Cameron wrung his hands. "Well...I've only been here 'boutta week, so I don't know 'bout all the gangs...mos'ly I just know 'bout th' ones whose territory my ranch is in. And, o'course, the sheriff. He's arguably th' biggest gang of all since his jurisdiction is over th' whole city 'n he has more men. When th' Banditos first started tryina steal my cattle, I went to him, o'course, 'n he assured me that he'd take care of it...th' next thing I know, a couplla Bandito thugs come up to my door 'n demand their cut! It was my life or givin'em some meat and profits, but I'm still tryina increase my herd, so I don't...anyway then th' sheriff comes by all grinnin' like he'd done his job and demands his cut for protectin' me! That's everywhere! I come from a ranchin' family, sir, I know howta run th' business. But I'll be bankrupt 'fore th' month is out at this rate!"

Ruarc listened to the man's plight. His smile started to lessen as the story went on. He balled his fist on his coat, over where his Schofield was holstered.

[I]"So, these 'Bandito' lads are stealing your shit, and the Sheriff is ALSO stealing from you. Hm. And you say this is happening to /EVERYONE/ in this town?"[/i] He asked.

He could feel it deep down that something stupid was about to happen.

[I]"What else is going on in this town?"[/i]

OOC: Oh my goodness. Sorry about taking so long to reply! My wifi situation finally sorted out this morning. Hopefully, I should be able to constantly reply. Sorry it's not that great of a reply. :p I'll work on it better next time. :)

[/b]BIC:[/b]

Annabel watched the men right by her with amusement dancing in her eyes. She glanced up at her brother with a slight smile. She then smiled at the man before her, a smile settling on his lips. "Hello. The name's Annabel. The property office is down the street a ways. I can guide you there or give you better directions, your choice Mister Benjamin." She shook his hand and when she pulled her hand back to her lap, she propped herself up against the bar, a flattering smile gracing her lips. Before the man could answer, her attention was drawn away as a new gentleman arrived to order a drink, his drawn away by the man who seemed to be his brother. She straightened herself up and looked at the barkeep. [color=purple]"I'll have a whiskey please," she said sweetly. Her attention turned to the man who just walked in with a smile. "Hello sir. There's a building down the way with a nice big sign showing where the housing office is at." She smiled warmly at the man. "My name is Annabel by the way. May I ask for yours?" The young girl extended her hand to shake his, smile still gracing her lips.

Joseph watched the bar area as his sister talked to some people. Just as he finished the song, his friend caught his eye and waved him over. Grabbing his sister's hat, he made his way over to the table to join him. "I feel like I missed a lot," he said taking a seat at the table. "What happened? I heard yelling and then cheering." His friend laughed at him. "Looks like you were in a different world. Why don't get us a couple beers?" his friend asked. He nodded and stood, grabbing Annabel's hat once more before making his way towards the bar. He set the hat down on her lap before turning to the barkeep. "Two beers." As Joseph waited for his beer, he watched the men around him silently. When the two beers were up, he grabbed them and walked back to the table. He set down the drinks and took his seat taking a drink.

Nora turned to address the man who had taken a seat nearby, asking another woman about a place to stay. "There's a hot-" she began before being interrupted by the cry of new ownership and a free round of alcohol. The woman was jostled as men rushed to the bar, eager for free drinks. Nora got out of the way of the men, bumping into a table and knocking it over. "Oops." she muttered, hoping nobody had noticed. She picked up the wooden table, righting it like it was nothing. She was not a fan of the new name, it sounded more like a brothel than a respectable bar. If she found work in the area she wouldn't give this place a second glance.

Nora eased farther away from the bar when the sheriff walked in, welcoming the new owners. She eyed him as he assessed the newcomers. He seemed like an interesting character, walking in with his band of deputies. Either he was a coward or a bully. The tall woman placed most men who liked to keep themselves surrounded by others as one of the two. Her ears caught the mention of gangs and the abuse of power by a pair of men.

The woman turned to Cameron, "That sheriff sounds like a pain in the arse." she said, each word said precisely, she'd had schooling back in the east, and she lacked the accent that seemed to happen out in the West. "I'm not much for taking on somebody of that magnitude, but I'd be happy to help out a ranch or two." she offered, pulling up a chair, once again straddling the seat. She took off her hat and shook out her short hair, "I'm Nora." she said, offering him her hand.

ooc/

I'm assuming your post on page two about the woman was for Annabell not Nora?

He leaned closer to the Miss Annabel, gently yet firmly grasping her hand and shaking it, "Desmond Lloyd, but you can call me Des 'till ya cross me." He said jokingly with a warm smile. He was, of course, quite serious, but playing it off as a joke would make it easier for the girl to accept."Y'know," he began again, releasing her hand to knock back his own whiskey, "that bright sun had me a might distracted. I didn't see the sign. Y'wouldn't mind showing a Tennessee businessman the way would ya?"

He tapped the bar again for a refill, holding up two fingers to signify a double. He wanted out of the bar, crowded by clamoring towns folk. His clowns were going to get dirty, and he didn't intend to lose his temper in front of a lady. He did have a cover to maintain, after all.

There was a loud sound of wood on wood, but it was sharp enough to cause a reaction in Des, his attention snapped to the source of the sound, and his hand twitched over the Last Word. He relaxed as he saw the worker woman picking her table back up. He turned his eyes back to Miss Annabel again with his smile back on, "It's gettin' a little hectic here for me after that long train ride.

[-viola]

"Well..." Cameron considered. "There's a coupla other gangs, like i said, but I don't know muchabout 'em. I can tell you a bit 'bout th' other businesses in town...but most all ov'em are facin' th' same problems." He looked surprised at Nora's address. "Well," he said, "It's...dangerous. I know far better than t' say it's no place fer a lady-" there was a hardness that hit his green eyes for a moment, "but...I've gotta find a way to get th' Banditos off m'back, so there could be gunfire, 'n if I lose, who knows...what they might do." He tried to give her a meaningful look.

OoC// indeed it was!

BiC//

Ruarc smiled again at the thought of a gunfight. [I]"Gunfire? You don't think it'll need to come down to that, do you?"[/i] He asked. He toyed around with the thought of killing bad guys for a living. Hell, when they robbed people, it was the rich and corrupt who fell prey to the brothers, people who wouldn't miss their money, or be missed if they tried anything silly.

[I]"Tell me, how much does a cow go for? And what would you need to turn a profit?"[/i] He asked, pulling a wad of cash from an inside pocket of his coat, and began to count bills.

Back at the saloon, Brian poured the big man another double."Eighty cents, mate. Or are ya starting a tab?" He asked, just setting the bottle down on the bar next to the man's arm. He looked over at the lady, who had almost knocked a table over. [B]"Drunk already, Lass? It's only midday! Haha!"[/b] He joked. Man, he was going to enjoy this. He should have been a bartender all along.

The bar was busy now, food was getting cranked out left and right, and drinks were being drunk. It was good.

Nora grinned, showing good teeth, at Cameron, and not really taking the hint, "I'm no lady, not anymore." she told him. "Those silly dresses and rules were too much for me. I live for hard work, and am at least a decent shot with a gun." She leaned on the table, showing the men her rough hands, "If they try anything with me, well lets just say I know how to handle the boys." she added, a wicked grin replacing her earlier one.

The call from the bar drew her attention, she turned to face the new barkeep, "Drunk on sarsaparilla? Sounds good to me!" she shouted back, her voice carrying easily over the noise of the others.

OOC: Oh! Sorry! I can go back in and edit it real fast if you wish.

BIC:

"Des," she said, trying out the name. "A lovely name for a lovely gent like yourself." Annabel smiled at the man gently as she pulled her hand back towards her, setting it down on the bar. "I wouldn't mind showing you around Des. Let me know when you're ready to go." Her head snapped towards the sound of what seemed to be a table as she let out a soft squeak. She was tense until her eyes rested on the young lady who seemed to have knocked it over in the rush of men. She smiled softly and listened in on their conversation for a bit. When the girl mentioned her name, she made a mental note of it as she was sure she'll see more of her in the future. Barely catching what Des said, she brought her attention back to him. "Yes, yes. It is quite noisy in here now, huh? Probably has something to do with the free round." Annabel laughed lightly as she grabbed her glass, watching the liquid splash up against the side as she spun the cup before drinking it. "Do you want to head out so I can show you the office or would you rather wait until it's noon time?" she asked, setting down the glass and placing her hands on her lap.

Cameron held up his hands defensively at Nora. "I know all too well what y'mean, I understand hard-workin' women, but...it seemed fair t' give warning all th'same," he said. "I don't think I ever said m'name. 'S Cameron. If I can get rid o' th' Banditos, I'd be happy t' hire you on. And if y'ain't scare't, now's fine. As fer th' price of cows..." Turning back to "William". Cameron gave his question a bit of consideration before answering with a price, adding what it'd be if he included labor and supplies for butchering it and curing it. "Thing is, I could turn a profit if th' damn bastards would leave me alone! 'S just been a week o' harassment, 'n I'm only down one cow...but I've got t' make m'own way. I've...got somethin' t' prove."

[I]"Everyone needs help every once in a while."[/i] He said, handing him the money. [I]"And my brothers and I will take care of the Banditos. They shouldn't bother you again after tomorrow. If you will excuse me, i need to buy some houses. Cameron, Nora."[/i]

He tipped his hat, spun on his heel, and continued on down the street, a grin on his face. It was time once again to cause trouble for a good cause.

After about an hour or so in the housing office, the realtor and Ruarc both stepped out, shaking hands. The realtor was real, REAL happy with the fat stack of money he just recieved, six grand for three houses. Ruarc bid him good day, and walked with the deeds under his arm, spinning the keys on the rings on his finger, whistling as he made his way back to the saloon.

He pushed the swinging doors aside, the whistling stopped as his eyes fell on the sheriff, who turned and looked at him wearily.

"Ah! You must be William! I'm sherrif Bohannon, welcome to Hargrave!" Ruarc just stared coldly at him for a second, before turning to the bar. He tossed the keys on the counter top, a slight grin on his face. [I]" You two owe me two grand apiece, got us houses on Hilltop Avenue towards the edge of town, fully furnished, AND with electricity! I'm headed over there now, to change and check out the places. Let's go."[/i]

Brian let out a whoop, tossing a towel at his bartender and vaulted the counter. Patrick spun on his stool and hopped off, snagging a key off the ring.

[B]" Don't burn my new place down, you devils! Or I'll kill ya! Hah!"[/b] Brian said, tipping his hat as they all walked out, mounting their horses.

The sheriff turned to his.men as the brothers left, eyeballing each of them. "I don't like them Mick bastards, something is off about them, 'specially the tall one. We need to keep an eye out for them boys."

-viola You can fix it if you want!

[sorry guys, I'll post when I can.. I just have some stuff going on IRL]

EDIT: [im going to have to back out of this for personal reasons. Sorry every one, just write me out.. ] [-viola]

Also, Rii, you're avatar looks amazing. Very cool and very pretty ( ..);

((Aww, I'm sorry to have to see you go! Also thanks very much! :D ))

OOC: Sorry to see you go! I hope everything works out for you in your life then. :) See you around.

sorry to hear that :(

(( I hope everything's okay! And I might back out too, y'all... I'm struggling with where to jump back in))