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Nope!

[Rhys finally retrieves the last thing from his shoulder pack - a bag of pre-popped buttered popcorn - as he retreats to join Hux on the bed.]

It's from earth. But it looked relaxing and easy to watch, so I figured it was the mood we were after.

[He makes a quick gesture with his robot arm, and the film begins to play. Rhys opens the popcorn bag, and holds it over to Hux, with a lopsided little smile.]

[He mouths the title, frowning when it's clear it's an animated movie]

I think you grabbed something for children by mistake.

[Total frown at the popcorn though]

What's that?

Nah. It's a treasure for all ages.

[The box said so. He takes a little handful of the popcorn, demonstrating for Hux.]

And it's popcorn. Crunchy movie watching snackfood.

[Don't murder him. Rhys eats a few pieces to prove that it isn't poison.]

[he shakes his head, not going for the popcorn, instead choosing to keep focused]

I don't eat between meals.

[Hux reaches over to pick up the box art, reading the description. As such, he's caught offguard when the animated merpeople start singing]

C'mon, you're not gonna have another meal today. This is eating after meals, so it's fine.

[That's how it works, right? After your last meal you're allowed to snack again?

Rhys glances up at the screen as the Mermaid sisters swirl together on the screen. The colours are pretty beautiful.]

Shh shh shh.

[That sure is General Hux of the First Order, shushing Rhys, in order to better hear this movie. He's listening intently now.]

[Well, Rhys did promise not to talk. He settles down a little onto the bed, watching king Triton have the first of many temper tantrums, while making sure that the popcorn is available to Hux, between them. ]

[Hux, almost imperceptibly, is frozen by the temper tantrum being thrown on screen. He's a bit pale, a bit angry, but currently hooked on what's going on onscreen.

He doesn't reach for the popcorn at all, and only takes an audible breath when the scene shifts]

[Rhys notices that Hux is gripped by the movie, but doesn't fully put together the pieces as to why.

He, on the other hand, feels more sympathy for Sebastian, who bumps and bonks his way through the sea bed, trying to keep up with Ariel on her way to her treasure trove.

She just doesn't see how a world that makes such wonderful things... could be bad.]

[Hux, for the first time since the movie started, gives an audible snort at that line and reaches for the popcorn without looking away]

[No, stay down there. It's better. He promises]

[Rhys, as a shrine making fanboy who longed to live up on a space station when he was a child, is pretty engaged engaged by Ariel's hoarding ways, and the deeper into the song she gets, the more he's gripped.

She's him, longing to reach Helios. Sasha, longing to leave Pandora. Vaughn and Yvette, dreaming about what they'll do when they get out of the rat race--

He steals a glance at Hux, wondering if he ever longed to escape the First Order for something or somewhere better, or if the song seems alien to him.]

[Such goes the magic of Disney, really; seeing yourself in the main character. For Hux, he's more jealous of the hoarding; military cadets aren't permitted contraband and he never had stashes. But he too is watching, empathizing with the desire to escape out from under an overbearing father and go somewhere up above - on his own ship, off planet, away from everything.

He doesn't notice Rhys looking at him]

[The song ends, Ariel swims to the surface - so forbidden, but so tantalising - and far from the horrors that her father feared, there are fireworks! There's a ship!

There's a prince...

Rhys lets out a low whistle when Erik appears on screen. He sees where this is going.]

[Hux, on the other hand, looks to Rhys at the whistle, completely clueless as to these kinds of tropes]

What?

She's gonna get that.

[Partly Rhys is saying this because he was a teenager once, and right now he is Ariel.

And teenage Rhys would have at least made a compelling effort to get that.]

[An utterly blank look back]

What, the man?

[is that what merpeople do?]

He can't breathe underwater and she can't go on land. She'll dry out or he'll drown.

Yeah, it would be impossible for them to ever live together, they're from completely different worlds...

[Rhys remarks, still watching the screen.]

But look at her face. Look how much she wants him...

[Maybe he's playing a big dumb here, because Hux so clearly doesn't see where it's going.]

Yes, but it doesn't matter. Basic biology alone means that he would need to drag her around in a..a tank or something.

[He's not saying this to be mean, he's honestly confused about how this could ever work out]

She has to realize how futile this is.

You never wanted something that you just couldn't have before? Something totally impossible?

[Like wanting to be part of that world?]

Just because it's futile, that doesn't mean she can just stop herself from feeling it.

[But uh oh! A storm appears to be brewing!]

[Thankfully, Hux is saved from answering that at the sign of the hurricane appearing on the horizon. He shushes Rhys again, leaning forward when he sees the storm on the horizon.

To the point where he gives a pained grimace when the prince leaps from the ship]

[Okay, okay, he's shushed, jeeze.

The storm rages, the prince sinks, and Ariel gets that and drags it to shore only to encounter exactly the obstacle that Hux anticipated.

No legs.

As Ariel is draped beside the Prince on the beach, reflecting helplessly on how beautiful he is, Rhys steals another glance at Hux.

Does he get it?]

[His brow is furrowed, mouth open just a little as he watches the screen. When she sings her reprise, he crosses his arms, still unsure how she's going to solve this issue]

She still can't breathe on land.

[Guess who hasn't been introduced to the idea of magic yet??]

[Oh no! The dog has found them! She's going to get caught!

Rhys shushes Hux, because it seems fair and appropriate.]

Edited 2018-10-22 23:09 (UTC)

[It's a testament to how fascinating this movie is that Hux doesn't even mind that Rhys shushes him. Instead, he gathers Oaraao in his arms, petting her just in case she's distressed by the dog.

She's not, but it's the thought that counts]

[Ariel returns to sea, and hey! It's time for a big, happy musical number about how good the sea is!

This is cool, but Rhys doesn't feel like it would have slaked his thirst for forbidden cuties when he was a teenager.]

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