The second morning arrived cold and gray. The clouds hung low over the beautiful despite the ominous atmosphere hanging around since a while due to serial disappearence, threatening rain that never came. Saeko stood at the window of their room, her katana across her lap, her eyes fixed on the treeline beyond the town.
Alex watched her from the bed. She had not slept. Neither had he. But she did not look tired. She looked focused. Sharp. Ready.
"We go at noon," she said.
"Why noon?"
"Because that's when he rests. He's nocturnal. He hunts at night, sleeps during the day. By noon, he's deep in sleep, slow to wake, slow to think."
She stood and dressed. Dark clothes. Soft boots. Her white hair tied back tight against her skull.
Alex followed her lead. He wore his usual traveling clothes, his gun hidden beneath his jacket. He would not intervene. She had asked him to observe. He would observe.
They left the inn as the bells struck twelve.
---
