Inside Out reImagined

The Walk to School

Fully dressed and prepared, Riley dashed out to the antechamber of the apartment, where she met her parents, getting ready for their own preoccupation for the day. While Dad was to continue meeting up with his coworkers in person, a status he referred to as "business as usual", Mom was still delegated to settle immigration matters.

The family members had eaten breakfast at around the same time, but the parents were thoughtful enough not to interrupt Riley if she was looking happy. However, the three were about to separate, and needed a "status update" so to speak.

"Good morning, monkey! Looking fabulous today, aren't we?" Mom asked her daughter.

In an almost perfect mirror of the apartment, Riley's mind was also buzzing with activity. In the distance, Goofball Island turned on as soon as the word "monkey" was heard, and at the forefront, the emotions gave it a few glances, before turning to their leader, Joy. In the end, "business as usual" was the best way to summarize the situation in the mind, as well.

Overhearing Mom's remark, Disgust was all-but-ready to make Riley agree. "Oh, please!"

"Of course you would say that!" Joy said, smiling as she turned her head towards them. As Disgust, only making comments to themself, didn't look like they were touching the console, Joy took over in her stead.

"Thanks!" Riley replied.

"So! First day of school. I mean, not really, but you still get to know your friends; though, I don't think many of them will show up, but the ones that do might be the most worthwhile to keep!" Mom commented.

At first, Riley was confused how to respond, and her emotions were trying to process it all. Each of them, including Sadness by her lonely spot in the circle, had their own thoughts, and were all too ready to voice them.

"Yeah, why did no one inform us that local schools were on winter break?" Anger was the first to object, thinking that perhaps, this move was poorly planned and organized. "And also, why isn't the winter break centered around Christmas and New Years, like it should be?"

He was met with an awkward silence. First of all, even the other emotions, limited as they were in perception without memories, understood that there were calendar differences between China and the West. However, second, they couldn't really afford to look spaced out in front of Mom, thinking about calendars of all things. They were a topic so minor to Riley, its location on the Consciousness Grid wasn't even above the horizon from the vantage point of Headquarters.

It was thus up to Joy to save the day — well, the morning, at least — and make Riley appear as she should. She thus replied to Anger, while at the same time going for the console: "We'll go over that when we're out and about, okay? Now, we really gotta respond to Mom, and this is firmly my duty. Happy girl, remember?" Most of the others only nodded as the console lit up in brilliant gold; however, Fear's reaction, judging by the flash of purple, was quite different.

"I know! Starting the day off right and all! It's just that... do you think I'll need to know Chinese from day one?" Riley spoke.

Before she even got an answer from Mom, Dad, or anyone else in the outside world, Joy replied, still irritated from all the nonsense she had to go through while recounting her plan. "You'll be fine, Riley. Just go along and do everything as rehearsed!"

"But... we didn't rehearse anything?" Fear countered.

"We did rehearse the most important thing: my awesome laser pointing skills. And I would say those are flawless; right, Sadness?" Joy quickly turned to the back of Headquarters, not really expecting to get a response, or understand it if she got it.