"You'd know if I was trying," he told her. He let people underestimate him. It was his best defense. Which seemed counter-intuitive. But when someone saw someone his size and stature? With his mouth and youthful face? They always thought the same. He was young, stupid, and scrappy. He had purposely not told anyone much of his past other than he was in the military and he was a shapeshifter. He was sure people gave him the old background check (looking at you, Jay) or the basic FaceBook search. But it would have been a boring search unless they were friends. And for the most part, he wasn't with anyone. So his life was a secret. And he wanted it that way. At least for now.
When Ralph didn't reply, Nuno laughed harder. He knew better than to really poke the bear. But he would instigate slightly. He was not stupid enough to push too far. He would toe the line. Over the last year, he had learned where Jay's line was. He looked over at the woman with a knowing smirk. He rolled his eyes and shook his head in mock disbelief. "Yeah, sure. I won't say no to actual curry." He had missed it after having so much of it while on the MEUs through the Pacific. The food throughout Asia was unbelievable, and he missed it. The few times he got to enjoy a 72 or 96 while in Afghanitsan, he took part in their dishes as well. He hated how bland some food was now that he was on the East Coast.
Nuno watched her heavily now. His eyes lost their joyful teasing and turned into something piercing. Studying her face, her posture, even her breathing. He look in the way she looked at the table rather than him. Listened to the tone and cadence of her words. This was unsettling, and something he needed to push at a different time. So, he took out his phone and simply sent her a text saying I'll come by tomorrow if you want and pocketed the phone. "Fucking weird, dude. Sometimes people get more out of an inside job. Insurance and then sell their shit," he replied as if nothing happened.
"Liver disease," Nuno replied easily. He followed her anyway. He was actually going to die drinking with a dragon for fun. "And you don't have o bring my lacy thongs into this, I'm coming." He threw a wink at a guy twice his size who needed to shower and got an angry grunt back. All it did was make Nuno grin more. He grabbed the shots for them and told Ralph to but the things on his tab before walking over to watch her sink the second shot.
"Dude, shit is fucked, man. It was a stalker case or something. he was going in and out of this over sized HVAC vent. It was this cute little old couple and a younger couple with two kids. The kids and the old lady thought the house was haunted. The old man was yelling rats, and the wife thought the husband was crazy because he swore he saw someone in the place. It was a fucking exterminator who found his hide out with a camera. Called us in and we staked it out." He handed her the shot when she missed and clinked the two glasses together. "To not being the crazy ones."