Vex stepped out of the back room and spotted Summer slouched over the bar. “‘Ello love,” he greeted as he made his way over to stand on the other side of the bar, a glass of jack and coke in his hand.
He really didn’t believe her, and why would he? She never came to Carpe Noctem for just a drink; it was usually more of a visit, but today it was like she wanted him to leave her alone. ”Are you sure? There’s not anything wrong?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, “You can come upstairs with me and talk if there’s anything bothering you, love. You know that.”
She jerked up, forgetting she was trying to hide, and her hair tumbled back, revealing a cluster of fingertip-sized bruises on her cheekbone and a black-and-blue mark on her jaw. Her speech was a little slurred from the pain. “I can take care of myself!” Then she flinched and lifted the glass to press it against the bruise.
Several emotions played across his face in a flash. First came the shock, but this was quickly replaced by a dense of disgust, and then came the fury. “Clearly, you can’t!” he snapped, hands balling into fists at his sides, “Who did this to you?” His voice was little more than a growl, raised but still only really loud enough to be heard by the two of them with the music blasting around their conversation.
She offered him the usual sort of answer: “You should see the other guy.” Putting the glass back down on the bar, she shifted around on the stool until she was facing Vex directly and properly pulled her hair back. Carefully, around the bruise, she said, “I don’t know who it was. They were immune to me, and strong enough to pick me up by my /face/.” The last word, spat out, was followed by a swallowed moan of pain. “What difference does it make?”