Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

How excited they both were!  Juniper chuckled lightly and had them both join her on the couch.  She gave both of their hands gentle squeezes before responding to them.

“I would prefer somewhere sunny, yes.  The island I went to with my parents was just perfect~  But for the three of us, perhaps we should consider a small…Road trip of sorts.”  She had an idea forming in her mind.  "Perhaps with bikes instead of cars.  We could travel the coast and visit beach towns for a few weeks.  And study during that time as well of course~  What do you think?“  And then to answer Hugh,  ”Of course we can take pictures~  I am quite in the mood to take pictures right now actually.“  As if on cue, her Bulbasaur’s brought over a small machine.  It dropped her widget into her hands.  

”Thank you~  Come closer you two~“  She put on and activated her widget so she can take a few pictures.

“Ooooh, pictures! It makes me wish I could paint us or something. Oh, and just to voice my opinion; a road trip sounds cool! We’d spend a lot more time together that way. And that’s the point of this vacation, isn’t it?” Robin said, a big smile on her face as she moved closer to Junie. It was always nice to keep mementos of the big steps in your life. “These will be nice pictures to hang up in our houses one day~”

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

—

On their way out of the resturaunt, Apollo said he had to head back to the office and congratulated them again.  Feeling a sense of intense appreciation and gratefulness, Juniper moved over to him and gave him a big hug.  The look of surprise on Apollo’s face was comical, but once she spoke to him he relaxed and returned the hug.

“Thank you for saving me..”  She said, and smiled brightly at him.

—

Back at Wood’s cottage, and after the trio gave Athena her own big hugs before she too had to leave, Juniper slipped out of her robes and carefully put them into her closet before joining Hugh and Robin in the living room.  She plopped onto the couch and put her Widget back around her neck before activating it.  She typed up ‘vacation spots’ into the search engine and let her companions see the results.

“Let’s see…Somewhere warm?  Or somewhere a bit cooler?  I’m sure you’d love to see some place with lots of nice art, Robin~”

“Ahaha, of course I’d like a place with nice art. It would inspire me for future art pieces. But honestly, I don’t care where we go as long as we’re all hanging out together. We just graduated, it shouldn’t matter where we go! Anywhere would be fine, because we’ll be having fun as friends! Well, more like fun as a couple and their accepted third wheel.” She gave a playful wink at Junie and Hugh, chuckling to herself as she did so. “You’d probably wanna go somewhere warm, Junie. You don’t seem like the type to enjoy the cold. Hugh... I’m not sure about him. I feel like he’d be fine with whatever.”

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

msjuniperwoods:

“A vacation sounds amazing, Junie~ I would love to go on a vacation with you guys! I wonder where we should go...” Robin said, trailing off at the end as she began to think about possible vacation areas for the three of them. “I dunno, is there anywhere you two would wanna go?” She asked, breaking herself away from her long thought and looking expectantly at her two friends.

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

As the ceremony drew to a close, Hugh was still evidently in high emotional mode, as when he joined the hug invited into by Junie’s beloved parents, he couldn’t help just…laughing, half-choked from all the happy tears he had shed. …He was actually graduating, with the people closest to him - he had proven beyond a doubt that he was no zero to himself, after all those years of his parents putting him down, and that - being able to chase the dream of law together with them, as well - meant so, so much.

The road of hope ahead in their future…it made him…happy. For once, his mask didn’t mater at all. 

After that…rather potentially embarrassing display, they were relaxing in the resteraunt, Hugh rubbing a hanky against his spectacles and trying to calm himself after all that crying before, when Juniper spoke up of her relief, as did Robin. “I…I’m honestly surprised I didn’t burst into emotional tears earlier, then. The practise and the flower crown truly helped a good d-deal, though…and now, we are all offically graduates of Themis. I’m…happy too. For all of us - w-we’ve all been working so hard, and finally…finally…”

Yeah, getting emotional AGAIN. Can you blame the nerd, though?

No, of course not.

Robin’s successful attempts to hold back her yelling were greatly appreciated by the rest of the party.  Everyone was in far too good a mood to risk being kicked out!  That said, Juniper was all smiles as Robin expressed her joy.  Then Hugh began to stutter and blubber again.  She gently patted his hand and rested her head against his shoulder.

“I can’t even properly express in words how proud of you two I am..Look at us..Those days in court were so scary weren’t they?  But we made it through and we finished school.”  She chuckled lightly.  "Gosh.  Now we have to wait for our bar examinations.“  She leaned back in her chair and thought it over.  ”We all have our dates, right?  For the exam?“

“Of course I have the date for my bar exam! I’m gonna have to start preparing for it.” Robin said in response to Junie’s inquiry. “I’m so excited to finally take the exam! I’ve been waiting for graduation for a while, and now that it’s done, it feels... surreal. Like, this isn’t really happening, y’know? I thought I would never get this far, but here I am.” Robin mused, looking out into space as she spoke.

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

Now was the time for the graduation diplomas and notebooks themselves - the time of day he’d been most nervous about this entire time. Thankfully, it was the prosecutor course that had their diplomas first, not the defense - the names got clalled and such, and when Robin got hers, he stood up from his seat and applauded with a genuine smile of pride and happiness on his face, as well as cheering. He wasn’t the only one to do that, heh. As she sat back down, he gave Junie space to hug her, before giving a hug of his own. It meant so much that Robin could feel free to pursue law because she wanted to, not because she was forced to - with them, now. She deserved the applause.

Sadly for Hugh, his relief that the prosecutor’s course came before he did was short-lived: defense course was next, and his name soon got called. Trying very hard to keep a stoic expression on his face, he went to accept…accept the…d-diploma and the b-b-book…okay. Stoic expression failed, because he could feel the tears of joy and the grin on his face cracking his mask completely here. Rubbing his glasses so he could see, he darted back to the seats before he cried even MORE in front of everyone at the graduation - but the hug and the kiss he received made the tall male blink…o-oh…Juniper and Robin looked…so happy. So proud, for him? He always liked seeing them happy, but on top of already being happy he’d actually graduated, this made him more emotional than before, and he sobbed - openly this time.

They were tears of joy, not the sad ones that had been shed in that trial, though. Juniper and the Judge Course came last - and Hugh stood up and applauded for her as well, giving cheers (despite the sobbing) of praise that almost seemed as loud as ‘Mister Chords of Steel’s’. Goodness. When she sat back down, he would return the hug she gave him earlier….and…and also the kiss, though his face pinkened considerably at that. Such a flustered nerd.

Then, they were all pulled into a group hug by Robin, who whispered excitably they had finally done it…they’d finally graduated. 

Y-yes….th-they had…oh boy.

Give Hugh a few seconds, he’s still crying from joy right now.

….

Juniper felt almost like she was in a dream.  Between the hugs and the applause, Hugh’s sweet kiss and tears and Robin’s excited whispers..Between all of that her heart was beating so fast.  She looked up at Hugh; the man was openly crying now, and then back at Robin, who was smiling so big and brightly…  It felt good to see them like this…This moment felt like a priceless, unforgettable treasure.  Silently, Juniper put a hand over her heart and listened to the sounds of joy all around her.  This was such a wonderful feeling..

She was so happy.

—- After the ceremony closed, they were led out of the auditorm in sections and able to finally find their family.  Juniper practically ran into her parents arms and hugged them tight.  There was a nice Woods family embrace for a few moments before Aspen and Misty looked up at Robin and Hugh (by all accounts, their other children now) and had them come over to join the hug.

“Come here you silly things!  Congratulations!”  Said Misty.

After hugs were given and pictures were taken, the trio were taken to a nice restaurant (along with Athena and Apollo) to eat and relax.  There would be a party later but for now, just this small gathering.  Juniper spoke up after they ordered.

“We didn’t mess up once.  Such a relief~”  

Robin couldn’t express in words how happy she was right now. She had happily joined the hug Aspen and Misty had invited her to. After that was all said and done, and the three of them were relaxing at a restaurant, Robin smiled happily as Juniper spoke. “I was sure I was gonna mess up, but we did it! We made it through graduation without a hitch! I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and now we’ve finally graduated! Man, I’m so happy, I could just scream!” Robin said excitedly. However, for the sake of everyone’s eardrums, she held back her urge.

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

Listening to Juniper and Robin’s speeches and how confident and serious they sounded during the whole affair helped Hugh himself feel more determined to do well himself - given Robin’s signal, he adjusted his glasses before continuing.

“In closing this speech - though many people have been marred, perhaps held back or blinded by the darkness prevalent in the Dark Age of the Law - and there have been many events that affected us all this past year - these shackles of the Dark Age no longer bind anyone to a dark path, and the light of justice and hope now shines a promising road for all those following the path of law. It is my  - and all of the elder students of Themis’s -  sincerest hope that the younger members of Themis will be inspired by - guided by - this light for years to come and assisted with the dreams they hold - and also by the hard work all of us have put to get to this point. The future is indeed one of great promise and something to look forward to. Congratulations to every one of you graduating today.”

…He had wanted to put that Courte would have been proud of everyone here in his speech, but he would have gotten really emotional and started crying if he did, so left it out.

…Goodness knew he was holding back enough urge to cry happily at this point.

As soon as Hugh finished, there was a great round of applause for all three of them.  Juniper let out a soft sigh of relief and held her head up high.  The principal walked back towards the podium, which was their cue to sit once more.  After reclaiming her seat and smoothing out her robes, Juniper glanced over at her fellow Student Council members.  Kyle and V. gave her a thumbs up and she smiled.  Actually she had to bite back a giggle of happiness as well because she might make a fool of herself otherwise.  As the principal spoke once more, Juniper waited almost impatiently for the ceremony to start.  She wanted to see Hugh and Robin be handed their diplomas!  She wanted to feel her own in her hands and hold it to her chest.

They were going to call names alphabetically, and by course, regardless of whether the student was in the top fifteen or not, so Juniper was going to have to wait a while to hear her name.  The normal diplomas were, like many things in Themis, color coded to match the course each student was in.  Top students however, had a shiny, gold trim and lettering around and on theirs.  Juniper was looking forward to the little alumni notebooks that they would get too.  The prosecutor course students were called first.  Juniper grew more excited the closer and closer to the ‘N’s the principal got.  When Robin’s name was called, Juniper cheered for her friend.  She called her name and beamed at her when she finally came back.  She gave Robin a hug.  She couldn’t help it.  She was getting more excited the longer this went on.

Soon enough it was time for the defense course students.  Juniper glanced up at Hugh.  They weren’t wearing their Widgets, but she hardly needed the little machine to know that his heart was probably beating like crazy.  Gently, she gave his hand a little squeeze for reassurance.  When his name was called, once again she cheered.  Like with Robin, she hugged him on his way back.  God, she was so happy to see him holding that diploma!  Feeling a bit overwhelmed with pride and relief, she moved to kiss the man on the cheek.  She whispered to the both of them how proud she was.

Finally, it was time for the judge course.  Juniper kept her breathing steady as the list drew closer and closer to the bottom.  When the last name was called, 'Woods’, Juniper stood up and was met with loud cheers from her little section of the guest area.  Between an over enthusiastic Athena, Mr. Chords of Steel, and her own family, it was hard to match their volume.  Juniper smiled brightly as she received her diploma and notebook from the principal and held them both close to her chest as she moved to sit back down.

Finally!  She was so happy~!

Robin smiled the brightest smile she could as she picked up her diploma. She looked at it in disbelief for a second before squealing in excitement and rushing back to sit down where she was before. She returned the hug that Junie gave her, sitting back down afterwards and watching as her friends got their diplomas. As soon as they both sat back down after getting their diplomas, Robin pulled them both into a group hug. “We did it guys!” She whispered so she didn’t disturb the closing part of graduation. “We’ve finally graduated!”

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

Chuckling a little, there, Hugh mused - “I think that I might have gone a bit serious in my own speech as well, to be honest…but with all that’s happened and been seen this year - I wanted to say something that would stick, and hopefully give those younger Themis students  something to work towards…that being the honest truth. I’d like to help in this new age of light too…if I can.”  It seemed Junie wanted to do very much a similar thing herself…if anything, he certainly felt Junie would continue to be an inspiration and a source of affection from both of them, aha.

Practise went well despite Hugh thinking his own speech was a bit serious, and all too quickly - it was time to perform the speeches. The crowds filled the room, and Hugh felt a little jittery, to be honest - but the flower crown soothed him, as did the fact he saw his cousin out in the audience, with her family. 

Caspar was grinning at all three of them and giving childish waves (until he was told to stop) as well. Sitting down next to Junie, he still felt emotional - but knowing everyone he cared about was here gave him strength. Okay. He could do this, he was sure. They all could do this.

Juniper looked around the large and filled auditorium as the final guest spots were filled up and the last of the top students found their places.  She smiled gently at her friends on either side of her and resisted an urge to hold their hands.  You can do that later, Juniper.  Focus on this first.  When everyone was seated, the principal of Themis Academy took the stage and began to speak.  He gave the same speech every year though this time he made it a point to mention the death of Professor Courte and the incarceration of Professor Means.  He spoke of what they both stood for, and that the graduates mustn’t think of the events of the Mock Trial as purely a day of loss, but also a day of learning.  After him, the new Defense and Judge course Professors made speeches, followed by the Prosecutor Course teacher (who managed to look somewhat happy despite the principal’s speech reminding her of her loses).  Juniper gave the woman a soft, reassuring smile and wondered if she was still going to quit now that Juniper, Hugh, and Robin were about to graduate.

When it was finally time for the valedictorians to speak, Juniper, Hugh, and Robin took the stage.  Juniper went first.

“Students of Themis Legal Academy.  For years, you have heard that the graduates of this school are the crowning jewels of this new legal age.  As students, we have been taught by those that came before us, those that have seen the masters at work and on occasion we have learned from the master’s themselves.  While we should all be grateful to have been given insight and knowledge from our teachers..It is only right that we keep in mind not only the successes..But the failures and mistakes of those before us as well.“  She had been looking out at the students as she spoke, but she glance up at Mr. Wright and smiled lightly as she continued.  ”The Dark Age of the Law was brought to a close by the clearing of a very important name in the legal world, but it is up to us now to make sure this new age is one that focuses on what is really important, the truth.  Professor Courte’s belief was that ‘truth is the only true path to jusitce’.  In simpler, more cinematic terms, the truth will set you free.  As we go out into the legal word we must all remember that we must work to protect the truth before our own interests..As hard as that might be sometimes.  In the end, finding the truth will lead to the better, brighter future we all desire.”  Juniper looked over at Robin to continue.

Robin took a deep breath as she noticed that Junie had signaled for her to continue the speech. After calming down her nerves, she continued right where her friend had left off. “This past school year has been a very eventful year for Themis. I won’t recall the events of what happened, but I’m certain you all know what I’m talking about. However, the events that have led up to today have helped to finally end the dreaded Dark Age of the Law. Because of that, all of us here can move on towards the future of law we’ve been studying for with a positive outlook. We can look towards our future careers as lawyers, and judges, and prosecutors, with faith in the fact that we’ll be moving towards a law system that is fair and just, as it should be.” Robin took another deep breath, and continued yet again. “We all have worked hard to get to the point we are at currently, and I have faith that we will all continue to work hard from here on out. We are the future of the law, so let’s make sure it’s a good future, so the students who graduate after us will have something to look forward to.” After she finished her bit, she looked at Hugh, signaling for him to finish the speech off.

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

“Hm…w-well, even if I appreciate the offer to practice separately, I know I’ll feel less nervous if I do it with both of you - besides th-that, when I have to do the official speech in front of everyone, that way I can just mentally remember our practice together to stay f-focused and strong. A-also, I’d like to do the practice with both of you…” That said in response to Junie’s offer, he looked back at the speech on paper in front of him, focusing on the letters to try and calm himself - but a bit of movement from Junie distracted him, and he found a fond smile spreading to his face at seeing the flower crowns. Th-they were…really well-made and adorable. 

With slightly shaky hands, he carefully, gently took his own flower crown, and placed it on his head - the scent of the flowers kind of drifted down to him, and helped soothe his high-wire nerves. ….He felt a lot better. That was the calming power of Juniper’s flowers for you, hah.

“…Thank you, Junie. It’s really lovely - and I feel a lot calmer now. Do you think Themis Academy would mind if I wore this lovely crown of yours to the speech?”

A affectionate smile, from the nerd, there.

“I don’t think they would mind, Hugh~”

Just as Juniper had hoped, Robin and Hugh both accepted and looked really cute in their flower crowns~  She smiled to herself and reached into her purse to pull out her camera.  Athena and Myriam, not to mention Juniper’s own parents would be wanting plenty of pictures later, so now would be the best chance to get one before..Well..Everything happened.  She had Hugh’s rather tall self sit down and then set up the camera on a nearby desk (with the timer on of course).  She smiled brightly as the flash went off and then turned to her two companions.

“Students of Themis Legal Academy.  For years you have heard that the graduates of this school are the crowning jewels of this new legal age.  As students, we have been taught by those that came before us, those that have seen the masters at work and on occasion we have learned from the master’s themselves.  While we should all be greatful to have been given insight and knowledge from our teachers..It is only right that we keep in mind not only the successes..But the failures and mistakes of those before us as well.  The Dark Age of the Law was brought to a close by the clearing of a very important name in the legal world, but it is up to us now to make sure this new age is one that focuses on what is really important, the truth.”

That was the introduction to their speech.  Juniper looked over her card to make certain that she hadn’t messed up while Hugh took his turn.  The three of them went back and forth with their lines again and again until a teacher came in to collect them.  With one last sip of her tea, Juniper followed the woman outside of the Student Council room and towards the auditorium.  The trio met up with the rest of the students that were expected to sit on stage for the duration of the ceremony.  The top five students in every course, including the valedictorians would march onto the stage together and sit while the teachers made their own speeches.  Then Juniper, Hugh, and Robin would speak, and then the ceremony itself would begin.  

Juniper could hear the sounds of students filling the auditorium from a different hallway and glanced over at her friends excitedly.  It sounded a bit noisy in there, but soon enough things would relax.  It should come to little suprise that most of the Student Council was in this group of top students.  Kyle, Emily stood in line behind Hugh, while V. stood behind Juniper.  

When it was time to enter the auditorium, Juniper stepped through the doors and into the brightly lit room.  There were balloons and streamers everywhere.  As she made her way up the stairs, Juniper could hear Athena and Apollo even calling out to her, Hugh and Robin.  Despite herself, Juniper blushed a bit at the attention and looked into the audience for them.  It was hard to miss the woman with bright red hair and a yellow dress, so she found them and her parents quickly enough.  After taking her seat, Juniper waited quietly for the ceremony to start.  

“You put a lot of effort into your speech, didn’t you, Junie?” Robin said, laughing slightly. They all put effort into their parts of the speeches, but it was clear that Junie had taken this very seriously. As Robin heard people begin to flood into the auditorium, she knew that it was time for them to begin. She followed Junie and Hugh out to their seats, sitting down on the edge, leaving room for Hugh to sit down next to Junie. “Man, this is exciting!” Robin cheered under her breath, trying her best to look professional despite her immense excitement.

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

When Juniper inquired as to how he felt, Hugh jumped - he’d been distracted a little, his greyish-blue eyes nervously reading what seemed a lengthy speech. He felt so jittery - what if he messed up in front of everyone? He certainly felt emotional enough that nerves could easily affect him…they’d all worked so hard to get to this point, and it was finally here, after so long. “I-i’m…really nervous, too. I’m surprised I’m not sobbing from happiness and the nerves already, to be honest…but I guess it’s my old desire to want to see this ‘go perfect’ that’s keeping me grounded a bit.” Rubbing a hand to his neck, he managed a faint smile.

“After all, this should be a memorable day for the right reasons, for all of us. I think. Or at least I want to make sure it is. It seems only yesterday that we first met in this school, and now it’s graduation. I wish my part of the speech said how much I owe to…certain people. Because I know I wouldn’t be here without both of you helping me as much as you both did…sorry if I sound all sappy, but…I guess t-this is making me really nostalgic…”

If anything, it was graduation that showed more of Hugh’s true nature behind the mask than usual - his awkward, but genuinely kind and loyal to those who’d earnt his trust - self.

Honestly, the both of them were so cute and earnest lately.  In a way, as their graduation date had drawn closer and closer, Juniper could have sworn that both Hugh and Robin seemed to be…Almost glowing with excitement.  Juniper nodded and held up her note cards once more.

“We have a half hour left.  Why don’t we go over our speeches one more time together, and then if you’d like we could separate for a while to practice privately.”  Truth be told she thought they would do better if they did this as a group, but…Before any of that.  "You know…I thought I would give these out after the ceremony, but there’s no reason not to wear them now right?

The ‘them’ turned out to be three flower crowns that she’d stored for safe keeping in the Student Council Room’s mini fridge.  She smiled brightly at her companions and handed them each their gifts.  After that, she took out her own crown and placed it onto her head.

“Nah, I think I’d prefer to practice together. It’d just be better to do it that way.” Robin said as Juniper offered to split up for a bit. Robin looked away in thought for a second, thinking about her part in the speech, before Juniper said something about giving something out. She looked back, and saw the flower crowns Junie was holding in her hands. She smiled, and took the crown meant for her, quickly placing it on her head. “Thanks, Junie! This is really well-made~ But then again, you’ve always been good with stuff involving flowers.” Robin chuckled a bit as she said that.

Graduation || Hugh0c0nner, Prosecutingartist

hugh0c0nner  prosecutingartist The three of them were dressed in their graduation robes; Hugh in his royal blues, Robin in her fiery reds, and Juniper in her smokey greys.  As the valedictorians for their respective courses, they had to be at the school early.  Juniper looked over their speeches one more time as she sat with Hugh and Robin in the student council room.  Kyle and the other student council members were off helping their teachers prepare the stage for the ceremony, but Juniper herself was expected to stay here, stay relaxed and not forget her lines.  Carefully, she read the words out loud before glancing over at Robin to recite her part, and then to Hugh for his.  Once she was certain that they wouldn’t mess up, Juniper set the cards down and sipped at the tea she had in the thermos near her.

“How are you feeling?”  She asked them softly.  All three of them had come a long way.  Juniper’s heart filled with gentle joy when she thought about how much pain her dear friends had been through, and how much they’d accomplished despite it.  "Personally, I’m a bit nervous but..Excited of course~“

Robin laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head as Juniper asked her how she felt. “Honestly, I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been. But we’re finally graduating, and that’s what matters!” Robin said, smiling as she spoke, trying to ease her nerves. “We’ve been through a lot together, but now it’s finally time for us to graduate and move on to our next goal.” She said, nodding slightly as she finished her sentence. “I’ll probably have to practice my part of the speech a few more times on my own, just to make extra sure that I don’t mess up.”

“Well, if you insist~” Robin said happily as Juniper handed her the shawl that she had wanted to wear so bad. She put it on without a second thought, taking a moment to examine herself before looking expectantly at Junie. “Well, how do I look, Junie?” She asked, twirling once to give her friend a better look at the shawl on her.

“Like a vision of true beauty, Robin.  Naturally~”  Juniper took a few pictures of Robin twirling around in the shawl and smiled at the sight.  She was quite fond of the shawl, otherwise she would simply gift it to the other girl.  Perhaps she would make another then?  “Robiin~  What is your all time favorite color?”

“All time favorite...? Hmmm. I dunno, I’m kinda partial to the color red, but pink is also a cool color. But blue can be a nice color if the mood is right... But then yellow could also be pretty if complimented by other colors...” Robin muttered, going off on a long tangent about the merits of every single color under the sun. “When you’re an artist, you learn to have an appreciation of all colors, really. But I guess red would be my favorite.”

Robin was entirely focused on painting before she heard Juniper call out her name. She was confused for a second, but then she heard Junie ask her to smile. Looking at the camera in the other girl’s hands, Robin understood, and smiled just like she was asked to.

“Heheh. Make sure you get my good side, Junie!” She teased, laughing a bit to herself.

Juniper laughed lightly and took the picture.

“I am quite confident that you do not have a ‘bad side’ Robin.”  You know what might be nice?  For Robin’s portfolio picture to include the concert shawl that she’d been so enamored with.  After telling Robin that she was going to get it, Juniper fetched it from her closet and brought it out.  “Here, put this on~” 

“Well, if you insist~” Robin said happily as Juniper handed her the shawl that she had wanted to wear so bad. She put it on without a second thought, taking a moment to examine herself before looking expectantly at Junie. “Well, how do I look, Junie?” She asked, twirling once to give her friend a better look at the shawl on her.

“Haha, sounds good to me. I have to get started on it sometime, after all.” Robin said, laughing and going back to her painting as she finished speaking to Junie. “I feel like my portfolio will be a whole lot better with your help.” She added, painting slowly to make sure this piece looked good.

Juniper watched while her friend painted.  As always, Robin was fun to watch work.  She’d been trying to emulate Professor Courte’s art style before the trial, but truth be told Juniper had always found Robin’s personal style to be equally as lovely~

After twenty minutes or so, Juniper went back inside to get that aforementioned camera.  She brought it back out with her and turned it on to make sure it had enough power.  Glancing up at her friend again, Juniper smiled to herself before calling Robin’s name.

“Robin~  Smile.”  She held the camera up and waited for the girl to turn so she could take a picture of her.

Robin was entirely focused on painting before she heard Juniper call out her name. She was confused for a second, but then she heard Junie ask her to smile. Looking at the camera in the other girl’s hands, Robin understood, and smiled just like she was asked to.

“Heheh. Make sure you get my good side, Junie!” She teased, laughing a bit to herself.

“Have I been working on a what?” Robin asked, only half paying attention as she took a sip from the iced tea Junie had gotten for her and continued to work on her painting. “Oh, uh…” Robin muttered as she registered what her friend asked her. “No, I haven’t been working on a portfolio yet. I’ve just been focused on all my different paintings, really.”

“Hmm..”  Even without her parents breathing down her neck, Robin didn’t seem eager to do much with her art aside from creating it at the moment.  Well, that’s what Juniper and Hugh were here for, to nudge their friend in the right direction.  "After you finish with this piece.  Let’s take pictures of your work so far~“  She had a nice camera that they could use, and thanks to Myriam, Juniper had a more than decent understanding of how to use it.

“Haha, sounds good to me. I have to get started on it sometime, after all.” Robin said, laughing and going back to her painting as she finished speaking to Junie. “I feel like my portfolio will be a whole lot better with your help.” She added, painting slowly to make sure this piece looked good.

“Hm?” Robin turned her attention towards Junie as she sat down in her new spot. She smiled at her friend’s proposition, nodding happily. “Yeah, sure~ Thanks, Junie! I appreciate it!” She said, turning her attention back towards her painting as she finished speaking.

Juniper headed back inside to fix herself and Robin drinks.  Chilled glasses from the freezer were set down onto the counter, and then Juniper fetched the iced tea from refrigerator.  Glancing outside her window, Juniper smiled at the sight of her friend hard at work on her painting.  Professor Courte’s murder had caused a lot of pain..But the case had done its share of good too.  Particularly for Hugh and Robin, as it had set them both free from their parents.  

Bringing the drinks out, Juniper placed Robin’s glass a safe distance from the girl and then sat down on her own chair.  She sipped quietly at her beverage, watching Robin paint and be truly happy.  It was such a nice sight~  Eventually, Juniper spoke up.

“Have you been working on a portfolio?”

“Have I been working on a what?” Robin asked, only half paying attention as she took a sip from the iced tea Junie had gotten for her and continued to work on her painting. “Oh, uh...” Robin muttered as she registered what her friend asked her. “No, I haven’t been working on a portfolio yet. I’ve just been focused on all my different paintings, really.”

“Sure, if you wouldn’t mind letting me paint out there. I just started painting in here because I thought you wouldn’t want me to be in the way of your gardening.” Robin said, looking at Junie again as she set her art supplies down.

Juniper smiled, moving to help Robin move her things outside.  She set her supplies down next to wherever Robin chose to sit, and then went back inside to grab herself a chair as well.  After placing that down, she realized she was thirsty.

“I’m going to pour myself some iced tea.  Would you like some?”

“Hm?” Robin turned her attention towards Junie as she sat down in her new spot. She smiled at her friend’s proposition, nodding happily. “Yeah, sure~ Thanks, Junie! I appreciate it!” She said, turning her attention back towards her painting as she finished speaking.