Alright. So I guess this is what I signed up for. 'snot New Austin and it sure ain't Mexico, but I'll take it. My name's John Marston, a warden an' a little ways from home. I don't expect any of you've heard of Bill Williamson or Javier Escuella 'round these parts? If you seen 'im let me know.
That's the man who came closest to ever being his brother. His real brother, not just a friendly hey, brother at a bar. Arthur misses him like a limb, the stupid mutt.
"What's he doin' pallin' around with Bill and Javier, huh? Jesus. Now I know for sure he had to be years ahead of me. Ain't nobody askin' about Bill Williamson if he weren't the last man on earth left."
Arthur has gotten very used to all the weird time stuff on the Barge, by now, but it still feels a little strange. Maybe Arthur didn't survive, for this John. Maybe he died rescuing Abigail, and she got away.
"Someone asked if they were troublemakers and he said 'something like that', so maybe he's looking for them for some other reason," Tess replies. "And he said Abigail was in trouble, so who knows, could be the same time."
"Different world, maybe," he says, quietly, as he takes the communicator back from her so he can listen to the message again. He's silent a moment, then looks back up at her.
"Thank you for showin' me this, Tess. I - I ain't realized how bad I missed 'em. Feels like it's been half a lifetime."
She nudges the toe of his boot with her own under the table.
"Any time," she says. "I'm used to be separated from my guys, but you're such a family guy, that must sting sometimes. Figured you'd like a little boost."
"It's true," she replies. She could insist upon it, actually. "Maybe not in the traditional sense, but you do that blood is thicker than water thing. When something happens to my guys, they're usually just guys I work with, but your gang is tighter than that. Otherwise... why go to all this effort?"
"You're right. I know not all gangs was like ours, but I never knew another."
He thinks again, then needs to make sure he says it, out loud, like he'd be betraying the memory of each man and woman they ever lost if he doesn't say it:
"They are like family. More family'n the ones I was born with, or - or the one I never really could make."
"I'm gonna get one of 'em their life back," he says. He doesn't often talk about John like he's dead, though he does really believe he died. He's never had to mourn him, because he's going to get his deal, and then it won't ever have happened.
"But after I do that, they gotta go have their own life. Miss Adler, too. Hangin' around, it ain't gonna help any of us."
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He snorts, then hands it back over to her. "You got any for John? You - did they talk about any of us, much?"
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“Yeah, found a couple,” she replies, clicking into it. “Looking for Bill and Javier, no mention of you that I found. Here.”
It plays:
Alright. So I guess this is what I signed up for. 'snot New Austin and it sure ain't Mexico, but I'll take it. My name's John Marston, a warden an' a little ways from home. I don't expect any of you've heard of Bill Williamson or Javier Escuella 'round these parts? If you seen 'im let me know.
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That's the man who came closest to ever being his brother. His real brother, not just a friendly hey, brother at a bar. Arthur misses him like a limb, the stupid mutt.
"What's he doin' pallin' around with Bill and Javier, huh? Jesus. Now I know for sure he had to be years ahead of me. Ain't nobody askin' about Bill Williamson if he weren't the last man on earth left."
Arthur has gotten very used to all the weird time stuff on the Barge, by now, but it still feels a little strange. Maybe Arthur didn't survive, for this John. Maybe he died rescuing Abigail, and she got away.
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This place has no respect for time, anyway.
"Or maybe it means you pull it off and save her."
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"Different world, maybe," he says, quietly, as he takes the communicator back from her so he can listen to the message again. He's silent a moment, then looks back up at her.
"Thank you for showin' me this, Tess. I - I ain't realized how bad I missed 'em. Feels like it's been half a lifetime."
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"Any time," she says. "I'm used to be separated from my guys, but you're such a family guy, that must sting sometimes. Figured you'd like a little boost."
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"A family guy?"
He considers that. "Never thought of myself as that, tell you the truth."
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"You're right. I know not all gangs was like ours, but I never knew another."
He thinks again, then needs to make sure he says it, out loud, like he'd be betraying the memory of each man and woman they ever lost if he doesn't say it:
"They are like family. More family'n the ones I was born with, or - or the one I never really could make."
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"Pretty cool that you're going to get back to a bunch of them, too."
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"I'm gonna get one of 'em their life back," he says. He doesn't often talk about John like he's dead, though he does really believe he died. He's never had to mourn him, because he's going to get his deal, and then it won't ever have happened.
"But after I do that, they gotta go have their own life. Miss Adler, too. Hangin' around, it ain't gonna help any of us."