Good Old West

Asa was a lucky man, it seemed. The bullet had grazed his ear. It had made a significant wound and torn off a smal piece. But the pain seemed to be more intense due to the zone the wound was in, not because the damage was high. Thank god, thought Asa, briefly looking upwards while Oscar bandaged his head. He'd complain, if he wasn't so shaken, holding on to Oscar's arms while the other worked. Not with a firm grip or to control him, but with a grip born from the need to hold on to something.

He heard the shots, he knew the men were dead. His hands travelled to Oscar's shoulders. His friend, who had just saved his life yet again. Asa didn't think he'd kill them, didn't think he'd have the nerve. Oscar continued to surprise him, it seemed. Thank god for a man like Oscar, thank god and everything holy. And thank Morrisey's gang for bringing us together. It was but a moment of weakness he allowed himself, but it was enough for some of it to slip through the cracks.

His hands travelled upwards to rest on the sides of Oscar's face.
"M' fine, thank you." He said, holding him there gently. He leaned in and kissed him, a very brief peck on the lips. Maybe it was a way to thank his partner for everything. He wasn't so sure himself. Maybe it was an attempt at stilling his shaking hands. Or a way to make his concerns go away, wish the worries away with a kiss.

He stood back up right after, holstering his revolver. If Elizabeth saw, she didn't say a thing. She was busy fussing over her lover, having managed to slip out of her bounds by then and now craddling him on her lap. The man was hurt, beaten it seemed. He must've been hogtied and kicked all over, or just plain old punched till he wasn't conscious.

"S he alright?" Asked Asa, approaching the couple, and looking around the camp. Blood pooled around the corpses, the fire weakly licked at the hardened wood in it. It was a bad camp in s good position. He went tk grab the nearest waterskin to give to Elizabeth.
 
Oscar could feel his mind physically stutter to a halt when Asa leaned in and pressed their lips together. It lasted but a brief second, barely enough for the warmth of the other man's lips to register, their breaths intermingling in the small pocket of space between them, the smell of blood and gunpowder somehow making the moment that much more vivid. Before Oscar could bring himself to react in any way, however, Asa had already pulled away, standing up and walking towards Elizabeth like he hadn't just done that, leaving Oscar still crouching behind the tree, frozen to the spot. He touched a hand to his mouth, absently tracing where the two of them had been joined. Asa had kissed him voluntarily. He'd been the one that initiated. The implications of that scared and thrilled him in equal measures, but now wasn't the time to think about any of what it meant.

Swiping a hand across his face, Oscar collected himself and walked over to Elizabeth's side, praying that no one would notice that he was behaving strangely.

"Oh, my darling," she was mumbling, hands fluttering helplessly over the swollen and bruised skin of her lover as she pressed a waterskin to his lips so that he could drink. She'd managed to take the cloth gag out of his mouth, though the ropes that bound him were still tightly tied together. "They hurt him so badly. I don't know what to do... please, sirs, please help him."

Wordlessly Oscar dug for the knife that he kept on his coat, kneeling down to cut the ropes that bound Elizabeth's lover. The ropes were thick, bound cruelly tight, and Oscar had to work slowly to avoid accidentally cutting into the man's clothes or flesh. One by one the thick strands fell, and soon the man gasped as the last piece of rope fell away, pushing himself upright.

"Thank you," he grunted out, voice hoarse, as he struggled to his feet, Elizabeth following suit. "Thank you for saving us." Elizabeth clung onto him as though he was a lifeline, nodding frantically in agreement. "Me and Wally, we'll never forget what you did for us," she added. Oscar suddenly felt a little embarrassed by the outpouring of gratitude from the two of them, ducking his head a little to avoid looking at them directly. It was strange, being hailed as some sort of hero for saving innocent folk when he'd done the exact opposite of that for most of his life up to this point.

"Weren't nothin'," he mumbled, turning to look at Asa. "C'mon, David and I will take you back, see if we can find a doctor in the nearby towns." The group started to make their way towards where Houyi and Red had been left, but the click of a loaded gun stopped them in their tracks.

"You move one muscle, lawmen, I'll shoot the lil' missy dead."
 
There was timing, good and bad. This was a catastrophe. Asa's mind rushed to catch up with the reality of the situation.

Fernandez was back, he had a clear shot to Elizabeth and Wally. Oscar was fine, himself, he was alright. He tried to recall what the other, now dead men, had said about this one in particular before they stormed in.
They said he was a brute, slow thinker. That that was why they sent him on errands specifically. So, also errand boy, a recognisable face in the Hudson gang.

"Do it, Fernandez. Ah've been here for a few weeks. We ain't here 'cause some posh girl ran away... It happens all the time!, no. We was called here because your head has a price, few hundred bucks. That's how we found ya, because we was already lookin'." He said, without moving a single hair. He smirked, looking at Fernandez now, just looking.

The man looked surprised, probably because Asa had addressed him by name.

"My friend here, he's the fastest draw on this side of the Saint Luis. You shoot the lady, he'll shoot your kneecaps off before you can point it at your own head. Your friends here got my ear, an' if this lady gets back home, I get paid. Lose me money, an' I'll make you eat your guts an' enjoy it."

" What the fuck??, you sick ba-" Asa's rambling had worked, and while Fernandez was distracted, Wally had grabbed one of Oscar's wrapons from Houyi's saddle and shot at his hand. He missed, the bullet only grazing his wrist, but it was more than enough.

Asa thanked the lord, and Wally, quietly. His rambling was starting to not make sense, and now this fucker, Fernandez, had one bullet on each leg. He was whimpering on the ground while Asa walked towards him.

"Y'ain't no lawman..." He managed, making Asa snort as he hogtied him.
 
Oscar watched Asa somehow worm his way out of what seemed to be an impossible situation, part of him marvelling at the absurdity of Asa's bluff and how, despite that, he managed to pull it off. The tenseness fell away from the situation as Asa tied Fernandez, and he turned to check on Elizabeth and Wally. Despite the series of unfortunate events that had been happening to them for the past day, they still seemed to be holding up fine, if rather shaken by this new complication. Oscar shook his head a little, feeling some measure of pity for them. Folk like them had probably never seen the violence of the world of outlaws before, and he could imagine how overwhelming it was to be dragged into all of this with no forewarning. He'd been the same way in the beginning, and as such he sympathised with the two of them.

"C'mon, before more of them show up." Oscar made towards the spot where their horses had been left at, then stopped for a moment to look at Elizabeth and Wally. "When they took you here - did they leave their horses nearby?"

Wally shrugged a little helplessly, but Elizabeth pointing in a direction a little further down, in the opposite direction where Oscar and Asa had come from. "Should be a little bit down there, if they hadn't run off already."

"They shouldn't spook that easily, I don't think. Can you ride?"

Wally nodded silently, while Elizabeth fidgeted a little. "...A little, daddy taught me when I was younger, but it'd mostly been on trained dressage ponies and such..." Elizabeth replied, a little embarrassment coloring her tone. Oscar threw a bemused look at her - rich folk sure were strange. "I'm sure it can't be that different," he finally offered, giving them a little wave to signal for them to move along with him. "C'mon, let's see if we can take their horses back at least."

The three of them made their way down the mountain path after informing Asa that they wouldn't be long, finding the horses grazing a little by the wayside. There were four of them in total - two Tennessee Walkers and the rest Thoroughbreds, and Oscar figured that they'd fetch a good sum. It took some coaxing, but eventually they got the horses to follow behind them. They met back with Asa back at the campsite, still standing around beside Fernandez.

"We should get a move on out of here. Would probably make it back in time for afternoon tea even, if we hurry!" It was a little jab at rich people and their idiosyncracies, and Oscar threw a look at Asa, the joke passing between the two of them.
 
By the time they got back, Asa had Fernandez on the back of Red. He he had also scavenged the camp and taken anything useful, but the rich people present didn't need to know that. He'd found usable clothes, knives, bullets, some canned foods. He'd also found a few letters they could check out later that day, a map and a hidden stash of money with at least fifty dollars in it. He also found a mirror somewhere, and took a few seconds to watch his image in it. With a bloodied, bandaged head and the golden star on his chest. He looked like a fool, Asa decided. The star was stained with blood already, and it hadn't even been a day. It made him wonder if there was some symbolism to it, Oscar would know, perhaps. He'd ask him later. No, he wouldn't, actually. He didn't really want to know about blood stains on golden stars, it was obvious enough even he could sort of grasp the meaning of it.

He returned Oscar's amused look, mainly because he had never had tea in his life.

"Sure thing, lets just get going." He said, walking with them to the horses.

"Wait! Before... We go, I... Daddy doesn't know anything about Wally and I. He would fire him, we're not an ideal couple." She said, holding the poor man's hand.

"So?, he needs to see a doctor before he drops dead or somethin'" Said Asa, matter of factly. And Elizabeth nodded.

"O-Of course. But maybe he could take one of the horses we found and get there himself? If you boys could, maybe, forget to mention it when we get back." She continued, sheepish, fidgeting. Her fingers and Wally's were interlaced, a lovely picture society would gladly slash and toss asside. Pretty white girls belonged to handsome white men, after all, didn't day?.

" I... Please, sirs. I know you must've sworn an oath to the law and the truth. But if he finds out 'bout us he'll find some way to have me arrested" Said Wally then, the most he had spoken until now.

"Mr. Hagenson?, jeeze I thought he was a nice fellow. No?. He doesn' t look the type..." Said Asa, furrowing his brow and looking at Oscar.

"Ain't everyone?, 'till its their own family" Said Wally. And he was right, wasn't he?. He could be anyway. It was all fine and dandy until it was your mother, your father, your son... Your daughter.
 
Oscar honestly couldn't say that he was surprised by how things had turned out - this type of story had been played out enough times that even he, as separated from normal society as a man could be, knew how it always went. He'd heard whispers of similar tales in his youth, heard enough of the same as he drifted around the fringes of society with his gang. He might've felt righteous indignation about a situation like this had he been younger, but now all that was left was pity for the star-crossed lovers and a tired resignation that their rescue had taken such a sour turn.

"We won't tell your old man," he said simply, looking back at Asa and shrugging a little. He didn't condone Mr. Hagenson's behavbior in the least, but it was extremely unlikely that it was within their power to change his mind about something like this. It was the least they could do for Elizabeth and Wally to simply keep their mouths shut - after all, what Mr. Hagenson didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "Wally - take one of the horses and ride out first, since your injuries will need tendin' to quickly. We'll set out a little later so it looks like we're not on each other's trails. Don't mention anything when you get to the doctor's."

"I know," Wally said, and Oscar silently gave him a hand onto one of the Tennessee Walkers. "Thank you." He didn't say anything beyond that, but the look of gratitude in his eyes said more than enough. Oscar watched as he spurred the horse on and disappeared into the trees leading down the mountain, his departure leaving him and Asa now alone with Elizabeth.

"I really can't thank the two of you enough," she started after a moment of silence. "For doing all of this for us when we barely even know each other. Thank you both so, so much." Oscar shifted a little awkwardly at her gushing and waved her off - it wasn't like they did this out of some sense of altruism towards those in need, and hearing her praise the two of them for being as such just felt wrong, like she was praising two imposters playing up a compassionate act that everyone somehow fell for.

"Can I... ask you two something, though?" Elizabeth suddenly said. Oscar didn't like the hesitation in her tone - it set him on edge, somehow, and he found himself holding his breath as she continued. "I don't mean this in a demeaning way or anything - and I ain't gonna tell on y'all after all that you've done for me, but... you two weren't just travelling stable hands lookin' for work, were you?"
 
Asa watched Wally go, and then turned to Elizabeth as she once again, started talking. He was starting to miss Anne, quiet as a mouse. It wasn't a surprise this woman had gotten herself slapped across the face.
By the lord, timing. Because if it wasn't because they had just saved her and had to deliver her safe and sound to Daddy Hagenson, Asa would have pointed a gun at her and make her swear she didn't know what she was saying.

He shared a side look with Oscar, their alarm apparent. There was absolutely no way that telling the truth was a good idea. People talked, especially rich people without friends. They gossiped, and sooner than later everyone on this side of the mountains would know. But then a light blinked in his head, a different profession that aas also frowned upon but not quite as much, and more importantly, it was legal.

He dropped the tense attitude and chuckled.
"Heh, well, yeah... We're stable hands just now, but we weren't before, not really. Truth is..." He sighed, passing a hand through his hair and giving Elizabeth a pleading look.

"You promise you won't tell anyone?" He said, sounding nervous, biting the inside of his mouth. Asa just hoped he wasn't overdoing it.

"Of course!, I-I swear it on my life, you just saved mine and my Wally's life." She said, smiling gently at them, taking a couple of steps closer to the pair. Asa just got closer to Oscar instead.

"Truth is... We got in trouble. We was bounty hunters, started working together a few years ago. Around Five ah think, all was well. But we got this big job, huge bounty on this fellow, Jameson Brook... We got'im, but the rest of his gang swore revenge on us. We had a few close calls, too close for comfort, and we crossed over to this side of the river." He said, making up yet another story. He was going to need a real nap after this.

Elizabeth was listening, a hand over her mouth like this was the most amazing adventure she'd ever been told. Surely she had read better stories?.

" So now we're here, starting anew, sorta, far from that gang's territory." He said, smiling a bit.

"Now lets get going before your father has some sort of attack, he's worried enough for the day." Said Asa, urginf them to get in their horses. He was carrying Fenandez, so Elizabeth would have to ride with Oscar on Houyi or get on a different horse by herself.
 
He didn't know how Asa did it, but somehow he'd managed to save their asses for the second time that day by completely bluffing his way out of a situation. To say that Oscar was impressed by this point would be an understatement. Maybe Asa should drop the whole outlaw act and start a career bluffing others out of their money in casinos or something along that line - he'd be a natural at it. It wouldn't even be the most outlandish thing they've done, not by a long shot. Shoving aside that thought for later, Oscar mounted Houyi as they waited for Elizabeth to get herself on a horse. She'd picked one of the Thoroughbreds and managed to get herself into its saddle after a bit of struggling, the process complicated by her unwieldly long dress getting caught up in basically everything.

Elizabeth herself seemed to have realised this, and flushed a little. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "It's been a while since I've ridden."

"That's fine," Oscar said. "You'll get the hang of it. Let's go."

The three of them rode down the mountain carefully, Elizabeth and the rest of the horses trailing behind them. Their pace was much slower this time, both for the benefit of Elizabeth and because they were herding a much larger group this time. Besides, it wasn't like they were short on time or anything - it was still early in the afternoon, and they could afford the leisurely pace on their way back. Once they turned onto the open roads of the plains, they picked up the pace a little, though still a little slower than when it was just him and Asa. Elizabeth turned out to be decent at riding - she was keeping up the pace just fine, even if her form was stiff due to lack of practice. The trip back to Strawberry was mostly quiet, the two of them not wanting to discuss too much in another stranger's presence.

It was sometime in the mid-afternoon when they arrived back in town. They'd debated stopping over at the stables to drop Elizabeth off, but they eventually decided that it would be too much of a hassle in case Woodleigh wanted to take her statement or something. As the three of them rode through the streets of Strawberry, they were met with disbelieving glances and barely-disguised whisperings, especially at the sight of Elizabeth, all battered and bruised and extremely shaken, but nonetheless still here. It seemed like the story of what happened had been spread to basically every corner of Strawberry by now, as townfolk gathered to watch them pass like some sort of parade. To say that Oscar was uncomfortable with the attention would be an understatement - he had half a mind to yell at folk to mind their own damn business, but it wouldn't make things any better, so instead he kept his head down and bit his tongue the entire way to the Sheriff's office.

They dismounted in front of the small building, Oscar leading the way as he pushed the door open. Sheriff Woodleigh was sitting at the table alone, with no sight of Charles or Mr. Hagenson anywhere in the office, and he did a double take as the three of them walked in, Fernandez in tow, unceremoniously draped over Asa's shoulder like a limp ragdoll.

"By the gods!" Woodleigh said, and Oscar wasn't sure if it was admiration or scathing that he heard in his tone. "You - what the hell happened?!"
 
"What do you think, Sheriff?. We found Miss Hagenson an' grabbed this fellow on our way back." Said Asa, shaking Fernandez a bit. He growled, but for a dumb brute as his partners had called him, he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

"I can see that" Said Woodleigh, gritting his teeth at Asa's teasing.

"How'd you find her?" He asked next, they had tried asking and searching all around town and found absolutely nothing. Other than drunk or hangover people still hanging out around the saloon. And worried families.

"They had a camp set up out in the mountains, we saw the smoke column and thought we'd come see who it was. 't was a bit too far an' hidden and off the road to be just anyone. So call it a hunch" He explained, with confirmation from Oscar. Fernandez snorted, but quieted down soon enough. Woodleigh gave him a strange look, but that was all.

"Your father went back to the stable here, he must be with Mr. Fern right now. He was so worried, miss. Are you sure you're alright?" Asked Woodleigh to Elizabeth. She reassured him, telling him how she was just shaken and how lucky she had been the other two men found her.

Woodleigh didn't look so convinced, but he shrugged.
" Well... Thank you for your help, gentlemen. Now if you will." He said the word gentlement in such a way it was clear he did not agree with it in the slightest.

"Your time as deputies of Strawberry is over" He said, putting out a hand so they would return the stars. Asa claimed to have lost his, and it sparked a bit of an argument between him and Woodleigh. An argument that went nowhere, since Asa wouldn't take the Sheriff seriously.

So now they were heading back to the stables with Elizabeth in tow, and Asa had a deputy star in his pocket.

Back inside the Sheriff's office, Fernandez growled from where he was in his cell.
"Thats low, hiring a criminal to grab anothet criminal, Sheriff." He said.

"What?" Said Woodleigh.

"Don't play dumb. I know an outlaw when I see one. They told the lady they used yi be bounty hunters." He laughed a bit. "Maybe they was, the darkie sure can run his tongue"

"I would stop talking if I were you." Said Woodleigh, clicking his tongue.

"Am already arrested, Sheriff. He got quite a rise out of ya just now, didn't he?. They's good at talkin', good at shootin', good at finding criminals off the road. You can play pretend all you want. Till they kill y'all or run off with the town's money maybe." He just kept talking. It was all he could do.

Woodleigh watched the two men go, walking down the street with Miss Hagenson. They sure looked strange, and Bartley insisted they were queers. But maybe degenerates wasn't all they were...
 
The three of them saddled up and rode out of town towards the stables. There were many things Oscar wanted to say to Asa - from poking fun at how he'd most definitely lied about losing the deputy star to discussing the strange looks Woodleigh was sending their way when he thought they didn't notice. No matter how much he wanted to talk to Asa, however, their present company kept him from saying anything. It wasn't that he disliked Elizabeth or anything, but she was an intruder into their space that stifled their conversation, her very presence forcing them to watch their words and behaviour. He had nothing against the girl, really - it was just that he didn't trust Elizabeth enough to risk letting slip of anything that she might parrot to her rich friends. He couldn't help but look forward to finally sending her off to her old man.

Conor was the first to see them as they rode into the stables. He was sitting on a couple of hay bales in the field nearest to the entrance of the stables - probably slacking off on the job again, Oscar thought, shaking his head a little with bemusement at the thought. He seemed to have been dozing up, but jerked awake at the sound of of their veritable small herd of horses approaching, doing a double take as he jumped up instinctively to greet whoever it was that came by before recognising just who it was on the horses.

"David! Oliver! And - Miss Hagenson?!" He exclaimed, eyes having gone wide at the realisation. "How - you found her? And what's with all these horses? And what 'n blue blazes happened to your head?!"

"Why don't you yell it louder, Conor, don't think the other end of West Elizabeth can hear your proclaimations yet," Oscar snarked back, no bite in his tone. "We'll explain later. Can you just run along and get Mr. Hagenson, we- oh, nevermind, there they are."

It seemed that the commotion Conor raised had reached whoever was inside the house a distance away. The door slammed open as Mr. Hagenson all but stumbled out, followed closely by Mr. Fern. The poor man didn't look to have improved from the state he'd been in this morning - he still had the eyes of a haunted man, pale and sleepless, his movement now slightly unstable due to lack of sleep. Upon fixing his sight on the arrivals, however, his eyes widened and lit up in recognition, nearly stumbling over himself as he started running towards them, Mr. Fern trying to keep up the pace behind him, but ultimately trailing behind and lingering a good distance away, watching the scene unfold.

"Lizzie!" He stopped a good ten feet away from the group, out of breath and trembling, as Elizabeth dismounted and all but ran towards him, her arms outstretched, catching her father in a tight embrace. "Oh, my darling Lizzie, what happened to you..." Mr. Hagenson's voice trailed off, replaced by unceremonious sniffling, as though he'd been on the verge of tears for the whole day and wasn't able to hold himself back anymore now that he'd been reunited with his daughter.

"I'm fine, daddy," Elizabeth said softly, separating from her father a little to turn to look at Oscar and Asa. Her face was wet and her eyes red-rimmed, but she was smiling so beautifically that Oscar had to duck his head a little. It felt like he was intruding on someone else's emotional space, like he'd been made privy to something he shouldn't be looking at. "They saved me - Mr. Asher and Mr. Lee, they rescued me and saved my life. Please, give them anything they want, they deserve as much for doing all of that for me."
 
The conmotion drew in more stable workers, like Adam and Anthony. The latter looked overjoyed, and approached the group to greet them and make sure they were ok. He fussed over Asa's ear wound as he dismounted, half his attention on Anthony and half on Elizabeth who had just said they could ask for anything they wanted from her rich father.

"Of course, of course." Said Hagenson, hugging his daughter tightly and making sure she wasn't hurt. Anything for his Lizzie, she was safe and sound and back within the day. It didn't matter what the two young men asked for, as long as he could provide it.

Adam watched from the distance, his mouth hanging open. How the hell did these two manage to... To do this??, it was too good to be true. They had only been in Strawberry for a few weeks, and he had been here for years. Nothing like this had ever happened to him, and he even got along decently with Sheriff Woodleigh. It was suspicious to say the least. Sadly, Mr. Fern saw him and called him over to help move the new horses Oliver and David had brought. They'd hitch them by the stable's entrance and see what they could do about them later. Technically, they belonged to the pair of them now. To the newcomers, even if without the papers they weren't worth more than a few dollars.

"You're very welcome, Mr. Hagenson. We're very happy to help-" He started, only to be interrupted by Anthony.

"David, you ought to get that wound cleaned. I'm sure its alright now, but-"

"I'm tryin' to have a conversation here Anthony" Said Asa, answering with a hiss. But his ear did still hurt some.

"Genoveva can help, come on... I'm sorry, Mr. Hagenson, maybe you can continue this at a different time?" He suggested.

Elizabeth's head perked up.
"I know! Why don't they come over for dinner over the weekend?. It's the least we can do, Daddy. And from home we can give them proper compensation for their help" She said, smiling gently.

"It's not a bad idea. We ought to take you to the doctor at home too, just in case, darling." Said Mr. Hagenson. Elizabeth rolled her eyes a bit, but nodded.

"That'd be... Thank you Mr. And Miss Hagenson, it'd be an honour" Saud Asa, fighting Anthony who was trying to drag gim away.

"Come over on Saturday evening!" Said Hagenson, leaving to get their horses with Elizabeth.

"Mr. Lee, leave your and Mr. Asher's horses in the stable and come have a talk with me. Alright?" Said Mr. Fern then, giving Oliver a nod and then returning to his home.
 
Oscar waved the Hagensons off with a small smile, and as he turned to leave he was stopped by Mr. Fern and given instructions to meet him for a "talk". He didn't like the vague phrasing of of the statement in the least - whatever could've happened that would require the two of them to have to meet with Fern for it? Abruptly he thought back to what Conor had confessed him a few weeks back - that rumours had been going around - and at that a sense of uneasiness welled up in him, tainting what would've been a pleasant ending to their outing. God, he hoped that particular rumour hadn't made its way to Fern. He threw a look at Asa, who was still wrestling around with Anthony, fussing about his ear.

"David," he called, breaking the two men momentarily out of their struggle. "Mr. Fern wants to see us."

"Oh, he does?" Anthony tentatively let go of Asa, giving a questioning look to Oscar. "What for?"

"I don't know. We've just been told to meet him in his house."

"In his house?" Anthony had a reluctant expression on his face, but he gave a small shrug that almost seemed disappointed. "Well, I won't keep the two of you then. David, you come find me later, I'll get Genoveva to clean your wounds." He gave them a wave and walked off, leaving the two of them to their own devices.

"C'mon, let's take our horses to the stables and go find Fern."

Fern's house was a short walk from the main stables, a decently-sized building that seemed well-kept and tidy, at least from its exterior. It wasn't a rich man's house by far, not like the Hagenson's, but it certainly was the house of a man comfortable in his station in life. The two of them stood outside the red-painted front door, and Oscar hesitantly raised a hand to knock, unsure of how to proceed.

"Come in, the door ain't locked." Fern's muffled voice came in from somewhere within the house.

Pushing the door open, Oscar and Asa let themselves into a rather spacious parlour, their footsteps muted by the soft carpet that covered the entire floor. The space was well-furbished, lined with solid mahogany furniture that must've cost a pretty penny to put together, though none of the interior decorations were extravagant enough to be excessive. Mr. Fern was already sitting in one of the chairs, and he gestured for Oscar and Asa to pick a chair and sit down. Oscar sank down in one of the chairs opposite Fern, his back stiff despite the soft stuffing of the seat.

The three of them sat in tense silence for a brief moment, before Mr. Fern let out a chuckle and leaned back in his chair comfortably. "Don't look so stiff, I ain't here to fire you or nothin'," he said in a clear attempt to lighten up the mood. "It's a right mess you two got caught up in today, and I was just wanting to hear what exactly happened from the two of y'all, is all." It was clearly a statement meant to put the two of them at ease, but Oscar could tell that there was something else on his mind, from the way he hesitated at the end of his statement and looked as though he wanted to add something else, but held himself back for now. This definitely couldn't be all he wanted the two of them to come directly to his house to talk about - what else was he leaving out?
 
"Well, if that's all, sure thing Mr. Fern." Said Asa then, sharing a concerned look with Oscar. It was clear there was something else going on and they had bith noticed. Something lay underneath the calm surface of Fern's behaviour. His finger tapped idly on the armchair's arm. He wouldn't stop wiggling one of his legs, he was sitting sort of hunched over forward.
Still he hadn't said what it was he ultimately wanted, so Asa began narrating.

"Well, Sheriff Woodleigh told us to search the surrounding areas while he checked fhe town with Mr. Smith's help. You knew that much?" He asked.

"Mhm, yeah, just continue from there." Said Mr. Fern, absentmindedly nodding.

"Right. So we did exactly that. Checked some places to see if we could find anythin'. First two sites or so were a disappointment, that an' we're not verh familiar with the area yet. But we was about to head back when we saw some faint smoke from up the mountains. So we thought, what the hell, leta see who's out there. You know?, warn 'em that there's some big cats you ought to watch out for... I really don't wish the scare we had on anyone." Said Asa, gulping. How was he supposed to tell the next part without giving away they were gunslingers at least?.

" So we get there and listen in, 'cause the site was too hidden and off the road to be just anyone, you know?. Normal people don' t go around hidin'. Turns out they was talkin' about Miss Hagenson, so we tell them we were with the law and to surrender. They did not, and we had to fight 'em off." Said Asa, not giving details as to how that ended.

" We got the young lady back, she was fine thank the gods, one of them bastards got my ear, too, forgot to mention that. So Lee here bandaged it up for me." He explained, smiling a bit at that last part. It didn't go unnoticed by Fern.

"I see, how thoughtful." He said, dryly.

"It was kinda necessary, avoiding infections and all." Said Asa with a shrug before continueing.

"We grabbed ther horses, mainly 'cause it' d be cruel to abandon 'em. Then another guy from those men' s gang, the Mudsons or Hudsons or somethin' showed up. We fought him off as well and he's in the jail now. Then we brought Miss Hagenson back. That sound ok?“ He said, summarizing the end plenty.

Mr. Fern nodded.
"I suppose, well, I was helping Mr. Woodleigh search for information here in town. And well, we asked around. Bartley at the hotel had some stuff to say about you two, for example." He said, arching an eyebrow at the dreadful look on Asa's face.

"He said you two shared a room and a bed while you stayed there. That you're pretty damn close to be precise. You got anything to say about that?. 'Cause you are actually, pretty darn close. Foreign, with a mysterious past and all. An' Bartley's a good man, a bit too into rumours that run around, but he's been a good friend of mine for the past 20 years. So I think you two have some explaining to do." He said, throwing accusatory glances their way. Asa was mute this time, and white as a goddamn sheet.
 
Shit, shit, shit. He should've known the rumours would eventually reach Fern's ears, given how bloody small the town was and how everyone seemed to (and probably did, in fact) know each other. He should've dealt with Bartley as soon as Conor spilled about how he was going around slandering the two of them, should've rode right back into Strawberry to give the bastard a piece of his mind, but the days had passed, he'd gotten swamped with work and thus subsequently forgot about the matter. Now, though, the consequences of him being too complacent had come to bite him in the ass. The domesticity of having a job to hold down and a proper house to sleep in had made Oscar forget just how precarious their situation actually was - that they were still outlaws running away from a not so distant past, and that any trouble they invited could mean having to leave town permanently. Think, Oscar, think. He subconsciously gripped the handle of the chair a little tighter, his mind racing, a plan of sorts slowly forming in his head. It was risky, certainly, but he had to take a gamble on it.

"There's nothing to explain, sir." He said, as evenly as he could manage to make himself sound, purposely injecting a subtle tone of resignation in his voice. "Whatever Bartley might've been tellin' you, he left out the details. The day we rode in, he told us that the single rooms were occupied, and out of desperation we shared a room together. Nothin' unbecoming - suspicious if you hear it without context, but I assure you, that's all there was to it. We'd prove it to you if we could, but well - how do you even prove that you're not a deviant?"

"That's true," Mr. Fern said, his brow crinkling a little. He seemed to be showing a little hesitation, but he certainly hadn't changed his mind yet. "But Bartley-"

"Sir," Oscar said, with as much honestly as he could manage. "I know it's hard to believe, since it's your good friend's word against a couple of newcomers - and I have no blame for you for not believin' us. But please - put yourself in our shoes. We've been accused of being deviants by the only person in town who could speculate on these... habits. And a particularly nebulous accusation at that - it's easy for him to make that claim, but how are we supposed to prove otherwise?"

"But- why? I don't see what Bartley have to gain, makin' things like this up." Mr. Fern said, though Oscar could see that he was starting to waver just a little more than before.

"You might not see it, sir, but think about it - you've been nothing but kind towards us, but there's many folk out there who still feel... distaste, let's say, towards folk like us. I'm not accusing your friend of anything - but let's just say that there's plenty of people out there who would happily run people like us out of a town given any reason. And what better reason do they need than some accusation of perversion like this? We've got everythin' to lose, our reputation and job, but your friend's in no danger of losin'... well, anything, really."

"I see," Mr. Fern said, the seeds of doubt now planted in his mind, the struggle to reconcile the two sides of the argument clear on his face. "I s'ppose - I don't think Bartley's that kind of person, but... he does tend t' love the gossip, but he's not... not that I know of, at least."

"Mr. Fern." Oscar found that he wasn't faking much of the sincerity he was trying to project to the other man - it might not be the whole truth he was telling, but the general sentiment did come from his heart, and not from trying to cover themselves. "Me and David, we're both just trying to get by. We've always had to have each other's backs, bein' that society don't always view us very kindly. I'm sure you'd understand why we've become close, after years of runnin' together. It's a kinship forged from hard times... it's not quite explainable if you ain't lived the same way, but that's all it is. I don't much appreciate Bartley twistin' it into something it's not."

"...Well," Mr. Fern said after an uncomfortable silence, and Oscar prayed that if he wasn't convinced, at least he'd been so confunded by the kerfluffle Oscar had been spouting that he wouldn't pursue the matter any further. "I... s'ppose you have a point. I do hope you'd go clear up the matters with Bartley, though, seein' as he might've been confused. Best to get everyone on the same page. David, you got anythin' to say for yourself?"
 
While Oscar, the magnificent bastard, saved their asses with some brilliant words, Asa had some time to compose himself. Thank god, be did, he thanked god in his mind for the accusation coming only from Bartley and only beeing about that one night at the hotel. They could've been worse. Also, apparently they really owed Bartley a visit. That son of a bitch would think again about spreading dirty rumours about the both of them once he was missing a few teeth. He'd be reminded of his foolishness and errors every time he sucked in some air. Whenever he ate, or drank, or spoke.
Nobody messed with Asa Davis and got away just like that. Let alone try to shit on Oscar's reputation when he had done nothing wrong.

He stood up, glaring at Fern.
"I think if yer done insulting us to our face, Fern, we're done here. I've got a wound to take care of. And I ain't as even tempered as Oliver. If people wanna go 'round spreadin' lies about us being some sort lf degenerates, I'll have a word with 'em. And not a kind one. We came here hoping for a good life, meet some nice girls, settle down with a couple kids running about once we' ve got some money." He said, while Fern stood as well.

" And instead I get called a c*cksucker by a man like Bartley. He might be your friend but he ain't ours, the guy never liked us since the moment he saw us. Probably, because we're colored men or somethin'. I thought Strawberry was a nice, decent town. Turns out its just some rumour infested mill like the rest of 'em down south. What I got to say for myself is that I' m disappointed, Mr. Fern. That a man like you would believe such nonsense. Come on Oliver, I've had enough..." He said, aware that Fern tried to intervene a few times but he couldn't. Asa cut him off. They both walked out, leaving Fern standing, mulling over the two men's feelings on the subject. He didn't know what to think, why Bartley would lie to him. He was confused, and his pride was hurt somehow by David's disappointment and Oliver's apparent desperation and explanations. They were just two people trying to get by, at the end of the day...

" See you later at the cabin, I sure as hell ain't in the mood for company. But I gotta get the ear looked at." He said to Oscar. Actually angry, at himself for being careless, at Bartley for talking, at Fern for listening. At god, at the world.

Kicking a rock out of the way, he stalked off towards Anthony and Genoveva's cabin. His stomach felt uneasy, but at least he'd get to see Anthony again.
 
Oscar gave a slight nod to Asa as the other man walked off, his shoulders sagging, the tension he'd been holding onto ever since Mr. Fern asked them over for the 'talk' bleeding out of him, though it didn't leave him feeling relieved at all. They'd managed to hold off whatever drastic action Mr. Fern might've decided to take against them had the talk gone badly, but the root of the problem wasn't solved either by him trying to reason with Fern or Asa shouting at him for being a knob. No, the point remained that Bartley was still going around town spreading rumours about the two of them, and that their reptuation had possibly already been sullied beyond repair. Oscar's fist tightened at that thought - all that they've done trying to keep a low profile and this was what it came to. He and Asa would have to pay that visit to Bartley soon, it seemed. There wasn't much that they could do for the damage that'd already been done, but it would do good to shut the man up before the current rumours took an even more vicious turn.

Oscar started walking towards their cabin, seeing as there wasn't much else to be done for the day. The day's events had worn him down physically and the conversation with Fern did the same mentally - right now he longed to simply lie down on his bed and be rid of his worldly troubles for at least a little while. The exchange with Fern had been unexpectedly taxing, an uncomfortable reminder that their situation remained precarious despite the illusion of stability that had been built up for the past few weeks, and all Oscar wanted to do now was to not think about it.

As he walked, he saw a figure approaching from the distance from the corner of his eye. Catching a glimpse of red hair, he felt a sense of irritation well up as he made the connection.

"Go away, Conor," he didn't bother moderating his tone to a more polite one this time, the urgent need to get away from everyone overtaking his restraint. "Not in the mood for your bullshit."

"Ain't my brother, Lee." Came the reply, and Oscar felt his hackles rise immediately. Adam had never bothered to speak with either him or Asa much ever since their unfortunate first day together, communicating either through one-word responses or using his brother as a proxy if needed. He was suddenly keenly aware of Asa's absence - the very fact that Adam had decided to talk to him while Asa wasn't within reach made him feel like some sort of cornered animal.

"Wasn't looking," he said, keeping his tone carefully cold. "What'd you want?"

"Heard Mr. Fern called you and Asher in for a talk?" Adam's tone betrayed little, but as Oscar turned to face him he could see an almost imperceptible smirk on his face. "How'd it go?"

"None of your business." Oscar said, the curt answer coming out like an epithet, venom slipping into his words. "Go away."

"Not in the mood for small talk, huh. Always a man of little words, Mr. Lee." The corner of Adam's lip lifted in clear scorn, and Oscar couldn't help but feel that Adam had already gotten the answer that he wanted to hear. "Well- I do suppose it's none of my business, like you said. Good day." Before Oscar could get a word in edgewise, Adam had already walked off, a strange spring in his steps that made Oscar want to wring his neck. Swallowing whatever question or insult that he was on the verge of hurling at the retreating figure, Oscar shook his head and forced himself to continue on to the cabin, though the bizarre exchange lingered on in his mind. Though he couldn't quite explain why, it felt like an uneasy premonition of things yet to come.
 
It took Asa a while to return, since he'd left to go see Anthony and Genoveva. Otherwise they'd have his head for not taking proper care of his ear wound.

He returned with some proper bandages, and Oscar's bandana half hanging out of his pockets. And as great as Anthony and Genoveva were, their company didn't do anything to improve his mood. He'd been pretty happy before, finally getting some action, keeping the gold star, finding Elizabeth and her secret lover alive and relatively well... But now this. It only made things complicated, and reminded them they ought to move on sooner rather than later. Strawberry wasn't a destination, it was just a first stop in their journey.

"Hey" He said in greeting when he walked into their shared cabin. He returned the now bloody bandana to Oscar, who was laying on his bed. Oscar, who had somehow talked his way out of the two of them getting fired from their job and treated as degenerates. Oscar, who he had kissed earlier that day. He sighed, remembering the one time it had been the other way around. They hadn't talked about it.

He sat on his bed, hair down, shirt off, before saying:
"Oscar?, Are we gonna go to hell for kissin'?, Are we queers or degenerates or whatever the hell thats called?"

It was a stupid question, he knew he was. He'd been fooling around with a stranger in a back alley like he was some stupid teenager. Only worse, because it had been more pathetic than sneaking in through a window, somehow. He didn't even know the guy, it hadn't even been romantic. But for the life of him, Asa couldn't deny he'd liked it.
 
"Hey," Oscar mumbled, voice catching in his throat, only half-awake at this point. It was still early in the evening, far too early to actually retire, but he could already feel his consciousness start to slip. Oscar had half a mind to just let himself fall asleep anyway - he wasn't sure if he even wanted to get up for dinner, seeing as he didn't have much of an appetite left over after everything that happened today. The shootout, the confrontation with Fern, whatever the hell Adam had wanted - the events took turn weighing on his mind until he longed for nothing more than to fall asleep to rid himself of these troublesome thoughts.

He barely caught Asa's question, and had to turn it over several times in his head to parse what Asa was asking. His mind was working sluggishly slow right now, like trying to crawl through a tar pit, and as such he took the question in stride. Normally he would've startled, become flighty with such a loaded question, the fact that Asa had finally called the two of them out on what they were - in that moment, however, he didn't worry about any of that, didn't have the mental capacity to care, merely gave a few moments of thought to the question.

"I don't know," he said, his tongue taking on the confessional cadence of a person drifting off into sleep, without any of the pretenses or forethought that his consciousness tried to maintain. "Probably already goin' to hell for... everything. Robbing, killing, outlawing - don't think bein' queer would land us anywhere we're not already headin' to." Truth be told, Oscar was very aware that he wouldn't be going anywhere but hell in his afterlife, if there even existed one - he'd struggled with the idea when he first joined the gang, but now he'd more or less come to terms with it. He wouldn't stop trying to do right by people whenever possible, still carried the weight and guilt of everything he'd done in the name of the gang, but it wouldn't absolve him of his past sins, not by a long shot. Having untoward feelings for another man would only be the latest in a long list of sins that he'd already committed.

"Besides," he added after a brief moment, his tongue emboldened by his half-conscious state. "Queers, degenerates, whatever they wanna call us, does it matter? It's not like we ever cared about what society has to say, seein' as we spent years goin' against it." That was only partially the truth - some part of Oscar still cared, if only because he still hasn't managed to remove the deep-seated longing to fit back in. The other slightly more inconvenient truth, one that Oscar wouldn't dare to let himself speak even under this state, was that even if he cared neither for society's nor any deity's judgement, he cared for whatever Asa thought. So in a sense, it did still matter, if only because he didn't want Asa to freak out about all the baggage that came with being labelled a queer, if only because he didn't want Asa to think less of himself, or of him.
 
He listened to Oscar, sitting on his bed and watching his friend. He was half asleep, that much was obvious, but Asa was almost glad. Maybe being close to unconsciousness gave a man some sort of divine clarity. Oscar's words sounded like liquid gold or orchestra music pouring into his ears. He smiled a bit, it was a sad smile... They were, in fact, going to hell for the rest of their sins already. Ir didn't matter how many of them they committed anymore. That, and who was to say God's law was the same as North American civilization's law? Maybe it wasn't, maybe it was just kill or be killed and there'd be only darkness afterward. He had the hope of coming back in a different time, even if he wouldn't remember this one.

"Yeah, shit Oscar you ought to become a professor or somethin'." He muttered with a dry chuckle, not even sure if Oscar was awake at all. He might've drifted off into a deep sleep.

Asa stood up, he closes the courtains and locked the door. Lately he'd seen Adam's rotten shadow loitering around their cabin more often than he liked. The bastard, no way was he risking some scandal with him. He'd kill him sometime.

"Ah... Shit" He said with another deep sigh. He opened the window again and smoked one of his cheap cigars. He coughed a bit, the smoke and the familiar smell somehow calming his nerves. Maybe this had also contributed to his stress lately, he hadn't been smoking as often as he used to.
From where he was, leaning against the wall by the window, he watched Oscar. The man was beautiful, looked like a little angel now, resting on his bed. But he'd killed three men that day, just a few hours prior, and Asa felt proud. Something lit up in his stomach, some sort of sick pride, because Oscar had been so mad that they had hurt him, Asa, that he'd gone on a rampage. He'd be there later when he started overthinking it and felt bad for it, he owed him that much at least. And so much more... A book, his life, his tranquility now.

"Ay Oscar..." He muttered, blowing out some smoke and finishing off his cigarette. He shook his head, smiling a bit as he closed the window and the courtains again.
Then he walked over to Oscar, taking off his boots and undoing his braided hair. Asa yawned, everything they'd done that day catching up with him, he snuggled up to Oscar on his own bed, curled up a bit without holding the other man. He shifted around until he was comfortable and then promptly fell asleep with a lazy smile on his face.
 
He didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he finally jerked awake it was entirely dark outside, the cabin silent save for the soft snoring of Asa curled up beside him, warmth radiating off of him which warded off the chilly sting of the nighttime air, an arm thrown carelessly over him. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, but Oscar couldn't help the flush that crept up his neck. The two of them were facing each other, the small pocket of space between their faces warmed by their breathing. Oscar let himself stay in that position for a few moments, studying Asa's face as the other man slept as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, watching him let out a small grumble and try to shift in even closer. His heartbeat quickening, Oscar carefully untangled himself from Asa's arms and swung his legs over the side of the bed, stepping into his boots and walking outside, keeping his footsteps soft to avoid waking the other man.

The nighttime air was cool on his face, the moon low in the sky, spilling its silvery light upon the face of the earth, small pockets of pinprick starlights scattered in the sky like flickering lamps. It was a clear night that spoke of good weather for the next day, and from the position of the moon it seemed that dawn would not be too far away. Seeing that he was already fully awake and wouldn't be getting much sleep anyway even if he returned to bed, Oscar went back into the cabin to light a candle, then retrieved the book from his satchel. He settled down on a chair opposite the beds and started to read. Sleep had done wonders to lift his mood from yesterday's depressive funk, his mind much clearer than it had been in days, and he burned through the chapters at a pace faster than usual, as though trying to make up for the busy weeks where he'd been kept from any recreational activity.

As dawn broke, the two of them dressed and headed to the stables to meet with the rest of the farm hands for breakfast. Oscar dug in eagerly to their rations, seeing as he'd missed dinner yesterday night, earning him some teasing from the others which he was happy to laugh off with them. Besides that, he was happy to keep his head down and eat his breakfast in peace, the strange conversation with Adam the other day leaving him testy around the McGrath sibling. Thankfully, said sibling didn't seem to looking to pursue their encounter any further, staying silent largely throughout breakfast, which was all the better.

Mr. Fern met with the group after breakfast to give them their tasks for the day, deliberately dismissing each of the other farmhands before Oscar and Asa.

"Mr. Asher, Mr. Lee." He finally turned to look at the two of them after the rest were a safe distance away. "I - ah, you'll be running some errands for me in town today, nothin' big. By the way, if you have the time - do settle the matter with Bartley - you know." He darted glances away from the two of them, still too flighty to look them square in the eye. "I figured you'd wanna, ah, settle some matters with him, sooner you get it done with the better for everyone. I know you boys are angry over it, an' I understand why, but- go easy on him, would ya?"
 
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