blood melts freshly fallen snow; an eerily quiet backdrop against the sickening blows that land one after the other. she knew the moment that she crested the ridge that the awful gut feeling that's been plaguing her for days would be proven right.
iselda sees vergo reel his fist back, coated in haki, and she watches it come up hard and fast against the underside of rosinante's chin, flinging him backwards against the ground. like a ragdoll. like that enormous frame of his weighed nothing at all. she's fighting against the drag of the snow, overcoat shed, as she propels herself forward , ignoring the sting of the cold biting at her cheeks and the snow falling against her back, melting through her navy whites.
when she springs forward, iselda is all glowing eyes and wild curls, lips pulled back in a gritty snarl as her fingers wrap around vergo's wrist, preventing him from his planned blow to law's tiny form, curled up and trembling in the snow. a swelling lump has begun to form at his temple , his eyes screwed shut, snot , blood and grime smeared across his face.
" get up. " she clips from behind gritted teeth. the force of his arm fighting against her hold is enough to bare down on her. " do you wanna die ?? i said, get up---! "
she hears rosinante's voice, hoarse and bewildered , but doesn't register a single word. she can't look at him. if she does, iselda's unsure she could stand to fight. seeing him helplessly tossed around was enough , anything more she wouldn't be able to think clearly. a wild , enraged frenzy against a calculating man like vergo wouldn't stand a chance.
" take him and get out of here ! that's what you want, isn't it ? to save that boy's life ? " vergo tears his hand away from her and she digs her feet into the ground, breathing in through her nose and slowly out through her mouth. she's no match for him. she might die. " so, take him, and don't look back, rosinante. ---go! "
