CW: Violence, explicit language, misogynistic slur, mentions of cannibalism, mentions of slavery/sexual abuse.

This is something that Fifth Lord Hwan Jun had anticipated, but he just didn't think the villains would be so...pitiful.

He calmly regards the three men blocking his only exit out of this alleyway. The most assertive one, the one who is pointing a dagger at his chest, is most likely the leader. Though he's dense and strong, he's also quite short in stature and has a rather round baby face.

The tallest one stands to the leader's left, flexing his fingers around a club that, to this lord's educated eyes, is most definitely homemade. Rather clumsy craftsmanship, in fact, with nicks marring the wood from over eager carving. He silently wonders if perhaps this villain's mother had lovingly made the club for her son, and he has to stifle a laugh at the image.

The final villain stands to the leader's right, completing the proper formation of the Evil Trio. He too holds a dagger in his hands, though this one is a lot smaller than the leader's, perhaps intentionally so. He is much thinner than the others and has the same look a mangy and hungry cat might have, long abandoned by his owner.

All this to say: the Fifth Lord Hwan Jun is definitely not in a dangerous situation.

"What the fuck are you smirking at, boy? You want a slice in your belly, huh?" The leader pokes the point of his dagger at Jun's stomach, his round face turning asymmetrical as one eye widens in a threatening manner.

"Not at all," Jun says, his smile pleasant, if not warm. He raises his hands in a surrender, hoping to appease the pitiful men. "Like I said, if you need coin, I am happy to give you coin. There is no need for violence."

Club wielder scoffs and spits at Jun's feet, not liking his cool attitude. "I reckon we can get more than just pennies with this one. Whaddya think, Tiger?"

Of course, the leader would give himself such a name. Tiger. Jun's lips twitch as he suppresses another laugh.

Tiger grins, flashing his grimy teeth at the lord. "I reckon we're thinking the same thing. How much d'you think he'd sell for? Fifty? A hundred?"

"I think even two hundred, Ti," the mangy cat says, eyeing the lord as if he were livestock to be appraised.

"Human trafficking? You really are the lowest of the low, aren't you?" This time, there's no humour in Jun's face. His expression turns severe, those golden eyes taking on a frigidity that immediately strikes terror in the villains' hearts. "Tell me more about what you want to do with me. Who exactly will you be selling me off to?"

"Me." A pleasant voice as clear as a crystal bell draws everyone's attention to the entrance to the alleyway. A beautiful, slender youth with big, depthless eyes stands with his hip jutting out to the side. An ugly cut mars his delicate, doll-like face, but somehow it only adds to his languid charm. His posture is fainéant and a little seductive as he casually sips from the cup in his hand. The other hand rests upon the noticeable curve of his waist. "You can sell the little lord to me."

Said little lord wears an odd expression on his face as he stares at this newcomer. There's an intensity to his eyes that sends Rin's stomach aflutter. The latter swallows the sweet mouthful of wine, flicking out his small tongue to catch a drop in the corner of his lips. Those goldens follow the action, entranced, a faint blush blooming in their owner's cheeks.

"Rat! What the fuck are you doing here?" Tiger relaxes his tense posture and points his dagger at Rin, target rapidly switching to who he presumes is the more troublesome of the two. "We're too busy to play. Grown men's business, you see." Tiger gives him a greasy smile, making Rin instinctively curl his upper lip in disgust. "But maybe later I'll come find you. And we can play all night. Whaddya say, Rat?"

"I think I'd rather die, pet," Rin hums, returning with a saccharine smile of his own. "I want to play with the little lord, not you. So why don't you hand him over and scurry off back to your dinghy holes?"

Tiger's expression turns ugly. He steps forward and grabs Rin by his collar, pulling him so close that he can smell Tiger's rancid breath. The tip of the dagger pokes him in the stomach, causing him to contract the muscles there.

Jun also steps forward, hand going to the sword at his side, but the two minions keep him pinned with their own weapons.

"I haven't forgotten our date," Tiger hisses, teeth bared in a bitter smile. "I think it's about time for compensation. That rabid guard dog of yours almost broke my arm. That's my fucking livelihood, you bitch."

Rin sighs and takes another sip of wine, looking as though he were utterly bored. "Oh, please. You have two hands, don't you? I'm sure you would have been able to jerk yourself off just fine."

Finally losing his temper, Tiger slams the youth against the filthy wall with a loud curse. Rin's head knocks painfully into the bricks and his breath is momentarily expelled from his lungs, leaving him winded. His cup clatters to the ground, spilling blue River Wine across the cobblestone. "Ah fuck...ha-ha...ah no...my wine..." The raven wheezes a laugh, trying to ignore the blade digging harder into his stomach. Any more pressure and it would surely break skin.

"You won't be laughing by the time I'm done with you, Rat," Tiger hisses, his nostrils flaring as he seethes. "Think I won't sell you off too? Even if you're a nobody, a pretty lil' thing like you will be worth quite a tidy sum." His filthy body presses hard against the boy's, his foul lips smacking right into his ear.

Rin swallows hard, trying to suppress a shudder of disgust. "No-one can afford me, pet. I'm too fine a ware for your sort." He smiles coldly, those big black eyes suddenly cast in shadow. "Try someone cheaper. I suggest using yourself as a reference."

Tiger bares his teeth in a savage grin before flicking his tongue out to taste the boy's flesh. The tip of his dagger draws a line from belly to groin, teasing Rin's most precious area with a few merciless jabs. Luckily, the blade fails to tear through the fabric of his pants, but the raven still can't help but flinch. "I'm sure those Northern nobles will love to get their hands on you. I've heard they like to cook and eat their toys once they're bored of 'em. How does that sound, Rat? Do you wanna give this another shot?"

Something small and soft bumps into Tiger's leg. The man starts and glances down to see a chicken pecking at his shoe.

He stares blankly for a moment, rickety brain struggling to process the sight. "...the fuck is a chicken doing here?"

And two things happen at once in a brilliant explosion of violence.

Rin takes this opportunity to headbutt the distracted leader, causing him to stagger back with a pained cry. His own head throbs and swims by the sudden impact, Tiger's skull much studier and thicker than his own. He quickly follows up with a brutal kick to the man's stomach which sends him sprawling into the puddle of River Wine.

At the same time, Jun whips out his sword faster than the eye can follow and slams the hilt into the mangy cat's stomach. The cat drops to his knees with a shocked wheeze, the sheer power of the blow enough to send him to the edges of his consciousness. Without breaking the flow of movement, Jun slaps the flat of his blade against the club, sending the crude weapon flying out of its owner's hand. Before his opponent can react, he cracks the hilt against the man's temple and the latter crumples to the ground, dead to the world.

Silence follows. The kind that rings with the echoes of violence past.

Tiger and the mangy cat groan pathetically on the ground. Club wielder is unconscious and spread-eagled. The energetic hubbub of the main street flows past uninterrupted, passerbys clueless to the happenings here.

Rin sighs and brushes himself off. He pushes his sticky bangs from his tender forehead, letting the breeze cool the sore flesh. His back and head throbs with fervour and he knows that there'll be a fresh collection of bruises come morning.

"Are you alright?"

A deep, gentle voice draws his attention to the little lord, who is sliding the polished blade of his sword back into its sheath. He cuts a fine, dashing figure, like a valiant knight or a prince from a fairy tale, lost in unfamiliar lands. Rin stares at him for a moment before he realises he'd been asked a question. He shakes himself with a laugh and, taking a page out of Bucky's book, sashays towards the noble with a coy smile tugging on his lips. "Oh, I'm feeling much better now."

The Fifth Lord Hwan Jun doesn't know why, but he suddenly feels as if he is in an incredibly dangerous situation.