Elijah put a hand to his head and frowned. "OK, look. It seems like this Chéri? Was trying to protect 'Lory'." He glanced at her then at Ben. "When you came in to take her out. Look, this is simple."

He faced Ben. "You can't carry her out. She is an adult and legally allowed to work here. If you think something is illegal, you come to the station and make an official report so we can investigate. And if someone is trying to protect her, then get us. You don't want to cause a misunderstanding that can cause some sort of injury or make things worse."

He turned to the one who didn't speak English and searched his head for any words and stumbled with his minimum knowledge in French. "Sorry.. my .French.. is bad. Did you.. grab him.. to protect her?"

Chéri had not idea what what happening, but whatever Ruby was saying, especially while their age was being thrown around, they stayed impassible and showed a very solemn expression. They weren’t going to try pretend they understood, because if they were to be asked anything later, their lies would become apparent. They only put a hand on Ruby’s own, to comfort her, reassure her, as if she hadn’t been defending him against likely arrest.

Benjamin protested at something she said, but that was only to be expected. They obviously couldn’t understand, so just kept their composure, waiting for something to happen. Finally Elijah asked something.

Chéri was surprised the policemen could communicate, even just a little. Still, they couldn’t exactly tell, so answered a generic “Ruby pony. Ruby” they made a dragging gesture and shook their head, “Chéri” made a gesture as to push back, trying to mimic a defence.

Lory hiccuped mid-sob, flinching back when her uncle raised his voice.

For a man who beat women, Elijah sounded … reasonable? It was a trick, of course, but at least he didn’t seem like he was going to beat her and Chéri right in the middle of the street.

She couldn’t understand the French, but she put her arm and hand protectively around Chéri.

“Please,” she pleaded, voice thicker with both phlegm and Uncle Ben’s same accent. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He was just afraid for me.”

Ben turned red with anger at Elijah's words. But it seemed he wasn't going to get far with the constable. He and Elijah had had arguments of this nature before and Ben didn't want another.

Nor did he want to end up in the police station.

He turned all his rage back upon Lory instead. "You come home this instant!" he said, pointing at her. "You know better than this! What d'ye think yer mother will say, eh!?"

Elijah had a hand to his head, he wasn't going to keep listening to this. "Alright, enough. Unless someone really wants me to take someone to the station, I strongly suggest we just stop. Ben, go home. You can't physically take her and she doesn't want to leave. Lory, he is your uncle. He is not showing it correctly, he's worried for your safety..." also what people would think of her, but he didn't say it.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and looked back at Chéri. He wasn't going to mention how he doubted he just cleaned with the makeup on his face, but it wasn't something he wanted to bring up here. He tried his French again. "Ah.. You're not hurt. Right? Do you want us both to just leave you alone?" He said gesturing to him and Lory.

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.

She fell immediately into step with Chéri, grasping his arm like rope tied to an anchor.

What would her mother say? Oh, God. She’d have a whole list of all the ways she’d ever disappointed her, or disown her, or try and marry her off to one of her own damned cousins. She’d been hinting at the Hawksfields for so long that Lory played sick to get out of the last Hawksfield wedding.

“We don’t even talk,” she answered Uncle Ben, miserably.

At some point, she’d started seeing her as her madame – well, secondary madame now, now that there was actually someone else to present clients instead of prayers that seemed to be answered more by Satan himself than an angel sparing scant pity.

She shrunk back when Elijah addressed them all as offenders. As though existing at a brothel were on par with violently kidnapping a woman from one, and defending said woman was offense the same. Not showing it correctly. She ducked her head, lest the wrong expression drive him to decide to pin it all on her and Chéri instead of just some of it.

He sounded friendlier toward Chéri, at least. Maybe he just hated women.

She wasn’t sure what they were saying … but she heard “tranquilles”? Tranquil sounded nice.

“Ouie. Tranquilles.”

Ben gave Elijah an angry look, and then looked back at Lory one last time, livid, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "You're ruining yer life, lass. And ye'll regret it!" But he turned on his heel and left the place, not waiting for Elijah. Elijah be damned! He headed in the direction of Lory's family cottage.

Elijah sighed looking stressed but nodded towards Chéri. "Alright. If you are not hurt."

He frowned as Lory tried to use the young man to protect herself. He was about to say something when he saw a furious Ben walk off. "Ben, wait !" He started to follow but stopped momentarily. He shook a finger towards Lory. "We are having a talk later about you trying to destroy my life." He gave her an angry look before be hurried off to catch up to Ben.

Chéri couldn’t really say much to Lory, let alone the right thing. They put their hand on her shoulder and kept their eyes were they were, showing a confidence they still didn’t have.

And while Chéri could’t understand Ben, there was something that was very clear to them. They said that in french, as Ben turned with the intention of leaving “They always end up screaming…” probably no one, expect maybe Elijah, if he was particularly perceptive, understood.

Chéri shook their head. They ween’t hurt. And has Elijah made that point, Chéri signaled to Ruby to follow them upstairs in the pony: she needed the space to unwind. They didn’t even need to ask.