Not Today, Thanks

BLOG ARCHIVED-- MOVED TO A MULTIMUSE! Affiliated with AskStoryKidsHQ. Only a princess in title, so only use it when it's necessary. Daughter of Rapunzel & Eugene Fitzherbert. (Written by Destini)

[askstorykids-hq]

Welcome to the idyllic town of Addersfield, located on History Island in Auradon, home of Illedale University.

Students here are children of some rather famous faces. And some have made fame in their own right, like King Ben or the Lady Mal. We’re proud to boast a diverse student culture and a rich history–

[–and that’s enough of THAT broadcast! Is this thing on? Hello? Can you hear me?

Good. I’ll warn ya right now, everybody– if you thought Auradon Prep was wild, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Illedale is bigger, meaner, and with the past not so distant to us, tensions can run pretty high around here.

‘Course, you probably know the story by now. When preparing for his coronation, King Ben declared his first royal proclamation to allow over 4 VKs from the Isle of the Lost to come to the city. After a whole showdown about good and evil, the four integrated into Auradon society pretty well, and then after drama at Cotillion, Mowgli rallied the Auradon people to fight for the disbandment of the Isle, sending the villains to rehab and their kids to Auradon Prep.

Catching you up since graduation, pretty much all of us ended up moving to Addersfield for higher education in Auradon’s system– cuz man, I gotta tell ya, it’s a lot better in Auradon than it is anywhere else. Well, ‘cept for all the evil takeovers, I guess.

But not everyone’s cut out for college itself. The nice thing about Addersfield is that it’s all a pretty tight-knit community based around the school itself. More of a college township, as it were. So some of AP’s graduates moved to town to work with a crowd they know well.

I can’t stay much longer, but don’t let the stuffy advertising fool ya about this place, folks! We’re a lot more than what the surface wants to pretend. I’d drop your application while you can if I were in your shoes! This is P. Warner, sending you right back to your regularly scheduled programming!]

–and enroll in your future today at Illedale University, where the story starts anew.

[untxld-stxries]

"Hey, Fergu-- you're not okay. What happened?" Hannah's tone indicates she's not going to take a dodge or excuse. -nxtsoprincess

Fergus hated that he'd smelled her before he'd even seen her. And he hated that he somehow knew that it was her, by the sound of her footsteps, by the smell of the leather jacket, and-

And still he jumped when she addressed him, clearing his throat and shaking his head, forcing a smile. "Hannah, I am fine. Simply... a troubling letter from home."

@nxtsoprincess

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Fergus smiled a bit, chuckling and nodding. “I know. Thank you, Hannah. I will do my best to keep that in mind.” He paused. He needed to get away from the topic of himself.

“How are you?” He smiled softly. “Have you been doing alright?”

Hannah sighs, taking a moment, closing her eyes and cocking her head, pondering the question. “Ask again later?” She tries half-heartedly, but then shakes her head and sighs. “I’ve adjusted. Good old Auradon, can’t even have five minutes, right?”

She opens her eyes and smiles at him. “I’ve been better, but I’ve been a lot worse, overall.”

[untxld-stxries]

"Hey, Fergu-- you're not okay. What happened?" Hannah's tone indicates she's not going to take a dodge or excuse. -nxtsoprincess

Fergus hated that he'd smelled her before he'd even seen her. And he hated that he somehow knew that it was her, by the sound of her footsteps, by the smell of the leather jacket, and-

And still he jumped when she addressed him, clearing his throat and shaking his head, forcing a smile. "Hannah, I am fine. Simply... a troubling letter from home."

@nxtsoprincess

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Fergus shook his head, clearing his throat nervously. He couldn’t tell her. Couldn’t let her know that he was a beast, a monster, something wrong because he’d messed with magic he didn’t understand.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said quietly. “I am sorry, Hannah.”

Hannah wrinkles her nose and sighs, giving up for now. “Fine. But you know I’m here, right? It’s only fair, given all the shit you get from me, that I can at least try. And don’t test me too much, I can be as stubborn as you are.” She sticks her tongue out at him teasingly.

[untxld-stxries]

"Hey, Fergu-- you're not okay. What happened?" Hannah's tone indicates she's not going to take a dodge or excuse. -nxtsoprincess

Fergus hated that he'd smelled her before he'd even seen her. And he hated that he somehow knew that it was her, by the sound of her footsteps, by the smell of the leather jacket, and-

And still he jumped when she addressed him, clearing his throat and shaking his head, forcing a smile. "Hannah, I am fine. Simply... a troubling letter from home."

@nxtsoprincess

[nxtsoprincess]

“Oh, bullshit, Fergus,” Hannah crosses her arms. “You’re talking to the Queen of the Basket Cases, who can smell a serious shift in mood and disposition from 20 yards. What happened?”

[nxtsoprincess]

“I’m... fine, really. It wasn’t as bad as it probably seems. Besides, I got woken up by Holly. It’s not a big deal.” Hannah shrugs and goes to put her earbud back in.

[nxtsoprincess]

Solo Para: I Was Almost Home

Shockingly, the sky briefly going dark is the least of Hannah’s concerns. Because it’s as simple as a blink.

And when her eyes open again, she’s acutely aware of the floor underneath her. She’s sitting on the floor. But it’s... too familiar a sensation.

The next thing she recognizes is her hair on her cheeks. Yes, she keeps her hair shoulder-length now, but... it never falls in her face like this. There’s too much, it’s too heavy... too long, it feels... but...

She shakes it out of her face by looking up, crying out at the ceiling above her.

Because she’d memorized every single line in it, etched every single detail and spot into it until she saw it when she was asleep.

Footsteps. Heavy ones. Bump. Bump. Bump.

No.

“Good morning to you, too, blondie.”

No.

She’s imagining it. She’s just not having a good day, she’s just flashing back. But he grabs her chin and forces her to look up at him and he’s real, it’s real, he can’t touch her in her flashbacks, he’s got her, he’s--

She never got away.

They never found her.

Mama, daddy-- she’d made it all up. She’d lied to herself, she’d never gotten out of here. Foolish blondie. Of course she hadn’t escaped.

No one was looking for her.

They thought she was dead.

Why would they be looking?

Hannah chokes as she starts sobbing, her head dropping the second he lets her go. No strength in her to hold herself up.

Because there’s no point.

She’ll never be strong enough. Never be enough. Never be found. Never. Never. Never. Never.

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Sam chuckled. “Sounds fun. Writer’s block sucks. I, uh… usually work through it by just reading.”

He blinked a little at the squishy star, smiling a bit. He slowly took it. “Thanks…” He squeezed it, taking a deep breath and chuckling nervously. “That obvious, huh?”

Hannah shrugs with a sigh. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, it’s probably only obvious to me because of what I’ve been through. Y’know? It’s not... necessarily about being generally obvious.”

She shrugs and clears her throat. “Reading, though, I’ll have to give that a try. Reading was more of a... comfort thing, when I was home, but... it can’t hurt, I’ve gotta give it a shot.”

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Scott sat down next to her, intrigued. “Lyrics? Really? That’s pretty awesome.” He smiled, watching her for a moment. She was very pretty… He cleared his throat, trying not to look weird for staring at her.

“Maybe I can help out a little, if you want,” he offered, smiling and running a hand through his hair.

She hesitates instead of closing her notebook, looking at him with a smile. “Uh... sure. I mean, if you wanna, then sure, I guess so. I... I don’t think I’ve really ever shared my music with anyone before. But. It’s been a good few days, so might as well try something new.”

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Sam smiled and shook her hand. “Sam. Nice to meet you.” He sat down near her, pulling down his hood and putting away his headphones. He glanced at the notebook. “What’re you doing? If you don’t mind me asking, I mean.”

But while he was talking, he kept an eye out for anything weird - and not the Auradon weird, the dangerous weird. It was something he doubted he’d ever grow out of, even if he ever ended up with the chance to get out of the life… which, now that Melinda and Sylvia were part of it… he doubted he would.

“Oh, um, lyrics.” Hannah smiles a bit with a shrug. “I kinda write songs, but it’s... nothing fancy. Just something to do when I’m dealing with art block.” She shrugs with a chuckle. “The problem is when I get writer’s block AND art block at the same time and I’m left just... sitting here.”

She notices his look... the way his guard stayed up. She knows it well. Going through her bag, she finds one of her squishy toys and holds it out to him-- a little star. “Here. I-- when I start getting nervous about existence being a danger, I squeeze on this and some of the others. Keeps me grounded. Reminds me where I am.”

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Sam pulled his hoodie up over his head, humming along to the song playing in his headphones. It was a… relatively good day. Dean had checked in, but hadn’t asked for information on anything. Which was out of the ordinary, but Sam would take normal where he could get it.

He glanced around the room, tilting his head a little at a purple haired girl. He’d seen her around. But he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her smile. He smiled a little at her, waving a bit… ah, what the hell. He got up from his place, going over to her. “Hey. Uh… d-do you mind if I sit with you?”

Hannah smiles softly. “No, not at all, go ahead. I’m Hannah.” She offers her hand to shake his. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

She taps her pencil against her notebook a bit, still thinking of what to fill in, not knowing where to go from where she is.

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Scott was looking for Malia, honestly. He’d heard she was finally at school, but she hadn’t talked to him yet, and he was, frankly, starting to worry. She had a knack for getting into trouble. He just had to make sure she was okay.

He froze for a split second when he saw Hannah, time almost slowing. She was… smiling. Was he…? Oh dear God. That was a problem. They were just friends, and there he was, being an idiot. Oh no.

Still, he smiled back at her when he finally regained control of his brain, going over to her. “Hey! Good to see you smiling. What’re you working on?”

Hannah lights up a bit more seeing him and then pauses, considering that before deciding to file it away as part of his big unchecked box she still needed to understand.

She laughs softly and shrugs. “I’ve... I’ve been having a good few days now, so it’s pretty great to be smiling, not gonna lie. Oh, it’s... it’s nothing, I was just working on lyrics but they’re-- they’re nothing really.” She moves to close her notebook, somewhat embarrassed.

[nxtsoprincess]

Open Starter: Good Day

Hannah hums softly to herself with a smile on her face, looking down at her notepad and pausing before writing something, squinting at it and shaking her head, erasing it quickly, playing with her hair a bit and looking around.

She’d been taking care of herself and doing really, really well lately. Things actually were the best they’d been in a long time and she was grateful for it. She smiles a bit and waves at someone who looks over at her cheerfully.

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

"Oh! Uh, hi. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Did you say something?"

@nxtsoprincess

Hannah is... well.

To say she’s okay would be a vast overstatement. She’s been completely zoned out as she goes through the school, her head a million miles away.

Fortunately, she doesn’t scream at the voice that jolts her back to reality. She just jump and blink a couple times in surprise, looking back at the source and clearing her throat.

“I-- I’m so sorry, okay, okay, uh am I in your way? My mistake,” she clears her throat and pulls at the sleeves of her sweater.

[nxtsoprincess]

😱 - Scott!

Hannah sits back against the wall, curling up tightly into herself, trying desperately to drown out the voice she knows is just in her head.

Any progress, blondie?

It’s only a matter of time, blondie.

Oh, blondie, I’ll see you break one of these days.

You know, blondie, it’d be so much easier for you to just give in and heal yourself.

A soft sob escapes her throat as she covers her ears, not that it’s doing her any good. She shakes her head, pushing back against the wall, shaking badly, closing her eyes. A small whimper escapes her. “Help...”

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Scott hummed quietly. There was something about her. Something… oh, he didn’t like that train of thought. Not in the slightest. He didn’t want to fall down that hole, not now, nope. Just friends, that’s all they were. Just friends.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he glanced down at Hannah, smiling a little at her. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better.” Hannah nods, but doesn’t move away from him or even look like she intends to try to.

She likes it right where she is, something she should probably be questioning but refuses to worry about right now. She just stays where she is, pressed against him. “A lot better. I don’t... I don’t hear him, anymore.”

Chased her demons away again. For now.

[nxtsoprincess]

😱 - Scott!

Hannah sits back against the wall, curling up tightly into herself, trying desperately to drown out the voice she knows is just in her head.

Any progress, blondie?

It’s only a matter of time, blondie.

Oh, blondie, I’ll see you break one of these days.

You know, blondie, it’d be so much easier for you to just give in and heal yourself.

A soft sob escapes her throat as she covers her ears, not that it’s doing her any good. She shakes her head, pushing back against the wall, shaking badly, closing her eyes. A small whimper escapes her. “Help...”

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Scott nodded, still trying to think. “Anytime.” He rocked her gently as he listened, holding back a growl. He couldn’t just track a man who’d disappeared. No matter how much he’d hurt someone Scott cared about, he just couldn’t.

He kissed the top of her head softly. “I’m always here when you need someone. I mean that. Doesn’t matter if it’s two in the morning, Hannah, if you need me I’ll be there.”

Hannah nods, but everything in her mind comes to a screeching halt when she feels him kiss the top of her head. Holy shit-- what?

It didn’t mean, it wasn’t, it couldn’t be, and she knew it wasn’t. But, what it was didn’t matter right this instant. Right now, in this instant, what it did was bring her back to all her thoughts and struggles around him and it’s--

Big feelings. Big feelings are scary and too much and she doesn’t do that stuff. She doesn’t go with big feelings.

But somehow... somehow she’s not scared of them, not with him, anyways. He was different. Scott was...

No, she tells herself, as she silently just stays close to him and nods a bit as he talks. No, not now, you’re not ready for that and you know it.

[nxtsoprincess]

😱 - Scott!

Hannah sits back against the wall, curling up tightly into herself, trying desperately to drown out the voice she knows is just in her head.

Any progress, blondie?

It’s only a matter of time, blondie.

Oh, blondie, I’ll see you break one of these days.

You know, blondie, it’d be so much easier for you to just give in and heal yourself.

A soft sob escapes her throat as she covers her ears, not that it’s doing her any good. She shakes her head, pushing back against the wall, shaking badly, closing her eyes. A small whimper escapes her. “Help...”

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Scott smiled a little. Okay. That was good, that was progress. He thought hard. He was never good at talking. He was always better with action, or singing - not that any lyrics came to his mind at the moment.

Merlin’s beard… He softly rubbed Hannah’s shoulder, still holding her tight. Hopefully the compression helped better than his lack of words.

Hannah curls up against him, sniffling. She clears her throat and tries to pull herself together. “Thank you for finding me.”

She shudders a bit, starting to try and push his voice out of her head. Get back into reality. “They never... they never found him. I don’t remember if I mentioned that before or not. He’s still out there somewhere. Sometimes I still...”

She trembles, shaking her head and pressing into him. “I used to hide in my room at home. On the bad days. And a lot of my family, they-- they would come by and stay outside my door and just... talk. And read to me. And stuff. So it-- it reminds me of home. You know?”

Shrugging, Hannah clears her throat, shaking her head. “Thank you. I just needed... someone, to know I was here, right now.”

[nxtsoprincess]

😱 - Scott!

Hannah sits back against the wall, curling up tightly into herself, trying desperately to drown out the voice she knows is just in her head.

Any progress, blondie?

It’s only a matter of time, blondie.

Oh, blondie, I’ll see you break one of these days.

You know, blondie, it’d be so much easier for you to just give in and heal yourself.

A soft sob escapes her throat as she covers her ears, not that it’s doing her any good. She shakes her head, pushing back against the wall, shaking badly, closing her eyes. A small whimper escapes her. “Help...”

[nxtsoprincess]

untxld-stxries​:

Scott cleared his throat, thinking. Fergus said talking helped. Talking about what? Nothing? Everything? Anything? Anything. Anything, okay, he could do anything.

“A few years ago, my cousin Malia came to live with us,” he said, hoping that any random topic he could choose would help her somehow. “She’s from my dad’s side of the family, so she’s a full-blooded werewolf. She was raised in the mountains that divide England and Scotland. Uh… her social skills are still a little lacking, since she grew up in a wolf colony isolated from average humanity, but she means well. And I’m still surprised she was sent to us and not to my grandparents.”

“Anyway, the first time we met Malia, she walked right up to me and put her hand in my face. Turns out that in her colony, they still introduce themselves with a sniff test. It’s kinda funny looking back on it now. But she, uh… she’s got a really good heart. She actually helped take care of me after I crashed into a street cart.”

He shrugged, still holding onto Hannah, still trying to keep his breathing steady, still trying not to focus on anything other than helping her. “She’s supposed to be coming here eventually, but, uh, she got in some trouble back in New York so she’s stuck there a while longer.”

Hannah sniffles, hesitantly lowering her hands to try and listen to him better. She sniffles again, reaching up to try and wipe the tears from her eyes... still trembling and still crying.

She smiles very faintly, but still mostly just trembles and tries to hold back her sobs.