Arrival
A rugged town peeked over the horizon. This town was not large nor was it small, but a decent size. A town Remus could see as his home or at least imagine his life in. He trotted along the quiet road passing only a single man with a wagon which he simply gave a soft smile to. The summer sun shone over the barren landscape and both Remus and his trust horse Lupus were getting dangerously tired. They had travelled for miles at this point and the sight of civilization filled Remus with hope. Maybe he could at least find a room for the night and even explore the town and if he was lucky there may even be a job up for grabs. Past the town, the breathtaking views of the mountains and mesas appeared and a seemling winding stream flowed past the town. The closer they got the more of the town Remus was able to see. He slowed down the pace to a simple walk as they entered the town. To his surprise it was bustling with activity or as much as a town in the middle of the desert could be. The dusty streets were filled with all kinds of people. There were kids chasing each other and old people walking hand in hand window shopping. Wooden buildings lined the street of all different sizes. Some small and others large. However he did notice that the large building seemed to imply that it contained either a business or a shop with an apartment upstairs.
The last building Remus passed seemed older than the rest. It was crooked to say the least, it looked like it was going to fall apart at any given moment. What surprised him was that this building had the most traffic of people going in and out, so he dismounted his horse and tied Lupus to the hitching post next to the building. He gave his friend a good scratch before adjusting his hat and making his way through the swing doors.
The place was dimly lit by the soft flicker of oil lamps. A couple of men sat in one of the saloons corners playing poker. Remus breathed in the scent of tobacco and alcohol as he stepped further into the building. In the back of the room a long wooden bar stood. It seemed as if it had been used for years yet it was not completely worn out. Behind the bar rows of bottles and glasses were propped up on uneven shelves. The woman behind the bar had a wide brimmed hat on top of her head. Poking out underneath her hat were long dark braids and she had a stern look on her face. This changed when Remus made his way to the bar and slumped down on one of the bar chairs. He placed his hat on the bar before making eye contact with the woman. She had a pink bandana around her neck and her brown leather jacket was magnificent. The embroidery was clean and precise and it had leather tassels in the front. Remus almost felt ashamed with his own clothing choice. He only wore a simple blue shirt and a leather vest because even though the days were hot the night surly were the opposite of that. He had matched this with some simple jeans and boots of course.
“Hey there,” the bartender said. Her expression had changed, it was no longer stern instead it shone bright. With her big brown eyes she looked pretty but more than anything she looked kind. “What can I get for you?” Remus scanned the drinks before picking a simple beer and paying for it. He sat drooping over the bar, sipping slowly on his beer.
A soft piano tune soured all through the saloon. People were laughing, speaking and occasionally the sound of clinking glasses entered Remus' ears. He scanned the walls, they were filled with different pictures. Some from when the town was built and others seemed only a couple of years old, for example a picture of a rather short plump man outside his new shoe shop. He seemed delighted over his newly opened shop. At the entrance there were even wanted posters hamnade on the wooden walls.
One of the men that Remus had seen playing poker walked over to where he was sitting. He leaned over the bar before speaking. “Dorcus dear, can I get a couple of your finest beers?”
“Two of my finest beers are coming right up!” The bartender Dorcus announced before preparing the drinks. She worked in a swift motion even adding in a trick or two that acquired a laugh or two from the closes ??. Remus thought she was brilliant, the way she moved efficiently without fault. Remus let his eyes wander to the man leaning over the bar, he was handsome to say the least. He had long black hair and the tightest jeans known to man. Remus could just manage to see a tattoo peeking out from his cuffed sleeve. The man wore black cowboy shoes and held a black hat in his hand. He mainly looked put together however his hair did not match the rest of him. The way it felt wild and free, it was a weird way to describe a person's hair, but Remus felt that it fit perfectly. He wondered if the man himself was as free as his hair looked.
“Hey, you’re new ‘round here, right?” the dark haired man asked. Remus was pulled out of his thoughts. Even though Remus himself knew that he had been lost in his own thoughts, the other man certainly did not. It must have been a weird view. A random man, that did not belong in the town, was slumped over the bar and looking extremely tired was staring right into your sole. He was more surprised that the man did not start a fight. He only wore a smirk on his face as he spoke. Remus let out a small breath before replying. “Yeah, I arrived today.” he answered a tad bit unsure. ”I’m Remus.”
The man stretched out his hand as he answered. “Well, I’m Sirius, Sirius Black, but my friends call me Padfott.” Remus thought it was amusing that Sirius introduced both his first and last name and then his nickname. Who in their right mind wanders around telling people about their nicknames? Especially if it makes no sense to anyone except a small group of people, in this case Sirius friends. Remus glanced over to Dorcus who was still working on making Sirius drinks.
Out here in the scorching desert everyone seemed more relaxed, even Dorcus whose job seemed to come with a bunch of pressure. The pressure of being perfect or fitting in the town seemed to have disappeared in a strange way. Granted, Remus had only been here an hour at the most. People laughed without thinking about the consequences or saying things that otherwise would offend most people. Remus let himself relax but just the amount to seem more approachable. It was always good to be on your toes, just in case, because you never know what someone could be plotting behind your back.
Remus finally noticed Sirius' hand that was held out in front of him. He grabbed it and shook it as he replied. “Nice to meet you Sirius.” The two men’s eyes met. Remus felt his stomach fill with butterflies as he stared into the big brown eyes of Sirius ‘Padfoot’ Black. At the same time as he could get lost inside Sirius' eyes he couldn't help but feel dread. This feeling was unusual, even a tad bit unacceptable. However the moment and feelings disappeared as fast as it started. Dorcus had announced that Sirius beers were done, which Remus was grateful for. He was unsure if he could have spoken to the man longer than that without saying something completely stupid and regretted it. Sirius released his hand and picked up the glasses. “See you around, Remus.” He gave Remus a soft smile as he turned and walked over to one of the many tables.
Remus watched as he put the glass in front of a curly haired man. His glasses reflected the dim light. Sirius touched his shoulder and let out a laugh. The two spoke for a while until the curly haired man turned around and waved at Remus. At first he was unable to read if the man was waving at him or someone else. No one waved back so he assumed that the wave was directed towards him. Remus released a quiet chuckle as he waved back. Sirius smacked the man on the top of his head and it looked like he was telling him off. It was a funny dynamic between the two of them. Sirius seemed like a dad with his unruly toddler that did not understand what no meant. Even though the said toddler was about the same age as himself.
Remus ended up ordering some more drinks before heading out. He unleashed Lupus and headed to the back of the building. To his surprise, the saloon had small rooms on the second floor that they rented out to travellers and even a spot for your horse. After paying and letting Lupus rest for the day, Remus walked up the stairs that were located on the outside of the building and into the building.
The second floor consisted of one narrow corridor that led to five rooms. Remus opened number two and fell into the bed. It was not dark yet but the day had been a long one. The endless riding took a toll on him especially because it was warm outside and speaking to strangers was not one of Remus preferred activities. He let his mind drift as he listened to the muffled noise of the saloon downstairs.
The bed was not the most comfortable thing to lay on and the room could not count as a suite, but it worked for Remus. There was a window large enough to see into the street below and a wooden bedside table. This bed side table was a bit wonky and it was a miracle that it was able to have a light still standing on top of it. It was still bright outside so the room was not dark however he could imagine that the light may be needed during the night. There was no plumbing and the only toilet was outside so the light would definitely be useful. Even up on the second floor everything was made out of wood except the carpet on the floor. It was worn out but still had some colour to it.
Remus let his eyes focus on the spiderweb above the crooked door. The place was clean except for the one spiderweb. It seemed Dorcus had ordered someone to tidy the room before he got there. Remus continued watching the cobweb until a tiny spider crawled over the web. The spider sat completely still, observing the tiny room. Not long after Remus’ eyes felt heavy and he could feel himself drifting to sleep. Feeling less nervous than he did when he arrived.