Episode 2

Hunter.

I had often seen from a distance the warriors who were responsible for ensuring law and order in the surrounding area on behalf of the Empire elite. But now that they were only six feet away from me, they looked even more powerful and threatening. Very impressive.

"We'll have two whiskeys," said whoever had just snapped his fingers. His dark eyes slid from Danika to me, paused briefly on my face and finally turned their gaze to his companion.

My friend's fingers trembled slightly as she filled two glasses with the amber liquid and handed it to the two hunters. She stuffed the generous tip into her fanny pack and gave me a questioning look. We both thought the same thing: what the hell were the warriors doing here in our desolate tavern? There were enough hunter bars in the surrounding area where they didn't even have to pay for their drinks and where willing women worked who not only offered the drink service, but also their bodies. So what brought them here to us?

As we went on with our work, I noticed that the hunter who had ordered kept looking me sideways. That made me pretty nervous, even if I wasn't showing anything outwardly.

"What's your name?" He suddenly asked, and although I wanted to pretend I hadn't heard him at first, I decided against it and gave him my name.

A lot has been said about the Hunter. That they were strong and ruthless; that they could kill a person with their bare hands. I definitely didn't mean to mess with any of them. Should he know my name, I didn't care.

"I'm Nikk," he continued, lifting his now empty glass. "Will you pour me another one?"

"Of course." I wiped my damp hands on a cloth and picked up the whiskey bottle. Fortunately, my fingers didn't shake when I refilled his glass, even though I was very nervous. His gaze was rather intrusive.

"You're pretty, Riley," Nikk said suddenly, taking a long swig of the newly poured whiskey. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Work," I replied simply. I did not respond to his compliment. Beauty was meaningless in my world. For me it was even a hindrance, because it attracted admirers whom I did not want. Just like the Hunter, apparently.

“Yes, I can see that, but why here of all places? There are other bars that you would fit in much better. "

Baris suddenly appeared next to me, laughing a rather artificial laugh that sounded a lot like a cough from too much alcohol and cigars.

"Would you like to be lured away, Riley?" Nikk asked me, his dark eyes capturing my gaze.

I didn't understand what this was going to be, but my gut instinct told me there was no way I should accept the Hunter's offer, even if Baris was a creep and I hated my job. "No, I'm happy with my work here," I replied as honestly as possible.

"Too bad. But maybe you will change your mind. "

"I don't think so, sir."

"We'll see." He finished the whiskey in one last gulp and put the glass back on the counter. Then he nodded briefly to his companion and left the bar with him.

"Conceited Fatzke," growled Baris next to me and cracked his fingers with an ugly noise. "I said you should make your customers look good, Riley, but no false hopes."

"I didn't do any of it at all," I defended myself immediately.

"Yes, yes, go back to work now."

Baris disappeared into the back room and I sighed and stepped over to Danika, who had watched the whole thing from a safe distance.

"What did that mean?" She asked now, frowning, which only made my uneasy feeling worse.

"I don't know," I replied, brushing the loose strands from my forehead.

Danika's gaze followed my movement. "You can hardly see your approach," she muttered, and pondered on. "Do you think the Hunter noticed anyway?"

For a year now I have been coloring my naturally blond hair an ugly reddish brown. According to rumors circulating everywhere, women with fair hair were collected by the privileged men as if they were some rare works of art. Perhaps the word "seldom" was exactly correct, because apart from my sister and myself I did not know any other woman with this hair color. And if I did meet a blonde woman, the hair color turned out to be not real.

"We need to re-dye your approach as a precaution," Danika went on in a whisper.

"Yes, you are right," I confirmed with a nod, pushing aside the rising worries. I couldn't drive myself crazy now. Probably the hunter's interest had been just to recruit me for his pleasure. After all, that wasn't forbidden as long as he also accepted a no.