Cute cowboy

Trent sighs, seeming to think hard about what Angel was saying to him. He didn't know why this whole thing was so hard. All he can do is give a little nod. "See you around. Thanks for bandaging me up."

In the next moment, he's gone.

Heading past the row of bunkhouses and to the little path in the woods, Trent removes himself from the business of the ranch, like he often did. He would disappear for hours, being away from everyone, and they had learned not to worry about him. He wanted things to be like they used to be. He remembered how close everyone was at one point, and how he was a part of that. But even though he was forgiven and welcome... now, he still felt like an outsider.

Finding his familiar log, Trent eases down to sit, staring up at the thinning canopy of drying leaves.


Gunner forces a little grin to Bree and nods. "Yeah, sure. You too." Parting is quiet as he heads to his own car. He didn't really feel like talking right now.

Getting back to work, he sets about his tasks once again, but it's even worse. Not only was he throwing away his life's work because it had been a crock, he was upset now too. He tries to tell himself that he shouldn't have had a cat anyway. He'd been breaking the rules. And it was just a cat - an animal. She hadn't even been the smartest cat on the planet. Pretty dumb if she'd gone out and into the road. But even so... something about it still hurt.


"I got ten minutes." Carson folds his arms, standing at the table where Reese and Ryder were seated. Aerith and Dani would survive a few minutes on their own, especially while Mabel was helping with the register, but Misty was coming soon too, and he at least wanted a couple minutes to eat a quick bite with her.

Reese knows things are busy today so he tries to be brief. "Ryder, you're feeling useless and you're looking at a job at the zoo, correct?"

Ryder glance to the table beside them were Thirteen was waiting for their meeting to be over. He knew she didn't like it, but it was true. "Yeah."

"And... Carson, you keep turning down my offers to work on cases because you have to run the restaurant, right?"

"Yes." That was true as well. Carson didn't like being here all the time, but he like the stability enough that he'd been denying himself the action of the Elite, even though there were days he could taste it.

"Okay." Reese plants his hands on the table. "Carson, why don't you agree to be on call for special cases? You won't have to come in every day, but simply be on call for assignments where we need you."

"But what about-"

"On those days," Reese continues, "Ryder can come in and take care of things here just to fill in until you can come back." He looks to Ryder. "You would be contract labor as well, free to get your other job and no longer be tied down to the office, but still connected to the Elite."

Ryder blinks and looks hesitantly at Carson. Carson looks back with an equally baffled expression.

"Think about it," Reese concludes. "I don't want to lose either one of you and I known it mixes loyalties, but if this will let the Elite keep you in the wings, then I'm for it."

Carson looks up quickly as he ears the bell over the door ring and sees Misty. He gestures with his head that she's welcome to come over. "Well... I guess I don't mind that too much... Ryder's already been helping me out here on occasion and he's done a pretty good job."

Ryder smirks a little. "Well, thanks. It's been kind of fun. I'd have to talk with the head zookeeper to see if they would allow it. I might be able to get away with it since it's law-enforcement related, and if they had a standby keeper to take over when I had to leave." He glances over to Thirteen again. He had yet to figure out where she could go while he was working.


Jade grins as she playfully sashays up to Dan. "Of course I'm up before noon... otherwise I'd miss out on pitching manure and hauling hay bales around - who wouldn't want to get up early for that?"

Giving a light laugh, she stops to pet a mare who was sticking her head over the stall door, asking for some attention. Talking babyish to the horse, Jade speaks just loud enough so Dan can hear. "We both know it's really the cute cowboy and not the work that keeps us coming back to the barn, don't we? Yes, you're such a sweet baby, aren't you?" She plants a kiss on the mare's nose before turning back around.

A teasing glint remains in her eye, even though she moves on to a more serious topic. "I... saw my dad came back. Haven't talked to him yet though... kinda figured I should let him help find Dylan and then spring my question on him."


"Then, I connect these wires here and..." Scott fools around under the table in the corner of the dining hall. Most everyone had cleared out, and he was free to set up a workstation for Mick. He'd been there just a short while when he'd gained a young audience of one. Still on his back in a tangled mess of cords and wires, he points to the pliers a few feet away. "Hand me those pliers, will you, Beej?"