Charging Bear turns abruptly back to the tin-can angel, "Snake spirit? In Gus... I had a dream last night about a Snake spirit and a Hawk spirit. The two figures fought and killed each other and everything between them in their struggle. "

The automaton toys with its vegetable steamer and considers poking the jam.

"Perhaps Called Charging Bear should tell Gus Shaw to beware of the Hawk, or tell Dr.Ward not to bring spirit-snakes to this plane in his barn with the ghost rock...ghost rock is not good for mortals anyway, the pain of the chickens has no centre."

"You're interpretation is a little too direction. Gus is part of the snake I saw in my dream... and apparently so is Dr Ward." The native son's face grows more grave as he continues to talk things out. "This means other forces are at play. Perhaps the hawk was a symbol of law... law... yes law... much as the bald eagle is used for the Union. ... That would mean Evans ... or some other lawman would fight with Ward's people ... Thus cause the destruction of the town." Charging Bear is obvious stretching the limits of his own mind as he talks his idea through.

Augustus slips into the dining room, still shamefaced over his inappropriate use of good linens.  He sets his bags and hat aside, perking up a bit as he hears a little of the conversation.  As he is greeted, he smiles a wan smile in return, "Good moning, Alouette."  Turning to the Indian, he nods a greeting as well, "And a good morning to you...um...  Odd, I can't seem to remember your name.  Bear something?  That's it.  Yes.   Good morning Mr. /Bear/."  He seems quite proud of himself at this, then continues, "As for dreams, they are most likely meaningless.  Random jumbles of the mind.  Perhaps the hawk and the snake were simply a hawk and a snake."  Taking his seat, he unfolds a napkin, "I mean, I dreamt of cows..."  His humor trails away, a vacant expression for a moment, "So many cows...."  Blinking, he mutters to himself, "Stop it.  A cow is a cow.  And that's that."

After a moment, he looks over to Abraham, "Orange juice, if you please.  I fear my nerves are not settled enough for coffee."

Abraham brings out the platters and sets them on the dining table. He sets out pancakes, eggs, biscuits, and fried ham, as well as two glasses of orange juice (as he didn't get a preference from Charging Bear). "Breakfast is served, sirs." he says, then lets the gentlemen get to their food while he takes a second tray upstairs.

He knocks gently on Ward's door. "Sir? I brought you your breakfast, sir." He says, then waits.

From beyond the door he can hear the soft tinkling of a music box, and it concerned him. He opened the door slightly and looked in.

Ward sat on the bed. He'd already dressed himself, Abraham noted. On the dresser beside the bed, a tarnished silver music box sat, the key winding away as it played. In Ward's hand was a photograph. He stared at it, and for him the rest of the world did not exist.

Abraham hated to interrupt, but the food was getting cold, and there were chores to do, and Ward had business he needed to attend to. So the butler cleared his throat.

"Ah. Yes. Please take it downstairs...I shall dine with my guests this morning." He said slowly, as if half-awake.

Abraham sighed. "As you wish, Master Ward. Only please hurry...I expect the machine to start tearing up the floorboards looking for where the moon set if it's not looked after."

There was a faint smile on the doctor's face, which Abraham found encouraging. Shaking him out of a maudlin state quickly was crucial...otherwise it could last days, even weeks. he quietly closed the door behind him, and returned, tray in hand, downstairs to see what the guests were up to now.

"Fat cows or thin cows?" the clank asks from a murmur of static, almost distantly. Then, seeing the humans are occupied, it makes an exploratory circuit of the room and if not hailed or halted will patter off outside for a bit, vegetable steamer in tow.

"I am called Charging Bear... not Mr. Bear. As to my dream, I think you're wrong Augustus. Spirits talk to us in their way. Sometimes directly and others in more indirect methods. As for your cow dream, well if the bits I heard float upstairs were true you did spend some time with cattle last night." As he talks, Charging Bear prepares a plate of two biscuits, eggs, and a few pieces of fried ham. "But who knows, I might have been influenced by the tequila." He takes it and his juice and walks out after Alouette.

Ward enters the dining area and takes a seat. "Good morning, Mr. Spotswood." he says. "I trust you had a pleasant rest?"

The automaton apparently doesn't notice Charging Bear's moccasined approach, crouched just a little beyond the porch and autistically engrossed in exploring the movements of the vegetable steamer and its shadow. It hasn't noticed it's getting increasingly covered in ants due to having one foot scuffed into a tiny ant-heap, either.

Outside, the day is beginning, but the light seems oddly flat and unwelcoming, and the unnatural stillness remains. There's a darkness to the east over the sea that could be storm clouds, and there's a redness to the dawn.

[[OOC: “Like a red morn that ever yet betokened,
Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field,
Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds,
Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.”]]

"A bit of both, I think," answers Augustus to the machine's query.  He has begun to simply take such questions as the norm when dealing with said machine.

He too prepares his plate, carefully taking a bit of everything.  At the Indian's assertion of spirits influencing dreams, the scientist merely shakes his head ruefully, "I really don't mean to be rude, but that smacks of simple superstition.  As you pointed out, I did have a very interesting, yet confusing, encounter with cattle.  So it is little surprise that I dreamed much the same." Cutting off a bit of ham, he glances up to see the Indian's reaction...only to find that he's wandered off.  Perplexed, he eats.

Dr. Ward's arrival does cause his breakfast a pause, rising from his seat out of deferential courtesy to the host, "I am uncertain as to how well I slept...  It was quite deep and riddled with confusing dreams.  Moreover, Alouette decided to carry me, asleep mind, to bed in the laundry room.  I'm really not sure why...."

In reply to Augustus Spotswood (msg #30):

"Ah, dreams. 'I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.'" Ward quotes. "Believe me, there are nights when I sympathize with Hamlet. Of course, you might be able to unravel that mystery by asking Alouette directly. I do not know if she could articulate the reason, but she seems to learn through interaction. Something seems to have given Alouette the idea that a laundry room was a place for a sleeping person. Speaking of our errant machine, where is Alouette? And where is Mr. Bear? I thought I heard him speak earlier."

 Her pack upon her shoulders and cross her chest,the katan sheathed comfortably at her side. The woman's wooden sandels lightly sink tot he soft sand, thought it kept her from dropping low into the terrain. She kept her own pace and was quiet in her motion, thinking of what to say percisely. Her little mission to find the people that left the other day will at least get her in to see what in the damnation this man, Doc Ward, is up to.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:48, Fri 17 Sept 2010.

[[A little mood music]]

The sky was a hazy red, the sort of sunrise that looked like the sky was bleeding. It was clearer than in Shan Fan, with the day just beginning to warm to the heights it would reach later. Vapor curled off the prairie and brought a wavering, surreal quality to the road before Gangatsu.

It was quiet. Much too quiet. It was the sort of stillness that made one imagine things creeping up from behind. The bushes clutched like grasping hands in the occasional breeze, and once or twice Gangatsu thought she might have seen something move out of the corner of her eye...but there's nothing there when she turns.

Worse, though, is the feeling of being watched from somewhere...eyes far distant, perhaps high in the sky, below the ground, or perhaps just out of sight.

It's almost a relief to see the house in the distance, with actual figures moving about out on the porch...though one of the figures is strange, like a humanoid brass bird. It seems to be playing with some kind of metal fan.

Ting... Ting... Ting...

Red suited the mood of the samurai, traveling in the early light and at seeing th house amoung the eerie mood of the vast land, she felt nothing close to relief at finding others moving about. Though the glittering twinkle of something, a earthy star against the ominous prestige of the ranch house guiding her closer. For a moment, she became soujourn to watch the moving metal creature reflecting the light.

Ting.. Ting.. Ting..

It was that creepy automan, the creation from mad works and magic, no doubt. Emerald eyes managed to pull away from it and survey the deserted plains. The faint clank of the machine moving played with her head, like the sound of spurs jingling at impact. It sounded like it was coming closer, yet...

Ting. Ting. Ting.

Without a sudden movement in this dawn of nothingness, emerald eyes would slide othe corners and watch for a moment, listening. Attempting to hear over te  interference of her paranoid mind, playing tricks on the shadowy figments. Something was there. Flesh and bone... And fur? Her brow furrorwed slightly, spoting a hare of some sort.. A jack Rabbit, his black tail making her head cant slightly.. She was being stalked by someone's stew...
This message was last edited by the player at 09:11, Fri 17 Sept 2010.

The automaton doesn't note whatever's bounding about in the bushes by the drive, and indeed completely fails to notice the relatively larger scarlet-clad Gangatsu until she's quite close and well free of the mist. Even then it doesn't recognise her hat.

"Howdy, Pyramid Head!" it greets her with enthusiasm.

Leaning against the house with a biscuit containing egg and ham in hand, Charging Bear watched Alouette play much as he had done his sister years and years before. The similarities were not lost on him, though his sister would've had the good sense not to stir up an ant bed. He wait slowly not wanting to upset his stomach which had seen less than grand times the night before.

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and caused him to look towards the road. The red is what made him notice the newcomer. He finished his second biscuit as he watched the person come up the road, unsure of the gender, but he did recognize the hat. Charging Bear would never forget coolie hats, not after seeing that ancient looking Asian man who wore one take out five bandits at one time with just the random items about the work site. What had Rose McAnalley said that man had been using... his chi? That was it. This of course brought the native son's mind to other places.

Wish Rose was around now, she always seems to have better idea of what to do when things went strange like that have here as of late. he shook his head slowly, Doesn't matter, she's not here and I am... so I'll just have to deal with it and tell her all about it when next I see her.

Smiling as Alouette called out to the newcomer, he reached out and gently tapped the tin-can angel's 'shoulder' "The hat is called a coolie, Alouette."

The automaton looks back at the light *tok* on its casing, pausing a moment to record the information. "Coolie...hat." It ticks, then looks at he approaching figure again and asks earnestly: "Is person under pyramid coolie hat a man or a lady?"

With a shrug, Charging Bear replies, "I'm not sure. We'll find out soon enough I imagine." Finishing off his juice he sets glass on a nearby chair which has been holding his breakfast plate. He turns back to watch the newcomer as he/she/it gets closer and closer.

She was watching the land, and briefly eyes the jack rabbit before a strange female chime perks her attention with a bizarre greeting.. Reflexively, her hand reached up to the brimg of the stay hat and tipped it lightly and lifted it slightly above her eye level see the man having breakfast and shiny beaked machine. In drawing closer, her hand habitually landed upon the wooden sheathe, her thtumb lightly pressing the hilt's guard. The dark green eyes recognise them a little better now. They left with Doc Ward and the body of Danny Boy, yet where was Augustus. So far, this was easy, but leaving might not be. As she grew closer, it was a bit more obvious that she was female, the black obi around her waist was tethered int oa butterfly bow in the back and made her conditioned shape a bit known, though whom knew if the bot could tell.

" Mornin'.." Her voice a bit sonorous with a rough drawl. Thankful it was the early morning or the sun would beat her dry in the hour walk to get here from town. " Evans sent me. Y'all didn't return, after yesterday, lot o people in town are shook up..." Noticably, in her approach, she steeed more toward charging bear and put a slight distance between herself and the machine, her face slightly turned to it, giving another wary look over. " Where's Augustos? Is.. Danny still alive?" She was a bit more cautious with hte later question, her dislike of hte machine passing for a moment to glance around for listening ears, the woman seemed rather on guard like she steps into a snake pit.

In reply to Dr. Dexter Ward (msg #31):

Chewing a mouthful of eggs in the conversational pause, Augustus swallows, making sure his mouth is clear before answering, "No idea.  I thought I was speaking to them a moment ago, but when I looked up...they had gone.  I am certain they are still about, but perhaps not in a conversational mood."  With a soft shrug, he begins to pick out his next mouthful, "I am still very interested in your demonstration, despite the previous night's excitement.  Will you still have the time today?  I'm certain you are a very busy man..."

"Yes. I still wish to present my demonstration, but last night several of my men fell victim to the evils of the drink and decided it was a good idea to try and intimidate the Marshal of Blackthorn, placing me in a rather...complicated situation." He sighs. "I intend to turn Nathanial Frost, who orchestrated this fiasco, over to the authorities in town. However, he is quite popular with the rest of the men, and while this is quite an admirable quality that has united them together and made them quite efficient, I fear they will resist turning him over to justice. I am going to have to confront them." He plays with his food a bit before he asks Augustus, "Tell me, would you be willing to assist me? That sonic device of yours might prove useful in avoiding violence."

Augustus can't help but smile as once again his work is praised.  Wiping his mouth lightly with his napkin, he quickly offers his affirmative, "I would certainly be willing to assist you, Doctor.  Non-lethal intervention /is/ what my Sonic Interrupter was designed to do."  He pauses for a moment, muttering something to himself, "nonsense....  its a good cause...."  Shrugging off whatever the stray thought was, the scientist looks up once more, "Do you intend to take him to town....or to send word for the marshal to come here?"  The reality of all this slowly begins to settle on his shoulders and he is beginning to look a bit nervous.  Despite his quick agreement.

"Well, Mr. Bear is actually one of the town's deputies, which makes things easier in that regard, though I intend to accompany him and see to it nothing untoward happens. Hopefully we can have this whole unpleasant mess sorted out before lunch."

In reply to Gangatsu (msg #39):

Charging Bear bow to the new comer, having not met her 'officially' yet. "Ko-nee-chi-wa" he said as he finished the deep bow, while not removing his eyes from the woman; the words are rough like a child just learning a language.

"Augustus is inside probably finishing his breakfast. As for Danny I'm not sure as there was a persons about last night that didn't take a liking to many of us. He attacked myself, Alouette and several of Dr Ward's men." He points to the bandage on his midsection. "I would've come back to town but the fella was particularly unkind to me.

What happened in town? I heard bits of yelling by Ward but couldn't make anything out.