NEWCOMER MINGLE
The ferry makes a soft landing against the jetty as it has done every few days throughout summer. Aina the ferry captain, usually wearing the proud orange short sleeve of the Kollo project, has bundled up in a black wind proof jacket. The island administrator Olivia has made no such compromises, determined to cling to summer as long as possible. She greets the newcomers with a smile, handing out brochures and showing them the way to the cabins.
Around noon there'll be a small get together to welcome the new arrivals. Nothing too fancy, though the blueberry pie that's being served is almost certainly homemade and made with blueberries picked from this very island. Coffee, tea and apple cider is also available.
A FARMERS LIFE FOR ME
It's harvesting season on Norrhamn and for once, plenty of free workers to go around... right? Those who venture up to the farm will find themselves roped into the activities by hook or by crook - doesn't matter if you got farming experience, there's always something you can do. Roofs need to be patched, hay needs to be baled, vegetables picked and fruit preserved for the long, cold, harsh, dark winter that's just around the corner.
Your work won't be in vain though. If you stick with it and stay until the evening, Einar and his family will treat their volunteers to a feast to show their appreciation. There will be such autumn delicacies as värmlandskorv, kroppkaka with salted pork and lingonberry jam, and fried salted herring with pickled cucumber and red onions on crisp bread. Stay really late and we're breaking into the good snaps, my friend. ]
[ John looks away. He's not proud of it, even if he'd do it again if it came back to it. He's just not the kind of man who'd stand by and let people die. ]
She left me, Arthur. Took the boy and... she left.
[ it's an old story, by now. but not one he thought he'd ever hear about abigail. not when she'd ridden with them for so long. not when she could handle a gun as good as the rest of them. ]
I'm sorry to hear that, John.
[ at least the break makes more sense, given that. ]
[ YEah, John's running from his problems, as usual. He's hardest on himself most of all -- for once, he's not making excuses. He knows he done fucked up. ]
I want to be good enough for her. I wanna give her the life she and Jack deserve, but I -- I ain't no rancher, or farmer besides. All the things I'm good at ain't worth shit if I can't... [ Ah, he's back to. Well, he's not crying, but he does take a deep breath, doing his best to try not to cry. He's been holding on to this helplessness for a while -- he wouldn't share it with anyone else. ] I just... I don't know, Arthur. I don't know.
[ and he does. because he knows what it felt like when mary broke off their engagement, because he wasn't good enough for her awful, bastard of a father. he can't tell john how to be a normal man. he can't tell him how to be a rancher or a farmer, or how to be anything but a gun-carrying outlaw. but he does know that abigail isn't mary, and he had the opportunity to get to know abigail pretty well before everything. ]
Abigail, she's a good girl. She gets scared, just like the rest of us. She seen a lot of folk die the last few -- well, before, I guess, since it's been awhile for you. When we was all with Dutch, I mean. She wants what's best for Jack, and that ain't the life we was all leading.
[ he wishes he were better with words, for john, but he keeps struggling his way through them even so. ]
You just gotta keep trying, John. Maybe bein' around here will help that. I mean, it seems like they took all our weapons so you ain't got a choice, even if you wanted to shoot somebody! [ hilarious - no, but really he had a really nice pearl handled pistol he'd really like back rip :'( ] And when you go back, then you just keep tryin' and she'll see it, eventually. The two of you...you're meant to be together. This'll all sort itself out.
[ John nods. Arthur's right. Arthur usually is. Or was. Except he's here now, so maybe this really will be John's chance. If anyone can help John actually learn something -- real skills, not just killing people, it's Arthur. John doesn't have to feel so damn helpless if Arthur's here. Somehow things always worked out when he was around. ]
Yeah, I figure I might, y'know, learn a thing or two -- maybe I can impress Abigail or even Jack if I can manage it.
[ He and Jack are so different... but that's good. Jack and his books, his fear of death and guns and violence. It'd be better for him to stay that way. It'd be better for all of them. ]
Thanks, Arthur. I feel... I feel a whole lot lighter, getting that off my chest. You're right. This'll be my chance.
[ A chance to change who he is? Or a chance to get better at hiding it? Who knows? One thing's for sure: ]
What about you? How're you even here? I told you I wasn't dead and that's still true -- most everybody went their separate ways after... well, after.
[ he's happy to hear that what he said helped, but he doesn't dwell on it, for john's sake. besides, then those questions come. the ones he doesn't really know the answer to. ]
Well, I...I got an advertisement. Couldn't tell you how it happened. It wasn't like the devil went and handed it to me himself.
[ ha ha that's a joke he doesn't believe in heaven or hell (but if he did, he'd definitely be in hell that part is not joke.) ]
[ Hey, look, they'd all be in hell and it would be a party so at least there's that, right? John can almost hear what Arthur's not saying. Maybe he doesn't wanna know. Whatever fate Arthur's getting is waiting for him too -- he'd really rather remain ignorant in that regard. ]
Jesus.
[ Not in the religious sense, but damn, that's one hell of a weird story. John runs a hand over his mouth, scratching his beard. Yeah, he's officially decided he doesn't want to know. ]
Well, whatever it is, I'm sure glad you showed up here. I hope it's... you know, peaceful. Peace and quiet's all we should've been lookin' for all those years.
[ Ah yes, Guarma. That fun adventure John only heard about because Dutch left him to rot in jail! ]
I reckon it oughta be [ He smirks. ] Though I'm surprised you was willing to come vacation on some island after that whole mess. If it'd been me, I might've sworn off boats for good.
[ John smiles. God, it's weird having Arthur back, but at the same time it feels so natural it's like he never left. God. John looks at him again, like he might disappear if he looks away. ]
I sure ain't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
[ though it's hard with john looking at him like that, because he feels like he'll start crying and he's really trying to hold it together, here. really. ]
You wanna go get some of that pie? It's pretty good.
[ If Arthur loses it, you know John won't stand a chance in hell of keeping it together. He's just happy to have Arthur back, even if it means he has to think about how he lost Arthur all those years ago. But really, he's happy beyond words. It's just words were never his specialty. He's happy for the out. ]
It sure looked it. Blueberry pie, wasn't it? [ Definitely a safer topic. ] Let's uh, let's go back and grab some. I ain't had pie in... damn, I don't know how long.
[ It's been years for John but he still smiles at the memory. The food was never great, hell it wasn't even good half the time, but it was just as much a part of his life as the time he spent with Arthur. ]
You know he went and got himself a job as a grocer? Think he was in Rhodes or something, I ain't been to see him since.
[ It's thanks to Arthur that they got out, whether he wants to admit it or not. Arthur was the one who really started going against Dutch's insane wishes. If Arthur hadn't stood up for his own beliefs, who knows where the rest of them would be. But John knows Arthur isn't the type to bask in glory—he never could see himself the way others see him. ]
You told me to take care of my family. To find a life outside the gang—a real life, not one where we was running from the law every time we stayed in one place too long. [ John smiles and reaches over to pat Arthur's shoulder. He has to smile, he's got Arthur and he'd rather smile about it than cry. ] Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about ranching, then. That'd be one hell of a change of pace, wouldn't it?
[ They're just gonna be like that for a while, it's okay. I mean, obviously, it's not, but they'll make due. Can't be any worse than watching Arthur die slowly. ]
When you see it? I literally -- did you forget the part where we rustled sheep? On your stupid plan, no less.
[ and then had to shoot up half of valentine on the way out, after the guys refused to give them a good price since it obviously wasn't their sheep. not that he's actually offended, though, this is just giving john shit. it's better to be normal like this, the two of them how they'd always been.
maybe it wasn't always fair to john, he'd probably teased him a little harder than he should have, some days. and after john had come back, maybe he'd been a little meaner than he should have been. but still...even now, he can't help it. but he laughs and there's a light in his eyes that really hasn't been there in some time. it's markedly different than the derision he had been giving john for awhile there. ]
That was one time, it don't make you a sheep wrangler!
[ Still, John's giving it as good as he's getting—it's nice to see Arthur truly smile like that. Even if it's at his own expense, it almost feels like it did before John went and made a mess of things. If it's just the two of them, maybe they can try and be like that again. Sure, everything is different now, but everything was different then, too.
Now John actually wants to be a better person. He can get why Arthur treated him like the shit he was. Not that he'd admit it to his face without some alcohol in him first. ]
I had to learn how to milk cows and shovel shit—you ain't a real rancher till you done that!
The golden boy, milkin' cows and shovelin' shit -- this I gotta see.
[ he smirks, looking over at john. but his expression softens when he does and his demeanor shifts. little john, all grown up and trying to do right. it makes him glad, knowing that after everything...john really was trying. that something good came down off that mountain. ]
[ John blushes -- he knows the whole 'golden boy' thing is definitely sarcastic, but when it's coming from Arthur it's hard not to take it for a compliment. The acknowledgement he's getting from Arthur in the last few minutes is more than he ever could've dreamed. It's all he ever wanted, really. ]
Ah... I'm doin' my best.
[ Gosh, he doesn't know what to do with this much praise. From Arthur of all people!! ]
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She left me, Arthur. Took the boy and... she left.
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[ it's an old story, by now. but not one he thought he'd ever hear about abigail. not when she'd ridden with them for so long. not when she could handle a gun as good as the rest of them. ]
I'm sorry to hear that, John.
[ at least the break makes more sense, given that. ]
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[ YEah, John's running from his problems, as usual. He's hardest on himself most of all -- for once, he's not making excuses. He knows he done fucked up. ]
I want to be good enough for her. I wanna give her the life she and Jack deserve, but I -- I ain't no rancher, or farmer besides. All the things I'm good at ain't worth shit if I can't... [ Ah, he's back to. Well, he's not crying, but he does take a deep breath, doing his best to try not to cry. He's been holding on to this helplessness for a while -- he wouldn't share it with anyone else. ] I just... I don't know, Arthur. I don't know.
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[ and he does. because he knows what it felt like when mary broke off their engagement, because he wasn't good enough for her awful, bastard of a father. he can't tell john how to be a normal man. he can't tell him how to be a rancher or a farmer, or how to be anything but a gun-carrying outlaw. but he does know that abigail isn't mary, and he had the opportunity to get to know abigail pretty well before everything. ]
Abigail, she's a good girl. She gets scared, just like the rest of us. She seen a lot of folk die the last few -- well, before, I guess, since it's been awhile for you. When we was all with Dutch, I mean. She wants what's best for Jack, and that ain't the life we was all leading.
[ he wishes he were better with words, for john, but he keeps struggling his way through them even so. ]
You just gotta keep trying, John. Maybe bein' around here will help that. I mean, it seems like they took all our weapons so you ain't got a choice, even if you wanted to shoot somebody! [ hilarious - no, but really he had a really nice pearl handled pistol he'd really like back rip :'( ] And when you go back, then you just keep tryin' and she'll see it, eventually. The two of you...you're meant to be together. This'll all sort itself out.
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Yeah, I figure I might, y'know, learn a thing or two -- maybe I can impress Abigail or even Jack if I can manage it.
[ He and Jack are so different... but that's good. Jack and his books, his fear of death and guns and violence. It'd be better for him to stay that way. It'd be better for all of them. ]
Thanks, Arthur. I feel... I feel a whole lot lighter, getting that off my chest. You're right. This'll be my chance.
[ A chance to change who he is? Or a chance to get better at hiding it? Who knows? One thing's for sure: ]
What about you? How're you even here? I told you I wasn't dead and that's still true -- most everybody went their separate ways after... well, after.
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Well, I...I got an advertisement. Couldn't tell you how it happened. It wasn't like the devil went and handed it to me himself.
[ ha ha that's a joke he doesn't believe in heaven or hell (but if he did, he'd definitely be in hell that part is not joke.) ]
I answered it and I showed up here.
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Jesus.
[ Not in the religious sense, but damn, that's one hell of a weird story. John runs a hand over his mouth, scratching his beard. Yeah, he's officially decided he doesn't want to know. ]
Well, whatever it is, I'm sure glad you showed up here. I hope it's... you know, peaceful. Peace and quiet's all we should've been lookin' for all those years.
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[ guarma i mean, john was in jail during that time, but, objectively, that might have been better ]
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I reckon it oughta be [ He smirks. ] Though I'm surprised you was willing to come vacation on some island after that whole mess. If it'd been me, I might've sworn off boats for good.
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[ arthur laughs lightly ]
Seemed like this offer was the real deal, though.
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[ John smiles. God, it's weird having Arthur back, but at the same time it feels so natural it's like he never left. God. John looks at him again, like he might disappear if he looks away. ]
I sure ain't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
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[ though it's hard with john looking at him like that, because he feels like he'll start crying and he's really trying to hold it together, here. really. ]
You wanna go get some of that pie? It's pretty good.
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It sure looked it. Blueberry pie, wasn't it? [ Definitely a safer topic. ] Let's uh, let's go back and grab some. I ain't had pie in... damn, I don't know how long.
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[ not that arthur is a great cook, either, but his job isn't being the cook you know ]
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[ It's been years for John but he still smiles at the memory. The food was never great, hell it wasn't even good half the time, but it was just as much a part of his life as the time he spent with Arthur. ]
You know he went and got himself a job as a grocer? Think he was in Rhodes or something, I ain't been to see him since.
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[ wow. pearson really turning his life around. ]
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[ I mean he technically hasn't heard from Charles but Sadie said he was doing OK? ]
Honest living ain't so easy, but it's important to do things the right way. I see that that, now.
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[ arthur trails off and shakes his head. Save them? Him? No, definitely not. ]
And I certainly didn't teach you anythin' about honest livin'. Hell, I'm already starting to wonder what it is I'm meant to be doing here.
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You told me to take care of my family. To find a life outside the gang—a real life, not one where we was running from the law every time we stayed in one place too long. [ John smiles and reaches over to pat Arthur's shoulder. He has to smile, he's got Arthur and he'd rather smile about it than cry. ] Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about ranching, then. That'd be one hell of a change of pace, wouldn't it?
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Now that'd really be something! Told you before I worked as a ranchhand, didn't I? It's not like I'm completely green.
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I'll believe it when I see it, Arthur Morgan.
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[ and then had to shoot up half of valentine on the way out, after the guys refused to give them a good price since it obviously wasn't their sheep. not that he's actually offended, though, this is just giving john shit. it's better to be normal like this, the two of them how they'd always been.
maybe it wasn't always fair to john, he'd probably teased him a little harder than he should have, some days. and after john had come back, maybe he'd been a little meaner than he should have been. but still...even now, he can't help it. but he laughs and there's a light in his eyes that really hasn't been there in some time. it's markedly different than the derision he had been giving john for awhile there. ]
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[ Still, John's giving it as good as he's getting—it's nice to see Arthur truly smile like that. Even if it's at his own expense, it almost feels like it did before John went and made a mess of things. If it's just the two of them, maybe they can try and be like that again. Sure, everything is different now, but everything was different then, too.
Now John actually wants to be a better person. He can get why Arthur treated him like the shit he was. Not that he'd admit it to his face without some alcohol in him first. ]
I had to learn how to milk cows and shovel shit—you ain't a real rancher till you done that!
[ You're not a real rancher yet, John. ]
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[ he smirks, looking over at john. but his expression softens when he does and his demeanor shifts. little john, all grown up and trying to do right. it makes him glad, knowing that after everything...john really was trying. that something good came down off that mountain. ]
You're really making something out of your life.
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Ah... I'm doin' my best.
[ Gosh, he doesn't know what to do with this much praise. From Arthur of all people!! ]
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