♡ for a starter / memes from arthur morgan
QUASTARI ; a mostly canon multimuse with a few ocs sprinkled in. private & low-activity.
FEATURING MUSES FROM ; star trek, rdr2, daredevil, gravity falls, & more!
the glow of his cigarette is the only real way to tell that arthur morgan was there at all. he leans against the thick trunk of an oak tree, which shields him from the moonlight that's bathed miss baxter during her goodbye. it makes her dress nearly as PALE as her skin - almost white, in fact. as if she were already in her fancy wedding gown. the careful steps to meet him like the walk down the aisle.
he forces that thought from his mind as she approaches him. pulls on his cigarette again, making the end glow like a tiny wildfire. ❝ alright, then, ❞ arthur says, pushing off the tree with a sigh.
but he doesn't approach the horses. not yet.
with a thumb hanging from his gun belt, arthur instead steps closer to hope baxter. eyes utterly UNSEEN under the darkness of his hat. nothing but a dark silhouette as he takes a moment to properly size her up. arthur's met her kind before - polite & put together on the surface. maybe even kind. but utterly innocent & ignorant.
❝ i dunno what your daddy told you 'bout me, but lets get a few things straight - you do everything i tell you. no questions. no backchat. i ain't a couch driver, ma'am ... i KILL people. an' your daddy hired me to kill anyone who might wanna take you. so please, do bear that in mind whenever you wanna go frolicking or whatever it is you like to do. ❞
𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 @quastari !
it was decided they should head out before the crack of dawn , utilizing the cover of 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 to slip out of town unnoticed . there had been a brief introduction to her hired guide , arthur morgan , but her father had done most of the talking then . she'd offered a polite smile & nod , but not much else , unsure what the social norms in this situation are - if anything about this could be considered 'normal' .
❝ please be careful , ❞ is the last request damien baxter makes of his beloved daughter before she departs , his hands squeezing both of hers tightly - 𝑹𝑬𝑳𝑼𝑪𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑻 to let her go . they had scarcely been apart since her mother's death , & even less so since her sister had run off - all they have left is each other . it shows in the way they embrace , holding tight for a good long moment . he presses a kiss to the crown of her head before sending her off .
❝ i'll be okay , promise , ❞ her smile is 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆 , but her eyes are sad .
with goodbyes concluded , there is nothing left to do but mount her horse - whom she's staunchly refused to part with for even these few short weeks . she's only packed the bare minimum for the journey , or as close as she is able to get . had hope been another woman of her stature she might have dreaded , even 𝑳𝑶𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑫 the prospect of roughing it like this - but she finds herself actually looking forward to the simplicity of it all . despite going to these great lengths in the interest of her safety , she is actually quite happy to have some time away from the pressures & constraints of her typical life . the whole affair feels like a breath of fresh air , the last one it seems she'll ever breathe . hope intends to savor it .
after a final wave & one last look toward 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 , she turns toward arthur . ❝ i'm ready . ❞
QUASTARI ― ❝ i struggled for a LONG TIME with surviving. and no matter what, you keep finding something to f i g h t for. ❞ ― INDIE & PRIVATE multimuse featuring joel miller from the last of us. game-based with show influences.
open to mutuals !
❝ i’m not supposed to advocate for violence. as captain, i disagree with what you did. ❞
jon knew the small brawl would bring nothing but trouble. starfleet headquarters will DEFINITELY have a thing or two to say about it - they’ll pressure him to punish the one responsible. but he was also VERY WELL aware that these particular aliens were less than polite.
❝ but ... how did it feel ? ❞
part of arthur expected hope to reject his idea. scoff at the idea that a high-society girl like her should DEVOLVE into the hobbies of an outlaw like him. but that was just a brief flash of a dreadful fantasy - one arthur had partly hoped would come true before remembering who hope baxter was.
& even if she said no .... well, arthur couldn't quite rid his mind of the image of her holding his revolver with quivering hands. he'd looked over to her as soon as the shot rang out, half-expecting to see her body crumble to the dirt. instead, hope was quickly regaining control of the gun - eyes wide & chest heaving with FEARFUL adrenaline.
arthur would much rather see the latter, should this happen again.
❝ a'ight ... well, good. you gotta be able to PROTECT yourself. we had a close call - next time, we might not be so lucky. ❞
his voice rumbles out - as hard & serious as looming thunder. all the girls in the gang knew how to shoot, at least. he'd taught tilly himself. it should be no different.
with a jerk of his head, arthur leads away from camp & the river toward a tall, thick oak in the middle of a clearing. he makes his way over, pulling out his hunting knife & a rag as he goes. in one quick move, he impales the rag against the trunk of the tree at head height.
❝ there's your target, ❞ he says, unsheathing his revolver as he returns to hope's side. ❝ now, a shot in the shoulder is a good start. but if your life's in danger, you gotta give 'em somethin' more permanent. ❞
finally he looks up , & if her heart had been straining before she's pretty sure it just 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑫 .
she's not an idiot , hope knows that her hired chaperone isn't remotely like any of the pious law-abiding gentleman from back home ( & despite herself , that's exactly what intrigues her so much about him ) . he's seen things , certainly done things she can't even imagine . even so , she just can't ignore her instincts . there's 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 to mr . morgan than his circumstances dictate , & the tragedy of it all is that he's so damn sure there isn't .
hope isn't exactly known for her 𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑻 , & as much as it pains her , now isn't the time to get into it . still , she tucks away his reaction to her reassurance , choosing to voice her convictions at another time .
allowing him to shy away from her absolution , she quickly picks up what he is putting down & visibly perks up at the offer . it shouldn't excite her so much , but the prospect of learning something new , something so 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚 contradictory to everything she's ever been taught to be . . . just the concept has an eagerness bubbling up inside her chest . ❝ - really , y'mean it ? ❞
realistically, when would she ever get an opportunity like this again ? in a couple of weeks she'll be stuck in this role that has been written for her . her whole life she has felt caged , wings 𝑪𝑹𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑵𝑮 under the desire to spread them wide & fly far . soon they will be clipped forever , & she's never even gotten off the ground . a tightness forms in her throat that she tries to ignore , to shove down & bury deep .
this is all for her family , she has to keep reminding herself of that . they have so little left . this marriage is the only way forward . the only one she's ever known , anyway . never once has she veered from the path laid out before her . . . 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 her own had never occurred to her , it wasn't even a possibility .
until now .
❝ that would be - i mean , just . . . ❞ now it's her turn to babble , she stops herself , shaking her head at her own overzealousness . don't make him regret this , hope . ❝ - yes , ❞ she finally manages , offering him a grateful smile .
❝ that sounds like a 𝑮𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑻 idea . ❞