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One Way To Atone

Ahhh!! This is my gift for @sassywelshgiraffe! I had so much fun getting to know Ashlynn! I hope you enjoy this! And happy Far Cry 5 birthday!! <3

Thank you so much to @edensgay for sorting this all out!! <3 This was so much fun!

Sunsets always looked best in the valley. Something about gold light over farmlands brought out the best of Hope County, and with it, the best time to catch a well-needed moment of peace.

Aires scuffed a shoe on the ground, nickering when she caught sight of the apples being pulled from a hessian sack by her beloved friend and owner. Ash huffed in a soft laugh as she watched the horse’s eyes follow her hands as she approached; one boot hoisting herself up to rest on the fence.

“Yeah, I know what you’re interested in,” she grinned, balancing the small apple in the palm of her hand and twinkling her fingers, giving a pretend pout. “Thought you’d be more excited for me, but hey, maybe you’re a traitor too.” She rolled the other apple in her hand and took it up for a quick snap of a bite, a hint of bitterness seeping into her voice. “Guess I should’ve named you Nancy, then.”

Aires gave a huff, possibly offended at the comparison, and butted her head against Ash’s thigh in retribution, making the woman shamble to hold her balance on the fence.

“Hey!” She scowled at her long-time friend for a moment, before sighing and holding out her apple, quirking a lip in amusement as the horse chomped happily on her prize. “Yeah, you did well today. Kicked lots of Peggie ass, didn’t you?” She reached out and smoothed down the coat of her neck, scratching under the ears for a reward.

There was a rustling behind her, but Ash didn’t need to turn to know it was Peaches, the faithful cougar coming to check up on her favourite Deputy. Aires saw, however, and shifted backwards; front leg pawing at the ground. Even after so much time around Peaches, her horse still remained somewhat uncertain of the other animal - not that Ash could blame her; Peaches was a natural predator, much as she loved her.

“Hey,” she soothed the horse, and offered up her own apple to try and reassure or maybe bribe her. The horse huffed but didn’t turn it down, chomping down eagerly. “There we go. See? You know Peaches; you don’t have to worry about her. Besides, she’s already eaten her dinner.” The cougar growled behind her, making her roll her eyes and scoff, but she was unable to stop the fond smile crossing her face. “And she’s not getting any more; that’s greedy.”

“And Greed is a sin, is it not?” A new voice came from behind her, and Ash realised that Peaches hadn’t been growling at her.

She turned to the side, trying to remain as nonchalant as possible as she saw John Seed standing not a few meters away by the fence-line. Fucker must have somehow managed to sneak up on her - a miracle in itself, and she was surprised he wasn’t gloating about it.

“Didn’t know you could be quiet,” Ash said, leaning back to lazily rest a hand on the post behind her. “Thought being a Seed meant you couldn’t announce your presence without at least a fog machine.”

He hummed - eyes never leaving her - before smiling; stepping forward to run a hand along the side of the fence. He stopped short of her, eyeing the cougar a few meters away and the imposing figure of the horse beyond the barrier.

There was something about John Seed, she’d noticed, that always made her feel on trial; in every movement, every action, there was something behind his expression that spoke of judgement. The cult’s judge and jury was a fitting title, indeed.

“What are you doing here, Johnny Law?” She asked, eyes narrowed.

He tilted his head, and gave her a once-over.

“I’ll admit I’m surprised you haven’t tried to attack me yet, Deputy,” John said instead of answering, and smiled in a way that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Could it be that infamous Wrath is finally becoming tempered?”

She laughed at the very thought.

“Sure, let’s go with that,” Ash replied. In truth, her nearest throwing knife was safely hidden in her boot, but John didn’t need to know that. Instead, she leaned forwards, hands cupping the side of the fence post for balance as she grinned at John. “What about you? Why haven’t you tried to shoot little old me yet?”

He hummed - possibly thoughtful - and stepped forward again, further closing the distance between them and glanced up at her with his hand trailing by the fence and coming to rest inches from her knee.

“I don’t want to kill you, dear,” John murmured, startlingly blue eyes intense in a piercing trademark expression of the whole family. “I’ve been telling you this from the beginning; I simply want to save you.”

“The river incident could’ve fooled me, buddy,” Ash replied, coolness seeping into her sarcasm.

His mouth twitched in a grimace, and he had the good graces to at least look away.

“A lapse in judgement,” he admitted. “I am, more than anyone, still battling my own sins, and they got the better of me in that moment. I...please forgive me on that.”

Ash tilted her head, staring down at him curiously. Meters away, Peaches was laying down beside the sack of apples; the image of calm despite an enemy standing so close, and Ash took the moment to come to a decision.

“M’kay,” she said, surprising him. When he glanced up at her again - brow creasing somewhere between shock and suspicion - she gave him a dazzling smile and held up a finger. “I’ll forgive you on one condition.”

Ah, there was the suspicion in his eyes; this was the familiar territory for him, in bargaining for forgiveness, for atonement. Pain for salvation seemed to be his modus operandi, after all, but that was luckily not on her agenda today.

She pointed over towards the bag.

“Go get me some more apples,” Ash said calmly. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her, and she could almost hear the cogs in his head creak as they turned. She shrugged, the image of innocence. “What? Aires is hungry.”

Aires helpfully nickered.

John sighed, but began to obey; making his way over to the sack on the ground. He sidestepped carefully to the far side of Peaches, giving her a wide berth, but never taking his eyes off the dangerous predator so close to him. Blindly - so as to not look away from the cat - he reached down and fumbled with the edge of the bag, rummaging inside for an apple.

It was in the split second that he looked down - making sure of his prize - that Peaches gave a loud, sudden chirp.

John let out an undignified yelp and Ash could have sworn he’d jumped a foot in the air as he scrambled to get away, apples still miraculously clutched in his hands.

She laughed at the sight; the usually so composed lawyer and baptist frazzled at the ends. Peaches watched him go, something smug about her as her tail flicked back and forth and ears twitching as John swore under his breath and stomped his way through the grass towards the Deputy.

Ash held out her hands expectantly, unable to stop her chuckling as John slapped the apples down into her palms. He whirled around, over-intricate coat ruffling with the movement as began to walk away.

“Wait, John!” Ash called out, unable to resist one last dig. “Come back! Don’t you want to feed Aires too?”

John glanced over his shoulder at the bay, who chose that moment to huff and stomp one of her intimidatingly strong back legs.

“No, thank you,” John replied, gritting his words through clenched teeth and a pinched brow. “I’ve had enough of your beasts’ antics for one day.” He sent her a thoroughly unamused glare as he gave a tight wave of farewell. “Keep them under control the next time we meet, if you please.”

Ash grinned.

“You’re forgiven, by the way!” She said, reminding him of why he had gotten himself so frazzled in the first place. “Thanks for the apples, Johnny boy!”

Behind her, Peaches let out another meeping call - her own farewell - and Ash didn’t bother to stifle her laugh at the hiss John let out in return as he sped up; trying to get away quicker from the Deputy and her loyal companions.

“You’ll be atoning for this!” He replied, scathing now that he was a safe distance. “Just you wait, dear.”

Unfazed, she blew a kiss at him.

“Oh, I’ll wait, alright,” she muttered, twinkling her fingers in a wave. “Dear.”

Before he was completely beyond the tree line, Ash was quite positive that he flipped her the bird at least twice. And he called her Wrath.

Typical.

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