One of the Dust Adders approaches Charging Bear.

"That there's my rightful property, pardner." he says, indicating the carbine and lighting a cigarette. He leans against a tree, waiting for a reply.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:09, Thu 14 Oct 2010.

Augustus is no field doctor.  Gunplay and ambushes are still very new to him.  The shocking finality of the duel seemed to take the wind out of him. He does do his best to assist Doctor Ward in taking care of his wounds and Charging Bear's scrapes, but seems to be a bit stiff and taken aback.  All this blood, pain, shooting, and death...  He's just a scientist after all.  His coughing once again catches up to him, wracking his body, though he tries to keep it quiet.  Once mostly clear of his fit, he wipes his face lightly and asks, very gently, "I...  I...  I think I would like to see your scientific demonstration now...  Doctor.  Something a little more within my purview."

The posse turns back towards the ranch house. It drizzles sporadically on the return trip, which takes about an hour and a half. Bruise-colored clouds creep closer, smudging the horizon with distant rain.

Once at the house, Ward doles out the promised reward, and the Dust adders are given leave to head off to town, accompanied by the deputy.

However, there's a brief bit of commotion as Mike and Percy stumble over the bullet-ridden hulk of Alouette.

Ward sighs at these discoveries. "Such a waste." He mutters, examining the dented clank after it's brought to the porch. "This is Gus's doing, I'll warrant." He looks to Augustus. "Do you think you can restore our friend Alouette to working order?"

There is no mention made of Danny's corpse.

This was because there was no sign of it there, only a trail of blood leading off into the plain...

Alouette seems to have been beaten about the head with some blunt object, then shot twice in the torso, one bullet passing straight through and miraculously missing everything most volatile. There's no light in the thing's lenses and the boiler seems to have shut itself down under emergency conditions, leaving the clank as cold and inanimate as any other lump of metal.

Carl swings by the bunkhouse to recruit any boys who were on predawn shift who want to come. The injun is lent a horse and Frank'll swap his tired steed for another if Charging Bear accepted a lift back from the gulley.

Carl will then go on into town with several of the gang. A solemn ride. He'll rein in wherever it is Charlie's woman's living first, even if that means taking a long way around town not to pass the undertaker's beforehand. It won't hurt for people to see the Dust Adders and a deputy with a body.

He'll dismount there, with those that knew Charlie best, and signal the others to go on ahead unhurried-like with the bundle of bloodied blankets - the groups'll rendezvous at the undertaker's. CB will encounter less hostility riding down to Underhill's, but no-one will stop him doing as he wants. A small huddle of hat-doffed men at his back, it remains for Carl to knock on Thingy's door. He's still trying to remember her name.

*knoknok*
This message was last edited by the player at 20:23, Fri 15 Oct 2010.

Charging Bear tosses the other man the carbine, "Just didn't want such a fine weapon to be left to waste." He pauses, "Speaking of..." and goes to see about getting the sonic stunner. He will return the contraption to Augustus and inform both Augustus and Dr Ward that he'll be heading back into town to see about things.

OOC: Been a busy day with the wife before she heads out to California for a work conference.

By the time they get to town, the rain has started in earnest.

A few of the Dust Adders peel off and follow Carl to comfort Charlie's widow, but most of them accompany Nathanial's body to the Undertaker's place. Charging Bear is along with them.

They knock on the door. The reedy undertaker cracks it open, and peers out at the assembly. "Can I help you folk?" he asks.

The Dust Adders Push Charging Bear to the forefront...he's the deputy, after all. In their mind's his job to start making the arrangements.

---

The door opens. A tow-headed child, about 13 years old, looks up at him. Tim. He smiles.

"Hi Carl!" he squeaks, then heads back into the house. "Mommy! Mommy! Carl's here! Maybe he can tell us why Daddy's late!"

At the sight of the heavily damaged machine man, is forced to blink back tears.  People being ambushed, shot, and executed might stun and fluster him, but the sight of the beautiful one-of-a-kind machine brings him to the brink of grief.  He barely hears the Doctor's question of whether or not he can repair Alouette as he moves to the crunched brass body.  He carefully begins to check it over, using his previous repair work to make his asessment.  Shaking his head, he mutters, "Oh my... Such craftsmanship...  Such damage...  Hush, you don't know its gone...  There see...perhaps nothing vital was damaged...  Yes, a safety measure...  No...stop...it may not be dead and stop thinking so negatively...  I'm not even sure it /can/ die..."

The only words he would offer to other humans would be to ask for assistance in carrying the broken machine entity to the workshop.  Other than that, the scientist mutters mostly to himself...or perhaps to Alouette...
This message was last edited by the player at 03:37, Sat 16 Oct 2010.

[[OOC: Augustus, make me a Repair Check, at -3 due to Alouette's wounds. You can make as many rolls as you like, but each check will take d4 hours.]]

The scientist goes to his gentle work, trying to bring the machine back to...conciousness?  sentience?  life?  He isn't sure what to call it, but hopes desperately for it.

OOC - First check was a 9 that takes 1 hour.  2 "wounds" healed?

In reply to Augustus Spotswood (msg #16):

[[OOC: It removes the Incapacitation and removes 1 wound. There are 2 wounds left.]]

In reply to The Stray (msg #17):

OOC - Confusingly, the next 8 hours net 1 more success....  Augustus will be at this for a while...  So 9 hours of work, will get Incap cured, and two "wound" levels.  Wow...

[[OOC: Or you could spend a Chip on that roll you failed. You have 3 blue chips available]]

In reply to The Stray (msg #19):

I did try a Redchip re-roll...  I would like to Blue Chip one come to think of it.  I just kept thinking, I can do better than that...  So, Blue chip...nets a success.  So, he spends the day and patches Alouette back up to operational status?

In reply to Augustus Spotswood (msg #20):

Yes. Just keep in mind, you didn't have any Red Chips at the start of the new session...you had three blue. nevermind. My notes were wrong.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:32, Sat 16 Oct 2010.

Before her departure of the unlucky bot, she put one of the rabbit feet she had into the wounded clank's chest cavity, maybe it'll bring some future luck for the thing, hell knows she wasn't going to be able to save it nor drag it everywhere with her. So on she pressed with the brute, Gus Shaw.

The rain is coming down in big thick spatters like the tears of a weeping Jesus as Gus and Gangatsu travel across the top of the gulch. Below them, the creek is beginning to run a bit faster. The rain alternates between quiet weeping and thunderous sobs, but after an hour and a half of travel it really doesn't matter, as both travelers are soaked through


Gatsu felt the weight of her clothes, the fabric sticking to her skin. It was the wrong day to be wearing a thigh slit yakuta and leggings, but at least she didn't have the excess of fabric hidering her motivements, like the one she lost on Danny's corpse. She eyed the river as they approached it. " Dis da only way cross?"

"The Comanche ain't near town." Gus said. "They're perched west along the creek, just a stone's throw from the edge of the Doc's property markers. You want to head to town, we gotta ford the creek and head North, or go back the way we came. Make up yer damn mind, woman."

" Eh." She grunted, glancing at him impassively, though he was abit irksome to deal with. " Nuthin o da sort, just didn't know where to. Ya gunna act like a stick in da ass the whole way d'ere?"


"Yeah, you ain't no sweet, delicate flower yerself, woman." Gus shoots back. "I don't know why someone ain't slapped that mouth off o' you yet for all yer backtalk."

 She nearly rolled her eyes to the stormy heavens at her damn luck. " Really? What, ya wanna check mefer a dick? "  She growls at the challenge of her womanhood. " Any bastard tries smackin me's gunna pull away a stub. No point ta bein sweet d'hen, now is d'here?"


"And you wonder why folks don't treat you like a lady."  He grumbles.
 " Bah. Suits meh fine." She retorts just as quickly

 "Look, I wann get out o' this rain fer a spell. I figger we ain't too far from the entrance to the old mine." He peers off into the distance. "You wanna keep marchin' for the Comanches, pretty soon you'll be floatin' there. How's about it? find shelter? wait fer the storm to die a bit?"

Her hat was taking most of the rain, but the straw could only keep out so much before her wet hand had to wipe off her face a bit.  He starts talkin about - A ol' mine? Could it be the mine shaft that danny spoke of? At times like that, she was glad her pettite stature and hat kept her face covered cause maybe, just maybe she could find an item from the spell the union boy said they used to keep them in place. Perhaps she would get a little kick in the right direction. It was close to the Commanche boarders and the ranch as well. Then again, it might just be a shallow cove.. To early to tell. " Yeah.. Thinkin yer right about that..."

Part 2 of Gus and Gangatsu:

Gus points out a spot on the side of the creek opposite them. With the rain, it doesn't look like more than a smudge against the horizon, a dark blur. "There. In the gultch face. See it?"


She lifted her coolie a little and  took a few brisk steps forth, her brow narrowing slightly.  " Hides in well wit da land.. Looks like a shadow."


"It's just a hole now." Gus says. "Used to be a whole mess of equipment here, but then the mine closed." He leads her down to the creek bed. "Well, I hope you can swim. Or, if'n you like, I can toss ya."


 Hmm, that's too bad.. Is it the mine that closed down, or.. That's right, the mine could have be destroyed in the escape or even to cover up the tracks. But.. Least it's a spot that she could come back to if things don't work out. "Dammit.." She looked tohe water and then to  shore before taking off her coolie, the rain hitting her nigrescent hair, loose strands weighted down by water. " Nah. I'll swim fer it." She picked up her katana from her hip and held it firmly.

  She took her coolie and took of her sandals, placing it into her bag, hooking it closed and shifting it to sling the rope across her chest and setting the bag on her hip. She took in a deep breath and shifted her hips like a cat getting ready to pounce before a foot flew out and she gave a quick burst of a run and dove into the water. Later surface a yard away, but she was swimming strong against the swift current and the ice-like chill biting her skin. She made it to the shallow end and dragged herself out on hands and knees, taking a few deep breaths before looking over for the redneck.

Gangatsu rolls a 3. Adds a blue chip and rolls a 15 for total of 18 on Swim.


Gus, meanwhile, was doing a dogpaddle across the rushing creek, but he was moving across it nonetheless. he's over and across just behind her.

Gus rolled a 16 on Swim.


 She took a moment to rest from the swift river, her heart pounding a little and she shook a bit from the cold and perhaps the dislike of the filthy water that left her bright scarlet yakuta a clay red color. " S-shit.."


"HOO-ah!" Grus crows as he steps out of the water. "THAT will wake a guy up in the morning!" He wastes no time making for the Mine entrance, which, now that they are closer, is much easier to see.


 A shake of her head at his outburst, but the man was a walking tank when it came to feeling anything she supposed. To her a strong chill, to him a brisk dose of spring water. Damn. What would he need to go to a cove for except to check his gun powder. Ha, good luck cracking a bullet at her, she supposed. She got up from the bank and hugged herself, squinting slightly from the rain water. She followed after him, shivering and slightly blind in the drizzle.


 The mine snakes down into the darkness, but the pair don't need to go nearly that far to get out of the whipping rain. Gus pulls a few boards up from a platform near a mine cart, and goes about making a fire. His matches are soaked, but he's not that bad at making fires all "injun style". It's not long before a cozy flame is crackling away.


 She ploped her bag down and set her katana in reach, leaning it against the wall. Green eyes looked over the tunnel and a sharp crack as Gus went to work on a fire. She let down the long jet hue hair and started to ring it outscooping off as much as she could. Given the length of her yakuta and the man was busy, she was removing the leggings to do the same to them, letting out a large wet plop on the cave floor.


 Once the fire is going, Gus, without any sense of shame whatsoever, begins stripping off his wet clothes, starting with his shirt and working his way down.


She had a bit more moderation, she had no modesty in her actions, words, nor to put on a performance, but she'll take it off for only long enough to get the water out.. " Heh. Yeah, Gus, take it off." She spoke evenly through a monotone, a mock chuckle bubbled up.


Gus turns, standing proud. "Take a good, long look, girl, and be amazed!" The man is quite brawny with some flab around his gut and limbs.


She shook her head at him, with a brief once over, with a mortal curiousity.  A slight smile perked the corner of her lips at his bravado. " Oh. Yeah. Yer sumptin' else.. Dun't know wut.." She spoke carelessly turning her back to him. " So.. What.. This the mine that nearly took the blood outta Blackthorn."


 Gus takes a seat with a hard look and a crude comment growled out. "This mine was the blood of Blackthorn. Then it began to dry up a bit, and then there was the cave-in that killed a dozen people. After that, the Wendell people pulled up stakes and left."


Gangastu was trying to milk what bit of the water in her shirt out. From the sleeves andn the unfixing the soaking thick obi as to wring it out, water ploping outbefore she cast it near the fire. Sliping out one arm at a time, she was able to keep it taut and a good little divider from her cotton rich undergarment.Wringing out  the material at least before slipping one arm in and oing the same for the other. The back was still holdign a damp streak, but it was better then walking around with water-making-sheer panties and bra. Wrapping the front closed like a robe, Gangatsu heads over to the only source of light and heat. She knelt down and eased to the floor her blade prone and at the ready by her side, away from Gus.


Gus gives her a leer as she plays with her shirt, but doesn't make any ungentlemanly moves.

She eyed him for a moment, there was something wrong with his face and the way he looked her over. Was she bleeding? She looked down and checked her thighs a little after she was seated down. No. Least there was nothing sharp to have sliced her. Shoulders jitter slightly as she rubs her hands against her legs. Just as she did with the rabbit foot she had, but this time just trying to increase the blood flow and friction to warm up her skin. Her gaze raised occasionally to Gus, her toes felt like they were burning as the cold and heat conflicted with one another on her senses.

" Ain't ya cold? It's almost as bad as being out in da rain in 'ere." She shifted her rump on the cold floor and turned a bit so her side could get a little warmth, her shirt shifting open as she crossed her arms against her stomache to rub it.

The normally stoic Dust Adder pales and looks back at Mike beside him in horror. They didn't know? Carl silently curses the out-of-towner undertaker with all the vilest things that come to mind and motions Mike and Dave to go on and meet whatshername...damn blank...Danielle before she comes out. Himself, he stops the kid by laying a hand on his shoulder, meets that questioning glance that's just beginning to suspect something's wrong.

Carl hears Jesse shuffling about behind him, not sure what to do. He gently turns the boy to face him properly, sets his free hand on Tim's other shoulder and goes to one knee to be nearer his height. God, he looks like Charlie. Carl meets his eyes, lets him read it in his face.

"..."

He keeps Tim's gaze until he's sure he understands. Then, because his heart isn't wholly made of flint and he can't bear to see dawning comprehension take the light from the boy's face, Carl carefully draws him into a hug, careless of his injured shoulder. It's the most contact he's had with the boy, and every movement and every fibre of him carries the message 'I'm so sorry, kid.'

[[OOC: Done over IM]]

"I know ways of warming us both up" Grus grinned, ogling Gangatsu's open shirt.

She looked unamused and shifted a little from some jitters. "Fooled me, I thought a fire was it."

"Fire's one thing. It's a source o' warmth, but to really get the blood pumping, one's gotta move...You know...get bodies cuddling together, friction heating things up..."

A brow perks, her aloof demeanor faulting a bit with some surprise and looked like she was going to say something, then thought against that. There were no voices, no sense of danger, was...this a challenge to fight? That might be interesting, yet his next comment seems to beat that to the dust and she laughed, dark and ominous in it's numb world. "You wily fucker..."

"I am at that. So, whadda ya say? Live a little until the rain dries up?"

Live a little...she was alive...Yes, and how long will that last on a girl with a death wish? He wasn't a bad looking man and he somehow hadn't called her anything by her race. Shifting forth to her feet, she easy got up and moved over toward him.

Rolling the yakuta off, eying him for a moment with amusement in her gaze as she unhooked the wet cotton brazier in the back and tossed it aside. Her thumbs hooked in to the rim of her cotton garments, lowered them down her thighs til she stepped out of them and brought herself down to straddle his lap.

"If I'm cold after, I'm gunna put my little fist in your face." So causally stated. Suffice to say, she snuggled a bit against his chest.

[[OOC: Fade to black...]]

In reply to Carl (msg #25):

"no..." The kid says as he begins to weep.

By this time, Danielle had wade her way to the door. Her eyes were sunken and raw. She already knew.

Jesse scuffed his boot against the ground again, talking time to have a really good look at those boots.  He considers how nice new boots might be, but then again he'd have to just break them in...  He just concentrates on boot-think.  Anything to distract from that boy and his momma's hurt.

Sniffing a bit, he glances off anywhere else and spits long stream of tobacco juice.  Uncomfortable, he hitches up his belt and checks the settle of his gun in the holster.  He even blinks a bit at something.  Probably just some dust in his eye...

Carl holds the boy until his frame relaxes, but doesn't let the sobbing get too far. Pulling away, the cattlehand's calloused fingers brush the tears from Tim's face, not ungently. He shakes his head, holds the boy's gaze and lifts the kid's chin a little. "..."

Carl nods back at the boy's mother, not looking away from Tim, then curls a fist to his chest. "..." The Dust Adder offers the boy his hand to shake if it's agreed, man to man.

Tim sniffles, but he nods and takes Carl's hand.

"Charlie was a hell of a good man." Dave says to Danielle. "A hell of a man. And don't you worry none. We'll make sure the varmint that took him from ya lives to regret it. I guarantee that."

Carl gives it a firm shake then lightly squeezes the boy's shoulder and gestures for him to fetch his coat. Straightening, he gives Dave a look to remind him they have to apologise to the Marshal first, but nods to Danielle in confirmation. The man'd live all right. Wishing he hadn't.

Carl takes Danielle's hand and presses it briefly between his own, then nods his head slightly at outside in invitation to come with them. Going or staying, he'll let her greet/get Jesse's condolences and wait for the boy to return weatherproofed.

He'd stared down death this morning. Somehow it was so much easier than trying to stare down grief.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:49, Sun 17 Oct 2010.