"Whoa!" Johnny lifts his hand away at once, stepping back. "Jesus! Fuck, sorry, I was just trying to help!"

Nova pushes her nose against his cheek, chiding him silently - look, he's afraid. Be gentle. You know how to be gentle, don't you?

Johnny feels a pang of irritation - what the hell business does he have having a rabbit soul, when he's such a prickly fucking asshole? He brushes it all aside in a hurry when another, louder snap resounds just to his left.

"Look, I'm sorry," he says again, through his teeth. "Let's just - let's go. All right? You okay?"

He starts inching forward, resisting the urge to reach out and make another grab to hurry Rush along.