labcoatgirl | Into the West

Into the West

Betty watched out the window, the small town of Culver coming closer as the stage coach approached. It wouldn't be too much longer. She had a teaching assignment out here at the small gold rush town that sprang up in the middle of the western desert.

The stage pulled in, the townsfolk giving it curious glances as if they hoped new news or something good might be coming in on it. Betty took the hand offered to help her down out of the stage and asked for her valise. Her dress was obviously of Eastern cut, she must look terribly green out here in the west. But Betty was not one to back down from a challenge.

She wasn't entirely sure which way was the schoolhouse.

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Bruce had been out in the small town for a little while now, having become a familiar and welcome face among the locals. He was a teacher to their children, and the odd adult who felt a desire to learn and he was glad to supply the desired knowledge. Many people questioned why such a well-educated man had come to parts like Culver but the questions had long died out as he worked minor miracles that made the local apothecary owner jealous.

The town was growing though and the school had just had a second classroom added to accommodate the children, but now they needed a new teacher and Bruce had received word one was on the way. He'd dressed in his best but it was still a touch on the frumpy side, having seen the wear of hard labor and a few childish pranks from his students. He was walking toward the coach when a woman stepped off and he quite instantly felt his heart leap into his throat at the mere sight of her. It was like an angel had arrived in Culver and he felt his cheeks flush as he waited for the stage to unload. He couldn't imagine that such a lovely woman would have been sent all this way to teach in a small town like this.

Betty stepped away up onto the wooden walkway, watching the coach being driven towards the stables. Already, she knew eyes were on her, not too many of them friendly ones. Especially the ones attached to the men sitting outside the saloon. Betty gripped the handle of her suitcase tighter, stepping forward, hopefully, in the right direction towards the school house. There's a few wolf whistles in her direction but she does her best to ignore them.

No one else departed, and that left Bruce at an awkward crossroads, until that whistling snapped him out of his staring. She was heading in the wrong direction so he quickly caught up with her.

"Miss Ross?" Bruce nearly reached out to catch her sleeve but stopped himself at the last minute as he quickly reached up to take off his dusty hat.

Betty flinched away, half expecting it to be one of those bar flies. But when she saw it wasn't, she smiled apologetically, turning to him. "Yes, that's me." Good, at least this meant she wasn't entirely unexpected. "It's Dr. Ross actually," she corrected. This one was more polite than the others.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry!" His ears are turning brilliant shades of red as he worries the brim of his hat with a shy smile. "Doctor, I'm Bruce Banner...Doctor. I mean, I'm also a Doctor." He stammered and then gave a glance downward, realizing she was carrying her bag. "Here, let me carry your bag. I'll show you where the schoolhouse is, and then we can get you settled. The Stanleys have offered to let you stay at their place until you find one of your own."

Her smile softened, letting him take her bag. Such a nice man, though a little shy. "It's okay, there aren't too many women doctors." Even less ones that weren't medical. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Banner." Betty was relieved that he had met her, she could have been wandering all over town before finding the schoolhouse. Falling in step next to him as they started off. "That's very nice of them. Have you lived here long, Mr. Banner?"

"They own one of the best cantinas in town." He takes it easily and keeps at a leisurely pace. Now that he's with her the calls seem to have stopped, at least. "I've been here for almost two years. Not too long, but long enough I guess. We just added a brand new room to the schoolhouse. The people here take education very seriously."

"Really?" she asked, pleasantly surprised. And blushes, embarrassed at her assumptions. "I suppose most of what we hear back East of life out here, it sounds more....rugged."

Betty carefully edges around a mud puddle as they pass it. She'll have to get some better shoes for this kind of terrain as well. At least she knew how to ride a horse.

Sidesaddle.

She looks around as they pass different buildings. General Store. Hotel. Seamstress. Bank.

"Oh, they can be. Certainly the ones passing through are known to be a bit uncouth, but the locals are regular folks. Mostly herders, a few farmers and the rest..." He motions to the various buildings as they pass by. As they walk, they start to approach one of the many bars in town. "I've had a few adults come for lessons too, but you'll still have plenty of time to yourself between the work."

The bar is certainly a happening place as they get up to it. Bruce steers Betty so they give the doorway some room but that doesn't seem to help when three roughnecks come barreling out and slam into Bruce.

"And stay out!" The owner yells from inside, clearly having no idea his dismissal has taken out an innocent pedestrian. Bruce is doing what he can to keep Betty's luggage from being trampled as the drunkards flail and attempt to stand up straight. One looks right up at Betty and gives a dumb grin.

"Hoooie! We got ourselves a new lady in town!" Bruce is practically stood on as they try to get up and he protests from the ground.

"H-hey! You leave her alone!"

She couldn't hope for better. There were a few personal projects of her own she hoped to accomplish in her spare time.

Betty gives a yelp of surprise as they are suddenly accosted by three tough looking individuals. She tries to keep her balance and finds herself inwardly gulping at the look one of the men is giving her. She backs up a step before getting an indignant look on her face. "Excuse you...if you will let us pass." And she tried to step around but found her way blocked.

"Not so fast, we's just gettin' to know ya."

Now that the men are standing, Bruce can get up off the ground. He and her luggage are covered in a thick layer of dirt but he doesn't give it a thought as he quickly puts himself between Betty and the troublemakers.

"That's no way to treat a newcomer, gentlemen." Granted, he was using the term very loosely, but they didn't seem impressed.

"Hey, we just wanna make sure she got a place to staaaay tonight." One at the back slurred sloppily, and Bruce stood up to his full height, though his thinner form hardly made it seem impressive.

"I mean it. Step away. Please." Bruce hated confrontation, but he hated people who were disrespectful even more. This was a horrible way for Dr. Ross to meet the town, and he hoped that his stern but calm tone would be enough.

Betty was fumbling with her purse when Mr. Banner came to her assistance. Even she knew this wasn't a safe situation for either of them, he was brave to even try.

The men started laughing at Bruce's ultimatum, ready to just toss him aside to get to the girl. But the laughter died quickly with one click.

The three men finding themselves on the business end of a small derringer that Betty had pulled from her purse. "You heard Mr. Banner. Please, step aside," Betty said in her most no-nonsense teacher voice. The three looked at each other, all of the sudden out of things to say. Before they all take a few stumbling steps backwards and out of the way, moving to cross the street and get away.

Betty sighed once they were gone, glad that it worked.

Bruce practically jumps when he hears that familiar sound, but is pleasantly surprised to find the business end is not pointing at him for once. Once the troublemakers are out of the way he turns to look at that gun with an impressed expression.

"Wow. I mean, you're..." He wants to say 'prepared' but it feels like he's just supporting stereotypes. "Look, I'm sorry, I mean it when I say that's not a daily occurrence around here. Are you alright?"

Edited 2013-12-30 05:38 (UTC)

She nods, a faint smile as she returns the pearl handled gun to her purse. "...I'm not as helpless as I look?" Betty knew how it looked, he didn't have to sugar coat it. "I'm quite alright. However, we probably shouldn't stand too long here, I don't think I would want to go two rounds with those gentlemen on the same day."

She bends to try and retrieve what's left of her suitcase. The clothes are probably bent inside but at least it stayed latched.

He quickly scrambles to beat her to the bag. It's all dirty now and so is he, as he realizes he's letting off a small dust cloud just by moving.

"I'm sorry about your bag." He stands downwind and gives it a gentle brushing. "That's one truth about living out here though. Dust gets into everything. Sometimes I wonder if I'm writing with stumps of sand instead of chalk."

"It's not so bad," she says to try and excuse the dust. "I could get used to it..."

Oh dear, her hand had covered his on the handle. Betty flushes and removes her hand to cover a cough, pretending at the dust. "Is....is the schoolhouse far?"

He very nearly drops the bag but seeing that she's let go he manages to hold on to it and flushes red again.

"Oh, no, it's right at the end of the road here. I hope you like it." He points to an old bell tower that looks more like it'd be found on a church. "I've had your supplies shipped in ahead of time. Once you're settled, perhaps we can go over lesson plans?"

"Certainly, yes," she says hurriedly. Why was she flustered? Because he had been brave before? Perhaps that was it.

Betty steps towards the building, looking up at the bell tower. "Those are for calling the children to school?" At least that seemed more normal to a school, even out here in the middle of nowhere.

"It is. This used to be an old church, but when the town got too big they turned it into the schoolhouse. The nice thing is that there's an annex in the back of each classroom. Lots of storage space." It takes a few more minutes of walking, they have to turn the corner in order to get to the schoolhouse but there it is, painted a fresh coat of white. Bruce had wanted it to be sparkling, and spent most of the prior week fighting to get it done between dust storms.

Her smile grows, already picturing the little minds she would be instructing inside of it. "I'm sure it will be...more than adequate."

Betty stepped inside, taking in the desks, the chalkboard, the clean windows looking out over the plains. It was rustic and simple, but it looked perfect to her. She didn't say anything, just stood in the doorway. Forgetting for a moment she wasn't alone here.

She slowly walks up to the front desk, removing her gloves and running a hand along the wooden surface.

Edited 2013-12-30 06:07 (UTC)

Everything in this room is brand new, a rarity but it also spoke to the wealth of the town that it could afford to not only build a new classroom, but stock it properly. Bruce had still polished and cleaned everything and he waited quietly as she inspected the place. He watched her, framed by the windows and beautiful view through them as he felt his heart flutter again. He smiles gently as she moves about the room, letting her take in everything.

"I hope it's enough. We just built this room earlier in the summer."

Betty looks up as if realizing he's still there. "Oh! Yes...yes, it's perfect." Maybe perfect was overdoing it, but it was more than she thought there would be.

There were even books. Betty picked up one to flick through it, one of the sciences. "Which lessons have you been teaching...Dr. Banner?" She would have to keep from duplicating anything already taught.

Edited 2013-12-30 06:14 (UTC)

"Bruce, please." He smiles and walks over to see which book she's chosen. "Most of the older students are learning about acids and bases, along with basic physics. The younger students are working on earth sciences, mostly weather and geology. That's not getting into their English and Arithmetic."

She has the page open to the discovery of the DNA molecule. The twisted ladder structure very familiar to her.

"Bruce..." she tries it to be sure it would be alright. "I'm Elizabeth....or Betty."

She sets the book down on the desk, opening a drawer to be sure there were pens handy if she should need one. "I am well versed in arithmetic, but only basic grammar for English." Hopefully that wouldn't reflect badly on her, she had always been more partial to the sciences.

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Into the West

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