Walking out of the house, he made his way towards his vehicle, only to see Caleb, Daniel, Gabby, and a bird apparently staring at it.

"Never seen one before?"

Price was shortly followed by an extremely bemused-looking shaman, drawn to the knot of people. He broke into a jog as Korpi pushed off the stump, failed to gain height and hop-flailed into an awkward trot amongst the long grass.

"What is it?" Sky dog asked, kneeling to pick Korpi up on his wrist. His expressiom darkened in the shade of his hood at a semi-verbal account from his sister.

Daniel moved closer to the disturbed bird and knelt down. "S'alright, Korpi. Don think it'll hurt ya if ya don't touch it." Daniel was curious about the vehicle, though, so after speaking with Korpi, he stood and approached the vehicle, looking all around it to see if there was anything interesting that he could see. Of course he had little to no knowledge concerning mechanical contraptions. Still, it was shiny and interesting.

Vernon slipped on a heavy looking glove and flipped a couple of switches back and forth in an indiscernible order. "It's a velocipede. It gets me from place to place, and I don't need to feed it like I would a horse."

"Nyet!" Korpi called to Daniel, fearing he would get too close and be gored by the unpredictable iron beast.

"If it is always badly behaved, it would be well to saw its antlers off," Sky Dog said, troubled.

Caleb hooked his left thumb inside his gun belt, and smirked at Sky Dog's suggestion. "I don't believe that removing its antlers will improve the behavior of this beast. I suspect the opposite, really." Caleb's gaze drifted over to their new acquaintance for confirmation, though this particular line of commentary might not necessitate a response.

Daniel paused his visual inspection of parts and pieces that he didn't even comprehend a little and looked over at Price. "Don't gotta feed it like a horse, but it's gotta use somethin' ta make it go, right?"

"Ghost Rock, I reckon." Gabby says. "I can hear a faint wailin'. This is one o' them New Science thingamabobs, ain't it?"

Both of her eyebrows rose as she marveled at his handiwork.  "That is a clever trick, Doctor."  Smirking, she cut her eyes at him.  "You are a very clever man.  As clever as I've seen in these backwoods places.  I bet you have plenty of interesting tricks up those sleeves.  I don't suppose you'd be interested in sharing one or two?"

"I have many tricks up my sleeve, my dear, and I would be glad to instruct you in some of the finer points of them if you will. I have tried to teach some of these poor townsfolk, to help them defend themselves, and many have abandoned their superstition to take a whack at it, but I'm afraid most do not have the aptitude. In you, however, I sense tremendous potential," he said.

"Perhaps after all this business is over with the villagers, you will consider becoming my...apprentice. I'm not sure it's the right word, but perhaps close enough."

Surprised, she turned her head to give him a proper look, gauging his level of sincerity.  Finding no fault in his manner, she nodded and offered a genuine smile of pleasure.  "I do like the sound of that.  A friend of mine has helped me along and together we have managed to unravel some marvelous things, but he has taken me as far as he could, I'm afraid.  Part of my reason for traveling was in the hope of finding another mentor.  I think that you would do nicely." 

"There was actually a curious little thing I found that I've been puzzling over, but have not had the time to study it properly.  Perhaps you might help me with a little research when we return to town?  Another little trick to call up could prove to be very useful if the town truly does come under seige."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. And yes, I think I could manage to help you in your research," he said.

"You're actually all correct, except for Sky Dog," he said. "These aren't antlers, and their removal wouldn't do any good. Yes, it does need fed something, and that is a ghost rock boiler you here, Mr. Clarke."

"Now, I'm gonna go ahead and get back to town. See you folk there." The thing started with a roar, a faint squealing noise in the background, almost hidden but present again once it was done. Slowly, he started turning the vehicle, preparing to leave.

The shaman mutely made a warding gesture at the thing, raising his arm to let his sister step up to his shoulder. Taking his time through the long grass to check any smouldering patches, Sky Dog made his way over to toe gingerly at the metlted remnants of the iron bear, disgruntled.

Balanced on his shoulder, Korpi kept a wary eye on the departing steam velocipede, not trusting it in the least.

Caleb nodded at Price as he said his goodbyes, or see-you-laters as it were. "See you back there." He watched the man depart with a flat expression, and then spoke to no one in particular. "That was peculiar. Don't really like that he's hiding his employers' identities from us."

Daniel nodded at Caleb's commentary. "Naw, but he seems ta be on our side. Fer now. And if those thingamabobs are any indication, he oughta be real useful in a fight. Course we never saw him attack nothin' that moved."

"I don't like him at all." Gabby says. "I don't like that he's tangled up with Radcliffe and Grint, I don't like that he's hidin' his employers, I don't like that he's been keepin' tabs on us specifically and in great detail, I don't like the fact that the instant he saw Grint's device he tried to get his own mitts on it. And what was the point o' meltin' the iron giant? Did anyone ask him? The thing was already blowed up. No sir, I don't like him."

Caleb nodded at Gabby's response, the brim of his hat bobbing up and down slightly as he did. "Story hangs together alright, but everything you said bothers me as well. We can still ask him about melting our iron adversary when we get back to town." Caleb considered the situation and Price for a few moments. "Anyone that was after Radcliffe and Grint would have run into exactly what he indicated. Still, we should keep our eye on him. But not look like we're keeping our eye on him."

Darling finishes his entry in his notebook and strolls over to the group watching Price's departure.

"I don't trust a man who won't say who his boss is. When we get back to Dodge, I can send a wire to my publisher. They're pretty good at digging up a person's past."

He stretches and looks around.

"Speaking of trust, where'd Coraline get off to with Dr. Whately?"

In the distance, they can see that the burning barn has begun to sink into the ground. Whateley stands nearby, wand out, and Coraline appears to be near him and in conversation.

Caleb frowned, but nodded at Darling's suggestion. "Let's dig up anything we can."

His attention was quickly drawn by the sinking building. He gestured toward where Coraline was standing with the Doctor. "They are both over there."

Gabby scratches his head at the sinking Barn. "Should we all be concerned about that? Or just let 'em get on with their magic-fueled hijinks while we all get back to town?"

Meanwhile, by the sinking barn:

"Well, I think that should at least ensure that this doesn't catch the grasslands on fire. It would devastate the local economy if it spread too far. Shall we rejoin the others?" he asks, once he notices those in the distance are gaping in their direciton.

After poking about awhile in search of any scrap that might still be haulable the shaman glanced at the sinking barn, rubbed at his forehead and came back over to Gabby, leaving Korpi perched on the porch roof.

"Do you know what will be done with the dead Americans, Uncle?" he asked.

Daniel considered the barn and his uncle's words. "My thoughts on the Doctor ain't been particularly secret. But stoppin' him from sinkin' that barn probably ain't worth the effort."