Vixen whirled, dagger flashing. The man stumbled back. "Whoa, easy! I was just trying to help."
Lost in sorrow, her face buried in the shore sand, she didn't notice the man approach until he spoke. She slowly lowered her blade, taking in the stranger. He was lean and weathered, with kind eyes and rough hands. Not a threat after all.
"My apologies," she said curtly. "It's been a trying day."
The man nodded. "I can see that. What happened?"
Vixen hesitated, then decided there was no harm in venting to a stranger. "Do you, uh...take this?" the man asked, offering her a flask of gin.
Vixen nodded gratefully. Maybe a drink would help numb the pain. Over gulps of the burning liquor, she told him everything - Marco, Luca, thinking she'd finally found love with Nico, only for his vicious betrayal. And then Luca resurfacing like a bad penny, abandoning her too.
