[center][color=red][h1]Shade?[/h1][/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/nEZdEoD.png[/img]

[color=red]"It's all over."[/color]
[/center]

It can never be stressed enough that Silhouette, by her very nature, is a selfish and uncaring individual. She was the kind of person who never really even flinched the first time she took a life. She always had an objective-based mindset that made her a rather efficient killing-machine. It is also why she never had any actual friends. The closest she ever came before becoming a 'she' was "preferred employers", but that simply wasn't the same. The only exception to this was currently Vermillion Veronica, but that was a relationship far too complicated to dub "Friendship". It was, however, much closer to that strange, foreign concept, than anything else had been. But perhaps it was more? 

Not even Silhouette knew. 

What she did know, however, was that she was not one to do things that could be labeled "selfless" without some ulterior motive. If she saved a life, it was only because she desired to use it to some end. If she gave somebody something, it was solely because she'd benefit in some way. Her protection of Mariette was also one such case. Because she was with this ship of infighting waiting to happen, she'd benefit most backing up another member. She was not used to using her fists as her main way of fighting. Sil owned experience in some martial arts, sure, but they were typically complementary to her knife, not a primary means of eliminating her foes. Lending Mariette her support during conflicts allowed her to "take it easy" in a way. 

Or, well, it was supposed to. 

Sil understood that something about the blood on her was off, her eyes told her as much. That the blood was a weapon in and of itself was quite obvious to Silhouette, so she continued fighting while keeping it in mind, waiting until the moment Caroline would attempt to use the blood against her. The really unfortunate part about all of this was that Silhouette's selfishness was the entire reason she suffered a swift, decisive loss. Believing that the blood would be used to attack her in some way (her guess would be that it'd form a bladed weapon to attack her arm or throat with), she was left rather perplexed when she suddenly felt a tug upon her arm and a subsequent crash -- into one of her own allies! This clever use of the blood had surprised Sil long enough to prevent her from placing the blood itself into Stasis, and immediately she found herself restrained and unable to continue the fight. 

Had she originally simply removed the threat of the blood, then perhaps all this may have been avoided. But Caroline seemed, at least in this short interaction, quite prone to temper tantrums. Sil's very presence as a support to Mariette had caused her to get upset, so she figured if a supposed 'sneak attack' the girl SHOULD have attempted was to be thwarted in a cocky manner, that perhaps that might fuel her ire. And an enraged foe was often easier to predict and outmaneuver than a calm one. But regardless of her justification, in the end it was her own fault she wound up defeated. She took her enemy too lightly and paid for it. It was up to Mariette and the other girl to see this fight through. 

...

...

...

The ensuing fight did... not actually last that long. It seemed Caroline's bane had eventually been figured out and used against her. "Love" was apparently it. Quite a pathetic bane for a rather vicious foe, but in this magical world, nothing was as it seemed. Sil was released from her bloodied prison and immediately stood up, gazing rather longingly at the sight of the incapacitated Caroline. It would seem this is where she was to be discarded as a sacrifice to someone's deity. What a gruesome end. And... what an... anticlimactic one, too. 

[i][color=red]But she's so very strong![/color][/i]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrYcNFj9CL0&ab_channel=yialee8]A voice in her head stated.[/url] It was her own, but Sil did not feel as though she owned it. No, she knew what this was. The damned black coin's wicked perversion. It didn't matter if Caroline was strong or how the battle went, so long as Sil was alive and she could continue her mission, that was all that mattered. This voice. This no-good, horrible voice in the back of her head, calling for action in a situation that does not necessitate it was contradictory to her very nature! 

[i][color=red]It would be a shame to allow her to end so... quickly. Not without a proper taste! Such a foe should be savored, not thrown away![/color] [/i]

Shade's hand fell to her side and she squeezed it into a fist, so much that it began to hurt. This was serious. Sil knew that if she allowed herself to summon ChronoRend, then this dark, violent side of hers would thrust her into a fight she need not be in. That was unacceptable! Her cover would be blown and she'd not have a way back home! 

[i][color=red]Veronica did mention an alternative means of leaving this place...[/color][/i]

While that was true, there was no way Sil would allow herself to willingly be thrust in such a position. At the moment, taking that way out was admitting defeat and failing the objective. Even if she had a potential ride home, the true Sil did not want to take it. Not unless she had to. She could not allow this corruptions influence on her being to increase more than it had. Falling for its excuses to go berserk... it could only harm her. So what if Caroline died? She was admittedly powerful, but also an obstacle. Sil was smart enough to know that allowing such an enemy to escape would only bite her in the ass later.  

[i][color=red]I can stop this! I deserve a rematch, I deserve the kill, not her![/color][/i] 

It likely wasn't too long before Caroline would be dealt wtih. But it didn't matter. She didn't care. It was better for Sil this way. Caroline's death was one less obstacle for the group to have to deal with. There was no benefit in protecting her. And even if there was, Mariette was in the way. She certainly wouldn't be happy with that, neither would the rest of the ship, she'd imagine. 

[i][color=red]But Mariette is overconfident. She thinks her portals can see everything. But she's much too slow. She has no way to respond if I utilize my true power. In a moment, I could strike her down. I T  W O U L D  B E  S O   E A S Y[/color][/i]

So overconfident this nagging voice was. But... well, wasn't it onto something? Shade wasn't at a distance from Mariette that prevented her from getting the first strike in utilizing her Time Manipulation. She had the advantage. Going off of what she had pondered earlier, this was her ideal scenario for this fight. In that case...mothing could stop her. She was certain of this. Mariette may have been keeping an eye out for potential backstabs, but this did not matter. Her inability to understand what Sil was capable of prevented her from formulating countermeasures, making her nothing more than a rabbit in the face of a lion -- there was simply no chance for her. She was prey. 

[i][color=red]Yes... she is nothing more... than easy prey...[/color]  [/i]

Shade turned and took a step towards Mariette. She was silent as can be, even though Sil knew against this particular woman, that it didn't matter because she had exception awareness courtesy of her portals. For Sil, those were easy to keep track of. Mariette would find that Shade's right hand was not in clear view of any of her portals, Shade was walking towards her and keeping it in such a way that none had a direct line of sight on it. 

Another step. And another. They were rather slow, deliberate steps. Like a predator stalking its prey. There wasn't very much distance at all between them, what with Shade acting as a shield for Mariette earlier. Any distance they had gained during the fight had soon disappeared.  

And eventually, she reached the point where, if Mariette was going to strike first in anticipation of betrayal, it'd be now or never, and... then Shade's right hand came out into the open, with nothing in it. She wasn't armed with anything, it was no different than it had been. She stopped and gawked at the sight of Caroline's imminent fate for a few seconds, then sniffed and looked down at herself. 

[color=red]"Eww~!"[/color] she groaned. [color=red]"My poor outfit is covered! How gross! Why can't this world cater less to metalheads and more to cute, stylish idols like myself? Haaa. I'm not a part of BabyMetal, I don't like this one bit!"[/color] she complained rather comically. She took a moment to settle herself down and then sighed. [color=red]"We may have won that fight, but at what cost? Too much effort and now I'm dirty and I don't feel as cute. Blegh."[/color]