Aeluri leaned in towards her captive, sneering in his face smugly. His eyes were wide and sweat was beginning to form on his brow. Despite all his squirming, he was at her mercy There was nothing he could say and no movement he could make without her say-so.
"Call off your men," she ordered. "Once I release you, you'll leave this restaurant. If I ever hear that your stupid little gang bothered these people again, I'll personally come skin each of you alive and feed you to your own children." Aeluri's tone was deadly, cold like the glaciers of Iceberg, sharp as a katana. While incredibly morbid, her words were less of a threat and more of a promise. She wasn't doing this for a noble reason, or even because she cared about the restaurant employees at all. It was a shame to see filth of this kind desecrate a place that made such delicious sushi. She wanted nothing more than to dine in peace, and do so in the future if she came back here. That wasn't possible if a gang caused this restaurant to close down.
She freed the shadow tendril from his mouth, allowing him to respond. "Y-yes ma'am," the thug agreed meekly, looking like a deer caught in headlights.
"Good," Aeluri purred, tracing a manicured nail along his jawline threateningly. "Now get out of my sight." The shadows retreated from their hold on the man, returning to where they belonged. The moment he was free, the man scrambled from the chair and fled the restaurant. The remaining thugs followed him, carrying their injured out with them.
Aeluri turned to Stiletto, her smug expression dissolved into a relaxed one. "Let's return to our table," she suggested, gesturing towards their abandoned meal. The restaurant around them was dead silent, all eyes on the two women. No one dared speak or move until they had taken a seat.