Chéri knew that when a woman hugged them, they better match whatever she was doing, for everyone’s sake, so they made a point of nodding again, solemnly. They took advantage of Benjamin’s temporary distraction to turn to Ruby, hoping to have a suggestion on how they should act.

Then when the man shouted at her again, they tried to make them both take a step back, away from Benjamin, but it was Elijah he was keeping under control. He could handle an aggressive fisherman, but prison was another matter. And statistically speaking, Chéri was the most likely to end up in a cage here.

This time, Chéri understood. “Yes. Alone. Both me and Ruby alone. Please.” Chéri was trying to plead with Elijah more with their eyes than with their words. And while they were trying to stay proud, there was quite a bit of distress in their face. Whether one or both sentiments were fabricated it was hard to tell.