Senhime felt a small smile cross her face as the tag impacted, far more effectively than she had anticipated. Interesting - Sho knew wards to protect himself from onmyodo. From the looks of it, it had mostly dispersed. It was magic she knew to be rare, as spirits were unlikely to speak of spells they could use against her kind. She pushed forward - best to use this opportunity to catch him. It was risky, he might have other wards set up, or this could even be a feint, and Sho was totally fine. Still, it was better than wasting the potential opportunity, and any complications would just be dealt with.<br/><br/>Her senses told her something was off - rather, the senses of her shikigami were catching something. A flock of crows had taken off from a nearby tree, their black wings carrying them towards the rooftop. Senhime skidded to a stop and immediately hopped back. Her eyes shot to the sky where she sighted the birds, now circling around Sho. Controlling the whole flock could not have been an easy feat. Despite it being her mission to capture him, Senhime was more thankful for the opportunity to learn about these abilities she had only read about. They dived towards her, far far faster than their black wings would normally carry them, and Senhime began dodging, drawing a barrier tag as she hopped to the side, moving laterally to their trajectory. One made it through before she could block, cutting through her kimono at her knees. Inwardly, she cursed again, it was too difficult to move effectively in this, despite her best efforts in tailoring her dress to allow for swiftness. Her hand whipped up, and the<i>kekkai</i>flashed into existence, stopping a few crows outright. Still, it wasn't enough, and the barrier broke as a final few darted at her like black knives.<br/><br/>Senhime bounced back to avoid one, her left hand going to the sheath just below the blade guard, and her right gripping the handle. She hopped back again, using her backwards momentum to settle into a draw stance, and in a split second, calmed her nerves enough to see the final two crows. Time seemed to slow. Senhime was keenly aware of the voracious spirit she now lay hands on, of the slightly shifting feathers as the birds subtly adjusted their trajectory, and...a strange enchantment on the rear-most crow, swirling with a subtle energy that she couldn't quite place. Whatever spirit lay within the blade seemed to scream in her ears, a bestial roar that was inaudible to all save those trained in the spiritual arts. Still, there was no time to hesitate.<br/><br/>Her left thumb flicked up, slightly ejecting the blade, and her right hand drew. The blade let out a short metallic shriek as it came out of it's sheath, flashing like silver lightning as it split open the first crow. The blade didn't just feel balanced, it was practically guiding her hands so that it could kill. Her left hand followed it's arc, grabbing onto the base of the handle as she reversed the blade's momentum and slashed again the other way, in a fluid motion that seemed far too adept for a soft noble, even one as trained as Senhime. The last crow was cut in half, and immediately Senhime noticed something wrong. it didn't just bleed, it burned. It's blood sprayed forth onto her arms and onto the blade, burning through the fabric of the grip, and the silk of her kimono. Where ever the acidic blood spilled onto the blade, however, gouts of bluish flame simply burned the droplets away.<br/><br/>Senhime let out a gasp of pain as she felt the acid burn into the skin of her forearms. Had this been Sho's gambit? She fell to her knees, dropping the blade next to her, grimacing and cradling her arm. Luckily, it hadn't managed to eat through her muscles. The arms were still usable. But Sen was nothing if not tenacious - better to turn his advantage into her opportunity. She let out a guttural scream of pain, and curled up slightly, waiting to see his next move. There was still the poisoned needle in her hair, the knife in her robes, and the sword at her side that she was still capable of using, despite appearances. But her true trump card, was the scroll she had hidden away - and she only needed Sho to lower his guard once to use it. She was nothing if not opportunistic.