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Two choices, either be a stray in Halloween or follow Medea. It was obvious what Fai had chosen. In fact, the moment the option had come up this pony boy had disappeared, leaving everything but the clothes on his back behind. Not that that had been much--as a Famine pony, it was only to be expected he carried most of his things with him at all times. The important ones, that was.

For a while he'd traveled by foot, going from one town to the next, scrounging through their trash when he really needed to, or earning a few seeds here and there by helping out at bars. You would be surprised how often a bar made their own wine.

Fai knew wine. He'd sworn it off, in the past... it hadn't lasted that long. As it was, though, he'd found a nice little place to stay at--a bar, of course. Somehow, shockingly, it was in the very town he'd left behind so many months ago.

But all of that leads up to now--where Fai was wandering through Halloween Town, looking for a very specific type of herb for a new blend of wine. He had found a small outdoor market that looked quite promising. The only problem was Precious kept trying to bite people.

Ah, well, it made for a lovely amount of browsing space, he decided as he picked up a random root.

"Sloppy," Fai said, picking up one of the potions. "But... familiar--" He stopped, though, as Precious clued in before he did. The longest strand was straining towards the woman running the stand, much like a dog that was seeing an old friend after far too long. If the plant had been able to bark or whine, it would have.

Fai looked over, annoyed at first, then staring at Fala--looking guilty as hell. "Ah, well--I meant that in the most affectionate way possible, of course," he told her, putting the potion down carefully.

He hesitated, moving closer merely because there were others looking at her wares. "I am not inebriated," he said, unable to look at her for long. Instead he started looking at her new place. "I have found that my way with wine can create openings that were... previously closed because of what we are."

His words were picked out carefully, as if he tasted them before letting them out in the air. It was a sure sign that he knew he'd done something terrible. "I've been invited to live in a local bar in exchange for helping out with their wine," he admits.

The plant head kissed her hand, not that Fai noticed. "I suppose," he said slowly, "that I assumed you would join the others. Foolish, I admit. But..." he finally looked at her. "I have traveled during this time. There is so much to see in this strange land, so many creatures to experiment on. It felt as if that choice was... practically handing me the opportunity to go out and see it all."

He was a selfish jackass, and they both knew it. He probably should have been called a donkey instead of a horseman. "How have you been, my dear?"

Notice, the subject of drinking had been bypassed completely.

"With me, either," he admits, thinking back to the self-proclaimed leader. "I found myself, even drunk as a fool, not liking her manner of doing things. It is better to be a stray." Then, looking thoughtful, he said, "but this life is not so short that a few months of travel means I will never offer to take you along."

He turned, looking over the crowd curiously before speaking his mind, "The bar I work for, it is ran by Rochester's grandfather--I'm quite fond of Rochester," he admitted, his hand reaching into his robes and pulling out a thin cigghoulette.

"I'm rather fond of his family, as well. They are quite fascinating--and lax. But," he said, turning back to her, "they have a small town where they get their Voodka. I was thinking of going there and seeing the plantation. Would you be interested in joining me on a trip to Los Muertos?" He lights up with a shiny lighter, showing he's picked up yet MORE bad habits during his time away.

Fai went perfectly still, taking far too long sucking in a stream of smoke before finally letting it out. "I..." he started out slowly, not looking at her, "I can understand not wanting to be taught by me," he admitted. "If you prefer, we can go as... companions?" he offered, looking at her with a slightly questioning smile. It was a familiar expression for him, but somehow it seemed to convey more hesitance than usual.

If she wanted more--perhaps a relationship--he wasn't sure how much of his heart was left to offer. But at the same time, it wasn't the same gaping, bleeding wound that he'd entered this world with.

"I was thinking tomorrow," he said. "I need to return to Casino Royale and inform them--as well as borrow some seeds for the train down. I can meet you here in the morning?" he offers, already looking forward to the trip. "By train it should be less than a day, according to Vegas."

"So you'll bring back an entire month's supply, right?" a little blonde undead patchwork woman said as she escorted Fai to the market. She was carrying a large bag over her shoulder, which was strange if you assumed it was for Fai. "Terra listed what goes to who, remember, and make sure they get them! Also, make sure you get plenty of the chocolate skulls for Rochy, okay? He's already gone through the last collection--"

"Yes, Monica, I've memorized the instructions already," Fai said patiently as he headed for Fala's stall. "I can carry that, of course," he added with a glance at the bag. Some big part of him didn't want to introduce the overly-bubbly woman to Fala. At all. "Your lover must be wondering where you are now."

"Oh no, Vegas never wakes up before two in the afternoon," Monica said, waving him off.