[ti]solo[/ti]Boys will be Bots!

"Fancy a drink, traveler?" asked the man at the table.

Torino stopped mid-step. "Are you talking to me?" she asked, looking him up and down. He had eyes like dark and troubled amber, a jaw you could break a roof tile on, six o'clock shadow, and a cowboy hat stained with road dust. She was very interested.

"Ain't nobody else in this bar worth talking to," he replied.

Torino blushed a little. "I will join you for a drink," she declared, and took a seat across from the stranger. The barman appeared, and the stranger ordered another small glass of liquor from a jug labelled with a row of little X's.

"I will have a strong drink too!" said Torino. "A [tangent=I don't know. It's Spanish, not Italian.]margarita[/tangent]!" The barman looked at her strangely, but headed off to fix her the cocktail. He returned a moment later with a bright red margarita in a long-stemmed glass, it even had a lime wedge on the rim of the glass.

The stranger took a sip of his drink. "You new in this town?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" said Torino, her heart beating a little faster than usual. It was exciting to be on a date! "I am from Italy!"

"An out-of-towner! Well it's nice to see a new face every now and then."

"You think my face is nice!" Torino's blush returned, and she took a sip of her margarita through a long straw. "Where are you from...oh! I don't know your name!"

"My name's not one you'll forget," promised the stranger. "I was born Vince Conway. But most folks know me around here as Bullseye."

Torino gasped. "My name means little bull!" she said, almost spilling her drink. "Bullseye I have a question for you. Do you like flowers? I was a gardener back in Italy."

The cowboy finished his drink in one shot and summoned the bartender for a refill. He fixed Torino with a look that made her eyes go wide. "Let's just say I've had a lifetime of reaping what I sow." He turned his immaculate jaw to reveal a long vertical scar running from his jaw up to just below his left eye. Time had faded the wound to a pale line.

"Oh no! Are you hurt?" Torino asked, reaching out to touch the scar. Her fingers grazed his face. It was stubbly.

"Not anymore," he said, "The pain faded long ago, but the memory of the creature that did this will sit with me for as long as I live."

"A creature? Like a Pokemon? Were you battling it?"

"I was out on the Steppes on the trail of a smuggler named One-Eye Walter, when I got jumped by a whole flock of Rufflet."

Torino frowned, trying to imagine this strong man getting pecked by a bunch of fluffy birds.

"I fled back to town, barely conscious. By the time I'd recovered, One-Eye Walter was long gone up into the hills near The Divide."

"Oh. That is sad," Torino said.

"That's where I need your help. Track down One-Eye Walter with me! We'll bring that no-gooder to justice and split the loot two ways."

Torino was seriously considering the second date when a UI popup appeared.

ESCORT QUEST!: Follow the trail and catch One-Eye Walter!

She frowned. This was not a friend request or a party invitation.

"Are you from the game?" she asked.

"The only games I play are dice and blackjack, little lady. I'm as serious as a heart attack."

"No. Are you living in this place?" she pushed, getting frustrated.

"Briarbane, born and raised."

Torino narrowed her eyes. She finished her margarita. "I am sorry Bullseye, but you are not what I'm looking for."

His grin twisted sour. "I know the pain of looking for somethign you'll never find. One-Eye Walter-"

Torino walked out of the bar.