"Got a light?"
"I don't smoke".
"Shit". She felt around under the mattress, peeked under the bed. "They sneak in condoms all the time, but can they leave a match? Dream deferred". She reattached the cigarette, or joint, to a hairpin and put it back in her tangle of hair.
"You wrote that song?"
"Yeah. You hot shits could use a bite of reality. It got a response, you saw".
"What's a purification?" Valentine asked.
Some of the hard edge came off. "It's... it's not my place".
"Please. I'm new here. Call me Max, if you like. I brought in Wing Leader Hornbreed. I'm wondering if I should grab my reward and run while the getting's good".
"You got your gold yet?"
"Working on it. I'm trading most of it for a trip far away".
"Purification's head-count reduction", she said. "Lotta times it makes no sense, who gets chosen".
"Who does it, Churchmen?" Valentine asked.
"Yeah, the church handles it".
"Ever worry that your songs might get you purified?"
"Fuck no. I think they like having me around. They need a place for the zips to let off a little steam. The Mezcal's sort of cathartic".
"Sort of what?" Valentine asked.
"Catharsis. Healthy elimination of emotion. Like a big bawlin' shit into the toilet of life".
"Singer and philosopher".
"My old man was a cowhand, but that doesn't mean he was dumb. Always had a book or two tucked away and he read to me a lot. I grew up in the saddle with a rifle instead of a doll. Killed a mountain lion when I was eight".
"If you can shoot, why didn't you join the service?" Valentine studied her tattoos. The snakes were posed differently. The left arm seemed to be striking; the right wrapped itself protectively around her upper arm and watched the world from the soft spot on her forearm.
"I'd be tempted to pull the trigger with the gun pointed the other way. How far away from here are you going?"
"About a thousand miles north".
Her fingers tightened on the stained bedding. "Take me with? I can work off my expenses. Or we can arrange something. I ain't exactly a virgin, but I'm healthy and horny on my own account, not just to keep my job. I'll fuck you like Scheherazade, not some high-mileage brothel cunt".
"I'm tempted just for the conversation".
She tipped back into the bed. "Make fun. Who are you to talk to me like that?"
"I was hoping to figure that out on this trip. How do you survive a purification?"
"No telling what sets them off. But I'd cover that limp if I were you. Life is precarious for the lame and halt. I don't suppose you're a big shot somewhere, and you're just keeping your brass ring hid?"
"No such luck", Valentine said. "How can I get in touch with your
"I live above Ling's market in Yuma. I help him stock after a gig. Then I sleep out the day. But don't be afraid to wake me up, know what I mean?"
"I look forward to the rest of your set".