Laura
*Upon making contact with the beast, Red would discover two things. First, that same chilling sensation would return, followed by prickling pain. Second, she would find its hide to be as tough as iron, and her kinetic pulses slightly less effective than they would be otherwise. Upon landing her punch, a small web of cracks sprung from the site of the impact, bleeding black smoke. Claws scraped uselessly against black iron as Red's kick found her mark with a resounding thud. In a second, the black beast was upside down in a fruit stall several feet away, bleeding smoke from its wounds and peppered in pungent green pulp. Bold looters dashed away from the surrounding stalls, trying to avoid the fight while still scavenging what they could from. 

Pulling itself out of the mess of a stall, the gaunt creature made an eerie guttural sound, its red eyes simmering. It paced back and forth, seemingly unsure of how to approach its potent but hazardous meal.*
Travis
*Red watches on as the beast forces itself to its feet and decides to play it safe. Of course that's the "Right" Thing to do, but where's the fun in that? Unamused, she swallows her bite and takes a bigger one, voice difficult to understand as she speaks around it.*

"Where's that fire I saw just a second ago? Don't tell me I beat it out in one punch."

*She takes another bite before she finishes chewing, stuffing her mouth past the point of reasonably talking, and with a loud **Crack**, she blasts forward again, at greater speeds than just a moment ago. It looks like she's going for a low attack, but with another explosive burst, she kicks off the ground at an angle just before any potential intercept attempts might catch her, and she launches again off a nearby wall to deliver a whirling kick aimed straight for the beast's head. Regardless of whether the strike actually connects, she lands several feet away, comfortably out of arm's reach and ready to move again in an instant.*
Laura
*Shaking away pieces of mushy fruit, the emaciated jackal watches Red tensely. Clearly she's demonstrated notable speed and firepower, and would be night impossible to catch in a straight out chase, given its current drained state. 

The moment Red lurches forward, the creature springs to the side and attempts to slash at Red, meeting only empty air as she changes direction suddenly. Whirling around, the black beast faces the incoming kick and **Leaps into it**, taking the brunt of it to the shoulder, aiming to stop the fiery brawler's momentum in her tracks and throw her off balance as the two collide in the air. The creature's shoulder fractures under the immense pressure, and its left arm drops limp as a web of cracks spark down it and inky fog guahes from the wound. With both fighters clashing together in the air, the creature grasps at Red's leg with its claw, digging into anywhere it can find to get a hold and ensure that its obsidian maw can clamp on unarmored flesh. Should it find purchase, Red finds herself assaulted by that same frigid sensation a dozen times over as her magic is rapidly siphoned away by an unyielding iron maw. The two crash into the ground as the beast's frenzied eyes burn brighter and glowing crimson veins shoot down its neck. Its claws and cracks in its skin pulsate in a sickly red color, and the flow of smoke pouring from its wounds slows as they begin to mend.*
Travis
*When the beast bites down, Red's flames erupt outward, incinerating what's left of her meal - including what remains inside her mouth - and setting the wrecked stand they've fallen on top of ablaze. She quickly gets it under control so as to avoid burning the entire place down, but the heat this close to her body is intense, and easily enough to make grappling for any stretch of time a dangerous prospect.*

*She thinks quickly. It's an awkward angle and an unfavorable situation, but it's not like she's out of options; after all, the beast has only grabbed on by one point, and it's made no effort at actually pinning her. With a roar and a sound resembling a thunderclap, she brings her gathered fist down upon its skull with force vastly exceeding what she put into her opening salvo mere moments prior, like she's finally taking it seriously.*

"Hey, hey! No biting!"

*Another heavy blow, and another, and another. She could tell that a solid hit is enough to crack bone on this thing, and with any luck, it'll either die after a few hits at most or have the presence of mind to let go. Should the latter happen, she quickly rolls away and onto her feet, holding her damaged leg. It's bleeding pretty bad, but that just means there's a time limit now, and she can handle the pain. Worst case scenario, she cauterizes it and takes the rest of the day off, but if she finishes this fight quickly, then some quick bandaging should be enough. She's feeling weaker in other ways, too, but she's quickly figuring out that brief contact as with quick blows is the way to go when dealing with this mutt. In other words, while this thing's mana draining might cause her a little trouble, she's certain that she'll win.*
Laura
*Bristling heat lapped against the jackal's inky skin, singeing its front side. Its eyes flared in intensity and strength as it further clamped down on Red's leg, exerting tremendous force. Any normal person's bones would have been crushed underneath its vice.

Red's attack crashed down, her fists meeting the creature's head like a blacksmith's hammer against his anvil. A second followed shortly thereafter, and a third, and the black beast was forced to relent as its head nearly caved in, giving up its delicious prize. Releasing its grip, it bounded back to reposition itself with surprising speed. Looking far less emaciated, the creature stood several inches taller than it did a moment ago. Black smoke still bled from multiple wounds, and one red eye flickered weakly from the endured rush of head trauma, but espite its wounds the beast's maw split into a leering grin, and its eyes watched Red hungrily as prowled back and forth, waiting for its meal to make her move.*