[The specter notices Guzma far before Lillie does and redoubles her efforts to pull the child away. To where, Lillie can't guess, but she knows she doesn't want to go. Not with her. Part of her isn't totally sure it's really her mother - it's extremely rare for her to get so physical, but knowing now what kind of harm she was willing to let come to others? Lillie can't put it past her anymore.
As soon as Guzma puts his hand on Lillie's shoulder, the specter lets go of her arm and just about shrieks in anger.
"How dare you?! He doesn't care about you! He's just a thug, a brute, a LIAR - he'll turn on you, you know. You're just a nuisance to him in the end. I'm the only one who cares about you. I'M your family!"
It takes everything the child's got not to cling to the stronger man and just cry. She wants this to be over. Wants it to have never happened. But she can't run forever. This is her chance, whether she's ready or not, to face her mother. So she stands up straight, even though she's shaking, and clenches her fists.]
No. That's not true. That's not true! He's my FRIEND and in the time I've known him, he's done more for me than you EVER have or EVER will!
[It's amazing, how once the anger starts to flow it just keeps on going. There's a thousand things she wants to say next but none of them quite seem like enough. How do you make someone understand years of torment, of insidious manipulation, when they're the ones who inflicted it? And she can tell, just by the way her mother's lip curls and she tosses her hair, that she won't take any of it to heart. So she keeps it short. Hisses the words she knows will sting the most.]
Guzma is not a brute. He is not a liar. He's not ugly inside, like you are.
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As soon as Guzma puts his hand on Lillie's shoulder, the specter lets go of her arm and just about shrieks in anger.
"How dare you?! He doesn't care about you! He's just a thug, a brute, a LIAR - he'll turn on you, you know. You're just a nuisance to him in the end. I'm the only one who cares about you. I'M your family!"
It takes everything the child's got not to cling to the stronger man and just cry. She wants this to be over. Wants it to have never happened. But she can't run forever. This is her chance, whether she's ready or not, to face her mother. So she stands up straight, even though she's shaking, and clenches her fists.]
No. That's not true. That's not true! He's my FRIEND and in the time I've known him, he's done more for me than you EVER have or EVER will!
[It's amazing, how once the anger starts to flow it just keeps on going. There's a thousand things she wants to say next but none of them quite seem like enough. How do you make someone understand years of torment, of insidious manipulation, when they're the ones who inflicted it? And she can tell, just by the way her mother's lip curls and she tosses her hair, that she won't take any of it to heart. So she keeps it short. Hisses the words she knows will sting the most.]
Guzma is not a brute. He is not a liar. He's not ugly inside, like you are.