Chapter Text
When he wakes the next morning, Naib finds himself facing an unfamiliar wall, tangled in unfamiliar sheets. He sits up so quickly that he gets dizzy and has to lean against the wall for support. As he does so, he scans the room, and his eyes fall on the empty space on the bed beside him. The events of the day before return to him rapidly, and he relaxes slightly... before realizing how high in the sky the sun is.
He turns back around with some degree of horror, realizing he's slept far past dawn, which is when he usually awakes. And with perfect timing, that's when the door cracks open and Kreiss re-enters, fully dressed.
Naib all but pounces on him. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"You looked so peaceful." Kreiss fixes his hat, tilting it to the side slightly. "Tulip and Rose are waiting for you downstairs. Go talk to them."
Naib starts to get re-dressed as well, not bothering to hide himself from Kreiss' eyes as he does so. They've seen practically everything of each other by now anyway over the years, even if it wasn't deliberate. "You know I hate oversleeping."
"What's wrong with you?" Kreiss laments. "Most people get pissed when they wake up too early, but you're pissed that you woke up late."
"Maybe I just like being efficient." Naib throws his cloak at Kreiss; it's a warm day, and he doesn't need it. Kreiss lets it pool down to the floor without even trying to catch it, and Naib brushes past him with a huff, still in the process of fastening his belt. "What are you going to be doing?"
"Don't worry about that. Just hurry and go. Tulip doesn't like being kept waiting." Kreiss corrals him out of the room and shuts the door in his face; Naib stares at the wood for a long moment before turning with a purse of his lips to descend the long staircase.
It may be late for him, but it's still early in the day; there's nobody in the building except for two figures on the couch, next to one of the gambling tables. As he gets closer, Naib sees that one of them is indeed Tulip. The other is a woman with white splotches across her brown skin. Her curly hair springs out from under a dark hat, and a leather coat is draped over the couch next to her along with a matching hat.
They appear to be speaking to each other in hushed tones; as soon as the hollow sound of Naib's boots against the wooden steps reaches their ears, however, they both look up at him. Naib swallows, unsure of why he feels almost nervous as he reaches the bottom of the staircase and approaches them.
The woman- "Rose," he presumes- stands with one hand on her hip, beckoning Naib even closer. He pauses a few feet away, and she holds out a hand. He pauses for a long second before taking it, and she shakes his vigorously.
"Hound, right?" she asks. "Andrew's told us about you."
"... What did he say?" Though Naib doesn't particularly like the idea of being a topic of conversation, regardless of what's being said.
"Good things. Mostly." She winks at him before pulling out one of the chairs across from the couch. "Please, sit."
He does, folding his hands in his lap. Naib is painfully aware of the fact that Tulip's eyes have been on him the entire time, and he picks at a few fraying threads on the seam of his pants as he waits for instructions.
Rose clears her throat, sitting back down on the couch and crossing her legs. "As you surely know by now, we've had a little bit of a problem recently. A gang has been coming through Oletus more 'n more frequently. They call themselves the "Hunters," 'n they can be identified by this symbol on their clothes." Rose shows him a worn piece of parchment with a sort of swirling symbol stamped across it.
"They've been terrorizing the town," Tulip says roughly. "Some folks're afraid to even leave their houses. Bad for business."
Rose snorts and shoves Tulip with her elbow, though Naib doesn't really know what's funny. "Anyway, the lawmen ain't done anything about it," she goes on. "I'm starting to think they might be on the Hunters' side, in all honesty. So that's why we asked you 'n Andrew here."
"You asked Andrew, you mean," Naib corrects her. "I'm just the side package that comes along with the main deal."
Rose smirks and shakes her head. "You think you ain't just as infamous as he is? Everyone 'n their mother knows 'bout the great Hound. How he took out 10 men at once, how he-"
"Alright, alright!" Naib cuts her off sharply. He doesn't like being reminded of his past or being treated like some sort of idol. "So what about it? You want us to just go through town, killing every person we see who wears that symbol?"
He's expecting them to scoff and correct him, but to his surprise, they merely send each other a glance and shrug modestly. "Sounds about right," Tulip agrees.
"Are you insane?" Naib scowls, though he already suspects that the answer to his rhetorical question might be a yes anyway. "Do you know-"
"I'll not have you askin' me what I do 'nd don't know about my town, Subedar." Though Tulip's pose is relaxed as ever, his voice darkens slightly. "Now, we're payin' you good money for this. Even gold, silver; whatever you want, you'll get it. Turn us down 'nd you'll be missin' a good opportunity."
Naib swallows. He looks to Rose, but she only raises a brow and tosses an arm around Tulip's shoulder. "Your choice at the end of the day, Mr. Hound," she says, in a tone that suggests he doesn't really have a choice.
After several tense moments, Naib is forced to look away from them both. He's certainly having a talk with Kreiss as soon as possible. "... Alright," he grits out. "Fine. But don't come complaining to me when we're all in a prison cell."
"A prison cell?" Tulip barks a sharp laugh that makes Naib recoil slightly. He sits up, though Naib sees the way Rose's arm tightens around him in warning. "You think the law's got any say 'round here, when it comes to us or the Hunters? Plannin' to sit pretty 'nd wait till they give you a go-ahead that you ain't ever gettin'? Face it, Hound. The law ain't ever done nothin' for you, or for me, or for anyone who's made a fuckin' impact on the world. Sons of bitches-"
"Norton," snaps Rose sharply, and Naib files away that bit of information; now he knows what Andrew nearly blurted out the night before. Her voice is loud enough to cut Tulip off mid-sentence, causing a stark silence to fall over the room, and Naib finds himself reconsidering his initial evaluation of who's really in charge here.
Rose smiles tightly and turns back to him, stepping on Tulip's boot as she does so. "How 'bout this? You think on it for the day, maybe look 'round the town, 'n come back to us tomorrow. Sound good?"
"... Yes," Naib answers, unwilling to get on her bad side and with no other answer to really give.
"Perfect." She stands up, and Naib automatically does as well. Tulip stays seated with his hat tipped forward over his eyes, looking gloomy. Rose glances to him and offers him her hand; after a second, he takes it, rising to stand by her side. He doesn't look at either of them.
Rose clears her throat. "Tulip, why don'tcha show Mr. Hound 'round the town? I'm sure he'd appreciate a guide."
"I've already-" Naib starts to protest, but Rose waves him off.
"Already been here to Oletus, I know," she agrees. "But... hell, a lot's changed since you were last here. Four years, right?"
"Five," Naib admits begrudgingly, wondering what Rose is thinking. She's the only thing breaking the awkward tension in the room right now; why is she trying to send the two of them off, alone?
"Mm." She nods, tipping her hat to him. "Horses are outside. I'll see you both later, then." Rose squeezes Tulip's gloved hand before departing, heading up the staircase. Naib watches her disappear down the corridor from behind the railing, wondering why it seems like she's heading towards his room.
"... Well," Tulip says at last. He fixes his hat, pulling it back by the brim. "Wanna head out?"
Naib thinks about asking what he meant earlier.
"Yes," he says at last. "It would be good to start earlier rather than later."
The silence is uncomfortable as Tulip leads him out the front door and to the miniature stables setup in the back yard of the building. As Naib watches, Tulip whistles; to his surprise, a sleek black horse trots out from behind the shed, nickering quietly as it lowers its head to nudge at Tulip.
Tulip laughs, taking Naib by surprise; it's the first genuine smile he's seen from the other, softer than he'd expected. "Missed ya too, girl," he says gently, scritching at the horse's chin. The mare steps back and tosses her mane before her eyes land on Naib. She steps forwards, neighing with a curious tilt of her head until her face is right in front of Naib's. He pauses and meets her eyes, reaching out to stroke down her neck, then watches as her eyes close momentarily.
Tulip sidles up next to him, looking slightly displeased. "She's never done that with anyone before," he mutters under his breath. "Ay, Rocinante, I'm here. Look at me."
Rocinante deliberately turns her head to hide from Tulip behind Naib. For some reason, that makes Naib feel more smug than he should.
Tulip's brow creases as he looks between them, cheeks puffing as he exhales slowly. "What are you waitin' for?" he demands. "Go get your own horse."
"She picks me." Naib pats Rocinante on the neck. "You should get your own instead."
Tulip sighs after a moment and steps back. "Fine," he mutters as he goes to release one of the other horses. "If she bucks you off, though, ain't none of my responsibility."
"I'm aware." Naib hoists himself up onto Rocinante's back, admiring the smoothness of her coat and the muscles defined across her back. He hasn't been on a horse in a long time; he'd nearly forgotten what a liberating feeling it is.
Tulip trots up beside him on another horse, chestnut brown with a blaze down its forehead. "Where to first?" he asks.
"You're the guide here." Naib sits back and holds onto Rocinante with just his legs as he pulls his hood up to protect from the sun, wishing he'd thought to bring a hat.
He thinks he sees Tulip's eyes lingering on him for a second too long, but it might be a figment of his imagination. The ravenette looks away just as quickly with a huff. "Alright. Follow me 'nd don't go off on your own."
They start off down the street that Naib had come up the day before. "Armed?" Tulip asks almost casually.
"No gun," Naib realizes, cursing himself (as if he would use it if he did have it). "Only this." He hesitates as soon as he says those words, wishing he hadn't, before reluctantly pulling out his khukuri blade.
Tulip's eyes widen slightly before he catches himself and schools his expression back into a blank slate, though he does guide his horse closer to peer at it. "What's the notch at the bottom for?"
"A symbol of my culture," Naib answers curtly, tucking the weapon back into his coat before Tulip can look at it any longer. "What about you? Kreiss says you don't shoot."
Tulip shrugs, averting his eyes carefully. "I shoot when I need to," he says. "I prefer more refined weaponry, that's all." One of his hands wanders down to his hip, gliding over the hilt of his sword. It's a pretty thing, Naib must admit; he wonders how it would look unsheathed.
"Enough 'bout me, though," Tulip says hastily. A bit too hastily. "What culture is that, anyway?"
Naib narrows his eyes. "Why all the questions?"
Tulip slumps forwards. "I'm tryin' to make conversation. Like a normal person."
"Indicating you aren't a normal person yourself?" Naib raises a brow.
"I am. You ain't." Just like that, Tulip's bearing seems to shift once more as he tosses a wry grin back at Naib. "Anythin' catch your eye so far?"
For some reason, it takes Naib a second to realize he's talking about the passing buildings. To him, they all look the same, but he picks one at random anyway. It's on a corner, smaller than the others, and looks very run-down, with shattered windows. "What's that?"
Tulip's expression darkens again. "Used to be a pub." He doesn't say what it is now. Naib can't decide whether he's grateful for that or frustrated by it.
Under him, Rocinante seems to shy away from the building, hooves skittering against the ground as she rounds the corner to give it a wide berth. "Easy, girl," Naib cautions, petting down her neck again.
Tulip glances back. "I meant it when I said I ain't never seen her act that way with nobody else before," he mumbles.
"Is she yours?" Naib pats her on the neck again, happy to find that his touch seems to sooth her.
"Had 'er since she was a filly 'n I was a kid." Tulip bites at the inside of his lip as he looks away again. "My mama told me she was bred to sell, but nobody would take 'er off our hands. She was too wild. I was the only one who could tame 'er." He pauses, kneea knocking softly against the sides of the horse he's riding now. "Ya know... Rocinante, it means ol' nag. But she's the best horse I've ever ridden."
Naib is surprised by how sentimental Tulip sounds as he speaks of his horse, given how guarded and cynical he seems to act at other times. It makes him think back to the night before; he wonders if he can capitalize on Tulip's current state of mind to get the answers that he couldn't from Kreiss. Logically, he knows it really doesn't matter at the end of the day, but... he dislikes being kept in the dark. Besides, it's been bothering him in another way. One he can't quite identify.
Before he can decide on anything, however, Tulip reins his horse in to an abrupt halt. Naib reels back Rocinante as well, though he can't really tell why they're stopping.
"What-" he starts to ask, but a feminine voice cuts him off.
"Well, well! If it ain't two little flies, wanderin' right into our web."
Naib turns around slowly. A woman is sauntering up behind them, perched on a large, snow-white horse. Behind her sits another woman with what seems like metal covering her limbs; as Naib looks closer, though, he realizes the metal is her limbs. Both of them wear the swirl symbol on their lapels.
Then he looks back in front of them, but a third woman is waiting. She seems to be East Asian, perhaps Japanese, and is standing on foot; despite this, her presence seems to unnerve the horses. She holds a fan in one hand, again with the symbol branded across the handle.
Naib realizes with a sinking feeling that they're entirely outnumbered, and entirely cornered.