[Closed] @eidxiety🐎🌹

[winterbolt]

Angelina is a black horse with white markings on her face in this sorry I can't picture her as being any other color-

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[eidxiety]

[This is one of those moments where you're supposed to dismount and kiss while the horses run off like children to go munch grasses and probably stick their snoots where they shouldn't. Theoretically, it is...

But neither of these idiots are romantically inclined, and the sudden tension in the air is obviously just because they raced all the way up to the pasture. It's Ain who hops down to unlatch the gate just as Angelina narrowly wins, ushering both horses and rider inside before latching it behind him. Then, he uses the fence to spring back up onto Elria's saddle, easily taking up the reins again and beaming at Wolfwood.]

Look behind you. You can see the town from here.

[It's small in the distance. Quaint, almost. And while Wolfwood is distracted, Ain leans over and snatches his hat, spins it around on his finger, and plaps it on top of his head.

Then, cheerfully, he winks and sticks his tongue out.]

You win!

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood does, in fact, turn to look when Ain tells him to, because he's still too exhilarated by his win to think that he'd be doing anything suspect at all. Like damn, Angelina beat that massive draft horse after all? He's going to have to feed her extra sweet feed later for that one, she's earned it. Right now she seems a little too preoccupied with the open pasture and seeing how much grass she can find and consume before her rider inevitably stops her.

In the meantime, Wolfwood is oblivious to the little tiny cracks and fissures that appear in his walls when he snaps his head to look over and sees that Ain has stolen his hat, plopping it on his own head even though it's far too big for him. He huffs, shucking a hand through his hat-hair to fix it a little bit as Angelina moves forward without his prompting, nearly taking him away from Elria entirely look she's hungry-]

And what did I win, hmm? Cause all I see is you stealin' my hat.

[eidxiety]

[It's fine, Elria will catch up on her own time. She just slowly walks after Angelina with her head bouncing, tossing her mane in the wind. This horse thinks she's a model.

Ain has to hold up the brim of this hat with a single index finger or it falls into his eyes, but he's leaning over and beaming anyway.]

Haha, I dunno! What do you want? I have candy!

[lupusxylem]

What do I want...?

[A kiss!, his brain helpfully supplies, to which he answers No, what the fuck? and ends up standing there staring into space for a little longer than one would consider normal. Is he okay.]

I'll get back to you on that one. [He cops out quickly, color rising to his cheeks.] Gotta think of somethin' good, yaknow.

[eidxiety]

[A kiss :) Too bad Ain can't read minds. He'll just sit here and look cute in Wolfwood's hat... Though he will eventually be giving it back by reaching over and plopping it onto Wolfwood's head. Here you go. It now smells just a bit like Ain's perfume.]

Uh-huh. You just tell me when you think of something. [In the meantime...] Come on! There's a shaded area we can go spend time at while the horses graze.

[lupusxylem]

[Ugh. God damn it. His hat smells all fruity now.

...mmm...

He pulls his hat down a little lower over his face as he slides off Angelina before she can sweep him away any farther, letting her go wherever she pleases now because she can't go too far when the place is fenced off. Let her run around and be feral to her heart's content tbh.]

Yeah...alright.

[He's still questioning himself about being out here at all, but his give-a-damn is starting to wane the hotter out here it gets. Maybe it just...doesn't have to matter right now. Maybe, shock and awe, it's okay to just do things because you want to and not because it's a job or whatever!!!

The area in question is nice and shaded as Ain mentioned, enough that Wolfwood could remove his hat if he wanted to...but pointedly doesn't as he sinks into a sit on the ground, one leg pulled up to his chest with the other out straight.]

You must come out here a lot if you know this place, huh?

[eidxiety]

Mm... I wouldn't say that. I'm not from around here.

[It's a tree they're underneath, one of those with the long branches and flat canopies. Shaded, yes, but not as good as something like an oak or a willow would provide. Better than being in direct sunlight, though. Ain's freckling is no doubt due to all the time he spends outside.

Ain doesn't sit. He sort of just leans against the tree bark, finding himself staring off into the distance. Elria seems to have taken on the role of "babysitter" for Angelina in the meantime.]

I just saw it on my way in and did some exploring a few times.

[lupusxylem]

So you're a drifter too, huh.

[More like a grifter ayoooo-

Wolfwood settles back against the tree, pulling out another cigarette even though he had one no less than an hour ago. He weighs his lighter in one hand as he pulls out the carton, removing one with his teeth before shaking a second to the opening and offering it wordlessly to Ain.]

[eidxiety]

I don't normally smoke, [he says, but he's taking the cigarette anyway and sitting down with it, a little too close to Wolfwood's side. He waits until Wolfwood is lit up before leaning over and lighting his own with Wolfwood's. Romantic.

Ain doesn't realise that Wolfwood is after him, so he doesn't realise that he's just giving this guy more leads to chase when he answers that question. They're just bros. This one is a straight boy he found outside and is slowly making realise that he might like guys, not some outlaw who wants to cuff him and throw him at the foot of someone who would torture the life out of him.]

Yeah, I don't stay in one place for too long. I don't work at that brothel you found me at last night, I just hang out there and gossip with the girls.

[About you specifically! They now know you don't know how to pleasure a woman, but that's okay because they also know Ain rode you stupid.]

I have to leave eventually. I've lived travelling from town to town for years.

[And he has pissed off A Lot of people.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wow cmon Ain his reputation!!

Wolfwood...allows it, when Ain leans in to light his cigarette off his own. Actually, he was thinking about doing that anyway- vaguely- so Ain gave him a convenient excuse to say "Ain did it on his own not me". He may not smoke usually, but he sure handles that cigarette like he does.

Or, maybe it's just that Ain is used to having things in his mouth. Hm.

This is vital information he's receiving though, which gives him all the more reason to think this trip out to the pasture was worth it. He's gathering valuable intel about his perp he wouldn't have had otherwise.]

Coulda' fooled me. I thought it'd be easy enough for a prostitute to just find a brothel to work at and stay there.

[eidxiety]

Well, sure, it is. But I don't like staying in one place. I'm a wanderer at heart, so settling somewhere is... I don't know, I don't think I'm capable of it. Never had those people I told you about last night love me back, never thought about getting married or having a "real" job where some big guy gets to yell at me all day. I just wanna do my own thing.

[Ain rolls his shoulders in something of a shrug. The smoke he exhales comes out in a ring, for someone who apparently doesn't smoke much. Good with his mouth indeed.]

Can't settle somewhere if all the love in your heart has dried up, after all.

[lupusxylem]

...yeah. Guess not. We're in the same boat, then.

[He mutters, still leaning against Ain's shoulder even though there's nothing saying he has to. Out in the pasture, Angelina and Elria are grazing. Occasionally Angelina gets the zoomies and starts running around for no reason. She is just like this.]

Don't it get lonely, though? All by yourself and all.

[eidxiety]

Haha... that's what all the sex is for. If I just wanted to wander and not be concerned about filling any physical needs, I'd just be a wandering musician. [And coinpurse-lifter.] It's a little less lonely when I've got people willing to warm my bed.

[lupusxylem]

Mm. It's dangerous work though, like you said. I bet you get some real freaks comin' to you.

[Wolfwood cannot say he isn't one of those freaks, but he at least respects people. He could have had a violent reaction to learning Ain was gay, but instead he was willing to just accept that and move on with his mission since it didn't really matter much at the time.

Now it suddenly matters a whole lot more than he ever thought it would, oops.]

[eidxiety]

You wouldn't believe the amount of people I've pissed off.

[Oh, but he probably would.]

There's a reason Elria is trained like she is. I can't tell you how many people have pursued me with weapons. She's gotten pretty roughed up before, but she's kicked many riders off their horses for me. It usually stops that stuff before it begins.

[Right now she's off chasing Angelina around to nibble on her again. Angelina zooms and Elria just trots after like put friend in mouth??? Chew on friend???]

[lupusxylem]

Damn. Pretty brave of you to keep goin' back to it after that.

[He's not sure he'd have the guts, personally. It just sounds miserable, even when you get to have dick pretty much whenever you want. Then again, Ain is also stealing from these people as Wolfwood well knows, so there's that incentive going for him too.]

But I guess you do seem t'be doin' pretty well for yourself.

[He shakes his head, tipping his hat back a little with a free hand.]

Maybe I'm in the wrong business.

[eidxiety]

Mmm... I dunno, mister I've-never-experienced-real-pleasure. It was cute seeing you having your mind blown when I started licking you all over.

[Not to mention the riding crop, which... Ain of course has at his side. It's inconspicuous if you don't know the actual purpose of it, after all.]

I'm not sure you'd last a day doing what I do. But that's alright... surely Mr. Cowboy does something more exciting?

[lupusxylem]

[Listen man he's sitting here idly brushing his fingers over that collar he's still wearing, soooo...

Also, haha, he is not going to just tell Ain he's in a group of bandits, so he'll go with his usual response.]

I'm kindof just a guy for hire. I do odd jobs for people when they need work done in the towns I visit. Some of 'em can be pretty dangerous, but the pay is usually worth it enough.

[eidxiety]

Ooh. I was wondering about all the scars last night.

[Ain is pretending not to notice the way Wolfwood thumbs over that collar, but trust him, he notices. He has taken Notes.]

You're a big, strong guy, so I figured you had to have been doing something dangerous to get like that. I'm not really fazed by it, though. Scars can be pretty sexy.

[lupusxylem]

So that's what you're into, huh.

[Though he thinks it's less that and more that Ain just likes men in general. Can't imagine why, men are awful.]

I've had some women tell me it's "unbecoming", or whatever.

[eidxiety]

Aww, I'm sure they would've liked you more if you actually knew how to get them off.

[Wow!!!].

I'm into lots of things. But I like big, strong men who can pick me up, burly guys, daddies... [Do people in the old west even know about daddy kink well whatever who cares, I'm not googling that,] ...obedient pets and men who want to be stepped on more than they like to admit.

[so

most men. You like Most Men.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood, sweating profusely because he is a man who wants to get stepped on and can't just admit to himself that letting over control to someone else for once was freeing and he wants to feel that feeling again??

He's fine, he's doing fine.]

How did you, uh. Figure out you liked...you know. Men.

[eidxiety]

[Hmmmmmmm what a suspicious question to ask!

Ain props his elbow up on his knee and leans his chin in his palm. He's watching Wolfwood like a hawk, grinning softly. Oh honey.]

Mm... I think I always knew? I mean... I was raised in a really religious household. My mother wanted me to settle down with a wife and have children, and that thought really, really put me off ever since I was little. I always thought it was because girls have cooties or whatever, but then I turned maybe... fourteen? Fifteen-ish. And I remember seeing this cowboy in the roads kissing his wife, and I thought, "Gee, I want to kiss a cowboy too!"

The rest is sort of history. I bailed on my mom shortly after and struck out on my own, not entirely for the "I want my son to be straight" reasons either. I dunno. Sometimes you just figure things out.

[lupusxylem]

Damn. That musta' sucked.

[He wasn't raised, but at least the church that did raise him didn't pressure him or make him feel inadequate. They didn't...do much other than keep him alive, granted, but he figures that much is better than what Ain had to put up with.

Wolfwood takes another slow drag of his cigarette, exhaling the smoke up into the tree branches above them.]

And you're...happy? Like this? Even though most of the rest of the world hates you?

[Sorry the homphobia isn't fully gone yet and he has chronic foot-in-mouth disease.]

[eidxiety]

Who's gonna be happy with me if not me?

[Ain's answer is given simply, with a shrug and a glance toward the horizon. He's barely smoked this cigarette down, too busy talking and letting it go to waste. He did say he wasn't much of a smoker.

Still, he'll take a drag himself and exhale a ring of smoke, watching it float into the sky before he talks again.]

There was a long while after I left home where I wondered if it was all worth it, and if I shouldn't try to change just to make my life easier. I was real cagey for a long time. Got caught up trying to change things that wouldn't change at all. What actually needed to change was my perceptions of myself and my weird parental hangups that my mom left me with. Lo and behold, it doesn't matter if people hate you, as long as you love yourself enough to make up for it.