Kelly wasn't the first one at the park- several of the girls were already there, though her partner Minari was nowhere to be seen. Silently, she transformed into Wither, trying to think of how best she'd fight with her new partner. From what she told me, she can't control who her voice affects- we'll need to stay apart. Damn, why didn't I think to bring earplugs?

She turned to Touka. "Well, you're the one setting the rules, Touka-chan. How are the fights going to work- no holds barred, or are we going to be restricted? Obviously, we don't want anyone getting seriously injured during the fights."

It didn't take long for the sun to begin its inexorable trip down the horizon, bringing the time of the waited tournament—if it could be called that— closer and closer.

It would be no one's surprise that Chie stayed behind, to clean up the Detention Club's room and prepare everything for the upcoming vacations. Even so, she managed to arrive at the park—already transformed into her magical girl counterpart— not long after her very own ice-cold partner and some of the other girls, including none other than their esteemed President.

Initially, Black Shot approached her partner silently, trying to take a look at what she was doing but once Kelly asked the President about how they should fight, she said. "Don't worry about that, we can heal ourselves pretty easily. A broken kneecap, or two, won't kill anyone. Heh!"


Finding the establishment mentioned by Luna wouldn't be a hard task for Soma as long as she followed the directions given to her, the way through the picturesque cobblestone streets of Miso City's Old City District wouldn't be that confusing, even if it was comprised mostly of a steep climb up the hills where most of the old buildings where located. Considering the slight xenophobic nature of its inhabitants as well as Soma's rather out of place looks, some people here and there would turn some ill-willed looks toward her, but no one actually got in her way or attempted to do her harm of any kind. Even those that seemed to be pretty obvious Yakuza members did little but turn their face to the other direction and mind their own businesses.

Once Soma reached the restaurant, she would find Luna sitting at a low table close to a hearth at the back of the establishment, while her back turned to the street. The blonde was dressed in traditional winter clothes and drinking a cup of steaming hot tea as she did her homework. An image that perfectly complimented the old atmosphere of this part of the city which seemed to have stopped in time around the time when Imperialist Japan was at its peak.

Whether Soma decided to call for Luna or approach unannounced was something for her to decide, since it seemed like Luna was completely absorbed in her studies to notice anyone else... probably.

---

Old Miso City had a charm Aki did not have often to appreciate; for the only time she went outside her normal schedule of home, school, and fighting, was when her grandmother decided it was a good parenting technique to force her grandchild out of the house for some sight seeing in the old neighborhood. The older had said it would do her some good, to be away from the house and outside in the real world for a little while. But didn’t her grandmother know that more work needed to be done? Didn’t she understand that Aki didn’t want to enter the real world? That it was far too intense for her even if she wasn’t always so overwhelmed?

Still though, as she heard the slight crinkle of powdery snow under her feet and smelled the essence of clear and cold winter in the air, the albino remembered why she liked winter so much. In winter, everything slept, a calmness took over the city that did not exist during the rest of the year. It brought a small smile to her chapped lips and allowed her to release a relieved breath that looked like smoke.

As she continued her walk Aki noticed a presence growing more pronounced the farther she walked into Old Miso City. Subconsciously Aki made her way to the presence. She could tell that it was other magical girls, though she didn’t know how many, and by the way they complimented the pure air she could tell they hadn’t fallen.

The presence was at its strongest when Aki walked in front of an old fashioned restaurant. Aki’s desire for companionship swelled slightly as she looked on at the door; would the girl inside be willing to talk? To listen to Aki? But another part of her was afraid, her introverted nature telling her to continue with her walk in silence; but even introverts need connections. Aki opened the door timidly.

A cheerful whistling filled the night as Ami waltzed to Miso City Park, a lollipop sticking out her mouth and a bag filled with candy in the other. Opened already of course, but the fact that it wasn't already empty should be a sign that something was different tonight. She was transformed into her Magical Girl form already of course, no need to have some random adult asking what a kid was doing out this late. And of course the first thing she noticed when she got to the Park was Kanbaru tapping away at her phone, with Touka and Chie nearby. "Hey guys! I brought something special for tonight!" Ami sped over to them, stopping near the trio quickly as she showed off the nearly full bag of candy. Indeed, something was very off.

"I figured I should bring something for tonight, it's the first time we've sparred in a while after all! So I brought a bag of candy for the winners!" A sly smile crossed her face immediately after saying this, placing the bag of candy on the bench and placing one hand on her hip. "I figured I could use some sugar after kicking your butts after all." The statement was filled with smug, she was so confident of her victory. Speaking of victory, where was her partner. Her eyes darted around wildly, she usually was late to these kinds of things. Social gatherings of all kinds that is.

---

---

The fact she managed to beat the president into explaining the rules was a bit of a surprise, but it was a well received one that brought a confident smirk to Manami's features. The meeting continued without anything of note, and as such she returned to her home without any issue. She had decided to indulge in some home cooking instead of speaking over with her partner about what they should do, believing that a brief explanation would do to stop her from commiting any stupidy. However, this didn't mean that she shouldn't prepare herself, at least mentally. As such, while preparing a small batch, she mentally reviewed each of her classmates and the best course of action against the teams.

First was the Roundtable team: Hikari Towairaito and Alexis McVanovich. The former one was of a much more physical approach than the latter, giving honor to the "Knight" part of her title. Alexis, sporting a more modern get-up, didn't seem as resilent as her teammate but, nevertheless, Manami considered her to be the most dangerous of the two, since she was able to attack them from outside her effective range. Not only that, but Hikari's gloomy attitude made her believe that taking Alexis out of the combat first would make Hikari stumble more, effectively securing the victory for her team

Next up was Freezer Burn. This group was harder to gauge, since she didn't know much about Chie. Whatever the circumstances were, she never saw much of the girl in action so she could mostly assume on regards of her powers. However, due to the name "Freezer Burn", Manami believed that their abilities would be fire based in order to compensate with Kanbaru's ice magic. Speaking of which, while guns very obviously outranged her whip and spear, Manami believed she had an advantage over the bluenette, since the nature of her own powers allowed her to deal with any constructions the other may create.

Then, finally, the third team in the mix was Knightfall: Battoru and the Black Knight. While of a seemingly simplistic on-your-face kind of fighting style, this kind of combat could very well be the thorn on her team's side. Since both Kelly and herself had powers that greatly benefited from prolonged combat, someone that can get up-close and end the combat quickly is a natural counter. She believed that this one would be the most difficult match up for her team, and that her team would have to play their cards very carefully.

---

When the moon was high above the park, Manami took her time to look presentable, and put her produce in small bags. Whether her team wins or loses, she at least wanted to leave a good impression in the others, and showcase how useful she was to the others. Putting the small packages in a paper bag, she transformed into her Discordia outfit and made her way to the park. She wasn't surprised of seeing that the rest had already arrived, and wordlessly approached the group, stopping to give Kelly one of the packages she had made. She then left the bag on the ground, assuming that the other girls would be glad to indulge in it without any contemplations.

---

Maiko usually wasn't late, especially when there were things to actually look forward to, such as the first possibly fun fight in a while. But late she was, arriving at Miso Park with mischief in her eyes and a cooler. "Yo," the girl called at a distance, still clad in her tomboy-ish street clothes, "Brought a gift for your troubles~!"

Slapping down the cooler on a bench, the green-eyed girl drummed the top energetically, before pulling it open to reveal...

A glistening six-pack of fermented durian juice!

"Guess Ami had the same idea, but I'm a generous girl! If sweets are for the victors, then we have juice for the losers! Ja-jann~! Tasty durian juice to wash off the bitterness of defeat! Now, when are we starting anyways? Soon? Now? Immediately?"

---

[ ♫ ]

---

“How are you not cold with that thing on…” Touka’s words left trails of hottened steam in the night’s cold air, a testament to the winters in Miso City. Well, the massive scarf she was sporting was an obvious clue to how cold it was tonight; it was a stark contrast to Kanbaru’s Magical Girl outfit, those short shorts being dangerously…short. “Hmm, nothing for you to be bothered with. Just thinking about my partner. And how much trouble she’s going to be in the next time I see her,” Touka remarked, tracing her eyes back to the snowbound park in front of them.

If Kanbaru wanted more about Yuno it was tough luck because the others had begun to arrive. Alex and Kelly were the first to show up, the latter asking about rules and whatnot. Before Touka could reply, the gruff voice and equally shrading presence of Black Shot answered for her. As blunt as ever, wasn’t she? Next up was someone equally as blunt as their resident deputy, Ami lugging around a hefty bag of- “Sweets! Oh, A-Ami-Chan, you’re the best!” Touka said. She almost ran up to the other girl and hugged her before remembering she was practically frozen in place.

“O-O-On second thought, I think I’ll w-warm up before grabbing one….oh look, there’s Manami and Maiko now.” With their appearance, that made three of the four participating teams present and ready to account for. Hikari was late as usual, but at least they had snacks all around to keep their minds off the growing cold. Not that it would remain that way for long. If it wasn’t the biting chill, then it was the spark of anticipating and bloody battle that kept them all warm in their clothes.

“W-Well, Hikari can always be f-filled in on the rules, so let’s get started, alright everyone?” Touka clasped her hands together, which were revealed to be coated in toasty little gloves. Walking over to Ami’s bag of candies and sweets, she picked up some pieces before clenching them all into her right palm. “L-Listen up everyone. I’ve got chocolates and c-caramels here in my hand, t-two of each. Four candy, one for each team. One member of each team w-will pick a candy and whoever g-gets the same k-kind will be your sparring opponent. G-Got it?”

Simple enough, and certainly more interesting than picking straws. That and the teams could choose to share their sweets in any manner of ways. That decided, Touka looked at the other seven Detention Club members around her before giving a small smile. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled the candies casually into the air, watching as they sprinkled among the flurry of snowflakes in the air. Then gravity did the rest, letting each piece plummet back to the earth.

Surely any Dark Magical Girl would have the reflex to catch them before they were lost in the snowy plows forever. And when each of them did, each team discovering who they would be facing, Touka’s grin split wider. A set of shark-like teeth were bared, as white as the snow dusting Miso City, almost nearing into a smirk. “Here’s the rules, girls. You can choose to either spar in the park’s forest trails or flat fields near the lake. Depending on your magic, you may want to choose one over the other. I trust you can be civil ladies about that, right?”

Touka still held her right hand out, as if she felt it helped in proving her point. Her other hand jammed itself into her pockets to search for something. “Like Black Shot said, you can heal up any minor injuries you may have. This is a no-holds barred brawl so don’t feel shy about fighting dirty.” A pause before Touka’s pocketed hand emerged again to slip a cherry lollipop into her mouth. Probably slipped in from the earlier batch. “That said, we’re all still friends here and I’ll have eyes on all your battles. No excessive park destruction. If I see anyone being seriously hurt, I’ll personally restrain the perpetrator. Tightly~”

Despite the candy sticking from her mouth, Touka still had the dexterity to maneuver it to the side as she fashioned every girl with her darkened grin. With no stakes in this bet herself, she was no doubt being every so gleeful about all of this. “Any questions? If not, each team can start their fights whenever. And remember, the Christmas Party is on the line. Good luck girls~”

---

Soma entered the establishment casually and without a sort of greeting still shining brightly because of the magical residue that just oozed from her body. The thought of announcing herself completely slipped her mind as she walked around she took in the architecture of the inner building before looking over to the girl who invited her Luna. Having your back towards the entrance and being so absorbed in anything was a sure fire way to getting attacked but, that law was generally for the lawless wilderness not in a place with clear laws and police. This laid-back atmosphere was another thing that seemed odd, Soma who had spent most of her life out in the wild found herself constantly looking over her shoulders just in case even here she couldn’t stop the urge to do so.

The magical girl took a seat and looked over to Luna who was completely absorbed in her studies and wondered what it was though quickly assumed whatever it was had to be completely over her head. Time quickly passed and soon enough ten minutes had flown by with a word said, Soma keeping herself busy ran her fingers along the chairs, architecture was the only thing one would call her intelligent on, having visited lost ruins, forgotten caves and grottos long since abandoned. Eventually, the time had come to break the blond girl’s concentration and so clearing her throat she spoke out.

“Uhm Luna was it, about that free meal,” She said in a less than tactful way as she approached the girl to take a closer seat around her fellow child of light.

---

interactions: @KoL

---

"Do you really need to ask how an ice themed Magical girl isn't affected by the cold in their outfits? Perhaps you want to question a pyromancer why the flesh doesn't burn to charcoal as they palm a fireball." Fortuna snarked back glibly, content to sit amidst the gently falling snow without a care for her exposure to the elements. It was by no means her idea of fun but she wasn't one to begrudge the necessities of life and the club certainly was one.

Fortunately the rest of the club members arrives in short order, some carrying snacks and drinks while others came with an equally rye sense of humor to offer to the gathering. Regardless of the gifts brought to bear they all directed their attention to the leader now declaring the rules for the evening's combat. Straight forward and easy going, such was Touka's way, and as the candies were sent air borne Kanbaru pocketed her phone shot out her hand, nabbing a chocolate from the air.

"Come on Chie, the lake should nice with a fresh layer of snow." The frosty magical girl declared, turning on her heel to her chosen battleground, only to pause amidst her stride and casually lob a torn half of her chocolate to her partner. After all, it was the season for giving. "Don't slack off tonight."

---

''There you are.'' said a man as he handed over some money to a girl.

''Thank you!''

Yui bowed in thanks, pocketed the money and then handed out one beautiful white rose to the man. She kept on looking with a smile as the man ran back to his beloved's side to hand her the flower. The woman looked thrilled.

Happiness, like flowers, could fade quite fast. However moments like she just witnessed were what made it all worth it. She kept on wandering aimlessly through Miso's streets, selling some flowers to whomever wanted them. Sitting down on a bench in a park to observe the falling snow and rest. The cold was not biting at her skin, and tonight was a perfect night for such 'adventures'. However...something was strange. It was faint, but something was in the back of her mind; a constant feeling that she did not understand. Something akin to feeling observed, but not quite as negative or scary as that.

Yui did her best to shake off this feeling, not realizing that she was not wandering so aimlessly after all. She had received her Magical Girls power recently, only a few months ago. She had grown accustomed to her powers and to defeating some - albeit weak so far - nightmares. Never had she met another Magical Girl in all of this time though, and she did not recognize this magical feeling that was supposed to indicate the presence of one. Unknowingly, she walked straight towards the source.

Her not-so-quite-wandering soon brought her inside the Old City, a beautiful part of Miso she wished she could visit more often. Lost in her thought and guided by this feeling she did not recognize, Yui took an alleyway and stopped only when she heard something that no one else could. She turned around.

The sole lamp post in the alleyway cast her shadow on the wall, but it was distorted. It kept on twisting and warping until it formed a rounded shape. Out of it came an arm first, it's extremity more claws than hands. The sound of moving shadows as it came out reminded that of shoving chunk of fleshy substances around. A second arm came out, then a head. Emotionless, yet full of rage.

A lone Nightmare?

---

Gaia had a knee on the ground and an expression of pain on her face. The Nightmare, while possibly wounded, still stood. Or hanged. Legless, it was perched on the wall of the alleyway thanks to it's two massively long arms. It's head was twisted in an unnerving way staring down at it's opponents as it let out yet another chilling scream only she, and other Magical Girls, could hear. Even then, it's face bore no emotion nor expression. Petals of flowers were scattered about, a result of Gaia's magic.

Still with a knee on the ground, the Magical Girl stared down her foe as she brought both hands together. Light emanated from her palms and a flower-shaped ball of energy formed. Although it was small it was all she could muster right now. She did not know if this Nightmare was stronger than most, but it was stronger than the ones she fought so far, and she was taken off guard.

'Come on, then...' If this was it, she'd bring this thing down with her...

Kelly transformed without fanfare, then looked at her late-arriving partner. "Glad to see you, Discordia. Hopefully, you've spent the afternoon preparing- our reputations are on the line, after all. Not to mention I'd rather not pay for snacks if I can help it." She reached out, calmly taking a candy and examining it. A caramel. "Well, I guess we know where we're fighting, but not who yet." She idly tossed the candy to Discordia. "Don't worry, I already had some chocolate at home. Didn't know we were getting treats here." Wither started walking towards the quiet forest paths. "Come on, we can talk strategy on the way."

@Lacroix

---

---

Fate may be on Discordia's side for this first match: She was up against the Freezer Burn team. And if they were going to fight, it was surely going to be on the lake, due to Fortuna's ice-themed magic. She wasn't going to complain about this battleground that was elected. Rather, she agreed to it, since it gave her opponents a possible advantage. Normally, someone on their right minds wouldn't agree in a situation that would naturally be disfavorable for them, but the corrupted idol had her own thoughts about it.

Both of her opponents were in a higher standing than Manami within the Detention Club, and they were in good terms with the President. She couldn't deny their strength, however there was something else that she could do: prove that she was stronger than them. And there was no better way of doing that than beating them in their own ground. This was a great opportunity, even if she were to lose in the finals: Defeating both Kanbaru and Chie would make her climb up the club's ladder. And, after all, Touka would have to leave at some point, and someone would have to fill the spot. It was nigh time Manami showed what she was capable of.

Her teammate's words reached her, and the slightest hint of an arrogant grin curled her lips for a second as she caught the treat. "Ah, strategy, yes. It's simple, really: Don't get on my way. If you can manage to do that, then everything will go fine. Understood? Good". Discordia didn't wait for the other to reply, and treaded her path towards the battlefield. She couldn't deny that Kelly was right in something, though: their reputations were on the line here. And she wasn't going to let some slowpoke drag her down if she could avoid it.

Luna lifted her head when she felt the presence of not one but two magical girls untouched by the darkness near her. The blonde returned to her homework a blink of an eye later, waiting until the others came in to address them.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else other than Miss Soma to come here tonight, especially a girl I'm not acquainted with at all," she said to Aki. "Anyway, if you are looking for some company, you came to the right place. We were about to have a nice, hot bowl of udon, right Miss Soma?" Luna added as she addressed Soma.

"Go ahead, you can order anything you want," she said to Soma while gesturing to call for the waitress attention. "You too, come forward I'm sure that you can't, Miss... what's your name again? By the way, my name is Luna Tsukuyomi, but you can call me just by my given name if you wish," the blonded added while smiling.

"And, while we eat, while don't we talk a little about ourselves? I'm pretty sure that all of us must have something they would like to share, right?"

"By the way, can you please excuse me for a moment? I'm feeling something weird in the lower part of the district. You can stay here and make your orders while I go take a look if it's anything important, I'll be sure to let you know," Luna said as she got back to her feet and walked out of the restaurant, stopping only to order a bowl of Kitsune udon for when she came back, and more tea for her guests.


It wouldn't take long for Luna to arrive at the Old City's foothills, combining both her innate knowledge of the terrain and the agility granted by the transformation, navigating it was an easy task after all. And it was thanks to this easier was that she was able to reach the alley where another light magical girl battled with a Nightmare Ina desperate way.

"This guy must be a remnant from yesterday. I don't know why there's another non-Evil girl around though. I have never seen this many in the months since I made my contract. It doesn't matter anyway; right now, I have to make sure that that thing didn't hurt anyone," Luna thought as she ran over the edge of one of the walls that enclosed the alley. She did a high somersault when she was close enough, landing behind the Nightmare, and cutting it in half twice over before it could even change its attention away from the easy source of psychic energy before it.

Luna's swords flashed like a beautiful beam of moonlight, illuminating the darkness as the Nightmare faded into the oblivion from where it came, just as she turned around and asked the other girl, "Are you alright?"

---

---

Luna swiftly left, though she had a decent idea as to where she was going, being half transformed still meant her senses were dialed up to ten just like everyone else. Two more light girls had made the scene one of them was right outside the restaurant another seemed to be in a bit of a scuffle, but she chose to sit down and order a large bowl of Udon noodles collecting on her free meal. People with powers didn’t need help or protected those without doing, but seeing as how both light and dark girls were gathered around one another, maybe things worked differently around here that or perhaps her and her sister were the strange ones from both sides and that their ideas of pure freedom weren’t as black and white as they had hoped. Soma chewed on these thoughts the entire time before her food was ready her mouth gnawing at air at anticipation to receive something she didn’t have to kill, skin and cook herself for once. The bowl was fairly sized with Udon, some vegetables, mixing in the broth and various spices that gave a heavenly aroma, on top were three large tempura shrimp with their bulk ends dipping down low into the bowl.

Grabbing her meal to go, Soma decided to trail behind Luna and offer assistance if needed, she felt like she needed to repay the girl’s kindness and maybe ask her a few questions about magical girl society if there was one. The shield girl completely passed up the other child of light who was standing in the doorway, looking back at her to give the girl a once over and tilted her head towards the streets.

“You comin'?” she asked before turning around not waiting for a proper answer and walking off in that direction eating literally on the go.

It didn’t take terribly long before Soma came up behind the two girls catching the very end of the confrontation a mist of ink like darkness fading out of existence, she shrugged and continued eating seeing that the situation had been handled.

“I told you, getting stalked and attacked in this city happens way more than anywhere else at least to me it does, ” she called out approaching the two as a nightmare materialized behind her leaping downward only to be met with a force field in the shape of a large lance skewering it completely.

“There’s got to be a cause of it all”

---

---

Interactions: @KoL@SimpleWriter@Compulsive86

"Well, that was unexpected," Black Shot said as the others came in, bringing a variety of presents. The dark-haired magical girl found this development funny, but at the very least it meant that she would have plenty of snacks to replenish her energy after winning this small tournament of theirs. After all, as long as her partner didn’t slip on her own ice, there was no way they would lose.

Talking about the devil. "Geez, if I didn’t know you, I would think that you are giving me the cold shoulder, you know?" she quipped before flashing a sharp grin. Black Shot slung her spear over shoulder and added. "I would personally like to fight on a place that’s less open than a lake, but at least I can blame you if we lose."

Just as Black Shot expected, the lakeside area was pretty open, save for a few trees that had already lost their leaves to the inexorable march of the seasons, some benches, lampposts, and of course the lake itself, the place was rather desert.

Taking advantage of the fact that they were the first to arrive, Black Shot found a perch over one of the lampposts, shooing a crow that was occupying it before her. After claiming the high ground, all she had to do is wait until their prey came to them.

---

---

---

"If I was any less frosty you'd melt a hole in the ice firing yourself up, Chie." Kanbaru rebuked from her place upon the ice, her footing sure and confidant upon a surface that was less slippery then her own black ice. It was selfish to choose a local that only played to her strengths here, but Kanbaru was well aware that Chie would have leveled a good chunk of the forest if she had gotten her wish, so this was all the better a destination for it.

She thought it a shame that there wasn't any point in preparing traps for their enemy, what with Discordia's penchant for erosion anything left laying about for long would fail on its own over time. Kanbaru sighed, an exhalation that left a puff of air drifting forwards like the exhale of a smoker, and looked out across the frozen parkscape towards where their enemies would arrive. In her hands the weight of twin machine pistols where a welcoming addition, and her fingers curled reflexively around the grips.

More then the thrill of battle, or the desire for social standing, the icy magical girl didn't want to host a party for this rowdy bunch of girls. She had no small measure of fondness for them in a social setting but to bring them into her home- Her partner included- screamed a level of trouble she simply had no desire to embrace without doing everything possible to pass the buck onto a pair of magical Popsicles she'd leave in her wake.

---

Yui was about to unleash her attack on the nightmare, hoping it was enough to kill it. However, just as she was beginning her movement, she heard footsteps running behind her and suddenly come to a stop. Only to see a silhouette jump right above both her and the enemy. In one gracious movement, the Nightmare was cut in two perfect half before dissipating in the air with one final haunting and painful screech. As if nothing had happened, the girl turned to Yui: "Are you alright?"

Before her stood what was obviously a magical girl, like herself. Gaia froze for a second as her eyes laid on Luna, as if she was processing what was happening. It hit her fully: she was guided here not by random wandering, but by a bond to a fellow Magical Girl. She could feel it clearly now, and make sense of it.

The energy in Gaia's hand slowly dissipated as she rose back up, not without some difficulty. Getting up and with the threat passed, she realized she was a bit more hurt than she had thought. Still, she could stand on her own. ''I am fine. Thanks for the help. Who...''

Just before she could speak, Gaia felt the presence of yet another magical girl approaching her but also two smaller nightmares trying to get the jump on them - she was not surprised this time. Though, it mattered little as the newcomer dispatched them with ease in a display of her magic. Gaia, still new to this life, was more than slightly impressed by the two girls display of magic. One, because they executed their respective talents flawlessly and with no hesitation. Second, because she had simply never met another Magical Girl before.

''Thank you or the help.'' as she said that, a magical light briefly coated her and, once it disappeared, left behind only Yui in her non-magical appearance. ''Excuse me...but, are you magical girls by any chance? I never met others before...'' Yui said, timidly.

Either it was due to her naive nature or the fact that hey shared something, she felt as if these complete strangers were trustworthy. Almost as if she knew them. ''My name is Murata Yui. N-nice to meet the both of you.'' she said, respectfully bowing before them.

The fact that one of them seemed partially transformed did not escape Yui, but she preferred not to bring it up right now. She was also troubled by what she had said, but knew that it was not addressed to her and left it to introductions for now.

---

Things were going about as smooth as Touka expected. With Hikari being a no-show, Alex had opted to leave home early. That would mean the team called Knightfall would have no opponents to face. So much for a fair and balanced tournament, and the prospect of all this left an annoyed grimace upon the president's features. The expression only deepened when she felt someone dare to intrude in their space. Having set up a watchful perimeter around the entire park, it would be easy to find magical properties that were foolish enough to come close to their games. Surpringly enough, this sensation was neither a Nightmare or one of their light counterparts. Trusting she could leave the others to their own devices, she crunched through the park's snow before getting dangerously close to a very familiar presence. "You've got to be kidding me," she grumbled to herself, hot breath sprayed and condensed into the icy air.

"Ah, the good winter cold...Makes you feel a little nostalgic, ya know?" A certain red-haired girl said, though with a distinctly different tone in speaking compared to most Japanese girls. In fact, in comparison to most Japanese people in general. With a rub of her black mittened hands, as if trying to warm herself more when she didn't really need to, Alannah gave a simple cheeky smile and a grin to the ever familiar green-haired lass. Though, afterwards, she gave a more quizzical look in the air. "Wait...You've never been to Ireland, so I guess the nostalgia ain't quite the same is it?" She said, then giving a little laugh at her little bit of forgetfulness. Can't blame a girl for trying to liven the mood up a bit, can you? In her case, you probably could. Despite her being well adjusted to cold, Alannah still decided to dress fairly comfortably, having on a pair of thick black stockings under her skirt and a blue snow jacket that was lined with white fur on the hood. With her ever-present smirk still on her face, she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she looked past Touka for a moment. "Seems I got here a bit later than I would've preferred." She said with a shrug as she looked back towards Touka. "What I missed and how much of it do I need to absolutely know?"

"No. I haven't," Touka said. Indeed, she had never been to Ireland; at least, as far as anyone none the wiser knew. She didn't bother trying to stop Alannah from looking over her, partly because it'd be a waste of time and the fact that she was shorter than the other girl. "What are you even doing here. It's not like you take time to show up to the meetings," she said in a frown. Suddenly showing up with her would mean introductions to the girls who didn't know her, especially those who weren't aware the president even had a partner. Aside from Yuno of course, but she was irrelevant at the moment. "A tournament to decide who hosts a Christmas Party," Touka eventually answered, still grumbling. Alannah's presence was bad news, specifically because now the others might rope them into actually joining their tourney. To think, Touka was this close to remaining a spectator...

Alannah gave a slight frown and a pout as her expression soured. "Hey, it's not like I don't want to go to them...Usually. I'm a busy girl just like you." While the others had their own dilemmas, so did she after all! It wasn't her fault that life gave her so much stuff to do...Okay it was slightly, possibly mostly, her fault, but would she ever admit it? Nope. However, Touka spoke the golden words that sparked curiosity. A grin came back on her face, but it was a bit more cat-like curious. "Ohhh...? A tournament you say?" She said in a somewhat singsong voice as she cocked her head to the right to take another glance at what was going on. From the looks of it, it was most certainly magical in nature. And, considering the group, it more than likely meant a battle. With a giggle, she looked back at her partner in magical not-so-much-crime with a raised eyebrow. "Now Touka, not inviting me to a competition that you know we would steamroll? Tsk, tsk. For shame, for shame..." She said, shaking her head, still keeping that infectious smile. It was written all over her face whether she liked it or not. Lil Miss Ink wanted in.

"You're going to make us join, aren't you." It wasn't even a question and Touka was already sighing. She really, really didn't want to get involved tonight. But she knew there was little stopping Alannah when she wanted something unless it was the equivalent of a bulldozer. And then some. "Better idea. You don't need my help to beat them right? I'll hang back and watch you strut your stuff," said Touka. This time she was the one flashing a grin, sharp, almost shark-like teeth gleaming in the winter snow. "If you need any help, just holler. Surely the almighty Scatha needs no backup when dealing with kittens throwing around claws too big for their paws, right~?"

The once perky girl opened her mouth, eyes closed like she was about to drop either encouragement or wise words to their vict-What did she say? Words caught in her throat and her eyes now jolted back open, her mouth hung open but couldn't find a single word to actually say in response, instead just staring as she stammered for a second. "What-But you-We should-I just...Ehem." She let out a throat clear to try and find proper, actual sentences to say. She decided to pump her chest out and give a smirk back, though it wasn't quite as happy as it once was. "Well, of course I can take them! Why are you even asking something that dumb?" There really wasn't a single doubt in her mind that she could win against those girls, but a team match just sounded so much more...Interesting? Fun? Not as humiliating for the two inevitable losers? Something around those lines. Her eyes went left to right quickly, like they were looking for a sign that had what she should say next conveniently written on it. Then the figurative light bulb went off as she regained her smirk. Stepping over to Touka and putting her right arm around the girls shoulder, she pointed up high with the other hand. "Of course, but what partner would the mighty Stained Scatha be if she let you stay on the sidelines? I mean, still pretty mighty, no duh, but noooowhere near as good a buddy as she should be, mhm?" She said...Before looking right back at Touka and deciding to break reality to her. "We both know that I'll go all day with this otherwise." She narrowed her eyes as she gave a slighter bigger smirk. "Then all week."

Figures. The moment Alannah's arm wrapped around her was the moment Touka decided it wasn't worth wasting more warm breath debating her. Especially when the other Magical Girl felt it was fine to spell it out for her. "Yes, I'm well aware," Touka said, shark's grin quickly flashing into a shark's grimace, quite alright with taking this verbal loss for now. "Ugh, fine. But I'm not going through the effort of setting up a Christmas party." The implication in those words should have been obvious for anyone; the president did not feel too prone to losing in a fight. The message was given with Touka's own stare back to her partner's gaze before leading them back to the group with a sigh. "Let's just get this over with," she grumbled lowly for only the two of them to hear before approaching the laundering Ami and Maiko.

"H-Hey guys, we have a n-new team joining," she said, once they had reached the waiting team.

With a delighted little clap for both the fact she got her way and that they're gonna be kicking some ass, she gave two quick nods to Touka's assertion. Dare she say, it was like her own little Christmas present, being able to make her, the future best magical girl, more known. With a content smile on her face, Alannah followed her back to the group, trailing behind her. As she announced that there was a new team, it seemed the best time to make an entrance. "And that team is the one to watch out for." She said, her smile now filled with far more confidence than previously as she looked at the rest of the group. "I really hope none of you were expecting any easy wins tonight, cause, well. I always do love proving a person wrong and myself right." She folded her arms, not completely realizing how too-appropriate it was after her declaration.

It seemed that Wither had been heading to the wrong place, so she quickly turned to head to the lake shore. As she did so, she turned to Discordia. "Just stay out of your way? All right, you target Fortuna and I'll take care of Black Shot. Whoever's done first can come help the other." She thought a little bit about the two girls she was to fight. Black Shot was obviously the more dangerous of the two offensively, but Fortuna could conjure walls of ice that she would have difficulty corroding. Wither had always thought that a good offense beat a good defense, so she'd be keeping her eyes mostly on the former.

Finally arriving at the battle site, Wither took up position right at the shoreline. She could vaguely make out Black Shot, but she'd have to close the distance before firing a sickness blast. "You coming, Discordia?"