rp: main topic The Wild West of Talvania

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor tapped his finger against his empty glass when Bear spoke about how he moved to Talvania to get away from things in his homeland. He grimaced slightly, feeling a measure of sympathy for the man. He knew how ungrateful people were towards those that fought in the army. You were easily used and thrown away, especially if you didn’t fall in line. He thought about his own medal, safely tucked away in Cherry’s saddlebags. It wasn’t something that he was going to be eager to dig out, as there was a record of every individual that had received the medal which would make it easy for Bear to look him up and see his current outlaw status. 

He nodded gratefully when the man refilled his glass. He took a sip, frowning slightly as memories flooded his mind of his own experiences with the army. He felt himself glad that he had not been in as long as Bear. And yet he knew that if events had turned out differently, he would no doubt still be serving and would until he was an old man. At the moment, he wasn’t sure which way he would prefer to be. Still in the army, or the outlaw he currently was.

His attention was brought back when Bear outlined the job he was offering. He pursed his lips a little before lifting the glass up to his lips and taking a sip of the smoky liquid as he considered it. It was a job that made good use of his skillset. He had done his fair share of hunting wild game. But considering how dry and arid the surrounding region was, he wasn’t sure exactly what kind of game Bear was after. He had seen some cattle ranches, and assumed that was where the town got most of their meat from. He cleared his throat a little and asked, “What kind of game is there? There didn’t seem to be much out there when I came into town unless I headed towards the mountain and that might be too far.”

[Dozle The Crusader]

Bear said, “That is very true. There is very little game around here and yeah that the mountain does too well as of lately. I have heard there's a cave where a black cougar and its not alone. I believe it has a small pack like 3 not too far from here causing a bit of trouble for any livestock that get walks past here.” He still had the Neppy Repeater out on the counter. “The black one I’ll pay you for and if you kill the other two they will be for board for you and your furry friend best place to stay is with the bears am I right?”

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor’s eyebrow rose in interest when Bear said that there was a black cougar as well as a couple of others causing trouble for the local livestock. With how much the town likely depended on the ranches, there was no doubt in his mind that the townsfolk would love to have the trouble dealt with. And it wasn’t as if he had not hunted a cougar before. He thinned his lips, looking down at Fenni who tilted his head back up at him. The two of them looked at each other for a moment, before Fenni’s tail wagged a little. 

Victor then looked back up at Bear. It might be less risky to bunk with Bear rather than at the tavern or an inn. He wasn’t looking to settle permanently, so a house was out of the question. He didn’t even have enough money to pay for it anyway. And killing a couple of cougars was a good deal. He straightened a little, downing the rest of his whiskey before carefully putting the glass down on the counter, “It sounds like a simple job for me. How long would those two cougars pay for board? A night? A week?” He asked, wanting to be absolutely clear on this. 

[Dozle The Crusader]

Bear scratched his head thinking what the other two cougars would be worth. “How would four weeks count for the two. I have good money for the black one.” he poured more whisky for Victor to have a drink over his offer, and he almost forgot the room “And the room is the room on the right. It's a full size bed.  Whenever I have a drunk guest or I want to pass out closer to the shop…  my room is upstairs feel free to go check out the room.” .

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when Bear said that the two cougars would pay for four weeks worth of rent. It was a really good deal, and one that he certainly wasn’t going to turn down in his situation, even if it was nothing more than a small cot in front of the fireplace. About the only deal breaker was if he had to share a room with the bear. Despite Bear’s assurances, he didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the animal. He was pleasantly surprised when Bear explained that it was a room with a full sized bed. He gave Bear a rather bemused room, before deciding to do just that. Leaving his refilled glass on the counter, he stepped away from it. This caused Fenni to come to alert and he motioned with his hand causing the wolf dog to relax and sit back down. Fenni’s tongue lolled out the side of his mouth as he panted softly.

Victor went to where the stairs were and went upstairs, his footsteps causing the wood to creak softly. When he reached the landing, he saw a rather well built and well maintained landing. He moved to the indicated door on the right and opened it up to see that while the room was plain, it was comfortable looking. It had a single bed, already made, and a wooden chest of drawers. It would more than he had hoped for. With a slight shrug, he turned and made his way downstairs to rejoin Bear at the counter, “That’s a really nice room for what you’re accepting as payment.” He picked up his glass and took a small sip. He tilted his head a little, flicking his hat up in a manner that Bear could now see the scar across his right eye, “I can’t help but be curious as to why you’re being so nice to a stranger?” He inquired. He wasn’t being rude, or wanting to reject the offer, but he couldn’t help but wonder.

[Dozle The Crusader]

Bear just chuckled “Well comrad Victor, I had a gut feeling you been going through a rough patch in your life and I wanted to give a helping hand or I just wanted to have some interesting company.” The big man shrugged his shoulders going back cleaning the Neppy Repeater and putting it back in its case. You could clearly see all kinds of rifles and other hunting gear in his shop. There was a heavily looking metal crate in the corner and there was a metal looking door behind his counter like a cellar. There were more pics of Bear and Yamashiro when she was a cub all over the place and random stuffed animals from where he hunted at one point. “Oh, comrad Yamashiro sleeps in back or in my room wherever she feels like ways she is tonight. She sleeps in the back. She is a bit crabby with me for being late but she will be a sweetheart after she naps.” The bigger man’s shop had spaces for a gun shop and store probably for him and his real life bear to fit in and walk around freely. He patted the counter. Due to the sound it made, you could hear that it was made out of metal of some kind has well. “In case you are wondering, yes I made my counter metal for safety reasons. Never unsafe nowadays. I wanted to make sure it does not go boom again.” 

 

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor grunted softly when Bear offered the explanation that he had a gut feeling that he was going through a rough patch in his life. It was an understatement, but he wasn’t going to explain why things were bad for him at the moment. He looked down, allowing his hat to fall back into place to hide his scar once again. He picked up his glass and took a mouthful of the whiskey, swishing it over his tongue before swallowing. He let out a breath through his nose, enjoying the smokey flavour of the alcohol. He looked back up a little when he said that the bear either slept in the back or in Bear’s room. For that, Victor was grateful and a part of him couldn’t understand why the man would risk sleeping with a bear in the same room. But then, Fenni was a wolf dog and thus there were similar questions with him as well. He looked down at Fenni, who looked back up at him, looking happy as he sat there and panted.

He looked back over at Bear as the man patted the counter, causing there to be a metallic thud causing his eyebrows to raise, “Damn, man… that must have cost you an absolute fortune.” He said, eyeing the counter, “Still. At least you won’t have to replace it for a long time. Especially if it gets shot, eh?” He jokingly asked. He glanced down at Fenni and looked back up again before saying, “I’m sorry for a quick change of subject here, but where is the local well? Fenni is in need of a drink himself, especially with how warm it is today.” 

[Dozle The Crusader]

“Da I understand that comrade. In the center of town there is one you can't miss it. Around this time there are not many out getting a drink of water. Most go to the bar to get drunk.” He chuckled at the last part. You can clearly hear Yamashiro sleeping in the back. The bear was at peace in the small gun shop run by a large mad man. ”Is there anything else you would like me to help you with? And once you come back from your water trip i'll be making some stew. What I have here for you to have a full stomach to sleep on.”

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor nodded his thanks to Bear when he pointed out that the well was in the centre of town. When he mentioned about the time of day, Victor glanced outside and saw with his surprise that the shadows indicated that it was getting late in the day. Possibly close to sunset. It shocked him to see how quickly the afternoon had flown by. He looked back at Bear when the man spoke again. When asked if there was anything he could help with, Victor shook his head to show that he was fine as he was. He then nodded when the man said that he would make stew when he returned. A stew sounded good right now, and he was beginning to feel hungry. Before he left, he asked, “Do you need water for Yamashiro? I can bring back some for her as well if you’ve got something like a bucket I can fill up.”

[Dozle The Crusader]

Bear bent down and handed Victor a bucket “That would help greatly for the big girl. I had to make a little bit bigger bucket so she has water for herself. It is just a bit wider for her head to get a drink. I’ll make sure you thought of the big girl.” He sounded happy about that idea. He hoped Yamashiro be in a better mood for their new house guest. The big bear is just a big fluffy love ball when you let her not be grumpy

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor took the bucket from Bear and inspected the modifications that he had made to it. He nodded his head in approval before looking back up, “Then I will be back.” He said, picking up his whiskey and downing the rest of it. He placed it down on the counter, thinking that it would be unwise to have more alcohol that night. The last thing he wanted was a loose tongue. He motioned to Fenni who immediately stood up and followed him out of the shop and into the evening air. He glanced around, seeing that the streets were mainly empty, although there was plenty of noise coming from the Saloon. Before heading to the well, he went over to the saloon and untied Cherry before leading her in front of the gun shop and tying her to the post outside. He patted her shoulder affectionately before he turned and made his way down the street to where the well was. 

When he arrived, he was glad to note that no one was there. Setting the bucket on the floor, he saw that the bucket for the well was already down. So he merely lifted it up out of the well and, gripping onto it, he poured water into the bucket that Bear had given him. Fenni tilted his head up at Victor who motioned towards the water. The wolf dog leaned down and began to lap at the water in the large bucket. Wanting a drink for himself, Victor put the bucket back down into the well and brought it back up. He pulled a bison horn from his pouch which he had hollowed out to create a good drinking vessel for when he needed a quick drink. He drank a few times before gently putting the well bucket back into the well. As he turned back to look at Fenni, he found the animal standing alert and staring behind him. Victor turned to see a man standing nearby, watching. It took Victor a moment to notice the sheriff’s badge on the man's coat. He stiffened for a moment but forced himself to relax.

“You’re new around these parts. Passing through, or staying here awhile?” The Sheriff asked. 

“I plan on staying for a little while. Bear has offered me a job as a tracker.” Victor replied, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. He motioned to Fenni to stand down, causing the animal to look at the Sheriff for a moment before leaning down and lapping at the water again. 

The Sheriff looked down at the Fenni before remarking, “A well trained animal there. A wolf dog, if I’m not mistaken. They’re hard to train properly.”

“He’s the perfect hunting dog.” Victor replied, wondering just what the Sheriff was looking for. 

The Sheriff then seemed to smile at him, “I can imagine. Not much game in these parts, but enough dangerous animals that cause no end of headaches for the ranchers. They’ve been calling for a tracker and hunter for a while now, but none have come ‘round these parts. So as long as you behave, I don’t think we will have a problem, will we?” He asked, looking Victor in the eye. From his expression, Victor had the horrible feeling that the Sheriff knew who he was. He was about to say something but saw a warning flash in the man's eyes so he remained silent.

Feeling a little confused now, Victor nodded his head, “I’ll do my best, Sheriff.”

“Good. Perhaps we’ll chat sometime. I’m curious as to the state of things. You know, get the full idea of things.” The Sheriff said before he grinned further and said in a louder tone, “Bear is a good man. Pays fairly for a fair day's work. Just don’t try and swindle him. He’ll take your head off with his bare hands, and that’s not an exaggeration. Anyway, I best be moving along. No doubt there will be some sobering up in my jail cell tonight.” The Sheriff said, tipping his hat a little at Victor before he walked off. 

A little stunned, Victor watched as the man walked off before he looked down at Fenni who was finished drinking and now tilting his head up at Victor as if to ask what was going on. With a sigh, Victor picked up the bucket and the two of them returned to the gun shop. He walked inside, grunting a little as he placed the bucket on the counter, “There you go.” He said with a sigh, flexing his fingers a little to get the feeling back in them. After a moment he asked, “What is the Sheriff of the town like?”

[Dozle The Crusader]

As Victor placed the water bucket on his counter “That old fool with the badge? He is an alright man in my books. Still has bad taste in guns and women but he is someone you can trust as long you cause no problems. He is a man that likes women with no boobs. How can he not like women with big tits?”  The big man said with his hands in front of his chest like they were boobs and sighed and shook his head at the sheriff and his lack of boobs loving. He took a big cup and put water in it. You could see a small pot where you could smell what little beef the big man had next to it and a jaw that looked like honey. He put the water in the pot with the beef and honey and took out some mixed vegetables and just placed them all in the pot and placed it on where the fire was going in his place letting the meat and honey cook. In the meantime you can hear Yamashiro waking up from her many naps. The real live bear was walking on all fours of her legs lazily walking in the room with Victor and the big man was making dinner. All the bear did was get a drink of water with zero care that there was a guest.  .

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

At Bear’s description of the Sheriff, Victor’s eyebrows rose. He opened his mouth to respond, but snapped his mouth shut with a faint clack. He personally liked women with small breasts. Large ones were still good, but with smaller breasts he could hold them closer. It allowed for their hearts to be closer as well, but perhaps he was a bit of a romantic at heart. His wife, his soulmate, was… had been, on the smaller side and he absolutely loved cuddling up with her. He decided not to say anything, as he didn’t want Bear to think of him as strange, or weak, because he had a soft spot for holding his loved ones tightly.

He followed the large man into the living area, where he watched as the man started putting together a stew. He had never seen anything make stew with honey before. His wife had often used a dark source that was imported. It had a slight salty taste to it, but it added a depth of flavour to the stew. He rather missed her meals. The corners of his lips pulled down as he crossed his arms across his chest as he tried not thinking about what he had lost. Instead, he allowed himself to be distracted by the sight of the large bear entering the room. He watched her for several long minutes before he commented, “She’s a lot larger than I thought she would be.” He couldn’t help to be both nervous, and impressed. It was obvious that she was well looked after, as she looked very healthy. Fenni trotted over to the bear, tilting his head slightly as his nose twitched as he sniffed in her direction yet not moving into her personal space. Slowly, he sat down and made a soft ‘wuffing’ sound, trying to her attention so he could say hello.

[Dozle The Crusader]

Yamashiro stopped drinking for a few moments and turned her head to see the wolf dog. She softly pat the wolf dog softly with her paw as she went back to drinking. Bear figured that was how it would go down and just chuckled at the fact that he knew better to laugh at her. “Looks like the miss of the house likes your hound and looks like she trusts you to if she is drinking like that.” He pointed out as he went and checked out the stew to see how it was going and he place a little salt to add more flavor minding his own business. “So what's your thoughts on our little dirt patch of this country?”

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Fenni shrank a little when the bear reached out, his ears flicking as he stilled, unsure as to her intentions. But he then relaxed when she merely petted him on the top of his head. His tail started to wag, clearly happy to have made a new friend. He rose back to his feet, now a bit bolder in sniffing at her, becoming familiar with her scent. He then carefully nuzzled against her cheek before pulling back slightly and lying down next to her, his tongue lolling out as he panted softly, turning his head to watch Bear as the man checked on the stew.

Victor looked up slightly when Bear asked a question. He thought for a few moments before he shrugged a little, “So far, it seems good. I haven’t been here long enough to really form an opinion but people are pretty friendly from what I’ve seen. I might enjoy being here for a little while. But… eventually I’m going to need to move on. But not right now… right now I just want to stay in one place for a little while.” He said, turning his eyes to watch the bear and the wolf dog.

[Dozle The Crusader]

Yamashiro did not mind the wolfdog laying down next to her and then sat and watched the two men over there making whatever they were doing scratching her tummy not really minding Victor too much. Bear noticed that Yamashiro was watching them as she petted the wolf dog again. He could not stop himself from laughing “Looks like she likes the combine that is here. Sure, she was grumpy for the first few days so it's a good thing.” As soon he spoke Yamashiro was trying not to get all pouty about what he said but kept petting the wolfdog. “I just hope the whole time you are here you feel welcome at our home. It is not much but you are welcome.” He went back to the stew 

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

As the large bear petted Fenni again, the wolfdog did not shy away from her and instead glanced at her, wagging his tail before returning his gaze back to the two humans. Victor watched Bear as the man spoke as he tended to the meal that was being cooked. He was silent for several long moments before he said, “It’s greatly appreciated. I haven’t known such kindness in…” He paused to think about it before he snorted, “A while. I’ve been all over the place, and you’ve been the most welcoming of the lot. Most people don’t appreciate a stranger riding into town. It’s why I stay for a few days and then move on. I try getting a job to make sure that I have enough cash for provisions, but that’s run dry. Mind you, I suppose being a somewhat stranger to these lands yourself, you’re more understanding. How did folks treat you when you first came here? The Empire hasn’t exactly been kind to us.” He sounded genuinely interested and leaned forwards to fix his sharp gaze on the taller man.

[Dozle The Crusader]

Bear was screeching his big head  “Well at first they were like a lot of people. Not very trusting. They were worried that I’ll steal their kids or livestock. Have you heard that bear of a man wandering around town with a bear cub in his hands.” He laughed at the memory of Yamashiro when she was a cub. ”That big girl you see there was small for her breed when I found her all alone with no mam around so I took her in and fed her well .” That was giving him time to remember how or when he got here. “Even those the military did so much wrong to me I was able to keep a lot of my pay and was able to put it all up in one gun shop you are in now. It took me a few years to find the right place and people and that sheriff… I saved him and his rifle once from a group of those outcast fuckers and after that he was mighty helpful to me and her.”

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor listened with interest, nodding every now and again as the man described his time settling in. He was a little surprised that Bear had saved the sheriff at some point, but it did go part way to explain why the townsfolk treated Bear with respect. The sheriff tended to be a very respected individual of the town and saving his life would have done a lot in endearing the local people to him. He sat back, his blue eyes shadowed with thought. The sheriff, from his brief interaction with the man, seemed not only a good man, but very intelligent. Victor couldn’t help the niggling feeling that the man knew and that made him nervous. Hopefully the man wouldn’t talk to any marshalls when they came through, looking for him. He was also silently relieved that Bear had not asked for any questions in return. He wasn’t ready to speak about himself openly, and he would have to be intentionally vague. Which would have made him feel bad, as he genuinely liked Bear but despite that, he had no idea if he could actually trust the man. He turned to look out of the window and into the night, “What is Kvor like?” He then asked, hoping that asking questions while waiting for food, would keep any focus off of himself.

[Dozle The Crusader]

Bear looked at the younger man and could tell he had been through a lot and he felt it was not right to prey on a man's past. Let them open up when they are ready. “Comrad this town is an easy going town. As long as you don’t give off a shitty first impression walking in like you are better or you ass dont stink they will help you out if you just ask. Heck one time we had a big city marshal come around years ago they pointed that fucker to the back of my store. The poor bastard was mauled to death by my big girl. She doesn't like people sneaking into her back door without asking. Yeah the sheriff ringed my neck for it but I got him that nice pistol he carries now and he did not like the fucker either.” He laughed at that part. He was not crazy for the big city life as he put some whisky in the stew. It was close to being done; he had some spare fresh meat out and walked over giving Yamashiro and the wolfdog some in front of the two and pat Yamashiro on her head and pat the wolf dog before walking away back of his store. He was going to get some bowls and spoons for the two.

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor querked an eyebrow at Bear slightly as the man described the town as easy going before moving on to explain what had happened to a city marshal. He grimaced slightly as Bear described his grizzly death. He was lucky that the marshal had not pulled a gun out to shoot Yamashiro at least once. He also felt a little concern that thus far, no repercussions to the town had yet to fall on the town for the death of a marshal, which would have been a big deal at the time. It meant either one of two things. Either they wanted to get rid of the marshal for similar reasons that they wanted Victor dead, or they were coming. It was that second option that really worried him, but he kept his face clear of his emotions. It would explain why the Sheriff seemed to scope him out. Perhaps trying to sniff out if he was a marshal. 

His eyes glazed over as he lost himself in thought as the man gave some fresh meat to the two animals. Fenni wagged his tail as he was petted, turning his head to watch the large man silently for a moment before he turned and watched as the bear ate some of the meat. Cautiously, as if unsure if he was allowed some of the bounty, Fenni stretched out his neck and took a small piece, chewing on it silently as he watched Yamashiro’s reaction. Victor turned his head and watched the two animals who seemed to click quite well together, despite having only just met.

[Dozle The Crusader]

The Bear of a man walked in seeing Victor watching the two animals eat their meat. “Best not worry too much about this small town. As long as you treat people around here like they are human and not act like you are better than them. It's what they told me anyway.” He shrugged his two bowls in his hand and with spoons. He placed one of the bowls down in front of the pot and put his bowl in to get himself some. He was not giving no mind on what was going on outside of his little gun shop. “I only give a helping hand to those in my gut who need it. Heck, my first day in this town I was close to decking the sheriff for Yamashiro over there saying she could not be in town. I had a few people telling him it was fine. It took like a few years for him to come around and trust the old girl in there.” He sat down in his sturdy chair with his bowl of stew as he added, “Grab your bowl and dig in. The rest his for you.”  

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

Victor glanced at the large man as he returned and spoke, assuring that as long as he treated people fairly then he was fine. That was a lot more tolerating than other towns and villages he had come across. He always treated people fairly; it was one of his traits that his old general claimed was a weakness. He watched as the urge man served himself, surprising Victor. Perhaps it was the difference in culture between them and Bear’s homeland. Typically, when he had been the guest at someone’s home, they served him first as it was only polite to serve the guests first before attending to oneself. It was a manner deeply ingrained in him, thus he found it deeply shocking that Bear did the opposite of this.

He was so surprised that at first, he didn’t react to Bear’s words. He then looked at the man and frowned, not entirely sure he believed the Sheriff had approached the situation like this, “Really? Strange. He said nothing about Fenni not being allowed here and he’s very clearly a wolf dog. He even identified him, quite easily. Just remarked that he’s hard to train.” He said. He would ask the sheriff for his side, however he would prefer to avoid any kind of lawman, even if they were a decent man. A decent man might feel obligated to report his presence. He stood up from the table and went over to the pot of stew and served himself before he returned to the table and took a mouthful. After he had swallowed, he commented, “This isn’t that bad.” He took another bite, his eyes turning back to Fenni who was finishing up the meat that he had been given.

[Dozle The Crusader]

Bear had his spoon in his mouth but took it out to speak. The tiny thing in his hand was hard to see in his big hands, "I'm glad you liked it. It is when you have a few quick things to cook together. It's sweet and salty, and the meat brings it all in." He just chuckled, the big man was just happy to have someone to talk to that he did not want to blast in the face or maul. "Kinda seems like those two might get along." He was watching Yamashiro gave what left of her meat to Fenni. She was clearly full from the fish she got earlier; she was more worried for the guest than for her own self 

[Neptune]

Location: Bear’s gun shop

“I’m a rather simple man in terms of food tastes. As long as my stew is thick, tastes good with tender meat, then I’m happy.” Victor said. His ability to eat food that most would turn their nose up to was down to years of eating soldiers rations, which were only barely edible. Not only that, but he had spent a lot of his time on the run, having to hunt his own game which he often cooked over an open fire. Often bland if he wasn’t able to find any herbs and other seasonings.

His eyes were drawn to the two animals, watching as Fenni sniffed at the meat that was offered for a moment before carefully taking the meat from her and eating it. He nodded his head slowly before saying, “Fenni is very friendly… unless you’re threatening his, or my life. Then he will become very vicious.”