A Life Of 'Shine - Lem Fike

6

Nora couldn't bring herself to trust Mr. Van Der Linde, despite him being so polite towards the female and her colleagues there was just something about him she didn't trust. After both groups had to hide away that unfortunate day, Nora began to notice Van Der Linde as well as the other two associates he was with quite frequently around Valentine and Blackwater respectively. She had learned there names, John and Arthur and in contrast to their leader, she liked them a lot better.

"Miss Morgan. A pleasant surprise." Nora looked up from her table in the saloon, her eyes narrowing as she concentrated on the features of the scrawny male before her. If the accent was a dead giveaway to who her visitor was, the grey jacket and bright orange hair were tell tale signs of Sean MacGuire.

"You knew I'd be here, what do you want?" She leaned back in her chair, watching the other as he sat across from her.  Sean chuckled a little, taking her glass of whiskey without permission.

"Smart girl. Dutch needed help, a friend of ours got locked, Jail break you know?" Nora shook her head, standing up from the table with intentions of leaving. The Van Der Linde gang were notorious, a people she wouldn't want to get mixed up in.

"Not a chance Sean. I don't exactly want to put my name on the map, you know?" She frowned, leaving the Saloon to enter the dirty streets of Valentine. Sean was quick to follow, tripping over some uneven flooring to keep up with Nora.

"If I said it were Trelawny who got locked up, would you agree to help then?" This caught her attention, but then again how did a magician get locked behind bars?
She paused in her tracks, turning around to look at Sean with suspicion in her eyes.

"How did Josiah get thrown into jail? I mean, a magician isn't exactly illegal is it?" Sean chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he walked closer to the female, now standing next to her in the open street.

"Yeah. He accompanied us while we robbed a stagecoach a while back. We let the people go and they recognised him while in Rhodes, unfortunately Dutch doesn't want to break him out just yet." She nodded at his words, taking in the information before letting out a conflicted sigh.

"I'll help."

"Great, I'll go tell Arthur." Having said that the male had ran off in the direction she presumed the other outlaw to be lurking in, she rolled her eyes as she followed him with her gaze. Watching until he disappeared around the corner.

She waited for a bit before following after him, keeping her ear out for the telltale noise of Sean and his loudmouth. She could always trust the constant babbling from the male to act as a guide if she were to ever need to find him. Surely enough he hadn't travelled far, the irish accent a beacon from inside the much lesser populated saloon in the town.

Not wanting to be rude, she waited outside while the two conversed. Sean eager to tell the older male about the girl's agreement to help with their predicament. She wasn't entirely convinced the story Sean fed her about Trelawny's arrest to be true and yet she hadn't the heart to question him further for details- taking his word for it as soon as he told her. Sean wasn't exactly being quiet with his conversation either, Nora easily making out the words between the pair from her spot outside. From where she stood she could hear Arthur's uncertainty about the whole ordeal, saying he couldn't trust her which she didn't blame. She couldn't trust him either.

The two argued over her accompanying them for a little while longer before Arthur caved in, getting Sean to shut up by only agreeing with his idea. Otherwise he knew Sean would pester him about this for years to come if he didn't.

"Evenin' gentlemen." Nora greeted once they walked out into the open, smiling at the two as she fed one of the horses situated outside and apple. While Arthur appeared to be all intimidating, the smile he passed her way broke the façade he held of some big, scary man she was meant to stay wary of. That and the company he held was enough to convince her that perhaps Arthur wasn't as terrifying as he appeared, she believed that if he was scary- Sean wouldn't be so confident in running his mouth around him.

"I believe Sean here dragged you into our mess?"

"Unfortunately. Josiah's a friend though, so I guess it's the right thing to do."

"It's big mouth here's fault anyway. Yapping to the wrong people apparently, or talking to loud that the wrong people heard. Law ambushed us, didn't have a chance to get away."

Nora chuckled at Arthur's words, the description of Sean being an underwhelming statement. Her suspicions were correct however, the story Sean told her not being entirely correct.

"Sean said the bastards you robbed recognised Trelawny and had him arrested in Rhodes."

"Did he now?" Arthur looked at the irishman, following him with an intense glare as he mounted his horse, Arthur soon following. Nora watched the two before shrugging, realising she didn't bring any mode of transport with her and yet she agreed to help with the ordeal. Being the gentleman he was however, Arthur held out a hand to help the female mount on behind him which she happily took with a smile. He waited until she was comfortable and on probably, a simple nod of her head which provided a clear signal for 'go, I'm on.'

"Well Miss, while we ride we may as well fill you in on this plan. Seeing as you were dragged in at the last moment."

Nora nodded, holding onto Arthur's coat with a firm grip as they began their ride to Rhodes. For once the journey was quiet, the quiet where Sean MacGuire wasn't talking excessively to allow his friend to explain their jailbreak plan to the lady.