cheyenne turner

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“Uh huh. Well, whatever your reasons, I’m grateful. Normally I’m more of a distance girl, easier to snipe than scrap sometimes. Something tells me this one’s going to be close-quarters.” Another fighter would be good going after the handler. He was careful but everyone made mistakes eventually. She planned to be there when he made his. She knew Cheyenne was cynical about relationships, or they just weren’t her thing. That was fine, everyone had their choices and their pasts. Cara glanced over at the woodworker’s booth. “Yeah, okay. I should go talk to the birdhouse guy and see if he can do something bigger. I’ll stop by the Stumble before I head back up the hill.” 

“Sniping’s not nearly as fun. Close quarters is where it’s at.” Yeah, Chey was good in a fight, but it had been a long time since she’d been in one. She preferred to provoke than be provoked and drunks weren’t hard to kick the ass of if they started something. One solid boot and they were out the door. Something told her it wouldn’t be so easy this time. “Hope he can help. If not, you could always just fuck her. Sex is better than tramping around in the snow anyway. In my opinion at least.” She rolled her shoulders, started walking. Gave Cara a wave over her shoulder. “See you around, slick.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

Cara felt a sense of relief when Chey agreed to go with her. It wouldn’t be like other jobs where she’d have a lot of intel going into it. The more she thought about it, the more she warmed to the idea of having someone as fierce as Cheyenne at her side. “I will. And uh, thanks. You did a pretty good job on my front, it’s good to know you’ve got my back as well.” Cara ran a hand through her hair, sweeping it back from her face. “There are advantages to both ways, I suppose. Really depends on who you’re with. Not my first rodeo in that particular arena. Who knows? You may be right. It may turn out to be a completely terrible idea. And if it does I will gladly offer you the first ‘I told you so,’” she prompted. Then the smile returned, the one that normally accompanied thoughts of Ainsley these days. “But I’m willing to keep on the path and see where it leads. So yes, you’ll have to have adventures enough for us both.” 

Cheyenne jerked a shoulder up in a shrug, looked out over the market at the people of her town. She maybe didn’t give a shit about most of them personally, but they were hers. This town was hers, and that meant everyone in it was as well. She protected what was hers. “Not doing it for you,” she said. “Doing it for myself. Shit gets boring around here. Don’t worry, I’m good in a fight.” She listened to Cara speak, looked back just in time to see the smile. Dopey, she thought. Feelings made people go dopey. “Good luck,” she offered dryly. “I’ll take the I told you so if and when it comes down to it.” She pushed off the stall she’d been leaning against, left it up to Cara whether or not to follow. “Heading to the bar. Gotta open in...” She studied her watch a second, scowled. “About an hour.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“If you’re gonna shoot fish in a barrel, at least yours is well stocked,” she noted. It was like Chey was reading her mind - or maybe she was just that transparent, or Cheyenne just wanted to kill something or someone. Cara considered for a moment then nodded. “Alright. I’ve still got some digging to do, but once I have the details, we’ll go. You’re welcome to rip him into very small pieces when we find him.” She hadn’t really thought about being exclusive, hadn’t said it aloud for sure. But now that it had come up she knew she’d already made that choice. “I already shared with you. Unless this blows up in my face -” Still a possibility, she thought, however remote, “- they’re all yours. You can regale me with your adventures, tell me all about everything I’m missing out on.” 

The idea of actually getting to go out and do something for once had pleasure flashing into Cheyenne, quick and satisfied. She liked Pandora. It was home, and she considered it hers to work and defend. But she’d been born to a pack that had been wild and that was still inside of her. She’d known how to kill and had done so without remorse. And if that meant she got to do it now for a good reason, she was gonna take pleasure in it. “You’re on. You let me know in advance, I’ll make sure the bar’s taken care of and we can get out of here, get that shit done. Clean up the trash.” Giving Cara a rather dry look, Cheyenne pulled out her flask again. “That you did. I’ll make sure you know what you’re missing out on. Exclusivity gets pretty boring, or so I’m told. You’ll wanna live vicariously. Give it a couple months.” 

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“That’s the best way to be, though I’m a bit more single-minded in some regards,” she noted. She’d tried with a guy once, just to be sure and oh, was she sure. She didn’t begrudge anyone their attractions. Wolves, she’d noticed, tended to have a pretty high libido. If it took both men and women to keep Chey satisfied then more power to her.  “Maybe so. But there wasn’t another witch around when I got back. And with the curse she was fighting I’m not convinced anyone could have done much better. I’ll make you a deal. I’ve got one more job I’ve got to do, and when I figure out the where and when, I’ll tell you. If I don’t come back, you’ll know who’s ass to go after.” For that matter, when it came down to going after her handler, she might just decide to take Cheyenne with her, if she was willing. She usually worked alone, but this one time she thought backup would probably be a good thing to have. Cara snorted. “My ‘talents’? Believe me, they haven’t been wasted. But I appreciate the sentiment. That’s why you’re my favorite ex.” 

“If I had a choice in that matter, that’d be mine too. But the body wants what it wants, I guess.” It didn’t really matter either way to her. Not like she was looking for a good personality match-up or anything. A warm body was a warm body - or sometimes a cool one. She only hummed in response to the comment about Ainsley. She wouldn’t argue. Clearly Cara was stuck on the witch and if that meant she’d go out of her way to defend her ineptitude - if it was ineptitude, anyway, it wasn’t like Chey would know - then she’d let her believe it. “Do one better, Maitland. You go to kill someone, take me along. You know how long it’s been since I was able to let loose?” She bared her teeth in a reckless grin, soved her hair back form her face. No way she was gonna let Cara have all the fun -- and no way she was gonna let her face down the guy who’d tried to have her killed by herself. “Sharing is caring, slick. But if you wanna go all exclusive on us, that’s your deal. More for me.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

Cara shook her head. “I know one place it’s been. And actually I think that was the other one, so no, I don’t know where else it’s been. Have you considered carrying hand sanitizer around with you?” she teased. Cara nodded, not exactly proud of what she’d had do to, but not not proud either. “Yep,” she confirmed, popping the last consonant. “Just not quite fast enough. Thanks to her and a couple of her cohorts, I actually have scars. Thanks to Ainsley, I actually get to walk around with them instead of ending up in a coffin.” Cara lifted her brows as Cheyenne leaned in, unsure what was coming next. “That I am, my friend,” she answered with a chuckle. Literally and figuratively, she was well and truly fucked. And the thought didn’t bother her a bit. “That I am.” 

Cheyenne only grinned again. “That’s true. It likes to make the rounds. Both hands do. Ambidextrous, you know. I go both ways in everything I do.” In answer to the question, Cheyenne reached into her pocket again, produced a travel sized bottle of hand sanitizer from where it sat bumping against her flask. “I’m like a goddamned Boy Scout. Always prepared.” She pocketed it again, listened thoughtfully as Cara described her attack on the witch and her cohorts, and the fact Ainsley had put her back together again. “More tried witch could’ve done it without the scarring probably,” she pointed out with a shrug. “But I guess I’m glad she managed anything at all. You just got here. Whose ass am I supposed to kick if you get yourself killed off again?” Every once in awhile, every decade or so, Cheyenne found herself wondering what it would be like to be in a settled relationship. To be fucked like Cara was now and to wear an expression of utter contentment in response to it, as Cara did. Then she remembered her late husband, how that had gone. And she stopped wondering. “To each her own, I guess,” she said with a shake of her head. “Though I think your, ah. Talents are wasted on just one person.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

sera-pembroke:

“I mean, technically what you just did right there is a Christmas reference so… but yeah… I get what you mean.”

“It was an anti-Christmas reference actually. Much more my thing.” She shoved her hands in her pockets. “What’s new? Besides trou-dropping Santa.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

Cara just laughed at Chey’s reaction and made a swipe at the protruding finger. “Put that away, I don’t know where it’s been.” She’d always preferred the dive bars to anything fancy. She thought she’d seen some kind of upscale nightclub at some point in her ramblings around the town but had never thought about seeking it out a second time. There was no reason once she’d found the Stumble. “Half-assed curses happen when you shoot them in the head before they can finish whatever it was they’d started,” Cara corrected lightly. “She was a little put out I’d already taken out her friends,” she added with a shrug. She arched a brow at the other wolf as she went on about Ainsley. “Yes, she’s sexy, and not nearly as naive as you think she is. I’ll let you know if things go sideways. Till then, you have plenty of other options for those paws of yours, yeah?”

If possible, Cheyenne’s smirk only grew. “Oh, you know exactly where it’s been,” she corrected, wiggling her fingers before shoving both hands into her pockets. Chey liked the Stumble how it was-- a little shabby, a little run-down, but clean and serviceable and cheap. It was what suited her, and what a town like Pandora needed. What was a small town without their “other side of the tracks” after all? “You shot a witch in the head?” Impressed despite herself, the wolf gave a slow nod. Very cool. “Nice. Went the way she deserved, I’m sure.” Amused and satisfied by Cara’s reaction, Cheyenne tilted her head, waited a beat, then two, before leaning a bit closer. “You’re so fucked, Maitland.”

[smeliot-deactivated20220528]

Fun Christmas idea:

Hang mistletoe but instead of kissing you have to FIGHT whoever else is under it

[smeliot-deactivated20220528]

Mistlefoe™

[razzle-dazzle-pineazzle-blog]

SOMEONE’S HALLS ARE GETTING

DECKED

[toccara-maitland-blog]

@cheyenne-turner

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“Ah, see? Got you to admit I’m your favorite at least,” she teased. She half expected a fist to fly, playfully or not. Cara laughed and nudged Cheyenne with an elbow. “Don’t worry. I’d rather your bar stay the lowly outhouse it’s always been, bad singers and all.” She knew Ainsley fell on the very long list of people Cheyenne barely tolerated, and even that was only if they had money for drinks. “Yeah, you know, like setting your hair on fire and putting it out with an ice pick,” she joked. It seemed Chey’s bias went a bit deeper than just Ainsley, and was more specific than ‘people.’ “If you’re bleeding to death thanks to a half-assed curse, you might change your mind about that,” she noted. “I mean, there’s other advantages too,but yeah. That one came in handy.” 

She gave Cara a rather dry look. “I was being facetious,” she grumbled. “Jesus, you’re a pain in the ass.” She gave her a bit of a shove in return, flipped her off without any heat behind the gesture. “My lowly outhouse has always been everyone’s favorite shithole. Don’t fix what ain’t broke. Bad singers and all.” She knew which witch it was Cara hung around with. She’d seen them around a time or two and however much she tolerated Cara, the opposite was true for that woman. She just rubbed Cheyenne the wrong way. Not just because she was a witch, but because she was so disgustingly friendly. “Sounds like a saturday night,” she mused with a smirk, a hand shoving through her own hair to push it back from her face. “Half-assed curses happen when you let yourself get too close to a witch. That’s why I mind my own. Serve ‘em when they come around, their money’s as good as anyone else’s, but I wouldn’t go out of my way. Although...” Cheyenne tilted her head, gave Cara a very slow, very deliberate smile. “The one you hang around with is pretty sexy, slick. A little on the naive side, but I could probably teach her a thing or two. Maybe I’ll give her a good ride when you get bored.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“Done deal,” Cara told her, taking the offered flask and pulling a long sip from it before handing it back with a nod of thanks. She should have thought of that, bringing a flask or something with her, but she was a bit more focused on the mission and didn’t think it would take as long as it had. “Probably? That’s a terrible way to treat your favorite ex,” she scoffed. Cara laughed and held up her hands defensively, palms out. “Whoa, I’m just kidding. Although you could have the anti-ball at your place for all the non-suckups. Or the afterparty. Announce your own dresscode: no formal, jeans only, shirts optional,” she suggested. She tried to suppress the sheepish smile but could feel that she was at least partially failing. “I might, unless I find a better alternative.” She rolled her eyes, letting the smile play on her lips. “Shuddup. Jealousy doesn’t become you.” 

Cheyenne took her flask back, secured the lid again before stuffing it back into her pocket. She had to make it last the extent of her visit to this stupid fucking fair, after all. “Careful. I’m not above tossing a fist in my favorite ex’s face,” she shot back, and it wasn’t clear from the tone if she was joking or not, though a small smile tugged at her lips. “Don’t joke about that, Maitland. You’ll give people ideas and that’s the last thing I need.” Some townie yahoo would overhear and the next thing she knew, there would be holiday decorations all over her damned bar and that wasn’t gonna fly.  “A better alternative, huh?” She studied Cara, studied the smile she wore, and felt her eyebrows shooting up. She thought her more of a kindred spirit in the sex and relationships department. She must’ve read that wrong somewhere along the line. “Jealous? Of a witch? Babe, I wouldn’t watch a witch to touch me with a ten foot pole.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

Cara was nonplussed. “Oh I have no doubt you’ll find a suitable rebound fairly quickly. You’re charming like that.” Cara wasn’t going to push Chey into anything. She’d make the offer, make sure she knew it was an open one, and she could take it or not as she chose. She was, however, delighted that Cheyenne agreed. “That sounds like a pretty damn good deal. I’ll even throw in some jerky if you want.” Cara caught the mumbled response and, to a point, respected it. She’d felt that way herself for a while, still had her moments. “Yeah, I’m still gonna come to your bar and bug you,” she said, opting to keep Cheyenne in the choose-your-own-pack adventure she seemed to be on. “Seems kind of ambitious to do something like that for the whole town. I’d get it if it were the officials and maybe business owners and such, but everyone? That’s just trying too hard.” Still, it might be interesting to see who showed up, maybe watch and listen as a wallflower for a few minutes and slip out a side door. She’d think about it. But she had other things to tackle first. “Between you and me, I’d rather have a ball at your bar than try to rub elbows with the mayor. If I end up going for some reason,” she said, thinking Ainsley might want to go, “I’ll probably end up at your place after anyway.” 

“Damn straight,” she agreed without irony, smug because she knew well enough she would, even if charming wasn’t really a great descriptor for her. “I’ll take the jerky too. I make a damn good stew.” She glanced over at Cara’s comment, rolled her eyes again. From the pocket of her leather jacket, she produced a flask, took a swig of whiskey from it as she thought it over. “I wouldn’t kick you out. Probably.” It was rare for her to find someone she tolerated, after all. No point shoving Cara out the door if she wanted to stick around. No guarantee Cheyenne would always be in the mood to deal with her, but it was more likely than not, which wasn’t something she could say about most people. “Yeah, well. Mayor’s a prick who wants to get on everyone’s good side, get his ass reelected. That’s what political dipshits do.” She sent Cara a sharp look. “Don’t you ever suggest that again,” she demanded and shuddered dramatically, offended by the very idea of having a bunch of trumped up dickheads in her bar. The image was horrifying. “Last thing I need is people squeezing into the stumble in ballgowns or whatever the fuck.” She drank deeply from her flask again, once more held it out in offer as she sent the other wolf a sidelong glance. “Gonna drag that witch of yours along?” she asked with a smirk tugging at her lips. “You reek of magic, slick.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“What, I’m gonna lie and say they’re terrible? Not my style, Chey. This is moving along pretty quickly, you know. First it’s a thing, now I’ve broken your heart. At this rate in another five minutes we’ll be through all the awkward stuff and just be exes who are still friends.” She liked Cheyenne, had seen her with others at and around the bar and knew she was very much the lone wolf type. For whatever reason Cara ignored that part and decided they’d be friends. Of course it might have helped that they’d spent part of a night together at the bar, and if things were…different than they currently were, Cara would likely do so again. “Well if we catch two or three, I’ll smoke some of it and bring it over for you. Takes a day or so anyway.” Cara wasn’t about to go all jolly holly Christmas, but especially not with Cheyenne. “That’s not the parts I like. I’ll make a ton of food, and whoever wants to come up to the lodge to help me clear it out is welcome. I’d rather have a table piled high with only a handful of good friends than all this ostentatious stuff. Did I see something about a ball at the mayor’s place?” she asked, remembering a sign she’d seen in one of the stores. She nodded at the advice and figured she’d go talk to the woodworker in a bit. 

She snorted out a laugh, couldn’t help the amusement. Yeah, she liked Cara just fine. “Break my heart? Nah. Just put a damper on the libido. It’s alright. Won’t take me long to replace you.” She finished off her cider, tossed the cup into a nearby trash can as her eyes skimmed the fair again. Noisy, crowded, annoying. Not her thing at all. She’d head out soon, see if she couldn’t talk the eldest of the Weston sons -- a sturdy, handsome wolf of about twenty-eight, or thereabouts -- into a bit of a roll. It would take the edge off the irritation. Well. Maybe. “Alright, you talked me into it. We’ll have a hunt, see what we can bag. You bring me that smoked meat, maybe I’ll toss together a stew or something to trade. I can make stew.” It was one of very few things she could make, actually. Cheyenne preferred to hunt, and often ate in wolf form. Human food was okay to supplement when she couldn’t get out, but usually she went for the raw anyway. “I’d rather people just leave me alone,” she mumbled. At the question about the ball, Cheyenne snorted again, though with more derision than humor this time. “Speaking of ostentatious,” she agreed, nodding a little. “Yeah, dude has some big thing happening up at his place. Again, not my thing, and I wouldn’t go if someone hogtied me and tossed me in his foyer. But people seem excited or whatever.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“Can you blame me? They’re nice tits,” Cara said matter of factly. She smiled at the display. “Cute. By the way, offer stands for you to come up to Ridgeline and do some hunting with me. I make a mean smoked venison, if you can wait long enough for it to be smoked.” Cara liked Christmas well enough, but hadn’t actually been anywhere that went as all-out as Pandora did. “Yeah, I can see the fuss. I tend to stick to moderate fuss as my max level. Big tree, some decorations, food. Lots of food, actually.” She looked around and spotted a booth displaying wood plaques and assorted tchochkes. “That guy?” she asked, cocking a thumb toward the booth. She hoped he had more than a jigsaw in his shop. 

“See, you shut a girl down and then compliment her tits, invite her back to yours. You’re killin’ me, slick.” But she was joking -- mostly. A no was a no, but she considered the hunt. Missed doing it really, and Cara wasn’t so bad. Not intrusive or annoying. Not as much as other people anyway. “Maybe I will. Don’t know if I’ll stick around for it to be smoked, but I do like me some deer.” Cheyenne again pulled a face, shook her head. “I don’t do much of anything for the holidays. Didn’t grow up believing in shit like that, never got what everyone liked so much about it. Just means crowds, people getting up in your face because it’s the one time of year they think they ought to be doing some good deeds. I don’t need that shit.” She followed Cara’s thumb, nodded at the man she gestured to. “Yeah, that’s him. Indigo Rodriguez. Does good enough work.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“Uh huh. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” she said conspiratorially, knowing Chey was true to her word, that she didn’t do ‘things’ but liked teasing her all the same. “I get it, and I’m right there with you. Still, you should try it sometime. Kind of a rush jumping on and letting gravity take over. Mhm, something like that. So you know anyplace I can find one?” 

Chey rolled her eyes, but it was mostly good-natured. Cara didn’t rub her wrong like most people. “I want a rush, I go sink my teeth into some assholes. Otherwise I’m good. I’m not into thrill-seeking. I’ll leave the slopes to you.” Cheyenne tilted her head, considered the question. “If you haven’t found it in a store yet, best bet is to find someone who owns one. Which isn’t me.” She offered the cider companionably, eyebrows lifted in silent question.

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

Cara chuckled and tried to sidestep the offer. “Careful Chey, I might think you have a thing for me. Kinda goes against that one-and-done thing we already have, yeah?” She could smell the liquor in the drink and was tempted to ask if she had more on her somewhere but refrained. “Have you never been sledding?” she asked. “There is a perfectly good mountain right here. Why not ride it on a sled?”

Cheyenne smirked, free hand sliding into her pocket as she sipped her cider. “I don’t have things for anyone, slick. I like sex. If sex was good, sometimes I’ll give it another go.” She lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug, but didn’t push. Slim pickings the town might’ve had, but she didn’t need to corner anyone into sex. She could get it willingly whenever she felt like it. “Nah, never did that sort of shit. prefer to be on my feet -- four’s best, but I’ll settle for two when I have to. So, what, you just got a craving for sledding?”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“It shouldn’t be this difficult,” she answered with a shake of her head. “I have no idea who you mean. And also, ew, that’s gross. Hard pass. Thought you knew me better than that, Chey.” 

Cheyenne grinned, gave Cara a deliberate once-over as she leaned against the side of one of the stalls in the holiday market. The disgruntled proprietor shot her a harsh look behind her back, but apparently knew better to say anything and went unnoticed. “Glad to get to know you a bit better if you’re offering,” she said, bringing a steaming cup of cider - now spiked generously with fireball - to her lips. It was the only reason she ever came down to this godforsaken market. “Since my knowledge is obviously not up to par. Can’t for the life of me figure out why you’d want one of those fucking weird ass sled things.”

[cheyenne-turner-blog]

toccara-maitland:

“I just…” Cara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “I really need to find a sled. A wooden sled. Not a plastic one, not a saucer. A sled.”

“That’s pretty specific, slick.” Cheyenne lifted her eyebrows. “Pretty sure drunk Santa’s around somewhere. Asshole always is. You could sit on his lap and make a wish.”