Frontier

Billy didn't exactly like that idea, especially the bit about going after Autumn. But he wasn't overflowing with choices either. And in a way, he already did do law-abiding jobs, bringing in criminals. So he nodded, and said "I'll help as best I can. Not sure how much good I'll do like this though."

Serenity offers a smile as she takes the bottle away from Ela's mouth. "Very good. I.. I'm not sure when the next dose should be taken, but I suspect Doctor Barrett will be back here to help out." She says sweetly. She places the empty bottle on the bedside table. "I'm sorry to leave you now, but I must be going. A friend of mine is in need of my assistance." She says, giving another curtsy before she turns on her heel and begins walking out of the room. "The Doctor said something about there being linens I could use seeing as how she didn't have any bandages left. Please don't be angry with me if I take some for my friend." She doesn't turn around before saying this, but just after, she opens the door and leaves. She begins searching the other rooms for the linens she would need.

'Best you can ain't exactly what I'm looking for' Wyatt snarled. 'You ain't really got a choice in this Billy... If we don't catch this girl its your neck in a noose you know that?'. He didn't want to upset him, but maybe the threat of his failures might be enough to light a fire in him. 'And... About that' he said pointing at the chains, 'those cuffs stay on, and your gun stays off...'

Wyatt nicked the front of his hat with his finger speaking faster and harder than before, he had to let Billy know that this was life or death for him. 'If you run away Billy... If you give up or do something that would go against my interests... This will fall on you, and well you better run faster than everyone else in this whole damn dust bowl, cause I won't be able to stop em when they catch you'.

Ela reaches after Serenity before she leaves but it was already too late... She didn't realise how badly she wanted company... Taking her linens though..? Well she wasn't exactly in the position to negotiate but she certainly didn't want to give them away to some stranger... She wasn't going to have the money to replace them. The frustration she felt though slowly trickled away as the opiate tonic started to take effect... She bit her lip in deranged hypnotic smile... SHi... she couln't real... think... stri... an.... molasses...... molass....es...

"Not gonna be much help like this then," Billy said. "And I meant that I'm kinda recovering here. Took a few bullets, remember?"

Serenity's footsteps knock on the hard wooden slats and eventually stop as she closes the door behind her. These footsteps pick back up as she begins searching the rooms. Eventually, in the third room off of the side of the stairs, she enters into a dimly lit area that could be considered a washroom. Freshly pack linens line the shelves near the source of the light, a near shut window. She wanders over to the linens and begins taking a few of the larger pieces of cloth. Only enough that she will need. After taking them, she digs around in her pockets for the fifty dollars and once confirms the bills are there, she takes them out and places them where the linens had once been. She would have left the money with Ela herself, but the thought of returning to that room sent a bit of a shiver through her. Besides, she didn't want to chance waking her up.

With linens in hand she begins to leave the Yeoman.

Wyatt sighed, 'Fair enough then... I'll do it myself' he said slamming the cell door closed again. 'But if I fail, well... At least I'll have you waiting for me here' he said turning away. That really didn't go how he planned but he wasn't going to beg no bounty hunter, let alone one that killed his friends, he had far too much self-respect for that. He left Billy's sight, and rest on the end of his friends desk... 'Deputy Cole' he muttered under his breath... If only he had friends like him here...

"Oh what, am I just supposed to hop outta bed here?" Billy demanded angrily. "What part of being shot and recovering, seems to have escaped you? I said I'm willing to help, but you're asking for a miracle here, if you think I can just get outta this bed."

The wood creaks under her foot with each step she takes down the steps. The lonely saloon with nary a soul in it now houses nothing but pain and suffering. She sighs as she passes by the locations the fighting took the most toll on from her knowledge, feeling a melancholic aura about them. The people who lost their lives were just that, people. They woke up yesterday wondering what they were going to do. She wonders about their plans. Maybe one was going to have dinner with his wife, play with his children. She feels a tear run down her cheek and brushes it away as her brow furrows and her mind leaves this place briefly to the day of the attack. She forces herself out of her past and walks out of the building. She gets a few looks thrown at her for exiting, these looks wondering what she could possibly be doing in there some look away figuring she had been taking care of the saloon's owner. Leaving these gazes behind she walks up to her horse, still tied to the post of the doctor's building and begins to undo the knot.

Wyatt turned to his desk cracking open a boiled egg he had prepared the day before. Things weren't perfect then but at least he knew how the day was going to end. After peeling it like an orange he ate it in two hungry bites. He thumbed at the notes he had taken yesterday, the statements from the people willing to help... Had it really done him any favors this running around? He could just hang Billy in the morning and the Town would cheer him. Some part of him knew he wouldn't be able to call himself a lawman if he did that but still...

He looped a thumb through his belt as he stood up, trawling around the box of weapons and items he'd confiscated at the scene. Sandy's straight razor... He had one just like it, the whole office did. Much of the territory outside of Perfection was miles and miles of empty scrub. They needed a way to remain 'presentable lawman' Sandy used to say when they'd spend a week in the wild. Flicking it open with one hand, dried crusted blood crumbled to the floor, the once bright shine gone marred by a girl's blood that made the blade appear rusty. 'Why did you do it', he thought...

Wyatt dropped it where he found it and turned back to the cells, leaving the office and his desk behind.
He spent a moment watching a frustrated Billy. What did he say...? 'Billy?' he said clearing his throat, 'I know it hurts, and we'll take it slow at first, but if you sit there you tie my hands... Well you actually titie the noose around your own neck... People here want justice, if I ain't seen to deliver it...'

He looked away, 'just, we can work together here, I need you as much as you need me...'

"Hey I'm willing to work," Billy said. "But it's been a day since I took lead; I'm still as human as you are." Sighing, Billy closed his eyes, considering what he could do, rather than what he couldn't. "What do you need me to do?" he asked finally.

Serenity places the linens on the saddle, then lifts herself up and over them in order to keep them in place during her ride back. She grabs the reigns, has the horse step back a couple of steps, and then with a loud snap of the reigns, begins her travel back to the shack. She speeds the horse up as soon as she gets out of town and the rhythmic pounding begins once more. It is her hope that Autumn is already awake by the time she gets to the shack so she can ask Autumn exactly what happened and why it went down the way it did. Of course, changing out her bandages would be best done while she sleeps, less resistance that way. Marlie always has this thing about having any kind of down time, she just has to keep moving. Serenity thinks.

The injun and the foreigner, made their way passed the two men eventually, when trails split. The white men didn't know that the trail split, it was one of the trails noticed only by those with a trained eye. The white men went up to their little hidey-hole, and the other two made their way down to the village to meet with the Chief. In the manner of the order of words that the chief spoke, when these two did meet with him. They sat around a small stoked fire and shared a pipe.

"The white man have expanded east some, from the last time we scouted around that valley. There's a growing presence of outlaws and bad-men. Two such make camp over the ridge two turns of the river from here. Up on the side a small cave with some wooden shack. They look to be bringing trouble with them soon."

Rock-Jumper, the injun following the Smiling-Crow, stayed quite, even though he was the native to these parts. The Chief would consider it wise to know how well the white-man took to their language and respected their ways. Thus far Smiling-Crow has proven to be genuine in his intention to understand their people, but not to be of their people. Unlike previous white-men who have found them and wanted to learn of them, they have had eyes on the women of the tribe. The Chief looked at this man, and of the few white-men he has seen this one was different somehow. He was not a fan of the pipe, he coughed and hacked, but he took it every time.

"The area where two white men go, scout for us. Take note, Rock-Jumper, and return here. Crow, return to your people until the Great-Spirit guides you back."

Through the conversation not written here, the two talked about when he should leave the village. The Chief thought that while he, the white-man, liked learning here, he missed being around people who were more like him. He decided that now would be a good time to send him away. What he had told him, was that when he feels drawn back to the village, he would find them again. Smiling Crow had spent months with them, and had learned much, and spoke the language nearly as well as some of the young ones.

Smiling-Crow split with Rock-Jumper when they found the shack where the two outlaws were holed up. Rock-Jumper went back to Camp and Smiling--Crow left the canyon.

The sound of coughing fills the small one room shack. The rays of sunshine trying their hardest to break through the murky windows but are stopped so short of their destination. Autumn rolls over onto her side with a sharp pain coming from her shoulder. She rolls back over onto her back and gives another bout of coughing to the wooden walls. Her emerald eyes dull in color slowly brighten to their semi regular state. Her hand finds the sides of her eyes and wipes the sleep that had accumulated away. How long have I been asleep for now? My throat is still killing me. Her gaze fixates on a glass of water at her bedside table and her left hand slowly reaches out to grab it. After a couple of misses. her fingers finally land on the warm glass indicating that it had been there for some time. She moves herself into a sitting up state with her back against the frame of the bed and soon, the welcoming waters rush down her dry as the desert throat. Pain hits her, but she tries her best to fight it. Her eyes dart around the room to find no trace of her companion. Her mouth contorts into a frown as she puts the glass back onto the table.

Wyatt pulled himself closer to the bars of the cell, wrapping his hand around one. It was cold, much cooler than the rest of the room. If he was alone he might even press his brow against it. He was so tired, so hot, so... Lost.

'We saddle up, you behind me on cuffs... You take me to your people, bounty hunter circles, friends, anyone that can lead us to this Autumn woman. We find her, bag her, hang her. Then I'll pardon you with the Mayor's blessing of course.' He pauses for a second, he knew he couldn't promise that but it was either this or serve Billy his last meal. 'Then you're free to go, and I'd suggest never coming back. I'm sure some won't see you as a ''hero''...

Wyatt wanted to trust this guy, he needed to. How was he supposed to protect an entire county on his own? He'd have to recruit some allies on the way that's for sure. The time he spent kooked up in town was time he needed to spend patrolling the roads. He couldn't face another rant from that snooty Dr Barrett about her supply trains again.

'Look I know you're hurt and all, but we don't have time to wait. Dr said it wasn't all that bad, I'm sure you can still ride.' Wyatt tried to sound sympathetic but the truth was his fuse was already burned out and had been since he'd mopped up his friend's' blood. He just didn't have it in him to play nice anymore, especially with someone so damn grating.

"So if we catch her, I'm free to go......wonderful," Billy sighed. "I'll show you around. Though take my advice, and keep your head down. Not everyone in the business is as friendly as me." He was feeling a little stronger, and this time managed to work his legs over the side of the bed, and slowly stood up. "Not gonna be fun though, hunting Autumn..."

A restlessness comes over Autumn as she becomes more and more jittery. There wasn't much to do in this building and it isn't like she can just stroll on out of it in an attempt to find something to do. Call it her paranoia, but in her line of work she tends to make more enemies than friends. She considers taking a peek outside of the door to see if Serenity was nearing the cabin, but then she'd be just like a dog sulking over her owner. Her hands clench and release a few times as her better eye is trained on the door. She looks around for her weapon, "Lucky" only to find her belongings moved to the other side of the room. She sighs. Dammit Serenity, the hell am I suppose to protect myself without my gun?

'Yeah well it wasn't fun carrying my friends outta that bar, but we all have our burdens'. Wyatt knew that scoring cheap points wasn't going to help but he couldn't stop himself, the wound was still too raw. He'd griefed before, and he knew he still wasn't over it. He'd need time. Sighing he opened the cell door and returned to the office leaving Billy to his own devices. He had to prepare a small pack for traveling, this could take a day at least.

Ela wheezed again. When would this haze end? It must be the tonic. It was making time move as slow as molasses, again... Why couldn't she stop thinking about molasses. Was this an opiate she thought? She'd remembered the dens back during her visit to the city... She wasn't fond of the place, everyone was so busy and nosey and fast, fast like molasses isn't.... When was the last time she saw molasses, what even was molasses? She remembered being told to rub it into her boots when she was a girl to cover a crack in the leather. It was supposed to keep water from the stream out but it didn't work. What if the stream was made of molasses.... Could she taste it? She really wanted to taste some molasses....

'Damnit' Naomi hissed, she'd lost the girl Serenity. Why was she even doing this? It wasn't her business. Maybe it was a motherly sense of... Urhh... she didn't know how to finish that thought. She'd never very successfully cared about anyone before in her past and starting now... Her horse rearing with upset made her hiss once more. 'Settle lass....' Clearly she wasn't the only uncomfortable party. 'That damn girl' she muttered, 'what have you got yourself into now...'. Those supplies she asked for, her appearance at the shop, it was too just all too convenient to not be connected to the bar shooting... She was not one that subscribed to coincidences grace, she was a scientist, a woman of logic. Everything had a reason and the reason Serenity asked for those supplies... No this was CRAZY. She was over her head, following this girl along this road, all the way out her for what seemed like miles. On what? a hunch? Suspicions of a old witch her daddy would of said... She'd officially turned senile... 'Bennett, you're mad.'

Even if she was right, even if Serenity was treating some gunshot wound, some roguish handsome bandit sought by the law... What would she do? Help? Turn them in? She hadn't thought this through, she'd just acted on impulse and desire and raw emotion. That was not like her... She... Namoi waited just sitting in the road on her horse... Was this? What she thought it was...? How embarrassing... She moaned like an apathetic teenage and leaned over, burying her head in her horse's mane. 'Lass, I've... I'm a moron...'

The sound of a gunshot rings loud on the long stretch of dirt road running between the cabin and Perfection. This is followed by a raucous of hoops and hollers amidst another few gunshots. One final sound amidst the noise of certainly bandits is the sound of a horse crying out in pain. With this long stretch of road being fairly open, the sound carries fairly well. Some may chalk it up to another bandit attack on the lonely roads. A poor victim taken for their goods and their life for the fun of it. The gunshot breaches Autumn's ears through the wood logs and with shaky legs due to atrophy, she manages to wobble to the door. Once open, she peers out into the area, trying her best to see the action herself, obviously worried for her partner's safety.

The howl of coyotes in the night did not bother young Miklos. Many nights in the desert-lands around the ongtupqa, the Grand Canyon, gave Miklos plenty of experience with understanding the calls of nature. He had decided not to camp for the night, but to walk towards the nearest town he knew of. Travelling by night, he found, was far more efficient than travelling by day, even if he lacked in visual cues. He traveled not long in the night before coming upon a sleeping caravan. The people were unknown to him, but he recognized some of the patchwork on their clothes. These here men were former rebels, Patriots of the american colonies, now branded as outlaws by the Empire. Though far away, Miklos wondered what happened to France, whom had supported them, as well as the famous Benjamin Franklin. He remembered reading some of his almanacs and enjoying them.

What was the purpose of these mens' travels, were they escaping or reinforcing some regiment? Though Miklos knew little of the military jargon he had heard the term used enough to have a working understanding of the english word. His foot steps disturbed one of the sleeping soldiers and he woke with a start. Miklos counted himself lucky that he had not been shot outright.

Billy slowly stood up from the bed, wincing now and then as little spikes of pain jabbed at him with each move. But whoever the doctor in town was, they had done a pretty good job, as he was able to walk, albeit slowly, around the cell. His hands pressed against the walls, or the bars, depending on which was closest at the time, supporting him as he walked.

He made his way out of the cell, wandering over to the sheriff's desk. Billy was doubtful, but he was hoping his stuff was there. If nothing else, he'd have appreciated a shirt.

'Decided to crawl outta the dungeon..?' Wyatt said pulling himself away from his pack and towards a box of guns and items retrieved from The Yeoman. He pulled one of the less bloodied shirts from the box and threw it in Billy's direction. From front to back it was soaked in the blood of Butch Prase, the bullet hole that killed him having singed the entry wound under the front breast pocket. It was morbid to hand over a dead man's shirt still wetted from his blood. 'Here dress yourself' he said calmly, Wyatt knew he'd have to uncuff Billy so he could get the shirt on but he wanted to hear him ask for it.

Gunshots? Naomi reared her head sideways. 'Serenity!?' She yelled. Where did that come from? She listened again, letting the wind settle but no other sound was made. Despite this something in her, instinct perhaps, told her it came from the ridge to the West... The slow incline characterised by dense shrubbery and foliage hid most of it from view. She'd never traveled so far out before, she couldn't even see a road but she felt like she had to do something, anything... With one sharp kick to the side Naomi's horse vehemently whinnied, rising up towards the incline.

Something in Autumn's heart, something deep down inside of her cold heart, pushed the physical pain she was feeling aside and forced her into action. She hurried to her belongings as fast as her sleepy legs would let her. She threw on her clothes over her bandages and grabbed her pistol in case of any hostile forces. She hobbles out of the cabin and makes her way for her horse. With the usual difficulty of getting onto her horse due to her height, it is compounded by her depth perception being affected by her eye being covered by a bandage. She mounts the horse and with a kick to the sides, the horse takes off, being directed towards the location in which she believes the sound of the gunshots had been.

Picking the shirt off from the ground, Billy did his best to ignore the blood stains. His cuffs clinked as the metal chains rubbed together, and he stared at Wyatt, eyes barely hinting at irritation. "Mind uncuffing me, please?"

Wyatt plucked up at the request fixing his posture. 'You better not try anything, I won't hesitate to shoot you...' He precariously approached, pulling a key from his belt and snapping it into the cuffs. Stepping back from Billy, Wyatt rested his hand on his pistol's grip. 'Make it quick he said', wanting the uncertainty that came with a cuffed prison to end. All his years as a ranger had taught him that the most dangerous people in the world are the ones who had nothing left to lose, and Wyatt's perspective there wasn't much left of Billy to begin with.


Naomi's vision blurred, she couldn't hear or smell or think. All of her senses were merging into one confused mess of motion and excitement. Her horse kicked wildly and with no control, spooning dust and dirt in its wake leaving blooms of earthy miasma like breadcrumbs. 'Serenity!?' she screamed again and again, her throat sore and raspy. 'Serenity?!' she asked one more time. She needed something, anything, a sign that she could follow. Not that she even knew if she was going the right direction anymore, she was a mess.

She snapped the reigns of her horse back, with a forceful kick and neigh she slowed. 'SERENITY!?'... Naomi hadn't brought a weapon, let alone owned one. It wasn't something she'd ever needed, but... What if these were the famed bandits picking on her friend? The very same ones that have again and again raided her caravans?! What was she going to do? Stand there? She shook herself, wiping her head around to try and orientate herself... She was lost...

Dust, rocks, and dirt kick up behind Autumn's horse. Her heart beating, pounding hard and fast in her chest. Most likely faster than her own horse's. Her head cranes around, trying her hardest to see any evidence that she's getting closer to the source the gunshots could be heard from. She catches a silhouette hobbling down the road toward the town. With a snap of the reins, the her horse fires off in their direction. Within a short amount of time, she reaches the hobbling person who had stopped the second they heard the galloping. At the first look, Autumn can tell they were beat up extremely badly. Their clothes are a mess, blood is splattered all over the fabric and leather. She can tell this man had been through something horrific. Through a dry voice, she speaks to him. "You look like a cowpie covered in blood. The hell happened to ya?"

Through a battered eye the man looks at Autumn. The man hugs himself, evidently trying to hold his ribs in place. "Gang.. came outta nowhere. Tied.. me up, drug me along the roads 'ere." He says with difficulty. "And them gunshots? They were them shootin at ya?" Autumn asks to which he shakes his head. "Nah... They found dis 'ere woman on 'er 'orse. She put up a fight, they..." The man trails off as his eyes begin to go blank. Autumn's heart races again. "You get up on this horse and point me in the direction. I wanna know who the hell you saw." The man shakes his head as vehemently as he can. "Town... I gotta.. treat my wounds" He says. Autumn scowls at the excuse and points at him then down the road to Perfection. "Town is a few miles out from here. You'll die if you walk. You have some options and they all end with you dyin, but if you help me out you can be a hero. If I take you into town now, I'll be losin daylight on whoever the fuck it is you saw that gang take. I really don't need to lose that. Now you get up on this horse and help save that girl's life." Autumn says coldly, no emotion in telling him that he'd die today but she stays optimistic that this woman the gang dropped this heap off for was still alive. The man sighs and takes a second to think, "Fine, the name's Denny." The man says, as he slowly climbs on the horse behind Autumn.

"I didn't ask." She says bluntly

From her position, Naomi can barely make out the form of two objects laying out on the side of the road. One obviously larger than the other. It is unclear just what they are due to her distance from them.

His movements were still a little stiff, getting the shirt on and all. And that it was wet with blood didn't help--the damned thing would keep sticking to his skin. Grunting as he got his arms through the right holes, Billy sighed as he finally got the shirt on. "Alright," he said to Wyatt. "Feel free to slap the cuffs on again."

The whole thing was a mixed bag. These were patriots, sure, but they were headed off to some fort town. A settlement set up to repel the British. Had some kind of new technology. The way Miklos figured it, he could travel with these men, protected, arrive safely somewhere over the bloom. Or he could go with them as far as the next town they were destined for and drop off there. He weighed the two choices heavily against the other. He spent the night at their camp and set off with them in the morning. Despite the wagon full of junk and most of the men being on foot, they made good time and by midmorning they were arriving at a small town. respite with train tracks being laid down. Soon to be an up and coming hustle-and-bustle sort of place.

It was there that Miklos separated from the group of militant folk. "See ya." he said as he walked away - uncharismatic like. One of the man spat and whispered "foreigner." under his tongue. So there was Miklos in a new place, just as dirty as the last, new faces all around, but all the same types of folks.

Naomi overcome with emotion and distraught at how pathetic and loveless her life is pulls out her revolver and shoots herself in the head. Her temple explodes leaving a pulpy unrecognisable mess.

Meanwhile El asleep and unaware begins to choke on her own vomit, convulsing and gurrling she kicks the sheets to the floor. No one hears her and she dies alone never having found the answers she was looking for.

That's life though, filled with a shit load of unanswered questions and no matter how good you do it, no matter how many times you get it right, you'll regret something. The best thing to do is move on. There's no one at either of their funerals that cares enough to say any words and there and their buried three feet down in purpose graves. The pastor want's to say there's a lesson to be learned in this but his eyes betray him as he fully accepts the futility of his own existence.


x0xx0

As it so happened, there was trouble to be had in this little town. Miklos stayed in a room above the physician's shop, that he paid for with time spent helping the doctor make some of his medicines. Off-put by his accent and awkward demeanor, the doctor could not help but notice his skill in medicine making. Miklos was trained by a british doctor first and a medicine man second. The skills from the latter cross into the modern view of medicine quite easily. The had a working relationship, but nothing personal, and Miklos was happy with that. He had no intention of getting too close with anyone in, what he considered, a transient town. Not to say there were no pleasant folk to be had. The Preacher and himself had some interesting conversations, as did some of the young lasses who came to town from a nearby farmstead. And the local Teacher, not that he had much of a class to teach. The boys were rowdy, undisciplined, and no girl attended class - with good reason, Miklos suspected an smothering boy to be the problem there. Or boys. These patriot frontiersman were something of a sight to see. Lacking in intelligence, but persistent.

"Talk" Autumn says coldly, to which the man named Denny feels a chill run up his spine. The galloping horse doesn't do him any favors as his sources of pain increase in intensity. "They take you anywhere?" Autumn says, trying to manipulate the conversation. Denny shakes his head but then furrows his brow as he begins to think, "Well, maybe they did. I remember us stoppin' then their voices began to echo. Maybe a cave?" He says nervously. "Closest cave to this area is a fair distance off. If I recall it's the one just outside of Providence." Autumn says, her own brow furrowing in contemplation. I don't know anyone in control of that area, maybe some new faces decided to try to crop up? Maybe a splinter group who wanted to get away from their bossman? "Did they identify themselves or did any names stick out to ya?" She asks, putting on her best detective persona. "Walker.. the name Walker came up a couple of times." At this revelation, Autumn's eyes suddenly go wide. Walker. Craig Walker? He was always had the tendency to run his mouth off too much but I didn't think he actually had the gall to splinter off from Graves. Maybe it's someone else.

"Did they call out to the woman at all?" Denny shrugs in response, "I was too busy bein drug along to notice any name callin'." Autumn nods, she snaps the reins once more telling the horse to pick up the pace. Her left hand hovers over her holster and in a quick motion, she brings it out, brings it around her torso keeping it as level as she can while pointing it at Denny and fires.