I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
Posted November 10, 2020 | Charlie Wentworth | With: Emeline, Barnabas, Clara
Charlie's face went slightly red at the gentle reminders from both Clara and Mrs. Blakesley. He had been too busy trying to make small talk and avoid saying anything that would upset Clara that he totally forgot to ask her to dance.
Turning to Clara, he smiled, "Forgive me for not asking you before but would you like dance? I'm not asking 'cause I have to, it 'cause I want to as the thought had crossed my mind but I wasn't too sure of what your response would be considering."
In part, what he said was the truth but the part about wanting to dance with Clara was unexpected. Maybe it was the way she was dressed looking all grown up, he couldn't say but all of a sudden he just wanted to. Mentally, shaking his head, he reminded himself that Clara wasn't not yet sixteen and even then she would be still too young. What on earth was he thinking?
Posted November 10, 2020 | Clara Redmond-Lutz | With: Charlie, Emeline, Pronto
"It's quite fun," Emeline agreed, glancing up at Barnabas then back to Clara. "And now that we're here to watch the table, you can try for yourself."
Well, except that the dance was over, thought Clara but of course that was just the first of many. Clara shrugged and spoke softly to the woman, "It takes two of course."
Suddenly Charlie spoke up and came out with it, "Forgive me for not asking you before but would you like to dance? I'm not asking 'cause I have to, it 'cause I want to as the thought had crossed my mind but I wasn't too sure of what your response would be considering."
"Oh," Clara slowly nodded, "Well, since you are asking if I would like to dance, the answer is - yes I would. Now if you are asking if I would accept an offer from you to dance, the answer is once more - yes."
"In fact, I would be delighted to dance with you, Charlie Wentworth," she actually smiled.
Posted November 10, 2020 | Matilda Devereau | With: Jonah Danforth
"Of course," Jonah declared, giving her a bow, then taking her hand and lightly placing his other at her waist, keeping proper distance as he started moving them around the floor, "it's part of the doctor training, so that we appear appropriately elegant and refined."
"So you are saying he valued appearances more than competence," chuckled Matilda, liking his good natured nonchalance.
He grinned. "Our teacher told us that if we are to be incompetent, to at least look good doing it!"
"Frankly if I am sick or injured, I would hope for the competence part," she declared with a smile.
"But you have got the looking good part down perfectly. Now then," and with that he smoothly blended into the already under way dance.
Both of them knew how to dance and were good partners, equally as important as the couple deftly threaded among the rest of the dancers.
"What's this I hear about there going to be a hospital for this town? Granted, any town that wants to someday be a city will need at least one of those. I lived in Chicago you see," one nice thing about a waltz was one could chat will dancing.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Posted November 10, 2020 | Weedy | With: Wyatt | Where: In the hayloft
Wyatt invited the other boy to come see the farm and for a real fun time, they could even go swimming in the lake.
"That'd be great!" was Weedy's instant reaction plus, "Swimming! That'd be fun!"
Dang right! Wyatt figured the other boy would be willing. However apparently there was one little matter.
"You'll have to teach me, I never been swimming, but I know I can learn. And we can climb trees and stuff. And no girls!"
Wyatt blinked, "Really, you don't know how? Oh well, it's easy enough. I can show ya how. Don't worry I won't let ya drown. "
"Just one thing though - when you come, if my Pa or my sister ask if you know how to swim, tell 'em you do. Otherwise they might be all worried and not let us do it. Adults are like that, they worry way too much."
Posted November 11, 2020 | Brendan Connolly | With: Bridget Monahan
Even though he wasn't the most observant when it came to people, and women especially, Brendan had been around long enough to recognize the way Bridget was looking at him.
"Am a beggar. A beg," she managed to answer his question about what she did, seeming more confident about this than anything else she had said so far.
He tilted his head to one side, his curiosity heightened. "A beggar, huh? Beggin' must be a better way to make a livin' than I thought. Someone give you this fancy dress that way?"
He took the opportunity to look her up and down. He couldn't tell how old she was. She had a face that was both young and old at the same time. With Clara, he could tell she was quite a bit younger than him - not that you could tell by the way she was dressed up tonight - but Bridget was different. He wasn't sure. He was sure that his mother had taught him never to ask a woman her age.
As the music ended, Brendan moved his hand away from her waist and stepped back, but kept a hold of her hand. "Dancing gets your appetite up," he continued. "Mine, anyway. Let's go snag one or two of Clara's cookies. Don't tell her I called her Clara and not Miss Redmond."
It didn't occur to him that even if Bridget had wanted to tell, she might not have been able to find the right words.
Posted November 11, 2020 | Barnabas Pike | With: Charlie, Clara, Emeline
"It's quite fun," Emeline agreed, glancing up at Barnabas then back to Clara. "And now that we're here to watch the table, you can try for yourself."
“That’s what we came for. To have us some fun. An’ I gotta say these here cookies you and Em done up are real, real good!” Proto stated, with a wide grin
Well, except that the dance was over, thought Clara but of course that was just the first of many. Clara shrugged and spoke softly to the woman, "It takes two of course."
Suddenly Charlie spoke up and came out with it, "Forgive me for not asking you before but would you like to dance? I'm not asking 'cause I have to, it 'cause I want to as the thought had crossed my mind but I wasn't too sure of what your response would be considering."
"Oh," Clara slowly nodded, "Well, since you are asking if I would like to dance, the answer is - yes I would. Now if you are asking if I would accept an offer from you to dance, the answer is once more - yes."
"In fact, I would be delighted to dance with you, Charlie Wentworth," she actually smiled.
"Get on out there an kick up yer heels! We'll hold down the for for ya!" Pronto added. The kids deserved to have their fun, not that he was so old as to pass on a good time, but he could wait.
Posted November 11, 2020 | Barnabas Pike | With: Emeline
And now that young Clara and Charlie had found the dance floor, it was up to them what they would do next, of course with Pronto is was anything would be fine.
"So, now that that's taken care of, shall we dance more? Or perhaps stroll around and make sure everyone is behaving?" Well, if trouble started, it was likely to be loud and obvious!
“Well, strollin’ around or dancin’, eithers fine with me. May a bit of both as the dance is young yet an’ the place ain’t really jumpin’ yet, so maybe we oughtta stroll about afore the place is to crowded ‘round the edges to do that.” He took her hand and let her step out first, giving her the choice.
Posted November 11, 2020 | Ralph Flandry | With: Arabella, the Cook
Arabella closed her eyes and let out that gurgling chuckle of hers. “Well, she ain’t fired me yet, after all my mistakes, so I don’t think she’ll fire you. Now, Mr. Flandry, you betcha I’m gonna hold you to that promise, but don’t you want to dance with anybody else? How ‘bout Mammy Cookie?” she asked for a joke.
"Got a point there," he never was worried about Matilda's reaction anyhow, their years of close friendship was far too strong and enduring. Why he had killed men for her and would do it again if necessary without a regret.
"And nope, I don't wanna dance with anyone else," he added.
They were back at the tent by now and the large woman looked up at the sound of her nickname.
“Don’t you go takin’ my name in vain Arabella Mudd!” she said in mock serious tones, before looking her dance partner up and down and commenting “Well praise the Lawd! Mr. Ralph, you survived!”
"Indeed I did, must be my experience in the war," Ralph shrugged then put on his bartender's apron once more, it was back to work.
Want... dolls!
Posted November 11, 2020 | Bridget Monahan | With: Brendan Connolly
He tilted his head to one side, his curiosity heightened. "A beggar, huh? Beggin' must be a better way to make a livin' than I thought. Someone give you this fancy dress that way?"
Bridget looked down at the fussy gown like she’d only just realised that she was wearing it and gave him a smile and nodded vigorously. She had asked for it and it had been given to her, that was begging, just as when she’d held out a filthy and emaciated hand on the streets of Cheyenne and Deadwood and received the odd copper to buy a crust and keep off starvation.
Brendan suddenly looked her up and down, had she said something wrong?
As the music ended, Brendan moved his hand away from her waist and stepped back, but kept a hold of her hand. "Dancing gets your appetite up," he continued. "Mine, anyway. Let's go snag one or two of Clara's cookies. Don't tell her I called her Clara and not Miss Redmond."
Bridget smiled inanely, she hadn’t got a clue what he was talking about. When people said too much, or too fast or two clever for her, the words went all swirly in her ears and mingled and became formless like curling colorful smoke. She had learned that a smile got her out of having to talk and show how little she had understood. But she did want to understand, she did want to talk, and sometimes all that want bundled up inside of her made her sad.
Something else made her sad, too, and she didn’t understand why. For some reason, when Brendan talked about Clara, all of a sudden she felt a sad pang of pain, all around about the tummy region. She didn’t know why she didn’t like it, but she didn’t.
However, she definitely did like the feeling of Brendan holding her hand. In fact, she liked it even more than him holding her when they had danced, because then he had to hold her; now he was choosing to take her hand. She turned her head and raised her lips to his ear.
“I liked are … dance.” she whispered, and stared up at him, wanting him to say that he liked it, too.
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
Posted November 11, 2020 | Jay | With: Adelaide Chappel
On 11/8/2020 at 12:08 AM, Adelaide Chappel said: "Don't see as how that's such a bad thing,"
Jay was baffled and didn't know whether he should grin, blush or avert his gaze to hide his suprise. In his ears this sounded like being a couple wouldn't be a bad thing. They had shared the odd moment but Jay had assumed he simply wasn't her type of guy. She was probably into the real cowboys, not Englishmen with a shady past.
But she held his hand much longer than the dance lasted.
For a moment Jay got lost in her eyes and looked like a drunk fool but then he recovered and nodded.
"Let's drink something."
Together they left the dance floor and found their glasses from earlier again.
Then the Englishman took one of the cookies from a small basket and had a bite. "Hm, these are delicious." How long had it been since anyone had offered him cookies?
He broke off a piece and offered it to Addy. "Bite?"
Next to them two men were having a conversation about who to ask for a dance and one breaking the other ones arm...it was all friendly banter.
Suddenly Jay turned to face them to dish out a piece of good advice.
"Maybe you should let the lady know. You might find unexpected joy, if she receives it well. Tonight with the music and drinks is a very good opportunity....oh and sorry for listening. Your conversation was quite loud."