Snarling a curse under her breath, Penny tossed her cane into the indicated corner, where it fell with a clatter. 'Your people? Your people are child-murderers and fiends. How can you swear on them?' she hissed in frustrated rage, but stalked across the room and behind the counter.

Suddenly Penny tripped, stumbling on a broken chair leg and skidded on the shattered glass of old wine bottles. And one hand hoisted up her skirts, the other slipped her pocket revolver from her garter holster. Lily would no doubt see, but Penny kept all this hidden behind the counter, muttering curses in a thick country Devonshire accent to cover her deception. 'Now your turn! Drop him! Leave and never return!' she ordered. She had honour, she would keep to the deal, at least until the moment Ian was safely out of arm's reach, before battle would resume.


OOC: Ah, yes, I have a concealed-carry holster established to be in Penny's garter belt. ;)
19:34, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 23 using 1d20+5. bluff.

Ready: shoot the son-of-a-whatever when Ian is safe, or if it goes for Ian anyway, shoot it.

Simon smiled and put his hands akimbo, "Then go and rest, as I have already instructed."

Nodding slightly, Josephine countered,

"I would be willing to bet that no matter how blind one chooses to be, if your works personally save their lives, they would be loathe to forsake you." she said, hoping to inspire Emma to become one of them, or perhaps simply work harder. Either way: an improvement. Having her be constantly self-focused wasn't going to benefit anybody in the long run, not even Emma herself.

Penny: You do sense that he is lying, which makes you all the more determined to pull your little trick. Fortunately he doesn't seem to notice and Lily's face is the perfect mask, not displaying a hint of what she sees. Sharp elbows doesn't bother to answer, merely waiting until you are properly out of his danger. With that he hesitates, and you are suddenly afraid that he will kill Ian after all. Instead though he grabs the man with strong arms and flings him at the counter where he slams into Lily, the pair of them smashing against the glass wall behind them. At this point he books it... ooc: You have time to get a shot off and you may pursue should you wish it of course. Fortunately he looks quite bad off.

Simon/Jo: Emma takes heart at this and nods thoughtfully, going to rest as Simon indicated. ooc: So what are your plans until the others return? Keep in mind you are both pretty messy due to the surgery. You'll need a change of clothes, which I assume you brought?

Simon nodded as Emma left the room. Turning to Jo, "I will step outside while you change." He obviously expects her to reciprocate. He walks out and closes the door. He makes sure to keep his back to the door.

Sure, I can pretend I thought ahead and brought clothes :P

Seeing Emma leave and go to rest, Josephine, in her usual straightforwardish way, walked into a corner of the room, glanced around to ensure the strangers weren't staring at her, and quickly shimmied out of her clothing, changing into a long dress, and a blouse.

Having re-dressed herself, she rolled her previous outfit up, and placed it to take it with them, and returned to Simon's side,

"All done." she said, stepping out to allow him to change. She may have found his particulars a little silly, but she accommodated them.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:34, Tue 05 Apr 2016.

The moment the Double-Face moved to hurl Ian, Penny's pistol snapped up and, as soon as he was clear, firing. Her speed was good, her aim was better; she was glad to see a crimson flower blossom on the body of the vile monster, before it turned and fled. 'See to Ian!' Penny told Lily, rolling over the counter and dashing after the Double-Face.


OOC: Readied attack 20, damage 10 (Precise Shot, no penalty for shooting into melee)
14:39, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 20 using 1d20+11. pistol: attack, PBS.
14:43, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 10 using 2d4+2. damage.

Move after it.

Dodge: +1 dodge Defense vs Double-Face/Sharp-Elbows
Defensive Martial Arts: +1 dodge Defense vs melee attacks
Total Defense 19.

Simon smiled, "Thank you, I shall only be a moment." He went in and changed into his only spare clothes, which are exactly the same as his other clothes, minus blood.

He opened the door, "Thank you again Josephine. Come back inside, lets see what we can do around here."

Penny: Your shot hits true and as he staggers out you realize he is nearly finished, what's more he realizes it too and he opts for speed, rushing desperately away...ooc: I'd say you have one more good shot before he is in total darkness and you will have some troubles aiming.

simon/Jo: There is plenty to clean up after. The surgery made quite a mess and hot water is prepped to scrub the floors and soak the blankets, etc. It is quite a domestic little scene, the two of you picking up Sarah's mess. The exhausted woman is supremely grateful though. Thank you so much. All of you. You must allow me to pay you. What of your friends? Should they not be back by now?

Hearing the word pay, Josephine's eyes lit up and she nodded,

"That sounds good to us! We get paid?" she whispered the last half to Simon incredulously, very happy about this news.

At the mention of their friends, she laughed,

"If you knew our friend Lily, you wouldn't be worried. Its the bad guy you should worry for!" she said with a smile to comfort the woman.

Skidding on the debris-strewn floor, Penny pelted out of the abandoned saloon and into the night after the fleeing monster. Seeing its dark rushing form, she raised her pistol as she ran, tracked its flight, and squeezed off a shot.


OOC:
Move after it
Attack 13, +7 with an action point to make attack 20; damage 6
08:58, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 13 using 1d20+10. pistol: attack.
08:58, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 7 using 2d6. action point.
08:59, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 6 using 2d4+1. damage.

I rolled a 2nd attack by mistake. I forgot I had Penny moving after it.

Penny: You hit and he stumbles with a growl. By now Lily has rushed after you, her own pistol raised. Ian follows her, though he moves stiffly and is not as fast. Lily shoots but misses with a curse. Fortunately sharp elbow's speed is greatly hindered by his most recent wound. You estimate one more shot should do it.

Penny halted, adopted a gunfighter's stance, and emptied her pistol at the fleeing creature – and missed in the darkness. 'Blast!' she swore. 'Lily, I'm out! It must be you.' She was satisfied, in a way. After how a Double-Face had threatened her family, how it had preyed upon her people, Lily might want vengeance against this one, and Penny was inclined to give her that option.


OOC: Attacks 12 and 6, both miss, with the last two bullets in my pistol. Well, that was disappointing, but I wanted to find a way to let Lily have revenge on a Sharp-Elbows anyway.
21:25, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 12 using 1d20+10. pistol: attack.
21:26, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 6 using 1d20+5. pistol: attack 2.

Simon eyed Josephine, "We are here on behalf of the Church, so a donation to it would be acceptable. We could use information and supplies, if you can spare it."

"I don't think its unreasonable to accept a donation on behalf of ourselves, and the work we're doing here and now, right?" Josephine asked, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't understanding the difference at all, really, but she wasn't exactly educated too highly on the religious front, so that was understandable.

Simon nodded, "That would be acceptable, but we should endeavor to make our way with as little as possible."

Nodding, Josephine's wrinkled nose showed she didn't exactly understand the why, but what she did understand was him basically saying she could accept money.

That much, she enjoyed, certainly. Having always had to help mom work for every bit of change, she was glad to finally earn something for herself.

Penny: Lily nods, rushing forward, pistol raised. She fires and thankfully hits the thing squarely in the back. He collapses on the dusty ground in a heap and twitches violently before lying still. Ian has caught up by now, his own weapon gripped tightly. Do you think he's dead? he wonders aloud. Lily responds by emptying the rest of her gun into the body. He is now. Her face is cold with hatred and she turns to you. Excellent work Penny. I doubt I would have caught up to him in time if you hadn't had that gun hidden. You came through nicely. Thank you It is clear she is most grateful for the way things worked out, and it is rare to see her so affected by something. Meanwhile Ian watches quietly, still a bit on the subdued side since your minor exchange about Jo.

Jo/Simon: Sarah laughs at your exchange. I can easily provide all of that. What supplies do you need? I can lend you a wagon if you wish, though I do ask that you leave it in town for my husband to retrieve. You can get to San Jose within a day that way. There's a town stable you can leave it with and you can send a note to him about what happened. Anything else? I have food, water, anything you need probably and you will certainly stay the night. And of course I can pay you she looks to Jo with a grin. For what you've done? How could I not!? she then goes to her room and returns with ten dollars, a generous sum for the time.

Penny quickly reloaded her pistol, feeding bullets from purse to barrel, not wishing to be caught with it empty should another monster appear. 'Thank you, you two fought well yourselves... I must say, I'm so very glad we put an end to this fiend.' she said, feeling great satisfaction. 'After facing all those shifters, vampires, and demons, after dealing with the ongoing Belial affair, it is so very refreshing to find, face, and slay our foe in a single night, to see the matter concluded. This was a good hunt. Now I hope the others saw Sarah safely through her labour.'

Her gun reloaded, Penny knelt, hitched her skirt up, and slipped the weapon back in her garter holster, topping her lacy stockings. 'A handy invention of mine, I had to make the bloody skirt useful somehow.' Penny was unconcerned by the brief flash of thigh Ian might see – hunting and the necessity of battle left little room for privacy and decorum, and Ian had already shown himself a gentleman. It wasn't even the first time Ian had seen under her skirt, though he'd been distracted by a gunshot at the time.

She rose, straightening her skirt, and caught Ian's odd look, mistaking it for the lingering effects of the Double-Face's glare. Nevertheless, she was filled with concern for her friend's well-being. 'Oh, Ian, how are you? It hurt me to see that thing threaten you so... And paralysed with horror – to be so helpless must have been terrible.' she consoled, laying a hand on his shoulder in support.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:37, Sat 09 Apr 2016.

Simon nodded, "Yes, the wagon and directions. A little food and water if you can spare."

Then she brought them ten dollars. Simon is very uncomfortable accepting such a sum. He leaned in and whispered to Josephine,  Then he stepped back, "I will leave talk of money to those better acquainted with it."

Nodding at Simon's words, and Sarah's smile, Josephine gladly accepted all ten dollars, pressing them together, and placing them in her pocket,

"We welcome your generosity, and appreciate you appreciating our help!" she said, laughing along with Sarah, "You don't, by any chance, have any clothing that is... less cumbersome than what I'm currently wearing do you? We may have to move quickly here in the next day, and I would find myself being a nuisance to these men if I'm hobbling along behind them..." she asked, figuring 'what the heck, why not'.

Penny: Ian looks startled at your comments to him and his face quickly melts into a scowl. I wasn't paralyzed with horror! I was just...paralyzed! And I would have shaken out of it in a minute if you'd given me a bloody chance! he growls. Good heavens woman, do you castrate every man you meet or is it just us unlucky Scotsmen? he shakes his head angrily. Well I'll leave you to it. I'm off. With that he stalks away without a backward glance. Lily stares back at him, her mouth open in surprise. Uh....do you want me to go box his ears? Or would you like to do it? Goodness but you riled him! He's a scoundrel sometimes but temperamental is more my specialty. But then after the way you treated him with Jo and then patronizing him just now I suppose he does have a small right to be annoyed... she finishes with a shrug.

Simon/Jo: The woman looks pleased that Jo has accepted and she heartily agrees to the food and water request. As for the clothes she frowns in thought. Well...I have some looser things if you like, and sensible shoes if they will fit you. On the farm we can't just go about in finery after all. I often find it unfair we can't wear trousers as the menfolk do but then that would be too scandalous I suppose she laughs. She twitters off to go find something suitable. ooc: I'm about ready to merge you guys back with Penny and such, so sorry if it takes a smidge.

Lol, don't sweat it about the clothes. Jo will just 'deal' with a dress, and she'll be a martyr for the "women should be allowed to wear shorts" cause!

Josephine, thinking better of it, waved off the clothing idea,

"Not a big deal. Its fine. Thank you for your support."

With that, she grabbed Simon and headed off after the others.

While they walked Simon tried to explain something. "Josephine, Priests take a vow of poverty. We are not allowed to own more than we absolutely need. I cannot even buy Lily an engagement ring, though a wedding band is necessary. So you understand by taking such a sum, a year's wages in some parts of the country, you have made me somewhat uncomfortable. I understand why you did and I am glad for you. I just want you to understand why I am the way I am about money."

Nodding, Josephine didn't mind,

"If you choose to be poor, I won't hate you for it, Simon. In return, it makes me uncomfortable that you would, but I understand why you do it, and I'm just as happy for you in return. I'll gladly handle all of the financial gains we have now, and in the future." she said, smiling and clapping his shoulder with a soft hand.

In fact, Jo was quite glad to hear that Simon didn't want anything to do with money. She didn't mind getting the extra income!