<font color='#000F22'>Mia 7th, 81378 (4) iC: <font size="1">Nighttime in the heart of Bhim. An assassin's favourite place to be. That was the prejudice of this area, at least what Diable had heard. It was indeed late at night, with heavy snow falling from the sky. The male's brawny and ample wings were extended at his sides as he glided above the Black Market, an area of Ramath-lehi he had never visited, oddly enough. Below, he saw many streets and shacks, all covered by a thick layer of fresh snow. Absolutely no one stirred on the roads below. How the hell could this place be deserted? He slowly circled the area a few times and finally landed. Standing in the snow, half his gangly legs were hidden in the snow. He almost struggled to a large roof on the side of a building and sat under there, on the frozen ground, waiting. His oversized flying appendages lay limp at his sides, like lumps of bone and skin. He wasn't completely sure what he was waiting for, though. He didn't want to talk to anyone, he wanted to be alone and rest for a while, until he'd start exploring.</font>
<font color='#000000'>Shiraz hissed softly to herself as she flew over the Black Market. Her small, creme-coloured wings had to work hard, for the night was windless and quiet, and the air currents that usually carried the femme where she wanted to go were absent. The fact that soft flakes of snow were accumulating on the feathers didn't help either. I give up. The spy clipped her wings and dipped low to the ground, her canine paws just touching the snow. Then, she pulled from the dive and spread her wings out to their full extent. She glided over the earth, but a foot away from her landing. One last flap, and she was in a perfect landing position. She was in her quad form, so her front paws came first. Her hinds followed a scant second afterwards, touching down expertly and delicately. It was late, and cold. Nobody was out. Shiraz had two missions at the moment. Her first was to find a certain 'dragon and find out what his motives were in a certain political situation, then kill him. Her second mission, the more important at the moment, was to find something hot and possibly alcoholic to drink. The femme twitched an ear moodily. Bhim was never a safe place, but the Market was often deadly. She held her mind ready to delve into Fronima to change to bipedal form on a second's notice and take the butterfly knives from where they were strapped on her legs. It was so quiet that night... and the snow created strange drifts and pockets in which anything could hide. It didn't scare her, of course. Little did. But it put her on alert, and then she decided to rethink getting a drink. She had to keep her mind clear that night. The female shivered. "Bloody vokcing cold," she muttered huskily, and ruffled her wine-coloured fur. It bristled out from her body so as to conserve warmth, but still didn't quite hide her curvaceous figure. Shiraz began to seriously consider switching to bipedal form. She could then dig her fur jacket from her backpack and warm up, as it didn't seem there were any bars or stores open. But the moment of transformation could render her helpless for a few seconds. With an angry sigh, she settled back on her haunches in the snow, contemplating. She did not see the male behind her.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">Diable had quietly watched the burgundy female land with skill and grace. He smiled, knowing he hadn't been seen in the shadows of his hideout beneath the old roof. She was a pretty one. He raised a paw and brushed it through his hair, pulling his silky strands of black hair out of his face and behind his ears. "Hey... You lost?" Diable called from his snow-free patch of ground. He had no idea what she was out for, just wanted to... see her from... up close. His wings rose to his sides, erect, almost touching the roof. He attempted to hide their humongous-ness by folding them up slightly.</font>
<font color='#000000'>The voice behind her sounded though the quiet air, reaching her ears in a split second. With a low growl, she whirled around. Her ears laid back against her head, and her black eyes narrowed. Behind her was a male, underneath a rather decrepit old roof whose walls had rotted away. It rested at the corner of a narrow road. The femme was glad she was in the open center of the market... who knew what lurked in the streets? Shiraz's hackles bristled and stood on end. Warily, she sat back on her haunches and quietly removed a butterfly knife from its holster on her leg. That done, she walked a few steps in the snow. It was getting deeper. "No... I'm not lost... Are you lost?" the female asked. Her voice was laden with suspicion. It seemed quite strange that the large male in front of her would be here so late, and not out of the cold. But then, someone might assume strange things about her. You never could tell... Shiraz walked carefully over, halving the distance between her and the huge-winged male. She rolled her shoulders. The butterfly knife was in her mouth now, but she was ready to shift to bipedal form if the need arose. She came closer, and the space between the two grew smaller. Her walking slowed, then stopped. She was about five yards away from the male. She dropped into a lower stance, ready to lunge or run, depending on the situation. She still held her mind ready, to delve into Fronima and shift. "Who are you?"</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">Diable's outlook on the classy femme immediately changed as soon as she pulled out her knife. He wasn't going to be slightly friendly (which was rare either way), but he rather sat up straight as he felt his fur bristle slightly, in an authoritative manner. He wasn't about to let some stupid femme make him feel threatened, despite her knife and potential fighting abilities. He, too, was very able to fight. So he remained seated, his raven eyes glaring at her without luster, like voids full of nothing. "Listen. You put that knife away now, maybe then we can have a sensible conversation." He only acted threatened so he'd have the upperhand in this.</font>
<font color='#000000'>The female frowned, distrust etched into her fair features, as she listened to the male's words. "How about you tell me what you want before I put down the knife?" She saw a strange gleam in this 'dragon's eyes, something that made her even more cautious than she'd normally be of a stranger in the Mia night. With a shake of her burgundy hair, she crept still closer to the large-winged being. A small snarl escaped from her throat, and her obsidian-black eyes narrowed. There was something about this that she didn't like, at all. She prepared to delve into Fronima at a second's notice. "I'll ask you again. Who are you?"</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">Arrogantly, Diable turned his head away from her and narrowed his eyes. "No deal," he said in a deep voice. He sneered slightly, not feeling threatened at all. Was he really supposed to be scared of some 'dragon who couldn't even fight herself, without the use of a weapon? Diable, too, was able to shapeshift into his anthropomorphic form at any time. Shapeshifting into different beings and creatures was something he was never good at, but becoming bipedal was one thing he'd mastered, besides flying, fighting and poisons. But he had absolutely no plans to transform at this point. "Why the hell should I tell you? All I did was ask if you were lost..." He said, in a very mocking tone. He rose to his four legs, and looked down at her, and allowed a quiet snarl to escape his throat as a threat to Shiraz.</font>
<font color='#000000'>The dark low glimmer of a growl that emitted from the large dark male in front of her was all Shiraz needed. In an instant, she had reared up on her hind legs and torn at Fronima, opening her mind completely to the immense force. The femme tapped into it, taking as much as she could. With this burst of power, she instantly shifted into her "anthro" form, in the blink of an eye. She doubted that the male before her could see the transition, just the finished product. She closed the gate she'd opened to Fronima tightly, mentally patting herself on the back at the successful shift. It had to have been one of her best. Now Shiraz was a rather short "humanoid" femme, still feline in every aspect from fur to ears to tail, except for the shape of her body, which was accented in hip and chest; a trim and able figure. Her creme coloured, feathered wings were folded at her back, giving her the appearance of a blood-drenched angel. The burgundy femme unfolded the butterfly knife and held it behind her thigh. "Well, no. I'm not lost. So that's settled, is it not?" she said. There was no hint of fear in her voice, but no arrogant and teasing audaciousness in it either. It was controlled, calm, and frosty enough to freeze someone's bones. "I'm Ria So'ala," she said smoothly. This was an alter-ego she'd never used before. The female never used the same one more than twice. Too traceable. It was too late to change her personality, though... she'd let Shiraz come out too much. Fine, then. Let him get a taste of the real Shiraz, she thought rebelliously. With a hint of arrogance in her voice, as if he was a youngling that had just foolishly challenged an elder and she was patronizing him, she said, "How are you called?"</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">Diable backed away slightly, unamused. He now looked slightly up at her taller form. If he were to morph, though, he'd still be towering above her either way. She didn't gain too much height in her transformation. He stepped away from his dark corner under the roof and into the snow, barely able to keep his wings from unfurling in the process. "Alright, Ria. What gave you an urge to get taller than me? Do I threaten you? Do you think I'm uncapable of tearing you apart just because you're a little taller than me all of a sudden?" Apparently, Diable was getting sicker of her with every second. He snarled now, louder than before, and remained in the snow, glaring at her. Something set him off, there was something about the femme he didn't trust at all. He stared at the glistening blade of the knife despite the fact it was now less of a threat to him because she was hiding it behind her.</font>
<font color='#000000'>Shiraz raised her eyebrows at this interesting turn of events. Before, this male had seemed mildly interested, and passive-aggressive. Now, he was taking a turn for the active-agressive. Her thin, catlike tail lashed, the only sign of her mounting anger. "Do you threaten me?" With a twitch of her mouth that hinted at amusement, she flicked her tail again. Did he really think he could frighten her so easily? The femme peeled her lips back in a fraction of a snarl, and her small pink tongue darted over long, glistening teeth. She shook her stiff, burgundy headfur so the snow flew off it. Shiraz laughed then, a soft, husky laugh, that flowed like dark melted chocolate over them, giving an impression of passion, bitterness, and aggresiveness all in one. "I seriously doubt that." Shiraz licked her lips. "My dear, I'll continue to assume you're all talk and no action unless you either prove otherwise or turn tail now." The 'dragon was warm now, hot in her burgundy pelt. Anger flowed through her, and contempt, and happiness too. She felt alive, and ready to explode into a fight at any second. She grasped the hilt of the knife a bit tighter, and brought it out a bit from behind her, so that the dull moonlight (when it wasn't shrouded by the clouds) brought out a dangerous glint in the keen blade. She didn't want him to come closer, really, but she wanted to play with him a bit. A fight wouldn't be so bad, she thought playfully. A bit of fun. "You never told me what your name was, or why you suddenly decided to slink out of the darkness in the first place. Care to enlighten me?"</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">Diable shook his head in irritation, beginning to believe that Ria was in fact the one who was being cocky. But he couldn't just plain out attack her right now, because he'd end up with a knife in his side. Ignoring once again her request to tell her his name, he said, "What's there to prove? You're just a coward because you think that weapon is keeping you safe. You're not worth my time or energy." With a mocking grin, he stared at Ria boredly. His blood was boiling. Diable felt his heart pounding in his chest in sheer anticipation for her next move. The monochrome male allowed his claws to retract and felt them jab through the icy ground below the snow.</font>
<font color='#000000'>Daaaaamn. "You think... that I am a coward?" She laughed again, but anger laced the sound. With a hiss she said, "I think you're the coward, stranger. So far you haven't even given me a name. Should I have honored you with mine?" Shiraz's eyes sparked in the moonlight. The warm obsidian chips raced with energy. She drew the knife from behind her-- and threw it off into the snow. It sunk. She cracked her knuckles and extended and retracted her claws. Rowr. She did not like this male. "So now we're equals. Are you happy now? Or do I have to prove that you don't want to mess with me, knife or no?" The burgundy pendragon sneered. She had more skill than this 'dragon knew. Shiraz smiled slowly at him, a decadent, dangerous smile that just showed her white teeth. She took a hand and extended one claw, and, bringing it up to her mouth, began to nibble on it. "You're a rather slimy rutsujp, aren't you...?" she said lightly, her dark, lush voice of before transitting into breathiness in a moment. "Imposing, certainly." She chuckled once more. An uneasy tingle grew between her shoulderblades. Her hackles raised. "But we shall see who's the true yellow-belly soon, I think." Shiraz walked still closer, 'till she was just out of arm's reach of the large male. In a husky, seductive whisper, she said, "Come and get me." With that, she raised her creamy, thick-feathered wings, and took off, her body beginning to morph back to quad form as she went.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">Diable snickered to himself as she spoke, a seemingly pleasant smile constantly etched on his lips. He was going to enjoy this. "Alright, prove to me you're not a coward!" As the femme took off and morphed, he felt joy rush over his entire body. This is going to be funfunfun... He told himself as he took off after her, his huge, thick-leather wings propelling him into the sky in no time. He aligned his body into a streamlined position and angled his avian appendages perpendicularly to his body. This gave the attenuated male extra speed. He caught up with Ria in no time at all and gracefully re-opened his wings to their maximum span and glided a dozen meters above her. Then, in a nosedive, Diable extended his long arms ahead of him. He planned on pushing her violently, perhaps getting her on the ground and breaking a few ribs. And in a matter of seconds, he was about to hit her...</font>
<font color='#FF0000'>Cellaj Umdal had been watching near by her ship had stopped near this market and she was watching this masquerade. Â She was an assasian herself and the charms on her wings showed her kills, her wings were covered with charms. She was an pirate also her tail had a string of gold coins upon it to prove it. "What interesting crew mates they might be..." she thought and continued to watch the fight. Â She loved fights for some reason. Â her wings jangled as the charms upon them knocked together.</font>
<font color='#000000'>The bitter air, laced with crisp new frost, whirled through Shiraz's fur and stung her eyes. Snowflakes pelted her body, and melted on its warmth. Adrenaline raced through every vein, and she laughed in charged delight as she zoomed. Her wings manoevered artfully, angling to the exact correct positions for the tiny windcurrents that slowly twisted in and out of her feathers. By this time, she was high off the ground and had finished changing. Terminating her connection with Fronima, she pulled her magically endowed wings around and pushed them away from her body, so she hovered there. The femme almost looked like a cat, held up by its mother by the neck; her body was vertically held, and her tail and hind legs were neatly tucked in. Still suspended momentarily, she looked about for her assailant. Diable was over her head, she soon saw. He was a fine flyer, just as fine as Shiraz herself, if not more so. The energy surge lessened a bit, leaving clearer thought in its wake. Is he good enough to overtake me if I need to run? Shiraz flapped her wings a few times to buoy herself up once more. This motion seemed to bolster her anger and excitement. I doubt he is. She turned to see what he was doing now. Oh, thes! The male was in a sharp nosedive, wings clipped neatly. Strong limbs extended before him. He means to act as a battering ram! Well. That showed something of his style. She smirked quickly; he wasn't precision trained. He just slammed and slapped. But Shiraz had no time to critique him further; the large male was nearly upon her. So 'Raz clipped her wings as well, and scorched down from the sky like a mad thing. She thought lightning-quickly: He was diving too quick to pull out. He expected impact, I didn't give it to him. That should screw him up. God, I hope he's still following. With that fleeting thought, she realized that the ground was incredibly close to her. The femme banked, throwing her wings in front of her and hurling them away from her body. She pushed them out to their full extent. She could feel the tendons straining, the bones creaking-- but managed to pull from her perilous dive. Once she was a few metres above the ground, she once more ascended rapidly, and finally hovered slowly, far above the ground once more. It was only then that she looked down, hoping the large male hadn't been so lucky.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">The femme did what he had expected, at the perfect time, in her favour. He pulled out just a fraction of a second too late and had to contort violently to save himself from a fatal collision with the ground. Diable managed to pull his arms to his sides, despite the tremendous pull of gravity, and had to twist his back a lot to angle himself away from a direct hit with the snowy ground. In a moment, he made a half-loop away back toward the sky with almost the same velocity as the dive itself, even though the speed wore off quickly. His supple body seemed unharmed by his aerial contortions. Then, the male stopped in midair, and began hovering on the spot, his head looking side to side for the femme. Though slightly dazed from the dive, as soon as he noticed her higher up again, he charged for her, pumping his herculean wings violently to get to her fast. He was indeed an assailant who didn't give too much thought to the attack he was to inflict - but just enough to know it may be able to kill in one snap/swipe/bite/etc... But one thing Diable had now learned, and was quite sure of, was that this Ria was very, very crafty, and not a terrible fighter as he had thought at first. So now, as he charged for her at his upward angle in a sort of upward, diagonal dive, he decided he would make sure not to hit her, but rather dive below her at the last second. And that's what he did. Completely unaware of what she had done to possibly avoid his attack, he slowed down, and turned to see her.</font>
<font color='#000000'>The femme looked down with satisfaction at the dark male's struggling attempt to avoid ground contact. vokc. He'd done it. He'd propelled himself back upward and ascended. Shiraz pumped her wings again, and flew a few feet forward, 'till she found a stronger current of air that held her up with little effort on her part. Then she looked down to him, and saw what he was about to do. It was, certainly, nothing she could have done, for his wings were of massive size. But still, it was sickeningly easy. Are you kidding me? Too easy! Diable, she saw, had begun to rapidly rise in the air, and speed towards her, an oblique arrow burning through the cold night. At first, she felt a bit worried as she saw the large male soar towards her soft belly. But then Shiraz rapidly judged his angle and smiled. He wasn't going to hit her. She felt almost positive he was headed slightly south of her form. Easy, Shi. Easy... She pumped her wings a bit to propel her slim, curvy body a bit upward. Then, she watched him come closer and closer. Finally, he loomed largely but a scant metre away. Shock waves of fear jolted the female, and she hoped she wasn't wrong... but then he dove under, as expected. In an instant, Shiraz's claws extended from their sheathes. The sharp, miniature daggers gleamed in the moonlight. With a hiss of glee, the femme thrust her legs down, whilst still keeping herself suspended in the air. Her razor-claws tore down... straight towards Diable's back.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><font size="1">Diable lifted his head and laughed at her attempt to scratch him, descending slightly. Yet his somewhat quiet snicker didn't seem amiable, it was rather tinged with mockery and malice. Now, he was getting completely repulsed with her stupid and constant escapes from his attacks. He looked up at her, and slowly ascended to her level with a few gentle beats of his wings and glared at her for a very brief moment. And that was it. The monochrome male could no longer take it. Controlled by his lust for the scent and the taste of blood, he lunged for her, his jaws parted and arms extended in front of him, claws retracted to their maximum, this time a collision with her was quite imminent.</font>
<font color='#000000'>There was, at this point, no time to react. There was, indeed, no time to even think. Diable was obviously not playing games. What had been a devilish skirmish before, had turned in a second to a violent attack. It was time for Shiraz to change plans. And that she did. Shi flung her wings forward, pushing her burgundy form backwards to better absorb the imminent blow. With a hiss, she steeled her body to meet his, claw for claw, tooth for tooth. She extended rip-tearing, glossy talons and interlaced her nimble digits with his. Her mouth opened out in an angry snarl, and locked onto his jaw. Tiny hair-thin scratches where his claws had nicked her hands began to form opaque beads of blood. His teeth smashed against her gums and brought angry vermilion bruises to their surfaces. But still the female held on, not even noticing the pain. She worked her creamy wings artfully, holding her body up. If he chose to do the same, they could hold their own weights and fight suspended in midair. But he was larger than her, and they were locked in a deathmatch at the moment. Her thoughts raced like hot silver rivers through her head, moving quickly and splitting off to other ideas. She growled in frustration. Trying to hold off Diable's fangs and claws and match them with her own taxed her more that she'd admit, even to herself. But Shi stayed in control, 'till she formulated a plan. With a self-satisfied laugh, she folded her wings to her body and tucked them in, so they were small feathery shapes of creme folded in to her sides, like an earth sparrow's wings. Then, she did nothing. Her 125 pound frame hung there, a deadweight supported only by the teeth and nails of the male above her. She held on, and prepared to fly up and grab him again should he drop her. But she was pretty hooked on as it were... She gnashed with her fangs 'till she found softness, and embedded them in it. She dug deep with her claws, hooking her tightly to Diable. Unconventional, she thought. She'd never fought this way, and it seemed outrageous as a strategy. Hang in the air by your enemy's mouth and paws? But then, I think it's going to work, 'Raz figured. She snickered. "How're you... holding up?" she shouted to her sparring mate.</font>
<center><font size="1">Pain shot up through Diable's legs as the femme's claws jabbed between his toes. He returned the pain the same way, digging his own talons into her paws. Then, as her jaws interlocked with Diable's, he realized what this femme was up to immediately. He closed his eyes and just as she began to literally hang underneath him, quite a few dozen feet from the ground, he flailed his wings with all the force his body could exerce, and humongous blasts of air came hitting the ground below, stirring the falling snow into swirls before they landed. He crushed his jaws together powerfully, and knew he felt her unable to hold on. It was then Diable also knew Ria was a crafty fighter, not one who'd just bite and run away. She, too, meant business. Thinking quickly, the male's mind summoned some of Fronima's forces and with a tiny zap and a few sparks, his hot yellow-orange tail flame, that signified his rageful bloodlust, was extinguished. This was done so he would have an easier time sneaking up on Ria through this dark, snowy night. With a few deep breaths, Diable licked his teeth and bleeding gums, the pain quickly numbed the the glacial night air. Now, more than before, Diable was ready for the femme to bring him into another trap. But he waited, hovering on the spot, his draconic wings waving at his sides slowly but with force to keep him in the air soundlessly. And he listened, his ears incessantly swivelling toward every angle. Now, it would be a fight guided solely by four senses; smell, touch, taste and hearing. Diable had extinguished the final light source and the stars' light was blocked out completely by the snow that came down to the ground in the thick blizzard. All Diable could do now, was wait... And it was then Diable realized he was downwind from the femme. He smelled her fresh blood as it seeped from her minor wounds, about ten feet in lower altitude from him. He glided toward her inaudibly and his scent was carried behind him rather than ahead of him. In a dive, not too sharp, Diable's nostrils flared as her scent was closer than ever. And there she was... He tried avoided her flapping wings and grabbing her around her waist, his claws stripping the flesh of her soft underbelly as his jaws blindly snapped for her neck.
