Lechance

Tables had been dragged into Jonas' office and pushed together to help provide space for those invited to the meeting. Mrs Andrews had provided sandwiches and cakes, and her teenaged daughter was helping her in providing teas, coffees, and squashes as people arrived. His staff, including Deputies Andrew Charles and Ifan Jones, Mrs Andrews and her daughter, Ms Smith the administrative assistant, along with several chaperones from the Hotel, were milling around making light conversation with new arrivals.

Jonas waited until people had settled, and were all sat down around the tables. He stood up to address them all.

Jonas was tired. And thirsty. And in search of information. He'd done another round of asking about the town, and decided to finish up his day at The Black Sheep. It was good a place as any to ask about, in fact in a lot of respects it was probably the best place he could be asking.

He was currently leaning with his back against the bar, nursing a single malt, watching the front door, as people came in.  "So," he said casually into the air, as someone came up next to him to order from the bar, "I hope the day has seen you well?"

Wednesday daytime, and Jonas sends out personal telegraphs to the following people, either to their own residences, or addressed privately via the Hotel:
Santiago de la Vega
Simon Belgrave
Julian MacKallister
Benjamin Simoneaux
Daisuke Shimada
Missy Lee
Jonathon Stanton

The message reads:

'The Acting Sheriff of this town, Mr Jonas Wilder hereby invites you to an informal meeting to take place on this Sunday the 26th of October. The meeting will commence at 6pm in the Sheriff's Office. This meeting is to gather together a consultancy of sorts to discuss ongoing and current reports of unusual activity received by the Office.

Light refreshments will be available, and appropriate chaperones will also be in attendance.

Please feel free to bring along any persons you may feel will assist. Your help and assistance in these matters would be much appreciated.'

Jonas also talks to his staff, including new employee Leo Coleman, to inform them of the upcoming meeting, and to request their attendence also.

(Further to this post and this post)

Late Tuesday afternoon the town crier sends a notice around town. It announces the appointment, effective immediately, of Ms Leonora Coleman to the positon of Deputy Sheriff, working alongside current deputies Mr Andrew Charles and Mr Ifan Jones, under Acting Sheriff Wilder, servant of the town of LeChance.

Leonora was still stiff from the train. She'd disembarked and asked the porter for directions to the sheriff's office. She showed up early in the evening, baggage in tow; it wasn't like she'd brought a whole lot with her anyway. The walk had done her good and her muscles had eased slightly. She'd sleep well tonight.

She knocked on the door frame then entered the outer office.

"Evenin'," she said. "Forgive the intrusion but I'm lookin' for the sheriff?"

Mercedes tucked the basket she was carrying under her arm as she walked down the street toward the Sheriff's office. She hoped Jonas wouldn't mind her stopping in for a surprise lunch. The last few times they'd seen each other had shown that the chemistry between them wasn't a figment of her imagination and even though Mercedes continued to fret silently about her attraction to him, she hadn't stopped seeing him either.

Pausing outside the door, she smoothed her skirts and made sure the braids in her hair were still in place, worrying over her appearance as if it would affect the outcome of the lunch. In the basket was food she herself had cooked, fried chicken, potato salad, hand pies. She was by no means a gourmet, but she was handy in the kitchen and moreover, she liked feeding people.

Her stomach gave a nervous flip as she forced herself to push the door open. She greeted Ms. Andrews graciously and smiled when the woman just nodded and led her to Jonas' door. Mercedes knocked once because it felt rude to just walk in, then opened the door slightly. "Mr. Wilder?"

Jonas had had a rough night's sleep, when he had finally found some that is.

He'd spent the the night at the stables, bunking down in the hay loft, a saddle for a pillow, to keep an eye on Ginger, and had awoken with Digger stretched over his legs. Not the most comfortable of positions to sleep in, he was stiff and sore, and more than a bit worried.

The noise he'd heard last night when he was in the stables hadn't repeated itself, but it had been unnerving as hell. The low noise, which had sounded all the world like steam hissing had gone on for a good twenty minutes before stopping as abruptly as it had started. The animals had kicked up an enormous fuss unsurprisingly, and it'd taken a long while to settle them again. He'd looked around but hadn't been able to locate a source for the noise, and that was somehow worse than the noise itself.

Looking around this morning, he'd still been unable to find anything, but he moved Ginger, and the chickens and ducks to the far side of the field to be on the safe side, making a makeshift fence to keep them there.

By the time he'd finished, he was tired, stressed and fed up. There'd been no eggs laid this morning either unsurprisingly, so he'd had to forgo his normal boiled breakfast egg.

Consequently, he ended up settling for a cup of coffee and a cigar, choices that Mrs. Andrews had been most annoyed about. He'd managed to eventually shoo her away on an errand, persuading her that yes, he would get a decent lunch, honestly.

He took a chair out front of the Sheriff's office onto the porch in order to drink his coffee, and smoke his cigar, respecting Mrs. Andrews' wishes that all smoking must be undertaken outside. 'Sides which, this way he could potentially eavesdrop on useful conversation, whilst looking nonchalent. Digger was sound asleep at his feet, snuffling occasionally, no doubt chasing rabbits in his sleep. Jonas twitched a small grin at the dog's own twitches.

Eventually he saw a figure approaching and called out to them, raising his hat in greeting. Mayhap they might have heard something this past evening that may help to explain things.

"Good mornin' to you, hope you are well?"

Notices with the below information are posted around the town on the morning of the tenth of October by the Sheriff's deputies, Deputy Andrew Charles and Deputy Ifan Jones. These appear at the following places:
The Court House
The Library
The Town Hall
The Museum
The Hotel Lobby
The Post Office & General Store
Leroy's Salon

=========================

The town crier rang a loud bell that demanded passers by paid due attention, as she walked into the centre of LeChance town square.

"Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!" she shouted in a voice that could be heard throughout the square. "This is a notice of importance for the City of LeChance on this, the tenth day of October, in the year of our grace eighteen hundred and seventy-three. Prepared and requested by Acting Sheriff Wilder, servant of the town of LeChance, overseen by the right and honorable LeRoy LeChance, mayor of the same town, and spoken by your most humble servant Anastacia Mason.

Let it henceforth be known that the Sheriff's office now seek applicants for the position of Sheriff's deputy. Those persons seeking application should be of sound mind and body, honest and true citizens. They are also to be of the age of twenty one or above, and to have completed all life path training, as is right and proper for one seeking such a position.

All applicants should present themselves in the first instance to Acting Sheriff Wilder at the Sheriff's Office.

Furthermore, anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of William Bowbuck, the erstwhile Sheriff of this parish, or any persons having any information pertaining to his disappearance, should present themselves immediately at the Sheriff's Office for inquiry. Investigations as to the disappearance of Sheriff Bowbuck are ongoing, and any and all assistance towards the resolution of this matter is greatly appreciated."

The woman turned and made a final salute before moving through the crowd. She would repeat the news throughout the town all day, then nailing the notice to the Town Square noticeboard.

The air was crisp, the sky a clear blue and the marketplace was buzzing with news as parts of conversations drifted across the gathering.

"Did you hear? The sheriff's gone missing!"

"Well I heard they've asked that Jonas Wilder to step in, be in charge."

"I went out to look at that rift my children heard about. It doesn't look safe at all. I've forbidden them to go out there again."

"And then he just hugged him, right there!"

The crowd fell silent as an elaborately dressed woman with a large piece of paper rang a bell and stepped into the middle of space. Her red and gold robe, white breeches, black boots and a tricorne hat caught everyone's attention.

"Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!" she shouted in a voice that could be heard throughout the market. "These are the proclamations, bylaws, market days adverts and sundry notes of importance for the City of LeChance for the week of September the twenty-first, in the year of our grace eighteen hundred and seventy-three, the right and honorable LeRoy LeChance, mayor, and spoken by your most humble servant Anastacia Mason on this twenty-fifth day of that month."

She paused to catch her breath and to make sure all were paying attention, then glanced at her paper.

"The mayor would have it noted that in the absence of Sheriff William Bowbuck, he has asked Chief Deputy Jonas Wilder to act in his stead and has given him all rights and privileges of that office until such a time that William Bowbuck should be recovered or his body found. The mayor commands all residents to accord Acting Sheriff Wilder with the respect and allegiance due that office."

"Furthermore, anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of William Bowbuck or details of his disappearance should present themselves immediately at the sheriff's office for inquiry."

Another pause and the town crier looked around the crowd. This part was sure to get a reaction if for no other reason than that it broke a long-standing tradition.

"Furthermore, in his office and capacity as yenta, the honorable and worthy LeRoy Lechance would have these Marriage Banns read and announced for the first time:

Mr. Jonathon Stanton to Mr. Benjamin Simoneaux
Mr. Jonathan Ibis to Miss Effield Gallehawk
Miss Delphina Salas to Miss Harriet Palmer
Mr. Julien MacKallister to Mr. Theodore Nordstrom

If there are those among you who know reasons why these matches should not be allowed to progress, they are commanded to present themselves to the yenta to give such information as is right and proper."

A few more minor announcements about sales and market hours and the woman rolled her paper and made a final salute before moving through the crowd. She would repeat the news throughout the town all day but she knew most of it would be spread before she got to her next post.

Jonas sat leaning far back in his rickety, but comforting wooden chair, behind the desk that served as his space in the Sheriff's office.

Out on the street, he wondered whether his horse would be settled enough to ride yet, or whether she was still too spooked from the earthquake. All his animals had been rattled by it, he'd had no eggs for breakfast this morning either. He was still debating whether to go round to check on his horse in the paddock over the Ilen River bridge, when he saw someone approaching.

He lifted his hat in greeting, "Good afternoon, trust you are well?" he called over.

The tavern had been fully stocked when Marta had arrived, so getting started hadn't been difficult and she was already open for business. She may have to hire extra help at some point, but to start with things were quiet enough she could manage alone.

She was hoping Jonas would come by for that drink they'd talked about at the party, and when she looked up from cleaning glasses to see him walk in the door she greeted him with a bright, beautiful smile. "Good afternoon, Sheriff. What can I get you?"

Jonas had had a good night's rest after the party, awaking with only a minor headache to remind him of the quantity of good whisky he had consumed. He'd stayed in his rooms above the Sheriff's office, where all his things were still lying, mostly unpacked, save for his clothes, personal grooming kit, and Digger's things.

He strolled out into the bright morning, and started out along North Street, heading towards the Square. Digger chased around Jonas' heels, seemingly more excited than the man himself about the new surroundings.

"C'mon Digger," Jonas said. "Let's go see if we can talk to a man about a horse."

A mount first, then onto the tavern for that promised drink.

He patted his thigh with his hat as he walked, attempting (and failing) to get  the dog to walk to heel, and not trip him up. He saw someone approaching them, and held his hand (and his hat) up in greeting.

"Mornin'. Lovely day, isn't it?"

The market square was covered in a large tent, glittering candles lighting up the green and the cobblestoned area. There was a feast, laid out for all new arrivals from the week before. Not all of the city were there by any means, though all had been invited. Still. The party was some 500 strong, food was readily available wine flowed, and there was dancing, a live band playing lively music.