Age of The Understatement

Part 4 - Calm Like You

Chiricahua Peak, AZ
2:34am

Miles shot up, looking around himself panicking. He had heard a horse braying, and it definitely wasn't Alex's or his own horse. It sounded fairly distant. Miles reached over and shook Alex awake, pressing his finger to his lips as his lovers sleepy eyes peered open. Thank god Miles was a light sleeper, Alex on the other hand wasn't.

"I think someone's close." Miles whispered to Alex. "Stay quiet." Alex mumbled something quietly back to Miles, not making quite any sense at all as he buried his head back into the blanket he was wrapped up in.

Miles stared out into the dark, his eyes bouncing around from tree to rock, his hand resting on his pistol as he tried to spot where the sound came from. Crickets and the sound of trickling water filled his ears, he couldn't hear anything else as he continued to look around. Before he could pinpoint where the sound came from, he was struck across the head. Alex jolted awake, sitting up sharply to the sound of Miles being pistol whipped.
Alex sprung up to his feet as he threw himself onto the attacker, still quite out of it as he attempted to pin their hands down onto the dirt, unsuccessfully. Alex was thrown off, his head landing into the shallow edge of the creek. Alex pulled himself back onto his feet, pushing his now wet hair back as he looked straight at the attacker, now having a clear head thanks to the water. It was a woman, she was quite stout, at least from what Alex could see from the low glow of burnt campfire embers. Alex let himself relax a little, she wouldn't be too difficult to tackle. At least that's what he thought. The woman ran at Alex with full force, throwing him back into the creek as she began to pin his head down under the water. Alex struggled, unable to pry her greedy little hands off of his neck.

Miles came back to, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up, looking over to the commotion coming from the creek. Miles quickly jumped up, tossing himself onto the woman with enough force to knock her off of Alex, her face landing directly onto a rather large rock protruding from the creek. Miles swiftly pinned the woman her down with his weight, as he held her arms back. Alex rolled over and pulled himself onto his hands, coughing up creek water as he struggled to find his breath.

"Who the fuck are you?" Miles yelled at the woman, a small glimmer of blood trickling out of her nose. She smiled as she struggled beneath Miles just before spitting blood directly into his face. Miles recoiled, wiping his face off. She gained control again and pulled herself out from under Miles, backing away to the other side of the creek as she began to speak. Miles pulled himself to his feet, offering Alex a hand.

"I'm here to take what's mine." She spat.
"An exchange."

Miles stared at her, confused to what she was referring to as he backed away. "An exchange of what?" Miles asked as Alex joined his side, looking down at the woman speaking.

"A life. You took my husband's, now I'm going to take one of yours." She raised his gun, cocking it and pointing it directly at Miles.

Alex looked at Miles, horrified. Miles slowly wrapped his hand around the grip of his gun, his eyes not leaving the woman. She pulled the hammer back, a clicking noise filling the night air.

"Listen, we can talk about this.." Miles suggested as he swiftly unlatched his holster. He had one of the quickest hands in the west, but he wasn't sure the lady knew that.

"I don't want to fucking talk." Her hand started to shake, her aim was definitely going to be off if she did shoot. Alex looked back and forth between the woman and Miles, unsure of who was going to make the first move.

"We're heading to Cripple Creek." Miles said, trying to figure if maybe money would change her mind. Anything to not get himself, or Alex, killed.
"If you come with and help, we can split the profits." Alex looked at Miles dumbfounded to why Miles would even think to invite her along, this was supposed to be their last stop- the last heist before moving up to the northeast.

"I don't want money.." the woman said, her hand was still shaking as she moved, now pointing the gun at Alex. Miles looked over to Alex briefly, who had put his hands up in the air and was starting to walk towards the woman, carefully. Miles kept his hand on his gun as he watched Alex.

"Now, we can't bring your husband back." Alex said, his body now just in front of her extended arm, the gun just inches from his chest as he continued to speak. "And neither will killing us."

Alex slowly reached out and took ahold of the gun, gently turning it away from himself and Miles.
"But money can be a good distraction.." The woman reluctantly lowered her gun, stepping away from Alex.

"People that say money don't buy happiness just never had money." Alex said, a little southern twang slipping out. He was rather charming, with that low drawl of his. The woman placed her gun into the holster that slung across her hips, letting Alex and Miles that she was putting her guard down.

"If you don't hold your end of the bargain, I'm killing you both." She grumbled, seeing that if she continued to pursue fight with these two that she would end up dead– might as well make some extra money off of them before turning them in. She had quite the scandalous outfit on. She was wearing just her chemise as a blouse tucked into a long skirt that sat just above her ankles, a pair of lace up heeled boots on her feet. Her hair was pulled back in the usual style of the time, many pins stuck in to hold it in place.

Miles let himself relax, latching his gun back into his holster as he made his way back over to the blanket he be Alex had fallen asleep on.
"Well, come help me gather wood for a fire. You must be freezing without an overcoat." Miles called out.

"Where's your horse?" Alex asked before she made her way over to help Miles.

"Strung up behind that tree over there." The woman replied as she adjusted her skirt, pointing to the tree she was talking about.

"I'll get wood, you go get your horse." Alex said. The woman nodded and walked over to a small opening through the trees to gather her horse. She seemed to be unhinged, obviously not all the way there. Someone they needed to be afraid of.
Alex walked over to Miles who had started to pick up sticks and whatever dead branches he could find.

"You think this is a good idea?" Alex whispered to Miles as he helped him gather, glimpsing back over to the woman who was walking her horse over to where Alex and Miles' horses stood. "Who's to say she won't turn us in the second she gets? She nearly drowned me."

Miles shrugged. "I can't say." Miles piled his branches and sticks into Alex's hands. "But if she does anything to make us question, she's dead." Miles looked at Alex, his eyes glowing in the moonlight. He wanted to kiss him, but he knew if the woman saw she would more than likely try and kill them both right there.
"At least we didn't have to kill a woman today."

Alex sighed as he walked back over to the dying embers, stacking the sticks into a pile before blowing onto the glowing wood, hoping to get a fire going back again.
Miles sat down on the blanket, pulling out Alex's pipe– stuffing it with the loose tobacco they had gotten.
"So what's your name then?" Miles asked as the girl sat down next to him, leaving a decent amount of space.

She pulled a flask from her holster and pulled the cork out, taking a swig before responding. Now that Miles noticed she was drinking, she did seem rather wasted. Maybe that's why she seemed a little off.
"Pearl."