with His Mouth In A Tight Line, Arthur's Head Turns Away To Look Straight Ahead. Hers Is Not

with his head down, hat sat low to cover his eyes, arthur doesn't catch the searching look in her eyes. it was purposeful - he could see her face in his head. forcing a smile but it doesn't reach wide, FRIGHTENED eyes. he'd seen them on mary once, when they were out on the town & a couple guys recognized arthur & it turned into a shootout. it was one of the last times he saw her.

he did not CARE to see that look again.

" it wasn't your fault, arthur. "

carefully, like a wounded dog, arthur lifts his head. the brim of his hat reveals slender shoulders, a long, PALE neck, a pink bottom lip hanging separate from the other & tinged with a frown. hope's eyes are genuine - even after days of travel, it surprises him to see. because now he knows her sympathy is real.

❝ i, erm - don't... huh. ❞

hosea always told him not to babble when he's speechless. it only makes him look simple ( which arthur isn't convinced he's not, to hosea's displeasure ) & he should just keep his mouth shut. but in that moment, he felt almost DESPERATE to respond.

❝ i had an idea. uh.... a thought. might come in handy down the line, but we don't gotta if you'd prefer to turn in. ❞

arthur steps back, his hand falling down to his gunbelt to rest on the cool iron of his revolver. a creature of habit - leaning into guns & violence & preparing for the worst because it's as easy as breathing. mary was right.

he won't ever change.

from her position , hope is more or less eye-level with his injured knuckles . the darkening crimson draws her gaze as he speaks , but she does her best not to linger there for too long. it looks like it hurts . the twinge of sympathy upon her gentle features is plain as her gaze rises to meet his once again , also noting the state of his eye . if only he would just let her help . . . the thought makes something in her heart 𝑨𝑪𝑯𝑬 .

❝ y'don't have anythin' to be sorry for . ❞ she tries to meet his gaze , anyway - but she finds that it is all over the place . not much time needs to be spent theorizing in order to deduce the 𝒐𝒃𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 , rosy lips falling open in stunned realization ❝ you're . . . not blaming yourself for what happened , are you ? ❞

he definitely is , she would bet money on it if she had any of her own . hope is deeply familiar with that look , that feeling - taking on all the weight of the world for everyone else , leaving oneself behind in the process . looking up at him now , she might as well be looking in a 𝑴𝑰𝑹𝑹𝑶𝑹 .

❝ it wasn't your fault , arthur . ❞ she takes the opportunity to stand , needing to emphasize that fact with a firmness remaining crouched would 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 not communicate properly . the man had saved her skin too many times to count already , she'll be damned if he discounts all of that as if it were nothing .

❝ please don't do that to yourself , not on my account - okay ? ❞

     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  ?  ❞

     the glow of his cigarette is the only real way to tell that arthur morgan was there at all. he leans against the thick trunk of an oak tree, which shields him from the moonlight that's bathed miss baxter during her goodbye. it makes her dress nearly as PALE as her skin - almost white, in fact. as if she were already in her fancy wedding gown. the careful steps to meet him like the walk down the aisle.

     he forces that thought from his mind as she approaches him. pulls on his cigarette again, making the end glow like a tiny wildfire. ❝ alright, then, ❞ arthur says, pushing off the tree with a sigh.

               but he doesn't approach the horses. not yet.

     with a thumb hanging from his gun belt, arthur instead steps closer to hope baxter. eyes utterly UNSEEN under the darkness of his hat. nothing but a dark silhouette as he takes a moment to properly size her up. arthur's met her kind before - polite & put together on the surface. maybe even kind. but utterly innocent & ignorant.

     ❝ i dunno what your daddy told you 'bout me, but lets get a few things straight - you do everything i tell you. no questions. no backchat. i ain't a couch driver, ma'am ... i KILL people. an' your daddy hired me to kill anyone who might wanna take you. so please, do bear that in mind whenever you wanna go frolicking or whatever it is you like to do. ❞

𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 @quastari !

it  was  decided  they  should  head  out  before  the  crack  of  dawn  ,  utilizing  the  cover  of  𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔  to  slip  out  of  town  unnoticed  .  there  had  been  a  brief  introduction  to  her  hired  guide  ,  arthur  morgan  ,  but  her  father  had  done  most  of  the  talking  then  .  she'd  offered  a  polite  smile  &  nod  ,  but  not  much  else  ,  unsure  what  the  social  norms  in  this  situation  are  -  if  anything  about  this  could  be  considered  'normal'  .

❝  please  be  careful  ,  ❞  is  the  last  request  damien  baxter  makes  of  his  beloved  daughter  before  she  departs  ,  his  hands  squeezing  both  of  hers  tightly  -  𝑹𝑬𝑳𝑼𝑪𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑻  to  let  her  go  .  they  had  scarcely  been  apart  since  her  mother's  death  ,  &  even  less  so  since  her  sister  had  run  off  -  all  they  have  left  is  each  other  .  it  shows  in  the  way  they  embrace  ,  holding  tight  for  a  good  long  moment  .  he  presses  a  kiss  to  the  crown  of  her  head  before  sending  her  off  .

 ❝  i'll  be  okay  ,  promise  ,  ❞  her  smile  is  𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆  ,  but  her  eyes  are  sad  .

with  goodbyes  concluded  ,  there  is  nothing  left  to  do  but  mount  her  horse  -  whom  she's  staunchly  refused  to  part  with  for  even  these  few  short  weeks  .  she's  only  packed  the  bare  minimum  for  the  journey  ,  or  as  close  as  she  is  able  to  get  .  had  hope  been  another  woman  of  her  stature  she  might  have  dreaded  ,  even  𝑳𝑶𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑫  the  prospect  of  roughing  it  like  this  -  but  she  finds  herself  actually  looking  forward  to  the  simplicity  of  it  all  .  despite  going  to  these  great  lengths  in  the  interest  of  her  safety  ,  she  is  actually  quite  happy  to  have  some  time  away  from  the  pressures  &  constraints  of  her  typical  life  .  the  whole  affair  feels  like  a  breath  of  fresh  air  ,  the  last  one  it  seems  she'll  ever  breathe  .  hope  intends  to  savor  it  .

after  a  final  wave  &  one  last  look  toward  𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆  ,  she  turns  toward  arthur  .  ❝  i'm  ready  .  ❞

stan pines tag drop.

Jupiter

QUASTARI ― ❝ i struggled for a LONG TIME with surviving. and no matter what, you keep finding something to f i g h t for. ❞ ― INDIE & PRIVATE multimuse featuring joel miller from the last of us. game-based with show influences.

General Sentences, Vol. 24

(Assorted original sentences. Adjust phrasing where needed)

"See? That wasn't so difficult!"

"Go to your room!"

"What will you be wearing tonight?"

"It's been a long time. Too long."

"Did someone put you up to this?"

"How am I going to do this without you?"

"Is your job always like this?"

"I hope I made you proud."

"I told you we'd meet again."

"You've been hiding from me, haven't you?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Don't even think about telling me to calm down!"

"I have said I'm sorry!"

"Do you have a family?"

"Do I have to join in?"

"That must have cost a fortune!"

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

"You can't run forever."

"If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it."

"When I want your advice, I'll ask for it!"

"Which side of the bed would you prefer?"

"Please don't touch that!"

"Why do you have to control everything?"

"You can't stay away from me, can you?"

"Why don't you come back to my place for a cup of tea?"

"Wouldn't you like to play with the other children?"

"Innocent men don't resist arrest."

"We have nothing to say to each other!"

"I'm right, of course. I always am."

"This time you've really disappointed me."

"Are you sick or something?"

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"Put that away before you break something!"

"I hope you like spicy food!"

"I don't know what I would do without you."

"That cat's out of the bag now."

"Do you just make these things up?"

"You're a very suspicious person."

"I'm feeling a little attacked right now."

"I suppose you have good reason for making me look like a liar?"

"I want tonight to be one of those moments that will stay with you for a long time."

              ᴘʟᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʟʟ

♡ 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

tag drop