The trees swayed heavily in the wind, the rain seemingly falling to the side instead of down. Sheets of water hit the pavement below like waves, the cement the likeness of an ocean. Her tired green eyes watched them, near hypnotized by the sight. The pane of glass she leaned against shuddered with the force of each gust of wind, but it didn't bother her. Her small apartment was warm, the golden glowing lights from within only slightly imparting her ability to see the rain. Her space heater whirred in the corner, the only sound other than that of the thunder and heavy downpour. She sat on the sill of her outcropped window, her head leaning against the cold glass. The sun had just slipped under the horizon, the fluorescent streetlights glowing down onto the black sea below it. She had been sitting here for however long the rain had been coming down like this; the more the thought about it the more she realized it was most likely hours. Just as she wondered if she should move, there was a slow thud of two loud knocks on her door. They startled her only slightly, and she slowly rose to her feet, adjusting herself. She tugged the bottom of her shirt over the hem of her shorts, brushing herself off ever so slightly before taking a breath. She shifted to the side of her door, leaving the bolt on and opening it to what it would allow, observing the person outside. It was true, she drew in strange characters, but this man had to take home first prize. He was tall, with almost obnoxiously vibrant orange hair, and makeup, similar to that of a clown. He wore a tight pink and white ¾ sleeved shirt, and light blue sweatpants. She was slightly surprised that someone like him hadn't worn something more extravagant.

"Are you Dust?" He asked, his voice smooth and curious. She got an uneasy feeling in her stomach when he said her name.

"Yes." She answered briskly, looking the man up and down once more.

"I've heard you offer unique services. May I come in?" He asked, politeness not lost on him. Dust considered it for a moment. This man was strong, physically and with Nen, if things went wrong she could easily have a problem with him. Nevertheless, she closed the door, unhooking the bolt, then reopening it for him. He strode inside, glancing around the room as Dust closed the door behind him, locking it. She then walked past him into her apartment, stepping into the small kitchen. She moved her kettle onto the front burner, clicking on the stove as she began heating water.

"Would you like tea, Mister…?" She inquired, her large eyes glancing up at him.

"Hisoka. No thank you." He declined.

"Then have a seat." She told him, gesturing toward the loveseat. It was sat opposite from a table, which had a single large chair on the other side. It was clearly set up for deals, where one person was talking to others. He did as she suggested, and sat down casually, crossing his legs. Dust leaned on the small island between the kitchen and the living area where he was, staring at the strange man.

"Nothing is wrong with you, mister Hisoka. Why are you here?" She questioned, having already sensed that there was no Nen attached to him other than his own. The clown smiled slightly, his golden eyes reaching hers.

"I'm here for a friend. Or rather, someone I need to be an enemy." He began explaining, interrupted by the rising howl of steam from the kettle. Dust twirled around, shutting off the flame and quickly began preparing her tea.

"You seem the type to have plenty of enemies as is." She commented, searching for her favorite mug. Hisoka chuckled, shifting slightly.

"I might, but they're not worth my time. This one is, but he has curse on his heart." He told her. Dust perked up at this, almost spilling the scalding water she poured into her cup. After carefully setting down the kettle, she looked at him.

"Oh his heart? That's rare." She furrowed her brow. How did a curse land itself in someone's heart? She'd never seen it before.

"Is it? I wouldn't know. Anyway, he can't use his Nen, and thus I can't fight him. It would be useless and dull, he's broken." Hisoka explained.

"Because of a curse? Is it indefinite?" Dust asked, picking up her warm mug of chamomile.

"Yes, as far as I know. I doubt it has an end, or he might not have told me." He confirmed. Dust was silent after this, staring down at the shaded golden liquid in her cup. A Nen ability directly on the heart, and it permanently suspends someone's Nen? She pondered if taking this would even be worth it for her. Removing a curse of that proportion might be catastrophic to her health for a large chunk of time.

"Who is it?" She finally spoke.

"Do I have to tell you?" He seemingly whined, although Dust couldn't tell if he was just teasing her or not.

"Now, yes." She took a sip of her drink. Hisoka snickered again before answering.

"His name is Chrollo." He simply answered, already predicting her response.

"I mean who is he? Nobody gets a curse of that severity without being someone." She pried. Hisoka seemingly hesitated for a moment. In his mind, these were details that would be revealed eventually if she agreed, but he weighed each one before he answered as not to put her off of the contract. It would be easier for her to agree willingly before he resorted to threats.

"The head of the Ryodan." He answered again. He looked up at her when her heard her mug crack down onto the counter, the loudest noise since they started the interaction. Her wide green eyes stared at him in disbelief.

"The… what?" She murmured. Hisoka grinned again, as if his amusement of the situation was just too much. He didn't say anything, watching as Dust turned her back to him, pulling her plum hair over her shoulder. Dust now very highly considered the fact that this man would attempt to threaten her into doing the job. In every way she could think of at the moment, she was drawing the short end of the stick in this scenario. She was somewhat strong, but the man in her living room was stronger, definitely physically, and she couldn't imagine someone like him with a weak Nen ability, so fighting him was already out of the question. If she agreed, she would face the consequences for removing the Nen, and then be left to deal with it. If she was forced, she would have to deal with both the consequences of her own Nen and whatever Hisoka may do. If she ran… well, she wasn't going to run. She fast, but she wasn't about to run away because of this. All in all, there was one variable she could control. Then she had an idea. Dust turned around to face him again, seemingly having gained most of her composure back as she took another drink of her tea.

"I'll do it." She told him, her eyes glued to the countertop.

"Wonderful." Hisoka stood up. Dust could feel his aura change slightly, and it made her queasy again. "We should be off as soon as possible."

"What?" She rushed. She performed all of her exorcisms in her apartment.

"Ah, I forgot to mention, he's not here. We have to go to him." Hisoka told her calmly. Dust felt her stomach churn slightly as she immediately regretted agreeing to this. If she'd known she would've had to leave anyway, running was a much more viable option. Dust looked around her apartment, her eyes then staring at the darkness outside the window yet again. The soft pouring of the rain could still be heard, and the window wobbled slightly as she stared at it. She felt her heart well up with what she could only describe as anticipation. It wasn't excitement or fear for what she was about to do, just a morbid curiosity for what the near future will bring her. Hisoka, on the other hand, was absolutely teeming with excitement.

an: hi, it's 2 am and i'm posting this because lucid me would never. i'll try to keep this one going for once in my life, so please punch me in the face i don't. thanks for reading so far, at least!