Despite the tense environment, I was able to draw the two, no, the three of them to the side, just far enough away so that others wouldn't probe into our business. If possible, I'd prefer not to have any arguments in the middle of the street.

"No one was harmed," I assured them, raising my arms slightly once I was certain no one was watching. "Things got a little out of hand, but everything worked out just fine."

"You didn't deny you met him before," Lucas scoffed.

"Wait, but if you knew him previously... Did you also know he had a gun on him, Douglass?" Lavender's question left me stunned.

"I—"

"So, let me get this straight," the waitress interrupted me, digging her short nails into her hand as her eyes sharpened in realization. "You weren't my knight in shining armor. It wasn't just an overblown act of self-defense, but an actual setup from the start—which also explains why you were so reckless; or appeared to be."

"What makes you so sure?" I tried to throw her off, but it was already too late.

"Your initial instinct should have been to assess the situation before acting, but you didn't even think twice before mocking him. Douglass, you were composed and deliberate in your actions. Only when I intervened did you abandon your strategy, knocking him out rather than stretching the issue any longer and allowing the other customers to take care of him as you intended."

"That's right..." I replied.

A portion of that was incorrect, though. I wanted to hurt him myself. The only reason I mocked him in front of so many people was to keep his overpowered goons at bay. Whatever they did with him once they figured out he had a gun... I'd rather not imagine.

"You deceived us," muttered Lucas.

"I didn't," I yelped back at him, annoyed by his way of putting it. "He would have pursued you, killed you, thrown your corpse into a dumpster, and then kidnapped Melody whether you wanted it or not. I had to take that midget out and put some space between us before he could do anything. Doing that in the restaurant was the best opportunity to do so."

"Or you could've told me what type of nasty monster he is, and then the problem wouldn't have gotten to that stage in the first place!" growled the beast tamer.

"There was no time—"

"There was plenty of time," he cut me off. "You had a feeling he'd go after Melody. You knew how he'd act, but you still didn't say a word about it. Not even a warning!"

"I did warn you, Lucas. I told you not to provoke him and to keep your cool. Neither you nor Melody were ever in any danger—"

"So he could have pointed the barrel at you just as easily? Stop attempting to justify your actions!" said the beast tamer in a tone I never expected him to conjure. "The moment I stepped into this place, I knew I was in danger, Douglass. I don't need, nor want you to take care of me like I'm some weakling. The issue here has never been the danger we could be in. What the actual problem is that you refuse to recognize you've been pursuing your own agenda regardless of how others feel about it, and now you're trying to hide it underneath this so-called concern for our well-being!"

I was now infuriated, so I responded flatly, "That was the most prudent course of action. And, look, we're just fine. You're just complaining now because you're—"

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"No, it fucking wasn't!" Lavender also yelped. "There were other options. You should have informed us of your of what that dwarf was up to. We could have worked together to find a better solution, Douglass. I thought we'd gotten that part out of the way already!"

When she brought us our drinks that would've been the perfect chance to tell her... I got that, but—

"And what the heck guarantees either of you would've believed me?"

Nothing is the answer. They could have ignored me. Act as though I'm insane for even thinking about such a scheme in the first place. If that had happened, I would have been compelled to take a riskier course of action to ensure that none of my anxieties came true. That or to forsake them entirely, which I wasn't willing to do.

"That was our decision to make," Lucas remarked, backed up by Melody's faint chirp.

No way they're saying something like that with a straight look on their faces... With that, I made up my mind.

"So that's it? I just had to give you the impression that you were in charge—that you had a choice—and then you would've followed along with whatever crap I was spouting? Should I have shed some tears as well, huh? Perhaps that would have persuaded you to—"

"No," Leva said gently, shaking her head to clarify the matter. "But you never tried to, and that's what you can't get in your head. All of your actions were taken under the assumption that neither of us would, or be willing to help you!"

I took in a deep breath, ignoring the pain I felt. Unable to hear what she said, I continued, "Or maybe I should have told you about how that fucker almost killed me in some back alley and hoped you'd feel sorry for me? Is that what you're looking for, Lavender? Do you want me to beg you to believe me, Lucas?"

To tell others about the fear I felt? To illustrate just how pathetic I am? I couldn't do it. That is something I would never allow myself to do again. I'm tired of living like that.

"He tried to what," Levander's eyes widened as she said that. "Wait! Hold on for a second! I don't get it! You were fine when we departed a while ago—"

"Douglass, I didn't know something like that happened," Lucas spat out, and even Melody let out a concerned chirp. "I'm—"

"Oh, don't give me that nonsense," I said, putting an end to both of their worries. "You're not going to stare at me with those eyes. That pitying look is precisely why I never mentioned it to you in the first place."

When those augmented freaks grabbed me. Despite all of my efforts, I felt completely helpless, and yet, I had to act like I had done countless times before. I moved on, concealing my fear beneath a calm exterior.

"You stated that my plan was based on the assumption that neither of you would help me, but is that all there is to it? Do I really need to remind you how you behaved the first time we met, Levander?"

To pass the time, this waitress pretended to be a seductress working at one of the brothels nearby. She even wore an aphrodisiac to lower my guard. Faced with that reality, she barely bit her lower lip.

"Do you want me to remind you, Lucas, of your feathered companion?" I switched my attention to my next target. "She's a gryphon! A gryphon from who knows where?! Do you even understand what her existence means? And guess what! You threw away the cage and decided to walk around with her like she's just a cat!"

The beast tamer said nothing and only looked at the ground. Even the gryphon didn't thrill out as she usually does.

"Right," I said to myself, both of their reactions confirming my suspicions. "So tell me this, why the fuck did you think I'd trust you to begin with?"

No answer.

"What are you? A bunch of kids that believe whatever delusion enters their minds!" I raised my voice slightly. "How did you even forget what kind of place we are currently in, to begin with?"

This is the Underworld, a place where everything and anything could happen.

"What sort of imbeciles are you? Are you really telling me that all I had to do in order to earn your alleged trust was to spit a few sweet nothings?" I asked, then shook my head. I wasn't really expecting an answer. "How am I supposed to trust idiots like you when you both look as though you'd screw things up at any given moment?"

"Too much—" the waitress sighed under her strained breath.

"And despite all of that, you still have the audacity to pretend I'm the one who deceived you?" I scoffed, unable to stop myself even after witnessing such a reaction from her. "Do I have to spell it out for you? You can't betray someone you've never—"

"Why," she grumbled, her shoulder twitching. I cocked my head to dodge her slap. Then she clenched her fists and pounded my chest, allowing her head to fall between her arms as she became weary.

"Just why...?" she mumbled, choking on the sob as she sniffed in.

Even the beast tamer and his gryphon stared, shock filling their eyes, looking at me as if they didn't recognize who I was before uttering, "We're just... trying to help you, Douglass..."

That's the biggest problem: I never asked you to.