9CR: Before and Beside

[MReav]

Shira easily side-stepped the flailing strike, spun around, grabbed William by the back of his shirt, lifted him up over her head, and slammed him into the ground on his back.

With him now sprawled on the floor, she quietly walked over to where Inari ended up after he was knocked from William's hands, picked him up, and asked him, "Are you okay?"

Inari nodded, to which Shira reacted by shaking him to make it look like she was the cause of the motion.

Holding him gently and petting him almost like one would a pet, Shira walked back over to William's dazed body and knelt down next to him.

"Thank you for finding Inari for me. He was always a great comfort growing up back in St. John's, where if I didn't want to be a victim for muggers, or gang-bangers, or drug dealers, or just plain violent and crazy people, I had to learn how to fight. So you can understand why I wasn't that concerned with you and your idiot goon squad's pathetic attempts to attack me." Shira's voice retained that quiet serenity it always had, though she did touch the part of her head where William's friend struck her, "And after the fire that destroyed my old home, killed several of my neighbours, and nearly burned my parents to death, I've been such an emotional wreck. I can still hear their screams and see their faces, you know. He's been such a comfort in these trying times. I don't know what I would do without him..."

Her hand then shot out and grabbed him by the shirt, and she yanked him to less than an inch away from her face.

And without changing her inflection or expression, she added, "... Pray that you never find out."

She then slammed him into the ground, got up, and after considering for a moment, slightly slumped like she wasn't going to get what she wanted, readjusted where her feet were, then gave one more kick into his side for good measure.

She then walked over to Anne, with Inari in tow.

"Can you please take a look at this?" she asked, rubbing the bruise at the back of her head.

She didn't notice Marie-Helene staring at Inari.

Spoiler: OOC

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Now that's more like it! 4 Successes on the attack, and 5 Successes from Intimidation.

I'm also seeing about regaining my spent Willpower by way of Arrogance.