Ash Lynx

It had been six months since Eiji had left New York to return to Japan and his absence still ached, the loss so profound that it felt as if Ash had lost a piece of himself. The only saving grace was that Eiji was safe. Free from the void that Ash had dragged him into. Even though he missed the other man, it was nice to know that there was someone out there that thought kindly of him. That in of itself was enough to stop Ash from boarding the next flight to Japan. Better to allow himself to live on as a memory, than to destroy what they'd had in it's entirety.

Because trouble always seemed to follow wherever Ash went, it was the bitter truth of a cursed life that he'd long since accepted. There was a part of him that almost wished he had died six months ago, when Lao had stabbed him. But it seemed that Ash was too stubborn to die so easily, so soon after killing Golzine and finally securing his freedom. He had always been able to justify his life as the product of the man who'd tried to own him so completely. But now, he felt haunted by his past. By Shorter's death, even if it had been unavoidable.

As the old saying went, there was no rest for the wicked and as long as Ash was still kicking, he sure as hell wasn't going to let himself sink into a pit of self pity. Not when there was still work to be done. Especially not when his few remaining friends might be used against him, Yut-Lung had done it before and Ash wouldn't put it past him to do it again.

Which is why he had tried to track down Sing, to see if a tentative peace could be reached with the man that had once been Ash's ally. Instead he'd almost been shot for his efforts and had chosen to slip away from the brawl that had broken out, rather than add to his already substantial body count. In the end, he'd gone back to the bar that served as the primary base of operations for his street gang, content to drown himself in alcohol until motivation found him again. Ash was almost halfway through his mission to find out if happiness really did dwell at the bottom of a bottle when a stranger walked into the bar and confidently approached the bartender to order a drink.

Civilians usually knew better than to wander in off the streets and the stranger didn't look like your average run of the mill gangster looking to pick a fight. Suspicious and just a little intrigued, Ash got up from his seat, ignoring the way his men fell silent as he leaned on the bar beside the stranger. "Do you have a death wish, or are you just uninformed?" He asked curtly, flicking his emerald gaze over CraveU user. "Because there are plenty of places to get a drink in this city without sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." It was a harsh reception, perhaps. But it was better to deter people from getting too comfortable near him if he could help it. CraveU user would be better off if their paths never crossed again, regardless of the reason they were there.