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Lina slipped out of the backdoor of the Oriental. She waved at Sam on her way out. Today was her first day off, and she planned for it to be a productive one. She headed over to the general store, and slipped in, heading to the back of the establishment.

She returned to the counter with an armful of vegetables and herbs, grabbing a bit of chewing gum as she headed to the register. The register was grand, silver etching covered it completely. The blonde woman she had seen two nights ago was behind the counter, and Lina did her best to hide her surprised expression.

"Hello," she said, hoping the blonde would not escalate the interaction as she rang her up. That was not the case.

"Hi, you!" She said with a dazzling smile. Her eyes were big, blue, and bright. "You're the girl that works at the Oriental!" She continued. "I have seen you around, what's your name? I'm Mary Jane." she stuck her hand out at Lina exuberantly. She cautiously shook it.

"I'm Lina, it is nice to meet you." she said, smiling softly, warming up to the blonde's chirpy demeanor. Her bright attitude drew Lina out of her shell, and she was beginning to fancy the idea of making friends with the woman. 

"Lina, what a pretty name! I think I had a cousin named that... back in Ireland." she said, looking off into space as if she was seeing her family tree somewhere behind Lina.

"When do you get out of work?" Lina asked the woman, putting her items into brown paper sacks. She was evidently a ditz, but Lina was sure she could be enticed by good food and company. Besides, her light presence might bring down Etta's more severe one.

"I leave after lunch, why?" she asked, helping Lina.

"Why don't you come have lunch with another friend and I? I personally think comradery is important, especially if you're alone like I am. It's good to have friends to fall back on." Lina answered, smiling.

"I would love that! Where at?" Mary Jane said as she stuffed the last bag, handing it to Lina. Her small, dainty hands stood out to the other woman. Her nails were manicured and painted a pale pink color.

"Just meet us in room 17 at the Oriental when you get off. We'll have a seat warmed for you." Lina replied, taking her groceries in her arms and heading for the door. She waved haphazardly.

"I'll be there!" Mary Jane yelled after her, waving too.

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Etta was in the saloon when Lina walked in. She sat at the bar, nursing some kind of fruity drink and speaking softly to Sam, whose head was on a bearing, snapping toward any noise. Lina figured he was watching out for Billy Clanton. She didn't believe that stopping him from harassing Etta would be as easy as it seemed. She walked over to the pair.

"Hello Sam, Hi Etta." she greeted. "You're okay after last night?" she asked, looking at the girl sympathetically. She looked tired, a dark color decorating the area under her eyes.

"I think so, yes. I haven't seen Billy since." she looked down, seemingly in shame. "He's not usually like that. I'm sorry you all had to see his bad side." she apologized, shaking her head and meeting no one's eyes.

Lina raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "If I were you, I'd slip a little something in his drink, you know because he likes drinkin' so damn much." she could see Sam stifle a laugh.

"What does that mean?" Etta asked, eyes wide.

Sam interjected. "It means she would get rid of him; not in the way that a normal woman would." he shot Lina a knowing glance. "It's a smart decision, you know. Men like him ain't any good. All he's gonna do is drag you down. You're too smart for that Etta, and pretty to boot."

"Thank you for the kind words Sam, but I can't. He's sweet you know... when he's not drunk like that." she said softly. She seemed almost guilty. Sam sighed.

"Etta, how does lunch sound?" Lina interjected, seeking to change the subject.

Etta paused, looking at Lina. "How come?"

"Well, I invited the new lady who works over at the general store, and I thought you would maybe like to come along to eat. I have enough for everyone, and I'm trying to make some friends in this town. I also might have already told her you'd be there too." Lina laughed nervously. After a long pause, Etta nodded yes. "Just meet me in room 17 after you finish your drink, okay?" she directed, looking at Sam with an expression that said keep an eye on that door.

"Okay. See you then." Etta replied.

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Lina stalked to her own room thereafter, preparing a hearty lunch for her newfound comrades. Toast and a great deal of butter were laid out onto a table, with an assortment of meat suitable for sandwiches. She made up a couple of sides, including beans and a sort of a potato hash. She was sitting silverware out when Etta slipped into her room, the liquor she had been drinking still on her breath. She seemed to be a bit loosened, seating herself at the table.

Mary Jane arrived a few minutes after and placed herself next to Lina. The girls dug in, exchanging stories and woes. The room was warm with comfort and merriment. Maybe Lina could get used to this town.

NOTE: hi guys! sorry about the wait, my life has been a little crazy lately. I also want to apologize for the quality of the chapter. it's purpose is to introduce some players that will be important later on and be even more important in the next books in this series. i am also missing the original documents that i wrote DIYD on, so that has made rewriting the ting a little more difficult than i thought it would be. thank god i didnt delete the old chapters i published. anyway, enough of my bellyaching. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and dont forget to vote, drop some comments and follow my account for updates on how the writing is going and such! your support is the only thing keeping me going in terms of continuing doc and lina's story and i love you guys so much. see you next update!

xoxo, orrin

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