You pick the wrong people to mess with

Thalindra didn't look back as she advanced on the masked figure, her movements fluid and purposeful. I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and frustration.

Awe because, well, she was Thalindra, powerful and commanding in ways I could never be. Frustration because she had this maddening habit of kissing me into oblivion and then acting like it was just another Tuesday.

I stayed close as instructed, my heart pounding from more than just the looming threat of combat. My mind was still stuck on her words—"We'll finish this later."

The way she said it, with that infuriating smirk, made it impossible to focus entirely on the masked lunatic threatening our lives. 

The figure moved toward us, a knife glinting in their hand. Thalindra didn't even flinch. Instead, she raised her hand, dark flames licking at her fingertips like they were eager to be unleashed. 

"You picked the wrong people to mess with," she said, her tone ice-cold.