{M} Tumbleweed • IC

[Craze]

Once upon a time in the West...

The little town awoke with the usual hustle and bustle; store owners bringing out their wares and twirling around their 'CLOSED' signs, people stepping out of the saloon's rental rooms and leaning out of windows for the first drags from their cigarettes, men in tall boots tipping their hats to one another as they passed by.

Though a small community, the town thrived and kept growing in population. 'Tumbleweed', it was called, for that was the first thing that had rolled through the town when it was founded. Back then, it had been only three houses and a saloon - now, the town counted many more, and even had allowed for a railway station to be built, as well as a bank and a sheriff's office.

An eagle soared through the village in the early morning hours, silhouetted by the orange light on the horizon, accompanied by faint pink hues. The eagle squawked, diving down through a narrow passage before coming up and landing on the outstretched, gloved arm of its owner.

John Rackham brought the animal closer to him, stroking its feathers with the back of his left hand as the animal perched on his forearm. The eagle squawked again, this time softer, its head cocking abruptly into different ways.

He stood in the very center of the road, right in front of the saloon and railway station, overlooking the citizens that awakened and got to their daily business. His poncho - a remnant of his travels in Mexico, once rich of color but now worn and dusty - fluttered in the wind.

He lowered his arm, the eagle flying up and beginning to circle above him. Rackham flipped open his pack of cigarettes and tapped the bottom. One of the cigarettes popped up, sticking out as if volunteering to be smoked. John took the cigarette between his lips and drew it from the pack, taking a matchbox from his other pocket. With a swift, determined stroke he lit the match and brought it closer to its cigarette.
The wind nearly blew it out, but the cigarette caught fire just before it did.

Taking a long drag, John squinted his eyes and rolled his tongue through his mouth. He turned around and went to sit on a bench in front of the station, the cigarette smoke trailing behind him.

[Fox Xalian]

Pati was up early, right as the sun rose. But then so was everyone in this day and age. She washed herself in her bath, or what passed for a bath in this town, and walked over to her dresser and grabbed her clothes, quickly covering her naked body. She meticulously braided her hair, getting the beads and feathers in just the right spots, before tying the leather strip that had a charm affixed to it around the base of the braid to hold it all together. She pinned her sheriff's badge to the right side of her shirt, and put her revolver, lasso, saber and a couple of tomahawks on her belt. She walked down stairs into the sheriff's office and nodded to her deputies, one of which was only just 18 and was her newest charge, the other a gruff man who had served the sheriff before the last one, he had come out of retirement to help Pati get set up and settle in. "Get those bounty's on the wall before I get back or there'll be hell to pay" she said to the youngest deputy as she approached the door. "Y-yes madam sheriff" the boy stammered, getting to work immediately. Pati left the shreiff's office and walked through town, straight down the main street stopping at the blacksmith, the undertaker, doctor's office and bank just to check in and see how everyone was doing, before going to the saloon. It was then she noticed an eagle sitting on a man's shoulder, she narrowed her eyes, it was an unusual sight. She shrugged, making note to keep an eye out for the man and walked into the saloon. The people inside looked at her, some throwing death stares at her, clearly not happy with a Native woman being their sheriff, but Pati simply ignored those men and went to the bar to get some food and something to drink.

[Rayne7]

He was in front of the house, axe in his hands. Reaching over for another log to place on the chopping block, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stand up. Placing a fresh log on the block, he surreptitiously observed his surroundings. A movement in the distance caught his attention, and he spied six men on horseback, two with their rifles resting on their shoulders as a third cradled his rifle in his arms. Something about the men seemed off, and as the former confederate sharpshooter focused, he could spy what appeared to be scalps hanging from their saddles.

"Shadow, take Kimi inside and grab one of my pistols." he commanded calmly, striking the axe into the chopping block as he picked up his daughter and handed her to her mother, following them inside.

"What's wrong?" Moon asked, looking at him with concern. "Who are they?"

"Bad men coming to do bad things." he responded, checking to make sure all nine chambers of his LeMats were full, handing the one with the ivory handle to his wife as he holstered the ebony one. Grabbing his old Henry rifle from the mantle, he flipped the lever to ensure a round was in the breech before stepping out onto his front porch.

"Do you know them?" she asked from inside, settling Kimi into a closet after instructing her to remain silent.

Raven spat onto the ground, watching the men approach. "Nope. But I see guns in their hands and scalps hanging from their saddles."

Seeing the man who cradled his rifle raise his rifle, Raven thumbed back the hammer on his Henry and raised his own with practiced ease, firing at the same time a bullet struck the rail of the porch in front of him. Seeing the man fall, he was forced to fall back into the house as the others fired their weapons, bullets striking all around him. Moving through the house, he motioned for Moon Shadow to get down, the sound of glass breaking and wood splintering under the thundering of distant weapons causing them to look for cover. Stepping out the back door with Henry leveled against his shoulder, he checked to ensure they hadn't been surrounded and was surprised to see they hadn't flanked him. Staying close to the wall, he moved to the corner where he crouched down to keep a low profile as he peeked around the side. Seeing the men still preoccupied with aiming for the windows and doorway around front, he took the opportunity to aim at one of the other riflemen before firing, racking the lever as he shifted and fired a second shot then a third, putting two rounds into the final rifleman even as the second fell from his horse.

Bullets struck the wall in front of Raven, forcing him back into cover. Waiting for a couple of moments, he racked the lever again and stepped out- only to be knocked back from an explosion that shattered the wall in front of him, a wayward board striking a glancing blow to his head with enough force to daze him for several long moments, the ringing in his ears reverberating through his skull with painstaking intensity. Rolling onto his stomach, he slowly pushed himself up off the ground as he tried to get a foot under him. A glance back at the house revealed devastation, with nearly the entire west side of the house blown away and nearly half the southern and northern walls in shambles.

The sound of Moon Shadow screaming in agony forced a measure of clarity to his mind, as he searched for her. As he saw her, he could see one of the men standing over her, grinding the heel of his boot into her stomach before he raised his pistol and fired, the sound of two more shots firing simultaneously alerting Raven to the presence of the other two.

The sight of Moon being shot in the head sent a chill into his mind and heart, blackening his soul as though a light had been snuffed out. With a hand steadied by something colder than fury, he raised the ebon pistol and fired, his bullet taking the man standing over his wife's corpse in the chest, then readjusted and fired a second round as one of the other two turned, catching him in the arm. A third shot went wide as a wave of dizziness struck him, killing the wounded man’s horse instead.

The other man fired, trying to force him into cover as he moved by the wounded man, reaching down with his other hand to assist the wounded man onto the horse. Raven ignored the shots and fired again, striking the wounded man in the back as he found his seat on the back of the horse before they began riding away.

Still firing, Raven followed them until they were well out of the range of his pistol, then sought his horse only to find the corral where he kept it empty. Staggering back into the broken house, he found Kimi sitting over Moon’s body, shoulders shaking and dress covered in her mother's blood as she cried.

A crack brought LaRouche back to the present, LeMat in his hand with the hammer cocked back as he leveled it at the silhouette of an old Native American who didn't even pause, stepping into the firelight. It was an older man, little older than Raven by no more than ten years, a Winchester cradled in his arms and a tomahawk at his waist, a hunting knife opposite. The old man eyed Raven, then reached into his shirt pocket and offered LaRouche a strip of venison jerky.

“Damnit Sam, are you trying to get yourself shot?” Raven complained, accepting the jerky and taking a bite as he released the hammer and holstered his LeMat while he sat up.

The old Indian snorted in amusement. “I’d rather be shot by you than a white man. At least you’ll feel bad for it.”

Raven raised an eyebrow and shook his head as he stirred the coals of his campfire, chewing on the venison. “That's the kind of backwards logic a white man would expect from an old Indian like you.”

Sam shrugged, amused. “What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with Kimi?”

“Needed to get away, do some hunting. Besides, she doesn't need her grumpy old man hanging around all the time.” Raven responded, throwing a stick into the fire.

“I’ll certainly agree with grumpy, but you don't know old yet.” Sam chuckled, eyeing his friend. “I know why you were really out here. And no, I haven't found him.”

LaRouche nodded, eyes focused on the embers. “You just let me know when you do. I better get back, before Kimi comes looking for me.” He said wryly, kicking dirt onto the firepit to put it out as he began breaking camp.

“I will. You can be certain of that.” Sam said quietly, standing and placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder before disappearing from the encampment.

Raven finished packing up and set his Carcano into it's holster on his horse before mounting up. Looking around one final time, he pulled a cigar from an inner jacket pocket and lit it with a match, taking a few puffs before finally setting off for Tumbleweed.

----------------------------

A couple hours later LaRouche walked into the Saloon, stepping out of the doorway as he observed the patrons. Some he knew and nodded in greeting, others he didn't and he returned their suspicious looks with a calculating gaze as his hands rested comfortably next to the grips of his twin LeMats.

Many noticed the tomahawks under his coat as he approached the bar and removed his black Knudson hat, setting it onto the counter as he leaned against the wall and ordered a cup of Irish coffee and some breakfast, not seeing his daughter yet.

Settling in to wait, he noted the Sheriff at the bar and nodded to her. Pulling up a stool, he sat with his back to the wall facing the rest of the Saloon, watching the others as his coffee was set down beside him. Taking a sip, he settled in to wait for his daughter to show up.

[P.K.]

Anna had risen earlier then usual, a restless night of anxieties. She knew he would never come looking for her hear, but on the off chance that he did still frightened her. She filled her basin and carefully plashed her face with trembling hands. Drying herself with the small table she began to dress for the day. The dress was simple, nothing extravagant. She'd never quite liked the dresses her husband insisted she'd wear but she had always liked the jewelry it was always quite pretty. But that was then and this was now. She didn't long for that life. Though life here was quite different and sometimes set her on edge. But she'd come to find a sort of charm in it. Folks were nice for the most part and there were plenty of Characters. Most days it was quite with occasional ruckus.

Once dressed she'd made her way into the small kitchen to make herself breakfast, She'd had t learn to cook with a little less ingredient and had taken a little time to get the recipes straight. Nothing she was used to but it wasn't unpleasant, at least not now tat she'd gotten the hang of it. It was quite as she set to eat, this was however not unusual, not only for here but for back at her old home. She wondered from time to time what it be like to have someone to speak to in the morning over a fresh meal. But would push the thought away when she cleaned up.

The only thing left to do was to head down to her Parlor. The room in the front of the build served not only as her shop front but her sewing room as well. And at times where her visitors would sit and talk, not that she had to many of those. She knew it was still early but she turned the sign over and unlocked the door. Make sure the few dresses and items she had were properly displayed before she went back to sit in the little chair next to her sowing basket. She still had a bit of hemming to finish on a new dress, and a patch to finish on another pair of birches, A few embroidered handkerchiefs and a couple blouses to finish. It wasn't usually busy but it was enough to keep her for the time being, and when they were finished she was sure something new would come along. So she set about her work waiting as the sun rised and the town began to stir. Men and women walking up and down the streets. the Coach should be arriving soon which reminded her she would have to make an order very soon for new fabrics and string.

[Daniel_Darkholm]

Lucky had been sat in the sherrif's office for the better part of three hours, silently nursing a hangover in the cells. He didn't have much recollection from the night before, the whisky in the saloon having been stronger than he had initially anticipated at the time. "Urghh... What happened? I vaguely remembe- oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph..."It was at this point in time, when Lucky had realised what had transpire the night before, putting his head in his hands in mild shame. "That poor horse.. I figure it wasn't exactly polite of me to try ride him up the saloons staircase..."

Slowly, Quinn got back to his feet, albeit rather clumsily due to the fact he had somehow injured his leg the night before, presumably from the "stair-horse" incident. "I really should apologise to the proprietor of that fine establishment... Then again, maybe he shouldn't keep the stables so close to the entrance. Otherwise, people like me do stupid crap." With a yawn, he quickly got dressed into his clothes, pulling on his boots almost half heartedly before grabbing his hat and putting it on over his auburn locks. He was about to ask for someone to release him when he realised that the door had been unlocked the whole time, presumably because people knew he didn't mean to do any harm... Or maybe it was because in the past month he'd been in town, he'd captured around seven different bandits whom were causing a ruckus in the county. Lucky was thankful regardless.

Opening up the cell, the young gunslinger gingerly stepped outside into the town, shielding his eyes from the sunlight, his head still pounding from the night before; from what he could gather, people were starting to set up shop and others were going 'bout their daily routine - the barbers were opening up, as was the tailors, where a young lady was beginning to get ready for any customers. All Quinn had to do was wait for a bounty or two to spring up and he'd get right to it; they usually occupied him for a couple of days at least, plus they paid a decent amount which usually covered his living expenses and weapon maintenance. And so, Lucky sat his ass down on the bench outside the Sherrif's and waited, all the while thinking that he probably shouldn't drink as much anymore...

[lain]

Kimi rose early as she normally did, heading straight to the back of the saloon where no less than eight other girls were rummaging around through various outfits and beauty products. A few of them were chattering about a man they thought was attractive and placed bets on who was to bed him first while Kimi kept to herself, minding her own business as she dressed in a typical salacious 'saloon girl' outfit. Oddly, it didn't bother her being ogled as such interactions were quite impersonal and the saloon had a strict 'look but don't touch' policy. It was only when people tried to actually ask her questions about herself and her life that she felt uncomfortable.

"Can someone help me with this?" she asked quietly as she pulled a black satin corset over her head. One of the other girls obliged and tightened it as much as she could-- but it seemed there was still room to tighten it.

"Pull it tighter," Kimi said, looking back at the girl who looked a bit confused, "What is it?"

"Um, this is as tight as it would go and it's still loose," the girl replied, "Have you not been eating?"

Kimi looked in the mirror at herself, noticing she did look a bit thinner. However, she refuted the accusation that she hadn't eaten much.

"I've been eating..." she lied, knowing that she wasn't taking as good of care of herself as she should. It had been a problem since she was small, hardly ever wanting to eat. It wasn't that she thought she would become fat or something. It just seemed like it wasn't important.

"And what exactly did you eat last night? I didn't see you taste a single thing," the girl argued with her, "You know you might get fired if the men don't have something to look at. Look, your breasts are smaller," she poked the gap between Kimi's breasts and the corset, noting that it wasn't as full as it used to be.

"Stop it. I'm fine." Kimi replied shortly, continuing to get ready by putting her hair in an updo with feathers and sliding on fishnet thigh highs and their garters. Last came the skirt that was mostly black but had red ruffles on the underside of the skirt as well as red lace. It covered her legs halfway down her thighs so that she was able to keep a gun strapped to one of them lest a man get too familiar with her.

Sliding on a pair of heels she was ready, feeling that it was already getting close to noon when a lot of customers would show up. Stepping out into the main part of the saloon, she saw her father at a table and went to greet him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She hoisted herself up on the bar in front of him and crossed her legs, tilting her head down at him.

"Morning, Papa," she smiled, "Well... I guess it's almost noon now..." she leaned back on her hands in a type of pose, knowing that other men in the saloon were now looking at her. She knew she might as well look the part.

"I'm going to be playing tonight. You should make sure to come. We'll have a pianist backing me too so it should sound nice. Maybe... you could invite some people? I wouldn't mind the tips," she nodded, her face now neutral, feeling a bit empty at that moment. But, she turned when she heard a man making remarks about her.

"I've got a 'pianist' and a 'tip' for her, alright," the man, obviously already inebriated, laughed with his friends. They were a rather disgusting looking group. The only things that worked in their favor with women being their funds.

"Nah, that one's too skinny. Gotta have some meat for my potatoes."

They burst out in laughter again.

"She ain't that skinny a couple months ago. Business must be bad! Let's help her out! Hey lady, another round!"

Kimi rolled her eyes, hopping down from the counter, "Sorry, papa. I've got to serve these ingrates... heaven forbid they lose their buzz."

With that, she took some mugs of ale from the bartender and took them to the table of lewd men. One of them groped her buttock as she turned and she promptly pointed at the sign that read:

"Looking is free. Touching might cost you a body part."

"store is not responsible for any injuries incurred"

[Splat]

All seemed quiet in Tumbleweed as the sun began its path along the sky. In the north, with her hat dipped low upon her head, a woman strode into the little town. She had seen many like it on her journey south, with all the same quaint little general stores and the constant smell of old tobacco. Cassidy always loved that smell; it reminded her of her father. He would always come home with a pipe in his mouth and another story to tell of the great outdoors. She smiled in her reminiscing, but pried herself back to the present and glanced around at the different buildings. There's gotta be somewhere I can relax around here, she thought with pursed lips. And maybe get a decent drink.

A nudge at her heel pulled her out of her thoughts. Cassidy looked down at the perpetrator, a shaggy black dog, his long pink tongue flapping in the breeze. He cocked his head and looked up at the woman as if expecting something. "Yeah, yeah," she sighed, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. "I know you're hungry." The dog kept his eyes trained on her lips, waiting for a treat. Cassidy rolled her eyes and reached into her shirt pocket. I need a smoke.

The woman leaned on the porch, took out paper and a small leather pouch, and began to roll up a cigar. Last of my good stuff, she thought sourly as she laid the rest of the tobacco in the bag onto the paper. Her work finished, she reached again into a different pocket and pulled out a matchbox. She slid open the box and frowned. No matches left. There ain't no way I'm wastin' this, Cassidy grumbled, and she searched the area for anything flammable.

Her eyes rested upon a lone figure sitting near the train station. Wisps of smoke drifted from his mouth. Might as well give him a try, she thought. She sauntered over to his bench, her heavy boots kicking up dust as she walked. Her dog trailed close behind with a curious half-smile. She coughed, getting his attention, the rolled-up cigar still clenched between her teeth.

"Got a light?"

[Rayne7]

"Good morning, darling." Raven smiled, glad to see his daughter. Looking at her face, he couldn't help but be reminded of her mother. It was uncanny how her eyes seemed to have the same spark, though Kimi's was more reserved than her mother's had been. As she sat on the counter, he couldn't help but notice that she had continued to get thinner, increasing his worry. He already didn't care for her working in the Saloon, knowing the kind of men that spent their time there. After all, he was one of them.

Just as he was about to respond to her request, he heard a man make a rather lewd remark. Knowing his daughter didn't like for him to interfere in such things, he took in a deep breath and exhaled, waving away her apology as she went about her business. Taking a sip of his coffee, he watched her encounter in the mirror, feeling an anger ignite in his belly. Pulling his cigar from earlier out of his pocket, he re-lit the sweet tobacco that allowed him to relax and took a few puffs as he eyed the men in the mirror behind the bar.

As soon as he saw his daughter begin to walk away, he spoke without turning towards them. "I can see that you're new here, and you're drunk. So I'm only going to warn you once; be respectful. You don't, you won't be walking out." He stated, watching one of the men lean back in his chair to regard him.

"Are you talking to us?" the man asked, inciting dubious laughter from his friends as they observed the interaction. "And why should I listen to a washed-up old drunk?"

"Don't." one of the other patrons warned, an older man who worked a ranch nearby. "See that man there?" he nodded to Raven. "He'll skin you like a buck. And that's if'n the Sheriff o'er there don't get involved. IF she does, he's liable to just shoot'ya and carry on 'bout his business."

"Is that right?" the man asked sarcastically, resting his right hand on his Schofield revolver. "Well I imagine he'd have to be pretty quick'n get all three of us."

Cocking his head to the side, Raven shifted as though he was adjusting his coat, surreptitiously drawing one of his LeMats and pointed it in their general direction under his coat as he prepared for them to do something stupid like draw their weapons. "Don't have to be quick when your weapon isn't drawn and neither of your friends have their hands anywhere near their weapons."

The man burst out laughing. "Would ya get a load o' this one?" he asked his friends, nodding to Raven. "Why, we don' need no weapons to take the likes of you."

Watching one of the men stand in the mirror, Raven shifted again, setting his cigar down in an ashtray for such purposes as he gripped his cup of coffee in his left with his revolver in his right. "Just remember, I warned you." he commented off-handedly, turning and throwing the hot coffee into the face of the one who had stood as the man rushed Raven, then broke the cup over his head and kicked him back. Seeing the second man coming for him right behind the first, he whipped him in the head with the butt of his ebon LeMat, knocking him out cold as he cocked back the hammer and leveled it into the forehead of the man who had insulted him and his daughter in the first place even as the man's hand rested on the butt of his half-drawn Schofield.

"Now, I suggest you let that piece back into it's holster and you take your friends out of here. And I do not suggest coming back." Raven said quietly, eyes as cold as his hands were steady. Holding the man's gaze, he tightened his finger on the trigger. "I won't tell you again."

"You'd shoot me here, in front of the sheriff?" the man queried, voice shaking.

"Last I saw, you were provokin' him" the patron from earlier commented, eyeing them. "And you started to draw on 'im when he whupped your friends who attacked him with 'is back turned." he continued, raising an eyebrow. "That around here is called 'self defense' "

LaRouche said nothing, except to spit on the man's shoes as he stared back at the man's glare with an indifferent gaze. Muttering, the man let go of his revolver and helped his burned friend pick up the unconscious third and carry him out. Releasing the hammer of his LeMat, Raven holstered the weapon then took a broom from one of the barmaids and swept up the remains of his cup, refusing to allow anyone else to do it for him. Slapping a five-dollar bill onto the counter to pay for damages and interrupting business, he ordered a second coffee just as they served his breakfast of bacon and eggs.

Stopping the barmaid who served him, he asked her "Hey, would you send Kimi out to eat some of this with me? She loses anymore weight she'll be invisible."

[Fox Xalian]

Hearing the ruckus behind her Pati put the untouched coffee back onto the bar, standing up and turning around, her eyes filling with fire, and not the good kind between lovers. "Alright, all four of you, report to the Shriff's office five seconds ago! Move! Yes even you LaRouche!" she commanded. She walked to the door and held it open. "Well? What are you waiting for?" she said as the two who remained conscious picked up their unconscious frond and carried him out. "LaRouche, stop by the doctor's office on your way to mine, tell him we'll need his expertise, those burns you caused will be beyond my medicine to heal I think, plus I haven't had a chance to go herb gathering, you're just needed to make a formal statement" she said to Raven quietly, before going back to the bar to drink her coffee.

At the sheriff's office the youngest deputy had just placed four new bounties up. One for a sexual deviant who had tried to take advantage of the preacher's daughter, among other similar crimes, he was simply wanted alive. The other three were for a couple of gang members who had terrorized the outlying farms, and a cattle rustler who had tried to steal some of Old Man Johnson's cattle. The gang members were wanted dead or alive, but were worth more alive. The local semi-retired prospector was walking past around this time and saw Quinn and approached him. "Howdy, I couldn' help but notice the look on your face. It's the look of a man who has regrets and knows the source of them" the grizzled prospector said. "The name's Easy Pete, or at least that's what the people around here call me" he introduced himself. "Let me give you some advice, regret is like a canary in a mine shaft, he's there for a reason, but if you don't do anything about it when it starts speakin' up, it wont be long before what gets it gets you, ya hear me?" he said, grabbing his chewing tobacco tin and opening it, offering the man some.

[lain]

Kimi stood back and watched the brawl unfold, letting out a frustrated sigh while she leaned against the wall. Her father was prone to dramatics and today seemed no exception. A silent fury brewed inside of her while her amber colored eyes locked onto her father, watching him as the brawl ended and he carelessly slapped a whole five dollars on the counter.

"Papa!" she yelled, "Why do you always--" she stopped, seeing that the ruckus had attracted the attention of the sheriff, Patti, who ordered they head to the station immediately.

"See? You've gotten yourself in trouble again because of your temper and it looks like you just spent the money to bail yourself out on damages here. I'm so angry with you!" she yelled again, the fury within her unusual for her. Her heart raced and she wanted to scream.

"Just go. I'll meet you at the station and make sense of this," she said flatly, the lack of emotion now terrifying. She began assisting a few of the maids with clean up and fixing chairs that had been thrown askew, still boiling with suppressed anger.

When the cleanup was finished, she headed out the door.

"Hopefully I won't be long," she said, not bothering to change clothes as she walked into the street and towards the sheriff's station, walking past a strange man and woman who were smoking next to the railway station. The woman had a hungry looking dog and the man oddly had an eagle perched on him. That caused her to stop walking. What a strange sight.

She quirked a brow, wanting to observe the two a bit longer. But, she knew she needed to get to the sheriff's station before her father ended up causing more trouble. She caught eyes with the man and then the woman for a couple of seconds before walking off again. Smoking always had grossed her out anyway.

When she reached the station she saw a familiar face. The man named Lucky who had wrecked havoc on the saloon the night before with his drunken antics involving a horse. Despite his idiotic acts, all of the barmaids had been talking about how handsome he was. Even as they cleaned up the horse feces from the floor of the saloon-- they swooned over him.

Kimi looked at Lucky with disdain as he sat there on the bench. He likely wouldn't remember her since he was so drunk, but it was obvious she was a worker at the saloon so he would have to conclude that she had been there last night and that the look he was receiving was well-deserved.

She walked past him and entered the station, seeing her father now. The anger she had felt before rekindled as she walked up to him.

"Raven LaReouche," she said, using his full name to convey how irritated she still was, "You just had to get involved. We could have kicked them out without all of that, you know? We would have stopped serving them and they would have left. But, no. You had to destroy the place to make a point!"

"Do you know how stupid that was? You had better hope we can get everything fixed before my show tonight. If it's ruined because of you, I don't even know what I'll do," she stopped raising her voice and spoke more venomously instead.

"I just don't understand how you can be so immature. You know, I would like to find a good man someday to take care of me. But, how can I leave you when you do things like this? You're going to get yourself shot and you won't be able to recover one of these days," she finally seemed done with her rant, sitting next to him and folding her arms with her legs crossed. She didn't care if he was her father and if she needed to respect him. He simply didn't deserve it right now, in her opinion.