Lieutenant JG Doz Finch - Old Joan
Doz Finch
((Holodeck 3, Deck 4, USS Gorkon))
((Town of Craven Rock, Texas, July 1867))
Having attended more than one wild west holonovel in the past, Doz Finch had more than an idea of what to expect, how to speak and of course what to wear. She loved anything that had her heart pumping, and so the prospect of being chased down as a gunslinging outlaw was one she couldn’t have denied when the opportunity had presented itself to her.
She’d chosen to wear a sort of white and red flannel shirt that had been tucked into a long and wide skirt, heavy to wear and soft like the pelt of an animal that had once been hunted out on the plains of Texas. Brown boots kept her standing, and opposite to that she wore a stetson hat in a matching tone. She looked the part, by god! She looked the part. But the accent, she reckoned, was going to either make or break it.
Sevo: Hey. This program is… interesting.
Tahna: I’m just glad not to be the only alien stumbling through. You two look great, by the way.
Tahna shot them both a smile, and Finch threw one back at her, before taking a moment to soak up how they also looked in their environment. An environment that was so perfectly curated by Cory; he’d mastered that “dry” look, particularly that of the saloon, the place they’d agreed to meet.
Finch: You don’t look so bad yourself, love!
They headed inside, the creak of the old wooden floorboards indicating their arrival, and then replaced by the marvellous sound of glasses clinking and the melody of an old piano. Cory was somewhere in there—she could hear him, too.
Stoyer: You get my letter? Were you able to find me some hands to help? The pay will be worth it.
Fred: Yeah, some folks were interested. You have to talk to them.
Stoyer: Thanks. I will go do that.
She scoped his voice, and once catching sight of him, grinned massively. He’d put as much effort into his outfit as they had, and she appreciated that.
Stoyer: Hello, my name is Cory Stoyer and I own the Plains’ Ranch outside of town. I am looking for some hands to take a herd of cattle to Dodge City. Ya’ll interested?
Sevo: Uh, yea. You know us, Cory!
Meru chuckled.
Finch: Noooo! ::She whispered to Ayiana.:: You’ve got to play the part! Put on the accent, improvise. Honest to god, haven’t either of you been to a holo acting class before!? ::She cleared her throat and then, thinning her lips and lowering her eyebrows, she continued with her version of a southern accent.:: Well, that depends on the pay, Mister Stoyer.
Stoyer: The pay will be a dollar a day. Plus a bonus when we sell the cattle in Dodge City.
Sevo: …Is that a lot?
Tahna: No idea.
Doz chuckled this time.
Stoyer: I’ll give you time to think about it? Come see me at the bar when you make your decision.
And so Cory walked to another location, leaving the three women, in their fabulous and fringed outfits, to talk over their options. Before entering the simulation, she’d read a little about the synopsis, which had included a number of different subplots taking place in the story. A feud between two major families in the area was one of them, the construction of a courthouse and the corruption that followed it was another. Mysterious diseases, town brawls, and some lighter hearted ones including a few romance options, and lessons in how to create and sell moonshine.
Finch: So what are we thinkin’, ladies?
Sevo: We’re not going to say no, are we? I mean, that job is why we're here.
Tahna: I grew up on a very different type of farm, so I’ve never herded anything before. But how hard can it be?
Finch: A farm is a farm, girl. And herding is herding. The bottom line is, money aint great and we don’t exactly have offers coming out of our ears, now, do we.
Ayiana broke character again, but she had a fair reason to, asking a very important question indeed. And after all, although she hadn’t had the opportunity to really get to know her, she did know that she was a Trill, just as Tahna was Bajoran, and so both women perhaps hadn’t had their whole lives to think of what they’d be called if they were hurled back in time to the Old West era of America.
Sevo: Are we supposed to have a western-y nickname?
Meru shrugged.
Tahna: Cory doesn’t have a nickname. But, well, he’s from here. Ish.
Sevo: Not sure what I’d call myself. I’ll have to think about it.
Tahna nodded and began fiddling with the fringe on one of her clothing pieces.
Finch: Don’t overthink it! Call yourself something like Wild Wilma or…Miss Ginger! Phwoar, that’s a good one.
Tahna: Well, let’s not leave him waiting.
Sevo: Response
Finch: Act the part, girls! Don’t break character, whatever you do. I once attended an improvisation class years ago, entirely for a friend to keep them company, and the key to really getting into a good holonovel, they said, was to just go with whatever it throws your way. Unless it starts glitching, mind you. Last thing you want to see in a Wild West holonovel is a massive, evil robot threatening world domination. Hah!
They each stood and made their way towards the bar.
Tahna: We’ll be taking you up on that job, Mister Stoyer.
Tahna tipped her hat—she’d done her research! Of course she had.
Finch: But we’ll need your assurance that you can keep us safe. Them roads be dangerous, this time of year. Blood feuds are boundless. We don’t want to find ourselves in a crossfire, now.
Sevo/Stoyer: Response
Tahna: How far is this ride? Are we expecting trouble?
Doz interjected, placing a hand on the bar and drumming it with her fingers, a serious look plastered across her face, and an even more serious tone in her voice.
Finch: It’s the Mavericks and Thorntons we want to watch out for. Been fighting each other this last century. I aint never known two families to hate each other more. They see us passin’ through and between their lands, we just might find out about it.
Sevo/Stoyer: Response
Finch: It’s the fastest route to Dodge, but also the most dangerous.
Sevo/Stoyer/Tahna: Response
Finch: You can call me Joan, Mister Stoyer. Some other folk like to call me Old Joan, on account of me being as wise as a’ am.
That and she figured she’d get the nickname in before one of the others decided to call her Gramma again.
Sevo/Stoyer/Tahna: Response