Author's Note:
Hello, Katie here. Nice to talk to all of you. I have chapter nine here, which was a lot of fun to write. So, without further ado, read on!
Chapter 9
"What time is it, Kyoya?" Katie asked, since he had a watch on him. They had caught up with Steph in front of a shoppe called the Bazaar.
"About 10:20. Why?" He responded. She looked surprised and laughed out loud.
"Hey sis! We've beaten our morning record!" Katie called over to her sister, who was chatting with the twins. Steph immediately ran over, shocked.
"You sure? That's really great!" Steph punched the air in excitement.
"We make it a priority to improve our schedule so that we get to every ride before the crowd, that's why all the lines are so short to us." Katie explained to the group.
"But know there is a problem!" Steph said with a smile.
"What is it?" Haruhi asked with a slight frown on her face.
"We have lunch scheduled for now! So, I guess we can rearrange things, right Katie?"
"Of course I can, Steph," Katie said with a smirk. "Show the group where the restrooms are and you all can shop in the Bazaar for a few minutes while I modify some things. What time is our Fastpass for, Steph?"
"In about an hour and a half. Around lunch time."
"Great! Perfect. I'll arrange some stuff. Give me about ten minutes or less."
Everyone agreed and went to the bathroom then looked at some Adventureland souvenirs. In about seven minutes, Katie found them.
"Okay, everyone! Lets move on to New Orleans Square. Its time for some tales." She grinned mysteriously.
Steph looked at her like she was crazy. "I thought it was down for a while? The lines app said so."
"I talked to an operator at the ride, they told me it will be up in five minutes. There is exactly no line. Lets go!"
Everyone jumped up to go, ready for this new place. They walked passed a great tree, and came to a grand river. Everyone was shocked to find such a natural body of water with actual boats on it. Steph ushered everyone along, saying they had a special treat for everyone later with the river, but they had to get to the ride now.
"New Orleans Square?" Mori guessed, correctly. Katie flashed him a smile, affirming.
They came to a humble looking bridge with a sign over it. It said lettered in gold 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' There was no line leading up to the entrance, which Katie said was very rare because this was the most consistently popular ride in the history of theme parks.
"Why is that? Tamaki asked. "Of course, everyone likes pirates, but what makes it so special?"
"Simple, Tamaki! It has three things: History, Franchise, and Magic!" Steph said with glee. "Katie knows so much about this ride, I'd be surprised if she shuts up for even a minute during it!"
Katie turned bright red. "This is the most historically filled ride in the park, Steph!"
"Which," Kyoya guessed, "Is why it is also your favorite?"
Katie's blush turned deeper. "One of them. I refuse to choose a favorite. There are good things about every ride!"
"Hey," Hikaru interrupted, bored with the conversation. "Whats that big D symbol up there for?"
Katie answered without even glancing up at it. "The Disney Suites. Originally meant to be Walt Disney's Family apartments, he outgrew the Firehouse one, but he passed away before it was finished. Its now a prize for contests and holds a gallery. People can stay there in the themed rooms for a night if they win. I should check to see if we can get a tour during our visit, that would be fun."
Everyone agreed. The ride looked closed still, but Katie asked the cast member in charge if she could take her group in the ride's interior for a brief history lesson about the ride. They were happily granted access. They moved slowly, listening to what Katie had to say.
"It was originally meant to be a wax museum walk through, more historical than whimsical. But the idea was scratched when the chief on the project did his research and found that REAL pirates were not as glamorous as typical tales said. So, they made it a boat ride, made it a tale in itself, and depicted the 'boys will be boys' pirate stereotype that we have today. It was the height of Audio Animatronics-"
"What are those?" the Hitachi twins asked.
"They are humanoid robots that Walt Disney and his team created and coined for entertainment." Kyoya expertly picked up. "They were such a success, people everywhere used them to entertain and inform. Brilliant technology."
"How do you know that, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked, astonished.
"My family's company, the Ootori Group, has used them on several occasions for medical training and such purposes." He shrugged.
"Since it was new technology," Steph picked up on the history, "Everyone was curious to know about this ride, but…"
Katie continued on her sister's train of thought. "But, unfortunately, the most enthusiastic person on the project, Walt Disney, died right before the project was completed. It shocked the company and the world to its core. The project was delayed while the company debated closing."
"Why on earth would it close?!" Kaoru said. "A company that size with that much money!?"
"I fail to see the logic of closing as well. They had so much prospect and possibility-" Kyoya started to say.
"But a lot of care, compassion, heart, and dedication, especially when it came to Walt. Everyone who was a Disney employee felt as if they were working for him, to make him proud. When he died, they began to question why they were doing it if it wasn't for him." Katie explained quietly. "He was their hero and continuing without him seemed impossible. But Walt's brother and best friend, Roy Disney, said that Walt would have wanted his company and family to run with what he gave them. Fueled by this, the company was working even harder than before."
"That is why this ride had so much publicity," Steph concluded. "It was the last thing Walt Disney personally worked on."
Everyone was silent for a moment. They were slowly making their way in the ride interior, because the ride wasn't taking passengers yet. They came across the front doors, which had a huge treasure map and gold in the front. Katie took a group picture of them in front of it. A parrot was singing the song's theme, which would not be a bother to anyone like Small World would. When they did get in, Mori looked around, surprised, noticing something everyone else was missing.
"Its nighttime."
The rest of the hosts looked around in surprise. "How on earth?" Haruhi wondered.
"Atmosphere is the backdrop to any adventure, my friends," Katie smiled gently. "Something the Imagineers perfected over time."
"Its absolutely magnificent! Perfectly Genuine! How beauteous!" Tamaki began to gush over how wonderful the waiting are was.
Honey sniffed the air, smelling something yummy. "What smells so good?"
Steph bent down a bit so she could look Honey in the eyes. "Look over there Honey. What is it?"
"A… A Restaurant?" He said, very stunned.
That's exactly what it was. Steph said that it was the Blue Bayou Restaurant, where patrons can see the waiting area and the beginning of the ride.
"Maybe we can have dinner there some time." She mused.
"Way ahead of you, little sister," Katie smiled smoothly. "I have reservations for another day."
Everyone was so excited. They made their way to the front of the ride. While Katie talked to the ride operators, Tamaki asked a question to Steph.
"You said there was a franchise with this ride. What is it?"
Steph sighed dreamily. "Every heard of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean? Starring Johnny Depp and-"
"Orlando Bloom!" Haruhi interrupted with a dreamy sigh of her own. "Isn't he perfect as Will Turner?"
"I prefer Captain Jack Sparrow," Steph responded excitedly. "But Katie ADORES Will Turner. She claims that he is 'gallant beyond abstraction and his beauty is a bonus treasure for a fangirl's heart.'"
"I completely agree!" Haruhi nodded.
Tamaki looked at her in shock. "Haruhi… You like this… Will?"
"Well, my dad showed me the movie, and I really liked it. And the character, Will, is so brave and such a gentleman."
Tamaki made a note to ask Kyoya if they could all watch the movie together as a club and take notes on this 'Orlando Bloom.'
"To answer the question, Tamaki," Steph regained herself. "The movie was based off the feel of the ride and has some memorable characters in it. The movie got so popular that the ride added a new story. Captain Jack Sparrow is looking for the treasure. But there is a catch."
"What?" the twins answered greedily.
"The treasure is cursed," Katie answered from behind them. They jumped in shock. "Cursed from all mortals even glancing on it. Beware mates…"
The sisters solemnly said together for the whole group to hear. "Dead men tell no tales."
Everyone was silent, chilled by this ghost story.
"The party is ready to board, mates." Katie nodded towards their boat. "All aboard!"
"Women and Tamaki first," Kyoya said, causing everyone to laugh and break the silent spell.
So they all boarded the boat, talking and laughing. Twins, Steph, Mori and Honey in the front with Tamaki, Haruhi, Kyoya, and Katie in the second row. The ride launched into a marshy swamp looking area. Soon, they came across a skull saying what Katie and Steph said before, 'Dead men tell no tales.'
Katie quickly pulled a poncho out from her backpack as the boat approached the skull. She draped it over her legs and told Kyoya to remove his glasses. He did it without hesitation.
Then, they passed the skull and entered the land of the pirates…
…Via waterfall.
As they went down the drop, everyone yelled with shock or laughter. Kyoya found himself glad he listened to Katie, because his face was sprayed with water after the fall. The front row found themselves damp, not soaked, but a bit wet. The twins laughed with glee, Honey messed Mori's hair before the silent type shook his head like a dog. Tamaki was re-adjusting while Haruhi was silent, enjoying the cavern they fell into.
"Walt Disney visited a real cavern that mimics this one often. He spent an entire night there once, when he was getting sick. It's a beautiful place." Katie said to whoever was listening. Mostly Kyoya and Haruhi.
There were a couple of thunder flashes and lightning claps that Haruhi didn't notice, because Tamaki saw it and was distracting her.
They passed the treasure, everyone pointing out details and laughing. They came to the mist where the movie version of Davy Jones told them that dead men did tell tales.
"Start believing in ghost stories, mates!" Steph shouted. "You're in one!"
They came across Captain Barbosa's battle with the town and the famous song was playing in their ear. They passed the man in a well, where Haruhi turned to Kyoya and said "Is that how your family got information in those times?" Everyone laughed. They passed the 'Wench for a Bride' auction where the pirates yelled "We wants the red-head!"
"Of course they want the red-head, they've got taste." The twins said together to Steph's amusement. Katie blushed, remembering her own hair color.
They saw Captain Jack lurking in the shadows, listening for where the treasure is. They got to the fire scene, where the flames look real.
"What if there was a fire in the building?" Haruhi asked, always the logical one. "How would firefighters tell the difference between the real flames and the fake flames?"
"The is a system that will shut down these fires if the fire alarm goes off." Katie replied with her eyes shining.
In the end, Captain Jack Sparrow got his gold and everyone giggled at the prisoners trying to get the dog to come. Steph made the comment "They've been working that dog for a while now, he still hasn't budged," which caused the boat to explode with laughter.
They exited the ride and Hikaru noticed how long the line was. "Woah, how long is that line now?"
"Probably about an hour's wait, most likely even more than that." Steph said, looking satisfied. "We got very lucky here."
"Okay all! The shopping here is fantastic, plus I need to figure out where to go from here. Lets meet up in about ten minutes over at the ride exit. OK?" Katie asked, eyebrows raised. Everyone nodded.
Before she went to check the line times, she pulled Haruhi to the side.
"Y'know what is the best souvenir in the park?" She whispered. "This."
And she gave Haruhi an empty pressed penny booklet that was previously hidden in the clear backpack. Katie had gotten it when she went off before the pirate ride. "Each penny is like a photo. It can have some wonderful memories. Plus, you can make some great things out of the pennies you get."
"Like what?" Haruhi asked.
Katie pulled a chain from her shirt to show a necklace. It had a pressed penny attached to it, one with the Partners statue pressed on it.
"Its beautiful…" Haruhi muttered, impressed (no pun intended! D: ).
"Chains cost twenty-five cents online and the connectors about a dollar for a pack of fifty as well. How much did you bring for gifts?"
"About fifty American dollars from some travel savings and my dad gave me thirty dollars"
"Here is a map of all the pressers on the Disney property, all updated."
Katie proceeded to instruct her to get a ten, break a five, and get quarters. Use a dollar to get pennies, ask for clean ones, and fill up her booklet. Haruhi, touched, thanked her and found a machine. Her first penny was of Mickey Mouse dressed as a pirate. For the rest of the trip Haruhi actively hunted for the machines and got pressed coins galore.
"Nice thinking, Katie." Steph said. "Is that how you saved so much money while I blew it all on turkey legs when we were in grade school?"
"You tend to rent your souvenirs, girl." Katie wrinkled her noise in mock disgust. "And it still hasn't changed from grade school."
And they got to work on the next course of action.
Author's Note:
Please R&R with your thoughts and feel free to suggest ideas for future chapters. They really do help and thanks to those who have suggested future things, they will be included and made me laugh. Alright, that's it. See you all Friday!
Pirates Link:
watch?v=8i2Hc3EYvZc&feature=
~That's All!~