Lechance

7pm, and Jonas arrived promptly at Mercedes'. He was slowly unwinding from a difficult day, and he was eternally grateful that Mercedes had invited him over. It was just the tonic he needed.

He smiled broadly as he knocked on the door.

Dear Mercedes,

Just a quick note to let you know we have all arrived safely back from our business at the fissure. If you'll forgive my boldness, is the offer of dinner still open? I must confess to a great desire to see you soon.

My love and affection,

J.Wilder

It seemed that everyone in town was far too busy paying attention to the patrol to worry about their physical wellbeing. Paul's few appointments for the afternoon had cancelled, and the waiting room was empty, and Jay, according to Elspeth, had gone out to see the patrol depart.

Leaving a message with Harry that he would be in the square looking for Jay and would notify him of any change to that plan, Paul buttoned his jacket, put on his hat, and went out, pausing as he approached the square and the crowd seemed remarkably small.

He turned to someone on the edge of the square with a small frown. "I take it that the sheriff and his party have already departed?"

[OOC notes: Players, please check ooc post here for more information. The ooc post will be updated as the thread progresses.]

They'd met in the Town Square shortly after 1.30pm.

When it was clear that every one was there, Jonas swung up onto his borrowed mount, called Digger near, and addressed the assembled folk from horseback.

"First off, may I jus' take the opportunity to tell you how grateful this town, and indeed myself and my team are for all your valuable help and support over this last while. Hopefully now we're actually getting somewhere, but I won't lie to you, this situation is still potentially very dangerous. And so I must urge you to practice extreme caution at every turn. Your safety is paramount above and beyond anything we may find. Stick together, no wanderin' off the path. Buddy up whenever you can, even if nature calls, beggin' your pardon. Deputy Charles has your names duly noted, and we'll be checking on folks along the way. Please be aware of everything around you. If you see something out of place, unusual tracks, items, sights, sounds, hell, even smells, please bring them to the attention of either myself, or Deputies Coleman or Charles."

He waited until he was sure everyone had absorbed the information so far before continuing. "Right, we're going to head up to the trail the patrol took and past their shelter from the other night, and up on up to the fissure to the co-ordinates that Sheriff Bowbuck left behind him when he left. If we encounter any strange weather on the way, everyone is to head for that shelter, is that understood?" 

The assembled patrol murmured their agreement. "Good, good. Right. I'll head up the column for now." He looked to his deputies. "Leo, can you take the back of the line, and Andrew, if you could ride out alongside as spotter? We'll be stopping for breaks along the way so that I can check on progress and where everyone is up to. First of these I suggest'll be just up from the shelter. There's a bit of a flat area just up beyond it. We'll stop there."

He looked around the folk gathered, "And I just pray that the good Lord'll be shinin' on us, and we'll find somethin' useful. Everyone got watches to hand?" He took his out of his waistcoat pocket, and checked it against the town clock. "Happen it's now 2pm. Worse comes to worse an' we get separated, everyone's to report back here afore 4.30pm. Any questions?" he finished, looking around. "Speak up now if so." 

His eyes scanned over those assembled to look for any hands, or people shouting out with questions.

Jonas arrived promptly at 5pm on Wednesday at Mercedes' place. He'd brushed up well, his hair slicked back, shoes polished, and he was wearing a smart new red shirt, along with his dress trousers and waistcoat. Clutched in his right hand was a small posy of unseasonal but very pretty wildflowers that hed collected this morning from the fields, and in his pocket in a small bottle was a tincture, carefully procurred from the Apothecary.

He took several long breaths to settle himself, and knocked firmly on the door

Dear Mr. Wilder,

It's been quite some time since our last meeting; a fact that has been much lamented. I have, at long last, been released to leave my home and have visitors once again. I hope you do not think me too forward if I ask you for the pleasure of your company. Your presence has been sorely missed and remembered fondly.

Sincerely,
Mercedes

The last few weeks had been a bit hazy for Mercedes, a summer cold took hold in her lungs and refused to be budged. Eventually, the cough that had threatened to crack her ribs slowly subsided and she was able to get out of bed and move about, although she moved very slowly and found herself out of breath with marked frequency.

She'd lost weight and her hair and skin looked dull and drab, both of which were causing her far more distress than they warranted. Her gowns didn't fit quite right, but despite that, she was eager to be out of the house again. It seemed ages ago that she'd been declared contagious and cut off from contact with everyone and Mercedes was eager to reconnect with several people. Most specifically, with a certain Sheriff.

Honestly, she was somewhat worried that Jonas was no longer interested, but despite that she sat down and started writing him an invitation.

(Backdated to the evening after this thread)

Paperwork had been finally dealt with, and was well out of the way. Staff had been dismissed for the evening, the office locked up, and even Mrs. Andrews had been bustled home to her husband. Jonas sighed happily, put his hands on his hips and smiled. He'd dressed the kitchen table plainly but neatly. A crisp cotton tablecloth lay over the wooden slats, with fresh cut flowers (and a matching small posy next to the vase), bread, cheese, sliced meats and various pickles all laid out on top. Thick white candles stood on wooden candlesticks, and the whole effect was warm and welcoming.

Jonas had scrubbed up, his skin feeling on the edge of sensitive-clean that was most refreshing. It made him ultra-aware of how he moved under his clothes, and he felt that set a good precedent for the evening. He wore a dark red crisp shirt, a black waistcoat and clean dress trousers to match, and he'd swapped boots for polished black shoes.

He took his pocketwatch out for about the umpteenth time, as he paced the floor again. It was edging towards 7pm, the time Jonas had invited Mercedes around to join him for supper. He was that focussed on ticking down the seconds that he jumped near on out of his skin when he heard a soft knock at the back door.

When he'd recovered, he exhaled long and low, and headed to answer the door. "Well, here goes nothing, dog," he murmured in the general direction of Digger, who was curled in front of the stove. As Jonas slid back the lock, the dog took a brief flicker of interest, before settling back. Jonas chuckled. "Great guard you are," he murmured as he opened the door.

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?"

Mercedes had allowed Alex and Thea to lead her up to where they'd seen the fissure. There was no red or black smoke, nor did they hear any weird noises, but the fissure was definitely still there. The soil didn't look any different, but it seemed to her to be a fairly large opening compared to the magnitude of the quake itself, but she was no scientist.

Thea looked rather vindicated as Mercedes agreed that yes, it was rather impressive looking. She hadn't known the two children to be trouble makers or liars, but their story did seem a little far fetched. That was, however, before the rumors that the sheriff was missing.

Having assured herself that there was in fact something there, Mercedes went back into town, her hair was askew and she was sweaty, dirt marring her clothing and her face. Very, very unlike her usual appearance. She was not surprised when someone stopped her.

Temporary booths seemed to have sprung up overnight in the open space near Ms. Sheedy's hotel. Merchants of all kinds were selling their wares -- food and cloth, tools and trinkets, necessities and things people didn't really need, but wanted. Some of the expensive goods were tucked within the safety of more permanent "stores" in the building that housed the nickelodeon.

Performers roamed through the crowd and the streets, and there was a bright, festive feel all about.

A few blocks away, near the smithy, the livestock market was slightly less festive (and slightly more oderous) but still just as popular.

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.

Mercedes had found herself with some quiet time and proceeded to head to the nearest park intent on getting some sun and fresh air. She was wearing a soft peach linen gown with lace gloves and carried both a fan and a parasol to protect her from the sun. She found a bench in the shade, closed her parasol and looked about with interest.

When someone paused, she smiled, "Please, do feel free to join me."

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.