vecchio can still sulk with the best of them

[bluntobject]

Hey. Hey! The wolf is not part of the deal. I get to live in your head wolf free, otherwise No. Deal.

[ You're hurting his feelings, Ray. ]

Hurting his feelings? I can't hurt his feelings, it's a wolf. And who am I arguing with anyway? Myself, that's who. Or maybe you're arguing with yourself? This whole thing is too extensional for me. [ Existential? ] Existential. You drag me back here, after a good decade and a half I might add of much deserved retirement. You drag me back here when I could be sipping buttermilk in Stella's arms on a beach in Florida right now, and I get here and you wanna ditch me with the wolf while the Mountie goes off and has all the fun. Story of my life. Is that not the story of my life? Anyone? Anyone think that's reasonable? No, it's inhuman [ inhooman ] is what it is. I got rights--the right to be left alone being numero uno on that list. The right to not having a wolf make with me comes a close second. I swear to God...

[ And speaking of Diefenbaker. ]

Oh no. No, no, no. Not the jacket! Look what he's doing to my jacket! Dief, get off of me. [ Enunciate! ] Get. Off. Me! Oh man, this is never gonna wash out...

Comments

[bluntobject]

[ Might as well punch him now there's no good way out of this. ]

You gonna talk that way about an Italian's mother? You better watch your mouth, Kowalski. At least I still see my mother, eh? You consider that?

[shakebadguys]

What? [kowalski shrugs, feigning innocence] You crawled back home after your wife left you.

[smirky smirk] What didja think I meant? Dirty mind, Vecchio. Don't think aboutcha mother like that.

[bluntobject]

Oh. Oh, I see how it is. I hit you, the wolf bites me, Fraser comes back here and says I started it.

Bastard.

[shakebadguys]

Y'think I'm clever enough to think of all that?

[bluntobject]

You have a real thing for hearing compliments where there aren't any. Wishful thinking, Stanley.

[shakebadguys]

It's Ray.

[bluntobject]

The real question, Stanley, is why you think you're not smart enough to think up that sort of plan. I mean--Dief clearly prefers you anyway. I bet he even shits when you ask.

[shakebadguys]

Is that your idea of a motivational speech, douchebag? 'Cause if so, it needs some work. I doubt there's any corral--corlation--link between a deaf half-wolf likin' you and bein' smart.

Even though I am.

Smart.

[indignant sniff]

I got street smarts.

[bluntobject]

Street smart. Oh right, the 'I paid for this' version of the homeless look.

[ When all else fails. ]

[shakebadguys]

M'not talkin' about fashion. But if I was, I'd rather look like me than you.

1/2

[bluntobject]

[ Excuse him he's just going to laugh because wow the irony. ]

Says the guy who gave up his name, his job and his life to come stand in for me. And who's standing in for Stanley Kowalski, huh? Not important enough for anyone to notice he's disappeared?

[bluntobject]

[ Which is unfair, because he owes this guy. He'd probably be dead in the desert equivalent of a ditch if not for Kowalski. ]

Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that.

[shakebadguys]

Nah, you did. You're lucky I got new boots on otherwise I'da kicked you in the head.

[he only says that 'cause he thinks vecchio expects him to. there's no real malice in his tone though. everything vecchio'd said was pretty much true.]

[bluntobject]

[ He waves his hand off. Kowalski is covering for him cause apologies aren't manly or something, but he's worked with Fraser for far too long himself. ]

I at least owe you a drink some time. You know, for not sleeping with my sister. Or Fraser. I'm pretty sure either of those things would've messed with my credibility.

[shakebadguys]

[kowalski's pretty sure both those things had less to do with him and more to do with Frannie and Fraser. And y'know, them having standards or something]

By credibility you mean head, right? I figure that's gotta be worth at least two drinks.

[bluntobject]

[ Wow Kowalski you just need to try harder; Francesca's standards run toward bespectacled German Fraser look-alikes whom she can't communicate with and Fraser's standards are curly haired psychopaths who shoot his wolf and want to trade his life for diamonds. Rating lower than that has to be some feat. ]

Both. And it's one drink, because I'm only one drink sure you didn't score, not two. That and if you have been dry for a year I don't fancy my chances if you lose control of your inhibitions. Who knows where that might lead.

[shakebadguys]

[his nose wrinkles a bit]

Nowhere you're thinkin' of.

[bluntobject]

[ That's good, he's offended. That is a-ok with him. ]

That right? Cause I was thinking inconsolable sobbing of your ex-wife's name into my shoulder while you stagger out to a cab. Sound about right?

[shakebadguys]

[sounds absolutely right. but kowalski's been there and done that plenty of times in the past. just not with vecchio's shoulder.]

......I think I preferred it when you were whining about the wolf likin' me more than you.

[bluntobject]

There, there.

[ Oh Stanley you are sort of endearingly pathetic. Makes him feel much better about his own divorce, really. ]

Two drinks it is. It sounds like you need them. And what the hell, it's not like I can drink with Fraser.

[shakebadguys]

[that gets half a puff of laughter from kowalski]

I took Frase to a bar once. He ordered a juice box.

[bluntobject]

See that's exactly what I mean. How're you supposed to wind down with a guy who won't even share a bottle of wine with you at dinner?

[shakebadguys]

I guess there's an upside. More wine for us makes his moose stories sound more interesting.

[bluntobject]

And he's only half as suspicious of you when you don't remember them in the morning.

[shakebadguys]

I guess.

You two, uh, hang out often?