It all happened so fast.
One second, Deez was standing beside the well, lit up like a torch.
Uma blinks.
A raging torch.
Next to her and Mal being stupid.
Why was it so hard to ignore Mal's insufferable attitude?
How had Deez gotten so lost in her flames without her seeing?
And then…
And then steam was rushing from the well so fast it whistled like a teapot.
Steam so thick-
She stumbles numbly into Gil, fingers tearing into the cloth of his vest as she stares at the rolling white mist.
No.
If there was steam-
Water?
Deez?
She wanted to rush forward, wanted to dive into the well.
Save her this time.
But she was stuck.
Her damn mother wasn't here!
She wasn't holding Deez under the water.
There were no tentacles choking the life out of her tiny cousin.
MOVE FEET!
But she couldn't.
The fog.
The fear.
The burning in her lungs.
When had she started holding her breath?
And why?
Someone was in the well with Deez, and she couldn't move to go save her.
Again!
Was she-
Was she okay?
Was she alive!
"Uma!" Gil's frantic voice slams through her brain.
Punches.
She sucks in a deep breath as she blinks the blur from her eyes.
Her lungs were on fire.
Her head was spinning.
She could feel Gil's tight grip around her.
Holding her up.
"Ya be ah havin' her there?"
Harry's concerned whisper sounded close too.
It was still so hard to see-
She blinks.
The steam was gone.
At least, gone from around the well.
There was still a thick swirl rising from it.
"Is she-"
Harry holds a hand up before he turns and starts to creep closer to the well.
Harry and Jay both.
It was agonizing.
How slow could they move?
A sudden scream breaks her from the trance.
She would know those screams from anywhere. They haunted her most nights.
"Deez!"
Her legs move, but it was Gil who carried her closer.
"Deez!" She screams again, now fighting against Gil's hold so she could join the others gathering around the well.
She slams her hands down on the crumbling wall, only to yank them back.
Fuck!
How hot had Deez been?
And was there anything left of the shadow that pushed her in?
"Deez!" Harry shouts down the well, his face red from the steam still trickling out.
"D! T!?" Jay's voices also echo down in concern. "Are ya'll okay down there?"
"Dagger?" Gil's voice calls out over her shoulder.
"Who?" Carlos turns to look at Gil in confusion.
"S'wat I call the kid that slips out of the shadows… I think he went with Deez down the well." Gil explains hesitantly, avoiding her gaze as he answered Carlos's question.
"Stop asking stupid questions and shut the fuck up, or we'll never know if anyone survived other than the screamer."
She hated Mal, hated her more at this moment than she ever thought possible.
But she agreed.
Everyone falls silent, though the screams continue down below.
"Shit!" She slaps her hand against the side of the well before she takes several steps back and begins pacing.
How much water could be left?
If Deez was screaming, she was obviously standing on something, right?
Breathe.
Just breathe.
Deez was alive.
Her mother wasn't here.
Deez was alive, and she had time to think.
She wasn't frozen anymore.
And she refused to freeze again.
Her Baby Girl needed her.
She looks up again when the screams stop.
"Deez?" She whispers as she rushes back to Gil and Harry's sides, standing between them as they try to stare past the thin mist and darkness.
"Sup," a lackluster greeting echoes from the bottom of the wall.
"Sup? Really?" Mal rolls her eyes as she glances up at Jay.
The other one was alive?
Jay grimaces before he looks away from Mal, "What's goin' on down there, T?"
"Uh, things aren't too hot down here if I'm bein' real." T's voice echoes up to them.
She blinks at the boy's dry tone.
Dagger.
Gil had called him Dagger.
Dagger couldn't possibly be joking right now?
Not with her cousin's life on the line.
And him the only thing standing between Deez and death.
Her eyes narrow.
"What happened to Deez?" She demands, "why she stop screamin'?"
"Put her on my shoulders away from the water. That seemed to help," T explains simply.
"What was that!?" Deez shrieks.
"Calm down. It's just a snake or a leech. Or sentient seaweed-SNAKE! Definitely snake!"
"You guys okay?" Jay calls down.
"No!" Deez cries out as the sounds of splashing echo up to the group, "Please. No. I'm sorry!"
"Stop kickin' or you're gonna fall the fuck in and drown yourself!" T's low hiss echoes, "It's just a snake, calm down."
Rude asshole.
Wait-
Snake?
Would that feel like a tentacle to-
Her eyes widen-
"Go get her, now!" She snaps at her boys as she starts ripping her jacket into strips to help cover their hands.
If she'd been stuck in that weird memory earlier-
There was a good chance Deez was down there living through her own version of hell.
With some weird jerk that didn't seem to care about her cousin's fear at all.
Not that many people would-
She cocks her head to the side.
-throw themselves into Deez at her hottest?
Why?
She frowns as she shoves away the thought.
Not important.
Not right now.
"I didn't know you go by T." Gil frowns down the well as he wraps strips around his fingers.
"Never came up," T responds with a bit of a bite.
She rolls her eyes.
Of course he'd found such a strange kid-
And not catch the red flags.
Her knuckles turn white as she grips the jagged stones.
She wanted to jump in and help.
But she knew who the better climbers were.
It killed her to stand on the side like this.
Watching.
Waiting.
At least this time, she was able to send help.
He really didn't need to be told twice.
Neither did Gil, apparently.
In fact, if it hadn't been for Uma ripping her jacket into shreds, he might not have stopped.
He twists the ruined strips of the jacket around his hands and fingers quickly before he slings a leg over the well wall.
Fuck.
He just hoped this thing would stay standing.
Last thing he wanted to do was send a shower of death down on Deez and her strange Dagger.
T.
Whatever.
Whoever this was, kid had balls.
Obviously he had something to back them up with, since he somehow managed to survive a living bonfire.
He was looking forward to meeting Mr. Fire-to-the-face.
And getting a chat in with Jay, who seemed to know who this T was.
And Gil.
Dagger? Really?
Not that T seemed any better.
"Wait, what?" T calls back sharply.
"Don'nah ya be ah worryin'," he calls down as he deftly climbs the warm stones, "We be ah comin' ta get ya."
"It's gonna be okay," Gil adds.
It was tedious work, blindly searching the damp stones for hand and footholds to scale down, but if anyone could find a relatively safe way down to the Fire Princess and the Shadow that knocked her down, it was him and Gil.
He could hear the others whispering tightly above him.
And echoed whispers from the two below.
But he couldn't focus on words right now.
Even with the fabric and leather strips, the rocks were still uncomfortably hot.
And surprisingly jagged.
He had to stop every few shifts to give his hands a break from the heat.
At least his boots weren't full of holes today.
Thank all the fucking Sea Gods for that.
This was slow going enough.
"I hope they're okay," Gil frets.
He grimaces before he looks to Gil's silhouette slightly above, "They both be talkin', can'nah be bein' that bad, aye?"
Gil's silent for a moment before he lets out a sigh, "Yeah."
Harry couldn't blame him.
The little demi was Uma's.
And for as long as he'd known the Captain, he'd known how she felt about Deez.
He'd even plotted to get her out of the way at one point.
Funny.
How long had it been since he'd last schemed over her disappearing?
And now?
He wanted nothing more than to rescue his princess.
And drag Uma through the coals for getting so caught up in her fight with Mal.
Defending Deez or not-
She should have let Deez talk and Mal interrupt.
They'd almost all died.
He'd seen Deez through all her types of fires, but never one like that.
-Probably would've died-
If it hadn't been for the interruption.
An interruption he was looking forward to meeting.
"How's it lookin' boys?"
"We be near to her, Cap'n," he calls back.
"Harry?" Deez asks, her voice so quiet it doesn't echo.
"Aye, Princess," he grins, "It be me an' Gil here ta be rescuin' the damsel."
"Not a- Not a princess."
The shadow under Deez snorts.
"Glad ya still be ah havin' yer sense of humor there, Princess." Harry half-heartedly chuckles before he finally gets within arm's reach of Deez. "Ready ta be playin' ah game of pass the Princess, mate?"
"Alright," Gil agrees, "Just, careful with her."
"Right ya be," he nods before he turns back to Deez, "Now, come on you, ya be lookin' like ya be wantin' outta here."
Deez stares back blankly before she blinks and slowly reaches out to him.
"There ya be, that be ah good girl." He coos to her before he firmly grasps and pulls her to his chest, "I be havin' ya now, and look, Gil be here ta be helpin too."
"O-" Deez struggles, her voice a dry, harsh whisper.
He helps her turn before he lifts her up for Gil to take. "Ya be ah doin' okay there lad?" He asks as he looks back down to T, "Ain'nah many who can be ah claimin' ta survive the Fire Princess' flames ta the face."
"I ain't rushing to repeat the experience." T mumbles as the sound of sloshing grows more sporadic. "But I doubt anyone else is either..."
"Ain'nah that just bein' the truth," He grumbles in agreement.
"Harry, Gil, move it!" Uma snaps.
"Aye, Cap'n." Harry shouts up before he turns back to Dagger, "So, we'll be ah gettin' her up and then be ah comin' back for ya, I be doubtin' ya can be ah climbin'-"
"Nah, I got myself into this mess, I can get myself out of it. Wouldn't be right."
His brow furrows..
He couldn't be serious?
He narrows his eyes.
Right?
Or was this some kind of twisted rule thing?
"Aye, but did ya really be ah gettin' yerself-"
"Now!" Uma snaps.
"Oooh, she sounds pissed. I'd move if I was you." Dagger-
Was he shooing him?
And lying?
After that stunt, he was having a hard time seeing the kid run from danger.
Even his fierce Kraken.
"Come on, Harry. Captain's waitin'."
He wanted to argue.
Wanted to talk to the danger chaser more.
But Uma-
That wasn't anger.
It was the same tone she'd had for weeks-
Months-
The tone that tore at his chest and made him see red ever since Ursula damn near took Deez from them forever.
Fear.
He shakes his head and pulls himself up to the next handhold.
They were right.
His Captain was calling.
She didn't regret things.
Or feel remorse.
Wasn't allowed to.
So when Uma had started a rotation of pacing and slamming her fists against the well.
Weak.
Soft.
Infuriating.
Who the hell was Shrimpy to display her emotions so outwardly?
Who was stupid enough to do that in front of their enemy?
She rolls her eyes, not that she didn't already know Deez was Uma's weakness.
And her Deez's.
Not that she could act on either.
She was brash, not dumb.
Doing anything to Deez would lead to nothing short of burns-
And doing anything to Uma?
-would also lead to serious burns.
Not that her mother was going to tolerate that answer.
She tightens her jaw.
Her mother wasn't going to be happy about this-
But when was the woman happy about anything she did?
This whole thing had been so stupid.
She was good at reading people.
Deez-
As annoying as the girl could be, she was an open book when answering questions directly.
How was she supposed to know that Deez wasn't just going to pick Uma and get this mess over with.
End the dumb tug of war she'd found herself in with the idiot Shrimp.
But no.
It had been too much to hope the stupid girl could give her that peace.
Finally get her mother to lay off.
And for her to stop losing sleep over which gang she'd eventually join.
As much as she loathed Rat Face, the thought of Attila and Cora?
Over her dead body was she losing Deez to those two.
And that had nothing to do with stupid feelings.
Just-
Spite.
Fuck Atilla and Cora.
If she couldn't have Deez-
She glares at Uma-
Then-
She scowls.
Then whatever.
Fuck Deez too.
Except now she couldn't fucking say that.
Couldn't ever admit it.
Because that would mean she cared.
Which she didn't!
She just wanted the stupid thing over with.
And Deez had managed to fuck that up.
And now?
She closes her eyes.
Now she was indebted to some fucking freak.
But she didn't fucking regret this.
"I'm sure Deez is okay." Evie offers softly, making her grimace.
Shit.
Fucking Evie.
Pain in the ass.
She crosses her arms as she glares at the closest thing she had to a-
Someone she didn't completely hate.
"T won't let anything-"
"Who the fuck is T?" Uma snaps as she continues to glare into the darkness.
"Um…Oh T is, uh, oh-" Evie begins, her voice weak and unsure before she's interrupted.
"A nobody!"
She scoffs at the dry response.
A nobody, huh?
A nobody that just took Deez for a trip down a well.
A nobody that just saved her and her gang.
She glares at Evie.
"Nobody?" She demands.
"Well, you see-"
"We're back!" Carlos calls out as he races towards them, a large length of rope in hand.
"We got rope," Jay adds as he holds up his coil,
"Lower it down then." Mal orders as she steps back away from the well to give Carlos and Jay space. "But it seems the rats are at least decent at something."
Carlos helps Jay wrap one end around himself before he takes the other end and lowers it over the side of the well.
"Let me know when you see it," Jay calls down.
"Aye. So ya be havin' rope. But what ya be ah tyin' it off ta?" Harry rolls his eyes.
"Something even yer fat ass can't break, Hook." Jay challenges.
"Is now really the time for this?" Evie questions as she shoots Jay a disapproving look.
"It's always a good time to make a situation a little lighter, Eves." Jay grins.
"Aye, but I be ah 'memberin' that jib later, mate."
"If yer drunk ass can remember." Jay snarks back.
"I ain'nah so drunk I can't be ah rescuin' a princess from a well." Harry claps back.
"Enough." Uma snaps."And focus on fuckin' climbin' before ya actually need the fuckin' rope."
"Which is in the water." T offers in the silence.
"Oh." Carlos blushes slightly before he slings the rest of the slack towards Jay.
Jay nods and spins to take up the slack, "So, who we bringing up?"
"For the moment, you're back up in case one of them slips." Mal crosses her arms over her chest and juts her hips to the side.
Part of her wanted to see if Gil and Harry could actually manage to pull this stunt off.
Carlos furrows his brow and slumps his shoulders before slowly turning to Mal, "But uh, shouldn't we just pull D-"
"I said back up-" Mal snaps, "They already started, might as well see how far they get playing hero." She rolls her eyes.
"My boys can do this in their damn sleep," Uma scoffs, "The docks are a rough place to lay claim to."
"The rope would be way faster. I already tied the safety knot to slip her into." T states after he checks the knot for the final time. "Is proving a point really worth prolonging Deez's torture?" He asks no one in particular.
Uma growls.
Who the fuck dared-
"If Uma's confid-" She snaps, but is cut off with a bristle.
"Harry- check the fuck-wits knotwork." Uma snarls down the well, the tone making Carlos shudder as he and Evie turn away.
Good.
At least she wasn't the only one pissed with the freak.
"Be holdin' up ah sec," Harry calls out before he climbs to be level with Gil.
"Be keepin' ah hold of the princess lad. I'll be ah gettin' her secure in two shakes, aye?"
Gil nods as he holds Deez tighter, "Aye." He looks down at the girl and starts whispering to her.
"Aye then." Harry sighs and grabs the rope, pulling it up until he can find the knots. After a few tests he begrudgingly nods, "They be ah seemin' perfectly good Cap'n."
Uma rubs her teeth along her bottom lip before she nods, "Alright then, let's get her out of there."
She rolls her eyes.
Baby.
Breaking down over something as stupid as some screams?
She glances at Carlos and Evie.
It was stupid.
Anger heats her cheeks.
This whole thing was stupid.
Everyone was so worried right now.
Panicked.
Fucking mother, concerned.
Dumb.
Didn't they know?
Mother had eyes everywhere.
"Aye. I'll be ah gettin' her settled like in the rope. Hoist tight first?"
Her brow furrows, but before she can turn she sees the rope already moving.
"Yell when it's taunt." Jay nods as he slowly spins to wind the rope around his waist.
"There," Gil calls out after a few seconds.
Harry quickly wraps the rope around Deez's waist before slipping the end loops around her legs, giving her a makeshift harness. "Oy, pup! Ya can be ah pullin' the slack now."
"Gotcha!" Carlos shouts back.
She schools her expression at the fear in his voice.
She knew where it came from.
Why he was scared.
Not that she cared.
He should be afraid of her.
Everyone should.
She was cruel, ruthless, and rotten.
Wicked.
Evil.
So, it's not like the knowledge was new or hurt.
But that didn't stop the rush of anger as her fists curled shut.
Whatever.
Freaks.
She glares silently, keeping her face stern and cold as Jay and Carlos work with Rats to rescue the Daughter of a fucking god.
Once they've pulled Deez high enough, Evie rushes forward before she can stop her.
Deez's eyes-
She scowls before she looks away.
So what if the baby was crying?
Or looked frozen.
It was all her fault anyway.
It wasn't that hard to keep your emotions in check.
Her scowl deepens as she juts her hip and glares at Evie's blatant display of affection.
Gross.
And then the pirates were back.
And just as shamelessly invested.
How stupid.
She scoffs when Gil picks Deez up and carries her far away from the well.
"Here." He calls out over his shoulder as he unwraps the rope from around Deez before he sets her on her feet, "Dagger's still in there."
"D, oh my god, are you okay?" Evie trips over herself as she immediately starts fretting over the shaking girl. "That was quite a fright for everyone, are you hurt?"
"Give the idiot room ta breath, will ya?" She snaps.
The last thing they needed was for her to have another meltdown, or worse, start screaming again.
"I'm done." Deez shakes her head slowly, her voice monotone as she looks from Evie to Gil, "I'm going home."
"I'll take you." Gil nods without looking at Uma as he offers Deez his hand.
"D, please." Evie puts one hand on Deez' shoulder, "This- We didn't mean-"
"I know." Deez shrugs her hand off emotionlessly, "I just, I don't want to be here anymore."
"Harry, come on. We're leaving too." Uma snaps,
"If it's all the same to you, Uma, I'd rather be alone."
"Ya ain't goin' nowhere alone in your state," Uma snarls at her cousin, "be happy I'm cool with it just being Gil. But, yeah, I've had enough whaleshit for one day and I don't feel like starting more with you."
"Okay."
Gil furrows his brow as he looks between Deez and Uma, his eyes shining with worry.
But when Deez turns and walks off, he follows.
She rolls her eyes.
Disgusting.
This was so fucking stupid.
What a waste of a day; nothing went according to plan at all.
She should have kept her temper in check, but Uma just had a way of bringing out the worst in her.
Speaking of stupid…
"I said no."
Jay rolls his eyes, "You're obviously burned, and you're in a damn well. T, you're on the ground and I have both swords."
"I firmly stand by, I did this to myself, and I'll get out by myself."
Evie slowly walks back over to join in the strange fight, barely giving Uma and Harry a passing glance as they walk off. "What's going on?" She asks Carlos.
"T is being obstinate." Carlos sums up.
"So let him stay in the fucking well, fucks I care. You offered, I'll be damned if I let you beg to help someone else. Today's been shitty enough."
Evie picks at the dirt under her nails, "He probably lost most of his clothes to the fire, if not all of them." She points out softly.
"Okay… Look T, you don't wanna come up, fine. But I'm leaving my shirt and jacket for you." Jay explains as he pulls them off, leaving them draped over the side of the well. "And I'll tie the rope off to a tree."
Mal facepalms, "Since when did we start giving people shirts off our backs?"
When Jay turns to glare at her, she's relieved she doesn't grimace.
She hated that expression.
Jay put up with a lot of her shit.
Was her second through and through.
But that look?
Screamed a 'try me' she didn't want to try.
She'd never been so embarrassed as she was the first time she stepped to the challenge.
He'd left her feeling like shit.
It was also the last time she'd insulted Evie's fashion.
"Since they save us all from our own mistakes." He glares, speaking so that she was the only one who could hear him, "We all fucking knew better than to press D like that. So what the hell happened to the plan?"
Yep.
Fuck that look.
And fuck Jay for always being the one to ride the high horse.
Like he was better than her-
Which…
He wasn't!
"Uma happened." She grumbles, "obviously."
She'd lost so much face today.
She wasn't sure she could take much more.
Who the fuck was this T anyway?
Who the fuck just lunged at a full flamed Deez?
Who the fuck was this bastard that had earned Jay's favor?
"That's what I thought." Jay grins for a single second before the frown is back. He walks to the nearest tree and secures the rope with a knot. "Okay, so we're outta here then." He looks over to Carlos and Evie.
"Are you sure T?" Carlos asks skeptically down the well, unsure how the other boy was even still standing.
"That's the dream," T calls back dryly.
Evie and Carlos share concerned glances.
"You heard him, let's go."
"Yeah, leave the fucktard to fix this if he insists." She leans over to the well, "Us leaving you in this state without questions when you're clearly stuck and fuckin' charred extra crispy, yeah, consider this our debt being repaid."
"Sounds good." T's monotoned voice echoes once more.
