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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2935335" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 142, “The woman in white”, Wednesday, March 22nd , 1882:Once the ceremony has ended the three women ride back to town. The other two women look a bit dazed and Minerva, feeling strangely unsettled, also rides silently, contemplating what has occurred and what it means to her. "Ruby seems to have a real glow about her as does Katherine. It is odd that I should be the one to wonder what this night has meant to me. I was so hoping that the solution to my own dilemma would be revealed to me this evening. Perhaps, I am not being open enough to the will of the goddesses? Oh, but it is such a frightening step to take, to reveal my heart to one that I know so little about. I have told him too much already. My head tells me that it is unwise but my heart feels like I have always known him." She continues to argue with herself. "Am I willing to open myself to such pain? Could it possibly be worth the price that I will be asked to pay? " Minerva sighs, feeling no closer to the answers than she was earlier. "Perhaps Ruby holds the answer! I have always thought that there was much more than fluff under that pretty head of hair" She perks up as the idea hits her. "Yes, I shall speak to Ruby. I am not accustomed to turning to others for assistance, but after this night, I do feel much closer to her now. Perhaps this is part of the lesson that I am meant to learn." Much relieved that she has decided on a course of action. Nanuet had managed to keep himself busy most of the day and was glad to see his friends return to Promise City safely. Ruby had disappeared again as quickly as she had appeared. Jake also seemed busy, and Chester was not around, probably busy with his new position Nanuet thought. Nanuet continued to work into the evening, one companion of his that could always be found and in which he found comfort. It was easy to take your mind off things when there was work to be done. Jake makes his way back to the Lucky Lady to take up the mantle of dealer for the evening.  As Jake is just settling into the evening routine at the Lucky Lady when Job Kane strolls in. "Hi Jake, good to see you again. I wasn't sure if you were coming back today so I stuck around instead of heading up to see my lady friend in Wilcox. How are you doing?"  Jake replies, "Very well, Job, very well. Thanks for looking out for things again. When are you going to bring that lady friend closer to your business, you deserve her company more often."  Job says, "I may bring her down here next week for this festival." When Jake has an opportunity he takes a look at the newspaper. The paper is eight pages long, consisting of three pages of news and five pages of advertisements. The paper sports a wide and elaborately drawn title “Promise City Mirror” beneath which it reads “Hezekiah B. Chumbley, Editor-in-Chief”. Both of the front-page stories have his name for the byline while the other stories are a mix between his stories and those by Angelica Young, and one short piece about leatherworking has the byline of Josiah Young. The front page story reads “Wyatt Earp Wanted for Murder”. It has only a brief summary, as Chumbley had left Tombstone on Tuesday shortly after Behan had received the telegram so Chumbley didn’t have time to gather more facts. The other front page story concerns the New Douglas Gang. It states: “The Gang spent the first week of March in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Safecracker Mae West apparently made the mistake of using her actual name which was recognized by a local businessman who alerted W.A. Eaton, the editor of the city’s newspaper the Cheyenne Transporter. Eaton then contacted Editor Chumbley by telegraph for detailed descriptions. The initial story appeared on March 9th and 10th in different editions of the Tombstone Epitaph and would have appeared on the 10th and 11th editions of the Transporter except for the fact that the Douglas Gang spotted Editor Eaton watching them and took the man prisoner. Eaton was found tied and gagged but otherwise unharmed in the Douglas Gang’s boarding house on Monday, March 13th. The Gang apparently had last been seen in town on the evening of Friday the 10th. On the same day that Eaton was found word reached Cheyenne of the robbery of a stagecoach a day’s north of Cheyenne that took place the day before. The stage was traveling from the goldfields of Deadwood, South Dakota with three prospectors and their gold. The bodies of the Wells Fargo driver, a guard and a soldier sent to accompany the stage were found dead several days later. The three prospectors were tied up and left in the nearby forests. The New Douglas Gang took the entire stagecoach and neither the stage or its team of horses have been seen since. The Wells Fargo Company has posted a $ 1,000 reward for the safe return of the rig and team and also offered a $ 2,500 reward for the capture or killing of the New Douglas Gang.At around 9:00 PM Burton Lumley comes into the Lucky Lady to inform Hoover and Cook that the Merchant's Association Meeting will be at 7:00 A.M. the next day at the town hall. He asks that they open up the Lucky Lady prior to that so that people can borrow chairs to use for the meeting.  They tell Lumley they will have it open as requested. Jake goes back to finishing his game for the night, wondering about Ruby and the other women. He keeps his eye's open for Gonzalez just in case he decides to stop in and save Jake from going back to the El Parador after his game is over.   At around 9:45 PM a neatly dressed man carrying a single long-stemmed pink rose arrives. He stands six-foot-four with short strawberry blonde hair worn in a crew cut, clean shaven and attired in a robins-egg blue three-piece suit, polished shoes and a sliver ring with a clear blue stone on his right hand. He checks a long-barreled colt with Jeff Mills at the door.  Jake takes a look at the man's face, initially suspecting that it could be another of Manuel Gonzales's disguises, but the eyes are unfamiliar. The man takes a seat at the stage and listens to Clarisse’s singing. Job Kane heads over to the table and states "Welcome to Promise City Kevin, glad you decided to pay a visit my saloon. Can I get you something?" He smiles and replies in a British Accent, "A glass of red wine if you don't mind Job. Are you dealing tomorrow?" Kane replies, "No, my partner Mr. Cook has the table tonight and tomorrow. I'll save you a seat for Friday if you are interested." The man goes back to giving Clarisse his undivided attention as Job gets the man his drink.Once the women had arrived back at Promise City Ruby wastes no time tying up her horse at the El Parador. Without asking what they are doing for the rest of the evening, she gives Katherine and Minerva hugs and a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out.   Minerva returns to the Comstock house and retires for the night. Too tired to even remove her robe, she falls on the bed and does not awaken until sunrise the next day. Ruby meanders her way back to the Lucky Lady dreaming, forgetting her clothes are at the Comstock and she is still wearing Minerva's white robes and is barefoot.   Jake is a bit startled to see Ruby enter the Lucky Lady dressed like a priestess. “Mierda“, he thinks, “What has Aphrodite demanded of her?” She walks into the Lucky Lady and seeing Jake is playing, doesn't want to interrupt him so she heads for the kitchen, giving him a wave but not knowing if he saw her or not. Maria stares at her new outfit but Ruby doesn't comprehend, instead asking for a plate of food and nibbling on some cheese while she waits.  Nanuet made his way into the kitchen and noticed Ruby, he had to take a second look when he realized that she was wearing robes similar to what Minerva wore to Sunday services and was lacking shoes.  "Umm... good evening Miss Ruby, I never got a chance to say welcome back. I hope your trip was good and that you got a chance to relax some. Still have never gotten a chance to see Tombstone myself, never quite made it there last time I tried" he chuckled "and when I first took the stage from Tombstone to Promise City it was only a quick stop on the way." "When you have few minutes I need to talk to you in private, nothing dangerous, but I need your advice."   Ruby turns when she hears Nanuet's voice. "I missed you!" she says cheerfully. "Sure, I have time now if that's ok." She grabs her plate and says, "Is the front porch ok or would you like to go upstairs?"  Nanuet replies, "I guess I would prefer upstairs as my... my issue involves someone else whom could possibly appear on that porch too. If you don't mind of course, now would be fine." Clarisse finishes singer her set of songs. There is some applause, most notably from the nicely dressed gentleman who Job referred to as Kevin. Clarisse gestures to her pianist, Harry Rote, who stands and takes a bow before heading back to the front door to relieve Jeff with the gun check duties.  As Clarisse descends from the stage the well dressed young man approaches her and says, "That was wonderful. I had heard of your singing and it is as beautiful and moving as I was told." He then holds out his hand with the pink rose and says, "This is for you Miss. West."Clarisse smiles and says, "Why thank you, but I am afraid that I am not Miss. West. My name is Clarisse Townsend."  He is clearly embarrassed by this revelation but recovers quickly, stating "Then I must apologize. I had been told that Miss. West was the primary singer and this establishment and that she had a voice that the Gods would envy. After hearing your wonderful music I naturally assumed that was you. Regrettably, this rose must go to another. I was not the sender although I was pleased with being assigned the errand when I though you to be the recipient. When I next come to hear your voice I will be sure to bring you more than just a single flower. And as much as I would prefer to stay and speak with you further, I do have a duty to perform. Where might I find Miss. West?" Clarisse says, "I believe that I saw her go into the kitchen." He excuses himself and goes to the kitchen door, knocking upon it.   Nanuet hears the knock on the door and spins around. He gives Ruby a puzzled look and walks over to the door and opens it.  "Of course, we can go upstairs." Ruby starts walking towards the door and just as they are going to walk through, there is a knock. Ruby looks curiously to see who is knocking on their kitchen door as Nanuet opens it.As the door opens a tall well dressed young man is standing there holding a pink rose. He looks at Maria, Nanuet and Ruby, and focusing upon Ruby asks "Miss West?" When she replies, "Yes" he then hands her the rose. Before she gets a chance to speak he says, "Judge Nathan Isby requests the presence of your company tomorrow at noon for a meal at the Rio Grande Cafe and Hotel. I am to await your response to his invitation."Ruby takes the rose, puts it to her nose and inhales deeply. "I love roses," she says with a smile. "Yes, I'd be honored to meet the Judge for lunch. You may tell him I accept."   The man thanks her, nods, then leaves the Lucky Lady.  Chester notes with some interest when the messenger goes up to Clarisse. Must be a fan. He leaps out of chair when the messenger gives her the rose. Before he can make his way to the stage, she gives back the flower and directs the stranger to the kitchen. Chester gives Clarisse a kiss. "Who was that?" "He thought I was Miss West. He had a message to deliver to her." She pauses. "Are you jealous?"   Chester looks at the ground. "Um. Yes, I am. Sorry." She touches his arm. "Don't be, silly. You're the only one for me. But it is nice to get flowers." Chester laughs. "I get the hint. Now rest that beautiful voice of yours. Let me get you some water."Ruby turns back to Nanuet. "My schedule fills up so fast!" She takes his arm, "Let's go upstairs." As they walk through the Lucky Lady to get to the stairs Ruby stops behind Jake, puts her arms around his neck and whispers in his ear, "Hi Lover, I'm back." She kisses his neck then continues on her way up to her room with Nanuet. Jake notes that when she comes by and embraces him, she seems happy and relaxed.  He thinks, “At least I don't have to worry about them making it back safe. Maybe the Cowboy gang is the least of my worries.” Jake tries to focus on his game knowing he'll find out soon enough what price the goddess has extracted from Ruby.She closes the door behind Nanuet. "Feel free to get comfortable," she says while plopping down on the bed. "What's up?"   The Indian states, "Not sure where to start. You, the one person I could think of when it comes to handling matters of the heart, leaves for a few days and my need for one of your wisdom becomes a priority." He takes a deep breath and sits hard on the bed, a look of frustration conquering his usually stoic face. "You know that I was courting Sonoma awhile back. Well, to keep it short, lets just say that I assumed incorrectly that my feelings for her were unwanted. I assumed she was not truly interested in her and for some time I have just kept things friendly. The other day I went out to the ranch with Miss Kate and Priestess Minerva and found my assumption to be incorrect. Sonoma displayed affections for me, stronger than she ever has. Problem is that I have since moved on, and now I know no longer desire her. Not uncommon among my people to have many relationships, but when I tried to talk to her about it she was unresponsive." Ruby begins to speak but Nanuet holds up his hands to stop her. "Wait, there is more, it gets more complicated. Lately Minerva and I have been spending a lot of time together. She has shared her past with me and displayed a trust in me that she claims she has given to no one else. I find myself wanting to spend more and more time with her, and to also share things with her. She is such a beautiful and lively woman and I can't stop thinking about her. As far as I can tell there seems some willingness in her to advance our relationship forward, but I am at a loss. I am unsure of what to do about Sonoma and also if, how and when I should move the relationship with Minerva beyond one of just friendship." Nanuet takes a deep breath as his shoulder slump forward. "Is it always this complicated Miss Ruby?"Ruby listens quietly as Nanuet pours his heart out. A smile comes to her face as she thinks, he's asking ME for advice about this stuff?  She twirls her roses, one red, one pink, in her hand as Nanuet finishes speaking. "Yes, it is always this complicated but it's also this simple at the same time. From the sound of your voice you are starting to care for Minerva, more than just friends. So it's simple, you have to follow your heart." "I can't blame you that you would be attracted to Minerva, she is very beautiful and there is something about her that makes you want to be around her and trust her." She pauses, choosing her next words carefully. "Sonoma is very young for an elf. If you've made your feelings known to her then you should feel free to move on."  Ruby suddenly laughs. "If you like her, then what are you doing sitting here with me? I guess you shouldn't rush into things like I would. Let's see, tell me what you are feeling about Minerva and we can decide how far gone you actually are."He sys, "How do I feel about her? Well for the first time since my early youth I have failed to complete reverie because I could not keep my mind off of her. I daydream now at work, and you know I always take my work seriously. Everything about her seems special. The things she says, the smile she wears, the way she walks. I have seen her looking at me sometimes and I feel like she can see right inside of me. She is so opposite if me yet we seem to fit just right, like the pieces of a child’s jigsaw puzzle."Ruby's eyes widen. "Oh boy... it may be too late for my help, Nanuet," Ruby says seriously then breaks out laughing. "Ok, ok, I'm only kidding! But one thing. You must be sure you want to proceed before I help you. You rushed into something with Sonoma and although you have moved on, it sounds like she might not have. There is nothing worse than a broken heart, so be very sure of your feelings for Minerva before you go forward."He replies, "I am not saying I plan on rushing into things, but I also don't want to mess things up. How should I proceed, what is the next move?" Nanuet and Ruby spend some time together, Ruby sharing her advice with Nanuet. After a while they come up with a plan on how Nanuet should go about pursuing the Priestess Minerva."Thanks Ruby, I knew you could help me. Now remember, not a word to Minerva, I want this to be a surprise. " Nanuet gets up and walks to the door, before leaving he says "I think we all need to get together and have a meal soon so that we can all get caught up on news while we were separated."  "We will. That reminds me, I'm still hungry!" Ruby stands. "We have a lot to talk about. Maybe tomorrow night, as it appears I have a date for lunch," she laughs. "Now let's go downstairs." They start to head for the door but Ruby suddenly reaches out and embraces Nanuet. "Thank you for trusting me with your troubles. It's nice to have friends, huh?"  He replies, "I have discovered that having friends is much more valuable than I ever realized, thanks for helping to show me that." Nanuet returns the embrace and ushers Ruby out the door. "I know I kidnapped you from the kitchen so you'd better get something to eat.""Yes, I'm starving!" They head back downstairs. Jake is still playing cards so Ruby heads back into the kitchen and quickly eats some food.  Nanuet makes sure Ruby finds enough to eat. He then heads out to the main room to make sure everything is OK. He sees Jake still playing cards so he takes a seat in the corner out of the way and keeps an eye on the patrons of the Lucky Lady.Ruby takes a seat at the bar and has a whiskey. She gets lost in her thoughts almost immediately as she sips her drink. After just a small amount of time Ruby finds herself yawning. She hadn't really slept the night before and she hadn't allowed herself to sleep on the coach ride. Suddenly she remembers she is wearing Minerva's white robes. Slightly embarrassed, she finishes her whiskey and heads back upstairs. Once there she starts choosing another dress but finds her yawns growing stronger and the lure of the bed overcoming her. Jake had left his bag on the floor so Ruby rifles through it and finds a shirt. She puts it to her nose, and confirming it smells like Jake before she slips into it.  She falls onto the bed, her still unbound hair spreading out on her pillow, framing her face. She fights to keep her eyes open, waiting for Jake to show up.</blockquote>

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