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May. 22nd, 2023 at 8:56 PM
[So this is how he gets away with it, then. Cruz, a skeleton, with a skeleton horse, lives in a skeleton of a house with a skeletal barn attached - and he remains unseen, his home apparently abandoned, all the way on the outskirts of this thing that's barely a town.
Well, you do what you gotta do, and Johnnie won't turn down a kind offer of a safe place to stay the night. He can't help but grin at Chrissy having such a good time riding that bony horse as he pulls the bike in through the barn door and parks it to the side, then hops off.]
Hey man, we owe ya for this. Here.
[See, this is yet another reason it's good to stock up on alcohol. He finds their most recent stolen bottle of tequila and pulls it out as he saunters over to their host and offers it in an outstretched hand.]
On us. Uh, if you drink, that is. You do drink, right?
[Normally that would be a dumb question to ask but the guy appears to be actual bones. But, bones that can smoke, without lungs, so he can probably drink without a mouth, right?
That earns a laugh from Cruz.]
I sure do, fella. You don't have to, though. I'm not looking for any kind of repayment, just helping out a couple folks in need.
[Johnnie shakes his head and waves that attempt off.]
Nah, it's all yours. Or if you really insist, we can all split it tomorrow, the three of us an' the rest of your crew. Can't wait to meet 'em. They all skeletons too?
Well, you do what you gotta do, and Johnnie won't turn down a kind offer of a safe place to stay the night. He can't help but grin at Chrissy having such a good time riding that bony horse as he pulls the bike in through the barn door and parks it to the side, then hops off.]
Hey man, we owe ya for this. Here.
[See, this is yet another reason it's good to stock up on alcohol. He finds their most recent stolen bottle of tequila and pulls it out as he saunters over to their host and offers it in an outstretched hand.]
On us. Uh, if you drink, that is. You do drink, right?
[Normally that would be a dumb question to ask but the guy appears to be actual bones. But, bones that can smoke, without lungs, so he can probably drink without a mouth, right?
That earns a laugh from Cruz.]
I sure do, fella. You don't have to, though. I'm not looking for any kind of repayment, just helping out a couple folks in need.
[Johnnie shakes his head and waves that attempt off.]
Nah, it's all yours. Or if you really insist, we can all split it tomorrow, the three of us an' the rest of your crew. Can't wait to meet 'em. They all skeletons too?
Comments
[He smiles and settles a hand on her shoulder. She's worried about those people, she'll do it right. And if something goes wrong, she'll have a whole bunch of folks around, too, they can all help each other out. Bobby offers to go with her just then, too, and gets a nod, while Diego and Guillermo both say they'll accompany Johnnie to keep the fires burning.
At her second suggestion, he too glances over at the wagon and grins wider.]
Hell yeah, you got any extra linen?
[Cruz shakes his head but then gestures in the direction of the house.]
No, but I have those blankets you were using, why don't you take those?
I'll go back and grab them, okay?
[Figuring he and Cruz will be civil to one another, she glances back at Johnnie with a smile before backing her way out of the barn. With the rain coming down, it's a little bit of a muddy run to the house. She tracks mud all inside without much of any care, and by the time she makes her way out it's really downpouring outside. She's soaking wet as she barges back into the barn, and shakes off like a wet dog before wrapping one of the blankets around herself in an effort to get warm.]
These should do the trick. [She's shivering a little by the time she reaches Johnnie, but she's got a smile on her face as she drapes one of the blankets over his head.
Everyone's back to being busy doing whatever they decided they'd all do, and her presence goes mostly unnoticed which suits her just fine. The less eyes she has on her antics, the more at ease she feels.]
It's really starting to come down. I'm worried we won't be able to get the fires started if it keeps going like this.
He'll get any extra warmth he wants by snuggling up to Chrissy instead, as he loops an arm around her shoulders and combs his fingers through her soaked hair. She looks like she needs warming up anyway, so he keeps her close and rubs his hand up and down her back.]
Yeah, me too. Wood's dry in here for now but it better let up when it's time to go start it all up. I could drain some fuel outta the bike if it gets real dire, use it to soak some rags, I guess.
[Should be fine as long as he leaves enough fuel in the bike for an hour or two of driving. That's probably enough to get back to a more normal time period, the sort that actually has gasoline.]
Hey, you got makeup, maybe we oughta make ourselves some demon faces.
Really?
[The single word is squeaked out in a mixture of surprise and delight. If there's one thing she's always wanted to do with him but never has dared to ask, it's put makeup on him. No, it's not the same as a pretty face of makeup, but she'll take whatever she can get.]
I can make us look really cool, I promise! Come on, let's go get ready.
[She leads him back over to the bike, so she can dig through the bags and produce her makeup bag. There's a couple of empty stalls in the barn, and she makes her way over to one of them so they can have some slight privacy. Everyone else is bustling to get things for the fire ready, but Chrissy gets Johnnie to sit on the stone floor so she can focus on using her eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lipstick to paint a demonic looking costume on his face. And okay, if she feels his look needs mascara on his pretty eyelashes, he can't be too mad at her.]
It will probably all wash off in the rain. But you'll look really scary until that happens. Red lipstick makes a pretty good color for demon skin.
And although he does his best not to move while she works, he can't help but grin at her lipstick comment.]
Yeah? I gotta see this when you're done, you have a mirror with you?
[She finishes up what she's putting on his face, before looking through her makeup bag. There's a small compact in there, that she pulls out and holds out for him to take.]
Try this one.
[There's a grimace as he opens the compact, because she isn't sure what he'll think about having red lipstick all over his face. It's likely going to take a lot of work to get off all the way, but that just means she'll get to dote on him some more. Neither of them ever really seem to mind that.]
If you don't like it, I can try something else.
[He laughs, then bares his teeth in a mean snarl, before tilting his head at various angles to check himself out before snapping the compact shut and handing it back.]
Man, they're gonna go fuckin' nuts if they see this in the firelight at dark. You watch, we'll get back to our time an' look it up in a book, there'll be legends about us.
[He reaches for her to pull her into a kiss, but a careful one that hopefully won't smudge too much of her work.]
You want me to try an' do yours?
Do you mind trying to?
[The fact of the matter is she could do it herself, but wants to spend this time with him doing something light and silly. Not only is it a great memory, but in case something goes wrong and one or both of them wind up hurt it provides them with a little levity to cling hold of.]
Make me as scary as you can. I won't mind.
[He hops up to go head over to the bike, shooting grins at the few of the skeletons right nearby who notice his new look, then digs out his hair grease and comb. With those in hand, he trots back over to the stall and sets them down, then sorts through her makeup to grab what he wants. That tube of red lipstick will come in useful again to paint streaks of blood and gore across her face outlined in jagged black eyeliner, and he darkens all around her eyes, even asking her to close her eyelids so he can cover those in black also, so if she blinks it will seem like she has no eyes at all in the darkness. Blue eyeshadow fills in the gaps between the painted gashes, making her look corpselike and inhuman, and then he fashions her hair into a mane of swept back spines.
It takes a few minutes of careful work, and he's not sure it came out exactly as he'd imagined, but it'll sure look awfully fucked up in the dark under the firelight. Grinning, he flips the compact back open for her.]
Dunno if those people are gonna wanna follow you anymore, but maybe you can get 'em to run real fuckin' fast like this.
Her eyes open and she's able to see the makeup more clearly now, and instead of fear, she looks awestruck.]
Oh my gosh, I look so scary! They're definitely going to run from me.
[Laughing, she leans in to kiss him, but thinks better of it at the last second. They better not smudge their makeup too much. She does, however, contort her face into something angry and growls to go along with it. She's going to be the scariest thing these people have ever seen.]
I bet it's almost time. Are you ready?
Just about. I wanna do something with my hair, too.
[His is easier since it's shorter, though. A few scoops of pomade in his fingers and he's able to spike his hair up into a wild mohawk. Man, now he really wants fake vampire teeth or something, but this'll have to do.]
All right. Let's go make some torches an' get on our horses.
[Elsewhere, wood is being piled into the wagon for easier transport to the field, and Johnnie detours to sacrifice a shirt and soak strips in gasoline so they can make themselves some torches - which will also serve to light the fires, once it's time.
Nibaihi, meanwhile, leads his spare horses over to lend to Johnnie and Chrissy after everyone else has gathered up, with a few more horses hitched to the wagon, now. Both of these riderless skeletal creatures seem well-behaved at the moment, though the one Johnnie is supposed to take keeps pulling at the lead like it would rather be somewhere else.]
They're all saddled up and ready. Just click your tongue and give a good kick with your heels to get them to speed up, or hold back on the reins to slow down. It's more intuitive than you think. Either of you want a boost up?
[Look, he's not calling them short, but they're both short.]
Just be careful, I cracked some ribs last week and it still hurts a little.
[Nibaihi raises both eyebrows but doesn't make a move at first. Instead, the corner of his mouth tips upward in amusement.]
Lucky for you, I had four daughters a long time ago. These hands are bony, but I know how to be gentle.
[He hadn't been intending on physically picking her up like she was a little girl, but she's small enough that she's easily hoisted up and onto her horse. He even helps her with her blanket, so it looks like she's a demon on a skeleton horse. Johnnie on the other hand, he has no intention of picking up like a child. Not that he's expecting the boy to take him up on the offer. He's too headstrong and independent for that.]
All right, you two. I'll be scouting ahead of the wagon, but I'll come back here for the horses afterward. Like I said, if something happens, they know their way home. Trust them.
[Easy for him to say, Johnnie thinks, as he looks down at the skeletal creature he's sitting on top of. But, hell, as long as it's fast and smart enough to keep him out of real trouble, he can handle the rest. He gives Nibaihi a grin and a nod.]
Got it. Good luck, man.
[And to test his instructions, Johnnie clicks his tongue a few times and gives his horse a tap with his heels. Nayáwsa' flicks its bony stub of a tail, and for now, begrudgingly walks forward, so Johnnie directs it toward Cruz who is with the rest of the group preparing the wagon.]
Hey. We're off to get those fires ready. You have any trouble, you get yourselves outta there. We don't need to risk our people for this, or your house.
[And for once, Cruz thinks Johnnie has said something surprisingly sensible. He takes off his hat and gives a deep bow of a nod. There's respect in there, despite their conflicts.]
You stay safe out there, Redmayne.
[Bobby, in the back shoving wood into the wagon, steps out to give a playful salute to Johnnie, then smiles to Chrissy as he goes to saddle up.]
I'll be right alongside you the whole time, Miss Chrissy. Don't worry, I know he'll have my ass if I don't.
We'll be okay.
[Her heels lightly dig into Niish's side, and she clicks her tongue to get things in motion. As she and Bobby set into motion toward the farm up ahead, they linger to the back of the group and take it slow. As Johnnie heads out to take care of his part of things, she catches his eye and gives him a nod of her head. She'll be okay.
There's no conversation as they slowly make their way toward the bunkhouses. It's dark now, and she knows no one will be able to see Bobby on his horse. But they might be able to see her. And it dawns on her that anyone that does will just see a cloaked figure floating along.
Bobby takes the lead once they cross the property line, and picks up the pace as they make their way through the fields. She knows the area they're headed to will be guarded, so they have to abandon their horses a good distance away at the edge of the fields. Sure enough, they're well behaved and just wait there. Niish gets a pat to the flank before she moves through the darkness with purpose.
Whatever is meant to distract the guards is doing its job, because they're shouting to one another and are riding away. Chrissy takes advantage of this and rushes into the bunkhouse, and knows she needs to play a part. As people sit up in their beds and scream as they look over at her, she doesn't raise her voice. She doesn't shout, doesn't try rushing everyone all out at once.]
Listen to me.
[If she's going to look like a demon, she makes herself sound and act like one too.]
If you value your lives and want to be free, you'll follow me through the flames. Stay here, and you'll burn along with the man that thinks he owns you.
[Does that sound commanding enough? Mysterious and alluring enough to entice them? She's met with fearful looks and frenzied whispers. No one's moving though.]
Go! The fire's already starting. If you stay here, you'll burn and die.
[There's two other bunkhouses to move through, and she leaves this one in a hurry. The other two are just as frustrating to get people up and moving. But the fires have already been lit and are growing, even in the slow falling rain. She hurries to the edge of the fields, taking her torch from Bobby. She waves it to attract attention, guiding those that are brave enough to head her way to hurry forward.
Something she's not expecting, however, is for the people she's trying to save to be afraid enough of her to turn on her. As wailing women clutch children close, a group of the men rush forward toward her. Bobby comes over to help try and pull them off of her, but she has to pull out her knife and slash and stab her way free. She can taste blood in her mouth and spits it out, letting the rain mix with the blood that's seeped all over her. ]
It's time to fall back, Miss Chrissy. The fire's here, there's no more time left.
[Chrissy looks around at the chaos all around her. It's so much that she has no idea how to control it. Her knife is pocketed and she runs forward to pull herself up onto Niish, and takes off at a run.]
Lead the others to Cruz! I'll try to gather up everyone else. I'll be right behind you!
[She screams, the rain making it hard to see. She sheds her blanket that's weighing her down, and tries riding through the area to send those that remain running toward safety. It makes her feel like a dog herding sheep, but she's eventually able to chase and guide everyone toward Cruz and the wagon. Johnnie has to be back there waiting, figuring she'll show up any minute.
And she almost turns to run, except she hears what sounds like cries and screams of children back in the farthest bunkhouse. They're all on fire at this point, and her heart drops at the thought of being a part of killing kids, even on accident. She hops off of Niish and takes off running, something that's made difficult with the rain, the out of control fire, and the mud. But she makes it into the burning little shack, and finds a few little kids huddled in one of the beds. They're all clinging to one another and are screaming and crying. At the sight of her, they just scream more. They must be orphans or...no, she doesn't want to think about their parents just leaving them behind here.]
Hey, it's okay. I'm here to help you. I won't hurt you! My name is Chrissy, and I'm just a girl. Not a monster. I'll get you to the others, okay? Just come with me.
[The youngest of the three can't be any older than two. Chrissy's able to scoop that baby up and out of the arms of the other two. The one that's middle in age, about six or seven, comes running after her in tears. The oldest one, a girl that's about ten, is left no choice but to follow.
Flames and smoke are all around them, and she's left coughing and gasping for air even when they're outside. Her eyes are watering, it's just so much fire. Niish is pacing at the edge of the fields that are ablaze, and Chrissy drags all three kids over to the horse they can't even see. She struggles, but lifts up the oldest, before passing up the five year old to them. The shouts of men and gunshots are close by, their dogs viciously barking, and Chrissy gently hits Niish on the rear and shouts for her to head back home.
She's left with the screaming and wailing toddler, who she clutches close to her chest. There's nothing she can do but run through the fire toward where she knows everyone is waiting. Snarling and barking gets closer as the guards and their dogs edge in, and Chrissy takes off at a run. She gets stuck in the mud and loses both shoes along the way, but she's able to move faster barefoot. Johnnie's likely to panic when Niish comes back without her, and she uses that thought to make her move faster.
Chrissy doesn't stop moving until she makes it back to the barn. But the wagon is gone, already out of sight up ahead. Guillermo is there though, and he holds in his commentary about the state she's in to take the toddler out of her arms. He turns and heads off at a run to catch up with the others, and Chrissy feels so tired and overwhelmed that she drops to her knees and rubs at her face. Her eyes are burning, her vision almost blurry from all that smoke.
Johnnie had told her to wait, that he'd come back for her. And she's pretty sure that Guillermo is going to let him know where she is. She can wait as long as it takes for him to find her. For now, she lets the rain wash over her as she watches the massive fire before her burn.]
The guards are quick to respond with cries of fire!, but not as quick to come up with solutions to it. He imagines they must be trying to gather buckets of water or blankets to smother the flames first. One rides out ahead looking for the culprit, and Johnnie raises his pistol and shoots him in the chest.]
Take that, jackass!
[Man. It feels weird to kill so easily, but good. Feels powerful. These assholes more than deserve the worst he can give them. The guard tumbles off his horse and hangs from a stirrup as the horse panics and gallops, turning away from the fire with fear in its eyes. Somewhere among the beans, the body falls to the dirt and stays still.
The wind fans the flames, which sputter and struggle in the rain until something changes, like a switch being flipped. They gain enough heat to sizzle the falling raindrops into steam, and then embers begin to spread through the field, slowly at first, then faster.
From the direction of the house, there's a gunshot, and a bullet flies through the darkness past him. His horse tosses its head, and abruptly bolts forward, leaving Johnnie to hold onto the reins for dear life as he's nearly flung to the ground.]
Oh, what the fuck, you wanna get us killed? Again?
[He snarls and tugs at the reins, but the creature refuses to slow down. Something wild is in its gait, and wind whistles through its ribcage. It runs right toward the farmhouse, toward a pair of guards who are busy pumping water into buckets, and at that point Johnnie figures what the hell, he's just going to go with it. He raises his torch and his blanket-cape billows behind him, and as he approaches, he gives an eerie howl.
The guards panic. One throws his bucket of water at Nayáwsa' which does nothing more than get its bones wet. The other reaches for his whip, but the horse closes too quickly for him to use it, and tramples the man to the ground. There's a crunch as hooves break through flesh and bone.
And now, Johnnie appreciates this damn horse. Yeah, fine, he has zero control over it, but it's a kind of chaos he loves. With his own demonic snarls and howls to accompany the disguise, he sweeps his torch at the farmhouse with one hand, catching a pile of unswept pine needles on fire, then fires his pistol with the other at another guard, and just pleads like hell and holds on with his knees and hopes his crazy nightmare of a mount doesn't throw him off its back.
Sometime in all the havoc, the fire catches up to them, and he can hear the others who came with him whooping and hollering and following his lead, tying up the guards and family all at the same time while the wagon and its team roll up to intercept the newly-freed men and women. He can't keep his eye on the bunkhouses, and has to hope Chrissy is managing all right with Bobby and the wagon team. He can feel heat at his back, and flames start to lick at the edges of his blanket, curling the wool it's made of and blackening pieces of it to ash.
The fire soon becomes too dangerous to stick close to, and Johnnie has to shout and kick and drag at his horse's reins to get it to leave well enough alone. His personal goal, ruining the crops and the farmhouse and all these people's possessions, has been achieved easily, and the smoking, flaming remains of the house stand like a beacon in the darkness of the storm among shouting people and howling dogs. Somewhere in all that he hears a man shouting directions - guard or the landowner, he can't tell, but he fires blindly in that direction to get him to shut the fuck up as his horse carries him past.
By the time he's carried back to the barn, he's covered in soot, his hair in wild tangles, and laughing his ass off the whole time. His torch has long gone out, his blanket was lost somewhere in the madness, and he's having a great time of it all. He waves the dead torch at Chrissy, then tries to urge his horse to stop, only for it to rear up and dump him on the floor of the barn. He rolls, then lets himself flop flat on his back, limbs spread as he laughs.]
Hooo, fuck. Was that the wildest shit or what? Man, that fire has a life of its own out there!
She really looks a mess, her makeup smudged and smeared and half washed off. But she's just so glad to see him that she can't resist practically leaping on top of him with a hug.]
It was pretty wild. I think I killed a couple of guys.
[She wisely leaves out the fact that they were probably the guys she was supposed to be helping. But to be fair, they attacked her first. And she thinks Johnnie would be okay with her doing whatever she needed to protect herself.]
And I had to run through the fire holding a baby. I'm exhausted after all of that. But you look like you're full of energy.
When he finally lets up to say something, there's a flash and a roll of thunder outside that interrupts him first, but then it lets him talk.]
Shit, babe, I haven't had this much energy in a while, an' you know me, I got lotsa energy all the time. But that was the fuckin' best. That's the shit I live for!
[That and it was new, and new is always exciting. Setting fire to things doesn't get old, exactly, but when does he get to ride a skeletal horse into battle looking like some creature from the depths of the darkness? He laughs again, and kisses her again, all joy and adrenaline.]
Oh man. How'd it go, though? You ran through fire with a baby? Damn.
[She winces when she says it, awkwardly laughing because she can't believe she did that to them.]
So they all ran away from me and were screaming and crying, and some of the men tried catching and killing me. And then I had to get on Niish and round everyone up and scare them toward the fields that were on fire. But I did it! Bobby was there, but I did it all by myself.
[She sighs contently right as thunder booms overhead, and she happily curls in against him. She was independent, and did a damn good job. And she got done all that she wanted to, for the most part. Yeah, she's proud of herself and how much she's grown these past few weeks. She never would've been able to do this when they first met.]
By the time I got back and handed the baby to Guillermo, the wagon and everyone else was gone. So I guess we're free to head out, unless...
[The look on her face is impish and suggestive as she says it, but not for the reason he likely thinks.]
That look turns his smile to a smirk and he nips at her bottom lip as he runs his hands down to her butt and squeezes, tugging her hips down against his in the process.]
Unless...?
[Most of the guys are off with the wagon, or scouting ahead to deliver their charges to safety. A few will come back any moment, but there are stalls to hide in, and who can complain about them getting in a quick victory fuck anyway?]
Unless you wanted to set things on fire here too before we go.
[She sucks at his lip before kissing him again, just as sweet as ever. Only now she's openly suggesting they set an ally's property on fire.]
He was so awful to you earlier. And he locked me in the barn. I was thinking we could send him a message too, before we go. But if you'd rather roll around in the barn instead I can definitely do that.
[She's easy to please right now. Either option is good to her. Her point is punctuated with a gentle poke to his nose, which makes her grin as she waits to see his reaction.]
Fuck Cruz.]
We have every day ahead of us to roll around, babe. Let's light this place up before we never see it again. We'll make him pay for what he did.
[And they'd better do it fast, before anyone else returns. He worms his hand into his pocket, withdraws his lighter, and gives her a wink as he flicks that little flame to life.]
I love the way you think.
Who knew a fire could make her so giddy?
Maybe it's because he's said he loves the way she thinks. That's motivation enough to kiss him deeply and take that lighter from him. She's the one that wants to light the fire here, and works at the lighter until a flame is produced and she's able to crouch and light a bundle of dry hay on fire.
The lighter is closed and tossed back over to him, because he can have dibs on the house.]
Do you think we'll need to use more of our gas to get the house going?
And anyway, what's there to lose here? This is barely a barn, barely a house. Cruz is dead, he doesn't need a bunch of fucking decaying wood to pretend it's a home. The guy is clinging to the past in a way that hurts him and everyone around him. Time to wipe the slate clean, give him a fresh start. If all he's doing is clinging to existence because of his past, then maybe it's best to destroy that past and let him find a reason to be in the present instead.
He takes the lighter, steals another kiss, then goes to hop on the bike just to wheel it out of the barn and away from the growing fire Chrissy has just started. Their stuff will get a little wet, but whatever, it'll only be a minute.]
Bet the inside is dry, around the kitchen. Get a handful of that hay, would you?
[Inside, he spares a glance at the trunk, then grabs a pillow and takes it to the kitchen. He slits it open, pulls out soft batting fibers until it's a pile of burnable material with the hay right in the middle, and places it in the middle of the floor. With a flick of his lighter and a few puffs of breath to get it to spread, it eats its way outward and starts licking at the cracked wooden floorboards.]
There. It'll have plenty of time to grow before the rain finds it. You all ready, little flame?
[This time he's addressing her, of course, and grins as he nips at her lips again, then tugs her toward the door to leave.]
I'm always ready.
[She answers, getting him to pause in the doorway for one more kiss. It's surprisingly gentle, given how worked up she is over this fire. When she pulls away, her grin is wild, and she pulls past him to race toward the bike and vault over the back to get settled into her spot.
The rain is pouring like crazy again, the wind picking up. Whatever this storm is, it's going to get out of control soon enough. It's a good thing the bike should be able to get them out of here fast enough it won't be an issue.
Once he's settled in front and he gets them going, it doesn't take her long to realize the terrain will be an issue. It's so muddy, that they can't go as fast as she thinks they should be going.]
It's getting really windy and rainy, huh? Do you want me to find your goggles for you?
Time bandit time, just like they'd agreed days, or months, or who knows how long ago. It's a blur.]
Yeah, think they're in the front of that one on the left. That's where I saw 'em last, anyway.
[He holds a hand back to take them, but meanwhile his eyes are on the road ahead, puddled and dark. The bike's headlight will only do so much on a night like this. They'll have to roll out of here slower than he'd like.
At least the rain is quickly washing dirt off his face and out of his hair. He'll take the free shower. And once his goggles are on, he turns the key, flips the kickstand up, and gets rolling. He can feel the tires slip in the puddles - this road isn't packed by the weight of cars, just feet and horses and wagons, and the mud is like clay.
The wind gusts straight at them, and he grips the handlebars hard to keep the bike pointed forward as a branch tears off a nearby tree and flies right over their heads.]
You hold on tight back there, baby girl!