"Wow!" Emera said, gasping at the sight of the pueblo. "It's so nice, so pleasant, so...small!" Diego laughed at Emera's comment. "Small, eh?" He asked. "Yes, comparing this Los Angeles to the Los Angeles of my time is like comparing Australia to Asia. Big difference in size." Emera said. Suddenly, Bernardo started waving to get Diego's attention. Diego looked at him, and Bernardo signed Sergeant Garcia, talking, and then he pointed to Emera. Diego nodded. "What?" Emera asked. "My friend, Sergeant Garcia, may question you about where you are from and why you're here. It's part of his job." Diego replied. "Well, do you think either of us could work a way out of it?" Emera asked. Diego smiled. "Oh, Si. I believe we could quiet easily." He said, smiling.
~~ ~~
The three tied their horses down and Diego took Emera on a quick tour of the pueblo. "What's that?" Emera asked. "That's the caurtel. The lancers live in their, and that's where the prisoners are kept." Diego replied. "That?" Emera pointed at the posada. "That's the tavern." Diego said. "Oh, I know what a tavern is!" She said. "This place is so nice." Emera said, walking up to the well. She looked around a little, before a nearby vender's stand caught her eye. She walked up to the stand and picked up a shawl. "It's beautiful!" She said, admiring the work of the shawl. It had bright, vibrant colors that intertwined and it had frills of lace at the ends. "I usually don't like this kind of stuff, but this is beautiful!" Emera said, looking up at Diego. "Si, it is." He agreed. "Do you like it, senorita?" The vendor asked, "My wife made it." Emera smiled. "I love it! Please tell her that I think she has an incredible gift." She said, looking down at the shawl, before she put it back. "Here, I'll buy it." Diego said, pulling two pesos out of a small pouch. "Oh, gracias, Don Diego!" The vendor said, looking at the pesos as Diego handed the shawl to Emera, who was beaming. "Oh, thank you Diego!" She said, putting the shawl around her shoulders. Diego smiled and lead her away from the stand. "I could tell you loved it, but didn't have the means to buy it." He said, grinning at Emera. "Do you want to go into the tavern?" He asked. "Sure, that sounds like fun." Emera said, fingering the shawl. Diego over to Bernardo, who was standing by the horses. Diego made a few signs in the air while whispering, "Would you mind getting my father's supplies?" Bernardo shook his head, smiled and walked off. Diego watched his servant for a moment before showing Emera into the tavern. "That's Sergeant Garcia." Diego said, indicating the sergeant, who was arguing with Clara. "No more credit, Sergeant! You still owe us ten pesos and five centavos!" Clara said, indicating the numbers on her fingers. "But..Clara.."
"NO MORE, SERGEANT!" With that, the barmaid walked away. Emera looked up at Diego questionably. "The army pay takes a while, so our good friend Sergeant Garcia, who can't resist wine, just asks for credit, which has obviously built up over a time!" Diego explained, smiling. "Don Diego!" The Sergeant's booming voice could be heard across the tavern, "How nice to see you!" Diego smiled. "I'm not entirely surprised to find you here, Sergeant." He said. "Si, I guess the people in the tavern, like Clara, for instance, appeal to me." Garcia replied. "Oh, really. I always believed it to be the wine. Won't you join us, Sergeant?" Diego said as he and Emera sat down. Garcia smiled. "Oh, Gracias, Don Diego! And, si, perhaps the wine has something to do with my love of the tavern..at least a little." Garcia smiled and sat down. "This is my friend, Emera." Diego said, "Emera, this is another friend of mine, Sergeant Garcia." Emera smiled. "Hello, Sergeant Garcia." She said. "Buenos Dias, Senorita. You're visiting our pueblo, no?" Emera sighed. Diego had warned her about this. "Yes, I am, Sergeant." Emera looked at Diego, who mouthed the word 'Zorro.' "And, I do have questions, Sergeant. Who is Zorro? Have you ever encountered him?" Diego grinned at Emera. He knew that Garcia would get caught up in telling his stories of nearly capturing Zorro hundreds of times. He waved to Clara, who nodded and brought wine over. "Zorro...Si. Zorro is an outlaw. He's been around about two years, actually. Oh, gracias!" Garcia smiled as Clara unwillingly filled his glass. Garcia took a small sip and continued. "I've come close to capturing him many times, but his horse is as fast as the wind itself! Long have I dreamed of capturing him. There is a reward of fifteen hundred pesos for his capture, you know. With that money I could buy the tavern, retire from the military, and live the life I choose. Ahh..It is a fine dream." Garcia heaved a sigh and drank more of his wine. Just then Diego saw Bernardo enter the tavern and wonder over to the bar. "Oh, I hope some day this wonderful dream will become reality, Sergeant." Emera said, "It would be a beautiful life, to own a tavern, wouldn't it?" Garcia nodded dreamily. "Si, it would." He said. Emera glanced over at Diego and then the door. Diego nodded. "Well, Sergeant. It's been nice to meet you, but we need to go now." Emera said, standing up, "I really need to leave." Diego stood up also, said adios to Sergeant Garcia, and the two left. Garcia polished off his glass of wine and eyed Emera's untouched drink, but before he could get to it Clara picked it up. "Oh, what would you do without Don Diego?" Clara asked, before walking away. Bernardo, who had been standing at the bar, smiled to himself. Bernardo started to follow Diego and Emera, when something caught his eye and he stopped. He noticed two men sitting at a nearby table had watched Diego and Emera leave. One man nodded and the two men walked out. Bernardo rushed out and caught up with Diego and Emera. Diego knew immediately that something was bothering Bernardo, but he couldn't excuse himself from Emera to find out what it was. "Sergeant Garcia is a nice man." Emera commented as she mounted her horse. "Si, he is." Diego agreed, looking at Bernardo. "Shall we?" Emera asked. "Si." Diego replied before spurring his horse to an easy trot. Bernardo scanned the plaza one last time before following Diego and Emera.