[joker]

It had been some time since he had seen a town. Bad business for his profits. A little bit longer and he'd be out of supplies as well as money. It had been three days since the last civilization he'd come across, if you could call it such a thing. There were maybe two shops in the entirety of it all and no homes to speak of. It was a drug and general store which served, also, as a poor imitation of an inn and a barn that sold horses or repaired horse shoes for those traveling through. It was a legalized crime was what it was. They took advantage of weary wanderers trying to get to the next town by over-pricing everything. He had been very short-tempered with the general store/bartender/inn owner, but as he suspected him of also being the town sheriff, he had cut his visit short before he made a scene and left. The lousy bast@rd didn't even look at his products.

He turned his dark brown eyes to the sky. Noon. His stomach twisted a little in protest from the lack of food. He had been starving himself in order to ration out his provisions. He generally ate just when signs of dizziness reached him. As he stared up at the sky, he noticed a trio of buzzards circling about him. He was pretty sure they were the same ones he had seen last night. Only now, there suddenly seemed to be six instead of three. His head felt too light and his stomach roared for food. He swayed slightly, his pale, almost skin-colored lips smirking sarcastically under his thin, black mustache.

"Well ain't that jus' lovely..." he said in a soft drawl, his voice a murmur.

He wiped perspiration from his pale forehead and flicked the reins to his team of horses dragging his wagon sharply in impatience. So much for the covered top giving him some shade. The heat still rose from the dry, barren dirt and suffocated him relentlessly. He ran a hand through his soft black hair, the bangs of which falling back into his eyes.

Allen Strewman was only twenty-five, yet already he was known as a wonder of a doctor. His concoctions were growing famous all throughout the West and recently, the townspeople he visited knew of him before he even introduced himself. He specialized in anything from home-made hair-growth tonics to pain killers. The price for his products grew steadily higher with each stop, but the people never seemed to mind. The truly funny part was the sh!t they bought. Oh, he was a doctor alright, and of course he was brilliant, but in reality, he was more of the world's first psychologist. He knew how the mind could greatly affect the body and he used the "potions" as placebos and though the sugar perked them up, or the secret ingredients did relieve some pain, the mind did the rest of the work for him. It never failed to work. So long as everyone remained as gullible as they were now, it would always work.

He felt disgusted as his realized the coolness against his back and underarms was his own sweat sticking his long-sleeved, white, buttoned-up shirt to him. His black vest was no help there. His legs were sweltering in his black slacks and black boots. He knew he could and probably should remove them, but he kept putting it off out of a since of modesty and propriety that really was ridiculous to keep in the situation he was in. He kept telling himself that any minute he'd see buildings, a saloon, another rider, perhaps. It was the same thing he told himself when he thought of eating, too.

He looked at the sky again. The vultures still circled above him.

"Ah hope you're circlin' for the horses..." he murmured again before turning his eyes once more to the road to continue his fruitless search.

[joker]

He let out a loud sigh as the flask broke away from his lips. He licked them and smacked once appreciatively. He continued to hum that last song he had heard back in the saloon yesterday. It had been stuck in his head. The unfortunate thing was he didn't even like it. He didn't really care for saloon music to begin with. Oh but that barmaid was worth every painful note. Man, those were some curves... She really knew how to make a man notice her with the way she... He stopped himself there. It wouldn't really do to make himself even hotter in this weather. And to get all bothered was ridiculous when all he had around was his horse or the buzzards in the sky. No offense to either, they just weren't exactly his type. He smirked his russet lips and chuckled lightly as he amused the thought of telling any of these creatures such a thing and having them take offense like a woman. Man, he really needed some rest. He was getting delirious.

"Come on, Soquili, we can do this..." he murmured in his deep, quiet voice, so often filled with sarcasm and devilish amusement.

He let his head bend down as the sun reached its peak, his black cowboy hat low on his brow, hiding his black, glittering eyes in the shape of almonds. Like a curtain, his straight, shoulder length hair the color of ink framed his vision. Impatiently, he dug the spurs of his black boots into the sides of his equally black horse. He clutched the reins tighter in his hands, which were donned in black hand gloves. He prepared for a quick take off, which was the way of Soquili as she was in the mind of spiting him when he did such a thing, so he tightened his grip on her middle with his legs in his black pants. Sadly, Soliqui seemed to have lost her lust for vengeance. She merely snorted and continued at her slow pace. He scowled uncharacteristically.

"Fine. Be that way," he muttered.

He was glad he had cut off the sleeves to his black shirt. It had been much too hot with those. His black vest didn't make it much better, but hey, it made him look good. It showed off that strong, muscular chest and now, without the sleeves, he could show off his muscular arms, too. He was clean-shaven, so at least that wasn't a problem. His deep, bronze skin glistened with sweat in the sunlight.

He finally lifted his head to gaze hopelessly at the horizon. Nothing. So far away. He hadn't banked on the next town being this long a travel. When would he finally see--? Before he could finish the thought, he saw something. A wagon. A slow smirk alighted his Cherokee features. Soliqui was apparently as revived by this new discovery as he was, for she suddenly sped up to a trot towards the structure. He gripped the revolver in his brown holster at his hip and drew his red bandanna up above his nose.

As he neared the wagon, he lifted the gun and shot. The horses drawing it shied and reared in fear and worry, halting its progress. The man driving it cursed loudly and angrily.

"What the tok??" he drawled angrily, his dark eyes narrowing in surprised outrage.

He didn't seem to be too threatening to him, so Wahya settled the horses and pointed the revolver to him.

"Alright, doc, whatcha got in the wagon?" he asked, his voice still a soft murmur, yet strangely audible.

The man relaxed his features now that he was composed. He looked rather arrogant.

"Just some simple tonics and antidotes for any of yer daily ailments, Sir," he drawled. "Would you happen to be interested in--"

"So basically," he cut him off, "some valuable medicine that could fetch me a good price at the next town, right?"

The doctor's smirk tightened.

"That's the ah-dea, yeah," he allowed.

"Oh, good. Why don't you just get off the wagon then, I'll hand you a horse and tie up Soliqui here to it, and then you can be on your merry little way," Wahya replied coldly.

The doctor hesitated for only a moment and then nodded gracefully.

"As you wish, Ah just need to grab my flask so Ah don't die out here, if that's alright," he asked kindly.

"Alright, make it fast," he ordered.

The doctor disappeared into the back of the wagon for a few minutes and when he emerged, he had a flask in his hand. He leapt off of the wagon without a word and Soliqui finally put his back to him to begin untying one of the team from the wagon to give him. As he began undoing the first side, he heard the unmistakable click of a revolver from right behind his left ear. He froze automatically.

"Have mah way of life that Ah've worked on for about ten years now shattered because a' some chump with a gun? Ah don't think so," came the soft voice of the doctor. "Now move away from mah team and get on yer damn horse and we'll pretend this never happened."

Wahya was shocked into silence for a while. What a damn trick to play. A smirk stretched across his lips again and he began to laugh.\

"Well, I'll be damned, Doc, you're not nearly as weak as you seem," he chuckled.

To his surprise, he heard the doctor laugh too and felt the revolver withdraw.

"Yeah, Ah get that a lot," he replied.

And that was the beginning of it. A beautiful friendship and camaraderie ensued and the two were hence tied together in a life of crime. All across the West, everyone had heard of the Devil Redskin and the Good Doctor, who were more commonly referred to--even amongst themselves--as the Devil and the Doctor. They were a most unexpected duo, but a more inseparable companionship was found nowhere.

And so begins the legend of the Indian outlaw and his swindling con-artist compadre.

[Eza!]

"This is utterly humiliating,"
"It ain't s'bad, luv."
"Says you. You've been doin' this a lot longer."

The woman with badly dyed red hair and about six inches of makeup gave a dry chuckle and adjusted her bodice, pulling it lower such that her ample bosom was in danger of popping right out. The woman she was standing with looked down at her own breasts and at the neckline of her gown, which she'd tugged up high enough to actually afford some cover. Darn, but why had she come up with this plan? Sighing heavily, the short, curvy young woman yanked on her dress, pulling it down until her own breasts looked ready to spill.
Charming.
Thrilling.
Oh, she was just loving this.
If anyone who knew her well could see her now, they'd probably choke on the air in their damn lungs. Arika Whyte, half blood Cheyenne, raised by her white father in the western world, bounty hunter and man eater, in a saloon, posing as a damned saloon girl. And she'd had to pay the owner to let her do it, too, damn it! But she supposed it would all be worth it, to get that massive bounty on the head of that outlaw. The owner of the saloon had commented, with a nasty glint in his eye, that a filthy breed wouldn't get any customers, but Ari hadn't much cared. She'd been living with that kind of prejudice from both races most of her life and she could ignore it. And besides, she didn't need to get customers. She just needed a chance to get at those outlaws.

Sure, she could just catch them out in the desert and get into a firefight, but as a bounty hunter, Ari hadn't survived this long by simply going into a situation half-cocked. She knew that the only way these outlaws could have survived this long without getting caught was because they were smart. If they were smart, simply tracking and ambushing wouldn't work. So she had to be just as smart, if not smarter. She needed them to relax, needed to get them in a setting when they wouldn't expect an ambush. Of course, most outlaws had never heard of, and wouldn't believe, two female bounty hunters existed and were any good, so she and Caitlyn had an advantage there. So, here she was, her wavy, raven black hair left to fall about her shoulders and curl flirtatiously about her breasts, while shorter strands framed her round face. Her light, coppery coloured skin gleamed healthily in the dim lighting of the saloon, and her light, light gray eyes stood out in stark contrast to her skin tone.

Her dress was red and black, low cut, and ridiculously frilly. It was also short. Just above her knees. The laces at the back were drawn tight, pulling her waist in until it could probably be spanned by a man's hand (she was really not supposed to be that small) and pushing her breasts up until they looked about ready to pop. The material was done up in a ridiculous little bow at the back and then fluffed about her hips. It was tight enough that she felt squeezed about the torso, loose enough about the hips that she worried someone might stick their hand up their and discover the gun in a thigh holster and frilly enough that she felt like a wall decoration. She was delivering drinks to a table, and was just turning to go when a man pulled her onto his lap and whispered something her ear. SHe tried to repress it, she truly did, but she failed miserably, and ended up turning her head and whispering something back into his ear, something that made him pale and hastily shove her away.
Satisfied with the exchange, Ari went back to "work", as though nothing had happened.

[Subtle Mystery]

If Caitlyn had a choice between jumping into a pit of snakes and wearing the clothing she was in now, she would have chosen the snakes. Any day. She didn't have a choice, oh no, Ari wanted to be saloon girls and Caitlyn had gone along with it, eager to avoid the guns-a-blazin' approach. Sure that was fun, but there was a higher chance of remaining living, and that was probably better. Not because she was afraid to die, but because she didn't want to get her friend into danger, or hurt.

Not that she was sure Ari was going to be her friend after this little stunt.

If she'd thought the dress was bad, the stockings were worse. The dress was loose around her legs, frilly, flowy and coloured a light creamy colour that accented her tanned skin. Perhaps, she might have liked it, only the fact the dress was cut so low that she was afraid to even breathe for fear of losing even that security, and it didn't even have proper arms! What she wouldn't give for her shirt and jeans now, because they were a heck of a lot easier to pull on than the stocking were. Low cut and short, she wasn't sure the dress could offend her any more than what it was... And then there were the shoes.

The high heeled, red, strappy shoes that just completed the outfit.

Caitlyn, did not dress up. She didn't wear dresses. She never had, she'd always been the tom-boy running around with the horses, getting dirty and now look at her. Scowling darkly as she forced herself to leave the bodice alone - pulling at it was becoming dangerous even if she was pulling it up. She had a feeling, that were her brother to see her now, he'd probably die of laughter, considering how ridiculous she looked. And the worst part, she couldn't have her weapons on display. Lifting a hand to lightly run it through her hair, Caitlyn tried to ignore the way the blonde-brown strands fell around her face, framing it with a light curl towards the end and also tried to get the sparks of anger out of her dark grey eyes.

"I really, really dislike you for this." Muttering the words to herself in reference to her friend, Caitlyn shook the annoyance away. She had a job to do, and that was more important than feeling secure or looking like the bounty hunter she was. Plastering a smile on her features, Caitlyn moved to 'work' too, avoiding coming too close within grasp as often as she could. In the end, they'd better catch those buggers, because if not, Ari was not going to stop hearing about this for a good decade.

[joker]

Allen Strewman AKA Doc



The doors to the saloon swung open and struck the walls with an obnoxious sound. Two men entered the room. One had a wide-brimmed hat on the color of sable with a thin, ink-colored mustache. Unlike his companion, he pushed it up to show off his handsome, young face. An amused smile always seemed to be the trade-mark of his features. His pale skin was smooth and sharply contrasting with his dark clothing. His dark eyes were crinkled with his amused expression, adding to the affect that he found something mildly humorous that no one else could catch aside from the man beside him. He pulled on his black jacket that fell to his heels and straightened the white collar that could be seen above his black tie and grey vest. His black boots clunked on the wooden floor as he stepped slowly inside, examining the place as if he entertained the thought of buying it. He would gaze at the ceiling and the tables in a fashion of appraisal. He nodded courteously to a saloon girl who passed him, touching the brim of his hat politely, his bow at the waist and going low. As she passed by, his eyes followed her hips as he watched her swaying, barely covered bottom. When he straightened and turned back to the front, he was smirking his approval.

"So what do you think, Doc?" asked his companion in a deep, quiet voice, his hat low over his brow and hiding his eyes and nose.

Wahya AKA Red or Devil



"Well, Red," said the man with a lighter voice and a Southern drawl, "Ah see a great promise in it."

His eyes followed the saloon girl until she went out of sight.

Wahya gazed around the place too from under his hat, his own dark eyes going up and down the slender figures of the women, a smirk alighting his face similar to Doc's. Then his eyes fell upon her. She was small, a full foot shorter than he, but she was curvy and thin and all around gorgeous with dark skin and long, dark, waving locks. Her eyes were also the most shocking color of grey after all of the deeper shades. She wore a very revealing black and red dress. His white, even teeth showing in his mischievous, heart-breaking grin, he sauntered to her.

"Looks like we match," he said to her from behind at the bar, referring to the fact that they were both dressed in black and red, "Does that mean I win a prize from you?"

Doc chuckled from the other side of the room as he watched Red make his move on a very attractive saloon girl. Envy hit home in his heart for a few minutes until his own eyes fell upon another. He gazed at the blonde beauty for some time before blinking the shock from his eyes.

"Oh my..." he murmured to himself and quickly sauntered over to his own quarry. "Well hello there," he said softly to her, "What cloud did you fall from?"

He used a very old pick up line, and though it would have made any other girl roll her eyes in disgust, the smooth, serious way he said it made most girls swoon or go speechless. His gazed deeply into her grey eyes, his dark ones twinkling with devilish fun.

[Eza!]

Okay, that was...Brilliant. She'd heard that the two men frequented this saloon, and that was what had prompted her to set up her little trap here, but she'd never even dared to hope that she and Caitlyn would actually catch their attention! Her best hopes had been, first, that they'd show up and stay for a while. Then, when they left, she and Caitlyn could follow them and strike when they were alone and vulnerable. Perhaps it hadn't been the best plan, but this, this was much better. They had both caught the outlaw's attention, which meant they could possibly lure them into one of the private rooms and cold-cock them without fear of being stopped or interfered with in any way. Of course, it could be risky, especially if these two were inclined to treat their women roughly. She and Caitlyn were smaller than them, but they also had the advantage of surprise. They were both armed, but they knew how to fight without guns as well. Although, Caitlyn was the scarier of the two women. She could kick anyone's butt a hell of a lot better than she herself could. Her height and weight sort of let her down, there, but Caitlyn was also fierce where Ari was inclined to be cool and calculated.

She turned slowly to face the outlaw - what was his name? Red? Devil? Something along those lines - and managed to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. Damn, but the picture on his Wanted poster really didn't do him justice. He was...gorgeous, and really tall. Ari found herself taking a step back and angling her head to look up at him, and although her jaw didn't hit the floor, her eyes certainly widened, a tell-tale sign of her shock at his appearance and height. She barely refrained from a 'whoa...'. She quickly wiped the thunder-struck expression from her face, though, and exchanged it for a small, secretive little smile.
"Depends," She responded, voice smooth and slightly husky, like warm whiskey. "What kind of prize are you lookin' for, stranger?" She continued, doing a rather wonderful job of pretending she didn't recognize him. At least, she thought she did a good job. She couldn't be sure if he bought it, although it didn't honestly matter. So long as he didn't find the knife and the gun hidden under her skirt, she was relatively safe for the moment.

Surreptitiously, she cast a quick glance in Caitlyn's direction, gauging her mood and how she was handling this. She waited for a moment, until she caught her partner's eye, then she gave the very slightest jerk of her head, indicating Caitlyn should speak to the other outlaw. From the look in her eye, she was obviously not meaning for Caitlyn to handle the man the way both of them normally would, which was usually a firm and rude dismissal and, if necessary, a gun in the face. Usually both of them were fairly good deterrents and that was usually the end of the matter.

[Subtle Mystery]

Every normal reaction Caitlyn would have given the sugar-talking man was put on hold as she turned, recognising him and catching Ari's movement in the same moment, catching her scowl before she could really turn it on him and forcing a smile instead. Ugh, disgusting. She hated men using cheesy lines and sweet tones to win women to their beds, why couldn't they just go find something with their own nature... Something like a pig perhaps. Caitlyn wasn't known for her good manners, or sweet nature, good thing too because she lacked both. Instead of hitting the man as she dearly wanted to, Caitlyn forced herself to take a tiny step back, disliking the difference in their heights. Stupid men had to be tall didn't they?

With him looking so closely at her face, Caitlyn was becoming uneasy, she didn't like people staring at her, even less when she was trying hard not to show any of the emotions she felt. Thankfully, she'd had the best teacher in acting one could hope for - Ari. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to him though, but she was quick to say the first thing that came to her mind simply so she wouldn't be caught trying to find something to say and appearing dim-witted.
"I could be from cloud nine," Murmuring the words, Caitlyn gave him a rather shy look, glancing up through her eyelashes at him as she smiled,
"But that depends on you, handsome." Dropping her voice to a low purr on the second half of the statement, Caitlyn risked a glance over at Ari, worry for her breifly surfacing.

Both men were bigger than they were, but she wasn't worried for herself. Caitlyn had grown up wrestling with the boys and beating them, training herself to fight had only improved that, and she didn't think twice before hitting. Ari was cool and in control, and Caitlyn worried that she would be hurt in thinking things through, worried that she wouldn't be there to defend her back. Turning her gaze back to the outlaw - It was Doc or something wasn't it? - Caitlyn didn't allow any of this to show on her features, for all that she was normally an expressive person. Or at least she hoped she hadn't shown any of them, or he wouldn't be able to read the subtle changes in her expression.

Still, what was she supposed to do with him now? Caitlyn wasn't sensual by nature, she didn't even have the right facial features for it. Ari, now there was a person who didn't need to be taught, and she looked so comfortable in that freaking dress. Why did she get the red and black one that was fairly decent? Hopefully, she wouldn't have to do too much flirting, because it wouldn't take a genius to figure out she wasn't used to flirting for long periods of time if she was left to talk to him too long.

[joker]

Red almost chuckled at her shocked expression. He got that a lot from not only women but men as well. His height was a staggering thing. He had to admit, he was nervous the woman was going to make a scene over the fact that he was part of the most notorious duo in all of America right now since she was new, but she truly surprised him in composing herself that well. She even came back with a witty response. He was most definitely intrigued. Notching the brim of his hat up to where she could just see his eyes, he continued to grin as he placed both hands on the bar on either side of her and leaned further in.

"A private one..." he murmured to her softly. He tilted his head in the direction of the stairs, which lead to the spare bedrooms for just the purpose he had in mind. He let his eyes travel down her lovely face and graceful neck to her gentle shoulders and full breasts, then flicked them back up again, his smile never wavering out of uncertainty or guilt.

He saw her eyes flicker to her friend and a gesture he could only guess the meaning to aimed at her. Doc was monopolizing her, much to the dislike of others about him. The blonde met his own girl's eyes and then looked away. It was an exchange.

Doc smirked at the girl. Something rang off. It didn't take an extended knowledge of psychology to realize that her body language, her expression, and her words were nothing alike. She was doing a marvelous job, to be sure, but something rang false. He looked over his shoulder to Red, his face deepening that amused, faint smirk. Red had caught it, too. The two men had their own exchange and Red leaned towards Doc.

"What d'you think?" he murmured.

"They're up ta somethin'," Doc replied softly, "They're both too stoic."

Red looked to the attractive brunette that he would have been certain was all too willing were Doc not here and then looked back to him.

"Gold-diggers?" he asked

"Mos' likely," Doc agreed.

"So they steal a few dollars while we sleep. The real gold's back home and we have plenty more to take, right?" Red shrugged, thinking the girls only so capable of sneaking their money from their bags and clothes while they slept.

Doc smirked wider.

"Mah thoughts exac'ly," he agreed.

"God, we make a great team," Red allowed of themselves with a huge grin and then went back to his topic of interest, "So how about it, beautiful?"

Doc did likewise to smile down at the blonde before him.

"Well, wah don' you take me there for a spell?" he flirted.

[Eza!]

When someone that large and muscular leaned into you, your instinctive reaction was to lean back, but Ari figured that would betray her reluctance, so she kept her expression even and didn't move. Although, she did note, with a measure of approval, that his breath didn't smell, which was more of a claim than many outlaws could make. Hmm, well, this was going well, but she didn't want to rush things unless she knew Caitlyn had her back. She lowered her eyes and then flicked them to the side, checking on Caitlyn. She seemed to be holding her own for now. Alright then, it was go time. She shifted slowly, straightening away from the bar, which consequently brought her closer to his chest, and she had to angle her head even further so she could see him. She flashed him another small, sexy little smile and then slipped past him, ducking under his arm.
"I don't make a habit of handing out prizes, but for someone like yourself...Perhaps I could make an exception." She murmured, heading for the stairs to the private rooms, hips swaying slowly. God, how much did women have to practice to do the exaggerated hip-sway thing? Ari had tried it, with Caitlyn as her judge, and hadn't done a very good job, so she'd had to settle for her normal walk, which was more of a subtle, unconscious swaying of the hips as she walked.

And then she'd had to cure Caitlyn of walking like a boy. Now that, that had taken time. Caitlyn had spent too long with her brother. Although, Ari wasn't exactly the most feminine woman on the planet, either. She spent most of her time riding the country side, or shooting and being shot at. She chased outlaws, bandits, and general idiots that had gotten on the wrong side of the law for a living. She'd caught up with Caitlyn a few years back, and they'd hit it off. And now they did this crap job together. And yes, she did think her job was crap. But, it paid the bills. It was dangerous, but Ari lived for danger. She lived for that adrenaline rush. There were three things Ari was very good at in this world; shooting, riding and dancing. The final one, she'd never, ever admit to. But yes, the first two talents didn't really make for a life as someone's wife, spitting out babies constantly. But oh well.

She looked back just in time to see the two outlaws have some sort of exchange, right over Caitlyn's head! Her expression didn't change, but her suspicions were spiked. They must have caught her look at Caitlyn. Her mind scrambled for a solution to this problem, but, they seemed to be still willing to go upstairs with them, so they were obviously underestimating herself and Caitlyn and weren't sure what, exactly, they were planning. Heck, they probably thought she and Caitlyn were planning on running off with their money. She barely refrained from snorting. Now, wasn't that a laugh? They were in a hell of a lot more trouble than some nicked cash. And all through this, her expression remained open, and the slightest smile on her face.

[Subtle Mystery]

Caitlyn's defensive tactics began to play up as he smirked, barely managing to keep her facial expression smooth and smiling when she really wanted to clobber him around the back of the head for smirking at her. Smirking. She hated the twist of the lips that wasn't really a smile, the superior expression was one she'd always detested and always been quick to wipe off any man's face. Then teh worry set in, had he seen trhough her acting? Was she not doing as well as she hoped? Was he smirking because he'd completely caught on to her? But he didn't seem worried, and neither did Ari, so she assumed that the plan was still on. Damn plan, she hated it for all it was worth. She knew she should stop checking on Ari, for she knew the other woman could handle herself, but she couldn't hel- How the hell did she do that? For all Caitlyn knew, Ari wasn't well versed in the saloon games but she still managed to pull off the sexy smile and lazy walk.

"I think I could do that, might be a bumpy ride... You sure you're up for it?" She might not be able to give sexy smiles, but she could pull off the cheeky ones. Cheeky worked better with her appearance anyway, rather than sensual, she could be fun. While she couldn't batt her eyelids and look feminine, she could look shy with an up ward glance through her eyelashes. Thankfully, she didn't miss it when he leaned towards his companion and her eyes narrowed very slightly, mind working quickly to figure out what she should do now. Keep going with the ruse? He didn't seem overly concerned, what ever concerns had been mentioned. Whatever they thought, it was no where near the truth, because Caitlyn was pretty sure they wouldn't be so willing to follow them.

Stepping away from the outlaw, Caitlyn turned hoping against hope that the heels would help disguise the fact she still had a habit of walking like a boy, no matter how much Ari had helped, and the heels did help, which was the only reason she'd allowed herself to put them on her feet. That, and they'd help if she had to kick the ass too. Though she kept the playful smile on her lips, Caitlyn's eyes remained distant and shadowed, not looking at Ari despite craving the assurance this would work for them. If it didn't... Caitlyn didn't even want to think about that, so she didn't, pushing the thougths from her mind and instead focusing on the issues at the front. Turning her head, she forced herself to wink easily, the cheeky smile still in place,
"You comin'?"

[joker]

He felt himself blink his shock at the blonde at her obvious challenge, for once losing that trademark smirk of his. It was so suddenly forward of her and so openly explicit. His eyes squinted a bit in a playful sort of way, as if he were trying to figure out the catch as he turned his head a fraction of an inch to the right, his smirk back as if she had just said something funny.

"Yeah..." he said slowly, "Ah think Ah can handle that..."

He looked over his shoulder with his amused, suspicious look at Red, but his friend wasn't paying attention. His eyes were on the brunette before him, his smile stuck there more so than usual. He hadn't seen him so entranced by someone before. It was unnerving and dangerous. He didn't trust these two girls. He felt his smile fade a bit and his brows slightly move together. Turning back around, he realized his girl was gone. He looked about for a second before finding her moving up the stairs. He replaced his smirk and pursued hastily.

Red was completely entranced by the curvy, charismatic beauty who sauntered away from him to the stairs. He watched her bottom sway for a few moments, transfixed, and then found himself following quickly. As he and Doc reached the foot of the stairs, they exchanged quick glances and grinned wider. Then Doc began to hack and cough. He doubled over for a few minutes, his pale skin glistening with sweat and looking feverish. Red stopped, his trance broken momentarily in worry for his companion. He put his hand on Doc's back and gripped his upper arm with his other. His brows furrowed and his face became grave and stony.

"Maybe we should call it a day and rest..." Red suggested.

Doc shook his head, bravely quelling the next wave of coughs.

"No, Ah'm fine," he rasped, swallowing hard, "Let's get our kicks and then get th' hell outta here."

Red narrowed his eyes.

"Don't be stupid, DOC," he snapped quietly, stressing the title and not wanting the girls to think they had a contagious illness lest they decide to leave for fear of getting it, "Let's go lie down. It's the heat. It happens every time..."

"Can't be," he murmured with a smirk twitching his features, "I've been travelin' with the Red Devil himself an' goin' up in flames with ladies every night an' I'm doin' jus' fine."

He chuckled, but that lead to a bout of softer coughs that came from deeper in his throat.

"Doc..." Red said as if to protest.

"C'mon, Red, lemme get mah kicks while Ah'm alive," he coaxed.

He stared into Doc's twinkling, mischievous eyes for a few moments and then sighed.

"Fine," he murmured, "If you're that determined to kill yourself."

Doc smirked wider.

"Nope," he replied as he headed upstairs, "Jus' determined to die with mah boots on!"

Shaking his head and sighing, he smirked his usual smirk, knowing that even though it irritated him, that was just the thing about Doc that made them so close. He headed upstairs, too, eyes back on the girl.

[Eza!]

At the top of the stairs, Ari paused and turned to watch first Caitlyn, and then the two men trail her up. Her eyes narrowed just a fraction, a little like a cat's, when the smaller one started coughing, but she didn't comment, and instead displayed more patience than your average saloon girl by calmly waiting for them at the top of the stairs. She left the good doctor to Caitlyn's charms and kept her eyes on the big outlaw, and once he was at the top of the stairs, she led the way down the hall to the door at the farthest end. She really, really didn't want any interruptions. She knew Caitlyn would have to pick another room, so she'd just have to hope that Caitlyn could handle herself. She walked into the room and waited, one hand on the door, eyes on the doorway and the man beyond.

The saloon had a fairly simple system; open doors meant the room was available, closed doors, obviously, meant the opposite. Ari had deliberately ensured the two rooms farthest from the stairs, and therefore farthest from people, in case something like this happened. Ari was the kind of person who tried very hard to plan for all eventualities. Her's and Caitlyn's horse were standing patiently at the back of the saloon, should they need to run fast, like if the outlaws tried running, and they ended up having to give chase and get into a resulting firefight. The horses weren't tied, because Ari and Caitlyn had had them long enough that they knew to come when they were called...Or whistled, as the case may be. Just to check, Ari moved further into the room and twitched the curtain aside, looking down into the alley behind the saloon. And sure enough, there stood their horses. As if he felt her looking at him, the tall, leggy black stallion tilted his head back to look at the window, then snorted and promptly presented her with his rear end, his tail happily swishing. Ari barely refrained from laughing, and quickly dropped the curtain and turned back to watch the door.

[Subtle Mystery]

For a moment, Caitlyn waited silently, glancing back once to check the man was still following. Hopefully, all this would go well, all of it would be fine and then she could go, get back in her good ol' jeans and boots, and get rid of this offending garmet and burn it. Burn it all... The coughing startled her out of her thoughts and Caitlyn turned, raising a brow slightly, though keeping the rest of her expression clear and possibly concerned. He was sick. For a moment, sympathy rose, and then she quite firmly pushed it to the back of her mind. He was a criminal, he was conning people out of their money, hard earned money, that they deserved. Sick or not, it was probably due to his lifestyle anyway. Well, if he hadn't been such a bugger, he probably wouldn't be sick. So, no. Caitlyn didn't feel sorry for him, she didn't like him and she couldn't wait to stick a gun in his face.

Leaning against the wall comfortably, Caitlyn risked a quick glance at Ari then looked away, as though disinterested. It was probably too late to change the fact the outlaws had realised they knew each other, but she could at least try and fix any damage. All she had to do was get him inside, pull the gun and calmly state who she was - sort of - and what she was doing there. She hadn't really expected the two outlaws to pick her and Ari, but she supposed, it was for the best... Really. After all, a nice quiet place was always better for a good threatening conversation. Fixing the smile back on her face, she tilted her head to one side,
"You right, handsome?"

[joker]

Doc smiled at the blonde's question. Why was it that every thing she said came out as a goading challenge? Despite the playful grin he flashed her, his eyes seemed tired and slightly glazed, his skin still glistening with a thin sheen of sweat upon his brow.

"Of course," he drawled softly, his voice only slightly hoarse now, "Yer suddenly forward attitude caused me to choke on mah very breath in surprise. Maybe you should be more careful next time..."

Not that there would be a next time. Even if the incident went unprecedented, they would more likely than not never see the girls again. Were they to return in a small time such as a week, there was no guarantee they would still be there. Saloon girls often went on to prostitution, marriage to a vain and foolish man, or stolen away by men in the night to unknown fates.

Doc clunked to the window to stare out of it. The sun was high in the sky and so very hot... How hadn't he noticed it before? He tried to shake off his weariness.

It's a state 'a' mind... he told himself.

He turned towards her and leaned against the window, thumbs hooked in his belt.

"So, how 'bout that tour 'a' Cloud Nine?" he said amusedly.



Red gave Doc one more worried glance before entering his own room. The guy wasn't doing himself any favors. Whether he admired Doc's bravery and will to live long or die happy, he also was very adverse to anything that would end in Doc's demise. The guy was like family, the one he never truly had. A frown seemed permanently etched into his features, stony and intimidating, like that notorious of his people.

He turned to the girl and without so much as a glance at her, his eyes stubbornly on the floor and his face cold, his brow furrowed in worry, he asked in an only slightly interested tone,

"So what's this prize?"

His arms were folded firmly over his chest, his legs apart. He looked more and more like a Native American warrior by the minute. He wondered vaguely if she was confused, hurt, or afraid of this, but decided almost at once that right now, it didn't really matter to him. Hey, women come and go--even desert blooms such as this one--but people like Doc...? Most people were lucky just to have heard of a person like him. In lieu of the recent events, the whole thing seemed relatively pointless.

[Eza!]

He was obviously upset and worried about his friend, and Ari could sympathize there. If something was wrong with Caitlyn, she would worry as well. She almost felt bad about doing this, almost gave up and didn't do it at all, but she had her obligations, and although she didn't much care for the law and some of the lawmen she'd met, she did know that stealing from bank's was wrong on some levels, because that was the money of people who couldn't afford to lose it. And although she wasn't a greedy person, the number on his head was enough to nudge her past her moment of sympathy, although she couldn't resist making some sort of comment before she turned him against her.
"It's probably not my place to say anything, but I think he's real lucky, to have a friend looking out for him like that." Her voice was soft, and the word's sincere, and she smiled faintly, all sex gone from her manner, the flirtatious saloon girl was gone, and now here was the real Ari.
Of course, the act she'd put on before hadn't been entirely fake, because Ari hadn't exactly assumed another identity, she'd just...Well, said some things she normally wouldn't have the guts to say, but quite possibly could have been thinking.

She fell into silence after that, leaning against the wall and staring out the window for a while and giving the outlaw some time to collect himself, a brief moment of privacy, even though she was in the room, to reflect and gather his thoughts, to calm his emotions. She knew if she were in his position, she'd appreciate the moment to relax and not feel like you had to put an act on for anyone. She left it for as long as she possibly could, then turned around, calmly reached under her skirt and plucked her gun from it's place on her thigh. She cocked it and then took aim, her hand completely steady and the muzzle aimed directly at the outlaw's forehead.
"Now, about that prize. I'm pretty sure it's something fairly large, but it's not for you, it's for me. Your prize is I don't shoot you, whether to kill or injure, so long as you come quietly along. I noticed you were looking at me and Caitlyn funny, so I'll explain to you what's going on. We're both Bounty Hunters, and you two are our Bounty." Although the words were calm and level, her eyes direct, there was the slightest flicker of expression that suggested she wasn't entirely comfortable with something.

And indeed she wasn't. Sure, there was nothing wrong with hard earned money, and there was nothing particularly wrong with what she and Caitlyn were doing now, but what she did feel bad about was the fact the other outlaw was sick, and this one obviously cared a great deal about his friend. That level of caring and loyalty, she could understand, and that was bad, because it made him nice, instead of just a damn outlaw.
"Damn it!" She growled under her breath, although she didn't offer any explanation for the sudden expletive. She'd never, ever had trouble doing her job before, and it seriously bothered her now that she did. The gun wavered, for a split second, and then she scowled at her hand as though it had somehow betrayed her and made herself stand firm, made her hand steady.

[Subtle Mystery]

He was sick. The sheen of sweat, the tired look in his eyes... It was all too obvious he wasn't well, and his friend had stopped to help him. Damn it all to Hell, why couldn't they be the usual outlaws? Rough, uncaring, people who took without caring, who didn't care, who were just outright buggers who killed without thought. That was what outlaws were supposed to be, they weren't supposed to be ill, to have families, to care, to have personalities. For all of that, for all she hated that moment of weakness where her resolve wavered, Caitlyn had to push it aside, she had a job to do and if she wavered Ari would be in danger and she'd never forgive herself if something happened to Ari. Moving easily to close the door, Caitlyn leaned against it for a moment, eyes losing the playful glimmer and becoming calculating.

There was no point in dallying about it, Caitlyn had never been the type to wait around and hope for something to come along, on a silver platter. As a rancher's daughter, she'd learnt nothing came on a silver platter. You could work hard at life, be a good person, say your prayers and work through the rain, through storms and thunder, but still lose everything in one winter blast. Since he was watching her, she didn't move slowly, pulling the gun from beneath her skirt, cocked it and pointed it squarely at him, all the playful cheekiness wiped off her face to be replaced wtih a cool, and strongly determined look.
"Sorry, not my place to take you there. My job's to take you in, I don't know what you suspected but let me clear it up for you, Ari and me? We're partners, bounty hunters and you've got a mighty fine price on your head." The light, unattached tone came easily now, not showing her reluctance to shoot a sick man, not showing her weakness as she stood, eyes watching carefully.

Bounty hunting, taking down those who did wrong and taking the money for it. To Caitlyn, it seemed a horrid job, it was. Spending all your time riding hard and avoiding shots, there'd be no family in her future, and she doubted she could comfortably go back to her ranch life. One day, when all the criminals were behind bars or burning where they belonged... Then she could go home. There was always someone else waiting to take the mantle of outlaw, someone who wanted to steal rather than work hard for their honest money, honest money that others needed to feed their familes.
"I never would have dreamed the infamous Doc would walk straight into our hands."

[joker]

Red's eyes widened as he heard the click, though his brows stayed in that angry furrow, now one of outrage and fury. His eyes snapped up from the floor to face the muzzle of the gun. He clenched his fists, letting them fall to his side. He took a step towards her in his moment of rage, but then remembered just what that gun could do to him and she seemed every bit as experienced as she had implied. He snarled at her and slowly rose his hands to his shoulders.

"You little b!tch..." he muttered.

It was not in Red's character to call any female a b!tch. It made him feel horrible and wrong when he had in the past, so he dropped the term. This time, however, he felt no remorse. He knew very well that if she was in on it, so was the blonde, and that meant sick Doc was helpless. If they shot him while he was sick like this, Gold help the entirety of the saloon...

Doc, however, made no sign of surprise. He took a deep breath and sighed. He looked back up to her, his face still smirking pleasantly, but his eyes solemn.

"Ah beg yer pardon, but yer hardly the epitome of danger in mah eyes," he replied wearily, barely sparing her a glance as if answering a child's endless questions. He leaned over and knocked loudly on the wall. "HEY RED!"

Red's eyes narrowed and then closed as he heard Doc's voice hollering at him on the other side of the wall.

"Doc, if you say 'I told you so' even once, I'll shoot you!" he called back.

Doc chuckled softly.

"Well, Ah was gonna say Ah figured out the moral 'a' this story..." he replied, "Never trust a grey-eyed wench."

Red allowed himself a chuckle, eyes still closed.

"Yeah, I got that much, Doc. Thanks," he called back.

Still smirking, Doc straightened and busied himself to take out a cigar.

"Besides. Ah don't know who wears the pants in ya'll's little gang, but we're a partnership. The decision was not wholly mine. I suggested leavin' the both 'a' you," he said to her, never once looking at her as he lit the cigar and put it in his mouth. He looked at her patronizingly. "So what next, great bounty hunter?"