Altered Tundra

Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

168

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯 | 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐 // 𝑻𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂

Kai had read stories about moments like these, well not him specifically but he was read these sort of stories that told the meeting of peasants and queens. While some embellished the experience a bit, there were also some stories that told that it was a very humbling interaction - depending on the queen, of course. Some were uptight and refused to smile, while others obviously had a gracious presence and welcomed her subjects to her home should they choose to meet her. Whichever it was, Kai had never thought in a million years that he’d be afforded the opportunity to live out what he was read to in storybooks.

As both Kai and Cielle approached where Queen Elsa was, they were met by a rather lengthy line. The line itself had been moving at a brisk pace, something that Kai was excited about. He felt every hair on his head and the one hair on his chest stand up with he came face to face with Elsa. From far away, Kai couldn’t tell but she was a lot shorter than her visage made her seem to be. Kai was also of average height, so he didn’t tower over her at all. Another thing that Kai noticed was how pretty she was. They had the same shade of yellow for their hair, though her eyes were lighter than his - almost as if they were like ice.

Cielle introduced both of them. When she said his name, Kai stumbled, looking at her frantically, then back at Elsa “Oh, uh--” Kai collected himself, trying to find words that wouldn’t make him sound like an idiot, “--I mean, hiya! I’m Kai. Well, you already know that, don’t you? Put it there, partner!” Kai grinned, holding his hand out.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kai,” Elsa said briefly, taking Kai’s hand with her own in what could only be described as the shortest handshake to ever happen to anyone.

Uncertain about what to do next, Kai put on a face and smiled, looking over at Anna. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve absolutely loved the idea of kings and queens. Hearing the good, the bad, and the ugly was something I’ve longed to see for myself for a while,” he said with a grin.

"You're not like most boys your--our age--are you?"

"I mean, my mom used to read me stories about kings and queens. It might sound silly, but where I'm from, we didn't get to experience this kind of lavish lifestyle. It was a simple life I lived and just being here makes me so happy. Almost like I'm close to my mom again." He said somberly, though his grin faded into just a slight, if not sad, curve of a smile.

Palm Beach Royals

Gee willikers, it’s cold in here.

Oh, wait. That wasn’t anything the room was producing. Right, it was that death glare that Reia had given Marco simply because he wanted to strike up a conversation with her. Everything was all fun and games until the bitch o’meter was activated. And the best part of this very moment was that Marco only wanted to get to know his detention partner. An hour stuck next to each other with the latino version of Austin Powers’ Fat Bastard intently watching them didn’t provide Marco with a lot of options. And, honestly, Reia was someone Marco felt would be really good friends with him. She wasn’t a total bore like most of her kind was, so what was up her butt?

Oh shit, she replied. Amazing! “And you’re doing that by texting?” Marco asked, scratching his head.

Marco would get nothing in return, so he decided to look around once more. His eyes went from one corner to the next, one table to the next. He had no idea what was happening at the other tables, but everyone was turning and to face each other. “I really wish I knew what everyone was saying.” He said to himself.

At some point, Marco’s eyes fell back on Reia’s form once again. He couldn’t help but shake the feeling from earlier. It had occurred to him that she was doing all that she could to avoid talking to him. Was her phone really more important than he was? So, somewhat annoyed by her, Marco dipped his head in front of hers. “Reeeeiiiaaaaa~” He lowly sang, “you mad at me?”

The longer Sav engaged in this game of hers with Soleil Jameson, the more she was coming around to the unique charm that she had. She would be the first to admit that this one sitting next to her never was that interesting to her. Her name was unique and she had a certain look to her that worked, but overall, she didn’t think there was anything to ‘Slim Shady’. She was a loud, rowdy, lady-jock. Everything that Savanna herself had experienced with her and the others of The Alpha Six had proven to be nothing but an annoyance on this school. They were all pleasing to the eyes - even Sol - but their personalities were too rough-around-the-edges for Sav’s personal tastes, though Sabrina and Stella were apparently into that kind of thing. Good for them, but that wasn’t the kind of person, male or female, that she’d choose to indulge.

But as surprising as it was, the petite blonde wasn’t just charmed by Sol, she also welcomed it. Though, she managed to sneak in a chuckle when the brunette had brazenly stated what kind of person she was into. To Sav’s genuine, vocal shock, it wasn’t Marco. Sol had made it quite clear that she didn’t harbor any romantic feelings towards that one. Instead, Sol was more about the kind of person Sav was rather than Marco was.

“You certainly don’t pull any punches, do you?” Sav mused, finding the brunette’s directness a refreshing change.

She kept her real reaction to it to herself. In the truest honesty, Sav didn’t know what to feel about this. She was hardly taken by surprise or speechless. If anything, the blonde teen was intrigued by this. She had only been so focused on her future aspirations to give romance a second thought. She didn’t know if it didn’t interest her or if she simply hadn’t found the right person to indulge in. She didn’t even know if Soleil Jameson was the person she’d choose to go that route with, but the effort from Slim Shady was appreciated.

Turning to face her, Sav gave Sol a smile, keeping it relatively minimal. “And what exactly about me is it that you find alluring about me, Sol?” Sav asked, leaning forward curiously, attempting to sneak in an attentive smirk that was aimed at Sol’s way.

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯 | 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐 // 𝑻𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂

If Kai was being truly honest with himself, he didn't know what it was like to be alone like Cielle stated these two--Elsa and Anna--were like. He didn't know if what Cielle was true. He had no clue of knowing if they were orphans or if they simply were fortunate to be of royalty at a young age. You see, Kai wasn't born in a world ruled by kings and queens. He didn't know the first thing about a monarchy or kingdoms or anything like that. The one thing he knew was a single mother's love and the love of his brother. The one constant throughout his young life was knowing that sort of love. This was why Kai didn't respond properly to the young age of Queen Elsa, though Cielle's reasoning made as much sense as magical weapons shaped like keys and people going to every world and plunging it into darkness.

The blond teen simply gave Cielle an understanding shrug. When his mouth was no longer full of hors d'oeuvres, he looked around the room. Knowing the last thing that Cielle Just said really hit him hard, especially when Kai could relate. Having lost his own family, he could imagine the pain they must've gone through. It was still fresh for Kai. He didn't know how long it had been for Anna and the queen. It must've been a while. This was just Kai's own personal opinion on the matter.

Kai shook off those thoughts, shrugging to himself just to change his mind to something more positive. "We should go say hello," he suggested, though it was more of a statement as Kai had proceeded to make his way along the wall, gesturing Cielle to follow.

Haley's Uniquely Titled Hangout.

@HaleyTheRandom Yes

Haley's Uniquely Titled Hangout.

BBC is pretty mind shattering, I don't blame you.

@Sanctus Spooki

This is a pg-13 site, bro. Take that filth to pms :P

Palm Beach Royals

There was absolutely no telling what could’ve confused the pasty mate. Kai, to the best of his knowledge, didn’t say anything that he hadn’t said before. Maybe it was the way he said it? He didn’t know. Maybe these Americans weren’t used to hearing the way that Kai usually spoke back in the Outback. If so, then perhaps he should dial it back. The only biggie there was how would he do that exactly? Kai wasn’t one to know when to hold back and when to just lay it all out there in the open. He either went big like a wave in the middle of a good sess or was quiet and unsuspecting like a roo suddenly punching your lights out.

Good thing for Vivi. She wasn’t as taken aback by Kai’s ways of talking. It brought a smile to Kai’s face and he gave Grant the same smile, though he wasn’t sure if he was as receptive to it as Vivi seemed to be.

“I’ve only met three, mate. You, Vivi here, and the Shirley over there with the golden man over there!” Kai pointed two tables ahead of them where Ella was sitting with someone Kai didn’t know. “Oh wait! Sol and Marco and Johann and Tommy and Fayed and Nolan!” Kai suddenly remembered the new mates he made during lunch hour. “They were all aces! And thanks to you, I now know Solay--I mean Soleil’s name.” Kai nodded to himself, giving Grant the ‘hanging ten’ hand gesture as a thanks.

Marco’s brown eyes were somewhat focused on the new kid appearing to fit in well with those outcasts, Grant and Vivi. He wouldn’t have guessed it, but from where he was sitting and the limited distance between them, Marco was willing to bet that the foreigner was also trying to put the moves on Vivi. If he was looking too much into it, then he’d hear it later. If he wasn’t, then this was truly something worth focusing on. Then again, just a table in front of them (next to Marco and Reia) was D and the class president herself.

Speaking of! “I don’t know. You say that and I currently see Rora seem to not push Dante’s advances.”

Marco tried not to glare or stare or eye them more than it was possible, but this was such an intriguing topic. “You have Dante Mossos, the self-proclaimed King of Kings and then there was Aurora Quill, who had the poshest name to ever exist into humanity. And that was saying a lot when Marco factored in one of his childhood friends, Howard Hickman Hollingsworth. She might be posh but she’ll never be Howard Hickman Hollingsworth posh.”

Wait. Marco looked at Reia, seeing her look back at him. “Oh shit, did I say that aloud?” Marco laughed a few times. Loudly. He seemed to earn a glare from Fluffy himself, smiling apologetically to the man. He then returned to Reia’s occasional gaze, though now he was looking at the side of her hair. He gave himself a self-pat on the back, trying to think of something clever to say that would restore all faith to him in Reia’s eyes.

Hold up. Did she say Sol’s name? “Wait, you think Sol can’t tolerate me? Ella es mi hermano. We are tight like - well, like you and Aurora.” Marco informed Reia, explaining to her about his friendship with Sol.

Marco switched it up, centering his attention on Reia. “So,” his voice trailed off, exaggerating the 'o' sound, “what’chaaa dooinn?”

“Savannah Montana? That’s cute.” She said, giving Sol an admirable smirk at her attempt of an insult.

That was the only acknowledgment that Sol was going to receive from Sav. It was a good attempt, but it wasn’t worth her attention. Frankly, Sav was more interested in the other thing that Sol had addressed. Quite like how she expected the Boxing Barbie to respond, she acted so defensively. It was almost as if she had to passionately deny the claims that she and Big Mac were dating. And if they weren’t officially dating, then they certainly had those sort of feeling for each other. Even if Sav wasn’t aware of their close relationship and how attached the two were, it didn’t take much to deduce that it was the case. Sol’s insistence that she didn’t feel that way made the blonde thespian curious about something.

Sav saw Mr. Alverez was currently busy on his phone. For someone who was adamant about teaching them a lesson, he had no problem turning his eyes away from them. She didn’t think much of it. Honestly, him not giving them attention after only ten or so minutes into detention meant that they were free to do whatever as long as it didn’t mean they would bring attention to themselves.

Ignoring him now, Sav turned her boy around to face Sol. “If what you say is really the truth, then you wouldn’t mind if I asked him out, right? He’s always been a nice guy. And let’s face it." Sav turned her attention behind her, looking at Marco engaged in a conversation with Reia. “He’s cute, isn’t he? I’m sure, as a fellow girl, you could appreciate just how handsome he is. And just think about it? Marco Castillo, the captain of the Water Polo team and Savanna Hart, the queen, together. We’d be the It Couple. Of course, “ Sav stared at Sol for a long minute, “if you don’t want me to, then I will stand down.”

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯 | 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐 // 𝑻𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂

In the midst of Kai’s excitement, he seemed to left Cielle in his dust. He couldn’t quite see her when he glanced back for a moment. As he did, while still running, he had done it yet again and collided with someone. This time around, however, Kai was not only in the wrong, but this person who was now on their butt looked quite livid with Kai. His ocean-colored eyes glanced at the older man and this stout man had one of those faces that made you not trust them for a moment. The way his sinister gaze met Kai’s and the way his mustache curled almost to the point of Kai not really getting this chill vibe from him.

And as this man spoke, Kai was justified in this feeling. “You little scoundrel! You’ve ruined my suit.”

Kai collected himself, offering a hand to help the man up. He didn’t accept Kai’s offer, smacking away Kai’ hand. Instead, he got himself up and dusted off whatever dirt was on his suit. Kai bowed as if he was trying to make amends and he ran ahead to the castle, hearing the man say something at Kai loudly, but Kai didn’t hear what it was.

At some point, Cielle had caught up to Kai. Thankfully, she didn’t see him make a fool of himself with that merchant. The last thing he needed was another lecture about how careless he could be or how he should watch where he’s going. Instead, he arrived at the castle with Cielle next to him. Though she seemed to fit the attire somewhat, Kai wasn’t such a case. While everyone from man and woman to teen and child was wearing suits and elegant gowns. Meanwhile, Kai, who was wearing no shirt under his jacket, swimming trunks-like shorts, and running shoes, stood out like a sore thumb. Though, as he let the amazement of everyone and the design of the interior of the castle, he didn’t seem to mind it as much.

Right before Cielle pulled him to the side of the crowd so they wouldn’t stare that much at them, Kai managed to snag some food. All of this fighting and running had worked up quite the appetite. While he began to dig into the tray of food he managed to get himself, he saw that everyone had been looking up to the second level. It wasn’t until the announcement did Kai, like everyone else, look up and see a blonde girl about a year or so older than he was, slowly walk down the stairs. Her beautiful dress matched her graceful visage perfectly--or so Kai thought was the proper way to describe it.

“Wow, she’s young!” Kai said, his mouth full of the party appetizers. He saw Cielle give him a small glare, so he waited to swallow his food. “I said she’s young. But also very pretty. Like wow!” That time, Kai spoke clearly, if not just a tad too loud for it to remain unnoticed. Oops.

Make a wish, corrupt a wish.

Granted. You now have the stamina of a blade of grass, but now you are unable to stop running, and you are running straight into a raging fire.

I wish to have enlightenment.

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯 | 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐 // 𝑻𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂

When Kai had collided with the now-revealed-as Anna, he was more concerned with the princess’ well-being than he was about Cielle’s scathing glare that she gave him just moments after realizing just who Anna was and how he wasn’t careful. It wasn’t as though Kai decided ‘oh hey, here’s a fun thought: let me bump into the first person I see!’ No, Kai didn’t intentionally set out to bump into people, much less them be of royalty. Frankly, Kai was beginning to wonder why these things happened to him. First, it was Cielle back in Traverse Town and now Princess Anna of whatever this world was called.

As he planned on sulking for a moment, Kai shrugged after hearing Anna had invited them to this Coronation thing. Kai didn’t know what that meant nor did he know who this Elsa chick was, but it seemed to settle their problem of not being able to get into the castle. They couldn’t turn them down if they were invited by the princess herself, could they? Suddenly, the sounds of bells went off from the castle and Anna was heading towards the castle faster than he had ever seen anyone run before. This sudden act sent Kai into an excited frenzy, giving Cielle one look before taking off himself, not far behind Anna. “Well, come on, Ci! We’ve got a party to crash!” Kai smiled, running forth.