The narrator and the other trans women who have joined Valaria’s cause begin to wreak havoc on the cisgender men who frequent the Street of Miracles. They are careful not to fight on the Street of Miracles itself, instead using the back alleys and streets just outside their home community. After the first fight, in which they knock a man unconscious and steal his wallet, they leave a graffiti tag on the wall of the alley that reads “You mess with femmes you mess with us” above a lipstick kiss. This message leads the local media to dub them “the Lipstick Lacerators.” Their reign of terror creates chaos and fear among the general populace of the City of Smoke and Lights. While sometimes the group seeks out targets that are suggested to them by other trans women, most often they hunt for the men on whom they choose to enact their vengeance.

Eventually, the reputation of the Lipstick Lacerators causes the cisgender men of the city to retaliate against them. For the most part, the narrator and her fellow femmes have no trouble fending off any would-be attackers. The narrator notes that they are all strong fighters, each with particular skills.