t match anyone on the list of killers Bret flipped up the night vision goggles and openly approached, rifle held down by his side in one hand.
“Evening.”
Slowly he crept closer, trying to get a good gauge on who it was. He could tell from the general size of their body that it was either a girl or a small boy. The green glow of the goggles made their features easier to discern. Satisfied that the identity of the person didn’t match anyone on the list of killers Bret flipped up the night vision goggles and openly approached, rifle held down by his side in one hand.
“Evening.”
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Lori sat up straight. She stared forward for a second after the greeting came.
"Things keep happening," she sighed quietly to herself.
She hadn't taken the crossbow with her. She didn't think she'd be able to wrench it from Claudeson and also, didn't think it would be that easy to pee and hold a crossbow.
It was a male sounding, familiar drawl. The ocean rolled back out. Lori looked down at her fingers which were pulling on each other. She turned around sharply, causing her pony tail follow the movement on a delay.
She was shocked at first by the goggles and then her face became an involuntary frown upon his face being revealed. It was one of the Carter twins. Based on the way that he was standing and the tone of his voice, and faint light bouncing off the silhouette of his beard she could tell it was Bret.
Lori's initial instinct was to tell him play Superman over the edge of the cliff. She caught herself, opening her mouth and then closing it. She was trying to be better. A distant other thought caught up with her, which was that it wouldn't be good to outwardly insult someone who was that much bigger than her without a clean way to run off.
"Hi," she said shortly, trying not to let her contempt for him and his brother generally spill over into the syllable.
"Uh... Good job not killing anyone," she said, scraping the edges of her mind for a somewhat positive thing to say. "Wouldn't have expected that based on, you know, school."
"Things keep happening," she sighed quietly to herself.
She hadn't taken the crossbow with her. She didn't think she'd be able to wrench it from Claudeson and also, didn't think it would be that easy to pee and hold a crossbow.
It was a male sounding, familiar drawl. The ocean rolled back out. Lori looked down at her fingers which were pulling on each other. She turned around sharply, causing her pony tail follow the movement on a delay.
She was shocked at first by the goggles and then her face became an involuntary frown upon his face being revealed. It was one of the Carter twins. Based on the way that he was standing and the tone of his voice, and faint light bouncing off the silhouette of his beard she could tell it was Bret.
Lori's initial instinct was to tell him play Superman over the edge of the cliff. She caught herself, opening her mouth and then closing it. She was trying to be better. A distant other thought caught up with her, which was that it wouldn't be good to outwardly insult someone who was that much bigger than her without a clean way to run off.
"Hi," she said shortly, trying not to let her contempt for him and his brother generally spill over into the syllable.
"Uh... Good job not killing anyone," she said, scraping the edges of her mind for a somewhat positive thing to say. "Wouldn't have expected that based on, you know, school."
That was certainly one way to open proceedings. It took Bret longer than expected to dredge the girl's name up from his memory. When he eventually grasped the name Lori it was more due to ruling out other options than an intimate knowledge of the person he was speaking to. Lori wasn't someone he had ever devoted time to. She was a member of the cheer team but he couldn't honestly remember her during the routines or once they were completed. That was probably why he had struggled to remember her name, he had never dwelled on her existence all that much outside of when they had been in close proximity.
"Thanks, I suppose," There wasn't really any other way to respond to the statement. "I'm...sure it's a surprise to a lot of people."
He couldn't add much else to that. He could have made a comment about her in return but chose not to.
Instead, he turned his focus to the view, from where they were the view allowed them to see out over practically the whole island.
"I'm surprised by how beautiful this place must have been."
"Thanks, I suppose," There wasn't really any other way to respond to the statement. "I'm...sure it's a surprise to a lot of people."
He couldn't add much else to that. He could have made a comment about her in return but chose not to.
Instead, he turned his focus to the view, from where they were the view allowed them to see out over practically the whole island.
"I'm surprised by how beautiful this place must have been."
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
He thanked her, so she was doing well. That was a relief. Lori nodded and looked around, trying to see if there was an easy way to slowly disappear into the hedges or something.
"Yeah well, that makes sense given how you guys kind of had a reputation for being bullies," she said brightly. He commented on the view from their vantage point and she looked back, following his gaze.
"I haven't really noticed that much since I've been here, to be honest. I've been pretty distracted since I woke up --"
She remembered that in fact the first people she's come across were Ivy and her group, who Bret was dating. Were they still dating? Well, at the very least not anymore since under the influence of drugs she saw Ivy trying to taste Ace's lunch. Lori looked at the ground as she thought, then turned back towards Bret.
"I woke up with Ivy and she was kind of all over Ace," she said, thinking it would probably be better if he knew now as opposed to later. "But like, you know, I think that's her loss. You could do a lot better. You seem really... uh, loyal and mmm.... sturdy and...clean?" Maybe that would be encouraging, though she was having some trouble with the positive adjectives. "And anyway, Ace should know better. I mean, he's on the football team too so like, he should respect your feelings. Someone who would go behind your back like that clearly doesn't care about you."
"Yeah well, that makes sense given how you guys kind of had a reputation for being bullies," she said brightly. He commented on the view from their vantage point and she looked back, following his gaze.
"I haven't really noticed that much since I've been here, to be honest. I've been pretty distracted since I woke up --"
She remembered that in fact the first people she's come across were Ivy and her group, who Bret was dating. Were they still dating? Well, at the very least not anymore since under the influence of drugs she saw Ivy trying to taste Ace's lunch. Lori looked at the ground as she thought, then turned back towards Bret.
"I woke up with Ivy and she was kind of all over Ace," she said, thinking it would probably be better if he knew now as opposed to later. "But like, you know, I think that's her loss. You could do a lot better. You seem really... uh, loyal and mmm.... sturdy and...clean?" Maybe that would be encouraging, though she was having some trouble with the positive adjectives. "And anyway, Ace should know better. I mean, he's on the football team too so like, he should respect your feelings. Someone who would go behind your back like that clearly doesn't care about you."
Bret let out a sigh as Lori went into detail about Ivy's escapades. He wasn't at all surprised by what he was being told. If what Ivy had done before they had ceased to be a couple was anything to go by he couldn't have expected anything else. He made a note of what she said though, in case he needed it later.
"Thanks again," He eventually offered. "But we broke up after everything else that happened." He glanced over at where Lori was sat on the bench. He thought for a moment about where the conversation seemed to be going. In the end, Bret decided there was nothing for him to lose by bringing it up. It was only Lori after all. He had basically forgotten she existed until stumbling across her.
"Did you hear about that at all?" He asked. "It's probably a story you'd enjoy."
"Thanks again," He eventually offered. "But we broke up after everything else that happened." He glanced over at where Lori was sat on the bench. He thought for a moment about where the conversation seemed to be going. In the end, Bret decided there was nothing for him to lose by bringing it up. It was only Lori after all. He had basically forgotten she existed until stumbling across her.
"Did you hear about that at all?" He asked. "It's probably a story you'd enjoy."
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Lori stood up from the bench and waited for.
"You're welcome," she said, blinking.
"No, I didn't hear. I mean, no offense, but I don't really care about anyone involved that much. I was pretty busy," she said. Partly true, but also no one would have told her the gossip if there was gossip to share. People didn't usually share that sort of thing with her for some reason. It did make her feel a bit weird to refer to herself as having been busy in the past tense.
"Why would I enjoy something like that?"
"You're welcome," she said, blinking.
"No, I didn't hear. I mean, no offense, but I don't really care about anyone involved that much. I was pretty busy," she said. Partly true, but also no one would have told her the gossip if there was gossip to share. People didn't usually share that sort of thing with her for some reason. It did make her feel a bit weird to refer to herself as having been busy in the past tense.
"Why would I enjoy something like that?"
Bret shrugged slightly as Lori stood and spoke. He didn't mind that she didn't care about him, in fairness to her he didn't care about her either. It didn't make a difference either way.
He scratched at his beard.
"I dunno, maybe you like suffering."
He scratched at his beard.
"I dunno, maybe you like suffering."