<hr/><div class="floatleft">(http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae240/samanthamazur/68Cavkmm4hgg_zpsc4502ad9.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 11th, 1877<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Afternoon<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Babel's Tower<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Avery Burnham,  … Open<br/><hr/><br/>Aletta stared at the drink that sat on the bartop between her arms  currently pressed against the counter. She blinked a couple of times wondering if she shouldn’t just march out of this pit of sin and head back home to the ranch where she was safe. Or rather…had been safe!  Now it seemed everywhere she looked the memory of Joe was mocking her, which was ridiculous considering he was long since pushing up the daisies before she had even stepped a foot into this godforsaken town! A growl sounded and once more the drink was thrown back, this time leaving a tiny trail of amber liquid clinging to her bottom lip.<br/><br/>The pretty-boy beside her spoke again. Letty didn’t need to look to know it was him flapping his gums, his voice was just as pretty as his face. She turned to look in his direction and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her expression was a picture of contradictions. Her smile was nothing more than a straight line, or as straight as you could get with plump, firm lips. Still, not a single curve could be seen at the corners, not even the ones turning down into a frown.<br/><br/>However, it was her eyes that held the confusion.<br/><br/>Where her expression told him to back off, or words to that effect. It was her dark brown orbs that spilled  a world of hurt.<strong>”They learn you that...fancy…what did you call it? Penmanship where you come from? They teach you how to spin words so well it can touch a heart you ain’t never met before?”</strong>Surprisingly she wasn’t short with the pretty-boy stranger. Her anger had been swallowed with the last mouthful of free booze and was now swimming in the pit of a stomach that was empty, but for the soul stealing fire of Satan.<br/><br/>She watched with narrowed eyes as he removed his derby hat, revealing a head of hair that went with the whole theme of “pretty-boy”. She had  hoped he was bald under that cap, bald with a ring of hair circling his scalp from one ear to the other. No such luck. She stared up at him, leaning slightly forward and gripping onto the edge of the bar. Her fingers itched to play in the silky locks.<strong>”I bet its soft…”</strong>her words were cut off as she turned to look down at the empty glass before her, biting the inside of her mouth to keep quiet. Letty would have taken a drink but some thief had gone and stolen what was in  her glass! She looked around quickly, first to her left and then to her right, hoping to catch the scoundrel redhanded! The only thing she saw was a wide, well dressed shoulder and chest.<br/><br/>Pretty-boy was speaking again, using that fancy voice of his to draw her eyes to his lips. He had nice lips. A tiny twitch played at the corners of her mouth, indicating that part of her wanted to smile. But Letty was too stubborn to show off the full force of a smile that had at one point been a dazzling show to behold. Charmed was he now? Well…that was the wrong word to use. The anger that had been swimming lazily in the river of amber fire in the pit of her stomach clawed its way back up her throat.<strong>”That’s the problem ain’t it! Charmin’...down right tellin’ lies! Let’s call it what it is, why dress it up! If you powder a pig, it’s still a pig!”</strong>She wasn’t making much sense to anyone but herself, but that was a downfall to drinking.<br/><br/>Luckily for Letty, and for the fancy talkin’ man beside her, she hadn’t spoken loudly, causing a scene. Her words were for Avery and those closest to them.<strong>”A...let...ta”</strong>she replied, introducing herself.<strong>”Letty...call me”</strong>nodding her head she slapped her hand down on the bartop and looked at it as if it had just killed her best friend. A frustrated sigh sounded before he turned back to Avery once more.<strong>”Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.”</strong>Pushing the empty glass away, her logical mind was starting to take control, deciding that she had, had enough drink for a young woman who hadn’t eaten yet, and let’s face it… was a bit of a lightweight.<br/><br/><strong>”Whatdoesthatevenmean?”</strong>she asked, slurring a bit as all the words fell into one.<strong>”At first I thought he was being cross to the church…you know…”</strong>leaning in towards Avery, Letty whispered<strong>”on account that he be cursin’....you know”</strong>she pointed towards the ceiling as if to say...him up there.<strong>”I puzzled over it for some time, figured I’d ask when I finally met him...but he’s dead!”</strong>explained the young Mexican, in a tone that was rather matter of fact.<br/><br/>It took a moment, but his earlier words finally made themselves aware in her mind and soon Aletta was smiling…much like a smile that seemed a permanent feature a lifetime ago.<strong>”Oh bar-bee-q...I am hungry! Left this mornin’ with not much more in me but a slab of cornbread and a strip of bacon.”</strong>She moved away from the bar as if to find a table for the vittles that were promised and swayed back, stumbling with the sudden loss of her balance.<br/>