At a bar, in the cosmos far, far away at a time unknown to mankind.

Who am I kidding? Earth is the only planet where it all takes place. Isn’t it the focal point of everything for some reason?

Two unkept gentlemen with guns in their holsters sit next to each other at a bar table.

One is a wolf in his mid-30s, wearing a gray suit, a green tie, and a scar across the left side of his face.

Next to him is a gray bear in his late 40s, wearing a black suit paired with a pink tie, and strangely, pink dress shoes. 

One of them is drinking a whiskey sour and the other a glass of milk. Who could tell these two were the most dangerous bounty hunters in the galaxy?

Welcome to the Black Rose.

Haste: “Hey Snatch, what do you think of people?”

Snatch: “That’s a weird question. What would I think of people?”

Haste: “No I mean what’s your take on man and irrationality?”

Snatch: “Well, I am assuming you’re calling humanity irrational. If so, I agree. After all, one quick look at you tells me all I need to justify my views.”

Haste: “Aren’t you sweet?”

The bartender, Digit, passes a glass of whiskey to the man beside Haste. Digit is a lion in his early 50s.

Haste: “See Snatch, I think people are boring.”

Snatch: “Oh? You don’t give the impression of someone who gets bored of people.”

Haste: “No one fascinates me, to be honest. See, most of what I say or how I behave is purely transactional. Given the choice of throwing myself at a wall versus talking to just anybody, I would throw myself to the wall a hundred times.”

Snatch: “Can’t say I disagree. Remember Keys?”

Haste: “Oh that buffoon? Of course, that idiot wouldn’t stop repeating the same old jokes.”

Snatch: “And he ended up with the last laugh. Guy got shot at his gig.”

Haste: “The only time he made me laugh.”

Snatch: “But that dude is lucky. Still managed to survive that.”

Haste: “Too bad.”

Snatch: “Wait, aren’t you guys ‘friends’?”

Haste: “Friends? In this industry? Please.”

A young man and his friends enter the bar. By now it is 23:00.

Snatch: “The point is, irrespective of who we talk about, people are simply mundane.”

Haste: “Mundane and an annoying desire to appear as if they exist more than they should.”

Snatch: “Naturally.”

Haste: “See, I believe almost everyone is a hypocrite.”

Snatch: “Is that so?”

Haste: “Yes, and I feel as though everyone has opinions to seem “en vogue”.”

Snatch: “You’re going off a tangent again. What are they?”

Haste: “The kind that contradicts, I suppose.”

Snatch: “At this very moment, do you think I am one of them?”

Haste: “If you were, I would have cashed out on your bounty years ago, buckeroo.”

Both of them start laughing. A man playing pool glances at them from behind.

Haste: “I remember meeting someone cool though.”

Snatch: “Oh? Who?”

Haste: “Well, my first bounty.”

Snatch: “Wait, wasn’t it-”

Haste: “Yep. It was Chains.”

Snatch: “Oh fuck.”

Haste: “19 years ago, was it? I think so. Anyways, Chains was the man. When I say the man, I mean he never did anything he would never do. Loyal till the end.”

Snatch: “Yet, you took his life.”

Haste: “Yeah, but that’s what bounty hunters do right? Plus, given the situation, either I die or he does, that’s how his honor was. I respected him, a lot. In the end, he cursed me with that smile of his.”

Snatch: “Was it another cheesy “quit this job and live your life” shtick?”

Haste: “Yep. But quitting this life has consequences for me: I’d not be living anymore.”

Snatch: “Well, wouldn’t it be more rational for you to quit this job than stay here? I mean, same goes for me but you’re the one talking here.”

Haste: “I don’t know. I hadn’t, am not, and will never think of leaving business.”

From behind Haste emerges Noir, a fox the same age as Haste. Never is she not seen wearing a white shirt with black pants. A hitwoman, Haste and her have a complex past. But be rest assured, this is not a soap opera.

Noir: “My my, you two.”

Haste and Snatch: “You again.”

Noir: “Oh come on now. The three of us have always been together. Are you guys excluding me now?”

Haste: “Firstly, you were never here before. Secondly, stop acting cute, it won’t work on us.”

Snatch: “Easy lover boy.”

Snatch and Noir break into a laugh. Haste shrugs it off. Digit leaves a Gimlet for Noir.

Noir: “I overheard you guys talking about Chains.”

Haste: “Yeah we’re rambling about irrationality and he kinda popped into the conversation.”

Noir: “Interesting. So what is it you guys are focusing on?”

Snatch: “Nothing to be specific. But we were talking about Haste leaving this life behind.”

Noir: “Aww, you’re getting married?”

Haste: “No, and wait when did I agree to this discussion?”

Snatch: “Well you didn’t exactly opt out either.”

Haste: “I thought you’d know better than dragging me into this.”

Noir circled the rim of her drink in thought.

Noir: “Honestly, I’d love to leave this fucking life behind.”

Haste: “That’s rich coming from you. Don’t you enjoy killing people?”

Noir: “Well, I used to. But I guess I’m at that age where I want to settle down and start a family.”

Snatch: “Oh? You seeing anyone right now?”

Noir: “No and I haven’t in like, 2 years? The men I did didn’t last more than a couple of dates. Sure they were rich dudes and looked hot enough, but a crackhead like me isn’t worth permanence.”

Snatch: “So why the sudden change in thought?”

Noir: “Call it a natural calling, I guess. But to be more precise, it wouldn’t be bad. I mean, if you’re in love with this person and eventually you guys have kids it would be like a happily ever after. Since I read too many fairy tales as a kid, I wouldn’t mind something like that.”

Snatch: “Well, I find your reasoning to be sweet, but unfortunately a person like Haste at best would be a character from a Dostoevsky novel.”

Haste: “Oi, why drag me into this?”

Snatch: “Actually no, more like Mersault because I simply can’t get around his excuse of a brain.”

Haste: “One more word and I will show yours on the table.”

Snatch laughs. Haste sighs. Noir is in thought.

Haste: “That’s probably what you desire, but realistically that at best would stay a dream.”

Noir: “Why?”

Haste: “I mean, how would it be rational to leave behind something you’re used to and start anew? Especially where lives are involved. I dunno if karma exists or not, but for conversation’s sake it does: would the world let you live like nothing ever happened when you took the lives of so many?”

Snatch: “He has a point.”

Noir took a sip of her drink. Digit stares at her from a distance, seeing if she likes it. Digit loves to see people enjoying his drinks.

Noir: “I can’t disagree, but everyone can press reset. Whether or not you pull through is up to chance. But, everyone has the right to start over.”

Haste: “I guess. But why go so far when you end up pressing reset anyway? Wouldn’t it be better to get killed on the job?”

Noir: “I guess I’m rather indecisive so there’s no telling what I choose. I joined for a reason separate from my current desire to leave. I feel like I accomplished that reason so there’s no point in having that contradict what I want now.”

Snatch: “I agree with you.”

Haste: “I don’t.”

Noir: “Your opinion doesn’t-”

Snatch: “Hold that thought. Haste, are you mad she won’t be marrying you?”

Haste: “Huh?”

Noir: “Oh, you haven’t moved on from me yet? It’s fine, I-”

Haste: “Hey Noir.”

Noir: “What?”

Haste: “Why would I want to marry someone who can’t let me escape in the first place?”

Snatch: “He has a point. You are more insistent on having him around than he is.”

Haste: “Bingo.”

Haste gestures a gun with his fingers and points at Noir, firing 3 shots. The three of them laugh. Digit is sad that no one told him that the drinks were good.

Haste: “Hey Snatch, don’t you have kids?”

Snatch: “Two sons. A wife too in case you’re wondering.”

Noir: “Woah woah, what?”

Haste: “No wonder this guy drinks milk at a fucking bar.”

Snatch: “I am a man who works for my family.”

Haste: “How does it feel, knowing you could never return to them if you screw up a job?”

Snatch: “Well, I’d be lying if I said I don’t get the nerves sometimes. But, this job is what it is to me: a job. I have to be good at this else I can’t give them anything. I can’t quit because if I did so, they’d go after my family.”

Noir: “Couldn’t you go far away and hide?”

Snatch: “I can’t go into details but just like you guys, my syndicate keeps details about me discrete. I have a bounty on my head, but I can sleep easy knowing they’ll live.”

Haste: “Mine wants me to leave the job.”

Noir: “Why, because you suck?”

Haste: “Nice try, wise guy but no, it is more because I took out everyone that could harm the syndicate. Chains was one of them.”

Noir: “Ah, the love of your life.”

Haste: “What?”

Noir: “Can’t ever forget how he kept you awake for weeks. Almost like his ghost kept haunting you.”

Haste: “You’re one salty person.”

Chains was a hitman who used, well, chains to kill people. Haste was a great matchup for him because he only used his fists and a knife. But, range doesn’t mean a thing if you’re an owl fighting against a wolf that can move fast, even if you can fly. In the end, Haste struck Chains’ heart with his knife at the cost of his face.

Chains: “Don’t waste it, kid.”

Snatch: “Haste, leaving this life won’t be as hard as you think. But to live a life where you no longer live in rushes of adrenaline is going to be tough. There is a reason why prisoners even after being released commit crimes.”

Noir: “Aren’t we generalizing here?”

Snatch: “Not really. Your psyche is deeper than what you think.”

Haste does not respond. He stares intently at his empty glass.

Haste: “Truth be told, I never enjoyed the aspect of “killing” as much as I did with how I felt. I can’t deny the fact that I live for these rushes. If I lived a life where I started feeling comfortable, it would be the same as me changing my favorite pack of smokes: I would miss it every time I smoke. The thought of how it felt would haunt me no matter what.”

Snatch: “So just quit smoking.”

Haste: “Quitting it would be simple, but where would the adrenaline rushes come from then?”

Snatch: “If you think of it like this, you will end up feeling like how you said.”

Snatch gestures to Digit to pour him another glass of milk. Digit hates using the milk he uses for White Russians to be drunk by Snatch.

Noir: “I relate. I can’t leave my gun behind no matter what. But I know I will empty these chambers for the last time someday.”

Snatch: “You guys can’t decide what you want. Listen, it’s a job for me, nothing more. It was never this deep to begin with. But you guys treat it like a form of escapism. I have no issues with that, I mean look at Patch. That mongoose treats life simply without any burdens. But no matter how much he treats the job as a way to break free, he still sees it as a job.”

Haste: “Yeah no, there is no way am I ever amounting anything close to Patch.”

Noir: “Who’s Patch again?”

Snatch: “Just a guy only guys remember. He has not talked to a woman since he graduated.”

Noir: “That is sad.”

Haste: “Not really. He just associates with very few people. But he is-”

Snatch: “By far-”

Haste and Snatch together: “The worst bounty hunter in history.”

Patch sneezes in his room. He hasn’t left his house in 6 months.

Noir: “You guys are mean.”

Snatch: “Anyways, there is no point mixing emotions into a place where you leave them behind.”

Haste: “I don’t get emotional.”

Snatch: “If it weighs on your chest, you are emotional.”

Noir: “He’s not wrong.”

Haste disagrees with them. 

Haste: “Oi Digit, get Noir and me 20 shots of tequilas.” 

Noir: “Fuck yes.”

Almost 2 hours went by with the three of them still rambling on. Haste and Noir were drunk as usual.

Haste: “Hey, Noir.”

Noir: “What do you want, Haste?”

Haste: “You.”

Noir: “What?”

Noir stares at Haste who’s hunched over the bar. Noir was flustered. Meanwhile, Snatch gestures to Digit “Wait for it”.

Haste: “I’ll tell it to you once so listen carefully.”

Noir goes close to Haste.

Haste: “You always smell like the sock I threw up in back when I was a rookie.”

Haste starts laughing like a maniac. Snatch and Digit awkwardly chuckle. Noir has no expression on her face. 

Noir: “I’ll kill you someday you stupid wolf.”

Haste: “I’d love for a woman to be the death of me.”

Snatch: “Alright kids, it’s time to go home.”

Digit started to close the bar. It was 03:15. 

Digit looks out the window. It was raining as usual. He wonders if they’ll come back tomorrow. In this business, every day is treated as the last day. Most are killed, and some leave but none that blur the two worlds live long enough to empty their chambers. Under the dimmed lights of the bar, the souls of those stuck in limbo feel the essence of the afterlife they can never reach. Their struggle is meaningless. After all, is there indeed a true escape? 

You cannot run away, no matter how fast you run.