jinglejangle | •call me out

[ At first, she thinks she’s dreaming. Which is no big surprise when that’s the majority of what she’s felt during her short time in this surreal new world. But then she hears that painfully familiar voice, catches sight of his trademark hat, that stupid red serape and that face full of messy scruff when he turns his head. At that, whatever doubt she has is completely erased and is replaced by the same anger she felt mere days ago.

How convenient that he'd wind up here, too.

Within seconds, her mind is made up and she already finds her feet carrying her toward him. B.O.B. turns his head, looking quizzically after her until his green optics land on Jesse McCree. Oh. Oh, no.

Closing the space between them takes a matter of seconds and then she grabs him by the shoulder, her other hand already balled into a fist so tightly that her knuckles are white. Not a word passes her lips before she strikes his cheek with a sharp right hook. ]

[Life in this new strange city was - well. It was easy, for McCree. He didn't quite blend in, what with the arm and the gun and his signature style, but it was easy enough to stay out of trouble and learn the ins and outs of the city. Same as he would've on a mission. There's no mission now, hasn't been any for a while besides sending Echo back off to Overwatch, but it's like riding a bike. You don't forget.

It's also hard to forget a woman like Ashe. He had a lovely reunion with her not too long ago, but he's never forgotten her. It'd be hard to. She's a firecracker, and McCree's not fool enough to deny she changed his life.

...This is the first time she's clocked him one, though. He staggers from the punch, hand immediately reaching up to touch his jaw. He's also not fool enough to strike back, not with B.O.B. watching and resources in short supply.]

...Well howdy there, Ashe.

[ Oh, that felt good. That was all the release she needed after the stunt he pulled. However, she sure as hell isn't going to pass up an opportunity to roughhouse him a little more.

After shaking out her hand, she grabs two tight fistfuls of the worn, red fabric of his serape and shoves him roughly back against the nearest building, spectators be damned. She'd bark at them to mind their own business if anyone dared to intervene. ]

Howdy, yourself. You're real damn lucky I don't have my gun on me.

[ By now, B.O.B. is idly standing by, ready to pull Ashe off of him if things get a little too carried away. With this being a new and unfamiliar place, staying out of trouble is probably in both of their best interest.

He tilts his head, looking almost apologetically at Jesse. There are no hard feelings. Not when Ashe was the one being unreasonable. ]

Leave it behind in the move?

[Like either of them had a choice when it came to showing up here. Like either of them really decided what came with them.]

's a pity. Could make yourself a killing - most folks here don't seem to know what a bullet even is.

[And they seem to need people to protect them - not that McCree thinks Ashe is much of the heroic type. He knows she won't turn down power and influence, though, or, well. That's what he thinks, anyways.

He keeps his stance relaxed, looking down at her with a lazy grin that he's sure she thinks is insufferable.]

No, as a matter of fact, it's back at my apartment. I could have B.O.B. go get it.

[ B.O.B. blinks and then looks down. Oh, Ashe. Please leave him out of this. Can't they just lay low for a while until they figure things out?

Thankfully, Ashe's entire focus is on Jesse's (yes, very) insufferable smile and that overly calm smugness that just boils her blood. She'd love to hit him again, but it sure isn't doing much of anything and she's running out of steam when the current situation is weighing on her. ]

Wipe that smile off your face, cowboy.

[ With an indignant huff she roughly pushes against his chest and then steps back away from him. As much as she hates to admit it to herself, it is nice to see a familiar face. Even if it happens to be his. ]

How long you been here?

[B.O.B. doesn't deserve this. He deserves a nice, relaxing vacation.]

As you wish.

[He smooths out his serape and adjusts his hat, expression going neutral. Best to... Try keeping the peace, he thinks. He's no expert on the laws of this just yet but he reckons a brawl would be frowned upon.

(And a part of him misses Ashe and their camaraderie. Things will never be the same and there's too much bad blood between them, but there's still just the slightest bit of fondness for her.)]

Not too long - 'bout a week or two, I reckon. Showed up in a house full'a mirrors, same as everyone else.

[You, too? is the unspoken question.]

[ Good choice, McCree. It's a little easier for her not to want to slam his face into the nearest brick wall when he isn't purposely pushing her buttons.

Crossing her arms, her own expression falls and she makes little attempt to hide just how much this bothers her. Her life back in Deadlock Gorge wasn't exactly one that she could just up and leave, after all. ]

Huh. [ Yep. Me, too. ] That's everyone's story, ain't it?

[ She huffs, pulling off her hat and raking her fingers through her hair as she turns her gaze toward the street. ]

It don't even seem real...

Seems like.

[So much so the folks running this place weren't even surprised to see them. It's a funny thing, to McCree, but he's still waiting for the punchline.

He adjusts his hat, rolling his shoulders.]

Magic an' monsters ain't quite what I was expectin'. [And he's seen some crazy things in the past - whatever was up with the Shimadas wasn't something he thinks he'd ever understand - but this? This place takes the cake.] Feels almost like a fairy tale.

It sure ain't a fairy tale that I want a part of.

[ She puts her hat back on and rubs her sore knuckles. This entire thing is a situation out of her control with seemingly no chances of going home, and she's lost just a little too much sleep over it. Who wouldn't?

But she can agonize over that later. For now, she's restless and she really doesn't even know what to do with herself. So, why not talk to the man she just punched square in the jaw? ]

So, whatcha think about practicin' magic? You try learnin' anything yet?

[Yeah, he'll agree with that. Sure is a place he's not particularly keen on.

That lazy grin returns, and he holds up his hands. With a click of his fingers, a flame springs up in his palm.]

Learned a few neat tricks, if you don't mind me sayin'. Any luck for you? Ain't one of them beasties waitin' to change, are ya?

[ Her expression lightens just a bit as that ball of fire forms above his hand. That's amazing. She's been having quite a bit of trouble grasping the concept of magic, leading to several failed attempts and a lot of frustration. ]

Not that I know of. Nothin' new or out of place. Guess I'll count that as a blessin'.

[ She watches the flickering flame, looking wistful. ]

Haven't learned that one yet.

[It's been a long time coming. Ever since she heard about that gunslinger for hire and his bounty, she hasn't been able to keep him out of her head. It's been years, and she finally hears of him--not from him, like she expected. She kept expecting him to call, send a letter, anything... And after months of silence, she's finally taken the initiative. A few calls to her supervisors, some scheduled leave, and she's on her way to the Americas for some bounty hunting of her own.]

[He's not the easiest person to track down, not even when he's making headlines by robbing trains and protecting the sanctity of ramen shops. And while the juxtaposition of those kinds of things isn't lost on her, the chaos is still so... quintessentially McCree.]

[It takes a fair amount of time to start closing the gap between the headlines and the cowboy. She's not even sure how close she's actually getting until she stops at a bar to grab a quick bite to eat, and she spies a familiar figure sitting at the counter...]

[McCree stands out in a crowd - always has, really. The insistence on cowboy hates really made him distinct.

And, really, it's not like there's that many people in this bar to begin with. It's a seedy, dingy place with a few dedicated regulars and a barkeep who doesn't ask questions about the man with a gun. Or any of the men with guns. McCree knows this place is a hot spot, that runners and smugglers and all sorts of people stop by here to make deals, and he's...

Well.

Justice, and all that.

He doesn't notice Fareeha at first, whiskey in hand and cigar in the other. Just one more drink, and then he'll be heading out and getting his job done.]

[It's one thing to consider all the things she would say to Jesse when she caught up with him. It's another thing to be confronted with the reality that he's right there. She's not as prepared as she thought she would be.]

[Her feet start moving, carrying her towards the bar. One step at a time. Literally. Her thoughts feel strangely empty, like there should be words there that she's prepared to say, but there's just nothing. Nothing but the same question that's been running through her mind since the day she started this hunt. She touches a hand to the counter as she slides into the stool next to him.]

Hey Jesse. Been a while. [There's almost a smile on her lips, but it's a bit too strained.] Where've you been?

[He hears the steps approaching and doesn't think much of it - he's bracing himself for a fight more than anything else, is well aware of how notorious he's become, but whoever it is sits next to him.

He's surprised to hear his name, and when he turns to look at the woman it's like being punched in the gut. He'd know an Amari anywhere, and while it's been years there's no forgetting Fareeha. The bright, gifted girl who wanted to be in Overwatch so badly...

She's here, in this shithole of a bar, and for a moment he's at a loss for words. But he smooths it over with a grin, tilting his glass at her.]

Oh, y'know, here and there. Been seein' all the sights I never saw before. [He takes a sip.] Whatchu doin' all the way out here?

Looking for you.

[Her answer comes easy that way that the truth usually does with her. Blunt and direct, and maybe with a hint of accusation that she doesn't mean to be there but is anyway. It's hard to keep it all out of her voice. She hasn't seen the man in years, and he's clearly just as surprised to see her. But she also knows him like a brother, so he's going to have to try harder than that to throw her off.]

Heard you've been making trouble out here, so I thought I'd come see what you've gotten yourself into.

[The barkeep steps over to ask her order, and she puts one down that she has no intention of drink. But it gives her and Jesse more privacy if they're occupied.]

Lil ol' me?

[He says, like he isn't older than Fareeha.

He's not surprised she's heard of him, though. Making international headlines will do that, and he looks a little bit sheepish.]

Y'sure you want to be getting into this?

[Not that he thinks her incapable - she takes after her mother in more than just her looks, after all, and he knows how much work she's put in to get to her station. Still, a part of him doesn't want to risk her getting involved in the dirty work he does.]

Haven't decided that much yet. [After all, she doesn't really know what McCree has been getting up to. Sure, she's read the headlines and the opinions on what might be going on in his head... But it's not the Jesse that she knows. No one knows him like she does--at least, that's what she had thought.]

Thought we could start with the basics, you know? Like why you up and disappeared. No letters or phone calls... Must have been something important. [At least, she hopes it was.]

Fair nuff.

[He sets down his whiskey, resting his chin in his hand.

He's not... Surprised by the question. If he was in her shoes, it's exactly what he'd be wondering. Still, this isn't exactly the time or the place. Seeing Talon - Blackwatch - on the train... He knows they've got eyes and ears everywhere.

But she's clever. She can read between the lines.]

Things were gettin' a bit hot. Decided I needed to take the time to cool off, but turns out I'm no good at stayin' out of trouble.

[There was a darkness he saw, and he couldn't stand for it. It went against everything he believed, the change he'd been trying so hard to make.]

[She could read between the lines, yes... but that didn't mean that she liked the answer. They'd already lost enough of their family. First her mother; then Jack and Gabriel. Then Overwatch disbanded entirely, and it had been heart-wrenching to watch everyone go their separate ways... To watch her family get torn up like that.]

True. You're the worst at staying out of trouble. [The agreement is a grudging one, but she's not ready to not be sore at him. Even if she missed his dumb cowboy charm.] Which is why you should have called. You know any of us would have come to help you. [At least, she would have. In a heartbeat.]

Edited 2020-06-25 00:19 (UTC)

[He knows they would have, and that's the worst part. Overwatch was the closest thing McCree had to a family - Deadlock had been good, had been a home, but it hadn't been much of a family. Not the way Overwatch had been. There weren't people like Reinhardt, or Ana, or Gabriel in Deadlock.

And that's the problem.]

Y'all shouldn't be gettin' your hands dirty for me.

[There it is. That's the Jesse she remembered. The one that always thought so highly of them, but never seemed to notice how brightly he shone, too. Pharah exhales a sigh, wrapping her hands around her drink when it's delivered. The one she said she wasn't going to drink... The one she brings to her lips and takes a gulp of because she doesn't know what else to do with this man.]

And we're supposed to let you dirty yours instead? [A beat of silence.] That's not how family works, Jesse. And you know it.

•call me out

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