Hello! It's just a short chapter this time! I know it's not much but I hope it is still well-received. I just felt this was a better breaking point than later on.
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Chapter 20: Not exactly a love letter
Harry drifted slowly to consciousness. First thing he noticed was he was covered in a light misting of water. He felt a cold that went straight through to his bones. Frigid cobblestones were beneath him. He had been deposited outside somewhere. He slowly realized he was laying on his side. His eyes felt like they were dancing over dagger-ends when he finally mustered the strength to blink them open.
He was on the ground in the shade between two double-story buildings. He had been dragged into an alley by whoever had knocked him out last night. Light was scattered into the alley from the main street, occasionally blurs passed by blocking the light out momentarily. An undignified groan left the first mate at even the indirect light. Outside of the alley he could hear the gentle, mixed murmur of a semi-busy street as villains and V.K.s went to and fro without a care for the previously unconscious V.K. in the alley. He had no illusion that they would have spared a glance had he been actually dead.
Slowly it came back to Harry that he had been on his way to the ship when someone had knocked him out—and with a single hit no less, which spoke of strength. Vaguely he recalled a female's voice before he dropped.
Harry tried to move but found his wrists bound together by half-inch twisted sisal rope. Whoever had knocked him out had done him the disservice of tying his hands together.
"Who th' hell?" the pirate rubbed at his face, trying to massage away the pain and grogginess. Slowly and with great discomfort and pain the tall brunette, using a nearby wall as support, crawled to his feet.
"Bloody 'ell." The pirate winced at the stiffness.
The back of his head felt like a pounding drum. He could feel the swelling though he dared not even attempt to touch the spot. He doubted he could reach it even if he wanted to.
His first thought of course was that he had fallen victim to a classic mugging; a fairly common practice on the isle, though admittedly he had not been robbed since becoming Uma's second in command. That idea was quickly discredited when he realized he had been bound like a Christmas ham.
He twisted, pulled, and jerked at the rope only to be rewarded with the hemp fibers biting into his wrists and rubbing his skin raw. Whoever had tied it had made sure it was too secure to come undone easily and too tight to slip out of.
Expecting the worst, the pirate began to check his body and pockets so he could access the damage. It was an awkward fumbling what with his hands bound as they were but he managed. To his surprise he still had his watch, his hook, and his sword. All were well worth stealing.
"Wha' in bloody 'ell is goin' on?" The first mate mumbled to himself as he double-checked his pockets. Again, he found nothing was missing. Quite the opposite actually. He found he had something he knew wasn't there before.
Slowly he pulled out the crumpled paper. It had been folded up sloppily into squares and shoved unceremoniously into his jacket pocket. The pirate's eyebrows knit together as he stared dubiously at the crumpled paper. Someone went to the effort to knock him out just to give him a letter?
"'ad better be good." Harry gave into his curiosity and undid the folds.
'Stay away from the Cheshire Cat's daughter or next time you don't wake up.' was all that was written in large, swooping letters that ended in swirls.
"Of course." It only made so much sense that his luck couldn't be that good. Of course he was getting death threats. He lifted his bound hands and tossed the paper to the ground in frustration.
Walking back to the Lost Revenge with his hands bound was going to be one hell of a journey. The pirate eyed the sword hanging from his hip.
~...~...~
"Ran into trouble on my way back." the first mate growled as he tossed the crumpled up paper onto the counter Uma had been wiping down.
The teal-haired girl raised an eyebrow at the brisk greeting but quickly shifted her attention to the crumpled sheet he had tossed to her. It was dirty and slightly wet as if it had been on the ground.
An hour after waking up in an alley Hook managed to get back to pirate territory with no lost dignity. After cutting himself free he had grabbed the letter, destroyed some property in the alley, and made a war-path straight to the chip shoppe. Rage had given him enough strength to get there, but could only last so long. He was low on fuel and rage wasn't even enough to keep the pirate standing after he had gotten out his first frustration.
He dropped into the bar stool and for the first time since waking up he rested his head. His skull was throbbing with pain and there was visible swelling at the back by that point.
As he had predicted Uma paid him no mind, but instead was examining the letter. After a short silence the teal-haired girl finally lowered the letter back to the counter and eyed her first mate.
"Not exactly a love letter." she quipped.
"Oh I beg tae differ." Hook groaned when lifting his head back up caused the room to swim, "They waer passionate enough tae knock me noggin." He tentatively touched the back of his head this time and instantly winced and withdrew the offending fingers.
"Let me see that." Uma demanded. Without waiting for his compliance she grabbed his head like it was a basketball and turned it left and right, examining where Hook had touched before she palmed at the spot herself, moving his hair out of the way to get a better look.
"Cod dammit Harry." She hissed before she practically threw his head back at him, "You should be at the ship's doctor." There was a large bump on the back of his head as wide as a baseball and there was blood matted into his hair from a gash that had clotted some time ago.
"Ah hardly think Desiree counts as a doctor." Hook countered.
"Regardless, you're lucky you're standing." Uma disappeared into the backroom and quickly came back with a block of frozen fish in her hand. "Here, put this on your head." She extended the scale-y Popsicles over the counter. Harry eyed the bag of frozen fish dubiously.
"Captain's orders." she added with emphasis.
Reluctantly he took the bag from her. He dared not disobey a direct order.
"I assume they hit you from behind?" She watched as he placed the frozen fish against his bump and hissed in pain.
"Aye. Well deduced." His temper was being stoked by the pain.
"Well, did you get anything?"
"Naethin' worthwhile." his eyes glowered at the counter top, "Some lass greeted me from the side an' then someone hit mae from behind."
"Not much to go on."
"Aye, but whoever they are they know about Cassie." That fact alone narrowed the suspects down to a few.
"So what, should we warn her?" Uma could see out of the corner of her eye that the customers were beginning to get impatient and trying to wave her over.
Harry mulled over that thought for a moment, "Best not." Cassie was just beginning to warm up to him, if he gave her any reason she might bolt and he'd never see her again.
Uma gave her friend and first mate a leveling look.
"The threats to me, not her." Harry defended.
The teal-haired captain rolled her eyes.
"You better hope you don't regret that." She warned, "And go get that looked at." she advised, then she had to step away to see to some customers.
~...~...~
A few days had passed without incident for Cassie.
She hadn't seen or heard from Harry Hook during that time. She figured he was busy with first mate stuff, whatever that entailed.
She hadn't been bothered on her night walks either. His pirates no longer chased her to and fro and barely glanced at the rooftops anymore.
It was almost normal, or at least normal for the daughter of the Cheshire Cat.
She had no way of knowing it was simply the calm before the storm.
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