The Grotto; Friday Evening [ 05/07 ].
Sebastian scurried out of the palace, muttering, "How do I get myself into these situations? I should be writing symphonies, not tagging along after some...headstrong teenager!"
And that headstrong teenager was swimming by just as he spoke. There was a determination in her movement, a definitive goal. Not to mention that very subtle glance back and forth to ensure that the coast was clear. "Hm?" It was impossible not to be concerned about it. "What is that girl up to?"
Either way, he was definitely going to follow her, as best as he was able. She lead him to a secret entrance in the rocks, one that almost closed on him entirely if he weren't able to push himself out of it. After colliding with a few things, tumbling about, he looked, and finally saw where he was.
A tall grotto, its walls like shelves, and each of the shelves stuffed with all sorts of strange, foreign items. Items from dry land, glittering in a shaft of light from the hole at the top.
"Ariel?" Flounder cautiously approached the princess fiddling with her dinglehopper in the center. "Are you okay?"
"If only I could make him understand," she said. "I just don't see things the way he does. I just don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things...could be bad..."
And, of course, such a feeling called for another musical number.
Sebastian had found himself somehow trapped in a vessel, which then came tumbling down, disturbing the peaceful pause at the end of the number as it crashed open and he found himself strewn among a cocophany of strange things.
"Sebastian!"
"Ariel! What are you...how could you...what is all this?"
"It's, uh," Oh, how to explain? "It's just my....collection?"
"Oh, I see," said Sebastian. "Your collection...."
Then he exploded, "If you're father knew about this place--"
"You're not going to tell him, are you?" asked Flounder, rushing forward.
"Oh, please, Sebastian! He would never understand!"
"Ariel," Sebastian tried to be calm, and patient, "you're under a lot of pressure down here. Come with me and I'll take you home and get you something warm to dri--"
"No!" Ariel said, with more force than she'd intended, and she backed down, slightly. "I mean, I can't. I can't go home. I'm never going back to that place! My father doesn't understand, Sebastian! This world is so much to me, and he can't see...I can't go home. I don't want to go home."
"Then where," asked Sebastian smartly, "will you go?"
"I'll stay here," Ariel decided, and made the impression of planting herself at the center of the grotto to prove it. She folded her arms in front of her. "I'll stay here and I'm not going home."
"Ariel!" Sebastian was now desperate, claws together in pleading. "I can't go to your father with news like this! Come home! Get some rest! It will all look different to you in the mornin', I promise you that."
"Forget it, Sebastian," said Ariel, turning her back away. "I've made up my mind. I'm staying here!"
"Yeah!" Flounder added for extra emphasis, screwing his face up and sticking out his tongue at the crab before turning his back as well.
"Well, I never!" Sebastian flustered. "Of all the ingrateful, spoiled, selfish little gi-- That is it!" he declared. "I am outta here! And you better hope that I don't tell your father, Ariel! I only keep the secret because I know it would kill him to know!"
For a fleeting second, Ariel felt compelled by her guilt to budge, but that was how Sebastian worked. She steeled herself defiantly, refusing to speak, and the crab scuttled away, mumbling under his breath in his accented tones. It was only when she was certain he was completely gone that she broke down, wilting, and started to cry. At least, though, she could take comfort in her collection, in her gallery of that world beyond the sea, the world where her dreams waited for her.
[[ and here we official start to diverge from the story...slightly! But not until tomorrow! Fin until then! ]]
And that headstrong teenager was swimming by just as he spoke. There was a determination in her movement, a definitive goal. Not to mention that very subtle glance back and forth to ensure that the coast was clear. "Hm?" It was impossible not to be concerned about it. "What is that girl up to?"
Either way, he was definitely going to follow her, as best as he was able. She lead him to a secret entrance in the rocks, one that almost closed on him entirely if he weren't able to push himself out of it. After colliding with a few things, tumbling about, he looked, and finally saw where he was.
A tall grotto, its walls like shelves, and each of the shelves stuffed with all sorts of strange, foreign items. Items from dry land, glittering in a shaft of light from the hole at the top.
"Ariel?" Flounder cautiously approached the princess fiddling with her dinglehopper in the center. "Are you okay?"
"If only I could make him understand," she said. "I just don't see things the way he does. I just don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things...could be bad..."
And, of course, such a feeling called for another musical number.
Sebastian had found himself somehow trapped in a vessel, which then came tumbling down, disturbing the peaceful pause at the end of the number as it crashed open and he found himself strewn among a cocophany of strange things.
"Sebastian!"
"Ariel! What are you...how could you...what is all this?"
"It's, uh," Oh, how to explain? "It's just my....collection?"
"Oh, I see," said Sebastian. "Your collection...."
Then he exploded, "If you're father knew about this place--"
"You're not going to tell him, are you?" asked Flounder, rushing forward.
"Oh, please, Sebastian! He would never understand!"
"Ariel," Sebastian tried to be calm, and patient, "you're under a lot of pressure down here. Come with me and I'll take you home and get you something warm to dri--"
"No!" Ariel said, with more force than she'd intended, and she backed down, slightly. "I mean, I can't. I can't go home. I'm never going back to that place! My father doesn't understand, Sebastian! This world is so much to me, and he can't see...I can't go home. I don't want to go home."
"Then where," asked Sebastian smartly, "will you go?"
"I'll stay here," Ariel decided, and made the impression of planting herself at the center of the grotto to prove it. She folded her arms in front of her. "I'll stay here and I'm not going home."
"Ariel!" Sebastian was now desperate, claws together in pleading. "I can't go to your father with news like this! Come home! Get some rest! It will all look different to you in the mornin', I promise you that."
"Forget it, Sebastian," said Ariel, turning her back away. "I've made up my mind. I'm staying here!"
"Yeah!" Flounder added for extra emphasis, screwing his face up and sticking out his tongue at the crab before turning his back as well.
"Well, I never!" Sebastian flustered. "Of all the ingrateful, spoiled, selfish little gi-- That is it!" he declared. "I am outta here! And you better hope that I don't tell your father, Ariel! I only keep the secret because I know it would kill him to know!"
For a fleeting second, Ariel felt compelled by her guilt to budge, but that was how Sebastian worked. She steeled herself defiantly, refusing to speak, and the crab scuttled away, mumbling under his breath in his accented tones. It was only when she was certain he was completely gone that she broke down, wilting, and started to cry. At least, though, she could take comfort in her collection, in her gallery of that world beyond the sea, the world where her dreams waited for her.
[[ and here we official start to diverge from the story...slightly! But not until tomorrow! Fin until then! ]]