RDR2: Taciturn

Chapter 6

"You went out on a job, after I explicitly forbade you?" His voice was dangerously quiet, "Despite me telling you under no circumstances were you to go?"

"She held her own well, Morgan-" Bill stopped speaking the moment Arthur's eyes landed on him.

"No, don't speak," he hissed, "You really took a child on a job with you? To a town that we were run out of by the law? You really thought that was sensible?"

"Maybe you should give her more credit, Arthur," John spoke carefully, "She's a good shot, and a good actor."

"A good shot? She had to shoot?" His voice was rising now, Dutch stepped forward to put a hand on his shoulder, "How irresponsible are you? She could have been hurt!"

I was shrinking in on myself, I could tell Arthur was angry and disappointed in me, more so than he could quite express. He was the one person I fully trusted, a man I saw as my father now, and I'd gone and thrown that away just because I was bored.

Tears pricked at my eyes as my head shot down, I shuffled nervously as I waited for my punishment, whatever it was to be.

I sensed Arthur step before me, I flinched and braced myself.

"Kid, I'm..." I heard him sigh, "I'm not going to hurt you, I..."

He stopped before stretching his arms out. I flinched again, despite his words, but he just pulled me into a tight hug.

"I was so worried," he breathed, "I came back and you weren't here. Nobody knew where you'd gone, I feared the worst. Please, never do that to me again. I can't bear it."

I nodded, the tears finally poking out of my eyes, wetting his shirt. He sighed and kissed the top of my head, resting his chin on top afterwards. I heard camp moving around us, getting back to business, but he didn't let go of me for another while.

"Are you hurt?" he eventually asked.

"No," I said quietly, "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I... I just..."

"Shhh, its alright, kid," he squeezed me before letting go, "I get it. You were restless and I didn't give you a chance. It wasn't that I didn't think you could handle yourself, I just... I was scared you would get hurt."

"Really, I'm really sorry," my head was down, I felt the tears running down my face, "I'm sorry I worried you and made you mad. I shouldn't have gone, I know that, I just... I wanted to prove myself to you, to everyone else, to show I could handle myself despite... despite everything. But instead I just looked like a fool."

He was silent for a few seconds before putting one hand on my shoulder, the other under my chin to force me to look up at him.

"I'm proud of you really, kid," he gave me a small smile, "If John and Bill were complimenting how you handled yourself, then you certainly did a good job. I was mad at first, sure, but I'm really not anymore. You've more than proven you can handle yourself, and you've shown me that I should have a bit more faith in your abilities. Well done, kid."

I rifled in my pockets before producing my share of the cash, holding it out to him.

"Here, the camp can have it," I said quietly.

"No, keep it," he pushed my hand down, "Though I perhaps should accept that offer, as a punishment for disobeying me, but you earned it. That's your first ever take on a job, be proud of it. Your punishment can be... oh, I don't know, talking to Dutch about Evelyn Miller?"

He grinned down at me and I laughed despite myself.

"There's that smile," he put his arm around my shoulder, walking with me back into the heart of camp, "You really did prove yourself today, Liza. Perhaps I will take you out on another job some time. Go get something to eat, you've earned it."