1242/What Even Is A Prom

From Radiant Heart MUSH

What Even Is A Prom
Date of Scene: 07 March 2024
Location: Classroom
Synopsis: Usagi has rallied the troops to help with brainstorming ideas for prom! Only... there's a valuable point to be made. Namely: what even is a prom? What does a prom look like? What do you wear to prom? It's too early to decide, but all this and more are posed by and to Madoka, Hitomi, Ami, Luke, and Coco.
Cast of Characters: Usagi Tsukino, Madoka Kaname, Hitomi Kobe, Ami Mizuno, Coco Kiumi, Bow
Tinyplot: Princes and Princesses Prom


Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's afternoon, classes are over, and there have been signs and some homeroom announcements made about the upcoming ~PROM~. A first, in Radiant Heart Academy history! A first, in Usagi Tsukino's history!

She's not actually in any clubs at all, but given how many friends of hers are in clubs, she's a fairly common sight in this building. Today, she's taking over the room that belongs to the art club, having asked-bothered-and-harrassed a variety of friends and total strangers into helping her dream up decoration ideas.

"It'a a dance! But it's a prom, so it's even more than a regular dance, you know?! They're in all those American movies that make high school seem crazy and dangerous," Usagi is exclaiming at the moment, gesticulating wildly.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's enthusiasm regarding dances is pretty minimal, since the person she'd most like to dance with isn't likely to be able to show up. Yet even with an obstacle like that, it's hard not to get caught up in Usagi's enthusiasm. Especially not with Lydian overhearing it and getting excited about decorations, too. The tiny little art fairy tugs on one of Madoka's ribbons and pleads, "I wanna help too, Doka-chan! Let me help, too!"

    Like a longsuffering mother giving into the demands of her child, Madoka decides to let Usagi talk her into coming to the art room. So now, here she is, feeling a bit embarrassed but not really wanting to let her little Chara down.

    "Puraumu?" says Madoka to Usagi. "How is it different from a normal dance?"

    Lydian, crossing her arms and putting her nose up in the air, says, "Obviously it's the most important one! It's prom!"

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    It's a dance, it's prom, it's all very serious and dangerous and on that note, someone had to take over where the food was concerned, because obviously her classmates didn't have a background in food service like --

    WHUMP. The door opens, and a girl from 9-D is standing with arms crossed over her blazer, a huge three-ring binder that looks to be spattered with grease stains. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and she announces herself with BOLDNESS!

    "IF THIS IS A SERIOUS EVENT, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED EXPERT HELP WITH THE FOOD!" she projects, Osaka accent quite plain "MY FAMILY HAS CENTURIES OF EXPERIENCE AND I WOULD LIKE TO HELP. If... if underclassmen are allowed to help?" she finally pauses, and looks to Madoka, and then to Usagi.

    <Steady, steady, Hitomi-chan--> Panko squeaks out from the chest pocket.

    And then Hitomi bows, protectively over the three ring binder. "I'm Hitomi, my family has run the Kobe Fairfood and Streetfare carts in Osaka for generations and I'd like to help if I can."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"It's just the terminology isn't it?" Ami speaks up having been dragged here by Usagi in her excitement. She wasn't in art club per say but she was a bit curious about the whole 'prince and princess' part of the prom. Especially since she knew someone that the word 'prince' might cause trouble for.

"I think in the states 'Prom' is a special dance for the older students as a send off before university?"

It's about all Ami gets out before the door SLAMS open causing her to jolt in place with a hand lifting over her heart, and a little squeak of surprise exhaling as the Osakan announces their help loudly. Recovering quickly she flashes a sweet smile toward Hitomi. "I'm sure anyone can help. Someone with experience would be very helpful, too."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It's like the most IMPORTANT dance! I don't really know what prom is supposed to mean?" Usagi admits this with a shrug, "But I've seen it in some movies, and it always looks super cool! Or embarrassing? And romantic!"

And as such, obviously, girl with boyfriend is delighted.

And then the door bursts open and Usagi practically topples over in surprise.

"EH?! Huh?! Wh- Oh! Oh, you're here to help with prom too!!" Hand over her heart, feeling it beat-beat-beat practically out of her chest, she smiles brightly. "It better let underclassmen help, 'cause otherwise we're all out of luck! Come and join us, Hitomi-chan! I'm Usagi Tsukino, grade 9, and this is Ami Mizuno, also grade 9 and Madoka Kaname, grade 8!"

Yes, she did just immediately -chan you upon meeting, Hitomi. Congratulations, you just met Usagi.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is startled by the door slam and sudden appearance of Hitomi, but Lydian just seems excited to have seen a new person. The tiny chara doesn't quite notice Panko yet, but she's out and about for everyone else to see. Assuming they have magic sight.

    With a bright yet awkward smile, Madoka greets Hitomi with, "Hi! It's nice to meet you!"

    Turning aside to Ami, Madoka says, "Hi, Mizuno-san. It's been a while."

    The pinkette decides to sit down in a desk for now, sideways so that she can use the back of the chair and the desk itself as armrests. "So... what did you have in mind, Usagi-chan? I know you said something about decorations. Did you have a plan?"

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    "... OH! oh -- ah... hi! Hello! ... I think." she pauses a moment, the dark-haired girl seeming to need a moment to load up the next options for conversation. She doesn't usually get this far. She sheepishly makes her way in, and goes to sit with the other girls as Panko's little face pokes out of the blazer pocket. The dwarf flying squirrel takes stock in who's here -- eyeballing Lydian. Hitomi pretends to not see anything weird.

    She turns to Ami, and then she points at her.

    "HEY~ You're Ami Mizuno. You're the reason I don't have to sleep through my math class to not be on top!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno sinks down into a seat while the others begin to talk about how they want to help the prom. She wasn't really in charge of anything but out of habit she pulls out a notebook to start taking notes and names, and ideas. Just in case anyone needed someone to record minutes of this impromptu meeting.

"Good to see you again Madoka-chan. I hope you've been well?" She was still working on this whole 'socializing' thing that Usagi was so very, very good at. Still she was getting more practice at it. When Hitomi mentions recognizing her and needing to study harder in math due to her, she just smiles brightly.

"Oh? I'm always glad to meet someone else excited about their grades! Are you Hitomi Kobe? I've seen your name on the score list I believe."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco has been passing by in the hallway when she hears a commotion about proms in american movies and cooking food for the event. Are they alright?

It is with curiosity about the ongoing discussion that the mermaid steps into the classroom, deciding to contribute her own to the ongoing discussion.

"Hey there! How is everyone?" the mermaid exclaims as she bursts into the art club.

Not contribute her own chaos, potentially, though, she has a huge variety of reasons for wanting this event to do well, between helping Bow, securing a fun time for the school and seeing all the situations that could develop on a prom. Nevermind that she can be providing the music herself.

"I hear you are planning things regarding the prom, are you? What are you considering? It's going to be a prom for princes and princesses, the aim is to make it super fashionable!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Yeah, I was thinking about - oh, hey Coco!" Usagi's reply to Madoka is cut off by Coco's arrival, but the blond doesn't seem to mind - she waves at the other girl excitedly. "We are talking about prom! I really want to help with the decorations, because it's going to be so pretty! And a prom that's princess and prince themed is perfect for me, since I - went to Princess Dia's ball?"

Whoops, recovery, recovery! She probably shouldn't blurt out that she's a princess, right? Ami knows, and Coco knows, and Madoka knows she's magic, but Hitomi doesn't know anything!

"And I was thinking the first thing everyone has to figure out is what kind of princess and prince theme we want to do. Because like, every royal has their own style, and sense of color, and decoration, and materials! Some like austere, and some like rich colors, and some like jewels and others like understated... there's a lot to princess and prince!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's face brightens as Coco enters the room, and she waves her over. "Hii, Coco-chan! Are you helping with the prom, too?" Considering the mermaid's words, Madoka wonders, "So... what kind of style should we go with? I guess if we already know it's going to be prince and princess themed, it should be something kinda regal and elegant right?"

    Seeing so many people here, and not knowing if Ami or Hitomi are magic, Madoka makes a 'come here' gesture to Lydian. The art fairy pouts for a moment, then decides to hide on her Chara Bearer's shoulder. She still gives Coco a tiny wave, though.

    "I guess we could look at other examples of royal decoration and see what we like? We could absolutely use a royal ballroom aesthetic, but I don't know how I feel about tapestries. Well, unless they have something cute or cool on them."

    Lydian mutters something into Madoka's ear, and she says, "O-oh! Maybe we can have a chandelier!" Lydian whispers something else. "A-as long as it's well secured, I mean..." She's slightly embarrassed for a reason she isn't sharing at the moment.

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    "Yeah, it would depend on if we wanted to do a lot of princesses and princes from around the world, and time periods. Fancy kimono, princess dresses, knight armor?" Hitomi questions, and she rubs the back of her head a moment as she gives a slightly shy smile over to Ami.

    "I like math, and I'm good at it, but I try not to show it too much. My parents would make me do math all the time for business. And that's *boring* -- I'd rather be out on the streets dealing with the smell of hot oil! The danger of propane tanks! The threat of explosions of flavor and the --" she pauses as her speech started to get faster and higher in volume, and then she mumbles something and puts the binder down and opens it. It smells like deep fried food.

    "Why would you wand a chandelier? Are we swingin' from it?" she blinks a moment, looking over to Madoka. "Is that a thing in American proms, or just action movies?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno chimes in to help Usagi's near-slip, "You wanted to find a reason for me to wear that dress that you, Minako, Makoto and Michiru talked me into buying," she points out with a little wag of her mechanical pencil in the pig-tailed blondes' direction. Pausing a moment at the myriad suggestions that are rattled off she frowns thoughtfully.

"Shouldn't we have Luke here to help with such ideas? I can write them down though. Maybe the whole point is that we can each be our own type of princess or ... son of a king?" Tadase wasn't around, but she should watch what she says regardless.

"I can't imagine everyone can afford really authentic things. Maybe just some pretty attire and something like crowns?" Her pen scritches over the paper again considering. "Maybe that should be the combining factor. We could get crowns or maybe make crowns in the art department and sell to help fund the refreshments? If we need funds," she hastens to add quickly, uncertain on THAT too. There was so much information she'd need to gather!

Hitomi's enthusiasm about the danger in the streets and explosions of... Ami blinks rapidly. "I had no idea the food industry was so dangerous."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Being wary about her own royal status isn't something Coco intends to do, that was even how she managed to get a pass into the event with Princess Dia, even if that was just something the staff got to know, and she mixed in perfectly with everyone back then.

"Princess Dia's ball is actually a great thing to have in mind if somebody is unsure to go with, Usagi! I believe that is exactly the atmosphere we are trying to recreate here."

Coco waves at Lydian to her hiding on Madoka's shoulder, but she is making sure it looks like she is waving at Madoka herself since she too doesn't know where Hitomi falls. "Hi, Madoka-chan. Something that could work is decorating all the chairs we plan to have there with its own set of ribbons, and I having warm lights across the wall doesn't sound like too bad an idea either."

"Hi, I am Coco Kiumi, grade 11, pleased to meet you. I like the idea of appealing to several different time periods and countries. I believe having so many different kinds of royalties is the right vibe." To her understanding, at least. Etheria's countries could be fairly diverse, she thinks.

"We don't need to worry about funds, Ami", Coco is quick to inform the bluenette. "I have enough to go around for it as the sponsor, so for now just worry about suggesting what you would like to see", the mermaid replies with a warm smile. And besides, she does also have her own cooks for this.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The ducking away of the mini-Doka is noticed, of course, but Usagi... definitely can't blame her. It would be pretty awkward if Luna still followed her everywhere and was obviously magical!

"Checking in with Luke is a good idea, Ami-chan, and so is comparing different kinds of royal ballrooms, Madoka-chan! And a chandelier..." her eyes are shiny, imagining tons of lights and glimmery, glittery decorations, "We probably can't have candles -"

Hitomi is asking why they would want a chandelier, and Usagi turns in horror. "You can't swing on them! We want them because they're so pretty!"

This is not a practical reason.

"Hey... wait, Hitomi-chan, you wanted to help cater, right? Do you know Makoto Kino, or Chiyo Sakai? They're both really amazing cooks too," Usagi's eyes are shining. "You sound really passionate about food... are you going to join the cooking committee and help feed us?!"

Yes, do it, do it, do it!!

"...oh you're thinking of Princess Dia's ball specifically? I can get us tons of pictures from that event! It'd be really easy to make reference decorations from that!" Papa! Your job is finally coming in handy for your daughter!

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I don't think people swing from chandeliers unless they're depressed or something," says Madoka. "But I mean... I don't know, it kinda seems like something that'd be at a royal event? If we had it at a hotel they'd probably have one anyways."

    The smell of deep fried food hits her nostrils and well now she's thinking about it. Lydian sniffs the air, then looks in the notebook's direction. With a giggle, Madoka says, "Well... it sounds like you've really found your passion!" Food never seems that chaotic when her dad cooks, though. Was Tomohisa Kaname just stoically facing the dangerous realities of cooking without complaint?!

    "Yeah it wouldn't be fair if it all had to be super authentic," says Madoka to Ami. "It might be cute to give out little paper crowns, though. I like that idea, even if it's already funded." Madoka is slightly surprised that Coco is sponsoring the event, but she's not even remotely shocked that she can afford to. She's seen the mermaid's home.

    "I actually missed out on Princess Dia's ball. Did a lot of people from our school go? I think I was busy that night." After a moment, she thinks out loud, "I guess that's actually a question we should ask. What venue are we using? Are we having it at the school or somewhere else?"

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    "Hitomi Kobe, Grade 9 and -- uh..." she pauses a moment, and Hitomi looks around "... there's actual Princesses here?" she questions, unsure, and she shrinks down, her eyes going wide as she hides a little bit behind the binder.

    "I ah... I don't know Makoto Kino... I have met Chiyo Sakai... but" she looks at the binder, and turns red.

    "I dunno if I can help. My family's food is all street food. Kuriage. Stuff on sticks. Maybe it's not the best for a big princessy dance prom." she slowly decreases in volume until she's mumbling something at her pocket, embarrassed straight to her ears turning a vivid scarlet.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"That might actually be really helpful," Ami pipes up at Hitomi's apparently hesitation for being able to help. "If it's on skewers, then that means it's pretty portable right? It would be easier than using fingers or chopsticks to eat things." A look around the room is taken as she hazards, "Aren't fancy finger foods served on tooth picks anyway? It wouldn't be much different than that would it?" It made sense to her.

"Princess Dia was a diplomat from another country that came to visit at the beginning of the school year. A lot of people were able to attend as public guests. She's not a student here," she assures.

Ami's attention focuses back on her notebook as she sits up straighter to read over the page with a slow nod. "I can at least pass this small brainstorming on to him. I'm sure there will be an actual meeting at some point for the various committies as well."

Bow has posed:
Arriving in the Club room, Luke is a tall drink of water. Six foot tall, dark skinned, the Etherian archer is dressed casually. Long-sleeve grey shirt, blue jeans, boots, red-rimmed glasses. Trotting next to him is a cat - well, actually, it's a cat-sized alicorn to those that can see those things.

"I ah... sorry, I got the message there was prom planning!" he offers up encouragingly. There are those he recognizes though. "Hi, Usagi, Coco! And Hitomi!"

To everyone else, there's a wave of his hand in greetings. "Hi. I'm Luke Armbruster. Nice to meet you. So... what did I miss?" he asks, as he comes in to drop into a seat casually, reaching into a pocket to pull out a granola bar to feed Swiftwind.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Not necessarily Princess Dia, but it's a good point of reference if you don't know where to start", Coco explains further. "There were some good decorations there, but right now we are at the brainstorming idea, so it's anything goes."

Candles, huh? "Well, I don't know if having candles is a pipe dream, but we certainly don't want to overdo it. The school already has probably things setup in case of a fire, but, I don't know..." Coco is lost in thought over that proposal.

"I get why you would suggest it though, candles are quite pretty, and create a very specific atmosphere", she adds. It's certainly not something to just ignore. "I will make sure it's brought up if nobody else does it first."

"Princess Dia is not here, but, I am a princess, so yes, there are actual ones here, but you don't have to worry, Hitomi! All students contributions are definitely welcome, so don't hesitate to bring your own food there! As long as it tastes good, it will impress everyone", the other blonde remarks.

"Hi, Luke!" Coco greets him. "So far we have gone over chandeliers, seats, food, candles, wall lights and our attire for the event", she quickly sums up for him.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Hitomi looks like a deer in the headlights, anxious. Usagi will Fix This.

"Aw, don't worry about that! Even the princesses at this school, they're still totally normal girls who definitely want to eat karaage. Have you ever met someone who didn't like karaage? No! Because they don't exist! Or they're vegetarian, and so they exist, but don't count."

Vegetarians are not allowed to be counted! They have chosen their fate! It is a fate without karaage!

"The real stars are people like Mako-chan, cause she's one of the best cooks in school, and maybe even in Tokyo, and Ami-chan over here cause she's a genius, and Ikiko-chan, who helps animals wherever she goes. You know, cool girl stuff!"

Making grabby hands, she gestures at the binder. "Do you have ideas for food in there? Recipes~? Do you wanna share? Because you can definitely help!"

It's only now, that, in the back of her mind, Usagi registers that Coco said she was funding this herself. Wait... wasn't an event like this liable to be a lot of money?

"...hey, Coco-chan, are you sure we don't have to worry about funds? If you're funding, maybe we should check out a budget?" Maybe they should shrink their wildest ideas just a bit, to spare poor Coco-chan's bank account? "And, I don't think a ton of people went, but there were people! Adora-chan and Hannah-chan and Amy-chan, Rashmi-chan Chrono-kun, me and Mako-chan and Rei-chan and Naru-chan, Mamochan of course, and his quartet of boys..."

That actually is kind of a lot of people from their school, isn't it?

Luckily, Luke walks in, distracting from all that. "Hi Luke! No worries, we're just brainstorming. Hey, what do you think of when you say Princess and Prince Prom?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "You'd be surprised at how many celebrities eat street food while incognito," says Madoka to Hitomi. "I'm sure it's no different for princesses... for the ones that are still around, anyways." The pinkette glances briefly in Coco's direction before looking away. She actually has no idea about Usagi's or Ami's princess status. Maybe having that magic pearl makes Madoka an honorary princess?

    Nodding to Ami with a smile, Madoka says, "Exactly! It's not really that different. I'm sure we'll have a good time either way."

    Madoka briefly gives Luke a friendly smile and a wave as he walks in, but then quickly gets distracted by what everyone else is saying. Lydian pays close attention to the small alicorn. It's rare to see a horse-like creature even close to her size. Especially one so pretty!

    "Not much," she explains to Luke. "We were just talking mostly about decorations, food, and other things." When Coco just flat out says that she herself is a princess she feels a little silly for trying to hide it earlier, but she quickly moves past it. "I... don't think we need to worry too much about Coco's budget, Usagi-chan."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno glances up at the sound of tiny little clipclops. Expecting heels, but seeing instead a minuature alicorn, she just blinks a single time. She knew about the little fairy mascots. She knew to ignore them unless they were pointed out. Even the little flying squirrel was easily ignored just as she would ignore Luna--Not that she didn't *adore* Luna, but in mixed company she was just 'a normal cat' and not someone who needed the extra attention. Usually.

But this? And Luke feeds him so openly.

Her head ducks down to very neatly tear off the list of notes she had taken. Notes such as if they should have a specific theme of royalty, such as from nations across the world, or if they should leave it open to interpretation. The idea of having crowns and tiaras. Something questionable about a chandelier. Hitomi's desire to help on the food committee, Coco with music, and Madoka and Usagi on decorations. All of this is taken as she walks over to offer the page to Luke.

"Ami Mizuno, grade 9. I took notes on what everyone was discussing. I hope this helps."

Her voice drops a moment to remark quietly, "I like your alicorn."

With that she grabs her bag, and flashes a smile over to Usagi. "I should go study for the upcoming tests I have. Good luck with the planning, everyone!"

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    Luke walks in. Hitomi automatically brightens, because Luke is a BOW BRO. A brother-in-arms when it comes to STABBING PEOPLE OVER THERE. She sits up a little bit to nod her head respectfully to the guy who picked up a Yumi and just went at it against upper classmen. Gotta respect game.

    "Ah... family... recipies. For the things my family makes. So we standardize everything so that everyone has as good a time any time they buy from any of our foodcarts --" she trails oof, her eyes darting to Swiftwind. Do not look at the tiny horse.

    Do /not/ look at the Tiny Horse.

    And she plucks out of her breast pocket a dwarf flying squirrel, who chirps, flails, and then dangles, and then tucks the squirrel back into her pocket.

    "Anno... I should... also go study. And feed Panko. To Panko." she stammers a moment, and she hops to her feet, giving a stiff bow to everyone. "Pleased to meet everyone. I look forward to helping with the prom and hopefully not being an embarrassment to the school!" she squeaks out, and then, edging past Luke (and Swiftwing -- do NOT look at the tiny pony) -- she goes to make a sudden exit as well.

Bow has posed:
"How're we looking on budget, Coco?" Luke asks. "I don't want to price you out of anything, nor do I want it to become so extravagant that it scares off some of our more... cash-strapped students from the event because they don't feel like they can afford an outfit for it." He's probably including himself in that. "As far as food goes -- again, I want to make sure that anyone that attends feels comfortable, right? Frosta... she was the one that organized the last one back home. She tried to make it pretty inclusive."

And there's a little slight of hand there, he takes the page from Ami, glancing it over, sitting up as he takes it all in as he smiles in response. "Luke Armbruster. Grade 10. I'm babysitting it for a friend." Adora. Usagi knows.

As he slides the granola bar to the alicorn, he turns his attention back to the sitation at hand. "So... the prom back home." He sighs a little. He wishes he could pull out the tech pad and access the files. But, he's working off memory. "We decorated it to make it look like the grand ballroom of a mystical castle. The illusion of crystals and cool colors that worked well with warm light. It was meant to be inviting, open... and just so soft and formal." A knee comes up and he hugs it. "I mean, it was kinda like a castle that had been frozen in time. And it was food, fun, dancing, music, and fancy dresses." And all the rules, but that's not what Bow wants to focus on. At all.

"Let me ask this." he querries the group in general. "I'm new to this land - what would a formal ball at a castle be like here? I mean, if you could visit any castle, in any world. What would you want it to be like? Undersea? Another world? Classical? Distant past?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Yes, it is as Madoka says, Usagi!" Coco backs up the pinkette. "You worry about deciding what you want the prom to have, I will worry about making sure it can happen."

And then Luke brings up some concerns. "Hmm, well, my idea was, let everyone decide what they want, and I will work out the costs after that. I wish that all ideas could be taken into account, you know?" Coco replies to Luke as he comes in.

"Maybe, we could set a certain treshold for the clothes?", Coco proposes. "I don't want anyone to feel they can't get the right attire for the prom, but I also don't want anyone to feel their vision for the ball is restricted."

"Well, for obvious reasons, gatherings in my country are all undersea-themed, so that would be my reply, but at the same time that's not how things work here, so I will keep it for myself unless there is a big preference for it, then I will describe how that works exactly", Coco replies to Luke's question on a theme.

"See you, Ami, Hitomi", the mermaid greets the two. "Be well."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Bye Ami-chan! I'll see you later! And Hitomi-chan!! If you see Makoto-chan say hi!"

She doesn't know what Makoto-chan looks like, Usagi! But it's too late anyway - both girls are gone.

And they're left with other questions, earnest ones about style and design, as well as comments on budget, and Usagi rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. "Well, princess doesn't have to mean rich, you know? But... Coco-chan does sound like she's pretty sure."

Hmmm...

"Well, I don't think we should really have a dress code. I think we should tell people the theme, and if they dress up for it, that's good! And if they don't - we're still happy they came, right? Anyone can be a princess or prince, and a princess or prince can look like anyone, and all?" Her dress as Princess Serenity wasn't anything like a traditional Japanese princess - hardly anyone would, at first glance, look at her and think princess, probably. And that was probably how the Princess of Europe would feel, if she had seen Himeko in the splendor of Princess Soryuu - a princess grounded fully in Japan. So, a princess could be a lot of things...

"I think it'd be hard to make a castle look here, and if we took it off campus, we'd want to make sure everyone who wanted to go could get there... I mean, the train is easy of course, but it might be uncomfy to go in nice clothes... I think, if we could do something here, maybe... oh maybe we could poll the school!"

Yeah! Get everyone to vote on a few options!

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    In Madoka's mind there are four kinds of financial situations: Homeless (Kyouko), Apartment (most people), House (rich families like her own), and Palaces (basically unheard of except for Coco). Witch Labyrinth doesn't really count as a category as those don't correlate with what humans call 'wealth' to any significant degree. She stays mostly quiet on the subject of Coco's finances aside from what she's already said, but she's not even remotely surprised that she could fund such a thing.

    As Ami and Hitomi leave, she waves goodbye. "See you around! It was nice talking to you!"

    "Wait, are we just being completely open about who you are and where you're from? Not that I mind, I just don't want to out you unless you want me to," she says to Coco. She knows that the 'mermaid' issue is a particularly sticky point.

    "Well, I know some people will dress their best no matter what. I suspect Mamo-kun fits into that category," she says, thinking out loud. "I understand there were actually a few nice dresses at our first school dance, too." She thinks back to that night, when she was all dressed up to go but got waylaid along the way. Geeze, has Madoka even been to a single dance yet?

    "Either way, I like the idea of being as inclusive as we can be. Just because we're decorating within a certain theme, that doesn't mean we should make all the attendees follow it.

    Back to the topic of venue, Madoka says, "Oh... that's true, isn't it? We already know that people can make it to the school, since everyone here lives in the dorms. Maybe... if we do end up hosting it somewhere else, we can arrange it so that all go as a big group?" After a thought, she adds, "Well, if not 'all', then at least 'most'. I'm sure there will be those who want to join late or leave early."