FP waved them past the bouncer, then took off. Inside, the White Wyrm smelled exactly how one would expect a gang hideout to smell like. Spilled alcohol, tobacco smoke, body odor, cheap air freshener, and warm breath combined to create a pungent atmosphere that Alice found hard to inhale into her lungs. Penny must have noticed, because she put her hand over her sister's nose.
"Just keep walking. Let's not give these punks any reason to think we don't belong here."
The office of one Forsythe Pendleton Jones I was located directly above the bar, behind a door with faded lettering that spelled "UTILITY CLOSET. KNOCK."
With her free hand, Penny did just that. A voice replied: "Enter!"
Alice turned the knob and swung the door open. Mr. Jones sat in a battered wooden chair behind the desk he'd probably salvaged from some remote junkyard, his feet up on the surface as he scraped mud off his shoes with a broad-bladed knife.
He motioned for Alice to close the door. When she did, he laid the knife down, put his feet back on the floor, and folded his hands under his head.
The girls stayed silent. Jones was a man feared for both his temper and his overall unstable personality. Ever since he'd returned from Vietnam, there was a lingering sense of paranoia, easily tripped by a careless word or incorrect gesture. He rarely spoke except to issue orders, and anyone who didn't show their deference when he walked by got a new scar as a reminder not to repeat their mistake. In a town where the police essentially didn't exist, there was no one who dared challenge him.
After a few moments, Mr. Jones let a devious little smile spread across his face. He stood up, and walked over to Penny, knife in hand. He felt her hair, and rubbed the blade against her cheek.
"I know you. You're that good-for-nothing tramp who's made a fool out of my son! Beaten by a girl! I would've tanned his hide if he wasn't my flesh and blood! And now you come into my bar, into my office, like we're family! I should cut out your eyes and use them for ice cubes, you skank!"
But then he suddenly stopped yelling. Instead, he ran his fingers down Alice's face.
"But I'll forgive you for everything. Because you've brought me a gift. This girl looks old enough to run things for me. She'll work off my son's debts."
Penny could see tears forming in Alice's eyes. She was terrified. She hadn't signed up for this life. She didn't belong in this cesspit.
So she spoke up. "Let her go. I'll pay FP's debts, I swear. Just hear me out."
"Why should I?"
"Because...because she's my sister. And the reason why we're here is...we want to join the Serpents."
