"It's half on me. I don't usually touch people since they'd react like that too, but with bones and locking me in my cell for two weeks. Guess nobody was joking about what liquor does to a person." And perhaps most unfairly, Gideon no longer feels as lovely and warm as she did before she got threatened and threw it all up.

Sex slaves off the table, which Gideon's fine with and she just gives Erin a thumbs up. "Good thing you like dark-ass jokes because 'ass' and 'dark' make up most of what I've got to say in the first place. Can't think of a reason to bring up the other two. I was never a slave, but before I was Cavalier Primary, I was indentured to the Ninth. So I know a thing or two about life sucking shit and you having no say over anything you're told to do."

Though she's still queasy and lightheaded, she does manage a kind of smile at the compliment. "She's a beauty, and so are these." To which Erin is treated to a trip to the gun show - singular, because Gideon can only flex with the arm not holding onto the sword. Can Erin even see any of this? Must have some way of it, and if not, Gideon's too tired to spend any time worrying about it.