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Whether or not Shik had caught all of her silent words would have to wait, because after a long hard stare she decided that it was time to actually pay attention again. She listened silently, arms cross and face as impassive as she could manage, though her eyes were narrowed, and she could not hide all of her emotions there. More then once Shik would find her wings flaring slightly just to brush feathers against his shoulders and back during the speaking, but it was to provide herself with the comfort more then it was to show any signs of affection.

At least, that's what she would tell herself.

The guest speaker got a bit more out of her by way of facial expression, her upper lip curling back and a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. ToTers. Halloween's "safe" Fear collectors. They didn't kill, they just frightened the humans, kept them alive, and preached about how killing the humans would cut off the source of Fear.

But like Shik, Shaheen could not see a problem with killing them. They were breeders, their populations too large as it was. So many people, using so many resources, to the point where one day, she was sure their homeland would no longer be able to sustain them. Culling them was doing them a favor, if you thought about it. No, she had no plans on "safe harvesting", no matter what Death had to say about the matter, no matter if his little dagger had done the trick in subduing her insanity. He was not a leader that she had chosen.

And then the scene changed, and she looked out on an island that she recognized, and she cast a quick, questioning glance over to Shik before a dagger was quickly summoned to hand. What madness was this? Throwing them at the hunter island in the middle of a lecture, and telling them to collect Fear from hunters.

AND LEAVE THEM ALIVE?

She'd heard enough. Leaving Shik's side she threw herself into the fray, searching out a target and finding one quickly enough. A tall woman, with darkly tanned skin, blonde hair, and a curvy body. She stood out to Shaheen, something about her drawing her attention before she leaped towards her, only to find a blade flashing in her direction. She dodged around it with careful maneuvering, then, with a quick slash of her own, caught the other woman between the shoulder blades.

Fear collected: 2

The Hunter moved first, and to Manyara's disgust they moved at a leap as well, as if mimicking her appearance weren't bad enough... no, no, they had to fake her style of movement and fighting, too. She jumped to one side, then snarled as she felt the bola tangle around her ankle, one weight swinging out to almost pull both her feet together. A good strike. One she might have made.

Infuriating.

But if this one was going to mimic her, she knew what they would do - move in close. She waited, feigning capture until the Hunter was close enough. Then she closed, grappling with the Hunter, tearing a strip from that white-coated side and staining them both with blood. The Hunter was saying something, but she couldn't - wouldn't - hear them. Not now, with blood hot in her throat and mouth. There would be no retreat this time.

They both knew it.

FEAR Points: 4/5

Fai shot out with his weapon again, watching as it barely skimmed the other him--no. The hunter. It was frustrating, especially when the hunter started to laugh. "Really, you call yourself a horseman?" he hooted. "That's pathetic! You're more like a pony man! No, ponies hit harder than you do!!"

Fai snarled something, the haze of the alcohol slowing starting to burn off with his irritation. It seemed worse, he thought, because in his darkest moments he'd thought things along the same lines.

FEAR: 2

"Really, talkative, aren't you?" the hunter said. "You think I want to spend time with a pony when we're surrounded by real horsemen? You're pathetic! Pathetic!"

Fai hit him again. "Shut up. You have no idea what you're talking about! I AM A GENIUS!"

Or he had been. Once upon a time.

FEAR: 4

If Shaheen expected him to understand what she was saying on a normal basis and remembered about how clearly he got those messages, she'd be sorely disappointed to see the blank look she got for all her subtle body language. But Shik did unfurl a wing to touch her in greeting and snorted impatiently just as their guest arrived.

. . . Oh joy. More not killing things. Harvesting on the long term wasn't what he cared about; humans reproduced at such a rate that they could easily cull at periodic slots and barely make a dent in the population. But he followed the herd and grumbled to himself without actual complaint, as Death had not yet asked him or the others to give up their crystals. If there was a way to keep them, he would seek it for Shaheen's sake.

Otherwise he'd never hear the end of it.

The locale was familiar: Shik had been there on the first assault of the Hunter Headquarters. Fighting a hunter specifically was enough to make him happy for the time being, and thus he readied his dagger and entered the fray.

He did not understand the confused looks on some of his brethren until he found a free opponent, one that looked as intent on finding him as he had the other. The sun hunter's clothes looked ragged for wear, and his coat was tied about his waist to allow better movement of his arms, one of which wielded a curved dagger. Close combat it was. Excellent.

But he found it difficult to get his weapon in, and the style the hunter used was eerily familiar. He seemed to mirror Shik's every move, and the clang of daggers started to spark as they grew more heated. Growling, the horseman lunged, but the other side stepped him and sliced at his wing. Oh, that ******** little smirk.

His smirk.

Shik cursed.

[ total: 0 pts ]

As the hunter's swing came round again, Shik ducked aimed a kick. The copy had seemed to learn how the wings gave him a small speed advantage, so he leapt away enough to just suffer a scratch on his shield.

"Why don't you try and fight me without any special help, pidgeon?" the thing taunted him, adopting the self-same stance that irritated the horseman so. "Or does the mutated clone need help in battle?"

"You have the bravado of a wolf but the skill of a sheep. Silence yourself and prove your strength, or I'll cut a mouth in your a** big enough to talk out of." He was not going to be swayed by an illusion's words. Shik knew what he was: he was better.

[ total: 2pts ]

But tradeoff was tradeoff. For every time one struck, the other seemed able to find a way to quickly retaliate. But these light blow exchanges were not what Shik favored; he would have rather brawled it out.

But damn if the guy's grip on that dagger looked strong. If the clone was anything like him, he'd part with it over his dead body.

"Having a moral crisis?" his opponent asked dryly, brandishing his weapon. "Or would you like to actually finish this?"

[ total: 3pts ]