Chapter Summary:
This chapter follows a young gunwoman setting out to make a name for herself. When entire caravans turn up missing overnight, a large bounty is put up to whomever can disover the cause of and resolve this matter. In over her head or not, she'll see this through to the end. Chronologically, this takes place years before the events of the main story and can be considered canon.
– TEAS: The Lost Archives –
Chapter 2: A Desert Rose
A young woman stood alone, arms crossed and dead center among the blistering heat of the sun. While she was a taller, skinnier sort than most, her stature was nothing extraordinary. In fact, it almost seemed as though a strong breeze would be enough to knock the dirty blonde clean off her feet. While appearing to be a little passed the usual marrying age, no rings clad her fingers or showed any sings of having done so in the past.
She stood amidst a fully packed town square. The township was riddled with construction work, still budding into a proper enclosure. The territory was nestled just on the edge of the badlands, why anyone would pick here of all places for a plot of expansion was beyond the woman, but those kind of criticisms were far from why she was here.
Surrounding the blonde in the square were close to a hundred roughnecks and scabbers. Rowdy and rough around the edges types who's line of work weren't the usual one found in a growing community.
While she was the type to wear a wide brimmed leather hat to protect her delicate skin from the sun, they had more dour means. The cantankerous lot wore makeup comprising is dirt and dried blood. The stains littering their clothes matching their blemishes of bruises and other facial scars.
Up in front a well dressed man approached a podium. About to address the mass, he cleaned up a pair of papers in front of him readying himself to begin.
Located closer toward the back, the lone woman started pushing her way through the crowd to get a better reception. In doing so, she would up stumbling over something just a few waves ahead of her. Looking down, she saw an outstretched leg of someone laying on the floor.
Scowling, she followed the limb up to the rest of its owner. He was a limber looking man who donned himself in raggedy apparel. Laying down in the shade of a nearby building, the cool shadow fell perfectly on his face while the rest of him presumably baked. A large steel gauntlet rested on his face to block out any scarce rays of daylight while the other arm acted as a pillow behind his head.
Everyone one else in the audience stood all ears and at attention for the soon to be address, everyone except him.
What a lousy man. The woman considered, shaking her head with inward disapproval. She left him be, perhaps in pity. Using a weapon like that in today's age, he was certainly a dying breed. Comparatively, maybe to bolster her confidence, she reached down on her side, her hand tracing over a concealed sidearm holstered at her hip.
"Ahem!" The man up front cleared his throat, warranting attention among the noisy crowd. "I would take this time to thank all of you for coming. When I sent word through all the traders this way of the countryside I never expected such a fine turnout in such a short time." Pulling out a pocket square from his chest pocket, he padded down his sweat coated forehead. "I'm gonna head straight to the point, y'all seem like a busy lot. Our town's just getting started, but the traders and construction workers are runnin' scared. Apparently, there's some no good bandit type making whole caravans disappear over night. No one's willin' to make a delivery within' ten miles of this place. Now we don't have much, but I'm willin' to part with a good chunk of what we got left. You all came here for a reason. Scabbers, crooks, bounty hunters alike. Heck, maybe yer just lookin' to make a name for yerself. First man or group to clear up this here mess get's the reward in full, front and center!"
The closing of his announcement an excited outcry bellowed from nearly every wayward privateer who ventured from inland. Some ran to their horses in a mad dash, others sought out others trying to secure strength in numbers. All of them shared one thing in common however, every last one of them headed out further away from the badlands as they headed due East.
Taking in this sight, the blonde started a slow walk in the opposite direction.
"Scuse me missey." A man provoked, grabbing the woman by her arm and halting her in her place. "What 'chu think yer doin'?" He asked with a snide look.
"Same as all of you." The woman replied with a stone-faced expression, not even bothering to look at the no doubt dirt clad man.
The man laughed at the reply, a nasty grin growing as a result. "Now you listen here. We got enough men scamblin' about lookin' fer gold in these hills. We don't need no Daisy or Jane gettin' in the wa—"
Having heard enough, the woman reached for her side again, this time with more urgency. Pulling out her sidearm, she revealed a long revolver. The barrel stretching nearly three times as lengthy than the standard. With no hesitation, she pressed the tip of the barrel up against the nose of the agitating man's face. "Cassidy." Was all she said.
The white's of the man's eyes grew in fear as his throat dried. "W-What?"
The woman finally turned around. "I ain't no Jane or Daisy." She adamantly clarified.
When she cocked the hammer with her thumb, the man let go of her arm and backed away with his hands held high. "E-Easy now gal, think the heat's gettin' to ya."
Holstering her weapon, she started heading out in the same direction as before.
Shaking his head the man stomped off in the other way. "Crazy woman." He mumbled under his breath, walking off.
The man from earlier who was laying down chucked at the squabble, apparently having overheard the whole thing. Sitting upright, he picked himself up before heading out in the same direction as the girl, at his own slower pace.
. . . . . . . . .
It had been hours since the announcement in the township. Dusk had settled in over the harrowing dunes of the desert. The skyline loomed out in an orange and almost magenta hue as it dipped closer to the edges of the horizon.
Walking all day, Cassidy found herself looking at a stone ravine that overlooked a two mile high gorge. Adjusting her hat, she spotted a small rocky outcrop further along the ridge. Walking closer, her eyes scurried about. Closing in to a short walk away, she stopped herself. Sliding her thumbs down to the sides of her belt holster, Cassidy peer out ahead of her. "Alright, come on out!" She called, receiving no semblance of a response. "I won't ask again!" She followed up right away with a yet unearned confidence.
A silence remained heavy no matter how long the dirty blonde held her ground. Winds blew and dying sun inched closer and closer away from sight, and still, she remained rigid in her claim.
Eventually, a soft step of shifting sand was heard from the other side. Stepping out from behind the large rock came a middle-aged man. Age had not been kind to this man, and he wore every hardship he had ever received on his rugged mug.
Exposing himself in full, he leaned back on the rock surface. "Ok little lady, I'll bite. How'd ya know I was here?"
Cassidy rested her dominant hand over her gun in precaution. "Only thing that made sense. The way they went on about your little hit n' runs, lawmen or other bounty-getters would've found you if were inland. But they wouldn't ever search for you in the badlands. Why risk it?"
The man nodded, following the other's train of thought. "Well, alright then. But what led you here exactly?" He asked, clearly more curious than fearful of her presence.
"This gulch is the only real landmark for miles on end." Cassidy informed plainly. Cocking her head to the right, she motioned for him to look over his shoulder. "Plus, I had one more dead give away."
Following the gesture's instructions, the man looked over his shoulders to see a thick set of footprints leading right behind his intended hideaway cover. Smiling, he nodded to himself. "Fair enough." Slouching down, he slid over into a seated position. "You're a real smart girl. Mind's a terrible thing to waste." Looking back up, his eyes pierced ahead like those of an aged predator. "Leave now, and we won't have any trouble."
Cassidy rose a peculiar brow at the older man's claim. With her gun still trained on her target, she cocked the hammer, stressing her resolve. "I feel like I made this pretty clear. You're coming with me." She commanded, a weighted severity to her voice.
Still not acting hostile, the man gave a slow nod at the request. "Okay. I'll come along, no problems." His pale gaze narrowed with an intense certainty. "My friend though, she's another matter."
The ground shook. A nearby sand dune collapsed beside the pair, it foundation rocked to the core. A clawing noise was heard over the side of the cliff as the sounds of cascading rocks and boulders fell almost like a miniature rock slide.
Pulling her gun away from her bounty, Cassidy aimed it toward the foreign entity by the cliff side. All of a sudden, a huge scaly claw grab hold of the top of the ledge. A hefty alligator like creature pulled itself up with pitched black talons. Its very size and girth rivaled that of a small block, its mass casting a shadow across everything in the area.
The blonde's eyes widened in a never before experienced degree of fear. "T-T-That's a pre-war summon!" She choked out as her pupil's trembled, barely able to take in the creature's full body in its extended peripheral vision.
It was a living testament to the sins of the past.
The man nodded gently again. "That's right. Found the poor darlin' starving to death out here in the dessert. Since I'm such a caring sort, I led her over to a caravan pack some months back. Boy let me tell you, did she have quite the appetite." His face and tone did not match the depravity of his words.
Cassidy's trembling knees gave out as she fell upon the shifting soil beneath her. Her eyes now pulled up toward the creature's mighty maw that appeared as though it could take in a whole house. "Since the trader's bodies were never found, I had assumed the caravan handlers were kidnapped. I never once thought, never imagined that..." When her eyes fell upon the clearly bloodstained fangs of the great reptile, she wouldn't dare allow herself to finish the audible thought.
"Want to know the best part?" The lax man encouraged from his still seated position. "She doesn't exactly care for the other things. Trinkets, coin, loot, those are left clean for me. It's a sort of symbiotic relationship."
The trembling in the blonde's actions started to slow down to a gradual halt. Unless she calms down and takes action, she was going to die. This solid fact rang out inside her head.
Pushing off into a stand, she took aim with her long barreled revolver. Letting out a defiant scream, she took aim at the man once more. Just as she pulled the trigger, the creature moved its back leg in the way. The steel bullet bounced off the thick scale like nothing, not even a scratch left in its wake.
Adrenaline coursing through her body, Cassidy started dashing around the menacing creature. Raising her gun in an attempt to get another shot at its retainer in her sights, the beast moved again to cut off her aim.
Moving far enough away from the ledge, the reptile pushed back on its hind legs. Its muscles tightened up before lunging forward with its mouth wide open.
Flinging her full body to the side, the gunwoman narrowly escaped death even after pulling her limbs in. The creature crashed harshly into another dune, destroying it instantly as it flung itself back onto its feet.
Pushing herself up in a similar fashion, Cassidy forced her body upright. She knew taking out the reptile's retainer wouldn't stop the carnivorous beast, but she had to do something. If she allowed their relationship to continue, no trader or journeyman on the entire upper West coast would be safe from a monster like that, especially one prowling about withing the cover the night drawn desert.
She pressed onward direly. Even with no clear obstruction to her shots any longer, she couldn't bear the risk of missing. She needed to be absolutely certain that she got the job done. With him out of the way, there was at least a chance that the harm the stray summon could muster would be minimized. If not due to starvation, it would at the bare minimum be forced to venture out of its safe haven. Journeying inland, the government or soldier's would be forced to take action.
Moving closer, she moved in more and more, far more than she would have ever needed to. If she planned on severing the monster's leash, she would do it right. Pulling up her handgun, the two were now a couple paces away from each other.
Watching with ease, the man still showed no signs of worry. He sat there, studying her, shoulders relaxed and face untwisted from any kind of concern. Entering his immediate range, he sprung to life. Jumping up from his seat, he pulled out a straight dagger, stained from both ware and use. Tightening his hold, he thrust it up at her.
Cassidy moved to dodge the knife but the stomping of the now once again standing behemoth behind her uprooted her already critical footing. Tripping over herself, the woman's immaculate face met the steel head one.
The upward cut sliced right through her porcelain flesh. Starting at her cheekbone, it carved straight up, through the left eye and up passed the once elegant trimmed brow. Cassidy screamed in agony as she fell on her shaking hands and knees. She could only feel her heartbeat raise faster and faster as though trying to burst out of her chest. Staring at the shaking sand under her, the sight of blood oozing down the side of her face from where her vision previously rested made her almost feel like vomiting from the new sense of nausea and lack of depth perception. Her mouth hanging open as she screamed again, desperately holding onto the damaged side of her tarnished face.
Sighing, the man stepped over toward her, his grip loosening up. "There there." He tried reassuring the injured woman in a vain halfhearted attempt to ease her suffering. Reversing his hold on the weapon, he now pointed the tip back down on her. "I'll make it quick." He mentioned as though a consoling act. As he was about to crouch down, he stopped, to his victim's confusion.
Falling onto her stomach, Cassidy forced the remnant of her gaze upward to see her target staring off in the direction she came from. Confusion written over his face. Rolling over onto her back, she glanced over to see what it was that halted him.
Standing on a small dune in the direction of the town stood a gauntlet wielding wild haired man. Yawning, he stretched one arm over head as he twisted his waist. After he stood more casually, cracking his neck once for good measure.
It was the man who had unknowingly tripped her earlier. It was too late for her, but maybe not for him. "R-RUN!" Cassidy screamed with what little available strength she had left. "Y-You need to run! You'll be killed! Get far away from here!" She yelled as she tried to warn him, her sense of direction starting to blur from the worrying amount of blood loss.
The giant lizard gave this new interloper its full attention. Its long ribbed tail coiling as a deep bellowing growl wailed from its gut.
"She's never acted like this before." The beast's retainer mentioned, shifting his warn glare between his pet and the new intruder.
Grinning ear to ear, the cowboy took his first few steps downhill. Sliding down the rest on the backs of his heels, he returned to a normal walk after touching down on flat earth. Slipping his offhand into his pocket, he approached the growling monster. His gauntlet beginning to light up in the faintest hue.
The creature's muscles tightened far more than when lunging at Cassidy. Every single fiber of the monstrosities being compacted before launching forward like a bullet. A powerful gust of wind and dust exploded around it from the instantaneous release.
Stopping where he was, the raggedy dressed man grounded his stance on his back foot. As he did, he tucked in his gauntlet tight in next to his ribs.
The old summon separated its cruel maw as wide as it could mid-flight. Its jaw trembled subtly before snapping shut with the force of a vice.
Ducking down, the man leaped up and slammed his gauntlet under the beat's trap. It was as if someone had popped a bottle holding in a tornado. Sand was blown off in all directions from the impact as a mighty and violent howling wind was unleashed between the two.
Despite the creature's heft and unimaginable weight, it was thrown high into the sky above with ease. Flipping backward, its body remained unnaturally stiff. Reaching its apex, a quarter mile above, gravity took care of the rest. It fell back first into the center of the ravine. Even after disappearing from view, it still took all parties well over ten seconds for the lowly but colossal thud of force to be heard from hitting the chasm bottom.
The creature's handler stood in awe and agape. The same expression Cassidy wore when meeting his monster had swapped with the handler.
The blonde's amazement was by no means overshadowed. Something she had noticed during the creature's fall shook her somewhere deep in her core. She wasn't sure why, but something about the way it fell sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn't prove it, but she knew, the fall didn't kill the monster, the moment that man laid his hand's on it, it was already dead.
Staggering back, the man dropped his dagger. In newly found panic, bent down and scooped up the woman's handgun. Awkwardly pulling back the hammer, he took a shaky aim in front of him.
Continuing his brisk walk, the giant slayer adjusted his path toward the man who now held him down sights. Stomping forward with his steel-toe boot, a familiar glow lit up. As soon as the gun was fired, a veil of wind surrounded the other. The projectile was redirected and dove right into the sand.
As the seemingly impervious man took a lunging knee forward his veil died. In the blink of an eye, he dashed straight ahead at blinding speeds. Coming to a complete stop directly in front of the man, a blast of wind came tumbling from behind, as though it had lost track of its owner.
Balling a fist with his offhand, the gauntlet wielder slammed it into the shooter's gut. The force and ferocity to the blow was enough to make him puke up spit as well as blood. When the wild man planned on following up his strike with a hook of his gauntlet, the wind from earlier finally caught up, crashing into all three of them.
Already on the ground, Cassidy tried her best to shield her one good eye from the pocket storm that reared its ugly head. Sneaking a glance upward, she saw her target wasn't as lucky.
Blood trickling down his lower lip, the wind was the last straw needed to drop him to his knees and backward onto the ground.
The preparations already complete. The gauntlet user let loose a crazy hook. His target was missing, but the impact of his blow was felt by all. A second storm seemed to pick up as it blasted mighty gusts in front of him.
Dust scattering all around once more, Cassidy had to shield her head entirely. As she did, it almost felt as though she was about to be ripped right into the sky even while being on the indirect end of the blow.
The wind finally dying down, the blonde opened her eye again. In front of the man, every spec of sand had been blown clean away in the entire vicinity. The only thing before them was clean bedrock.
Gulping at the man's power, the last thing Cassidy saw before passing out was his blurring silhouette as it remained vigilant against the setting sun.
. . . . . . . . .
Cassidy sat on the end of a medical cot, a doctor stood above. He was putting the finishing touches up her eye as he wrapped a gauze around her head to keep his work intact. Tying it up tight, he stood upright.
"That's the best we're gonna get." He conceded with an unfortunate sigh. "I know I said we might be able to save the eye, but..." He paused, when his patient glanced away in defeat, he knew he didn't need to continue. "Anyway, you should be sure to thank that brash man from earlier. If he didn't drag you back to town along with the bounty, you'd have died in that desert."
Putting away his tools, a nurse gestured for him from outside the hall. "Excuse me one moment." He pardoned himself, leaving the door open as he stepped out.
Cassidy sat motionless, her face defeated, body fatigued. She had been like that ever since waking up.
Glancing upward, she spotted a small glass of cotton balls on the counter across from her bed. Hesitantly, she rose her right hand and pointed it at the container, mimicking the shape of a handgun. Standing up, she steadily approached the area, keeping sure to follow her trajectory. Reaching the counter, it was as she feared, her finger was a clean two inches off. Clenching her hand in frustration, she slammed it onto the counter top.
"Ah, there ya are." The gauntlet user and her unexpected savior greeted, resting a shoulder on the door frame.
The man's sudden appearance almost caused the injured woman to fall over. "Y-You?" Peering down, she spotted a small satchel tried around his belt. She could tell by the weight and shape of it that it was the bounty payment.
"Doin' alright in here?" He asked, emulating small talk with little backbone or interest to it.
The blonde laughed cheaply at the question. The natural response was suited enough for a reply, at least she thought so. "I want to thank you. While I have the chance." Cassidy informed, resting where she stood.
"Don't worry 'bout it." The man answered, stretching again. "I was just repayin' the favor for helpin' me find the guy, right?"
Cassidy stared more concerning at that bit of information. "You were following me then? When you appeared from the same direction as me on that hillside, I thought it was little more than a coincidence. Why follow me though? Out of everyone at that square, why me?"
The coercing man shrugged. "Everyone was goin' one way, but you went another. Figured there was pro'lly a reason for it."
Cassidy found herself laughing again. "You followed me on mere intuition?" Reaching up, she caressed the dressings of her wound. "Maybe that's something else you had that I lacked."
"Sounds like you're callin' it quits." The man mentioned, earning him an unseen sad smile from the other.
"I blew it." The dirty blonde woman admitted, looking down at the floor. "This was my first job. It was gonna be the first of many." Tear drops started to drip down her good side and onto the wooden floor. "I'm useless now. I can't shoot anymore. I can't go home either. My beautiful face is..." Her hand clenched around her wrappings, as though she was about to rip and scrape it off.
She calmed slightly when she noticed a pair of boots enter her downcast vision. As she was about to look up, the man's hand cupped her chin, pulling her upright, making her meet him face to face. "Don't be that way..." He started, growing a sly grin. "You still look beautiful to me." He said as a one sided joke.
Taking the comment at face value, Cassidy felt her legs weaken as she almost slipped right where she stood. If she hadn't grabbed the counter from behind, she would have hit the floor like a tumbling tree. "I appear to be more fatigued then I realize." She tried to excuse, looking away flush and abashed.
Gulping, the blonde found enough courage to face the rouge again. "Cassidy." She stated. "I never introduced myself ear—"
"I remember." The man replied curtly. "Cassidy. Not Daisy or Jane. Right?" Stepping in again, he unknowingly leaned in closer again.
"I-I see." The gunwoman stammered, her ears heating up. "Yours? I never caught yours, I mean."
The raggedy dressed man hummed lowly at the question. "Oh, that?" He shrugged again. "Everyone's been callin' me Gray these days. Guess you can too."
The reply was most definitely odd, but Cassidy nodded respectfully all the same. "Gray. It, suits you."
Leaning away, the cowboy headed back for the door. "Well, time for me to hit the trail."
Cassidy felt her spirits dampen at the other's regress. "I... understand. Someone like you must have at least a dozen more jobs lined up."
"Nope." Gray returned offhandedly.
"W-What?" The woman stuttered once more, this time in complete confusion.
"I just drift from place to place. If I find work I work. That's about it." Gray admitted exiting the room.
Stomping after the man, she grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in place and turning him around. "That's ridiculous. I saw what you can do. This was going to be my first job and I already have two more line up for the upcoming week in two different cities."
Gray whistled, highly impressed. "Wow. Ain't you the professional type?"
"Yes, well..." Cassidy took a moment to brush back her hair. "...I can't exactly perform as is. The work will probably go someone else. You should take them, consider it my way of saying thank you. If you leave now you can—" Cassidy's excitement left her entirely before she could continue with what she was saying. That's when a new idea popped into her head. "Although, that's not entirely fair to me, is it? I worked hard to find those jobs. So how about this: I find you work, and you give me ten— No. Twenty percent of the profits. And I won't go any low—"
"Sounds good." Gray spoke up, cutting her off and folding without any struggle at all.
"Great!" Cassidy remarked in a chipper tone, her face lighting up. She started to extend her hand to seal the deal. "Then let's—"
"Let's go!" Gray exclaimed turning around and heading out down the hall.
Caught off guard by how quick the man was pressing on without her, she nearly tripped over herself again chasing after him.
Truth be told, while she planned on boasting that twenty percent was her final offer, it would have been nothing else but a bold faced lie. At that exact instant, she would have happily worked for free. Nothing else at that moment mattered to her. Nothing else except the prospect of getting to know more about the exceptional man who called himself Gray, simply because it was what everyone else did. The fearsome yet charismatic man who always stood with the winds at his back.
. . . . . . . . .
Six and ½ Years later...
Cassidy sat in the driver's seat of her acquired military vehicle. Its emblem since replaced with a flag that now brandished: 'Free Trade'. Adjusting the rear view mirror, she looked herself in the face. A stern frown marred her dust coated face. An eye patch sitting regally over her gruesome wound from years ago. A signature silver rose design embroidered over top the black apparel, something that had become something of a infamous trait of her appearance.
With an aggravated sigh, she stepped out and slammed the car door behind her. Walking away, she approached the run down saloon located knee deep in the badlands. The wreck of a building she had long since gotten used to was the Gray Skies current operating base.
Reaching the front doors, she took a breath before kicking it wide open. "Where is he?" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Every no good crook or swindler that called the place home stopped what they were doing to face the grim faced woman. The rowdy joint silenced on a dime.
When no one answered her immediately, she approached the closest individual by the bar. "Gray, where is he?" She asked again during her march.
The man unfortunate enough to catch her gaze started slowly pulling himself away. "T-The boss? S-Sorry Cass you jus' missed him." He gulped heavily as the words were forced out of his mouth. "I-I-I think he said s-something about doing some work for you." He said, forcing a terrified smile.
"Oh yeah?" She questioned reaching him. Without a word, she grabbed the man by the side of his head and slammed him into the sand encrusted bar counter. Pulling out her long revolver, she pressed the barrel against his temple. As per her motto, she didn't ask him again. She cocked the hammer.
"He's upstairs!" The man screamed at the top of his lungs before being tossed roughly to the ground.
Nostrils flaring, Cassidy stomped one foot in front of the other as she approached the stairs, her gun still tightly in her grasp. Everyone else in the bar stayed entirely clear of the one woman rampage. Bandits, ex-soldiers, and murderers alike knew better than that.
Flying up the stairs in a rage, the blonde headed for the side most room. The only one with a shut door. "Gray, you better be sick or dead in there. So help me god!"
Never planning on knocking in the first place, she kicked the door down again.
Gray tumbled flat on his face out of his crooked and slanted bedspread. The shirtless man fell into a small pool of empty liquor bottles. "Huh? Cassidy, that you?" He questioned blindly.
Looking over, she spotted his boot and gauntlet on the counter top next to him. After acknowledging he was unarmed, she took a shot at him. She didn't look down the sight at all. Instead, she aimed solely on feeling.
Instinctively, the cowboy threw himself onto the floor upon not receiving an immediate answer. The shot forming a hole in the wall centimeters from where his head previously laid. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" Gray shouted, now completely awake and worked up. "Listen beautiful I can—"
Cassidy cocked a brow at the other's statement. "Beautiful? Gray, are you trying to sweet talk me?"
The rouge grinned. "Well, I—"
Seeing as the man had the audacity to answer, Cassidy fired another round without warning.
Intuition saving him yet again, Gray dove for his gauntlet. He ended up raising it overhead just in time to prevent a head on collision. The force of the bullet was so great however, that while the projectile was blocked, the force pushed his glove straight into his forehead, bashing his skull and knocking him back onto the floor.
Trudging through the alcohol bottles, the blonde knelt, reached down, and yanked the man upright by his shoulders, forcing him to a shared head level. "Five jobs, Gray. You haven't payed me in FIVE JOBS!" She screamed dead into his sensitive ears.
"I hear ya! I hear ya!" Gray hollered back willfully. "Listen, things have just been slow these days."
"Slow?" Cassidy repeated still wrapped up in her fury.
"Don't worry. Just, hear me out. Okay?" The warmonger pleaded, slipping a hand up the other's back. "I got a plan. Things are gonna pick up real good. Especially around Magnis."
The blonde blinked at the blind idiot in front of her. Ripping away his arm, she dropped him without a second thought. Standing up, she crossed her arms and looked down at the hungover cowboy. "Magnis? The split capitol? Are you deranged? The knights have too much pride to hire us and there's no way the soldier's would risk something with the knights so close. That place has always been a lost cause for work." Shaking her head, she turned away. "Even you know that. Why do I even..." She trailed off, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Times are changing." Gray replied, standing back up. Walking over, he slid his hands around her waist instead. "Have I ever steered you wrong?" When his hands started sliding toward her hips, he heard the sound of the revolver cocking and he unhanded his manager immediately.
Gray laughed nervously. "Like I was sayin', I'd love to stay and chat..." Picking up a ripped shirt off the side of his bed he slipped it on. "...but I gotta go to work. Boss is a real slave driver. You understand." He joked, stepping into his boots.
Before she could say another word, the wild streaked man bolted out the door and leaped clean over the second floor balcony onto the one below. His entrance earning him a rowdy cheer from down below.
Rolling her eyes at the man's lunatic actions, Cassidy reached down and picked up a half finished bottle. Taking a swig, she kept it in tow before slamming the door behind her, once again following after the man called Gray.
Author Notes:
This is the second chapter to involve Gray, even if he was not the pure focus. I figured it made sense to group the two chapters together before branching off into other characters especially since Cass' introduction was at the end of See No Evil.
This chapter gave Cassidy a backstory, but more importantly, it showed just how Grant sucks people in. The world of TEAS can be a violent, crazy, moster-ridden place. Normal, ungifted people meet Gray, someone able to overpower the insanity of that world around and bend it to their needs, and they can't help but be awed by that.
I'd also like to hightlight a quick joke. The first paragraph describes Cassidy as being someone who appears as though a slight breeze would knock her off her feet. In the scene she's talking with Gray after being patched up, his mistaken sweet-talk nearly makes her knees give out.
