cowbabes | the ghost of you still haunts me now.

[ it's already been months since faraday's reappearance in his new, inhuman form. months since the battle, since their rebuilding, and it's safe to say the town of rose creek has found a way to move on. one might argue that emma hasn't, if only because of the company she continues to keep, but...it's different. faraday is different — in her eyes, at least. it's hard to even continue thinking of him as a dead man, considering his current state and the way they interact.

she can talk to him, joke with him, touch him — and it feels just as real as being with any other person. except faraday happens to provide her with a level of comfort that's been previously unrivaled in her interactions with others (a kind of comfort she'd only found in matthew, before). it's not something over which she chooses to dwell, because questioning what he does for her and the way he makes her life— better is complicated.

simultaneously, faraday makes her life challenging and confusing, but also...good. he keeps the loneliness at bay, but she doesn't think of him as only something to fill her time; it's more than boredom that has her always so eager to see him during the day, though she'll never admit that to him. maybe it's that he makes her smile so much, draws that warm glow from her and makes her laugh — because while she's hardly opposed to that level of joy, it's faraday that really brings it out of her.

odd, she thinks. but good.

she nearly forgets sometimes exactly what he is, but it's the quick there-and-gone-again vanishing that reminds her most. she looks over her shoulder just in time to see him disappear from the table, fading in again at her window. wiping her hands on her apron, she frowns slightly and steps away from the counter. ]

Teddy? What on earth...?

[ she comes around to the window, standing nearly up against faraday's back (paying hardly any mind to that) as she peers out over his shoulder. ]

Oh no.

[ that boy better not be doing what she thinks he's doing. dressed in his sunday best, and flowers to boot?

lord, please spare her from what will inevitably become a damn trainwreck.

she turns quickly away from the window, like she's almost hoping he'll think she's out if he didn't manage to see her there. ]

I thought he'd dropped this nonsense.

[ because teddy hadn't really breathed a word about courting her, and she'd been doing her utmost not to encourage him. she's kind, but that's about all she is with teddy. apparently her lack of blatant rejection had been taken as a near invitation. ]

[ He scoots aside obligingly to admit her a better view, though he doesn’t do it with any level of hurry; evidently her proximity goes unnoticed, though he notices it all the same. A part of him tells him he should be entertained by this oncoming disaster, that the outcome of this conversation will surely leave him in stitches for months to come, but what he mostly feels is— angry. Annoyed. Some brilliant flare of heat that leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

(jealousy, though he doesn’t know it. envy.)

Faraday glances over his shoulder as she steps away, and though he smirks in his usual way, his heart isn’t exactly in it. Another flash, and he reappears at the table, gathering the cards into a neat deck. (Most folks don’t think it appropriate for ladies to have cards. He could at least spare Emma that little bit of embarrassment, should Emma admit the poor boy and he should take notice it.)

A quiet, nervous knock at the door, and Faraday’s mouth shapes itself into a grin as he shuffles the cards lazily. Even if Teddy can’t hear him, he still pitches his voice low. ]

We pretendin’ to be out?

[ emma isn't sure how to answer that at first. this is not a situation she wants to deal with right now, but at the same time, her sense or propriety and owed politeness dictates that she handle this like a lady.

which means she has to turn him down as gently (but firmly) as possible. ]

He'll just come again if we do.

[ she says "we," but she knows teddy will have absolutely no idea that faraday is there, so, really, she just needs faraday to mind himself long enough for her to get teddy out again.

she goes up to the door, taking a slow breath, and reaches for the knob. with a pause, she looks back over her shoulder at faraday, fixing him with a stern (but not quite baleful) glare. ]

You promise you're gonna behave long as he's here?

[ His eyes narrow, still with that grin plastered on his face. ]

Now, that, Miss Emma, is an entirely undeserved rebuke on my character. A completely unwarranted besmirching.

When have I ever conducted myself in anything but a chivalrous manner?

[ Before she can offer any word to the contrary, he winks. A flash, there and gone again, as he tucks the deck of cards away onto a high shelf. Another blink, and he makes himself comfortable up against the far wall, leaning against it and crossing his arms. He clearly means to settle in and enjoy the show.

(even as that thing twists, barbed and acrid in his gut.) ]

[ emma would continue to argue, but he's vanished and reappeared a few times, then made himself comfortable because he is clearly not going to give her any real privacy for this undoubtedly painful experience.

she gives him a disapproving look, but she doesn't try to tell him off — because at that moment, there's a proper knock to announce teddy's arrival.

aw, hell.

with a deep breath, she finally opens the door to see teddy standing there, looking sheepish — but also like he's bucked up all the confidence he can manage to be there in front of her, holding those flowers and tamping down his nerves. ]

Afternoon, Miss Emma.

Afternoon, Teddy.

[ it should probably speak volumes that she isn't formal with teddy; she respects him, certainly, but he's too familiar to her, too...teddy. he's a sweet boy — man, she corrects herself — but she's never seen him as a possibility. never cast him a second glance, because he's too well-meaning, too mild, too...teddy.

he shifts his weight uncertainly, opens his mouth to speak, and after a couple false starts, clears his throat to try again. ]

Miss Emma, I've come here to ask y—

No.

[ quick, precise, and stern.

of course, she realizes belatedly that wasn't the nicest way to tell him that, and she frowns a touch, seems to rethink her response — because teddy just looks like a kicked puppy there on her doorstep. ]

I mean—

[ she sighs, pressing a hand to her brow. ]

It's a— a lovely gesture, Theodore, but...no.

[ teddy has deflated quite a bit. ]

You didn't give me a proper chance t' finish.

I know, and— I beg your pardon, that wasn't especially polite.

[ she glances over her shoulder to faraday, her lips twisted in a small grimace, but the gesture causes teddy to frown, and he tries to lean around the doorframe, take a peek inside. ]

Have you got company?

[ she hears the note of anxiety in his voice, can hear that he's getting antsy, because that would mean someone is witnessing this really unfortunate rejection, but— at least he won't be able to see faraday.

emma quickly shakes her head, doesn't bother trying to step to obscure the man in her home; if teddy sees anything at all, it'll likely only be the empty space on her wall. ]

No one here except me, I assure you.

[ Faraday finds himself grinning meanly at that split-second refusal, blurted out even before Teddy can utter more than a handful of words. He can feel it on his face, the sharp edge of his sneer, the heat in his own eyes. He’s terribly satisfied that Emma’s given the boy mitten so thoroughly, doesn’t even feel badly for him. In life, he never had much of an opinion on Teddy. Didn’t know or care about him well enough to form one, aside from thinking him a little green. Now, though, having seen the way he mooned after Emma, Faraday finds there’s at least a little to dislike about the boy.

So Faraday feels no pity. No sympathy. Teddy put himself out on his own hook, after all. Emma hadn’t so much as hinted at being interested – had even told Faraday she didn’t find the matching suitable.

Serves him right, Faraday thinks, for not leaving well enough alone.

(That dark twist again, still bitter and a little painful, but smoother this time. The wrong kind of soothing. This is certainly entertaining for Faraday, but not in the way either he or Emma probably expected.)

When she turns to him, Faraday struggles to soften his expression, offers a tiny shrug, flicks his hand encouragingly toward her as if to say, Go on. His gaze moves to Teddy again, watching as he leans to take a look into Emma’s home. Teddy is taller and manages to peek over her easily enough, though his gaze drifts right over where Faraday stands.

Faraday briefly considers making a rude gesture – one of the perks of being invisible and all. Decides better of it, in case Emma catches him in the act. Considers cracking some joke, too, but he had made a half-promise to behave himself. Any comment would distract her from putting Teddy in his place, anyway, though he has about a thousand choice things chambered and ready to spit. ]

[ emma finds herself genuinely grateful that faraday hasn't been interrupting with wise remarks or less-than-kind comments; it makes it easier to focus on teddy, as much as she wishes he'd just turn right around and waltz off.

hadn't she already been clear enough?

teddy looks uncomfortable standing there now (not that she blames him), but he's dropped the flowers to his side, the toe of his boot nudging uncertainly at the ground. ]

You're not turnin' me down because there's...another man, are you?

[ emma's eyebrows raise at the question, because that actually startles her. who did teddy think she could be seeing? what other man in the town of rose creek did she even spend time with?

well...faraday, if she's honest.

but he's a man long dead, and no one else would know that she spends her days with him. ]

Teddy Q, who do you possibly think I'd be seein' in our town? I'm sure you and everyone else would've noticed a man in this small of a place courtin' me.

[ teddy does seem to realize that she has a point. rose creek is mighty puny for her to get away with a wholly private affair — not that she's having one, but what matters is that people would know if she was. ]

Well, then, I mean...

[ teddy clears his throat again, looks like he's trying to put on a brave face as he speaks. ]

Wouldn't you think you haven't got yourself many options, then, Miss Emma?

[ emma's frown deepens, and she crosses her arms over her chest, a touch defensive. ]

Enlighten me, Theodore: what could you possibly mean by that?

[ teddy seems mildly cowed by her obviously disapproving posture, but he keeps speaking. ]

Just that you haven't got a whole lotta possibilities in front of you here, and you might just— find yourself alone. A man's not just gonna suddenly fall into rose creek for you one'a these days. You gotta pick someone or...it'll be too late, don't you think?

[ ...now that stings.

emma's frown has gone slack from pure shock, but then she's adopting the glare all over again. ]

I think it's time you found your way home, Theodore.

[ Faraday watches the rest of the conversation unfold, a black humor twisting at his smile the entire time. Mean of him, he knows, to enjoy watching Teddy twist in the wind, but he’s always been a mean son of a bitch, hasn’t he? If death couldn’t stop that, then Faraday reckons nothing will.

He watches him fidget, watches his shoulders sink lower and lower toward the ground, bites back a laugh at how terribly distraught he looks—

Though the chuckle catches in his throat when Teddy asks after another man. He finds his gaze flicking to Emma as she responds in the negative – because of course she would; of course she must. What a ridiculous question. Given all the men in Rose Creek, who the hell else was there, really? Who could there be? And who could possibly compete with the memory of her late husband? A man she incited a war for?

… the thought stings.

Faraday’s turn to fidget, then, weight rocking from one leg to the other, fingers twitching restlessly against his arms – though he hardly knows he’s doing it. In any case, it goes unnoticed as Emma’s chat with Teddy continues on.

And then the boy goes and says that, and Faraday can feel the way the air flies out of the room.

Even Teddy seems to know it’s a mistake, even without the look on Emma’s face. Faraday can see the apologies forming in his mouth, the words stumbling and tripping to get out over one another and tying up his tongue. And Faraday still feels no sympathy – feels that fire in his chest flare, and he shoves away from the wall, taking a step forward.

Teddy stammers, tries to explain himself and offer his excuses, but Faraday speaks over him. ]

Say the word, and I’ll see him out.

[ Low, despite the fact Teddy still can’t hear him. Dangerous, for reasons Faraday doesn’t rightly know, himself. ]

[ emma hears faraday, far more than she hears the stumbled apologies teddy is trying to manage. she, however, is clearly not willing to budge, and she doesn't indulge teddy's fumbled words, that scowl unfaltering and unyielding. it's a look she's hardly ever had to turn on teddy, and one that faraday won't have seen cross her face in quite a while — not since that throwdown of theirs, now weeks removed.

she can't acknowledge the gambler, not with teddy still standing on her front step, but she purposefully places a hand on the doorframe, a silent signal for faraday to stay put. she can't have the man terrorizing teddy (much as the idea may hold its own appeal), because if teddy can't rightly see the force kicking him six ways from sunday, that'll just send all kinds of rumors flying. ]

I said, it's time for you to go now.

[ her tone is low, because emma cullen does not need to shout to make herself heard. there's ice in her words, a near distaste as she takes a step away from teddy, her hand moving from the doorframe and to the door instead — because she intends to close it right in teddy's face if he doesn't get a move on.

that seems to be enough of a motivator for teddy, and he finally puts a stop in his attempted apologies, his shoulders betraying his defeat — and more than a heap of regret that emma finds herself lacking proper sympathy towards. he just had to go and say those things to her, and right now, she doesn't feel even the slightest bit guilty over throwing him out for it.

teddy only has time to take one quick step away, and then the door is shut promptly and with a final slam.

emma's still prickling with anger and hurt when she turns back to the room, to see faraday standing there looking— ...lord, dangerous. leaning up against the door, emma fixes him with a pinning look, a very clear, "don't even think about it." ]

Awful hard to see him out when he can't see you, Faraday.

[ It doesn’t slip his notice when she bars him from stepping through the door. The thought flickers in his mind that he could just move past her. Step through the wall, if he really wanted, or even step through her, though he knows she would hate that. He could simply think and reappear at Teddy’s elbow, shove him away before he caused any more damage.

He doesn’t, though he’s sorely tempted. His temper has always been easily lit, and apparently well-meaning, love-struck, bumbling young men are able to incite his temper into an inferno.

The door slams shut, and his arms cross tightly over his chest. If he still had his guns, his hands would’ve twitched toward them, angry as he is. ]

Don’t matter whether he can see me or not. Wouldn't effect my efficiency none.

[ Still with that low, flinty edge in his voice, gaze fixed on the door, as if he could see straight through it and fling daggers with the sort of precision Billy Rocks would have envied. He grits his teeth, eyes still blazing. ]

He shouldn’t’a talked to you like that.

[ Which makes it clear that despite his warning look, he absolutely is thinking about it. Trailing after the heartbroken man and making the rest of his day a living hell. He’s angry – for Emma, certainly, and for other causes he can’t pin – and it licks inside his chest, threatens to spill out. ]

[ this is a new anger to emma. it comes off much different from the stinging, ego-driven rage of their last fight, and she's almost taken aback by how bothered faraday actually is by the exchange.

clearly, this hadn't turned out to be quite the comedic presentation he'd expected. ]

You're right; he shouldn't have.

[ because emma is absolutely not arguing that; she agrees wholeheartedly, in fact, but she also knows it isn't the wisest of plans to sic her ghostly friend on teddy. ]

But now is hardly the time for you to be torturin' him.

[ it would just cause too much of a stir, and would likely startle the entire town.

unhelpful, is what that would be.

she steps away from the door, approaching faraday and stopping in front of him, that determined frown in place as she looks up at the man. ]

Joshua. [ and she sounds especially serious. ] I mean it. Don't you go after him.

[ He hears what she's saying, but still that fire burns inside him, something bitter and intense that wants for a target. Might as well be Teddy, right? Considering he's the one who caused it with those fool words of his. His eyes bore into the door, and he considers little ways to make him pay, things Faraday might do in the dead of night when Emma is none the wiser—

But then she steps in front of him, says his name in a grim voice, and his gaze snaps down to her, startled and annoyed. He wrangles back the flames – because this anger isn't meant for her, doesn't want to misdirect it on accident – and his lip pulls back from his teeth in distaste. ]

Why not? [ A brief flick to look at the door again, but his gaze falls back on her. ] Seems to me he deserves it.

[ emma's frown settles a bit more fully on her face, and she tilts her head as she considers him.

of course, instead of actually answering his question, she provides one of her own. ]

Why're you so determined to hurt him over somethin' like this?

I—

[ ... well.

That's a damn fine question isn't it?

It's enough to make him falter, to douse some of those flames licking at the back of his sternum. He scowls a little as he bows his head, examining the floor as he puzzles out an answer. ]

I just— didn't like what he said, was all.

Because it was a right awful thing to say.

But it seemed to bother you a whole lot more than it did me.

[ which is saying a lot, because it really upset her — but it was almost like seeing faraday's fiery rage tempered her own (if only a touch). ]

Why did it get to you so badly?

[ He makes a scoffing noise, pulling away.

He doesn't have an answer for her, to be truthful, and that frustrates him. He masks it with annoyance, trudging over to where he had stashed his cards. ]

Haven't the faintest idea what you mean.

[ ... Faraday also apparently masks it with a bit of a lie, but it's the easiest response, for now. ]

I ain't all that upset. Not nearly as much as you seem to think I am.

You looked 'bout ready to strangle him, Faraday. That strikes me as bein' mighty upset.

[ she watches him wander off for the cards, her eyebrows rising just a touch.

why, he's nearly sulking, she thinks.

in a way, focusing on faraday distracts her from the absolute mess of teddy's little courting attempt, and she's kind of...grateful for that. teddy had seen her through quite a lot before, with everything that had happened, everything they'd gone through for their town, but now that that's been sufficiently squashed by his impulsive mouth, she feels a tinge of melancholy over it.

a shame, really. ]

I did not.

[ ... actually, he probably looked exactly like that, now that he's thinking on it, but he would rather not admit it right now. This feeling, whatever the hell it is – he doesn't understand it. Just knows it's big, whatever the hell it is, by the shadow it casts.

He plucks the deck of cards off the shelf, flicks his thumb across the short edge of the pack. ]

Maybe I just didn't appreciate the goose down on his upper lip.

[ emma just rolls her eyes. ]

You do take such offense to his facial hair, it seems.

[ she finally moves back into the kitchen, figuring she might as well finish preparing her lunch (though she's not feeling especially hungry anymore).

as she cooks, her tone is conversational, if a bit exasperated (at teddy, clearly). ]

Can you believe he was askin' me about other men?

[ she shakes her head with a sigh, like the notion is absurd to her — mostly, because the possibilities in rose creek are so minute and the town itself is so small, she clearly wouldn't have had the opportunity to pursue or be pursued without it being the entire town's business. ]

[ He's glad when she finally leaves it off, steps away and lets him regather his thoughts.

... Well, that's what he tries to do, at any rate, but they scatter and skitter from his grasp, like fishing barehanded. He scowls down at his cards for lack of anything else to aim his annoyance at, before retaking his seat at the table. ]

Suppose it ain't an odd question.

[ Blandly, mildly, the paper snapping in his hands. ]

Easier pill to swallow than thinking he ain't good enough.

A fair point.

[ she's certainly willing to concede that much, but the idea itself has still left her rather baffled. she doesn't think teddy might have asked as a reflection of her perceivable attitude — right? it's far likelier, as faraday said, to have been a move to soothe his own ego, but...she has gotten an odd number of comments recently about how much— happier she seems. folks have said that her general demeanor has lifted quite noticeably, but she's always just waved it off with a smile and light thanks.

what was it, then, that had improved her mood so much? what in her life had changed since the aftermath of her town's battle with bogue?

...actually.

she pauses, casting a glance over her shoulder at the ghost settled at her table. was it...?

no, that's absurd.

turning back to the food, she gives a little shrug. ]

I simply cannot imagine who he might have expected I'd be seein', is all.

[ He agrees with the observation, but somehow, he still feels a bit of a twist in his gut, something clench in his chest. That shadow falls over him again, but Faraday has a bit of practice in these matters, hides it all away behind the face he used in life to play cards and gamble away his money.

Wryly, ] No shortage of men in town who’d be interested, I expect.

The blacksmith, for instance. I think he’s taken a shinin’ to you, too. Maybe he’ll be shufflin’ up that path come next Sunday.

[ emma just scoffs. ]

I should hope not. I've had more than enough unpleasant encounters with enamored men for my taste.

[ if she could avoid having to reject any other would-be suitors, she'd certainly appreciate that. ]

I can't say as any of the men of Rose Creek have happened to catch my eye, anyway.

[ He offers a noncommittal sort of hum at that, glancing over to where she stands in the kitchen before he looks down at his cards again. He sets up that game of patience again, though he’s not interested in playing, so much as he is in doing something with his hands. ]

Not a one of them? [ He snorts out a laugh. ] Bless their hearts.

Not a one.

[ said perfectly casually as she gathers up her food to join faraday at the table...

...while making sure to yank the brim of his hat down over his eyes before she settles into a seat. ]

he gonna be deader than faraday tbh

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