[i]Ammunition… check. Gun… check. More ammunition… check. Bandolier… check.[/i] Alice ran through her mental checklist in a detached manner- she’d already arranged all of this three weeks ago. The various items had been left in a neatly organized manner hanging right by her bedside while she slept, and constantly on her person while out and about. 

She’d been forbidden from walking about during the festival like she was prepared for war- which funnily enough, she had been. Few seemed to have paid much attention to the lull, probably hoping it was a real ceasefire or something just as naive. She’d bolted straight for the northern sector, not bothering to shift as her wings would be of little use inside. 

[i]This is it. I knew they were coming. It [u]was[/u] just a distraction, the real attack was coming here the whole time. I should’ve gotten more people prepared rather than killing time.[/i] A malicious grin split her face as she ran, [i]Well, now begins the killing time. This ought to be fun.[/i]

She saw the now sizeable group of gathering students, slowing down to avoid smashing into one of them. She paused for a moment, shifting, before continuing at a walk. She gripped the hilt of her sword and the grip of her revolver, giving the latter one last check to make sure it was loaded. Breathing deeply, she walked into the gathering throng, sighting a multitude of tails and a familiar figure next to them.

[i]Huh, how about that?[/i]

The clanking of her armor probably gave her away as she walked up to the two. “Quite a party. Seems we’ve got some uninvited guests though. Shame about them. They’ve probably got families.” She realized she still had the malicious grin plastered on her face and hurried to smother it under the usual mask of apathetic calm.

 “I’ve always wondered what this sword would do to things. The gun too, now that it’s got the special bullets. Seems I get to find out today.”