In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 482):

Art, pacing Travis, continues as the Judge describes.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 482):

Cole urges Bess into a quick canter to get close enough to the professor so that he won't have to shout. Clearly, there is an undisguised look of suspicion on his face.

Professor, I'm not rightly sure I recognize any of the folks up ahead. Before we get much closer do you think it might be a good idea to send a couple of us ahead to make sure those folks are who we expect them to be? That is before we deliver these here women to them?

We fought awful hard to get to this here point, I don't want to get careless now...

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 482):

Jake noticed Cole ride forward at a pretty fast clip, which made the Texan somewhat curious. However, Jake wasn't altogether certain what had prompted the wrangler's actions, so he continued to maintain his position relative to the column of women and wait for the situation to clarify itself.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg # 484):

ENS looks up at Cole.

Well, Mr. Lu is here and I imagine he has checked... But it can't hurt if you want to ride ahead and check; see if you can spot Mr. Li.

OOC: Reminder for Cole, you were with me when I talked with Mr. Li on this spot the day before.

In reply to E.N.S. Ringgenberg (msg # 486):

Cole turns his gaze from the professor, and peers ahead.

Reckon it wouldn't hurt to check. No need to stop the women. Y'all won't get very far while I'm away. Bess will get me there and back right quick.

The wrangler then urges his mount to a gallop towards the drop off spot.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg # 487):

Cole Trayne races ahead of the column, atop Bonny Red Bess. As Cole rides forward, JEB and ENS see Mr. Lu throw up his hands and shout, but they cannot make out his words. Neither can Trayne.

As the wrangler nears the beached longboat, he gets a better view of what lies ahead. He remembers this beach and cove from the day before, as the professor had just reiterated. This is where they spoke to Mr. Xu's representative, Mr. Li.

Like then, the wrangler sees a number of men in Chinese garb -- a few near the longboat, others near a ledge in the rocky terrain about 30 yards inland. No one moves when Cole closes in.

OOC: Leaving it here for Cole to state is his actions. He is only about 20 yards from the longboat (which is the closest thing).

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 488):

After noticing Mr. Lu's gesture and shouting, Cole reins in Bess to an immediate stop. Careful not to point his rifle in an aggressive manner, the wrangler immediately scans the area for signs of an ambush or something that doesn't quite look right.

Spot: 23.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg # 489):

The wrangler brings Bess to a sharp halt. Looking around, he sees nothing more than he had already seen . . . except for the fact that a few of the shadowy figures ahead now show signs of alertness. It looks nothing like an ambush to Trayne's eyes. It appears as if they were reacting to his sudden and speedy advance, perhaps preparing themselves for something previously unforeseen. Now, the figures appear wary and watchful, whereas only a dozen seconds ago, they seemed much more at ease.

Behind him, Cole sees Lu Heng Bo break into a run, directly towards the wrangler and his mount.

JEB and ENS witness these actions, as do the women and the rest of the men, although most of them are more than 30 yards away as Mr. Lu sprints ahead.

A few heartbeats later, Trayne sees a white man emerge from the shadows of the cove, not far from the longboat, pulling the hood of his cloak from his head. Just behind him, the wrangler recognizes Coop -- and then he recognizes the unhooded man as none other than Charles Conway.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 490):

Cole turns to Mr. Lu as he approaches and looks at him questioningly.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg # 491):

Lu Heng Bo reaches Cole Trayne, stopping and looking up at the mounted man. Cole cannot see Lu's face, but he hears his words.

"What are you doing?"

In reply to Lu Heng Bo (msg # 492):

Cole gazes down at the man, a questioning look on his face.

Scoutin', of course.

We lost some good men this night. I aim to honor that by making sure this here exchange goes as expected.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg # 493):

Lu Heng Bo scoffs. "You do it badly."

Mr. Xu's highbinder turns and calls out in Mandarin, apparently speaking to the young women as well as the lawman and the professor who are still at the front of the column.

"Follow. At my speed," he shouts. Lu then continues forward, walking at the same gait he had maintained since he took the lead of the column.

Cole Trayne, still roughly 20 yards from the beached longboat, sees that the men, including Conway, have relaxed their posture once again, having witnessed the exchange between the wrangler and Lu Heng Bo.

Professor Ringgenberg hears and understands the highbinder's words. He and JEB gauge the distance to the beached longboat to be roughly 50 yards from their current position, as the column of women follow Lu's command.

OOC: As Lu and Trayne are fairly close to the beach with the longboat and the others nearby, it will be a matter of less than a dozen seconds before Lu reaches them. JEB and ENS would reach the longboat in another 15-20 seconds after that. Cole, of course, could get there faster than Lu if he chooses to spur Bess again. The Judge is stating this for clarity.

In reply to Lu Heng Bo (msg # 494):

ENS watches the exchange between Cole and Lu, thinking Cole must have spooked him...

He then scans the area ahead around the longboat, looking for any signs of problems and/or people he knows.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:22, Fri 13 July 2018.

In reply to E.N.S. Ringgenberg (msg # 495):

The professor, straining to see ahead in the moonlight as he continues walking towards the beach with the rest of the column, lays his eyes on the figures of Coop and Conway among the others near the longboat.

OOC: The Judge assumes the PCs are still moving -- as is the column. No one has stated otherwise.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 496):

JEB follows the column.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 496):

Art continues as before.

In reply to Lu Heng Bo (msg # 494):

Travis moseys along.

In reply to Lu Heng Bo (msg # 494):

A slight smile appears on the wrangler's face as he watches Lu lead the group onward.

He subsequently softly remarks to himself.

Reckon I got the reaction I was hoping for....

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg # 500):

Lu Heng Bo leads the column of men, women and horses up to the cove and beach where the longboat rests.

Coop and Conway move forward to greet the heroes at the front of the line, while a number of Chinese men -- including Mr. Xu and Mr. Li -- begin to escort the young women towards the longboat, lifting them up and into the large vessel.

"Well and good, gentleman. Well done, indeed," begins Conway, to JEB and ENS who are the first of the heroes to reach the beach. The San Francisco businessman pauses, listening to any thoughts that might be voiced by the men he is greeting, while glancing at the procession of the young women as well as the impending arrival of the rest of the men.

Trayne -- who had lingered as the column marched the last stretch behind Lu -- arrives next, followed by Jake, Art and Travis. They all see the young Chinese women being ushered into the boat. And they all recognize Coop and Conway -- except for Carson, who has never interacted with the pair.

OOC: Free posting. He he who posts first, speaks and acts first, and so forth.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:37, Mon 16 July 2018.

In reply to Charles Conway (msg # 501):

Cole gazes in the general direction of both Luke and Jake along with their burdened mounts. After a momentary pause, the wrangler subsequently scans the area looking for any additional boats, wagons, horses or litters that may be hidden near the cove.

In reply to Charles Conway (msg # 501):

JEB gives the mysterious businessman a nod of greeting and watches  the young women boarding the longboat for a moment before asking Conway, "where are the girls being taken?”

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg # 502):

Cole doesn't see any conveyances, other than Mr. Xu's longboat, in the vicinity.

In reply to James E. Beauregard (msg # 503):

Conway looks to Beauregard, meeting the lawman's eyes for a moment as they watch the loading of the women into the longboat.

"Often, I find it best not to know of such details. Mr. Xu has given me his assurances; his word is all I require." Conway pauses for a moment, gazing across the miles of water towards the land on the eastern side of the bay. "Naturally, I have my own speculations on the matter," he adds, his words seemingly tied to his gaze.

During a pause in the conversation, Jake rode over and nodded to Charles.

"Howdy. I'm right pleased to see that you're still above snakes," the Texan drawled.

"We brung you some wimmin," he added, with a hint of smile that played around the corners of his mouth. Perhaps it was an attempt at a little dead-pan humor by the rifleman after all the tense events of the evening.

In reply to Charles Conway (msg # 505):

Well, it's my nature to have a distrustful disposition, so if you would kindly let me know what you speculate I’d appreciate it
This message was last edited by the player at 01:45, Tue 17 July 2018.