[ Faraday isn't so far gone, it seems, that he doesn't miss the sharp reaction Vasquez has to the question. In the daylight hours, he made his money at card tables, learned how to read the subtle hints in the way people held themselves, in the way the timbre of their voices shifted.

It's why he holds up his good hand – an abbreviated version of the universal gesture for don't shoot. ]

Was just wonderin' aloud.

[ And he says it mildly, in hopes of pulling Vasquez back from that prickly edge.

Although it would be just like Faraday, he figures, to alienate the one crazy son of a bitch who seems able, if not willing, to put up with his stupid shit.

It's nothing short of a miracle that Vasquez has stuck around this long – and Faraday is too afraid to ask him what's kept him here. ]

Considerin' the damage the wolf did to you, I wouldn't blame you for wantin' to collect a toll.