Aberrant: Stargate Universe - Nightcap [Complete]

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia was only vaguely aware of what was happening. She knew that she was in a truck she'd never been in before, one that Vinny had access to and probably owned. Just as he closed her door, she thought she heard Declan calling for her, but he was calling her 'Livy.' He'd never called her that, and it failed to penetrate the layer of panic and near-hysteria gripping her. None of that was as important as getting to the mirror she prayed was hidden behind the sun visor.

Sure enough, when she flipped down the visor, there was a plastic frame holding a mirror. She opened it, turning on the automatic lights, and peered into the mirror. Breathlessly, she turned her face, looking for stains or marks. After a long moment of searching, she couldn't find anything.

With shaking hands - still feel it it's still there - she shut the mirror and sat back in the seat, hugging herself. Vinny got another nice show as her tight hug emphasized her cleavage. Olivia's mind was far, far away, working very hard to recover from the shock of her first real close-quarters combat. She closed her eyes and drew in air through her nose, releasing it through her mouth. Frowning, she forced herself to concentrate on the sensations of her mouth, the slide of her tongue over her teeth. But the taste of vomit kept breaking her concentration.

The truck slowing and coming to a stop jarred her out of her failed attempt to meditate. She peered through the windshield, expecting to see the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain, but instead, she was looking at a deceptively normal apartment building. "Where are we?" she asked hoarsely, her throat still raw from the abuse of tonight.

"My place," Vinny grunted, exiting the truck, then coming around to open the door for her. "Thought you might want to clean up a bit."

[Forge]

Vinny stuck his key in the lock that adorned the door to apartment 4D. The lock easily withdrew and he pushed the door open, walked in and flipped the lights. One switch threw on the kitchen can lights, track lighting in the main area and another couple can lights in the hallway.

The place was decorated somewhere between 'Bachelor' and 'Well-Traveled.' The kitchen was to the right beyond the small entry, where a neon Guiness sign adorned the wall above the stove, yet collections of Moroccan, African, Polynesian and various other cultures adorned the main living area in front of them. A triptec of framed blue prints could be seen down the hallway to the left.

Vinny walked into the living room, moving towards a small, but very well stocked wet bar as he shed his coat.

"Bathroom is at the end of the hall."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia nodded and headed for the hall. At the last moment she turned and said, "A glass, please."

Vinny retrieved her one from the kitchen, an eight-ounce tumbler that was probably used for things like Scotch on the rocks. "Thank you," Olivia murmured softly, taking it from him and fleeing.

The bathroom was "rental male." The walls were creamy white, as were the accents, while the fixtures were a simple silver. Male products were no where to be seen, though when Olivia opened the medicine cabinet, she found them. Dark towels of various colors and sizes peeked out of an open cabinet, and Olivia took a hand towel and set it on the counter. This room, like the others she'd seen so far, was spectacularly clean, in a way that was almost intimidating to a woman who organized her many books in easily reachable stacks around her working space.

Olivia realized she felt cold; with a shiver, she turned on the hot water and looked into the mirror. Leaning forward, she examined her face more closely. She couldn't see anything, but she fumbled out a washcloth and some soap and scrubbed her face. Her minimal make up - eyeliner, mascara, lipstick - was washed away, along with that phantom sensation of sticky fluids on her face. She dried her face, pressing her skin into the thick cloth. After a moment, she realized she'd dribbled on her neck and chest, and she cleaned up that water as well.

Turning the cold water on, she filled the cup and rinsed her mouth, then emptied the glass. She paused with her hand on the mouthwash, then shrugged and poured a bit in the glass and throwing it back. The bitter, antiseptic fluid stung her gums, but she ignored it as she swished it around and spat it out.

Then she took a good look in the mirror, feeling almost human again. A tired, shocked woman looked back at her, and Olivia sighed. This was supposed to be fun, not this mess-up, she thought, pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead. This was just supposed to be a night to cut loose, not end up like... this.

Pain in her leg announced itself as her shock retreated, and Olivia gasped and undid her pants to take a look. A darkening bruise was forming; it'd hurt even worse tomorrow. "Perfect," she muttered, pulling her pants back on.

Stepping out into the hallway, she walked into the living room to find Vinny indulging at the wet bar. "Thanks," she said softly, suddenly really aware that she was alone with a guy who liked to leer at her but didn't seem to like her. That combo hadn't worked well for her in the past, and she swallowed hard. "Can I use your phone? I need to let Kyria and the others know I'm ok."

[Forge]

Vinny looked up as Olivia came back down the hall, a lit cigar resting in its familiar spot. A small look of concern seemed to be penetrating his facade, but then quickly disappeared.

Wish this shit worked...girl looks fuckin' better without the face-paint.

"Sorry, no phone. No one to call, no one fuckin' callin'."

He looked down at his empty glass and sighed. Grabbing the bottle of Johnny Walker Black and another glass, he made his way to the couch.

"Gonna make me drink alone?" Vinny said looking up at Olivia expectantly.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

It was the same old pattern, reborn anew. Her heart rate jumped a notch before she remembered that this wasn't like before. She wasn't that dumb girl, she'd learned to punch from the best. And if he did repeat history, she'd see him nailed to a wall. "I don't know about the drinking," Olivia said softly, taking one of the seats. "Give me a moment. I'm still... shaky."

"Nothin better for nerves," Vinny advised.

Olivia sighed. He was right; there is a reason that they gave alcohol to people. "A little," she said, as he put a couple of fingers in a glass for her. She sipped it and coughed a little as it burned down her sore throat. By the time she had finished, she found the courage to ask, "Why are you doing this? I mean... why not dump me back at base?"

[Forge]

"Way I figure it, you looked all fucked up from that brawl and thought you might appreciate a chance to clean off before you faced your teammates."

'And not lose their respect.' was left hanging, and unsaid.

Vinny leaned back, puffing on his cigar, leaving his glass on the table, which had an odd mozaic pattern etched into it.

"The base is also quite a hoof, 'sides, we're still on leave, fuckall if I'm gonna head back early."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Would she have lost their respect? She tried to imagine any of her team thinking less of her for having such a human reaction, and failed. Jaunt was the only one that might do so, but Olivia was rapidly discerning that ignoring Jaunt was the wisest option sixty percent of the time.

Her mind still brought her back to reality, boring in on the important point. Vinny was being nice to her, borderline kind. Then he finished what he was saying and she relaxed a little. He wasn't completely altrustic, which made her a little more comfortable. She wasn't sure how she'd deal with a nice Vinny. It was like having to handle a pleasant bomb or a soft piece of broken glass.

A mask caught her eye and she stood up, moving to take a closer look. "Is this Maasai?" she asked, studying it more closely. "My mom has a couple like this; she thinks we're from Kenya, way back when. We might have Maasai ancestors, though that's unlikely, in my opinion. They were fairly resistant to being taken for slaves." Once again, she was forced to reassess this brusque, rude ass who was an engineer and collected bits of art. He's so weird...

[Forge]

"Yeah....I was there doing materials testing on their..." Vinny makes a face that looks somewhere between disgust and admiration, "...shit-cement."

Vinny waved a hand dismissively as he picked up his drink from the table, draining it.

"I fixed a water-pump that was fucked up, they gave me that. Fair trade huh. They're bouncy fuckers those people."

Vinny paused as Olivia continued to examine the mask.

Hasn't insisted to leave yet.

"Not too hard to imagine being related, their refusal to be taken and your hard-willed determination could be cut from the same piece of attitude."

Vinny looked at her, waiting to see where she was going to let this conversation go.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia listened to him with one ear, while her mind slowly regained its higher functions after the shock she'd gotten. With the other ear, she reached out with an ability that she normally kept turned off. She began to flip through the channels, looking for an open one among a handful. Eventually, one of her teammates would call someone else's phone, and she could hop onto the signal.

But as she did that, she realized what Vinny had just said to her. Spinning, she said, "Wait a minute, did you just call me stubborn?" There was a tone of disbelief and mounting outrage in her voice. While she was realizing that there was more to Vinny than grump and cigar smoke, she was still quick to hear the worst when he spoke.

[Forge]

Vinny's face actually turned to one of mild shock.

"Whoa, hold on girl, don't get your thong all in a knot. I just said you are determined."

Vinny stood up and walked down the hall, the bathroom door quietly shutting and the sounds of hard-core pissing followed for a good minute.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

She had a bit of dark pleasure at Vinny's surprise; it was the first reaction she'd gotten from him that wasn't a leer or a scowl. Her next reaction a flush that crawled up her face. He noticed I'm wearing a thong? She considered the very real possibility that she'd never be able to wear another.

You knew guys would notice, she told herself, strolling back to the mosaic table for a bit more drink. This time it didn't burn as she nursed it and wandered to the next bit of art. Why did it bother you?

Because he mentioned it.

Because he reminds me of Hatchins.

The blue triptec caught her eye, and she was standing a little closer to Vinny when he came out of the bathroom than she meant to be. She had thought they were strange paintings, but as she looked closer, she realized she'd been wrong.

"What's this?" she asked, waving the glass at the blueprints. The explanation should distract her nicely. She hoped.

[Forge]

Vinny stopped short when he saw Olivia looking up at the triptec in the small hall. He glanced up at the framed piece as he moved to stand next to her.

"Life and Death of Civilization. The first is a blueprint of The Sands original construction, the second is a map of its various renovations over the years, the third is the demolition layout that took it down."

Vinny looked down at her drink.

"You want something to eat? Whiskey on an empty stomach is liable ta fuck ya up."

Vinny put his hands on Olivia's shoulders, guiding himself behind and by her as he walked towards the kitchen.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

His touch made her jump; she couldn't help it. He did that just to touch you, Olivia thought, then forced herself to cut back on the rampant paranoia. You were blocking the hall. She was feeling a bit sick, and she couldn't tell if it was the whiskey on an abused stomach or if she was freaking herself out.

"You have food? Or do you mean beer nuts and pizza rolls?" she asked, taking one more look at the blue prints - and sealing them in her mind forever - before following him. She paused in the doorway to the kitchen, one ear still hearing things beyond human range.

[Forge]

Vinny laughed, it was one of those 'oh crap I almost spit' surprise laughs, but Vinny laughed nevertheless. Somehow, the cigar defied gravity and managed to stay on its perch during the violent upheaval.

"Yes, I have food darlin'," Vinny said, still smiling, "I'm not fuckin' Bobby Flay, but I know how ta cook."

You try and eat the shit they try to feed you overseas...

Vinny opened his fridge, pulling out bread, deli roast beef, some kind of white cheese, a cucumber, a green bell pepper and a couple jars...looked like dijon mustard and maybe mayo, awfully small jar for mayo.

"Sandwich?" Vinny questioned, holding up the bag of sourdough.

"Otherwise you're on yer own." he finished gesturing towards the fridge.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"That's cool, thanks, but no meat, please," Olivia said, leaning on the counter and watching him. Surprise and laughter, all in one night. I must be 'connecting' with him or something. There's a thought that will drive a woman to kill herself...

It was that thought that gave her the courage to finally ask the question she'd been pondering all night - that and the quick slug of whiskey she snapped back. "Alright, I have to ask - why are you being nice to me? You could have left me at the bar, or dumped me in front of the bar, where I would be found. Instead, you bring me here and feed me and liquor me up. I thought you viewed me as a special kind of a pain in the ass known as a 'civilian.' So what gives, huh?"

[Forge]

Vinny stopped in the middle of piling on the sliced roast beef.

"You're the mind-reader, you tell me."

He finished the first sandwich and slid it over, pulling two more slices of bread out of the bag.

"You like it hot?" Vinny said smirking.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia quirked an eyebrow up and said flatly, "I'm not a mind-reader. That's Kyria, not me."

She scooped up the sandwich and tried it. "Acceptable," she said, giving him a bit of a smirk. She sobered a bit and added, "Thank you. Now... I'm still waiting for that answer."

[Forge]

I was fuckin' wrong!?

Vinny was quiet as he built his sandwich, piling on the horseradish thick.

"You try." He said, taking a large bite, "And, if you hadn't noticed, you are fuckin' gorgeous."

Now that I'm free to think, wouldn't mind nailing you either.

Vinny raised his eyebrows in a, 'yeah, so what if I said it, its true dammit' as he took another bite.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Jeez, you men! I get a boob job courtesy of an ancient artifact, and suddenly my boss makes googly eyes at me and the base's token asshole is being nice to me. These-" She pointed at her breasts in a violent motion that didn't help Vinny focus on her intentions. "-are not me. My face-" She spun the fingers of one hand around the named body part. "-is not me. I'm in here," she said, tapping her head. "I'm in my writing, I'm in my words, but I'm not in my body parts. It's just meat. I doesn't mean anything, and it will fall away someday. If I were ugly and still tried, would you be the same, or would you have left me on the pool table?"

[Forge]

Vinny looked offended, but only a little. He stood there calmly for the most part while she went on. He had time to take another bite of his sandwich, slowly chewing, before the opportunity to respond came up.

Bitch has chops.

"Whether you fucking like it or not, your body's part of you, you're not a damn Ancient yet. Ugly bitch, hot bitch, or just bitchy-bitch," he said, getting irritated. "I would have grabbed you. Just 'cause I called you hot, does not mean I was objectifying you goddammit!"

Vinny looked at the half-eaten sandwich, then threw the rest across the kitchen into the wastebasket, moving the cigar from between his fingers back to his mouth.

"Think its time I took you to the base." he said plainly.

Vinny walked slowly out of the kitchen, leaving the sandwich construction mess strewn across the counter. He moved towards the front entryway, grabbing his keys from a small dish and his leather jacket from where he had thrown it on the back of the couch.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Great. Just... wonderful. Olivia rubbed her face, feeling tired and a bit guilty. "You said that I try and then remarked on my body. What am I supposed to think? And you remind-"

She stopped, closing her eyes, disbelief on her face. She'd had way too much to drink if she had almost mentioned that. Blinking, she stood quickly and headed for the door. "Don't worry about the ride," Olivia said, reaching for the door. "I can call someone." As soon as someone will use their freaking phone! "Thanks for the use of your bathroom and the sandwich."

[Forge]

"Hold on there Olivia." Vinny said, holding the door closed. "You think I'm gonna let you out in that outfit at this time of the night, you're fucking crazy."

"Wanna make an ass of yourself because I remind you of some dickwad, then fine, but don't be stupid, let me give you a ride."

Prolly an ass-tard ex.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia stared at him, her jaw clenched tight enough that he could see a muscle jump in her cheek. She weighed the odds of getting him to let her go, and the odds that she could go through him. Both were pretty poor.

"Fine, give me a ride," she said, her voice hot with anger. It softened almost immediately into something else. "I'm sorry." She blinked and looked down at the rug, so bright against his hard wood floors. "I should judge you on your own merit. I shouldn't look at you and half-see someone who hurt me, once. I can't. I don't know if it helps, but most big guys scare me, at least a little. It's gotten better since I've acclimated to being around my team." Livy and the He-Men, she thought mirthlessly.

He really didn't need to know all that, and probably didn't care. But she did owe him an apology, for her personal prejudice, at least.

[Forge]

Vinny looked down at Olivia, his face neutral as she apologized for being spastic.

"Yeah, well, I'm not fuckin' shrinking anytime soon." Vinny sighed as he wiped his hand down his face.

Girl's borderline scizzo...that's why yer hot for her dumbass.

He gave her a quick once over, his eyes lingering for only the most minute moment over her well-displayed chest. "If we're gonna go, you need a jacket, or at least a sweatshirt...c'mere."

Vinny made to move back into the house and disappeared around the corner down the hall.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

It was just another delay, and Olivia was beginning to regret planning a big "Last Night of Leave." Next time, I'm going to stay home with a good history book and some hot chocolate and my bunny slippers.

Sighing, she sat down on the couch, flopping back onto the cushions. Why did I bother? she wondered, as she wiggled a little deeper into the soft leather of the couch. I'm not made to go out and be all sexy and have fun in a bar.

"Pathetic, Liv. Unable to function in the most basic of social functions," she mumbled to herself. Her hands stroked the leather. "Couch feels nice, though," she said appraisingly, then had to just laugh at herself for being to weird.

[Forge]

Vinny came back out into the living room, carrying an Air Force Academy sweatshirt.

"Yes, it does...change your mind darlin'?" Vinny said, tossing her the sweatshirt and sitting down in the matching easy chair.

Talking to her is like a fucking roller coaster.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia caught the shirt and started to sort it out, finding the arms. "Change my mind? About what?" she asked, sounding irritated. "You're the one who decided I was going back to the base." Her scowl disappeared into the shirt as she pulled it over her head. It was still there when she popped her head out the hole. "Or do I need to repeat the conversation for you?"

She was lost in his big sweatshirt. Worse, she now floated in a miasma of strange smells - soap, dryer sheets, cigar smoke and underneath all that, the telltale scent of the person who wore this most often. I know what Vinny smells like now. Some days, her acute senses weren't all they were cracked up to be.

She began to roll up the sleeves so that she could have her hands free, but there wasn't much she could do about it hanging to mid-thigh.

[Forge]

Damn she looks fine in that.

"Oh, you wanted to stay then? If you want to stay, I can't stop you." Vinny said, teasing.

Aside from the one dagger to his character, Olivia's anger didn't seem to be doing much but appealing more to Vinny. Hell if he was gonna go after some pussy that rolled over and asked to have her belly scratched.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

What the heck is wrong with him? Olivia wondered, blinking at him. Thanks to her faster thought processes, she didn't have to think long. "You're not very decisive, are you? Look, as much fun as you may have yo-yoing between wanting to hang and wanting to ditch me, I don't see the appeal in it. So, either take me back to the base, or let me out, or let me stay here until I can connect with a call to my teammates and have them pick me up. I'm sure they're worried about me." They'd better be.

She crossed her arms and tried to look resolute. It was nearly impossible to look anything other than vulnerable while wearing such out-sized clothing. She mostly managed to look a bit pouty as she waited for him to speak.

[Forge]

The song was humming through Vinny's head as he looked at Olivia. Yeah he was toying with her, but he needed to see how far he could push her, and despite how ridiculous she looked in her defiance, Vinny was pretty sure he had reached the point where he better lay off.

"Sorry Olivia. No harm meant." Vinny said with a small nod and smile "Stay here as you please."

Vinny got up and went to the kitchen. Briefly, the sounds of cleaning up could be heard and when he came back, he had two open Sam Adams in one hand. Vinny held his hand out as he neared her, clearly offering her one of the beers.

Olivia took it hesitantly, letting it rest in her lap for now. Vinny moved around the table and sat on the other side of the couch from her.

"So, what's this writing you do you find so defining?" Vinny asked, seemingly genuine interest on his face.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia blinked as he went into the kitchen, then shook her head. She didn't get him at all. She'd never dealt someone who was so hot-and-cold. Closing her eyes, she sagged into the couch - it was pretty comfy. And with the sweatshirt, she was warm for the first time tonight. She kicked off her boots and pulled her legs up in a crossed position in front of her, her thin black socks matching the couch. Truly comfortable, she fought the urge to doze.

Vinny's return forced her to return to attention. She blinked away impending sleep to find a bottle hanging in front of her nose. "Never accept an already-opened drink." It was only because it was Vinny that she took it, and if he was going to force something on her, he could do it without a date-rape drug.

And then his question blasted all other thoughts out of her mind. It wasn't just the content, though that was a bit of a surprise; it was the way he asked it, as if he actually cared about the answer.

This was getting creepy.

Come on, someone... anyone... call one another... "Well, it's what I do, it's what I went to school for, and it's my job. I love it," she said, feeling a smile tug on her face, unbidden. "There's something really wonderful about putting your thoughts down on paper in an organized manner, and having another person follow after and read it. And then they get ideas, and they write them down, you hope, and then you read theirs, and it's this incredible gestalt of thought and idea. Our brain is such a disorganized jumble, and coherantly putting my thoughts down is amazing. That's why it defines me: it's my thoughts laid bare for all to see.

"Whatever the Artifact did, it changed my writing - I do it constantly now, in the back of my head, and I do it really well. Apparently, while I was recovering from being knocked unconscious, I was writing outloud. The nurses recorded it for me, and it's good considering that I wasn't awake.

"I write mostly about history," she continued. "In fact, the book I wrote about Daniel, er, Dr. Jackson, was what got me hired at Area 51." She grimaced. "It was that, or teaching at a community college for the rest of my life." She picked at the label on her bottle. "What about you? Why engineering?"

[Forge]

Vinny listened attentively, maintaining eye contact and nodding occasionally. She appeared to be comfortable, at least she stopped threatening to leave.

"So its like you narrate your life back to yourself in your head?" he asked curiously.

He snorted when she asked about engineering. "Yeah, well, I'm good at it for one... The serious answer? I like to blow shit up. Don't get me wrong, construction has its own merits, but there is nothing like setting charges, putting a chalk line around the building and knowing that not a fucking thing will disturb that line. Anyone can build a fuckin' box, but its an art few can appreciate to bring it down."

He took a long swig of beer, looking at the nearly empty container as he swallowed.

"Need another? I know I do." He said getting up.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Originally Posted By: Forge

"So its like you narrate your life back to yourself in your head?" he asked curiously.

"It's not narrating my life," Olivia said with a chuckle. "It's like I'm writing a book about what I think about as I go about my day. I'm not writing, 'I picked up the coffee cup and drank the bitter brew,' it's more like, 'The development of coffee in Ethiopia is overlooked by most of its consumers. When they think 'coffee' they think a Brazilian man working next to a placid donkey. They don't realize that coffee was born halfway around the world, thanks to perceptive farmers and dancing goats.' It's like that, all the time in my head." Her smile said that she wasn't adverse to it.

Originally Posted By: Forge

He took a long swig of beer, looking at the nearly empty container as he swallowed. "Need another? I know I do." He said getting up.

"No, I'm fin-" Olivia gasped and stopped talking in mid-sentence. Her eyes fluttered shut, and then her lips began to move without sound.

[Forge]

"Hey! You okay? Are you having a seizure?"

They were stupid questions, but Vinny wasn't used to girls acting like this outside the bedroom, especially without his assistance.

"Fuckin' Christ, now I need a damn phone."

Vinny hovered over her, not exactly sure what to do, hoping it would pass quickly, and not end with her choking on her own tongue.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Oddly, bizarrely, Olivia raised a single index finger in the classic, "hold on a second" gesture. She didn't stop what she was doing for another long moment.

She opened her eyes, to find herself on eye-level with Vinny's crotch. She tilted her head back as she looked up at him, to see a hint of actual concern on his face. "Vinny, I'm... ok, can you back up? The angle is killing my neck."

He retreated and she smiled. "Thanks. I'm fine, I was just making a phone call. Caine's on his way to pick me up."

[Forge]

Vinny's look of concern vanished beneath his usual facade of sterness at the mention of Caine. He stood there for a moment, looking down at her, then turned and headed back towards the kitchen.

Jealous ass-tard

"Alright." Vinny's voice had regressed to the more familiar cold, distanced tone, any hint of warmth gone like it was never there.

"Beer...I need beer." he mumbled under his breath as he pushed the kitchen door open.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia curled her feet out from under her and stood. She took her first draw on the beer and followed him, pausing in the doorway. "What is it with you two?" she asked, leaning against the doorway. His sweatshirt curved around her body as she took another pull and added, "Why do you hate him?"

[Forge]

"Because he's a stuck-up prick who lords military protocol over all creation, 'everything has its place, and there is a place for fuckin' everything. He is the Athens to my Sparta." Vinny growled, closing the fridge.

"You watch," Vinny said, gesturing with his new Sam, "He'll try to have me hit with a fuckin' 128."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"He wasn't the one who mentioned that," Olivia said softly. "Though he wanted to 'sort it out at base.' Gwyn was also put out that you rescued me, I think." She give a little smile, almost a shrug of her lips.

She drained her beer and walked past him to set it in the sink. She hesitated, then looked up at him, brushing some hair back from her face. "If you tell me something, I won't forget it," she said softly. "And I mean that literally. So with that in mind... did you start the fight?"

[Forge]

Vinny looked her in the eyes, processing what she said, while also searching for the trust he wasn't sure he should give her.

Moments passed as he continued to gaze into her, his pupils ticking back and forth as he moved his focus from eye to eye.

"No." He said, holding eye contact for another moment, then walked back into the living room.

Fuckin' ass-tard bull-muncher did.