Advent Of A Gunslinger

Axel went down to the manor’s main lobby, thinking hard about who he should approach in order to get help for Vido. “...I would ask one of the nurse cows who work the infirmary. Problem is, I don’t think he needs’ta be in the presence of a curvaceous woman right now. Or is that a might sexist? Dammit, boy think…”

Moments later, a familiar face would step into the doors of the manor and call out for its owner. “Ms. Martha? Ya here? I’m lookin’ for some more milk and veggies off the farm.” She was carrying a crate filled with empty glass bottles.

The hippogriff looked up from the mug of cider he was drinking, and saw who had made an appearance. He had to blink a few times just to ensure that he wasn’t hallucinating. “...Rose? That you?”

The young minotaur woman turned her head his way and smiled. “Axel! So you’re here for the fair, ain’tcha? What’re the odds?” She placed down the crate and walked over to greet him properly. “Why are ya inside? Shouldn’tcha be havin’ fun out there with everyone else?”

“I want to, but…” His ears and tail pricked up--the gunslinger had come to a realization in those last few minutes. If Roseanne was here, then that meant… “...Wait a sec.”

Rose tilted her head. “You alright? You ain’t bumped yer head or nothin’ have ya?”

Axel got out of the chair, and started walking towards the doors. “No no, it’s just--you’re here with Celaeno and the rest of her crew, yeah?”

“Darn tootin’. Why? Wonder if they might be interested in the fair?”

“Yes--I mean no--I mean, if you’re here, then our buddy Chang is here. And if our buddy Chang is here…he can help us with the problem we currently got goin’ on.”

“Problem? Wait, hold on--” At this point, Roseanne had lost track of the conversation. In order to figure out what Axel was saying, she quickly leapt in front of him and blocked him form exiting, leaning against the doorway. “Woah, slow yer roll, partner. I need’ta know what’s goin’ on before ya just up and run off like that.”

“Alright, well…it’s a long story…”

After one brief explanation of the events that had transpired…

“Oh damn…that…” Rose let out a sigh. There wasn’t much for her to feel angry over since the bitch of a dog woman was confirmed to be dead, but it didn’t stop her from lamenting what happened to the innocent griffon. “...Now I can see why ya want ol’ Chang’s help. He’s got a degree in scientology and all them other ology-stuffs--”

“...I know. He’s the perfect one to handle a delicate matter like this. Me? I don’t know the first thing about mind-ology.”

“Psychology.”

“Whatever,” Axel rolled his eyes, “Wouldja do me a favor and bring him here for me? Vido made me promise’ta go enjoy myself and relax at the side shows if I got him some help.” He shrugged his claw-arms, “I dunno why, really.”

Rose giggled and pat him on the head. “It’s ‘cuz he loves ya, obviously. He doesn’t want ya to feel bogged down by a problem ya can’t solve. You ain’t cut out for everythin’, partner. Nobody is. That’s why we gotta rely on each other.”

Axel huffed, puffing out his cheeks, but eventually he relented and had to concede to her point. “Yeah, you right. Come’ta think of it. If I was on mah own this whole time, I never would’ve got my sister back.”

“...Moo-what?!” Rose grabbed him up by his sides, causing the hippogriff to squeak like a chew toy. “Yer sister’s here?! Why didn’tcha tell me? I’m dyin’ta meet her!” she squealed while pressing her nose against his beak.

“Awk!” Axel squawked, and wriggled his way free of the awkwardly close embrace, “H-hey now. Not so rough. I still gotta ease my way back into flyin’ after all them shots I endured. And don’t go stickin’ yer little cow-nose into her face either. She’s hella tired from all the shit she’s been through for lord knows how long…”

Roseanne was more than compliant. “I understand completely. Tell ya what, I’ll go ahead and get Chang for ya while you take a load off. I promise I won’t bother yer sister while yer gone. Alright?”

Axel sighed into his claw--as much as he wanted to micro-manage this delicate situation, he knew that would only lead to unnecessary stress on himself and those around him. Over the course of this journey, he learned to be more trustworthy with others, and now was a perfect time to exercise such trust and put it in someone else.

The hippogriff turned to the minotaur gal with a cold set of eyes. “Don’t mess around. You march right up there and bring the monkey man back so my boy can have someone who understands the mind to speak to. Ya hear? I’m…I’m trustin’ you with this, alright?” His voice slowly became quieter as he looked up at her. The tension in his face began to fade as he rubbed his claw idly against the carpet. “...I trust you…”

The minotaur gal squatted down to his level, putting a hand on his shoulder with a smile of encouragement on her face. “Thanks, brother. I won’t betray yer trust. I can promise ya that until the day I kick the bucket.”

Axel wiped away a lone tear from his face, and nodded silently. “Thank you, Roseanne.” With that, he turned to leave the manor, and walked back out into the fair.