Faraday doesn't look at him, and that feels— off. Vasquez doesn't know what to make of it. Maybe Faraday is just in pain because of his leg? Maybe he's embarrassed because he was caught unawares?
Or the least appealing option: maybe he's been reminded of what he's traveling with.
His voice is still gruff, but without the otherworldly current lying beneath it. ]
[ Faraday nods in response, heading toward the livery with a bit of a limp.
It's an easy enough thing to grab their horses, leaving at a sedate pace before speeding up to put more distance between them and the town – the routine, usually, when they stayed in a town a little longer than planned and needed to get to a safe place before the sun dipped below the horizon.
After a bit, when they've judged they're far enough away, they slow. The light is starting to turn golden as the day starts to fade. Still some time yet before they have to deal with Faraday's change; enough time to start looking for a place to make camp.
The first thing Faraday says to break the silence, because apparently as unsettled as he is, he can't help but defend his pride: ]
[ Leaving town is routine, at this point. They always have to put space between them and the potential for humans to see Faraday's change, and they've done it every night for weeks, since leaving Rose Creek.
It's all habit, so Vasquez doesn't feel the need to breech the tense silence that settles around them like an iron weight.
(Because he still doesn't know what to make of it.)
When Faraday finally speaks, Vasquez glances in his direction, then turns his eyes forward again. ]
I could see that – what with how you were surrounded by men with guns. Very obvious you had it handled.
[ But he also doesn't regularly use that particular skill when at the point of Gilbert and Anton. Once discovered, he was far likelier to just outright kill a loose end that bother applying more force to his "suggestions." ]
I don't usually use it like that – having to push that much.
[ He dismounts Jack with far less care than he's due, and his bad leg buckles a little, forcing him to catch himself on the pommel of his saddle. He curses under his breath, jaw clenched as he shifts his weight to his good leg. ]
So? What did you do? [ And the words are sharp, brusque. ] 'Cause they looked like it was hurtin' them.
[ Vasquez pauses with his reins gathered in his hand, watching Faraday wobble – though he stops himself from reaching out and steady the other man. ]
I don't know. It's just— [ He cuts himself short as he tries to search for the right explanation, huffing out a sharp sigh. ] It's just a part of it. If they don't want to listen, it causes more pain until they do.
[ He echoes the words like he's spitting them out.
Maybe he's angrier about this than he should be, but hearing Vasquez use that voice had stirred something in his head. It had felt faintly familiar, though he had no memory of Vasquez speaking with that voice ever before.
But maybe he wouldn't.
Vasquez did say he routinely made people forget. ]
[ Vasquez looks more genuinely confused by the accusation, and he stops just to stare at Faraday. He’s never used that voice on Faraday, because he’s never had a reason to – and he has no real confidence that it would be effective, if Vasquez actually did try. ]
What the hell are you talking about? I never used it on you.
[ Vasquez isn’t actively trying to deny the fact that he’d attempted to use his voice on the wolf; he just genuinely believes Faraday and the wolf to be two separate beings. By that understanding, Vasquez doesn’t consider that he’d ever tried to coerce Faraday into obedience. ]
[ He keeps one hand on the pommel, but he turns to face Vasquez, making no move to disguise the way he stares at him, studies him, trying to spot any tics or tells. ]
When you talked like that, it kicked something up. Like I remembered it from before. Remembered how it felt.
[ Though that's not the right way to describe it; it was more like trying to remember a dream – not recalling the images, but recalling the impression it left behind. ]
He never remembers what happens on full moons, no matter how hard he tries. It's possible, he supposes, that those nights would still leave a shadow in his mind, however faint it might be, but—
He clenches his jaw, still doubtful. ]
And that's the only time?
[ Skepticism and anger in his voice to mask the confusion and the hurt.
... stupid, he admits, to feel hurt by the possibility of Vasquez betraying his trust and not righteously furious, but there it is – nagging at him like a sore, open wound rather than a white-hot flame. ]
[ Vasquez's confusion gives way to incredulity. They've known each other for solid months now, and maybe the two of them are made of little more than sharp edges and stubbornness, but Vasquez expected Faraday would trust him more than that.
(He's not sure why he expects that, given his centuries of experience. He's much less human than Faraday, much farther from "natural," despite the wolf's curse.
Vasquez is a walking nightmare, wearing the mask of a man.
[ He stops up short again, turning toward Jack to start removing his tack. He doesn't have a good answer to that question – not immediately, anyway.
Because the answer he does have is foolish. Selfish. All of this – it's worked out too well. The two of them finding this strange friendship, riding out together, working their way into an odd balance, finding company after he's spent all these years looking out for himself – this shouldn't have come out of accepting a goddamn suicide mission.
It's too goddamn good to be true. It would only logically follow, given Faraday's shit luck anywhere but at card tables, that something had to be wrong. ]
[ And he snaps it back, yanking roughly at the straps holding Jack's bridle in place. The horse snorts at him in warning, and Faraday clicks his tongue, forces himself to take a breath to calm down.
Not for his own benefit, and maybe not for Vasquez's, either – but so he doesn't yank at Jack's tack wrong and encourage the horse to knock Faraday on his ass. ]
I already got blank spots in my head from the wolf.
[ And while he's marginally calmer, if only so he can untack Jack properly, he still spits the word out bitterly. ]
It'd be easy takin' advantage of that. I already spend one night out of the month completely out of my own goddamn mind. What's another one or two more, right?
[ It's a flat statement, like that's answer enough, and it is, to Vasquez. It's clear to him why Faraday is asking, and it shouldn't feel like such a surprise, like such a kick in the teeth.
At the end of the day, what is he? The same thing he's been for centuries, the same monster whose stories were passed down through generations.
It's a perfectly reasonable assumption of an untrustworthy creature.
He doesn't know why he'd convinced himself Faraday thought differently.
Vasquez finally turns back to his horse, starting to unbuckle its bridle.
[ There's not much to read off of that – which is telling, considering Vasquez, like him, tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve, was as free with his jokes as he was with his barbs.
Faraday may still be bristling, but he has the sudden realization that he may have fucked up.
He believes him, is the thing. And maybe that's naive, to simply take Vasquez at his word, especially considering what Faraday witnessed today, but Vasquez doesn't have much reason to lie to him, he thinks.
Faraday's hands still on the buckles for a few breaths before he continues his work, pulling the bridle off of Jack's head and replacing it with the halter from his saddlebag. He hitches him to a nearby tree before working at loosening the saddle. He's quite for a long while as he moves around Jack.
Then, ]
Guessing it didn't work all that well when you did it to the wolf.
[ If it had, Faraday doubts the two of them would keep waking up mauled all to hell. ]
[ Vasquez lets them lapse into stony silence without turning any attention towards Faraday as he deals with his horse. His feelings are a thunderous storm in his chest, fighting each other for prominence. It all prickles out over his skin, something heated and angry, indignant – even if he doesn't see the real reason why.
He hitches his own horse to the same tree, barely looking at Faraday as he undoes his saddlebag.
Short, curt, ]
No. It didn't.
[ If he's honest, it seemed to have some effect, but compared to how it usually works on mortals? It was nothing. ]
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Faraday doesn't look at him, and that feels— off. Vasquez doesn't know what to make of it. Maybe Faraday is just in pain because of his leg? Maybe he's embarrassed because he was caught unawares?
Or the least appealing option: maybe he's been reminded of what he's traveling with.
His voice is still gruff, but without the otherworldly current lying beneath it. ]
Sí.
[ Vasquez nods back towards the livery. ]
The horses are ready to go.
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It's an easy enough thing to grab their horses, leaving at a sedate pace before speeding up to put more distance between them and the town – the routine, usually, when they stayed in a town a little longer than planned and needed to get to a safe place before the sun dipped below the horizon.
After a bit, when they've judged they're far enough away, they slow. The light is starting to turn golden as the day starts to fade. Still some time yet before they have to deal with Faraday's change; enough time to start looking for a place to make camp.
The first thing Faraday says to break the silence, because apparently as unsettled as he is, he can't help but defend his pride: ]
I had that handled.
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It's all habit, so Vasquez doesn't feel the need to breech the tense silence that settles around them like an iron weight.
(Because he still doesn't know what to make of it.)
When Faraday finally speaks, Vasquez glances in his direction, then turns his eyes forward again. ]
I could see that – what with how you were surrounded by men with guns. Very obvious you had it handled.
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It's not the first time I've been in that situation.
I had a plan – a decent one that you made a mess of, chargin' in like you did.
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[ Vasquez rolls his eyes. ]
Yes, that was going well.
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[ This, as they reach a little clearing – it's probably the best they're going to do on short notice. ]
Gil only got as close as he did 'cause you threw me off.
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[ Vasquez tosses Faraday a short glare as he's finally tugs on his reins, slowing his horse. ]
It doesn't matter now. It happened, you're not shot, y esta bien.
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[ This, grumbled under his breath, though he follows suit in coaxing Jack to a stop. ]
What the hell did you do to those poor bastards?
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It was what I told you about before.
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Then, ]
That was what you call a goddamn suggestion?
[ Because Gilbert and Anton didn't look like they could help themselves, looked nearly out of their minds with terror. ]
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[ But he also doesn't regularly use that particular skill when at the point of Gilbert and Anton. Once discovered, he was far likelier to just outright kill a loose end that bother applying more force to his "suggestions." ]
I don't usually use it like that – having to push that much.
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[ He dismounts Jack with far less care than he's due, and his bad leg buckles a little, forcing him to catch himself on the pommel of his saddle. He curses under his breath, jaw clenched as he shifts his weight to his good leg. ]
So? What did you do? [ And the words are sharp, brusque. ] 'Cause they looked like it was hurtin' them.
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I don't know. It's just— [ He cuts himself short as he tries to search for the right explanation, huffing out a sharp sigh. ] It's just a part of it. If they don't want to listen, it causes more pain until they do.
So what?
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[ He echoes the words like he's spitting them out.
Maybe he's angrier about this than he should be, but hearing Vasquez use that voice had stirred something in his head. It had felt faintly familiar, though he had no memory of Vasquez speaking with that voice ever before.
But maybe he wouldn't.
Vasquez did say he routinely made people forget. ]
So what, is when the hell did you use it on me?
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What the hell are you talking about? I never used it on you.
[ Vasquez isn’t actively trying to deny the fact that he’d attempted to use his voice on the wolf; he just genuinely believes Faraday and the wolf to be two separate beings. By that understanding, Vasquez doesn’t consider that he’d ever tried to coerce Faraday into obedience. ]
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When you talked like that, it kicked something up. Like I remembered it from before. Remembered how it felt.
[ Though that's not the right way to describe it; it was more like trying to remember a dream – not recalling the images, but recalling the impression it left behind. ]
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—and then he pauses for a beat as a thought strikes him.
It must have been... ]
The wolf. I tried during the full moon.
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He never remembers what happens on full moons, no matter how hard he tries. It's possible, he supposes, that those nights would still leave a shadow in his mind, however faint it might be, but—
He clenches his jaw, still doubtful. ]
And that's the only time?
[ Skepticism and anger in his voice to mask the confusion and the hurt.
... stupid, he admits, to feel hurt by the possibility of Vasquez betraying his trust and not righteously furious, but there it is – nagging at him like a sore, open wound rather than a white-hot flame. ]
You swear on your life that's all it's been?
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(He's not sure why he expects that, given his centuries of experience. He's much less human than Faraday, much farther from "natural," despite the wolf's curse.
Vasquez is a walking nightmare, wearing the mask of a man.
Faraday is right to fear and doubt that.)
Vasquez's jaw is set, his eyes narrowed. ]
Why is it you think I would do that to you?
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Because the answer he does have is foolish. Selfish. All of this – it's worked out too well. The two of them finding this strange friendship, riding out together, working their way into an odd balance, finding company after he's spent all these years looking out for himself – this shouldn't have come out of accepting a goddamn suicide mission.
It's too goddamn good to be true. It would only logically follow, given Faraday's shit luck anywhere but at card tables, that something had to be wrong. ]
Don't change the subject. You didn't answer me.
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[ He holds fast to his horse's reins, watching Faraday closely, even as he doesn't turn to face Vasquez again. ]
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[ And he snaps it back, yanking roughly at the straps holding Jack's bridle in place. The horse snorts at him in warning, and Faraday clicks his tongue, forces himself to take a breath to calm down.
Not for his own benefit, and maybe not for Vasquez's, either – but so he doesn't yank at Jack's tack wrong and encourage the horse to knock Faraday on his ass. ]
I already got blank spots in my head from the wolf.
[ And while he's marginally calmer, if only so he can untack Jack properly, he still spits the word out bitterly. ]
It'd be easy takin' advantage of that. I already spend one night out of the month completely out of my own goddamn mind. What's another one or two more, right?
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[ It's a flat statement, like that's answer enough, and it is, to Vasquez. It's clear to him why Faraday is asking, and it shouldn't feel like such a surprise, like such a kick in the teeth.
At the end of the day, what is he? The same thing he's been for centuries, the same monster whose stories were passed down through generations.
It's a perfectly reasonable assumption of an untrustworthy creature.
He doesn't know why he'd convinced himself Faraday thought differently.
Vasquez finally turns back to his horse, starting to unbuckle its bridle.
Over his shoulder, ]
No. I never tried, except the full moon.
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Faraday may still be bristling, but he has the sudden realization that he may have fucked up.
He believes him, is the thing. And maybe that's naive, to simply take Vasquez at his word, especially considering what Faraday witnessed today, but Vasquez doesn't have much reason to lie to him, he thinks.
Faraday's hands still on the buckles for a few breaths before he continues his work, pulling the bridle off of Jack's head and replacing it with the halter from his saddlebag. He hitches him to a nearby tree before working at loosening the saddle. He's quite for a long while as he moves around Jack.
Then, ]
Guessing it didn't work all that well when you did it to the wolf.
[ If it had, Faraday doubts the two of them would keep waking up mauled all to hell. ]
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He hitches his own horse to the same tree, barely looking at Faraday as he undoes his saddlebag.
Short, curt, ]
No. It didn't.
[ If he's honest, it seemed to have some effect, but compared to how it usually works on mortals? It was nothing. ]
It waited when I told it to, but that was it.
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