pleasuretoburn (pleasuretoburn) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-10-24 19:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | noah restic, ronnie milam, ~ro clark |
Oops
Who: Ro/Noah/Ronnie
What: Fast Cars, Slow Diners
Where: Las Vegas, Exotics Racing/Seven Magic Mountains/Searchlight, Terrible's
When: Present
Ratings/Warnings: Medium, Some Mild NSFW Content, Substance Use, Language, Some Reference to Violence
As they walked away from the speedway, Ro’s cheeks were still sore from grinning. She’d been smiling during her turn behind the wheel of the Ferrari Noah had rented from the race center and kept on grinning when she and Noah traded places and he took the driver’s seat. There was something inherently thrilling about driving something very expensive very fast - even if was only a rental. Ro ran her hands through her hair, smoothing out sections that stuck up when she removed her helmet. Her shirt shifted as she moved, revealing a strip of skin at her belly - which wasn’t saying much since the shirt itself was sheer black eyelet lace and Ro only had a dark bra on underneath.
“I think you undershot,” she said looking over at Noah. “You had the best time and could have bet me anything. And you picked skydiving, which we can’t actually do today.”
“There isn’t a lot that I want, at least that I can win in a bet,” Noah admitted in a moment of candor. “And it’s something I’ve been meaning to do, but work gets in the way,” he finished with a shrug.
He had sent her the address to Exotics Racing upon her request for distraction. The pyrokinetic frequented the track on occasion. It wasn’t even the third most risky behavior he liked to indulge in, but it was one of the fastest. “Are you ready for our next adventure?”
Driving a rented Ferrari around a racetrack wasn’t the third riskiest thing Ro had ever done in a vehicle. “I’m always up for an adventure. But c’mere a sec.” She stopped him by grabbing a fistful of Noah’s shirt and then reached up to fingercomb his long hair where the helmet had tangled it in the back.
“You don’t seem like you want much. I never got that impression from you.”
Noah froze, taken off guard. She was able to do that to him a lot. The fingers through his hair weren’t rough, or demanding, or any other kind of touch that he was used to. There was something trying to make its way through the front of his brain, it felt like, some remnant of familiarity.
The pyrokinetic leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, his hands still at his sides. Pulling back, he grabbed his phone and began typing in the next address into Uber. “You said you wanted to get high?” he confirmed. “I know a place.”
Ro kissed Noah back but when he pulled away, she didn't do any of things she'd seen people on the street or in movies do. She didn't lean against him, slip her arm through his, or try to hold his hand. Noah stepped away and kept the same easy distance between them.
"I super do." All the easier to forget what - who - was at her apartment. "Didn't know we needed a special place for that."
“You don’t,” he answered, smirking. “But you’ll see what I mean.” Noah usually didn’t care too much about his environment, he was sure he could adapt to anything. However, the destination he had in mind was impressive under the influence of mind-altering substances.
He led her to the street, and soon a red Nissan sailed up to them. “What’s the occasion, anyway? Why the sudden need to escape?”
Ro screwed up her face, expression exaggerated by the turquoise lipstick she had on tonight. She obviously couldn't explain Merrick and her complete confusion about what to do with him. Ro didn't know much about genies but keeping them secret with people she didn't know super well made sense.
She climbed into the car and then looked at Noah. "You ever just cannot deal with your life? I have to go to the same pace everyday and do a job. A job. I have to ask for time off. Me. Of all people. Me."
He looked back at her, amused. “You don’t have to, you know. I know ways of making money that don’t feel like work at all.” The car headed to their next stop, and Noah leaned his head back against the seat. The pyrokinetic had remained cryptically oblique about his work with Ro. He wasn’t sure why, beyond the vague idea that she wouldn’t approve. And then, he wasn’t sure why he cared.
“You’re forcing yourself into a world that makes no accommodations for you,” he continued. “Of course you’re frustrated. You have to pretend.”
"If it's have sex with people for money, it's not an original idea." The driver's eyes widened a little in the rear view mirror and then flicked towards her. "I'm just not used to not being able to go where I want when I want."
“What? No,” Noah answered, caught off guard once again. “I wasn’t suggesting that. I mean, you could, and I think it’s legal here. Not that legality matters so much to me.” He was getting off track. How was he getting off track?
“Why not just open your own business? Why work for someone else?”
"Nice to know you're capable of being surprised." Ro grinned across at Noah. "And because this way if I walk away, I walk away with no complications. If I were to open a shop for myself, what do I do with it if I want to quit?"
“Burn it down and collect the insurance money?” Noah shrugged. They were at their destination, anyway. From the car windows, they could see in the distance the colorful stones standing stark against the sky.
"Oh, you would say that," Ro teased. She fell quiet to look out the windows with interest. The bright colors of the stacks of painted rocks put her in the mind of the marbles she used to play with as a child.
“Come on,” he told her lightly, exiting the vehicle. It was flatland, full of scrub and brush. The seven towering pillars made of candy-colored stone stood in the center of it all. The sky was like a painted backdrop. Noah pulled a one-hitter and small baggie from his inside jacket pocket.
As they walked, he packed the bowl. It was like they were at a colorful Stonehenge just outside Vegas. No one else was around, and it was quiet. The pyrokinetic lit the contents and took a deep inhale before passing it to Ro.
"Look at you, so prepared," Ro said approvingly. She mimicked Noah, inhaling and then passing back to him. "You're right, this is better than sitting in your apartment. Good view."
“So now my apartment isn’t suitable?” he asked with a a slow smile before tipping out the cashed contents of the pipe and refilling it. Noah repeated the same actions as before, passing it back to her.
He walked up to the pillar on the very end, the one with a black stone on the very bottom. He liked that one, he liked how the darkness propped up a blue stone, then yellow, gray, and red. Noah ran a palm over the course texture before turning back to her.
“I never told you, but I thought you were beautiful when I first saw you,” he told Ro. His voice wasn’t sentimental, it was very matter-of-fact. “It felt like a disadvantage if I told you that.”
Ro followed so she could return the pipe when she'd finished it. But once she had she stepped back a little, looking at Noah and the stone, one hand casually slipped into the back pocket of her jeans.
"Interesting word, disadvantage. What game did you think you were losing?"
“Isn’t all of it a game?” he asked. “I thought that’s what you liked about me. That I know how to play.” Noah then closed the gap between them, both hands going to the sides of her face as he kissed her, and this time he kept going until their tongues met.
"It's not always about winning as long as you're still playing." The comment ended with Noah's mouth on her hers and Ro met him eagerly. Her arms wrapped around his waist and instead of having her hand in her own pocket, she slid a hand into Noah's back pocket.
He steered them so that her back was against the pillar. The pot had already gone to his head, and he felt light, at ease, and Noah wanted his hands on her. His fingers ran through Ro’s hair, his other hand playing over the lace of her shirt.
Pulling back, he said, “I didn’t know if you were hungry, so…” The pyrokinetic laughed.
For Ro, the pot had calmed some of the way her mind spun a million thoughts at once. Her worries about having too many commitments were farther away. She didn't resist, letting Noah maneuver her against the pillar of rock. The rough surface scratched against her back where it poked through the wide holes of the eyelet lace she was wearing. A knee bent so she could rest the flat of a foot against the rock. The posture opened her hips, making more space for Noah.
She grinned at Noah's laugh. "I'm always hungry. Told you I was up for anything. She could feel a bit of Noah's want pricking at her. "Do you want me to make you feel more?"
He nodded, his fingers slipping beneath the material. Her skin was soft and warm. “I do,” Noah told Ro. It was novel and unfamiliar, what she could bring out of him. He almost felt real, tethered to something, the boredom and barrier he felt between himself and the world temporarily lifted. “I want to feel you.”
Ro nodded, movement a bit jerky with her back up against the stone. One hand twisted into Noah's hair and her other slipped under the hem of his shirt, splaying against his skin. She followed the feeling of his attraction like a moth to flame and then drew on it, pulling the feeling to the forefront of Noah's mind and enhancing everything that felt good about this. Ro had trouble not being greedy in the best of times and not going overboard when increasing someone's feelings. Now, relaxed and high, it was too much work to try and regulate what she was doing and it slipped Ro's mind to try.
Noah inhaled sharply, his breathing losing rhythm as it quickened. He had trouble staying upright and placed one hand against the stone behind her shoulder. His head was swimming, and all he could think about was her, and wanting her. His mouth found her neck, the spot just above the curve of her shoulder. “Don’t hold back,” he spoke against her skin. “I want to see how far it goes.” It was better than standing at the edge of a plane, ready to jump off into the void. It was better than pushing 200 miles per hour in a sports car.
They weren’t even doing anything, and it was the best drug he’d ever had.
"I gave a guy stroke once," Ro warned, even though the memory made her laugh a little now she was high. The hand in Noah's hair twisted, pulling on the strands and not shy about it.
She still had a hand up Noah's shirt and his lips were on her neck. He wanted her. It banged on Ro's senses like a drum. She reached again for Noah's attraction, starting the feedback loop that upped his pleasure which made him want her more. She didn't know much about biology but from the little she'd picked up, Ro imagined Noah was blissed out on serotonin right about now. He was just full of pleasure and want and Ro fed deeply, pulling his energy into herself.
“Fuck.”
When it was done, he pulled away from her and slid down to the ground, laughing. Noah looked up at the colorful towers looming over him, then at Ro. “I don’t think this is a stroke,” he said. The pyrokinetic ran his hands over the ground like he was treading water. He felt like he didn’t care about anything. There was nothing to worry about, nothing to think about. No reason to pretend.
“What should we do next?” he asked her.
Ro stayed where she was, leaning against the pillar of rock until she felt ready to move. Her shirt had ridden up in the back and some of her skin was red and scratched through the holes in the lace. Much of her turquoise lipstick was smeared away but her cheeks were pink and eyes bright from feeding.
"Can you even stand up right now?" she asked, walking over to him. "Next we get some breakfast. I'm hungry. The other kind." She grinned. "If you can move without melting."
“I can move. In a minute.” Noah’s mood was uncharacteristically light. His head felt like it might float away. He waved a hand at her. “Get us a car and by the time it gets here, I should be good.” The pyrokinetic closed his eyes and leaned forward.
He didn’t care where they went. Breakfast did sound good, though.
Ro still had to help haul Noah to his feet when their Uber arrived and they weren’t in the car more than a couple minutes before his eyes closed. Noah fell asleep slumped against Ro on the back of the car. She didn't need the intimacy of physical affection from her lovers (she made occasional exceptions for friends) but Noah seemed comfortable and Ro wasn’t in a mood to be bothered by much right now. She let him spend their car ride with his head against her shoulder.
Ro didn't disturb him until they pulled in front of Terrible’s, half asleep herself. "Come on," she said shaking Noah awake. "We're here. Best diner food I know. You'll feel better after carbs." They climbed out and walked into the restaurant, Ro's phone chiming with her Uber receipt.
Noah blearily opened his eyes, realizing he had slumped against Ro and immediately sitting up as straight as possible. “Okay.” He smiled lazily, still high as he half-tumbled out of the car. He had no idea where they were, and didn’t really care. The only thing that mattered was the smell of food wafting from the diner, he was starving. “Davayte yisty,” he muttered, not realizing he had lapsed into Ukrainian.
The pyrokinetic touched Ro’s shoulder briefly to steady himself, then pulled the door of the diner open.
Terrible’s bustled. This time of evening the patrons were gathered around Grand Slams and the ever flowing carafe of fresh coffee. Nesryn moved around the diner while Ronnie settled in the kitchen cranking out orders. But eventually it would hit a lull like any place did. Peak hours meant slower hours.
Ronnie didn’t notice the pair enter the diner at first. He was caught up chatting with one of the elderly locals about something going on in town, while refilling the man’s coffee cup. Though Ro was hard to miss and catching movement out of the corner of his eye, the cook looked over and spotted his friend and….
Oh shit.
“Hey there, young’n,” the elderly man said, trying to get Ronnie to focus. Ronnie blinked, looking down at the nearly overfilled cup with a bit of embarrassment rising into the apples of his cheeks. “Woah, sorry man. Got caught up on something for a second. Be right back.”
The pot of coffee went back onto the burner and Ronnie was moving around the counter, heading for his friend and ...well, trouble.
“Ro!”
Ro's sheer lace shirt had been carefully straightened before they got in the car but there was no saving what was left of the turquoise lipstick and her hair was disheveled. Neither she or Noah had noticed but there was a small smear of turquoise on Noah's neck just above his collar.
"Hey," she said to Ronnie, drawing out the vowel and smiling. "I'm glad you're working. We're starving, we need the good stuff."
It took a moment for Noah to process Ronnie. As soon as he did, he looked around to check where he was. He noticed Denny’s menus on the tables, the apron hung around the other man’s neck. And then remembered that Ro was beside him. Ro, who didn’t know anything about the pyrokinetic’s work or other extracurriculars. “Hey,” he said, waving, his brain slowly catching up. Was there a chance that Ronnie would turn and run away?
“Table...for...two.” He swayed a little bit on his feet.
“Girl, you are looking spicy. Probably too spicy for these folks,” he laughed, waving them over to an empty booth.
Ronnie gave Noah a look of consideration, “Who’s your friend? Don’t think I’ve seen him around here before.” That was a lie but Ro seemed to be having a good time and he didn’t want to spoil it. “I’ll get you guys whatever, no worries.”
Ro grabbed Noah by the elbow for support. Of the two of them, she was less likely to fall down. "Dress to impress." Or to undress. One or two people were staring as they made their way to the table.
"This is my friend Noah," she said, sliding into the booth. "Noah, this is my buddy Ronnie. And we need carbs." She threw her arms onto the tabletop and collapsed onto it, tilting her head to look up at Ronnie. "We need all the carbs. And bacon."
“Hello, Ronnie.” Noah pulled a menu toward him. Of all the scenarios he had imagined, Ronnie going along with the charade wasn’t one of them. “Bacon sounds good. And eggs. And toast. Chocolate milk. Coffee. And…” The pyrokinetic flipped to the desserts page.
“An ice cream sundae with extra of this stuff.” He couldn’t remember the word at that moment. Noah pointed to the whipped cream.
“Please,” he added, closing the menu.
“Noah, huh?” Ronnie repeated, making himself smile. “Cool. Good to meet you, bro. Ro’s friend is my friend.” Either she had no idea what this guy was capable of, or she didn’t care. A moment of inward assessment brought the idea that Ro wouldn’t be cool with what Noah had done. But he wasn’t going to tell her. Diplomacy seemed better.
As their orders were placed, Ronnie nodded at them. “When you guys get a stomach ache, don’t come crying to me!” He laughed, shaking his head at them. “I’ll be back with your beverages, guys. Don’t fall asleep in the booth, okay?”
Ro straightened up and smiled at Ronnie as he left and then at Noah. "I hope he's cooking and not just waiting tables. Ronnie's an amazing cook, better than me." She reconsidered. "Except for desserts, obviously. That's why I come here."
He managed a smile, too, and watched Ronnie retreat from the booth. “Is he? That’s hard to believe.” Noah’s fingers were subconsciously drumming against the table. It seemed like any moment, Ronnie could come back and inform Ro about what he did for a living. The pyrokinetic also wasn’t the most pleased to see that Fern hadn’t done anything to the cook yet, unless the effects were subtle.
“So, you come here a lot?” Noah asked, gaze still on the front of the menu.
Ronnie got Nesryn to take the coffee and chocolate milk over to the table. The wolf was happy to oblige so he could get back into the kitchen and put the order together.
It didn’t take long. Breakfast of carbs, protein, and sweets would be put into the final stages of completion.
He set the dishes on the tray, made a pit stop for the can of whipped cream for Noah, and carried everything to the table. He set the tray on a stand and served up. “Waffles and bacon for the lady,” Ronnie said, setting down a plate piled with sweet and savory.
“And for the gentleman,” Ronnie said, “eggs, bacon, toast, and one sundae with extra of this stuff.” The whipped cream can would be upturned and he loaded the thing down with it.
"Always so fancy when serving," Ro teased. "You can take the cook out of MasterChef.." She trailed off, leaving the rest of the idiom unfinished. Instead Ro busied herself drowning her waffle in syrup.
“MasterChef?” Noah raised an eyebrow, looking at Ronnie. “That’s a great mountain of…” He read the label on the can. “Reddi-Wip. Thank you.” He began unrolling the napkin full of cutlery. Assessing the tools available, he added, “Can I please get a sharper knife...Ronnie?” The pyrokinetic picked up the spoon, looking at his convex reflection on the back of it. He was still a little high, he realized.
“Wait. I don’t need a knife. It’s a sundae.” He laughed, looking up at Ro.
He was glad that the pair seemed to be enjoying themselves. The request from Noah about a sharper knife made Ronnie’s eyebrows arch. But the joke that came made the cook nod, that forced smile settling back over his mouth. “Maybe the sundae just looked menacing.”
“I’ll let you guys get to it,” he said, backing away from the table carefully. An all out bolt for the kitchen didn’t seem like the right thing to do.
Ro waved at Ronnie and then looked down at her food. Now that her waffle was sufficiently syruped, Ro set about crumbling some of her bacon over the top. She didn't take a bite. Noah's ice cream looked tempting. "Can I have a bite of your sundae? Please please please?"
Noah dipped his spoon into it and held it out for Ro. “Only this bite,” he laughed. “No, wait.” He removed the cherry that had gotten scooped up along with ice cream, chocolate, and toppings. “I want that part.” He plucked it up clumsily and it fell onto his plate of eggs, leaving a red splotch against yellow yolk.
He instinctively flicked it, but it landed on her waffle.
Ro laughed and flicked the cherry back at him. It didn't go nearly as far this time, instead plopping onto the vinyl tabletop. Then she leaned forward to take the bite of ice cream, letting Noah feed it to her. "Tasty." There was bacon grease on her fingers and she sucked it off before setting into her waffles. "Mmm, perfect."
Noah watched the cherry settle onto the table and shook his head. “I’m not eating that now.” He took his spoon and took a heaping bite of his own sundae, before wincing in pain. Too cold. The pyrokinetic held a hand to his forehead. “What is happening?” he laughed. It felt like he took an overdose of ecstasy or something. This was new territory.
He leaned forward to whisper to Ro. “That guy doesn’t like me.” He cut a glance in the direction Ronnie retreated to. “I can see it in his eyes.”
Ro leaned forward to meet him but scoffed almost immediately. "Ronnie? I don't think he's capable of not liking anyone."
“Maybe,” he answered, “maybe not.” Noah leaned back in the booth, staring at the eggs. He wasn’t nearly as hungry as he had been when ordering. He picked up a slice of bacon and brought it to his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
“If I told you that I was held captive for 8 years and experimented on, would you believe me?” he asked her randomly.
Ro blinked at the sudden shift in topic. "Yes," she said finally. "No reason not to. Plus you're…" There wasn't an easy way to say pyrotechnic in public. "You."
He nodded, still eating the bacon. “Back home. In Ukraine. My parents took me there when I was twelve. Dragged me there, actually. Because of what I am.” Noah shrugged, grabbing a napkin and wiping his hands.
“It helped me become better, so it wasn’t all negative,” Noah admitted. “They helped me focus. Learn what I could do.”
"That sounds bad. That sounds very bad. That sounds all bad." Ro looked at Noah, eyebrows raised. "Noah. I'm so sorry that happened to you."
Ronnie had done his best not to sprint back to the kitchen.
He’d been in such a hurry he had even forgotten the tray and the stand, which Nesryn had plucked up for him and carried away. Friends. Once he was back in the kitchen he couldn’t stop shaking. He nearly dropped his cellphone, texting Mikey about the situation. HE is here, with Ro, I got his name.
When the bell chimed for a new order Ronnie nearly leapt out of his skin. That time he did drop his phone and it went sliding across the kitchen floor. He laughed a bit, nervously. After the phone was collected he did his best to get back to work.
A few orders filled and he gathered the courage to go back out and check on Ro and Noah.
“You dudes good? Need more coffee?” He’d brought the pot with him, holding it up.
Noah looked at Ro curiously. No one had ever said anything like that to him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ronnie had appeared at their side. He looked up at the other man with an inscrutable impression. It was starting to wear off. And the reality of where the pyrokinetic was currently was starting to sink in.
“I’m good on coffee,” he replied, motioning to his still-full cup. “Thank you. This is exceptional service.” Noah gave Ronnie a look now that he hoped transmit a message silently. Don’t you dare say anything.
That sharp look melded into the compliment had Ronnie’s brightness dimming substantially. Was he shaking? He hoped to God nobody could see it. “Cool, yeah. Well I’m gonna go back to the kitchen, few more orders and stuff, but yeah….cool. Thanks.” He managed a smile for Ro and backed up, nearly knocking an old lady over who had been walking behind him from the bathroom.
“Whoops. Sorry Mrs. Jones, kinda clumsy,” Ronnie murmured, steadying the lady before he let her go and went back to the kitchen.
Ro watched Ronnie walk off. "I don't know how he has knife skills like he does and is that clumsy." She shook her head and went back to her waffles. Noah's look didn’t stand out to her. He always had this half-price Several Snape thing going on.
"Are you okay?" she asked him. It had been a heavy confession before Ronnie walked up.
“I’m fine,” he answered, his voice clipped. Noah stared at the cherry, shaking his head slowly. How did he let himself end up there? “I think I’m done eating,” the pyrokinetic told her, his gaze drifting back to the kitchen. He couldn’t see Ronnie or what he was doing. Who he might have been calling.
“I’m not supposed to be here,” Noah admitted.
With the last of his nerves gathered, Ronnie got the courage to walk back from the kitchen where he’d been hiding. Orders had come in, but he’d been too distracted by Noah to think about cooking just then.
A few steps would carry him from the back to the table. He paused, making himself grin, “Looks like you guys are done. Don’t worry about the food, it’s on me, cause you guys rock.”
"Here, where?" Ro wasn’t sure what Noah was saying, chalking it up to what was left of his high.
Before she could continue, Ronnie came back. "No," she said shaking her head. "You just made me that amazing dinner. I can't let you do that. I got it." She reached out to touch his arm, only remembering at the last moment to pull her hand away.
“Let me,” said Noah, momentarily ignoring Ro’s follow up question. He pulled out his wallet, plucking a 100 from the cash situated there and holding it out to Ronnie with a smile. “For the exceptional service. Keep the change.”
As the bill was handed to him he felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Man, that’s super generous of you,” Ronnie said, trying his best not to visibly shake as he reached out for the hundred dollar bill. “Ro, this one might be a keeper.” The tone of the joke was off, wrong, but it was done and he backed up from the table again this time checking for customers.
Ro stared off after Ronnie. "He looks funny. Did he look funny to you? I kind of feel like I should check on him, maybe he's having a bad day."
“He’s fine,” Noah insisted, watching Ronnie scamper off with a frown. “We need to go.” He slid out of the booth and onto his feet. Did they take an Uber there? His mind was blanking between Seven Magic Mountains and Terrible’s.
The bill was entered into the system, and the bill deposited carefully as if it may explode on contact. He touched it with the tip of his first finger and thumb, taking change out. It would go to the waitresses and staff, he didn’t want any of Noah’s money even if it was the last dollar bill on earth. The remainder of the change would be dumped into Nesryn’s apron. She looked at him quizzically and he gave her a look that told her he would explain later. With that, she nodded and went back out to finish up.
A breath, Ronnie wiped the counter and did his best not to look at Ro or Noah as they started to get up.
"Hey, you're standing on your own, good job." She grinned at Noah. "It might take a few minutes to get a car. We're actually in Searchlight, not Vegas." She paused on their way to the door to wave at Ronnie.
"I owe you dinner next time, okay?" she called at him.
“Yeah, I figured that part out,” Noah muttered as he held the door open for Ro. It wasn’t chivalry, he needed to leave before the cook did something stupid and the pyrokinetic would be forced to break the deal he had made with Rhiannon.
Once outside, he turned to her, staring at her silently before pulling her in for a long, lingering kiss.
Ronnie lifted his head at Ro’s voice. A more genuine smile was offered and he nodded, “You got it!” And as the bell chimed, signaling their departure, he exhaled a deep breath. He didn’t bother saying anything at all to Noah, unsure of what may come out. He’d promised not to engage Noah again like last time, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t rattled by the whole thing.
Ro kissed Noah back and as they drew away, she reached up to twist the end of a lock of his hair between her thumb and forefinger. She kissed him one more time. "Hey."
“Hey,” he answered back, before glancing back inside the restaurant. He used his phone to hail them the car back. “Back to my place?” he asked, an eyebrow raised. Noah wasn’t sure if Ro was ready to face her real life again. The pyrokinetic didn’t mind either way, he was just ready to leave Searchlight.
"Sure." Ro wasn’t ready to go home and talk to Merrick. A car ride back to Vegas and to Noah's sounded fine to her.