[b]James Farkas - Freeside
[/b]

James stood leaned against a wall just outside the Old Mormon Fort, his thumbs hooked inside his jean pockets. He stared out at the neighborhood he had called home for most of the past year, examining it. It was still a shithole no doubt about it but a year ago it had been worse still. The first time he walked through the streets of Freeside he’d seen a couple of kids no older than ten years old chasing the biggest damn rat he’d ever seen in his life down the road trying to catch the damn thing so they could eat it. Yeah, his sister had done a fine job here. Apparently they still had a long ways to go though. 
 
To that end Julie had sent him on a bit of an errand, him being a silver tongued devil and all she thought he might be able to convince a couple of skilled men who had taken too much of a liking to the areas liquor and chems to return to the fort, get clean and hopefully start helping out again in their respective fields of work. Their knowledge on engineering and chemistry had been invaluable apparently. Though James couldn’t help but find it a little humorous that the man who had brewed the detox chems that had gotten half of Freeside clean was now an addict himself. Life's little ironies. Done sight seeing he set off on his way, his first stop would be the Atomic Wrangler.
 
It didn’t take him long to get there, the casino was only a few blocks over from the fort. Walking in he saw the usually sights. Gamblers doing their thing at the tables and at the slot machines. Men and women enjoying a drink at the bar and hookers chatting to men at their tables looking to ply their trade. Ignoring all the vices on display James walked directly to the bar, catching the eye of one Francine Garret.
 
 “Hello there James, the usual?” She smiled, reaching under the bar for what James knew would be bourbon.
 
“Not today darling, today I’m looking for information. A couple of men who were previously valuable members of our ever improving community fell a little too deep in love with drink and chems. Bill Ronte, the engineer and one Jacob Hoff, a chemist. You seen them in here? Know where they might be?” James spoke in a friendly tone, taking off his stetson hat. 
 
“I haven’t, your sister kindly asked us not to sell to them so we haven’t been. Don’t much like losing the money but you Followers have earned some respect around here… One minute though.” She turned and addressed a man sat at the other end of the bar. “Hey Johnny, you seen Bill Ronte or Jacob Hoff around? Friend from the Followers here is looking for them.”
 
“They both move around but I’ve seen Jacob both sleeping and drinking in that mess of a house up the road a little, the one opposite the Van Graffs shop. He might be there. Bill stays where me and most of the other vagrants around here stay, the building opposite Mick and Ralphs.”
 
“Thanks Johnny, your next round is on our friend here, right?” Francine smiled, looking back at James.
 
“That’s right.” James smirked, taking out and sliding several caps across the bar. “Thanks for the help Francine, I appreciate it. I’ll see you later tonight for that bourbon.” 
 
With that James put his hat back on and headed out the door.