It reacted quickly, but not quickly enough. The betrayal it had suffered had been anything but expected, as willing as the girl had been up until that moment. Now, without her being outright supportive, it was forced to fight for its hold in her soul, and the flock of birds had it on the immediate defensive, lunging back.

It weathered them, batting at the brittle white things and shattering them with its clawed hands before it started to lunge towards Winter, baring its fangs. The glowing light in its chest was visible even as it snarled like a hounded beast, moving with alarming speed and ferocity.

Neo, for her part, rested her hands in a steepled fashioned, a mockery of so many criminal masterminds. She looked like she was chuckling very silently, giving her best impression of Palpatine. If only she could say 'good, good, let your hate consume you' the image would be complete. But, well, she wasn't really very talkative even in her own mind was she?