More than the fighting, she keeps up the mental dialog. Fighting is easy in this form. Clamp down, hold on, roll, don't back down. The crocodile had been her choice for reasons of tenacity as well as strength, surprising speed, and an exciting background as a professional wrestler.

Crocodiles could drown elephants. And while no drowning was going down here, it was that sort of potential that let her ignore the flailing attempts at dislodging.

So she talked, moving backward, shaking her mouth like a careful dog aware of her potential of snapping Regina's neck if she's too rough.

And she keeps talking.

< You're not alone, Regina! No matter what it tells you or how it says you'll probably never get away or be free, that's not true, it's just telling you that. It wants to be in control because it needs you to do anything. Do you feel this now? It can't get away from me or people like me on its own. It's a jerk! A jerk that can't save itself. We'll make it stop, one way or another! >

They might be hollow promises, because some endings might not be the happy ones, but Collette kept on, mental tone almost jovial, friendly, talking to the woman she presumes is in there, and not the creature manipulating her body, overriding and controlling her mind.

< Martin's a good guy. He's done well for himself! Kind of has his own group of really close friends, all people who care about him. We're looking for him now. We'll find him! And I know it gets grey and rainy and dreary here, it's like that so much of the time, but we also get sunshine and we have good moments and bad moments and it's nice more than it's bad and it's not living in the darkness at all anymore! >

She wasn't sure if that meant anything, a half remembered comment in earlier conversations with Martin in his fumbling, startled way.

< I'm sorry that this hurt, but we can't let it get away. >

She could really, really use back up about now.

... She could have also planned this out better. (Like, at all!)