#abhailiu

KNIFE was held tightly in his hand, his fist clenched around it, his fingers letting go, spinning it once or twice, a nervous trick, a preparation technique. “Stay Close.” the words left his mouth in a whisper, blue eyes turning to look at a young boy, around 12, that was following closely behind him and another man on his early 40's, even though he looked younger, scanning the area with a revolver in his hand.

         Which is why when Dolores appeared in the doorway to call Winifred aside did she freeze when she caught sight of who exactly was behind her. With the soften of her own expression she felt a pang in her chest, and it suddenly made it hard for her to look that way. To hold her head up without her eye averting to the door at Anne’s side. And then she heard a soft murmur of ‘hey’ from her, a quiet greeting that helped ease the tension in Leliana’s chest.

        “Hey...” Her own voice is quiet, and she turns her head back way to focus her gaze on the foot of her bed. She felt the twist in her chest weigh heavy into her stomach and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to apologize a hundred times more or cry. Could she maybe sink down into her bed as fast as she could and cover her own head without ripping her stitches? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t want to find out. And so when they were left alone with the quiet assurance form Dolores to Anne, and from Winifred herself with that step over to touch her own shoulder. She was almost frightened of what was to come.

           Her lip quivered, and suddenly her hand scrunches into the blanket and before long she plucks the bible back off the bed to clutch between her fingers. And in such a gesture she sought that strength that Winifred spoke of, the one hidden within these fragile pages.

Gannicus had not sought out company this night, yet found it nonetheless in the young woman now sitting across from him. Some would say it was fate that the skies had opened when they did, forcing those near by to find comfort in the caupona. Sure enough, Gannicus thought himself fortunate to have a hearth to reside next to, as Jupiter orchestrated a symphony of thunderous strikes outside. 

No matter, all he had to do was keep his head low. Ensure that he didn’t do anything else to mess things up and with any luck? Maybe he could get out of here without alerting anyone that Khadgar was here.

It was true that he’d done his part in things (though, truly, this was what he got for not just sticking to basics), but being known just about everywhere was getting to be exhausting. If only a vast majority of them knew the truth.

Oh, that would be truly exciting.

Though, for now, it was simply getting back on track. Figuring out this mess and maybe turning into a bird to figure out things from a sky view - though, last time did that? He was shot at repeatedly.

“Please say this isn’t going to get me stabbed again.” Should he have said it out loud? Most likely not, but considering the fact it wouldn’t have been the first time he’d been stabbed for simply being somewhere? Well, it really wouldn’t come as a shock.

With only a few days left before Anne was scheduled to take the train out of town, Samuel had finally received the gift he’d arranged to be made for his friend as a parting gift. With gold they had discovered during a ride through one of the canyons, a local craftsman had followed Sam’s instructions to create her an ornate looking gold hairpin which was topped with a sliver of smooth clear glass, inside which were pressed flowers taken from the same river bank Anne has seemed so fond of sketching.

Approaching the saloon, inside which Sam can hear the distinct sound of Anne’s laugher, Samuel smiles as he carefully slips the small box containing her keepsake into his inside pocket before slowly stepping up the old wooden stairs. Reaching up to remove his hat from his head, he grumbles as it is swiftly knocked off his head by someone’s hand, to land lightly on the dusty ground.

“This him?”

With his hand on his colt, Samuel turns, only to stare with confusion – he doesn’t recognise the man gesturing at him, nor the other three who are fast approaching from all sides.

“Yeah, that’s him…Anne’s little toy, the one she supposedly saved.”

The man makes air-quotes with his hand as he utters the word ‘saved,’ a motion which admittedly baffles Samuel, do these men think Anne was lying about saving his life? They are circling him like a pack of wolves and Sam knows better than to stoop and pick his hat up – it’s normally the moment you take your eyes off such creatures that they choose to strike.

“I ain’t lookin’ for trouble boys.” Sam’s tone remains calm and collected as he addresses the bunch, men that clearly know Anne and seem to have some kind of grudge against him as a result.

As one of them approaches him from the side and extends his hand to jab a finger against Sam’s cheek, the bounty hunter can’t help but turn his head and scowl in return.

“Bounty hunter she said…I was expecting him to be older, more hairy, scarred and surly, but this one’s…well he’s a ‘pretty’ boy isn’t he, must be why she likes him.”

Shaking his head Samuel makes a further attempt to calm the situation. “Now look here…it ain’t like that…Anne and I, we is just…we is just friends.” Standing back, Samuel keeps his hand on his holster, still unsure of these men and there intentions.

“Friends?” Mention of the word causes all four men to burst into a cruel kind of laugher, a kind Samuel can’t understand.

at one point we said something about caleb sneaking sweets to anne too. i love this family. and their contraband snack ring

also i imagine like. caleb wanting to be on his best behavior bc this is his sister's daughter. can't be out here teaching anne bad habits and shit... or okay well like technically he could and dolores probably actually wouldn't mind it bc she knows how anne is and she knows how caleb is but. no he’s not gonna encourage the child to steal!