[ & * little lion man. ]

Sawyer shrugged, deciding to drop the issue for now.·“Fine, more for me --- but it’s probably healthy to relax and have fun every once in a while.” So maybe alcohol wasn’t the healthiest method when compared to yoga or whatever else people did these days to take time to themselves and unwind, but it worked. Sawyer was the living, breathing, drunken proof.·“Don’t worry, I know my limits.” But knowing them was different from actually following·them. When he looked over at the other, it was only slightly blurry -- as long as he wasn’t seeing two, he figured he was fine.

“So they taught you about stranger danger but not about lurking around dark alleys? Odd.”

“what? do you really think i look like i can’t protect myself?”

“What? Just because I SMILED at you means I’m – you think that I’m drunk?”Or maybe it was because the other hadthe gift of functioning sight and couldsee the pile of empty bottles surroundinghis spot.

“--- y'know, it's not really my thing.”

“So is that why you’re here, then? Just wanted to hang out with some rotting food and god knows what else?”

      his mouth opens to answer her, then closes as his brain rapidly provides him conflicting answers to the question that should be simple;              yesnomaybesometimesusuallyit’scomplicated. but he focuses instead on the want aspect of it -- he rarely WANTS to hurt the people he does. it’s easier to answer now. “no, i don’t.” he watches her curiously as she apologizes ( again ) and continues to speak. his eyebrows raise in surprise at her sudden offer, and he’s thrown off track. the ‘no’ is easy, already halfway formed on his lips before he hesitates. hadn’t he just discussed the need to be more normal only a day ago? normal people probably weren’t so quick to feel paranoid because a good-looking girl in an alley approached them -- if anything, it should be the other way around. but obviously she’s extending some sort of branch with her offer, and maybe it would be nice to accept it and be normal for once. “uh...sure, okay.” he looks vaguely uncomfortable with his answer, as if the words from his own mouth were pulled from him involuntarily.

“What, I can’t have fun for once?” Sawyer has always reveled in his tight control over himself -- but this night is his unraveling. The control slips more with each drink ( and it’s a constant flow of them ), but he just doesn’t care anymore. "You should try it -- do a little less judging and a little more DRINKING.”

“I’m pretty sure all I was asking for was to be left a l o n e. Generally people don’t go to places like this for the company.”

         "um,” ( he’s as articulate as ever. ) “not really, no.” words were never his specialty -- but then again, they didn’t have to be in his line of work. and sure, he much preferred using them where he could to solve issues, but it mostly came down to forced action. but why would he need it right now? this GIRL couldn’t possibly be a threat to him...even if the way she spoke and noted his gun so casually put him a little on edge. “maybe an alley in the middle of the night isn't the best place to strike up a conversation with a stranger.”

“i’m not hiding, i was...searching.” ( like that made skulking around dark alleys sound any better. )