.... Yeah. Reckon you could say that. Man like him don't leave much room for anything else.
( He glanced back at her, expression apologetic but somewhat resigned.)
Wasn't all his doin', though. I made my choices.
"Opera, huh?"
He exhaled through his nose, a hand gripping his belt buckle.
"I ain’t exactly what you’d call a... bourgeois. but I can adapt, I guess. Sittin’ in a saloon, listenin’ to folks sing real loud ‘bout... God knows what? Yeah, I can manage that."
+
" not that it would be a better fit on you, which it wouldn't anyways. but for survival you would fit in. ", she couldn't imagine him do anything else what he does already. she had seen men try between her folk, who fail miserably &&
I don’t know which one of you damn fools thought it was a good idea to start bribin’ Maura with candy again, but it stops now.
That kid don’t need more sugar.
+yeah, I read, I write a little. No use in pretendin' I don't."
a soft exhale, rubbing his thumb over his glove absently.
"Still, wouldn’t go as far as sayin’ I’m like the folks here. Maybe in some ways... but not where it counts."
He followed her gaze, then instinctively lifted his hand to check for the ink stain she pointed out—despite the fact that he had loves on. He huffs a quiet chuckle, shaking his head, clearly impressed.
"Ain’t like I’m one to sit around with a ledger, but... +
" Oh? ", a brow raised as she was quite interested in that statement. " I am just a layman in - Outlaw antics but, considering the ink on the side of your hand - you might be one of not many who can read and write let alone &&
the outlaw frowned, his gaze shifting to the hollowed out look in the woman's eyes, the way her dress hung loosely on her thin frame. His hand was already moving toward his saddlebag.
" I got some food. Ain’t much, but better than nothin’. "
+"They’d have a hard time wranglin’ with folks who make their livin’ out here. ain’t no room for fancy books and theories where there’s dirt under your boots and no one’s around to keep you in line."
He returned her smile with a knowing grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Well, the outlaws also don’t seem to understand much about the way the world works out here."
Clearly himself included. He made a vague gesture to the open space around them. +
" haven't gotten to the chapter explaining stubborn outlaws yet.. ", lips curled into a teasing smirk as she moved to return her knife in the hold hiding securely in her boot.
" but the author wrote it in new york, && "