[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zlzpAlp.png[/img]
[color=Red][h2][b][i]Chapter Two-
Dealing with Unexpected Difficulties[/i][/b][/h2][/color]
[color=Red]See? Everything's smaller. You guys happy now?[/color]
[color=888888]-Kate[/color][/center]

With its small, antiquated buildings and admittedly rather charming brick roads, the sleepy town of Dalhart, Texas, was a far cry from the bustling city of Seayoto. While Kate had never been to the town previously (in any universe), she suspected it didn’t have more than a pair of magical girls (or boys) at most. Still, she appreciated the place’s cozy, nostalgic vibe, especially since it made seeking out Mariette’s parents all the more easier. Or rather, Lina Herring’s parents, since “Mariette Pedersen” was nothing more than an alias, one meant to deter the average seeker of advantageous information. But Kate, despite what she might claim, was [i]far[/i] from average, in [i]any[/i] respect. Thus, it hadn’t taken long at all to acquire snapshots of her two blissfuly unaware subjects. Taking a photo of the historic, if currently rather dilapidated, apartment building Rosemary Herring lived in, just as she was heading to work, was simplicity itself. Taking a photo of the incarcerated Jonathan Herring was slightly more challenging, but nothing that blackmailing the prison’s warden couldn’t solve.

Unfortunately, the information provided by the photos wasn’t much more than what she’d already gleaned from Mariette’s own photograph. The Herrings truly [i]were[/i] Mariette’s parents, and, from all outwards appearances, the three had seemed like a nice enough family. However, the mysterious disappearance of little Lina Herring had prompted an investigation that revealed Jonathan's years of abuse and a laundry list of other crimes, all of which had led to his current incarceration. Rosemary Herring, now living alone, was struggling to get by and had developed a persistent fear of people in general. Yet, aside from Lina’s rescue/abduction by Asengav, there was no indication that either Jonathan or Rosemary had any interaction, first hand, second hand, or anything else, with magical entities of any kind. They were just normal people, just as Lina had been, before becoming a magical girl. 

With that being the case, the next stop in Kate’s investigation was obviously Wonderland, but since the photographer had no great desire to embark on the rollercoaster of capital “F” fun going [i]there[/i] promised to be, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to stay in Dalhart for a bit longer. Being able to do a little sightseeing [i]was[/i] one of the perks of her profession, after all, and even if Dalhart was on the small side, it still had a few interesting features to explore. In particular, the XIT Museum.

Unsurprisingly, the quaint little museum’s main subject of interest was the namesake XIT Ranch. Once one of the largest cattle ranches in the world, XIT (which supposedly stood for “Ten in Texas”, using the roman numeral “X” for ten) spanned over three million acres and played a pivotal role in the development of the region. Other exhibits included dioramas of local wildlife and even a display detailing the local dairy industry. But the most interesting exhibit, as far as Kate was concerned, was the one dedicated to the Dust Bowl. The town had been near the heart of that blighted region during the period when the phenomena had been at its highest level of severity, and things had gotten [i]so[/i] bad that the desperate city fathers had agreed to pay a traveling entrepreneur nearly a million dollars after he told them that he could generate rainfall. The means by which Tex Thornton, the entrepreneur in question, attempted to create this increased precipitation were quite novel, to say the least.

At first, he had fired volleys of rocket-propelled canisters, filled with a mixture of dynamite and nitroglycerin, into cloud formations, with the idea that the resultant explosions would create an instant downburst. Surprisingly, the first test actually managed to produce a fair amount of rainfall, although it soon turned out to be a simple coincidence when the results couldn’t be repeated. Undeterred, Thornton had moved on to even stranger strategies, culminating with a supposed “weather machine”, which exploded on its inaugural activation. Its broken remains were now proudly displayed by the museum, and Kate couldn’t help but crack a grin at the sight. [color=Red][i]Too bad Nykannis wasn’t around,[/i][/color] the photographer thought with a chuckle as she snapped a picture of the mangled device. [color=Red][i]She could have built an [b]actual[/b] weather machine in her sleep.[/i][/color]

“It really [i]was[/i] quite ambitious,” a formal voice noted. “And the most fascinating aspect of the machine was undeniably its power source, although I regret to say you will not find a single mention of it on any of these informational displays.”

Turning towards the source of the voice, Kate saw that she had been joined by one of the museum’s curators, [url=https://i.imgur.com/PZ7zEcr.jpeg]a tall, dark-haired woman with a very refined and professional bearing.[/url]

[color=Red]“Well, don’t leave me in suspense,”[/color] the photographer replied with a grin.

Giving the slightest hint of a smile of her own, the curator continued. “It is said that Mister Thornton built this machine around a gemstone possessing a number of particularly intriguing properties. In fact,” she added, adjusting her glasses. “It was claimed that the stone allowed one to harness the energies of ancient weather spirits, and it was these spirits’ indignation at the stone’s ‘imprisonment’ which brought about the machine’s explosive demise.”

[color=Red]“Wow, that’s pretty crazy,”[/color] Kate noted with a chuckle.

“Yes, it [i]is[/i] rather ludicrous,” the curator concurred with a nod. “But then, so is the idea of a camera acquiring the secrets of anything it photographs, is it not, Miss Carson?”

[color=Red]“Have… we met before…?”[/color] Kate inquired with a frown, sounding more puzzled than anything else. [color=Red]“You don’t look familiar, and I’m usually really good with remembering faces.”[/color] 

“Oh, I have no doubt,” the curator replied, her impassive visage changing into something far more predatory as her mouth curled into a smirk. “But, no, this is the first time I have had the pleasure of meeting you face to face, although I must admit, your reputation does precede you.”

[color=Red]“And what reputation might that be?”[/color] Kate asked innocently. [color=Red]“I’m nothin’ special, just a humble, freelance photographer.”[/color]

“[i]Really[/i] now, Miss Carson,” the curator replied with a throaty chuckle. “We [i]both[/i] know that you are [i]far[/i] more than a simple photographer, just as [i]I[/i] am far more than a simple museum curator!”

With a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning, a swirling vortex enveloped the woman, and when it dispersed a moment later, the highly professional curator had been [url=https://images2.imgbox.com/c9/88/1jrDXT1t_o.png]completely transformed…[/url]

[color=Yellow]“Ah’m Tornado Tina!”[/color] the curator-turned-cowgirl announced in a loud and boisterous voice as she whipped out a gleaming six-shooter and aimed it at Kate's head. [color=Yellow]“Fastest draw an’ baddest bounty hun’er this side o’ tha Rio Grande! Now, git them hands o’ yer’s reachin’ fer tha sky, an’ don’t bother tryin’ ta blow on that lil’ ol’ whistle,”[/color] she added with a fierce grin. [color=Yellow]“Cause ah’ll shoot it outta yer fingers ‘fore ya can even blink!”[/color]

[color=Red]“Wow… Gotta say, I didn’t see that coming…”[/color] Kate noted in a dazed monotone as she slowly raised her hands in the air.

[color=Yellow]“Ah’d say not ta bother with transformin’ neither,”[/color] Tina went on. [color=Yellow]“But ah reckon ya already figgered ah’ll put one ‘tween yer eyeballs if’n ya tried it, an’ ah’ve already heard tell o’ how much ya hate what ya turn inta. Gotta say, ah ain’t too keen on becomin’ a rough an ready cowgirl, m’self, but, tarnation, it sure does git the job done!”[/color]

[color=Red]“So, who’d I tick off so much that they decided to put a price on my head?”[/color] Kate asked.

[color=Yellow]“Tha price ain’t on yer head,”[/color] Tina corrected. [color=Yellow]“Some big shot collector in tha Overcity heard tell o’ that there fancy camera o’ yers, an’ he’s offerin’ one helluva jackpot ta anyone who’ll take it offa yer hands. 'Magine mah surprise when ah saw ya just waltz on inta mah lil' ol' museum,”[/color] she continued with a chuckle. [color=Yellow]“Guess this really is mah lucky day!”[/color]

[color=Red]“Guess so,”[/color] Kate conceded with a shrug and a resigned smile. [color=Red]“Like I said before, I really [i]am[/i] just a humble photographer,”[/color] she added. [color=Red]“There’s no way I’d [i]ever[/i] win a fight against a top notch gunslinger like you. I’m just sorry I couldn’t give ya more of a challenge. I mean, things seem like they can get awfully boring around here.”[/color]

[color=Yellow]“Don’t ya worry none ‘bout that,”[/color] Tina replied. [color=Yellow]“Ah’ve had mah share ‘o feisty bounty heads since ah started supplementin’ mah pay after diggin’ that spirit stone outta that there contraption, so ah reckon this’ll be a mighty welcome change.”[/color] 

[color=Red]“Welp, don’t suppose there’s any reason to keep hangin’ onto this thing any longer, huh?”[/color] Kate asked with a sigh, while pointing a finger to where her camera hung from its strap.

[color=Yellow]“Ah don’t reckon there is,”[/color] Tina replied with a hungry grin. [color=Yellow]“Just slide it on over, real careful like,”[/color] she instructed.

[color=Red]“Sure thing,”[/color] Kate agreed, slowly removing the camera and sliding it across the floor to the waiting cowgirl. [color=Red]“Here ya go.”[/color]

[color=Yellow]“Now, don’t ya go tryin’ anythin’ funny,”[/color] Tina added as she knelt down to pick up the camera, her enchanted six-shooter still trained on Kate. [color=Yellow]“Or ah’ll blow a hole clean through yer—”[/color]

The cowgirl’s words abruptly stopped, only to be replaced an instant later by a bloodcurdling scream of anguish as her convulsing body crumpled to the floor the moment her hand touched Kate’s camera.

[color=Red]“Oh, crap… I probably should’ve warned ya about the security features, huh?”[/color] Kate observed with a frown as she calmly walked over to where the still-screaming cowgirl was violently writhing in pain, her dropped six-shooter lying a short distance away. [color=Red]“Thanks for makin’ sure we were the only ones here, by the way,”[/color] she added as she looked down at her would-be-captor’s spasming body. [color=Red]“It would’ve been [i]crazy[/i] awkward tryin’ to explain this to people.”[/color]

Soon enough, Tina’s screams and convulsions ceased as the woman finally passed out, reverting back to her mundane appearance in the process. Retrieving her camera, Kate snapped a picture of Tina’s unconscious body.

[color=Red]“Huh…”[/color] the photographer murmured as she scrolled through the information on her camera’s display. [color=Red]“Looks like [i]you’ve[/i] actually got a price on [i]your[/i] head. What are the odds?”[/color] she noted with a chuckle. [color=Red]“Guess this really [i]isn’t[/i] your lucky day after all…”[/color]