With the talent show a huge success Andrea got a feel for singing again in front of a crowd. It had only been two songs though there was the strange being that listened to her afterward as she sang in private, one of the guests that had been enthralled with her voice. Her singing in the past attracted unwanted things to her before but it was a part of her that she could not give up either.

One time even she earned some strange gift. Of course she knew there was a price to it, she had paid for it with her body too though there was no choice about the matter. It was going to happen and she got something out of it that time realizing that denying the thing would have meant a far less pleasant visit with nothing to show for it. The thing was smoke too … how did you fight smoke, though portions of it felt solid as if it were able to hold itself together or brake apart at a whim as desired.

Desired. This is what she desired. She needed to use the auditorium again. In the days that followed she got all the right paperwork, filled it out but hesitated before submitting it. Eagerness made her excited, she thought that by going through proper channels would take too much time.

She then thought to expedite the matter a little by going through Daphnee. She was sure that the Prefect would help her out. In the past she turned a blind eye to some of her contraband but she pointed out the dangerous suppliers to the Prefect and she only occasionally did it, not doing so often and feeling as if the Prefect had her under a microscope and just waiting for her to step out of line.

No, she thought. Daphnee just enforced rules and had no say in making them or ruling on things as far as she had been aware. The Head Girl? She paused, afraid of the reputation that Vera had. She wasn't the only one but was the most active and associated with Daphnee so there was more of a tie with her.

Daphnee never said anything bad about her but she did not know if this was a sort of employee, employer relationship with her being afraid of ill spoken words reaching the Head Girl.

Then she debated. She was probably too busy any way to handle such things. She probably would just question why she didn't go through proper channels or didn't just wait. She didn't expect Vera to understand that she was actually Andrea Summers playing at being Stephanie Miller who was really Andrea Summers now able to display a duality without suspicion after the talent show the line was blurred as to her nature. You sound like Andrea Summers too! Well duh, she was. Well maybe not duh since she was incognito but the praise made her feel good.

But what Vera might understand was her willingness to speed things along. Perhaps there was some sort of role she could do, volunteer, clean up graffiti or the like? An exchange for speeding things up a bit. That seemed fair, that seemed like a win-win situation. The school got something, she got something. She considered things again and again not wishing to waste the time of the Head Girl, thinking if Vera would see it that way but in the end she was too enthused about her singing. She went to her tower, knocking on the door, waiting for permission to enter.

“I don't have an appointment or anything but had a matter that you could possible assist me with,” she got the forms out of a satchel and turned them over to Vera but saved her the time of reading them.

“I know that there are other channels for this but in short I want to use the auditorium for a performance, singing, and wouldn't mind doing something in exchange for the privilege.” She went quiet allowing Vera to rule on it, or look over the submitted proposal. She felt a little intimidated, maybe self conscious too about the contraband in the past, almost as if she had undermined her authority even if it were only a few cigarettes and other minor things but in the long run she did more good then harm by pointing out the girls that were dealing with weapons or drugs or other dangerous substances.

Reaching Vera's room and getting in was easy enough. Despite what others may think, Vera always welcomed visitors as long as they do not cause trouble or waste her time. Unfortunately, that seemed to be difficult for some people.

"Most people introduce themselves before asking for favors, Ms..." Vera replied before taking the forms. Here, she was not Andrea Summers but it was still a bit of a reality check to realize that Vera did not know her by name. Maybe the Head Girl has not watched any of her performances. Then again, Vera might not even know who Andrea Summers was either.

The request was innocent enough to Stephanie. But, it was not so simple for the Head Girl. "This is quite a bit you are throwing at me," Vera began, "You are asking me to go around the student council. They are the ones who plan and schedule events. I am not sure why you are in such a hurry either. If I grant your request, others will see me as a means to go around the system this school has in place. Bribing me also does not make you look very favorable either, Ms. Miller."

Perhaps not the impression Stephanie was going for. She just wanted to sing another performance. Now, she looked like she was trying to do a shady deal behind closed doors. But, what Vera said was true. If the Head Girl allowed this, it only tells everyone else that they can do this deal as well. Worse, this also tells the student council that they have no real power. Vera could easily overrule anything the student council did. But, doing so would only give the student body more reasons to hate Head Girl's and their position of power.

She collared, it was so obvious and she was so stupid … in her excitement she made such a boneheaded mistake not wishing to waste the time of the Head Girl and just plunging straight into it. Her name was there on the form … Stephanie Miler … though it was a harmless lie, she disguised her appearance on stage and didn't want to fanfare associated with a pop star in the midst of all these girls. As Stephanie she was a wall flower, a nice change where she could take part in things as a normal girl rather than being at the center of everything all the time.

Andre loved her fans but didn't want to spent all her time answering Andre Summers questions. But the school knew. They went along with it, at least as far as the genera students went. So her first lie was said so naturally that she didn't even consider it being one.

“My apologies. I'm Stephanie Miller, second year student.”

Her eagerness came back on her. She colored even more so, not realizing how others might look at it. Her palm slapped her forehead as if she should have seen such a plunder herself when she ran through the matter in her head again and again. It had not been her intention to bribe her, could see be bribed? No. She didn't think so and it would have been a real bone headed move to offer contraband to someone that sought to stamp it out. Besides, her stuff had been more along the lines of getting a hold of the CD with the explicit lyrics rather than the clean Walmart version.

She had been embarrassed but the point was made clear to her. Well, Vera had not scolded her for completely wasting her time but just pointed out what she had overlooked in the first place.

“I … I … apologize for wasting your time.” She had been unaware what title was appropriate, Head Girl, Miss Matsumoto? Just Miss? She prepared for hearing one asserted at some stage as if she should have known better before hand.

But for all her glaring mistakes Andrea was a quick enough thinker at times often thinking outside the box. “I'll submit it through the council. But ...” She paused just for a tick as if she was reassessing something in her head first. “I do not wish to retract my offer to help out in someway, without it affecting the decision at all … after the request is decided on either way.”

Before could look like tampering as Vera pointed out. But if she were denied or even approved and still did stuff afterward, less may have been thought about it. Certainly no one would think much about her doing stuff if denied, if accepted though there might be some that could think that but she really did stand by her offer, should she get approval or not had not been the reason that she had offered. And doing her part wouldn't be outside of the norm for her, there had been an established history of her cleaning up classrooms after hours, Dendrite could attest to that.

“Can I ask for something else?”

“If they approve of it could you recommend they go?” It would mean getting approval quicker in the future she thought unless they hated it to no end and just denied each of her future requests. She had a bigger idea, one that went beyond the council she thought but was unsure of it. Of course it pending a great deal on Vera too. She had to be busy, she had managers and others assisting her, Vera was doing it all by herself.

“I'd appreciate it if you came to, just for a few minutes it might matter later on. But it depends first on the council's decision,” she added as if she understood that fact. She hoped she wasn't babbling too much, she tried to keep things on topic and there were other things that had been a jumble in her head right now that she would sort through later if she was indeed approved.

The embarrassment was easily felt as well as seen in those crimson cheeks. Students either lashed out to put more pressure or back down at this point. Stephanie backed off with the offer. It was pointless to try and push that any further. But, the student tried to improve her stance with the Head Girl. Smoothing things over was perhaps best if the student wanted to visit again in the future. Vera had no issues with that though she thought little of the offer. She knew nothing about this student and she had no tasks on hand that required a random student at the moment.

Stephanie gave another request though. This time, it was a recommendation. An odd thing to ask of someone who knew nothing about the singer. "I am certain the council will approve it. They are always looking for more events for the students," Vera reassured, "But, I do not know why you would want me to come much less give out my recommendation. I know nothing of your singing and I am not one to attend performances. Wouldn't you want a recommendation from someone who actually follows your art?"

Perhaps Vera could go. But, she did not really attend most events short of ensuring they remain in order. Shokushu had a wide range of talent. But, that talent would only be used if a slave owner has use for it. Seeing so much talent go to alien slavery did detract a bit of desire to keep up with current trends. Then again, if singing is all that takes to keep the students from worrying about things outside their control, perhaps it warrants a look.

"If I have time, I may drop by to hear your performance. I will say no more than that, Ms. Miller."

She did not like running away from a problem. Of course a strategic withdrawal worked best at times but Andrea tried to think of alternative ways to accomplish her aims. She was use to show business and as such tended not to waste time arguing a point nor was she born into a life of privilege or let fame go to her head and thus act spoiled when she didn't get her way. She had to work for what she acquired and that made her appreciate what she earned even more.

So she made an error about the forms, another bone headed one as to how that may have been interrupted. That was OK, not in the sense that she made these mistakes but OK that she ha made them, she survived and learned. Andrea never booked her own gigs before. Managers handled all that stuff and she didn't have much experience in that area always assuming that that was the easy part of their jobs. Their income was based off of her success so they had been motivated to take care of these.

Point and shot like a gun though she was the bullet and the stage her target. Of course the Head Girl needed a bit more information behind her motives. She did smile though at the vote of confidence, she had not doubted that she would be approved, people seemed to like the two songs she sang at the talent show and she had no enemies she cold think of. There had been a time where she may have annoyed Daphnee a bit with her forwardness. She had always believed that the Prefect was just playing hard to get and thus she kept up her advancements until she started introducing her to other interests. S he got the idea after all, Miss Lavender wasn't interested at all other then the information she could provide.

It told her that she was at risk too, that Daphnee was only paying a blind eye to her because she directed her to bigger fish, that and she rarely did anything.. When she had it was small time things, it was more habit for the girl when she acted as a scavenger then anything else so if she crossed the line she was likely to be singing her songs in the basement..

She had never been there but heard all sorts of nasty rumors. She did not know which had been worse, the stuff she heard about the basement or the stuff she heard about the Head Girl but the later didn't seem so bad. Maybe she would have thought otherwise if she were in trouble, fortunately she wasn't.

It had been a long shot, perhaps she shouldn't have brought it up in the first place but nothing ventured nothing gained. She had just hoped to speed things up a bit.

“I don't even know if the school has the resources and this seemed to go beyond anything the council could permit. I'm not sure you could but I figure that you're in touch with those that could sign of on it and some small experience might sway you one way or another as to the nature of the experience.

“What I was thinking is using the PA system to transmit songs. The quality wouldn't be great and it's something I could record and play back. Obviously it's something outside of the times we have classes, a weekend or at some stage during the summer. Some time where it wouldn't interfere with classes." It wouldn't be for a bit though if it were even possible and if she went through with it in the first place but she was here now and if the Head Girl determined it was all right then that was fine, in the very least she would see who she had to talk to or if it were just best to carry out various events.

She had been been thinking about those that wanted to listen but were to busy. They could just work from a room that ha access to the PA system. Since she had no idea how that would go he considered off peak stuff at first to try it out, though they were the times most people would be able to attend an even if she held one. She had been hoping that Vera saw that portion of that.

She was courteous, thanked the Head Girl and hoped she saw her if everything turned out right. She didn't take up much of her time though. Things didn't go as she had hoped, she would have to wait a bit longer but it was bitter sweet for the girl since she could use that time to rehearse and write a new song or two as well. There was much to do, practice, practice, practice.

But the paperwork went through. Next had been getting the posters made up announcing the event and she even did some work here and there mostly cleaning up classrooms after hours. Though their were janitors she did the stuff that they neglected like clapping out erasers, restocking minor materials like paper clips, staples and so forth. The event was already announced well in advance and all said it was nearly three weeks before everything went through

She was dressed as Andrea Summers since she was going to do a ton of her songs. She had more time, and even had the microphone Arblis had created for her. It was hard won but the djinn dealt with perversion and gave her this. It let her connect to her audiences better when she sang, at least human ones. It could stir up emotions on a large scale, not everyone felt anything but the majority did. Andrea knew that there had to be some drawback to it too and didn't want to use it too often but she could not help it this time. Booking future events pended on this and she was a little nervous. Not that she didn't do this before but this could determine another two years before she could sing to an audience just for her. The talent show was different. People went to cheer on their friends and lovers. People were entertained by other acts but this time they were all coming for her. The big question though would anyone from the council make it? Would Vera?

If it was just to use the auditorium or some other room, it should be easy enough to book a time for Stephanie to use for her performance. Using the PA system was unlikely and it was probably for the best as the quality would degrade greatly over such a simple audio system. The student did not complain and simply thanked the Head Girl for her time and left to go through the proper channels.

It did take longer but at least it was legit and did not cut any corners. Shokushu had a small population so even a solo performance was well within the means for the student council to allow. So Andrea got what she wanted, a place to perform where she would the only one performing. As some students have heard her songs before, the student singer was welcomed by an audience who looked forward to the show.

The room was dimly lit and the lights shined down on the stage. The light masked most of the people in the audience, making it difficult to see who all came. But, at least a few student council members who helped prepare this event did wish her luck.

Vera did arrive at some point, sitting in the back seats. There was no reason to make her presence known as she already knew how most students thought of her. The Head Girl waited patiently for the show to start and ensure nothing goes wrong during the performance. She had little care for the music that Stephanie was going to sing. But if the student did perform well, Vera saw no reason not to use this student's talents to improve morale and spirit in the student body.

Daphnee got her in touch with the right people for the lights and operating the sound systems. She had been mostly ignorant of that and while the Prefect was too she had a major that placed her around those in the field whether it be those that performed plays or just liked operating behind the scenes.

But that was a new element that she had no problem working on. It was all new to her though, others had managed these things and others did them now but she learned a few things too, watching on when they went through rehearsals. She had remained ignorant of most of it before too busy with her practices and while she was busy now this had been the sort of thing she had discovered that she had to take care of.
a t rehearsals other elements came up as to who was going to handle this or that, what she would be wearing, if the stage should be decorated of not.

Tons of work but she was good at delegating things, she was use to having others handle the details and so she left her volunteers in charge of what they did best leaving her time to focus on her song set and form a theme as best she could. One of the students that did customs for plays had recommended the garb from the production of Alice in Wonderland which would work better if she wasn't going for the pink haired Andrea Summers look. It suited her better if she was singing as the blond Stephanie Miller though.

There was a little debate and in the end she almost went the Alice route before it was determined that with some minor alterations the custom that was used in the Wizard of Oz for the wicked witch suited her better. Minus the make up of course, pink hair spilling out beneath a pointy hat this had been the same stage she had been upon when she drew the interests of Slimer or Ania … but her focus had been on the students.

She could not see many of them though with the lights in the auditorium dimmed save for the ones illuminating her. She could see some of the members from the student council, some of the girls that helped her out with customs and a few that recommended songs that fit the bill best. Songs of mystery, of wonder, of self discovery. These were the songs that fit, after all Dorothy had a new strange world to discover but the witches custom suited her better.

Andrea even got a taste for that microphone. She couldn't explain it really, it was a jumble of things and feelings. This time they had been all centered on her whereas before people had various interests the power was not so strong. She could feel what they were feeling, a mix of excitement, of being able to distract themselves for an hour from their studies, the greater numbers of people that felt a particular emotion the more she herself felt it while others were drowned out by their peers.

It was easier to adjust to the majority though. If just one or two felt a particular way she would miss it in most cases unless that feeling had been overwhelming and unnatural but this was an audience of her peers and she adjusted. She lost herself in that performance, one reason was the microphone adjusting to the sea of emotions out their but it was mostly due to doing what she loved.

The applause the greatest reward making it all worth it. Her aims when she got started in show business had been making others feel good, entertaining them for a small tick. She bowed, looked about but did not see the Head Girl but she managed to locate another two members of the student council. She did not have time to get too disappointed though doing an encore then asking some of the others if the had seen Vera among the crowd.

No one had, no one she talked to any way. Most of the people she asked though had been working behind the stage though she mingled a bit after her encore behaving as a fellow student rather than an unapproachable idol after a show. She lacked the bodyguards to whisk her out of the place and wasn't about to dip out the back.

She asked if anyone saw Vera again and the feedback was good, the biggest complaint was not doing this song or that but the songs either did not fit the theme or barely touched upon it but she stored it all up for hopefully another performance.

After dealing with her peers, showering and changing she had concluded that the Head Girl had not been in attendance. She didn't know if it were appropriate to dip in and check to see if she had or not. But she was curious. She had a few ideas over the course of the following days but she kept reconsidering things in her mind, second guessing the fact that it was a good idea, whether it would be a waste of time and if there had been someone else she could speak too. This was something that the council could not sign off on without approval she thought and one of those things that she would have to work out with them, ultimately she didn't wish to step on any toes or seem to be overstepping boundaries but maybe, just maybe that would come up.

She went to Vera's tower unless called to it for whatever reason before hand. Knocking she waited to be acknowledged before entering. If she asked if she were busy the answer was somewhat obvious though instead she asked her if she had a moment, if not she could always come back at another time, she was curious after all as if the Head Girl had a chance to stop by or at least hear about things. She gave it a few days not wishing to seem too eager, but not long enough to be uninterested in the matter either. She was less nervous then before having dealt with Vera once already, surviving the ordeal and realizing that it wasn't half bad ...

Stephanie received no word from Vera after the performance. It had nothing to do with how the event went. Vera simply had no reason to get involved. The student council prepared and ran the event and no issues occurred. Not hearing from the Head Girl could be taken as a good sign in this case.

Despite the lack of interest, Stephanie did wish to see Vera again. Any day was available for the student to climb the tower and knock at the Head Girl's door. But, Stephanie waited as if there was some sort of grace period she should put between visits. Once back in the tower, there appeared to be no one waiting outside. Did Vera get many visitors?

Vera called for Stephanie to enter when she knocked. The Head Girl was at her desk, working as always. Being the only active Head Girl, all reports from Prefects and staff went to her, leaving her to update all student records of their rule violations. She stopped typing when Stephanie approached. "Ms. Miller," she greeted, "How may I help you this afternoon?"

It was almost as if the previous encounter held no negative marks. Stephanie was just another student visitor. Would she ask if Vera went to the concert? How would the Head Girl react to such a question? Or was there more that this student wanted from the Head Girl this time around?

There was no one here, she noted that though Vera did have quite the reputation she would have guessed that there would be no one lined p to see her unless they had to. The Prefect probably dealt with the disciplinary issues and she more the administrative ones, at least that was how she analyzed things.

It was probably all blown out of proportion by those girls that were sore at being busted for doing things that they were not suppose to be doing in the first place. She knew how fickle the media could be, most of her publicity had been good but there was always a columnist or other detractor out there that made their own opinion known or just wanted to hate … they tried to dig up dirt on her, tried to figure out just who she was but there wasn't much dirt perhaps having lovers all over as she was never stable in one place for long and her people kept her public and private life well guarded even assisting in falsifying her records to get into this school … or so she thought …

Entering when bid to she found Vera hard at work. She noted the neat stack of files, wondered as to what she had to do and what was delegated as she saw another stack nearby either work done or work that was to be passed along. It was smaller than the other.

She didn't want to keep her long if it could be helped but she couldn't resist. “Did you catch the show by any chance?” She did not need any sort of feedback though she would have liked some though she phrased it as a simple yes or no question. It had not mattered as to the proceeding matter though if affirmative it would have given her a bit more confidence in that Vera had experienced it and had a reference.

Her normally blue eyes darted to the files. She wore contacts while performing to hide their hue. She knew she had to work out the details with the Student Council but they could not approve what she was thinking but was unsure as to who she could ask.

“I have a sort of off the wall idea but didn't know who to approach. The council for setting up concerts but ...” she took a deep breath her eyes looked to the files delaying for just a second. Was it stupid? Was it just a waste of time? Maybe … but she would not know without bringing it up.

“I want to be a sort of anti Prefect … instead of giving out demerits say giving out slips, so many slips can be redeemed for admission to a concert. I'll have to work with the Council to arrange dates in advance but I thought that these vouchers could be given out for anything positive … I haven't worked out all the details but giving out so many for helping clean up the campus, paint walls and such, even excelling at academics or the like, lots of details to sit down and work out but I didn't know who to bring it up with and if it works out the way I'm hoping it might even lessen the work load a bit ...”

Bad idea. But it did give her an excuse to come here.

Vera took some of the files and put them in a drawer. "I did," she answered. The Head Girl did see the performance. She said nothing else though. There was no point in hiding the fact she was there and providing that information would hopefully ease some of the tension she sensed from the student.

Stephanie provided her idea. It was certainly off the wall and lacked the necessary polish to hold as a decent pitch. "Your idea lacks planning," Vera replied, "Your goal is to get more people to go to your concert. Limiting it to those students you find and deem as good will drastically reduce your total viewers. If you want to walk around and hand out flyers for your performance, you are free to do so assuming you do not leave a mess behind. Something tells me you want everyone at your concerts and not just a select few."

Straight to the point, Vera had poked holes in the student's idea. It was difficult to say if the Head Girl was annoyed or not as her cool composure and tone of voice made it hard to really tell the woman's mood.

Andrea had been a headstrong girl. It was clear that these were things she had not been use to doing on her own so it was all a work in progress. She had overlooked elements and had not thought of others, that much had been clear from her inexperience at not seeing things the way that they actually lurked.

But she was a smart girl, a resourceful one. She learned when something didn't work and switched up her approach in most cases, well there were times were this hadn't been the case though she wasn't expecting any results that differed from the last, in such cases if they did differ then she wasn't going to complain and it wasn't as if she was placing a whole lot of time and effort into matters.

But she did see the performance. Good. What Vera thought about it one way or another wasn't an issue that she was her to discuss. She was curious but it was more a reference to go by. If she hadn't seen it that would be harder in dealing with the matter of the issue she placed forth now. At least if she shot it down she had seen one and knew what she was shooting down.

As expected the head girl had thought that the idea was a jumbled mess. It was. It was just something she had been considering and had to refine at a future date with the council as a sounding board to work through it all. Arranging the time for a performance and what not.

But she did not exactly shoot the idea down either. It had to be polished up and there was the issue Vera posses with the attendance of her concerts. She smiled.

“Oh, that is true. But if anyone could just come then it wouldn't mean as much and that's just as important. There's a lot to work out, it's just an idea at this stage and not a very good one at that but I wanted to at least see if something like that was feasible before I could get to work on something in the future. I just figured that this was something that went beyond the scope of the council.”

An idea of fliers did hit her. If there was something she could do in marking them in some fashion that made them hard to just photocopy at the computer lab she could arrange for a certain number of fliers having to be collected and turned over though there were problems with that. True so many fliers could be exchanged for good deeds but that really wouldn't work. Others could just trade or give their fliers away or steal them.

She was looking at things the wrong way, perhaps. It could be easier … yeah, maybe … she thought on the files that were cleared away earlier. “But it would probably be easier to deal with the list of problem students, barring them until they have been redeemed or disciplined.”

She wasn't asking for anything, at least not yet. She had been forming her own ideas, seeing what would be likely though she didn't wish to waist too much of Vera's time. A simple answer may direct her thoughts over matters. All the logistics could wait for now, there had been a ton to sort through and address with the council first before wasting her time with it.

She would get that answer or not before she would see the council unless for some reason Vera had a question for her, thanking the head girl for her time in the matter. The meeting kept brief though meant to direct her own chaotic thoughts.

"If you want to find a way to limit your audience, that is your business," Vera replied, "Any students that are under corrective action may lose the privilege to do anything deemed extracurricular. Matters such as that are not your concern and is handled by myself and the staff."

If Stephanie wanted to put limitations on her performance, that is on her. But, Vera was not going to allow just any student to suddenly have a say on participating in correcting students. Vera did not require that sort of assistance. She already has a number of Prefects to handle that. Students trying to become the law will only hinder her work rather than help.

But again, Stephanie's head was still attached to her shoulders which was good at least. The student thanked the Head Girl and took her leave. Whether or not these visits annoyed the silver haired woman was unknown. The visits were short and to the point which helped in resolving the matter with as little annoyance as possible. Once the door closed behind the student, Vera simply returned to her work. The line of questioning and what Stephanie had done in the past did not warrant any further investigation or attention from the Head Girl for the time being.

Short and to the point. These meetings were insightful and assisted her in understanding just how things worked and to take the considerations of others in mind. This sort of thing was something she did not tend too.

Andrea was not seeking to discipline others though she had thought that the concerts could be used as a means of encouraging positive behavior. She had not known that unruly students would be excluded from attending though had she knuckled down and really thought this through she may have concluded that something like that was the case.

It was something she might have pestered Daphnee about in the past she noted. It gave her the perfect excuse to see the Prefect though as headstrong as she was she had eventually got the idea when the Prefect started to introduce her to other like minded students in a means of dissuading her.

But now her thoughts had been on Vanessa. They had not committed to one another yet though. She kept things relaxed and did the opposite then she had with Daphnee not wishing to drive her away and waiting on Vanessa to push for a bit more.

In the days to come though she had decided to drop the hole concert based on good behaving thing. She could not work that angel well nor could anyone on the council offer up a good alternative. She had not doubted what Vera told her but she looked in her student handbook for all sorts of codes that would lead to their privileges being revoked.

It had been alarming though, something that should have been clear at the start that she had not considered in the first place. She did not do so that often but if her scrounging got attention for whatever reason, her dealing with contraband then the whole issue of putting on a concert would be revoked. She scrounged on occasion, a past time really that she had enjoyed. But she loved singing more and reached the conclusion that she was not going to take such a risk. Once a concert date had been agreed upon and posted she would take no such risks from point A to B. Only when something wasn't scheduled would taking such a risk be considered but it was just best to drop it all together.

She got a taste of singing again. Is she could changing track and focusing on singing again was more to her tastes. In the days to come she organized her next concert, mulled over her set and this time upped the ante a bit.

This time she got girls in the drama club to choreograph a few dance numbers too. While on stage in the past such numbers were placed in unless the song was stronger without such fanfare.

It was hard work, it always was. She was too busy to even bother with contraband any way between practicing and dancing. The microphone she got from Arblis was something she would consider to use at show time She used it in the past though she still hadn't worked out if there were any side effects. She didn't want to rely on it, especially if it ended up doing something.

Since the upcoming concert would be different then the last there was more time that she set up between them in order to get the dance routines down. It was all going well and she came to think that she didn't have to go out of her way to encourage ideal behavior. Since girls couldn't go if they didn't behave it at least kept them from drawing too much notice. But she didn't abandon the idea entirely either. Smaller crowds such as to a Dean's list or the winners of a tournament or an athlete that broke a record. Shokushu didn't compete with other schools though but they sometimes had smaller groups of several classes going against each other.

She filed it all away though. It needed more thought.

It had been about two weeks before she returned to the tower. There had been a lot of work she had done and working out times, rehearsals and even printing up fliers took time. The fliers were printed courtesy of a lot of help from the graphs art students. She had not posted them up yet. That was for tomorrow but the first she hoped to pass out this evening.

Her timing was something to consider. To early and she would be intruding on dinner but too late could be a problem. Ultimately she concluded that Vera struck her as the sort that ate later then usual though she could not be certain. 4 o'clock seemed like a safe number so she knocked on the door then, waited to be admitted and stepped inside.

She was still in her uniform rehearsing singing for a fair bit after her latest class and she had a folder handing over a print out with the dates of the next concert on it a few weeks from now. She didn't know if Vera had any interest or time on her hands.

“I wanted you to be the first one to get one of these,” she restrained from smiling still unsure. “Thank you, there's been a lot more to this sort of thing then I imagined so I haven't thought of everything and overlooked others.

“Your insight has been appreciated.” She thought of saying something about her reputation, how she thought it had been misunderstood but thought better of such. “Will I see you there?”

Things were uneventful as far as Stephanie was concerned. The student had her work to do to prepare for her concert and the singer stayed out of trouble. Furter investigation was not required so Vera's attention was focused on more important matters.

Two weeks later, Vera received a knock at the door. The day was nearly over but not quite. Stephanie stepped in when allowed and wasted little time in approaching the Head Girl's desk. Vera accepted the offered flyer, looking it over as the student spoke her thanks. Her face remained neutral. It was a kind gesture though she was also certain that this student was doing this to hopefully ensure the Head Girl's attendance. Asking if Vera would be there was perhaps a bit too forward.

"Depends on my schedule," Vera stated, "Thank you for the invitation, Ms. Miller. I am glad that you found a way to perform for the student body. Is there anything else you require?" She sets the flyer down as she looked at the other student. Was there any other reasons for Stephanie's visit to the Head Girl's office?

It was a bit forward though that was here way in the past. She reeled herself in as much as possible though it was difficult to hold back her excitement especially after working so hard to accomplish all that she had thus far.

In many ways it was an eye opener too as she learned all those little details she had taken for granted. Though it was rewarding to practice dancing with the girls from the drama club and handling all the scheduling with the girls on the student council. There was little wonder that she had been kept apart from it and just focused on her singing and dancing in the past since most of it was just time consuming more than anything.

But Andrea did not have a full schedule and the more she learned the easier it became. While she was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to the vocals she didn't make too big of a deal with the dance choreography. It wasn't as if this had been a concert performed before a paying crowd but a division.

But the kicker was that she took on the identity of Stephanie Miller to be unassuming to blend into the crowd. Yet that character was beginning to walk a path towards stardom. A campus celebrity perhaps. If she kept this up on a consistent basis but she'd just be known as the girl that did a lot of Andrea Summer cover songs. Maybe there would be a lot of talk about her trying to do something with music. In any case she didn't think that she would be confused with the real deal or mobbed by adoring fans but she would have to sit down later and think on that.

And here she was in the presence of the Head Girl who had received a bum wrap. Though most authority figures got bad reps, even the police, but that may have worked for her. She wasn't sure how Vera thought about it, she may not have cared much as she didn't appear to be the sort that had been bothered by such things. She may have even used that to her advantage.

She shook her head. “No that is all ...” there was a pause there at the end, a shifting of her eyes to the wall for a second and then a glance back.

“If there is anything I can do to assist the school let me know,” she wasn't thinking about Prefect stuff or anything that time consuming. She didn't actually know what things were actually needed in that area, that was what the Prefects were for from her understanding and the girls that fell into trouble being made to do this or that but the offer was on the table should something crop up or an idea came about. Spreading information at a concert might be useful though there were other easier means that she could see.

But that was all. It was rather straight forward to come here with that flier … no that wasn't all, not quite. It had been a small matter that she had been dwelling on since the first time they met.

“I like your hair,” an innocent compliment though everything she thought of could have been interpreted the wrong way. She would depart on that note, just a simple compliment though she hadn't known why she used one. She had been thinking of it often enough though might have been influenced by the fact that she would have few in her opinion.