Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt: Hunter x OC

Keytoll

"Hunter!" Lyra burst through his shop door. "Hunter?" she peered around the counter, stepping back in surprise as he appeared from the back. "Hey! Sorry... Um... Listen, I have to go. Urgently. There's an old friend of mine that I've been trying to find for years, and she just contacted me and is trying to find a safe place to disappear. I'm taking the next shuttle to Keytoll to meet her."

"Alright," Hunter said slowly. His brow furrowed. "Though last I heard, Keytoll is a fairly popular outpost for the Empire... Not exactly a good idea..."

"I have no choice," she said, with a fervence that hinted at a much greater depth.

"You trust this person?"

"I'd give my life for her in a heartbeat."

"Wow. That's big talk for you."

"I mean it." Her earnestness was compelling, and Hunter nodded slowly, eyes darting from her to the ground as he considered the options.

"You gonna be safe?"

"I mean... I'll do my best," she said with a helpless shrug. "I've gotten this far."

"Want some backup?"

"What?" She looked up at him quizzically.

"Want... Some help? A second pair of eyes? Extra protection?" He was offering it as vaguely as possible, but realized with each passing word how much he wanted her to ask him to come along.

"I don't want to ask you to do that," she said, averting her own eyes now. "This is my own issue, not your burden."

"I know," he nodded, untying his apron with a calm intentionality now. "But if you'll have me, I'm coming."

"Okay... Um, thanks. That really means a lot. But at any point if you change your mind, it's okay..." She shifted anxiously from foot to foot, still nervously staring at the floor.

"I'll meet you at the station," he confirmed with a nod, reaching out to grasp her hand as she turned to flit back out the door. They exchanged a meaningful glance, and he squeezed her hand before releasing it and watching her leave.

* * *

The off-world transport was a clunky old thing that seemed to be under maintenance more often than it was actually running. It had a few routes to nearby systems, where travelers could catch a ride to more popular destinations, and Keytoll was a backwater planet in the Outer Rim that, aside from being a transportation hub, didn't have much going for it. It was decently populated in its capital city, which shared a name with the planet, but the rest of it was dusty wasteland. The city was full of tall clay buildings that rose in slightly rounded squares and rectangles from the center outward.

Hunter had put together a bit of a disguise, a fabric wrap concealing his head and face except for his eyes and a thick, dusty cloak hanging from his shoulders. He wanted to be extremely forgettable, and in the arid climate of Keytoll, he'd look just like anyone else. Lyra already wore neutral, simple clothing, but he was surprised to see that she'd gone to great lengths to braid her hair up around her head so its length was impossible to tell, and the dramatic makeup on her face was definitely a contrast from the usual. Her eyes were framed by bold swipes of black that curved up at the ends and her eyelids were brushed with smoky dark gray. The gentle shape of her lips was made to look much fuller with liner and a splash of deep red. Everything about her features was not only accentuated but changed, and he was impressed with just how much she looked like an entirely different person by taking a completely opposite approach than he had.

She took his arm as they boarded the shuttle, the look in her eyes intense and difficult to read. They sat in the back where they could see everyone getting on, and he could feel anticipation coursing through her veins.