Oh, the struggle to keep his words PG-rated. It was the bane of his life that he had to watch what he said in public, even if it was only relatively so. "All the best things in life are free," Tristan said with a bit of a leer before tossing the rock at Nuffer. "Someday I'll let you know, maybe."

  

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Ernie gulped, unsure of what that meant. Was he looking for an organ? He supposed he wouldn't have to pay for his own organ—unless he wanted to pay a healer to have it done. But then again, why would Michaud need an organ? Ernie caught the rock, though immediately felt weird about taking it.

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously, hesitantly holding the rock out as if he was about to pass it back at the given answer.

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set by Stef <333

Tristan burst out laughing at the look on Nuffers face. Nuffer kind of looked like he had been expecting Tristan to say that he needed help hiding a body. Especially with that level of suspicion that he was being given. Oh Nuffer. Always so suspicious.

"I'm not going to tell ya out here where just about anyone can hear. Don't worry, you won't be in danger. Maybe."

  

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Ernie recoiled at the laughter, indignantly tossing the rock to the ground.

"Here, take it then. I don't do vague," he grouched, averting his gaze away from Michaud. "Vague means exposing yourself to being taken advantage of. I don't need rich boys using me as a henchman."

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set by Stef <333

"There are some things in life that one has to be vague about. Especially in public," Tris said in a low voice. Merlin, did Nuffer know absolutely nothing about discretion? Rasmus had been horrible at it, especially when the half-veelas jealousy sprang up which had been often. He wasn't about to deal with that sort of shit all over again. Jail was not the place for pretty people such as themselves.

"Besides I'm hardly rich and who'd want you as a henchman? That sort of work wouldn't suit you anyway."

  

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Ever the clueless one, Ernie had still not managed to figure out what Michaud was going on about, and would probably feel very stupid about it later. Until then, he would continue being very, very clueless.

"I may be poor, but I'm no criminal," he challenged, still under the impression that this 'thing' he was supposed to be being discreet about was some sort of body-hiding expedition. "And you're rich compared to me. I bet you have a nice, big room all to yourself. A bed that didn't belong to your grandparents. But noooo, you're not a rich boy," he rambled, his nerves continuing to climb. "Rich boys don't need grunts—they need people to do their dirty work."

(Vagueness, apparently, was something Ernie just didn't get.)

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set by Stef <333

"I do. I have a whole big house all to myself because I'm an orphan with only my uncle around - well, when he feels like it," Tristan snapped, still very sensitive to the fact that the entirety of his family aside from Jac was dead. It had only been a little over a year or so, after all. There was also his vampiric ancestor but he had no idea where that old undead dude was these days and he didn't count.

"I wouldn't want you doing any sort of grunt work for me, even if it was something as simple as brushing my hair. Keep the rock, I want nothing from you, you foozler." He moved to leave, not bothering to even try to pick up the rock.

*foozler - A bungler, or one who does things clumsily

  

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Ernie's eyes went wide, though his frightened expression quickly shifted to one of anger.

"Better to be orphaned by parents who loved you," he retorted as Michaud went to lead. Silly rich boy thought he had all the problems, didn't he? He'd just go home to his big-ass home and lounge in his family library with an endless amount of snacks! "At least you were wanted. At least you knew your family!" Just as Michaud was sensitive about his family, Ernie was equally sensitive about the fact that he was adopted—probably out of pity, now that he thought about it—after being abandoned by his whore of a mother!

"Go, then! I don't care," he said, caring deeply. He bit his lip as his friend (frenemy? crush?) pushed through.

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set by Stef <333

"Just because you have problems too doesn't negate someone else's problems. You're not the only person in the world to suffer just because our financial situations are different," Tristan stated in a bit of a hiss. "To think that way is selfish, you prig." Everyone had problems, rich people seemed to have the most of them since they had a harder fall. Just because someone was suffering more than he did did not mean the shit he felt each day meant nothing. Fuck Ernie Nuffer anyway.

He flashed his middle finger as his parting gift.

  

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