Natasha was sat playing poker with Pearson, Strauss and Lenny, her losing as per usual. She was always unlucky when she was dealt with her cards but when it come to playing with Strauss, she was not surprised. He was a very good player so it was no shock to see him win the pot continuously.
After folding her cards, she pushes away from the table and tips her hat towards Arthur as he passed her, greeting her with a grateful smile. "Evening Miss, I don't suppose you could help me out with something could you?" He requested, a cheeky look on his face as he took off his hat and holding it towards his chest.
"What is it Morgan?"
"I need to offload some debts on to you. I would do it myself but I have been busy with some stuff and I got to go help find that little Irish idiot. I also met that Albert fellow, nearly got eaten by wolves the idiot." He chuckled, leaning against one of the tables in the middle of camp.
She thought about the favour he was asking, not feeling too comfortable with collecting debts by herself. She had done it once and nearly got choked to death by a very, very large man. She had done it with Bill of all people who was completely useless and didn't even realise she was getting choked out since he was too busy ransacking the house.
"I don't know Arthur, I ain't much of a debt collector and you know what happened to me last time." She informed, resting her hands along her gunbelt which she had purchased from a Trapper not too long ago.
"I'm aware but I need you to do this. I doubt anyone else would do it and Strauss doesn't want them dead so you're the only other person I can ask really." With a defeated sigh she nodded her head and grabbed a small journal from her satchel along with a small pencil. "Alright, what are the names?"
Arthur proceeded to tell her the list of debtors as well as their location before walking away, thanking her.
She frowned and looked down at her journal at the first name. "Winton Holmes." She muttered to herself, closing her journal and stashing it away inside her satchel once more before sitting by the campfire next to Hosea.
Hosea, Reverend Swanson and Uncle were all having small talk amongst themselves, nothing to which Natasha could particularly join into so she just listened.
She did enjoy talking to the members of the camp but she found herself having difficulty opening up to them. Unlike Bill who needs a drink to finally open up, she can't do that. Nobody really asked her any questions aside from Arthur but that was only if he needed to do financial business. She would speak to the girls sometimes but she would get shouted at by Miss Grimshaw for interrupting their work and pretty much swats her away like a fly. Realistically, she only spoke to Jack which was sweet but boring at the same time. She was good with children but she would like to speak to someone more her age rather than a child who could barely even read.
All the members of the camp did like Natasha, they were fond of her and quite frankly they liked to talk about her when she wasn't there. To them, she was a very attractive woman but nobody had really hit on her. Bill might have once when he was drunk but she didn't think much of it and laughed at him and calling him a 'silly man'.
She felt a burning sensation at the back of her head, making chills run up her arms as if someone was watching her. She glanced around casually, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Pearson was cutting vegetables at his wagon, Strauss was working away at his debt book, Dutch and Molly were sat in their tent together speaking amongst themselves. The girls were washing, John was fixing the wagons and Kieran was looking after the horses as per usual.
Her eyes then landed on Micah who was leaning against a tree on the outskirt of camp, playing away with his knife. His head was facing downwards, his white hat covering his face. Instinctively, she thought nothing of it and turned back to the main campfire and watched Swanson stumble up to his feet, sticking his arms out in front of him to guide him with every step he took.
"Why does he take morphine again?" She whispered to Hosea cautiously making him chuckle under his breath and patting her knee gently. "Truth be told, I have no idea. May the Lord take him under his wings however." He mumbled as the two of them watch him fall over into his bedroll and instantly drifting off into a loud slumber, heavy snores escaping his mouth.
"I'm going to head to bed. Night Natasha." Hosea stood to his feet, giving a quick smile towards Natasha before walking to his bedroll that laid next to Bill and Lenny.
Natasha played with her fingers, hearing everyone get themselves off to bed. She wishes she could too but someone had to stay on watch for the night so she had volunteered. She stood, cracking her back and neck slightly as she stretched out, grabbing a carbine repeater by a barrel and passing through the trees.
Finding one to lean comfortably against, she looked down the hill, watching some rabbits scurrying about as the sun starts to fall behind the clouds.
She couldn't help but find sunsets mesmerising. Watching the sky turn such a satisfying orangey-pink sea of beauty. Watching the birds fly through the sky and being free to roam the earth.
Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear someone approach from behind her, a heavy breath in his step as he held his hands on his hips, looking towards the sunset as well.
"What you gawking at?"
Natasha snaps out of her trance and looks to her side to see Mr Bell stood abit away from her, looking to the sky in front of them,
"Nothing in particular?" She questioned, already feeling agitated by his presence, especially after hearing his fake chuckle.
"Must be something pretty exciting seeing as you didn't even see me approach you. Or are you just deaf as much as you are dumb?"
His words didn't bother her at all. She had sat and listened to his abuse towards other members of the gang so she was glad she had a hard shell. If the words he had spoken to her were said to someone such as Tilly or Mary-Beth, they would feel intimidated and scurry away from him but not her.
"Your words don't both me Mr. Bell. Besides, how am I dumb? You don't even know me." She retorted, not bothering to look at him as she spoke. Instead, she maintained focus on the task at hand which was to ensure no strangers wander into camp; especially O'Driscolls.
"Because you let that mangy horse of you run away and get lost in some woods somewhere." He mocked but it only made her laugh. Her smile was wide and she shook her head in disbelief at his words, letting out a amused sigh.
"I'm dumb because my horse ran away when it was scared? How logical of you to say." She rolled her eyes and looked down at the repeater in her hands, seeing some dirt along the barrel so she gets out a cloth from her satchel and begins to clean at it.
Micah glared at her, growing annoyed that she had laughed in his face pretty much after his weak insult backfired onto him. "You better watch your tone with me Missy. I don't play nice when I'm angry." He snaps pointing a finger at her face as he takes a few steps towards her.
She looked up from the gun slightly, her eyes landing on his black boots as they stride towards her. Looking up even more, her eyeline was met with a shaky finger pointing directly at her.
"Oh Mr Bell," She smiles sweetly, reaching out and swatting his finger away from her face. "You don't play nice anyway," She smiled falsely before changing back into her resting 'bitch face', turning away from him even more. "You may go now."
Micah stared at the woman in front of her, her whole side profile starting to piss him off as she turned away causing him to storm away too.
He didn't even have to speak to her that evening but he did. He didn't know why he walked over to her but he did. It was like an invisible force pulling him close to her which was the opposite of what he wanted.
She let out a sigh of relief as she watched him move away from her, shaking her head to herself as to how she was even able to hold her nerve like she did. She didn't take shit from no-one. She supposed she stayed calmer because the rest of the outlaws were resting up and she didn't want to cause a scene and wake everyone.
When the moon appeared in the sky after a few hours of keeping watch, her eyes started to get heavy but she was glad to see Lenny emerge from out of the trees and tapping her on the shoulder telling them to switch. She smiled at the young man, patting his shoulder gently before heading straight to her tent,
Kicking her boots off, she fell back into her bed and fell soundly asleep.
----------
In the morning, she grabbed herself some stew that Pearson had prepared as well as a bowl for Kieran. Since he had been set free from being tied up to the tree, she hadn't seen him eaten at all. She assumed he ate some of the berries that grew around the camp and maybe even a apple that they have stored away for the horses. Nipping back over to her tent, she grabs a canvas bedroll that she had purchased at the Stables when she took Caprice in after the robbery and stuffed it under her arms seeing as her hand weren't free.
Finding him by the scout campfire, she handed him the bowl of stew as well as the bedroll, offering him a king smile. He looked at her with wide-eyes, actually surprised she had remembered to get him one. He thanked her lots, placing it down by his feet as he poured the bowl of stew down his throat making her life lightly. "You look like you haven't eaten in days." She commented as he pulled away the now empty bowl from his lips and resting it on his thigh.
"Feels like it ma'am."
She frowned a little and nudged his leg for a foot a little and nodded towards the bubbling stew beside Pearson's wagon. "If you're hungry get some. Nobody here is stopping ya. You're one of us now like I said."
Kieran nodded his head but she could sense the sadness in his whole person. "Thank you ma'am but the other day when I tried to get some..." He trailed off, rubbing his head awkwardly. "Bill held some gelding tongs to my parts."
Natasha bit the inside of her lip slightly, trying to reframe from giggling but shouldn't help it as she erupted into laughter, a small snort escaping her mouth. She covers her hand over her mouth embarrassedly as Kieran watched her with less than amused eyes.
"S-sorry." She breaths, trying to control her breathing but just the thought of Bill doing that did tickle her. But, she knew that the camp had to go easy on him so he would have only done it in a joking way anyway.
"He would've been messing. Maybe just get food when he's not there." She suggested, offering him again a small smile.
"It ain't just him either."
"Really? It ain't Arthur is it because if it is I'll talk to him-"
"It was Micah." He interrupted her causing her to stop speaking.
"What did he say?" She probed, wanting to know what other foul things had fallen from his chapped lips.
"Well, as I was going to grab a bowl he placed his gun to the back of my head and just told me to walk away." He shuddered at the thought, clearly not knowing if Micah's motives were just too scare/tease him or to put a stop to him eating altogether.
She looked over towards the camp and saw Micah at one of the tables, his feet perched up on the wooden table casually and playing with his knife.
"I'll go talk to him." She muttered, standing to her feet but before Kieran could protest against her, she was already marching up to him.
When she reached the table she sat across from him on one of the wooden boxes that is used as a seat and pushed his legs away making him stumble a little, grabbing onto the edge of the able to keep him upright.
"What's your fucking problem?" He snapped, his steely blue eyes landing on her light brown ones.
"Why you been scaring that poor boy Kieran? He ain't been easting right since you put a gun to his head." She scolded, leaning her elbows on the table as she sirs forwards, clasping her hands together as she waits for his answer.
Micah scoffed before smirking at her, leaning back on his seat which was an actual chair and shook his head. "Why does it matter? Just another mouth to feed and he's an O'Driscoll."
"Was." She quickly corrected, tilting her head to the side. "Plus, I ain't ever seen you bring an animal in this camp to eat since we been here. In fact, I ain't seen you do any chores around here for that matter."
"I get the money, not wash the clothes." He grunted, going back to playing with his knife but she pushes the against the table roughly, causing him to flail backwards as his chair nudges against the table, sending him tumbling back onto the floor. Everyone in the whole camp had seen him fall and immediately erupted into laughter making Natasha smirk gloriously. He scrambled back to his feet, breathing heavily as he placed his knife back on the table glaring around at everyone causing them to go back to what they were doing. "One, don't be rude." She starts off before he could speak, quickly swiping his blade off the table and twisting it around in her fingertips playfully. "And secondly, if I, Charles and Arthur bring in the food the most then you have no say in who and who doesn't eat."
Micah reaches over trying to snag back his knife but she knocks his arm away and takes a step back. "Do I make myself clear Micah?" She whispered, outstretching the handle of his blade out to him.
He watches her carefully; his eyes landing to his knife and then back up to her.
"Whatever." He mutters, quickly grabbing back his dagger and walks off most likely sulking because as he passes Lenny he glares at him and jolts forwards towards him threateningly. "The fuck you looking at?" He shouted before moving towards the outskirts of camp once more and hopefully where he won't come back again.