Eugene felt his eyes go wide as he rushed to stand up, his berry tart (almost) forgotten about.Ā āWhoa-ho-ho, Nellie!ā Hands settled on either shoulder as he tried to keep the frantic princess pinned to one spot, even as she shifted from one foot to the other and tried to decide what to tackle first.
āOkay, we need to do the calm thing here, Blondie.Ā āKay?ā As gently as he could, Eugene tipped her head to focus on his own features.Ā āWhat happens when we panic? We lose control. Nothing gets done. Pretty soon, the milk piles up at the door, cats take over,Ā society ends,Ā the Frog will become the new rulerā¦ā He stopped mid-rant to gesture at the fretting lizard, giving anĀ āIām watching you,ā motion.Ā
ā⦠or none of that will happen and itāll be fine. Itās just a day to pick - weāre spoiled for choice! Maybe weāre doing this in the right order, you know? I mean, if we really want oleā Hooky to play, thatĀ will help us pick a date. Right? Itās not like weāll have anything really huge to worry abo-ā
The words died in his throat as he considered his fortnightly haircut, and how he would notĀ be attending his wedding without a master holding the scissors.Ā ā⦠but what if Antonio is away or going on holidays?ā he asked, more to himself.Ā āBlondie! What if I have a cowlick?!ā
Rapunzel listened to Eugene the best she could as he held her still. Yes, panicking did nothing. Panicking just made bad situations worse! It did nothing to help mend things! As much as she trusted Pascal to be a kind and just ruler, she knew she had to keep calm and not cause any trouble that would lead him to take over. No one needed that, including him.
But then, Eugene began to spiral as well, and all that progress crumbled like a sand castle in the waterās wake. Okay, maybe his spiral was a bitĀ more unrealistically panicked than hers, but still. He made a valid point! What if people they needed the most to make this big day happen were busy? What if none of them lined up all on one day to be free? Rapunzel swallowed hard.
āI-Iād love you with or without a cowlick, Eugene.ā That much was true.Ā āBut we need to look into it still. We should make a list! Yeah! That way we can check everyone off for one day that works best and go from there.ā Rapunzel added an extra-happy smile at the end of that. Was it fully sincere? Not really. She still felt panic. Smiling might help calm Eugene though, and if he was calm, she would surely be calm too, right?