05-10-2020, 09:20 PM
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— sometimes the only option left was to stand and watch the world burn. people could get so wrapped up in it all; screaming, crying, unable and unwilling to think in the heat of the moment. the people here were honest and innocent, leading modest and simple lives. one thing could go out of place and most of them would crumble. everything could be falling apart in a quick downward spiral, and yet richard would stand amid the violence undisturbed, as if he had seen chaos all around him many times before. he was not a man born from darkness, but a man who carried it so well it seemed like he was.
eyes watched through the blinds while distant figures neared the small town, a careful hand slowly drawing his gun from its holster. this raid wouldn’t be the first time everything around him fell apart; if anyone knew him or his history, they would be able to state that it wouldn’t be the first time, and probably wouldn’t be the last either. permanence was never meant for the banner family, richard had come to learn from a young age. nothing good could last forever. even a place as modest, clean, and harmless as this place would surely become only a fond memory to look back on soon. richard was used to the fall.
so often it felt that the world would crumble all around him, leaving the man standing alone and unscathed in the aftermath of it all. there was a certain gravity to witnessing such chaos; the weight of watching the world fall was equally as heavy as going down with it. though richard banner carried the weight and the grief on his shoulders with such effortless and humbled grace, it appeared as if it was simply a weight he was always destined to carry. he might not have been born into the carnage, though he seemed quick to make himself at home in the chaos. it was the sign of a man who was well aware he couldn’t run away from it all, but he could at least take the absence of luck at face-value and endure regardless of the odds.
when there were rumors of a raid from bluestem prairie, the people in this town had been shocked and horrified. they knew of the stories of other groups, how the group and their little could come through and take everything from a group without batting an eye. rumors of their ruthless leader, uncaring of the devastating he left in his wake, driven by power and greed. he wasn’t scared to get his hands dirty in order to gain control over the entire prairie. people contemplated leaving, taking everything while they had the chance; there wasn’t enough time, bluestem prairie would find them eventually. some contemplated letting him take everything without a fight, ruin everything they had worked so hard for; they wouldn’t survive without most of their supplies. richard, among others, thought it would be best to stand up and fight.
it was a funny thing, that a man with such grief and lack of hope for those around him would suggest fighting and possibly winning this imminent war. it was adorable, wasn’t it? a man so certain of the unfortunate events that transpired everywhere he went, simply trying to prolong the unavoidable. it seemed almost laughable to those who knew of the banner family. but, perhaps that spoke about the kind of person he was. he would still try and prolong the inevitable and far-too familiar feeling of the world falling again. if not for himself but for everyone around him.
the leader of the group walked into the town, and the familiar face made him barely bite back the curses that came to mind. “you gotta be kidding me,” he said to himself aloud, just a hush of a whisper. what were the odds that he would come face to face with brock van den bergh again? what were the odds that this man was appearing and taking everything that rich knew from it? his unlucky streak was truly showing its colors today. he lifted his gun up, trying to line up the perfect shot. brows subtly furrowed across an otherwise unreadable expression. readied. this was it. his finger found the trigger, he released a slow breath, and then-
BANG.
the man beside brock went down, body crumpling to the ground amid the ensuing sound of gunfire. he clenched his jaw as he concentrated, aiming shots at people as they neared the supply building. occasionally ducking his head down beneath the window as gunfire shattered the open window. for the longest time it seemed like they were going to win. they had to keep them running. he probably would have kept the series of onslaughts on the himself,, fire on bluestem’s heels, yet the sight of their leader escaping from the gunfire was a hard sight to ignore. his gaze lingered on the building brock chose to hide behind, momentarily hesitating. any other man might’ve kept up the gunfire, fighting off the group in its entirety- but whether it was because of richard’s desperate need to get back at brock, or his desire to play hero and make things right in a world of wrongs, richard didn’t fire at the attacking group. instead the man ducked away from the window, slipping out the back door of his home.
he held his gun close to him as he snuck through the background of the bloodshed, hiding behind buildings as he went closer towards the place brock found shelter behind. with blind courage, the man stepped behind the building sharply, his gun aimed readily at brock. “i thought i’d seen it all,” he stated casually to grab the man's attention. a certain fire in such a cold gaze all at once. “but brock van den bergh? leader?” he tilted his head, brows raising in acknowledgment. “that’s a new one.”
and as a man who seemingly feared nothing - more like a man that had nothing left to lose - he clenched his jaw, and stepped closer towards the other man. "i should've done this a long time ago." and as easily as he could have tried to put a bullet in the man right then and there, it felt far more satisfying to wind back and try to land a harsh pistol whip across the man’s face. if this was his chance at redemption, he would make the most out of every second.
— sometimes the only option left was to stand and watch the world burn. people could get so wrapped up in it all; screaming, crying, unable and unwilling to think in the heat of the moment. the people here were honest and innocent, leading modest and simple lives. one thing could go out of place and most of them would crumble. everything could be falling apart in a quick downward spiral, and yet richard would stand amid the violence undisturbed, as if he had seen chaos all around him many times before. he was not a man born from darkness, but a man who carried it so well it seemed like he was.
eyes watched through the blinds while distant figures neared the small town, a careful hand slowly drawing his gun from its holster. this raid wouldn’t be the first time everything around him fell apart; if anyone knew him or his history, they would be able to state that it wouldn’t be the first time, and probably wouldn’t be the last either. permanence was never meant for the banner family, richard had come to learn from a young age. nothing good could last forever. even a place as modest, clean, and harmless as this place would surely become only a fond memory to look back on soon. richard was used to the fall.
so often it felt that the world would crumble all around him, leaving the man standing alone and unscathed in the aftermath of it all. there was a certain gravity to witnessing such chaos; the weight of watching the world fall was equally as heavy as going down with it. though richard banner carried the weight and the grief on his shoulders with such effortless and humbled grace, it appeared as if it was simply a weight he was always destined to carry. he might not have been born into the carnage, though he seemed quick to make himself at home in the chaos. it was the sign of a man who was well aware he couldn’t run away from it all, but he could at least take the absence of luck at face-value and endure regardless of the odds.
when there were rumors of a raid from bluestem prairie, the people in this town had been shocked and horrified. they knew of the stories of other groups, how the group and their little could come through and take everything from a group without batting an eye. rumors of their ruthless leader, uncaring of the devastating he left in his wake, driven by power and greed. he wasn’t scared to get his hands dirty in order to gain control over the entire prairie. people contemplated leaving, taking everything while they had the chance; there wasn’t enough time, bluestem prairie would find them eventually. some contemplated letting him take everything without a fight, ruin everything they had worked so hard for; they wouldn’t survive without most of their supplies. richard, among others, thought it would be best to stand up and fight.
it was a funny thing, that a man with such grief and lack of hope for those around him would suggest fighting and possibly winning this imminent war. it was adorable, wasn’t it? a man so certain of the unfortunate events that transpired everywhere he went, simply trying to prolong the unavoidable. it seemed almost laughable to those who knew of the banner family. but, perhaps that spoke about the kind of person he was. he would still try and prolong the inevitable and far-too familiar feeling of the world falling again. if not for himself but for everyone around him.
the leader of the group walked into the town, and the familiar face made him barely bite back the curses that came to mind. “you gotta be kidding me,” he said to himself aloud, just a hush of a whisper. what were the odds that he would come face to face with brock van den bergh again? what were the odds that this man was appearing and taking everything that rich knew from it? his unlucky streak was truly showing its colors today. he lifted his gun up, trying to line up the perfect shot. brows subtly furrowed across an otherwise unreadable expression. readied. this was it. his finger found the trigger, he released a slow breath, and then-
BANG.
the man beside brock went down, body crumpling to the ground amid the ensuing sound of gunfire. he clenched his jaw as he concentrated, aiming shots at people as they neared the supply building. occasionally ducking his head down beneath the window as gunfire shattered the open window. for the longest time it seemed like they were going to win. they had to keep them running. he probably would have kept the series of onslaughts on the himself,, fire on bluestem’s heels, yet the sight of their leader escaping from the gunfire was a hard sight to ignore. his gaze lingered on the building brock chose to hide behind, momentarily hesitating. any other man might’ve kept up the gunfire, fighting off the group in its entirety- but whether it was because of richard’s desperate need to get back at brock, or his desire to play hero and make things right in a world of wrongs, richard didn’t fire at the attacking group. instead the man ducked away from the window, slipping out the back door of his home.
he held his gun close to him as he snuck through the background of the bloodshed, hiding behind buildings as he went closer towards the place brock found shelter behind. with blind courage, the man stepped behind the building sharply, his gun aimed readily at brock. “i thought i’d seen it all,” he stated casually to grab the man's attention. a certain fire in such a cold gaze all at once. “but brock van den bergh? leader?” he tilted his head, brows raising in acknowledgment. “that’s a new one.”
and as a man who seemingly feared nothing - more like a man that had nothing left to lose - he clenched his jaw, and stepped closer towards the other man. "i should've done this a long time ago." and as easily as he could have tried to put a bullet in the man right then and there, it felt far more satisfying to wind back and try to land a harsh pistol whip across the man’s face. if this was his chance at redemption, he would make the most out of every second.