Shamchat - Witch!Angela Ziegler and Jesse McCree

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: All around, the tale of the Eichenwald witch circulated between mouths and to ears. It was a tale every person knew, but only few believed. Some say they've seen the witch fly past a full moon a clear night. Others claim they witnessed the flashes of magic. They say the witch lives tucked away in the old Eichenwald castle. Many have been too fearful to come within 20 feet of the ruins. They were either afraid of the walls caving in on them or being caught by the witch. Those that were brave enough to step inside are rumored to never come back, and if they survived, they were smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Contrary to popular belief, the Eichenwald witch was not as evil as she was made out to be. She had a rather kind soul, and was willing to help those in need... for a price. It was a fair trade, she bargained. Her name wasn't well-known amongst the towns people. Those that did now her had a tight-knit relationship and knew her as Angela Ziegler, though she preferred just Angela or Angie.

Angela shuffles around the castle with her broomstick in one hand. The devil-like wings on her back flex to reveal their golden glow. She was a beautiful sight, and it was sometimes hard to believe she was a witch, not an angel. It was lonely at times, but the young witch always found a way to make the most out of the unlengthy visitors that dared to step on her turf. Through the winds looming through the quiet night, the blonde enchantress hears something that she isn't used to. Her chin lifts to look at the stars through the hole in the ceiling then over the ceiling.

The witch looks back forward and holds the broomstick in both hands. It stands vertically, bristles hovering over the dusty ground. A chuckle rumbles from her chest and eyes flutter to a close. "You may enter." Her voice booms to the unexpected visitor [you]. "What is it you desire?" Her inquiry is lighthearted. "I shall satisfy your heart's many desires." The corners of her mouth crack a smile. "You may have your wish," her eyes flutter open and shift to look over her shoulder, "for a price."

Jesse McCree: The gunslinger was used to hearing rumors. It was impossible not to, frequenting the types of places he did. In his line of work, they proved to be invaluable resources for information, and that knowledge was typically what let him lay his head in a bed more nights than the grass. He was reasonably sure that was what counted as winning, at least a little victory. The rumors in Eichenwald, though...a witch? That had been the sort of thing one didn't hear tell of every day, and he had to admit that his curiosity had been roused. It had been a long walk, dusk when he had started and full dark by the time he had arrived at the somewhat sorry-looking castle, looking in sore need of repair. Maybe it was for aesthetics..? With all that rumored power at her disposal, he'd have figured for the witch to live somewhere...well, fancier. But he didn't mind the darkness. It may have been something so simple as the scuff of a worn boot on the ancient stone floor, or perhaps the wind catching at the tails of his jacket. She looked...nothing like what he had expected. Certainly not a lovely young blonde, though he supposed it could have been some kind of trick. He found himself not really minding if that was the case, unable to stop his eyes from raking down her form as her back was turned. "...and what might that price be, darlin'?" His voice was a slow, patient drawl, perhaps a little intrigued.

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: Her fingers readjust their grip on the broomstick handle in purposefully exaggerated way. "The price depends, /darlin'/." She retorts and pivots on her heels to face the cowboy. "What do you have to offer me?" A single brow raises. One arm drapes across her chest as if it were folded, though her knuckles rest under her opposing elbow. "You've come to gain something." Her brows knit inward for split second. "I can sense it. There's an aura of greed around you." She grimaces when she speaks. "I'm not quite sure what for, though..." The blonde begins to saunter forward. Her eyes size him up from head to toe a couple times. "Is this going to be a rags to riches story?"

Jesse McCree: There was a hint of a smirk on his face as she turned to face him again, having apparently taken umbrage to being called darlin'. His shoulders rose and fell in a loose, relaxed shrug; if the gunslinger had been feeling any apprehension, it certainly wasn't showing. "Hardly makes me the only man who might want something out of this life. I reckon everyone's greedy for something in their lives. Power, money, love...all those things. Human nature and whatnot." He lifted an arm slightly, not sure he'd have gone quite so far as to call his clothing rags, though perhaps it was a bit worn in places. "I'm not even sure I have anything that might interest you. So I suppose this is more about...curiosity."

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: The enchantress can't help but chuckle. "Oddly enough, I'm visited solely for the greed of power, money, and love. Those are the most popular, at least." She waves a hand and turns her back. Her head lolls to the side, indicating she was growing bored with him already. "Curiosity. Of course. Well, no matter what you may have heard, I do exist. I don't turn men to toads... unless asked... and I don't turn women to stone-- again, unless asked. But! I have never been asked to do such things in all my years of work." She smiles and lets go of the broom. Defying gravity, it stands straight up as if an invisible force were holding it there. "You may now contribute to the rumors the Eichenwald village people spit around." Angela turns and moves closer to the gunslinger. Stopping just short of closing the gap, her hands hold themselves out at her sides and she leans her torso forward to give a bow. "Is there anything else I may help you with today? Power? Money? Love?" She smirks.

Jesse McCree: Well, he could certainly think of some men who might be better off as toads, and women who might be best suited to being solely a work of art; while interesting ideas, neither of them were especially appealing at the moment. He was pretty sure he'd feel at least a touch of guilt, without any recent wrongs done to him. A bit absently, he watched the clever little trick with the broom while he continued listening. "Well, I doubt I'd have much to contribute. Wasn't planning on staying long enough to gossip, though the rumors said nothin' about you looking like...well, you. Might want to set the record straight on that, but then I reckon you'd never get any sleep, people bangin' on your doors all night to take a look at you. Can't say that I ever really wanted power...most of my life has been following other people's orders, and that's suited me well enough. Money?" He shrugged again, palms up and open. "I get by all right. As for love..." His grin turned a bit roguish as he flashed the woman a sly wink. "I've never had that, but I reckon it's been a long time since I wanted for company of that sort. I've got a question for you, though...what do you get out of all this, 'granting wishes'?"

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: (Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I'm not sure how long your reply has been posted, but either way, I am terribly sorry for looking at this tab so late!)
Jesse McCree: || I was figuring it was a disconnect, I was casually looking for you with another tab just in case, haha. ||
Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: (Ugh, I've been working on something and just got sidetracked... So sorry!)
Jesse McCree: || It happens! ||

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: Angela waves her hand in front of her face to over-exaggerate the fake yawn she made. Her expression droops to that of one more grim when he mentions the misinterpretation of her looks. "What do you mean by that?" Her arms fold across her chest. "What would you have me for? A dirt-covered house wench?!" She exclaims, leaning back her torso in disbelief. Though, she has thick skin, and things like insults don't tear down her walls so easily. "Well..." She exhales, letting her hands fall to her sides. "It seems you have your mind made up." Her hand extends into midair, and the broom zips through the wind and lands back in her palm. "To answer your question, allow me to explain my logic." She grins and holds the broom in front of her. Both hands cup around the top of it, chin resting atop her knuckles. "People come to me with wants, and I'm willing to lend a helping hand. Nothing in this world is free, though. In exchange, I get things in return. The bigger the wish, the more expensive the price. I once granted someone the power to seduce any woman in a brothel if, in exchange, I got their soul in their life /and/ death." One hand slips from the broom and extends before her. A golden mist circulates the spaces between her fingers and forms a thick, yellow hovering orb in her palm. "It's mine to keep. I can do whatever I want to it. Pretty fair if you ask me." Her hand wags in the air to wave it away as if she were batting away dirt. "Simple, no?"

Jesse McCree: "Darlin'...you're the first witch I've ever met, so far as I know. And back where I come from...well, witches aren't typically pretty. You are." A hand rose, sweeping off his hat as he dropped his upper torso into a bow. "Mighty sorry. I'll leave knowing that witches can be beautiful women, too." He did pull a bit of a face as she discussed her example case, eyes drawn to the orb in her hand until it dissipated with a wave of her hand. "I suppose it is. Seems like a mighty high price to demand from a man who must have been powerfully lonely to consider that kind of deal, much less take it." He shrugged slightly, tugging the hat back down over his hair, the amused warmth in his brown eyes have cooled a little at her casual disregard for a man's soul. Sure, it was hers to do with as she liked, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: The corners of her mouth itch upward to a grin. "Greed is only beautiful when it destroys. It is one of the seven /deadly/ sins, is it not?" She leans more forward on the broomstick, now standing on the balls of her feet. "So," her lips pucker, "what is it I can do for you today?" Her brows raise, keeping the smile. Evidently, the enchantress had grown bored of the small talk. By now, the visitors that wandered into her castle were in and out. They knew what they wanted, and they didn't hesitate to snag any offer she laid out before them. It was a silly gambling game she plaid, and they folded every time she raised. The vicious cycle was her own, and it didn't matter how wide or how tightly it coiled, it was her's to control forever and always. "Anything you want is yours to have!" She stood up straight and gesticulated toward everything before her.

Jesse McCree: "Tell you what," He said, after thinking about it for a long moment. A hand brushed against the thigh of his jeans before he held it out, offering it to her. "I've been protecting people for a long time. It's a lot of hard work, for not a lot of credit. Wouldn't trade it for the world. But I reckon I might be able to help a lot of people like this. Come with me. I think you're a bit mad up here in your castle all the time, the only people stopping by are ones who already believe. Learn not to treat a soul so lightly. And, in the end, if you've really found no one worth sparing...well, whatever you ask for, I'll pay." At the heart, he was a man who took chances. Every shot might be his last. Some of them very nearly were, over the course of his life. But he was willing to stake his future on a hunch. Lord knew he'd gone on less before.

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: Thin brows furrow at the sight of his hand. She grimaces at the sight of the gesture and can hardly peel her eyes away. "And you call me the mad one..." She retorts. By God, was he stupid?! She was nothing more than children bedtime tales, a myth exchanged in whispers through the townspeople, a legend to be discovered, something believed by very few, and something discovered by far less. The castle was lonely, no doubt, but after a while, those souls start to add up, and soon enough, it's not as lonely anymore. For someone so relaxed, she suddenly wasn't so relaxed anymore. "You're insane, yes!" The blonde wags an accusatory finger at him. "Do you know what would happen if I were to reveal myself to the outside world? I'd be put on trial and burned at the stake like Salem!" She barks, clearly getting worked up over the subject. "Those... those people down there," her finger slices through the air toward the direction of the town, "they come to me! Over half-- less than a quarter, in fact-- don't believe I exist! What were they to do if they saw that their storybook character had come to life?" Her bottom lip quivers and hands fall to her sides. The broomstick clatters against the ground with an echo. "I'm the bad guy to not only them, but to their king..."

Jesse McCree: "How long have you stayed away because you're afraid, then..? When was the last time someone came to ask you for something, anything..?" He asked, his hand remaining where it was in the open air, the offer still open. Humanity had come a long way since Salem, far enough to be able to accept - more or less - fully sentient omnics among them. He still wasn't entirely certain that the whole magic thing wasn't some kind of elaborate hoax, but he could recognize bravado. And that seemed to be the majority of her argument. "...and who says they even have to know? They think this castle is more haunted than anything else. Ghosts of crusaders past, I believe one of them described it to me. I think the number that actually believes...might be a bit lower. Maybe only those you've helped, before you collect. And what would remain of them, anyways?"

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: "Even so," she starts, still refusing to come down from her high-horse, "what will they think when the Witch Of Eichenwald makes an appearance? Sure, I choose to stay hidden behind the comfort of my stone walls, but when they see something make-believe in the flesh, they will stop at nothing to destroy it. I've seen it, myself!" She throws her hands in the air out of frustration. "They're savages!" She snaps, her hands falling to her sides and hitting her thighs with a clap. "The stories they've made up about me are true-- collecting souls for her own personal gain. They'll mutter, 'Oh, is my time overdue? Is the Witch Of Eichenwald here to wreak havoc and collect us all?'. That's all they'll say." For a split second, her face is buried in her hands. "They'll patronize me!" She cries, beginning to look almost ashamed of her very appearance and the place she resided. "I can't show myself, /Jesse McCree/." She says sheepishly.

Jesse McCree: He supposed her knowing his name was the least of his problems, at the moment. She probably had his number all along, at least until he'd asked the impossible from her. He reached out, calloused hands settling on her shoulders with surprising gentleness as he stepped closer. "So...don't. Be whoever you want to be. Gertrude Deckler. Amelia Throckmorton. Whatever you want to call youself, even...Robert Stanwood." He shrugged, the names pulled out of the ether. "I've heard tell of others, maybe not witches, but other things...like a dragon. And they're still alive, so far as I know. Aren't dragons every bit as bad as a witch? Worse, even, with that reputation for thievery and kidnapping. Or maybe a frost spirit. If witches can be real...well, why not them?"

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: Her shoulders droop at his touch, and for once, she feels powerless. "As much as I'd love to accept you offer, I believe you are missing the point." Shyly, the blonde turns her head away from him. "There are some souls I collected that I've manipulated and can no longer manipulate..." She gnaws at the inside of her cheek. "Resurrection." Even she winces at the word. "They're my servants-- under my rule until the day I day, which is only then will their souls be free to cross over to whatever netherworld they believe in." She admits. Her eyes begin to look tired, and perhaps the conversation was exhausting. She hadn't initiated in one in ages-- a real one, that is. Many questions crossed her mind, but only one stood out above the rest. Thin brows furrow in confusion. Angela turns her head back forward, but her chin presses to her chest. "Jesse McCree," she lifts her head until she meets his gaze, "why do you want me to leave here?" The witch asks in a singsong tone.

Jesse McCree: "Well, I'm not suggesting that you die anytime soon...so why not just let them stay? Keep the memory of The Witch of Eichenwald alive for the people, surely that's part of the story as well." He thought it was likely the simplest solution. She might not be able to directly control them, but he had his doubts about whether or not those souls, long since altered, would be inclined to move outside their established routine. "Why do I want you to leave..." He repeated, his hat tipped down just enough to cast his face in partial shadow as he tilted his head to the side, considering. "If there's magic in the world, still hidden after all this time? I think you should /live/."

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: The Eichenwald witch scoffs at his response to her question. "Well, it lives!" Her hands move to gesticulate at her own form. "Now, what do you say you tell me that wish you've been itching to spit out!" She places a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I grant the wish, and you hand me over... whatever... and we both can be on our own merry little way!" Her hand pats his shoulder twice. "Doesn't that sound splendid?" The blonde turns her back and steps a few faces forward. Her hands clap twice, and at that, the broomstick tears through the air and into her hands. "So what's it going to be today? Money? Women? The king's crown?" A devilish smirk flashes across her face. This is what the enchantress lived for: deals, bargains, one-sided gambles... anything ending up in her favor. Even if she did wander into the town of Eichenwald, any person she bumped into, she'd bleed dry. The trades were her forte, and with decades of experience, there's no telling what tricks might be up her sleeve-- even if /magic/ was involved in some way or another.

Jesse McCree: He cast a slow, critical eye around the room. Ancient stone - chipping, cracked, broken pieces long since ground to dust, even missing large enough chunks of stone that a view up at the night sky was possible...in more than one place. "Darlin', if this what you call living...this is hiding. A life wasted, living in fear. But I won't press the point, don't you worry your pretty head about it." His hand fell from her shoulders to hook onto his belt, the posture more than a little insouciant. "Maybe I'll come back here, the next time I'm in Germany...pay you another visit, see if you've changed your mind yet. Then again, maybe I won't." He reached up, fingertips on the brim of his hat tugging it down as he gave her a slight bow. "I expect, if you change your mind, you'll figure out some way to let me know."

Witch!Angela Ziegler [X for starter]: Her eyes frantically scan over the ground. Her top teeth begin to bite down with various pressures on her bottom lip. Her hands readjust their grip on the broomstick handle more times than necessary. Her ponytail bats the nape of her neck the more the breeze picks up through the drafty castle. She can feel the lump form in her throat and can pinpoint the exact moment it takes shape. Angela whips around and puts her hands in clenched fists at her sides. The broom bounces horizontally in her grasp as she continues to readjust her hold. "Fine!" She exclaims, shutting her eyes tight. "You've convinced me." She lets out a heavy breath-- one she didn't even know she was holding. "But you better keep me convinced. I'm not playing your little game for long, and the minute I grow bored-- which doesn't take long-- is the minute I flee."

Jesse McCree: When he straightened himself back up, there was a grin on his face, teeth white against the shadows cast by his hat. "Well, I can't guarantee much will be going on when I sleep, but all right. I'd be happy to have a little company on the road. A man traveling alone can get a little strange, with no one but himself to talk to. Ain't no one gonna keep you from coming back here if you want, at least if I have anything to say about it." That she was anxious had been visible everywhere - the restless hands on the broom handle, the frustrated about-face. "...thank you for trying, at any rate, whether it works or not."