The Living canting his head to the side makes R almost want to ask what’s wrong with his neck. He knows humans don’t get…stuck like zombies do. Between that and that – that laugh barking out of his mouth, R finds himself staring at Howard all over again. You don’t get much (okay, make that any) laughing with zombies. It’s like climbing: too advanced and after awhile there’s no point trying.

“Life ins…in-sur?” R knows before he even starts that word is a lost cause. He throws in the towel and just tacks on the question mark. Howard seems like he can understand where he’s coming from anyway, like Julie. (R tries not to think about the last time he saw Julie. If his heart still functioned, it would be twisting in on itself).

Anyway, it’s not like things like insurance and money really exist in the world R’s from. There’s eating and standing around and it’s always that, day in and day out. R remembered always longing for something different, something more, but the Capitol is too much at once. At least he thinks he might be in the same boat as Howard. It helps knowing he’s not the only one.

Howard’s…okay. Last time he thought someone was okay, they turned into a wolf on him, but R’s friendly like that. Howard is decent for a Living guy: he laughs at R’s jokes (R tries not to flinch too much in surprise at the laughter cutting through the air), he doesn’t freak out over the whole eating-people thing and he’s…huh. R suddenly realizes something. He doesn’t want to eat Howard either. This must be what having a friend feels like.

R ducks his head into the menu he already admitted he can’t read. Thank God he can’t blush. “You guh – go first.”