even if dying heroically is his thing ( less by choice and more because the gods upstairs seem to want him to suffer as much as possible ) he’s not all that interested in suffering such a fate today. he’s not stupid enough to think that dying here and now will get him anything in the long run, either. he’s got a future ahead of him, that someday to look forward to, and he isn’t about to give it up.
but they’re shooting anybody and everybody, and he knows that means they’ve got to do something if they want to get out of this alive.
‘ i know sitting here’s only gonna get us killed too. i don’t wanna die as a coward either, if it’s all the same to you. ’
involuntarily, her jaw clenched – it might have been unintentional, but snow white didn’t take kindly to being called a coward by anyone, especially not by someone so eager to martyr himself for no cause at all. still, she would ( begrudgingly ) admit to herself that he had a point. whatever the bandits had been after, if it was anything at all, had been forgotten, motivation having given way to bloodlust. waiting the gunfight out didn’t seem to be an option anymore. she’d been to hell & back, traveled across three states to escape it, stopping in sweetwater only to gather provisions before journeying on – she’d be damned if she died there, on account of a few no-good shitheads getting trigger happy during a robbery.
she took her hand back, reached under her slicker – a moment later, it emerged, clutching her pistol. out of habit, she rubbed at the rubies studding the grip once, twice, & cocked her head to the side, listening carefully. best to rely on her ears, rather than risk peeking above their shelter & getting a bullet to the skull for her trouble.
‘ could have at least told me what name you’d want on your gravestone, ’ she commented dryly. ‘ but if you cover me, i’ll cover you. ’
no need for words after that, as far as she was concerned. giving only a nod as a warning, snow white bolted out from behind the counter, the element of surprise allowing her to fire off two shots before the bandit she faced down could get off one. she was a distraction now, she knew, as three pairs of eyes turned to her – but at least the stranger would probably get a chance to keep on living as a hero, even if she went down.
