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The Best in the West (Candira and Legion)

Candira

Candira

Singularity
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Kate was the best thief in her little town. She didn't take so much that people missed it, and she didn't take more than she really needed to cover the extra expenses she had. Her job at the saloon covered the living expenses she had--the roof over her head, the clothes on her back, and the food in her belly. But now and then, a gal needed a cushion, and it was never unwise to have some money stockpiled. With how often that bank got robbed, she didn't trust any money in there. She kept a safe of her own in a closet and only she knew the combination.

Left to her own devices, Kate was a sweet girl who had compassion for others. She made friends with almost everyone. Of course, her looks didn't hurt either. She was brilliant redhead with long hair that had perfect curls when she decided to put them in. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischievous energy. Her body was downright sexy according to some of the men in the area. Her breasts were always perfectly displayed, perky and with enough cleavage to please but not promise. Her dresses hugged her in the right places, and her costumes showed just enough of her. It was one of the reasons she earned so much in tips. She shared that money, however.

It was a regular night in the small town when Kate was serving drinks to the last of the customers. Her feet were sore from all the work she'd been doing and she was tired. She felt a bit drained, having had to deal with a particularly rowdy and aggressive group of men that day. Tonight's customers were at least tired and smaller in number. Yawning, the pretty barmaid served up the last round of drinks she had. Just as she was getting ready to sign out for the night and leave, she was asked to sing again. Knowing that she wouldn't make it out without doing so, she chuckled and nodded, letting the piano player know which song she wanted to sing.
 
Tom was sitting at a table towards the front of the saloon. He acted as a bit of a bouncer for the saloon, and sitting towards the front ensured people had a harder time getting out past him. He wasn't paid for this or anything, he just hated people causing trouble in a place where you were supposed to relax.

He was a young man in his late twenties, brunette hair running long down the back of his neck almost to his shoulders, but always tied back in a ponytail. If he left it untied and stepped outside you could see the ends of his hair lighten up with a dark blond contrast, though unnoticeable while inside. He dressed like the typical gunslinger, tan hide boots, dark brown fabric pants, a white cotton shirt, and a leather duster old and faded with the years. He had light brown eyes, and a fit physique. He could take and throw a punch with the rest of them, and pick up a raging saloon girl and carry her off to cool down while she kicked and swung for him to put her down.

It was known in town that Tom was a gunslinger. He carried two of the slingers signature .45 caliber Peacemaker. He preferred peace and quiet which is why he settled down in the town, and stopped looking for showdowns. However, after he stopped traveling, the showdowns seemed to come to him. Heartbreak Tom, that's what the gunslingers called him out as.

He had a routine to his duels: anyone who challenged him had to give him their birth name which he wrote down in a little black book, then they took a single bullet he gave them and went to a specific gunsmith and had their initials engraved on the bullet, come back with the bullet which Tom put in one of his guns and set to be the first bullet to be fired, and then they were ready for the duel. He had settled down in the town for three years now and had repeated this routine over twenty eight times. Those who come out, to spectate on the duels, see he is called Heartbreak Tom because he always shoots and hits the heart.

Today had been busy, yet no one had gotten rowdy enough for him to have to step in. It was, at least for him, a relaxing day where he could sit back at his table and deal out cards. He would often be found jumping between Faro or Poker, and for the few who could actually count, blackjack.

He stopped for a moment when he saw Kate get up by the piano, he had heard calls for her to sing. He, like all the others, admired her build and taste in clothing, though for reasons to his own he was one of the few men that visited the bar that did not ask for a room with her. However he looked out for her, and would often walk her home when she worked late like this, after all not all the men in town could be trusted to keep their hands off her outside of the saloon. He had paused the game of poker he was dealing out so he could sit back and enjoy her singing, this was one of the few to only reasons he would ever stop a card game.
However the pause didn't last longer than a second after he turned his attention towards the piano when one of the players tried to sneak a card back into the stack and get a few better ones.
"Hey, no cheating at my table." Tom had dealt with this man once before and always kept him barely within his line of sight.
"Wh-what? I wasn't cheatin' Tom I swear. Just reachin' for my drink is all." he said pulling his hand back and towards his glass.
"Get up and leave your money on the table, you know my rules by now Terrance."
"To hell I'm leavin' my coin for something I wasn't doing!" The man raised his voice.
Tom remained calm, eyes on the piano and Kate, "Either leave with an empty pocket and your pride in tact, or with an empty wallet and a broken face. Your choice."
The man sat down no longer complaining, desiring both his coin and his physical well being. He knew Tom backed up what he said.
"You're not staying at my table. I'll let you leave with your coin this once Terrance, now sit back and enjoy the music."
 
Kate spied Tom sitting toward the entrance of the saloon and smiled as she noticed him stop his poker game. She chose a sweet slow song that suited her voice well. She waited until the situation at the table cooled off and then arranged herself on the stage, sitting on the edge. Her legs dangled off the stage, giving a lovely show to the men of the crowd. And then a sultry song flowed from her lips in a sweet Alto range. She sang beautifully, her voice lilting in all the right places.

She sang "Danny boy," for lack of a better song to calm the hearts of the people in the room. When she was finished, she smiled and tiredly stepped down, gesturing to the pianist before she left the stage and headed back toward her things. She didn't want to interrupt Tom's card game, so she shot him a bright smile on her way out and then started walking on her way home.
 
Tom had managed to finish up two more deals of poker after Kate had finished singing. Her song was one he had often heard, but it still never got old to his ears, especially when she sang it. He had rigged the last two games to see to it the other players lost. A lesson in greed he told himself in his mind, let a man suffer a lightened wallet from his own fault rather than send him home with a heavy one only for it to be lightened by another. Greed was everywhere, if one mans greed led him to prosper, another man would wait around the corner to let his greed set a bullet in the other mans chest.
Tom however didn't worry about this. By the time any man turned a corner, he would have his gun out and have pulled the trigger before any robber or bandit got their barrel leveled off on him.

He had gathered up his "winnings" and headed out of the saloon. He tried to escort Kate back to her home every night she worked. From what he observed she was popular among the men, and he didn't want any of them to try anything on her, or any of the girls. However, most of the girls lived in the rooms at the saloon, Kate was one of the exceptions.

"Kate wait up." he called to her as he put the jingling coin pouch on his belt. "I really wish you'd wait for me before leaving the saloon. I don't trust most of the men around here, and I'd hate to see a pretty girl get hurt." he said as he caught up with her. He adjusted his leather duster so the right side set comfortably covering the pouch, and left covering his two Peacemakers in their holsters.
 
Upon hearing her name, Kate turned back to the doors of the saloon. She smiled when she saw Tom walking toward her, asking her to wait. It was nice to know that of all the people in this town, he was the one she could trust easiest of all. He was always friendly and never behaved in a way she would have considered "untoward." The picture of a gentleman...except where playing cards and killing men was involved. Then again, any man who played with Tom in any way knew what he was in for.

Kate liked to talk to him and let him walk her home. She felt safer when he was around for good reason, and she liked his warm personality. "I'm sorry. But you looked like you were having fun. I just wanted to get home. It's still light out, after all. I appreciate you worrying about me, darlin', but I hardly think the first thing on a man's mind would be to hurt a pretty gal." She teased him lightly and nudged him a little with her hip.

"Did you enjoy the song? I never know what to sing in front of you all before the night ends." She grinned and ran her fingers through her lush locks. Yawning, the pretty girl continued walking once he'd caught up with her.
 
He walked with her after she nudged him. He admired her, in many ways, to him she seemed naive to the things that could happen, he admired her courage for willing to go on her own despite how many men practically fall over tongue out when she walks their way, that and he admired her in a way he shouldn't, as any other man. He had become close to her, and he had many reasons not to admire her body, but it couldn't be helped. The important thing for him was that he did not act on such thoughts.

"Yes the song was amazing. It sounds just as good if not better every time I hear it from you. It's a good song to end the night to." He looked around, and the streets were fairly empty save for a few people wandering home. It seemed most people had either chosen to head to the saloon or were attending the early evening Mass.

"You forget how much I used to travel Kate. I've seen horrible things in the most unlikely places. I don't put it past people to try to harm a young lady like yourself in a town such as this. You'd be surprised how many guys come to my table putting down a bet that if they win so many rounds of cards that I'll convince you to take them to a room for a night. Its hard to make sure the poor saps keep losing."
 
Kate smiled, chuckling at his own brand of naivete. He completely missed her little joke, but that didn't matter much. She loved that he was such a straightforward person. He was always honest with her and she appreciated it greatly. The comment about his defending her honor through a card game made her smile, though on some level she was a little offended he would even take the bet.

"Oh? You must be an awfully good protector, Tom. I'm a bit surprised you'd even take the bet, though, if you're so worried for my safety. What would happen if you lost and I denied your requests?" She asked, tilting her head with wonder.

She stopped walking for a moment to look up into his eyes, wondering just what the reason was for his saving her so much. Was it the same reason the others seemed to like her? Or was there more to it than her looks and eligibility.
 
He stopped and thought for a moment. What would happen if he had lost the bet and she refused, he wasn't sure if she was surprised by this or not. However he played cards so that those who needed to win did win, and those who wanted to win for the sake of greed, lost. "But that's just it, I never lose anything that I shouldn't lose. You forget I have the fastest hands in the west." Bless his naivety he didn't realize the turn around to that comment at all. "I don't lose if I shouldn't."

He paused for a moment, "As for the rest of the question if I DID lose. I'd expect you to slap me and tell me not to show myself at the saloon again. These men insist on the betting terms of bedding you, so I agree and make sure they lose, and in turn all my drinks are on them for the rest of the night."

"Besides I can't let them bed you, I want you for myself." He looked at her serious for a moment and burst out with an honest laugh. "To be honest, you are a pretty girl, any man would be a fool to say otherwise. However my pappa raised me not to take advantage of a girl like that."
 
Kate hadn't been expecting such an answer from him. He'd never been this forward. He'd never expressed interest in being anything other than her friend. Then again, perhaps it was foolish to believe that any man would stop at just that. Of course, she was flattered by his respect for her and the honor he wished to tender her. His answer of having her slap him and kick him out of the bar made her smile, but she wondered just what kind of games he was playing with those men.

Then again, who was she to judge? Kate lived her own mistakes and had her own sins to atone for. Then again, she was always nice to the people she stole from--often sharing food or forgetting a spilled drink when she saw them next. It was easy for her to walk away from it all, but what kind of life did Tom lead, she wondered.

His comments about wanting her for his own had stopped her, but she quickly regained herself. She smiled when he laughed and shared in his mirth. "Did he, now? You know, it's not taking advantage of a lady if she wants you to take her," she said with a teasing laugh. And then she started walking again, afraid that she might blush or even start indulging that fantasy of hers by imagining them together again. "But you're right. It's much better to steal a woman's heart first," she said, smiling as she walked with him toward her home.

Tired, she yawned again and then leaned against him a little as they walked.
 
"But you're right. It's much better to steal a woman's heart first," she said, smiling as she walked with him toward her home.

"Too many men prefer skipping that part though. It seems like men are losing the capability of thinking outside of their pants these days." The walk got a little quieter after that and he felt her lean up against him as they drew closer to her home.
And she says she can get here on her own, she'd pass out and fall over if I didn't come with her half the time. he thought to himself. However he didn't object, he let her stay comfortable for a little longer. Part of it was because he wanted her to be comfortable as they walked, and also because he enjoyed having her close.


Just a few more minutes passed as they began to walk up to her house. "Hey don't fall asleep while walkin' now. We're here, you should go inside and get comfortable. Get some sleep darlin'. I should head back to the saloon in a bit."
 
She smiled at the outrage and disappointment in his voice when he told her that men had problems thinking things through without letting heir hormones get involved. That was very true--especially when men were drunk. She could never imagine Tom having that problem, which was at once a good thought, and something of a disappointment. He would never try to take advantage of her in any way, which she was glad for, but if he really wanted her...she had a hard time thinking of that.

Kate let him guide her home, closing her eyes a bit as she walked. She never completely let her guard down, but she was sure that she could have without much worry. When they reached her home, she was ready to sink into a nice warm bath and then go to sleep. Still, she wouldn't have minded his company.

She smiled and stopped leaning on him as they reached the doorstep of the little place. It wasn't much, but it was hers. Complete with a little garden of vegetables and flowers. Kate turned to face him as she fished her key out from around her neck and then leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me Tom. I don't know what I'd do without you." That said, she smiled and headed for her door. After some fidgeting with the key, she was in. She locked the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment before turning on her lamp and waving at him through her window.
 
Tom did not deny such an innocent act as a kiss on the cheek. Her soft, warm, and moist lips touching his skin all too quickly reminded him of the temptations of men. The desires and compulsions to act before though ran through him rampant, but he reminded himself of his position and held them at bay. Though held at bay in thought, his body had decided to show the fruitlessness of his efforts. Which without thinking about it nor hesitating, he pulled his duster closed as he backed off the raised porch of her home.

"Have a good evening ma'am. I'm happy to be of help to you. You know if you ever need me I'll be there." He said as she walked inside. He tried to put on his hat out of habit, only to realize he had left it at the saloon. All the more reason to get back there before it went missing. Realizing his mistake in not having his hat, he went with it and acted as if he tipped his imaginary hat to her as she waved at him from the window. After making a darn fool of himself again he turned and headed for the saloon. Once the bar closed he would head over to the Church and pray for forgiveness for the thoughts of his temptations.
 
When he left her, the saloon girl headed back into her house, lighting another lamp as she went and then another until the small house was lit up nicely. She went through her nicely furnished living room where she entertained the few guests she invited into her home and often sat and read books. A soft sofa and two plush armchairs, with a small coffee table that fit a few books, a nice vase of flowers from her garden, and a tray of coffee and cakes when she entertained. The thought that she ought to invite Tom in one of these times crossed her mind as she walked through the room, wondering what he might like in the way of refreshments.

She smiled at the thought of him as he'd left her tonight, lifting a hat that he wasn't wearing in her direction. Chuckling, she thought of something sweet to make for him next time he walked her home. And then she imagined all of the other sweet things she could do to thank him for helping her so often. Her lips curved into a smile and she shook her head. He would never let himself have her, even if what he'd said before really was true. If he wanted her, he would forever deny himself. And, she thought, any other man who tried to bed her.

Sighing, she walked past the room where she did laundry and other household projects...and also the room where she'd stashed her stolen goods. She put them in her book of pressed flowers and transferred it to her safe when she felt it was necessary. Finally she arrived at her bedroom with a large inviting bed waiting for her. It was fashioned with a lovely down quilt that her mother had given to her and covered in fine sheets that she took care of. There was a chest at the foot of the bed full of blankets and bed clothes, a dresser full of underthings, ribbons, corsets, and other various items of clothing, and an amour filled with her saloon dresses and a few more plain dresses, with a few men's shirts in case she needed more durability or had some company with a need for one.

Smiling she slipped out of her dress and underthings, setting them in the hamper beneath her bed. She took her silky robe from the corner of her amour and put it on as she went to her safe and checked to make sure all of her savings were just that--safe. When she was certain, she treated herself to a nice long bath. She slept well that night and dreamt of a certain guardian being more than just a protector.

The next day, she took a jar of preserves from her cellar and a small loaf of bread from her kitchen, put it in a basket and walked to the saloon in a stunningly detailed purple dress that was sure to please the crowd. She would see if she could share a breakfast with Tom and then get to work.
 
Tom had woken up late in the Saloon room he always rented since he didn't own a place. The owner gave him a good price for it since he kept the peace in the Saloon. He had spent a late night at the church, he was a cheater, a gambler, and a killer, but he was a God fearing man for many reasons.

Mornings were usually slow, he'd run errands for some of the girls or the owner until business picked up. He had woken up and thrown on a fresh set of pants and a shirt, tucked it in and put on a belt. He tried to be presentable most of the time, with the exception of when he woke up with a hangover from whiskey, or Firewater as the natives called it.

"Mornin' Jeremy, any errands this morning?" He asked rubbing his eyes still waking up.
"A little later yeah, I have a shipment of corn, bread, and other produce comin' in. That's not for a few more hours though partner."
"Alright let me know where to go meet them. Is Kate here yet?" he asked.
"Your lover girl?" he joked. "Naw not yet, should be in here soon though. Did you hear the recent news?"
"News? This early?"
"Yeah the owner of the general store came in real early for some real hard drinks. Says someone stole from his store last night while he was sleeping in the upstairs of his store."
"Did he see who it was?"
"Said it looked like a guy in a black duster and a bandit mask, that's all."
 
Kate arrived just as Jeremy was telling Tom about the burglary. She entered the saloon with a smile on her face oblivious to the news. "Well good morning fellas. What's new?" she asked taking a seat at the bar, setting her basket on the counter. She listened to Jeremy tell her the story again and she gasped, frowning. There weren't many other thieves in the area that hadn't been caught and brought to justice.

"Well, I'll be sure to be on the lookout for this guy tonight. He sounds dangerous," she said with a little frown. Maybe she really ought to walk home with Tom more often...Speaking of him, she had a basket with their name on it. She turned her attention to her friend and smiled. "Speaking of dangers, would you like to have breakfast with me? I thought it might be a nice reward for you walking me home all the time."
 
"Dangerous indeed, the shop keeper should be glad he slept through it. Had he gone downstairs he may have been shot. No one out here, not even a thief, walks around without a gun. Then again I don't know where the shop keeper keeps his gun, if it was downstairs he would have been in some trouble." He seemed lost in thought for a moment, debating on whether to walk around town tonight to see if there was anything odd going about.

"Speaking of dangers, would you like to have breakfast with me? I thought it might be a nice reward for you walking me home all the time."

He snapped out of his daze quickly and looked at her. "Speaking of dangers? Why would eating something you bring be a danger, other than the customers getting jealous?" he said with a half tired yet hardy tone. "Yes, I'd enjoy that, it beats walking over to one of the Inns to get day old bread and milk. Did you have somewhere in mind to eat what you've brought or did you want to sit down at one of the tables here?"
 
She caught how he seemed somehow distant, as though he were lost in thought. Perhaps she shouldn't go out tonight if she wanted to avoid explaining her activities to the man who trusted her completely. He also knew her too well to not know that she was in some way associated with the few people who lost a little more money in the saloon than they truly ought to.

Kate laughed and shook her head at his response to her invitation. "No, silly. It's not dangerous to eat with me. I was referring to how you protect me from danger." Looking around her she wondered what he would prefer. "Well, since it's your reward, why don't you choose where we go?" She smiled at him and tilted her head, waiting for him to answer her.
 
"How about on the porch of the Chapel? I would like to catch the Reverend's morning sermon before sitting down and breaking out my deck of cards for the day." it was no small secret among the people of the town that Tom attended church services. It was, however, odd that a gunslinger was a god fearing man. Slingers were killers and we're frowned upon by the church. The local reverend at first was not thrilled having a killer, a wolf as he would preach, among his flock. However, Tom's continued attendance showed that for a killer, he was devoted.
A god fearing man, and when asked why a God fearing man gambled and killed, he would always respond by saying he was bringing justice to those who needed it, meting out loss to the greedy, and death to those prideful enough to believe they could match his skill in a showdown.

He stood up and offered his hand to take the basket for her. "What did you bring with you?"
 
"Sounds nice," she said with a smile, taking his hand to stand up and then letting him hold the basket. She closed his hands around the handle and then took him by the arm. "I'll be back for my shift Jeremy," she said, leading her friend out of the saloon and toward the church. In response to his question, she smiled and looked up at him. "I brought your favorite preserves and some sweet bread. There's some coffee in there and some tin plates and cups. I thought you might appreciate it."

It was nice to spend time with him that didn't have anything to do with protecting her. Sure she'd used it as an excuse to reward him, but she really just wanted to spend some time with him.
 
He listened to what she said as they both began to head out of the Saloon. "Coffee thank the Lord, I was afraid I'd fall asleep through the Reverend's sermon, especially if I drank that brown water Jeremy calls coffee." he said to her laughing lightly as he whispered the last bit to her. He peaked into the basket to look at what preserves she had brought with her. He had seen a clear container with a red liquid with chunked fruit in it, strawberry preserves. In all the time he had been here, he believed she was the only one who knew that strawberries were his weakness. He'd kill a man for some strawberries...oh wait he's done that already, one of the vendors made a bet with him on one of his duels saying if he won he could take home as many strawberries as he could carry.

It truly was a kind gesture to think she had been so thoughtful as to remember something so small as a favored food.
He commented, jokingly in his head, though it may have come out differently, "Well well, coffee, bread and strawberry preserves? Looks like someone is trying to win their way to my heart."
 
Kate loved a good compliment. Tom knew how to give them. She giggled at his comment about Jeremy's coffee and squeezed his arm a little tighter. When he took a peek in the basket, she got the feeling that he definitely appreciated what he saw. It made her grin when he made a comment about her being after his heart.

Feeling as though she was a thoughtful woman made her feel good. "Well maybe I am. Who wouldn't be?" She asked, knowing that the reality of her statement might be difficult to grasp. Most of the saloon girls carried such a torch for him. Many were jealous of Kate's easy friendship with him, which was one of the many reasons she didn't stay in the saloon with them. But Tom, bless his heart, didn't know that and she wouldn't tell him.

"Well then, to the church," she said, as they came ever closer to it. The steps were very clean thanks to the efforts of the preacher. She took a seat on the step and waited for him to join her. "Mmm, let's eat."
 
Tom sat with her on the steps of the church, and opened the basket of goodies she had prepared. Pulling out the two small tin cups and the container of coffee, a cloth upon which he set the bread, and the container of strawberry preserves. He pulled out a small knife from the basket, after feeling around for the handle, and began to slice the bread into as equal of portions as he could manage. The bread held well but was not too tough, it had aged only slightly. He would pour himself a small cup of coffee later, his stomach was focused on the preserves which he opened and used the bread knife, after cutting the loaf into slices so its use on the bread was no longer needed, to take some of the preserve gel and spread it across a slice of bread. Preserves were delicious, and the thing that made them better than any jam was that they had chunks of the actual fruit in them. However much he wanted a slice for himself right now, he placed that slice down on a plate for Kate and began preparing his slice next. Even when he was hungry, the slinger thought of Kate before himself. However, the aroma of the preserves had tempted him to do otherwise.

After preparing his slice he dug his teeth into the sweet strawberry coated bread, the strawberries used had been grown well giving off a slight twinge of an easy tart flavor then they practically beat him over the head with sweetness. He gave a sigh of satisfaction as he swallowed his bread, still savoring the taste left behind. "Thank you Kate, its been a few weeks since I had something like this. It was really thoughtful of you."
 
Kate smiled as she watched Tom unpack everything. It touched her that even though he was clearly tempted and hungry he still made her plate up first. She smiled and took the plate from him, not eating until he had taken the first bite of his. His reaction made her incredibly happy. "I'm glad you like it. But really, it's not that thoughtful." She nibbled at her toast and watched him. "Really, walking me home last night could have saved my life," she said. "After all, there's a new bandit on the loose."
 
He continued to enjoy his small meal as he listened to her. He was proud of watching after her, he had his reasons for looking after her. However, he spoke to no one about his interest in her, most took it for shear infatuation. Tom was fairly open about himself, mainly when drinking, but he kept the more important details to himself. For all most people knew, he was originally just a traveling gunslinger. As for where he was from, what he did before gun-slinging, and why he became a gunslinger, those details he didn't tell anyone, not even Kate.

He quirked a puzzled brow at her last comment. "What do you mean Miss Kate? That is I mean to say, most people would not refer to this person as a 'new bandit' unless there was one already here previously. At least I have never heard anyone say there is something new in town if what was in town was not previously here before. To my recollection, we haven't had a bandit come through these parts for almost a year now, give or take a month or two." He was pointing out that most people usually refer to there being a bandit in town if no others had passed through or taken up residence nearby for quite some time. "Or have you heard or noticed things in the saloon that I have not by some chance?"
 
She frowned a little. Tom had no idea of her little side arm of income. In a way, she was quite like him, but she was very different as well. When she stole, she didn't take from people who needed their money. And she never took much. When she stole she only took enough to cover her living expenses and she always gave back to the people she took from. Most people thought she was just a nice, sweet girl, but she was more than that. Knowing how her gun slinging friend felt about greed and stealing however, she couldn't bring herself to tell him.

"Well, we have had them in the past, and this is the first time I've heard of him, so he's new to me," she said, taking a bite of her bread, looking a little confused. "I swear it made sense in my head." And it had. What she told him was the truth. Shrugging, she nudged his shoulder a little. "So, will you be playing cards again tonight? Or will you be off somewhere doing something mysterious?"
 
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