#sean macguire you will always be famous

[arthurmorgan-s]

how i feel right about now

can y’all believe it’s been nearly a year and my ass is STILL not over sean macguire’s death

[fedeipox]

The Way of Time (Rdr2 fanfic) - Chapter 9 (3/3)

Hello again! 

I tried with a little experiment this time. People on Wattpad and Ao3 appreciated that, hope you will too!

Just a little information before you start reading: I won’t be posting this here anymore (I want to focus on Gifs and photos mostly) so if you are interested you can go on Ao3, Wattpad or Fanfiction and you’ll find the rest there. <3

Part 1 here: https://fedeipox.tumblr.com/post/645629699195846656/the-way-of-time-rdr2-fanfic-chapter-9-13

Part 2 here: https://fedeipox.tumblr.com/post/646163870469259264/the-way-of-time-rdr2-fanfic-chapter-9-23

Chapter 9 /3/3) - Getting accustomed

Words: 2,3 k

Emily didn’t waste time. As soon as they untied the horses from the wagon, she run to the girl’s tent looking for Mary-Beth.

“You have no idea what I just discovered!” she almost yelled.

“What?” asked Mary-Beth raising her eyes from Tess of the d’Ubervilles.

“There is a ghost in Emerald Ranch” she whispered kneeling down next to her.

“A ghost?” she whispered back with wide eyes.

“I swear to you, I’ve seen her! She was at the window, and I might know who she is.”

Emily exposed her theory about a young woman, the lover of Mr. Wagner, the ranch owner. She was killed by his husband because of his jealousy and now her ghost didn’t leave the house until midnight, when she used to hunt the entire ranch and scare the other women out of it.

“Wow, this makes a really good story” said Mary-Beth in the end with sparkling eyes.

“Do you want to write it?”

“Can I?”

“Of course! Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be famous for it.”

“That’s the dream” sighed Mary-Beth taking out a little journal and writing a couple of lines.

Emily peeked at it trying not to be noticed, but from upside-down she couldn’t make anything out of it. Mary-Beth had a strange handwriting: small, twisted, with the words really close one to the other.

As soon as she put the journal away, Emily looked around, pretending indifference, and causally her eyes fell on Dutch in the distance, smoking his cigar and watching the camp people at work. 

It was like this that she thought of asking Mary-Beth about the ‘Kieran situation’, no-one better than her to give advise. She told her about her idea of trying to convince Dutch to free Kieran, if only he had done something for Dutch in turn.

“I don’t know” answered Mary-Beth with a shrug, “you should go and ask Dutch in person. Talk to him, he will listen.”

But despite Mary-Beth’s certainty that Dutch would have listened to her, Emily was still unsure. She knew she had to speak with him: he was the boss, the ruler, the one who took all the decisions there, but she had postponed that moment because Dutch’s character intimidated her. There was something in him that pushed her away from him in a resolute way, and, since the beginning, since that moment when she had attacked him because of his camp organization, they hadn’t truly spoken again. 

But Emily knew she had no other choice: she had to face him soon or later, and, after all, it was for a good cause. 

Hi, Dutch. How are you? No, no, what the hell, they saw each other everyday, what a stupid start. Hello, boss! Boss? No, not boss. Just the idea to say that word made her sick. Hi, friend! Friend? What friend? They weren’t friends. Hi, we need to talk. Yeah, right. Like they were a couple and she wanted to leave him. No, no, no. She had to be natural, just natural. Which meant be an idiot and embarrass herself.

“Hey, Dutch. Can we talk?”

...

Dutch narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly. What did she want from him? She seemed nervous. Maybe she had caused some more trouble? Besides, the fact that she wanted to talk with him was strange. Generally, she looked for Hosea when she needed to talk, never for him, because Hosea had that paternalistic way of doing things that reassured everybody. It had always been like that, ever since Arthur and John were young. 

The girl slowly headed to the back of his tent, away from indiscreet eyes, and he followed her.

“I-I… well, I have a proposition” she started and Dutch noticed she was looking everywhere but to him.

“It’s a bout Kieran.”

Dutch breathed deeply but tried anyway not to lose his composure. He didn’t want to clip her wings, even though he knew where she was going.

“I was wandering, if… if he proved himself to you, would you, erm, let him live?”

She looked up at him and it was at that moment that Dutch understood that she cared, she truly cared about that O’Driscoll, and she probably would have done anything in her might to help him. But he still din’t trust him, he could never trust him, he knew Colm’s boys, they were unworthy of trust. Anyway, he was intrigued.

“Prove himself?” he asked.

Emily’s eyes sparkled with hope.

“Yes, yes, like… give something to you, or do something for you. A, erm, loyalty token or something.”

“Uhm… loyalty token. The only thing that I could possibly want from him is his boss hideout.”

Then, Dutch thought about something. It was a very devious thing to do, he was aware of that, but if she was so determined to help, she would have helped, but by following his rules.

“If you are able to convince him to talk, give away this information, I’ll let him live” he said in the end.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“I can’t” said Kieran when Emily explained the terms to him.

“Why not?” she asked.

Kieran wasn’t an idiot, he knew what Dutch was doing, using that girl to get what he wanted, and he knew his options where two: if he spoke, Dutch would have found an excuse to kill him and even if he didn’t, Colm O’Driscoll would have found him, sooner or later, and Kieran would have paid for his betrayal. 

But even if he tried to explain that to Emily, she was too convinced that Dutch might never kill him, and she didn’t want to listen to him.

“Are you sure that’s not just an excuse?” she asked angrily. “It seems to me that you’re not trying to help me getting you out of this situation, Kieran.”

“Why, why would I lie?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve tried to help and Dutch is meeting you halfway.”

It was at that moment that Kieran understood Emily had fallen in Dutch’s trap. “Don’t you understand he’s playing you?” he naively asked.

Emily was outraged by that statement and she left Kieran to walk as far away from him as possible. It seemed he liked to be tied to that tree after all.

...

Hosea came back the day after. He had left Arthur halfway from camp when he said he wanted to reach Javier and Charles near Blackwater to free Sean. He said the bear hunting didn’t go exactly as expected, but he had fun at least.

The first among them to come back was Charles, all dusty and sweaty, telling everybody about their success in West Elisabeth. Then, Sean and Javier showed up and it was time for introductions.

Emily found Sean incredibly cheerful and full of life for someone who had been captured and tortured: he had an everlasting big smile on his thin freckled face and as soon as he stepped foot in camp, some sort of festive atmosphere had come with him. 

“Come on! Le’t celebrate the return of Uncle Sean!”

Emily was exited about all that happening. She was craving music, mental lightness and the company of someone who could ward off the heavy and dark thoughts from her mind. 

Those weeks had been hard: she had done things she had never thought to do, living in that place that seemed to destroy, day after day, her good intents and rightful ideas. 

The preparations implied the purchase of alcohol and for that Sean seemed to think he could take Dutch’s place, ordering to go and buy some in Valentine.

“Nah nah, Mr. Macguire, your party, yours the responsibility to buy what you want” said Miss Grimshaw putting some dollars in his hands and pushing him towards the wagons.

“I need company” complained Sean, but Miss Grimshaw’s answer was a simple gesture with her hand, like to tell him: ‘not my business, choose who you want’.

Sean looked around. He had no intention to bring Javier nor Charles. Their journey back to camp had already been boring enough. He needed someone alive, someone with a good sense of humor. 

“Hey, you girl!” Sean called out loud.

Emily didn’t answered and didn’t even turned around. There were five girls in camp, how could she know he was addressing her?

He could walk closer and ask her gently, but Sean being Sean, he preferred to be rude and quirky as usual. 

“Hey, the new girl! Yeah, you! You come with me to buy some booze?” he yelled and now Emily’s attention, together with the one of everybody else in camp, was caught. 

“Sorry, you were talking to me?” she asked walking closer.

“Yeah, you come with me?”

“S-sure” she agreed a little taken aback for the request.

He could have asked everybody, maybe his girlfriend, but he had asked her. Why? And this fact was also noticed by Karen, who anyway had pretended not to hear nor see what was happening and kept to work as usual.

“You know Valentine, girl?” asked Sean getting on the wagon.

“Yeah, I’ve been there a lot of times.”

“Good, so you can guide me there.”

“And, my name is Emily, by the way.”

“Okay, Emily, nice to meet you. How did Dutch find you?”

Emily frowned at those words. 

“They haven’t told you anything about me?” she asked.

“No, they should have?”

“Not a word about the crazy dumb girl that comes from the future?”

Sean laughed and this way Emily noticed he missed a tooth, maybe more than one.

Javier, Charles and Arthur hadn’t said anything about her since they had recused him, and Emily felt bad for that. Not that she wanted everybody to talk about her, but she would have appreciated a mention, a few words to explain her presence in their group. 

So she started with her story. Sean was delighted that in the world existed someone who talked almost as much as him, and Emily was happy to have found someone who finally liked her the way she was, with her habit to speak too much, her being naive and her simple humor. A bond was created between them that afternoon, a good friendship which, unfortunately, wasn’t destined to last much.

“And you say Hosea believes ya?” asked Sean when she was done with her story.

“Actually, a lot of people believe me now.”

“Well, if they believe you, I believe you too. These weeks mustn’t have been easy for you all, since Blackwater.”

“No, not really. But from what I heard, you got the worst.”

Sean started about all the things the Pinkertons had done to him and how he had played the ‘brave big boy’ and told them nothing. Emily let him talk, glad that, unlike the other people at camp, she didn’t have to pull the information out of him. 

They easily bought two crates of beer and two of liquor at the general store in Valentine and came back right before the sun was down completely. 

...

When Arthur arrived, the party had just began. The first bottles had been opened and Sean was about to end his speech, half drunk already. Right after that, music started.

“Come on! Play something we can dance to!” Emily exclaimed, and Arthur noticed she had some color on her cheeks. Had she been drinking too?

“Like what?” asked Javier, taking his guitar.

“I don’t know. What you dance to in 1899?” she laughed.

“I might have an idea” said Uncle sitting on one of the logs near the campfire with his banjo. 

(Music) 

He started a song which Emily was sure to have heard someplace else, maybe right in the future. It reminded her of a public event, with a great crowd and a lot of flags and banners, and she remembered herself, very very young, on her father’s shoulders to watch whatever was going on on the distant stage.

Then, Uncle started to speed up the rhythm of the melody and Javier joined him with those few notes he was able to catch. Anyway, the two of them together made something great to which Emily couldn’t resist and, grabbing Mary-Beth’s hand, they started dancing. 

With their skirts moving frantically to the rhythm of their jumps and the sound of their laughs, soon the eyes of everybody were on them and Mary-Beth felt so embarrassed she had to stop. Emily begged her with the eyes and tried to pull her back to the dance, but she simply wouldn’t keep on. 

“Come, dance with me!” exclaimed Sean taking her arm and the two of them started swinging around. 

Emily loved music, she loved to dance and sing, it was the best way she had to stop thinking and in that moment she forgot everything. 

She started laughing in that sweet way that made her irresistible to others eyes and this didn’t slipped away from Karen, who was the only one who didn’t like what she was looking at. Jealousy is powerful and dangerous, and God knows how dangerous Karen could be.

The rest of them was enjoying the music and the presence of that strange girl, who brought such an unusual happiness among them, making them forget all their problems.

Emily let Sean go and reached for Tilly’s hand instead, who needed a little more insistence to join the dance, but in the end proved to be the best dancer among them.

Hosea was again proud he had insisted to keep her with them, Charles felt peaceful in looking at her dancing, Sean had finally found someone to have a fun time with, Mary- Beth felt lucky in finding such a friend, and Arthur… well, Arthur couldn’t help but still feel unworthy of her, even though he knew nothing romantic could start between them, because of his past, because of what he was, because he was sure she wouldn’t stay with them much longer. 

[prairiemule]

The Devil’s Herd - RDR2 One Shot

Yeehawgust Day 10 - Ghost Riders

Characters: Arthur Morgan, Lenny Summers, Sean MacGuire

Words: 2,312

Summary: What should have been an easy coach robbery takes a sudden, bizarre, and terrifying turn. It's hard to say what Arthur and the others saw that night, but they'll never forget it.

Notes: I based this on both the real story behind the legendary Texas "Ghost Riders," and on bits from the now famous folk song.

AO3: Link

•••••

It could not have been a more pristine desert night. The stars twinkling above, a pleasant breeze drifted by, whipping up bits of sand and dust. It was peaceful and calming.

Crouched at the top of a gorge, Arthur waited, binoculars in hand. Occasionally bringing them to his eyes to check the length of the road below them. Annoyance was boiling up inside, finally pushing him to check his pocket watch. “It’s late.” He grumbled, putting the watch away.

Beside him, Lenny spoke up. “How late?”

“Half an hour, according to what this idiot told us.” Arthur looked to his right, finding Sean face first in the sand, the smallest of snores escaping him.

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed out a “Jesus Christ” before smacking the back of Sean’s head.

The young man jolted up. “I’m awake, I’m awake.” He said quickly, pushing himself to a sitting position.

“There better be a good reason for this.” Arthur growled.

Sean wiped his eyes and yawned. “Reason? I’m tired and it’s late.”

“Not that, moron. Why ain’t the coach been through yet?”

The Irishman dropped his arms. “Oh . . . uh . . . bad weather?”

Arthur huffed, pointing to the sky. “Does that look like bad weather to you?”

“ . . . No . . .”

“Then what’s the deal, who the hell did you get this tip from?”

“Oh, I ain’t telling you that, Morgan.” Sean shook his head. “You’ll just find them and get all the best information before me and steal my thunder.”

“You serious, Sean?” Lenny laughed.

“Of course I’m serious!” Sean shot back.

“If this coach don’t show.” Arthur began. “You ain’t getting off guard duty for a month.”

Sean looked at him, mouth agape. “That ain’t fair!”

“What else ain’t fair is wasting my time, and the kid’s!”

Sean grabbed his hat and stood. “Well, then let’s just go up the road and find the bastards.”

Arthur got to his feet and stopped the young man before he could run off to the horses waiting nearby. “This is supposed to be an ambush, not a god damn chase.”

“Well clearly things ain’t working out how we expected, so let’s get going!”

“God damn it, Sean.” The hardheaded kid wasn’t going to listen to reason, so Arthur decided it better to take charge of the situation then let Sean take over and let it get out of hand.

“Alright, we’ll check up the road, we don’t see them, we go back to camp. And this is a bust.”

Sean looked over his shoulder with a wide grin as he approached Ennis. “Have a bit more faith in old Sean.”

Arthur’s response was only a sigh.

“He always like this?” Lenny asked as they walked to their horses.

Arthur shrugged. “You mean bullheaded and stupid? Yes.”

“Well yeah, but I mean trying so hard to prove himself.”

“Unfortunately.” Arthur replied, reaching Boadicea and giving her a quick pat before mounting up. He looked to Lenny. “You’re still pretty fresh, guess you’ve got a lot to learn about the rest of us.”

Pulling himself onto his own horse, Lenny nodded. “I suppose I do.”

Arthur glanced over at Sean, clearly getting ready to take off. “Now just hold on.” He said, trotting Bo towards him. “You follow my lead, you hear?”

Sean sighed with his whole body, but conceded. “Fine, whatever you say, big man.”

Taking one more look up the road with the binoculars, Arthur saw no moving lantern light, what he knew would signify an approaching coach and guards. “Still nothing.” He said, stowing the binoculars in his satchel. “Let’s get a move on, then.”

With a swift kick to Boadicea’s flank, he got the mare moving. Behind him he heard Sean laugh and encourage Ennis into a canter, Lenny quickly followed on Maggie.

They rode down the slope of the gorge, parallel with the road. The full moon granting them all the light they needed to avoid rocks and the various desert fauna. It was a full ten minutes of riding hard, and finding nothing. Cresting one more tall hill, Arthur brought his horse to a stop, signaling the others to follow suit.

He looked to Sean, giving him a stern glare. “If I don’t see no moving lights down the road, we’re done for the night.”

Sean frowned. “Well I sure hope you see something. I need money.”

“We all need money, Sean.” Lenny replied, pulling up next to him.

“Maybe so, but I’m dying for some new boots. And Ennis here needs a new saddle.”

Their talking becoming background noise, Arthur peered through the binoculars, following the winding road. He didn’t want Sean’s tip to fail, so he was meticulous and careful. But however hard he looked, there were no moving lights. “Sean.” Arthur said at last.

The Irishman perked up, hopeful. “Yeah?”

“There ain’t nothing out here. Not a soul in sight. Not even a traveler’s campfire or little homesteads.”

“So . . . what does that mean?”

“That means I’m suspicious of this tip, and of this whole godforsaken part of this state you’ve dragged us to.” Arthur shook his head. “Guess you’re stuck on guard duty again.”

“Can’t you just take one more look?” Sean pleaded.

The big man sighed. “Fine. One more look.”

So he looked. Up and down the road, nothing in sight. Eerily empty and devoid of life, even for a god damn desert. But then, something did appear. A light of some kind, red in color, two of them, then four, then eight, then twenty, then innumerable. Arthur’s eyes widened, confusion written on his face, hidden from the two young newbies by the binoculars.

He was trying to figure out what he was seeing when suddenly beside him, Lenny spoke, his voice pitched with concern. “Uhh . . . Arthur.”

Too distracted, he didn’t notice.

“Arthur.” Lenny repeated.

Ignored again, still focused on the countless lights.

Then Lenny shouted. “Arthur! LOOK!”

Ripped away from the binoculars by the frightened cries, Arthur looked up, before them, a massive storm approached, nothing but sand and dust as far as the eye could see. The perfect weather of the night shattered in an instance.

“Sweet mother of . . .” He gasped, then quickly caught himself, turning to the terrified young men he was supposed to be looking out for. There was no time for his own fear. “Masks on, we gotta move, now!”

There was no snark from Sean, who’d only been staring wide-eyed at the approaching storm and lights. And Lenny simply nodded, pulling his bandana over his mouth and nose, happy to be following Arthur’s lead.

The three of them galloped back the way they came, working their horses as hard as they could to outpace the oncoming storm.

But in the end, it was futile. It reached them within minutes, enveloping them and pummeling them with its ferocity. It was a nearly unbearable sensation, the noise deafening, the wind whipping and hitting them at their backs, sand and rocks battering them as they ran. Their bandanas helped, but didn’t completely stop the dust and sand from getting to their throats.

As he coughed and struggled to see, barely able to keep his eyes open more than a squint, Arthur thought he could hear something new in the storm, something that sounded like countless hooves, a stampede almost. Hardly able to see in the tremendous dust cloud, Arthur couldn’t find any animals amongst them, no bison or cattle that could make such a racket.

But the unmistakable red glowing lights were all around them, each one in a pair, moving in tandem with its opposite. Confused and utterly bewildered, he barely had time to process what he was seeing before the gravity of the whole situation hit him. He needed to get these boys to safety, he needed to get poor Bo, Maggie, and Ennis out from the horrendous storm. It could blind their unprotected eyes and batter their bodies.

They may not survive this.

He had to find them shelter, and soon. Braving to open his eyes, Arthur peaked around. Hopeless, until he spotted something that could work, a large rocky overhang not thirty feet from where they were.

Lenny must have seen it too, he turned to Arthur, pointing towards it. “You see that?” He howled over the storm.

“I was thinking the same thing!” Arthur yelled back, he turned to Sean, the Irishman looking frantic in the incredible winds. “This way, Sean!”

The young man yanked his horse in their direction without hesitation, and the three of them pushed through the winds and desert sand, finding relief from the brunt of the storm under the natural shelter.

Their horses were obviously frightened, shaking their heads and prancing, ears pinned back with fear. But the riders may have been just as terrified. Arthur took a moment to try and calm Bo, all while wiping the sand and dust from his eyes. “Lucky we spotted this place.” He called out, coughing still.

“What the hell is all that?” Sean shouted. “I never seen anything like this before.”

“I imagine dust storms ain’t really anything you need to worry about back in Ireland.” Lenny replied.

“You’d be right!” Sean called back, then he looked to Arthur. “How long do these last? Is the rock going to hold?

“I should hope, this area probably sees these storms regularly, we’ll be okay.”

As they waited , the wind blasting past them on either side, that sound of a stampede became unmistakable. Looking forward, Arthur blinked in surprise, it almost seemed like a trick, a hallucination. But before him, blurred by the sand, dust, and dark night, it appeared as though the figures of bovines leaped down from above them and swarmed from either side of the rocky shelter, moving with the storm and countless pairs of red lights.

This imagery continued for a few minutes at least, the noise of the stampede reducing, and with it, the ghastly bovines of dust. Until finally, He heard a different sound amongst the wind, the sound of horses running. Then he saw them, cowboys and steeds, made of the same stuff as those cattle, jumping down from above, and on either side, following after the raging beasts. There were perhaps four that he saw, probably more.

But if this whole thing wasn’t just the result of sleep deprivation and stress, and this all was truly there, then it was unmistakable that one ghostly rider looked back at him, a gaunt face with red lights for eyes, staring right through him. Arthur’s blood ran cold, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. However quick the rider turned to look, he turned back forward, focused once more on chasing the ghastly beasts and the storm that followed.

Then, the riders were gone and the storm subsided, as quickly as it had arrived. Silence befell the desert and the rocky shelter. Ears ringing, skin stinging, eyes burning. The three of them waited.

Finally, Lenny spoke up, gasping for breath, for air not saturated with dust. “Is . . . is it over?”

Arthur coughed again. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Sean glanced at the two of them, then forward again. “Did you see them?”

Lenny turned, giving the Irishman a confused look. “See what? All the sand? The dust?”

Sean frowned. “How could you not . . .” He paused. “I thought I heard someone say something . . . about ‘the Devil’s Herd’?” Sean looked over to them again. “Either of you say that? Didn’t sound like you two.”

“No, I didn’t say that.” Lenny said. “Sure as shit didn’t hear Arthur say it either. You going crazy on us?”

“He’s always been crazy.” Arthur joked, half out of it.

Sean shook his head and cleared his throat. “I know I saw something.”

“Barely saw a damn thing in all that dust.” Arthur replied. “Whatever you saw, must have just been your eyes playing tricks on you.”

The three of them braved their way out from the shelter, brushing themselves off and coughing up sand particles. The horses were still spooked, but had calmed considerably. Above them, the stars shone once more, and the moon bright as ever.

Arthur stared at the clear sky, then in the direction the storm had disappeared. All signs of it gone. As though it had never even happened. “I ain’t seen anything quite like that before. Storm coming on and then leaving in a snap.”

“No one at camp is gonna believe us.” Lenny laughed as they walked slowly towards the road. “I still don’t hardly believe it.”

“Me either.” Arthur agreed, his mind reeling from the things he’d seen. Unable to tell if he’d really seen them.”

“Some night this turned out to be.” Sean sighed.

“Yes, and considering that stage never showed.” Arthur said. “You’re stuck on guard duty.”

“You can’t be serious! Maybe the storm got them!”

“Not my problem.” Arthur shrugged.

“You kno-” Sean began, then stopped, staring up the road. “Hey is that . . .”

“What? Don’t try and get out of this.” Arthur snorted, amused.

“That’s it! The coach!” He pointed enthusiastically up the road, then without waiting, he kicked Ennis into a gallop. “Let’s go get ‘em!” He howled.

“Sean, hold on!” Arthur shouted after him. Releasing a loud sound halfway between a groan and a growl. “God damn that kid.” But Sean was correct, it didn’t take an eagle eye to spot the warm yellow lights moving down the road.

Lenny looked between Arthur and the steadily disappearing Sean “We going after him . . . or . . .”

“Yeah, come on.” Arthur sighed. “We can’t let him have all the fun.”

“Lead the way.” Lenny replied, had there not been a bandana hiding his face, Arthur was sure the kid was smiling.

He Kicked Boadicea into a gallop, Lenny right behind him, chasing down the enthusiastic Irishman. Whatever strange forces that had befallen them, far behind them now.

•••••

I haven't done anything supernatural before, it was a lot of fun to write!

Thank you so much for reading!

[elizacornwall]

Vengeance is an Idiot’s Game  - Chapter 21 - Death by Proclamation

Eliza was relieved to see the rest of the group had made it back unscathed, just ahead of them and thankfully with the wagon and all their supplies. Their reunion was interrupted by Miss Grimshaw marching in, accusing Sadie of being reckless and putting her girls in unnecessary danger. Their argument looked a lot like a mother bear fighting a cougar and Eliza slunk away with the three girls, not particularly eager to get into another battle today. The way the two women shouted at each other, she thought she preferred bullets whizzing around her. After a quick recount of the events from when they got split up with Mary-Beth, Karen and Tilly, Dutch showed up with Hosea close behind him. “Trouble in town? I hope everyone is safe and sound?” The four looked up, nodding. “Some darned bounty hunter recognised Miss Adler, thankfully we already had all we needed and was hidin’ in the store! Eliza weren’t so lucky, got dragged into the fight, we thought they was gonna gun down the whole town”, Tilly explained. “Well, we headed back after them when the coast was clear, I’m just glad no one knew they was with us.”

Karen and Mary-Beth nodded. Dutch turned to Eliza, concern in his eyes as he was considering her carefully. “Are you feeling alright, Miss Eliza? This must have been quite the shock for you.” His voice was so soothing she almost got completely lulled in by it, forgetting all the troubles of the day. Heavens, Molly didn’t seem quite so stupid to her in that moment, listening to him cooing like this after the adrenaline of a deadly shootout had pumped through her body would make any woman’s stomach flutter. She forced herself to return to reality, blinking up at him. “I’m fine, Sadie got me out of there. Just a bit shaken, that’s all.” The black haired man nodded and Hosea smiled at her, relieved. Now this was a man whose emotions she could take for what they appeared as. “Indeed, shaken will be right. I’m glad, I was you might have changed your mind about staying with us after this terrible ordeal. You are a welcome addition to our little family, and I’m sure we all would be sad to see you go.” Dutch squeezed her shoulder for a short moment, then turned to head back to his tent where Molly stood at the entrance, squinting at them suspiciously. The pretty redhead was a problem for another time Eliza decided, it wasn’t even midday yet and she already wanted to go back to bed. Hosea went off and grabbed some tins from the kitchen wagon, placing them onto the table nearby. He beckoned her and the girls to have a seat and eat something after the stressful events of the morning. Her stomach growled at this and she was reminded that she hadn’t had any food yet. Maybe that was for the better, considering the chase had led her to throw up violently. She sat down beside the old kindly man, wordlessly picking away at some strawberries and wasn’t sure if she could stomach them and the turmoil of this morning. Sadie plopped herself down at the table a short while later, sighing exhaustedly. “If I had the choice between gettin’ shot at by a bunch of ugly bastards and bein’ yelled at by that woman, I think I’d take the shootin’ any day.” Eliza laughed, having thought something similar not too long ago. Hosea chuckled. “She’s a frightful woman, but that’s one of her best qualities. No one is gonna come between her and her girls!” “Her slaves, more like”, added Karen, grumbling. She really didn’t take kindly being woken up that early. Tilly slapped her arm, laughing. “What would you know ‘bout slavery! Your parent’s ain’t been owned by some rich white folk! Really, sometimes I wonder if you ain’t never looked at me.” The whole table shared a hearty laugh, shaking off the agitation of the morning. When everyone turned their attention to the food again Sadie waved her hand in an expecting gesture at Eliza. “You ever gonna read that paper we almost died for then?” For a moment the girl didn’t know what she was talking about, then remembered why she had gone back past the gunsmith in the first place. With a small cry she pulled a heavily crinkled newspaper out of her dress, smoothing it out on the table. She scanned the front page, headlining a train robbery, something about some nonsense the President spouted, a murderer on the loose and about her father, expanding his reach to the Caribbean. She skimmed over the article, there was nothing new, only the same ruthless businessman he had always been. She moved on to the train robbery piece, headlining ‘who are the Scarlett Meadows Bandits?’, when Mary-Beth joined her, curiously following the same article. She broke out in a loud laugh. “Well, ain’t that a coincidence! I can tell ya a secret, them name’s are Arthur, John and Charles!” Eliza turned to her, in disbelief. “They robbed a train?! B-but it says here there were casualties…” She stopped talking, everyone’s eyes were planted on her. She had spoken without thinking, of course there would be casualties. Sadie didn’t just get chased out of town by half a dozen men for mere robbery. She wondered how high the price on each of their heads was and dropped her gaze back to the paper. “Sorry”, she mumbled, her voice

meek. “Well”, Hosea stretched out, getting ready to leave, “You’ll get used to the thought of being surrounded by murderers and thieves, we all did. At least we’re not like the O’Driscolls, we try not to take innocent folk’s lives.” Eliza just nodded, humming her agreement. The thought of lawmen not being deemed as innocent people was strange to her, but in the end surely most of them had blood on their hands too? She had shot at men today, hitting at least two or three of them, and even if she didn’t take their lives she definitely wasn’t innocent herself anymore. The thought of this made her uneasy. Her eyes were fixed blankly on the paper, not taking in the lines they were following when Mary-Beth pulled it out of her hands. “Karen!” She hissed sharply, staring on something on the page with growing excitement. Karen looked up, her expression slightly irritated. “Karen, look!”, she handed the paper to the blonde girl, pointing at the article about the murderer. “It’s Sean! He’s alive, and he’s free! They got him out!” Karen’s face changed in a split second. She grabbed the paper and almost tore it out of Mary-Beth’s hand, searching eagerly for the story in question. “Sean MacGuire, a member of the notorious Dutch van der Linde’s gang, has escaped from custody. MacGuire was captured and in the process of being transported from Blackwater to a federal prison in the west. The Van der Linde’s gang was responsible for the Blackwater boat robbery in 1899 that left many dead.”, she cited the article aloud. “…shootout was fierce… Upper Montana river… the escape is yet another example of the incompetence of police… They’ve done it, they got him!” She jumped up with a wide smile on her face and ran to tell everyone that would want to hear the news, dropping half the paper on the ground. Sadie leaned back in her chair fishing for it and threw it back on the table. “Well someone’s sure changed her tone”, she said, her eyes following the blonde. “Ain’t sweet on him, sure.” She smirked. Tilly leaned in, keeping her voice low. “Why d’y’all think it’s taking them so long to get back here?” Sadie studied her, her forehead wrinkled with thought. “I ain’t sure… Probably ran into some trouble or other and had to lie low for a while. Blackwater’s still crawling with Pinkertons, we ain’t wanna lead them back to camp.” Eliza listened to their speculations and flipped through the rest of the pages. There wasn’t much of interest, until her eyes got caught by a little article, tucked away between advertisements past the middle of the paper. Her mouth dropped open in silent disbelief as she read, hot anger rising in her chest. Tears started to gather in her eyes, and she slammed the paper on the table, ignoring the sharp pain on the edges of her hands. The three women jerked up. “Eliza, what’s wrong?” Mary-Beth asked, confused. She stammered for a moment, before she could get the words out. “H-he… My… My bloody father, that’s what’s wrong!” she exclaimed, her voice shaking with indignation, pointing at the article that laid open on the table. Sadie took the paper and read aloud for the others to hear. “Tragic loss of oil baron’s daughter. Eliza Cornwall, 26, daughter of famous oil and businessman Leviticus Cornwall, has been killed at the hands of the van der Linde’s gang. Cornwall announced her kidnapping in early March, along with a letter of blackmail by the wanted criminal Dutch van der Linde. The widely known gang, also referred to as Dutch’s Boys, demanded five thousand dollars for her return. Despite the police’s best efforts, her whereabouts remained unknown. At the site of the exchange a gunfight broke out, killing her in the process. The Pinkerton Detective Agency is looking for the murderers, it is believed they are currently residing in southern Ambarino.” Sadie let a whistle through her teeth, putting the paper down. Her eyes were resting on Eliza. “So, he killed you then.” She was shaking from head to toe, hot tears of anger rolling down her cheeks. “How… How could he. How dare he.” She clenched her hands into

fists, staring at the cursed piece of paper. Mary-Beth was at her side, pulling her into a hug. She struggled at first, too worked up to care. She wanted to break something, hurt someone. The girl didn’t let go, and slowly Eliza succumbed to her embrace, leaning her forehead against her shoulder. “I… I knew he didn’t care for me much, but this is just… I hate him. I’ll kill him.” Mary-Beth gave her a pat on her shoulder, untangling herself and looking at her. “You don’t mean that.” “You better believe I do. He’s a disgusting human being, always only out for his own good. Lying and cheating, he doesn’t give a damn about anyone but himself! He destroyed my mum’s life and many others, and now he cut ties with me, telling everyone he tried to get me back?!” Her voice echoed across the campsite, drawing everyone’s attention. “I’m gonna kill him, and if it’s the last bloody thing I do. FUCK.” The last word was yelled into the sky, it felt good to curse. Her father had abandoned her, finally discarded her after ten years. She laughed bitterly. “Come on now Miss Eliza, let’s sit you down.” Hosea had reappeared, holding her at the arms and guiding her towards her canopy. “Mr. Pearson, would you mind getting us some nice hot tea?” He gently pushed the desperately upset woman down into a seat on her bedroll, taking the lantern off the stool before he sat down on it himself, his hand still resting on her shoulder. “Hosea, I… I hate him.” She looked at him, pleading for understanding. “He’s an awful man”, he sighed, nodding. “I thought so before and now, well, now we know how he treats his own kin.” His eyes rested on her, filled with hurt. “We may be criminals, robbin’ and killin’ folk out there, but at least we do it with our own hands. Men like him, they…” “They pay others to do it for them”, she murmured, pulling her knees to her chest. “Yeah, I know he’s done that before. Keeps his hands and conscience clean, if he even has one.” Pearson hurried back with a cup of hot tea, holding it out to her. Sadie walked up behind him, sitting down on the cot beside her. Mary-Beth and Tilly were speaking to Karen and Miss Grimshaw, and they were headed in her direction too. Suddenly Eliza felt overwhelmed by all the support and consolation she was given here, causing the tears to flow again. “Now, now, Miss Cornwall, no need to cry. Your father is an atrocious man, and we’re all right here behind you. At least you ain’t ever gonna have to go back to him now.” Miss Grimshaw looked at her, with deep sympathy written across her face. She noticed the cup in the girl’s hands and produced a flask out of her apron's pocket, adding what could only be assumed was whiskey to the tea. “Now, drink up and get some rest. You girls are all excused from the chores today, I think the day has had plenty of excitement otherwise.”

___

A short nap, aided by the generous amount of alcohol added to her tea by Miss Grimshaw, proved to do wonders for Eliza’s mental state. Waking up in the late afternoon she felt settled and much less erratic. Her mood was still grim, full of dark thoughts about her father, but now her anger had a calculated energy to it. She would pay him back, she just didn’t know yet how. Dutch came by as she was stood at the edge of camp, staring out into the valley and deep in thought of how she could make her father’s life hell. “I hope you don’t mind me joining you Miss, I couldn’t help but hear of your father’s appalling newspaper report. May I just say, we are more than happy to have you here in our midst and we do not ever abandon our own.” He stopped next to her, hooking one hand under his belt, in the other one of his cigars. As much as she didn’t trust him, to hear these words coming from the leader of this gang was comforting. “Thank you Dutch”, she replied, throwing him a quick glance. The low standing sun gave his features a golden glow. She let out a deep sigh. “It was just a bit much. He’s never been kind to me, but this… I guess it hit a nerve.” Shrugging, her eyes followed the slow flow of the river, as they had so often before. “It is more than understandable, Miss. What he did was… cruel.” Shaking his head, he took a draft of his cigar. “No man should ever betray his child like this.” He turned to her and placed one hand firmly on her shoulder, an earnest expression written on his face. “I promise you Eliza, I won’t let him hurt you any more. One day, we will make him pay.” The girl couldn’t help but stare at him, lost for words. She hadn’t expected him to support her in this way, and her mind flicked back to Molly and what she’d think if she saw her man in such close proximity to another woman. Slightly uncomfortable, she eased herself out of his grip. He let go, but not without a nod that was clearly meant to underline his sincerity. “Thank you Mr. – I mean Dutch, I really appreciate it. I… I should get back to camp, I wanted to see if I could help Mr. Pearson with dinner”, she lied and hurried off. He really was a strange man, so unreadable. Spending time alone in his company made her nervous, and that was the last thing she needed today. To not prove her falsehood, she headed towards the kitchen wagon where Pearson was kneeling, stirring the pot on the fire. “Can I help you Mr. Pearson? I wanted to thank you for the tea earlier.” The man looked up at her, a wide smile beneath his giant moustache. “Don’t worry dear, it’s pretty much ready. And ‘t was no bother, no bother at all.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. Not quite knowing what to do with herself until dinner she steered towards the campfire. Uncle laid passed out under one of the tents opposite, Lenny and Tilly both shared a quiet conversation when she approached, smiling at her as she sat onto the log. “You alright? Been quite a day for ya”, Lenny asked. Eliza’s lips curled into a half smile, having someone that much younger enquire about her wellbeing in such an elderly-sibling manner amused her. “I’m okay, thank you Lenny.” She took a deep breath, stretching her back and closing her eyes for a moment, tilting her neck back. “How are you guys doing?” “Better than you I reckon. Karen’s all happy and ain’t touched a bottle yet, even Miss Grimshaw seems t’ be happy about the news of Sean. Lenny and I was just wonderin’ when they’ll be back.” “Don’t we all”, Eliza mumbled. The absence of some of the gang’s most capable members had grown heavy, and she started to truly miss Charles and Arthur. Until now she hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself, but their company had always filled her with a sense of calmness and security. The three of them sat there for a little while, Lenny shared a story of of him and Morgan getting mighty drunk in the Valentine saloon some while ago to pass the time until dinner. The laughter was soothing, gently washing over the hurt inside her. “And then – listen – then he’s runnin’ off into the alley next to the

saloon an’ tryin’ to jump a fence, all while yellin’ ‘I’m an American’! And what happens next? He’s landin’ face first in a steamin’ pile of shit!” All three of them were wiping tears out of their eyes, Lenny was wheezing hard, struggling to continue. “I got away, but Sheriff’s got him, tanked up as he was. Only saw him again the next day, came draggin’ back to camp like some rusty gut.” “He really wasn’t in a good mood, I remember! Barking at everyone to quiet down ‘cause he had a stinkin’ headache”, Tilly confirmed. Eliza’s stomach muscles were hurting and she was struggling for air, it was hard trying to imagine Arthur Morgan in such a state, near impossible. He always seemed in control of himself, a bit awkward at times maybe or ferocious in his anger, but loose? Never. Slowly the cramps in her abdomen eased off and she was able to sit up straight again, just in time for Pearson’s “Dinner’s ready folks” call from the cooking fire.

Sadie waved from her wagon as the three of them were strolling over to the stew pot, still chuckling. Eliza grabbed her portion and followed Sadie’s invitation, seating herself next to her on the back of her wagon. “You alright? Sounds like yer day ain’t as bad now as it was”, she asked, not bothering to swallow her food before she spoke. “Yeah, thank you. I’m much better than earlier. That reminds me, I didn’t even thank you for getting me out of town safe… Well, I-err… Thanks Sadie.” Her cackling laugh was loud and drew a few confused glances. “Ya wouldn’t have been in danger if it wasn’t for me in the first place! But sure, you’re welcome. Sorry it gave you such a fright.” She smiled shily. Sadie was right of course, but she was thankful all the same. After all those articles about her, she should have known better than to presume that a trip into town with Sadie Adler would be a completely mundane, safe endeavour. Trouble followed her like a pack of wolves on the trail of a wounded animal, and it rarely ended in a drunken Can-Can for her. “Saw you runnin’ away from Dutch earlier, he botherin’ you?” The abrupt change of topic caused Eliza to almost choke on a piece of mushy carrot, she didn’t think anyone would have seen the short exchange she had had with him. Sadie slapped her back as she coughed and the girl could feel the colour raise to her cheeks. “I – I wasn’t running away from him, I just… Well, he wouldn’t be my first choice of company when I just want a bit of peace and quiet.” She had been fleeing his presence of course, but that surely wouldn’t sit well with the rest of the gang. She chose to be in this family herself and didn’t want to give away the impression that she didn’t at least respect him as the head of it all. Sadie nodded, her expression utterly indifferent. “He sure likes to hear himself talk. I prefer my own company most days.” “So why are you putting up with me then?” Eliza tilted her head, curiously. Did the woman just feel obliged, after she did her the favour of upscaling her living quarters? Sadie hummed, seeming to be searching for the right words whilst scooping the last bite into her mouth. “Well, you’re prettier than Dutch for one”, she jested, “but I s’pose I put up with you like I put up with Morgan. You’re good company, and also got your head screwed on right.” Putting her empty bowl down, she caught her glance. “I bet not one of them girls would’ve shot at them fellers in town this mornin’ if they’d’ve been in your shoes. Well, Miss Jones maybe, but only because her head ain’t screwed on right.” Eliza bristled at her judgemental tone when she spoke and felt the need to defend the blonde girl. “Karen is not that bad you know. She’s loud and a bit brash sometimes, but she’s a good person really.” “Oh I ain’t sayin’ she’s not, darlin’. She’s a damn good actress, seen it myself once or twice. She just ain’t exactly the type that can sit with ya in silence sometimes. Same with Dutch, right?” She gave an amused bark, pulling a bottle of whiskey out of thin air and offering it to her young friend after she took a sip herself. Eliza decided against it, becoming a drunkard wasn’t on her plan even if she would grow into a fully fletched outlaw. “Is that why you’re close with Arthur? Because he doesn’t talk much?” “Well, partly. He’s a decent feller, got a bright head on his shoulders when he decides to think for himself. He also ain’t never looked down on me ‘cause I’m a woman, can’t say that about most people. Even here.” She took another hearty swallow and Eliza pondered on her words. She had grown to like the man well enough herself, enough even to be worried about him being absent for so long, same as Charles. Only, Charles was easy to understand, straight forward and his personality was transparent as anything. Arthur? Well… He was a mystery to her. She didn’t know why he was humouring her presence in those early mornings at the cliff, or why he’d check up on her whenever their path crossed in camp. Did he feel like she needed protection after Micah’s attack? The

thought of someone assuming a guardian role for her because they didn’t believe in her own ability to protect herself was humiliating, no matter how much she had yet to learn. It reminded her of the fact that she was in way over her head and made her feel like a child thrown into the ocean to learn how to swim. “Where the hell’s your filly run off to? You still with me girl?” Sadie’s voice brought her back to the present, and she quickly loosened the frown her face had pulled itself into. “Sorry, my thoughts went wandering there. Did you say something?” The blonde woman cocked an eyebrow at her, showing a half smile with an expression Eliza could not read. “Your head off with the horses there, hm? I just said Arthur reminds me of my Jakey, in some ways. He’s the best man I know.” Her gaze trailed off, staring at a point somewhere in the distance. “Do you miss him?” “Yeah… every day. But he wouldn’t approve of who I’m now I suppose.” She shrugged and let out a deep sigh. “He’d understand though. Life ain’t fair or just, but we gotta make the best out of the worst situations. We’re all just a bunch of stranded folk, tryin’ to survive.” After a moment’s hesitation Eliza put her hand on her arm, hoping to infuse the little gesture with as much empathy as she could. “I’m sorry about your husband”, she said quietly. Seeing Sadie so vulnerable was strange, she had been her hero for a long time and she wanted to comfort her. But she just shook her head and smiled at her. “Nothin’ to be sorry for, girl. You ain’t had it easy either, even before you got dragged into all this“ – she gestured towards the camp – “mess; and now your own daddy pronounced you dead.” Getting up, she stretched tall and gave a yawn. “Knowin’ there’s good people like Morgan surroundin’ you makes it a bit easier, hm?” Eliza followed her example and hopped off the wagon, picking up the empty bowls, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. “Seeing the good in people takes a while when they kidnapped you in the first place. But I suppose you’re right, Arthur doesn’t seem like a bad man.” “I sure hope they come back soon”, Sadie nodded as Eliza dropped the plates into the water barrel by the kitchen wagon. “Else I’ll have to ride out myself an’ make sure they’re alright. Been a while now even for them.” She tipped her imaginary hat at Hosea, that was walking past, getting ready to settle for the night. He gave them his warm smile and wished a goodnight. Sadie decided she needed some sleep too, giving her friend a gentle squeeze on the shoulder when she declared she’d stay awake a while longer. The gang was slowly tucking themselves away into their bedrolls and it got quiet. Without Javier’s guitar the campfire seemed only half as enjoyable in the night and most people preferred the quiet conversations with their tent partners, safe and warm. Having had a lengthy nap during the day, tiredness was some way away for Eliza still, so she strolled towards the cliff that had somewhat become her favourite spot to spend her spare time at. The night air was fresh, and the soft breeze made her shiver a little as she sat down behind a big rock, obscured from curious eyes. Her gaze once again followed the river, moonlight reflecting on its rippling surface. The little cluster of trees and bushes where she and the girls had washed down in that distressing night drew her attention, and her eyes lingered there. Sadie was right, he was a good man. And if the woman had reason to be worried about the boys being away for longer than anticipated, well… Eliza certainly didn’t need to feel guilty admitting she was worried about him too.

[gangofoutlaws]

CHAPTER ONE: VAN DER LINDE GANG APPROVED

Summery : Y/N, mid 20ties with a passion for hunting. Born with a famous hunter as a dad it was almost destined for you to become one yourself. It is your paid job to roam nature, hunt and sell animals and hides to shops, butchers and family homes. When selling some to the Van der Linde gang,  Dutch asked you to join them and provide the necessary food capacity. You have no steady home so you tag along for the company and the fixed pay.  You know your way around with a gun, taught well by your dad ofc, but prefer not to take it out other than necessary for like example a dangerous animal or some bad guys on the road.

Female reader in the Red Dead Redemption (2) universe.   A dramatic life story about a girl with a history and a future not certain. warnings: none ( in this chapter )  Main characters: Y/N Sean MacGuire Arthur Morgan Isaac Badillo 

Another morning has come in Eris Field where you had your tent set up for the night. Just near the creek so you could have a cold but refreshing bath in the morning. You make yourself ready for a morning of hunting in the fields and put on your riding pants. Since the day you can remember you are wearing pants instead of dresses. Dad always explained you can move way quicker and can’t be caught fast while running around in all that fabric. Your dad was one of the best hunters, famous you can say. Especially, as he hunted overseas and brought back amazing unseen animals that only existed in photographs. When he got invited to be a special guest at some fancy party, you wore a dress. An exception, to look like a lady.  

In the fields, you shoot some turkeys and a deer and with your new bait, you ride towards the small town of Rhodes. There you will be selling these to the local butcher, which isn’t going to be a great sell as he always wants a large cut to make a profit. Oh well, brings in some money for now. You arrive at the butcher and he is already negotiating with two fellows, so you decide to wait for your turn next to your horse.

“YOU man, are a thief!”  The older man yells as he is pointing his finger at the butcher. He swiftly turns himself around and walks always with heavy paces. He isn’t exactly looking where he is going in frustration that he almost bumps into your horse. A bit annoyed and maybe embarrassed he looks at your horse and notices the dead deer and birds that are hanging on the back. 

“You sell these?”  He asks indignantly

“I do” you respond with your arms crossed and ready to make a deal “Interested?”

“Depends, do you sell these for a reasonable price, unlike SOME people around here?”  He snarls at the butcher

“For you, I can make a good price”  as you raise an eyebrow

Eventually, it’s a business here and you don’t feel bad about going behind his back. The old man gives you a tap on the shoulder and walks away, letting the other man still standing there. “I need a drink… Pearson, handle the rest will you?”

Pearson stretches out his arm to give you a hand “Don’t mind him, he’s just being Uncle… that means being drunk and unsocial”

You shake your head as you adjust your hat and shake his hand. You are just happy you sold the animals for a good price and not for a much lower. That means you can buy that new gun holster you’ve been eyeing since you don’t know, forever?

“Do you mind bringing them to our camp? I promise it’s not that far…”  Pearson asks “Sure, I could do that” You might do them a favor as they could be potential new customers. You mount your horse to follow him out of Rhodes. After a short but very nice walk through nature, you end up at a camp that is resided next to the Flat iron lake. From what you can see the camp is pretty big with a lot of people scattered around. Some ladies doing laundry and there are some man doing the heavy lifting. You even notice a young boy walking by, must be a nice community they have built together.  Pearson asks you to help him carry the deer and turkeys towards his cooking station and you oblige. He’s got his own little kitchen set up with a cauldron, supplies cooking station. He must be the camp cook then. 

“You make the food around here,” you ask as you try to make small talk. 

“I do!, well at least I try too.” He corrects himself“ Cooking the same meat every day makes it hard to come up with something different, you know?” The deer is something we hadn’t had in a while, so that’s a treat!”

You think by yourself that the region you are in now is widely populated by deer. So, either they just arrived at this place or they just don’t hunt that well. You hope for the last of course.

“Well if I catch anymore, I’d could come over to sell them to your camp” You suggest lightly

“Hmm that’s not a bad idea…”  Pearson is scratching his chin “Let me fetch you your money now”

You watch him walk away towards a big tent where a dark-haired, black tailcoat and black hat man is sitting on a small stool. He is slouched back and is smoking a big cigar. They briefly talk together. When Pearson comes back with the money he hands it over to you and starts scratching his head. “Just a quick question” He starts “I was talking to our boss over there, about that idea of yours, swinging by once in a while… and err, would you be interested in providing food and maybe some pelts on a regular basis for our camp…”

You try to contain your joy for the idea you planted and has worked now. And let him continue…

“The guys around here don’t always have time to go hunting, because of all the business and such... and well I can only catch rabbits and small fish…Dutch over there“  He points at the man he was talking to before, “ thinks it’s a good idea to bring you in for that job”

“Well... what does it pay? And how much do you need a week” you start with your regular negotiation

“That’s the thing,” he says anxiously “We can pay you or course, but we just had some rough times behind us… we thought you could have your own tent and such over here. As err a sort of compensation deal?” Pearson looks worried for your answer.

You start to scratch the back of your head now and look around the camp. That is a bit different than you imagined.  All fun and games to set up your tent here but you still need to make money.

“What my friend tries to say is…” Dutch has walked up and is standing now in front of you. He has one arm up with the cigar in his index and middle finger.

“What about joining our group, who can protect you… if so needed. I reckon a lady alone on the road will attract some sort of men so... we can give you shelter, a safe place to sleep. You are always free to leave of course”

He has a point about being unsafe at some places… You sometimes have to spend your earned money on renting a room just to be sure your safe that night. Dutch sees you are agreeing with his statement and stretches out his hand to shake. His grip is strong and frim. In body language that means he wants you to know he’s boss.

“For the time being  ... I’ll be tagging along” you say to him He has a stern but accepting look on his face.

“Where are you from... originally,” He asks curiously

“Born in the east, at the coast. Have been traveling ever since I can remember”

“Interesting, well… I’m sure you will like it here. Pearson, will you ask Miss Grimshaw where she can set up her tent and such, so miss...?” he waits till you fill in his sentence “Y/N” “So miss Y/N can have her own space. Very nice, to meet a lady so  ... adventures” Dutch adds as he starts walking away.

[elizacornwall]

Vengeance is an Idiot's Game - Chapter 24 - After Effects

Read all the published chapters here. -------------------------------------------------- Her head was pounding something fierce. Waking up later than usual, the sun was glaring into Eliza’s face and all she wanted to do was to cover herself with her blanket, disappearing from life. She felt sick and hungry at the same time, not sure which feeling should take priority. Turning away from the painful blazing ball in the sky, she pulled the blanket over her head, not ready to face the day yet. How much did she drink last night? She had a couple beers before the dance, then there was whiskey at the campfire… The dance. She could feel her face flush red as the memory came back. Dutch’s initial invitation and then Sadie, practically throwing her into Arthur’s arms. Sure, Sadie had done it in a very elegant way, an elegance she wouldn’t have attributed the woman before, yet she still… What, passed her on? Set her up? For the last ten years of her life, this was what she had tried to escape. Her father wanting to fix her up with some man of his choosing, and now Sadie Adler was playing matchmaker too? It was infuriating, humiliating. Knowing what she did about Eliza’s feelings towards her father, how could she have done this to her? Yet… Dancing with Arthur had certainly been preferable to dancing with Dutch. Maybe she had just wanted to spare her from Molly’s anger… She had admitted to Sadie that all she’d gotten from the pretty redhead was angry glances and cold silence whenever she had tried to talk to her. The pounding in her temples intensified and she decided not to think about this conflict in her mind anymore for the time being. It was bad enough to wake up as if she had been rolled over by a stagecoach, she didn’t need to ponder over whether she’d been thrown in front of it by someone she trusted too. Bottom line was, she had liked dancing with Morgan and thinking back to the way he’d gently held her waist… Her stomach lurched as the strange sensation bubbled up again, and she could just about throw off her cover and stumble around Sadie’s wagon before she involuntarily emptied the contents of her gut onto the ground behind it. She felt dizzy and the whole world was still spinning. Keeping herself upright by desperately clutching onto the wagon next to her, she managed to shuffle back to her cot. The sunlight still hurt her eyes, and she groaned loudly as she let herself fall on the edge, annoyed to have let it get that far.

“Welcome back to the livin’, little Miss Sunshine”, Sadie’s hoarse voice sounded from her right, the grin on her lips audible without needing to see her face. “You sleep well?” The blonde woman was leaning against the wagon, taking in her undoubtedly pitiful appearance. Eliza was even wearing the same clothes as last night, boots included. Her answer only consisted in another pained groan and she buried her head in her palms, elbows resting on the knees. She was not ready to welcome the world right now. She ignored the approaching footsteps, wishing everyone would just go away. “You’re awake! Here, I got some yarrow off Charles, I’mma make you some tea with it. Should help with your head.” With great effort she lifted her head, squinting up at Morgan who was holding out a bunch of pretty red flowers in front of her face. She couldn’t help but cock one eyebrow, smiling slyly. “I thought you’re supposed to bring the lady flowers before you ask her to dance.” The range of expressions on his face was all worth it, surprise at her quick thinking quickly transforming into a bashful glance, then there was a trace of embarrassment and finally concluding in an eye roll of annoyance. She stifled a laugh. “I ain’t asked you to dance”, he just muttered, but the colour in his cheeks betrayed his overly blasé tone. “If you’re well enough to go spewing sarcasm I wonder if ya need this tea at all.” So, he was shy too, as well as a gentleman. How in the world was he a murdering, thieving outlaw again…? Eliza laughed, wincing as it sent a fresh jolt of throbbing pain through her head. “Thank you, and my apologies. Some tea would be lovely”, she answered, eyes closed and rubbing her fingers against her temples in a fruitless attempt to ease the headache. He returned a few minutes later, passing her a cup with steaming water. The flowers were now submerged at the bottom, releasing a touch of orange colour and a strange, astringent smell. Morgan sat down on the little stool, Sadie had taken up the space next to her on the cot. Eliza bowed her head, stretching her neck out slowly. “Thanks guys. You can head off and do whatever, I’ll be fine. There’s no use in sitting here mothering me”, she murmured, half irritated and half ashamed by their overprotective manner towards her self-inflicted misery. Sadie chuckled. “We ain’t goin’ anywhere, might not look like I’m dyin’ like you do, but I ain’t feelin’ like a spring chicken either.” Arthur hummed in agreement. “Where’s your flower soup then?” Eliza replied in slight jest, lifting the cup to her lips. It was still too hot to drink, so she blew on the surface. She tried a careful sip to taste, but ended up singing the tip of her tongue anyway. What was a little extra discomfort in her current state. It was bitter, with a hint of a heavy sweetness in it and she pulled her face into a grimace. “Couldn’t you get some nicer tasting flowers?” “Hmm, might have, but they wouldn’t help ya with the headache, Miss.” Grumbling, she shot Arthur a dark look. Tea against headache, she didn’t quite believe in it, but there would hardly be any Laudanum to be found in an outlaw camp who’s only drug addict recently decided to come clean. Curse the Reverend and his righteous virtues. Morgan was observing her, a measuring look in his eyes. “When’s the last time you’ve eaten?” His question caught her off guard, she couldn’t remember being put on the spot like that. She could feel him exchanging a glance over her head with Sadie. “Err, yesterday morning, I think? I was out on my walk for the rest of the day, didn’t think to take anything with me.” Sadie gave her a little clap on the head which immediately flared up in a new wave of pulsating pain. “Ow, Sadie! What was that for?!” “No wonder you’re feelin’ so darned lousy girl! You’re s’posed to eat before you’re downing beers an’ whiskey like ya did!” Sadie’s volume exceeded her temporarily very low noise tolerance and she shrugged her head between the shoulders like a tortoise. The blonde woman tutted but Arthur was already on it, picking some

food from the kitchen wagon, ignoring the complaining Pearson. Eliza would have to bring him an extra fat kill soon to thank him. Her stomach didn’t feel as bad as it had done earlier, but the thought of food made her a bit queasy. Nibbling at the oat cake he passed her, she tried to think of an excuse for them to leave her company, she didn’t fancy being babysitted too much. Arthur spoke up, pulling her out of her thoughts. “How much do you remember? You wasn’t shy drinking down that whiskey at the fire.” She could see him looking at her out of the corner of her eyes and avoided his gaze, concentrating intensely on the cookie in her hand. “A fair bit I think. Everything up to the campfire, the songs there and… didn’t you pull me away? Because of something the boys said?” Frowning, she tried to recall the events of last night at the fire. There was a bit of flirting, an argument, then Arthur and her sat at the cliff. “Oh. I got angry at you. I’m sorry”, she murmured, still not looking at the man. “’t’s alright, you was drunk. I been yelled at before, don’t bother me much no more”, he laughed, making her feel a bit better. “You weren’t entirely wrong either I suppose. I ain’t the best explaining myself, don't think I worded things the right way.” She stole a shy look at him through the strands of her hair that had fallen out of the plait in the night. He smiled a warm smile, but his eyes had a sadness in them. Clearly he wasn’t happy about his inability to express himself. He didn’t strike Eliza as someone who couldn’t put things into words however, even if he was a bit blunt at times. She had always liked blunt honesty better than sweet lies. “I also remember you showing me the north star”, she said gently in an effort to make him feel better. It worked, a little at least, and his smile widened. “Yeah? We gotta be careful what we’re getting’ up to, you seem to remember an awful lot for having been in such a state last night”, he chuckled. “At least you won’t be gettin’ lost anytime soon.” Sadie gave a hearty kackle when a loud voice sounded from halfway across the camp. It was the Irish lad that had come home last night, Sean. “And t‘ere she is, the famous lady Cornwall! Fallen out ‘er pop’s hands into ours!” He approached with wide steps, coming to a standstill in front of her and taking her hand into his with a bow, planting a kiss on the back of it. “Name’s Sean MacGuire mylady, pleasure ta make your acquaintance!” Learned politeness made her smile and nod as she stared up at him. The volume he spoke in hurt her head and he was no less energetic now than last night when he had been drunk. She ignored her inner groan and stood up, giving him a little curtsy to play along with his overly flamboyant introduction. “Please, call me Eliza. I’m not overly fond of my father’s name I’m afraid. How do you do?” She put on her thickest English accent and had to swallow her giggle at the look on the faces of Sadie and Arthur. Now that was entertainment. “An’ you’re from the island! Ain’t she a wonderful sight. Never seen a fairer lass in all of the old kingdom If ye allow me to be so blunt.” He grinned at her, quite handsomely she had to admit to herself, with his boyish charisma. She faked a high pitched titter and held her hand in front of her face as if to hide a flattered blush. “She’s a right catch, ain’t she! Don’t you go and fish in the wrong pond now boy.” Karen had appeared in her night gown still, even though the sun was way past it’s highest point now. Her voice was light and playful but had a warning tone to it which Sean too seemed to notice as he stepped back quickly, letting go of Eliza’s hand. The blonde girl flung her arm around his shoulders, and he held her waist. “Don’t you go get a crush on the bastard here, he’s broken many hearts and none of ‘em deserved it. Well, maybe some did”, Karen mused, “but you wouldn’t. He likes putting on his charm with beautiful women.” She still sounded light hearted, but her body language was stiff and almost possessive, gripping Sean’s shoulder tightly. Eliza

let her lips curl into a slanted smile and shook her head. “Don’t worry, my mother taught me not to trust Irishmen, no matter how charming”, she replied, hearing Sadie give a chuckle in the background. Sean was appalled, but he didn’t speak. “Besides, I wouldn’t dare cross you, you can be well scary did you know?” Karen gave a barking laugh and seemed to ease up a bit. Sean gave her an uncertain smile, visibly relieved. “I just had to welcome our newest member, always good to ‘ave some new blood on board ain’t it! No big deal”, he justified, a bit too quick for it to be natural. Karen steered him around, pulling him away. “Well you met her now, let’s go before Sadie knocks you out again. She ain’t looking too happy and I can’t blame her, you bein’ such a loudmouth all the time. Sorry ya had to deal with him”, she added, directed towards them, “He just gets excited every time he sees a new pair of knockers. We’ll leave ya in peace now.” And with that he was pushed towards the girls’ tents. Eliza let herself fall back down onto the cot with a sigh. “How do you do, ey?”, Sadie mocked. “I see we’ve got to work on your language yet!” “You’ve got something against my accent? At least one of us can speak English properly!” Eliza replied, laughing. Sadie jostled her elbow into her ribs. “You mean fancy speech, with lots’a words and no meaning behind ‘em. Don’t seem so proper to me, don’t you agree Arthur?” The man had sat there in silence for a few minutes now, quietly watching the exchange with Sean and Karen unfold. He hummed. “I don’t mind it, think it sounds quite nice.” Sadie threw the butt of her cigarette at him in protest. Eliza just laughed as they squabbled and sipped the rest of her yarrow tea. It made her face scrunch up in distaste, but if Charles reckoned this helped with headache it was worth a try, he had yet to let her down with his knowledge of the nature all around them. She might ask him to accompany her on another hunt if he could spare the time, would be good to feel useful once more. One day she would have to find her own way of making money for the camp, doing daily chores wasn’t exactly her idea of an exciting life running with an outlaw gang. If she asked nicely, he might show her how to hunt bison, one of those beasts would feed the entire gang for a week! Sadie’s loud exclamation snapped her back into reality. “How dare you Morgan! I ain’t never been unfaithful to my Jakey. Not in life and not in death!” She crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks. Eliza set her empty cup on the dirt before her and looked anxiously from one to the other, trying to figure out why on earth Arthur would make such an insulting suggestion. It wasn’t long before Sadie’s lips twitched however and betrayed her act. Arthur just sat there, eyebrows raised expectantly, giving her a quick look and eyeroll that made her chuckle. “You’ll have to forgive her behaviour, she’s a bit of an actress, our Miss Adler. Don’t like to make it easy for anyone to understand her.” He stretched indulgently and groaned, getting to his feet. “I better get on some task or other, Dutch’s gonna chew me out if I don’t do anythin’ useful today.” Sadie gave up her play at this, her face suddenly fierce with excitement. “Got anything in mind, cowboy?” “Nah, Hosea mentioned he might have a lead on somethin’. Figured I’d check up with him. You stay here and sleep off yer bottle ache.” He collected his hat and made to leave, when he seemed to think of something and stopped, turning to look at the younger woman. “Hosea also said something ‘bout it possibly involving you, I’ll see what he has to say and let ya know when we got a plan, alright?” Her heartbeat quickened at the prospect of a job. She swallowed and nodded, suddenly half excited and half terrified. He let his eyes linger on her for a moment before he set off towards the horses, where Hosea was brushing his Silver Dollar. Sadie cleared her throat and got to her feet as well. “Imma go try and sleep off this nasty day, you should do the same. Little doe like you needs all her

strength for a job!” The blonde grinned at her, but Eliza thought it looked rather kind. Her idea of some more sleep sounded like exactly the thing she felt up to right now.