As the deacon approached Ben, disgusting smile plastered on his face, he conveyed a message nearly similar, if not identical to that relayed to the rest. Not that Ben needed to listen. He had a bit of a habit of eavesdropping on others conversations. You might call it rude. He called it business. Still, Ben listened intently, impressed by the mans commitment. 

The polite smile fell off of Bens face when Billy said something he really shouldn't have. "Give you a bit of peace. Especially if you're stuck in the middle of bumfuck nowhere." Ben let out a bit of an angry chuckle, while still managing to keep a stern scowl on his face.

"You think your god is going to offer me guidance, pal? Your 'god' left me 'in the middle of bumfuck nowhere' when he killed my parents. You know what that does to a kid? It'd take a little more than some 'spiritual guidance' to bring me any peace. Nah, there ain't no god in this world, and if there is, he sure as hell isn't a helpful one." Ben said, his voice slowly getting louder as the fake 1950's accent faded away. He tended to get sensitive about religious things, especially when it came from people so clearly blind to the pain he had gone through.

Still, he instantly regretted having made a scene about it, and began mentally berating himself for the uncivilized reaction. As he opened his mouth to sputter out some weak apology, the Deacon raised his hands, interrupting him. "Hey, it's fine. I understand. Listen, life gets hard. You can't do anything about that, but as long as you have someone by your side, it'll all turn out fine, and I'm sure you've got a close friend with you."

A confused look rested on Bens face, as he took in the implications of the mans statement. As it registered, the look only got stronger, his thick brow furrowing as deep wrinkles cut their way into his otherwise unblemished skin, dark cracks marring his pale visage. As the man left to continue preaching to whatever hotel dining rooms would listen, Ben halfheartedly called after him. "Wait up now- What is that supposed to mean?"

Unsurprisingly, he was met with no answers but silence. Sighing, he looked out the window, to seek advice from Flush. Ben was a bit shocked to see that Flush was nowhere to be found, which was very out of character for him. He was always there for Ben when advice or guidance was needed. 

[i]He had to have been talking about Flush, right? But there's no way that he could have known about him, right? But then what was he talking to the others about? Does Flush visit them, too?[/i] He stared deep into the wall as the questions ran through his mind, like a plague of locust, buzzing and angry, each vying to get his attention, only to fall back into the swarm.

Hesitantly, he resolved to later stop by the church, where he could hopefully answer at least a few of the questions. An aggravated growl left his throat. This was supposed to be a simple business trip. In and out, take one or two phone calls, then be done with it. Speaking of business, he thought to himself, as he felt a vibration disturb his pocket, soon accompanied by the smooth tunes of Frank Sinatra. With no hesitation he picked up the call, responding with a simple 'no', before hanging up. This day was not his best, and he had a feeling that it was going to get worse as he looked around, taking mental note of those others that the deacon had approached. No matter how many questions he thought of, one always rose above the others. [i]Who are these people?[/i]