Not surprisingly, the clerk seemed reticent to back down in the face of the newcomer's fury. It was clear even to him she meant business, but just as clear to all that he refused to lose face. Behind her Adam seemed to shrink, black eyes glittering as they watched their apparent opponent, unblinking as they watched, trying to assess what the other man might do. In that moment Adam seemed more animal than man, a creature long accustomed to defusing danger rather than rising to meet it. But his apparent timidity was only one small facet of his response, all smoke and mirrors meant to cover his true intent: Underneath it all he was closely studying their potential enemy, searching for signs that his blustering aggression might turn into something real. Were he to raise a hand to Lily - or to Adam himself, it seemed - things would get ugly, and quick.
"Yeah," he said, giving a single, boyishly vigorous nod of his head. He shifted on his feet, his hand wrapping high and loose around Lily's arm, the chain belt around his waist making a metallic clacking as he moved toward the door. "Sounds good. Let's get out of here."
"What a great idea," the clerk deadpanned, appearing to have conveniently forgotten whose idea their leaving had been, but clearly happy to take credit for it. "Fuck off, fag, you and your pretty bodyguard."