It’s Ceremony time, and everyone has gathered to the Great Hall of the school building. Lily's class is standing next to the wall on the left, 1st Grade is in the audience, as are several of the young ones who will attend come next fall. 3rd Grade students are on the opposite wall, now all dressed in their school uniforms. Aoi looks nervous and glances around her constantly. Lily is dressed in the same white dress as she wore earlier when they sung together and the same earrings. This time she’s wearing a pink rose in her hair. Rose, too, is dressed in her black dress, the same she wore back then. Same earrings too, but this time she’s wearing a white lily in her hair. Tarutaru is standing behind them. She has a long flowing green dress as well as long green gloves and boots. Her hairs still a kind of mess, but she’s tried to make it more presentable… more or less. She’s wearing large golden hoop earrings and has a yellow flower on her head. She glances occasionally towards the other class on their right - the Warlock class - and smiles coyly.
Lily points stealthily at someone in the audience and bumps Rose’s shoulder. "Hey Cotton Candy," she whispers. "Look at her. The Asian. She’s really cute! But I can’t see her parents anywhere? I didn’t think this was open to outsiders in general."
Rose tiptoes and peeks at her too. She turns towards Lily and whispers to her "She’s a new first-year for next year, look at her bowtie. They gave all the newcomers a black bowtie with the Academy’s logo on it. She’s wearing one." Rose grins at Lily. "I’m going to tell her next year you thought she was a child."
"Please don’t!" Lily whispers a bit too loudly. Her classmate at her side pokes her in the ribs and tells her to be quiet. Rose just grins at her widely. Lily sighs and looks downwards.
There are a couple of speeches and some other performances, but Lily doesn’t really pay attention to them, her mind’s on her own performance that will be so soon too. She glances at Rose and smiles. Rose is looking at the current performance of the 1st Grade Wizard class performing a play.
:: How am I so lucky? :: Lily thinks. :: She’s so beautiful, so wonderful… and she loves me? Me? Our feelings ended up being mutual… I… couldn’t ask for more even if I tried. ::
The performance ends, and Lily’s Teacher waves her, Rose and Tarutaru to follow her backstage. It’s time to prepare for their part of the ceremony.
Backstage, Tarutaru is assisting them in last-minute wardrobe checks and is generally there for them. "Did you see Richter?" she asks. "She was acting so nervously! What’s with her?"
"I don’t know, maybe just anxious about her clothes?" Rose says while checking her hair in a mirror.
"Did you tell her about the, uh, spice we talked about?" Lily asks Rose.
"No!" Rose says grins wildly.
"Oh god," Lily says flatly.
"What? What have you two planned again?" Tarutaru says and looks at the two with an exasperated expression.
"A song." Lily says with a completely straight face.
"and...?" Tarutaru says while putting her hands on her hips. She looks at them with a raised eyebrow.
"Together," Rose says without any smiles.
"...aaaaannd…?" Tarutaru says while pulling her arms to cross in front of her chest and tapping her foot on the floor.
"You'll see, Enoka, you'll see," Rose says, grinning widely.
Lily just shrugs her shoulders and smiles at Tarutaru, who takes a deep breath and sighs deeply, then raises her hands in the air and mutters something under her breath. Their teacher opens the door the backstage area and pokes her head in the room. "You two are up next, go dress up. The Principal will address the next year and then it's your turn," she says.
"Thanks! We'll go then." Lily says.
"Caldwell, Martinson…" Teacher says and glances at them.
"Yes?" Lily and Rose say at the same time, all too innocent.
"No funny tricks," the teacher says.
Both Lily and Rose grin at her widely, then step through the first curtains.
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