The two of them walk in relative silence as Xerxes surveys the area and attempts to find a suitable opponent for Yuka. After a few minutes of searching, Xerxes finds his target. “Him.” Xerxes says as he points to a man in the distance. A man who was obviously full of himself. A flashy dresser who was more concerned about his appearance than anything else. Though few, Xerxes had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with a few of those during his mercenary days in Desierto. They were always quick to resort to anger at the smallest of things which was the perfect opponent for Yuka. He hoped that it would be the same here as it was back home. “Follow me and get ready.” Xerxes says to Yuka quickly as he briskly jogs towards the man. “Hey, did you hear what he said to you?” Xerxes says as he lightly taps on the man’s shoulder. When the man turns towards Xerxes, he begins to spin his tale. “He joked about your clothes. Said that they were knock off designer clothing and that you were only wearing them in an attempt to find someone stupid enough to believe otherwise.” The man’s face turns bright red as he glares at Yuka. “You little piece of shit! How dare you say that to me?!” He yells as he pushes Yuka to the ground. Yuka, showing some resiliency, quickly hops back up to his feet and pushes the man but that only serves to piss him off even more. In a rage, the man pushes Yuka down to the ground and mounts him, raining down blow after blow to his face and body. Yuka blocks most of the shots but is unable to fully protect himself. Xerxes, growing impatient at the display, watches for a moment but decides to intervene as he sees the man reach for a knife in his back pocket. “Alright, that’s enough.” Xerxes whispers as he violently cracks the man over the back of the head with the blunt end of his staff. The man crumples over unconscious as Xerxes gently picks up the boy. “Such detestable behavior. Apologies you had to endure that for as long as you did.” Yuka nods and closes his eyes as Xerxes carries him back to Leon. Upon arriving, he briefs Leon of the events and listens to Leon giving him tips after he awakens, even inputting his own to help foster the boy’s progress. After receiving thanks and payment from Leon, Xerxes departs to see what else the city has to offer.
WC: 429
TWC: 703