Anne Ryder

## Sigil

**Anne Yuè Ryder**/**Night Courier** is the creator and first Leader of Team Courier, being in her last year as a Magical Girl in C.S.Y. 0.

## Powers

Ryder has the ability to move through shadows, essentially using them as portals from one to the other. She also possesses minor control over them, being able to extend or shring shadows by very small amounts, and can make shadows act as portals for others as well.

## Physical Appearance

Ryder is of Chinese descent, and has average stature (163cm / 5'3). She has a very athletic build, a result of four years of patrol and a strict workout routine, which have made her toned, but not overly muscled. Also as a result of her years as a Magical Girl, she has amassed quite a few scars, especially on her torso and arms, with a particularly large on on her left thigh as well. Before having the Dream, Ryder had black hair and dark brown eyes. After that, her eyes have turned completely black, and her hair, while still black, now has a visual effect that makes it look like there are stars in it. She styles her hair in a braided side-plait.

Her outfit as a Magical Girl consists of a black, short-sleeved tunic with a hood and golden trimming, white cotton pants and a similarly white cotton undershit with long sleeves, black boots, and a white sash on her hip, as well as a satchel bag to carry messages on. She also occasionally carries a flashlight on her person.

When not transformed or at school, Ryder tends to prefer tank tops or long-sleeved shirts in solid colors, as well as shorts and running sneakers.

## Personality

Ryder tends to be very focused and level-headed, particularly in regards to her work as a Magical Girl. She is very protective of her teammates, going out of her way to ensure her team is safe and well.

Privately, Ryder is used to taking care of things herself, which has led to her being hesitant to relying on others for support. She is also experiencing some mental fatigue due to her long career, although it has yet to affect her normal life in any way. Ryder is also a big fan of other Magical Girls, even her juniors, an interest she is somewhat ashamed of and strives to keep hidden, despite her large collection of Magical Girl memorabilia.

## History

Ryder was born on C.S.Y. -17. At some point during her childhood, she lost her parents due to a breach, which led her to be raised by her grandparents. She also at some point met Logan Auliffe, who would go on to become her best friend.

Sometime during her thirteenth year, Ryder had the Dream, and became a Magical Girl. According to her grandmother Fan Yáo, she may have spent a short amount of time unaware of this due to how subtle the changes made to her were, although Ryder disputes this. She then began her career as a solo Magical Girl.

While information on her early career is vague, it is known that she has faced more than one near-fatal experience, and has crossed paths with several other girls and teams before, such as Grace Fields, Team Shock and Team Forte. At some point, Ryder began to act as a messenger between teams instead of following a set patrol route, as well as attempting to set up a team of messengers, to little success.

On early C.S.Y. 0, Ryder met Dawn Roche, and proposed that she, as well as her partner Celina di Moreno, at that time the only members of Team Blast (Former), work together with her to form a team of messengers. After a period of talks with the MGSI, the three managed to do so, formally creating Team Courier, to which Ryder personally recruited Maddie and Phoebe. Months later, Ryder also had to deal with the first death of the team, in the night where Celina lost her life.

### Team Courier (Work)

Upon Ellie's arrival in the team, at the suggestion of Team Courier member Sandra Blake, Ryder had Ellie pair with Dawn and warned her of Dawn's mental state following the still-recent change in status regarding Celina. She assigned the two to Team Alchemical's area as Ellie's introductory night, an act that, by chance, led them to be nearby the team when they were attacked by the Elevadeer. While both Ellie and Dawn walked out of the event with minor injuries and neither saw what happened to Team Alchemical, Ryder felt guilty regardless, deciding to make it up to Ellie by having Phoebe and Maddie help her train and get used to the team.

Soon thereafter, during patrol, Ryder was lured into a trap that negated her powers, leading her to have another near-fatal experience, over which she triumphed through experience and force of will. In the aftermath, she came to realize this trap was made by another Magical Girl, and that, further, due to knowledge of Ryder's power being somewhat of a secret, that trap had to have been made by a member of Team Courier. After some consideration over the advice of her friend Logan, Ryder recruited Ellie to aid in her internal investigation of the team.

## OOC Notes

* In the first draft of Team Courier, Ryder was supposed to die at the start of the story, her death triggering the plot. This was later changed as an experiment, and her character gained a much more central role in the finished story.

## Appears in

* *Team Courier*
* *Team Courier Interstitials*
* *Magical Girl Interview Network* #4

## Trivia

* Ryder is fluent in Mandarin, which she uses to speak with her grandparents when they're alone.
* Amongst her collection of Magical Girl memorabilia, it's noted that Ryder also possesses a Team Forte poster, which may or may not be the same that appears repeatedly in the main comic.
	+ Ryder is of the opinion that Team Forte's current outfits are inferior to their original versions, an opinion she shares with Ellie.
* Has been known as "Herbie Hind" due to a prank by Maddie.