Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ikissdhimbck) wrote2012-11-12 11:34 pm
ikissdhimbck) wrote2012-11-12 11:34 pm
Entry tags:
OOM: Kate Barlow | Mireille & Hildegard -- Texas, 1888
Things are going her way.
It's enough to make her nervous.
She's superstitious in her own way, but it don't take soothsayers and bad portents to predict that someone with Kate's kind of luck, reputation, and price on her head is soon for a bad turn. Oakville went real smooth with Ace Lehane on her hip. She stayed for some time, and found two more able-bodied men willing to make the trek to Cuero.
Well.
Able-bodied enough. Texas may be suffering drought, but there are plenty of fish to be found in the local saloons, weathered lips wrapped around a bottle. It don't make no never mind to Kate, so long as they know what they're doing.
(And she's made it clear their vices won't be affecting the job, or else.)
She left them with three weeks to get their affairs in order and meet her in Yorktown. A date, a time, and the name of the place she'll be; that's all she gave. The boy said he could arrange for some ponies, and she's entrusted that responsibility to him. There's still one more stop she's got to make on that count, and she'd rather do it alone.
She cuts the same trail she took a month ago — or a year ago, factoring in all the time at Milliways — heading north past Beeville and bypassing Kenedy, heading toward Cuero. It's empty land out this way, mostly desert save for the one river that feeds the cities. Nothing much changes.
It's odd, then, to see the brand new crater in the earth.
Beaut whinnies, starting from a trot to a canter.
"Whoa! What's the matter, darlin'?"
She gently pulls the horse to a stop despite her protests, and walks her in a slow circle. Bobbing her head and pulling at her reins, Beaut's sides heave under Kate's thighs. She frowns, patting her neck until she manages to calm down.
It is strange. It looks like something big made an impact and dragged away toward the river.
"Okay. S'okay. We're jus' gonna see what that's about, sweetheart. S'all gonna be all right."
Beaut's less than convinced, but walks ahead at Kate's gentle prompting, following the strange tracks down to a shallow gully cozied right up to the river's edge.
There are bones. Lots of bones. Mostly cattle, by the looks of it.
It's enough to make her nervous.
She's superstitious in her own way, but it don't take soothsayers and bad portents to predict that someone with Kate's kind of luck, reputation, and price on her head is soon for a bad turn. Oakville went real smooth with Ace Lehane on her hip. She stayed for some time, and found two more able-bodied men willing to make the trek to Cuero.
Well.
Able-bodied enough. Texas may be suffering drought, but there are plenty of fish to be found in the local saloons, weathered lips wrapped around a bottle. It don't make no never mind to Kate, so long as they know what they're doing.
(And she's made it clear their vices won't be affecting the job, or else.)
She left them with three weeks to get their affairs in order and meet her in Yorktown. A date, a time, and the name of the place she'll be; that's all she gave. The boy said he could arrange for some ponies, and she's entrusted that responsibility to him. There's still one more stop she's got to make on that count, and she'd rather do it alone.
She cuts the same trail she took a month ago — or a year ago, factoring in all the time at Milliways — heading north past Beeville and bypassing Kenedy, heading toward Cuero. It's empty land out this way, mostly desert save for the one river that feeds the cities. Nothing much changes.
It's odd, then, to see the brand new crater in the earth.
Beaut whinnies, starting from a trot to a canter.
"Whoa! What's the matter, darlin'?"
She gently pulls the horse to a stop despite her protests, and walks her in a slow circle. Bobbing her head and pulling at her reins, Beaut's sides heave under Kate's thighs. She frowns, patting her neck until she manages to calm down.
It is strange. It looks like something big made an impact and dragged away toward the river.
"Okay. S'okay. We're jus' gonna see what that's about, sweetheart. S'all gonna be all right."
Beaut's less than convinced, but walks ahead at Kate's gentle prompting, following the strange tracks down to a shallow gully cozied right up to the river's edge.
There are bones. Lots of bones. Mostly cattle, by the looks of it.
no subject
"No need t'look sheepish 'bout it. I don't mind."
Leaving Hildegard to slumber, she leads Mireille back to where Beaut is standing, ears pinned back. The mare is justly agitated, and requires a good deal of coaxing before she'll let Kate hold her reins. Mireille has a choice between a fine blue dress or a pale yellow one, and as they go through her saddlebags Kate gently speaks.
"If I've got my bearin's right, there's a town not too awful far from here. With a li'l luck, we could probably find us a door. However, whereas you might blend in jus' fine, gettin' Hildegard through a town without raisin' eyebrows an' alarms could be a thorny affair.
"I was headin' north'a here to a ranch — the owner used t'be a good friend of mine. I've got some delicate business t'attend to, an' I was hopin' he'd give me someplace t'stay. Maybe Miss Bar'll open up a way from there, maybe she won't. But if he's got the kinda land I hear he does, it'd be someplace safe enough for Hildegard until we figure things out."
Brow furrowed, she touches Mireille's arm.
"What say you?"
no subject
She’d like to be somewhere safer, more secure, maybe even with trusted people around--certainly better than hiding in a lean-to by a river--but getting there, that’s the problem. She could go with Kate and leave Hildegard to follow, after dark, but while she has no doubt Hildegard could track them, she doesn’t want to take any chances--what if they get separated? What if Weyland comes, and he can only find one of them? She won’t let him down. She’s the one who has to make the family decisions, while he’s away.
It’s not exactly easy for her, though.
So she does her best to convey, with gestures--drawing an imaginary box on the side of the saddlebag, imaginary lines on it to represent roads and rivers, a map. She’ll need to know where to go, and she can direct Hildegard.
But then the harder part--harder to convey this way, especially. She points to the spot on the invisible map that she has decided represents the ranch, and then mimes turning up a lamp.
Tell me where to go. And at night, you go outside with a lantern and wait for us. We will find you.
no subject
It takes a little repetition, and a few questions for clarification, but eventually Kate gets the message. She pulls a map from another saddlebag, and shows Mireille where they are now in relation to Beeville, Yorktown, and of course John's ranch.
"Y'could follow me a ways, if you'd feel more comfortable. Hildegard can still bear you, can't she?"
What lies between them and the ranch is desert, uninhabited and unnoteworthy. She points to one spot in particular.
"Or else, if y'wait 'til dark, y'can meet me here. Just in case John says no. That'll give us time t'find someplace else where y'can stay. I hate the thought of you roughin' it in the desert."
no subject
And if there’s nothing but desert on the way, well then, she and Hildegard can follow Kate even in daylight--Hildegard’s got good enough vision to spot potential trouble and get out of sight, and anyway if they’re up high enough there’s always the chance that anyone who does see them will just think they’re some kind of strange bird, and then put it out of their thoughts.
If there’s nothing but desert between here and the point Kate has marked as somewhere they can wait for her, then they can follow her there and find some sort of cover while she goes to make arrangements? Less chance of getting lost that way.
Or so she hopes.
no subject
"Good. T'be honest, I was already dreadin' leavin' you behind. If we start off fairly soon, it'll be a couple hours, but we should get there by sundown. I can ride in, talk t'John, tell 'im I need a place t'lay, me an' a friend, then come back out an' fetch you after dark. Hildegard can follow us overhead, hunker down somewhere in the back forty. Ah — if she gets hungry, though, she's gotta be careful 'bout pickin' off cows nobody'll miss right away."
Her lips twist. She sure wasn't expecting this. Why is it folk are stumbling out into her world now?
Maybe you aren't as alone as you think.
It's an interesting complication, anyhow. She won't let anything happen to Mireille now that she's been found, come hell or high water. The same goes for Hildegard. No matter what happens in Cuero, Kate will see to it she gets back to Weyland. For whatever reason she showed up here, now, she's in Kate's care. And she is so glad to see her alive and, for the most part, well.
To that effect, she closes the distance between them and hugs her again.
"I'm so happy you're here. I was so worried I'd never get t'see you again."
no subject
This will work out.
And she’ll get to have that visit with Kate, like she’d planned so long ago. It just took a while to happen, that’s all.
She hopes she’ll find some way to be useful while she’s here, though. She hates to impose--maybe she can help some with chores. She’s sure she can still cook and clean with one hand; it’ll just take her a little longer.
no subject
"C'mon, let's get y'freshened up."
She chose the yellow dress, which will look just lovely on her. And, once she's situated, they'll get Hildegard ready and head off. For now, there's a lot to tell her. And, as it just so happens, quite a lot of ways Mireille can find to be helpful.