Mako knew something was up as soon as he swaggered into the Lucky Hand Saloon. He could feel it as soon as he saw the way the bar patrons very pointedly avoided looking at the back left corner. Squinting to see through the smoky air of the saloon, he also saw a large ring of empty tables surrounding a lone individual who was leaning back in their corner seat, a glass of beer in hand and a hat pulled low over his eyes. Mako decided that he'd better do his job and see if there was any trouble, although he was concerned what kind of display would make the hardened ranch hands, cattle boys and prospectors of Nueva Republica look the other way. Nothing good, no doubt.
He did his best to stride confidently across the room, wary of showing weakness in his first few weeks on the job. Sheriff Lin had seen something in him that made him worth taking on as her new deputy, and he'd spent his first few days learning the ropes of how to be a lawman, feeling a deep sense of inadequacy when he saw how his fumbling measured up to Sheriff Beifong's crisp, cool efficiency. Still, he must have been doing something right, because for some reason she'd shown patience with his mistakes and, at three weeks of service, he'd outlasted all other deputies that Beifong had appointed. Maybe she needed the help to deal with the extra crime. After all, times were tough all over.
As he neared the stranger , he could see why the townsfolk had looked the other way. He was bedecked with weapons from shoulder to hip. A pair of bush knives sheathed on his thighs, a Winchester rifle slung over his shoulder, a sawed-off shotgun resting between his knees, and on his hip hung quite possibly the most ostentatious pistol Mako had ever seen. The metal was polished to a mirror shine, the barrel and cylinder both large, and the grip carefully carved and sanded bone. The weapon was sleek, beautiful, and no doubt deadly. It was also highly illegal.
Mako thought through his options as he stared down at the stranger. He didn't like the thought of getting into a confrontation in such a crowded place, with someone so well-armed. But he couldn't let this stranger set a precedent for the townsfolk, or within a week there'd be two shootouts for every drunken brawl Mako had had to clear up. And besides, he was no slouch with his pistols either. Still, he decided he'd try the come-quietly approach. He walked over to where the stranger was sitting and waited for him to look up.
When he resolutely kept his eyes on the table in front of him, Mako cleared his throat and spoke as politely as he could: "Begging your pardon, Mr…" he said, and watched as the young man-young woman, he realized, as she tilted up the brim of her hat to get a better look at him. She was tough-looking, but had a mischievous gleam in her eye, as her water tribe features knit themselves into a confident grin. "Miss Korra. What can I do for you, Ranger?" Mako felt considerably relaxed by her happy expression, and decided to be direct about the issue.
"Ranger Mako, Ma'am. Just thought I'd ask you if you're aware that it's illegal to openly carry a weapon in this town?" Korra kept on grinning as she idly spun her beer glass like a top. "I do recall reading something like that as I rode into town, yeah." Mako nodded and continued speaking in a more authoritative tone. "Then it'll come as no surprise to you that I'm going to have to ask you to surrender your weapons for as long as you're staying in town."
Korra's expression soured a little at that, although she did retain a small smile as she spoke. "Can't you make an exception, Ranger?" Mako shook his head. "No, ma'am, the Sheriff'd have my hide for a new pair of boots. Either give up those weapons or come with me to the town lock-up." Korra seemed to ponder Mako's request, and his hand involuntarily twitched towards his pistol when she idly gripped the shotgun between her knees, but instead she sighed and slung the shotgun over her other shoulder, knocked back the rest of her drink, and got up. "Fine, but this'd better be quick, lawman. I've got things to do." Mako inwardly sighed with relief and stepped backward, only to bump into one of the town's more disreputable characters, causing him to spill his drink all down his front. The man turned around with venom in his bleary eyes, and two of his compatriots stepped away from the bar and went to join their friend. Mako saw with despair that the three of them were just drunk enough to pick a fight and just big enough to give him some serious trouble.
Mako tried to moderate the situation, bowing his head in apology. "Sorry, sir, my mistake. I'll pay for the drink, tell the bartender to put it on my tab." The men did not look impressed with his attempt at recompense. "You ruined my shirt." The foremost of the three apes growled. Mako didn't like the way his hand moved towards something tucked in his vest. "Hands where I can see them, gentlemen" Mako replied, but the man simply whipped a knife from under his jacket as another drew a pistol hidden in his back pocket and the third simply leapt at him with fists flying.
Mako's pistol had just cleared his holster when he heard a rapid blam blam blam from behind him as all three men suddenly fell back and slumped unmoving to the ground. Mako turned over his shoulder and saw Korra slightly crouched with a smoking pistol in her hand. She scanned the three bodies on the ground in front of her, then calmly holstered her pistol with a twirl and straightened up. Mako took in the scene around him, aghast. In his first three weeks on the job, he had a shootout, a heavily armed stranger, a saloon full of terrified townsfolk and three dead bodies. In one day.
He looked at Korra and sighed, his shoulders slumping as he exhaled. "Now you're definitely coming with me." He said, wondering just how much he was going to have to pay to compensate for the mess.
Well, what do you think, folks? I'll probably add a few more chapters to this, but I can expand it even further if that's what people want. I thought it was high time the Western category got some use, and I was also inspired by the song 'Big Iron', which I first picked up from Fallout: New Vegas.
As always, criticism and comments are welcome. Enjoy!