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“This is the last time I decide to sleep in until the afternoon...” Margarita sighed to herself as she wiped away some of the sweat that had gathered on her brow. She squinted to look ahead through the hazy heat, but all her eyes could see was the seemingly endless prairie ahead of her. “Ugh...”
Groaning, she leaned back in her saddle, kicking her legs out to get rid of the cramps that were starting to develop from all the time she had spent riding through the hot weather. “Sorry, you’re probably not feeling any better about this, are you...?” She offered the Fox Trotter a sympathetic smile and gently petted his mane. The horse responded with a small huff, shaking his head.
“Hopefully we can reach a town soon...” Margarita adjusted her hat and glanced to the sky. The sun was starting to set. Soon the scorching temperatures would turn cold, and the darkness would force her into setting up a makeshift camp, which left her vulnerable to many dangers. Her main concern was attacks from wild animals, but there was also the chance some ill-willed traveler could come across her and rob her blind - or worse.
Not wanting to take her chances with that, Margarita continued onward. The sky steadily became saturated with beautiful shades of red, orange, and purple as the sun slowly retreated past the horizon. There was relief came with it, due to the heat no longer beating down upon her skin. However, it was still a looming reminder of how her window of time was getting smaller and smaller. “I really wish I had a map with me...even though I can’t read those for the life of me...at least it would be something to go on.”
The further she continued; the more anxiety began to seep into her mind like a poison. She was more than positive that she was hopelessly lost at this point. “Nnnn...” She pulled on the reins of her horse in order to bring him to a stop. “Come on there has to be something to point me in the right direction.” She reached into the satchel at her side and pulled out a small pair of worn out binoculars. She used them to scour the vast landscape in hopes of finding anything that could be a sign of civilization. “Please God, give me some sort of sign!”
It was then that she spotted in the far distance, a beaten path and a sign post marking a correct path to civilization. For a moment, Margarita paused and simply stared at the sight. "Well...I did ask for a sign. God likes to be a bit literal minded, huh?” Not willing to question this blessing further or risk saying something blasphemous, Margarita quickly returned the binoculars to her bag. “This way boy. Come on!”
She motioned for her horse to go in the direction of the sign and, with a small whinny, he obediently followed her command. When they got close enough, Margarita saw the wear and tear to the sign that she hadn’t been able to see through the binoculars. The town names that were once there were now hidden under layers of dust and dirt. This path either hadn’t been traveled in quite a while, or no one felt bothered enough to take care of it. “If I had the time...I would fix it myself...but for now we just have to follow the directions and hope for the best...”
Margarita led her horse down the path towards whatever destination awaited her. The sun had already long set by the time she finally came across salvation in the form of a sleepy little town. “Thank God...”
Most of the town was dark, but she could see lights flickering from a nearby saloon. Though it seemed to be empty, maybe there was a small chance that it was still open to travelers. Margarita knew there was only one way to find out.
She led her horse right outside the tavern and climbed down, stretching out her back with a loud pop. Her legs felt like jelly at first, but the feeling soon subsided, and she was able to walk over and tie the horse’s reins to a wooden post. “Take a nice break, you’ve earned it.”
The horse responded by gently nudging her with his head. Feeling secure in leaving him like this, she headed into the tavern, pushing the doors open slowly.
As it had appeared from the outside, the dimly-lit saloon was pretty much completely empty. The chairs had even been stacked on top of the tables, showing that this place had probably closed a while ago. There was still one person present though – a pretty teenage girl who stood behind the bar, carefully cleaning a mug. When she heard the door open, she lifted her head and looked at Margarita with striking gold eyes that were full of vigor and life.
“Well I’ll be...not many people come by this late at night. I was just about to lock up.” She sat down the glass and sassily rested a hand on her hip.
Margarita felt her entire body flair with heat in embarrassment. “Oh! ¡Perdone! If you need me to leave I ca-”
“Don’t worry! It’s fine. You look downright exhausted. It would be rude of me to just kick ya right out into the dirt.” She smiled and motioned to the bar stool in front of her. “Come on! Take a seat and I’ll get ya something to drink.”
“O...Okay...” Margarita couldn’t exactly say no at this point. It would be far too rude. Plus, she had no idea where else she could go aside from here.
Hesitantly, she walked over to the bar stool and sat down, resting against the bar with a small sigh. Now that she was much closer to this girl, she could feel a very powerful energy emanating from her. Without a shadow of a doubt, she had to be a food soul like her.
“E-Excuse me...”
The girl paused in the middle of pouring a drink to face Margarita with a curious look on her face. “Yeah? What is it?”
Margarita traced her fingers against the wood below her, not breaking eye contact. “Are you a food soul?”
The girl blinked a little in surprise, before breaking out into a wide, sunshiny grin. “Heh! Yep I sure am! I’m guessin’ you must be one too if ya figured it out that quickly.” She quickly finished pouring the drink and walked over to Margarita, setting down in front of her.
“I am. I’m Margarita.” She stared at the glass momentarily before she picked it up and took a small sip, pleasantly surprised to taste a nice refreshing cider. Licking her lips, she quickly drained the glass of its contents – earning her a small chuckle from the girl.
“Margarita, huh? Been a while since I’ve ran into an alcohol food soul.” She pursed her lips slightly as she took the glass to pour Margarita another drink. “Actually, been a while since I seen other food souls period, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, I’m Cornbread. It’s awful nice to meet ya.”
She set a refilled glass in front of Margarita, which was more than happily accepted. “It’s nice to meet you Cornbread. Are you all alone here?”
“Mmm...sorta. For right now at least. My lil sis, Apple Pie, is asleep upstairs and my Boss is off to do some business.” Cornbread leaned against the bar; their faces rather close but not enough so that it made Margarita nervous. If anything, Margarita couldn’t help but be captivated. “Since I don’t see a Master Attendant with ya, I’m assumin’ you’re a rouge.”
“Yes. I'm actually on my way to meet up with my older brother, Tequila, but I ended up getting a little lost and wandered around until the sun started setting. Thankfully, God gave me a much-needed blessing and showed me the path to this town.” Margarita nursed her glass, her gaze shifting around the saloon to take in all of its details and nuances. Despite it being so dim and empty, it had a very comforting and homey atmosphere to it. She could only imagine how bustling and energetic it must be during the day time.
“Goodness, it’s a great thing ya found this place!! There have been all sorts of reports of coyotes wandering around at night and attacking the occasional traveler.” Margarita’s attention quickly turned back to Cornbread. “It woulda been real terrible if you’d gotten attacked out there.”
“God really did bless me then...” Margarita quietly mumbled under her breath. She played with a lock of her hair, fixated on Cornbread’s sparkling eyes. “I may be a support soul, but that doesn’t change the fact that I can feel pain just like anyone else.”
“I get ya. Just cause ya can heal yourself don’t mean ya suffer any less when you’re attacked. I know that pretty well.”
“You do...? Are you also a support soul...?”
Cornbread shook her head. “Nah...but I...I once knew an alcohol food soul that had healin’ powers. So, I've seen how that sorta stuff goes down.” Margarita couldn’t help but notice the look in Cornbread’s eyes turn solemn. But it didn’t last long before she was offering her another warm smile. “I’m really glad ya didn’t get hurt out there...”
Margarita wasn’t sure why, but those last words made her heart flutter. She wasn’t used to someone she just met showing her this type of kindness and concern. So far on her journey, she had mostly been met with indifference from people whenever she stopped somewhere to rest. It felt like it had been far too long since anyone was genuinely kind to her.
“Y-Yeah...m-me too...” Margarita’s cheeks heated up with a small blush, something she hoped would be obscured in the dimness of the saloon.
Cornbread went quiet after this, taking Margarita’s glass to go wash it. As she did this, Margarita slowly got up from her seat and began to absentmindedly wander around the saloon. She was eventually drawn towards a collection of photographs hanging on the wall, with one particular photo instantly catching her attention. It was of Cornbread holding up her shotgun triumphantly next to a butchered Enhanced Uke Mochi. The thing was so massive it didn’t even completely fit into the photo. The only way Margarita could even tell what it was, was by the numerous teeth and eyes that covered it.
“She must be so strong to have taken that thing down all on her own...” Margarita thought. There was no way in Heaven or Hell that she could do the same. She had no offensive moves to speak of, and the little pistol Tequila had given her wouldn’t even make a dent in something like that creature.
“Hey Margarita, ya okay over there?”
Margarita gave a startled jump and turned back to Cornbread, who was looking her up and down with slightly concerned look. “Ya just been kinda wanderin’ around like a blind dog in a meat house.”
“Don’t worry, I promise I’m fine...” She turned back to look at the photograph. “Do you get a lot of fallens around here...?”
Cornbread stepped out from behind the bar and walked over to Margarita, standing next to her. She leaned back against a table behind them and hummed.
“Sometimes. Not as often as ya might think. Ain’t bad enough that I can’t handle it on my own. I mean not to toot my own horn but I’m probably one of the best sharpshooters ever.” She crossed her arms behind her head with a confident, almost cocky, look on her face. Margarita couldn’t help but be both impressed and amused.
“My big brother would probably beg to differ.”
“That so, well when ya make it over to him, tell him that I’m more than ready to challenge him to a contest to prove him otherwise~”
“Oh, he would be more than happy to take on another food soul. He’s the type that’s always itching for a challenge.” Though, this tended to get Tequila in trouble more often than not. Usually Margarita tried to keep him under control whenever she was around him, but in this case, she wouldn’t mind seeing him let lose in order to go up against Cornbread. A contest between two powerful sharpshooters would be something to behold.
“Well, lucky for him, I’m the same way~” Cornbread winked.
“I’d like to see that for myself.” Margarita chuckled. She then paused, her eyes slowly gazing down to the floor. “Too bad you can’t come with me to meet up with him. It’s been a long time since I’ve met anyone this nice to me.”
Upon realizing what she had blurted out, Margarita swallowed hard. A heavy silence filled the air between the two of them, and Margarita attempted to distract herself from it by counting all the little tiny patterns and lines within the wood planks.
“That so...?”
Margarita bit her lip and her body tensed slightly before she slowly nodded. “Y...Yeah...I...um...it’s always been hard for me to make friends...Tequila is really all I have...” Margarita started to twiddle her thumbs nervously. “You’ve been so nice to me so far...so it makes me really happy.”
The silence carried on and Margarita felt her body heat up again, this time with nervousness. Her eyes began to swell with tears that threatened to fall at any moment. Her chest started to feel tight, and her mind raced. “Why did I say that? Am I really that lonely? God, she probably thinks that I’m pathetic...”
She felt a hand tenderly rest on her shoulder, causing her to flinch in response.
“Hey...it’s okay t’ be honest. I know what it’s like...feelin’ all alone.”
“Y-You do...” Margarita slowly rose her head up and looked over at Cornbread. Gravity caused the tears in her eyes to slip down her cheeks, much to her humiliation. It has been so long since she had cried in front of another person, and it made her feel like a small child.
Cornbread didn’t comment on it though. She merely smiled at her, moving her hand to wipe away the tears with her thumb. The gentle gesture calmed Margarita’s nerves, her anxieties fading away until she was able to breathe normally again.
“Yeah. I felt real alone for quite a while before my Boss summoned Apple Pie. Boss is actually the first Master Attendant I’ve really had, before that I lived with Papa...m-my creator...and well things didn’t really end very well for us. I can’t really remember my death too vividly...but it felt like no time passed at all before I was in this new strange place with people I’d never met...far away from the quiet home I knew when I was little. I felt...lost. Aimless. Alone.” Cornbread kicked her feet across the floor, her boots leaving small scuff marks. “So, I get exactly where yer comin’ from, Margarita.”
Margarita wasn’t really sure what to feel upon hearing this little story. Her mind lit aflame with a mix of empathy, sadness, and relief at knowing there was someone who understood how she felt. In comparison, even Tequila had trouble understanding why she felt so lonely. Unlike her, he never had trouble making friends with just about anyone he encountered.
“...That...does sound very lonely...”
There was another, much lighter, silence that fell between them. Cornbread stared down with a contemplative expression, reaching her hand to take Margarita’s.
“...Ya know...Boss doesn’t really mind it when I go off on my own...and if my guess is right then he should be back sometime tomorrow.” Cornbread gave a soft hum and the smile on her face became rather mischievous. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind it if I went off for a few days. Besides, they say that food souls should stick together, and it sounds like ya could really use someone to help guide you so you don’t get lost again~”
Margarita’s heart started to pound so hard in her chest she thought it would explode at any second. “Really!? You would come with me!?”
“Boss can handle the saloon on his own without me and I think my horse wouldn't mind stretching her legs either. If ya don’t mind me bringin' my lil sis along too, I would be more than happy to travel with ya for a little while.
“Eeeee!!” Margarita started to eagerly hop in place, her bliss almost overwhelming her. “This is so exciting!! D-Does this make us friends now??”
“Yeah...it sure does.”
Without really thinking, Margarita practically pounced on Cornbread as she gave the other a tight hug. As much as Cornbread attempted to keep her balance, it was all for naught, as a simple slip back sent them both falling down onto the floor with squeals and a thud that shook the tables around them. Margarita found herself lying right on top of Cornbread, her fall broken by her body.
“Ah...I-I’m sorry. I guess I got a bit too excited...” Margarita mumbled, lifting herself off of Cornbread. She quickly noticed that she looked rather dazed and feared for a moment that she might have hit her head in the fall. “Cornbread...?”
Cornbread’s eyes slowly moved to meet Margarita’s and the two of them stared at one another. Without warning, Cornbread suddenly broke out into a fit of giddy laughter.
“Aw man. You’re just chock fulla energy ain’t ya!?” She reached up and ruffled her hand through Margarita’s brunette hair. “It’s kinda cute, really.”
“C-Cute...?” Margarita’s cheeks turned a dark red. Flustered, she quickly scrambled to get off of Cornbread, fumbling right onto the floor. As she laid there, staring at the ceiling, she heard Cornbread start to laugh again.
“Yeah!” Cornbread jumped up to her feet and offered a hand to Margarita, which she slowly took. Cornbread quickly pulled her up to her feet with little effort, as if she didn’t weigh a single pound. Margarita wasn’t sure whether to feel impressed or even more flustered. “I like it. I think I’m gonna have a lot of fun traveling with ya, Margarita.”
Margarita wiggled in place, a tiny smile on her face. She looked down at her feet in an attempt to avoid Cornbread seeing her flustered face. “I... I think I’m going to have a lot of fun too...” She absentmindedly tugged at the fingers of her gloves, playing with the thin leather. She felt Cornbread rest a hand on top of her head, giving her an affectionate pat.
“We got a lot to look forward to! For now, though, I think it’s about time we both hit the hay, wouldn’t you say?”
Oh yeah. It just occurred to Margarita that even though she had taken shelter here, she hadn’t exactly put any foresight into the possibility of her staying the night. “I...Is that an offer to stay...?”
Cornbread gave her a dumbfounded look, as if that was an odd question to ask. “Of course it is!! Where else are ya gonna go!”
“I-I-I don’t know!! I just wanted to make sure!!” Margarita wasn’t sure if her face could burn any hotter than it was. Maybe it would be best to shut her mouth before she managed to say anything else ridiculous or dumb.
Cornbread shook her head. “Honestly...such a silly thing ya are. Come on, we got a guest room for situations like this.” She motioned for Margarita to follow her, and lead her back into the kitchen. She opened up a back door, which led to a flight of rickety stairs. Cautiously, Margarita made her way up the stairs with Cornbread, the floorboards creaking underneath each of their steps.
Unlike the saloon below them, the upper floor was not lit up with any lanterns, so the only thing illuminating the small hallway was the light of the moon and stars shining through a single dirty window.
“Here...” Cornbread walked to the very end of the hallway and unlocked the right door with a key she pulled from her pocket. “Do you need anything before ya go to sleep?”
Margarita frantically shook her head. “N-No. No. No. You’ve already done so much for me. I don’t think I need anything else!!” She clutched the fabric of her skirt and started to move past Cornbread, but was stopped when her hand grabbed her wrists. “H-Huh...?”
Cornbread’s eyes were softly lidded as she glanced at Margarita affectionately. “Sleep well, Maggie.” She leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.
Before Margarita could fully process any of what just happened, Cornbread quickly left and headed back downstairs. So, Margarita was left standing in the doorway – frozen like a startled deer.
“S...She gave me a kiss...s-she called me Maggie...” Margarita slowly turned around and shut the door behind her, leaning against the sturdy wood. In the silence, she could hear her own heart thumping away at her ribcage.
The shock she felt didn’t last very long before it melted into the warmth of happiness and joy.
“God, is it possible to feel this strongly for someone so quickly...?”
Margarita walked across the room and gazed out the window to the sleepy town and all of its little wooden buildings and weathered cabins. In the far distance, the vast prairie she had been lost in only hours ago loomed calmly – ready to be traveled upon once more once the sun rose.
She could hardly wait.