Rags kept her grip as her opponent moved, for as long as she held him, they were bound close and neither had offensive use of a hand, and this removed Aighrit's advantages far more than it damaged hers. This was her reasoning. Her foe was slippery and skilled at wrapping her up, but anchored to her, it was his unarmed hand versus her armed. No matter what he did, she would let go only as a last resort. The moment she noticed her sword strike would miss, she pulled it back, and kept it as a guard as she observed his movement, too unsure of what he was doing to risk making a rash move and walking into a trap.

When she noticed that his complex manoeuvre was culminating in a headbutt, she grinned and brought his head to meet his. They both collided in midair, and the double headbutt hurt them both. It hurt Rags more than Aighrit due to the added momentum of her arm being pulled but Rags had a very hard head, covered by rough, sandy skin and rougher, sandier hair. Aighrit did not emerge unscathed. For a moment it looked like Rags, having let go and staggered back, was going to fall, but instead she crouched, lowering her centre of gravity, though she was still looking a little wobbly after that headbutt. She needed time, even a few seconds more, to get her head clear, so she stayed on the defensive and began circling Aighrit with her sword up in a defensive position.