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Jed grabbed his gun, jammed it into his holster and followed the Marshal out the door. "I'm coming, besides if there is a bar-fight you'll need someone to use as a human shield. Right before you kick their sorry little butts into the next county."

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The Marshal laughed and slid her hand through Jed's arm.

"Now, that I could do, with very little trouble."

Not a few heads turned as the threesome made their way down the main street. Jed was a normal sight, walking like a gunslinger, his sheriff's badge glinting in the sunlight. Charlotte was not unusual, either, despite her odd dress and manners; she had spent the majority of her life in this town. The widow-like woman that walked with them, her face partially covered, was a different matter. The Marshal came by just often enough for those who managed to survive to get the vague notion that she wasn't problematic. For newcomers...well, it was a different matter.

"Unfortunately, Jed, I think this meal won't be a social matter," the Marshal continued. "We have business and strategy to discuss. Meyer's company won't bide their time for the perfect moment to strike. We should be ready. 'One who, fully prepared, awaits the unprepared will be victorious.'"

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Charlotte fell into step beside the Marshal and Jed. Buildings lined either side of the street, and on the front porches she spied several familiar faces.

She turned her attention back to her companions, just in time to see the Marshal slip her hand through Jed's arm. Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes at the two of them, but specifically the Marshal. "Hmm. Flirting, are we? Careful; people are staring."

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"And it is common to offer your arm to a female companion when you are walking somewhere," the Marshal shot back. "And I'm about old enough to be your mother, so shush. Anyway; Jed--what are the towns defenses like? What are the weak points, and what are its strengths?"

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Charlotte leaned in and looked up at the Marshal with a cheesy grin, patting her on the arm. "You have to admit, Marshal, you'd make a fantastic sister in law."

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The Marshal rolled her eyes at Charlotte, but grinned despite herself.

"Of course I would. However, we have more important stuff to attend to. Like, war."

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Jedd ignored the two girls and their bantering, waiting until they were done to give his reply. "Our strongest defense is the wall. Of course, it's not that great of a wall. It'll withstand small arms and Indian grenades, but not much else. Our gate is even worse, the upgrade parts were on the train you blew up."

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"War?" The expression on Charlotte's face betrayed her concern, as much as she tried to mask it. "That bad, eh?"

She'd been in her share of skirmishes, but war? She bit her lip. Maybe this was her chance to prove herself. Feeling the weight of her rifle Thunderstick between her shoulderblades, she nodded. "I'm in."

Charlotte listened to Jed in silence, the wheels in her own head turning as to what their best defense strategy would be.

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"Correction, I did not blow that train up. I was quite happy with transportation by rail. Anyway, I don't think Meyer's boys will have anything too powerful for at least a few days. They'll need to find an expert to fix the weapon they stole, and the nearest one is a good ways off. The best they can do right now, then, is seal off the town. We'll have to figure out how to bolster the gate, then, since it seems to be the weak point."

Jed pushed open the Tavern door, and the threesome entered.

"War, yes. The old fashioned type. We sit inside the wall, they sit outside. The one with the least patience loses. Whoever has the most strength wins."

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"Just like a fairy tale, eh? Well I suppose it isn't as glorious as the old stories say," Jed took his usual stool at the bar and impatiently waited for the old bartender to say those magical words.

"Hey-ya sheriff! What can I get you?"

"I'll just have a beer, thanks Hugh."

"My pleasure! Now what can I get for you two lovely ladies?"

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"Do you have any baijiu?" the Marshal asked. At the bartender's befuddled look, she smiled. "Never mind. Water, please. No ice."

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Charlotte began to speak, but didn't get very far. "I'll have a beer, same as Jed's having—"

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"She'll have a lemonade," the Marshal interrupted, her hand resting heavily on Charlotte's shoulder.

"Coming right up," the bartender said, turning to prepare the drinks. The Marshal looked down at Charlotte and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we just talked about that."

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Charlotte pasted on an innocent smile that was edged with smugness. "In case you hadn't noticed, Marshal, I don't like to listen to anyone."

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Jed rubbed his forehead, "tell me about it." He'd been dealing with Charlotte his whole life and it never got any easier. Heck, it'd only gotten harder as the two had grown up.

"Better make that a pint, Hugh."