Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2015 18:51:15 GMT -5
Juniper strode into the sheriff’s office, his boots falling heavy on the wooden floor, echoing with every step. A portly man with a graying beard sat behind a desk, dressed in a dull brown uniform, and paying Juniper no mind. He had a badge on his chest, positioned right over his heart. He was tapping away at a computer, engrossed in his work The sheriff, Juniper thought. Juniper certainly did not think he looked the part, but looks could be deceiving. Not that Juniper was here to judge the man. No, he was just here for work.
Juniper cleared his throat. The man looked up from his computer, eyes wide. Clearly he’d been absorbed in whatever he was doing. The two stared at each for a moment. Juniper peered over his face, looking at every detail. He was sweating, his forehead damp. That’s because he had the damned heat far too high, thought Juniper. Even he felt a little uncomfortable beneath his own clothes. Strange, given how cold he had been outside. The sheriff dabbed at his forehead with a gray cloth, one that already appeared to be soaked with sweat. Gross, thought Juniper. The man cleared his throat as well. Finally, one of them spoke, It was the sheriff.
“What can I do for you, son?” Asked the sheriff.
“Any bounties need taking in?” Asked Juniper. Bounty work, he thought, Easy money, especially for someone like him. Even the craftiest or fiercest criminals paled in comparison to the super powered product of Saiyan and Kagami blood. Was that arrogant of him? Perhaps, but damn did he really feel that way. He’d lived among humans his entire life. He knew how fragile they could be. There were incredibly strong humans among the people of Earth, but they weren’t the majority. Yes, the majority of humankind was not nearly as strong as he. And the odds of one of those humans being among common criminals were slim. If they were, well, the sheriff had bigger problems.
The sheriff looked at him through squinted eyes and nodded, quickly looking back down to his computer. With a few rapid strokes and clicks, the man looked back to him and nodded again.
“Yes, yes,” he said, “We have a couple that need to be brought in. Nasty fellows, but I suppose you could have guessed that.”
Juniper nodded. “Give me the details.”
The man clicked his mouse once, and cleared his throat again as he leaned in to read, “Shan Kor, wanted for assaulting a guy in a bar. Last sighted heading out of town with a big ole camping pack on his back. I ain’t no detective, but I think he’s on the lamb. Big guy, maybe six foot and a quarter more. I wouldn’t wanna mess with him, but that’s just me.”
Juniper smirked. He wanted to mess with him. Maybe it would be interesting, but somehow he doubted it. This would just be another job. But hey, he couldn’t complain. It put money in his pocket and it put food in his stomach. And, even though it were boring, it would be good enough for him. “Lemme see the guy’s face,” said Juniper. The sheriff span the monitor around on command, and Juniper took in the face of his target. A simple looking guy. Brown hair shaved low, brown eyes, the beginnings of a beard. Juniper closed his eyes and pictured him in his mind. There, he had it. He’d remember that face. At least until he took him in.
“Alright,” he said, “Lemme hear the next guy.”
The sheriff nodded, a motion followed by more clicks. He moved his finger to the screen, mouthing the words to himself for a few moments before grimacing.
“Alright, this guy is a real piece of work. Goes by the name of Tsuni. Just Tsuni, apparently. He’s got a rap sheet. Couple counts of robbery, a few assaults, and add in a healthy sprinkling of various other small crimes. Ugly sonnovabitch, too. Look at this guy,” he said as span the monitor around to face Juniper. Juniper came face to face with, quite possibly, the ugliest looking man he had ever seen. His face was a scarred mess of pale, fishbelly white skin. He had no hair to speak up, and his nose looked akin to that of a pig. Damn, thought Juniper. Some people have the worst lucked. Still, Juniper would not soon forget that face. Hell, it might even become a new edition to his nightmares
“What’s he wanted for?” Asked Juniper, grimacing.
“Murder,” said the sheriff, simply.
“Gotcha. What info you got on this guy?”
“They say he’s skipped town and has moved on to the next. I contacted the authorities over there, but they got jack.”
Juniper sighed. Of course they did. Nothing that would make things easy for him could ever happen. Just perfect. Well, that would be his challenge for the day. Finding a murderer. That would be interesting. And besides, he could do with dispensing a little justice. Scum of the earth deserved to pay for their crimes. Yes, he thought, he’d bring both of them. And it didn’t hurt that he’d be getting paid for it. That was just icing on the cake, so to speak.
“Alright, I’ll take ‘em both. What time is it?”
The sheriff stared at him for a moment, a questioning look in his eye. He lifted his wrist and glanced down at it, looking at his watch. “Uh,” sounded the sheriff, “A little after ten in the morning. Why?”
“What time you leave?”
“A bit after eight, then my deputy is on night shift. Why?”
“I’ll be back before eight. Print me off those profiles, will you? Might need ‘em.”
“Confident, huh? Well, I won’t stop you. And I won’t hold you to it, kid,” said the sheriff as he printed the files.
“Yeah, yeah. Just have my money ready,” said Juniper with a smirk.
The sheriff handed the pictures across the papers. Juniper gripped them in hand and looked at them for moment. That ugly bastard was right on top. Juniper shivered, but he folded the pictures and put them in the pocket of his jacket. He’d find Shan Kor first. He couldn’t have gotten far. Hell, Juniper figured he was probably just holed up in some camp somewhere, waiting for the heat to die down. Juniper could find him in no time flat if he did an aerial scan of the woods.
The sheriff and Juniper parted ways, and Juniper stepped out of the office. Thank Irith, he thought. Or Kami. Or whoever. It was hot as all Hell in the building. He was glad to be out. The cold air of the outside world flushed his pale skin. It felt so good. And he had so much time in his day left, too. If he hurried up, he could spend his money from these bounties and get some grub before he went to bed tonight. He’d best get a move on.
Juniper took off down the road, heading for the woods. He could see his breath in the air in front of him. It was awfully cold today. His target would probably have a fire going. That would probably be to Juniper’s advantage. It would make finding Shan Kor all the easier. The smoke would stand out against the bright sky of the daytime and the smoke would catch the wind. It would make for the easiest work of his life. Finally, he came to the woods. There, a game trail would have taken him through the woods if he followed it. But no, he had other ideas.
Juniper ascended, taking to the air, flying above the woods. Looking down, he kept his eyes peeled, looking for any signs of human life. He floated above the woods. Strange, he thought, no smoke. Was he sitting out in the cold? Smart guy. He certainly knew enough that having a fire would give his position away. Well damn, he thought. Maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as he had thought it would be. He really only had one other choice. He’d have to try and sense the man’s ki.
Juniper closed his eyes and cast the net of his mind over the forest, a few signatures pinged but they weren’t human in nature. Animals, he thought. He’d never given it much thought, how many signatures there might be in such a small area. He had to narrow the criteria for his search. Something higher, more human. He furrowed his brow, concentrating harder. There, he had it. Something distinctly human, sitting still. That would be his target, he realized. Smirking to himself, he descended.
He came to a stop, floating above a small camp. there was a man there, sitting against a log. He hadn’t seen Juniper yet. Good. The element of surprise was always nice.Still, Juniper couldn’t imagine living like this. Was it better than sitting in prison? Maybe. At least he was free. Not for long, but still.
Juniper touched down on the ground, and cleared his throat. His hand was already on his sword, just in-case the guy was more of a problem than he thought. The man shot up, like there was electricity in his spine. He spun around to face Juniper, a look of pure shock on his face.
“What the Hell do you want, guy?” Growled the man, pulling a gun from his waistband.
“I’m bringing you in. Drop the weapon,” commanded Juniper. As if aware of the irony, he drew his own weapon: his longsword.
“Screw you, man!” Shouted Shan Kor, firing a single shot at Juniper. Juniper stepped aside, dodging the bullet. Big mistake, thought Juniper. He swung his blade towards the man, targeting the gun in his target’s hand. The sword collided with the pistol and knocked aside and out of his hands. With that, Juniper slammed his sword into the ground and stepped towards the now cowering man. He gripped the man by his clothes, and lifted him up, holding him aloft.
“Are you gonna play nice now?” He asked the man, shaking him a little.The man kicked feebly at Juniper, trying to free himself. But it was no use. Juniper had him in an iron grip. There was nothing he could do.
“Well, are you?” Juniper asked again, tightening his grip on the man’s shirt. The man continued to struggle for a moment, but ultimately went limp and gave a sigh. Juniper was going to take that as a yes. He dropped the man to ground and his target fell, collapsing on himself.
“Don’t run. I’ll just catch you again.” The man grunted and sat there. Juniper simply grabbed his blade and sheathed it. He’d have to clean it later. He hated to get it dirty, but it was a necessity sometimes. That took care of that, he thought. Now, he grabbed the man again, lifting him. And slowly, he lifted off into the air.
“Don’t struggle,” said Juniper, “Or I might drop you. And that would be bad, you know?” The man said nothing, but he was shaking. Right, Juniper thought. Most people didn’t fly without the help of machines. They weren’t used to it. But, Juniper had no pity for him. It was just what he had to do. It was just a job. He wasn’t getting paid to comfort a criminal, just to capture him. They were flying slowly, Juniper carefully trying not to lose his grip on the man. They flew in awkward silence for some time.
“So,” began Juniper, “Why’d you do it, man?”
The man grunted.
“Aw, come on. Talk. We got plenty of time. Might as well kill it somehow.”
The man grunted.
“Damn, dude. You’re not the most talkative guy, are you?”
“Just shut up,” said the man, finally speaking.
“Oh, you speak. I forgot you could do that.”
The man sighed, “Hey, what can I say? I was drunk. So, I just kind of hit the guy. Don’t remember why.”
“Drunk, huh? Man, you’re an angry drunk. So, why’d you run? You know you gotta face the music sometime, yeah?”
The man tried to shrug as they flew, “I just didn’t want to go jail. Woke up at home and my girl told me what I did. I guess I panicked.”
“Yeah, I get you. But you ran. You know that isn’t going to do you any favors.”
“Whatever.”
…
Finally, they landed at the Sheriff’s office. Juniper forced his target through the door. The sheriff heard the ruckus and looked up from his typing. He coughed. “Oh,” said the sheriff, surprised, “You came back quickly. And you have Shan Kor. Not bad, kid. Going after Tsuni now?”
“You know it. Get my money ready, for real.”
“Will do, kid. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” He rose from his chair and came around from the side of the desk. He grabbed Shan Kor and pulled him along, taking him to the cells. Or at least Juniper presumed so. He didn’t stick around. He had someone else to bring in before the day was over. By his estimate, it was about noon, maybe a bit before. Plenty of time. He could grab lunch if really wanted to, but what he really wanted was to hurry up and finish his work for the day. If he were lucky, it would be the last work he had to do for a while.
As Juniper stepped out, he immediately took to the air. No sense in walking to the next town. It would be a better use of his time to just fly. He flew up high, high enough to see the surrounding countryside, And there, he spotted it. In the distance, he spotted the next town over. It was big, bigger than the one he was in now. And that meant it might prove difficult to find his mark, even one as distinct looking as Tsuni. He’d best get cracking then. There was no time to waste.
He flew through the sky, towards his new hunting grounds. It wasn’t long before he was floating above it, and even sooner he was descending and landing in the middle of the stree. It was not his most subtle entrance, but it was his preferred one. A few people shot him odd looks as he moved about, clearly intrigued by his landing. Or his alien heritage, as was often the case. It did not help that he moved about with his tail out. He was proud of his Saiyan heritage. He had loved his father. It was the only thing he had inherited from him. Of course he’d wear it with pride. And besides, some people tended to be intimidated by it. Not a bad thing to have on his side as a fighter.
Juniper stood around for a moment, thinking. What should his first move be? Juniper gave it some thought. Ki sensing wouldn’t work here. There were far too many people here for it to be effective. And it wasn’t as if there were any particularly high ki signatures here. There was nothing in the realm of ki to guide him. He’d have to take to the streets, questioning people like some kind of two bit, human gumshoe. At least he had thought to get those profiles printed. That would make things slightly easier. He pulled the profiles from his pocket, separating the two until he only had the picture of Tsuni. That would do nicely. People would recognize this ugly mug anywhere.
Juniper went from person to person, questioning each in turn. Some people looked at him oddly, others shook their heads. Some wouldn’t stop for him at all. People could be so rude, he thought. How was he supposed to find the guy if no one would tell him where the Hell he was? Perhaps bounty hunter work wasn’t for him. It was easy, but boring as it could get and, if this were any indicator, frustrating.
And finally, someone told him something of worth. He was at the bar, according to the older man he pulled aside on the street. Which bar? The one on the corner? But what was its name? He shrugged and just called it the bar on the corner. The man said he’d stopped in for a pint and saw that face brooding in a corner. Juniper sighed. It was time for him to try every bar on the corner until he found the right one. And so he did. If it were night time and he felt like partying, he could call this bar hopping. But no, this was just business. Boring, non-alcoholic business. Maybe tonight he could come back and make the bar circuit for real. But he was getting ahead of himself for now. He had to actually catch this guy first.
Finally, he came to another bar in the corner. He poked his head in and squinted, looking about him. The light was dim, and a soft song wafted from a jukebox at the end of the bar. A few forlorn souls gathered around the bar, some deep in their cups and others simply laying face down, their heads to the bar. It wasn’t really his scene. A little too dreary for his tastes. He eyes fell on each patron in turn. There was nobody who quite matched his target. And then he saw him: a big man sitting in the corner, ugly as could be. Yes, that was his target. And he certainly did not look happy. He was surrounded by empty mugs and tossed aside food baskets. Damn, thought Juniper, this guy sured liked his bar food.
With a sigh, Juniper stepped into the bar. One or two folks turned their heads towards him as he entered, but there was no fanfare or greetings. He was just there. Perhaps it was for the best that he did not draw attention to himself. He was, of course, about to cause a scene anyway. No need to make it worse. Quickly, he stepped over to Tsuni, and in front of his table.
“Tsuni?” He asked aloud.
The man looked at him through squinted eyes and growled, “What do you want?”
“I’m here to bring you in for murder,” Juniper declared. He could feel the eyes on his back, people would be staring now. And there was a palpable tension in the air between Tsuni and Juniper, waiting for one of them to break it. And as it turns out, it was Tsuni.
The man roared and flipped the table onto Juniper. Beer and half-eaten food washed over him, and something hard struck him in the temple. Was that mug, he thought as his vision blurred and pulsed.He stumbled backwards, his footsteps shakey, and fell backwards on to his back. That had taken him by surprise. He had to say, on the list of things he expected to happen, that was not one of them. But the assault was not over. Tsuni tossed the table aside and began to stamp on Juniper’s abdomen. The wind rushed from his lungs. What a surprise indeed. The hard metal and leather of his blade and its sheath pressed into his back, hurting him.
Now he had had enough. He smacked Tsuni’s leg aside and scrambled to his feet, quickly lurching into a tackle. His arms wrapped around the man’s waist as he tried to drag him down. The man was built like a truck, Juniper had to give him that. The two scrambled to the ground, Juniper wrestling Tsuni into a hold.
“Dammit, be still!” Shouted Juniper. As if that would make him listen. The two wrestled for a few moments longer, at least until Juniper’s superhuman strength had come back from that shock. Juniper sat atop his captive.
“And that’s that!” He proclaimed. Now, how to get him back to the sheriff?
…
“Well, son, you certainly do work fast. You ever think about becoming a deputy?” The sheriff laughed as he handed over Juniper’s zeni. Slowly, Juniper counted each bill… Yes, this would do nicely.
“Maybe,” said Juniper, “If pays this well.”
“Well, son, it really doesn’t. Good job, though!” The sheriff congratulated him as he scratched the back of his head.
Juniper nodded as he pocketed his zeni. This would keep him going for awhile. Now, back to the road. Maybe he’d hit up a bar tonight. But as he closed his eyes and smelled the stale beer that stuck to his clothes, he decided against it. Maybe a nice coffee or something instead…
(WC: 3512)
(I'll have zeni for this, please!)
Juniper cleared his throat. The man looked up from his computer, eyes wide. Clearly he’d been absorbed in whatever he was doing. The two stared at each for a moment. Juniper peered over his face, looking at every detail. He was sweating, his forehead damp. That’s because he had the damned heat far too high, thought Juniper. Even he felt a little uncomfortable beneath his own clothes. Strange, given how cold he had been outside. The sheriff dabbed at his forehead with a gray cloth, one that already appeared to be soaked with sweat. Gross, thought Juniper. The man cleared his throat as well. Finally, one of them spoke, It was the sheriff.
“What can I do for you, son?” Asked the sheriff.
“Any bounties need taking in?” Asked Juniper. Bounty work, he thought, Easy money, especially for someone like him. Even the craftiest or fiercest criminals paled in comparison to the super powered product of Saiyan and Kagami blood. Was that arrogant of him? Perhaps, but damn did he really feel that way. He’d lived among humans his entire life. He knew how fragile they could be. There were incredibly strong humans among the people of Earth, but they weren’t the majority. Yes, the majority of humankind was not nearly as strong as he. And the odds of one of those humans being among common criminals were slim. If they were, well, the sheriff had bigger problems.
The sheriff looked at him through squinted eyes and nodded, quickly looking back down to his computer. With a few rapid strokes and clicks, the man looked back to him and nodded again.
“Yes, yes,” he said, “We have a couple that need to be brought in. Nasty fellows, but I suppose you could have guessed that.”
Juniper nodded. “Give me the details.”
The man clicked his mouse once, and cleared his throat again as he leaned in to read, “Shan Kor, wanted for assaulting a guy in a bar. Last sighted heading out of town with a big ole camping pack on his back. I ain’t no detective, but I think he’s on the lamb. Big guy, maybe six foot and a quarter more. I wouldn’t wanna mess with him, but that’s just me.”
Juniper smirked. He wanted to mess with him. Maybe it would be interesting, but somehow he doubted it. This would just be another job. But hey, he couldn’t complain. It put money in his pocket and it put food in his stomach. And, even though it were boring, it would be good enough for him. “Lemme see the guy’s face,” said Juniper. The sheriff span the monitor around on command, and Juniper took in the face of his target. A simple looking guy. Brown hair shaved low, brown eyes, the beginnings of a beard. Juniper closed his eyes and pictured him in his mind. There, he had it. He’d remember that face. At least until he took him in.
“Alright,” he said, “Lemme hear the next guy.”
The sheriff nodded, a motion followed by more clicks. He moved his finger to the screen, mouthing the words to himself for a few moments before grimacing.
“Alright, this guy is a real piece of work. Goes by the name of Tsuni. Just Tsuni, apparently. He’s got a rap sheet. Couple counts of robbery, a few assaults, and add in a healthy sprinkling of various other small crimes. Ugly sonnovabitch, too. Look at this guy,” he said as span the monitor around to face Juniper. Juniper came face to face with, quite possibly, the ugliest looking man he had ever seen. His face was a scarred mess of pale, fishbelly white skin. He had no hair to speak up, and his nose looked akin to that of a pig. Damn, thought Juniper. Some people have the worst lucked. Still, Juniper would not soon forget that face. Hell, it might even become a new edition to his nightmares
“What’s he wanted for?” Asked Juniper, grimacing.
“Murder,” said the sheriff, simply.
“Gotcha. What info you got on this guy?”
“They say he’s skipped town and has moved on to the next. I contacted the authorities over there, but they got jack.”
Juniper sighed. Of course they did. Nothing that would make things easy for him could ever happen. Just perfect. Well, that would be his challenge for the day. Finding a murderer. That would be interesting. And besides, he could do with dispensing a little justice. Scum of the earth deserved to pay for their crimes. Yes, he thought, he’d bring both of them. And it didn’t hurt that he’d be getting paid for it. That was just icing on the cake, so to speak.
“Alright, I’ll take ‘em both. What time is it?”
The sheriff stared at him for a moment, a questioning look in his eye. He lifted his wrist and glanced down at it, looking at his watch. “Uh,” sounded the sheriff, “A little after ten in the morning. Why?”
“What time you leave?”
“A bit after eight, then my deputy is on night shift. Why?”
“I’ll be back before eight. Print me off those profiles, will you? Might need ‘em.”
“Confident, huh? Well, I won’t stop you. And I won’t hold you to it, kid,” said the sheriff as he printed the files.
“Yeah, yeah. Just have my money ready,” said Juniper with a smirk.
The sheriff handed the pictures across the papers. Juniper gripped them in hand and looked at them for moment. That ugly bastard was right on top. Juniper shivered, but he folded the pictures and put them in the pocket of his jacket. He’d find Shan Kor first. He couldn’t have gotten far. Hell, Juniper figured he was probably just holed up in some camp somewhere, waiting for the heat to die down. Juniper could find him in no time flat if he did an aerial scan of the woods.
The sheriff and Juniper parted ways, and Juniper stepped out of the office. Thank Irith, he thought. Or Kami. Or whoever. It was hot as all Hell in the building. He was glad to be out. The cold air of the outside world flushed his pale skin. It felt so good. And he had so much time in his day left, too. If he hurried up, he could spend his money from these bounties and get some grub before he went to bed tonight. He’d best get a move on.
Juniper took off down the road, heading for the woods. He could see his breath in the air in front of him. It was awfully cold today. His target would probably have a fire going. That would probably be to Juniper’s advantage. It would make finding Shan Kor all the easier. The smoke would stand out against the bright sky of the daytime and the smoke would catch the wind. It would make for the easiest work of his life. Finally, he came to the woods. There, a game trail would have taken him through the woods if he followed it. But no, he had other ideas.
Juniper ascended, taking to the air, flying above the woods. Looking down, he kept his eyes peeled, looking for any signs of human life. He floated above the woods. Strange, he thought, no smoke. Was he sitting out in the cold? Smart guy. He certainly knew enough that having a fire would give his position away. Well damn, he thought. Maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as he had thought it would be. He really only had one other choice. He’d have to try and sense the man’s ki.
Juniper closed his eyes and cast the net of his mind over the forest, a few signatures pinged but they weren’t human in nature. Animals, he thought. He’d never given it much thought, how many signatures there might be in such a small area. He had to narrow the criteria for his search. Something higher, more human. He furrowed his brow, concentrating harder. There, he had it. Something distinctly human, sitting still. That would be his target, he realized. Smirking to himself, he descended.
He came to a stop, floating above a small camp. there was a man there, sitting against a log. He hadn’t seen Juniper yet. Good. The element of surprise was always nice.Still, Juniper couldn’t imagine living like this. Was it better than sitting in prison? Maybe. At least he was free. Not for long, but still.
Juniper touched down on the ground, and cleared his throat. His hand was already on his sword, just in-case the guy was more of a problem than he thought. The man shot up, like there was electricity in his spine. He spun around to face Juniper, a look of pure shock on his face.
“What the Hell do you want, guy?” Growled the man, pulling a gun from his waistband.
“I’m bringing you in. Drop the weapon,” commanded Juniper. As if aware of the irony, he drew his own weapon: his longsword.
“Screw you, man!” Shouted Shan Kor, firing a single shot at Juniper. Juniper stepped aside, dodging the bullet. Big mistake, thought Juniper. He swung his blade towards the man, targeting the gun in his target’s hand. The sword collided with the pistol and knocked aside and out of his hands. With that, Juniper slammed his sword into the ground and stepped towards the now cowering man. He gripped the man by his clothes, and lifted him up, holding him aloft.
“Are you gonna play nice now?” He asked the man, shaking him a little.The man kicked feebly at Juniper, trying to free himself. But it was no use. Juniper had him in an iron grip. There was nothing he could do.
“Well, are you?” Juniper asked again, tightening his grip on the man’s shirt. The man continued to struggle for a moment, but ultimately went limp and gave a sigh. Juniper was going to take that as a yes. He dropped the man to ground and his target fell, collapsing on himself.
“Don’t run. I’ll just catch you again.” The man grunted and sat there. Juniper simply grabbed his blade and sheathed it. He’d have to clean it later. He hated to get it dirty, but it was a necessity sometimes. That took care of that, he thought. Now, he grabbed the man again, lifting him. And slowly, he lifted off into the air.
“Don’t struggle,” said Juniper, “Or I might drop you. And that would be bad, you know?” The man said nothing, but he was shaking. Right, Juniper thought. Most people didn’t fly without the help of machines. They weren’t used to it. But, Juniper had no pity for him. It was just what he had to do. It was just a job. He wasn’t getting paid to comfort a criminal, just to capture him. They were flying slowly, Juniper carefully trying not to lose his grip on the man. They flew in awkward silence for some time.
“So,” began Juniper, “Why’d you do it, man?”
The man grunted.
“Aw, come on. Talk. We got plenty of time. Might as well kill it somehow.”
The man grunted.
“Damn, dude. You’re not the most talkative guy, are you?”
“Just shut up,” said the man, finally speaking.
“Oh, you speak. I forgot you could do that.”
The man sighed, “Hey, what can I say? I was drunk. So, I just kind of hit the guy. Don’t remember why.”
“Drunk, huh? Man, you’re an angry drunk. So, why’d you run? You know you gotta face the music sometime, yeah?”
The man tried to shrug as they flew, “I just didn’t want to go jail. Woke up at home and my girl told me what I did. I guess I panicked.”
“Yeah, I get you. But you ran. You know that isn’t going to do you any favors.”
“Whatever.”
…
Finally, they landed at the Sheriff’s office. Juniper forced his target through the door. The sheriff heard the ruckus and looked up from his typing. He coughed. “Oh,” said the sheriff, surprised, “You came back quickly. And you have Shan Kor. Not bad, kid. Going after Tsuni now?”
“You know it. Get my money ready, for real.”
“Will do, kid. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” He rose from his chair and came around from the side of the desk. He grabbed Shan Kor and pulled him along, taking him to the cells. Or at least Juniper presumed so. He didn’t stick around. He had someone else to bring in before the day was over. By his estimate, it was about noon, maybe a bit before. Plenty of time. He could grab lunch if really wanted to, but what he really wanted was to hurry up and finish his work for the day. If he were lucky, it would be the last work he had to do for a while.
As Juniper stepped out, he immediately took to the air. No sense in walking to the next town. It would be a better use of his time to just fly. He flew up high, high enough to see the surrounding countryside, And there, he spotted it. In the distance, he spotted the next town over. It was big, bigger than the one he was in now. And that meant it might prove difficult to find his mark, even one as distinct looking as Tsuni. He’d best get cracking then. There was no time to waste.
He flew through the sky, towards his new hunting grounds. It wasn’t long before he was floating above it, and even sooner he was descending and landing in the middle of the stree. It was not his most subtle entrance, but it was his preferred one. A few people shot him odd looks as he moved about, clearly intrigued by his landing. Or his alien heritage, as was often the case. It did not help that he moved about with his tail out. He was proud of his Saiyan heritage. He had loved his father. It was the only thing he had inherited from him. Of course he’d wear it with pride. And besides, some people tended to be intimidated by it. Not a bad thing to have on his side as a fighter.
Juniper stood around for a moment, thinking. What should his first move be? Juniper gave it some thought. Ki sensing wouldn’t work here. There were far too many people here for it to be effective. And it wasn’t as if there were any particularly high ki signatures here. There was nothing in the realm of ki to guide him. He’d have to take to the streets, questioning people like some kind of two bit, human gumshoe. At least he had thought to get those profiles printed. That would make things slightly easier. He pulled the profiles from his pocket, separating the two until he only had the picture of Tsuni. That would do nicely. People would recognize this ugly mug anywhere.
Juniper went from person to person, questioning each in turn. Some people looked at him oddly, others shook their heads. Some wouldn’t stop for him at all. People could be so rude, he thought. How was he supposed to find the guy if no one would tell him where the Hell he was? Perhaps bounty hunter work wasn’t for him. It was easy, but boring as it could get and, if this were any indicator, frustrating.
And finally, someone told him something of worth. He was at the bar, according to the older man he pulled aside on the street. Which bar? The one on the corner? But what was its name? He shrugged and just called it the bar on the corner. The man said he’d stopped in for a pint and saw that face brooding in a corner. Juniper sighed. It was time for him to try every bar on the corner until he found the right one. And so he did. If it were night time and he felt like partying, he could call this bar hopping. But no, this was just business. Boring, non-alcoholic business. Maybe tonight he could come back and make the bar circuit for real. But he was getting ahead of himself for now. He had to actually catch this guy first.
Finally, he came to another bar in the corner. He poked his head in and squinted, looking about him. The light was dim, and a soft song wafted from a jukebox at the end of the bar. A few forlorn souls gathered around the bar, some deep in their cups and others simply laying face down, their heads to the bar. It wasn’t really his scene. A little too dreary for his tastes. He eyes fell on each patron in turn. There was nobody who quite matched his target. And then he saw him: a big man sitting in the corner, ugly as could be. Yes, that was his target. And he certainly did not look happy. He was surrounded by empty mugs and tossed aside food baskets. Damn, thought Juniper, this guy sured liked his bar food.
With a sigh, Juniper stepped into the bar. One or two folks turned their heads towards him as he entered, but there was no fanfare or greetings. He was just there. Perhaps it was for the best that he did not draw attention to himself. He was, of course, about to cause a scene anyway. No need to make it worse. Quickly, he stepped over to Tsuni, and in front of his table.
“Tsuni?” He asked aloud.
The man looked at him through squinted eyes and growled, “What do you want?”
“I’m here to bring you in for murder,” Juniper declared. He could feel the eyes on his back, people would be staring now. And there was a palpable tension in the air between Tsuni and Juniper, waiting for one of them to break it. And as it turns out, it was Tsuni.
The man roared and flipped the table onto Juniper. Beer and half-eaten food washed over him, and something hard struck him in the temple. Was that mug, he thought as his vision blurred and pulsed.He stumbled backwards, his footsteps shakey, and fell backwards on to his back. That had taken him by surprise. He had to say, on the list of things he expected to happen, that was not one of them. But the assault was not over. Tsuni tossed the table aside and began to stamp on Juniper’s abdomen. The wind rushed from his lungs. What a surprise indeed. The hard metal and leather of his blade and its sheath pressed into his back, hurting him.
Now he had had enough. He smacked Tsuni’s leg aside and scrambled to his feet, quickly lurching into a tackle. His arms wrapped around the man’s waist as he tried to drag him down. The man was built like a truck, Juniper had to give him that. The two scrambled to the ground, Juniper wrestling Tsuni into a hold.
“Dammit, be still!” Shouted Juniper. As if that would make him listen. The two wrestled for a few moments longer, at least until Juniper’s superhuman strength had come back from that shock. Juniper sat atop his captive.
“And that’s that!” He proclaimed. Now, how to get him back to the sheriff?
…
“Well, son, you certainly do work fast. You ever think about becoming a deputy?” The sheriff laughed as he handed over Juniper’s zeni. Slowly, Juniper counted each bill… Yes, this would do nicely.
“Maybe,” said Juniper, “If pays this well.”
“Well, son, it really doesn’t. Good job, though!” The sheriff congratulated him as he scratched the back of his head.
Juniper nodded as he pocketed his zeni. This would keep him going for awhile. Now, back to the road. Maybe he’d hit up a bar tonight. But as he closed his eyes and smelled the stale beer that stuck to his clothes, he decided against it. Maybe a nice coffee or something instead…
(WC: 3512)
(I'll have zeni for this, please!)
