Ash stood in front of the bar counter with his small axe on the wooden surface.
The eatery owner stared at the axe, then stared at Ash, his brow furrowing. "What are you doing, kid?"
"I'm sorry, sir." Ash didn't look away. "I had enough money earlier, but I just checked and my wallet is gone. Looks like someone stole it on the road."
"Hmm." The old man let out a quiet snort.
"I'll leave this axe as a guarantee." Ash pushed it slightly forward. "I'll come back for it after I get money. Soon."
The eatery owner exhaled, long and heavy, like someone who had heard those words too many times before. His hand picked up the axe from the counter, turned it once, examined it briefly, then his eyes settled on Ash.
"Just give me one of your hands and I'll call it even, kid." His hand raised the axe into a ready swing position. "You think this is the first time someone like you has walked into my place?"
Ash was silent for two seconds. Then he slid his left hand onto the counter, palm facing down, fingers flat on the wooden surface. "Fine, if that's what you want."
The eatery owner didn't change his expression, nor did he lower the axe.
He stared at Ash's left hand, then exhaled a second time. "Okay, one hand might be too much." The position of the axe in his hand shifted, adjusting the angle. "One finger ought to be enough for a plate of food, I reckon."
"Boss, hey."
Suzy appeared from the side, her hand gripping her boss's arm. "Calm down first."
The eatery owner turned toward her with a raised eyebrow.
"Thefts have been on the rise in this city lately." Suzy released her grip but didn't step back. "He might genuinely be a victim."
The old man exhaled. "Suzy, you're too naive, girl." His eyes shifted to Ash, his tone dropping. "That's why men just come to sleep with you and leave."
Ash's jaw tightened. "Hey, there's no need to insult her, old man." His voice came out flat but with a different pressure than before. "Just take what you want."
"Alright, alright." Suzy raised her hand toward Ash. "I'll pay for his food, boss." She reached into her apron, pulled out several notes and placed them on the bar counter. Then her eyes settled on Ash, her tone brief. "Leave now."
Ash remained still looking at her, then at the eatery owner in front of him.
Before he had the chance to speak, a man from the left table stood up, stepped two paces forward, and wrapped his arm around Suzy's shoulder from behind. The man had a larger build than most people in the eatery, the smell of alcohol already detectable from that distance.
"I'm deeply moved." His voice was styled to sound touched, but his eyes didn't show the same.
"A woman this good deserves a husband worthy of her." His hand gripped tighter around Suzy's shoulder. "With a body like yours, what a shame it would be if it fell into the wrong hands."
"Hey! Let go!" Suzy shoved his arm away and her hand flew hard across the man's cheek.
SLAP!
The sound of the slap was loud enough to make several people at nearby tables stop talking briefly.
The man raised his hand to his cheek, but his expression wasn't anger. The corner of his lips rose. "Likes it rough, apparently."
He stepped closer. "That's fine, I like rough women too. I'll slap that backside of yours very hard later, isn't that what women like you enjoy?"
Several men at the corner table laughed, others cheered quietly. Suzy's face flushed, her jaw tightened, but her body didn't move.
"Hey."
Ash's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to cut through every other sound in the room. His eyes were sharp in the direction of the large man in front of Suzy.
"Watch your mouth."
The eatery fell instantly silent.
The man turned slowly toward Ash, his eyes scanning from head to foot. His hand moved, grabbing the small axe from the eatery owner's grip before he had the chance to set it down, and pressing the sharp edge against Ash's neck.
"Or what, tough guy?" His breath was felt on Ash's face from that distance. "Let a woman pay for your food, then you want to act the hero?" His lips curled into a sneer. "Wouldn't it be better if you just di-"
Ash's hand moved fast, one hand closing around the man's throat with a firm grip. The man was lifted slightly from the floor, the tips of his feet still touching but his whole body already raised.
No one spoke in the eatery, all eyes turned toward Ash.
Outside the window, the elf woman who had been watching since earlier tensed as well. "What is he doing?" she muttered quietly. "Don't cause trouble in this city, you idiot."
Inside, Suzy stepped forward. "Hey, put your hand down." Her voice didn't waver but there was tension at its edges. "This isn't necessary, please don't make a scene here."
Ash didn't respond.
The eatery owner raised both his hands, his expression different from before. "Kid, listen, you don't need to pay, I was just trying to scare you. Just go, there's no problem."
The man being choked struggled, his hand swinging the axe toward Ash's head, however, Ash's grip tightened. The man's arm stopped moving, his muscles not strong enough to push further.
The axe fell to the floor with a loud sound. Both his hands gripped Ash's hand trembling. His eyes began reddening at the edges, the veins in his neck visible clearly.
Ash stared at that face from close range. Behind that face, behind those eyes that were already losing focus, what he saw wasn't the man in the eatery. What he saw was the burning yard of Pinedale, Elira's screams that he couldn't hear, Lyanna's small feet that had stopped moving, and the Aegis soldiers who were still laughing.
"Men like you," he muttered, "are what got my wife and daughter killed."
His grip pressed deeper.
The sound of cracking bone came out once, short and definitive, and the man's body went completely limp with no strength remaining. Ash released his hand and the man dropped to the floor just like that, like cloth falling.
Nothing moved in the eatery.
Suzy stood with her hand covering her mouth, her eyes on the floor. The eatery owner leaned against the bar counter with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth. The men who had been laughing earlier were now sitting with straight backs and hands on the table.
The man who had earlier called his companions through his phone fell silent too. Outside, the figure of the elf woman was still staring in through the window, her mouth slightly open.
"He ... what an idiot!" she muttered.
Suddenly her expression changed as she realized something and she glanced around her.
Ten people in dark tactical clothing stood surrounding her within a radius already too close to avoid, each with a hand on their weapons, all their eyes looking directly at her.
***