[ If Wash — her Wash? — ever finds out she called herself that, he’d never stop choking. Ever. She can almost hear the sputtering, confusion breaking the thin veneer of melodramatic badass he likes to try to paint over himself. Maybe it’d be funny. It could be funny. Or maybe it’d just be one of those things where you laugh until you cry. ]

[ Another sip of coffee, longer this time. Really savouring it. Be casual, Cali: just because you haven't eaten anything except MREs and awful army coffee in god knows how long doesn't mean you can't be civilised. ]

I thought their lips looked ... [ Pauses to chew and swallow a chunk of bagel. ] Well, a little blue. I guess. Beneath the blood. I don't know if that'd mean anything.