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"Hasn't gotten me killed yet." He murmured back, a little more haughty than he meant it to be. Whatever favour his soul had with Lady Luck when it came to his survival rate, it was working well. He'd tango'd with danger so often that close calls were starting to lose their urgency. Maybe it was less likely Luck, and more like some sinister deal with Death himself.

The walk was becoming arduous, and he realized that walking so quickly just to keep some distance between himself and Lawrence was tiring him out. So he slowed again to a more relaxed pace if only to reserve energy.

The island, which used to feel so small, felt entirely too large when put in a position where he had to survey it.

Otto actually did turn to look at Lawrence now, his eyes wide and his expression baffled. "Who ********' told you that?" He'd assumed his hoarding of his savings was unknown. He'd not thought it dangerous information... until now. He did not trust Lawrence to know just how much he had squirrelled away over the years. He must have let it slip now and then without thinking.

He did a lot of things without thinking, it seemed. Or at least not enough thinking.

"I earned my ******** place up there." Otto said with a curl of his lip. "From livin' on this ********' island so long, from risking my life a dozen times. If newbie bitches don't wanna live in the basement, then they can go risk their ******** asses a few times and watch their friends die instead of bellyachin' like babies."

He huffed, kicking a rock suddenly into the distance. "They signed up for this. Ain't no ******** vacation here."

If there was one thing Otto was ever fiercely proud of, it was his apartment. He felt of all the things he had, that was one thing he actually deserved.

Otto narrowed his eyes. "Two right in front of me. Two others I weren't there to see go." Since Lawrence couldn't seem get his jollies until Otto dished out some vague specifics, it seemed. He wasn't sure if feeding him would quell his curiosity, or simply grow it.

"There's other people I didn't know well enough to count in." He rubbed his arms, feeling itchy just standing near Lawrence and the way he judged him so harshly.

"It's disgusting how you think I got where I am by steppin' on folks to get here. That's only somethin' pigs like you would stoop to. If havin' a nice place meant putting myself before others, I'd rather live in the basement with no lights."

Otto flushed. Lawr was right. He had a point. It was just a point Otto had a hard time swallowing. Technically speaking he did think himself above some others. He wasn't selfless. He wouldn't give up the nice things he's earned for the sake of others, mostly because he found it arrogant to assume people who didn't earn anything be given handouts. Handouts Otto fought tirelessly for.

He'd thought it fact. But really, he was just as pompous and greedy as Lawrence said, right?

You are not a good person. That's what he'd said, and it hit harder than a bullet.

Otto kept his mouth shut tight, the iron shell around his mind frantically putting itself back up to protect his pride.

By some sweet mercy, the main building was finally in sight once more. Otto planned to book it home as soon as he filled out his report. He was itching to leave Lawr in his dust. He flexed his fingers inside his pockets to keep the man from seeing him squirm more than he already was.

Just how did people like Horace fall for this guy? He must have more than one face. Thankfully, it seemed Otto was getting this one. If there was one thing he needed less of, it was people who buttered him up. That didn't make dealing with Lawrence any better. His self esteem and pride were much more bruised now than when they had started this shift. He hated to admit it, or let the man influence him in any way, shape or form. However, the bitter truth was a pill he'd been avoiding for a long time, and he knew it.

Of course, he still wanted to defend himself. Snap back. Something. Anything. But only silence remained, dragging along with every step and every tick of the clock. Maybe, he thought, if he couldn't think of anything anyway, Lawr would finally shut up. That in itself would be a blessing.

"Ain't never said I was superior to nobody." He growled back, bitterly irritated that Lawr would assume such a thing. It was one thing to be a bad person, it was another to be anything like Lawrence.

Suddenly, his heart and stomach jumped in fear. Lawr mentioned something he could not have known. Should not have known. Otto stopped inside the building, staring wide eyed with a mix of fury and disturbance.

"How'd you ********' know that..?"

"You're one to talk about superiority.." He grumbled under his breath. The man was a walking superiority complex himself.

Otto did not move. He kept his gaze on the shorter but older man, his bewildered stare becoming a glare. "When'd you see them? Ain't ever invited you over. I'm on the second floor." Had he snuck in? If he had, then for what reason? Nothing was missing, and he wasn't a beautiful woman like America. So, why? And how?