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‘Something wrong?’ said Garovel.

‘No, just a... domestic disturbance, I guess,’ said Hector.

The woman began screeching to the point that she was spitting, and then she slapped the man. After a recoiling moment of apparent shock and visible anger, he slapped her back. Hard. She dropped to the ground like a bag of rocks.

Immediately, the man was encased in a shiny black material that Hector recognized as Leo’s element. Even the man’s head was fully encased, and Leo was stomping toward him.

“Leo,” said Hector while checking on the woman. She was clutching her cheek and slowly getting up.

Leo stopped in his tracks. He half-turned toward Hector. “What? You don’t mind, do you?”

“...Yes, I do mind, actually.”

Leo’s face scrunched up. “Why? This dude’s obviously a waste of oxygen.”

“...Let him breathe, Leo.”

Leo paused for a curt sigh, and then he flicked his wrist. The material around the man’s head vanished, and he gasped for breath.

Now the onlookers weren’t paying much attention to the couple and were instead more interested in Hector and Leo. Interested and frightened.

Leo didn’t seem to mind the attention, though. “Whaddya wanna do with this guy, then, hmm?”

The woman wasn’t yelling anymore. She was staring at Hector and backing away.

“...I’m sure the local authorities can handle it,” said Hector.

“Ya sure about that?” said Leo. “Figured you’d be more interventionist ‘r somethin’.”

“These people aren’t servants,” said Hector, mindful of all the eyes on them. He wondered if any of them understood Mohssian. “Our job is to protect them.”

“I am,” said Leo. “Protectin’ ‘em from each other.”

“...Yeah, that’s fine,” said Hector. “I’ve done that, too. But killing them in the process is not fine.”

“Oh, c’mon. Dude had it coming.”

“...You don’t know anything about him.”

“I know he hit a woman.”

Hector wanted to sigh. “...Yeah. But executing him for it is a little extreme, don’t you think?”

“Ugh. Man, are you all about tryin’ to keep neutrality above all else, too? Was kinda hopin’ you were different from the old biddy, y’know?”

“Leo.” He had to be firm here, Hector felt. If he wasn’t, then this could become a very big problem later. Not that it wasn’t one already, of course. “If you intend to kill people without... extremely good justification, then... this relationship is not going to work out at all, and you should probably just leave before you find out exactly how not neutral I can be.”

Leo blinked at him. “Alright, man. Simmer down. I didn’t eighty-six the guy. And I already said I wouldn’t kill anyone without your approval, didn’t I?”

Hector just stared at him.

Leo put a hand over his heart. “I promise not to kill anybody without your permission. There. Said it again. This time all formal-like. Ya happy?”

Hector looked around another time. People were still watching, though several had scurried away. He thought he heard some sort of siren in the distance. It was different from the sound he was familiar with, but it was probably law enforcement. “...Release him and let’s go,” said Hector.