Luna Delphine, you can do this. Drops of water fell from her face, landing in the basin of her dressing room. It had been months since her last meaningful conversation with a character not found on a radio broadcast. She dragged herself onto the stage. She performed, her body stripped from her mind.
Each night she searched the crowd for that characteristic green coat. Each night she was disappointed. No longer helping to support Marco, she felt aimless. She tried doing what most aimless people she knew drifted to, so she opened up a dusty bottle of tigal Marco had left behind. The taste was sweet but chemical. She only managed to drink a glass of it. It gave her a feeling of slight euphoria followed by redness of the face and an extreme headache. Alcohol abuse wasn’t for everyone. So, she sang sober, her life an endless day-long da capo without a coda in sight.
There was only one part of her day Luna looked forward to. It occurred after her first set. She took the tuna salad out of the cooler and stepped out to feed her feline companions. The cats crowded over themselves, trying to get their share of fish. She felt a warm breeze as the door behind her opened. It was him. She shuddered.
“Miss Moondrop.” The hunter said.
“Yes, sir, I already told you what I know.” The cats quickly dispersed in the man’s presence. Cowards.
“That I am sure of. It is not of import. I found your cousin already.”
Her mouth stood momentarily agape before putting on her performance face. “If that is so, we have even less to talk about.”
“Worry not. So long as you do not disclose this detail, your beloved Marco is whole, his heart still beating. I have come to you on another matter.”
Luna folded her arms under her chest and leaned against the wall. “You might as well go back and put a bullet in his head then. I am not interested in ‘side contracts’ from whitehats.”
“No, my dear, nothing like that. I assure you my hat remains as black as the blackest of hunters. I do not wish to bother you with the trivialities of the current arrangement I find myself in, but instead for your help with a small problem.”
“What?”
“A trifle really, I have a letter addressed to a person in our mutual acquaintance, Gram, or Mr. Green if you prefer. I have every confidence you can see it brought to him.” The man of sharp angles pulled something out of his intricate spider silk coat and held out the envelope to her.
“I have had no dealings with him these past months.”
“Of this, I am sure. But if I surmise correctly, Miss Luna Delphine, you are still wearing that piece of jewelry he gave you. You know how to contact him, yet you did not. You wish him to contact you. This delivery shall give you the excuse to see him once again.” He was obviously trying to seem amiable, but there were harsh and forceful undertones in his every word and every motion.
She accepted the envelope with a diminutive nod.
“Good girl.”
The envelope felt heavy for just a letter. “What does Gram have to do with any of this?”
He smiled like a satisfied lion. “Open it for yourself, and I think you’ll find all his little tricks quite exposed.” He lit a cigarette. “I have a question for you, Miss Moondrop, one that has bothered me slightly. Do you ever make coffee for yourself?”
“Not too often… why?”
“You sing well, if robotically. You might want to consider singing for yourself. See how it feels.”
“And why would that be a concern of a hunter?”
“It is not the concern of a hunter, merely as a lover of music and a man who hates to see talent go to waste. Just give it a thought, Miss Delphine. Be sure to give Mr. Green my regards.” He began to walk away, smoke trailing him.
As soon as he was gone, she opened up the envelope and read. Suddenly Gram’s illusions were revealed, leaving only a willfully naive man. What right did he have, sacrificing himself without telling either of them?
There were two knocks at the door. Luna buried her feelings under a smile, ready to charm the crowd.
Homo Economicish 