'For the girl. Don't split it.'
That was all the note said. Asuriel had mixed feelings, but who could turn down free money? That was, like, two days' worth of groceries in Veridion's terrible economy. And two days of good food was always welcome.
Wages at the Velvet Lounge were impressive, but Asuriel sent much of her money to her mother. At the end of the month, she didn't have a whole lot to spare.
Rowan leaned down and put the cash in Asuriel's apron pocket, pulling her from her thoughts. His mischievous gaze held hers confidently, and he smirked. She cocked an inquisitive brow at him, taken aback by his forwardness. It had been a while since he was so openly flirtatious.
"Don't look at me like that," the man sighed. "Don't worry, I'm not being slimy; I dumped my girlfriend a few weeks ago."
Asuriel frowned. "What? I thought you really liked this one."
Rowan shrugged. "It just wasn't meant to be, I guess."
"You didn't dump her," Asuriel called his bluff with a sly grin, "she dumped you."
"Ugh," he averted his eyes and prepared to leave again. "Why do you have to call me out like that? You're my friend, you're supposed to let me pretend I wasn't the problem!"
"Is it for the same reason as the last one?" Asuriel continued to prod. "Never communicating and always leaving her hanging?"
"…" Rowan gave her an exaggerated pout, then walked away without answering.
She chuckled to herself. It was the same story every time.
Asuriel loved Rowan to death; he was a fantastic man. And, of course, she wouldn't deny that he was incredibly attractive – but she was acutely aware of his faults. He never truly opened up. There was something that he hid beneath the surface, something he was scared to share. Asuriel deeply valued openness, especially in a partner, so that was the biggest turn-off.
He was perfect otherwise. If it weren't for that negative trait, she probably would have made some advances on him if she were being honest.
Alas, the universe wouldn't be so kind as to give her a perfect man.
Asuriel grabbed the cash in her pocket gingerly, already thinking about what she was going to spend it on. Maybe, instead of groceries, she would get herself a treat for her birthday next week. A soft smile graced her lips as she considered it.
—
The rest of the night went by without incident.
"Want me to walk you to the station?" Rowan asked as they finished closing the Lounge. When they walked out the door, Titan politely nodded in farewell.
Asuriel thought about it for a moment but decided against it. "Nah, I think I'll go myself. You live in the opposite direction, anyway."
"I really don't mind," Rowan answered with a shrug. "We had some pretty shady patrons tonight, and I don't particularly enjoy leaving beautiful women alone in the city at 2 in the morning. Kinda makes me feel like an ass."
"I'll be fine, I promise," she laughed.
He looked down at her dejectedly, then held out his pinky, "Pinky swear."
Asuriel rolled her eyes, but indulged him. She locked her pinky in his, "I pinky swear."
"Alright. Text me when you get home safe," Rowan said softly, genuine concern evident in his sorrowful expression. "See ya later."
"Okay," Asuriel answered and started walking.
The real reason she wanted to be alone on her trip home was to do the final efficacy test of her mother's incense. If she made it back without losing a limb, she'd burn the incense all day, every day.
At night, her trip to the subway station was more extended than during the day because the buses didn't run after 11 pm, which meant she had to walk the whole way there. Veridion was always well-lit, even at night. It didn't make the shadows in alleyways any less disconcerting, though.
Asuriel walked the distance, throwing suspicious looks in every direction as she went. She was pleasantly surprised when the station came into view, and nothing terrible had happened. There seemed to be something to the incense, after all.
Or, so she thought. In the quiet, Asuriel caught undiscernible sounds from one of the alleys she had yet to pass. She stood still to listen more intently and threw a hand over her mouth when she realized what the sounds were.
Someone was getting the shit beaten out of them. Bad.
Rough slapping, banging, and clunking sounds followed by muffled groans of pain filled her ears. There was a deep voice murmuring threats that Asuriel couldn't quite make out but made a chill run down her spine; whoever it was sounded murderous.
'What do I do? I can't just leave him there, and I need to pass the alley to get home…' she deliberated silently.
After going through all her courses of action, she decided to call the police and approach the altercation while the call was active. It wasn't wise to personally intervene, but Asuriel had a feeling that if someone didn't stop the fight now, the person getting attacked would die.
She sucked in a breath and steeled her resolve, dialing the emergency number. When the operator answered, she explained the situation in a hurried whisper and started walking toward the sounds.
"Miss, for your safety, it's not recommended that you get involved," the operator stated. "Stay where you are, and help will arrive shortly."
"He's going to die!" Asuriel muttered, trying not to alert the individuals to her presence just yet. She pulled the phone away from her ear but left the line active, ignoring the orders she was given.
Asuriel flinched with each hitting sound, the gruesome noises making her stomach do flips with anxiety. With each step, the sounds grew louder and clearer. She approached the alley and quickly stepped into the entrance, ensuring she remained in the streetlamp's light.
She mustered all the courage in her body and firmly stated, "Stop! The police…"
Asuriel couldn't finish; the words died on her lips as her eyes adjusted to the dim light.
No one was there.
Asuriel frantically scanned the alley, even going as far as stepping into the dark to look behind dumpsters. A stray cat mewled and dashed away when she poked around, leaving her speechless.
Nothing.
Not even a trace of blood.
"Miss, are you alright?" the sound of the operator's question was ignored as Asuriel stood there, dumbfounded. "Please, miss, answer me if you're able!"
"…Yeah. I'm fine," Asuriel brought the phone up to her face bitterly.
Sirens and flashing lights announced the arrival of the authorities, but Asuriel was anything but relieved.
How the hell was she supposed to explain this to the police?!