Chapter 16: Breaking Out to Party
"Well, that's the last rock of the barrier," Inuyasha grunted setting up a wall with a rectangular hole in it, "What is it for?"
"High ground and cover, I suppose," Kagome shrugged, "This Trevor guy must be bringing some real artillery the likes of which this era has never seen before."
"Have you, Kagome?" Shippo asked.
"Only in movies and television shows, but those are watered down from the actual truth of how catastrophic and destructive they are," Kagome said, "Even if they take out Fuzhizenna's forces and Fushizenna himself, I want them gone first thing after the victory, and trust me so do you."
"Man…" Shippo gasped, "What kind of world do you live in, Kagome?"
"Not one you'd want to fight in," Kagome grumbled turning to the Well, "I wonder how Sango is doing…?"
As Sango woke, a ghostly wind blew through a window in the lab carrying the tiny little cowboy hat Sango had crafted earlier that morning in it. It blew to Sango's sleeping lips as she stirred awake looking at it. She picked in up curiously.
"How did you get all the way in here?" She asked with a yawn, "I was sure I left you in the Kururugi house…" Then a sharper gust of wind shot through whipping the hat out of Sango's hand and blowing it onto a button on the Animus's computer console. Sango didn't know much of modern technology, but the scientists did make some things concerning computers easy to understand, and told her the basics of the system. Enough to know that the hat had been blown to the on button of the viewing screen as Arthur popped up back again. It was nighttime, and Arthur was riding the trail through some woods. She picked up the hat on the ground.
"I don't know if I should press this…button…" She hesitated, "I don't trust myself not to damage the…computer system, so I guess I'll just have to watch."
As soon as the screen came on, she watched as Arthur rode through the night trail arriving at a small town whose welcome sign read "Welcome to Strawberry" as Arthur and Sango sped under it. Arthur rode past a rather large butchery, a newspaper stand, a couple hotels one big and one small, and finally he spotted what he was looking for. The Strawberry jailhouse. He walked to it and knocked. The door opened.
"Yup?" A man in a brownish red coat greeted with a rifle in his hands. He wasn't alone. There were two more deputies in the jailhouse.
"Hello, sir," Arthur began, "I've er…I've come from Blackwater." Going inside, he said, "I'm on the trail of a dangerous gang. Colm O'Driscoll. Heard you had some sort of incident."
"We don't deal with bounty hunters around here, son." An older man in a denim jacket said at a desk not even looking up at Arthur.
"I-I was just wondering if I could get a description," Arthur said.
Turning from his paperwork, the balding man turned to reveal his sheriff badge and said, "Well they weren't friends. They got in a fight, two men got killed. Now one of 'em's an idiot, the other's some kind of dumb mick, so maybe them's your boys. You can look right enough…when we hang 'em."
Arthur noted the two other deputies standing behind him as he nodded turning for the door.
"Thank you, sheriff," Arthur said as he exited the jailhouse. He turned to his horse when he heard a familiar voice shout out, "Let me outta here, you maggots!"
Turning to his right, he spotted a lower level of the jail and walked to a barred window on the side of it where an unwelcome face looked up at him.
"You think these bars can hold me?" Micah's voice called out as Arthur approached, "You hear me? Arthur? Arthur!"
"Hello, old friend!" Arthur taunted eying the bruised and bloodied face of his loudmouthed rival, "Had a good time, did you?"
"Y-You conna get me outta here?" Micah pleaded holding tight to the bars.
Not looking at him, Arthur looked to the distance and said, "I ain't decided yet…"
"Real funny…" Micah snarled.
"Oh, I ain't joking, cowpoke!" Arthur answered turning back to him and getting into his face, "I heard so much bluster out of your mouth these last six months…and now I got an opportunity to watch you be silenced!"
"Well you gotta do something," Micah answered.
"Why?" Arthur growled.
Taking a humbler approach, Micah said, "I always looked up to you, Arthur."
Turning away, Arthur answered, "Well that's your first mistake. Listen, there's one little problem…there's only one of me, and there's a whole town full of people wanting to see you swing."
"You got to do something, Arthur," Micah pleaded again. Arthur shook his head and noticed a winch nearby, "This wall just needs a good forcing."
Arthur pulled the hook of the winch out to the bars, hooked the hook to them, and walked back to the winch.
"Yes!" Micah nodded, "Hook that over the bars. See if you can pull them off."
"What a modern disaster this is going to be…" Arthur grumbled.
"Just pull that lever, come on," Micah answered.
Arthur went to the winch's lever and pulled it. The winch began to tug on the rope and the hook as with a pull it yanked the bars right off the wall sending brick and debris flying! Coughing amongst the dust, Micah crawled out the hole in the wall as Arthur handed him a revolver.
"Let's get outta here, come on!" Arthur said as another man in a green vest tried to escape as well. Micah turned around and shot him between the eyes, "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Really!" Sango gasped, "That was so unnecessary!"
"He was an O'Driscoll," Micah explained as Arthur nodded before pulling out his repeater. Now the whole town was awake as men with guns approached. Sango was worried. Like Arthur said, it was a whole town against the two of them. This would not be easy to survive.
"I should've known you were up to no good!" The Sheriff called out to Arthur noting his presence. The Sheriff got behind a crate but ended up getting shot anyway.
"Come on, Arthur!" Micah called out upon seeing they had an opening to get some distance out of town, but it was only a foot or so as a Deputy stood behind another crate and a carriage with a couple of lawmen rolled in out of nowhere. Arthur made quick work of them though and killed the carriage passengers before they had a chance to brake and get into position. As soon as they were dead, Micah took off to the right.
"Don't go that way!" Arthur protested, "Let's get the hell outta here!"
"I got some unfinished business," Micah called back, "Trust me, Morgan!"
Seeing a lawman on a horse about to cross the bridge, Arthur shot him down and called back, "Trust you? You have finally lost your damn mind!"
Another lawman tried to get in close only to get shot in the face as Sango winced. This was getting brutal.
"Let's get out of here!" Micah said, "Keep moving, Arthur!"
From behind a cabin, two more men with guns came charging. Arthur managed to shoot the first down as he was running, but the other managed to get near cover before he was shot in the face as well.
"You goddamn maniac!" Arthur swore at Micah before spotting a hidden shooter on a porch before shooting him down as well, "I should've left you to hang!"
"I'll kill this whole town if I have to!" Micah declared rushing across the bridge now that the coast was clear for now. Arthur toddled behind as Micah turned the corner where more shooters were. Micah managed to shoot one down, but Arthur had to pick off the other two.
"We should be long gone by now!" Arthur griped.
"They got something of mine I ain't leaving without!" Micah answered.
"Who?" Arthur asked as two more attackers ran across the other far bridge. Arthur took aim, but they had some trees for cover. Arthur ended up shooting those instead as they got closer only to be out of cover and end up getting shot anyway.
"Shit! More of the bastards!" Micah pointed out as two more ran across the far bridge. But Arthur was closer this time with nothing to cover them but a tiny bush. He dealt with them easily.
Arthur said, "Where we going?!"
"Making a house call," Micah said as he darted to a cabin at the head of the far bridge.
"We really should get out of here!"
"Calm yourself, woman!" Micah snapped at Arthur, "Like I said, I need to see someone." Micah went to the door of the cabin and knocked, "Skinny! Get out here!" He pounded on the door with the revolver Arthur lent him, "Skinny!"
After a bit, the door opened as a gruff voice answered, "It ain't 'Skinny,' Micah, it's 'Norma-" But he was cut off as Micah grabbed him by the collar and shot him in the stomach right in front of Arthur and Sango!
"You always was a letdown, you fat sack of crap!" Micah snorted tossing his former companion out on the porch, "Excuse me a minute, Arthur." He went into the cabin as Arthur watched Skinny clutch his gut in pain writing on his porch before taking his last breath and unleashing his death rattle.
"Hello, Maddy," Micah's voice said from inside, "Did you miss me?"
"Ahhh!" A woman's distressed voice said inside the cabin before a gunshot went off inside silencing it.
"Oh no!' Sango sobbed, "How horrible!"
After a second, Micah burst out.
"They had something of mine," Micah explained pulling his red and black revolvers out of his gunbelts, "My guns." He then took off in a sprint across the bridge, "I showed him…AND I'LL SHOW THE REST OF THIS TOWN!" As he sprinted, more officers came out of the woodwork only to get shot just before ducking for cover behind crates.
"You have really lost it this time!" Arthur shouted.
One was ducked for cover behind the railing of the post office, one was on the balcony of the large hotel, and another was darting from the general store. The darter was the first to get shot down, the railer was next to die, and the balcony guy was next to get picked off.
"Up here, come on!' Micah said to Arthur, "The law in this town's a damn joke!"
"That's for sure," Sango agreed with a roll of her eyes, "A whole town of men can't stop two?"
There were two horses at the rack of the large hotel. One was Sango, the other was unknown.
"Let's get to those horses, Morgan," Micah said shooting down two more lawmen as Arthur leapt onto Sango's saddle.
"Reckon it's time we got outta here, Morgan!" Micah declared.
"Now you wanna get outta here?" Arthur shouted as Micah took off unaware that a few lawmen on horseback were coming in from the side. Arthur picked them off as he rode to his companion.
"Damnit! How many these sons-of-bitches are there?!" Micah asked, "Keep riding, Morgan!"
"I don't have much choice!" Morgan shouted out as he gave a swift heel to Sango and sped after his rival who made a left at a fork in the road where two more horseback lawmen were.
"Look, they're sending the whole brigade!" Micah hooted using his revolvers to defend himself, but he was nowhere near as good a shot as Arthur Morgan whose repeater made quicker and more accurate work of them both. Following Micah, they steered off the trails and through the grassy hills so as not to be easy targets.
"Got more of 'em!' Micah called as two rode in from the right and two from the left to close in on them. Arthur struggled with the two on the right as one rode close to Micah and even managed to get a shot into his waist before Arthur shot them both, then he quickly turned his repeater to the others on the right and made quick work of them both.
"Okay," Micah nodded getting back on the trail, "Let's get outta here before we get any more on our tail." The duo slowly trotted out of the area so as not to arouse suspicion, "That was some good shooting, Morgan! Whew! I gotta hand it to you."
"What…the hell was that you pulled back there?" Arthur asked incredulously.
"Got a bit wild, alright," Micah nodded.
"Wild?" Arthur asked, "Making a house call in the middle of all that?!"
"Ain't much I care about more than those guns," Micah answered.
"That much is clear…" Arthur growled, "Who was that feller?"
"Skinny?" Micah asked, "Yeah, we ran together for a while. Did a bank job down south, didn't end well."
"I saw how it goddamn ended!" Arthur spat.
"He was gonna let me hang," Micah answered.
"I'm starting to wish I had!" Arthur shot back as a bolt of lightning split the morning sky as the sun rose, "And you owe Lenny, too. If he hadn't found us in time…"
"Yes, you will all be thanked profusely, I promise," Micah answered.
"Yeah, well…you're lucky Dutch has got your back, for some unknown reason."
The duo rode near some abandoned cabin and small farm in the middle of nowhere before braking their horses.
"I think…we finally lost 'em," Micah said.
"Well, I hope so!"
"I'm giving ya a holster," Micah said tossing Arthur a bundle, "My way of saying thank you."
"And thank you," Arthur answered, "There I was having a dull day only for you…to liven it up by letting me help you shoot up half a town!"
Laughing, Micah answered, "You're a funny feller, Arthur. Real funny." Rolling his eyes, he asked, "Why you act all sour all the time?"
"Yeah, well, you ain't funny at all," Arthur said, "So why you gotta act like the court jester?"
"Alright, listen," Micah said with a softer voice, "I'm sorry, but we're family now, Arthur." Seeing Arthur spit at this, he added, "You, and me…sons of Dutch. Makes us brothers. And sometimes brothers make mistakes. Now I'm heading back to my little camp round back of Strawberry…come see me, maybe I can make things up to you?"
"So you ain't heading back to Dutch?"
"No, I've been a bad boy, Arthur. I ain't seeing Dutch till I can bring him a peace offering." His horse tried to take off as Micah pulled on the reins, "Bye now." He then clicked his cheek and took off as Arthur unrolled the bundle. Inside it was an off-hand holster that he clipped to his belt. Now he could dual wield pistols and revolvers. He put a volcanic pistol in his right holster and a sawed-off shotgun in his left holster. He then pulled out his to-do list and then nodded at something posted at Emerald Ranch.
"Another debt for Strauss," He said, "Guess now's a good time to collect."
He rode Sango through forests, across a river, through the plains, and across the meadow leading to Emerald Ranch. By the time he arrived it was nightfall again.
"Lilly Millet…" He grumbled, "Wherever you are…you owe Strauss and us money."
Before asking around to see if anyone knew where she was, he stopped by Seamus's fence.
"Welcome back, Mister," He greeted, "Go on. Have yourself a quick nosey."
Arthur sold the silver emblem ring, two gold pocketwatches, platinum belt buckles, and other valuables he had collected as rewards or from looting people he killed putting eighty-eight more dollars into his satchel.
"Thank you," Arthur said before rushing back to Sango and rode up to an bearded old man with a bucket.
"Partner," He nodded.
"Bastard," The old man rudely answered.
Arthur was not pleased. He pulled out his volcanic pistol wondering if he should, but then holstered it.
"Now, say it like you mean it, mister, hello?" Arthur said.
"Not funny," The old man grumbled.
"Ah, you ain't worth it," Arthur sighed before spotting a couple arguing near a small hovel near the farm.
"You have any idea of the hole I'm in?" The lady asked.
"Oh, come on!" The man pleaded. Obviously, they were talking about money, and if they were, that was a good place to look for Strauss's client.
"Why's it always gotta be such a goddamn performance for you?" The man asked, "Now I told you I'd get you the money next week, and I'll get it."
"If you didn't make it this week, who's to say you'll make it next?" The lady asked. Arthur now knew he was at the right place.
"Don't you take that tone with me…" The man began to threaten, "I thought you said you love me."
"I do, I do!" The lady protested, "But what I get paid ain't enough for one person, let alone two. Your money's got to be your problem now."
"The only problem I got is this bleating going on in my ear!" The man snapped, "Now lay off it, Lilly! Goddammit!"
"Lilly!" Arthur called out getting the pair's attention, "Where's our money?"
"What?" Lilly asked.
"That loan you took," Arthur elaborated with a growl, "It's payday."
"I-I'm sorry," Lilly tried with a slight curtsy, "I don't have it right now."
"Well then…" Arthur growled again getting closer to her as Sango's watching eyes widened as he shouted, "I guess we got a big problem, don't we?"
"What?" Sango gasped as memories of Arthur roughing up Thomas Downes and Mr. Wrobel due to debt collecting, "But…but…she's a woman! You can't!"
"Cooper!" Lilly called to the man at her side, "Give him what you've got."
"I ain't giving him nothing," Cooper murmured, "Except a lesson in DAMNED MANNERS!" He then tossed a handful of dirt in Arthur's face as he went for a blow. Arthur backed away.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" Arthur swore shaking his head to get the irritant out before decking Cooper in the face that sent his hat flying and him tumbling to the ground. He then started stomping on his crotch and kicking him to the ground. Cooper did manage to get back to his feet to deliver another blow, but Arthur was quick to regain the advantage, deliver punch after punch, grab him by the throat, and then knock him out cold.
"Alright! Alright!" Lilly pleaded seeing Arthur turning back to her, "He has all my money, I gave it all to him. Just take everything you find on him and let's be done with this."
Arthur looted Cooper's body taking all the money he had on his person and left the sobbing Lilly alone.
"Hey!" A man in blue called out, "You know what I do to thieves?! The law'll hear about this!"
"I didn't steal that!" Arthur protested seeing the man heading for his horse, "It's a debt…oh dammit! Stop, or I'll kill ya!" But he was too late. The witness was taking off. Arthur hurriedly got onto Sango's saddle to give chase to the meddling witness, "You're making a BIIIIG mistake, you fool!" He caught up to him pointing his pistols at him, "Wait! This is a big misunderstanding!"
The man holstered his pistol and whimpered out, "Hey, hey. I don't even remember what I need to forget."
"That's better," Arthur nodded, "On your way."
The two riders departed as Arthur headed to another nearby farm.
"Now for Chick Matthews," He said, "Payday's here for you too." Arthur rode through the grassy meadow once more eyeing the small wheat farm. He braked Sango, pulled out his repeater and pump action shotgun, and then got off to look for Chick. He spotted a man sitting on a log and ran up to him.
"You Chick Matthews?" He demanded.
"No, no, not me, sir," The man protested, "That's the greenhorn over there." He pointed to a man at a small stable brushing a horse, "And there he goes!"
Arthur turned to see a man on a horse riding away calling out to him, "So long, loan shark!"
"Dammit!" Arthur swore running back to Sango and getting on her saddle, "Hey! Get back here! You owe us money! The more I chase, the more you owe!"
Once again, Arthur was chasing an evasive kid in the meadow.
"The money's mine, and I'm keeping it!" Chick Matthews declared.
They chased each other through the dried up riverbed and under a bridge with a passing train.
"You make me go much further," Arthur called out as Chick turned right trying to run for the train to get away, "I'll get more than a debt off you!"
"You're too slow, old man!" Chick called out riding next to the train unaware that Arthur had his lasso out.
"Last chance to save your hide!" Arthur warned, "STOP!"
"Don't you give u-" Chick asked before being cut off by a lasso around his waist yanking him off his horse. Now that he had him, Arthur stopped Sango and walked up to the boy.
"Hold still," He ordered hogtying the evasive brat.
"Holy Moses!" Chick said, "Look, look, I got the money…but it's hidden. Untie me, and I'll tell you where it is."
"You're in no place to bargain, boy!" Arthur pointed out as he inspected his clothes, "You're tied up, face down in the dirt, and I've got a gun." Pulling out a slip of paper, he opened it up to see a trail with a tree and an X on it, "A goddamn treasure hunt? You're lucky I ain't taking your teeth as well!" He read a little note on the map. "'Should something happen to me, all my worldly possessions are hidden here.'" Arthur then looked up to see a big tree nearby that looked remarkably like the one on the map. Ignoring Chick's pleas to be untied, he rode Sango up to that tree and searched around for anything. He found a big hole in the trunk and dug his hand into it. Inside it was a wad of cash. Chick's debt money.
"Come on, girl," Arthur said to Sango as he looked for a trail back to camp to return the debts to. He rode up a rocky area before finding a trail. Together they rode through the meadow, across the plains. He returned to Horseshoe Overlook, dropped the debts off in the collection box, and stayed in camp to rest up after a long day of risking life and limb to save a man he despised and collecting two debts.
Sango was tired as well. She hadn't slept all through the night, and the doctors had not arrived yet. She turned the screen off and went back to the couch to rest up a bit more.
"Your little tower of boxes, rocks, and baskets will do nothing to stop Lord Fushizenna!" A demon minion of the evil lord wailed out as he lay dying from a spiritual arrow in his heart, "I…don't know how you found a way to kill us with arrows not made of Serpentine Rock, but it won't….beat…him…."
As he died, Kagome let out a sigh of relief. The experiment was obviously successful, and it could buy them a bit more time.
"It actually works," Inuyasha nodded impressed, "Breaking up the Serpentine Rock into powder and sprinkling a few granules on Kagome's arrows works. We can make our small supply last a bit longer now. Still, it won't work on Fushizenna. Won't kill him at least, but we still got to use the powder sparingly."
"They're retreating for now," Shippo pointed out, "Now that they know we've got a secret weapon, they won't bother us for a bit. We just have to keep silent about this so they don't figure it out. We only need two more days or so before Michiru returns."
"We should be able to last that long," Kohaku nodded, "Finally some good news after so long. I'm so glad I thought of this idea as I was helping pound flour."
"Aren't we all?" Kagome nodded, "I only hope this does last. I wonder what Michiru's friend is bringing. If it will help, I only hope it doesn't cause too much trouble."
Trevor flew above the islands of Hawaii. He needed to refuel his plane for the long flight to Japan, but knew better than to use a municipal airport. He needed an airfield that wouldn't ask a lot of questions as he did his research pulling up to a small airfield.
"Incoming aircraft, please state your business," A voice on the radio spoke.
"Need some fucking fuel," Trevor answered, "Got an important delivery, but don't want any questions asked. What say I pay you double what the gas is worth, and we call it a no-nonsense transaction? I got the money."
"Ten four," The voice on the radio answered, "Welcome to our airfield. We will be with you shortly after you pull in."
"Roger that," Trevor answered putting the radio away. He was looking forward to seeing Michiru again. It'd been eight years since the heist they pulled in Los Santos together with Mike and Frank. Ever since the Assassins as they called themselves discovered him, he hadn't been in touch much. This was going to be a special reunion. He pulled into the airfield's runway and turned to his cargo.
"Bet you three are happy to be out and about after being in storage so long," He chuckled, "You three really raised some hell with that kid, and I'm looking forward to hearing the stories he'll tell raising hell with you!"
Sango woke from her nap to the smell of tea and bean buns. The doctors had all arrived and were rebooting the Animus as Sango took her portions, wiped the sleep from her eyes, and went back to the viewing screen. It was sundown in Arthur's world as he roamed about the camp encountering Dutch coming to him.
"Arthur! Oh Arthur!" Dutch called out.
"You seem in a good mood," Arthur said.
"I am, son, I am," Dutch said, "Let's have some fun tonight. Let's enjoy ourselves."
"We having a party?"
"Maybe," Dutch said, "Just a little one."
"Great," Arthur nodded as Dutch turned away.
"Mr. Macguire is back," Dutch called out to the others, "So, come on! Let's have ourselves a party!"
Arthur walked about the camp smiling at a drunken Sean conversing and taunting Miss Grimshaw and Mr. Pearson. The ladies all had bottles of beer and whiskey in their hands hooting and cheering the return of Sean. So much conversation to be had, the translator could barely make out what they were saying until finally Arthur went to a round table where Javier sat with his guitar asking for requests.
"Listen, my friend," Uncle asked Javier, "Do you know the Louisville Maid?" Javier started playing some cords on his guitar in response. "Y-Yeah! That's the one!" Clearing his throat, he began "In Louisville I met a maid."
"Mark well what I do say!" The ladies sang along with him.
"And she was the mistress of her trade." Arthur sang joining in as well, "It was diddle-diddle-diddle all the day! I put my hand upon her toe. Mark well what I do say! She says 'Young man, you're rather low. For a diddle-diddle-diddle all the day'! I put my finger on her knee. Mark well what I do say! She says 'Young man, you're rather free. For it's diddle-diddle-diddle all the day!' I put my hand upon her waist. Mark well what I do say! She says, 'Young man, you're in great haste. For the diddle-diddle-diddle all the day!'"
"Wait…" Sango frowned reading the lyrics, "Are they singing about sex?"
"I put my hand upon her thigh. Mark well what I do say!" The quintet sang drunkedly and cheerfully, "She says 'You're getting pretty nice! And a diddle-diddle-diddle all day!" I put my hand upon her ass. Mark well what I do say! She says, 'Let's lay down on the grass and diddle-diddle-diddle all day!"
Chuckling, Uncle said, "And we diddle-diddle-did, too!"
"Ha! Ha!" Arthur snorted as he went to a crate of whiskey and slammed one down as Dutch began playing a record with some accordion music playing and danced with Molly O'Shea.
"Will you dance with me, Arthur?" Mary-Beth asked behind him.
"Oh, um, sure," Arthur nodded, "But I ain't much of a dancer." He took Mary-Beth's waist and hand and began to rock with her before twirling her in his hands as Sango watched with a slight smile.
"See Arthur?" Mary-Beth smiled as Molly O'Shea danced with Dutch, "It's okay to dance. Doesn't mean we stop thinking you're angry and sad."
"That what you think of me?" Arthur asked with a smirk.
Giggling, Mary-Beth said, "Sad in a good way, like a romantic poet."
"Well…that's about all I can muster…" Arthur smiled.
"It's no wonder you'd be so sad, Arthur Morgan," Mary-Beth said, "You carry so much and are running from so much. You're running from your past, you're running from your present, and you're running from the future. You want things to go back to the way they were, but not with a price on your head. Yet, I feel that there is another burden weighing you down that even you aren't aware of."
"I guess…" Arthur sighed, "Like I told ya before, sometimes part of me feels like I don't belong in this day and age."
"You could always settle down, Arthur Morgan," Mary-Beth suggested, "Leave all this behind, find a nice girl who loves you, and start a loving family."
"Ohhhh, I tried that once," Arthur said, "Twice in fact. First woman I loved married another and the second…well, I don't want to talk about her…"
"Give it a thought, Arthur Morgan," Mary-Beth suggested, "All parts of you deserve to be surrounded in love despite your past."
The two broke as Arthur bowed and Mary-Beth curtsied. Sango could only smile. Of all the girls in camp, it was Mary-Beth who shone the most for her. She seemed to truly know Arthur Morgan and all that troubled him, and she obviously had stirrings for him.
"Well, thank you, Mr. Morgan," Mary-Beth smiled as they went their separate ways. Arthur roamed about the camp listening to stories around the fire, singing silly songs, drinking beer and whiskey, and then he spotted a full pot of stew as he went to take a bowl. After downing it, he went to the round table where John Marston and Bill were sat. He took a seat next to them.
"Suddenly you seem much better, Marston," Arthur smiled.
"Don't feel too sudden to me," John answered sipping his beer.
"Just when the drinks come out," Arthur teased.
After checking in on the girls, welcoming Sean back to camp, talking to Hosea, and all, Arthur decided he'd partied enough and turned in for the night in his cot.
Sango smiled. Although the songs were crude, the drunkenness was apparent, and there seemed to be innuendo amok, it was good to see Arthur in a real happy mood with his friends. It was heartmelting, and yet also sad in a way. The way they seemed to be so happy made Sango remember how happy they all were as a group before the betrayal.
Hopefully happy days will return to us. She thought. Yet, I'm starting to doubt. With how happy Dutch and Hosea seem to be around Arthur, it just doesn't seem plausible they'd betray Arthur or little Jack. Even though I want those happy days back, do I want them at the expense of Arthur's happiness? I…I'm finding myself so torn. This has nothing to do with me, and yet…it does.