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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2814855" data-attributes="member: 8530">Prelude Part D, “Worry over the Boys”, May 22nd, 1882: Ruby states, "But how about a happier subject then? I have a question for you. I need a Romeo." Conrad Booth smiles and says, "Well Miss West, I'm flattered, but isn't Mr. Cook already the Romeo in your life?" Ruby returns the smile, "Oh yes, the part of Romeo in my life has already been taken. But what I'm looking for is a Romeo for the play we're going to be putting on at the Lucky Lady. After the construction is finished. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." Conrad replies, "Why, I would be honored. I've been understudy for that part before but never got the opportunity to actually play it on stage. So I already know all of the lines." "Really?" Ruby laughs, "Well, you'll have to help me then, Jake is helping me read through it now. I'm very excited about it, it's going to be wonderful! And maybe you can even help me fill the other roles too. I'd like you to be very involved, as you have the experience. My performing skills are limited to, ah, other areas." Booth says, "I will be happy to help you out. Spending my entire life in the theatre has taught me a lot. As for filling out the cast, that will depend upon how many characters you want in the play. Obviously you need a Romeo and Juliet, which I assume we will play. Romeo's closest friend Mercutio is a key part, which I enjoyed portraying in the past. You would need someone handsome who can play a romantic swashbuckler. Based on his costume at the festival I might suggest Mr. Job Kane for that role. Then there are the parts of Juliet's parents the Capulets and her cousin Tybalt. On the Montague side you have Romeo's parents Lord and Lady Montague and his kinsmen Paris and Benvolio. And you would need somebody to play Escales, the Prince of Verona. Small but important roles are the Roman Priest Lawrence who marries the couple and the Nurse. Not many lines but very fun for those new to the stage. The play also calls for a priest named John, Romeo's servant Bathasar, Capulet servants Sampson, Gregory and Peter, Montague servant Abram, the Apothecary, and Rosaline who is the woman who Romeo is enamored with at the start of the play. There are versions of the play for smaller casts that eliminate some of those parts. Our company would have all of the party but double up on actors for some parts who were not in the same scene together. That however requires quick costume changes and changes in makeup to change the appearance of the actor. Ruby continues to smile, impressed. "Well, it sounds like you know you're stuff. Maybe we should have some tryouts to see who would be interested. I didn't think Job Kane was the type to want to be in a play. As a matter of fact, I should have asked Jake, maybe he would want a part." She shrugs, "But I'm guessing he's rather watch than have to practice." She ponders, "I wonder who else will want a part?" The excitement is plain as day on Ruby's face, "It's going to be so successful, I can't wait. And I knew you'd be interested! But are you sure Kate will approve?" "Why wouldn't Kate approve? She performs with you on a regular basis, aren't I entitled to the same. Hmmm...you may be right about Kane, you know him better than I do. Say, here's a thought. From what we saw at the festival this region has a surprisingly large number of expert fencers. You may want to consider casting several of them in the roles of Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris and Benvolio and we could make the swordfight scene something truly spectacular. I'm sure that you'll have no trouble convincing Estaban Fuente as he's both the best swordsman in town and also a performer. He'd make a great Mercutio. Hans Schmidt, David Tomlinson if Isby were in town, or Sergeant Ball from Fort Huachuca would also be great for the swordfight. None of them may be able to act but those parts don't have that many lines and if necessary your could probably reassign most of Paris's or Benvolio's lines to Fuente as Mercutio." "Those are some excellent ideas Mr. Booth. I made a good choice in asking you. I'll get right on asking people if they would like to be a part of this. Course, I needed my Romeo first," she laughs. "As for Katherine, I don't know, it might be all the time we have to spend together working on it or maybe uh... certain scenes in the play?" Conrad replies, "Your gain, her loss." Josie interjects "Our Company has performed Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet on many occasions. It was always one of Pauline Markham's favorite plays. She's been playing Juliet for fifteen years now and still won't admit that she is starting to get a little old for the part now. I've been her understudy and she's let me play Juliet during all of the matinee performances." Ruby smiles slyly, "Why, I suppose it is then, Mr. Booth." She turns her gaze to Josie, "So maybe you can give me some hints Josie? I know you won't be around town long but I'd appreciate any advice you can give me. I want to be the best actress I can be. And besides, I'll be acting next to Conrad, so I'd better get my skills up to par." Ruby glances over her shoulder at the door. "I wonder where Madge is?" Josie says, "Well, we could probably head back to your place and spend a few hours going over it, but first I really should spend all of that table credit that Mr. Booth was kind enough to extend to me. Let's play one more series of cards and head out during the next break." Before the next hand begins Madge does return, with a look of mild concern on her face. She orders a whiskey from the bar and then heads back to the table with the others. Mr. Hale's vacancy at the table is filled by a pair of miners from out-of-town, Crawford Putnam and John Wakelin, who Kate Higgins ushers over to the table. "I thought we were going dancing toni..." Ruby's thought is interrupted by Madge's arrival. After she orders her whiskey and sits Ruby leans over next to her, "Sweetie, what's wrong? You look upset." Madge whispers back "I went over to the El Parador to try to find our teacher. I wanted to talk to him about tomorrow. I really don't want to see Wyatt Earp again if I can avoid it. But I'm worried that if we don't go and help him Wyatt will retaliate. Manuel wasn't there. Pedro said that he went off somewhere with your Mr. Cook and they haven't returned yet." Ruby furrows her brows, "Mr. Gonzales and MY Mr. Cook?" Ruby whispers back, "Pedro must have been mistaken. The two of them don't... well, let's just say they aren't exactly the best of friends." Madge's facial expression takes on a surprised look. "Really? I thought that Manuel got along with everybody. Maybe Pedro was referring to Zeb Cook who runs Cook's General Store. When he said Mr. Cook I just assumed that he meant Jake, since you two used to live at the El Parador." Ruby replies, "Oh they get along alright, usually anyway." A small blush appears on Ruby's cheeks, "Let's just say that Mr. Gonzales doesn't think Jake is good for me. He thinks he'll get me in trouble...or killed." She shrugs and smiles. "What can I say, he's worth the risk.” Madge smiles and says, "He thinks Jake will get you in trouble or killed? Doesn't he have that backwards?" Ruby playfully widens her eyes. "Oh, so you agree that I'm more trouble for Mr. Cook than he is for me, huh?" Ruby gives a good laugh. "I thought if you put trouble and trouble together maybe you'd get less trouble." She shrugs. "Maybe I was wrong." Ruby then asks, “Did Mr. G. say where they went?" Ruby asks, now curious. Madge replies, “"Pedro did not know." She furrows her brows,” But I really wonder where they are. Maybe we ought to go over and ask around. The two of them together scares me. They may be having some weird manly duel or something worse. I'd call that trouble for sure." Josie says, "Oh Ruby, boys will be boys, leave them be. This is our night together. Let's play cards! Mr. Booth has been kind enough to advance me more money to lose." "Oh, but I won't be able to concentrate now..." Ruby realizes her two friends are looking at her funny so she continues, "Alright, I'm sure they are fine. Let's keep playing and then maybe we'll go dancing like we said." She smiles at them and throws her ante into the pot. With the table credit, essentially "free money", Josie is less inhibited and actually manages to win a hand, but by the end of the seventh hand she has spent all of her winnings as well as the credit and decides to call it quits. During that time Madge has won two hands and is now $ 27 ahead of where she began the night. Ruby has won only one hand but it the biggest of the night and she is now ahead a total of $ 76 for the night. Crawford Putnam appears to be a good player but is still down money despite winning two hands as he bet heavily in the one that Ruby had won. John Wakelin is a poor player and lost every hand. He decides to quit playing poker and go play at the Faro table instead and his friend Putnam decides to join him. Booth says, "Well, I guess we're at a stopping point." Ruby says, "But we had a wonderful time, Mr. Booth. I am so glad we came by. I've been wondering what kind of a dealer you are all this time. Maybe one of these nights I'll get Mr. Cook out too." Ruby stands, "Well ladies, now where to?" Madge says, "Well, if it's dancing you want to do I would normally suggest the Gay Lady, but since I work there I'd like to avoid it. How about back to the El Parador? We could probably talk Estaban into playing some good dance music." "Now that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Ruby stuffs her winnings down her bodice, then gives Conrad a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for the fun time." With that the ladies head over to the El Parador Cantina. It is a quiet night at the Cantina with the only employees around being Angelica and her son Ricardo Huseca, Pedro behind the bar, and Estaban Fuente playing guitar. Three male wood elves are drinking at the bar and a pair of dwarven miners are seated at one of the tables. "Hmmm... seems pretty dead in here. Let's get some drinks." Ruby approaches the bar. "Good evening Pedro. I'd like a round of drinks for me and my friends here. And then I'd like for you to get Estaban to play some fun music for us!" Pedro serves up a round of drinks while Estaban calls for young Ricardo to assist him. Ricardo plans the maracas while Estaban begins to play a faster-paced as Angelica gets one of the elves sitting at the bar to dance with her. Giggling, Ruby grabs Josie and drags her onto the dance floor for the fast paced dance. "I've been here long enough to have learned their dances!" Ruby laughs as she twirls Josie around. After her dance with Josie Ruby bounces to the bar. "Come and dance with me now, Pedro," she teasingly pleads, "You're the only one who can keep up with me!" For the next twenty minutes Pedro proves just that, taking her out onto the dance floor and first dancing several that she knows and then teaching her a new dance. The two companions of the wood elf dancing with Angelica approach Madge and Josie and ask them to dance, which both accept. Dorita arrives to take Pedro's place behind the bar so. The two dwarves leave, apparently not fond of Mexican music, but a dozen or so elves and humans soon arrive having been enticed by the lively tunes. Ruby dances by her friends, "See ladies, the party follows us wherever we go!" She continues to dance with Pedro, with Ruby trying to keep up with the spry elf. "So," she lets him spin her around with a giggle, "Do you know where Mr. Gonzales went tonight?" Pedro replies, "No, he and your man Jake were talking together earlier and then left. At first I thought they were upstairs in his room but when Dorita checked earlier they had gone." The party continues, with another dozen or so people arriving and the dance floor remaining full from that point onward. Estaban asks Madge and Ruby if they would care to join him with singing the next song, a lively Spanish ballad that both have heard several times before. "I wonder where they could be..." Ruby mutters with a hint of concern but is quickly distracted by Estaban's request. "Of course we'll sing with you," Ruby smiles, "The Spanish songs are beautiful." The trio sing for the next forty-five minutes while Josie flirts with the wood elf that had danced with her earlier. While they are dancing bank teller Derek Avery enters with his fiancé Liza Brown and start to dance as well. Madge nudges Ruby while gesturing to the pair and jokingly comments "Both dancing and associating with non-humans....that boy is going to find himself booted off of the Vigilance Committee at this rate." "Good for him. That Vigilance Committee is no good." Ruby ponders for a moment, "Actually, that's not a bad thing, maybe he'll bring some fresh ideas to them and their stingy ways. So...," Ruby leans in and whispers, "Just how serious is this thing with you and you know who?" Madge replies, "Not serious at all as of yet, but that's mostly been because I've been afraid of loosing my job." Ruby says, "That's silly honey. A woman like you, with your talent, could find a job almost anywhere. Can't say the same about finding a decent man." Ruby shrugs and smiles, "You have to do what you have to do though." Madge notices that Ruby keeps checking the door when someone new walks in. She gazes around the now bustling room, and eyes Josie dancing. "I have to admit, I was a bit peeved at what happened this morning, getting used like that. Didn't expect it from her." Madge replies, "You're peeved! How do you think I feel! He may have been somewhat polite about it but blackmail is blackmail. And I have no intentions of meeting with him tomorrow until after I talk to my teacher, he'll know what to do, he always does." "I know... we both got used. But what if... you know Mr. Gonzales... what if he doesn't return tonight?" Ruby continues quickly, "Oh, but Jake wouldn't do that to me, maybe we should check for a note at the Lucky Lady." Ruby's eyes dart again to the door. "I have to admit Madge, I'm nervous. The two of them are like powder in the powder keg, waiting to go off. They don't get along. What could they be doing together but getting into trouble?" Madge thinks for a minute and says, "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Manuel knows enough magic to keep Jake from shooting him and I doubt our teacher would do anything to permanently harm your boyfriend. The worse he'd probably do is turn him into a rabbit." Ruby's eyes widen, "A rabbit?" she coughs out the whiskey that just touched her lips. "Madge, that would be just horrible!" Ruby shakes her head, "I don't want to be in between those two. Jake doesn't take well to," she glances this way and that before whispering, "Magic. He needs time to adjust." She looks down at the whiskey in her hand. "No, there will be no relaxing for me until I know what is going on. Anyone else and I wouldn't think twice about it. But Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Cook..." her voice trails off. Madge says, "I was kidding, don't worry about them. They're both grown men....what's the worst that could really happen?" Ruby raises an eyebrow but doesn't respond to Madge's comment, knowing how volatile the relationship is between those two men and preferring not to think about the worst that could really happen.</blockquote>

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