SHERIFF.

► snag watched her movements as if he were in a slight daze, a sleepy expression on his face.  he’d been up last night due to his fellow sheriff’s snoring; not because it was annoying.  he just found it hilarious, and couldn’t stop chuckling at it.  he smirked as she presented the honestly heinous looking food; dubious and disgusting… perfect.  he combed through his hair a few times before attempting to shove his face into the food, mostly to get a reaction out of his friend.  “ay, ay, hidey, ‘m so hungry though!  ain’t had anythin’ since this morning!”

while that wasn’t a lie, he didn’t have that much of a breakfast.  he’d never publicly admit it, but he worries about rawhide; she was the closest thing he had to a friend, and he treasured that bond.  even if it was… a bit too chaotic to others.  not that he really cared.

snag rolled his eyes, propping his feet up on the table and leaning almost dangerously back in the chair he currently occupied.  he’ll let her finish her fill before attempting again. ◄

★ ; .             another spoonful feeds in between her teeth, wedging awkwardly as she lets lips preen into a smile. if he was hungry, he could always — ❛ - use y’er hands then ! - ❜ no reason he can’t shovel some heap into his maw via old fashioned fingerfood handling. fishing her utensil out from the grating steel scraping teeth, rawhide dives it in for another helping && plunges it into her cheek.

                             ❛ - by th’ by, snag. . . did’ja remember to check on lil tussle ? he seemed outta it las’ night. - ❜ their confiscated tumbleweedian runt had taken to rawhide, a critter she kept in their jail with a few blankets since outlaws had trickled thin recently. just to check if he’s paying attention, the sheriff bends back her spoon && catapults a glob of slop at his cheek.

             rawhide steps over to a tableside where she scoots up an overturned bucket to sit on, finding her rusty trusty soup spoon she’s hoarded since the days when her daddy was still kicking. with its bent neck she scoops a portion out, feeding herself a good starting haul before forcing a hand between her fellow sheriff’s head && the plate. even with remnants of slop in her maw, she HAS to protest ; ❛ - we’re sharin’ this one — don’t go throwin’ your face headlong into it this time. - ❜

He’s seen a lotta things in his time, here there and everywhere. This took the cake, however. First of all, kids coming into his bar were an oddity. Second of all, kids without the parents, ‘off the leash’ so to speak, were even more rare.

The way she mounts her stool and pokes into his counter, he cocks an eyebrow. The throws up his chalkboard.

‘You got anything to pay with, kid?’

★ ; .             well that’s odd, lavender eyes following his chickenscratch upon a chalkboard. the sheriff fumbles across the lettering, audibly sounding out the words under her breath before that itself limits with a sudden hushed inhale. wait ; was he one of those alcoholic bartenders? rawhide SCRUNCHES her nose at the question of money, especially what with the lack of payment her occupation typically held up.

      nowadays wrangling in youngins and teaching them a proper lesson about honour has proven more difficult than not. the laws of the badlands were ever changing and neither he nor she could tame the constant shift of its terrains. yearning to go back to the golden age where instances weren’t so black and white.

    she thinks of him so lowly and could he really blame her? folks believe just about anything these days and if his notions were correct, that damn mayor would use any young and naive rascals to do his dirty bidding. but when he looked into those lilac eyes beyond the girl’s steely - gaze he could see something else; the ghost of a person he once knew and the ire he constantly found himself grabbing by its ankles and pulling beneath the waters boils and bubbles up until it reaches the surface and… he still holds back.

    sharp teeth baring themselves. seeing red beyond the blood spilt from his trampled steed. Mako steels himself from doing anything reckless, at least not right now. ❛ Ye’ know who’s a fine sheriff? ❜

    ❛ That daddy of your’s and I would know! We tussled for decades on this ‘ere land and if ye’ think you can just pull up some buckaroos and slap on your dead man’s Stetson you’ve got a lot of learnin’ to do before callin’ yourself the SHERIFF. ❜ though not once does he raise his voice as he rises again and faces her. there’s a somber tone, low and caution beneath his aggression. a choice that’s calculated and isn’t towards his current problem.

    ❛ Sure you’ve got grit but that’s nothin’ when you’re the one underestimatin’ folks who’ve walked these parts for a dozen more years than you have. I don’t endorse your kind of reckless behaviour but you want my respect? Be smart and scram. These dunes haven’t been friendly as of late come dark and I’m not talkin’ about bandits. ❜

★ ; .                              ❛ - why YOU-—  - ❜

             absolute rage seethes behind those severed teeth, tongue flitting against the gap as she sucks in a sharp prickly breath. eyes sting with the years of disappointment && despair of being orphaned, of being in the shadows of what once was her father’s pride. rawhide was nowhere near as productive a sheriff, no doubt due to her rascally nature — only a fool would appoint her in his stead ; && a fool rhubarb was for doing so.

             rawhide has no inclination or knowledge as to what mako means when he goes on to describe his tussles with her old man, but whatever history he && her family had together was seemingly cut by her inheritance of the badge. suddenly the gold plating felt ten times heavier upon her chest, like its weight was putting pressure upon her shoulder blades && upper vertebrae. though it aches, the ginger never breaks eye contact with the shark outlaw, especially when he AGAIN insists she head home.

                               ❛ - now you LISTEN HERE, mako. . . whatever you had with my daddy ain’t th’ present, && it sure ain’t MY bus’ness. - ❜ begrudgingly she lets her shoulders sink as the mounting instinct to whoop major butt finally gave way to the responsible thing to do. ❛ - && while ‘m WELL AWARE of what dangers lie out under th’ stars. . . a GOOD sheriff couldn’ possibly leave a stranded fella out on his own when he’s lost his mode ‘a transport. - ❜

                               ❛ - i’ll take y’er sharpest shot ‘a root beer, thank you kindly. - ❜

        ❛ Last I recall you ain’t no true bull so you best realize that outside of that town no BEAST in these parts ain’t gonna care whether you’ve got authority or not. ❜ he scoffs at her laughable pride, certain that her unguided spunk would be the thing that’ll cause her to perish if nothing else.

    but he does find himself taking another look at that freckled face and again, he cackles at the resolve he’s seen plenty through her eyes — gazed upon horrors far worse that even he wouldn’t wish upon his worst enemies.

    Mako spits at the ground and tosses the cigarette between his claws onto the sand, making sure to snuff it out with a good stomp of his boot. he nods towards the general direction of where the gulch would be. ❛ Go on girl! Best be moseying on back towards that shabby jailhouse ‘fore sundown. I don’t usually ask so kindly. ❜

    stern expression unwavering he turns to the corpse of his mount and begins rummaging through the left over supplies, quickly taking hold of his prized harpoon and slinging its strap over his shoulder.

★ ; .             well now he’s done it. shoulders tense as the shark swims along the sands as though this was HIS territory, those grown-back hairs on his mug tangled by what might’ve been dried spit. ( dang nabit! could’ve sworn she yanked those out for good. ) rawhide never lets her gaze fall away from her previous inmate, even if he goes to loot his trusted steed’s mangled corpse. for a moment she ponders prodding for answers — maybe a tumbling tide of rackaljacks had stampeded through && happened to trample the smaller critter.

             of course, it doesn’t help ease the sheriff’s concerns to see he’s armed ; confounded harpoon. . . his words don’t go unyielded either, mind tumbling through his spoken thoughts to try && finger out a better jab. as he seems to keep his back to her, her ferocity spikes, hand nearing her slingshot as a boot stamps to the dirt, eye narrowed in preparation lest he instigate some sort of tussle.

                               ❛ - don’t you go underestimatin’ me again, lest you f’erget who hauled you through a ceiling ! - ❜ purple eyes hone in on golden spires that swirl around his thick pupils, nose scrunching by the bridge in irritation. ❛ - stop fussin’ over me like i’m some can-kickin’ kid on a mama’s porch. i’m th’ dang SHERIFF of this here gulch — && whether you like that fact or not you oughta RESPECT it. - ❜

    ❛ Now unless you prefer that I introduce you to them BARKING PISTOLS I suggest you stand aside, girl. This ain’t the business of no half - baked sheriff. ❜

★ ; .             blood boils hotly under her skin like festering blisters, gloved hands furling into balled fists. how DARE he trounce around the desert dunes like he owned this hellscape! lips pinch in a tight frown, tongue pressing irritably against the split in her teeth. rawhide sure wasn’t about to back down from a dogfight, not when the gulch may be riding on it.