Perfectly Practical

“A ruler without no rules, eh?” Beth mused, nodding and looking about pointedly, “Well, I agree wit’ ya  there, it sure is chaos out ‘ere, what with nobody knowin’ which way ta go an’ all that. An’ since we’re bein’ perfectly frank, I did like it better wit’ King Benjamin on da throne, him bein’ okay with the people in Auradon Prep bein’ in Auradon Prep, y’know? I don’t much like bein’ kicked outta someplace I just moved into.” 

“Well, friend, I sure ‘ope!” she replied, masking her discomfort in what she hoped was a friendly smile, “Or if not now, at any rate, at least once we get ta know each other!” 

Everyone was down in the dumps, that much was certain. And with good reason. After all, they had been evicted from their dorms and told to “ get lost ” in a manner that was far from friendly. No wonder everyone looked gloomier than the weather in London, with faces longer than a mansion’s chimney. But Beth had been raised to always see the bright side of situations, particularly desperate ones such as these. And so, with that attitude in mind, she stood up, “Oh come on now, chums, why da glum looks, hmm? We’re still alive an’ kickin’ aren’t we? An’ is not like any o’ us can change what happened, so why not perk up an’ stop actin’ like da world’s come to an end?” She looked around, forcing a smile and hoping someone would support her. Her eyes fell on the face of an unfamiliar young man, and she took a step towards him, “Isn’t dat right, sir?” 

closed starter // @thetimelessmind

Everything had gone to hell in the middle of the ball. Claude’s only concern throughout the whole thing had been getting to his son and he felt like his whole chest was weighed down by a hundred pounds of led before he could see that Bellamy was okay. Now, Claude was offering his home to students and others who were suddenly evicted from their home and had no place to go. He could only take in so many and he had to rely heavily on donations since his teacher’s salary did little to cover the extra expenses. Worries were piling up in his head as he waded through the crowd, simply trying to get by on his way back from another grocery run when a young girl picked him out. He had been idly listening as he passed by but he tried not to look as hopeless as he felt. “These are serious times. Frowning or smiling, we all have to keep moving but everyone needs to do it at their own pace,” he reminded her. It was a nice thought to keep in good spirits but it would take more than a little charm to offer any real solutions.

“Well, sure, I’m not sayin’ these are ta be made light of, but a little lightness of step is enough to quicken anyone’s pace!” She kicked up her heels in uttered a merry laugh that died almost as soon as it’d come. She was suddenly aware of how young she was in comparison to all these people, and the thought almost made her feel ashamed and juvenile. Almost. There was still pluck in her yet. She offered the man a smile. 

“Oh,” Beth’s confusion was clear. She had just assumed that whoever was on the throne was the ruler, but perhaps that wasn’t how it worked here in Auradon. Maybe she’d no reason to be afraid, “So, whatcher sayin’ is, a person can choose ‘oo ‘e wants ta be ruler? ‘cause dat would explain quite a lot! In case ya ‘aven’t noticed, I ain’t exactly from ‘round ‘ere, an’ ‘aven’t quite gotten used ta all yer customs an’ the like yet.” 

“Oh my ‘pologies, I didn’t mean ta startle ya like that!” Beth exclaimed after seeing Jane jump. She could hear the lie clearly, but knew enough not to react to it. Instead she merely responded with the truth, hoping it would prompt the other girl to do the same, “Well, truth be told I’m scared fer me life. I mean, there’s no tellin’ what these new rulers is gonna do, y’know? They all seem might vengeful. But I’m glad I’ve not come ta any trouble yet, an’ can only hope it stays that way.” 

Although being evicted was embarrassing and scary, it really was that bad, relative to many other AKs, for Beth. Although she’d never been technically evicted before, she had been homeless. Besides, she’d only spent about a month at Auradon Prep, and had never really felt like she belonged there anyways. But she knew that others were having a much harder time. Looking around her, she spotted Jane, whom she recognized as Fairy Godmother’s daughter, though they’d never met. Surely she had to be in utter distress, having such a close connection to the school for so long. Feeling for her, Beth approached her, compassion bolstering courage. She spoke softly, and with kindness, “Hullo, you feelin’ alright?” 

closed starter // @wickedissms Jane 

Beth looked up at the sound of a voice, startled yet somehow relieved that someone else was there. One look at the bags on the ground told her this young woman was an AK as well, evicted and panicking. 

“ Well, not exactly…” she began, not wanting to lie, “But I would ‘ppreciate da company, if yer not too busy!” This was added quickly, with a gesture towards the phone, “ Tryin’ ta get a ‘old a someone?” She had asked the question innocently enough, but as soon as it was out of her mouth she regretted it. Of course she was trying to phone someone! Auradon was in a state of chaos and emergency, not to mention that fact that a phone is generally used as a contact device. Furthermore, if this girl had wanted her company, she wouldn’t have been dialing her phone, “ Sorry, of course yer busy, ‘oo am I tryin’ ta fool? I’ll leave ya alone then, sorry ta interrupt.”

“No, no. I just wanted to make sure my brother and sister were okay, they went to the ball…I don’t know where they are now…I mean they could still be there and be totally fine! But if they aren’t then - oh gosh- I wouldn’t know what to do…” Tabitha sent one last text to her brother before sitting own next to the girl on the bench, brushing a few specks of dust off the seat first. Tabitha nudged the girls bag that was placed next to her.

“You got tossed out too, huh?”

In response to the girl’s question, Beth sighed, shifting her mag onto her lap, “Yeah, those really ain’t partial to us Auradonians t’all. But, I suppose it coulda been worse, right? I mean, we’re not ‘urt or killed er anythin’.” 

B E T H had certainly not expected to be evicted so soon after arriving in Auradon, but she, along with the rest of the AKs, were kicked out of their dorms and told to “ get lost! ” But Beth didn’t have a home to go back to, really. She had no physical house, and even London, her home in the broader sense of the word, was miles across the sea and impossible to reach, especially with the usurpation of the king. So she grasped her carpet bag, a hand-me-down from Ms. Poppins, and walked a reasonable distance away from the school, sitting down on a bench and thinking about all she’d seen. She didn’t understand the politics or intricacies of it all, but the pirate on the screen had seemed very peeved and vengeful, never a good combination. She was scared, that was certain, and worried too. The royal family had been very benevolent and forgiving, as far as she could tell, but this political change could spell out something very different, and not nearly so kind. Eyes narrowed and lips pouted stubbornly. 

❝ Well this is a fine kettle o’ fish! ❞ 

Tabitha had not gone to masquerade ball that evening. She had planned to, oh yes, but of course the young girl had gotten distracted by pieces that she had been working on for classes, and by the time she had realised that she was meant to be at the ball, it was far too late to turn up, even as a princess. She instead, she had decided to stay home in her dorm room at Auradon U, and watch the live stream in the comforts of silk pyjamas and soft sheets. That was until the broadcaster has been killed by Harry Hook, and the Villians and VKs started their take over. Tabitha had rushed to get as much as she could packed into bags, before being turned out of her room like an overstayed guest. She hadn’t wondered far off of the campus with her many bags until she had dumped them on the ground beside her and furiously began dialling and redialling her siblings, hoping that they hadn’t gotten caught up in the mess at the ball. She had been trying to get a hold of Julien for the 7th time when she heard a huff and a frustrated voice.

“I’m sorry…” Tabitha looked up from the phone in her hand, “Were you talking to me?”

“ Well, not exactly...” she began, not wanting to lie, “But I would ‘ppreciate da company, if yer not too busy!” This was added quickly, with a gesture towards the phone, “ Tryin’ ta get a ‘old a someone?” She had asked the question innocently enough, but as soon as it was out of her mouth she regretted it. Of course she was trying to phone someone! Auradon was in a state of chaos and emergency, not to mention that fact that a phone is generally used as a contact device. Furthermore, if this girl had wanted her company, she wouldn’t have been dialing her phone, “ Sorry, of course yer busy, ‘oo am I tryin’ ta fool? I’ll leave ya alone then, sorry ta interrupt.”

She inhaled sharply but quickly caught her breath and climbed back onto her feet, “Oh is alright!” She assured the other girl quickly, “ Yeah, I’m fine, thank ye! I shouldn’t’ve been in yer way there, my ‘pologies!” She chuckled lightly, “Guess I was too...fascinated.” There, that was a big impressive word. 

“Ah,” Beth pretended to understand the double negative, but it really just confused her. She stood up and nodded eagerly, “Of course sir! What can I do fer ya, anythin’ really! Jus’ say da word!” A service for a service. Now that was more like it. The fact that it was an invitation to dance flew by her. 

                     she asks , rather delighted in the absolute mystery of tonight .                      with her hair dyed and a brief glamour cast on her face to aide                      her disguise ; no one could tell who she was . and it was almost                      intoxicating to know that she could get away with murder if she                      so decided . it was the closest to giddy she had gotten in years .

“ i put my wager on the angel .   no one dresses themselves   like that without an ulterior   motive . what do you say ? ”

“The king?” she repeated, answering the question of the woman sitting near her, “ I reckon ‘e’s the one in the blue there, standing all regal-like. I mean, look at the posture! Only ‘is Majesty would hold ‘imself so highly.” The comment was said with a sort of inspired tone, with no hint of irony. 

“As fer the drunkard, I’d reckon it’s the one in the pinky-red. If she spills wine on it, the stain won’t show!”