RDR2 AU

[dog_eat_dog]

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[dog_eat_dog]

That gets a little quirk of a smile, and she leans an elbow against the bar.

"Suit yourself," she says. "I just figured I'd offer. Being nice, and all."

[stand_unshaken]

"Now you ain't too nice and you know it," he points out, holding his fresh drink. "Only sucker here was me."

[dog_eat_dog]

"You'd only be a sucker if I took real advantage," she replies. "Unless the price of a bit of beer, stew and some company is that high for you."

[stand_unshaken]

She has a point, which he begrudgingly accepts by groaning and taking a drink.

"So how long are you stickin' around here for?"

[dog_eat_dog]

“Aa long as it takes to set up this deal,” she replies, with a little grin. “Mostly we work down at the border, but it’s all supply chains. The more we have set up, the better.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Now what are you takin' over the border, huh?"

[dog_eat_dog]

“Guns,” she replies. No sense hiding it; he’s been honest with her and she can be a little in return. The revolution brewing down there has been working towards a boiling point for decades, and there’s money for Tess and her people in stoking the fires. “There’s a big market. Bigger there than anywhere in America.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Huh."

He sits back and actually considers that. He'd never go into weapons trading, and he sure as hell isn't telling Dutch about this, but it's a surprise that that's what she's doing. That's very dangerous, more risk than he'd take for cash.

"How do you get the weapons across? Donkeys in the mountains?"

[dog_eat_dog]

“Depends on how much we’re moving and the particulars of the time of year,” she replies, smoothly. “It gets easier with the right bribes. Uncle Sam wants Mexico to have guns, after all.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Uncle Sam wants a lot in life he can't normally have," Arthur points out. Usually, from Arthur's perspective, that's 'him and his'.

[dog_eat_dog]

"Uncle Sam wants poor Mexicans to pick up arms they can't get otherwise and become revolutionaries." She leans an elbow on the bar, smiling. "And he has been getting that for years. Whole place is a powder-keg."

[stand_unshaken]

"All need some way to make a living," is all he has to say about that. Not that he minds a gun himself. It just feels strange to traffic them, for this purpose.

He's been a merchant of misery. He knows what that does to a person.

[dog_eat_dog]

"That's the way I see it," she replies. No point in dwelling on something that'll only rob her of sleep and strength, and if she doesn't do it, someone else will anyway. Might as well be her pockets getting lined. "Your gang gets by robbing homesteads?"

[stand_unshaken]

"Homesteads, carriages, trains, banks. Mostly places with lots of money."

Easy pickings, but also, well, they tend to send Pinkertons after them. That's more troublesome.

[dog_eat_dog]

One-time hits. No longstanding relationships. Another world from hers, though one that brushes up close.

"And that's enough for your gang? You've got a lot of mouths to feed."

No judgment, just curious.

[stand_unshaken]

"Used to be just enough. These days..."

He shakes his head, leans an elbow on the bar. "I don't know. Dutch wants to make more money to get us all outta here. Somewhere with not as many rules."

[dog_eat_dog]

"Not exactly predictable income, especially for risk against reward," she replies, thoughtfully. He knows that, of course, but it's worth musing on. She chuckles. "Dutch's got big dreams looking for a place like that. A hundred years ago, maybe, but now? I don't think there's a blade of grass in the world that isn't under some government's boot."

[stand_unshaken]

"I know that, you know that, but he's holdin' out hope. An island somewhere, maybe. Harder to get to, harder to check."

[dog_eat_dog]

She glances him over playfully.

“You gonna get some seaside villa, sun yourself on the beach?”

[stand_unshaken]

"Oh yeah. Quiet life suits me."

He gives her a little grin and shakes his head.

"Knowing us, we'll get there and raise a whole lotta hell."

[dog_eat_dog]

“Poor locals won’t know what hit ‘em. I bet life gets more expensive out there, though. Every bullet has to be imported. Every little convenience, too.”

[stand_unshaken]

"What kind of conveniences would you be missing, Miss Tess?"

[dog_eat_dog]

“I like never being further than a day or two’s ride from being able to buy supplies, for one,” she replies. “The mail. And hell, every time you want to have a drink, you gotta weigh whether the time it takes to get it is even worth it.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Who should I be sending mail to out there?"

He shakes his head.

"Make my own hooch, get some pigs, some chickens. Maybe. Maybe."

No. He couldn't. But he's been telling himself otherwise for years.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Gotta get all the supplies for hooch,” she points out. “I’m not saying it’s a bad idea overall. I just prefer to work on my projects than basic survival.”