Upon discovering the signups, Pearl made a point of getting to the Great Hall early. When she saw the pairing list, she was disappointed; she didn't recognize the name, but it wasn't Mystic Maya, and that was all that mattered.

Maya wasn't here yet, but someone had to keep Phoenix in line. What would she tell her cousin if she showed up only to find that her special someone had run off with someone else?

So she was on stakeout, not far away, hiding behind the buffet table and peeking around the bowls and plates of food. It might have been adequate cover, but from time to time one might see a familiar pair of hair loops popping up.