2243/Princess lessons for the little princess

Princess lessons for the little princess
Date of Scene:	21 December 2016
Location:	Verone Academy - Classrooms
Synopsis:	Sakura joins Haruka for princess lessons. They make tea and Sakura tells Haruka about her lost past. They both get the seal of approval.
Cast of Characters:	Sakura Kinomoto, Haruka Haruno

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Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blushed red as she walked through the academy. Why? Tomoyo had dressed her up in a princess outfit. As it was for princess lessons, after all. And, unfortunately for her, she was EXTRA adorable today.

Which was why, almost every twenty feet, some gaggle of teenage girls would come and glomp the poor child, going on about how 'adorable' or 'cute' she was. As was the life of the little card captor, alas, one she was used to. So, unfortunately, it meant she was about ten minutes late(a testament to how early she had planned to be.)

She knocked on the door, her cheeks burning red and the moment the door opened she bowed her head, hands folded in her lap and holding a small little bag. "H-h-h-hello. I-I'm here for ummm... to try the... lessons?" she said nervously, before standing back up straight.

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka has taken to sitting in an empty classroom at Verone, sitting in her school uniform and poking at what looks to be an iPad in a fancy pink case. She's waiting for Tomoyo and Sakura, given that she'd gotten Miss Shamour's approval for Sakura to join her. She opened the door at the knock, stifling a laugh at her poor little friend's predicament. "Come in! I'll make sure they won't bug us."

Of course, she's going to endure jokes about how she had her litle sister visit, but that's okay. She waits until Sakura and Tomoyo are both firmly in the classroom... and then blocks the door with desks, carefully wedging them under the doorknobs. That done, she prods at the iPad-looking thing, and a small, cat-like fairy emerges, changing into a woman with a distinctly feline air around her.

"Is this Miss Sakura?" Shamour asks Haruka, who nods. "We'll start with the second part of the tea lesson, then!" Shamour gestures with her wand, a couple of remaining desks slamming together and a tablecloth and tea setting appearing on them. "Will you make tea for us?" Haruka gets up to do so, very obviously having practiced this, at least.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. Then Tomoyo took a seat near the back, letting out a content sigh as she watched Sakura move.

The young wannabe princess gulped and moved to bow for the woman. "T-t-thank you very much for letting me come. I... I brought gifts. For everything." She put them on the table. Three little bags. Pink, with white hand stitched letters. Haruna, with a flower at the end. Prince, and then one blank one for the teacher. All filled with flower shaped cookies.

She gulped and sat down, on her knees at the table. She looked so tiny and frightened, lightly shaking as she waited for the tea to arrive, so terrified to mess up everything. It didn't help that tomoyo had dressed her up as a princess and now she felt so incredibly silly and out of place.

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Shamour smiled benevolently down at Sakura. "I am not so tough a teacher as all that, am I, Princess Haruka?" she asks. Haruka shakes her head, still working on getting the water boiled to the right temperature for making tea and measuring the right amount of tea into the strainer.

"She's not mean, Sakura-chan. She's... um..." There's a pause as Haruka searches for the right word. "...Exacting, though. It took me two hours to learn how to make tea right, and thank you for the cookies, Sakura-chan." She smiles at her young friend.

At this, Shamour nods, taking out the cookies and making a soft, pleased noise at the adorable floral cookies. She arranges them on the tea tray along with tiny sandwiches and cakes, obviously giving them a place of honor. "For these, petit princess, you deserve extra credit for the forethought."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, looking down. "S-sorry. I just, ummm, I-I've never met a real princess before and, and you're so pretty and cool a-and you even, ummm, y-you're so nice and umm, ummm..." Her cheeks were burning. She looked to Haruka. Oh dear, she was idolizing the princess now! And then she said that. Even called her a princess. She did a little wiggle in blace, cupping her cheeks in ehr hands. "I-it was nothing, really. Daddy helped me make them." They weren't perfect, in fact some of them were a little burnt. But they were good.

Tomoyo was recording it all, giving a content sigh of her own. "So cute when you're shy, Sakura..."

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka turns pink as well, though she is also making sure to keep track of how long the tea steeps. "I'm still a normal person, too!" Haruka protests. Shamour laughs gently, beaming at both girls.

If there were an explicit princess lesson on 'not letting this princess thing' go to her head, Haruka would have definitely gotten a pass on it. "It was the forethought that counted. You did not know what to expect, therefore you came bearing gifts that you made with the work of your own two hands." Haruka nods in agreement, carefully moving the spent tea leaves out of the teapot and onto a saucer out of the way. She pours tea, first for Shamour, then for Sakura, and then one for Tomoyo, taken carefully over to the other girl, and finally for herself. She settles, tasting the tea only after Shamour does, and then sighs in relief. She was stressed out by the process, even if she put a brave face on it.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blushed and then... "B-but you're all magical and princessy and graceful and pretty and cool and... and you're so many awesome things! you're like... so over normal!" she said matter of factly.

She picked up her tea, gently cupping it in both hands. Odd, she seemed to have a little experience in such matters... though a glance to Tomoyo, who was doing it perfectly as well, might show where she learned such things from. The little wanna-be princess nodded. "Daddy always told me I should always, always try my hardest to thank people who helped me. and... you've helped me twice already. you helped me with the flower card AND when I was almost... in that snow storm. You're just so amazing, Haruka-sempai. You're going to make the most amazing princess of all time..." she gave a soft, content, happy sigh as she imagined that. "D-do you think when you do, I could visit your castle and see it?"

Haruka Haruno has posed:
"...I was late to the opening ceremony for the enitre school year because I was distracted by running, Sakura-chan," Haruka says flatly, amused in spite of herself. Shamour chuckles. "And it took me two hours to brew tea right. Two hours!"

"She only seems that way to you because she is older and you do not see the effort she puts into things, I think," Shamour corrects gently, sounding definitely amused. "And Princess Haruka may be a title by princess only, as there is not a castle for her here and I doubt she would enjoy living in the Hope Kingdom as it is now." Both Shamour and Haruka's expressions cloud at that, briefly.

"Helping is just what a princess like the kind I want to be does, Sakura-chan. If you want to make me really happy, help other people when they have problems they can't help themselves with, and especially help people who seem like they want to give up on their dreams. Protect people from others who would bully them for their dreams."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blinked, nodding. "W-what's wrong with running? I love running... is... is it not princessy?" she asked softly, poking her fingers together. "Wait, two hours? but it tastes so good! You did a great job! I can really taste the princess in it!" she said, then blinked. "Wait, did that sound weird?"

"No, Sakura-chan, you're adorable~"

And then Sakura turned even redder. She then blinked and looked down. "But... but she is putting so much effort into it. I... I can tell. And... and that's what makes Haruka-sempai so amazing. She's trying so, so hard to get everything right that... that I just know she's going to keep trying so hard once she has her people a-and they're going to love her for it and she's going to be the most amazing princess."

Sakura nodded. "A-and you're so good at it. You're so kind and nice and just... so sweet." She gulped. "And... and if you need help. M-my magic is getting stronger, a lot stronger! I might even be able to help you with the kingdom one day. If that's okay..."

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka shook her head a little, laughing sheepishly. "It was when I chose to run that was the problem, Sakura-chan. I missed something important because I dorked it up and decided to go running while there was something else important happening... and then showed up in the middle of it."

"But none of this is learning how to take tea and make conversation as princesses should, girls," Shamour gently redirects. Haruka turns red and nods at Sakura's offer, sitting up straighter as Shamour begins instructing them on the order to take snacks, what is and isn't polite tea conversation. This, at least, seems easier than making the tea... so far.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, hanging on every single word. She did occasionally ask questions, too. Well, with permission. She didn't interrupted. She actually politely raised her hands and waited to be called on, listening to every single word and hanging on them.

Occasionally giving Haruka these 'Oh my gosh you're sooooo cooooool' eyes. Meanwhile, Tomoyo was doing the same for Sakura so maybe Tomoyo wasn't the weirdest one. Well, okay, Sakura at least hadn't tried to dress Haruka up, yet. And it was all going so well... until Sakura spilled her tea. And her eyes went wide as it scattered over the table, making her recoil. "I-I'm sorry, I-I can clean it up in a second, I'm so sorry, I-I just..." She looked around desperately for a towel or anything.

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka sprang to action, grabbing a towel from a corner and offering it to Sakura. Shamour chuckled gently, patting Sakura's shoulder. "You are still young, and growing. Spills happen. Handling them is a matter of cleaning up and not drawing overmuch attention toward it. It is not as if anyone's day is ruined by this, or anyone harmed, yes?"

Haruka nods, laughing sheepishly. "I'm honestly surprised I didn't spill my tea first..."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, blushing as she got to it. "Y-yeah. No one's day is ruined. Thank you," she said sheepishly, scrubbing up the mess and relaxing a little bit at their kind words. She smiled soon then... "Wait, you spill your tea?"

She looked stunned! "But... but you're so graceful! And mature! And noble! I can't imagine you ever spilling anything!" Oh my gosh the view she had of Haruka was covered in gold and diamonds.

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Shamour and Haruka exchanged a look, shaking their heads with a small, shared chuckle between them. "Princess Haruka is still a person, after all. And not always a graceful one."

Haruka nods, chuckling ruefully. "You always see me at my best, Sakura-chan. Give it a bit. You'll see me trip or... something... there's a reason I'm not on every sports team ever, after all."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blinked, then nodded. "O-oh, right. Sorry. I just, ummm..." She fiddled with the napkin in her lap. "Sorry... I just... I've never met a princess before and... and you're just so awe inspiring." She squirmed in place.

"I-I hope I'm not being... annoying. I-I just have been so nervous. I mean, actual princess lessons. I mean, if Yukito-san heard about these and..." Her cheeks turned so, so red.

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka snorts softly, hugging Sakura briefly. "Nervousness causes more mistakes, I think. Take a few deep breaths?" Haruka suggests, going back to her seat after toweling up the spill. She smooths her hands on her uniform skirt and pours Sakura a fresh cup of tea.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, sighing softly and contently. "I can't believe how lucky I've been. To think I felt like I was just ruining everything releasing those cards. But I've managed to meet so many amazing and spectacular people thanks to them. Sometimes I wonder if that's what was supposed to happen," she said with a sigh. Then blinked.

Could that have been clow's intentions all along? Nahhhhhhh. She very delicately picked up her tea and sipped again, following along with the instructions as best she could. And she was doing a decent job! She'd have made a good princess. A horrible queen. But a good princess.

Haruka Haruno has posed:
"What seems to be a mistake can be a blessing in disguise," Shamour says, glancing at Haruka before she says that. Haruka nods firmly.

"How many new friends have you made because you released the cards, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a little bit and then... "Well, there's Mara-san, Yuuki-san, Hannah-sempai, Haruna-sempai, Haruka-sempai, Spark-sensai, Jack-sempai, Alexis-san, Naru-san, Caped magician man, Kaeru-chan..." Oh gosh the list went on for like, a minute and a half. How in the world did she keep them all organized?!! "So many awesome magical girls! I hope one day I can be as awesome and amazing as all of you! My magic is geting a lot stronger! And, and Spark-sensai is teaching me how to defend myself in case I get attacked and I even managed to summon an image of one of the cards, well, n-not an image, but make its physical form!"

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Shamour picks up the proverbial ball that Haruka tossed out there- after all, Haruka had said she was worried about Sakura's confidence and self-image. "Would you have met any of them if you hadn't released the cards, then?" Shamour asks. Haruka nods, but doesn't add any more than that. After all, there were still times when she felt homesick, or stuck, and like coming to Tokyo was a mistake... but then she thought of what had happened as a result.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto shook her head. "no, probably not. Most of them I met when I found the cards. I can still imagine most of their faces when I hold the cards. It's like... each and every one of my friends is their own little star that supports me whenever I have to do anything. Even when it's something scary like fighting or running or dealing with the really, really powerful cards. I just imagined all of the super strong and brave and amazing girls who have been there for me, every step of my journey and... I don't feel scared anymore."

Haruka Haruno has posed:
"So even if it was a mistake... if you knew what would happen, and all the people you would meet because of releasing the cards, would you do it again?" Haruka asked, sipping her tea as she waited for Sakura's answer. They were getting into things even Haruka considered heavy territory, but she was pretty sure Sakura needed to hear it from herself.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a few times, then... slowly, the smile faded. "I... I don't know. I'm so happy I've made so many friends and met so many people. But I've destroyed so much, too. Millions and millions of yen have been destroyed, all because of my mistake. People have gotten hurt. I'm sure there were places with insurance but... but even though everything has turned out so good for me... there are still others suffering for it. For my mistake."

She stared into her tea. "Is... it okay to want something like that? To be happy with how things turned out? Knowing that it caused problems for other people?"

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka looked at Shamour, suddenly out of her depth, but the cat-fairy seemed content to let the princess and her friend talk it out. Ugh. Cats.

"Well... is that something you will forget, Sakura-chan?" Haruka wonders. After all, when things happen because of the Zetsuborg, they magically fix themselves. It's not a concern for Haruka normally. "When you have all the cards," and Haruka realizes mid-sentence that it's when, not if, to her. "Will you remember those places and try to do something to make up for it?"

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blinked and then lowered her glass, barely getting it down as her hands began to shake. "M-maybe? I mean, I-I've already... forgotten once," she said softly. "According to Haruka-sempai and... and the magician man... I'd done this a year ago. Apparently I was... doing it all then. Trying to get the cards. but... I only started a few weeks ago. And everything... before that is just... gone. Forgotten. As... as if nothing happened. And... And I'm so scared I'll forget it again..." Ohhhh, haruka just hit the right nerve.

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka shakes her head, grabbing Sakura's hands. "That's despair. Stop that. It's poison, and it will eat you alive." Haruka's voice is stern as she says this. "Even if you forget, you have friends who will help you, as many times as you need it, okay? So don't fall into despair over it."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto yelped, blushing and looking off to the side. "I... I guess. I just.. I don't... I don't want to forget everyone again. You're all so amazing andd... and I love all of you so much. If I lost again... if... if I lost all of my friends who mean so much to me..." She shook her head, giving her best big girl smile.

"R-right. You're right. I-I need to be strong and brave l-like all the rest of you, right? T-this time I'm sure I'll do it right! and... and won't just be a bother, o-or someone that has to be protected. I'll be strong enough to help you all!"

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka nods. "It's not even about being strong, Sakura-chan. It's about hanging on to hope," she says. "I'm a princess because of my hopes and dreams- I became what I wanted to be because I didn't let despair, or bullying, or anything like that eat me. I think if you keep holding on to your dream, it'll be the same for you."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, grinning wide. "I... I'll never, ever give up on my dream, no matter what!" she said with a big grin, smiling up at Haruka.

Then her cheeks got a little red and she smiled. "You're an amazing princess... you're so kind and nice and... and give a warm fuzzy feeling inside..."

Haruka Haruno has posed:
Haruka nodded and smiled. "Good. That's the important thing." She squawks in surprise as something presses against her forehead. A glance up (for anyone else) would reveal it to be a pawprint stamp, though Haruka isn't left wondering because Sakura also gets Shamour's Stamp of Approval.

"You both pass the tea lesson."

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a little bit, then squeaked. Her cheeks turned red. "Y-you... you mean I can drink tea like a PRINCESS?" she asked, cupping her cheeks again with wide eyes. Ohhhhh, it was the best thing ever! "I-I can't wait to tell daddy!"

Tomoyo nodded. "Well you've always been very princess-like, Sakura-chan," she said happily, giving her own soft sigh of joy as she watched her friend swoon.