The man's loud voice brought Liesel back down to earth. She had just summoned a ghost in the middle of the street, causing general panic and fear. She could see it all now - being dragged into church once again, getting another slap on the wrist by the gravekeepers, probably having to 'avoid' Harkness Street for a while. Heck, maybe they'll bring the mayor in again.
Calmly as she could, Liesel turned to face the yelling lumberjack. She had seen his face before, but she didn't know his name. She had a feeling, however, that they were about to become very well aquainted.
"What beast am I?" the Kasai began, sounding more irritated than angry or upset "What beast are you, spitting on a girl's dress? Or yelling at her for standing up for herself?"
"What beasts stand back and let a lone girl get bullied by people three years older?" she was no longer just addressing Jeoffry, but the crowd in general. She didn't raise her voice, but somehow sounded more authorative and mature. "You all saw her. You all heard the things she said. And not one of you tried to help or call her out."
To Liesel, the townspeople's inaction just served to prove their selfish, tribal attitude. If one of their own does something cruel and mean, they'll just ignore it, as long as it's someone else who's getting the abuse. But the second the poor sod stands her ground, then she's sub-human, or evil. What Liesel didn't understand was this big fear of necromancy most towns seemed to nurture. It had always been natural for her, even as a child. The less people knew, the stronger their opinions.
Turning back to the lumberjack, Liesel continued "You've ruined my dress. Ruined it!" Well, it was already dirty, torn and ill-fitting, but that was beside the point. "I'm going to need another one."
She took a few steps towards Jeoffry, then stopped. For the first time, she noticed his axe.
"Are you planning to chop me up or something?" She sighed, shaking her head like a teacher to a child who asked her if two add two was five. This town was hopeless.