Aiden woke up in a most uncomfortable manner, having had something akin to a rock pressing into his hip all night. He imagined reaching under the covers and finding a scorpion, but he was most gratefully alone in his cot. He reached into his pocket and found a ball of paper. He collapsed on his pillow once he realized what it was.

It was so like Aiden to leave that pamphlet for the bounty hunting job in his pants despite having washed them. It had reduced itself to a paper boulder. The paper was dissolving a bit, but the ink had held steady and he could read most of the words. He unraveled it and looked at the front. Aiden indulged himself for a moment.

He knew how to sail. He could work given the right circumstances. The ocean was pleasant, and he could use a compass, tug a halyard, steer a ship. It was so easy that he hadn't really considered it an option. He was a little out of practice though. He hadn't been sailing since the voyage with Tanner, when he was younger and impassioned about life.

Aiden put the paper back in his pocket. Then he slid out of bed and wandered outside. He had plans to go to Dead Man's Palm and sell Tanner's gun. He walked into the stables. Eli Hale's painted horse whinnied. Aiden smiled. Nova wasn't there. He sighed. He walked back to the stable door when he heard voices outside, so he kept quiet and peered out the window.

"You want to know the story of how I won my first rodeo? I'm a champion, actually." Aiden scoffed to himself. Rich Haworth was no rodeo champion. He could barely control Nova. Aiden did his best to hold his tongue. Haworth rounded the corner, his arm wrapped dangerously low around a woman's waist. He stopped before he entered the stable. "There's a statue of me out in Trinity Gorge, but they never got my proportions right. Something about the jawline. Not sharp enough," he said, running his finger along the dark red hair on his cheeks and chin.

Aiden moved quickly for the little door on the far side of the building. His hand grazed the doorknob. He jiggled it and turned it. Haworth pushed the stable doors open as Aiden tugged on the doorknob. It broke off from the door instead of doing something useful. Aiden wanted to bash himself atop the skull with it.

"Payne, my buddy!"

Aiden's lips screwed up, nearly twisted full circle before he spun around. He tossed the doorknob onto the tack table and took off his hat. "Hey, Haworth." He bowed at the woman. "Mornin'."

Haworth broke away from the woman and pulled Aiden towards him. He tousled Aiden's blond hair with his knuckles. "Hey, Payne why don't you tell Ms. Li about my first rodeo, huh?"

Aiden scratched his temple. "Yeah."

Ms. Li brushed her pin-straight black hair out of her face and listed her head. "How old are you?" she asked, with her hand still raised, finger pointing tentatively.

Aiden took a moment to think. For some reason his age never came to mind as quickly as it should have. "Uh, eighteen, ma'am."

Haworth's hand shot up to cover his mouth. Ms. Li's finger dipped just under her chin. She leaned her heart-shaped face on it and sighed. "Goodbye Mr. Haworth." She gathered the skirts of her dress and left the stables, where she hopped up onto her horse and rode off.

Aiden scratched the back of his head. "What did I say?"

"I won my 'first rodeo' when I  was eighteen." Haworth crossed his arms and tapped a finger against his elbow. "Well, we've got ourselves a hair in the butter dish, don't we? It's all small potatoes. My fault. We'll change it. Let's say I won when I was twenty-three, alright? You saw me when you were seven years old and you were all astonishment. Got it?"

"Seven years old?" Aiden asked. "I have an accent. She'd never believe that I kept my accent."

"Doesn't matter. Women adore accents. They'll love you." He dipped his head towards Aiden. "And then me. Mostly me." He pulled Nova up to the trough so she could drink some water. Haworth was no rodeo bigshot, but he liked to embellish his stories when he spotted a good looker.

Aiden couldn't wait to change the topic. "Wagner hasn't paid us yet."

Haworth took a whole tomato out of his bag and bit into it. The red juice dribbled down his chin. Aiden didn't understand why he ate them. Haworth was born in Dead Man's Palm, but had lived in Aydesreve for most of his life. While he didn't look like an Aydesrevean, he sure acted like one sometimes. "No. He doesn't have the money." Haworth shook his head. "Leave it to a rich man."

"Tanner wasn't paying you either?" Aiden asked. "The whole time?"

"Nope," Haworth said. "Did you wash Nova after you took her out the other night?"

"Yeah, I washed Nova." Aiden walked over and sat on a barrel of water. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Haworth bit into his tomato to postpone the conversation. He patted Nova on the rear lightly. "'Cause it wasn't worth getting down in the mouth about," he said. "It is what it is. Now Tanner's off drinking like a fish anyway."

Aiden swallowed hard. His heart plummeted. "Yeah, but that's not what I'm going on about. I'm going to leave."

Haworth snorted. He reached out with his dirty hand and ruffled Aiden's hair again. "You're a little misguided, you know that?" He looked at his tomato for a moment. His lips pursed together in disgust, but he shrugged and took another bite. He pushed the fruit into his cheek. "Whatever, Aiden." He smiled and drew the tomato back to his teeth. He mashed it up.

Aiden frowned. "You're a cynic." Haworth shrugged again and gave the remnants of the tomato to Nova. She slobbered all over his hand. He wiped it on his pants and scratched her head.

Haworth and Aiden would've been more than a little depressed to admit that they were the only friends each other had. In fact, Rich Haworth was the closest thing Aiden had ever had to a friend. Amelia Rose was his friend, but he realized it was different with her. She was one of those people--it was never enough just to know her. You could either hate her, or you could feel the entire world for her. Amelia Rose lived from one blistering, poetry-starved moment to the next. It could never be simple like it was with Rich Haworth.

Haworth ran his hands through Nova's hair and gave her a doubtful glance. "Sorry, creepmouse. No more tomatoes." He gently kissed her forehead.

"I need to ride out to Dead Man's Palm today," Aiden said.

"Yeah, alright." Haworth scratched his beard. He got to work repairing the stable from rot. While it was work that had to be done, it was also Haworth's favorite kind to do. He'd take woodworking to digging up Wagner's spoils any day.

"I'll see you, Haw."

Later than afternoon, Aiden fit Nova up with her saddle and reins. He tucked Tanner's pistol into the saddlebag. They left the stables and cantered down the road to Dead Man's Palm. It was a tolerable trip, but Nova was full of energy. The pair got there only thirty minutes later. The sun was beginning to scorch Aiden's skin. He patted the side of Nova's neck as he tied her up to the hitching post. Her sweat came off thick. He pulled her into the shade of the portico. With the remaining water from his canteen, he filled up the trough. Nova dropped her head and drank the water up. She grinned at him with her white teeth. He slipped Tanner's gun from his saddlebag and placed it into his oversized boot.

Inside the general store, the man at the counter was showing a woman some ribbons that he had for sale. Aiden looked out the window.

"I will have to take another look at the dresses," the woman said.

The shopkeeper nodded. "Take your time, ma'am." As she moved away, the man leaned over the counter. "What can I do for you today?" he asked Aiden.

"I came in about week ago to sell a gun."

"You," he said, "I remember you. So, are you going to sell me that gun of yours or what? I've got the money now." He opened his cash register and showed Aiden a shiny octan.

"Um." he paused. If the shopkeeper remembered Aiden, he'd certainly be able to tell people who sold him the gun. Everyone knew that if Tanner left, he would have brought his gun with him. Aiden couldn't do it no matter how much he needed the money. "No." He shook his head. "My boss decided to keep it after all." He dug his hand into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the sailing job announcement.

"So, what did you come here for?" The shopkeeper asked, looking more than a little miffed.

"I—"

A low gunshot rang out in the streets. Aiden stumbled back, taking out a display of sweet-smelling soaps.