So I decided to join in the fun of writing Disney crossovers. (I do not own anthing! Do not sue!)
This will be an ongoing collection of scenes set in the same AU. They're in a different style from how I usually write, but I hope it works.
The School For Drawings
The dining hall fills up faster than usual this morning. I am lucky to have been one of the first to arrive, but even in the stillness of early morning, this place is never quite empty. The long tables take up space, while students mill about waiting to greet each other. Jasmine is sitting at the corner of a table near where Snow White is giggling at a joke of Aurora's, and so, strangely, is Megara. I'm not so certain what we're all doing here, since it is a Saturday and there are no activities. Some of the newer "students" seem at a loss for what to do. The dining hall belongs to what can most closely be defined as a residential school. There are several hundred of us who have lived here, all for varying amounts of time. We know little about it. We know that the school is meant to offer us protection of some kind. We know that it was founded for people who happened to be cartoons.
I join Jasmine at the table and sit in relative silence. She is finishing her breakfast. I am finishing a novel. It is the best time of day to read in the dining hall, when only a few of the girls are awake. Peaceful. Slowly, the sky lightens and other students fill the tables. Gradually, we wake up and begin conversing. Jasmine acknowledges the others, asks me what I'm reading, and joins in the conversation with Snow White and Aurora. For some reason, she's warmed up to them lately, as though she had never met them before, although they've both been at the school for as long as I can remember. Aurora seems bemused by Jasmine and I somehow think that Snow White is bridging a gap between them. Only Megara hangs back from the conversation. She's a confusing case sometimes. A little older and all hard edges. I smile at her across the table and she answers with a half-ironic look that I've come to recognize as her own way of smiling back.
The morning picks up pace when Aladdin arrives, smuggling extra crackers and breakfast food. The fact that it is all free seems lost on him. He greets us, on his way to the table:
"Well look who it is? Good morning Belle, Snow White, Aurora. Hey Meg." He claps her paternally on the shoulder, although she has more than an inch over him in height. Aladdin is friends with everyone here and brings a certain unity to the breakfast table. Then he turns to Jasmine, who acquires a sly grin. They embrace passionately. Some of the girls stare. In their defense, it's difficult not to. And then a shrill laugh fills the room. We all look up to see Peter Pan rolling in the air above us, crowing with glee. How can we not have noticed him? He is disproportionately amused. Jasmine rolls her eyes and Snow blushes.
"It isn't that funny," says Jasmine. She and Aladdin are smiling, without the least concern for Peter. Of course, just watching him is funny, but the noise starts a frenzy of activity which signals the end of our peaceful time.
When Aladdin leaves to clear his plate, Aurora asks, "Does your father know about him?"
Instantly, the smile is gone. The two of them exchange a dark look. Jasmine scowls and walks away. There are various barking, whining, & chattering noises spread around the hall and our little group scatters to join in the events of the coming day.
On my way outside, I see birds offering help with breakfast dishes. There are some very keen animals in the kitchen. Duchess nurses her kittens in a corner and Tinkerbell moves to catch up with her young companion. Captain Pheobus has gone to sit with the gypsy Esmeralda. He is too old for her, but I don't say anything. In all honesty, I avoided the captain for the first part of his stay and know little about him. But he is talking intimitely with Esmeralda, and he seems to genuinely like her. Their heads brush together as they speak:
"Where do you come from?"
"I don't know. My parents lost me when I was small. I grew up in France. I've lived in Turkey, Romania, Portugal, and Spain."
Duchess finishes nursing and herds her litter to a box beside the door. The kittens are quick to get into trouble and she draws them back like a young governess would with a student. I check that there is milk in her dish and add a little more. At the school, everyone looks out for those who need it.
And in the hallway, there are still more.
"Good morning," I say - and sometimes, "Bonjour" in my native language, and in many other languages - to those of us who happen to be cartoons.
So that's the premise. I generally don't like the present tense, but, oh well. Please review! I'll update if there's interest.