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"I think you let him walk all over you." Jess declared imperiously. "Someone ought to teach him that he's not the centre of the universe. I bet I could get him to talk."
"Jeez you're such a tribal! You don't understand at all. He's been through all that. People are always trying to make him talk. Once, he got captured by Santa's men, and they were trying to make him tell them where I was, and they were stubbing their cigarrettes out on his arms and beating him up, and he wouldn't say anything. They shot him in his feet, and he didn't even cry out. His feet must mean everything to him, he's always walking around, hiking here and there. He spent six weeks waiting for them to heal up a bit. Its the longest he's stayed in one place in ages, I think." Belle grunted as she regained height with the heavy wallet again.
"You make him sound like some kind of hero."
"Oh but he is! You see, although he's out for revenge, and he mercilessly kills and maims everyone who gets in his way, and he doesn't talk to anyone because he thinks we're all full of s**t, he...he does nice things too."
"You're just besotted because he set you free, you little weakling."
"Am not! One time, he was trying to creep up on these bandits who had stopped at a 24/7 store, and this old lady came right out of the shop he was creeping past and asked him if he'd help her with her shopping. And the guys turned around and noticed him and everything. But after he cut their throats with his spear, he turned right back around and helped her take her shopping to her buggy. He's like an avenging angel, sometimes."
"Don't make me puke. Savage wouldn't even be able to lift the shopping. He probably wouldn't even have been asked, she'd have taken one look at him and died of a heart attack. 'What a pathetic young man, blegh!'" Jessica did her best, unconvincing rendition of an old lady suffering a heart attack.
"You're so mean to Savage. He's a really nice guy. He's not cut out for all this hard wasteland life. He should be in the city, with a steady job and a doting wife and a couple of kids and..."
"Stop it, you damn faerie! Savage couldn't hold onto a steady job if it had stabilisers as well. He may not be cut out for this life, but he chose it nonetheless. Its his own stupid fault if he gets into trouble on a daily basis and he should be grateful he found me before some weak wench took him in who couldn't take care of him. Honestly, I've seen more meat on a rib. And more brains in the pig it came from."
Belle grinned and buzzed closer to Jess' ear. "You love him really."
Jess looked at the fairie with a reluctant consideration, before turning her head away with an unconvincingly assertive sneer, betrayed by a half smile. "Hm, I could learn to love him I suppose."
Belle giggled. Dog growled.
"Whats up with that damn mutt? Quiet down you shaggy beast. You best not tell the boys anything, or you'll have me to answer to, alright?" Jess could be very intimidating in a 'I've got bigger teeth than you' kind of way.
Dog barked indignantly.
"Don't give me lip, mongrel, I'll...."
"I think he's trying to tell us something."
"You cannot be serious. This mongrel's been lolloping along behind us all night. I doubt he noticed the fleas on his nose, let alone anything else. Besides, I'm a natural born warrior. If anything were around here I'd have noticed by now."
Dog barked again, as if appealling to Belle in desperation.
"No really, he's trying to point us to something. What is it, Dog? Who's a clever boy? Show us where its at!"
Dog took off at a sprint, and Belle zipped after him. Jess was about to follow them when she noticed where they were headed. "Hm, why didn't I see that?" She shrugged and trudged after the others toward the dark, looming shape of the barn not fifty metres off the road.
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"Santa".
"I don't know where Santa Claus is! What you want to be looking for that ornery ole' b*****d for anyways? He done killed more people than all the scorpions in this here desert..."
"Santa".
"I tells ya I don't know s**t, boy! Now getcha damn hands offa me, ain't no use to ya now am I?"
"We can drag him to Brasco with us and maybe get some answers from the Ranger there. We can use his pickup to get there. Knock this son of a b***h out."
Boy gave Savage a skeptical look.
"Ok, I'll knock him out. You're too young to cope with that. That was dumb of me, I'm sorry. Stand back, Boy."
Savage punched Barnaky clean in the jaw. The cracking impact ellicited a yelp from the redneck, but other than that, it seemed as if Savage was the one who was about to pass out.
"Jesus christ! That f***ing hurts. You try."
Boy shrugged and punched Barnaky.
"Argh! Goddamn! Whachoo boys playin' at, ain't no use beatin' me I tells ya all I know already! Aghhh!"
After several unsuccessful attempts, Boy massaged his injured hand.
One end of a good six feet of wooden telegraph pole connected with the top of Barnaky's head and very nearly hammered him into the ground where he stood. He collapsed with a surprised expression on his face to reveal a serenely unconcerned Jessica Ironhorse. Dog barked, and cocked his leg on the fallen Bandit leader.
"You two imbeciles must be the most laughable excuses for men I have seen in a long time." Jess remarked scathingly. "A simple task. A firm and resolute strike to the head. And you hurt your damned hands trying! Pathetic."
Belle buzzed over to Boy and flitted about his raw hands. "Are you ok baby? Want me to kiss it better?" Boy smiled feintly as she settled on one of his bruised fingers.
"Its ok now you're here." he added quietly.
Savage watched them fondly beside Jess. "I wish you were more caring like that about me."
"Oh I'm sorry honey, was I neglecting you?"
"Well, I was beginning to wonder if you really loved me at all and weren't just using me until you could find somebody better who wasn't intimidated by....alright then I'll stop talking right about now." Savage's knuckles cracked in her vicelike grip.
"I'll toughen you up yet, you little weakling."
"Aww, you're just a big Jessie at heart aren't you?" Savage dared despite the pain. It got the fleeting warmth of her smile that he’d been looking for.
"You better believe it! now Get to work on that pickup, its about time we had some transport instead of having to wait for you layabouts to catch up to me every half hour. And you, Belle said you were a drifter by nature, Boy. You sure walk slow."
"Shut up big-bird! Just because you power walk everywhere and are taller than all of us put together. Why don't you put this b*****d in the back of the truck? Would you mind? We're too lazy to be bothered with it right now..." Belle chimed from her perch on Boy's hand.
"Pfft, I don't know why I put up with any of you. Layabouts, weaklings, ne'er-do-wells. I should have stayed with the tribe, at least they'd have stoned me with honour..."
Beneath Jess' grumbling, and above Boy's and Belle's quiet whispers, and Savage's tinkering inside the pickup, and Dog's greedy gulps from the trough Savage had tripped over earlier in the night, crickets gurgled to each other in the tall barley away from the barn. And above their heads, the stars and everything in between looked down fondly and with interest. Even though blood had been spilled, it was a strangely peaceful night in the wastes.
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Yeah, there it is. The things that escape from your mind at six in the morning, eh?
Alrighty, how bad was it?
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