Chapter Two

"Rock! It's good to see you. You never come here to eat these days! The last time you came here was when Revy pulled her gun on you!" The restaurant owner yelled, striding across the room and greeting Rock jovially. He then turned to Fredrica and looked at her with a confused stare.

"I'm afraid I don't recognize your date, Rock. Is she new to Roanapur? I think most people would recognize such a pretty woman…" The man said, blushing slightly. Frederica also blushed upon being called 'pretty' by a complete stranger.

"What are you talking about? I saw you just… two days ago. You bought pork from me…" Frederica said bluntly. The man thought for a moment, then jumped slightly.

"Sawyer!? I didn't know you and Rock even knew each other! I-I didn't even know you came out of your cleaning room!"

"Of course I leave UG Pork on occasion. Rather, I do not live there. I live in an apartment with Shenhua and Lotton. We met when I was hired to kill a woman that Lagoon Company had been hired to protect. It seems we got off on fairly poor terms. But…"

"No need to say more! You two can sit right over here! You know, Miss Sawyer, I hate to sound rude, but I always pictured you as sort of a female Leatherface…"

Hearing this, Rock gulped. Truthfully, the first time he met Frederica, he had the same image in his mind, of a female, and much more attractive, Leatherface.

She even did that same Chainsaw Dance of Doom that Leatherface did in the movie. And now, he was slightly concerned that Frederica would rip out a knife and stab the man right on the spot, It was the sort of thing Revy would do if you said anything that could even be considered remotely insulting. But Frederica smiled, and even blushed slightly.

"Oh, shucks…" Frederica began in her metallic monotone with the same deadpan face she usually wore. "I am not even half as frightening as Leatherface… But I thank you for the compliment…"

Hearing this, Rock and the restaurant owner stopped and stared at each other for a moment as Frederica walked on toward the table. Rock would have to disagree. Frederica was terrifying when she was using her chainsaw. And she was even scarier than Leatherface since she was real, and Leatherface was just a horror movie character.

After all, the horror that really existed was always more frightening than the horror on the movie screen. That was why so many people found The Strangers to be more frightening than Nightmare on Elm Street: Because The Strangers was a horror situation that could really happen. It hit close to home and struck a nerve amongst the fear of the unknown.

"That was a compliment?" Rock whispered to the owner, and the owner shrugged. He hadn't thought of it as either a compliment or an insult, but merely an observation he had made one time when he saw Frederica doing some bounty hunting work.

"Anyway, here are your menus; can I get you anything to drink?"

"I guess I'll have Sake. I've definitely gotten used to hard liquor, but I do miss Sake, still."

"Got it… And you, Miss Sawyer?"

"I will have Everclear…"

"Um… Miss Sawy… er… Frederica-san? How old are you?"

Frederica glanced over at Rock with a rather careless look.

"I am 19. Why do you ask?" Frederica said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Well… You seem a bit… I dunno… Young to be drinking such strong alcohol…"

For a moment, neither the owner nor Frederica said anything. But then, they both began laughing. To be honest, Rock thought that Frederica's laugh rather grated on his ears, and seemed to make his head rattle like it was a car running over gravel.

The restaurant owner laughed much longer, though, and finally, he stopped, and said, "Mr. Rock… You obviously haven't met many so-called 'underage' people in Roanapur. There is no drinking age here. Most of us have been drinking since we were twelve or thirteen, assuming we've been here that long…"

"I-I see… My apologies, Frederica-san…"

"Do not apologize. They say that it is good to have someone who can add humor into your life. Usually only slicing people up with my chainsaw makes me smile. This is definitely a rare occasion…" Frederica said. Then, she glanced at her menu.

"Thank you, waiter…"

Rock smiled nervously at this. The man wasn't really a waiter. He was the owner of the restaurant, and was likely just slightly intimidated by the fact that Sawyer the Cleaner was on a dinner date and had come to his restaurant. It wasn't really important to correct her, though.

"So, Frederica-san… I take it from people's reactions to you, or rather, lack thereof, that you don't really get out too often. Do you really stay cooped up in your meat packing business so much?"

"I am not what you would call a 'people person, Rock. I am better at taking the mob's cleanup work, and cleaning places that would otherwise be ruined after a shooting, or other crime scene.

When I am not at UG Pork, I am likely at Shenhua's apartment, playing video games with Lotton. Between you and me, he is terrible. But… I did have fun tonight with you…" Frederica said, kissing Rock again. This time, it was Rock's turn to blush. He still could think of a smart comment, though.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to kiss until the third date?" He asked sarcastically. Frederica smirked, and seemed to snicker, although it came out as more of a low growl.

"Whoever told you that should have their head examined. In Roanapur, you usually do not even have three dates with someone. One night stands are far more common."

"Ehehe…" Rock said, giving a rather forced laugh. "I suppose you're right, Frederica-san…"

"You have been calling me that all evening. I am not familiar with the title of –san. Does it have any particular connotations associated with it?"

"Well, I don't know if I would say that, but, it can mean different things, based on who you're speaking to. It generally refers to the term Mr., Mrs., or Miss, though it can simply be a more formal manner of addressing someone, generally used with anyone with whom you may be acquainted, but could not be considered close to."

For a moment, Frederica was silent. But then, she looked slightly hurt, almost as though Rock had offended her. Had he said something to make her angry? He would be the first to admit that he wasn't the best with women, although…

In all fairness, once he got to Roanapur, he seemed to have slightly better luck, attracting not only the wrathful and jealous attention of Revy, but also the attention of Feng Yifei, formerly from the People's Army of China, and Eda from the Ripoff Church, along with at least the respect of Sister Yolanda, and Balalaika, which meant that he had about 1.5 times the number of female friends than he had back in Japan.

It was weird that he had to end up on the wrong side of the law to gain positive attention from 'the fairer sex', though he wasn't sure that term could really apply to any of the women he had met in Roanapur, save maybe for Feng Yifei, who was fairly normal to begin with.

She was just betrayed by her country. But he couldn't really complain. But now, he was wondering if he had inadvertently put Frederica off.

"Did I… Say something wrong, Frederica-san?"

"I would not say that you 'said something wrong'. But rather, I had hoped that perhaps we could at least pretend to be friends, if only for one night."

Suddenly, it hit Rock. He had been treating Frederica like someone with whom he should keep a professional distance. But she really had wanted to simulate the experience of a date.

"Well… Is there something you would prefer that I call you?" Rock asked politely.

"I am not familiar with Japanese customs, Rock, so I could not give you an appropriate nickname for me. But I do know enough about the world at large to know that those who are affectionate with you, or at least familiar, choose nicknames for you on their own." Frederica said, ignoring the look that Rock had that he was feeling terribly pressured.

"W-well… You probably don't want to be called Sawyer. That's what they call you at UG Pork. Hmmm… Frederica-chan seems too cutesy… No offense…"

"What does –chan mean?" Frederica asked, seeming strangely attracted to this nickname.

"Well… It doesn't really have a direct translation. A lot of Japanese terms don't have easy translations. But… It's used to refer to people with whom you are intimately familiar, such as family members, romantic partners, extremely close friends… People like that… I suppose I could call you Freddy… But…"

"If you are making a Nightmare on Elm Street reference, I will cut you up right here…" Frederica said hostilely. Rock shook his head, terrified, now.

"I wasn't… But I suppose Freddy is out… I guess it's either just plain Frederica, or Frederica-chan…"

"I… Am somewhat fond of Frederica-chan… Though I will not force you to call me that if you are not comfortable with it."

"N-no… It's fine… Frederica-chan… Just out of curiosity, are you not a fan of Nightmare on Elm Street?"

"The first movie was a stroke of genius. The others were more or less garbage." Frederica said. Suddenly, though, she realized that a waiter was standing next to their table.

"How long have you been standing there?" Frederica asked, turning a deep shade of crimson that seemed almost impossible in anyone who hadn't suffered severe heatstroke.

"Um… About since you asked Mr. Okajima to explain the semantics of Japanese suffixes to you, Miss Sawyer. I apologize for not announcing myself, but I didn't want to interrupt."

"It's alright. I'd like the beef ramen." Rock said politely.

"I will have a steak…" Frederica said.

"How would you like that cooked, Miss Sawyer?" The waiter asked, feeling slightly nervous in the presence of this rather eerie woman who was rumored to not only be a vicious bounty hunter, but also a ruthlessly efficient cleaner for Chang and the other mobs in Roanapur.

"Medium-rare. You are new here, correct? You will find that I am not quite as frightening as I appear at first glance." She answered. The waiter nodded, and took their menus, all too happy to be on his way. He was indeed new to Roanapur, having only come less than a month ago He had been forced to adapt quickly, and learn the ins and outs of the city, lest he face quick, bloody annihilation.

Soon their dinners came, and they both began eating quickly. Rock was also pretty hungry, having not had much to eat. He always wondered how he managed to stay thin when he mostly ate pizza. Frederica swallowed, and looked at Rock.

"So, Rock… I have never asked what you did before you came to Roanapur. You cannot have been a criminal your entire life." Frederica said. Rock sighed. He usually didn't like to think about his old life.

"Well… I was a member of the resource investigation department at Asahi Industries back in Japan. I wrote reports. I sought out clients. But… I think my most important job was bowing to my superiors, all while hoping that one day, everyone would be bowing to me… It wasn't really much of a job, and frankly, I think living here is more rewarding." Rock said with a sad smile.

"If you are happier here… Then why do you look so sad?" Frederica asked Rock, seeming concerned about him, even as he ate more of his dinner.

"Well… It would be a long story. Do you remember the story I told about when I went back to Japan?" Rock asked, looking at Frederica, even as he slurped his noodles, being careful not to splash the broth on him. Frederica nodded.

"Well, it's a strange story. She was much younger than I was, Yukio-san, but I found myself falling for her innocent charm. That was why I was so afraid when she began falling to the darkness. I didn't want her to become one of the walking dead. She was wise beyond her years, already, and was the daughter of a Yakuza boss, and was protected by Manslayer Ginji, a man who…"

"You could not mean the Manslayer Ginji, could you? His aptitude with a sword is legendary. Revy told me once after she came back from Japan that he split a bullet in half with his katana. He would likely give even Roberta a run for her money…"

"Well, I don't know about that… But he certainly was a dangerous man. Revy only won through luck. I distracted Ginji by speaking to Yukio. She told me that she wanted to run away to Roanapur with Ginji. That seemed to give him pause for a moment, and Revy was able to shoot him.

"He would have beaten her. He had destroyed one of her guns, and stabbed her through the leg. She wouldn't have been able to run anymore. But then, seeing Ginji dead, she committed suicide with the sword that he himself wielded."

"That is a sad story. But loss of innocence is merely a part of life, and must not be mourned. A woman in her situation would have fallen to the darkness sooner or later. Balalaika merely sped the process."

"No!" Rock shouted, hitting the table with his fist. "I can't accept that! I can't believe that she couldn't have stayed a normal person."

"No. It is not that you cannot accept it. It is that you will not admit that you have already accepted it. You were forced to accept it the minute you became a citizen of Roanapur. You are smart, Rock. It does not suit you to play the fool." Frederica said sternly, looking sharply at Rock, who sighed, and nodded.

At this moment, the waiter came back out with their meals, and set them down. Rock looked over in amazement at Frederica's steak. It was huge, and the potatoes were also plentiful.

Rock's ramen, on the other hand was much less grandiose, and he split his chopsticks, and began to eat. Frederica also dug in, cutting her steak rather expertly, though Rock wasn't terribly surprised. After all, she cut up meat for a living, whether the meat was people or pork. In fact, Rock thought, the beef for the steak could have actually come from UG Pork, unless UG really was only a pork company.

"I can almost hear your next question. UG Pork does process other meats besides pork. I have been considering changing the name to UG Butchery." Frederica said, stuffing another large piece of steak in her mouth. Rock watched as she ate, wondering where all that food went. After all, she really wasn't a large person.

Although she was obviously strong, and sturdy, she wasn't tall, and yet, even after a huge bucket of popcorn, she was still packing her steak and potatoes away like nobody's business. Finally, she finished, having consumed the entire meal, and the entire bottle of Everclear. Rock looked across at her, and noted that she was definitely looking somewhat tipsy, if not completely drunk.

Soon, the waiter came back over to the table, and asked if they wanted desert. Frederica was the only one who nodded. Rock had to admit that he was amazed that she could eat so much. Frederica looked at him and her lips twitched into a strange, and beautiful, but also slightly nerve-wracking smile that seemed halfway between pleasant and sadistic… What did that say about Rock, that he would find a sadistic smile to be pleasant?

"I would like vanilla ice cream, please…" Frederica said, surprising Rock slightly with how polite she was being, and how clearly she was still speaking, despite being drunk. She never seemed the type to observe social niceties, nor did she look the kind of person who could hold her liquor well. However, she dug into her ice cream, still leaving Rock to wonder if she truly had a bottomless stomach.

After all… In just three and a half hours, she had eaten an extraordinarily large bucket of popcorn, a large steak, and ice cream to top it off. Rock couldn't really say anything, though. He had his own bad habits. It wasn't really until then that he really thought about his smoking habit again. He hadn't considered quitting smoking in years. But now, he seriously considered it.

His last girlfriend had told him that it made his breath and his clothes stink like tar and nicotine. His ex-girlfriend had a severe case of Synesthesia, and whatever she smelled, instantly translated into both sight and taste, and vice versa.

So when they kissed, she got a huge nose full of smoke and began to see the nicotine on his breath. Needless to say, their relationship didn't last too long. Besides, she also disliked his drinking habit.

At least nobody could fault him for drinking in Roanapur, since, it seemed even underage people drank. Finally, Frederica finished, and burped rather loudly without bothering to excuse herself. In Japan, that would be considered terribly unladylike, but Rock had learned not to expect better from the women in Roanapur, all of whom could likely kick any man's ass back in Japan.

Rock sighed, and took the check, looking at it. It was much higher than he usually had. But he put the money on the table along with a tip, and took Frederica out.

Frederica smiled again, this time truly happy that she had been able to experience a 'normal' date with a man who wasn't just looking to get into her pants. She had gone on one date where they ended up at a hotel that was usually used in the sex industry, and the man had obviously thought that since she was slightly drunk, that he could have his way with her without a problem.

She proved him wrong when she used her chainsaw to cut his dick off and left him bleeding and screaming in the hotel room. This date was much more than she had expected, in fact. She had not thought that Rock would truly be so polite and gentlemanlike.

He truly was brought up well, and while that usually seemed to sit poorly with Revy, Frederica admired it. As they got back to the Lagoon Company's current address, Frederica gave Rock a slightly awkward smile, and blushed lightly, turning away for a moment to compose herself before she spoke again.

"Thank you for treating me to such a pleasant evening. I do not remember ever having so much fun in my time in Roanapur. Please tell me if I owe you anything for the date. I did request you for a mission." Frederica said nervously. Rock smiled and shook his head, kissing Frederica on the cheek.

"This wasn't a mission, Frederica-chan… It was a date. I thought we agreed on that. Besides, I think I would like to see you again whenever you have a free night."

"R-really?" Frederica asked, unable to stop herself from stammering. Rock nodded, and took her hands in his.

"Yes. If you don't mind, that is."

"No… I-it is not that I mind. It is just… I never considered myself to be very pretty. I was sure that with so many beautiful women like Shenhua and Revy around you, that you would already be interested in someone else…"

"You're very pretty." Rock said with a genuine smile that set even Frederica's heart, which she thought long atrophied, racing. She blushed again, and nodded.

"Th-thank you. I do not know the next time we will both have free time. But when we do, I look forward to spending it with you, Rock…"

"Great. See you then…" Rock said, walking into the hotel, waving goodbye, and closing the door behind him. Frederica was slightly confused for a moment. He had not even brought up the subject of sex. She had never had sex before…

Actually, she had never been on a date before… Except for the guy who she castrated. She had been in Roanapur since she was fairly young, and besides, she kept herself busy with work, and so, had fairly little time for recreation. She would have to strongly consider amending her schedule.

Thank you, Rokuro Okajima. You've made me so happy tonight. Frederica thought to herself as she walked away.