LITTLE MERMAID | ❝Be nothing except your whole, unapologetic self. Be nothing except what you truly are and what you wish to be; others will see you and those that will love you will see you the way you wish.❞
POST SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING | PLATONIC...
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ARIEL WAS DRAWN TO THE COMMOTION LIKE A MOTH TO A FLAME. Flounder followed close behind, Sebastian trying to chase after them but stopping quickly, sighing as he watched them go, deciding that he would just continue to pretend to look for them; as loyal as he was to Triton, he and the man both knew it would simply be better for Sebastian to pretend that he hadn't found her yet and just continue to search.
So while Sebastian covered for her, Ariel made her way towards the park, chasing the sounds while Flounder tried not to let his camera bag fall as he held onto it, his short legs desperately trying to keep up with her, wheezing softly in the back.
The two skidded to a stop right outside the park, just before they could be seen, running into the gates by a house whose owners were never around. These gates weren't well cared for, as they were mostly brick and overgrown vines, and it was a wonder that the community hadn't done something about them, what with their upkeep of yard maintenance and overall aesthetics, but with the home being out of the way of tourists and adding to the overall aesthetic of old money wealth, they stayed standing, giving Ariel a perfect cover and only partly covered view of the outside.
She had never been in that area before. Sure, she had ventured out towards the city before, but she had never truly interacted with people—the kinds of people that weren't Scuttle or the people that she knew in the community—and she hadn't had much opportunity to observe them outside of coffee shops for a few fleeting moments or on TV and the internet which was, unfortunately, strictly observed by her father; besides, talking to people online wasn't quite like the real thing, and while it was a viable option, after trying a few times, she decided she'd rather be alone than be forced to hurt over wanting to know someone whom she could never speak to face-to-face.
So this was a rare opportunity, and she was going to savor it. Licking her lips, she tried not to let her excitement get the best of her as she peered through the metal bars, trying to see who could be making that kind of a fuss; she realized a little too late that people setting off firecrackers might not be the kind of people that she wanted to be around.
But to her surprise, the image that she had conjured just moments before her eyes landed on the group was nothing like the actual thing. In fact, they seemed like a rather subdued group for the most part, all of them staring at the doused firecrackers on the ground with terrified expressions, their smiles a mix of excitement and extreme discomfort, trying to hide the latter from the others who shared the feeling in its entirety.
Ariel perked up at that, watching as they all glanced at each other, trying to mask their terror and discomfort in the hopes of not being singled out, but unlike what she had seen in the movies, they all seemed more open to letting the others know how they felt, all of them sharing a laugh as they tried to come down from whatever heart-stopping panic they had been experiencing.
"You know, I tried telling my dad that you guys weren't bad influences, but now I'm not so sure," one of the girls called, looking rather flustered as she looked around at the much taller teenagers who simply laughed.
