the_isle | Where Two Worlds Come To Meet

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Where Two Worlds Come To Meet

For those on the Boat

"Alright," Mal said, nodding. She and Ben had listened to what everyone had to say, and had pulled aside for a quick discussion. "This is the plan. Listen up, though it is subject to change based on what Professor Yen Sid has to say. But as it stands here is what we're going to do. Once we open an entry point in the barrier I will craft us a single use bridge. Everyone who is carrying stuff to the Isle will please carry it across carefully and quickly. Anyone who wants to stay on the boat, can. But once everyone is across the King and I will bring up the rear and close the barrier behind us."

She took a breath and continued. "Anything you need to summon to be prepared, do so before I open the barrier. You won't be able to on the Isle. Magic will not work there. Most tech will not work there. We're planning to stay about an hour. In that time if anyone sees anyone they know, please come and let the King, myself, and Professor Yen Sid know. Your words will carry weight as to if they stay or come back with us, but the final decision is ours. I want everyone to stay close to the shore either way. If we have to leave in a hurry we may not have a chance to wait for stragglers, and the phones won't work here."

"What about..."

Mal blinked then nodded. "We can talk to Professor Yen Sid about that," she agreed. "But I don't know if it is feasible for this trip. We also have to see if we have anyone who is as good with computers and tech as Carlos is...."

Ben nodded. "Alright."

Mal looked at everyone again. "We know that there are at least three confirmed villains on the Isle, or there were. Doctor Facilier, Lady Tremaine, and Mother Gothel. They've been without their powers for over twenty years and it hasn't sweetened their temperaments any. Don't underestimate them just because there is no magic. Be careful. And stay close. If you think someone you know is on the Isle but you don't see them, speak to Professor Yen Sid." Another breath. "Alright, that's about it. Sylvando's going to be staying with the boat, so if anyone doesn't feel comfortable going onto the Isle, you won't be alone if you stay back. Here we go..."

She turned to face the barrier and opened her spell book to the page she had been scribbling on during the boat ride. A deep breath and she cast two spells in rapid succession.

"Reprogram for now
and one time post
This remote to allow
For today and today only
this spot to be its target's host."

Her eyes glowed green as she spoke and a green trail followed her finger as she gestured at the remote. It flared green for a moment then the glow faded. "Done, for today the remote will open the barrier here, not at the bridge. And now..."

Ben nodded. As he clicked the remote, she began casting the second spell, eyes green once more. green finger trail in the air again as she gestured towards the barrier as a small entrance opened.

"Bridge of fate
Bridge of trust
Form quick
Be first rate
Formed of stone that does not rust
grow from this ship to the shore
to remain until the barrier closes once again
A bridge to aid all who are helping King Ben!"

The Queen intoned, her green eyes bright and glowing as a white brick bridge grew while she spoke. And when Mal had finished her spell, the bridge was fully formed connecting the boat and the beach. Well, perhaps 'bridge' was too strong a word; though it seemed to be made of the same sort of material as the magical bridge that sometimes connected the Isle to the mainland, it wasn't nearly as wide. Even if they'd had one, no one could drive a car over this. However, it was still wide enough for three people to comfortably walk abreast and the weight of it once the opposite end reached solid ground served to help steady the boat, making it quite serviceable as an extra-long gangplank.

The white seemed to almost shine against the dark of sea and the darker of the storm covered Isle.

Even from the beach the poor quality of life on the Isle could be seen. A rusting partial building that was some sort of bait shop was the only real structure that wasn't obscured by the thorns, but the damage to it seems to be older than the thorns might imply.

There were remains of what were probably a few small bonfires and broken bits of tools and scraps of trash laying around.

"Be careful on the bridge," Mal said as she led the people who were starting across, spell book at the ready. "On this side there are crocs, gators, and sharks." Then raising her voice to be heard by those on the beach. "IF ANYONE TRIES TO RUSH THIS OPENING TO ESCAPE YOU WILL REGRET IT!" Her eyes flashed green with the threat.

But perhaps it was the tall man with the beard, standing on the beach holding a beeping box with a light on it, perhaps it was his small but firm nod that made clear that she could back up that threat.

Isle Side

Eventually the raised voices on the other side of the barrier died down, and all was quiet. Those standing on the beach waited with varying levels of tension, wariness, and excitement to see what would happen next. It probably wasn't too long of a time, though it likely seemed much longer to many of them. The distorted shapes of people could be seen moving about on the boat's deck, though whether on purpose or simply due to the rough sea it was difficult to tell.

Then, just as some were likely beginning to question whether anything was going to happen... something did. The box that professor Yen Sid held began beeping loudly, the light on it glowing brightly as the barrier parted. Soon there was an opening large enough to drive a car through forming, allowing both those on the Isle and on the boat to see each other clearly for the first time. Then a familiar voice - to both those from Auradon and to some on the Isle - rang out.

"Bridge of fate
Bridge of trust
Form quick
Be first rate
Formed of stone that does not rust
grow from this ship to the shore
to remain until the barrier closes once again
A bridge to aid all who are helping King Ben!"

The Queen intoned, her green eyes bright and glowing as a white brick bridge grew while she spoke. And when Mal had finished her spell, the bridge was fully formed connecting the boat and the beach. Well, perhaps 'bridge' was too strong a word; though it seemed to be made of the same sort of material as the magical bridge that sometimes connected the Isle to the mainland, it wasn't nearly as wide. Even if they'd had one, no one could drive a car over this. However, it was still wide enough for three people to comfortably walk abreast and the weight of it once the opposite end reached solid ground served to help steady the boat, making it quite serviceable as an extra-long gangplank.

The people preparing to leave the boat were well dressed well fed, but tired looking people. They probably looked a little worse for the storms out at sea tossing their hair and soaking their clothes. But even with that... their clothes were clothes. Not scraps. Not stitched together leathers. Okay, so the Queen was in stitched together leathers, but clearly that was aesthetic choice rather than desperation. They were carrying cloth bags, boxes, and in two cases, flower pots in leather slings.

Everything about what little of the boat could seen from the Isle spoke to quality, to luxury. It was clearly well made, well kept, and expensive. It was also very... pastel.

"Be careful on the bridge," Mal said to the people behind her, as she led them across, spell book at the ready. "On this side there are crocs, gators, and sharks." Then raising her voice to be heard by those on the beach. "IF ANYONE TRIES TO RUSH THIS OPENING TO ESCAPE YOU WILL REGRET IT!" Her eyes flashed green with the threat.

But perhaps it was Professor Yen Sid, perhaps it was his small but firm nod that made clear that she could back up that threat.

Where Two Worlds Come To Meet - Both Missrecalled and Misery-called

With boat and beach thus connected, those on the boat began to disembark, most of them carrying some bit of cargo. Stitched leather bags, sturdy cardboard boxes - both of which seemed full of supplies, and two people carried flower pots in leather stitched slings.

Sylvando - the man in the jester costume - who stayed on the boat guarded the top of the gangplank until the last of the people and supplies were moved across. Once the last of everything was on the shore, the king slid his hand into his pocket and the barrier closed, the bridge vanishing as it did.

For those with magic, it felt weaker here, and as the barrier closed rapidly, the sensation increased until it closed and all the magic was gone. The beeping box stopped making sound, its light fading.

For those with fire associated magic the lack would hit extra hard, though with everyone reeling, that might not be obvious.

Mal tucked her spellbook down the front of her jacket. Her eyes scanned everything and everyone, and she didn't seem to miss anything. She looked almost natural here despite being clean and clearly not starving. The king beside her tried to give everyone a warm smile, which almost immediately made him seem out of place.

"Alright," Mal said. "Here is what is going to happen. We are here to drop off supplies. Some of you may be coming back to Auradon with us. We will be talking to the professors, and to some of you. If you agree to come to Auradon, and if you are accepted, you have to be willing and able to follow the rules of Auradon. We want to help those of you who were never meant to be here, but we can't put the people we promised to protect in Auradon in danger either. Don't like that? I'm the one to step to," she said, pushing some wet hair back off her shoulder. "For those that are staying... this isn't the only time we will be coming and not now doesn't mean never. Until then however..."

"We found supplies," Ben said. "And what we have that we can share, we are sharing. We brought food, potato plants, bottled water and juices, and some other supplies. Everything we brought can be eaten as is or cooked over a simple fire."

Mal nodded. "And for those of you who are dark hearts, who are true evil as... Well let's just say that the deal offered to the adults before this all started stands, and extends to all of you who it applies to. Even if you have been evil in your past, even if you are evil now, but are willing to change to live in Auradon, we will consider you. You will have to earn your place in Auradon. Earn your chance to come over. It won't be easy, but one thing I've learned? Good isn't. Easy. But if you can prove yourself good, even here, we will consider that and you may be welcomed in the future under probation."

Ben took over, then. "However, just because you are here does not mean you are evil," he said. He put a hand on Mal's damp but now hair free shoulder. "If you think you should be in Auradon, not here, come and talk to us. Tell us your story."

"We're planning to stick around about an hour," Mal added, her hand over Ben's her fingerless gloves a dark purple leather with a livid green dragon on the back of each. "That should give enough time to talk to everyone. And for you to ask any questions about the supplies that you may have. And one more thing, yes I see you lurking there in the shadows, Shadow man. And you as well," she said, her eyes flicking to the other side of the rusted bait shop from where the Headmaster was watching them all. "Alright. One hour, people. Let's get this going."

"And... we are truly sorry, for those of you not of this world who are trapped here. We promise, we are trying to work on how to get everyone home."

"Yes, yes, happily ever after's all around. That one hour? Starts now," Mal said. Then she rolled her shoulders back and turned to talk to Professor Yen Sid.

(OOC: Please see this post ASAP to let the mods know your plans so we can write the finale! Thank you all so much!))

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Lea considered how to explain for a moment. "Think of it this way," he said. "If you had just enough ice creams for one sunset, and didn't know how to get any more, you'd naturally be really scared of losing even one of those ice creams. But if you had a whole freezer full of extra ice creams, and knew how to get more if you needed to, then losing one wouldn't be quite so scary, because you'd have support and the skills to handle the situation."

"The situation you have with me an Roxas right now is similar to the first scenario. You're really afraid to lose us, not just because we're you're best friends, but because we're all you have and you don't know how you'd cope if we suddenly weren't there. What we need is to get closer to the second scenario, where you have more support and the skills to handle the situation without panicking or collapsing if something did happen. Understand?"

She shook her head, panicked. "No! You and Roxas aren't ice creams, and no matter how many others there are... I can't just replace you. I won't!" she said, sounding as angry as he'd ever heard her, even as tears welled.

"Oh for the.... it's just an analogy," he said. "I know people are different from ice creams. But I was trying to use something you already understood to help you understand what I meant. And obviously failing."

"Am.... am I just another ice cream...?" she asked in a tiny whisper.

"It can, aye, but so can any stout stick or pole," he said. "To use a lance in such a manner, however, is a mark of desperation and panic, or at the very least a lack of skill. Holding a polearm in such a way might save you from a single blow, or perhaps two, but the shaft of a polearm- especially one made from wood- is not meant to bear such strikes and will soon bend or break, leaving you without a proper weapon. Assuming you survive, you're then at an even greater disadvantage due to the lack of a proper weapon."

"A lancer's strength is in their power to attack. Succumbing to fear or an excess of caution robs them of that power and places them at a disadvantage. That is why courage and composure when facing an opponent, no matter how fearsome, is critical, and a hallmark of the lancer's art. And the lack of it is why I cannot yet call myself a true lancer."

"Perhaps," he said standing down from his ready stance. "But there's naught to keep you from practicing on your own. If nothing else, it will strengthen your arms and improve your endurance. Thus if you haven't improved at all by the time I next see you wielding a lance, I believe we shall both know why."

"Wow," Mal drawled. "Someone really drank the fruit punch, huh? So is it considered a strength to have no flexibility or imagination?"

"Mal..." Ben said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged his hand off, putting her own hands on her hips. "Look, I got a chance when I left the Isle to realize that the things I always learned limited me in all ways. If you can't figure out how to make things work in other ways... then hopefully being here will fix that."

"Practicing without someone who is more expert to spot, one can learn and cement mistakes in form," she said primly. "It is more dangerous then to practice new lessons alone than to not practice at all."

He stiffened at that. "I assure you, I'm quite sober," he said. "In fact if there's a drop of alcohol on this Isle that's not of the sort meant only for Professor Yen Sid's chemical concoctions, I've yet to find it."

"Tell me, girl, have you ever wielded a polearm in earnest, when it was all that stood between you and the jaws of a beast, or the blade of an enemy? Judging by your arms, I sincerely doubt it. What I know of lancework I've learned by living and breathing the art for nearly as long as you've been alive at all. I know that such things as you just described are foolish moves in combat, not merely because my instructors told me so, but because in the midst of youthful arrogance I thought that I knew better than they and did so anyway, against their advice. The result was a broken spear and nearly becoming food for a pack of hungry raptors, and being saved from such a fate only by one of my seniors intervening in time."

"Queen or no, I will not be lectured on lancework by one who is little more than a child and has no experience in the art. Just as I would not presume to lecture you on magecraft."

Edited 2024-11-02 00:56 (UTC)

"That's not what it means," Mal said, rolling her eyes. "It means you're up to your pointy little ears in a single narrow way of thinking that you close your eyes and ears to any other idea. And don't you go judging me by my looks, you'll learn all the ways you're making a mistake," she snapped, her eyes starting to go green.

"Oookay," Ben said, physically picking her up around the waist. He turned and set her beside him instead of in front of him, then leaving one arm around her, turned to face Foulques again.

"Let's all calm down and take a figurative step back. You don't know how we are fight here and we don't know how you fight. And with hope, hard work, and luck, we won't have to do much if any fighting while you are all stuck here. So why don't we just agree that as different species we do not know each other's biology, and as people from different world we have different ways we have been trained. Teaching each other is fine. Wonderful even. But fighting amongst ourselves helps none of us. We need to work together, with each other. Not against each other."

"Are you light blue, stuck on a stick, and prone to melting?", he said. "If not, then the answer is no, you're not an ice cream." He knew that wasn't what she meant of course, but he was frustrated enough, that snark won out over all else.

She flinched away from him.

Lea scrubbed hand over his face. How could he make her understand? Was she genuinely not getting it, or was she being deliberately obtuse on some level? "Let's just... find Emporio then meet back up with the others," he said after a long moment.

"I... I meant.... with so many other friends...." she couldn't finish the words. She couldn't. She wanted to turn and run away. But where could she run to?

He was about to retort, but Ben's intervention cooled the brewing argument before it had a chance to become truly heated. It also proved that the boy was stronger than he looked, given the ease with which he picked Mal up like that. Something he noted alongside the faint green glow that he'd seen in her eyes. A legacy of her draconic heritage perhaps?

Once the young king had said his piece, Fouques sighed through his nose. "Very well," he said with only a hint of reluctance. "I've no desire to get into a shouting match with someone half my age in any case. Given my experiences being on the other side of such arguments, it's not likely to have the results that either side wishes." He smirked slightly, recalling when he himself had been that young and brash, so confident that he knew better than his elders. Perhaps a few more years and the weight of a crown would help settle this particular firebrand.

"Much of my practice was done on my own," he said. He opted not to mention that this was due to the fact that few had been willing to spar with him unless specifically directed by their instructor. "But very well. We will get in what practice we may now, before you return to the mainland, and I shall leave you with instructions that will help you hone your skills in my absence. Even should you not practice with a weapon directly, strengthening your arms and practicing a firm stance will do much to help you improve."

He frowned thoughtfully. "Given what I know of magic, anything crafted from pure aether is unlikely to remain if cut off from the source that supports it," he said. "Whether that's crystals, the mage who created it, or whether it's drawn from the land itself. Perhaps such things work differently here, but I suspect they will not remain."

He sighed as he looked at the supplies Chell produced. "A pity. We could find use for much of this and more. And for myself, I would give a great deal for a pint or two of good mead."

"I look forward to when we will have more time together so that we can all demonstrate the ways we have learned to fight, so that we can all learn from each other," Ben said, diplomatically.

She dipped in a polite curtsy. "Thank you."

"As do I," Foulques said, and found, somewhat to his surprise, that he meant it. What sort of fighting techniques had such a relatively peaceful kingdom birthed? It would be interesting to see if nothing else.

"And with that, I shall take my leave," he said, giving another bow. "You have others yet to speak to, and limited time to do it."

He nodded. "Now, take your stance again, as I showed you, and we'll begin," he said.

Ben nodded, returning the bow. "Until the next time, then."

Mal rolled her eyes but headed back to what she had been doing.

She nodded and moved into position.

"Xion, even when I couldn't properly remember you, I couldn't forget you," he said. "You and Roxas are closer to me than pretty much anyone else at this point. I can't imagine having a happy life in the future without you and Roxas being a part of it, no matter how things turn out, here or back home. I just wish I could find a way to help you actually believe that and not be scared that the opposite is true all the time."

"But... there are so many Somebodies out there... and they all want to spend time with you. All want to be with you. Because... you're you...."

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Page 12 of 13

Where Two Worlds Come To Meet

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Good place to wrap?

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Sure, ty for the thread.

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