"I think the 'of doom' part is kind of important in that scenario," Karolina pointed out. "And I'm not sure if looks would make much of a difference- have you seen how scary some of these people look? I don't think they'd even recognize cuddly."
He was rambling, but Karolina wasn't bored. It was kind of endearing. Also, useful. At his revelation that this hadn't been one of the attack-bugs, that it had been found already dead, her nervousness about being around the thing eased a little and she moved closer. "I wonder if there are different types. I mean, obviously there are different species, since I saw some fly and some don't, but are there, like, specific bugs that attack, and ones that gather food or something that are more harmless?" Although given that their food was apparently people, that wasn't so harmless.
Doug was, though, and she laughed when he withdrew his hand. She reached for it anyway, then thought twice. What if her powers were harmful to more than just bugs? She concentrated, pulling the solar energy back inside her skin, the colors fading and disappearing completely, leaving a normal-looking girl in their wake. Then she grabbed his hand. "Karolina Dean. And I just had bug guts all over me a couple nights ago, I'm not gonna make a fuss about germs now."