≫ Barrow Peak │ GXB Western RP│ P

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    “You know, maybe I am.” She retorted, a playful look on her face as her head spun to face him. Her hair in reaction sprayed out, before landing softly back against her shoulders- it even seemed to bounce a little the way she was walking- quick but confidently. She had noticed Martha however, and she paused, her own eyes narrowing. Glancing at Clyde, she figured it simply just wasn’t worth it, and looked away. She looked like a witch anyways. She just softly grabbed Clyde’s arm, and pulled him along. Maybe half of her did want to see the woman explode with mild anger as well. Once outside the building, she steered them towards the general store, and relaxed more. She slowed down so it didn’t seem like she was dragging the man along.



    “How would you know how I slept? You were out faster than a flame during a rainstorm, and by the way, snored louder than an angry mountain lion.” She chuckled, shaking her head for emphasis as they continued their way across the dirt. She cast a glance over at their horses- glad to see they were still there at least. She was brought back to him however when he said not to spend her money on him, and she snorted, looking away. “It’s barely anything- I have quite a bit, enough for stuff like this. Plus, you ain’t the only one in dire need of supplies.” She gazed at him for a moment, and her features were soft: caring, but only for a few fleeting moments before she realized she shouldn’t let that show.


    Walking into the general store, she left him to his own devices. “Find yourself a shirt, and whatever else you think we might need.” She informed before wandering away. It wasn’t overly busy, but there was quite a few bodies inside. Women barely dressed and some of the men who were all over them- but you’d see that no matter where you went in Burkshire or any outlaw run town. Marigold just sighed as she walked around, looking at some blouses- since she had earlier ripped hers to aid Clyde with his arm. She’d hear from Ryker soon she hoped, and it wasn’t like he wouldn’t be able to find them with his men posted everywhere. She kept an eye on Clyde though, best she could at these distances, but she did feel pangs of jealousy when women around him seemed to take interest. Yet, why should she care? They were only working together.. nothing more.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by Dearis ().

    Of course he noticed right away how Marigold reacted when Martha glared daggers at them, it surprise him a little, but he didn't object. A hint of a smile came over his lips as they entered the store. At least it wasn't overly crowded like the bar, but that was to be expected in this kind of town. He glanced around briefly glancing back at her shaking his head. He still would rather she didn't pay for everything. He didn't like owing people and her buying stuff for him made him feel like he needed to pay her back. Maybe later he'd be able to pay her back somehow. He had talked to a guy at the bar he knew from way back, before she had gotten there. He was a horse trader and he promised to look at them and come up with an offer. Maybe he could pay her back then.


    He strolled over towards where they had shirts stacked up. Normally he probably just would have picked up the first shirt he saw. This time he was a little smarter, grabbing a few dark shirts so in case his wound started bleeding again it wouldn't be near as obvious. Clyde stiffened when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Whirling around to meet whoever it was he was surprised to see it was one of the women who had been eyeing him up and down like a piece of meat. He hadn't missed them, but he also hadn't really humored them much either. Slowly stepping back he turned away without another word. For some reason he glanced over in Marigold's direction to see if she had caught that and what her reaction was. Of course it shouldn't matter...it didn't matter right? He pushed whatever that thought was out of his head. Instead he focused on grabbing a few things they might need, more bullets, some provisions, all standard fare. Pausing at the cheap liquor on display he sighed looking at them for a moment before moving away. It wasn't something they needed, just a bad vice he had.


    Moving to meet her back at the blouses he held the items loosely in his good arm, still trying to keep from using his hurt arm too much. "I think we've got everything." He looked down at what was in his hands sighing when he dropped a few cans on the floor. Leaning over he awkwardly bent down to get them.

    Marigold had just kept her eyes on the selection, at least she had tried desperately to.. But her gaze kept flickering back and forth between the shelves and Clyde. She had picked up a tan blouse, eyeing it and examining the way it looked, before she caught movement out of the corner of her eyes. She stiffened seeing the woman approach Clyde- she looked ready to walk over, but blinked as she watched Clyde simply shift away, and then their eyes met. She instantly flushed, sheepishly smiling at him and quickly averted her gaze. She hadn't been pleased another woman was near him- and that reaction gave it all away. She just gently clutched another blouse, and picked up the tan one- she had two. Two was more than enough, since she could cycle washing the three if it came to it in their various stops along the way to Barrow Peak.


    When he came over, she was still embarrassed, but did notice his slight struggle. Just as she reached for relieve some of the things he was carrying, he dropped some cans. They landed with gentle thuds, but luckily didn't roll far. She bent down as well to grab it, but instead wound of gently grasping his hand. She blinked in a rather confused manner, but a cough reminded her to let go, and she quickly secured a can that had began rolling away, and any others that had ended up on the ground. She helped him get back straight without dropping anything else, and then led him over to pay. Marigold hadn't gone unnoticed either, however, but she was good at showing a lack of interest. She didn't know why, but every time she felt Clyde even glance at her, she felt a giddiness that she never felt with other men. Maybe it was just the thrill of their adventure... had to be. Refocusing on buying the items, Marigold placed them down, and tossed quite a few coins in the shop-keepers direction. He thanked her, and off they went once more. Marigold sighed gently as they headed for the door, and slipped out between two men sort of blocking the way, but it didn't seem like it was really on purpose. "Is there anything else we have to do? Otherwise... We're simply just waiting for Ryker."


    He reached down to get one of the cans and was a little bit caught off guard when he felt her hand on his instead. Well, that was a tiny bit awkward. Slowly he drew his hand back and rubbing the back of his neck. Why was he so worried about accidentally touching Marigold's hand? That was a question he didn't really know or want the answer to. Going back to picking up the last of the cans Clyde seemed a little distracted watching her from the corner of his eye. Nothing he did made much sense to him at the moment. Moving to the counter he set the things down getting it all on the counter without spilling it luckily. Glancing at the other people around he raised a brow at the looks some of the guys were shooting at her while several of them had women already trying to get their attention. It perplexed him to see women practically throwing themselves at men that looked like they had been kicked in the face by a horse or took a shotgun blast to the face. He stepped in between the least ugly guy's gaze on her not saying anything until they were all rung up. Taking the stuff he moved to follow her out.


    Seeing the two guys standing in the way he brushed past them shaking his head. He had to hold the stuff close so he didn't end up loosing it again. Once he finally made it out he turned to glance at Marigold. "Found an old horse trader I know, he said he was going to take a look at those horses we brought with us. Want to go see if we can find him?" There was no urgency in his request. They could sit here and wait to hear from Ryker or they could go on and see if they could find the guy he knew. It didn't matter much to him, although they should at least probably drop all these supplies in their saddle bags. "Think Ryker will take a while to decide.?" He asked ideally glancing around for a moment and then looked up bac kat the sky. It was already far past sunrise, so he wondered when Ryker planned to come tell them.

    She had noticed his shift in placement, but couldn't overly see why he had done it, just glanced around almost a bit nervously like she should be afraid. Yet, a small smile was on her face... She liked that he seemed to want to keep her safe, even if sometimes he didn't need to. She followed him out, but did ponder about his inquiries, gently biting her lip as she contemplated what they should do. "We can go try and find that man... Ryker never was very timely," She admitted sourly. She nodded in response to him asking if she believed Ryker would take a while to decide. "I suppose it has been a while since I last saw him, and he's changed quite a bit..." She let out a slow breath, the sound exaggerated into a sigh, before focusing on him. "I'll just follow you, but let's put our things with the horses." She walked in the direction of where they were tied up, but she didn't walk away from Clyde, instead she waited until he was walking next to her, matching his stride best she could. He was a little taller than her, so his strides were longer.


    Once she had placed her things in the saddle bags, she patted the horse's neck, smiling as it happily ate the hay that was given to them overnight since they needed the food. They treated horses right, if not the people. But she did look back at Clyde, and walked over to stand with him. "Where to?" She asked curiously. She wasn't sure how Clyde had run into someone who would be willing to buy the horses, but she couldn't complain. The money would be Clyde's, since it was his idea... and she was sure he'd need it. She wished she could pay him more than what she was going to, but she couldn't. Yet, the thought of being finished through relieving was also heart breaking. She had grown fond of the man's company.


    Marigold followed after him to where he led, glancing around at the town quietly. Burkshire wasn't nearly as bad as she remembered, but perhaps the days were a bit better when the bandits she could recall weren't walking the shopline. She wondered why they had left. But she did slow her pace to walk behind Clyde a little, and she just watched him, the way he walked and moved- and found herself smiling a bit. What was wrong with her? This wasn't good.

    Chuckling softly at her admission that the Sheriff wasn't very timely about anything. That would have been pretty handy knowledge if here were to try and rob something. But, this definitely wasn't the town to do it in. Not to mention he had seen Ryker's glorified posse before. Walking his way over to the horses he slid his shirts and the rest of the supplies into the bags. He mumbled a brief greeting to the horses smiling to eat one of them. He always preferred horses over people. Chuckling as one of the horses began nosing him to find if he was hiding anything and then pulled away when it found nothing of interest. Making sure everything was still right with their horse he stopped and looked from the bar and then to the stables. It was a fifty-fifty shot where he was now. Tipping his head to the side he decided to try the stables first. "He's a real short guy in a bowler hat can't miss him." Clyde glanced over his shoulder. He did wonder for a moment why she was watching him as he walked, but just shrugged it off.


    Walking into the massive wooden barn he started searching and scanning for the little guy. The only reason he had recognized the little guy was when he saw only the top of a bowler moving around. He was glad his suspicions had been correct. Clyde had been one of his best customers at one point after all. "Scout? Ya here man?" He boomed out glancing down the long aisle of stalls. One stall at the other end of the barn slowly swung open revealing a short stocky man clenching a cigar hard in his teeth with a beat old bowler hat resting on his brow. "Why don't you shout a little louder? I don't think they heard you next county over." He grumbled rolling his eyes. He stood in the halls his arms crossed and was looking at them up and down like they were horses themselves. "Who's this pretty filly?" He asked pulling out his cigar and flicking the end of it carelessly.


    For some reason at that question Clyde narrowed his eyes a little. The horse trader laughed seeing this rolling his eyes. "I didn't know she was riding with you. I figured most girls would be smart enough to avoid you like the plague." He chuckled at his own joke, although Clyde's jaw seemed to untense a bit at the joke. He didn't even know why it was tense in the first place. He was going to have some stuff to sort out later for sure. "Horses, Scout." He responded back just wanting to get their money. "Horses too, basically anything that breaths would be smarter to not be around you." Giving a gruff chuckle again he ambled himself over to the pair. It was clear now just how short he really was, dwarfed next to Clyde or even Marigold.

    Marigold seemed skeptical of this man- and his blatant disregard for dropping the burning cigar inside a highly flammable barn made her frown. She didn’t even seem pleased by his comment, but she parted her lips to speak, “Marigold.” The name was precise and she didn’t even try and sound kind while saying it. Clearly he’d hit a nerve early on. Shaking her head, the woman ignored how she felt- she didn’t want to sour the deal simply because she was being snappy.


    She seemed surprised however when he said most women avoided Clyde. “Are you sayin’ I’m not smart?” She looked and sounded offended. “I’d be watchin’ what you say, even if you think it’s a joke.” Her voice was more of a grumble, and she looked at Clyde- almost apologetically, yet there had been a hint of amusement as well. Glancing back to the man, she lightly crossed her arms. “We’re lookin’ to sell two beautiful horses.” She chimed in, “Trained- to come their owner’s whistle.” It wasn’t overly a lie, but she wasn’t sure they’d come to just anyone. It probably did have to be a specific whistle, and no one really taught their horses something like that, so it was fairly unique. Made them more valuable, didn’t it? She seemed to gently put on some charm- a smile on her face. “Shall we take you for a look?”


    (( apologies, I’ve been busy all day. ))

    The little man blinked at how hostile they both were, especially not really expecting Clyde to be associating with women who weren't his normal style. Of course what did he know. Throwing his hands up he looked at Clyde briefly. "Ain't mean nothing by it." He snapped back his cigar bobbing in his mouth as he spoke. Clyde kept his eyes narrowed making the horse trader very uneasy. Clearing his throat he turned to look towards the door. "Alright let's go see theses horses you've got." Walking between the pair of them the little guy shuffled his way out. Clyde sighed and shrugged lightly waiting until the little guy was out of ear shot. "He pays good on horses. That's the only reason I haven't knocked him upside the head already." Clyde explains with a slight smile before making his way out to follow him. Clyde only did business with Scout since he didn't ask any questions.


    By the time they got out the horse trader in the bowler hat was already beside the two extra horses checking their legs and picking up their hooves. He threw his beat hat up in the air and got no reaction from either on of them. He stood back looking them over glancing at the pair of them. "One of you go down the street and whistle at them." Waving his hand dismissively Clyde sighed and walked down a ways he turned around and blasted a loud whistle back. The two horses perked their head up looking in his direction.


    After that Clyde brought himself back going to stand beside Marigold again. "Decent horses I guess I'll give you like twenty-five a piece for them." The horse trader shrugged simply his cigar curling up with a grin he had on his face. Clyde shook his head slightly. "You'll sell them for a lot more then that. I want at least fifty a piece." The gunslinger responded quite firmly.

    Marigold snorted gently, and she looked like an angry lion. She did force it away however, and focused on Clyde- he didn't make her angry and it was a good way to calm down. She followed after him as he headed for the door, but paused when he did. She gave a soft chuckle when he commented, "I understand that," She did seem to find it humorous, and had a smile on her face instead of a scowl now that he had made a joke like that. She walked out of the barn but glanced back in at the other horses, they seemed content.. Well, she didn't feel overly bad for them, then. Once outside she gently shifted her hat to shield her eyes, feeling the rays beat down on her face but now, with her hat shifted, it heated her dark hair, and she gently bit her lip feeling the heat burn inside her slowly. She hated going from shade to sun- it made her boil.


    She watched as the man tossed about his hat, and checked their legs and feet. They looked like they had been well taken care of, and she didn't doubt it either. Horses were a man's only source of transport besides the train, and the tracks it needed to run wasn't done yet. The indigenous made sure of that, but she couldn't overly blame them. Her father thought quite differently. Her gaze followed Clyde as he walked down to the end of the road a ways, and whistled. She relaxed seeing the horses react, that was good. She wasn't sure they would respond to just any whistle, but perhaps they would figure it out, or whatever new owner they got could teach them a new one to respond to. She focused back on the short man as he began talking, and softly put her hands on her hips.

    "Fifty a piece is a bargain for you much as him," she pointed out, "you could sell them for far more just like Clyde pointed out, and there's not a thing wrong with 'em. They are sturdy, healthy, and the added bonus of comin' to a whistle. What we're askin' is cheap compared to what someone else would." She was clearly trying to swing this in their favour- she didn't believe he was going to be easy to bargain with but she liked the challenge. "Not to mention they didn't cost you nothin' to train," She guessed that did make it sound like they had trained them themselves, but who's to say they didn't? He would have no way of knowing for sure.

    Clyde was glad he could make her smile before they had to talk prices with him. Scout and him both weren’t really smiling now. Both of them look like they were trying to look like the scarier guy, although Scout wasn’t exactly a good looking guy it was clear Clyde could win against him if they came to blows. The horse trader sighed rolling his eyes as he looked over the two animals trying to make up his mind on on if this was worth it to fight this. “Yeah, but I got feed these things until I can find a buyer.” He motioned to the horses waving his hand up and down. “Any desperate outlaw would buy a good horse for whatever price you ask.” Pointing out the obvious he nodded in agreement with Marigold. He appreciated her backing him up on this.


    The trader sighed loudly mulling it over for a few moments. There wasn’t anything he loved more than money. “Fine fifty a piece and not a cent more.” He muttered pulling out a wad of money from his pocket and counted out a hundred out it. Noticing the men around perking ip at seeing the money in his hand he used his free hand to pat the big piece at his side for anyone who wanted to try and take his money from him. “Bunch a low-life’s.” He muttered offering the money to Clyde bitting down on the end of his cigar. Taking up the money he smiled again. “Pleasure doing business with ya.” He chuckled ignoring the glare that Scout gave him as he handed over the money. “Yeah yeah let’s hope that these horses are worth it.” Of course he was just being difficult since he would make his money back even if they weren’t trained all that well. Scout tipped his black bowler hat to Marigold and Clyde before waddling back towards the barn to get some help getting the horses.


    Clyde turned to look at Marigold the smile on his face a victorious one. He got more then he thought he thought he would. He pulled out fifty and offered it to her Marigold. “For the drinks and shirts.” He clearly wanted to make things right. “At least I’ll have some money in case I get stuck up again.” He laughed making a joke of the fact he didn’t have any cash when the two bandits had stuck them up earlier.

    Marigold had smiled, glad to see together they could win in bartering at least, but she looked at Clyde, watching him and Scout interact. It was interesting how the two of them seemed to try and size up the other, and ironic that Scout was trying to be the bigger man. Once he handed over the money, she softly chuckle, tipping her hat in response to Scout's before she watched Clyde. She seemed surprised when he held out the coin, and she gently refused. "You earned it, not me." She smiled back in response. She got closer, seemingly going to walk past but she shifted, and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. She wasn't sure why, but she did. Before she moved away from him, and went over to their own horses.


    Moments later, there was the gentle plod of hooves on the hardened earth, and over came Ryker. The man pulled his horse to a gentle stop. "Ar' y'all comin'?" He questioned with a slight smirk. Marigold seemed to brighten hearing that he was in fact going to come and help them out. Thank the gods for that... "I saw you makin' deals with lil' Scout. Good on ya for bargainin'," He was looking at Clyde, dipping his hat. His comment had been directed towards him. She was glad to see Ryker was trying to be civil at least. "Now I reckon we gon' get outta here," He motioned towards the horizon. "She waits," He was talking about the sun. If someone thought Marigold was strange, Ryker was definitely worse. He slurred so much it was easier to understand a bab just figuring out words.


    She hurriedly went over to Clyde, "Do you need help getting on?" She asked with a small smile, but she could feel her cheeks burn even being near him. It was dangerous, but half of her was enjoying that thrill. If he did need her help, she readily offered it, and once he was on, she untied and hopped on her own. Ryker led the way out of town, and Marigold let her horse walk next to Clyde's, if he wasn't trying to avoid her or anything of the sort because of what she had done. She stared longingly at the horizon however, she missed Barrow Peak. It was a beautiful place, and where her ma had her. Yet, that was so long ago.... Who knew if it was still the same? "Barrow Peak ey darlin'?" Ryker questioned, and when he received a nod he himself slowly bobbed his cranium in the same fashion. "Reckon we make stops alon' the way, it's a long journey up that way."

    Left dumbstruck and holding out the money he was surprised to say the least. It was really just a little peck on the cheek. He brought up his hand to the cheek she had kissed and stared after her still awestruck. It was a funny feeling...not many girls could make him speechless with only a kiss on the cheek. Sliding the money back in his pocket he let his arm drop away from his cheek. Before he could follow it up with a question as to why she had just done it Ryker showed up ready to hit the road already. He started to walk his way over towards his horse turning to look at Ryker while he put a little of his money to hide it in his saddle bags. Giving a crooked smile he pushed his hat back a bit. “Scout’s a tough customer.” He shrugged and patted his horse.


    He looked over the horse trying to decide if he was going to try and get on it or not. His arm was doing much better, but it still made his life that much hard. Turning to hear Mari he turned and opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t seem to get his words out. So instead he smiled and nodded using her help to get in the saddle. Grunting he righted himself in the saddle and started off after Ryker. Letting his horse amble along beside Marigold’s he got over his momentary embarrassment. He tipped his head a little curious as he looked between the pair. “What is Barrow Peak even like? Never been up to that part of the country.” He asked ideally laying his hand on leg to keep his arm for getting too jostled. He had never been up that far. He had been up to a lot of territory around there, but the outlaw only went somewhere if he was on a job or had to lay low.

    Marigold allowed a smile to break her monotone face when he accepted her help- she had been trying to act like she did nothing, but she had to admit seeing him so dumbfounded by her action left her feeling pretty happy, and proud of herself to make an outlaw like him silence just from a small kiss on the cheek. She helped him up onto his horse, but once she was on her own, she gently clasped the horn, her body gently moving with the horse's steps, making her sway. She was enjoying this, and the idea of having three people on their trek made her feel relaxed. She was confident they could all protect each other...



    When he spoke up, she gazed at him thoughtfully- clearly she was pleased by the question he asked, and her eyes seemed hazy as she smiled, consumed by her memories. "When I was there, it was rolling hills... trees, gardens... birds," she slowly breathed out, and looked ahead at the horizon, "it's every person's dream place... It's quiet, the wind was always gentle... it was heaven on earth." She fell silent, before softly laughing, and shook her head, "sorry... I just remembered when I was younger, ma was trying to teach me how to knit, and I just kept pretending I was riding in the distant hills, singing at the top of my lungs and prancing around her," she could hear a chuckle from Ryker, "but I'm not so sure it's still like that... I mean, that was so many years ago, and once ma died... the memories did too." She swallowed her sorrow, and her gaze became downcast. "With the building of the railway, and what my father's men are doing... It's likely not like that anymore." She murmured, pain barely evident in her voice.



    Ryker glanced back at her, "Is'no as bad as ya think, up there." He said, which made Marigold look up, "Ya not as many rollin' hills an' mountain 'scapes but... Still pretty." He added, yet she didn't seem convinced. She wanted to believe it, but anything the man said she took with a grain of salt. She didn't respond to Ryker, but looked at Clyde. "Where did you grow up?" She asked curiously. "Now now baby girl, ya don' ask no outlaw that." Ryker piped in but Marigold just gently glared. "I don' ask ya." She replied mockingly, a smile on her face. Ryker rolled his eyes but kept to himself after that.

    Clyde looked out on the horizon trying to imagine how it would have looked by what she described. He could imagine the country and smiled slightly when she described her fancies as a kid. He could remember some fuzzy memories of times like that, when he thought being a gunslinger was the greatest thing and the only downside was that you wouldn't be able to stay too long in one place. "Sounds like it was a pretty place to grow up at." Funny how when he was young he just dreamed of being anywhere else and now he would kill to go back in the past and be a kid again. He nodded somberly staying silent for a time. Clyde glanced at Marigold briefly to make sure she was alright. Of course he shouldn't care as much as he did.


    He settled the reins on his horse's neck relaxing in the saddle since it was going to be a long journey with a lot of stops along the way, so there was no reason for him to be tense the whole ride. Although he relaxed physically he blinked for a moment at hearing her question. It wasn't one he really expected. His eyes moved briefly to Ryker at his insistence not to ask an outlaw about his past. Scratching at the stubble on his jaw he was questioning if he should tell her about where he himself had come from and if so how much he should say. He was more inclined to tell her since she had shared much of her own past. Finally he shrugged and turned ot look towards Marigold shifting in the saddle so he could look at her easier resting his hurt arm lightly on the saddle horn.


    "Grew up in a flat landscape you could see men riding towards town for days." Clyde sighed shaking his head slightly as he looked down at the ground between them. "It wasn't really a bad place, but it wasn't that good of place either. A lot of blood feuds and that kind of stuff." He laughed softly shaking his head a bit.

    “I didn’t really grow up there for long,” she admitted quietly, sighing as she fixed her hat atop her head. She felt similarly, sad that she couldn’t return to the times of being a child. Nothing mattered back then, and perhaps a part of her wished for that family perfect past once again. Her father had grown cold after her death- or at least hadn’t shown it then… maybe things would have gone differently. She didn’t seem to want to dwell on the topic however and shook her head, casting a glance to Ryker who was quietly whistling as he rode along, her own horse quite happily plodding after Ryker’s almost mindlessly. Definitely more of a follower, it seemed! When Clyde glanced her way however, she had gently wiped her cheek, where a small, glimmering tear had begun falling but she’d caught it, and quickly put up her façade once more, she wouldn’t be seen crying in front of these two.


    When Clyde began speaking she smiled- she was glad he felt comfortable enough to share… but she did still notice the hesitation- the lack of want to share. She almost felt bad for asking, but she wanted to learn more about this outlaw… though she was not entirely sure why. She appeared disappointed- but that was simply because he had said so little. She had been more curious as to what he had grown up like- about his parents… but she had no right to know those things. Thus, she just laughed when he did, softly shaking her head as she leaned back and straightened out her legs to get more comfortable. “Well I’m glad y’all ar’ sharin’ stories an’ such, but much as I love listenin’ to ya lovebirds, silence is gol’en.” Ryker decided to input his own opinion, which just received him a nasty glare from Marigold.


    Marigold did however fall silent, but she kept her eyes on Ryker. The man seemed to know he had won by the smirk on his face, “We ain’t lovers,” Marigold said- yet why did the idea of that make her heart flutter? Ryker just rolled his eyes with a great amount of emphasis. “Shure as ‘ell sound like it!” He laughed, but Marigold just grimaced, weekly showing her teeth in a fake smile. Ryker did get on her nerves sometimes- even if he was going to be great help, he’d definitely speak up if he was annoyed. She only listened because she did need him around.

    He might of just caught her flicking away a tear, of course he wouldn't say he saw it. She obviously hadn't meant for either one of them to see that. So, he pretended not to instead glancing back Ryker's direction seeing him just riding along humming to himself. They really did make quite the odd company to be sure. He rode in silence for a few brief seconds mulling over the fact he had left a lot of things vague. Maybe soon, just not right now in front of Ryker. He shouldn't get to know everyone's backstory before this journey was over. He hadn't really told anyone about his roots. Instead he kept that fact close to his chest. Raising a brow at Ryker it wasn't the first time they got taunted as lovers. It would be easy to get embarrassed about the fact and he would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling some kind of fondness for Marigold. Of course he most certainly wasn't going to say that one. "You think we should like lovers now? You ain't seen nothing yet." He laughed clearly taking it as more of a challenge then he should have. He kicked his horse into a trot and trotting a circle around her smiling before settling his horse back down beside her. Seizing the reins in his hurt side he lightly took Marigold's free hand and cleared his throat.

    "It is my lady, O, It is my love!

    O, that she knew she were!" Clyde quoted Romeo and Juliet easily flowing over the words with practiced precision.


    Chuckling he kissed Marigold's hand like the old knights had done before letting it go. "Romeo and Juliet. Now those were what lovers sound like." Only a handful of people knew how to read in any given place around here, maybe one could read the bible and normally only actors ever read the barb with far west. Clyde glanced over at Ryker. He was just gnerally having a bit of fun at the moment. Giving the horse back his head he went into a comfortable silence trying to see how much of the play he could actually recall. It had been quite a while.

    Marigold had begun losing herself in her own thoughts but was snatched from them when she heard Clyde's voice pick up with a large amount of enthusiasm. She blinked as he commented about them being lovers, and stared dumbfounded as he circled her horse, pulling the reins so he didn't run his horse into her own. She was startled even more so when he took hold of her hand and began spewing out lines from Romeo and Juliet. She had never read it herself, her mother liked to quote it, but she seemed stunned that a man like Clyde had read it... It was uncommon that most people even knew how to read, so this was astonishing.


    She seemed utterly captivated as he continued, and her face filled with colour as he kissed her hand, and slowly took her hand away as the man finished. She quickly glanced at Ryker, who seemed shocked himself and seeing the look on Marigold's face, burst out laughing. "Oi, ya are smitt'n!" He mocked her, and if it were even possible, her face got darker. "Am not!" She barked back, glaring at him through her embarrassment which was clear in the gunmetal blue depths of her eyes. She quickly altered her gaze to Clyde and coughed gently. "True lovers yes... but ain't it true that they both die in the end, only one left is that girl Romeo left for Juliet?" She questioned, trying to ignore the prodding Ryker was doing simply with his eyes. She had to figure out a way to get him back for that later, and as much as she might deny it aloud, she was beginning to enjoy the company of Clyde, but not just as a person, but as a man. The way her heart had pounded when he took her hand proved it to her.


    As if in an attempt to lift the embarrassment from the air, the woman shifted in her saddle, her legs straightening out as she lifted herself, and smiled as she glanced at Clyde with a mischevious gleam in her eyes. Suddenly, she took hold of his hat, and kicked her horse into a canter, quickly gaining distance ahead of them kicking up dirt and dust. Ryker rolled his eyes but quickly hurried after her. "Ain't she a charmer." He scoffed but even he seemed mildly amused. Maybe he believed she was going to get it for stealing the man's hat. Their hat meant a lot to them- but he knew she wouldn't lose it, and that she'd give it back.

    Smiling a bit cheekly as he saw how red her face got after he kissed her hand. It might have been pay back for her kiss on his cheek, but he also wasn’t complaining about the Kisangani on the cheek either. He kept smiling even through Ryker teasing her about being in love. Rubbing the wound on his arm his smug smile lost some of its smugness and he did end up feeling slightly bad for embarrassing her. Nodding his head he pushed his brim down to hide from the angry sun which was already hanging overhead. “Yeah the best way to survive in Shakespeare is to have as few lines as possible.” Smiling he thought of all the plays he had read. Of course the different use of language used to give him headaches, but it also was mixed with a lot of childhood antics. While his siblings and him were inside reading most kids were out riding horses or shooting their dad’s pistol. Smiling wistfully he was brought back to the present when he caught her looking husband way. The outlaw arched his brow returning her look for a questioning one. Of course he didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Before he could react she had already plucked his hat right of his hat and left him a cloud of dust.


    “As charming as a bull snake.” He grumbled back towards Ryker kicking his own horse up. Once he finally got his horse up to a canter her fell in behind her. He tried to look serious, but there was some humor hidden in his eyes. “You don’t mess with a man’s hat!” He yelled after her rolling his eyes as he kicked his horse up a bit more so the horses were side by side and matched stride for stride. His messy blonde hair was now wind blown having no hat to keep it down.


    Clyde was focused on keeping himself on the horse since he was slightly off balance with the fact that his arm made it hard to grip on the saddle horn with ease. Laughing into the wind the outlaw moved his horse closer to her only keeping a few inches between them. “Can I have my hat back now?” He held out one of his hands not seeming to mind how fast they were going when he got comfortable with the rhythm on the horse’s strides.


    (Sorry for any typos on mobile)

    She gently waved his hat in the air, a smirk on her face but she didn't make the horse go faster. She glanced over her shoulder as he caught up, and then watched his progression till he was at the side of her horse. She seemed skeptical of his question on if he could have it back, and seemed to gently bite her lip in thought. She already had planned on giving it back, but she was trying to lighten the mood, so she figured planning on taking a moment to respond was a grand idea. Shifting, she leaned across their horses, pushing his hat back onto his head and capturing his gaze, giving a wink before she slowed down. Ryker came trundling up next to her on the other side, and just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "R'ally?" He questioned, and just the look on his face made Marigold laugh.


    Despite Ryker's attempted serious face, he himself did laugh softly. God, she had a way of lightening the mood, didn't she? He shook his head and relaxed back in the seat as the pace slowed down once again, the horses snorting in efforts to regain a normal breathing pace. "Af'er that, I reckon we give the horses a break." He commented, and Marigold nodded in agreement. She didn't really feel bad, her horse had readily run ahead- seemed quite happy but did look rather tired now. She couldn't blame the creature. She followed after Ryker as he led them to a shaded spot not too far away. It was a small forested area- even if they weren't too far out from Burkshire, it was starting to get more tropical out this way, the temperature, however, did remain blistering. Once they stopped in the shade of the trees, Marigold hopped off and tied her horse to the nearby tree, as did Ryker. Her horse instantly began munching away, but Marigold scanned the area quietly. "I'll look for some hydration," She murmured as she began to walk away, Ryker raising an eyebrow as he watched her head off. He didn't follow, but he had a feeling Clyde would- and they wouldn't need him.


    Marigold walked through the grass with a slow sigh, feeling utterly relaxed in the shade. She took off her hat and her jacket, holding it across her arm but she seemed surprised when she heard a nearby gushing of water. She trotted over to the area and smiled as she came across the blue pool. Bending down onto her knees, she dunked her entire head in before pulling it out, laughing. The water dripped down her face and back, soaking her shirt. She should care, but god it felt amazing. Giving a gentle shake of her cranium, she peered back over her shoulder towards the direction of Ryker and the horses. She'd tell him soon.

    Keeping his hand out he clearly expected her to put it back in his hand. When she instead planted it on his head his hand flew up to catch his hat and make sure it didn't fly off. That would definitely not make him laugh anymore. Chuckling softly to himself he shook his head as he maneuvered his horse around to meet the other two slowing his horse down as he neared. Taking a second to right his hat looked down at the horse who gave a couple of loud breaths. Turning to look at Ryker even he seemed to be in better spirits now. Nodding in agreement though about giving the horses some cool down time he followed Ryker towards a wooded area. Him and the horse both didn't seem to mind the idea of getting out of the sun for a while.


    As they approached he was still smiling a bit to himself. He didn't think you could beat a bit of fun on fast horses. He somewhat awkwardly slipped off his horse. Tying it up along with the others he rustled through his saddle bags to find some fresh bandages. All the traveling probably had put some dirt in his bandages. When he heard Marigold say she was going to look for some water he nodded and picked up a roll of gauze before following her almost out of instinct. Of course he most likely didn't need to go..but he kind of wanted to anyway. The excuse he made to himself was that he needing to wash off his arm...yeah that was the ticket. Just to wash his arms. Clyde also double checked to make sure he had plenty of bullets on his belt. Especially after what had happened last time she had wondered off by herself.


    Making his way through the brush it didn't take her long to find her. He really just followed the sound of water. It wasn't a sound he heard all that often, but he made sure he knew what it sounded like. Making it to the water he was so tempted just to jump into the water like an idiot. Resisting the urge he instead rolled up his sleeves and unwrapped the wound. It was a lot better although it was still pink and tender. Sighing he cupped some water in his hand and splashed the wound with it washing off the blood and dirt.