Inside me, something seethes. Inside me, some feral animal claws at my ribcage, trapped.
Molly McCully Brown, from Places I’ve Taken my Body: Essays
♡ this post if you want to plot with any of my muses.
not sure where to start ? check out my wishlist for an idea. i'm open to anything on there, as well as any ideas you or i might have.
most active muses - arthur morgan - joel miller
muses i'd like to develop - stanley pines - kaidan alenko - will riker
arthur's never . . . well, talking to women has never been a strong point of his. nor speaking in general, apart from little jabs that only serve to raise hackles & start brawls. a STRANGE shortcoming from a man raised by dutch van der linde & hosea matthews - two men whom arthur swears are hiding silver tongues behind smirking lips.
his head lowers as hope moves past him, now addressing her pretty little mare in an echoed tease of his own words. a snort comes from him, head wobbling in DISBELIEF, before turning to follow her to where their horses are hitched.
❝ if we keep good time, should be there in just a couple weeks, ❞ arthur says as he starts rummaging through a saddlebag. ❝ ridin' all day, stayin' in small towns where no bounty hunters might not think to look. might even have to ROUGH it some nights. ❞
a lantern is pulled from the leather pouch, which arthur flicks on to push away the nighttime blackness. the firelight, kept low & soft, dances across arthur's face to show his DEEP scowl. brows pulled tight together above a sharp, scrutinizing blue gaze. jaw clenched beneath a thick cover of facial hair that arthur didn't bother to clean up before taking this job.
❝ that okay with you, princess ? ❞
her approach is slow , reluctant - but not for the reasons he may think . what arthur perceives as the expectant steps of an eager bride might as well be a death march to miss baxter - & yet , she still does her best to offer him a friendly smile at the conclusion of her approach . this is usually what is expected of her , of course , to be nothing but docile & demure . a mask she's grown comfortable hiding behind , one that she 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔 will make a good first impression . they will be traveling together for a long while , after all - she would like to set a positive tone for the journey ahead .
those desires are quickly dashed . her lips & heart both drop as he takes that warning step forward , sky blue eyes widening & chin lifting while attempting to approximate where to meet his gaze draped in shadow . despite his 𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑰𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 frame & no-nonsense attitude , she does not wilt in response , choosing to hold her ground in spite of the way her heart picks up its tempo as his words sink in .
she knows all of this already , her father may not have afforded her all of the details - but she has been informed of the 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 things . he had been reluctant to send her off with someone with mr . morgan's infamous reputation , but they had been left with little choice & no time to be all that picky about it . anyway , a ruthless protector is exactly what she needs in the face of those who wish to harm her .
arthur doesn't surprise hope at all in his initial assessment of who she might be , it's what she's used to & she makes no attempt to argue - 𝑯𝑶𝑾𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 , there is a small displeased furrow to her dark brows before she responds .
❝ he told me enough , ❞ her voice is light & distant , switching up tactics placing a wall of aloofness between them . to his conditions , she gives a small dutiful nod , features 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 with a curt , ❝ fine . ❞ she moves past his imposing form , choosing to focus on unhitching her horse's reins & offering some gentle affection to the animal before they take off . as if addressing her trusted mare rather than arthur , she continues with a new & lightly indignant edge to her tone ❝ - we'll be sure to keep the frolicking to a minimum , won't we girl ? ❞
he shakes his head, chest still lightly heaving under the rush of adrenaline. in just a couple short strides, joel passes by hope to stand between her & the runner banging on the other side of door. getting here just in time to lock the bastard up was a streak of LUCK hasn't slipped by joel.
❝ didn't have time to look for much of anythin', ❞ joel replies in a tight, graveled tone.
joel slowly turns, his gaze hard & troubled when they reach hope's. ❝ that was a STUPID goddamn thing you just did. what woulda happened if i didn't get here in time ? ❞
❝ yeah . . . 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒉 - 'm okay . ❞
her heart still pounds wildly in her chest , matching pace with the 𝑭𝑳𝑼𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹 of hummingbird wings . weapon is still raised in active defense , the shot infected lying crumpled at her feet . she looks over to joel - her shoulders falling in relief at his presence , a sighed breath leaving panting lips .
❝ scared the hell out of me , though , ❞ hope adds , pushing back her fringe which sticks to the 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕 drenched surface of her forehead . ❝ find anythin' useful ? ❞
If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance at that moment, I would do it all over again.
Joel Miller in THE LAST OF US PART II (2020)
open to mutuals !
❝ i’m not supposed to advocate for violence. as captain, i disagree with what you did. ❞
jon knew the small brawl would bring nothing but trouble. starfleet headquarters will DEFINITELY have a thing or two to say about it - they’ll pressure him to punish the one responsible. but he was also VERY WELL aware that these particular aliens were less than polite.
❝ but ... how did it feel ? ❞
❝ pleasure, ❞ thomas replies easily. the initial SHOCK of seeing hope had begun to wane, so it was a little easier to relax & loosen up & remember his cover. there was still a worm of worry in the back of his mind - encountering someone who knew the real will riker so well & may very well see through his facade. ❝ stopping by for a visit while awaiting transport to risa. ❞
the explanation tumbled out in an easy, practiced way. thomas brings his drink up to take a sip. lets his gaze sweep the patrons. repositions his feet as he leans against the bar. ANYTHING to distract himself from truly meeting hope's eyes.
maybe then she won't be able to read him. maybe then he can make himself FORGET how she used to look at the real will riker.
❝ you know doctor crusher - show the slightest signs of stress & she drags you on the transporter pad herself for leave. ❞
hope almost turns on her heel to high-tailed it back out of quark's the moment she catches sight of those 𝑭𝑹𝑼𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑳𝒀 recognizable broad shoulders . lulled into the security of her predictable routine here on the station - as predictable as it gets on deep space nine , anyway . . . will's presence is enough to jolt her right out of auto-pilot .
surely he would have had the forethought to let her know he was visiting . . . or wouldn't he ? it's not like she lays any more claim to the place than anyone else , but it is 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 now , & he knows that . as they say , curiosity kills the cat .
so , she finds herself floating over to get the 𝑨𝑾𝑲𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑫 part over with - & perhaps to stick her freckled nose into why he would be here SO suddenly , with no warning . ( not that he owes her a warning or anything , but admittedly it would have been nice . ) she doesn't miss the way his brows furrow slightly . . . surely , he should have expected this encounter - right ?
𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 , her racing thoughts all melt away when he smiles , & it's like meeting him on the enterprise for the first time all over again .
❝ well enough i suppose , ❞ the corners of her lips lift naturally , her voice carrying the 𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑻𝑯 of familiarity . she continues with a light chuckle , ❝ & as you've read , very busy . . . speaking of - what brings you all the way out here , stranger ? ❞
♡ this post if you want to plot with any of my muses.
not sure where to start ? check out my wishlist for an idea. i'm open to anything on there, as well as any ideas you or i might have.
most active muses - arthur morgan - joel miller
muses i'd like to develop - stanley pines - kaidan alenko - will riker