Anoki smiled coldly up at the man standing before her--not that he could see her smile; only her eyes were uncovered, her face covered by a veil, her hair covered by a colorful Thanati head scarf. She wore the tunic and breeches of a man, but it was only for mobility's sake; it was clear that she was taking no efforts to disguise her gender.
She wanted those she hunted to know they'd been bested by a woman.
The man glared back at her through his agony, one hand clutching at his other hand, which she had rendered useless with a well-aimed dagger. He had thought to draw a blade against her--so she had sent a knife through his hand and pinned it to the alley wall behind him, where she'd cornered him up against the side of a tavern. He wouldn't be drawing a blade for a while--unless he was ambidextrous.
A few more throwing daggers, these ones through his clothes, ensured he wouldn't be moving for a while. She wanted him to hear what she had to say.
"And what have we learned tonight, hon?" Anoki asked him sweetly as she stepped over to him, swept down, and picked up the knife he'd dropped. She gave it a once over to take in the quality and then clicked her tongue and shook her head, like a mother sorely disappointed in her child. It was good quality, which meant he wasn't hurting for coin--which made this situation that much more unfortunate.
"Hmm? I asked you a question, dear. Speak up, now, don't be rude!" Using his own knife, she cut the strings of his coin purse. She bounced it in her hand, feeling its weight, and then lifted an eyebrow expectantly. "Well? Oh, fine, you're the strong, stoic type, I see. Fine. I don't have time for this, anyway, so let me illumine this for you!"
She opened the purse and fished around inside it, counting out coins. "You stiffed someone the other night, you see. A woman I happen to know works very, very hard to satisfy her customers! And not only did you not pay her for her work, but you did and said some very, very rude things that were not, in fact, agreed to!" Coins collected, Anoki drew the purse closed and tossed it at the man's feet.
"So tonight I hope you've learned that that is not how we treat people! It's not how we treat anyone, regardless of their profession! And if I ever hear of you treating another Peach how you treated Lily the other night, you'll come out of it more than just a few coins short, you understand? I took Lily's cut from your purse, and a little extra to cover the insult because she certainly deserves it, and a little extra for myself to cover the expense of tracking your sorry ass down and giving you the education your mother apparently failed to give you. Oh, that includes your dagger. You won't be using it for a while, no?"
Reaching over, she yanked the knife free of the wall--and the man's hand--and he cried out and clutched the limb. "The Ladies of the Night are always watching. Remember it. You'll have a lovely scar there to remind you. Good night! Kisses!"
And with a wink, Anoki blew the man a kiss and took off.
Goodness, what a night! It had taken some time to track the man down, but it always felt good to be victorious! With a yawn, Anoki stretched her arms over her head and started to head back for the brothel. Better get some sleep, because it was back to work come morning!
Except as she turned down a street, she heard a commotion coming from an alley--and not two seconds later, a man went rushing by, looking spooked that she saw him and carrying a pile of...
Clothes?
Anoki blinked, momentarily puzzled, until she connected the dots. The commotion, the man's shady behavior, the clothes...
Had someone just been mugged?
Her first impulse was to chase the thief, but if someone had been robbed, they might have been injured. Clothes at least were replaceable. Turning toward the alley, she rushed in.
"Hey! Are you okay?"