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Enter the Badlands (messeduprp x Skeith Takahata II)

[Rosaline only winked and quenched her cigarette on a nearby post. "I'm nothing if not accommodating. So how about you show me around this lovely little town?"
 
As Sybil was returned to her feet, she smiled again. She straightened her hair a bit before looking around again. "Oh, right! The tour." She giggled a little. "Silly me, on we go." She crooked her arm to welcome Rosaline's again, bag of candy in one hand. As they walked she introduced her to familiar faces, especially places where Rosaline would find the most use. Such as the black smith.

She came to a halt as they drew near the church. Her eyes catching the preacher, which brought him to approach. "Miss Hatchet." He greeted quietly.

"Good morning, father Malone. How are you this morning?" She asked, looking up at him nervously.

"A fair bit better than you, I'd wager. Still trading your company for coin, I take it?"

"Well, my clients have been a fair bit more generous in my life than the church has, or am I mistaken?" She asked, feigning a pleasant smile.

He gruffly snorted at her response, looking to Rosaline. "You, I don't recognize, dear."

"This is Rosaline, father." Sybil said quietly. "She arrived last night."

"I see. Well. Welcome to Aveline. Do be careful what company you keep. Some might mistake you for a harlot as well." Sybil frowned at his thinly veiled insult.
 
Rosaline flashed a venomous grin. "I'll be sure to take your advice father, but I fear there seems to be a snake in the garden, and he is closer than you might think." She led Sybil away, waving piteky until they were out of earshot. "Seems like a real class act if you ask me." She said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
 
Sybil sighed softly. "The church turned me away when I wandered in as a kid. Ol' Man Jasper took me in. Raised me best he could on a barkeep's dollar with some of the regulars doing what they could. Clothes, food, blankets. So, Aveline raised me in a sense." She continued to walk beside her, looking about the town. "But when you're grown, it's time to pay your own way, so here I am." She gave a small shrug. "Father Malone never took kindly to me when I was young and less so as an adult. The 'seedier' folks in town have the biggest hearts, I've found."

"Have you given thought to what you might do while you're here? There's the trading post, if you can hunt. The stables if you like the horses. Seamstress and laundry as well." She paused for a moment turning to look at her. "You've got the smarts to do something special, I'd hate to see you end up in my trade."
 
Rosaline looked at her sadly, "trust me darling... Compared to what I did, you're a real saint." She chuckled but their was no happiness to it. She looked around again and shook her head. "Figure I'll make my way around here somehow. Might pick up a rifle and make a career as a hunter. Does that friend of yours... Does he need a hand with his bar? I could maybe work as a barkeep, let him take a break on some of the busier nights."
 
Sybil smiled softly, giving her a small nod of understanding. "I'm sure Ol' Man Jasper would be happy to have you. Right now he runs the place day or night. Someone to keep it part time would be welcome I'm sure. If it keeps you safe, in town, and nearer to my bed, I would welcome it as well." She leaned up kissing her cheek gently. Mentioning the bed made her remember the night before. She shuttered a little before forcing a smile. "I can arrange for you to share my space while you get on your feet. So long as you don't mind occupying the bar when I have to entertain clients."
 
Rosaline nodded softly, "of course I can do that. A bar is not a problem for me to handle. So what else is there for me to see? Anything outside town of note? I know I've already met the lovely preacher whom I think will get along swimingly with me." She chuckled and her hand instinctively drifted down to feel the gun at her hip. Old habits die hard.
 
Sybil noticed Rosaline's hand slipping down to the gun at her side. Her hand gently moved to rest on top of hers, shaking her head softly. "No one here will hurt you." She promised. She looked back out at the town, breathing in a deep breath. "I'm not sure what else there is to show you. Town's pretty small really. Outside of town isn't much to talk about. Going to far out, you risk bandits. Like I said last night, folks think the hills are haunted." She turned to look up at her, smiling again. "We should talk to Jasper about work. Don't you think? I'm sure he'll be more than happy to have you."
 
Rosaline nodded and slowly moved her hand off the ivory hilt of the gun. She followed Sybil back toward the bar, her eyes locked on the hills beyond the town, "so... Haunted? Why would they think the hills are haunted?"
 
Sybil thought about Rosaline's question for a moment. "Well, a lot of folks talk about strange lights, sometimes weird sounds. Dogs barking, cattle dying, horses bolting. Hard to say what it is. After last night though, I'm a little more likely to believe them." She pushed the double doors open to the bar, walking back inside.

"Jasper!" She greeted the tired old man with a warm smile. She came to sit at the table. "You remember Rosaline, yeah?" She began, motioning to the woman. "She rode in last night? She's looking for work. I bet you could use an extra set of hands around here."

He gave Rosaline a once over before nodding his head. "Well, if you're a friend of my Sybil than you're a friend of mine. We'll try you on tonight, alright? See how you do." He gave her a small smile.

Sybil turned to look at Rosaline, beaming. "Well, that takes care of that."
 
Rosaline smiled and shook Jasper's hand. "Thank you sir. I'd be gracious for this opportunity. Sybil. If you'll have me, I might need to stay with you again for a little while. I might need to regain some wealth to pay for a home."
 
Sybil smiled widely, nodding quickly. "Of course! You're always welcome to stay with me. You've seen what I call home, it's not the most spacious, but I would be very happy to share it with you. As I said before though, I'll need the space should I need to entertain a client."

Jasper smiled a little before turning back to his work. "We'll start you out in a few hours. You ought to get some rest. It gets a little wild around here when the sun is setting."
 
Rosaline smiled softly and nodded, "I will. I've handled much worse than a rowdy bar crowd Jasper." She gently pulled Sybil aside, "Sybil... Be careful tonight okay? With your clients? After what we saw last night I want you to be careful... Even if it's a belligerent client.
 
Sybil went with her when guided. She listened to her carefully, frowning for a moment. "I'll be careful. I promise." She said with a quick and obedient nod. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. It was weird to be so touchy and intimate with the new resident. She didn't even fully understand what was going on between them. Sybil was a prostitute, but Rosaline had made no effort to hire her. Despite that, they touched and kissed often But, Rosaline also seemed to take no issue with her occupation. It was strange. Sybil enjoyed her company, but the nature of it still confused her.

As the day wore on, late into the afternoon, the evening crowd began to shuffle in. Sybil had fixed her hair and makeup, dressing as she would to attract possible clients, not dissimilar to her attire when she met Rosaline. She sat near the bar, a drink sitting in front of her. She visited and flirted with different guests, but otherwise stayed close to the bar so that she could visit with Rosaline on her first night working the bar.

When an older gentleman, who wasn't particularly attractive approached and began visiting with her, Sybil could do nothing to hide the momentary disgust that played out in her eyes. Still her smile didn't fade. She visited and flirted back, until he finally asked about her availability for the evening. "Well, of course." She said with a small forced giggle. "How could I possibly resist entertaining a man such as yourself?" She rose from the bar, looking back to Rosaline for only a moment. She offered her a small smile but began following after the client. It was clear she had no actual interest in male clients, but work was work.
 
Rosaline left her disgust unbridled, cleaning the glass she was holding while the bar hustled around her. She openly glared at the man, a few patrons even followed her gaze to the man as he rose with Sybil. They frowned with her and looked at the man.

Rosaline sighed several times as she considered what that man and Sybil woudl be doing. She would need to repay her for that. She could accept that she was a prostitute but there must have been some other way. Later that night, she spoke to Jasper during a lull in activity at the bar.
 
Sybil was up in the room for at least an hour or two. The older man left the room first, which was fairly normal as it gave Sybil time to clean herself and straighten the room. He stopped by the bar wiping his hand with a rag before ordering another drink, consuming it casually and leaving the saloon. It took Sybil longer than normal to come back down, something that Jasper took note of. He stood up straight, grumbling a little under his breath.

When Sybil did emerge she was a little shaken, still getting her hair in place. She forced herself to smile, even as she walked with a bit of a limp. A piece of fabric tied around hand.
 
Rosaline took one look at Sybil's hand and frowned. She slowly made her way over, playing it off as pouring drinks and taking tips. "So... What did he do first... The hand or the leg." She spoke with pure venom in her voice. Her one hand wiping down the bar counter while the other slid down toward her waist and the gun Sybil knew she kept at her belt.
 
Sybil looked up with a bit of surprise before looking away. "The leg." She sighed softly. "I'm used to violent and rough clients it's not new. He had me till he was satisfied. As usual. But, when he tried to pay me for a single hour, I insisted he owed me more. When I tried to stop him he..." She unwrapped her hand to show a deep gash, still wet with blood. She rewrapped it, limping to the bar to sit down.

Immediately she tried to slide back into character in case any interested parties were nearby. "I'll be alright. It's not the first time a client's gotten rough or tried to stiff me."
 
Rosaline growled softly, "Jasper... Hold the bar for me." Rosaline stalked toward the door, taking her gun out and clicking back the hammer as she did. Several f the patrons who had scowled at the man with her watched her do it and held up their glasses to her in silent approval. It seemed this man was well known but not well liked.
 
Sybil stood to try to stop Rosaline from leaving but her injured leg made it impossible to give chase. She looked around the bar, noticing how the others seemed to be in agreement. She looked back at Jasper, seeing that he was equally angered, if not more. After all, Jasper was the closest thing to a father figure she had. She began moving for the door, limping after Rosaline.

The older man had stalked off towards his home. He carried no firearm on his person, save the knife he had cut Sybil's hand with. He walked with his head held aloft, picking his finger nails with the tip of the blade. He was visibly arrogant. A wealthy man who had brought the cattle trade to Aveline and settled with his fortune.

Sybil reached the door of the saloon to see that Rosaline was already well on her way to tailing him. She leaned against the post out front watching in wide eyed worry.
 
Rosaline tailed him easily. She didn't plan on killing him, just teaching him a lesson. She fucked behind a nearby building and aimed, firing a shot just in front of his feet. The small.Explosion of dust made him jump and lo oo around but she was already gone. I a second something nenhad hit him in the head with a shovel and he was out cold.

Rosaline proceeded to tie him upside down by his feet and take his knife. It was quite a nice knife after all. She proceeded to holster her gun and walk back to the bar. She took one look at Sybil and shook her head. "had it coming" she out an arm.Under Sybil's and helped carry her upstairs. "Jasper, I'm going to get Sybil patched up and sleeping tonight."
 
Sybil was relieved to see that Rosaline hadn't actually killed him. When she returned she smiled gratefully, nodding softly. She leaned on her a little for support as she was walked back inside. She gave Jasper a faint smile, waving to the other patrons. "Sorry everyone. Gonna be an early night tonight, I think." She blew everyone a kiss, still keeping in character so as to not lose future clients. As she was led upstairs she let out a heavy groan. Her hand massaging her leg.

"Really, it's fine. I've dealt with his sort before. Risks of the trade." She walked into the room, slowly sitting on the bed. She very carefully undid her clothing, setting each article aside until she was seated in her underwear. A massive bruise decorated her thigh where she was clearly struck at some point. She carefully unwrapped her hand to clean it again and get a fresh bandage.
 
Rosaline tool her hand from her, "let me." She gently washed the wound, wrapped a fresh bandage around it. "Jusylt relax here... I think tomorrow I'll teach you how to shoot. Just to keep you safe."
 
Sybil let Rosaline take her hand as she treated the knife wound. She winced as she cleaned it, watching her wrap it. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at her hand. Her other hand gently rubbed the large bruise on her thigh. She sighed quietly when told to relax there for the night. Life would be hard if she had to give up an entire night's worth of revenue. "H-how to shoot?" She bit her lip nervously. "I mean, there's a small pistol in the fake bible in the drawer, but I've never had to shoot before."
 
"It would be good to learn... At least to be a bit more safe. How about I give you the money I earn tonight... Since you're our of comission. It's the least I can do for you Sybil. After all you did for me that is."
 
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