<div align="center"><strong>-Annabel, NCP,  The Saloon – Avalon, seeking, finding and warning Hotaru aka The Doc</strong></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://www.amybrown.net/women/cowgirl.jpg)</div>Shaking her head Annabel looked over her shoulder at the Alliance soldiers before turning back to the woman who had answered her question with another question.<strong>”Not me”</strong>Annabel replied, purposely keeping her reply brief. Her reasons for needing the doctor wasn’t anyones business by her own, she wasn’t about to start blabbing all over the verse her family’s private business.<strong>”I just need to talk to her real bad.”</strong>She offered a quick smile to the man with the brunette in ways of thanking him for his response.<br/><br/>The townie’s eyes moved sharply towards the door as it opened, though the hope that it had been the good doctor died at the sight of the handsome stranger. Had her mind not been so set on finding Hotaru she might have enjoyed watching him some, but the look of disappointment flooded her eyes when it became apparent that the doctor was still nowhere to be seen. Annabel could only hope that Grant hadn’t found the good Samaritan before she was able to warn her.<br/><br/>Annabel wasn’t completely surprised to find the sexy stranger was a friend of the clean filly she had found waiting outside of the saloon. It came as a relief to know she could leave the girl in the hands of the man that had joined them at the table. She had a mission and it wasn’t to entertain the tourists.<strong>”We ain’t friends mister, I just don’t like seeing a pretty thing like that alone on these streets. This here may look like a sleepy town, but it ain’t safe for a girl like that to be left alone.”</strong>Annabel hadn’t intended to lecture the man but she had seen too many women be taken advantage of to care much about manners.<br/><br/>The scrape of the chair legs cut through the dust filled air as the blonde local took to her feet and smiled at the redheaded woman.<strong>”If you’re safe with him I’ll be on my way. Remember what I said…don’t go off alone. Not everyone here is as friendly as me.”</strong>Taking a few steps from the table, Annabel’s attention was once again drawn to the open door with hope that it might be Hotaru. A long aching sound of relief forced its way through her lips as her prayers were at long last answered.  Not bothering to say goodbye, Annabel moved quickly towards the small, good hearted doctor.<br/><br/><strong>”Hey doc! I need you for a spell.”</strong>Looking over her shoulder at the Alliance soldiers, Annabel reached out her hand to grasp Hotaru’s arm and pull her towards an empty table out of earshot of the Alliance.<strong>”You gotta stay low doc. Grant ain’t at all happy with you for patching up Lynn. He reckons you’ve been interfering in his business. It ain’t safe for you here no more.”</strong><br/>