#{ { interactions;; ryan x emica } }

[troublesomemix]

CLOSED with @rennisaturate || continued from here || ft beta editor

in his not so humble opinion, ryan thought that the previous night had actually went rather well. all things considered. it wasn’t the first time that he had had a strange woman in his quarters alone. but it absolutely was the first time that he had someone that he was engaged to spend the night with him. someone who was absolutely a stranger. he was still wrapping his head around the whole situation that he had gotten himself into. every time he thought that he needed to back out of it, he reminded himself what he been saying for weeks before emica‘s arrival. this was going to give him the cover he needed a sheriff until he was able to get out of dodge. because what good self-respecting man con man had relational attachments like a wife? none that he could think of. so-- this had to be the perfect cover. in the meantime, he had to be ever the upstanding gentleman, at least to a decent degree. that included things like preventing, someone who was now his lady from falling onto the ground. and therefore making an awful embarrassment of herself, and away him. he wasn’t about to have it. ryan was very well aware of how much appearances mattered, especially when he was living a life that was currently all about existing appearances. he offered a beautiful girl ( he wasn’t blind! ) a smile as he held her upright.

“ it’s no trouble at all sugar. i was hoping you’d fall in my arms, one way, or the other, eventually, but i didn’t expect it quite so soon  ” and even while he smiled, the man grimaced internally. was that a little bit of bile in his mouth he was tasting? ryan didn’t do sugar sweetness. and yet here he was being the flatterer that he was so damn good at. to save face, he gently let go, coughed into his hand, and started to walk in the direction of the residence of the town’s priest.

[troublesomemix]

there she went again, making him curious about that stutter of hers. genetic? intentional? a lifetime of trauma? maybe he'd find out;; maybe it would be better if he didn't. too soon to tell. the less responsibility for this woman that he carried on his shoulders, the better. “ there's bound to be gossip, no doubt. i'm just inclined to not give a damn about it. ” ryan couldn't necessarily say the same about emica. he took a slow breath and listened, knowing that their night was bout to end. the sooner the better, in some ways, because the sooner they went to bed the sooner the wedding would come tomorrow and the sooner he could carry on with like like normal. ryan eyed the bed in the corner, cozy enough for him, but with two people laying down together there would be no choice but to be touching. too soon, really. the sheriff's brain race, thinking about alternatives. it would be easy for him to make a palette on the floor, he had a few extra blankets and it wouldn't be the first time that he would have to sleep uncomfortably. getting up to grab a few extra blankets from the trunk he started to lay everything out, “ you can take the bed. won't be too much of a hassle for me to sleep on the floor. ” there was a partition that separated the bed from the washing sink, and they would just have to adjust and work around with getting dressed in close quarters. ryan would let her dress first, be polite and wait his turn till it was time to blow out the candle.

emica nodded, in no place to argue with him really. not that she wanted to. this was a means to an end after all for her. she just needed the freedom from her father. ryan had proven so far that he was not like her father, not controlling or a brute, and that was all she could ask for, really. she could get by with that. " y-yes, i suppose that's true, " she sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted. " well, it s-seems it has to be. i w-would rather not be the focus of an-nymore gossip than need be, " she gave him a tiny smile before yawning, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. " excuse me. my apologies, i th-think my ride has caught up to me. i should probably retire for the night, " her hands swiped nervously over her skirts briefly. " how should we g-go about our sleeping arrangements since i'm sure lying in the same bed for now would be q-quite sc-scandalous?? " she mused, doubting he had more than one bed, and had prepared herself to put together something makeshift for the floor. it wouldn't be the first time she'd had to.

[troublesomemix]

he nodded, satisfied with that answer. “ suits me just fine. ” he pushed the chair down so it was an all fours, leaning in with interest. “ i-... i have. but its been a minute. i think i would really like some of that. ---are you hiding more cooking skills under that sleeve of yours that you didn't tell me about? you're not holding out on me are you? ” even though his voice still held some of that gruff exterior, his cool flirtatious tone had seeped in. con man at his core, but this--- he meant it. ryan missed home cooked meals something fierce. if that was something that came out of their little arrangement, she might become more valuable than just being cover.

her smile grew, happy to be met warmly. it was hard to kick the instinct from time to time to approach all interactions as if they could swiftly change, or to not be surprised that she wasn't being snapped at. his question made her chuckle and she shook her head. " oh, n-no i haven't, but there's enough for both of us. f-f-figured we could share, " she pulled out the small loaf of bread and pulled it apart. " miss ruby gave me a recipe for some bread pudding, think i m-m-might try it in the morning tom-morrow. do you like bread pudding??" she wanted to learn more about him, even if it was just a few little trivial things.

[troublesomemix]

she was a cute lil thing, at least that was going for her. could be worse. ryan had been in contact with her father, but truthfully he had kept correspondence to a minimum. none of that he said she said stuff. ryan kept his business to himself, and to some effect, emica was now his business. for the time being at least. he let out a smoke ring, not moving from his lounged position yet. “ mighty kind of you. ” he looked over the food then back to his wife ( goddamn that was such a strange thing to say ). “ did you eat? if i take some of that you're not going to go hungry, are you? ” where was this nice streak coming from? he almost didn't recognize himself.

she couldn't believe this was how other people lived. there was no one constantly over her shoulder, no one telling her what to do at every turn, no one telling her no all the time or shouting at her. emica felt like she could breathe, inhale with the full capacity of her lungs for the first time in her life, and she hoped to god it would never end. the marriage itself had been not quite what she'd guessed marriages were meant to be so far. ryan was stoic, but charming sometimes, certainly not lovey-dovey, but maybe there was no one way. she certainly would not complain either way. after having poked around in the general store then talking to a couple of the other women in town here and there, she decided maybe it would make sense to check in on him. not that he needed it, but she found after a while she did begin to miss his face a little... her head peaked through the door of his office first before she slipped inside slowly. " afternoon sh-sheriff, " she chimed, looking over at him fondly. " i brought you something to eat, i mean... if you're hungry. n-nothing much though, just some dried apples and bread if your in the mood for it, "

[troublesomemix]

a dress, a ring, maybe flowers? all things that ryan had to keep reminding himself was needed for such an occasion. it was still so commercial in his mind, realizing that he was about to have a wife, and in the eyes of the town, a different man. he had no idea how long emica would be in his life, because he definitely planning on leaving good ol' silent chapel, montana before too long. hopefully he would be in the clear in a few months? a year maybe? what would his fake marriage look like then? once he was able to return to his old life... one could dream. “ i suppose we could come up with something. have the blacksmith put together something-- i'll, i'll take care of it. ” another one of his supposed jobs-- duties as husband. “ problem with writing is, now you're in my home. my reputation stands to be tarnished if i'm living with an unmarried woman under my roof as a bachelor. ” again, not that he cared. this was all a charade after all. not that emica had any idea, just how he planned to keep it. “ that sound alright with you? ”

she didn't want to be nosy, but was it really such when this was supposed to be her home now as well?? once she'd found matches, she'd pulled off her gloves, revealing pale skin and rough knuckles, slightly darkened with callouses and old scars, and lit the other lamps here and there to lessen the oncoming darkness. she allowed herself to get a little more comfortable, running her fingers over surfaces, thinking that a good way to pass the time might be to clean a bit. that was what would be expected of her as a wife anyway, wasn't it?? it wasn't so terrible anyway, cleaning and doing chores. she'd never been kept from doing housework despite her father's many staff, this would be no different. and maybe it'd also help her to get on ryan's better side if he could see that she'd be of good use to him, not just a burden thrown on him suddenly. hearing him come inside at last, she turned and watched him a moment, not knowing what to do with herself anymore now that he was there once again to look upon her. emica's brows rose at his words. that was rather soon. she'd expected a quick engagement, but tomorrow?? " oh, w-well i suppose th-there's no point in waiting, i-is there?? " she noted, her heartbeat feeling a little faster. " i h-have a dress in my trunk, so... there's n-not much else we need. oh, a r-ring maybe, " she self consciously twisted at the empty space on her left ring finger. how odd that it would no longer be empty soon...

[troublesomemix]

he had finished up the rest of his evening chores for the night ( what little there were, like making sure dakota was ready for the night and his chickens were inside the coop ). by then it had been at least twenty minutes. the sun had long since set and he could see the warm glow from the barn coming out of the house window and it was different. knowing that he wasn't walking into an empty house. was this how the next unforseen amount of time of his life was gonna go? ryan cleared his throat, opening the door to announce himself. the wood creaked as it opened and closed, no sneaky business. ryan removed his boots, then his hat, setting them both on a block near the door. he was no neat freak, but at least the house wasn't a total mess. in his mind. there were dishes in the sink ( a few ), and a layer of dirt on most of the higher surfaces. maybe more. he pulled out one of the two dining chairs and plopped down, shifting in the seat. after a moment of silence, he spoke, abrupt. “ i hope that you know that this is going to go by very fast. our arrangement and all. got a preacher that's planning on opening up a spot for us tomorrow afternoon. ”

one of her hands, still clothed in her cotton gloves, gripped at the bench beneath them to steady herself from the slight bob of the wagon. she thought for a sliver of a moment that she might have better leverage if she held onto his thigh or arm, they were sitting close enough, but she waved it away as quick as it came, unsure if her touch would be welcomed. “ well then, lets hope th-there are no snakes, ” she smiled. the brunette admired the scenery around them, keeping a steady time to her breathing as the sun slowly, slowly set. his warning made her turn her gaze back to him. “ that won't b-bother me, truly, ” she wondered for a moment if she was about to share too much, but then realized… this man was going to be her husband. was there such a thing as sharing too much between spouses?? “ i think m-my father makes entirely too much money… m-makes him loose touch with the real w-way of things. i think it shall be a n-n-nice change, ” she let out a breath of relief she hadn’t realized she’d been holding when the little house and barn came into view, small peaks of the sun still barely just above the horizon. emica took the lantern he offered after she stepped down, nodding at his subtle instruction. “ okay, ” she smoothed her other hand over her skirts a moment and walked out to the house, her pace a tiny bit brisk. everything hadn’t quite settled as being real in her mind just yet, and the feeling that she was in a sort of prolonged daydream lingered with her as she pressed open the door. she sat down the lantern on the small table and looked around for some more matches a moment, but also using it as an excuse to get as acquainted with the space as she could before he came in after her.

@troublesomemix cont. from here