"It weren't half-bad," Brendan said with a shrug. "But I think you should have got up to do that musical number instead of Arabella." He shook his head musingly. "Boy, she sure did make a spectacle of herself. Guess that's what theater is, though."
"I got a better voice than her, true enough," actually Caroline was pleased to hear that said. Arabella had done a good job of it though in her professional opinion.
"I think if you'd been playin' Eve or Salome, or any of them parts, you would've had all the men here tonight jumpin' up on the stage to get to you."
"But I wouldn't have played it like that ya see," Caroline explained, "My trick is just give'em glimpses, hints but never ever let them see the whole package as it were. Leave'em wantin' more is how I operate."
But the bold saloon gal admired Ara's pluck and sheer gall too. Oh how some of the so called 'proper folk' were going to be all upset. Let 'em! She loved it!
He grinned. "And then I'd have to fight 'em all off and we'd make a darin' escape."
"Oh yeah? Well, I'd trip you up and then race off while the crowd tumbled all over you. You'd make a fine obstacle I believe," she laughed.
She then leaned into him, looked up for there was noticeable height difference and added, "You don't think I keep you around just for the sex do ya? Oh...wait...I do."
"No, for heavens sake. We are never open in the evening and besides Mrs. Lutz and Mrs. Pike are here with their husbands. Who exactly would be waiting on customers or doing the cooking?"
"Well, I was just kinda hopin'..." Hoping they could have more time together this evening, so it just looked like he might have to dig deeper in his pockets and hope he and Cade could afford the Hotel restaurant. Of course, he'd pay about anything for more time, his finances would disagree!
She paused then added, "I suppose we could go to my uncle's place, that's where I stay. He'd be asleep by now, he's old and he's hardly a theatre fan. But I could make tea or we might even have some coffee left."
"Oh, well..." Her uncle's? He glanced at Cade and Sally and shrugged. It wasn't as if they were going to be doing anything hinky, at least he wasn't planning on it. "Yeah, I guess we can do that, but ya don't gotta do all th' work, I'll help ya." He grinned. "I do know how ta boil water!"
"Why not, be good to do a bit of socializing." Was his response, "How about Speed an' Alice? make it the six of us. It would be fun."
"Of course, the more the merrier, right?" Smiling, Emeline squeezed his hand then turned to Clara and Jacob. "We're headed over to the hotel to have some dessert. Please join us, it's our treat. And it'll be nice to talk about something other than business."
And with Miss Mudd's display, there was certainly a lot to talk about, and she was always eager for a chance to visit with Clara.
"Work is fine for killin' time, but it's a shaky way to make a living."
Knowing that the only direction that the two boys could go without being seen was out through the alley, Ben had gone out and waited. He wasn't quite sure how long it would take for them to get there but he was ready. The only thing left was to decide on how to work this situation to his advantage.
As they found themselves back in the alley, Wyatt practically glowed with the feeling of triumph, their little caper had gone off without a hitch! And no one would ever know, their own little secret.
A noise alerted to him that the two boys were now outside. Stepping forward, he smiled, "Quite the performance tonight, wasn't it? I'm sure you both got to see far more than you expected to."
@ [Bongo] @ [Wayfarer
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Mr Astin and Miss Nightingale had gotten themselves changed quickly and made their way out of the theatre and back to the hotel, but Arabella was still in the shared dressing room, sat before her mirror, happily basking in her own glory, like a modern Narcissus. She smiled at herself in the looking-glass, (how pretty she looked tonight! - the lamplight suited her so) whilst Miriam Kaufman brushed her hair, put away her costumes, got her street clothes out, and would help her get dressed when she was good and ready... which might be while.
Miriam didn't get paid for this, and while Arabella had a nice lie in in her comfy hotel bed tomorrow morning, the Jewish girl had to be up first thing in the morning to get to work at Pettigrew's. But the more dominant girl expected the help and for reasons of devotion best known to herself, the mousey Miriam complied.
"I wonder if anyone will come back and see me?" Arabella wondered aloud "Oh, they probably don't know that they're allowed to. Oh well, never mind." Never mind indeed - she had admirers enough in herself. "Did you think I was any good tonight, Dolly?" she asked her girlfriend, fishing for compliments.
Wayfarer or any well-wishers
Weedy was on a little-boy-merging-with-man sort of high as he and Wyatt scrambled to the ground after the successful jaunt. He was anxious to get back to the barn where they could talk about what they'd seen, and maybe whether or not they could sneak in again? It didn't occur to him that this had been a one-time show...sure, the show might go on, but not in the same titillating manner as tonight, since the good ladies, and even some of the men, reluctantly submitting to their wives' protests, demanded propriety if Miss Mudd was to continue her performances.
"Do you think all ladies..?"
Weedy's question was cut short with a gasp as he reached to grip his companion's arm.
"Quite the performance tonight, wasn't it? I'm sure you both got to see far more than you expected to."
Weedy recognized the man as the owner of the theater, and although he didn't know much about him, he at least knew that Mr. Simons wasn't mean. But he also recognized that they were busted, which meant they were dead!
Options...options...
Well, running wasn't necessarily good, since the man was blocking their path, and even if they got past him, then what? Mr. Simons knew at least Weedy, so word would get to Addy, and then Mr. Redmond, so, again, dead. Or, they could just high-tail it to the barn, grab his horse, and head for San Francisco!
Probably not the best plan. And lying...well, that would just make things worse, he was smart enough to know that.
"It was really...Bible," Weedy declared, and that wasn't a lie! "Spiritual, I think." Still not a lie!
"But I wouldn't have played it like that ya see," Caroline explained, "My trick is just give'em glimpses, hints but never ever let them see the whole package as it were. Leave'em wantin' more is how I operate."
"Don't I know it," Brendan said, shaking his head. For the longest time he'd been just another one of Caroline's admirers, reveling in the little glimpses of her beauty she'd deigned to give him. And then for some inexplicable reason, she'd decided he was worthy of...well, everything.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'd trip you up and then race off while the crowd tumbled all over you. You'd make a fine obstacle I believe," she laughed. She then leaned into him, looked up for there was noticeable height difference and added, "You don't think I keep you around just for the sex do ya? Oh...wait...I do."
Brendan chuckled and clapped a hand to his chest, pretending to be hurt and shocked. "Here I thought it was my witty conversation or my personality that brought us together! And now I find it's just you wantin' carnal knowledge of me. Shameful." He had pulled the "carnal knowledge" line out of the fuzzy memory of his evening with Worchester Pettigrew, and felt proud at having used such big words.
"Speakin' of...ahem.." He pulled her closer and lowered his voice, locking eyes with her. "You got plans after this or can we head back to the saloon?"
He had no delusions about why Caroline kept him around, and was fine with the way things were. It was nice to have someone to confide in, spend time with, and yes, have carnal knowledge of, without the worriesome burdens that came along with marriage. He and Caroline made a good couple, and as long as neither of them got too serious about each other, everything would stay fine and dandy.
"Hey, how 'bout we stop by and congratulate Arabella on the show? Won't take long and then we can go back to the saloon. Go up to our room and you can show me more of that carnal knowledge of yers," Caroline grinned.
(This is now continued in Ara's dressing room. Saves time to do it this way.)
Sally felt very much the junior party in this conversation, and merely listened wide-eyed as the boys and Constance discussed the next steps. She should really be getting back to the Saloon, Mr Fortner wouldn't be happy with her taking extra time off on top of the theatre visit, but she knew that dear protective Caroline would make some excuse for her. The idea of sneaking into Miss Straub's house while this old Uncle fellow was snoozing felt thrilling and not a little naughty.
"Oh, well..." Her uncle's? He glanced at Cade and Sally and shrugged. It wasn't as if they were going to be doing anything hinky, at least he wasn't planning on it. "Yeah, I guess we can do that, but ya don't gotta do all th' work, I'll help ya." He grinned. "I do know how ta boil water!"
"You'd better let me do it" Sally piped up at last "You can't do kitchen-work in that dress, Miss Straub!" she pointed out to the young woman in the beautiful azure creation "... and you boys will be too noisy. We don't want Uncle thingy waking up and catching us; he might think we're up to no good!" she warned. With any luck, they would be!
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"Quite the performance tonight, wasn't it? I'm sure you both got to see far more than you expected to."
Wyatt's smile as he basked in triumph vanished in an instant replaced with a wide eyed look up in the visage of the man standing before him. Oh oh, they were caught right in the act! He knew he would have to think quickly.
Weedy spoke first,
"It was really...Bible," Weedy declared, and that wasn't a lie! "Spiritual, I think."
"Ummm, yes sir, it was a really good show. Like my friend said, very Biblical," even as he said it, Wyatt thought it sounded lame.
He forced a wane smile, "Excuse us, mister, but we gotta be going so we don't get home late."
Hey, it just MIGHT work? What was that Clara used to say? Desperate times calls for desperate measures!
"I was kinda hoping, said Justus.
"Well, hope doesn't make the doors of the diner open for business," Constance smiled.
She paused then added, "I suppose we could go to my uncle's place, that's where I stay. He'd be asleep by now, he's old and he's hardly a theatre fan. But I could make tea or we might even have some coffee left."
They seemed to all agree and both Justus and Sally even volunteered to help with the seemingly difficult task of boiling water for coffee and tea.
Constance waved them both off, "Nonsense, it's simple enough. And besides I would have to be in the kitchen anyways showing you where everything was. I will be fine. As for my uncle, he is a sound sleeper. In fact, it is what he does best."
Cade shrugged, anyplace would be better than that fancy hotel place, he'd heard it was real expensive. Currently he had 47 cents in his pocket.