Couple of things before you continue reading :) Flo (Florence Roberts) is based on the protagonist of RDR2 online story and therefore her past is mostly canon. This fanfic starts in chapter 2 of the story mode so spoilers ahead for anyone who didn't play the game that far yet.

„I see right through you, mister Morgan, through your manly temperament and rude attitude." She laughs tightening the saddle. „I'd have to be blind and deaf otherwise!"

„What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur is right next to her, struggling to relax his arms so he shifts between crossing them over chest or resting against hips.

Florence lifts herself up on the horse. „You can't keep control of everything just 'cause you think your way is best way of handlin' business. I thought gangs have more than one outlaw, but here is you, doing everyone's dirty work for them."

He shakes his head at the ground aware he's to forget about a whole damn day of peace and quiet only to have her along on the road. The two leave the camp and he takes the lead through the forest, not exchanging a single word with the gang's newcomer who should've stayed at the camp.

Mid-morning they're halfway through the mist and Flo's persistent humming starts to infuriate Arthur. He sighs his faint voice cracking, but she only hums louder and clearly on purpose. He slows the horse down and takes his hat off once riding next to her, trying to look polite.

„How'd you end up with us, uh-" he snaps his fingers and looks away pretending he can't remember her name.

„You sayin' Hosea didn't tell you?" She chuckles feeling important. „That definitely explains your behavior. Ol' bastard really does know how to keep a secret."

„Secret?"

„It's a strange feeling, not knowing stuff, ain't it?" She teases; being excluded from something makes him tick and she knows it now.

„Miss Florence," he obstructs the narrow, gravel path upsetting her horse. „you don't need to know how much this gang means to me, but you should know that I'll do anything to protect them."

„I figured that much."

„There you go again! Again with the irony! Like you know something I don't!"

„Well I do-"

„Will it hurt to tell me then?!"

„It seemed like Hosea trusts you and I thought you'd know by now." She gently scratches her nose. „But if he ain't done it yet, you best not think I'll do it for him. 'Cause I won't. It ain't my place."

„Well maybe he forgot!" He urges, spreading his arms physically wanting the information, afraid of what she might know.

„I don't think so, not this." She glances behind them to make sure no one's coming. „You seem a good man but you outta have someone to look out for ya." Florence sighs and takes the lead through slippery pathway.

Arthur brainstorms before they reach a vast field and temperature rises along with the Sun. What information did she give Hosea that's of such delicate importance not even he's allowed to know?

„Hosea is like a father to me." he stubbornly admits. „Whatever he knows and refuses to share with me is probably dangerous for all of us."

„Exactly what I was sayin' earlier! You need to know and you need to deal with it because you know best how to, isn't it?"

„I get you ain't sayin' shit to me but if somethin' happens to him, I'll blame you."

„Of course you will." She frowns looking at her pocket watch. „So the Bell guy, the Blondie. How'd he end up with you?"

Arthur can't help but grin at the nickname he's definitely implementing in his vocabulary but it's not good enough to get her off the hook. „Oh so we're just gonna continue like nothin' happened huh?"

Florence ignores him and gallops with the horse off the path and towards a low hill with a view on the valley they are about to go through, making sure they don't stumble upon any trouble. Arthur shouts after her twice before seriously considering to leave on his own. Once she gets off her horse, he decides to approach.

„I met him once before, back while I was workin' with Sean." She frustratingly runs hand through her hair, reminiscing of the first time she met Micah. „He, uhm, assaulted this girl we saved from wrongful hanging. He's only alive 'cause Sean stopped me from shootin' his goddamn face off."

„So why are you coming along to his rescue?"

""Hosea told me to. He has his reasons and if he ain't sharing 'em with you, then I ain't either."

Arthur tilts his head at her. „Woman, I feel like you're only gonna get us in trouble."

„I won't. It'll all make sense to you and hopefully I won't be a bother after that." Flo smiles climbing back on the horse after a stretch, pulling out a cigarette.

„Hopefully." He responds, rubbing his chin as he follows her back to the path.

Ride to Strawberry takes a while but Flo shortens the trip by refusing to collect debt from a man mister Strauss mentioned, she'd rather give her own money before collecting or beating it out of a poor man. Arthur argues for a while but ultimately gives in, money is still money no matter where it comes from and somehow he ends up defining Florence as the biggest fool in the situation. She couldn't care less.

They arrive in the evening and leave their horses by the shop across the sheriff's. Arthur notices how folk at the front of the store look at Flo's jeans and pulls her back towards the hitching post between their horses, clutching two badges Hosea stole for them in his other hand. He's becoming paranoid.

„Maybe you should go and change." He recommends quickly looking away when she raises her eyebrows, surprised. „Last thing we need is attention."

„Don't tell me what to wear." Flo shakes her head at his wandering eyes.

She grabs a sheriff's badge from his hand and walks to the building, ignoring Arthur's persistent whispers to return. Grunting along, he picks up the pace after her. A sudden yawn overwhelms him but he contains his focus and pins the deputy badge on his leather jacket.

„Look out, they're taking over our jobs too!" deputy laughs at Flo who doesn't look at him as she approaches the sheriff.

Two men, younger one trying to impress his boss with sexist humor, and town sheriff share a common feeling but each handle and show it differently.

„Playin' dress up is fun, but I'd leave this one for the bedroom if I was you." Deputy gets serious as Arthur steps on the wooden stairs making the whole porch squeal under his weight. „Why are you here?"

„I believe you have imprisoned an outlaw here." Flo begins confidently pretending to have a deeper voice which makes Arthur chuckle.

„I might have one or two, yes." Sheriff squirms in his chair thoroughly observing both.

„My colleague and I are from, uh, Lemoyne. Been lookin' for Micah Bell all over the state. You wouldn't believe the bounty on his head!"

Arthur slowly blinks, regretting for what she said, painfully aware of what follows.

Sheriff's eyes widen and he leans forward with intrigue, fingers interlocked. "How much?"

„Why is that important?" Arthur interrupts before Flo gets them in deeper.

„Eight hundred dollars." Flo nods her head while sheriff and deputy exchange looks. „He's done some nasty things."

„It would seem so." sheriff gets up takong two steps closer to her." As much as I'd like to see him hang tomorrow for what he's done here... From one lawman to the other," he rests hands on his gun belt. „you know how stressful our line of duty is. Fools like him are ganging up on poor townsfolk of ours every other day."

Flo persistently nods, pressing her lips to keep a straight face but she desires to see him hang as well. They can only imagine what else he's done but hanging is probably not the worst punishment Micah deserves.

„Tell you what, law-woman, you give us that bounty and we give you the prisoner."

Flo definitely doesn't expect that kind of proposal. Glancing quickly at Arthur she sees him clutching his satchel, unaware of thirteen pathetic dollars hiding inside.

„We didn't bring the money with us but we can send it your way with a stagecoach once we're back."

„Listen missy, we ain't no idiots! I'm sure you won't send us a single dollar once you get back. In this land every county is for themselves, us included."

„How's you give us 'til tomorrow evening and we get you that bounty." Arthur interrupts the deputy standing shoulder to shoulder next to Flo, crossing arms on his chest to warm up palms between upper arms and his torso.

Men exchange looks and nod with acceptance of his offer. „We'll see you then."

Arthur jerks Flo's shoulder while turning and they walk away from men in silence. They reach their horses and while Flo processes what happened, Arthur grabs his bedroll and gives Salem two carrots to nibble.

„Where are we gonna get that money?" nervous lip biting is a nasty habbit she posesses.

„Unless you got eight hundred dollars on ya, we're gonna have to earn it." He snorts. „You had to say it! It had to be eight hundred! Why didn't you just round it up at thousand?!"

„I didn't think they'd ask for the money, they're lawmen!"

"There's a lotta things you don't know either but what's done is done. We need a place to rest." Arthur sees a welcoming center with vacant rooms sign displayed. „How much do you have?"

„About fiffty."

„We should get one room only. Gonna need all the cash we can get, thanks to your generosity."

„Don't forget some of that is for debt money you wanted to collect."

„I might have second thoughts on that."