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+--- Thread: Bitterroot Valley good, honest snake oil (/showthread.php?tid=66606)
good, honest snake oil - Vanja - November 30, 2025
the trail narrowed again as it curled between firs and the scent of lakewater began to thicken. twitch kept a loose pace ahead of him, not running but settled into a half-bouncing gait like she wasn’t bracing for anything. it would still be a few minutes before they reach it.
she hopped over a root, barely clearing it, then shot him a look over her shoulder like she’s warning him not to mention it. a high-flagging tail-tip flicks in his face before it falls again. “not really sure i’m allowed to ask, but where are you from?” she asked as they walked.
a patch of sunlight spilled across the trail. she walked right through it, shaking out her mane absently. “this part’s nice in the morning,” she said. “gets real gold, like—” her brows pinched, thinking of the right comparison. when she doesn’t land on one, she opts for feeling instead: “well, it’s either really melancholy or really comforting. in the moment.” the concept slows her for breath, eyes flirting about the sky like she’s trying to guess when it will happen. not yet, she thinks. soon.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Barrett - November 30, 2025
rdr2 mission for the title... i see you... <3
Barrett followed behind in easy silence, majorly puffed out from the run, and yet, not denying of any conversation. Considering the last words that had been shared, he wanted to be careful with whatever he may have to say, although he knew that she did not necessarily need such a thing.
He let out a slight chuckle at her half-bound, but raised his brows and flattened his lips at the look she shot towards him. Let his face follow the tip of her tail, as if savouring it.
Where'm I from, huh?He echoed, almost as if asking himself the question, too.
Thing is, I don't think I really remember,tone was a muse, though one that was... forlorn. All-too-conscious of something that was now lost. Figures, once as real and true as the earth beneath him, turned to shadow and ash. Nothing more than a foggy memory.
But something within his spirit rose, when he saw the way in which the golden rays spilled across her figure, catching on her mountain-against-valley hues and decorating her in warmth. He wanted to comment on it—not to make a move, necessarily, but rather, an observation, akin to a critique before a fine portrait, sharing opinion on the masters' fine strokes and careful lines.
Reminds me a' somethin',he chuckled, blunt in saying but warm in gaze. Barrett moved to walk beside the woman, now, flicking his tail across to quietly mingle with her own, should she so accept.
You remember anythin' 'bout yerself, miss?Came a question of his own. She was not obliged to answer; that much, he was sure that she knew. Gave her a careful look. A warm gaze, before he turned back to the trail. Saying the following within silence:
You ain't gotta share, but I'll listen if ya do.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Vanja - November 30, 2025
twitch slid him a side-eye at the question—one of those quick, foxlike glances that never gave away much, but caught everything. for a second, she considered joking it off. the low-hanging fruit was there, but she doesn’t prod. his words were sincere, near mournful behind it all, and she wasn’t cruel enough to stomp on it.
“mm,” she hummed, picking her step around a knot of exposed roots. “guess that makes two of us.” she didn’t look at him when she said it—more focused on the path ahead. her ears angled back, though, halfway toward him, like she wanted to show she wasn’t shutting him out.
“i remember pieces,” she admitted. “nothing specific. left home early, so it been a bit of a blur. didn’t have a lot of structure, you see,” it’s a heavily condensed summary with the bad bits pulled out—she had no desire to make herself vulnerable. a beat passed.
“think sega was throwing me a bone when i ran into him again a month back. wasn’t doing great.” she kicked a pinecone off the trail with a lazy swipe of her paw. “he’s sweet. probably wouldn’t be here if not for him.” she doesn’t elaborate further, instead permitting him to interpret himself.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Barrett - December 01, 2025
Barrett wasn't alone, it seemed, in his onset-amnesia. She did not reveal more of herself, but she was not silent for very long, either. Not quite an invitation, but, not quite a wall. But then, Twitch continued. Gave a little piece of herself to him. A small fact, a hint at her past, and it was this that he would savour. Remember, be grateful of, for the fact that she was sharing anything at all felt like something that he could be proud of.
Ya seem good, now,he hummed, a gentle observation. But at the mention of Sega being sweet—which, logically, Barrett knew was true, and even found himself agreeing with—he found something fiercely jealous coursing through him. However, Barrett blinked away the feeling, swaying his tail and, with a smile, saying:
Sweet, huh? This not your first date, princess?And while his tone was a tease, a humour sweet and true, there was something in his eyes that flickered like embers. Something that warned for her to be pushed away. Some sort of self-preservation.
But he ignored it. Pushed it down with a swallow of the growing lump in his throat. Looked back towards the lake.
Looks like we're gettin' closer,he mused, gesturing his nose forwards, where the dawning sky twinkled within the water.
You fancy a swim, lil' thing?This time, more genuine.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Vanja - December 01, 2025
twitch huffed, soft but certain, “i don’t think ‘good’ is the word you’re lookin’ for,” she muttered, brushing past a bramble that snagged at her fur. “i’m coherent. you don’t know me well enough to say anything else.” she lays it out plain, factual, the way someone might state the weather.
his second question snared her harder. she stopped mid-step, shoulder dipping in a faint flinch before she forced herself forward again. “he has a wife.” she says, “i don’t really think i’m his type.”
she angled her chin toward the shimmer of water through the trees. “s’awful cold for a swim,” she answered, softening. “but i don’t mind watching.”
RE: good, honest snake oil - Barrett - December 01, 2025
He felt that he might've hit a nerve. And while she didn't seem overly offended—or, perhaps she merely soldiered through—the big lump of a man still felt the need to apologise. He would, soon, once he could get the words right in his head. Wash guilt off within the water.
Tha's alright,he hummed now, pushing through the treeline and taking heavy steps towards the lake. He turned his head back to Twitch, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
If I drown, don't tell anyone, yeah? Mighty embarrassin' way ta go,and he turned his face away to approach the water, tail flagging high behind him. Perhaps confident.
He'd test the water, now. Freezing. Waiting to see if Twitch would come any closer. Thought to splash her, if she did, but decided against it.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Vanja - December 02, 2025
twitch’s ears pressed halfway back the moment he went quiet. the internal regret is an immediate one—not because she didn’t mean it—but because she did and her tone was off. she felt the sting immediately, tongue running across her lips in spiked nervousness. it does not last
“—sorry,” she cut in quick, “didn’t mean it like...” a pause while she stared open-mouthed, face blank as snow, at a tree across the water. an anxious scoff before she continues: ”uh, you’re fine. sorry.” it is uncomfortably awkward coming out of her mouth.
he continues toward the lake and she is quick at his heel, only a few beats behind, something sheepish tucked into the angle of her ears. his comment offers a chance for quick rebound, and she takes it eagerly. “i’ll have to consider it,” she said, hopping from one patch of dry earth to another until she found a comfortable spot near the bank. “y’haven’t quite wooed me well enough for me to spare your dignity in death.”
she nudged a pebble with her paw, flicked it into the shallows. “so, just outta curiosity, are you planning on asking all the girls to swim with you, or am i the chosen one?
RE: good, honest snake oil - Barrett - December 02, 2025
She moves quickly, hopping to find a place to make do by the lake. It is when she finds someplace to sit that he begins to wade into the lake, moving with an uncharacteristic grace as to not toss up too much of the water and end up accidentally splashing the lady nearby. A silent kindness that he would not grant for many others. She was special, in that way.
All'a them? Who am I to ya?He scoffed with a faux roll of his eyes, smirk tugging at his face.
Just you, princess. Reckon I might try n' see who else'd actually have the balls to take a dive, though. Freezin' 'n here,he laughed. Warmth bloomed within him, providing some sort of temperature regulation, afterall.
I mean,he joked, now.
Nah, it's perfectly lovely in 'ere, come try, huh?Though he knew she wouldn't be the type to try.
And he was perfectly fine with that. Barrett was content with simply watching her linger by the lake, with making easy conversation while he swam. Was there a better way to be? He didn't think so.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Vanja - December 02, 2025
twitch snorted under her breath, nose wrinkling. theatrics. “what are you to me?” she echoed, rolling the pebble between her toes before letting it drop. “dunno. but if you start collectin’ swim-partners like trading cards, i’ll revoke your ‘chosen one’ privileges immediately.”
“join you? pass,” she said immediately. “i got too many brain cells and not enough body-fat left to jump into that. you’d have to lug my frozen corpse back to shore.” she was close enough now, only a few feet from where the lake fanned over smooth stones. lowering herself to her belly, she folds her legs up beneath her and coils her tail loosely around her hocks.
“’s a shame, though,” she added, eyes tracing the arc of his shoulders as he moved through the water. “nice out. wouldn’t mind it otherwise. cold ruins the fun.”
RE: good, honest snake oil - Barrett - December 03, 2025
Even below the surface of the lake, Barrett moved with a clear confidence within his muscles, the water streaming down his head, flattening his furs to his skin and half-way freezing him to death.
Yer mah only swim-partner, princess,he purred, lips curving in a sly smile.
'Long as I'm the only one fer ya, too, huh?Tilting his head upwards so that he may meet her gaze.
She grew closer to the lake. Closer, so that he may pull her in, bring her down by the scruff and laugh, but he was uncertain as to how receptive of such a thing she would be, so, rather, he said:
I could warm ya up, if we stayed close,and there was a clear implication behind his words. One that he hinted at with a raise of his brow and a chuckle that rattled his shoulders. Barrett felt her eyes on him. Wouldn't shy away from her gaze. Rather, wore it with pride.
It was after a few beats that he begun to pull himself out of the lake.
Fuckin' freezin',he chattered, a low, humorous huff leaving his maw. It was now that he shook out his pelt, shooting a mischievous glance in Twitch's direction as he did. Not purposeful, but hilarious all the same, no doubt.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Vanja - December 03, 2025
water sheets down his shoulders and his coat flattens against it show off muscle, and she stared openly like it was a show intended for her with half-lidded eyes flicking up and down whatever parts of him were visible, one corner of her mouth curling up.
shameless as sin, twice as obvious. she wouldn’t mind having such a view all to herself, as he suggested. “yeah, yeah,” she muttered, but it came out softer, almost a hum. “only swim-partner. fine. twist my leg.” the girl’s eyes flick up to find his gaze already trained to her.
his comment makes her still. breathlessly, her lashes flutter—oh. she didn’t flinch, didn’t blush, but her pupils tighten with a sharp and sudden interest. discomfort is not the word she would match the feeling in her stomach to. “okay,” the look on her face clarifies her meaning: it is not a dismissal, nor is it a no.
her chin follows him as the man draws himself from the lake, moving just past her shoulder. it’s too late when she realizes why—“nononodon’tyoudare—!” too late indeed. a blast of frigid spray smacks her straight across the face and chest and she squawks, undignified, before snapping her teeth at the air, sputtering out lakewater and laughter both. “shameless ass.”
blah blah blah.. proper name, place name, backstory stuff…
RE: good, honest snake oil - Barrett - December 03, 2025
He saw the look upon her face. He was no fool, nor was he blind, but he knew, as well, to not let it get to his already big head. He'd be lucky, he knew, if that was the expression that he thought it was.
But her cry of indignance, her scream, rumbled a laugh from deep within his belly, gravelly in its tone but genuine all the same. Barrett could hear it, hidden away somewhere: she laughed, too.
My apologies, princess,he chuckled. The man strode further forwards, rolling his shoulders and stretching out his limbs. Invigorated, after freezing halfway to death in the lake.
He turned back to look at Twitch, a smile sitting wide upon his otherwise hard face. Something boyish and warm twinkled within his gaze.
Thinkin' we should head back now,he mused, rather unashamedly letting his eyes trail over her figure, pelt tussled from the water. He chuckled again.
Dry off as we go, huh?Came a smirk.
RE: good, honest snake oil - Vanja - December 03, 2025
she wiped a paw down her face, flicking cold droplets off her whiskers with a disgruntled little huff that didn’t match the grin tugging at her mouth. her tail thumped once—traitorous thing—before she reined it back in.
“apologies my ass,” twitch pushed herself up, shaking out her coat in a halfhearted spray of her own, though nothing close to what he’d hit her with. “sure, sure,” she said, standing close enough their shoulders brushed as she fell into step beside him. “lead the way, pretty boy.”
fade?
RE: good, honest snake oil - Barrett - December 03, 2025
He would remember that. Being called pretty boy, by her. It plumed a pinkish warmth, within him. Gave a confidence to his step that he was not so sure had been carried beforehand. And as he led them, he would cast her a sidelong glance, corners of his lips tugging further upwards as they went.
Barrett did not want this to end.
But it must, as all things did, and such weighed heavy like a stone within his chest. He knew, though, that with a new dawn, a new day, he could resume his place next to her, and maybe that was all he needed.
A sense of hope.
<3