In reply to Ezekiel Starkweather (msg # 29):

Zek's digging bears fruit. With Custer swinging his weight around, word is that the elections for Sheriff have been put on hold. That means Maddox's political ambitions were dashed, at least for now. He'd have to return to his original profession to make ends meet. That means bounty hunting and scouting. Zek couldn't get a lead on where he was staying, but he DID get a lead on where he was meeting prospective clients.

The Woolly Buffalo Saloon was a swingin' place in the south of town. The patrons were largely African-American, but it wasn't an exclusively segregated bar and white patrons mixed with black ones. Zek would stand out a bit, but not terribly so.

((OOC: Nice!))

Zek would not care if it was a bar that only allowed in cactus-he was going to get answers. Even if he had to beat it out of Maddox. He proceeded to head there, trying to keep his temper in check. However, that voice in his head was whispering to him. Start with the eyes. Once one is torn from the sockets, a man will suddenly do anything to save his other eye rather than live in darkness...

Normally he would tell the voice to shut up. Not that it worked, but he would say it. This time he was wondering if he would end up doing the very thing it was describing...and worse, enjoy it. What was he becoming?

The Woolly Buffalo is down on Deadwood Street, near the creek. The building next door to the saloon is a gutted wreck...must have caught during the fires. It's midday.

In reply to Seth Bullock (msg # 26):

Han greets Sol warmly and the makes his way upstairs. He coughs politely so that the Sheriff notices him.

He smiles apologetically. "Sheriff Bullock, I am typically not one to admit these sorts of things, but in order for you wife to mend as best she can, she will need to be under the care of one with better facilities than our small town can offer.

Perhaps the folks at Fort Pierre could assist you, but if that fails then she may need to travel to Des Moines."

Zek was glad he was finally headed someplace was intact. He walked over, looking around for Maddow. He might have to spend some money, spread it around, and see if anyone was willing to tell Zek where he was. That was fine-he saved a lot of money from not having to eat, drink, or even wash his clothes too often. Granted, they still got dirty, but not in the same way that normal people needed them cleaned...

In reply to Doctor Han Lee (msg # 34):

"I've been thinking along those lines my own self." Bullock sighs. He strokes Martha's hand. "Besides...I think I have lost my taste for frontier life. Times like this put a certain focus on a man's priorities in life. And I can't help feeling as if I've brought this on us somehow, that this is my fault."

In reply to Ezekiel Starkweather (msg # 35):

The Woolly Buffalo was packed, even though it was only midday. Serving girls bring plates of food to hungry miners, while the barkeep seems to be talking to a dandified gentleman with a southern accent. In the sea of brown faces, the white people in the bar stand out, and none of them are Maddox, so he must not be here at the moment. So it was just a matter of waiting.

One of the serving girls sashays over to him. "Well, howdy there!" she says. "Looking for a seat? I have an empty one over by the kitchen, or, if you don't mind sharing a table, one over there near the window with those gentlemen. Or, if it's libation you're after, there are plenty of seats open at the bar."

Janet smiled at the shadows.

The shadows on the wall flicker.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:42, Tue 10 Feb 2015.

Janet shakes her head.

In reply to Pretty Barmaid (msg # 37):

He tips his hat to her, as he typically did with most women. His eyes lingered on her-but in her face he only saw Dancing Deer. Which made him sad once more. "The empty is fine, miss." He said.  Once she guided him to the table, he watched the door-trying to will Maddox to enter. He ordered a glass of whisky, and pretended to drink it. Really, it would do him no good.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:04, Tue 10 Feb 2015.

In reply to James Lonefeather (msg # 30):

"Well shit Jimmy ..." James gave his friend a long look then nods slowly, "If that's how it has to be ... then yeah I'll do it." He slipped the spend shell into his pocket, "But right now, let's see about talking with Maddox and hope I don't have to do what you're asking any time soon."

some mood music

@ James Wilder

Jimmy nods. "I truly hope so, as well."

The two bounty hunters made their way to the Woolly Buffalo, in the southern part of Deadwood. Jimmy looks over at the ruins of a hardware store next to the saloon, and sucks in his breath. "Damn..." he mutters, though he doesn't elaborate.

The two enter the Saloon and are greeted by a sea of brown faces. It looks like this place was popular with the African-American miners of Deadwood. A serving girl comes over to them.

"Well, howdy there!" she says. "Looking for a seat? I'm afraid we ain't got any empty tables, so you'll have to share. Or, if it's libation you're after, there are plenty of seats open at the bar."

"Actually, we're looking for a fellow named Maddox. Is he in?" Jimmy asks.

"Not that I've seen." The serving girl says. "But he usually comes in for lunch and to meet with folk, so if you boys want to have a seat and get a bite to eat, I'm sure he'll be along shortly."

---

@Ezekiel Starkweather

Ezekiel nursed his whiskey and waited. A pair of rough-looking hardcases wandered into the saloon. One was a lanky man with a scruffy beard and a streak of white in his otherwise dark brown hair. The other was a lean man with dark skin, mixed ancestry of some sort, in dark clothes and with a gatling pistol on his hip. An ugly rope burn circled the man's neck.

Zek's ears perked up when the half-breed with the rope burn mentioned Maddox.

Zek looked over the two carefully. Chances are he was not the only fella in town who want to 'bury the hatchet' with Maddox. In his face most likely. He waited for the two to sit, and sized them up. The hanging scar was not a good sign. Nor the fancy shooter one of them wore. He waved over the waitress, and slipped her a dollar. "What did those fellas say about Maddox?" He whispered to her.

In reply to Janet Weiss (msg # 40):

The shadow shifts uncomfortably.

In reply to Ezekiel Starkweather (msg # 44):

The serving girl shrugs, and pockets the dollar in her blouse as quickly as it was offered. "Just that they was looking for him. They were non-specific as to why."

In reply to The Stray (msg # 43):

"Let's see about fillin' our bellies before we meet this fella." James says nodding to a table with a couple of empty chairs. "I know I'm hungry."

In reply to James Wilder (msg # 47):

The two are seated and order. They are most of the way through their meal when a moderately handsome man with blue-black hair and green eyes steps into the Woolly Buffalo. He's got a Smith & Robards bulletproof vest on. One of the serving girls points to James and Jimmy. The man nods and tips his hat to her. He wanders over to the table, easing his coat back to reveal a revolver.

"'Allo." he says. He has a strange accent, not quite English and not quite Irish. He fiddles with his revolver a moment, making sure it's limber, but then moves his hand away from it. "You're looking for me, I understand. This is about a job, is it?"

In reply to Maddox (msg # 48):

James nods and keeps his hands visible. He slowly places said hands on the table as a show of good faith and caution. "Yes sir it is. We were told that you are the fella to talk to about going out into Indian country." He pauses to judges the man's expression and demeanor before continuing. "If you're interest then have a seat and we'll talk, if not I'm sorry for wasting your time."

The gunman nods. "I'm interested. Have your friend there move over a touch. I'll not be making Hickok's mistake and sit with my back to the door."

Jimmy nods. "Fair enough." He slides his seat around to the window, and Maddox takes the seat across from Wilder. His hand is conspicuously below the table.

"You seem awfully jumpy." Jimmy remarks.

"I have a bad feeling, is all." Maddox says with a shrug. "Something faintly foul is in the air. I want to be ready if something happens. Why do you want to go out into Indian Country?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:03, Tue 10 Feb 2015.

In reply to Maddox (msg # 50):

James nods at the concept of something bad being in the air. "Jimmy and I got jumped by a bunch of the natives on our way here, and it went south pretty quick. I want to go and see if I can find what I lost. Should be easy enough, but I understand the risks."

In reply to Seth Bullock (msg # 36):

"Marshall, how could you be guilty for the hell that visited us? I don't believe you to have the knowledge or the capabilities to do something like that." Han says with a kind smile.

Zek had heard enough. Maddox was gonna take those fellows out and bushwack em no doubt. They needed to be warned, and Zek still needed the info. If Zek moved now, he would have to deal with more than just Maddox. So he waited. It sounded like they would be leaving soon. All he needed to do was wait a little longer...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Tue 10 Feb 2015.

"Tried to walk in, did you?" Maddox says. "I can see how that might not have gone over so well. All arrivals to Deadwood are supposed to come in by train, but there's enough as can't afford the prices Iron Dragon charge and try to come in by stage or horseback. I have a way around that." He slowly reaches into his jacket, careful not to make sudden movements least he provoke someone, and pulls out a hooked stick that has been notched, feathered, wrapped in colorful yarn, and beaded. "This here is a prospecting permit, though some idiots call them coup sticks. You'd think the OMA would issue a stamped handbill or certificate, but most Lakota don't read and don't care to learn to. Instead, they make up these sticks. The placement of the beads, the way the feathers are cut, the type of fur or leather used for the handle...all of it means something. If you present one of these to a Sioux patrol and claim you're out prospecting, they're supposed to notch it along the bottom here and send you on your way unless there's no space to notch, in which case they snap it and drag you behind their horses back to Deadwood. I've heard of people trying to fake them, but most yahoos who try don't know enough about what it all means to fake it convincingly, which means they get a beating when the Lakota catch them. This one is genuine. I bought it to chase bounties out in the Hills. With this we should be safe enough from most bands of Sioux. So whereabouts are we going, and what is it you lost?

((OOC: Er, Zek, Han Lee is in a different location than the rest of y'all.))