Sin City [PM to Join]

[Masume]

STORYLINE: There is no real storyline here. Just the everyday life of men and woman in corrupt city known as Sin City. Sex, drugs and violence with...more sex, drugs and violence. This is not for the weak of heart.

RATING: Sin city is a notorious place however; I am going to go a little FCC here. NO RAPE! None what so ever. It's not something I am fond of in rolelays, your taste is your taste. But keep it out of this.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR: Looking for detailed role-players. No 3-line role-plays allowed here. Put some effort in

To join simply PM me so I can look over your previous posts. Thank you.

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CHARACTERS

Males

Marv, a tough, violent, big bruiser of a man, who spends his time on the streets doing odd jobs for various people. He suffers from a mental condition that causes him to 'get confused', which is believed to involve short-term memory loss and possibly hallucination. Lucille, his parole officer, supplies him with medication to control these effects of his condition, though he doesn't seem to be supplied anything that would curb his violent nature. His personal code of honor dictates the repayment of debts and a sort of chivalry towards women. He is a classic example of a noir anti-hero; creator Frank Miller describes Marv as "Conan in a trench coat".

Dwight McCarthy, a middle-aged photographer who, recently bestowed with a new surgically-reconstructed face, is deeply in debt to the women of Old Town and will go to great lengths to help them out. He is often compared with the character Philip Marlowe.

Det. John Hartigan, a good-hearted ex-con/ex-cop. He was one of few honest cops in Sin City. Forced to retire early because of heart problems, on his last night on the job he saved Nancy Callahan from rape and murder at the hands of Roark Junior when she was eleven, only to be framed and imprisoned for the crime himself. He has a distinguishing scar on his forehead. HARTIGAN IS TAKEN

Kevin, an intentionally mute sociopath who resides at "The Farm", kills women, and cannibalizes their remains. The leftovers go to his pet wolf. He is sheltered by Cardinal Roark. Marv kills him after an exhausting exchange of blows by chopping off his limbs and letting the wolf eat him. Kevin is an agile, fast and skilled martial artist.

Bob, Hartigan’s corrupt partner. Betrays him and later regrets it. Becomes more professional during A Dame to Kill For where he is killed by his partner.

Wallace, a fit, long haired artist turned vigilante hero who saves Esther, and seems to be the most good natured person in Sin City. He is, however, a former Navy Seal with the Medal Of Honor. Next to Marv, Miho, and Kevin, he is one of the deadlier people in Sin City, though he prefers to avoid fighting whenever possible.

Det. Jack "Iron Jack" Rafferty/Jackie-Boy : is Shellie's former (abusive) boyfriend. Miho kills him and his four buddies after they threaten Becky with a gun. His spirit later haunts Dwight's imagination, and his murder is what precipitates 'the big fat kill' of the title.


Females

Goldie and Wendy, the twin prostitutes who are currently in charge of Old Town. Whilst little is revealed about Goldie initially, and indeed the resemblance between the two is so uncanny that even Marv is fooled upon first meeting Wendy, he surmises that Goldie must have been 'the nice one' after taking a beating from Wendy, (who had thought him responsible for her sister's murder at the beginning of The Hard Goodbye.) However, once Wendy comes to understand Marv's motives and intentions for his quest, and the lengths he will go to see them through, she softens to him a little, even seeming to empathize with his plight.

Nancy Callahan, a 19 year old stripper who was saved as a child by Det. John Hartigan. A good friend to Marv, who often doubles as her protector. NANCY IS TAKEN

Miho, a highly skilled, rollerskate-savvy assassin who trains and protects the women of Old Town. Among her arsenal are twin katana samurai swords, throwing stars in the shape of a swastika (or, more properly, a Manji), and a Mongolian longbow. Popular belief maintains she is not a prostitute. MIHO IS TAKEN

Gail, prostitute, dominatrix and one of the authority figures of Old Town. Standing 6 feet tall and wearing an outfit made of a combination of leather, fishnet stockings and metal studs, she has a 'business' relationship with Dwight McCarthy. Indeed, the reason Dwight is still alive at all is 'that one fiery night when she was mine'. GAIL IS TAKEN

Becky. a young Old Town prostitute who works for the Colonel, mainly because she didn't want her mother to discover that she was a prostitute, partly because he offered her a considerable sum of money and a new life. Killed in an alleyway shootout. In the movie adaptation, she is killed by the Salesman while leaving the hospital.

Lucille, Marv's lesbian parole officer and Hartigan's lawyer. Preyed on by Kevin and afterwards gunned down by police to cover-up Cardinal Roark's proclivities with Kevin.

Esther, a depressed, lonely, suicidal actress whom Wallace saves in Hell and Back, and whom he's on a mission to rescue.

Shellie, a barmaid at Kadie's. She is Dwight McCarthy's occasional girlfriend. On the night that John Hartigan found the fully grown Nancy at Kadie's bar, she took a drunk and depressed Dwight back to her place out of pity. She was annoyed with him for not calling her for months during A Dame To Kill For. By The Big Fat Kill, they appear to have reconciled.

I will allow other characters. Non-canon as in original characters. However, you must run it by me as well on PM. Also, some characters have died, but ignore those parts for obvious reasons lol

 

[Masume]

OOC: Decided to give any opening to any female(s) who would like to join. Men we need you too!


Rain fluttered down like the butterflies from Beijing. It was almost always raining here. But Gail didn’t mind at all. The darkness and dreary nature of the weather suited her far more than any bright and shiny day. She didn’t much like a nice, warm sunny afternoon. She preferred the dark, she enjoyed the dark, and she gained great pleasure from the dark.

Even with the glittering rainstorm, her hair remained a spiky clutter of silk. Her lipstick was clean and heavy eyeliner remained in tact. She was a priceless sight for any good-natured man that happened to wander down into the underbelly of the upper crust. Sin City and old town where the prostitutes, the women ran the show, any “good” man would run for his life. Especially if he valued it.

Gail and her friends, though prostitutes were the deadliest kind. Killer looks and killer moves. It was a true risk all on it’s own to take anyone of them to a bed and fuck them or have them fuck you as they preferred. And it was an even greater risk to ever lay a ill-mannered hand on them. The price: your life.

Gail pressed her mouth down gently over her cigarette, taking a long drag from the tip, inhaling the smooth aroma. A black Mercedes caught her eye as it went speeding down the middle of the road. She stood by a lamppost, leaning against it. Her eyes followed it until it was almost out of sight. She could have sworn she had seen it once before. Old Town had it’s customers, the regulars. The ones they could trust. Yet still, you never knew when trouble would strike.

Out of pure instinct, Gail looked up to the rooftops searching for any sign of Miho. Oh, Miho the oriental beauty, she was always patrolling always ready. She spoke few words but she was one of the deadliest of them all. Oh Miho…she was one lethal sexpot.

Streetlights provide dim, wavering glows of fluid gold, which pierce the night like a knife. Giving a bit of warmth to an otherwise sinister looking world. Gail needed some amusement, her thoughts wandered unintentionally to Dwight. As quickly as the thoughts invaded, she dashed them away. Her eyes searching the streets as a few women circle around the block lost in chatter and laughter. Another thing the women of Old town were famous for was their ability to make a mans heart rate increase and strike both fear and arousal. And they were skilled in both areas, masters of the art of seduction.

"Hey girls, com'ere!"

 

[catlover]

deleted per request

 

[poohlive]

If you'd blink you'd miss it, coming in from the surrounding hills of the city. Just another lazy sign that hung in the shadows, kept up by sheer willpower and rust.
It was supposed to say Basin City, it was supposed to be basin city, but a couple of punks long ago erased the first two letters. B and A had been clouded over permanently, leaving only the truth behind.

Sin City.

They said things were only funny if they're true. If that's so, then Sin City's the funniest place on earth.

Hartigan kept the car driving, as the lights flashed over the sign for a brief moment, lighting it for the world to see. He wondered if the sign could move, would it scatter at the lights, run away like so many rats and cockroaches. No, he didn't think so, he thought it would still stand here, hanging proudly, refusing to ever go down. This was Sin City, and as long as this sign had anything to say about it, it would remain so forever.

Another long day, another long night that kept him hanging in the dark. He only went into the city at night anymore, only drove in the wee hours of the morning where theonly illumination were the yellowed lights above, only half working, illuminating just enough to see the filth and shit piled up in the corners.

It was a perfect time to come, perfect time to be here. During this time the undergound of the world came out to play. It was no time for good and upright citizens to be wandering about. They were at home, tucked away in their beds, nestled comfortably to the sounds of their eletic coffe makers humming and their alarm systems quielty waiting to alert them if anything should occur.


Hartigan let his car stop at one of the corners, the ancient engine of the old piece of shit rumbling and then grumbling before finally letting down to a weak idle. He had to sigh for a moment, knowing there were times when it lurched, backfired as if farting for all the world to hear, and then died in a gloriously Shakespearean manor. If only they could give Oscar's to cars.

He parked it in his usual spot, behind one of the back alleys near places that were still open all night. Convenience stores, drug stores, bars, strip clubs, the few places in Sin city that never closed, the few places that understood the true world of this place and let it out for all too see.

He needed some supplies, but more importantly he needed some answers.

In the world of Sin City, this was the only place to get both.

 

[Mister J]

Jon - Click Me

----------------------------------------

Of course it was raining, what was new in Basin City? He took a breath, the clouds of warm air pouring out of his lips as he exhaled. Another cold night on the streets it seemed. Just like that night...

Back then things were simple: Kill or be killed. It wasnt the mess that it is today. He'd been dropped off in an alley when he was 10. His mom swore she'd be back..she swore.

He waited there all night, until quite a few strange individuals started to come near speaking words of "comfort" and "kindness". He learned quick about the "caring" people of the Basin City underworld.

Eventually he grew up, living on the streets made him hard. He had to get good at defending himself. Some say he got too good and that that's the reason a mafia syndicate took him in, taught him the ropes. Jon became their key enforcer. A hitman who didnt use guns. Instead he opted for wire. Yes, he used garot wire in ways people only dreamed of. He could cut with it better than your average knife.

But enough of rotten memories, the night was still young and he hadnt yet met his quota...

 

[Mister J]

Down the street, Jon leaned against a parked Buick. His gloved hands snug deep in his pockets as he watched all of the girls gather near a lightpole. All of them coming out from Gail's call. He chuckled a bit to himself. If that were the mafia, she'd definatly be the boss...the big cheese.

Eventually as they all came out from the different alley ways and back corners, he caught sight of his target. A shorter fragile looking thing. She couldnt have been more than 19. Around his age actually. It almost broke his heart to have to do what he was about to. She looked so innocent standing there with the dim light from the lamp post falling down on her.

With a deep sigh he pushed himself off of the old car and strolled up to the group, hands held high as he heard the various clicks and metallic sounds of guns and knives being pulled. With a big smile he waved his hands slowly back and forth.

"I come in peace...mostly."

With another bit of a sigh he looked straight at Gail, the happy go lucky smile had faded into a serious gaze as he spoke again.

"I've got business with one of your girls Gail. I respect all of you, slept with most of you, and it hurts to have to do this. However...she killed one of my bosses. Now I'm here to collect."

It was a delicate situation. If they killed him, it would give the mob an excuse to come into and take over Old Town. If they let him be, they'd lose one of their girls...forever. He didnt know the specifics, only that the girl slept with the boss and then in the morning he was found with a knife in his chest. He was given the assignment and the rest is history.

"Gail, please dont make this harder than it has to be."

 

[Masume]

The cool wind rushed through old town. It swept over Gail ruffling her hair and making it dance about her head. The words this man was speaking to her were going in one ear and out the other. She dismissed every word but “collect” Did he really expect her to saunter off and allow him to do his business, take one of her girls after he had invaded her territory.

No. He didn’t.

The serious look on his face told her that. Therefore, he knew the risks yet he still came. She liked that. But not enough to give him a free pass. So she took a few steps forward, licking her lips, moistening them slowly while she studied him closer. “You have no idea what you are doing. Do you? You want one of my girls?” Gail laughed.

“By all means, take her, whoever she is. That is if you would like to go on one limb less.” She stood against him now, eye to eye. She could be very intimidating when she wanted to be. She looked to the corner of her eye, faithful Miho by her side, her hand slowly caressing the long blade at her waist.

“As for not making this any harder. Sweetheart…I love it hard.”

 

[Mister J]

He canted his head to the side, those white clouds of air pouring out of his mouth as he exhaled. The zippers on his jacket sleeves unzipped as he flicked his wrists, dozens of loosely wound garot wire poured out from those leather sleeves and blanketed his feet.

If he had to he could tighten the wire at the drop of a hat, cut through the crowd of women like a knife through butter. He didnt want to. He didnt want to even harm anyone unless he had no other choice. Then he quarked his brow as Miho conversed with Gail. From the look she gave him afterwards he could only assume she thought he was speaking of her.

However that was not the case, but if she thought it was her...was there another one of his bosses dead? He kept his arms raised high though, never moving. The wire hung loose as he scanned the area and then saw the girl again, trying to conceal herself behind a few of the other women in the group.

"That's her...the short girl with the pig tails. 'Lucy' I believe."

He hung his head after that, his knuckles cracking as he moved his fingers about, the wires swaying back and forth as he did so.

"If you want to get dirty, then we can get dirty. One way or another someone dies tonight."

 

[Masume]

"If you want to get dirty, then we can get dirty. One way or another someone dies tonight."

Gail laughed, shaking her head. “Is, is that so?” She lifted her head so she could look this son of a bitch in the eyes. So it was Lucy he sought after. Lucy hardly meant a thing to her; she could let her go, let him be done with his work so she could leave Old Town. He would never be welcomed back again.

However, Old Town didn’t need any attention right now. Not that they didn’t like it, they were attention whores. But not for this particular kind of attention. “I’m giving you one last warning. Leave.”

Gail slowly turned around, her back facing Jon. “On second thought…” She roughly grabbed hold of Lucy by the shoulders, watching a wisp of smoke escape through her crimson lips. “I’m sorry sweetheart, I really am.” Gail mouthed silently to the girl in pigtails.

Gail twisted around, holding Lucy in front of her. “You want her…come get her.” Before he could reach out for Lucy, she pulled her close to her, hugging her from behind. “Nuh Uh. You’ll have to go through me first.”

 

[Mister J]

"Fine, but before I kill her, I want to make one the clear: I could have easily killed her without coming to you first Gail...could've even made it look like an accident..."

He flicked his pointer finger on his right hand, a nearly invisible garot wire flew up quickly, winding itself around the poor girl's throat. His arms still raised high as he sighed deeply.

"...but I like and respect all of you girls, especially you Gail. I just want you to know that I didnt want to do this, but if I didnt some other asshole would have. At least with me, you'll know it will be painless and swift..."

Then he looked to the girl, poor thing...she had no idea she was about to die. At least she'd go quickly and never know what hit her. It was the least he could do. The girls of Old Town had been good to him whenever he needed company. However, he had to do it. If he didnt, they syndicate would have killed him and sent someone else instead.

He pulled the straightened out finger down a little, then curved it back in quickly as the wire whirled around her neck, cutting throught he flesh so fast that not one drop of blood was shed and he had the wire back in his hands before her head hit the ground, blood shooting out from her neck like a fountain.

"I promise she didnt feel a thing. If you want to kill me, now would be a good time. Otherwise I'll be going."

 

[poohlive]

He hated playing cop. Without the badge it was all a charade. Every time he asked a question he could feel his own words deflate, as if the air behind them weren't as strong, the voice didn't carry as well as it used to.

Of course not. His badge had been all that he needed to make sure anything he did was protected. No matter how sick it got, how gruesome it became, he had this tiny little silver lining called The Law that would keep the stickiest of shit from hitting him.

Now, when he asked questions, he did it as a man looking for information. Few talked, and even fewer cared. What did the inane ramblings of an old man give them? One who used to hold a badge and a gun with such ferocity, and still walked the streets of Sin City as if they were in his pocket, burning a hole.

Sometimes he even reached for them, late at night, or early in the morning. Fingers trailing his inner pocket, a ghost touching hoping for that familiar weight to help him, soothe him, ease him through the pain and loneliness that he now felt.

Still, he wandered the strip joints and late night bars, looking for information, scraping things together. And, even in his own manic bumblings at playing detective, he did find a few interesting details.

The mob was trying to suppress a murder, keeping it quiet as was their ways. They had their own laws in dealing with this, which meant another body would be found before morning.

A series of rapes down near Old Town. Not in Old Town. Hartigan couldn't get information out of Old Town if he were still twenty, still had his badge, and could bend back a few fingers. Old Town was tighter than most of the women walking the street down there. It was an anomoly he couldn't touch, even if he did have the authority.

And another missing girl.

His heart twinged at that, angina kicking in once more, as if feeling for the old memory. Another missing girl, how many did that make it in the past three months? 4, 5? His memory must be fading with age. He thought of Nancy every time he heard another one go missing.

Little girls went missing every day. That didn't mean anything, did it? Could it? Here he was caught in some strange time loop of savior, protector. Destined to save the little girls so they could grow up.

Nancy, he sighed as he finished the last of his beer. It all went back to Nancy Callahan.

 

[fae_bella]

Nancy

((Since its on hold for me, I better get to usin' my char.... ))

"Gentlemen... I give to you... Miss Nancy...," crooned the announcer, dimming the lights while raising the main stage's red hue.

Nancy strolled onto the stage as she heard her name, her eyes not focused on the crowd, not on the lights, but on the pole. It had become her only comfort lately. Ignore the eyes, ignore the hoots, hollers and slurred sexual comments... No, her only concern was that beatiful metal bar before her. It knew her better than any man ever could... her most sensual movements, her favorite songs... and how to get her into just the right places. She grasped hold of it, swinging about it like a long lost lover as she shot a glance out into the crowd.

Already full of slackjawed drunks, waiting to stuff a wad of bills into her red g-string... Hey, a girl had to get her money somehow. It was far better than blowing one of these bastards in a back alley. It could very well be her getting her head blown off in that situation. No, far better to be a midnight fantasy in their twisted little minds... The bits of clothing that still managed to stay on her for the night did well to keep her from feeling completely at their mercy. It was far more protection than she could have out there alone.

 

[poohlive]

(oh no, wasn't on hold for you, but glad you posted)

The bar was dried up. Drinks continued to flow, but the men had said their fill. They didn't like talking too much to guys like Hartigan. Handing out information in Sin City was always a gamble, cause you never knew if there was a trail of breadcrumbs that would lead all the way back to you in the end.

No one wanted to be found a squealer. Once someone was fingered, his lifespan took a nosedive. And, more often than not he did as well.

Besides, the entertainment was out for the night. One of the better dancers, Hartigan could tell. She was a looker, a real looker. She tried not to look at anyone in the eye.

That was a good girl. Don't look them in the eye, pretend your somewhere else, pretend this is better than getting them off in their cars for wads of the same cash. At least in here you were safe.

"Gentlemen... I give to you... Miss Nancy..."

Nancy? He knew a Nancy once, a small little wiry girl. A missing girl that had turned up. One of the few that turned up. Little Nancy Callahan.

No... Hartigan gave the girl a hard stare, dumbfounded. No, she was supposed to be small, wiry, one of those librarians with the done up hair and glasses. Go home every night to a glass of wine and family that loved her.

Skinny little Nancy Callahan. She grew up. She grew out.

He couldn't let her see him like this though. No, not like this. Halfway from being a drunk or a bum, unshaven, smelly. After all those letters, after all that time, she would come to find out he was nothing more than one of those guys in the bars stuffing dollars up her ass to watch her jiggle it in front of him.

He had to leave.

 

[fae_bella]

Nancy

((I was referring to Nancy is all... Didnt mean to come off sounding arrogant about the game. ))

Nancy slid down the pole slowly into a split, working her legs back out in front of her and giving a quick kick to one of the drunkards trying to get on her stage. She refused to share it with any other woman- and she'd be damned if any man set foot in her lights. "Sit back and enjoy the show, handsome...," She growled out, crawling over to him and taking the $20 he flailed towards her with her teeth. it stank of whiskey- and not the club's. No, that cheap shit found at the back of the liquor store, the stuff they were ashamed to admit they sold. He must've thought she was REAL special to get that 20.

She slowly stood up, pausing as she noticed the main light blocked by a figure... some big fella, trying to leave her show. And blocking her light. He was stepping in her light. What, wasn't she good enough for him? She couldn't see his face, only the silhoutte of the guy. "Hey!" Nancy jumped down from the stage, following him.

"Nancy, you get your ass back on that stage!," bellowed the manager, leaning out from the bar.

"Fuck you, Tony! Send Janet out!" She chased after the guy as he ignored her, grabbing onto the side of his coat as he barreled his way outside. "HEY!! What the hell? Wasn't my show good enough for you?!"

 

[poohlive]

(Didn't sound arrogant to me)

He tried to keep going, moving. Old man on his feet shuffling for the door. Had seen one too many girls, drinken one too many cocktails and would head home in a drunken shuffle.

It was all a lie though, he never looked at the girls, hardly touched any alcohol tonight and the only place waiting for him didn't even have a single light on waiting. It would be dark and lonely, forboding, the way the cold touch of a whore might feel.

She shouldn't have followed him, shouldn't have chased him. He tried to move his way to the door, but her hand, small and dainty grabbed his collar, forcing him to turn around, look at her.

He did. He stopped, halfway through the door, and moved back in. If he wanted to, he could have pushed her off and kept going, silently into the night, away from her. Skinny little Nancy Callahan could have her life of dancing and men, no one would be the wiser.

She asked him to turn around though.

So, Hartigan, an old ex con, even older ex cop with a rash of stubble on his face, and hard squinting eyes that made you think of gunslingers in the old west, looked and faced Nancy Callahan for the first time in ten years.

"It was a good show," He said, a small smile, "A very good show, Nancy. You certainly grew up. Here I thought you were going to be a librarian or something."

He gave a small chuckle at that. She had been such a smart girl in school, all those letters talking about high school. He thought she would have been in college by now, making a real living.

 

[fae_bella]

Nancy

"John...?" She stared up at him, shaking her head. Here she had been yelling such vulgar things at him, and it was the man she owed her life to.

She gave a light laugh as he commented on her being a librarian. "I could never do that. I suppose here isn't the best either... but its better than what I could have." She sighed. She felt ackward, standing there in that red halter and thong, talking to him like this. Not the way she had wanted to meet up with him again.. looking like a five dollar whore. Yeah, really got far in life.

"There's no way in hell Tony's going to let me back in there tonight... not after that. I've got a coat in my car. Would... you like to go for a coffee? Maybe- start our reunion off on a better foot." She gave a weak smile.

 

[Masume]

Gail almost didn’t expect Jon’s next move. Almost. As quickly as a breath, a undetectable wire wrapped around her delicate neck, slicing through her flesh. Automatically blood poured from her an insane rush flowed into the air, splatters hitting Gail’s eyelids and lips. Lucy’s body went limp, hitting the floor with the sickening thud of death.

Gail’s eyes fluttered open and she looked at Jon. “Satisfied?” She asked. She let him get that one. The details of Lucy’s affairs with Jon’s boss were a mystery to Gail. One deemed unsolvable now. Her blood continued to pour, circling Gail’s boots.

Sending a fleeting look to Miho, an unspoken signal of what was to come. She didn’t want Jon dead, however, she was not about to let him through his weight around. Not in Old Town, not on her turf.

“Leave us.” Gail ordered the females to disperse; she wanted to deal with Jon herself, alone with Miho of course. They’re bond was great and when things got too hot, too dangerous, Miho was as loyal of a friend as anyone could ever have. Friend? Gail once though such a word was poison to her vocabulary. Nevertheless, Miho was just that.

Her eyes burned over Jon. If he wanted to argue her words, he knew the consequences. His death would be nothing like Lucy’s. His would be long and painful. Stretched out into the course of a few days or as long as he could handle. “Your visit into Old Town has just become permanent. You are going to help us. I want you to ring Nancy Callahan to me. Do we have an accord?”

 

[poohlive]

Hartigan escorted her to her car. He took her in his hands, warm and comforting. She did remember him, after all this time. He had thought perhaps she had left him, forgotten about him, like girls were supposed to do.

She never had though. She always remembered the old man that saved her life.

He got into her car, an old thing about as good as his own.

"Coffee sounds nice," he said, quiet, "Nancy you... you look good. I'm glad you are doing well. It could be worse, you could be some old man eating out of hand and spending most of his nights on the streets, or in some cheesy bar."

His life in a nutshell, the tattered remains of a policeman.

"How about you, is dancing all you do?"

 

[fae_bella]

Nancy

She took the coat from her backseat, slipping into the dirty old black trenchcoat and getting in the driver's seat of the beaten Olds. It was a boat- more of a tank, really. Came in handy for those rough nights. Which were most nights.

Her eyes drifted from the road to Hartigan as he spoke, glad to have found him after all those letters, reminding her of how lucky she was to be alive. "Its still living.. No matter how it is. Something to be thankful for..."

She paused as she thought about his question. She had reasons for her life... She truly did. "I wanted to be someone with my life. To be thankful for what you did for me.. to- to show you that I was worth it. I wanted to get my name up somewhere, you know? To be... somebody. I wanted to get a marquee with my name, a credit for me somewhere. Instead... I end up headlining at a strip joint and doing a few smut videos. I guess that's the closest I can do in Sin City."

She gave a gentle sigh, turning her wipers on. All it ever did was rain anymore. Its like the sky was as depressed as the people below... With the sights they saw, it was no wonder... "This damn city. No one wants to come in... and yet, no one can ever get out, either."

 

[Mister J]

As he zipped up his jacket sleeves he peered across his arm at Gail, then glanced over to Miho who was still fondling the hilt of her katana. On one hand he should do her this favor, she'd let him live in exchange for the stripper. That's right...Jon knew of her, hell who didnt know Nancy in Basin City? However, on the other hand he'd get into an assload of trouble helping the girls of Old Town, especially for kidnapping Nancy whom all of the boys back at the Syndicate worshipped...including him.

"What do you want with Nancy? If you plan on killing her, and using me to do the dirty work then you can forget it. Might as well kill me now and get it over with."

He stood up straight, letting his arms fall to his side as he stared back at Gail.

"Obviously you dont care about the girls here...otherwise you'd know how stupid it would be to kill me...or maybe thats why you want me to run your little errand?..Kill two birds with one stone, is that it?"

 

[poohlive]

The coffee shop should have been condemned years ago, like much of Sin City. If it were all condemned there wouldn't be much left though, not enough to call it a city. Just the small pieces that the senators and elected officials used their corrupt money and bribes to afford the better quality of life.

He ordered two cups of coffee.

"If you want to leave Nancy... I can help you. I don't want you to be part of this. I saved you so you could get out of here, away from this, not to be a part of it. You have so much potential, you can do so much. I remember you said how good you were in school. You can go back, you can get a degree."

Is that what he was reduced to, old after school specials and life lessons from an old man that had lost his own dreams so long ago. What sort of irony could he call here, an old man who had lost telling a young woman she could win if she only tried.

He tried to save her, and all that happened was ten years in jail, an ex wife, and skinny little Nancy Callahan doing what she can to make a buck.

"If it's about money, I have some... saved up," How much did he have? A hundred, maybe two he could srape together if she really asked for it. And what was that? She had more tucked into her ass then that. It wasn't about money, it was never about money.

 

[fae_bella]

Nancy shook her head, cradling the cup in her hands as she stared at it. "No, I can't do that. I'd like to get out but... I can't. It probably sounds like a fantasy of my own mind, something I'm trying to hold onto, but it really seems true to me. Being here, being what I am, gives some of the guys here something to hope for. Something to live for." She gave a gentle laugh, leaning on her hand as she looked up at him.
The years had taken a number on him. She could see it in his eyes... So much had happened to him. Even with the letters, it was hard to understand it all... but those eyes told her everything. And here she was adding an even bigger burden on his heart with what she was.
She reached across the table, gently touching his hand. "Please, John. Don't feel sorry for me. I don't want your money. I want to feel like I have a purpose. My job- makes me feel like I do. Its probably pathetic; I know. But... in the last month, I've had a few guys show up at my car. Scared the hell out of me... but all they wanted to say was I was the first beautiful thing they'd seen in years. That I kept them living... With all the hell that happens here, I'm glad to know I can do that."
She looked at her fingers as they danced on his rough callused hand, giving a weak frown. "You can go ahead and call me a stupid kid. I'm used to it."

 

[poohlive]

"Don't think it'll do much good. Never was much for smarts myself. I was a hard knock cop in this town, and a damned good one too, you don't think I could have transferred out of here in a heartbeat if I wantd."

Offers had come through, lead detective, sheriff of some small town. He had taken them in stride, never really considering any of them. Not even when his wife begged him, when she realized what Sin City really was, and what it really did to people.

She could see it in him, every day as he came home. When he took off his coat he took off the crime he had witnessed, the blood, the shit in this city that people did, people allowed to have done. But each day some of it stayed on him, she had said that one day. Like a scent you couldn't quite wash away, or a flavor that lingers in your mouth. That's what Sin City was, and she wanted them out as soon as possible.

Not soon enough. She had left, she had gotten out. And good for her, she deserved it.

Him? He supposed he was in the same boat as Nancy, the city just grew hooks, and refused to let some of its patrons go. He had accepted that a long time ago.

"You're doing good, Nancy. Better than most. At least you aren't whoring it in some back alley. That's good. Dancing's respectable, probably the most respectable job in Sin City..."

Except for the whores in old town, they ran things pretty good down there. Rarely a hurt girl or innocent victim. Old town had ways of sorting its own shit out.

"I jut want you to be happy, Nancy. If after all these times, all those letters you can tell me you're happy. Then it was all worth it."

 

[fae_bella]

Nancy smiled warmly at him, glad he was accepting her reasons. She would hate for him to think she was wasting her life... After all, the whole reason she had wanted to get into the limelight- or, in this case, the red light... was to make him proud. To show that she was still trying. "I am, John. I swear it. I am happy."

She glanced up as the waitress came back, barely acknowledging them as she tossed the check onto the table. Nancy picked it up, glancing at him. "Hey.. It was great to see you again. If you're ever in the mood for another cup... You know where to find me. Tony's let me and a few of the girls stay in this apartment not far from the club. It's better than the last few places I've been in."

 

[poohlive]

"I did... I did want to tell you something, Nancy. I didn't think I would ever see you again, but I wanted to tell you if I ever got out of prison. I wanted to tell you those letters helped me get through those long years. I always thought you would stop writing when you grew up, but you never did. Each week I got a letter, each week I looked forward to it. The one highlight of my life. You were the one that pulled me through that hellhole."

He rose up, hugging her as he did, kissing her cheek. An old man giving thanks to a young woman, who did more than she could ever realize with just a simple flick of a pen.

"Thank you Nancy," He nodded, making his way to the door. It would be a long night, and the best would make it a simple goodbye. No need to linger on, not an old man like him.