The Silence Has Always Put Arthur Just A Little On Edge. It Holds TROUBLE More Than Peace, In His Experience.

arthur wanted to stay in the room all night. it wasn't all too smart to go gallivanting around town - sure, they've had a quiet couple days. made good time without any bullets flying their way. perhaps that's what made arthur COMPLACENT. easy to be convinced for a drink or two when they outta stay hidden away.

hope baxter may have had the ability to sweet-talk him all the way to the saloon, but she couldn't stop himself from keeping an eye on the doors. or mad-dogging everyone who walked a little too close to their table. or keeping hope tucked away between himself and the wall.

the whiskey bites, & arthur is careful not to INDULGE too much - out of the ordinary but necessary. a few uneventful days is all it takes for anybody's guard to drop.

her question prevents him from taking another sip. his brows pinch together, nose scrunching a bit as arthur considers the question. ❝ different how ? ❞

but he's got an inkling on what hope means. it's a sentiment he considered once upon a time - when he was a young man being pulled two different ways. wondering what could change in his life that would allow him to have everything and give up nothing.

it was a fool's GAME to wish. nothing never came of it.

𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝑵𝑶𝑵𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑳 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ( accepting ! )

@quastari said : ∗ 53﹕ sender buys receiver a drink at a bar . ( from arthur )

❝ - thanks . ❞ it's not her first of the night & with the way things are going , it's not going to be her 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 . he's hardly set the glass down before she's reaching for it - tossing the liquor back so fast she can't think too hard about whether she ought to go back to at least pretending to be a sensible young lady .

with each passing day of their journey , hope has only grown more & more disquieted . her thoughts have been far too loud & far too 𝑫𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑺 . it's become impossible trying to ignore the overwhelming sense of panic her betrothal inspires , at times the weight feels so heavy in her chest she can hardly breathe . driving her even more insane , she can't express any of it . well , she could - but what good will that do ? regardless of her feelings on the matter , she made a promise to her father & the stakes of the situation far outweigh one woman's happiness . . .

even if she's already given so much of herself to others , even if she feels like something inside of her is dying . . . even if she can't stop fantasizing about being a little 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉, just this once .

so here she is , 𝑫𝑹𝑶𝑾𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 her worries for at least a short while . the last thing hope wants to do tonight is think - & thankfully arthur doesn't seem all that opposed to indulging her coping mechanism of choice for the evening .

lord , & then there's arthur morgan - 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 personified . in her inebriated state , hope's lingering gaze has become much less subtle than her typically fleeting glances . while not completely unabashed , she's allowing herself a slight respite from the usual spiral of guilt & shame . besides , it's not a crime to look - is it ? it takes every ounce of self control not to reach out & feel his solid frame beneath her fingertips , hands tightening & bunching up her skirts as an attempt to ground herself . it's not working , she needs a distraction - now .

turning to face him more , a bubbling giddiness present in her voice as the drink 𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑺 her inside & out , she throws out the first question that comes to mind , ❝ d'ya ever just wish things were . . . different ? ❞

     with his mouth in a tight line, arthur's head turns away to look straight ahead. hers is not an unfamiliar sentiment - one that's been mostly BEATEN out of arthur some time ago, but still there somewhere. still huddled inside the shell of a killer & a thief.

           ❝ ain't no shame in lookin' for the GOOD in the world. ❞

     his words are low, as if arthur were sharing a secret. the next moment, he's waving his hand up & shouting for the attention of the barkeep. ❝ lemme buy you somethin', ❞ he says, giving maeve a sideways glance. ❝ seems like you need something to get your mind off things. what'll you have ? ❞

reputations are everything, maeve isn't blind to that. she hides behind whichever one suits her best - those who label her as just a gentle, sweet woman. those who notice cleverness, that underestimate it all the same. everyone seems to be painted by so many artists... it's almost hard to keep track of which whispers come from where.

like seeing in the dark, it's often a matter of gut && experience.

her time with bobby was far from kind, far from gentle. but that doesn't mean she wants to let herself become used to the bad over the good.

"I just worry once I let myself always expect the bad, I'm setting myself up for that being how I see the world forever." and at that point, it becomes only surviving, not living. maeve can't help the part of her that is sure it's risk the danger to herself to simply... try to keep seeing at least some good. "I learn my lessons, I just don't want to forget there's a world outside of those bad moments. which probably sounds silly."

     for years now, shooting a gun has been as simple as breathing. like his weapons were apart of him - taking them away akin to amputation. his reflexive response of ' just shoot ' DIES on his tongue when arthur glances sideways to hope. notes how her eyes, turning almost purple under the setting sun, stay glued on the weapon she's holding. barely daring to breathe for fear of doing it wrong.

     arthur's hand releases the barrel of the revolver, a fingertip tapping the sights just above the hammer. ❝ line these up with your target, ❞ he instructs. ❝ both ends. at this distance, you don't gotta worry about the bullet goin' low. just make sure you're shootin' straight. ❞

     a few silent heartbeats stretch as he allows hope to make adjustments. he doesn't chime in. doesn't attempt to CORRECT her. knows she won't learn unless she makes a mistake & understands why. but it's damn tempting - especially since his hand still covers her. the hard line of his chest pressing against her shoulder. feeling like he needs an excuse to stay so close to her.

                 he doesn't have one, so he pulls away.

     ❝ & always fire on empty lungs, ❞ arthur finishes, his voice deep & only slightly above a whisper. not wanting to speak louder & break her focus. brows pulled together, muscles taut as he waits for the loud clap of hope pulling the trigger.

     while arthur did pull away, he keeps a hand hovering over the spot between her shoulder blades. ready to connect & keep her from stumbling if need be. firing a shot during the HEAT of the moment was very different from a calm, quiet moment in the forest. arthur has to make sure to keep his focus on the lesson, however - the heat he feels radiating from her spine is almost enough to break it.

hands  drop  to  her  sides  in  anxious  preparation  ,  ready  to  follow  his  instruction  -  they  open  &  close  a  few  times  ,  simply  because  it  feels  like  something  one  ought  to  do  before  handling  such  a  weapon  .  she  is  so  focused  on  being  appropriately  𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓  ,  that  she  doesn't  really  consider  how  arthur  intends  to  go  about  teaching  her  until  she  feels  his  warm  calloused  touch  .

as  much  as  hope  tries  to  hide  it  ,  she  stiffens  in  response  ,  like  a  prey  animal  deciding  whether  it  is  safer  to  bolt  or  remain  frozen  in  place  .  she  holds  her  breath  ,  listening  diligently  ,  delicate  fingers  closing  carefully  around  the  handle  &  adjusting  to  his  instruction  .  despite  her  nerves  &  the  𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕  rising  to  her  cheeks  due  to  their  proximity  ,  she  can't  help  but  feel  a  bit  more  at  ease  with  his  rumbling  low  voice  at  her  back  &  the  even-keeled  steadiness  of  his  movements  .

then  he  mentions  killing  &  her  heart  picks  up  its  pace  once  more  .  while  the  idea  of  taking  another's  life  is  instinctively  abhorrent  to  her  ,  she  also  realizes  that  it  is  a  𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑮𝑬  she's  never  had  to  cross  that  threshold  of  irreversible  moral  compromise  .

she  still  knows  very  little  about  mr.  morgan  ,  but  has  picked  up  enough  about  him  to  know  he  entered  the  life  of  an  outlaw  at  an  extremely  formative  age  .  from  what  she  understands  ,  it's  all  he's  ever  known  .  she  has  no  room  to  judge  him  for  doing  what  is  necessary  to  𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆  ,  so  she  doesn't  .

his  grasp  completely  encompassing  her  own  ,  she  is  similarly  struck  by  their  difference  in  size  .  he  truly  towers  over  her  ,  her  slight  frame  fitting  against  his  broad  one  in  a  way  that  makes  her  weak  in  the  knees  .  grappling  with  herself  to  𝑭𝑶𝑪𝑼𝑺  on  the  task  at  hand  ,  the  squeeze  he  gives  recaptures  her  attention  &  she  copies  the  gesture  attentively  .

❝  woah  ,  ❞  brows  rise  into  her  fringe  as  he  demonstrates  how  secure  her  grip  has  become  ,  a  small  𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅  smile  tugging  at  the  corner  of  her  lips  . it makes her feel . . . strong . ❝  okay  ,  i  think  i  got  it  .  what  next  ?  ❞

          — vincent van gogh

it was never common practice to ask for details when arthur was getting paid for a job. in his experience, FEWER details made the job easier. & frankly, he did not care to know the circumstances - only how much it paid.

escorting a bride-to-be across statelines was among his more duller jobs to date. the details were not something he spent much time thinking on.

the door is kicked shut with enough force to wobble on its rusting hinges, & arthur's long sigh follows like a low rumble of thunder. the pay of bringing her to her wedding was HANDSOME enough - this ain't too far from bounty-hunting, come to think of it.

❝ perhaps you would prefer sleeping outside in the dirt, princess, ❞ arthur mutters out, giving a shake of his head. ❝ nah, trust me - the first place them bounty hunters will check is the fancy hotel. we're better off here. ❞

he falls into a wooden chair in the corner of the room, offering hope baxter as much space as the room would allow. if arthur wasn't so wound up, perhaps the reality of being ALONE in a hotel room with a women would be more apparent.

a small, admittedly quite mortified, ❝ 𝒐𝒉 . ❞ is all she manages for a bit as the realization of what he is saying settles in her mind . in all of her sheltered naiveté of course she hadn't considered that , yet another reminder that there is terrifyingly 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 she knows about the world beyond her daddy's church doors.

embarrassment rises hot into her cheeks. it was bad enough to feel ignorant, oblivious to the uncensored reality arthur has been steeped in all of his life - but the cacophony of debauchery seeping through the thin walls merely serves to rub salt into the wound. He was 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, & she was becoming increasingly certain this world would eat her up alive if it weren't for him.

hope follows closer behind, trying her best to ignore how her mind 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 dangerously - the sounds don't help, neither does the thought of what these rooms were typically for . Especially unhelpful is the way his frame dwarfs her own , taking up so much of the little space available to them in this narrow hallway . . .

it's also not lost on her that if she hadn't gotten cold feet, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 would have been her wedding night.

❝ alright, alright - i catch your drift, cowboy,❞ she concedes, hoping that will get him off her back for a moment at least.

entering the room they had been given for the night, there is no hiding the crinkle of her freckled nose at the state of it. of course, being thoroughly humbled by their exchange in the hall - among many other times since he had ridden into her life - she keeps her mouth shut.

hope hovers for a moment, frozen - unsure how to relax in such . . . 𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 accommodations. she doesn't hesitate long, opting to teeter on the edge of a portion of the mattress free of any questionable stains.

❝ not sure how comfortable i can get . . . considerin' the circumstances,❞ she huffs, an attempt at a joke to ease the growing tension as it suddenly dawns on her that the room is woefully sparse - only one bed for the two of them.

she swallows, 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃. it's going to be a very long night.

♡ for a starter / memes from arthur morgan

     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  .  ❞

smplive sentence starters

❝ i always fail. i always fail, dude. ❞

❝ another one, bartender. ❞

❝ i will cause desolation on a fundamental level. ❞

❝ i’m an adult. a working adult. ❞

❝ respectfully, you got boofed. ❞

❝ *throws stick* you seem to be in a sticky situation. ❞

❝ *throws bone* i have a bone to pick with you. ❞

❝ i have the power, that’s all i’m gonna say. ❞

❝ is that a crying laughing emoji? ❞

❝ i am attempting to enjoy myself, and apparently, that is the antithesis of all your values. ❞

❝ my laptop is broken. it does not work. there is, uh, burn marks all over it. ❞

❝ i love you, too….WAIT WAIT WAIT, i didn’t want to make that commitment. uh, i like you a lot, as a friend. ❞

❝ there’s two things you can do here: watch baseball or watch the corn. ❞

❝ ms. frizzle has hot lesbian sex. ❞

❝ i’ve just written a song about tortillas. ❞

❝ i’m just gonna say it once: i think you’re full of shit. ❞

❝ why do you expect me to be able to do all these things? ❞

❝ you can’t just keep saying “you know me” and expect me to know you better. ❞

❝ can you calm down? you’re creating a ruckus. ❞

❝ you like dick and balls? ❞

❝ are you planning on burning down another treehouse? ‘cause i wanna be there when it happens. ❞

❝ you think this is a fucking joke? you think this is a game? ❞

❝ dude, fuck old people, man. ❞

❝ i’m gonna come clean with you: there’s a price on your head. ❞

❝ never have i ever turned down the opportunity to suck the shit out of a dick. ❞

❝ are you gay? ARE YOU GAY? ❞

❝ silence the weak, that’s what i say. ❞  

❝ what kind of follower of jesus christ are you? ❞

❝ that’s communism! you’re a tyrant! ❞

❝ today has been SO upsetting. ❞

❝ you’re a paranoid little baby. ❞

❝ who is obama? i am obama. ❞

@ohsunshine asked :❝ throws stick you seem to be in a sticky situation. ❞ / from ellie for joel

               ❝ ain't helpin', ellie. ❞

     of course, joel's DESIRE to tag along on ellie's patrol had to blow up in his face. it was supposed to be an easy route - something where ellie can learn the ropes & joel could breathe a little easier. but jackson had been hit with so much rain these past weeks. it was inevitable one of the paths was going to give out.

     & of course, it was the little wooden bridge that couldn't HANDLE joel's weight.

       joel stands, swatting mud of his jeans with a sigh. ❝ save your puns for that dina girl, yeah ? ❞