"If one o' y'all could bear witness," he said to River and Cooper before he began to search Dolan for what he might be carrying on him to see if there was any evidence for past or future wrongdoing.

Dr. Wayland eyed the gunmen as he quickly answered Chavez curtly, "Yes.  Ah am some kindah inventah...  Bit moah of a gunman at the moment though..." He lowered the barrels of his clockwork pistol as Dolan's men seemed to be surrendering.  He then flinched and ducked back behind the shop door again as the mill exploded across the street, "Blazing Hell!  Ah have nevah seen a place moah desperate to explode."  As the others began stepping into the streets, the Doctor took a cautious step out (frankly, the blacksmith shop could go up at any moment in /this/ town).  His heavy pistol contraption was returned to its holster, which freed his hands to set about reloading and winding the previous cylinder.  His eyes he kept a roving around for any more surprises.

"Ain't got a scratch, Tams," she said to the herbalist.  Lucky that the sniper never did get a bead on her.

Jacinta stepped out into the street from the restaurant, reloading her rifle to replace her spent rounds.  Gazing out over the town, she shook her head at the massive damage the gunfight had caused -- all because one man didn't want them to get along.

"You okay, Bauer?  I thought you'd gotten flattened in that explosion."  Her attention shifted to Lena, then she flicked her chin at the sniper they'd worked to take down.  "He secure?  Ain't going nowhere?"

”Yes, Mr. Cooper, who else and how badly, so I know who I need to tend to and who can wait,” Tamsin said, not quite tersely, but she was not about the be distracted from her task by Albert. ”If you ladies can make sure no one else is immediately dying,” she says with a wave of her Lena and Jacinta before stalking back into the restaurant to deal with Bowdre.


OOC: a. So I have Lee with 1 wound, Scurlock with 2, Bowdre with 3, and Dolan with 14. Is that correct in terms of what I can see?
b. I’m currently operating under the assumption that Bowdre looks the worst out of the allies.

I’ll get roll done shortly, they’re calling me at work

Kate steps back inside the general store, finding the family that runs the mercantile all gathered behind the counter, watching the entrance fearfully for any further danger. Once they understand that the peril has passed, the father and mother offer anything within the store to Kate that she wants in gratitude for her saving their son. Kate learns that the store doesn’t have any saws in stock, but can offer her a pair of unused axes.

Dr. Wayland makes a careful scan of the street, but he sees nothing that signals any further threat. Across the street, a slender, gray haired man with a thick mustache emerges from the heavily damaged home. He steps cautiously out into the street, then turns to examine the residence, at which point he begins to shake his head and mutter in Spanish.

Lee efficiently frisks through Dolan’s pockets, finding fifty dollars in script, a gold pocket watch, a pearl handled derringer, and a letter folded within an unsealed envelope.

Roberts is the first to step out into the street. He is still in the form of a mountain lion, but as he moves toward Lee, he shifts back to his human self. The two Apache warriors approach him and the three speak quietly for a few moments.

Shaking his head regretfully, he looks around the destruction that has been visited on Blazer’s Mill. ”Those fellas were sure willing to go to a lot of trouble to keep us from talkin’.” he tells Lee, ”It’s a damned shame that all these innocents were caught in the middle of this ruckus. But there’s those that can tell the same kind of story all over Lincoln County.”

Bonney follows Roberts into the street, followed by Scurlock and Rudabaugh, who are leading the disarmed members of Jesse Evans’ gang. The Kid is reloading his pistol as he walks.

”You and your people make it out alright, Ranger?” he asks. Glancing back at Rudabaugh, he says, ”Dave, could you go in and check on Charlie?” He gestures toward the damaged restaurant.

Scurlock waves to Cooper as he hears the gunfighter mention his name. ”Don’t worry about me too much, Albert. I don’t think it’s quite as bad as it might’ve looked. I’ll pull through.” He smiles ruefully. ”I’m pretty though to get rid of. Just ask Billy.”

Bauer smiles and nods. ”My arm got pretty torn up, but I’ve had worse. Bein’ so close to that blast left me addled for a bit. Couldn’t get my bearings. My ears are still ringin’.”

She glances back at Baker with a raised eyebrow and grins. ”Him? He’s gonna be asleep for awhile yet. Promise. I might need a hand gettin’ him up on my horse, though.”

“You sure gave that bastard a run for his money. There’s plenty of people back in Lincoln who are afraid of Frank Baker when he has a rifle in his hands,” she says admiringly.

"You're the one that brought 'em down and beat the snot out of 'em.  I just kept 'em busy until you could get to 'em," Jacinta protested, though she was grinning.  "I'll get one of the fellas to load 'em up for you.  You should get in and see Tamsin.  She'll get that arm fixed up right quick."

At Tamsin's command, the scout ventured further into town to find any of the other wounded that might need to be delivered into the herbalist's clutches.

Kansas Kate read the room, figuratively speaking.

"Ah don't need ta keep th' axe, jus' borry it.  But if'n ya wants ta do me a favor, send them two-"  She directed her remark to his (presumed) wife and son.  "-out and about fer an hour or so.  But you, ah need ta borry.  Also, let's borry that there soap box."

Assuming compliance, Bloody Kansas Kate set to her grisly, but necessary, work.  These horrible men who abused children needed to not just be defeated, but utterly demoralized.  The clean death by one well placed shot was something Graham may have deserved, but not this piece of excrement.  The soap box would make an executioner's block.

Evans was not going to his grave in one piece.  Given Kansas Kate was not practiced at this, it was going to be a bit messy.

She did feel a little bad about making the husband clean this mess up, but, looking on the bright side, it would give him something grisly to protect his family from.  Such was the questionable logic of Kansas Kate.

Dr. Wayland looked a bit more grim at the complete sight of the destroyed buildings, shaking his head softly.  His hands continued their methodical reloading efforts and he muttered quiet questions to himself.  Then seemed to answer them.  He didn't seem to like his own answers.  As he did this, he made his way closer to the others, most specifically Ranger Lee and Roberts, "Pehaps, you two should have that talk now?  Befoah anything else explodes or any more of these fellas come riding in again."  Wayland's eye slid down to the the unconscious Dolan and then over to the surrendered gunmen, "I think theah's enough of us to keep an eye on these....gentlemen..."  His pistol was drawn again, in a particularly attention getting fashion for Dolan's men to get a good look at, and he changed the cylinder quickly.  Clicking it into place with purpose and meaning.

"It is a damn shame at that, Mr. Roberts," he said, regaining some of his composure having caught his breath and gotten a chance to rest a spell.

"Seems like we did, Mr. Bonney. I hope yours did the same," he said, looking around. He knew it was likely some of their number might have been wounded or perished in the conflict, but Roberts had information that he needed and that was his priority.

"And I think Dr. Wayland here makes quite a good point. Best we have that little chat before anyone else has a chance to light us up again. I think we're safe for a bit here to talk."

He idly opened the envelope that he had found on Dolan, looking to inspect its contents while waiting on the others to speak.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 03:00, Tue 08 Oct 2019.

Albert nodded at the Ranger's activity, but frowned a bit at some of the other goings on. In particular, the fetching of an axe. Borrowed or no.

"Double-kay, mebbe you an' I should have a quick talk, yeah? Um...over there. Bring the axe if ya like." Albert indicated a vacant area of ground slightly around the corner from where everyone else was gathering.

The outlaw grunted.  Evan's head lay on the soap box.  She was tempted to stick it in the floor to hold it in place, but she was more courteous than that and just leaned it up against one of the many shelves.

As usual, when she was content, she was laconic.  "Yep."

Albert hooked both his thumbs into his gun belt and leaned against the building for a moment. "So...what's yer play, here, Kate?" Albert pushed the brim of his hat a little higher on his head and tipped his head in the general direction of Evans' remnants in case the focus of his question weren't obvious.

"Tha whole thing."  She reminded him, then answered him like it was obvious.  Ain't no play to it.  Ah'd rather throw all the bodies at Murphy, but that would weigh too mech."

Albert shrugged. "Right kinda magic and ya can have all them bodies walk ta greet that fella. Might be better'n usin' 'em as projectiles. More effective, too."

Kansas Kate looked at Cooper like he was nuts, which wasn't unprecedented in their long acquaintanceship.  "Yeah no that sounds what like bullshit, not cuz there ain't no sech thin' necess'r'ly, but cuz ah want nuthin' ta do wit' it.  Now, ah got me a head ta roll.  Ah think ah seen one of them other sunsuvbitches too."

Albert nodded and held up a hand to forestall her departure. "Yeah, so let's go back ta what yer plannin'. And if ya thought all the way through it. Think more'n just what yer enemy might think 'bout it, an' also think 'bout what yer friends might think."

K² let out a low sigh.  "Coop, reason this out fer a cotton pickin' minnit.  Whaddya think needs ta happen to these sunsuvbitches?"

Bauer whistles, summoning her mount, The horse comes galloping to the edge of the town in a matter of minutes. Taking her rope from the saddle, she proceeds to restrain Baker and then heave him up onto the mare. Shifting her shoulder back and forth from the lingering discomfort, she checks her work, then leads the horse toward the restaurant,

Castillo’s search turns up several people hiding in their homes north of the Main Street, but none that have been harmed by stray bullets or debris from the explosions. Many are grateful to the scout for her assurances that the hostilities have ceased.

The smith emerges from his shop and approaches Dr. Wayland. He is carrying the bounty hunter’s top hat, which he offers to him. Looking over the destruction, the smith asks, ”You wouldn’t happen to know of any good builders around these parts, would you?”

Bowdre appears in the door to the restaurant, supported by Dave Rudabaugh. He is sporting a pair of bullet wounds that appear serious, his shirt dark with blood. He lets out a wheezing sigh as he surveys the street. ”We get ‘em, Billy?” he asks Bonney in a thin voice.

”Sure did, Charlie,” the Kid tells him, ”Every one of Evans’ men that came here are dead or captured. You think you can make the ride back? I can send Dave here ahead, see if he can get Doc Wood out to the ranch, but we’re gonna have to skedaddle pretty fast. Ain’t gonna be long that word of this gets back to Lincoln. And as you well know, most of the law there don’t like us much.”

Roberts looks northward, his eyes narrowing. Shaking his head, he looks back at Lee. ”There’s more riders headed this way. They’re not enemies, Or, most of them aren’t, anyway, but I’m not much inclined to let them get a look at me, or to answer any of the questions they might want to ask,”

He takes one of his necklaces off, a flying bird carved from bone, suspended on a leather cord decorated with beads. He hands it to Lee. ”At dusk, ride north out of Lincoln, over the Rio Bonito and into the foothills. This’ll show you where to find me. It’s a safe place, where prying ears won’t overhear what I have to tell you.”