"The Cannibalistic Cooker?" Seth asks out loud, cringing silently with the torn piece of paper in his hands. 'What a cheesy name...' He thinks to himself, examing who was on the paper closely. Only known as the Cannibal, he has a crooked nose, sharp facial features with a gaunt expression to his face, dried lips against long strands of hair coming across his jaw and chin, no hair on top of his head. "So, he cooks people he's killed and serves it to people as a chef?"
"That's about right," Nixon affirms, poking at the fire before them. "Is she gonna stay far away from the campfire, or what?" Nixon asks Tsuki, sitting near the campfire while a Japanese woman lays out in the snow a few feet away, covered in a thick pile of bear pelts, her long silky black hair spreading across the snowy canvas below her.
"She's hated foreigners ever since she was almost raped by one so she's sort of hostile with anyone who looks even remotely Russian, i.e. you, Nixon."
"That sucks, but I'm French, not Russian."
"ここの私の友人はロシア人ではありません,彼はあなたをレイプしようとした人々とは関係がありません." (My friend here isn't Russian, he's not related to those who tried raping you.) Seth goes on to say, blowing air into his hands and rubbing them together. "あなたが出くわすすべての人が悪であると思い込まないでください.それはあなたが出くわすすべての人にも当てはまります." (Do not assume every man you come across is evil, that goes for everyone you come across as well - you will only be alone otherwise, nobody to care for you, and nobody should want that.)
Tsuki arches an eyebrow, "You speak Japanese?"
Nixon laughs, "Yeah, this dude is insanely multilingual. Still don't know where he learned all of it."
"I just picked it up, it wasn't too hard." Seth comments, getting up and laying down a mat over the snow. "It's always been easy for me to pick up languages though." Seth lays down onto the mat, digging the back of his head in a backpack he had on.
"What are you, Seth?" Tsuki asks, leaning forward in curiosity.
"Italian, if that's what you meant by asking that."
"Weren't you born in Russia though?" Nixon asks.
"I was born near Russia since my part of the family was traveling at the time, but I've lived in Italy since I was six, moved here when I was six as well, turned seven shortly after."
"Hmm... you never told me that."
"You never asked."
Nixon chuckles, "Yeah." Nixon does the same as Seth, setting down a mat and laying on it, instead, throwing a thick pelt over himself as Tsuki's wife did.
Tsuki looks over to the woman laying down behind him, "Her name is Hinata."
"Is she your woman?" Seth asks.
"Yeah... she's my wife."
"You meet in the military, was she disguised as a man?"
Tsuki nods, "Yeah. You figured that much out already?"
"Judging how she was also wearing a military uniform, I'd assume so."
"You didn't even bother to guess if it was just some extra clothes she was forced to wear?"
"No, it fits her too well."
"That it does."
"Make sure she doesn't try to kill us, okay?"
"I will."
***
"You want to help?" Seth questions, rolling up the mat he was laying on.
Tsuki nods, "Yes, I would like to join you on your bounty hunt."
Seth looks to Nixon, "Do we have enough room to split it?"
Nixon nods, pressing his lips together, "I can't see why not, It's not like we stay at inns or anything."
"Okay, you and your wife can help." Seth motions at Hinata behind him, a soft round face with sharp fox-like eyes, grimacing.
Nixon taps Seth's shoulder, "Apparently the incidents involving the Cannibal seem to only be happening in this town so it should be easy to find him."
Seth nods, "It-" Seth whips his head around, hearing the sound of snow crunching beside all of them, out of place compared to the other's footsteps. A man wrapped in cloth from head to toe holding a rifle in their arms, face covered by scarves. "Who are you? A Hunter?"
"You could say that." The man says, pointing his gun to Tsuki. "I'll shoot this man if you move."
Hinata, Seth, and Nixon all put their guards up. Hinata sweating profusely.
"Man... scary..." The man jitters with excitement, Tsuki, hand on the hilt of his blade leans forward. The man lowers his gun to Tsuki's knee and fires, causing Tsuki to drop to the ground, cradling it in pain. "Lucky! I missed his knee. I hit above it though so... there'll be some damage."
"Who are you?" Seth asks calmly, "Are you a robber?"
The man's voice growls, "Hmm... am I?" The man sighs, "If you let me leave, I'll let the man live."
"Why did you attack him in the first place if you're just gonna leave?" Nixon asks, standing straight up, thumbs in his belt. The man hums, "Hello?"
"I heard," The man snorts through a clotted nose, "I just realized how helpless my situation was."
"Lucky..." Seth says mockingly, a smile across his face, "Didn't expect you'd come to us, maybe that's why you chose to do this. Noticing we're after you, you panicked and held one of our own up, but soon realized you were outnumbered, and here we are."
"Is he the Cannibal?" Nixon asks.
The Cannibal sighs, "How the hell'd you figure that out?" He shakes his head, "Well, I'm not the only one in my crew so remember that. There'll be more here so-" Hinata fires at the Cannibal's hand, causing him to flinch and reel back. Cannibal attempts to point the gun at Hinata but is shot in the leg by Nixon. The Cannibal falls to the ground, almost dropping his gun. Seth throws his mat over the Cannibal, running to Hinata and pushing her down, multiple gunshots ringing out behind him. Seth quickly rolls off of her and clambers quickly up a ledge, where the gunshots came from. During that time Nixon had already grabbed Tsuki as well and went behind cover, the Cannibal still struggling to escape from the mat. Nixon fires into the mat multiple times, killing the Cannibal.
Nixon sighs, "We don't want that guy to grab his gun again..." Nixon looks over to Tsuki, "I'll treat you."
Hinata is conflicted as to what to do, staying below the ledge Seth had climbed over.
Nixon turns to Hinata, "Do you understand English?"
She nods.
"Good, that guy right now, he'll take care of the rest of those guys for us, help me with your husband."
She takes a deep breath and goes to help Nixon.
One man covered in winter gear and a woman, wearing the same, both with rifles. The man carries a Winchester while the woman carries a Moondragon rifle. The man moves in carefully, trying to see where Seth had gone after climbing the ledge. A gunshot rings and the man falls. The woman fires where the smoke of the shot came from - no reaction. She goes to reload but is quickly put down as well, unknowing of Seth's specialty, recon. All done with only a revolver.