Wild West

She sat on the hay next to Dylis. She was still crying but she at least felt a little better than before. Crying was a good thing sometimes. She shook her head and wiped her hand across her face to get rid off her tears. She still sobbed though but that stopped when she heard Aras coming into the stables.
"Louise?" He asked, sounding a little hesitant. "Are you... are you alright?"
For a moment she doubted, thinking about answering but she was uncertain of her voice and so she kept her mouth shut.
"Look, I- I'm not sure what I did wrong, but whatever it is, I'm sorry." He said to nothing, well.. to her but not directly.
She took a deep breath and tried to find her voice again. “No, you don’t have to be sorry.” She said, her voice sounding insecure and small, like she felt. She rose from the ground but did not look at Aras. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that. i am just not used to people caring or seeming to care about me.” She said to him as she curled her hair around her finger. “Just forget this ever happened okay? Besides I’ll be gone in a week or so, so just.. don’t mention it.” She muttered.

Aras
When he got closer he saw her sitting on the hay, close to Dilys. It took her a few moments to answer, and Aras stayed where he was, feeling more awkward than he'd like to admit. He listened to her as she took in a deep breath. "No, you don't have to be sorry," she said, and Aras frowned in surprise. "I don't?" he repeated, understanding even less what she was talking about than before. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. I am just not used to people caring or seeming to care about me," she explained. Aras wondered if she meant that she hadn't been used to it her whole life. It seemed a little sad. 
"Just forget this ever happened, okay?" She said, and he looked up again. "Besides, I'll be gone in a week or so, so just... don't mention it."
He threw her a careful smile. "Well, if it helps, most of my friends call me an overprotective mother sometimes," he said, trying to break the awkwardness a little. He held his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground for at least two minutes before he spoke again. 
"So-," he slowly started. "- I think we'd better get going if you want to put on something that's not at least three sizes to big." He looked up to her and gave her a crooked smile. 

During their walk towards the town, he filled up most of the silence with stories about the people living there. They were mostly nonsense things, with no other purpose than giving them something to talk about. Since she had asked him not to mention what had happened before, this was the only thing he could think off. He told her about the first time they got Crow, and how he got his name. He told her about Pippin, about Mrs Calhoun and how she had saved the town more than once, about the man that had stitched her up, about some of his friends and how foolish they all were.
You couldn't say Aras was good with soothing people when they'd start crying, but he was good at telling stories. 
When they passed the first house, he stopped talking for a moment to look around. "Do you think those men are gone yet?" He asked her suddenly. Crow ran around them in enthusiastic circles, scaring the shit out of one of the horses. "Crow," Aras snapped at him, hoping it would work. Of course Crow happily kept running around. Well, it had been a foolish dream from the start thinking he would listen. Crow only listened to the sound of scraping cutlery or anything else that could be associated with food. Just as Aras started wondering if he should've brought a gun, someone came running at them. He recognised him as Jones, one of his friends. "Aras!" He screamed, grinning like a madman. He gave Louise a quick look. "So, this is the girl everyone's talking about, I'm guessing. Names' Jones," he told her, before turning back to Aras, forgetting his manners for a moment. "You won't believe what happened. Seriously, nothing ever happens in this bloody town until today. Those men that were after her-," he said, pointing to Louise, and Aras stiffened a little. "One of 'em hit Mrs Calhoun, right in the face. I used to think all those men practically living in the saloon were full o' shit - excuse my words, ma'am," he quickly said to Louise. "- but no I don't no more. You could've almost called it a riot, it was great. They all started screaming and kicking. Those men didn't know what was happening, you believe me. They're gone now, you don't have to worry 'bout them no more," he said. Aras gave him a careful grin. "They got chased away, they did," Jones said, laughing. "I swear, you mess with Mrs Calhoun, you mess with this whole town." He grinned for a while longer, giving Aras a friendly shove in the shoulder, when he suddenly looked a little better at Louise. "Wait," he said, changing his grin into a questioning look, "- why is she wearing your clothes?"

And so they went off to town, to get her some clothes that fitted her better than these. Not that she hated it but it would be more comfortable. While they walked towards town Aras had somehow for some reason started a story. After some time however she caught herself enjoying his tales about the people living around these parts, who they were and what they were doing. He just had one of these voices that could even make the dullest of stories interesting to hear.

When they entered town he stopped suddenly. "Do you think those men are gone yet?" He asked her. That thought hadn’t occurred to her yet and there was a small hint of fear on her pale face. “never thought of that.” she said with a little upset voice. the dog was running and doing thing but she ignored that. she just wanted to be sure that those men weren’t still around the place.
She turned around fast when she heard somebody coming their way. It was however a different kind of run she would expect of the men who hunted her down and so she relax a little. She felt a bit more secure because it seemed like Aras knew him, for the stranger shouted his name really loud. "Aras!" He screamed, grinning like a madman. He gave Louise a quick look. "So, this is the girl everyone's talking about, I'm guessing. Names' Jones," he told her. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and folded her arms together. “Maybe.” She just muttered, not reacting to the name thing, she just didn’t particularly liked it that people knew her, it would make it more complicated for her to just remain anonymous.
"You won't believe what happened. Seriously, nothing ever happens in this bloody town until today. Those men that were after her-," the stranger continued, and he now pointed at her, which she thought to be very rude.
"One of 'em hit Mrs Calhoun, right in the face. I used to think all those men practically living in the saloon were full o' shit - excuse my words, ma'am," he quickly said to Louise. "- but no I don't no more. You could've almost called it a riot, it was great. They all started screaming and kicking. Those men didn't know what was happening, you believe me. They're gone now, you don't have to worry 'bout them no more," he said. The fact that he had apologised to her because of his use of words had taken her totally unprepared and she was more shocked by that than pleased to her that those pieces of foul shit were gone now, at least for a little while.
"They got chased away, they did," Jones said, laughing. "I swear, you mess with Mrs Calhoun, you mess with this whole town." He grinned for a while longer, giving Aras a friendly shove in the shoulder, when he suddenly looked a little better at her.
"Wait," he said, changing his grin into a questioning look, "- why is she wearing your clothes?"
Louise took a deep breath at that last notion. “Yeah... it’s a good story... for another time I think.” She said a little doubtful. “So you are sure as hell that they’re gone, at least for the time being?” she asked him, since she needed to know before she could start to make a plan for herself to get out of this place.
“I am sorry for the woman by the way. If you see her can you say her that I am sorry... she had been quite nice.” Louise noted now, staring at her feet because she couldn’t make herself to look at the fellow.

Now she was, again, trying to find herself some new clothes. It seemed like there was a pattern in this. Every time she got away from somewhere she needed to change outfits because of some dark reason, now it was because she didn’t even have any clothes to call her own. She was however not in looking for clothing right now. She was staring at the knife she held in her hand, she had been the owner of it for a while but it had never really belonged to her. She handed it over to the man behind the counter and he gave her some good money for it in return. “lovely knife miss. But what does a woman have to do with knives?” he asked her.
“Nothing much, that’s why I am selling it to you.” She answered curt and then she turned around and walked away, towards somewhere she could buy some clothes.

It took her a while but finally she was all dressed again. She always did like green and so that was why her new dress had also green in it. The corset was tight around her waist and she felt much better, since it also supported her ribs. Now that she was dressed properly again she could start to make a plan, though she had to wait until Dilys was well enough to travel again.
“So what do you think?” she asked Aras when she lest the shop.

Aras
It seemed his stories were helping a little, because soon he noticed Louise relaxing a little more, and the incident in the stables was almost entirely forgotten. He stopped as they were almost in town, asking her if she thought the men that had chased her would be gone already. He could see a flicker of fear appearing on her face. "Never thought of that," she said, and he already felt bad for bringing it up.
When Jones came running their way, she quickly turned around, looking tense, but that changed when she saw Jones. Aras, in the meantime, wasn't sure if he should laugh or grunt at the way Jones was talking, firing off his story about what had happened. When he excused his words to Louise, however, Aras broke out into a wide grin. He might have known Louise for barely a few hours, but he already had gotten the impression she wasn't one to avoid cuss words herself. 
His grin disappeared when Jones noticed the girl was wearing his clothes, however, and he could already see the questioning look appearing on Jones' face as he looked at Aras. Louise let out a deep breath. "Yeah.. it's a good story...for another time I think," she said, and Aras - relieved - nodded. 
"Also, it's really not what you think," he added, making sure Jones didn't misunderstand them.
"So you are sure as hell that they're gone, at least for the time being?" Louise asked his friend, and Jones nodded. "Absolutely, miss. They couldn't mount their horses fast enough, believe me. Don't think they'll be coming back any time soon," Jones assured her.
"I am sorry for the woman by the way. If you see her can you say her that I am sorry... she had been quite nice," Louise added, surprising Aras.
Jones threw her a beaming smile at that - giving Mrs Calhoun any form of compliment was definitely a good way to be liked by anyone living in this town - and nodded. "Don't worry, Miss. Mrs Calhoun surely ain't made of glass, she can take a little punchin'. I ain't think you ought to worry, she definitely liked you if she decided to lie about your whereabouts, miss," Jones told her.

A little time later, after Aras had told Jones goodbye and walked with Louise towards the only shop in town that sold clothing, he was seated at one of the steps outside, entertaining Crow by throwing a stick for him. Crow was just running after it for what must've been the hundredth time, when Louise exited the shop.
"So, what do you think?" She asked Aras, and he rose to his feet to look at her. She was wearing a green dress, and though Aras definitely didn't know a thing about fashion, he could see that the colour suited her. He threw her a wide grin. "Stunning," he told her, just as Crow came racing back and almost hit him in the back of the knees. "Jesus Christ, Crow!" he cursed, even though he was laughing around the words. "You are a danger to us all, I swear," he added, patting the dog on the head and trying to wring the stick free from his mouth. The dog had never listened to any commands, anyway. When he finally managed to pull the stick free, he turned back to Louise.
"So, what do you want to do next?" He asked her. "We could return back to the farm, but I don't think the cows will appreciate your new clothes as much as the people here. We could go to Calhoun's salon, if we smile very friendly maybe she'll give us a drink for free," he proposed.

“stunning.” Came his reaction. She felt how she was turning a little bit more red on her cheeks and looked away. “Ow stop it.” She muttered softly. She never was any good with complements or anything like it, she always felt a little uncomfortable when somebody told her that... must have been because of before, she thought. As soon as she thought about that she banned the thought out of her mind, no. No, she was not going to think about that again. She had escaped and all of that was behind her now, she could go and make a life for herself now, she didn’t need to think back at that time...never.
Because she had been lost in her own thoughts she had not reacted to the way Crow was acting. She didn’t hear Aras telling him that he was a danger for everyone alive, otherwise she might have laughed about it. Suddenly she had the urge to leave again but she kept herself from going. Aras was a good man, an honourable and honest man, she was not going to drag him into this, she was not going to leave right under his nose. She was planning on leaving the money she owed, plus extra of course for Dyllis’s care, on the table, with probably a little note that had something on it like; thanks for everything. But that was a matter for over a day or so. Now she could just as well enjoy all of this.
"So, what do you want to do next?" He asked her. Which stunned her a little.
"We could return back to the farm, but I don't think the cows will appreciate your new clothes as much as the people here. We could go to Calhoun's salon, if we smile very friendly maybe she'll give us a drink for free," he proposed. She was still thinking about the offer and then she smiled at him gratefully. “Yes sure, why not. But I don’t care if I have to pay for it of course, I don’t want to give her any trouble. She’s had a hard day thanks to me.” Louise muttered, looking at the ground with a bit of shame on her face. “Maybe I can bring your father something when we get back to the farm? I... I just don’t want him to... you know..” she said, unsure about herself. “I really am no thief.” She whispered softly as she petted Crow on the head. “I’m not that much better than a thief but I am no thief.” She said, raising her eyes to meet his again.
“Anyway.” She said after she had cleared her throat. “Lead the way to the salon.” She said, as if what she had said before meant nothing.

Aras
"Oh, stop it," she replied as soon as he gave her a compliment, and he laughed. He noticed she suddenly went a little absent when she barely reacted as Crow bumped into his legs, and he gave her a quick searching look. He decided, however, that she would start talking about it hersef if something was bothering her, so he didn't mention it. Instead he proposed to go the saloon together, and she smiled at the offer. "Yes, sure, why not," Louise replied. "But I don't care if I have to pay for it of course, I don't want to give her any trouble. She's had a hard day thanks to me," she immediately added. Aras waved her words away and turned around to throw Crow's stick. "No need to be so modest. Every one likes a free drink, and besides, I don't think you need to worry about her having a hard day. Mrs Calhoun can stand a few things."
"Maybe I can bring your father something when we get back to the farm?" She asked, surprising him. "I.. I just don't want him to.. you know..," she said, though Aras didn't know. "I really am no thief. I'm not much better than a thief but I am no thief," she said, petting Crow before she looked up to him again.
Aras frowned at her in response. "What are you talking about?" He asked her, shaking his head. "Believe me when I tell you my dad didn't mean it. He's just a little- well, distant to strangers, and a little harsh on me. You absolutely don't need to feel obliged to get him something. Honestly, as long as you leave his cows be he's perfectly fine with your presence," he assured her. 
"Anyway," Louise said, clearing her throat. "Lead the way to the saloon." 
Aras broke into a grin and gestured for her to follow before he turned around on his heels. The saloon wasn't very far away, and it wasn't hard to spot either - it was the only place where horses were tight up next to the entrance, and as they neared the doors a loud clatter of people talking could be heard.
Aras pushed open the doors and waited for Louise to enter before he followed himself. There was a slight pause in conversation as people noticed Louise, probably concluding that she must be the girl the men had been after (there were few new faces to be seen around here), but then Mrs Calhoun snapped a tea towel in the air - supossedly random, but everyone was smart enough to take the cue and resume their conversations. Aras threw her a grateful smile as she came their way.
"Aras, I hope you left Pippin behind," was the first thing she said, warningly. Aras gave her a slightly offended look, muttering an of course. 
"And you, darling, how are you feeling? I sent Aras to help you because he was the first to approach your horse, but I hope he hasn't been too much trouble for you," she said, and her words sounded awfully much like an apology. Aras managed to look even more insulted.

Aras had stared at her as if she was an idiot or something of the kind. Then he started to apologise, or at least so it seemed, about his father’s behaviour. She didn’t care that much and simply let it slip past her. She knew what she had seen on his father’s face and she knew she wasn’t welcome there. The fact that she was wounded and that Aras had to buy her horse had been the last drop. She would have to get away, but not yet anyway, not yet.
They entered the Salon and immediately everyone stared at her. Some of them looked friendly, others were looking like they might kill her if she did one thing wrong. It felt like she was getting smaller and smaller with every second that passed.
Suddenly the madam behind the counter did a towel slapping thing and everything got back to normal but still Louise felt uncomfortable. The madam came their way and she just didn’t know what to do and so she just stood there, waiting.
"Aras, I hope you left Pippin behind," was the first thing she said, warningly, to Aras. Then she turned to Louise and looked at her with those stern eyes of hers. Louise just wanted to leave at that point, for some reason she felt like the woman could look into her soul and knew everything, simply by looking at her.
"And you, darling, how are you feeling? I sent Aras to help you because he was the first to approach your horse, but I hope he hasn't been too much trouble for you," she said, and her words sounded awfully much like an apology. At that Louise smiled as she tried to get the strange feeling off of her. “I am much better, Madam. Thank you so much for helping me and Dylis.” She said the her, a smile on her face and in her eyes. “He had been very helpful indeed. Without him Dylis would probably still be with those... men... and I would probably lie somewhere half dead because of simple stubbornness.” She said to her. “I am sorry that the men bothered you after all. It was not my intention for you or anyone to get hurt.” She said, looking at her feet as she felt the uncomfortable feeling come back again. She had something she could sell too, just to get a little more money and then she might get out of her without anyone trying to stop her.

Aras
Louise seemed awfully quiet next to him as Mrs. Calhoun came their way, but Aras wasn't sure what he had to say or do to change it. As the woman asked her how she was feeling, Louise smiled a little. "I am much better, madam," she said politely. "Thank you so much for helping me and Dylis," she added. "He has been very helpful indeed. Without him Dylis would probably still be with those... men.. and I would probably lie somewhere half dead because of simple stubbronness."
"Well, I'm not so sure about that last part. Surely, someone would've eventually found y-," he started, but his voice died as he saw the warning glare Mrs. Calhoun gave him. 
"I am sorry that the men bothered you after all. It was not my intention for you or anyone to get hurt," Louise said, looking at her feet now. Mrs. Calhoun tutted and lay a hand on her shoulder. "Now, now, there's no need to apologise for that. Come on, let me show you a table. The weather is awfully hot today, and you both look like you can use a cold drink," she said, guiding Louise and Aras to an empty table somewhere in the back of the saloon. "I'll be right back with something to drink for you two. Do you have anything against a beer?" She asked, turning towards Louise. Aras came here often enough for her to know what he liked and didn't like.

The woman was nice to her and it felt good to at least have the fake feeling of somebody caring. "Now, now, there's no need to apologise for that. Come on, let me show you a table. The weather is awfully hot today, and you both look like you can use a cold drink," the woman said and she guided Louise and Aras to an empty table somewhere in the back of the saloon. Louise sat down quietly and looked around a little. There were so many people here, probably the whole town or something like that. some were still looking, there was one man in particular who had this... look. She didn’t know how to describe it but when she looked at him she felt unsafe, her primal instinct of fleeing kicked in. however she couldn’t because the lady asked her something.
" Do you have anything against a beer?" She asked. “Not at all, thank you.” She replied with at faint smile on her face.
When the lady was out of sight she again looked at the man, who seemed vaguely familiar to her in a way. Where had she seen him before? Had she even seen him before or was it just something she made up in her mind?
“So after the drink we should head back I guess?” she proposed to Aras, while keeping the familiar unfamiliar guy in sight. “but before we go back, do you mind if I pop by the pawnshop? I forgot something, I just remember.” She told him, with a genuine concerned look on her face.
The madam came back and she gladly accepted the beer, she was already sweating from the heat in her dress, which was a shame because it was just new. “So what are you going to be doing now?” she asked Aras. “I mean everything is quiet again I suppose? I’ll be leaving soon, so that leaves you with crow and your father.” She asked.

Aras
Louise replied to Mrs Calhoun question with a, "Not at all, thank you," and smiled. She seemed a little tense, but Aras had no idea why or how he could help ease her nerves. She was looking at something behind him, and he tried to follow her eyes to see what it was that made her tense up like this. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, however.
"So after the drink we should head back I guess?" 
He turned back towards her, feeling a little guilty at trying to find out what she had been looking at. Aras gave her a shrug by way of an answer. "Whatever you want," he told her. 
"Before we go back, do you mind if I pop by the pawnshop? I forgot something, I just remember," she told him, with a kindo f concern written on her face that made him smile. "Of course," he said. "There's really no need for you to feel so obliged to return all the favours, you know that right?" he added.
Mrs Calhoun returned with their beer, and both Louise and himself gladly accepted the cold drinks. 
"So what are you going to be doing now?" Louise suddenly asked, just as Aras took a sip of his beer. "I mean everything is quiet again I suppose? I'll be leaving soon, so that leaves you with Crow and your father," she added. Aras pursed his lips and trailed the rim of his glass with his index finger. "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it quiet with Crow still around," he joked. As if on cue, Crow - who was standing outside entertaining or horrifying the horses - let out a loud bark.
"I still need to find out more about the beast killing off our cows, so I guess I'll be doing that when you're gone," he said, not really wanting to think about it. Of course he hadn't liked the way Louise had been shot and hunted, but her presence did make a nice distraction from his normally boring routine days.
He took another sip from his beer and eyed her over the top of his glass. "What'll you be doing when you leave this place?" he asked, suddenly carefully. "I haven't even asked, I mean, do you have- do you have any family or something?"