Coyote Varia knelt before a small shrine he had erected in his room, head bowed low in respect. This was his morning ritual, a habit he had developed during the past two years. Each morning, the ex-soldier would wake up to the rising sun's rays illuminating his room in a pink glow. It was quite likely that Coyote awoke the earliest, his military training never leaving him entirely. However, Coyote was not the first to leave his room. He always set aside an hour each day to pay his respects to the spirit of his wife, his Elaine. Even now, he could recall the circumstances that had brought them together.
Growing up, Coyote had always been heavily influenced by his father. As such, it had been no surprise to anyone that the younger Varia had desired to join the Imperial Army. Protecting the citizens had been his job, though Coyote had never once bothered with the 'scum' on the streets. He'd just been another soldier, following his emperor's every order blindly.Coyote had known that corruption had begun to creep slowly into the capitol, but it didn't matter to him so long as he was able to fight for the greater good. Thinking on it now, Coyote realized he truly had been a blind fool. Greater good? That would have meant putting the people before all else. That had not been his orders, though. Once he could no longer ignore the people's cries for help, Coyote had thrown down his arms and walked away. Of course, he hadn't left alone. He'd taken his Imperial Arms, the impenetrable armor Draig, with him. At that time, Coyote truly believed he'd be free of the chains that were quietly binding him. How foolish he had been.
After a few months of wandering from town to town, Coyote had finally decided to settle down on the outskirts of a small town. Nobody seemed to have much there, but everybody was happy. Families were much closer to one another, the community itself seeming like one big family. Nobody was a stranger. Everybody knew one another, and Coyote found he himself being dragged into the community. He pulled his own weight, setting up a nice-sized farm to grow food for the town. There, he'd barter the excess produce for meats and other goods. It was in that town that Coyote met Elaine. She was the daughter of a baker, a kind girl loved by all. Quite often, Coyote found himself staring at her, admiring the way the sun reflected off her golden locks. He had seen beautiful women before, but Elaine was something different altogether. Oftentimes, when he was wrapped up in work, she would visit him, bringing with her fresh bread and good company. A few months before his past caught up to him, Coyote had married Elaine. She had become his life, his light in the darkness.
Coyote broke out of his thoughts, not wishing to dredge up memories of the day he had lost everything. Rising to his feet, the quiet man made his way to the kitchen. It came as no surprise when he found Hayato there. His boss was just as early a riser as he, though the former didn't dedicate quite as much time to dwelling on the past. Sitting down at his usual spot, Coyote clasped his hands in prayer. It was no doubt a rather unusual custom in the eyes of other people, but Elaine had made sure Coyote never forgot his manners. That was one of the reasons he'd cared for her so much. She had never let him forget what was right and what was wrong; she'd kept the darkness away from his door. Of course, no words came from Coyote's mouth as he prayed. None had since the day he realized just how corrupt the empire had become. No member of Night Raid seemed to need to hear his words, though. They needed only watch his expressions to know what passed through his mind.
