Author's Note: Sorry this took a while to upload. I had to force myself to stop playing Unfair Mario/Platformer XD
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Butch sat there in shock and confusion. Joe? He made it? But what was he doing here? He did realize Blake was just a yard away from them, right?
"Wai-what're ya-" Butch couldn't finish his sentence, because Joe was nowhere to be found. Butch looked all over the saloon to see him, but couldn't. He was gone. Butch then started to stare out into space, so lost in thought.
"Butch! Ya feelin' alright?" The sound of her voice nearly made him jump out of his skin. He looked over at Blake and her gang, Blake's eyebrow raised. Butch hesitated, then shook his head and said, "Yeah. I'm fine... I-I'll be o'er there in a bit." Butch grabbed his whiskey and moved over to Blake's table, still not noticing the looks of the gang on him...
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That conversation kept replaying in his head all night, making him toss and turn in the bed. He just couldn't sleep thanks to him.
The gangs decided to rent rooms in the saloon for the night, in which Blake and Butch shared one.
'My name is Jose 'Joe' Montezuma...' Why does that name keep ringing in his head? 'God jus' lemme alone!' he thought. He couldn't stand it anymore and sat up in the bed. He slicked his hair back and looked over to where Blake was sleeping. Her back was facing him while Japhet slept in her hat, mimicking a bird's nest.
Butch wondered what the girl could be thinking of; what she was dreaming of. He would have asked her, but that probably wasn't the smartest idea. That one time he was only given a vague answer...
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"So, uh, Butch? Could I, uh, ask ya somethin'?" Blake asked taking her hat off. Butch looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "Who were ya talkin' to o'er there at the bar?" she asked. He stared at her for a few seconds, realizing she was talking about the man in grey; her cousin Joe. "Eh jus' some crazy ol' guy. Think he was a lil' too drunk," he replied with a lie. Blake giggled. Japhet perched on the arm of the couch before Blake had to shoo him off and make him get in her hat.
Then Butch had to ask. "Blake. I'm jes' curious..." Blake turned to him as she was taking her coat off. She raised an eyebrow. "...Did, um... Did you ever... Had an urge to kill a mass amount o' people?" Blake stared at him for a good long 10 seconds before responding. "If I did, then that woulda been a dream. I wouldn' even think about doin' somethin' crazy like that," she said taking her coat off and leaving her corset top on; but Butch knew better.
He knew she was lying. But he also knew she was just trying hard to keep that dark secret to herself; and that she doesn't want anyone else to know about it either. "Why'd ya ask?" she asked. "I, um, was jus' wonderin'. Curious..." Butch muttered, unbuttoning his vest. Blake kept looking at Butch with a puzzled look on her face. She wondered as to why Butch had even asked that question, like he had somehow figured out what her past was like.
Butch noticed her staring at him. "You alright?" he asked. Blake blinked and replied, "Um yeah. I'm fine..." she muttered. Blake stretched. "Well I'm gonna be sleepin' here," she said before plopping on the couch and falling asleep. "Night..." she muttered. Butch turned out the light. "Night," he replied before taking his shirt off...
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He knew that if Joe and Blake had ever met again, then certainly, something bad would happen. He had to not let her know about Joe's survival. Only God knows what her reaction would be; and he knew it wouldn't be pretty. Blake flipped over to her other side.
Of course, he knew Blake had her gang to rely on, even if some of them were a bunch of greedy jackasses. Seems like she didn't mind that fact. Butch chuckled to himself at the thought. He looked down at the floor, hearing the dying commotion of the saloon from below, then back at Blake, slightly shivering from the cool of the desert night. He could see Japhet ruffling his feathers and settling back into his makeshift nest.
He felt a little tug in his heart when he heard Blake mutter something. Butch slicked his hair back while keeping his eyes on Blake, just wondering what was going through her mind. He, without thinking, got out of his bed, adjusted his pants, and got his coat from the nearby chair. He crept over to where Blake was and gently put his coat on her.
Butch knelt down by her side... and smiled. Not his signature one, but an actual one. He realized that she didn't look all that threatening when she was asleep.
Butch glanced over at the sleeping white monster bird and back to Blake, and placed a small kiss on her forehead. He ruffled her hair, keeping the smile on his face, and stood up. The sound of a bird chirping nearly made him jump out of his skin. Butch found the source of the sound and realized it was just Japhet, staring right at him with his crimson red eyes.
Butch glared at the eagle and muttered, "You say anythin' ta her, you'll be on the table all roasted." Japhet only ruffled his feathers.
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Butch laid there wide awake. He had that same scenario playing in his head again and again. What if Blake and Joe did ever meet again? Which one would go down first? What if... What if Blake got killed? How could he-
Butch snapped out of it and kept staring at the ceiling. He massaged his face and thought to himself, 'She can't know about this. I jus' know it. She...' He didn't need to finish his thought.
He knew what he had to do: Protect Blake. Like a father would. And keep her alive and away from Joe as much as possible.