Benji was strolling along through one of the big-box stores at the end of a busy street. He went to browse - some people like to meander around the mall (he likes to do that, too) and some prefer electronics stores. Benji was one of those who preferred electronics stores. He could spend hours in such places.

At the moment, he was walking (perhaps too quickly) around the end of an aisle of various cables, connectors, and adapters, eyes on the high ceiling as he wondered how much longer he'd get away with hanging around before he was accosted by a store employee.

Dave needed something. He wasn't quite sure what it was anymore, though, and so he was wandering rather aimlessly through the store and trying to remember what he was looking for and trying not to worry too much about Violet.

That was the hard part, really.

Anyway, being so preoccupied, he wasn't watching where he was going and ran right into Benji.

He looked up. And up.

Deja vu, anyone?

He vaguely expects Keye to hit him. That was what he did last time.

"Whoa - sorry," he said quickly, sort of bouncing off and clinging to a shelf to stop himself falling over. He hadn't really looked at Dave as of yet, too busy looking at a few lengths of cable he'd just knocked over. He bent down to pick them up. "That was completely my fault."

Okay, no punching in the face this time. He's certainly not objecting.

"Hey, no, 's my fault. Lots on my mind. Sorry, Keye."

Wrong twin, Dave.

Benji's met a lot of people who know Keye. He's starting to think that his brother must be a very popular guy.
"I'm not Keye," he said, glancing briefly up at Dave, and stuffing the cables back into their spot on the shelf. They just fall out again, and he repeats the action. Benji has the urge to mess with this guy's head if he can. All in fun, of course.

Not so much popular as memorable, and well-connected. Yeah.

"Oh. Sorry."

Blink. But he looks like Keye... and Dave is confused. Of course, he's less confused than he might be, because he hasn't really talked to Keye much and doesn't know that Keye thought he didn't have a brother, and yadda yadda...

"Sorry anyway."

"Just messing with you. I am Keye."
Snicker. Yeah,right.
"No problem. Really. I walk into people all the time."

Blink, blink.

"You are or you aren't? Make up your mind, jeez."

Dave is somewhat annoyed. I really can't imagine why, can you?

"Like I said, I'm just messing with you-" he really is "...uh,... what's your name again?"

Dave thinks about this.

"Dave..."

Pause.

"Hey, you can't be Keye."

He's proud of himself for figuring this out.

Benji grinned at him.
"And why not?" he asked, putting on a mock-angry look and crossing his arms, drawing himself up to his full height.

"Your eye. Except you have two. And last time I saw Keye, he only had one."

Last time being the time that Keye beat him up for putting Violet in danger, that would be. Which was long after Keye'd lost his eye.

"Also, you're not wearing sunglasses."

"Ahhh. 'Kay, you got me," Benji groaned good-naturedly, smirking. He stuck out a hand. "I'm Benjamin. Pleased to meetcha, Dave."

"Mm. Same here."

He accepted Benjamin's hand and shook it briefly, then let go and ran his hand back through his hair with a small sigh.

"Didn' t know Keye had a... brother?"

"Yeah, well," he shrugged. "Neither did he. I had no clue,... 's pretty amazing when you think about it. We just ran into each other on the street one day and,..yeah. Evidence points towards us being twins, actually."

"Weird."

And that seems to be the extent of Dave's opinion on the matter, as he kind of shuts up and shrugs after saying the one word. He runs his hand through his hair again.

"Yeah,... I don't think he liked me very much at the start, but he's coming around."
Benji shrugged a shoulder, smiling almost apologetically.
"So. How do you know him?"

"Don't, really. He's shown up at the theatre once 'n' helped me a little, and then once he decided to beat me up."

Shrug.

"Weird kid."

"What's he beat you up for?" Benji inquired, raising an eyebrow. He toyed with the idea of telling Dave not to call Keye weird, but ended up biting his tongue and letting it pass. "...Did you deserve it?"

"No, I didn't deserve it." Though Keye thought he did... Violet might've, too. But she was mad at him, so it doesn't count.

"'pparently he's friends with my girlfriend, and she was upset with me, so he decided to beat me up for her."

Benji looks a bit less surprised than he should be.
"You're serious?" Blink. "What'd you do to piss 'em off so badly?"
Not, he notes silently, that it seems to take very much to provoke Keye.

Dave shrugged again.

"Bitch of an ex-girlfriend took some pictures of me and lied about 'em to Vi, so she thought I was cheating on her. Which I wasn't, won't, and 'm not."

He felt he had to say that.

... hey, is Benji still almost-dating Jetta?

Not since the little conversation he had with Keye about her, he's not.
Though she is really pretty...

"Ah. 'Kay. Wow,... yyyeah, I can see how that would make 'em mad. All's well that ends well, though, right? You and your girl are back together?"

"... yeah."

I suppose I should mention that he's considering breaking up with her, since shooting her. Fortuna is unpredictable--no kidding--and he doesn't want her to get hurt again, if the goddess decides that she's not done playing with him.

Something of this shows in his face. The expression doesn't match the should-be happy topic.

Benji frowns suspiciously.
"But...?" he says, catching the strange way Dave had answered. It didn't take more brains than he had to figure out something wasn't right.

"Woman in the pictures that made 'em think I was cheating on Vi? Really, really, really fucking bad news."

That, I think, is a bit of an understatement. Just a bit.

Just a little bit.

"Yeesh." He winced. "Three 'really's. She's gotta be trouble."

"Mm. Yeah."

He's not going to explain what kind of trouble, though... unless Benji asks, and unless he can figure out if Benji knows about this kind of thing already, thus preventing him from thinking Dave is nuts.

"Why is she such a - such a big problem, if you don't mind my asking?" Benji tilts his head to one side, with a faint, coaxing little smile. He's trying to look trustworthy and he's actually doing quite a good job of it.

"Bitch. Penchant for guns."

Well, sort of. She likes games involving guns...

"Guns. Are you serious?" Benji starts to laugh, but then....

His grin fades. "You are serious."

Dave just nodded. He really didn't want to go into details... You just don't go around and explain to strangers that the goddess of luck made you shoot your girlfriend.

It simply isn't done.

"What'd she do?" There's something weird here. It's obvious. "Presumably something involving guns?"
Because why would Dave mention such a detail if it wasn't important?

"Yes."

I could swear that Dave's breath produced icicles there, but that would be exaggerating and physically impossible.

Dave doesn't have magic, you know.

"Whoa. Crazy."
Benji gave a weak, 'I know you probably won't tell me but I'm going to ask anyway' grin.
"... Mind if I ask what she did?"

"Yes."

At this point, the expression on Dave's face is frighteningly close to murderous. His jaw is set, his eyes are narrowed, his brows drawn down...

He looks scary.

"Okay, okay." Benji holds up his hands as if to protect himself. It wouldn't be too hard to believe that Dave's going to attack him. "I was just curious. Take it easy."

Dave shrugged and stopped looking like a serial killer.

"Curiosity's dangerous, didncha know that?"

He should talk.

"Only if you're a cat. And last time I checked - I'm not one."
He smiles in a way that completely masks how thoroughly creeped out he now is.

Dave made a wry face.

"Guess I am one, then."

Actually, his problems come less from curiosity than from sheer pig-headedness. But we'll let him think that curiosity is the bigger issue. It salves his pride.