Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2012, Early Saturday Evening (Part 1)

[bigdamnprincipal]

With things back to normal - or as normal as Fandom ever got - preparations for graduation had gone into full swing. The ceremony was set for right after sunset, to make sure all types of guests could safely attend, and the lawn had been lit up with blue and gold lights, creating safe paths in which to walk to the seating area and giving everything a twinkling, serene appearance.

Of course, the staff knew that graduation was rarely a serene event, and the fact that Ingvar's volcano was being unusually active emphasized the need to prepare the seniors as much as possible. Last year's cache of weapons had been discreetly stashed in a trunk behind the podium...and yes, they'd all been properly cleaned. Who knew what dried Viking blood could do to metal?

Once everything had been arranged, the guests were let in, and all that was left was to pray everything went smoothly.

[OCD is up! Have at it! Welcome | The Processsion | Speeches | Diplomas | OOC]

Comments

Re: Welcome!

[heromaniac]

Maaaybe she would be Really Happy if she got a hug glomp from the row behind her? Or from at least Momoko who had finally found Karla and was standing in the row behind her.

Momoko who was also holding a prettily wrapped box, but that was for after hugs and squeals of "KAAAAARRRRRLLAAAAAA! Found you!"

Re: Welcome!

[glacial_queen]

Karla was far more interested in the glomping. It wasn't fair that the vast majority of her remaining friends on the island were graduating today. It was her birthday. UNFAIR!

So instead she was clinging to Momoko and trying to hug the air out of her. "I didn't know you were looking!"

Re: Welcome!

[heromaniac]

"Silly! I'm here!" Momoko laughed and squeezed back just as hard. "That totally means I am looking for you! Who else, Professor Deadpool?"

...


"Well, I'm also supposed to be babysitting Lion-o's guests, but I don't know if they're here yet. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!"

Re: Welcome!

[glacial_queen]

"Or Dinah or Warren or Raven or any one of like a hundred graduates that you know," Karla teased right back. "And, uhh, thank you?"

Don't make that sound so much like a question, Karla. Mother Night.

Re: Welcome!

[heromaniac]

"Other people totally aren't my poor neglected and abandoned kohai." Momoko took a moment to pat Karla's head, then jumped the row of seats to temporarily sit next to her. "Speaking of which, we should go into Baltimore this weekend, if you've got time! It totally makes you feel better to save people when you're sad."

See? No telepathy needed! Momoko just totally knew how it felt to have ALL YOUR FRIENDS EVER leave you behind.

"Why aren't you happy about your birthday?" that was something she couldn't figure out, though.

Re: Welcome! Karla & Momo

[glacial_queen]

No point in lying about it. Not to Momoko. "It's today," she said with a shrug. "Normally I love my birthday, but...I hate today because it's stupid, which means I'm not thrilled with my birthday being today, too."

And it was also Warren's birthday, which made her think of graduation, and also how she'd been avoiding him, both because she'd been afraid she couldn't keep up the 'I'm-so-happy-for-you' charade and because she'd sorta gone behind his back and told his dad about commencement.

After less than a moment's hesitation, she spilled all that to Momoko, too.

Re: Welcome!

[heromaniac]

"Oooooh." Momoko took a second to scan the crowds. "I totally get why you did it, though." Despite everything, including how mad Momoko got just hearing about him, she knew Mr Worthington did love Warren.

She reached for Karla's hand, squeezing it. "You know, for those of us who think of Fandom as home, Graduation actually hurts. It's when we're told we have to leave. I'm totally sure Warren would have understood your feelings about today."

Re: Welcome!

[glacial_queen]

"I know he would have understood," Karla said, clinging back. "But I didn't want him to have to, you know? I wanted to be able to smile at him and make it so that he doesn't have to worry about me too. I mean, this is his home. I'm not going to add my emotional baggage to his, too."

So, instead, she'd avoided him. Gold star for planning, Karla.

Re: Welcome!

[heromaniac]

Look, Karla! You made Momoko smirk!

"So you avoided him? That's totally stupid, and you know it." Momoko gave Karla's hand a small tug. "Just being with him would totally make you feel better, for one thing. And for another, he probably needs to tell someone about how he feels. And he's been here, too, you know. He knows what it's like to feel like he's being left behind."

"Like Dinah tells me all the time: you can't have it both ways. If you get to worry and protect him, he gets to worry and protect you. Your baggage is totally his, too."

And the small package was finally plopped into Karla's lap. "Except this. This is totally yours. Because at least one of us is excited that it's your birthday."

Re: Welcome!

[glacial_queen]

Now Karla was definitely sulking. Because Momoko was right, damn her. "But what if he's mad at me?" she asked. "Because I called his father? I couldn't tell him--but I couldn't not tell him, either."

She sighed, and opened her present--and all dark clouds were dissipated. "Mother Night, Momo, this is beautiful!" She picked the delicate bracelet up, marveling at each tiny charm. The wings were for Warren, obviously. The seal of Fandom, a crown with a sapphire, the flamingo, even. "Eeee! These are wonderful!"

Re: Welcome!

[heromaniac]

That lifting of sadness? Totally worth every minute of overtime.

"The green thing is as close to a gremlin as I could get. It's totally harder to describe one than you think. Even to an artist used to monsters!" Three failed charms and finally Momoko had just accepted the fourth result. "And there's room for more, too, so you can keep adding when you want!"

"As for Warren's dad..." Momoko sighed. "I don't know? Warren's going to be mad, but I think one day he'll be glad? I mean, every time Mr Worthington sees Warren being normal and happy is good and totally proves how much he's wrong, right?"

Re: Welcome!

[glacial_queen]

It was the triple-sided 'best friend' charm that had Karla melting, truth be told. "And this flower?" she asked. "And the heart? And that gremlin is cute, don't even worry about it."

She held out her wrist. "Help me put it on?"

Re: Welcome!

[heromaniac]

"The flower is supposed to be me!" Momoko bent close and fastened the bracelet, adjusting it so the wings and crown were hanging closer together.

Someone was totally a romantic, hush.

"'Momoko' means peach-girl, but I'm also Blossom, so I tried to find a peach flower!" She sighed and made a wry face. "Apparently they aren't very popular in charms, so I just found one that was cute." And pink. Duh.

"The heart," which Momoko tapped, "is totally easy. Every time you see it, you can remember that so many people care about you, no matter what you're thinking or going through. Or how alone you're feeling." Momoko remembered that feeling from when Rikku left. And then Dinah...

Re: Welcome!

[glacial_queen]

Since Momoko was already so close, Karla didn't think she'd mind if she got pulled in for another tight hug. The bracelet was an amazing gift; she'd put so much thought and effort and time into every charm and it was enough that Karla was blinking back tears already.

Especially with her reasoning about the heart; it was a reminder she'd needed today.

"It's perfect," she said in a hoarse whisper. "Absolutely perfect. Thank you, Momoko."