Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

The meeting replayed over and over again in her head, trying to find something wrong with it. But, alas, it went great. Tora was a fine young man, and she enjoyed hanging out with him. He would give her a challenge if she wanted one, and he knew her enough to keep up with her heated spirit. They behaved as childhood friends would, often exchanging questions about the past and then fondly drifting into clouds of nostalgia. So why did she want to poke holes in this? She pondered it again as she came back through the gate, spinning her ring with her thumb.

"Oi, Rai." he poked her shoulder. "Tell me about your new school. We always talk about home when we visit, I don't really know what you've been doing lately."

"It's nothing to brag about. Vincenness definitely had a smaller student body, but that's fine." she pushed back at him playfully to end his prodding, then straightened out her long sleeve. "I've put into motion my master plan to come home already though."

"This again, Rai?" she laughed. "Home isn't going anywhere, why not enjoy a living your way out here while you can?"

"I've issued four challenges since the beginning of the season. With any luck, I'll gain some support and get a Student Council position, then use that rank to officially challenge Vincennes to an Olympic style sports festival."

"As long as you know what you're doing, I guess." he nervously scratched the back of his head, and laughed it off.

They behaved just fine together, so why did she want to cut the marriage? Surely she wasn't in love with him, that much was obvious. He probably knew it himself. But that alone wasn't reason. Love could blossom at any moment, and to deny that fact is cowardice. Perhaps it was just her distance? Yes, surely she would cease this ridiculous line of thinking the more time she spent with him. All the more reason to challenge Vincenness. He lived closer to there than here, and she could see for herself what happens to her feelings when she is the one to engage a meeting.

For now, she quietly plotted this to herself while making her way inward toward campus from the gate in a simple yet elegant dress to match her hair color, accented with black lace. She had gotten dressed up to see him for their day date, and didn't have anywhere off campus to change back into her uniform. It irritated her that she had to tarnish the grounds this way by not wearing the appropriate clothing, but she would bear it for now. The thought had her in a slightly more aggressive mood however, and she was walking in a bit of a huff, so anybody who needed to stop her for something had better have a good reason.

╖───────╓
H O N O O

Gilda stalked along the path towards the school. A time out in the city had been theoretically for mood raising, instead it had just given her time to fume. Being off on her own had also been a mistake. At least another person could have taken her mind off all the unfairness that life represented. Instead thoughts of forests and ruins filled her mind and tinted her vision red. Finally, she had given up, bought herself a big bag of Mikan that she was absentmindedly peeling and eating. The excess peels got thrown into a second bag, usually, sometimes they ended up in the bag with the fruit.

Gilda herself was in Miator uniform, she had no desire to see any minor blemish on the record in case some silly person was too uptight about uniforms on campus. Better to wear the uniform around the city and announce her pedigree than worry about changing as soon as she returned to the campus. Of course after walking around town and eating fruit without a napkin, she was less presentable than she normally was.

Despite her mood and preoccupation with the whole Miator and Spica situation, she was not unaware of her surroundings. Gilda always had to keep an eye out for the people around because insulting the wrong person could ruin your chances at success. So when she saw the redhead, she stopped. Her mind told her the redhead was important and she ran through the important people at the school. Finally she landed on a general description. Firebrand, red hair was appropriate, a possible candidate for the presidency, Spica so no direct threat. Gilda breathed in, rolled her shoulders, and breathed out. She would have to introduce herself to this possibly future ally. They could be sisters in the future soon enough.

"Miss Honoo, excuse me." She called as she approached. "I saw you walking along and thought that I should introduce myself to you. My name is Gilda Hohenzollern. I have heard that you are running for the presidency for Spica, I, myself, am running for Le Rim."

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

Oh great, there was an interruption after all. Well, fine. She stopped her huffy approach and stood, arms crossed in what some might call a bit of an off putting stance with an obvious look of disinterest and annoyance on her face. Le Rim. Not her competition by any stretch, as these girls always just did whatever Miator and Spica wanted. It was almost pathetic, which made it completely pathetic in her eyes right this moment.

"... And?" she tsked, shaking her head. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but I have little interest in competing with your school for any reason."

Raion, bad. Do I need to get the spray bottle?

"Ugh... Sorry, bit of a rotten mood. If you're approaching me at all you must have some guts, so I'll hear you out." her stance shifted to something less stand-offish as her thumb rubbed at her ring again. Still on her mind, as always.

"Oui, I am Honoo Raion. Salutations."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

The girl had replied with a dismissive tone. Gilda's smile twitched and her eyes definitely stopped reflecting any kind of smile. She was about to retort when the girl apologized, sort of. If you could call that any kind of apology which was really stretching it, but Gilda certainly knew about bad moods. "Cela est une honte, je souffre d'une mauvaise expérience," she said with a mild german accent, "can you believe those girls the school calls presidents? Months of planning, writing, making flyers, and campaigning to have Spica and Miator presidents get their act together to fix things and then they go and actually do. Successfully too. All that work down the drain, all people will remember are the leaders at the time, not the hard working woman who kicked up a fuss."

Gilda crossed her arms and shook her head. "Anyway, you seem like a pretty strong contender, probably the most likely Spica to serve on the new student council next year. As I am the best candidate for Le Rim, I thought I'd offer a hand of friendship to a fellow sister. Not literally at this time, I've been eating and my hand is less than clean right now."  Gilda turned her attention back to Honoo.  "Though I expect your problems are unrelated to a fruity hand and a campaign to repair the hill.  I certainly hope they don't impede your rise to the top.  It would be a shame if the best were held back due to unfair circumstance."

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

She had a hard time identifying if the use of French was mocking or not, so she just let it slide and pretended she understood. Vincenness had only really used French for Titles, confirmations, greetings, and formal address. Still, that wasn't the bulk of the reply. That came from the way the girl began complimenting Raion's standing in the election and the atmosphere of the current board. It was odd to hear a Le Rim speak as if she cared for such things, but she decided that it was merely her imagination and that there was no way she actually cared that much.

"I won't serve spica." she clarified, closing her eyes. "I'll bring it to a golden age like it's never seen before, and there's not a single person who will stop me."

Her entire attitude about the conversation had shifted from annoyance to politician. She had to play this role well enough that she could gain the power first, and then she could use it to go home and challenge her friends. What was it that she was saying next? Friendship? That simply was out of the question for now. She had taken no such thing since arriving and would require a lot more buttering up to agree to it. Friends were people one could trust with their lives. She took the title seriously, and wouldn't just hand it out.

Wait, did she actually just ask about her personal life? They just met. Argh, fine.

"I doubt my personal issues will affect my ability to perfect Spica. They lie off campus and only after I graduate."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

Gilda smiled. This Honoo was incredibly motivated, just the sort of person who would make a fantastic ally in the presidency. Unfortunately, the girl appeared to be a bit closed off. The three sisters being unconnected had caused the whole mess in the first place with the presidents. "Spica requires her daughters serve her. Surely bringing the golden age to her is the greatest service you could bring." It might be nice to debate a girl such as this, especially since they wouldn't have to worry about actual competition. Gilda's smile grew.

"It wouldn't be a single person who stopped you either, it would take the votes of many, the same as any of us. A single person may oppose us but it is the many who lift us into the great pedestal that we deserve to inhabit." She raised her chin in a proud stance. "That is why I offer a friendship. If we are to become the avatars, the three sisters who stand above the other students, we must unite with each other. A united student council could hold even greater sway than those Etoiles, whoever they may be in the future."

She let her arms fall, though rather than hanging, they rested on her hips. "Then that is fortunate. So long as they don't interfere with my appointment as Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland then I wish you the best of luck with your trouble."

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

This was getting intriguing, she had to admit.

"True. But I'm giving Spican students no other option to vote for." she stated as if it were normal to feel so powerful. "I don't care who I am running against, I will prove myself the superior candidate - in battle if I have to. Actually, I'd prefer it that way."

Tora always told her to take it easy sometimes, but there was no way that would happen until she had no more fight left in her. She had big dreams for her future education, and her future after school was still a mystery but she wouldn't settle for anything other than a fate she carved out for herself. Even if it was with him, she would be happy.

"Unity among student council isn't exactly something I'm familiar with. My old school had one president, not three. As for the Etoile, I believe they have their place. But other people here have Titles too, and Lion D'incendie will not give them an inch if they try and alter my plan."

She took a moment to cross her arms again.

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't accept unity right away. I have the future of MY school to think about first, and the rest of you after."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

"Battle?" That was a completely new idea. Was she being metaphorical? Gilda could certainly see how one could compare an election to a battle, but her statement of preference sure didn't make it sound like a metaphor. "What do you mean by battle, surely you don't mean actual fighting like fencing or the like? We ought to be long past the days when mere physical prowess and skill with a blade was something we needed from our leaders." Frankly the idea sounded absolutely absurd. She thought of the great leaders of the recent past, she could probably beat some of them up, or at least beat them in a sparring match. That didn't mean she was a better politician. She was smart enough to know that she couldn't lead a country yet, that would take time and experience she just hadn't got.

"Most schools do have one president, and here on Astrea it is also true. You will be the leader of one school, but it is better to think of the three sisters as a collective. We are countries who share a landmass, we need each other if we are to thrive, or even survive. You cannot ignore your sisters. When the sisters split and the presidents would not work together due to some petty rivalry, look what happened. The forest was an ashen wasteland for years, Miator was a death trap. It wasn't until my campaign took off that the presidents realized that they had to fix the problem by working together."

Gilda frowned at the girl, she was driven but it seemed as if she hadn't done any research on the school at all. "Two presidents can overrule a third, and more than that, the etoiles can overrule the presidents. Do not disregard them so easily. The etoiles can and lately have represented two sisters. Miator and Spica, Le rim and Miator, Spica and Le rim, or they may represent the majority of a single school. Despite the work I've done, the sisters remain disjointed. The Etoiles are elected by the schools together as the only current beacon of unity, you are elected by a single school. If the etoiles turned on a single president, do you think that president could withstand the power of two schools united, especially if one of those is her own school. A Spica president only has Spica, a Spica etoile has the love of everyone."

Gilda licked her lips. "You have brains, you have beauty, you look like you have brawn, now what you need is to study. I recommend history and what happens to people who believe that they are an island unto themselves."

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

This girl was starting to irritate her. She debated for a moment in silence over her course of action. She could agree, go with it, if just to get her to stop talking. She could lash out and deepend the scars between the school that she knew existed. She could walk away, ignore all of this, and focus on herself and her school above all else. She could drown out the proclamation with some facts or statistics about successful island nations. She could do any of these, but she did none of them.

"I suppose I can't argue with that." she shook her head. "But that doesn't mean I like to admit it."

With no other alternatives seeming to work for this situation, Raion had thought and chosen to simply say what she felt.

"Spica still comes first for me, and I will act in its interests above all else. But I won't shy away from aiding everyone else either. We are all here together."

She had to give herself some credit, accepting someone as an equal was never hard for her, but she never thought she would have to do it with someone she had no competition with at all. This girl was from a different school - a different lifestyle entirely. There was no reason to feel challenged by her proposal to work together. So admitting she was right and giving in, for some reason it sparked that feeling. A kind of pseudo competition, but also a friendly one. At that, she allowed herself a more relaxed position.

"If my terms are clear, then I accept. Let's make this campus something to talk about for years to come."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

"Oh of course." Gilda said excitedly, her voice nearly a squeal of delight. "We must all remain loyal to our own people most of all, I would never ask that you betray Spica, that would be a terrible breach of trust that no sister should ever even consider." She stepped in close and wrapped her arms around the other girl tightly. "I'm so glad you agree. Such sisterhood will most definitely bring us into a golden age. I just know that our reign will be one for the history books."

This girl was wonderful, a perfect candidate for a fellow president. She was firm and held strong beliefs, but could also be open to debate and new ideas if it was required. Best of all, she had ambition. The whole battle thing was still a bit worrying but that was Spica for you, everything was probably a competition there, they were a very sporty school after all. It was pretty much a match made in heaven really. Now all they needed was a Miator and the trio could be properly introduced before the ties of office bound them together.

"Two fatal beauties such as us, campaigning for the betterment of our schools." she said aloud, "Once we have a third, not even the etoiles would be able to stand against us. Astrea will be the greatest of campuses, no school could stand against the three sisters united." She grinned up at Raion, "A good start for future world superpowers, don't you agree?"

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

"Precisely. Spica is on my priority list, but I'll allow room for yo--" she was cut off by a hug, and answered it with momentary silence. Whatever the girl had just said did not process. She stiffened up and began a low growl before trying to push away, but found her arms in an unfortunate position that could not muster up the power to do so. To this, she only got angrier. Though things were starting to come through and she was able to process the sounds the girl was making as words, it did not please her any more to be in this situation. Even her fiance did not have this right. Even her parents barely had this right. This was inexcusable.

Still, while she fumed about this situation, she did hear some bits about world superpowers. Her? No way. She was just a competitor, she had no political ambitions beyond making her school great. Maybe this girl had dreams like that, but Raion was far less interested in future politics. There was no reason for her to want that kind of power when she was destined to fight the world. And thinking about this only added to the time she was embraced, which only added to her irritation.

"Boundaries!" she roared, and then quickly realized her volume was much higher than need be. "A-ah... Please release me. I don't even hug Tora."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

Gilda winced at the sudden shout. "Yeesh," she muttered and let go. "No reason to get all loud about it. A please would have suited just fine." She rubbed an ear with one hand. "Nothing wrong with a little physical contact but if it makes you angry I won't touch you." She frowned and reached into her bag. "I don't know who this Tora is but if you don't want to seal sisterhood with a hug, I guess you can have a mikan." She pulled out the fruit and held it out to the girl. Maybe combat for her was wrestling, that would explain a dislike of hugs.

It really was the only explanation, people ought to enjoy human contact, but if you're trained to fight when touching people it would make some sense, trained instinct and all that, probably how it worked. Gilda had never really excelled in science. It was like that security officer all over again, though she seemed to have a broken switch that turned friendship into rage. That could be something spica girls had too, though the etoiles seemed touchy enough.

"Have it, you peel it and eat it like an orange if you like." Better than candy though you could absent mindedly eat a bushel and be sick off of them too. A good trade off in some ways since it was at least healthier than most candies.

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

"Apologies." she said plainly, bowing. "I overreacted. I just don't feel comfortable with hugging."

And then she mentioned Tora.

"Ah, Tora is my-" wait, stop. Don;t say that. "-Boyfriend." she said a little quieter. Raion, it's bad either way you say it, don't down play what can't be down played. "But either way!"

The girl presented her with a fruit, and Raion immediately nodded and seized it. She awaited the explanation, and upon hearing it decided that this wasn't so bad. "Ah, thank you."

Perhaps she could make this great. Le Rim on her side was all the more influence she would have, and it would be all the easier to request things from the board. She was that much closer to Vincenness again, and she had this girl to thank. Surely she would repay the favor in time, when Le Rim needed aid, but for now?

"Cheers, to a powerful alliance."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

"A boyfriend? That's neat, not many of those around here." She smiled. "But I suppose I don't hang around with the older girls that often. Not much opportunity to meet boys either. You could find any number of unsuitable sorts out in the town." She shrugged and picked out a mikan for herself. She started peeling it and dropped the peel into the other bag. "Shame about Tora though, I figure every relationship involves contact. A hug, holding hands, caressing the cheek, stroking the hair. Even if you don't go as far as..." she paused, well it was a religious school and she was supposed to be young and not know about the other stuff, "kissing."

Gilda took a bite of the mikan, "I guess its none of my business though. Everyone's free to love how they like, mostly." She added after a quick thought. "Cheers to a glorious future." she added and took a bite of the fruit. "So tell me, how's you campaign going? Any specific platform you're running on or is it just supremacy through combat?