"What are you doing?" she yells. The fire surrounds them on all sides, and Ayame can feel the temperature quickly rising.
"Self-preservation," Natsume replies monotonously.
"What?" Ayame's eyebrows furrow. "The fire is more of a threat than your-"
She's cut off by a deep voice from outside the ring of fire calling for Black Cat, and Natsume freezes on his perch. For some reason, Ayame can feel death in the air - can smell it, can see it beyond the fire.
There's a man wearing all black, except for his white mask, and a dark aura surrounds him; but Ayame might be imagining it.
"Black Cat." The man's tone is authoritative. "Put out the fire."
"Persona," Natsume says under his breath. Ayame looks around, and the fire seems to be spreading. 'Persona' is probably the man's name, but it could always be some kind of spell.
"Black Cat," the man repeats, but he sounds amused. "I wonder, what will happen to your sister if you don't return to the academy?"
The boy flinches. Ayame realizes it's yet another sore spot of the child's, which the enemy is already blackmailing him with.
Somehow, knowing this doesn't sit well with her.