"Oliver! What were you doing?" he heard the familiar angry shriek and took a deep breath, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Or rather, his eye. He didn't really consider his other eye functional anymore. It wasn't like he couldn't see anything at all out of it, but…it certainly was a whole lot more than just an eye.
"Nothing," he answered truthfully, a sweet smile on his face. The girl scowled at him, or at least he figured she'd be scowling. She was always wearing that stupid hooded cloak. Which, in Oliver's opinion, was really unnecessary since Oliver already knew who she was and what she looked like. But of course she'd want to maintain an aura of mysteriousness and superiority. That was what she was like, after all – she wouldn't be her if she wasn't looking down her nose at everyone else.
"You're never doing nothing," she took a step closer to him, clearly about to launch into some tirade about how all his antics were going to mess up her grand plans. Oliver stretched, taking a few steps away from her to put some distance between them. He wasn't exactly in the mood to listen to her outbursts today. Then again, was he ever really in the mood to be lectured by her?
"Well, right now I am. As you may have noticed, right before you came storming in here with your raging hissy fit, I was just standing here peacefully minding my own business," he pointed out. Of course, he had been thinking over a few things, but she didn't need to know that.
She stopped and looked at him for a while. He could sense the cold blue eyes, which he knew were concealed underneath that hood, staring straight at him, trying to figure out what he was plotting. Oliver was the one person in Neverland she could not read, which annoyed her very much. He was aware of her personal grievances and made use of his knowledge with great pleasure. There was nothing else he would rather do than to infuriate her as much as he could.
"What's on your mind?" she finally asked, just like how he knew she would. He sighed, then turned away from her, staring deep into the trees beyond. The sirens would be walking through the forest now, preying on any man unfortunate enough to hear their singing. It was quite annoying when the sirens awakened. He could remember the last time that happened with vivid clarity.
It kind of sucked honestly, having a perfect memory. There were things he wished he could forget but they were all but branded into his mind, these incidents which served no purpose other than to remind him of all the different ways he was a failure. But these horrible, negative thoughts only surfaced on certain nights, when he felt…some type of way. Today was not one of those days.
"Can't you just read it off my face?" he asked bluntly, perfectly aware that she could not sense his thoughts. The girl made a soft noise of disgust, which pleased him. He lived for the sole purpose of aggravating her. In the beginning he had only been there to assist her, since that was his only reason to live after all his failures, but then the more time he spent alone and away from her, the more he realised that he craved a life of his own, an independent existence. Her presence was like a chain, locking him to his past and preventing him from being truly free.
He hated that, but he couldn't hate her. In fact, he rather pitied her. For he knew that she was simply doing something she had been groomed from the very start to do. Wouldn't he be a hypocrite if he hated her for that? He was hardly any different, after all. "You know I can't. Could you stop trying to make my life so difficult?" she snapped, the leaves at her feet rustling as the wind picked up, influenced by her agitation. "I just want to get this whole thing over and done with!"
He squinted at her. "What makes you think I don't want the same thing?" he questioned. "Though of course, my idea of a favourable outcome may not be the same as yours," he added liltingly, testing the very limits of her patience. The leaves rustled, fluttering higher up into the air now. She was clearly becoming very unhappy, and Oliver wondered how much more he could push her.
"If you don't tell me, Oliver, I can make your life very miserable," she growled. "And you know very well that this is no empty threat, so don't brush me off the way you push away most of your pirate friends. This is a serious matter, and if you don't treat it the way you should, we might start thinking about getting a replacement," she continued. Oliver stared at her. He knew that the threat was supposed to frighten him, but he didn't feel a thing. Actually…what would it be like, to simply disappear one day? Would anyone care about where he went? Would people look for him?
But he tired of taunting her. He would have given her the answers she wanted sooner or later anyway. Helping her was the only reason why he was still here in Neverland, living and breathing, capable of leading a semi-independent life. He loathed the idea of being tossed back into the muck – not when he knew what it was like to be free from the rest of them.
Did he, on some subconscious level, fail in his mission because he secretly longed to be free from his obligations? To tell the truth, that was one of the few questions that, even after all this time, he was still unable to find an answer for. He wished he knew. That might help explain how he was born, and why he didn't simply fade away when the time came. Oliver was such a conundrum to himself that he personally wished, at times, that he had never been born.
"I was thinking about her. The girl," he spoke slowly, tilting his head and staring down at the forest ground. He could hear the sound of her cloak swishing against the dead leaves. "Hatsune Miku. She is…different. All the Lost Boys are special, but even among them she is unique. What is it about her that repels them? It's not the same reason as the others. It reminded me of something…"
The girl was quiet as he spoke, and even when his voice trailed off into nothingness she remained still and silent. Sometimes, she could be so quiet that he would think that somehow, impossibly, she was dead. But then she would move and the illusion would shatter. He tapped his bare foot against the ground, wriggling his toes into the damp soil. He could feel young seeds through the earth, waiting to grow into the tall, menacing trees that made up Neverland's conscious forest.
That was why he wore so many bandages, actually. It was cumbersome to wear too many clothes on a pirate ship, but if he didn't protect and hide his bare skin somehow, it often led to sensory overload and the last thing he wanted was to have a mental breakdown in front of half the crew. He could still remember the way they regarded him with fear, suspicion, and even pity in his youth. He didn't want them to stare at him the same way again. So he always lied and said he was injured, and given how aggressive the pirates were no one ever questioned his supposed wounds.
"I know she's different," the girl finally answered. "We always knew – that's why I saved her from the will-o'-the-wisps. I wouldn't have bothered otherwise; neither you nor I are known for the goodness of our hearts," she pointed out. Oliver shrugged, knowing what she said to be true. "But this does not explain it. What makes you say that she is different – tell me, what did you realise?"
Oliver hesitated. He didn't want to reveal that Hatsune Miku was very similar to him. He didn't see enough from her memories to understand the full situation, so he'd rather not go around sharing his suspicions. Besides, if it really was true and Miku turned out to be just like him, then that would lead to many implications that he'd prefer not to be involved in. No, he couldn't say a word.
"Just a feeling," he responded vaguely, waving his hand airily. He could feel her glaring at him from beneath her hood, but thankfully she didn't press the issue. Instead, she simply barked a short farewell and warned him that she would return soon, before she turned and disappeared into the trees, the forest swallowing up her slim figure. Then he was finally left alone.
Oliver yawned, the stress of dealing with her having tired him out. He deserved a good rest after everything he had been put through. Like it hadn't been enough hassle that time he had to play puppeteer and speak through the body of that dead Red Indian girl. He was pretty strong but he didn't have a limitless supply of energy. That episode had burnt him out for a good long while.
Maybe he should get back to the ship. Hook would probably be concerned since he had been gone for so long. Out of all the pirates, Hook was the only one who ever seemed to really keep an eye on him. Oliver smirked at the thought – well, it wasn't really all that surprising, given that Oliver had been the one who pushed Aoki Lapis off their ship and caused Shion Kaito to be motherless.
It was said that Lapis's death – or disappearance really, depending on how you looked at it – had affected the young boy profoundly, and even now his mother's shadow still lingered over him, an influence which reached out from beyond the grave. But who knew, really? Oliver didn't particularly care about the affairs of the pirates. He was just biding his time, waiting for everyone to wake up from their delusions. Once this game was over, everything would fade, and even he would disappear into nothingness.
Rei slipped back into the den in the middle of the afternoon, at the hottest part of the day, when he knew everyone else would definitely be asleep. He was right – as he entered the main cavern that led out to each room, he could feel the lethargy in the atmosphere and sense warmth emanating from every cave except his own. He let out a sigh of relief, thankful for small mercies.
The only reason why he was even back here now was because he knew how angry Len would be if he stayed outside during such a crucial period. He knew that with numbers came strength, a sentiment that their leader likely echoed as well, but unlike Rei, Len didn't have to struggle with his animal instincts. Len didn't know what it felt like to have to restrain himself from doing something he would regret.
Sometimes, Rei wondered whether life would be easier if he didn't have his animal half within him. But at the same time he knew that even if he could turn back time, he wouldn't change a single thing. He wouldn't have done anything differently, and he wouldn't have chosen not to accept his wolf into his consciousness. Without his wolf, without the animal half that he could retreat into whenever he felt threatened or unsafe, Rei would have lost his mind a long time ago.
Surely there was a reason why the wolf was so tempted, so enticed by Miku's scent. It didn't make any sense why it was only her when he had been living with four other human beings for a long time, and they had never once triggered his wolfish instincts, even before they accepted their spirit animals and were still human through and through. But the animal spirit provided no answers. It was spent and tired after its long run through the forest, and now it curled up contentedly in a corner of his mind, too drowsy to pay any attention to the faint traces of Miku's scent in the den.
Rei quietly walked through the main cavern towards his room, but as he went past Len's room, he was struck by the sudden urge to take a look inside. He decided there was no harm in peeking, since his spirit animal was sated for now, so he pushed aside the vines over the entrance that acted as a barrier and peered into the cave. He could see two dark figures, both breathing softly and peacefully, and guessed that the one on the bed was Miku. Len wouldn't let a girl sleep on the floor – he was too chivalrous for that, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud.
Miku's torturously familiar scent wafted over to him and he wrinkled his nose, almost holding his breath in fear of his own possible reaction. But the inner wolf didn't react, and he let out a sigh of relief, glad that he didn't have to fight against his urges this time. Perhaps running through the forest tired the wolf enough that it didn't focus on anything else – but then, Rei couldn't possibly do the same thing every time he was near Miku. He'd exhaust the wolf, but he'd tire himself out too.
The figure on the bed shifted, catching his attention, and he watched as Miku turned over in her sleep, mumbling something as she moved. He pricked his ears, curious about what she was dreaming of, but her words were too slurred for him to pick up anything concrete. He decided to leave them be, and retreated from Len's cave, hoping to get some rest before he had to wake up in the evening. Speaking of rest, Rei was a little concerned about Len. He knew Len wasn't getting as much sleep as he should, which was actually pretty normal for their leader but nevertheless, not something that should become a habit. But he couldn't just tell Len to start sleeping more.
He didn't know much about Len's plans since he was so secretive, and he had this martyr complex where he basically had to sacrifice himself for the sake of his dependents. It also meant that Len wouldn't involve anyone else in his plans unless he absolutely needed the assistance. Admittedly Len probably couldn't die, since they healed so quickly and they were more or less immortal, but that didn't mean Rei was fine with their leader recklessly sticking his neck out for them all the time.
"Rei? You're back," he heard Gumo whisper his name, and he turned to see the youngest Lost Boy sticking his head out from his room, staring quizzically at him. So Len had managed to find Gumo and Nero after all. The two of them would probably still be fighting somewhere in the forest if Len didn't drag them back to the den – their leader was really the only person who could hope to calm them down when any Lost Boy reverted to their animal forms.
Rei inclined his head in acknowledgement, and Gumo watched him intently for a few seconds longer before he suddenly reached out a hand, beckoning him to come to his room. Rei blinked in surprise, wondering what Gumo wanted from him, but his gestures became more urgent and he decided to just go over before the boy had a coronary. He slipped quietly over to Gumo's room, and the boy swept the hanging vines aside, pressing himself against the rock wall so that Rei had space to step inside.
"Yeah?" Rei asked, turning around and regarding Gumo once the vines had fallen back into place, giving the two of them some privacy. Not that they really needed the privacy, since everyone else was asleep, but Nero did have very sensitive hearing and maybe Gumo didn't want him to listen in. It made Rei curious about what kind of conversation Gumo wanted to have – what could possibly warrant this level of secrecy?
"I was talking to Piko when I got back," Gumo went into whatever was on his mind immediately, neglecting any pleasantries. Not like they needed any vague conversation starters anyway. They had been living with each other for far too long for them to uphold good manners. "And we got to the topic of Len's plans…don't you think that we know far too little about the current situation?" Gumo's green eyes were filled with concern. "Piko said that he's afraid Miku won't be able to cope with the pressure. Apparently he heard her talking to herself the other day, after they returned from their trip to the Red Indian territory. He feels that Len shouldn't be involving Miku so much in all his plans since she's new and he doubts she can handle all this stress."
Rei blinked slowly, trying to take in what Gumo was saying. It didn't help that the boy was practically stumbling over his words in his haste to get them out, and when Gumo spoke too quickly his words tended to sound like a garbled mess. "That may be true, but what can any of us do about it?" he finally replied. "She herself volunteered to help him. And we all know that Len is far too self-sacrificial to pull any of us into his dilemmas, even if his problems do involve us all. In fact, it's already pretty strange that he's allowing Miku to follow him at all…" he mused.
"I'm more worried about her than Len, really," Gumo admitted, looking slightly guilty as he said those words. "I mean, I know I ought to be concerned about Len's health since we all know he's been pushing himself way too hard lately, but then again it's hardly the first time we've gone through a crisis and Len has always pulled through. Miku is new though, and from what it sounds like she's already pretty…traumatised from her experiences. I don't want her to have a nervous breakdown or anything. If even Piko said something, it has to be pretty serious."
Now that was true. For the silver haired craftsman to show personal interest in anything at all generally meant that there was something major going on. After all, Piko only really cared about two things in his life – woodwork and women. And if he was serious while bringing up Miku, if he wasn't just thinking about how to flirt or sleep with her, then it was definitely a matter that all of them should at least consider. "So what, you want me to talk to Len about cutting her out of his plans? Or to substitute one of us in her place?" Rei asked, tipping his head to one side.
"Maybe," Gumo hesitated. "Actually yeah, that would be a great idea. I didn't really want to ask you to do anything, I just wanted your opinion since you've spent the most time with Len, and I thought that you might have some idea what he's thinking. I mean, I don't really know what's going through his mind most of the time," his voice sounded slightly bitter. "Len doesn't share anything with the rest of us, be it his triumphs or his pain. I think he just wants to be as removed as possible from us all, which is weird since he's the one who looks out for us. Do you think he regrets our presences?"
The sudden question startled Rei. It was so unexpected, especially from Gumo of all people. It was a question that might not seem too shocking if it came out of Nero's mouth, but Gumo? The happy-go-lucky Lost Boy who could always be relied on to stay cheerful and positive, even in the face of overwhelming crisis? Today was really a day of shocking new discoveries. Rei hadn't expected Gumo and Nero to fight either. Maybe Gumo was less upbeat than everyone else assumed.
He gave Gumo's question serious thought as the other Lost Boy stood there in front of him, waiting expectantly for an answer. Could Len possibly regret saving and raising them? "I don't think so," he finally answered, choosing his words slowly and carefully. "You are the youngest Lost Boy, so I don't blame you for feeling this way. But I still remember what it was like, being the first one to join Len in Neverland. And I genuinely think that if back then, I hadn't arrived…if Len continued being alone he might not have lasted as long, sanity-wise. We are people, after all. People need interaction to survive, it's only normal. I know far too well what it's like to not have anyone else to talk to," he met Gumo's gaze. Gumo held his stare for a few seconds before abruptly turning away.
None of the others were comfortable hearing his story, or any hint whatsoever about his past. Of course, they all knew each other's tales. The one thing they all had in common was the mistaken belief in their youth that they had nothing left to live for, at least not on Earth. But for Rei alone, that belief was not entirely mistaken. He wouldn't call Neverland a personal paradise or a worthy escape from his previous situation, but back then and even now it had been an answer to his prayers. He wouldn't tell Len that he was grateful for being brought all the way here, because honestly he couldn't be sure if he was happy about this or not, but between Neverland and remaining on Earth anyone else definitely would have chosen the lesser of two evils.
"Sometimes, I think I forget how old you are and how much you've been through," Gumo finally murmured, sounding almost ashamed. "You know, whenever I'm reminded of all the stories and personal histories we all have, it just makes me feel like a spoilt brat for not appreciating what I had back on Earth. I mean, out of all of us I definitely had the most pampered life. My parents didn't abuse me or abandon me. I didn't have to work from a young age, trying to make some kind of living to support my starving family. And I gave it all up because of one childish fit," he stared up at the rock ceiling, avoiding his gaze. Rei looked up too, studying the hard surface with its myriad of cracks and protrusions. Gumo's room ceiling was the lowest out of all of them, and given that he was one of the taller Lost Boys, this combination often led to concussions and colourful swearing whenever Gumo banged his head on the ceiling, something which happened worryingly often.
"What's done is done. And anyway, I actually think it's good that you were the most pampered," a small smile curved his lips. "Could you imagine if the next Lost Boy to join us happens to have a past similar to mine? I doubt we need to handle another one like that," he shook his head. "We have our share of survivors and fighters, and we don't need any more of such people. Hopefully there'll be no more Lost Boys," his tone turned bleak. "Since Lost Boys only show up when a child decides to leave behind his past and enter a new world. I'd hate to know what kind of circumstances could force a kid to abandon his parents, his home, any sentiment that could tie him down to Earth," he went on, noticing how Gumo's look of anguish seemed to worsen as he continued to speak.
"Sometimes children make stupid decisions," Gumo finally responded after a while, clearly struggling to suppress his emotions. Rei guessed that he didn't want to have another emotional outburst, not at him and certainly not so soon after his fight with Nero. Anyone could tell that the physical ordeal had worn the boy out, and he didn't have to see Nero to know that the blond boy was probably in a similar condition. There were faint scars all over Gumo's skin, marks which Rei could only see because of how sharp his vision was, even in dim lighting. The wounds would fully recover within the next few days, but Rei didn't want to think about how much brute strength was needed to inflict lasting injuries on a bear. Nero clearly hadn't been holding back.
But then again, Gumo probably gave as good as he got. His temperament was much like a bear's as well – he was slow to anger, but truly ferocious once riled. And the Lost Boy certainly had been extremely infuriated when he transformed into his spirit animal. "Youth is no excuse for stupidity," Rei pointed out bluntly. He softened his tone when Gumo flinched. "Don't take that personally. We all make mistakes. And there's always going to be that one mistake which changes our lives forever. This just happens to be your mistake, Gumo," he reached out to pat him gingerly on the shoulder, not wanting to aggravate any possible wounds in that area. Gumo's shoulder was stiff beneath his palm. "And going back to your concerns about Len and Miku – I'll definitely bring it up to Len if I catch him at the right moment. You know how rarely he's been in the den lately."
Gumo nodded. "Thanks, Rei. I would have asked him personally, but nowadays I have so many questions, so much doubt about everything, even myself…I hope it's just because I'm concerned about our situation," troubled light green eyes met his. Then he shook his head, his expression clearing up a little. "I guess everything will work out in the end, like how it usually does," he added in his typical cheerful way, and Rei felt a little relieved to hear Gumo back to normal.
He bade the other Lost Boy good day and turned to leave the room, but right before he could sweep the hanging vines aside, Gumo called out to him once more. "You said that everyone makes a life-changing mistake. What's yours, Rei? Given your history…it's not coming to Neverland, is it?"
Rei paused at that question, swivelling slowly around to watch Gumo. Gumo stared intently back at him, clearly eager to hear his answer – as proof that he wasn't the only idiot around who gave up everything he knew and held dear for a mere illusion, perhaps?
He turned his answer over in his mind, wondering what he could say that would he honest without affecting Gumo's fragile mood. He didn't want the boy to swing back into self-destructive doubt and pessimism again. In the end, he reached out to one of the hanging vines, sweeping it aside in preparation for his exit from the room. Then he turned to smile as wide as he could at Gumo, who was still waiting for his response. The words Rei next spoke came from the bottom of his heart.
"My mistake, Gumo, was probably being born. My very existence was a mistake. Sometimes, back when I was a child, I really wished I would just die, or at the very least fade away into nothing," he paused, staring at Gumo's startled face. "But that was in the past. I eventually got over it, and you will too," his smile tightened. "Get some rest. You'll need it to recover from your injuries. Good day."
Then he brushed the vines aside and headed off towards his own room, thinking about Gumo's request and his reaction to Rei's true sentiments about himself. He really didn't think that he was worthy of living sometimes, having been told so many times in the past that he was useless. It was something practically engraved into his psyche now, and moving on was exceedingly difficult. But he was trying his best to ignore it and put the past behind him. He could only hope to succeed.
"Len," he heard his name being whispered to him, but it sounded so muffled, so far away. Almost as though someone was calling to him through water, and he was drowning at the bottom of a lake, miles and miles below. "Len…" that voice again. He couldn't seem to open his eyes. "Stop dreaming…you need to wake up!" the voice seemed to get louder, and he could almost recognise it – but then someone shook him hard and his eyes flew open as he gasped for air, chest heaving.
"You've been asleep all day. Someone is looking for you," he rubbed tiredly at his eyes and peered up at whoever had woken him up. Piko gazed back at him, eyes hard, silvery hair falling around his face. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink. Len looked past him to his room exit and saw that there was no rosy evening light filtering through the vines. It was clearly the middle of the night. The second observation that he made was that he and Piko were the only ones in his room – Miku was gone.
"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" he questioned, rising from the mattress and stretching himself. He could feel his muscles popping. Piko pursed his lips at that question, looking almost worried for a second, but the moment passed and the craftsman turned away, staring out at the room exit as well. It was impossible to guess what was on Piko's mind. Of course, it wasn't too far-fetched to assume that sex was probably one of the things he was thinking about, but anything else was a mystery. Despite his waif-like, innocent appearance, Piko's mind was sharp and keen.
"You seemed tired. No one wanted to wake you, not even Rei. He came back in the middle of the day and went out again before the sun set. He and Gumo said they had something to talk about," Piko answered, sounding uninterested. "I only came in here at all because of your visitor. You need to settle this, because the moment Miku saw him here she fled into the forest and I want to look for her. I have concerns about how well she can handle herself outside the den. And I need to ask her a few questions," he added, pushing his fringe back from his eyes. For once, he sounded remarkably serious. It made Len wonder if there was something happening that was more urgent than what Piko let on.
He had a pretty good guess who the visitor was, if their presence could send Miku running out of the den. Len frowned – he certainly seemed to be making himself at home on their territory, traipsing in and out of their land as he pleased. Even if he claimed to be helping Len and the Lost Boys, there were certain customs that had to be respected and one of those was that people from neighbouring territories didn't continuously trespass on another's land. If he kept coming here without any official arrangement then what was the point of having formal borders?
"All right. Go and look for her, then," he dismissed Piko. "Bring her back too if you manage to find her. I need her around to talk to our guest. Oliver doesn't seem to like chatting with anyone else besides her," he noted. It was frustrating and extremely strange that the pirate had such a strange fixation on the Lost Girl, but Oliver probably wouldn't admit a single thing about his plans so Len didn't bother to ask. He would keep an eye on their interactions, though. It would be foolish to trust the pirate completely. Even the things he told them yesterday were pretty suspicious.
Piko paused at Len's words. He turned back to stare at his leader, and for a while Len thought that Piko wanted to say something. But then his expression darkened and he nodded, wordlessly ducking out of the room, one pale hand carelessly sweeping aside the vines hanging over the exit. Then the room was quiet and empty once more, save for him. Len glanced at the bed which used to be his, and which Miku now used. He felt like he might be getting used to her presence.
Rubbing his hand across his face, Len took a final look around his room and stepped out as well, the fresh air of the main cavern gently kissing his face. It was a welcome sensation, and he looked up at the open ceiling for a moment, gazing at the twinkling stars overhead. It seemed so peaceful. But he knew that this feeling of calm and serenity was merely an illusion, and it would be foolish to be lulled into a false sense of security because of lifeless, sparkling stars. He averted his gaze, studying the cavern and the fire pit. There was someone curled up against one of the logs.
He cautiously walked over to the figure and saw that it was Oliver, his eye closed, his hat tipped so that it was half-covering his face. He had taken off his ragged coat and was using it as a blanket, but the coat was a little too short to cover him completely so a bit of his bandage-covered foot was sticking out past the hem. Len wondered how long Oliver had been here, to be taking a nap in hostile territory – but then Piko would have woken him up if Oliver had arrived here earlier, right?
"Pirate," he addressed Oliver, not wanting to use his name. It wasn't like they were on friendly terms with each other. At the sound of his voice, Oliver's golden eye flicked open and a strange smile crossed his face as he adjusted his hat, sweeping his coat off his body. Len had the sneaking suspicion that perhaps Oliver hadn't really been asleep, after all.
"Well, if it isn't Peter Pan, finally awake to greet the newcomer," Oliver chirruped, sliding his arms into his coat. It settled on his shoulders, a coat slightly too baggy for such a slender boy, and Len briefly wondered where the coat had come from. A father figure? From the previous captain? One of their comrades who died? He wouldn't ever know the answer. "I thought I would rot here and become fodder for the trees by the time you got up from your slumber. Where's Miku?"
Len could guess from the gleam in Oliver's eye that he knew perfectly well Miku wasn't in the den, and he more than likely also knew that he was the reason for her absence. But Len played along anyway. He wasn't in the mood to start some stupid, pointless quarrel with a capricious pirate whose intentions, even at this point, were mysterious and unknowable. "She's outside. Piko is looking for her right now," he answered. "Why, do you need her to be around for whatever you have planned today?" he folded his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes at Oliver.
Oliver smiled serenely. "No, let her be. If she wants to stay outside and embrace the forest…if she wishes to become one with nature, then she ought to be free to do whatever she wishes. I'm hardly in the position to decide what she should do with her time," there was a knowingness in Oliver's tone that made Len extremely uncomfortable, and he wondered if there really was anything the pirate knew about Miku which he didn't. Or maybe the pirate was just trying to mess with his mind.
"That's nice of you, to care about what she's doing with her time," he countered. Both boys just looked at each other for a while, Len suspicious, Oliver serene. Then he spoke again, since it didn't seem like Oliver was in any rush to do things. "What are you here for today, Oliver? And how did you even get into our den?" he scowled. Their den was hidden, and most outsiders should have no knowledge whatsoever on how to find their way in, not unless someone showed them the way.
Oliver shrugged. "I followed Piko from the forest all the way into the den. Pretty sure that he knew I was tailing him the entire time, so maybe you ought to ask him why he let me follow him instead of grilling me. I don't know anything," he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Oliver's words made Len pause – Piko was the one who showed Oliver the way to their den? There was always the possibility that the pirate was lying, no matter how small the chances were…but he decided to ask the silver haired boy about this issue when he returned from the forest, nevertheless.
There had to be a reason for everything. "Forget that for a while. Just tell me now – you trespassed on our territory yesterday, so why are you back here again tonight?" Len asked about the issue at hand, determined to warn Oliver about his behaviour. He might have to ask Hook to restrain Oliver's wanderings as well. If Nero caught Oliver on their land again, there was no telling what the aggressive, territorial tiger would do to him. Speaking of Nero, Len wondered where he was now.
He didn't think anyone else was in the den except for him. It was considered pretty late for the Lost Boys, and the others must all have woken up to carry out their daily activities by now. Nero was the only Lost Boy whose whereabouts and plans for the day Len did not know about, and that lack of knowledge made him uneasy. "Well, night has fallen, you see," Oliver shrugged once more. "And the sirens are singing. I just wanted to get away from all the noise, but then I thought it might be a good opportunity for you to see what you're up against. Would you like to take a look?" Oliver offered, a knowing grin on his face. Of course he knew Len would say yes. He had to, to know and understand the sheer magnitude of the task at hand. Instead of opening his mouth, Len simply nodded, and Oliver's smile widened. "Then let's go down to the pirates' territory. Don't forget your ear plugs," he added, turning away from Len. "I'd hate for the Lost Children to lose their dear Peter Pan."
"You seem convinced that I won't be able to resist the sirens, just like the rest of the crew," Len countered, taking note of Oliver's cautionary words anyway. He'd cover his ears later. The pirate was walking ahead of him, his ragged coat swaying with every motion, and in the dim light Len was reminded of the cold ocean waters, rolling and whispering against a sandy shore.
"Oh, it's not that I doubt you, Peter Pan," Oliver answered without missing a beat, striding onwards determinedly like a man about to face his executioner. There was a certain stiffness to his shoulders that Len was only seeing now. "But I doubt the others. You don't know what kind of effect a siren's singing can have upon hapless mortals. And believe me, you don't wish to know."
With that cryptic warning in mind, the two boys left the safety of the den, and Len couldn't help but wonder if he was really going to find out more information about his task or if he was simply being escorted to his doom.