Orlando

Evelyna’s POV

After that, we decided to branch out into the World Showcase, starting with Mexico. Sporting a the Dallas green shirts that we both has on and the three thin, vertical white stripes on the left side and a pair of white shorts, we looked almost comically out of place as I donned a sombrero and held up a pair of maracas, shaking them once and asking, "How do I look?"

Val snorted, unable to contain his amusement as he directed his attention at the rest of the shop. The backdrop stylized to look like a village on the precipice of an active volcano, bleeding streams of lava and sluggish tendrils of smoke. The diners at the tiny Mexican-themed restaurant occupying most of the floor seemed unalarmed by the depiction, cheerful conversation filling the air.

It was lunchtime, and I wasn't surprised to see that all but a handful of seats were full, the rest milling around the same gift shop that we were. Setting aside the maracas and removing the sombrero as I pouted at him, he placed them on the shelf and gave me a kiss before saying, "As cute as you are, I'm not sure the sombrero does it for you.” Then, thoughtfully, he added, "Isn't there supposed to be another boat ride in here?"

Almost on cue, I dragged him off to the Gran Fiesta Tour, as it was festively named, a little side attraction almost built into the wall of the temple-like space with boats flowing in and out of a shallow channel regularly.

To his chagrin, the "Three Caballeros" were actually cartoon birds in search of Donald Duck, bringing to mind It's a Small World as we wended our way through the area crying out for his appearance.

By the time we clambered out of the boat, Val was more than happy to put some distance between himself and Mexico. He much preferred America or Russia.

****

"Let's get down to business, to defeat – the Huns.
Did they send me daughters? When I asked – for sons?
You're the saddest bunch I've ever met
But you can bet before we're through
Mister I'll make a man out of you!"

After a brief detour through Norway – and its Norwegian themed boat ride and subsequent gift shop, where I promptly donned every horned piece of headwear I could find – we reached China. Val had been gone exactly three seconds when I launched into an enthusiastic version of I'll Make a Man out of You, reaching the second verse as Val emerged from the nearest restroom.

"Tranquil as a forest
But on fire, within
Once you find your center
You are sure – to win!"

"Ты пока слабак и жалкий трус, (You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot,)" Val joined in, tugging me off the bench as I beamed.

"And you haven't got a clue," I drawled.

Undaunted, Val sang, "Что лишь тут станешь ты мужиком! (Somehow I'll make a man out of you!)"

Our impromptu duet attracted only a handful of curious eyes. Val, flushing with pride and amusement as I tweaked his nose and remarked, "Come on. I heard Mulan and Mushu were supposed to be nearby."

True to my word, Mulan was right around the corner, dressed in armor with Mushu at her side gesticulating extravagantly for us to come closer. "Were you the ones singing?" she asked as soon as we were close enough. I laughing as Val rubbed the back of his neck guiltily, gratefully accepting a hug from Mushu to distract himself. "I'll have to tell Shane he's got a little competition," she continued, my entire expression brightening as I now graciously accepted a hug.

As we switched so I could hug Mushu and Val could introduce himself formally to Mulan without blushing too much, I couldn't help but point out, "You know, you and Mushu are almost the same height."

Val and Mushu shared a single comically well-timed look before Mushu propped himself on his tiptoes and I laughed.

That was the picture the photographer caught, of course; Me and Mulan standing close enough to be shoulder-to-shoulder as Mushu leaned up on tiptoe to tower over Val, his features scrunched in a laugh.

****

We didn't have much time to linger after that, our Fast Pass times for Test Track at 5:30. Chowing down a quick lunch at the Chinese restaurant (and Val ate more off my plate than his own if only because it was more fun to watch me try to evade his chopsticks with my own), we bustled back into the futuristic part of Epcot. Val didn't even process that we were about to ride the screaming metal deathtrap zipping above us until he heard the same tell-tale sshheeeeruuum from above as we hurried down the Fast Pass lane, heart pounding.

Before he could open his mouth to say more than "Evelyna," and "Oh my God," he was strapped into the car as a different cast member explained the safety rules. All too soon, the cast member pushed a button and the car jerked forward, rumbling around a corner before coming to a brief halt behind a group of other cars.

"Oh my God," he breathed. "We're actually doing this. This is a thing. That we're doing. We're doing this."

"Isn't it great?" I asked, missing the point entirely as I wriggled in my seat. We were both strapped in – strapped in? – and Val couldn't help but think that if ever there was a thing he regretted doing more, then he couldn't recall it.

And then we had the green light and were off, passing into a darkened studio as our bumped and lurched and screeched our way along a road-test course. We dodged cones, zipping around corners and plowing through fake walls, even entering "climate zones" to bake and cool, alternatively. We picked up speed with each jerky lurch, Val clinging to the lap bar for dear life as the mechanical overlay announced the next test, a start-stop test that made him shriek as we came to a blistering halt after a forty-mile-per-hour sprint.

Then there were more obstacles, our car gaining speed in fits and starts as I chanted, "This is awesome, this is awesome, oh my God, Nichy."

Finally, the same speaker that had guided us via head set through the rest of the course announced, "Now we're going to test things out on a real course, see what it can do. Are you ready for this?"

“Нет, Нет, я не в буквальном смысле не был менее готов на все в моей жизни -- (No, nope, I have literally never been less ready for anything in my life –)“

There was a stoplight overhead, holding red for several long, mind-numbingly slow seconds before it flashed green and away we went. We tore down the path with a loud nyeeeeeeeoom, Val still clinging to his lap bar so tightly that he forgot to scream, pressed back against his seat as I whooped loudly with delight.

As we rounded another bend Val managed a pitiful squeak, hardly able to believe that he was still alive and not daring to take his eyes off the track as we finally, and aggressively, came to a halt.

"Thanks for riding with us today," the same voice from before announced as we wheeled off towards the unloading platform. "We hope you enjoyed and come drive with us again soon!"

Val staggered out of the vehicle and all but collapsed to the floor, feeling like a man brought back from the brink as I sidled up beside him and reached out to take his hand. "Oh my God, Nichy! Your hands are freezing, you poor thing." I cupped them between both of mine as Val huddled close to my shoulder and shuddered once.

****

By the time Val had partially recovered from the trauma of riding Test Track, we had idled through Canada and the United Kingdom, stopped at France to pick up desserts before continuing past Morocco and Japan to reach the American-themed portion of the World Showcase, dipping in for its American Adventure. As the lights dimmed and the show began, I rested my head on Val's shoulder, quiet but apologetic.

Val wasn't mad at me – if nothing else, he couldn't be after the delicious chocolate cheesecake I'd bought him at the French pavilion – but it was still nice to bask in the comfort for a time. The opening act with live performers had been a refreshing contrasted to high-tech animatronics, the remainder of the show in the theater itself hardly a disappointment. It was nice to a break from the increasingly humid heat outside to just enjoy each other's company, unhindered by outward obligations.

We ambled outside and toured Italy and Germany briefly before doubling back just in time to see Belle and the Beast making an appearance at a slightly tucked-away grotto area.

"Why, hello there!" Belle greeted as soon as we got to the front of the line.

"Beauty and the Beast was like, the epitome of my childhood. Or maybe The Little Mermaid. But either way I adore your story, oh my gosh," Val gushed, unable to keep his squeak internal as he hugged Belle. "It's just such a pleasure to meet you! I'm sorry."

"Val, look," I remarked, holding up the Beast's hand and it was, quite literally, bigger than my face. "He's so cool."

The Beast flicked his cape regally with his free paw, drawing me into a hug as Belle did the same with Val, striking a little curtsy as we smiled at the photographer. "You must have come a very long way to see us if you're as pale as I am," Belle remarked lightly once they were done, Val blushing slightly.

"I’m from Dallas, well Russia," Val supplied.

"Really? I've read the most wonderful stories about it. We're hoping to visit sometime soon," she added, directing her attention at the Beast, who nodded vigorously.

"That would be amazing," Val stated, feeling numb and a little awed. He was wearing that classic expression of his that read complete and under innocence. It was the one that I loved the most, that awkwardly adorable smile. "Really. Amazing."

"We'll send you a letter as soon as we settle on a date," Belle promised, waving a little as the Beast waved more vigorously in our direction. "Have a wonderful day!"

Near death experiences and all, Val couldn't say that his day was anything but. I could see him having fun and the time of his life. He leaned over and gave me a tiny peck on the cheek.

“What was that for?” I questioned, ignorantly. As if I didn’t know that he was being a sweetheart and giving me a thank you gift.

“This is amazing. Thank you.”

****

As we crossed the World Showcase back into the futuristic portion of Epcot, we came across a series of leaping fountains just outside the Imagination center, two glass pyramids with Figment-themed attractions within. Focusing more on the fountains themselves, Val sat nursing a drink on one of the benches as I raced from circle to circle, trying to perfect my timing so that I was underneath the spray just as it arched overhead.

It didn't touch me even so, of course, but it was amusing to watch, my enthusiasm infectious as Val finished his drink and sauntered over to my current spot, waiting for the water to leap overhead again.

Just as it did so, he thrust a hand upwards and caught the spray, drenching my hair as I laughed and ducked away.

Even knowing that it was his just reward, he still shrieked when I managed to nail him with water, chasing after him until both of us were soaked to the skin.

It was, I had to admit, a wonderful, agreeable way to spend an afternoon in Disney.

****

Soarin' had a ninety-minute wait time by the time we reached The Land for the second time that day. It was approaching sunset outside and I knew that we only had a handful of hours for attractions and food before the fireworks' show, but I refused to miss out on one of Epcot's most acclaimed attractions just because it had a slightly longer wait time than we were used to.

We passed the time listening to the Frozen track on my phone. I actually happened to have up the Russian version and played it. It was mostly to amuse myself but also to see the sort of surprised delight in Val's eyes as he leaned back against the railing across from him. He knew the song, (of course, who didn’t?) and began to sing along:

“Метель укроет склоны горных вершин

И белым бела земля

Безмолвное королевство,

Королевой стала я..

А ветер стонет и на сердце ураган

Мне б его сдержать,но я не могла



Не открывай,храни секрет,

Будь хорошей девочкой для всех

Закрой все чувства на замок 

Но четно все!



Отпусти и забудь

Что прошло, уже не вернуть.

Отпусти и забудь
Новый день укажет путь.

Не боюсь ничего уже

Пусть бушует шторм

Холод всегда мне был по душе.
"

I actually happened to know this particular Disney song in the Russian form, so I sang:

"А я бегу всё выше,

На ледяную гладь
И страха дней минувших,

Меня уж не догнать 



Пора узнать,

Что я могу.

На службу призову пургу,

Свободу обрету во льдах,

Навсегда...

"

He joined back in with me and we sang together:

"Отпусти и забудь,

Этот мир из твоих грёз.

Отпусти и забудь,

И не будет больше слёз.

Здесь мой дом,

Мой снежный удел,

Пусть бушует шторм...



Искрится воздух 

И земля от моих чар 

Подвластны мне морозы, лёд

Ну что за дивный дар

И вот уже я знаю,как мне дальше быть

Я не вернусь назад

Должна я всё забыть



Отпусти и забудь 

И на небо лети зарёй

Отпусти и забудь 

Полярной сияй звездой

Встречу я 

Первый свой рассвет 

Пусть бушует шторм 

Холод всегда мне был по душе!!”

(I’m not putting an English translation for “Let It Go” cause it’s not necessary...if you really don’t know this song, you need help.) The chorus was just as triumphant in Russian as it was in English, and I couldn't help but sing it out in English as the song finally came to a close, a smattering of applause making our ears go red as Val leaned forward to kiss my cheek once.

"I love you so much."

With Frozen to distract us and pretty, muted paintings on the wall, we reached the loading station for Soarin' in good time, shuffling into the seats as Val fastened himself in with only a deep breath and a single repetition of, "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Positive," I promised.

Eventually, the many-seater hang-glider-like contraption lifted into the heart of the IMAX theatre, hovering for a moment in silence before we were off, a breeze kicked up as we flew over hills and fields and waterfalls, all breathtaking expanses with scented scenery to boot. We could smell the pines and the oranges, the rapids washing over the rock faces. We felt the glider tilt ever so slightly to accommodate each dip and curve in our flight, feeling a breathless sort of joy swelling inside of us both as we soared.

When it was over, he couldn't stop smiling, reaching up to rub his hands over his face for a moment as he declared, "Wow."

"I know," I agreed, looking just as dazed and pleased as Val felt when the Dallas Star looked up, and we walked hand-in-hand out of The Land as darkness settled into the air beyond.

****

It was only half an hour until IllumiNations started, and we could barely contain our excitement. We'd already split two decaf coffees and a giant cookie to quench the worst of our hunger before finding a nice piece of railing to cling to, Val pressed against the bar as I hooked my chin over his shoulder, sharing body heat in the cooling night air.

With night crowds milling in the background behind us, the entire scene felt oddly intimate, just us and the stars and the lake itself, the entire World Showcase alight in preparation for the show.

And then suddenly, unexpectedly: "I can show you the world."

I saw Val roll his eyes as I hugged him tighter, squeezing him around the next singing,

"Shining, shimmering, splendid.
Tell me, Prince Val,
Now when did you last let your heart decide?"

"You are literally the biggest dork I've ever met," the Dallas Star player remarked, laughing when I started rocking us slowly, still singing.

"I can open your eyes.
Take you wonder by wonder.
Over, sideways, and under
On a magic carpet ride.
A whole new world!"

"You are NOT dragging me into this right now," Val insisted, unable to keep the smile entirely off his face as I kept singing, oblivious.

"A new fantastic point of view.
No one to tell us no,
Or where to go,
Or say we're only dreaming."

With a put-upon sigh, Val sang back,

“Волшебный мир.
Я Верю сбудутся мечты.”

("A whole new world.
A dazzling place I never knew.")

With me still rocking us, it was easy to fall into a rhythm, Val's heart pouring out as he declared,

“Дивный, прекрасный край
Он словно рай
Слепит тлаза от этой красоты.”

("But when I'm way up here,
It's crystal clear,
That now I'm in a whole new world
With you – ")

"Now I'm in a whole new world," I sang, nuzzling his shoulder as the blonde haired, blue-eyed man picked up the verse, closing his eyes to better appreciate the sensations.

“Что нас ждет впереди
На ковре-самолеге
Мы в волшебном полете
Сердце рвется из груди
- Волшебный мир”

("Unbelievable sights.
Indescribable feelings.
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling,
Through an endless diamond sky
– a whole new world.")

"Don't you dare close your eyes," I teased, nuzzling his shoulder.

"Ах эта сказочная ночь (A hundred thousand things to see,)" Val mused, turning in his arms so his back was to the railing and my arms were wrapped even more comfortably around his waist now.

"Hold your breath, it gets better," I said softly, leaning forward to capture a kiss that lingered, Val's hands sliding up to cradle the back of my neck.

We sang out together:

“В небе летаю я и таю я,
Назад вернуться мне уже не в мочь.”

“I’m like a shooting star,
I’ve come so far,
I can’t go back
To where I used to be!”

“A whole new world!” I sang back.

“Сколько новых чудес! (Every turn a surprise!)”

“With new horizons to pursue!”

“Каждый миг дарит радость. (Every moment red-letter.)”

We turned to one another and sang together:

“Ты в тишине ночной летишь со мной
Я лечу в волшебный мир с тобой.”

“I’ll chase them anywhere,
There’s time to spare,
Let me share this,
Whole new world
-- With you.”

“A whole new world!”

“Волшебный мир! (A whole new world!)”

“That’s where we’ll be!”

“Полет ночной! (That’s where we’ll be!)”

"A thrilling chase," I sang, not missing a beat as I rested my forehead against Val's.

"И манит даль, (A wondrous place,)" he rejoined, a little more huskily than before as we broke apart.

Together, we sang, "И ты со мной. (For you and me.)"

Needless to say, after that, the fireworks were only icing on the cake, Val's arms wrapped around mine so I could warm up as IllumiNations came to life around us.

As the fireworks shot off in front of us, I couldn’t help but think of one more song. And I knew Valeri Nichushkin would know it too! I began to sing the following lines of “At The Beginning” from Anastasia in English,

“We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through
Now here we are
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you.”

Val turned to me, his eyes shimmering and a smile implanted on his face. He joined me, singing out the following, in Russian,

“No one told me
I was going to find you
Unexpected
What you did to my heart
When I lost hope
You were there to remind me…”

Now that I knew he knew the song, I helped to build the crescendo into the familiar chorus. We launched out with,

“This is the start

And…

Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey

I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you.”

I broke out with,

“We were strangers
On a crazy adventure.”

And he followed up with,

“Never dreaming
How our dreams would come true.”

We continued on together, getting into the passion and the emotion of the song from Anastasia,

“Now here we stand
Unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you

And...

Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey

I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you

I knew there was somebody somewhere
Like me, alone in the dark
Now I know my dream will live on
I've been waiting so long
Nothing's gonna tear us apart

And…”

Val grabbed my hands into his and began to twirl me around. I envisioned myself as Anastasia, dancing with Dimitri in the movie. Suddenly I could hear an actual band playing the accompaniment. Val launched into a neat little solo, singing,

“Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing.”

I picked back up with him, as we sang,

“Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey

I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning...with you!”

“Hey ay ay!” Val sang out.

He dipped me to the side, so I dangled over in his right arm, as we sang,

“Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep going on....”

I howled out my solo part, “Starting out on a journey!”

Before he yanked me up into his warm, tight embrace and we both picked back up with,

“Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is river I wanna keep flowing
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning...with you.”

“Hmmmmm….” I softly murmured into his chest, as we swayed back and forth, as the grand finale of the firework show part of IllumiNations wrapped up, shooting over our heads. It was magically timed, as Val spun around, still holding me close to him.