vaqueros: (Default)
"ꜰɪʀsᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇs ᴀʀᴇ sᴛᴜᴘɪᴅ" ᴠᴀsǫᴜᴇᴢ. ([personal profile] vaqueros) wrote in [community profile] cowbabes2020-03-22 08:55 pm
peacemakers: (025)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-25 07:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ He takes a second to think it over, taking a bit of time to recall the conversation.

Then, ]


That was what you call a goddamn suggestion?

[ Because Gilbert and Anton didn't look like they could help themselves, looked nearly out of their minds with terror. ]
peacemakers: (026)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-25 07:55 am (UTC)(link)
But you did this time.

[ He dismounts Jack with far less care than he's due, and his bad leg buckles a little, forcing him to catch himself on the pommel of his saddle. He curses under his breath, jaw clenched as he shifts his weight to his good leg. ]

So? What did you do? [ And the words are sharp, brusque. ] 'Cause they looked like it was hurtin' them.
peacemakers: (063)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-25 08:10 am (UTC)(link)
"So what?"

[ He echoes the words like he's spitting them out.

Maybe he's angrier about this than he should be, but hearing Vasquez use that voice had stirred something in his head. It had felt faintly familiar, though he had no memory of Vasquez speaking with that voice ever before.

But maybe he wouldn't.

Vasquez did say he routinely made people forget. ]


So what, is when the hell did you use it on me?
peacemakers: (041)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-25 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ He keeps one hand on the pommel, but he turns to face Vasquez, making no move to disguise the way he stares at him, studies him, trying to spot any tics or tells. ]

When you talked like that, it kicked something up. Like I remembered it from before. Remembered how it felt.

[ Though that's not the right way to describe it; it was more like trying to remember a dream – not recalling the images, but recalling the impression it left behind. ]
peacemakers: (079)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-25 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ He blinks at that, startled into silence.

He never remembers what happens on full moons, no matter how hard he tries. It's possible, he supposes, that those nights would still leave a shadow in his mind, however faint it might be, but—

He clenches his jaw, still doubtful. ]


And that's the only time?

[ Skepticism and anger in his voice to mask the confusion and the hurt.

... stupid, he admits, to feel hurt by the possibility of Vasquez betraying his trust and not righteously furious, but there it is – nagging at him like a sore, open wound rather than a white-hot flame. ]


You swear on your life that's all it's been?
peacemakers: (067)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-26 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ He stops up short again, turning toward Jack to start removing his tack. He doesn't have a good answer to that question – not immediately, anyway.

Because the answer he does have is foolish. Selfish. All of this – it's worked out too well. The two of them finding this strange friendship, riding out together, working their way into an odd balance, finding company after he's spent all these years looking out for himself – this shouldn't have come out of accepting a goddamn suicide mission.

It's too goddamn good to be true. It would only logically follow, given Faraday's shit luck anywhere but at card tables, that something had to be wrong. ]


Don't change the subject. You didn't answer me.
peacemakers: (087)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-26 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
Why the hell does anyone do anything?

[ And he snaps it back, yanking roughly at the straps holding Jack's bridle in place. The horse snorts at him in warning, and Faraday clicks his tongue, forces himself to take a breath to calm down.

Not for his own benefit, and maybe not for Vasquez's, either – but so he doesn't yank at Jack's tack wrong and encourage the horse to knock Faraday on his ass. ]


I already got blank spots in my head from the wolf.

[ And while he's marginally calmer, if only so he can untack Jack properly, he still spits the word out bitterly. ]

It'd be easy takin' advantage of that. I already spend one night out of the month completely out of my own goddamn mind. What's another one or two more, right?
peacemakers: (059)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-26 04:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's not much to read off of that – which is telling, considering Vasquez, like him, tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve, was as free with his jokes as he was with his barbs.

Faraday may still be bristling, but he has the sudden realization that he may have fucked up.

He believes him, is the thing. And maybe that's naive, to simply take Vasquez at his word, especially considering what Faraday witnessed today, but Vasquez doesn't have much reason to lie to him, he thinks.

Faraday's hands still on the buckles for a few breaths before he continues his work, pulling the bridle off of Jack's head and replacing it with the halter from his saddlebag. He hitches him to a nearby tree before working at loosening the saddle. He's quite for a long while as he moves around Jack.

Then, ]


Guessing it didn't work all that well when you did it to the wolf.

[ If it had, Faraday doubts the two of them would keep waking up mauled all to hell. ]
peacemakers: (060)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-26 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, that's something of a relief, he supposes. They won't know unless Vasquez tries whether or not it'll work on Faraday, but if it doesn't work on the wolf, then there's a fair chance it won't work on him, either.

Then again, the wolf can withstand a dozen bullets to the gut. Faraday doubts he'd come out of an exchange like that nearly as well.

With the saddle dropped to the ground, Faraday throws his bags over his shoulder as he pulls off the blanket. He runs a hand along Jack's neck – mostly as an excuse to keep from looking at Vasquez. ]


If it matters, I believe you.

[ Just as brusquely. Reflexively, he glances upward. With the light warming as it is, he knows sunset is around the corner. There's still time, though – time enough to settle in, to build a fire.

It also means that unless they want to spend the last of the daylight pointedly avoiding and ignoring each other, they have time to talk.

Faraday hasn't ruled out the stony silence just yet, though, but he figures he'll at least attempt passing the baton to Vasquez. ]
peacemakers: (025)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-26 06:34 am (UTC)(link)
You bein' serious?

[ Faraday snorts derisively and tosses the blanket to the ground with a little more force than necessary. ]

I just watched two murderous sons of bitches almost shit themselves with terror 'cause they couldn't control themselves. And you're the one that told me you use that shit to make people forget.

And then I get this weird sensation that it's familiar, like I know exactly what those two bastards are feelin'.

Put yourself in my position, huh? You're tellin' me you wouldn't start askin' questions?
peacemakers: (079)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-27 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
I—

[ His mouth works faster than his brain, sometimes, though when he registers what Vasquez says, Faraday is quick to pull up short.

He bristles, defensive. ]


Now, hold on. Don't go puttin' words in my mouth. I didn't say any of that.
peacemakers: (062)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-27 06:46 am (UTC)(link)
I didn't imply a goddamn thing.

[ He snaps it back, and when he drops his saddlebags next to his saddle, it's with far more force than they're owed.

Although he hesitates for a split-second, probably realizing that— maybe he did imply that. Maybe he was too quick to assume the worst, but it's just how his mind works; it's what's helped him stay alive this long.

He clenches his jaw, taking a breath. It'd be the easiest thing in the world to just keep fighting, keep escalating, because that's how this was always going to end, right? One big fiery explosion. This was never going to last.

Maybe it's for the best that this blows up sooner, rather than later. Later, and it might've hurt a lot more. ]


When people got tricks, they use 'em. Either 'cause they need to, or 'cause they want to.

How was I gonna know what you were usin' it for unless I asked? Hell, for I knew, you could've just been doin' it to shut me up when I got too mouthy on the road.
peacemakers: (025)

[personal profile] peacemakers 2020-05-27 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
I didn't even know it was something you could do.

[ And maybe that's what's really grating at him. He scrubs at his face, frustrated. ]

Three months I've known you, and I still barely got any idea what you're capable of, while you know every single way you could do me or the wolf in, if you had a mind for it.

You aren't like any vampire I've heard about. You can walk in broad daylight without havin' to hide yourself. You can take a million bullets, sanctified or otherwise, and walk away. You can go all—

[ He gestures vaguely. ]

Shadowy.

Is that all?

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