I was listening to Isa but continued to talk to Myth about Amber and reminded him that I still needed to do my test shots with her. He smiled and thought about how he would like to blow one or two of the up and hang them in the apartment. Myth also asked me what I had to do exactly that night as the greeter at SinQ and I told him and blushed out of embarrassment...

Isa was still listening and asked if Myth was now a pimp. Myth asked her what she meant by that and she responded, “Making Anja work at SinQ. The arrangement with Rendell.” She says things in such a matter-a-fact kind of way. I told her that Amber hired me as a model and she blurted out, “Really? Doing what? Modeling dildos?” Myth frowned at her, “No Isa her working there has nothing to do with me actually. I don’t want her to do it but she owes Amber quiet a bit of cash and is working it off by modeling for her.”

I looked around the bar and noticed that a new dancer had taken the pole and introduced myself to her. Her name was EnjoyWithMe, but used the nickname Mandy...

Neither one of us saw Isa reach into her courier bag to pull out a thick envelope. We were standing at the bar and I had just served Myth a beer. Isa set the envelope (that was stained a bit with whipped cream and on the front had the words, ‘Myth, thanks a bunch. Rendell’ scrawled on it) down in front of Myth. Myth looked at it and asked what it was. I looked at it and watched Myth and Isa not knowing what it was either. Isa told us that inside were 10gs. Myth asked her why Rendell was giving it to him and said that it wasn’t part of the deal. Isa said he was feeling generous. Myth wasn’t sure if he wanted to take it but told Isa, “I do have a use for it.” Myth thanked her for giving him the money and told her that he had hoped that Rendell had been in a good mood that night after the meeting. Isa stated bluntly, “Licking whipped cream off me always puts him in a good mood.” I looked at the envelope again and then understood where the stains came from...

Vitto entered the bar looking a little worse for words and I asked him what happened. He ordered his favourite drink, Jameson double neat, and told me he had been shot in the foot. As I was getting him his drink I caught a glance at Myth and saw the look on his face and it seemed like he was thinking of whom to sent the thank you card to...

I asked Vitto if he was okay and he told us that it had slowed down his daily runs but other than that he was doing well then added except for the part of getting back into the gym. Vitto was using a wheelchair. I suggested that someone build a ramp for him and Isa interjected, “Or you could crawl?” Vitto told her that he doesn’t crawl. Isa continued, “On your hands and knees like they do at the religious shrines. Stopping to pray on every step.” I heard Myth chuckling and asked Vitto if he knew who shot him. Vitto said, “Yeah I know. Some clown faced bitch named Calli… not Cally here…Calli.” I was listening to Vitto but could still hear Myth and Isa in the background chatting…

Isa: Myth have you ever been to Lourdes?
Myth: The store?
Isa: Fascinating really, no…no the religious shrine.
Myth: No I haven’t. Where is it?
Isa: It’s in France. They have excellent cheese there.
Myth: So what’s it like? Why did you bring it up?
Isa: Mmm? Oh, the cheese? I'm hungry and feel like a nice Roquefort, some ripe pears and a crusty loaf of French bread
Myth: No the Lourdes
Isa: Oh the pilgrims crawl on their hands and knees up the stairs to the shrine.
Myth: Sounds like a frat party I went to once. The bathroom was on the top floor
Isa laughs: Did you have a religious experience?
Myth smiles thinking back: Yeah you could say that
Isa: Ooh? What was her name?
Myth smiles: Don't remember their names

I didn’t quite understand Vitto and repeated, “What? Calli the clown?” Vitto said, “Yeah, there ya go. That’s the one.” I wanted to be clear, “The girl clown shot you?” and then I asked him when it happened. Vitto said on Wednesday. Again I wanted to get the story right and asked, “Today is Friday, right?” Vitto answered yes. I told him, “But I saw you that day…that ‘lovely’ woman that works for you was in here...it must have happened that night.” Vitto wanted to know whom I was talking about and noticed the sarcasm in my voice and I replied, “I think its Torro or something like that. She has frizzy hair.” Vitto corrected me, “Torro? Oh Torri! Yeah well, works for me is a loose sense of the term...I haven’t seen her in the salon as many times as I run into here.” I told him that I didn’t think she was very nice. Vitto seemed a little surprised and told me she has always been nice to him, but it could be because he signs the paycheques. Vitto continued grinning cheekily, “I don’t see how anyone could be mean to your fin...to your lovely self.” I told him about her giving me attitude and that it really didn’t help that I had egged her on. Vitto told me that he would speak to her and tell her to play nice with others...

Xonox walked in the bar again and asked me if I knew where RM went. I looked at him and said, “No idea and I am not the one to ask.” Xonox asked if RM went off with Vampy. I snapped back, “Look, I don’t keep tabs on him at all. Sorry. I’m the last to know where he might be. We aren’t the best of friends you could say,” Xonox noticed the aggression in my tone and took a step away from me and said, “Geez I only asked.” Vitto then piped up, “Yeah, cutting into the middle of a real conversation ya rude bastard.” I continued my talk with Vitto, sort of ignoring Xonox, “Don’t worry about it. I don’t need her coming back here thinking I tattled.”

Vitto wasn’t letting go the fact that Xonox interrupted us and continued to speak to him, “You could at least excuse yourself if you can’t wait.” He then turned back to me, “Well if you insist…but I would be careful around her, her and the new boss lady are real tight.” Xonox then didn’t let the conversation die and retorted back at Vitto and I think the rest of us, “I do apologise - fuck me – what’s up with everyone - so up tight - is there a shortage of whores right now?” Isa looked at Xonox and said, “No a shortage of Viagra.” I asked Vitto who the boss lady was and he said, “Your boss lady…and her” Vitto then excused himself from our conversation to respond to Xonox's comment and told him, “No, I just have a thing for common civil fuckin’ respect.” We didn’t see Xonox leave the bar so Vitto turned back to me, “Ah, he left. Sorry, as I was saying...”

Xonox poked his head back in the door of Lulu’s and smirked, “Sorry I thought I heard something but it sounded like blah blah blah.” I closed my eyes and waited for the fight to begin...

Vitto didn’t let Xonox bother him this time and started to tell me again who the boss lady was and Myth could tell that I just wasn’t getting it and blurted out, “He means Simone, Anja.” Katey then walked in the bar and asked if we were having a problem. Xonox looked at Katey and asked, “Whose shift is it right now?” I looked at Vitto, “Simone?” Katey confused, “Shift?” Xonox replied, “Workin’...you know in the bar right now?” Me to Vitto, “But Simone and I are friends…I don’t get it.” Vitto to me, “Yeah well Torri and Simone are the BEST of friends, if ya know what I’m sayin’.” Katey to Xonox, “If you’re talking about up stairs, I don’t run that, Simone does.” Xonox to Katey, “No I mean the bar hun.” Me to Xonox, “What do you mean shift Xonox?” I’m pretty sure that I saw Myth smirk at all of us because of the overlapping conversations. Xonox back to Katey, “Just wondered who was working right now that’s all.” Me to Xonox, “I am.” Katey by then couldn’t take the confusion anymore and announced to all of us, “Awww forget it! I just got over a headache.”

Xonox then asked us if Lulu’s was like the hub for all of Deadend, “You know…where you can catch up on what’s going on, the grapevine if you like.” Katey told him that it’s just a bar. Vitto inserted his two cents, “You can normally find out what’s goin’ on for a price.” Isa added, “Or a blow job.”

I knew that Xonox didn’t really know my status with RM and I apologized to him for snapping at him like I had. “Sorry, RM is a touchy subject for me” I told Xonox and then asked if everything was all good with the misunderstanding. Xonox told me, “Apart from your friend over there (meaning Vitto) Anja yeah...he needs to watch his mouth.”

Isa couldn’t stand all the pussy footing around and blurted out, "RM is hated by most of the people in this town for egregious insults and abuse. He usually hangs out at the motel or at SinQ when he's not out terrorizing other cities and wrecking havoc. At the moment, I haven't seen him. The vamp girl was in here earlier but disappeared. Can I buy you a drink?" Xonox turned down her offer and left the bar...

I felt lost after that whole ordeal and jumped when I suddenly saw Ram in the bar. I didn’t see him even come in...

I caught Ram looking at Vitto’s cast smirking and Vitto looked at him and said, “Ya wanna sign it? I’m renting out space; make it look like you have friends...maybe advertise your services...For you Ram, I'll even make it cheap!” Ram nodded at Vitto and asked, "Can I carve my name in it?" Vitto rebutted, “Sure, I will even help ya with the spelling.”

Isa announced to all of us, “Anja's upset with some of Vitto's people, the male sub walked in and disrupted the conversation, Vitto and the new guy then tried pissing on the furniture to mark their territory. Anja's pissed at Torrid and Vitto got shot in the foot by a clown. Does that sum it up?” I looked at Isa and told her that I think that summed it up nicely...

Everything seemed to have calmed down. Myth ordered another beer from me. This time I took a little sip from it before I passed the bottle to him. Myth then slid the envelope that was still on the bar from Isa over to me, “Here. Keep the change hun.” I blocked out the conversations in the bar and just stared at the envelope. I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. Myth noticed my hesitation and said, “Give it to Amber peach. I don’t like you in her debt.” I still didn’t know what to do with it. Myth looked at me with those green eyes of his, “Pick it up or should I give it to her?” I then asked him if he could just hold on to it for me for now and he did putting it in his jacket pocket...

A woman walked into the bar and approached Katey to order a shot of vodka and asked her if she knew a guy called Myth. Katey had just finished yelling at me to stop goggling Myth and to look after the customers. I asked her if I could speak to her in the back grabbing her arm not giving her a chance to say no to me. Just before we left the bar area I heard Myth ask the woman Ulrika, “Why do you ask?”

As soon as I pulled Katey aside I asked her right away if she had seen the envelope on the counter. Katey didn’t know what I was talking about. I took a deep breath and told her, "Myth wasn't too happy to hear me say that Amber might want me to work at SinQ again...Isa then pulled out an envelope from her bag and passed it to Myth...in it is 10 grand.” Katey asked me what I had done with the 10 grand that Amber had given me. I told her, “I still have that and still need to give it to RM. Myth wants me to take this money and give it back to Amber.” Katey asked me why and I told her that Myth doesn’t want me to be in debt to Amber. I could see that Katey was upset with the decision and reluctantly told me to give it back to Amber and then said, “Myth has Amber all wrong.” I told her that I didn’t know what to do and that I was afraid of what Amber might to do Katey if I returned the money. Katey thought that she wouldn’t take it back from me anyway. I reminded Katey the only reason why I worked for Amber that night as the greeter was to watch over her. Katey assured me that she was okay and that I didn’t need to worry about her. She then frowned, “One thing that bothers me...where did Isa get that money?” I told her it was Myth’s money from Rendell and that he was giving it to me. Katey didn’t know whom I was talking about and by then I was even getting myself more confused. I told her that I needed to get some air and that I was going to go for a walk...

Outside the bar I ran into Myth, Ram, Gn0m and Ulrika. I looked at Myth and asked if he would walk with me. He smiled and said, “Sure peach.” Katey called out to me to not be long as she needed to go to work at SinQ. I told her okay...

Myth and I walked down to the bench that was across the street from the Jade Dragon. We sat and I told him right off the bat that I didn’t know what to do about the money. I explained to him that on one hand I was okay with paying Amber back but on the other hand, Katey went out of her way to help protect me from RM. I told Myth, “You do know that if I work for Amber, RM can’t touch me.” He replied, “Look you can still work for her if you want but at least you won’t HAVE to.” Myth made a good point...

Myth told me that he was okay with me working wherever I wanted to. I told him that I thought he was mad at me for working at SinQ last night. He said, “No, mad is not the right word. More worried than anything else.” I told him that I never meant to worry him and that I thought that he would have been okay with it because Katey was there with me. Myth then said, “Hell, I don’t know. I just didn’t like it. I know that doesn’t make sense.” I was happy that he could actually tell me what he was thinking and didn’t keep his thoughts to himself...

I confessed that I was very uncomfortable being there with all the women and that I had come to a decision. Cherish then walked passed us and rolled her eyes. I shrugged it off and continued, “I don’t like owing money and now I owe you way too much.” Myth replied, “Look I’ll give her the money that way she doesn’t think you had anything to do with it.” Katey then walked up to us...