A/N: All righty! Here's another chap. It's not much, but it's something. My muse decided to be nice. I still really have no idea where this is going. It's just coming to as it wants to. So hope it's all right.
Thank you to: llioncourt30 and kaimi yu ki for your reviews. They are much appreciated.
DISCLAIMER: (sniffles) I still don't own anything dealing with Cowboy Bebop. Tis sad, but true.
Spike didn't wait for Jet to give him any more information. He got in his Swordfish and took off, much to Jet's disappointment.
"Hey, Spike, you could have waited. Ed hasn't even finished sending me all the info yet."
Spike's stomach growled. He looked at it and patted it as if that would make it feel better. "Well, I'm gonna grab some food then. Just send me the info when you get it." He groaned as his stomach rumbled again.
Finding what he thought to be a suitable place, he landed and went inside. The sign said, "Bounty- full," so it couldn't be all that bad he figured. And who knows maybe he could pick up some info while he was in the place.
He climbed up on a bar stool and slumped down. The big burly man behind the bar walked over.
"What can I do yer for?" His accent was southern. And Spike thought it odd but he answered all the same.
"What's the specials here?" The man laughed heartily.
"Specials? We ain't got no specials. If yer wantin some eggs, hash browns, and bacon, I can get ya some. But I don't know how special they are." Spike lifted a hand to his face and covered his eyes, leaning into his hand.
He sighed and on cue his stomach grumbled again. His fingers spread apart just enough for him to eye the man with one eye. "That'll do. How about a Screwdriver to go with it. Breakfast of champions I always say."
The man raised one of his greasy eyebrows. "You sure you should be drinking this early. They say, a man wakes up with a drink in his hand and he ends up drowning the rest of the day." Spike rested his elbows on the bar and propped his chin on his upturned palms.
He turned his head to the side and smiled. It was more of a smirk than a smile really. "Well, then it looks I've been drowning for years." The man put the cloth he was using to dry off the glasses down and began to pour Spike's drink.
Once the glass was set in front of him, he quickly reached for it and gulped half of its contents down. He made a refreshed sound and set the glass back down. "Saving the other half to go with the meal." He was satisfied with that. These days it seemed anything with alcohol in it satisfied him.
It wasn't long until his food was ready. As he was eating it the thought that it really wasn't all that special passed through his mind. The eggs were undercooked, the bacon was mainly fat, and the hash browns... well he didn't rightly know what a hash brown was, but it didn't look good so he didn't touch it. These Earthlings and their weird foods.
The man continued to keep an eye on Spike. If he wasn't so damn hungry he might have cared. He finished his food, and just sat there staring at the orangy liquid, swirling in his glass. He kept tilting the glass in a circular motion to keep the liquid moving. Faster and faster, it created a vortex. He just stared into it. He just sat there mesmerized by it; it had hypnotized him.
"Excuse me, did you need something?" No answer. "I said excuse me!" Spike looked across the table at the raised voice. It was a woman with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Nothing really extraordinary about her. She seemed plain. And her facial expression was an upset one.
"What was that?" This woman looked at Spike as if he had lost his mind. Maybe he had. When did he sit down at a table anyway. Meh, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind for later.
"I asked you if you needed something. You just came over and sat down without a word. Are you all right?" She leaned into the table to come a little closer to Spike. "You don't look so good."
Spike waved her off. "I'm fine. I just thought I'd say hello. You must have reminded me of someone I used to know." Well that was a lie if he ever told one. "I'm sorry I bothered you." He went to rise, but stopped midway. A thought formed in his head. 'It wouldn't hurt to ask.'
Spike took his seat again, propping his elbows on the table. He smiled at the confused woman. "Perhaps you can help me. Do you know anything about bounty hunting?" He thought the question was silly, and that she probably didn't know the first thing about it, but something made him ask.
"Of course I do. You are in a bounty hunter's bar. Or did you not notice the sign?" He was caught off guard at her change in tone. "Why do you ask anyway? Are you a bounty hunter?"
Spike sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was just about to ask you the same question." His small smile never left his face as he watched the woman giggle a bit.
"Please, I don't have the, shall we say, knack for bounty hunting. But I know a thing or two about it. Now, you answer my question." Spike picked up his glass and began to swirl the liquid in it again.
"Well, I suppose I am. And I'm here searching for a big bounty head." Before he could say anything else, she cut him off.
"You must mean Ryker Nixon. I believe his is an 80 million woolong bounty." Spike's seemingly controlled self faltered when he dropped the glass spilling the rest of its contents.
He quickly took a napkin from the middle of the table and laid it over the liquid. He watched it soak into the napkin forming the shape of a cloud. The woman cleared her throat causing him to look up at her.
"So, I guess you do know a thing or two. You wouldn't happen to know where I might could find this Nixon guy now would you?" The woman giggled again, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Now, how would I know where a thief hangs out." Spike shook his head. He thought as much. He was about to put a couple of woolongs on the table when she stopped his hand.
"Nu-uh cowboy, this one's on me. Sorry I couldn't help more." Spike smiled at her kindness thinking that it was rare for people to be kind anymore. He turned and waved a hand at her. "Uh you want to know how I know about bounty hunting? It's because of a friend of mine. She's a bounty hunter like yourself. She might could help you."
Spike new that for 80 million woolongs no other bounty hunter would be willing to give up any info or split the reward; he sure as hell wouldn't. But then a thought crossed his mind. 'She did say she. It could be... nah, that's impossible. There's a million to one chance that it'd be her. But still..." He turned back to this stranger feeling compelled to ask her. "All right. Where might I find this friend of yours?"
The woman smiled. "You can find her at Luke's. She's there most of the time. She works there when she's not bounty hunting. Just look for the only woman behind the bar." Spike nodded his head and said his thanks and walked out.
While walking back to his star ship he knew he was forgetting something. Then when he sat down in the leather seat it hit him. "Where the hell is Luke's?"
A/A/N: Not really all that great to me, but it's still on my ok list. If you like, don't like, review please. Orion says that the more reviews I get the more appearances he will make so I can keep writing. I can't remember when I became so dependent on him. Stupid muse! (clamps hand over mouth and looks at Orion) I didn't mean it... honest. Heh, I love you, really! (wipes brow) Phew that was a close one. Well until next time ;)
