"None of us are going anywhere any time soon. I'm new here, youngblood, I don't know how urgent anything is or isn't. Johnny seemed to think the situation needed help sooner rather than later so I'm here to offer; nothin' more, nothin' less."

Erin gets out the first aid kit for the club and starts checking Darcy over with a businesslike confidence. She starts with the cut, first disinfecting it and then applying liquid stitches to be sure. Her breathing is very steady, but this close her Mantle's scent is so much more present, swirling around the two of them in a soft cyclone.

"It wasn't my intention to humiliate you," Erin murmurs. "I deal with a lot of...stubborn people. People who are stubborn for very good reasons. They learned things that helped them survive in an awful context and when they leave that context, the things they learned help them feel safe and powerful. If they can't change the way they play the game, they'll die in agony. I hope it's not too forward to say that I see that in you. Something tells me growing up gay in France is only marginally easier than trying it in New England."