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What is this?

The sound of running feet echoed loudly through the street.

Why is this happening?

Two sets, the predator and the prey.

Why!

There was a scream, high and frightened and muted, grey tone fingers closed into the back of the fleeing girl's shirt. They dragged her down, sent her scrambling against the pavement, dark skin giving way against harsh concrete as she struggled. "Stop!" It was a desperate plea, one that went ignored as those familiar hands forced her around, closed around her throat.

Habibi watched in panicked horror as those delicate hands squeezed. Hands that belonged to her mirror image.

She was going to die here. Her shadow, clone.. Whatever it was that pinned her down was going to squeeze the life out of her, and no one would see. No one would know what happened to her. She'd just be dead.

What a waste..

With hands around her throat trying to squeeze the life from her body, Habibi didn't immediately register the voice, and certainly not where it was coming from. She did, however, notice the slight loosening of those shadow fingers. It wasn't much, but the girl did manage to draw a full breath, and with it came a renewed rush of panic driven strength. She pushed at the clone, putting a little distance between them, then folded her legs up so she could dig her heels into that her attacker's mid-drift to force her back and away.

It was enough to let Bibi scramble to her feet, and she backed away, towards the source of the voice, though she didn't see anyone lingering. "Who's there? What do you mean power?"

The cat was given a brief glance, but the young woman had little reason to believe the voice had come from her. Cat's didn't talk. Of course.. Looking into her own, softly muted eyes, she had to admit stranger things had happened recently.

Habibi didn't want to tear her gaze away from the murderous shade that was hell bent on ending her life, but it was kind of hard not to stare when a cat started talking, voice dripping in scorn, then did a rather impressive mid air flip. The girl blinked, edging dangerously close to being all out overwhelmed, then bent to pick up the pen without knowing what she was supposed to do with it.

"What is it?" She chanced, gave flicking back to the copy of herself that was now back on it's feet and advancing again. "And what am I supposed to do with a pen?"

She would have asked what a cat was going to be able to do to help, but considering she'd already talked, it was probably safe to assume she wasn't dealing with any normal cat.

Really?

Habibi gave the cat a rather deadpanned look as she swatted at her foot before glancing down to the pen in her hands and then, sighing over how ridiculous this must have looked, she held up up over her head and shouted. "Pavo Power Make Up!" For half a second she she felt incredibly silly, then something began to happen. Colors and lights, glowing scarves circling before wrapping around the girl at bust and hips, and finally around dainty feet. She was wide eyed when the magic faded, wide eyed and startled and completely overwhelmed.

But she always felt stronger somehow, faster, more. She wasn't just Habibi anymore, she was something else, and that something was better equipped to handle the shadow being that wanted her dead.

The shadow that was, as she watched, changing as well. Hair swirling, skirt lengthening, and bells chiming. Well, that certainly answered the cat's question on whether or not the thing would get stronger if she did as well. Apparently they were linked.

There wasn't any time to dwell though, the monochromatic hands were reaching out for her, and Pavo wrabbed at it's wrists to keep it as bay. "Now what?!" So far the cat had been a beacon of knowledge, surely she would know what to do now.

Pavo's shoulders rounded in exasperation to the disdainful recommendation by the cat, and offered said feline a hard, disbelieving stare as her shade closed in at last. Hit it. Of course. It was also obvious. Had she been any less polite the sarcasm would have flowed like oil through water, but she was, so she said nothing. Instead she drew her arms up, lashing out with a small, curved fist as her copy came at her once again.

Habibi wasn't a fighter, and it showed in the surprise that showed on exotic features as henna kissed knuckles connected with the grey washed mimic's cheek. But it wasn't exceptionally hard. Pavo lacked conviction, unsure what to do, unsure how to proceed. She was so far out of her depth that she was drifting skyward, lost in the vacuum, suffocating in inexperience.

The shade's head had rocked to the side, but as it straightened it drove a fist towards the unprotected expanse of Pavo's belly. The air rushed from the woman's lungs in a high pitched woosh, and she doubled over, staggering, before swinging wildly as she struggled to relearn how to breath.

To her astonishment she'd made contact, a blow to an arm that had been swinging in from the right. A lucky block that would save her from another strike.

Surely there was a better way to go about this. It couldn't just be impractical costumes and a slight physical boast.

The greenhorn rookie was backing away from the advancing copy, ducking and dodging relatively well thanks to the increased speed she'd been blessed. She couldn't just retreat forever though. Eventually she'd tire, and she wasn't at all sure the shade would. Another fist came towards her, and an arm jerked up to block, keeping that monochrome fist from her face and directing it down.

Laoise command had the senshi frowning, and had she not been fighting a shadow clone, and had she not just turned into a magical warrior with a pen the cat had made appear, she might have questioned the order. Instead she hoped back and away, putting as much distance between herself and the clone as she could before repeating the attack. "Bitter Hope!"

She could feel it. The magic. It rose up from her core and spread like heat along her arms and through the tips of her fingers. And that's what it reminded her of as two dark shapes appeared beside her. Like the wavering lines of heat you caught off concrete or sand. Which is exactly what it was. Mirages. Two identical copies of herself that moved as she moved. She stared, astonished, for a handful a seconds before realizing the copy was also staring, unsure which target to go after.

It was enough of a distraction, Pavo took the chance and charged forward, catching the copy around the stomach and knocking it clear off her feet. They landed hard on the pavement, but Pavo came up first, straddling the other shade, and she lashed out. Hitting that terribly familiar face over and over again until the damn thing stopped movie and finally faded into nothing.

It left the rookie on her knees in the middle of the street, wide eyed and shocked. A solid minute passed, then Pavo got back to her feet. She took a look at the cat, frowning thoughtfully before offering a dip of her head in a nod. "Thank you." She did appreciate Laoise stepping in to help her, but she needed a little time to consider everything that had happened and what it would mean for her. "I have to go." Away, anywhere. Home, probably.

Shaking her head, the newbie turned and headed down the street.