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Bare feet pounded against the earth, and the rustle of feathers as the air whipped by them followed. Tawny yellow hair flew behind her in curled streamers, and she reached up briefly to swipe away the few strands that had bounced in front of her face in her haste to move, and move quickly.

She darted around some horsemen, but shoved others out of the way, their startled exclamations yelped as she past, and their curses shouted at her back. Her wings flexed a little behind her, the urge to fly strong, but if she was trying to hide, then flying was really the last thing she should probably attempt to do at the current moment.

Finally it came into sight, that hovel that she supposed could be considered a home, but right now was the sweetest sight she had ever seen. She continued past it, skidding to a stop and doubling back only to dive through an open window and land in a tucked roll that took her practically across the room and into wall by the time it was all said and done.

Breathing heavily, hair all disheveled, muscles in her legs twitching from the hard sprint they'd had to endure, the chieftain didn't even glance around to make sure she was alone.

She just flopped down on to her back, wings spreading out beneath her, and closed her eyes as she silently mouthed words that could not be heard, but looked an awful lot like a prayer.

A sudden unexpected voice had the chieftains eyes flying back open and a startled, strangled sound eliciting from her mouth as she bolted upright and pushed herself to her feet in a swift movement that left her with a dagger in her hand, ready to attack whoever had dared to invade her ho---

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She screeched as her gaze landed on Shik, who was very nonchalantly leaning against a wall as though he owned the damn place.

She then remembered that yelling was probably a bad thing. Especially considering the open window.

She quickly turned away from him, dagger gone from her hand as she took two long strides towards the window, a giving a quick glance left and right with darting eyes before slamming it shut with a quick ferocity that somehow did not leave glass broken all over the floor.

And then turning back to Shik again with narrowed eyes. Wait, had she invited him over today? Sometimes she had trouble remembering things of late. And if she had, what for? More then likely she hadn't, and he was just playing some kind of mind game anyways.

"I was out." She replied, rather sourly. "Who I was with or what I was doing is hardly any business of yours." She shrugged her shoulders in a dismissive manner, though there was still a certain tightness around her eyes and a twitching in her wings that would suggest that she was anything but relaxed at the moment, no matter how much she might pretend.

"Did anybody see you coming in here?" She asked, moving towards the door to the room, her mannerisms quickly changing, her tone of voice almost accusing, though what she was accusing him of was a mystery.

She couldn't really explain it, but for some reason, having Shikoba Len in her home, behaving as though it were perfectly natural, that it was where he belonged, and with that smug tone in his voice and that look on his face...

...She suddenly whirled on him and got right up said face, narrowing eyes at his, suspicion clawing away inside of her. Why was he here? Had he gone to them, told them where they could find her? She stared at him for a good long time, hands resting on either side of him on the wall, before she finally pushed herself back with a sound in the back of her throat that really could have meant anything, but was actually just an irritated snarl of frustration.

"I can't imagine why.." She muttered, more to herself then to him, "You're such a delight to be around." She cast a small smirk in his direction, her emotions seeming to cool, and swing with ease as they often did these days, especially when she was stressed about something. At the mention of Senga she took pause in her movements, her smirk sliding away. He had become like a little side project for her, and thinking about all of the bad habits and influences that Shik might present to the other executioner made her close her eyes and mutter a curse under her breath.

But when it came to who she was running from...."That is also none of your business, Shikoba, though again you never answered my question, what are you doing here? And no, I do not need your help, I'm perfectly capable of handling things mysel---"

Her words were abruptly cut off by a loud knock at the front door, which was outside of this room and across to the other side of a larger, and very much empty one that might have been a living area had she made any attempts to do anything with it yet. Really, this place had become more of a hideout then any kind of place for her to actually live. Her head snapped in that direction, eyes widening, before she spoke very slowly, and quietly, and backed up towards the corner of the room as far away from the door to her "bedroom" as possible.

"I. Am. Not. Here."

Clearly Shik was meant to relay this message to whoever had knocked.

One glance at that grin on Shik's face, combined with the knowledge of who would be knocking at her door, and the war chieftain already knew that she was completely and utterly screwed. Still, she could cling to some shred of hope that he would somehow manage to get rid of them, and with one last pleading look (and oh how she hated that she was putting all of her trust into this man of all people), she was gone out of sight, and huddling down on the floor, against a wall, with her arms wrapped around her knee's and her wings wrapped around that.

Some thought was given to abandoning him at this point, and escaping through yet another window, but she knew how futile that effort would be. The whole house was likely staked out at this point to ensure that she did not run again. They would do that, because even though she was the one with insanity, they were the ones that were completely ******** crazy.

Shik's question directed towards the new visitor was at first met with a pause of silence. And then a voice, feminine but steely and cold, a voice that should have been familiar to the executioner. "Mardea Sia." That voice proclaimed, in a manner that suggested that this was a woman who was used to talking down to nearly everyone.

She did not say more then that. It was unnecessary to do so. There was no need for Shaheen's mother to have to explain what she was doing at Shaheen's house.

Ah hell, it was that uncouth brute, Shikoba Len.

If Mardea was meant to be impressed or happy to see Shikoba, alive and well, it did not show on her stoic mask of a face. The woman was shorter then Shaheen by a few inches, and did not possess the same curves as her daughter, but that was where most of their differences, up until the insanity at least, stopped. The same bronzed skin tone, the same yellow blonde hair, the same hint of something dangerous in her gaze, and that gaze was turned away from the door and towards the window that Shikoba had opened.

She gave the man a nod, her own arms coming up to cross over her chest, and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly more as though she were considering something.

"She is not home? So, you just decided to that it would be fine for you to invite yourself in to my daughters home, despite her not being here?" She shook her head, and scoffed, and continued to keep her eyes on his. "Tell me, does she often allow filthy animals to enter her home without prior consent?"

Finally she broke her gaze away from his and turned herself back towards the door. "I suppose I will just have to wait here for her then." She mock sighed, then reached out towards the door handle, turned it, and began pushing the door inwards.

She chose not to answer the question about her husband. Though she more the caught the double meaning behind his word usage, she decided that there was no need to dignify them with a response.

Mardea allowed herself into the living area of the home, lips pursed as her gaze swept over the room, taking in the absolutely nothing that filled it. She might have thought that Shaheen had only just moved in, if she hadn't done some research before finally deciding it was time to end her daughters silly little game and seek her out to speak with her. Again she ignored Shikoba's little jibes towards her and her husband's previous fate, expecting nothing less from one of his kind.

She didn't really need to label what kind that was. She just didn't like him.

When he started speaking about working together, she finally looked back towards him, though his version of working together actually seemed to mean staying as far apart in this little project as they could, which normally she would be very much in agreement with.

Except that she wasn't an idiot, and Shikoba was playing her for one. Either that or he was hoping she knew or saw a lot less then she actually had.

"An hour and a half, you say?" Her lips quirked up in a smile that did not reach her eyes, or warm the cold intensity that lurked there.

"Well, I suppose if you wish to leave and continue your search, then that is your choice." She began moving across the room, towards the smaller rooms at the back, only one of which had an actual closed door. Again, she was just flat out ignoring most of what Shik was saying, and choosing to only respond to what she deemed necessary to respond to, which wasn't much.

-----


Shaheen could hear everything, and was trapped somewhere within the realm of horror, aggravation, and sheer panic. Shikoba was doing a terrible job, and had just offered to leave???

If she lived through this impromptu parental visit, she was going to have to remember to give him an extra hard slap across the back of the head.

It wasn't the wood carving to the back of the head that rankled on Mardea's nerves, but more the statement that went along with the small attack on her person. Was he trying to imply that she no longer held her station as Chieftain of the war clan? As one of the greatest cheiftains that ever lived, it was her that was feeling terribly insulted now.

But she was far more in control of her emotions then her insanity ridden daughter was. Her hand slipped off of the door handle, and she turned, with only the briefest flash of agitation in her eyes before it was gone. It would seem that Shikoba was in the mood for trouble, though in her experience that seemed to always be the case with this man.

"I thought you were leaving." She stated, sounding more bored then anything. She lifted a foot, flicking the carved wood piece with her toes and sending it skittering across the floor back towards him.

She then let a frown crease her forehead, as though she were considering something, "You said my daughter owed you a debt? Here, I will be generous. I will pay off whatever debt she owes, and you won't need to be bothering her anymore..." There was a word left unspoken on the end of that sentence, though it was very heavily implied by her tone of voice.

Ever.

In the other room, Shaheen held her breath. She had heard the muffled footsteps as they had crossed the floor towards her bedroom door. She herself was pressed up against the wall, near the window, so that if anybody should look inside, they would hopefully not be able to see her. But now something was stirring inside of her. A thought, that Shikoba would agree, and that he would abandon her, and now that her parents were back in the picture, wouldn't be bother to return. They would get what they wanted, as they always did.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the voices, spurred on by her rising doubts, began to intensify, adding fuel to an already blazing fire of insecurities.

Mardea just blinked slowly at the executioner. One had to give her credit. Despite the fact that she was absolutely seething inside, she did not cave under his goading. Her facial expression did not change, and she did not screech at him, though she very much wanted to. Not as much as she wanted to tear into him with her own dagger, however. Yes she knew she would enjoy that, carving away his flesh inch by slow inch....

Well, there wasn't really any time to do so anyways. Not with the sound of breaking glass coming from the other side of the door that she still stood in front of, or the hissed curse that followed in an all too familiar voice, or the very loud, resigned sigh before the door flew open of it's own accor--

Oh, why there was her daughter after all. Shikoba had been lying. What a shocker.

Shaheen stood in the doorway to her room, dead pan stare shooting directly towards Shik before anything, or anyone, else. Blood dripped on the bare and somewhat dusty floor from a closed fist that she held at her side. She was angry with him. Oh, was she angry. But below that anger lay a confusion that she didn't even know how to begin to deal with.

After a long pause with Mardea staring at Shaheen with a raised eyebrow, and Shaheen staring at Shik, ,and Shik doing...whatever the hell Shik did, Mardea cleared her throat, demanding at least some attention from her daughter.

Shaheen turned, slowly, taking in deep breath and exhaling. Calm, calm, calm. She had to remember to just stay calm.

But nothing changed the fact that this was her mother, a woman she hated, but one that had given her life, and had raised her, sheltered her, and had pushed her to become what and who she was today. Or, at least, what she used to be...because today she was nothing like the Shaheen she was back then. The insanity made sure of that.

"Mother." She said, and her voice, miracle of miracles, actually did sound rather calm. "I'm---"

Mardea raised a hand in the air, cutting her daughter off. Her cold gaze hadn't warmed in the slightest, and it bore into a new subject now.

"You're what? Happy to see me?" Mardea's eyebrows raised. "Don't lie to me, Shaheen. I will not take such insult to my intelligence from you." Her voice was absolutely venomous, and she gave a short, jerking nod towards the doorway.

"Go and get your possessions, if you have any. You are to move out of this absolute disgrace of a hovel immediately and join me and your father in accommodations that are much more suitable to your station."

Oh was Shik still there? Mardea seemed to have either forgotten his existence, or remembered that he was too worthless to concern herself with. A lesson that Shaheen apparently needed a hard reminder in, if what Shikoba had to say held any truth to it at all.

Mardea had heard rumors, however. Rumors that she had hoped desperately were not true. What she was witnessing here dashed those hopes to ribbons. But she looked her daughter now, and thought that perhaps what she saw might be salvageable, at least. Not a complete failure just yet. There was still a chance, albeit a small one, to fix whatever damage had been done.

Shaheen stared back, the disbelief in her eyes impossible to mask. Her anger moments before had fled, and she felt herself taking a step backwards, away from her mother. "No." She said, another step back. "No, mother. No. This is...How can you presume to just..show up again and take over my life as you used to?" Another step, and she felt the edge of her wing brush up against something...or more presumably, someone. She took just a moment to glance behind her, to Shik, whom she had just nearly backed into completely.

Another deep breath. "That's not how things work. I am not..." She was having trouble thinking, the air in the hut too thick. She was feeling a little dizzy, and her hand groped out behind her, for an arm or a hand to grasp on to.

This was a nightmare. Just another nightmare brought on by the insanity. It had to be, because this certainly could not be happening right now.