Reunion at Sea

Mirror, Mirror

Varian and Eugene tracked down the Imposters and used sleeping dust on them, then hauled them to the dining room where Varian secured them with goo bombs. "Team Awesome." Eugene grinned, holding up a hand.

Varian stared at him. "...Uhm...sure." He clapped his hand against his. "Didn't think you remembered."

"Just trying to do better." Eugene smiled awkwardly.

Varian smiled back, but it was an uncertain smile.

"Okay, so, explain this to me again?" Cassandra asked, looking at the bound Imposters. "Lance and Shorty aren't Lance and Shorty?"

"Apparently not." Adira remarked.

"And the real ones are...'inside the mirror'?" Hector asked.

"The one in the hallway outside the guest rooms." Varian confirmed.

"I don't get it either, but we saw it happen." Eugene shrugged. "Plus, this Shorty threw me into a wall! I once saw the real Shorty lose a fight to a trout - on dry land."

"Why was he fighting a trout?" Varian shook his head, chuckling in disbelief.

"Don't question it." Rapunzel, Eugene and Cassandra all said in unison.

Cassandra sighed. "Okay...this is just insane."

"It is insane!" Shorty said, and they looked over at them. "Don't believe them, Cassandra, I'm the real Shorty."

"Okay, okay. Shorty knowing who Cassandra is is fishy, but Shorty knowing who he is?" Eugene nodded. "There is definitely something to this 'imposter' thing."

"So, what are they? And what do they want?" Adira asked.

"And how many of us are who we say we are?" Rapunzel said grimly.

Suspicious glances were passed all around, and then Rapunzel sighed. "Right. Everyone sit at the table. Let's figure this out."

--

"If we're going to get our friends back, we need to determine who is friend and foe with us right now." Rapunzel said, pacing around the table. "So, we're going to conduct a series of tests to prove that there are no other imposters among us."

"Who will be the judge?" Cassandra asked. "Any one of us could be a mirror-person."

"I don't think animals can be impersonated." Varian said thoughtfully. "Pascal and Ruddiger can judge."

"Do we know that animals can't be impersonated, though?" Hector asked. "Did anyone try?"

Varian looked thoughtful. "Okay. That goo will hold." He got up. "Let's test the theory." He walked off and they all got up to follow him to the hallway. Varian let Ruddiger down off his shoulders and Rapunzel let Pascal down. They both went over to the mirror and Ruddiger held Pascal up in front of it. There was a tense moment where the humans watched, and then Varian looked relieved. "They aren't getting pulled in."

Pascal and Ruddiger knocked on the mirror and then they went back to their owners. "Let's get back and start those tests." Rapunzel smiled.

--

The tests begin, with Ruddiger and Pascal basically using charades to show them what they wanted to do. Rapunzel's task was to make art out of a plate of food Pascal pushed towards her. "The real Rapunzel can make art out of even the dullest situations." Eugene said with a smile. "Turn it into something beautiful."

"Okay, okay. Alright, let's see..." Rapunzel looked thoughtful, then got to work as everyone watched.

She ended up using every bit of food that was still on the table and made a food model of Corona.