Hushed Willows oh, it's definitely the end times

let it all out bb mordecai

Without realizing it, Banner held her breath as Mordecai explained the infamous incident in much better detail than she'd heard before.  To her, it was still not enough to justify Octavia attacking Harlyn, though she doubted that anything outside some wild, conspiracy-laced tale could be considered justification.  And, though she hadn't spoken to Octavia herself, the story Stark relayed seemed to be just that.  Disjointed, not grounded in reality.. something was definitely off here.

Truthfully, Banner didn't know Octavia well, either.  They'd had but one real conversation and it included Stark.  All she'd been told upon joining Marauder's Keep was that discord existed among the ranks over her decisions.  And when Mordecai detailed that Octavia had hurt Pippin, oh, that caused her heart to clench.  She finally let out the breath she'd been holding in a loud woosh - her lungs were burning but she didn't care.  What the actual hell was going on here?  The fear Mordecai's son must have felt when he ran off.. the fear he likely still felt.. it was awful.  The chocolate female let out a low whine, cutting off the very end with a sorrowful sigh.

The emotional impact this conversation had on her wasn't something she'd expected.  She knew it paled in comparison to what Mordecai and his family were going through and as such, Banner did everything she could to reign herself in.  Her reaction would not be a solution.  "Instinct will save him," she said finally.  "We will find him.  And this mess.. we'll figure it out.  Somehow.  I didn't know any of this -  I don't think Stark knows, either.  This is.. this is serious."  Finally she attempted to speak and it came out an incoherent, rambling mess.  The lady Marauder wasn't good with words.  That was Stark's deal.