Red Dead Revelation I: A Good Thing (ArthurXEliza)

Chapter Ten: A Temporary Secret

After ensuring that he had enough food for a few days, Arthur rode into town to deliver pelts to the butcher for some extra cash. Standing in front of his outdoor booth, the butcher looks over a deer pelt.

"This is quite nice, Mr...?"

"Kilgore."

"Ah, Mr. Kilgore—say, a lady had been asking about you! Maybe a month or so ago?"

"Really?" Arthur smiles, having an inclination as to who it was.

"Yeah, she seemed really worried about you."

"Well, she found me, eventually."

"I can see that. So let's see, I can give you three dollars for the pelts."

"That's fine."

The man pulls out a box and takes three dollars out of it, slipping them in Arthur's hand.

"You take care, now, and don't get lost!" he jests.

"I am sure I won't, good day to you." Arthur turns around and walks to Boadicea. He glances in the direction of the restaurant and something catches his eye.

A middle-aged woman, with a broom in hand, swinging it at a bunch of young men, four of them. He can hear her shouting, and their laughter.

He soon recognizes her as Bethy.

They appear to be harassing her, though she looks to be holding their own. Should he interfere?

One takes the broom by the end she had smacked him with and rips it out of her hands.

He begins to walk across the street and can soon tell what they are saying.

"You get off this property now, before I go to the sheriff!" she threatens.

"The sheriff? Old McAbee couldn't care less about stupid, little women like you," a boy sneers.

"You boys have nothing better to do than to bother folk? If I weren't civilized, I oughta give you a good thrashing!" She jams her forefinger in his face, but it seems to have no effect on him.

"Well, it looks like you're a broom with no handle, lady!"

They laugh at her expense.

"Why don't you shut up?" Arthur orders.

Their laughing stops and they all turn to look at him as he stands firm at the bottom of the restaurant steps. They seem to know who he is, and then he realizes who they are.

Willy's boys. Eliza was right. And they were getting bolder in their displays of defiance. Foolish.

The boy still holds onto the broom, but he doesn't move.

"This ain't any of your business, big man."

"It's my business when you're in my field of vision, boy, and if you don't want to be a distant memory, I suggest you get out of my sight." His hand slowly hovers over his holster.

They seem to recall the rumors and back into each other as they take off.

"This ain't over! Willy will get what's his!" one of them calls. He doesn't know which and doesn't care. They're all the same to him.

Cowards, Arthur thinks to himself.

He goes up the stairs to meet Bethy, and he picks up her broom off the ground.

"I can see why she's so taken with you," he hears her say. He hands the broom to her and she takes it, nodding her head in thanks.

He smiles gently and without saying anything, he turns to go down the stairs.