Richard's words hang in the wrecked hall, heavier than the smell of spilled drink.
I don't blink. "I know. And if I thought you were stupid, I'd have already left you to bleed your pride out on this floor. You're not. So listen instead of growling."
His jaw works once. The threat doesn't leave his eyes, but it stops climbing.
"You're under heavy OXI Bleeding. Zoe's hurt. Walking the Red Squid alleys with the two of you in this state makes an easy target. You don't move well, you don't react well, you burn OXI worse than the laundry shop on the corner, and you can't afford to get pulled into another brawl. If someone comes after you on the way, I'd have to solve it fast, and fast would end with me bleeding OXI too."
Richard looks at the front door. "And staying here is safe?"
