Chapter Text
The Mains had gathered in the foyer before opening today, since Arthur had told them that there would be new arrivals today, and not just staff – new Toons entirely, and it had been quite some time since that was the case. The group waited patiently for their new friends, and speculation was fierce. Of course, the holiday Mains were still isolating, so they would have to wait to meet their new friends.
Shelly checked the clock. “Should only be a couple more minutes! Can’t wait to meet some new friends!”
Vee rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. There’s not going to be more than one, I think.”
Sprout shushed Vee. “Arthur said new Toons, plural. At least two. But it’s been a while since so many got introduced at once. Maybe they’re related?”
Astro shook his head. “No, they’re probably a new holiday group.”
Pebble simply barked happily, held in Dandy’s arms. His owner smiled widely. “Doesn’t matter how many Toons there are on the way, new friends are new friends! Let’s all be on our best behaviour for them!”
Finally, the train pulled into the station, and Arthur stepped out, beckoning the Toons inside to follow along.
The first one to appear was some sort of bright orange bird. They had a confident look on their face as they front-flipped out and landed in perfect gymnastic form, and an athlete’s jersey ensemble in a crimson red. The name sticker on the front simply read “DELL”.
“Geiá sou! Name’s Dell the Phoenix, if the jersey didn’t clue you in! Anyone up for a run later?”
Vee hummed contemplatively. “Was that Greek? I mean, it makes sense, phoenixes and the Olympics and all, but aren’t these kids a little young to be learning new languages?”
“The only thing I’m gonna be teaching these kids is to get up and get active! If they pick up a word or two, that’s just a bonus!”
Next out was a rabbit in a flowy, green, synthetic-looking dress, and they had bright blue fur. A wide smile came over their face, which was protected by a bowl helmet, and they bounded out in what seemed like slow-motion. She was looking around curiously.
“So, this is where I’ll live on Earth? Looks nice. Oh, right! Ni hao, I am Paige. I am a Jade Rabbit, very pleased to meet you all. Take me to your larder.”
Sprout waved them over. “I’ll get Cosmo to help me make you something nice to celebrate later! Any preferences?”
Paige’s eyes lit up. “Sugary!”
A third Toon appeared, much more contemplatively than the others. Looking just at their lower body, they seemed to just be a blue-ring octopus, but further up, the octopus body gave way to a humanoid torso and head, clad in a blue wetsuit jacket and a beanie with the same rings as their tentacles but in the opposite colours. They had a pair of large headphones on, from which blared heavy metal music, and they gently lowered them to hang around their neck as they clambered down, carefully bringing along an electric guitar.
“Oh, g’day, I’m Barnaby, but I heard there’s already a bloke named Barnaby around here, so you can call me B.B., then. I’m a cecaelia, by the way. That’s an octopus mermaid.”
Shelly immediately saw a kindred spirit in the unsure fellow. “Hey, uh, do you want to come see some of the aquarium or my fossil collection sometime?”
“Uh… yeah, that sounds nice. Just… don’t touch me, okay? I’m a right venomous octo, and I don’t wanna see a nice Sheila ill.”
And then… another Arthur stepped out? As the assembled Toons began to question how this was possible, the new arrivals smiled gently.
The Arthur that just stepped out turned to the first, a smile on his face. “You really had them all fooled!”
Then, the one that had been first out of the train suddenly spun in place, surrounded by a swirl of golden-brown and pink, revealing themselves to be a five-tailed fox Toon wearing a shrine maiden outfit. She chuckled to herself, before posing cutely, and finally introducing herself with a respectful bow.
“Konnichiwa! I’m Nova the Kitsune, and I’m the leader of our little group! Arthur said so, at least, I think that’s what ‘Main’ meant.”
Dandy smiled warmly. “Oh, so Astro was right! They are a new holiday group! Glad to meet you all, new buds!”
“Hehehe, pleasure’s all mine. We’re here to make every summer absolutely mythical!”
As the group headed to where the group would be staying, Vee asked Arthur a burning question. “So, are they summer break, language teachers, or what?”
Arthur smiled sheepishly. “Well, I had originally planned for the Mythos to be an experiment in international appeal, as you can probably tell.”
“Yeah, they’re Greek, Chinese, Australian, and Japanese, that’s pretty obvious.”
“But unfortunately, I couldn’t take my intended path with them. Investors were pushing for a summer Holiday Toon group and were able to spin each of them into different fitting activities. So now they’re representing sports, cuisine, live music, and local culture. From there, my hands were tied.”
“Huh. Sounds like a lazy way to keep merch sales up between Easter and Halloween.”
“Oh, Vee, if only someone like you could have told them that! I will never understand investors.”
The elevator dinged as the large doors opened, revealing the floor that had been under construction for a few months now. The sleek white décor with pale green accents emulated an airport, and right in front of the elevators was a desk of sorts with a board behind it, advertising four destinations: Athens, Kyoto, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Sea of Tranquility. A display kiosk invited kids to pick up a Gardenview Passport and stamp it at each destination.
Arthur gestured widely. “Welcome to the Mythos Terminal.”
He led the group along, headed to the first of the attractions the floor offered to guests. This one had an entranceway decorated in colourful corals, and once everyone pushed past the plastic light-blocking curtain, it was dimly lit inside. Various sensory activities were placed around the room, and the back wall was occupied entirely by an aquarium tank inhabited by colourful fish and coral.
“This is the Sensory Reef, meant for guests to come and relax if they feel overwhelmed. B.B., this will be where you stay. More specifically, in that tank back there, so you won’t be surprised by any contact.”
“Sounds nice. Peaceful. But won’t I just annoy everyone with my beats?”
“The attraction is soundproofed, and aquatic-themed white noise will be playing. You can put your metal on full blast, and the guests won’t hear a thing.”
The next attraction the group visited had an entranceway that resembled an ancient Greek temple, with stone pillars holding up a triangular roof. Heading inside, a large, open space with walls meant to emulate stone spectator stands stood before them, with a statue of two ancient warriors crossing a dumbbell and a vaulting pole like swords at the far end.
“The Phoenix Colosseum. Dell, you’ll be hosting this one. There’ll be plenty of space and equipment for whatever sports you can challenge the guests to compete in.”
“Hey, sounds fun! I’ll make sure I don’t push them too hard. I’m the only one around here who can rise from the ashes!”
“Glad to hear it. The children will give it their all for a shiny prize.”
Heading over to the third attraction, this one had an entranceway that felt like something out of a sci-fi television show, with glowing green trim accenting a smooth white surface. The inside was designed to make guests feel like they’re on some sort of moon base, with views of the stars, and a model Earth hanging over the exit door. A portion of the room was cordoned off by a half-wall with toy laser blasters holstered along it, and various cutouts of odd-looking moles lay dormant behind that cordon.
“Paige, Jade Outpost is your attraction. We’ve set up a shooting gallery game to allow for rowdier children to satisfy their impulses safely.”
“I shall ensure it’s maintained effectively. But may I ask, what reason do we have to fire upon those targets?”
“The space moles want to ruin your vegetable garden. They will deserve it.”
Finally, the last attraction. A large torii gate made up the entrance to this one, which was decorated to resemble a shrine in the woods. A large stage and seating area took up a large portion of the area, and part of the shrine seemed to be some sort of kiosk, with signs advertising various blends of tea.
“Nova, I only found it fitting to make sure you had someplace special. So, Henge Theatre & Tearoom is made to both serve the chaperones with relaxing herbal tea blends and entertain the children with your performances of stories from around the world.”
“Arigato, Arthur. I should get practising soon, then! But I worry that some of the myths of the world may be a little… high-rated?”
“I’ll be sure to keep you in contact with the writing team to help you keep things all-ages appropriate.”
The group returned to the front desk of the Terminal.
“So, everyone, the Mythos will be opening their attraction in mid-July. This gives you all time to get to know one another over the next couple of weeks. Any questions?”
Astro raised his hand. “Will they all start doing that weird isolating thing the other Holiday Toons do?”
Arthur patted Astro on the head. “Not until September, my boy. You’ll have plenty of time with them.”
It didn’t really make Astro worry less. The amount of effort it sometimes took him to keep the other Holiday Toons’ dreams pleasant and on theme was challenging enough with twelve of them, and now that number was up to sixteen.
Nevertheless, the Mythos began to file off to their own attractions to settle in.
“The acoustics in my place are gonna be ripper!”
“I still need to get my daily training regimen started!”
“I shall retire to my housing and organise my snack supply.”
“I wonder how the tea blends will taste?”
And right on cue, Arthur led the Mains back into the elevator. Gardenview would open up for the day any moment now. Introducing the new arrivals to the others was a when the Centre was closed problem.