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As soon as she started to falter, Thraen forced himself to his feet. He couldn't straighten properly, and breathing was hard, but he was well acquainted with the time limit of his scout magic.

It was enough time, though.

He took the step to be over her and used his boot to push the lieutenant on her back. It was an easier position to kill from. Her spinal column wouldn't get in the way of the crushing blow.

Thraen set his boot against her neck, readying muscles. "Life for a life."

There wasn't enough time between feeling the strong Order Aura appear, as he started applying pressure to crush the delicate throat, and all his weight suddenly coming out from under him via his boot- that leg whipped back with her pull, and he was pulled the length of his body as gravity pulled him crashing down as well. The net result was being ear deep in cush.
His nose and face still hurt from impacting into something, but not nearly so much as they should if that something was macadam. Ohhhh noooo.

This was the opposite of dignity.

Don't think about it. Some people pay for this sort treatment to end up with a bruised nose and black eyes.


He got his hands down, also...onto pleasant, givable lady bits and quickly pushed himself away into a roll through the fading flowers. He needed to be further away from the Lieutenant than face-molesting her when she came to. There just wasn't enough time for this foolishness in the duration of his magic. I don't know who just interfered, but they're going to get me killed.

(I apologize for the delay!)

Though things had been less-than-predictable with the other senshi's landing, she managed to hold back any amused sounds. The senshi had distanced himself from the Lieutenant, but he still had a rainbow about his leg, and Iris had no intention of dismissing the attack yet.

The Lieutenant seemed to stir a bit, and rather promptly, Iris gave her warning.

"...get yer a** outta 'ere before I hand it t'ya!"

The lieutenant's face twisted in a sneer as she took in the worlds of the powerful senshi, reluctant to risk engaging her. She could feel her power signature shining in her senses and her instinct for self preservation told her it was better to run than to engage. But...

The starseed she'd thrown down still floated innocently by the body she had pulled it front, glimmering with potential. That's what this was all about... that, and the dead man. For a long while, she considered going for it. It would take a couple of steps to reach it, not bad all in all, but that would give her precious seconds where she was vulnerable to attack. Even if the senshi couldn't use the starseed and she'd made sure it couldn't go back to its home, she doubted they would let her have her prize.

Ah well. Her decision was made. It wasn't worth the risk when she could just hunt down someone else later. She would have to mark this off as a loss and make a swift retreat, even if it burned her up inside to do it.

"Until next time, my Prince." She barked, blowing him a mocking kiss. Red eyes studied the eternal for a moment before Cinnabar turned and took off running as fast as she could, wanting to put space between herself and the pair before she powered down to hide herself in the crowds of normal civilians.

Next time, she promised herself. Next time, it would be his starseed she ripped out and his skull she crushed. The lieutenant looked forward to it.

Used your magic against me, completely ignore me, and let a murderer go...and tell me we should just leave ....addressing noen of it? Thraen stood carefully, supporting his ribs as much as he could manage. Everything hurt. "She's going to Do. Exactly. That. Night after night and you just let her go. You not only let her, you helped her. You used your magic on a fellow senshi. You're accessory to murder. "

"How long have you even been here." It almost wasn't a question- he didn't really want to know how long she'd been standing there watching him getting broken until getting in the way as strategy helped win out not dying. "Why? What were you thinking?"

Do you even? Do any of you?

If the language wasn't enough of a cue, the stance sure said everything. Getting up there with as much damage as he had sustained already was a literal pain, but he went through with the motions.

He waited a moment after landing, steadying his breathing.
" You throw back vulgarities that proclaim loud an clear your disregard. It's only 'bitching'. What is there to say after that? "

"Do you have a name?"

There was a pause before he replied- weighing her stance and attitude. One. Try. It is failure already if no try is made to talk to someone, even if they're so plainly stonewalling. And when it gets nowhere, we can leave it at that.

"Thraen."

"I'm well familiar with arguments about capital punishment and using lethal force in military objectives. Shall we call up similar instances to pull apart the finer points of your splitting hairs? Do you call soldiers returning from Afghanistan murderers too? Is the death penalty murder? "

"And whether you like it or not, the definition of accessory to murder in the United States includes providing means to evade, and using force or deception to prevent justice. Which you did both of, regardless of my intentions, rather than at least hindering her for the police. "

"Now, since we both know, in our coming up here rather than talking to the police, that the workings of the official law are compromised by infiltration, misinformation, and incapability to even face the threat posed them....that make Us the stand in defense against the Negaverse...so save arguments about who gave me or you jurisdiction. "

"We are the defense against this breed of weapon on the streets. And now just doomed an uncountable number of nights, weeks, months of murders, theft and other worse felony to come to pass. "

Her reaction couldn't have said more plainly that she did not intend from the first to explain or justify herself, or reveal any actual reasoning. The words, the tone and meaning, that came out of her mouth just confirmed it. This is the 'leadership' we must be subjected to, that return honest debate with treatment like a truant child. Waggling fingers and rolling eyes. Inspiring.

"If asking you to explain yourself is pretending I know you..." He shook his head. "Nevermind. You give excuses, deliberately obfuscating, not reasons. "

"Don't get in my way again, Iris. " He said it without tone of threat. He had no use for threats, which were as immaterial as what she was offering him. He turned on his heel, going to the other side of the building and hopping off without issue. He needed to ice his shoulder.