The man walked towards him, and to his surprise, the man walked right past him like he was trash. In fact, at least trash gets acknowledged—when someone walks past trash, they either cover their nose or, at the very least, realize they just passed something foul because of the smell.
But right now, Zavry was passed like air.
He turned and followed the man. That was when he realized the man was talking to Leon.
'What did this guy do this time?' he wondered as he walked toward them. He heard the landlord's voice, bright with gratitude, thanking Leon.
"Thank you for paying for your friend—and for the extra tip as well," the landlord said, smiling.
Leon waved his hand dismissively. "You don't have to worry. My friend is fine and so no ambulance needed. I'll send for a private doctor for him once we reach home, you take care of the rest."
The landlord nodded far too quickly, bowing deeply. He turned and walked away, still ignoring Zavry, passing him again like he was invisible.
Zavry did not care.
'If only he knew who he just passed… an ex-godkiller…' Rune words trailed off as he did not want to test his luck more than he could.
Zavry walked to Leon.
'Why did you pay?' he signed calmly.
"Bro, a simple 'thank you' would do. Seems you're not too familiar with that word—gratitude," Leon said.
Zavry remained silent and raised his hand, signing quickly.
Thanks.
Leon's lips curled up slightly. Zavry, on the other hand, was glad his house wasn't big. He lived in a tiny apartment, and most of the money his father sent him was wasted on clubs and women.
'Very unreasonable,' Zavry muttered to himself, just as a sleek black car pulled up in front of them. Leon pulled a single dollar note from his pocket and handed it to Zavry, who took it reluctantly, trying to act like he didn't care. But deep down, that dollar meant more than he could admit.
"So ungrateful…" Leon muttered, then added, "Take a taxi home. I won't be back until midnight—I've got an appointment."
He didn't need to say more. They both knew what kind of 'appointment' he meant.
He got into the car and it zoomed off.
Zavry unfolded the note. His lips curled slightly when he saw it was actually a hundred-dollar bill. He knew he'd need to eat something. After all, walking home wouldn't hurt…it counted as exercise.
'Bro, just buy noodles,' Rune said, laughing. He still couldn't believe the same noodles which had once given him life had also destroyed it.
Zavry ignored him entirely, walking silently through the streets.
'Please just enter the taxi,' Rune urged.
But Zavry kept walking until he arrived at a restaurant and stepped inside. He sat down, and shortly after, a lady walked up to him—the waiter. She handed him a menu and bowed respectfully.
Zavry turned the menu over and saw a section that offered different languages in case of communication barriers. He looked for sign language and tapped it. The woman bowed again and left.
Not long after, another lady arrived, smiling gently before bowing and signing,
"Sir, what would you like to have today?"
Zavry noticed there were no price tags, so he decided to go with what he thought was cheap. He ordered fried chicken and rice, along with one glass of orange juice. That would be enough for today—today was one of those rare days when he bought food outside.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
If you knew you'd need that money to buy food, why didn't you just ask him? That guy's rich—a few bucks wouldn't even put a dent in his account, Rune said matter of factly.
And why do you think I'm buying this? To eat and get strength for the little exercise—like trekking, Zavry replied.
Rune couldn't believe Zavry was trying to cover for himself and his pride.
The lady came, placed the food down, and left. Zavry began to eat.
'Bro, pay first,' Rune suggested through their mind link.
Zavry paid no mind. It wasn't like he was going to run, and besides, he had the money.
'Seems you enjoy watching me strive in poverty. At least let me feel the money a little,' Zavry said.
Rune decided to be silent. He couldn't believe this man, but he stayed quiet, choosing not to push his luck further.
Zavry ate. At that point, he forgot all etiquette, eating the chicken with his hands. Some people turned to look at him oddly, but he didn't care. He ate like he had no worries in the world.
Time passed
When he finished , he wiped his hands with a tissue. The lady returned, bowed, and signed again,
"Your payment, sir."
The first waiter came over again and bowed.
Zavry pulled out the hundred-dollar bill and handed it to the lady, who bowed and took it. He was relieved—thankfully, it was the exact amount.
But just as he stood up to leave, the lady said,
"Sir, you haven't paid in full. The hundred-dollar bill only covered the service charge for the lady who took your order. The food itself costs six hundred dollars, eight coins, and three cents."
Zavry froze in place.
Rune's laughter rang annoyingly through his head.
'Looks like someone's going to be washing dishes today…' Rune mocked.