---

@A Lowly Wretch

The casual chatting during the journey home wasn't enough to lighten the tension in the air. Fuyuko noted her mother's hunched posture over the steering wheel, as if the return from from a busy day teaching to an even more stressful home life weighed on her physically as well as mentally. Fuyuko wanted to tell her she wasn't alone in trying to help, but couldn't. Noriko was the only person she could talk to about certain things.

It was a few hours after the three had arrived home that the front door slammed. Fuyuko sat bolt upright at her desk, eyes shifting from her homework to the bedroom door. Footsteps plodded through the hall downstairs. Muffled voices grew louder, angrier. Her father's slurred words sounded like he'd had an after-work whisky or several. Fuyuko winced. Since he'd become unable to run the business, moving to the city in search of job opportunities that came and went, his drinking and demeanour had gotten worse. No wonder, Fuyuko thought. The more he accused himself of failing the family, the more he struggled - and by extension, so did everyone around him. A vicious cycle. Had those shades been preying on him since day one, the robbery of his stock followed by that of his resilience and self-worth?

Sighing, she rose and shuffled along the hallway, knocking at Noriko's door. "This sounds like our cue to head out," she whispered.

After scanning for monsters targeting the house and thankfully finding none, the two girls stuck close by each other as they headed up a hill to a nearby shrine. Despite her interest in folklore, Fuyuko had never been particularly religious, but if magic was real, who was to say gods weren't? Besides, all she could do was pray for the upcoming challenge, or for some other miracle if this proved too great for her.

"I can't wait to hear all about this later!" Noriko bubbled, then stopped in her tracks, face suddenly serious. "Whoop whoop, monster alert!" She pointed towards the forest, where something lurked in the shadows, as if concealing itself while preparing to attack.

A shade, in a peaceful place like this? Then again, people did travel here to ease their burdens, which were bound to leave a mark on the area... As an energy orb resembling a wolf's eye surrounded Noriko, snow whirled around Fuyuko's feet, spiralling upwards, obscuring her. The cold brought no stinging or shivers, only comfort, becoming part of her essence. The flurry dissipated, revealing her white-haired, kimono-clad self.

Noriko was the first to charge, lupine ears flattened, tail streaming. Before she could reach her target, her wolf companion gripped the hem of her dress in his jaws, pulling her back. "Huh?" She turned her head, eyebrows furrowed. "Kiyoshi, what's gotten into you?"

Kiyoshi let go, staring at the odd shadow, then up at his summoner. "Look before you leap. This is no shade," he told her.

Fuyuko stood stunned. If this wasn't a shade, then the figure could only be... Oh. Cringing, she bowed to the partially hidden form. "I-I'm sorry! We didn't know, I'm so sorry!"

Even so, she remained on her guard. After all, she didn't know this girl, or her intentions. With competition already growing fierce, no magical girl could be too careful.

She watched the battle run it's course, her raven perched up in the safety of anonymity. The mad scientist and the fireworks girl had triumphed over the other two but failed to secure an elimination. A shame, especially considering that the oni blooded girl would prove a definite obstacle if another competitor didn't eliminate her first.

She had half a mind to survey her route and she if she could identify where she lived so she could keep track of her, map out her routes so she'd know where not to go. Before she could take any action however a distant echo caught her attention. The sound was not located near the raven but was instead located by her physical self. She could only dedicate a portion of hearing into the ravens in case of situations just like these. As her senses retreated back into her body the distant echo of the voice was now clear and just as near as it's speaker.

"I-I'm sorry! We didn't know, I'm so sorry!"

The white haired magical girl apologized for the two of them. Her response was not immediate for a question had stuck itself in her head.

Was I really so obvious?

She suspected the sister in possession of canine features might have a form of detection magic which may have been what exposed her. Still, this was of great concern given the circumstances of her presence here. She couldn't risk getting exposed and confronted, not without serious consequences.

_
Having turned to face the two who stood before her the young girl lowered her obfuscation, revealing the little one sat upon her dark wheelchair. Though cast in the deep shadow of the evening sun set across the great tree who's shade she resided in they could see her calm, contemplative expression.

"My apologies, I'm still touching up on my Japanese. Forgive me if I am slow to answer."

Her voice was soft and light. It was the kind of voice one would suspect couldn't be brought to a shout even if she tried. Overhead a few silhouettes of birds gently circled overhead. Her ravens were near but stayed the distance lest the two catch on and see threat in their presence. The last thing she needed was a fight, especially with both of them so close.

"My name is Sophia. It is good to meet you."

Taking her time with this gentle, measured motion she carefully bowed to them from her sitting position, taking care not to put strain on her chest. Sitting up in her seat she had her hands set neatly upon her lap as she patiently awaited their response.

---

@LuckyBlackCat

"Know her? Ah..." Hanako started, trying to think of the best way to say that she didn't really know the shrine maiden any more than most of the population, though she'd definitely spent a little more time at her shrine than most girls her age due to a lack of anywhere else to go.

But then Himeko had to go and torpedo that plan by announcing that they were siblings. They definitely weren't, Hanako had a very thorough knowledge of her family history. Maybe they might be cousins of some sort, but she'd not really looked into most distant relations. Phone buzzing in her hand to announce another message, the girl stood there mortified at the attention.

"Ah, we're not... that is... just because our names match..."

Her shoes were looking very interesting right now.

@RolePlayerRoxas@Ammokkx

"Hmph..."

Hikari gave Tokiko one last glare. Seriously, acting like that after the new magical girl intervened to help her... What, was she supposed to leave her to face two enemy magical girls alone?! Why were they fighting in the first place, anyway?! Magical girls were supposed to team up to fight really bad stuff, right? Not just beat each other up! Unless... were those dark magical girls? They didn't look like it... gaaah, it was so confusing right now! And the girl she'd helped was an idiot too!

"... I'm Hoshino Hikari, I just became a magical girl," she said, with another huff, as she introduced herself to the other girl who had showed up. She looked like she could be a foreigner, but Hikari wasn't sure where she was from. In fact, she looked a bit familiar... but not as someone Hikari had ever seriously spoken to before. Perhaps someone from her high school? How many magical girls were there then...?

"What's this Hex Night thing, anyway?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"The Hex Night is a battle between magical girls!" the fairy suddenly chimed in, "No-one is killed, so don't worry. But the victor gets their very own wish!"

@TheFake@Anza

At least the newcomer didn't seem to be trying to attack them, though Tokiko still thought she looked kind of scary. The mad scientist crossed her arms, and kept a wary eye on the black-clad stranger, interjecting only a quiet hmph of disagreement at the implication that she might be in any way 'easy.' Anyone ought to know: Tokiko was a very difficult magical girl indeed!

At least all this chatting meant Hikari was getting up to date, and hopefully wouldn't accidentally end up in any more dangerous situations. Not that I'd care, Tokiko thought sullenly. The next time she saw that girl getting attacked, she'd definitely just leave her. If they even saw each other again.

"No one is killed," she added as the fairy explained, "but some of us can get hurt, like you just saw. And now you're involved in all that." She groaned aloud. "I went out of my way to protect you, but instead you've become a magical girl and gotten yourself into even more trouble! You dummy..."

Hikari wasn't the only irritation, though. "And what's your deal?" she asked the unknown magical girl. "If you're not here to fight us, then why reveal yourself like this? Are you looking to team up or something?"

@VitaVitaAR@TheFake

---

@A Lowly Wretch

At the initial lack of response, Fuyuko bit the inside of her lip. Just how upset was this person with them? A few seconds later, though, the shadow veil lifted to reveal a girl clothed in elaborate black frills, with dark hair and equally dark eyes, seated in an ornate wheelchair that matched her gothic theme. Instead of the look of annoyance Fuyuko had expected, she wore one of calm.

The yuki-onna bowed again once the girl had explained her delayed answer. "Ah... It's ok. Nice to meet you too." Sophia's politeness put her at ease somewhat, but a hint of wariness remained. The wheelchair and breathlessness didn't necessarily stop this girl from being a formidable fighter, ranged magic being more than capable of making up for physical frailty. Thankfully, Kiyoshi showed no sign of detecting hostile intentions, padding forward and nuzzling her. Fuyuko could only hope this was just a display of friendliness, not an indication that she and Noriko had caused unnecessary distress.

"Ehh, I'm the one who should apologise," Noriko said, rubbing the back of her neck. "And don't worry, Kiyoshi here won't harm you, whenever he's not in combat he's just like a puppy." The okuri-okami turned to glare at his summoner for a second. "I'm Noriko," the wolf girl continued, "and this is my sister, Fuyuko." Despite the lingering embarrassment at the little mishap, the older sister gave a slight smile.

As Noriko petted Kiyoshi, then tucked her hair behind her ear, Fuyuko knew what she was doing. Her lifting of an okuri-okami hair to her eyes would look inconspicuous that way, at least to people who didn't know the full extent of her magic. Further relief settled over Fuyuko when Noriko didn't seem to pick up on any warning signs, acting the same as usual. "Ohh awesome!" the younger sister commented, wide-eyed as she glanced up. "I'm going to guess those ravens are yours, that's a neat move!"

Fuyuko's eyebrows furrowed as she looked in the same direction. There had to be a reason Sophia was using her magic. A reason she'd been hiding just now. "Uh... If you don't mind my asking," the white-haired girl said. "This got me wondering... What is it that brings you to these woods? There isn't trouble nearby, is there?"

---

"S-Sisters?!"

Nico was shocked that her guess turned out to be correct, eyes wide open in disbelief. The girl never knew that the young shrine maiden had a sister! Still, the longer she thought about it, the weirder it seemed. Nico was sure Hanako had been in the same school as her for at least the past year. She also didn't seem like the type of girl that would wander the country. Most of the times Nico saw her, Hanako was taking a nap somewhere... it was hard to believe someone with such little energy could muster that kind of willpower.

"Ah, Hanako-san! Are you alright?"

Nico took notice of how uncomfortable Hanako seemed to be with the entire situation. She was mumbling, staring down at her feet and the girl's face was steadily getting more and more flushed. Nico put two and two together, figuring out that Himeko was messing with the both of them. She looked back up at the shrine maiden with a frown.

"Himeko-san, you shouldn't tease us like that... I really believed you were siblings for a moment there!"

“Hoshino? I think you’re in the year below mine. I’m Sonya.”

Her grip on the Key tightened slightly but she retained the confident posture and expression. Is the real world she would be at a slight disadvantage against just one of them. The potential for collateral damage there would seriously limit how much firepower should could throw around.

“I was actually looking for a friend but came across you guys instead. Who were you fighting anyway?”

She was honestly worried about Hanako at this point, especially if there was a pair low enough to attack a brand new magical girl prowling around.

“And which way did they go? You look winded but I should be able to finish them off.”

@Anza@VitaVitaAR

“I was going back home, like anyone would at this time, it just happens to be that going through this park is the shortest route,” Christa replied to the younger girl, eyeing her weird mannerisms with a great deal of care while trying to not stare too much out of consideration for her privacy. “But, never mind that. You are much younger than I’m so, by your own logic, you are in a more vulnerable position,” she added, reversing the argument.

“If you are lost, I can help get to the nearest police station. It’s not that far from here. Otherwise, I suppose that I’ll have to bid you farewell,” Christa said in as much of a helpful tone as she could muster. She couldn’t simply abandon a child that might as well be lost without at least offering to help. even though this one felt off for some reason that she couldn’t tell that easily.

"Sorry, sorry~" Himeko practically sang, her wide grin plastered across her face, "it was hard to resist!"

A gullible young lady and a flustered high(?)-schooler, what a wonderful combination! Even if Nico cottoned on relatively quickly, she seemed the type to be easily taken in by Himeko's words. The day she learned to second-guess every word that passed the shrine maiden's lips would be a sad one, indeed. Little Hanako, meanwhile, seemed to have a low teasing threshold, so Himeko would have to rein it in.

"Not that I would mind having a sister as cute as you, of course!" Himeko addressed the smallest of the trio with a friendly smile, "but anyway, sorry for the bump. As long as you aren't hurt!"

Himeko barely managed to refrain from patting the young girl's head. Her exact age was hard to pin down, but putting that aside, Hanako's demeanour indicated that such a display of affection would have her melt into the floor. Himeko wasn't so mean to do that to her. In public.

@Ammokkx@Raineh Daze

"Ah... It's ok. Nice to meet you too."

As the wolf padded forward she carefully presented her hand, letting the creature acquaint itself with her scent to put it at ease. Once it was comfortable with her she would give it a gentle pet along the ear, it's soft fur running along her pale delicate fingers.

"Ehh, I'm the one who should apologise, And don't worry, Kiyoshi here won't harm you, whenever he's not in combat he's just like a puppy. I'm Noriko, and this is my sister, Fuyuko."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both." Sophia looked from one to the other. While both of them still seemed wary of her Noriko was the more relaxed of the two, Fuyuko still looking at her with some suspicion.

"Ohh awesome! I'm going to guess those ravens are yours, that's a neat move!"

Without any change in her placid expression she simply nodded. Though there were only a couple of her ravens nearby, the rest distributed further into the woods and all over the town, it seemed this magical girl had pinned their presence to her. Given how she's already demonstrated notable abilities of detection thus far given how she was able to find her in the first place it did not surprise her that she able to trace her conjurations to their source.

"Very astute of you." She answered calmly. There was still the possibility of this situation turning ugly but from appearances it seemed neither of these two were looking to take advantage of this moment of weakness of hers. She had good cause to fear for her own safety seeing as she was outnumbered but she did not allow that to color her attitude. Hex Night or not they were still magical girls, deserving of common courtesy and politeness at the very least. More than that they were still people. While people are often unpredictable she could not allow herself to treat the people she strove to protect from the shades like wild animals.

"Uh... If you don't mind my asking, This got me wondering... What is it that brings you to these woods? There isn't trouble nearby, is there?"

She shut her eyes briefly, enjoying the fresh air's cool touch on her skin as her long wavy black hair gently swayed in the breeze.

"No." Her eyes locked with Fuyuko's own icy blue gaze. "I'm simply acquainting myself with this town and it's residents. I find nature relaxing, well removed from the many distractions of urban life."

She looked down from Fuyuko to their large wolf Kiyoshi.

"I feel many a people's hearts crave such peace without knowing it."

---

@LuckyBlackCat

Sonya? Tokiko frowned at that. The name sounded foreign, but oddly familiar. Hikari's in the year below her? If she knows Hikari, then there's a chance she knows me as a civilian as well... Perhaps Tokiko ought to start paying more attention to what went on in school. She'd known there were plenty of other magical girls in Tokyo, but she'd never have imagined their civilian lives would run so close to one another.

Still, right now they were all in magical girl form, and going about magical business. It would be rude to inquire about Sonya's real identity at a time like this, especially since they'd only just met. Instead, Tokiko needed to figure out how to play the situation to her advantage.

"Who were you fighting anyway? And which way did they go? You look winded but I should be able to finish them off.”

"Oh, that was just Tsukimi and Naoko," she answered quickly, before Hikari could get a word in. "They're B-tier at best, so they have to rely on scummy tactics like ambushes to get their way." She pointed up at the rooftops, in the rough direction that the two enemy magical girls had fled. "They ran off that way after we beat the crap out of them. Naoko's pretty fast, but she was carrying Tsukimi when she left, so that should weigh her down a bit." She flashed a wicked smile. "You can probably still catch them, if you leave now. Normally I'd get mad over someone stealing my wins, but those two pissed me off enough that I'd be happy to let you have them."

@VitaVitaAR@TheFake

"Sonya-san..."

Now she remembered that name. The year above her, a foreign girl who had been brought to Japan... she didn't know much else about her aside from that, though. It was just hard not to know about foreign exchange students or other, similar people. Just how many magical girls were at her school? And in Tokyo in general?

And what... just what was the Hex Night? She knew it was a battle between magical girls for a wish, but why? At least no-one was killed but... it was still strange. Magical girls were supposed to fight evil together, weren't they? Being introduced to being one with something like this was unusual, to say the least.

"Additionally, the Hex Night is-ah?"

The Fairy paused for a moment, frowning.

"Aaah... I need to go! I'm sorry, there's something really important I need to handle right away!" she declared, ascending into the sky, "Can one of you girls help explain the Hex Night to Hoshino-san? Sorry!"

With that, she zoomed off without another word.

"Eh...? Hey! Hey! You you didn't finish explaining!" cried Hikari after the fairy. While she knew one of the other two magical girls had been asked to take over, that didn't really make it any better when the fairy responsible for all this just left all of the sudden, "That's just... grrr..."

@TheFake@Anza

Oh, the other girl had believed her, and the shrine maiden wasn't continuing the charade. That was good, Hanako wasn't sure how much teasing she could have actually taken from such a respected figure. A bit calmer now, she no longer had such a focus on her shoes, "I'm fine, I'm fine... I should have been watching where I was going, anyway..."

Though... maybe this was actually a good opportunity if she thought about it? A shrine maiden was incredibly unlikely to be involved in something like the Hex Night; she probably had far more important spiritual protections to see to. And because it was an inherited position, she was likely to have a spare room or something that would give her the chance to come and go late at night...

"Ah, but... my family's... washing machine... exploded and I need to stay somewhere until... um... the floor is fixed..."

@RolePlayerRoxas@Ammokkx

She smiled and nodded her head in thanks. Those two? One had a spear and the other had a… mace? No, it was a club. That made sense to gang up on someone but they made a mistake when they involved the mad scientist girl with her pet monster. The addition of the new girl must have certainly tilted the scales against the attacking pair. Sonya had heard rumors of them but had met few firsthand. Her own abilities by their very nature didn't give much opportunity to meet other magical girls.

“Got it, this should be a good warmup for everything.”

Sonya jumped up onto a rooftop, landing lightly on her feet. She turned and gave a wave.

“And be nice to the new girl. I might get upset if you let anything happen to her.”

The second half of that was delivered with a cold certainty entirely unlike the cheerfully confident Sonya that had carried the rest of the conversation. Then she jumped away, swiftly traversing rooftops in pursuit of her quarry. If they had a reputation for ambush then it became more likely that Hanako might become a target.

Tokiko stuck her tongue out at the departing magical girl, muttering to herself under her breath. "Oooooh, look at meee, I might get upseeeet! If you wanna make a threat, then just make a threat, geez..." Still, all grumpiness aside, it would help to have Tsukimi and Naoko out of her hair. Assuming that Sonya had the power to back up all her talk.

And now... The fairy had vanished, leaving Tokiko alone in the alleyway with her monster and Hikari. Ugh... of course she just sallies off and leaves me to babysit the new girl. The mad scientist scrunched up her brow, then turned on the shorter magical girl.

"All right, you want an explanation?" She pounded one fist into her palm. "Then listen up! Because I'm not gonna say of this twice! Hex Night is a giant battle royale between magical girls that gets held every twenty years, to keep us all in fighting shape and stop too much bad juju from building up in the world. Or something. Basically we're all gonna be beating the crap out of each other for the next few weeks, and the last girl standing, who's obviously gonna be me, gets a wish for whatever she wants. If you're participating you get a little glass marble to show you're in the competition, and if someone breaks it, you're out. But even if you're not directly competing, you can still join in to help out another magical girl... Like, for example a truly selfless one who put herself through so much trouble just to keep a poor newbie from being skewered by a spear, hint hint."

She stopped to take a breath. "I think that's it? Oh, and also you can't murder anyone or fight in front of civilians." She put her hands on her hips and glared. "Any questions?"

Tokiko's monstergirl tentatively raised a hand. "Oooo?"

"I wasn't asking you, silly!"

@VitaVitaAR

A wish...?

It was a battle for a wish for the purposes of preventing... something from building up, and keeping the skills of the magical girls sharp? That sort of explained why there would be something like a battle between magical girls, but a wish... for a few moments, it was hard for Hikari to decide what to do. While it wouldn't be something to admit to, she'd just gotten a wish of hers, the desire to be a magical girl, fulfilled. Now she was encountered with the idea of a battle to claim a wish, against other magical girls...

What was she supposed to do? What kind of wish could she ask for? Could she wish for anything? It was overwhelming to even think about, and for a few moments the short (current)redhead was unable to make any sort of coherent reply.

Then...

"... This... there's no way I can just give any kind of answer to that sort of thing without thinking about it!" she declared, finally, with a huff. She perhaps said it a little more sharply then intended, but even if the other girl had intervened to save her that didn't mean her attitude wasn't irritating. "But... I can't just... if it's that important there's no way I'm not going to take part!"

@Anza

---

Indeed, after some pursuit, it was possible to see just who Tokiko had been talking about. On a distant rooftop, a horned magical girl with a large kanabo resting on her shoulder stood over the prone form of another, shorter girl with a less distinct outfit.

"Haaah, that was such a drag," Sonya could potentially hear, as she got closer, "You got yourself knocked out so I had to run from a fight to save your place in the Hex Night... kinda tempted to smash your orb myself, but we're friends 'n all..."

The oni magical girl's shoulders sagged.

"No way I'd do something two-faced like tha-eh...?"

She looked up, eyes falling on the shape of the approaching girl.

"... Oiii, so someone was followin' us, huh?"

@TheFake

It took a while for Hikari to reply. When she did, it wasn't with questions at all, but rather a loud declaration of intent. Of course, that's exactly what a magical girl would say in this situation... Tokiko shrugged, and glanced away, looking a little hurt.

"Fine! Do whatever you want. Even if it's dumb, it's not like I can stop you..."

And then Tokiko did something extraordinary: she actually shut up. For just a moment, at least. Awkward silence filled the alleyway as she stopped to consider, the sound of distant cars barely audible as the sky darkened overhead. Her hands clutched at one another, fidgeting. Finally, she raised her head to look back at Hikari.

"G-gimme your phone number."

@VitaVitaAR

---

@A Lowly Wretch

Even as Sophia denied trouble, Fuyuko knew there had to be more to the situation than she let on. Why else would the brunette have concealed herself, or even have transformed at all? Either way, Fuyuko reminded herself there was no need to worry. Neither Kiyoshi nor Noriko had picked up on any issues.

The okuri-okami gave Sophia one more nuzzle, then turned to the other two. "It's alright. I don't see any shades nearby," he reassured them, backing up the goth girl's response, "and I'll help to keep a look out."

Fuyuko's little smile returned. "Thanks." Shades weren't her only concern, but Kiyoshi wasn't going to mention the Hex Night around a potential competitor unless there was a good reason, and would alert them to any hostility from fellow magical girls. For all she knew, if Sophia was taking part, she could be just as on guard. Even if she wasn't involved, she might be avoiding getting mistaken for a combatant. The yuki-onna started to relax, the cool floral-scented breeze soothing her nerves. Sophia certainly did seem to enjoy nature just as much, whether she was telling the entire truth or not.

"I agree," Fuyuko replied. "Noriko and I grew up in a small mountain town, there's no atmosphere quite like that. I've noticed city life produces so many more shades... larger, stronger ones..." She tilted her head down, pale hair drifting across her face. "Sorry if this conversation is getting depressing."

Noriko was quick to lift the mood back up. "At least there are more of us around here to keep the doom and gloom at bay!" Her slightly elongated canine teeth showed as she grinned. "And yeah, places like this sure help."

With a nod, Fuyuko glanced at the landscape stretching out around the hill, the swathes of trees giving way to building silhouettes and the soft glow of lights. Like will-o-the-wisps, she thought, leading some people from their bleak worlds with promises of better lives, only to leave them more lost than ever.

"Uh, so..." She turned back to Sophia. "How are you finding Tokyo?"

"My... my phone number?!" exclaimed Hikari after a moment. But really, it didn't take too long for the short girl to realize why she'd been asked. Even if they were potentially going to be enemies, some sort of contact with another magical girl only made sense. Especially when they had fought together, if only for a moment. In spite of this realization, there was no way that Hikari's pride would allow her to act entirely accepting of the outcome, especially when Tokiko had been just has harsh in response.

"... Hmph, I guess hat makes sense..." she half mumbled, reaching towards her bad instinctively... only to realize she no longer had it.

"... Ah? Wait... how do I turn back?!" she cried, looking down at herself. Only now did she realize this was a question rarely answered directly in any sort of magical girl media. They sort of just turned back when they felt like it! That was way too nebulous, wasn't it? Did she just have to think about turning back to normal?!

As it turned out, that was precisely the case. No sooner then Hikari had thought about the need to return to her normal state then she did. In a flash of light, her transformation deactivated, leaving her once again in her school uniform, her hair brown, eyes returned to their normal color, holding her bag.

"... I... guess that's it..."

After a moment, she fished her phone out of her bag and gave her number.

@Anza