I win and you lose. (open)

[Jeremiah Benjamin Atkins]

BANG!

A bullet struck the man between the eyes, and the body fell down. Jeremiah held his aim at the dead corpse. His alert blue eyes scanned the area for anyone who dare to pull a gun out on him. What they witness the other man had his gun aimed at Jeremiah and Jeremiah was fast with his gun and shot the other man in defence. 

Jeremiah walked to the deadman with his gun in his hand still. The wind was blowing his long coat tails in the wind. It looked like he was flying. The young gunslinger kneeled down to the dead body. The free hand of Jer moved through the man's inside jacket. There was a paper. He took it out. He opened it out. It was a picture of Jeremiah Benjamin Atkins. He knew it was a wanted sign with the numbers of $1,000. The bounty hunters are still after him. God, that was two years ago. Nobody knew about it. He had hoped this man was a loner. He placed his gun his holster. Yes, he has a dark past. He was going to kill people to keep it a secret. 

Jeremiah pulled out a match, struuck the match against the rough surface, and set the paper on fire. He held on to it until it got close to his hand, he let it go.

He stood back up on his feet. "Rest in hell," he said spitting on the body.
 
In the distant a young child was running down the street chasing her pet dog. Jeremiah watched them. He remembered when he was a kid. He wondered who kid it was. He looked for the parent. Pointin his hand at the kid. "Where is the parent of that child?" He asked.

[Rio Daniels]

She needed to gather some things from in town so she did just that. Saddling up her mostly white stallion, West, she made sure his tack was situated before mounting up at the hide out. West was excited to stretch his legs, and his nostrils steamed from the air he snorted because of the cold weather. Rio patted his neck in a comforting way, then checked to see that her saddle bags were empty and accounted for. Once she was satisfied, she whistled to her horse, sitting comfortably as he pranced forward, his shoeless feet flinging up snow behind them as he lifted his knees higher than necessary.

He tossed his head, wanting to run, and after she was certain that he was warmed up sufficiently, she gave him his head. With the free rein, West took off at a gallop, his legs kicking up piles of snow as he went along. Rio's eyes watered from the cold, and she lifted a hand to keep her hat balanced on her head until she gave up that task. Letting the hat fly off, she was thankful for the string that kept it around her neck so she didn't lose it all together.

When they neared town, she pulled him up, struggling to get him to slow down because of his pent up energy from being cooped up. He tossed his head with a squeal, his back arching in a crow hop as he played from the sheer enjoyment of the run. Rio laughed slightly, settling him down with a quick circle before asking him to walk forward to cool him out. The cold air prevented him from breaking out into a sweat, but his breath came fast and hard. Patting his neck once more, she walked him into town just in time to hear a gun shot split the silent winter air. Furrowing her brow, she naturally brought her hand to her hip, where one of her pistols lay. Asking West to move forward, he did so willingly, the pair entering the main street warily.

Her blue eyes took in the form of the dead man in the street with Jeremiah burning something over him. Trying to understand what was going on, she watched as the man that she normally didn't get along with stood up and turned away from the man he had just murdered. She wasn't overwhelmed or intimidated by Jeremiah's actions, for she had done the same thing countless times before to keep her own life. She didn't judge him, but as a child seemed to gather his attention, she scoffed openly and rode West close to the other gang member. "You shoot a man dead in the middle of Del Fuego, and yer concerned over a child?" She asked in derision, looking down at him from atop her stocky stallion. "How kind of ya." She taunted him openly, her attitude as of late worse than it had ever been before.

[Jeremiah Benjamin Atkins]

The bridge between Rio and Jeremiah are still burning. They do not get along very well. The wise bitch was taunting him. Jeremiah would like to shoot her off her horse. One squeeze of the trigger she would be a goner.

Jeremiah turned his attention to her. He tucked the scarf in my in his jacket, and spitted the ground near Rio's  horse. He looked her in the eye. “Yes, I shot a man, and yes I am concerned about that child,” he said looking around for the parent. “I have my reasons, Rio. It is winter time, and a child is running around. He could have gotten shot, or he could be run over by a coach. Its time to teach him a lesson.”

Jeremiah pulled his gun out, and he was walking over to the kid. He held the gun at the kid. “Kid,” he said getting the kids attention. “You got values?” He asked the young scared boy.

“No,” the child answered.

“You know I can shoot you,” he told the boy. Jeremiah sound cold as his gun.

The boy's eyes widen. “I said I got nothing,” he pleaded.

“You got parents?” he asked the boy.

“Yes, I do...they are at home,” he admitted to the man with the gun.

“I reckon your going home?” he said giving the boy a look.

“Yes,” the boy said walking away and he ran away as Jeremiah shot the air. Jeremiah tucked his gun back in his holster. There was a sinister smile on Jerry's face. The gun man's blue eyes twinkled like the stars at night.

Jeremiah shot a look at Rio. “I do not want him to walk the path I walked on,” he said adjusting his hat.

He waited a second. “How are you with Lewt?” He asked.

ooc Wow that was a very bad reply.

[Rio Daniels]

Rio fixed him with a cold look as he stood in front of her, his attention focused on the child that clearly was out of place in the wintery streets of Del Fuego. If it were up to Rio, she would let him alone, but apparently, Jeremiah had different ideas. As he stared hatefully up at her, she was careful to mind her pistols, knowing that she could draw her weapon as fast as he could draw his. She hadn't survived for as long as she had by being a slow, unsure shot. If he wanted to duel, then she would give him equal competition. Her one advantage was that she was constantly underestimated because she was a woman who had no business handling firearms. She heard it all of the time and normally she would turn her cheek to it, but not this time.

She had enough anger inside of her from her recent discoveries that she would stand her ground. Watching him as he spat at the ground in front of her stallion's hooves, she narrowed her eyes. "Ya wanna try that again, tough guy? You ain't shit." She snapped, obviously not much of a lady. As he turned his attention back to the child, she sighed in annoyance.

"Let him alone Jeremiah. He ain't botherin' ya. He ain't yer concern."

She told him carefully, asking West to move over to where the child was now staring wide eyed up at the cowboy in front of him. Rio watched in disgust as Jeremiah threatened him by telling him that he could shoot him. Rio didn't intervene for once because she knew that this was not her place. She would not be responsible for terrifying a young child who had no business being terrified in the first place. As Jeremiah raised his gun, she rolled her eyes, hearing him fire off the trigger, sending the young boy running for the hills. Shaking her head, she was all but ready to ask West to move on so she didn't need to deal with this insufferable man, but apparently he had different ideas. Hearing his voice, she looked down at him from atop her horse.

"Well how noble of ya. And here I thought ya didn't have a heart." She mocked him openly, her eyes flashing when he had the nerve to ask her about the relationship she had with Lewt. It was her fault that they were distant lately, but that didn't mean she needed other men pointing it out. "Why do ya care anyway?"

[Jeremiah Benjamin Atkins]

"I have a heart," he told her. "Monsters do have hearts too." He teased with a mischief grin. The heart had emotions. He cares for certain things. He just does not share it to the world.

"Do I have to say why, Rio," He asked with a sharp tone. The man looked over at the saloon down the street to see people walk out. "He's family. The gang is a family. The gang keeps an eye on each other back. I owe him. The best thing I can do is watch his back." He turned to look at her. He eyed her up and down. "This is not a threat. You better care for him. Lewt is not a women's toy to play with. You two are spending all lot less time. Is there something wrong? Don't look at me if I am a poison snake will you!"

[Rio Daniels]

Rio didn't even give him a response when he admitted that he had a heart. Scoffing at his words, she shook her head in disbelief when he said that monsters had hearts too. "I'm sure they do." It was quite obvious that she harbored a strong dislike of Jeremiah, but she could usually curb her tongue. However, as of late, her temper had been short and her words had been like knives. She was quick to jump down someone's throat if they rubbed her the wrong way and she had been known to pull her gun to dissolve a situation when simple words would have sufficed. She was losing threads to her sanity because of the worry plaguing her, but she refused to let anyone in on what was bothering her. Especially a man like Jeremiah.

As he looked her up and down she suddenly felt disgusting. Even though he wasn't looking at her in that way, it didn't matter to her. Wishing his eyes were looking at something else, she flared as he told her he looked out for the gang members. "Ya forgit that I'ma member too? Or do ya not give a fuck 'cause I'ma woman?!" She snapped out viciously, her temper flaring easily in opposition to his words. "I don't need ya, or anyone else fer that matter, tellin' me how to care fer Lewt. Git off yer high horse Jeremiah. I ain't got time for yer pride." She informed him caustically, wishing he would leave well enough alone. He was getting involved in a situation that he had no business getting involved in and she wouldn't stand for it. Lewt and her had problems, but they were their problems to work through. Not anyone else. Hearing his question, she scoffed openly once more.

"I ain't goin' to tell ya nothin'. Just stay outta it, Jeremiah."