AN: More AU shit with a sweeter tone than the last as an apology

Strange bedfellows

She wasn't exactly planning on being caught in the middle of a standoff, back-to-back with a strangely dressed foreigner right when the day was at it's hottest.

Matter of fact she was just planning to kick back, relax and cool down with a nice glass of milk or three after turning in her most recent bounty. But her and her cursed compulsion to help strangers in need had her calling out the group of ruffians surrounding and making shallow threats at the same foreigner she now stood with her back against. Words were traded, a bottle was smashed overhead, some fingers were lost and now here she was, back in the moment and mumbling to herself.

"Knew I should've kept my mouth shut… Now look where you've landed yourself. Greeeaaat job Chris~" She snarked, more to herself than anyone as her eyes darted from one thug to the other, slowly encroaching upon them in a circle. Then an accented voice broke her from her focus, catching her off-guard.

"While I do appreciate the assistance, I find myself concerned that my would-be savior is now… speaking to herself. Have I merely been saved from the pan, only to land in the tender graces of a mad woman?"

What caught her off-guard was the completely earnest and confused tone in her voice, not a hint of sarcasm or anger in it. It was enough to have her spin on her heel and look up at the foreigner, indignant.

"WH- Now you listen here! I don't know how they did things where you came from but we don't go calling people that help us out of a tight spot insane!"

With her back turned one of the thugs behind her tried to charge, a machete in both hands, raised above his head to try and lop off her arms.

She didn't even bother looking backwards as she drew her revolver and plugged a hole in his head before he could take three steps forward. Her indignance and surprise only grew as the stranger turned around, doing a full bow, bending at the waist, in apology, looking up again with those honest and clear blue eyes of hers.

"Forgive me if I slighted you friend, it was not my intention. I too find myself musing of things out loud in situations like this" She said, Chris about to shout out a warning as she prepped her gun at her hip, seeing two thugs charging at the stranger's back.

Then they fell, blood spurting from diagonal slash wounds across their chests that appeared almost too fast for Chris to see them.

Almost.

But in that single moment between them running and falling over dead she saw the stranger draw the sword at their hip and cut them down with two precise slashes so fast that the blade was already returned to it's sheathe by the time the blood began to flow.

The stranger rose from their crouch, entering a battle stance, and Chris could see their eyes focusing, dilating as they started to flicker between the now far more intimidated looking gang of thugs that tried surrounding them.

"But I believe we can discuss such matters at another time, another place. For now…" Her voice dropped to a dangerous low tone, her sheathe clicking as she drew the blade an inch to let the sun reflect off it's gleaming, stainless steel. "There are foes to slay"

Chris felt a corner of her mouth twitch in the faintest hint of a smile, then turned around with a smirk as she pulled out her other revolver, dual-wielding the red-tinted steel six-shooters and taking aim at the thugs on her side of the street.

"Heh, you take the ones on the left, I'll take the ones on the right then?" She said, pulling back the hammers in anticipation.

All she got in response was a grunt of agreement. And the rest of it was a blur of gunfire, blood spurts and chaos.

Fireside

"The nights here get pretty cold ya know?"

"I-I am aw-w-ware of that. I-It is of no concern to me"

She stared at the shivering form of her new partner, unamused as they sat on opposite sides of a campfire. They decided to take turns keeping watch for the night and her new friend, Tsubasa was her name, decided to take first watch.

Amusingly enough, it seemed her new fried still wasn't used to the jumps in temperature of searing hot days and nigh-on freezing cold nights around these parts.

"Uh huh, sure. And that stutter in your voice isn't from the cold is it?" She said, sarcastic as she turned on her side, watching the girl shake her head as she did her best to suppress the shivers across her form.

"O-Of course not! Th-this is… j-just…" Chris didn't bother listening to the rest of her half-assed excuse, far too tired to humor the girl and more intent on getting some good night's sleep… while looking out for her new partner at least.

Tsubasa found herself being the one caught off-guard this time as Chris plopped down on the rock she sat, the space wide enough for both of them to sit on it comfortably. Then she found herself further stuttering in shock as Chris threw the tarp she used as a sleeping mat over the two of them, holding it closed around them as she leaned into the other girl's shoulder, yawning in a way that Tsubasa found herself thinking was "cute" before she could suppress such thoughts.

"Just… wake me up when it's my watch… dummy…" And like that, she was out like a light.

Tsubasa, meanwhile, while thankful for the care her new partner showed her, didn't quite know how to deal with a different kind of warmth that now plagued her senses as she resolutely stood stock still, almost statue-like as she tried to focus on the surroundings, watching for danger, and not think about the soft breathing and close proximity of the shorter girl using her shoulder like a pillow.

She found herself so distracted on the focus of keeping watch, she'd completely forgotten to wake her partner for her to take her turn.