"No, you see," she said, striding forward, arms still crossed over her leather jacket. Her greatest weapon was hidden between that jacket and her shirt after all. Not that she wanted to explain to Ben why she felt compelled to spell a stranger. And she didn't want to deal with that.

But she refused to be threatened. Especially here.

"You do not get to threaten me, En." A chain on her boot sounded with each step now that she was moving more deliberately to make them sound. "Don't take our presence here to mean I'm soft. I'm still Mal from the Isle, I'm still the baddest strongest most dire threat you can imagine. I'd say I'm the worst thing to face any world since our mother except... oh right... I defeated her."