<hr/><div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/6d/D1Dfb6tFfIBP.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Aletta Emelda Maria Sanchez (aka Letty) (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=200832.msg9815927#msg9815927)<br/><strong>Faction:</strong>none<br/><strong>Date:</strong>May 13th, 1877<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Afternoon<br/><strong>Location:</strong>The Gates Ranch<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Aggy, open for Walter Sinnett<br/>*wearing (https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fa/2122639L1uzeeRM.jpg)<br/><hr/><br/><div style="text-align: justify;">Letty stood close to the cream and brown horse, gently stroking its mane with her fingers while the other stroked its nose. She spoke softly near its ear, smiling as she watched the twitching, indicating that the horse was indeed listening. Letty spoke in her native tongue, spilling the whispered words on a gentle breath like lazy river, steady and strong, but with a melodic rhythm that seemed to lull the great beast closer. Crazy. That is what the horse’s owner had called him when Wildfire had first arrived at the ranch. He had been at his wits end, ready to show the horse the business end of his pistol. Letty could see it in the mans eyes! If you asked her, out of the two of them the one that deserved the title “crazy” the most was the one that walked upon two legs!<br/><br/>Under Letty’s guide Wildfire had learned to trust the human hand. It was a slow progress, but eventually she had managed to gain the his trust. The problem with men, Letty found, was many of them were so busy finding themselves superior to all that walked the earth that they forgot that a relationship needed nurturing, even one with a horse! Letty got on better with horses than she did with most people, mainly because she had learned the hard way to distrust the lies of men. A horse had never steered her wrong. A horse had never lied, or stolen from Letty. A horse was pure in its affection, and if you were lucky enough to gain its trust, then you would have a friend for life! And what’s more, that friend would be unshakingly loyal and reliable. <br/><div class="floatright">(http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae240/samanthamazur/chloride-mn-banner_zpsf5b36522.png)</div><br/>The sound of the creaking door echoed over the dry desert land, alerting Letty to a body exiting the stone ranch she had called home for the past few years. The groan of protest from the wooden planks under the weight of the person now walking down the stairs was heavy, so she knew it wasn’t Abby. Most likely the stranger that had come looking for answers that only Aggy could give in private. The sudden clucking of chickens let Letty know of the strangers progress, heading south of the stone cabin, away from where he had left his horse. It took all that she could muster not to turn and see what the fellah was upto. Letty wasn’t one to trust strangers, especially ones that come looking for answers to questions he don’t want just anyone overhearing. <br/><br/>Another creak of the door and a lighter groan signaled Aggy’s exit from the home and soon her voice rang out strong and true, kindly letting the stranger know he was heading in the wrong direction. Aggy’s words might have been kind, but her tone was not to be tested. Letty smiled. The two women had argued the two days before, but all had been forgiven. There was no point in holding onto a grudge when the only person you had for company most nights was the one you weren’t talking to. Besides, after Letty had calmed down she had come to realize that Aggy had been as much in the dark about the letters as Letty had. There weren’t no point in arguing with Aggy over what her brother had done behind her back. And since it was bad luck to call on a ghost, even if you wanted to rip that ghost a new one, then Letty had no choice but to let the anger go. But that didn’t mean she weren’t gonna find out who had helped her would be bridegroom! <br/><br/>Wildfire tensed, and shook his head voicing his annoyance with a sudden neighing. <strong>”Easy boy… easy.”</strong> Letty slowly stepped away. There was no point in holding a horse still when it was ready to gallop. She’d only end up hurt. Besides, part of trusting each other was knowing when to let go, and when to comfort. A sudden cloud of dust was kicked up from the quick movements of the startled horse, leaving Letty to cover her mouth with her hand, lest end up with a mouth full of dry earth. She’d had a diet of desert once or twice while growing up, Letty hadn’t enjoyed it then, and she didn’t think it had improved much with time. <br/><br/><strong>”You think on what I tell ya, you hear Miss Agitha! It aint gonna be easy scratching a living without Jonah. I’m offering a good deal!”</strong><br/><br/><strong>”You’re spitting on his grave is what yer doing! Now go on and get while you still have the ability to do so!”</strong><br/><br/>Shaking his head the stranger turned towards his horse, pausing at Letty and offering her what she was sure he thought was a charming smile. <strong>”Ma’am”</strong> <br/><br/>Letty simply nodded her head but kept her mouth shut. She didn’t know him. She didn’t know his business. But what she did know was that Aggie wasn’t best pleased with the news he had to offer. It was best the man headed out before he found himself facing the barrel end of Aggie’s favorite shotgun.<br/><br/><strong>”Talk to her… make her see sense”</strong> he pleaded with the dark eyed ranch hand. He handed her a slip of paper in the shape of a rectangle and flashed that smile once more that had her eyes narrowing before mounting his horse and tilting his hat, first to Aggie and then to Letty. <br/><br/><strong>”Letty! feed the pigs before you come in, and bring some milk from Nan”</strong> ordered Aggie before disappearing, leaving nothing behind but the squeak of the door and the light banging from within. <br/><br/>Letty watched for a moment as the mysterious figure was swallowed up by the unrelenting horizon before turning on the balls of her feet and heading towards the old barn and the pen which held the pigs. The noise exploded the closer she got, with the animals sensing dinner would soon be served. She wrinkled her nose as she set out the feed, watching as the pigs snorted and grunted with their nose pressed against the troff. A few chickens clucked at her feet, looking for a handout and making an awful racket. Letty chased the few that had escaped the pen back into their compound and rewarded them with a few scatterings of seed. She warned them in rapid spanish that they were much better off at the ranch than escaping into the desert, but she couldn’t be sure they understood… they were chickens after all. <br/><br/>Heading towards the barn, Letty pushed the doors open, allowing the bright rays of the sun to penetrate the darkness, streaming lines of dust particles dancing in the air and placing a spotlight on one of the two goats that sat munching on twigs and straw. <strong>”Come Nan, rápidamente”</strong> she commanded, but the black and white goat simply looked up at her with its glossy black eyes and kept on munching. <strong>”You eat too much!”</strong> accused the young Mexican, though the smile on her pretty face reduced the sting of her words, as did the laughter that soon followed. Giving into the stubbornness of Nan was the smartest thing anyone could do, and so Letty gathered a stool and a bucket and went to work, milking the goat, and singing her a Mexican Lullaby as a thanks for the fresh milk the animal gave freely. </div>