high_seas | Here there be monsters...

[thash looked up at her once she was on the horse] Hm, okay. I'll try sitting in front. [mostly because if they were going to be holding on to each other he didn't want to squeeze the poor women to death. At least if he was up front he'd be able to hold onto the sadldle better.]

[he put a webbed foot in the stirrup and hauled himself up, being a little rough and off-balance. The horse snorted in irritation but allowed it. Thash managed to get in there eventually] heh, sorry. So I just sit like this?

[the guy next to Faye chuckled a bit] nah. This public stuff where amateurs can join and the reward is chump change ain't my style. [Faye had won quite a bit of money that night, so if he was referring to it as chump change, then he had to be talking about a considerable amount of money as a reward for winning this private game. He didn't really look rich, but maybe that was intentional] I mostly came tonight to see if there was anyone playin' who'd be good enough ta join us. The guy that won refused, so he's a piece o' chicken crap obviously. I could tell ya weren't gonna be a coward, though. Ya got a presence about ya.

Yeah, you got it. Like you're a natural! Jus make sure don't crash inta anythin. I'll help you with directions, don't you worry.

*At that Jessie put her arms around Thash's waist, nuzzling herself close to him and smiling. Then she tappedd the side of the horse with her foot and they were off, headed in a direction that Thash and Faye hadn't explored yet*

*Faye's interest was definitely piqued by the way this guy was talking, but she appeared aloof, only casually raising a brow* No cowards allowed, huh? Is it as dangerous as it sounds?

Alright....[Thash was a little uncomfortable with being cling to and nuzzled by Jessie and he stiffened up a bit, but then reminded himself that she was just hanging on so she wouldn't fall off the horse...right? Right. So, he calmed down and headed off with her, learning how to control the horse as they went along. They'd ride around for at least another twenty minutes or so before it started to get darker as the sun set]

[meanwhile, the guy next to Faye explained that he'd meant the guy was afraid of losing his winnings, not necessarily afraid of physical harm. He said he and his friends didn't typically get into fights or anything and the worst thing anyone had lost besides a lot of money was pride and maybe some watches or any other valuable item they'd bet to stay in the game. One guy had even lost his best horse once, he explained. He'd talk to her about it up until the sun started setting]

Welp, we'd best be on our way, ma'am. Won't do ta be late. Ya ready?

*Jessie could feel his body tense beneath her hands, so she leaned back a little since it seemed to make him happier. She didn't want him to change his mind and get off the horse, after all.

Faye listened carefully and sipped and her drink, smiling and nodding at his stories in all the right places. Then she rose from her seat, double checking she had all of her things - hat, gun holstered, small pouch of money*

Alright. Let's go.

[Once they'd been riding for a while, the thought crossed Thash's mind that maybe he should go check on Faye... but nah, he thought, she didn't need him around all the time. If someone was going to do something to her it probably would have been done already. He was enjoying himself anyway, having pretty much gotten used to controlling the horse at a walk and a trot] So, how do you get it to run? [He finally asked]

[The guy with Faye stood up and led her not out the front of the building, but the back of it. It took them to a pretty wide alley and he turned right, heading towards the outskirts of town] So, where'd a sizzlin' woman like you learn ta play, huh?

*Along the way, Jessie pointed out little pieces of interest, like the post office, or where she bought her fruit from. Until, gradually, more and more civilisation was falling away, and they were getting closer to wide, empty, wasteland*

To get it to run, tap his body with the side of your foot a bit - that should get him going fast enough.

*As she spoke to him, Jessie sat up so that she could lean against his shoulder, speaking softly into his ear*

*Faye glanced around them, and walked along with the guy, chuckling quietly when he used the word 'sizzlin' - that was one she hadn't heard in a while*

Oh, you know. Here and there. Everywhere, really. Good practise makes perfect.

[Although such a tour might be boring for most people, Thash found it very interesting. He had asked her to explain what a post office was, and how humans cultivated fruit to sell. There were some similarities between that stuff and Aquarian civilization, but a lot of differences, too. When she explained how to make it run, he nodded] Alright, I'll try it.

[He hit his heels against the side of the horse firmly but not too hard. It snorted a little and picked up speed until it was in a slow gallop. It was a lot harder to hold on during agallop than trotting or walking so Thash grabbed the saddle, sort of clinging to it with the claws of one hand] whoa! This isn't as easy as you guys make it look...

[The guy nodded] Heh, true. Well then, just a little further... [Faye probably expected him to stop at one of the buildings on the egde of town at this point but he just kept walking until there was only one or two more buildings they possibly could stop at. That's when they'd start hearing the pounding of horse hooves. The guy looked to the left calmly, watching as five guys riding horses approached. As they got near they started yipping and shouting and just generally making a ruckus, even firing a couple of shots into the air with pistols. The group of horses circled around the guy and Faye, surrounding them. The guy didn't look alarmed or even surprised, simply glaring at them] Took you long enough.

[Now that they were stionary, Faye would probably recognize them as the men her and Thash had fought with the previous night. One more guy came riding up behind them, pulling his horse to a stop as he neared... the stabbing guy]

Hey there little lady, heh... now, me an' the boys just wanna talk a little bit, so why don't ya throw me your pistol and we'll chat it up, hm?

There! Perfect! You're a natural!

*Jessie laughed softly behind him, a dainty music in her voice*

It takes a bit of practise. That's all. But we've got time. Plenty of time, now that the sun's down...

*Meanwhile, although Faye had heard and registered trouble, the guy she was with didn't seem fazed, so neither did she. She figured they were nearly at their destination, so as long as those guys making the noise weren't her opponents, then everything would run just as she'd been told.

But then she was surrounded. Faye blinked, keeping her eyes closed for an extra moment while she cursed herself for getting into this stupid situation. When she opened her eyes, her gaze swept over all of them, and she tilted her head as she smiled*

That's funny. Didn't think you needed my pistol so you could talk. Turns out that I can't talk without it either. So I'd like to keep it, if it's all the same to you...

*Sounding as casual as possible, though she was suddenly rather frightened of the possibilities of what might happen next, her hand already reaching for her gun, resting at her holster*

Yeah... [Thash smiled a bit at her laugh. But then he heard the faint sound of gunfire somewhere. It sounded like it had come from the other side of town] What was that... did you hear that? [His voice sounded concerned. He looked back towards the small town, trying to see what could have caused guns to be fired]

[The stabbing guy smirked smugly up on top of his horse, pointing his gun at her] Sorry sweet thing, but it ain't all the same. We'll have your pistol. We've all got our own so we don't want ye gettin' any cute ideas... ya fire that thing and you're dead.

[The guy that had led Faye out there glanced at her with an unapologetic shrug and walked out of the circle of horses, leaving her. One of the other guys on a horse, one of the ones she'd kicked rather hard in the groin, spoke up angrilly]

Listen girle, a lot of us were plannin' on goin' to that tournament today. We would have won lots of cash, but instead we get robbed by you AND can't go today thanks to bein' in pain [Yet somehow the morons weren't in enough 'pain' to avoid riding horses] so, ya cost us a lot of money. Why don't ya give us what's rightfully ours now?

Hmm?

*Jessie made a small motion of turning her head, but then she lightly shrugged her shoulders*

No...No. I don't think so. Maybe just a few of the guys having some fun after that tournament.

*Her hand rubbed gently at the centre of his chest, just to let him know that she was still really enjoying herself, that there was no need for them to have to turn back anywhere*

*Seeing a pistol pointed at her, Faye immediately pulled out her own, cocking it ready to fire. But she was certainly outnumbered, and running wouldn't help, given that they all had horses*

Rightfully yours? I won it all. Fair and fucking square.

*Okay, maybe not so much the first time, but today she really had*

Maybe if you weren't all cowardly dickheads, we wouldn't be in this situation. So no. This money is mine, and I have every intention of taking it away with me, to spend on whatever the hell I want.

*Turning around and leaving wouldn't make sense either. She eyed around the horses, figuring out what she could possibly do to get away. Her pistol pointed at each of the men in turn*

Though you had enough of a kicking yesterday - surely you don't want beaten up by a woman twice in two days?

[Thash didn't like it, not one bit. He felt like he'd been ignoring his instincts for long enough. Maybe he was just overreacting and it would be fine, but he'd never forgive himself if some fight was breaking out and he wasn't there to back Faye up] I need to go make sure my friend is okay. If she is then we can come right back to this, alright?

[Even the rub at his chest didn't calm him down, and he kicked the sides of the horse until it was at a pretty fast gallop. He had to cling to the saddle with both hands now and really didn't like the sensation of almost bouncing off every time it bounded, but felt a little more stable once he wrapped his tail mostly around its stomach to steady himself]

[Back where Faye was, the angry guy fired a shot next to her feet in warning] Oh really? I don't think ya understand what kind of situation you're in right now, little girl! Are you really gonna make us do this the hard way? [Some of the guys started getting ropes out, most of which were tied into lassos] Well that's fine by me. We'll take your money plus a little interest, heheh... your freak freind isn't here to help you now. He's off with a cheaper whore, so you get to be our company tonight.

Your friend? Your friend will be fine. I saw her - she's strong.

*But there was an edge to the girl's voice, unable now to really stop Thash. The horse was already running back the way they came, and she had to think of what she could do or say to make him stop*

But wait - what about us? I thought we were having fun! Let's go cuddle down somewhere. Your little friend will be just fine.

*Faye leapt aside, growling at the assault the guy had made, even if he was only warning her. She looked startled somewhat when they revealed their ropes, the lassos on the end, and she cursed loudly to herself. When he mentioned a whore, Faye suddenly thought of the red-head girl that had lead Thash away. She'd thought he'd got lucky, but it looked like this had been set up the whole time*

I'm not letting any of you fucks anywhere near me!

*At that, Faye fired her gun straight at the knee of the first horse, then managed to fire a second at another horse. Shooting was her only hope at this stage, and if she could cause commotion by hurting the horses, maybe the men too, then at least there was a chance of getting away*

I know she is. But even strong people can be put at a disadvantage... [When she suggested they cuddle, he shook his head] That's nice of you to offer and I am having fun, but I'm not going to be able to relax unless I know those gun shots have nothing to do with her... [When he heard another one, shortly followed by two more Thash was put even more on edge and kept the horse running]

[The guy on the back of the first shot horse cursed loudly when the horse reared up, whinnying in pain. He shot at Faye, but luckily his aim was way off and he missed her. The horse bucked him off and he growled in pain himself, the tumble causing pain between his legs where he'd been kicked last night. The guy on the second horse Faye shot was quick enough to jump off it as it fell, also cursing. Before faye could get off more shots she'd feel two lassos fall around her and get pulled tight- one from the right and one from the left by two of the guys that were still on their horses. The stabbing guy was screaming frantically, angrilly firing his gun at Faye's feet. He was so mad he might actually hit her] Stop struggling ya trash whore! These are good horses and you're gonna pay for every single one ya injure!

*Jessie seemed to go rather quiet after that, more withdrawn. She still held onto Thash as she needed to, otherwise she'd fall off the horse, but all of her giggling and cuddling was gone. Thash was obviously very determined to get back to his friend, and even she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard those gunshots*

*Faye's gun dropped to the ground as the ropes were thrown around her. She screamed and yelled right back at them all. As for the stabbing guy, Faye actually spat in his direction, especially riled at being called a whore in that way*

I'm paying for fuck all!

*But at that, Faye crumpled down onto her knees, yelping out in pain. Though she had tried to dodge the bullets, it was almost impossible with the way she had been tied up, and there was a hot, horrible agony shooting through her foot where she had been shot*

[It would be sort of hard to cuddle or laugh and be cute on the back of a horse galloping that fast anyway- it was probably all they could do to hold on. Already they'd reached the edge of town and were speeding through it, but it would still be a bit before they reached the other side where Thash thought the gunshots had come from]

[The stabbing guy gave an obnoxious laugh when Faye fell to her knees, realizing he'd shot her, He hadn't really meant to, but now that he had, he thought it was a good thing.] That'll shut you up... ya got way too much attitude for a dang whore!

Bert ya moron, ya shot her! She aint gonna be any fun if she's all bloody and roughed up, ya twit. Watch what you're doin' with that gun![One of the guys holding the rope growled. The other guy, 'Bert' supposedly, sneered] Oh she'll be plenty of fun, shoot. She'd prolly be more fun if she wasn't movin' at all...

[One of the guys that had been knocked off his hors but wasn't in too much pain to walk approached Faye cautiously.] Now just gimme that pistol, sweetie. Ya may not like this but ya darn well had it coming. If ya wanna come out of this alive you'd better start cooperatin'.

I'm not a whore, you prick! *Faye struggled and managed to sit up, slipping her pistol back into her hand. Her foot hurt. A lot. It was bleeding red through her white cowboy boots, though she had no idea how bad or not the wound actually was. Even though she was tied tight, she had enough movement to slightly lift her arm, gun pointed for the guy that had shot her. She had every intention of shooting him right back in the foot to show how much it hurt.

She growled as she continued to struggle against the ropes anyway, hating the way they were talking about her, like they could use and abuse her any way they wanted. Faye's attention turned immediately to the guy that was approaching her, and her eyes narrowed bitterly*

Come out of what, huh? What? What are you bastards going to do to me? Cause I swear to God I'm going to fuck you all up so badly.

*The end of the barrel of her weapon was aimed squarely at the guy who had approached her, right at his crotch*

Ya see that?! [Bert yelled in an almost whining tone] She aint gonna quit strugglin' even after I shot her... let's just off her and enjoy her afterwards...

Ya got some sick tastes, Bert. Shut up and do somethin' useful like get off yer horse and help out! [However, Bert was the only one that stayed on his horse. The two guys holding the ropes around Faye were getting off their horses, slowly getting closer to her while keeping tension on the ropes. It wasn't restraining her completely but seemed to at least restrict her movement. The guy close to her froze when she pointed her gun at his crotch]

Ya don't wanna do that, sweetie. [His voice had a condescendingly comforting tone] Ya shoot one of us an' Bert's gonna go nuts and kill ya. Ya wanna keep livin', don't ya? Then just calm down and hold still...

[By then, Thash had ridden the horse nearly across town. He was bothered that he hadn't seen anything yet that could have caused those gunshots, but then the scene at the other edge of town started to come into view between a couple of buildings. Thash squinted because it was still kind of far away, but he saw a bunch of horses and a bunch of men and one small kneeling figure in the middle of them all wearing white. His eyes widened]

is that Faye?! FAYE!! [He started cursing up a storm, trying to get the horse to run faster]

*A moment ago, Faye would've just shot him in the balls any way, but given what he said about using her dead body, she didn't doubt that he'd kill her regardless of what he wanted from her. Her hand trembled as she clutched the gun tightly, slowly and painfully dragging herself to her feet. But the pain in her foot was too much, and she sank heavily down on her knees*

I'm not going to sit here...without putting up a fight.

*These men clearly new what they wanted, and she'd rather be dead than live through whatever they intended. So she made finally fired another shot, but given her restraint and shaky hands, she narrowly missed his groin and shot through his upper thigh instead. As for anyone yelling or being nearby, she hadn't noticed*

[The guy in front of her yelled when she shot his leg, stumbling backwards and ending up on his back. She'd taken two of them out of the fight now, but there were still four more including Bert on his horse. When she shot the guy in front of her, the two with the ropes at her sides lunged forward, trying to subdue her before she could turn her gun on them]

I'll kill that trash whore! [Bert roared, angry she'd shot that guy in the leg. One guy standing near him stopped him though, grabbing his gun as he pointed it at Faye] Don't go overboard ya idiot, we're not all screwed up in the head... [Yeah, right. Well, not as screwed up as Bert anyway]

[Before Bert could protest he heard a horse galloping and looked towards town. His mouth dropped open and he started pulling on his horse's reins to get it to back up out of the way] guys, hey guys....guys!

WHAT Bert, what?! [Yelled one of the guys trying to restrain Faye's twisting body, aggrivated by the distraction when he'd just been getting excited. He looked over at what Bert was yelling about but didn't have time to say much before there was a shark hybrid flying at him] OH SHI-!

[Thash had ridden the speeding horse right towards them and hadn't really spared much thought for Jessie as he jumped off of it to attack. Maybe she could just cling to the horse and keep riding it as it ran off, but he didn't think about that. All he could think about was spilling the blood of these perverts as quickly as possible]

[The guy to Faye's left that had gotten tackled by Thash had recieved and immediate bite to the back of his neck, killing him. The guy on Faye's right let go of the rope and stepped back with his hands up, freaked out. The guy that had taken Bert's gun fumbled with it, trying in a panic to get it pointed towards Thash]

*Faye was restrained by the two men that she couldn't use her gun if she wanted to. It was still in her hand, but barely, and she couldn't use her arms at all. Faye's head hung forward, and she knew she'd have to endure this alive, and awake. She only lifted her eyes when she heard the men start to panic, and she vaguely registered Thash, on a horse.

Jessie had clung on tightly to the saddle, happy to flee away with the horse. After all, she'd failed in her job, and she didn't want the treatment that Faye was getting right now. So horse and girl rushed off, disappearing without another sound.

On the ground, Faye fell sideways. On realising that Thash was there, and that hopefully he'd be able to help, much of the fight completely drained from her. Her head was dizzy, from the heat, the fear, and the blood loss due to being shot in the foot. In all, she almost fainted the short distance to the ground. Her eyes were half-open, just about taking in what was happening. Still, though, her fingers curled around her pistol. If she could just pull the trigger, she'd manage to shoot another bullet, vaguely aiming at the Bert guy's ankle. Her fingers finally found the strength to pull, and she'd have to wait and see if it hit*

[After killing the first guy, Thash quickly looked around to assess who was the next most urgent threat. He leapt towards the guy with Bert's gun, and Faye would hear the guy shriek in terror as he was bowled over. She'd only see Thash's shark tail whipping back and forth as some rather sickening sounds of bone crunching ended the guy's screaming]

[At this point the other guy near Faye said 'screw this' and just took off running. Bert wailed at him to stay, but his words were punctuated by a scream when Faye's bullet tore through his ankle]

AAAGH F^%*#^%#!! [He screamed several curses, his pain overcoming his fear] That's it... there is no way I'm letting you win, you piece of meat!

[However, he recognized that at this point he'd have to get rid of Thash first to get to Faye. He pulled out a rope as Thash was standing up from killing his last victim, tossing the loop around Thash's neck and urging his horse into a run. Thash barely knew what was happening before he was being dragged by his neck across rocky ground towards a stand of trees about 100 yards away]

This is the last time ya get in my way ya stupid freak... we're gonna finish what I started with you last night! [He threw the loose end over a branch then tied it to his saddle, urging his horse to back up until Thash was pulled up into the air. He struggled angrily, his tail thrashing around as he tried to get free. It didn't seem to help much though and he only succeeded in strangling himself worse]

*Faye saw an extra gun lying, smothered in blood - the one who had planned on keeping her still, doing what he wanted. He was dead now, Faye knew, he wouldn't need his gun. So, taking this, Faye also managed to grab herself a nearby horse, one that was still standing, but whinnying too and fro. It took some considerable effort, and it took her far longer than she would have liked, but Faye finally was able to haul herself up onto the back of the creature.

She was running on adrenaline along, and the desperate need to get to Thash before something happened to him. Or the both of them. She slowed the horse into a walk as she neared them, barely keeping herself upright on the horse. She hoped that the man wouldn't hear her, shouting as he was at Thash, who Faye could barely dare to look at it. She said nothing, just lifted each of the guns and fired them one after the other straight to the centre of the man's back*

Edited 2014-06-04 19:18 (UTC)

[Bert was laughing and being an idiot, so he didn't see Faye coming. He'd assumed she was the typical girl who coudln't operate under pressure and pain and that she'd still be lying there helplessly when he got back. Well, clearly he'd assumed wrong]

[The grin dropped off his face when he got shot in the back several times. He somehow managed to stay conscious long enough to twist slightly in the saddle, looking back in astonishment at Faye. The fear and shock in his eyes was all too evident. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only managed to cough up a bit of blood before he slumped off his horse and tumbled to the ground, dead]

[His horse was startled and confused, feeling its rider fall off its back. It got spooked and started to run. Luckily, one of Faye's bullets had nicked the rope tied to its saddle, and it taking off pulled on the rope hard enough to make it snap. Thash's struggling had gotten very weak at this point and he was at the edge of consciousness when he fell to the ground in a heap. He managed to loosen the loop enough to breathe past it, coughing and gasping in relief]

*Faye only stopped shooting when she was certain that the man was dead. As soon as he was, and the horse disappeared, she dropped the guns from her hands, letting them slip to the ground. It seemed that Faye fell with them, slowly sliding sideways from the saddle that she was barely sitting on. She landed on the ground with a thud, almost at the same time that Thash had.

Her breathing had become laboured, head spinning with the loss of blood that seemed to have coloured her entire boot red. But she crawled over the short distance between herself and Thash, and slumped her body against his. When she spoke up, she sounded incredibly tired*

Thash... You still alive?

[Thash breathed deeply until he got some feeling back in his body, then pulled the rope off his neck. Then he twsited a little to see Faye crawling up next to him until she stopped against him, asking if he was alive.] Yeah, I'm alive... [Then he saw her very red boot]

Holy crap Faye... [His voice was hoarse and hard to understand but he sounded a little panicked. He dragged himself into a sitting position, looking worriedly at her ankle. He could tell she was losing a lot of blood from it (his nose would have told him that even if he coudln't see it) and he needed to do something about it quickly.]

Sorry, this might hurt a little. [He reached down and carefully removed her boot, trying not to hurt her wounded ankle in the process. Once it was removed he could see her wound, and the sweet smell of her blood was almost overpowering. He forced himself to focus though, pulling the fairly clean bandage off his own waist and wrapping it tightly around her ankle. It might be a bit painful, but he'd tie it tight enough to restrict the bleeding quite a bit. That helped some of the intoxicatingly good smell go away, too]

[He knew they had a few medical supplies on the ship, so his next thought was to take her there. He thought briefly of getting her on a horse and galloping there, but that would probably just cause her undue pain and getting to the ship faster woudln't necessarily help her]Hang on Faye... you're going to be okay. [He picked her up carefully, her weight seeming pretty easy for him to lift. He'd then start walking briskly back towards the ship]

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