Chapter Text
June of 1954
It was a busy night, like usual... The red Light-District always seemed to be bustling with people, always making money. Prostitutes sat with men in booths and tables, more than one male rarely. It wasn't a popular brothel to go to, but it had its fair share of patrons, regulars that came which mostly consisted of Unhappy Husbands, Druggies, and lowlifes alike, the most popular lowlife in these parts was a man named Franco Barbi.
A man with a fragile ego and a short temper, the man child of a mafia don. It didn't sound like much, but he was a handful, always coming and going picking up girls just for them not to come back and for him to disappear for a couple weeks before repeating the process, girls were scared of him, but money was money, and Franco sure paid a lot... The only reason he was allowed back in the establishment after every missing girl. The Boss man didn't care “There just Hookers” he’d say and he could just hire more. “That Boy is my best customer, and if he wants you, he gets you! Don’t cost me money.” was another one of his speeches when the girls expressed their fear of going missing themselves.
Franco Barbi was many things like Vulgar, Loud, Violent, perverted, and ill-Mannered. He was a disgusting short man child whose daddy didn't love him because of his deformities. He had a Big head, sometimes you got to wonder how his neck holds it up, He had a loss of hair that wasn't discrete, a few blond patches, he had a baby face that was really a baby face to most people, he had a visible overbite to where his buck teeth stuck out, his eyes bulged unnaturally one of them laid to the side unmoving lazily. He was shorter than most men but apparently was very skilled with a gun.
The sound of the door opened then slammed shut, it was as if he was conjured just by a thought. You could hear him coming from a mile away, with each heavy breath and pant it'd make you feel bad if you hadn't known him. Supposedly he had some condition- but he definitely had a lot and yet he still decided to do drugs, drink, and smoke. He looked around and raised an eyebrow as everyone looked at him but quickly snapped their heads away to not set the trigger-happy toddler into a tantrum, especially not with that gun attached to his hip. Practically all the girls were taken tonight... And the ones available he didn't want, not that he was picky, but he had his eye set on someone in particular, a curly haired beauty at the bar. He strode over and sat right down in the stool next to her. He tapped the butt of his gun on the bar top catching the bartender's attention. “Wolf's milk, make it quick” he said, his voice had an accent to it and sounded appealing... Or at least it did to the women next to him. The bartender grimaced at the voice and started to make the unheard-of drink. He glanced at her taking in all her features, she was a real bombshell surprising nobody snatched her up already.
She Had a Head full of tight raven curls that poofed out slightly, her eyes were trained on a paper script, focused and unbothered by his clear staring, her full lips parted slightly as she read over the script, her tight dress strained against her rack dipping low and teasing, it stopped mid-thigh giving a nice view of those long legs of hers. “Haven’t seen you round here you new doll?” he suddenly asked her and her eyes shifted from the paper to him “Been here the whole-time honey, you ain't ever stay long enough to see me”. That was true, he usually just talked himself up, took a girl and left. What was the point of staying when he knew what he wanted? “Guess your right” he said simply before the bartender slid him his drink. It looked disgusting, a yellowish color and he just drank it like nothing.
He drank it in one go, dropping the glass on the bar top and licking his lips, leaving half of a milk mustache on his upper lip “You ever taken care of a baby?” he asked which made her raise an arched eyebrow “I'm not particularly fond of children” she replied to his question which made him smirk “You think you can take care of me?” his lips pulled back slightly to reveal his yellowish teeth, some were missing and the others crooked. “I’m not a prostitute honey, can’t by sex from me” She scoffed and he didn’t seem Maneuvered, he tapped his gloved fingers on the Bar top “The hell you here for then? If you ain't entertaining anyone then you're just plain useless like all the other ones like you” He stated confidently "Excuse me? Like all the other ones like me, what's that supposed to mean?” her lips formed a frown which made his smirk widen. “All you women prancing around being all useless, if you aint got a husband to entertain why not entertain me then nobody at all? Then you'd be fulfilling your purpose” was he doing this to just get under her skin? Or did he actually think this… “I have a fiancé fuck face” She hissed at him which made his smirk falter for a moment “Watch your mouth women, or I'll have to put it to better use then running it” She fixed her face before a disgusted sneer formed, usually men like him didn't bother her, but for some reason he really got under her skin and that bothered her further. “I really don’t need a ugly man child to tell me what i do with my mouth so fuck off” She said dismissively which only sent him into a rage “who the FUCK are you calling ugly, Whore!?” his voice got louder his grip tightened on his gun, he could just blast her brains out right now but would that teach her a lesson? He grabbed her curly hair and yanked her hair towards him making her yelp. “You know your real fucking mouthy for a filthy whore in a whorehouse. You don’t wanna indulge me? Maybe i should just fucking rape you instead that’d get who's in charge through your pretty head” He spat, his face close to hers as he kept a cruel grip onto her hair “I try to be a nice guy, and this is how you sluts repay me? Calling me ugly like i don’t already fucking know it!” he yelled in her face drawing attention to where they sat “Don’t order me around like I'm a damn baby” Spit hit her cheek as he spat once again before he backhanded her harshly sending her to the floor with another pained yelp.
He got up with a huff; two hookers came to the curly haired girl's aid as Franco stomped out the bar irritated and uninterested now. “That's Franco Barbi?” She scoffed, wiping her eye where a tear started to form “Sure is. You're lucky he didn't put a bullet through your head!” one girl told her “What a brute! Smacking a woman...” another said as they helped her up.
“Ms. Daisy?” They blinked at her as she stared at the door "A-Are you alright?..” one asked with concern quivering in her voice. “For a small man... He sure hits hard” She scowled interested in his character suddenly. “That Shot gun hits harder, don’t! you even think about it Daisy Baudelaire!” The older of the two prostitutes said, pointing a finger at her like a scolding Mother. Daisy bared her straight teeth in a grin.
“That Boy needs a lesson in respect.”