Chapter Text
Bing Bong Airlines was not Riley’s first choice for a flight, considering the reputation that preceded it, but they needed any flight that they could get to Hawaii. The high possibility of a cheap flight crashing would not stop them from getting some sunshine and finishing the last few badges for their sash.
Riley was standing in front of a massive wall mirror looking at themselves. They had turquoise skin with freckles across their face. They were wearing an aviator hat, a dark brown trench coat with a lighter brown accent, and similarly colored boots and gloves. They had a smart watch nestled right above their right glove. Draped across their trench coat was a sparkly silver sash that only Wolf Scouts wore. It had nearly every badge on it, but there were a few open spots remaining.
The trench coat was a questionable choice, considering they were flying to Hawaii, but they thought they looked cool in it. If it became unbearable to wear, they did have a tank-top on underneath it.
It seemed that Riley would not be alone on their flight, as there were three other scouts in various parts of the airport, all in varying experiences and sizes. Maybe they could get to know each other in Hawaii, but for now, Riley wanted some alone time. After returning to their seat, Riley decided to scout out the three scouts.
The first scout to catch Riley’s attention happened to be the least experienced and the youngest of the bunch. Their skin was orange, and they wore one of the typical outfits that most newbie scouts wore: an orange button-up shirt with a green skirt. They had freckles blotted across their face, much like Riley, and they looked both nervous and excited. They had a cute little beret placed neatly atop their head. There were a few badges–the easy ones–on their navy blue sash–wait, navy blue?
They were just an ordinary Scout? Why were they here?
Never mind that. Maybe Riley would find out later.
The orange scout was near the mirror, nervously pacing back and forth, likely muttering reassuring words to themselves. They seemed to be very anxious about the trip. Riley wasn’t sure if they should approach them or not, maybe put them at ease. Suddenly, their eyes darted to where Riley’s were in the mirror. Riley quickly glanced towards a different direction before they could notice.
The second scout, who was purple, was the complete opposite of the first. While they did not have as many badges as Riley, it was evident that they at least had some experience under their belt. That put Riley at a bit of ease. They could handle one newbie, but multiple? That was surely a recipe for disaster.
Riley determined that they were a Kangaroo Scout, based on the red sash that they wore. They seemed to be quite short, somehow even shorter than the orange scout. In spite of that, they appeared to be the oldest of the bunch. They were wearing a floral shirt and khaki shorts, with aviator glasses and a sun hat fitted nicely atop their head. They were entertained by what was going on above them, which prompted Riley to look in the same direction.
The final scout was a pink scout that appeared to be struggling to climb up the rock climbing wall. They were a Rabbit Scout, indicated by their yellow sash. They appeared to be between the other two scouts in age, though they were a few inches taller than both of them. They were wearing climbing gear, fingerless gloves and a crab head. Based on their attire, it seemed like they were the only person that actually prepared for the trip. They caught a quick glance at Riley and gave them an ugly look, to which Riley immediately looked away.
Since Riley last saw the orange scout, they had stepped away from the mirror and towards the miniature basketball court. They were bouncing a basketball against the wall and appeared to have eased up a little bit. Whatever they told themselves must have worked.
At least Riley would have one less high-strung kid to deal with on the flight.
Riley took a look at their watch: 10:28AM.
Plenty of time for a catnap.
Their seat wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it would do the job just fine. They started to wriggle into a more tolerable position until they noticed something orange out of the corner of their eye.
The orange scout had been hovering nearby without saying a word, observing Riley’s every move.
Awkward.
Riley met their gaze with their own. “Uh, hey…? Is there something on my face?”
“O-Oh! Sorry!” The orange scout saluted. “Scout, uh… Orange, r-ready for duty!” Their arm was noticeably tense.
Riley rose from their seat and returned the salute. “Wolf Scout Riley. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Orange.”
They dropped their arm back to their side, but noticed that Orange didn’t do the same. “Uh… you can put your arm down now.”
Orange did not move.
Were they not aware of the saluting etiquette?
Riley sighed. “At ease.” Orange finally complied.
The same question from earlier returned to the forefront of Riley’s mind: why were they here? Scouts usually weren’t allowed to venture out on their own until they were at least a Rabbit Scout, so what was Orange doing here, in Bing Bong Airlines of all places? And why such a young scout, of all people?
Something seemed off. Riley couldn’t quite pinpoint what, though.
They didn’t really have time to mull over this concern, since Orange had started gushing about… something. They were speaking far too fast for Riley to really make out anything, though they seemed to be very excited about it. Riley couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Orange. Please. Slow down.” Riley immediately regretted how they said that. Orange immediately deflated at Riley’s demand. “It’s cool that you’re excited and all, but just slow down a bit, okay?” Orange nodded, but they never actually continued. They instead started picking at a random scab on their arm.
Rather than convincing them to continue, Riley instead took this as an opportunity to find some answers.
They knelt down to Orange’s eye level. “Hey, Orange.” Orange perked up. “I’ve got a few questions if you don’t mind answering them.” Orange gave a hesitant nod.
“Right, so what is a regular old Scout like yourself doing without your troop? You really shouldn’t be taking trips without your troop until you’re a Rabbit Scout.”
“R-Really? Uh… they–- my scoutmaster said that I deserved a vacation so they sent me here. A-Alone.”
A vacation? Alone?
“...okay. Do you know why they sent you to Bing Bong Airlines specifically?”
“Uh… m-my scoutmaster said… it’s the best airline to fly on…”
And they were lulled into a false sense of safety and cast away to a shady airline in the hopes that history would repeat itself?
“I see. And, what does your troop think of you?”
“They… I think they laugh at me behind my back. A lot of the o-other scouts… they say mean things to me… and the scoutmaster doesn’t really help me when I ask.”
Everything started to fall into place now. They weren’t treated fairly by their troop and were thrown away at the first opportunity. This wasn’t just a vacation, this was an attempt at sending them directly to their grave. What a horrible thing to do to a kid that just wanted to be a scout.
“...do you know why they did these things to you?”
“T-They… they said… I’m weird and t-talk too much. And that I’m… a-annoying…”
Riley didn’t know how to respond. They were just another kid, and they were being treated like shit. If Riley ever found Orange’s scoutmaster…
“Uh… i-is everything okay, Riley…?”
Riley wanted to tell them the truth, but… maybe it would be better to put them at ease, instead.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. And uh, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on you.”
Riley ruffled Orange’s hair and gave them one final salute before turning arou–- the purple scout had been watching.
Once they were spotted, they suddenly straightened up and saluted. “Ah, hello Wolf Scout Riley. I’m Kangaroo Scout Jade!” Riley silently returned the salute.
“Hello, Jade. You know it’s rude to eavesdrop, right?” Great track record for being unintentionally aggressive, Riley.
“I’m aware. Just got curious about what was going on here. I’m not really buying Orange’s story.”
So Riley wasn’t the only one with suspicions, then. “...Yeah. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Riley signaled towards the pink scout. “So, uh… what about them over there?” They were still struggling with reaching the peak of the rock climbing wall. At the very least, they were determined to reach their goal. Riley could respect that.
Jade let out a deep sigh. “...right. That’s Jamie. They’re my little sibling. They’re super moody, so don’t even bother with them right now. Or ever, honestly.”
Before Riley could ask Jade anymore questions, the intercom suddenly buzzed on and a tired voice came from it. “Gate 7 is now boarding. Please make your way over to Gate 7.”
Had it already been 30 minutes? Riley took a look at their watch, but it only said 10:47AM. They were actually boarding a flight early, for once? That’d be a first for any airline.
Orange darted ahead of Riley and Jade, but stopped to wave their arms. “H-Hey! We’re leaving!!”
Jade and Riley glanced at each other. “Guess we’ve got a plane to catch, huh?”
“That appears to be the case.”
Riley stepped into line right behind Orange. Riley couldn’t see their face, but based on how much they were bouncing around in their spot, they seemed excited to fly.
Riley wished they could share that same excitement. When they were younger, they enjoyed watching the clouds and the changing scenery. Now, it’s just another opportunity to take a nap.
Once Riley boarded the plane, they quickly rushed over to their seat–a window seat–and settled down. It was surprisingly comfortable. There were no mini TVs strapped to the back of the seats, but that was okay. They didn’t intend on watching anything anyways.
Orange nearly jumped into the seat beside Riley and fidgeted with their seatbelt for a moment before finally buckling themselves in.
Orange gave Riley a huge grin and leaned over to whisper in their ear. “I’m not s-supposed to sit here, but… n-nobody else is getting on, so… I’m sitting here!”
They seemed so proud of themselves. How adorable.
Riley chuckled. “Look at you, already getting yourself in trouble before we even leave.”
“…D-Don’t tell on me, please?”
“I won’t, don’t worry. Your mischief will go unnoticed.”
Orange yawned. “...okay.”
It seemed like their anxiety and excitement wore them out.
“Hey Orange. Let’s get some sleep and then we can check out Hawaii together. Does that sound good?”
Orange nodded frantically at question. If they could barely contain their excitement before, they definitely couldn’t now. “Mhm! I… I look forward to it! I’m g-gonna sleep now!”
Before Riley could respond, they were fast asleep.
Riley couldn’t help but smile. Orange wasn’t their kid, but they were still happy to be in their presence. They went through so much. It’s only fair that they finally get their lucky break.
Riley wanted to get some sleep too, so they leaned their head back and put in some earbuds to drown out the surrounding noise. The sight of white fluffy clouds and the slight turbulence of the plane made them feel drowsy.
There was a constant feeling of unease that had been tugging at Riley all morning, but they had Z’s to catch. They could worry about that later.
Everything would turn out okay. The plane wouldn’t crash. Everyone would get their badges. Everyone would get to spend time relaxing. Everyone would go home to their families and give them a hug, maybe even share stories.
Riley would just berate themselves for overthinking it when they landed. They tended to overthink sometimes. Why would it be any different this time?
After all, the same flight from the same airline wouldn’t just crash again…
Right?