kingdoms_of_auradon | Happily ever after with a little flavor

Entry tags:

Happily ever after with a little flavor

Sponsors for the ship? So... Sponsor'ship?

Rare had an hour seemed so long on the Isle, or carried so much hope. The King and Queen spoke to all who wished to speak with them, and to Yen Sid. At one point they even opened the barrier enough to go back to the ship where they conferred inside a silence spell with Sylvando. And once more for the King and Queen to return a few minutes later. Then back on the Isle they pulled a few individuals aside once more. Oddly, not those from the Isle this time. Aqua first. Then Lea. Then Æn'kae.

Finally the hour came to an end and the King and Queen called for everyone's attention. Mal stepped forward to address everyone.

"Alright, so here is how this is going to work," she told them without preamble, once she had their attention. The wind pulled at her purple hair, pulling it like a banner behind her. "Here are the terms by which we will take the people we will name to Auradon. Each person will be assigned a sponsor. If you want to change sponsors you may let us know once we are back in Auradon. Your Sponsor will be watching out for you. You need to check in with him, her, or them, regularly. How often that will be will be between you and your sponsor, but the sponsors will report to King Ben and myself. Behave and you'll get to stay in Auradon, and we will let you know when your probation is over and you no longer need to check in with your sponsor. Break the rules of Auradon, hurt anyone, steal.... depending on how bad the act and how many were harmed, we may, with your sponsor decide to give you a warning... or you may wind up back here. This is a chance to prove that the sorting magic was wrong, that you are good people. Or can become good people given the chance." Mal looked and sounded like she was clearly waiting to make her own judgments.

"As I list each name, please go to your sponsor if he, she, or they is here. If not, come stand with the king and I."

She took a deep breath. "Xion, your sponsor is Lea." she pointed to him, suspecting that she didn't actually have to, but it was good to set a pattern.

"Utau, you are with Sylvando, who is on the ship so come join us." Then a bit of a wicked grin. "He's also keeping an eye on Nadeshiko and Nagihiko, why not let him keep an eye on all three of you," she said, knowing she was throwing fuel on an explosion waiting to happen. But she trusted Sylvando to sort out which of the kids actually belonged on the Isle.

"River you are with Æn'ki. Hope you like animals," she said with a grin that wasn't all that softer than her last as she gestured to him.

"Morgana and Emporio, you are with Aqua," she added nodding to the woman with the blue hair. "Of course we understand if any of you want to stay..."

She turned to the Headmaster. Doctor F.... We're aware of you, and your efforts, I assure you. We'll be speaking with those heading to Auradon. But for now, stay where we can see you while the rest of you, those coming with us? You have ten minutes to get your stuff if you have any and say goodbyes to anyone if you want to. Goodbyes with the headmaster will be supervised so we can make sure he is being as good as he claims these days. Alright. Ten minutes, starting now!"

**************************************************

The gathering of belongings and saying of goodbyes was accomplished in the allotted ten minutes without much trouble. Getting everyone onto the boat, then equipped with lifejackets- thankfully the boat's owner was a bit over prepared so there were enough for everyone, if only just-, and reasonably settled for the trip back took a bit longer, however. The boat was a large catamaran, painted mostly in blue and purple pastels. The life jackets however, were the standard safety orange, and so stood out as sharply as they were meant to. The water was still rough so once everyone was equipped, Sylvando advised those unused to boat travel to settle down somewhere until they were in calmer waters.

Getting back to the mainland took time as well, though not quite as much as getting there had, as the tide was in their favor for the return trip. Still, there would be plenty of time for conversation, awkward silences, or angry glaring during the trip. And Sylvando himself wouldn't be adverse to conversation, provided it didn't interfere with the steering of the vessel. Those without their sea legs would also want to be careful walking around, as the boat-while large for a catamaran- wasn't large enough to prevent it from rocking.

Once they'd reached the harbor and the Bibbity Bobber had been secured in her berth, her passengers and crew disembarked and began the trek back up to the school. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of junk that had once been clearly blocking the road before the path to and from the harbor had been cleared. All of it was the sort of things one might expect to find in a modern city- cars, sign boards, fallen trees and lamp posts, etc- but there seemed to be too much of it for the simple vanishing of the populace to account for it all. Very odd.

Once they arrived at the school, they were led past the pretentious sign and statue of King Beast and directed into the lobby. There, they were issued phones and information sheets. On account of everyone being exhausted, no formal welcoming ceremony was planned for that evening, and those staying were directed to the dorms to get showered and settled in. Since that was sure to be a process in itself, Ben, Mal, Sylvando, the other sponsors, and anyone who still had the energy would likely be around for all that as well until everyone got settled. Thankfully the exhaustion had been anticipated, and it was announced that there was soup in the kitchen's refrigerator that had been premade and portioned out and needed only to be reheated for supper at each person's leisure.

The next morning however, proved that Auradon was still Auradon and couldn't really go without some kind of official welcome, as those who came down to the lobby would find a simple but tasty breakfast of muffins, fruit - provided by Malia-, tea, and coffee waiting for them along with the eternally chipper Sylvando, ready to answer any further questions they might have.

****************

Professor Yen Sid and the Headmaster stood and watched the ship through the barrier until they could no longer see it. Then the headmaster, looking bitter, turned on his heel, stalked back to the school, muttering under his breath about needing to speak with someone. He did not say who, but it did not seem like it was likely to be a pleasant conversation.

Yen Sid, on the other hand, turned to those who chose to remain. “Shall we get these supplies in before the humidity destroys them?” he asked, gathering his things into his bag before grabbing it and one of the boxes.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If anyone were to go out exploring that day, they'd find her out in a somewhat out of the way courtyard for most of it. She'd gotten the ent to the spot, and was sitting at its base.

Even if they'd seen her on the Isle's shores the previous day, they may or may not recognize her now, as she was currently looking for all the world like a grade-schooler. One in a pretty black-with-purple dress, her black hair pulled away from her pointed little ears in a princess-twist to tie behind her head with a purple bow with a few dark blue and purple roses tucked into it. She kept her big purple eyes down, quiet.

She wasn't crying, but she didn't look happy. Something about the way she'd tucked her knees up under her chin, hugging them in front of her, though... maybe she needed a hug? If approached, she'd peek up and try offering a little smile and a quiet "hi".

Aqua came and sat beside her. "Want to talk?" she offered, gently.

Her smile faded a bit as she looked down, considering it. "I wouldn't know where to begin," was what she settled on. "The last time I was this conflicted... was when I decided to try to sleep."

"What has you so conflicted this time?" she asked, gently.

"All of... this." A little shrug, and she dug a finger around on her skirt where she was holding it, playing with the fabric. "Guilt? Realizing again how truly terrible I am at keeping time. Trying to simply be proud of someone, and finding myself angry, the more I think about it all... feeling more powerless than before. And I'm being selfish, and feeling... robbed, I suppose? Which I'm well aware is irrational, but that doesn't stop it." She bit her lip, still playing with the cloth as she tried to sort out her thoughts, voice still soft, little more than a whisper. "Being relieved... But more frustrated and resentful than before, too. Knowing it isn't right, but also not my place to step in to fix it even if I could. Knowing I can help, wanting to help... but not knowing where to start. I'll ask some people in a bit; that's not the problem. But I don't feel like doing anything right now.

"And on top of everything..." She looked back up to Aqua again. "...I didn't expect I'd become so homesick already."

Aqua put an arm around her to offer comfort. "Emotions are emotions, they come from our Heart, which is rarely as rational as we might wish. We feel what we feel, the trick is not to try to change how we feel, but to Master how we handle those emotions. I have a good guided meditation for that, if you want to give it a try..."

That got a little more of a smile from her, even as she relaxed into that embrace. She was still being rather convincingly small, at the moment, her vocabulary aside.

"I'll be all right. I suppose I'm... trying to figure out what's predominant? At least, of what I can -- and ought to -- consider acting on... what should come first. Like... perhaps we could focus our efforts again, and try to reach the farms I keep hearing about? If the people have fared so poorly thus far in the Isle, I'm not certain I want to imagine how the animals have been keeping. ....But I don't know how tired everyone still may be, after the last efforts. I've lived among people, but I'm not like you, and I don't know what-- I've never been a--"

She trailed off, not sure how to say what she meant to say, and sighed, wincing. "I should be doing something. But I feel I'm at loose ends again."

"Well for one thing, if it helps, part of why you're not like me, is because no one is. In a place like this, most of us are wildly radically different from each other. Even those of us from the same world, or who seem to be from the same world. Take me and Lea and Xion as an example. We seem to be from the same world, we all look like we're the same species. But we're not. Xion's story I won't get into, I don't know this version of her well enough to know what she'd be willing to share. Lea would be the best one to ask, because if you ask Xion... you might be years getting an answer," she said with a small chuckle. "From what little I've seen and from what Lea's said, this may be the most timid and shy Xion I've met so far. As for Lea, he's generally not shy about talking about his past, since asking gives him a chance to vent, and he is still carrying a lot of justified anger. And as for me...?" She gave Mallia a little squeeze. "I'm not even from their reality. Everything about me is different while also looking and seeming the same. Something you seem to know something about..." she said warmly.

"As for that feeling of should be doing something... I feel the same way. I always have. I suspect I always will. It gets into your bones, after a while. I don't think I'd know how to take a vacation now, even if all the problems of all realities were suddenly solved at once. Thankfully, or perhaps not, there will always be someplace I'm needed, somewhere I should be. And even times like now, where I'm stuck here... I still feel that pull. So I use it to push myself to improve. When I need to wait for others for a task and I want to just start, I think of ways I can work towards doing my part better. If it is a relay race, for example, I can't run until I have the baton. But I can stretch, I can study the other runners, I can keep alert and aware, I can make sure my shoes aren't going to fall off, keep drying my hand so I don't drop the baton."

"Here... There is nothing stopping us from pressing forward as individuals but our own limits, and sometimes well meaning friends. But since we seem to have the best results working together, that leaves people like you, and like me, who are chomping at the bit to... well.. wait. But there are things we can do while we wait that will ultimately help."

"Self care is one of those things. Especially for you, given how much of our food you provide. I don't think we would have gotten as much done as we have given another month if we didn't have the food and ethers you provided. Every single day here you've been doing something for us all. Beyond self care in the most common usage comes training. Finding what you do best and finding ways to do it better. Finding what you do worst and improve it. Finding what you enjoy doing most and find new ways for it to bring joy."

"And failing that?" she said, kissing her lightly on the top of the head. "Learn a new skill that you think might be useful. Since you use your magics a lot, maybe learn more ways to create things without it. Or learn some form of one of the arts you've never tried before. Or just talk to people. The people from the Isle aren't used to what life is here in Auradon yet. Come on in and help them adjust. Or just brighten their day with stories and your wonderful personality," she added with a smile.

"But know that you have already done far more than could have been expected, and you do a lot... just by letting us be near you. You lift spirits of those you talk to, you know. Friendship with you is good for our Hearts."

She couldn't help the little smile that was threatening, but kept her gaze down as she leaned into the hug. It was... comfortable. Something she hadn't really had in what felt like forever... at least, excepting the trio that'd found her in the forest to bring her back, and when she was reunited with her friend shortly thereafter. When even was the last time she had, before her attempt to retire? She didn't interrupt Aqua, simply slid an arm around hers to give a little bit of a squeeze back, waiting to hear her out.

And it was a lot. She absolutely had to give her credit, she was quite gifted at picking things out. Perhaps if her headache had been rooted in more existentially-based doubts... but she was chewing on her lip a little by the end, all the same, and trying ever so hard to keep amusement out of her tone when she spoke up again after.

"I meant more the practical aspects of what we each are. I haven't had a living body since before my earliest clear memories." She peeked up finally, attempting to disguise her expression in sheepishness, and lifted a little hand in offering. On it, what looked at first like a large butterfly was climbing up onto her raised finger... but it wasn't quite a normal butterfly, not with a face like that. It wasn't quite a normal butterfly, as thick and fluffy as its black fur was, resembling a blurry little dress, the apparent skirt obscuring most of its four hind legs such that it looked to be a more humanoid creature than it actually was. It moved its wings again, out and spread, and then folded them carefully down behind it, as it looked up to Aqua....

That delicate little inchling creature, if she wasn't kidding, had been her. At least her usual adult form's appearance was now fairly well explained, from the colors and pattern of her dress, to the sometimes-wings-often-cape that hung down at her back, to her habit of wearing her hair up high behind her, the insect's little tuft of fur forming a rather pointed look similar to it.

"I don't really know how tired everyone may be, or how long they might need, to be ready to try again, toward the farms...." She sighed, frowning a little again. "I know, I know... ask them." She lowered her hand again, to rest it between Aqua's arm and her knees, and her little fairy phantom, seeming as solid as any creature that actually existed, fluttered to keep its balance as she did, and then settled again and looked back up to Aqua, tilting its tiny head. "But a simple question and answer isn't the same as having had even the experience of living among them. ...To be honest, even when I had been traveling around and living among them... I was never really close enough to... to know them.

"I'll be over myself in a bit, I'm certain. I think perhaps it's... everything finally catching up to me at long last, is all." She peeked back up again, smushing one of the little roses in her hair bow some against Aqua as she tilted her head back further, "If you think of something I'm missing... if there's something I ought to be doing instead... if my sense of time is again differing wildly from all of yours... I trust you'll tell me?" It didn't seem like much of a question. And it surely wasn't, as she doubtless knew the answer already.

"I meant practically as well. And I do mean it about talking to Lea. But Mallia, I'm not the same species as the King. Or the Queen. Nor is Æn'kae. Nor is Rren. And did you see Morgana on the way home? We are all different here, different capabilities and limitations. And you see that even among people of the same species. We can never know for sure with someone else. Asking is one way we can start to learn, but like the rest of us you will have to learn through observation. Luckily, we can help with that. But really, ask what the last thing Xion ate was. I suspect it has been longer than most naturally born humans could survive. Even her best friends and her do not fully know her limitations. We all learn as we go." She gave her another warm hug."

"But what you should be doing now is resting. But yes, if you are rushing too fast or seems to be coddling us too much, I will do my best to tell you."

She nodded, burying the side of her face against Aqua's arm again as she hugged on a little more, cuddled there against her. "Thank you. ....I still have plenty in me from gathering it earlier, if there's anything you'd like...?"

Who can't go a whole encounter without offering snacks? This fairy, that's who.

Aqua chuckled. "I want you to do something you find restful, my friend. Be that a nap, a swim, a flight, a meditation. Something that will help ease you."

"....I think I'm rather enjoying this, at the moment." She hadn't let go any yet, still comfortably relaxed there, for all the world playing the part of a child for the position she was in against the other lady. She was quiet a beat before adding, "I mean, if that's all right with you. I don't want to take up too much of your time. I know you seem to prefer to keep busy...."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Now in its proper place (I hope)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject