[IC] The Johnson Gang

Once upon a time in the old west, ghosts roamed the plains on the outskirts of towns. Or at least what could have easily been thought of as ghosts. Figures prowled in the night, snatching up cattle, raiding farms, robbing banks, and any other nefarious ploy. The infamous Johnson Gang.

Little was known about them. It seemed this wild bunch only stole from the rich, the people who had it all but still let the towns people suffer, though no one knew for certain. Anyone who crossed paths with the mysterious gang never had the chance to ask them their purpose, because they usually didn’t live to see the light of day. Countless towns had been struck by the group and numerous warrants and bounties had followed. The price on the head of any member of the gang was high, but the highest was that of their leader, Kacey Johnson.

As the gang grew in size and power their ventures grew in risk. Stealing cattle wasn’t often enough to satisfy their desires anymore. Recently word came of a high stakes poker game in Charleston with a grand prize of $2,000[approximately $60,000 by current rates]. Despite the large security reported to guard the event the gang couldn’t resist the opportunity, and so they set to forming a plan whilst running their smaller jobs.

[Shiva]

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Kacey let out a growl as she stared at their current amount of money, a measly $10.58. It would be enough for a few more days if they stretched it, but they needed to get some more money or they were going to go hungry, or start snatching cows as they went. That meant it was time to start planning another heist, and then perhaps she could focus on their main objective: Charleston. She had reasons other than the pot for choosing that particular poker tournament, but that was her business. For the past few weeks, they've been running low on supplies. Not that they exactly thrived before, but they always had enough, and never went hungry. Kacey tried to always make sure that her crew at the very least had enough to eat. She felt like a bit of a failure whenever they went without. It was her responsibility to take care of everyone in the gang, and she took it very seriously.

"We're going to have to go to town in a few days." She announced to no one in particular, standing up from checking the chest they kept all of their money in. It was in the middle of their makeshift camp, protected by pretty much everyone. Kacey checked it on a daily basis to make sure no one's hands got... Sticky. Stealing from the gang would get you kicked out, at best.

Kacey glanced around the camp, examining their situation. They were currently in a small valley surrounded by large mountains, and at the end of the valley lay a ravine, which would make for an easy escape if they were discovered. There was a creek running through the valley supplying them with fresh water, the mountains shielded them from most of the wind, they would be safe here until winter came. The avalanches made staying in the mountains not worth it. They had a few tents pitched, where the less hardened of them were allowed to sleep, and usually where they found the gang cat napping with someone. Damn cat, she was practically useless. If they started starving, the cat was going before the horses.

[SouffleGirl123]

Emily happened to stroll by Kacey as she made her aimless announcement. Emily's ears attuned to her in interest. She loved going into town; more alcohol to drink and more guys to screw and steal from, Emily 'special skill' she liked to call scull, screw, steal. "Inta town, y'say?" she asks. As soon as she left her former life Emily went through lengths to ensure she'd caught on to the speaking habits of the less formal and less educated crew at times. Even in her adult years and disconnection to her parents she found triumph and amusement in how horrified her mother would be at her new form of speech, even though she only used it half of the time. She clapped her thigh to call over her pitbull who was wandering a few metres behind her, sniffing at the grass. The dog looked up in Emily's direction and gave a bark, before running to her side.

Emily pats Fido's side, stopping herself in front of Kacey and taking a swig from the almost full bottle of whiskey in her other hand. Emily seemed to almost always have an endless stash of alcohol with her. Her part of her condition for what she steals, everything goes to the group except the alcohol, that's hers, but it's not uncommon for her to offer sips to the rest of the gang anyway. "'Ow's the dough lookin'?" she asks, offering the bottle to Kacey for a sip or two. "If ye give m' a night or two I'll 'ave at least a 'undred in either cash or stuff," she offers, shaking the bottle slightly, prompting Kasey to accept or reject the bottle.

[Rose]

The morning had been relatively quiet so Laura had taken the chance to get some laundry done. When you're on the move it can be difficult to find the time for washing clothes, and oh did she love her clothes to be clean. Some teased her about it, calling her prissy, but Laura viewed it as simple hygiene. While she was at it she had taken the liberty of collecting some of Kacey's things and washing them too, since her sister never seemed to do it. Once the scrubbing was complete she set to hanging the clothing out on a line stretched between two trees.

When Laura heard her sister speak up she stopped her task to listen. "Good, I could use a few things. Like a hot bath for one." She commented while brushing the loose hair from her face. Returning to her laundry she hummed a melody as she worked and mentally made a list of things to get when they go to town. Her eyes periodically glanced up and around at the campsite, seeing who was around and who she might pester with a conversation later on. After a moment her eyes landed on Maverick, he was relatively new and she didn't know much about him... but she wanted to learn more about this handsome stranger.

[Crayt]

A low sigh escaped his lips, as Angel looked down at the woman in charge from his seating place ten, twelve feet above the ground on a small ridge overlooking the camp. The vaquero hadn't taken the time to actually learn the names of everyone here yet. Leaning back against the rock behind him, he held both hands on top of his old and trusty Winchester rifle while his black and white sombrero rested easily over the top half of his face. It wasn't so much that he neede shielding away from the sun, as much as it was that he wished that the sun reached onto this side of the canyon. As it was, it only reached the other half of the canyon. He'd taken it upon himself to watch over the exits of the canyon, to see if anyone dared approach the posse. Whether it was wise to trust him to be the one to do it was another matter entirely, considering the freshness of Angel's inauguration. He spent most of the time up there asleep or chatting with passers-by.

Just until a few weeks ago, he'd been wandering on his own, an old mare carrying him from place to place as he looked for new opportunities. As much as he didn't care to admit it, Angel had been looking for a new party to join. As much as he liked to pretend that he was the greatest cowboy in the west who could get things done on his own, he most definitely wasn't... and he more often than not couldn't. He'd only so far given them a small hand, namely supplying them with... means of "valiantry" so to speak. So he wasn't entirely sure what had convinced them to let him come with. But he wasn't about to complain either. Company was comforting, and it was after all so very hard for him to decline such an offer from a group that had so many beautiful ladies.

The leader lady's and the pretty drunkard's voices snapped him back to reality from his daydreams. He groaned as he sat upright, stretched his back and arms, before straightening his hat back upon his crest. With a lazy smile, he let his gaze wander from person to person, before loudly posing his question:
"Someone say somethin'?"

[Shiva]

Alex looked up from his spot on the ground where he was currently cleaning his gun. Kacey's voice reached him and he perked up a little. Going into town meant they were going to get more money, and more money meant more food, more food meant a very happy Alex. After being with Kacey and the gang for four years, he'd learned most of the procedures and knew they would probably either be doing some legitimate business in town, or some not so legitimate business. Considering the fact that they had virtually nothing to sell, he figured it would be best if he finished cleaning his gun as soon as possible.

"Will I have time to stop by a store? We're running low on cups since some klutz keeps breaking them. I'm getting tin cups if I can find them, maybe they'll actually stick around." Alex chimed in, calling over to Kacey. He didn't know who the culprit was, but he was tired of fighting for cups around here.

[Thorned Hammer]

Des was laid out not far from the camp's central point, his head resting on his dust ridden pack and hands folded on his chest. His hat, battered as the rest of his clothes, was tipped over his face and hiding most of it from the sun. He had been awake for some time now, listening to the camp wake around him and start their day. He waited for the boss's voice though, that was the only one that really warranted paying attention to far as he was concerned. Certainly in the morning hours when he'd rather still be sleeping.

As he usual orchestrated, he wasn't far from Cinnamon. His surrogate sister called him paranoid and over protective, Des was rarely ever out of ear shot from her if he had anything to say about. Which he usually made a point to have. His biggest opposition on the matter was Cin herself, but this morning it didn't seem to be much of an issue for her. She'd flopped down the night before close by, and this morning was sifting through her things near by.

"Maybe if you stopped buying cheap ass cups they'd stop breakin" Cin shot in Alex's direction, huffing as if insulted by the term 'klutz'. There was a snicker from under Des's hat but she ignored it, tucking a strand of her unruly auburn hair behind her ear and returning to searching her pack. "Quality over quantity, a dozen cheap cups are no good to no person if they break soon as you set them down."

"As if you've got anything of quality" Snorted Des, finally rising from the dust and tipping his head back. Cin stuck her tongue out his way, throwing a spare boot in his direction which he managed to dodge bleary eyed though he was.

"Take that back 'afor Trip hears you!" She scolded, catching the boot when it was thrown back at her an unable to keep the sever look she'd adopted on her face for more then a second. Not when Des reached out and ruffled her hair and mumbled his usual disgruntled sounding
'mornin' trouble'

[puddingpunter]

"Much better" Céline murmured. Now that Laura was done with her laundry and the rest of the gang were off doing whatever it was they usually did to keep occupied, she finally had the water to herself. The others in her little ragtag group were within sight for safety's sake but that's what Dandy was here for. The loyal little animal provided a faux sense of modesty but it was still better than nothing (she had to try). Céline looked over her shoulder to see what the animal was up to. Dandy waited nearby, tail swishing as the old gelding munched on the valley' dewy grass. It would be unfair of her to expect him to stay in one spot the whole time she bathed but as long as he remained between herself and the remains of the Johnson Gang she was satisfied. The young woman took a deep breath and began to strip. The cool morning air left goosebumps on her flesh but that did little to dampen her endeavor. Once out of her garments she folded everything into a neat pile and placed them aside where they would remain dry, then pulled her hair back into a bun with a small leather cord. Céline hummed to herself, a soft thrumming noise barely loud enough for even her own ears to catch over the rush of the creek. Timidly, she stepped into the cold water. She paused to allow herself a moment to adjust while her muscles tensed in anticipation before completely slipping in until the water was at her neck. Céline cringed and splashed her face until the initial shock passed and she could finally relax.

In time, she convinced herself to stop idling and start scrubbing. The small rag she'd brought along required she put in much more effort than if she'd used one of those sea sponges from home but she was thankful for its softness nonetheless. Céline continued humming her lyric-less melody. Once satisfied that she'd been adequately cleansed, Céline stepped out of the creek and got straight back into her clothing even though still damp. Her attire stuck uncomfortably to her form but she couldn't complain. Céline smoothed out the wrinkles with her palms and then approached Dandy to run her fingers through his mane. "I appreciate your service, Dandy" she thanked. The little Fjord raised his head as he was chewing on a mouthful of greenery and stared at her but gave no indication he'd understood a word she just said. "Come." Céline clicked her tongue and started back toward where her new 'family' was gathered, Dandy trailing right behind.

---

Maverick was seated on a log near the dying campfire and was listening in on the conversations happening around him as he watched the charred firewood. Heading back into town was an alright idea if executed correctly but... cups? Come on, there were probably at least a dozen other things where they could spend money. Alexander's suggestion was decent enough but Maverick wasn't so sure if there was anyone present he'd trust to manage their treasury wisely. But considering they had yet to go completely broke, he figured Kacey knew what she was doing. But he kept his opinions to himself and reached out with a stick to prod the faintly glowing embers for no particular reason. Dodger unfurled from his I'm-a-ball position and maneuvered to rest his head on his master's thigh. Maverick didn't shy away from the touch and instead rested his hand atop the dog's head. He would have stayed like that for a while longer until his boredom became too much to handle or something came up that demanded his attention; but suddenly, he felt the hairs on this back of his neck stand up on end and realized someone was watching him. Maverick remained put but picked up his head to have a look around. That's when his gaze met Laura's. The man scrunched up his face. "You got something you want to say?"

[Shiva]

Kacey glanced at Maverick as he spoke, frowning as she did so. It had been quite obvious to her that Laura was... Interested in Maverick, and to be quite honest, she couldn't have been attracted to a person Kacey approved of less. It was doubtful that Laura would appreciate her sister interfering with her life again, so Kacey tried to ignore the situation, though there was a slight homicidal urge bringing itself to the front of Kacey's mind.

"Everyone can get what they absolutely need, but make it quick. This isn't a recreational visit, I intend on working while we're there. We can take a little more time in the next town." Kacey stated. "If any of y'all take too long, I'm going to be very pissed when I break your ass out of jail. Actually, I'll probably just leave you there and save myself some effort." She wasn't serious of course, and she doubted any of them would get caught. Usually the gang did well at working efficiently and getting everything done in the time allotted. She had to admit she was proud of them for that.

"Emily, Des, you two will come with me to the bank. I'll need Angel to stand watch outside to make sure we don't get unexpected company. Alex, Laura, you guys go do your thing and get whatever we need, Maverick make sure they don't get shot and watch for my signal to high-tail it out of there. Cin and Céline will stay here and make sure no one discovers our hideout. If anyone has something specific they want from town, give a list to Alex and he'll get it if he can. Anyone have any problems with that?" Kacey glanced around at the group, observing their expressions. Though she didn't like people changing her plans, Kacey tried to get everyone's opinion, in case they thought of something she didn't.

________________________________________________

"Listen, complain all you want, but I doubt the quality of the cups would make a difference with you lot. You'd probably forget tin cups all in a row in front of the carriage and they'd all get bent and be useless. So I get cheap cups because at least they're easy to replace. But I wouldn't have to replace them if someone would just be more careful." Alex retorted, grumbling to himself. He silenced himself when Kacey started talking again, paying close attention to what was being said. He figured this would be a pretty routine heist, as long as everyone followed the plan.

"I'm alright with that." Alex shrugged his shoulders, having no particular aversion to being an errand boy. Someone had to do it, after all, and he could probably get it done the fastest.

[Crayt]

Angel desperately tried his best to register every name that he heard during this whole process. He couldn't. Part of it was that he was better with faces than names, and he couldn't put a face on every name at the time. But another part was that he wasn't entirely sure which names were yet worth registering. Certainly, there was something to be said about the current state of passable coefficiency but at the same time, not everyone seemed to get perfectly well along and some definitely seemed to rub others not-entirely-the-right-way. In a cutthroat family, there's always the eventuality of someone getting cut - be it figuratively or literally. Even so, by the end of the procedure, Angel had taken note that his name was actually mentioned. Refreshing.

A content sigh followed as the vaquero slowly moved to strap the rifle onto his back. With somewhat jerky and tired moves, he proceeded to grab onto the side of the cliff and maneuver himself downwards. It hadn't been the easiest climb the first time around, with several occurences of him falling back on his behind, but it became routine after the first few attempts. Only a foot or so off the ground, Angel felt his left hand slip away from a groove in the clifface. A short startled grunt and a frantic attempt to get a hold of the same groove later, he found that his feet hit the ground barely a second later and he'd avoided any physical injury - his pride was another matter, in case anyone had witnessed this transpire...

With a rather indignant twirl, he turned to look back at the camp. His own bedding and property were closer to where he stood now, just so he could occasionally sneak down and have a rest when no one was looking at night. Careless, but Angel figured that a tired mind and body wouldn't do anyone any favours when the time came to take action. And besides, he was hardly expected to stay awake for days and nights on end. It was hard to tell what he had in his pack. A couple of belts of ammunition, a couple of inches long piece of stowed away jerky, a large flask of water. The essentials, one might say.

The vaquero began approaching the leader lady - Starts with a K, he thought to himself - with determined steps, and arms held out towards his sides in a friendly manner. His voice sounded confident as he spoke, mostly thanks to the foreign accent:
"I wonder if it would not look a liidle bit strange with an armed mexican standing outside the bank in the broad daylight, miss Kaylee?" A broad, cocky smile spread across Angel's face afterwards, almost a grin. One could tell there was a laugh, or at least a chuckle, building up inside - ready as a response to whatever he'd be told.

[Rose]

A little taken back that he had called her out on her staring Laura tried to not let it faze her. Instead of feeding the potential embarrassment she rolled with it the best she could. "Yeah, set that coffee pot back on those coals before they go completely cold would ya?" She said back to him. Unclipping the only remaining clothespin from the sleeve of her shirt and pinning it to the line to hold the last piece of clean laundry meant she was finally finished. A sigh escaped her lips as she stepped back to briefly admire her completed task. As her sister spoke again she untied her apron and tossed it across her bag, then turned and headed to the smoldering campfire.

"Sounds like a plan." She commented with a nod to Kacey. She took a seat on a log by the fire and crossed her legs as she had the habit of doing. "I guess you're stuck babysitting us." A mischievous grin rolled across her face as she lightly teased Maverick. It didn't appear that he had much of a sense of humor but it wouldn't stop Laura from testing out the waters. After all this time it was somewhat of an ingrained trait for her to attempt to get a man to smile. When you meet a man strike up a conversation, get him to smile, but don't force it. If you can get even a grin you're on your way to getting him comfortable with you. Those words that her mistress had spoken to her years before had managed to stick with her.

[puddingpunter]

He snorted at Laura but complied anyway and reached forward to grab the tin coffee pot. "Happy now?" In truth, he couldn't care less. If she wasn't Kacey's sister perhaps he would have completely ignored the request -she could have easily done it herself. Alas, he held his tongue lest Kacey threaten to tan his hide. Again. Maverick decided to leave the fire alone and went back to stroking Dodger, which then caused the dog the happily thump his tail against the ground. When Kacey spoke up once more, Maverick had the grace to actually pay attention this time.

At first it sounded decent enough. Maverick had to stop and really muse over the idea but Angel beat him to it, quickly spotting the flaws and being the first to speak up to advise their leader. When Angel accosted Kacey, Maverick couldn't help but snicker, wholeheartedly believing that that foreigner had addressed her incorrectly on purpose. That smirk did little to convince him otherwise. The gall on that man... (Maverick wasn't sure even he'd ever get around to doing that. The first and only time the cowboy disrespected Kacey she pistol-whipped him as hard as any man would. A bit of a shameful memory but in all honesty that was probably the only reason he held her in higher regards than he did most humans.) Maverick opened his mouth to speak up but he abruptly found himself interrupted. It was Laura, no less. Maverick sighed and ground his teeth together. He wasn't entirely sure why but her cheery voice rubbed him the wrong way. "Maybe I should just leave you two sorry bums to fend for yourselves, see what happens then." Kacey would surely give him an earful for that but it would be worth it. Only problem was that Alexander hadn't annoyed him enough to deserve that.

Maverick sat up straighter and spoke up loudly, making sure he would be heard. "I think the spic's right, he and Emily should switch places. He's better with a gun and she's less likely to draw attention to herself standing outside a bank. Plus she can stall if the sheriffs come looking, maybe bat her pretty lashes and cry about her puppy getting snatched by them savages or something."

[Shiva]

"What happens then is you get another beating, boy. I've been itching to take out some of my frustrations on you, so don't give me a reason. Unless you just like having your face bashed in." Kacey commented casually with a shrug as she heard Maverick's response.

She hadn't considered Angel's race as being a factor. Years of traveling had somewhat dimmed her distinction of races, and the stereotypes that came with it. She had yet to adapt to all the prejudices that this country had, and quite honestly she didn't want to adapt. The amount of barriers that were placed around humanity simply because of race was astonishing. As she thought of her travels, the winding path of her mind led Kacey to her son, as it had been doing for several weeks now. In two days he would have been seven. Would have been. The pain of that life taken so early had not faded, and she doubted it ever would, but it was especially noticeable around the time of his birthday. It made her think of all the times she should have had with him, but never did. Very simple things, like teaching him how to read and write, seeing him grow up and progress as a human, and just being his mother. But she wasn't a mother anymore, and this was not the time for these thoughts.

"The name is Kacey, Angel. But you do have a point, and Maverick had a good solution, so you and Emily will just switch places." Kacey stated. Much as she hated him, Maverick did have good suggestions at times.

[SouffleGirl123]

As Kacey continued to make no reach for the bottle of whiskey Emily gave a shrug and chugged another couple of mouthfuls worth of the golden liquor before slamming the cork back into the bottle. "Your loss," she mumbles under her breath before patting Fido's side once more. Laura's mention of a hot bath sparked no external response in Emily but it did get her thinking about how nice that would feel. Although it wasn't particularly high up on her list of what she wanted the idea did bring a small smile to her face. Of course it was Laura's idea. Emily didn't particularly have a problem with blonde she found she rather the company of her older sister. Laura was just a little... weak maybe for Emily preference. That' how she saw it at least. In saying that, the two of them spent so little time alone Emily had never really had a problem with her.

Kacey's plan delighted yet bugged Emily. It was a solid plan, sure, but the fact they'd be in the town yet not free to do anything annoyed her. She quite liked the idea of her offer. However Kacey, as usual, was right. It wasn't a particularly frivolous village so bank was probably their best bet at this stage. Besides, they all had pretty decent bounties hovering over their heads anyway, not that that stopped Emily any other time. She ran a hand through her ginger hair. "I'm in,"

That was when Maverick spoke up. "S'cuse me?!" Emily snapped, turning on her heel to face him, "I'll 'ave y'know I am perfectly fine with a gun," she spits before turning back to Kacey and sighing. "But he's right. Don't you worry, I can stall them all right," Emily replies with a wink, before zoning out of the following conversation over Maverick. Poor Laura, absolutely head over heels for someone who, Emily thought, would never like her back

[Rose]

After a few reprimands by fellow members Laura decided against pile it on Maverick any further. After all the poor bastard was already on Kacey's nearly bad side, and that's awful close to a place you definitely don't want to be. Had that remark been made two years ago it probably would have kept her up that night, thinking on how he was right and she wouldn't be useful. These days though she knew what her abilities were and that in a fight she wouldn't go down so easily. The 357 resting in the holster on her thigh helped quite a bit too. Her hand slowly slid along her skirt and over the concealed pistol, it was nice having that added comfort.

Casually Laura retrieved a cup and poured herself a cup of the recently rewarmed coffee. Bitter, but caffeinated. Her eyes drifted to Emily, the girl who favored starting her mornings with whiskey. She felt it was no secret that this girl wasn't a fan of her, but that wasn't really a problem. Laura didn't exactly take a liking to her either, but she would never make in issue out of it as long as the girl didn't.

Her focus then shifted to Kacey. Her sister had come along way. Laura could easily remember a time when Kacey wouldn't listen to an idea of someone else, even if it was a good one. That was a big factor in their splitting ways. So needless to say she was happy to have witnessed her sister grow in this regard. It couldn't be easy to deal with this group, sometimes they were like a bunch of children, but she respected Kacey for doing such a good job.

[Crayt]

And as one might've guessed, an amused chuckle escaped Angel as he heard the term "spic" mentioned. It wasn't so much that he felt offended, it wasn't the nervous kind of laughter nor the forced kind. It was just what he'd decided to do in response to whatever happened after he'd spoken. He raised his hand to give his beard a few gentle strokes with his forefinger and thumb, before opening his mouth to say something in response. However, that opportunity was shortly robbed from him as the leader and the pretty drunkard snapped back at the hard-ass. All he could do for the time being was make a puckered, startled face at everyone involved as the dissent became more tangible in that moment.

On the other hand, now he'd heard three names. Probably for the umpteenth time but eventually they'd stick. Kacey was easy enough, Angel's initial guess had been fairly close at least. Emily was an easy name, and for a moment the vaquero couldn't help but think, An easy name for an easy girl. It was probably for the better that he kept such thoughts to himself. But he found Maverick to be an odd name. He played with the name in his head for a few seconds, trying to see where the charm in it was, but decided that he'd just call the man "Rick" from now on. An easy name for an easy man. His smile broadened further at the thought.

Angel blinked and tilted his head forwards in a mock attempt at seeming embarassed.
"My mistake, sorry, I'm jus'... not good with names, you know", he said with an amused tilt to his voice and gestured towards his head with a casual twirl of his hand, "It won't happen again, boss."
He took a few steps backwards and away from Kacey and tucked his thumbs under his belt, adopting an unassuming posture.
"So from what I understand, this town is... is pretty small. Are we to suppose that they won't put up that much of a fight when we take off with their money?", he mused at Kacey. His accent didn't allow him to properly pronounce "suppose", or really any words with a silent e. They always seemed to end with a hard consonant, giving his speech sometimes a somewhat stunted complexity. "Becos I like a gunfight as much as anyone else but you know, I'd prefer not to see anyone hurt."
A smirk manifested on his lips as he thought himself so charming, so clever in that moment.
"'Specially you, pretty boy", he continued as he looked towards Maverick and aimed a sly wink at him.

[Shiva]

Angel's comment towards Maverick was an unexpected one, and though her face remained mostly neutral (except for a small smirk) it earned a snort from Kacey. She knew the charm was a bit of a facade, but hey, as long as he didn't steal from her and did his job, they wouldn't have an issue. Plus it was freaking hilarious at that moment to her, and pretty much anyone who made a negative comment towards Maverick earned a little bit of affection from Kacey.

"I think you and I will get along just fine, my friend." She commented, still smirking. "And while I'm sure you wouldn't like to see anyone hurt, I don't think that'll be an issue. I checked out the town about a week ago and it's mostly just settlers." There was a bit of a sarcastic tone to her first sentence. She wasn't entirely sure he had actually wanted the information, but at the same time she figured it might actually be useful to know what to expect when they got there, so she obliged. "Anymore questions?"

A feeling of anxiety formed itself in the pit of her stomach as she looked around at the group, like it did before every heist. Despite not agreeing with some of the members, she didn't want any of them to be hurt, or caught. It was her responsibility to care for everyone, so if someone got caught, that was on her for not taking better care of them. True, this was just a simple heist, but things could always go wrong. Sometimes she wished her life were different, and that she didn't worry about the safety of other people every day, but how boring a simple life would be. It would never have made her happy, so she supposed she was with this gang til the end of the line.

________________________________________________

"Well, old chap, it seems you're just a tad unpopular." Alex commented to Maverick with a chuckle. Ever since Maverick had joined the gang, Kacey had seemed to have a personal vendetta against the poor man. Not that he didn't enjoy seeing a bloody wanker put in his place every now and then, but he had some mercy on the lad. It had occurred to him that Maverick somewhat resembled Kacey's late husband, but he'd never put much thought into the matter.

"When are we going to do this thing?" Alex asked, returning his attention to their leader. It seemed they had everything planned out, except when exactly it was happening.

[Thorned Hammer]

"He may be an ass but he got me outta working a bank with a drunk, so there's that." Des spoke up, somewhat in Maverick's defense as unenthusiastic as it was. He had made his way to his horse by now, having listened to the insesent chatter in the camp with very little mind towards commenting. The assignments didn't bother him much, sure he didn't like the idea of working alongside Emily when she seemed to reach for a bottle at the drop of a hat and never was far from some sort of liquor but he was confident enough in Kacey and himself that things wouldn't go wrong. And he had no problem with Cin being told to stay here at camp either. She was quick and good to have in a fight sure, Des had made sure of that. But that didn't mean he was against having her out of trouble. Cin could start a brawl in an empty house with her temper, trouble seemed to follow her around so camp might be the best place for her. Clearly she didn't think as much though.

"How come I can't come with?" She jumped to her feet in indignation, fist balled at her sides as she spoke directly to the older Johnson. "I could help Laura, more people more hands right? I'd be more helpful there then sitting in the dust here waiting for you all to come traipsing back on in."

"Who said anything about traipsing." Des tapped her on the shoulder in passing, trying to distract her to divert her temper. Snipping at the boss wasn't going to get her any favors here but she seemed determined not to be ignored.

"Don't make jokes about it. I'm not a kid, you know that when we ran on our own you never held me back. Now all I do is sit on my ass while you guys get to do all the fun stuff!" To say she was indignant was a start, more like feeling like she was being treated like a child. She and Des had joined the gang not too long ago, long enough to feel comfortable for the most part though. But in that time Cin had felt more then a little held back. She was younger then most others in the group sure, but she refused to see that as a draw back especially after the work she and her self adopted brother had done in their time on their own. And Desmond seemed to not have much issue with the set up as she would've hoped, instead usually backing Kacey whenever she ordered Cin to stay put and wait.

"It's not fun stuff, it's work. Till you get that that's why you stay put." Desmond said with finality, seeming to not really have the interest or energy in rehashing this argument. It was an old one between the two of them. After a pause though Des shrugged and gesture in Kacey's direction. "'least I'm assumin'. Listen to the big boss, okay?"

[Shiva]

Kacey's eyes narrowed at the girl, but she stayed silent until she was done talking with her brother, listening intently to what was being said. Her irritation rose with pretty much every word that left Cin's mouth.

"If you were half as mature as you think you are, you'd have the self control to keep your mouth shut and follow orders. I can't have some half-cocked child with their own ideas putting others at risk because they didn't do as they were told." She finally said, giving Cin a hard stare. "I've told you where you're supposed to be. Now instead of playing the victim and complaining, do your job. Watching our supplies is no less important than going and getting more supplies, and I fully believe in everyone having someone to watch their back. If I let you go with your whims, that would leave Céline on her own, which could be potentially fatal if something were to happen and she had to deal with it by herself. It may not be an exciting job, but it is one that someone has to do, and until you can do this one without complaining, I don't see a reason to give you a job where you have even more chance of putting someone in danger. Now unless you have an intelligent suggestion to give, this conversation is over."

Not following orders was one of Kacey's pet peeves. Suggestions she could handle, as long as they had an actual bearing on events, such as the one about Angel earlier. However when it was just someone complaining because they'd like a different job, it got Kacey more than a little irritated, because then you were just slowing everyone else down. There was a certain respect she liked to have from the members of her gang, and whenever her orders were needlessly questioned, it showed a lack of that respect.

"We go to town tomorrow morning, I suggest everyone get their things ready, unless there are any other questions." Kacey announced, looking at the others in the group.

[Thorned Hammer]

Cin was stunned, red faced and staring down at the dirt between her dusty boots as she endured Kacey's lecture. It was humiliating, being scolded like a child in front of everyone when all she had wanted to do was be more helpful then stay back and sit watch. It felt like a step back, like joining Kacey's gang had been a gain just for Desmond and not so much for herself. While he got to run off and help with heists they used to joke about ever running she was stuck sitting back at camp in the dust with the french frog. Not what she called a good time.

"Keeping me here is putting people in danger." She muttered once Kacey was finished and seemed to have moved on. Desmond shot her a glare from beneath the brim of his hat, warning her off. Cin shrugged off his attempt to catch her by the shoulder, storming away and ignoring his exasperated sigh. She had heard his speeches before cautioning her to reign in her temper or mellow out when talking to the boss. Not to snap at her. Hell she practically had them memorized at this point. Hearing them all over again wasn't going to be of any help.

"Boss? She's just trying to help." Des said after Kacey, once Cin was out of ear shot for the most part and dropping his voice to ensure she wouldn't overhear. Only thing that seemed to make her angrier then being treated like a child was when Desmond stood up for her to Kacey. "She's getting stir crazy, why not bring her along and just let her work provisions on one of the smaller hits we do? I'm not talking the bank, but something smaller maybe? Just to keep her from biting my head off about splitting off on our own to get back into action? I'm not much good to you headless or gone."

[Rose]

There wasn't anything that could be done but watch the scene unfold. Laura's stomach tied in knots as Kacey tore into the young girl. It was true, Cin needed to mind what she was told and respect the chain of command, but she hated to see someone so young lashed with such harsh words. In so many ways it reminded Laura of when she was younger and her older sister would hold her back. It was always given with some reason, but the truth was she just wasn't ready for the idea that her younger sister was capable. The memories lit a fire in her that she tried not to let burst out of control. A sharp glare cut across her usually soft face as she stood and walked from the campfire. Good job biting the kids head off. She thought as her eyes briefly caught her sister's. As she passed by the wagon of supplies she lifted a 22 rifle and a box of ammo out and carried it along with her.

"Hey! Wait up!" She called out to Cin as she jogged ahead towards the girl. "I thought me and you could go do a little target practice. Make sure our aim is spot on so we can prove those asses wrong." Her face once again softened with a gentle smile as she came alongside Cin and spoke. "We're just as much a part of this gang as anyone else, and useful in our own ways."