The sudden flash of Whisper's appearance within the arena was followed by her promptly dropping into a guarded crouch and swiftly scanned her surroundings. The young psychic had changed greatly since her former match, though outwardly she appeared much the same. Her lightly fitted clothes were certainly as impractical as ever, offering little in the way of physical defense against attacks. Though, at least the boots were canvas in material, soft and flexible for movement and the knee length skirt was slit up either side to keep it from being constrictive. Her top however was simply laced around her neck and midsection, leaving her back and midriff bared. All in all, the only skin that seemed to be pointedly concealed was that of her arms which were covered by full length cloth gloves that extended all the way to her shoulders, held in place by thin metallic armbands.

No, what had changed was internal. Gone was the mischief and the curiosity in her eyes, having been replaced instead by a hard calculated coldness. Whatever Claire had done to her back in the lobby had long since faded, but the young woman's demeanor had yet to revert to her more lighthearted nature.

It took Whisper but a fraction of a moment to orient herself to her surroundings before she was off at a run and making a beeline for the stone walls. The smooth metallic surface that she skimmed across allowed for fluid and silent movement beneath her canvas boots and she left not a sound of her passing while she crossed the ground.

As she moved though, she could feel that something wasn't quite right with this place. Her internal capabilities were greatly suppressed which left her quite vulnerable. Fortunately, even without her telekinesis or enhanced psychic perception working at full strength, the five foot wall would provide little hindrance to the lithe and athletic woman. With a show of physical prowess, it took but a single bound to land atop the stone structure in a poised crouch while she visually scanned the area for her opponent.

Perched there motionless, Whisper herself didn't look like much with her frail build and pale white skin. Even the white locks of hair and light blue of her eyes left her looking more akin to an ethereal wraith than anything else. The only thing about the petite woman that really marked her as a potential threat was the coiled chain entwined around her right arm.

Poised and tense, Whisper didn't so much as bat an eye when Claire materialized behind the far wall. After all, with her psychic abilities dampened by the arena, Whisper was relying far more heavily on her visual perception at the moment. Though that's not to say that Whisper wasn't aware of the fact that the wall before her was the only object in the arena capable of concealing someone, or that it was the most likely direction for an attack to come. No, that realization sat heavy on her, and so she patiently waited as Claire went about her inspections and preparations. Seconds, minutes, hours, it would have made no difference to Whisper how long she sat there. Her opponent would come and Whisper would be ready, unhindered by such concepts as weariness, distractions or boredom. Such was the single minded state that she found herself in at the moment.

It wouldn't be until Claire made her move that Whisper would finally react. At the first detection of movement, the young psychic utilized her speed and agility, not to evade the dagger, but rather, simply to relocate before Claire could turn her stationary state against her. Athleticism and sheer speed were Whisper's strongest assets within her current state of mind and she displayed that fully as her preemptive reactions had her airborne in a forward hand-spring before Claire's dagger even hit its target.

Simultaneous to the sound of the assassins' dagger striking stone, Whisper's palms caught the lip of the second wall about four and a half feet to Claire's left before carrying herself up and over it. As she began her descent towards the ground on the far side, her left hand raised outwards towards the assassin's feet and released a focused blast of telekinetic force to keep the woman occupied. The blast lacked force enough to do any serious structural damage to the wall, though it was still enough to fracture rock or bone should it connect.

Landing with all the fluidity and grace of a dancer, her momentum would drop her into a crouch with her weight primarily resting on the balls of her left foot while her right hand pressed against the ground for added support.

The shift in arena sides left Whisper with an abruptly renewed psionic clarity and she wouldn't so much as even shift her gaze towards Claire. Instead she kept her head bowed and her eyes on the ground in front of her, every muscle in her body poised and tense to shoot off in another direction whether or not Claire followed up with a second attack or not. Remaining stationary would only give her opponent the opportunity to pin her down.

While it would at first appear that Whisper was en route to a direct collision with Claire's roundhouse kick, the flighty psychic woman was a bit more than she seemed. Having crossed the threshold between arena halves, Whisper's abilities had flared back to full strength, leaving her with a heightened sense of awareness and the ability to detect physical disturbances in her vicinity. It also left all of her racial talents at her disposal once more.

And so, as Claire's kick neared its target, Whisper's form (and her equipment) simply dematerialized away into little more than a vague wispy apparition that would waver and part to allow Claire's foot to pass harmlessly by. Landing crouched on the ground the tendrils of her ethereal state drew back together enough to vaguely resemble that of a humanoid form with its left arm outstretched towards Claire's feet.

Not wishing to remain stationary any longer than was absolutely necessary, Whisper lunged forward and to her right a single place. Her aim was to put a tad more distance between herself and Claire, who from the sound of it, just had a rather unfortunate collision with the stone wall.

Loosening it as she moved, the chain entwined around Whisper's right arm slipped free to hang at her side while she pivoted to face her opponent once more. Keeping about one foot of the chain links hanging loose, she spun the remaining six feet around in a single wide rotation to gain momentum before releasing it towards her prone opponent in a vicious arc. Opting for speed over power, the blow lacked the full force it could have had, but it still contained enough weight behind it to potentially be a painful and jarring blow.

However, given Claire's face-plant onto the wall and the five foot height of the stone structure, Whisper's options of what to strike were limited, and so the end of the chain was aimed to lash across the side of Claire's head and face. If Whisper was fortunate, her attack would be swift enough to conclude before Claire either regained her composure enough to move, or fell from where she had struck the wall. Of course, given Whisper's insubstantial state and the immaterial nature of her equipment at the moment, if the ethereal chain struck, it would simply pass through Claire's form. Though whether Claire would realize that, was another matter entirely. Perhaps it would keep the assassin on the move.

With Claire's arm raised to block Whisper's chain, the ethereal woman seized advantage of the chance to entangle her opponent and as smooth as running water, her wispy state grew substantial once more.

As her chain, now solid, found its mark, the first flicker of emotion touched Whisper's face since the start of the match. It was an intensity to her eyes that hinted at an inner fire that burned hot beneath the cold calculated exterior, and as that fire flared to life the chain around Claire's arm snapped taut. However, it wasn't by Whisper's hands that the chain moved, but rather, by the sudden grip of her telekinesis.

Not one to miss the opportunity to cripple her opponent, she held back little as she applied the full force of her telekinesis into inflicting extensive pressure to those few square inches of bone contained within the assassin's hand, wrist and forearm. The chain would spread the force out to some extent, but with several hundred pounds of pressure suddenly twisting closed, Whisper anticipated extensive damage to result.

Meanwhile, rather than try to out tug-of-war the assassin (an unlikely feat given Whisper's petite and lithe build), she instead leaped backwards, releasing her claim over the weapon while tugging her sash free. The backwards jump wasn't the most ideal move to keep her balance, but it offered her another four feet of distance between herself and Claire while keeping on the move. Twisting the crimson strip of cloth around either hand, she held it taut before her and the three crystals that fell loose from it were disregarded without so much as a glance downwards.

Though, as she moved backwards, the chain did not relent its assault. The loose end would have begun to snake its way around Claire, attempting to entangle her legs in addition to the arm. Following the urgings of Whisper's telekinesis, the weapon would almost seem to have a life of its own. However, with the brunt of her telekinetic prowess being applied to Claire's forearm, she lacked the force necessary to do anymore serious harm beyond entanglement.

As Claire released her throwing knives, the amount of warning provided was minimal, but she caught note of the throwing motion quite keenly. The ensuing results would unravel too rapidly for the eye to make sense of immediately, but rather than attempt a physical dodge under such circumstances, with a flick of telekinesis Whisper flung two of the fallen crystals into the air. The first knife was ricocheted high into the air overhead as a crystal struck it, but the second knife sustained only a glancing hit that spun it out of control. Fortunately, as the weapon sliced past, the only harm sustained were a few loose strands of severed hair.

Meanwhile, despite Claire bearing down on her, Whisper didn't move from her place. In fact, it was the first moment since the initiation of the fight that Whisper had stopped moving at all. The only change she made was a shift in her stance as she slid her right foot back and dropped into a guarded crouch.

However, just because she wasn't moving, didn't mean she wasn't acting. No, as she stood there poised and ready, she was letting her telekinesis flow around her to enhance her speed and agility through her ability to manipulate physical matter. Though, it would require a heavy level of concentration and the ability to keep her body limber enough to not inflict injuries upon herself by pushing it beyond its normal limitations.

While preparing her body for physical combat, Whisper took special note of Claire's right hand, for she hadn't forgotten the ease at which the assassin had thrown her concealed knives only moments prior. The thought that Claire was merely coddling her injury did cross Whisper’s mind, but was promptly disregarded. In combat, one didn't have the luxury of assumptions, and at such close range and with only one crystal still at her feet, a second deflection would be a hard feat to accomplish. With that in mind, Whisper was prepared for the worst and if Claire so much as made a move with her hands, Whisper was poised to react instantly. Her eyes however, betrayed none of her suspicions as they remained locked on Claire's own, chillingly indifferent to the outcome of the imminent engagement.

Having taken the time to focus her mind and body proved to be a valuable asset as Claire let loose a burst of speed. There were two pointed benefits of manipulating her own body via telekinesis. The first was a heightened level of durability from impacts as she could brace her body and absorb the shock rather than letting her own muscles, tendons and bones do it for her. The second was that she no longer required the time necessary to send impulses from her brain to her muscles telling them to act. A simple thought would have her body in motion as she began to slip into a trance like state.

With that in mind, even the quarter second she had to react to Claire would be sufficient to drop to one knee and brace herself. With her sash wound tightly around either hand and stretched taut before her, it would be a simple matter to catch Claire around the lower legs with it and still avoid physical contact.

Given the sheer speeds at which Claire and Whisper were moving, the quarter of a second reaction time would be suitably lowered to twenty-five milliseconds as the distance between the pair closed from ten feet to one foot in the time it took Whisper to drop to her knee. Twenty-five milliseconds to either redirect 30 mph of momentum or to draw a weapon.

Should Claire fail to do so, her legs would be caught up by the sash and Whisper would use the assassin's momentum to simply hoist her up and over. With her own body held within the grip of her telekinesis, Whisper was quite thoroughly braced to absorb the shock of Claire's momentum, though most of it would be redirected rather than blocked directly, and the added potency to her physical prowess would send Claire well clear to land several yards behind her.

A strong forward offensive was more Whisper's style in her current mindset, but she was adapting smoothly to the necessity to avoid physical contact with this particular opponent. Though, that's not to say that Whisper was entirely banking on the success of her maneuver and she was thoroughly ready to abandon her solid form if necessary. However, as long as she could maintain her current state of focus, her reaction time would be optimal, within the capacity of what she could do without the necessity of her human aspects. Though she did run the risk that any disruption from her trance like focus could be thoroughly disastrous to the very breakable nature of her frail body. Fortunately, such things as fear and pain would not register within this particular state of mind.

No matter the outcome of Whisper's attempted throw, the crystal on the ground would be caught by Claire's foot and sent skittering off into the distance. With all of her focus being applied into manipulating her own body, the young psychic lacked the mental capacity to safely apply her telekinesis to the crystal at the moment. And so, rather than compromise her current levels of reaction time and physical potency, the small object was disregarded for the time being.

Given the time available to respond, Whisper could indeed process the shift in Claire's approach. However, registering and having the capacity to make complex decisions were not one in the same. As such, Whisper was limited entirely to reflexive reactions. And so, much as one would instinctively brace for an imminent impact, Whisper too braced herself.

The result would be an abrupt inverse of the telekinetic hold over her body, to repel instead of hold. Forced outward, the telekinetic push would accomplish two things. One, it would slow, if not stop Claire's momentum in its entirety, and two, it would create a protective layer against physical contact. Much as she had blasted Claire's feet out from under her earlier, the psionic energy would fluctuate out to impact with Claire's extended foot first, and from there, any part of the assassin's body carried forward by momentum. For all intents and purposes, it would be akin to being struck by a rapidly moving wall, while you yourself were moving at a high velocity.

Unfortunately for Whisper, while her telekinesis generally allows her to manipulate objects apart from herself and remain well clear of any shifts in force and backlashes. In this situation, Whisper herself was the object, and the backlash would be quite unpleasant as she inverted the hold over her body. No longer braced to withstand such impacts, she would suffer the consequences, not from Claire's momentum, which would be suitably stopped by Whisper's outward push, but rather by her own actions as she was shoved backwards from the abrupt shift and expansion of telekinetic force.

Of course, the flinging itself would not cause her any serious harm beyond a sinking jerking sensation. No it would be the impact with the ground when she skidded to a stop several yards back from Claire that would be unpleasant. The one thing going in her favor was that Whisper had only to contend with the backlash of her own ability. Claire had to contend with the force of Whisper's blast, paired with her own forward velocity. Even with her reduced speed, the assassin would probably be fortunate to not break something should she collide with the wall.

Regardless of Claire's own outcome with Whisper's impromptu wall, the young psychic would still have to contend with having flung herself backwards at a high rate of speed. Utilizing her athletic prowess, her primary instinct was to try and absorb and spread out as much of the impact with the ground as she could. However, the release of her channeled energy left Whisper relying on her natural level of reflexes, without the assistance of her telekinesis. Even knowing how to take a fall safely wouldn't save her from the jarring impact or the abrasions inflicted along her rather exposed skin, very much akin to the ones Claire herself had suffered from moments earlier.

Having long since blocked off the pain receptors to her brain, the painful abrasions along her back and arms would prove little more than superficial wounds, but it would still take her a moment to re-orient herself from what she had just done, and so for the moment she didn't follow up on her deflection. Though, her expression had not altered in the slightest and still displayed the sheer levels of Whisper's detached state.

Despite the inability for her physical limitations to keep up with her psychic prowess, there was no flicker of fear or unease in her face, no widening of her eyes or a quickening of her pulse. Her current state of mind was the embodiment of Whisper's fervent resolve. The necessity to succeed at all costs, to not falter or be weighed down by doubts of failure. Kill or be killed.

Unfortunately for Whisper, physically dodging throwing knives at such close range wasn't a likely option, and lacking anymore crystals to intercept the projectiles with, she opted instead to shed her physical form. As the ethereal woman rolled forward and up onto one knee, her form dematerialized and allowed the knives to pass harmlessly through to strike the ground beneath her.

Should Claire discharge her remaining knife, the same would occur as Whisper's would be incapable of acting as a conductor for the electricity. Though, given the wispy ethereal state Whisper had returned to, whether or not Claire would go through with discharging the knife was another matter entirely.

Remaining crouched on the ground she braced herself with her left hand while she surveyed the situation. This whole matter was proving most taxing. Unarmed melee was her strongest point, but battling an opponent she couldn't physically touch was making this far more tedious than it should have been. And despite outwardly showing no sign of weariness or strain, inwardly Whisper still had her limitations. The capacity to ignore the bodies warnings hardly meant that such things didn't occur. This awareness was evident within Whisper's calculated mind as she began formulating a plan of action that would put her on the offensive.

As the situation stood currently, the strain on Whisper's physical body had been minimal at best, but relying primarily on her telekinesis would rapidly drain her already depleting psionic reserves. However, her opponent was already displaying signs of physical weariness. If she could get into melee range of Claire, allowing her telekinesis to be nullified would still leave her substantially less taxed than the assassin, at least physically.

The primary danger to that approach would be the sparking knife in Claire's hand. Had Claire discharged the electricity despite Whisper's shift to her ethereal state, than Whisper would simply lunge forward, aiming to intercept Claire directly while simultaneously reaching out with her telekinesis and flicking up one of Claire's discarded throwing knives from earlier in the match. The knife would, if unhindered, be flung high up into the air only to plummet back down towards Whisper's position. However, successful acquisition of the object would rely heavily on finding an opening to return to a substantial state in time to catch the moving projectile out of the air.

Though, had Claire not discharged her knife, then Whisper would not prepare to become substantial just yet, nor would she move or attempt to retrieve one of the throwing knives. Instead, she would begin to delve into the mechanics of the sparking knife contained within Claire's grasp, quickly discerning the technological nature of the item, rather than magical. Though to discern the intricate workings of the object would take more than what she could see from basic perception skills. It would involve a series of gentle telekinetic touches, akin to how she maps her surroundings. If unhindered, she would begin to draw up within her mind an intricate design of the object, inside and out.

Meanwhile, in an effort to keep her opponent distracted and perhaps demoralize her, Whisper spoke for the first time since the start of the match.

“You're body grows weary. How much more can it withstand?” Whisper inquired. “I will not tire, I will not falter. But you, your body is weak, restricted by the limitations of your human nature. It will betray you.”

It was a lie, but so smoothly spoken as to be flawless