|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:51 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:53 pm
C h a r a c t e r s---- Rixaka the FallenCharacter's Full Name: Ellie Montag
Age: 26
Sex: Female
Appearance: Ride'em Cowboy
Position: Undercover Showgirl Dancer at the Pony ExpressTelemachnCharacter's Full Name: Landis Chandresh Badeau
Age: 26 years old
Sex: Male
Appearance: Wild Wild West
Position: Scout/Hired Gun
One small detail: Landis is French-Cheyenne, but speaks English. *shrugs* Easier for me!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:45 pm
Landis walked through the sorry excuse of a town with a particularly sour look on his face. Damn I need a drink after today! He'd had enough of moronic wannabe settlers acting like they had any idea of what they were doing. The only thing more irritating than stupidity were the things they whispered behind his back on the trail. Landis snorted to himself. Of course he could hear every goddamn word and they knew it! Wind rattled through the row of shacks that was the main street, tugging along broken strains from a bar piano. Sanctuary at last! He spotted the only two-story structure in this lean-to village and made a bee-line for its comforting lights.
The men huddled in little packs around filthy tables, gave him cursory glances before turning back to their booze. Landis stepped fully inside, grateful for a lack of wind, and scanned for an open spot; preferably near a wall. "Hey you!" Landis turned to encounter the stoney glare of the barkeep. "I don't serve half-breeds here. Get the hell out!" Landis rankled at the insult. Heads turned in interest. Like a wave, mumbling rippled out toward the far walls as everyone watched to see what this stranger would do.
With slow, deliberate motions, Landis pulled out a box of cigarettes and meticulously went through the motions of lighting up. There was no avoiding what he was. He'd inherited his father's curly brown hair, but the rest of his features were given compliments of his Cheyenne mother. Smoke trickled from his high-bridged nose as he examined his audience. Even the piano player had stopped his music to watch. Everyone was clearly expecting a fight. In a s***-hole town like this, they probably needed fights to ease the boredom of living. Every man in here was full as a tick and on the shoot. Landis considered his options. He really had no attachment to the wagon-train full of idiots that he'd been hired to guide, and he certainly didn't give a s*** about who this barkeep did and didn't want to serve. But he didn't want to die in this god-forsaken place. He just wanted a drink for christ's sake!
The barkeep raised an expectant brow, his face twisting to show his rotten teeth in a dark smirk. Any sensible reason to just leave was overshadowed by that barkeep's arrogant smile. That look p***** Landis off enough to do something about it! "Hobble your lip, you rotten son of a b***h. I've got money and you've got my drink sitting right there behind you. Now can we come to an agreement or should a blow another hole in your cotton-brained head?" Landis swept aside his coat to display the handle of his gun. The nearby patrons either leapt to their feet or hit the floor. The barkeep sneered, "You don't have the balls!" Landis cracked a wry grin and slid his fingers across the weapon's smooth surface. "Oh you think so? You want to take that chance?" The barkeep shut up and swallowed. "I didn't think so. Now about that beer?"
But it just wasn't to be. Landis ate floor as a bear of a man tackled him to the ground. He stopped struggling when he felt steel pressed against the back of his neck. "Listen you injun scum..." This man reeked of alcohol. Damn! Landis tried to look for an escape route. He'd lost his grip on his gun when he'd hit the flooring, not to mention his unfinished cigarette! "I'm sheriff in this town, and you're under arrest." Pain shot up his arms as his elbows were twisted for cuffs. "Yup, I'm gonna put you in the hoosegow... for kicking up a row and being too damn ugly!" Boisterous laughter followed them as Landis was hauled to his feet and marched back out into the wind. He spat in distain on his way out the door. God help him if he didn't get revenge for this!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:43 am
"Oy, what the hell's going on here!?" shouted a woman from the second floor stair case. She was hunched over the railing, hands dangling off the side as an amused smirk arose onto her lips. "What's with all the damn ruckus!" She watched the newcomer hit the deck as the so called sheriff went about his regular duties, arresting people in her saloon. Slowly but surely she descended the stairs, the wood creaking under the hide of her jingling boots. Her hand slid down the railing and by the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, the whole place had gone quiet.
"Jared, tell me what happened," she said, referring to the tender of the bar and hos crooked, rotten teeth. She didn't even bother to look at that hideous grin of his. "Nothin' ma'am, just a half-breed shoot'n his words around."
The woman sighed and readjusted her hat as she walked past the whole crowd to follow the sheriff and the newcomer outside. "Heyo old boy, mind holding up for a minute?" she asked walking off the deck and onto the dirt road. She stopped a few steps away from the saloon to plant her feet firmly on the ground followed by her hands sifting through her pockets to draw out a smoke stick and a silver lighter. With calming ease, she lit the cigarette, snapped the lighter shut and put it back into her pants pocket. "I would believe you to let that man free," she smirked.
A crowd had gathered outside, watching from the porch. It consisted of several older men, all shady, all broken down to the ageing and weather of the particularly hot climate. It was natural for them to be a little tanned. Many of them wore tanned hats and cotton shirts to beat down on the sticky weather. It had appeared that they were going to watch the latest round of entertainment, much was it the habit of single-minded folk with nothing to do other then play poker and drink until drunk. This particular fight was going to be the most fun they had in days.
"Ah geeze, Ellie's at it again," muttered a rather round, rough voiced man.
"Did you hear her name? Its known all over the place,"
"No I haven't, what's it?"
"Quick draw, supposedly the fastest hand in the west not to mention she's merciless."
"Oh s**t, and she's going up against the sher?"
The conversation was rippled throughout the crowd some adding to or removing content from the story. All of a sudden the group was quiet with fear and anticipation, Ellie making her move towards the town's law, she looked hardly phased by the man.
Ellie smirked from under the shade of her hat. "Don't tempt fate. Now, if you wouldn't mind releasing him, I'd like to pay apologies to him for my rather rude bar tender. The b***h doesn't know a customer when he sees one." She tipped her hat up just a bit, her one eye catching the light appearing like a demon eye. Ellie's cigarette was clamped down in her teeth, the bud sizzling and smoldering a light grey stream of smoke. Her hands stretched slowly down the hilt of the silver, barrelled weapon. Her tanned hands stroked the brown handle slowly and tenderly as if she expected the sheriff to defy her command just so she could unholster the weapon and allow her proud baby 'Gunner' to gleam menacingly in the noon risen sun.
She rolled her shoulders slightly, edgy for, what she would call, excitement. "Well, what are you waiting for?" She chuckled. "You going to let him go?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:21 am
He dragged his heels obstinately about six feet down the road before a female voice called after them. "Heyo old boy, mind holding up for a minute?" The tipsy sheriff jerked Landis to a rude and sudden halt. Landis tried not to wince as pain shot up his arms twisted behind his back. There was no reason to give this goddamn b*****d the satisfaction of seeing him sweat.
So who else is going to take a shot at me now? Mentally he ticked off a list of people who wanted him six feet under. None of them should be crawling around in this place! She had asked for him to be let go, but who could it be? Landis tensed as he prepared for the worst. He could hear muttering throughout the crowd. It seemed that the patrons had followed them out of the saloon, still looking for a brawl, or a corpse.
Quick draw? That seemed to be the general consensus about the identity of his potential enemy. Morbidly interested, Landis tried to turn for a look, but the best he could do while still in the sheriff's meaty grip, was a sidelong look over his shoulder. All he managed to see was long dark hair and a very nice profile. He didn't know her. I don't think she's out to get me. Not yet anyway. He stopped struggling and allowed his shoulders to ease up a little. Now what does a fine looker like that mean by helping me?
"Now, if you wouldn't mind releasing him, I'd like to pay apologies to him for my rather rude bar tender. The b***h doesn't know a customer when he sees one."
Ah, now that explains it! She sure is no pushover, swearing at a man like that. Got to love a woman with her priorities straight. He couldn't help smirking a little as a feeling of victory swelled inside. Money was money, no matter the spender right? He twisted his wrists impatiently as the dumb drunk behind him mulled over his options. The eager tension of the audience was beginning making him edgy too.
"Well what are you waiting for?" He twisted his head at her low chuckle. He should let her handle this. It was probably his best move to pull in his horns, and keep his trap shut while this woman was still on his side of the argument. "You going to let him go?" The sheriff shifted from side to side. Landis' smile dropped as each second passed. It was getting hard to stay quiet and behave. Landis wanted nothing more than to clean his plow, and make up this jack**s' mind for him! Finally, mumbling dark curses all the while, Landis felt the sheriff fumbling with his cuffs.
A sharp click, and the restraints fell away. Landis turned, rubbing his wrists methodically. A slow smirk spread across his dark features as Landis mockingly tipped his hat to the sheriff. "Thank you for your understanding of the situation."
You yellow, shave-tailed, son of a coyote! Too bad he wasn't drunk yet or he could say that aloud.
Landis turned his black eyes on his rescuer. She was fine to be sure. He tipped his hat to her as well, but in genuine gratitude this time. "And thank you miss. You saved me from chewing my thumbs behind bars!" He let his eyes travel boldly over her figure. It wasn't often that a man met a good woman in these parts. He doubted she would give anything other than his wallet a second look, but he could dream a little over his drink right? He was especially interested in the non-interest she showed in his parentage. Fairly unusual in these turbulent times.
Landis easily hooked his thumbs in his belt and flashed her his best smile. "I would buy you a drink for your help, but it's yours to begin with right? Although I still wouldn't begrudge a little company."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:10 pm
Ellie cocked an eyebrow as she watched the man fumble with the keys, a light smirk playing over her tanned face. "Now that's a good boy," she spoke, her hand inching away from Gunner. Of course she was feared in these parts, who didn't know who Quick Draw was? More or less any travellers however, word travelled far and fast. Hardly anyone wished to tempt fate and take her on and there was good reason to avoid it. She was cool company, the kind that would give you chills just from looking at her and that alone generated many of the mysteries around her.
Now the men standing at the porch hardly considered it a God-send that Ellie had taken it upon herself to give the guy leeway, more like a curse after all, there were always rumours about how she came around to be known as Quick Draw and the trail of blood that followed after her.
Ellie inspected the man carefully and then turned around before walking towards the bar. She eyed the men at the porch, cocking an icy eye as if to silently say 'get out.' The message was more then understood as all those who were on the porch cleared the way for her and then left soon after.
She would assume that the male were to follow her inside where she dismissed the barkeep and swung around the table to start up the taps. "Name your liquor," she said bending over the bar, watching the rest of the crowd inside pipe down to their games of poker and ale, her shirt hanging low. Nestled warmly on her chest was a silver necklace with a small flint of jade jewel hanging off the end. Before one could grab another look at it and her lovely rack, she pulled up and flicked her hair with the back of her hand.
"You've gotten yourself into some trouble around here already and you haven't even been here a whole five minutes. New record I'm guess?" she said coolly, seemingly approaching the lines of a joke but her cool eyes showed no flare of amusement, more or less boredom. "But I suppose that can't be helped." She then turned around and grabbed a glass beer mug and filled it to the brim with whiskey, the foam over flowing as she set it down on the table. "And this one is on the house, apologies for my rude tender, who might I add, will be punished for his incompetence." Her eyes were steely with seriousness. "Also, feel free to kick around her awhile longer, the Pony Express doubles as an inn for travellers, the prices are low seeing how we don't offer the spare to strangers often unless they ask."
She then tapped out another beer and took a swing of it, leaning against the counter, seemingly enjoying it however, it could just be another thing to her, another drink, after period of time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:10 pm
His rescuer sauntered away, clearly expecting to be followed. Which he did, but Landis refused to be intimidated by some skirt, and he certainly wouldn't allow himself to be pushed around! She hadn't done wrong by his though, so he clammed up and followed. Once back inside, he sneered at the bar tender, gloating as he scuttled away. That's right, go and hide under your slimey rock, you rattler!
Landis swung his long legs over the barstool and suddenly didn't mind so much being lead around without any say, and having his invitation ignored. She's got some gorgeous breasts there.
"Uh, just give me your strongest booze. I need to get soaked today."
Disappointment washed over him as she straightened up and hid her curves from sight. I wouldn't mind getting a little of that later on, but I doubt this woman would agree to a romp in the hay with a métis like me!
He snapped out of his fantasies at the sound of her voice, "You've gotten yourself into some trouble around here already and you haven't even been here a whole five minutes. New record I'm guessing?"
"Not really." He tipped back the beer and enjoyed the feeling of it sliding down his dusty pipes. He really didn't care to elaborate to this woman what he'd meant. He still had that scar on his shoulder when he'd been shot for simply riding up to an army occupied town. It was a stinging reminder of how prejudiced people in this country were; himself included. He'd stopped wearing buckskin after that day. He'd even cut off his braid; anything to make himself more human to the militants roaming the land. His mother would weep if she saw him now. Absentmindedly he fondled the worn, blue, stone beads strung on a piece of buffalo hide. A charm that he had been given long ago.
He barely paid attention to what the woman across from him said, up until the invitation. "The Pony Express doubles as an inn for travelers, the prices are low seeing how we don't offer the spare to strangers often unless they ask."
Landis grinned and watched her down her beer. "That's kind of you miss, but I'm not staying in this place any longer than I have to. I got me a wagon train to bring down the trail and they only wanted to get some supplies." Speaking of which... Landis frowned at his half finished beer. He'd better get going. Those would-be settlers got antsy pretty easily; couldn't even let a man enjoy his drink! He chugged the rest of the beer, and wiped his mouth where some had sloshed over in his haste to finish. "I'll be going now. Thanks again miss. I'll do you a good turn if I'm ever in these parts again." He sincerely hoped that would never happen! He slid off the stool and hustled through town. Regret filled him as he shook a leg for where he'd left the wagons. He would have really liked to get properly drunk before facing those snobs from back east again.
Minutes later, Landis found himself staring in shock down an empty trail. His brain kicked in and he started to cuss a blue streak that would make even Satan cringe. They had up and left! But not only that, they'd stolen his horse too! "******* sons of ******* every last one of them! I hope hell swallows them whole and they all get themselves scalped!" Hollering until he was out of breath, Landis then stared ahead, panting and sweating. He scanned the wasteland around him with hollow, black eyes. What am I going to do now?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 12:54 pm
Ellie shrugged as her offer was turned down. "Suit yourself, the offer is likely to expire within the day, so if you still want the room you'll have to catch me before I close up tonight." She watched as Landis chugged down his beer muttering about having to leave and then doing her a solid. "I'll hold you to your word then, hope to see you around sooner or later tiger," she smirked removing the empty beer mug from the counter only to put it in the rather large tub in the back once he had left.
She cleaned both of her mugs and Landis' before setting them back on the shelves. Satisfied with the state of order in the bar tending area, she placed a closed sign on the table and walked over to her tender, grabbed his ear and dragged him around the back. "You, sir, need to realize your place in this bar," he grumbled, bringing him out back. She released him forcefully, making him stumble away from her a few feet as she pulled out another cigarette. She lit it and stared at him coldly from under the shade of her hat. "Well now, Jared, you have ten seconds to explain to me three things; your God damn cocky attitude, you reason for refusing to serve a paying customer and why I should bother to keep you around here." She crossed her arms over and leaned against the back porch's railing. "Begin."
Jared looked a mess, he was trembling, and his words were barely making any sense not to mention that he was constantly mumbling. "I...er...sir...I...ma'am...half-breed..."
"Speak up damn it," Ellie growled, her patience wearing thin as the man continued to mutter and sputter incoherent words. "Five seconds."
Jared was unable to come up with a worthy response and was left to play with the hem of his apron as he stared bullets into the ground, unable to even look at the woman.
Ellie sighed and pushed away from the railing. She pulled the cigarette out of her mouth and grabbed Jared's hair. She pulled it back forcefully, making the man wince as she drilled the heated bud into the middle of his forehead. The man twitched and bit his lip trying hard not to scream or cry in pain. 'Cocky b*****d,' she growled in her mind. She then dropped the man to the ground threw the cigarette and crunched it under the heel of her foot. "You better well have come up with a damn good reason why I'm letting you stick around." She ad her back to him.
"You give me any other reason to fire your a** I'll kick you out so hard and so fast that you'll limp out of town and trust me, you won't be coming back or finding work here again, got that?" Her words were dark and cold.
"D-devil woman..." the man spat as he sat on the dirt ground.
Ellie stopped in her tracks and turned her head a quarter way to look at him. "Did I hear something just now? Maybe you want a few bullets in your body?"
"N-nothing!" Jared recoiled as he dropped his head down, trying to hide the fear in his eyes.
"That's what I thought. Oh, and if you have some damn cuss words to swear about me, do it to my face. I ******** hate a man who hides behind a person's back to whisper devils in others ears. Be a man and grow the ******** up already." With those final words she turned forward and started towards the door.
"And don't think about working the rest of the week. You are hereby laid of pay and work until such a time that I see you have learned your lesson." Ellie slammed the back door on the guy, locking it behind her. It was obvious by what she had meant, 'enter if you dare to risk your life'.
Ellie had taken over Jared's job at the counter, filling out the beer mugs to the rowdy men in the bar. She was in the back washing mugs when the thoughts of the previous punishment crossed her mind. 'Maybe I went a bit to easy on the man.'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:14 pm
The town didn't look like any less of a dump the third time through. The toes of his boots made little ruts in the dirt as Landis dragged himself despondently through his new 'home'. He was stuck; no horse, no more than eight dollars, and no place to dig in. He only had one place to go back to, and if the room price was too high, than he could always get blind drunk and not give a damn where he slept.
Landis hooked his thumbs through his belt and stared wordlessly at the Pony Express saloon. It would be humiliating to go back in there, but it wasn't like he was a stranger to mockery. He only hoped that pretty woman was still there to back him up. As long as he bought something she probably wouldn't throw him out. Sucking in a lungful of air, Landis pushed through the doors and experienced instant déjà vu. Coldly, silent stares heralded his return. But this time there was no noisy bar keep.
His black eyes darted for every shadow, fully expecting a gun, as he settled himself on an empty bar stool. He felt exposed with his back to much of the room, but it couldn't be helped. He didn't feel like starting another fight over where he preferred to sit. That solid logic didn't ease his gut feeling any. He could see in his mind a bullet slamming right into the back of his skull. It was an awful feeling, having the sense of a being sitting duck.
He didn't see that woman around. In fact, he saw no one at all besides that useless piano player. Maybe I should leave before anyone gets any ideas. He could hear muttering all around him. There were certainly some big, dumb louts hanging around that were still interested in seeing some blood tonight.
Landis tapped the fingers of his left hand against the bar while the other hand nervously slid against his gun. He was as jumpy as a cat on washing day where any hostile movement would trigger instant retaliation. The atmosphere was tense, but normal saloon life moved on. Music trickled through the crowd attempting to smooth out the ruffled tempers, but the piano player was obviously drunk. The rowdy melodies hit chords that Landis was sure never existed. The men around him kept one eye on the half-breed and the other on their cards. No one seemed willing to make the first move just yet, so Landis decided to try his luck for a few more minutes. He really needed a place to stay. His fingers tapped faster as he really began to wonder where that damn bar tender had got to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 4:03 pm
By now the sun was slowly setting over the small town. The hours would be growing cooler in the hours to come and traveling at night would only subject one to the high way robbers and murderers of the night. It was also the time when the poisonous creatures crawled out of their dens to make use of the cool hours. It was certainly a difficult and dangerous time to travel, not unless the person was packed down heavy with bullets and buddies he could depend on.
The bar inside, was growing more drunken with the passing time leaving the owner to her work. She figured she would have to pick up Jared's slack, that was, until he came back or she found someone to replace him for the time being.
Ellie soon reappeared from the back room, a white apron tied around her waist. She walked over to Landis, smiling her huge, bright smile. "Well hello there tiger, something got you on the ropes or did you miss me already?" she chuckled, leaning forward a little, letting him have a smooth, prolonged glimpse of her jewels before standing up straight.
Ellie had removed her hat from her head when she was working behind the bar, to show some respect to the fellow patrons of the bar. She didn't normally wear a hat inside anyways. It always made her overly hot and she felt it cooler to wear thinner, lighter clothes as well, even if they were a bit tight on her.
"So what can I get you today? A beer, another type of drink, a room perhaps?" She asked, turning a quarter way to view the drunken man at the piano. She glared at him coolly from the counter and, as if it were magic, the man pulled his eyes off of Landis and started up the music yet again, but more precise then previous attempts. She then turned right around to pull out two crystal, pristine clean mugs and placed them on the counter.
"The room is still open, if you are curious," she started, as if pretty much knowing what sort of predicament he was in. "Though, if you have arousing story to tell me why your back so soon, I'd love to hear it. If it's a good sob story I might knock the price down for ya," she chuckled, pulling the first mug under the tap, her own beer first. Ellie placed the beer on the counter, and moved to grab the other one to fill it up with the golden brown liquid.
It wasn't every day that she had the same newcomer back at her place and it wasn't usual to find that person kicking around the dead end town for longer then most others did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 4:07 pm
"Well hello there tiger, something got you on the ropes or did you miss me already?" Landis looked up from fiddling with his gun, just in time to catch another glimpse of those coveted breasts. It was almost worth being stuck here just to see 'em again! His satisfaction was short lived as she straightened up, but that didn't stop him from wondering what she looked like without that tight little shirt. As he was busily undressing her in his mind, she asked him to spill the beans. Of course she wants to know. She's a woman, and all women do is talk, and talk, til your ears bleed! He would much rather talk about her breasts. It was simply embarrassing for a hardened trail scout to have been robbed blind like he was.
Landis glared sourly down at the bar top. I guess there's no way to back out of this hole. I just have to fess up. He squared his jaw and glanced back up at her curious expression. "It seems that you're stuck with me Miss." He shrugged wearily. "My wagon train must have gotten sick of my ugly face since they took off faster than a jackrabbit on fire. Took my horse and belongings with 'em." He tipped his head. "How much is that room of yours going for anyway? I ain't got much on me now, but you're welcome to what I have, and I'll work hard. I don't accept no charity." He refrained from asking how much a little female comfort went for in this town as well. She may be as tough as a man, but he still couldn't speak to a lady like that.
To prove he was as good as his word, Landis rummaged in his pants and slid his slack money bag across the counter in her direction. He didn't want pity, he'd been in far worse shape before, but he just needed a room and a job. The rest would take care of itself. Thinking about this mess too much would only give him a headache. He knocked back the front of his hat and eased his shoulders so he could read her expressions a little better. "If you don't have something we could work out, then I'd sure appreciate if you would know who in this town would be willing to hire me." If he had to, he could sleep outside. It got cold with the wind whipping through the buildings, but Landis could hole up in some shack or on a porch.
In spite of his resolve to work this through, he still couldn't help being bitter. Damn those b******s! It was prejudiced white men who'd put him in this situation, and they'd probably gone and hired another white man to do his job. It didn't matter even if the man couldn't find his own shadow just so long as his grandaddy was no Indian. It shouldn't surprise him all that much. Relations between the Cheyenne Indians and the settlers had been bad for a while. Landis was getting rather used to being hated. His fists clenched anxiously as he awaited a verdict. No doubt, a smart woman like her would boot him out on his ear when she saw he had no more cash then that sad amount to spend. He couldn't very well help being a pessimist when he was never wrong!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 2:51 pm
The black-haired woman was fiddling with the glasses again after having cleaned hers, polishing off the last of the alcohol in the glass. She cocked an eye brow as he began to speak, slowly rubbing the inside of the glass to keep her hands busy.
"It seems that you're stuck with me Miss." He shrugged wearily. "My wagon train must have gotten sick of my ugly face since they took off faster than a jackrabbit on fire. Took my horse and belongings with 'em."
"Well isn't that unfortunate, a lovely man like yourself getting the short end of the stick," she commented, shaking her head to his misfortunes. It truly was a shame that he was given this downturn, the climax of his life in such an unfortunate way.
"How much is that room of yours going for anyway? I ain't got much on me now, but you're welcome to what I have, and I'll work hard. I don't accept no charity."
"It usually goes on sale for about two hundred silvers," she said looking over her shoulder at the door on the second floor. "It includes all the services of our lovely establishment, hot, running water, three coursed meal, laundry, a bed and good sized washroom, it really is a bargain. Most other places 'round here will have you pay triple the amount I'm offering just for the bare bones of the room." She stopped shaking her head and returned her cool gaze on Landis.
With a gracefully, swift movement, Ellie scooped up the bag and stared at the contents. She then slipped to coins on the counter and began examining them with a close eye. "Looks like you're a little short on cash today," she replied, piling up the coins in small stacks. "About fifty to be more accurate." Her eyes flickered with dark amusement before she placed her beer glass on the back shelf.
"If you don't have something we could work out, then I'd sure appreciate if you would know who in this town would be willing to hire me."
"Hire you say?" Ellie wasn't going to bother, she had something more interesting in mind.
Two seconds later she pulled out two, clear shot glasses and a bottle of the strong liquid from under the table. "I have a proposal for you. I don't hire anyone on spot and for good reason. You seem like well rounded man but I'm willing to up the anti here."
She then started pouring the strong liquor into the two glasses and placed the bottle on the counter next to her. She then leaned over the bar, so close that she was actual breathing in Landis' ear.
"If you can best me in shots, I'll thrown in a job as a bar tender of my establishment and two nights, free of charge, room service. Not a penny paid." She then pulled away and positioned herself on the bar to make the proposition more entertaining to her at Landis' reactions.
"However, you'll have to put up something worth the risk. Do ya have anything on you that you're willing to bet?"
Ellie knew the game and she knew it well. Some of the men of the bar spoke of the tales that had lead to Ellie's position of the bar. Some whispered words that she drank the man under the table and won it as part of a wager. Which, in some notion, was true but only partly.
Ellie was able to hold her beer, that was for sure and she had won many wagers in the past however, there was only one person before that had managed to beat her. 'And I wonder if this will be two...'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 6:29 pm
His heart sank as she informed him of just how far short he was on cash. He knew he didn't even have enough to rent a goddamn sod house, but he'd hoped that she would be willing to take what he did have as a deposit and let him work off the rest. Doesn't look like my lucky day. He was going to be proven right once more, he couldn't think of a time where he'd far rather be wrong! Looks like I'll be howling with the coyotes tonight. But his opinion began to rapidly change as she pulled out a bottle of the good stuff and began to pour.
"I have a proposal for you. I don't hire anyone on spot and for good reason. You seem like a well rounded man but I'm willing to up the anti here."
Landis eyed the small shot glasses with a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. If she was aiming for a drinking game, then he'd give her a run for her money! He'd been a drinking man since age ten and he was no pushover. His eyes widened as she leaned over the bar to speak intimately into his ear. "If you can best me in shots, I'll throw in a job as a bar tender of my establishment and two nights, free of charge, room service. not a penny paid."
It sounded too good to be true. This woman must know what she's doing to put up such a sweet deal. He'd rarely lost drinking games, but still... The rhythm of her breath in his ear was distracting. He found himself glancing down her neckline, hoping for another look at those breasts of hers. He'd nearly succeeded when she moved. His eyes jerked up guiltily to hers as she pulled away and studied him.
Then she laid down the conditions. "However, you'll have to put up something worth the risk. Do ya have anything on you that you're willing to bet?"
Landis' hand went immediately to his gun. It was really the only thing he had that he'd even consider betting, but a man in this place with no arms was as good as six feet under. Besides, he'd had this gun for a long, long time. He had gotten it the first time he'd killed a man. His black eyes hardened as he tapped the butt of the gun. He could still remember how desperate he'd felt when he'd grabbed for this gun and pulled the trigger... Landis didn't know the name of the man who had originally owned this gun, and he didn't care to. That murdering spawn of Satan had gotten what he'd deserved. He'd never named his gun for just that reason. It served as a reminder of the hatred that existed in this world; hatred directed at him.
"Will this do?" The gun clicked softly as he placed it on the counter. The only other thing he had were the beads his mother had given him. Those he would never, ever let go of, until the day he died. His black eyes bored into hers, looking for a sign of weakness. He was betting his life right here, so he wouldn't overlook a damn detail. His lips quirked up but his eyes stayed determined. "If you're satisfied, then let's go!" His fingers tapped the bar top. He felt uncomfortably light without the weight of his gun. No doubt, if he lost tonight, some crazy, Indian-hating drunk, will have done him in by morning. He had to win this!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 6:43 pm
The woman tapped her fingers rhythmically on the counter top. She watched him as he placed down his offer, his eyes betraying a sort of anxiety or, fear for that matter. A small smile curled across her lips. She could take this, a man with nothing giving his only protection in bet whereas, she was only offering him a job and two night's stay in her bar. 'This'll work out better then I thought,' she thought smugly, as she pulled a bar stool over the side of the counter to sit down on.
"I see you're damn serious about this," she said looking from the gun to Landis. She couldn't help but find a sort of cool, underlining humour in the situation.
"A man without a gun is as good as dead around here," Ellie then pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and undid one button of her top as she leaned into the counter. She was going to play dirty. This brought her to another idea with made a cold smile flicker in her eyes and play on her lips.
"If you're satisfied, then let's go!" His fingers tapped the bar top.
"Well, well now," she began as she took the liquor and swished it down in a single gulp. She then took his glass, took a clean swing and finished it off. She had just changed her mind.
"Don't consider my actions that of sympathy at this point. In other words, I'm not giving you a handicap." She then got up and placed the 'closed' sign on the bar top. "Since you are placing your life on the line, so to speak, then we shall do this in private."
She then stacked the two shot glasses and grabbed the liquor, then, thinking twice, she grabbed another bottle from under the counter and started walking to the end of the bar, not bothering to put the chair back.
"Now, please follow me, and please don't leave your weapon on the counter top," she chuckled darkly before leading Landis up to the second floor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:39 pm
"I see you're damn serious about this." She had accepted his wager. That didn't put him at ease at all. She knew what a man like him putting down his gun meant, and she was still willing to wager. I might be getting myself into trouble here, but I can't call myself a man if I back out now! His fingers kept tapping, the only tell in his otherwise intense expression. Why was he trying so hard for a damn room and a job anyway? It wasn't like he'd just hadn't spent the past month straight sleeping outside with no issue. Landis sighed. This room of hers better be a ******* palace for all the trouble it's causing me!
"A man without a gun is as good as dead around here," Her blatant statement only made him feel worse about all this.
He gave her a sharp look. She was probably playing with his head, trying to throw him off his game. He gritted his teeth. Damn this woman was clever! He needed to keep his head steady if he was going to win this bet. He needed to anticipate her plans... He carefully watched her every movement as she undid the top button of her already too-small top, and casually leaned forward. If she was using mind games then she was hitting all the right buttons. In spite of his current situation, Landis couldn't help but admire that fine body of hers. He couldn't help it! It'd been months since he'd last gotten ahold of a woman, much less one as pretty as her.
He jumped a little as she knocked back the shot in one smooth movement. He'd been caught staring like a love-sick fool! Embarrassed, he started to reach for his shot glass, but she beat him to it. Landis sat back in surprised and watched as she downed his too with flair. What is this? He she changed her mind? Was she giving him a damn handicap like some shave-tail from back east? He nearly growled in irritation. Hadn't he told her he didn't accept charity? That went double for bets! He could take care of himself!
"Don't consider my actions that of sympathy at this point. In other words, I'm not giving you a handicap." He narrowed his gaze. What was he supposed to think then? "Since you are placing your life on the line, so to speak, then we shall do this in private." She grabbed the glasses and the alcohol. "Now, please follow me, and please don't leave your weapon on the counter top." He didn't need to be told that twice! Landis slid his gun back where it belonged and instantly felt a little better. He followed her upstairs feeling curious and apprehensive. Just what does this woman have up her sleeve?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
