Thread: Take the Money and Run (Madam Mim and CaptainPeriwinkle)

The woman's giggle was met with a quicked eyebrow. She had almost been beaten half to death and likely raped, and here she was giggling? It must have been her only reaction. Sometimes he had the same sort of thing, but never in a situation like this. Pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket, he handed it to her. By all means, he wanted to be the charming gentleman that wiped her face off for her and slapped her on the rear as she was off and on her way, but Leonard was far from that man. In fact, Leonard was the opposite of a charming gentleman. He was an outlaw. Still, sometimes Leonard tried his hardest to be that Prince Charming. Normally, it didn't work and it almost always ended with someone getting killed in a very brutal fashion, but there was always a first time for everything. Paradise was a small town. Nearly everyone knew everyone else. There was one general store, one stable, one postmaster, and one railroad that ran right through the middle of the town. The population was fairly low and news often travelled quickly. If there was something to be said on one side of town, it would reach the other side before the days end. Normally the Chatty Cathys took care of the gossip and kept everyone informed. It was this reason, why Leonard gave her an odd smile. Apparently, he knew Lenora, but she didn't know him. As strange as that was, Lenord decided to run with it. Leonard. Leonard Banks. The man said with a tip of his hat. And you are. . . Stepping back, he thought for a moment. He knew who she was, and he knew who her husband was. It was be weird for him to just come right out and say it though, so of course he had to play things up. He acted as though he was giving this much thought, and wondered if she really did know who he was. Leonard was a smart man. He was very good at putting two and two together. It was the same reason why he normally didn't get caught. Lenora Brown. He finally settled on the name. Then he took a moment to look at the surroundings. She was in the alleyway of the local tavern. She must have been here because her no good, drunk husband was inside. Don't get Leonard wrong though, he wasn't shaming the alcohol, he was shaming the man who had lost his sense of responsibility. Sure, it was a woman's responsibility to cook, clean, rear children, and offer relief for more pressing physical matters, but it was the man's responsibility to make sure the woman was safe. Everyone knew that. Just like everyone knew that the Brown marriage was worse than being on the rocks. The Brown marriage had long plummeted off the cliff of dysfunction, ever since good ole Leroy had found the bottle. One thing to note about Leonard, he wasn't scared of anyone. He had clashed with Leroy once before, but it didn't lead to anything. Merely just the two butting heads before someone tore them apart. In Leonard's head though, if that altercation would have gone on for a few minutes longer, Leroy would have been a dead man. Leroy was the type of man that was all bark and no bite. The type of man that made up for his inadequacies by beating up his defenseless wife. Leonard was far from a white knight, he enjoyed a good roll in the hay as much as anyone, but he was a man that valued responsibility and social standing. Come on, let's get you home. The man said, putting his rough, calloused hand on her bare shoulder.