It had been close to 2 weeks since Val had spent an evening tailing Rock and Revy. In those 2 weeks, Val had spent a lot of time getting drunk. Something was eating at him, but he didn't know what. The longer he was on this job, the more he just wanted to abandon it. And this was not normal. So he tried to drown the idea with enough whiskey to open his own distillery. But it wasn't working. He still couldn't make the feeling go away. On top of it, he still hadn't found a way to make his capture of Two Hands any easier.

I've never had this much trouble with a job before. This should be easy. All I have to do is capture her, drug her, and get her to America. Once I have her in New York, its over and I can move on. But why is this so hard. I know I'm not his stupid. It's simple, this is an easy job. Damn it.

Val took another swing from his bottle. He was sitting at the bar in Yellow Flag, wearing a a completely different get up. His usual outfit had been exchanged for a nice pair of cowboy boots, still wearing jeans, but with a green button up shirt and a dark blazer. He was attempting to blend in better considering he was drinking out in public. He still had his Colt 1911 on him, but it was now tucked into the back waist band of his pants. His knife had been left behind, but he still had to derringers in his socks. He wasn't a complete fool when drunk. The Lagoon Company wasn't there that night, they had gone out fishing he'd heard. As he sat there, getting more and more sloshed, the hot blonde nun he'd seen several times around this city walked in and sat down a few seats away, motioning to the bar tender. To anyone else, the reveling tank top and skirt would have been a good disguise. But to Val, he knew this was the nun from the Rip-Off Church that had a thing for Rock. As he sat there, Val listened.

"Bar seems quiet tonight Bao. Guess Revy hasn't shown up and threatened anyone"

"Yes. It's actually been kinda nice, not having to worry about the place getting shot up. Though I'm sure it will all go back to normal once Rebecca has the kid"

Val was floored. If he hadn't been more drunk, he might of showed it. Two Hands real name was Rebecca. This was huge. He could possibly use this for the job. He poured another drink, intent on celebrating this revelation. Eda and Bao continued their conversation.

"Yeah, probably. I'm sure as soon as she's no longer pregnant, she'll be back in here trying to drink Rock under the table as usual. I'd expect no less from her. Too bad I never got my shot with Romeo"

"You better be careful. After that stunt the other night, I wouldn't be surprised if Revy still wants to put a bullet in you for trying to take Rock away from her"

"You worry to much Bao. I'll just find someone else more interesting" Eda replied, scanning the room. Her eyes settled on the handsome man sitting a few stools down the bar from her.

"Well hello there" Eda whispered to herself before moving down to sit right next to him. Val for his part didn't acknowledge Eda.

"Evening handsome. Whats a fine man like yourself doing all alone on a night like tonight?" Eda asked, a seductive edge to her voice.

Val looked up at her, before responding, a slight slur to his voice.

"I could ask the same about a nun like you. This doesn't seem like a place one so holy would frequent"

"I'm off the clock. I can do what I want on my own time" Eda replied, smiling at this mans brazenness.

"Fair enough. If you must pry, I actually just finished up a favor for an old friend. Was making my way home when I decided I wanted a drink. Names Val"

"Eda" She replied. "So when do you have to get yourself back to where you are going?"

"Whenever I want" Val replied, seeing what Eda was hinting at. While he wasn't looking for love, some physical release with this sexy nun couldn't hurt.

"Well how do you feel about delaying your travels for a few more hours?" Eda challenged, leaning up against Val, running her finger up and down his arm.

"I feel like it would be worth the delay" Val replied, looking Eda in the eyes.

Eda smiled at this and turned to Bao. She threw down some hundred dollar bills.

"Room key Bao"

Bao took the money off the counter. He then procured a room key from under the bar. Eda grabbed the key off the counter and locked arms with Val as they started walking towards the stairs. Bao watched this and decided Revy was right. Eda's nights weren't complete until she banged a stranger.

As Val and Eda headed down the hall, they paused at the stairs. Val motioned for Eda to go up first.

"Ladies first" He said.

"What a gentleman" She mocked.

"Maybe" He replied with no emotion. "Or maybe I wanted to watch your ass as you climb the stairs" He stated with a leer, obviously drunk, but still maintaining himself.

Eda returned the leer before beginning the climb, swinging her ass to prove his point. Val followed, ogling her the whole way up. When the reached the room, Eda opened the door and the duo stepped in. As soon as the door closed, Eda pounced on Val, her lips crashing into his. The two continued to make out as the struggled to remove each others clothes, eventually falling onto the bed. Despite a whole floor between the room and the bar, Bao still managed to hear Eda's screams of passion. He hoped that the room wouldn't be totally destroyed by the pair, but was secretly happy Eda was up there instead of causing trouble down here. Cheap furniture was easier to replace then the whole bar after a gun fight.

XXXXXX

Eda awoke the next morning, noticing that she was naked and alone in bed. She looked over to see her former bed partner fishing around the room, looking for his pants.

"Well damn cowboy. Fuck a girl like that then leave before she wakes up. And here I was hoping we could get breakfast"

Val paused, looking over at the incredibly hot, naked women in the bed he had just gotten out of. Sighing, he decided he should at the very least say something, now that he couldn't just sneak out.

"Look... I need to apologize for last night. I was way to drunk, and don't remember everything that happened"

"Apologize for what?" Eda asked. "As I recall it was an amazing night. Don't you remember?"

"The highlights, I think. That thing you did with your tongue, and the Boston Cream Pie thing" Val responded, looking a little embarrassed.

"Then I think you remember enough to know I enjoyed myself too, especially the thing you did with your fingers" Eda replied, smiling at the man. Val slightly blushed at this admission. "Though I was surprised by the Colt 1911. Little out of place for a city like this"

Val realized that this could blow his cover if he didn't choose his next words carefully.

"Well I'm not from here so that makes sense. I've always liked the idea of cowboys with Colt's since I was little. Just decided to get the newer and better version of the gun. Why carry only 6 shots with a aggressively slow reload when I can carry 8 in a magazine"

"Where are you from then?" Eda pried. The CIA woman in her curious about the man who had just fucked her senseless.

"Well I was last in Russia. Before that, Austria. And before that, Italy" Val lied. He had been all these places, just not that order. "But as for where I'm from, I've long since forgotten. Haven't we all to end up in a city like this?"

"Fair enough" Eda conceded, deciding that this man probably had a good reason to be hiding something. After all, as Revy would say, nosy types didn't live long in Roanapur "But I was serious about breakfast"

Val was surprised by this. He knew the dangers of getting too involved with anything or anyone in this city; especially since this woman was obviously friends with Two Hands. But... he needed to keep his presence quiet, so pissing off this woman by not taking her to breakfast seemed like a bad idea. Plus she might shoot him; he remembered removing a holster carrying a Glock from her during the previous nights escapades. It was then he finally spoke.

"Well I'm not too familiar with this city. Is there a good place to eat with a low risk of getting shot?"

Eda laughed at this seemingly innocent remark from Val.

"Well there's a good change of getting shot anywhere in this city. But as far as good food, there's a small market around the corner with a few good stands"

"Sounds like a plan" Val replied, beginning to get more and more pissed with himself for being so drunk last night. If he had just drank at his motel room, he wouldn't be in this mess of taking this, albeit incredibly hot, nun to breakfast. Though he wouldn't have gotten that piece of information if he had stayed in.

The two got dressed in relative silence. After donning their clothes, they exited the room and walked down the stairs. Eds tossed the key on the empty bar before the pair waled out the front door of the Yellow Flag. Val was content to let Eda lead; he wanted to maintain something resembling his fleeting cover story. They walked for about 5 minutes before Eda interrupted Val's silent revere.

"For a guy who agreed to breakfast with a girl, you certainly aren't clingy. Most guys in this city would be professing their love to their female companion, and then be looking for their next girl by lunch"

Val paused as Eda said this. She seemed to be implying something more than what she was actually saying. He needed to frame his answers carefully.

"Well I hardly think that one night together; no matter how amazing it was, would be enough for two people to fall in love" Val answered slowly.

Eda raised an eye at this, not that you could tell behind her trademark sunglasses, and smiled. This man, Val, was different. He seemed to posses something resembling morals and honor. A trait that would get him far with women, but not in this city. None the less, his "useless trait" had worked to some degree on Eda.

"One might say that's an old fashioned idea. Most people just rush into things these days" Eda answered, slowly as well, seeing what she could get out of Val.

"Probably is" Val retorted. "Not like I really have much use for it in my line of work" Val internally winced as he said this. He had let slip the topic of work and was sure she would ask him about it, which she did.

"And what type of work is it that you do to end up in Roanapur?" Eda asked, smiling slightly. She had baited him into a trap designed to force him to reveal something about himself.

Val took a deep breath, before pulling a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and lighting one up.

"What I do for work? Well, if I'm in this city you could probably guess that laws aren't much of a concern to my profession. As for something more specific, I guess you could say that I procure things for people who are willing to pay"

"So a courier huh?" Eda asked. Val knew she was still trying to bait him, and up-ed his tact.

"I wouldn't got that far. A courier is usually paid to deliver already packaged goods from one person to another. I guess you could say I'm more of a detective; in a sense. When someone doesn't know how or where to find something, they call me. I find and deliver it to them, get my money, and wait for the next idiot who can't tell his ass from a hole in the ground" Val replied, butting out his cigarette as the pair walked into the market.

After getting some food and sitting down, Val looked up at Eda with a slight smile. He knew she was digging, and had every intention of returning the favor.

"So how about you? Everyone has more than one story. I doubt you are just a Nun, especially after the time we had last night?"

Eda looked up at Val, surprised and somewhat, happy maybe, that he had asked about her.

Now where did that come from? Eda wondered.

"Well, since you've been so forthcoming to me, I think I can share a little with you. I'm a nun at the Church of Violence. We-"

"Offer a specialized import service for firearms and other weapons. I've heard the name before" Val interrupted, smiling at Eda. For her part, Eda was again surprised at the insight and knowledge Val had on hand.

"But you can't tell me that you don't have something else going on" Val pressed. "Surely you've got other irons in the fire; other ways of bringing in money. If I had to guess, I'd venture it'd be something more tactful like a protection racket. Given the churches name, it'd be easy to enforce; profitable too. Most other people, I'd just assume they were just a lame gun for hire; but you don't seem like a wannabe mercenary hotshot. You're far too collected for something like that"

Eda stopped up at looked at Val intently. There was something in what he had said that reminded her of something else. At that moment however, she couldn't say. But there was definitely something, she needed to end this quick. Val just smiled at Eda and resumed eating. They ate in relative silence, each mulling over what the other had said and done. When they were finished, Val took the two plates back to the shop keep and returned to Eda.

"Well this has been fun cowboy. When are you leaving?"

"Not sure. I was going to just head out, but I think I'm gonna make a few calls and see if I can get another job lined up. Would be a waste to travel so far away just for work. Bound to be something remotely closer" Val lied once again. He was indeed going to make a call, but it was going to be to Deep Throat, not a customer.

"Well if you ever get bored, look me up" Eda replied warmly, handing him a card with no more than a phone number and an address on it. "I had fun and would be happy to repeat last nights events"

Val took the card, slightly surprised

"I too enjoyed-"

Eda cut Val off, pulling out a ringing cell phone.

"Hello"

"..."

"Really? That seems so soon"

"..."

"She actually requested me there? And here I thought she didn't care.

"..."

"Alright, alright. I'm on my way. Just finished breakfast. See you in a bit. Bye Rocky-Baby" Eda teased who Val now knew was Rock on the other end of the call. Eda looked over at Val with a look that resembled mild sadness.

"I gotta go. A friend went into labor a month early. Sorry to run"

"I understand" Val replied, smiling warmly at Eda.

As Eda turned to leave, she looked back at Val.

"If you're still around in a day or two, call me"

Then she took off around the corner.

Val turned himself and began walking to his motel room. As he walked, he couldn't wipe the stupid look of happiness off his face.

First I learn more info on Two Hands. Then I get laid, what a night! And now Two Hands is having the kid early. This is perfect. If the kid is a preemie, then both her and Rock probably won't leave the hospital for days. So that will only leave Rock to deal with. Still, I should find out more about Two Hands. Best to be extra prepared since my time table moved up by a month. But I must say, Eda is pretty cute

A/N: So here it is, the next chapter. I actually combined 2 chapters into one as one was far to short and left off in a weird space. The result is a super chapter. I'm currently conflicted about the next chapter. While it has the tone I want, I feel that the dialogue is way off. It definitely needs another revision. Probably won't have it out till next week. But I hope this will tie y'all over till then. Still don't know how long I plan to make this; probably just write until its done. I've got around 6 more chapters drafted, though some might become another super chapter, and I plan to write around 3-ish more. So there is still plenty to go.

-NightSteed out