#( continued our streak of the supposedly noncanon couple LKJASDFASDFSADF I'M SORRYYY )

[apaise]

❛  you  owe  me  dinner .  i’ll  settle  for  tacos !    ❜ steph @ ella

when she first heard that jo and will had never been to an ocean park before, ella made it a top priority to squeeze a trip into the camp's schedule ( maddy graciously permitting the change ). it was slightly out of budget but with her father busier than usual, he didn't notice the extra charges to the maplewood account. and for once his assistant turned a blind eye to ella's antics, no doubt intending for ella to return the favor some time. yet ella didn't care about the tacit stipulations, too excited for the campers to have this special day at the atlantis cove.

she was supposed to be one of the chaperones on the bus, but unfortunately duty called, and chat noir was needed in the city. she would have to catch up with everyone later, claiming to have a meeting with her father in the meanwhile.

it was business as usual out in hell's kitchen, but as soon as ella could catch her breath . . she noticed she missed about 37 calls on her cellphone. three from quinn, the rest from maddy; apparently the bus had started smoking about an hour into the trip. the calls from maddy were a panicked frenzy while quinn's were much calmer, telling her they were handling it and not to worry. the third call from quinn shared that steph had diagnosed the issue -- probably making some joke about being a bus nurse too, knowing her. ella felt an immense wave of relief as quinn told her everything was back on schedule, and to just meet them at atlantis cove.

when ella arrives, the campers seem to be doing just fine, unaffected by the little scare earlier. after thanking quinn and maddy, ella searches for steph, needing to express her gratitude. she eventually finds their savior with some of the cubs at the penguin sanctuary, keeping everyone bright smiles with her jokes. while the kids go to watch a short film about global warming and its effects on penguins, ella takes the opportunity to catch steph alone, telling her she completely saved the day. it's only when she speaks she hears how anxious she had been. but if they hadn't been able to make it to the park, ella doesn't know how she would've managed to fool her dad with the billing a second time.

owing someone dinner isn't a first for ella. in order to secure some of the nicer equipment at camp maplewood, she's used her family name to get vendors into michelin star restaurants like the red orchid. but it's the first time someone's ever requested tacos. the unexpectedness of it has ella blinking, and then laughing. perhaps more than such a joke would usually warrant, but after such a stressful day wracked with pent-up worries, it feels good to laugh.

❝ that's a very reasonable hero's fee, ❞ she nods, still chuckling. ❝ tacos it is then. ❞ luckily, they happen to serve all sorts of tacos at atlantis cove. ❝ . . . i think they have something called 'the whale' here, ❞ she muses in remembering. as a kid she had always wanted to try the 14-inch taco food challenge, but neither her father or her chaperones would ever let her. ❝ it's supposed to be for only the biggest taco enthusiasts. ❞