Angel: To the guest requesting the TMNT 90s movies, I have not written TMNT Next Mutation or the 90s movies for a reason. And I've talked about my opinion about those two enough, so I will not say it again. I don't know if this person just wants me to do TMNT again or what, but if that is the case, if I write TMNT forever, let me be as clear and polite as possible:
I
Will
Get
Bored of it.
Stop trying to throw stuff to see what's gonna stick from TMNT for me to write, please. TMNT's not a perfect franchise, there's always gonna be sore thumbs from it. Not saying the 90s movies are that, if you take away the third movie, but I've never seen them, and I never will. Sorry, but I'd have to write the third movie, and there's no saving that last one. At all. Not writing it, move on guest, please. Stop making me talk stuff I don't wanna do, and just let me write what I wanna do. Thank you.
Silver made his way down the stairs that led to the lower quarters. The other members of the crew were waiting, and they fell silent as he approached. "So...we're all here, then," Silver started off calmly and with a smile.
"Excuse me," An alien rushed past him, finding a seat.
"Fine," He stepped forward while still smiling. "Now, if you pardon my plain speaking, gentlemen...are you all..." His robotic hand shifted into a sword. "Stark-raving, totally blinking daft?!" He shouted, swinging his sword at the crew, most of them terrified. "After all me fingaling getting us hired as an upstanding crew, you want to blow the whole mutiny before it's time?" He glared up at Scroop.
"The boy was sniffing about, and the girl wasn't keeping her mouth shut!" He growled back.
"You could've killed the girl and given us away! I asked around what happened; you provoked her first!" Silver hissed back and then paused. Even though she technically didn't work for him, mostly for the Captain and Mr. Arrow, he...found himself very concerned for her health. The latest status on her was that she was resting, and she was lucky she didn't need stitches...
"Feh. She's not worth anything. Who cares what happens to the scullery maid?"
Silver glared at him and then punched him in the gut with his normal arm. Scroop held his stomach, wheezing in pain as he kneeled. "You just stick to the plan, you bug-brained twit. As for the kids, I'll run 'em so ragged, they won't have time to thinkâAFTER the girl recovers from your unneeded trick earlier."
Ari slowly opened her eyes, seeing the ceiling. She sat up in bed, a hand on her forehead. "Ugh, ow..." She murmured in pain. The last thing she remembered was standing up to Scroop and Jim was saving her...then she was thrown and everything went black. She gasped and looked around for her friend, but he wasn't around. Instead, she was in the medical quarters, sitting on a hospital bed in a row with other beds. There was also a door nearby her, which she assumed was the way out.
She was about to get up to find Jim when the door opened and she looked up to see Amelia herself walking in. Of course, she was standing straight, but her face did look a little sad seeing the girl.
"Oh...Captain. What brings you here?" Ari asked politely, putting her blanket over herself. She still didn't like how Amelia's...first impression was of her, but her father did teach her to treat people with respect, even though she didn't have good things to say right now.
"I wanted to see if you had woken up," She stated, stepping closer to her. "And to compliment you on your bravery. I have to admit, I might...have been wrong about you."
Ari blinked in shock at her words as Captain Amelia took a seat at the bed, looking down at her hands. "As the only scullery maid we have on this voyage, us respectable women have to be commanding, strong, and true. And while I should, in all due respect, scold you for your impudence of going down that deck..." She looked like she was snarling and Ari winced, looking away and squeezing her eyes shut. "I still find myself...inspired by you."
Ari opened her eyes rapidly, turning to the Captain, who cleared her throat. "That statement will not leave this room," She added in sternly.
"Well..." The girl chuckled, smiling softly. "Thank you for your words, Captain. Even though I'm not gonna let you forget it in secret."
The Captain let out an amused scoff, smirking to herself. "In private, I will allow you to call me Amelia."
"Okay then...Amelia..." Ari tested it out, thankful that the woman didn't give off a strong reaction. "In turn, you can call me Arianna or Ari for short when you feel like it. Ms. Johnson kinda makes me feel old."
"Alright then, Arianna. You are relieved from your duties tonight as I've ensured that the crew will take on your tasks until tomorrow, alongside extra work for the rest of the expedition. The doctor has already informed me that you will make a speedy recovery, but should you need rest, let Mr. Arrow know."
Ari nodded in understanding. "Thank you...wait! Is Jim getting extra work too? Please don't punish him, he didn't do-"
"Anyone who didn't participate hasn't been punished, and won't be. Mr. Silver was involved as well in saving you," Amelia assured her, holding up a hand. She walked up to the door, holding the doorknob and glancing over her shoulder. "Which reminds me, Mr. Hawkins...he is a friend of yours, correct?"
"Yes?" Ari raised a brow. "Why? Is he okay?"
"He'll survive...if he keeps at it the way he is now. But he insisted on bringing you gifts," Amelia gestured to the door, Mr. Arrow coming in. He had a bouquet of flowers and a box as well.
"For your recovery, Ms. Johnson," He handed her the gifts.
"Oh! Wow, Jim's...never been a gift giver before," Ari smiled softly, holding the flowers and sniffing them. Even on his birthday, he always insisted that Ari never ever give him any gifts. He personally found it pointless, but he did always make an exception if she baked him anything. And she always knew the reason behind that was...because of his father. And yet despite him telling her to stay away, he was still acting like they were close again, giving her flowers even. So it just confused her on some levels because she wondered just what went on in his head. They might have seemed close to others, but to her, she felt like there were some things he was definitely holding back from her.
She took the box and opened it...seeing her once-broken locket fixed. It looked like it was never broken in the first place.
"This is yours, I believe?" Mr. Arrow asked her and she nodded.
"Yeah...it...it belonged to my mother," Ari's eyes saddened a bit. "My father gave it to me...right after she died giving birth to me. He said...she would've wanted me to wear it. But now he's gone too...so now I'll never know what she was like...what she did, what she loved, what she hated..." She caressed the jewelry in her hands, grateful that it was fixed. But since her father never talked about her mother beyond the fact that she died in childbirth, she'll never have any memories of her...
"You know, I've never been able to get the thing open. Dad had glued it shut because it has a picture of her...he really didn't want me to grieve by seeing her for the first time, even if it is in a hologram..."
The two flinched upon hearing that and then Amelia stepped forward a bit, hesitant on whether or not to comfort her. But she felt it would be a bit inappropriate, so she held herself back.
"I...wish you the best," Amelia stepped back and opened the door, silently leaving. Mr. Arrow bowed and then left the room, closing the door behind him. Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing wearily as she was walking away. "Why did she have to go and say that? If I hadn't given it to her-"
"You're growing soft on her," Mr. Arrow smiled to himself, walking past her. "Nothing to be ashamed about to care for the girl, Captain. She has been dealt a bad hand, after all..."
Amelia froze, glancing at the door again. She knew that Ari still had emotional attachments to people who were no longer in her life, and...it almost made her want to react almost like a mother would to help brighten up her child...
Jim was still mopping, frowning deeply while Morph had turned himself into a mop, laughing. He shapeshifted back into himself and Jim stared at him. Morph coughed up bubbles, finally putting a smile on his face since he couldn't stop thinking about Ari. He hadn't had the chance at all to go see her, and with Morph constantly watch him, he'd definitely tell Silver if he tried to sneak out. And the last thing he needed was more work piled onto him and unable to spend more time with the girl if that happened.
He let out a sigh, recalling the conversation he had with her back at the Inn.
And you don't know what I've been through. You might not want to be around me for the time being. I'll just drag you into my messes, and that's the last thing I need.
"Ugh!" Jim groaned, facepalming. "Why did I say that to her?! I don't want Ari to get in trouble all the time because of me and hate me, but I want things back like the way they used to be..." He ran a hand through his hair. Morph stared at him in confusion. "Well, this has been a fun day, huh? Making new friends, like that spider psycho, and I can't visit the girl that I-" He shook his head, not wanting to finish that sentence and to be teased for it.
Morph turned into Scroop. "Spider psycho, spider psycho," He mocked, making Jim laugh. The little guy was honestly making him less worried about Ari. She was a tough girl, and she'd make it through...but it still bothered him that he couldn't at least pop in for a visit.
"Heh. A little uglier."
Scroop then laughed manically, his face looking more goofier. "Pretty close," Jim grinned and Morph smiled proudly.
He heard a melodious laugh, blinking in realization. He whipped around to see Ari standing there, smiling. "Nice impression of Scroop, Morph."
"Ari...? Ari!" Jim immediately dropped his mop and ran over to the girl, pulling her into a hug. He gripped her waist and the back of her head tightly, hiding his face into her shoulder. "You're...you're okay," He murmured happily and she blushed, returning the hug.
He then saw Morph behind the girl, the shapeshifter turning into Jim and Ari. He then made Jim look at Ari with heart eyes and he reached over, grabbing them. "You little-"
"Is everything okay?" Ari pulled back to look at him, raising a brow.
"Yup! I'm fine, everyone's fine," He smiled in embarrassment and she sighed. "...We're about to talk, aren't we?"
"It's just...Jim, why did you ask me to stay away, and yet you're hugging me, giving me flowers, and fixing my locket? I don't understand what we are right now. Are we...friends again?" Ari crossed her arms, frowning.
"I just...I wanted you to just be safe from..."
"From you?" She guessed correctly and he rubbed his neck. "Jim, don't you remember the time when I brought home that duck-dragon to your house and your mom freaked out? 'Jim, I said no pets, no exceptions'!" He laughed at the impression of his mother. "And it's not like you were at fault for the whole Scroop incident. Why do you keep putting yourself down when you don't have to?" Her eyes softened at him and he paused, going back to mopping.
"It's nothing."
She stomped her foot on the mop, causing him to look up. "Don't act like I don't know the reason. And I'm not gonna pry unless you want me to, but just because it happened, it shouldn't stop you from being my best friend."
His eyes shifted a bit as he gripped the mop, looking away from her and glancing back. He only saw her concerned look for him, and...it gave him some kind of comfort since she clearly cared about him. He just...didn't want her to leave him again.
"...Why'd you stop talking to me?" He finally asked and she flinched. "Why'd you leave? You could've told me we weren't gonna see each other, I would've been okay with it."
"But you wouldn't have been...would you?" He looked away in thought at her question. Even if she had told him, he'd feel miserable every single day that he wouldn't see her. And...that was exactly what happened when she lost touch. "I shouldn't have done either, but I never meant to hurt you, Jim. Truly. You have to believe me on that. I wish I had an answer for you, and I don't, but I never forgot about you," She gestured to herself.
"I know...I was never mad at you, Ari. I just wanted to know the truth. So...yeah, guess we're friends again," He smirked at her. "Especially since you look stupid in that maid's outfit."
She gasped and then slapped his arm playfully. "You jerk! You know I hate wearing this thing, I didn't need to hear that. I feel like I'm back at the Benbow wearing this."
"Kidding, kidding," He laughed at her, looking at her up and down. "Nah, you actually look...nice."
She smiled at him softly. "Ah, seems like I impressed the Jim Hawkins."
"You don't need to impress me," Jim smirked, leaning on his mop and she blushed. Morph flew in between them, turning into Silver and pretending to scold them. "Ah, Morph, come on, Ari just recovered. You know you wanted to see her too."
Morph turned back into himself, looking up at Ari in slight embarrassment. "Aw, that's sweet, Morph. I missed you too," She nuzzled his head with her finger and he chirped, hugging her finger. Jim looked back at his mop and Morph turned into a little Jim. He blew a kiss at Ari and she yelped, covering him up with her hands. Jim turned around to her and she simply laughed it off. She had no idea how Morph knew that, but it was definitely something she wouldn't admit to Jim, and that was that she liked him more as a friend.
"Well," Silver spoke up as he arrived carrying scraps, getting their attention. "Thank heavens for little miracles. The lass is alright, and Jimbo's been up here for an hour with the deck still in one piece," He dumped the pot out.
"...Um..." Jim spoke up as Ari bit her lip. "Look, I, um..." Jim stammered as he didn't look at the cyborg directly. "What you did, especially for Ari...thanks," He smiled gratefully at him.
"Oh my gosh, I never properly thanked you both yet. Thank you, you guys, for helping me. I don't know what would've happened to me if you didn't step in," Ari placed a hand on Jim's shoulder.
Silver glanced at the two, wondering about their home lives. "Didn't your paps ever teach you to pick your fights more carefully?" Ari flinched, removing her hand as the air suddenly got filled with some tension...Jim looked away and Ari almost teared up. "...Your father not the teachin' sort?"
"...No," Jim finally answered in a low voice. "He was more...the taking off and never coming back sort."
"Oh..." Silver mumbled, joining the two at the edge of the ship. Ari wiped her face with her sleeve, still saying nothing as she gripped the edge tightly with her hands. "Sorry, lad."
"Hey, no big deal. I'm doing just fine," Jim shrugged, but Ari knew it was still a sore subject. After all, she guessed that Jim didn't want to lose her like he lost his father, and...for a while, it looked that way. For the life of her, she still didn't know why she never talked to him again as time went on. She wished she didn't do that still, since it clearly still had an effect on him... "Especially since I have Ari now."
She looked up at him and blushed, moving a bang behind her ear. "Is that so? And what about ya, Lassie? What about your pap?"
"He's dead."
He blinked at the nonchalant tone in her voice as she made that clear very quickly. She looked very bothered as that was the first time that she outright said that he was dead. "He was killed in a fire recently. A few days before I got onto the ship, actually."
Silver flinched upon that timeframe, looking away nervously. Jim patted her back gently. "Well, w-what about your mother?" Silver spoke up again as he felt very panicked upon hearing her explanation.
"She's dead too. It's...complicated."
His eyes widened as his heart was racing. No...it couldn't be...
He decided to shake it off, as he believed it to be a coincidence. Lots of people died in fires, leaving their children orphans... "...Well, since the captain has put you in my charge, like it or not, I'll be pounding a few skills into that thick head of yours to keep you out of trouble," Silver poked Jim's forehead.
"What?" Jim baffled, confused.
"From now on, I'm not letting you out of me sight."
"Y-You can't do-"
"You won't so much as eat, sleep, or scratch your bum without my say-so!" He slammed down a fist.
"This isn't right! Isn't there rules for this?" Ari shook her head.
"Don't do us any favors!" Jim protested at Silver.
"Don't think I forgot about you, dear. After that nasty hit, you'll need to accomplish twice as much work to make up for the chores you missed," The cyborg pointed at her.
"What?! That's not fair, I was passed out for most of the day!" Ari protested at him, clenching her fists.
"You can be sure of that, my lad and lass," He wrapped his arms around the two, looking down at them with his cyborg eye and laughing. "You can be sure of that."