Gilda sat on the raised pulpit and looked at the empty pews.  It was a quiet day of the new year and nobody was really interested in spending it inside the church.  New students wanted to explore their school, old students wanted to not be reminded that they had to be up early and do things after a summer of pleasurable leisure.  It had not been leisurely for Gilda, though pleasures had come one after another.  Greatest of all was her victory and rise to president.  Just a second year and she was in power.  It wasn't ultimate power, that was a bit too ambitious, she would need several years for that.  She hoped that the other two would arrive shortly, she'd been agonizing over their invitations for hours.  The three presidents needed to have their first meeting, goals had to be out in the open.  It would be different than last year, no squabbling over trifles, no petty little disagreements destroying the school.  The three of them must be united under one goal, one love.  Of course they might not be interested in a skinship kinship but that would be ok.  They didn't have to be that close so soon, as long as they could unite as sisters.  Anything closer could happen later.

It was unfortunate that this meeting had to happen on a school day, Gilda would have loved to wear a wedding dress for symbolism and impressive stature but she had to put up with the regular school uniform.  Still, it was crisp and perfectly kept.  This was an almost official meeting of the three ruling bodies of the schools, it had to look nice.  She was representing the future after all.  Gilda stood up and smoothed out her skirt, making sure the pleats were straight before sitting down again.  She knew a little about Raion, the girl had fought for her position and won.  She was driven and had a goal in mind, but this Rin girl.  Landslide victory against a bunch of nobodies for the most part.  Who was she?  What did she want?  How could she be converted to the light side?  Questions that would have to be answered on the fly.  Gilda smiled, this is what she lived for.

Gilda. A name she knew from her campaign as an ally. Yes, that was what she was now, as she had declared herself so prior to the election. Someone from another school entirely, in fact, that she could somewhat call an ally. However Raion was not without her own cautions. Nothing was meant in ill will, at least as far as she knew, so she was more wary that the girl may hinder Spican growth for the sake of her own school, or worse yet, the campus as a whole. While her goal was Spican superiority, she couldn't allow this, and she made certain she wore that sort of pride on her uniform as it was pristine, and her hair a ponytail she had done many times in the past. She looked every bit the role of a die hard Spican athlete, going so far as to roll up her sleeved to her elbows as if to show that she was ready for the dirty business.

It seemed she was the second one here, and in light of that, she made herself known quickly. Why delay this, after all?

"Gilda." she said, nodding to her with nonchalance. That same fire she'd always had carried through her eyes though, and one could easily read in her expression that she was ready to fight for what she needed to at a moment's notice.

"What is the meaning of this little outing, exactly? We have a Student Council meeting room."

Her words probably came more harshly than genuinely questioning, as that was her natural tone. However, it was a question she was indeed asking legitimately as well as a little bit stand-off-ish. It took time away from her free day to come here instead of visiting Tori, and she had other personal responsibilities to handle as well. This had better have been important.

She wasn't so nervous, really, perhaps last year she might have been. But now, she felt dignified. She knew who they were, the fiery lioness from Spica, and the strong willed ambitious girl from LeRim, it was an honor to serve the schools beside them. She entered the church, already hearing Raion's voice echoing off the high arching walls and stained glass windows.

She seemed to float down the isle and stood across from Raion, her blue eyes flicking between them. They were both so strong willed. Rin questioned herself. Was she strong too? Her shoulders were already straight, and she stood with her chin held high, her Miator uniform was pressed and hung on her perfectly, she looked like a doll. She answered Raion, doing her best to sound like the Miator representative she was.

"It seems only right that those who serve as the leaders of our sisters come together and speak. How can a campus operate if we are strangers?" She bowed to Raion and then to Gilda. "It is an honor to be here with you both." But then her attention turned to Gilda, as she was the one who initiated the meeting, she inclined her head gracefully to signal her to begin.

Gilda smiled as she watched Raion approach. THe girl was so alive, the flames of passion could be felt even from across the room. She was beautiful when fired up and she was definitely fired up about this meeting. Gilda was half expecting the papers to curl and the benches to catch fire, so great was her newest sister's aura. "Raion, darling. I'm so glad you could make it." She stepped forward and dropped off the podium. "Isn't it obvious? I wanted us to bare our souls to one another, to be truly honest under the eyes of god. What better place to do that then in this church." She smiled and stepped towards Raion. "Besides, I wish to speak frankly amongst my peers and I don't want to worry about the others less presidential spreading rumours before the time has come."

The noise of another approaching figure in the church caught her attention. Rin had arrived. "Rin, flower, you came as well. I'm can't tell you how exciting this meeting is." Gilda stepped up to the other two presidents and took their hands to guide them to chairs set up at the foot of the podium. "The three queens of Astrea together at last, and who could be better for her ascendance into a glorious dawn." Her face was starting to become flush as the excitement in her voice reached her head. "Girls, we can be the first step into a shining new era of beauty, strength, and power for Astrea. More than it has seen ever before."

She longed to bring the two girls in for a close hug, a whispering secret of such big news would be better given in bed but a circle of chairs would have to suffice. "But I can't do it alone, just as you can't do it alone. Raion, my beautiful Raion. You are there and you are so full of passion and drive, I feel I should bow before you. I know some of what you want. Your pride in your sport drives you to take Spica to the top. Rin, my lovely Rin, I have not heard your dreams for Miator come to light but I'm sure that they are as elegant as Saint Miyoko herself." Gilda looked up toward a stained glass window. "I too have a dream but it's hard to explain." She took a deep breath. I want to see us all together, the three sisters of the hill together as a single family. Last year, we were nearly ruined by such fighting and arguments as the school has never known. I know that Miator and Spica have had their differences and rivalries in the past but these last few presidencies have driven that wedge deeper. I don't like it." She turned to look at the two presidents before her, a dark cloud hovered over her face. "I will not see the school fall to such things. Two cats fight over a fish while a bird swoops in and steals it. We are the cats and other schools are the birds. I will not have us fall behind because we consider ourselves different schools. Each sister stands for a different qality in its girls, but a powerful person should have all of those qualities inside them. I want Astrea to be powerful."

Gilda turned her gaze onto Raion. "I'll start with you because I do know something of your plan. You want to defeat a school in something. Well that should be easy with how good you are, but to truly defeat them, you will need to defeat their whole team. Spica is good but I'm sure Miator and Le Rim have great athletes too, in fact I know it. I've been in almost every club in this school, even if only for a meet or two. Imagine how great it would be to lead a team to victory, not just yourself, but proving that we all can rise to the top." Gilda stopped suddenly. "I'm getting ahead of myself, I have said too much too quickly and I am sorry. There will be time for discussion and debate soon enough, right now, we should just say why we want to lead our schools." Gilda placed her hands in her lap, calm regained. "I want to create unity and sisterhood."

As the Miator representative approached, Raion felt this unsettling animosity immediately. Miator... It was weak. It was regressive. It harmed the image of how much women had achieved. Raising housewives and maids... Disgusting. Surely she knew that some ladies liked that, and some people enjoyed the lifestyle, but to think that some were subject to that upbringing against their will... It made her angry. And this woman, she represented that school. That anger inducing school.

Then Gilda began to speak. Raion folded her arms and stared hotly between the two, never once making direct eye contact. She refused. The way Gilda carried herself seemed so dated. Like someone speaking from a century ago. It was hard to get a read on her, but Raion heard her out anyway. It mostly seemed like what she was aiming for, but in a more grandiose explanation.

When the woman concluded, Raion interjected.

"I'm afraid what you're after is easier said than done. Even now, I hold nothing but resentment for Miator and how regressive it is. This is deeper than a Spica rivalry for me. I'll cooperate with Miator, but I won't like it."

She inhaled sharply, as if saying such a short sentence ran her dry.

"And I believe you'll find the minds of most Spica's to be the same."

However,there was potential here. Why not dig deeper? Get her new order started?

"I believe you've seen my Student Police presentation. I believe the first step to unity is making sure we get this program started. There will be far less trouble on campus, and personally I believe the less trouble there is, the less blame there is to be thrown at each other."

And then to dig at her second idea.

"On the matter of Athletics, that has aways been a Spica dominated elective. However if you can produce athletes that can compete alongside us, we have no problem with that either. The end goal for this year in my head is to challenge and defeat Vincennes Girls Academy. They're known almost as well as Spica is for their Athletics. Taking down our perceived equal could start us down the road to bugger schools, and morale would increase around here for that."

And then bring it on home.

"Surely you can see the logic in this. We start a criminal justice elective, take down bigger schools, and suddenly the morale and level of responsibility around here skyrockets. Better GPAs for everyone due to the morale boost, the school grows in academic achievement, more funding comes in, more students come in, and everyone is happy."