The SongBird’s Love, chapter three

“Hey, you better show some respect,” he said.

“My friend is just a bit drunk, but this is a bar; you should handle it. Gentlemen, my ass. Aren’t you just prostitutes… and a fag!”

“Those pretty chicks here are hostesses, and I’m a bartender. And a drag queen, darling. The ’queen’ part is important,” said Jack, with a smile that didn’t go up to his eyes.

“You’re just a bunch of trash living off others’ money,” hissed the man.

“So now, you’re going to take my friend’s money, get that whore from wherever she is, give us a nice bedroom, and close your damn mouths.”

This time, Eden stepped forward. Unlike Jack and Rose, she didn’t smile once at those men, simply standing in front of them with an emotionless expression. She knew this wasn’t even worth getting mad at.

They had heard much worse before, and people from the Suburbs were stronger than that. “This is the first and only warning. Please get out before we have to escort you out.”

“What the…”

However, one of the friends who had been silent so far suddenly looked scared and jumped to his feet, grabbing his friends. “Hey, hey, seriously, cut it out. Let’s go.”

The other two looked surprised and brushed him off with an angry expression. “What the fuck! Why should we go? We came here to have fun, and yet they are giving us that shitty attitude!”

“Man, we can’t make a fuss here if they call the mafia…”

“What?”

The man glanced at Eden. It was clear those young men had come here knowing nothing about the rules. Just because they belonged to the Core, they thought of themselves as untouchable.

They had no idea that just because their laws didn’t apply here, it didn’t mean that there weren’t other rules. Yet, he didn’t feel threatened. Not by the drag queen or the young blonde woman staring at him with those cold, hazel eyes.

She was half a head shorter than he was and looked rather thin too. He hesitated, his friend pulling on his shirt again. “Come on, man, let’s go back. We’re gonna get in trouble…”

“What trouble? What mafia? They are nobodies! Who cares about those criminals!”

Eden sighed and glanced back at Jack, but the bartender was visibly done with them. He rolled his eyes and went back behind the counter, meaning he was leaving that situation to be handled by Eden. “…So you’re not going to leave?” she asked, her eyes going back to the duo of drunk friends.

“Call the mafia, my ass! You scum don’t–”

He felt the pain before even catching a glimpse of the action. With a perfect rotation, Eden had suddenly raised her leg to hit the side of his face. The strength of her kick sent him to the floor, two meters away.

The man whimpered loudly in front of all the shocked customers, but she wasn’t done. His friend had barely realized their mistake when Eden jumped on her other leg and rotated once more to send another kick right into his flank. The nearby guests heard the horrible sound of several bones cracking, and right after that, he was sent in the same direction as his friend, brutally landing on top of him.

Now, the two of them were gasping for air with stupid looks on their faces, shocked and in utter pain. Eden calmly walked toward them, and the two men were horrified. Not by that woman, but by the incredible amount of force she had in her legs.

“Y-you… Damn…”

“I had warned you,” she said, lifting her leg again.

She didn’t need to use it again, however. Both men rushed to get back on their feet, holding their injured body parts, and scampered outside, whining and yelling insults from the street. Inside the club, the girls were all satisfied with this conclusion.

The two other men who had stayed behind awkwardly stood up and silently made their way outside, taking the long way around the tables to carefully avoid Eden. The other guests had smiles on, not so surprised about the turn of events. Aside from the guys Eden had just kicked out, most of the men there were regulars.

They knew perfectly well that the people working there could fend for themselves. And even if they didn’t, there were other powers in place. Eden sighed and put down her leg, turned around, and lowered her head.

“Sorry for the commotion,” she simply said.

“Alright, dear guests,” said Jack from behind the bar.

“Let’s get back to all the fun, shall we? Who wants another drink? Half price on me!”

The club quickly went back to a joyful and pleasant atmosphere. Eden walked up to the counter and saw Jack’s smile diminish while he prepared more drinks. “What a bunch of assholes…” she muttered.

“It’s alright, honey, nothing new.”

“Maybe not, but if we lose the protection of the mafia and those people know…”

“We’ll just need to hope someone will take over. …Someone good.”

Eden took the new glasses of brandy with a sour expression on. She knew what Jack meant. They were the people of the Suburbs and those living and working there.

Everyone had a story, and they hadn’t landed here by chance or mistake. There was nowhere else to go, even if things got worse. They were subject to the laws of who was stronger, where they lived.

They needed that protection. If someone other than Old Man Long took over the area, they couldn’t predict what would happen next. Trying to hide her concerns, Eden walked back to her customer, chatting with Mr. Charles as usual.

“Those are impressive legs, young lady,” chuckled the old man, bringing his drink to his mustache.

“They do get useful from time to time,” replied Eden, a bit nervous.

She didn’t like talking about her legs. She could feel stares from all over the room, curious guests, or those who had already guessed the truth. Mr. Charles wasn’t duped either, and he gently patted her knee.

“Don’t worry, young lady. Back in my day, those were the norm. Times just change too fast for people to even be respectful of others’ circumstances anymore…”

Eden smiled, but she didn’t want to talk about that anymore. She quickly shifted the subject to something else, like the music Mr. Charles recognized playing in the background or his grandchildren who were giving him trouble. He was a nice man, just a bit too curious about a nameless hostess at times.

This old gentleman was nostalgic about another time before the typical sterile and boring days in the Core. Eden couldn’t tell him how he should have considered himself lucky. “Evening, bitches!”

How much trouble were they going to get tonight? Eden glanced toward the entrance, but this time, no one in the bar felt confident anymore. A young Asian man was standing there with the smile of a shark and flashy clothes.

Everything about him smelled like trouble, from the large tattoos covering half his face to the guns he was wearing on his belt, which had attracted Eden’s eyes immediately by reflex. She knew that model. They were produced by the Core and programmed not to shoot at any vital parts.

Like most weapons the Core created, those were made for self-defense, but the bullets were still very real. This time, she got up before Jack said anything. The young man walked in confidently, followed by two Asian men, both as fat as pigs and extremely ugly.

They were bald, with tattoos covering every inch of their visible skin. Their expression was that of someone who had just bit a sour lemon. “Young Master Kris,” said Xixi, jumping on her feet and forcing a smile.

“You haven’t come in a while…”

“Hello there, cutie,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist as if she were his possession.

“Ah, I’ve been busy. Busy waiting for the old man to make some important decisions, if you know what I mean…”