Sure. I smoke

He brushes an open spot for his mug and offers you a stick before putting one in his mouth. Then, he finds a matchbox in his pocket and lights both your nicotine sticks.

After a few sips and puffs, you finally get to hear what Kenji’s questions are. “Since you’re done with Scarlet, I’d like to take you on a contract.”

“Payout?”

“About 25 dollars,” he says.

“Jesus. 25 dollars each?”

“The contract was about 300, but I offered my services for a discount.”

You switch your weight around. “What did the discount take it down to?”

“Roughly 50 dollars.”

“You have a soft heart for this guy or what?” You say, somewhat bitterly.

Kenji produces a thick cloud and snuffs out the filter end of his cigarette before downing the rest of his coffee. “You could say I was sympathetic to his issue.”

“And this is where I come in somehow?”

Kenji shrugged and frowned deeply as he looked towards the little town below. “I think you might get a kick out of it. You have a black uniform, right?”

“Black and no accents…”

“Black and no accents,” he winks.

…

…

To your chagrin, Kenji led you straight to Tiny’s Tavern, the place where a significant part of your life started.

You hid beneath your face wrap and prayed you wouldn’t be recognized by anyone inside, notably Delilah, who was bound to be working the day shift. But when you came in, you saw a blonde operating the bar instead. Her easy green eyes washed over you and straightened immediately.

This wasn’t your first time wearing this black uniform, but whenever you had contracts uninvolved with the ARS, Amara made a big deal. You made no relation to the gun-running op. These uniforms are particularly sacred to the population here, despite you never seeing anyone else wear these costume pieces before.

The first time someone saw you, they regarded you as a “Grave Organizer.” This was when you were still operating with Scarlet, and she chose not to acknowledge the man, who scampered off anyway.

The lobby of Tiny’s Tavern was empty aside from one man fidgeting alone at a table. Kenji walked over and sat down. You followed next. Both you and Kenji kept your face wrapped, but the man still shook your hands. “I didn’t think my request would gather such an intense audience!” He mused and produced some papers from a bag beside him.

Contract papers, you think.

Kenji takes the papers and skims through them just to confirm it’s the same ones he signed up for. Next, he takes a stamp from his coat pockets and presses it down. A seal with a Japanese Oni is printed on the paper, its eyes are sagged down, and its horns are curled upward. Kenji crosses out the original payment and adds a new number above it. Finally, he looks up at the new client. “Tell me the details.”

“Everything is there,” the man counters nervously.

Kenji looks at the paper and shakes his head. “The finer details will be provided once the contract is stamped.” He reads.

“I know, but…” the man runs a hand over his scalp. “I’m just not comfortable talking about it.”

“We spoke briefly already. Just tell me the rest of the story,” Kenji coaxed. “Remember how little I made you pay…”

The man, no older than 30, whimpers. “You know about my friend already…”

Kenji nods. “My friend and his wife… his young wife and his two kids…”

You glance at Kenji and get comfortable, letting the man continue. “She’s… my friend's wife, she’s… she’s cheating on him.”

“So I’ve heard…” Kenji mumbled.

“Not with the other men in town. You know how we are here. We would never do such a thing! But all last year, she slept with the caravan traders and guards. Sometimes she’d organize herself to be gangbanged by these travelers while he was out of town. M-my friend… his kids… they deserve better. Any man who has a wife that… I mean…” the man trails off, his eyes becoming glossy. “I love my friend. He’s my best friend, and he deserves someone who loves him, damnit!”

He shouts so loud that his voice echoes in the empty lobby. He clears his throat. “He doesn’t know about it, and I wouldn’t have known about either if it weren’t for the polaroid pictures some of the bastards were selling of their in their erotic selection.”

He whimpers, **** back a cry. “I recognized her hair. It was red and long. The bed… the couch… she was getting fucked and raw dogged on everything her husband bought for her and the kids. If he ever found out about it, it would kill him. And I know those sick fucks will return in the spring to get their rocks off again!” He gives you and Kenji a stack of pictures.

“You bought those pictures of her?” You ask.

“A-as evidence. And I didn’t want anyone to…” he takes a deep breath. “I didn’t want pictures of my friend’s wife to fall in someone’s dirty fucking hands.”

Kenji thumbs the papers. “So, you want us to kill her?”

“Yes!” He says. “If I had any more money, I would send you out to find out who slept with her too! They knew she was married. She kept the ring on, and they must have seen evidence of the kids in the house!”

The man covered his face and sobbed. “If he ever found out… he’d end his life. He loves her so much. For him to find out, his wife paraded her body like a slut…Jesus Christ, what if the kids aren’t even his?!”

Kenji shot a hand out. “One step at a time, sir. We’ll take care of it.”

“You will still? You don’t think this is dumb, foolish, or something?” The man’s eyes were pink, puffy, wet—the face of a heartbroken man. “Thank you. Thank you both.”

“If it weren’t for a quota, I would have done this free of charge. Women who betray the trust of their partner—“ Kenji is cut.

“They don’t— they don’t—?! What kind of wife has two kids with a man they intend to cheat on? WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE?”

Kenji swallowed. “We’ll deal with her.”

After your new client gave you the targets address, you both walked there in silence. You could see through the window that the whole family was there. A part of you expected Kenji to go in, but instead, he told you that he now intended to wait.

You watched… and watched… and watched…

Kenji shifted. “You and Flora seem to be getting along pretty well.” He comments suddenly.

“We’re both a little bit of outcasts,” you supply. “Everyone else here was familiar with their positions and the gravity of their roles.”

Kenji grunted. “Come on. There’s more to it. You should have seen her reaction when she saw me haul you inside while you were ****.”

A rush of warmth enveloped your cheeks. You waited for more. “Oh, my God! Is he OK? Please tell me he isn’t dead! Oh, my God!” Kenji mimicked a feminist voice as he told you this.

Kenji breathed a little bit and then continued. “It was like a wife finding her husband wounded at war. Hopefully not like the wife we’re about to dust.”

“Flora’s a hutch rabbit,” you say suddenly.

“What?”

“Uh, a reference to the book she reads. You know what a hutch rabbit is?”

Kenji grunts. “Of course. I just haven’t heard someone reference another person as something so specific.”

“Well, I guess my eventual point was to say that I was the closest person to her situation.”

Another grunt. “You’re no hutch. I was the second person to eyeball your record. You’re a long way from home, but your talents never learned too far in one direction. A master of none, but better than a master of one.” Kenji loosely repeats.

“I’ll admit that killing a cheater isn’t anything new, but the story reflects the man’s character.”

There’s a long pause after you say this. You think the conversation is over, but when you look at Kenji, you realize he’s lost in thought. “I can relate to this matter in some ways.”

You wait, expecting him to continue with it, but he doesn’t. Finally, after some time passes, the husband and the kids leave for some reason. Kenji sighs. “Let’s make it violent. Give the man a reason to think the worst. He’ll get over it sooner.”

You’re unsure, so you remain silent. Kenji, taking this as an act of judgment, proceeds. “We won’t give him the hope that this was an accident. Her husband will know she’s dead. Better to get over a killed lover than to think she’s still out somewhere.”

“And the kids?”

“Kids grow up without mothers everywhere,” Kenji looks around. “Though admitting, not many kids in these parts.”

“This place protected by the Syndicate?”

Kenji regards your question with a shake of his head. “I’ll answer your questions later. For now… let’s get this contract completed.”