Name: Mae Starr (One of many. Even Mae herself has probably forgotten her real name.)

Age: 21

Occupation: Saloon girl (Schh... This is a secret: Stand alone, small time, thief.)



Biography:

Nothing short of breathtaking, a thrilling vixen steeped in deadly beauty. Whatever she wanted, she would dedicate herself to get like there was no tomorrow. A smile from her could feel like a godsent wonder, but the chance it was just harboring thoughts of malice was a safer bet. However, she was clever and cunning, and she allured men like it was her only talent and she had gotten by so far without being detected.

Well... At least in Morgan's Creek. It was not her birthplace, as she every now and then had to move on, when suspicion closed in on her. Though she was a care free spirit, regarding life as a book; when you didn't like how things where going, you just tossed it out and started a new one. She had just turned a few pages here in town, being a fairly new girl at the saloon. No one knew her dirty little secrets, especially not the owner.

Behind that dollface of hers, framed by long dark curls, resided a thief. Most would think she stole hearts for a living, and while she did, it was not what kept her economy on the sunny side. She stole when ever she saw a flawless chance to do so. When she walked among the customers, gently brushing against them as she passed by, or just went for it when people left valuables in the open in a crowdy place. Of course, the easiest way was to take from her clients. They were so infatuated with her, and drunk, that they didn't notice. And if they did afterwards, they never suspected their fair company from the night before. If they also happened to be married, well, then they couldn't make a fuss even if they wondered if she had anything to do with it. She did pick her targets with care.

It might seem innocent, since she didn't take more than what she believed she could get away with, but it reallt wasn't. Mae was the type of woman that would steal from a child, should she feel the need to. Though she was so ladylike, even in that kind of profession, that people would have a hard time imagining it. However, the upstanding women of every town she visited had no high regards for her, they always feared she entertained their men behind their backs. And... Well. She did.

There really was no excuse for her, and if you asked the towns people she left behind, there might be one sheriff in particular that wanted to rekindle their acquaintance. Mae was wanted. For murder. Whether she was quilty or not, only she knew. But there was one undeniable fact. A man last seen with her had disappeared, and later on, as suspicion grew stronger, so had Mae.

But this didn't matter in the town of Morgan's Creek. Her secrets were safe, as long as they saw her just as she portrayed herself. And she did a stunning performance of a dark beauty, seemingly a mix of fragility and strength. Men wanted to care for her, tame her and be her one and only. Mae's playful resistance didn't fend them off, more the other way around. The chase was on.




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((( ooc: I really shouldn't add another character. But I blame Atropa and Alissa. It's their fault... )))

# 1 [Morning, day #1] [Mae's dress looks something like this.]

It didn't matter how many men that visited her room, her bed, Mae never felt used or cheap. It was mostly on her terms, even if she let the men believe what they wanted to believe. She was intelligent enough to be able to choose another line of work, but she didn't want to. This was where her brightest talent resided; she was good at what she did, and she had come to love it. Of course, her first times around had not been a pleasureable experience, but Mae had put that behind her. It was only on rare occarions that she ever thought about it, or felt sorry for herself. She had been beaten, kicked around by men that had been able to get the best of her, and she had layed in torn clothes and shame, crying herself to sleep. But no more. She had learned about the nature of men, and her own as a young woman becoming a lady, despite her vulgar surroundings. When men became angry in her company her, for whatever reason, she had her ways to calm them down. Like a beauty, soothing the savage beast.

Morgan's Creek still felt new, since she had only been there for almost six months, and things were going very well. The girls of the Saloon liked her, though some might sometimes get annoyed by her or simply not understand her. She behaved like she had some reason to be happy, even when the customers didn't see her. Little did they know, that even though she was a happy young woman in one sense, she did play the part for even the other girls. No one got under her skin, her delicate milky white laced skin.

Mae had never been in love, but she had been swept away with passion. Sometimes she entertained men that knew a thing or two about how to treat a woman, and that thrilled her immensely. It did help to put a smile on those luscious lips, and a glint in her dark blue eyes, that held a mirror to a soul cunning enough to not give away anything important.

This morning, she dressed herself in a turquoise and black dress with a choker, filled with lace and ruffle, leaving one leg visible, her overarms bare and everything from above her bosom. And when she left her room, standing by the wooden fence outside the doors of all the girl's rooms, looking down at the bottom floow, she saw Scarlett. She was thankful she had not choosen her red and black dress, as it was similar to the one Scarlett was wearing. If Mae ever came out and realized she looked like one of the other girls, she immediately turned around and went back in her room to change into something else. She might not always be the center of attention, but she would always do her best to try and achieve that. With black high heels tightly tied to her slender feet, she started to make her way down, and anyone who looked up could not help but notice her. She was, after all, as beautiful as any enchanting dream. The black garter belt on her visible leg teased men's fantasies, told tales about what this woman might conceal. A stunning lady, but still available to anyone with enough money in their pockets.

An alluring smile graced her lips as she ascended the stairs, letting her hand slide along the bannister. The Saloon was apparently up and running, two guests by the bar, one seemingly a rugged woman in men's clothing. And for a brief moment, Mae had a hint of dislike in her eyes, since she could not understand women like that at all. But when she turned her gaze towards Gabriel Callahan, her smile was again picture perfect for a temptress. Now, that was a man who could set her body on fire. She got shivers, simply thinking about it. If Scarlett, that silly girl, could just move out of her way, it might just turn out to be a wonderful morning. She was lucky no one could read her mind.
After giving the owner, Felicity, a nod in greeting, she walked over to Gabriel and Scarlett.

"Good morning, Mr Callahan", she chimed and flipped open her delicately laced fan.

In bed, she usually called him Gabriel. There, between her sheets, he belonged to her. But out here, among others, she knew better than to use his first name alone. Men wanted their ego stroked, and Mae knew all about it. And she desired the effect she cause when she treated them the way they wanted. However, Gabriel was not like most men. Though they seemed to do their best to make sure others knew they meant business, he just had to shoot a dark glare and you would keep to yourself. He had the most intriguing eyes Mae had ever encountered. But even if she'd like to loose herself in them, just to see what it would be like, she knew better than to try and hold on to his gaze for too long. It would be like challenging him, and not even other men were than stupid, if they weren't prepared for his reaction. No, Mae had to be satisfied with the brief moments he did look into her eyes, when she was in his arms.
And when it came to Gabriel Callahan, Mae wouldn't dream of stealing anything from him. Not because he was a man on the side of the law... or near it in the sense that she could bet her pretty little behind that it didn't apply to him. No, it was because she didn't trust herself to be able to get away with it. In one way, he was what she would have been had she been a man. It was like he was the other side of the coin, looking back at her with that same look of mischief as she harboured. Though, he didn't have to hide it, and he probably took it a few steps further. And to steal from him and get caught, well... She didn't have it in her to risk that. After all, she enjoyed his company far too much. With him, she felt more at ease.




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((( ooc: Atropa and Alissa - Thanks for the help!

ETA: Changed the last sentence. )))

With a look of boyish excitement, Ryder bounded over to her and clasped her hands into his own with a wide smile.

"Ah, you are too wonderful! The bitterroot was a brilliant idea, and the soup was too generous, but greatly appreciated. What ever would I do without you?"

Nikita was slightly surprised by the enthusiasm she received, even more so when he clasped her hands in his. Thus did she try to surpress the blush that began to color her tanned cheeks, smiling sheepishly as she cleared her throat and looked down at her feet after he turned away. "Ah, well, I am sure you would find some way to go on," she murmured, gaze returning upward once she felt herself under control. "You are pretty resourceful that way, all of you are in fact."

There, at least no one should suspect the comment made her blush! Well, at least she hoped not, although the amused looks Ryder was receiving from the other gang members made her chuckle. He was likely to get a good ribbing later for his actions, she was sure. At about that time, Dakotah stalked over sulkily and plopped down beside his master's feet; Nikita blinked, but after hearing Robbie's words she looked down at the wolf hybrid and frowned. "Dakotah, you know better than that. I already fed you at home." The dog just kind of seemed to close his eyes in that 'Yeah, yeah..' fashion at her scolding.

"Miss Wellston," Dex said with a nod towards the woman, and then he took a bite from the bread the boy had given him.

Her gaze went over at Dex, though, and Nikita returned his greeting, "Good morning, Dex," she replied with a kind smile, finding someplace to seat herself not long afterward. "So, what do you all have planned for the day?" The question was meant for everyone to answer, as she hated to leave anyone out from having their say.

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( OOC: Hope that this works for you all. )

Kate Hilton was a persistent young woman. Persistent and persuasive, otherwise she would not be quite where she was. However, she was also very bright, and hence, she knew the capabilities of her own persuasion and her own persistence at the level at which she’d used it. She knew how to read between the lines and which words to pick up on, because otherwise, getting to the crux of a problem the way she had to would be a complete nightmare.

"Maybe your right," William responded cautiously, the very fact setting off alarm bells for Kate, it always meant that people were thinking something quite different from what they were saying. "If I have the time this evening I may see what I have planned in the next few days and set something up."

Now, two words here caught her attentions fast, ‘if’ and ‘may’. Two variables that left him a loophole through which he could manoeuvre his way around any agreement that they could reach. The way Kate was seeing this, the Sheriff still had underlying problems about going to the doctors and obviously it was very little to do with time itself and hence was more likely to revolve around the next thing people were prone to worry about; treatment.

Everyone hated being told to take the potions, to use the creams, to do this, do that, most of the time she was doing it, Kate felt somewhat like a nanny. She’d had quite a healthy life, but when she was ill, she hated having to take the medicines, regardless of how they helped, they were downright disgusting. So, she understood the reluctance governing that issue.

That said, a visit to the doctors didn’t always entail with it prescribed medication. Drugs were really a last resort, for there were so many ways to get the body to look after itself before giving it some outside help.

“Thank you for being so obliging, Sheriff,” Kate answered warmly. “Of course, it’ll just be a check-up, not a consultation, so it’ll take very little time.”

”I did wonder about that business with the Fairgrove men,” she started tentatively, looking around, given that she did have to be involved to a degree in her medical capacity following the fallout of the gunfight. “Did they get back safely?”

One of the first things Scarlett had noticed about him was that Gabriel was a man of few words. There weren’t many clues to what was going on in that dark mind of his, save for the storm and calm playing in his eyes, but if you didn’t know how to read him, you’d best keep away. No-one in Scarlett’s knowledge knew how to read him for sure, it was just guesses, stabs in the dark and blind leaps of faith. No-one even knew who he was. He just apparently turned up out of nowhere and just started doing what he did. Those that were… more importunate with their questions quickly earned the error of their ways.

So, all she ever got out of him were just glances and professional – the term used loosely in his case because well… his ‘profession’ was pretty unorthodox and capricious – inquiries. Though, when you’re exposed to something long enough, you learn how it works, what it means and so on and so forth. In Gabriel’s case, no-one could understand how it worked, but Scarlett had managed to get a good grasp of what it meant. She was a bright girl after all.

"Things go alright last night?" he began that very inquiry as he poured himself some coffee. "Anyone need talkin' to?"

He probably didn’t understand – actually, he probably didn’t care – why it was that Scarlett went out of her way to be nice to him. When it came down to it, Gabriel Callahan was a thug and he’d do what he was told by Edward Morgan which was why he looked out for her in the first place. If Morgan’s desires switched and he instead told Gabriel to ‘take care of’ Scarlett, Gabriel wouldn’t hesitate to solve the mayor’s problem. They only reason that Gabriel bothered with her, in Scarlett’s opinion, was because he was told to.

But he looked out for her, that was it. That was the primary thing to Scarlett who’d always been deprived of any sort of attention through her childhood appreciated without the strings attached getting in her way. She appreciated Gabriel for it, because Morgan got his end of the deal for having her looked out for directly from Scarlett. What made her feel even better was that Gabriel never tried his luck with her. In a funny sort of way, he didn’t abuse his position.

And she knew what happened to those who did try their luck with her. ‘Talkin’ to’ rarely involved just words and a friendly handshakes; no-one liked being told that a saloon girl of all things was off limits to them and they got a little handy with Gabriel who then demonstrated what a friendly pat on the back could really be in the wild west. It wasn’t pretty. So, she didn’t cry wolf.

“Nothin’ more than usual,” she reported, leaning backwards, her palms pressing down on the bar at the end of straight arms as she flicked back a lock of fiery red hair as she kept her eyes on him, the thick mascara lined eyelashes slightly lowered. Then, another of those lively grins found its way onto her lips. “But thanks for asking. Things go alright for you last night?”

Out of the corner of her eyes, Scarlett saw the womanly figure of Mae approach them. Scarlett liked Mae in the sense that one day, she wanted to be like her. She really did, because she loved the way Mae didn’t need anyone, she loved the way Mae was a woman instead of a girl. Though, when Mae got her claws out… rather, if she got them out, Scarlett would bet that it’d be something she’d rather not be around to watch.

"Good morning, Mr Callahan,” Mae sang out as she flipped open her lace fan. Scarlett couldn’t keep the Cheshire cat grin off her face as Mae made her advances towards Gabriel, tactfully ignoring Scarlett in the process. The more… competitive Saloon girls got like that and Mae… well, if anything, she was competitive. ‘Mr Callahan’ – did she call him that upstairs too?

“Mornin’ to you too, Mae,” Scarlett chirped at her, leaning forwards to cross her forearms over her knees, fluttering her thick eyelashes at Mae angelically with an equally angelic smile over her face, filling in the glaring blanks cheerfully as the kitchen staff brought in Gabriel’s breakfast, setting it down before him and then disappearing off back.

(((OOC: Saloon girl catty-ness Hope that works out for you guys )))

William, although being a bit sick of the conversation at the moment, was quite willing to evade as long as he had to. Amelia had once said he was as stubborn as a brick wall, and as fascinating when he tried not to be. Which usually meant that he could wear down a person in conversation. He didn't like to, but short of evasively promising- again- to set something up and then turning and walking off, he didn't have a lot of options, unless of course, she was kind enough to change the subject.

“Thank you for being so obliging, Sheriff. Of course, it’ll just be a check-up, not a consultation, so it’ll take very little time.”, the doctor said warmly, seeming not to have noticed the careful loopholes he had left himself. Or at least being civil enough not to call him on them. Even so, a subject change away from medicine seemed anything but likely. Hence William being extremely pleasantly surprised when she said, quite diplomatically, ”I did wonder about that business with the Fairgrove men, Did they get back safely?”

"As far as I know they did. They were quite well when they arrived, just a bit riled up. Can't really blame them." All true, except the one fellow who had told two different versions of what exactly happened, but his companions had told him that the fellow wasn't right in the head in the first place. "Can't help feeling rather bad for the fellows, must have been upsetting being almost robbed on a routine trip."

((OOC: Lame, but I feel particularly uninspired atm. Off to write 3+ more RP posts!))

((I don't want to step on anyone's toes so I'm just making sure-- am I good to respond now? I'm not used to replying to more than one person at a time. xD ))

(((ooc: trampled - Yup, go ahead. )))

Felicity was pleased to see Lucy's mouth curl into a smile at her little countrifed view of traveling. Felicity had been lucky enough to settle into new towns quickly when she was a wanderer, and knew full well the awkwardness and simple exhaustion that came of going from place to place and never finding anything to be attached to. Not that anyone knew about Felicity's brief travels, the reason she hid them was the same reason no one asked. Gads it was nice having money!

“It has its moments”, Lucy said after a long pause, earning a quick grin from Felicity for no especial reason. It had been years since she'd travelled but she doubted that when she had been she would so calmly call those occasional moments "moments".

"Though not the best way to earn a living. Hopefully a small, sleepy place like this has some work I could do.”

Before Felicity answered she noticed that Mae had come downstairs- finally. The girl did a lot, but still it wasn't seemly to sleep this late. She might speak with Mae and Scarlett later about sleeping in, or just arrange for breakfast to be ended at a certain time. Felicity liked everything clean and orderly and the girls sleeping in so much was not orderly.

But that was neither here nor there, so Felicity took a slow drink of her rotted wine, letting the acidic taste roll through her. "Definitely an acquired taste," she thought mildly. "Not a lot of jobs around here," she said contemplatively. "Ranch outside of town had its owner shot a while ago, his widow might need help around. I haven't been there in a while, so I don't know for sure."

She let a moment pass, before adding, almost as an afterthought, "And here of course. I always offer a roof and work, but well," Felicity let out a small self conscious laugh, "not many people enjoy the sort of work I can offer them though."

She noticed that Lucy's drink was getting low. "Freshen your drink?" she asked casually.

((OOC: Yep, tis fine.))

The faint shift in the coloration of Nikita's expression sent a look of confusion flitting over Ryder's features. Had he said something out of turn? Once the herbs were settled securely in his pack and out of reach from the others, he moved back in the direction of their breakfast, feeling several pairs of eyes settled on him. Pivoting, he caught the glances of a few other members of the gang, all rolling their eyes or making kissy-faces in his direction. Horrified, Ryder shot them all a cautionary glare and his lips curved into a grim line. Oh. He often forgot he needed to keep his oftentimes exuberant personality in check, and that his friendliness was perceived as suggestive by a few of the men his own age. They winked at him and a couple even gave him a thumbs up gesture, but he quickly drew his eyes away. There was no room in his mind for thoughts like that. Not now. He heard her soft voice again once he had turned away, and he smiled softly in return.

"Ah, well, I am sure you would find some way to go on, you are pretty resourceful that way, all of you are in fact."

Ryder gave her a wordless nod of agreement and seized a piece of bread, picking off a portion of it and popping it in his mouth. She was right in that sense; the lot of them were one of the most resourceful groups of men there was. They thrived off of next to nothing, and made due with what they had. It was a point of pride for him to know that he had become more of a survivalist than he ever anticipated he could be, and that something in him was stronger as a result.

"Miss Wellston," Ryder heard the distinctively deep and masculine voice of Dex cut through the air and his smile returned before he took another bite of his bread. There was a quality in his voice that demanded attention, even though he himself rarely had to ask for it verbally. It was simply there, understood and respected by those around him. He was the man you only challenged if you enjoyed a black eye and a bloody nose in two seconds flat.

"Good morning, Dex," Nikita said in her ever-friendly tone, delicately seating herself on one of the few cleaner places around the camp before continuing. "So, what do you all have planned for the day?"

A good question. Ryder wasn't exactly sure if there was something set to occur, but he usually played it by ear. Typically their leader would formulate a course of events, plan out each individuals role in the action, and Ryder would just sit tight until he was made aware of his part. Glancing up from the remainder of his bread, Ryder gave a light shrug to Nikita and directed his gaze toward Dex with curiosity ablaze in his light eyes. With a deep chuckle he lowered his gaze and muttered with a tiny smirk, "Oh, you know, the usual. Pillaging, looting, setting the town afire and causing some general havoc and mayhem among the townsfolk." He raised his face to reveal a brightly mischievous smile.

((occ: I finally got in game, so now I've updated my app with photos of Elsie. Here she is. ))

(((ooc: NayanRose - She looks great. As does Constance, starphyre. )))


Although not a particularly moody man, in the way that it was often difficult to tell what mood he was actually in, Gabriel was what many would consider unpredictable. Probably because it was difficult to tell what mood he was in. Even when angry, his face didn't contort into a frown, or a silent snarl, but simply remained carved in stone. At the most, one would be able to catch a slight tightening of his jaw, and that was by no means enough to tell whether or not the guns resting at either hip would be drawn with lightening speed, or if a fist would suddenly be exploring just how deep into your gut it could go.

In Morgan's Creek, this was a lesson learned by many, and in some cases, it was one they'd had to learn as a direct result of getting frisky with Scarlett O'Reilly. Not that Gabriel would pull his guns on someone in a particularly crowded place, unless, of course, he was forced to, and he would try to avoid it while in the Saloon. But that was where the swinging saloon doors came in handy, as he could easily haul any troublemaker outside without either first having to open the door, or risk breaking it by not opening it. Then, once outside, the game would be on.

Though things rarely got that far. Most men living in Morgan's Creek, or even just passing through it, tended to catch on real quick, and would back away before things got ugly. All for the better, since there was no telling if and when Gabriel might get a little... 'Carried away' would have been the term, had it not suggested a certain lack of control. Perhaps 'diligent' would be closer to the truth. Why, even Edward Morgan himself would mind his words and manners around Gabriel, for the silent man had proven over the years that there were certain things he did not tolerate, and that he could be as dangerous to Morgan as he was to everyone else, and turn on him, should Morgan give him enough of a reason to do so.

That, however, had not yet come to pass, and so Morgan's interests remained Gabriel's interests, and this particular morning, that interest was in Scarlett and how she had fared the previous night. Though there was also a certain matter of some valuable needing returning to the bank in the neighbouring town, but all in due time. The sheriff would hardly have trustworthy volunteers willing to brave the plains and the outlaws roaming it beating down his door, now would he, and so Gabriel could afford to eat his breakfast in peace and quiet.
Well, peace at least, since Scarlett was currently busy sending 'quiet' out the window.

"Nothin' more than usual", she answered his question while changing her position, brushing a lock of hair from her shoulder as she did, in the typically female way of coy flirting, and he could sense her eyes on him, while he himself payed more attention to his cup of coffee.

Not that he didn't appreciate her coquettish ways, with a sort of amused enjoyment, because he did. He could even appreciate her friendly chatter, despite the two of them not having all that much in common - not even occasionally a bed - for it was quite different from the reserved cordiality most others tended to assume around him.
But he didn't want to give the girl ideas. As long as she was the mayor's favorite toy, Gabriel wouldn't touch her, no matter if she tried to tempt him, or even downright invited him to. Once Morgan tired of her, however, which he was bound to do sooner or later... then maybe. But until then, she wasn't worth jeopardizing his arrangement with Morgan. Not that he'd let it stop him if it ended up getting in the way of something Gabriel himself really wanted, but as long as he benefitted off of taking orders from Morgan, then why the h*ll not?

"But thanks for asking", she continued with another wide smile. "Things go alright for you last night?"

To that, Gabriel merely gave a soft "Hm" in confirmation, and raised the cup to his lips for the first swig off coffee; Gabriel Callahan didn't sip. And it was at that very moment that something bright blue entered his peripherial vision, telling him one of the other girls was just making her entrance and graceful descent down the stairs. Turning his head just enough for a glance to confirm it was the one he had figured it would be - Mae - as even out of the corner of his eyes he could identify those seductively swaying hips, he then returned his attention to his cup of coffee, just long enough to sample another taste and then set it back down on the wooden surface of the bar, and for Mae to reach him and Scarlett.

"Good morning, Mr Callahan", came her melodic voice flowing from her lips just as he turned his gaze back to her to acknowledge her presence, and with a soft rustle flicked open her fan.

"Morning, Mae", he greeted in return, as his gaze slowly wandered her appearance, starting at her feet and sliding from there up to her face, pausing ever so briefly at that conveniently revealed leg protruding from the folds of her dress.

A shapely leg it was, and one that he'd had the pleasure of having wrapped around his waist his fair share of times. And would have again.

"Mornin' to you too, Mae", Scarlett grinned at her colleague from his other side, apparently well aware that she had been intentionally left out, and not ready to take it lying down.

Women.

Though he'd be lying if he was to claim he didn't appreciate the silent competition. It wasn't the first time he'd had the saloon girls trying to outmanuever one another over him, and even though these two would have different reasons, it amused him nonetheless. So, it was with the hint of a smile barely present at the corner of his mouth that he nodded a 'thank you' to the girl bringing him his cooked morning meal, and then went about digging in, leaving the two other girls to decide if they would battle it out, or not.


(((ooc: Oi, that turned out far longer than I had intended. )))

Gwen nodded and entered the classroom. She's going to be calm and listen this morning.

((occ: I'm soory, slytherin-girl, but my parents just booked an unplanned vacation for a week and I am to go with them. See you in a week!))

Kate was used to people, all sorts of people. It did not mean that she was excellent at dealing with all sorts of people, but she was used to all sorts of people, she’d been exposed to all kinds of evasive and attention seeking behaviour. Due to that exposure, she’d gained experience at reading when it was time to let of a particular walk of conversation and move onto more comfortable topics for patients to get used to her presence. After all, comfort led to compliance and compliance led to better treatment. So, she had changed the topic of the conversation to something William may actually be interested in… and it seemed that he was.

"As far as I know they did. They were quite well when they arrived, just a bit riled up. Can't really blame them," he replied casually to her inquiry. Oh, good, at least there weren’t any more unpleasant events on their way back. Kate just refused to understand the rampant use of violence on and by people. Why? "Can't help feeling rather bad for the fellows, must have been upsetting being almost robbed on a routine trip."

That she agreed with. Some of the passengers were quite badly injured as a result of the shootout that had ensued and it’d been a rather tedious time for Kate to deal with by herself, but ever the professional, she had managed and done so proficiently eventually. She’d sent with them the medical notes and records of what treatment she gave them to their follow-up doctor, just to be on the safe side if any of them developed complications. With travelers and generally people who refused to rest after injury, the chances of complications were much higher.

“I am in complete agreement, Sheriff,” she conceded with a small nod, hands clasped, the slight contemplative upturn of her soft lips present as her cerulean gaze wandered to the side before returning to William with a new question fuelled by her curiosity. “Do you know who was responsible?”

Lillie suddenly heard the opening of her bakery door and looked up, only to find none other than Elsie Strand, the owner of Creek Inn. “Good morning, Miss Westwood,” she exclaimed. She looked towards Elsie and nodded, producing a small but kind smile. “Good morning to you as well,” Lillie replied. “I’m in a bit of a pinch, I’ve run out of flour at the inn and we need some baked goods for morning breakfast. What do you have available this morning?”

Lillie gazed around the room for a moment, knowing that she didn’t have a wide array of foods at the present time. But the morning was running quite slow, and frankly she was not in the mood to bake foods, for she felt she had more important things to worry about. Lillie gestured towards one side of the glass case. “Well we mostly have pies this morning, which come in the flavors of apple, cherry, and raspberry.” She then motioned to the other side. “Over here we have breads and muffins.” She looked towards Elsie and gave a small smile.

“Though we only have blueberry and plain muffins at the moment, I haven’t had enough time to bake anything else just yet.” Suddenly Lillie turned around and ran to grab her apron, seeming to forget that she needed one. Wrapping it around her waist, she turned to Elsie once more.

“What shall it be?” she questioned.

(((ooc: Area map has been updated.)))

((ooc: Sorry this took so long. For some reason, I was having trouble coming up with something that was post worthy. Also, thanks Mikoyo and Atropa for your comments. She is actually the daughter of the pirates in my avatar, I just really like her .))
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“Nothing I can think of,” Luke said, and spoke of the cattle going to market, her mind started running through what that would entail. Constance wasn’t raised on a ranch, so even though she’d been living there for three years, she was still uncertain of the business side of the operation. She was trying though, and in her opinion, she was catching on. However, when he mentioned that some calves were to be branded, she was immediately grateful that she wasn’t going to be around. While she did understand the necessity of branding, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor things as they were being branded.

“Thanks for the offer anyway,” he said and she gave a small nod with a smile, “Will you be taking Emmy?”

Though she very briefly entertained the idea of leaving her with the men, she immediately disregarded it as she could just imagine the havoc that would cause. “Yeah,” she said, and as she started clearing the empty dishes from the table she thought, you’d never get anything done if she stayed here. “I plan on swinging by the school later and seeing if Elizabeth can join us for a small picnic lunch, and I’ll have some sandwiches made up for your lunch before we go. Oh, and can you please hitch Daisy up to the wagon for me?”

# 2 [Morning, day #1]

Mae's free hand rested on her hip, fingers speading over the fabric of her dress, while the other moved the fan gently. Not that she needed to cool down, it was merely for effect. She liked the way it looked and felt, and considered the fan to be one of her weapons of seduction. It did bring the thoughts to something soft, something elegant. Mae had seen other women use it, in parlors like this one, and she wanted one for herself. Now, she owned three, and though she claimed that all were presents from suitors, she had only been given one of them. The other two had been bought for money she'd stolen. She couldn't very well go around and claim to be able to afford all the things she had, on her salary alone. The owners of the saloons she'd be working at would know something was up, since they of all would know what she earned. But believeing that men adored her enough to buy her things, now that was something anyone could wrap their mind around quite easily. She was a beautiful woman, enticing to say the least.

Though she was popular, she believed it was important to give the appeareance of being successful all the way. It entailed showing up with new things every now and then, said to be from customers. It helped her with an abili, and added to her mystique. But it was not all fake, she did recieve gifts, from men that couldn't stop thinking about her. Mae Starr was not easy to forget.

She was a display of a myriad of expressions, from that of a coy little girl that was new to the world, to that of a dark enchanting vixen. Most saw what they wanted to see, but she seldom played any role to the extreme. No one would believe her to be all that shy, and she couldn't afford to let them see just how wicked she could be. Not even Gabriel Callahan, dispite though he seemed to have his fair share of evil incorporated in him.

They both greeted her; Gabriel and Scarlett. Little did Mae care for Scarlett at the moment, but she couldn't really show that, now could she. Well, just a tad then. The devil on her right shoulder was pretty convincing, and the angel on her left took most battles lying down. "You gotta hit the ground running." Mae could hear her fathers advice as if it had been uttered yesterday. If he could have seen his little girl now, he wouldn't be all that proud of her. But Mae was no fool, she let the angel disguise the devil in her.
After giving Gabriel a soft, alluring smile, she turned her gaze to include Scarlett.

"Morning, Scarlett", she said with a more casual smile, as if she hadn't noticed her amusement. "Maybe you should ask our dear Madam if there's anything she needs help with? Your time could be better used elsewhere, don't you agree?"

Not that they knew for a fact that Scarlett was actually reserved for the Mayor, but the girls knew something was out of the ordinary, and Mae wouldn't hesitate to make a remark that hinted in that direction. If Scarlett wouldn't share her bed with Gabriel Callahan, then she could make do with just being polite for a moment, and then leave him to those who could not only tease him but also follow through. 'Those' being Mae in particular, at least in Mae's own opinion. She knew she was far from the only one who pleased Mr Callahan, but she also knew he kept coming back for more. It was good that he didn't settle for her, because then he would know what he was missing. It didn't bother Mae, she was always on top of her game, even when she wasn't the choosen one. And she wasn't oblivious, just as all men were different, so were the girls in the Saloon.

When Mae had sealed her remark to Scarlett with a firmness to her lips, she turned again to Gabriel, and the gentle smile was visible as if it had never left. She regarded her comment as retorical, thus she had nothing more to say. Not to Scarlett, anyway.

"What do you think of my new dress, Mr Callahan?" she said, now with the same charming harmony to her voice as she had had when she greeted him, and she moved close enough to be able to put her hand on his shoulder with a slow caress.

Of course, Mae knew men cared more about what was underneath the dress, than the dress itelf. However, many also liked the allurement the dress offered, when teasing their senses. And Mae never wore a dress she wasn't convinced would make the men take an extra look at her. Just as Gabriel had done when she came over, and she simply loved when the shape of her dress flattered the shape of her body. Not only the dress spoke two sets of languages, so did her question. It didn't just inquire after his opinion on her dress. No, that would have been too simple for Mae. Her tone, her eyes, they all wanted to know if that particular dress made her irresistible. If Gabriel already thought about more than just the dress.





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((( ooc: Alissa & Atropa - I hope that works for you. )))

# 3 [Morning, day #1]

How Dex loved life outside of the law. You wouldn't meet people like the ones he had met since he left home, if you played by the rules. He remembered the oldest outlaw he had ever encountered, that just didn't seem to die, no matter what happened. He could be shot at, stabbed and outrun, he just wouldn't go quietly. It took almost a whole army on the day of his demise, before the men of the law could finally put that old lovebale man six feet under. Although it was a bloody tale, Dex alway thought of it with a smile on his face. He had been rather young then, around 23, and had learned one of the most important lessons for an outlaw. If you worry too much about dying, you will die sooner rather than later.

"So, what do you all have planned for the day?"

Nikita's question seemed casual, and it probably was, but it concerned something Dex didn't feel was for her to know. She wasn't one of them, and she was a woman, and women liked to talk amongst themselves. Even if Nikita might not be as welcome in the town as other women, Dex reacted to her like he would any woman. But Ryder beat him to it.

"Oh, you know, the usual", he said. "Pillaging, looting, setting the town afire and causing some general havoc and mayhem among the townsfolk."

That brought out an amused chuckle from Dex, as he couldn't have said it better himself. He knew he couldn't, as he would have pin pointed how it was none of her business. He was pleased with Ryder's wicked remark, as it certainly didn't sound like coming from a doctor. Although almost two years on the run, it was hard to shake something that had been such a big part of you. Ryder seemed to worry too much, and Dex didn't like that. He wanted his friend to be as carefree as he was himself.

Some were too young to have worries, though. Like Robbie, although the young boy had had a life so far that gave him plenty to be concerned about, it just wasn't right. However, if he had been a boy like any other, he wouldn't have come looking for them. When Dex left home, he had been a young man, pretty much fully aware of what he was doing. He couldn't even imagine what Robbie had been through, and what it must have felt like when the Sheriff's Wanted list was the only option.

Though these intense thoughts were not on Dex's mind at the present moment, he simply grinned at Robbie's annoyment when he had taken care of the dog.

"Good thing you stopped him, Dex", Robbie grumbled. "I don't think I would've known how. Probably would've hurt myself tryin'."

Gotta love him, Dex thought to himself. The boy was so feisty, he wondered what it would be like when they unleashed him on his first adventure with them. Had it not been for one little thing, he had probably been the one to stand on Robbie's side, pushing the matter of letting him join. Well, the little thing was not so little after all; no one was in a hurry to bury a fifteen year old boy.

But there was no matter that had only one side. If they did not watch him closely, they would risk to have him run off and really get into trouble. It would be better then, if he was with them, so they could protect and teach him. And Dex was all about teaching the boy what he wanted to know, so that he would learn all he could learn without going with them. But soon enough, they would run out of means to hold him back.

However, it didn't mean he always treated the boy like the man he wished to be. Like right now, when Robbie wasn't pleased with Dex.

"Shut up", the boy said with a harsh tone to his brother James, who couldn't help but let his amusement be known.

Nothing brought life to a gang like two brothers, there was always one who annoyed the other. And in this case, it was mostly Robbie being on the recieving end, but he gave as good as he got.

"Well", Dex said, with his rasp carefree tone. "Who's gonna cook for us if you go and get yourself hurt?"

Hit him where it hurts. It was a simple tactic, but mean enough when it came to commenting on Robbie and preparing their food. He wouldn't take that one lying down, and if he didn't retaliate now, Dex would have to watch his back. It was all in good fun.





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((( ooc: Atropa, Trampled & Avara - I hope this works. Hard to know in what order to put everything. But it's fun to be so many. )))

William had a rather bizarre attention span. He could be fascinated to the exclusion of all else if he was working on his job and truly doing something, and every once in a while he got into impassioned discussion-arguments that he was willing to go on with for hours. In almost everything else? If he wasn't doing something with his hands and thinking at the same time he would get bored very rapidly.

This conversation was undoubtedly an example of the latter. He was indeed interested in discussing the stage coach robbery with another educated person, but then again, there had been a bit of somewhat dull conversation before hand. Now William just wanted something to do with his hands, and as the morning progressed he found his thoughts wandering to the saloon's red wine, some of which he had had a few days ago, to his rapturous delight.

With an effort he brought his attention back to his companion, who had agreed quite cheerfully with his prior statement. Of course, who wouldn't agree that getting robbed was a bit disconcerting?

She seemed to have run out of things to say, and he was just about to suggest they continue speaking in the saloon, when she suddenly asked, "Do you know who was responsible?”

Well! That was an interesting question. As for who he knew to be responsible, there was only one prominent gang of outlaws in the area, the one that William suspected the mayor's bastard had joined, with the town's previous doctor. He was about to mention them, but realized that given the former occupation of one of the more prominent members, and whom he was talking too, it could be a bit awkward. "There are a few gangs of outlaws around, most of them wouldn't try anything like this-" or they would do a much better job, like not leaving the horse- "I have a few suspects, but I don't want to bring up suspicions in the town, you understand."

That was a bit of a lame response, but his interest in the conversation was waning, and having spoken to the doctor only a few times out of her professional capacity, he did not feel comfortable asking her opinion of why they left the horse, or what their motive in messing up a very elegant bank robbery might be. So, before she could answer he added, "Would you like to continue this in the saloon?" A small spot of alcohol would definitely make the conversation more bearable.

((OOC: Sorry I took so long! And hope this is okay))

Scarlett was young. She was just eighteen and up until she was seventeen, she hadn’t lived. And she’d almost died out in the desert by herself, the heat scorching down mercilessly on her young body as she lay there underneath the sun, at seventeen years of age, not having lived at all. But she didn’t die because she was rescued, by outlaws of all people who proved that life it’s all it’s cracked up to be. The bad guys didn’t always wear the masks and that sometimes the good guys did. Edward Morgan was no better than Dex Woolgar. There was another thing she learned, no-one was all bad, but also that no-one was all good. Every person was like a horse riding out on a dirt track, the road could be smooth or it could get pretty rough.

Though, to be fair, people swung more towards one way or another. Gabriel wasn’t all bad, but he was bad news to anyone who didn’t see it. His good side, the fact that he looked out for her was a direct consequence of his bad side; he didn’t care what he had to do and he just did it. Scarlett knew there was some good in him, there was some good in everyone, however little. All she looked at him for was just that – though careful she was, to make sure he didn’t find out about her secrets – and she did, for a part, lust after him as almost all the saloon girls did, but it was so much less than the gratitude for the security he presented her. It was a sort of hope, that that fathomed good side of him would come to her rescue if he ever found out about the outlaws, to stop him from throwing her to the wolves.

Similarly, good people happened to have their bad sides. A very good friend of yours that you trust your secret to, could sell you down the river for the right price – regardless of whether they really understood why they were doing it, they still do it. There are other people, who are nice, who could be so nice that they make you look straight past everything else that they do, to the fact they they’re nice. Mae was one of these. Scarlett liked Mae to a point where she looked up to her like an older sister, but at times, Mae threw herself down from Scarlett’s bequeathed pedestal. Such as now. Though, Scarlett was a young girl, and these realisations meant a little less to her than they should have.

"Morning, Scarlett,” Mae finally greeted her with nonchalance at her previous coldness, to which the younger woman could not help but shoot a small grin. "Maybe you should ask our dear Madam if there's anything she needs help with? Your time could be better used elsewhere, don't you agree?"

Mae wanted her gone, then. For whatever reason, probably one involving Gabriel here, but she wanted Scarlett gone. Though, she had to realise then, that it was going to take a lot more than that. And so, she kept going, continuing on as if Scarlett hadn’t interrupted at all, putting that smile back on her pretty face for Gabriel.

"What do you think of my new dress, Mr Callahan?" Mae chimed at him, her hand sliding over his shoulder as Scarlett turned her knowing grin to Gabriel, leaning back, supported by her arms pushing down on the bar again as she made no effort to keep the amusement off her face.

Not backing down before they’d had a fight at all, she moved to join in on what Mae was trying to keep her out of.

“That's a mighty pretty dress, Mae,” she commented innocently, before turning to Gabriel for his opinion, guessing that he probably just didn’t care. “But I think the black’s a bit much for her hair. What do you think, Mr. Callahan?”

The main thing about being the town doctor was that the entire town was your office. Everywhere and anywhere was your surgery. Emergencies do not occur at a set time or place and hence Kate had to be available to go anywhere at anytime. There was also another side, that because the entire profession revolved around people’s health and people went anywhere they pleased, so did Kate to simply carry out her duty.

Another factor was that there were patients such as William, who refused to take time out and allow her that time to ensure that she was doing her job properly, that she was managing to keep their health in pristine condition. Then, when approached about said lapse, they – for whatever reason that hindered their ability to simply make a check-up appointment – inveigled around the issue and thus it became clear that only so much progress was to be made at a given point. So, she’d saved her approach for a better time, lest she destroy whatever progress she’d already made. If he made no efforts to fix an appointment by tomorrow, that was a different matter.

"There are a few gangs of outlaws around, most of them wouldn't try anything like this,” he commented on her inquiry. "I have a few suspects, but I don't want to bring up suspicions in the town, you understand."

Well, he was being very vague about it and Kate couldn’t fathom why unless he suspected her and the rest of the town or that he actually didn’t have much to go on. Or it could just be that he did not want to invite any more questions than absolutely necessary on the topic for another reason. Ongoing enquiries… more likely. Although, what she had learned regarding the crime itself was made it too interesting for Kate not to have her own musings over it….

"Would you like to continue this in the saloon?"

The question caught Kate off guard in her contemplations, her eyes snapping back onto him, ever so slightly widened. The Saloon, at this time of morning? Knowing that the Sheriff had a history of alcohol abuse – to give credit where it was due, he’d been teetering on the edge and apparently had recently managed to reel himself back – following the death on his wife and thus, Kate’s first suspicions revolved around the idea that he wasn’t going in there for coffee and breakfast, but that very same alcohol dependency. And at this time of morning, it was not a good sign.

However, as the town doctor, her office was practically everywhere. So, if the mountain didn’t go to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain and hence, if William refused to go to her surgery, she had to find common ground. Though first, she had to clear up the matter of what he wanted in the Saloon.

“It’d be my pleasure, Sheriff,” she agreed first before imposing her conditions. “Though, I hope you weren’t going in there for alcohol? It is rather early for that, don’t you think?”

Women.
Gabriel couldn't say he had ever fully understood them, nor did he think he ever fully would. Then again, he really couldn't be accused of having made too much of an effort neither. To him, women were amusement, distraction, a nice way to spend the night, sometimes mere tools, means to an end, and, only occasionally, a chore. He was one of those men who considered a woman's place to be the kitchen during the day, and the bed during the night, and didn't much care for those who had their minds set on venturing other paths in life. Granted, female school teachers did make sense, as he supposed it was in many ways an extension of the maternal instinct, and every now and then, a woman capable of some fairly hard labour would came along and prove her worth. But they were few indeed.

Now, it wasn't that he believed women to be poorly educated - even though alot of them were - or silly geese that wouldn't recognize logic even if it was staring them straight in the eye. In fact, he was well aware of women's cunning minds, and the many tricks they would use to get their way. It was just that they had a tendency to let emotions run high, sometimes even block out cool, level-headed reason. Or they would make a big fuss over some small detail that in the end really was pointless anyway.
The way Gabriel saw it, there was a reason why since the dawn of time, men had been doing what they'd been doing, and women had been doing what they'd been doing. It was simply how things worked.

So then, it was by choice that he mostly limited his dealings with the opposite gender to the specific category currently on either side of him; saloon girls. Regardless of how complicated creatures they might be underneath the surface, one didn't have to deal with all the nonsense and the nagging, but could simply enjoy all the benefits of their company instead. And should they start getting troublesome, one just had to stand up and walk away, and never bother with them again.

Well, that would be the case most of the time, anyway. However in this one, there was a little more to it, as the two women currently on opposite sides of him were both saloon girls, but played very different roles to Gabriel. One was a fair-haired, bright and perky tease, the other a dark seductress. One was a chore, the other was entertainment. D*mn fine entertainment. And as of ten seconds ago, one was apparently a burden - though not overly so to Gabriel, as this morning, he was here for breakfast and breakfast only - and the other was trying to get rid of said burden. Though despite of their different roles, they stillvery much served their purpose;
entertainment.

With an ever so faint smile of amusement playing in the corner of his mouth, Gabriel listened to the more or less subtly biting exchange of remarks between the two, while seeming to be mostly interested in the meal before him. Though when Mae slid closer to him and inquired his opinion on her dress, while placing a dainty but suggestive hand on his shoulder, he did turn towards her, to once again look her up and down. In the process, however, he also caught the gleeful grin Scarlett shot him, a visual promise of another teasing statement in the making.

"That's a mighty pretty dress, Mae", she said with the kind of innocence he had only known her to be able to let rule her tone of voice. "But I think the black's a bit much for her hair. What do you think, Mr. Callahan?"

Oh no. The little vixen would not put him in the middle of this, nor would she succeed if her aim was to leave him flustered. He quite obviously didn't know much about female fashion, be it that of saloon girls or prissy city types, and he didn't for one reason and one reason only; he simply couldn't be bothered with it. For while he himself might look fairly prim and proper most of the time, it was hardly due to time spent infront of the wardrobe and mirror, planning his outfit.

"Looks mighty fine from where I'm sitting", he thus commented with a telltale smirk, leaving Mae with the satisfaction of having him acknowledge her beauty - in and out of the dress - and Scarlett with her opinion, whether it was honest or not, technically undisputed, as where Gabriel was sitting offered a view somewhat different from the one she had.

Now wasn't that diplomatic of him?