Can tell he was astonished, then again it was the same reaction I had when I learned that Ashe happens to be in one of the wealthiest families around. It doesn't mean it is the happiest of families but at least it has one thing going for it.
"You gotta be fooling me. I figuredyou for a rich girl, but you live here?"
"Homesweet home," she nodded with a brief exhale.
Not so much home for her anymore.
"So ..." Jesse's gaze moved to her. "What exactly does your family do,Ashe? Or is it Elizabeth, like the sheriff—"
"You call me Elizabeth, and I'll give you another black eye to match theone you already have. And my family owns a little weapons business.That's all."
I hold my smile, never thought about calling her that and it is almost worth figuring out how she would react. Though from her reaction alone I suppose she would kick the shit out of me but I do want to take those chances.
We hadn't talked much about what and where, but Colr explained that the sheriff had finally released him after a long night sleepingon a bench in the cell, sending him on his way with a stiff back and norevolver.
"Didn't even get my last week's wages," Cole says bitterly. "Afterall, who was I gonna complain to? The law?"
We follow Ashe out of the car when B.O.B. opened the door forthem but paused when she headed away from the manor and onto thegrounds.
"Not going to show me around?" Cole stops her.
"Not yet, farm boy." She curled a finger at him, indicating he shouldfollow. "I wanna see something first."
Ashe led us to the crest of a hill that overlooked the estate, where the remains of her earlier "target practice" were still scattered across the grass.
She'd had B.O.B. set up two new sets of targets along a fence about a hundred yards away; three sets of six wine bottles each.
Cole took in the scene and then cocked an eyebrow at her. "We having a party?"
"Of a sort. B.O.B.?"
The omnic stomped up the hill behind them, a revolver in one hand and a rifle in the other. He presented Cole with a revolver. It was an older Arbalest model, nothing fancy, just something Ashe had dug out of one of the manor's storerooms.
But his eyes went wide. "This is a really nice-" Cole stopped. Looked from the revolver to the rifle, and then down at the mansion again. "Hold on. When you said 'little' weapons company... did you mean Arbalest?"
"Compared to the corporations, it's small."
"Uh-huh. What exactly are we doing, Ashe?"
She smiled. "Performing a test." Ashe pointed to the right-hand set of bottles. "You say you're a good shot, McCree. Prove it."
This is just trying to find the right people to do the job, between me not having anything else to do... well and probably the trust I have accrued I doubt she'd be rid of me any time soon. Though it looks like he is just about ready to bite.
Cole took the gun from B.O.B., looking from it to her and back. Then, quick as lightning, he spun and fired.
On the fence, the first bottle in the line exploded.
"Not bad." Ashe held out a hand to her butler, who filled it with the rifle, another one of her storeroom finds. She raised it, taking a split second to line up the sight, and then pulled the trigger.
A moment later, her set of bottles matched Jesse's.
"Not bad, yourself," he said. "Course, it would be way more impressive to see how fast you could take the rest of those down."
Within a moment, none of the bottles on the two stands remained.
"Hah! Beat you by a hair," Ashe smirked.
"I don't know about that," said Cole, looking smug. "Pretty sure I got my last target first."
"Why don't we ask B.O.B.? He'll know for sure."
"Or we can call it a draw," Cole then gestures to me, "what about you?"
She chuckles. "Wouldn't exactly be fair to have him compete with us lesser gifted folk, though if you were worried about what he can do. I'd say you didn't have to worry at all."
I loosen my stance, "Well. It wouldn't be entirely fair."
I reach out at the air in front of me and create a revolver from memory. With a golden gun in my hand, I take the first shot that burns right through the bottle and practically burns the entire stand along with a large part of the fence.
"Well, I'll be damned."
She looks at me. "Looks like you had time to figure out more of that little gift."
"Woah," Cole stops us, "are either of you going to tell me what's going on here? I'm starting to worry that you plan to hunt me with sport or try to see if I can dodge whatever that was."
Ashe rolled her eyes. "I have... a proposition for you."
"A proposition?"
"Yes," said Ashe. "But first, that tour you wanted." She started down the hill, pausing when he didn't move. "I'm not gonna hunt you for sport, I promise."
Cole still looked sceptical, but he shrugged. "You'd never catch me, anyway."
The two of them make their way down the hill, Ashe glanced over her shoulder to see if I am in tow but saw me standing with my hands dug into my pockets. She cocks her head at me with a narrow stare.
I gesture with my head that I'd be catching up with them in a moment and with that, the two of them continue on with their tour.
I glance at B.O.B. who is still standing in place. "Don't need to keep me company, big guy. Just here to take in the sights before it starts turning sour."
The large omnic leaves, I bet he was going to leave anyway. Part of me thinks he wasn't really waiting on me but I can't really tell. I head towards the mess and lower myself into a crouched position near the fence.
"Wonder what you wanted me to be," I ask the dead as if they would just crawl out of the ground and tell me exactly what I was supposed to be.
A super-weapon? Child soldier? Hero? Villain? It is hard to tell where I am supposed to fit in because, amongst the more human folk, I am an enigma. And among the supersoldiers and more powerful I am probably just a kid.
Guess the answer doesn't really matter. I've been drifting along for a while and I already admitted the only reason I stuck around is because of Ashe, and I know she would rather me be by her side than disappear like I usually would.
At least she knows that much.
I lift myself with a groan and then lean forward into a jog to catch up with the rest of them, with the intention of abandoning everything that I was meant to be. Not a single thought will be spared for my past.
Even they need to rest.
