Happily ever after with a little flavor

[missrecalled_mods]

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.

Comments

Isleside Goodbyes

[missrecalled_mods]

Most of those who would be making the trip to Auradon didn't really have much in the way of personal belongings to gather, but there were some farewells to be said. Perhaps a few more than most were expecting, in fact. And those who were leaving might well have a few questions for some of those they were unexpectedly saying goodbye to as well. Still, best keep the conversations brief; ten minutes goes by quickly!

Chell ★ OTA

[elvendryad]

He'd been chatting with Mallia again, well enough before the announcement. He passed his pet tree ent to her and stepped back to make sure everyone else had room; he was neither surprised nor even seemingly displeased when the two spoke. If anything, it looked like staying behind was what he wanted....

[lovebites_sodoi]

At first, Morgana was beyond giddy that she could finally leave this worthless place. The urge to let out an evil laugh was difficult to suppress! But... then the list of names sunk in, including those who didn't make it, despite her arguing for him. A weird feeling of guilt hung in her chest, and she awkwardly made her way over to him.

"... Hey." All right. Now what? What was she supposed to say? "I'm, uh... sorry?"

[elvendryad]

Blink, blink. He didn't look as if he'd caught on... had he not been listening to the announcement...?

"....For what?"

[lovebites_sodoi]

"You know, for..." ugh. She wanted to bounce out of this conversation ASAP, but she couldn't make herself do it. "You being... stuck here. I told them to take you along, I don't know why they didn't listen. Maybe I didn't have the right words..."

[elvendryad]

He shook his head. "...I told them that I am staying, for now. There is still more to be done here. Perhaps you could help take care of that one...?" He indicated the ent, which was being gently herded toward the area the bridge would appear by a lady in a long dark dress, and couldn't help some little hint of a smile. "It is very fond of shiny things. I must have cleared away more rubbish trying to find what bit of metal-looking paper caught its attention, than for the sake of clearing it away on its own."

[lovebites_sodoi]

Wait. What? Hold the phone here.

Morgana blinked rapidly, holding up a hand as if she could press a pause button. "Wait, wait, wait. You... want to stay on this floating heap of garbage? Why?!"

[elvendryad]

"It... is inaccurate to say that I want to stay.... But there were people like us here before I arrived -- people from elsewhere, who would not wish to be here. ...Do you really think that if every one of us leaves, no others will similarly be brought to this cold place in the future?"

He eyed her, quiet. "What I have seen of this place may be unpleasant, but there are things I suspect that I can do here to help make it less so. And unlike most others, I do not eat, as such, so I do not need to contend with hunger claiming my strength." A little pause, and, more reluctantly, "...And here, without magic, I cannot hear the ent. Nor can it seem to hear me. It would be best looked after on the other side. Knowing that it is in good hands... I can spend my time doing other things."

[lovebites_sodoi]

Great, now the guilt was growing. What about the poor schmoes who would keep popping up here? But it'd be insane to change her mind about leaving now... ugh. Well, she'd always been a terrible person, so why not have some proof here as well?

Awkwardly shifting back and forth in her heels, she exhaled sharply, trying to turn off her emotions, arms crossed. "I'm certainly not going to tell you what to do. If you want to rot here, that's your choice. Shouldn't be hard to keep track of that walking bark-and-no-bite, I doubt I'll have anything better to do."

[elvendryad]

He made a small sound that was mostly just breath, refraining from much of a chuckle at her display. "Thank you."

A slight pause, and then, more quietly, serious again: "If I might ask a further favor...?"

[lovebites_sodoi]

Morgana tried not to keep eye-contact, lest the guilt keep eating at her. Instead, she pretended to inspect her nails. "I won't make any promises, but I'll listen. What's up?"

[elvendryad]

He looked away briefly too, to eye Mal and Ben over where they were standing. "Those two," he said softly, lowering his head so it was less obvious at a glance that he was trying not to be overheard by anyone but her, "But primarily that human 'king'....

"I would appreciate, should you remain alert... and should you have a chance to send word back... hearing what you think of him. And of the others there... the humans. Are they as they seem? I admit, I did not feel from them the hatred I have felt from others before... but there had hardly been time, and then it was, all of it, gone again, before I could draw near enough....

"But perhaps the dragon keeps him in check...? Or perhaps he has learned better...?" He frowned, folding his arms, back to discreetly side-eyeing the couple as he watched them. This was already bothering him, not knowing quite what to make of Ben and the others....

[lovebites_sodoi]

Boy, that sure sounded like a sore subject for him. Morgana wasn't sure that mortals and humans were that different beneath the surface level, but then again, what did she really know? Her world didn't have humans at all. She did want to trust Mal after that shared dream... but could you really base a whole perspective on one meeting that was forced to begin with?

...Actually, wait. That wasn't quite what Chell was saying, was he? He was only talking about Ben. What dragon? Was he saying Mal was actually a dragon? That would be... insanely cool and earn more Mal more points, to be quite honest, but Morgana couldn't help but think asking any further would be opening a can of worms. She felt way over her head to begin with.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "As if I wasn't already going to have my guard up around them, and the entire island of goody-goodies! Believe me, they haven't totally earned my trust just yet."

[elvendryad]

The humans in general, sure, but Ben in particular... there was definitely no lack of mistrust here, and he was doing nothing to hide it from Morgana now. Honestly, he'd seemed more relaxed on the Isle in general before this whole meeting, excepting being glad to be able to hand out fruit again for a while there an hour prior.

He nodded. "Thank you, sister." A long breath, not quite a sigh, and he tried giving her something of a smile. "At least we have kin there as well. In fact, I would even suggest that the hostess -- the wine fairy," he quickly clarified, "--might appreciate some company, should you have a bad day. She seems to remember more than I do about the past... I wonder if she has any embarrassing stories from when I was a small child?"

The look he gave her seemed almost a dare, at that point, an open invitation to try to get ammunition on him.

[mist_the_point]

While Chell helped Yen Sid with the first load of boxes, Foulques stayed behind to guard what remained on the beach, lest any of the other so-called teachers get any ideas. And standing there, alone aside from the sound of the waves, he had time to reflect on the events of the day. The young king and his queen, the others from the mainland, those who'd left with them... and those who had not.

Chell had stayed. In spite of all expectations, and despite his ent companion leaving on the boat, Chell had stayed. And Foulques couldn't fathom why. Fortunately, he need only wait for Chell to return for the rest of the supplies to get the answer to his question, so wait he did, leaning against the outer wall of the fishing shack and gazing out over the beach, expression pensive.

[elvendryad]

He didn't take forever to get back; the less time the other boxes spent sitting out in the rain, the better. And when he returned, he returned with that top from the broken classroom desk under one arm, ready to use it.

And, as with every time they'd crossed paths so far, there was that bit of a smile, that tell that he was glad to see him that had been present even from their first meeting. He gave him a nod in greeting, acknowledging his help with the supplies. "Brother...."

He crouched to set the board down, and reached over to pick up a box, putting it on one side of it. It should be able to hold two beside one another; this ought to work quite well indeed.

A glance back up at him, as he reached for a second package. "Is everything all right...?"

[mist_the_point]

"Aye," Foulques said. "I was merely thinking back over the day's events, and became lost in thought." He considered for a moment before moving to pick up a box or two himself. "Between the two of us, we should have no difficulty getting the remainder of this undercover. That is, if you have no objections." Far better to walk and talk rather than leave the cargo out in the damp while they stood about, after all.

[elvendryad]

"Why would I object?" He gave a little more of a smile, setting that second box beside the first. The desktop's surface would suffice, it looked like; Chell dug his hands down under the sides of it, double-checking that he could indeed get a grip on it again, then took them out to quickly brush the sand off on his thighs' plating, and went for another of the bigger boxes. "These seem as though they wish to fall apart before too long...."

[mist_the_point]

"Aye, the material seems unduly flimsy, especially when wet," he said. "A wooden crate or cloth sack would be far more durable. But we're hardly in a position to be especially picky." He gathered together a few more boxes and the slings bearing the plant pots while Chell stacked the remainder on his borrowed desk top. "Would that we could have shown ourselves as something other than beggars. The generosity of those on the mainland does them credit, but I dislike relying on charity." Especially as it could not be counted on to last forever.

[elvendryad]

"The wine fairy was among them... I take it that word of her never reached you, where you lived before? ...Or do you honestly expect anything less than generosity from our kind, when they are able?" He peeked back at him, raising an eyebrow, seemingly a little amused, settling the last few of the bigger boxes into place before he crouched to get his hands under the edges of the wooden board again. "Though, if it truly troubles you... consider that I sent the ent that arrived with me back with her. I dare say they may be in our debt for that." That hint of a smile of his only grew a little more, and he turned back to the cargo.

A slight pause, and then he dug in deeper, scooping the sand out from the sides and brushing his hands off again. He reached under, feeling the areas at the sides again, and satisfied now that it wouldn't simply slip out of his grip, braced himself to stand with all of that at once. He adjusted his shoulders forward again as before, seemingly doing something inside them, under his plating, and Foulques could likely hear a few quiet creaks as he did. It was a somewhat slow and definitely careful task, rising while holding it, but he did, and by the time he had it settled to carry, it was clear enough too that the continued soft sounds had been Chell rotating part of his upper body to better give it support.

There, the boxes could lean against his chest and shoulders, without completely obscuring his view. He could step a bit sideways; it wasn't exceptionally difficult to do so. While carrying so much weight, however... over sand....

He glanced down, turning a little more to check the way he'd be heading, and then began stepping that way. They should get back to the school before the boxes fell apart from the water at this rate, easily enough. Probably.

At least the dirt would be sturdier to walk over than the sand, once they got off the beach....

[mist_the_point]

That actually prompted a brief bark of laughter. "The closest thing to a 'wine fairy' in the Twelveswood is old Buscarron, and for myself I generally prefer his mead," Foulques replied, his expression quickly becoming serious again afterward. "And I've learned not to expect generosity or consideration from anyone, regardless of their race. Tis a lesson I first encountered in childhood, and one that's been reinforced many a time since; to expect kindness from an unkind world is to invite disappointment." Though this world, he was learning, was much kinder.

For his part, Foulques slung the plant's slings across his shoulders for easier carrying, letting them hand at his sides as he carried the remaining boxes with him, falling into step with Chell with relative ease. His expression as they walked was oddly thoughtful, something in Chell's earlier statement had struck a chord. 'Our kind' he had said. He couldn't honestly still think that...? "Chell," he asked after a long moment of walking in silence, "this may seem a foolish question, but... you believe I am one of your people, yes?"

[elvendryad]

Chell simply turned his head to look back at Foulques as he spoke, smiling at first at the comment about mead, but it faded as he continued. Had he really had it so rough, from so early on? He wasn't sure he dared ask, honestly. And there were so many things to say back to that, but where to even begin...?

He frowned a little as he thought it over... but then Foulques spoke again, and gave him something easier to find words for. Slightly, anyhow. It took him a second, even so, glancing to him again as if he wasn't certain he'd heard him correctly. "'Believe?' ...You plainly are." At least this, however, he could understand some of the confusion over -- he was made of wood, after all. But that ought to simply have been more proof in favor of them being alike in the ways that counted... but if that wasn't self-evident... then that pointed to deeper issues, like an unfamiliarity with things Chell considered rather simple, fundamental, even. Which begged more than a few questions, but where to start with that whole mess was even more baffling a question than how to respond to the statement of just before, and the look on his face said as much. He closed his mouth, rethinking where he'd try, then opened it as another idea came to him, only to rethink that as well and close it again.

Clearly, they had much more to sort out than the dryad had anticipated... didn't they?

[mist_the_point]

Clearly, yes.

He made a thoughtful sound. "As I told the young lordling, deception is not a talent I have ever possessed," he said, "yet it seems I have deceived you regardless, though that was not my intent. Well no longer then. The truth is that whatever I may appear to be, I am not of your world, nor of your people. Save in appearance, my people- the Elezen- are no more noble or free from darkness and pettiness than any other of Hydalyn's races."

"Nor am I a shining example of my people. Nay, I'm a murderer and a thrice-cursed fool whose place in this gaol was well earned. I attacked an killed those who uphold the Twelveswood's law in what I believed was a righteous quest, but in reality was naught but petty vengeance, what I thought to be the ultimate courage a mere delusion. I am naught but a worthless coward, a broken man rightly left to lie among the other broken things on this Isle. So if you thought me anything more and sought my company because of such assumptions, you needn't do so any longer once these supplies are stowed away."

[elvendryad]

"Hm." He was quiet a moment, and then peeked over at Foulques again. "...You don't sound particularly celebratory over such things." In other news, water was wet?

[mist_the_point]

That got a raised eyebrow. "I'm not certain why you think I would celebrate my own iniquity," he said dryly. "But you're right; I'm not. A fool I may be, but the delusion that anything I was doing was worthy of celebration was stripped from me by the battle that would have led to my death, had not a strange turn of the Spinner's wheel brought me here."