Re: The lake: close to the water
He'd never thought anyone to be roadkill - not in appearance, at least. Certainly, there were some out there whose personalities were mangled and ugly beyond comprehending, but there was yet to be anyone whose physical visage brought that sort of carnage and gore to mind. He would have argued that assertion if she'd vocalized it, but without that glimpse into her thoughts, he couldn't pick them directly out of her mind to address.
"You're welcome." Response automatic: X plus Y automatically equals Z. He didn't explain his motives after that, didn't offer up reasons for his generosity. Didn't even see his actions as generosity. They simply were.
And he was about to dig out another cigarette for himself when she asked an actual question. Not a request or demand for something, but a curiosity she wanted filled. His mouth tightened into something masquerading as a smile (that was doing a piss-poor job at actually filling the role), and he nodded. "Couldn't get by them inside without taking one of their bottles. Not a fan." The run of words were backroom hazy with the burn of the blues deep in them.