mal ‘scolding’ the core four in d2 for bringing ben to the isle is just... an Important scene to me. because she’s so mad that they put him danger. but she’s also mad that they came after her. because in her mind, she was doing everyone a favor by leaving. and now they’re here. and it’s really hard to think about having to actually say goodbye to them. which is why she left the way she did in the first place. but it’s also... when she’s yelling at them. she’s more like her mother than she ever wanted to be. well, she used to want to be every bit of her mother. and now she’s grown passed that. but when she stands over them and questions their actions, like they aren’t her friends, they’re less than that. it’s a moment that she looks back on and just is kind of horrified by the way she reacted. like her initial gut reaction. and being back in a place that was one ruled by her mother, standing over the town and yelling in a similar fashion. yeah. it’s a small thing. but she definitely has nightmares about it. because what if being good isn’t a choice? what if she really is just rotten to the core?