<hr/><div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/8/8f/Marguerite_Tuerny_07.jpg/600px-Marguerite_Tuerny_07.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Marguerite Tuerny<br/><strong>Date:</strong>May 3, 1876<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Early Evening<br/><strong>Location:</strong>The street outside of the Casino Morongo<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Deacon, Open<br/><hr/>Her retreat aborted, halted by the twin barriers of good manners and a rather large physical presence.<strong>"No, not lost."</strong>She replied civil enough.<strong>"I am in Gomorra, I believe?"</strong>Her manner and posture, her tone and her phrasing all spoke of good breeding.  And her accent hinted at the East and the not-too-deep South.  The joke was a poor one, not fit even for a smile or a chuckle - but it did serve to help her gather her courage and her resolve.<br/><br/>The man was older, his face visible in the lantern light.  A strong face and a strong man.  A confident man that carried himself with self-assurance that didn't require bluster.  A man that expected diffidence and respect.  She stood her ground, showing no fear and nothing but polite respect.<br/><br/><strong>"But I do believe you're correct."</strong>She allowed.<strong>"I shouldn't have wandered out so late.  I didn't expect it to get dark so fast."</strong>And she should have - she'd been in the area long enough now to know how dark descended like a swooping falcon once the sun set.  She hadn't expected the sun to set so soon though.<br/><br/><strong>"And now I feel so foolish."</strong>She flashed him a smile - which shadow mostly obscured.  Darkness hid all but the broadest strokes of her fine pale features, but the hints he spied suggested he stood before a rare beauty even by the high standards of a man with limitless access to women.<strong>"Would you mind terribly, escorting me back to my hotel?"</strong>She asked, her request most improper for a real lady, but given the circumstances perhaps a prudent move.  "<strong>I'd feel ever so much safer with an escort."</strong>She didn't know anything about this man - they hadn't even been introduced!  But she suspected a woman in his company was quite safe from any threat.  Except of course for the threat he presented himself.