Dedicated To Disney

10: Dead Serious Or Hilarious?

I couldn't relax against the couch as Zeke took a seat beside me. We were back in the employee lounge and away from wandering ears and prying eyes. Ben and the woman from the water fountain were leaning against the wall, watching me curiously. It made me squirm under their gazes.

"First, I think we should do proper introductions," Zeke said, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"I'll say!" I grit my teeth. "Why the heck are they here? Especially Ben. He's a jerk."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down princess," Ben said, jumping in to defend himself. "I had to do that. It's called acting."

"Why is everybody I first meet here always acting?" I frowned, shooting Zeke a pointed look. He avoided my gaze.

"I'm Sukie," the older woman said, breaking the awkward silence that ensued. She was busy clipping her graying hair up into a bun.

"Nice to meet you," I mumbled. "Can someone explain what's going on?"

"I think Zeke should do that." Ben threw Zeke a serious, yet confusingly amused, look.

Zeke didn't speak right away so I studied my two co-workers before me. Ben had to be around either Zeke or my age. He wasn't very old at all. His blond hair stuck upward at the front, clearly styled to be that way. His gray eyes held specks of green, and his cheekbones stood out just a bit against his pale skin.

He was about as tall as me, with maybe a few inches gained faster. Or maybe that was just the hair slicked upward in the front that made him look taller. He had on a dark forest green shirt and black pants with a pair of boots.

Sukie could pass as a mother of adult children. She might have even been a grandma. Her black hair had streaks of gray and she had it all pinned up in a loose bun that hid most of the aged pieces of hair. Her subtle red shirt and blue pants went well with her dark skin and brown eyes. The nametag that read Sukie was pinned nicely below her collarbone.

"The moment you spoke out at the founders, I knew you were going to be trouble, so I followed you around from then on," Zeke finally spoke.

"You were stalking me?" I took a deep breath. "That's not creepy at all."

Zeke chuckled softly before giving me a sheepish smile. "I know. I had Sukie help out with my job - paying extra, of course - so I could keep an eye on you. I saw your interaction with Elsa and Eric and heard the words you exchanged. I even had Ben follow you after you tried to convince me that you needed to go to the bathroom to escape to Ordinarily Disney. He reported the whole thing as I helped get the new character into her exhibit."

I swallowed. He knew? He saw beyond my lie? Ben followed me? I shot Ben a look. He mimicked the same sheepish grin Zeke had, avoiding my gaze and running a hand through his hair.

"What else do you know?" I asked softly.

"I got the key off of Sukie to give to Ben. He purposely had it hanging in the kitchen for you. You just had no stealthy way of getting it, Sherlock."

"Life isn't as easy as in those crime movies," I grumbled. "So...you've been helping me? Why?"

Zeke scrunched his eyebrows together and balanced his elbows on his knees, his eyes finding the floor. "I didn't like what you were doing at first, but realized how much it needs to be done. What the founders are doing is wrong."

I nodded, some part of me accepting the poor guy's answer. I turned to Sukie and Ben. "And you two?"

"Pretty much the same," said Sukie. "This is wrong. My grandchildren want me to stop it."

Ben nodded in agreement. "Yep. What she said."

Feeling the irresistable urge to say something snarky - even in a dead serious moment like the one we were in - was too strong. "Oh, so you're a grandpa? I guess you do resemble one."

Ben raised his eyebrows, a smirk sliding onto his lips. "So she has attitude, I see. Well, I do, don't I? My poor old back. I need to rest. Don't be greedy, Gianna. This old body needs a break."

I let out an exclamation as he sat on my lap, leaning back and crushing me into the bench. I let out muffled protests against his shirt. Did he just...?

"Ahh," he sighed. "Here we go. Much better."

I managed to get my arm around his body and I slapped his face with my palm. He yelped and cupped his cheek, turning to look at me. He grinned, rubbing the red spot. "Comfortable?"

"Get off me, old man," I hissed. "This is harrassment in the work place and my supervisor is literally right next to us."

Zeke suppressed what I knew was a smile. I gave him a glare and he grinned apologetically, shrugging his shoulders as the young man sitting on me moved to get off. Once he was up, I lifted my legs and kicked him in the back of his legs. He gasped and tumbled to the floor as I inhaled deeply, massaging my thighs. He crushed me!

"Princess has fire," he muttered, standing up as Sukie burst into delightful laughter.

"Yes, and don't throw oil onto it or it will roar to life and scorch your old man's beard," I retorted, shifting into a comfortable position by curling into a ball. My knee brushed against Zeke's arm, sending a slight lurch through my stomach.

Ben instinctively ran a hand along his chin. I laughed as he narrowed his eyes at me, realizing he was still clean shaven. Both he and Zeke didn't seem to like the idea of even a stubble as Zeke, too, played with his chin at my words.

"Well, I already like you, sugar," Sukie laughed, patting my back.

I smiled. That was, until I remembered why we were there in the first place. A heaviness entered my heart with a warm singe, extinguishing the relaxation that had been there. I turned to meet Zeke's bright eyes. "What do we do now?"

"Depends. Did Peter Pan tell you anything?"

"All he said was Ro. I don't know if that's a person or if he wasn't able to finish what he was saying."

"Well," Zeke said, pulling his phone out. "I guess there's one way to do this."

"What?"

"Search up words starting with R."

"That is just genius, Sherlock. One of the smartest, most stealthy ways I've ever heard of figuring out a mystery."

Zeke rolled his eyes, whacking me with his phone. "Just get your electronics out."

•~•~•~•~•

Thoughts on Gianna at this point? Zeke? Ben? Sukie?