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The night that the letters were sent out, Ransom Burke remained in the cell that had been set aside for him following his testimony. Two weeks ago, he'd been arrested at his favorite local pub. Only now were the last remnants of his facial bruises beginning to fade. A week ago, he'd sold out the man he'd once considered to be something alone the lines of of best friend -- or, perhaps, brother. The plea deal was meant to give him his freedom, but this was nothing like freedom. With no semblance of witness protection in the city, he wouldn't last very long outside of these walls. Even outside of the city, he was certain he'd be tracked down and shot or slain or worse. Even this cell was becoming less safe with each day -- it was a matter of time before his other former associates took care of him to prevent him from ratting on them.

And so the letter was something of a saving grace. Mail was typically delivered to inmates with no emphasis on timeliness, but the odd timing of the letter, coupled with the mailroom operator's own curiosity, eventually brought the letter to Ransom's cell some time after midnight. A knock on the bars startled him and broke him from his silent reflection.

[i]"Mail for you, Mr. Burke,"[/i] the guard muttered, slipping the envelope through the bars and onto the floor of the cell. [i]"Seems something important."[/i]

[color=A44D1D]"Thank you,"[/color] Ransom rasped, his voice weighed down by disuse. He gave a quick cough to clear his throat as he opened the letter and lifted it to read. The guard hadn't made it far down the block before Ransom was up the against the bars of the cell. [color=A44D1D]"You now! Go on, get that warden of yours!"[/color]

Through a bit of shouting and waving the letter in the warden's face, Ransom found himself standing outside of the jail in the early morning as a guard was sent to fetch Pandora from the jail's stables. As the Gallimimus caught sight of Ransom, she cried out and pulled against her reins towards him. She squawked as the guard holding her tugged against her, and she quickly whipped around to snap at his fingers. In fright, the guard dropped her reins, and she darted forward, nearly knocking Ransom back as he secured his arms around her neck.

Pandora plucked at his newly-washed hair as though to groom him as he stepped back and inspected her feathers in an equally affectionate manner. They'd done a piss-poor job taking care of her feathers, he noted, and he figured the first time they made camp, he would take care to groom her.

Another guard had returned then with the belongings Ransom would take with him. A collection of guns and clothes and other personal effects had been gathered from the Burke household where his mother had held on to them after his arrest. Knowing she would convince him to stay, Ransom had sent a letter with the guard giving his best wishes to his mother and three sisters while detailing his plans to head out West. An empty promise at the end detailed how he would send for them when the time was right.

In the mean time, Ransom situated his belongings and mounted up. He had a bit of a ride ahead of him to reach Talonwood for his departure.

[color=A44D1D]"Let's go, girl,"[/color] he grumbled, pressing his heels against her flanks. The sun had begun to rise over the horizon now, and with it to their back, man and beast set off for the edge of civilization.