Rohaan could feel the blade. It was not an object, but a presence in his hand and he loathed to touch it. An average human might have immediately crumbled under that presence and given into being nearly as much of a lunatic as Thoburas, though Rohaan suspected the elf had a head start on that long before he ever found the blade. Personally, he found the enchanted steel often used against shifters more horrible and painful to bear or resist, but then again, he was a bit biased there. Still, he was itching to be rid of it. Yet Thoburas seemed to be waiting for his eventual collapse, and Rohaan saw no problem in playing along. Besides, if what he was planning was going to work, he needed to keep Thoburas' focus on him, and make him believe he still had the blade. 

Rohaan had been pacing, sort of like an animal debating whether to strike or to flee, and part of that was to put some distance between him and the crazed elf. He might have taken his weapon, but Rohaan knew there were different sorts of weapons a person could use, and people were generally very good at concealing them. He didn't trust him. But chiefly, his aim was to get close to Ash. He didn't go directly for her--too obvious--but he did eventually make his way to her, giving a not entirely feigned but definitely amplified glance to assess her condition and make sure she was okay. Banged up pretty good, but she'd live. He was deeply thankful that he did not have to hint to her, or explain his thoughts to her, and she picked up immediately on what he was trying to do. With a skill he found impressive for someone who didn't consider themself a career thief, Ash took the evil blade from him. 

Rohaan continued to move around the room, though his movements leaned decidedly more towards "flee" than "strike". His face was contorted in a controlled scowl, and his body appeared to quiver as if with some great effort. He shook his head. "No...I won't...I can't..." He grimaced, and whispered, "Make it stop..." in a faltering voice. Thoburas drew closer to him, closer, closer. Rohaan could see the wicked gleam in his eyes. [I]That's it. Come and get it, you bastard.[/I]

Thoburas reached out his hand, tensing as if something was supposed to happen. Except, nothing did. The spark seemed to go from Thoburas' eyes, and he realized he'd been duped. Rohaan brought both hands up, wiggling his empty fingers with a mocking laugh. As the doubt and fear settled onto Thoburas, Ash struck. The blade had no trouble piercing the dark elf's flesh, even though her own weapon had struggled to do much of anything. At least she'd been decisive with her blow, but it wasn't a fatal one. It was entirely likely that Thoburas could only be taken down with the dark blade, and anyway, if Rohaan tried anything too aggressive, there was always a chance he'd miss and hit Ash, or that Thoburas could try and maneuver her as a human shield. "Finish him!" He growled. Rohaan chose the form of a black jaguar, and aimed a bite at Thoburas' arm in an attempt to pin him down.