Of Cowboys and Kings

"Got it." She replied right away.'Shit....I'm probably not going to get any money for a while....' Misa thought angrily as she watched Careen rock back and forth. She then looked at the others who would be joining the group. Her eyes stopped on the alien 'How odd that an alien wants to join a bunch of humans.' From her experience they didn't always mix, though it was usually the humans fault, humans can be so judgemental about the silliest things. She sighed and looked back at Careen, her new master, and asked "Excuse me boss, I know you said we leave when we have enough hands and all, but how many is that, and if you can't find all the hands when are we leaving? Oh, and also where is this country going to be?" she felt stupid for asking. No matter what the answers are she has to go, but curiosity had gotten the better of her. She then thought back to Careens rules and her actions earlier. 'What if I pissed her off already by asking that?' she thought as she slapped herself in the forehead. Realizing right away of was she did, she quickly let her hand fall to her side and turned bright red as she muttered "Sorry"
 
Now that Majik was walking with them, her hand returned to the strap of her guitar case just to have something else to hold on to. She watched Varkas' lips move, asking her if she had any pets. A warm smile touched her lips and she made a nod. It was silent for a little bit as she thought back to just how many animals she had for pets.

"I had a Scottish Collie named Buck, an Orange Tabby named Simba, a pair of birds named Gigi and Zuzu..." she began to say, making a small laugh. Anny felt a little ridiculous now for listing off the animals, along with their names. Leaving it at those pets seemed good enough. "I'm not sure if any of them are alive still. Buck was given to me as a puppy when I was ten. Simba would be five by now... Not sure about those silly tweeters."

Anny made a sheepish smile and reached up for the rim of her hat, pulling it down so it would hide the moisture developing in her eyes. She never realized until now just how homesick she was.
 
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Varkas

Watching Anny pull her hat down to hide her face, he could already tell that she was feeling homesick, and worried for her pets. Patting her hand, he closed his eyes knowing the feeling all to well. He hadn't been home in years, and knew that the many pets he'd had were now long dead from old age. It saddened him as well, but he'd known much deeper sadness, and so the thought though still sad, was more comforting in knowing that those animals he had when he was younger had led good lives. Majik trotted over to Anny's side, and shoved his face into her hand, sensing hearing the sadness in her voice. The dog then placed a wet lick of it's tongue along her fingers, as it rumbled lightly as if talking.

Varkas huffed quietly as Majik worked his magic, and then stopped as a large bird came into view, and flew over them. Leaning his head back his hair fell away from his face, and he watched the large hawk intently with his brown eyes. 'A sign of good luck...' he mouthed absently as he watched the hawk circle them for a bit. It then called out as it began flying father west. Smiling slightly, he remained silent for a moment, and then looked back to Anny. 'I'm sorry if I made you cry. Sometimes I'm a little to curious.' he mouthed with apparent sympathy.
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A chuckle escaped her when Majik licked at her hand. The sign of affection seemed to instantly perk her up, just a single teardrop making its way down her cheek. She ignored it for now and blinked back the rest, rewarding the dog with a quick scratch on the head before he returned to his regular walk beside them.

She too looked up at the bird that circled above them, wonder in her eyes as she watched it. Anny had always wondered what it would be like to fly. Riding the tour bus through space hardly counted, since she was trapped by the security of walls so she'd be able to breathe and, well, simply stay safe. Someday, she hoped to just travel through the atmosphere of a planet to experience winds going through her hair.

Looking back to Tartarus, she shrugged one of her shoulders and said, "It's okay. I miss 'em, but the memories I've got are far from sad." There was something inspiring about that. Random words went through her mind in the form of poetry, as if piecing together a song about her beloved animal companions. She'd no doubt be able to piece together something beautiful without directly saying it was about a dog, a cat, and whatever else.

Something Anny noticed is she had no idea where they were going. So far, Tartarus was the only one that hasn't struck her as the hostile sort. As confident as she made herself out to be, she admitted to herself to being a little bit nervous. She masked it with a smile; so far there was nothing to fear. "Do you know where we're going, Tartarus?" she asked, hoping that wouldn't complicate an answer.
 
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Varkas

"It's okay. I miss 'em, but the memories I've got are far from sad."

Nodding to her words, his free hand moved absently to the small locket that hung from his neck from a silver chain. 'Memories are always good. They remind us that life is never meaningless. If it were, then real memories would be a dime a dozen.' Varkas mused, and rubbed Majik's head lightly at that. The dog was a constant reminder of what he meant. There was a great story behind how the man, and the dog came together... but it was a tale for another time if its time ever came.

At Anny's question, Varkas simply shrugged his shoulders. He had no plan on where he was going. The only fact he'd decided on the walk, was to get away from the noise of the bar, and perhaps collect his thoughts on just exactly what he's say to Careen when he met with her later that night. Turning his hand over, he asked if she had somewhere that she needed to be. If she had to leave, he'd understand, and would at least walk her there so she was safe. Not knowing if she was capable to fend for herself, or not, Varkas had been instilled with a sense of chivalry which was rare these days.

Then as an idea popped in his head, he snapped a finger, and patted his stomach. 'Well I feel hungry, would you care to join me?' he mouthed hoping she'd say yes. There was something about the lady, that he found refreshing. Perhaps it was the fact that she seemed out of place here like him, or perhaps it was the idea that she might generally be a nice person from how she acted, and talked. Either way he would very much like the moment to last a little longer before it ended.
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"I think I'd prefer my payment in monetary form, iffin' that's no problem to you, ma'am." Dillon answered, unable to stop from chuckling as Careen laid out her plans. Rich, good-looking, and loose in the head; this job was perfect. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he watched her puffing up and trying to seem intimidatin' and in charge.

Well why not, as long as she kept paying he'd keep working.

"However ma'am I feel that I should warn you that I do have some personal business of revenge kind that might draw my attentions away from you and towards fixin' the men who failed at their chance to fix me, iffin' you understand my meaning." As he got to the last half of that talkin', he let his hand fall to his hip, sliding his coat open and drumming his fingers against the grip of his gun, so's that there should be no way she could misunderstand his meaning.
 
For a split second Careen was thinking to herself that she should have prepared some sort of signup form and directions. But just as quickly as the thought came, it vanished again. First she smirked at Celon. If he wanted to negotiate fancy contract terms, she could do that. Money was the easy part. Land was definitely going to need a contract. After all, she was Queen and Overlord... she had very specific things in mind for her country.

"We'll discuss the finer details of how everyone's individual payments are gonna go. Everybody's got their specifics..." And she sure as hell wasn't gonna be able to remember all this shit off the top of her head. "I ain't got a problem with vengeance," she replied to Dillon with a quirk of her eyebrow. "As long as it dun get in the way of workin' for me." Then she was narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you dead...? Nevermind, I don't care."

Shaking that curiosity off for the time being, she turned to Misa. "Don't go apologizing for askin' questions. Smart people ask questions, stupid people don't think for themselves." Careen could see it now. If this girl ran around being a Yes Ma'am damsel, Careen was gonna lock her in a dungeon somewhere just out of pure meanness.

"Anyway, we'll be leavin' in the mornin'. I got a meetin' tonight. I'm stayin' at that stupid Tavern with the moose horns down the street, and I expect everyone that wants a job" she said a little louder as she leaned to the side, not failing to catch the eyeballing Travis was giving her, "should be there nice and early. Sunrise. We'll have to take a transport to get to my land, and when there we'll be goin' the rest of the way by foot or animal."

Careen paused for a moment, tapping her chin trying to think if there was anything else important she needed to get out. "...Ah yeah, it's good to get to know each other. You're about to be workin' together to found a country. Someone keep her," she thumbed a finger at Misa, "out of trouble. If ya like, you can even recruit more minio- I mean future staff for me." She cast a cheeky grin.

"Any last questions? I got arrangements to make."
 
Anny smiled at Tartarus as he silently asked her to join him for a meal. Instead of an instant 'yes', she gave it some thought first. She had to check into the hotel she was staying at by a certain time of day, plus she wanted put her guitar away. Abandoning those responsibilities would definitely not have good results.

"I'd love to, Tartarus. Would tonight be okay, though? I'd like to drop off my guitar and check into my hotel room first," she answered, hoping that he would settle for that. Anny couldn't remember the last time she actually sat with someone, somewhere just to enjoy their company. There was more to this man than his handsome, albeit mysterious image. She wanted to spend more time with him.

"I could meetcha someplace, and we can go together. Can't be too hard to find each other again, I reckon."

Being the fashionable woman she was, she'd probably end up changing her outfit and washing up before doing any sort of going out. She didn't like how that bar smelled, so some of the fragrances probably stuck with her. It was easier to enjoy herself with a friend if she felt more comfortable. She then smiled down at the beautiful, white dog beside them,

"I'll even bring a lil' treat for Majik," she promised. Anny loved to spoil animals, even if they didn't belong to her.
 
"Oh I'll let you know when I figure out for myself, boss ma'am." Dillon said with a tip of his hat. "Have a fine evening, and I'll see you in the morning, ma'am." He began to walk down the street, arms swinging lightly at his sides, a spring in his step as he could practically feel the money falling into his pocket.

He stopped in front of a small boarding house, quietly walking up to Anthony's room, taking a deep breath before knocking sharply. A few minutes later a groggy gambling opened the door, the tiredness vanishing from his face as Dillon lifted his head, revealing his face, skull-like grin in place. "Hello 'Tony."

"You-" The gambler began before Dillon brushed him aside, closing the door. "But I thought they-"

At the sound of 'they,' Dillon's hand dropped to his gun. "They did what? Hang me? Well... they tried. Now Tony, we're old friends, ain't we? And I've never steered you wrong, or failed to pay up, so... I know that onna those fellows who tried to hang me used to gamble with us. Pock-marked face, brownish-red hair, shuffled his hand around when he was telling. I need a name."

"No, Max, you don't get it, if I tell they'll-"

"I'd like to point out that between them and me, I'm a lot closer, and quicker besides."

There was a long, tense moment as the two stared each other down, the low light causing his bad eye to seem to glow.

"Jefferson Mack. And that's all I can say, Max. I swear."

"Oh, it's alright, it's alright. Oh, and one more thing: Remember a month ago that drunk guy showed up, couldn't pay with cash, had to put up that beautiful black Sidewinder rifle?"

"What about it?"

"How much you want for it?"
 
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Varkas

Nodding at Anny's response, Varkas didn't seem displeased at the answer. Truth be told, there were things he had to attend to as well, and it wouldn't be very practical for Anny to carry her guitar all around town. There was a nice little Draft House that he recalled being here, and thought that it would be a perfect place for the event. 'Then shall we meet at the Draft House?' he mouthed 'Around ten tonight?'

Majik barked at the mention of his name, and wagged his tail a few times before looking at Varkas where he let out a soft whine. Having his head patted reassuringly, Majik then plopped down on his rear as he looked back and forth between Anny, and his master.

'Until then, ma'am.' Varkas mouthed as he dipped his head to Anny, letting his hair fall forward, and then back around his shoulders as he straightened. Placing his other hand, over her's a moment, he patted it, and then released her arm from his. Taking his leave from her, he slowly began walking farther into the town where he then left sight as he turned a corner, Majik trailing behind with a spring in the animal's step it would seem.
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10PM

All was quiet in the tiny town, aside from the hums and buzzing of feeble generators out behind buildings. Were it a major city, there might be cars or hoverbikes. People strolling up and down sidewalks gazing at neon signs, laughing and drinking. Picking up whores, making shady deals, or trying to get home from work. Instead, this town looked like an old west ghost town. Buildings were closed up, all of the lights were out. The road was dusty and void of people. Rarely did anything happen here. It was too small, too rural.

Except things were a little different tonight.

Checking the piece of paper that had been hidden in her pocket earlier that day, Careen was walking down the street. A faint and small flashlight was hooked on to her wrist to light her way. She was counting the buildings, looking for the place the stranger wanted to meet. Alone. At any other place and time, Careen would never do something so foolhardy. She knew well that she had money and a reputation. Her family some not-good luck when it came to brushes of death. But now? Right now she needed to make a statement. As future Queen of half the planet, she would show no fear.

Didn't mean she wasn't armed, though.

Finding the right building, Careen stepped inside. Wary and watchful.

"All right. I'm here. You wanna come on out and show yourself, or were you lookin' to put a bullet in me?"
 
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Varkas

"All right. I'm here. You wanna come on out and show yourself, or were you lookin' to put a bullet in me?"

Varkas stood concealed in the shadows of the small store, and mused the woman's words to himself in his mind. She certainly was ballsy, entering a building with such gusto. Careen had managed to step directly in front of him, with her flashlight shining every way but his. A stroke of luck. With practiced hands, he slid her pistol from it's holstering, and quietly disassembled it in three pieces. Letting the handle, and slide fall to the ground in order to get her attention. The frame rested in his extended palm, along with a data pad in his other. The scent of cinnamon would soon be noticed, if she hadn't noticed it earlier, coming from the cigarette that hung from his lips.

Then, a small flash of light filled a small section of the store, giving the woman enough light to see that she had blindly walked into what could have been a death trap. Luckily it was about business. The woman had something that he needed greatly.., and that was a large amount of cash, while she would certainly need something of his. His skills, and perhaps his knowledge on how to keep one's possessions... theirs.
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Careen's hand dropped fast to her holster, a scowl forming on her face. It was gone fast. Without her even feeling the movement. Eying her gun on the ground before taking a good look at her thieven' companion, she rested her hands on her hips. Careen took a lot of stock in her own instincts. He proved real well that she coulda just been on the bad end of death. But she had a good feelin' that this wasn't about bumping her off. This was something better.

"Oooo, shiny lil skills you got there, buster. Lurkin' in the dark, stealin' stuff with feather like finger tips." she mocked him, even while being impressed. Careen glanced around again, pointing at the place. "Now the question is, why you would wanna set up this spooky lil meetin' in the dark. What do you want that couldn't be said out in the open?"
 
Anny spent some time exploring this new territory after she got herself cleaned up for later. She was covered with a sweet, peachy scent of perfume and wore light pink, glittery gloss on her lips. Her make-up was redone, however she didn't wear as much as she did on stage. Instead of the little denim skirt she contemplated wearing, she put on a fresh pair of blue jeans with her tall, brown cowgirl boots and a baby blue button up blouse. Several thin bracelets of assorted colours jingled around her thin wrists, and of course, she wore her hat. To kill some time earlier, she put some little braids in her flowing hair of brown, though they weren't noticeable unless someone was close to her.

During her walk, she found a cute little shop that sold a variety of pets, farm equipment and animal food. She picked up a little plastic bag of biscuits shaped like bones so she could feed them to Majik when she saw him. Anny did promise that dog some treats, after all!

Now that it was nightfall, ten at night even, she arrived at the Draft House that Varkas said to meet her at. The little bag she had for Majik was in her purse for safekeeping, which hung on her right shoulder. Anny waited patiently for the man and his dog to arrive, excited to spend some time with somebody... Normal. At least, he seemed normal. He was no celebrity and that was good enough for her.
 
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Varkas

Standing there silently at Careen's mocking words, Varkas simply continued looking at her with his piercing eyes, and then fanned the data pad in his hand, so it was held up for her to see. It's dim screen glowed with a pale green light, and seemed to be filled with a sea of text. Tossing it to Careen, it would read

~
The woman who would be queen, Careen Calliente. One cannot be queen for long, if the serfs are allowed to run rampant into the royal coffers. As you're aware, I'm here under the veil of business. You have money, which I want. You have things you wish to keep. I have ways of keeping them yours, which you will want. I can protect them from people the likes of Varkas, The Shadow Stepper, and others just as notable. I can even help you when the law undoubtedly comes knocking for their share of your empire.

You know what I want, and I know what you want, Miss Calliente. The cards are on the table, and it is you who now must reap the hand given. Will you bluff, or fold? If you wish to see what lies in the pot, then consider my offer, and when you decide, use this datapad to contact me. I will find you, and we can go over the more finer details of the deal. I would suggest that next time however... you decide to carry a five pin lock pistol. Three pins are rather easy to disassemble.

You're sincerely,
Tartarus
~

It would seem that he'd been keeping a close eye on her all along... even down to the construction of her pistol. Now that was skill one might think, but for the man, it was the habit of his job... the nature to know all he could. Exhaling deeply, he then crossed his arms, and continued looking at the woman, reading her facial expressions along with her body language. Standing there... still silent.
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[size=+2]Majik[/size]

Padding his way down the main street, Majik's eyes were filled with the dull glow of old lamps, and luminescent lights that hung from various buildings that were packed with either residents, or customers. The moon's light however, made it quite easy to spot the animal as it gave his coat a soft glow of sorts. The light made it much easier to see for him, and that meant there were more things he could sniff when he found them... which happened to be an old barrel at the moment just out front of the Draft House.

Grumbling slightly, Majik scratched at the barrel a bit wondering exactly what it was doing there at that particular moment. Making no progress, he lifted onto his back legs, and placed both front paws on it, so he could look into the barrel. Folding his ears back, he looked down into the barrel, only to see nothing, and with a soft whine, dropped back onto all fours. A pity to find nothing...

Shaking his head, the dog then walked around the barrel, and continued across the front of the building, with an aura of determination lingering around him. Now just where had that damn human gotten to. Majik swore that his human friend would be the death of him... always running off to do god knows what, and coming back with things he certainly didn't remember seeing Varkas with before.
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All was quiet, which made Anny a little bit paranoid. It was dark, there were probably creeps lurking about the shadows. She hummed one of her songs to herself, rubbing at her arms to help warm herself up. 'Knew I shoulda brought a jacket.'

The sound of footprints paused her humming. It didn't take very long for her to notice the big, snowy furred dog walking nearby. He seemed to be searching for something, or someone. That, without a doubt, was Majik. She felt disappointed to see that Tatarus wasn't with the dog, but at least she'd now have the animals company.

"Majik!" she cooed, unzipping her purse and pulling out the bag of treats she picked up specially for him. One of the bone shaped biscuits was pulled out so she could dangle it in the air, waiting for the animal's response. "C'mere, Majik!"

Hopefully, the dog could help lead her to Tatarus, or at least sit with her until he arrived. Majik was probably as concerned and lonely as she was right now.
 
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[size=+2]Majik[/size]

Perking his ears up at the sound of his name, Majik turned his golden eyes to Anny, and tilted his head at her. Trailing the treat, as she moved it back and forth, he took a few steps towards her, and then stopped. Flicking his head, he lowered down onto his front paws, and grumbled before jumping back with a bark. He then circled in place a few times, looking back at Anny, his head still cocked to the side. Here was someone he knew, and liked. Maybe she'd help him find his friend?

Barking once more, Majik bounced farther away from Anny, though he kept his eyes on her as he expected her to join him it seemed. Rolling onto the ground, he then laid there, looking at her, with a paw over his face.






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At first, Anny thought that Majik was simply being cute, acting as a dog who would exchange a trick for a treat. By the way he was communicating though, he seemed to want her to... Follow him? It made sense the moment that came to mind. Majik and Tartarus must have gotten separated.

Smiling with her glossy lips, she dropped the dog biscuit for him to devour. "I'm wonderin' where he is too," she said, setting a hand on her hip. Sighing calmly, she looked left in right out of some hope that she'd spot him. Then again, Majik would probably realize that far before she did. They had no choice but to search. There had to be a good reason for him not showing up yet.

"Let's go look," she decided, prepared to follow the beautiful, intelligent animal. He had to have some idea of where his master went off to, if not a scent to go by.
 
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[size=+2]Majik[/size]

Looking up at Anny as she dropped the biscuit on the ground, Majik rolled over, and chomped down on the treat. Standing to his feet, he rolled his tongue along his mouth catching the crumbs, and shook his head once more, turning to look back up at Anny with the typical dog grin on his face. Walking over to her, he darted behind her, and then crawled between her feet, looking up at her with his bright golden eyes once more, and darted forward a few feet, before turning back to look at her. Now that they were on the same page, they could get to work, and find out where Varkas was.

His tail wagging furiously, Majik waited patiently for Anny to reach him, where he'd begun sniffing at the ground again as if trying to find the man's scent. With the help, Majik figured they'd find him in no time, and still have time to play, before going to bed.




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Serril Nel sat on "her" window with an empty old pipe drooping from her fingertips. She looked down at the broken glass strewn in the dirt two floors down, bright from the moonlight that hit them. She hadn't broken the window, but she'd made the pane safe to sit on. She lifted the pipe and squinted at it.

She scowled and curled an arm around a bent knee, wavering on her perch.
Serril Nel absently set the mouthpiece of the pipe against her lips and began to chew on it, as she thought about the scene she had seen earlier that day at the ramshackle bar. One dead, one sold, and one big boss. She'd seen enough to make to her dive hastily out a back window.

Serril Nel turned around and scrambled to her feet, now tapping the pipe against her thigh. A job would be great, since she'd blown most of her coin just getting to the planet. She rubbed her forehead and muttered, "Nope, don't think about it. No need to worry about it. It's just ... just dandy." She gritted her teeth, a bad habit that was taking its toll on her jaw and gums.


She looked around the dank, dusty room and then back out the window. Serril Nel didn't have much of a choice, she'd have to meet with the woman in the morning.
Just enough to work my way off this planet'll do, but she doesn't have to know that. She thought, uneasily.

But another face kept popping into mind, disturbing her. Travis was around, would she have to beat him over the head in an alley so that she got the job first? A very serious problem, he would make, if the big boss was only looking for one ... "mechanic". She chewed with anxiety on the pipe, which was deteriorating quickly, and peered down at the street.