"You think the General won't come for you?" the man with the pipe asked, trying for brave and missing.
"We'll be gone," Elias answered. "You'll still be here, explaining why you lost an entire mall to five people and a dog."
Luci growled low, clearly offended at being called a dog. The pipe man's mouth shut tight.
Sera turned to the quiet girl. "You can come shopping with us, tell the General everything that we took, and give him an explanation of what happened so you don't get in trouble with him later," she offered. "Or stay here and try to fill in the blanks. Your choice."
The girl blinked, surprised. "You don't even know me."
"You tried to get the glossy woman to stop. Just because she didn't listen isn't your fault," Sera replied with almost a kind smile. "That's enough for me to try and save your life."
The girl looked at the men around her. No one reached for her. No one said her name. She hugged the binder harder and gave a small nod. "Okay."
