Giving Light

Graduation

Or Leaving is the beginning of a journey.

They're late. Of course, they're late.

Iris sigh, checking the time before the ceremony starts. Half an hour. Urgh. It would be better if it were longer, but she could make do with it. Just stick with the minimal and they'll be fine. It's not the first time they done this, not going to be the last neither.

Honestly speaking, Iris could go as a professional last-minute styler by now. She perked up when three girls finally made their appearance. Very messy, she might add. They were covered with leaves, twigs, dirt —was that a squirrel? No. There's no time for this.

"Sorry we're late, Miss-" She hold up her hand, cutting whatever explanation on the blonde's tongue.

"Off, off, off." She pushes the girls to a waiting room. "I already prepared fresh change of clothes." She said with plenty of practices —she better with the amount of time they had spent together.

Iris didn't have to say more, trusting the girls to search for said clothing on their own. She must get ready for the hard part, she knew, which was afterwards.

The graduation robes.

Now, Aria was easy. She was thrilled at the sight of it and accepted it open heartedly. She was now bouncing with excitement, cheerfully chatting with Violet who was also an easy foe after said raven wore hers. The most stubborn of them all was, of course, the younger blonde.

"No." Alice glared, both hands balled into tight fists. "I'm not wearing this, this monstraw—." She paused, nose scrunched up before settling on, "that." She looks away, almost like she would hurl at sight. Yes, stubborn and dramatic. Why not, right?

"I know you don't like it, Alice." Iris said genuinely, fully understanding what she was going through. (She never like hers, after all.) "But you need to wear it. It's tradition."

Alice scowled, "Well, I have something to say about that stupid tradition!"

The woman raised a smooth brow, wondering what creative speech the blonde would pull of now. The last one was about people taking advantage of the evolution of globalisation for their own selfish reasons and she'll be impressed if the girl could top that.

("You can have my chocolate if you don't want coffee like Violet, Alice." Aria chirped, offering her ice cream as well resolving the one-hour argument with one sentence.)

"Aria."

The raven paused in her conversation, looking up to their direction. "Yes, Alice?"

"Remember the trip two weeks ago?" Alice said with a good amount of sweetness, the picture of innocent.

Amused, Iris merely watches as to what's to unfolded.

"Er..." Aria furrowed her eyebrows, casting glances to Violet who shrugged, equally confused (also interested) how this was going. "Which trip are you talking about?"

"Strawberry sherbet."

Her eyes widen, now flickering between the two of them, clearly nervous, inwardly wondering if this was a test of kind. "Erm... I don't really remember?" Aria test the waters.

Both blonde nod with appreciation. "Good, good. You remember what I told you." Alice's expression shifts to one promising vengeance. "Now, forget what I said and do the same to this robe." She politely added, off-handily, "please."

"Alice!" Iris snatched the robe out of the girl's hand, making her pout and stomped her feet.

"Honestly," she shook her head, "what about the evidence? It'll be hard to explain. I can't help you here. At least wait till the ceremony is over. We'll find a good place to burn them."