[ She doesn't go poking in his head. She doesn't need to. Ava wants to trust Deacon and him taking off his sunglasses to look her in the eye-- That means a lot to her. She wants to give him a chance.

Her shoulders slump, relief obvious. She's stopped trying to hide all of that from him months ago. After a moment, Ava sort of smiles at his joke. ]

I really, really don't know how vegans stand it. If you want to talk about freaks, there you go. They willingly want to restrict themselves. It's crazy. [ She gives him a grateful look. ] Thanks. I mean it. You're... I'm pissed at you, but you're still my friend, Deacon.

[ And that means he's not getting away with the initial point of contact tonight, a subject she brings back around. ]

What are you doing up, by the way? You look exhausted.

[ Without the shades, it's more obvious. ]