When the Devil Cries (Arthur Morgan X Male OC)

14. Dead Man's Hand

From Arthur's POV

THAT NIGHT

SMITHFIELD'S SALOON, VALENTINE

Well, we were finally here. After what felt like an eternity of chasing them Arlington Twins, and ridin' from Lemoyne all the way to New Hanover, Eddie and I had reached Valentine at last.

The town seemed to be the same as usual -- sheep shit and all -- and it was actually kinda quiet due to most of the people being asleep right now. But o' course, the saloon was rowdy as always, and it stood out like a goddamned beacon in the darkness of the night. How anyone got a wink of sleep in this place with all the constant ruckus was beyond me.

I just hoped that nobody would recognize me from the last time I was here. I still hadn't lived down the fight I had with Big Tommy, and I certainly didn't wanna renew my status as the town brawler. But perhaps, with Eddie by my side, I would actually manage to be somewhat civilized tonight. ...But that was just wishful thinkin' on my part.

Approaching the front of the saloon with Eddie in tow, the two of us climbed the muddy steps as I showed the pianist inside, already able to hear the mayhem occurring on the other side of the wall. This was gonna make one hell of a first impression on the boy.

"Welcome to Smithfield's," I told Eddie, pushing through the swinging doors as the smell of alcohol slapped us in the face. "What d'you think?"

The boy gazed around for a moment, his line of sight mainly sticking to the piano as he took in the environment.

There was drunken fellers stumblin' around all over the place, workin' girls trying to seduce any of the cowboys that passed 'em by, and an entire circle of men sat down at the Poker table, mindlessly throwing their money away.

Normally, I woulda hated how packed it was in here -- and I could only imagine how Eddie must've felt, seein' as how he was new to this place -- but I actually found a strange sense of comfort in the casually chaotic mood of this saloon.

Somethin' about being around people who were on the verge of knocking each other's teeth out but also treatin' one another as if they'd known them their whole lives just...made me feel at home, I supposed.

Huh. I wondered what that said about my home.

"It's a lot different from the one in Saint Denis." He remarked, clearly feeling a bit outta place. I let out a laugh.

"Heh. Sure is," I joked. "You can actually enjoy yourself in this one. C'mon. I'll buy you a drink."

Wandering over to the bar, Eddie and I squeezed through crowds of people as they all knocked back shots of whiskey and tripped over themselves tryin' to find the exit, slurring random nonsense to no one in particular.

"Woo!" One man shouted, wobbling his way across the saloon as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "...I feel it now!"

Meanwhile, a nearby working girl found herself unable to look away from Eddie as an alluring grin spread across her face, her gaze following his every move.

"Hey there handsome," she greeted. "Lookin' for some fun?"

The pianist politely refused, suddenly sticking a lot closer to me than I think he realized. Fortunately though, we reached the bar before anyone else could approach us.

I slid a couple of coins across the counter, getting the bartender's attention.

"Two beers." I ordered.

The bartender reached below and grabbed two bottles, popping off their caps with a soft hiss before giving them to me.

"Here. This'll shoo away your worries for a while."