"dear, you're shaking," the blonde had murmured, "are you cold?"

and the woman had offered her jacket, wrapping it around the poor girl who'd been through hell too long to know any different. the flinch she'd acted out proved exactly that.

"i won't hurt you, okay? are you alone, do you have a place i can take you?"

she'd been confused as to why this woman had offered her help and why she'd been at a bus station if she had a car. the girl shook her head frantically, blue hair whipping in the wind as the woman offered to take her home.

"you can call me della if you'd like." her voice was calm as her lips parted in a smile, brown eyes comforting as if she'd known the girl all her life, "you're all cold, here, let's get you someplace warm."

and after the stranger had strapped her in a vehicle, the young girl watched through the windows as della had greeted a young man.

and despite being alone, she was less afraid.