—New Freudein Town—
Henry and Triss rode mostly in silence and as their horses trotted over the town's boundaries, they cast their eyes around for any sign of high security that would make exploring the town difficult.
The town was peaceful. It was noon so everyone simply walked about the muddy streets, going about their business or engaging in some mid-day drinking.
Henry had memories of New Freudein. The gang had only taken refuge in this part of the country a few months ago and although most of his time since then was spent in the Hadron Mansion, there were moments when Henry was chosen to be among those who went into town to stock up on supplies.
His eyes quickly went to the landmarks that were most prominent in the Old Henry's memory; The Barbershop, The General store, The Local Gunsmith, and the Sheriff's Station.
Henry and Triss led their horses to Hitching Posts, dismounted, and tied their horses' reins down.
"So where to first?" Henry asked.
Triss let out a breath as her eyes roamed the town until they fell on the Sheriff Station which she gestured at with her head,
"If there's anything to be worried about, we'll find out there."
As she spoke, Triss led the way from the horses and climbed short stairs until she was in front of the Sheriff Station but she didn't push it open or knock on it. She just peered at the Posters stamped against the wall.
Henry did the same.
Looking at the 'Dead or Alive' written under the faces of the criminals the Station was looking to capture, Henry smiled lightly in a twisted sense of nostalgia to when it used to be his wanted posters plastered all over multiple towns.
Anyway, none of the faces on any of the Posters were faces he recognized. That said a lot about how well the Dionisio gang had operated ever since they had made the Hadron Mansion their base.
"Good," Triss said under her breath before she pushed the door open and walked into the Station.
The deputies stopped their chat the moment she walked in with Henry right behind. Their eyes went first to her pretty face and her choice of attire before falling on the gun in the holster at her waist.
Being armed was nothing all too out of the ordinary in the Town of New Freudein and there were quite a few reasons to be carrying a gun out in the open that didn't automatically label someone a criminal.
"And who might you be, Miss?" Asked a deputy with a smile but that smile faltered when his eyes fell on Henry's face.
He wasn't sure why but there was something about the young man, the way he carried himself, that just screamed 'Trouble'!
Henry noticed the Deputy's eyes reaction to his face and the corner of his lips twitched.
'I don't even have a gun on me —Not as far as he can tell, anyway— so why is he so worried?
The 'Gangbanger' Title, maybe?'
Triss walked forward and placed a hand on the Deputy's desk while leaning forward slightly, pulling the man's attention back to her,
"Triss. Bounty Hunter at your service," she introduced herself with a smile. Since the Deputy had not recognized her, she felt it was safe enough to proceed,
"Noticed the wanted posters outside. They seem a bit tame. Is that really all there is?"
"Ah, so you're in search of a challenge," the Deputy said as he leaned back in his chair and then shook his head,
"Well, those are the only miscreants our small town has to worry about. That is, besides the 'Train Murderers', of course."
Triss raised a brow,
"The 'Train Murderers'?" She asked. Feigning ignorance.
The Deputy let out a displeased sound,
"Nasty bastards. Slaughtered so many men on a Train that went through here just days ago. News arrived the day after.
From what we learned and from how many were killed, they're a horrific group. It's a shame we don't know who they are."
As the Deputy was speaking, his voice went low into some threatening tone but he didn't direct the tone or his gaze at Triss but instead at Henry who was standing behind her. He still couldn't shake that feeling of trouble.
"I see," Triss said while straightening up, "A shame then. None of those posters will do. Once you've put a name and face to those horrible murderers, I will be more than happy to track them down for you. For a fee, of course."
The Deputy took his eyes off Henry and became focused on Triss' pretty face and her confident smile,
"And we will accept the help," he said and as Triss and Henry turned around to walk out of the Sheriff's station, he called out to add,
"And do keep a lookout. Any suspicious activity could be the clue we need."
"Of course," Triss said as she let the door close.
"Why was he looking at you like that?" She asked Henry as they walked to the saloon next to get that drink she promised him.
"You noticed?" Henry asked with a raised brow.
Triss nodded,
"He seemed worried about you or something. Have you met him before?" She asked.
Henry shook his head,
"First time I ever saw him."
'So she noticed the look but didn't have the same reaction to me. Maybe the 'Gangbanger' Title doesn't apply to the members of the Gang. That would make sense, I guess."
The moment Henry and Triss stepped into the Saloon, eyes went to them and there was a period of a few seconds where the clientele just stared at the two.
Triss met it all with a smile as she and Henry walked up to the bar. She placed a few Quids in front of the Bartender,
"Two."
The Bartender took the Quids, cleaned two glasses, and filled them with alcohol almost at the same time the bar clientele finally decided to look away and mind their business.
"Drink up," Triss told Henry with a smile and she picked up a glass, "You can drink, can't you?"
"Of course," Henry told her with a chuckle as he lifted the glass to his lips and drowned it in one gulp.
The Old Henry had only tasted a drink once and vowed never to try again. Henry though, was used to the burn of alcohol and smiled to himself when the taste of it in this world was not all too different.
"Wow. Look at you," Triss said and she truly looked.
In the days since the Train job, the Redhead could not help but notice differences in Henry's stature. He seemed to have grown an inch or two, his physique lean and shaping up to be lethal. His face had shed the last of its roundness and was looking more mature. Plus, the few times she caught sight of him doing field chores for the gang, his muscles were getting defined.
It was quite a considerable bit of change in just a few days. An interesting bit of change.
Henry felt Triss looking at him and in all fairness, he was looking at her too,
"So, about the 'Train Murderers'… What now?" He asked as the Bartender refilled the glasses.
Triss shrugged as her voice went down to a whisper,
"You heard the Deputy. They don't have names or faces. It's as we expected but it didn't hurt to be sure.
'They' will be interested to know."
Henry, of course, understood that 'They' were the rest of the gang. Triss was choosing their words carefully and avoiding name-dropping the gang in case of listening ears.
A few more minutes passed. Henry and Triss had downed more drinks. Neither looked to be getting tipsy and the fact that Henry could hold his liquor was one of the things they talked about.
*Bam!*
The sound caused all conversations to cease as all attempts took went to the source. Five men stood at the entrance to the saloon, led by a man with an ugly scar across his left eye and a wicked grin stretched across his face as he placed down the leg he had used to kick open the saloon door.
The man's eyes swept all over the saloon and stopped the moment they landed on Triss's face and let out a satisfied chuckle. A dark sound.
"You know how long we been waiting for you rats to finally show yer faces?"
Triss frowned but the look in her eyes was one of recognition,
"Langlot!" She said underneath her seething breath and her hand went slowly to the gun in the holster by her side.