“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

Slicker watched Roxie teasing Ollie and knew that she was at the very least taking his words at face value and Slicker almost believed Ollie did the same if it were not for the expression he held and his words. As Ollie spoke and stood, Slicker’s eyes narrowed and looked him over. His eyebrows narrowed and twitched ever so slightly. Did he have to— No, he should not have to do anything too extreme to Ollie. It was not like he even knew, right? He didn’t know, right? As if by instinct, Slicker felt himself reaching for his gun, his eyes locked on Ollie when—

Ollie’s words cut through Slicker’s thoughts

“Ah, uhh… she doesn’t hafta help me,” Slicker mumbled with a chuckle and dismissive wave as his voice was barely above the chatting of the small crowd. The dog seemed to hate just approaching Slicker, a soft growl escaping her lips, yet she seemed to be forcing herself to do so. “I mean, I think I smell too much of a lush for her likin’ so I doubt she—” her jaws sunk into his jacket and tugged him forward till he was forced to stand on his feet. “Ah, nevermind, I guess…” Slicker looked up at Ollie once he managed to support himself without Gwynn— which he assumed was the name of the dog— who had the slight sympathy to ask his dog to help Slicker stand. Slicker could not help but feel a bit embarrassed but grateful for this as he seemed to give a sheepish nod and smile as he picked up his hat, giving his silent thanks as to not draw too much attention to Slicker’s wobbly nature. “Right,” he said, adjusting his black hat to his head, “let’s go meet this otha fella of yers.”

They had not gotten more than a few steps towards the door when a man— a few inches on even Slicker’s height with broad shoulders, thick arms, and a thick, amber-colored beard that was the antithesis to his bald head— standing from the table next to theirs, looked Ollie over with a clear glare before shoving his way through Ollie, enough to probably knock the man over. Slicker instantly placed a hand on Ollie’s shoulder to steady him but his eyes were locked onto the larger man, his eyebrow back to twitching yet again.

“What stick got shoved up his ass?” Slicker grumbled under his breath as the man’s back was turned to them. The moment Slicker uttered this, however, the man turned back around.

There was still chatter and noise in the tavern but even despite the sounds, the air was tense.

“What… did you say to me?” the man said, his voice gruff and gravely, enough that it felt like drinking rocks just to hear it.

“What are you? Deaf? An old man?” Slicker snapped with no hesitation. “I said, ‘what stick got shoved up his ass?’” Slicker pronounced ‘ass’ as loudly and with as much emphasis as possible in order that the whole room went quiet.

“You got a thick skull or somethin’?” The man was prowling closer now, some members of the tavern tensing with anticipation. “I will give you one last chance to correct yerself.” The man’s shadow covered Slicker. “I am not asking you anymore.”

“Correct myself?” Slicker asked with a scoff, glaring up at the man before gasping and looking back at Ollie briefly. “Oh! I think I see what he means!” Turning back to the man with a wicked smirk, he leaned in closer. “I shouldn’t be askin’ what stick is up your ass, but which stick I’m goin’ to shove up there? Is that it, ya deaf codger? Look, I will be nice and let you off the hook though if you apologize to my friend here. Ya think you can do that?~”

The man’s upper lip lifted in a half-snarl, stepping back and bringing his arm back with him. Twisting his body, he swung his fist with the force of a bull but his eyes filled with dread when he collided with the ground. This man was a beast, no doubt, but he was subdued by a simple side-step and blow to the back of his knee. Slicker pressed his heel into the man’s back with an amused smirk, until his arms gave out from trying to support himself.

“Awww looks like someone’s all bark, no bite!~”

“Shut the fuck up you bastard!” the man screamed as he trashed momentarily before stopping as Slicker’s heel dug further into his spine. “You’re fuckin’ loony!”

“That’s no way to speak to someone who just wants you to apologize to his friend who you happened to bump into,” Slicker huffed like a pouty child. The man gasped in pain from Slicker’s boot. “Now go on. Apologize.”

“Like I am going to apologize to that la-di-dah prick! Always causing this town trouble in one way or another.”

“I am not going to ask again.” Pulling the gun from his holster, Slicker clicked back the hammer and the sound was echoed by other men in the saloon standing and raising their firearms. Despite the prevalent sounds in the silent room, Slicker kept his eyes locked on the terrified eyes of the man who was still lying on his stomach and had desperately turned his head in an effort to try and face Slicker.

“You’re… you’re nuts… A real damn lunatic…”

“I’m waiting.”

“You’ve— Five guys got their guns aimed right atcha!”

“Do you think they will stop me from shooting you?” Slicker laughed, flicking the chamber. “Cause I can guarantee you’ll die if any shots are fired even if it means I go with ya. So wouldn’t it just be nicer if you behaved since my head is killing me from last night and I think me and my friend right here would be very appreciative?”

“I… You…”

“10… 9… 8…”

“Why are you counting down?”

“7… 6… 5…”

“S-Stop it… Stop it, alright!”

“4… 3… 2…”

“I don’t want to die— fuckin’— please, I don’t wanna—”

“Woah, woah, woah! Let’s uhh… Let’s break it up, alright!” a new voice called after the saloon doors creaked open. “There’s no need for this kinda violence this early in the morning.” Slicker felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Here, can you just back off of him and lower the gun? Please?” In spite of what his brain said to do, Slicker obeyed, listening to the sounds of relief-filled sighs and the slipping of guns back into holsters as Slicker did the same. “There ya go. That’s a lot better.” The man stood and walked off like a wounded dog with its pride shattered, still shaking in fear. Slicker watched him for a moment longer before turning to the man who happened to step in.

“You’ve got sure as hell some guts for what you did just now,” Slicker said with a wide, friendly grin. “Name’s Slicker.”

“Vincent. And I can say the same for you.” Vincent looked him over once. “If I can be frank, it’s giving me willies that you were so calm while holding a gun to that fella’s head… Why… How?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Slicker said with a laugh before revealing the chamber of his gun. “No bullet in this chamber.”

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

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Ollie hadn’t quite been paying attention at that point. His gaze was fixed on Gwynn who was coming up behind Slicker, trying to make her way around him and back to her owner. His mind had started to wander again, and at first, he thought nothing was wrong, that he was still on his way to the door, but suddenly, he was teetering. Through his blurred vision he couldn’t see much, but what he could make out was Slicker next to him, and a very tall man in front of them. It took him a few more seconds before the situation really started to settle in, feeling Slicker's hand on his shoulder and hearing the aggressive comments between the two men, Ollie knew a fight would be breaking out soon enough.

Trying to steady himself again, Ollie’s eyes narrowed, though he stayed quiet and listened to the larger man. He knew he couldn’t fight in his current state, and while he could sense Roxie glaring at them from their table, he knew she likely wouldn’t join in unless prompted either. She knew better, whether it seemed Ollie was in danger or not. There was too much going on at once to get a real handle on the situation, so instead Ollie looked to Slicker.

“I hope you have the brawn to back up your shit.” he hissed to the man, slipping from his grasp as the larger man went to swing at them, missing tremendously as he slammed into the ground instead. “Good luck.” Ollie made a quick dash for their table, collapsing into a chair before pulling himself up, and hearing Roxie snickering, “Having fun?”

“No!”

Ollie’s attention immediately switched to finding his dog, though she was already coming hurriedly up behind him, sniffing him worriedly before taking a firm stand at his side. Ollie finally had some room to breathe, taking in a few short puffs of air before turning his attention back to the fight, which seemed to be going in Slicker’s favor. The larger man was on the floor panting, while Slicker kept him down. It was definitely a scene Ollie had seen before, just with different people. He’d been in enough bar fights, and seen enough people get their arms broken or necks snapped to know how brutal this could get. He'd always hated having to watch those, not because he was on the losing team, no, normally quite the opposite.

Though he hated bar fights, Ollie felt so stupid, a complete and utter fool, and though he felt that way, he knew it was stupid in itself to feel like that, especially at this very moment. Why the hell should he need to fight the stranger? Slicker was the one who started the fight after all, and while Ollie surely didn't like being pushed around, he knew at the moment he wasn't going to, nor couldn't fight. He'd already given everything he had to two weeks ago, and at the moment, he was too tired to even try. Slicker, though, seemed to be doing good on his own, wounded or not, so he would trust the man could pull through.

For a split second, he let himself relax before he realized the other men, who had been loudly pointed out by the beaten stranger. The ones with guns pointed directly at Slicker. A new aura filled the room, one of panic and terror, though not a single onlooking soul dared to move. If Slicker died, that'd probably be it. William would be pissed they got Slicker killed, and Roxie and Ollie would no longer have anything better to do than rot away in PurePoint like every other citizen there. But as Ollie was sure hell was about to break loose, the tension in the air was suddenly cut, and a familiar voice rang out from the chaos.

“Woah, woah, woah! Let’s uhh… Let’s break it up, alright!”

“Vincent–” Ollie had leaped from his seat, relief so clear on his face that he almost smiled. The people would listen to him, that was a fact. Nobody would dare to hurt Ollie’s younger brother, either for fear of a certain, nasty death or that it was almost impossible to have anything against him. Slowly limping his way over to Slicker and his brother as the other men all put away their guns, Ollie’s face turned to a neutral expression rather than a sour one. “Vincent. Brother.” He greeted him with a slight nod.

“Ollie! It's great to see you again, I wasn’t expecting to see you back yet… What did you do?” His brother’s tone quickly shifted to a teasing one. “I know this was your fault.”

“It was.” He sighed, adding a short “thanks” to Slicker as he turned to the man. “Slicker, this is my youngest brother, Vincent. He's the one I was bringing you to see about a job.”

The kindest man you could meet, hardly had the guts to kill a fly. He was the one who helped keep the town from falling into pieces, through his good-hearted and well-mannered approach to situations. He wasn’t the type normally to be found in saloons, but Ollie assumed he came in because of the commotion, either that or to help Ashley.

“Nice to meet you, Slicker. I am as Ollie said, his brother.” Vincent smiled warmly, “And you’d like a job? I can surely help you with that! I do need all the help I can get. Currently, I’ve been hunting for the town’s people, and since I’m well… not really suited for the job because of my peaceful tendencies, I’d happily pay you for helping me.”

“Great, that's great. Thank you.” Ollie cut in, “And thank you for stopping the fight as well, that was… not my intention when coming in here.”

Vincent paused, staring at him a moment before smiling softly. “I’m sure it wasn’t Ollie. I think I know you well enough that I’m confident in saying you aren’t usually the fighter. Roxie, on the other hand.” He smirked as he glanced past Ollie, and Ollie turned to see the redhead grinning brightly at them.

“‘Ello Vincent!” She called, giving him a wave, to which the man waved back.

“I’m surprised she didn’t join in the excitement, but I’ll put that to you guys reading each other's minds. But anyway, a job— for you!” He turned back to Slicker. “Yes, I can do that. Do you want to start right now, or later on? Whenever you're ready. If you need any supplies I can also provide that, and I’ll pay you for every hour you spend out there, and also for every animal you bring back. That sound alright to you?”

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

When Sam asked whether or not the young boy was okay, Delaney nodded briefly, still staying close to Aiden while glaring at the disoriented woman in front of them.

Obviously it was a confusing situation for her, it's not everyday you get kidnapped and he didn't really understand why Esther and Vera had taken the woman but he figured they had to have a good reason for it, they were both strong and smart women after all.

Why they had not tied her up overnight he didn't get though, if they had then they would not be caught in this situation currently.

The black-haired boy felt thankful to currently have Sam here though, even if he didn't fully trust him, the man did currently seem to be defending them and trying to keep them from getting shot by this lunatic, which was enough for him to put his trust in him for the time being.

This woman though… She seemed incredibly unpredictable and despite lowering her gun, he didn't feel less on edge. She looked like a mad woman, her hair standing in all different directions, her clothes all wrinkly and covered in dirt. She spoke like one of them fancy folks but she definitely didn't look like one, or act like one for that matter.

“Ya just have a sensitive nose, lady.”

Del snickered at Aiden’s comment, a grin spreading on his lips as he continued to watch the strange woman, noticing how she looked at Sam almost expectantly which caused another snicker from the boy, it was a look he’d seen all too often when he had been a bit too big in the mouth himself and people used to turn to his parents, expecting him to be scolded for his words when they had been the one to teach him, hell, even encouraged him, to speak up for himself to begin with.

“He ain't our father, he won't be scoldin’ us and if he tried we got no reason to listen,” Del stated, a smirk playing at his lips as he spoke. This definitely wasn't the time to gain back his confidence and taunt the woman, but it seemed like Del did so regardless.

“At least we don't go ‘round waving pistols at people for no reason,” Del continued, straightening his posture slightly as he looked at the stranger, “So that would say a bit ‘bout our manners compared to yers don't ya think,” the boy’s smirk growing a bit.

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

“That’d be great,” Slicker nodded with a smile as he looked over at the other man, evaluating him. He seemed to be fairly strong but had a relaxed posture and gentle expression. Even in spite of walking in on an almost shoot out, he seemed fairly unphased. “I can definitely help you with huntin’ if…” Slicker stopped talking because Vincent clearly was more interested in his own brother of course.

Slicker did not pay attention to what Ollie, Roxie, and Vincent were saying to each other. His eyes wandered boredly around the room as soon as he realized he could serve no part in the conversation. What could he even add to their conversation? “I totally understand what the two of you are saying and totally know what these inside jokes and little jabs mean.” Yeah, no. Slicker was not going to subject himself to pointless prattle that he could serve no part in.

His bored eyes eventually landed on the man who was just beneath him (in a violent sense, not the kind with William the other night) as the man scolded at him. His face was bitter and sour like a lemon as his face was as red as a strawberry. A smirk could not help but cross Slicker’s face. Why not poke the bear even more? As the man continued to glare at Slicker, he stuck his tongue out and middle finger up. The chair scratched against the wood and the man moved to get up but his buddy next to him placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke quietly to the man.

Yeah, that’s right. Stay there and get as mad as you want, bitch.

Out of the corner of his eye, Slicker saw Vincent turn to face Slicker and his expression instantly changed to that of angelic innocence with a bright smile to boot. Slicker could feel the angry scowls radiating from the others in the room and some either sadistic or masochistic part of him loved to feel their rage as he knew they could do nothing. All they could do was watch as Slicker got away with being a rude prick yet again. Oh the greatness of having power over others! Eh, maybe it was not the best idea to let this power get to him.

“Let’s get started now, why don’t we?” Slicker said with a shrug. “Don’t want to delay anymore now.” Slicker thought a bit about the type of pay he’d be getting and nodded with a smile. “That’s gonna work out well for me as long as you remember to pay me on time.” Stretching his arms above his head until his back cracked, Slicker then held his shoulder as he rotated his arm. “Alright so where are we going and are we going on foot or by horse? Come on, sunshine, I’d like to get this show on the road before those lush-heads—” Slicker jabbed his thumb over his shoulder and towards the crowd behind him— “sober up more than me.”

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

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Lucile watched the boys and woman jab back and forth at each other, her arms crossed in a worn-out, though protective manner. She felt like a tired father trying to get his toddlers to behave themselves, completely surrounded by immaturity. It's like listening to Ruth and Rox all over again…

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she straightened her posture and cut into their scuffle, “The boy isn’t wrong, I ain’t their daddy and I ain’t here to teach manners. I wouldn’t say she's waving the gun for no reason though…” Lucile pauses a moment to cautiously glance at the woman’s pistol, before raising her gaze to meet the lady again. “Ma’am, I ain’t gonna hurt you, I assure you of that. Unless you raise that gun, then I’ll have to put you outa your misery. But if you’ll give me a minute of your time, we can figure out what's going on here.”

Lucile had her hands held up to show she wasn’t reaching for any other weapons and her relaxed, assuring smile gave away no deceit. “I’ll explain myself, first of all, to ease the thick cloud of tension that I find myself in. I am Sam Myers, you can call me Sam or Samuel or whatever you want, I guess… I was passing through the area trying to find shelter and just happened to get caught with these fellas running from the cops. That's all I know of what's happening here. I don’t know anything about why you’re here or why this is happening, but I’m not out for any blood…” Momentarily. “I’ll leave it at that for now. Now, if you could kindly explain what happened to you, I would very much appreciate that.”

Lucile had kept a calm, slow, and friendly tone with the woman, trying her best to defuse the situation in any way possible. She was hoping the two boys behind her weren’t planning on doing or saying anything stupid, as they’d caused enough trouble with their big mouths already. But if the two other ladies still sleeping were to wake up and start causing a ruckus… That wouldn’t end well. But at this point, if it came to it, Lucile wasn’t sticking around. First sign of any real danger and she’d be through the hallway, grabbing her bags, out the window, and into the forest. The woman would just have to pray Traveler would follow and that they wouldn’t be shot down in the process. Though, if things ended well here, maybe she could stay awhile and find herself some potential work. She’d just have to hope that at least someone could conjure up the dignity to have a decent conversation.

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

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“Don’t worry, I’ll remember to pay you.” Vincent chuckled, “We’ll go on horseback, up to the forests. The snow shouldn’t be too harsh today, but I’d bundle up if I were you. Oh, and Ollie, could we bring Gwynn along? Mark, my old hound, caught himself a cold and I don’t think he’s good to go just yet.”

“Taking my dog from me… Sure. Don’t get her hurt. I’ll stay here and go visit Aiden and Avery or something….” Ollie muttered, bending slightly to pat Gwynn on the head. The dog gave a soft grunt in reply, before slowly padding over to Vincent. Compared to most other interactions she had with people, she seemed perfectly fine with Vincent's presence, letting him kneel down to scratch her ears.

“I bet they’d both like that, they’re on the brink of madness right now.” Vincent sighed, though he still held his warm smile proudly. “Slicker, if you’d like to go now then we’d better hurry. I assume you have a horse but if you need a ride I have a second one, plus if you need a rifle, I can let you borrow one of those as well. Alright, Gwynn, come on girl.” The man had made his way to the door, and Gwynn followed him cautiously, her eyes still trailing Slicker and his every move. Vincent had the door propped open, waiting politely for Slicker to go ahead.

Ollie still stood in the same spot, watching the two men and Gwynn leave. He only looked away when Ashley walked over and placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. “Sit down and eat, before those boys over there get any ideas now that your friend is leaving.” Her voice was ragged as she glanced past her brother and to the men that Slicker had scuffled with earlier.

“Good idea…” Ollie still didn’t have any spirit to fight. His arms hurt. His back hurt. His head hurt. He sat back down next to Roxie as Ashley hurried away, with a deep, breathy sigh. “If you told me we’re in hell, I’d believe you…”

“Yeah, Oliver… I’d believe me too.” Roxie chuckled, but her face was twisted in a grimace.

Alice An Taylor | 27 | Female | Civilian

Alice analyzed the man before with skepticism and curiosity but most of all doubt. Doubt that he would not hurt her, doubt that he meant well, and doubt that his smile was not some ploy to lull her into a false sense of security. He stated his name, at least she was no longer in the dark about that, but it still did not make the situation any better.

“Nice to meet you, Sam,” Alice spat out as if the name was poisonous on her tongue. Alice took a moment to process the information she was told, a moment where one of the younger boys tried to take a step back and she instantly glared at him. Sighing, she relaxed her stance a bit but still held the surprisingly heavy gun in her hands. “Well, if you’re not with these boys, the hell are you doing hanging out with ‘em?” She turned to look at the boys with a quizzical glare. “Why’d you even let a goddamn strange man into your house?!”

One of the boys looked to the other before glimpsing back to Sam and hopping away from him.

“I’ll be honest, I ain’t been thinkin’ ‘bout that much,” the boy muttered. Listening to this and watching the boy, Alice was absolutely baffled by this sheer carelessness, her face contorting with confusion and frustration. After a moment of stunned silence, she let out a long sigh as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“I don’t know why the hell I thought you could have brains-” Alice silenced herself mid-sentence to take a deep breath in, run a hand through her hair, and smile. “So, just so we are on the same page, last thing I remember is being hit over the head by one of those two-” she vaguely motioned with the gun to the sleeping two (far too casually considering her pointer was a gun)- “and then I awoke to realizing I was caught by two ruffians, their weird little boys, and a random hunk of a man who decides to randomly intrude who they do not question. Great! Just great!” Alice paused as she resided to only holding the gun with one hand. “My name is Alice An Taylor of An Taylor Inc. and I’m keeping this gun till one of yuhs take me home.”

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

Slicker looked down at the thinner clothes he was wearing and shrugged it off with a chuckle. These were really the only clothes he had with him cause the rest were at their camp anyway. Sure, he’d probably be complaining about it later when his hands would go numb, but he could manage until then, hopefully.

“I’ve done too much barn work in my life to care ‘bout the cold,” Slicker replied, already knowing he’d eat his words despite his snarky tone.

As Gwynn wandered over to Vincent, Slicker bent down a bit and held out his hand for her to sniff if she were curious while not forcing it in her face, a small smile on his lips. Slicker missed having a dog and couldn’t help but want to pet her, but he already knew she really would not be interested in him. Still, he watched her intently until he heard his name and just let out a small “hm?”

“Ah, yeah I got a horse of my own so you can keep yers to yerself,” Slicker replied as he followed after him. “I might need a rifle, but if I can keep to my pistols that’d probably be for the best. I ain’t been shooting with a rifle since…,” Slicker stopped as he exited the building to think how long it had been before simply shrugging, “since at least a good few years.” Slicker stretched his whole body, raising his arms high above his head, as his back gave out a sickening crack. Dipping his hand a little more over his eyes to block out the bright sun, Slicker placed his hands behind his head as he followed Vincent. “Mind if we stop by the stables first? I need to pick up my ride if we’re still plannin’ on takin’ horses.” Slicker paused before smirking and throwing out a teasing remark. “Not that I’d mind sharing~”