Realistic or Modern heading westward on| p |

[beess]

[hope you do well with all your school work :0 having the same situation here

and nice! I could of sworn I mentioned it just had to make sure lmao. i was thinking to have him show up right when Alex gets kidnapped and he helps Johnnie. I have his whole character pretty well planned out now]

Johnnie couldn't help but laugh slightly at Alex's teasing remark about him getting all sappy as well as the statement about his accent. "Yeah, well ain't you lucky with that damn accent of yours, got people practically at your feet with it." The outlaw's mood then quickly turned when the other man replied to his worries about bounty hunters just happening to be hiding out. With a heavy exhale the man tried to relax his shoulders and nodded, "You're right, we've done it before we'll be able to do it again." Usually, the outlaw was never that bothered by bounty hunters and the law but in the very moment right when he was on his sister's trail, he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind. He couldn't let it come to a stop right when they've started and the sudden thought gave him a burst of motivation and he suddenly perked up. "Let's pick up the pace, we can hopefully get there couple hours before sundown if we're quick enough." He would then pause and a smile formed on his face as he turned to face his companion, "Race you there?"

However, before Johnnie even awaited an answer from the other man he was already getting his horse into a gallop, laughing to himself as he did.

 

[david tennant]

same to you! my schedule should clear up some in november, but i am already dreading these next two months

that works great with me! i am excited for it all to play out lmao))

Alexander’s smile grew as he heard his words. “You do have to admit it is lovely. Besides, you are lucky enough to hear it all the time.” He winked at Johnnie then. It wasn’t often that he saw the other male in this hsppy state. He would do anything to keep him that way. A lot had been on both of their minds as of late. The change of mood was rather nice. His own mood shifted as they talked about the bounty hunters. His smile faded and he focused his gaze ahead for a few moments. He nodded in agreement with his words. A gentle sigh escaped him as he looked around them. He constantly checked the area that surrounded them in case anyone was following them.

He turned his head back to Johnnie when he heard his words. His eyes widened, but the other male had already taken off. He quickly got his horse into a gallop after him. “You cheater!” He called after him.

 

[beess]

[i'll definitely get a little form set up for the bounty hunter real quick]

Johnnie smiled widely to himself as he heard Alex call out after him. He was glad that they could still have moments like these where the two of them could just mess around and feel at least some sense of freedom even with the massive bounties on their heads. It wasn't that often where Johnnie could say he felt genuine happiness but whenever he was around Alexander, it was an entirely different story.

The outlaw continued spurring his horse on, yelling and laughing the whole way through. The trip to the town really seemed much more shorter with the fun that he was having and Johnnie had barely even realized the time they spent getting there once they had arrived. Once their location came into view, he slowed his horse and sat himself up straight, his horse now in a prancing sort of motion as if she were a show horse. "Looks like I win." Johnnie grinned slyly, completely glossing over the fact that he had gotten one hell of a head start. He made sure to give the mare plenty of praise and pats to the side of her neck all while he sat up, chest exaggeratedly puffed out.

 

[david tennant]

okie dokie! c: ))
Alexander slowed his horse when he finally caught up to the other male. He wanted to try to put on a defensive look, but he couldn’t help the smile that was spread on his lips. The trip had gone much quicker than it would’ve if they hadn’t raced. “You only win because you cheated. You are lucky I don’t hold grudges against friends.” He teased him lightly. He moved his horse closer to the other then, rolling his eyes as he noticed the way he was acting. He turned his gaze to look at the town. His eyes widened some. “Well this place is much bigger than I expected.” He admitted. He reached down to lightly pat his horse’s neck.

“Since you clearly cheated, why don’t you go find us a place for the night? I need to stretch my legs some and then I will find you.” He put the suggestion out there with a gentle smile. His ankle was still aching from the morning. It was a worrisome sign. He was praying that they wouldn’t have any issues while being here. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it too far by foot. He carefully got down from his saddle, landing gently on the ground. His legs were tight from having been on the horses back for most of the day. He slowly took a few steps then.

 

[beess]

Spoiler: bounty hunter

full name: ashley 'ash' james cassidy
nickname(s)/alias(es): goes by ash for short and has a two fake names of barret smith and riley west. given the nickname of coyote cassidy
age: 33
sexuality: homoromantic asexual
height: 5'11
faceclaim: bruce campbell
weapons: matching dual schofield revolvers, small peacekeeper hidden in a shoulder holster, sawed off shotgun hidden on horse's saddle, lever-action rifle, carcano rifle, small knife in a hidden sheath under his boot, and two matching bowie knives
horse: 13 year-old female nokota who he's had since she was young. saved her from abusive owners. named lucky ace but calls her luck or lace for short. incredibly strong bond with her she'll stick to his side like glue and is as loyal as a dog
hat: old dark brown hat he's had since he was young. very worn out and the felt is noticeably more rubbed off on the left side of the crown than anywhere else on the hat where a bullet just scraped it
scars: long scar on neck where he was once slashed with a knife, rope burns on wrists and ankles from a bounty hunt gone wrong which resulted in him getting thrown in a lake and almost drowning, very noticeable scar on his lip that goes down to his chin from being hit with a glass bottle, whip scar on his left forearm, and other various bullet and knife wound scars

personality traits:

• undeniably cocky and confident but being one of the best bounty hunters does that to a person. it can get to his head sometimes
• sarcastic and stubborn, he's not known to make friends on first introductions. likes to push people's buttons and get into people's heads
• intelligent and collected, he can keep his cool in the most stressful of situations. it's quite hard to intimidate him
• known to be a flirt, he likes to get people all flustered and embarrassed.
• actually very kind and lighthearted whenever he isn't acting like an arrogant ass

other info/notes:

• his family has a lot of ties to work in the law. his father was a sheriff and his brother currently a US marshal. his father wanted him to take over as sheriff but due to conflicting ideas he ended up a bounty hunter
• kind of an outcast from his family they don't like to associate with him
• questionable ethics and what side he's really on
• his only surviving family members are his brother and sister
• has had his own run-ins with the law and has been arrested a couple times
• very complicated relationship with the law
• used to be after johnnie long before he partnered up with alex
• has now been after the two for years but he kind of disappeared some time back
• has a strange sort of friendly rivalry with the two. he respects them in a way
• after the same gang johnnie's sister is in
• one of the best bounty hunters. he's taken down some of the most notorious and dangerous gangs and elusive outlaws
• afraid of swimming and almost any body of water after almost drowning
• cheats at poker and is really good at doing so
• soft spot for animals, especially horses
• kids like him and he does well with them even if he might not like them
• gun spinning expert, he knows a lot of tricks
• he will not let you call him ashley if you aren't an immediate family member, close to him, or a friend or just somebody he's familiar with. if you do and don't fit the criteria, he will most likely gut you

Johnnie scoffed, a look of fake surprise on his face, "Cheating? I have no idea what you're talking about." It was then when Alexander mentioned the size of the town that Johnnie would then actually fully take the place in and the other man was right, it was way bigger than what was expected and he let out a slow whistle of awe. The two of them never usually liked to hang around in larger towns and especially cities but in the situation they were currently in, Johnnie was sure some exceptions could be made. He then watched as Alex dismounted his horse and nodded at his statement, putting out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, I guess it's the least I could do." Looking down at Alex he observed his bad ankle for a moment. "Promise me you'll be careful carrying yourself on that foot of yours, I ain't want to come back and find you fully broke it or something like that." Johnnie's tone was half joking and half serious but he made sure to end it with a small teasing smile before looking out ahead at where he would be able to find a place to ask to stay at.

"Alright, guess I'll see you in a few. We can go meet up in whatever saloon is out here. Now, don't go having too much fun without me." With that, the outlaw got his horse moving down the path and further into the town, making sure to keep an extra eye out in the new unknown environment. He was always much more wary of larger places. Bigger spaces just meant more places for bounty hunters and perhaps even rival outlaws to hide and make their move. Feeling a bit more exposed then usual, Johnnie shrugged his jacket a bit closer and pulled his hat down a bit further.

 

[david tennant]

i literally already love him))
Alexander rolled his eyes as he heard his words, but it was clear to see that he didn’t mind the fact that the other male had cheated. It was actually quite funny, especially now that he thought about it. He would’ve probably let the other male win anyways. It was something that would’ve made the other male happy. He would do anything to see the smile back on Johnnie’s lips. “Mhm, sure. I guess I will have to let it slide this time.” He teased gently. He turned his gaze back to the town, biting his bottom lip. It was far too late for them to try to push on to somewhere with a smaller population. They just had to hope that luck would be on their side today. “I promise. Be safe.” His words were simple. He gave him a gentle smile in return.

He watched as the other male rode off, letting out a gentle breath as he did so. He began to walk slowly and carefully towards the entrance to the town, keeping an eye out as he did. His legs still aches as he did so, but it felt better to be able to move them some. The longer that he ended up walking, the more his ankle began to hurt. He let out a gentle sigh as he carefully climbed back onto his horse. He clicked his tongue and soon was off into the streets. He made sure to keep her pace slow, wanting to make sure that he didn’t miss a sign of Johnnie anywhere. He didn’t meet anyone’s gaze, not wanting to gain any attention.

 

[beess]

[glad u do I was having so much fun coming up with him

so how should Alex get kidnapped like he takes a wrong corner and just gets straight up taken? or something else along those lines?]

Johnnie was grateful to see that almost everybody he passed by could've cared less about his presence. However, didn't help ease his mind any but he kept counting on, looking at all the buildings and every sign that he passed. It didn't take long before he spotted what looked to be the building of an inn and he picked the pace up just a bit. The sight of the building gave him a good glimmer of hope to the fact that maybe this time they wouldn't have to spend the night in a saloon's extra rooms. Quickly but carefully pulling up to the hitching post he unmounted and carefully tied the mare's reins to the post, careful not to disturb the other horse that was already there. Johnnie took the place in a bit more before heading in, quietly making a note that the building had a second floor and another set of stairs on the outside that looked like it led to some kind of balcony or just served as an extra exit or entrance. Opening the door, he was met with quite a spacious and clean lobby, a single work at the desk and a couple people hanging out at a nearby table.

Johnnie approached the innkeeper as friendly as possible and it wasn't long before he was actually able to get a place for them to stay. He was lucky enough that they had more than enough rooms to spare on that day and he was just as lucky to see that nobody had yet to realize who he was. After being shown where it was Johnnie gave his thanks and was out quickly, glad that their lodging was now taken care of. Now all that was left to get some information and meet back up with Alex, if he could just find whatever saloon existed in the place first.

 

[david tennant]

He seems like he was really fun to create!

And I can have him get to the saloon, get off his horse, hear a noise, investigate and he could be ambushed by them c: ))

Alexander glanced around as he continued to make his way down the street. The combination of streets were difficult to him, especially since this town was much larger than ones that they had been to before. He was hoping that they wouldn’t get caught here. It was his biggest worry at the current moment in time. He made his way down the center of town. He was still unable to spot the saloon from where he was. He let out a gentle breath, turning right then. He figured that it must not be too far off of the path. After all, the building was very important to travelers. It wasn’t too much longer before he did find the saloon.

A smile came onto his face when he noticed Johnnie’s horse outside. He carefully dis mounted his own and then tied her on the pole. The saloon was right near an alley, right on a corner. He heard some movement from around the corner, raising an eyebrow. He placed his hand on his holster, slowly moving around the corner and into the alley. He would rather check to make sure that they were safe before heading to Johnnie. He stepped slowly and quietly. He got about halfway down before he noticed no one there. Confused, he turned back. His eyes widened then.

 

[beess]

[ah hell ambush time]

By the time Johnnie had finally found the saloon, there were already a good amount of people huddled up inside which never surprised him. He'd be more worried if the place was empty. Lucky enough for him, there just had happened to be a table out near the front of the entrance which he quickly took just to make it easier on Alex to come and find him. The outlaw sighed and relaxed into his chair a bit but not without still keeping a keen eye out for anybody who may be looking to cause him trouble. Good thing was that nobody paid any attention to him, they were all of to their devices and for a moment, Johnnie felt like he could actually be a bit off guard for once. The place didn't seem familiar to him but in turn the people weren't familiar with him either which was the best thing he could have wished for at the moment. Taking out a busted pocket watch, he eyed the time and then eyed the batwing doors that served as the entrance. Just a couple minutes and he was sure Alex would be arriving.

Meanwhile out of the outlaw's sight the exact gang that he was right on the trail had carefully and quietly set themselves outside near the saloon in the alleyway, looking for some poor unsuspecting victim to jump. About several of them were all waiting, watching like hawks when somebody happened to fall right into their trap. Each member, all masked with bandanas waited quietly before the stranger that had entered the alley turned back around. First out was a man in a black and red bandana, gun aimed straight at Alex's head and it didn't take long for the rest of the group to follow suit. Two more came to the lead man's left and right and one last one stood behind, armed with a rope. The man in the black and red bandana grinned, taking long strides up towards Alexander, the other three members having not left their spots. "I'm gonna need you to discard that gun of yours, partner." The stranger's voice was demanding and cold as he raised his revolver a bit higher towards Alex's face.

 

[david tennant]

heck yeah. feel free to have them shoot alex in his leg or something if you want))

Alexander lifted his head some to look at the group that turned the corner towards him. He let his expression relax some. He knew there was no reason to panic in this situation. He had been in it before, with less people of course. He offered them a gentle smile. “Come on lads, surely we can reach a deal of some sort. I have plenty of money to offer.” He commented. He kept his hand on his holster, refusing to give them the ground they asked for currently. “We are in the same line of work. It would be a shame if you decided to not hear me out.” He added after a few moments of silence. He hadn’t seen these men before. They must stick only to this area. After all, Johnnie and himself had travelled much of the west. There were bounties on their heads everywhere.

“How much would you like? I can triple it if you give me a bit of time. It is easy to scam the unsuspecting citizens.” His smile only grew. He knew better than to leave himself unarmed in this situation. It would most likely be certain death. But then again, so would the gun pointed at his head. He was aware of the knife that he had in his belt. It wouldn’t do much against a gun, but he could try. He slowly lifted the gun from its holster, tossing it to the side. “Now let’s be civil.”

 

[beess]

[this poor man]

The lead man watched every movement that Alexander made as carefully as a hawk, his eyes narrowed under the brim of his hat. Without moving, another one of the members slowly came up and took the gun that had been tossed to side. Even though Alex's weapon had now been discarded of, the lead man still kept his gun aimed and trigger finger at the ready. He took a couple more steps forward, "Triple, huh?" the man paused and laughed, pressing the barrel of the revolver up against the Englishman's forehead, "you ain't foolin' me into letting you go." There was no warning as the man suddenly aimed downwards at Alex's leg and quickly pulled the trigger, shooting him just so that he was injured enough to not be able to walk on his own but not to the point where he would bleed out. "That civil enough for you?"

Backing up a bit, the man in the black and red bandana allowed the one member with the rope to come up to Alex. However, it was clear that the member with the rope was much smaller in stature compared to the other three and there was almost a look of sympathy in their eyes as they approached Alexander, quickly getting to tying his hands up.

In the saloon, Johnnie continued staring at the door, leaning his head into his hand. "Couple more minutes..." the outlaw would quietly mumble to himself. As he did, he could have sworn he heard a gunshot over all the saloon noise. Slowly, he lifted his head, a look of concern painted on his face as he stared at the entrance but he would then shake his head, trying to clear his mind of any 'what-if' situations. There was a lot happening in the saloon after all and it didn't seem like anybody else seemed to pay any attention so Johnnie came to the conclusion that perhaps it was somebody dropping something or some glass breaking.

 

[david tennant]

lmao it’s okay. extra angst))

Alexander nodded his head as he heard his question. “Triple.” He kept his words simple, hoping that they might agree to letting him go. The laugh made him uneasy. He wanted to shift the way he was standing since his ankle was beginning to throb. He knew that if he did, he would most likely he shot and killed on spot. He froze completely as the barrel of the gun was pressed against his forehead. This part hadn’t happened before. Some fear flashed in his eyes. Normally Johnnie was around to help him if he ever got cornered. This was the first time he had been stuck in this situation alone. His mind drifted to wondering where Johnnie was at that moment. Would he realize what happened if he ended up not meeting him later?

His thoughts were interrupted as the gun went off. A soft sound escaped him as he fell to the ground, pain hitting him. He wanted to start cursing at the man that shot him, but it would get him nowhere. He didn’t try to fight it as his hands were tied behind him. He just looked to the man that shot him, glaring daggers at him.

 

[beess]

[can never have enough angst]

As the person finished tying up his hands, the other two came around and began to haul Alexander up from under his arms, a bit too forcefully. The lead man watched, placing his weapon back into its holster, the most devilish of smiles underneath his bandana. Nothing else was said as he turned around, the other three members following suit with Alex being dragged along. Not too far away was a small wagon pulled by a single draft horse with space up front for two and extra space in the back.

The two strangers bringing Johnnie along dragged him up to the front on the passengers side. They both let go and one of them pushed him a bit and motioned upwards, "Go up, passenger seat." The stranger's hand lay on top of his gun, waiting for Alex to follow his orders. Meanwhile the lead man was already in the driver's, reins in hand withe the person who tied Alex up already situated in the back, quietly staring down at their feet.

 

[david tennant]

definitely))

Alexander let out a grunt as he was lifted from under his arms. The way he was yanked up caused him some pain, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the gunshot wound in his leg. The pain from that was absolutely excruciating. It had been a long time since he had been shot. He glanced around as he was dragged off, looking to the building where he assumed Johnnie was in. He knew better than to try to yell out for his companion. He only prayed that the other male stepped out and saw him horse then. That should be enough for him to realize that something was indeed wrong. He took a deep breath, knowing that there was nothing else he could currently do.

He wasn’t surprised to see the wagon stopping in front of them. He was surprised by the way he was suddenly dropped. He stumbled, catching himself on it. “You all have a great sense of hospitality.” The sarcastic words slipped out before he could stop them. By this point, the worst they could do was kill him. He already had been shot. He tried to take a step on the leg that had been shot, almost falling to the ground once more. The pain was far too much for him to handle walking on it yet. He hobbled his way to where he could climb in carefully. It wasn’t easy with his hands tied, but he managed. He took a seat, leaning back some then.

 

[beess]

The lead man watched as Alex entered the passenger seat and scoffed at his sarcastic remark, "better watch that tongue, partner. Could still change our minds on whether to let you live or not." He waited as the last two members entered into the back of the wagon, one of them signalling that the coast was clear to leave. With that, the lead man gave a flick of the reins and the wagon jerked forward and back out onto the path out of the town.

Back in the saloon, Johnnie was getting more anxious by the second. Alex was never this late no matter what. He knew the conman was able to find his way around places and it wasn't like the saloon was hard to see or anything. Glancing at his pocketwatch the outlaw cursed to himself. More time had passed than he would have liked and he was already standing up and heading out of the saloon. As he opened the doors he saw a new horse at the post and that's when it all came together.

Walking up Alex's horse, the outlaw carefully placed his hand on the animal's nose, looking left and right for the conman. "Goddamnit, where's he at?" Johnnie had projected the question one half to himself and half to the horse. Narrowing his eyes, observing the area he walked off some ways and towards the nearby alleyway. Entering it, he could just feel something was off and he walked a bit further in he noticed a few spots that were darker in color compared to others and on closer inspection came to the conclusion that it was blood. Blood that was spilled only recently. Putting together his missing companion, the horse left behind, and the blood he quickly stood up and swore loudly. Someone had taken, Alexander.

 

[david tennant]

Alexander glanced over at the man sitting next to him. He bit his tongue, knowing better than to say anything now. It would only make things worse. If he wasn’t able to keep his mouth under control, he would be killed. He looked forward then, sending a silent prayer that Johnnie would realize what happened. He was actually a bit surprised that they hadn’t bother covering his eyes or his head with cloth on the journey to wherever they were going. It was something he truthfully expected out of the men. You always had to make sure that your kidnappee wouldn’t know where you were going, unless you already planned on killing them.

He supposed he had a pretty decent life up to this point. His parents raised him well, which he was lucky about. He was able to travel to come here, growing his wealth exponentially. The one thing he would regret was not telling Johnnie the way he truly felt. It was hard to hide his feelings for as long as he did. Maybe if he got out of this, he finally would. He guessed the worst thing that could come of the situation was the other male not feeling the same way. He would take his chances though.

 

[beess]

As the wagon exited the town, the lead man led it on down the path a bit further on before taking a turn off of it and into the trees, carefully maneuvering the large draft horse through the vegetation. The ride was fairly silent, save for a couple choice words of conversation of the other members in the back. Once in a while, the lead man would glance over at Alex to make sure he wasn't planning anything. The way to their location took a couple more turns through more trees and vegetation, almost as if they were trying to cover their tracks. Finally, what seemed like a ride that wouldn't end, they pulled up to a small cave hidden between a large gathering of trees. Pulling up close to it, it was clear that there was a small campfire somewhere further down in the cave as well as another two more gang members and at least several other people they had kidnapped all sitting up against the cave's wall.

At the arrival of the wagon, the two guards arrived at the passenger's side. One of them lifted themselves up a bit before roughly grabbing Alex by the collar of his clothing and practically dragging him off of the wagon. The lead man would soon dismount as well as the three others that had come along. The other guard that was at the cave took up the driver's seat and left to move the wagon someplace else. Aiming the barrel of his rifle at the back of Alex's head, the man who had dragged him down motioned with his head for the conman to start moving. "Come on, inside the cave, get moving." There was really no time for a breather or at least some sort of break with the kidnappers, it was clear that they were experienced and didn't want to go wasting much time.

Back in the alleyway, Johnnie was sitting on his knees, anger already beginning to build up inside of him. For a couple seconds, he sat like that, staring at the bloodstains on the ground before gritting his teeth and standing up. They couldn't have gone far, the blood was recent and that gunshot noise he heard while in the saloon wasn't that long ago. The outlaw was too far into his mind and trying to figure out where his companion could have been taken to even realize he was heading full speed into somebody who was just outside the alleyway. The collision with the stranger was hard enough to snap the outlaw back into reality. At what Johnnie concluded was just some stranger soon went out the window as he looked up, an all too familiar face locking eyes with him. Johnnie didn't hesitate to pull out his gun, much to the person's surprise, "You! You goddamn bounty hunter you had something to do with it, didn't you?!" The bounty hunter, in question, being none other than Ashley Cassidy.

 

[david tennant]

quick question before i respond: do you want me to be Ashley for the time being? if not, no worries c: that way i can respond appropriately))

 

[beess]

[oh yeah feel free to be him :0]

 

[david tennant]

i just didn’t want it to be too one-sided for you c: ))

Alexander stayed quiet throughout the trip. He didn’t want speak up and get another bullet in his leg. Besides, it gave him some time to think. There wouldn’t be an easy way for him to try and escape if he even wanted to. He was far outnumbered. Johnnie should’ve realized that something was off by now. He was never late with meeting the other male, even when they separated before. He always found a way to meet up with him promptly. The other male needed to just realize what happened to him now. The gunshot should’ve been loud enough to be heard from the saloon.

He was snapped from his thoughts as the wagon came to a stop. He let the guards drag him from the passenger seat. He slowly balanced himself. His legs was sticky from blood. His pant leg was clingy to him in the most uncomfortable way possible. “You will have to forgive me. Your trusty leader shot my leg so I will be moving a bit slower.” His words held his usual attitude. He slowly began to make his way into the cave. He was surprised to see the group of people that had already been kidnapped. He didn’t know why they would want so many people. There were far too many liabilities. His steps were still more of a hobble than a proper walk.

The man stumbled back, lifting his gaze to see who ran into him. He was about to open his mouth to spew off a few words before he realized who it was. A smile began to spread on his lips. “Ain’t this a fun surprise?” He didn’t answer the question at first. He didn’t seem phased by the gun being pulled on him. It happened multiple times before. It wasn’t anything new. It only took a quick movement before he pulled his as well. “I didn’t do a goddamn thing. Where’s your partner? That conman,” He paused, clicking his tongue,” Wasn’t his name Alexander?” He inquired.

 

[beess]

The arrival of a newcomer to the cave had the several other people that were already there all perking up, trying to get a good look at Alex. However, seeing that the man was tied up and injured as well quickly diminished any thoughts of hope they had and they sunk back into the wall, all of them clearly defeated. One of the people already looked like they had been through hell, unlike the others that were present he looked beat up and was the only one with something covering his mouth, most likely to keep him from talking. The guard that was behind Alex only huffed in reply to the conman's remark, clearly unamused. As they approached closer to where the others were sat, the man grabbed Alex by his shoulder and practically shoved him down next to a horribly distraught woman.

Outside the cave, the lead man was talking with one of the members, mentioning things about ransoms. Glancing over towards the cave, the lead man made eye contact with, Alex, eyes narrowed and glaring daggers straight through him. The guard who took the wagon out someplace soon returned and the man who was gagged had managed to somehow get his mouth free and began yelling all kinds of swears at the gang member. Angered by the words, the guard made his way over, looking ready to hit the man in the side of head with the butt of his revolver but was stopped by one of the other members who grabbed at his arm. "He's had enough, you idiot." Though their voice was low and warning quickly spoken, it was clear that it was the voice of a woman.

Johnnie felt his heart rate rising as the bounty hunter spoke and he took a few steps closer, the barrel of his weapon pointed straight into the other man's chest. It didn't help how calm Ashley was acting, though, he didn't really expect much of the man. When he was told that Ash knew nothing, Johnnie pushed the bounty hunter back a bit with the barrel of the revolver, "Hell you mean you done nothing?! I knew you did something, stop playing dumb. You did something to him, took him or hired some goddamn people to do it for you." Johnnie grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes, looking as if he was ready to pull the trigger but he kept himself, not wanting to make things worse than they already were. Though, his gun still trained on the other man's chest, Johnnie tried to calm himself. Maybe Ashley was right, maybe he didn't do anything and the outlaw took a deep breath, trying to relax but nothing seemed to work.

 

[david tennant]

Alexander watched the people as he got closer, narrowing his eyes some. They looked like harmless civilians. He had no clue why a gang would want anything to do with them. His eyes immediately fell upon the person that had been beaten worse than the rest. He could tell that the reason his mouth was covered was due to his talking back. A soft smirk formed on his lips. He knew that he would’ve ended up the same way if he kept running his mouth. He appreciated that someone at least had made the effort to talk back against these men. He didn’t realize he was being shoved down until he actually hit the cave wall. A groan escaped him, landing on his bad leg. He bit his bottom lip hard, adjusting his body to face forward.

He immediately turned his gaze to the man that had shot him. There was quite a bit of hatred within him for that man. He would’ve flicked him off if he could’ve. Instead he gave him a shit-eating smile before blowing him a sarcastic kiss. He would’ve done more, but the man began to act out. He turned his head to look at the scene that was unfolding. One thing he hadn’t expected was the voice from the newest member to speak up. It was clearly female. It wasn’t common to see women in this line of work. His expression turned to one of curiosity.

Ashley didn’t waiver as the man stepped closer. The pressing of the gun to his chest didn’t bother him any. He knew Johnnie well enough to know that he wouldn’t shoot him yet. If the outlaw wanted him dead, he would’ve done so. “I didn’t do a damn thing. I would never hire anyone to go after you or him. If I wanted you dead, the reward money would go to me and me only. I don’t split my work.” He admitted. He would’ve thought that Johnnie knew that. “I’m guessing someone took your little lover boy. It could’ve been another bounty hunter, but I don’t know if any in the area. Now, he could’ve gotten tangled up with some of your kind.” He was referring to the gang that was in the area.

 

[beess]

Rolling his eyes and scoffing, the lead man looked back away from Alex, returning to his conversation with the other gang member, once in a while motioning towards the group of people they had kidnapped. Meanwhile, the man who had managed to remove his gag quickly had it put back and the gang member who had been interrupted by the female member began grumbling something under his breath, having a few choice words with the woman gang member. All through the beratement, she stood her ground, waiting for the man to leave before scoffing and muttering something to herself. When the man left, she sighed and looked over the group of their victims, eyes falling onto Alex. With a glance at the one guard that was standing at the mouth of the cave, she carefully approached him and knelt down.

"Pretty bad shot you took earlier, you ain't gonna bleed out or nothin'?" She motioned slightly with her head towards the bullet wound on his leg. The woman didn't await a reply before she continued to speak, noticing the guard at the entrance moving a bit, "look, I know you got all the reason to not listen to me right now but trust me when I say that you don't want to start anything. Just keep your mouth shut and keep still and you'll get out of this just fine." With that, the woman was standing back up right as the guard at the entrance was turning around. The two gang members made eye contact and the woman gave a look of 'I wasn't doing anything' before disappearing somewhere off outside the cave.

Johnnie listened as Ashley spoke, doing his best to fight through the anger that was beginning to blind him. However, the more the bounty hunter spoke, the more Johnnie was able to conclude that he really had nothing to do with Alexander's disappearance and he slowly lowered his weapon, though no holstering it. "Of course you'd keep the money, you greedy bastard. Can't believe I forgot just who you are." Johnnie continued listening as Ashley rattled on his own theories on who could've taken Alex and the outlaw physically reacted to Ash called Alex 'lover boy' but quickly tried to brush it off. "Some of my kind?" Johnnie lifted his weapon again, "you better start spilling on what you mean. I don't got time for this."

 

[david tennant]

Alexander could feel the smile growing on his lips as he saw the reaction that the lead man had. He loved messing with people like that, especially in situations like this. It was the one thing that brought him some sense of joy. The little rises that he was able to get out of people were quite funny. He knew that this situation was one that he probably shouldn’t bother trying to mess with, but he couldn’t help himself any. He wanted to get back at him for shooting his leg. He turned his gaze to watch the man get gagged again. He still had no clue why they all were being kept here. He wished that he could overhear some of their conversations. It would help him get a better idea as to what was going on.

He was a bit surprised to see the woman coming over to him. He narrowed his eyes some at her words. It was odd that she was being so polite to him. “Maybe I would comply easier if they hadn’t shot me.” His words were quiet in response to her. There was no reason for him to be any louder. It seemed that she was risking something by talking to him. He kept his mouth shut once again, looking down to his leg. He was still free-bleeding. Thankfully the blood wasn’t coming out as badly as it had earlier. He was feeling rather lightheaded due to it. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Ashley let out a chuckle as he was accused of being greedy. “I just do my job Johnnie. You should understand that as well as anyone.” He commented. He slowly lowered his gun when the other male did so as well. He kept it in his hand. The encounter still wasn’t fully done and he didn’t trust him. Almost immediately, he watched the outlaw lift his gun again. “I ain’t in town for you this time. There is another group of outlaws I have been tracking for a while now. They’ve been stealing a bunch of people. I wouldn’t be surprised if they took your partner.” He explained.

 

[beess]

Johnnie listened carefully, even if he had his gun raised, the outlaw was determined to get any sort of information that he could. As Ashley went on, the outlaw lifted an eyebrow in question, finally fully lowering his gun and returning it to his holster. He felt safe enough around the other man since he seemed honest enough. However, the sound of a band of outlaws going around stealing people definitely did not sound like the most ideal of situations but then again, this whole thing really wasn't the most ideal of situations. "Alright then, I've my answer." There was no hesitation in Johnnie replying and beginning to walk off towards his horse but about halfway there, he realized that maybe going in by himself wasn't the best of ways to go about rescuing his companion and the outlaw stopped, though a bit hesitantly.

Sighing, he didn't turn around for a moment, simply looking at the ground regretting every decision that had led him up to this moment. After a few seconds of wallowing in his regret, the outlaw turned back around, "Are you... willin' to help me?" He mentally swore to himself, not completely believing what he was doing at that very moment but he needed any help he could get and Ashley seemed to already know this group well enough. "You know 'em better than I do." Johnnie was doing his best not to sound too desperate because as much as he would like to avoid working with a bounty hunter, he was going to get any help he could get, especially one who he knew was good at their job.

"You better make up your mind fast, I ain't going to stick around for long." It was clear that Johnnie was ready to leave in the way he kept eyeing his horse, looking back and forth from Ashley to the animal at the hitching post. He knew the longer he stuck around, the more trouble Alexander was definitely going to get into.