---

Ami clenched her fists tightly as Ms Tamashii walked away, briefly considering transforming right there to continue the fight that their apparent Magical Girl teacher had interrupted. Those thoughts were quickly silenced by the fact that there were too many bystanders around, along with the fact that Ms Tamashii was acting as a metaphorical nuclear deterrent. No words were spared for the Light Girls, she simply walked away from them to go find Tsuruga. She probably landed in a bush or something when her powers got taken, so she would need a hug to make her feel better.

The crowd of people worked in somewhat favor for the creature that was stalking Ami. Laying as low as it could, it moved from ankle to ankle, leg to leg, as if prowling on the hunt for someone. That someone was Ami and there was no doubt she could feel its sight on her. Whether she wanted to confront her would-be follower any time soon or lead it to somewhere more seclusive was up to her. After all, it wasn't like anyone was really paying attention. Most students saw fit to just chat with their friends and even Touka was speaking to Kanbaru right now. As for Tsuruga...did anyone really care for her? She could wait a few minutes more.

Ami stopped the moment she felt that ever familiar gaze, quickly tracing it to its source as she saw the Mascot watching her from below. "Hey there uhh... we never named you did we? I'll have to figure out something fun to call you later." She was completely zoned out as she stared off into space, wondering what kind of name would be suitable for a cat. She had never owned a pet before, so this was new grounds. Was the Mascot a pet? Focus Ami!

"You need something? She quickly picked up the strange cat, setting it on her shoulder quickly as she moved onto where Tsuruga was last seen.

<.<

Well, this was akward. The creature that had been observing Ami certainly didn't...look like the Mascots that usually hounded Magical Girls. But then again, those didn't look like fake ears either. Or a fake tail. The girl even made the same expressions, twitching her face to resemble a "D:" as much as she could. Though it came across as artificial and forced. That was probably because Ami had completely picked up the other girl and hoisted her on her shoulder. Were it not for her magical strength, she'd probably have problems carrying her.

>.>?

Despite the vast difference between Mascot and whatever this thing was, Ami didn't really appear all that phased by the fact that she was carrying around a full girl on her shoulder. It would be more accurate to say she hadn't even noticed, so absorbed in her own musings. The fact that this girl was making the same faces that the Mascot usually made didn't help matters, with Ami giving only brief glances to see what emotions were being displayed.

"Don't make confused faces at me, you're the one who was following me around. Unless you were just curious about what I was doing... That would make sense, cats are pretty curious. Then again you're not really a cat. You're a Mascot. Which is kind of like a cat. Gah, focus Ami! Anyways, I'm going to go find Tsuruga so we can go have our sleepover, then we're gonna go rob a store to get candy and stuff for said sleepover. Ooh, I should totally bring you along! We're gonna cuddle with you all night long, its gonna be super fun!" This diatribe would likely last for a while unless she was stopped, whenever Ami started rambling it would keep going until someone interrupted her.

:o

Despite the expression scrunched on the cat girl's face, no words came out. So it tried again.

:0

Still nothing.

>:o

"....t....turned..." The semblance of words were slowly being churned from the girl's mouth, even as her body bobbled in place from Ami's walking. "T-Tu...urned...in...t-to..." At this point the girl just wanted to say something, anything, to put a pause in Ami's senseless rambling. By now they had left the school grounds and were ambling by the busy streets of Miso City. Several people turned to watch the strange hiking journey; but as always with this town, not many questioned the high school girl carrying what was probably a cosplayer.

"Turned...into...human...me?"

The first mumbles didn't really catch Ami's attention, being too quiet to break through the wall of sound that was her, but the second go around did cause a pause for a moment as Ami looked around for the perpetrator. It was only once her attention finally turned to her passenger that she realized just what was going on. Her face went pale as she looked around, dashing into a nearby alley to get out of view of everyone. She then immediately went into Magical Girl form and leaped onto a nearby rooftop, quickly setting the girl down as she began pacing back and forth. "Ok Ami, this is bad but it could definitely be worse. You accidentally kidnapped another student." Her eyes turned towards the girl once more, noting the strange cat ears and tail. Ok maybe not another student.

"Ok, you're a cat person. Thing. Not a student, didn't blow my cover to some random normie. That's good. Now let's think." Turned into human me. Alright, that could mean a lot of things, lets start from the beginning. She wasn't a human before. Now Ami didn't know about a lot of non human creatures, so she ran through the list. Nightmares, hopefully not. Various types of animals, probably not but she wasn't ruling out the possibility. Mascots, well... she looked at the girl once more, noting the strange facial expressions and cat like features.

This is so weird. "Hey uhh... are you a Mascot? Actually, are you our Mascot? I have no idea what's going on to be honest, kinda freaking out a little here."

^-^

While initially looking pale and sick to her stomach from being launched up with Ami, the cat girl was now all smiles. Once again, she tried to replicate the emoticons prevalent of Mascots, only to look like she was constipated instead. That said, the fact she could see Ami even in her magical state should have been the biggest clue of them all. But in case the dark girl still didn't piece it together, the Mascot said, "Me...turned into...human...Mascot....yes?"

Yup, she's a Mascot alright. Ami stood in front of the Mascot with a blank look on her face, struggling to piece together the implications of what all this meant. About a minute passed before Ami sighed, shaking her head and collapsing next to the Mascot with an exhausted expression. "You know what? I am definitely not the right person to deal with this. I'm gonna text Tsu-chan, she's way smarter than I am." She was already pulling out her phone as she said this, sending a quick text to Tsuruga to tell her to meet up at the nearby market in Magical Girl form. She would try and explain the situation there, hopefully Tsu-chan could sort all this out while she was off getting snacks for the sleepover.

"Ah man, I gotta get pajamas for you don't I? Well, at least I get to make you look super cute and dress you up."

"Uhh..." As time passed on, the vocalization was becoming easier and easier for the human turned Mascot. At least, it seemed so. The cat girl crawled her way to sit next to Ami, still on all fours of course. "This isn't....supposed to happen," she said, ears twitching downards while she looked down at the collapsed Magical Girl. "Something...interfered. Another source changed me...I think it was...that woman..."

"Ms Tamashi? Yeah, figures that these two clusterfucks are related. I miss being able to punch my problems to death. That was way easier than all..." She vaguely motioned towards the Mascot and the sky, "-this. All this stuff." Ami turned to the Mascot (human?) and looked her over again. "Since you're finding it in ya to talk, you mind telling me your name? If you even have one."

"We...have no name," said the Mascot, waving her tail behind her. "We have no identity or singularity. We are all that we are. The...after effects of...Tamashi's magic...affected me. I was...changed? Changed. This wasn't...supposed to happen." Nor should it have happened. But in Miso City, all manner of strangness was possible.

"Congrats, your name is now Kuro. If you have a problem with that feel free to come up with something else, but in the meantime you're Kuro." Ami finally mustered up the energy to sit back up, checking her phone to see if she had gotten a response from Tsuruga. Nothing, then again it had only been a minute or two. Maybe she should keep waiting...

"Well Kuro, I'm bored. I don't have any way to turn you back into a cat thing, nor do I have any idea on where to start. So until someone who isn't me figures it out, you're gonna hang out with me. Let's go get some snacks." Ami got up a bit slowly, groaning as she stretched her arms over her head and twisted a little bit to get the cricks out of her back. "Alright, princess or fireman?"

"Ku...ro?" The Mascot tilted her head in confusion but the name sounded fine enough. "Kuro...it is...that woman...Tamashi. She is...peculiar..."

---

---

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to mourn your loss,” Chie said after Kanbaru told her to find some other way to spend the rest of the day. It wasn’t like the redhead had that many plans in stock for her free time, however, one important thing was nagging the back of her mind and she surely could go take a look at it on her own. She had a dark grin on her face as she waved Kanbaru off and set on her own pursuit.

And, if all else failed, Chie could always crash into Kanbaru’s house and loiter around there while she waited for her partner. She sure wouldn’t complain about that, would she?


When Apia reached her tree she would notice the delicately sweet fragrance of plum blossoms wafting through the air, coming from a place not that far away from her location. For a normal person, this probably wouldn’t draw much attention given that plum flowers are supposed to begin blossoming around this time of the year. However, the fact that not only it carried in the wind so far away from any plum trees, but also had a faint trace of the supernatural mixed in the perfume would probably be enough to catch the senses of a magical girl.

If she turned around to search for the source of the fragrance, she would eventually find that it came from the direction of the school, most precisely the rooftop from where a faint shadow overlooked the evacuation of students as they prepared themselves for a cold and austere New Year.

Surprisingly enough, no traces of magic as they are used to it, or even the feeling of a real presence emanated from the shadowy figure. Almost as if she were nothing but an illusion brought forth by the dance of light and darkness of the approaching twilight, just a phantom, playing tricks on the mind…


Back at the school gates, another blue-haired girl would soon be joining Touka. This time it was none other than Seyrun, arriving after having spotted the Detention Club president’s messy green hair, through the crowd of students that were leaving the school’s premises.

“Hi again, Miss Yama and… Miss Otoko, right?” Seyrun said, bowing towards the other girls. “I’m sorry for not being able to finish our conversation earlier today. If you wish, I’d like to make up for it by inviting you to eat something,” she cocked her head while looking towards Kanbaru with a puzzled expression before continuing, “though, given your friend’s costume… I suppose that you are going to some sort of New Year’s party, right? If so, I’m sorry for bothering you,” she finally added. This very statement confirmed that not only could she see Kanbaru in her transformed state, but also acted in a rather clueless regarding it, almost as if she weren’t aware of that what she witnessed was supposed to be something out of the ordinary.

---

---

While Yui rushed over to her friends, obviously with important news to share regarding the information that had been unveiled, a young woman garbed in a maid's outfit watched them from from a nearby bench. She nodded to herself resolutely, indeed, these were the ones that she needed to find. While their fourth appeared to be missing, hopefully they would be able to find her rather quickly. This was a time sensitive endeavor after all. The maid rose with confidence, quickly approaching the three girls with a pleasant smile and a quite approachable aura.

"Excuse me? Young ladys? Her Japanese was impeccable, indistinguishable from someone who had been born and raised in the area. However a slight hint of an accent peeked through, betraying her British origins to the three Light Magical Girls. "I have a message for you three, well all four of you actually. I hope you can find your friend rather quickly, my master desperately needs your assistance." A letter was pulled out of her apron pocket, the wax seal on it somewhat fresh looking. It was quickly pressed into Yui's hands, a bit forcefully actually, after which the maid stepped back respectfully. Any attempt to ask the maid questions would be met with an insistent motion to open the letter, attempts to walk away would result in her simply following them. She was dedicated to her job to say the least.

Upon opening the letter, they would find the following message inside.



While for the most part the handwriting was impeccable, near the end where she is asking for help the handwriting seems to get a bit sloppier, as if Margaret was in a rush to get this written as quickly as possible. After they finished reading the letter, the maid now identified as Elizabeth would speak once more. "As you can see, we are in quite dire straits and need your assistance. I can give you some time to collect your thoughts and discuss this with your... companions, however time is off the essence." With that being said, Elizabeth simply stood there silently and waited for them to make their decision.

---

By the time Kanbaru had arrived, Touka had sent a text out to the Detention Club members. Knowing about Ami’s sleepover-she knew, of course, she always knew-she had decided they might as well spend their New Year’s Eve gathering around that area. Whether they stayed for an actual sleepover or not was up to them, but that was the least of their problems. Especially now that Kanbaru had reminded her of Aegis in general. She bristled at the bitch’s mention and stared right into the clad dark girl.

“Nothing as simple as that,” she hissed, having half a mind to maul the Code Keeper right then and there. The clearing of students around them had since begun to break up into their own groups, some even starting to head home. “It’s something…else. Regarding the so-called leader of those idiots in the light.” As she spoke, a familiar dark wind brushed past her and when she looked around, she noticed Seyrun of all people standing beside them.

And there she was. The cause of her current mood. Touka eyed down Seyrun with a beady gaze, somehow not surprised she could see the invisible Kanbaru. This girl was wafting off dark power and she had made sure to mention this person in her Detention Club text. That said… “As you can see, I’ve made a new friend today Otoko-Chan. One who’s given me an interesting piece of information to consider.”

Touka glanced from one girl to the other, pondering the words she would choose very carefully. After all, as far as Seyrun knew, she was still the awkward president of the Detention Club. “Er, that is to say…she tells me I have a sister. She says it’s Murata-Chan in our class.” Touka almost vomited at spitting out the name. “I think it’s because we have the same colored hair? But she insists we’re related…isn’t that strange! What do you think, Otoko-Chan?”

"Even if that were true...which it totally isn't, eheh! But if it was...I don't even know the first thing about it. Don't you have a sister, Otoko-Chan?" Touka stared down the Code Keeper even as her voice continued to play the part. "Like, I wouldn't know the first thing about how to deal with all that, eheh...."

---

@TheWindel @SimpleWriter @floodtalon

Tama listened with rapt attention. So it turned out Miso City did have another much-needed magical girl. Presumably a light one, going by the way Miss Tamashii had broken up the fight, and an incredibly powerful one at that. A subdued "You learn something new every day, huh?" was all Tama uttered at first, in contrast with Honoka, who beamed as she skipped after the teacher.

"Ahhh that's so awesome!!" the redhead squealed, eyes shining. "So you've been helping fight Nightmares this whole time! I bet they don't stand a chance against you!"

Despite the complete and utter bewilderment, Tama gave a slight smile at Honoka's good cheer. A second later, the bluenette's usual solemn expression took its place. "About that... Do you know what amped up all those Nightmares back then?" she asked. "Also, the other girl who was with us just now." She glanced over her shoulder. "Is she going to be ok? Yes, she put us in that state, but we can't just leave her."

Honoka nodded. Hopefully the flying girl had been fixed up along with the scenery, but if she hadn't... The musician knew all too well what a bad fall was like. "Yeah, let's go check! It's not like she can harm us right now anywa- Ah!" She raised her hand to her mouth, recoiling. "What is this?!"

Her sudden stop nearly caused Tama to bump into her. Both stared at the crowds of students pouring out of the doors, as the blaring of a fire alarm filled the crisp winter air.

"Fuck." The word slipped out of Tama's mouth despite the proximity of a teacher. "So much for protecting the school." Guilt struck all over again. Should she and Honoka have stayed behind after all when the fight had left school grounds, to make sure nobody else got hurt?

As soon as Miss Tamashii had returned their magic and released the light girls from a hug, Tama and Honoka rushed over to the other teachers, asking - or frantically babbling in the younger girl's case - what had happened, and if everyone was alright. They were, as far as the staff knew, but apparently something had gotten into the school, smashing up lockers. Tama's hands clenched by her sides. She had a good idea of what had happened, more than likely to do with that miasma of darkness from earlier, but it wasn't exactly something she could tell school staff.

"And to think everyone got brought here for their own safety," Tama muttered, trudging away from the crowd, with just Honoka at her side. Both Soma and Rose had left without a word for all their apparent camaraderie just now, and Ami wandered in the other direction, no longer interested in picking a fight to Tama's relief. In all likelihood, the dark girl was heading off to check on her friend.

Were those of the dark really more loyal than those who sided with light...?

Shaking her head, Tama pushed away the thought. Positivity was needed more than ever. Honoka had the right idea, that spring returning to her step.

"At least everyone's ok!" the redhead reminded her. "As for the damage, it'll get fixed up in no time!" She glanced in the direction Miss Tamashii had gone, then grinned back at Tama. "You know what I'm talking about!"

In truth, Tama was less than certain such a thing would happen. If everything suddenly became good as new with no explanation, that would weird everyone out further. The cracks in the city's facade of normality wouldn't be so easily fixed, not as they spread and deepened by the day.

As a familiar figure descended, both turned to face her.

"Yui!!" Honoka bounded over to the other light girl, before skidding to a halt, remembering that to most she seemed to be greeting thin air. Gahhh, she thought, still so much to get used to. "Huh?" She brought her voice to a whisper, noticing the tears welling in Yui's eyes. "What happened?"

Tama stepped forward, her response just as soft. "You found her, right? There wasn't more trouble, was there? Was it... Was it anything about Luna?" She started to lead the other two away from the school building. "Or Alara? Did you find out where she is?"

Before Yui could respond, a fourth person approached them. The white-haired, Western-looking maid wasn't someone Tama or Honoka had seen before, and radiated no magical aura. As such, her announcement of a message for all of them came as something of a surprise, in so much as anything was surprising any more, especially as she handed Yui the letter.

"You can see her?" Honoka blurted. It must have been a mascot, she figured, who had shown the maid their location and revealed to her what was normally hidden. The redhead craned her neck, eyes widening as they scanned the text. Once she'd finished, she jumped up from her stooped position, her face resolute. "We'll be right on it! Don't you worry, we'll get that emblem back for her straight away!"

Tama's eyebrows furrowed. A stolen emblem... She'd felt vulnerable enough just now while depowered for a few minutes. For a magical girl to not just lose her powers with no certainty that she'd regain them, but to know that her life was in danger... The memory of Luna's bloodstained corpse resurfaced, her tattoo slashed down the middle. "It seems it'll be best to discuss this once we've spoken to her, found out more," Tama said, with a compliant bow to Elizabeth, "and we'll find our friend as fast as we can."

She turned her attention back to the crowd, alert for any sign of Illya.

---

She fully expected a tongue lashing from Touka given the president's foul mood, and perhaps a literal one if she bothered to transform, but it seemed that Touka was willing to put business before outbursts today. A surprise given everyone else she'd encountered was either exploding with emotion or Rania. "Leadership you say..."

However they hadn't the chance to cut to the heart of the matter before being interrupted by an unfamiliar bluenetter who shocked Kanbaru with both her perception of magic and seeming ignorance of it. Making matters even more uncertain was Touka's familiarity with her and the information she'd dumped on the hellion while Kanbaru had been busy.

Paranoia may have been warranted, but frankly, Kanbaru was too happy to consider it. Tossing back her hood and pulling down her mask to dangle from her neck, she flashed Seyrun a brood smile while moving close to embrace Touka's side in a one armed hug.

"Great to meat you, Seyrun. You don't know how happy it makes me to hear our shy little Club President made a friend outside our little circle. She can be so shy it's like watching a kicked puppy for all the time she hides from strangers." Kanbaru beamed, knowing full well that Touka would be bristling like a rabid animal from her words but unable to restrain herself. "Though, her and Murata? Darn, that's....well I can see the resemblence, but you two aren't on the best of terms. Eh, I grant you that is actually fairly common for siblings in the Club, but still..."

"Aye, looking for help? 'Fraid there isn't a user manual on siblings, but I'll be here for you, same as always. Lucky you that you found out now, and didn't have to fight over the shower in the morning like every other sibling had to." Kanbaru finished with a laugh and leaned in close, eyes fully upon Touka. "What say we go meet this sibling of yours and bury the hatchet? I'd hate to see you wind up like the last Club Prez."

---

---

There was a jingle, followed by the vibration of a phone in her pocket. It was drowned out by Tsuruga's groaning, but even sulking had its limits and with the eventual return of her full power, Tsuruga had to admit to herself she was laying on the ground because she felt like it more then anything else. With a hand planted in the dirt she propped herself up, glaring through cracked glasses at the world around her before transforming. Clarity and the reassuring feeling of utter transperancy to the mundane world suffused her, giving Tsuruga the needed boost to whip out her phone and see what the fuss was about.

".....How long was I down?"

The digital clock told her it wasn't nearly long enough for this Club wide message and the insanity that Ami was spouting, but there was no refuting it. "Why couldn't I get a quiet member? Someone who doesn't do things like this? Ugh, who am I kidding? I'm hardly any better."

Her flight was dejected as she took off, neck and arms hanging limp while she made for the address Ami provided. In short order she alighted on a fairly populace, the masses ignorant of Ami and her mysterious companion seeted on a bench for a brace of vending machines. Tsuruga paused, head quirked uncertainly upon seeing Ami staring down at....an honest to Kami catgirl.

"Umm, Ami, I know we are Dark Girls, but I don't condone picking up underaged girls from the Red Light District." Tsuruga said, knowing full well from the texts this...person, was also their mascot. Except now the dur was skin and the TV was absent, but still, a catgirl was just bizarre. "I guess we'll have to get her a sleeping bag too. And clothes. She's staying at your place, just so you know. No room in mine to hide another person- Err, Mascot."

Yui quickly brought a hand to her eyes and wiped away whatever tears built up in them. "Nothing happened, don't worry. It's just..." to explain what she learned here, on the spot and in all of the surrounding 'chaos' was almost impossible. She turned to Tama next.

"Yes. I found her, and I followed her back to her place. We spoke for a little while." Yui looked down for a few moments, the look on her face was recognizable - the same one she almost always had when Luna was brought up, and Tama could recognize it well. "Briefly... she briefly mentioned Luna. I don't have a lot of answers, but she did tell me a few things and...I think it's a lead to follow in making this place safer for everyone. But...it's uncertain. You see, Aegis told me that she's-"

Upon seeing the girl dressed in maid approach them, Yui stopped talking and waited for her to talk to her friends before continuing. Was she surprised when the girl spoke to her! Although, after what Aegis told her, a multitude of reasons for this popped up in Yui's mind and she wondered just what else she and her friends didn't know about. She took the letter and read it with her friends, then it was followed by a small moment of silent thinking before Honoka broke it.

"Honoka...Wait..." but she stopped. Honoka was eager, to be sure, but she was right. Yui mentally slapped herself for thinking even a second that it could wait. If the letter was true, then they had to do it. They at least had to check. "That's right." Yui said to Tama. "We need to find the rest of our group and get on this quickly. What I found can wait until after this, I think...Although..." Yui looked towards the school thoughtfully. She tried to 'feel' this energy Aegis spoke of, but couldn't feel anything different than before. Maybe she was too preoccupied by all that was happening, or maybe she could simply not feel whatever was the cause of Aegis' concern. If she could be concerned with anything at all...

"Tama, think you c--" She stopped. IN the last days, she felt as if she had left her friends alone for this or that reason all too often...and with a smile continued. "Nevermind. Let's all look for Illya before heading to this Margaret's place. Sounds good?" she said, spreading her wings as if to say she was ready to move.

---

Ami chuckled a little as she heard Tsu-chan setting down, opening her eyes as she stared at her partner in crime. "But Tsu-chan, there's nothing wrong with picking up someone our age from the Red Light District. Unless..." Ami sidled up to Tsuruga quickly, wrapping her arms around her and leaning into her ear. "Are you jealous Tsu-chan? Did you want me to pick you up? I know we're partners and all, but I didn't know you had these feelings about me." A whisper brushed against Tsuruga's ear, the tickle of Ami's long hair against her neck. "You should have just told me... Tsu... chan." She let that hang in the air for as long as possible, really trying to get a good reaction out of her shy partner. Struggling not to crack up for as long as she could. It only took ten seconds for her to lose it. Ami fell to the ground with uproarious laughter, holding her stomach as she tried to catch her breath.

After all that was said and done, Ami got up to her feet and sighed, still chuckling as she brushed off her clothes. "Of course she's gonna be staying at my place! I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you have this adorable little thing all to yourself!" She grabbed Kuro into a hug, snuggling the catgirl and playing with her ears lightly. "Don't worry though, I'm great at sharing. You can come over whenever you want to play with my new cat. Isn't that right Kuro?" That was a complete lie, Ami was horrible at sharing as shown by her outburst just this morning. No need to say it out loud though. "Now then, let's find some adorable new clothes for you, no, for everyone! Oh man, we're gonna have to get sleepover clothes for the whole club huh! We gotta get Touka something green of course, to match with her beautiful hair, Ayumu is gonna want something with lots of bright colors, Apia will get something yellow and black-" And so it would go as Ami walked into the store, fully transformed and dragging Kuro with her. Tonight would be a wild one to be sure.

---

Elizabeth didn't have much to say, not even reacting all that much to their surprise. A simple wink was the only response given to their exclamation, we all had our secrets after all. How she was able to interact with the world of Magic was just one of hers. Regardless, it certainly took a weight off her shoulders to hear that they were all ready and willing to help her master, no strings attached too. The maid bowed in gratitude, a deep bow, as deep as she could possibly bow. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. Master Margaret has been sulking in the hotel for the past week now, ever since that ruffian came in and... I'm getting ahead of myself. Master Margaret will be able to explain everything to you when you arrive. You'll want to go to the penthouse suite, if you decide to fly in the windows will be open. Now then, I need to go prepare for your arrival. Once again, thank you." With that, Margaret departed the group with haste, disappearing into the crowd like she was never there.

Through the hallways, Machiko would feel a lone presence approaching.

Those fights had really done a number on the school, Ayumu thought, lips curling into a smile as she took in the dented lockers. Too bad she'd missed them. She could just imagine the expressions on any onlookers' faces. The magician sneaked onwards, towards the one person still here.

An aura of gloominess permeated the air, emanating from the Detention Club room. Time to liven things up. "Hey, don't you worry," Ayumu called, striding into the room in her shadowy stage outfit. "No need to head home just yet!"

With a gloved hand, she pointed behind Machiko. Just a second ago, the room had been plain save for the table sheet. Now, streamers - or rather, knotted-together handkerchiefs, ragged and bloodstained, hung from the ceiling. Balloons floated around, some shaped like unsettlingly detailed skulls, others like eyeballs. A cabinet rose from a trapdoor, opening to reveal rows of gleaming spikes, although the many figures who leapt from the small space were unharmed. "SURPRISE!!" the other dark magical girls called in unison, their good cheer contrasting with their sinister transformed appearances.

"Although there's been a slight change of plan," Ayumu explained, waving her hand. The room became ordinary once more, empty besides her and her former partner. "Since school's out, the meeting's being moved to Ami's place."

Machiko remained perfectly still all the while illusions; eyeballs, bloodied things, skulls and balloons appeared and caused chaos in the room - for a little while. It all disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, and only after the last illusion was gone did Machiko slowly turned around to look at Ayumu, bearing her usual nonchalant expression. By the time Ayumu had made her way to the room, the feast of sweets and pastries had been packed back up in their boxes. Holding one in her arms, Machiko walked over to Ayumu.

"Here." she said as she put the box in her friend's arms and went back to the table to pick up the other one.

"Help me carry those to Ami's home then."

She aimed for the door, but stopped as she was passing Ayumu and turned her head towards her. "It's been a while. You must have a new partner by now." she said, with no traces of either being happy to see Ayumu or not. Since those two had been partners, the magician would know that's just how Machiko was: Jaded.

Ayumu didn't take offense at Machiko's minimal reaction. On the surface, the two appeared to be opposites. Deep down, Ayumu could relate to that cynicism all too well. A magician entertained and enthralled at the cost of experiencing such joy themselves. A stage act hid a myriad of secrets, just like a smile did - and just like this world did.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna leave a friend behind," she replied, helping Machiko with the boxes. As she did, she returned to civilian form. Inspiring urban legends and ghost stories was fun and all, but probably not something Machiko would be in the kind of mood to help with. "Good to see you again, and I'm sure the rest of the club will agree. Ooh, Ami's gonna love these."

As she led the other magical girl from the room, Ayumu decided not to mention the fact that she'd come back to Miso City at a less than ideal time, with that high-and-mighty force of light invading Detention Club territory. If the club wanted to discuss that at the meeting, they would, and she wasn't going to be the one to bring the mood down. Aegis had done enough of that recently.

"It doesn't matter." she said, talking of course of whether or not the others would or would not care or be happy to see her again. "I wonder who will be my partner now. Ahh. I guess I'll have to wait for Touka to decide. Now..." the both of them were now outside of the school. It was quite late, some time after all of the commotion. Machiko turned to her old partner and looked her in the eyes of her jaded stare. "...Which way?"

---

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[ ♫ ]

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"Why did I ever agree to this?"

Tsuruga sighed dramatically, comfortable in a set of boring gray flannel pajamas that her partner abhored for their lack of expression, and curled up in an out of the way corner of Ami's living room with a recently transformed catgirl sequestered upon her lap. Being the most responsible member of the partnership by her own estimation, it naturally fell to her to ensure the well being of this bizarre creature. And by well being, she meant keeping an eye open lest the others be overwhelmed by the Mascot's weaponized cuteness and attempt to drag her off to perform unspeakable acts that would have the JSDF come crashing through their windows in a parody of a certain American federal agency.

She certainly didn't have her mind in that direction because of Ami's earlier teasing, nor would she admit to responding with anything less then the utmost decorum in the face of absurdity. As things stand no one can prove the slight redness around Ami's neck came from her hands, no siree.

"A part of me hopes no one shows up, but then I'd have to put up with Ami....compensating, for their absense. Yikes...."

Tsuruga wouldn't need to fear for very long; soon enough, the first wave of darkness had arrived at Ami's residence. Even outside the door Touka could feel the scrambled presence in Ami's home and deduced that must have been the Mascot turned human. Honestly, if it weren't for Ami swearing it was true and sending in photos of the girl in compromising positions over the group chat, she wouldn't believe it.

But it made more sense than Yui being her sister. Touka bristled anew as she recall that earlier interaction; as soon as Seyrun turned away, she had made quick work of Kanbaru's stupid hat. It wouldn't be stitched back together so easily. Speaking of the former, Touka shot a quick text to Seyrun and gave her the address and location. If they were to initiate this fledgling shadow among their ranks, she would need to be initiated.

"I know you're in there Tsuruga. Open the door before I kick it down."

Apia slowly stepped closer to the meeting location, being a little fearful. It'd certainly been a while since she or Hana had faced any members of the detention club, outside of themselves. Suddenly coming to this important meeting disguised as a sleepover was a bit much for a reintroduction. Still, it was a welcome back nonetheless.

Even if it was, though, why couldn't she step forward and go up to the door? Was she really that scared of the president and everyone else's thoughts of her? Was she really that nervous? Certainly not! She wasn't scared of anything that the other club members could throw at her! She was just... having a muscle spasm or something.

Maybe she'd just wait by the street for Hana and walk in with her. Yeah, that was a better idea.

Not even a few seconds passed before Touka would hear a rapid thumping, quickly followed by the door flying open inches away from Touka's face. "Tou-chan!" Ami wrapped her arms around the president, giving one of her classic bonecrushing hugs as she pulled Touka into her home. The first thing she would notice is that the place was a literal mess. Pizza boxes were strewn all over the table in the kitchen, clean clothes lying in a pile in the middle of the room, dirty ones all over the floor literally everywhere in the house, along with candy wrappers here and there. "You got here just in time, I was just finishing cleaning up!" Yet apparently this was what was considered clean for the girl.

"You can go ask Tsu-chan about your pajamas, we got you and everyone else super cute sets! Except for Tsu-chan, she got some boring grey ones. I swear, it's like you have to go out of your way to find something that boring and grey! Especially when there are so many colors to choose from! Hey is that Apia-chan? Apia! Get your ass in here before you freeze to death!" She ran out into the snow completely barefoot, showing off her chosen attire for the night. It was fitting, a set of loose boyshorts and a red camisole, basically the perfect clothes to show off as much skin as possible. Not like she ever got cold anyways.

"Come on come on, I grabbed some pizzas and they're not getting any warmer you know!" She was in front of Apia within seconds, some of that trademark speed she has in Magical Girl form obviously rearing its head here. Ami grabbed Apia's hand and started leading her to the apartment, dragging her along despite any protests the bee girl may have. "We're gonna have so much fun, we're gonna eat lots of candy, watch scary movies, cuddle up with Kuro- oh did you see all the pictures I posted of Kuro? She's so cute isn't she, I can't decide if I like her more like this or as a fluffy little kitty!"

"Hi Ami..."

There was no fighting against the unarmored crush of messy hugs; not when the Black Knight was this enthused. The most Touka could do was suck her gut in to brace for the inevitable, grunting between Ami's arms with feet dangling for a moment or two. And then, it was over, the Club President trying to catch her breath even as she was shoved into her house. "You're as lively as ever with your decorations..."

Ordinarily she might have played up her school persona for the better, but there was simply too much on her mind to maintain the facade. It was why Touka noted the messy house with a frown, though chose not to lecture about cleanliness. That was what Tsuruga was for anway. "I'm not sure I'm staying that long. Enough to welcome our newest recruit, but after that, who knows," she told Ami regarding pajamas. At least, she hadn't planned to stay long, lest she spend another night staring out the window in boredom.

But Ami was already bounding off to drag in Apia, who Touka noticed some time ago. Left with a sigh, she looked at Tsuruga before noting the trembling cat girl sat in her lap. "Is that the Mascot then? It looks...more human than it should. Magical interference I bet." The way it stared off into space had Touka wondering just what the hell Ami had been doing to it in its short span of sentience.

Tsuruga was spared the arduous task of answered the door by Ami's bombastic greetings, inviting others to see the calamity that was Ami's home. She ran a hand between the Mascot's ears and whispered comforting words to try and still it's trembling but the trauma of seeing the initial state of disrepair still lingered. It would have almost been funny if she hadn't had to clean up a home that looked like a cross between a hoarder's nest and an arsonist's proving ground.

"H-Hey Prez. This is the Mascot Ami was texting you about. We've taken to calling her Kuro but I don't think she actually cares. The poor thing still reacts like it has the body of a mascot sometimes. Tried to jump on a junk pile when it got spooked and wound up buried under it. Been shaking like a leaf since, so, here I am." The Iron Winged Magical Girl said morosely, shifting the arm she kept slung beneath both of the mascot's arm pits to keep her from running off and trying to squeeze herself into a box to hide. Kuro didn't know that hiding would only make Ami hunt her down, and down that path laid many a nightmare best avoided.

She reached out, grasping the hem of Touka's shirt as her face morphed into the spitting image of desperation. "Please, stay the night. The more people we have the more Ami will be...less Ami-like, and it might do Kuro here some good to be around familiar faces. She was our Club's go to Mascot....I think. Talking's hard for her and most Mascot's are equally friendly to us."

"I'll think about it," was what Touka said to the desperate club member. She tried to brush off Tsuruga's grip on her shirt and when it became evident she wouldn't be let go that easily, she slowly pried off the fingers. A quick glance at "Kuro" was given before she stalked her way to the nearest window. Events were occurring strangley, more so than usual for Miso City. First Seyrun, and now a sentient Mascot...

Apia dusted the snow off her when she was finally in the apartment, taking in how homey everything felt. It was kind of similar to her room, actually, though there was no honey to be found. Shame. Anyway, Ami always knew how to make someone feel... special and invited? Something along those lines, though being dragged into the apartment from the snow wasn't exactly something that she'd expected to happen after her little hiatus. Maybe everything was water under the bridge, after all.

One of the first things that Apia noticed was the trembling mascot in the room. She had seen the pictures of Kuro that Ami posted, but it was definitely way cuter in person. "Holy hell, Kuro is adorableee~!" Apia placed her things down as she gawked eyes at the cat, reaching into her bag and pulling out her favorite bee blanket before plopping down beside it and sitting there. She was perfectly content with watching Kuro for the while until Hana showed up. After that, she'd hopefully be a little more willing to mingle with the others.

Outside, two more girls made their way along the snowy street.

"Just wait until you see our mascot," Ayumu said, grinning over at Machiko. Not that she expected much curiosity from her friend, but surely the change would warrant at least some surprise. "Did you check out the group chat? According to Ami, a little transformative act took place."

As she neared the door, she could sense the small gathering already there, an odd, jumbled presence among them. The Detention Club mascot in her new form, presumably. Judging by the squealing she heard from one of the other girls, this was something Ayumu just had to see for herself. Setting down the box of sweets and cakes, she knocked. "Hey! Did someone call for a magician and assistant?"

Carrying in her arms a mixture of Cakes with half-ruined icing, Enough Cutlery to think she was planning on arming a regiment and wearing her backpack stood was a very noticable Gal coming into viewing range of the front door, doing her best to carry everything in her arms. Her Face slightly obscured by her hair. One could think then that the twisted smile on it was actually normal. It was then that she bumped into the back of the girl in front that she almost tripped and dropped all her cakes made with ~Surgical~ precision that she finally had to be forced to speak. "Um whomst is infront?"

Machiko had been following Ayumu closely, listening to whatever the girl may or may not talk about. A girl of few words herself, someone such as Ayumu would know that - despite what it looked like - Machiko was a listener. That being said, it wasn't long before the duo arrived at Ami's place. Without a word, Machiko took the box of sweets that Ayumu was holding...then looked behind her at some noise coming their way."Ayumu." she said with her usual low voice - easily unheard thanks to the magician's enthusiastic knocking on the door.

Without warning her friend fruther, Machiko stepped right aside as a new arrival walked right onto Ayumu...spilling cake all over her friend. "Ayumu." she repeated. "Careful; Cake." After putting down a box, Machiko used a finger to get some icing from her friend's cloths and tasted it. "Good." she said, nodding in approval.

A pile of yellow pajamas was shoved into Apia's arms as Ami continued rambling about something or another, before her attention was dragged to the door once again. "Coming!" She leapt over a pile of dirty laundry, rushing to the door just in time for her to hear several things dropping as well as what might be a splat? Ami swung the door open to find an Ayumu covered in cake, along with a Machiko and Apia's partner. "Well I wasn't planning on this kind of night, but if you really wanted me to eat you up all you had to do was ask." Amusement dripped from her voice as she eyed Ayumu, pulling her into a hug.

"You can find the shower right past Tsu-chan, I'm guessing you're gonna need it." After the usual bone crushing hug was done, she moved aside to let everyone in. "Good to see you again Machi-chan, we missed you." She closed the door once everyone was in, moving back to Touka and Tsuruga as they discussed the various fun times Kuro has had since becoming human. "Hey now, you guys are making it sound like I traumatized Kuro or something! Kuro is having a wonderful time, just look at her! She's trembling with excitement!" Ami leapt onto the couch, landing with a bounce next to Tsuruga and Kuro. "Isn't that right Kuro-chan! We're gonna have so much fun!" If it was even possible Kuro was trembling even harder now. What a good kitty.

The moment that Hana walked into the door, Apia ran up to her and grabbed a few of the cakes she was carrying, nuzzling her cheek after standing on her toes slightly. "Missed ya, my lovely partner." She had a little bit of a blush, but hopefully it'd settle quickly. She didn't need anyone giving her a hard time about the whole situation between them.

Upon sensing another dark girl on her way, Ayumu had turned round a moment too late. The next thing she knew, several boxes knocked into her, cakes spilling out and splattering all over her coat. She stumbled, then regained her footing and turned to face Hana.

"Tsk tsk, you start throwing things at me before I've even put on a magic act? C'mon, you've gotta give an entertainer a chance," she joked. Far from being truly annoyed, she greeted Hana with a smile. "Trust you to carry around as much as you possibly can."

Just then, the door flew open and Ayumu found herself dragged into one of Ami's bear hugs, inadvertently covering her in crumbs and icing. "Hehe, so I'm a tasty treat now am I?" She gave a playful wink as she stepped in, carrying her own box of pastries. "Yeah, although there are much more exciting ways to clean all this up than a shower, you'd need Kiru's permission first."

Placing the box on the table, she headed towards the bathroom, stopping when she noticed the cat-eared girl. "Ohh! Now that's quite the adorable new look there, kittycat."

Hana frowned a bit, just standing their a little embrassed that she had allowed herself to be so clumsy. She'd have to medically compare her reflexs later, maybe replace some muscle tissue with that of a more... No. She might have a craving for muscle mass but cross species implantation never worked in both publicised findings and in her own research. Obviously a chick headed rat and a rat heased chick were both organisms that wouldn't last longer then a few seconds. But she had managed 10 minutes! The circulatory miracle alone was outstanding to her.

She blinked again at the wierd smile that the cake covered girl was trying to give her only staring blankly back like some sort of mute, before a flash of yellow and a certain busy bee was causing this dear Cake-Carrying Nurse's Temperature to rise to a fever pitch. Obviously the red tint on her face was merely a byproduct of the infectious disease known as.

'OhmygoditsApiaShesTouchingMyFaceAndGivingMeABorderLinepanicattack-Itus'. Hana nodded slightly as she smiled at them that blushed smile, avoiding to speak to prevent her from being affected by the cursed symptom of stammering.

Passing the precipice, but maintaining a steady pace so that Apia was beside her, She placed the few,remain cupcake filled boxes down. Before slipping a final grand Silvery box down on the table. The best cake she had made all week!

But now that her hands were free she had only one cure for her current affliction as she wrapped her arms around Apia in a hug.
"I missed you too...~" That slight accent of a lover's language would carry those words via whisper into Apias ear. That increased heart rate that Apia gave her. Another symptom of their close proximity.

Apia giggled a little as she hugged back. "Aww, you're adorable when you're flustered." Unfortunately for her, the bee's face blushed harder than it was a few moments ago. "You've been so busy with your experiments that I was starting to think you weren't gonna come," Apia rested her head on the nurse's shoulder for a moment. "I'm glad you came, though, honey.."

"Apologies for the lateness, my roommate didn’t let me leave any earlier. Nevertheless, it was rude of me to keep you waiting," Seyrun said as she stood by the door, bowing politely in an apologetic manner. Everything about the blue-haired girl’s figure --from the simple yet refined kimono she was dressed with, to the pair expensive Yubari melons that she brought as a gift, and not in the least the sweet-earthy scent of her perfume, which felt just like an early Spring drizzle in a field of flowering plum trees-- exuded a formal, yet mysterious, aura almost like what one would expect of a bride princess from the Warring States era.

The fact that she had gotten inside of Ami’s house without anyone noticing --or at least remembering to let her in-- but didn’t feel like she was trespassing at all, along with the not-quite-magic, yet not-exactly-normal feeling coming from her only added to Seyrun’s mystery. For someone merely accustomed to the conventional trappings of the magical underworld, looking at her would feel just like gazing at a mirror --natural yet eerie. However, someone, as used to deceiving and puppeteering others as Touka, could perhaps notice that this Seyrun was far more than meets the eye.

Perhaps detracting from the sudden intrusion of the mystery girl was the familiar roar of an approaching motorcycle, the Icy Magical girl allowing her transformed state to fall away as she parked before Ami's curb, revealing her in an oversized t-shirt and tight white shorts ending at her midthigh, just barely passing the hem of her casual top. Affixed to the rear of her vehicle was a block of ice and within it was plain to see the tubs upon tubs of ice cream she'd brought.

"Hello party people!" Kanbaru called out, shouldering her way through the door without waiting for anyone to open it, the block of ice propped against her chest as she went straight to the kitchen to set it on a counter top. Or at least, the space she approximated with a counter top buried beneath many a paper plate and greasy paper towel. "Sheesh, and I thought sis kept her room a mess."

Well, it wasn't her place to judge, so leaving the block to thaw out on its own she mosied into the main room where the others congregated and threw an arm around Seyrun's shoulders, pulling her in for a quick hug. "Hey, glad to see you made it. Events like these can be a bit scary for newcomers to a social group, so it's great to see Touka's new friend drop in. Ooh, nice melons. We'll have to make Touka cut them up for us. You should see the things she can do with a high tension wire, it's amazing!"

"Oh, please, don’t bother yourselves. There’s a certain ritual to do when preparing these. If you don’t follow it properly you’ll miss some of the finer nuances of the fruit. Just get me some water, ice, and a sharp knife, I’ll have it done in no time," Seyrun said in a soft-spoken voice after being approached by Kanbaru.

After going in, Machiko also laid eyes on the mascot in human form, wondering what kind of trauma it went through, surrounded by the other club members. She looked around, found the first thing that could serve as a small table and dragged it in front of where most people were sitting, including Ami. Out from the box, Machiko laid down a table clothe, then revealed the content of her two boxes; sweets and pastries still fresh and placed in a beautiful display. She laid them out on the table. "I bring this as a coming back offering." she said, bowing slightly in the direction of the club president.

Almost immediately after, Machiko stepped back and casually began picking up empty pizza boxes or other easy-to-clean stuff laying around, piling them up on the counter while waiting to dispose of them. Initially she didn't react that much to Seyrun's arrival, but as Ayumu walked back to the party after cleaning herself, Machiko landed a hand on her with the flash of an emotion in her eyes "I'm not sure I like this one." she said looking at Seyrun.

Hana could only muster a smile to that comment from her partner as she was doing her best to avoid falling into a bad routine of blushing and smiling sheepishly. "Careful Apia, We have to at least remain presentable in front of our fellow club members." Hana said softly. Always appreciative of that face that even she could not improve. Said face smiling at her.

Still with all her cakes placed down carefully on the table and the fact her hands was free, she grabbed the lid of one of the cake boxs. Before turning to face the newcomer... newcomer... new... She didn't recognise them at all at yet It was like Seyrun had always been there as part of the furniture.
"Hey there...?" Hana said always paranoid around even her other club members (Apia not included) wondering how long this person had been standing there with the melons.

Hana shook her head again as she turned away to set out her cakes. Several neatly frosted cakes, themed after each of the club members powers. Yes. She had to make a cake that instead of ribbons have a relatively sharp wire wrapped around it, For the club president of course, and each cake she had made would be in a similar sort of fashion. Apia's for instance was one that had been made in a honeycomb shape.

All these cakes would be set out on the table in a manner that was not too encroaching on Machiko. After finishing this little setup. Hana turned back to the stranger, and looked back at Apia. Then back to the stranger. "Did we get a new member recently..?" She said walking over to them and bowing. "Sorry If I had known you'd arrived I'd have made you your cake." Hana said to the woman. A stranger to her for she had no clue whom they were. She glanced at Kanbaru and nodded pointing at the table. "I used extra frosting for you for your cake. Go have a look." She said simply.

"Also, I don’t think it’s fair of me to impose on any of you after being so kindly invited to this party. In fact, I almost feel a bit… out of place. If you understand what I mean," Seyrun added in a less vibrant tone after noticing the sudden shift in the mood as well as the way some of the other girls talked about her.

In due time, more and more girls had arrived until the entirity of the Detention Club had been crammed into Ami's household. For the most part; Chie and Kiru were still missing but it wasn't like Touka didn't know where they were. She gave a slight nod to one of their returning members, Machiko, before all her attention was placed on Seyrun. Seyrun, the girl who had seemingly slipped past everyone to find herself here. Kuro the Mascot shared Touka's sights, both sets of eyes watching the new girl carefully.

"So that's your deal. Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Touka thought to herself. She moved away from the window and made her presence now known among the group of gathered girls. A devious grin spread along her lips and sharpened teeth gleamed in the low-light.

"The Detention Club is all here, ready to welcome our newest initate," she announced, staring right at Seyrun. "I'm sure you girls have noticed by now. There's a dark magic lingering off of our guest. Even the Mascots can feel it."Indeed, Kuro's shaking had halted into a deathly stillness and her eyes lowly glowed a red-rimmed color. Her ears and her tail stood straight up as she stared. Several more crimson lights shown their light into the dark house and if either girl looked outside they'd a number of Mascots peering into the house. They hung in trees, stood upon Ami's window sills, and basked in the New Year's Eve snow and ice as if it didn't bother them.

"Seyrun. What do you know about Mahou Shojo?"

Winter is a cold season, and the New Year's eve is an even colder night, especially to those who have lost the last speck of warmth in their life. One they tried their best to protect, but still failed. And now, all they could do was shiver away, waiting for a frigid embrace to take them away. Like the Little Match girl, after her last light run out...

Perhaps, no one among either the Light or Dark magical girls of Miso City would know of this better than Chiaki. Having returned back to her home, cold and forgotten after the loss of her sister. While others tried to celebrate this occasion with jubilation and joy, all she would be doing is stare in silent mourning as the snow piled up outside, blanketing their traditional looking home in a silent, stark white mantle.

However, even at a time like this, the fallen magical girl would be able to feel 'something', an eerie presence looking over her, from the outside. It wasn't a magical girl, much less the dreadful presence of Luna's murderer. No, it was something else, like a Phantom, looking over her from her snow covered backyard. Passive, waiting as it did so.

And if it wasn't going to make the first move, Chiaki would gladly take it. Instantly transforming into her magical uniform, she sent a death glare behind her and right at the invisible presence. She couldn't directly pinpoint the supposed Phantom but she could very well feel something watching her. There wasn't much in Miso City that could detect magic as far as she knew so this was a strange occurence. Peering closer, she saw the twin crimson orbs of a Mascot peering through the window from the Eve's darkness.

While it may have given anyone else relief, Chiaki looked closer. There was something else out there in the cold, standing vigilent. "Show yourself," she commanded, feet taking her outside faster than she had expected. Hood up, she stared into the dark cold and waited for a response.

"As you wish," asilver-haired girl dressed in an outfit that seemed to be cut from the cloth of night itself, said as she came out of the looming shadows, flashing an enigmatic smile on her lips. "This is first time someone actually came to me like this. I was beginning to wonder if you girls couldn't really notice me but I'm relieved to be proven wrong," she said as a soft breeze carrying the smell of plum flowers blowed from behind her.

Those words seemed to imply this girl had visited other Magical Girls. It made Chiaki's deadpan frown deepen; so far, this Phantom hadn't acted hostile but looks were decieving. "What do you want," Chiaki said. "You don't reek of light so you must be a Dark Magical Girl. If that's so, there's a club festering right now for new members."

"Magical girl? Fufu, I guess you can call me so. Even though I'm sure you noticed it, did you not?" the Phantom said enigmatically. "As for the party you mentioned. I don't think I'm losing anything special for not being there. You are a much more... interesting subject right now," she added.

"I came here because things are about to change in an irreversible way in your world. The hands of the clock cannot move backwards. However, if you are willing to reach a compromise, maybe you can get something precious. Something you thought to be lost forever, back to you," the Phantom said, raising a finger to her lips and cocking her head in a gesture that oozed with boldness and a sense that she had hit where she wanted to.

"What does that even mean. Do you just stalk girls and propose meaningless riddles for them?" Chiaki stared down the Phantom, unamused by anything she had to say. Nothing, in fact, the other girl said made sense and she was nearly inclined to strike her down or turn away from the conversation entirely. Almost.

"Are you a genie now too? Because the only creatures who can grant wishes in this city are the Mascots." She said this as she glanced over at the lone televisioned cat resting on a tree branch nearby. "Unless you're somehow a Mascot in disguise, we don't have anything to discuss here." It wasn't impossible, given the recent news of the Detention Club hosting a sentient Mascot.

"Oh? Have you never had the curiosity of knowing where they come from then?" The Phantom said in her typical cocky voice as Chiaki was about to leave. "Sure, if there are creatures that can grant you wishes, their power to do so must have come from somehwere else in the first place, don't you think so?" she added, smirking.

"What...are you implying." Chiaki's interest and curiosity were piqued, she could admit. Nothing the Phantom said made sense, certainly least of all that. "Are you saying they come from you? That's hard to believe, even for a Dark Magical Girl."

"Perhaps, you would appreciate a demonstration? To get something you think you want now and then later, if you are willing to listen, you can recover that which you truly crave for. As long as you agree to pay the price," the Phantom said as she rose a hand. Heavy, silvery drops of mercury fell from it and floated in the air forming a smooth surface that would soon become like that of a polished mirror, reflecting the pale moon light."How about the identity of the being who stole the moon from your night's sky? Would that be enough to convince you? After all, if you lose the chance I'm giving you... you may never get her back."

The more the Phantom spoke, the more inclined Chiaki felt. She even found herself walking forward towards the mirror-like construct. Pale moon? That which she truly craved for? She didn't think the Phantom was a mind-reader but when she peered into the glassy abyss she saw what she most desired and deserved indeed. "L-Luna...?" Chiaki's expression faltered and before she knew it, her hand was inching closer towards the mirror's surface. "What the hell kind of game are you playing," she hissed at Phantom. "What kind of illusion is this?"

"An illusion, yes. Just a fleeting dream like everything you've been up into until now. Though, for you, this hasn't been a kind dream, has it?" The Phantom said in a soothing voice almost as if she wanted to draw the other girl into herself. "I'm sure that you wish to wake and find that nothing of this was anything but a nightmare that would go hazy and be forgotten as the time goes by, would you not?"

"As I promised, I'll show you who's it that you've been after during these last few days. After this last ordeal has been sorted, I'll come and ask for you answer again," the silver-haired girl said as the image shown to Chiaki shifted and waned, paning out to reveal that, what she has been looking at all this time where Luna's last moments right until the point she met her soon to be murderer and how she was toyed with until finally being given her demise. A being, no-- a Demon, that was already well known to the magical girls of Miso City.

"Oh please, spare me the hasty introductions."

Chiaki would witness in horror the last breaths of her sister and the events following suit of it before the mercury mirror was shattered. Its culprit was a spear that embedded itself into the icy road, melting away where its blade met the ground. Chiaki had been given only a glimpse of Luna's murderer and when she traced the spear's trajectory back upwards, she saw the being in full view. A transformed Palis stood where the Mascot had been perched, picking up the cat by its scruff and dangling it between her fingers.

"You....You're the one I should be-"

"Enough," Palis said with a sigh, flicking her hand at the dark girl. In an instant Chiaki's eyes widened before losing their gleam. Her knees buckled and she slumped forward. As her body hit the ground, her uniform dissipated and a portal of darkness opened up beneath her unconscious form. Palis deposited her sinking body back into the restaurant where she could "meet" the so-called Phantom personally.

"You're looking well for a trapped little bird," the Demon sneered, turning her sights fully on the Phantom. "Sorry, was this one of yours? They're running around the whole city so I thought they might be roaches or something." With a shrug she tossed the Mascot right at Phantom like a pitched baseball, her spear summoned back into her hands. "But I guess it's only natural a trapped creature like you would be antsy every decade or so, hmm~?"

"You know that you can't keep a crow in her cage for too long. Eventually, they gotta spread their wings," the Phantom said in a nonchalant voice as she looked right at Palis closing one of hers and smirking. She caught the thrown Mascot with a bubble of mercury, depositing the creature safely on the ground, from where it scampered away, back to the darkness. "I did expect you to come after me, now that I've finally been allowed to stretch my legs. But, couldn't you have waited until I was done? That girl's wishes might be the most important thing for me right now. Who else would like to change the world so much at this moment?"

"Nope, not possible." Palis met the Phantom's smirk with a twisted version of her own. "You're speaking big words and big ambitions for someone who's trapped down here. Sounds more like you're needing an excuse to deny your fate." With a snap of her fingers Palis watched as invisible chains were revealed around the Phantom's form. They coiled around her arms and legs, each one of them leading back to the ground beneath their feet. "Try all you like, but even after all these eons I can see Mother's work is still potent. Potent enough to bite down your attempts to flee," Palis said.

"Fufufu, but I suppose I can't blame you for trying. You with no power would naturally be inclined to seek it on your own. Though isn't that the reason you became trapped in this city in the first place...hmm?" Palis rocked on her heels, balancing precariously on the tree branch. Staff in hand, she spread her arms out and walked along the branch's length like a circus performer.

"You're just another weakling who thought power could fix her problems. But power only comes to those who claim it for themselves. And you're in no position to do any of that, 'Phantom'~"

"Tsk!" the Phantom clicked her tongue as she was reminded of her condition. "I see that neither of you skirt around when addressing others. Both you and your sister, are just like your mother in that regard. Though, if you really know about the paths of fate, you should know already that getting free of this place is a foregone conclusion for myself. The only thing that may change is how that is accomplished," she added, returning to her relaxed persona.

"What's even your objecive here? I don't think that even you would come down to this world just to toy with people that are so below your station. Especially when you left your beloved sister behind you without even telling her about where you were going," the Phantom said, showing that she could read into Palis' actions, at least to a certain degree, despite her current powerlessness.

"Oh, I'm sure you will get free. Maybe in the next millenia though," Palis retorted right back. "What I'm here for is none of your business. The strong don't reveal their nature to the weak. But if you really must know, you can call it fun of a sorts. The same reason you were locked away in this miserable place is the same reason why I want to make it rampage like the hell-hole it is."

Palis looked down at the Phantom, eyes glowing menacingly in the lowlight. "Or maybe I just want to prove a point to my sister. Who knows. Certainly not you for all the good you can do~" Satisfied with her mocking, Palis turned on her heels and opened a portal of darkness in front of her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to regarding just that. But it's good to see little birds like you remain in their place. Try not to have a bad time down there with the mortals."

Leaving the Phantom to revel in her failures, Palis chuckled before walking into the deep abyss and disappearing.

"Yeah, we shall see about it. For the time being I guess that having some fun as I stretch my wings is good enough..." the Phantom said to herself right after Palis left. A moment later, the wind would beblowing away, carryign with it specs of silvery snow, almost like plum scented petals out of their season. Leaving behind just the dead, cold silence of the Tsukuyomi household which was not truly empty just as the bells of the New Year were about to toll...

---

New Year's Eve meant a general low amount of activity for shops and other outlets. That included Aegis' cafe as the last hours of sunlight trickled away in Miso City. Customers came and went but overall the place was relatively empty. Even now there was only one other patron in the main room. Sitting at at barstool, idly flicking her finger on the glass, Miss Tamashi waited patiently where she sat. Aegis would approach eventually; if only to refill her order.

"Hmm... I didn't think that a day like this would be this dull. Humans are really boring creatures. I don't even know why she bothered to come here," Aegis said to herself as she cleaned one of the table that had just been left by the last couple to come to the cafe and was making her way bar to the kitchen. Somewhere in the middle of the way she noticed a lone soul sitting on the bar in a seemingly dejected way.

"Well, I guess this is really the last one for tonight," she thought as she changed course, approaching the lonesome woman from behind. For some reason Aegis felt that she was familiar somehow, but nothing clicked, at least until the blonde angel in a maid's dress, was close enough to ask, "May I help you, miss?"

"Mhm, you could. Your help would definitely be appreciated," said Miss Tamashi with an airy sigh. She turned her head and looked straight at Aegis with a smile on her lips. "But something tells me you won't want to, dear. How old are you now? Why, you look nearly identical to your mother. And much more polite than that sister of yours too..."

"Thank you, miss. Also, don't worry, I'm just a bit tired. Now, if you allow me to-- My what?" Aegis said as she took out her notepad to fulfill the same dull task as ever. However, her train of thought came to a screeching halt when the other woman mentioned her family, especially her mother.

"Do I... know you from some place?" she added in an apprehensive way.

"No. No, I imagine you wouldn't. But the fact that you don't tells me you haven't been keeping up with your history lessons, dear~" Miss Tamashi idly played with the straw of her drink using the tip of her finger nail. "How is it your much ruder sister knows of me, but you don't? Well, I guess you got your mother's looks and she got her tact, hmm? You can consider me a...friend of the family, so to speak~"

Aegis eyes narrowed as she heard the woman speak. The things she said, coupled with the fact that not even the cafe's staff could be seen around, made this whole situation highly suspicious. It wasn't until Aegis took the time to have a good look at the woman that she noticed it.

"You are-- but how?" Aegis said. There were few beings that could say anything of her in this world, but this woman could only be related to one of them. Still, there was something wrong about her. Almost as if she were missing something. "So, you must be the source of this strange feeling I've been having, huh? Do you care if I ask your name, since you already seem to know so much about me?"

"Eh? Don't you know me?" The school teacher batted her eyes with an expression of exasperation. "Why, I'm Miss Tamashi! Surely you've seen me around the school?" She pretended to give it more thought before nodding. "Ah, you meant my true self? Surely someone as potent and important as you can see it just by looking at my face, right? Or, am I just a phantom in plain sight for you dear?"

Miss Tamashi swiveled in her bar stool to gain a better angle at the Angel. "Oh my, have you been having strange feelings since you arrived? This city has a knack for mysterious occurrences and attracting things that don't belong. One could say you're just another victim drawn in by this place's natural charm~"

"You mean its weirdness," Aegis replied in a witty manner, crossing her arms under her bust and looking straight at the woman. "Also, I'm sorry but I'm too old for high school. But I think I've seen someone like you around the last time I was there while chasing a stray pet," she added in a proud voice almost as if she were flaunting her "maturity" or perhaps, her assets.

"Anyway, miss Tamashii Phantom, right? You must have a reason to come after me. Or should I believe this is just another of Miso City's 'coincidences'?"

"Who knows? Clearly not you if you can't see a poor woman in her old distress," Miss Tamashi said with whimisical flair. She rested a hand on her head and arched back. "Woe is me! Trapped in this foresaken city...and for what? For simply bringing my gifts to the mortal plains? Magic is meant to be shared, but your mother, cruel as she is and prideful as sin, thought otherwise. Can you not see the wrongs she has done to me, child? Only a glance upon my state can tell you as much..."

"Well, I wasn't going to mention it, but you really look kinda... sad, I guess?" Aegis said, trying to measure her words just enough to avoid hurting the other woman too much. "Also, you say it's Mother's fault that you are in this state. If that's true how can I trust in anything that you say? For all I know you might be trying to distract me before you kidnap me and do whatever is it you have in mind," she added, going in a wild tangent.

"Ah, so you doubt me. Yes, yes, that's to be expected." Miss Tamashi sniffled, even dabbing at her eyes to wipe away the fat bulbs of tears forming from her sight. "To think such a pure child of holy light would doubt me, this poor soul....it can't be helped then. I only need to show you my suffering upfront, oh woe is me!"

Aegis' arms remained where they were, settled under her bust. That was because thick and invisible chains held them there, sprouted from all corners of the air itself. Miss Tamashi leaned in close, even standing up to rise to her full height. "Don't you see this? You know it quite well child because this is your mother's work." Her words were hushed out in a venomous hiss and Miss Tamashi's pupils shifted.

There was a feral, almost beast-like quality to them as she stared down the younger girl. All the same, her smile never faltered as she continued to lean in, until her breath-one that rotted of blood and crushed marrow-stewed in front of Aegis' face. "Can't you see the injustice, child? The petty, unconditioned injustice if your mother's work? You know very well you can't escape those chains because they're your mother's." Miss Tamashi's grin somehow spread wider, like a serpent's lips plastered to a human face.



"Uh- what the!?" Aegis was startled by the sudden shift in the atmosphere, dropping her pen and notepad as she was suddenly constricted by something that couldn't be anything other than her mother's work, indeed. The thing that she admired so much used against her in such a way, this couldn't be.

Worse than that was the fact that she had been tricked into becoming defenseless by whatever this thing. "Do-- don't get near me! If you know my mother, you also should be aware that I'm not someone to be taken lightly."

"If you try anything I swear that I'll make sure it's the last thing you do!" Aegis said as she took a moment to calm herself, knowing that among her sisters she was the one that knew this aspect of their mother the best. It wasn't impossible for her to escape these chains if she really wanted to.

"Oh relax dear! I wouldn't hurt a hair on you."

The next time Aegis blinked she would find reality had returned back to normal. There were no chains pinning her arms down, no maelstorm of chaos and negativity. There was only Miss Tamashi, still standing and still smiling. She bent down to collect Aegis' pen and notepad; as she did so, the rattle of invisible chains around her limbs could be heard and then seen by the Angel. "Not unless I want to earn your mother's wrath of course. I've only shown you what lies within, that's all. Hmm, think of it as me showing you a piece of my soul~ It wasn't nice what your mother did to me, trapping me down here in this pestilent place..." She offered up Aegis' dropped materials and patted the top of her pretty blonde head.

"But I like to think we see eye to eye now, hmm?"

"I, erm... knew that all along, of course," Aegis said after flipping her hair in a dramatic way. By the way her voice shook it wasn't certain if she was trying to reassure herself or impress Miss Tamashi, or maybe both.

"Anyway, I still don't know what you want of me. If it's to release you, I'm sorry but I can't do that. Not alone at least," Aegis said as she looked the other woman in the eyes, trying to discern her intentions, now. "Mother's nature is that of Twlight, Light and Darkness in equal measures, but mine is just of Light, so my powers alone aren't enough to undo her work. Also... I don't know if I should? She must have been ordred to do this by someone, I don't think I can just decide what to do on my own."

"Well, you said it, not me~" Miss Tamashi put in one more head pat before moving her hand away. "Oh, you will release me dear. You just don't know it yet. And when you do, why, I can picture the scolding your mother will give you. Just the look on her face will make a little more waiting worth it." Winking at the Angel, Miss Tamashi strode away from the bar and left behind her finished cup. "Just put it on my tab for me Miss Aegis. I hope to be a regular customer for you~"

Walking out the door, she looked up and noted the air was getting colder. Figures it would for New Year's...now she had other tasks to place her attention to. "Hm, Hm~" Bag in hand, she sifted through the icy and snow and headed in a seemingly random direction.

"What do you mean?" Aegis meant to ask but before she could say anything Miss Tamashi strode out leaving just a cryptic comment and an empty glass behind her.

"At least leave a tip the next time you come by," the blonde mumbled as she picked up the glass and cleaned the bar. Before finally going to the back of the cafe.

"Well, I guess that now this is really it for today..." she thought out loud, trying to ignore her recent encounter as she went back to her normal routine.

---

---

Elizabeth's hurried departure emphasised the fact that there was no time to waste. For a second, Tama stood torn between searching for Illya and following the maid right away, before deciding on the latter. As bad as she felt about leaving someone behind, she trusted Elizabeth would find the other magical girl and let her know sooner or later.

"A week?" she said, frowning as she walked beside Honoka. "We'll make sure she isn't kept waiting any longer. This ruffian you talk about, do you have any idea who they might have been?" For all she knew, they could have been an ordinary human, aware of magic just like Elizabeth was. If the culprit was a dark magical girl, however, she or one of the other lights may know about her.

The group decided that Illya was fine - she was probably dealing with some things at the moment because Yui didn't feel her anywhere near the school's grounds. The green haired magical girl remained grouped with her friends, but was more silent than her usual self. She was very evidently lost in her thoughts. Yui did not have much time to think over what Aegis had revealed to her, but the more time passed the more realizations came onto her, weighing heavily on her heart and mind. She had a sister, family. Her encounter with Touka back in that alley and what she told her came back to mind...and the sight of it only hurt her even more. Aegis was right, and she would need to speak to the club's leader as soon as possible. But not now.

For now, they were following the maid to Margaret's place and hopefully, a new ally and friend. Yui felt like they would need it if what Aegis hinted at was true...

When they arrived at the address, they would find a hotel with Elizabeth standing in front, patiently waiting for them. It was the nicest hotel in the city, standing high above all the surrounding buildings. It was a ten story building, with a penthouse suite at the top, which is where Elizabeth would be leading them. She quickly ushered everyone into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor and waiting for the doors to slide closed. As they ascended, Elizabeth cleared her throat quietly, grabbing everyone's attention as she explained their situation.

"So as you may have guessed by this point, Master Margaret and I are from out of the country, we just recently began the process of moving to Japan after Master Margaret had a bit of a falling out with her parents. Nothing serious mind you, but they were of the mind that we all needed a bit of space away from each other. I was the maid who came with Margaret, she does need an adult to accompany her in the end, despite how mature she is for her age."

The elevator door dinged, the doors beginning to open as Elizabeth finished her explanation. "Do keep in mind that it has been a very trying week for her, so she is a bit... out of sorts right now." Once the doors had finally opened, the group stepped through to a scene of modest grandure. The room itself was quite large, easily taking up the entire floor, with a view of the entire city below visible from the balcony outside. Sitting on the couch in the middle of the room, with legs crossed and tea set out on the table in front of her, was a young girl around their age. With vibrant blue hair at shoulder length, a petite figure, and emerald green eyes, she would be considered a beautiful young woman by anyone with any amount of sense.

Were it not for those few glaring details that marred her features. Those puffy red eyes, cheeks stained with tears, the fact that her hair looked like a veritable birds nest. Elizabeth let loose a heavy sigh and rushed to her wards side, sitting beside her and pulling out a brush from one of the many pockets on her personage. "I a-apologize... for my appearance today..." Margaret struggled out as she shakily picked up a cup of tea from the table. Elizabeth began brushing her hair calmly as she took a small sip of tea. "It has been a very stressful week as you can imagine, but hopefully it will be over soon. May I assume you are here to help?"

Honoka bounded over, trying to brighten Margaret's mood with a wide grin. "Yep!" Putting her hand on her hip, she raised her other arm, making a fist in the air as she posed like a classic anime magical girl. "The wait ends here! We might not have met before, but we're magical girls, so we're a team. And a team's gotta look out for each other!"

Or at least try, she thought, hoping her smile didn't falter. New to this or not, letting down someone so distraught was out of the question.

"Good to meet ya, Margaret! I'm Honoka," she continued, sweeping her arm towards her friends, "this is Tama, and this is Yui."

Tama followed Honoka through the spacious room. This home was easily as grand as her own, but the log fireplace, comfy-looking sofas and warm magnolia tones made it much more inviting than the sterile artifice she lived in. She bowed, eyes filled with concern as she took in Margaret's state.

"No need to apologise," she reassured the other blue-haired girl. "We'll get right to it as soon as we can, there are just some things we need to know first." A rather blunt and direct reply, but in this situation, cutting to the chase was better than small talk.

"The person who did this... How much do you know about who they are, and where they might be? In any case, what did they look like?"

"I'm here to help too!"

The sound was muffled, followed shortly by a light rapping in glass. It came from one of the many, many, many windows in the apartment complex of a mansion. If anyone wanted to look, they'd see Miss Tamashi cheerily waving at the group of girls, dangling precariously from what looked like a ladder. Where had she gotten it? Probably magic of some sort. "Don't think I'm too old to give a helping hand so you can count me in team! And, er, if possible....can you let me in? Hanging up here is dangerous as it is..."

Yui could not help but smile at Honoka's readiness. "Right you are." Yui added as she walked beside their younger member, putting a hand on her shoulder briefly. "And I also wonder..." she added after Tama's questioning "...what would do such a thing? And how could they. I don't think the club members would stoop as low as stealing an emblem..." They were Magical Girls themselves. Though she might be wrong, especially about some of them, Yui was under the impression that most of them would gladly have given Margaret a beating, but nothing more. "I've heard some stran--"

Yui's stare, along with possibly everyone else, turned to the voice of the newcomer. Miss Tamashi?! Yui hurried to the window and, after making sure it was alright, opened it up for their Teacher. She had heard about it from Honoka, but... "...Miss Tamashi? How did...you know?"

"Oh you know, I've got a knack for magical things in this city, eheheh...." was Miss Tamashi's response to Yui. She then looked at Margaret and nodded for her to continue on with explaining. After all, the girl would be able to pick up her magical signature like the other Magical Girls. There were no mortals in the room here; not really anyway.

Margaret gave a shaky smile as she looked at the group before her, setting down her tea as she prepared to explain. "Yes, I do suppose it would be best to get straight to the point. It all started about-" She was cut off by someone rapping on the glass, a squeal of terror escaping her lips as she scrambled behind Elizabeth. After Miss Tamashi was let in, she cautiously peered from behind the maid and relaxed as she saw who it was. Well, relaxed as much as one could after seeing a random stranger enter through the window of a ten story building. "I-I don't believe we've met. But introductions can wait, time is absolutely of the essence now. I have no idea how much longer that ruffian will stay in place, Margaret put in a lot of work to track him down."

She cleared her throat and looked at the assembled group, yet slowly her gaze glossed over them as she remembered the events of just last week.

---

She had checked into the hotel about four days ago, Margaret taking the opportunity to learn about this new city and even go on a few patrols by herself. Tonight was a off night though, she was going to take the time to relax and take care of herself, no sense in going full throttle and burning yourself out. "Margaret, when will that tea be ready?" She called out to the living room as she put on her blue top, a necklace with a green emerald as the centerpiece dangling from her neck.

"The water should be boiling within a few minutes Master Margaret, the bag is already in the cup." A quick response, nothing less could be expected from her dutiful maid. Yet still, sometimes Margaret wished she would act less like a maid and more like a... a frusturated sigh escaped her lips. "Master Elizabeth, I'm afraid I need to go check on something at the mansion. It would appear as if someone misplaced some boxes, so I'll have to go look through them myself." Their move had been plagued by all sorts of mishaps and delays over the past few days, honestly they should have been done by now were it not for the constant misfortune.

"I understand Elizabeth, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself perfectly fine, you know that." Margaret walked out into the living room as she said this, watching Elizabeth bow and gather up her things. Soon after that was she rushed out the door, ready to go scold some careless mover for losing yet another box. "I swear, some people don't know how to do their jobs."

"I know right, you can't trust anyone nowadays. It's a shame what the world has come to." Margaret's head whipped around as she looked to the balcony, a strange man leaning on the railing and looking at Margaret with a smile. "I mean, you're getting payed for your job right? If you keep fucking up your job, you're supposed to get fired! But no, all the unions nowadays are so strict, it's just the worst. Am I right?"

"W-who are you? How did you get up here, it must be at least a hundred feet from the ground!"

"Alright, skipping over the small talk. No biggie, we can get straight to business." The man shrugged, entering the room and walking towards Margaret with hands in pocket. "My name ain't all that important, especially since you'll probably never be meeting me again after tonight. As for how I got up here, again, really not all that important. If you have to know, I jumped. What is important though, is why I came." He was right in front of her by now, looking her dead in the eyes as he showed off his best winning smile. The smuggest grin Margaret had ever seen in her life. "I came here to steal that nifty little necklace of yours. You know, the one that lets you transform and beat up all the shadowy jelly monsters." Maragaret's eyes instantly turned serious as he said this, jumping backwards and grasping her necklace.

"I don't know how you know about Magical Girls or Nightmares, but you're not getting my Emblem." She shifted into a defensive position, preparing to transform at a moment's notice.

"Ooh, feisty. I hope you can back up those claims of yours." A black aura flared to life around the man as his eyes widened, he took his hands out of his pockets and began cracking each of his knuckles individually. "It would be a real shame if you couldn't entertain me after all."

---

Margaret sniffed as she looked down at the floor, twiddling with the hem of her dress as she finished her story. "I fought with everything I had. But that man... I could tell, he was barely even trying. He dismantled me within two minutes using only his bare hands." She cupped her hand over her chest, where her necklace once rested. "After he was done he took the necklace and left, dumping a bunch of my moving boxes all over the floor from thin air. He said it was an even trade, my life and my belongings in exchange for my Emblem. And then he left." Her hands tightened into fists, her eyes scrunched as they brimmed with tears.

"I don't know if you can, but please. Get my Emblem back. I can give you anything you want, but I absolutely need my Emblem. Without it I'm..." It was at this point that Elizabeth hugged Margaret from behind, stroking her hair as she broke down into tears.

"I've managed to track the man down, he doesn't try very hard to hide himself. He tends to loiter around the tallest building in the city, I believe he uses it as a lookout point to find anything else he wishes to steal." The frown on her face was deep, they were their last hope after all. "As Master Margaret said, money is no object. If you can retrieve her Emblem, we could make sure the rest of your life is completely worry free."

Well, this wasn't what Tama had expected. Not just Miss Tamashii's sudden appearance, but the mysterious figure Margaret described. Although she'd met several other magical girls, she'd never even heard of a magical boy. Was the thief one, or was he a being the group had yet to encounter?

"Sounds like quite a different kettle of fish than usual," she replied, "but if there's one thing we have a lot of experience with, it's the unexpected."

Honoka nodded as if Tama's words had bolstered her. That was what the veteran magical girl had intended by the sound of it, but thoughts of the recent chaos rampaged through her mind. Chaos that not even they, the light girls, had been able to completely quell. Still, they had to give this their all, just as Margaret trusted them to do.

"Yeah, and I'm sure the four of us can manage!" she replied, skipping over to the teacher. "Especially with Miss Tamashii on our side! Yep, she's like us, and not to be messed with!" The redhead held out her fist. "Alright everyone, team fist bump!"

Best to go along with it, Tama decided, lightly tapping her knuckles against Honoka's, although her expression remained one of unease. Maybe that level of positivity would help in some ways, but they couldn't rush in and face an unknown enemy without a plan.

"Hmm..." Her eyes flicked from person to person. "What would be the best way to go about this?"

"No, this is no Magical Boy. Only Magical Girls exist in the world," Miss Tamashi muttered, more to herself than anyone else. It was almost as if she knew exactly what Tama had been thinking and her answered all but confirmed they were dealing with something new. "It seems to me we have a Demon on the loose, one that stole your Emblem to claim as a treasure of his own." Regardless, it was good to see everyone was motivated, especially the youthful ones.

"It would be best to confront the Demon together as a unified force. All darkness flees away from a singular light," Miss Tamashi suggested. She too moved her hand forward to join in the team fist bump they were building up to. "And with my help, you girls are as sure as punch to succeed!" she said, raising a hand up in a victory V pose over an eye.

---

Not long after Ms. Tamashi's strange visit, Aegis had once again returned to her usual routine. With no other patron in sight and no hopes of anyone else coming in after the sunset on the New Year's eve, the shop was going to close early. It was then, no wonder that Aegis would be wipping the tables after placing a closed sign in the front door. "I suppose it could have been worse, at least it wasn't--" she said to herself, cutting her thoughts short when she accidentally dropped a glass, shattering it in a tiny million pieces.

"Great, and now I have to clean broken glass too. Really amazing," she said as she bent down to pick the fragments with a piece of clothes.

"What's the matter sister? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Palis' voice came from the cafe's entrance and she stood there with a hand on her hip. Still transformed, she was invisible to the human eye; if anyone looked upon the scene from the outside, they might have guessed it was a strong gust of wind that had opened the door. "What kind of bar closes just before the dark of night? Or maybe you've just grown soft. Trying to spare these humans from staying out at night when there are creatures and Nightmares running about? Spare me the rabble..." Palis near-hissed the words out as she strode in without invitation, sitting at the first table she saw.


"Ahh, yes. Maybe I did," Aegis said, immeadiately forgetting the glass and turning around to face none other than her own sister. "At least, I'm not the one that got twisted to the point of throwing the nightmares at them," she added as she stared at Palis with an icy -- or perhaps was it a burning -- gaze.

"Do you have any idea of how many suffered because of your games?"

"Didn't I tell you to spare me the rabble? As if you hold any real sympathy towards these humans." Palis waved a hand to her side as if to point to the cafe's windows. Outside, the usual bustle of people could be seen scampering about on New Year's Eve in Miso City. "Don't try to act like you have the moral high ground sister. You and I both know the only real fun around here are Magical Girls."

Aegis glared back. She knew that some of what her sister said was true, since she didn't have a high enough opinon of humanity to care that deeply about them, but... "That doesn't mean that I would go that far. Having a low opinion of them and genocide for the sake of it are different things," Aegis said as she approached her sister.

"Either way, if you are so interested in these 'magical girls' why are you going out of your way to harm them? If there's one thing I know is that you may be selfsih but you never break the toys you really like. Furthermore," Aegis made a pause, removing her apron and other frily adornments from her uniform before continuing, "There's something else bugging me about this city and I'm sure you noticed it as well, right?"

"Hmpf. Look at you being clever and observant." Palis watched as her sister dignified her appearance some more before latching onto her proposed words. "Yes, I can admit, the Magical Girls are more of a...one-trick pony, so to say. They're entertaining enough, but if they're all like that blonde and gutted mutt then I have no real need for them. No, there's something else in this city like you said. And from what I can tell, it's drawn the attention of the Magical Girls. And whatever attracts them must be fun, right?" she said with a dark smirk.

"So it really was you..." Aegis said with a somber tone taking over her voice as she sat across from Palis. "Not that it matters anymore, though."

"Either way, your idea of fun and mine are totally different," the angel added in a bitter remark. "I don't know about you, but I'm none too fond of random lunatics binding me with Mother's power. It's not one of my kinks at all," Aegis finsihed saying, whipping her hair.

"So that's what happened. I could have sworn I felt a shimmer of Mother's power being flaunted..." Palis said, more to herself as she gazed back to the window. "It must be that trapped little canary. I'm sure you must have sensed her by now, hmm? It seems Mother still has some things kept secret away from us. How annoying...."

"She probably does but that's something to be expected. Why would she tell us about her work from eons ago?" Aegis said, agreeing with her sister's words for once. "Of course I felt something as soon as I stepped in this place but it wasn't why I came here so I just ignored it. Neither these magical girls nor whoever else lives in this place is really of my interest. Why should I give them more thought than necessary?"

"I came here to know why you came to this world of all places. And that's still my intention, but now I feel like I should bring you back home whether you want it or not, after seeing all that's happening. We are sisters, so if we could resolve this without fighting, it would be the best case scenario."

"But, if you insist, I'll have no other option," Aegis said in a serious manner. She wasn't threatening her sister, but was also fully intent on backing up her words if she needed to.

"Are you threatening me?" Palis' eyes flared up into an unearthly glow, the cat-like slits of her pupils expanding in rage. A miasma of darkness flared behind her and she almost stood up with how enraged she felt. But she managed to only scoot forward, the desire to tear into her sister's face evident and clear. Where she was once calm, now a moment later she was near-berserk. "As if you think you have any power over me sister. I came to this world because there was something of interest here, as if it was drawing me. And I won't be leaving until I discover it for myself."

Palis stared down the other girl, very much wanting to cause a fight here and now. But even she had some semblance of restraint and figured it would do no good to cause attraction to herself. Especially from any meandering Magical Girls, several of which she could feel even here. Pure lights wandering through the endless night, meeting another Demon...but that was beyond her scope at the moment.

"Stay out of my way and I won't have to send you to Mother in pieces, Aegis," Palis warned darkly.

"Hmph! As easy to trigger as ever. You really never change, sister," Aegis said as her sister almost exploded in a fit of sudden rage. "I'll leave you be for the time being since I have something to look forward to as well, so don't worry. But I wouldn't underestimate these humans if I were you. Their spirit is a really interesting thing, even if they themselves aren't. You may as well find out that you've bitten more than you can chew very soon," she added in a serious voice, looking stright into Palis' enraged eyes.

"Is that so."

Palis' glare didn't back down from Aegis' stare; rather, it soon devolved into a dark gaze of its one, one almost devoid of emotion. After she had taken a moment to calm herself of course. "The same could be said for you, sister. That presence that's drawn me in...hasn't it ever ocurred to you it wants to you too? Why else would you be here with me, you and I. Forces of darkness and light. Food for thought, Aegis."

"Look at you," Aegus replied in a mocking sweet tone. "I never thought that my sister would be the type to listen to so many bedtime stories. That's actually very cute of you, you know?" Even though she was aware that there may be something bigger in the works, seeing Palis believe that all of this was much more than a coincidence so earnestly made it almost impossible for Aegis to resist teasing her sister. And, as a follow up, she would reach forward and pet Palis's head like a child finding this more entertaining she should.

"Look at you," Palis snarled in annoyance. "Acting so nonchalant in the face of conspiracy. Fine then, don't come crying when the least of my warnings go over your thick head." Palis glared dangerously upon the hand on her head but Aegis removed it before she could bite it off. "Hmmpf. Do what you will then sister, but I have my own plans to attend to. This meeting was irritating, annoying at best," Palis said, already conjuring a portal of darkness and moving to slip inside it.

"Very well, then. I'll be aware of it. You don't need to be all hissy," Aegis said as she pulled her her hand away from her sister. "Anyway, at least take this with you. I don't want my own sister to go cold on the last day of the year," she said as she produced a paper bag. If Palis cared to look inside she would find a cup of coffee and a pair of doughnuts, a New Year's gift of her beloved sister to make their parting a little less bitter.

---

---

Tsuruga's lips parted in a silent plea for mercy as Touka pulled away, abandoning her to the corner now crammed with girls eager to ogle the aborable Kuro. So many eyes, boring into her general direction and making her fidget with the desire to make like Kuro and leap up onto the fridge to avoid the indirect attention.

Really, the sudden tension of every eye turning away to gaze intently upon...a rather elaborately dressed stranger that had her jumping in her seat, having not seen Seyrun amid the crush of bodies and hastilly assembled furniture. "Oh Kami this is too much pressure...."

No one noticed as she whimpered, shrinking in upon herself and hiding behind the now tensed Kuro.

Meanwhile standing at the center of attention, Kanbaru's warm disposition never faded even as others made some rather overt attempts to isolate Touka's new friend. She thought it odd they couldn't tell Seyrun wasn't some normie crashing the party or a Light Girl out to ruin their night, but they didn't have Kanbaru's earlier run in with her either. That, and being the Code Keeper meant she had to have some standards to maintain, not that Kanbaru would brag. "Cakes look nice, Hana, but I'll take a look after the ceremony."

Stepping back her blue eyes shone with an electric light, contrasting the walls of baleful red as she melded into the circle of curious and alarmed magical girls. "It's not every day we welcome new friends into our club."

"Mahou shoujo?" Seyrun parroted Touka’s words in a dumbstruck voice, after being caught off guard by the sudden change in the atmosphere. This time however, it wasn’t just a normal shift in the mood but rather a palpable change not only in lighting but even the temperature seemed to drop as a number of intent gazes transfixed the blue-haired girl.

"You mean like the ones in manga and anime?" she asked, still dazed.

Reasoning fought against reality as Seyrun’s mind struggled to process what was happening. A moment later she met Touka’s gaze again, with a strained grin in her lips. “I-- I get it now. Y-- you had me worried for a moment, Miss Yama and Miss Otoko. I didn’t think that the Detention Club was into this kind of theatrics. You even have all these animated puppets. That’s actually really impressive… right?”she said, with her voice becoming more and more nervous as she spoke, almost as if she were pleading to someone for her conclusion to be correct.

Apia looked up at Hana with a puzzled expression, whispering up into her ear as best as she could. "Is Seyrun-chan someone like us, honeybun?"

The silence in the room was absolutely deafening, as seemingly the whole world stared at Seyrun in complete unison. The couch creaked slightly as Ami got up, pushing past everyone and staring Seyrun in the eye. Her pleas went unheard, her chance for a normal life shattered. Ami's face was dead serious, none of the silly smiles nor annoyed pouting here. The air was chilled, you could cut the tension with a knife, everyone in the room had goosebumps. "...Mahou... shoujo..." Suddenly the temperature in the room flared, the curtains of Ami's window whipping about as a wind swirled about her. "You are..." Ami's entire form was engulfed in flame in an instant, the flames licking Seyrun yet not hurting her whatsoever.

"...one of us."

The flames died out in an instant, Ami's armored form revealed to the world once more. Her blackened armor, that sword of flame, planted into the ground with both her palms on the pommel of the blade. That smug grin as Ami leaned into Seyrun's face, drinking in whatever shocked expression she may have. "If you can see me, then you are indeed a Mahou Shoujo. Rejoice, for you have been blessed with a power that only the strong may hold."

"We are the ones who rule the night."

"You can't even rule your floor." Machiko added, right after Ami spoke, with her usual nonchalant voice, picking up yet another pizza box and adding it to the pile. It was of course meant as a tease, and possibly a weak attempt at restoring the mood at the expense of Ami. "She might be one of us, but I don't like her." the girl promptly added with the same jaded attitude. Machiko's tendency to say what she thought, jumping from joking comments to almost insulting ones, was nothing knew, nor personal. That's just how she was. "For what it's worth."

Machiko didn't have an opinion on most things - but the feeling that Seyrun released when she appeared among them gave her a feeling of...uneasiness. The final decision fell on Touka, and the rest of the Club. She probably wouldn't care after then.

This was amusing; anyone who could see her face could tell the Club President was enjoying herself. She watched as Seyrun was thrown to the wolves, every girl giving an opinion or two about the matter. Interesting more so were Machiko's words. Touka cast a side glance at the other girl; yes, there was something strange about Seyrun. From as far back as their first meeting earlier that day Touka knew there was an oddity about her.

But if it was something that made Seyrun special, exceptional even, then they could use it to their advantage. A new force of darkness that could flood the Angel visiting their city.

After the revelation finally caught up with her, Seyrun felt weak in the knees, dropping to the floor in a slumped way. "This is just... too unreal. How am I expected to believe something like magic exists in this world?" she mumbled to hersef as she looked that floor in a vacant manner.

"But, how can I deny it when I see it right in front of me?" she said while sorting out her thoughts, turning her eyes up to look at each of the girls that -- at this moment -- felt like looming obelisks of darkness circling her. It was then that something even more important than the notion of magic caaught her attention and she asked, to no one in particular, "Did you say something about ruling? Shouldn't magical girls be the ones protecting others instead of using magic for their own good?"

Kanbaru would give Ami points for being suitably dramatic, and the club as a whole had excellent coordination with their off the cuff coordination in what was not as planned as they made it look, but they'd made one rather glaring error that had the bluenette cringing when Seyrun collapsed in dawning terror of those around her.

They'd all started Light and made their way into Darkness. Seyrun...was not so fortunate.

"It's a little something like this, you see." Kanbaru stepped forth from the ranks of menacing Dark Girls, a rush of cold air expelling from her figure before she was garbed in the same magical attire Seyrun had first encountered her in, and crouched down onto her level. It cemented the reality of magic, but the hood and mask could be construed as menacing so she slowly eased them away to leave her face unobstructed. "We're what you call Dark Magical Girls. It's not like how the anime puts it and we're out to destroy the world or anything. We hunt the monsters that feed on human negativity just the same as the Light Girls, but we aren't selfless altruists. We do it to protect our city because it is the city we live and love, not because of a greater moral imperative. We're a strange sisterhood joined by our powers and ideals, just as we'd like you to be as well."

Adopting a smile that was out of place against her wasteland biker attire she offered a hand to the newcomer. "We can be a bit scary, but honestly, what group of girls doesn't look terrifying to a newcomer? We can rib each other hard but we're still a united club, and we look out for our own."

Indeed, Kanbaru's words spoke the truth. Regardless of their standing, they were a Club first and foremost. As the night progressed, Seyrun would come to learn of that fact. The darkness was still young but it would be nurtured on this New Year's Eve.

---

@SimpleWriter @KoL @Lonewolf685

Ayumu, now dressed in pyjamas instead of cake-covered clothes, smirked at Seyrun's deer-in-the-headlights expression. The new girl didn't know how good she had it, finding out this way. She hadn't been presented a picture-perfect image of magic like so many of them had.

"Aw, well that's kinda rash," she told Machiko. "Let's at least give her a chance." She couldn't deny Seyrun gave off an unsettling feeling, but the Detention Club needed all the allies they could get against Aegis. Standing up, she transformed in a rush of red and black swirls, playing card symbols dancing along them.

Phantasmagoria sauntered over to Seyrun, raising her top hat headband. "Welcome, and thank you for being here tonight!" she said in that dramatic stage voice. "You see, it's a non-stop party, with much more than cakes to feast on. Allow me to demonstrate!"

She put her hat back on and clicked her fingers. In one corner of the room, a shadow welled to life, several skeletal arms and a white mask sprouting from its blob-like body. "No need to be scared, this one can't hurt us," she reassured Seyrun. "Besides, actual Nightmares have more reason to fear us than we have to fear them."

A figure appeared in the other corner, one everybody in the Detention Club save Machiko would recognise as the likeness of Kiru. The illusory dark girl sped at the Nightmare, a maniacal grin on her face as she whirled her ringblade in a blur. Lumps of goo flew everywhere, pooling on the floor. As if reaching for a gourmet snack, the image of Kiru stretched out her hand. The ooze evaporated to black streams, surging into the girl, becoming part of her essence.

"And that," Ayumu announced, the illusions vanishing with a wave of her hand, "is how it works. Hope you enjoyed the show! If you want to experience the real deal..." Her eyes shifted to the catgirl, the slightest steely glint appearing in them. "Just tell our mascot over there."

As adorable as Kuro was, could mascots be fully trusted? Wasn't the entire world of magic just as deceptively cute on the surface? At least this was the Detention Club mascot, hopefully on their side for real. Even so, now the cat could speak, Ayumu had a few questions to ask her later on.

She turned back to the newcomer. "So, what do you say? I say it's better to own the darkness..." Her voice took on a trace of wistfulness. "Than to fall for a trick of the light."

Instead of a reply came a juddering smash, followed by a roar that chilled Ayumu to the bones. She leapt out of the way as glass shattered all over the floor. "Ok, this isn't one of mine," she warned, cards at the ready as she stared at the gargantuan creature. Spotting the tiny, mangled carcass between its fangs, she winced. Trustworthy or not, the mascots didn't deserve this. "The real thing's just crashed the party."

As it set its sights on Kuro, Phantasmagoria stepped in front of her. "Why don't you pick some easier prey?" As the magician spoke, three wounded mascots, each one sporting a cracked and dented head, frantically dragged themselves away from the monster. Mere illusions, of course, but maybe they'd distract the Nightmare long enough to give the club the advantage - especially as they swelled and twisted into giant demonic felines, their sinewy bodies more shadow than flesh. They crouched, hissed, then pounced.

Now was the dark girls' chance.

---

It was funny how life worked out sometimes. Ami had transformed solely for show, to put Seyrun off balance and show her the truth. She had not expected to do any fighting tonight, she was about ready to get back into her pajamas and get ready for more fun with her favorite pet- new friend. Indeed, Kuro was her new favorite thing at the moment, even more fun to tease than her ever bashful partner. Which is why when her windows shattered and the Nightmare roared, her first instinct was to get in front of the Mascot made Human and defend her from any stray shards of glass, a barrier of flame completely disintegrating anything that tried to touch Kuro. The Nightmare roared once more and was met by a mad roar from the Black Knight in turn, Ami leaping into action and throwing herself against the threat to her home. She burst through the shattered window, sword in hand and eyes aflame as she launched her boot into the Nightmare's nose, a satisfying crunch echoing through the night as the beast roared in pain.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD YOU NASTY ASS MUTT!" Ami pushed herself off the Nightmare into a midair flip, sending several waves of flame at the beast before landing on the ground in a crouch. Her face contorted with rage, breathing heavily as she gritted her teeth and analyzed the situation. "LET'S GO YOU WORTHLESS BITCH!" Tonight held no shortage of surprises in the end. Just the way Ami liked her nights.

---

Apia was just as awkward as she normally was, staying out to the side in her new pajamas and not intruding much as the higher-ups in the club were talking. Though, when a busy little bee came into the apartment through a cracked window and looked at the Hivemother with a fair bit of concern, Apia knew something was up. The sudden roar and crashing of glass into the apartment's floor certainly didn't help things, either, as the main monster of the night reared it's ugly mug to the entourage of magical girls, Seyrun and Kuro included.

"Uh... what the hell is that?!" Though, it seemed that Ayumu and Ami were already on the case as they rocketed to their feet to properly address what was the issue was. Apia quickly scrambled to her feet after, dropping a small kiss onto Hana's head before she adjusted her bee hairband into the proper place, transforming her quickly into her battle-ready outfit, with her Stinger appearing just in front of her so she could properly grab it and make her leap into the air, staring down at the beast in front of her with a sick feeling to her gut.

She raised her arm into the air, her units swarming around her and being called to her aid as she smirked. "Time to get back into the swing of things, eh girls?" Each bee swarmed around her neck and wrists as she went in, drawing her Stinger out and thinking about what to have her swarm of giant hornets do... hm...

"Alright, alpha troops! Swarm around it's front-right leg! Generate as much heat as you can, and try to set the damned thing on fire! Beta troops, buzz around its field of vision, break up the outline of Kuro and cause this monster to struggle to see where the Mascot is!" Each hornet converged off of Apia, with half the swarm heading to each location as directed by Apia. The bee-girl, meanwhile, charged forward towards the front-left leg herself, aiming to get a few jabs of poison into this beast's leg with her Stinger. If things went awry quick, though, she was always ready to jump out of danger if she had to. She was quick on her feet, and quicker on her wings.

---

"Hmm, huh? This can be... real?" Seyrun said as her normal and pacific world crumbled before her. The way everything happened was too fast for her mind to process at once. However, one thing was undeniable:

What they said was real.

About as real as it could get. Just like the sounds of the fruits she brought cracking as they hit the ground, or the blasts of heat and cold that followed Ami and Kanbaru's transformations.

How could she never be aware of such things until now? There were many questions to make, many doubts to clarify. Nevertheless, all of them would have to wait as the party she had so kindly invited to was crashed by a brutish interloper, whose very visage was enough to freeze Seyrun in fear.

She would come out of her trance only when one of the strange creatures that gathered around her earlier would coming flying towards her lap and hit her with all the force of a snowball thrown by an infant.

Seyrun's first reaction was to try to get the creature away from harm's way. It was more like instinct than a purposeful thought, but she followed it almost instantly, running for the kitchen with it in her hands.

Maybe, if she had any powers of her own she could help more than just try t get out of the way of the others. Indeed, that was what she needed now, the power to help those that were in need. If it was true that she was a magical girl like the others, then...

"Teach me. If it's true that I'm like the others. How can I get the power to help them?" Seyrun said as she cradled the Mascot in her arms.

---