Hushed Willows I wanna believe that your faith in me is as strong as it was

No! Stop! Please!

It was these words, and these words alone, that brought Lily to a halt, her assault cut short. She skittered backward, away from the brown woman, returning the rude sentiment with some choice words of her own. Fuck them. Perhaps at another time, she'd be more diplomatic, but she was in no such mood at the moment.

Are you all right? she asked, turning to Olive with hushed tones. She pressed her nose against the woman's cheek, then her shoulder, both in comfort and looking for injury. Finding none, she drew back—but there was still rage and worry etched into the lines of her face. How dare they?! What happened?

She trusted the Shakti to fill her in on all the gory details—but even without context, she'd be on the lookout for those two going forward.