Work Text:
“Everythin’ alright over ‘ere?” the barkeep slung a dirty rag over her shoulder as she approached her.
Rin snapped her gaze up to meet hers, taking in her irritating smirk and oddly coiffed hair with a near-silent scoff, throwing back a terse “fine.”
The worker snorted, grabbing a bottle from under the bar. It clinked against her empty glass before spilling into it.
“I ain’t–” Rin bristled, irritated at her presumption.
“I know,” the bartender cut her off with a wave of her hand, capping the bottle. “Just looked to me like you needed it.”
“‘Scuse you?” The wood of her chair scraped against the worn grain of the tavern’s as she stood, indignant. Around her, the other patrons ignored her outburst, their attentions not easily swayed.
“You heard me,” she answered casually, wiping her hands on the washrag before bracing them against the bar top. Her face now closer to Rin’s, she added, “You’d been starin’ at that poster too damn long, was worried it was ‘bout to burst to flames.”
“I wasn’t,” she started, heat rising to her cheeks. From this distance, she was sure to notice. She hoped her outrage covered them, blanketing them in an explainable scarlet. She slammed her palm down, covering the paper. “Mind your business.”
The barkeep huffed a laugh. “This is my business.” She leaned in closer, “and I’m bettin’ you know ‘er?”
Rin shook her head, lips curling in disgust. “Never heard of her.”
“That’s funny, 'cuz I swear, you two’s nearly identical.”
Rin swallowed, momentarily at a loss for words. “I-” she started, “I suggest you watch yourself.”
“S’alright, I know better than to pry.” She pulled back, the same irritating smirk from before once again playing across her lips. “Secret’s safe with me…” she paused, reconsidering, “so long as you tip well.”
Rin rolled her eyes as she turned away, gathering her skirts and flopping back down in her chair. Gripping her glass, she took a long swig, warmth trickling down her throat and settling deep in her gut. She moved her other hand, sliding it across the rough canvas, tracing the ink.
WANTED: ITOSHI SAE, $5,000 DEAD OR ALIVE
She could hardly believe her eyes yesterday when she stumbled upon it. Rin had never seen a bounty above a thousand with her own eyes and had only heard whispers of those who had reached five.
It was also the first time in years she had seen her sister’s face, even if the shitty sketch artist had completely misshapen her chin.
Rin would know; she saw the same chin in the mirror every morning, much to her displeasure.
Taking another long gulp, she gasped into the glass, attempting to suck out every last fume. She could feel Sae watching her, those eyes as bored and disapproving as ever, even through the paper.
It was like she could hear her voice, distant and warbled, just meters away but worlds apart.
Rin slammed her hand down again, fingertips clawing the flyer, pinching it into a ball. Her other hand joined it, crumpling with fervor, trying with all her might to transform the poster into some sort of demented conduit, projecting pain onto Sae, wherever she may be.
She waved the bartender over again, waiting only a second before rapping her knuckles against the wood, a nonverbal translation for gimme another before I shoot someone and stain the floor of this godsdamned bar. Thankfully, she read her cues fluently: simply flashing that same irritating smirk as before, and filled her glass again– to the brim this time.
“Ain't from ‘round here, are ya?” she asked. Rin lifted her glass, glaring as she sucked down a mouthful, pointedly ignoring her. “You look…lost,” she continued anyway, elaborating with a wave of her hand, “and I ain't meaning in the directional sense. I see lots of folks like you blowing through. Someways or another, they always end up at my bar, thinkin’ booze’ll solve all their problems for a night.”
Her words hung there, like the full moon over the Great Salt Lake. Rin thought herself well-traveled enough to avoid detection, stoic enough to avoid a thorough read. Another mistake to add to her ever-growing tally. A beat passed, then another. Knuckles rapped against the table across the room, signaling a hand of Hold ‘Em halfway through.
The barkeep huffed at her pause, rolling her eyes. “Whatever, s’not my business no ways.”
Rin surprised herself by answering, blaming the whiskey on her tongue or the warmth growing deep within her belly. She stuttered out, “No, m’not,” grimacing when her voice cracked slightly. “My sister and me, we-,” she paused, glancing down at the crumpled ball in her fist. She swallowed, dry despite the liquor she’d just downed, trying and failing to find the words, not that any were a good fit. “We started…travelin’ a few years ago,” she settled on.
The bartender hummed, listening to the words she wasn’t saying, noting her solitary presence in the bar, the guns strapped to her body. “Not chasin’ something, then, like most o’them,” she paused, eyeing her. Her sharp gaze flitted down to the crumpled poster still in her fist, then back up in the span of a blink, “runnin’ from it.”
“In a sort,” she answered vaguely, despite it not being phrased as a question, letting her know this interaction had come to an end. “How much?” she inquired, gesturing to her glass.
“Don’tcha worry ‘bout that,” she smirked, “it‘s on the house.”
She hummed her thanks, though she doubted the other heard her. She had moved to the other end of the bar, tending to a group of rowdy men in suits, half sloppily undone by this point in the night.
Once certain she had some semblance of privacy, Rin unfurled the poster in her fist, smoothing out the wrinkles as best she could.
The ends curled up still, jagged creases criss-crossed over Sae’s otherwise symmetrical face. Rin blinked, slow and long, just enough for her to see flashes over her sister's face behind her eyelids.
Shouts erupted behind her, and in a heartbeat, those same eyes were open, scowling at the source of the noise. A group of men were standing around a poker table, all but one appearing to be displeased by the result of their hand. Rin instinctively reached for her Colt, fingers curling around her belt.
“Fellas, fellas,” the bartender soothed, hands outstretched as she approached palms first. “Let’s not get too uppity now, ‘s just one hand. You’ll get’em next time, sure as the day’s long.”
“He’s cheatin’!” one called, pointing an accusatory finger, “Rotten, nasty, cheat you is! Youse markin’ cards!”
“Flattered as I be that you're thinking that,” the other drawled, still lazily lounging against the table, “I swear it to god almighty, ‘m not.”
“You sonuvabitch!” another man shouted, sloshing his ale over his waistcoat, sounding just as sloppy as he appeared. “I swear I’ll–”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” the barkeep tried again, “We’re all a lil’ irritated right now, but if y’all can't play nice, you’re gonna hafta go.” She rested a hand on her hip as she spoke, and even without a sidearm, she cut an intimidating figure. “It's bad for business.”
Rin gripped her pistol harder, leg bouncing under the bartop even through the haze of intoxication. I’m ready, she thought, try something.
Unfortunately, it didn’t look like a fight was coming her way tonight. Instead, it blew out through the saloon doors, riding on the coattails of the still grumbling gamblers.
Once the coast was clear, Rin slumped back against her stool, releasing a breath.
“Would’ya believe me if I told you those men are bankers?” the barkeep questioned, huffing a dry laugh as she rounded back behind the bar, skirts swishing behind her. “A lil’ hooch and men just lose their damn heads, even the smart ones…if there’s even such a thing. The money they make, you’d figure they'd have the good sense to keep it.”
A hum, a halfhearted reply as Rin contemplated another shot. She was half contemplating waking up on this very bar floor come morning, when the woman’s words finally registered in her brain.
“Bankers?” Rin prompted, now leaning forward on her stool, honed in like a Pointer. “There’s a bank here? Where? How many tellers? Do y’all have a constable?” She fired off questions in rapid succession. It was rare to run into a town with a bank outside the major cities along the trail.
The sun had long set by the time she rode in, and she hadn’t gotten a good look at her surroundings. So far, all she’d seen was this very bar, one of a few places that had been open so late– and serving cheap whiskey, of which she’d clearly had enough.
“Whoa now,” the bartender warned, “I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what yer anglin’ for.” She tapped the side of her nose. “And I’m not in that kind of business no ways,” she paused before continuing with a sigh, “least not no more. Stuff like that’s more trouble than it's worth.”
“Know anyone who might be?” Rin tried, a shot in the dark.
The woman turned her back to Rin, slinging the towel off her shoulder and moving to polish the glasses on the shelf. Rin nearly left then, resigning herself to the non-answer.
Perhaps it was pity, maybe it was a moment of kindness when the other spoke up.
“Try the inn.” She suggested, not turning or acknowledging her in any way. “And don’t dare go tellin’ no one I let you on.”
Rin hummed, sliding off the stool onto unsteady feet.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
—
Rin inhaled, fingers scratching anxiously at her holster, the cracked leather of it catching under her nails. She retraced the plan once more in her mind, as if the near week she’d spend observing the place hadn’t been enough to sear it on her brain like a brand.
It was time. Now or never. This was what she needed, the stunt that would put her status as high as Sae’s, that would catch not only her sister’s attention, but the whole of the west. Hopefully, whatever shitty town her sister blew into next would have her face plastered on the walls of every tavern and trading post.
The inn in town hadn’t been too terrible, though it was nothing to write home about, either. She had visited on the barkeeper’s “suggestion”. The innkeeper had been far too willing to divulge sensitive information. Rin didn’t even have to resort to fluttering her lashes.
Though last time she tried that, her target had wondered if she’d had dust in her eyes. In a panic, Rin had, embarrassingly, smacked herself in the face. Shortly after, and entirely unrelated to said incident, she had departed the tavern, deciding to instead spend her night alone with some sour wine.
Whatever, flirting wasn’t her strong suit, not like it was Sae’s either, and she got by just fine. More than fine if the stories filtering in with every tumbleweed, every transient horseman, were anything to go by.
She was making a bigger name for herself with each passing day, and Rin refused to be left behind, not this time.
Despite her tactless approach, the innkeeper had relented easily. Half stuttering, he revealed they had even done away with routine patrols a few months ago: having little to worry about this far off the main trails, and too few resources to waste on supplying the constable. Instead, they operated on an as-needed basis, most lawmen working other day jobs.
His slicked-back hair had nearly curled when she grabbed his wrinkled collar, half strangling him as she rapidly fired increasingly specific questions. His only salvation came in the form of a couple seeking a room for the night, and Rin was forced to let him get back to task, lest anyone grow suspicious, of course.
Everything was going to go perfectly, she reaffirmed, adjusting her bandana under her nose one last time: new life was just through those doors. She exhaled, cloth flickering over her mouth as she found that calm inside her, that steady breath that made her such a sharp shot.
Despite it all, her palm twitched, nerves threatening to knock her focus off its axis. She felt her control leak ever so slightly, likening to that poorly sealed canteen that had ruined her rucksack back in Des Moines.
A scoff escaped her, disgusted for feeling anxious, a sentiment too lukewarm to be of use. She knew Sae would have already had this place cleared of its coin and be halfway to Wichita by now.
Rin pushed through the doors with purpose renewed, derailing her spiraling train of thought before it could reach speed. Slams announced her arrival, but she tacked on a threatening “this is a stick-up!” for good measure– a line she had taken from a newspaper she’d picked up back in Nebraska.
Startled patrons and tellers alike stared at her, eyes wide and stock still, but otherwise making no move to scream, run, or hide, as she’d imagined. Rin tsk’d, reaching down to unlatch her revolver from her hip holster. Surely a few shots into the ceiling would have them dropping to the floor.
The clasp clicked under her fingers, and excitement skittered under her skin, live and fluid, like direct current.
Before she could even twitch, doors abruptly slammed into her back.
“This’s a stick-up!” a voice echoed her earlier words, ricocheting off Rin’s back as she stumbled to the ground. Her field of vision narrowed, sightlines half as wide as a Remington shotgun shell, red dripping in at the edges.
She turned, lips curled up in a sneer, and she saw pink instead.
Rin bared her teeth, hissing, “Get out.”
The girl looked down at Rin in confusion. Her mouth fell halfway open before her lips about-faced into a smirk.
“And who’re you?” she questioned, knuckles pressing into her hips. Blonde hair spilled out of the bottom of her too-large hat, reaching to her bent elbows.
“Clearly, I’m robbin’ this damned bank!” As if the answer wasn’t clearer than fresh moonshine. She pushed herself to kneel with her now filthy palms. “Who in the hell are you?”
The girl snorted, looking around at the now extremely confused patrons, “And clearly doin’ a real piss poor job of it.” She tapped a finger against her lips, tone somehow more mocking when she added, “ain’tcha’ s‘posed to have them on the floor?”
Rin growled, lunging forward to grapple the woman’s legs. The blonde yelped in surprise, crashing to the ground with a resounding thud. She kicked out wildly, but Rin had the advantageous position, pinning her with a knee to her chest.
“Ain’tcha’ s‘posed to have them on the floor?” she added, finding it in her to return taunts, even as her breath came in pants, like she’d tied her corset too tight. “I know how a damned robbery works.”
The other grinned, feral and wide with sharp teeth to boot. Rin blinked and suddenly found herself staring up into pink eyes. Her back ached from the impact with the floor, wondering bitterly how they’d even managed to lumber trees this solid.
The girl above her laughed maniacally, the sound of it shredding her eardrums, sharp like busted spurs. She ducked in close, breath splaying over Rin’s face, smelling of sweet tobacco. It made her nose twitch. “Wanna try that one again?”
They both heaved breaths into the space between them, so small the air circulated between their lungs, their very own combustion engine raring to start. Rin could see her eyes in detail now, could see that they were indeed a true pink, that it wasn’t some illusion brought on by her rage. They had flecks of gold in them, she thought, in the small space not yet eclipsed by pupil.
“Can we get on, or are y’all still…?” one of the “hostages” inquired from across the room, face screwed up in confusion, “I’m fixin’ to get along ‘fore supper or my wife will have my hide.” The others looked around, wearing expressions ranging from confused to bored.
“Yes!” Rin jolted, scrambling out from beneath the blonde. Gathering her skirts, she reached for her pistol, patting her hip frantically when she didn’t feel it in its usual holster. “And stay down!”
“Lookin’ for this?” A chin propped itself on her right shoulder, a hand draping over her left. Her pistol dangled off a long finger, swinging slightly. “I’d offer to give it back, but,” she paused, sighing dramatically, “’s just too nice. It really complements my eyes, don’tcha think?”
Rin swiped her hand out, grabbing at the weapon. The blonde cackled, jerking away from her grasp at the last second, anticipating the move. Rin smirked, hidden from view, and slammed her other elbow back hard into the woman’s ribs.
She sputtered as she doubled over, coughing. The spray of it splattered the side of Rin’s face. Her grip on the gun softened just enough for Rin to snag it, successfully this time.
No sooner than her fingers had closed around the handle, she spun, putting her weight behind her now armed fist. The blonde just barely dodged, and Rin mourned the missed impact, heart thundering in her chest.
For a moment, she forgot all about the plan, the patrons, even Sae herself. All she could focus on was the fight in front of her and the stranger beside her.
“Nice swing, darlin’,” the girl cackled, jamming her knee into Rin’s side. She followed up with a swift kick, the sole of her boot stamping Rin’s ass with enough force to send her back to the ground. “But I’m not lettin’ ya have this.”
“I’m takin’ it, you pest,” Rin hissed, kicking out and hooking the other’s ankle, sending her toppling down just a few inches away.
She grunted as she hit the ground, turning to face Rin with a hiss. “I’m certain y’know ‘bout takin’ it, you who–”
A gunshot shattered through the room.
Embarrassingly, she flinched. Though, to her credit, everyone else did too, with hands pressed tight over their ears. Splattered pieces of dry wood rained down around them, like confetti.
Before either of them could continue their argument, Rin was forced prone, a heavy pressure on her back smacking her face off the floorboards. Heated metal pressed itself against her temple, brushing her hair behind her ears, the accompanying gunpowder scent sending her stock still.
“Ladies, ladies,” a voice rang out above her, echoed by a click. A bullet loaded into the empty chamber, preparing itself for the short trip through Rin’s skull and out the other side of her head. “Let’s calm down, shall we?”
Rin tested her limits, wiggling slowly. The wood exploded in front of her face, and she shut her eyes tightly against the onslaught of splinters.
“Wouldn’t try that if I were you,” the man warned. “Less, of course, you always dreamed of bein’ holey as Swiss cheese. That case, go right on ahead, swear I can make it happen for ya.”
Although she couldn’t see her, Rin imagined the other girl was in a similar position, a position neither would have even been in if things had gone to plan. If she hadn’t meddled, hadn’t existed in the first place, Rin would be on her journey westward, saddlebags heavy with the spoils.
Her rage returned, wrapping around her like her favorite duster, just the right amount of weight to ground her enough to speak.
“Damn… you…” she ground out under the weight of the man’s boot. Though her words weren’t specifically directed towards him, he interpreted them that way, clicking his tongue.
“Have it your way,” he sighed, and the weight lifted for just a moment, “tried makin’ it nice for you, but no, everyone’s gotta make my job difficult.”
Rin twisted, now able to see the state of the room. She saw a mess of blonde hair, a long, thick leg covered in corduroy pressed to her back, pinning the girl to the floor. She saw a Colt revolver, silver, seven-inch barrel, six-cylinder chamber, hurtling towards her face.
And then, finally, nothing.
—
Rin woke slowly and recognized three things in rapid succession.
First, her head hurt– and not the usual ache that settled in after a night of too much brandy. This was sharper, prickly even, like the fruit she’d plucked from that Opuntia just outside Fort Worth.
The second was that she was most definitely not in her bed at the inn. In fact, she wasn’t in a bed at all, judging by the wood grain she felt against her lower back. Rin had spent her fair share of nights in beds not much softer than bark, some directly on the dirt, nothing but the stars over her head. She knows now that those were both preferable to the planks currently mangling her spine.
Third, and perhaps the most concerning, someone was playing the harmonica. Badly.
“I’m ‘bout to force that damned thing down your throat,” Rin groaned, wiping dried sweat and dust from her brow. She peeled open her eyes, crust clumping her lashes together. Rubbing at them, she took a long blink, adjusting to the light of the room–or rather, cell. Iron bars caged her in with the same blonde nuisance from yesterday, who was continuing what Rin was learning to be a pattern of obnoxious behavior.
“Rin-Rin,” like needles through her brain, “you're awake! Thought maybe they might’ve killed ya.”
“Rin–” she stopped, screwing her eyes shut tighter at the grating pitch of her voice, wishing for a moment she had died on the floor of that bank. “How’dya know my name?”
“Same way I got this beauty,” she gestured to the harmonica, “my new pal, this deputy.” She waved her fingers coyly at a large man standing near their cell, leafing through a journal. It was a different man than the one who had apprehended them at the bank, she noted. He waved back, eliciting a high-pitched giggle from the blonde.
Rin didn’t miss the way she wistfully hummed, nor did she ignore the fluttering of her long lashes. So, she was one of those. Those girls who puffed up their chests, pulled down their necklines, and walked through life on a cloud of giggles and perfume.
“Not your pal,” he huffed, turning the page, “‘and I’m happenin’ to agree with her. Settle, Shidou.”
“Aw, why'd’ya hafta tell her my name?” the girl, Shidou, she now knew, pouted, approaching the bars closest to the lawman. “Now I’m not mysterious no more.”
“Can't play favorites,” he retorted, though his eyes trailed up and down the blonde’s body. Rin suppressed a gag.
“Not even for me?” Shidou turned her bottom lip outwards in a mockery of a pout. She pressed herself against the metal bars, arching her back shamelessly. She reached down, gathering her skirts and lifting them slowly up her leg.
Rin did gag then, a wet thing that echoed off the walls of the small jailhouse. Both their heads snapped to stare at her. She rolled her eyes with a huff, petulance the last, and least effective weapon in her arsenal. If she still had her pistol, it’d be a hard choice on who to shoot first.
“Now hush up,” the lawman huffed, turning his back to them, adding with a chuckle, “you both gon’ be here a while, so go on and get comfortable.”
Shidou heaved a dramatic sigh and turned on her heel, face unreadable. She walked a few paces, hips swaying-not that Rin was looking, she was just observant, thank you very much- then threw herself down on a worn-looking bench, the lone piece of furniture in their cell.
Pushing herself to stand, Rin wiped her palms down the front of her skirts, thankful they were already stained.
Memories flooded back in earnest now, and she was nearly crippled with embarrassment. She grabbed the bars of the cell to prevent her knees from buckling, already loading an excuse about being sore onto the tip of her tongue.
It seemed the others weren’t paying her any mind, though, so she let it slide back down, stepping forward on steadier legs. She shuffled across the floor, wincing as the scene replayed behind her eyes: falling on her ass in front of everyone, fighting with the blonde, getting smacked in the face with a pistol.
She winced, bringing a hand to pat at a sore cheek. She wondered if it was bruised.
“Now this’s just great,” Rin huffed, continuing to pace the small cell, “just right proper fuckin’ lovely.”
“Do you mind shushin’ up?” Shidou inquired, bored, as she inspected the nails on her left hand, “I’m tired of you already, fuckin’ windbag.” She lounged on the bench, her other arm stretched behind her, curled around her nape. “You always this persnickety, or today just special?”
“Shut it!” Rin hissed, “This’s all your fault, you-” she stuttered, reaching for an insult and coming up short, “you cockroach!”
Shidou tipped her hat forward, obscuring both the light and her face with the brim. She hummed, “Been called worse.”
Rin scoffed and kicked at the bars of the cell, the toe of her boot nearly getting stuck in the gap. She turned, face a scowl, though not that the other could see, and grit her teeth so hard she could bite the sights off a six-gun. “I’m sure you have, godsdamned nuisance!”
Shidou waved her hand in front of her dismissively before resting it on her sternum. “Yeah, yeah. Pour out your insults.”
Irritation boiling over, Rin stalked over, standing above the blonde like a vulture. She raised an arm in preparation to deal a blow. Somehow, the other sensed her presence, despite still lying blind.
“If you gonna hit me, make it hurt. That’ll really grease my gears.”
“Grease your– what?” Rin stuttered, confused. The words rolled around in her head, and her skin boiled like a steam engine when the meaning settled in.
“C’mon, Rin, you saying you never self-polluted?” Her hand began to slide down her stomach. She tugged at her waistband, drawing her skirts slowly over a hipbone. “It sure would relax you, I reckon, uptight thing like yourself.” Rin hates that her eyes lock onto the motion, like a Setter with a quail.
Rin had long since come to terms with the fact that she was a bit different than other girls. That she had no interest in men, deputies or otherwise, that long lashes and soft curves kept her attention where muscles and mustaches failed.
“See somethin’ ya like?” Shidou teased, and Rin’s gaze snapped up, teal meeting magenta. Her hat was once again sitting properly atop her head, mocking expression on full display.
Rin stood stock still then, feeling more caught than she had yesterday with a pistol to her temple, knowing her inaction was a reaction of guilt unto its own. The blonde cackled beneath her, hands on her stomach as she shook with the force of it.
“Don’t see nothin’ worth liking,” she scoffed, raking her eyes across the other’s form again. “Quit actin’ like this’s some game, it’s pissin’ me off.” She sneered, crossing her arms over her chest, “You ruined my life, and you’re sat ‘ere making jokes.”
The other bristled at that, proping up on her elbows with a scowl. “Oh, it’s my fault, is it? You sure are quick to put blame on me.” She swung her feet over the side of the bench, staring daggers as she stood. She pushed closer, hot breath fanning over Rin’s face when she added, “Ever start thinkin’ maybe you’re the problem? Seems to me you been miserable a long while ‘fore you met me.”
They were nearly chest-to-chest now, just a deep breath away from brushing lapels. Rin drew herself up to her full height, tilting her neck and savoring the centimeter of room above the other’s head. She breathed into it, gulping down dusty air that burned like turpentine.
“Will you two quit that arguin’? Just for a second? It’s doing my head in.” The deputy huffed, standing and stretching his arms overhead. “Going for a smoke,” he pointed at Shidou, pursing his lips, “behave.”
“Don’t leave me with her!” Shidou cried, draping herself through the bars, pushing her form against the metal. “She’s probably fixin’ to eat me whole! And not ‘in the dirty sense!” She turned, eying Rin up and down before returning her gaze to the officer, adding, “Well, perhaps in the dirty sense, if you’d enjoy spectatin’ that, sir?”
“Like hell!” Rin protested, fists balled by her sides.
The officer huffed, rolling his eyes as he walked up to the blonde. “Just don’t kill each other ‘fore I get back. Hysterical women.”
Shidou reached out then, extending her hand through the gap in the bars. She grabbed at his thick bicep, squeezing gently into the muscle. “But if you’re gone, who’s gon’ protect me?”
“You sure as hell don’t need protectin’, miss,” he scoffed, peeling her hand away. She was quick to snag him with her other hand, this time by his belt.
“But what if I want it?” she teased, tugging on the loops. She returned her other hand to his chest, and he didn’t pull away as she slid it down his chest.
The lawman hesitated, glancing at her, and then at Rin, sighing as he pulled away.
“Sorry, constable’s orders.”
“Aww,” Shidou whined, “swear it to me you’ll come back?”
She posed again, striving for sexy but missing with aim worse than Rin firing drunk on horseback. Her turned his back to her, silent, her embarrassing efforts in vain.
“I’ll miss ya!” She tried again, keeping her eyes on him. Her lashes fluttered like a deranged moth orbiting an oil lamp, right until the second the door closed.
“Fuckin’ took ‘em long enough,” she scoffed, untangling herself from the bars and scrambling past Rin. “Dumb ugly bastard,” she shuddered, face screwing up in disgust, “yuck! It's gonna take a fortnight's worth of baths just to get his smell off me…and near to a gallon of moonshine to forget his face.”
She patted her pockets, crisscrossing her hands until she hooted triumphantly, diving in. She yanked her fist back out, clutching something that glinted in the light.
“That a key?”
“Sure hope it is,” Shidou felt around the lock, trying to pinpoint the keyhole on the other side, the angle awkward given the bars. “Otherwise, all that flirtin’ was for dust. Wouldn’t that be embarassin’?”
“You took that off him,” Rin gasped, realization hitting her like barrel-aged scotch, “when you–”
“Now you’re usin’ that pretty little head of yours,” Shidou scoffed, “Was startin’ to think it was just for show. And you had the gall to assume I was the dim one.”
She continued to struggle with the key, despite her cocky insults. Rin huffed, tapping her foot impatiently.
“Oh, sorry, darlin’,” she huffed, finally slipping the key into the hole, “ain't goin’ fast enough for you?” The lock clicked, loud enough to make Rin wince and check over her shoulder. The door outside remained closed, despite the chaos. If push came to shove, she wasn’t sure they could overpower him.
Shidou pushed the cell open, grinning from ear to ear. She turned to look at Rin, her smile impossibly wider as she slammed it in her face.
“Seriously?” Rin hissed, pushing at the bars. “Fuckin’ let me out!”
“Sorry, Rin-Rin, no can do. Can’t let a schemin’ criminal like you out on the streets again, for the good of the people n’ all.” Shidou pressed her back against the bars, barricading against the onslaught. She gritted her teeth, “Maybe next time, whor–”
Rin delighted in the way her words choked off, her hands squeezing the last syllables free from her throat as wet stutters. Her wrists screamed from the way they were bent awkwardly through the bars. Despite the pain, she pulled tighter, feeling cartilage crack like stale hardtack under her knuckles.
“I sure hope you’ll reconsider,” she growled, “or I can stuff your cold body back in this cell for your dearest deputy to find.”
Shidou thrashed in her grasp, trying to land a hit backwards through the bars, wild and without precision.
“Tick, tock,” she mocked, “your beau will be back any second now, and then we’re both good as dead.”
Shidou kicked out again, once, twice, before her shoulders slumped in defeat. She tapped Rin’s wrists with two fingers, saluting her surrender.
Rin released her and pushed the door open, not waiting for the other to catch her breath. The blonde, bent over and hacking, was sent scrambling to the floor. Rin ignored her, scanning the room for signs of their confiscated gear.
Spying a handle protruding from the planked floor in the corner, she scrambled towards it. Tugging the floor hatch open, Rin nearly sobbed at the sight of her leathers. She scrambled, knowing she didn’t have time to gear up fully.
Her hands scraped something unexpected: rope. It must have belonged to the girl behind her, now mostly recovered from her brush with death.
“Here,” Rin hissed, the sound echoed by the lasso sliding across the floor like a rattlesnake, “hurry.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” the other croaked, hurrying to gather her things, nonetheless.
Her cylinder spun back into place, clicking as it latched. She shrugged her bag back on, head on a frantic swivel. Her pulse pounded, hammering through her with every beat, striking heavy like an anvil.
The floor creaked, and for a tiny, embarrassing second, Rin froze. She froze, stiff as that doe carcass south of Fargo. Sae had kicked it, she remembered, not even flinching when its leg had broken off, burying itself in a snowdrift.
“Move,” someone hissed, not giving her a second to obey before plowing into her side. Unlike the deer, thankfully, Rin didn’t break apart. Instead, she held herself together, holding tight to the only solid thing in sight.
They tumbled downward towards the floor, then past the floor and into the hatch. Rin grunted, air knocked from her body as she absorbed the impact. Shidou tugged the hatch closed overhead before her brain could play catch-up. The space was a tight fit for just their gear, now chock-full and fit to burst with their bodies.
The door hinged squeaked, and Rin sucked in a breath. A palm moved to cover her mouth, wide pink eyes staring into her own. Shidou shook her head, slowly, as if moving any faster would somehow flag the man above them.
“What the hell?” the lawman shouted, punctuated by heavy footfalls. He paced for a moment, gait stopping and starting like a malfunctioning telegraph. He picked up his speed, frantic, nearly matching Rin’s thundering heartbeat. He whispered, just barely audible even to where they were hidden, “Constable is gonna kill me.”
At that, Shidou’s face screwed up, just inches from her own. She shook with silent laughter. Rin could feel it reverberating through her skin, through where she still gripped the other, and skittering out across her bones. Briefly, she debated biting the hand covering her mouth or attempting to knee the blonde with what little leverage she had.
Before she could decide, Shidou shifted, lowering her weight onto her elbows in a more stable position, rolling out her wrists. The movement brought her knee higher, sliding up between Rin’s own. She squeezed her thighs together, trapping her further, pressing them together in a long line.
Footsteps creaked once more, closer, near the cracks of the hatch. Unwillingly, Rin held her breath. She felt Shidou do the same, her lungs expanding, pressed against her own. Her hands squeezed unconsciously, tangled in the cotton of the blonde’s shirt, pinching at the skin of her waist below.
The steps neared closer, just a few feet from their hideaway. Rin saw her end flash before her once more, the small spark of hope snuffed out before it could even catch fire. Unbidden, she wonders what Sae would think– if they’d even send word to her next of kin.
A step, and there was the letter being unfurled in Sae’s gloved hands. She loved those gloves: premium leather from that tanner in Wichita. A step, and there was the most subtle twitch of her brow, indistinguishable unless you were Rin, unless you knew that face like the back of your hand. Or maybe, she wouldn't twitch at all. A step, and it was the feeling of lead, pumping her full yet draining her dry, blood leaking through the cracks in the ground, returning to the earth.
A shiver sheared through Rin’s frayed composure, originating not from herself, though she knew her own skin was frigid to the touch.
Rin’s fingers gripped the girl tighter. She clung to her, grounding them both as much as possible, despite the tremor in her hands. The blonde let out a slow, silent exhale and dropped her forehead to rest on Rin’s own. Browbone to browbone, they breathed together as one. A strange solidarity, if even just for a second— intimacy of the moment stinging like a hive of wasps.
Then, a whispered “Fuck” fractured the moment. A louder “Shit!” shattered it completely, like the stolen vases she and Sae had shot practice rounds into in the cliffs outside Deadwood.
Impossibly, the steps moved away, growing quieter with distance. They both released their breaths, shaky things, like newborn foals. Shidou climbed out of the hatch first, glancing down at Rin before extending a hand.
“C’mon,” she urged, “‘fore he ‘members this’s here.”
Rin eyed her proffered hand. She hesitated before deciding to pull herself from the bunker. “No thanks.”
“Whatever,” the other huffed and adjusted her gear with a sigh. “Hope my horse’s still out there. I gave a pretty silver for ‘im back in Little Rock.”
Shit, Rin thought, her horse. She doubted there was any way her own was still around. She hadn’t even tied him before she’d entered the bank yesterday, bets hedged on a speedy escape.
Thinking quickly, she followed Shidou out the back door of the jailhouse. The other eyed her with a raised eyebrow, but otherwise ignored her. They crept around quietly, eyes peeled for any sign of the lawman– or his boss.
After a few minutes of careful maneuvering, they rounded a nondescript building. A horse stood tied to a post, barely acknowledging the blonde as she approached. Shidou ran a hand down its nose, rubbing at its bridge gently before undoing the knots on the hitch.
Rin stood awkwardly, watching Shidou prepare to take off. She knows they should part here, but her priority was putting as many miles between her and this town as possible before the chickens came to roost.
Panicked, she unholstered her gun, loaded a round into place, and aimed at the other. The blonde turned at the sound of the click, leveling Rin with an odd look.
“You seriously ‘bout to shoot me right now?” she scoffed before turning back to gather her skirts, climbing onto her mount. “After all we been through? Just get on the damned horse.”
“What if I do?” she pressed, stepping forward, “you got something up your sleeve that’ll stop lead?”
Shidou sighed and gathered the reins in her hand, “Try it. Sure you’ll fuckin’ miss no ways.” She rolled her eyes, “If I make pretend like you forced me with your cute lil’ revolver, would’ya get on with it?”
Rin moved forward, cautious, arms outstretched, gun still pointed at the rider. “I am forcing you,” she answered, curling her fist around the strap of the saddle, “you got no choice but to let me on.”
“I ain’t bluffin’. Get in this saddle ‘fore I buck this horse and crack your teeth in.”
Pink met teal in a hard stare, neither conceded even a blink– a moment of blindness, an opportunity for the other to strike. Shidou moved first, jerking the reins and rearing the horse back. Rin startled, gripping the reins tighter and lowering her revolver in momentary surprise.
Huffing, she holstered her revolver and stepped into the stirrup, swinging herself up on the saddle behind the blonde. Shidou snorted a laugh, and Rin decided, in a rare moment of grace, to pretend she didn’t hear it, at least until they were a few miles outside of town.
“Giddy up!” the girl in front of her called, and Rin gripped her own skirts for stability as they galloped past a line of buildings, refusing to touch the other.
“You know you don’t actually have to say that, right?” she gritted out, syllables coming unevenly with the strides of the racing horse beneath them.
“You ever take that pole out your ass, or are you keepin’ it warm for winter?” she retorted, eyes locked in front of her as she steered them between buildings. Rin kept her own head on a swivel, watching for any signs of the patrolmen. “I ain’t never met an outlaw so borin’ in all my days.”
“Focus on gettin’ us out of here,” she hissed, “or I’ll put six bullets in you and leave you to the crows.”
Miraculously, they cleared the western limit of the town without catching sight of any pursuers. Though, the cloud of dust on their tail likely clued them in on their whereabouts, or at least their general direction. Hopefully, they could peel away and gain ground before anyone could get a read on their position.
“See ‘em?” Shidou prompted after a moment, dropping their pace below a gallop for the first time since their departure.
“No,” Rin replied, continuing to scan the dust cloud vigilantly in case. “Not yet.” Adrenaline still nipped at her skin like a flea. She half-hoped to see a figure or two appear in the dust, if only just for a bit of target practice.
“Hopefully never,” the blonde huffed, “what’s so wrong ‘bout what we did anyways? Not like we actually took nothin’.”
“‘Cause they stopped us, fiddlehead.” She turned, finally sliding herself into the saddle fully, back screaming as she relaxed her hips. It was clearly not meant for two, but the cramped seat was far better than having the cantle dig into her rear.
“Damn,” Shidou cursed, shifting forward, “didn’t think your ass was that big. Sure as shit don't look it.” She laughed, patting the horse’s neck and adding, “Poor Friday, he’s gon’ be sore later.”
“Friday?” Rin questioned, “Who’n the hell names a horse ‘Friday’?”
“You never heard tell of that?” Shidou turned, raising her eyebrow as she regarded Rin. She waved her hand to the side, “Y’know? That riddle? ‘Bout that cowboy?”
“Do I look the type to waste my time on riddles?”
“You ain't wanting me to answer that, sourpuss, I’ll tell you that much. You look downright allergic to fun–sure you’re halfway to hives just hearin’ the word.”
Rin scoffed, “I ain’t see the point in wastin’ time, is all. Even on ‘fun’.”
“Ain’t gotta tell me that. It’s been nothin’ but a hog-killin’ time since I met’cha, sweetheart.” Shidou turned back, her long hair hitting Rin in the mouth. “Three near-death experiences, and the good Lord’s worst headache to boot. Like a night with Texarcana rotgut without the soiled doves.”
She sputtered, picking the wild strands out of her lips. The blonde’s choice of words did not go unnoticed. She wondered, for just a heartbeat, if Shidou was like her, if she enjoyed a different sort of company in her bedroll.
Shaking her head to dislodge the thought, she instead retorted, “All that’s likely to be your fault anyways. The way you live, I’m shocked you’re still above the snakes.”
“Ooh, that was real outlaw talk there. Your sister learn you that one?” Shidou chuckled, shoulders shaking with the motion.
Rin loaded a reply into the chamber, ready to send it flying back with speed, before she paused. “How’d you know I have a sister?”
To her credit, Shidou stiffened, which Rin chose to interpret as a sign of shame, for the sake of peace, not fancying being busted off their horse. “I uh,” she shrugged, scratching at the back of her neck, “Just made an assumption.” Rin held her breath, half waiting for her to finish, half wondering if she would leave it at that, leaving Rin with the shovel and asking her to dig her own grave. A pause, then a breath, then an added, quieter, “You look just like her, y’know. It’s the eyes.”
Rin hummed, monotone, feigning indifference. Shidou continued anyway, rambling in a tone that bordered on nervous.
“Was a few months back,” she explained, “bout a day's ride south of Omaha. Some lil’ no-name town off the river, ‘fore you reach the Ozarks.” She moved her other hand back to the reins, fidgeting. “I remember her, alright. Hard to forget with hair like that, and words that cut worse than any steel this side of the Mississippi.”
“I don’t care,” she gritted out, feeling protective over her sister’s memory, her image. She shifted in the saddle, repeating, “I don’t care.”
Shidou, not caring about Rin’s feelings, or perhaps caring a bit too much about them, continued anyway. “Tried talkin’ to her. She’s even worse’n you, least you’re easy to rile up.” She huffed, “took at least seven hands of blackjack and half my coin ‘fore she even told me ‘er name.”
“Which part of ‘I don’t care’ do you not understand?” Rin started.
“She talked ‘bout you, that night,” and Rin shut her mouth, slowly so Shidou wouldn’t hear it click into place. The blonde hummed, and Rin felt it reverberate through her chest, even with the small space between them. “Told me ‘bout what you two used to get into back East,” she paused, “still want me to stop?”
“I don't wanna talk about her with you,” Rin spat back, irritated at being toyed with. Deep down, she knew she was being hypocritical, that the other had divulged more than enough information for seemingly no reason other than Rin’s benefit. They were functional strangers, and not pleasant ones either, yet Shidou had spared her this kindness. She didn’t care about reason, not when Sae was on the table–she’d play that hand close to her chest. “Don't wanna talk to you at all.”
“Fine,” she huffed, “every conversation with’ya ends in a headache anyways.” She snapped the reins, spurring the horse back to a trot. “Can’t believe she said you were a sweet girl. Fuckin’ liar. Can never trust you a redhead.”
Rin smacked the back of her head, palm pressing her hat down against her crown. Shidou only chuckled, the sound of it flying back in Rin’s face, along with her long hair, as she kicked the horse into a canter.
They rode for hours, the sun dipping lower into the sky with each passing mile. The monotony of the scenery was only broken by the occasional rock formation or interestingly shaped cactus. Otherwise, it was just them and the road. The silence between them sat somewhere between comfortable and uncomfortable, lingering in limbo.
“There!” Rin called suddenly, grabbing Shidou’s shoulder and pointing towards the horizon, “looks like a stopped train.”
Shidou hummed, turning the reins and angling their path towards the locomotive, “should be good enough for tonight.”
“Yeah,” Rin huffed, “That’s why I pointed it out.”
Shidou turned, throwing a glare over her shoulder. “Gee, what’d I do without ya?”
A quarter of an hour passed before they pulled up beside the length of the train, the setting sun casting everything in a yellow haze. Given the condition and lack of cargo, it had likely been out of use for some time.
Still, they picked a boxcar near the back, in case someone decided to come back in the middle of the night, hopeful that the distance would give them a few extra precious seconds of escape time.
Shidou tied their horse to one of the wheelsets, patting its head before climbing inside. She slid the door nearly closed, letting in only a sliver of moonlight.
Wordlessly, they unpacked their minimal supplies. Rin had left most of her actual gear in her saddlebags, which had likely been claimed by someone back in that town, leaving her at a net loss on her trip.
“Got anything worth a shout? All I got useful is some hardtack and matches.” She sighed, dumping the contents of her bag on the floor. She picked up a battered book, looking at it wistfully, “rather put my teeth to this almanac ‘fore I touch that shit. You got any salt?”
Looking over her own items, Rin shook her head. “Wasn’t plannin’ on leaving without my saddlebags.” She paused, adding “or my horse.”
“Your dignity neither, I’m sure,” Shidou hummed, eying the crusty hardtack with a grimace. “Or did’ya never even have that?”
“Fuck you,” Rin scoffed, “you got nothing but hair under your hat, so don’t call me nothing nasty.”
“Not true. Got more brains than you. Without me you’d be back in the pen.” She nibbled at a corner of the tack, grimacing as she chewed. “Never got my ‘thanks’ for that, neither. We can settle this with some silver,” Shidou paused, eying her up and down, “or least let me up under your skirts.”
“You’re asking to get shot.”
“So shoot me.”
Rin huffed, returning to her things, scant as they were. Her flask, some spare ammunition and gold, and her journal: bound in the same soft leather that comprised Sae’s favorite gloves. She ran a hand over the cover gently–too gently, a fatal mistake.
“That hers?” Shidou inquired around a mouthful, crumbs spilling out.
“It’s mine,” she bit back, “why are you bringing her up again?”
“Cause you was thinkin’ about her.”
“Was not.”
“You lie like a rug,” she scoffed, wiping the crumbs off her skirts. She leaned back on a palm, regarding Rin with an unimpressed stare. “Surprised you even still know what truth tastes like.”
“It'd take all my fingers and half my toes to count your lies just from sunrise.” Scoffing, Rin stuffed the journal back into her rucksack. “So don't preach to me ‘bout lying.”
“I lie for fun,” Shidou retorted, rolling her neck to the side, wincing as the vertebrae popped, “you lie ‘cause you ain't like the truth. It's different.”
“You don't know nothin’ about me,” she spat, leaning forward on her palms.
Shidou matched her movements, pushing off her hands and swinging towards her like a jack-in-the-box. Her smile caught a sliver of moonlight, twisting ominously. “I know everythin’ and then some.”
“Just ‘cause Sae and you played some cards together? That’s the funniest you’ve been all damn day.”
“You think I needed to talk to her to figure out how you tick?” Shidou laughed, drier than the hardtack she'd just choked down. “I had you made in ten seconds, soon as we met in that bank. It was that look in your eyes, like a whipped dog. That’s when I knew.”
“Knew what?” She crawled closer, ready to scream her point down the other’s throat. “If you knew anything worth a damn, you’d have turned around then and there.”
“I knew you weren’t pullin’ that robbery ‘cause you had to,” Shidou sneered, moving forward, mirroring Rin’s pull. “Now it all makes sense. You’re tryin’ to make her feel some sorta penance for leavin’ your sorry ass.”
Unbidden, Rin pulled back, words hitting her like a phantom slap. Then, she reared back and gave Shidou a real slap, delighting in the way her skin felt hot beneath her palm.
To her credit, Shidou recovered quickly, back snarling in her face in a blink. “Try that again.” She dared, pressing impossibly closer, chest up against Rin’s own. “You won’t like how it ends.”
Against her will, she glanced down, eyes locking on lips that were still spilling vitriol, words meaningless by the time they reached her ears. Pink muscle darted out from between them, wet and saturating. She felt her cheeks heat, stuttering out a mild, “I suggest you bite your tongue.”
“Looks like you fixin’ to bite it for me,” she smirked, grabbing Rin’s face. Her pointer and thumb pressed into the crux of her jaw, the joint popping under the pressure. Even as she clenched with all her might, she was forced open, exposed under the moonlight.
“You,” she gritted out, saliva pooling awkwardly on her tongue, “wish.” She managed, dignity less intact than it was when they arrived. Though she supposed it had been on a steady decline since sunrise, perhaps sooner.
“I do.” Her answer shocked Rin to her core, worse than the kick from the first time she’d fired a rifle, yet just as exhilarating. It nested there, sparking with a heat that had her thighs pressing together under her skirts. “Won’tcha let me have this? Just for tonight?”
Pausing, Rin took in her expression, finding no traces of her usual teasing, not even so much as an upward quirk of her lips. “Why would I let you have anything?”
“‘Cause it’d be a reckless thing. That’s what you wanted, right? To do something reckless? To do something that’ll get your heart going all wild in your chest?”
“I wanna lie down and try and forget today ever happened. And I wanna do it without havin’ to hear another word from your mouth.”
“You keep sayin’ you ain't wanna talk to me,” Shidou reminded her, pressing forward until their noses touched, “yet you keep on doin’ it. You’re confusin’ poor ole me.” Rin refused to back down, even when the other drug her nose across her cheek. “We don't gotta talk, don't hafta even look at each other if you don't wanna.”
Swallowing, dry and thick, Rin rebutted, “I don’t want nothin’ to do with you. Any part of you.”
Shidou’s hand skimmed up her sides, leaving goosepimples in their wake. “Another lie,” she whispered, despite them being alone, a challenge falling from fresh-licked lips. “You ever gonna be honest with me?”
“S’not a lie.” Yet it tasted like one regardless, despite Shidou’s insistence that she’d lost the flavor. It was bitter.
“So stop me.” She challenged, and it was sweet.
Shidou pulled, or rather, Rin pushed, not willing to concede the first move. Though, she supposed, it was the same motion regardless, with the same endpoint—two trains bound for collision.
Their mouths clashed, sparking like grinding rails, complete with gnashing teeth. Pink, teal, and every hue in between illuminated them in the darkness.
“Touch me,” Shidou demanded, pulling Rin’s hands to her chest. “And do it right, or I’m not doin’ this with you. Me n’ Friday’ll figure somethin’ out.”
“Don’t go tellin’ me what to do,” she growled back, but obeyed regardless, exhaling a silent moan as the other gripped at her rear through her skirts.
“I’m not, ’m asking. You wanting me to get bossy?” she hummed, licking her lips as Rin began to knead the soft flesh of her breast. “I can,” she leaned in, nipping a kiss just above her pulse point, “You’re just so much better at it.”
“Shut up,” Rin hissed, popping open the buttons on the blonde’s blouse with shaking hands, shakier than they’d been back in the storage hatch, steadier than when Sae had first taught her to shoot. “Shut up ‘n help me.”
Shidou’s hands covered her own, nimble fingers making quick work of her blouse before starting on Rin’s. The cool night air hit her shoulder only seconds before sharp teeth, soothed over with a laving tongue. Rin arched into the sensation, letting out a soft groan as pleasure built inside her. A whispered, “beautiful,” and Rin could only lick into her mouth in reply.
The night passed like that, in a blur of teeth and tongues and layers shed like snakeskin. When her pleasure reached its peak, with Shidou’s head and fingers between her thighs, it felt not unlike those fireworks she and Sae had stolen and set off back in Memphis.
An explosion, as Shidou would later call it, as she reached her own peak, grinding atop her thigh. Even Rin didn’t have it in her to disagree, as she lay boneless in a heap of limbs and sweat.
Hours later, she awoke to the sound of a magpie overhead. Its black wings silhouetted against the sunrise. One of her arms hugged tight across her middle–her naked middle, exposed to the early morning air, kissed by a million droplets of dew. The other rested behind her head, cradled in a mess of hair.
A few breaths passed in a sleepy haze before she realized she was alone, a different sort of alone than usual. Her head tilted up, scanning the small space regardless. Not catching any sign of the other's things, she relaxed back down, indulging in the morning stillness.
Her stomach twisted, not from hunger, but from a different sort of emptiness. She should be used to this by now, she thought, rolling onto her side. It was far from the first time she'd been left behind, and not nearly the most painful. Yet, she still found herself shouldering the blame, knowing she wasn't the easiest to be around.
Rin squashed the feeling, not ready to settle into melancholy before noon, and retched herself upwards. Her joints screamed from the night on the floor, and she hoped that come nightfall, she'd find herself a proper mattress.
In a moment of uncommon leisure, she dressed slowly, savoring the way her body awoke with each passing minute. Her skirts were dusty, each requiring a thorough pat down to be presentable.
Their horse from last night, Friday, she remembered, was surprisingly still tied up outside. The occasional hoofbeat offered a bizarre company. Grabbing her revolver, she searched around for her holster. She flushed at the memory of it being discarded last night, of the hands that had relieved her of it, her clothes, and, for just a moment, some of her heaviest burdens.
By the door to the train car, atop a familiar-looking hat, lay said holster. She moved it to the side and picked up the hat. Flipping it in her hands, she admired the singed SR that decorated the underbrim, tracing her finger over the brand.
Out of curiosity, or at least, that's what Rin called the urge, refusing to entertain other suggestions, she placed it atop her crown. It sank low on her browbone, clearly a bit too big for her own head. She pushed it back, visibility regained, and set about strapping her holster to her belt.
“Mornin’ sunshine,” and Rin jumped, nearly bouncing her head off the roof of the car. Shidou laughed, bent over and full-bellied, hands braced on her knees. Her bag was slung over her shoulder, looking heavier than yesterday. “You outta seen your face! Like I was a damned spirit!”
“Where the hell’ve you been?” Rin snapped, pointing an accusatory finger.
“Went to see if there was somethin’ ‘round here to eat.” She stepped closer, bringing a hand up and flicking the brim of the hat. “Did’ya think I left? With Friday still here and everythin’?”
“I didn't know, and I didn't care.”
“Liar, you done put my hat on like you missed me.”
Rin pushed past her, yelping when the blonde delivered a swift pat to her rear. She was grateful the blush on her ears was tucked safely away, lest she embarrass herself further. “We gotta get going, I ain't got time for your nonsense.”
“We?” and Rin blushed harder, scowling as she stepped out of the boxcar. “Aw, you really did miss me!”
“You see another way out? I just need you for your horse. I'm scrammin’ at the first sign of civilization.”
“I'm countin’ down the seconds.” Yet when Rin turned to her, she was smiling as wide as can be.
And if, when she turned and loaded her bags onto the horse, that big, stupid hat atop her head, she smiled one of her own.
Well, that was just between her and Friday.