The Wild Wild West

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(Please check the OOC post before posting. Thanks.)

High noon; the sun blazed down upon the town of Castleton Rock. Light winds touched and altered the evershifting sand dunes lying outside the township. The train toots as it arrives into the station; horses neigh loudly in response. It was a good day, if a quiet one, and a tumbleweed drifted past as Johnny Wilde pushed open the swinging doors to the Rusty Gun Saloon and stepped in. The barman, an aged gentleman with an outrageous handlebar moustache, looked up from his papers.

“What’ll it be, son?”
“Gin, mate. Several o’them. Meeting my boys here, y’see.”
“’slong as you don’t get into trouble again.” Muttering, the barman fetched the drinks and laid it on Johnny’s table, alongside his booted feet.

Fetching a piece of tobacco weed to chew, Johnny leant his chair back as he drunk, waiting for his mates to arrive. It’s time to rustle the place up.

 

Max Crowler was riding into town. He was all dusted up from all the sand that covered the uncaring world away from the town walls. It had been a long time since he felt the sweet sting of whisky scorching the back of his dry throat. Heh, a long time since he'd been in prison. That WAS a legal shooting, just it WAS the judge at the time. Oh well.

He rides into Castleton Rock, and sweeps into the local saloon; well not so much sweeps, more walks a bit carefully, but sweeps sounds cooler; and goes up to the bar tender.

 

"Maxy! Over here!"
As he turned, Johnny removed his hat with a flourish, revealing a big grin. He points to the alcohol jugs sitting in front of him.
"Come'ere, you. How you doing? Sit down, sit" - he kicked a seat roughly over - "Yeah, sit. Got you a whisky already, mate. So!"
Leaning in and rubbing his hands together, he dropped his voice to a conspirational whisper. "Ready to do this thing, Maxy? Ready to become kajillionaires?"

 

Picking up the whisky reverently, he looks at it gleefully. Taking a slow dulp down, he almost shivers with pleasure. That felt SO good.

"Becoming a what? Hell, I just wanna be rich. You always were a fancy talker. Me? I just take what I want.... alright that aint done me good in the past, but with you 'bout, we'll be fine."

 

"I know, mate, I got it all planned out. Just wait 'n see. We'll be rich." The glasses cling. "Now I hope the rest o'em will be showing up, or we're just gonna have to drink all this by ourselves! Haha!"

 

Albert stood behind the bar, wiping a glass clean. 32 years he'd had this place, and much like him, it was starting to show it's age. Still, it was a favorite meeting place of the less reputable citizens of this little town, and Albert liked that. They always had some crazy scheme to get rich, and through well timed bringing of drinks, he often gleaned a basic outline of their plan.

Most young rogues he only saw once or twice - They'd end up jailed, or worse... But every so often a familiar face would show up. Albert had a good memory for faces, and looking over to the table where the two young men sat, he was damn sure he knew at least one of them. Johnny Wilde, that kid. A damn sight sharper than your average, and with a couple of good men behind him, that made him dangerous.

Albert sighed, and went back to cleaning glasses. Those two were up to something, and Albert was willing to bet his 'tache it was something illegal...

 

Samantha Duncan stepped out of a coach and into the warm, lazy afternoon enveloping Castleton Rock.

She took a look at the dust which was already starting to cover her dress and she wished that she were back in England. The thought faded away as her eyes caught the soft black leather of her doctor's bag. She was here to stay.

Not sure where to go next, Sammy looked around. The town was no different then the last three she visited. Behind her the men carrying her luggage dropped a crate and it fell to the ground with a loud thud. No, not different at all.
Luckily, all her medicine vials were safely tucked away in the doctor's bag.

She spotted the Saloon. "Rusty Gun." A reassuring name.

In lack of a better solution she headed that way, leaving the luggage behind.
It was too heavy to be stolen anyway.

The swinging doors creaked softly under her push.

Two men were sitting at a table, drinking whiskey. Hats and guns... - that spelled trouble. Still she politely nodded to them as she passed by.

"Gentlemen."

 

Albert had been sitting on a stool behind the bar, reading the paper, when the door had swung open. Well, not so much reading the paper as looking at the words. Something was troubling him today, and he found it hard to concentrate. Maybe age was getting to him. Maybe standing behind the same bar, serving drinks to the same ruffians, listening to the same drunk's complain day after day was getting to him. Silently, he longed for his youth. The memories were vague and cloudy, but he'd never forgotten the feel of a revolver grip.

He was near dozing off, lost in his memories, when a womans voice floated across the saloon. And not the sort of womans voice that told you a few dollars could buy you a warm body beside you through the night, an educated voice. He looked over the top of his paper.

This lass was well dressed, with long brown hair. A pretty face, too. Albert briefly wondered why she'd be in here of all places, and even contemplated offering her a drink... On the other hand, he WAS already sitting down. In the end he yawned quietly, and went back to his paper and his memories.

 

Johnny's gaze followed the lass as she walked by, and he attempted a charming smile that in truth came across more as idiotic.
"She's a looker, eh?" he whispered to Max, and took another deep swig. The temporary rush of coldness cooled his body; but as soon as it faded, the burning heat crept on again. He raised his hand and clicked his finger. "Hey Al, another one!"

As Albert drew closer, he leant in his head and muttered, "Al, who's that charming girl over there? Y'seen her in town before?"

 

Max looked over at who had drawn such attention. There was a lovely lady at the end of the bar. Now lookee what we have here! Max could now understand all the... gawping. "So Johnny, gonna try your luck?" he whispered across.

 

Sammy raised her hand to get the bartender's attention. He was talking to the two men at the table, but nodded to her.

 

Johnny did ask Max about his being out of jail, since he'd been gone for just a short while. "Well, the thing with jail.... it's just so dull. It's not me. I have places to go, people to see..... women to shag....... Hehe. I escaped and that shall be a tale for.... another time.

 

Johnny glanced at Max and gave another one of his grins. "Yeah, yeah mate, I think I might."
Grabbing one of the jugs that was fated for old Charles, he strode over to the lady and put the jug down. Ignoring the fact she was much older than himself, he decided to call her lass.
"Hey, lassie. New in town, eh? How y'doin? Name's Johnny Wilde. Maybe y'know me?"

 

Albert barely had time to mutter "Who you callin' Al, boy?", before Johnny was up and across the room. He watched as the young man cross to the newcomers table. A little overconfident, that one.

With a heavy sigh, Albert turned to Max. "Haven't seen you before, boy. New in town?"

 

"I just....... left....... the accomodations of the law. Stuffy bunch, didn't allow even a drop of whisky!" Max looked over, maybe he can bring him into the fold...... "If you're a man who can find things out, maybe Johnny could use some... underground info about what's been happening. Like, law and sheriff and that sort."

 

Sammy looked at the newcomer, slightly raising an eyebrow.
The boy, (a boy he was, regardless of what he thought) kept grinning at her. Lass? He can't be serious.

"I hate to spoil your fun, but, are you even old enough to be in here, lad?"

Still, she wasn't rude by nature, and he seemed harmless enough.

"Samantha Duncan, a doctor. Not lassie." - she smiled a bit and nodded her head, before getting up and heading to the place where the bartender was standing.

"I need to speak to you, sir, if you have a moment," - she said to Albert - "or if you are busy right now, simply direct me to the nearest lodging and I shall return later."

 

Watching Johnny sit down with a sad look, he kind of smirks. "She shot ya down, eh? Such a sweet talker fer sure." Max just chuckled. "Maybe she wants a REAL man! hehe"

 

"I'll assume you're not thinking of doing anything illegal, lad. I'll keep my ear to the ground for you, I suppose." Albert winked at Max, and wearily got to his feet. He was about to return to the bar, when the young lady approached him.

"I've always got time for a young lass such as yourself. What is it y'need, missy?" He smiled a warm smile.

 

William Watson, looking as stoic as he could, entered the saloon and took a seat down at the end of the bar. He took his hat off after sitting down and placed on the counter top next to him and ran his fingers through his silky blond hair. Noticing the bartender was busy, William made no effort to get the bartender's attention, other then putting a silver dollar on the counter top.

It was the end of William's first week in Castleton Rock, but the bartender's face was the only one William really could say he was familiar with in the bar.

 

Sammy nodded to Albert.

"Thank you for your time, sir. My name is Samantha Duncan, and I am a physician by trade. I was told that I might be able to start my practice here in town, since old Doc Morrison lives so far away from Castleton Rock. A six hours ride is not very convenient, especially if there's an emergency."

Having noticed that she was begining to ramble, she stopped herself with a smile.

"What I wanted to ask you was if you knew of a suitable space I might rent, for the doctor's practice?"

"Oh, and I have a letter for your town's sheriff from one colonel Brighton. Doc Morrison told me to deliver it here. No idea what's inside."

She hands the letter to Albert.