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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1995642" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 86, “Seawell's Request”, January 10, 1882:Over at the bank, Danby Jones comes in to take everyone's lunch order. Condon instructs him to also get something for "Jake's friend Chester."   When Danby goes by Jake he whispers "Good thinking Silver Dollar, we could use a good lookout and an extra gun if we run into trouble."Ruby arrives at Lacey’s store.  It is open but there are currently no customers inside, as at least a third of the town were at the trial. Lacey is inside over near the back counter and he looks to be upset about something. He has also changed out of the suit and back into his regular clothes. She approaches him slowly, "Judge? I see you opened your store. I thought we were going to lunch today?" He looks up and says, "I don't think that is such a good idea. Forget I ever asked."Ruby knows the answer but she asks anyway, "Why is it all of a sudden not a good idea?" He says "Miss West. We're from very different worlds. Your world revolves around Saloon life and I've sworn to never set foot in one. You should be with people your own age, like that young man who bought you all those clothes, not with a tired and worn out old man like me.""Alright, Mr. Lacey, have it your way," she turns to walk out, "I was hoping you'd have more sense than to believe the lies that were told about me today." Ruby walked out without looking back. She had hoped Mr. Lacey wouldn't believe the lies, but he did, and that would mean every no good loser in town would too and she was going to have to constantly be fighting them off and watching every ally she walked down. Now that she thought about it neither Kate nor Jake had said anything to her before they left. Maybe they believed it too? As she walked back and passed the Lone Star she decided to sit for a minute to clear her head. She saw the two boys who had helped her earlier, still playing. It must be nice to have not a care in the world...Kate picked up a chair and walked with Maggie back to the Lone Star, where Ruby was sitting dejectedly. She set down the chair and walked over to her friend. "I saw Judge Lacey leave the trial," she said putting her arms around Ruby. "I wouldn't have thought he would be so foolish." "I don't care about Mr. Lacey. Well, in a way I do, the fact that he would believe her without asking me. And now everyone is going to think I'm a prostitute." Ruby sighs, "You don't think that, do you Kate? You don't believe her?" "Why in the world would I?" she answered surprised. "I know better. I was with you in that room upstairs, remember? I know you didn't say a word to Suzie Foreman, and I know that you aren't a prostitute. I know you don't disapprove of the profession," Kate said with a little grin. "But I know you don't practice it either." Ruby looked relieved. "Well, everyone else seems to think it's true. And I didn't get to talk to you or Jake afterwards. Jake took off pretty quickly, actually. Maybe I should go talk to him?" she said to herself. "I don't care how people choose to make a living. But I do think it's a dangerous life and now certain people might think they have a right to.. well, you know." Ruby shakes her head. " I can never ever stay out of trouble." "Believe me, Kate, I am going to make him pay for this. Was it that important that I work there? Or the fact that he couldn't buy me?" Ruby smiles, "Or maybe it was the slap.  Evan Adair is the kind of man who is used to getting his own way. What's worse, he thought he had you. I doubt he hears the word no often, especially in public accompanied by a slap," Kate laughed. "I doubt losing me gave him any pain. He may also be losing business with you here. The extra people in the Lone Star must be coming from somewhere." "No one gets to have me, Kate," Ruby says slowly. "And if you are wise you'll stick to that rule too." Kate answers, "I couldn't do that Ruby, it's a lonely way to live. Sometimes it hurts to give yourself to someone, but I for one think it's worth it." She pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. "Sometimes it hurts a great deal." Ruby put her arm around Kate. "Maybe you're right about that, I don't know. You were lucky to find someone who was worthy of you, I doubt I will ever be so lucky." Ruby smiles at her friend.  Ruby glances at the boys. "Aren't those kids cute? I sent them to get Jake." Ruby explains what happened with them. "I was just thinking how nice it would be to not have these worries all the time." "Anyway, are you hungry, it's time for lunch? Any plans for this afternoon?" "No particular plans, except to go see Mr. Gonzales. What did you have in mind?" Ruby replies, "Let's go see Jake at the bank. I didn't get to tell him about my shopping experience today. And then we can eat and see Mr. Gonzales, how does that sound?" Ruby glances at Katherine to make sure she is recovered. She was sorry to keep reminding her friend of her pain.Katherine and Ruby head over to Condon's Bank. Ruby smiles at Ritchie and Manuel as she passes them, and they giggle. The ladies walk into the bank and approach a very bored looking Jake.  "You know," Ruby says smiling, "I could have walked right in here and robbed this place and you would have never known it, you're practically asleep!"He replies, "I'm sure the sunlight that follows you where ever you go would have gotten my attention even if the angels singing hadn't." Then quietly, "Go easy on the robbery jokes here, they are a bit jumpy."  “Jake, you’re just silly…,” she said blushing but anyone could tell she really loved the compliment.   Jake says, "I have some business after I get done here, how about we all meet for dinner again?" Kate smiled at Jake and then turned to Chester. "Mr. Martin, it's good to see you safe and sound."  Chester answers, "Thank you. I'm glad to see you made it back OK as well. What about the others with you? Was the Marshall hurt badly?"  "He was, although he's recovered now. We were lucky enough to have the means to heal him quickly with us. I take it you decided mining wasn't the employment for you?" "As far as mining is concerned, Mr. Hogan decided I wasn't reliable enough for the Silverbell. Luckily Mr. Cook took pity on me, so here I am."  She answers, "Hardly pity, I'm sure. Sometimes it takes time to find your proper place. It's just as well for you that yours isn't in a mine."Sonoma rides to the El Parador, dusty but none the worse for wear.  She finds Nanuet waiting for her and pulls him out back as she begins to stable her horse.   She says, “I stripped the bodies and hid the weapons to go back for later.  Each of the bandits had a new $20 bill. The Army is out there checking out the scene and they were heading to the mine that Jake seems to know the miners from. Let me get cleaned up and we can check with Jake to see if anyone has taken that kind of money out of the bank while he was on watch that he can remember.  This was an attack that someone paid for and knew about and I'm not sure who that might be but I have an idea and it could be trouble for all of us.”Patrick Seawell enters the El Parador and heads towards the table with Sonoma and Nanuet. Nanuet tells here "He was looking for you earlier." She replies "Well, I needed to find him as well, to inform him that soldiers are heading towards his mine." He sits with them and she passes on the information about the soldiers. He says "Well, it is no longer my mine but I would not worry. The soldiers are looking for the outlaws, not the legitimate mine owners. Both Ralph Elliott and Humphrey Lewis are still at the site and will be able to talk to the soldiers. If anything, they will add further protection." "What do you want of me?" Sonoma asks. Seawell relays what he had said to Nanuet earlier, of finding a promising mine site near the town of Dos Cabezas. Sonoma says "And you are so certain of this place that you gave up your other proven mine?" He replies "I gave it up because Ralph Elliott had cut us a bad deal. We were responsible for the cost of extracting the ore, which is halfway up a sheer cliff. I suspected there was silver there from day one, but spent the first the first four months trying to find an easier and cheaper way to get at it. It could wind up costing forty-percent of the ore's worth just to get it out of the mountain, in which case my partners and I would have been working for nothing. So I told Fisk about another potential mine and got him to give up half his claim in the other mine to my partners, so now they will be assured of a chance to make some money. But after this morning I don't trust Fisk and so I've found other partners instead, the family of the stagecoach driver from this morning. Now we need to find us some mine sites and the land with the wood elf sheep farmers looks very promising." She says "This may be a harder negotiation than you suspect. The elvan people do not see land as you do. They may already know of the silver, gold or other precious metals on the land but don't care. Would they have to move? To leave their home? To move their flocks." He replies, "They own half the side of a mountain. The area where I suspect the metals will be found is on one-third of their grazing lands but not near the house. It is that section of the mountain that I wish to purchase. I am willing to give them a very fair price for it." "How much is it worth?" she asks. He replies, "The current owners purchased it over a century ago for around fifty dollars. With the silver that has been found in the region they could probably get twenty times that, around $ 1,000, from just about anyone. Based on the potential I see in it I'd value it closer to $ 8,000. If we actually find silver it would be worth far more, but there's no guarantee that I'm right about the metals being there." She replies "They will be mistrustful. How will I be able to assure them that you are being honest with them?" He replies "You are familiar with my partners, the Morand family. They were the first Anglos to settle in this region and have always treated the native population fairly. They employ those of high elf and wood elf blood on their ranch and hire native druids to help birth their calves and foals. I believe that a woman named Morgana who once lived here once worked for them in that capacity." Sonoma replies "I know of her and of this family. You have chosen your partners wisely. But I sense that you are impatient, you are trying to hide it but you are, why?" He replies "I am impatient. Within the next few days word will leak out about both potential mines, the Fisk Mountain mine to the northeast and the other mine I told Fisk of, which is closer to where the elves live. Over half of the land in those mountains is currently unclaimed but that will soon change. Speculators will buy up every available acre. You already saw this morning how some people react to greed." She replies, "I will help you. The elves would be in potential danger if somebody else suspects their land has value. You wish to take some of their grazing land. Would there be adjacent unsold lands that you could get to exchange with them?" He replies "Most likely. I was only looking for precious metals before, but I could also identify fertile pasturelands. I will need to revisit the County Claims Office and see what is available in that area and then scout it out. We could do that together." "How do you know so much of the land?" she asks. He then explains some of his background. She says "You should refrain from telling elves about your affiliation with the Army. Most native people do not trust soldiers, with good reason." He says "My father and I were in the army, but we were not fighters, we were geologists." He then tells her and Nanuet about the science of geology. After hearing this she says "Then you also know where to find water, that is information that the farmers would need." She then says "And would you and your mining partners be willing to purchase their lamb and mutton meat? Elves are long lived. They may care more for having a long term supply to sell their flock than anything else." He replies "I'm sure that something could be worked out. Miners need to eat. Your friends Jake and Katherine seem to be affiliated with one of the restaurants in town and your own parents own this one, so I would probably also be able to find them other customers for their lamb and mutton." Seawell suggests that they leave in the morning as there is still danger from the people who attacked the stagecoach earlier. She says "Then we should leave now, when they are not expecting us." Seawell says "Your friend Jake Cook has arranged for papers to be signed this afternoon which should eliminate the danger to us. I will not be leaving this town until those papers are signed." She turns and looks to Nanuet to find out what he is thinking.Nanuet thinks silently for a moment. "Mr. Seawell, no papers will protect you from bad people or bullets but if you are insistent on waiting until tomorrow then that is when we should go. If you both allow me too, I will accompany you on this trip." "Sonoma, I had some plans today anyway, I want to visit Flint at his mine, or excuse me, ranch. It is up to you whether or not you choose to accompany me. I waited until you returned so that I was sure that you were safe. I will be leaving shortly. After we talk with Jake about your discovery of course."Seawell replies "After what we went through today you can accompany me anywhere. I am totally impressed with what you did for Deputy Marshall Earp. And as for the bad men, from what I've heard of the Earps they're not likely to just let this one pass by unanswered." Nanuet nods in regards to the comments about what he did for the Marshall. "Well, since my people do not sleep I will be ready before the sun if need be." Seawell asks how early in the morning the two will be ready to move out on Wednesday. He leaves some money on the table for the beer that Sonoma brought for him as well as a very generous tip and departs.</blockquote>

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