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"Hey, welcome to the Brass Lantern! How can I...?" Jenny smiled as she recognized the short, wild red hair of the woman who'd just sat down at the bar. "Hey, Nova! Haven't seen you in a while." What she didn't say was It's great that you don't have to escape to come here. Moriarty had been found dead in his bed weeks ago with his throat slit. No one in the saloon had seen anything, and if they had, they didn't say anything about it. It was a crime, technically, but no one in town mourned him.
Most importantly, it meant that the man's two...well, slaves...were now free. The Brass Lantern was where Nova had come to get a drink to celebrate her new freedom. Jenny's job required her to be friendly and pleasant, but she hadn't been able to hide her happiness at seeing Nova there. She wasn't Manya; she didn't know everything or everyone in town. And she certainly wasn't Moriarty, wanting to use knowledge as leverage or blackmail to get her way. But she did want more friends; it was nice, not only having her brothers to talk to.
"Heya, Jenny." The woman's smile was enticing; there'd always been something about her. Jenny could understand why she had so many visitors in her last...profession. "What's on the menu today?"
"Just got a shipment of Dandy Boy Apples from Doc Hoff! How about it? I know they're your favorite."
Nova chuckled, a deep, warm sound that stirred something deep inside Jenny. "You're too good to me, Baby." Jenny placed the box of small, apple-flavored candies before Nova. "Anything else? Nuka cola? Water? I can get Andy to get you a beer."
"No thanks, Hon; I'm good for now." Nova popped one of the candies into her mouth. Jenny didn't mean to stare, really, but the small motion allowed her to notice the pink lipstick she was wearing.
"You think the folks who invented those knew how long they'd last?" asked Jenny.
"Don't know; don't care. Will say, they're much better than some of the things I've had in my mouth."
Jenny chuckled. "No kidding. I almost found out what Jericho tasted like once..." She frowned, suddenly uneasy by the horrific memories.
"He tastes awful, by the way." Nova was frowning at the box before her now.
Jenny felt awful. It wasn't bad enough that the man had tried to force her to have sex with him; he'd actually done it with Nova. Now he wouldn't leave her alone. The poor woman...
Uncertain of what else to do, she put a hand over the Nova's. The one not currently made sticky by candy apple coating. "You think whoever got Moriarty will get him next?"
Nova gave her a wry smile. "We can only hope. Do a favor for this whole town." She turned her hand, taking Jenny's in hers. "You think he'd back off if we spent a night together?"
Jenny knew what she was talking about. Nova had served all sorts of clients; she'd heard that she'd even taken the Lone Wanderer, a young woman named Ari, to bed once. She'd wondered, before, but had never gotten the caps or the courage to try Nova's services out for herself.
It wasn't like there was much else to do in this town.
"I doubt it." She frowned. "You sure you're up for that? I won't be able to pay you for it."
Nova's smile grew wider. It wasn't the Come Hither look that she wore for past clients, but something sweet and true. "With Colin out of the picture? Turning tricks isn't a part of my job description anymore. Anything I do with you is something I'll want."
"Okay," Jenny said, suddenly at a loss for words. She swallowed before saying "All right. Meet you up at the saloon tonight?" There was no way she was bringing Nova to her own bed; not with her two brothers in the shop.
Nova raised Jenny's hand to her lips, leaving a pink print of lipstick. "I'll be looking forward to it."