<br/><hr/><div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/e/e4/Natehunter.png/437px-Natehunter.png)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Nathan Hunter<br/><strong>Faction:</strong>Senior Deputy (Law Dogs)<br/><strong>Date:</strong>May 2nd, 1876<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Night<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Camp Gǒu<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Margeurite, Closed<br/><hr/>Her excitement gave him a small smile, though another rush of guilt at how he'd availed himself on her.  Some distant notion, a hope that he might be wrong – that she was an available woman and he could somehow set right his bestial assault upon her evaporated, and he sighed inwardly, even as he forced himself to smile at her happiness.  It was selfish of him, but he set it aside.  Soon she could be with her husband and her hardships could be behind her.<br/><br/>He gave a nod.<strong>“He's been here a few months,”</strong>he admitted.<strong>“And I think he... misses you very much, misses Boston very much.”</strong>He frowned, and dipped his head, giving it a shake.<strong>“Uh.. same as most folk?  Came in on the Iron Dragon.”</strong>He winced slightly at the question which followed.  How did he look?  He looked unwell.  He looked like a man who buried himself in whiskey on a nightly basis, he looked... He blew out a breath.<strong>“He... looks like a man who's wife is dead,”</strong>he admitted.  There was an ache of sympathy for the man – he'd been widowed himself, and he remembered how hard those last few months had been, watching her waste away, powerless to stop the progression of nature, powerless to help her.  His eyes grew sad, deeply wounded for a moment, and he looked away.<strong>”Alfred... he needs a new suit.  And a haircut.  And a few days sobriety,”</strong>he admitted.  But he couldn't feel morose in the face of that pure joy, and he returned her smile, putting a hand sympathetically on her shoulder.<br/><br/><strong>”You'll be back together soon enough.”</strong>It had the ring of promise to it.  He didn't know why he felt a certain pang of jealousy, of loneliness, but it was a familiar ache, and one he carried as part and parcel of his obligations.  He looked away as her fingers traced over his shirt, his vest, his jacket, freeing the bandage – or what passed as a bandage for her perusal.  It was little more than the tie he'd been wearing two days before, tied around the ribcage, not even wide enough to full cover the wound.  He grimaced when the shirt was pulled away – dried blood had been loosened by the fresher, warm blood, and it began to leak anew.  The 'knife' which had gone into his side looked more like a small sword – the cut was nearly three inches wide, and had gone deep.  In the light of starlight, though, it wasn't the only one – the handsome lawyer was checkered with the wounds from shotgun pellet, gunshots, knives – even what looked like enormous talons, large enough for a bear that had sunk into his shoulders on both sides.  The claws were bear sized, but weren't a bear – there was only two talon marks on the front of each shoulder.  There was a matching mark on his back, as well, as if some unknown beast had locked claws from above.  He'd lost quiet a bit of blood, but the stab wound was only leaking slowly – although the collared shirt and much of the vest had been soaked well.<br/><br/>He began to protest when she ripped off the tails of her tunic, but fell quiet.<strong>“Well, with any luck we'll be able to find both at Vigilance,”</strong>he promised.<strong>“Or we can try for a cave.  I've a … quarter canteen left,”</strong>he offered, gesturing to the horse.  He reached up behind the saddle, freeing the straps on the bedroll tied off there, opening it and laying it across the horse's flanks.  Ergo tossed his mane, lifting his head to look back at the pair of them.<br/><br/><strong>“We should be on our way,”</strong>he offered.<strong>“We don't want to try riding when the sun comes up.”</strong>He lashed the bedroll down to serve as much as a blanket as could be offered, then offered his hands to help her back up and onto the horse, lifting her by the waist  and letting her settle herself.