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Wizards, Whiskey and Wonderful Things - Concluded
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2813685" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 95, “Home Again“, Saturday, March 18th , 1882, 7:00 P.M. </strong> </p><p></p><p>The coach pulls up to the front door of the Lucky Lady Dance Hall and Saloon. Chester calls out, "Hey, we're home now. I need to change and eat. Then sleep. Ugh. I hate rain." Nanuet comments, “Well when I left on my little errand I never figured it would end like this and I never thought I would be this happy to see this place." </p><p></p><p>"Almost home," Kate said, still half asleep. "I have another block or so to go. Let's get Ruby inside and settled, then I need to get back to the El Parador." She rubbed her eyes and climbed out, her body stiff from staying still after moving for so long. "I can't wait to get to bed." </p><p></p><p>After a little bit of sleep, Jakes mind begins to function again. While he gathers up his stuff he talks, "Let's unload here and get any news of what is going on first. Someone will need to get the Marshall, but don't tell him much let me handle that. Katherine shouldn't go over to the El Parador alone, after we make sure things are well here she should have an escort." Ruby wakes, but barely, when the coach stops. "Jaaakkkeeeeeeee," Ruby whines, "Take me to bed." And," Jake continues wincing a bit, "I'll help Ruby upstairs." </p><p></p><p>Paul offers to drop Mrs. Kale off at her hotel. Tricia has Jeff Mills held get the trunk down from the carriage and carry it inside the Lucky Lady. She tells Jeff "Just put it in my room, where ever that might be." </p><p></p><p>Kate says, "You don't mind if I go, do you Jake? I know you want to get information, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going. Unless you really object, I'll let Paul take me home. I doubt my appointment waited this long for me." "If you are sure you'll be safe enough, go." Jake looks a little worried. "Just be careful." </p><p></p><p>Minerva stays in the carriage with Kate. "I'll stop over at the El Parador with you before I head home. I definitely need to take a bath before church tomorrow though" "Let's go," Kate said to Paul and the coach jostled forward. "There's no baths at the El Parador, you know. We'll have to send someone to escort you home from the El Parador. None of us should be walking out alone." </p><p></p><p>Jake checks in with Hoover before going upstairs. "Is everything OK here? Anything strange going on in town or have you seen that Ringo character hanging around?" Hoover replies, "Nope, it's been a quiet day. Expect it to be a quiet night too, between the weather and the boxing over at the Palace. Tony and Job should be able to handle the tables, you look like you need a break." </p><p></p><p>"I look like hell you mean." Jake manages a real laugh. Then he says quietly to Hoover, "The Cowboy gang is causing all kinds of trouble, so keep your eyes open. Don't hesitate to get me if anything seems wrong. But yes, I need some sleep." Jake takes Ruby upstairs, and then makes another trip for all the gear. </p><p></p><p>Jake helps Ruby pull off her clothes and puts her in bed before leaving. Jake is gone a moment before Ruby pulls herself up. With great effort she walks over to the mirror and looks at her wound. She touches it and it stings, so she pulls her hand back. She breathes a very heavy sigh as she looks her body over. Scars were not something Ruby was good at accepting and this one was very visible. Her legs start to give out a bit so she walks back over to the bed. There is some fresh water in a bowl next to the bed, and Ruby carefully wipes her face and her injury clean. She climbs back in bed and lies flat staring at the ceiling, the memories of her friends standing over her as she was dying coming back to her. Ruby turns on her side, pulls her knees to her chest, and starts crying. </p><p></p><p>Chester climbs the stairs up to his room. He grabs a towel and dries himself off. He changes into fresh clothes, then spends some time cleaning his revolvers and rifle. He leaves them upstairs, while he goes down to the bar. Chester sees Harry Rote. "Hi Harry. Could I have a beer, please. It's been a long day. How's that Luc been working out?" Harry replies, "He's gone. That cousin of Nanuet's and the half-orc came by late morning. Said they needed some help. He felt obligated to them after the trouble you guys got into over in Galeyville and decided to go off with them. Not sure exactly where they rode off to." </p><p></p><p>Since all the others are off Nanuet decides to stay and watch over the Lucky Lady. He puts on a clean set of clothes, rebraids his hair and takes a seat at a corner table with a glass of whiskey. Chester sees Nanuet at the corner table. "Hey there. How are you doing? I'm thinking of getting something to eat. Want anything?" </p><p></p><p>Nanuet replies, "Actually, that is a great idea. It's been so long since we had something decent to eat." Chester says, "Let me go in the kitchen and ask Maria." Chester heads back. "Maria, could me and Nanuet get something for dinner, please?" She states, “Here's some buffalo stew and a couple slices of bread." "Thank you," he replies. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet sees Chester returning with the bowls of stew and bread. "Thanks Chet, no matter what the other's say about you, I think you're OK." he says with his trademark wink and smile. Chester laughs. "Thanks, I think. Just what are the others saying? You're not what I expected either." He walks over to the bar and gets a bottle of whiskey. "I think we need some more of this too. What do you say?" Chester states, "You've twisted my arm. Make it a double." </p><p></p><p>Nanuet pours two healthy sized glasses of whiskey and begins digging into his stew ravenously. "Mmmph mmmph mmmphps" he says back to Chester then spits out his food in a loud guffaw. He swallows then continues. "They don't say anything, I was just kidding. Jake seems to trust you which says a lot, and I trust you to. You're a stand up guy and I like having you around Chet." Chester replies, "Very funny. You're all my friends, so I like being around you. Nobody's judgmental. I guess it's because we all have some dark places in our pasts." </p><p></p><p>Jake drags himself back up the stairs and unceremoniously drops the gear one last time, in the corner of their room. "I should go over and find Warren Earp and," he finally notices Ruby is crying. "Hey, does it still hurt that bad?" Jake quickly strips off his duster and hat. Ruby hadn't heard Jake come in their room and was surprised to hear his voice. She quickly tries to wipe her face clean. "Uh, no it's ok, I'm fine. You should go see Warren, that's a good idea." </p><p></p><p>He asks, "You sure?" Ruby nods her head. Jake takes a minute to clean his face and hands, looks at his clothes and just shakes his head. He puts his duster and hat back on and says to Ruby before leaving, "Rest, I'll be quick about it." As soon as Jake leaves, the memories of the events of the day and especially the emotions overwhelm Ruby and she starts crying again. She curls up again and cries until she passes out from the sheer exhaustion of it all. </p><p></p><p>The coach drops Minerva and Kate off at the doorstep of the El Parador. Paul doesn't waste any time before riding off to head back to the Shaw ranch. As the two women approach the doorway they hear piano playing and singing from inside. </p><p></p><p>The Cantina is nice and lively. An auburn-haired half-elvan woman attired in Indian-style buckskin clothing is seated at the piano bench, playing and singing Irish folk songs. Most of the tables are filled with the usual patrons, with Carlos Ramirez leading a card game, Pepita Alvarez and Angelica Huesca entertaining a pair of male patrons at another table, and many of the other Saturday night regulars eating and drinking. One table has an odd collection of men who neither women have seen before, two human men in cowboy garb, a teenage boy in cowboy garb, a half-orc in Chinese clothing and a human in a suit and tie. </p><p></p><p>Kate took off her jacket and breathed a deep sigh. Not long now and she could get some rest, as long as everything was alright here. "Miss Florencia, I'm going to find Dorita and Ginnie and make sure everything is ok, then I have every intention of going straight to bed. I'm not sure what your plans are, but I should be back out in a minute." Minerva replies, "My plan, Senora is to be sure that everything is well with you before I head off to a bath a meal and a bed. " </p><p></p><p>Kate headed off to the kitchen and went inside, leaning against the wall to keep standing. "Dorita? Has everything been alright today? Where's Ginnie?" Dorita states, "Everything fine. Better than fine, Grandfather come back safe. Ginnie up in room studying, Grandfather give her new book to read. She help me serve supper then go upstairs to read. She very excited about book." Kate let out a long breath and caught herself before she could fall. Her hands were shaking. "Thank you, Dorita. I'll go upstairs and see your Grandfather, then I'm going to bed." </p><p></p><p>Minerva, dirty and weary from this horrific day sits at a table, eyeing the odd assortment of men at the table across from her while she waits for Kate to return. Kate stumbled out of the kitchen and back into the Cantina proper. She spotted Grant Keebler on the way and brought him over to Minerva. "Everything's fine," she told the priestess. "Miss Florencia would like to go over to the bathhouse. Would you escort her please? Thanks. And thank you, Miss Florencia, for today. Good night." </p><p></p><p>Minerva returns to the Comstock House and tiptoes up the stairs to avoid questions from Bea and Rustle. She gathers up clean clothing and various toiletries and heads over to the bathhouse. Clean and slightly refreshed she returns to the Comstock house in search of a light meal before she retires to her room to finish the preparations for tomorrows sermon "Well that should just about cover it" she say's with an evil gleam in her eye as she puts down her pencil. She stretches and yawns, strips off her clothes and crawls under the covers. She glances over to the icons of Minerva and Jupiter on her dresser "Good night Minerva, Good night Zeus. Thanks for your help" she whispers and drifts off to sleep. </p><p></p><p>Kate made her way upstairs and into her teacher’s rooms. "Mr. Gonzales?" She finds him in the library, sitting in a padded chair with his head leaning over onto the desk and on his arm. He is sound asleep and lightly snoring. She concludes that he must have had a long and busy day as well. She didn't want to wake him, but she knew from experience that he'd be sorry he slept that way in the morning. </p><p></p><p>She went into his bedroom and picked up a blanket and brought it back to the library. She shook him for a few moments, seeing if she could wake him enough to get him to go to bed. Gonzales awakens and rubs his eyes. He notices Kate and says "Sandpiper....what time is it?" "Somewhere between 7:00 and 7:30 P.M.” she replies. She laid the blanket across his shoulders. "Go to bed, you'll be stiff if you sleep here. I'm going to sleep myself, we can talk tomorrow. I'm glad you're back safe." </p><p></p><p>Jake leaves by the Lucky Lady’s front door, pulling his collar up and hat down, and heads over to the Marshall's office looking for Warren Earp. Warren is in when Jake arrives. Gesturing to Lane Gifford in the cell Warren says "Hello, I gather this conversation isn't for his ears?" Jake nods yes and follows Warren for a quiet conversation where no one else can hear them. Jake says, "I'm bone tired, but you need to know a few things. This conversation isn't for the Marshall either, it is for Warren Earp. Do you understand what I mean." Jake waits for him to acknowledge before continuing. "I think we have some common problems." </p><p></p><p>Jake tells him about Johnny Ringo coming to the Lucky Lady, his friends as hostages, and Ringo's threat of war with the Earps. "I hope Rodriguez told you I came by last night? Well, we got our friends back safely. Unfortunately there was an accident and the ranch the Cowboy gang was using burned to the ground." Jake pauses and nods before continuing, "Warren, they had a Gattling gun! I believe it was destroyed in the fire though." </p><p></p><p>Jake then tells about returning the stolen cattle to the Shaws. "While we were with the Shaws another group of Cowboy gang attacked us on the road. As far as we know, there are no living Cowboy gang members who witnessed either event." Jake pauses again to let that sink in. "We have not seen Ringo since last night though, and I worry about what he is up to. I don't know if he knows any of this happened yet. Something close to twenty members of the Cowboy gang turned in their membership today." </p><p></p><p>Jake pauses and then concludes, "Now, I don't know what to do next but lots of folks are in danger including you and your brothers. Do you think Marshall Warren Earp will have any questions for this law-abiding citizen regarding today's unfortunate events? I don't want to be on the wrong side of the law on this, and Ringo is going to be big trouble for both of us." </p><p></p><p>Warren says, "Sounds like they got what they deserved. They kidnapped your friends, you rescued them, doesn't sound like anything else for me to do. Besides, my authority is here in the town and near it. I didn't see fire from any burning places today, so it sounds like this took place outside of my jurisdiction. My only suggestion is that you don't tell the Deputy Sheriff. His boss Sheriff Behan is friendly with the Cowboys." </p><p></p><p>"I'll take that advice." Jake scratches his chin, "Did you get anything out of Gifford? I'd sure like to know who paid money to stop us the day your brother got shot." Warren says, "No, he's been as tight lipped as they get. He had one visitor early this morning, a Len Wagner, but they didn't say much of anything to each other." </p><p></p><p>Jake replies, "Nor are they likely to again until the afterlife...." Jake stifles a yawn. "Kindly let me know if you hear any other word on any Cowboy gang in town. I need to get some sleep. Watch your back." Jake bids him good night and heads back to his room at the saloon. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet and Chester had actually gotten more sleep than any of the others, so they offer to take bouncer/guard duty this evening and send the exhausted Jeff Mills off to bed. As Hoover had predicted, it turns out to be a quiet night, with few patrons other than the players at the two poker tables, and those have fewer than usual. Trisha Shaw begins the night at Tony Lucky's poker table but doesn't care for the lewd way he looks at her so moves over to Job's table instead. </p><p></p><p>Back at the El Parador, Katherine interrupts Ginnie's reading. Kate notices the book's subject, The Iliad by Homer. The book is in the original Greek and Ginnie has been writing out a translation in English. The particular chapter she is translating is about the fate of Atlantis. "Ma'am Kate!" she yells upon Katherine's entry. </p><p></p><p>Ginnie tells Kate about the morning's visit from Mr. John Peters. Ginnie says, "He asked a lot of questions about you but I didn't tell him anything. I don't trust him. I did check him out, there weren't any wanted posters of him at either the Marshall or Sheriff's offices and the Deputy Marshall didn't know anything about him. He stayed an hour and then left. Wanted to know where your ranch was but I wouldn't tell him. He said he was a friend of your husband but since he hadn't been at either memorial service I figured that he was lying." </p><p></p><p>Kate replies, you did just the right thing, Ginnie. That man was Johnny Ringo. He did know my husband, but I don't think he knew him enough to call him a friend. Yesterday Nanuet and Mr. Martin started for Tombstone, and the Cowboy Gang grabbed them. Last night we went and got them back. It's not the first time we've crossed the Cowboy Gang, Ginnie. Johnny Ringo was here to blackmail me in order to secure their release. </p><p></p><p>We both have to be careful the next few days Ginnie. Johnny Ringo intends to have his war with the Earps, and he doesn't intend to let us sit on the sidelines." Kate went over and hugged the girl. "I'm not trying to frighten you, but I thought you should know what's happening. I know the girl I met in Tombstone can keep her head on her shoulders. Probably better than I can." She let go and sat back on her heels. "And now I have got to get some sleep. You go right ahead and keep reading, the light won't bother me." </p><p></p><p>Kate started getting changed for bed and asked, "Ringo didn't leave any message? I'm rather surprised he came himself, he only said I'd receive instructions, not that I'd see him." Ginnie says, “No Ma'am. Well, actually, he started to write out something in Latin but I was following along as he wrote. When he realized that I was able to understand it he changed his mind and crumbled it up. He tossed it down outside but I had Ricardo fetch it." </p><p></p><p>She reaches into her pocket and hands over the crumbled up note. Ginnie translates "I asked for an answer from you and Food Preparer, Now I will..." "That's all he wrote. By Food Preparer does he mean Mr. Cook? I thought at first he meant Dorita, especially since she can read Latin, but she didn't think so as he hadn't asked her much of anything before." Kate sat down next to Ginnie and sighed. "Yes, he means Mr. Cook. It's not hard to guess what he's going to do, or at least try to do, and I'm too tired to even be afraid." She slipped her arm around Ginnie's shoulder and hugged her again. "I'm glad you're safe. I don't know how far Ringo will go, but I'm afraid it's farther than I could even imagine.” </p><p></p><p>Ginnie says, "I'm sorry Ma'am Kate, I didn't recognize him. I'd seen Johnny Ringo before in Tombstone but never up close, and then he had long hair and wore cowboy clothes, not at all like the man who was here this morning." Kate replies, "It's alright Ginnie. Ringo looked different the last time I saw him too, but I was only inches away from him. His face was hard to forget. I may have to be away a lot in the next few days, you'll have to be careful and stick close to Dorita and Mr. Gonzales. But we can talk more about that tomorrow. I need to rest, I'm no good to anyone like this." </p><p></p><p>Kate staggered over to her bed, sneezed a couple times, and crawled in. "Good night, Ginnie." "Goodnight Ma'am Kate. I'll probably be in rather late, Dorita has asked me to help her out in the kitchen. She's short handed tonight since Sonoma is still out at the ranch and Pedro and Jose are heading off to help out some friends. Saturdays are still the busiest night here at the Cantina, that fighting over at the Palace hasn't hurt our business any since most of our patrons are non-humans and aren't allowed into the Palace. Don't worry about me missing sleep, I slept late this morning with you away." </p><p></p><p>Kate says, "Keep your eyes open, dear. I didn't tell Dorita what's happening, I should..." She was actually trying to make her body move, but it was barely responsive and she was almost asleep already. "Can you tell Dorita what I told you please? Be careful," she finished as her eyes dropped closed. </p><p></p><p>At around nine-thirty, Trisha calls it a night at the poker table and slips out of the Lucky Lady. She walks through the dark streets of Promise City, doing her best to stay unnoticed, and swiftly finds her way to the Alhambra Saloon. She opens the door rather cautiously. The saloon is almost empty, except for the bartender, watching her a little as he cleans a glass, and a few lone men dotted about. </p><p></p><p>Trisha looks about, a little warily, and for a minute she doesn't see who she's looking for. Then a young man at a table near the bar looks up from his drink, and his eyes light up. She makes for his table, barely keeping herself from running. "I thought you'd never come," he says, taking her hand. “I thought you wouldn't be here," she replies. She sits down beside him and they kiss gently. "I missed you, Simon." </p><p></p><p>He smiles at her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. "Darling," the young man says, "I've been hoping this day would come. Will you father come for you?" "Probably," says Trisha with a sigh. "But it shouldn't be for a few days. He thinks I'm here to hear a lady preach in the morning - so by the time he figures out I'm not coming back, it oughta be too late for him to do anything about it." She looks into his eyes. "Right?" </p><p></p><p>He replies, "Right, but I'm worried about what he'll do to Pa. You father founded this region, we're just a pair of no-account newcomers. We don't even own the land we're mining on, just leasing it. Where are you staying? Is there room for me there?" Trisha sits up a little straighter. "I got a room at the Lucky Lady," she says. "But it'll mean sneaking around again. My Pa's friendly with the owners, and he's got them keeping an eye on me. And no doubt he told Jake Cook to make sure I didn't speak to no men." She smiles. "Let alone share a bed with one." </p><p></p><p>"We'll be careful," Simon replies. He then says, "But we should have us some level of privacy in here to talk at least. Most of the folks have gone off to watch some boxing at one of the other saloons. And the owner, Mr. Lord, will let us use the little room out back if we slip him a few bucks. He was saving the room for a halfling friend to use tonight but the little guy won't be back until tomorrow." "Sounds good to me," says Trisha. "Truth be told, Ruby and Jake are pretty beat right now. We wait a couple hours, probably nobody will notice us sneaking back."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 2813685, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 95, “Home Again“, Saturday, March 18th , 1882, 7:00 P.M. [/B] The coach pulls up to the front door of the Lucky Lady Dance Hall and Saloon. Chester calls out, "Hey, we're home now. I need to change and eat. Then sleep. Ugh. I hate rain." Nanuet comments, “Well when I left on my little errand I never figured it would end like this and I never thought I would be this happy to see this place." "Almost home," Kate said, still half asleep. "I have another block or so to go. Let's get Ruby inside and settled, then I need to get back to the El Parador." She rubbed her eyes and climbed out, her body stiff from staying still after moving for so long. "I can't wait to get to bed." After a little bit of sleep, Jakes mind begins to function again. While he gathers up his stuff he talks, "Let's unload here and get any news of what is going on first. Someone will need to get the Marshall, but don't tell him much let me handle that. Katherine shouldn't go over to the El Parador alone, after we make sure things are well here she should have an escort." Ruby wakes, but barely, when the coach stops. "Jaaakkkeeeeeeee," Ruby whines, "Take me to bed." And," Jake continues wincing a bit, "I'll help Ruby upstairs." Paul offers to drop Mrs. Kale off at her hotel. Tricia has Jeff Mills held get the trunk down from the carriage and carry it inside the Lucky Lady. She tells Jeff "Just put it in my room, where ever that might be." Kate says, "You don't mind if I go, do you Jake? I know you want to get information, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going. Unless you really object, I'll let Paul take me home. I doubt my appointment waited this long for me." "If you are sure you'll be safe enough, go." Jake looks a little worried. "Just be careful." Minerva stays in the carriage with Kate. "I'll stop over at the El Parador with you before I head home. I definitely need to take a bath before church tomorrow though" "Let's go," Kate said to Paul and the coach jostled forward. "There's no baths at the El Parador, you know. We'll have to send someone to escort you home from the El Parador. None of us should be walking out alone." Jake checks in with Hoover before going upstairs. "Is everything OK here? Anything strange going on in town or have you seen that Ringo character hanging around?" Hoover replies, "Nope, it's been a quiet day. Expect it to be a quiet night too, between the weather and the boxing over at the Palace. Tony and Job should be able to handle the tables, you look like you need a break." "I look like hell you mean." Jake manages a real laugh. Then he says quietly to Hoover, "The Cowboy gang is causing all kinds of trouble, so keep your eyes open. Don't hesitate to get me if anything seems wrong. But yes, I need some sleep." Jake takes Ruby upstairs, and then makes another trip for all the gear. Jake helps Ruby pull off her clothes and puts her in bed before leaving. Jake is gone a moment before Ruby pulls herself up. With great effort she walks over to the mirror and looks at her wound. She touches it and it stings, so she pulls her hand back. She breathes a very heavy sigh as she looks her body over. Scars were not something Ruby was good at accepting and this one was very visible. Her legs start to give out a bit so she walks back over to the bed. There is some fresh water in a bowl next to the bed, and Ruby carefully wipes her face and her injury clean. She climbs back in bed and lies flat staring at the ceiling, the memories of her friends standing over her as she was dying coming back to her. Ruby turns on her side, pulls her knees to her chest, and starts crying. Chester climbs the stairs up to his room. He grabs a towel and dries himself off. He changes into fresh clothes, then spends some time cleaning his revolvers and rifle. He leaves them upstairs, while he goes down to the bar. Chester sees Harry Rote. "Hi Harry. Could I have a beer, please. It's been a long day. How's that Luc been working out?" Harry replies, "He's gone. That cousin of Nanuet's and the half-orc came by late morning. Said they needed some help. He felt obligated to them after the trouble you guys got into over in Galeyville and decided to go off with them. Not sure exactly where they rode off to." Since all the others are off Nanuet decides to stay and watch over the Lucky Lady. He puts on a clean set of clothes, rebraids his hair and takes a seat at a corner table with a glass of whiskey. Chester sees Nanuet at the corner table. "Hey there. How are you doing? I'm thinking of getting something to eat. Want anything?" Nanuet replies, "Actually, that is a great idea. It's been so long since we had something decent to eat." Chester says, "Let me go in the kitchen and ask Maria." Chester heads back. "Maria, could me and Nanuet get something for dinner, please?" She states, “Here's some buffalo stew and a couple slices of bread." "Thank you," he replies. Nanuet sees Chester returning with the bowls of stew and bread. "Thanks Chet, no matter what the other's say about you, I think you're OK." he says with his trademark wink and smile. Chester laughs. "Thanks, I think. Just what are the others saying? You're not what I expected either." He walks over to the bar and gets a bottle of whiskey. "I think we need some more of this too. What do you say?" Chester states, "You've twisted my arm. Make it a double." Nanuet pours two healthy sized glasses of whiskey and begins digging into his stew ravenously. "Mmmph mmmph mmmphps" he says back to Chester then spits out his food in a loud guffaw. He swallows then continues. "They don't say anything, I was just kidding. Jake seems to trust you which says a lot, and I trust you to. You're a stand up guy and I like having you around Chet." Chester replies, "Very funny. You're all my friends, so I like being around you. Nobody's judgmental. I guess it's because we all have some dark places in our pasts." Jake drags himself back up the stairs and unceremoniously drops the gear one last time, in the corner of their room. "I should go over and find Warren Earp and," he finally notices Ruby is crying. "Hey, does it still hurt that bad?" Jake quickly strips off his duster and hat. Ruby hadn't heard Jake come in their room and was surprised to hear his voice. She quickly tries to wipe her face clean. "Uh, no it's ok, I'm fine. You should go see Warren, that's a good idea." He asks, "You sure?" Ruby nods her head. Jake takes a minute to clean his face and hands, looks at his clothes and just shakes his head. He puts his duster and hat back on and says to Ruby before leaving, "Rest, I'll be quick about it." As soon as Jake leaves, the memories of the events of the day and especially the emotions overwhelm Ruby and she starts crying again. She curls up again and cries until she passes out from the sheer exhaustion of it all. The coach drops Minerva and Kate off at the doorstep of the El Parador. Paul doesn't waste any time before riding off to head back to the Shaw ranch. As the two women approach the doorway they hear piano playing and singing from inside. The Cantina is nice and lively. An auburn-haired half-elvan woman attired in Indian-style buckskin clothing is seated at the piano bench, playing and singing Irish folk songs. Most of the tables are filled with the usual patrons, with Carlos Ramirez leading a card game, Pepita Alvarez and Angelica Huesca entertaining a pair of male patrons at another table, and many of the other Saturday night regulars eating and drinking. One table has an odd collection of men who neither women have seen before, two human men in cowboy garb, a teenage boy in cowboy garb, a half-orc in Chinese clothing and a human in a suit and tie. Kate took off her jacket and breathed a deep sigh. Not long now and she could get some rest, as long as everything was alright here. "Miss Florencia, I'm going to find Dorita and Ginnie and make sure everything is ok, then I have every intention of going straight to bed. I'm not sure what your plans are, but I should be back out in a minute." Minerva replies, "My plan, Senora is to be sure that everything is well with you before I head off to a bath a meal and a bed. " Kate headed off to the kitchen and went inside, leaning against the wall to keep standing. "Dorita? Has everything been alright today? Where's Ginnie?" Dorita states, "Everything fine. Better than fine, Grandfather come back safe. Ginnie up in room studying, Grandfather give her new book to read. She help me serve supper then go upstairs to read. She very excited about book." Kate let out a long breath and caught herself before she could fall. Her hands were shaking. "Thank you, Dorita. I'll go upstairs and see your Grandfather, then I'm going to bed." Minerva, dirty and weary from this horrific day sits at a table, eyeing the odd assortment of men at the table across from her while she waits for Kate to return. Kate stumbled out of the kitchen and back into the Cantina proper. She spotted Grant Keebler on the way and brought him over to Minerva. "Everything's fine," she told the priestess. "Miss Florencia would like to go over to the bathhouse. Would you escort her please? Thanks. And thank you, Miss Florencia, for today. Good night." Minerva returns to the Comstock House and tiptoes up the stairs to avoid questions from Bea and Rustle. She gathers up clean clothing and various toiletries and heads over to the bathhouse. Clean and slightly refreshed she returns to the Comstock house in search of a light meal before she retires to her room to finish the preparations for tomorrows sermon "Well that should just about cover it" she say's with an evil gleam in her eye as she puts down her pencil. She stretches and yawns, strips off her clothes and crawls under the covers. She glances over to the icons of Minerva and Jupiter on her dresser "Good night Minerva, Good night Zeus. Thanks for your help" she whispers and drifts off to sleep. Kate made her way upstairs and into her teacher’s rooms. "Mr. Gonzales?" She finds him in the library, sitting in a padded chair with his head leaning over onto the desk and on his arm. He is sound asleep and lightly snoring. She concludes that he must have had a long and busy day as well. She didn't want to wake him, but she knew from experience that he'd be sorry he slept that way in the morning. She went into his bedroom and picked up a blanket and brought it back to the library. She shook him for a few moments, seeing if she could wake him enough to get him to go to bed. Gonzales awakens and rubs his eyes. He notices Kate and says "Sandpiper....what time is it?" "Somewhere between 7:00 and 7:30 P.M.” she replies. She laid the blanket across his shoulders. "Go to bed, you'll be stiff if you sleep here. I'm going to sleep myself, we can talk tomorrow. I'm glad you're back safe." Jake leaves by the Lucky Lady’s front door, pulling his collar up and hat down, and heads over to the Marshall's office looking for Warren Earp. Warren is in when Jake arrives. Gesturing to Lane Gifford in the cell Warren says "Hello, I gather this conversation isn't for his ears?" Jake nods yes and follows Warren for a quiet conversation where no one else can hear them. Jake says, "I'm bone tired, but you need to know a few things. This conversation isn't for the Marshall either, it is for Warren Earp. Do you understand what I mean." Jake waits for him to acknowledge before continuing. "I think we have some common problems." Jake tells him about Johnny Ringo coming to the Lucky Lady, his friends as hostages, and Ringo's threat of war with the Earps. "I hope Rodriguez told you I came by last night? Well, we got our friends back safely. Unfortunately there was an accident and the ranch the Cowboy gang was using burned to the ground." Jake pauses and nods before continuing, "Warren, they had a Gattling gun! I believe it was destroyed in the fire though." Jake then tells about returning the stolen cattle to the Shaws. "While we were with the Shaws another group of Cowboy gang attacked us on the road. As far as we know, there are no living Cowboy gang members who witnessed either event." Jake pauses again to let that sink in. "We have not seen Ringo since last night though, and I worry about what he is up to. I don't know if he knows any of this happened yet. Something close to twenty members of the Cowboy gang turned in their membership today." Jake pauses and then concludes, "Now, I don't know what to do next but lots of folks are in danger including you and your brothers. Do you think Marshall Warren Earp will have any questions for this law-abiding citizen regarding today's unfortunate events? I don't want to be on the wrong side of the law on this, and Ringo is going to be big trouble for both of us." Warren says, "Sounds like they got what they deserved. They kidnapped your friends, you rescued them, doesn't sound like anything else for me to do. Besides, my authority is here in the town and near it. I didn't see fire from any burning places today, so it sounds like this took place outside of my jurisdiction. My only suggestion is that you don't tell the Deputy Sheriff. His boss Sheriff Behan is friendly with the Cowboys." "I'll take that advice." Jake scratches his chin, "Did you get anything out of Gifford? I'd sure like to know who paid money to stop us the day your brother got shot." Warren says, "No, he's been as tight lipped as they get. He had one visitor early this morning, a Len Wagner, but they didn't say much of anything to each other." Jake replies, "Nor are they likely to again until the afterlife...." Jake stifles a yawn. "Kindly let me know if you hear any other word on any Cowboy gang in town. I need to get some sleep. Watch your back." Jake bids him good night and heads back to his room at the saloon. Nanuet and Chester had actually gotten more sleep than any of the others, so they offer to take bouncer/guard duty this evening and send the exhausted Jeff Mills off to bed. As Hoover had predicted, it turns out to be a quiet night, with few patrons other than the players at the two poker tables, and those have fewer than usual. Trisha Shaw begins the night at Tony Lucky's poker table but doesn't care for the lewd way he looks at her so moves over to Job's table instead. Back at the El Parador, Katherine interrupts Ginnie's reading. Kate notices the book's subject, The Iliad by Homer. The book is in the original Greek and Ginnie has been writing out a translation in English. The particular chapter she is translating is about the fate of Atlantis. "Ma'am Kate!" she yells upon Katherine's entry. Ginnie tells Kate about the morning's visit from Mr. John Peters. Ginnie says, "He asked a lot of questions about you but I didn't tell him anything. I don't trust him. I did check him out, there weren't any wanted posters of him at either the Marshall or Sheriff's offices and the Deputy Marshall didn't know anything about him. He stayed an hour and then left. Wanted to know where your ranch was but I wouldn't tell him. He said he was a friend of your husband but since he hadn't been at either memorial service I figured that he was lying." Kate replies, you did just the right thing, Ginnie. That man was Johnny Ringo. He did know my husband, but I don't think he knew him enough to call him a friend. Yesterday Nanuet and Mr. Martin started for Tombstone, and the Cowboy Gang grabbed them. Last night we went and got them back. It's not the first time we've crossed the Cowboy Gang, Ginnie. Johnny Ringo was here to blackmail me in order to secure their release. We both have to be careful the next few days Ginnie. Johnny Ringo intends to have his war with the Earps, and he doesn't intend to let us sit on the sidelines." Kate went over and hugged the girl. "I'm not trying to frighten you, but I thought you should know what's happening. I know the girl I met in Tombstone can keep her head on her shoulders. Probably better than I can." She let go and sat back on her heels. "And now I have got to get some sleep. You go right ahead and keep reading, the light won't bother me." Kate started getting changed for bed and asked, "Ringo didn't leave any message? I'm rather surprised he came himself, he only said I'd receive instructions, not that I'd see him." Ginnie says, “No Ma'am. Well, actually, he started to write out something in Latin but I was following along as he wrote. When he realized that I was able to understand it he changed his mind and crumbled it up. He tossed it down outside but I had Ricardo fetch it." She reaches into her pocket and hands over the crumbled up note. Ginnie translates "I asked for an answer from you and Food Preparer, Now I will..." "That's all he wrote. By Food Preparer does he mean Mr. Cook? I thought at first he meant Dorita, especially since she can read Latin, but she didn't think so as he hadn't asked her much of anything before." Kate sat down next to Ginnie and sighed. "Yes, he means Mr. Cook. It's not hard to guess what he's going to do, or at least try to do, and I'm too tired to even be afraid." She slipped her arm around Ginnie's shoulder and hugged her again. "I'm glad you're safe. I don't know how far Ringo will go, but I'm afraid it's farther than I could even imagine.” Ginnie says, "I'm sorry Ma'am Kate, I didn't recognize him. I'd seen Johnny Ringo before in Tombstone but never up close, and then he had long hair and wore cowboy clothes, not at all like the man who was here this morning." Kate replies, "It's alright Ginnie. Ringo looked different the last time I saw him too, but I was only inches away from him. His face was hard to forget. I may have to be away a lot in the next few days, you'll have to be careful and stick close to Dorita and Mr. Gonzales. But we can talk more about that tomorrow. I need to rest, I'm no good to anyone like this." Kate staggered over to her bed, sneezed a couple times, and crawled in. "Good night, Ginnie." "Goodnight Ma'am Kate. I'll probably be in rather late, Dorita has asked me to help her out in the kitchen. She's short handed tonight since Sonoma is still out at the ranch and Pedro and Jose are heading off to help out some friends. Saturdays are still the busiest night here at the Cantina, that fighting over at the Palace hasn't hurt our business any since most of our patrons are non-humans and aren't allowed into the Palace. Don't worry about me missing sleep, I slept late this morning with you away." Kate says, "Keep your eyes open, dear. I didn't tell Dorita what's happening, I should..." She was actually trying to make her body move, but it was barely responsive and she was almost asleep already. "Can you tell Dorita what I told you please? Be careful," she finished as her eyes dropped closed. At around nine-thirty, Trisha calls it a night at the poker table and slips out of the Lucky Lady. She walks through the dark streets of Promise City, doing her best to stay unnoticed, and swiftly finds her way to the Alhambra Saloon. She opens the door rather cautiously. The saloon is almost empty, except for the bartender, watching her a little as he cleans a glass, and a few lone men dotted about. Trisha looks about, a little warily, and for a minute she doesn't see who she's looking for. Then a young man at a table near the bar looks up from his drink, and his eyes light up. She makes for his table, barely keeping herself from running. "I thought you'd never come," he says, taking her hand. “I thought you wouldn't be here," she replies. She sits down beside him and they kiss gently. "I missed you, Simon." He smiles at her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. "Darling," the young man says, "I've been hoping this day would come. Will you father come for you?" "Probably," says Trisha with a sigh. "But it shouldn't be for a few days. He thinks I'm here to hear a lady preach in the morning - so by the time he figures out I'm not coming back, it oughta be too late for him to do anything about it." She looks into his eyes. "Right?" He replies, "Right, but I'm worried about what he'll do to Pa. You father founded this region, we're just a pair of no-account newcomers. We don't even own the land we're mining on, just leasing it. Where are you staying? Is there room for me there?" Trisha sits up a little straighter. "I got a room at the Lucky Lady," she says. "But it'll mean sneaking around again. My Pa's friendly with the owners, and he's got them keeping an eye on me. And no doubt he told Jake Cook to make sure I didn't speak to no men." She smiles. "Let alone share a bed with one." "We'll be careful," Simon replies. He then says, "But we should have us some level of privacy in here to talk at least. Most of the folks have gone off to watch some boxing at one of the other saloons. And the owner, Mr. Lord, will let us use the little room out back if we slip him a few bucks. He was saving the room for a halfling friend to use tonight but the little guy won't be back until tomorrow." "Sounds good to me," says Trisha. "Truth be told, Ruby and Jake are pretty beat right now. We wait a couple hours, probably nobody will notice us sneaking back." [/QUOTE]
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