The Gunslinger

“This companion could have had a comfortable life, if she had just leaned into the prestige that came with her bloodline. But instead of resting on her ancestors laurels she decided to leave her own mark on history. And leave a mark she did, even if it might not be the one she was aiming for.”

Several wanted-posters unrolled themselves on the screen above, promising rewards for the capture of a fair-haired woman. Even the rough sketch of her face from the front and in profile made it obvious she was quite a stunner.

“When she set out to claim the lost treasure of El-Nar, this spirited young lady did not forsee just how often her need for funds and her sense of right and wrong would lead her into conflict with the law. And this companion and her band of merry desperados certainly gave our heroes a run for their money each time their paths crossed.”

Smoke billowed up as the host announced “Please welcome: The Gunslinger”

The Gunslinger studied the faces of the master and the contestants on the screens in front of her, as she listened to Amora go through the various introductory spiels.

This whole thing was a mess on so many levels. Because it always turned into a mess when you had a creator who didn’t want to let anyone else play with their baby. So amora would have to learnt he hard way that wrangling eccentric actors while directing a movie was a different skillset from wrangling a bunch of contestants on a gameshow.

Case in point: if you ordered your contestants by their costume instead of the people wearing the costume you might be **** to hastily shuffle the introductions around after one of them shits all over your narrative that you just want everybody to have a good time.

Bringing in the soldier early and going on a tangent about the rules might have been the right move to calm things down. But it certainly didn’t look good to have to throw out the script this early into the episode. If this was the Gunslingers show she wouldn’t have ramped up the masters complacency filter like that either.

Then again, if this WAS her show she wouldn’t have made the rookie mistake of trying to come across as friendly. A willing enabler? Certainly. A flirty temptress ? Maybe. But not a friend. Because you could either be a good friend or a good host.

The gunslinger sighed. Maybe it had been a mistake to attach her name to this show.

But she’d be long gone by the time it crashed and burned, hopefully enjoying her life as the rising star at the helm of a better more popular series. All for the low low price of getting a few raunchy temporary transformations on camera as she was ‘eliminated’. She sighed again. A few of them sounded fun enough to keep for a day or two, but it was hardly the high point of her career.

The door appeared.

The gunslnger got out of her chair and gave the only other occupant of the camera-room a friendly clap on the shoulder ”Thanks for letting me squat here, Drongo. Beers are on me tonight. “

Right. Gametime!

The gunslinger schooled her face into a cocky grin and made sure to add a bit of extra swagger to her hips as she walked on set.

Nobody stepped out of the cloud. Instead there was a long pause as the cloud slowly dissipated and only then did someone open the door hidden in the screen.

Any doubt Jeff had that it might just have been poor timing was answered, when the newcomer made no attempt to mitigate the mistake and instead left the door wide open as she swaggered down the stairs.

Beside Jeff the host let out a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose “Really?” before slamming the door shut with a wave of her wand.

The outlaws crimson lips curled into a satisfied smirk and she gave the host a mocking tip of her wide-brimmed hat. Jeff had expected the usually cowgirl look with flannel shirt and daisy dukes. Instead the woman wore a crisp white shirt with a popped collar, a red tie and a tight black vest. All in a slightly archaic style you’d see an accountant wear in a cowboy movie. In combination with the scuffed riding boots, the fingerless gloves and especially the two guns strapped to her side it made her look like the better kind of desperado. One who could spell long words like ‘defenestration’ and didn’t consider personal hygiene something that happened to other people.

Halfway down the stairs the gunslinger veered to the side and took a seat. When Amora reminded her “You forgot to introduce yourself” the desperado propped her feet up on the seat in front of her “Ah won’t waste mah time on that.”.

For a moment it looked like the host was gonna make her come down to do it anyway, but then she just sighed ” Suit yourself. ” and started the next round of introductions.