Chapter 1-10: Gonna Be a Great Show

A few days later...

Briar, Grim, and the others watch the Steering Committee work on Jack's plan for the performance. Whatever the plan is, it has a lot of booming, swishing, tapping, and other sounds that make it like music. Soon, the group finished the performance. Everyone claps and cheers in response.

Grim cheers, "Whoooa, that was awesome!"

"That was amazing," Jasper says.

"We got through a whole song together!" Floyd says.

"We did...though with a lot of mistakes," Jack says.

"Yeah, we were like a buncha mudskippers floppin' in the sun," Floyd says.

Rook happily says, "Très bien! That was most satisfactory, given how terrible we've been!"

"This does give me hope that we'll pull it together in time for the concert," Ruggie says.

"Yeah, what a relief," Jack says.

"Still, your performance was incredible!" Briar says.

"It was amazing," Sereia says.

Rook chuckles with a smile, "Heh heh, thank you. We have Monsieur Fier-à-bras's excellent leadership to thank for it."

"Not at all, your advice the other day is what got me to this point. So thank YOU!" Jack says to Rook.

"Oh, mais non!" Rook says with a smile, "This is the result of your tireless devotion to ferreting out a solution!"

Jack soon realizes, "Oh, crud. It's getting pretty late. We've gotta go, Ruggie."

"Have you another appointment?" Rook asks.

"We gotta head over to Heartslabyul so Class B can decide what we're doing for our food stand," Ruggie says

"You're meetin' at Heartslabyul? Oh right, Seabream's your class's leader," Floyd says.

"Well then, best of luck to you Monsieur Dent-de- Lion! And you as well, Monsieur Fier-à-bras!" Rook says.

"Well the others and I will keep a great record of you guys decidin' what to serve," Grim says.

"I don't mind if you're doing your job, just keep it down during the meeting," Jack says.

"Don't you worry!" Grim says.

Ruggie rolls his eyes, "I dunno if 'keep it down' is in his range."

Sometime later…

Those who are part of the group arrive at the Heartslabyul Dorm lounge for the meeting.

"Sorry for the hold up, everyone," Jack says.

Seeing the outfit, Cater says, "Whoa, check those outfits! You two are lookin' snazzy! Are those the Steering Committee uniforms?"

"Yeah, the headmage called it 'Port Wear.'" Ruggie says.

Seeing the clothes, Epel says, "Hey, that's so cool! They definitely scream 'Port Fest,' that's for sure."

"Thanks," Jack replies.

"We gotta snap a photo after this!" Cater says, "But first, it's meeting time!"

He then calls out to the students, "Everyone here?"

"I just finished taking roll, and yes! All present and accounted for," Epel says.

Even Idia, who sighs in response.

"Even Idia! It's a Port Fest miracle!" Grim shouts in surprise.

But Idia says with his tablet, "I was gonna ditch out, but Cater literally dragged me here—VERY MUCH AGAINST MY WILL, I MIGHT ADD!Where's your heart, you unrepentant extrovert?!"

"This is a school event, Idia! As in, super mandatory!" Cater says.

"It's actually pretty impressive seeing all of us gathered like this," Epel says.

"Sure is," Jack says.

Cater responds, "Perf! So let's jump right in and decide what we'll be selling at our stand!"

"I wonder what would be good," Jack says.

The Epel says, "This is going to sound obvious, but if we want to do well, we gotta have something delicious! The festivals back home always have tons of food stalls. They sell all kinds of local specialties. Apple pie, baked apples, apple salad, you name it— and it's all amazing. The tourists love everything we sell!"

"Hmm... I personally love a good pear compote," Jack says.

And Epel says, "...I think apples would be much better than pears. Nothing beats the crisp goodness of an apple! And you can use them in a boatload of recipes!"

"Pears are great poached and grilled and whatever else. And they have a nice buttery texture!" Jack argues.

"I'm telling you, APPLES are the way to go!" Epel argues.

Jack argues, "And I say PEARS!"

And then Cater says, "Cay-Cay is partial to both, so y'know…"

"Same. I'm happy so long as I get to eat," Ruggie says, shrugging his shoulders.

And Idia says, "...I don't really think anyone'll be worried about taste. Whatever's fine as long as it has the nutrition the body needs."

"Kinda think you're in the minority on that one, Idia," Jack says.

And Cater says, "Okay, but this is for a FESTIVAL. We're not talking any ol' food stall. There's something even more important than taste here. We have to make sure it's TOTALLY 'CAMMABLE! We gotta sell something our customers can enjoy, and then upload pics of to Magicam!"

"Huh, okay," Jack says, "I guess now that you mention it, festivals do usually have attractive foods."

"Um... So like, I think it's probably essential that we pick something easy to make…" Idia says, "It makes zero sense to sell something flashy that takes tons of time and effort."

"Yeah, I get that," Jack says.

"And we should print popular characters on whatever it is too…" Idia says

"You lost me there," Idia says, confused.

Then Ruggie asks, "What're you all yammering about? You're forgetting the most important thing: making MONEY! A part of the profits are going to the students— that's us! You didn't forget, did you? If we're gonna put our blood, sweat, and tears into this, we've at least gotta reap the rewards!"

"Yeah, we know that's your goal, Ruggie," Jack says.

And Ruggie says, "It's a golden opportunity to line our pockets! Forget that nonsense about making memories or whatever!"

"Hmm, opinions are deffo split here. What to do, what to do…" Cater says, thinking of an idea.

"Pretty sure it's impossible to make everyone happy," Ruggie says.

"No, we just need to keep thinking! I'm sure we'll find something that ticks all our boxes!" Jack says.

Then Idia suggests, "Um, maybe we could like...draw straws? That would be fair…"

"I'm not really sure about that…" Epel says.

Grim groans, "Ugh, this is taking so long! I'm gettin' bored here! Just pick somethin' already!"

"I told you to keep it down!" Jack says.

Ruggie questions, "Did I call it, or did I call it?"

One student says, "We're not getting anywhere…"

Another student says, "Well, now what?"

A third student says, "I'm ready to gooo…"

And Cater says, "Welp, this is going south real fast. Jack, do you have any good ideas?"

"Huh? Me?!" Jack says, shocked.

He then says, "Er, well... We need something that tastes good, looks good, and is easy to make at a reasonable price…"

"And that uses apples," Epel says.

But Jack says, "Pears."

"I don't think apples or pears are really a requirement here…" Idia says.

"Hmm…" Jack thinks again. And has an idea, "...Oh! How about waffles?"

Epel likes the idea, "Oh, I like that! They're yummy!"

Cater also likes the idea, "Yeah, and we can come up with lots of toppings for them. They'll be super cute and photogenic!"

"Apples make good jam, and jam's a topping!" Epel says.

But Jack says, "So's pear compote.""

Then Cater asks, "Anyone here know how to make waffles?"

"I'm pretty sure I could do it! I've made similar stuff back in Harveston," Epel says, "If we make lots of batter in advance, then all we'll have to do the day of is cook them up in a waffle iron!"

"Oh... Um…" Idia responds, unsure, and soon says, "Maybe... I could make the waffle iron?"

"What?!" Jack asks, shocked.

Idia then says, " Um, well, we want this to be as easy as possible, right? I can build one that'll cook them fast and make a lot in a short time."

"But wouldn't it be an even bigger hassle to BUILD a machine from scratch?!" Jack asks, shocked.

"Pretty sure it wouldn't be for Idia," Ruggie says.

"Well, all right then," Jack says, "That means we've got taste, looks, and ease ticked off. What about making sure they're profitable?"

Ruggie snickers, "Shyeheehee... This is a prime chance to get my haggle on. I'll make sure we get the ingredients on the cheap."

"We love to hear it! This is just perfect!" Cater says.

Everyone agrees, "Yes! We've got a plan!"

"I'm kinda surprised you came up with a clever idea like waffles, Jack," Ruggie says.

And Jack says, "Oh, well, my mom used to make them for me a lot. Some of my best childhood memories are of eating waffles with pear compote on a day off. The sweetness of the waffles went so well with the tartness of the pears... Oh man, they were the best!"

"That's a way more personal and adorable reason than I anticipated," Ruggie says.

"And thanks to that, we've got our menu. How nice!" Cater says.

"We were smart and took advantage of everyone's strengths!" Epel says.

"I guess in a way, that is good teamwork, " Briar says.

And Cater says, "We just kinda shouted our opinions at each other, but I guess it worked out in the end."

"Hey, we got what we needed, and that's a win in my book," Ruggie adds.

Then Cater says, "On that note, Epel, can you lead the freshmen and come up with a recipe and topping selections?"

Epel & Co. agree, "We're on it!"

"Ruggie, you take the sophomores and get our supplies!" Cater says.

Ruggie & Co. agree, "Gotcha!"

"And Idia, you work with the juniors and get your equipment and materials together!" Cater says.

Idia & Co, say, "Roger!"

"Perf! I think that about does it for today's meeting. Good work, team," Cater says.

Everyone say, "Yeah, good job, Class B!"

"Now Jack, Ruggie. Let's get a piccy of that Port Wear!" Cater says, "By the way, are you okay with me uploading this to Magicam? It can be an ad for the food stand too!"

"Sure, fine by me," Jack says.

"Thanks a bunch!" Cater says with a smile.

Cater then takes a selfie with himself, Jack, and Ruggie with his camera.

"Hmm... I feel kind of awkward," Ruggie says.

"Same," Jack agrees.

"Port Wear, huh? Good on land and at sea, I guess," Idia says.

And Epel says, "The outfits remind me of something an orchestra or marching band would wear."

And Cater says, "Oh, speaking of bands—I heard you Steering Committee guys are gonna be doing a concert?"

"You sure got sharp ears, Cater," Ruggie says.

"So these outfits are for your performance, huh?" Cater asks.

"Seems that way," Ruggie says, "The headmage said Professor Crewel designed them."

"Whoa, so does that mean you guys play instruments?" Epel asks.

Ruggie snickers, "Shyeheehee... As of like an hour ago."

"Yeah, we finally got the hang of things today!" Jack says.

Epel & Cater & Idia say in shock, "What?"

"It's gonna be a great show, so make sure you don't miss it. We're gonna play you the best music you've ever heard!" Jack says.