Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2011, Saturday Early Evening - Part One!

[prof_of_cunning]

The ceremony was once again held at sunset for the benefit of the graduates’ less diurnal guests, but the lawn was well-lit with twinkling blue and gold lights draped across bleachers, stage, surrounding trees and specially-assembled trellises, giving the overall effect of a peaceful fairy grove. (Not, say, Las Vegas. Tasteful twinkling lights.)

The staff having taken note of every previous graduation including the most recent, the lights had been purchased from Acme Decorations Studio with a money-back No Coming To Life And Terrorizing Your Party Guests Guarantee... and there was a rather large cache of weapons stashed in a trunk behind the podium. The chance that it would rain toys that could later be used for self-defense was slightly less than the chance that there would be a need for self-defense.

No one could say Fandom High wasn’t a learning experience.

[Open and welcome Class of 2011! Welcome | The Procession | Speeches | Diplomas | OOC]

Comments

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

Arthur... had arrived here half out of an inborn respect for ceremony and pride in whatever pursuit he had spent some year and a half of his life on, and half out of him Merlin bumbling into some portal or another, which was starting to become almost an expected part of post-Fandom life.

But he was here. He might even deign to clap for certain graduates.

Re: Welcome!

[future_sandworm]

Oh, a familiar face. Leto was sitting next to his sister, and gave Arthur a nod in greeting, should he notice.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

Oh, Arthur noticed. Eventually, anyway.

He wasn't quite squinting at Leto with suspicion or anything. "Leto."

Re: Welcome!

[future_sandworm]

"Arthur. It's been a while." For Leto anyway, which should be reasonably obvious.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"Yes," Arthur said, with that blend of tact and complete tactlessness he had mastered, "It does appear to be so. I haven't seen you in quite a while."

Re: Welcome!

[future_sandworm]

"It took me eight years to catch up with Ghanima's timeline," Leto replied, finding that he had actually missed those annoying behaviours of Arthur, just a little.

Not that he would admit it.

"And how have you been?" Starting with polite conversation was, well, a good start.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"Occupied with matters of state, as always," Arthur said. He was faintly confused by his own ability to take 'it's been eight years' in stride like it was nothing. "But nothing I can't handle. And what have you done in eight years?"

Re: Welcome!

[future_sandworm]

"I have... made some plans for the future of humanity. My sister and I now rule the Imperium." If Leto looked vaguely amused it was because he was. "So perhaps we face similar problems." Which they obviously dealt with in very different ways.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"My father still rules the kingdom," Arthur pointed out, idly.

Give him a few years, he'd be up to conquering-and-country-uniting and all that. "I merely support him. But I am glad to hear you have plans."

He wasn't mocking Leto. Much. Well, at least it was hidden in a lot of tact?

Re: Welcome!

[future_sandworm]

Leto could hardly say he was sorry that Arthur's father was still alive, but he assumed it did cause a few problems at home.

"I hope he appreciates you help," seemed like a neutral enough response. As for the not-mocking, Leto added: "You are? Of course you are." Yes, this was clearly funny.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"Indeed I am," Arthur said, sounding both amused and perturbed and sort of attempting-to-be-tactful at the same time. "Humanity being a rather vast matter..."

He had sort of missed taking the piss out of Leto. Don't tell.

Re: Welcome!

[future_sandworm]

"Yes, but if you can see how to avoid an undesirable fate, it would be your responsibility as a ruler to do so, wouldn't you agree?"

The feeling was mutual, as Leto always felt superior to Arthur's rather... medieval comments.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

Leto's non-medieval ideas would have gotten him tarred, feathered and burned by now, in Arthur's Albion, so really now.

"Of course," Arthur agreed, easily. "As I said, I am very pleased to hear you have made plans. Being without them would have been unfortunate."

Re: Welcome!

[thatsamilkshake]

"Hey, you." Which was totally the proper way to greet royalty, really. Too bad Francine didn't care; he was lucky she was carrying a drink and thus he was safe from a tacklehug. For now.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"Francine," Arthur said, with genuine affection. "It is good to see you. Come, sit down."

She seemed a great deal better than in his mad fever dreams about the future, at least.

Re: Welcome!

[thatsamilkshake]

Yeeeeeah, about that... she was going to say nothing, that's what about that.

"It's so weird to think it's been a whole year since that was us down there," she said, nodding towards the stage as she sat down beside him.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"Yes," Arthur said, pulling a face. "Let's hope there's less singing this time."

Spectacularily missing the point? Yes.

Re: Welcome!

[thatsamilkshake]

"Well, if there is, it won't be us doing it," Francine pointed out, pointing out the point. Sort of. "Though I hope for their sake there's less people ending up with no clothes after being an animal."

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

And that face just got ten times worse. "Oh, God," he said, "There are many people I do not wish to see naked. At least a quarter of them are in this graduating class."

Sorry, guys.

Re: Welcome!

[thatsamilkshake]

Oh sure, leave an opening that even Francine couldn't miss.

"...So that means you want to see 75% of this graduating class naked?"

Halfway decent at math, kind of faily at logic.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"...What?"

Arthur stared at her.

"No."

Re: Welcome!

[thatsamilkshake]

"Just checking... you said..." Never mind, Francine. Never mind. Go with something less awkward and why the hell did you say it in the first place. "Though I guess Robin always is."

So much less awkward. Sigh.

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"The frog?" Arthur asked, and glanced across the crowd. "Oh God, it's still here."

Re: Welcome!

[thatsamilkshake]

"He's graduating!" And then... going home to make a bunch of little felt tadpoles? What did Muppet frogs do after high school?

Re: Welcome!

[bitchprince]

"It's a frog made of fabric," Arthur said, like he had said many times before. "Shouldn't it be in some blanket lake somewhere?"