[video]- A few days after Ben's speech

[hotheadwarmheart]

[A message from Lea appears on everyone's phones.]

So I was thinking... we don't know when more people are gonna turn up, but it's a pretty safe bet that eventually they will. And it's not super practical to have people walking around specifically looking for new arrivals all the time, or to throw a party and make a big speech every time new people show up.

So how about we set up a spot somewhere, like in the front entrance hall of the school, that's like an information booth? We could take turns manning it in case anyone turned up, and if anyone did, we could answer questions, hand out phones, try and explain the situation, stuff like that. We could maybe even print up some pamphlets or something that cover the information Ben went over in his speech, so we don't have to keep repeating the same basic stuff all the time. And to make sure people know where to go, we could hang a banner on the big 'Auradon Prep' sign; it's a big obvious landmark, so it'd be hard to miss, and the banner would serve double duty covering up the bottom part of the sign and making it seem less full of itself. What do you guys think?

Also, is it just me, or is everything way too... perfect, around here, appearance wise? And I mean like creepily perfect. Not just the grounds, but all the public areas, all the rooms I looked into before we were told which ones were off limits, everything.

There's nothing out of place that can't be explained by people just suddenly vanishing. No one's bed was unmade. No one's desk had just randomly accumulated stuff. The desks in the classrooms all look pretty much brand new. There's no cup rings on any of the tables, no fingerprints on the glass, no books in the library with dog-eared pages that I've seen, no random mysterious stain on the carpet that's probably been there forever, no scratches in the woodwork, nothing. What's up with that?

Comments

[missrecalled_npcs]

[Ben chuckled.]

"That's... a lot in a single zapp. Let me try to take this in order as best as I can."

[A smile.]

"First off. I think a booth and pamphlets are a wonderful idea. Were you interested in taking point on that?"

"The banner however... I like the idea, but maybe we should find another place for it. Perhaps we can make it look as though my father's statue is holding it? When it is in beast mode, his hands are down and forward. Or maybe just over the entrance to the school. I don't think FG would like it if she came back to find part of the sign defaced. Even temporarily."

"I am not sure what you mean by perfect though. Yes, people make their beds and clean their rooms here. We all try to take pride in the appearance that we show to the world...." [He was a little confused, now.]

[hotheadwarmheart]

Sure, I can write them up. Did you want to approve the final product first, or am I good to print them and put them out once I get a copy I'm happy with?

[He quirks an eyebrow at Ben calling the ide to cover up part of the sign 'defacing' it.]

I'm not saying we should paint over it or something. Just hang a piece of cloth so it covers the bottom part. Though is FG the one who wrote the sign or something?

[Because if so, he questions her taste. Or at least her sense of subtlety.]

And yeah that's fine; I'm not saying people should be slobs or anything. I'm just saying it's a little weird that everything is like that. It's... hmm...

[He thinks for a second about how to put the feeling into words.]

It just doesn't look like a place where people actually live. It looks like... I dunno, a movie set, or a setup for a magazine photoshoot or something. I keep half expecting someone to yell at me to not walk on the grass or take books down from the library shelf because they just got it how they wanted it, and I'm ruining their shot. It just feels... [He doesn't want to say 'fake', even if that's probably the most accurate term for it.] ...a bit off.

[missrecalled_npcs]

"I would like to see them before they are finalized please." [Not that he distrusted Lea, he had just learned that lesson in the last year.] "I appreciate it, thank you."

"She.... may have been, I'm not fully sure. But she very much embodies it. And she tries to ensure that we all do as well. She would not want us to forget, especially without the teachers here to help us keep to the spirit of goodness."

"You are of course allowed to read any book in the school library. For the rest, I'm not sure what to tell you. This is how we live here in Auradon. It is how we've always lived, at least for as long as I've been alive."

[hotheadwarmheart]

Alright, no problem. I'll try and get something typed up after Keyblade practice tomorrow. Don't know why Aqua thinks starting earlier is gonna make us do any better, but what're you gonna do, ya know?

And well if FG shows back up, I'll have to ask her then. And if she was the one who came up with it, maybe let her know how it sounds to someone not from Auradon.

[AKA, smug, superior, and passive-aggressive. Which probably wasn't the intent, but it was definitely the effect.]

[missrecalled_npcs]

"I can't say that I am familiar with what Keyblade practice is, but if it is anything like Roar or Tourney, then I think that is just part of being a coach. And I'm sure that when she returns home she will be happy to talk to anyone who wants to speak to her."

[hotheadwarmheart]

If you're up early enough, you can come with me and watch if you want. I don't figure Aqua would mind. I don't know what either of those other things are though; sports, I'm guessing?

[missrecalled_npcs]

[A chuckle.] "Wish I could. But I don't have much time for sports these days." [So yes, the other things he mentioned were sports.] "Maybe you could take a video sometime?"

[hotheadwarmheart]

Keyblade practice isn't really a sport; it's combat training. We'll be going up against some serious threats back in our own worlds, so we need to be ready.

But yeah, I could probably take a video, sure.

Locked

[mal_contented]

[Yeaaaah, someone has been here long enough to learn how to send a screened message. Especially useful when you are dating the king. Also... she's pretty sure that feature didn't exist until Carlos, but she wouldn't swear to it. Either way, the reply was locked, private, screened.]

"Totally agree about the sign. Ben's never going to go for it though. I see he got back to you on the rest of that plan. So we're all good there. As for the creepily perfect thing? That's just Auradon. I swear I went to Atlantica not that long ago and there was no pushing and shoving at the vendor stalls. No markups on prices because of the festival. The booths were clean. Even the eating area was spotless, constantly being cleaned. And more than half the people in Atlantica can't even stay above water for long! If you do want to see a stain though, there is one in the palace. Drives Cogsworth and Lumiere crazy. Anyway, my best bet is that the Isle is filthy and gross, so Auradon people want to be as unlike the Isle as possible. So perfectly clean. Also the pressure here to be perfect is pretty intense. Or so I hear."

Re: Locked

[hotheadwarmheart]

[Lea is grateful for the lock, however it came about.]

I wanna know who thought the second half of that sign was a good idea in the first place. It just sounds so snooty and passive-aggressive. Though then again, rich people, so... [shrugs]

And yeah, I can believe it. It just feels... well, I didn't want to put it this way to Ben- because wow, rude much?-, but it feels... fake. Like people are trying really, really hard to polish up the surface so no one looks too closely at what's behind it. Like a theme part or something where all the mascots are walking around with big smiles, and everything looks happy and perfect, but you can tell it's all staged. You know what I mean?

Re: Locked

[mal_contented]

"Who else? Heroes and sidekicks." [she laughed.] "I've wanted to tag it forever, but at first I was pretending to be good, now..." [shrug] "Whatever, It's just a sign, I've survived better."

"For some of them it is. Chad and Audrey for example. Audrey spent her whole life being told she had to be perfect or else. She... kinda snapped recently. Who knows, maybe she'll actually become interesting now." [But Mal doubted it.]

"Anyway, for some of them they'e actually just like that. I mean, take Jane. she had the same pressures and all, but she isn't all neat and perfect to fake it for her mom or whatever. She's actually just that good. A little too shy and quiet, but like... her whole bad streak? Lasted like... three days, tops. And the harm was easily fixed. she dove into the goody goody thing hard after that. Kinda like her, despite that. Lonnie's also cool. Mulan's daughter. Constantly reminding us of all the things that need to be updated. Which given she's fro, Northern Wei is kinda hilarious. But she's solid. Really, a lot of the kids are actually. Doug... I don't think his dad pressures him at all, but his room is so neat I almost gagged the first time I walked in. But he makes Evie happy, so..." [Another shrug.]

"What was I saying again?"

Re: Locked

[hotheadwarmheart]

Look, I know a few heroes, and I can safely say that they'd have better taste than that. Or at least would have the sense to ask an outside opinion before putting up a sign like that. But yeah, it's not a huge deal. Just annoying.

Though yeah, if someone actually wants to keep things super neat, or be really well behaved, that's fine. But people shouldn't feel like they have to, you know? Like if they don't measure up to some arbitrary standard of perfection, there's something wrong with them. And what you said about Audery's a good example of why.

Re: Locked

[mal_contented]

"Welcome to Auradon," [was the slightly bitter reply.]

Re: Locked

[hotheadwarmheart]

Great... [Also a bit bitter.]

It's like they think they can just cut darkness out of their lives and pretend it doesn't exist; that's not even remotely how it works. Everyone's got both light and darkness in them; without both, a person's incomplete.

Re: Locked

[mal_contented]

"Pretty sure they shoved all the Darkness onto the Isle." [a heavy sigh.] "But... Ben isn't like that. And he is genuinely trying to make things better. It's just... hard." [so hard] "To try to balance protecting Auradon and helping the people on the Isle at the same time."

Re: Locked

[hotheadwarmheart]

[Lea shakes his head.]

Like I said, that's not how it works. Yeah, they could shove the people whose Darkness was the most obvious somewhere, but that doesn't mean that Darkness itself was gone. Even the nicest person has a little bit of Darkness in their heart, and even the worst person has a little bit of Light, even if it's just a tiny bit.

But yeah, I imagine it is pretty tough. Especially when there's probably people on both sides of the line who have a vested interest in seeing that the status quo doesn't change.

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

[Rren's reply, or rather replies came as a string of comments. There were a few at first.]

"I would be willing to take some shifts at the booth if this occurs."

"You are accurate that this place is strangely perfect. Even on a the pristine starships there is at least some clutter here and there."

"I am torn in regards to the banner. While that sign is... bizarre, I cannot help but enjoy the idea of the statue guiding the way."

[And then after a delay they added a second string somewhere between unholy o'clock at night and ridiculous-thirty in the morning which made a decreasing amount of sense as it went on, not that Rren was half asleep or anything.]

"Perhaps we should have somewhere set up to nap by the booth if people arrive in the middle of the night."

"I cannot help but see that time as a possibility, though I cannot imagine why I would."

"In addition to messes, do you understand the difficulty in maintaining a lawn?"

"The weeds should have at least made some headway reclaiming the space already."

"That is not even bad, that is simply nature."

"Lawns are awful."

"Nice to lie down on I guess."

"Perhaps we can think of something else for the sign?"

[hotheadwarmheart]

Good to know. And yeah, it's weird. I almost wanna mess things up a little just to make it less perfect.

The sign thing... eh, we'll probably end up going with the statue instead. It's not that big of a deal, just annoying.

[And sorry Rren, Lea turns his phone off when he goes to sleep, then they both have training with Aqua in the morning, so he doesn't see or respond to this until later.]

Wow, how tired were you when you sent these?

Anyway yeah, you'd think that, but I have yet to see any weeds. I don't even think the grass has grown that much though that might not be noticeable for awhile.

And I don't think there's really any way to improve the sign that Ben would go for, unfortunately.

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

[The next reply was all in one message instead of broken up across several replies]

Well, hmm. Considering that I do not recall typing all of those messages, I believe the answer is profoundly tired.

I still believe we need some plan for the hours when no one is awake, though, as I do not, it seems, sleep at a reasonable hour, I certainly can offer some help late at night. Perhaps not quite so late as my previous string of replies, however. I suspect I would confuse rather than clarify matters at that point.

I imagine just being here that either we will generate a slight mess or we will get used to the lack. I profoundly hope it is the former. I have a friend who would never let me hear the end of it when I saw her again if I started keeping everything quite this neat.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Yeeeah, generally conversations when you're that tired aren't very informative. Funny, maybe, but not informative.

Anyway, for super late at night we might have to just have a sign to put on the booth directing people to the dorm rooms and saying to come back in the morning or something. But if you think you can do that and still get up for Aqua's training sessions every day, that'd be great.

Yeah, I'm not gonna be making any special effort to keep things super neat either. Like what's the point of making your bed every day when you just have to un-make it to use it? And I figure my desk's just gonna start accumulating random stuff if I'm here any length of time. So at least it won't last.

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

Then I might as well, it seems most practical if I will be awake regardless. When I do go to bed I can leave behind the sign you mentioned.

I know Aqua well enough to know I will successfully wake up each morning for training. I might be somewhat the worse for manner of waking up, but it will happen.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Hmm? How does Aqua usually get people up if they're not willing or able to do it themselves?

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

Thus far I have only seen her use buckets of water, but it has only come up a couple times. I do not doubt her creativity to find new and exciting methods here to avoid complacency with just the one. (And to avoid soaking the beds, for that matter.)

[schrodingersghost]

Oh, I'm in total agreement with you on the too perfect thing. Its almost creepy. And trust me, I know creepy.

But that aside, that sounds like a good plan. I don't know about manning it. I'm not sure if there's enough of us to make that work. But we could at least put up some signs or something with the basic information.

Sorry for the super late reply orz

[hotheadwarmheart]

Good to know I'm not the only one at least. Thankfully I doubt it'll last without a bunch of staff to maintain it, but still...

Anyway, yeah that's what I've figured. At least have the pamphlets or whatever there all the time, and a live person there as often as is practical. Probably wouldn't be all day, but at least decent portion of it, if people are willing to volunteer.