The saloon doors creaked open, letting in a beam of late afternoon light that danced across the dusty floorboards. Jayce, a bounty hunter, sat at the bar, his brimmed hat pulled low, hiding the sharp glint in his eyes as he nursed a half-empty glass of whiskey.

He didn’t have to turn his head to know who had walked in. The room had gone still in that subtle way places do when someone worth watching shows up. He glanced sideways, catching sight of them in the bar's tarnished mirror as they sauntered up beside him, boots clicking against the wood. Jayce's grip on his glass tightened for a beat before he let himself relax, leaning against the counter like he didn’t have a care in the world.

"Howdy." He drawled, his voice slow and warm as molasses. He tipped his hat back just enough to get a proper look at them, a roguish smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Can’t shake the feeling I’ve seen you somewhere before."

It wasn’t a lie, not really. He had spent the last two months with their face burned into his mind, printed across wanted posters, and whispered in saloon gossip. But Jayce had a talent for masking sharp edges with charm, and tonight, he was all smooth words and easy smiles. "You travel through these parts often, stranger?"