Wilder wasn't tracks for the pair of James currently walk through the rainy streets of Deadwood ... honestly he'd forgotten much of the meager survival skills he'd learned as a boy but every so often he got something right...

OOC:
12:43, Today: James Wilder rolled 1,0 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Tracking (unskilled).
12:43, Today: James Wilder rolled 7 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7.  Red Chip +d6.
1 + 7 == 8

In reply to Joseph Bearclaw (msg # 41):

Hargrave was quiet for a moment, considering what he'd been told, and what he'd observed. "Mr. Bearclaw, I traveled to Deadwood in hopes of locating a family member I lost contact with years ago. I didn't necessarily come here to work, but I'll tell you truthfully that I've made my living helping ranchers rid themselves of rustlers and defending miners' claims from those that would steal from them. So please understand, I don't have a problem with evicting some ill tempered brawler who refuses to pay you what he owes."

He sighed, looking at Bearclaw pointedly. "But doing something like this...well, I prefer to know all the facts. And respectfully, sir, I can't shake the feeling that there's something important you're not telling me."

In reply to Trace Hargrave (msg # 46):

Mr. Bearclaw nods. "Of course, of course. It's just that Mad Dog Carver has some friends in the Deadwood Miner's Alliance. Friends who objected quite strongly to my previous attempts at collection. Mad Dog thinks he's making some sort of political statement by not paying what is due -- he actually owes on his monthly permit fee, as well, but his friends have been chasing off my kinsmen. This whole situation is escalating. It would be unfortunate if my kin in the hills had to make an example of him. I see this as a way of reminding him about his obligations. If you are hesitant, i could offer you some small recompense? Say, ten dollars in cash, with an additional twenty if you convince him to remit his payment to us? I might even be able to assist you locating this family member -- would he have come to Deadwood to mine? I have records of all registered claims here."

In reply to James Wilder (msg # 45):

Checking out the warehouses yielded nothing (though James and Jimmy did find a warehouse that stank of dead bodies guarded by some rough-looking tongs who didn't appreciate their presence). It was a possible lead, but eventually they met back up with Maddox, who had talked to somebody who'd seen Carter's description steal a meat cleaver from Wong's Butcher Shop and then enter The Cathouse.

They'd also attracted a large number of stray cats. As they talked, they couldn't help but notice eyes glinting in darkened alleys, watching them.

"Nothing like a wild goose chase in the rain to make for a great afternoon."

"That's more than fair, sir," Hargrave responded, "I'll serve the notice. And I'll make it clear that it's the result of a debt that's been honestly accrued. Nothing political. I'll make an honest effort to talk to the man. Explain that no one involved is interested in the conflict becoming a physical confrontation. We'll see how it goes."

"I'm appreciative of the offer of help, sir. But the young lady I'm looking for, my sister, isn't a miner. She's a singer. A fine one. I'd heard she'd possibly traveled here."

He shifted his saddlebags on his shoulder. "Could You tell me where Mr. Carver's claim is located?"

"What, you always find your bounties the first place you look, do you?" Maddox says with bemusement. "You are still very welcome to piss off if you don't like my methods, but the fact that the people here halfway trust me would be how I know Carter is very likely still in that building," he nods at the Cathouse, "-and presently armed with a cleaver, with which he is probably threatening to chop some girl up bit by bit if Delgato says he's here."

"Do you have a plan, or do I go get a girl and leave a door open to the balcony? I'd like to do this with a very minimum of dead whores, see you. None would be favourite."

In reply to Trace Hargrave (msg # 50):

"Well, I will keep my ears open, in that case. You could check the Langrishe Theater or Nye's Opera House -- both of those venues have performers on staff." Bearclaw pulls out some paperwork which he signs. "Mr. Carver's claim is out in the Black Hills, near Bear Gulch. It's eight miles, as long as you stick to the trails -- you may find yourself quite lost if you try to go overland, and you'll have to cross Spearfish Canyon. The bandits that dwell there love nothing more than holding up lone travelers. So please, stick to the trails. You'll come to a trading post called Hobbeson's Hole -- Mr. Carver frequents the bar there. His claim is a stone's throw from the trading post."

He pulls out a small map and marks it,  then pulls out a strange-looking item. It's a stick, about a foot long, wrapped in dyed wool and beaded. The bottom of the stick is bare. "Here you are." He hands the stick to Trace. "If you are challenged by a Sioux patrol, show them this. It signifies that you are acting under my authority. The leader of the patrol will notch the bottom. Avoid accruing more than a dozen notches if you wish to avoid being dragged back to Deadwood behind a horse."

In reply to Maddox (msg # 51):

"Maddox, why do you need to be the one to do the infiltratin'?" Jimmy says. "You're known around here. Do people really think you're the type to get a girl for the evening? You seem a bit too tightly wound for that. James, you're no good, because Carter knows you. But he doesn't know me from Adam. I should be the one to go in, get the lay of the place, and open the way to let you all in."

Maddox mutters something about not wanting to bed someone if he didn't mean it, but does in fact listen. "Well do you have any Cantonese to speak of?"

James shakes his head. "Not really. I'm half Crow, so I know my tribe's tongue. I know how to cuss out someone in Sioux and Cheyenne, and I learned some Kiowa going through the Coyote Confederation. Never could get the hang of Chinese." he shrugs. "But you can also get a feel of a room, even if you don't speak the language. There's a difference between everyone being status quo, and everyone trying to fake being status quo."

"All right, but neither does Carter, see you, so you'll want to ask the girl [Language unknown: rohoom ileve usre itnti ous p nt wanafo?ng]  when she makes to check you over for syphilis. Then she might actually help."

James listed to the two bounty hunters argue, he felt like he was listening to a pissing match  but honestly didn't care which one could piss farther or longer. "You wanna wait out back or up from Maddox?"

[[what arguing?]]

"They have bouncers: we'll have to either scale the fence alongside the outside stairs by there, or get up on the roof of the privies from the pig huts across the way, then over to the main roof to the balcony." Maddox gestures not entirely accurately at the buildings in question.

Hargrave listened carefully to the directions and instructions that Bearclaw provided. "I appreciate you giving me the names of those venues. I'll do my best to make this errand a quick one," he assured the man. "One last question, sir. This political business. What is it about? In my mind, the only 'statement' that Carver's making by refusing to pay a rent he agree to is that he's dishonest. Is he disputing that this is your people's rightful home?"

"You could put it that way, yes." Mr. Bearclaw says. "The DMA was formed by miners who illegally crossed into our lands and dug into Deadwood creek. My people tossed them out, but they came back, digging in like ticks." he scowls. "Frank Bryant is one of the loudest voices in town calling for us being removed from our ancestral lands so he and his ilk can tear them apart. They don't like that they have to pay money to a 'filthy redskin' in order to work the Black Hills. But I fail to see how it would be any different if, say, George Hearst set up a company town or the US were to annex our lands -- he would still have to pay someone, and at least our arrangement allows individuals to keep more of what they mine while allowing The Lakota a pathway to financial independence from the United States."

In reply to Maddox (msg # 58):

"Sounds like scaling a fence it is then, got no desire to climb outhouses."

Maddox nodded. "Your call, Lonefeather. We'll wait by yir until we see you get a room."

He looked down at an unusally bold cat who'd drifted out of the collection of strays downalley and decided to brush against his leg. "What?"

Silently, he committed the name Frank Bryant to memory, wondering if serving Carver with notice would attract the animosity of the man.

"I suppose there will always be those that want to live outside the law, no matter how fair and reasonable it might be," he said. "I'll get Carver served, sir, and I'll report back as soon as it's done."

He paused, then added, "I'd like to speak with this Seth Bullock before I head for Carver's claim. Could you tell me where best to find him?"

In reply to Maddox (msg # 62):

Jimmy nods. "Get in position." Then, whistling a jaunty tune, he strides into the Cathouse, leaving Maddox and James to do that.

It takes a little while, what with Maddox being more than slightly drunk, but he and Wilder make it over the fence. They've garnered the attention of a few cats, but no one from inside.

After a few minutes, Jimmy opens the back door and waves at the pair. He's frowning.

"There's somethin' mighty odd goin' on here." He whispers. "It's got my hackles up. This place isn't just calm...when I said that thing you told me to the girl, she just giggled. She said 'don't worry about him, The Mistress is taking care of him.' And from the way she was grinning, I don't think she meant that in the carnal sense."

In reply to Trace Hargrave (msg # 63):

"I can..." Mr. Bearclaw hedges, and frowns. "But I'm not sure if I should. Mr. Bullock's family and business partner were attacked by some jealous rivals during the fires earlier this week. They burned down the jail and his store and shot his wife, for whom he is currently caring. His house is on Sherman Street, but he may not be receiving visitors at this time."

Maddox dusts himself down a bit more, having recently tried to drop with catlike grace off a fence and miscalculated the heights entirely. "What?" he straightens his hat and looks about. "Is she there, your, er, girl?"

Jimmy turns and gestures, and a dark-skinned woman peeks her head out of the door. "Yes?" She asks. "You all bounty hunters?"

"Ah, we would be that, yes," Maddox says, simultaneously relieved the prostitute was not raising the alarm over two non-clients on the premises and a little awkward in addressing a lady of the night. "Does Madame Delgato plan to kill him, do you know?"

Maddox attempts a trustworthy smile but studies the stairs more than the 'girl', clearly not quite sober. "Only it'd be really good if we could get him alive enough to tell us about his friends in the hills, see you, and, um, get him hanged properly so that any other surviving victims know he didn't just vanish off scot free like he might."

He looks at James. "I'm guessing Wilder here might want to kick him in the balls, too...but you're sure your -Madam can handle him?"

"If he ain't dead already, he soon will be." The woman says with a shrug. "He chose the wrong whorehouse to take hostage. Madame Delgato's our dark angel. We'll bring what's left of him to you...for a cut of that bounty on his head."