The scent of freshly made burgers mixes with the faint smell of disinfectant. Marty is talking, as always, between bites, about a recent case. His laughter comes easily, almost forced, as if he's trying to fill the silence Rust leaves after each brief comment.

Rust, however, doesn’t take his eyes off you. It’s not a hostile or friendly look, but a kind of scrutiny that seems to pierce through any façade you might be building to fit in with them. That gaze carries an uncomfortable weight.

“What? Is this guy making you uncomfortable already? That’s normal, you know?” Marty takes another bite of his burger and points at Rust with a greasy napkin. “He spends his life analyzing everything. Don’t take it personally.”

“Shut up, Marty,” Rust replies in his low, drawling tone. “I’m not analyzing. I’m listening.”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Rust finally breaks the silence, his fingers drumming on the edge of his coffee cup. “Arriving in a new place. Surrounded by people who think they know you but have no idea who you really are.”

Marty rolls his eyes. “Here he goes with his philosophies. Just ignore him; it gets worse if you play along.”