Hearts & Lead (Sailor Moon x WanderingWriter)

[WanderingWriter]

"The West is no place for the weak or the timid, you'd be good to remember that. Those who survive in this life have to scratch and claw their way through, fer you ain't promised nothing but a pine box...and maybe not even that. The people are about as constant as the time of day, nothing to get yourself concerned with though, Rabbit...just remember all I've taught ya, and you'll do just fine...".

It was one of those dreams where Alexandria was a little girl sitting on the porch with her father as he lectured her on life and the ways of the West, she loved that dream. It was a peak back to simpler times, where she was a bit more carefree and unencumbered. It had been a long time since she had a dream with her father in it, let alone that particular dream. She had recently been hit with a string of recurring nightmares of sorts, all of them usually including the MacArthur Family, and all the dreams ending in a similar fashion. Her death. That isn't to say she didn't put a good fight in those dreams, but there were simply just so many members of the MacArthurs and not enough bullets to go around...or at least not enough that hit their intended target. The dream with her father had ended and for some reason had roused her from her sleep, so now she lay in her bed in the Sheriff's Quarters, staring up at the wall. She could feel the ever so slight night breeze blowing through the window, the loose fitted wood rattling as it was whipped repeatedly by the drafts of air, some skillful enough to slip through the cracks and reach her on the bed.

Silver Springs, the town was named. She couldn't understand how or who named this town, but she didn't think that it really lived up to such a name. She had arrived only 5 days ago, at the behest of one of her closest companions and with the blessing of the town's Mayor, a Mr. Huckabee. She had been a licensed bounty hunter since the age of 16, but had been going on runs since she was able to ride. Her father had been a deputy of sorts, but he had to make more money on the side for them to both be able to live, her mother having passed during childbirth. Bounty hunting was the way to go, if you were looking to cash in, and you weren't afraid of the possibility of death. Her father had been great at both his job and bringing in whatever slippery bastard he had been after. He had become such a well known hunter amongst both the hunters and the "prey", that those men ended up setting a trap for her father that resulted in his untimely death. Being the daughter of deputy, she sort of naturally followed in his footsteps, albeit only the bounty hunter side of it. She had a distaste for the law, as they were the ones too cowardly to do anything about her father's murder, saying things like: "How are we suppose to know who done it?" or "There are some extenuating circumstances that have come up" or even "We don't have the man power for such a venture". They had all but spit on her father's grave, in her eyes, having been the men he worked with to uphold the law, and yet in his wake they didn't even have the gull to go after or even search for the men responsible. Alexandria became a Bounty Hunter a few years later, operating out of Bounty Hunters HQ, also known as the Wolves Den. There she would earn the nickname "Black Rabbit", one that she wasn't particularly fond of, but the men seemed to respect it. It was a tough road though, gaining the respect of her masculine peers, as women weren't seen fit to be bounty hunters, and were usually simply informants who owned or operated in brothels. At first, her presence among them was seen as sacrilege, until a drunken man 3 times her size decided to get a bit to brash with her and she was forced to put him in his place right there in the bar. From that day forward, her respect among the men grew and as she successfully carried out bounties, so did her credibility.

However, those were actually simpler times. Now, she was "forced" to be the Sheriff of this town to try and lie low and hope that the bounty on her head was either lifted or those that were in search of her would give up. The latter of those two options seemed an outlandish thought, and she was pretty sure that the first one was just as ludicrous. Alex huffed as she rolled over in her bed, facing the wall, closing her eyes and dozing back off. As morning came and began to carry on, she awakened to the annoying sound of Douglas Duvall's voice. "Get your ass up, since when did you sleep this long, huh?" He sauntered out of her room, turning back for a moment, "Try not to get into too much trouble, alright. I've got to head back to the Den, so I'll be gone for a few days

Spoiler

Alexandria groaned at his words, slowly getting up from her bed, only covered in a long shirt. She yawned and stretched, standing to her tiptoes, before noticing that Douglas was still standing there. She scoffed at him, "Was there something else?" her tone expressing her annoyance at his breach of privacy. He shook his head at her, but grinned. "If that'll be all, you can go now. Tell Ma and Pa I said hi and that I'm doing fine." She waved him out as she began to change. Her Sheriff outfit been tailored for her form, but she had taken it and augmented it to serve her the way she liked, adding a few extra slots here and there and a few hidden slits within the coat to store her knives. Her father had told her that to survive, you had to be ready for any and everything. Preparation was the key...ironic in a way, as it was preparation that was his undoing. She shook the dream of her father from her mind, washing her face and washing the last remnants of sleep from herself before making her way over to the town's Saloon. She forgot what the mayor had called it, but she referred to it, in her mind anyway, as the Horseshoe Saloon due to the fact that there was a horseshoe pinned to side of the wall on the outside of the place. She was grateful that they served food in there, that and alcohol of course. It had been a rough few days, the travel to this town alone took 3 days from where she had been, and right off the bat she was met the disdain. Then again, she was young for her age, and certainly when it came to being the Word of Law around town. She knew that she was going to be the talk of the town for a while and that all eyes were gonna be on her, but that didn't really mean a damn thing to her. She only had to worry about people stepping out of line, be it citizens, ruffians, or lawmakers.

She checked her gear and clothes before sauntering over to the saloon, already feeling the eyes of those in street upon her and a few gazes from unseen places, she shrugged it off as she made her way to Horseshoe Saloon. The moment she entered the room she could feel the tension in the air, a masculine tension that read that she had no place there, she wasn't their superior, and that her badge and authority meant nothing to them. She ignored everyone, not missing a beat as she saddled up to the bar, where the cute brunette with full lips was working. She had already forgotten the girl's name, having to deal with being sworn in and all that mess had made the last few days of introductions both blend together and disappear. Sighing in both relief and slight aggravation, she slowly removed her hat, placed next to her on the table and waved the young girl over and smiled. The girl was certainly a cute one, and there actually quite a few good-looking ladies around town.

She chuckled to herself as she recalled how stunned some of the townspeople were when they heard her talk when she had first arrived, as she had a bit of an accent. Her father had told her that her mother had been an Indian of the Wakayah Tribe, and that that's where she had gotten her good looks and her mother's tongue. She had a smooth sounding voice, it was one that the cadence really drew you in and made you want to listen more, but on the flip side of that coin it could be quite intimidating when she became angry. The Wakayah people are a warrior tribe, so her father told her, and he said that getting the blessing to marry her was by far the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. Far harder than any rapscallion, scoundrel, or bounty that he had taken on. He never went into specifics about what it is he had to do back then, but from the look on his face when he spoke about it, she could see that her father meant every word that he said. Unfortunately, he would not tell her the whereabouts of her mother's people, saying that they don't take well to outsiders, and are especially not fond of Hunto, a derogatory term for a mixed bred child. They didn't believe that a mixed child had any merit as a warrior and was nothing more than garbage to be abandoned or killed for disgracing the tribe.

As the young thing approached, Alexandria gave her a quick up-and-down look, observing what she was wearing as well as her demeanor before giving the girl a good morning nod. "So, tell me, what's on the breakfast menu, darling?" the last word of the sentence dripped with the syrupy cadence that came with her hypnotic accent. Douglas had warned her earlier to keep her head down while he was gone, but she was sure that the girl didn't know that she was hitting on her. Plus, the last thing she needed right now was for the men of this town to learn that little tidbit about her. As the last time she checked, a relationship of the kind that she was more akin to was taboo, and very much likely to get yourself drowned, burned, shot, tortured, mangled, and a whole bunch of other things until dead. Brothels were about the only place that were safe to conduct such business. The only people who knew about her preferred orientation were Ma, Pa, and Douglas...even though the two of them have had sex before.

Now here she was; in unfamiliar territory, with a position that nobody wants her to have, a charge of authority that is most likely to be challenged, and a thousand tasks on her mind to accomplish that seem near impossible even under the best of circumstances. She sheds all that from her mind as she stares at the young woman before her, waiting for the girl's response.

 

[envogue]

Last Sunday

Double doors opened wide as a sea of churchgoers dressed in their Sunday's best flooded outside of the packed church and into the blistering sun. The wind had picked up quite a bit, bringing with it the reddish dust that seemed to coat most of the buildings and walkways in Silver Springs as it worked it's way through the crowd, making sure to paint everyone with speckles of red in exchange for the cool breeze. Honey was among the bustling bodies, hanging around on the outside with her best friend Rhett. The two of them had been inseparable since Honey was a baby, which made them more like siblings than anything since their families were so close. Townsfolk often speculated about their true relationship, labeling the two as 'soulmates' before they were even old enough to speak. Their parents didn't help any with how they always questioned the two about their nonexistent wedding date, but Honey or Rhett always maintained that they were just friends.

The two stood hand in hand, laughing quietly to themselves and sharing jokes only the two of them would understand. Rhett tightene his hold on Honey's and led her to the shade of the trees where they could have some privacy. He had glassy eyes and a saddened look on his face, Honey knowing exactly what it was about. "Today is my last day here. Am I finally going to get my kiss?" Rhett asked, pointing to his cheek with a smirk. "Naw. Just kidding, but I want to talk to you 'bout The Saloon. Been closed a week now, y'know..." He stated, releasing Honey's hand and folding his arms. He stepped back, back pressed against the trunk of a large tree as he sighed deeply. He was going to miss Silver Springs.

Honey stood in front of Rhett, chuckling at Rhett's joke before shaking her head in response. At mention of the Saloon, Honey got serious. It was Rhett's baby. He bought it with his own money and worked hard on getting it to where it was now. It was one of the few places in town strictly for adults, though the crowd wasn't one Honey would often be caught mingling with, she had gone by for a drink or two - sometimes helped Rhett cook in the kitchen. "Yeah? What are you planning on doin' with it? I don't think they'll be able to handle another day of it being closed. You see how many people came in here with black eyes? They got nothing better to do with themselves."

"Dammit, I know. Those fools can't go a week without a drink before they starting beating on themselves and their poor wives," Rhett said, already well aware of the state of Silver Springs and it's local drunkards. "But that's what I been meaning to talk to you about. I want you to take it over for me. Ain't got no one else I can trust, and Pa is too old to be standing on his feet all day. But you, you're perfect. I'll bet you'll bring in all kinds of new business too, Honey."

Honey looked at Rhett as if he had suddenly sprouted two heads, though as he continued she began to realize just how serious her friend was. Perhaps being around all that steam all day had scrambled his brains. "You're jokin' right? I can't run a bar, Rhett. What would my Father say? It...It ain't ladylike for me to be seen in a place like that, and I'm pretty sure it's against the law or somethin' for ladies to own male dominated establishments." The wind picked up again, Honey's white skirt whipping around her ankles and sending a cloud of red dust over the area. She shielded her mouth and nose with her arm, eyebrows narrowed at Rhett even through the slight dust storm.

Rhett cleared his throat, guarding his sinuses from the hail of dust and dropping his arm when it passed. How did he know Honey would respond that way? "I already asked your Pa, and he told me he was alright with it, because there was no way I'd get you to agree to it. He said you're too good for places like that, that you know you're too good for places like that. He laughed at me, too." Rhett said, vividly recalling the sound of Pastor Blackwood's laughter when he had approached him. It was a hardy, guttural laugh. Rolling his eyes, he pushed off the tree to get closer to Honey. "Come on, Honey. I had the lawyer draw up a contract and everything could be in your name. I'm gonna be in the big city, workin' as an Engineer and I won't have the time. Don't let my baby go to waste. Ain't you wanna prove your Pa wrong?"

Rhett

Present Day

The Black Mug had been open for several days now with Honey as the new management and owner of the establishment. Rhett had said just the right things and gotten her to agree to taking over the saloon. Honey signed the papers right there in front of the church, and then had gone home and told Pastor Blackwood what she had done, which was met with outrage and disagreement. He didn't think she would actually agree to it, and now that she was legally bound to the place, there was nothing either of them could do to get rid of it. Besides, Honey was secretly looking forward to having something to do with her spare time. She didn't have to go in all the time, but it actually wasn't so bad. Her presence hadn't yet been fully accepted by the majority of male customers, but they wouldn't fuss with eye candy. Seeing her as a pretty object to converse with took away the power that Honey wielded now that she was the owner of their favorite drinking spot.

Honey kept to herself for the most part, doing busy work around the saloon like sweeping, mopping, and wiping down any dirty surfaces. The Saloon had never looked cleaner. She was in the process of wiping down the mahogany wood with a wet dish rag, humming quietly to herself when the air in her bar shifted. She glanced up towards the swing doors entrance and saw the new Sheriff coming into the Saloon. Honey had only seen her once before, but she had heard enough about the new woman to last her a lifetime. Silver Springs folk loved good gossip, and a female Sheriff was unheard of, so people's lips were still hot with talk of the mysterious woman who was suddenly the law in their town. Honey averted her gaze briefly, then looked back to see the Sheriff giving her a look over, sort of like how some of the male patrons looked at her. Was she being sized up? Regardless of what the female Sheriff's intentions were, Honey had been raised in a home with manners and southern hospitality, it was only right that she go over and greet her. It would seem the Sheriff had the same idea in mind as she waved Honey over like some simple waitress.

"Good morning, Sheriff." Honey greeted, her voice sweet and crystal clear, with a soft accent similar to all the proper ladies in the west. There was that look again from the Sheriff, though more subtle than the last time. Her cheeks reddened just the faintest bit at the use of darling. That wasn't something women usually called other women, unless they were family or close friends. Honey didn't know how to feel about it, but it definitely caught her off guard. She almost forgot the question, somewhat lost in the foreign tinge to the woman's accent. "We have sausage and gravy with biscuits. Made fresh by me," Honey said with a smile, obviously proud. She was usually not the one doing the cooking, but Thorn was out for the day, leaving Honey in charge of handling the food. She hadn't heard any complaints, yet. "Since you're new and all, how about you take it on the house? I can imagine you need a bit of relaxing after moving here. Was it a long journey from home?" ​

 

[WanderingWriter]

Alex sat in her seat looking at the young lady, not so much with a lustful eye as with an observing eye, still taking in the look of the young lady and studying her form and face a bit. "That's very kind of you, I appreciate it. I'll have all of that, can't remembered when I last had a decent breakfast." She chuckled at her remark. Though she had been there a couple of days, she had been running errands with the Mayor and Douglas, which meant that they only got time to really snack on some foods as opposed to sitting down and enjoying a meal. She grinned a bit before beginning to answer the lady. "Quite the journey. A two day train ride followed by another 4 days on horse back," she replied, rolling her eyes a bit, "Not at all the sort of trip I was looking forward to making, but we can't all choose our fates, right? I mean, I enjoyed the scenery, but the sun is quite unforgiving, my deputy is a bit of a bore on long trips, and don't even get me started on his cooking," she chuckled a bit, "I'd wager that a man on death's door might be able to scrabble up a better meal than that man. I'm almost positive his taste buds are shot."

Alex sat back about to ask another question when she heard approaching footsteps behind her, at least 3 men by the sound of it. She simply turned to see the 4 bulky and dusty looking men standing there as if they were about to spew their grievances at her, but one of the men in the back broke the fallen silence. "So you're telling me that this here lil thang is 'spose to be the new law?" The man's snickering was accompanied by those of his companions. "Guessin the Mayor is getting a lil soft in the head these days." Another one chimed in. "I reckon, he thought that having a lass as a Sheriff might help calm things around town. Feels more like a show of weakness to me though, right?" The third one jabbed.

Alex had remained silent as the men accosted her, trying to take Douglas's advice, but at being called "lass" she could hold her tongue no longer. She sighed in irritation, looking at the young woman as she dug through coat, the sound of coins jangling together could be heard, and produced three gold pieces and slid them across the table to the girl. "I was honestly looking forward to the free meal, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you something for this morning. It appears that breakfast in peace is out of the question," she turned in her chair and eyes the gentlemen behind her, "I bet all your mothers are very proud of you, if they could see you now they'd drop dead of embarrassment." Her comment brought a halt to the Saloon, as every man woman and child knew that talking about another man's mother was fighting words. Alex continued, "And since this lil thang here is the new law, what does that make yall? A pack of asses?" she chuckled a bit and couldn't help but notice that someone else in the room stifled a snicker or two.

The fourth member, who had said nothing till this point took a step closer, and Alex rose to meet him. As she stood, brushing her hand along where her pistol should've hung, remembering only now that she left it in her room on the end of her bed. Not the smartest move, now was it? It's a good thing we fashioned this coat the way we did, huh? She thought to herself. The man in front of her had a nasty angered look on his face, it read that he wanted to hit her but was a bit hesitant. It appeared that he thought she was going to back down due to their obvious difference in stature, yet was taken aback when she stood up to face him. As if regaining his composure and feeling the need to act, he reached out toward Alex. A mistake. Alex quickly stepped inside his reach, pulling a knife from her sleeve, and pressed herself against his chest with the knife pressed against the front of his pants. She only put enough force into that region to let him know that she was in control of the situation, and he froze in place in response. The rest of the event unfolded pretty fast. The other men, not knowing that she had a knife on the other, rushed to his aid thinking that she had attacked him...which they weren't wrong, but they weren't right either. Alex cut the belt of the man before her, dropping his trousers to the floor and as the others moved around him to get to her, she accurately threw out six of her hidden blades. 3 of them embedded in the floor at the feet of the men and the other three skewering their hats off their heads and into the walls of the Saloon. All of the men froze aside from the one picking up his pants, and after gathering them, he gave Alex a cold stare before motioning the others leave.

She watched as the men left before returning to her seat, "Seems like I was able to spare you broken tables and chairs this time, consider the coins as a down payment for any future damages," she smiled lightly, "Now, I'm definitely hungry."​

 

[envogue]

Honey listened with a smile as the Sheriff detailed what sounded like a very long journey to Silver Springs. Her smile faltered somewhat when four known trouble makers in the town got up from their table and made their way in their direction. Honey knew this could go multiple ways, but she didn't know much about the Sheriff to be able to tell what her problem solving skills were like. If they could all just play nice, then there hopefully wouldn't be any problems in the Saloon. Wasn't it too early for fighting, anyway? She crossed her arms over her chest, as if to stand her ground, as the first one started off with a mild insult. Honey rolled her eyes and shook her head, though she kept her mouth shut for the moment. The last thing Honey needed to do was get involved with four men three times her size.

Looking back at the other woman, Honey could see that the Sheriff had lost her temper. It must have been a short one, which most likely spelled bad news for one, or both parties. Was it even worth stepping in? Honey may have been the new owner of the Saloon, but she hadn't yet earned anyone's respect enough to tell people when to get going. Their was so much tension in the air, and talking about people's mothers didn't help things at all. She didn't dare take the gold pieces off of the table for fear the wrong move could easily make the saloon erupt into chaos. Honey was fighting a smile on her face, though. She had to hand it to the Sheriff for being so brave in the face of the danger, but Honey guessed the woman wouldn't have been the Sheriff if she was bad at her job.

The next part was somewhat of a blur for Honey. It all happened so fast that she questioned if it even happened at all. What amazed her most was that the Sheriff had come out of it seemingly unscathed, and had managed to embarrass one of the men. Some of the patrons in the Saloon laughed, but others knew that doing something like that didn't often go without consequences. They were also curious about their new Sheriff. Now that The Sheriff had shown off a bit of her skill, others would want to test that as well.

Honey frowned slightly, a sense of worry coming over her as she wondered if that would be the last confrontation the Sheriff had with those guys. Still, her full lips curved into a pleasant smile and she slid the money back across the table towards the Sheriff. "Don't you worry about it, Sheriff. Glad to have you around," Honey said, brushing a stray curl away from her eyes. "I'll be right out with your food. Try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone?" She smirked, before turning around, walking across the saloon and into the back kitchen. Honey exhaled deeply, not realizing her heart had been pounding during that whole scene between the Sheriff and those men. She could not for the life of her remember any of their names, even though they were clearly locals.

Bending over, she opened the oven to check on her biscuits. They were a perfect shade of light gold, and looked so good she wanted to eat one herself. "Now where's my oven mittens?" Honey glanced around the crowded kitchen for the stupid things, but she didn't see them anywhere. Suddenly, she became frustrated at Thorn for leaving the back space a mess. He was truly a pig, at least when it came to cleaning up. Placing her hands on her hips, her gaze settled on the small damp towel she used to wipe down the bar. She grabbed it and folded it in a way that made it possible for her to clutch the red hot pans, hopefully long enough to set them down somewhere. With her hands seemingly protected by the little piece of fabric, Honey grabbed the pan and pulled it out of the oven. The heat came fast, and Honey could feel it burn her delicate fingers only seconds after she picked up the pan. She let out a sharp, sudden yelp as the heat became unbearable and scorched her fingers. She hurried over to one of the clean counters and nearly tosses the pan down, the metal clanging down loudly against the counter. She pauses and looks at her fingers, her fingertips red and tender. "Jesus," she whispered. There was no time to cry about it.

Honey bit her lip and began fixing up the Sheriff's plate, the heat from the spoon enough to agitate the burns on her fingers. As soon as she got this plate out to the Sheriff she was going to find a cool glass of water for her fingers. Actually, Honey would rather do that now. Just a quick run under the faucet to alleviate some of the pain. Setting the the plate of food down, she went over to the small sink in the kitchen and turned it on, a stream of low pressure water calming down her burns significantly. She almost didn't want to move.​