Carlos tripped over his own feet, colliding with Jay's back. He winced, ready to be scolded, before realizing Jay had stopped, along with Mal, Evie, and even Prince Ben. For the first time, the prince looked uneasy, posture straightening a little too much, the corner of his lower lip caught between his teeth.

Then he took a breath, smoothed his jacket, and smiled. Walking forward, he called, "Mom. Dad. I didn't know you were coming."

Mom. Dad. Shit. Shit shit shit. This was bad. This was really bad. Those were the heroes that had banished Gaston to the Isle. They were the ones who supposedly suggested using the Isle.

Beast and Belle.

The couple turned to face Prince Ben, their expressions freezing when they saw them standing behind him. Mal's expression went blank as she fell back into the stance she used whenever she was facing off with her own mother. Beside her, Evie barely faltered, though Carlos could see the awkward tilt of her smile. In front of him, Jay crossed his arms, expression mostly neutral, but there was defiance in the way he'd set his jaw. Carlos himself shrank back behind Jay, staying out of sight as much as possible.

"Ben," Beast said, smile too wide, showing too many teeth. "We thought we'd pick you up when you were finished meeting with your…'guests'."

Mal stiffened and Carlos reached for Evie's hand, the princess tangling their fingers together while sidling closer to help keep him out of sight.. Shivers rippled through him. They shouldn't have come…But then they'd already be dead…But…But being dead would at least mean they were finally safe…

Prince Ben's smile became stilted. "Thank you. I'd been hoping to take some time to accompany them to the dorms with Doug. Make sure everything's properly arranged."

"Unfortunately, the Board of UA's Student Experiences has requested an unexpected meeting you will need to attend," Beast replied. It sounded like a lie. At least the part about the meeting being unexpected.

"Of course," Prince Ben nodded and Carlos cringed at the underlying frustration. He must've heard the lie too.

"I admit we were hoping to meet our guests as well," Belle said, her smile softer, her words more genuine. Eyes that looked like Prince Ben's traveled to the four of them. There was some uncertainty in them, but they weren't hard like Beast's. Taking a step towards them despite the king's obvious disapproval, Belle curtseyed. It wasn't deep like her son's bow had been, but it made almost as much sense as his bow had. None. "Welcome to Auradon. I look forward to having you attend my University and watch your potential become reality. I'm certain you will do well."

Mal's nostrils flared a little as if she wanted to snort. Instead, she said, "Thanks. We can't wait to see what we can learn." About the barrier, Carlos finished in his head.

"Come along," Beast interrupted. "We mustn't keep the UASE waiting. Benjamin."

The prince took a breath and forced his smile to relax a little as he turned to the young man who had crept back a few steps from the royal family when they'd started talking. "Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, this is Doug. He's been a friend of mine for some time and he'll be giving you a tour of the campus and explaining how things will work once the school year starts."

Smile awkward, Doug stepped forward. "Hi," he nodded.

"Benjamin," Beast said again and the prince sighed.

"I'll check in as soon as I can," Prince Ben promised. "I'm sorry I couldn't join you, but if you have any requests or problems with the dorms, please let Doug know and he'll get the information to me. Doug, I'll ask Lonnie to meet up with you at the dorms to help with the tour."

Before his father could call him again, the prince returned to his parents and climbed into the carriage. Belle gave them a nod and Doug a smile before joining the rest of Auradon's royalty.

As the carriage rolled away, Doug shifted back and forth on his feet before clearing his throat. "So, yeah. Like Ben said, I'm Doug, son of Dopey." The name meant nothing to Carlos, but Evie stiffened just a little and her grip on his hand tightened. "I'll show you your dorms first and then the rest of the campus if that sounds good."

Now that the royalty was gone, the tension faded into just semi-awkward. Moving from behind Jay, Carlos nodded when Mal shrugged and said, "Why not? Let's go."

"It sounds wonderful," Evie agreed, following Mal down the stairs.

"Heigh ho," Doug breathed when he saw her and Carlos bit back a smile. Maybe Prince Ben hadn't given much of a reaction to Evie, but clearly she was still a beauty here in Auradon. The other male shook himself, blinked, and gestured for them to follow him as he set off across the campus. "Your dorms are this way. Your bags have already been dropped off."

They followed after him.

"It really is a beautiful campus. Queen Belle has dedicated a lot of time to it and as a result it's one of the most distinguished universities in the Ascendancy. The children of nobles and influential people come here as do nearly all the royal children destined to rule in the Ascendancy," Doug said as they walked.

"Like Snow White and Aurora? Ariel and Cinderella?" Mal asked and Doug stumbled a little.

After a short pause, he nodded. "Yes. Their children attend and some of them will be in your year. Ben's made sure everyone knows you're attending as his guests. That should help."

"Because we're villain kids."

"Heritage shouldn't mean as much as it does," Doug sighed. "But, yes. Not everyone is happy that you're here."

"I don't blame them," Mal laughed, making Doug glance at her uneasily. The guy might be a little cowardly and live among heroes, but he also had enough sense to recognize the potential chaos in Mal's laugh.

As they walked, Carlos studied their surroundings. The grass was green and just as soft as it looked from the carriage earlier, nothing like the brittle, sometimes, crunchy grass on most of the Isle. The good grass was all under Gaston's control for the herds to eat. Small mounds rose and fell sporadically across the open grassy areas and trees provided shade in occasional clusters. Stone benches and tables offered places to sit or work in the sun. In the center of the main area was a fountain designed to look like mermaids pouring water from shells and a fish spitting water. Doug was right. It actually was…really pretty.

"Here we are," Doug announced as he approached a long building three floors high. "Hi, Lonnie."

Two horses made of a white and black stone stood on either side of the stairs and sitting between them was a girl who Carlos guessed was around the prince's age. Maybe Jay's.

"Hey, Doug," she grinned as she stood, brushing off her skirt, which was long and narrow compared to what all the other women seemed to wear. And the shade of her skin was different too. Her gaze turned to them. "Hi, guys. I'm Lonnie. My mom is Mulan from China." Mulan? Who was that? When they didn't say anything, she sighed a little then shrugged, her smile returning. "I volunteered to help you guys get settled in before classes start."

"It's nice to meet you," Evie smiled, dipping her head. "I'm Evie. This is Mal, Jay, and Carlos. We appreciate your help."

Doug nodded a little, before turning to Lonnie. "Want to show them the girls' dorm while I take Jay and Carlos to theirs?"

"Girls' dorm?" Evie repeated.

"Yeah," Lonnie nodded. "This is where all the girls stay while on campus."

"Where do the guys sleep?" Mal frowned.

"Their dorm is across the Green," Doug explained, turning to point at a similar building across the stretch of grass, the only visible difference being the two lions flanking the stairs.

"We're sleeping separately?" Carlos whispered. His stomach lurched, threatening to empty his body of food. That was asking for trouble. All of them could fend for themselves, but there was strength in numbers. Here, they didn't have the numbers. Being apart was a guaranteed beating.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Doug nodded. "Well, yeah. It isn't proper to have men and women sleeping in the same building. They could, um…engage in…improper behavior. But Mal and Evie will be roommates and you'll room with Jay."

That wasn't much comfort, but it was better than sleeping alone or with a stranger. What he couldn't understand was what Doug meant by improper behavior. Maybe it was related to what the servants had said when they'd wanted to bathe together. It didn't explain anything, but there was at least a probable connection and he could work from there. Find the missing pieces and the common factors.

"Not happening," Jay told the shorter man. "We sleep together."

"But-" Doug started. Jay tilted his head and the other visibly swallowed.

"I'll talk to Ben," Lonnie said, taking a slight step forward, her body angled slightly in front of Doug's. She shrugged and Carlos noted that her posture was similar to Jay's. Ready to move in an instant, but not looking for a fight. She also wasn't nearly as flustered as Doug. "I'm sure it'll be fine. For tonight, you guys can totally share a room."

"Lonnie!" Doug protested and she rolled her eyes.

"We aren't going to win this one, Doug."

"For-for tonight then…I guess since it's the first night you can stay in the boys' dorm."

"It won't be just tonight," Mal informed him. But they'd made their point; Doug looked too nervous to argue and Lonnie didn't seem to care. "Why the guys' room?"

"We-well," Doug stammered, "the boys won't care as much about you and Evie being there. If Jay and Carlos tried to stay in the girls' dorm there'd be an uproar."

"So Evie and I have to be surrounded by all the boys? That seems more dangerous than two guys in a girls' dorm," Mal smirked. Carlos ducked his head to hide a grin as Doug turned red. Before the guy could say anything Mal shrugged, her smile sharpening. "Then again. The boys' might be in more danger from us. So yeah. Let's use the boys' room."