Good Old West

There weren't any comments or complaints on how they had shared a bed from Oscar. Asa took it as something positive, humming like a comfortable, lazy cat would purr as he woke up and stretched before getting ready for the day. The both of them devoured breakfast, since they'd missed dinner, and Asa noticed Oscar was looking at Adam funny. He'd have to ask what was up with that, later though. That one McGrath was never good news, and he better have done nothing to Oscar.

They listened to Fern, giving out tasks, giving them their tasks. Some shopping to do at the general store, mail to pick up at the station and... A visit to Bartley. They'd visit alright, they'd settle this.

"Of course Mr. Fern. After this is all a misunderstandin'" He said with a grin that put a shadow of concern over the older man's eyes.

They didn't take Red and Houyi, since they had to bring stuff, and took a wagon instead. Two shires pulled it forward, carrying the weight of it almost effortlessly like the magnificent beasts they were. One white, one black, almost mocking the duality of the men who sat in control of them. Asa decided to drive, and clicked his tongue as they took off.

"I say we visit Bartley first, while it's still early an' all. You watch the door, I'll have a talk with him. You know what I mean."He said, winking at Oscar.
 
"Oh, I know," Oscar said, one of his eyebrows jumping up at Asa's sudden enthusiasm. He didn't usually condone violence, but given everything that the clerk had done against them in the past few weeks, at this point he wasn't above levying some good old fashioned frontier justice against Bartley himself. The man clearly wasn't above resorting to low-down rumour spreading and outright slander to destroy their reputation, so Oscar really didn't feel all that remorseful about biting right back.

The ride into town was uneventful. They passed by several now familiar faces, regulars travelling in and out of town who they met on the road often, trading curt greetings and nods of acknowledgement as they went. This time, however, Oscar couldn't help but wonder if all of them had already heard about the rumour that'd been spread about them, wondered if any of them believed it and if their gestures of politeness were just that - a thin veneer concealing their true disdain. The very thought dampened his spirit a little, though he quickly set it aside, not wanting to pursue such a thought further.

"One moment," he said as they stopped the cart a distance away from the hotel, hitching the shire horses in place. There weren't many people out and about since it was still quite early in the morning, but he motioned for Asa to come in closer and lowered his voice anyway as a precaution. "As much as it would be satisfying to punch his lights out, it'll blow our cover real quick, since everyone would be able to see that he's taken a beating. If enough people put two and two together, we'd have to be packin' to run from town by the end of the week."

He paused for a moment to let what he'd just said sink in, and continued. "I'm sayin' we be a bit more discreet, say... hitting him where the sun doesn't shine, for instance. Just as effective, but less obvious to everyone else." He couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips at that. It was juvenile to laugh at something like this, but then again, it was Bartley they were talking about. They arrived at the steps of the hotel, and Oscar lingered at the front porch, giving Asa a slight push towards the door. "I'll watch the door for you. Now go."
 
"Thanks Oliver" Said Asa, way too cheerful to be about to possibly beat a man up. Even if he followed Oscar's suggestion of hitting in places Bartley wouldn't be showing off in public. Not like the man left the hotel much anyway, he was pale and sort of sickly. Not to mention unatractive. Still, he was probably married, since a hotel was a good business and all.

"Hello Bartley" Said Asa, lighting up a cigarette. The other man seemed surprised to see him there. He arched an eyebrow.

"Can I help you, Asher?" Said the older man, looking around. None of the girls were around, it seemed. It was a bit too early.

"Yeah, we had a talk with Fern last night. Said he had been... Hearing things. Unpleasant things, about my friend Oliver and I." He said, walking closer to the clerk's counter and around it.

"Is that so... I don't know what you're getting at here" Said Bartley, to Asa's amusement. His eyes shone, a creepy smile spread on his face.

"Yes you do, you old bastard. I got no idea why, but you's never liked us. Not since we got here the first damn night. You's accusing us of being deviants and degenerates Bartley. All 'cause your tiny shithole don' t have more rooms. An' I, we, won't stand for it." He said, slamming his hand in the table. Asa gestured towards the door when saying we, and Bartleyvs eyes widened. Because no one would come in to interrupt this.

" Are you done?" He asked Asher, refusing to let him get a rise out of him. Yes, he said those things. Denying it was useless.

"Not at all, we haven't even started." Said Asa, finally close enough to Bartley that he could swiftly kick him between the legs, hard. The man crumpled, falling to the floor with a whine loud enough for Oscar to hear, probably. And Asa grabbed him by a leg and dragged him into the back room that was the bottom floor's bathroo..

"What the fuck, Asher. T-the sheriff's going to-" Asa interrupted him with a snort.

"No he ain't," cause he wouldn't get both my friend and I, and one of us would come back an' burn your shitty hotel to the ground. We've been travellin' together for a while. We're good friends. Nothing more though. But we wasn't about to sleep on the floor after I had to sacrifice my horse to a cougar." He kicked Bartley again, bent down and took off one of his shoes. The other man kicked, confused most likely until Asa shoved a towel he found laying around partially into his mouth.

" My girl didn't die so you could run us outta this town, Bartley." Said Asa, burning Bartley's foot with his lit cigarette. The other tried to scream but the sounds were muffled by the towel he didn't have time to remove. Tears stained the corners of his eyes once Asa pulled away from him. And gave him space to crawl away and remove the towel from his mouth.

"You sick son of a-" Started Bartley, avoiding putting his foot down.

"Imagine what I could do if this keeps going ey?. I don't take kindly to liars, not when I'm comfortable where I am. So you stop talking to my employer and anyone else about this shit. Or the next time I'm gonna leave you wishing a cougar ate ya. We clear, Bartley?" Said Asa with a snarl, crouching to be on the other man's level.

The hotel clerk only nodded, his breath uneven and ragged. He stumbled to stand on one foot As Asa made his way out without another word. He stood, leaning over the sink and trembling. What had he gotten himself into?, what kind of savages had he messed with that would do this to him?. He wouldn't be able to walk properly in weeks if not longer. It hurt like a bitch, even after he hurried to put it in water.

Asa came out, no longer smoking.
"That's done" He told Oscar, smelling like smoke and with an odd twinkle in his eye.
 
The smell of smoke and Asa's pleased expression, coupled with the muffled noises of distress that streamed out from a while ago, were more than enough to give Oscar a coherent picture of what had been done to Bartley. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in slight amusement as they walked down the steps towards the cart, throwing a look back towards the building, wondering how Bartley was holding up inside. Hopefully badly enough that he wouldn't be bothering the two of them any time soon - god knows Asa would be ready to dish out another round of punishment if he dared.

Mr. Fern didn't ask anything about Bartley upon their return, nor did he comment on the situation at any point in the days that followed. Oscar took it as a sign that either Bartley had been sufficiently cowed by Asa throwing him around to keep his mouth shut, or that Mr. Fern knew about what had transpired in the confrontation and chose to turn a blind eye to it. Whichever it was, Oscar was glad for it - he was ready to put the situation behind him, though the niggling feeling that they would have to move on from Strawberry soon persisted. Perhaps he had grown too complacent in the weeks that they'd been staying in the town - they were, after all, outlaws on the run from both the long arm of the law as well as their own gang members, so the fact that they might have to leave this town should have come as no surprise. Still, he'd grown accustomed to the routine of working at the stables and the casual friendships he'd found in the other stable hands as well as some townfolk. Though it was almost certain that they would wind up leaving one day, he was still reluctant to think about it.

The days passed, and eventually Saturday rolled around with the prospect of dining with Elizabeth and her father. In truth Oscar wasn't really looking forward to it - he'd never been to a formal dinner of any kind before, and as such felt rather apprehensive about what to expect or how to behave. It wasn't like Mr. Hagenson would expect proper etiquette from two stable hands, but Oscar still felt out of his depth as he put on a clean set of clothes and tried to make himself look presentable in the mirror. As presentable as it got, anyway, he thought ruefully, inspecting the frayed edges of his vest and clothes, worn from the years of wear. They'd already informed Mr. Fern about the invitation and had been excused for the duration of their visit, and as Oscar walked out to get his horse he found Asa already waiting for him. Together the two of them rode out towards the Hagenson estate.

"Don't much like this, to be honest," he confessed a little while into their journey. "Having dinner with rich folk - we're gonna make a fool of ourselves, if anythin'. At least the food will be good, or so I hope."
 
Thank the lord, thought Asa, who had started praying nightly for his and Oscar's safety, that Bartley kept his hole shut.

One wrong move and they'd be waist deep in trouble, and things were becoming too dangerous here in Strawberry. It was time they started thinking about moving on, preferrably to the wild territories of the north. He missed the solitude and carelesness one could afford when away from civilization. Here, everything was too tightly packed fot comfort. Everyone knew everyone, and worse, everyone was in your business. The same way you'd end up in theirs. Asa knew the butcher's daughter had too many male friends for her boyfriendvs comfort, and thay she was sleeping with three of them. He also knew she knew he worked at a stable and might be some sort of sexual deviant. The Butcher knew the doctor's grandmother's bones weren't ever found since she fell into the river one night and disappeared.some say she jumped in, she was a witch. The general store clerk's son thought so too. And his sisters were scared her ghost would watch them sleep.
There was an absurd amount of bullshit going around, and-

Oscar spoke, breaking Asa'd train of thought easily enough. It had already become so loaded, though, that he almost felt dazed.

"I ain't liking any of this. We ought to move away from this town and its many goddamn rumours, Oscar" Said Asa with a groan.

"I can't stand it, or them, if I have to hear Connor go on about the old lady's ghost I will kill him. And then Adam. I will kiss you in the main street to confirm all of their assumptions on our private life. If they Shut their fucking mouths..."He said, stroking Red's mane in a void attempt to calm down.

" We go have dinner with these rich folks, if we can we swipe somethin' they might not miss too much, and when we get back to the stable we start packing. I don't know when we should leave but its soon.“ He continued.

They were practically there anyway, the Hagenson ranch. They walked in on their horses and saw several farm hands. Charles was one of them, they shared a beautiful nod of acknowledgement and not a single word, and hitched their horses nearby.

It was dinner time.
 
Oscar dipped his head a little at Asa's complaint about the gossiping that seemed so rampant in Strawberry, his face coloring at the suggestion. He held his tongue and didn't respond to that - he didn't know what he could say that would be appropriate. At Asa's suggestion to start packing once they returned he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I was hopin' it wouldn't have to be so soon, but I'm starting to see that we can't stay here much longer." Oscar sighed a little at that admission. It felt almost as though he'd sealed their fate by verbalising that thought - it still seemed up in the air when it was just an unpleasant thought pestering him, but now that he'd said it out loud he felt the certainty of the statement, as though it'd become fact. It wasn't a surprise, wouldn't have come as one either way, but Oscar couldn't help but feel disappointed nonetheless.

Riding into the Hagenson ranch, Oscar spotted the farm hands and gave a wave to Charles as they passed by. After hitching up Houyi, Oscar gave himself a brief pat-down, smoothing out the wrinkles on his coat and trying to make himself look more proper. He was already feeling some apprehension, and he bounched on his heels a little to calm himself down.

The Hagenson estate was a ways off from the stables, but it was quite impossible to miss even from a distance. It was an impressive mansion build in the colonial-style of old, with large windows that had the curtains drawn and a white-washed exterior of brick. A small driveway lead up to a neatly maintained lawn, with a small fountain bubbling in the middle of it all. It might be the fanciest building Oscar had seen in years, possible in his entire life, and he felt equally as awestruck as he was uncomfortable being its presence.

Elizabeth was waiting on the steps to the house, waving eagerly as she spotted them, hitching up the fancy blue silk dress that she was wearing to meet them on the porch.

"Mr. Asher! Mr. Lee! You're just on time, we were just getting everything ready inside. Why don't you come in and have a seat? We'll come and bring you to the dining hall shortly." She turned to push the heavy mahogany doors open, motioning for them to come inside.

The interior of the estate was just as impressive, if not more so, than the exterior, the main entrance leading into a massive foyer, their feet landing on soft velvet carpet as Oscar gawked at the intricate furnishing, the walls decorated with all manners of portraits and paintings, a massive set of deer antlers set on the matelpiece facing the entrance. Elizabeth led them to a side lounge with plush leather couches and a window facing the rest of the ranch.

"Just make yourselves comfortable here, I'll get daddy to come down to welcome you when we're all done." She said, before disappearing through the door and shutting it behind her, leaving the two of them alone in the room. Slightly dazed, Oscar walked over and sank down on one of the couches, the leather smooth and cool beneath his wandering fingers. He'd never seen leather of this quality before, only the sun-worn, weather-cracked type on their saddles and coats.

"Damn," was all he could manage. "I knew the Hagensons were rich, but I hadn't expected anything like this."
 
"Ah guess its good ah didn' have any ideas on what to expect then." Said Asa, Sitting right next to Oscar. Their surroundings seemed so foreign, so alien and unknown, they only made him want to cling to the one familiar thing he had in this tasteless mansion. It was ridiculous, he felt underdressed and undeserving of standing on one of these rugs. Let alone sit at a table for dinner.

"Makes me wanna go out and roll in the mud." He said with a shiver of his spine and a grimace. Half amused, half disgusted. Mr. Hagenson didn't seem this rich, maybe because he was a nice man. Or because his daughter was sleeping with a servant of sorts. Or because... Well. Because it was hard to imagine knowing someone who could buy your entire existence being even remotely accepting of your poor, unwashed ass.

"Keep an eye out, we ought to swipe somethin' before we leave. They won't even notice" He said to Oscar in a whisper. Then a well dressed man walked in.

"Mr. And Ms. Hagenson are waiting for you in the dining room" He said.

"Isn't Eliza- Miss Hagenson comin' back?“Asked Asa. Shee said she would.

" I'm fairly sure she'll be there as well. So will her two brothers." Continued the man. A butler, maybe?.

“Now sirs, may I take your coats?“ He continued.

"Uh, why?, what d'ya want 'em for?" Asked Asa before Oscar could speak. He was arching an eyebrow, and only furrowed his brow when a laugh threatened to escape the other man' s lips.

"I'll just hang them, sir."Said the Butler.

" We can't take out coats to dinner?" Asked Asa.

" You could, but it's against the ettiquette" He explained, finally getting a very confused Asa who was now looking at Oscar for help's coat. Their coats, both, were taken and well taken care of. Then, a young woman led them to the dining room. Where Mr. Hagenson, a woman his age, Elizabeth and two younger boys were all sitting.

"Ah finally!, our heroes have arrived!," Said one of the boys, soon scolded by their sister. Asa frowned internally, tense as he could be and with a fake smile plastered on his face.

"Welcome to our home, Mr. Asher, Mr. Lee. This is my wife, Rebecca." He said, the woman smiling at them and saying a quiet hello.

"Of course, you know my darling Elizabeth."The young woman giggled, making a little salute anyway.

" These are her brothers, Jason and Matthew." They both nodded, looking bored. They also seemed to be twins, looking as alike as they did.

" A pleasure to meet you all" Said Asa, looking around the splendidly decorated room. He hated it, it had four walls full of unnecessary shit.

"Oh well, bow that we're all well acquainted, lets sit." Said Rebecca, to what her husband nodded.

"Of course, of course. How was the ride here?, I know it's a bit long, but we'll make it worth your time." Said Mr. Hagenson. Another servant came in.

"What would you all like to drink“ She asked politely standing near the table.
 
"Just some water, thank you." Oscar said in a low voice to the servant, who nodded and disappeared after taking everyone else's orders. A nervous energy twitched in his veins, the sort that made him twitchy and unable to relax, hyperaware of his every action. The Hagensons didn't seem to be of the very judgemental kind, but self-consciousness gripped him like a vice that he couldn't cast off. Even if they weren't scrutinising him, Oscar still held himself stiffly as a board, not daring to touch the array of cutlery laid out before him on the table or anything else, really.

Fortunately for him, none of the Hagensons were paying close attention to the two of them. The two boys, Jason and Matthew, seemed more bored than anything, surreptiously fidgeting with the edge of the tablecloths and occasionally leaning in to whisper to each other, tossing glances towards the two of them every now and then but never attempting to start any conversation. Elizabeth and Rebecca were engaged in conversation with each other, with Mr. Hagenson listening in and adding his own input from time to time. It was clear that the Hagensons were in their own little bubble that had no intention of including Oscar or Asa, but right now he preferred that over any of them trying to get the two of them to talk - it would almost certainly be terribly awkward.

The servant came over with their drinks, and Oscar nursed the glass of water he was handed carefully, taking sips from it to calm his nerves. Having something to fidget with in his hands did manage to sooth him a little, and he took the time to regard each of the Hagensons properly now that he wasn't overcome with anxietym, absently noting the familial resemblance between Elizabeth and her mother, between the twin boys and Mr. Hagenson. His attention turned towards the interior decor in the dining room. He longed to be able to inspect some of it up close, but he was certain it would be against dinner etiquette, so he merely kept himself in place and admired the pieces from afar. He knew Asa was probably dying to swipe some of it - there was such an abundance of everything that the Hagensons probably wouldn't even notice if some of it went missing. Still, he wondered if the Hagensons would just give some of it to them if they just asked.

Grabbing a spare napkin lying on the table, Oscar spread it on his lap and took out a pencil, scribbling a brief "Do you want to take a look around? I'll cover for you" on the corner of it. He refolded it and passed it over to Asa while no one was looking.
 
It had been some time since the last time Asa felt this awkward. And since he had last just had some water when given the opportunity for something else. He hsd the feeling, though, that if he tried to ask for some fancy alcoholic beverage he'd just embarrass himself. And things could get ugly if he got drunk, so he just drank water.
It wasn't even good water, though maybe that was his alcoholic bastard of a brain talking.

He had just been staring at the closest wall decoration in his line of sight, trying to find an angle from which it wasn't absolutely hideous. Then, he got Oscar's note and read it, good, finally some action. He nodded lightly in response.
"Ask for compensation. Don't care if y'ask for somethin' else. But get. Us. Some. Money." He whispered very, very quietly before clearing his throat. At least that got thr Hagenson's attention.

"Excuse me. The bathroom?“ He asked, standing up slowly and politely, with a fske smile plastered on his face.

"Oh, Jack can show you the way." Said Ms. Hagenson. But Asa chuckled.

"I think I'll manage on my own with just some directions" He said, looking at the Butler, Jack.

"Around this corridor, fourth door to the right."He explained, and Asa nodded, and went.

" Forgive our lack of perception, how is life at the stable treating you and your friend, Mr. Lee?" Said Rebecca, a tiny smile on her face accompanying a look of genuine interest.

Meanwhile, Asa passed by a few other doors, purposefully straying from his path. He picked up a few valuables here and there, nothing these rich bastards would miss. Every wall was decorated, Asa had never seen such fine furniture in such big amounts. The Hagenson family were dirty rich. They had msny servants he had to avoid too. And then, even though he almost ignored it... He stumbled upon a library.
 
"Oh, it's just fine, thank you for asking." Oscar gave a tight smile back, aware of how stiff he was coming off and trying to relax, not wanting the Hagensons to think of him as being standoffish. Luckily for him, Rebecca didn't seem to notice, instead continuing to press him about life at the stables. Oscar obliged all of her questions politely, giving detailed recounts of his daily life and details about the kind of tasks Fern asked them to carry out on a normal day. Rebecca took all of this in with rapt fascination, and it occurred to Oscar that she probably was genuinely interested in hearing about life in the stables because she'd never had the chance to experience it for herself. A woman of her status would most likely have led a sheltered life in the upper echelons of society, and this must be the first time she'd hosted a commoner - so to speak - as a fellow guest instead of as a servant. His own lived experience was so far removed from hers that what he considered mundane was foreign and entertaining to her.

"That's so interesting," she said, raising a delicate hand to cover her mouth as Oscar wrapped up a short tale of an incident that happened with Conor being tasked to mend a fence and instead getting wedged between the planks. He laughed along with her, having gotten so caught up with recounting the tale that his guard dropped for a moment and he momentarily forgot to whom he was speaking with. A cough from Mr. Hagenson, however, quickly grounded him back in reality - his heart dropped as he wiped the smile from his face, assuming a neutral expression and hoping that he hadn't overstepped whatever boundaries rich people thought appropriate when interacting with commoners.

"Did that really happen? That's quite the tale." Mr. Hagenson said, a low chuckle escaping him, while Elizabeth was staring at him with a beautific smile, the twins sitting from across him looking at him now with a measure of interest. It appeared that the entire Hagenson family had, at some point, stopped their own conversations to listen in on Oscar's tale, and that they were similarly amused by it. Relieved that he hadn't ruined the moment, Oscar gave Mr. Hagenson a small smile and nodded. "It certainly did, you should've seen Mr. Fern's face when he happened on us tryin' to extract him," he said, drew another round of laughter from around the table. He felt a little like a zoo attraction, with the attention of the entire family upon him, but at least they looked to be in a good mood. Swallowing his own discomfort, Oscar smiled along as he took a sip of the water to compose himself. Better to spring the question about the reward on Mr. Hagenson when he was in high spirits.

"So, regarding the reward-" he ventured meekly as Mr. Hagenson's laughter subsided, trying to keep his tone from wavering.

"Right, about that. What do you want? Don't need t' be shy, I'm willing to give you just about anythin' for returning Lizzie to us." Mr. Hagenson put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder affectionately.

"Ah, well. I've discussed with my friend beforehand, and we were thinkin' maybe two hundred gold apiece, and a letter of reccomendation for each of us?" Oscar said, his heart starting to hammer in his chest, now unsure of whether he was asking for too much. Two hundred certainly seemed like an astronomical sum to him, and he wasn't sure how it would be received.

"Done," Mr. Hagenson said. "In fact, how about this - five hundred for the two of you to split, an' those letters hand-signed by yours truly. You want anythin' else, just ask later."

"Thank you," Oscar managed, heart thudding, this time out of disbelief about how well it went. Five hundred - that was the going price for an entire gold bar. That kind of money could last them years, if they managed it wisely. And the fact that Mr. Hagenson was willing to give it away like it was nothing! Oscar wasn't usually a man to take advantage of someone's generosity, but these kinds of opportunities didn't present themselves often - besides, it wasn't like he was coercing anyone to be generous. Perhaps he could get Asa to ask for something else when he got back.
 
It was was crazy, the amount of books one could pile up. Thick volumes sitting on ghe shelves, gathering more dust the further they were from the floor. It took Asa back to his years in that catholic school, when they'd hit his hands with a ruler when he refused to read until they were raw. What a rebellious child he was, how dark that path had turned. But if it was god's will... At least he'd met a few good souls thanks to where destiny was taking him. Like Oscar... He smiled. But also Anne, and Fern, and Morrisey.

His eyes scanned the sheelves for a certain book, he knew it wasn't very thick, and that it was a classic. It took some time to find, and he was in luck that it was even there. But he did find it, Tom Sawyer, the book Oscar had lost if his memory wasn't playing tricks on him. Asa tucked it away, and returned to the living room after finding a maid to guide him back, claiming to be lost.

He walked behind her until the reached the large room, and with a shy bit of laughter, he explained what allegedly happened. The maid confirmed his story. And so he sat bscj back besides Oscar, patting his leg twice to let him know everything went fine.

Mr. Hagenson greeted him back, and the twins teased him a bit about getting lost one corridor away. It was fine by Asa, as much as he didn't like kids... It was definitely a bit ridiculous. He was updated on what Oscar and the rich man had talked about, and his eyes widened when he heard the huge amount of money they'd be getting. Each of them 250, way more than they had wanted to save up by working at the stable. And the recommendation letter, which had Oscar's cleverness written all over it, sounded fantastic. If the Hagensons were this rich, then they must have plenty of influence. Coming recommended by a rich bastard would automatically grant them a few bonuses. The dinner continued, they chatted with the family a bit more until dessert. Elizabeth told the heroic tale of his she was rescued, with some flourishing here and there. Asa wanted to eat his hair tie, but at least she didn't reveal the fake secret they told her. Good lord, what awaited them next?
 
Oscar gave an almost imperceptible smile back to Asa, a quirk of the corner of his lips that no one else took note of. By the looks of it, Asa had been quite successful at snooping around - he'd have to ask about what he'd managed to nick later. For now, however, their order of business was to be on their best behaviour until their departure.

After the dessert plates had all been cleaned off the table, Mr. Hagenson wiped at his mouth with his napkin. "Jack," he called, and the butler materialised from the corner of the room, head inclined in wait for his next order. "Get these gentlemen's reward ready for 'em and bring me my writing set, would you?" The butler nodded and disappeared into one of the corridors, returning a few minutes later with a handful of items which he set carefully on the table before Mr. Hagenson. First was a stack of bills, which looked to be fresh from the bank and never circulated before, set neatly in a pile. Jack then smoothened out the tablecloth in front of Mr. Hagenson before setting down a few sheets of paper, laying by its side a fountain pen as well as a bottle of ink and a wax stamp set.

Mr. Hagenson reached for the pen, making a little flourish as he dipped it in the bottle of ink, looking over to Oscar and Asa with an almost playful light in his eyes.

“Right, Mr. Asher, Mr. Lee. Since it's your letters to keep, anythin' in particular you want me to write? Maybe tell the story of how y'all so bravely saved Lizzie?" That drew a round of low laughter around the table, with Elizabeth lightly batting at her father playfully, tittering about his teasing.

"I ain't got no opinion, either way," Oscar said, offering a small chuckle and a self-depreciating smile. "We ain't nearly as read as you are, Mr. Hagenson, won't dream of tellin' you how to write a letter."

Mr. Hagenson laughed at that, and Oscar bit back a smile, knowing that he was pleased by the subtle praise. "Very well, then. I s'ppose I'll just go ahead and write y'all a little ditty about your deeds." Within a few minutes he was setting the finished letter out for the ink to dry, before carefully folding it into an envelope, sealing it with a wax stamp. He passed the envelope along with the stack of bills to Oscar and Asa, and watched as the two of them carefully tucked the gifts away deep into their pockets.

"Anythin' else you boys want before we call it a day? Mr. Lee, Mr. Asher, anythin' at all?" Mr. Hagenson certainly seemed to be in giving mood tonight - Oscar threw a glance at Asa, the question of whether they should ask for anything else hanging in the air between them.
 
Asa took a risk, telling Mr. Hagenson sometimes they were judged unfairly for their looks. He didn't ask for anything material, but he mentioned that maybe they could find a place in their ranch, as workers, should things become difficult for the two of them.
Hagenson seemed to understand, whatever way he took Asa's words, he assured them they'd have a place there. But also said Fern was a good man. That he wouldn't judge them based on their looks and silly rumours. He didn't know the man very well, it seemed. Because he already had.

Elizabeth and Jack walked them to the door once dinner was over, Asa insisting they should go if they wanted to get back "home" in time. That they had to rest for the next day's worth of work. She gave them both a very unexpected hug that left Asa feeling uneasy about robbing them of a few things.

On their way out, they saw Wally. He was all patched up and back to work. He smiled at them. This time they didn't see Charles.

Soon enough, Oscar and Asa were back on their horses, trotting back towards Strawberry.
 
They arrived back at the stables by the time night fell. Fern was out at the front of the stables as they walked in, and he nodded a brief acknowledgement at their arrival, informing them that there wasn't anything else to be done for the day and that they could retire for the rest of the evening.

"Ol' Hagenson offer you anythin' as a prize for savin' his daughter?" Fern probed, his tone carefully casual.

"Just a couple o' books and some trinkets, sir," Oscar lied smoothly, keeping his expression completely neutral. "He's already treated us to a nice dinner, askin' for more would be improper." He wasn't about to reveal that the Hagensons had gifted them a small fortune, or that they were planning to use it to make a move on within the next few weeks. It wasn't that he didn't trust Fern, but money had a way of making folks act in strange ways. Besides, it wasn't as though there weren't people around them that wouldn't rear at the chance to rob them of their fortune, along with putting a knife in their backs, probably. His mind unhelpfully supplied him with the thought of Adam, and he had to force the sour look away from his face.

"That so," Fern said, and though Oscar couldn't really read the tone of his voice, he was going to hazard a guess that the other man was disappointed. "I s'ppose you're right. Well, I won't keep you much longer, have a good night." He left the two of them alone and walked off towards his house. Oscar watched him depart, waiting until he was a good distance away before speaking, still keeping his tone low for fear of other intruders listening in.

"We should sew the money into the lining of our satchels - split it and we each take half. Don't want any nosy people snoopin' around trying to find what Hagenson gave us and make off with it." He didn't outright say the name, but the understanding that he was talking about Adam passed between the two of them. The McGrath twin had already been dour that the two of them had been invited to dinner with the Hagensons, and coupled with the grudge he seemed to harbour... Oscar wasn't about to take his chances.

"Speaking of the money - since we have it now, do you...?" He trailed off, the question hanging in the air. He hoped Asa knew what he was talking about - there really wasn't much reason for them to stay in Strawberry much longer after acquiring such a considerable amount of money. Besides, with the string of occurences that had happened during their stay and the number of enemies they'd made simply by virtue of trying to get by, the writing was on the wall that they would have to move soon anyway. Despite all of that, however, the thought of leaving was still hard to think about. He missed the stability of staying somewhere more permanently than a week or two, holding down a steady job, having friends. It wasn't that they couldn't rebuild in a different town, but giving up something that he already had a taste of was never easy.
 
It seemed strange to Asa that Fern himself came to snoop around. Maybe someone else put the idea in his head or something. Or perhaps he was worse than he thought at figuring people out.

He remained quiet during the short exchange between Oscar and Fern. They walked into the stables afterward, leading the horses. Asa hadn't answered Oscar yet. He knew what he meant, of course he did.

"This is too close to the mountains to stay around, don't ya think? That an' I don't like itt much. I miss the wild." He said with a sigh, quietly. They left the horses in the stable, and Asa kisses Red's nose before they headed for their cabin. No one was around, thank the lord.

" Do you know how to sew,? 'Cause I can do it, but I ain' t any good at it..." He said, humming softly, thinking about Oscar's idea. As always, it was good, so they really should do it. They got to their cabin, and Asa had already taken off one of his boots before he remembered what he had stolen from the Hagensons for Oscar.

" Oh hey, got you somethin' from the palace" He said, joking lightly. He pulled the book out of his satchel, handing it to his friend. It was different than the one he had lost, fancier somehow. The cover had a proper picture and everything. Asa smiled, standing with his hair down and only one boot, with his shirt half undone. A strange nervousness made his guts twist, and something he hadn't thought of came to his mind. What if Oscar didn't like it?. He would find out soon enough, seeing how he was already offering it to him.
 
"You're right," Oscar said, his sight flickering towards the direction of the mountain pass they'd come from for a brief second. They hadn't talked about it much in the time they'd been in Strawberry, but the longer they stayed, the more they'd be putting themselves in unnecessary danger. Despite the distance that they'd managed to put between themselves and the rest of the gang, they were still far too close from where they'd escaped from. And now with Rook's gang seemingly lying low... there was no telling when unwelcome familiar faces would be passing by town. "It's too close to where we started. About time we made a move, I think." He knew full well that Asa was more than ready to leave Strawberry - the man was a born wanderer, and living in close confinement with the rest of civilization had never quite sat well with him. Despite the lingering reluctance at having to leave, he couldn't begrudge Asa for wanting to do so - besides, they'd have to move on sooner or later, regardless of what he thought.

"I'll take care of the sewing, don't you worry about it," he said as they unlocked the door to their cabin and stepped in. He wasn't the best at it either, but he knew enough to mend his clothes and sew simple pockets, so getting the money safely in the lining of their satchels should be easy enough a task.

“Hm? What’s that?” He looked over, the tome in Asa’s hand giving him pause. It couldn’t be. With a hesitant hand he reached out and took the book, tracing the pristine gold print on the spine of the tome. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

“You remembered.” The book Morrissey had once given him, lost in their frantic attempt to get away from the cougar and ruined in the downpour that followed before they could retrieve it. It felt as though a part of himself and his past went along with the book when he’d lost it for the first time, but now that hole had been filled. It felt different this time, somehow- more hopeful, less of an attempt to replace the past and more of a promise of a better future.

Oscar clutched the book closer to himself, hands shaking slightly with some vivid intense emotion that radiated from his core.

“Thank you,” he finally managed, his voice strangled. “I’m... really grateful.” There were a million other things he wanted to say, wanted to tell Asa just how much this meant to him, wanted Asa to know, but right now that maelstrom of things tangled and crossed within him to the point where he couldn’t separate any of them out to be expressed in words. Instead, he set the book aside gently on the table, closing the distance between the two of them in a fierce hug.
 
Asa lost his sheepish attitude when he saw Oscar's face. When he looked into his eyes and realised just how much the book had meant to him. He remembered his soft smile as he read the old copy, the tension left his body and he slept better after. He noticed, Asa noticed, of course he did. And sometimes he even caught himself staring at Oscar as he read. Now he could do it again.

"Of course I remembered." He said quietly, hugging Oscar back and closing his eyes. He smiled, relaxing into the embrace and returning it eagerly. But... As much as it pained him, he stepped back a little to cup the other man's face in his hands. To once again look into his beautiful eyes.

"When you were readin' that book you looked happy and... I think you felt safe sort of. An' listen..." He was blushing, leaning in to rest his forehead against Oscars.

"Yer really important to me, there's nothin' I wouldn't do to see you happy an' make you feel safe Oscar. I'd lasso the moon for you if I had to." He said, stroking Oscars cheek with his thumb adoringly.
 
"It did," Oscar said, eyes glazing over slightly, fleeting memories of Morrissey and the past flashing past, lost in remembrance for a split second. "It kept me anchored. When we lost it back there I thought I'd never have a chance to read it again, but now..." He closed his eyes, leaning into Asa's touch, drawing in a ragged breath, half wild with emotion and half complete contentment. "Thank you, Asa. I know folks like us don't exactly have much grounds to be slingin' round words like this, but... you give me hope."

It sounded a little absurd to say out loud, and Oscar could feel his face warm from embarrassment at that admission - what is this, some second-rate romance novel? - but the symbolic gesture from Asa more than merited it, and Oscar was in an honest mood.

"Anyway," Oscar set the book aside as the moment passed, shifting into a more contemplative mode as he settled on the bed opposite Asa. "I figured we should start plannin' our leave from this place soon, seein' that most of our unfinished business 'round these parts has been settled." He reached over to grab the satchels. "I'll just start sewing the pieces into the lining now - shouldn't take more n' a few hours. After that... it's just a matter of finding a good time to make our moves."
 
Once the moment had passed, Asa finished changing for bed like he had been doing, instead of standing around with only one boot, like a fool!. he thought to himself.

"Should we tell Fern an' company?, I sorta feel bad not doin' it, but seeing how fast news spread ´round here and the questions they'd ask, I don't think it's a good idea." He said with a sigh, letting himself fall on the bed. But he through it over, and went looking for his weapons to clean them.

"I sorta wish we didn't hafta go, but I also miss... the wild, I guess." He confessed, while he focused on his gun and how shiny and clean it was. For Asa it was easier now, to speak out about his emotions while looking at a gun instead of a cherished companion. Even if one could argue both humans and weapons qualified for that.

"We could tell Anne, the girl's been real sweet with us, an' I still think she likes you. But I dunno if she can keep a secret, what do ya think?" He said, lifting his eyes from the gun and setting them on Oscar.
 
"No to telling Fern an' co. anything," Oscar said almost immediately. "I don't see no way we could tell 'im that wouldn't make 'im suspicious of us." Especially since the two of them had just started settling into the community quite comfortably - the types of conclusion to draw about their motives would be far too obvious. Besides, Oscar had an instinctive distrust of Adam, and god only knows how eagerly he'd jump at the chance to ruin their chances of ever making it out of the town if he caught wind of what was going on.

As for Anne... He did have a genuine liking for her, even though it wasn't in the way Asa seemed to be implying. And seeing as how Anne had acted during that last... incident with Asa, he was certain that she was trustworthy enough with secrets, alright. If she could witness that kind of thing that could ruin folks and still be able to act decent around the two of them, she'd be well able to keep the news of their imminent departure to herself.

Even so, part of him was reluctant to tell her about their plans to leave. Something about the act of sharing a secret with others - it made their departure seem more real, and yes, Oscar knew how absurd it sounded. His own personal hangups aside, Oscar thought that she probably deserved to know the most out of anyone in this town. They weren't fully friends, not really, but they were close enough that it would probably hurt if they just suddenly disappeared without a trace.

"We could tell Anne," he concluded after a long pause. " When we find a good time to, of course." He held out one of the satchels that he'd been working on and tossed it over to Asa for inspection. The bulge in the lining which held the money was barely visible, held together by some clumsy stitching through the lining which he'd tried to make as discreet as possible. "It's no intricate work by any means, but it should do."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top