An Unfortunate Face (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

(9.) The Fine Women of Lemoyne

The morning after camp had been set up, you walked over to Arthur's tent. You noticed Mary's photo standing like it had at Horseshoe Overlook, and you couldn't help but feel odd about it.

"Hey Arthur," you said, and he picked his head up. His journal closed in his lap, and your heart picked up a beat.

You felt like there was something unsaid between the two of you from yesterday. You had been a bit hard on him about Kieran, but the man was fragile. Kidding or not, Arthur was hurting him.

"Y/n."

"I uh—the German man yesterday gave me this," you said, presenting the gold bar. "I figured you deserved it more than me, since you found him."

He sighed and took the bar from you, inspecting it.

"Yeah, this is real," he said, handing it back to you. "He gave it to you, probably wanted you to have it."

"But—"

"No buts," Arthur said. "You'll make Dutch real happy with that, or else I probably would've taken it from you. But you show 'im that gold bar, he'll take you real seriously."

You looked at him hard, staring into his eyes. He didn't look away, and you couldn't seem to either.

"Thank you, Arthur. That's—that's real kind of you."

He shrugged and chuckled. "I don't owe you no more."

"Sure," you nodded, remembering that he had motives. This was payment for saving him at Six Point Cabin, and not turning him in to hang.

You awkwardly excused yourself and went back to your tent.

You placed the gold bar in a tiny box for safekeeping. Dutch and Hosea were away in a nearby town, Rhodes, gathering information about the place.

"I just want to leave this goddamn camp!" You heard from beside you. The voice sounded like Sadie, though you weren't sure why she was yelling.

You turned and saw a knife in her hand and Pearson inches from the tip of it.

"Hey, hey! Sadie!" She looked at you with fiery eyes. Whatever Pearson had done, it had made her angry.

"I'm tired of choppin' vegetables! I've been doin' it for weeks straight and I want to get out of this camp!"

"Okay, okay, We'll go out, you and me, just...please don't kill the camp chef."

She relaxed her arm and the knife hung at her side. With a huff she moved away from Pearson and stood by your side.

"Thank you," Pearson sighed, eyeing Sadie. "If you're going into town, y/n, could you post this letter for me and get some supplies from the store? It's an order for Tacitus Kilgore."

"Sure," you replied, smiling at the odd alias. You took his letter and put it in your satchel.

"We should take the wagon," you said to Sadie. "I think Miss Grimshaw moved it over that way."

"Let's go then," she smiled.

"So what started all that anyways?" You asked her as you climbed into the wagon. She climbed onto the other side before responding.

"I'm just tired of doin' chores, you know? My husband and I we...we used to split the work. I want to do somethin' besides clean and cook."

You giggled, urging the horses forward. "I get you, I mean look at me!"

She laughed her raspy laugh and you drove out of Clemens Point.

"Town's that way, if you didn't know," Sadie informed you and you turned.