(OOC: Since I'm not sure how many people will be joining this thread, I'd like to set up a sort of setting and background for this meeting. Shoka has called for a meeting with all the schools council's for funding in order to reforest the Ashed Lands of Spica and raise money for seedlings and clearing away of debris. At least, that's what's on paper. Most of the members on Student council know there's some sort of tension between Miator and Spica anyway, but this is turning out be a pretty big deal for more dramatic reasons. How much each member knows about the Miator/Spica or even the Ubu/Shoka rivalry varies depending on what your character has found out so far. I'd like to say that Lulim and Miator council members are already waiting in the room and Shoka is last to arrive, any Spica members arrive with Shoka, having walked with her on the way over....okay, lets do this!)


She knew that stepping foot into the walls of St Miator was like a cat walking into a wolve's den. Many of the girls here were fans of the so-called Grand Prince, and, knowing that Spica was Miator's rival anyway, it only made sense that she'd suffer the scowls of Ubu's fans two-fold. Of course, to her satsfaction many of those scowls turned to shy blushes when she looked back at those would be tough-girl faces.

There were a few Spican's with her, many who had probably been here before a few times, but never quite like this, parading through drawing this much attention. Shoka didn't mind, she wasn't nervous or shaken at all. She knew that Ubu was in here, theyw ere going to be in the same room again, and, considering Shoka's recent crime against a member of Ubu's harem, she couldn't wait to see what reactions she could coax out of the Grand Prince.

At last, the white-clad group stopped before the Student Council room. Why meet here? Well because St. Miator was the richest school, the funding would primarily come from them if the plan worked out. Also, because she didn't want Ubu to feel safe on her own turf, to know that Shoka could come here and do as she pleased, violate anything that belonged to Ubu, just as she had on a stormy night in a church not far away.

She put on her most elegant grin and entered the room. There, of course was Ubu, and Lulim's president, Shun, a face she recognized from Spica's science lab, as well as their respective committees. A cute pinkette sat near Ubu, as well as a stern looking girl Shoka couldn't remember seeing before.

She collected herself and bowed.

"Miyase-kun," Shoka chose the endearing honorific to annoy the other president, "Sando-san," she acknowledged the third school's president with another bow.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me here," though her words were meant for the room, she was only looking at Ubu. She sat down across from her at the end of the long table. Her council taking seats around her.

She laid out the notes given to her by a certain white-haired Spican girl and laced her fingers together, watching the Prince across from her.

"This meeting is about taking back something that was violently stripped away from us by a force much greater than we could stand." She said, carefully choosing words that might prick Ubu's temper. "With the right amount of work, we may be able to save it, though it may never return to it's former glory and a certain...pain...might always remain."

She watched the atmosphere thicken. "The one trouble is, Miator seems to have just enough funds for the endeavor, however it cannot be expected to carry this burden alone. I'm asking that we work out a way to put funds together from all three branches of Astraea for a fund raiser, that way it doesn't interfere with the school budgets too terribly, and perhaps brings in a little more than we hoped. Then there's the issue of what to plant and how much."

She paused, the tense silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Shoka was staring at Ubu, but upon noticing the silence laughed and hit the table, making a few girls jump. She stretched and cracked her fingers, "Well? Any ideas?" She lifted her gaze to sweep the room before returing it to Ubu with a sick grin, "As it stands, the land is naked, pale, and ugly. And there's no one around to save it..." she paused again and then sat back, tone lightening and rising her eyebrows. "Let's fix that shall we?"

She smiled at Ubu, and waited for someone to speak.

This was a rather unusual situation. Meetings between Student Council Presidents were hardly unusual, in and of themselves. But, today felt a little bit different. When one school wished to meet with the others, they were usually the ones to hold the meetings. It wasn't often that you requested to meet on another school's campus. At least, that hadn't been Shun's experience as Le Rim's SCP.

The raven haired Magician had been the second to arrive. Both Miator and Spica had new presidents and she was eager to meet them. Well, mostly she was interested in meeting Ubu. The silvernette was something of a mystery to Shun. Shoka, the new Spica president, she had met previously. In her estimation, the purple haired girl was a very intelligent girl, who was sure would be more than capable of leading the school.

Another point of interest, was the storied rivalry between the two schools. As a student of Le Rim, Shun wasn't all that involved with such things. Mostly, there would be some competitive barbs shared between students. She remembered a few contentious Etoile elections that had featured such things.

After the greetings, Shoka got down to business. A curiously worded request to help reseed the Ashed Lands of St. Spica. That was certainly a worthwhile goal, but there seemed to be something else going on. A pink eye surveyed the room with quiet curiosity. Some seemed annoyed with the Spican Prince. Although, this could just be due to the fact that she was from the rival school.

Shun sat at the middle of the long table, in between Ubu and her council and Shoka and her own. The Le Rim President had, of course, her own entourage of council members. And now they seemed to have ring side seats to the daggers that sailed across the table. Things could only continue like this for so long, before Shun had to chime in. They weren't going to accomplish anything by sitting around, after all.

"Why yes." she said, a small and polite smile appearing on her face, "I believe we have a number of options. The surrounding community is bound to support any effort we make to fix the Ashed Lands. I have worked with the museum, myself, to lend some materials for one of their exhibits. We could hold a function there, to raise some money."

She looked from Shoka to Ubu, "What do you think, Miyase-san? If I can provide us with a venue, could Miator assist with the organization? A joint venture between all three campuses would be quite wonderful!"

Sitting in the room with Ubu made her nostalgic, remembering when they were closer friends. They had drifted as of late, though she'd grown so much closer to Margeaux...even close enough to...kiss. Remembering that moment on Cherry Blossom Hill made Rin's heart flutter her and her stomach knot with happiness. She wondered what Ubu would think, but was far to embarrassed to bring it up. Still, Rin and Ubu were on the Student Council together now, so surely they would start talking more and be good friends again like before. Even if Rin felt slightly insignificant next to a Prince, Miator's Grand Prince even. She blushed a little, looking at how much Ubu had changed, she really did fit the title well.

But Ubu seemed tense? Maybe she was misreading it, under that lighthearted smile and kind golden gaze, something seemed like it wasn't quite right. She looked at her companion council members and they all seemed expectant, equally tense. Was something going to happen? Sure it was the first meeting of the three councils for the year, but that was no big deal right?

That what Rin thought, she smiled and touched Ubu's hand, "Don't be nervous," she smiled, "You'll do fine," she tried to smile convincingly. If that's what the trouble was, this was a good step toward being friends again, but then the door slid open and time stopped.

It was as if white feathers drifted around her, and and she moved in slow motion, her movements were handsome, her features beautiful, and even though Rin's heart fluttered securely in Margeaux's hands, she couldn't help blushing and averting her gaze when the Prince of Spica glanced at her.

She was relieved when she looked up again, sheepishly, to see the Spican Prince was staring not at her, but at Ubu. This made her glance between the two a few times, there was something sinister in the gaze of the rival prince and a strange undertone of dislike that threatened Ubu's usually happy countenance.

Shoka started talking, what a pretty voice she had, soft and soothing, but some of the girls around her scowled like it was nails on a chalk board. Did Miator hate Spica that much? Even so much that Ubu would be angry like this? Rin could do little more than sit and blush, moreso at Shoka's curious choice of words. Rin had the feeling she wasn't talking about a barren landscape at the end, but was lost as to what she could actually be talking about.

Then suddenly Shun Sando began to speak, making Rin jump and put a fisted hand to her chest. She frowned in concentration. Right. A fundraiser, at the museum?

"We could wear costumes and sell sweets," she offered. The sank back in her chair, realizing that speaking at all would bring the eyes of the frightening Prince down upon her. It was like she could see right through her, and it made her want to run away. Without thinking about it she took Ubu's coat sleeve in her hand, holding tightly, as if for safety, or protection. Now that the dark prince was looking at her, she didn't have anywhere to hide and all but squeaked under those dangerous violet orbs.

MIator had been transformed through the most recent student council elections in a way the proud school had never seen before.  For the first time in its history the presidency had been won not by a refined lady or energetic go-getter but by nothing short of a Grand Prince.  Whether or not there had been previous Grand Princes in the school's history was beside the point.  Ubu Miyase had risen from curious new girl who had trouble remembering her past to adventurer extraordinaire and finally royalty!  It was like a fairy tale you'd read about where the peasant girl finds out that she's actually very extraordinary, from a royal blood line and also the reincarnation of a great hero.  She fought her way through various trials which no other person could manage to surpass, liberated artifacts which belonged in the royal museum and served beautiful ladies to boot.  Now the Grand Prince had been recognized by her kingdom and elevated to a place of power so as to better serve it.  All should have been wonderful for the Kingdom of Miatoria and the Principality of Ubuland.

But all was not well for the Grand Prince, maintainer of the Royal Museum of Antiquities.  Storm clouds had gathered as a dark force emerged from her newfound kingdom's longest-lived enemy.  Spica was not itself to blame for the being's existence, merely for elevating her to a place of prominence recently.  At the winter ball she had caught her first glimpse of the enemy and thought nothing of the so-called prince.  That had been one of her gravest errors as Grand Prince had ever made.  Pride might have caused her to ignore the warning signs of a prince whose heart was as cold as the arctic circle in the dead of winter.  Something had happened when Ubu was unable to watch after the most vulnerable member of her Royal Court, the Priestess of Odin.  A demon had defiled her realm, harmed someone very close to Ubu and caused the Grand Prince great anguish.  She'd failed Cece.  Never again would that happen.  A demon prince wanted a war with Miatoria?  That was what she'd get, but not on her terms.

As she sat in the council room, the Grand Prince was dressed in new finery to suit her position as the leader of Miatoria and Ubuland: a green princely military looking uniform with silver epaulettes garnished with fringe, trimmed in black.  Her hair was pulled up into a bun with enough bangs in front to obscure the eye which had been scarred in the murky depths of childhood.  Behind her was a green velour banner with the Miator school crest bordered by the letter 'U' and 'R' on the left and right sides respectively, a crown sitting atop the crest itself.  Over her shoulder stood one of her faithful Royal Court members, the General of Ubuland and Defender of Miatoria, Haruka of the Oh Clan.  Haruka herself was dressed in full armor as was usual for important meetings like this.  Ubu felt only slight comfort knowing that she was surrounded by her supporters - including Rin, whom she hadn't seen very often lately.  Rumor had it that Rin was very close to a Spica girl.  Perhaps they could talk later!  Now was no time for pleasant conversation though, not with the Demon Prince set to arrive with the council she'd seduced with her wicked dark powers.  

"Thank you for your words of support, my dear lady," Ubu replied to Rin, smiling with more melancholy than anything.

That was when the enemy herself arrived in the sacred halls of Miatoria, strutting as if she were superior to all inside it.  Ubu knew it was polite to stand in the presence of guests, even unwelcome ones, but this was a different case.  Though she stood she did not reciprocate the bow whatsoever or even acknowledge Shoka's snakelike words of politeness.  Every word she spoke thereafter was full of lies, deception and evil incarnate, and felt like razor blades cutting at the skin.  On the surface it was completely reasonable to suggest that the woods be restored from the fire which had ravaged them years back.  Every word had been weaponized to assail the Grand Prince personally.  What she knew meant that innocuous words which the Demon Prince emphasized referred to a dark deed that she wanted Ubu to remember.  Why?  She appeared to be proud of what was a truly criminal act, and the purpose was to try and get the Grand Prince angry.  This was no ordinary foe.  Shoka Donamoto took what she wanted, destroying anything around it and inspired by evil itself  - Shoka was Rome.  As the reincarnation of Hannibal she could not sit idly by and let this monster get the better of her!  Ubu swore silently to Baal that she would destroy Shoka, all while her face remained oddly calm.

"You propose something that on the surface is a noble endeavor, but you fall to realize something, President Donamoto.  As I have recently assumed leadership of the Miator Council, I am still awaiting budget proposals from my loyal clubs, organizations and the like. Without those my financial information is empty, dark and hollow, which makes agreeing to anything hard to do at the moment," she replied coolly, tapping her fingers on the table, "I need to take care of my own school before I'm able to assist someone else, and I'm sure you can understand doing things for yourself.  Besides, it would be absolutely sinful not to bring up another matter which demands our attention."

She smirked as she explained, "Spica is not the only school which has suffered disaster in recent years, Donamoto.  While I would love to see a forest grow once more in that place on the Hill, the [i[devil[/i] is in the details of our own situation.  As I'm sure you're aware Miator saw an earthquake in the recent past which collapsed parts of buildings on campus.  These have not yet been dealt with and their mere presence represents a clear and present danger to all of MIator's daughters.  Who knows what evil might befall these innocent maidens should they wnader to the wrong place in the dark depths of night?  I am hoping to raise funds to see this blight on Astraea Hill removed so that we can all live in safety and peace.  As you can see this puts our desires at odds with one another.

"I would see the danger eradicated in fact.  As Grand Prince I  look after these girls with love, respect and care.. I'm not sure you understand that, Donamoto, with how busy you've been at other things.  But rest assured that your efforts haven't gone unnoticed," Ubu concluded, letting her anger simmer inside rather than explode outward.

Things began well, Lulim seemed eager to assist, then the small Miatorian pinkette spoke up, offering an idea that had Shoka raising a pleased eyebrow. Seeing how the girl responded to her gaze made her eyes narrow. She winked and watched the girl's blush darken. It almost made her laugh. However Ubu began to speak, making the corners of Shoka's mouth turn up in amusement instead of her Princely charm.

The more Ubu spoke, the more Shoka could read that her words held more venom than what could be detected on the surface. She wanted to laugh, this was fun! So she had gotten to the prince. She silently congratulated herself for the small victory. Surely the Grand Prince now saw her as an adversary. But then came the counter move. Of course, the Prince wasn't going to just help her willingly, she had her own things to worry about. So many nasty names were hidden in her speech. Ubu saw her as a demon. Wonderful. A Devil even? Perfect. She was an evil blight? Oh indeed she was, and Ubu wanted her eradicated. At least they had similar goals, however opposite in the matter of who was being eradicated. She implied Shoka didn't have the capacity to care, to which she inwardly scoffed. That depended on what, exactly, she was supposed to be feeling care and love for.

....A rather important brunette might have flashed through her mind, but she didn't have time to entertain thoughts of her, not in the heat of this particularly sweet moment.

"I can understand the need to put Miator's skirt back on, so to speak." She said, tone lighthearted, as if making a joke. One that would come off as very sick to anyone who knew her crime. "If you need time to adjust to the new fit, that's fine with me. However the ruins do make quite the eyesore, exposing some rather unsightly shapes on the body of Astaea Hill that need some smoothing." She was still grinning, full to the brim with satisfaction. "I don't see why the fundraiser couldn't be mutually beneficial to both endeavors."

Of course, Shoka wasn't going to push that her school was more deserving of renovation. It was best to play the field so that she might appear benevolent, willing to help Miator like the good President she was. Oh yes.

"Rebuilding is quite the task, Spica students aren't afraid of dirtying their petticoats, we can do some of the grunt work to save money on contracting. In turn, Miator's skills in gardening can ensure the growth of the land is sucessful. I can see this working out to our mutual satisfaction." The petticoats remark was a shot at Miator's reputation for churning out prim-and proper ladies who couldn't be bothered to do hard labor, lest they break a nail.

Though her smoldering gaze said that everything was already working out for her. "Spica is more than capable of holding it's own fundraiser. However chances of a greater success lie in a mutual effort."

"We could hold it for several days and try to raise the most money possible, and then we split the earnings equally. Half to you and half to me. Unless....." she paused, her tone turned dangerously flirtatious, her laced fingers pressing together as she leaned forward, grinning, "you prefer a war instead, Miyase-kun?" She let several moments of silence pass to let the challenge sink in.

"If you haven't the heart to help your sister school with a simple act of sharing benefits, Spica is not afraid of a little competition. Put everything on the table, we compete, and the winner takes what's rightfully hers. If there is anything left over, the remainder goes to the loser."

Get the oh so benevolent Prince to declare war officially? Oh that would be delicious. Shoka had just placed her rook in line with the King, she had her in check. Either Ubu agreed to help, and they worked together, or she still agreed to help and they worked apart. Either way, there would be a fund raiser and both schools would be involved. She waited for Ubu to decide what to say next. Her gaze pressing her to speak, a malicious grin decorating the atmosphere.

Ubu and Shoka seemed more interested in directing their words at each other, than engaging in any real dialogue. Shun sat and waited patiently for the two newly elected Presidents to speak their minds. Clearly, there was a personal matter that seemed to be between the rival Princes. One that was bound to make things difficult to progress, if they were going to insist on this fruitless "war". Honestly, some people just couldn't get out of their own way.

While the members of the Le Rim Student Council looked back and forth at the two rivals with worried looks, Shun maintained a very calm and pleasant demeanor. This was stage, just like any other, and if she was to perform in her role as Student Council President than it should only be at her best. Sure, both of the two Princes were speaking with such nice formality and to an unfamiliar observer, it might even seem like a pleasant exchange. But, a careful study revealed that there was no love lost between the two.

Whatever the case, the situation could easily get out of hand. Already, there was so much talk of "war" and "demons" and other such nonesense. Her fellow Council members were left quite as church mouses during the exchange, which could easily lead one to the conclusion that they were not even there. She would have to have a talk with them about that.

"Such dramatic language, Donomoto-san." Shun said, "Although the same might be said about our dear Miyase-san."

"Not that Miator is without a voice of reason." she winked at the pink haired girl who had spoken up, earlier, "I don't believe we have to resort to such drastic measures. As Donomoto-san said, we can raise money for both causes. I hardly see any reason why one school needs to be left to struggle on their own. Do not forget, my dears, that there are three schools on Astraea Hill."

As she spoke, a pair of cards appeared on the table. Getting them out was easy, people were so distracted that she could probably bring out a can of gasoline and set the table on fire without anyone noticing. Which made her little tricks all the easier to perform.

The two cards sailed across the table and landed in front of both Ubu (getting a 3 of Diamonds) and Shoka (getting a 3 of Clubs). She rested her hands on the table and glanced back and forth.

"When all three campuses are shining brightly, we all benefit. And working together, I am certain we shall be able to restore Miator and Spica what they have lost in their tragedies." She smiled, ever so politely at the two Presidents. Her expression was as genuine as her goals. Fixing up both Spica and Miator would certainly be good for all parties, involved.

Being looked at, winked at, or having any form of the dark princes attention locked on her for any amount of time was almost too much to bear, and, even as it shifted away once more to Ubu, Rin couldn't help the pounding in her chest. Ubu and Shoka were clearly at odds, and they both had their charms. Shoka seemed to be trying to manipulate things. Was she trying to start a fight? She felt, sitting here, like she was part of the royal guard, facing off against a rival kingdom. Shokas wicked grin and burning gaze had her looking at Ubu for signs of weakness, curious to see if whatever Shoka was trying to do was working. Her gaze was equally intense.

The Princes spoke, and thankfully Shun spoke up, "Right!" She said, quick to agree and ease the tension. "No need to call it a...a war," she sheepishly glanced at Shoka, "but we should hold a fundraiser for both, like maybe put on a show, like a play about rebuilding and reforesting. We could charge admission and then have a basket for additional donations passed around the crowd. Or if not a play, maybe a presentation to raise awareness about bush fires and earthquakes."

It was then, she looked at Ubu, she really was trying to be helpful and she searched her face for approval. If not approval, then some degree of ease. She really just wanted Ubu to feel better, or maybe understand just what was so bad about Shoka's request.

"Rebuilding Miator is really important, it's the oldest building on Astraea Hill, we should use some money to help preserve and protect what's left of the original building. It's going to be really expensive, but it's important. This is history we're trying to preserve. The forest is history too, and slowly, it is rebuilding itself. I doubt it will cost as much to plant some trees as it will to put up walls."

She looked at Shun, "Why don't we look at numbers first and set a goal yen amount, that way we can tell people at the show how much we are going to get for our causes?" Upon finishing her thought she looked back at Ubu first, then at Shoka, then quickly back at Ubu.

Taking the mantle of Grand Prince hadn't led to happiness and prosperity alone, but Ubu had somewhat expected that. No great undertaking was without the elements that made it an adventure. Ubu had looked forward to some friendly rivalry with Spica at the most, so long as nobody was involved in the secret Nazi conspiracy. When Spica selected Shoka as their prince it infuriated her that the rivalry would be tainted by the evil her counterpart represented. There was every possibility that this approximation of Roman ideals (control and repression) that was Shoka may have been aided by the shadowy conspiracy which had been after her. They wanted to control artifacts and pursued the Grand Prince because Ubu wanted those items to be placed in a museum for all members of the kingdom to see. Given her reprehensible behavior and hatred for innocent maidens it was totally feasible that she was being aided by the Nazis.

This idea came to the forefront when the dark prince suggested a war was imminent between the two courts. Of course Ubu was infuriated by the suggestion, ready to launch an attack on her foe right on the spot. The whole school should know what she'd done! Now was not the place for fury, though. Ubu looked to Rin next to her, Shun nearby and even her general Haruka as she stood on guard. These were her friends, allies and lovely ladies all. Becoming furious would be a sign of weakness on the unflappable prince's part. Nazis didn't make her mad so why should she let the Demon Prince get to her right now? Of course she would avenge what had been done to her priestess, but that would come at an appropriate time. Losing her cool was what Shoka wanted, perhaps, just so that she could fain innocence in the whole matter.

"There's no need to be so dramatic, Donomoto. You suggest a war between our schools but that would be a waste of our time, there are many things this hill needs to be restored to glory. Perhaps you are hungry for a war but Miator wishes nothing but peace, love and safety for every lady on Astraea Hill. As such I have a counter-proposal to make based on the suggestions of these two lovely ladies, President Sando and Rin-san," Ubu replied, grinning as she felt as though she were taking control of the situation, "We organize an Astraea Hill Fundraising Spectacular featuring the very best of all three sister schools. All kinds of acts should perform, maybe even a festival specifically to get money for our projects. As this would be a very artistic matter... I propose that LeRim be entrusted to oversee the overall organization and distribution of funds post-fund raiser. Both schools submit a budget for their rebuilding projects and LeRim will help us get that money we need."

Then she nodded, "Do you find that acceptable, Donomoto? I don't wish to insult you of course," Ubu concluded, hoping that she could avoid open conflict with her nemesis just yet.

"Don't be silly Miyase-kun, anything involving the two of us couldn't possibly be a waste of time, unless of course you're so self-centered that the matters of Spica don't interest you." She smiled with a false charm. "Besides, what's a little friendly drama between Astraea Hill's oldest schools? But I digress, your idea sounds fantastic."

So the other Prince deflected her, blocking her rook and moving herself out of check. Still, just seeing the other Prince upset was a victory in itself. Ubu knew who she was now. She'd accomplished that.

"Perhaps we have a race among the festivities? Can Miator girls ride horses or swim?" She was trying another route. She knew Miator had a Physical Education class, but couldn't fathom what they would teach the girls in such a prudish school when it came to physical activity.

"Certainly that would be the main attraction."

She narrowed her eyes over her snake-like grin, her gaze still challenging Ubu in a way that said Spica will kick your bottom. "It would be so much fun, and regardless of the winner, Lulim will awards the funds according to budget anyway, but it's sure to bring in spectators, perhaps even of the schools alumni."

The pinkette and Shun both seemed to agree on a more peacful endeavor, but Shoka was hungry for competition. Some might attribute that to her wanting to beat Ubu at something, even if it was by having another member of her school beat another Miator girl at some sport. Others might say it was simply Spican nature.

She turned her gaze to the others in he room who had still been silent. Smiling at the other Spicans who all nodded their heads in agreement. A race seemed a grand idea to them.

Sachi had been sitting quietly next to Shun during this entire exchange. Before this, she hadn't really known too many details of the rivalry between President Donomoto and President Miyase, but she had heard rumors from other council members. Seeing what was going on in front of her only made her realize more the seriousness of the situation. She herself liked to stay out of drama like this, but it would do nothing to be ignorant about the situation. In reality though, she thought the whole thing was rather silly.

Clearing her throat, she spoke up for the first time, her voice strong and confident but not loud. "If I may speak up," she directed at the Spica president. "My name is Sachiko Aizawa. It's nice to meet everyone's acquaintance." She paused. "Not that a little friendly competition between the schools is a terrible idea, but I think you're just as well informed as anyone that Miator is slightly lacking when is comes to the more physical challenges when compared to Spica, Donomoto-san." She turned her attention to Ubu. "No offense intenended, President Miyase. But I think it would be unfair to have a competition when one of the schools has a reputation for being talented at such things. Putting these matters aside, what we really need to focus on is the fundraising. It would be rather counterproductive to let our silly rivalries get in the way of restoring something we all care about."

Underneath the table, Sachi's leg was shaking slightly. It was her first time interacting with the other Student Council President's, let alone proposing an opinion to them that didn't necessarily match what they thought. However, she wasn't one to idly sit by and not stand up for her own opinion, especially if it benefitted others.

"I think a festival is a wonderful idea. Instead of having a race between the schools, wouldn't it be more interesting to see a race between members of Spica? We could pitch it as seeing who the best in the school is, if you still wanted to go down a competitive route. That could be a main event, while Miator and Lulim could have booths around the venue. Miator's girls have many talents that they could earn a profit off of, and as for Lulim, we have several very talented seamstresses with us. Not to mention a very talented magician."

Having finished her little speech, she gave a side glance to Shun to see what the President was thinking before closing with "So, any thoughts?"

If there was one person among her Student Council that she could rely on, it was no doubt the quiet redhead who had chosen this moment to speak up. Sachi had long been a supporter of Shun's and even assisted in her first campaign for the position. And so, it was most welcome to have yet another voice speak up in favor of reason. The tense air of Miator's council chambers seemed to be escalating with both Ubu and Shoka's voice dominating the proceedings. Of course, it certainly appeared that the members of their respective councils were only going to support their leaders, with one notable exception.

The thinly veiled barbs volleyed back and forth as Shun sat back in her chair and her one visible pink iris moved from side to side, as if observing a tennis match. The proceedings were frustrating, but she let no sign of this slip past her features. Now was not the time to give in to such emotions. As a neutral third party, Shun felt that it was her duty to remain a voice of reason, lest the entire proceedings devolved into a pointless debate and grandstanding.

And, at the very least, the idea of a fund raiser was getting some traction. There was still something that they could accomplish and that was what she wanted to ensure happened. A smile did make it's way out, as Sachi glanced in her direction and the magician (a very talented one, as she was described) winked at the girl.

"A very sensible suggestion, my dear Aizawa-san." Shun said, "And I am inclined to agree. A festival should play to all of our strengths. It would bring in the biggest audience, after all. With the challenges facing both Miator and Spica, I believe we will need both schools at their very best."

Sachi's counter-proposal seemed like a very good idea, but it would require some selling. Many, if not all, of Spica's council members seemed bent on pushing for this race of Shoka's. Which was something Shun found difficult to sell outside of Astraea Hill.

"The events we hold should reflect our goals and also display our solidarity." she said, "Even a friendly competition might be misconstrued, especially if it appears to favor one school over another. But, Aizawa-san has already said as much. We have enough space on Astraea Hill and cannot afford to narrow our focus. I have no doubts that both Spica and Miator can contribute greatly to a number of different events that will help generate interest among alumni and the neighboring community that we shall be able to meet all of our goals."

She'd been relaxing, half heartedly listening to the proceedings. Getting to see the Spican Prince in action was cool, she sure had some daggers to throw at old lady Miator! But things slowed to a crawl as the girls started debating on what to do, not that Konosuke was surprised, no way Old Lady M would want to agree to anything Spica wanted with a big thumbs up. She started to drift off but shifted awake when she was elbowed by a fellow Spican.

"Huh wha?" She murmered queitly.

The other Spican whispered quietly, sheilding her mouth, "Spica might have a competition at the festival."

Still half away she shot up to stand with her hand raised so fast her chair nearly fell over,

"I'll do it!!"

The Spican who had nudged her sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. Oblivious, Konosuke made fist,

"A swim relay! Yeah, Spica's swim team can race! Demonstating the strength and teamwork it takes to get the tough jobs done!" She pumped her fist, looking determined, "Old Lady Miator, and Little Sis Lulim can do what they want outside, but Spica will bring the heat inside the lanes!" She finished her speech, squeezing a bicep and saying "hot water!" In english.

She nodded as if she made her point and plopped back down, looking satisfied as if she had decided the whole thing. The girl beside her rolled her eyes but looked at Shoka as if her enthusiasm had some merit.

A scary Lulim girl spoke up, bravely offering a rebuttal to the Spican Prince's proposition, and thank goodness. She recalled the famous Shizuma could ride horses, but she imagined Miator's version of horsback riding was far different from Spica's version, and different still from whatever the dark Prince had in mind. Thankfully someone had been brave enough to say something in a way that would hopefully not offend their Spican guests.

"Right," Rin added, hoping to save the girl from any direct wrath Shoka might have to fire back at her for rejecting her idea, but just then a redhead sitting two seats from Donomoto-san shot up with an enthusiastic speech. The pinkette was stunned to silence for several moments.

"So...um.." she began slowly, carefully looking at the faces around her, "We might let the race be the main attraction, charge admission. People in general tend to like things like that, and of course we can sell wares outside, Lulim has a cooking club right? Maybe we could sell concessions too? It could be fun and all for a good cause. We could call it something like...Rebuild the Hill?"

She was throwing ideas out, eager to each some kind of compromise or agreement. Surely everyone would leave the meeting with a plan to get what they wanted.

So the decision had been made that there would be a joint fundraiser for both campus projects. Even though the way in which the demonic Spica president spoke made Ubu's skin crawl, that might be the only way for her to score a victory. Forcing the enemy to acknowledge her power was victory enough for her. Total victory would have to come at another time on another day. She felt terrible for having underestimated the Spica 'prince' back at the Winter Ball, which had led to the tension and inevitable conflict. All she could do was to ensure that Ubuland emerged victorious against an enemy bent on its destruction or at least torment. Ubu wasn't totally sure what Shoka's intentions were in full but she didn't intend to let the foe succeed in any of them. Other girls offered suggestions which built on the insinuations Shoka made about Miator being unable to compete with them in a sports activity. That got to her enough that a response was formulating in her mind, but the girl standing guard over her shoulder had other ideas. Unspoken, but Ubu could tell Haruka wanted to answer the challenge.

"You speak too quickly, Donomoto. Miator will find someone who can compete with Spica, just to make things interesting. That's what you're after isn't it? An interesting competition to help raise funds for both restoration projects?" she offered, tehn waved off further thoughts, "I will consult my council and inform you of our representatives at a later time. Rest assured we are happy to answer your challenge, and will do everything we can to defeat you. All in good faith of course."

Then she nodded, "Everything else sounds satisfactory. I trust LeRim can handle the finer details of managing all funds raised by the festival and other attractions.. shall we consider this meeting complete, then?"

Meanwhile, Haruka was staring daggers directly at Shoka. Somehow that fiendish knave had become the leader of Spica's student council despite the clear evil which lurked in her heart and eyes. A Spican herself Haruka would not let this disgrace stand. One way or another she was going to make that so-called prince regret every thought and action she'd ever undertaken as a Spica student. As her Grand Prince's general it was her duty to stand up to this enemy of all who were true and good. Grand Prince Ubu could never raise a finger to take action herself in any direct manner or she'd be painted the villain. Yet Haruka could do so herself without attracting nearly so much attention; she could also take the blame for any fallout and was willing to sacrifice herself for her Grand Prince. If it meant taking down Shoka she would do it. The fury in her eyes showed her feelings as she waited for the Spicans to leave the room.