Kindling | Red Dead Redemption 2

Chapter Two: Blending

Sean quickly caught up with her, leaving his horse tied to a post. He removed his jacket, gently draping his dusty blue coat over her broad shoulders, the hem ending just above mid-thigh on her.

He guided both her hands to the buttons after she slipped it on, silently encouraging her to close it. Y/N eventually caught on, though slightly annoyed by his lack of verbal warning.

She whacked at his hands when he continued to fuss, "Alright, alright. It's buttoned. I appreciate your concern, but I think I'm fine. People don't get locked up for just looking strange, do they?"

Sean grinned, putting his hands up in mock surrender after giving her some space, "Easy. I don't know where you come from, but different can be a bad thing. There are plenty of people who wouldn't bat an eyelash at takin' advantage of you in this backwater town. I'm just watchin' out for you, Lass. No harm done."

He pocketed his hands, grinning mischievously. "Besides, it would serve you well to have ol' Deadeye MacGuire by your side, right? All I'm seein' is opportunity!"

Sean's attention appeared to wane, and he glanced off to the side, prompted by the distant yet authoritative yell of a lawman, his eyes widening in mild surprise. He ushers her into an alleyway, peeking around the corner.

It suddenly dawned on her that he's wanted in Blackwater for the botched bank robbery. She didn't remember the timeline or how long ago it had happened, but judging by the look on his face, it wasn't all that long ago.

Y/N narrowed her eyes, a spike of panic shooting through her chest, attempting to correct herself and project an air of innocent curiosity, her eyebrows furrowing. "What's all this secrecy for? Why are you hiding?"

"Ah, well," Sean started, fronting a nervous smile. "You know how it goes. Knockin' the drink back and pissin' off the wrong hillbillies sittin' next to me at the bar counter, that sort of thing. Nothin' too concernin'."

"Oh, really? Nothing too concerning, huh?" Y/N didn't push any further, knowing full well that it would put him in a compromising position if she revealed that she knew him - what he's done and will do.

"Well, well. Look at what we have here. You're one of Dutch's boys, ain't you?"

The pair turned their attention to the familiar voice of Oswald Dunbar, the Sheriff of Blackwater. He slowly drew his sawed off from its holster, pulling the hammer back with a resounding click. A grin spread across his face, "My men saw you ride into town. Isn't this a nasty predicament you've found yourselves in?"

"Hold on there, lawman. My friend here had nothin' to do with this. Let her go, and I'll come with yas peacefully. Wouldn't want to disturb the fine people of this here town, now wouldja?" Sean said as he stepped forward, raising his hands. "I've got nothin' up me sleeves, I swear on my dearly departed Mother's grave."

When he stepped forward, Y/N glimpsed the hilt of a blade buried beneath the waistband of his worn jeans, the steel catching the light of a nearby lantern just so. Her heart skipped a beat, her eyes darting to Oswald briefly, seeing that his attention was focused on Sean.

"Don't come any closer, boy. I'll blow a hole clean through you." The Sheriff warned, aiming for his chest.

"Can't we talk this through? Man to man? Come on, my word's as good as gold, you'll see!" Sean reasoned, stopping in his tracks. He threw a glance over his shoulder at Y/N, flashing her a worried look, glancing down before returning his attention to Oswald.

The first thought to enter her mind was something along the lines of, "I have no idea how to throw one of these things," but she pushed through her doubts, inching closer to Sean, almost imperceptibly, tentatively reaching for the hidden blade.

She kept her eyes trained on the Sheriff as her fingers wrapped around the hilt, swiftly pulling it free and sending it hurtling toward him.

"What the hell?!" Oswald bellowed, throwing his free hand up to shield his face, blindly firing a shot with the other, and ducking for cover as soon as Sean pulled his revolver.

Y/N's eyes widened as she was grabbed by the forearm and dragged out of the alleyway, hearing another shot fired off - presumably from Sean - right next to her head. The sound disoriented her and shattered her ability to form coherent thoughts as she was pulled toward Ennis, who tugged furiously on the reins that leashed him to the pole, his hoofs sliding with the lack of traction the cobblestones provided, spooked by the gunfire.

"Easy there, big fella." Sean cooed, helping Y/N onto the back of the horse before untying the reins and tossing them up to her.

"What about you?!"

"I'll be fine, Lass. I've gotten out of stickier situations than this one, that's for fuckin' sure. I wouldn't be worthy of the MacGuire name if I couldn't shake these bastards off now."

"But-"

Sean flashed her that mischievous grin again, his hand poised as if to strike, "No time to lose!"

Before she could protest, Sean's hand struck the hindquarters of his horse, prompting a whinny from Ennis and barely giving Y/N enough time as she gripped the reins firmly, her hand looping around the leather strap. She held on almost painfully as he picked up speed, headed for the road out of Blackwater, leaving Sean in the dust behind them.

Y/N could hear screaming and more gunfire as she left the town behind, her heart sinking.

This wasn't how the game went at all, and her presence there only complicated things further, creating a mess she didn't know if she could fix. If she were to save Sean from his untimely demise, she wholeheartedly believed she had to keep the damages to a minimum. Otherwise, she might not be able to predict what happens next, and she might not be able to save Sean at all. Worse still, how would she get out once she had?