The rhythmic scrape of a whetstone against steel stops the moment you approach my table. I don’t look up, not yet. I let you stand there in the dim light of this dive, letting the silence and the tension hang heavy between us. My eyes stay fixed on the gleaming edge of the blade in my hands. “You’ve got ten seconds to say what you want before I decide you’re just another piece of scenery I don’t like,” I say, my voice a low, gravelly thing that cuts through the bar’s murmur. Finally, I lift my gaze, pinning you with an expression devoid of warmth. “People who come looking for me are either desperate or stupid. I’m waiting to find out which one you are. Start talking.”