The Gilded Cage

2 - Daddy's Boy

Roy didn't harass Ethel on his way to the tent, simply stared him down as if to promise one hell of an ass-kicking tomorrow. Ethel rolled his eyes. He was scared of a few things, drowning and being buried alive, Roy was not one of those things. He was a big oaf who day drank and was too busy worrying about Ethel's life to do anything. Roy was a skilled fighter and shooter, which is why he is meant to be second in command when Colm retires, but Ethel was better. He had no choice but to be considering his father's beatings.

"Ah, my dear boy. Take a seat with us and fill up those glasses over there will you? Try not to look so pained while you're at it." Colm commented, watching his 17-year-old son straighten his back and drop his shoulders at his command. The old man tucked his chin into his chest, keeping his eyes off the blonde boy and focussing his attention on the blood pouring from his nose still.

"So, tell me. Where are they?" Colm asked, wrapping his arm back around the man and squeezing his shoulder in a friendly manner. He grabbed the glass of whiskey from his son, taking the other and passing it to the man, urging him to drink.

"Out near Valentine from what I last heard. They've got a camp out along the river next to the train tracks. They been there for a week or two now, don't seem like they're gonna be moving soon." The man spoke, nursing his glass of whiskey. Ethel took a seat at the table, refilling both glasses and listening intently.

"What else?" Colm asked sweetly, rubbing the shoulder and taking a drink.

"I heard they were planning a train robbery outside of Strawberry. Due in a couple days now. Sunday I think." The man spoke. The longer he talked the more Ethel was starting to realize he wasn't part of the Van Der Linde gang, he was just an innocent barkeep from Valentine. It explained why he was so confused and why he carried a constant smell of liquor and peanuts, not unlike Roy, who visited bars frequently. He also had a spare towel shoved in his pocket with stains familiar to a bar. It seemed like he just finished a shift there when Colm or whoever came around and scooped him up. Probably in a very public and violent manner. If the man's current state was anything to go by.

"Very well then. Ethel, go get Roy for me. Come back here when you're done. Tell him to grab his gun." Colm smiled congenially, which definitely set alarm bells off in Ethel's head. Colm wasn't a smiling man.

Nonetheless, Ethel still got up and made his way to his personal tent (which he usually ended up sharing with Roy when they moved and his got lost with someone else). Roy was there, in the middle of taking off his boots and sitting on Ethel's cot. Ethel glared.

"Colm wants you in his tent. And he didn't say why so don't ask. Bring your gun." Ethel told the other boy, who paled. Colm didn't want him to be drinking. In fact, he forbade it. Ethel knew Roy had made a visit to the local bar/brothel tonight, he could smell it even still.

"You didn't tell him, did you? You fucking rat." Roy sneered, jamming his foot back into his boot hurriedly and grabbing his pistol.

"I should have, but I didn't. Cowpoke, I get lectured every time you do something stupid- why would I tell Colm you did something stupid? Are you slow in the head?" Ethel asked, easily throwing Roy's insulting nature right back in his face. Roy shook his head and followed behind Ethel's sure-footed strides. He was only like that because he knew he wasn't in trouble tonight. He would be tripping over himself too if he was called into Colm's tent this late at night.