"What the hell happened to ya?" Varin asked, slowing as he and Vivi finally caught up to them just off the main path into town. He'd expected trouble. He had not expected this.
Luffy and Zoro looked like they'd been dragged through a bar fight and then invited back for a second round just for fun. Bruises already blooming, dried blood at the edges of their mouths, clothes scuffed and torn in places. Not critical thankfully not even close. But enough to be… irritating.
Luffy perked up the second he saw him. "Ah, Varin! You're better now! No more doing evil stuff, alright?"
Varin stared at him. "…aye, aye," he said flatly. "Now answer the question. Who do I gotta kill, and why'd ya let this happen?"
Luffy just grinned like that settled it. Varin exhaled slowly through his nose and turned his head toward the one person here who actually answered questions. "…Nami?"
Nami crossed her arms, already annoyed just thinking about it. "These two," she said, jerking a thumb at Luffy and Zoro, "decided not to fight back against some morons calling themselves the Bellamy Pirates. Something about not stooping to their level."
Varin blinked once. "…you're jokin'."
"I wish I was."
Zoro leaned against a nearby post, arms crossed, looking like he didn't regret it in the slightest. "Wasn't worth it."
Varin turned to him slowly. "You got your face kicked in."
"Yeah."
"And you're sayin' it wasn't worth it."
Zoro shrugged. "Yeah."
Varin looked back at Luffy. Luffy grinned wider in response, and Varin dragged a hand down his face. "…I leave you lot alone for five minutes."
Vivi stepped up beside him, looking between them, clearly trying to piece it together. "Why wouldn't you fight back?" she asked, confusion edging into her voice. "If they attacked you—"
"They laughed," Nami cut in, irritation flaring again. "At the idea of Sky Islands. Said it was a joke. Started running their mouths, throwing punches, and these two just… took it."
Varin's expression shifted slightly at that. "…sky islands," he repeated.
Luffy nodded like that was the important part. "They said it didn't exist."
"And?" Varin asked.
Luffy's grin didn't fade. "They're wrong."
Zoro huffed faintly. "Not worth arguing with idiots who think they've got the world figured out." There was a pause.
Varin looked between them. At the bruises and the way neither of them seemed even slightly bothered by it. "…huh," he muttered.
Nami threw her hands up slightly. "Don't 'huh' this! They got beaten up for no reason!"
Varin tilted his head, considering that for a second. "…not no reason," he said finally.
Nami turned to him. "Oh, don't start."
"I ain't sayin' it's smart," Varin added quickly, holding up a hand. "Just… I get it."
Zoro smirked faintly at that. Nami looked like she was about two seconds from hitting all of them. Vivi still looked unsure, but she didn't argue. She learned quickly that arguing didn't do much.
Varin sighed, rolling his shoulders once before wincing slightly as the motion tugged at something that still hadn't settled right. "Right," he said, voice a little rough but steady enough. "So. Where are these Bellamy idiots?"
Nami didn't hesitate, pointing back toward town. "The bar. Straight down the street."
"Varin." Luffy's voice cut in, and that alone was enough to make him pause. Varin glanced over, catching the look on his captain's face, the kind that didn't come out often but didn't need to be explained when it did. He held it for a second, then huffed under his breath, the edge bleeding out of him just a little as he lifted a hand.
"Aye, fine," he muttered. "I won't go pickin' a fight without reason." There was a brief silence after that, tension easing in small ways. Zoro shifted his weight, Nami let out a quiet breath, and Luffy's expression loosened just enough to say that was good enough for him. Varin rolled his neck once, then glanced back toward town, eyes lingering for a moment before he shook his head. "Still want a drink though," he added, more to himself than anyone else. "God knows I've earned one."
Nami gave him a look. "Try not to start anything."
"Didn't I just say that?" Varin shot back, already turning away. He jerked his head slightly as he started walking. "C'mon, Vi."
Vivi blinked, a little caught off guard, then quickly followed after him. "I'm only coming to make sure you don't," she said, though there wasn't much conviction behind it.
"Sure you are," Varin replied dryly.
Behind them, Luffy stretched his arms over his head like the whole thing was already forgotten. "I'm going back to the ship," he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Same," Zoro added, already turning in the opposite direction.
Nami hesitated a second, looking between the two groups, then sighed. "If you get arrested, I'm not paying to get you out," she called after Varin.
He didn't even look back. "Wouldn't expect ya to."
And just like that, the group split. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami heading back toward the Merry without a second thought, while Varin and Vivi made their way deeper into Jaya. The noise of the town grew louder the further they went, voices carrying through the air, rough laughter and sharper tones mixing into something that felt just a little too eager for trouble.
Vivi stayed close at his side, glancing around as they walked, taking in the kind of place this was. "You really think this is a good idea?" she asked after a moment.
Varin shrugged as they walked, boots thudding against the uneven stone of the street, the noise of Jaya building around them the deeper they went. "Nope. But I need to stretch my legs," he said, rolling one shoulder again like he was still working stiffness out of it. "And even though I said I'll let them be… I'm still curious about them."
Vivi kept pace beside him, her eyes moving more than his, taking in the people, the way they watched, the way conversations dipped just slightly when they passed too close. This place felt wrong in a way she couldn't quite put into words.
"I don't think I ever thanked you," she said suddenly, a little off from the direction the conversation had been going.
Varin glanced at her, brow raising slightly. "For what?"
She gave him a look. "For saving my kingdom," she said, like it should've been obvious. "Fighting a warlord. Nearly dying in the process."
Varin snorted softly and looked ahead again, waving a hand like he was brushing the whole thing off. "Don't get into the touchy-feely stuff," he muttered. "It's fine. Besides, it was fun."
"Fun?" Vivi couldn't help it, a laugh slipping out of her, half disbelief, half something lighter. She looked at him like he'd just said something completely ridiculous. "Chopper said your insides were poking out through your side, and you call it fun?"
Varin shrugged again, like that detail didn't change anything. "Never said it wasn't bloody or painful," he said. "But yeah. It was fun."
Vivi shook her head, still smiling a little despite herself. "You're insane."
"Aye," he agreed easily.
"Seriously," Varin reaffirmed a moment later, tone a little quieter now, with less bite to it than before. "Truth be told, if it wasn't for Luffy and more so Nami basically forcing him to help, I wouldn't have turned an eye. I don't do the feeling stuff all that well, but it's done. If anything, thank the Norns for puttin' Luffy in my path… and then in yours."
He said it like it was nothing, because it honestly was too him, it was just a job, or in this case an order from his captain. He was already starting to veer off mid-thought as something else caught his attention. He didn't wait for Vivi to respond, didn't even look back to see if she would, just shifted direction entirely and headed toward a roadside stall tucked between two leaning buildings.
It was the kind of place most people wouldn't bother with. Made of cheap wood, with a cluttered surface, and useless trinkets piled together with no real order. The sort of vendor that sold "charms" and "lucky tokens," things that promised protection or fortune to anyone desperate or gullible enough to believe it.
Varin stopped in front of it anyway. His eyes moved over the junk without much interest at first. Strings of beads, cracked pendants, carved bits of wood that looked like they'd been whittled out of boredom more than anything meaningful.
Then he paused. It was stupid, even for all the stupid things he's done. It was a small, worn sign, a bit crooked, with paint chipped along the edges. Simple lettering, nothing special about it at all. Beware of Dog.
Varin stared at it for a second longer than he should've. Then, with absolutely no hesitation, honestly akin to possession, he reached into his pocket and tossed a few coins onto the counter without even checking if it was the right amount, and grabbed it.
The vendor barely had time to react before the deal was done.
Vivi blinked as she caught up, watching him loop the attached string over his head like it was something far more valuable than it had any right to be. It settled against his chest, hanging there like some kind of badge. "…Varin," she started slowly, "that's—"
He turned to her with a wide, sharp grin, his sharp teeth making it seem brighter, the whole thing looking a little unhinged and entirely intentional. "Perfect," he said.
Vivi stared at him. Then at the sign. Then back at him. "I take back my thanks"
Varin laughed loud enough to turn a few heads as his hand came down on her shoulder with a solid, easy weight. "See, that's the spirit," he said, already steering her along with him. "C'mon, I'm curious how much of a lightweight you are."
"I think everyone's a lightweight to you, if Whiskey Peak was any indication," Vivi muttered, though she didn't resist, letting him pull her along the street.
"What was that, lass?" Varin asked, tilting his head slightly toward her. He'd heard it; hell, he could hear half the conversations down the street. But there was a certain kind of enjoyment in making her repeat herself.
"Nothing," she shot back quickly, not taking the bait. "Just curious why you spent money on that sign. Nami might kill you for such a waste."
Varin snorted, one hand lifting briefly to tap the "Beware of Dog" sign hanging against his chest. "Ah, well, she can be at that," he said easily. "But I think she'll be more pissed I stole the jewels from her. Surprised she didn't sniff 'em out when we passed 'em."
Vivi stopped. "…you wha?"
Varin kept walking another step before noticing the sudden lack of movement and glanced back at her, completely unbothered. "What?"
"You stole jewels," she repeated, staring at him like she was trying to figure out if he was serious.
"Aye."
"From Nami."
"Aye."
There was a pause as that processed. Vivi dragged a hand down her face. "Varin… she is going to kill you."
He grinned. "Only if she finds 'em."
"That's not comforting!"
He reached into his pocket just enough to give her a brief glimpse, a faint glint of something expensive catching the light before he tucked it back away like it was nothing more than spare change. "Relax," he said. "I'll give 'em back. Eventually."
"That doesn't make it better! You can't just give back money you spent!"
Varin laughed again, already turning back toward the street ahead, where the noise of the bar was getting louder with every step. "You worry too much," he said.
"I don't think I worry enough," Vivi muttered as she looked toward the bar. They were close enough now that the noise from inside the place spilled out into the street like heat from an open fire, voices overlapping with laughter, the kind that always felt one bad word away from turning into fists. The place itself looked worse the closer they got. The door hung slightly off its hinges, wood splintered where something had clearly slammed into it more than once. One of the side windows was completely gone with jagged glass still clinging to the frame, and the wall around it was cracked outward like something had been thrown through from the inside.
Varin shifted his gaze slightly toward Vivi as they approached the door, lifting a hand briefly as if to pause her for half a second. "Ah, one more thing, Vi," he said, tone casual but with just enough weight to it. "Let's not mention the former princess part, aye?"
Vivi rolled her eyes immediately, not even breaking stride. "I know," she said. "I'm not stupid."
Varin didn't respond; he just looked at her for a second longer than necessary. Which was apparently enough. Her elbow drove into his side without warning. "—ow," he grunted, recoiling slightly and shooting her a look. "What is your obsession with hittin' me, lass? I didn't even do anything."
"You were thinking it," she shot back.
"I was not."
"You absolutely were."
Varin opened his mouth to argue, then paused, considering that for half a second before shrugging it off. "…doesn't count."
"It does," she said flatly.
He snorted, shaking his head as he reached out and pushed the damaged door open the rest of the way, the wood creaking in protest as it swung inward. "Violent," he muttered under his breath as he stepped inside. "Very violent."
Vivi followed right behind him, still glaring just a little, though it didn't last long once they were actually inside. And almost immediately, Varin's eyes locked onto the bar itself, or what was left of it. The thing had been split clean through, broken like someone had taken it and introduced it to the concept of force in the most direct way possible. One half leaned at an angle, the other half partially collapsed inward, bottles and splinters scattered everywhere. He didn't need to guess who was responsible for that. The shape of the damage alone screamed Luffy.
His gaze dragged past it, taking in the rest of the room. There were a handful of rough-looking types lingering, some nursing drinks, others just watching like they were waiting for something else to happen. Then there was the blond one, he was hard to miss, flashy and loud even when he wasn't speaking, posture loose in that way that came from thinking nothing in the room could touch him. There was something about him, too, something sharp and irritating that sat in the back of Varin's throat the longer he looked. The man was arrogance incarnate, plain and simple, thick enough he could practically taste it.
The man noticed him right back. Their eyes met for a second, but Varin didn't stop. He just looked away like he'd already decided the man wasn't worth the attention and kept walking, boots thudding softly over wood as he made his way toward the wrecked counter. The weight of a few dozen stares followed him, but he ignored those, too.
He stepped up to what remained of the bar, then, without a word, dropped into a crouch, reaching down to grab one side of the split wood. The bartender, who had been standing there looking somewhere between furious and exhausted, blinked at him in confusion.
"…you gonna keep starin' or help?" Varin muttered, already lifting. The bartender snapped out of it quickly enough and grabbed the other side, and between the two of them, they hauled the broken section back into something resembling a counter again. For the man, it was obvious he was straining; for Varin, it barely registered, just another bit of weight in a long list of things he'd picked up and moved without thinking. He held it steady while the man wedged it into place, rough and uneven, but good enough to stand.
"Appreciate it," the bartender grunted, stepping back and brushing his hands off.
Varin gave a small shrug, flexing his fingers once. "Nothin' about bein' a pirate says we gotta all be murderin' an' pillagin'," he said, tone easy.
The man snorted at that, eyeing him for a second before nodding. "Tell you what. Next drink's on the house, in that case. Friend?"
"Ah, name's Varin, mate. Pleasure, I'm sure." He rested his forearms against the counter like he'd been there all day. "Now about that drink, give me the strongest thing ya got."
The bartender didn't argue, already reaching for something tucked a little further back, something he clearly didn't hand out to just anyone.
Varin glanced down then, noticing Vivi hovering a little closer to his side than before, her posture just a touch tighter now that they were fully inside. He nudged her lightly with his elbow. "C'mon, lass. Order somethin'. I wanna see if you can hold your liquor."
Vivi shot him a look. "I can handle myself."
"Aye, that's what they all say."
She exhaled through her nose, then turned toward the bartender. "Something… lighter," she said, clearly not about to play his game completely.
Varin laughed under his breath as the bartender set the glass in front of him, the liquid inside dark enough that it almost swallowed the light. He gave it a quick look, more out of habit than anything, then tipped it back and took a solid mouthful like it was nothing more than water.
The bartender watched him for half a second, then let out a short, amused breath. "That was a sippin' whiskey."
Varin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, setting the glass back down with a soft thunk. "Bah, sippin's for cowards or lightweights," he said easily. "My navigator doesn't let me drink on the ship, at least not to my standards. Little thing thinks I'll drain the whole stock the moment we leave port."
The bartender raised a brow, leaning one arm against the patched-up counter. "Is she right?"
Varin's grin widened, just a bit sharper around the edges. "Aye," he admitted. "She might be." He picked the glass up again, slower this time, letting it sit in his hand for a second before taking another drink, this one smaller, more careful, like he was actually tasting it now. Vivi's drink was set down beside her, something far less aggressive, and she eyed it before taking a careful sip, immediately looking less impressed than she probably wanted to be.
"Told you," Varin muttered, glancing sideways at her.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, even as her expression betrayed her a little.
Varin huffed a quiet laugh, then leaned his weight more comfortably against the bar, like he'd settled in for a while. The room still hadn't gone back to normal. It wasn't loud like before the duo had entered. Conversations had picked back up, but lower, like everyone was now speaking of the giant that had entered the bar moments ago.
"I got somethin' on me, mate?" Varin asked, finally turning fully toward the blond man. His tone was easy and almost bored, as if he were asking about a stain on his shirt instead of the weight of the room pressing in around them.
The blond grinned widely, all teeth and even more arrogance, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place and everyone in it. "Nah," he said, dragging the word out like he was enjoying it. "Just wonderin' what kinda idiot walks into a place like this, starts cleanin' up someone else's mess, and then drinks like he's tryin' to die."
A few of the men around him laughed at that. A man stepped beside the blonde. A taller one with the goggles and a strange, curved blade, just as big as him, resting against his shoulder. He didn't laugh as loud, but the smirk was there, sharp and amused as his eyes dragged over Varin, sizing him up in a way that wasn't subtle at all. "He's got a point," he added. "You either really confident… or really stupid."
Varin took another slow sip of his drink before sliding it over to the barkeep for a refill, before answering, like he had all the time in the world. "Bit of both," he said. "Depends on the day."
That earned a few more chuckles, though not as many this time. The blond leaned forward now, resting his elbows on his knees, grin still there but with a sharper edge creeping in. "You see somethin' funny about this place?" he asked. "Or you just like walkin' into bars where people get their teeth knocked out for less than that."
Varin didn't rush the answer. He shrugged his shoulders, meeting the man's gaze, "Don't really need to see," he responded. "I saw a bar, wanted a drink. Nothin' more to it." He paused, then glanced at the bottle the barkeep had just set down nearby. Without asking, he picked it up, turned it once in his hand, then slid it clean across the counter toward the blond. "Actually," he added, casual as anything, "here. One on me."
A few heads turned at that. Varin reached into his pocket and flicked a handful of berries onto the counter toward the bartender without even checking the count, more out of habit than care. "Well," he amended with a faint grin, "that's a lie. It's on my navigator. Till she realizes I stole the coin."
The bartender caught the money and gave him a look of pity, but didn't argue. The bottle came to a stop right in front of the blond.
For a second, no one said anything. The man leaned back, eyeing the bottle, then Varin, grin widening again, but this time with something more amused than sharp. "You buy drinks for strangers often?" he asked.
Varin shrugged, easy as ever. "Depends on whether they look like they need one."
"Varin, what are you doing?!" Vivi whispered sharply at his side, her voice tight, her hand catching lightly on his sleeve for a second before she pulled it back. He didn't need to look to know why. The shift in the room was obvious now. A chair scraping here, a step there, men who had been scattered a second ago now drifting closer in a loose circle, not blocking exits outright, but making them… inconvenient.
Varin let out a quiet breath through his nose, like he'd already noticed and decided it didn't matter. "Relax, Vi," he murmured back, barely turning his head. "I'm sure these fellas are nice and friendly. After all… who can turn down a free drink?"
A couple of the surrounding pirates laughed at that, but they didn't stop moving. One leaned against a nearby table, arms crossed, and another planted himself just off to Varin's left, cracking his knuckles slowly like he was warming up. The one with the goggles shifted his stance slightly, that curved blade still resting easily on his shoulder, but his attention was locked in now, watching for the smallest excuse.
The blond took another drink straight from the bottle, then lowered it, still grinning. "Friendly, huh?" he echoed. "You don't look like you're from around here."
"Aye," Varin said. "Didn't think that needed sayin'. Doubt anyone is really from Jaya, "
"New to the grandline, the?" one of the crew chimed in from behind, voice rough, amused.
"Somethin' like that."
Another man snorted. "Newbies don't usually walk into bars like this and start actin' like they own the place."
Varin tilted his head slightly at that, glancing around the circle that had formed, then back to the blond. "If I owned it," he said, "it'd be in better shape." That got a louder reaction. A few barks of laughter, a couple sharper looks. The bartender even huffed something under his breath that might've been agreement.
The man with the goggles let out a low chuckle, stepping just a bit closer now, the tip of that strange blade tapping lightly against the floor once. "You've got a real talent for talkin' yourself into trouble," he said.
"Usually," Varin replied, picking his glass back up, "it's the other way around."
Vivi shifted beside him again, quieter this time, but he could feel the tension in her. Her eyes were moving, tracking everyone, weighing distance to the exits, the numbers. This wasn't her kind of place, and she knew it.
The blond watched that too. His eyes sharpened as he opened his mouth"Your friend looks nervous," he said, tone mocking now.
Varin didn't look at her. Didn't need to. "She's got more sense than me," he said simply.
"That's not hard," someone muttered from the side, earning a few snickers.
The blond laughed at that, then took another slow drink, dragging it out before lowering the bottle again. "You know," he said, "most people, when they walk in here and see this," he gestured lazily to the wrecked bar, the broken furniture, the lingering tension, "they either leave… or they start swingin'."
Varin took another sip of his own drink, unbothered. "Aye."
"And you?" the blond asked.
Varin set the glass down again, the faintest hint of a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I'm drinkin'."
Then the man with the goggles laughed again, louder this time. "I really do like this guy," he said, glancing at the blond. "He's either got a death wish… or he's too stupid to realize where he is." The blond didn't answer right away. He just looked at Varin for a second longer, measuring him again, like he was trying to decide which one it was.
"Well, I should be gettin' back to my crew," Varin said, leaning back slightly on the stool like he hadn't just noticed it. "My already bad day was cut short after I learned something interesting."
"Ah, such a shame, isn't it?" the blond replied, that same cocky smirk never leaving his face. "And just when we were gettin' along."
The blue-haired man shifted his weight, that curved blade tilting just slightly as his eyes narrowed a fraction. "What's such a big deal that you gotta leave?"
Varin yawned, stretching slowly, like he had all the time in the world, like there wasn't a room full of men watching for the first wrong move. "Well, you see," he said, voice dragging a little with the motion, "some moron slammed my captain through a table… and beat the shite outta his first mate." He let that sit for half a second. Then his eyes slid back to the blond. "…sound familiar, Bellamy?"
Bellamy leaned forward just a bit, bottle still in hand, eyes locking properly onto Varin now as he'd finally decided he was worth paying attention to. "…so that's what this is," Bellamy said, almost like he was entertained by it. "You come in here, buy me a drink, fix up the place… just to ask about a couple of idiots who couldn't take a beating?"
A few of the crew laughed at that, louder this time, confidence bleeding back in now that the pieces lined up.
The man with the goggles let out a low chuckle, tapping that strange blade against the floor once. "Your friends didn't look like much," he added. "Didn't even fight back. Kinda pathetic, honestly."
Vivi stiffened beside Varin, just slightly. And Varin himself didn't rise to the bait.
He just let out a quiet breath through his nose, like he was thinking it over, then reached for his glass again and took a slow sip.
"Aye," he said after a second. "That'd be them."
Bellamy watched him closely now, grin widening again, but there was something more in it now. Expectation. Like he was waiting for the turn. "So what," he went on, "you here to pick up where they left off?"
Varin set the refilled glass down with a soft tap, fingers resting against the wood. "…nah," he said simply. That actually got a reaction. A couple of confused looks. One of the men snorted like he thought it was a joke.
Bellamy tilted his head. "No?"
Varin shrugged. "They didn't hit back for a reason," he said. "Ain't my place to go changin' that."
The room shifted again, the mood thrown off by Varin's answer. The blue-haired man frowned slightly at that, like it didn't line up with what he expected. "Then why bring it up?"
Varin's gaze stayed on Bellamy, steady, unbothered. "Curiosity," he said. "Wanted to see what kinda man needed a whole crew to feel big beatin' on two who wouldn't swing back."
That did it. Bellamy's grin stretched wider, but it didn't reach his eyes this time. "Careful," he said, voice still light but carrying something under it now. "You're walkin' a thin line for someone who said he wasn't lookin' for a fight."
Varin huffed a quiet laugh, shoulders loosening as he'd just been waiting for that. "Aye," he said. "Good thing I'm not the one who started this one." His hand shot out, fingers tangling in the back of Bellamy's hair, and before anyone in the room could even properly react, he drove the man forward and down, slamming him clean through the table in front of him. Wood reshattered under the impact, the already weakened structure giving way as if it had been waiting for an excuse. The bottle and glass went with it, exploding across the surface as Bellamy was driven straight through them, the crack of it echoing sharp and loud through the bar.
For a second, no one moved. Then Bellamy went limp. Varin let go just as easily as he'd grabbed him, straightening back up with a low laugh, rolling one shoulder like he'd just worked out a bit of stiffness. "See," he said, voice carrying easy over the stunned silence, "now I can say I felt threatened… while also admitin' I was really hopin' for you to do that."
The room erupted a heartbeat later. Chairs scraping, men shouting, a few of Bellamy's crew rushing forward toward the wreckage where their captain lay sprawled and unmoving, blood mixing with spilled liquor across the broken wood.
Varin didn't even look at them.
He gave a lazy two-finger salute toward the barkeep instead. "Sorry, lad," he said. "Table was ruined anyway. And he was askin' for it."
The bartender just stared, somewhere between disbelief and resignation.
Vivi barely had time to react before Varin caught her by the wrist and pulled her along with him, already moving toward the door like the chaos behind them didn't matter. The crew clustered around Bellamy now, shouting, checking him, a few turning to look at Varin with murder in their eyes, but none of them stepped forward.
Varin glanced back just once, expression hard now, the earlier amusement gone from it. "I'm a lot less nice than my captain… and Zoro," he said, voice low but clear enough to carry. "It's only because of their… peacefulness, or whatever you wanna call it… that I'm lettin' you live."
No one had moved to stop him. So he turned away again, pushing the broken door open and stepping back out into the heat of Jaya with Vivi in tow, the noise of the bar crashing back to life behind them as the weight of what just happened settled in.
The street felt quieter by comparison. Vivi pulled her arm free after a few steps, staring at him. "Varin—"
"Yeah," he cut in, not slowing.
"That wasn't 'not starting a fight.'"
He let out a short breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "…nah," he admitted. "But it felt right." She stared at him for another second, then shook her head, falling into step beside him anyway.