Chapter Text
The next few days sorta bleed together, you noticed people came and went in regards to jobs or specific missions. The men who would come and go were back, Trelawny and Swanson, and frankly you had no clue what either did. One was more of a drunk and the other got debts? You don’t really know. On top of that it seemed the O’Drisocll earned some keep in the gang. Kieran you learned was his name. He seemed stuck alongside the gang now as well. Oddly enough.
Otherwise Charles, Javier, Trelawny and Arthur had gone to go find Sean earlier this morning. Whom you barely knew, he was around when you first joined but very quickly separated due to some law issue he had himself. Karen talked about him, she was sort of sweet about him. In a way. Though how sweet could Karen get in real honesty. Lenny and Micah were also gone, doing something you had no clue. Micah being gone felt more like a relief than anything, but Lenny was sweet for the most part, hopefully he’s alright.
You were currently baby sitting Jack. Not something you did often, actually. Abigail had needed a break, and usually Hosea or Arthur watched the boy. Alas, you were the closest and freest person at the moment of Abigail's immediate break. So there you were, sitting with the little boy at one of the cliff edges of the camp entertaining him with a collection of flowers and herbs you’ve found in the surrounding area. You knew how to make flower crowns, learned in your own boredom as a child. Jack wasn’t catching onto it at all, but he liked the hand work. It was keeping him occupied and that's all that mattered. It wasn’t even long before you and the kid were wearing small flower crowns. Both being from your handy work, Jack had made one too small and practically falling apart, but it was a good start for the kid.
With a pat on the shoulder you stood up over Jack, hearing commotion as a horse rode in with Sean and Javier on top. Jack by your side looking over, hearing him call out for Sean and break off to join the gathering group of members.
Sean was already boasting out over the other voices, his grand arrival he claims, a celebration for tonight. That could be fun, it’s definitely something that's not just watching the others play poker or trying to win dominoes. It wasn’t long until you heard more horses pull in, Charles followed not long after by Arthur coming in at the butt end of Sean’s entire monologue near the fire. Alcohol was already circling around camp, boxes of it lingering around the tables.
An arm hit your shoulder, noticing Karen had wandered over with two beer bottles. Pushing one into your hand with a smile
“Celebrations! Yeah? Maybe just an easy way to drink and be stupid.” Karen said to you, leaning into your side. Her eyes were on Sean nudging her with a small grin of your own. Karen only laughed rolling her eyes at you,
“He ain’t mine. I’m not entertaining him.” Karen laughed to you, which you smiled at before drinking from the bottle she gave you. ”
fun, no?” You whisper out to her, washing the hoarse feeling in your throat with the alcohol.
Karen only raised an eyebrow at you before laughing out, “I mean I guess so. More fun than drinking alone.”
You feel her pick at the flower crown still on your head, having forgotten that was there,
“Maybe I'll entertain it. You gonna spend the night all alone then?” Karen asked, leaning against you, finishing her bottle a lot sooner than you did yours.
You only shrugged looking around the camp, people were gathering around the fire, at the table singing and playing around.
“Hopefully not.” Karen hummed, squeezing your shoulder bringing the two of you over to the fire where several members were sitting. Karen separates from your hip to join Sean, promptly setting herself half in his lap as he boasted on about some story. You stood behind a sat Javier who was plucking at his guitar, glancing down at it briefly before looking back to Sean to listen back to his story. Drinking and finishing your bottle of alcohol, fishing out another at the nearby box. Listening to Sean ramble and the light hearted jabs at Karen on his lap, you felt his presence before hearing Arthur shuffle up besides you giving Sean and Karen a glance grinning out. ”Happy your man is back, Karen?” He asked, earning a glare from Karen.
“He ain’t mine, Arthur.” She huffed out drinking from her bottle.
You only chuckled hoarsely, drinking from your bottle, noticing the subtle glance from Arthur when he heard the noise that was meant to be a laugh from you.
“Enjoying yourself?” He asked, looking at you raising his own bottle slightly motioning to yours.
You nodded with a smile to yourself clinking your bottle against his, he raised an eyebrow at that but nodded matching your swig.
Eyes wandering spotting Dutch and Molly dancing before hearing the music playing from nearby their tent. Eyes flickering to Karen briefly before gazing at Arthur with a hum, finishing your second bottle and linking your arm with his motioning your head toward the music.
You were moving him before he could even say anything, planting yourself near the music player in front of him tossing your bottle aside.
Arthur got the gist, you assumed he had enough booze in his system to just go along with whatever anyone asked of him, but even then you were also a little tipsy which made your voice less intimidating. Placing his hand on your hip holding up the other looking to him,
“Dance?” You whisper out, ignoring the way it sounded even more distorted than usual.
Arthur only looked at you, like he was going to comment on the fact that you spoke before simply shrugging with a nod. His hand on your hip became more grounded as the other took your lifted hand to hold it up properly. Your second hand going up to his shoulder.
“Yeah, sure, why not.” He muttered out, head tipping down just slightly as if trying to hide his gaze beneath the brim of his hat.
The dance was a simple sway back and forth, there was space between the two of you. The only connections being where your hands were placed on each other. Arthur was warm against your hands, bigger than you by a good amount, and his grip had moved to your waist instead to better lead you. He added small flares throughout. Spinning you around slowly trying not to tip either of you over, even a brief dip which got you to laugh a little. It was a quiet ragged one, but still something Arthur never heard before from you.
“You laughing now?” Arthur asked in the exasperated tone you’ve heard when Dutch says asks stupid of him.
You only shake your head still grinning, lowering your head slightly when he brings you back up to sway back and forth. You weren’t laughing at him, if that's what he was wondering.
”The drinking getting to you, Mrs. Wren.” He commented, spinning you around again, hands held over your head before being brought back in front of him, his hand warm against your waist again.
Your own name slipped out in a mumble before you could keep it in, being called Mrs. Wren constantly was starting to feel wrong, and only a few share of people had pried out the information that was your name from you. It felt sacred, like the last thing you had that wasn’t shattered by your past life and connections. By the man who took your independence and the people who referred to you as his.
Yet, here you were tipsily giving it to Arthur because the moment felt too nice to sour it with another man's last name branded onto you.
Hearing Arthur repeat the name was odd, though he said it lowly, kept it under the protection of the nearby record player.
“Still-.. just Wren.” You muttered hoarsely, the fear of having that name be spread and taken from you overcoming the unease of speaking you had.
“Don’t want me ratting to the others with such information about the gang's mute?” Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow down to you. You could tell he was trying to be light hearted with it, trying to relate to a topic as absurd as hiding your own name.
You nod to him as he spun you around again before slowing down with the swaying and lowering your hands between the two of you.
“Sure, Wren. Odd thing, but that is why you fit here.” He muttered out patting your hand in his before backing off. Done dancing, moving on to enjoy the other festivities.
You only stood there, the music becoming louder again now that you weren't focused on just Arthur anymore. Glancing over at the lack of movement, noticing Molly standing near the entrance of her and Dutch’s tent. They were dancing when you started with Arthur, guess they stopped before the two of you did. Her arms were crossed and very clearly observing you, only speaking once you acknowledged her.
“Thats why you fit here.” She repeated in a weird sing-song voice, imitating Arthur a bit with a grin to you. You honestly couldn’t tell if she was mocking the comment or encouraging whatever just happened in your dance. Either way you waved a hand dismissively at her and wandered off to preferably get drunker and crash later into the night. It didn’t take long anyway, after another bottle you grew more nervous, more reserved as the alcohol sat in you longer. Sprawling out in your little sleeping bag area with the girls. It's uncomfortable, not that you really noticed before. Cold, and hard. Even through the complaints in your head you were out before it even started to irritate you.