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Post by Rio Daniels on Oct 12, 2012 22:56:47 GMT -8
She still hadn't forgiven herself for what she had done to Lewt, so she had been making herself scarce around the hide out for the past couple of days. That wasn't to say that she was acting differently towards Lewt. She still loved him unconditionally, but she was entirely embarrassed. She had taken on the role of the jealous girlfriend in their relationship and instead of asking questions, she had shot first. The harlot had been all over Lewt and she had mistaken his actions to push her away as inviting her in. Rio felt like an idiot. Her temper was something that she seriously needed to work on, and soon rather than later, in case the next person she shot wasn't as lucky as Lewt. She had managed to just graze his arm because she hadn't been truly aiming, which she was grateful for.
Lewt had somehow managed to sweet talk the patrons of the Saloon into not pressing charges against her for shooting an innocent man, for which she owed him. She wasn't going to jail because of his ability to convince people that everything was alright. And since he was the one who got shot, there was no reason to fret. The whore that was falling all over him wouldn't be doing much for a while because Rio had punched her, breaking her nose. She didn't regret that, not really. Lewt had told her no and she hadn't listened, so Rio had every right to punch her. The woman deserved it and Rio would stand by that claim.
Right now, she was stretching her legs, as well as her stallion's. While he didn't need the exercise and neither did she, her mind certainly needed to be distracted. Shaking her head at that thought, she rode him up to an area that she never wanted to step foot in. Just sitting on the back of her horse in this area sent shivers up and down her spine, and she felt the little hairs on her arms stand up as she got goosebumps. The gallows stood in front of her, ominous and threatening and she found that she wanted no part of this. Her life of crime would land her here, no doubt, especially because of the murders that she had committed along the way. Her disguise that she had donned was keeping her safe for now, but how long would that last?
Her hand went to pat her horse's neck as he stood quietly, relaxing in the sunlight pouring down on them. She combed her fingers through his rather short mane, keeping herself as occupied as she could. She didn't know why she was here. There weren't any hangings scheduled for today and even if there were, she wouldn't stay around to watch them. Furrowing her brow, she dismounted her horse, leaving him ground tied, knowing he wouldn't wander of. Her worn boots scuffed the dirt as she walked carefully along, her feet taking her to the steps that led up to the gallows without her really knowing where she was going. "This is crazy." It was as if she was asking for a death sentence. |
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Post by Justus Gibbs on Oct 12, 2012 23:15:52 GMT -8
"Miss?" Justus was on his way out of town, headed to a ranch to inquire about work when he noticed the young woman at the gallows. While it wasn't uncommon to see ladies at hangings and such, it seemed a little odd for her to be here now, when, well, there wasn't anything going on. And there was something in the way she was moving that didn't seem quite right.
"Miss, ya all right?" He reined Mule to a stop and the horse readily dropped his head and closed his eyes, his lower lip flopping loosely. Shaking his head, Justus dismounted and moved closer to her, looking up at the scaffolding. "Not th' kind'a place a lady should be, if ya don't mind me sayin'..."
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Post by Rio Daniels on Oct 12, 2012 23:29:27 GMT -8
She was drawn from her thoughts suddenly when a deep voice filled the silence around her. She jumped slightly from the shock of being caught off guard by his arrival. She wasn't one to not notice her surroundings and the fact that this had happened so easily unsettled her. Furrowing her brow, she turned her sky blue eyes to look to the man that had bothered stopping to inquire her. When he said that this was no place for a lady, she stared at him quietly, studying him for a moment before she seemed to find her voice. Clearing her throat, she tried to wave away his comments with a flick of her hand. "Yer gonna find that I ain't no regular ladeh, sir." It was the truth. She wasn't like the women of Del Fuego.
It wasn't a horrible thing in her opinion, but not many appreciated her lifestyle. The talk around town now was that she was Lewton McConnell's girl, and that meant that she was a part of his gang. While she didn't care much for reputations, she would have rather proved herself before getting such a rap. Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she stepped down from the step that she had perched herself on, approaching her stallion once more. West lifted his head, his deep whinny greeting her as she returned to the nearly all white horse. Taking his reins in her hands, she tried to make it look as if nothing was bothering her. But her eyes always betrayed her, and as she glanced back to the man in front of her, she tried to sound convincing. "Ain't no problems here, if that's what yer wonderin'. Can I help ya with somethin'?" She questioned him easily enough, trying to distract him from the situation that he had just happened upon. |
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Post by Justus Gibbs on Oct 12, 2012 23:54:29 GMT -8
"No, ma'am." Justus touched the brim of his hat as he dipped his head. "Was just wantin' ta make sure everything was all right. Not sayin' there's nothin' wrong, mind ya." He wasn't generally one to interfere or but in, but there was still something haunted in her look...maybe she had lost someone here. Whatever the cause, the look in her eyes made him want to be certain she was all right before he just rode on.
"That's a fine lookin' horse ya got there," he commented, changing the subject, hoping to distract her and put her at ease. "What's his breedin'?"
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Post by Rio Daniels on Oct 13, 2012 10:16:02 GMT -8
She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with the man before her, and therefore, she was left to stare at the haunting image of the nooses swaying in the wind. Another shiver sent her body trembling and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to bring warmth to her body when it just wouldn't warm up. Her teeth chattered as she stood there, which was quite odd, considering how hot it was at the moment. Stepping back once more from the gallows before her, she finally brought her attention to the man who seemed to have more manners than she did at the moment. It was odd, to have some random stranger stop to inquire over whether or not she was alright. It wasn't something that she was used to, but she supposed she had her solitary lifestyle to thank for that. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and gave him a gentle shrug of her shoulders.
"Ain't nothin', I promise ya." She said rather unconvincingly. She fixed him with what she thought was a defiant gaze, but one could never tell what their own expression held. Hoping it wasn't giving her uneasiness away, she spoke up once more. "I thank ya for yer concern though." It was unlike Rio to be so polite but she was too out of it to really be herself. When he spoke about her horse, her blue eyes traveled to West's form beside her and she patted his neck affectionately. "Uh, thank ya. He's...he's a mustang. 'Is name's West. I'm..I'm Rio." She stated, holding her rather calloused hand out for the man to shake if he so desired. |
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Post by Justus Gibbs on Oct 13, 2012 20:02:27 GMT -8
Smiling, Justus reached and took her hand, shaking it firmly. "Justus Gibbs, miss, and this here's Mule." He gestured to the paint horse that was standing with his eyes closed, head drooped nearly to the ground and one hip cocked up as his weight rested on the other leg.
"May not look like much, but he can move when th' notion hits 'im." He frowned. "Don't happen much...I hear mustang's are fast, got a lota stamina. Yer th' one that broke 'im?" While ladies didn't usually do such things, it wasn't unhead of and she looked like she could handle herself. "How'd ya come by him, if ya don't mind me askin/?"
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Post by Rio Daniels on Oct 20, 2012 12:08:13 GMT -8
As he introduced himself, taking her hand firmly, she returned his hand shake with a rather strong grip for a woman. "Nice to meet ya." Offering him a small smile after the introduction, she let go of his hand and let her eyes cut across to the horse that he had in his possession. Mule. Holding her hand out to the nice looking equine, she turned her attention back to his owner as he spoke up about him. Smiling a bit more, Rio felt instantly relaxed because they were talking about something that she knew well, and that was horses. She was uneasy still that he had discovered her here but there was nothing she could do about it now.
"I ain't one to judge a book by its cover, if ya get what I mean." She said in response to his horse not looking like much. Some of the best cow ponies were the sorriest looking creatures that she had ever laid eyes on. That wasn't to say that Mule was sorry looking either. He was well put together and his coat was as pretty as ever. He just seemed a bit on the lazy side, but Rio wouldn't lay that judgment down. Shaking her head a bit, she turned her attention back to West, who was now standing quietly. "He's also a stubborn one sometimes." She described him, as Justus connected the mustang with speed and stamina. West did have both, but when he felt like it. "I gentled 'im, yeah. He was my paw's." She finished quietly, gently stroking West's nose as she remembered exactly she had come by the stallion beside her. |
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Post by Justus Gibbs on Oct 22, 2012 21:39:04 GMT -8
"Seems like ya done a nice job with 'im." Justus gave her a slow smile. "Stands right quiet, but he's payin' attention to ya." He held his hand out for the animal to sniff, then offered him a peppermint.
"Was good'a yer pa ta let ya have 'im," he continued, then asked as diplomatically as he could, "He around these parts?"
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