Dialling Tone
“I can’t believe it. Yer actually sucked me dry.”
“Awww, come off it Stranger, I didn’t take
that much offa yer, an’ I did give yer the chance to quit after the first game.” Stranger grunted. Bailey gave him a gentle prod in the abdomen with her elbow.
It was mid morning the next day and Stranger still couldn’t grasp that he’d been beaten by a thirteen-year-old human. Bailey gave a grin and reached up on her toes, scratching at the fur on Stranger’s jaw. Predictably Stranger’s eyes half closed and a purr began to rattle in his chest but after a second he gave a growl,
“You ain’t gonna git around me tha’ way yer lil’ snit.”
“You haven’t called me that in a long time.” Bailey said in a low voice. Stranger stopped and looked down at her, surprised by her tone. It sounded vaguely wistful. Stranger reached for her hand and touched the back of it lightly, questioning. Bailey took his hand and held it tightly, she was remembering something, something that caused her pain, deep down inside, Stranger realised. Bailey leaned her head against Stranger upper arm and wrapped her other arm around his, as if seeking support and comfort. Stranger put his free hand on her head and stroked her hair.
“Bailey…I’m sorry.” Bailey shook her head fractionally.
“No, it’s not you. Not you…”
“Then what-” Bailey’s grip on Stranger tightened and she made a muffled sound of distress. “Bailey!?” Stranger sounded surprised and mildly alarmed, “What in Odd…?” Bailey shook her head frantically, her forehead pressed to Stranger’s fur. Stranger made a soothing sound, continuing to stroke Bailey’s head.
After a few minutes Bailey calmed down and loosened her hold on Stranger. He crouched down to her level, searching her eyes.
“Alright now?” Bailey nodded, but she didn’t meet his eyes. Stranger crooked one finger under Bailey’s chin and gently raised it so she had to make eye contact. “Really?” he asked. Bailey nodded again. Stranger sighed, released her chin and rose to his full height. “I know yer lyin’ ter me Bailey…” Bailey didn’t move or look at him. Stranger sighed again. He put his arms around the human and drew her into a firm, comforting hug. “Yer know you can tell me anythin’…yer can trust me Bailey. I’m yer friend and I’m here for yer.” Bailey hesitated and then put her arms around Stranger’s neck.
“I know.” She muttered, “And I will tell you, but not yet.” Stranger nodded and pressed his nose to Bailey’s hair fondly.
“I’ll always be here for yer kid.” He murmured. Bailey pressed her forehead into the thick fur on Stranger’s neck and nodded slightly. For a few minutes the bounty hunter and the small human were still, just taking comfort from the other. Finally Stranger let Bailey go. “We gotta go.” Bailey nodded, pulled off her jumper, took some of the weapons and other items from the pack and put them on.
The moneybelt around her middle under her shirt, the sling she tied around her arm, the whip, one dagger and the hatchet she hung onto her belt and the other dagger she secured on her upper arm and clipped the mini Desert Eagle handguns and their holster around her shoulders and middle, securing the guns behind her back, under where the pack would be. Bailey pulled on her woollen jersey and swung on the pack.
“I’m ready.” Stranger smiled, touched Bailey’s hair and pulled her hat onto her head, chucking her under the chin gently.
“Off we go.” He murmured and led the way from their camp, heading northward to the next settlement.
¤§¤
Three days later the two bounty hunters entered the Bounty Store of another Clakker town.
“Howdy Stranger! Yer gotta message here waitin’ fer ya.” Squawked the storekeeper. Stranger and Bailey looked at each other, Stranger in curiosity and Bailey in consternation.
“What message?” Stranger said finally, the Clakker got a fragment of paper from under the counter and read off it,
“Tell Stranger ter wait until I call back – the Doc.” Something uncoiled like a snake in Bailey and raised it’s head like a cobra,
I don’t like this. It proclaimed silently,
I don’t like this at all. Bailey fingered the hatchet on her belt, nothing was ever good if that Vykker was involved, sure he was going to help Stranger, he had helped Stranger. But that didn’t mean Bailey trusted him.
“Then I’ll jist stick here fer a while.” He turned to Bailey, knowing that she was pretty much always hungry, “If yer wanna go git somat ter eat Bailey, yer can.”
“You sure?” Bailey threw a dark look at the telephone, “Maybe I should stay here…” Stranger grinned,
“An’ I’m
tellin’ yer ter go git somat ter eat. I’ll come ‘n’ git yer when it’s time ta go.” Bailey didn’t answer for a second, but then she nodded,
“Right.” She pointed a finger at Stranger, “
As soon as he calls.” She said seriously. Stranger nodded and Bailey headed out of the Bounty Store.
“Very protective par’ner yer got there Stranger.” Remarked the Clakker. Stranger watched Bailey leave the store.
“Aye.” He murmured.
¤§¤
Bailey sat at the bar of the local tavern, a drink and steaming meal before her. The patrons who’d never seen Bailey but only heard of ‘Gunslinger’ watched her and even they could see that the human was preoccupied and anything but relaxed.
Bailey re-read the Steef bounty poster while she ate.
“What am I doing?” she wondered,
“What am I becoming?” finally she gave a sigh and put the poster back into her jumper. One thing was for certain. Stranger could never know about this.
Bailey returned to her dinner, more thoughts slinking through her mind, like wolves circling their dying prey, their eyes gleaming in the darkness.
“What were they doin’?” she asked herself, “Those Outlaws were plannin’ somat big. So what was it? Why didn’t we see it?…What are they up to…?” Bailey sat in pensive silence, eating her dinner and pondering the unanswered questions. That was a heck of a lot of questions that needed answering…
She was only half finished when a female Clakker behind the bar came up to her.
“Excuse me, but I gotta a message here fer someone who fits ya description.” Bailey looked up, the Clakker took her interested expression as permission to continue. The Clakker gave her a scrap of paper. Bailey looked at the scribbled message.
Need you kid.
Bailey flipped over the paper, expecting to see something else, but there wasn’t anything. Bailey nudged her hat brim up slightly,
“This it?” she asked conversationally. The Clakker nodded, looking worried, Bailey was surprised to realise that the Clakker was afraid of her. Bailey tucked this bit of information into the back of her mind and put the paper in her pocket. She nodded to the Clakker in thanks, slid off the stool and left the tavern.
She got back to the Bounty Store two minutes later.
“Right, I’m here. What’s happenin’?” Stranger wasn’t there. Bailey blinked, “O-kay, what I miss?”
“He’s waitin’ at tha gate fer ya!” squawked the Clakker, Bailey made a frustrated sound and bolted from the store. “Well I never, folks have no manners these days.” Huffed the Clakker, who just happened to be the brother of a certain Clakker tower guard further south…
Bailey made it to the gate in less then five minutes, and it felt like her lungs were about to explode, but as the Clakker said, there was Stranger, waiting.
“Took yer time kid.” He remarked. Bailey didn’t have the energy to answer but she pinned Stranger with a scowl. Stranger shrugged it off. “The Doc called,” he explained, “We gotta meet him at what he called his ‘Medical Retreat Spa’.” Bailey blinked, a
spa? The Doc ran
a spa!? But she didn’t question it, she was still too out of breath. She only nodded that she understood. Finally she had the breath to ask;
“Where is it?” Stranger’s face became pensive,
“I dunno, we’ll jist havta ask.” And that was exactly what he did, he put his rusty, cobwebby social skills into grating action and approached the nearest Clakker, Bailey trailing after him.
“’Cuse me.” Stranger said, Bailey’s jaw almost hit the ground, Stranger was actually being
polite. “How do I get to the Doc’s main facility?” The Clakker – unluckily for him – decided not to return the courtesy and answered sarcastically,
“Just keep runnin' around in circles, and you'll get there. Heheh, dumbass...” he added under his breath. Bailey scowled and punched him. Stranger turned and stared at her, Bailey shrugged. She flexed her fist,
“That felt too good to be right.” She muttered,
“Nice punch though…” Stranger rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if deciding how many points to give it. The Clakker jumped up, furious.
“You jumped up lil’-!” he yelled. He drew a gun and began waving it at Bailey. Stranger growled and grabbing hold of the gun’s barrel twisted it upward, bending the muzzle into a perfect right-angle. The Clakker gaped at it,
“You broke my favourite rifle you jerk!” he squawked, Bailey was completely unphased and somewhat amused by the Clakker’s hysterics.
“You ain’t the first to say that yer know…” she remarked easily, Stranger sniffed the barrel of the gun,
“Never liked guns.” He muttered, The Clakker glared at him,
“I bet your mama was big and hairy you jerk!” he shrieked. Bailey raised an eyebrow,
“Yer know…I think she might have been…” she said after a moment’s thought
“Who asked YOU!?” shrieked the Clakker, Stranger growled ferally.
“Which reminds me,” he grabbed the Clakker by it’s overalls and raised it off the ground, growling right in it’s face, “NO-one threatens MY Bailey…” and dropped the Clakker.
“Aw, c’mon,” Bailey said, shrugging, “I did punch the wimp.” The Clakker scrambled to his feet and – stupidly – butted into the bounty hunters’ conversation. Pointing a wing at Bailey.
“SEE! She admits it she- Hey! I’m not a wimp!” Stranger swung round to face him and growled. The Clakker squawked,
“Yipe!” and scurried off. Stranger watched him go,
“Yer were sayin’?” he muttered under his breath. Bailey sniggered.
“You really are awful when you want.” She said, grinning. Stranger threw a cocky grin in her direction, looking pleased with himself. “Jerk.” Bailey muttered and lightly punched his shoulder.
“Never did find out where to go…” Stranger remarked thoughtfully, rubbing at his chin again. Bailey laughed,
“Well with your attitude, I’m not surprised.” She said. Stranger ruffled her hair.
“But yer wouldn’t change ma fer the world, would ya squirt?” he asked, his tone was light but there was seriousness in the question. Bailey poked his stomach.
“Not for the world.” She nodded. Stranger grinned. “Now this is how yer ask folks a question.” Bailey went on and approached another Clakker, Stranger watching her as she and the Clakker began talking and the Clakker began to gesture, a serious look on his face like he was giving directions and Bailey nodding as she committed them to memory.
Stranger watched, grinning and shaking his head slightly.
That was his kid.
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And I just felt like addin' this here piccy of Bailey and her precious hat!
