"I'm not sure why you rescued me," Slim said as the horses trotted down the road, "But I am nonetheless grateful."
"No offense, Slim," Tempe said, "But I actually don't care if you end up in a cell or on the end of a rope. We did it because your captor got greedy and decided he wanted something that wasn't his. You're a free man because you made a smart decision and decided to back us."
Tempe looked to Dolores. "That was a brilliant move, by the way," she said. "How did you come up with that."
Dolores smirked as she gave Tempe a sidelong look. "You taught me that trick," she said.
Tempe felt the confusion show on her face and Dolores continued, "The last time you were here. We were chasin' those two bandits. They surprised us, but you convinced one of them to turn on the other for part of the reward."
Tempe nodded, "That's right, and we turned them both in once we got back into Sweetwater. I do remember."
"Hang on now," Slim said suddenly, "I'm not sure I like the direction this conversation is headin'. Like you said, I made the choice to help ya'll. Granted, I was doin' it for my own self interest, but-"
"Shut up, Slim," Tempe interrupted, "You're guiding us to Pariah, not Sweetwater. You've got nothing to worry about."
"Right," he said, "I suppose that makes sense. When we reach our destination, I'll take you directly to El Lazo. He will be extremely grateful for my safe return"
Tempe's ears perked up at the name. "Is this 'El Lazo' your boss?" she asked.
"Yes Ma'am," he answered, "He pretty much runs Pariah. Nothin' and nobody goes through that town without his say so."
Tempe nodded. She was really eager to see what this town was like. She'd been to a number of locations in the park, but she'd never even heard a whisper about Pariah. It couldn't be something new, Travis had been trying for the map she had for years.
"Slim, take the lead for a while," Tempe said, "You know better than us where we're going."
He nodded and brought his horse to the front. Tempe brought hers alongside Dolores and spoke in a low voice, "I think this 'El Lazo' guy is the next step in our little treasure hunt."
"What makes you say that?" she asked.
Tempe smirked and pulled out the map. She pointed at the figure eight next to the town marker she was now certain had to be Pariah. She then turned the map on it's side. The figure eight was now the symbol for infinity.
"I'm not sure I understand," Dolores said.
"The name, 'El Lazo'," Tempe said, "It's Spanish for 'The Loop'."
The sun was just threatening the tips of the foothills as the three approached the gates to Pariah. A soldier wearing Union Blues held up a hand as they approached.
"Hello, Arthur," Slim said once they got close, "How's the town?"
The soldier looked surprised, "Slim? I thought that bounty hunter got you."
Slim laughed, "He did. I got lucky and was freed by the grace of these two ladies." Slim gestured dramatically at Tempe and Dolores.
The soldier tipped his hat in their direction, "Good evening, Ladies. You'll have to stable your horses. No one on horseback is permitted to enter town."
Tempe and Dolores followed Slim as he guided his horse to a small overhang a dozen yards from the gate leading into town. A hairy, disheveled man wielding a pitchfork greeted them. Tempe couldn't tell what color his shirt was originally for all the stains. He spit onto the ground to the side, but dribbles of tobacco and saliva still found their way into his beard.
"I'll see to your horses," he said, "They'll be clean and fed when you come back for 'em."
Tempe tossed a coin at him, which he caught with surprisingly deft hands.
"Don't even look in the saddle bags," she said. The man nodded as the group turned away from him.
Once passed the gate, Slim looked at his companions. "I'll take you to an inn and tell them your stay is on me," he said, "Get yourselves cleaned up and refreshed. I suggest taking advantage of a hot bath. The ones in this place are especially relaxing."
Twenty minutes later, Tempe and Dolores sat in tubs next to each other in a large room on the ground floor of the inn. The room was sparsely decorated save for a few hooks for hanging clothes behind a changing screen. Dolores and Tempe's clothes now occupied those hooks.
Between their tubs sat a tray designed for that purpose. It held a scrub brush, soap, a few folded washcloths and, most importantly, a bottle of whiskey with two glasses.
A knock at the door startled them both. Tempe's eyes popped open and only then did she realize she had been falling asleep.
"Who is it?" she called.
"Wash girls," came a woman's voice from the other side of the door, "We thought you two could use a little help."
The door opened and two curvy women walked in. Both were naked save for a pair for short bloomers and hair styled in ringlets that fell to their shoulders. Tempe took in the sight and realized that, after looking at their faces, the two were meant to be twins.
They stood at the door, clearly waiting for some indication. Tempe looked to Dolores, who had her arms crossed over herself. Though, with the suds of the bath, she wouldn't have been showing anything regardless of the position of her arms. Dolores tore her vision away from the women and shrugged at Tempe.
It might be nice to be bathed, she thought, And it's not like I'm going to get this chance very often. She waved the women into the room. The twins, as though performing a choreographed dance, immediately went to work. One poured two glasses of whiskey while the other began soaping up the brush.
The two worked in concert as they pampered their clients. Tempe was surprised at their thoroughness. She had never been bathed by another person before. The experience was strange; slightly clinical; a touch sensual; but mostly relaxing. Like a first ever full body massage.
The click of the door's latch made Tempe's eyes pop open again. She must have again started to fall asleep. She didn't see the twins around and couldn't remember their departure, and she figured them leaving must be what she heard. She stretched, feeling every muscle in her body tighten, then relax. Her body hadn't felt this stress free in years.
"Mhm", Dolores moaned from the tub beside her, "That was wonderful. Everywhere on my body feels soft and relaxed."
Tempe stood and stepped out of the tub. She grabbed one of the folded towels next to the tub and wrapped it around herself.
"We should get ready," she said, "We should find Slim. I'm hoping to meet with El Lazo tonight."
Tempe stepped into the cool night air and took a bite of the apple she was holding. The inn had a basket of them and she had taken a couple. For some reason, she had always loved apples, and discovering this little treat had been a pleasant surprise. She looked up and saw Slim walking toward the inn. He noticed her and raised a hand in greeting. Tempe nodded but waited for him to make his way to her.
"I was just coming to see you," he said when he reached her.
Tempe smirked, "That's something people say when they get caught by someone they were trying to avoid."
"I suppose it is," he chuckled, "But in this case, it happens to be the truth. El Lazo has agreed to meet with you, but it's gotta be now."
Tempe took another bite of her apple and said around a mouthful, "Now's good for me."
"Where's your pretty little companion," he asked, making a show of looking past Tempe.
"Getting dressed," she answered, pulling another apple out of her pocket and offering it to Slim, "She'll be here in a second."
Slim took the apple. "Thank you kindly," he grinned, "I love apples."
"Me too," Tempe said, and took another bite.
"I've never really liked them," called a voice. Tempe turned to see Dolores, radiant in her blue dress, blond hair practically glowing.
"Somethin' wrong with someone who don't like apples," Slim said.
Tempe shook her head, "Not a damn thing wrong with her."
"May I present to you, El Lazo," Slim announced with an exaggerated flourish of his hat. Tempe looked down at a rather unassuming, if ruggedly handsome, hispanic man. Slim had led them to a small bar tucked away in a discrete corner of the small town. El Lazo sat at one of the wooden out front. He smiled amiably at Tempe and Dolores. His two bodyguards, rough looking men with six shooters on their hips, glared at them.
"Glad to meet the two of you," El Lazo said, "Would you care to join me?" He gestured at the other seats around the table. Temple sat cautiously and Dolores followed suit.
El Lazo looked back at Slim, "Check on our Confederado friends. Be sure they aren't causing too much ruckus in my town."
Slim nodded, tipped his hat to his rescuers, and strolled away while whistling to himself.
"I must say," El Lazo said, "I am surprised by the return of my man. How is it that you came to free him?"
Tempe smirked, "It was mostly an accident. His captor tried to take something from us that wasn't his to take, Slim made a smart decision and swung the odds in our favor, and here we are."
Their host chuckled, "I'll be damned, it's like that boy's luck never runs out. Still, by accident or intention, you have saved my man from the rope. That earns you a favor, at the very least."
Tempe reached into her interior coat pocket and revealed the map. She laid it on the table in front of the man. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but he recovered quickly.
He leaned back casually, almost too casually, and asked, "What is that supposed to be, some kind of treasure map?"
"I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. The one thing I do know," Tempe said as she pointed to the figure eight on the map, "is that you're the next step, El Lazo."
El Lazo let out a puff of air, "Dammit." He considered the two women for a moment. Finally, he leaned forward and spoke quietly, causing Tempe and Dolores to do the same.
"Look, I'm warning you right now, you do not want any part of this," he whispered harshly, "The number of men to meet their end chasing this so-called treasure would keep an undertaker in business for years."
"Maybe this just needs a woman's touch," Dolores said. Tempe looked at her, shocked, but approving.
El Lazo let go of a heavy sigh as he leaned back again. "Fine," he said, "There's only one person who knows the location of what you're seeking. She's a native woman. Her name is Wichapi."
"Where do we find her?" Tempe asked.
"She's a member of the Ghost Nation. You'll have to get past them somehow. I can put you on a train that will drop you in the area. But from there, you're on your own."
"Thank you," Dolores said, "We appreciate the help."
"Don't thank me," their host replied, "I've not done you any favors here. I've very likely just sent the two of you to your deaths."
Tempe chuckled, "Don't worry about us. Should we see about a finder's fee for you once we've gotten the treasure?"
"No," El Lazo said immediately, "That gold is cursed and I want nothing to do with it. However, as I've just said, I haven't done you any favors. To my reckoning, that means I still owe you one."
"I've gotten what I want, thanks," Temp said as she stood. Dolores stood as well.
"Hang on now, ladies," El Lazo implored, "At the very least let me offer you a night of, shall we say, relaxation."
Tempe's interest suddenly peaked. She looked to Dolores who shrugged, "If it's anything like that bath, I think I might like to try it out."
"Alright," Tempe said, "Let's see what you got."
Tempe walked into a scene unlike any other she had witnessed in Westworld. A main hall stretched out before them, covered in people in various states of undress engaged in various levels of depravity. The place looked like heaven if hell's management had taken over. There was nowhere the eye could gaze without falling upon naked flesh.
"Welcome, ladies," El Lazo said with a dramatic wave of his hand, "Everyone here stands ready to make your evening one to remember."
Tempe looked to Dolores, whose face showed naked shock. "This is not what I thought he meant by relaxation," she said, "Even the Mariposa keeps things behind closed doors."
"Are you bothered," asked El Lazo.
Dolores shook herself. "No," she said, "It's … beautiful, in it's own way."
"I agree," Tempe breathed, taking in the sight. The Mariposa had a few prostitutes, but this seemed like something out of Caligula's most depraved fantasies.
"First," El Lazo said, motioning to a seating area in the middle of the room, "A drink."
The two women followed him and sat as a completely naked woman brought three glasses on a tray. They each took one and El Lazo raised his for a toast.
"To the two mysterious women," he said, "May you both live to eat the chicken that scratches on your graves."
"To El Lazo," Tempe said, feeling clever "May your loop never end."
"To Tempe," Dolores said, "Who has yet again brought me to the most unexpected of places."
The three clinked glasses and drank
After a few drinks, Tempe stood and grabbed Dolores' hands. Taking the hint, she stood as well. Tempe turned her so that her back was to Tempe's front. Pulling her close, she whispered into her ear, "Which of these ladies do you think is most attractive?"
"Why you, silly," Dolores said.
"You're sweet," Tempe said, "But I'm serious. Pick one."
Tempe looked around for a minute before she pointed at an athletically built woman with sandy hair not dissimilar to Tempe's own.
"Okay, another," Tempe whispered.
"What are you doing," Dolores asked. Tempe nibbled her ear in response.
"Trust me," she said, "Pick another."
"Okay, her," Doroles said, pointing at a voluptuous redhead with freckles across her shoulders and the tops of her ample breasts.
"Interesting," Tempe intoned, "Okay, last one."
"Why don't you pick one?" Dolores asked, "Since you seem to know the game we're playing."
Tempe smiled and planted a kiss on Dolores' neck. "Alright," she said, "How about … her?"
The woman she pointed at was a thin, olive skinned beauty with full red lips and raven black hair cascading down her back. All three of the women had noticed being pointed at and were making their way over to the couple.
Tempe began unbuttoning Dolores' top. She felt the woman tense up slightly.
"Are you gonna tell me the game, Cowgirl?" she asked.
Tempe kissed her neck again, "The game is that these lovely women are going to help you relax. And I want to watch."
Tempe pulled away, but Dolores turned to face her. "I don't know about this."
"Don't worry," Tempe said, "I'll be right here the whole time."
Dolores looked around nervously, "But these women-"
"Will take great care of you. Remember how you felt after that bath? This will feel so much better."
At that moment, the olive skinned prostitute pulled Dolores's hair to the side and bit gently on her neck. She gasped and seemed to relax as the other woman continued to undress her.
Tempe unbuttoned her trousers and sat on the couch with the hem loose around her waist. She took another sip of fine whiskey and got comfortable. Tonight was going to be very relaxing after all.
William had gotten moving at first light. He was close. He'd been to Pariah so many times he could likely find it with his eyes closed. By late morning, he was passing through the graveyard. He pulled on the reins, stopping his horse. The first real challenge in years. He felt so tantalizingly close. He had made good time. Regardless of their objective, he was certain his quarry would still be in the town.
Soon.
