Luck Takes a Turn

by bathedinblood

RDR2 spoilers! In the final hours of his life, one more good deed rewards Arthur Morgan with a second chance he never thought he would have. Now, burdened by a promise and thrown into an unknown world, Arthur must show everyone that he isn't down for the count yet. Now if only he could get this tiger off of his back...

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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The morning came bright and early, a little too much of both for Arthur's tastes. The desert sun was only just climbing into the sky, but it was still able to slot itself through the flaps of Arthur's tent and straight into his eyes. The gunslinger groaned as the sun's rays chased away any hope of going back to sleep, running his hand down his face and scratching at his stubble. Slowly, the fog of sleep cleared from his mind, and the events of the previous day pressed in on him all over again. As Arthur stared into ceiling of his tent, he hoped that maybe, it had all been a dream. A fevered, Tuberculosis fueled dream.

"Morning, tiger." Arthur looked back toward the entrance to his tent and found Sienna, bright eyed and ears perked. There went that theory. Arthur sighed and waved half heartedly, causing the Faunus to laugh and back out of his tent. "Come on, we have work to do!" As her words faded, Arthur could hear the faint sounds of activity about the camp. Apparently, he had been the last to rise.

"No sense in making everyone else wait." Arthur muttered to himself, and slowly climbed out of the tent into the morning light. All around him, the Faunus of the White Fang prepared to set out for the day. A few sat near the smoldering fire, yawning and trying to shake themselves awake. Over near one of the trucks, he could see Tukson and Cain talking quietly. When they noticed him, both waved and smiled. Arthur returned the wave with a yawn, reveling in the ability to breath without difficulty or pain. Whether it was the Aura, the medication, or both, Arthur didn't care. All he was concerned about was the ability to breathe normally for what felt like the first time in years. The specter of death that had hung over him for months was gone now, or at the worst on its way out.

"What's the matter, cowboy? Not used to the heat?" The tease came from Sienna, of course. He had only known her for a few hours at best, but Arthur felt that he had the measure of the woman. She poked and prodded not for her personal enjoyment, or not entirely anyway, but to test the limits of the people around her. It was the reason she was at ease with so many around her; she knew where they stood and how far they could be pushed. It would also explain why her first instinct was to tease him, though she kept within the realm of courtesy. He was helping them, after all.

"Oh, I'm plenty used to it. It's the breath of fresh air that I'm not quite believing." He responded. Wondering if he was treading dangerous ground, Arthur decided to snipe back. "I thought cats preferred to sleep in, anyway?" No one froze up or gave him scandalized looks, and Sienna's answering laugh told him he was in the clear.

"Not when there's work to be done. Come on, I'll fill you in on the way." Rolling his shoulders and donning his hat, Arthur followed directions and fell in step next to the White Fang leader. Together they left the safety of the circled trucks and started heading toward the city gates. Arthur glanced behind them to see if anyone else was coming, but to his surprise it was just himself and Sienna Khan. The tiger Faunus noticed his look back and smirked.

"This one's all on you today, Arthur. I came up with a plan that might get us the supplies we need. If you're up to a little deception, that is." Her tone carried the unmistakable hint of a challenge, and Arthur could already tell where this was going.

"Let me guess: you want me to buy the goods, and pull wool over their eyes when it comes to who their customers really are." Sienna smiled and nodded, then put a finger to her lips as they approached the guards. Once again, it was a different shift, though this time not one of them held his gaze for longer than a second, and the two passed through the gates without incident.

"More or less, you got it in one. If the merchants see you talking or associating with the White Fang, they'll drive your prices up just as they did ours. If you come forward as a separate buyer, however, there shouldn't be any reason for them to rob you. Provided that you're decent at haggling." Decent at haggling, indeed. Who did she think he was, John Marston? Still, it made sense to a certain point. He was new to the city, and the only ones that had seen him with the White Fang were the crooks from yesterday and the doctor, who he doubted would suddenly have an interest in the warehousing district.

"We'll need to change the order, too. If the strange cowboy from out of town comes in wanting the same materials as the Faunus Rights group, it won't take a genius to put it together." Arthur pointed out. Sienna smiled and pulled a scrap of paper from...somewhere. He tried not to look too far into her outfit, as that way would lead to some confused thoughts and no small amount of teasing. The tiger Faunus handed him the paper, and Arthur reviewed the contents. While he did, a fat pouch found itself in his other hand.

"It will take a little bit more lien for the new order, but this should cover it. When they ask for delivery, just tell them to get it outside the city near the stable. Once it is all delivered, we'll show up and take ownership. By the time the transaction is complete, they'll have no choice but to honor the deal." The clink of chains attracted Arthur's attention, and he broke his rule of searching for where and what the woman's weapon was. His eyes roamed her for a second before he realized what she was doing, though from her coy grin it was an intentional distraction.

"And if they insist on getting either money or goods back?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow. Sienna shrugged.

"As long as we're not the first to draw weapons, we're free to defend ourselves. Adam will be recording the pick up, so if things do get messy we will have video evidence that we are victims, not thieves." She looked down at his gun belt and back up. "Keep that in mind if things start getting tense."

"You're keeping the angry kid on camera duty? That's smart, as long as he can keep his head." Arthur thumbed his nose. "A lot can go wrong if he decides to pull his sword."

"I'll be making sure that does not come about. You just focus on keeping your story straight. Speaking of which, what will you be telling them?" Arthur scratched at his stubble for a minute, thinking it over.

"You said we had to go to Mistral, right? I figured tell them there's a town in Mistral that had some bad ways, and I found out about it here. So I decided to pick up repair materials while I was here and bring them back." Sienna nodded with a small frown.

"And what will this crisis be if they ask further? Bandits? Grimm?" Arthur stared at her for a moment, as if he expected her to continue speaking.

"Grim... what?" This time it was Sienna's turn to be surprised, before she masked it by laughing into her fist.

"Ah, I had forgotten that you are the strange cowboy from 'America'." He didn't really appreciate the use of finger quotes, though it wasn't out of any loyalty. "The Creatures of Grimm, Arthur. Did your friend not tell you about them?"
Oh. Come to think of it, Summer had mentioned them earlier, but that had been in one of her first videos. Now that he thought about it, everything Summer had said about Huntsmen was dedicated to fighting the monsters. So used was he to fighting other people day in and day out, the concept of an evil creature was foreign to him. Still, maybe the lesson would hit home once he actually got to see one of the damned things.

"She mentioned it in one of her messages, but I didn't really believe her, to be honest. It seemed pretty unreal." His response stole some of Sienna's humor, and the Faunus looked away with a little less warmth in her gaze.

"If she didn't teach you about the Grimm, then she didn't like you as much as you might think. They're a scourge on this world, the one thing we could rally against and unite humans and Faunus for a common cause. Still though, we find ways to hate each other, even with such an uncompromising enemy." Her features softened. "You truly had no Grimm where you were from?"

"None at all. The monsters I killed back home walked on two legs and looked just like you and me." He paused. "Well, maybe not like you." Sienna smirked, and it grew wider when he avoided her eyes.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Still, Grimm are the best excuse for such a large order. I agree with the story, and if things go well, I'll make sure the others corroborate it." She gestured toward the bag of lien in his hand. "That's most of the money we have, Arthur. I'm trusting you on this. Screw up, and we'll barely be able to limp home, with or without supplies."

"Don't worry about me." He tipped his hat respectfully. "I'll make sure you get what you need." With that, she nodded and stepped back into the growing morning crowd. To Arthur's surprise, the second he took his eyes off of her she disappeared completely. The gunslinger scanned the crowd for her admittedly odd attire and trademark tiger stripes, but the White Fang leader was gone.

"She's got to teach me how to do that..." He muttered.

Twenty minutes later, Arthur found himself in front of Dusty Oasis Equipment and Sales, a medium sized warehouse with a store front facing the main street. It was a ways away from the alley where they'd fought the gang the previous day, so the chances of someone recognizing him from before or seeing him with the White Fang were reduced. He still made sure to approached the building from the opposite direction of the city gate, just in case someone was being watchful.

The door opened with a chime, and Arthur was again reminded how different Vacuo was. Instead of a general store or other such where the wares were displayed all around, the store front was largely bare. Displays advertised different tools and vehicles, and there were specials on certain cuts of wood. A few other customers milled about, looking at the displays. Behind the counter was a door that obviously led deeper into the warehouse, and standing in front of it was a very bored man, wearing a blue button up shirt with sleeves rolled up and a dusty white apron. His orange hair was kept in a ponytail, and ran down to between his shoulder blades.

"Can I help you, sir?" The man livened up a little as Arthur stepped up to the counter, but only just. He still had all the enthusiasm of a week old corpse.

"Yeah, need a big order filled. Got some repairs back home, figured I'd bring the groceries with me." Arthur slid the paper Sienna had given him forward. The dead eyed man picked up the paper and read over it quickly. When he finished, the young man looked back up at Arthur.

"You mind if I hold on to this to fill the order? I'll have it back for you when we're finished." Arthur nodded, and the young man turned and walked through the door into the warehouse. While he was gone, Arthur opened the pouch of lien and began counting it out, as much to pass the time as it was to make sure just what he was working with. He came up with six thousand lien, not a small amount. Arthur sighed as he cinched the bag closed once more and waited, letting his eyes wander around the store. Unlike in America, everything here was perfectly measured and cut. He couldn't see a single screw or nail out of place. It looked... unreal, was the best way to describe it. Every building he had ever set foot in, there had been little touches here and there. A board with three nails instead of two because the underlying board had shifted, uneven floorboards because the only wood available was cut with inferior tools.

Vacuo may have been situated in the desert, but they had some decent craftsmen. And here he was, pulling wool over their eyes. To be fair, the ball was in their court to screw him over first. Sienna had chalked up their uncooperative nature to good ol' fashioned racism, but Arthur wasn't so sure. If the entire district was giving them the same raw deal, there had to be a common factor somewhere. Merchants like this were competitors, and it took a real good reason to turn away paying customers all across the board.

The door chimed again, and Arthur turned to see a middle aged man in a gray suit step in, a long duster of lighter color protecting him from the dust and dirt. The man had brown hair that was streaked with gray, close cropped and professional. He was also massive. Barrel chested and tall as the door frame, the man almost had to stoop to enter the store, and Arthur could only guess what he was in there for. The suit looked expensive, the coat almost as much, and someone with the kind of money to wear a suit in the desert usually had people to run to the store for them. Especially a warehouse specializing in constructions materials.

So if he wasn't there to shop, what was he there for?

The man's hazel eyes swept over Arthur for a moment, then turned and focused on the counter where the young man had turned and gone. No one was there at the moment, but surely someone had heard the chime.

"Just a moment!" A voice came from the warehouse door, and the suited man nodded slightly and crossed his arms. With nothing better to do, Arthur leaned up against the counter and was content to watch. After a few more moments of quiet waiting, a different man burst through the door with some haste, sweat beading his brow and staining his shirt. Unlike the young man from before, his hair was shorter but wild, through design or a lack of effort Arthur could not tell. Besides that and the white shirt he wore under his apron, the man could have been identical to the teen that Arthur had spoken to.

Sensing the coming storm, Arthur's hand dipped to his satchel.

"Good morning, Mr. Fields." The large man boomed, and he did so with an easy air. He spoke the words in the manner of someone who was used to getting what they wanted. He reminded Arthur of Leviticus Cornwall, and the comparison rankled the gunslinger's first impression of the man.

"Mister Winchester, good morning!" The store owner wrung his hands nervously, and though he smiled it was very clearly strained. This was not a welcome visit.

"I was just stopping in to see if you were honoring our arrangement. I see that the unfortunates are still in town, so I presume you did not sell to them." It was a rhetorical question, but the Fields still nodded frantically.

Well, there's one mystery solved. Arthur thought, even as the Fields began rummaging around under the counter. Behind him the door opened slightly, though a hushed word got it closed quickly. In the small moment it was open, Arthur glimpsed the young man from earlier – clearly the owner's son. Gone was the apathy and laziness of earlier; in its place was a rage as the young man watched his father get pushed around by a richer man.

"I told them what you said I should. T-that I would only trust your moving company, and your prices were your own." Fields seemed well and truly panicked. Noticing the mood, the other two patrons quietly made their way to the door. Winchester watched them leave, then settled his eyes on Arthur. The gunslinger returned his look with a level stare, standing to his full height and letting his hand hover near his holster. He wasn't about to threaten a man, but he wasn't going to tolerate a shakedown either. The old Arthur Morgan was gone, and Sienna's people were relying on him. Still, Winchester had almost a foot in height and at least fifty pounds on him, if not more. Coupled with Aura, who knew how a fight would go.

"Is there something I can help you with, sir? My colleague and I were simply discussing business." Winchester said with a faux smile, all frosty politeness. It was like watching a snake try to grin.

"I've got business with him myself. Mainly things I need to help rebuild my home." Arthur kept his eyes on Winchester. "Even if I don't get it from him, he's got my list of materials. That's a call I'm not making again if I can help it."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"I consider it trouble enough." This time Arthur snarled, and Winchester's eyes narrowed dangerously. Arthur's hand inched closer to Death, his other ready to fan the hammer if this hulking brute decided to come after him. Instead, a change seemed to come over the large man, and he straightened his jacket with a cough.

"Very well then, I'll leave you to it, I suppose. Far be it from me to keep you from paying customers, Mr. Fields. Remember, I'll be back tomorrow for the month's fee." Winchester turned and held out a monstrous hand to Arthur. "I didn't catch your name, sir." Arthur looked down at the appendage as if it were diseased, and his hand never strayed from his weapon.

"I didn't give it, Mr. Winchester." Arthur bit back, and that was all he said. Sensing the hostility in his words, the large man let his hand fall with a frown. As big a brute as he was, Arthur could see the calculating look in his eyes, and knew immediately that he had made an enemy simply by not backing down.

"Very well, then. I suppose I'll be on my way." The large man made his way to the door and opened it, the bell chiming gently amid the tense situation. He stopped and looked at them both, but his focus was clearly on Arthur. "You gentlemen have a safe day." And with that, he was gone. And with him, any hope of getting the goods transported out of the city.

The shop keeper visibly sagged once the threat was gone, and Arthur relaxed as well. Who knew going to the store was going to be such a strenuous affair? He turned and looked at the pale man behind the desk.

"You alright?" Fields jumped when Arthur spoke, then smiled apologetically and dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. When he finished, it came away saturated.

"My apologies, sir. Mr. Winchester is...not a man to be ignored. I assure you, my boy is gathering your materials as we speak." He hesitated. "Which gate were you wanting it taken to? We have m-many shipping opportunities as well." Despite the simpering before him, Arthur felt a tiny granule of respect and sympathy for the man. He clearly was trying to carry on as if he hadn't just been strong armed into discriminating against Faunus in broad daylight. Arthur shuffled on his feet for a moment, afraid that a stern look would cause the man to wet himself, before he finally relented with a toss of his hand.

"Just get it all collected together. My associates will handle it from there." At the mention of Arthur's help, Fields' eyes grew wide, and he began stuttering all over again.

"W-would these a-a-associates be employees of yours? I hope none of them are F-Faunus." The man clearly hated the words that passed his lips, but Arthur didn't hold them against the man. He'd just watching him get blackmailed, for God's sake.

"I don't think it much matters, Mr. Fields. They help me move my goods, I pay 'em. That's how business works." Arthur kept his voice calm. "If Mr. Winchester takes issue with how I do my business, he and I can speak about it personally." The mention of the man caused Fields to wince, and he began shaking his head.

"No, you don't understand. He controls the shipping for half of Vacuo. I can't afford to anger him, or I will be the next person he starts gouging for lien." The shop keep leaned forward across the counter, his head in his hands. "There are people watching my store at all times. If I sell to someone he doesn't like without charging them as he instructs, I'll be out on the streets before the end of the month."

That explained the fee Winchester mentioned. Nothing quite like a protection racket, and this guy had it done right. He gave Fields the illusion of choice, when really there was no choice at all.

"I'm guessing the police don't bust him up about it." Arthur growled, already anticipating the answer.

"He always uses hired thugs to do his dirty work. The few people that have tried to report him have suffered terrible 'accidents'. Houses burned down, people missing. I know Commissioner Redfield wants his head, but without proof he walks every time." Fields looked down at his hands in defeat. "It's mostly been the poor and unfortunate that he targets, but lately he has focused on the Faunus. They need my wares, I know they do, but I can't help them without charging his insane prices."

Arthur nodded with a groan, hating it for the man's misfortune. Not only that, but it impeded his efforts as well. Sienna and the White Fang were on a schedule, and Arthur didn't have any other connections to help him reach Ozpin. Somehow he doubted that helping Winchester lock down the city would yield any results. The man practically wore a shirt that said 'cheater'.

"If I got rid of the men watching your shop, would you fill the order? My people can haul it out, but I don't want to put any pressure on you." Arthur held up his hands in a sign of peace. "I really need these goods, or people back home will get hurt. I can guarantee the men outside won't know you pointed them out. I'm pretty good at handling folk like them." Fields was hamstrung; Arthur could see on his face that he wanted to take the deal, truly he did, but at the same time the man's livelihood was at stake. The deciding factor came not from Arthur or Mr. Fields, however, but from his son. The teen came from the warehouse, opening the door with vigor that Arthur judged to be rare in the young man.

"Come on, Dad. This guy has been walking all over you ever since Mom passed away. Won't it be worth it to get back some of your own?" Fields looked back and forth between Arthur and his son, and finally Arthur saw some backbone creep into the shop keeper.

"Alright." He said tiredly. "But how will you coordinate with your friends? Surely Mr. Winchester will have you followed, if not hurt." Arthur smiled at that and backed away, his hand dipping into his satchel once more.

"You just let me worry about that." When his hand came out, his scroll was in it, and Sienna Khan's face was displayed. She did not look happy. "Did you hear all that, Sienna? Sounds like we solved your mystery."

"It most certainly does." She hissed, and even Arthur felt a distant tremor of nervousness. "We'll have the trucks to you in twenty minutes. I'll direct them through another gate to throw off our tails. Arthur, can you handle the men around the store?"

"Of course." The gunslinger pressed his knuckles to his jaw, cracking them one handed as he looked down at his friend. "I'm real good at starting fights. Finishing 'em too."

"As long as you can handle it. I'll have Adam back you up, but the two of you will have to make a separate exit. If this man has the law on his side, it could get ugly. No matter how shady he is, attacking his men in broad daylight is a crime. We don't need you locked up, and the White Fang doesn't need that kind of press right now." At the mention of the White Fang, Mr. Fields almost went into hysterics all over again. While he stuttered and stammered, Arthur stepped further away from the counter to hear her better.

"What about Winchester himself? You know he'll retaliate against these people." Arthur looked back, and was pleased to see that the boy was comforting his father.

"Normally, I'd say that his fate is his own. The White Fang is a Faunus Rights Group, and cannot be bothered with every unfortunate human." At Arthur's raised eyebrow, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "HOWEVER, thanks to your foresight, I have a very interesting recording to send to Commissioner Redfield. Samuel Winchester will be so preoccupied with his own problems, I doubt Dusty Oasis will even cross his mind. And to think; I thought I was going to regret giving you my number." She finished her statement with a flirtatious wink, and Arthur looked away and cleared his throat. Yeah, not going there.

"I'll get to work then. Just make sure the boy doesn't kill anyone. This mess is complicated enough as it is." Without waiting on her reply, Arthur closed the scroll clumsily, still not used to the device. If Winchester had paid any attention, he likely would have seen what Arthur had been doing. More fool him.

"Alright then, where are the men that watch you, and how many are there?" Arthur looked out the door's window, searching for anyone out of place. Before Fields could piece himself together to respond, Arthur had already spotted a couple; two men in ratty clothing and standing at the entrance to an alley that was close to the end of the street, with the perfect view of the shop's front door. Assuming that they loaded out of the back, there were probably at least four more watching the loading dock of the warehouse, where Tukson and the others would be coming in. He didn't have much time, and it would probably be better if he finished up before Adam got there. That much anger would ruin the plan for sure, and Arthur doubted he could keep the boy in line. So much for having him record corrupt warehouse owners.

"Y'all stay down in here in case the fight gets a little spirited. Oh, and before I forget." Arthur tossed the whole money bag that Sienna had given him onto the counter, lien spilling from it and onto the wood. Both father and son stared at it as Arthur stomped towards the door. "That should cover everything and more. It sounds like you guys are going to need everything you can get."

The looks on their faces told Arthur what they were going to say, so he didn't bother sticking around to hear it. The gunslinger was out the door and crossing the street before they could say a word. He kept his peripheral vision on the two thugs, and he could tell they were watching him as well. If Winchester had been smart, he would have alerted them to his presence already. If he had just decided to buy and go, it would have been a good plan. Now, all it did was make them act suspicious on a crowded street.

"Hey, you!" Arthur shoved a finger towards the closer one, causing him to stand from where he was leaning and clench his fists. "Yeah, you! You got a permit for an ugly face like that?" The rest went according to plan.

---

Fifteen minutes later, Arthur dragged the last of the scouts into the alley way he had found the first ones at, all tied up and unconscious. Summer had given him a brief overview of Aura, but what she hadn't mentioned was that not everyone had it. One of the thugs had gotten in a lucky punch, and damn near broke his hand on Arthur's face. Really, the stuff made things entirely unfair. And yet according to Sienna, the Grimm have pushed humanity to the brink. Makes me wonder what I'll have to fight next. Arthur thought idly as he let the last goon fall from his shoulder, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Dusting his hands off, he finally decided to make his way back to the warehouse. As he walked, one of Sienna's trucks slowly drove past, identified by the blue cab and white walls of the trailer. Oddly enough, the white beast insignia of the White Fang was absent. Arthur decided to ask Sienna about it later, because leaving the city without incident was more pressing.

"Human." The greeting was stiff and without warmth, just like the person it came from. Arthur looked to his right as he walked, and Sienna's masked lieutenant fell into step beside him. That Arthur hadn't even noticed Adam until he had announced himself was a little distressing, given the boy's extreme views toward humanity. Still, he was an ally for now.

"Adam. I hope you didn't get that blade of yours wet; I took down all of the scouts I could find without killing them." Arthur stressed the word with a look, and Adam scoffed.

"So you're saying you didn't notice the other three I had to take out? You're not as formidable as Sienna claims." It was meant to be an insult, but Arthur didn't have anything to prove to the little upstart. If he wanted to turn every little thing into a dick measuring contest, that was his business. Arthur wasn't competing.

"I'm only one man, kid. That's the thing about working together. It's how you take down things too big to do alone." Adam looked away from him as they turned the corner, finding the other three trucks and most of the White Fang loading them up. The same way that the White Fang symbols were absent, so too were the uniforms of the White Fang. Everyone was in their plain clothes, handling the materials with care. Adam noticed Arthur's confused look and crossed his arms.

"Sienna decided to make your plan more believable by dressing the part. We covered our symbols on the trucks, and anyone who asks is told we work for Arthur Morgan." A hard edge crept into the teen's voice. "Tell everyone that we work for a human, and they turn a blind eye. Typical." Arthur suppressed the urge to smack the boy in the mouth. Judging by how much respect he paid to his sword, the Faunus would remove Arthur's hand before it ever got close to his face.

"Just focus on why we're telling that lie. Lots of people on Menagerie need these supplies. If all it takes is a little labor and some deception, ain't it worth it?" Adam shook his head as they reached the trucks, and together the two pitched in and started lifting boxes and long boards of wood.

"First you tell me that our methods mean everything, then you say that the ends justify the means. Which is it, human? Or are you just a hypocrite like the rest of your kind?" Adam snarked, grunting as they pushed a heavy stack of wood into one of the trucks. This time Arthur took a deep breath and counted to ten; he knew the boy was baiting him, and it would be poor form to start a fight now.

"You're cherry pickin' my words and you know it. You should do what you can to accomplish your goals, but don't sacrifice the good in yourself to do it. There is always another way." Arthur took the respite of walking back into the warehouse to roll up his sleeve, showing the scar where Colm O'Driscoll's boys had shot him point blank with a shotgun. "The man responsible for this tortured me for two days, hung me up and whipped me and left me to starve. That doesn't mean I went after him for revenge." Arthur rolled the sleeve back down when they reached the pallets of supplies and stooped to pick up a box. He handed it to Adam, who took it with a grunt, before grabbing his own.

"Men like that find their own ruin, and it's usually because people aren't as bad as you're trying to make 'em out to be. If you wanna judge humanity by the worst examples, then should I do the same to you? Should I condemn your entire race because of a few rapists and murderers?" Adam turned and walked toward the trucks without comment, and Arthur had to hustle to catch of with him. It was the first conversation he'd had with the coarse little shit, and he'd be damned if he lost what momentum he had because the boy stomped off.

"I've seen far more evil at the hands of humans than Faunus." Adam defended, slowing up once he got closer to the truck. He and Arthur stood as the line formed, waiting their turn.

"That's because that's all you're looking for, son." Arthur reasoned. "You telling me that not a single human's ever done anything nice for you? Never held a door, offered food, said hello or anything?" Adam didn't respond, but judging by the uncomfortable look he wore, he was at least listening.

"That doesn't change the evil that has been done. If I don't act, then nothing will change. Are suggesting that I just lie down and take it like a good little dog?" The boy loved to twist words when he got frustrated, that was for sure.

"No one should take things like that and not defend themselves, but where does defending yourself become hurting random people just because they're different than you? You can't just act like the people that hurt you and expect everything to work out. That doesn't make you a hero, it makes you a monster. And monsters don't save anybody. They just kill and hurt and ravage until someone finally puts them down."

"Maybe I'm not the monster? What about the SDC? Who's going to come along and take THEM down?!" Adam demanded, almost throwing his box down and startling the monkey Faunus about to take it from him. Arthur apologized for him and set his own down gently, seeing as how Adam was too angry to notice.

"Sienna. The White Fang. You, if you keep your head on straight." Arthur spread his arms wide, gesturing all around them. "Look at today. Some big bully came along and tried to make things rough for your people. He hurt some innocent folk because he thinks he knows better. Enter the White Fang. Not only did you save a human run store, but they're defying this big bad bully to help your people. That's what it takes: cooperation. You can't murder and steal cooperation; you can only buy it for so long, and forcing it through fear would make you no better than Schnee and Winchester." The comparison made Adam's nose wrinkle, and Arthur could tell he was at least causing the boy to think.

"Don't make a decision today. Hell, I'm not even asking you to change. Be your own man, do what you feel is right. But if you start killing in the name of vengeance, then people like the SDC and the son of a bitch we dealt with today will own you, just in a different way. You will be a monster, and they will be responsible. Is that something you want to be?" Arthur stepped away from the trucks, watching the last few Faunus load them and start strapping down the materials. Apparently, these things were a bit faster than horses, and running away was a common tactic when faced with large numbers of Grimm. For his sake and Famine's, he hoped it never came to that.

"I will...consider your words, human." Adam ground out. He turned to go, but Arthur reached out and grabbed his shoulder. The Faunus stiffened, his hand dropping to his katana on instinct, but it was not a weapon Arthur held out towards him. It was not a gun or a knife, which he knew Arthur had plenty of both. It was an open hand.

"Arthur." The gunslinger said firmly. "My name is Arthur Morgan. Not human. I've called you by your name since I met you. I hope you can at least return the favor." Adam stared down at his hand, looked back up at Arthur's honest face, then reluctantly shook it. His grip was strong, but he released his hand almost as quickly as he had taken it. With that, the two stepped further apart and watched at the trucks slowly began to pull out.

Sienna slowly made her way to them as the last of the White Fang loaded up. She didn't come alone, however. To Arthur's surprise, the tiger Faunus had Famine trailing behind her, his reins in her hand. Arthur had seen others try to bring Famine to him, with mixed results. The horse was leery of people, and had even tried to bite Micah one time (not that Arthur would have cared, except to perhaps brush the horse's teeth afterwards). To see Sienna leading his horse with so little trouble, Arthur could only shake his head. The woman had no end to her charms.

"How the hell did you get him past the gate?" Arthur asked as she handed Famine's reins to him, patting the horse's neck for good measure. The horse nickered and pushed his snout into Arthur's shoulder.

"I asked the guards if I could bring him with me since we were leaving straight out. They told me to have him out of the city before sundown. Mickey says hi, by the way." Arthur nodded, then started as he remembered something.

"I needed to get my refund from him. I paid the boy for two nights and..." A couple lien cards were slapped onto his chest, held there by Sienna's lingering hand until he took them. "Uh, thanks I guess?" He pocket the money as Sienna focused on Adam.

"Is everything loaded?" The bull Faunus nodded, and it occurred to Arthur that he'd never seen the teen smile. Not once. It did not bode well for one as young as he. But Arthur reminded himself that the boy was Sienna's to teach, not his. He had done more than his part, and that would have to be enough.

"The trucks are ready to head out. We're waiting on your word." Adam reported dutifully. He looked about to say more, but his head tilted in a way that suggested he heard something. Sienna's ears flicked as well, the rings at the bases of them jingling faintly as she too listened closely. Arthur strained to hear whatever it was they were listening to, but his inferior human hearing couldn't pick anything up. In fact, he couldn't hear anything. None of the people in the streets or shops, not even...

Arthur looked around, and noted that with the exception of a few hooded people, the streets were silent and deserted. It caused a shiver to crawl up his spine, an instinctive reaction that he had ignored due to Sienna's arrival. It was a reaction honed from years in the wilderness, for when the woods grew quiet and the birds too afraid to sing.

Ambush.

(Begin playing Outlaw Justice by Blues Saraceno.)

"Get the trucks out of here!" Sienna ordered, and Adam stepped back just in time to avoid a round from a rifle. It came from up high, likely in the surrounding buildings, but the shot was like ringing the dinner bell. From all sides, a cacophony of gunfire roared into the silent streets. Rounds pinged off of the truck, and the White Fang cried out as they dove for cover. Adam stood his ground however, and to Arthur's absolute shock actually blocked more than a few bullets sent his way. With a sword!

Sienna's approach was far more practical, in his opinion. Her shoulder dug into his gut as she pushed him up against the wall of the warehouse. Behind them, Famine reared and whinnied, threatening to bolt as the fight grew even louder and more chaotic. Keeping Arthur pinned up against the wall much to his displeasure, Sienna turned to Adam and barked her orders.

"GO! Defend the convoy! We'll get out another way!" She instructed, and together she and Arthur sank into crouches. The gunslinger drew his two revolvers as Adam turned and sprinted toward the trucks to carry out his leader's instructions, batting rounds out of the air as he went. Regardless of what Arthur could say about his motives, the boy was good. Still, he wasn't going to be shown up by some whelp with a sword. Taking aim at the buildings on their side of the warehouse, Arthur cocked the hammers of Life and Death and sighted up on the windows. The bricks around his head exploded in shrapnel as a few bullets sought his head, and Arthur returned fire. He watched his rounds sink into the forearm of a man on the second floor and the thigh of a woman on the roof. Both toppled to the ground with howls of pain and dropped their weapons.

With his cover fire and Adam's support, all of the trucks pulled out and hurried down the road, ignoring speed limits and screaming pedestrians as they fled to safety. Unfortunately, Famine followed after them, leaving Arthur and Sienna stranded.

"They don't have Aura, Sienna!" Arthur yelled, even as the tiger Faunus ducked and raced along the wall toward the warehouse doors. With a sweep of her arm, the chain blade that she had been hiding for so long finally came free, and the point at its end flashed as it severed the door's pulley chain. Without it, the doors rolled shut with a loud crash, and would not be opened until the damage was repaired. It was a sloppy way to protect the shop keeper and his son, but they didn't have time for finesse.

In the same movement that closed the doors, spun and wrapped her chain around the neck of a thug that had decided to rush her with a rusty machete. The man grasped the chain and dropped his sword as he gasped for breath, leaving him vulnerable to be pulled in close and knocked unconscious with a vicious uppercut from the tiger Faunus. She flicked her wrist and stepped back, allowing the chain to loosen and uncoil from around his neck before the man hit the ground.

"I noticed! We need to get out of here, Arthur!" Sienna responded, extending more of her chain and making it weave an intricate dance around her, somehow using it to block the incoming rounds. It helped that the thugs weren't the greatest shots, especially with their allies closing in to the melee, but that she could stop even a single bullet using some kind of battle chain was absolutely unreal.

"Screw that! We head out when the police are on their way!" Arthur yelled back, sending another pair of shooters to the ground with holes in their shoulders. He cocked the hammers once more and turned the corner toward the front of the store, and barely got Death up to stop a man from entering. Two shots to the knee ended his nefarious plans, even as the man screamed in agony.

"We're wanted by a crime lord in the city he controls! You think the police will be of help?" She called back, and he could faintly hear the sound of bone on meat. Whomever had decided to engage her in melee was paying for the idea. Arthur pulled some rounds from his belt and dropped them into Life, then holstered it and did the same for Death.

"If we leave now, we abandon the Fields to these lowlifes, and I didn't convince them to help us only to turn tail and run!" He responded, and sprinted toward another man wielding a club with some barbed wire wrapped around it. What he did next, he would have never considered without Aura. Pushing the magical power into his feet, the gunslinger vaulted well over fifteen feet into the air, pointing Death down on the thug that just stared up at him. Time slowed once more, and much more noticeably this time, allowing Arthur to line up his shot. The world faded to that same golden hue, and Arthur was easily able to line up his revolver with the grip of the man's club. When he fired time resumed, and Arthur landed behind the man and watched as he stared at the ruins of his weapon with a dumbfounded expression. The thug finally turned to see Arthur pointing his gun at him.

"I think I'm just gonna go home." The man said slowly, raising his hands and dropping the shattered remains of his club. Arthur smirked and twisted Death away, allowing the man to sprint from the fight. As soon as he turned, however, a much larger thug in a sleeveless shirt and cargo pants punched him across the face, knocking the gunslinger for a loop. Even though his Aura had taken the blow, it had been powerful enough to make Arthur sink to one knee. Rubbing his jaw, he spit the excess saliva from his mouth and holstered Death, standing to his full height even as he heard the gunfire start to dwindle.

"You came to the wrong city, cowpoke." The thug said menacingly, cracking his knuckles for good measure. "Now I gotta teach you some manners."

"You remind me of the last guy that called me that." Arthur thumbed his nose and brought up his fists. "I didn't like him much neither." The two slowly closed toward each other, Arthur keeping his eyes on the man's chin. With his focus there, any movement on the man's part could be seen in his peripheral vision. They both hesitated, each watching the other for the first move. Arthur decided to move first, throwing his arms out for a second in a fake out to see if it would get the thug to engage. Unsurprisingly, it worked.

With a grunt, the man threw a wide punch toward Arthur's head, which the gunslinger blocked with his forearm. Before he could retract the arm, Arthur sent two straight punches into the man's nose, and tried to follow up with an uppercut to put him down. He used his Aura like he had before, but the man didn't fall like the others had. He blocked Arthur's uppercut and snarled, returning one that the gunslinger could only just side step. This guy has Aura too! It was foolish to think that every thug coming at them would be as ill equipped, but this would be the first person with Aura that Arthur had fought.

The two traded blows once more, and the pain Arthur was used to in such brawls seemed muted. He definitely felt the man's fist crash into his stomach, and the force of it pushed him back a few feet, but what normally would have had him grunting and spitting now only slightly winded him. Unlike his opponent, Arthur was used to taking punches without any Aura to protect him. With that in mind, Arthur changed strategies.

Instead of the measured beatdown he usually handed out, Arthur ignored blocking almost altogether and instead chose to turn the man's face into hamburger as fast as possible. What followed could not be called a fight, an altercation, or even a brawl. The two men planted their feet and just started beating the hell out of each other. Arthur hammered the thug in the face and received a kick to the gut. The man landed a right hook to his face, and Arthur drove his foot down onto the man's knee. As each blow landed, a loud crack filled the air from the strength of it. Looking back later, Arthur was more than surprised that the ground hadn't broken from the force of each hit.

The trade off ended when Arthur continued a punch into a tackle and forced the thug onto the ground, mounting his chest and raining down blows. The thug tried to block the first few, but after catching enough in the chin and face a strange light covered his body. That light broke apart, looking like a torn net as far as Arthur was concerned, and the next hit drew blood. A lot of it.

Arthur's fist crashed into the man's nose, breaking it and sending blood all down the man's front. For the first time since the fight started, the thug's eyes rolled from the force of the hit, and his arms flopped down at his sides. Arthur nodded in satisfaction and stood up, looking at his hand to see if the same phenomenon would affect him as well. Thankfully, he still glowed faintly with Aura, meaning his hadn't run out yet.

"So that's what that looks like." He muttered, then turned to see how the rest of the fight was going. What few goons he could see that were still conscious were limping away slowly, the rest lay bleeding and groaning on the dusty ground. From what he could see, though, none of them had been killed. Sienna came from around the corner, a light sheen of sweat signifying that she had gotten something of a workout. Arthur wiped his brow as well, cursing the heat of the desert.

"They're running now, and the police are on their way." She warned. "If we're going to leave this city, we need to do it now, Arthur." The gunslinger nodded, then put his fingers to his lips and let out a quick whistle. An answering whinny filled the air, and Famine came trotting out from a small street near the store, tossing his head in frustration. The horse was smart enough to know that guns were bad, and he'd hidden close enough to hear Arthur's whistle.

"Well mount up then. Can't get your people their supplies if we're sitting in a jail cell." Even as he said that, blue uniformed officers with similar head wraps to the gate guards began pouring in from the main street, weapons raised. Arthur hauled himself up into the saddle with a curse, holding his hand out for Sienna to take. She looked at him for a moment as if to ask if he were serious, but the decision was made for her when the police began shouting for them to stop. She grabbed his hand and hauled herself up, wrapping one arm around his torso as she used the other to pull out her scroll.

"Let's ride!" She yelled in his ear, and Arthur was a little put down as he tugged on the reins and dug in his heels, setting Famine off at a good clip towards the city gate. That's usually my line...

People heard Famine's hooves slamming into the ground and got out of the way, their eyes wide with panic as the horse plowed through the city. Two right turns and one left, and the main gate was in sight. The gate guards must have gotten the word to stop them, as all four were blocking the entrance and had swords drawn.

"Hold on, this is gonna get rough!" Arthur roared, and spurred Famine again. The horse's shrill screech was loud on the wind as he increased his speed even further, and Arthur could see the guards shifting nervously.

"Stop!" One of them cried. "We just need a statement!" But by the time he finished his sentence, the guards had separated enough for Arthur to break through, and they were out into the desert. Behind him, Sienna was yelling into her scroll.

"The owners of Dusty Oasis saw the whole thing, Commissioner. You can ask them what happened." Arthur couldn't hear the response over galloping hooves, but he did hear Sienna's frustrated growl. It was much lower and more animalistic than he'd heard most women make.

"I don't care about coming in! You want us to spend a night in lock up in the city where we just offended a crime lord? I don't care how many loyal men you have, the White Fang cannot afford to lose people in a city infested with corruption. If you need a statement, a testimony, or even a Gods damned interview, you can come find me in Menagerie." Arthur heard a click, and it was followed by a heavy sigh. "You can stop running now. The Commissioner won't continue the chase will all those wounded at the store."

Arthur followed her instructions and pulled back a little on the reins, slowing Famine from a furious gallop to a steady trot. Sienna pocketed her scroll and wrapped her free hand around his midsection. Arthur said nothing, preferring to let them both calm down following the ambush. He'd been in many a fight, but his blood was still pumping from such a hair raising ambush. The two just stared ahead for a while, watching the sand dunes rise and fall as they put some distance between themselves and the city. When Arthur asked which direction they should go, Sienna simply pointed west.

Time passed quickly like that, just riding at a gentle trot toward the sea where the White Fang had chartered a boat. They still had a day to reach the coast, and Sienna's relaxed composure told Arthur that they didn't have far to go. Once enough time had passed, Arthur finally broke the silence.

"So, all of your grocery shopping go like that? Or am I just the lucky exception?" Arthur felt as much as heard her chuckle, a wash of breath running down his neck as she readjusted.

"Not usually, though we don't save down-on-their-luck shopkeepers either, so today wasn't all bad." She paused. "As long as none of our people were seriously hurt, I'll call it a success. Who knows what Vacuo will have to say about us before the day is out." The desert wind cut across them, forcing Arthur to dig the handkerchief out of his vest and use it as a mask. Sienna had no such protection, and instead just buried her face in Arthur's back. The alligator leather was warm to the touch, but still a few shades cooler than the desert itself.

"I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble. The White Fang seem like they need some good publicity." Arthur said, his voice apologetic. "I'm not usually the one for public relations." This time, Sienna laughed out loud.

"Oh, you did just fine, don't worry. The authorities have damning evidence against a racist crime boss, the Dusty Oasis shop will be free to conduct business without threat of harassment, quite a few criminals are in jail, and no one can take away that it was the White Fang that did it." He raised a brow, and she though she couldn't see it she interpreted his silence for curiosity. "It may have been thanks to you, Arthur, but it was the White Fang that everyone saw trading shots with those thugs. Normally that would be a serious sign of criminal activity, but the Commissioner will use that recording I sent him to demonize Winchester. That coupled with the shopkeeper's testimony, and we'll be golden."

"Well... you're welcome then. I usually don't have such a good outcome when things get violent. Usually there's a lot more hiding and law running." He was honestly surprised that things had gone so smoothly. Vacuo was strange, almost alien, but he was an old hand at watching plans go horribly wrong. In fact, almost all of Dutch's bigger jobs went bust and one point or another. Sienna either had better luck or she was a far better planner.

"I can't say it went according to plan. At first, I thought the shopkeepers themselves were the problem. It never occurred to me that they might be pressured from the outside. With Winchester in dire straights, things will be better for Faunus in Vacuo as well." She shrugged. "In the end, we accomplished our mission and furthered the White Fang's cause. It couldn't have gone any better."

Not usually something he heard about a shootout in the middle of town, but Arthur wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, he said nothing and continued riding west, something he had no problems with.

Two hours of riding passed, with little small talk between the two. The desert sand made it difficult to carry on a conversation when it was diving down your throat, and the sweltering sun removed any urge to be social anyway. Sienna had shifted to a more comfortable position on Famine's back, relying on her own feline grace and balance instead of clinging to Arthur. A steady pressure at his mid back told him that she still held onto his belt though.

The sun had mercifully started to set when Sienna asked him to stop. Famine nearly shook from the exertion of a such a run, and it took two mouthfuls of water from Arthur's canteen before the horse finally settled down. Almost instinctively, Arthur pulled his brush from the saddlebags and began cleaning the dust from the horse's dark coat. Sienna climbed down on her own, ignoring the offered hand with a sniff. When she landed in the soft desert sand, however, the Faunus winced and rubbed her back.

"You really need a second seat on that saddle, otherwise I'll be crippled by the time we reach the coast." She complained, though Arthur didn't take it personally. He wasn't really used to those saddles, and he'd need a fair bit of pelts to make the adjustments she suggested.

"I'll keep that in mind for when I make some upgrades." Was all he said, too focused on the task at hand to offer anything more. While he brushed the dirt from Famine's flanks, Sienna poked around the other items on his saddle. His shotgun and rifle, the collection of strange and engraved knives. There was even a broken pirate sword and a three cornered hat. In another, smaller pouch, gold nuggets and jewelry of all kinds. A folded letter contained a small golden ring, a tiny jewel perched on top of it. It caught Sienna's eye, not by the size or the value but just because it seemed to carry so much extra weight to it than the others. Unlike the others, the small ring shone brightly as if it had been recently polished. She stared at the small ring for another moment, then closed the pouch before Arthur could catch her snooping.

"See anything you like?" Or not. Arthur's voice came from the other side of the horse, though Sienna heard a faint tone of amusement. She shrugged and figured that if she'd been caught, might as well ask.

"You have so many strange things with you. The weapons, I understand, but a big emerald? An old watch? There have to be some stories there." She heard him chuckle and barely saw the top of his hat nod.

"Yeah, there's quite a tale for just about all of them. Any in particular you want to ask about?" She felt the air shift and moved without thinking, dodging back from the horse as an old hat landed lightly in the sand. "Here. It's not good to stay uncovered in the desert like that." Sienna stooped and picked up the hat, dusting the sand from it as she examined it.

There was nothing particularly special about it. The rough brown leather told her it was old and weathered, with a single band of snake skin wrapped around the base. It had a wider brim than most hats she had worn, but the tried it on anyway. The smell of leather and sweat hit her as it covered her ears, though thankfully the band around the base stopped the hat from sinking too low. Her ears lowered slightly, but the hat didn't crush them as painfully as she expected. It was still a tight fit, but she could tolerate it when the sun rose the next day. Unless...

"You mind of I alter it a bit?" Sienna walked around Famine's front and took the hat off. When Arthur gave her a look, she just pointed to her ears and he understood.

"I've had that hat since my first day in Valentine. It's an old bulldog hat, and has seen its share of blood and nastiness. If a few cuts make it useful, be my guest." Arthur shrugged as he said it, and went back to brushing down Famine. Sienna let one of her chain daggers free and considered the hat, weighing the pros and cons of damaging one of his hats for just one day of protection. Still, she'd had her ears burned once before, and it was not something she looked forward to doing again. And besides, it was an old hat anyway.

With a few small cuts, Enough room was made in the old hat for the tips of her ears to poke out. This way, the sensitive skin on the inside of her ears would be protected from the harsh sunlight, not to mention the shade offered by such a hat. Her only complaint was that it did not match her outfit. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers, and it was only for a day. As Arthur put the brush up and patted his loyal companion, Sienna pulled on the hat and gave him a wink.

"What do you think?" She asked expectantly. Arthur grinned and barked out a short laugh, covering his smile with his fist in an effort to stop from laughing at her. Even though she clearly noticed, the Faunus wasn't the type of woman to have her feelings hurt so easily.

"Well now, all we need to do is get you a gun belt and some spurs and you'll be robbing trains with the rest of us outlaws." Arthur laughed even as she punched his arm lightly, though he noted it still stung more than it would have if Sadie or Mary Beth had done so. "I can see it now: Sienna Khan, terror of the West and Queen of the Outlaws. Long may she reign." That got her to scoff and remove the hat, which she didn't really need anyway. The setting sun would bring with it a new set of difficulties, and a hat wouldn't do much to alleviate them.

"Are all cowboys as goofy as you, or are you an exception?" She prodded, slapping the altered hat into his chest. Arthur turned with it, shielding the bulldog from further damage and setting it on the horn of his saddle for later. After they got camp set up, he'd give it back to her.

"I'm far from normal in most meanings of the word. Case in point, I'm on another continent that I've never heard of, helping a people that I did not know existed." Arthur pulled the bedroll from his saddle and started digging around for some tinder. The desert was no so sparse as to just contain sand, but if he could avoid spending an hour searching for twigs, he would. He started digging for another roll, a thinner one that he would likely take, when Sienna stopped him. Her hand on his arm drew his attention from the saddle to her, and she shook her head at the second roll.

"We won't be needing that." Arthur's eyes flitted from the hand on his shoulder to the roll, and Sienna could only laugh as he visibly came to the wrong conclusion.

"Uh..." The Faunus stepped back and swept her hand around the local area.

"We'll need to keep watch for Grimm." She explained, making Arthur feel foolish for assuming anything else. "I'll take the first watch, if you don't mind. I like to use the time to clear my head."

"Yeah, that's fine. You still want me to make a fire? I've got some preserved stuff if you'd rather we go without." He tried to keep the grimace out of his voice, but Sienna heard nonetheless.

"A fire should be fine. Grimm are attracted to negative emotions. If the rule is true, a fire will do us more harm than good. They're more likely to find us if we're miserable than if we have a light source." That made very little sense, but the Grimm were something Arthur knew very little about. Accepting the explanation in hope of a more in depth illumination later, Arthur started making a fire pit with the sand and the materials he had available. While he did that, Sienna pulled her scroll out and began leafing through documents of some kind.

Arthur got the tinder set up inside of the small indention he made in the sand a safe distance away from the rest of the camp supplies. He placed two logs he had squirreled away for a time like this in the circle, then arranged the tinder evenly so that the fire would start. He pulled flint and steel from his pack and began stropping the two together, shooting sparks into the base of the stack. After a few tries, the fire began crackling and smoking. Arthur fanned the flame a little then sat back, confident that the dry wood had no problem igniting on its own.

"I've got some meat left over from when I was in Lemoyne. It should still be good, and there's more spices in my saddlebags." Arthur said as he set up the small iron grill. "It's no restaurant food, but you'll like it better than a sand sandwich." He fished out two slabs of venison, heavily seasoned and salted for long trips. Tearing into the smaller one with his teeth, Arthur tossed the larger piece to Sienna, who caught it with ease. He watched as her nose twitched, no doubt detecting the different scents of the spices with far better ability than he ever could.

"Mint? You added mint of all things?" She didn't sound like she was complaining, more surprised than anything. Arthur swallowed the bite he was working on and nodded.

"It was a common enough plant back home, and it gives enough of a kick to make you forget you're eating salted meat. Can't do anything for the texture, but it's worth the effort of scavenging for." She gave him a dubious look, and he shook a finger at her as if he were scolding a child. "Ah ah, eat and then judge, missy."

Sienna raised an eyebrow at the gesture, before she finally focused back on the steak. Cautiously, she slowly bit into the meat, her eyes widening as the spices met her tongue. She visibly shivered, clearly enjoying the mix, though her expression was a thoughtful one.

"Not bad at all. I wish you had some fresher meat, but this is far better than I had first thought." Sienna punctuated her statement with another bite. Arthur grunted and devoured his quickly, washing it down with a valuable gulp of water from his canteen. He'd normally have a pull of whiskey, but alcohol was dangerous in the desert. The sun would be working hard all day tomorrow to dry him out, so he didn't need to help it out any.

"If I can hunt some decent game, you'd be surprised what I can whip up." Arthur bragged. "I'm a regular trail chef. Nothing like Mr. Pearson, but I do more than just make do. Spent too many nights hungry to tolerate otherwise." As Sienna continued to enjoy the venison, he dug into his satchel and removed the small container of pills, taking another dose and stowing it in little time.

"Well, I for one am glad to have such a weathered veteran cowboy to keep me warm and fed." Sienna leaned back with a sigh, enjoying the warmth of the fire. The sun had gone down quite a bit, and the temperature plummeted along with it. Arthur felt the cold creep in and shuffled a little close to the fire, noticing that Sienna seemed perfectly at home in the cold. Or at least, she acted like it. When she caught his stare, the tiger Faunus crossed her arms and smirked.

"What? Do I look like I need someone to chase the cold away?" Arthur snorted at that.

"Just wondering how you can wear a get up like that and not feel the least bit cold." He replied honestly. Sienna stared at him for a few moments, then finally looked away.

"I'm used to the cold. I didn't exactly bring a jacket, and the fire should be more than sufficient." She heard Arthur shuffling around, and was only partly surprised when her head was covering by something very warm and soft. Sienna snatched the object off of her head, her ears flicking in irritation (HA!) as she held it up with one hand. A long, thick coat hung from her grasp, slate gray and lined with wolf fur. It smelled earthy, and the fur lining was wonderfully soft.

"If you're going to be watching my back, I want you to be comfortable. No sense sitting around being miserable for a few hours if you don't have to." Arthur explained gruffly, pulling on a brown leather hunting jacket. It didn't match his shirt and vest at all, but she doubted the gunslinger particularly cared at this point. Still, the gesture was kind, and she reluctantly slid the coat around her. The tail of it trailed the ground, so different were they in height, but he was right. It was definitely warmer than the cold night air. The coat was heavy and warm, and Sienna was forced to stand up and step away from the fire lest she drift off into sleep.

Arthur laid out on his bed roll next to the fire and watched her, even as Famine settled down next to him. The horse nickered and bumped the gunslinger's head, knocking his hat off and earning a swat on the flank. Chuckling at his companion's cheek, Arthur grabbed his hat and put it on his head, slumped forward to cover his eyes.

"Wake me when you need me." He said with a groan. Sienna didn't respond, just watched him as his breathing slowed, and the tension in his shoulders slowly relaxed. Whether it was the antibiotics knocking him out or his general hardiness, Arthur seemed capable of sleeping in even the most uncomfortable of places. It really was quite the sight. When she had been young, she'd read about cowboys sleeping on the plains, fighting Grimm and corralling their livestock in an effort to scrape a living out of hard times. Never in her life would she have imagined sharing camp with one, and she definitely never thought he would be a friend. Still, if she could call Arthur anything at this point, it would be friend.

Despite what Adam might believe, humans like Arthur were not terribly uncommon, but most of them were too bothered by change and discomfort to help in the movement. The White Fang was crippled as much by the actions of a few evil humans as it was by the inaction of a great many good ones. Adam would have said that anyone not with the White Fang was against them, but Sienna knew it was not so binary. Most people had their own problems, their own families, and were rightfully more concerned with protecting their own interests before they would borrow someone else's troubles. The key to change, however, was stirring those same people from their comfortable lives and getting them to act. It was why she had been so happy to bring Arthur along on their adventure.

He'd been so willing to help, at first she had suspected him of being an agent, either of the SDC or some gang's enforcer. When he continued to help without thought of reward, however, she had been surprised. It was simply not done, putting oneself in danger without expecting some kind of compensation, and yet Arthur had done so willingly. And even now, he had gifted her a hat and loaned her a coat simply because the knowledge of her being cold would make him uncomfortable. The White Fang had few friends, but Sienna considered Arthur Morgan to be one of them. Even with his strange ordeal and the task he was attempting to carry out, this strange gunslinger straight from a story book had done more for her in two days than most humans had in their whole lives.

Sienna continued to brood on her new friend, clutching the coat around her as dusk turned to night. No Grimm encroached on their camp that night, and she was uncharacteristically quiet when she woke Arthur up a few hours later.

When the two packed up the next morning, Arthur was reminded that his store of preserved food was beginning to run low. A few handfuls of grapes and some grilled iguana hardly made for a proper breakfast, but Sienna was confident that they were close to the shore. All Arthur could see was blue sky and hardened, dry earth, but he took her word for it. It took him a few minutes to pack up camp, but by nine o'clock they were moving. Sienna sat comfortably on Famine's back, seated better now that they weren't fleeing armed thugs. The shade of her borrowed hat and Arthur's extra blankets under her made a difference as well. She kept a hand on his belt, though Famine's leisurely trot made it more for comfort than danger of falling off. She had smirked and joked like they had done for the past few days, but the ride to the coast was surprisingly quiet. The cat had her tongue, and Arthur was content to let her think out whatever she was grappling with. Every few hundred yards, he'd turn to get a glimpse of the Faunus leader, and every time her brow had been furrowed and her eyes distant.

Arthur knew that look well, seeing it on Dutch's face time and again. Regardless of their social interaction, Arthur reminded himself that Sienna was in charge of the White Fang, or at least this part of it. His understanding of the organization as a whole was a little vague, but the respectful way that her fellow members treated her indicated that Sienna carried some form of rank. Even Adam, the angry little teenager that he was, had ceded authority to her on several occasions while Arthur had watched. And here she was, without her people and desperately hoping that things were going to go smoothly.

Back in America, Arthur had been discreetly asked by both Uncle and Charles about why he was so against taking command of the gang. His initial answer had been because of his faith in Dutch, but the more Arthur had thought about it, the more he realized that he wasn't meant to lead. Arthur could run errands and handle disputes well enough, but the constant pressure of ensuring everyone's safety and well-being would destroy him for sure. He'd run raids, robberies, and hold ups as smoothly as glass, but when the job was done he had been more than happy to defer to Dutch in all things. Some men might have considered that weakness, but some men did not understand the responsibilities of leadership. How Dutch had managed it for so long before the cracks began to show, Arthur couldn't fathom.

Maybe he didn't. Arthur thought to himself, a frown crossing his face. Maybe he started falling apart up on the mountain, and we only just noticed it because of how good he is at acting. He pulled wool over people's eyes for years running with us, is it too much to think that he did to same to me? The thought did little to brighten his mood, and the gunslinger dismissed it with a shake of his head. A cool breeze caressed his face as they came up on a small hill, it carried the faint smell of salt. Over the sound of Famine's heavy foot falls, Arthur thought he could hear the distant crash of waves. Sienna perked up as well, or at least if felt like she did since her grip on his belt tightened.

"I think we're close." Arthur stated before she could start harassing him. From what he knew of the woman, she was probably eager to get back to her people. He felt as much as heard her shift around, and the brim of her hat bumped against his as she pulled her scroll from a pocket he still didn't know where. The screen tapped quietly as she typed commands, and a quiet chime returned her message after a few moments. Arthur felt his hair ruffle as she released a breath, and her arm came over his should to point about fifteen degrees to their right.

"Adjust course and head that way. The pier should be on the other side of this hill. Adam says that most of the cargo has been loaded, and that they were waiting for us." There was a small note of surprise in her voice as she said the last part, and Arthur cocked a brow.

"What? You thought they was gonna leave us or something?" His tone indicated that he thought it was a joke, but Sienna didn't immediately correct him.

"No, it's just... Adam is an ambitious young man, and I know he's seeking the most immediate solution to our problems. If he felt replacing me could further the goals of the White Fang, I don't think we're good enough friends for him to pass up the opportunity." Sienna said guiltily, obviously feeling bad about thinking such unkind things about the young Faunus. "Maybe I was wrong about him..."

"Listen Sienna." Arthur interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "That boy wants a lot of things, and he wants them bad. That comes natural when you lose what you have and think you've been wronged. He doesn't like me at all, but even I can tell that he respects you. He may pull a hissy fit every now and then, but I think you're someone he trusts." Arthur rolled his shoulders and tossed his head with a chuckle. "Now, if you want someone he doesn't like, I think I fit that bill better than you ever will."

Sienna slapped his shoulder and chuckled, but he could tell she still wasn't quite over her apprehension. Oh well, he had done what he could for now. Maybe reuniting with her team would bring her back into better spirits. As they crested the hill, the pier sat right where she had said it would.

Apparently, Vacuo was a little different from America, being that there wasn't the telltale signs of civilization around the port access. The coast ran for miles in either direction, with little that Arthur could see in the way of rocks or coral. With nothing to stop a ship's crew from simply rowing to shore, the only need for a pier was for heavier cargo to be loaded and unloaded. As such, a small warehouse sat at the end of a small wooden dock, stripes of paint flaking off of it and not terribly crowded. In Lemoyne, the trading post heading towards Annesburg had boast at least fifty semi-permanent residents, but from the looks of the warehouse Arthur doubted that more than ten saw the pier in a month.

Today was a marked exception, of course, since the White Fang's trucks were all around it. Docked and lashed next to the warehouse was a medium sized cargo ship, maybe five hundred feet long. Two rows of portholes sat above the waterline, indicating crew and passenger quarters, but the main hold had no such windows. There was less a wheelhouse and more an entire bridge at the after of the ship, but the upper deck was remarkably flat. Arthur wondered where all the cranes and pulleys were to lower goods into the hold, but it wasn't something to consider while on horseback. Arthur gave Famine an insistent squeeze with his legs, and the horse picked up its pace and began descending the hill towards the pier.

As Arthur got closer, a few people on the edges of the pier noticed their arrival, and began waving and calling out greetings. A shock of red hair and a white porcelain mask could also be seen, and sure enough the White Fang's resident swordsman was waiting to meet them when Famine reached the trucks. Tukson was there too, though the man was shirtless and clearly had been loading cargo judging by the sweat that covered his upper body. Arthur was reminded that the fight he had avoided when they had first met might not have been as easy as he had first assumed.

"Did we have any trouble?" Sienna demanded as soon as Arthur came to a stop, sliding off of Famine's back with help from the gunslinger's outstretched hand. Tukson opened his mouth to say something, but instead deferred to Adam when the bull Faunus looked at him.

"Nothing we couldn't handle. A few of Winchester's goons followed us into the desert. They were ordered to destroy our cargo, and render that fight at the store useless." Adam's masked gaze ran up and down the two arrivals. "You look like you made it out fine."

"There are about twenty men back in the city that were very easy to arrest, I'm sure." Sienna said confidently, a coy smirk on her face as she cocked her hip and crossed her arms. "Turns out Arthur has more to him than just the hat and the horse." The gunslinger in question blinked, unsure whether or not to be offended by such a backhanded compliment. Sienna offered a wink to show she meant no harm, but it didn't go unnoticed by the others, either. Tukson looked from her smirk to the hat she had borrowed, then reached behind him with a grin.

"Here, boss." He offered a water canteen. "You're looking pretty thirsty." The amused lilt to his tone indicated that there was a joke there somewhere, but Arthur missed it entirely. Judging by the way she narrowed her eyes and hissed, however, Sienna caught it and was not pleased. The cat Faunus snatched the canteen from Tukson's hand, reluctantly taking a few sips as the man bellowed with laughter. Arthur heard a snort come from Adam, and turned around to see that even the stoic swordsman was hiding his face, keeping his head turned to obscure the grin that had broken through his stony facade. Whatever the joke was, it was immensely funny, and at Sienna's expense.

I'll never understand these people. Arthur gave up with a sigh. Adam cleared his throat, and the moment passed, though not without a scathing glare that Sienna sent toward Tukson.

"We've almost finished loading the trucks. Number three's cargo bay was damaged in the fight earlier, so we had to empty it. Cain is adamant that it can be fixed though." Adam finished reporting. Sienna eyes darted around for a moment, unfocused, before she finally looked back at Arthur.

"Look's like we barely made it." She said, relief evident in her voice. He could have picked up the pace, but they both knew that wasn't her main worry.

"Don't give me that. The people look up to you. They wouldn't leave you behind," Arthur stepped a little closer, looking Adam in the eye with a solemn expression that said he was only partially joking. "Especially with a bandit human like me." Adam didn't flinch at the comment, but he did allow a frown to cross his face. When he did respond, however, it was to Sienna and not Arthur.

"Ships get delayed at sea all the time. I'm sure Ghira understands that." The way he said it was dismissive, but it told the truth all the same; they weren't going to leave Sienna behind. Even despite how much he disliked the boy's outlook, Arthur found a modicum of respect for the boy's loyalty. Sienna's eyes widened at the admission, and she turned to find a supportive smile on Tukson's face as well. She had doubted so hard, the fact that they wouldn't abandon her to the mercies of the Vacuan desert shocked her into silence. The cat Faunus paused, closing her eyes and recovering from her moment of surprise. When the amber eyes opened once more, they were filled with determination.

"Well, enough standing around then." She ordered, a voice loud enough for the other workers to hear her. The White Fang stood a little straighter as their leader addressed them. "What's left that needs doing? Kuo Kuana is counting on us, and we can't afford to miss Leader Belladonna's deadline!" Arthur whistled appreciatively as the assembled members leaped into action, their leisurely working pace gaining a fevered pitch now that Sienna was there. He followed behind as she began handing out orders in a rapid fire fashion, assigning duties as soon as she laid eyes on each individual Faunus. Whatever duties they had taken upon themselves were quickly rearranged. A few returned with more questions, and she sorted them out patiently and without judgment. Tukson peeled off early to take care of the trucks, leaving Arthur and Adam flanking Sienna as she made her way to the deck of the ship. When they boarded, Sienna's eyes scanned it critically.

The answer to Arthur's silent criticism from earlier had come as they boarded. Instead of loading the hold from the deck, a huge hatch lowered from the hull of the ship, allowing the trucks and White Fang to load up directly into the hold from the pier. It was not something he had expected, and Arthur stared down at it for a moment as he watched Tukson walk Famine down the gangway. The horse tossed his head, clearly uncomfortable boarding a ship in such a manner, but he behaved and followed Tukson's gentle but firm instructions.

"Is the crew still willing to ferry us? I remember there being some friction last time we spoke." Sienna angled toward the bridge, with Adam and Arthur struggling to catch up. Adam cast a sidelong look at Adam, then responded with a note of sarcasm.

"It seems the world is full of cooperative humans today. The captain agreed to our previous terms, and only stipulated that we leave before lunch. We were prepared to convince him otherwise, but clearly that wasn't necessary." Adam shrugged. "If the worst came to pass and we had to go looking for you, the men know how to steer the ship." Such a bald promise of violence made Arthur uncomfortable, and it must have shown on his face when Sienna turned around. The Faunus gave her friend a pitying look, then turned to face Adam.

"I'm not above using violence to get what we need, Adam, but the supplies on this ship are far more important than waiting on me to arrive. If we had been captured, news of the White Fang pirating a boat on top of whatever narrative Winchester spun about Arthur and I could have destroyed our cause." Her words were stern, but she was clearly teaching, not punishing. "Still, I'm glad it didn't come to that. Captain Mathieson has been nothing but kind."

"Hmm. Nothing is impossible, it seems." Adam said it with less heat than Arthur anticipated, but the teen clearly still had his reservations about trusting humans. Sienna thankfully did not turn to see Arthur rolling his eyes. If Adam did notice, he didn't say anything.

"So, we get the ship loaded and head to Mistral, huh?" Arthur rubbed the back of his neck. "So, where do I sleep?" Judging by the look Sienna gave Adam, the young swordsman had already made a comment she did not enjoy. Adam smirked and turned away, dropping down the twenty feet between the deck and the loading dock to assist with final preparations. Arthur watched him go, then turned around to see that Sienna was doing her best to imitate a tomato.

"What?" Sienna scoffed and shook her head, fighting down whatever embarrassment that the insinuation had caused. Arthur was no fool, and he knew that Sienna was a respected leader among her people. Their bald surprise at how kind she was to him was proof enough that she was acting strangely around him. He wasn't naive enough to believe that her change in behavior was romantically motivated, but with many groups like the White Fang, such ribbing and teasing was common. He also had the wisdom not to add to the teasing, since he was very much certain that Sienna had claws, and he had witnessed her beat down multiple grown men and women.

"You've shown you can sleep with a horse well enough. Maybe you should stay with Famine in the hold." The tigress let out a long, calming breath and relaxed a little bit upon seeing his surprised face. "Or I could arrange for a cabin. I'm sure Cain would appreciate a roommate, at the very least." Sienna rubbed her temples, clearly irritated by what seemed to be an old joke. Arthur kept his distance, certain that getting any closer would appear to lend credit to their humor, and just held up his hands neutrally.

"Take it easy. I know you were eager to get back to your people, but they're clearly happy to see you. I'll try and cut down on the joking and help out around the ship. By the time we're out to sea, they'll have found something else to harp on." Sienna growled, then closed her eyes and finally composed herself. When her amber eyes opened once more, Arthur could detect no more irritation.

"Leave it be. Any effort on your part to quiet them will just encourage the rumor. I appreciate you helping us with this venture. You have my word that we will make efforts to get you to Vale as soon as possible." Her response was calm and business-like, and suddenly they were in familiar territory. Between the two of them, Sienna was more relaxed than around her peers. Not entirely, as she did not know him well enough, but she clearly considered them friends. Arthur would have liked to think he agreed, as little as he knew about her. Now that she was around her people again, however, Sienna had to restrain her gentle camaraderie and become the Khan once more.

"Thanks for that, by the way. I know it took a lot for you to trust me as far as you did. And I think we both know I'd be a little lost without your help." Sienna snorted at his thanks, but didn't deny them. "When we get to Mistral, how long will it take to meet up with Ghira? I'm trying to judge how far we're traveling." The two walked over toward the railing, watching as the White Fang continued to load their supplies and trucks per Sienna's orders.

"There are a few things I can teach you during the journey. Things about Aura, things about Mistral... even things about Remnant." Sienna didn't seem confident about that last bit, and Arthur's confused look only made her shake her head. "Times like this make me think that you're playing me the fool, but you honestly do not know about us. You don't know what it is like to live in this world."

"What the hell is Remnant? Will we be passing through there to get to Mistral?" Arthur guessed, but the amused grin told him that he missed the mark. Confused, he shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. You don't have to be all mysterious about it. I'm in the dark enough as it is."

"Quite." Sienna agreed with a smirk, then nodded toward the people working below them. "I must make arrangements with the captain, and there is more work to do. Come meet me tonight, and I'll explain more in full." Without another word, the squad leader turned and departed toward the bridge. Arthur watched her go, utterly perturbed at her ambiguity. He also made sure not to stare as her hips swayed. Turning around lest his self control faltered, he looked down at the Faunus laboring below him. Adam had jumped down with no problem, no doubt using Aura.

If I focus it into my legs and feet, maybe I could land like that too...

Eager to try, Arthur tested himself a few times, reaching down into himself and pulling on the Aura Summer had awakened. The energy moved slowly, invigorating him as he manipulated the strange power. When he was certain he had it down, Arthur took a deep breath and released it, pulling his hat down tighter and stepping back from the rail.

"Here goes nothing." He muttered, more to himself than anything. The gunslinger took the few paces between himself and the open air quickly, as much to avoid falling into the ocean off of the pier as it was to keep him from chickening out. His heart leaped into his throat as he fell, the familiar falling sensation gripping him. Arthur forced his Aura to flow as he had practiced, and the wooden pier rushed up to meet him.

New Aura feeling clashed with a lifetime of tucking and rolling. When he landed, his Aura flared upon impact and besides some pressure in his heel and the balls of his feet, the cowboy came out no worse for wear. It was an unexpected outcome, and did not mesh well with the muscle memory of rolling across his shoulder when dropping from heights. The end result? Arthur landed safely, and lamely tucked forward on muscle memory alone. When he tried to fight it, he slammed his forehead into the pier and rolled off of the edge, leaving his hat behind as he fell into the drink with a mighty splash.

When he resurfaced, sputtering and red in the face, it was to find the entirety of the White Fang pointing and laughing at him. They had all stopped to help him just in case he would start drowning, but once they saw that he was alright the howls of laughter began. Arthur watched them all, particularly ruffled by the smug grin on Adam's face, then huffed angrily and started swimming for the nearest ladder. Up above him, Adam scooped up the hat and walked over to meet him.