Vera | 26 | Female | Member

Vera had sworn she was in a fever dream for the duration of her walk with Esther and the blonde. Nothing felt real and she was barely sure of anything that was happening. When they entered the space between the houses and made their way out of the sight of people, Vera could see Esther’s mouth moving and just nodded along as if she knew what Esther was saying. Quite frankly, Vera did not care about whatever Esther was saying as her words sounded way too foreign to the panicking and distorted mind of Vera.

Vera had not been this worried in a long time. She could feel her hands shaking as she latched onto the woman, taking a second to catch her breath as she was unable to even look a few steps ahead of her because of her anxiety, seemingly squishing her eyes and brain in its grasp. Vera just prayed they could get back to camp or Purepoint sooner and this feeling would finally leave her alone.

Vera continued to follow Esther and smiled softly when she saw Bertha and Jacob. Seeing them both still alive was the only thing that granted Vera some relief. With everything that had happened so far, Vera would not have been surprised if… No, she could not think like this right now, not when they were so close to escaping the coppers for good and having enough money to live easy for the rest of their lives. If Slicker were here, what would he say? Something dumb but uplifting probably. She closed her eyes and briefly prayed that he was safe and okay.

Vera blinked and looked up when Esther seemed to be talking to her again. The question caught her so off guard that she forgot how to speak momentarily, her eyes flashing between the limp body in her arms and Esther.

“Yes?” ‘Yes’? That was all Vera could reply?! The question was not even a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question so what the hell was she even thinking? Vera paused, seemingly frozen in time like a fish in a frozen pond. “Er… uhh… I mean, let’s take… her?” That was a better answer, but did Vera have any logical reason for suggesting this? No, no, she did not. She panicked and spewed out the first thing that came to mind.

Before her brain could stop her or she could use any logic that she was generally good at utilizing, she pulled the woman over her shoulder and stood by Esther’s horse, waiting for permission to mount with her since Vera did not have her own horse.

Aiden | 18 | Male | Member

Jolting suddenly despite knowing that someone was in the bushes, Aiden’s first instinct was to reach in his bag and pull out a stick of dynamite he had kept there for… well… ‘special occasions.’ This, of course, should not have been his first instinct. Thank god Aiden had grabbed the wrong thing though and instead had just pulled out his knife, an object that was much less threatening but that was probably better for Aiden to be swinging around.

“I did not hear no gunshots,” Aiden grumbled, taking a step towards Del as he held the knife defensively. Now, Aiden might have been acting like a toddler afraid of a stranger, but he was not about to get yelled at by Nike as he made sure to grab the back of Del’s collar and drag him away from the man. The woman? The person. Whoever or whatever they were.

As they introduced themself as Sam, Aiden assumed they were a man because they did look like a man. For the most part at least. Aiden was going to do his best to avoid the topic of gender as to not insult them because that would have been a real pickle that he was not ready to handle in the slightest. Aiden had done these before back when the gang had stopped briefly at Ruby Hill when he thought that a man, due to the man’s feminine features and having become numb to the idea of woman wearing pants as he had almost forgotten that it was more customary for women to wear dresses, was actually a woman. Needless to say, Aiden was very apologetic to a man who was about to murder him. Not a good day in the life of Aiden No-Last-Name.

“Sorry uhh… Myers,” Aiden mumbed, still very on edge around the man, “but uhh… ‘round these parts we kinda prefer strangers keep their distance… No offense.” As the woman— the man— looked up to the sky, Aiden instinctively looked up as well to follow what her eyes were looking at. That was when the man spoke more Spanish, inadvertently revealing his worry to Aiden about the rain storm. Aiden gently nudged Del as he put his knife away. “Well, so glad we could return yer pony to ya— very cute by the way— but looks like a storms a’ brewin’ an’ I’m sure we should get back to our Ma before she starts to worry.”

Delaney O’Connor | 15 y/o | Male | Newcomer

At the sight of someone emerging from the bushes, Del took a quick step back and pulled his hand out of the stranger’s saddlebag, but not without pulling out a pocket watch and swiftly pocketing it. If there was something the young boy was good at, except for talking and annoying the hell out of the people around him, it was pickpocketing. Not that the horse was hard to pickpocket from, the harder part was not being seen by the owner of the horse.

The black-haired boy’s gaze turned towards the tall person that had appeared in front of him and Aiden. He gave a scoff at the man’s explanation for the horse having run off. As Aiden said, they hadn't heard any gunshots, nor was the horse in front of them sweaty or out of breath, in fact, when he had pet it, it had barely been warm, if the horse had been spooked then surely it would at least be warmer than what it currently was.

Delaney opened his mouth to say something to the tall man about how ridiculous it was to say that he’d been hiding to make sure it was safe to come out. The stranger was easily more than a head taller than the both of them. He was stopped though when he felt Aiden pulling him back by his collar and he turned his head to glare at the older boy.

Slipping out of Aiden’s grip, Del took a step to the side, continuing to glare a little as he put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. If the boy wanted to do all the talking then Del wouldn’t interrupt, that way Aiden couldn't blame him for being made to look like the idiot he already was.

When Aiden said they had to return back due to the upcoming storm and the fact that their “Ma” would soon start to worry, Del just had to say something though. Would it be necessary? No. Would it potentially make both the stranger and Aiden want to kill him? Maybe. Would it be fun for himself? Absolutely.

“I doubt Ma will be happy if we come back with no firewood just cause a tree came alive and ya got scared though,” Del said, that same playful smirk as always, making its way onto the boy’s lips as he looked up at Aiden. By tree, he obviously meant the stranger with his unusual height. It wasn't meant wholeheartedly as an insult, more as a test, he wanted to see how the stranger would react, Aiden he already knew, but this Sam, he wanted to see. Would the man be offended and angered or would he stay calm and friendly? His reaction could reveal his intentions. And if it didn't, it would still be fun for Del.

Lucile Mason | 27 | Female | Ex-Member of Philip’s Gang |

-

“Suerte con ese cuchillo… Is this proof enough that I was hunting?” Lucile held up the rabbit in her hand. She honestly wished they wouldn’t be so wary of her, though of course they had reason to. A tall stranger suspiciously walks up to them while they’re collecting firewood, claiming that his horse had walked away from him while he wasn't looking.

Lucile really just wanted a place to stay for the night, if anything at all. She didn’t want food or anything extra, just a nice, safe spot out of the storm. She probably could have planned her approach better, but if she could get a cozy place to stay, even just till the storm passed, she’d be thankful for it.

But then she started to really think about it. Maybe she’d come off too strongly? Maybe she made some sort of mistake that they were seeing through right now? She could tell by the look on their faces that they had questions, though she wasn’t really in the mood to answer them, whether they really asked or not. She was hopeful though, that with enough charm she could get shelter and maybe swindle them if she had time.

She turned to the older boy as he started speaking, then turning to the other boy as he spoke.

Lucile took a few seconds to think over what the boy said before letting out a light hearted laugh. “¿Un árbol? I ain’t never been called a tree before, but very fitting! You both seem pretty nice, what's your names? And sorry if it's a weird request, but could I maybe come with ya? I ain’t got a place to stay with that awful storm coming. I won’t make it to Harmony’s Bank in time for the rain to start and I haven’t come across any other people on the way. I promise to repay your folks too, I can hunt, fish. If not, it's perfectly fine, accepting strangers into your home is probably something you’d find distasteful.” She patted her gray horse on the head and glanced up at the sky again.

If the boys didn’t let her come with them, she would have nowhere to stay. What would she do then? Threaten them? Shitty choice, but it may work… or maybe not. If they told their parents she’d likely be dead by the time the storm passed. She wasn’t one for threatening random kids either. She hoped this would overall end quickly so she wasn’t found out or nothing too drastic happened.

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

With his throat as tight as his hands clenched in a fist, Slicker was not excited to see the doctor. It was not that Slicker was afraid of doctors because no, no of course he was not afraid of a weird guy in a suit with leeches and bone saws. Why would he be afraid? In all honesty, Slicker was definitely terrified. He had hoped that William would not mention his wound and Slicker could just— you know— ignore the bullet wound in his arm. He was sure the wound could heal up on its own anyways so maybe there would be no need for even stitches, right? Right? Probably not. He knew it was probably better that he saw a doctor like William suggested, but that did not stop Slicker from trying to think of a way out of this situation by any means necessary even as he walked into the doctor’s office.

Upon first entering the building, Slicker was overwhelmed by the smell of burnt flesh and sickness that hit his nose like a bat to the face. Scrunching his nose, Slicker looked around at the people who were all crowded and crammed into the small room and instantly began to wonder why so many people might be in there with healing burn scars as they laid down across the cold wooden floor, gunshot wounds as they had their legs outstretched and were slouching in the wooden chairs, and two coughing men in the corner, trying to quiet their wheezing. Slicker was careful not to step on anyone’s feet or legs as some people looked up at Slicker only to glare. Walking up to the receptionist, Slicker sighed as he leaned his forearm on the table before taking his black hat off and pinning it to his chest. The poor receptionist looked worse than the wounded who were on the grips of death. He bore a resemblance to the man who rode with Slicker and William but he seemed far more tired. His skin looked pale as snow in Maine, his dark brown hair was a mess as he combed a hand through it to calm himself, and even his emerald green eyes seemed dull with exhaustion, but the man picked his head up with a weak smile as he looked up to Slicker.

“Heya there! This place seems real popular,” Slicker chuckled while motioning to the crowd of patients, trying to break the ice with a warm smile. “Is the doc’ here today? Kinda in the soup—” Slicker motioned to his arm with blood spilling from it— “as you can tell…”

"Oh, I'm the doctor…,” the man corrected in a soft voice as he held his tired smile still on his lips.

“Oh. Oh! Oh my God, I am so sorry! I didn’t realize you were the—”

“It’s fine,” the man reassured Slicker with a chuckle. Slicker had known people who would have been greatly offended had Slicker assumed they were not in a more privileged and well educated position than they were. “I just wish it wasn't so popular today…” The man looked around the room at all the healing people as the awkward silence grew. He seemed to snap out of his blank stare when a cough came from the corner of the room and the doctor shook his head to seemingly wake himself by shaking his head. Standing, the doctor walked out from behind the desk. “Yeah, come in, I'll check your wounds.” The doctor paused before extending a hand to Slicker as he held a board and paper in the other hand. “Aiden O'Connor by the way, nice to meet you Mr.?"

“Bennings,” Slicker said, taking Aiden’s hand and shaking it before returning his hat to his head. “But Slicker is just fine.”

Aiden nodded with a warm grin before leading Slicker out of the people-packed room and into a smaller room with a small bed-like table. Slicker’s nerves instantly returned as he looked to the exit to see if he could reasonably come up with an excuse to leave. Sighing, Slicker forced himself to sit down on the table and he tapped his hands on his knees impatiently.

“I saw you riding into town with my brother from the window earlier,” Aiden mumbled as he dragged a chair over to the table. “So how’s ol’ Ollie?”

Ollie. So that’s the mean little fella’s name who kept scowling.

“Oh, you know him,” Slicker replied with a snarky, friendly attitude despite barely knowing ‘Ollie,’ “a bit of a la-di-dah.”

Aiden’s eyes widened before he snickered, hiding his smiling behind his board as he seemed to write something down. “That’s Ollie for ya. He’s a grind alright, but he’s a good guy once ya get to know him.” Aiden paused, trying to look at the wound before resting the board down on his lap. “I am going to need you to take your shirt off to take a better look at your wound.”

“Wow, doc, so forward!~” Slicker teased as he began to, reluctantly, undo his vest and then his shirt. Aiden’s eyes went wide as he was seemingly caught off guard by Slicker, quickly looking down at his board. Chuckling mischievously, Slicker tossed his shirt and vest aside as he leaned forward a bit. Dropping his board down on his lap, Aiden scooted closer and began looking him over before noting something down on the paper. “Like whatcha see?~”

“Why would I like a raggedy lunkhead who is like every other cocky guy who managed to get a bullet wound?”

“Gee, aren’t you an oyster?” Slicker chuckled with heavy sarcasm and got a slight smile from Aiden.

“Well,” Aiden mumbled, quickly changing the subject, “can I ask you a question? How did you manage to get yourself shot?”

Oh right. I need to think of a good lie for this.

“Well, ya see: I was being dumb— a bit of a ‘raggedy lunkhead’ if you will— and messing around with my buddy.”

“And then what?”

“Well, ya see: my buddy—”

“So your buddy was the one who did the dotty thing?” Aiden inquired while threading thick black string through a needle and tying a knot in it.

“No, no, my buddy was being smart and learning how to shoot for once. I was rooting for him while I was setting up cans for him to shoot— cause he’s got the aim of my one-eyed, one-legged, and half-a-brained brother and I wanted to encourage the guy to do good. Catch on?” Aiden nodded in understanding though he was more focused on what he was doing. “Well, ya see: then, while I was setting up and cheering him on after setting up another round of cans, I forgot to move outta the way and got shot.”

“Ah… gotcha,” Aiden replied though he did not seem to care as he looked up from finally being able to tie the knot on the needle. Slicker could hardly blame him for taking so long to tie the knot. Treading the line through the needle was the biggest reason for Slicker hating sewing with such a burning passion. Reaching into his coat pocket, Aiden pulled out a box of cigarettes and offered one to Slicker. “Smoke? You might want one if ya think you’ll be jittery.”

Slicker paused.

Oh, right I am about to get stitches.

Slicker nodded, happily taking a cigarette from Aiden.

~~~

“Thanks, doc,” Slicker grumbled, his arm aching more than ever as he was careful to pull his blood stain shirt back on while trying to avoid letting the cloth make contact with the wound. He had almost entirely used up his whole cigarette while trying not to move during the stitching processing, reluctantly taking it from his lips and letting it hiss as he dug it into the doctor’s ashtray.

“Yeah, of course,” Aiden replied with a tired smile as he walked to the front desk behind Slicker. “The service sums up to about thirty-five cents.”

“Thirty— Doc, come on,” Slicker replied with a whine. “There’s no way that was—”

“Sorry, but thread’s expensive nowadays and without a spare doctor to boot, this is what you’ll havta cough up.”

Slicker sighed and nodded as he took out the money. “Here are your shillings, doc. Good luck with the—” Slicker looked around the room before looking back to Aiden as he began to button up his shirt— “lovely crowd.” Aiden snickered and nodded, waving Slicker off who smiled at the tired doctor’s amusement.

Still buttoning his shirt as he exited the building, Slicker scanned the area for William while he ran a hand through his hair and placed his hat back on his head. Although Slicker only got half way through the buttoning of his jacket and did not button his vest, Slicker was putting a cigarette in his lips as soon as he finished re-dressing himself, leaning against the side of the building as the thanked whatever God there above that there might be that he did not die because of a doctor. With a bit of free time in his hand, Slicker began running the name ‘Ollie O’Connor’ through his brain to try and remember why it felt so familiar to him.

Esther Reed | 28 y/o | Female | Second-In-Command

Even if she was second-in-command herself and their leader was right there, she knew Jacob believed in letting his gang make choices and take the consequences themselves, a little more than what Esther thought he should. But that was the reason she asked Vera what she wanted to do with the unconscious woman. She had grabbed her and dragged her with so now it was her responsibility to take care of her and choose the next step.

When the blonde heard the other woman's uncertain reply, her gaze shifted to look at their leader, who gave a brief nod as both he and Bertha went up to their horse, well, Jacob went to Isaac’s mare. By the looks of it the leader’s gelding was nowhere to be seen but Isaac’s horse had stuck around and since he was dead, she was of better use to Jacob.

“Hurry up and let's get the hell out of here now ladies,” came from Jacob as he mounted the mare. Esther could see how both he and Bertha seemed a bit impatient to get going but she still took the time to tie the legs and arms of Vera’s hostage, her waking up and thrashing around was the last thing they needed.

So was the sound of the coppers too.

“They’re here! Back of the bank!”

Then a few gunshots flew past them. They had run out of time. It was time to go before more coppers came at them.

“Let's go Vera,” Esther told the other woman as she mounted Comanche, grabbing the reins of the stallion with one hand to keep him in place as she held out a hand to help Vera. She liked Vera, more than most of the other people in the gang at least, but she wouldn't be shedding tears if the woman came to die today.

Once she was sure Vera and the stranger were on, she glanced quickly at Bertha and Jacob who were busy firing back and protecting the two.

“Hold on now,” she said before easing her grip on the reins and giving the stallion a light kick before he sprung into a canter while his rider grabbed her gun, turning in the saddle and starting to fire back at the lawmen who seemed to be popping out from everywhere.

Seeing the other two’s horses take off in a galopp as well brought her relief once more, it looked as if luck was still on their side after all. Slicker, William, Morgan and the stranger seemed to have gotten away too, although the amount of blood on the ground back by the bank was slightly concerning but no body meant they could all hope for the best.

They were quickly putting space between themselves and the lawmen, leaving Harmony's Bank behind. Finally things were going according to plan! Just a little more and they’d be out of shooting range.

A loud thud could be heard through the chaos all of a sudden and when Esther turned her head she saw how Bertha’s horse had fallen down head first into the ground before falling over its own rider. The horse was now kicking and thrashing around as it seemed to have become the target for the coppers’ shoots. A loud and pain-filled screech came from the horse as the woman saw how Bertha struggled to get out from underneath the heavy animal.

Esther turned her head towards Jacob to see the man pulling on the reins of the mare he was on but it was too late, they wouldn't be able to save the other woman without risking their own lives. Jacob was still alive and well, she wouldn't let him risk himself trying to save someone they’d already lost.

“Jacob! We can't save her, don't stop!” The blonde yelled out, trying to overvoice the sound of gunfire, “Jacob!! If we stop we all die!"

Finally she seemed to get through to the man who reluctantly urged the horse forwards again while his eyes remained on the struggling woman behind them. Esther though, she turned her gaze away, she had never liked Bertha that much, her death was a way out for them, it wasn't like she would die in vain.

She turned her gaze forward, clicking her tongue once and feeling her own horse quicken his pace as she led them back towards camp. She was well-aware that both Jacob and Vera liked Bertha a lot but they were letting their feelings get in the way and Esther was not about to die because they wanted to try and save someone unsaveable.

It was best to shake the coppers and get back to camp, hopefully Slicker and the rest would have gone there, otherwise they were probably in PurePoint. Either way, Nike was still at camp with Aiden and Delaney and they needed to make sure they were fine. Or well, they didn't need to but she knew that it would bring Jacob some peace to see at least part of his gang unharmed, even if he had just lost about four members of it in a very short period of time.

William Brant | 19 y/o | Male | Member

He needed his mare, she was his whole world and if he lost her it would break him completely. Scud had been with him when times had been the toughest, they weren't just horse and rider, they were like one when William sat on her. She knew what the smallest of movements from Will meant and she had saved his ass countless of times. To others she might just be a grumpy mare but to him she was his best friend.

If she felt the same way was up for debate though as the roan suddenly snapped at him with pinned ears, her teeth closing right in front of the man's face to which he calmly tugged the rope once and went back to scratching the face of the mare while she continued trying to bite him.

The young man was well-aware of the pain she had to be in, it was no fun being shot but even less fun having the bullet dug out so he couldn't be mad at her for protesting.

Only time he did say something was when the mare lifted her leg to kick towards the woman tending to her, then he did let out a low growl-like sound. His mare knew what exactly it meant. He never had to be cruel towards her, she knew when she did something wrong and she knew that grow-like sound meant to stop it. She could bite and kick towards William all she wanted but he was not letting her injure the vet. He did not have the time or energy to deal with that.

He did feel thankful that Lois just continued working calmly, despite Scud’s behavior, and by the looks of it, she was working quickly but still carefully. He was nowhere near a vet though so really he was just guessing.

~

Finally the vet finished up and William could loosen the grip he had on the roan, not having to struggle with keeping her still and in place anymore.

Or so he had thought…

“There we go! It doesn't look too ba- Oh my!”

The second he loosened his grip the horse charged forward towards the woman with an open mouth. The brown-haired man had to quickly use all his weight to keep the horse from sinking its teeth into the veterinarian before he quickly took a tight grip again and backed the horse up.

“Scud! Ya can’t go bitin’ the vet, I know it don't feel that way but she's being nice, ya grump,” he scolded, while giving his horse scratches behind her ear, his voice far lighter and loving than what it would usually be, it always was when he spoke to the mare. There was no way he could be mad at her, no matter how badly she behaved.

“I’m sorry ma’am, as I said, she’s a feisty one,” William said, his voice now back to its normal tone that was more like grumbling than anything.

“It's alright, nothing bad happened,” the woman offered a soft smile, one which William returned, very, very briefly. “I ain't too worried about infection. I managed to get the whole bullet out so just keep the wound clean and if you need me to, I'll come look at it again, otherwise just take it easy, let her rest and she should be better in just a few days.”

“Thank you,” the man dipped his head slightly towards the woman, she had been good towards his horse and if she was right, it wouldn't take long for Scud to be strong and healthy again so he was happy and even if he was in a bad mood, there was no reason to be rude.

When the woman told him the price, he raised a brow slightly but stayed quiet and pulled the money he’d gotten from Slicker out of his back pocket before quickly paying the woman.

William watched as she turned to leave before he turned around himself to give Scud another pet, but he could hear Lois stopping again and he glanced back at her, wondering what she’d forgotten.

“Have a good day William, oh and say hi to Ollie for me.”

And with that she disappeared out the stall, leaving William standing clueless. Who the hell was Ollie? Was it the grumpy feller that they'd ridden here with? How did the vet know him?

With a sigh, William carefully slipped the rope halter off Scud’s head as he scratched her neck. She was okay and that was all that really mattered to him, anything else he could care less about.

“I oughta go darlin’ but I'll come back with sum apples later, aright? Slicker’s making me go see the doc even if it's just a scratch, ridiculous ain't it?” The young man gave a soft chuckle before he kissed the mare between her eyes. She made him happier than anyone else could and it was such a relief that she would be okay. Hopefully they could stay here a few days so he’d be able to give her enough rest. It would have to cost what it would, he could always get new money but not a new Scud.

The man left the stable soon after, his mare was safe so now it was time to please Slicker and go see the doctor and then, finally, he could find out what the hell the strangers wanted and what their motive was.

As the brunet reached the doctor’s office, he saw Slicker and stopped in front of the man, his eyes going to the cigarette between the other man’s lips, he was tempted to try and take it from him again, partly because it was Slicker but also because he was craving one.

“Scud and Snapple are fine now and so am I but since ya won't believe me I’ll go in and get the doc to say the same and then ya can't stop me from talking to them shady strangers. I mean how come the vet of a town we just arrived at know ‘em but we don’t?” William muttered, the presence of the strangers was clearly bothering him but he had calmed down more now that he knew Scud was fine, after all, he was no longer threatening to shoot them.

The young man let out a frustrated sigh before looking Slicker up and down, “Did the doc patch yer arm up? I ain't having ya die on me so ya better not get an infection or sum, aright?”

Giving the man a light pat on the shoulder, he walked towards the door, “I’ll be back out in a second.” It didn't really matter what the doctor had to say about the wound on his cheek, he had already decided it wasn't gonna be a big deal so that's how it was now. He could clean it himself and avoid infection, no need for the doc to do it for him.

Once inside, William stopped for a second and looked around, the view he was met with inside was not a pretty one, nor was the smell. As he glanced around, he noticed the glares from the people around him to which he only glared back before lifting his gaze and locking it onto the receptionist as he began making his way over to him.

He stopped in front of the man, taking a moment to quietly study him. The tired man sitting in front of him resembled the vet a bit, maybe siblings? However he did also resemble the wounded stranger they’d ridden into town with, the man called ‘Ollie’ but there was someone else that these strangers reminded him off too, he couldn't figure out who though and really, it didn't matter.

Removing his hat, the young man placed a hand on the desk and leaned down a little, “Hi there mister, don't mind the eye, it ain't why I'm here. Ya must have yer hands full here so no need to call the doc for me, damn bullet scraped my cheek and my friend won't believe it's nothin’ so if ya just say it's aright then I'll get going again, yeah?”

“I'm actually the doctor…” the man in front of him corrected, the tired expressions in his face seemed to grow even more tired, it likely wasn't the first time he'd had to explain that.

“Oh, sorry doc. But this wound, it's nothin’ right?”

“Come in and I'll have a look at it for you,” the man said as he got up from behind the desk, causing William to sigh softly. Why had he allowed Slicker to force him into going here? “Aiden O’Connor, nice to meet you Mr?”

The young man looked at the doctor’s pale hand before grabbing it and shaking it, “William Brant.” Absolutely nothing could run smoothly today, it was just a scratch, why did he have to bring him in and examine him?

Quietly, he followed after Aiden into a smaller back room and took a seat at the table as he kept his gaze on the doctor.

“You're the one with the terrible aim then?”

William froze for a second, looking at the doctor with suspicion as the man sat down in a chair in front of him. “I treated your buddy, Bennings, before you came here and he told me he was helping you practice your aim,” the man explained when he noticed William’s look.

“Right… I shoot him…” William muttered, he was so going to kill Slicker for this. Well, maybe not kill him… But he was not letting him get away with this. It was true that his aim was terrible but now the doctor thought that he’d shot his friend. He left the man alone for a minute and he went around running his big mouth, typical.

“What happened to you then? He shot you back?”

“Sure, sumthin’ like that,” the man replied before clenching his teeth tightly when he felt the man starting to clean his wound. He gripped the edge of the table, doing his best to not say anything about the pain. This doctor sure was more talkative and curious as opposed to the veterinarian and given that William was in no mood to talk and play friendly, it was not hard to figure out who he preferred.

Once Aiden had finished cleaning his wound, the man leaned back and William looked at him, waiting for what he had to say next.

“You're gonna get one nasty scar but that's all, just keep it clean,” the doctor instructed him, “And you and your buddy should probably be more careful in the future.”

William forced a slight smile, Slicker was really digging his own grave today. “We sure will be doc,” he assured as he got off the table and started the walk out of the room with Aiden following behind.

When the brown-haired man heard what the cleaning of the wound had cost him, he mutter under his breath about how he could have cleaned the wound himself while pulling the money out his pocket. It was money he’d gotten from Slicker so it didn't matter all that much but still, he hadn't asked to have it cleaned.

“Thanks,” he sighed as he handed the money, “Have a good day.”

The man nodded at him, “You too, and tell Ollie I said hey.”

Turning around and heading towards the door, William didn't even reply, he had one goal now and that was finding out why that Ollie guy was so popular around here that everyone seemed to know him. The young man put his hat back on, pushing it down far to cover his face as much as possible before he reached the door and pushed it open.

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

“Doc patched me up good,” Slicker replied with a smile as he saw William, his whole posture shifting as he became more relaxed around his friend. “But I’ve learned a bit about those ‘shady folk’ and— Ah, nevermind.” Slicker waved his hand with a huff before smiling again as he moved his arm in a circular motion. Although he could not help but flinch, Slicker seemed proud at his ability to articulate his arm in spite of the immense pain that flooded his senses. “Check this out though! Seems pretty damn good, right? Although I’d really like to dip it in a cold stream or something…” Slicker paused before nudging William. “Maybe we can go take a dip tomorrow in the stream before we head back to the others, eh pretty boy?~”

Slicker chuckled and waved to William as he was already leaving Slicker to talk to the doctor. Slicker, on the other hand, left to go after Snapple and Scud. After all, Snapple and Scud had both been so brave during the loud gunshots that pierced the sky and, unlike some of the horses, had not run off. God, they deserved so many sugar cubes for the good work they put in and Slicker instantly sought to give them what they deserve.

“Such sweetie beaties!” Slicker mumbled softly as he happily stroked the face of his horse upon being instantly reunited with her. Slicker’s happy grin only turned sweeter with laughter as Snapple began rubbing her head against his chest as a means to finally relieve herself from the itchiness she faced once her bridal had been removed. Snapple continued using her rider as a scratching post until she gave a content snort from her nostrils. Slicker only shook his head as he smiled happily at his horse before searching through the bag in his saddle which had been mounted by the stall door.

Scud, growing curious of the sounds of rustling bags that emanated from Slicker, poked her head out of the stall door, craning her neck out, and tilting her head as she stretched to try and grab whatever it was Slicker held. “Woah there, ya cutie! I will get to you in a jiff, Scudsta!” Presenting Snapple with a few oat and molasses balls, Scud stomped and pawed with her hoof, snorting all over Slicker’s face with her ears pinned back. Slicker’s face shriveled with disgust before wiping the snot off his face with one swoop and shaking it from his hands in a flick of the wrist. “With that attitude, Scudsta, you ain’t gettin’ shit.”

Scud gave what sounded like an offended, high pitched squeal as she pawed her foot against the bedding again.

“Don’t you use that tone with me, ya lunkhead!”

Pinning her ears back further, the horse seemed almost saddened by his words, even though there was no way she would understand them. Perhaps she was more scared since Slicker had raised his tone slightly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, lassy,” Slicker spoke softly with a sigh. “I guess ya have gone through a lot today so I can’t blame you for being sassy…” Slicker cautiously presented a molass and oat treat which Scud happily took, the mare instantly having forward, happy ears, as mares always do in these scenarios. Slicker smiled and gave the two girls some much needed petting after this.

~~~

Having left the stables with his card pack, cigarette pack, and money from the saddle bag, Slicker did the math briefly in his brain that he had used up three cigarettes already today. One when he woke up to calm his nerves before the heist, the second when they had arrived in Purepoint— which William rudely stole— and the third when the doctor gave him one while he was painfully being stitched up. Now, as he had long since finished the one Aiden had presented him with, Slicker lit his fourth one of the day as he threw his arm around William.

“I am going to say this now so listen up,” Slicker stated as he began to walk towards the saloon, “you’ve got a helluva good mouth on ya but I need ya to keep it quiet and not threaten death instantly on the ‘shady people,’ ya hear? Just let me do the talking for a little and we are good to go.” Slicker paused as he watched his friend. “For some reason, I got the feeling you’ve got something to yell at me for so let it all out now before we head in there.”

Slicker could tell that he had done something to piss William off. Whatever it was, Slicker had no idea and he had no intention of provoking William further by doing anything but nodding and listening to whatever it was William said, all while not fully paying attention. Slicker loved William to death, he really did, but his brain was still thinking about Ollie. Running that familiar name through his brain over and over and over again as if the repetition might jog his memory. It did not, but it was worth a shot. Slicker had no recollection of any ‘Ollie’s and yet— Wait. O’Connor.

Son of a bitch.

“Hey, Ima need you to hold that thought, pretty boy,” Slicker mumbled, a serpent-like smirk appearing on his face as they approached the saloon. “I think I know exactly who our shady people are.”

The saloon was loud with ruckus and noise, piano and shouting. Lamps kept the place lit with a warm, welcoming light while waitresses seemed even more inviting though Slicker had no interest in the women who worked at the saloon with skirts that were more revealing that most dresses while still being modest. While at a few tables there was laughter, cards, and fun, another had two familiar faces, the strangers from the bank sat silently (along they were occupied by a fluffy dog which Slicker had to force himself not to instantly go over and pet).

“Well, well, well,” Slicker purred with a grin as he grabbed a chair at the table and spun it around as he straddled the back of the chair, “it’s the knockout lass and Ollie.” Slicker feigned an innocent expression as he rested his elbow on the back of the chair and his chin on his palm, tilting his head as he observed the man. “Actually, is it Ollie or Oliver? It couldn’t possibly be Oliver though, right?” Slicker turned to William as the corner of his lip turned up into a smirk. “After all, if I remember correctly, Oliver O’Connor is a wanted criminal and travels with another wanted criminal named ‘Roxie Sweet.’ But no, I doubt criminals both wanted for almost three thousand shillings would come to us right?” Slicker stopped with a laugh and turned to Ollie and Roxie with a smirk on his face. “So which one is it that you prefer? Ollie or Oliver?”

| Ollie Bright | 31 | Male| Ex-Member of Philip’s Gang |

-

Ashley chuckled, “Gosh, you really are a grump. If you want me to go find a bottle just call me over I guess.” She turned and quickly disappeared behind the busy crowd that had gathered in the bar.

Ollie and Roxie sat in silence once more, waiting for the strangers to show up. Though it wasn’t long till the two men finally entered the saloon. Ollie sat up in his chair, trying to straighten his back, but he stopped, wincing in pain as he quickly reverted back to slouching again. As the strangers made their ways over to him and Roxie, he couldn’t help but notice the one man's awful smirk.

Ollie narrowed his eyes coldly and glanced at Roxie. “They know. We’re lucky if we aren’t turned in again.”

“Surely. Think Ashley would save us if they tried?” Roxie whispered, though she sounded more snarky than worried. “Ain’t no way in hell they goin’ be able to turn us in here.”

“Hopefully…” Ollie hissed under his breath, starting to get an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

Was this going to be another bad idea? Would they be jailed again? Last time that happened they were almost hung and all hell broke loose. But maybe if he was able to persuade the two strangers not to turn them in, it might actually work? They definitely knew they were wanted criminals, the nasty smirk was an obvious sign. But would it really matter if they tried turning them in anyway? In PurePoint there was no way they’d be able to even get them halfway down the street without somebody noticing. It was a whole town against 2, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Ollie glanced down at Gwynn who had scooted closer to him, laying her head on his shoe, though the fur along her back had risen and she gave a low growl, stopping immediately as Ollie bent down to pat her on the head.

The thought of joining a new gang was gnawing at Ollie’s mind, and he couldn’t help but feel displeased, even though he was the one who’d come up with the idea. They’d definitely be different, do things so much differently it might even be aggravating. What if their leader wasn’t like Philip? But then again, he’d only ever met one person like Philip and that was Philip. A man who didn’t play games, took the lead, and accepted anyone no matter who they were or what they believed. Anyone. Even a rude bastard like Ollie.

As the men finally reached their table, Ollie sat back up and let himself relax, his expression turning from worried to stone cold. He hid his wounded arm behind his back carefully, his eye trailing the one stranger as he sat down and started speaking.

“Roxie Sweet.” She smirked confidently, tilting her head to the two men. “And you're downplaying us so badly! It's actually $2,300 for me and $2,600 for him. Though if you're thinking about taking the bounty, think again. We have affiliations with everyone in town, including the sheriff and owner. If you want money then try capturing our friend. She’s worth more than the two of us combined… But don’t get too close. She might swoon ya. Or brutally murder you…” Roxie paused a moment, glancing over at Ollie, but all he did was give her half a nod. Though that was enough to give her reassurance with what they were doing.

“But to keep this short,” she continued, “the whole reason we interrupted ya bank robbery was because we saw a opportunity. You see, after our ol’ gang split up we decided we needed a lil’ more adventure.” Roxie sat up in her seat, allowing her puppy to leap from her lap and down next to Gwynn. The bloodhound laid right beside the bigger dog, her head perked in the same alert manner as they both glared at the strangers. Roxie smiled at the two dogs before carrying-on, “So why not join a new gang? We have the skills, money, resources, contacts. And we’re fun, unjudging– mostly–, and have all em’ good qualities ya need to get places, right Ollie?”

“Whatever you say.” he grimaced.

“You don’t need to decide now or anything, take your sweet old time.” Roxie turned back to the strangers, grinning widely. “But if you consider, there might be something in it for ya both. But we’d discuss that later. Till then, anything else you wanna know?”

William Brant | 19 y/o | Male | Member

The feeling of an arm being thrown around him caught William off-guard and just as he was about to grab it to get away from whoever it was, a familiar voice filled his ears and the expression of shock disappeared from his face, instead being returned to its usual scowling one. Slicker had come up on his blind side without warning, either having forgotten how much the man hated when he did that or he just didn't care, seeing as it was Slicker, both could be probable answers.

“For some reason, I got the feeling you’ve got something to yell at me for so let it all out now before we head in there.”

“When is there not a reason to not yell at ya?” William muttered as he walked with the man, “But if I have one helluva mouth then what would ya call yer own??” Glaring up at the man next to him, William continued, “Ya can't go ‘round telling people I shot ya! Are ya thick or sumthin’?! There's a million better excuses! Sumtimes I really wonder if all ya have under that hat of yers is nothin’ but hair-”

“Hey, Ima need you to hold that thought, pretty boy.”

When Slicker interrupted him, he just stared up at the man, had he even been listening to him? Ugh that man really knew how to drive him insane!

“I think I know exactly who our shady people are.”

Oh?

Why had he not led with that? Finally he proved himself useful for something. Now it was just the bitterness speaking though, Slicker was good at a lot, William was just a grumpy young man and even if Slicker now knew who this Ollie and the woman was, it still annoyed him that he had just interrupted him.

Entering the saloon with Slicker at his side, the atmosphere seemed to change almost instantly. The quiet streets outside with little to no people, a calm and sleepy town, had now been exchanged with the loud saloon, people dancing to the sound of the piano, a few people playing card at a table, a table which he would have to keep Slicker away from since there was no way he'd let the man leave him alone with the strangers. Laughter and talking mixed in with the music, quickly becoming background sounds as William tuned them out, he had no interest in eavesdropping on strangers at a saloon, especially not after having seen the expression on Slicker’s face. His friend knew something good and he couldn't wait to find out what it was.

As Slicker took a seat, William followed suit, only he didn't go through the trouble of turning the chair around, he simply sat down. Taking his hat off, he hung it on the back of his chair. Really he should have left it at the stable earlier but he forgot to, just like he'd forgotten his pack of cigarettes in his saddlebag. Damn it.

Eying the strangers briefly, the gaze of his one single eye burning into them before he leaned back in his chair, the intensity of his gaze dropping as he instead turned and looked at the man next to him who had started speaking. Listening to his friend it quickly dawned on him why the pair seemed so familiar, cursing at himself internally for not realizing it himself earlier.

Externally nothing changed though, nothing to let the strangers know that he had only just found out. When Slicker turned to him with a smirk, Will matched it before returning his gaze to the strangers, who weren't really strangers anymore. Crossing his arms across his chest, the one-eyed man looked at the two, waiting for a reaction or response. There were only two ways this could go after all, either the pair tried something funny, running away or attacking them, or they tried talking their way out of this.

They clearly chose the latter option, for now, speaking with more confidence than what you’d expect from anyone worth around 2,500 dollars alone. The thought of nearly 5,000 dollars for the both of them was extremely tempting, he would be able to live comfortably with that kind of money for quite some time. Their threats didn't mean much to him, he was still willing to take the risk, Slicker would most likely stop him though, unfortunately. Maybe if they found that friend of theirs though? Would he allow that? Surely she couldn't be as bad as they made her seem, and even if she was, she wasn't the only one with experience of brutal murder.

Then the woman, Roxie, revealed why they really had interrupted their, failed, bank robbery. The duo was interested in joining the gang, talking themselves up to convince the two men that it would be a good decision to let them join.

“You don’t need to decide now or anything, take your sweet old time. But if you consider, there might be something in it for ya both. But we’d discuss that later. Till then, anything else you wanna know?”

Now he wasn't going to stay quiet any longer but he would keep a nice tone, well, as nice as he could.

“Since ya was there, ya should have realized that no matter what we think, we ain't making any final decisions. That's up to Jacob if he wants a crazy lass like yerself and a grump of a cripple to join us,” he explained. Even if Ollie was trying to hide it, Will didn't need two eyes to see that the man was hurt, and quite badly so it appeared. Calling him a cripple might have been a bit too much though, seeing as he himself was both an eye and a couple of fingers short.

“Only decision we can make is to not turn ya in or scatter yer brains everywhere,” he continued, shrugging his shoulders a little, “Might want a drink while I consider that though so how ‘bout we start there?”