Author Topic: turbulent — open (Read 562 times)

jp . · « **on:** April 04, 2021, 09:47:18 PM »

— gunfire wasn’t new in jackson’s life. maybe he wasn’t used to it at such a young age compared to others more aligned to his character - his parents, although they had their darker sides, seemed to have always handled him as though he were fine glass - though that didn’t make him particularly shy away from it, either. when he was on his own, without the soft goddamned mittens his parents used to hold him and try and leave him unscathed from the world, gunfire and war all became part of his life. it wasn’t particularly something he mixed himself up in - maybe a deal gone wrong, or people that tried to fuck with him - but he had observed war tear groups and land apart before.

when he was lodging in alexandra, he hadn’t exactly expected to hear gunfire right outside of his door one day. it was most likely his fault for not thinking that would be an obvious event for bluestemmers but, judging by how shocked some of the members had been at the time, it didn’t seem like a common scene in alexandra.

jackson had a choice that day. he could have joined in, fought with the people who had been so hospitable to him. get himself a few brownie points to redeem at a later time, an “i owe you” of sorts. or, he could simply watch like he always did, not lending a hand in yet another pointless war between two stubborn groups.

that day, he had turned his heels and looked out for himself and himself only. there was no room to try and think with his heart -- some would even contest if he had a heart to follow. he took the easy path, and that was putting himself first, just as he always had. it was him against the world. it had been that way ever since his family was split.

if he didn’t look out for himself, who the hell else would?

nobody had exactly succeeded at keeping him safe when the opportunity called for it. he stayed out of the business entirely, without a single ounce of remorse upon finding people injured or hurt upon his return to the scene. even long after the events, he couldn’t find himself to feel guilty for the decision he made; no one else seemed to blame him for it either.

”didn’t take you as the exploring type.”
eyes wandered towards jamie, the younger man walking further away from alexandra along the worn train tracks. jp furrowed his brows in agitation, as if just trying to silently convey a look that said, are you kidding me? yeah, he backpacked across the goddamn country without a damn sense of adventure. still, he understood the attempt at small talk, eventually getting around to shrugging his shoulders as he decided on saying, “yeah, well there’s nothing else to do around here.” blunt. looking towards alexandra in the near distance, his gaze lingered before he looked back out. “are there any sights worth seeing around here?”

Spoiler: tags ― updated 02/23. • show

mollie. · « **Reply #1 on:** April 23, 2021, 10:09:16 AM »

Mollie tended to shy away from violence, not because she feared it but because she valued stealth over brawn. It rarely made sense to her the idea of diving headfirst into a fight that could otherwise be dealt with whilst camouflaged into the flora, quick and silent on her feet. Whilst she owned a pistol, she was far better versed with the art of throwing knives and bows and arrows, techniques which favoured a farther distance away from an unsuspecting victim.

Perhaps it was for the best when she left Flintlock Lodge before they finished the fight. She narrowly avoided having to go against all of her better judgement in order to fight for a group that she simply could not be loyal to. She had learned through a couple of drunken ranchers that the war was over now, something which Mollie had not anticipated but she appreciated regardless. It meant that it would be unlikely that she’d stumble upon a familiar face who could possibly out her as a former member of the group's own greatest enemy.

It also meant that she would likely be able to stray from any combat, at least for the next several months. Her trip to Alexandra had not at all been easy — a lithe woman on her own whilst travelling with a wagon abundant in supplies, it would often turn the heads of more malicious travellers — and so she silently begged for a break from having to bloody any of her knives. Combat was a dirty job that she was willing to involve herself in, but not because she enjoyed it.

Mollie watched curiously as she observed Jamie and JP by the train tracks, soon dumping the wheelbarrow of feed that she was pushing aside to wander over towards the two men. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, huffing a short breath to herself as she then said, ❝ I’m sure there’s a lot out there to explore. ❞ Raising a brow at JP, Mollie then said matter-of-factly, ❝ You can take me to see the canyons. ❞ Some way of trying to make friends, huh? Soon, Mollie then looked towards Jamie, the man she had defended before she had even met him. A part of her was glad that Cassidy had left in order to reunite with his younger brother. ❝ Unless you’ve got any better ideas… ❞

jp . · « **Reply #2 on:** May 21, 2021, 01:28:41 PM »

— jackson wasn’t against violence. at most times, he was an advocate for it. many times it could be used to get what he wanted. though, in the grand scheme of things, the war between bluestem and flintlock wasn’t any of his business. it hadn’t been his war to fight. there was nothing tying him down to bluestem prairie; nothing that gave him an undying sense of loyalty to the group, and definitely nothing that made him want to lay his life down on the line for them. call it selfish, but jackson wasn’t going to risk his life for anyone that offered him a place to stay. whether the group was bitter or not about his lack of help in combat, it seemed as though most didn’t care - or even notice that he hadn’t stepped up to the plate. jamie didn’t seem to care at least.

the younger of the two squinted in thought, looking around the prairie as he thought about possible destinations. the van den bergh had been there for ages; surely, he would know what sights were to be seen around here. something, anything worth seeing before jackson decided to pack up and get the hell out of dodge.

watching as mollie approached, jp’s brows furrowed to meet her quirked brow, holding her gaze only momentarily before looking elsewhere. “you can take me to see the canyons.” a dry huff passed his lips. what did she think this was, “the mollie hawthorne show” or something? though as much shit as he could say about what he’d seen of her bluntness, he preferred it over the pushover personalities he’d ran into so far. she looked towards jamie. ”unless you’ve got any better ideas.”
it seemed to take jamie a second before he ultimately responded, ”no, yeah. sounds like a plan.” and with that, they were headed over towards the canyons.

jp walked next to mollie, shoving his hands in his pockets as he muttered nonchalantly, “are you used to always getting your way, princess?” the remark was horrible and unnecessary, though there didn’t appear to be much malice in his words. mollie talked big game with her words; let's see if she could actually keep up with other sharp-tongued people.

Spoiler: tags ― updated 02/23. • show

Bearbones

Author Topic: turbulent — open (Read 562 times)

jp .

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jp .

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