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They were back, and it was awful.

It wasn't that Shaheen wasn't happy to see so many horsemen back from the dead. In fact, it enticed her since she knew that wherever they had been, insanity'd had a lot to do with it. Yet here they were, walking, talking, not a hint of grey on any of them. But there were some that she had been happy to see laid to rest, and she was not at all prepared to see them alive and well and whole again.

And so, she did what she did best when there was something or somebody she couldn't deal with. She practiced avoidance. It wasn't like it was too difficult with the lair as overcrowded as it was now. There were plenty of people to duck around, plenty of new buildings being crafted to hide behind. The war chieftain had, for the moment, taken to lurking in the shadows. If her parents were back, if they were a part of those who had returned, then she would find them when she was ready, on her own terms.

But for now, she was exhausted, dirty, and in sore need of some relaxation. She hadn't been sleeping well, and had been training more and more often, until she was glistening in sweat and covered in dirt, her hair a tangled mess that could not be tamed. The baths just seemed like the most obvious place to get herself cleaned up and feeling better, so she made her way down there, tip toeing along carefully and keeping an eye out for those all too familiar wings, hair colors, and cold stares that she had come to recognize so clearly growing up.

But the baths were practically empty, and she could relax, just a little. In fact, she could only really see one horseman in the vicinity, and he was so immersed in water that Shaheen almost didn't recognize who it was.

Almost.

With a mischievous grin and a sudden gleam in her eye the chieftain sprinted across the stone floor, leaped in the air with a beat of her wings, and promptly let herself fall, fully clothed, into the water, splashing everything within a very wide radius with steaming water.

What would probably be most alarming at that point was not that Shaheen hadn't resurfaced quite yet (she was taking her time, seeing how long she could hold her breath underwater) but the fact that her top floated to the surface by itself.

Oooops! Force of impact must have taken it clean off.

She continued to tread beneath the water, golden eyes peering up to the shadowy form of her top that had floated the surface. A smirk tugged up at the corners of her lips, because she wasn't in the least bit embarrassed about the situation. In fact, if she had taken her time before storming the waters, she likely would have stripped completely naked before easing herself into the water. This was nothing. This was...

...This was a hand shoved down into the water, clutching her top and waving it around in front of her face. Amused, but unable to really make out whatever it was Zhi was shouting, she could only assume he wanted her to put it back on. Reaching out, she grabbed for the shirt and shot herself out of the water, breaking through the surface, shirt clutched to her chest. Her wings were sodden, which she wasn't particularly fond of, and she flapped them and ruffled her feathers in an attempt to shake off the water, quite efficiently splattering more water all around the area.

"Zhi." She smiled, sweetly, innocently, blinking at him with large, golden eyes.

She then reached out and put her shirt over his head and in front of his eyes.

There, now he wouldn't see a thing. Problem solved!

Would she ever get tired of tormenting Zhi like this?

No, nope, not a chance. She'd been having a terrible last couple of days and nights, barely sleeping, barely able to focus. This was just what she needed to unwind. She would have gone to Shikoba to torment him, but she figured if his sister had returned (she didn't know, she was just assuming since it was a possibility) he was likely already getting enough torture from her. And if she didn't feel up to dealing with her own relations, she most definitely did not feel up to dealing with his.

Once her top was deposited over Zhi's head, she back pedaled in the water, kicking her feet and splashing him with yet more water, dodging his blind stumbles and grinning from ear to ear.

And then he took the top off of his head, which lets be honest, would have been the smart thing to have done right away. But worse then that, he was now yelling at her, and splashing in the water towards her with her top clutched in his hand.

"WHY SHOULD I WEAR A TOP YOU AREN'T WEARING ONE!" She shouted back at him, abruptly standing up in the water that coursed down her tanned body in streams.

"It doesn't make sense to wear clothing while bathing, Zhi!" She scowled, even as she made a hasty and splashing retreat.

He would get that top back on her over her dead body. It was a matter of principle, now.

"They aren't melons. They're much too soft to be melons!" She retorted, her tone annoyed now as she continued to splash away from him, though her sodden wings were really beginning to slow her down.

"And they aren't strapped. They're a part of me. A very natural part. Why are you acting like it's something to be ashamed of??" He was getting much too close now, and she ducked to the side when an arm shot out towards her, a hand grabbing for her arm but instead getting a hold of.....

"OW!" She snarled, glowering at the man who stood in silence for a moment. "Soft, Zhi. Soft means not made of steel. That hurt." Of course, she knew that he hadn't done it on purpose, but that didn't make her any less indignant about the entire situation.

When he started freaking out, she just sighed and rolled her eyes skyward. Really Zhi? Was it really that bad?

"Fine just...give me the damn top." She took a couple of steps towards where he was flailing, careful to duck whenever a wayward arm came near, lest she get struck by it.

Unfortunately for Zhi, it was on her third step that her foot landed on a rather slippery rock, and she lost her balance, falling forward even while beating her uselessly drenched wings in an attempt to gain balance, effectively buffeting him with them in the process.


HP: 40
Damage: 7

Shaheen made a sound in the back of her throat that could only be described as disgust. "Don't be such a bab--" She started, only to have Zhi whirl around on her, hitting her with an elbow before he was shoving her top back on. Fingers were snagging and pulling on her wet and tangled hair, and she gritted her teeth, mentally counting to ten.

"Zhi." She said, rather calmly considering that each yank down of her top caused pain to spike along her scalp from pulled hair.

She then reached up to grab her top away from him, forcefully pulling on it until he let go. Glaring at him, she made as if to put it back on.

Then instead whipped it out and around in an attempt to slap him across the face with the wet garment.


HP:35/40
Damage: 5

What was that for? What was that for? In Shaheen's mind she could have done a lot worse. Zhi had a topless woman standing in front of him and he had both groped her and tugged on her hair, however unintentionally. It was like a really bad ending to an awkward first date, not that either of them would know what that was like. She scowled at him, giving him her best 'are you a complete moron?' look before he turned.

And whipped her in the face with his hair. His stupid gloriously long and dark hair that was actually prettier then her own. Stupid conquest and their stupid straight dark hair! What had started out as playful, innocent fun was quickly making Shaheen see red, and red was the color of war!

Slowly, and very deliberately so that Zhi could hear it loud and clear, she gripped the top in two hands, and began tearing it, ripping it so that it hung in two useless pieces in her hand. She then flung those to each side of the pool, summoned her dagger and jumped at him, ready to tackle him into the water and beat him senseless.

Unfortunately for her, with her wings soaked and heavy and holding her back, she greatly misjudged the distance between herself and where Zhi was currently standing, and she fell a little bit short.

Didn't stop her from grabbing one of his scrawny legs from underwater and yanking down on him, though, in an attempt to drag him under with her.

HP: 31
Damage: ahahahaha miss

By all the gods the man could kick when he was threatened with imminent drowning! Shaheen found herself holding on for dear life, barely able to keep a grip on the man as he wriggled and squirmed, knocking her about and doing a lot more harm to her then she was likely doing to him. But that didn't mean she would let go, oh no. He was going down and she was not going to be putting on a shirt. Not as long as she was still conscious, at least. At some point, something was going to give, and it would be him, not her.

Eventually, however, he was able to wriggle to the side of the bath and pull away from her, and really she could not hold her breath forever so she came shooting up out of the water in a gasp for air as water streamed down her skin.

Most men would have thought that this was great.

Zhi clearly had something wrong with him.

Not even a second had passed before a towel was suddenly wrapped around her, and Shaheen let out a small squawk of indignation before her shoulders sagged. slumped forward even while she glowered at him.

"You are the worst, Zhi. The worst." The hint of amusement in her voice suggested otherwise.


HP: 13
Damage: Zhi how could you