Finally Wasabi speaks up. "I say we take a vote."
"We don't have any paper. And I'd rather not let anyone see my answers." Fred counters.
"Paper, huh? Baymax, can you bring up a series of notes?" Hiro crosses his arms.
"Here are my files on- notes."
"No, no, not those notes. Blank ones that we can write on." That was a close call. Baymax was about to show Hiro's diary. Or 'logs' as he would call them but Baymax has them recorded as notes.
Baymax looks down, bringing up a lined page on his tummy. "Who wants to go first?" Hiro asks.
Shuffle
"Fantasyland!" Written with pink and hearts around it. No telling who that could be.
"Ok, so to make things easier, why don't we just go counter clockwise? That's what we've done so far." Wasabi makes a whirling motion with his finger.
"Good enough." Hiro responds, marching down the path humming the Mickey Mouse Club theme. "M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E."
"You wanted to ride Dumbo, right?" Fred asks, taking him off beat.
"Yeah." He looks up as if there was a real flying elephant.
"There's a big line for it. Meanwhile tea cups doesn't." Or the proper name 'Alice's Tea Party'. Fred points his arms either way. "That way is the tea cups. That way is Dumbo. Neither is Baymax going to fit. Sorry, Marshmallow." He puts a hand on Baymax's shoulder. Baymax just blinks.
"Well, you can go on the tea cups and we can wait in line for Dumbo." Hiro resolves.
"Yeah, I'd much rather ride the tea cups. Sorry, I'm afraid of heights." Wasabi reminds everyone. They all already know but at least he's honest about it. Once you have so many fears, you become unashamed to tell people about them. Just nobody tell him that he might get dizzy!
"So, we'll split up. Who wants to ride what?" Hiro asks.
"I'd rather interact, so I'll take the tea cups." Gogo joins Wasabi. Makes sense, Dumbo might be too slow for her.
"I'll stay with Baymax." Cass says. Baymax technically could just wait outside the line but Cass isn't too fond of that. Baymax may not get lonely but Cass does, so she knows what it feels like. To leave someone alone is like sending them to their bed to cry all night.
"I also kind of want to ride the tea cups." Fred admits even though he's the one that brought it up. He doesn't want to leave Hiro alone either but really wants to ride the cups.
"Well I for one want to ride Dumbo, what do you say Hiro?" Honey cheers. It's not like they'll be riding together but it'll be fun. Hiro hands Baymax his backpack. He doesn't need to lug it around on every ride after all.
And the waiting continues...
After, Honey claims the elephant in front of Hiro's, a fitting dark pink against Hiro's dark blue.
Up above, Hiro can see the others on the tea cups. Fred waving his arms in the air as he gets jerked from side to side. Wasabi switching between spinning the wheel and wishing he hadn't. And Gogo trying to take the wheel from him so it can spin faster.
He looks out for Cass and Baymax but they're nowhere to be seen. There are a lot of people though and the sun is shining so brightly that he needs to put his hand to his forehead to see. He shrugs it off and decides to just find them later. The ride dips up and down. Hiro can already fly, what does he need a ride like this for? With Baymax, there are no restrictions, he can go anywhere or even create his own coaster.
"Woo-hoo!" Honey yells, raising her hands up high. Hiro can't help but smile. He knows that emotion. That feeling of freedom and that everything's right with the world. He knows it when he's in the air with Baymax. She turns around, putting her shoulder over the back of the seat, returning his smile. His cheeks match her Dumbo's hat, getting a bit embarrassed. She caught him staring.
He diverts his attention away to the left at the golden storks. This really is nice.
But before he can indulge in it, the ride is over, having to exit. He follows Honey back to the entrance. "You know, the Ferris wheel is in California Adventure. Have you thought about who you want to ride with?" Honey asks.
The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. He forgot there was a Ferris wheel here and with only enough room for two? Picking who to sit with on a roller-coaster is one thing, you don't talk because the air is whooshing in your face and you aren't paying attention to each other but a Ferris wheel is slow and a popular symbol for a date.
It doesn't have to be a date though, not if you don't make it. Hiro starts getting panicked by Honey's suggestion. Is that what she thought of it? Or had she simply made innocent implications?
"They should've gotten out way before us since their wait time was shorter." Honey snaps him out of his coma. He looks up and they've walked all the way to the tea cups already, except none of the others are in sight.
"Maybe Baymax is with them. I'll check my phone." Hiro installed a tracker on Baymax for whenever he feels like roaming around town again. Maybe getting into some trouble at some abandoned warehouse or something. He inhales deeply. "Baymax isn't on the map and his last known location was here."
"Low battery maybe." She was thinking the same thing.
"Maybe they went to find a charger." Hiro assumes, immediately flagging down a cast member and asking them where the nearest charger was.
"Like a phone charger?" The attendant says.
"Anything with an outlet." Hiro responds. Baymax's full charger is still at home but he brought the emergency charger with him. It should be in his bag.
"If already you have a charger, you'll most likely be good with any restaurant."
"Okay, thanks!" He rushes off before the conversation could continue further.
"Was he charged before we left?" Honey says, hustling toward the castle.
"Yeah, as far as I know." He slows down. Something came to him. Honey follows. "Wait, isn't it weird that nobody stayed behind to tell us. Nobody's answering their phones." Too many clues to an unsolved mystery.
Honey's eyes widen but her pace only quickens.
"Look! There's one by the Matterhorn!" Disguised as an old style shack stands the Edelweiss Snacks post. Around it is painted with brown wood, blue linings and windows. "Oh, this is the place with the turkey legs." Of course Hiro was more excited with rides than food but the turkey legs are apparently a famous Disneyland snack or rather, meal, just look at the size of them!
Someone walks by with a huge hunk of meat, it's like a whole hand on a bone, if not more!
"And chimichangas. This is definitely the place Fred would go, especially if he's been here before." Honey concludes. That's right. Fred would know where the nearest anything would be. Bathroom. Restaurant. Charger. So, why aren't they here?
"Maybe they went the other way, check the map and see what's around Dumbo." She's right, he should've been referring to it the whole time, he's just not thinking straight. He takes a look at the map. Fantasyland. Fantasyland. Ah! Everything dressed in pink, Dumbo and Teacups are right in the middle. "On the other side of the Carrousel." It's spelled a little differently than he thought. The other two closest restaurants are on the other side of the castle and right at the entrance of Toontown.
The Red Rose Taverne. A Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant. It's a likely charging stop since Edelweiss was more of a stand than a walk-in place. Inside are streamers hanging from the skylights, gardening pots with flowers and balconies along the walls like it's a cramped alleyway and this is just one of many possible avenues.
Nobody in the waiting area, perhaps the dining room will prove more fruitful. They find paintings and pictures on the walls. Stained glass and antlers hung up, people all sitting down with their burgers and grey stuff cupcakes. French fries must be the closest thing to actual French food here. But not one of the customers looks to be Aunt Cass. And the only white inflatable here is a set of balloons tied to a high chair.
"Well, well." says an unfamiliar voice. "It looks like some friends are lost." She says. Hiro sees a girl with blue and white, brown hair tied in a ponytail and a basket under her arms. It's Belle.
"Oh, we're just looking for our friend."
"I too am looking for a friend." Hiro blushes a little thinking she means him. "He's tall and brown and furry. Always grumpy but it's what's on the inside that counts." But of course she meant Beast.
"Our friend also kind of stands out, he's 6'2, mechanical with a bouncy exterior, white, but he could also be bright red..." Hiro considers Baymax calling for his suit for whatever reason, he could even be soaring through the air as they speak.
"He's a robot." Honey corrects, excited that she's meeting one of the Disney princesses.
"I don't know what a 'robot' is but my father's always making weird inventions. I'm sure you would get along." She stops and looks to her left. Something strange is in the air, a sound maybe. She starts waltz forward and down a path.
Honey and Hiro follow like she's the White Rabbit leading them to Wonderland. Walking past the Carrousel feels like they've been here a hundred times. Everything encircles this one Carrousel and there are umbrella stands everywhere, it's like a medieval fair. Lots of room to get lost in for a small area.
Belle leads them in between two lamp poles, a gate with some shrubs in the background. It's just a photo spot. Belle climbs over the small gate, but that's when Hiro hears it too. A kid crying. Baymax is crouched down next to him, offering a lollipop, a pale comparison to the ones they sell in the stands nearby. Standing next to him is the kid's mom and next to her, Cass.
"Baymax!" Hiro runs up to his oversized friend. Embracing him for a hug.
"I was alerted to someone saying 'Ow'." Hiro looks down like he should've thought of that. Why wouldn't he do that? People will get trampled in crowds, people will fall, lose their toy, break something. This is an amusement park.
Crying is inevitable.
"He saw the mouth of Monstro and got scared." Cass says.
"He only said 'Ow' because he fell." His mom adds, no doubt mixed with his cries.
"Well, we're just glad we found you." Honey says, gripping her purse.
Belle approaches the crying kid. "You saw a whale? On land?" The kid takes a moment to ponder this.
"It was huge, I think there was water though."
"Well if it was in water then it can't hurt you. Fish need water to breathe and a whale-" She boops him on the nose. "-is a fish. I have a friend who looks mean and scary but on the inside he has a heart. A great big one at that. In fact, I believe everyone has a heart. Even you."
Honey gawks. Belle's personality is right up her alley.
"In fact," Belle continues. "My friend, the Beast, is hiding from me right now because he's afraid of me."
"He was?" The kid asks.
"Of course, the whale might've felt the same about you as you did about it."
Hiro checks his phone again. The tracker is working, Baymax is right where he's supposed to be. A fluke?
"Alright, Adam. Let's go now." The kid's mom says. "Thank you." She looks up at Belle.
Belle takes off to leave, greeting other people who walk by. "Hey, I hope you find who you're looking for." Hiro feels compelled to say. This is where he wished he had that autograph book. Belle nods and disappears into a crowd of people.
A phone tone starts ringing. It could be anyone's but this one was close. Hiro looks back and sees it's Honey's. She snatches it out of her pocket. "Hello?"
"We're at Dumbo. Sorry we missed your calls, didn't hear them." It's Gogo's voice. "Fred-" She's filled with anger. "-had to use the bathroom." He can hear a ruckus on the other line, he imagines she's grabbing his ear or something. "We thought we'd be back before you got off."
"Oh, it's ok. We're headed back now." Honey assures her.
They get back to Dumbo. "Hey." Hiro hears from behind. The sun outlines her. It's Gogo.
Fred comes up beside her. "Yeah, it was me. I actually got-" Gogo sprays him with a blue spray bottle. "Ah-oh." He cries but realizes it's not painful.
"You don't get to have an excuse." Gogo says harshly.
Hiro looks over to see Wasabi has one too, using its yellow fan at the head to cool off. "We got these while Fred used the bathroom." Sweat drenches his green sleeveless shirt, seemingly burning more than anyone else.
"We've wasted enough time here as it is so next will be-" Hiro starts to pull out his map.
"Actually, I think we have time for one more ride." Honey interrupts which sounds intriguing enough to Hiro. She grabs his arm leaving him to think of all the possibilities.
"No, we're not going on It's A Small World." Hiro protests.
"I refuse." Wasabi is surprisingly next to speak up. Probably scared of the dolls too.
"Ditto." Gogo argues. Another way too slow ride.
"Aww, it could be cute." Cass says against the others.
"My data says that the ride itself is fifteen minutes long." Even Baymax chimes in. So much for being limited on time.
"Would you quit! We're not going there." Honey gives a sly smirk.
She leads them to 'Peter Pan's Flight'. Letters written in cloud. John, Michael, and Wendy following Peter and Tink around the tower. The building is built like a castle with a stone structure and shields displaying along the gates of the ride. They hop in their ship, sails in tact, two per vessel.
"You'll ride with me. Won't you?" Honey asks ahead of the others.
Hiro looks towards Gogo, who doesn't seem to be paying attention. "Yeah, sure."
As the ship starts moving, Hiro looks down at the buildings. There's no water. How is the ship moving? Magnets? They're gliding above all the scenery. He looks up, realizing it's on a track above. Hiro leans back. He actually almost believed he was flying. He takes a moment to chuckle.
They head into the siblings room with Peter's shadow front and center on the wall. "Here we go!" Peter announces iconically as the ship floats through the bedroom window. "Off to Neverland!" Outside sits Nana, the family dog, looking up. Houses of British streets still awake. The sky filled with clouds, making the houses get smaller and the land get wider until only Big Ben is capable of standing on its own, everything else looks flat, like it was apart of the carpet.
"What do you think Pixie Dust is made of?"
"Uh, I don't know."
"Exactly. It's make-believe. Unexplained. You can't recreate it because there's nothing scientific about it."
The second star to the right shines ahead. Smaller stars filling the night. The wind furls, making Hiro check the sails to see if they're actually moving. The ground once flat becomes mountains and hills mixed with volcanoes and seas. Mermaids decorate one of the pools. An Indian village with tents and drumming.
"But you still want Pixie Dust, right?"
"It would be nice."
"Why, when you can already fly, or at least Baymax can?"
Hiro ponders this question. He doesn't have an answer.
"Because the mystery is fun. It's like these rides, nobody really pays attention to how they work but people like us know because we could build it. We see it a different way."
A familiar rainbow close by, changing the music to a mixture of something more whimsical and pirate-like. A symphony. The boat circles the island like it's going in for a landing. Another boat, closing in to do the same.
"Yeah." Hiro says like she's the first person he could agree with. He wonders the same things sometimes. A puzzle waiting to be solved is more fun than one with instructions. "Does that just make it hopeless though?" Do they have to pretend to enjoy things like this.
"It's all about perspective. Maybe we are actually flying. Maybe Peter is actually right there, just...stunned."
Hiro chuckles.
Skull Rock. Flutes play as they're brought to the scene of Peter fighting Captain Hook and Wendy standing over the plank looking down. "It's so colorful." Honey Lemon comments.
Everything is lit with glow in the dark paint, neon and fluorescent. On the other end, Tick-Tock Croc waits for his dinner. It isn't long before Peter has already won, taking the wheel with the siblings by his side. Smee rows away in a lifeboat while Hook spends his time fighting the Croc's jaws. "Help me, Mr. Smee! Help me!"
At the end is a mural of the ship flying off, back to London and traced in stars like it was a constellation. A conveyor belt carries them to the exit. "Wasn't that fun?" Honey exclaims.
"It could've been if Wasabi would've just kept his mouth shut." Gogo complains.
"It just- it makes me so sad." Wasabi defends himself. "Wendy has to grow up without him." He whines.
"Oh, it's ok." Honey puts her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. First the kid, now Wasabi. Hiro was right.
Crying is inevitable.