When the Devil Cries (Arthur Morgan X Male OC)

24. Just One Night

(WARNING: This chapter is slightly NSFW!)

From Arthur's POV

THE NEXT DAY

SAINT DENIS

Ridin' through the city's crowded streets, Eddie and I trotted our way to the tailor's shop -- the location where Trelawny said he'd meet us -- and strolled past a bunch of lawmen, beggars, merchants, and even the same lady who was advocating for women's right to vote all those months ago. It didn't look like Saint Denis had changed that much, and most of the people appeared to be the same...but it was certainly still a foreign sight for me and Eddie.

I mean, if I was bein' honest, I never thought we'd come back here. Not after the way we hit the goddamned national bank, and blew up one of the bridges leadin' into the city. In my eyes, Saint Denis was supposed to be off-limits, considering how many people was after our gang, but clearly, Dutch didn't agree.

All he seemed to care about recently was the money, risks be damned. We had already lost Hosea to Atticus and his army of crazies, and now, we was riskin' even more of our necks for some high-stakes Poker game on a goddamned boat.

Had we learned nothing from that disaster in Blackwater? Had Dutch suddenly forgotten what happened back there? The last time we tried to rob a boat, our entire gang nearly got wiped out. Only difference was back then, all we had to worry about was the Pinkertons. Now though, we also had a rival gang threatening to destroy us, and even fewer men to fight them back.

We was in the middle of a storm. If we wanted to survive, we'd have to leave this place as soon as possible. We had far too much to lose, and even less to gain. S'far as I was concerned, the money on this boat weren't worth the risk. ...But what could I do?

Tearin' me away from my thoughts, Eddie suddenly grabbed my attention when he said something to me, his gaze stuck on a very familiar building that we were riding by. It had colorful posters plastered all over its walls, vibrant spherical lights decorating the roof, music dancin' through its doors, and a decent-sized crowd of people gathering at its entrance. It was the Râleur Theatre.

We both stopped for a moment, sayin' a quick hello to an old friend.

"...The Râleur," Eddie murmured to himself in a nostalgic tone, clearly feelin' a bit homesick upon seeing it. "I never expected to see it again."

I moved my horse next to his, takin' in the view of the theater as hundreds of memories began to flood my mind.

"Me neither," I admitted, thinking back to the day I first met Eddie. "I imagine you must miss it a whole lot. And the folks that work there."

The boy nodded. "Oh, you've no idea. Though, it's strange to say that, considering how it used to be such a nerve-wracking experience for me. I was always afraid that I'd mess up a song, or hit a wrong note, or disappoint the audience with something I composed...but I never realized how lucky I was to have those fears until now. And how lucky I am to have new ones."

I rested my arms on the horn of my saddle, tiltin' my head at Eddie.

"You think you're lucky?"

He shrugged. "There've been multiple occasions where I could've died, Arthur. Where we both could've died. But against all odds, we're still here. We're still going. I'd say that's pretty lucky."

A soft smile spread across my face. "I s'pose you're right."

Eddie shifted to a more anxious tone. "Though...I can't deny I'm a bit worried about Dutch's plans recently. Shouldn't we be packing up camp? Why are we still in Shady Belle? I thought we were moving the gang up north."