With liquid courage came, too, reflexes that ebbed and flowed rather than holding steady against time. She hadn’t expected to be assaulted by anyone that wasn’t paying for the privilege – least of all the family that ate more heartily from her work.

One moment she was yanking, and the next she was off her feet.

“No,” she sobbed, eyeliner sending streaks down her face.

At least if it had been some Magnus-type figure about to do away with her, she wouldn’t have had to face the circumstances that led her here. She wouldn’t have had the time to wish for a kinder fate, or let the resentment well up thick as brine in the air.

Hrk! Oh, fuck, was she going to--?

“Mon Chéri!” she cried out, too drunk to feel silly for the unnecessary ‘title’.

She struggled, grasped, and tried to crawl out to hide behind Chéri’s legs, heaving sobs.

Heaving-… more, than sobs. She clutched a hand over her painted mouth as more than just sounds threatened to come up.

[CW: reference to child trafficking/prostitution]

What the hell!? He could keep the assailant at a distance, but he was forced to let go of Lory. He had expected to have to fight his way out, but he hadn't expected the resistance to come from a... child? Foreign too. At the Diamond Pony. Bought from abroad no doubt. He wasn't even surprised at this point, but he would tell Elijah, so they'd raid the bloody den.

Well, he wasn't going to punch some kid. Instead, he grabbed the boy's arm to flung him out of the way, so he could get to Lory. "That's my niece, and she's coming home!" he shouted.

Elijah had been nearby, so that he could help those who were nervous asking the more by the book constables. So, when there was someone causing trouble, he'd been asked to help. He hurried in just after seeing... Ben?! trying to fling some young man around and...Ruby?! A knee jerk reaction to leave her to her trouble gave a small flare but he wasn't that sort of thing. And why was Ben there?!

"Ben!" He said quickly, hoping to get him to stop and he frowned raising his brow as he looked from him to "Ruby? What is going on here? No one touch another person and explain yourselves." He was already slowly moving to the younger man to make sure he was alright.

Chéri didn’t even pay attention at the adjective in front of their name, drunk people had called them weirder things. “My” was almost sweet. Chéri moved a little to allow Ruby to hid behind them, not realising they were now between two fires. They took a fighting position and face the aggressor.

Benjamin grabbed them and shoved them aside, but Chéri was ready and contrasted the movement, if not properly staying in place, sliding back, working on their agility rather than their resistance. Lacking both for understanding and for proper words to respond, their choice was simply “No!” Whatever the stranger wanted to do to Ruby, they weren’t going to let that happen.

And there there was. The police. Chéri’s mind started racing and at this, they did, indeed, abandon the position, because they didn’t want to look like they were in a brawl. Answering first wasn’t an option, so they moved next to Ruby, offering her their hands, to show they were there to help and that they were on her side. Hopefully the constable wasn’t going to notice the traces of make up on their face.

Oh, God! He was going to beat Chéri, and it was all her fault! She scrambled after Chéri, throwing her arms around her fast friend.

“No!” she screamed, half livid and half terrified.

Then, she heard a familiar voice calling to her uncle in … also familiarity.

Sheer horror that crossed her face when her eyes landed on Elijah. Elijah! Oh, God. She was probably getting kicked to death here between Uncle Ben and Elijah both, for ‘breaking the law’ and making her father roll in his grave by filling his gaps with a perfectly legal trade. A perfectly legal trade that often intersected with its share of less perfectly legal activities – but that was not her work.

She had to get away! What if he had seen the letter to the editor? He probably hadn’t, of course – no one read those gossip rags, even if she strategically left them open in the places it would hurt most … right? Trembling, she let her arms drop from Chéri, but stayed close.

If not for Chéri, she might have fled.

“Ch-,” she cleared phlegm from her throat. “Chéri was looking out for me.”

Unlike her uncle. But it was all she could force out.

Annoying little twit. Ben tried to pull the kid aside more forcefully, but he let go when he heard Elijah's voice and he spun round.

Poor Elijah. He had meant to talk to the constable after he had heard about that disgusting article. Probably few people read that kind of trash. But many people knew Elijah.

It would have to wait for now. "I'm taking home my niece. It's about time you and yer men raid this place, Elijah."

He turned to Lory. "Lory. Come 'ere! Now!"

Elijah frowned as he didn't want to deal with this but he couldn't ignore what was going on. Hearing Ben reply to Ruby, he gave her a look of shock and horror that someone that was family to Ben would do that. "Lory?" He remembered hearing the name and he was certain he had met her once a long time ago. He put a hand to his head to clear his thoughts, he'd have that conversation later since now he knew her real identity and where to find her.

"There isn't a raid right now, Ben. And we can't put morals above what's legal. They aren't doing anything illegal right now, but I did see you throw that young man. That is very much illegal. I need explanations right now, or I will have to remove you from here." He might have to take him in, but he didn't want to. This was Ben, but this was also a string of such incidents, including the attack on Noah that he still is certain he had some conspiring to if he wasn't also involved in.

Another attempt, but Chéri wasn’t going to move out of the way so easily. Or at least, they weren’t in the original situation.

The arrival of a constable shifted the mood quite a bit. Chéri was paralysed by their lack of knowledge of the language: they could use their fist to fight back, they could run, but they could not defend themselves, to in any way that actually mattered.

For the second time since they had arrived in Whitby, Chéri started to feel a pure, untouched terror, raising in their stomach. Ruby said their name. And Chéri just nodded. Whatever she had said, it was their best chance at an argument.

And at whatever Ben said to Ruby, they repeated “no!” Putting their arms out, trying to make a barrier.

Chéri turned to the unknown cop. Well, at least it wasn’t that bastard from the beach. The man spoke calmly, but didn’t seem to be speaking to them, so for now they just kept their attention to Ben, following his moves like a cat.

Oh, God. This was something out of a nightmare. Maybe she’d wake up, not surrounded by her furious uncle, her furious uncle’s fixer, and this friend caught in the middle that seemed too innocent, too sweet for the life they were both living.

Eyes wide, she put her hands on Chéri’s arm, both retreating behind it and trying to ease it down.

“I-I am employed there,” Lory said, head up but whole body trembling. “My time is theirs. Chéri,” she paused only momentarily, “Chéri DuMonte cleans there and is learning English.”

It was the fastest surname she could pull out of her ass that sounded both French and generic enough to not get him in trouble.

“I was working there when-- when he,” she nodded her head toward Uncle Ben, but refused to look at him, “burst in, grabbed me,” she cupped her bare arm and took a steadying breath, “forcibly dragged me into another room, refused my pleas to let m-” her voice caught on a sob.

Oh, God. Describing it was almost worse than going through it.

“To let me go,” she said faster, determined to outrun her own grief.

Was grief harder to outrun in heels? That was her theory when she slumped against Chéri’s shoulder, manicured nails clutching their sleeve.

Oh sure. Now he was the bad guy! And what was Elijah thinking, making threats like that!?

"I didn't throw 'im!" he argued over Lory's hysterics. That wicked girl. Now she was suddenly acting all upset and vulnerable, but she had put herself in this situation to begin with. As if being dragged out of a brothel by her uncle compared at all to the risks she took!

"I pulled 'im away, and he attacked me first. If ye think I'm gonna sit by idly and let me niece work in a place like this...!"