Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2018, Early Saturday Evening [Part 1]

[bigdamnprincipal]

As soon as the sun was down, everything was ready for the graduation ceremony to begin. The lawn of the school had been lit up with blue and gold lights, which reflected nicely off of the glitter scattered throughout the lawn. Yes, glitter was going to get all over everything, sorry.

There were chairs set up for all of the graduates, and plenty of seats for guests to come and watch. The weather was beautiful, cooling off after the hot, sunny day, and everything seemed quiet, calm, and normal. You know, for now.

Congratulations, Class of 2018! You made it to the end!

Comments

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[sees_the_day]

There were some fates too indelible to change. Even if Ada were willing to change most of it, there were some things even beyond her control.

"You cannot protect him from what's coming, anymore than he can protect you," Anasztaizia pronounced, though her voice lacked the hollow quality of the dromonde. "To circumvent what I see would require a great shift what I see for you. And did I tell you how to do so, it would ruin all. Your must give of it freely or it will turn to salt."

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[boneyard_girl]

"I think he still thinks he can protect me," Ada replied softly. "...'m sorry."

For not being enough. For maybe being the one to hurt him. Probably for a lot of things, really, because as much as Ada would love to be the little mermaid from the stories and trade her tail for legs forever, she wasn't magic. This wasn't something Anders could fix with a healing or a potion, and there weren't any quests to shatter cursed artifacts. She was what she was.

Cold and salt and bitter foam.

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[sees_the_day]

Anasztaizia's work-roughened palms came up to cup Ada's face if she allowed it. "You do not need to apologize for this," she insisted. "He wishes to protect you because he cares for you. That is who he is and I'll not change it, even to save him heartbreak. Besides, 'tis not you who will condemn him in the end."

Her eyes shifted over to where Phèdre sat, looking resplendent in the sunlight, like work of art somehow brought to life.

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[boneyard_girl]

Ada allowed it more out of surprise than anything else; she hadn't been 'mothered' (or parented at all) for years. Hell, she couldn't remember the last time Marti had touched her affectionately, and Ada wasn't sure if that was because it had been so long since it happened, or because that was a memory that Alabama had eaten and she'd never gotten back.

She followed Anasztaizia's gaze, and didn't bother to hide her sigh. "Yeah, like that's a surprise."

Ada would have been needed to be blind and deaf for the last few years not to have figured out that Hyacinthe's affection for Phèdre went past 'friendship.'

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[sees_the_day]

Anasztaizia's thumbs caressed Ada's cheeks, like a sandpaper kitten tongue made gentle by care. "He would throw his heart at a stone and still be surprised when it breaks," she sighed. "But 'tis not her love or lack of it that damns him. The gods use her hard and he is simply wheat for the mill."

She looked down at Ada, eyes full of warmth and compassion. "But you give him what joy you can and that may be his light in the darkness to come. I thank you for this."

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[boneyard_girl]

Ada barely resisted muttering incredibly rude under her breath in English about divine beings needing to mind their own damn business and do their own fucking dirty work and stay out of the lives of her friends and if there were demons involved she was going to stab something.

It was possible she had Opinions on such things, after dealing with some of the Fandom nonsense of the last few years, yes.

"It is a poor miller that grinds everything to dust in search of bread," she said instead, dryly making the pun on her own name. "Some things -- an' people -- are too precious not t' be loved an' protected."

Sometimes, even from himself, for himself. Though she quickly shied away from that particular line of memory. He didn't need to know, she didn't need to know, and Ada just wanted to forget it.

"An' you're both welcome at th' carnival any time. We ain't had a real seer in ages, an' he's got half th' littles convinced he's made outta magic."

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[sees_the_day]

Anasztaizia smiled sadly and shook her head. "I thank you for the offer, sweetling, but I would not bring dishonor to your kumpania. And I have lost my laxta."

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[boneyard_girl]

"'M just as much didikani as Hyacinthe, an' no one cares," Ada offered, not wanting to push too hard but wanting to make sure Anasztaizia understood that there was no dishonor for her, as far as the Millers were concerned.

They tended towards disappearing people who caused pain to the Family, from Ada's experience.

"We don't..." she frowned slightly, fumbling for the words and ideas in D'Angeline. "For us, laxta is different? Only things t' dishonor anyone are avoiding your share of th' work, or being cruel or spiteful to people for no cause. Honor is heart? Maybe?" Ada huffed in annoyance with herself. "I don't got the right words."

Most of her lessons from Hyacinthe tended to focus on a different type of conversation, and were often easily derailed into kissing. The concepts she was reaching for she didn't have words for in either language that weren't 'fuck those assholes, we don't care.'

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[sees_the_day]

"You may be a bastard, sweeting, but you are no Didikani." Anasztaizia said, looking down into Ada's eyes. "Your mama bred true and cast you in her image."

Didikani meant 'half-breed' and Ada was what she was to her bones.

"Your kumpania is very different than mine, then," she continued. "And how would your tseroman look at Hyacinthe? Both with his dromonde and his place in your bed?"

Re: Welcome! [Grad 2018]

[boneyard_girl]

Ada shrugged one shoulder. "The asshole that fathered me sure as hell ain't no mermaid."

That... was kinda the first time she'd ever said that in public. Thank fuck they were using D'Angeline because Ada didn't know if she'd have been able to do it in English.

"Uncle Chester... if'n Hyacinthe wants to use his dromonde, that's his business. If he doesn't want to use it, it's his business. He'd never force someone t' use their gifts, or try to make 'em stop, unless it was hurting them. If he was injured or couldn't work, then he might have to stay at the ranch for a season or spend his time caring for th' littles, but we don't turn away people who need homes, long as it ain't dangerous to th' family. We're... if Mendacants? 'S that the word? An' Tsingani had a baby, it'd be my family."

"Th' rest?" She was doing a pretty good job of not blushing, barely. This was his mama. "Uncle Chester's afraid for m' safety, not for m' virtue, though sometimes it overlaps. He wanted to be my daddy, but that didn't happen, and now 'm an adult and what I do in my bed is my business, so long as it don't put th' carnival at risk. He might not always like it, but he doesn't need to. I'm not his daughter, I'm not gonna inherit, so he don't have much he can object to."