Soph is hiding Compendium of the Partially Substantial inside her algebra book. When she spots Alli, she shows her a page titled Binding a Ghostly Spirit to a Talisman to Connect & Entwine their Fates be it Destruction or Removal. "Found something," she says. "I can't get into prom, though, I'm a sophomore, can you do it?"

Alli looks over the spell. "I'm not great at crystal spells," she says doubtfully. "That's your thing."

"Well, it doesn't have to be a crystal per se, I was thinking I'd use a rhinestone that came off a bracelet I have. Easy to smash when it's time to kill the ghost. You could put it in - something else."

"I guess not. I'm still kind of shit at the whole 'chanting circle full of herbs' crap, though. Ugh. Can I just stick you in my pocket and have you do it?"

"I'm not gonna fit in your pocket. I guess I could try to sneak in with Bella, but if someone catches her, she's a junior with a ticket. I can't buy a ticket and if Bella gives me one they'll want to know who my upperclassman date is."

"...I am an upperclassman. And even with a ticket I hadn't actually bothered to find a date yet. So! Want a date?" She pauses. "Witch-date. Actual-dates are for boys, sorry."

"Ha! Sure, why not. Witch-date. I go in with you and I rhinestone the ghost while you and Bella try to keep it from strangling anybody in the meantime."

"Witch-date it is!" She grins. "As long as I don't have to wear a suit. Not my style."

"I don't care. Do you want to even bother coordinating or should I just turn up in something prom-y? Bella's thinking slacks and a blouse so she can move around to fight the ghost if she winds up having to but I can chant in a frilly dress."

"Meh. If you tell me what color you're wearing I might magic up flowers? Other than that, knock yourself out." She looks down at her outfit speakingly. She's in her normal attire: black, black, and more black, complete with eyeliner and combat boots. "D'you care what I'm in? I mean, I'll probably dress up pretty just for the hell of it, but besides that. Gotta say, though. Frills are all yours."

"I'm thinking - red and blue? It'll depend on what I find in the store though. You can wear whatever you want as long as it doesn't get us turned away at the door, not like it's a proper date or anything."

"People will still see us," Alli points out. "We go to school with them, we're telling them we're dates. I don't actually give two shits what they think, but I am me and you are you."

"Yeah, but like - if it were a real date I'd want it to be a whole experience? Complete with attention to outfits. It's not, so I don't care. If people get on my case about what my prom date was wearing I'll just, I dunno, say I wanted to go and you were an upperclassman and that was all. I mean that's even true, just leaves out the part with the ghost."

"Not giving a shit it is, then! Best way."

Soph laughs.

It's about a week before prom when Bella phones Emma.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Emma, it's Bella. No emergency, just a question. Is this a good time?"

"No, I can talk, what's up?"

"I am planning to get into a fight with the Phantom of the Promenade a week from Saturday. There is a plan, but if the plan does not go perfectly, someone may find themselves strangled and/or drowned, and I don't know if prom chaperones are required to know CPR. Any chance you could sort of loiter nearby in case?"

Emma takes a second to process this, then asks, "...Phantom of the Promenade? I suppose I don't see why not, as long as it's not on a work night."

"Week from Saturday," repeats Bella. "It's almost certainly a ghost, which haunts prom."

"Of course there is. Silly me. Week from Saturday, sure, that's fine."

"Cool. Prom starts at eight, I may try to sneak in before then but am pretty unlikely to get strangled or drowned before prom actually starts. Witches will appear on time."