"sonofabitch." Gabby mutters. Yeah, that was going to make this whole thing just that much more complicated.

Well, there was no help for it. Pasting on his friendliest smile, he sauntered back over to the poker table. "Sorry 'bout the commotion earlier, fellas." he says. "Is there still room fer another at this here table, now that the company's improved?"

"You really workin' with that damn Yankee?" he asked, testily.

Gabby grimaces. "Workin' with, not for, but yeah, I'm a deputy. Just makin' some money for my trip out to Californy, try my hand at minin' again. Don't worry, I ain't out to hassle ya. I just got a few questions to ask about last night. I figger you tell me the truth about what happened, I take that to Earp, and maybe he drops it." He shrugs. "It couldn't hurt, could it?"

"Workin' with, workin' for, ain't much of a difference, is there? Earp calls the shots. He says hop, you jump. Ain't that the way it is? Now he's gettin' you on our case. We ain't got much to say. Ralphie ain't killed nobody. He just beat up on that damn Yankee nigger, that's all. Fella was handin' out flyers, sayin' Kansas should be part of the Union. Ralphie was about to set him straight when some of your fella Yankee deputies intervened, so he had to postpone his lesson," said Jake.

"What more do you wanna know?"

"I ain't actually interested in the nigger." Gabby says. "What I am interested in is if you or any o' your boys happened to spot somethin' funny happenin' at the saloon round about the time you were settin' him straight. Say, someone jumpin' out a window?"

Both the Simpkins brothers seem to relax a little bit at that.

"That street was packed with people watchin' me give that boy a whoopin'. I didn't see nobody jumpin' out windows or nothin'. Didn't hear that kinda thing either. Who in the hell jumps outta windows?"

"Murderers fleein' the scene o' their crimes, that's who." Gabby replies. "Someone was kilt in the Dog Eye, an' that's how he fled. I'm hopin' someone in the crowd might have seen somethin' to help us track this bastard down afore he kills again. Were there any o' your fellow Wilderness Riders there? Mebbe they saw somethin'."

"Who got killed?" he asked, looking suspicious.

"One o' Suzy Winger's customers." Gabby replies. "We think it was a robbery gone wrong. The Killer busted into the room, attacked the man, and leaped out the window, leavin' poor Suzy scairt and traumatized when she came into the room behind 'em. The killer took somethin' from the victim. He might have had a bag or sack o' some sort."

"Good ol' Suzy," he said. "I'd like to get me a piece o' that. She only got eyes for Jake though, I think. Who ever heard of a picky whore?"

Jake seemed to ignore Ralphie completely.

"Look, we didn't see nothin' like that. There was the fight in the street, it was hot, and there was a lot o' hollerin' and gunshots. Nobody jumpin' outta windows. I assume you mean up at the Dog Eye, which was where we was at. You sure your killer jumped out the window? Maybe he took the old back stairs. Prolly not, though. There's that fold up set o' stairs out back that can be used to get up the building, but it's creaky as hell."

Gabby forces a good ol' boy chuckle. "Guess she's pretty enough to be picky if'n she wants to be."

It's not like most o' them get much choice, he thinks to himself.

"I believe ya." Gabby says. "We're pretty sure the window was how he got out. But we ain't sure how he got in, so that's helpful, thank ye kindly. Were you two the only Wilderness Riders there? The more o' the crowd I can find, the more folk I can ask about what they saw."

Hmm...creaky stairs? Gabby thought to himself. I wonder...gonna have to check somethin' at the Dog Eye, but mebbe our killer was already there.

"There was a bunch more, but I think you're barkin' up the wrong tree here. Everybody was lookin' in on the fight, and then that deputy walked in with his gun, and shots were bein' fired. I don't think anybody was lookin' a windows or back stairs or buildings at all. I can talk to my people, and we'll send word if they know 'bout the killer. Don't nobody wanna see Suzy gettin' hurt, nor any o' her customers neither. She's a good girl, don't fuck no bluebellies," he said.

Daniel had walked over to accompany his uncle to the table , and sat down next to him. He listened to the back and forth but didn't interrupt his uncle once Gabby got going. Still, that Jake seemed to know Suzy interested Daniel. He laughed when Gabby did, and continued to sip his beer .

"I reckon I am, but the barkin' had to start somewhere." Gabby says. "I thank ye kindly fer your help. We want to catch this guy afore he kills again, so if any o' your Riders saw somethin', send 'em our way. Have 'em ask fer Gabby...that's how you'll know the deputy you talk to is friendly." He stands, then hesitates. "Oh, and one more thing...don't trust Wainwright. He may talk slick and flash around a lot o' money, but all of it came from stealin' the sweat o' the brow of Southerners. He's a snake in the grass, that one."

Daniel nodded at the Simpkins folk and the barkeep, "Thankee fer talkin' wit' us." He stood as his uncle did, though frowned at Gabby's warning concerning Wainwright. That name just sounded like trouble, even if he didn't know more about the particular bastard that had caused his uncle so much pain.

"Well, I reckon that wasn't all that useful an idea after all." Gabby says as he exits the Alamo into the daylight. "Still, let's check that drugstore. Mebbe he can get somethin' off the shirt scrap we found."

Clementine barks and trundles up to Gabby as he exits. The old man looks over to Sky Dog. "'Bout ready to vamoose?"

Sky Dog broke off from a thin, weird chant, finishing the second of a pair of slender braids made loosely forward and resting over the vulnerable tops of his ears. One of the raven feathers from last night had made a reappearance there.

"Dalix!" Korpi greeted the same, re-furling her wings from sunbathing.

The shaman's dog-blue eyes caught Gabby's. "Do they remain wicked, Uncle?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:45, Sun 21 Apr 2013.

Gabby frowns. "I dunno for sure. They didn't assault me or Danny, so that's a plus." his eyes narrow. "Only wicked one I saw in there was Wainwright. You'd'a seen him comin' out with a couple o' his friends. Bastard's soul is black as tar, that one. But as fer the Simpkens, well, they were rather proud o' themselves, but aside from that...no, I don't think they're wicked. Bein' mean ain't the same as bein' evil."

"Ah? I had thought 'wicked' was...to do wrong, and 'evil', the stuff, no?" Sky Dog pulled to a crouch and stood, stretching. "-But it is your true belief, Uncle, that they are a-mended and will not act with unjusticed violences any more, yes?"
He bent to let Korpi step up on his wrist.

"Well, now I wouldn't go so far as to say that." Gabby says. "I don't think the Simpkins is at all changed, and I reckon they might attack that poor fella again if given the chance. But we ain't here to start a fight with them over somethin' they may or may not do in the future. That's why I didn't fight with Wainwright, neither. I don't know what the law is like where you're from, but here in the CSA a man's presumed innocent o' wrongdoing until proved otherwise. Unless they do somethin', legally we can't do nothin' to 'em, and I'm not interested in harassin' 'em none. My Pappy always said not to go pokin' mean dogs with a stick unless you gotta, and we got a killer to catch. He's the one what's done soemthin' wicked, and we need to find him afore he does it again."

Sky Dog dipped his head, his tone still gentle and manner deferent to the elder. "I have seen their acts, and Korpi says they did also threaten Morgan," he mentioned.

After a small hesitation, he clapped Gabby lightly on the shoulder, breaking into a grin. "Do not worry! Do you go to find the shirt man - or better, the medicine drunkard whose room is in Dog Eye's building, he has the...clear sight of things, I think. Yes? I will come after."

"But I have said a thing will be done, and it is not yet done: where I come from, a shamán does not speak falsely. You will forgive me my custom, I hope? I will not cause fighting."

Gabby returns the gesture, laying a hand on Sky Dog's shoulder. However, he's firm enough with his grip to keep the Shaman from proceeding inward. "Sky Dog, listen to me. If you ain't plannin' to fight 'em, then whatever it is you're gonna do is probably gonna provoke them into fightin'. You do that, we won't have just them to worry about...they's gonna call on all their friends, too. I ain't got any idea how many o' them are already in the bar, but we ain't provokin' them. Not if we don't have to." He cocks his head to the side. "Anyway, what is it you said you'd do, anyhow?"

Korpi was clearly tempted to peck at the arm directly beside her head, but stepped over when Sky Dog raised the wrist of his captured arm. She edged her way up towards Gabby's shoulder as the men spoke, to jump from there to his hat.
"Korp."
"I do listen, Uncle - any trouble here, I will keep it for my own self, yes? It is not hard!" The broad grin tilted a bit as he observed Gabby's arm, expression momentarily hard to parse: either comforted or amused by the concern, or possibly preparing to bite.

The shaman's gaze met Gabby's. "I would curse them. Until they behaved better, they would remain, cursed. Not able to be harming me, or Jackson, or throwing everywhere violences like the cedar husks. It is better than to say now, 'we are friends, yes, you may be wicked' and then later to know they are punished with killings and the stone house for wickedness, I think."

Gabby blinked. He sctatched his beard, then blinked again. "Nooooo," He drawled, trying to find his thoughts, "that's...definitely not a good idea. That is the exact opposite of a good idea." he looked up at Danial, a little helplessly. "You...aw, hell." he sighs. "Look, I ain't got nothin' against your beliefs, and it's noble an' all that you want to look out fer everyone. But you can't just go around cursin' folk! You go in there and try some Siberian voodoo thing, and everyone's just gonna skin their smokewagons and start shootin'! And...And even if they don't, what d'ya think is gonna happen if somethin' do happen to one o' them? You go around cursin' them, and say Ralphie there twists his ankle or somethin', they're gonna blame you! They're gonna go, get all their friends, and come huntin' fer ya! And since you're wearin' a deputy's star, who d'ya think they're gonna come after next? hell, you might even give 'em a pretext. You go in, curse 'em, and then they get all them Wilderness Riders whipped up ta attack the marshal on account o' they think they's bein' harassed!"