<strong>Valentine Marlar -- An Easy Invitation to Decline</strong><br/><br/>Val's trainwreck of thought was further derailed by the fashionista's sudden laughing fit. It faded just as quickly as it came, but it was still enough to distract him from her companion for a few moments. Her smile came and went like sheet lightning, there one minute, gone the next only to reappear in a flash.<br/><br/>She finally spoke, and Val swished the sound around in his ears as she offered him a helping hand back to his feet. Something Old-World about her accent, something European, but damned if he could finger it. Didn't matter anyway; he waved her hand away and pushed himself back up. Feeling was beginning to return to his extremities in spades, and the tips of his fingers and toes ached like they'd just been pulled from a bag of ice.<br/><br/>"Well, Rosa, I'm not gonna lie to you, sugar. I can't imagine anyplace being labeled 'safe' with your boyfriend Johhny Dead-Eye here anywhere in the vicinity. And I'm not so sure I would agree that that's 'all I need know' just now, either," Val said, mimicking her accent as he repeated her words. "But I<em>am</em>sure that I can live with the mystery, because I ain't sharing so much as another look in y'all's direction, and I sure as hell ain't going anywhere with you. So if you'll excuse me, it was very nice meeting one of you, but I'm gonna go get myself checked out for various horrific communicable diseases, then I'm gonna get hammered and wipe the last twenty minutes from my memory. Y'all have a pleasant evening."<br/><br/>Valentine gave Rosa a quick smile and pointedly ignored Shades, and turned to walk away...<br/>