For the past few days, I've spent them all with Dominic. He's a great person, with a easy-going personality. He knows Miami like the back of his hand, and he showed me a lot of restaurants and many sights there. I would like to know who he is as a bounty hunter, then we can do jobs together.

But he made it simple, he would tell me his identity if I tell mine.

"Are you sure you can't give me a hint?"

"No."

"Your outfit?"

"Nope."

"Your fighting style?"

"Nuh-uh."

"You're unfair."

"I'm unfair?" Dominic protested. "You're unfair. You want me to tell you my identity, but you won't give up yours."

"My identity is important to me."

He scoffed. "So is mine."

"But at least I try to hide it, you're not wearing any mask."

"But it's obvious why you have to wear your mask because of your tattoo."

"It's not a tattoo."

He paused. "It isn't?"

I shook my head. "It's a birthmark, actually."

"Really?" He leaned forward and touched it with his hand.

There was an awkward moment between us, we both stared at each other. His eyes are so blue, I'm so jealous of him. Then I broke away from our gaze and turned away.

"Yeah."

"It's really cool. A clef, right?"

"Actually it's a treble bass clef."

"Oh, I'm not that much of a music nerd like you..."

I laughed. "Shut up!"

It was getting dark, we had dinner earlier. With the same compromise. Dominic handles the check while I get the tip. We were walking aimlessly in the streets of Miami.

"Hey Melody?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to...get a drink?"

"A drink?"

"Yeah, like in a bar. There's a good bar I go time to time."

I snorted. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

He blushed red. "No! I meant as friends..."

"But I don't really drink..."

"You don't?"

"...Much." I finished.

The death of my parents hit me pretty hard. I would grab a drink or two, but Fidget made sure that that would be all. Sometimes I go to the local bar to find jobs when Tony didn't have any for me, or hang out with other bounty hunters.

He laughed. "C'mon, the bar is a couple of blocks from here."

"Okay."

Fidget glared at me, telling me that it's not a good idea.

But I petted him. "Don't worry Fidge, I'll just have a drink or two."

He bared his teeth but said nothing.

"And I should warn you about the bar." Dominic said.

"What about it, is it a str-?"

"No! It's just that it can get a little rowdy at times."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll get it when you get there."

-

When I walked in the bar, everyone was in a brawl. Tables were turned upside down, food and drinks were splattered on the floor, walls and even the ceiling. A glass cup was thrown to me. I easily ducked, having it crash to the wall behind me. Thank God I have fast reflexes.

I looked at Dominic. "You call this a little rowdy?"

"Actually yes. Usually it would be more messier than this."

"Damn..."

Suddenly someone blew a loud whistle, amazingly everyone stopped. The person who did that was the bartender, he was a bit older then Dominic and I. Maybe late 20s, early 30s?

"Seriously you guys? I turn my back for one second and you guys gone into another of your fights?" He sighed. "I'm already covered with the complaints from our neighbors, even the mayor threaten to shut us down."

Everyone stared at their feet.

Then the bartender grinned. "But like I always say, I don't give a damn!"

Everyone cheered and the bar went back to normal. Waiters delivering drinks, people playing darts and pool, and everyone was talking to everyone they just fought with.

I had to say it again. "Damn..."

Dominic chuckled and pulled me through the bar. He greeted some people as he passed, he seems to be very well known. When we got to the counter, he pulled out a seat for which I took.

When he took his seat I asked, "How often do you come here?"

"Er... occasionally, time to time I guess."

That same bartender snorted. "More like regularly."

"Luke!"

Luke chuckled. "Okay not really regularly, but he's pretty popular here."

"I would have never guessed."

"So Dominic another girl to bring to our sacred home, you little player."

"First of all I'm not a player," Dominic said to me. Then he turned to Luke, "Second of all, this place is the last thing that looks 'sacred'."

"He always says that to make sure the girls he brings are 'the one'," Luke whispered loudly to me so Dominic would obviously hear.

I snorted at that.

"I do not! Lucas!"

He laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he assured us.

He had short black hair and a growing goatee. He wore a bartender vest over a white button down with some top buttons undone. He was pretty tall, and looked really athletic. He was using this water vapor cigarette, and he blew buffs of mist time to time.

"Anyway I'm Lucas Thomson, but I do like to be called Luke. And welcome to The Bounty Bistro, number 1 bar in town, gathering place for the most famous bounty hunters in-"

As if on cue, someone carrying a huge axe threw up in the trashcan.

"-here," he said with a frown.

I stifled a chuckle, "How...comforting."

"Yo Axe-y, I hope you're going to clean that up!" Luke yelled.

"Yeah, yeah," then he threw up some more.

Luke went back to me. "So if I may ask, who are you?"

"I'm Melody Richards, and this- I gestured to Fidget- is Fidget. I'm a bounty hunter in vacation right now."

He whistled. "You are? I was a bounty hunter too, but I left that life."

"How come?"

He shrugged. "The adventure was too much for me, you can say."

"Oh."

"So who are you? I meant as a bounty hunter?"

"Don't try man, I've been asking her ever since I found out, but she never gave in."

He frowned at me. "Party pooper."

"I'm not a party pooper! I just keep my identity, that's all."

"Dominic have you told her your identity?"

"No way, she doesn't tell me her, and so won't I."

"Luckily for you Melody, I know who Dominic is."

My face lightened. "You do?"

"Yeah, how about we trade secrets," he waggled his eyebrows.

I giggled, I got it. "Sure."

I leaned in and whispered hastily of jumbled words to Luke pretending I was saying something. The Luke did the same back. We both giggled like two girls in love. Dominic twitched, not liking what he saw.

"What is it? Who is Melody?" He asked Luke.

But he just shrugged. "Can't tell you man."

"Wh-"

"I cannot believe you're him!" I exclaimed. "I thought you were cool, no offense. But you're him? Sorry, but I'm not much of a fan."

Dominic's jaw dropped. "B-but I am cool."

Luke and I burst out laughing, making Dominic steaming mad.

"That was not funny."

"Actually, It kinda is," I said between laughs.

Luke calmed down and served someone their beer. "So what can I get you two?"

"Just a beer would be nice."

I thought for a moment. "How about an Alice in Wonderland?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I haven't made that one for a while. That's like 34% alcohol, don't you think that's a little strong?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I can take it. And some water for Fidge."

He nodded, and with lightning speed he gave us our drinks. I sat there dumbfounded

"How the hell you made that in like"- I checked my watch- "two seconds?"

Luke was about to say something when Dominic cutted in. "He has the power of speed, when he was a bounty he was called Rapid."

"Wow, really?"

He nodded. He rolled up his sleeve showing a tattoo similar to mine only it looks like a fast illusion, I felt dizzy just looking at it. But the tattoo had a slash across it.

"Yes, the dashing Rapid."

"Until the incident." Dominic said, taking a sip of his beer.

"The incident?"

Everyone was listening to our conversation, the whole bar was silent.

"I had a duel with an assassin," Luke started. "We argued, then fought...."

"Then he slashed Luke's tattoo, with that Luke lost." Dominic finished.

"But it's only a slash, why would he lose?"

"In this world, there's some people who have special powers and were born with a tattoo symbolizing their power." Dominic told me. "People like to call them, The Branded."

I was silent.

"That tattoo is the source of their power if it were to be cut, their power is reduced by half, forever. But if it was removed, it's gone."

I slightly touched my birthmark. Crap.

A drinker noticed. "Heeey, you got a tattoo, too."

Luke looked, "Yeah, it looks like a musical note."

"Yeah, I got this tattoo for my love of music, I'm a musician."

I glanced at Dominic who was a little surprised but said nothing

One of the drinkers smiled. "But if you didn't retire Luke, this place would have never existed."

Luke smiled. "You got that right! Thanks to that, drinks on the house!"

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered. Wow, I think I know why Dominic come here 'regularly'. Everyone here is like family.

I drank about half of my drink. Fidget finished his water in seconds and I tossed him some beef jerky.

I heard someone yell, "Hey Sammy, tell the story!"

A couple of others agreed. "Yeah, say the story."

Luke looked over. "I don't think he can, he's drunk out of his mind."

This guy staggered to the seat next to Dominic.

"No I'm not!" He, I think Sammy, slurred.

"Oh really? How many fingers am I holding?"

"Four."

Luke looked at his hand that was holding two fingers.

"Sorry you guys, he's gone."

Everyone groaned.

"I am not drunk!" He pointed to Luke. "You're drunk! You're drinking on the job again, Lucky."

He blew a puff of fog from his cigarette to Sammy's face. "Samuel, it's not nice to point."

"Yes mommy."

Everyone laughed at that.

Someone asked. "Are you sure you can't tell it again Sam?"

"Of course I can." He said. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl locked in a tall tower, the girl had really long-"

The same person threw a crumpled receipt at Sammy.

"Nevermind." The guy muttered.

"What is this story?" I asked.

"It's not just any story, it's the story," someone answered. "The story of the big MM."

"Big MM?"

"He meant the Musical Massacre," Dominic explained.

That caught my attention.

Luke said while cleaning a few glasses, "He may not look like it. But Sammy used to be the right hand man of one of the top gang leaders of America, Blake Peterson. Practically second after Christian Richardson."

I flinched at the name of my dad, but said nothing.

"And he told how the Masked Musician changed his life. It's a really famous story, talked all over Medieval America."

Wow, am I really talked all over America? I'm flattered.

"But now Sammy is drunk off his ass, again. He made his life better, but he gets drunk for the name of his fallen comrads." Another said. "Now he can't tell the story."

"I could tell the story," I said.

Everyone turned to me, and I froze. "If you want me too..."

"You know the story?" Dominic asked. "How?"

"It happened near the place Los Angeles. I can probably even tell it better than Sammy."

Sammy snorted. "As if little girl. I'm a way better storyteller than you." He pointed at me.

He still looks the same like I last saw him, it was about three years ago. When I started my life as a bounty hunter.

"Want to bet old man?"

"Sure," he shook my hand.

"Five grand."

Lots of people did a spit take, then yelled in unison, "WHAT!"

"You're a gambler aren't ya." Sammy said. "But sadly we shook, and I'm a man of my word."

I nodded, "Good."

Lots of people sat closer to me, sitting on tables or on the floor.

"This is the story of the Musical Massacre, which famed the Masked Musician all over Medieval America." I stared. "And this is how it began..."

I know, I know. I'm mean. I'm leaving a cliff hanger, I rarely leave cliffhangers. It was suppose to be longer with the story attached to it, but I was like, 'Nah, I don't want one chapter to be too long. So I'll just turn one long chapter to two short ones.' I highfive my mind for that awesome thought.

Don't worry, I thought of this when I was half-way done with the musical massacre story. So it's probably done by tomorrow.

I added another character to the story, Lucas Thomson. And the Bounty Bistro was inspired Fairy Tail guild and their famous brawls.

Anywho, thanks for reading. And VOMMENT. Haven't wrote VOMMENT for a while. DERP

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