Wait it out: 52%
Gain progress toward the following Quirk: Cautious (2/4)
Patience, Kestrel cautioned herself. There wasn’t a need to do anything rash yet. It was better to wait and see before something started flying, whether that be lead or herself. But she wasted no time darting forward and pulling the doors shut with her wings, getting them securely closed moments before the guard walked to the back of the carriage.
Her heart beat in her throat, and Kestrel swallowed hard. Even though she didn’t want to start a surprise shootout, she fidgeted with the revolvers by her side, her wingtips dancing over the smooth wooden grips. If that door opened, she would have no choice.
Does the guard notice anything wrong behind the carriage? No
All was quiet for an eternity—or at least, that was what it seemed like to Kestrel. But soon enough, she heard a chorus of ‘all clears’ from the guards around the wagon, and it started moving again. Kestrel still didn’t dare move for a few minutes, in case her shifting weight might give something away to the two ponies pulling it. But once it calmly rolled down the road without any conversation from the security detail, Kestrel finally let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and turned away from the doors.
Again, her eyes fell over the two bags of bits and the safe at the front of the wagon. There had to be something good in it, right? The two bags of bits were probably little more than two hundred bits put together, so if there was going to be anything good in this haul, it’d be behind that metal door.
Might as well take a look now. Ain’t goin’ nowhere for a while.
Can Kestrel listen to the locks and crack the safe's code? Yes
She crossed the rolling floor of the wagon on the softest of hooves, careful not to shake it too much from one side to the other, and put her ear against the metal door of the safe. As luck would have it, when she began to turn the dial, the mechanisms loudly clacked and clattered on the other side of the heavy iron. It seemed like the safe needed maintenance as desperately as the latch she’d busted to get inside in the first place. She guessed Miss Belle spent as much money on her security than she did on her hired guns, and that wasn’t saying much.
Three clicks later, Kestrel spun the latch on the safe and pulled it open with her teeth. She hesitated before peering inside, almost as if she was worried that the contents would be as disappointing as the rest of the wagon’s haul so far. But she did it anyway, realizing that the longer she dilly-dallied inside the wagon, the greater the danger she’d be in.
How valuable are the safe’s contents? Not Very
She almost wished she hadn’t looked. Like the rest of the wagon, the safe’s contents were paltry, amounting to little more than two bill folds. She slid them out with her wing and fanned through the silvery papers, counting out only a hundred bits’ worth of cash. Grumbling, she stuffed the papers inside her duster for safekeeping. Might as well leave here with something.
Does Kestrel find something of Miss Belle’s that may be valuable besides money? No
She checked the safe again just to see if there was anything she missed, anything at all, but the empty box only left her disheartened and annoyed. All this mayhem for a few hundred bits? At least it was better than nothing, which is what the Gang had after their flight from Appleloosa. They had to start over again, and that meant starting with something. The money they got from the wagon may not have been the haul they’d been hoping for, but it would allow them to buy food, medicine, ammunition, and spare parts for their wagons. But they couldn’t get away from the Law for good with a few hundred bits to their names.
Does Tumbleweed trust that Kestrel knows what she's doing and not intervene? Yes
With the safe raided and two bags under her control, Kestrel sat down against the wall of the wagon and chewed on her lip. There was no sign of Tumbleweed and the gang—if there was, she would have heard the gunshots by now. Either Tumbleweed believed in her enough to get out of that wagon in one piece, or… well, she knew Tumbleweed better than that. He wouldn’t leave a pony behind if he was worried about their safety. So she at least had the Boss’ vote of confidence.
Is Kestrel able to find an opportune moment to bail from the wagon undetected? Yes
Another twenty minutes rolled by, twenty minutes of sitting quietly in a hot, stuffy wagon. Sweat was pouring down her face and gluing her mane to her neck, and the heat frayed her feathers. Several times she thought about just snatching both bags and dashing off into the desert, but she cautioned herself over and over to just wait. There would come an opportunity. All she had to do was be patient.
And as luck would have it, it finally came. Just as she was starting to get restless, she heard voices shout out, and the wagon came to a stop. Hooves thundered on the dry ground, and moments later she heard a gunshot. She flinched, ears sticking straight up and wings already partially extended in a pegasus fight-or-flight reflex. The shouting outside redoubled, and a cacophony of gunfire began to boom around the front of the wagon. A bullet slammed into the armored cabin, denting the wall and sending Kestrel jumping to her hooves.
If there was ever a time to flee, it was now.
With the bill folds held tightly in her duster, Kestrel flipped first one bag of bits over her shoulder, and then the other. She drew one of her revolvers and chomped down on the bit handle, leaving her wings free for a flight, and kicked open the doors. A smattering of bullets bit into the dusty ground in front of her, but there were no guards in sight. They were all at the front of the wagon, fending off an attack.
That worked for her.
Can Kestrel carry both bags without difficulty? Yes
She jumped out of the wagon and took a galloping start across the road, building up speed before opening her wings and leaping into the sky. Gray feathers dappled with black spots extended to their full glory, catching the wind and propelling her into the skies. Though the two bags of bits weighed heavily on her, trying to drag her back down to the earth, she fought through it and climbed higher and higher. The farther away from the gunfire she got, the better, and only when she felt she was a safe distance away did she look back over her shoulder.
It looked like the Gang had chosen the perfect time to stage their own robbery, because a swarm of hooded ponies pressed on the wagon from the front. Their overwhelming firepower quickly cut down the hired guards, spraying their blood across the desert sands. Some other gang had the same idea Tumbleweed had, only they’d opted to solve the matter more directly than Kestrel’s roundabout plan. She’d have to talk to Tumbleweed about this; if there were other gangs around Rock Ridge, then they’d have to be careful where they tread.
Do any of the assailants notice Kestrel’s flight? Yes
How many? 4
A bullet whizzed past her ear, and she momentarily faltered in flight. She turned around and let her brow fall in concern as she saw four hooded pegasi taking off after her, their muzzles poking through cutouts in their masks and clutching revolvers between their teeth. They fired at her repeatedly as she tried to get away, and though she had enough distance to make a hit little more than an (un)lucky shot, they were closing fast, weighed down as she was. Soon they’d be upon her, and she needed to come up with a plan.
1. Outfly them. Even weighed down, my wings are more than a match for these hooded hooligans.
2. Drop the bags and outfly them. I’ll lose most of the take, but I’ll fly better and faster, and the dropped money might throw them offa my tail.
3. Stand and fight. They gotta fly to me, and shootin’ on the move ain’t easy. But hoverin’ and shootin’, I can do that no sweat. I’ll swat ‘em all outta the sky.
4. Surrender. All I'm gonna accomplish is gettin' myself killed tryna fly or fight. It ain't much to hope for, but maybe they'll be merciful if I stand down.
(Certainty Required: 25 Votes)