The Outlaw, The Gambler & Persuasion

Knives Over Cards

Matilda was sitting on the rug of the Mag Seven's summer cabin, her back leaning up against the couch standing tall behind her. She had her knees tucked close to her chest so she had something to prop a book up, reading scripture she's probably read a hundred times before. The cabin was quiet at the moment. A beautiful day such as this catches her boys' attention. Red Harvest, Jack, and Sam went hunting out in the woods, Goodnight was out in the yard, either doing the laundry or smoking a pipe on the front porch, most likely falling asleep on the rocking chair outside.

She thought Billy would be with him, or maybe he had been, but now she hears movement coming inside the cabin and shuffling in the kitchen. A few moments later, the couch sinks right behind her and she almost jumps out of her skin but thought she should know better since Billy is known for stealth.

They didn't share any words as her friend nonchalantly unties her hair from the messy bun she put together that morning. Billy is always the friend she goes to for hair advice, and he didn't use words as an answer. He always showed her by using his own hair as an example. Matilda's always admired Billy's killer hairpin ruse. And maybe she's tried it herself a couple of times, either way, her and Billy bonded over that.

After Rose Creek, the two were considered partners in crime. Granted, they weren't as close as Billy and Goody were, but nonetheless, they fought flawlessly side by side. One time, the team walked into town... right in the middle of a gunfight. Halfway through, Tilda had lost her gun and was hiding behind the wood posts holding up the porch of the local bank, gunfire being shot out of the doorway and digging into the wood she hid behind. She couldn't escape, and then suddenly there's a knife right above her head, the blade digging into the post. She looked over to find Billy busying himself with slicing at a bandit, and it makes Matilda grin. She takes the knife and just as her gun-wielding pursuer comes running out of the bank, she swings around out of her hiding place and slices at his neck.

He's also willing to help her learn his native tongue. As he's braiding her hair, Matilda finds some words in her book and shows it to Billy, asking him how he says them in Korean. He'll say them, and she repeats the phrase a couple of times.

They were easily best friends, and it pissed Faraday off.

But he doesn't know why. He knows Tilda is loyal to him and Vas, and he knows Billy would never stab Goody in the back -or else Sam and he would stab him in return- so he doesn't know why seeing those two together made his blood boil.

Today was no exception. He walks down the stairs from his room up in the attic and witnessed the scene of Billy sitting on the couch with Matilda sitting on the floor in front of him. As she's fully concentrated on the book, the assassin is threading​ and combing his fingers through her hair, and for some reason that irritated Faraday. He loved both of his lover's hair. Vasquez's dark, curly and short locks, then Matilda's long, thick, golden brown waves. His favorite thing to do was brush his fingers around their hair, no matter what, so he quickly gets possessive if he finds Billy sticking his fingers in his Tilda's hair.

Joshua coughs in the doorway and both Billy and Matilda look up. Immediately, she recognizes his cold stare and rolls her eyes.

"Learn how to braid, then maybe I'll let you play with my hair more."

Faraday frowns and then turns his head to look at the other man in the room, "Billy, will you teach me?"

"No."

"What? Why?" Joshua nearly jumps like he had been bitten.

"I believe there's YouTube for that now."

~~~~~~~~~

Eventually, Faraday gets the hang of it; braiding, and soon found himself braiding Matilda's hair all the time. Unfortunately, her hair started to get brittle and have split ends, so he found it his sole purpose and duty to find other ways to braid her hair.

Now, every night as he and everyone else watch TV before bed, he always sits behind Matilda to French braid her hair, Vasquez watching in amusement and fondness because it was very rare for Faraday to go out of his way to do such a sweet and lovely gesture.

All it does is make Billy roll his eyes.