The Branding of the Lamb.

"My hands are getting tired Three feel like taking over for me for awhile?" Jimbo asked as he was shaking his arms to limber them up.

"I don't know if I want to keep looking at your wrinkly ass and flabby legs Jimbo. Only upside to this is I get to poke Grubworm with needles so I guess I'm in." Three said as she took the inkstick from Jimbo and set to work on Joe's back while staring frequently at the marks on Jimbo's body. She wasn't as skilled at her work as the Tinker so she was moving alot slower.

Joe was bleeding profusely where she had stabbed too deep. "Three it's making the ink backflow from the insertion point."Jimbo said while looking askance at her progress.Three took his advice and stopped jabbing the needle in so deeply. Joe's grimace on his face relaxed noticeably. Her progress was faster and smoother as she went along soon she had made it to Joe's lower back.

She reached her hand out giving Jimbo a wedgie. 'There's no marks on Jimbo's ass seems to be a waste to not leave my mark on this piece of art.' Three tattooed Agnes Bi III on Joe's left cheek.Jimbo turned around at this point readjusting his drawers.

"Congratulations daughter-in-law.My boy got hitched before his daddy did." Jimbo spit a stream of juice from the side of his mouth onto the dirt floor of his shop."This calls for a drink of store bought whisky!"

Jimbo raced into the small alcove that served as his bedroom. Throwing several small DC motors away from under his bed he came up with his prize. It was a small basswood box with a cockatrice engraved on the lid.

The box was lined with purple velvet, it was cradling a small opaque earthenware bottle with a white swing top mounted on thick wire.

He grabbed a couple of dusty empty mustard jars from further under the bed wiping them down with a greasy shop towel. He set them down on the workbench nearest his bed and poured a dram into each glass.

"Come over here you two hammer some of the Cock down your throat." Jimbo said with a smile.

"Does the groom have any say whatsoever in these nuptials...er as to whether they are official or not." Joe said with a forlorn sigh.

"No it was done in the presence of a witness legal and binding. Matter of fact I'll let you call to register it with The King."

"Just shut up you whingy puss.You should never turn down free Cock." Three slapped Joe on the back of his head. She picked up both glasses and passed the other one to her new husband. Joe slammed it back. It wasn't nearly as unpleasant as he thought it would be hints of mint followed by a sour undertones,it finished with a slight burn that resonated in his throat.

"How does it feel to drink 2 spirit stones? The answer is damn fine." Jimbo took a big glug straight from the bottle after he spoke.

"Can I get another one?" Joe asked as he was quite satisfied with the first one.

"Only on the day I'm dead and you inherit my stash." Jimbo said seriously as he squinted his eyes at Joe. Three snatched the bottle from his hand and took a pull from the bottle herself. Jimbo gave a steely gaze at her as soon as their eyes locked. She let out a small belch then passed him back the bottle.

"I'm the bride it's not like you guys paid a brideprice or anything why shouldn't I be able to enjoy nice things at my own wedding reception."

"That's my wife sold herself for two glugs of store bought whisky." Joe was shaking his head chuckling before the fist hit his jaw.

He rocked backwards but took the blow without falling. She followed her punch with a side kick to his midriff that had him double over vomiting up his whisky.

"What a waste of good liquor... you may as well finish the rest of the backside another day. I have even more incentive to putthis bike together quickly now that my boy is married. I can't have my son walking everywhere Junk Gypsies have to ride."

*Barf and Choke

Ethel had finally made it to the closest gas station and diner. As she was amongst the normals she had to dip into her reserves of cash that she kept in her boots. She dropped the kickstand on her bike. Ethel sat down on the bikeseat then slipped off her left red thigh high boot. 'I have about $300 in mixed bills I'd be better off using a couple of 20s rather than flashing this wad around here.' She sorted out $40 from her broccoli wad then walked into the service station side of the establishment.

At the register she paid for $15 in gas then walked to the diner to order a cheeseburger.

"Hubba hubba you see the ass on that one Frank?" a trucker with five o clock shadow muttered to his companion up at the bar.

Frank nodded his head over at ,Bill,the other trucker that spoke. Ethel ignored the catcalls as she sat in a corner booth ordering her meal that she ate in peace. She motioned the waitress over so that she could pay her check.

"Don't worry about the bill. Bill and Frank took care of it their exact words were 'an ass that fine deserved a free cheeseburger.' Those boys may be pigs but they try to do right. Sometimes they are even eyeballing me late at night, those boys never get a chance to see anything but their trucks and this diner. Always good tippers sometimes they can even be a laugh to watch."

Ethel had no qualms about taking a free cheeseburger. As she walked out of the door of the diner there was an old raggedy red Peterford and an equally raggedy white Fleetliner parked out in front of the station beyond the pumps with the truckers in the seats they made a long honk at her then pulled off to parts unknown.

She got onto her refuelled bike then set off back on her journey. She travelled until it was dark then made camp under the stars.