"I'm still sorry you--" She cuts off as soon as the manticore makes that sound, her whole body going unnaturally still aside from her widening eyes. She'd been turning slightly as it had circled, so now she's twisted a little, the manticore visible from the corner of her eye.

"Mermaid?" Her voice is just above a whisper, and she's already trying to work out what to do if the manticore attacks. She can probably jump out of the way before it leaps, but she's hoping Shrieky can stop that from happening somehow.