therushingsky | IC Contact Post

Yes. I was worried about the timeline, but if he's this dense, getting a 'kiss of true love' from this idiot should be easy. Even without her voice.

[Hang on, he's getting up off the bed to get a drink. The popcorn made his mouth dry. He returns to the bed...with two glasses of water]

Unless he's too stupid to know a good thing when he sees it.

[Rhys proposes gravely. Oh, water? For him? How considerate of you, Hux!

There are a few cutesy scenes, before the famous Kiss The Girl sequence begins. Ariel and Eric, gently rowing into a romantic glade together while Sebastian directs a chorus of singing sea life.]

[And it's not even drugged! Hux makes no mention of it other than to get back on board, giving a worried look back at the prince]

That may very well be the case.

See, at least the crustacean knows the stakes. He's the only one with both the agency and the voice to get this done.

Ultimate wingman.

[Aw man they're getting so close...

So close...

Until...

The Eels tip over the boat!]

What the hell!

What!

[Both his and Rhys' outbursts happen at the same time, which finally causes the cat to get up and leave in disgust, headed to the bathroom to nap on the mat in there]

It's not enough to give a timeline of three days, you need to cheat in order to win?!

Ugh! That's exactly the kind of bullshit she would pull!

[Typical Ursula manouever!

The film cuts to Ursula in her undersea chamber, yelling about what a hussy Ariel is, and plotting to keep the prince out of her hands. Even as she slips the shell containing Ariel's voice around her neck, Rhys can sense his dislike for her wavering.]

Does it say something bad about me that I still kinda like her?

She's charismatic. I can see why you would. And she's smarter, clearly.

[He leans forward, frowning]

She's going to impersonate her.

Wow, you think she'll manage to trick Prince Eric the intellectual Titan?

[he's still impressed though, as Ursula wraps herself in the illusion of a beautiful young woman, singing with Ariel's voice.]

[Hux gives probably the first audible laugh he's had on the Barge to date.]

Makes you wonder if anyone's actually beaten her.

Send like the only way to beat her is not to take the deal.

[Rhys remarks approvingly.]

I'm really not into those little things she turns you into if you break the deal though. Kinda body horror vibes for a family film.

The little worm creatures? It's not unlike scavengers decorating the entrances to their caves with the bodies of those who dared to cross them. I've seen plenty like it.

Not usually ones that were still living, but there were some.

[He gives a sharp inhale when he realizes what's going to happen, as Ariel wakes up all excited]

[Rhys makes a grossed out little sound, in answer to the comment about scavengers, but doesn't comment further.

Ursula has wooed the Prince and it's extremely stressful.

At the golden glow in Eric's eyes, and his hypnotic speech patterns, it's Rhys's turn to go a little stiff, disquieted by the events on the screen.]

Rhys.

[It takes Hux a second or two to realize what's happened to his warden is, in some way, what happened to him only an hour ago.

He hesitates, not certain of his obligations here. He's not good at this kind of thing, whatever one might call it.

He does know one thing; he doesn't like that look in Rhys' eyes, and wants to get rid of it. He's feeling empathetic, probably for the first time, though it's not something he would be able to recognize off-hand.]

Rhys.

[A gesture at the screen with his hand. He's going to logic his way out of this!]

She brought the voice with her in that shell around her neck. It's fragile; it's going to break.

[Hux might not be an expert at this, but his observation is enough to bring the largest part of Rhys's back to reality.

It's a film. A kids film (despite his insurance to Hux that it's for all the family). It doesn't matter that Eric is helpless to actually break the shell himself, and that no one even knows (or maybe cares?) that there's anything wrong with him, because--

Because it's a kids film. Of course the shell is going to break. He glances at Hux, and throws the man a wry little grin, to show that he's all right:]

I thought you hadn't seen this before either?

Edited 2018-10-24 12:23 (UTC)

They would figure it out eventually. He clearly has people who would notice something was wrong.

[What was that manservant's name again? Grimsby? He seems aware enough, at least]

I haven't, but I can recognize a pattern of behavior when I see it.

I don't know, man. Grimsby also thought he'd like the statue...

[How can he judge the content of Eric's character?

He keeps his tone warm though, not stressed at all. Nope. Not him.

In the end, it's the seagull of all people who gets wise to the scheme.]

Yes, but there's a difference between knowing someone's preference and knowing when someone has been mind-controlled.

[he does, however, keep sneaking glances Rhys' way, entirely unconvinced of that cheerful tone of voice.

Only when the seagull actually manages to tell the competent crab does he risk a smile Rhys' way]

There, see?

Edited 2018-10-24 16:20 (UTC)

[Rhys has to smile more sincerely then, because-- okay, the fate of this lame brain controlled prince doesn't make anything any better or any worse in a material way, but Hux's determination to see it through, to dissolve the uncomfortable weight in Rhys's chest?

Holy shit does that feel good. Good enough that his next smile is warm and sincere.]

Okay, okay. I get it. You're genre savvy.

[But he doesn't keep talking because they're about to kisssss!

When!

The sun sets!

And Ariel is consumed by the unearthly light of Ursula's spell!]

I'm what?

[But his attention is turned back to the screen and he stares, that sinking feeling returning to his gut.

She transforms and he is just now yelling at the screen]

Stab her! Take a sword there and stab her before she-

[nope now they're over the side and gone]

[Holy shiiiiiiiit, holy shit this is really stressful. But hey here's King Triton! Back to shout for the side of goodness for a change.

He nails Ursula's contract with a thunderbolt, but nothing is happening there...]

Ugh. Legal.

[Rhys mutters, derisively, as if Ursula had a whole team of lawyers put the thing together for her.]

[And now it's like Hux doesn't even know who to root for. He's definitely not a fan of Ursula and her trickery, but he's also been conditioned not to trust Triton. He doesn't believe for a second that Ariel's going to be happier with either of them and instead has made his way off the bed and onto the ground, to sit closer to the screen]

It is, technically.

[Says Hux, the Forever Lawful Evil faction. Ariel should have really had an attorney of her own present.]

Though if she's not of legal age to sign, I don't-

[OH OKAY NOW TRITON IS A WORM THING AND THINGS ARE MORE STRESSFUL]

[Honestly, Triton is the king. If he really has a legal system in place where this is all above board, Rhys has questions. But now he's given up his crown and trident for Ariel, and Ursula is swelling to enormous proportions, and Rhys is pretty sure they're all screwed--

When he sees Eric at the helm of the ship!]

Is he going to-- Will that even work?

[welp okay bottle of mixed feelings because while he's been sympathizing here with Ariel this whole movie, her expression of fear as she's trapped is something he's seen himself.

As the person who usually is the one aiming the weapon.

He glances back over at Rhys' question, over his shoulder]

Not normally, but if it's traveling at enough speed, which it seems to be-...

[oh boy yep that sure is a person being impaled by a freaking boat]

...This is what they show children?

[Like, he'd seen worse, and so had his cadets but he couldn't imagine this kind of thing being played to civilian children in softer, more peaceful times]

It's for all the family...

[Songs for the children, horrible death scenes for the adults.

But at least the worms are turning into merpeople again now, and Eric is safe, and Ariel is back where she started, trapped in the sea, longing to be, part of his world...]

[Hux has mentally prepared himself for a bittersweet ending. So he's a bit frozen again when he sees it's Ariel's dad who finally lets her go off and transforms her]

He could do that the entire time?

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