#but their hearts are just too big

[thesconesyard]

Where the West Begins

13. Devil in Disguise

Fall came and went and winter arrived at the ranch. Christine was glad again for the warmth in the kitchen that she had loathed in the summer.

“How was town?” Uhura asked Jim as he came in. Christine set the last dish on the table for dinner.

Jim smiled but shrugged. “Same as ever. Captain Pike’s worried about a new woman. Said she came to town poor as a church mouse. She’s staying in the cheapest room she can find and offering to take in sewing jobs.”

“Poor gal,” Christine said.

“Right?” Jim agreed. “I did give it a bit of thought on the way home. But if she’s making money…”

“…it’d be quite aways for people to bring jobs,” Uhura finished understanding what Jim meant.

The sound of boots entering the house interrupted the conversation. Laughing followed the rustle of coats being hung up came down the hall.

Christine herself saw the woman a week later when she rode with Leonard to town. They collected the mail and had lunch with Dr. M’Benga. She and Uhura had made a little list, so she and Leonard headed to the general store.

The woman was sitting on an upturned box outside the store. She was wrapped in a dark, threadbare cloak, and her pale face was pinched with the cold. Dark hair was coiled at the base of her neck, but loose strands hung out around her face.

“Is that the new gal Captain Pike was worried about?” Christine asked the shop keeper.

“Miss Kati out there? Yes ma’am, I suppose so. Came out on the train a few weeks back. She’s taking what handwork she can, but no one’s got much.”

“Hasn’t she got anyone?” Leonard asked.

“No one’s gotten much out of her. Real close she is,” the shopkeeper said.

Christine glanced quickly at Leonard and saw on his face he felt the same as her.

“A few people’s have been helping as they can,” the shopkeeper said in reply to their expressions.

With a quiet sigh, Christine got on with the things she needed to purchase. Leonard looked around, but she could see his mind working.

“Where’s she staying?” he asked suddenly.

“One of Miss Gaila’s smallest rooms.”

Leonard nodded and strode out of the store.

Christine finished her shopping and paid. She carried her little package under one arm and left the store. Miss Kati was still sitting outside, rubbing her hands together. Christine smiled gently when their eyes met, and continued down to meet Leonard at Gaila’s.

Not that there was any problem with Gaila’s saloon, but the rooms she normally kept were for men making their way to find work. That this Miss Kati would stay there instead of the hotel, Christine knew how much the woman was hurting.

Leonard came out the door as she got close.

“How much did you pay?” Christine asked knowingly.

Leonard blushed a faint bit. “For the week. And with the message that if she wants to come to the ranch she’s welcome.”

“Look at that big heart Leo,” Christine grinned. Leonard took the package from her and led the way back to the horses.

“You would have done the same,” he said over his shoulder.

The week passed and a knock on the front door surprised Christine and Uhura where they were working in the sitting room.

“I’ll get it,” Christine said as she set down her sewing and waved a hand at Uhura.

“Oh!” Christine exclaimed as she opened the door. Miss Kati was standing on the front porch, trying to hide her shivering. “Hello!” Christine said quickly. “Please! Come in.”

The strange woman looked at her cautiously but stepped forward.

“Come in! Come in! Come get warm,” Christine said, gesturing towards the sitting room doorway.

“My name is Kati,” said the woman. “Is this where I can find Dr. McCoy?”

“Yes,” Christine smiled. “I’m Christine and this is Uhura.”

“Welcome,” Uhura said, standing up.

“Here, just come and have a seat,” Christine said. “Get warm and I’ll go find Dr. McCoy.”

“Can I get you something to drink?” she heard Uhura ask as she left the room.

Christine grabbed a warm shawl and made her way to the barn.

“Oh, aren’t you all just working so hard,” she said, lifting a brow at the men standing and sitting inside.

“We’re just taking a wee break Miss Christine,” Scotty smiled at her amiably. “What can we do for ye?”

“That Miss Kati turned up looking for you Leo,” Christine said, turning to address him. “Suppose you should probably come too, Jim.”

Back in the sitting room, Kati jumped to her feet as Christine and the two men came in.

“You’re Dr. McCoy,” she said at once, looking at Leonard.

“Yes ma’am.”

“You did me a kindness.” Kati looked at him and frowned. “Why? You don’t even know me.”

McCoy left out a huff of air. “Because it was the right thing to do ma’am. I’d do the same for anyone down on their luck, especially this time of the year in the cold.”

“Ma’am, I’m James Kirk,” Jim said, introducing himself. “This is my ranch and from what I’ve heard from the sheriff you seem to be needing a place to keep warm.”

“I’m Kati and I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t true,” Kati answered in a sad voice. “Things haven’t gone right for me in any way since my brother died. He was all I had left.”

“You poor dear,” Uhura said softly.

“We’re all kind of strays here,” Jim told Kati. “We’ve all had some kind of trouble or hardship in life, but we’ve all ended up here together and stronger for it. If you’d care to stay here a while we’d be glad to help.”

Tears sprang into Kati’s dark eyes. “I don’t even know what to say,” she cried. “No one’s ever been that nice to me. Especially only having just met me!”

“Say you’ll stay ma’am,” Leonard said warmly. “One of us can ride into Gaila’s and get your things.”

Kati laughed through her tears. “This is all I have,” she said as she gestured at herself and the very small satchel in her hand.

“Then you’re nearly already settled,” Christine declared. “It’s a bit until dinner, but we can rustle you up something if you’re hungry?”

Kati shook her head. “I can wait.”

“Let’s get you settled with a room then,” Uhura said.

“Stay as long as you need,” Jim confirmed.

“I- I can’t believe this!” Kati wiped at the tears on her face.

As Christine led her from the sitting room, no one saw the twisted smile cross Kati’s face.

[hollis-art]

regular hero: clark kent! this guy can't help but help people

+ some close-ups of my favorite panels!

i love him...

[demaparbat-hp]

She will (and he'll let her)

[crowkip]

ᯓ★

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Who is this sassy lost child?

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[proxythe]

they are GOOFY not STUPID 🙅

[bacchuschucklefuck]

january month of yuugi

[egophiliac]

Do you have any final theories/desires for Book 7 Part 12?

(slamming fists on table) I DEMAND MORE CHE'NYA

[kitamars]

lovey dovey (alt ver of the first one under the cut!)

[boarloved-art]

Wei Wuxian should be able to get drunk for once. I think he'd either be singing bawdy drinking songs on the roof of the Jingshi or he'd be getting irrevocably lost no matter where he is. He's found in the bushes behind the mountains like a cryptid, and then he's like "I can't believe you all got lost" (extremely slurred) as if he didn't get embarrassed by something Lan Wangji had said and just somehow disappeared when everyone looked back at him

oh ABSOLUTELY im walking with u and nodding and agreeing, i can see him becoming an absolute menace to keep track of at his drunkest.

anyway heres wonderwall The Gang (Wangxian & their fave group of ducklings) in a city known for its STRONG wine and wuxian being like well. ur all grown now, youre technically not juniors anymore. we have to see whos lasting the longest against this stuff!, smash cut to a suspiciously wei ying-less group of the worlds drunkest cultivators being wrangled through the woods by designated driver hanguang-jun, with at least 2 of them clinging to his robes at all times.

[vaguely-concerned]

lucanis' most attractive quality is that he's an effortless 'yes, and -- 'er. he and davrin especially 'yes, and -- ' each other constantly, even at the death threat stage, culminating in the 'first talon first warden' grotesquery (affectionate) as its most potent form once they're over that. few things are as charming to me as a willingness to bond over the bit and boy. when you're making weak jokes while facing down an archdemon lucanis will stand next to you and go 'she didn't want to talk, rook!!' like he was born to do nothing else. and that's part of why I love him

freaked out broken grieving, a wreck of his former self, come hell or high water. within five minutes he will say something that startles me into laughing so hard I have to put the game on pause for a while. only purple hawke can equal him in this regard

the darker side of this is that it is also how he communicates with illario but in a way where they lob resentment and self-loathing disguised as levity back and forth without ever really touching it or bringing it into the light, never leaving space for air to get in to stop the wounds from festering. I think it might have been less like that once upon a time -- just the playful bonding part, the mutual back and forth game of it, and not the wounding, since lucanis keeps doing it with others without that layer to it. sort of like intuiting where a river of love once ran by the evidence it left behind in the landscape, before something slowly dried up and left some toxic sludge behind along the floors of the river valleys

[slutforpringles]

The 'Ricciardo Rule' aka loving and respecting your ex-teammate so much you spend what is more than likely your very last race in F1 helping to secure them the WDC 💞

[donelywell]

February 29- March 2 2024

The first time Sonic went Super in Road Trip wasn't exactly as stunning to Tails as other au's and stories.

Tails is like maybe 5 here (I'm not actually that organized on the timeline for this au yet, I'm getting there though, things are getting in order.) and he wasn't forced to grow up and be a hero in this au. So he's a bit more childish than canon Tails because he doesn't feel as pressured to mature and grow up fast. Plus, he genuinely thinks Sonic is going to die and this is the last time he see's him, so tears are bound to come down.

Part 1

[turtleblogatlast]

Mikey and Leo episode centered around Mikey wanting to push Leo and Draxum together since Leo’s the most reluctant to give Draxum any grace (for good reason!) But, thinking on the spot, Leo says he’s gotta go do something for Hueso and “just can’t hang out right now 😔” (yes, he says the emoji out loud.)

Mikey calls his bluff and now the three of them (Mikey having grabbed a weary Draxum along) go to Hueso’s to find that yes, he actually does have a job for him. Said job asks for Leo to go with Hueso to deliver multiple pizzas to this giant yokai quite a distance away, and Hueso figured it would probably go better with Leo’s help (emphasis on probably.)

Well, Mikey decides that this would be a great bonding opportunity for them and basically invites he and Draxum along. Unfortunately for Leo, Hueso doesn’t care enough to wave away more help, though he does side-eye the wanted criminal Baron Draxum coming with them. But who is he to judge? (This choice has consequences.)

The journey goes about as terribly as you’d expect, but at least the pizzas get delivered on time.

[ashenberry]

[ID in alt]

hi hey hello. you should go check out @u3pxx 's piece for the mea culpa zine I just made a fun and silly continuation of it because im normal about it <3

more fun and silly shenanigans under the cut

[ID in alt]

[puppppppppy]

you are umasou