[Language unknown: "Ich?"] The fireplug Sioux says, pointing at Belle. [Language unknown: "Peing? Nt k ng ble, nd uros conortday yin heom iouineres earverave niioul eiilac ut diosaiad omekla! Lesst ing te ovesheortver usad ivpoerni si ce ei ionmenthe! P u m prad entvenive i k itceit! Virwi trany i compo ofweng...usiv herat mesata os poat of!"]

The bandaged man chuckles. "And where were you expecting me to be? Wait, never mind, not sure I want you to answer that."

Jimmy looks around. "We were hoping to catch up with Maddox."

"I thought he was with you." Michael says. "Did you catch up with Brett Bones?"

In reply to Little Crow (msg # 216):

Moses shakes his head, then furrows his brow, as he looks up to the sky.
"Will they be safe, Lord? Moses worries about Screaming Rabbit."
He seems to listen to the banter between Belle and the others, but then says: "Thy Will Be Done, Lord. As always. Will thou grant your humble servant the power to speak in Little Crow's own tongue?"

11:24, Today: Moses rolled 7,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4.  Faith, Speak Language.

[Language unknown: "Veravebut Iouus... Houmensan nti our ustho hepl ble houomente ekeau popr lo. Ver lat o ei adit ilres con ich, uste strho peom uspr olng. St sta tric traartect-oulain omtahi ut somiouiou e prmo illderpro ck evhoon. Earho acpr sheameess te Siur, ad eraom erahatpre ectwilrut, Comherlin. El ones werrateau eccame ratithera in Li. La our noutpodi thchil ll earallich... stidayintund asanli rutthefor etom ol as entin. Evac ri ss pesom Ur is ngfi Virundred ch set ad esan atrina stla Venrutforvor. Ngure n wh iltr ce aihi art retio icathowas ill ivewasrutman osant forvenast. As thu ethat enusac setil ndear ck sepr teofhele tha adhi staithoer nithus tio is stipreout acou not n naricehi."]

Then he turns to Belle, still walking. His voice grows more forceful as he speaks, until it is a rumbling thunder at the end.
"There are forces in this world intent on purging humankind from this Earth, Belle Ivers. They are preparing a Reckoning and are gathering their armies. There is one gathering right now and close. We will fight their armies. We will fight them in the streets. We will fight them in the hills and mountains. We will fight them near the rivers. We will defend all of the Lord's creation and we will never surrender."

Belle stopped going on and tapped her chin idly.  "I wonder if I stay here long enough if I'll get the chance to learn these fascinating local languages.  I've not heard such structures.  Perhaps if I'd gone to university I'd have been a polyglot... oh well the road not taken is just that."

"A dire threat against humanity sir? It is a constant in any age, to be sure.  But if I may be forgiven for such presumption, I take your words to mean there is a specific and credible threat in the here and now and that you are not merely observing an unfortunate facet of mankind's very being.  Well, it is truly fortunate I have encountered you fine gentlemen, for as much as your curious ways delight my senses and intrigue me of opportunities to spread understanding, your methods of meaning will be lost on many and to be blunt, your communications can be inscrutable.  That is to say, your method of expression may cast doubt on the credibility of your message, which I perceive to be rather genuine and serious if strangely expressed, so this cannot be allowed to pass.  I shall have to assist, so let us inform the proper authorities with all haste sir."

At some point we should have physically moved quite a ways from the Mint... hard to tell in wibble-wobble time though.  Bearing in mind Belle had only some vague idea Wells and the others were going to talk to this Coot person in another saloon, but with half the buildings in Deadwood burned down it ought not be that hard to find it or them, given like 12+ people should be there between most of the PCs and Coot's undead legion.

The braves just...look at each other.

[Language unknown: "Son era ekar on?"] Kills Iron Horse scratches her head as she tries to puzzle out Belle's speech.

Walks The Night Alone shrugs. [Language unknown: "E ro san no. Iefo thaencred e hatawi an seunni ticwerven, ilpa p ckomhest onswi. Nd e lin wisicknc. P deriounce al romeun a men Isomlo Sack ameameure sta witesttha Was At Stiainers tinwhiing n."]

Kills Iron Horse spits. [Language unknown: "Poteme Ck p ven sontrarat. Toch is om eialol be n adnaun matrne?"]

Walks The Night Alone shrugs again. [Language unknown: "Ver os blethavir n vorresome iv. Went pa notardsankor se."] He makes a chirping whistle. Kills Iron Horse chuckles.

Little Crow, meanwhile, just scowls.

Art was about to respond when his travelling companions interjected. He listened to what Moses had to say to Little Crow and added his own nod of agreement at the end. Little Crow didn't need more voices at the moment. If he would listen to one, that would be enough.

The gangly redhead couldn't help but chuckle at the thoughts provided by the Cheyenne. He tried to translate. [Language unknown: "Nce howhoume il ekll n tra siecll outessati roosis tharedoul eearle, remo wassannde set k a. Icpl icwine hou omnaca ulhas linandoulers aima rutessset onngee chhe ive ro olal ti but strestsan eveom ad ratmenhat n thadmi inttedvorshedin n is roplet a ettrma tietli n nceiouwhi ratalleraionver."] He paused for a moment to let that sink in. [Language unknown: "Ie tiadcknc, llri laarwe ac trulwi thu iopl esate filalilo waes eenredwhevireve wh liio li howa t is ul usmi hiswerrat wasintere ive olsi'roti lo. Ac ancaou nc comionine hoiv un ceheio erserswitoretio, tio ec fonot st er ingortter asnoninoec no erseaupro."]

Having distilled and translated as best he could, Art responded again to Belle. "The physical world do be mere, if ya ignore tha spiritual world. When ya consider them both, then ya c'n unnerstan everyting. Until ya start considerin that, ya be very dangerous."

Art licked his lips briefly, and continued to address her points. "The person tha' created steel did no have a demon tellin' him wha ta do, like ya have. Steel has plenty o' uses 'sides makin' things designed fer killin'. The person tha' made steel unnerstood zactly what the ingerdients tha' made steel did. As fer the prince, if ya knew fer certainty tha' him growin' would destroy the world, an ya could go back in time ta change it, killin' would be a reasonable option, ya."

The tall ginger placed a hand on Kira for a moment, petting the dog gently. "As fer the Samaritan, the priest and the Jew tha' passed 'im by both had the means. An' they should be expected ta help, bein' of the cloth and a fellow contryman. Th' Samaritan be celebrated because he looked past the exterior of the man in trouble. He looked inside the man and inside hisself. He showed empathy and compassion. He be celebrated fer doin' the right ting, even when he would no be expected ta do so. If ya want ta be like the Samaritan, Belle Ivers, you need ta learn wha' th' right ting is rather'n assumin' tha' righ' an' wrong don' matter."

Art looked over at Moses, then back at Belle. "Le' me ask ya this - do ya know wha' ghost rock be made of? Do ya know where it came from an why it be providin' the power it do?"

He nodded at what she said, appreciating the sentiment. 

"Well, I didn't know that I'd be welcome back, truth be told. I mean, maybe by some, like your folks. Maybe a few others. But folks are pretty passionate about all this, and I can't blame 'em. Once you fight for somethin', you tend to feel a loyalty towards it and it can get powerful hard to look past that. See, we first went to New Orleans when we left. Union still held it at that time, and I was fulla piss'n'vinegar so I signed up with some other Texans that had left as well. Mostly German Unionists from Comal County, some from Guadalupe, up into Blanco too, but a lotta Mexicans and Irish too from here and there. Most of the officers were old southerners, though. My folks headed on back east, and I was part of the 1st Texas Cavalry," he said. 

"For my part, I didn't really like all the killin', so eventually I left the service. Someone said I should take up lawin', and here I am with this star here. And there you are. Might be had I stayed, I'da had a similar story to the one I got now, just different colors. But to some folks, the colors make all the difference." He met her eyes at that comment, whether or not she caught it, there was an unspoken question in that last sentence about how much those colors mattered to her.

Katy listened to Logan quietly, though she looked down briefly when he mentioned he joined up with the Union. She didn't realize he had actually fought for the North. She met his eyes again after a moment, and tilted her head to the side. "If ya'd stayed, Logan, ya'd have got conscripted. Mebbe gotten killed. First halfa 63 weren't a good year fer the South. Glad ta see yer alive an well, that's fer sure, and not still parta the fightin' out East."

She took a quick drink, appreciating the flavor and heat, and the chance for a pause. When she set the glass back down, her fingers remained curled around the drink, not wanting to let go. Her brow furrowed slightly. "As fer colors, it's interestin'. When I got my star, my uncle told me a lot. Prolly not everthin', but a lot. I think ya've seen somma what we're up against, based on how ya been talkin' with these here folk that Coot helps. I think ya might even know that what the Rangers are invetigatin' and fightin', well, it goes way beyond colors, don't it Marshal? The moment I put on the star, I became a defender o' humanity. Not a defender o' the South. An' humanity's needed a lotta defendin'."

Katy looked over at the gathered dedders and then back at Logan. "If ya only knew what I seen, Marshal. If ya only knew."

"I did, and Maddox was dealing with him ... while I was catching up with Carter before things went crazy." James scratches his beard as he looks around at all the folks in the space, "So, what's going on here?"

"Now see here fellow, I do not mean to trumpet my own virtue, but all you have observed of me is when I took it upon myself to assist a strange and misdirected individual in need of my help.  I do not claim sainthood, but your a priori assertions I am doing something untoward are not civil.  Why do you assume I don't think ethics are a consideration?  Am I some inhuman to you?

"You insist on observation of the spiritual, yet you do not explain what it means.  The spiritual or the supernatural is simply that which we perceive as such.  By considering the universe, you consider all things.  That some things are classified so does not make reality any less mysterious or comprehensive.

"As for your strange idea some voice in my head speaks to me... the only thing in my mind is myself.  Of course I have disparate impulses, some of whom want to commit antisocial acts, such as the temptation to steal goods without paying for them.  That is the case of every human being however, it is simply the id, ego and superego colliding with one another.  Now there are individuals who manifest a whole different personality, and as I do not black out and lose track of extended periods of time, I doubt I suffer from that.

"And the steel is no different from any other technology.  While some trial and error and design iteration is inevitable, eventually an understanding is reached via these methods and the mysteries resolved, but the fact that some processes must be undergone to resolve those mysteries doesn't mean that the end product is not understood yes?   For example my trauma compound may be quite mysterious to some, but anyone with sufficient understanding of the new science can reproduce it.  It is nothing mysterious, only complex technically, which occupies the same region of the mind unfortunately.

"Furthermore technology is not evil, nor is it good.  It simply exists.  It all has multiple uses.  And I would be quite suspicious of anyone who proposed killing an infant based on the reading of some bones or oracular testimony myself.  I'm rather on the side of innocent until proven guilty I am afraid.

"Ah, ghost rock.  Etherialis ignate, as it is properly called.  Yes.  It is carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen with traces of other elements such as mercury, selenium and arsenic.  It was formed by rapid fossilization in hot gas pockets, which creates the many microscopic fissures and gaps in the substance so that it produces a distinct audible phenomenon when it burns.  It is very molecularly dense, which gives it a great deal of chemical energy."

Art shrugged. "I no be assumin', I jus' be listenin' ta what yer sayin'. Based on what I hear, I do no think ethics be yer concern. Mebbe, and I hope ta be, but mebbe I'm wrong. But mebbe ya also need ta do some soul-searchin' of yer own."

He titled his head to the side slightly. "The spiritual and physical do no be a matter of perception as yer usin' the word, Belle Ivers. But it do take trainin' ta know how ta see tha' which ya cannae touch."

He shook his head at Belle's continued misunderstanding of what was guiding her. "How do you know tha' some o' yer thoughts don' come there from somewhere else? Those temptations, how da ya know they're the same as other people? Because yer thoughts, they do no always be your own, Belle Ivers. And unless ya unnerstan that, ya will continue ta be dangerous. I do no doubt that once ya've made something it can be reproduced. It do be the first makin' of it that needs, as ya say, ethics. Because it can be evil. If ya could make a device which had the sole purpose o' killin' ever livin' thing on this continent, would ya do it because it don' be evil, it just do be progress an someone else might figger it out anyhow?"

Art rubbed his chin for a moment. "As fer the ghost rock, ya've looked inta it yerself, have ya? Done the calculations ta see if it do work out right? People have been diggin' in the ground fer thousands of years. An yet here we find sometin' new an jus star' usin' it witout really thinkin' abou' it. Or seein' wha's really there. All in th' name o' progress."

"Wait, Carter was there!?" Michael says, aghast. "Don't you think maybe you should've lead with that!? Where is is? Did you shoot him down? Dammmit, why didn't you get me in on this?"

"My good man, ethics is the foremost concern of everyone even when they pay it no mind, which we often do out of necessity for we could not possibly consider the full ramifications of any decision or we'd never decide at all.  No action we take lacks some element of choice.  But I digress.

"You contradict yourself my good sir.  For the sake of not having a circular discussion, let us cede the ground and suppose that some intangible objects, and even beings, do exist.  If they are in fact spirits, the only way to fathom their existence would be to perceive it as a mental construct, yes?  For if it is not a thing of this world, our senses and empirical tests would be useless, correct?  In that case fancy is our only resort.

"As for whether all my thoughts are my own, well sir, I submit to you if I don't know that, then no one does, and it makes no difference since I cannot tell either way.  As for how I know?  In a Cartesian sense, I cannot know absolutely due to solipsism, however I read comprehensively to the extent I am able, and every author of the human condition seems to betray a common experience across different histories and cultures.  It is proof enough for me that my internal though processes are not unique.

"Now your hypothetical question... that is interesting, however it lacks a key component.  I wouldn't do such a thing without an incentive, and that incentive would be informative as to whether it would be good or evil.  So to answer, I would have to know why I or some hypothetical person would seek to create such a thing.

"However, a larger point to consider is that the knowledge of how to build such a device is in and of itself amoral, for it is knowledge and knowledge cannot be good nor evil, it has no volition.  And two, such knowledge as exists will be discovered in due time by men far more likely to be seeking to answer other questions.  For example, such a device might harness a great deal of energy.  The ability to harness a great deal of energy would have very many uses, far more of them productive than sinister.  Someone is far more likely to discover this energy phenomenon working on something else rather than deliberately go looking for the worst possible application from the onset.

"And yes, men have dug in the earth for a long time, however our history is full of discovering that substances long overlooked or unknown have many uses.  It makes no economic sense for men to go search for that which they do not know exists, or know is valuable.  For centuries many Europeans sat on vast coal, iron, and nickel deposits having no clue what they could possibly do with them, then suddenly great operations were underway seemingly everywhere at once when the revelation was made.  As for the substance itself, I do not claim to be the singular expert, but no one knows all the mysteries of any one substance.  Even water is curious and poses questions yet unanswered, as it defies all notions of how a liquid acts."

Art raised both eyebrows at Belle's first statement. "Ah, so now ya speak fer the entire scientific community, eh? Ethics is of foremost concern of everyone? So the fellow tha' robs th' graveyard ta get pieces o' dead folk ta stitch em together just to see if he can get 'em movin' again, then creates a monster tha' kills a buncha folk. Yer sayin' his foremost concern was ethics? Or the people tha' have created killin' machines fer the Union and the CSA so they c'n send more to their graves - ya think their chief concern be ethics? Or the one tha...ya know wha, I think ya can probably tinka dozens more ta prove yer own self wrong on tha' front."

He shook his head. "And no, I dinnae contradict meself, ya jus' aren't listenin'. Ya do no haveta perceive 'em as mental constructs." His accent temporarily disappeared as he copied the way Belle said the words. "Trained folk can see 'em jus' fine wit dere eyes. Flesh n' blood eyes. So, no, yer senses no be useless. Nor yer empirical tests. Keep yer eyes and ears open, Belle Ivers, and use yer empirical tests. Insteada assumin' ya know wha's goin' on, keep an open mind ta whatcha see an' hear. Do yer empirical tests when ya get th' chance. An' then mebbe ye'll start ta unnerstan."

Art smiled a little when Belle agreed that she didn't know if her thoughts were here own, in fact no one does. "Ah-ha! A li'le nugget o' wisdom there. No one knows what thoughts are their own, do they Belle Ivers? Ya c'n only guess tha' ya have somethin' similar ta otters. Bu' in yer case, I'm tellin' ya all of 'em ain't. Consider tha' next time yer in yer head. And proof enough be words o' sloppy science, Belle Ivers. 'Specially when it be wrong."

Art's eyes went wide and he shook his head when Belle went forward with the hypothetical. "Do ya even hear yerself talk atimes? Ya find yerself okay makin' somethin' tha' is designed ta kill tousands and tousands, so long as ya got incentive?" Art tsked loudly and shook his head again. "Tha' all it would take is some incentive? As fer the more likely path, look around, Belle Ivers. Look to the East. Look here. Folk have long created tings ta tryta win a fight wit their neighbor. Needed for survival, they say. Most everyone's fightin' righ' now. Until there be peace, many or most will be tinkin' o' their own survival, an nuttin more'n tha. An they'll be makin' new an' better ways o' killin' otter folk an call it progress. Bu' comin' up wit' new and better waysa killin' people, tha' ain' progress, Belle Ivers. Tha's lunacy. Creatin' death only brings humanity closer ta its end. An ever' time yer ethics says it be okay ta make somethin' like tha because ya got incentive, ya bring us all closer ta th' end."

He arched an eyebrow at the response about ghost rock. It was precisely what he'd expected from her. "So yer sayin' tha folk diggin' in the ground fer tousands o' years jus' happened ta no realize th' potential o' this stuff when they foun' it? Tha' it'd been found before, an everone jus' ignored it, never even reportin' its existence? Here be the ting, Belle Ivers - good science be challengin' the easy explanation and findin' the answers ta mysteries. Askin' question tha' need answerin' and figgerin' out wha' is really there. Mebbe ya should tink on summada mysteries more. A reasonable explanation ya come up wit off the toppa yer head ain't always th' right one."

"I speak for no one sir. I am only observing that whenever we inviduals make a decision, it has an ethical component.  Ergo, ethics are a defacto consdieration.  Whether those ethics are up to the task or not is another matter entirely.

"Ah, but there is the contradiction sir.  If you can plainly observe the phenomenon and prove it empirically, calling it a ghost, demon, spirit or other such thing is merely a matter of perception.  All you have in this instance is a material phenomenon which is not properly understood.  I will grant you there are a many things not rightly understood, but that does not make them spirits or demons.

"Your speculations, and mine, on solipsism are matters of philosophy sir, not science.  There is no scientific way to know the nature of our own minds, so for that reason I will ask you to stop with your baseless assertions that I am wrong in my belief that I am a thinking, feeling human being and am rather some kind of other creature's puppet.  If such a belief becomes pervasive, this would enable an alienation of others which could justify all manner of malign actions, yes?  This kind of thinking is much like those who believe cranial variations between ethnicities justify treating others as lesser races; even if it is true the variance itself empirically exists, it does not justify the stance taken.

"I hear myself well sir.  Context matters.  Look, what if I am the developer of this weapon you so dread, and if I do not complete my work, a mad man will kill a schoolhouse full of children?  If that is the situation, who am I to decide they should die?  That changes the decision making process and whether the action is good or evil yes?  Furthermore, what if one has to undertake the research in order to determine if some enemy of the public has such a capability?  What if your nation is going to be extinguished by an evil invasion force and the state asks you to develop such a weapon to save everyone who would die to the aggressors?  What if one has to undertake the research in order to understand how powerful the weapon truly is, and how best to counteract it?  If we do not study these things we will not have the answers to these questions.  Why do you always assume the worst?  It betrays a severe personal bias sir.

"And you make two key mistakes sir.  One, I did not make up the history of mining.  Entire civilizations rose and fell atop vast mineral deposits they did not ever find or even have reason to seek, and the ancients failed to catalog any number of useful substances observed in nature.  If mankind can forget how to mix concrete for several thousand years, it should not surprise anyone other things of great import can go unnoticed for extended periods.  You also fail to consider that we were aided considerably by the Great Quake in the Maze, which showed us a great deal of geological data about where the substance forms, which made looking for it considerably easier.  This was, in the vernacular, a lucky break as far as geology goes anyway.

"Two, our modern methods for excavation and exploration far, far exceed anything we even had a century ago or even two decades ago.  I can do more digging with a chemistry set in a few hours than hundreds of men with picks and shovels could in days.  The engineering capabilities have advanced radically.  I daresay in the next century we will move more earth than in all human history prior combined.  You simply cannot compare past efforts to present ones."

Belle paused for breath.

"And might I say though your hypotheticals are delightfully strange, you have an uncanny proclivity for pessimism."

James just looks at his brother for a long moment, "Yes I shot him! A lot actually, but he's either not quite human anymore or has bought some of that rather fancy Smith & Robards crap." He lowers his voice  a bit trying not to announce things, "But I did manage to get his pistol in all the commotion and previously he challenged me to a dual tomorrow at noon."

Art tipped his head to the side a little. "You do no hear yourself speak, then. You do say ethics be the foremost concern of everyone. How do tha' no be speakin' for everyone? You may tink abou' it, bu' tha' do no' mean everyone do. And tha' do no' be bias. Tha' be experience, Belle Ivers. Plenty of experience."

He shook his head at her continued misunderstanding of demons. "Demon is a name for the phenomenon, an' the capabilities' an' motivations o'the entity be clear. It is no' a matter o' perception, Miss Ivers. And it do be properly understood by many." He looked and gestured over at Kills Iron Horse, then back at Belle. "Me travllin' companion here pointed out tha' there be a malevolent creature whisperin' things in yer head. Ya c'n give it any name ya like, bu' the result be the same. You don' unnerstand it, and ya refuse ta listen ta those tha do. I believe the word fer that be hubris. Assumin' tha' other folk don' know what they're talkin' abou' an goin' along wit yer plans when warned otterwise be dangerous."

He shook his head again concerning Belle's commentary on philosophy. "It do no be philosophy, Belle Ivers. It do no be belief. The ting whispering to ya be there. Mebbe ya are no a puppet, but it do be whisperin' to ya all th' same. If ya question yer thoughts and wonder if it be comin' from somewhere else, well, mebbe ya can be smart abou what ya do and don't. IF ya don quetion, well..." Art shuddered.

Art considered Belle's hypothetical retorts concerning the building of a hugely destructive weapon. "So ya'd build somethin' tha' a madman could use ta kill tousands or mebbe hold hostage entire governments ta save a schoolhouse fulla children? You tink tha be wise? Sometimes hard decisions do haveta be made, Belle Ivers. If yer gonna take power inta yer hands, ya gotta take somma tha on yerself. Ya cannot jus' let otters make all the decisions for ya an then throw up yer hands and blame progress fer yer heinous actions. In yer example, it still do be evil. An ya shoulda ignored the thought ta develop such a ting in the first place. Thoughts like tha? Jus' throw 'em outta yer mind and never look back. If someone else be workin' on such a ting, figger out how ta find the person, break their work, burn the plans, and jail them. Don' make one jus' like it. Tha' be lunacy."

He raised a single finger. "And I did no forget the great quake that cracked the earth ou' West. I do know that it be an interestin' coincidence tha' ghost rock started showin' up jus' then. An' tha' the quake jus' happened ta show folk the substance, makin' it so obvious. An tha' never, fer thousands o' years, a substance like that, that burns like that, and howls, how it never do be found. That's a lotta coincidence that do stretch the bounds o' credibility. If ya haveta come up with some terribly unlikely explanation, it prolly ain' right."

Art shrugged. "As fer me pessimism, it's only wit respect ta doze tha' have a conduit ta the mouths of evil tha' make me pessimistic. There do be much good in the world still. But those tha' are virtuous do gotta stand up fer what be right. If they do no, then, well, then the future won' be a place I'd liketa live."

Katy was trying to keep her full attention on Logan, and wanted to give James a chance to provide his own report on the dealings with Carter, but there was a piece of information that seemed important at the moment so she looked over towards James. "Carter's gun ain't in workin' order jus' now. I put a whammy on it so it needs ta get fixed. Ain't gonna be impossible, but if yer plannin' ta use it, ya gotta either figger out how ta repair the thing or find someone that does. That scientist lady that we met outside the Bella Union might be just whatcha need."

Having said her piece, her head swiveled back so the vast majority of her attention could be on Logan again.

"You know, when I first got sent out west, I started to hear some things I didn't rightly credit till I'd seen it myself. Takes a bit o' getting' used to, but there ain't much use pretendin' things ain't what they are, far as I see it," he said, tapping his head. "You see, they might send a Marshal out to bring in a fugitive. What happens when the fugitive is one o' them? I don't have to tell you that they can be pretty nasty customers. You start to learn things about 'em. Our duties ain't supposed to, but they can bleed into dealin' with weird shit as it crops up. I don't suppose I rightly have the whole picture, but I've learned enough to keep my head connected." He sighed, taking in the room. He didn't want to let the situation get away from him. So far, things seemed alright. But there were enough powerful players in this room to cause a mess if they didn't all get along, and he knew there was at least one loose cannon in here, a man willing to kill whoever he thought deserved death. Those people always took an extra level of effort.

"But I get what you mean about humanity and all that. I first got into the business I'm in 'cause I could put my skill set to use doin' somethin' other than killin' folks for no good reason. Might be there was a good reason when it all kicked off, but I don't reckon there is one now. I figure there's a chance to do some good out here. Far as humanity's concerned, you and I are on the same side. We're out here in no man's land. I'm sure there's a reason you're out here, as there is with me. As long as we're not on cross purposes, there's no reason we can't cooperate if our approaches should align."

"And Katy? You keep callin' me Marshal, I'm gonna have to start callin' you Ranger."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:09, Thu 16 Feb 2017.

Katy looked a bit chagrined at the admonition, and averted her eyes for a moment. When her gaze came back to Logan, a smirk that he ought to remember well from childhood pulled at her lips. "Sorry, Logan. Still gettin' used ta ya bein' a US Marshal an all. Sometimes my brain takes ta new stuff better when I say it a few times." The smirk changed into a smile as she considered the whole picture. "Don't know if most anyone's got the whole picture, Logan. 'Cept mebbe Miss Wells over there." She briefly looked over at Jackie before her face turned back toward Logan. "Don't know if ya've talked ta her much, but she's the reason I'm here. If what she's said is accurate, well, some things're gonna need ta change."

Katy took another sip of whiskey, the small drinks making sure it lasted a good long while but wouldn't affect her judgement. She still held the glass even when she set it down. "I sure hope we can co-operate even when things don't align perfectly. I could use a friend here, Logan. It's not like they sent two Rangers up this way, and this is a long way from Austin. An that sure can go both ways. Sometimes I get you into trouble, and other times you get me into trouble. Just like when we were kids, right?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:04, Thu 16 Feb 2017.

((OOC: Double post I can't delete for some reason))
This message was last edited by the player at 20:08, Thu 16 Feb 2017.

"Oh. Oh damn." Michael says. "Sorry. I...I just...I wish I'd been there, you know? Pay him back for what he did to us."

Jimmy Lonefeather blinks. "You hadn't mentioned that. I guess that explains the explosion."



Jimmy shrugs. "Frankly, I'd as soon post it to my Uncle John Turley out in Colorado. Let him go without it for good."

Oh Belle was fired up now.  She was in a worked up frenzy, ready to argue the finest points of philosophy versus science, and the fundamental misunderstanding of the scientific method... when she heard that.

Something Art said caused a sudden change of carriage and posture in Belle.  It wouldn't be accurate to call Belle aggressive before, but she was rather animated and made large gestures.  This was a shift to a more still posture, and a defiant stare gave way to a soft look of concern.

"Wait... you say she informed you of this... demon?"  Belle asked very placidly, like she'd completely forgotten about everything.

The person in question scowls at Art. [Language unknown: "Ie, a e n. M tic io il icaateyinere it te any lionpo, Strblerom Eauiv."] she protests.

Art smiled at Kills Iron Horse. [Language unknown: "T, K wa u entsonund saac ersillard ss orestaorevorvor, Ticanc It Hisrutith."]

Art moved to stand between Belle and Kills Iron Horse. His staff was planted firmly on the ground. "She did remind me o' tha' fact, yeah. But she do no wanna be parta this conversation." Conversation between those two would set off some fireworks. And they were trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves at first.