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There'd been the distant hope that this was a matter of pure, horrible coincidence; something so astronomically unlikely it was bound to show up sooner or later because of course it would. The man's words, however, make it clear that it is not so, and that this is in fact someone he'd been inches away from condemning in to oblivion not...
No. Moments don't matter when they've added up to months. Some of the heat of the moment has cooled, but there is still a very strong loathing that wells up in his throat. If looks could kill...
...thankfully for Krei, Callaghan's attention is quickly diverted to the sound of pounding footsteps not too far away. He's come to associate such with trouble, and a necessity to get himself out of the way if he can, so he gives Alistair a quick shove and snarl.
There's a quick jolt of panic when Callaghan shoves him, given the way their last encounter went, but Krei is only too glad to get as far away from the man as physically possible. He lands on his backside a couple of feet away and immediately jumps up to his feet, looking more and more like a caged animal as his gaze darts between the threat in front of him and the threat just around the corner.
"Nothing! I didn't-"
There's a shout from the side street, and Krei knows that he's just about run out of time. With one last glance back at Callaghan, he turns to continue on his previous course through the city--
--only to, once again, be stopped short as he slams into someone, albeit with much less momentum going into it this time.
Whoever this group is, they're organized enough to have sent someone around the other way. Someone very large, and very imposing, and very much blocking Alistair's exit path right now. Krei backs away, bitterly aware that the only place left to go is toward the man who tried to kill him not long ago.
"Robert...?"
i mean if you want he can punch you would you prefer that
As darkly satisfying as it can be to watch Krei stumble like that, Robert forces himself to refocus on the things that matter. So as the man begins to run once more, Robert begins to look for his things, kneeling on the ground to collect them...
And then it becomes clear that Alistair is lingering. A quick glance up explains why. Damn it.
He could just extract himself completely. Insist he has no part of this, and some clever words could probably get him out of here and leave Alistair to whatever hole he's dug. Of course...that might trickle back, and as much as he does so loathe Krei, the kedan look more than unfriendly, and they may stretch it out just for their own amusement. Having always searched for efficiency, it rankles Callaghan in more ways than one.
The once professor sighs heavily, reaching up to rub his face before getting back to his feet. Shooting Krei a look of you owe me, he looks around, trying to figure out which is the closest thing to a leader here...
"Whatever he did, he'll apologize for it, and I'll be taking him to the hotel now."
There's a single chuckle from their crowd that suggests it's not going to be that easy. And Robert, despite his air of nonchalance, is finding his attention moving towards the quickest option of escape.
Edited 2015-03-04 04:43 (UTC)
oh don't worry someone's got you covered on that one
"I didn't do anything!" Why does Callaghan keep assuming that this is his fault?
Fine. Enough of this. Krei draws himself up to his full height--taller than Callaghan--and squares his shoulders, determined that if he can't run from this fight then he'll just have to talk his way out of it. One doesn't become the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company without being able to negotiate, after all. He smoothes the front of his suit with one hand, an almost unconscious gesture, and takes a step toward the larger kedan.
"Look, if it's money you want, I don't have any of... your kind. Whatever it's called. I've only just arrived." Krei slides a hand into the pocket of his slacks, produces a slim fold of cash. "I don't know if this means anything to you, I've got... maybe a few hundred here? Or maybe you'd like my phone?" It's sleek and fairly impressive looking--it ought to be, it's the latest version from his own company, hasn't even hit the stores yet. He offers them both to the kedan. "Take them, with my blessing."
Alistair smiles as the kedan does so, assuming that the transaction is complete. He brushes the front of his suit again, starts to turn toward Robert with a look of triumph. "Now if you'll just excuse us--"
A right hook catches him square in the mouth, dropping him to the ground at Callaghan's feet like a dead weight.
how dare callaghan had dibs also "i am saving you now so i may beat you later"
He could also have informed Krei that they don't take yen here, and unless he had done something in particular to anger them - well, then they're just looking for trouble. All things considered, Alistair having done something wrong is the best-case scenario; it means an apology might help. Robert gives Alistair a long look with an arched brow as he goes about his attempt at calming the crowd, and is utterly uninspired by the events that follows.
...he can use the phone, though, for spare parts. Assuming he can bargain it back.
"As I said. I'll be taking him, now, and I've got something better in mind than that paper and dead weight he handed you."
While Krei is on the ground, recovering, he may or may not catch the quick 'bargaining' session that occurs - and depending on how much he remembers Callaghan's body language, he'll see him acting as though he's surrounded by a group of particularly thick-headed students who need to be 'herded' more than anything else. Not that he ever says anything outright; there's a few simple comments that can be taken in so many levels, and the kedan go from amused to bristling to confused to looking back and forth between Callaghan and Krei, and then the former's gesture to some of his dropped parts on the ground. They're gathered up quickly enough, poured over, and with a final backhanded wave, the kedan wander off to look at their actually useful 'haul.'
Leaving Callaghan looking down at Krei with a very, very unamused expression. It's not quite the one he wore when he saw him last, but maybe the time before, after he'd managed to help convince Hiro not to sell the microbots. Because all told...he's not certain where to go from here. Somewhere between kicking him while he's down, maybe, and/or finding what other tech he might have on him for salvage.
Krei stays low to the ground during the whole exchange, though he's more startled than actually damaged. The punch didn't knock out any teeth, thankfully, but his lower lip is split and the hand that had reflexively gone to his face after being struck comes away a shaking, bloody mess.
So he'd underestimated these kedan. He knows next to nothing about this world, about these people, but he's a fast learner. It's a mistake he won't make again--not that he might ever get the chance to rectify that particular error.
After the initial shock of being struck he catches only bits and pieces of the negotiation between Callaghan and the kedan. By the time the crowd is dispersing he's caught the gist of it, however, and it leaves him with a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He lifts himself up to where he's half sitting on one leg, half crouching with an arm resting on the other knee. The indignant, anxious look he shoots Callaghan in return is punctuated all too well by the blood.
"I... thank you. I think."
He lifts a hand back to his lip, winces. "Planning to finish what you started, then?"
It's a little easier to be bold about it when Callaghan isn't fully suited up in mask and microbots, but there's also a certain amount of resignation in Alistair's voice. He's already at a heavy disadvantage. What's to stop the man?
It's not a bad look for Krei, all told; Callaghan lets himself be appreciate it for a few seconds before refocusing on the here and now. A kick in the face wouldn't be too hard, but-
"Not today."
-but he'd just spent the better part of a week's work, there. And the viciousness he wore when he last saw the man...it's tempered by the weeks he's been here. The loathing he has for the other man remains, but the frenzied intensity has cooled.
At least for now. Let Krei wonder if his next slip-up will be what provokes it again. There's only so much harm he can do, here; he's practically powerless. The man's not stupid, but he has been coddled as far as Robert's concerned - his position as the untouchable CEO of Krei Tech has given him a buffer against certain things like consequences. Since he's now aware that there are some...
A derisive smile tugs at Robert's lips, and then he turns.
It doesn't do anything to dissipate that sick feeling, but at least Callaghan isn't trying to kill him right now. Small favors and all that. One might have assumed that finding Abigail alive and intact would have lessened the man's drive to murder him, and maybe it has, but the look on Callaghan's face during this whole encounter suggests that forgiving and forgetting are probably out of the question.
And this is the only person in the city that he knows. And that little exchange with the gang....
Krei swallows hard, tasting blood, and fishes around inside his suit jacket with his clean hand for a handkerchief. He rises to his feet unsteadily, then pauses for a moment to let the world stop spinning around him before mopping up as much of the blood from his face and hand as he can. Call him vain, but the idea of wandering around this city looking like the victim in a horror movie doesn't really sit well with him. Finally he presses the folded, gory handkerchief to his lip.
Unfortunately for Krei, Callaghan's last memory is of a pair of forms swooping down for the finish, and the sinking realization that he'd been outthought by a child. A child genius, perhaps, but one who'd also shown no hesitation in attempting a rather...final...finish not twenty-four hours before.
The entire circumstance is a somewhat stressful one. And Krei is a very fresh reminder of his failure.
"I'm not going to repeat myself a third time. Suffice it to say I'm taking you to a place where I doubt even you can get in trouble, and what happens from there isn't my responsibility."
Trailing along after Robert, Krei rolls his eyes--he'd caught the part about a hotel, but what hotel? And why? They'd given him what he assumed to be the standard greeting after his arrival, but Alistair would really just like someone to stop and explain things in a way that might actually make sense. To a real person. Who isn't utterly insane.
...asking that of Callaghan might be sort of futile, come to think of it.
"Ah yes, let me just apologize for being mugged," he spits back, a sneer evident in his voice if not on his face as he looks down, readjusts the handkerchief on his lip. "Because I somehow magically planned all of this, right down to being attacked, just for the sheer delight of inconveniencing you."
He shoots Callaghan a suspicious look at that last bit.
"Nothing helpful, unfortunately, unless the shopkeepers here declined to inform me that they take Visa. I haven't been able to pick up a signal on either my phone or my tablet. Not that the phone is much of a concern anymore." He sighs.
For a moment, Callaghan half-closes his eyes, not quite sighing as Krei gets mouthy. The next he step-turns, brings up his forearm, and slams it in to the other man with enough force to drive him against the wall of the building. He leans in close, baring his teeth in an outright savage expression, one that's only so different than the one he wore when revealing himself at Krei Tech.
"Just because I'm not in a mood to kill you doesn't mean the thought of smashing your face isn't as appealing as it's ever been, Alistair. And I don't have to worry about tenure anymore."
The curl of his lip punctuates the threat; he has little, if anything, to hold him back.
"Let me make this clear to you; your concerns here are staying out of trouble, and staying out of my way. If I have to track you down after this for whatever reason, I'm going to be very upset. Understand?"
For all of his height, for all that he tries to stay fit, Alistair Krei is no fighter. He doesn't have the muscle that Callaghan does, doesn't have the instincts or the know-how to block or redirect an attack. The sudden assault slams him back against the wall like a ragdoll, his ill-advised sarcasm quickly melting back into fear.
Forgiving and forgetting are definitely off the table, it would seem.
He nods as Callaghan speaks, maybe nodding a little too quickly. "Fine, Callaghan," he chokes out. A fresh trickle of blood seeps from his lip without the handkerchief there to staunch the still-new wound. "Yes, I understand."
Robert's even had a few opportunities to practice. He's still far from his prime, but he's also far from most men his age. He's taken care of himself as best he can, here, and it's clear by the strength in his grip that if he wanted...
He smiles humorlessly, gives a final shove, and then takes a step back.
"Good." He should probably feel less satisfied than he does, but...he never claimed to be a saint. And if he takes pleasure in Krei's fear, it's only because he knows that it means Krei won't forget this easily. "Now, give me the cards - I'll get more use out of them than you will."
Plastic's in rare supply, here; it might just be worth what he 'spent'.
He cringes at that last shove, and even after Callaghan lets him go there's nowhere to move--the man's a step back, which isn't very far at all. Certainly not far enough for Krei to take a moment to catch his breath, which is what he'd really like to do. Instead there's a moment of confusion (he wants the cards?) before he pulls his wallet out once again and flips it open.
Empty of real money at this point, the billfold contains only a California state driver's license and a solid row of gleaming credit cards. Forget gold--these cards come in colors like black, platinum, and titanium. The maintenance fees on these cards alone could pay the starting salary of someone at Krei Tech.
There's nothing else. No keepsakes, no pictures. Krei pauses for a moment, fingers hovering over the cards. With a quick, nervous glance up at Callaghan, he slips the driver's license out of the billfold and pockets it, then offers the rest of it to Robert.
He briefly considers asking what Callaghan intends to do with them, but for once, wisely keeps his mouth shut.
Thankfully, Krei won't have to worry about those maintenance fees. And really, Callaghan's doing him a favor, lightening his load; those things are all but useless, here, and while there's a slight darkening of expression as Alistair pulls one back - yes, he sees it, and he keeps one hand held out for it in demand as he looks over the other cards.
"All of them, Krei."
That look-over mostly involves searching for a PIC code, not finding it, then bending one briefly to test the make. He's probably going to take too much satisfaction in taking them apart, but- it seems to be standard PVC. Not that he has much of a way to remove the impurities, but if he breaks it down he should be able to refine it in to something useful...
It rankles enough that he's tempted to say something, even after Callaghan's threats, though for the life of him he can't consciously define just why at first. No one else knows who he is in this place. No one cares. Why should a little piece of plastic with his picture on it even matter? Still, he finds himself hesitating just a bit longer before pulling the card back out and passing it over to Callaghan--again, without saying anything.
Maybe it's the acknowledgment that no one here cares who he is. It's such a foreign concept anymore, after so many years of being the wunderkind of the tech world, the name on every Forbes list, on every guest list for every big name event. Without that little piece of plastic to prove that he's Alistair Krei, who the hell is he?
He clears his throat, smoothes the sleek fabric of one of his sleeves. "Anything else?" If Callaghan's going to turn him upside down and shake him for change, might as well get it over with.
Don't tempt him. If he had the microbots on him, maybe...
A quick flex of the plastic on that one, too, and then he's pocketing it with the rest. "Not unless you have a habit of carrying copper with you," he answers, turning to walk again. "But all that aside, I'd suggest you get used to 'roughing it'; this place is somewhere between sixty and a hundred years behind San Fransokyo. And most people are still deciding whether or not they like us - ask someone else for the history, but the short of it is that the 'Foreigners' can make an easy scapegoat. We don't need you giving them more of an excuse."
It's clear he expects Krei to follow. Say what you will about Callaghan, but he does tend to make good on his word, or at least try.
Krei does follow, carefully keeping at least a couple of paces between them--just far enough so that he's not right behind the other man, because he's had about enough of Callaghan to last him the rest of his life thank you, but just close enough to dissuade any other kedan who might be looking for an easy target. If there's an implication of weakness in that, it washes right over him. He's too mentally overwhelmed to care, and it's not as if he hasn't had to employ security guards before.
He could do without having been bought, but there's not much he can do about that at present.
Even the urge to snap back about giving them more of an excuse is subdued out of fear. He stays quiet, letting Callaghan speak while he trails along behind, fretting silently about the blood on his face. The handkerchief is gone, probably lost when Callaghan slammed him into the wall.
At what seems like a vaguely appropriate part of the very one-sided conversation, he finally pipes up. "How long have you been here?"
It was the easiest and simplest way to get him out of there. Callaghan's not quite the sort to point and laugh, even with someone he despises, but he's still of the mindset that Krei owes him. And that nothing is owed in return.
"A few months."
That sort of information, however, he sees no reason to withhold. What does it matter?
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tushanshu_ooc2015-02-25 02:14 am
all it's missing is the benny hill music
No. Moments don't matter when they've added up to months. Some of the heat of the moment has cooled, but there is still a very strong loathing that wells up in his throat. If looks could kill...
...thankfully for Krei, Callaghan's attention is quickly diverted to the sound of pounding footsteps not too far away. He's come to associate such with trouble, and a necessity to get himself out of the way if he can, so he gives Alistair a quick shove and snarl.
"What did you do!?"
wow shove a man when he's down, RUDE Robert
"Nothing! I didn't-"
There's a shout from the side street, and Krei knows that he's just about run out of time. With one last glance back at Callaghan, he turns to continue on his previous course through the city--
--only to, once again, be stopped short as he slams into someone, albeit with much less momentum going into it this time.
Whoever this group is, they're organized enough to have sent someone around the other way. Someone very large, and very imposing, and very much blocking Alistair's exit path right now. Krei backs away, bitterly aware that the only place left to go is toward the man who tried to kill him not long ago.
"Robert...?"
i mean if you want he can punch you would you prefer that
And then it becomes clear that Alistair is lingering. A quick glance up explains why. Damn it.
He could just extract himself completely. Insist he has no part of this, and some clever words could probably get him out of here and leave Alistair to whatever hole he's dug. Of course...that might trickle back, and as much as he does so loathe Krei, the kedan look more than unfriendly, and they may stretch it out just for their own amusement. Having always searched for efficiency, it rankles Callaghan in more ways than one.
The once professor sighs heavily, reaching up to rub his face before getting back to his feet. Shooting Krei a look of you owe me, he looks around, trying to figure out which is the closest thing to a leader here...
"Whatever he did, he'll apologize for it, and I'll be taking him to the hotel now."
There's a single chuckle from their crowd that suggests it's not going to be that easy. And Robert, despite his air of nonchalance, is finding his attention moving towards the quickest option of escape.
oh don't worry someone's got you covered on that one
Fine. Enough of this. Krei draws himself up to his full height--taller than Callaghan--and squares his shoulders, determined that if he can't run from this fight then he'll just have to talk his way out of it. One doesn't become the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company without being able to negotiate, after all. He smoothes the front of his suit with one hand, an almost unconscious gesture, and takes a step toward the larger kedan.
"Look, if it's money you want, I don't have any of... your kind. Whatever it's called. I've only just arrived." Krei slides a hand into the pocket of his slacks, produces a slim fold of cash. "I don't know if this means anything to you, I've got... maybe a few hundred here? Or maybe you'd like my phone?" It's sleek and fairly impressive looking--it ought to be, it's the latest version from his own company, hasn't even hit the stores yet. He offers them both to the kedan. "Take them, with my blessing."
Alistair smiles as the kedan does so, assuming that the transaction is complete. He brushes the front of his suit again, starts to turn toward Robert with a look of triumph. "Now if you'll just excuse us--"
A right hook catches him square in the mouth, dropping him to the ground at Callaghan's feet like a dead weight.
how dare callaghan had dibs also "i am saving you now so i may beat you later"
...he can use the phone, though, for spare parts. Assuming he can bargain it back.
"As I said. I'll be taking him, now, and I've got something better in mind than that paper and dead weight he handed you."
While Krei is on the ground, recovering, he may or may not catch the quick 'bargaining' session that occurs - and depending on how much he remembers Callaghan's body language, he'll see him acting as though he's surrounded by a group of particularly thick-headed students who need to be 'herded' more than anything else. Not that he ever says anything outright; there's a few simple comments that can be taken in so many levels, and the kedan go from amused to bristling to confused to looking back and forth between Callaghan and Krei, and then the former's gesture to some of his dropped parts on the ground. They're gathered up quickly enough, poured over, and with a final backhanded wave, the kedan wander off to look at their actually useful 'haul.'
Leaving Callaghan looking down at Krei with a very, very unamused expression. It's not quite the one he wore when he saw him last, but maybe the time before, after he'd managed to help convince Hiro not to sell the microbots. Because all told...he's not certain where to go from here. Somewhere between kicking him while he's down, maybe, and/or finding what other tech he might have on him for salvage.
sounds legit, I approve :|b
So he'd underestimated these kedan. He knows next to nothing about this world, about these people, but he's a fast learner. It's a mistake he won't make again--not that he might ever get the chance to rectify that particular error.
After the initial shock of being struck he catches only bits and pieces of the negotiation between Callaghan and the kedan. By the time the crowd is dispersing he's caught the gist of it, however, and it leaves him with a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He lifts himself up to where he's half sitting on one leg, half crouching with an arm resting on the other knee. The indignant, anxious look he shoots Callaghan in return is punctuated all too well by the blood.
"I... thank you. I think."
He lifts a hand back to his lip, winces. "Planning to finish what you started, then?"
It's a little easier to be bold about it when Callaghan isn't fully suited up in mask and microbots, but there's also a certain amount of resignation in Alistair's voice. He's already at a heavy disadvantage. What's to stop the man?
o7
"Not today."
-but he'd just spent the better part of a week's work, there. And the viciousness he wore when he last saw the man...it's tempered by the weeks he's been here. The loathing he has for the other man remains, but the frenzied intensity has cooled.
At least for now. Let Krei wonder if his next slip-up will be what provokes it again. There's only so much harm he can do, here; he's practically powerless. The man's not stupid, but he has been coddled as far as Robert's concerned - his position as the untouchable CEO of Krei Tech has given him a buffer against certain things like consequences. Since he's now aware that there are some...
A derisive smile tugs at Robert's lips, and then he turns.
"Pick yourself up, and follow me."
no subject
It doesn't do anything to dissipate that sick feeling, but at least Callaghan isn't trying to kill him right now. Small favors and all that. One might have assumed that finding Abigail alive and intact would have lessened the man's drive to murder him, and maybe it has, but the look on Callaghan's face during this whole encounter suggests that forgiving and forgetting are probably out of the question.
And this is the only person in the city that he knows. And that little exchange with the gang....
Krei swallows hard, tasting blood, and fishes around inside his suit jacket with his clean hand for a handkerchief. He rises to his feet unsteadily, then pauses for a moment to let the world stop spinning around him before mopping up as much of the blood from his face and hand as he can. Call him vain, but the idea of wandering around this city looking like the victim in a horror movie doesn't really sit well with him. Finally he presses the folded, gory handkerchief to his lip.
"Where are we going?"
no subject
The entire circumstance is a somewhat stressful one. And Krei is a very fresh reminder of his failure.
"I'm not going to repeat myself a third time. Suffice it to say I'm taking you to a place where I doubt even you can get in trouble, and what happens from there isn't my responsibility."
A beat.
"What else do you have on you?"
no subject
...asking that of Callaghan might be sort of futile, come to think of it.
"Ah yes, let me just apologize for being mugged," he spits back, a sneer evident in his voice if not on his face as he looks down, readjusts the handkerchief on his lip. "Because I somehow magically planned all of this, right down to being attacked, just for the sheer delight of inconveniencing you."
He shoots Callaghan a suspicious look at that last bit.
"Nothing helpful, unfortunately, unless the shopkeepers here declined to inform me that they take Visa. I haven't been able to pick up a signal on either my phone or my tablet. Not that the phone is much of a concern anymore." He sighs.
no subject
"Just because I'm not in a mood to kill you doesn't mean the thought of smashing your face isn't as appealing as it's ever been, Alistair. And I don't have to worry about tenure anymore."
The curl of his lip punctuates the threat; he has little, if anything, to hold him back.
"Let me make this clear to you; your concerns here are staying out of trouble, and staying out of my way. If I have to track you down after this for whatever reason, I'm going to be very upset. Understand?"
no subject
Forgiving and forgetting are definitely off the table, it would seem.
He nods as Callaghan speaks, maybe nodding a little too quickly. "Fine, Callaghan," he chokes out. A fresh trickle of blood seeps from his lip without the handkerchief there to staunch the still-new wound. "Yes, I understand."
no subject
He smiles humorlessly, gives a final shove, and then takes a step back.
"Good." He should probably feel less satisfied than he does, but...he never claimed to be a saint. And if he takes pleasure in Krei's fear, it's only because he knows that it means Krei won't forget this easily. "Now, give me the cards - I'll get more use out of them than you will."
Plastic's in rare supply, here; it might just be worth what he 'spent'.
no subject
Empty of real money at this point, the billfold contains only a California state driver's license and a solid row of gleaming credit cards. Forget gold--these cards come in colors like black, platinum, and titanium. The maintenance fees on these cards alone could pay the starting salary of someone at Krei Tech.
There's nothing else. No keepsakes, no pictures. Krei pauses for a moment, fingers hovering over the cards. With a quick, nervous glance up at Callaghan, he slips the driver's license out of the billfold and pockets it, then offers the rest of it to Robert.
He briefly considers asking what Callaghan intends to do with them, but for once, wisely keeps his mouth shut.
no subject
"All of them, Krei."
That look-over mostly involves searching for a PIC code, not finding it, then bending one briefly to test the make. He's probably going to take too much satisfaction in taking them apart, but- it seems to be standard PVC. Not that he has much of a way to remove the impurities, but if he breaks it down he should be able to refine it in to something useful...
no subject
Maybe it's the acknowledgment that no one here cares who he is. It's such a foreign concept anymore, after so many years of being the wunderkind of the tech world, the name on every Forbes list, on every guest list for every big name event. Without that little piece of plastic to prove that he's Alistair Krei, who the hell is he?
He clears his throat, smoothes the sleek fabric of one of his sleeves. "Anything else?" If Callaghan's going to turn him upside down and shake him for change, might as well get it over with.
no subject
A quick flex of the plastic on that one, too, and then he's pocketing it with the rest. "Not unless you have a habit of carrying copper with you," he answers, turning to walk again. "But all that aside, I'd suggest you get used to 'roughing it'; this place is somewhere between sixty and a hundred years behind San Fransokyo. And most people are still deciding whether or not they like us - ask someone else for the history, but the short of it is that the 'Foreigners' can make an easy scapegoat. We don't need you giving them more of an excuse."
It's clear he expects Krei to follow. Say what you will about Callaghan, but he does tend to make good on his word, or at least try.
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He could do without having been bought, but there's not much he can do about that at present.
Even the urge to snap back about giving them more of an excuse is subdued out of fear. He stays quiet, letting Callaghan speak while he trails along behind, fretting silently about the blood on his face. The handkerchief is gone, probably lost when Callaghan slammed him into the wall.
At what seems like a vaguely appropriate part of the very one-sided conversation, he finally pipes up. "How long have you been here?"
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"A few months."
That sort of information, however, he sees no reason to withhold. What does it matter?