That's normally how it goes, the people who think that they're good role models are actually people that no one should be looking up to, and the people who think that they're not are pretty decent, average citizens. And sometimes being an average citizen is a good thing! Or at least an acceptable thing, anyway. But yeah, true. We eventually have to grow up and take responsibility for ourselves, no one else is gonna do it, right? Speaking of decent eats, get anything good at Creek Fest this weekend? I'm glad that there's a week to enjoy, 'cuz I'm going to need a week to eat and drink my way through everything, not going to lie.

It’s par for the course. As long as you don’t strip off your clothes and come in like a wrecking ball, you should be okay though. I suppose anyone who wanted to could sell that if they wanted to badly enough though. Average citizen is perfectly fine in my book. I’ve always particularly enjoyed being just that. I think that taking personal responsibility is what people like us do. I mean, I’ve never really been a fan of other people having to take up for me. I know my dads would literally do anything for me but I’ve never been a fan of taking advantage of that. I ate my weight in seasonal doughnuts. I mean, apple cider and pumpkin. I probably shouldn’t have. What about you? Have you found anything I need to be looking out for.

"A big fish... more on the big side," Jamie nodded. He narrowed his eyes in a bit of deep thought. "Yes, kind of like an unidentified marine object. That's a thing, right? Could be Nessie," he grinned. "Merrock's version," he chuckled. There were a lot of things in the water that were pretty much unknown. Still, it was kind of funny to think about. Or it was also possible that maybe it was just a cloud or something. "I tried a couple of those! They were almost too good to eat," Jamie smiled. "I have! I love a good party here in town," he smiled. "Did you check out the exhibits yet?"

“UMO?” Sunny said making a new phrase. She didn’t think that it was an actual thing but there was no reason there couldn’t be one. “I mean, it works on a number of front. Unidentified Marine Object. Unidentified Merrock Object. I kind of like it.” She didn’t know that they would ever figure out what it actually was but it didn’t bother her. She supposed that some things were better off as mysteries. If she was meant to have seen it, she certainly would have seen it. She nodded as they talked about the food. “It’s hard to eat something beautiful but sometimes you just have to do it. No regrets here,” she admitted. “I did look at the exhibits. They’re always so interesting. They’re really trying to educate us in a fun way.”

"There's another thought -- they could be a ninety-five year old billionaire that doesn't have that much time, anyway," her brows raised at the idea, realizing that in her mind, she had always imagined them being a younger person, thirties or forties, vibrant and full of life. A man who had inherited his family's wealth, a woman that had rose her way to the top, someone who fought tooth and nail to earn every penny. But there really were a lot of ways that it could go. "Let's just keep our fingers crossed that they like it here too much to go away, and they're too young to die off any time soon," she laughed, putting away the make up that she had used for Sunny and then herself, zippering the bag and tucking it into the cabinet that she had been told she could store things in, thankful to not have to haul it all over the ship. "Too many good things to eat and drink, too many good songs to dance too, handsome gentleman to spend time with, we can't shed a tear over that," she agreed with a grin, smoothing her hands over her sparkly little dress and nodding to her reflection in the mirror. "Ready to head back out there?"

“That is the working theory I’m going with,” Sunny told her. She’d always suspected that the Benefactor was older.  If the truth ever came out and it was someone who was younger that was around her age or younger, it would have taken her by surprise. She knew that it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility though. People came into wealth at a number of times. They could have been born into it or has a sudden windfall. At the end of the day, they might never know the truth. The mystery of it all was probably the thing that kept them all speculating. “I’m afraid we’ll just have to wait and see. There is no harm in hoping for the best,” she said. She patiently waited with her friend, adjusting her dress in the mirror.   “It sounds terrible,” she joked. At the end of the day, Sunny was pretty pleased with all of those.   She nodded at the suggestion they head back. “Thank you again. We better get back before they send in a search party.”

No, definitely not! I'm not sure that I would be all that much of a good role model, either. I'm a good person, I know that, but I don't necessarily want to be responsible for making someone else a good person, know what I mean? That seems like a lot of pressure! But some people are kind of born to do that sort of thing, too. We do our best, and that's where we shine! I sure as heck am not keeping people like that around! But I'll happily agree to our Narnia kitchen, I love it. No, it's true, and I know there's got to be a lot that goes into keeping them open, like... even taking into account insurance and what not? But I hope they never go away completely. I feel like we'd lose a huge part of what makes life fun!

I think that it’s one of those things where when push comes to shove you sort of have to rise to the occasion but in general, it’s maybe not an aspiration.  A lot of people who think they’re super role models are actually terrible people so being a decent person is a good start.  At the end of the day, we’re all kind of responsible for ourselves after a certain age. I mean, I can’t hold a toddler to the same standards as a teenager.  Life is a lot of pressure!  There are definitely some people born with it.  We should.  I wouldn’t know what to do if there wasn’t always something decent to eat it in.  I’m sure that it’s enough to make my head hurt if I really thought about it and I’m not trying to get a migraine.  I would love to see there always  be a touch of nostalgia somewhere.

"Think a little more than a nightmare, probably a downright hazard, but we know I'm not afraid of cold water so I could jump in after you. But something tells me that dress would take us both down with it." he said, she looked beautiful, but a dress full of multiple layers that could soak up water? Didn't recommend going into the water and seeing what happened. A laugh left his lips when she pointed out that she didn't think he really had done that. "Oh I'm sorry one time show only, you've missed it and now will have to think about it all in your dreams and always wonder what you did or did not miss." Shifting when the music changed, "What do you say, care to join me out on the dance floor?"

“That is awfully chivalrous of you!”  she commented. She was honestly flattered that he was willing to jump right in after her. She honestly hoped that the evening wouldn’t take that route. “I wouldn’t want either of us to perish in that way. I mean, we’d definitely go down in history but I’m fine with a simpler, less notorious life.”  She wasn’t an expert on the underwater geography but she wasn’t confident in her ability to fight the height of the water, the currents or anything else even if she was properly dressed for a swim much less in current conditions. A dance felt far safer. Especially since he seemed in the mood for it. “I will definitely just have to see what I can get you to recreate,” she said, extending a hand to help him up so they could move to the dance floor.'

"It probably would take a lot, but isn't it kind of scary to think about?" Elena mused, taking her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. "Technically, it could also just take the smallest thing for them to decide… poof, no more, I'm done. One person overboard on this ship could be enough to make them pack it up, move to another town, start a new life." And it wouldn't necessarily change things for Elena, who loved her hometown and always would, but she knew that there would be people who wouldn't really understand the charm without the sparkle, which made her sad. And she would miss the galas. And the trips. And everything else. But secretly, lowkey. "Let's hope you're right about that," she laughed lightly, clicking closed her make-up bag and sitting back a bit to make sure that she had everything done that needed to be done, but of course she did. "No one," she grinned, "although to be fair, you're a pretty good canvas to work with!" she turned towards the mirror to check out her own make up, reaching for her lip gloss to touch that up, and then nodding with satisfaction. "Think we look every bit as fresh and lovely as we did before we ate and drank all those goodies?"

“It’s a little frightening,” she was willing to admit. “I don’t like to think about it though. At the end of the day, I just don’t know they’d do that but maybe one day they do go silent and we’ll be left to speculate what happened. I mean, unless they put something out where they pretty much to tell us off, we’d not know if they just croaked and the whole thing ended or if they did decide to just go peace out.” There were a lot of reasons why things would play out in that way. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t change that much. Sunny could remember a time when there wasn’t a Benefactor. The city would keep doing things. If he left, the slack would inevitably be picked up by something or multiple someones. It wasn’t unheard of to think about. “I’m not going to ruin my makeup crying about it,” she told her simply. She laughed, checking herself in the mirror and nodding appreciatively. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Sunny told her. “I honestly think we look great. Our dates probably won’t even be able to tell a difference though.”

Me neither, I think it's amazing that there are so many programs out there now that help those kids find people that do care about them and can be their big brother or a parental figure, but it's definitely a tough thing to see them go through, without having that support system. You're right about that, DNA honestly doesn't mean as much as love, and if you can get love from someone who isn't related to you, who cares? As long as it's love! That's true, I don't want people in my life who are trying to tell me that I shouldn't eat dessert. I actually only want people in my life who tell me to eat more dessert. There's always red wine in our kitchen, that's why I love it so much, it's the best kitchen in the world. Yeah, me too. I just feel like roller skating, bowling and playing arcade games should never change, they should fill you with nostalgia.

The fact that there are good people out there who want to step up for that sort of thing is nice. I mean, being a mentor or a role model isn’t for everyone. I honestly try and I know there are far worse people out there but I question how good of a role model I am at times. At the end of the day, I guess just trying has to be enough sometimes. I mean, if you’re really there to make an effort for someone it has to better than having no one at least trying. You’re kind of right. I mean, why would you keep someone around who is trying to deny you. We really do have a magical Narnia of a kitchen. When we want something it is there. I fear that those things are slowly becoming more and more endangered. What will we do when it’s just something people talk about in history books?

“Yeah, you know like…” his arm moved, imitating the movements of a whale or a fish. “I promise I’m not just seeing things,” Jamie said, wrinkling his nose a little bit. “Grey? Blue? Grey blue?” He chuckled a bit. “Something like that?” He looked over at her again. It was possible that there were some animals in the water ahead of them. It wouldn’t be the first time. Besides, that was expected as part of the ecosystem that they were raising money for to study. “Anyway…” he bit his lip. “What’s new with you? Grab anything good at the refreshments table?”

“But like a big fish or a small fish,” she said laughing. There was a significant size differentiation between a whale and a smaller fish. Sunny wasn’t sure which way it could go but she knew there were plenty of them out there. It was possible that he really did see something. “So a fish of unknown size that is the color of the water?” she asked making sure she was clear, looking out to the water. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a sea bird drifting low that caused a splash. There were plenty of those. If it was something bigger, they might see it again though. “Too much honestly,” she confessed. “They had these little seashell macaroons that I ate entirely too many of. What about you? Been having a good time?”

"I'm not sure that phrase applies to the Benefactor, though," given that they seemed to have more than enough money to get what they wanted… and they could always pull the plug on the galas as a whole if they wanted to. And then they were going to be the ones whining about not getting what they wanted. Flip flop, reverse. That was unfortunate. "Let's just hope that everyone behaves themselves tonight and doesn't get any wild ideas… or ends up overboard or something." That would be bad. That would probably land them in some hot water, along with literal cold water. "I feel like you have to be careful that the gummies don't mess with the alcohol, right? End up having some sort of weird reaction in your drink or something, that would be a disaster." Lena wasn't much of a drinker, other than the occasional glass of wine now and then with fancy dinners, or a cocktail at home with friends, she didn't have nearly the same amount of knowledge that Sunny did as a bartender. "Perfect," she said with a smile as Sunny contoured her face for her, and then sat back a bit to get the entire picture. "That's why you're such a good friend, always being in my corner!"

“Maybe,” Sunny said honestly. She supposed that there could decide to pull the plug and not allow things to be. “I mean, their anonymity makes it easier to make decisions and not face backlash. They could just say the Hell with us and cancel everything if they had a certain thing in mind and we did our own thing. I don’t know though. I mean, I feel like it would take a lot to push them in that direction. It’s all speculation though since we don’t really know anything about them.” She’d always had her suspicions on who she felt was involved but she couldn’t prove it. “I’m sure everything will be fine though. I doubt anyone is going to do anything too extreme.” Sunny nodded. She’d experimented enough with her drinks to know that most of the time you were safe but there were always some combinations that went south. “I’m sure they put a lot of thought into their combinations,” she told her. She would have been shocked if they’d just threw things together and winged it, especially for an event that was planned for a while. She tried to remain still and let Lena work on her, knowing that this touch up wasn’t meant to last forever. They did have dates to get back to after all. “You’re practically family. I’ll always have you back. Besides, who else can do this?” she said gesturing to her face.

That's the best part of having a trusted adult circle as a kid, because there are some things you're not comfortable going to one person about, so you like knowing that there's someone else that you can talk to, you know? And then if those relationships last into your adult years, that's even better. 'Cuz it's not like we wake up one day and suddenly stop needing advice on different things. Oh hell yeah, I'll never turn down advice for dessert. Unless someone is trying to tell me that I shouldn't eat it, and then I really don't care about their opinion all that much. Dark chocolate raspberry sounds really good, actually… decadent, you know? I think that the cake should happen. It sounds like it would go well with red wine, too. Me too, I feel like they have that old school, vintage bowling touch, you know? Even if they've advanced.

I definitely know that having options is a blessing. I can’t even imagine a life where you’re one of those kids who literally has no one. I like to think that is where teachers or someone steps up to fill that role. Shared DNA isn’t a requirement to make an impact. It doesn’t matter how old we get, there are always going to be life decisions that need feedback. I love that you’re here to encourage me on this stuff. I think that anyone who tries to discourage the consumption of things in life that make us happy are probably not worth listening to, especially in the context of dessert. I love something that’s decadent. I definitely think red wine could work and there happens to be some in kitchen. There is no reason why we shouldn’t treat ourselves. I’d much rather enjoy the old school version than the new. Some things do need to remain the same.

Starter: Open Location: Vibrations

On the occasion that she didn’t want to get stuck working in her own bar, she’d patronize one of the others in town. While she hadn’t intended to stay out long, she’d wanted to grab a drink maybe hang out with old friends from high school. She’d been a bit unprepared to find herself drenched in whatever people had been drinking. “At least it was just liquor and not broken glass,” she said with a shrug. “Honestly, it happens to the best of us in this business. What were they so upset about?”

Aleja's the one for me, anything that I didn't go to my mom for, I went to her, so she ended up getting some of that information that my mom didn't need to hear. But yeah, we definitely learn to accept the advice as we get older, or when you get to the point where they don't even know what to tell us, that's a whole new one that we have to contend with, right? Me too, any dessert, for that matter. But definitely cake. We can all use a little extra cake in our lives! Nah, I get it -- honestly, who wants to go bowling if it's going to make you miserable and wish that you had something there to ... well, stop you from being miserable, you know? I just like the fun little cartoons that play after you roll. Throw? Whatever you do during bowling.

It’s good when you have someone to give you that outside of the parents. I mean, I think that my dad’s had different friends that were good for different sorts of advice. I still call them up from time to time so I understand all of that. It’s not always easy to take the ego out of it and listen to people but when you really need to hear it, I think that we do. I’m definitely open to any advice about dessert though, especially if it’s that I should eat some. Do you ever see something on television and decide that you absolutely do need to eat it? Kind of craving something dark-chocolate raspberry. Is it bad if I create a little just because cake? I think that any activity should provide happiness if it is a voluntary thing. I love the little animations too! I mean, sometimes they’re pretty creative. I would be sad if they ever did away with them.

"Please," she let out a gentle scoff, her eyes alight with amusement, "they're going to end up plastered on this boat regardless of what the Benefactor does or does not want." The people of Merrock loved a good drink, there was no way that they were going to say no when it was offered to them. But it did provide some good entertainment for those who just wanted to watch everyone go wild, she supposed. Elena's people watching that evening would come with a good side of laughs, if nothing else. "I know that a lot of the times the drinks full of glitter and gummies are aimed towards kids, but sometimes we want them, too, as grown adults!" Fun things were lost on kids that didn't really appreciate how few fun things came your way when you were an adult, and she would stand by that. "That's what I said," she nodded, capping the lip product she had been working with and reaching for her highlighter, "we'll dew you up a little bit," she said as she opened it up and reached for a brush before continuing, "he'll have a good time, regardless, I'll see to it."

There was certainly a level of decorum that was desired but that didn’t always mean that it was achievable. “We can’t always get what we want,” she said innocently. The Benefactor might have put his money out there to make these sort of things happened but once an event was in motion, it was pretty hard to have control of the people within it. She certainly could hold her liquor but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to enjoy pushing the limits. Other people weren’t going to be as lucky as her. At the end of the day, it was all in good fun as long as no one got hurt. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t be allowed to appreciate what we appreciate,” she admitted with a nod. “I mean, it’s always good to have a good mocktail to offer the young or sober but us drinkers like pretty things too.” She could also admit that sometimes taste was more important that appearance. She’d had pretty drinks that tasted terrible before. A master at the craft could make a drink have both elements. She attempted to smile to help make her cheek bones more visible for the brush touch up. “I would be shocked to hear otherwise,” she told her. “I mean, if I heard you ruined someone’s night I’d have to call them out for lying.”

Jamie moved a bit closer to the side of the boat to get a better look. “I swear I just saw something in the water,” he raised an eyebrow before looking at his phone again to see if he had caught it on camera. “Like a whale or a dolphin or a shark… no not a shark, they don’t jump like that… umm,” he furrowed his brows together. “What do you think?” He asked, showing Sunny his phone. “Or am I just seeing things?”

Sunny was cautious not to follow him. She didn’t want to end up tumbling over trying to see something that may or may not be out there. “It jumped?” she asked for clarification. There were so many options that it could have been. “Did it look big? What color was it?” Those were things that might help them figure it out. She definitely did look at the phone to try and make sense of what he might of captured but she honestly wasn’t sure what she saw. There was darkness and light and motion. None of those things added up to a clear photo. “It could just be a figment of your imagination. How many drinks in are you?”

Exactly, all they can do is say whether or not they remember you telling them about it if you did, which is always an option? But how many kids told their parents everything? I sure as hell didn't. I definitely tell my mom more now than I did when I was younger, for what that's worth. That's a good thing! I'm sure there are some things you'd rather they not remember, but the alternative of not really remembering anything at all is bad, so… take it and be happy, you know? And at least you know that they'll never forget your birthday! That's a huge plus. I don't even necessarily mean their parents! They might be as clueless as to where it's coming from, we know how kids are, they can pretty much catch on to anything going on around them. But who knows! I like to think people wouldn't put that much effort into deceiving everyone, anyway. Oh, so you cheat when you're bowling, that's what you're telling me?

I feel like it’s going to be hit or miss in that case. I mean, it definitely comes down to how much you say. I definitely didn’t tell my dads everything. I probably told them more than a lot of kids but there we all have our secrets. I don’t know that anyone really appreciates their advice until they reach a certain age. I think we’re better off just remembering what we’re meant to remember. I could definitely never forget that. I mean, I’m pretty much on board with any day that involves cake. That’s true. I know some people definitely don’t know any of that. I guess, it’s just a matter of giving them time to figure all of that out. It’s not worth the effort to lie. People figure it out eventually. It’s definitely not cheating. It’s more like a loop hole meant for children that I take advantage of gleefully.

"And you can't say no to good food," that was just the truth -- if they had paid to get on the boat, to enjoy the gala, they might as well at as much as they want to and enjoy what was in front of them. Even if that meant that they had to take a few trips to the bathroom to touch things up. Still worth it. "It's the drinks for me, too. I don't even drink alcohol, but they have good mocktails, plus… gummy sharks," at that, she broke into a wide grin, "if someone gives me a brightly colored drink with a gummy anything in it, I'm going to be in heaven. That's just how my brain works." Dopamine, made her feel like a child all over again. But the happiest child that ever lived. As she carefully worked at touching up Sunny's lips, she let out a soft laugh at the question. "Oh, he's very attractive," she said without hesitating, nodding her head, "but still, just friends. I don't honestly know him that well yet. Tristan? The long lost Newman brother that just came back to town? He lives in Lupine Lane, and I twisted his arm a little to convince him that he shouldn't skip the gala."

“You absolutely cannot,” Sunny admitted. There was something about good food that could make or break an event. Sunny wasn’t sure that anyone would have wanted to be anywhere for an extended period of time if there wasn’t something to appreciate – whether it be real food, snacks or at least drinks. There seemed to be everything someone could want here. There was definitely a need to keep on top of her makeup though unless she wanted to have faded lips or some other issue. “The drinks have been pretty great. I mean, I feel like I have an expert opinion and they’re just right. I mean, I don’t think anyone wants people plastered on a boat. It could end up messy for all of us. A little punch drunk and happy about gummies is a bit yes.” She could certainly appreciate a little theatre in her drinks. That was half the experience, getting some smoke or a funny little nod. She told herself she had to be still so her makeup could be fixed but it was difficult when she couldn’t help but laugh. “No one should skip these sort of things. I mean, it’s the perfect opportunity to get to know someone a little better without the pressure… or with the pressure.”