“The boat check-in wasn’t as bad as TSA, but how many more people do I have to talk to before I can get on this damn boat?” asked Jason as the three of them carried their luggage down a new hallway. The hallway continued to get narrower as they walked, and eventually, they could see windows to break up the boring white plastic. 

“Well, I guess you only HAVE to talk to one more; the person who will announce your boarding to everyone,” said Greg.

“Hold up, what?” questioned Jason with a bit of surprise.

“You’ll love it! Everyone will be so excited to greet you onto their luxurious vessel. I heard we get Captain Mickey, Elsa, and Moana this time, but I’m much more excited to be greeted by Gaston,” said David before turning to Jason with his hand beside his mouth. “He’s #3 on my cheat list.”

The group finally made it to the windows when they had to stop with other passengers ahead of them. Outside, they could see that they were on a bridge over the ocean, going from the dock to the ship. The size of the boat was impossible to really see from this angle since they were so close, but Jason could now see passengers through the windows, wandering inside the different levels of the ship. He was finally only a few steps away.

“Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, welcome aboard!” announced a man ahead with a microphone as an elderly couple crossed into the magic of Disney. Jason, Greg, and David all got to take another step forward.

“So I, like, have to let this guy say my name?”

“Not according to Disney, but yes, according to us,” replied Greg. “Also, you need to go first and then get that camera ready so that you capture our announcement.”

“Oh shit, of course,” said Jason. 

He was the cameraman for this wedding and had to not forget the duties that got him on this boat. He pulled his camera bag around from behind him and started unzipping it. Dean had shown him how to work it back home before he left, but this thing was way too complicated for a point-and-click newbie like Jason to retain it all. The good news is that the lens thingy and the pop-up flash part were both already attached. Ready to use. Jason pulled it all out of the bag and pointed it at Greg and David.

“Quick test?” he asked. 

The couple did a basic photo stance with generic fake grins. Jason looked through the lens and pushed the button. Despite being in a windowed bridge on a sunny day, the flash went off. Greg and David both squinted and reached for their eyes.

“Oh god, sorry.”

“It’s ok,” replied Greg. “Probably better to just always have it on for when we’re inside the ship anyway. You’ll do great, buddy.”

“Tina Smith and Bob Willows!” said the microphoned announcer. Jason was next. He grabbed his bags and walked up to him.

“And your name, sir?”

“Jason.”

“Your full name?”

“Oh, yeah. Jason Todd.”

The announcer did a double-take. “Wait, like the Batman character?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” The man pulled the microphone up to his mouth. “Jason Todd!”

Jason had been so distracted by everything that he hadn’t really looked into the ballroom he was about to enter until right now. It was huge, at least four stories tall from where he was. An amazing white staircase spiraled around the whole room with stops at each floor’s balcony. The carpet was bright red with gold patterns that continued from the ground onto each pillar surrounding the tall center. To the left, he saw a stage with another mini, framed stage at the very top. Right now, Moana was looking out from that spot, waving at all the customers wandering around. 

“You can enter now,” said the announcer. Jason realized that he had just been standing still the whole time like a doofus. He walked forward and saw Captain Mickey waving at him on his left. It felt weird treating that human in a costume normally, but Jason couldn’t help but wave back with limited emotion. Gaston was next, currently surrounded by a lot of preteens of both genders who were deeply infatuated. Jason was finally far enough into the center area that he could look up and see that it was a glass ceiling above in this ballroom. It looked amazing, even for someone not as devoted to the Disney lore. Just architecturally, it was awe-inspiring how this kind of thing was buildable.

Then Jason finally looked to his right and saw Elsa. He’d always thought Frozen was fine, but damn. This actress in front of him was putting that fan art he’d seen to shame. Jason tried not to be a creep about it, but he couldn’t help it. That timid smile she put on… was it just for him? She gave him a wave. He slowly raised his hand to wave back, and no matter how hard he tried to do it like a normal human, it was off pace and awkward. Elsa let out a soft giggle and a minor blush as she put her hand over her mouth to hide it. Jason couldn’t believe how-

“Greg Fischer and David Blum!”

“Shit, shit, shit,” thought Jason as he grabbed the camera and started lifting it up to his face. He spun his whole body around, trying to snag a photo as fast as possible. But his spin was interrupted as he slammed the camera into a woman walking behind him. The camera slipped out of his hands, fell to the ground, and let out one bright flash before breaking into multiple pieces on the floor. Jason couldn’t believe what happened. Where did this person come from? He glanced up and saw both Greg and David staring back, each with their own style of WTF face in use.

“Sorry, sir,” said the woman he’d just collided with. Her tone did not convey true remorse. Jason finally looked away from Greg and David to see that the woman was an employee in uniform. He then noticed the camera pieces weren’t the only thing on the floor; there was also an open notebook with pens and pictures of Elsa everywhere, too.

“Oh, uh, that’s ok. I just didn’t realize you were right behind me,” said Jason. “Let me help.”

The employee knelt down and started picking up the few pieces of the now broken camera. Jason also bent down to pick things up. He saw that the photos of Elsa seemed to be different moments in her hair and makeup routine. Each one had notes on the side about how to apply the makeup or when to braid the hair. Every photo he picked up seemed to undo it all while Elsa turned into a normal person. The actress, while still certainly attractive, wasn’t the Elsa that he’d just been enamored by. 

“Do you, uh, work for that actress?” asked Jason as they both were able to finally rise to their feet.

“I don’t work for any actress. I assist Elsa,” replied the employee. 

“Oh, yeah. Of course.”

“I’m sorry about your camera, sir. It looks like more broke off than just the lens. I can bring it to our Returns & Repairs department if you’d like. They might be able to fix it or provide new materials for your stay with us.”

“Yeah, that’d actually be great. I’m here to help photograph a wedding, but I have no idea how these things work. Will that, like, cost money?” said Jason, kind of stating the last bit awkwardly. The employee noticed the slightly hidden anxiety in Jason’s tone. She opened her mouth when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sure the captain will understand that one of his employees was responsible, and it won’t be any burden on one of his wonderful guests,” said Elsa from behind her handler. “Isn’t that right, Kelly?”

Kelly stared into Elsa’s eyes for a moment before responding, “Yeah, I can’t imagine Disney would ever charge you for the repair when it was obviously my fault, sir. I’ll bring it to R&R and tell them exactly what happened. Can I have your name?”

“Oh, thank you. I’m Jason Todd.”

“Make sure to get his room number!” exclaimed Elsa. Kelly gave her another stare.

“Why?”

“So you can personally deliver it to him fixed, of course!”