[Pregame Monday 9th EM] Airport arrival [open]

[Bee Haw]

Bea was wearing her cowboy hat, so she figured she'd be easy enough to pick out of the crowd of passengers coming up an escalator to the baggage claim area. She put on her best bright yee haw smile to show she was happy to be there, and eager to meet her hosts. It was really happening!

She'd ridden on a plane! That was a heck of a thing. A long flight. Probably, she should have brought a book or two. But she wasn't a reader. She'd had her ear buds and plenty of uplifting song. And an imagination running wild guessing what it would all be like.

She paused, now that she had internet again, to text her parents that she'd landed safely. First things first.

No aura of bees at the moment, psychic or real. She'd left her last hive in good hands back in Oklahoma. This was her chance to befriend Ethiopian bees. The Tigray bees! Who made the white honey! A geographical puzzle to unravel that might mean a great deal to her.

It was one of the reasons she'd applied to join the contest. The competition? The TV show? The come to Ethiopia chance of a lifetime.

But for now, she had others to meet. Her host family! Mr. Dejen (which meant David) and his wife Rebka (which meant Rebecca).

And there they were! Dressed sharp and modest like they were going to temple. They had a little sign that said "Welcome, Bea!" That was so nice!

She was used to living with a host family. Of course, the Bekeles would be quite different in many ways from the Jones family back in Oklahoma City, but they were part of the faith community. Much would be familiar and safe and trustworthy. A household that practiced the Words of Wisdom.

They greeted her in clear slightly accented English (which was a relief), and chatted with her about the home cooked meal awaiting once they were back to their home in the sprawl.

"Had she ever traveled so far before?" No, but it was such a thrill.

"Had she gotten any sleep at all on the plane?" Less than she should have. But she wasn't tired yet. It would probably hit her a bit later.

"How were her parents doing?" They'd so enjoyed corresponding with them. They were fine. Wishing her well. Hoping she represented well. No pressure. (Lots of presssure.)

"Did she know any of the other contestants?" She wasn't sure. Maybe she'd heard of them? Probably there were some folks better known than her. (What was she doing? Was she going to be totally outclassed? Probably.) But she was here! She'd at least stay long enough to meet the bees. And maybe make some new friends??? From around the world?

The three of them were chatting away cheerfully and loudly enough that anyone in the baggage claim might deduce that she was a contestant in the upcoming event if that was of interest.

[Lil Disaster]

“Yo cowgirl, let me holla at yah,” a young man said dressed in white urban clothing with his tattooed arms exposed. “Damn, girl, gimme them deets. I love that fresh outta Kansas look. You could be a straight baddie.”

[Bee Haw]

She turned and smiled brightly at the young man. He seemed nice. Maybe his cadence was a little confusing. A little urban. But she wanted to connect.

"Howdy, neighbor! Probably neighbor?" She smiled hopefully. "Are you staying here in Ethiopia? Going to UNJE maybe?" He was college-aged, right?

"I'm Bea Hawkins. From Oklahoma. I'm here for the contest. This is my host family. Mr. Dejen and Mrs. Rebka Bekele."

"Oh! And I promise I am not a baddie. Not at all. I'm trying to be good and true and heroic. As much as I can. Though I still have a lot to learn."

[Lil Disaster]

A smile spread across his face.



“Oklahoma, ah shit… yo I been through there. So yeah you doing the Elite Academy too? Shit, me too. Bea, huh? I’m Lil Disaster, but ain’t nothing little bout this D.”

“Sup parentals,” he said to her host family.

[Bee Haw]

Mr. Bekele kept a stern expression towards the young man. "We are glad to chaperone this young lady and provide a home for her here." Glad. Determined. Suspicious of all young men, probably.

Mrs. Bekele gave him a friendly smile. "Do you have family here, Lil?" Assuming that was a foreign first name.

Bea nodded. Elite Academy. That was the name of the competition, right? "It's nice to meet you, LD." Which was a nice set of letters. LDS after all meant a lot to her. A good sign! "When were you in Oklahoma? Where are you from? Did you do teen service work?"

[Lil Disaster]

“Nah, no family. My mother unalived herself when I was four cause my pops cheated on her, probably. Or maybe he left for milk. Fuck it, who knows? I raised myself.”

He then answered Bea and said, “Shit, I was in Tulsa, and shot a viral video there where I created an off the cuff fireworks show. It read Lil Disaster’s a Pimp. Like that grandpa rapper, Ice Cubes or some shit. Teen service work? Working is for suckahs, I make residuals,” he responded.

[Bee Haw]

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Wow. You've... you've endured a lot. It sounds like you've made the best of it. You seem really strong and confident. And happy. That's good. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

The Bekeles nodded at the verse.

Mrs. Bekele looked at Lil Disaster with an increasing need to mother him. "Do you have a place to get a home-made meal now that you've arrived? You could come back with us if you'd like. Give Bea a chance to get to know a teammate better."

Bea smiled at the thought. "Maybe we can be on the same team sometimes! Or all the time. I don't know what to expect really. One big rodeo, yeah? Some exhibition? Some competition? Lots of teamwork, surely. Since it's trying out for a team?"

Mr. Bekele's eyes had narrowed further at 'pimp' and 'working is for suckahs.' But still, this boy needed compassion. Buckets of it. "What is a residual?" he ventured. Trying.

[Lil Disaster]

“Hell yeah, Momma Bee, man I am starving and airplane food is balls. Momma Bee comin’ in clutch, sexy and she cookin’ you know how to reach me. Baddie Bea and Momma Bee, let me grab my bag.”

Once he collected his bag, a patched up backpack he answered Mr. Bekele, “My dude, I got crypto stacks on stacks, plus I’m mad famous on the net, I just broke a million followers across my social media. My DMs are overlfowin’ with 304’s.”

“Check it, I can probably get you on the ground floor of a new residual I am setting up, but we ain’t dealing with little bill energy, need 10 g’s minimum to play with Lil Disaster.”

[Bee Haw]

Mrs. Bekele looked very pleased. "Just wait til you try my doro wat. It's a spicy chicken stew. All the comfort, and a little fire. That's the berbere spices. You both can take a little heat, yes?"

Mr. Bekele paused to help Bea with a 2nd large suitcase and a large packed crate. "We invest mostly through tithes, and let others put the money to best use."

Bea looked impressed. "Gosh! A million followers?" A million! There was a moment that she was just silent and still, trying to comprehend it. (Am I terribly terribly unprepared for this competition? What had she gotten herself into? No fear. Deep breath. Papa would say gumption and a smile will get you where you need to go. And be good. That's enough to take you to any place worth visiting.)

"That's a powerful platform. I don't have much of a social media presence. Something to work on. How ... how did you get so many people interested in what you have to say?"

"I guess they'll all be tuning in to root you on!"

[Lil Disaster]

Lil Disaster responded to the mother, “Momma Bee, bring me that heat!” He had no idea what a tithe was and had no interest in finding out. Hard pass.

“I just be me, people love me, and if they hate me, they still love me with their hate views. So just do you, it’s easy, if they come at you with tears and act like little bitches just do you. Stunt on them haters. The best revenge is to stack your paper.”

“Chase money, not bitches,” he smirked. “You want easy money Baddie Bea, get them followers.”

[Bee Haw]

Bea smiled. "I can be me." I can bee me.

And he seemed to like her alright. So, that was a good start! Bless Mrs. B for helping with her offer of a home cooked meal!

"I don't know that I need a ton of money, but the more you earn, the more you can give, so that's good. And I think this show is going to put us all on the radar, even for a little while. A chance to be a role model. If you are at peace that you've done the right thing, it doesn't much matter what anyone else thinks."

"Now are you a student, LD? In addition to a contestant? Enrolled at the university?"

[Lil Disaster]

“School is for nerds, ain’t got time for all that borin’ ass books. I’m makin’ papah,” he responded.

“You smart for a baddie, Bea.”

[Bee Haw]

She grinned. "Oh thank goodness. I was worried everyone was a college kid. All super smart. Or even regular smart. Book smart."

And he thought she was smart! Hey, she was doing alright! Yee haw!

"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out what to make of myself. Maybe something with animals! If I don't get a patron to cover me so I can just hero full time. But that would be nice. Making a team and being able to focus on doing good."

[Lil Disaster]

“So what’s your sitch, Baddie Bea; you like tryin’ to be the next Lady Tempest or somethin? Cause if you get picked you know you going to be stackin’ that UNJE bread, right?” he responded.

“Be like going from broke to millions over night.”

[Bee Haw]

"Lady Tempest does so much good! Can you imagine being on a team with someone like that? All the people saved. The disasters averted." She smiled.

"Millions? I can't imagine. UNJE ... they re-invest in projects to make the world better. Scientists. Turning deserts into paradise. Solving the big problems. Making sure people have enough to eat. And stuff. Right? So the heroes could give back into that stuff in lieu of taking more than they need probably."

"I guess you'd have to work extra hard to keep thinking of good uses for it. Turn it over to the church and let wiser heads put it to work."

"Mama always said the only safe play is to give more than you think you can spare."

[Lil Disaster]

"Give my money away?" he said with a confused look. "Baddie Bea, I gotta ball hard every day. The drip gotta be clean and fresh. That costs money."

[Bee Haw]

"Drip is ... your clothes?"

"It is important clothes are clean and fresh. I like that, too."

"And look at you with just the one bag!" A patched up backpack. Nothing too fancy. He looked like he was living the “fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" lifestyle exactly like you were supposed to.

He talked fancy, but he seemed to live simply. And action meant more than words!

"You are putting me to shame in the simplicity of your packing. I probably did bring more than I need. How many versions of the same outfit does anyone need? And did I really need my beekeeping supplies?" A glance at the big crate. "Maybe I could have learned more by only purchasing local supplies - learning the local way."

[Lil Disaster]

"Beekeepin'? People be keepin' bees is that like pets?" he said with confusion.

[Bee Haw]

"Like pets in the sense that you watch over them, but also ... like family. More than pets. Friends. I can talk to animals, so they are friends to get to know."

"It's really providing a home. A hive." Homes were important. "Like having a host family." She smiled at the Bekeles.

"My favorite animals to befriend are horses and bees."

"The bees like me extra special because that's kind of my thing. I can turn into a swarm of bees."

"Have you ever had a pet, LD?"

[Lil Disaster]

“I… maybe? When I was a kid, livin’ with my uncle,” he said quietly, “think a dog or cat like hung around. It was cool, but think it got ran over or some shit.”