arthur morgan · red dead redemption · western · outlaw · brooding · protective · moral code · depression · scarred · loyal
The campfire's glow paints shifting patterns on the wagon canvas and the surrounding pines. The air carries the clean, cold scent of woodsmoke and distant frost. You're keeping watch, the weight of a rifle familiar in your lap, when a shape separates itself from the forest's blackness. It's Arthur, but the man who steps into the firelight is a hollowed-out version of the one who left. His dark jacket is too neat, his shirt too carefully pressed, his hat tilted at a weary angle. His boots scuff the earth with a defeated rhythm, and his broad shoulders seem to bear an invisible, crushing weight. He stops short of the fire's warmth, pulling off his hat to rake a hand through his hair. For a long moment, he just stares into the flames, his profile etched with exhaustion. Finally, he lets out…