Caelan held onto the roof handle, his attention on Dusty as they pulled away from the curb. He couldn’t explain how relaxed he felt to even lay eyes on the man. He felt his guard lower, if only a few inches, and he thought that maybe he didn’t have to survive all of this alone. Neither of them did, really.<br/><br/>“The motor didn’t work?” After the effort they had put in to get the damn beast loose, Caelan felt somewhat disappointed. The only fortunate thing about it was that Dusty seemed unaffected. He seemed comfortable with diving back into the heap of metal to find the next best thing, like it was just another normal day. He guessed that there was really nothing else for either of them to do.<br/><br/>“The bike’s been okay. I’ve only taken it out a couple times.” Truthfully, Caelan was nervous that it would give out and leave him exposed somewhere on Canal Street. “I’m going to take it on a ride in the next day or so. Out where you found me.” He had traded most of his perique for supplies and was running low. Caelan could stretch his stash for a matter of weeks and now it was time to replenish his currency.<br/><br/>The conversation changed to the topic of guns and Caelan ran his hands over his thighs. He shook his head, the cold metal of his pocket knife pressed reassuringly against his ankle. The closest thing to handling a gun that he had ever experienced was losing his virginity to the security guard that patrolled his family’s property. He didn't think bayou man Dusty would appreciate<i>that </i>topic.<br/><br/>The feeling of metal against his inner ankle was replaced with a heavy weight in his hand. Dusty handed over the gun like it was a child’s toy, like it was something that didn’t scare him. Caelan felt quite the opposite. He didn’t get an adrenaline high from these kinds of weapons, not in the way his brothers and cousins may have. “I’ve never shot a real gun. My parents didn't believe in exposing my siblings and I to this sort of violence." Caelan responded quietly. “We were enrolled in archery in grade school. I'm the only one that stuck with it through graduation. My siblings decided rowing and swim were more their style.” He looked at Dusty. “I don’t want to shoot anyone, Dusty.”