"Pollen," Hawkmoth says, with a tsk. "She's far too young to possess your true strength. Why not choose someone much older than a child."
"You're right, about that, Mister." Chloe says, she held out the hair comb in the palm of her hand ready to give the magical artifact back to its owner.
Pollen was correct. Whoever this stranger was, he was intimidating.
"Master, please don't do that!" Pollen yells.
"Do you have any better ideas?"
"You were supposed to fight back!"
"Maybe you should read the room sometime! He's bigger than I am! I'm still some kid you just so happened to find! I weigh less than 200 pounds!"
"You should listen to children a lot more often." Hawkmoth says, cutting off Pollen before the kwami began to speak again, but was instead silenced by a discouraging look from Chloe. Then Chloe barged into the conversation to explain herself again.
Gabriel had managed to snatch back the hair comb without much interference.
"Maybe it was a bad idea," Chloe says. "You caught me at a bad time. I'm just some kid, right?"
"...I can't say you wouldn't be useful to me when you've grown past my knee." Hawkmoth says, a smile curling on his lips. A husky, chuckle rolls of his tongue.
Chloe shuddered.
"Pollen, what does he mean?" she asked, and the uncertainty. The uncharacteristic emotion of her voice edging near the hysterical forces Hawkmoth to look back at Chloe in surprise.
"I promise I won't let him hurt you!" Pollen says, without actually bothering to answer Chloe's question.
"Hurt me?" Chloe screams back. She was affronted and offended. "What is wrong with you! I already gave him back the hair comb! What do you expect, Pollen! I told you before, read the room!" Hawkmoth taken a step backward in his own disbelief at the sudden anger in her voice. Pollen and Hawkmoth stared back at the child in shock.
"Would you much rather choose another master, Pollen?" Hawkmoth says, impatiently. "Do you really believe your master has the ability to save you much less herself?"
The question had assaulted the kwami's brain. Gabriel had managed to short out Pollen's ability to speak. Pollen could feel its heart drop like a stone. A very tense silence had stretched endlessly for several long minutes afterwards. During which Chloe wasn't sure she actually wanted to interfere on Pollen's behalf.
Finally, Chloe volunteered an explanation.
"Maybe it wasn't meant to be?"
Pollen would hesitate a moment before answering. "No, Master! I chose you!"
"Stupid! Stupid! You stupid honey bee," Chloe says, pressuring Pollen to change its mind. "My dad made me used to believe adults were the ones who were supposed to protect children! But now you got me thinking. What am I supposed to do when I can't even protect myself, Pollen?"
All Pollen could do was mouth the words "I'm sorry."
"What am I supposed to do?" Chloe says, again. This time with a slight hiccuping sob.
"I wouldn't worry too much about that question right now," Hawkmoth says, a smile widening on his face. "You're much too young to understand the world of adults. Give it some time, Chloe and everything will eventually soon be clear." if he was trying to soothe Chloe's fears, his answer had managed to only heighten them. Despite Gabriel's questionable methods of persuasion Chloe did not cast her vote of approval.
"When you're older Chloe will talk again."
This alone frightened Chloe.
The unknown.
