Gold and Bones | Suegiku ONESHOT

Gold and Bones

A soft breeze made the branches of the trees wave as if in greeting, though that was not returned by the figure currently walking through the lane. The air was thick with the scent of crushed leaves, the rain beating down on the cobblestone pavement around Jouno as they kept walking, completely unbothered by the unfortunate weather on this particular day.

Their ears were perked for even the slightest noise, any indication that the target they had been sent after was in the area, and more importantly trying to flee from them. It wasn't unusual for a target to try that– to walk straight into their hands would be signing your doom. Any hope of freedom from the officers in wine red was a chance one had to grasp tightly and not let go, but in the end none would escape.

A singular Hunting Dog was capable of flooring small armies. Solely one criminal on their own would not stand a chance when faced with such a force. Not unless they got extremely lucky in the matchup.

Water dripped from the brim of Jouno's cap as they kept moving forward, completely disregarding the hindrance of the weather. The sound of rain hitting the hard plastic-like surface was starting to grow annoying, but still easy enough to ignore. It was a bit harder to smell through the water veil, but they managed just fine nonetheless.

A dog on duty. This wouldn't discourage them.

The trail was getting more distinct, showing that Jouno was closing in on their target– they'd met her once before, she wore a rather distinct perfume, which was perhaps not the wisest choice to maintain with a dog literally sniffing out your location.

A rustling of leaves made Jouno freeze in place, alert and ready to pounce in that general direction. This woman was responsible for many disappearances, it was certainly not a stretch to believe she'd attempt to employ the same tactic on them.

Disappearing without a trace was Jouno's trademark, but they'd certainly prefer to have a say in how and when .

"Come out peacefully, and perhaps I'll consider mercy." Jouno spoke into emptiness, though they knew she was out there hiding. "The treatment will depend entirely on how you compose yourself."

They received laughter in response.

What a brat.

Jouno gritted their teeth in vexation, though that laughter did give the woman's location away. They drew their sword, annoyance burning even more brightly than earlier in a way that would evaporate the rain before it could even make contact, were it to be a physical heat.

One slash in the right direction uprooted a plant, cutting through most of the branches and pulling the rest of it out of the soil, just for it to be catapulted to the side. A sharp intake of breath caused a smirk to appear on their lips as the girl was clearly startled by the retaliation.

"Concede. Or else." Jouno pointed the sword straight at her. The air around them seemed to be charged with static electricity, making the hair on their neck stand up, but they disregarded it, taking a few menacing steps forward.

The woman's heartbeat accelerated with what Jouno determined to be equal parts anxiety and... excitement? Anticipation? There were many causes for such a tune to play from someone's heartstrings.

Her perfume was still as headache-inducing as they remembered, and they scrunched their nose at the strong smell– it only served to make him more agitated. It only served to make her a bigger target.

They lifted their sword so that it was lightly pressed against the woman's neck with its sharp edge, drawing blood but not causing remarkable injury. The rusty scent of blood mixed with that of lillies and artificial roses.