She seems to have the right kind of outlook on the washers, too. Nothing but a waste of time, every last one of 'em. Rodeo knows how they work. They will never stop chasing the high. They'll steal, starve, and kill all for one more hit. It's survival of the fittest out here, and Rodeo is glad to help push evolution in the right direction by giving the junkies the means to remove themselves from the gene pool. Austin-- and the world as a whole-- will be better off when they're extinct.
Rodeo's brows lift when she says she knocked out a girl's tooth. Not because he's surprised, but because he's impressed. He'd had no doubt that she had punched someone at least once in her lifetime, but a knocked-out tooth is some savage shit. "Damn, woman," Rodeo laughs, shaking his head at her. "What'd that girl do to deserve it? Reckon I oughta know, since I'd like to keep all my teeth where they are."
Rodeo enjoys the silence for a time too, taking the opportunity to mull over what he can do to get his camp out of the medical Middle Ages. He thinks about his easy rapport with the doctor, too-- but if she really does have a background full o' trouble, it's no wonder they're on the same page.
When she finally speaks again, Rodeo looks up from watching her hands work, bringing his eyes to her face. She asks him her question, and Rodeo could almost just bark out a laugh in response. He sure does fuckin' know what that's like. The burden on his shoulders never ends and never eases up, not even for a second. His camp grows, his family grows, and his onus grows with it. Somebody's always hungry. Somebody's always scared. Somebody's always has a chip on their shoulder, somebody's always dying too young. Somebody's always pregnant and ready to pop. Somebody is always conspiring to end his reign in blood. But he doesn't want her to know any of that. He doesn't hesitate-- his decision to lie comes instantly, before he's even fully processed that he isn't about to tell the truth.
"Naw," Rodeo says, shrugging his broad shoulders. "I mean, 'cept for the wantin' a piece of ya part. Now that, I can relate to. I'm in real high demand, sweetheart." He says it with the sort of drawl that spells out exactly what piece of him he's referring to that is in such high demand, and his mouth slides into another wicked smirk just to drive the point home. "And I'll tell ya, that's pretty exhausting anyhow."