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Cinthia landed on the ground, wings scattering in wisps of shadow. She faced him with a small smile. "Last I checked, you're my enemy." Shadows hovered at Cinthia's side, then solidified into Demitri. He stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and generally didn't seem to be sorry.
He growled in response, choosing to stay on the ground rather than taking the effort to stand.
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Tessa's beast trotted around, showing off its bloody scales and "kill" count–which was displayed on a screen in front of the judges' window–flicking its tail in the air and digging up dirt with its thick claws.
Not many people were left in the arena. Most had been sent to the infirmary or their dorms, eliminated. Even a few of the Vanguard members had been caught off guard and eliminated.
He looked around and groaned, letting his head fall limp once again. "So it's now Vanguard against me, essentially?"
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The beast flicked its ears up and stalked on over to Runner, its head bent low to the ground. Cinthia casually stepped in its path. "Not necessarily. There are three rounds to the War Games. This was just round one."
"Then why go after me, huh? I was just up there minding my own business." He couldn't help but show his annoyance, for he was a complainer by nature.
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She chuckled and stuck out her scarred arm for him to take. "Every man for himself." Her blue and green eyes lit up with amusement. "I couldn't resist."
He took her hand and groaned, pulling himself up. "Thanks, I guess."
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"You're still alive, so there's that." She turned to the approaching beast, which was now circling the three of them. Demitri narrowed his eyes at it but made no move to attack.
"So that's what she's been hiding from me?" he asked
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The beast snarled, violence gleaming in its beady but intelligent eyes. It leaped forward, only to be held back by chains that Cinthia had summoned. It growled and gnashed its teeth, trying to snap at Cinthia.
"Yes. It's a corranna, a beast created inside of traumatized shapeshifters that are the result of pushing away the bad memories that created it in the first place."
He rubbed his nose. "Shouldn't I have one, then? Or do I have Tega instead."
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The beast snapped again. "You're not the kind of shapeshifter Tessa is. You may be able to change into a dragon, but that's not your main ability. It is for her."
He nodded. "Ah, gotcha."
((I just got broken up with, so responses may be slow))
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(What!? That sucks… I understand though)
Cinthia nodded and stepped towards the beast, stepping around its snapping maw and pressing a pressure point in between its shoulder blades with a dagger. Its eyes rolled back and it collapsed.
"Did that hurt her?" he asked, although he wasn't very worried.
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"No," Demitri answered for Cin. "This would make the third time Cin has had to do that."
"And why does she have to?" he asked.
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Cinthia crouched next to the beast and sketched some symbols in the air next to its heart, face impassive. But her eyes gave away her sadness at seeing Tessa's pain in the form of the beast once again.
"Because the corranna will get out of control if she doesn't," Demitri said while he watched Cinthia.
He rubbed his face, his frustration with the whole Games beginning to grow stronger.
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The beast burst into flames, then the fire died down to reveal a very disoriented Tessa. She blinked a few times, looking up at Cinthia before shame washed over her like a crushing wave. She groaned and flopped onto her back.
"AAAALIIIGHT! Now that all of the competitors are ready to go, let's start round two! Competitors, get into these pairs:" The announcer recited pairs of names, and some very angry faces took place on those whose names were called. Enemies were being paired.
Runner waited patiently for his name, scratching the back of his neck.
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"Theresa and Fassor. Cinthia and Moriko. Runner and Rhydar. Rae and Bast…" More names were rattled off.
Tessa shot up, her mouth hanging open in absolute shock. "No. Fucking. Way."
Cinthia shrugged and scanned the competition for what she was assuming a kitsune.
Rhydar popped up from out of nowhere and smirked at Runner. "This should be interesting."
He raised his eyebrows, feeling a rumble of anger deep in his chest.
"Yeah," was all he could manage to get out.
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A bone-rattling, anger-filled scream rang out from the crowd, then another one echoed it. Two red-heads marched up to each other with pissed off looks as they stared each other down. Their looks promised death.
Cinthia called out to the one red-head whose hair was sharply cut just above her shoulders. "Rae! Tone it down just a tad, will you?"
The other red-head snorted. "Yes. Listen to your master like the dog that you are."
Rae bore her teeth and looked eager to rip the other's head off with them. "At least I'm the guard dog, as opposed to the lapdog, Bast."
Someone was brave enough to get in between the rival phoenixes, pushing them back from each other to prevent any more bloodshed. The two didn't break their narrowed stares.
He turned to Rhydar. "At least we're civil about our dislike."
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Rhydar raised his pierced brow. "Trust me, bud. The feeling's not mutual. It's only you who dislikes me." But he nodded at the two red-heads. "But they've been at each other's throats since birth. Cousins. Rivals for the head of their clan."
"Alright, I'm civil." He turned back to the mortal enemies. "To be honest, I'm not sure why anymore."
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"'Cause I was friendly with your crush?" He looked more amused than anything.
He shrugged. "I guess. Just….don't take it personally. I'm still trying to piece my head back together, you know?"
