Kaidan I Citadel DLC
♡ for a starter / memes from arthur morgan
the silence has always put arthur just a little on edge. it holds TROUBLE more than peace, in his experience. a man with a knife hiding behind a corner. a cougar gliding through the shadows. the rare times where dutch is speechless or hosea has got no more tricks up his sleeves.
being alone with a bride-to-be.
arthur unbuckles his gun belt, offering a short grunt to hope's reply as he sets old leather & cool iron down on the table. he plans on spending much of the next few hours cleaning his weapons while hope sleeps. maybe seeking some rest of his own in the rickety wooden chair until she wakes & continue their journey in the morning.
she speaks up again. his grip tightens on his revolver when it's pulled from its holster.
❝ upset me ? ❞ arthur repeats incredulously. a snort edges his tone. AMUSED that this girl thinks she has such sway over his feelings. arthur just gives a short shake of his head. ❝ ma'am, i promise, you'll know when i am upset. ❞
though, he stops himself from teasing her further. he's seen where she comes from. how her father speaks to her. mary had much the same reactions to his scowling face.
❝ ... you've done nothing worth upsetting, miss. ❞
with her attempt to lighten the growing apprehension in the room falling 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐓 , she shrinks further into herself . at another time she wouldn't have hesitated to counter his jab with one of her own - but she's grown far too exhausted from the day's events to come up with any cleverly indignant responses worth throwing his way. besides , there is 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 she could possibly say that could change how he must see her: spoiled , privileged , ingenuous , sheltered , frivolous . . . & the worst part is - he's right .
by all logic it shouldn't bother her so much , what arthur thinks . her father paid him to get her from point a to b safely. that should be the extent of their relationship, 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 . he gets his payment & she takes on the newest role expected of her - beautiful blushing bride-to-be . her family's future will be secured , everything has been carefully arranged for her . it should unfold neatly , 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 .
so why does she still feel so uneasy ?
why does his patronizing only make her want to try harder ?
letting out her own sigh, the tiniest air of 𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓 slipping through her best attempts to mask it , ❝ okay . if y'say we're safer here , i trust you . ❞ silence follows , it would be awkward if the tension weren't thick enough to chew . hope tries to let things 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 , to stop poking the bear - but the question turns over & over in her mind until she can't take it any more .
❝ did i . . . do something to upset you ? ❞
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 . ❞
@ohsunshine asked :❝ throws stick you seem to be in a sticky situation. ❞ / from ellie for joel
❝ ain't helpin', ellie. ❞
of course, joel's DESIRE to tag along on ellie's patrol had to blow up in his face. it was supposed to be an easy route - something where ellie can learn the ropes & joel could breathe a little easier. but jackson had been hit with so much rain these past weeks. it was inevitable one of the paths was going to give out.
& of course, it was the little wooden bridge that couldn't HANDLE joel's weight.
joel stands, swatting mud of his jeans with a sigh. ❝ save your puns for that dina girl, yeah ? ❞