Chiyo stood there for a long moment, her violet eyes still fixed on the unmasked robber as her mind turned over the possible consequences.
Giving this strangely knowledgeable man over to Munganda would likely end in a very bloody interrogation, and if Karen happened to catch wind of it and decided it sounded like a fun game, the whole situation could spiral into something far worse and far messier.
The thought made her hesitate, the heavy silence in the mall pressing down around them.
The air felt thick and charged, still carrying the sharp scent of fear-sweat from the civilians huddled on the cold tiled floor.
And the sharper edge of panic rolling off the masked robbers who remained frozen in their positions, weapons half-lowered but grips still tight.
So she denied it, keeping her face deceptively calm and composed, the corners of her mouth even lifting into a small, almost friendly smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
