Quoted By:
"Chill the fuck <span class="mu-i">out,</span> both of you. You're inviting bad juju." The fish spits out shards of something— a shell? Bones? "How about you go get jazzed, Toothless. We're pretty close to the dig. Not much of a night watch, but a lotta tents, so better to go in quiet."
"Quiet." Why is Earl so tetchy? "And you want me here <span class="mu-i">why?</span>"
"In case there's dirt to move, you prick. You think Wayne's doing heavy lifting?"
"You do not comprehend the full extent of my—" intones Wayne.
"He's not doing heavy lifting. Now, go on, then. Chat with you after." The fish waves off Earl with its stick, and to your surprise he grunts and begins to leave.
You follow hurriedly. "You're just going to <span class="mu-i">go?!</span> Like that?! You haven't even— we haven't even heard what we're doing! Or stealing! You don't know what we're stealing, right?"
"Nope. Don't want to,." He's shoving his hand into his pocket. "That's why I outta split now, before they start talking shop— Felicia's just giving me warning, kid. Now, I'll talk to you later—"
What?! "You're <span class="mu-i">leaving</span> me here? I thought this was your stupid—"
"What? Shit, no, no, I—" Earl scratches his chin. "I thought you knew all this stuff. From last time."
Richard knew all this stuff from last time. "Remind me?!"
"...Uh..." He scratches his chin some more, then displays something in his palm to you: a red-filled syringe. "Well, it's not too complicated. I take this: it makes me good at killing things. It also makes me dumb. Now, I'm already a pretty dumb guy, so I'm talking <span class="mu-i">dumb.</span> Dumber'n a sack of bricks. Like a... a little kid, or worse than a little kid, depending on the concentration. So all I mean is, I won't be talking much."
"Oh," you say. "But you're not turning into a worm or anything?"
"What? A worm? Nope, it's still me, just—" He makes an expanding motion with his hands. "It's pretty gross, though. Won't jerk you around about that one, haw-haw. I can't remember if you saw it the first time, but I— I really wouldn't watch, okay? Wouldn't want a little lady like you to see that."
You frown. "And are you really going to bite people's heads off?"
"Let's hope not," he says. He's not smiling.
"Oh."
"...I won't bite yours off, kid. I'm good at telling friends apart— and at following instructions, by the way. Maybe nothing complicated, but go there, do this, you know." He ducks his head. "That's really what you're for. The handling."
"And the insults?" you say.
He doesn't say anything, just chews his lip. "Talk to you later, Frances."
>[A1] Watch Earl do it. (Secretly.)
>[A2] Don't.
>During the heist, you're stuck somewhere with...
>[B1] Wayne.
>[B2] Felicia.
>[B3] Earl (drugged).
