Just A Talk

{Before the blast}

          Everyone was still being led out of the building when Cypher slowly approached Lasso, who was standing there quietly. "Aye Las.." she mumbled and he looked at her. "I gotta talk to ya.." She motioned for him to walk with her and Lasso nodded and went with her. They walked around the building to the back of the old hotel. Lasso was a little skeptical so he kept one hand on his gun, just in case. He walked just a little bit behind her and noticed her limping. Finally Cypher stopped and slowly sat down on the steps leading to the back door. She patted the spot next to her for Lasso to sit as well and he did. Cypher groaned a little and took off her shoes. "Never walk on glass, that shit hurts like hell" she advised, chuckling a little to herself and Lasso just sat there quietly.

         "I need a favor from you" she finally told him. She didn't look at him, she just looked through the old metal fence out into the forest. "Depending on what it is I'll help you." He looked at her. She had a soft smile on her face. "Oh I'm sure you'll have no problems with this one. You won't have to deal with me anymore" she chuckled but didn't look at him. He was sitting on her right side which she had her blind eye. He guessed she either didn't feel like constantly turning her head fully to look at him or just couldn't bring herself to doing so. "What do you mean?" Lasso asked with a faint frown. "All I need you to do is keep everybody yards away from those gates ok? That's all" she leaned back against the wall but he questioned further. "What do you mean I'm not going to have to deal with you anymore?" He asked once more. Cypher at first did not answer. She just stared off into the forest.

        Minutes went by and she sighed and hung her head. "Well" she began but stopped to think. Lasso looked at her and waited for her to continue. "Listen no one else better hear this." She demanded which concerned him more. "Fine. What do you mean though?" He asked again. "I'm tired ok? Just so fucking exhausted of everything." She sighed and hung her head. "Since I started this place up again I decided that I'm going to go down with it." She slowly nodded. Lasso just sat there. He tried his best to seemed unfazed but this struck him hard. "Going down with it?- what do you mean-" he asked but she slowly put her shoes back on. "Well im gonna take this hell down with a bang, I hid explosives that I picked up from an old military base. I want everybody out and away from the gates" she instructed but he shook his head. "Why?" he asked and she chuckled softly.

        "I'm not going to be excepted into the society people are trying to rebuild. I'm probably just going to get killed like Jet anyway so might as well handle it myself." She explained and he noticed tears had started rolling down her cheeks. Cypher did not look at him, she kept her gaze to the forest. They sat there in silence. Lasso never cared for this girl. He always thought she was just a burden and an annoyance but this shocked him. He remembered three years ago the crazy girl who no one would've thought she could be brought down. Crazy, dramatic, pain in the ass but it still hurt to see her the way she is now. Cypher looked a mess. Dark circles under her eyes, hair knotted to the point where it's almost matted, a gaze that always looked lost, it was painful to think about how much she changed for the worse.

Finally Lasso sighed. "Well.." he mumbled but she didn't turn to him. "I'm not going to beg you to stay." He told her. She nodded and leaned on him. "Thanks man..." Cypher smiled softly. At first Lasso tensed up. His hand went straight to his knife sheath without him even thinking about it but then he felt her hand on his. "I don't have the energy to fight..." she told him but he kept his hand on the handle of his knife. "I don't mean to be that person but what about Charlie?" He looked down at her. "Well...I'm sure Mama would adopt him in a heart beat" she chuckled softly and Lasso had to nod in agreement. "I mean your his whole world, what do you think he'll do with you gone?" He pointed out and Cypher was quiet. She thought about it then sat up slowly again. "Hopefully realize that he's safer with you then he ever will be with me.." she nodded and finally looked at him. Tears streamed down her cheeks but she kept a soft smile. "Make sure that kid don't turn out anything like me would ya? Please" she wiped tears away and Lasso nodded.

       Cypher's gaze returned to the forest. She sat there quietly, trying to think of anything else to say. Then she pulled a needle and thread out of her pocket and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol that she had found. Lasso looked at her confused but then she slowly reached for his face but he quickly pulled away. "Let me fix one more thing.." she motioned to the gash on his jaw from when he kicked him earlier. "Isn't that expired?" He asked and Cypher shrugged. "There's still stuff in it so im not sure how that is, think someone made more somehow-" she guessed and pulled a cloth out of her pocket. She dabbed some rubbing alcohol on the cloth and cleaned the cut carefully. Lasso winced but stayed still. He didn't know how he felt about Cypher then having a needle so close to his neck but he didn't say a word. He just winced and tried not to pull away as Cypher did her best to gently stitch the gash she left him with earlier.

       Once she was done she put a small bandage over it. "Sorry about that..and your ear-" she motioned to the missing part of his left ear where she shot earlier. "Better that then a bullet between my eyes." Lasso just shrugged it off and slowly got up with her. They stood there silent. Lasso finally began to turn away when he felt Cypher grab his arm and yank him back. He stumbled and felt her just wrap her arms around him. Lasso tensed up and Cypher felt the cool feel of metal against her neck. She didn't seem bothered at all. Cypher knew that Lasso was going to pull his knife out on her but she took chances for a last hug anyway. She just carefully laid her head on his chest and waited for him to move the knife away from her neck. "I'm done fighting relax..." she mumbled and he slowly sheathed his knife once more. He sighed and leaned his head against hers, just barely being tall enough to (Cypher is 5'10 Lasso is 6'2).

        Cypher let go of him once she heard shouts of people looking for them. "I guess we gotta go cowboy" she chuckled softly and he nodded in agreement. Cypher put her hands in her pockets and began slowly walking with her head down. Lasso quietly followed behind her and joined the others outside the gate. That's when Cypher jogged back inside to grab something.