#And 2) white hat but make it fists that are nearly always blood stained :)

[civilization-illstayrighthere]

His name is *ten second long sound of a car crash*, but otherwise you can call him V, former Raffen Shiv, current solo with a brain worm and a legendary rocker boy input.

Pictures without the text under the cut:

[umbralich]

History pt. 3 - Angel of Death

Part 2 <---

The thought of her upcoming death plunged Iris into panic again, making her lose blood even more rapidly. She'd have to get out of here. Somewhere she could be seen. She tried to move, but even the smallest, most careful movement made her whole body hurt. A tired, sad moan left her lips, partly accidentally. "Did you hear that?" someone asked, probably only a few meters away. Maybe just behind the corner next to the narrow alley the thugs had left her. A calm, soft, but still in some peculiar way a chilly voice. Iris shivered, but she wasn't sure was it because of the cold, loss of blood or the voice. "Ah, some drunkards just wailing like always, sir", another voice, much older and swollen one, answered. "Pay no attention. An eternal stain in our beautiful city. I thank you for coming with such a short notice and in this weather. And from so far. How awkward of me to bother Ishgard in such matters, but it's the damn war I tell you. Most of our own chirurgeons are at the damn front lines. I mean, what does it use to win the godsforsaken war if the civilians are meanwhile dying in their own houses -"

"You are absolutely right, good sir", the first voice admitted but sounded fed up, and then partly changed the subject. "Like I told you: make sure he takes his medicine and does not strain himself. As long as he follows my instructions, it is very unlikely he will die." Iris could hear a fat sack of gil jingling before it was dropped somewhere. "I will, I will", the older voice asserted, sounding relieved. "Once again, thank you." There was a silent clank when the door was shut. Iris tried to listen more, but the world had slowly started to spin in her eyes, and she could feel herself starting to slip out of consciousness. She attempted to yell for help, but only managed to force out a silent whine. Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching her, and strangely there was a small, metallic knock every time the boot hit the paving. The next thing she knew, there was someone standing next to her. It was a tall male au ra with silvery grey, long hair. Perhaps in his fifties or early sixties. He was dressed in pompous and detailed, white healer robe and funny hat, almost like the one the archbishop of Ishgard used, although not nearly as tall. He didn't have regular boots, but armored ones used by knights, except that these ones were high heeled. The heels were sharp, and despite of her situation Iris couldn't help but in passing wonder how many of his enemies he had kicked in their face with such a boot when everything else had failed. In his right hand he was carrying white, cross shaped staff and in his left hand a black bag. The man surely didn't look like a good doctor who just had casually come to visit his patient's home. Iris was certain of it, especially now, when the au ra was looking at their surroundings like analyzing what had possibly happened there, after which he looked at her with narrowed eyes without even a hint of concern in them, and then swiftly glancing in all directions like observing, had anyone seen them together. In some twisted way she understood. She had done the same countless of times, and she wasn't the only one. It was commonly known some shady folk inhabited Limsa's underworld, and every now and then they were sorting out their relations with fists and daggers. If outsiders didn't want to get their share of the trouble, it was simplest and safest to just stay out of it. Iris even knew a couple of cases, when some good samaritans had gone to help someone who was getting beaten, and they either instantly had gotten themselves beaten as well, or later some suspicious "accident" had happened to them. The man seemed to make his decision of not wanting any - or any more - trouble. He jerked slightly, like he was about to turn to leave. Then he stopped, throwing some awkward, indecisive glances towards Iris. "Help... me...", Iris forced herself to utter. Gathering all her remaining strength she reached with her hand that was still working towards the au ra, and managed to weakly touch the pure white hem of his robe, leaving a red stain in it. The man took a sudden step backwards. "Please don't go...", Iris whispered. The world went black for a moment, and just before it happened, she was certain her end had come. However, the next time she came to, couldn't have happened long after, since it was still raining. She was still laying in the narrow alleyway, but the worst tip of pain in her abdomen and chest, where the horrendous, throbbing feeling of her blood leaving her had been, was mostly gone, although her whole torso was still sore. Now the man had also knelt next to her, and was holding her better arm in his lap. He had tied something tight around her arm and was gently dabbing her forearm. Something pinched her, and soon after a pleasant numbness took away most of the pain left in her other arm, leg and sides. When the man lifted her from the ground, it hurt so badly she blacked out again. For short moments Iris came to, while he was hastily carrying her in the rain through the desolate streets of Limsa. Although he clearly tried not to move her too much, for Iris, even the smallest movements felt like she'd been tossed and bounced around recklessly. After a while that had felt like an eternity, the rain finally stopped. Iris was carefully placed on some hard platform, although it had been tried to soften with a couple of blankets and pelts. The au ra talked with another man somewhere nearby, and judging from the soft jingling gil switched owners again. "Please don't leave me...", Iris whispered, half-conscious. She couldn't explain exactly why, but the au ra gave her the creeps. Even less she could explain why she still wanted him to stay with her. Perhaps, simply enough, since she was now terrified to death of Pavel and his underlings finding her alive, naturally she needed something, or someone, even more terrifying between herself and them, until she could run again. The last thing she remembered before giving in to her exhaustion were white limbal rings glowing in the dark and looking at her from the opposite bench of the chocobo cart.

---> Part 4

[the-walking-memelords]

Allegiances: Chapter 15

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 |Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 16

Series is rated M

Word Count: 1879

Clementine visits an old friend to vent her fears.

Read it on Ao3!

Read it on Wattpad!

A/N: Hey sorry for the short and late update. Life threw me through many loops the last couple weeks and I'm still not really 100% I hope to get back on track soon now that the semester is over and things are calming down. Love y'all and thanks for putting up with me lol

Clementine stood in the shadows as she felt the rumble of the train below her feet. Soft golden sunrays flooded in through the boxcar door. The breeze caused her cream-coloured skirt to flutter around her legs as she stepped closer to the open door. The air was a sweet smell. Wildflowers and autumn leaves.

A blur of gold and blue flashed by as the train looped endlessly, travelling without a destination. This train wasn’t heading to Savannah, which was good since that was the last place she ever wanted to be again. Cities were terrible, that’s all that place had taught her. Thousands of the dead hunting for any unfortunate soul who remained; the rotting stench suffocating every bit of air.

Ben, Molly, Chuck… nearly Kenny as well…

Any lost name was one too many. The names of those who tried to keep her safe only piled higher.

Katjaa and Duck.

Those who didn’t make it to the city.

Not to mention those who were lost from the start.

Mom and Dad.

The soft, kind smiles they always wore upon seeing her were replaced with the hungry grimaces of the dead at their final meeting with their daughter. Their dull skin ripped and riddled with bites. The sight searing into the young girl’s eyes.

Clementine grabbed the brim of her hat holding the unstained cap in front of her as she sat on the edge of the cool metal, her legs swinging freely off the side.

She traced her fingers over the seam of the D, the insignia showing no signs of wear. The surrounding white showed brightly. Her fingertips moved to the blank location of the one stain that never came out. The blood of the man who was by her side since the beginning. The stain was a reminder of her stupid, childish mistake, and the man who died trying to correct it.

Clem hugged the hat close with one arm, the other feeling through her tied-back hair. She let her fingers catch in the knots as she raked her hand through.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Sweetpea.”

Clementine’s heart jumped at the familiar nickname. She looked over her shoulder at the smiling man, so real in front of her it was as if the past eight years had not occurred. Same blue button-up over a long-sleeved white shirt.

Lee.

“Helps me focus.” Was all she could mumble out as her hand fell to her lap, replacing the cap on her head.

She focused her eyes on the weeds flying past, unable to look up at him as he joined her on the edge.

“The train again…” He stated.

“You always pick the train.”

The train where everything changed.

“This is where it all started. Where I learned to be a survivor.” Clem pointed out.

“Where you taught me to shoot and cut my hair.”

Clementine knew she’d let him down. Lee taught her better than this, but she still became just another monster.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice caught in her throat.

“You say that every time.” Lee let out a small laugh.

“And I still don’t think you have anything to apologize to me for.”

She glanced over at him, his kind eyes looked at her with a pride she didn’t hold in herself.

“It’s happening again. My friends are dying because of me, because I’m a liar.” Despair in her words as they rolled off her tongue.

“This group… I’ve been with so many, but this one is different. I want to stay with them. I’m sick of starting over.”

She just wanted to stop, even for just a moment. A moment to rest. A moment without a war. A moment without thinking about the next fight. A moment of peace.

“I’m scared, Lee. The others are counting on me, and I don’t know if what I’m doing is right.” Clem picked at the hem of her skirt.

“I don’t know where AJ is, or if he’s even still alive. And Louis… he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost either of them.” Clementine bit her lip hard, taking a deep breath as she held back the tears.

“So Louis is your boyfriend, huh?” The man teased, trying to cheer her up.

“Shut up.” Clementine felt her face grow warm.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Sweetpea.” Lee chuckled as he patted her head.

“Finding love in a world like this, that's something worth fighting for.”

“He doesn’t even know AJ, but he still wants to help me save him.” She crossed her arms tight as a familiar fear crept up her spine

“If he got hurt or worse because of me, I couldn't live with myself. He doesn’t know what he’s up against. If he did, he would understand why I have to go alone.”

Her words hung in the air for a moment. Clementine’s frustration and fear hanging over her like a heavy fog, blocking her senses from all else.

“He understands that that boy means everything to you, and to him, that’s enough of a reason to fight.”

“Do you think AJ will like it at the school?” The physical conditions of the boarding school were rougher than at the Delta, limited food and no power or running water. But they’d be safe, and together. That would be enough, right?

“I don’t think that kid would care where he goes if he gets to stay with you.” Lee assured.

“How was he, the last time you saw him?”

God, it was so long ago.

“Okay enough, I guess.” But there was a worry that had been bothering her for some time, like an itch that couldn’t be scratched.

“I’m worried that Lilly’s been trying to get into his head.”

Lilly wasn’t exactly a positive influence on the boy. She was a master of manipulation, Clem feared it would be all to easy for her to shape AJ into whatever tool she wanted him to be.

All the more reason to kill her sooner.

“Lilly.” Lee’s voice was low, almost like a growl as the words passed his lips.

“I knew the day we kicked her out that she was turning into a monster. I just wish I’d noticed it a few seconds sooner.”

Carley.

“To think of all the trouble I might’ve saved you if I’d just gotten payback then and there.”

“You’re not the revenge type, Lee.” Clementine couldn’t imagine Lee gunning down Lilly on the side of the road for what she’d done.

“I didn’t think I was either until you got nabbed.” The man’s hands clenched into fists at the thought of that stranger.

“You were just protecting me. That’s why you kill, to protect people. That’s why I shot him, to protect you.” The second she’d pulled the trigger the gun felt as if it had grown a hundred times heavier, slipping through her shaking fingers as his body hit the floor.

“I’ve hurt so many people since then. People who didn’t deserve to die.”

She told herself it was what had to be done. But no amount of self-justification could take away the crushing knot in her stomach whenever she did it.

“I want Lilly to be the last. I don’t want to hurt any more people.” It was the closest Clementine felt to James’ pacifism. Yet killing walkers left no burden on her.

“Lilly dies, and I bring Violet and the others home.”

Hopefully, their rescue would make up for all of her lies. The sound of Violet’s screams as she was dragged away echoed in her head.

I hope you’re okay, Vi.

“I know it’s hard, Clem, but having people you care about? That's a good thing.” Lee’s soothing voice gave her a sense of calm.

“You’ve got a little boy who thinks the world of you, and he’s waiting for you to go get him. Another boy who loves you, and would fight for you without hesitation. A best friend who risked her life to save yours. And all the other friends you’ve made. You’ll all be home soon, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that.” She knew Lee had no sway in the events to come.

“You’re not even really here.”

The man who stood before her was nothing but a wishful dream.

“I wish I was, Clementine. I guess we’ll just have to make do with pretending.” His smile fell as he let out a sad sigh.

“The last thing I wanted to do was leave you alone in the middle of this mess.”

“The world turned to hell, and you got stuck taking care of a little kid.” How long would Lee have lived if their paths hadn’t crossed? Surely longer than a few mere months.

“And it seems you followed right in my footsteps.” He jested. Lee had a point, circumstances be damned their situations had played out eerily similar.

Clementine glanced over at the man as he rose from his spot, catching his balance as the train rumbled beneath him. Lee stepped away from the light, the shadows of the dark car nearly obscuring his facial features.

“I’m so proud of you, Clem.” His voice caught with emotion.

“Don’t you dare forget that.”

Clementine couldn’t hold back anymore. The little girl jumped to her feet and flung her arms around him. She hugged him tightly as if he might disappear into the wind. A sob escaped her tiny body as her tears stained the blue of his shirt.

The train’s whistle cutting through the silence signified that their time was coming to a close. It took a lot for Clementine to force herself to let go of him, but when she did, Lee’s eyes filled with amazement as he saw his little girl all grown up.

“Wow…” He gasped.

“Just look at you.”

Clem took a step back as she blinked tears from her eyes. Her worn denim jacket and mud-stained cargo pants replacing her innocent summer dress and tights. Dark curls fluttered around her face no longer held back by her hat or hair ties.

“I’m done running, Lee. I have a home now. A family.” She promised him she’d always keep moving, but now she’d found something better.

“I have one more battle, then I’m done fighting as well.”

“Then I guess you’re off the hook.” He laughed.

“A home and a family is more than I ever could have hoped for you.”

The train whistled again, a rude reminder that it was time to go. Lee shook his head disapprovingly, seeming just as annoyed by it as she was.

“There are people that need you, Clementine.” He reminded with a soft smile.

“Come see me again once you bring everyone home. Okay, Sweetpea?”

“Okay, Lee.” Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart as she watched him disappear into the shadows

“Goodbye.”

The shadows swarmed around her, blocking out the golden hues until they were replaced with the overhead bars of her cold bunk bed.

Clementine sat up, stretching her arms over her head as she looked around the empty moonlit room.

A knock at her door made her jump.

“Clementine?” She heard Mitch call from the other side.

“It’s time to go.”

One more fight.

[lucifer-lacroix]

Strawberry Chapter 2 The Devil in Red

Red Dead Redemption Fanfiction

Arthur x OC

action/romance/mystery

The largest hotel in Strawberry was by far the most magnificent iron and brick structure in the town. On a rainy day such as today many people had flooded inside to shelter themselves with drinks, food and entertainment and the place was roaring with music. Lady Rosalyn Bush was trying to lead Mr Arthur Morgan to the hotel but was having a hard time getting through the mud. Even though she was sticking to the edges of the grass along the main road. Her long blue dress bundled up underarm as the thick brown mud caked up to the ankles of her black heeled leather boots. Arthur watched with amusement as she gracefully yet slowly made her way trying her best not to fall or dare not look like a lady walking in the muck. They were nearly there, and the stubborn woman despite her sweating and panting would not give up even as the rain began to pick up once again. Rosalyn stopped suddenly when her foot became stuck, a few people hanging around staring to glance over as she has a face people pay attention to. Arthur threw his jacket off his shoulders and tied it around his waist by the sleeves and walked up beside Rosalyn. The cowboy held out his hand to the Lady as she threw her weight into tugging her foot free. “Madam?” He asked her offering his help. “I guess my legs aren’t fit for the countryside just yet.” She laughed out of breath and took his hand and leaned into him trying to pull her leg free. Except once Arthur took her gloved hand he placed it around his neck and scooped her off her feet pulling her out of the mud and into his arms as she let out a yelping laugh. 

“Oh, my aren’t you a strong one.” She said as he carried her for the rest of the walk sick and tired of the slow pace she was taking to get to the hotel.   “Well I can’t just watch you and that pretty dress get ruined by the nasty weather now can I,” Arthur replied and set her down on the bottom of the wooden staircase to the hotel. A few men and woman were smoking at the front door who stared over at them curiously as they made their way to the door. Rosalyn standing upright in a fit of giggles with an infectious smile on her face dusted off the water and let her dress fall straight once again. “I owe you again, seems like I’m going to run up a debt with you real quick.” She said as Arthur untied his jacket from him before stepping under the shelter of the awning of the hotel patio. “You are a mess, my friend,” Rosalyn said as Arthur took off the white jacket and shook it off over the edge of the patio. Deer's blood, mud and god knew what else staining it now. Rosalyn handed a white handkerchief it to him so he could wipe his face. Which he did before throwing his coat over his arm and giving it back to her. “Probably should order a bath then,” he said as they walked inside. “Well, you will have a long time to wait if you trying to do that here. The place is booked, solid sir.” A boy at the door with a clean dress shirt and black vest saluted them both. “Good afternoon Ms Rose. Welcome back, your party is in the yellow lounge waiting for you.” He said kindly. “Why thank you, William, would you kindly ask the owner to make room for my friend here. He will be staying on my tab tonight.” “But Miss I just said...” “I heard you loud and clear my boy, you can put Tracy and Sally together I’m sure they will be just fine sharing a room. Now go on, make it so and don’t forget he gets a bath too.” She said and shooed the boy. “Y-yes, mam,” William said and ran off inside. “Now come on cowboy, “ Rosalyn waved Arthur to follow and pushed open the gate and entered the lobby of the hotel. All sorts of people were gathered inside, soaked on the shoulders, muddy around the shoes and the floor was a mess of caked mud, spilt beer and food crumbs. At the front desk was a man watching the room sitting behind a desk where the office had a locked up cabinet of keys under his guard.  Few keys remaining inside the chest as most of the rooms looked booked. The soft song of a baritone-voiced man filled the room accompanied by an acoustic guitar and fiddle. His sweet song rocking the place as a few couples spun and danced in a cloud of cigarette and cigar smoke.

(Strawberry Roan by Marty Robbins for your pleasure)

Rosalyn and Arthur ascended the stairs at the back of the main room and headed up to the private party rooms on the second floor. The music and chatter were so loud that Arthur could barely hear the Lady trying to chat with him as she marched quickly up the stairs and towards the back. A small painted sign hanging over the curtained door speaking out ‘yellow lounge’ caught his eye as Rosalyn stopped in front of it. She pulled open the curtain and inside was a gaggle of girls crowded inside. Teenaged girls, older ladies and young adults all dress in well-kept dresses and fancy wear. Some wearing gold earrings, rings and lacy hats. The amount of money flashing in his eyes inside the room as the temptation to rob them all blind struck in his mind as they sparkled and glittered in the low light. “Ladies, I would like to introduce you to Mr.... you know I just realised you never gave me your name,” Rosalyn said standing in the middle of the room amongst 13 or so Ladies inside. “Arthur Callaghan, at your service,” Arthur said giving his fake name and tipped his hat to them all.   “Mr Callaghan here stepped in the middle of Bella’s spat outside earlier. Let’s show him a good time as a thank you to his bravery and generosity.” “Ah, Ms Bush you give me too much credit.” “Please call me Madam Rose, I am the mistress of these girls there wishes are my commands and their care if under my charge. Tonight you are our honoured guest and saviour from those who dare swindle us so far from home.” The blonde said and picked up a bottle of wine from the table and two glasses. As drinks were poured and the room filled with chatter once again Arthur was pulled onto the couch with some of the other Ladies who started asking him twenty-one questions about himself, where he was from and how old he was. All of which he carefully dodged with pure lies by avoiding details. “So Mr Callaghan, what brings you to Strawberry?” A Brunette in her late teens asked wearing too much makeup and a low cut dress too mature for her age. “Just stopping for the night before I go hunting up in the mountains, looking to see something rare and shoot something rarer.” He said sipping the wine. Wouldn’t Dutch be jealous of him now, wining and dining with the face and creator or Bush’s Cooked Kidney beans in maple sauce? To be surrounded by what seemed to be enough ladies to run a whore house in the city. His confidence had never been so high, knowing that his gruff disposition in life still had a certain charm to the ladies. Though even with the drinks, the conversations and laughs, deep in his chest he felt empty. No matter where or what he did, the ghost is his mistakes wounded him gravely, and a deep sadness was buried within his grin, these parties were shallow attempts to flaunt wealth and power from desperate people who wanted the world to notice them. Ms Roslyn being a true shining beckon of such a fact. She had left Arthur in the company of a few Harlots who wanted to peel him out of his clothes for money, and very quickly he was learning more about these people. They were indeed whores within the group, a few overly painted girls had disappeared as the night went on, escaping to their rooms with men they met in the dining hall. After about 2 hours of conversation, eating and drinking. It was only him, Lady Rosalyn left at the dining table still trying to enjoy their dinner. "So, Mr Callaghan. You were telling me what you did for a living." Lady Roslyn asked sliding her chair closer to Arthur only halfway through her tomato bisque. "I hunt." He said simply. "What do you hunt?" She asked "Large game, Rare creatures..." He tried to continue eating his steak and potatoes, but she had him in a staring contest. "People?" She asked with a grin. Arthur's eyebrow raised in concern with the husky tone she spoke with. After the fourth or fifth seconds of silence between them, a pair of angry boots was heard stomping down the hall. Catching Arthur’s attention away from the threatening blonde and he hand rested on his side on his pistol out of instinct. A  woman wearing men’s clothes marched to their table. The woman in the mud was clean as a whistle as her cherry red hair was still wet and cascaded down her back in curls her pale white face was clean except for the freckles which speckled her face. She was beautiful, and now her face was clean she seemed familiar too, but this was a different familiarity. Her face made his chest tight, and the hateful glare in her eyes sent a chill up his spine, unlike anything he had experienced before. He recognised the shape of her ears, the bridge of her nose and the colour of her eyes like he would his own. As she entered the room, he stood up quickly to greet her as Rosalyn followed suit. “Izzy!” Rosalyn called out fondly as the blonde trotted over to her and Arthur's head snapped at the nickname and he looked at the blonde. “Would you mind tellin' me why I just got kicked out of my room?” She asked with an angry tone dropping a bag of clothes on the floor at her feet. “You gave my room away?” She asked ready to punch to blonde with her fists clenched on her hips. The well-dressed woman in red was now this spitfire of a woman, with muscled arms and chiselled features she was healthy and lean like an acrobat from the circus. Her thick thighs were too much for the masculine cut pants, and they clung to her like they were painted on. Everything about her silenced him, and he could only watch s the two met face to face. “Oh dear, no one listens here. Sally and Tracy are to be sharing a room tonight. I'll make sure one of them of you gives you a key. Or you can always share with me." Lady Rosalyn rubbed the other's arm trying to soothe her. “So who took my room?” She asked demanding an answer. “Why our new friend Mr Callaghan, I believe you owe him a thank you. Since he did save you from getting bludgeoned to death by a bucket,” Rosalyn said equally giving some sass back to her friend.

Bella, or Izzy... Arthur was getting confused, but she looked at him for a long hard moment, her green eyes like a hungry cougar prowling through the grass. Arthur could feel his chest tighten even further, did she recognise him. Did she remember him? How could he not remember her but know her so fondly like this? "Thank you, Mr Callaghan. My name is Isabella Morningstar." She introduced herself and turned away from him and walked away. That moment, he was stunned. It had been Ten... no thirteen years maybe. As if time had stopped for a moment, Arthur had remembered her as the colour fell from his face.

Isabella Morningstar was the first woman he ever robbed.

For a moment he hoped Isabella would recognise him even with all the trouble that would come along with it. They had met when he was a teenager and had become close friends those many years ago. Yet now she could look him in the eye and not remember him at all... and it hurt. She turned on her heels taking the keys from Sally and grabbed her bag heading out of the room once again leaving Arthur feeling relieved yet empty at the same time. He put his hand to his face feeling just how long his beard had gotten over the past few weeks and looked back watching the redhead stomp down the hall. “Don’t mind her, that’s Isabella Morningstar for you. They don’t call her the red-headed devil for nothing.” Rosalyn snickered. As Rosalyn returned to her dinner, William entered the room with a set of keys in hand and darted up to her. “Here you are mam room five is ready and a fresh bath awaiting for your guest.” He said as it looked like someone had thrown him into a water barrel as he was soaked from head to toe dripping all over the floor. “Arthur why don’t you go get tidied up and meet me later for some poker. Go on go on, the girls and I have business to discuss.” She said and shooed him out of the room where William lead him to the bathhouse.

After a rushed bath where he scrubbed himself as clean as possible Arthur rushed to set himself up in the hotel room. It was minimal but cosy enough with a freshly made bed and grooming supplies available to him. He gave himself a full shave and put pomade in his hair and looked at his reflection realising he just made a terrible mistake. “My god you are old. She didn’t even recognise you. She's.... different.” He shook his head at himself and got dressed in some of his more higher end clothes. His fancy black dress shirt and fancy brown pants with a red and black paisley vest on top. Was he trying hard? Entirely since that flutter in his chest had not stopped. Once he was dressed and clean, he sat down to his journal and began writing quickly.

“Of all the places in the world to Run into Isabella Morningstar I would have never thought she would come back to the west. Let alone be shopping for expensive jewellery. I believe it has been around thirteen years since Dutch, Hosea and I found her on the trail when I was a just a kid running with them. Of all my regrets in life, watching her leave on that boat to Washington after taking her coin purse is by far closest to the top. I don’t know what to do, I have come across a group of ladies with more money then the bank and could easily sneak off in the night with a good score. But I want to stay and see if there is a chance Isabella remembers me and what she would do when she did? Is she angry with me? For once, I wish Hosea was here to give me advice, and he isn’t.”

He closed the book after making a quick sketch of Rosalyn and Isabella and stashed it into his satchel. He marched out of the room onto the patio to light up a cigarette to clear his head. The night had come, many of the patrons had turned into their rooms for the night, and the rain had turned into a full downpour. The streets flooded as the hoof prints in the mud filled with murky brown water. As he deeply inhaled the smoke, he combed his wet hair with his fingers and tried to think on what to do.

After he chain-smoked three cigarettes in a row, he left his hotel room and headed down to where the poker table was, cleaned up an presentable and no longer hidden behind a beard. "I should have left a moustache on." He said quietly to himself as he reached the table seeing the red-headed woman sat with her back to him at the table with Rosalyn and two other gentlemen. "My My My, Where did this handsome cowboy come from." Lady Rosalyn said catching his sight first.   "I get it I was dirty," Arthur responded in jest taking a seat at the table and looked to Isabella, whose green eyes were focused on him like daggers this time around. /she knows./ Arthur thought to himself as he could feel the scalding hot fire which was her gaze on him. Never before had he felt so vulnerable and guilty, let alone it is caused by a mere look of her emerald eyes. "So what's the buy-in?" He asked. "Five Dollars," Isabella said sternly. "Oh Ho! We playing for real tonight?" Roslyn asked excited and took out her flip book of bills and placed it on the table as she was handed the chips. "That's a little rich for me ladies." One of the gentlemen stood up from the table and took off. "Sounds like a good time to me. I'm in!" The other said sapping his money down mostly in change. "Oh, Charlie I didn't know you had that kind of money to lose," Rosalyn said with a grin. Arthur looked at Isabella who was waiting for him to put his money in, he knew why too.  "Alright, I'm game." He said and casually added five dollar bills to the pot. Isabella without a word, placed a full five dollar bill into the pot and collected the cards and began to shuffle to start the game as Rosalyn handed her set chips.  

Isabella dealt the first hand as Rosalyn and Charlie added their blinds to the pot, Arthur glanced at his hand as a mere 2 of hearts and 10 of hearts sat in his hand. He put 10 cents to the centre to play the round and sat back in his chair ready to play a very high stakes game of poker with the Devil in Red. "So, You're the Red Devil Isabella Morningstar? The famed gunslinger who caught the Bayou Bandit." Charlie asked like he was talking to a celebrity. "Yes." She replied still glaring at Arthur as she added her 10 cents into the table to play as well. "She has caught much more than that murderer. She saved the lives of my girls in Washington and in Mississippi too. Hell, any riff raft who thinks a whore is an easy target for murder should beware of her." Rosalyn said and folded her hand. Arthur was confused, he had never heard these stories before and his confused face sparked Roslyn's attention while Isabella was distracted revealing the flop. A queen of hearts, a three of hearts and jack of spades. "Have you never heard of the devil in red Mr Callaghan?" Rosalyn asked. "No, I haven't, I'm from the countryside, but please do tell. I'd like to add a small wager first." Arthur said and added 25 cents to the centre.   "Well! There was this killer you see, he would hunt down carriages going through the swamp road of the Bayou and kidnap ladies and daughters from their wagons on their way into or out of the city." Charlie started the story as Isabella silently put her money in and Charlie followed suit. "About 12 girls had gone missing altogether, only 4 were found in pieces in the swamp where the gators lived. You see he would kidnap them, rape em then drag them out into the swamp after beating them. Tie them to a sandbag and throw em in the water for the Gators. Alive!" Charlie exclaimed. Isabella flipped the next card revealing a 2 of clubs to the flop. Everyone checked in response to it. "You see my carriage was on the way out of the city, I had plans to meet with a buyer of my whore house in St. Denis. I had come into a hefty sum of money when my father passed away, so I wanted to close them all down and bring my girls away from the life of whoring and give them a chance out west to find husbands and find better lives than being the pleasure tools of men in the city." "That's very admirable Ms Bush, What happened on the road?" Arthur asked as Isabella flipped the last card. A 5 of hearts on the table completing his hand with a flush of hearts. He slid a full dollar worth of chips across the table into the pot. "I was kidnapped. That's a bluff if I ever saw one though." Rosalyn said pointing at his bet, so people were not too distracted by the story to notice his technique in playing. Isabella silently slid her chips into the pot as well. "I don't trust it," Charlie said and folded his hand.   "Well, what happened?" Arthur asked Rosalyn. "Ah ah, show us your hand." Isabella finally spoke almost barking at him. "Whoa, What's gotten into you sugar, you're all a fire tonight," Rosalyn said intrigued on Arthur's cards. The table went quiet as Arthur's flipped his hand over revealing his heart flush which made Charlie hoot in relief. "That's a good hand," Rosalyn said as Isabela threw her cards in. A pair of Jacks the best thing she had. "I got lucky on the last card," Arthur said with a shrug of his shoulders and collected his chips still glancing back at Isabella who would not give up the staring contest she had challenged him to. Rosalyn collecting the cards and dealing the next hand. "So, you were kidnapped by the Bayou Bandit." Arthur continued the conversation after quickly folding this hand one once he saw a two of clubs and a three of diamonds in his hand. "Yes sir, snagged me with a rope from the driver's seat and dragged me off into the swamp off the back of his horse. He didn't notice Izzy here was saddled up on the other side of the carriage talking to me with a rifle in hand and gave chase after us. He dragged me behind that horse for I think 3 minutes before she shot me free of the rope. I lost sight of them after that, but once I ran back to the carriage, she came back with him hogtied on the back of her horse bloody and beaten. We took him into the Sherrif, and they gave us a huge reward. He was hanged the next day." Rosalyn looked to Isabella with a sweet smile and placed a bet which Authur wasn't following. "You hired me to protect you Ms, and I intend to do so where ever you go and to protect you from everyone you met," Isabella replied to Rosalyn but gave Arthur a dirty look at the end of her sentence. "I've never heard of a female bodyguard, are you sure you're tough enough for the job out here in the west?" Charlie asked "Care to challenge me to find out yourself?" Isabella gave Charlie a hint of her scornful look at like a mouse he shrank in his chair under her gaze. "Play nice deary," Rosalyn said and folded her hand leaving the win the Isabella who pulled in the chips.

They played for many hands for Arthur was playing one of the hardest games of Poker he had ever played in his life. The ladies were hard to read. Isabella was bold with her bets, but it was hard to tell when she was bluffing or not. An attempt to call her out on a bluff ended up getting Charlie busted out of the game when he went all in on a three of a kind to her full house. Rosalyn ended up throwing the game entirely to Isabella in a pathetic hand which ended up with her holding the most chips at the table when it came down to the finals hands between the two of them. The final flop was on the table, the chips scattered across a beer-sticky table as Arthur flipped the last card of the flop n the centre. A small crowd gathered around watching the large pot of Twenty Dollars sitting on the table and these last two players with all their chips in the pot on the previous hand. Isabella, however, still sitting on Six extra dollars but Arthur was sitting with a full house. The two black aces sat in the flop with a king of hearts a jack of clubs and 3 of clubs lined up in front of him.  A pair of Kings lay stacked under his hand which he tried to not nervously play with. He had a damn good hand and not enough money to bluff her into a more substantial bet with. It was his bet, and the game had gone on long enough. He needed to get out of here, his plan wasn't thought through carefully enough, the stories of her wild riding with Rosalyn had him sweating, he couldn't rob the Lady of Beans with Isabella at her side, she was suspicious of him, aware of his outlaw status and had eyes completely fixated on him. "Let's make this interesting shall we, I bet my horse," Arthur spoke with calm confidence, and the room gasped as well as Roslyn who had seen the rare white Arabian in the barn he talks about. "What kind of horse is it?" Isabella asked with a sly smile on her face.   "Mr Morgan I have to insist that's too much." Ms Rosalyn tried to interrupt. "Shhh Shhh Shhh, he's a grown ass adult who makes his own decisions. If he wants to throw his property around so carelessly that's on him. I accept your bet. My black Clydesdale versus your?" "White Arabian," Arthur said and flipped his cards revealing his pair of Kings and the room was a buzz. Isabella's face dropped for a moment, she licked her teeth and pursed her lips to resist making a look at the room chattered.  Roslyn herself palming her face with her hand at the loss of one of her caravan's most muscular horses. Arthur felt victory at hand and leaned forward to collect the chips when Isabella placed her hand on the table stacked neatly. She smiled at Arthur Maliciously and flipped them to reveal a pair of red aces in her hand. "I believe my four aces beats your full house, Mr Callaghan," Isabella stated with a well-deserved air of confidence as the room went up in a roar as Arthur's eyes widened at a loss. The room became so loud with people talking about the game and Rosalyn jumped up and hugged Charlie in a fit of laughter as Arthur had become to punch line of the night, losing his horse to the Devil in Red on a careless bet. Isabella, however, was not up in arm in her victory though she was staring Arthur dead in the eye with a blank expression across her face. Arthur stared back at her as the same empty expression came to his features as well. She stood up abruptly and collected the money on the table and looked to the stable chip he had placed on the table. "I don't want your fucking horse. I want Artex back." She said and spit on him landing it square on his jaw as she walked past him and headed outside into the rain. "Isabella!" Rosalyn gasped at her rude behaviour. "It's alright! I'll take care of it." Arthur said wiping his cheek clean with his sleeve and standing from his chair to follow after her. He pushed open the gate to the front of the Saloon and saw Isabella at the end of the patio trying to light a cigarette under the light of the lantern, alone as the rain showered behind her falling off the roof of the awning like a waterfall.