not_his_pa | The Drive

William hasn't been sleeping much and he's been going between Milliways and the door in the barn as he gets everything read. At this point, he's fairly sure they should be able to leave tomorrow but he knows his mother wants to meet Jack and Michael in case they're not good enough.

Mark's inside and Alice is on the porch as she calls out, "William, stop worrying at things in that barn and come in here and introduce me to the men you've hired."

He looks over at Jack and Michael, Jack doesn't seem too different but Michael is a bit odd in his cowboy clothes, "Ready?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

not_his_pa

William moves to help wrangle some of the scattered cattle as Mark gives him a look,

"No, they got it up and didn't want much notice given to 'em. I'll explain later."

From:

luvs_yogurt

Michael gets the impression he's trying to protect Mark and lets the subject drop - tilting his chin toward Jack with an unnecessary whistle that sends the horse underneath him to a faster pace.

Using the momentum, he rides a half circle of the herd, passing down to the back before riding up the opposite side to nip in the stragglers.

If he'd have thought it'd be this easy, he might not be so tense. Fact remains, he is. It all seems a little too easy in his mind.

From:

jack_f_twist

Jack's jogging his mare nearby, looking over from under the brim of his hat.

Michael still sits his horse like someone new to the saddle; his back is too straight and his shoulders too set, and all in all, he makes Jack want to relax a little more, just looking at him.

"Better relax a little," he says, idly. "Gonna get to the stock if you're all wound up."

From:

not_his_pa

As Jack talks to Michael, William says to Mark, "It's fine, really, they just moved on."

Mark nods as he says quietly, "Alright, Will, but you'll tell me if you think anythin' bad will happen?"

"Of course I will. I wouldn't take you into trouble," As they're talking, they ride by where the wagon has been driven back towards the main road.

William's hand rests on his rifle as he looks around, one of the men is just visible past some rocks and tips his hat before turning and riding away.

From:

luvs_yogurt

Michael frowns and attempts to let his hips and back loosen - only to find himself fighting the urge to follow the animal too closely, like he'll fall off. He's only fallen off once, and he's not about to do it where he could get stomped, let alone where he could look like anything but a professional.

"I'm fine," he nods back, letting the tip of his hat shift slightly; "Don't seem to be bothering 'em yet."

From:

jack_f_twist

"It's like fallin off a log, bud."

There may actually be something like approval in Jack's voice, in the tilt of his smile, but it's hard to tell when his voice is overlaid by the sounds of the herd and his smile is in the shade of his hat.

The sound of the harmonica he pulls out of his saddlebag floats over the air easy enough, though.

From:

not_his_pa

The harmonica is unexpected and Mark beams at Jack, "Play somethin' we can sing to."

William laughs and makes his way around the herd to make sure everything's still fine.

From:

luvs_yogurt

Michael lowers his head and smiles a bit himself, watching the herd and then the perimeter and then the younger guys again.

He doesn't know many songs, and probably none of the ones they know, but it's nice to have something light after the unsettling encounter.

"Hey, do Freebird." He laughs, knowing full and well that he's the only one who'll get the joke.

From:

jack_f_twist

The music breaks off with a laugh as Jack winks over at Mark.

"Can't say's I'm good 'nough to play somethin anybody'd recognize, bud, but I'll do what I can."

What he can is the rusty strains of an old hymn his momma used to sing when he was nothing but spitting distance from the tips of the grass. He's got no idea if it's old enough that William and Mark know it, but it ought to be a familiar enough tune.

From:

not_his_pa

Mark recognizes it since he pays more attention during church than William does and starts singing.

William smiles at him before moving to stop a steer from getting itself stuck in a cactus.

From:

luvs_yogurt

For Michael, it's nice and calm - his eyes continuing to search for signs of trouble but his guard definitely on the low end of the spectrum.

Maybe it'll be like this the whole way and he won't have to worry about being the ever vigilant - it's sure a nice break from anything he'd be doing in Miami. Hell, a break from most things he'd be doing anywhere else.

From:

jack_f_twist

He'd grin at the way the kid jumps in, but it would wreck the music, so he concentrates on that instead, sitting easy, one hand on the reins and horn, the other handing the harmonica.

Ennis hadn't known any of the hymns he'd grown up with, but he hadn't minded Jack playin 'em, either -- at least not much. He'd bitched about the harmonica, but that was expected, considering Jack ain't had any training and his skills are minimal, to say the least.

Still, it's some company on a long ride like this one.

From:

not_his_pa

As they go forward, they pass where the wagon had briefly broken down, a few pieces of paper are stuck in some scrub.

William rides over and pulls them off to give them a quick look and then hands them to Michael; nothing too identifying but there's the name of the one of the local mines on them.

Mark watches him and frowns before asking, "You sure they ain't goin' to cause us trouble, Will?"

"Yes, I am, Mark. Just some folks who broke down," It's not the best situation but they seem to have moved on and that's better than what happened before.

From:

luvs_yogurt

Glancing over the sheets, Michael frowns and furrows his brow slightly.

"This mine around here, William?"

From:

jack_f_twist

"Mine?"

The harmonica gets lowered, if not put away, as Jack squints over, sun bright in his face despite the low brim of his hat, which is annoying, but not so bad.

"I figured folks was mostly ranchers round here."

From:

not_his_pa

"Copper mine in the hills, its pretty good business but the miners ain't nice," William says as he tucks on of the pieces of paper into his pocket.

Mark says with a look at his brother, "Will got into trouble with some of 'em once. Just cause they wanted someone to hurt, too many folks are mean just to be mean."

From:

luvs_yogurt

Michael turns his eyes to Jack for a long moment as though he could read the guy's mind - but there's nothing coming from him but that same quiet question.

After a long moment, he asks; "You think there'll be trouble?"

From:

jack_f_twist

Seems like kind of a generalization to him, but, hell. He ain't here to make any kinda judgment calls, just to get this herd to wherever William wants it to go, so he shrugs it off, lets Michael ask the questions.

Seems like one of his favorite things to do, may as well let him go to it.

From:

not_his_pa

"Mark, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and they were drunk. Shouldn't be any trouble since they're gone and we're goin' forward,"

There's nothing except scrub on the road for a while and its fairly quiet. As the sun starts to head down, William looks for a good place to make camp.

From:

luvs_yogurt

Michael's uncertain of what his role is in setting camp, so he simply takes to building a small fire - lighting it with a cheap disposable lighter he supposes he probably shouldn't have brought through.

It's been quiet, for the most part, and when it's quiet he can't help but wait for that other shoe to drop and things to start going wrong. The paranoia is usually well founded, but this time he can't help but wonder if they'll make the drive just fine after all.

It's unsettling.

From:

jack_f_twist

He's coming back from a last check of the herd, making sure they're settled in for the night (and somebody oughta stay with 'em, same as Aguirre had up on Brokeback, but there's no need right now, not til they bed down), swings off the mare with a few muffled curses and stiff motions. Been a long time since he's spent the whole damn day in the saddle, and he's sore and tired and hungry as hell, those pieces of jerky he'd chewed earlier seeming like nothing but a faint dream and the lingering taste of salt mixing with the dust on his lips and tongue.

Shit. He feels like he'd breathed in the whole damn desert and a couple pieces of scrub brush for good measure.

The mare gets tied to a branch and he sets to taking care of her, saddle and blanket off and set near the camp, brushes her down, turning to squint for William.

"There some water round here?"

From:

not_his_pa

"Yeah, there is. I'll show you. Mark, you get dinner set up,"

William says as he walks around to get a good sense of what still needs doing. Mark starts building a fire and getting out the food.

From:

luvs_yogurt

By the time Mark makes it over, Michael's already got a decent fire going, but he invites the younger Evans to stay anyway.

"What's cooking tonight?" he asks casually, peeking with an easy smile. "I can probably help if you want."

From:

jack_f_twist

"Just hope it ain't beans."

It's a mutter, spoken around the cigarette Jack's got stuck between his lips, scratching a match into life and lighting the end as he follows William away from the fire.

From:

not_his_pa

It is beans, cornbread and some steak. Mark starts it cooking before William comes back, "I'll take first watch, then Michael, then Jack and Mark you do the last one."

His plan is that way, Mark gets the most sleep as he needs it and Mark nods before coughing a little from the smoke.

Quickly he says, "I'm fine. Just cause I was sick for so long don't mean you have to worry all the time."