Etoile's shoulder slammed into the door and it smashed open, letting her careen back down into the cabin of the barge. Luckily, the windows were holding; after a few birds—which now lay dead on the floor, in a variety of fashions—the passengers had been smart enough to shut them, and now the ravening flock whirled around, desperately seeking some entrance to the feast of blood and viscera inside. Before she could fully shut the door, a single large owl dove for her, its talon cutting a burning line across her forehead. Snarling, she lashed her sabre out at it, cutting it in two before kicking the door closed. Turning, she grimaced for a moment at the sudden silence and the watching crowd. There were surely inquisitors here, but there was no time. She wiped her sword off on a nearby swath of fabric before sheathing it and stepping forward with a crisp [i]snap.[/i] "[color=cyan]Stay down, stay safe, stay quiet. Make sure those windows don't open[/color]."

She'd realized that, unfortunately, there was no way to get all the passengers out. She didn't wish to dwell on what had happened to the bargeworkers that were out when the birds had arrived. There was no choice for these poor sods but to stay until the antimagic field dissipated. 

She turned around to head back outside, making damn sure to close the door behind her as hard as she could and drawing her sabre again. Only then did she notice the young child that was approaching her. She looked at him, more confused than anything else. "[color=cyan]What are you doing here? Get down into the barge, it's not safe for someone like you[/color]."

Another flick of the blade, another flash of silver metal, and another corpse splattered to the deck. She winced; while the cut on her forehead wasn't severe in the slightest, it stung fiercely. More concerning, though, the blood was dripping into her eyes. She wiped it off with a hand, settling low and preparing for hard combat. Something caught her eye, and she shouted to Zestasia over the sound of the swarm, "[color=cyan]Hey, kid, watch your flank[/color]!"