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Post by Juliet Harwood on Feb 16, 2013 21:15:26 GMT -5
Juliet had never been off Whitefall before, and she wasn't entirely sure how to start going about it. She had left her family's ranch only two days ago, and already she was beginning to run low on money. She hadn't realized just how much transport to the nearest town and lodging even at a cheap little inn could cost, and food was a constant drain on her savings. Despite this, she wasn't ready to return. Not without Preston.
She still didn't understand why he would want to leave. They had been ready to have a whole life together. She would buy a house somewhere and start her own ranch while he helped raise their children. Their early talks had involved a "passel", but Juliet had talked him down to five, which seemed to her a reasonable number. If they expanded their house while she was still young, they might be able to have more. He had even started looking at plots of land that two young people could afford just days before vanishing.
It would have been easier to stay in her room and ask around for news of ships leaving the moon, but she had only tried that for an hour before getting restless. Now she wandered around the town, not meeting anyone's gaze. People looked at her oddly -- after all, a little girl on her own was hardly something seen often -- but none of them spoke. In a way, Juliet was glad of this; when strangers talked to her, they tended to call her "little girl" or "little lady", and she was too irritable to deal with that now.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Feb 18, 2013 8:47:24 GMT -5
It had been a couple days since the encounter with Ma Collins' gang, and Angel was at the point where she really wanted off of this rock. She had just left another bar when she saw a young woman walking, seemingly aimlessly, around the town. It was something she was very uncomfortable about, as she knew someone would attempt to take advantage of this girl. It was something she had experience with, considering that she had often been confused for being younger than she actually was.
"Are you ok?" she asked the girl as she approached. She kept her hands on her belt buckle, trying to show that she meant no harm to her.
"If you need anything, I wouldn't mind helping," she continued. "You look lost, and I've been there before."
She finished her last statement with a smile, hoping to ensure that the girl was put at ease.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Feb 22, 2013 18:30:14 GMT -5
"I'm fine," Juliet said, looking the woman over. She seemed nice enough, and she didn't act as though she was speaking to a little girl. "Not really lost or anything. I've just never been here before." It wasn't entirely true that she hadn't been here; she thought she remembered tagging along with her father to hire some hands, but that had been when she was little and her mother didn't want her just sticking around the house. It was true that she wasn't completely lost. She could find her way back to the inn easily enough and back home a bit less easily.
Juliet considered walking on, but the woman's offer of help caught her attention. She had probably just meant directions or maybe a quick meal, but there was always the chance that she would have a lead. "Actually, I could use a hand. I'm looking for a man called Preston McPherson. Ever heard of him?"
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Feb 25, 2013 17:01:50 GMT -5
"The name does sound familiar, but I can't really place it," she answered with a helpless expression. She took off her cowboy hat and looked around, obviously stretching her brainpower to think back where she heard that name.
"Have you tried to ask around the bars yet? Or somewhere else he might be more likely to spend a lot of time?"
She knew the question sounded kind of condescending, though that was not her intention at all. She immediately scrunched up her face when she said that.
"Sorry. You probably already thought of all that," she corrected herself.
"Are you hungry? Maybe we can grab some grub and overhear some rumors or something to give you a lead or two."
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Feb 26, 2013 12:24:10 GMT -5
Juliet couldn't help smiling a little when the woman said the name sounded familiar. "I haven't really asked around," she admitted. "I figured that he might have been in a hurry to get away and wouldn't just dally around." Her voice grew faster as she spoke, ideas flitting through her mind like bees. "But if he needed information or a quick ship away, then of course he would have gone."
Her cheeks grew hot as she realized that she hadn't thought of it but should have. There was no way she would find him if she couldn't keep her head and think things through. Now was her chance to prove that she wasn't just some lovesick girl.
At the mention of food, her stomach growled. She had been eating cheap stuff, and it wasn't very filling. "Something to eat would be nice," she admitted. "But only if I share the cost. I'm not going to force you to pay for me."
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 6, 2013 18:07:36 GMT -5
Angel nodded, tipping her cowboy hat as she placed it back on her head.
"Fair enough," she answered, and lead the girl to the closest bar. "So tell me about Preston some. Maybe it'll help refresh my memory. Who knows? Couldn't hurt, right?" she said as she sat in a corner booth. She signaled over for a waitress to come take their orders.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 7, 2013 0:19:56 GMT -5
"He's a ranch hand," Juliet began. "Fair bit taller than me, dark hair, a bit tanned. Callouses all over his hands from working in the fields." She twisted her hands together, remembering how much larger than hers his had been and how rough the callouses were. Not that she had minded; her own hands and arms had been scratched all over from carrying hay bales. "He'd be in his middle twenties now. Sound familiar?"
When the waitress came up, Juliet asked for a cup of tea and some stew, fish if they had any. It was still from the cheap part of the menu, but it would cost a bit more than she normally paid and would be much more filling.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 7, 2013 18:53:00 GMT -5
"Well I've lived here all my life, so to be honest that description fits maybe about half the men I've met here," she kind of giggled as she said.
She ordered a cup of tea as well.
"He obviously means a lot to you to be out here alone looking for him. He family?"
She took a sip from her tea cup after the waitress brought it over. She kind of scrunched up her face as s he finished with that question.
"Stop me if I'm asking too many questions. I just got out of another scrap here recently, ruined my favorite pair of pants, and I'm not meanin' to pry. Just wanna help is all."
Her tone was even and caring. She always wanted to help people.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 7, 2013 21:42:32 GMT -5
Juliet sighed. Of course Preston would sound like just about any ranch hand on Whitefall. He was probably only special to her.
At the woman's question, she bit her tongue. She was so used to hiding their relationship from her family that she wasn't sure she could divulge it to a stranger. Then again, this woman probably wouldn't send word back to her parents, and she was an adult now, so what would be the harm? "My husband." She started to shake a little and took a sip of her tea to hide it. The tea was still very hot, and it seemed to scald her tongue.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 9, 2013 8:15:21 GMT -5
"It's ok," she stated when she noticed the girl start to shake a little. She had not meant to scare her. She really did want to help, but she was starting to doubt that she even had the ability to.
She made a motion for the waitress to come over to their table.
"We are looking for someone, maybe you've seen or heard something," she asked the waitress.
"I'll let you tell it," she said, directed at Juliet.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 10, 2013 3:01:25 GMT -5
Juliet's breath caught in her throat a little as the woman spoke to the waitress, but she did her best to convince herself that it was all right. Her secret was being spread, but at least it was on her terms. It was a compromise, but one she could live with.
"I'm looking for my husband," she said, and the word became easier to say each time. "His name's Preston. He's got dark hair and is rather taller than I am. He used to be a ranch hand, if that helps any."
As the waitress pondered, Juliet folded her hands on the table and tried to make herself into the picture of patience.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 11, 2013 14:20:41 GMT -5
The waitress shook her head after thinking for a few moments, then headed off towards another of her tables. Angel noticed Juliet's discomfort the whole time.
"Sorry. But you've gotta start somewhere, right?"
Angel didn't want the girl to feel in any way wrong. But someone around had to know something about Preston. Where he went, why he left, something had to give. Based on her track record so far, the ordeal with Thomas Garret, asking too much might not be the best. Some subtlety might be just the ticket.
"Maybe we should start at the ports, where all the ships are." she said with a shrug.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 11, 2013 22:56:43 GMT -5
"You're right." Juliet tried to smile. She hadn't expected this to be easy at all, but she hadn't expected to have a complete lack of information. She drank her tea and ate the stew as quickly as she could without seeming to be rude. It was delicious, and she was quite hungry.
When the woman mentioned the ports, Juliet nodded. "Maybe," she said. Her previous failures had made her a little disheartened, but she wasn't going to give up any time soon. If Preston was going to just vanish, he would have to give her a full explanation. "Do you think we ought to head out now?"
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 12, 2013 7:27:54 GMT -5
"Might be a good idea," she answered. "But I wouldn't let stew like this go to waste."
She answered quickly and with a smile. She knew that it wasn't likely they would find too much information on Preston at the ports. The captains were usually tight lipped about who they took on, but any bit of information would get them started, and probably put the girl at ease a little. It was better than nothing.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 12, 2013 14:55:54 GMT -5
Juliet waited as the woman finished her food, trying not to be impatient. She had learned early on that impatience didn't speed up anything and it only made waiting less enjoyable. Whether it was crops or an answer, the best thing was to let it come in its own time and take advantage of it then.
Patience didn't just mean sitting around, though. While she had learned to wait on her own, her parents had taught her to use the time she spent waiting. "If you don't mind my asking," she began carefully, "who are you? Why are you so interested in helping me?"
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