[h3][color=mediumspringgreen]Andras[/color] and [color=7ea7d8]Michael[/color]'s Closet Meeting[/h3]

When Suzakura got knocked out of the ring in record time, Michael couldn’t help but clear his throat trying to cover up a snicker. He talked a big game, but he was still no match for his opponent. Still, that just meant his opponent was nothing to scoff at, having been quick to take out his opponents in quick succession. Whoever had to fight him next would be in trouble. 

Speaking of who went next, Michael went through the list of fighters in his head, and he realized he was up against Alex next. It was a perplexing conundrum for him. On one hand, he wanted to see what Alex was really capable of first hand. However, he had done a study of her power in his time together with her, and knew she only had a limited number of those cards she used to manifest her power. There probably wouldn’t be many left now, if any at all. And on the other hand, Michael was loath to raise a hand against Alexandria. She was…

Michael shook his head. He resolved himself to put aside his heart for this match. And besides, it was just a match. Everyone here came simply for a good fight. Alex surely came here for the same reason, and Michael was not going to be the one to take it away from her.

Alex put the strange person that accosted her out of her head for the moment, with nothing left to say to him. She had bigger things to deal with now; Namely, she had completely zoned out and a fight had occurred without her really paying any attention. In all honesty, Alex was already at her limit - she had dumped her hand far too quickly when Vera toyed with her, and now all she had were the spell effects that she already had active. She clenched her fist, the latent magical power briefly dancing around her arm. She could throw punches with superhuman strength, and she could still leap twice her normal height. That would be enough to settle the score with whoever she was up against next - and if not, she’d at least create a story about the “demon girl” who could punch with the force of a truck. Alex was actually beginning to get her excitement back. She quickly ran down the list of remaining matches with her eye.

‘All right. Let’s see who I get to fight. After what happened with Vera, I think I need to deck someone I’m not on a first name basis with-’ Alex’s train of thought froze in its tracks as she read the name she was paired up with.

Why did it have to be the only other person she knew at this tournament?! Alex wondered if Wolf would ambush her on the way back to her home at this rate. Or perhaps her online chatting friends would reveal themselves in order to fist fight her? Alex felt torn. In all honesty, she didn’t want to hurt Michael and her only method of fighting at the moment was something she couldn’t really control well at all. But she had a reputation to build… Plus, winning against Vera and then quitting the next round would not be very kind.

Alex took a deep breath. She wouldn’t let this go wrong either. She would normally simply let things go with the flow, but today had already gone too wrong. She had to be proactive. Assertive. Like Vera. She singled out Michael in the bar and grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards the nearest supply closet. “We need to talk.” She said to him, keeping a firm grasp on Michael, with determination in her eye. “Alone.”

When Michael saw Alex walk toward him, he smiled and raised his hand in greeting, but went wide-eyed when she dragged him away to somewhere more private. “A-Alex?” Michael asked in surprise. “Ok, um, sure. What’s going on?” The situation was quickly escalating beyond his expectations, and was quite out of character for both Alexandria and Andras. 

Alex finally let go once they were stowed away successfully. She had managed to grab him, but her resolve was at her limit. “The truth is…” Her face quickly began to flush, contradicting her previously stoic demeanor. She couldn’t seem to make eye contact. “M-Me and you…” She continued to mutter something, unable to quite put together her thoughts.

‘W-Wait… Did I just drag him to a closet alone? What if someone saw us?! I didn’t think about this at all!’ Alex’s mind finally caught up to the situation she created. Alex froze in place, unable to continue her train of thought. Her attempts to speak simply devolved into stuttering.

[i]What? ‘Me and you’?[/i] Michael thought to himself as he turned away, his face bright red all the way to his ears. Was it really what he was thinking? He took a sideways glance at Alex again, seeing her stammering over her own words, which only served to further cement his understanding on the matter. He raised his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, then proceeded to say, “This wasn’t, uh, how I pictured this would happen, but, uh…” Clearing his throat again, he continued, “Ma-may we, um, g-get along, then.”

Alex’s eye widened with surprise. “You’re okay with it?!” She backed up, bumping her back to the closet door. “I-I don’t think I can really control it myself… I don’t want to hurt you!” She clenched her fists, suppressing a sniffle. “I-I mean, I almost hurt Vera already… You saw what I did, you know! I-If we fight each other in this next match, then…” A tear rolled down her face. “I don’t want to hurt anyone else I care about… I should just concede the match!”

Michael was confused once again by where the conversation was headed. Then he realized his initial assumption of the conversation was wrong. She had brought him over for a different sort of confession, after all. He felt relieved, but he also thought he felt a sharp pain in his heart. He forced himself to push his feelings aside and continue listening to Alex. This was still a serious conversation, after all, and he needed to hear it. 

“Alex, you have nothing to worry about in this case,” Michael reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I came to the Midnight Tournament expecting to get hurt. Sure, I wasn’t expecting you to come here, and I’d totally beat up anything who did hurt you, but I’ll… be...” Thinking back on the pairings, Michael realized if he would indeed [i]somehow[/i] manage to lose, she would have to go up against the guy who had quickly taken out Suzakura. That was a fate Michael would very much like to avoid. Quickly making up his mind, Michael said, “A-Actually, yeah, maybe you should concede. I won’t hold it against you, and-and I’m glad you care so much about me.”

Alex felt reassured, at least partially, by Michael’s words. “I-I kinda joined this all on a whim, but things have really gotten in over my head...” She averted her eye for a moment, fidgeting somewhat. “Maybe sometime you can show me a little bit about how to actually fight… I-If you have time!” This most recent tournament had shown her that maybe she needed a little bit more than just her cards to win. 

“I just hope Vera doesn’t come down on me for forfeiting after beating her…” Alex gave an uneasy sigh.

“Of course,” Michael said, smiling. “Eh, I wouldn’t worry too much about Vera. I’m… sure she cares about you… in her own way.” Stepping out of the broom closet, Michael continued on, “Now then, let’s get out of here. You should go issue your surrender to the announcer. I’ll get ready for the final match.”

“G-Good luck…” Alex let Michael go on ahead, waiting a little bit so they weren’t seen exiting at the same time. She meekly stalked over to the announcer, submitting her withdrawal from the tournament, before turning away and scanning the bar. She had to just make sure where Vera was. Alex wasn’t going to let her get away without at least exchanging contact information. She’d keep an eye on her and talk it through once the fights settled down.

Hopefully.