The ride west from Lincoln is quiet. The day is warm enough to bring a haze to the mountain air, the barest hint of a white mist hovering just above the roots of the tall trees. The group of four riders pass a pair of work wagons and a trio of Susan McSween’s cowhands as they follow the wide trail that leads to San Patricio. Just as the top edge of the sun peeks over the tree tops, Lena Bauer leads her fellow travelers down a thin, overgrown path that has clearly not been regularly followed for years.

After several bends in the trail, the terrain becomes rocky, the tall trees giving way to clumps of blue spruce, as well as scatterings of beargrass and apache plume. Horse hooves clop on the hard terrain as the remnants of the road, still marked here and there by the passage of forgotten wagon wheels, winds southward. Soon, the group finds themselves nearing a ridge, beyond which they can see the mist shrouded buildings of abandoned Angus, utterly still beneath the mid morning sky.

Near the ridge, the group sights an aged man crouched near the top of the ridge, his worn, dirt caked attire and the equipment visible on the gray mule he leads readily identifying him as a prospector, one who has clearly been away from any kind of civilization for months. Perhaps even years.

"Didn't expect to find anybody out here this far from civilization." He looked at the others. "Cover me if there's trouble. I'm gonna go see if I can't point him in the right direction."

Lee dropped down to his feet, handing the reins to Bauer as he made his way over on foot, wher he was most comfortable, and most capable.

"That there's a ghost town, prospector. If you're lookin' for some civilization, you'll wanna head back thataway to Lincoln. Can't miss it. Ask for Señora Montaño if you need a place to stay. A clean place, reasonably priced...and good eatin'."

Albert nodded. "We gotcha covered." He unholstered his pistol and spun it on a finger before looking over toward Jacinta. He pulled one of the bullets she had given him. "Oh, that reminds me. Got a present fer ya."

OOC: Like the last one, Albert made a bullet Loaded For Bear. This gives it an extra die of damage.

13:16, Today: Albert Cooper rolled 6,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2.  Hexslinger (Shootist).

The Old Prospector seemed to have heard the man walking up the ridge below him and took a quick looksee back behind at these new folks wandering up.  Especially this feller heel-toein' it up here when it was obvious he had a horse.  He scootched down from the ridge top till he could put it between him and the ghost town.  Nosy ghosts. That Old Prospector's eye narrowed in a squinky fashion as he was then told the obvious.  His jaw worked around; chewing on nothing but his own thoughts before finally speaking, "Why the hell would I want to go near civilization?  Nothin' good never came from no civilization....  As for ghost towns...  Well, they's just plum full of nobody and no-thing.  The which I prefer."

His jaw worked again as he thought through some more, still giving the man a squinky eye, "Now you seem like the sort who'd prefer that civilization stuff over some empty old ghost town....  So, why're you not enjoyin' that tasty grub, clean beds, and reasonable prices, eh?  Then you'd be gone and I could go back to enjoyin' my peace and goddamn quiet out here in the goddamn wilderness!"

His voice had risen to an angry sort of ornery old man pitch as he seemed to be getting worked up.  Then, very suddenly all that cussedness vanished.  The face remained the same Old Prospector, but somehow the eyes were different.  His voice too. A genteel southern drawl replaced the gravely old prospector voice, "As I live and breath...  Mr. Lee!  It really is a very small frontier sometimes, isn't it?  Do excuse all that nonsense a moment ago."  He tapped his nose conspiratorially, "Incognito, you see."  The "Old Prospector" winked, then offered a hand out in greeting.  He then paused again, another train of thought pulling into the station, "Goodness, I'm not really myself am I?"  He looked down at himself and started to take a moment to brush off.  But....  that would probably take a very long effort to straighten out.  It was rather the point, really.  He gave up, looking back again to Bryan, "Likely very confounding and I apologize again.  Doctor Ezekiel Wayland lies at the core of this sham, I assure you."

Bryan had been taken aback a bit by the tirade, but had let it run its course long enough to hear the tone change. He thought he saw something through that different exterior, but only after Wayland had already given himself up.

"Well, I'll be." He took in the sight of the man for a moment and shook his head.

"Doc, I ain't even gonna ask. It's good to see you. I don't think I've seen you since that nasty business not too far outside of Tucson, isn't that right?" He smiled, and extended a hand towards Wayland before beckoning the others to join him.

"Got some other folks with me. Good sorts - you'd like 'em, I think."

"And it ain't even my birthday or nothing!  Mighty sweet of you, Coop.  Some girls like flowers and candy.  Me?  Can't got wrong getting me a magic bullet."  She grinned as she plucked it from his fingers and loaded it into her rifle.  Leaning on the pommel of her saddle, rifle slung over her lap, she turned her attention to Lee and the prospector.  Her eyes darted over the landscape in search of any other danger, finger tapping absently on the stock of her firearm.

Albert beamed at the response he received from Jacinta. "Well, I'm glad ya like it, Jay Lo. I'll scratch them flowers and candy off my list of what ta getcha next. What, uh, other things ya like 'sides magic bullets?"

The fake Old Prospector gave a quick nod to the mention of the Tuscon Incident, "That is so, yes."  He accepted the hand warmly, looking off to the indicated others, "I am quite certain I would...."  He trailed off as his mind wandered away from the conversation to some completely different conversation, "...No no... I'm sure they're fine....  Fine.... Fines....  Find? Find!"  His full attention returned to Bryan, in a very animated fashion and also having forgotten to let go of the man's hand, "I was in fact trying to locate a man out here and..."  His eye strayed to the Ranger badge, "Were you as well or do you often ride aimlessly towards ghost towns?"  He paused again, waving the thought away with his free hand, "No matter!  I'm quite sure you will /want/ to assist me in uncovering a worm by the name of Obadiah Stanton."  Still shaking the man's hand, Dr. Wayland's focus of conversation wandered again, "No...  I don't have another prospector's hat...  An Apache perhaps....  no....   He'd shoot first....   And he'd be right to...."

"Well, isn't exactly aimless. We were lookin' to see if there was anybody usin' Angus for any kinda criminal activity, or if they'd done so in the past. As far as Obadiah Stanton, I can't say as I recall the name. I'm not from these parts, but Deputy Bauer - part of the local constabulary in Lincoln, as well as Mr. Albert Cooper over there, they might know the name to speak of."

He pointed out the two of them. "The other lady is Jacinta Castillo, a helluva tracker and damned good with that rifle. She did some work for Dixie back in the day too. Let's head over that way and we can pose the question to 'em. Why're you lookin' for this Stanton fella anyway?"

Beyond the ridge, situated within a bowl shaped valley, Lee and Wayland can see the collection of buildings that once comprised Angus. Much like the pine forests the group passed through earlier in the day, a screen of ankle high mist, the color of new cotton, lingers in the narrow streets, gathering about the vacant structures like a blanket. A creak or two can be heard below, lumber settling as the cool air warms, or perhaps the passage of an unseen mountain animal, scavenging the ruins.

There are around twenty buildings in all that make up the remnants of Angus. Those on the outskirts of the town primarily appear to be former homes. Many of the structures were built from lumber and clapboard, and have suffered at the hands of the elements. However, a number of the buildings in the center of town have been crafted from adobe, and although weathered, they remain largely intact.

From somewhere close, a coyote yips and howls, the sound breaking the relative quiet of the locale.

OOC: Ranger Lee and Dr. Wayland, since you’re both near the edge of the ridge, kindly give me a Notice roll.

"Because by all reports he is terrible person," answered Wayland easily enough, sparing a quick look to the others, "Robbery, murder, that sort of thing...  Justice must be served!  The more the merrier when it comes to such service I should think.  There is a bounty to be divided, of course, and I do not mind in the slightest."  His attention then turned back to the empty shell of the ghost town, peering over the ridge top, "I had hoped to lure him out by presenting a likely target.  He's apparently quite a good shot with a rifle...."

00:36, Today: Dr. Ezekiel Q. Wayland rolled 2,4 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4. Notice!

"I prefer practical things," she reported.  "Money is always good.  Can't go wrong with dinero, but I earn my keep.  Ain't ever lookin' for a handout."  Her fingers twitched against her rifle.  "Want to make a grand romantical gesture?  I'd take the head of a slave trader any damn day."

She flicked her chin at Lee and the Prospector.  "El gringo looks to be a bit off his rocker, eh?  Should we go introduce ourselves?"

OOC: 14:43, Fri 03 May: Bryan Lee rolled 3,3 using d6,d6, rerolling max. Notice.

The wind stirs, the first movement within the still morning air since any of the travelers set out for Angus. The isolated clumps of spruce whisper in response, the mist shifting gently in the vacant streets below.

He looked back over at Jacinta. "Practical things, eh? I'll be on the lookout fer somethin'. That an slave traders. Seem like the sort that oughta not have so much of a head. Speakin' of heads, I ever tell ya how much I like how ya braid yer hair? Looks purty."

Albert glanced back over at Lee, then returned his gaze to Jacinta. "An speakin' of practical, don't suppose you gotta spyglass?" The cowboy smiled over at her. "Anyway, I think we got the all-clear from the General. Let's go see who we stumbled on, eh?"

This message was last edited by the player at 16:22, Sun 05 May 2019.

The Old Prospector's eyes grow wide and a triumphant smile curls his lips at something he seems to have seen in the town.  He ducked back down, encouraging Bryan to do the same, "I do believe my quarry is moving around down theah.  And as I said, he is known for being a fine shot with a rifle."  He reached out to grasp the reins of his mule to suggest that it carefully come down off the ridgetop as well, "Now.  My original plan was designed only for foah myself.  We have no idea if he has noticed the approach of more than one lone prospector...  I assume you and youah friends would not mind assisting in this apprehension?"

Lee backed down off the ridgetop, which he hadn't quite crested anyway.

"Well, if there's a wanted criminal waiting down there with a rifle ready to pick off unsuspecting passers-by, I don't see as we've got much of a choice other than to assist in apprehending him, but I'll let them speak for themselves. Personally, I wouldn't say no to a share in a bounty," he said.  "Five to one gives us much better odds than you'd have had to begin with. What's the bounty?"

"Ain't never needed one," she answered Cooper.  "Suppose we best get on with it.  By the by, if you grow your hair out a bit, I'll show you how to fix your own purty braid."  She snickered before nudging her horse closer to the other men.

Noting their slinking posture as they backed from the ridge, she wisely kept her horse at a distance before dismounting, not wanting to ruin whatever plans they might have afoot.  "Ranger?  You know this fella?"  She eyed Ezekiel with open curiosity.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:47, Tue 07 May 2019.

"Much bettah odds indeed," grinned the Old Prospector, "The original bounty from Texas was for two-hundred and fifty, but the ranchah whose men were murdered has matched it with his own bounty.  Five hundred in total."  He reached into his coat and made some adjustments to....something....just as Jacinta arrived.  The caked dust and dirt fell suddenly from the Old Prospector's coat.  A burgundy color seeping through and overtaking the brown it had been a moment before.  He pulled off his hat, the hair came with it revealing a completely different head of wild blonde hair.  Grabbing his nose and beard, he then peeled off his face.  Which is no doubt a discomfiting sight to see, though Dr. Wayland doesn't seem to think it strange enough to warn about.  There is, thankfully, a different and blessedly normal face beneath the very realistic mask he's peeling away.

Following behind Castillo and Cooper, Bauer blinks in surprise as she watches the prospector transform. Shaking her head, she says, ”Well, there’s somethin’ I’ve never seen before.”

"Deputy Bower, Mr. Cooper, Miss Castillo, this here is Dr. Ezekiel Wayland. We both worked together on a few engagements for Dixie Rails a time back," he said, by way of introduction, allowing them all to speak for themselves.

"He's here hunting a bounty on a criminal wanted in Texas for multiple murders, who he believes is in Angus up ahead, and is presumably a good shot with a rifle - so keep below the ridgeline for the time being. Dr. Wayland is also willing to split the bounty with us if we're interested in helping him out. Way I see it, is that if we need into Angus, we might as well get two birds with one stone. Five hundred splits pretty good five ways."

Albert chuckled at Jacinta's comment about his hair. Might actually look better growing it out a bit. Or it might just make him look like a scraggly nomad. He turned Brandy to follow along with Jacinta's movement, then dismounted a moment after she did, though his dismount wasn't quite as graceful.

As they approached, Albert raised an eyebrow at the change, then nodded at the introduction. "Nice disguise, Doc. I'm Albert." In case he had difficulty distinguishing the cowboy from Bauer and Castillo.

He looked over to Bryan. "Bounty on a criminal sounds good ta me as we wanted ta check out this place anyhow. Assume we need ta bring em ta justice?"

"Huh.  Ain't never met a magician," Jacinta said quietly while squinting at Ezekiel.  "What kind of doctor are you?  The healing kind?  A tooth doctor?  Or the obnoxiously smart kind?"

"Anyhow, ain't gonna say no to a good bounty.  What's the plan for sticking it to him?"