Amor y Arma's

La Santa

August 13th, 1899 – Valentine

The old fool has two feet of his own.

Arthur muttered to himself as we walked into Valentine to complete the drastic errand Pearson needed to have completed by today, but as always it had to be him to complete the task. Though Pearson always ignored Arthur's threats, knowing that he wouldn't do any harm to them but rather for them

"Alright girl, wait here a bit," Arthur murmured to Midnight, as she stomped her hoof in discern. He chuckled patting her dark onyx (truly dark blue under the rays of Valentine's sun) mane, as he ransacked his bag with the last red apple he carried in his sack, making a mental note to stop by the stalls to grab more supplies for the next ride out of town.

Arthur pulled out the list that Pearson had entrusted him with scanning the page for the week's haul for the gang. Along with the separate list of seasonings that Mrs. Grimshaw hadn't shut up about for damn near weeks since they left the freezing snowcapped peaks. Arthur rubbed his face as the fatigue began to set heavily around him after just being out for the last 4 days hunting deer for the camp to not near starve themselves. 

Giving one last pat to Midnight he pulled down his worn gambler's hat just over his eyes to ensure that no one would catch a whiff of him. He paid the bounty from the painful encounter from the recent encounter with Leviticus Cornwall but that didn't mean those from Blackwater wouldn't recognize his face.

Opening up the crinkled back of a newspaper,  he began reading over the necessities needed for the week's necessities. 

Salt.

Pepper.

Honey.

Beer. Drunk bastard.

Coffee Grounds

Thyme

Oregano

Mint

Arthur read over the list once, even twice just to ensure that he wouldn't miss a single item, he truly didn't want Mrs. Grimshaw to be yelling at him for a fool's mistake. 

Scary woman that one. 

Arthur continued his walk into the town of Valentine until the doors of the General Store came into view. Tipping his hat to the lurkers outside the store in greeting, he pushed open the wooden doors with the scent of old wood and metal filling his nose.

"Good Morning sir! Anything I can help you with today?" the store clerk inquired, his leathered wrinkled skin,  telling Arthur just how many decades he's been around as he walked towards the man.

"Just need a few things, here's a list," Arthur grumbled handing over the worn piece of paper over as the man graciously took it, scanning the contents until confirming the items listed were in stock.

"I'll grab those items in just a few short minutes, feel free to browse around if you'd like anything else," the store clerk glanced at him with small, upturned lips before busying himself with the task.

"Sounds good," Arthur responded, tilting the brim of his hat down as a form of thanks as his eyes looked over the items the small store contained. None of them called to his attention as he glanced over the canned strawberries, canned biscuits, and apples. 

  Midnight needs food, that's right. 

Grabbing a couple of fruits and snacks Arthur made his way back up towards the counter, waiting for the store clerk to return. In the meantime, he scanned the poster that hung to the right of the entrance. With the common flyers promoting the same useless snake oil and Saint-Denis' newest theater for the civilized folks. Then something caught the corner of Arthur's eye, a wanted poster the 5th time he'd seen it this month.
Arthur pulled down the poster, expecting a rugged outlaw just like the prior ones had been. However this time something was different, with this specific outlaw. Arthur pulled the paper closer to his face as his eyes widened in surprise. Not over the fact that she was a woman but the large bounty that was offered upon her capture Dead or Alive.

"La Santā," Arthur drawled out the a as he read the poster out loud "Hey Mister!" he called to the clerk as he finished gathering the items towards the checkout desk.

"Who's she? I've seen this wanted poster in multiple towns not just here," Arthur inquired holding out the picture of the outlaw showing him exactly who he was describing.

"Oh, her! Oh yes countless Bounty Hunters have tried to capture La Santa but none of them have returned alive, she delivers them all to the sheriff's door," the old man placed the items on the counter as he leaned in almost gleeful to depict the rumors he had eavesdropped from the multiple customers that walked in through his doors, depicting the same amazement as he did now in front of the tall outlaw.

"La Santa has been described to be an exotic beauty but incredibly deadly like an Angels Trumpet. The last group of bounty hunters that went out to bring her back were all found dead, with her initials carved into each of their chests, A.M.! Terrifying wonder she is, but after each bounty hunter fails, they raise the reward in her capture dead or alive. That amount there in your hands is old they haven't printed out new posters, but they say that the money to receive when capturing her is up to seven hundred dollars!"

Arthur's eyes must have well popped out of his skull after hearing the amount given for her capture, staring at the poster in bewilderment.

"Seven hundred? For this tiny thing!" Arthur gaped, shaking the picture into his face ensuring that he wasn't thinking of any other wanted individual.

"Yes! She's not from around these parts, said she came from Mexico. They say she's a vile yellow-bellied shapeshifter, changing her face from that of an old hag to one of a young woman that's how she captures all of those that come after her!"

Arthur shifted his eyes away from the peppered-haired clerk towards the woman he held in his hands. Her heart-shaped face was sprinkled with freckles over the bridge of her nose, overflowing onto both of her round cheeks as a small hint of a smile tugged on her lips. With hair that seemed difficult to tame as small curls escaped her two braids that fell onto her shoulders. Her eyes narrowed into a deep smug, almost daring him to come after her. 

 She wasn't gonna go out easy, that was damn sure.