Johanna didn't have the best nights, finding her new living arrangements hard to get used to. While she had the peace and quiet of having a tent for herself, it was still unfamiliar, the back of her mind on high alert for constant danger even as she slept. She was not sure for how long she'd been awake or how little she'd slept as she laid on her sleeping palette, dressed in only her chemise and drawers, listening to the sounds of the cicadas outside her tent as the faint light was being cast into her tent from the rising morning sun, alerting her that it was early morning. Johanna had yet to hear anyone else awake or moving around the camp, but she knew it wouldn't be long before Miss Grimshaw was awake pottering around the camp, and Pearson would be up waiting for Johanna to assist him with breakfast.
Sighing, she sat up and reached for a hairbrush that was sitting on top of the leather trunk that had been gifted to her by Tilly and Mary Beth and began to brush out the knots from her hair, only to hiss as the bristles touched the still healing wound on her forehead. Tossing the brush away, she raised her hand, touching the injury carefully, trying not to aggravate it. Sighing again, she dropped her hand. Standing up, Johanna dressed, fiddling with her corset and light underskirt before dressing in the dark grey overskirt and cream blouse. She pulled her long hair into a loose plait using a long green ribbon, tying it off at the end with a bow. With a final brush down of her skirt, she stepped out into the camp, ready to face the day and putting on a false smile, knowing she would once again have to lie to people who'd been nothing but kind to her.
"Mornin' Johanna!" Pearson greeted her jollily, in the process of carrying water over to his cooking fire, the large cast iron pot already hanging over the unlit fire. She returned the greeting, adding the dried oats to the pot while Pearson placed the bucket down by the firepit. "You're up a bit late this mornin'. Ya sleep alright?" His voice held noticeable concern, having come to rely on the young redheaded woman to assist him with meal prep.
She didn't look at him, not trusting herself to meet his eyes as she spoke. "New tent and bed." Johanna excused. Pearson nodded, accepting the answer. He left her alone to finish preparing breakfast, the woman pouring in the water before lighting the wood beneath the pot, allowing the porridge to begin to cook. Stepping away from the pot, Johanna went through the food stores, picking out some apples to cut up to add to the porridge, including some honey. As the meal had begun to finish cooking, the camp's residents started to gather around, waiting to dish out a serving for themselves. Johanna had stepped back, letting them all get a bowl for themselves before she would even attempt to grab her own serving. And it was as she off standing by Pearson's caravan that Charles approached her.
"Johanna." The dark-skin man greeted her, his eyes on her tent. "I see it held up during the night." He spoke, nodding, glad that his assembly skills hadn't failed the woman. Johanna smiled at him, thanking him again for his assistance. He didn't say anything else to her as he dished out a serving, but instead of taking the bowl for himself, he held it out to her. Johanna stared at it with wide eyes, unsure if to take it, but when Charles's offer didn't falter, she took it, thanking him again. She leaned against the caravan as she slowly ate, her eyes tracing over each camp inhabitant as they went about eating their breakfast. She kept quiet, keeping to herself as there was a dull ache in her chest. Johanna was starting to feel guilt and regret. She was beginning to build relationships within the Van Der Linde gang, relationships she couldn't have if she were to betray them because she knew it would be painful in the end.
Her green eyes flicked over to Charles and Arthur as they conversed, the two men who'd been the most welcoming to her. Eating slowly, she listened in as Charles discussed going hunting for bison, a tradition of his mother's people. Hunting and using every part of a bison was to honour the gentle giants, as they shared the Earth with bison. Therefore, nothing could be wasted. The meat would be eaten, hide used for clothing and shelter, bladders to hold water, and horns and bones for tools. Johanna watched them as they stood and mounted their horses, riding out of camp, not knowing when they would return but doubted they would be gone long. She'd learned that Dutch didn't like it when anyone in his gang was gone too long, especially now as the law was after them.
Sighing, she stepped away from the caravan, beginning to make her trek around the camp to collect up dishes and take them back behind the caravan to the washing tub to clean them ready for the midday meal and also pick up the cooking pot to toss out the leftovers and to scrub it clean, before hanging it back on its place over the unlit fire. Overall, the task took close to an hour to complete, where she had to move off to her next chore, assisting the women with laundry and clothes mending. Johanna didn't join the women as they conversed, focusing on patching holes in the men's clothes, yet Mary Beth kept pestering her, asking her questions that even one-worded answers didn't seem to deter her.
"Are you alright, Johanna?" Tilly finally huffed, her tone rude and serious as she addressed the pale woman, staring Johanna down from where she was hunched over the wash tub. "You have been cold and silent all morning! So you gonna tell us what's wrong?"
"Tilly!" Mary Beth scolded her friend, not approving of how she was demanding answers from Johanna. Karen shook her head, tutting the brunette and agreeing with Tilly. The three women began to argue, two against one, over whether they should get answers from their newest female member. Johanna bit her lip, staring hard at the denim trousers in her hands that were fraying at the hem, wanting to escape from the situation. She glanced over to the edge of the camp, where Javier was keeping watch while he smoked, the sight of him making the redhead scowl. Mary Beth must have noticed her staring as the brunette spoke. "Oh! That's what's got you upset…" Johanna's gaze snapped from Javier back to the three women, who were now gazing at her, yet the worst was Karen, who was smirking rather mischievously.
"Oh…what's wrong? Did he reject you?" Karen snickered, only for her friends to glare at her, and even Tilly went as far as to throw a wet shirt at the blonde, silencing the woman as she swore and sputtered in shock.
Johanna frowned harder, but an idea popped into her head. She could blame her introverted behaviour on Javier, which could been seen as a valid excuse. With a roll of her jaw, Johanna huffed dramatically, making the three women turn their focus back onto her. "Javier's been… mean…"
"Mean?" Mary Beth asked, leaning forward, the garments in her lap forgotten. The statement had even gained Tilly's and Karen's attention.
Johanna nodded. "He purposely forces his horse to go fast, knowing I fear horses." She explained, not facing them as she made herself frown harder, trying to appear upset over having to speak on the matter. "He keeps calling me naive…and stupid…"
"Very mean!" Mary Beth scoffed, rolling her eyes, believing Javier's actions childish.
Tilly hummed, nodding in agreement with the brunette. "I overheard Javier and Charles speaking yesterday afternoon…." She sighed, glancing around nervously, unsure if she should inform them but choosing to do so. "Javier called you the most annoying, uptight brat he'd ever encountered…" It shocked everyone but Johanna, the redhead dropping her head and letting the few stray hairs hide her face, more pissed off than saddened as she expected nothing less from the Mexican at this point. "Sorry Johanna…" Tilly murmured, scowling as she observed the redhead.
"How could Javier be so cruel!" Mary Beth cried, staring at the dark-skinned woman in horror, but she just frowned, which did little to calm Mary Beth's teetering annoyance. "Did he say anything else?"
"Cruel?" Karen barked, scoffing at her friend and cutting off Tilly before she could say anything else. "I would say he got the girl right." the blonde laughed, even as Tilly and Mary Beth glared at her, not agreeing with the statement. "What?" She shrugged them off before continuing to speak, even as Johanna glanced up at her. "The girl is a spoiled brat, growing up all fancy and looking down on us!"
"Excuse me?" Johanna snapped, her hands clenching in her lap.
Karen rolled her eyes. "You heard me!"
"Karen!" Tilly and Mary Beth barked, frowning at the blonde, but she ignored them again.
Johanna's face scrunched up tight as she stood, throwing the garment she'd be patching into Karen's lap with force. "Spoiled brat? I wish I could have had your freedom! To be able to venture around and see the world!" Johanna spat, gaining shock from the group of women, seeing a change in Johanna's demeanour that they hadn't expected from the redhead. "But no. I had to spend nineteen years of my life practically locked up in my bedroom with basically no friends and no life at all! So tell me, Karen?" Johanna moved, looming over the blonde and making her shrink somewhat. "What part of that makes me a spoiled brat?" She didn't wait for any of them to respond, quickly turning on her heels and leaving the women behind, but Mary Beth was fast behind her, calling out for Johanna to wait as she reached out, grabbing onto the sleeve of Johanna's blouse and halting her, not far from Kieran, who was brushing down some horses at a hitching post. He was watching the two women, eyes wide in fear as he could see the rage pooling around the redheaded woman, making him swallow hard.
"Ignore her!" Mary Beth spoke sternly, her face as serious as Johanna had ever seen. "Karen is nothing more than a jealous shrew. She's been horrible to Tilly and I in the past, and Abigail, too. Always taking her frustrations out on one of us." She crossed her arms, expression unchanging. Johanna was breathing heavily as she listened to the brunette speak, her eyes laser-focused ahead, looking through Mary Beth and at nothing in particular. Both women hadn't noticed when Charles and Arthur came riding into camp, hitching their horses up next to Kieran when they noticed the male watching the women in clear fear. They followed his gaze, seeing the heated looks on Johanna and Mary Beth's faces.
"That's not good…" Arthur muttered. He knew the expression of angry women well, having seen it enough from Abigail over the years. Charles nodded beside him, making a small noise in agreement. Rubbing his jaw, Arthur sighed, knowing he needed to address the situation before it escalated. "You take what we brought back to Pearson." Arthur gestured over his shoulder to his horse, where the remains of a bison were securely stored behind his saddle.
Charles' brows furrowed. "You sure?" He asked, his eyes darting between the two women and Arthur.
"No." Arthur sighed again, finally glancing at his friend. "But if I don't, Dutch will lecture me 'bout it later…" Without another word, Charles nodded, moving behind them to Arthur's horse to collect the bison remains, sparing a glance at Kieran, who was still staring at the women in fear before heading off to Pearson's caravan, taking the long way around to avoid Johanna and Mary Beth. Arthur swallowed hard before stepping up to the two women, his hands raised in a defensive manner. "Now, now…there is no need for you two to be fighting…" He spoke hesitantly, obvious in his tone that he didn't want to be doing this.
"What?" Johanna and Mary Beth spoke in confused unison, their heads turning to stare at Arthur. He stood them, mouth open, looking between them, quickly realising he had understood the situation wrong.
"Uhh…"Arthur moaned, only making it more awkward. "I got it wrong…don't I…?"
"Arthur Morgan." Mary Beth sighed, a soft smile on her face as she looked at the man adoringly, proud of him for being someone who felt the need to ensure the safety and sanity of the camp's residents. "I was merely trying to comfort Johanna…it was Karen who ran her big mouth." She spat, her arms crossing tightly in front of her chest as her mouth sunk into a scowl. Arthur followed the brunette's gaze back to the women's tent, where Karen was sitting out front with Tilly, an angry air between even them, making the man understand that Karen had also pissed off the dark-skinned woman.
"Oh…" He muttered. Arthur cleared his throat, looking back at the two Caucasian women before him. "So…"
"We're good, Arthur." Johanna smiled weakly, trying to reassure the large man. Mary Beth gazed at her. Despite her words, the brunette knew her friend was lying. Arthur opened his mouth to speak again, knowing not to trust Johanna's statement as he had seen enough scornful women in his life, but his attention was stolen from a conversation behind him, a conversation that also gained the attention of both women. Javier was picking on Kieran, stating, 'Once an O'Driscoll, always a O'Driscoll'.
"What's your problem?" Kieran retorted back at the Mexican man, a brief moment of confidence after being scared by the women. "I already proved myself!" He was gesturing around wildly with a brush in his hand. Kieran was greatly annoyed that he had to reinforce that he wasn't on the side of the O'Driscoll Boys, especially after saving Arthur's life just a few days prior during a failed pursuit of Colm O'Driscoll.
"Well…" Javier scoffed, taking a few intimidating steps forward, making Kieran flinch back easily. The lithe man glanced past Javier, eyeing off Arthur, Johanna and Mary Beth, almost begging them for help with his eyes. As Javier stepped before him, Kieran's eyes returned to the threat in front of him. "All you've proved is…ah…how quickly you'll turn on your friends."
"It ain't like that!" Kieran yelled, beginning to feel disparate. "I only rode with them for a while." Johanna swallowed back the lump forming in her throat, the anger from before still lingering and boiling more as she watched Javier continue threatening Kieran, saying that the former O'Driscoll didn't have him fooled like Dutch was and would continue to watch him. As Javier tossed his cigarette at Kieran's face, Mary Beth stepped forward, barking at Javier to leave the boy alone while Arthur and Johanna watched on.
"Leave him alone, Javier!" Mary Beth yelled, inserting herself between the two men. Javier stared back at her in shock before his expression changed to anger. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared down the brunette, offended that she was protecting a man who was once their enemy.
Javier scoffed. "You can defend him, but once he leads the rest of the O'Driscolls here to slit our throats in the night, you will regret it." He spoke sternly, pointing a finger close to her face. As he spun to leave, he paused, noticing Arthur and Johanna, but Javier's eyes were on the redheaded woman, his mind rushing with the thoughts of Charles's words that he was sweet on her. Scoffing again, Javier barged past Johanna, slamming his shoulder into her and knocking her off her feet.
"Hey!" Arthur barked after the man, quickly catching Johanna before she could fall. Javier didn't falter as he kept walking, not even bothering to look over his shoulder at what he had caused. "You alright, Johanna?" His hands on her arm and back, trying to ensure she was right to stand. Johanna held her tongue, wanting nothing more than to go after Javier and scream at him and possibly slap him across his smug face, but she couldn't move, her heart racing as she looked at Kieran. While he had betrayed the O'Driscoll Boys for the Van Der Linde gang, there was still a suspicion about his allegiance. All this did was make Johanna concerned for her own life if they discovered not only that she was working for Colm O'Driscoll but she was the man's offspring. Johanna knew no matter what, it would all end with her dying.
"I'm fine." She seethed, shoving herself out of Arthur's grasp and fleeing to the safety of her tent. Johanna felt like she struggling to breathe, her heart pounding in her chest. As soon as she entered her tent, she collapsed onto the sleeping palette and curled into a ball. The tears rolled down her face, and her body trembled, fear for her life and that of her mothers consuming her.
Outside of the safety of Johanna's tent, many eyes had watched the woman flee, her frazzled state obvious and making them suspicious, as their close-knit community made them nosey about everything that went on in their small society. Charles had been handing the bison to Pearson when his eyes had spotted her darting redhead, the braid waving behind her as she moved. He knew something bad had happened and had first wondered if Arthur had only worsened the situation or if Mary Beth had lashed out against Johanna. Leaving behind a stammering Pearson, Charles went straight to the other side of the camp, searching for Arthur at his tent.
"What happened?" He barked gruffly, causing the larger man to jolt off his cot at Charles' voice. "Young Johanna just went bolting to her tent like a spooked doe."
"Woah!" Arthur gasped, his hands raised defensively. "Now, I didn't do anything! Nor did Mary Beth!"
Charles just frowned harder at the answer. "Then who did?" The tone of question had sent a shiver down Arthur's spine. It wasn't often that Arthur was intimidated to the point of fear by another individual, but Charles, at the moment, had done just that.
"Javier."
The moment the name left Arthur's mouth, Charles hissed. He moved, spinning around and stomping off, his mind on finding his next target, the smug and love-blind Mexican man who seemed to brew discourse for their newest female member. Javier stood close to the cliff edge overlooking the massive river below, smoking while admiring the rainbow spread across the blue sky. Upon hearing Charles' footsteps, Javier turned to face his friend, a smile on his face,
"A rainbow. we're blessed." He chuckled.
"Yeah." Charles muttered before giving Javier a hard shove. A loud gasp of shock left Javier's mouth as he to his ass, his cigarette dropping from his hand into the grass below.
His eyes snapped to Charles, darkening as a new level of anger emerged. "What the hell, hermano?!" Javier barked, jumping back to his feet and shoving Charles back, but the dark-skinned man was prepared for it, bracing himself as he pushed Javier off him. Javier reacted back, throwing a punch that connected with Charles' jaw. This caused both men to start to brawl, throwing punches and shoves, which quickly gained the camp's attention. Its residents gathered around the men and yelled at them to stop. But it had been Dutch and Hosea who'd pulled them apart.
"What's gotten into you two?!" Hosea yelled, standing before Charles with a hand on the man's chest while Dutch had to restrain Javier physically, something the Mexican man wasn't fond of, as he disliked people touching him no matter the reasoning behind it. "Well?" Hosea barked again, looking between them. Neither spoke as they breathed heavily through their noses, glaring at one another. Dutch and Hosea shared a look. They both knew it wasn't good to have two of the gang's residents fighting openly in camp. While it was known that some would share heated words or a single punch, none had ever broken out into a full-on brawl before.
Dutch frowned. "Both of you stay away from each other. Got it?" He warned, his hands on his hips commandingly as he lorded over his companions. "That goes for all of you! I will not tolerate fighting within our community!" Dutch turned around, his eyes tracing over each and every one of them, before landing on Javier, who he'd known for over three years longer than Charles. Javier spat the blood that had pooled in his mouth at the dark-skinned man's feet, which earned a scolding from Dutch, who was quick to drag him off as Javier was someone whose anger was hard to dispel.
"Alright, shows over." Hosea began to wave people away, except for Arthur, who backed away hesitantly. The two old friends sharing a look that Hosea knew meant that Arthur had knowledge as to what started the fight. "Now," Hosea looked to Charles. "Will you explain yourself, or shall Arthur do it for you."
Charles' eyes flickered to Arthur momentarily before moving back to Hosea. "Javier has been tormenting Johanna."
"Tormenting?" Hosea repeated, brows raised in shock.
Arthur nodded. "Childlike teasing…but it's making Johanna upset…" He explained, stepping further towards the men and creating a small circle for them to converse. Hosea groaned, his eyes squeezing shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't know what to say about this, only muttering how he was 'too old' for idiotic matters such as these. His arms dropped to his side as he looked between the two men, watching them exchange glances. "He likes her." That was all Arthur had to say, and Hosea groaned again. He really was getting too old for this shit.
"And you thought an appropriate reaction was to attack Javier?" Hosea finally spoke. How he looked down at Charles reminded him of his late father and how he used to scold him when he was a young boy, causing some heat to rise in his cheeks. Hosea sighed, shaking his head. "I respect you for looking out for the girl, especially after everything she's gone through, but I don't approve of you acting out in such a way."
Charles nodded. "I understand."
Hosea stepped forward, clapping a hand on the dark-skinned man's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. You're a good man, Charles." The statement caused a rush of emotions to flow through each of the three of them, as Hosea's words came from the heart, and it was something he truly meant, for having only known Charles for six months, he'd come to see just how honourable the man was.
"Thank you." Charles muttered weakly, his head dropping in embarrassment. When Hosea removed his arm, Charles glanced back up, smiling and nodding, Hosea returning the gesture.
"I'll go see Dutch and Javier…" Hosea spoke, his eyes on Arthur. He didn't wait for either man to respond before walking off, finding his long-time best friend and criminal partner lecturing and scolding Javier at the opposite side of the camp by some abandoned and burned-out caravans. Neither man had noticed Hosea's appearance until he stepped close enough to be in view, Dutch turning to face him expectantly, wanting answers as Javier had none to give, the Mexican man smoking again with a ticked-off look on his face.
"Well?" Dutch demanded of Hosea when his friend didn't immediately speak. "Mr Escuella says that Charles attacked him for no reason. But there must be a reason! Mr Smith doesn't just act out like that. He's such a calm individual." Dutch was pacing, his demeanour putting Hosea on edge.
"Dutch…" Hosea spoke, trying to calm the man down. Dutch paused, looking at his friend with a look of frustration. Hosea's eyes moved past their group's leader, landing on Javier, standing in his usual laid-back manner, a hand resting on his belt buckle while the other was holding his cigarette to his lips. "I have been informed that you have been teasing Ms Lynn in a more… aggressive manner…" Hosea's statement made Javier snort.
"Mr Escuella…" Dutch scolded, turning to face the Mexican as Hosea came to stand beside him. Dutch had made a reputation for himself amongst those who knew him to be a lady's man, and with that, he always treated the female population with respect and decency, which meant never assaulting them verbally or physically. Yet there were times in the past when Dutch had been driven to use such ill-regarded actions against a woman; times he would never dare speak of, afraid to ruin the image he'd created for himself as a charming individual.
Hosea sighed. "I have also heard that you're doing this because you're sweet on her." That statement caused Javier to choke on the latest puff of smoke from his cigarette and Dutch to start laughing heartily.
"My boy!" Dutch chuckled as a large grin overtook his face, completely overtaking his sour mood. "This is not some schoolyard love! You need to charm a woman for her returned affection. "
"Dios mío…" Javier muttered. He dropped what remained of his cigarette on the dirt below, stomping it out with the heel of his boot. He couldn't believe what was happening, that Charles's pestering about him being in love with Johanna would turn into this. Looking at the two older males, Javier was in disbelief at their expressions, the proud, smug smiles making him want to lash out. "I have no affection for that brat." He stated, but his denial didn't sway the men. "I'm not in love with her!" Javier barked louder when Hosea's and Dutch's faces hadn't changed, thinking the man was denying the way he felt for the redheaded woman.
"Javier…" Dutch chuckled, taking another step towards him with outstretched arms. "Ms Johanna Lynn is a beautiful young woman: sparkling emerald green eyes and hair of golden fire. Even I am quite taken by her comeliness." He wasn't afraid to admit such a statement, even if Dutch was old enough to be her father. The man knew a pretty woman when he saw one. But Hosea eyed the back of his head sharply, having known the man long enough to have seen Dutch trade in his past lovers for young models, and his current, Molly O'Shea, was nearing the age of thirty, an age where Dutch would seem to discard them for the next woman who caught his fancy. Hosea had seen Dutch eyeing off the young Mary Beth, a woman at the age of twenty-one, and now Johanna, who was just nineteen. Sweet and innocent.
Javier flexed his jaw at how Dutch described the redhead, knowing that he was correct and that Johanna was a beauty. "It doesn't matter how pretty she may be; I find everything she does annoys me." Hosea and Dutch both chuckled this time.
"Schoolyard love…" Hosea sighed merrily, shaking his head, repeating the term that Dutch had used. "Mr Escuella. You find that everything she does annoys you because you love her. It's your mind trying to fend off the feelings." Javier just gaped at the old man, shaking his head before storming off while muttering Spanish under his breath, Dutch and Hosea assuming it was insults directed at the two of them. "This is going to be an interesting development to watch," Hosea smirked, his arms crossed as his eyes were on the back of Javier's head.
"Yes, indeed." Dutch chuckled, his eyes alight in merriment. But the whole situation had him thinking about Johanna in ways he shouldn't. Dutch had always had a thing for redheads. Despite Susan, who is a brunette now starting to grey, his past lover, Annabelle Laurent, before being strangled by Colm O'Driscoll, was a redhead with a colouring just like Johanna's strawberry blonde hair, and then his current paramour, Molly O'Shea, whose hair was a rich red that reminded Dutch of the colour of blood. If Johanna happened to reject the Mexican's advances, he himself would be more than happy to make his attention known. After all, he was beginning to lose affection for Molly despite the woman's obvious love for him.
"Dutch," Hosea spoke, his eyes narrowed as he looked at his friend, seeing the whimsical look on the dark-haired man's well-sculpted face, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Don't." Hosea stated, his tone harsh, before moving back to camp, leaving Dutch behind to glare at his back. Hosea could feel the heated stare, but he didn't care. Dutch always needed a warning from time to time; even being their gang's charismatic and charming leader, known for his strategic mind, Dutch could still be an idiot male ruled by ego. It led to him killing Colm's baby brother in a drunken rage and, in turn, led to Colm killing Annabelle in revenge for his brother's murder. For the nearly thirty years that the two men had been friends, Hosea often had to be the one to remind Dutch of his flaws, even if it fell on deaf ears, as Dutch's own hubris didn't seem to allow him to hear the warnings of those around him.
When Johanna awoke, it took her a few moments to get her bearings, but when she did, Johanna realised she was in the security of her tent, only that her head was resting on someone's lap as they ran their hands through her hair, now freed from its braid. Rolling slightly, Johanna faced Mary Beth, the woman looking down at her mournfully. They didn't speak as the brunette continued running her fingers through Johanna's red hair, trailing along her scalp soothingly.
"Sorry." Mary Beth mumbled softly, trying to be gentle with her friend, still aware of Johanna's depressed state, as the redhead's eyes were red and puffy from her earlier crying.
"It's fine." Johanna rasped, forcing herself to sit up despite Mary Beth's protests. "Pearson!" Johanna gasped when the thought entered her mind, a fear that she had slept through lunch making her concerned, but Mary Beth hushed her, the brunette explaining that Tilly had handled her chores while she rested, yet when Mary Beth had gone on to explain further about the fight between Charles and Javier that had gained the attention of the entire camp, it had caught an unknown feeling in the redhead's chest, a comforting tightness. Johanna sighed, dropping her head into her hands and rubbing at her eyes. It was all becoming too much for her.
Mary Beth frowned, becoming more concerned for the woman. "Do you need anything…?"
"No." She answered curtly, standing and exiting the tent. Johanna felt like the brunette had invaded her personal space, even if Mary Beth meant well by her actions. With closed eyes, Johanna breathed deeply, letting herself become lost in the fresh country air and the sounds of nature that surrounded the camp before moving off behind her tent and into the small patch of forest that hid the camp, choosing to sit down on a moss-covered rock. "How am I meant to do this…" She mumbled, sinking her head back into her hands, feeling utterly defeated. Johanna hated that she felt herself growing connected to Charles, Arthur, Tilly, Pearson and Mary Beth, having spent too much time interacting with them. It left her second-guessing helping her father, assisting Colm in bringing down good people even if it meant her mother's life ending, and then there was the idea of betraying Colm and coming clean about everything to Dutch, knowing what it would mean for her. "A dead woman…" Johanna frowned.
"Whose a dead woman…?"
Johanna jolted, her head snapping from her hands as her eyes landed on Hosea. The man stood a few feet from her, having snuck up on her in her depressed state. He looked down at her, his eyebrows knotted in concern. "I am…" Johanna excused weakly. "May as well be with everything…" She waited on Hosea's reaction, trying to gauge if he was buying her lies, and when he nodded, she released a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding in.
"I want to apologise for any ill done to your personal while under our care." Hosea breathed, stepping closer to her, seeing her once again as a small, broken child in need of protection. He wasn't stupid. He knew it was something false the woman was putting on, a way to protect herself from everyone else and even more ulterior motives. Hosea had seen how she acted when she thought herself alone; with that, he had seen the woman's true personality peak through. Johanna wasn't some meek child but bold and determined. If polished, she could blossom in this criminal life.
Johanna smiled up at him, something sweet-looking. "It's fine—"
"It's not." Hosea cut her off. He sat beside her on the large rock, letting the silence surround them before speaking again. "I had hoped you'd settle in well at camp, that everyone would treat you with kind graces." He rolled his jaw as he spoke, his gaze ahead looking at nothing in particular. "Are you settling in well?" She opened her mouth, but it shut just as quickly. Johanna wanted to tell him she was, and at the same time, she wasn't. Hosea chuckled, seeing her struggle. "You can speak honestly to me, girl."
The corner of Johanna's mouth twitched into a small smile. "I'm finding it hard." She admitted, her head turned slightly to gaze at him as he listened to her speak, watching him nod along. "I've tried to…make it comfortable…with the tent. Some privacy that I have always been used to."
"And the people?" Hosea asked her, still not looking at her as he listened.
"I've mainly interacted with Arthur, Charles, Tilly, Pearson, Karen, Javier and Mary Beth. Most of them are nice. Karen's rude. From what the girls say, she acting out of jealousy." Johanna sighed, her eyes staring down at her hands in her lap, still delicate and soft compared to everyone else, which were hard and rough. "Ms Grimshaw implied I should work as a prostitute to bring something back to the camp." She bit out, her tone and statement making Hosea snort in humour, knowing how Susan was.
Finally turning to look at her, Hosea asked the question he'd been meaning to ask the woman. "And Javier?" He watched as she stilled. They both knew it was coming, only Johanna praying he wouldn't ask.
She chewed lightly on her bottom lip before answering. "That boy is odd. One second, he's sweet; the next, he's insulting me." Hosea had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop the grin and bark of laughter that had threatened to escape, remembering how, just hours ago, the young Mr Escuella was adamant he had no romantic feelings for the redheaded woman, yet his actions clearly spoke otherwise. Before finding Johanna, Hosea had spotted the Mexican smoking off by the cliff edge, clearly brooding over having multiple sources tell him he was in love. "I really am trying…" Johanna sighed. She ran a hand through her loose strawberry-blonde hair, the strands somehow tangled from Mary Beth playing with them while Johanna slept.
"Don't worry about him," Hosea spoke. "That boy will sort himself out, I'm sure of it." He chuckled softly, reaching over and patting her hand, comforting her. Johanna smiled back at him, wanting to believe his promise, but didn't know if she could. "There's been a matter long since on my mind, a few days now, actually." Johanna's eyebrows furrowed, unsure of what could be worrying a man like Hosea, but then again, being Dutch's right hand, there was possibly much that kept his mind racing, having to look after a camp full of delinquents. With the same hand he'd used to pat hers, he clutched her hand tightly, gaining her attention, and their eyes met. "Your mother was Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Lynn. That makes you Colm O'Driscoll's daughter, no?"