[ He won't ask. Not yet, not so soon, especially when she so clearly doesn't want to talk about it. If they can get her integrated, if he can get to know her a little bit, he might poke at that avenue later.

Tonight, there's enough going on.

He meets her crooked smile with another small one of his own, echoing the sentiment. Sad humor, laughing when the world's falling apart, same old same old. ]

I'd have gone for hemp, but I'll keep my controversial opinions to myself.

[ It's a slow, wry drawl. ]

Ask Steve about fifteen cent cigarettes sometime.

[ That's a joke, too. He's pretty goddamn confident Steve never touched the stuff, but they absolutely sold it in spades around his tenement.

Anyway, enough acting like a grandpa talking about the good old days when they used to have to walk to school in the snow up hill both ways. Circle back around to seriousness. ]

You need anything?

[ Anything else, anything he can offer before he brings Steve his tidings and heads home? ]