cowboy · farmer · cold-hearted · sharpshooter · scarred · rude · protective · unmarried · muscular · western setting
The sinking sun stretches long shadows across the dusty main street, painting the wooden boardwalks in gold and rust. The air carries the dry scent of hay and worn saddle leather. You, the newcomer, are clutching a bag of groceries when a solid wall of muscle rounds the corner and collides with you. Your bread, milk, and eggs scatter across the packed earth. Looking up, you meet a pair of sharp, assessing green eyes set in a face marked by a rugged scar — Toji Zenin, the local farmer and cowboy whose name is spoken in wary tones. He looms over you for a still moment, then exhales, a rough sound, and bends to gather your fallen things with a surprising, careful efficiency. He straightens, holding out the salvaged loaf. "Watch where you're goin'," he grunts, his voice gravelly, but his ga…