InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "GET ON, GRAMPS"

theo (londonaftrdark) wrote in oldwest_rpg,
@ 2008-05-05 00:35:00

Entry tags:

dell, theo ellwood

the room was cold.
Who: Theo & Dell - CLOSED
Where: Local Inn/Heel Kicker Saloon
When: May 04, 1867; Sunset
Status: Complete

The room was cold. But he didn't mind. There was little light. But he didn't care.
One oil lamp sat in the far corner of the room on a rickety little end table, which had been scratched and etched from previous visitors of the room. The light flickered, sending a kaleidoscope of shapes across the walls like spattered paint. The lamp was dirty being the cause of these unusual shapes, but dirty or not, it still gave off enough light so that Theo could see what he was doing. He sat on the bed, his back to the door and his front to the cracked window; a window with a view of the town for as far as his vision would take it. Shirtless and quiet, he slowly stood from the bed and headed to the lipstick-smeared mirror hanging on the wall to his left. For a long time he stared at himself, his hands resting on his hips and his tongue running across his teeth, which felt unbelievably clean. Yes, he used a toothbrush. A 3-row brush of serrated bristles with larger tufts by Dr. Meyer L. Rhein. But hell, he didn't know any of that.

Several times he reached up and licked his finger tips, running them over his eyebrows and then patting his cheek with a smirk. "God you are one handsome devil," he said, making sure to poke at every small or large scar on his chest and belly. "Psshh, who am I kiddin'?" He waved a hand at the mirror and turned on his heels, snatching up his gambler shirt and throwing it on. He buttoned rather quickly. He'd spent way too much time up here thinking about things that he forgot all about his little trip to the saloon. His one and only favorite place (aside from bed). Next was his lapel vest, then his sutler coat. Lastly, The Grizzly Fighter - a gun belt and holster for his Colt .45 Peacemaker. With a last look at himself in the mirror, he picked up his hat from the chair near the door and swung out, shutting it rather loudly behind him.

"I'll be seein' ya," he said, nodding with a smile to the innkeeper before flying out of the door. He didn't need Rocco. The Saloon was nearly right across the road, so he picked up his pace, looking over his shoulder the whole time for someone who might be following (he was somewhat paranoid). It was just as cold outside as it was inside of the room. He wouldn't be surprised with the set of clouds in the sky that it would rain, but it was highly unlikely. Theo skid to a stop just before the steps to the saloon and looked at the last bit of sun as it set. It was a great time for a cigarette. He reached into his vest pocket and pinched out a cig and a match before placing the smoke into his mouth and lighting it seconds later. The sun sure was beautiful at this time of the day. He wished that he could never miss a sunset like this, but knew there were times that he had and damned himself for it. Tipping his hat back, he took a drag and continued up the stairs, his worn-out spurs making a small thud against the wood as opposed to a sort of ting sound that new ones made.

With either hand, he shoved the swinging doors open and strut inside, the smoke hanging loosely from his lips. Theo's face expressed no emotion. The sweet sound of a piano blew against his ears, comforting them ever so slightly. The girls. Oh, the girls. He wouldn't know where to start if someone were to ask him about them now. The men were scattered around, playing their hands in card games and/or talking loudly to one another while shooting whiskey. After a few minutes, Theo made his way to the bar.

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brazen
2008-05-05 09:16 am UTC (link)

It was already sunset and Dell had already been in the place most of the day. She had more than enough firewater burning through her veins to keep her engine running and it was too early in the night to get sloppy. She was ready to get in on some action at the card tables; But, the way she looked prevented that. Dressed like a runt teenage boy in worn leather and dusty cotton, no one was going to give her the satisfaction. Not unless they were down on money and they wanted to take advantage of some young kid.

Little did they know she'd be the one taking advantage of them. You shouldn't underestimate anyone. Especially a female.

Despite the circumstances and history of the past few days, Dell was in good spirits. After she'd learned of her brothers death she'd gone through some terrible thoughts, some angry bust'n fits and had taken her aggression off on anything she could shoot her gun at....

You can't be angry forever.

Finally Dell got to thinking about the good things about her brother and the memories that made her think it was going to be alright. It was a mood changer this reminiscing thing.

Maybe she was also going to celebrate the fact that she was going to find that mother fucker who took her brothers life and blow his face off. She might do him so bad it'd be worse to live with the terrible things she was going to do. Roy Max was going to get his. It made her giddy just thinking how hard he would.

She had some business to settle after her jailbreak. She had gotten back to her brother's and her hideout to get what money she had, her guns and to change into her clothes. Unfortunately, she had no idea where her horse had gone to. She figured after she had been arrested that someone had claimed and sold Flash (That was his name). She wasn't sure if she'd ever find the stallion. But she'd check out the ranch's near here to be sure.

Not tonight she wouldn't. Tonight Dell was going to forget her troubles, get drunk as a skunk and try to make some money. She was going to celebrate life and death.

She glanced at the door when the stranger came in. She made a quick study of his face, compared past wrongs and made sure he was no enemy of hers. To be quite clear she was the stranger here in town. Before last night she'd never stepped in to New Shelby town. But, she didn't recognize him and so she said around the cigar she had just lit and shoved in her snack hole, "Get that man a drink on me....."and pointed to Theo.

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londonaftrdark
2008-05-05 08:24 pm UTC (link)

As he strode near the bar, he got a few looks from folk he had seen only once or twice around here. The others were regulars, he knew that, but they didn't bother to turn their heads to look. Half of them were too busy with their cards or the girls. Very few people actually recognized him, which was a mystery on its own, considering the fact that he hadn't lived here since he was a kid. Did he really look the same after all these years? He sure the hell didn't think so.

He brought the cig back up to his lips and let it hang there, adjusting his belt and pants (both slightly too big for him). The pair slid right back down to where they were comfortably hugging the lower part of his hips. "Fuckin' pants," he mumbled, taking a drag and pulling the smoke down before turning to the bar. The woman, in which he thought was just a pretty male kid, had already purchased Theo a drink without his knowing about it. The bartender prided himself on his appearance and drink pouring abilities, with his combed hair and curled mustache; his clean shirt and handsome black vest. He smiled to the girl and made his way to Theo with the best smile he could muster. "This drink's on that fella o'er there," he said, nudging his head to Dell, "So what can I get'cha?"

Theo stood quietly and turned his focus back to the kid, looking her over for what seemed like ages. Strange, how he has never met nor seen this person in his life yet she's buying him booze. Hell, he wasn't going to complain. "Tanglefoot," he said, ripping his eyes from the woman and looking back to the tender. The tender nodded, scooping up the nearest bottle of whiskey and pouring the shot. "Who is that anyway?" Theo asked once the shot was received. "Dunno," replied the tender with a shrug. "Hm," Theo raised the shot slightly in her direction and shot it back, the familiar burning sensation coating his throat like a cool wave of fire.

He tapped the bar top, his way of asking for another, and the tender was quick on the job, pouring another shot of whiskey. "Thanks, Herny."

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brazen
2008-05-06 09:11 am UTC (link)

The cigar tasted like a farm smells. There was something a little too ripe rolled up with the tobacco and the way it was burning. The smoke clung to the back of her tonsils like an oily film and it made her want to cough. She held on to the tickle because she always had something to prove. Instead of stamping the end out and quitting she washed it all down with the fucking Varnish she'd been served. What was that? It sure in hell didn't taste like any thing that was good for her.

The liquor burned hard.

She could feel it traveling down into her stomach and felt the heat radiate through her as the alcohol invaded her blood stream. She then took another puff of the cigar so she could start the process all over again.

All the while she was staring back at the man who'd just entered because he was staring at her. She didn't think it was a rare occurrence to buy a stranger a drink. He sure looked like he could use one. And it was damn good he had accepted or Dell might have been offended. Then again she was always looking for any excuse to meet trouble.

She wasn't too far from him when he asked the bartender who she was. Feeling sociable she decided to answer his question. She sniffed in whatever was in her nose, adjusted her gun belt and meandered over to where Theo had decided to pour drinks down his throat.

"I'm...Fred." She lied. Then she laughed. It was a bright if tight pitched laugh- The sort of laugh that doesn't hold back. "I think I am anyways." She scratched the back of her head, acted as if she was thinking on something deep and profound, "Then again I could be dead. It's hard to tell now-a-days." It didn't take her long to switch subjects."You know of any horse ranchers around here...Mister?"

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londonaftrdark
2008-05-06 06:42 pm UTC (link)

Theo continued to advert his eyes in her direction, taking his second shot. He ran his arm against his face, sliding the glass towards the bartender's locality in hopes that he would get another. Something wasn't precise with this one, but there were a lot of boys around that were pretty, so this could just be one in the crowd.

The bartender loaded the glass, thumping Theo hard on the shoulder just in time for the woman to walk his way and vocalize. He nearly choked on the alcohol, almost startled by the suffrage. The name was ridiculous. His face contorted and his brow lifted so high that it might fall off. "Fred?" he asked after swallowing the last bits of the whiskey. Then came her other statements. "Now wait jus' a minute there, kid. You think you're Fred, but then you could be dead. A dead Fred," he mumbled, confused now more than ever at his own words. "Never mind that, Fred."

Theo grinned ear-to-ear, raising his hand to her forepart. "I'm Eli," he lied as well. You could never be too careful around here. 'Specially if you're wanted up in Oregon and Nevada, two neighboring states.

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brazen
2008-05-06 09:52 pm UTC (link)

"Alright...Eli." Dell was talking around the cigar, lips pressing down on tobacco leaf that had turned sticky and soggy. She glanced at the hand he'd offered, then took it firmly. There was no winsome in the way her fingers grabbed his, her palm callused and worn from tough work and years of gripping the reign. It sure didn't give anything away about her vagina. There was no feeble in the way she shook his arm and gave him a pat on the arm. Then she released his hand, unplugged the cigar from her mouth and returned a salty grin. "I'll tell you what I am and that's thirsty."

She looked down the polished bar until she caught sight of the bartender and pointed matter of fact to a spot directly in front of her. "Right here. Keep 'em comin'." It wasn't the first time she'd given this order but at least she'd been tipping generously. She decided to clarify, "and not that watered down piss I've been paying for." She looked at Theo's glass and gave a hrrmmm, stepped back a moment to get a good look at how well groomed her new company was- with his smooth eyebrows. She wasn't sure what to make of it. It wasn't like she felt a need to make herself presentable to females and she sure as fuck didn't care about being pretty for the boys. "I'll have what he's having."

The bartender looked confused for a moment but then answered plainly as he slid her glass down and poured more into it,"You are."

"Well shit! I guess it'll do then Boss. Yer do'n a good job." She sniffed in the dust that was stuck in her nose one more time and placed the cigar back to her lips. Puffed on it until she got a good mouthful, took the cigar out and blew an army of perfectly made smoke rings before trying her question for a second time, "I'm not sure if you ignored me the first time...so I'm gonna try it again. If you have a hear'n problem then I apologize. Who should I be talk'n to about finding a decent horse?" She tried to be polite. She didn't mean to be course, "If it is that you know." She then picked up her glass and poured the glass down her throat.

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londonaftrdark
2008-05-06 11:43 pm UTC (link)

He flapped his coat back and gripped his hip, inclining onto the bar with the other arm. His quirley was almost done, damn near burning his fingers, so he took the last drag and stamped it out on the bar top. He watched her as his eyes slightly narrowed but with a wide grin on his face. 'What I'm havin', eh? This kid was a drinker,' he thought, subscribing his head and turning away. "Y'know what," he stalled, shooting down the fourth shot and then turning to the tender. "Jus' gimme a horn this time 'round, ale of your choice, don' matter," he hollered, waving his hand then turning back to Dell. He had just finished off a cig, but already wanted a fresh one. His lungs were begging for dessert after dinner and he wasn't giving in... yet. Theo lifted his hand to his face, thinking this over; it wasn't math, or science, or any other subject he was terrible at. It was a fucking cigarette. Finally, he shrugged, apprehending a new cig and match. "Fuck it."

Enjoying the vicinity of the Heel Kicker Saloon entranced Theo. It was so elaborately decorated, containing Bohemian stemware, and oil paintings hanging from the walls. He wasn't very particular on some of the paintings, finding them slightly dull, but it did liven up the room when men weren't fighting over cards or girls. Theo removed his hat and tossed it on the bar top; there was no need to wear it inside when he was just going to stand there. He would be quite honest and say that he didn't care to wear it at all if someone had questioned him about it. "I don' like wearin' m'hat," he mumbled; one of his many strange traits. Who the hell was he talking to, and why should they care about his hat wearing preferences? The man shifted his eyes, hoping that no body around really caught what he had just sputtered.

After all the thinking and looking around, he had completely forgot about the new roll and match in his hand. He came to, lighting the cig just as Dell began to speak again. He took his sweet time in answering: taking a drag, blowing the smoke, gulping down most of the ale. For a second he imagined himself falling to his knees and begging for forgiveness at the fact that he didn't answer a question. A bellowing chuckle erupted from his mouth as he wiggled his smoke at her with two fingers. "As a matter of fact, I do have a hearin' problem. I like to call it selective. So this must make it quite clear that th' answer fer ya is a simple no." He reached over and blessed her arm with a pat, "But I'm sure you'll find someone who does."

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brazen
2008-05-07 12:41 pm UTC (link)

Her lips crinkled as she pursed them. It was obvious she was disappointed by his answer. But she wasn't feeling angry about it. "Damn." She gave a shrug and plugged up her hole again with the cigar, puffed on it and looked off in to space.

Dell was really trying to get a fix on her state. She was determining if she was alright enough to do some detective work and drunk enough to do what she was thinking of doing. She was probably too drunk to do either. She wasn't even sure where her horse was and if she'd ever find him.

You get strange notions when you've been visiting with the Devil.

Flash was just an animal. Livestock...it shouldn't matter to her. She could get a new horse. She would have to. Her eyelashes fluttered a moment. It was probably the most feminine thing she'd done that Theo had seen. Her face got a little softer, sadder...all the bluster bellowed out for a moment as she stood there thinking about what to do. Dell thought she was standing still but she was swaying gently back and forth, her equilibrium thrown off by her intoxication.

It was hard to determine what exactly she was thinking about.

Then again it wasn't very interesting either. Dell was just some drunk kid. Stupid kid.

She was shaken out of her meandering thoughts by the pull of her bladder. She reached into her pockets and pulled out $3.00 and set it on the bar, then stamped out her cigar and placed the nub up behind her ear. "Thanks for the memories." And then began to her stroll out of the place. "Be see'n you....Eli" she waved with her back toward the bar.

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londonaftrdark
2008-05-07 03:57 pm UTC (link)

Every few seconds Theo's eyes would dart to the girl, then back to the room. Over and over again while in thought. He thought it before so he'll think it again. Something just wasn't right about this so-called Fred. There it was. The eyelashes fluttering, the sadness upon her face that called out to him like a choir. I'm not really think who I am. Shit. Even in his thoughts he sounded drunk. I'm not who think you. Ah, fuck it. He knew what his mind was trying to say.

Before he could reach out and ask, she began to shuffle to the door, waving her hand tiredly but not turning back to look as she called out his alias. "The memor-what? Eli? I mean, yeah! Same to you Fred," he yelled, watching the swinging doors even after she had left the room. Should he go after her, just to ask one stupid question, or stay inside and drink until he blacks out? He bobbled his head, raising his eyes in thought then shrugged and turned back to the tender.

"Maybe I'll see her another time," he spoke, not even comprehending the fact that he said her instead of him. "Gimme another whatchamacallit and a shot," Theo mumbled there after and put out some money after receiving his drinks.

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