Sentenza sat in the back as the karaoke party started to pick back up. Bakade's fiery eyes followed him, and she slipped from her seat to join him.
As Death belted out his third rendition of Bad to the Bone, the two of them sat there without saying a word. Both had a mug of pine beer, but neither of them seemed to touch it as they watched the skeleton dance around the tiny stage and pretend to rev a motorcycle.
After almost half an hour, Bakade finally broke the silence. "Ddddooo yyyoouu mmmiisss tthhheemmm?"
"You know, it's funny." he chuckled. "I couldn't stand my family. I hated my father, my mother was weak, and my siblings were more of the same. All failures that only served to frustrate me at best."
Bakade sat there quietly and just listened while Sentenza grabbed his mug and stared down into the liquid inside. Slowly he moved his hand in a circle and the beer started to swirl and fizz in his cup.
He let out a small chuckle before he continued. "It doesn't make any sense. I never saw them anyway. Never wanted to. But now." He shook his head. "Now that I can't see them, I start feeling all wistful and it just doesn't make any sense."
"Iiittt'sss hhaarrrdd wwhheenn aa ddoooooorrr iisss ffiiinnnaalllyy ccllloosseedd." hissed Bakade as she put a hand on his shoulder.
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"Tsk." Sentenza finally took a drink. "Problem is, there's a lot of open windows now. I bet I could get back if I really tried." He hung his head down. "Problem is I know how it'll go if I do. I see any of those sons of guns, and I'd shoot them dead. I still feel that hatred for their incompetence and ignorance boiling inside me."
"Bbbuuttt yyoouu mmiisss ttthheemmm?" Bakade asked as she leaned closer to him.
Sentenza grumbled under his breath. "I don't know. Yes? Ugh. I think I just hate that someone else closed the door, even if I can get back." He moved to take a drink from his mug but stopped short and set it down on the table instead. "I closed the door on them myself, but it wasn't like this. You know, being ripped from my world into some strange other place and learning that where I'm from is at best a small footnote in the expanse of what's all out there."
Bakade shook her head as she withdrew her hand. "IIII mmmiisss mmmiinneee, bbbuuttt oonnllyyy ttthheee ffaakkee oonnee IIII hhaaavvee iinn mmyy hheeeaadd. III'ddd pprroobbaabbbllyy aalllsssooo kkkiiilll tttthhheeemmm iiifff IIII sssaaww aannnyy oooofff ttthheeemmm nnnoowww."
"Oh? Not just your mother?" Sentenza asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Tttthheeeyyy lleeett iiittt hhhaaapppeeennn." She hissed angrily.
"Fair enough." He turned to her and smirked. "Want me to take them out if I happen to see them?"
Bakade's face was just a deer skull, but it almost seemed like she was smirking somehow. "Wwwhhaaatt'ddd iiittt ccooosssttt mmmeee?"
Sentenza nodded. "Ah, caught onto my game, eh? It wouldn't be too much. I'd offer you a real discount. Maybe one thousand dollars a head?"
"Aaannddd iiifff IIII dddooonn'tt hhhaavvee tthhee mmmoonneeyyy?"
"Hmm. That's no good. Have to pay a man for his work after all." Sentenza put his hand on his chin as if he was thinking. "I guess you'd have to work it off. Stick around with me until you finally pay me off."
Bakade tapped her chin. "Ttthheennn IIII ggguuesss IIII wwwiiilll hhhiiirrreee yyyooouu nnoowww."
Sentenza let out a descending whistle as he pulled his hat off and held it over his chest. "That's a pretty big ask, especially without even a deposit. But I guess I'll take it." He held his hand out towards Bakade. "Partner."
As she shook it Sid had found his way to the stage and danced while he sang the Flight of the Conchords "The Humans Are Dead."