#rdr2.

send me a 🃏and i will pick a card from one of my tarot decks and write a starter based off it.

tarot deck: the wild unknown by kim krans

card: the hanged man

The pines rose up like black pillars against the setting sun, casting long, jagged shadows along mossy rocks and the barely defined path that lead deeper and deeper into the forest. Far from any human settlement, the forests existed within a liminal space, like a pause between breathes, or the silence before the predator strikes, an unearthly feeling that straddles the line between here and now, reality and unreality. Only the slightest breeze and the last birdsong of the day broke the pristine silence of the wood, it was a comforting sort of silence. When the birds and bugs grew silent, and even the wind and earth itself seemed to hold its breath -- that was when strange things happened. When people went missing, only a few feet down the path. When the feeling of being watched, or the desire to watch, became more intense. Vali couldn’t help his curious nature, though he knew to keep his distance from humans. They reeked of gunpowder, metal and fire, of destruction, but some did not reek as badly. Such as this one he was now watching from the underbrush, watched and studied the horse he rode, and paid special attention to the guns the human carried. Something about him seemed...off. Obviously, unlike the others that ventured into this wood. 

things overheard at the bar. / accepting.

"and  two's  plenty,  i  reckon."  because,  quite  frankly,  she  smells  like  she  took  a  dip  in  a  depository  filled  with  moonshine.  although,  that  may  just  be  a  testament  to  the  little  hole-in-the-wall  he's  found  her  in -  not  another  soul  occupying  the  space  aside  from  the  barkeep.  (who  looked  less  than  pleased  at  the  sight  of  not  one,  but  two  cowpokes  now  residing  within  his  establishment.  an  establishment  with  a  distant  smell  of  hay,  mind.)

here  was  the  itinerary.  two  trips  on  horseback,  one  walk  about,  and  a  look-in  at  three  other  distasteful  bars  is  what  it  took  to  find  her.  and  even  then,  it  was  with  a  lot  of  hassling  from  locals  before  they'd  mentioned  seeing  a  rather  upset  looking  blonde  outlaw  mumbling  for  a  drink...  arthur  didn't  need  much  more  to  put  two-and-two  together.

"had  the  group  worried,  runnin'  off  like  that."  his  drawl  remains  even,  despite  his  exhaustion.  unceremoniously settling  into  the  seat  beside  her,  larger  form  hunching  in  on  himself  out  of  pure  instinct.  like  a  star  on  the  verge  of  collapse.  "most  folks  tend  to  leave  a  note.  maybe  a  stick-poke  message  in  the  dirt,  i  'unno..."

                                ❛      RISE  &&.  SHINE ,  MOONSHINER .      ❜                  a slap ,  a squealing neigh ,  &&.  suddenly the scruff of ground scraping out from under hog-tied imp is kicking up dirt  &&.  rocks as the traveling showman cackles from riding backwards atop horseback .   elbows perched on horse flanks as it runs wildly ,  he eyes his captured caddy being dragged along for the ride with doting  -  scheming eyes ,  smile wide like a rattlesnake’s .

                 SOLEMLY  //  FICKLE WITH A SMILE ,  the succubi led prostitute adjusts her hat’s brim ,  ascot taut around neck as her adjust in attire kept her identity hidden under leather  &&.  straps .   her hum is soft  &&.  sickeningly sweet in lilting song ,  chin leaning over to perch atop the riding cowboy’s head between horns as they lazily trot their horse down the path towards valentine .