Hey Descendents,
Surprise! Another update!
Two months later
(Less drama = bigger time jumps)
Uma stretches as she walks out of her Captain's quarters. She smiles briefly at the little strip of blue visible between the filthy dark clouds hanging overhead. This time of morning was really the only time you could see any clean sky.
And she loved every moment she got with her ship. There was just never enough time.
"Cap'n." Harry greets with a wide grin from where he was standing near the helm.
"Hook." Uma nods. "Did I miss anything interesting?"
"Nah." Harry shakes his head. "Not unless ya count Shrimpy, torturin' a rat."
"Did she kill it?" Uma asks with a raised brow.
"Does she ever?" Harry chuckles. "Had ta be puttin' the damn thing outta its misery me self… Was fraid her clickin' an all the damn squeekin' would be wakin' ya."
"Dumb, useless cat." Uma rolls her eyes even as she bends down to pet the cat affectionately under the chin.
"Aye. That she is." Harry nods.
"She ain't useless." Gil defends as he swings down from the crow's nest. "We don't have nearly the rats we use ta. Even if she don't actually kill 'em herself." He scoots over to sit next to Uma's feet, pulling Shrimpy into his lap to cuddle with her.
"I think we needs ta be talkin' bout the definition of useless, love." Harry rolls his eyes, a playful smile on his lips as he ruffles Gil's hair.
"Well, she entertains ya on yer shifts right?" Gil defends, as he holds the cat protectively on his lap.
Uma can't keep the small smile off her lips. "Gil, calm down, I ain't tossing the damn cat overboard."
"Well maybe…" Harry teases.
"Harry, chill." Uma snaps at him.
"Spoilsport." Harry rolls his eyes.
Gil sticks his tongue out at Harry.
Harry smirks as he catches the other boy's tongue. "Now, now peaches, don'nah go offerin thing's when ya can' be deliverin'." He grins mischievously and wide eyed at Gil.
"Ow, 'ey, 'top it." Gil struggles to speak. "Umma!" He whines.
Uma just chuckles. "Hook, go find something else to entertain yerself with." She finally intervenes giving Gil some reprieve.
Harry rolls his eyes and lets go of Gil's tongue. "Always bein' told ta go find somethin' else ta entertainin' me self with, it's whaleshit I tell ya." He grumbles under his breath as he walks away.
"You could entertain yeself, if yeh'd rather." Uma teases as she lifts her brow in warning.
Gil can't help his snicker at the familiar warning.
Harry turns and bows. "Oh Captain, my Captain." He grins, winking at the two before he wanders off ship.
Uma shakes her head before she walks over to the helm, leaving Gil to play with his cat. Even though they were docked, she still enjoyed surveying her domain from the helm, it made it feel more, piratey. She smiles as she catches sight of a familiar figure making their way down the dock.
"Welcome aboard T." She calls in greeting, striking an impressive pose with the helm in her hands.
"Cap'n." T calls with a salute as he makes his way onto the ship. She may not have been his captain, but that didn't make it anyless her title while on her ship. T also wasn't stupid enough to try to be so informal with her as to call her Uma in front of the crew. He stops short of the quarter deck and looks up. "Happin' ta know what's got Harry's knickers in a twist this time?"
"He decided ta go find another form of entertainment and leave poor shrimpy alone." Uma rolls her eyes. "Gil was none to pleased to hear him talking about tossing the poor thing overboard."
T frowns. "Ah…" He shakes his head. He must've really wanted some attention this morning. Did not seem like he'd gotten it though.
"What can I do ya for T?" Uma asks as she steps away from the helm and hops down to join T.
T watches the girl as she studies him. "Was waiting for the shipment."
Uma nods. "Wanna go for a swim? We still have a couple of hours before the barges get here."
"No." T deadpans. "I'm good."
"Why?" Uma tilts her head to the side. "You can swim right?"
T studies her for a moment, thinking of the safest answer. "Yes."
"Oh good." Uma smiles before she pushes T over the side of the boat.
T's eyes widen in fear, a short yelp leaving his lips as he falls backwards off the ship.
Uma shakes her head. "Gil, go get Harry and bring his ass back here. Tell him I found his entertainment." She chuckles wickedly, already starting to take off her shoes.
Gil looks like he's about to say something, as his eyes drop over the side of the ship in concern.
"Yeah, I know he can't swim Gil." Uma rolls her eyes. "I'm teaching the little shit not ta lie to me."
"Right. I'll go find 'im Cap'n." Gil nods before he takes off running.
Uma sighs as she takes slides her top off and dives over the side of the ship after T.
Why? Was this something he'd continued to do? He got it, understood he had some type of weird draw to death. He admitted it most of the time. However, he was absolutely sure, this wasn't the kind death he'd been seeking.
Not that he didn't deserve it. But he also felt like even if he'd been honest the results wouldn't have changed.
However, again, most of this seemed like a moot point, since he was pretty sure he was going to drown. And instead of flailing, he just seemed content with sinking. Because honestly it was better than the alternative. Great. Just when he'd finally gotten things straightened with Hyades. He jumps when he feels hands grab him and feels himself surged upwards.
"You weren't even fucking trying to swim." Uma growls at T after they both break the surface. "What the hell is your problem?"
T has a coughing fit before looking around in confusion. "Wha?" He blinks as he turns to the girl currently keeping him a float.
Uma groans. "You weren't even moving. No way you drowned that fast."
"I was thinking." T coughs.
"You were-" Uma rolls her eyes, "You were thinking?"
"I mean, yeah." T nods. "What else was I gonna do? Grow gills?"
She shakes her head as she takes her arm out from under T. She swears as T just sinks, still not moving. She grabs him with her legs before he can go too far down. "Are you kidding me?" She shouts after getting his head above water again.
"Still thinkin..." T sputters.
"About what?!"
"My life choices." T responds dryly.
"Oh really?" Uma dips the lower part of her face under water to hide her laughter, "If you need time to think you can hang out in my quarters," She offers as she narrows her eyes. "Until then, at least try to figure out how to float or something. Everyone in my crew has to learn to swim, I ain't having a land lover on board that can die if they fall off. Learning to swim ain't hard."
"Fair enough." T sighs and slowly starts kicking in hopes of treading water, his arms move a bit erratically, but he was still putting a lot more effort into it than he had previously..
"Swimming ain't all that different from walking really."
"Except the fact one can kill you if you get tired." T comments dryly.
"Sure." Uma rolls her eyes. "You just have to kick your legs in a rhythm, and use your arms to stabilize yourself. If you get tired, take a deep breath and relax." She shows him, floating on her back as she continues to support him with one hand under his elbow.
T frowns. He really had not signed up for this type of trust game so early in the morning. However he also hadn't planned on going swimming. It seemed that nothing was really going the way he thought it would.
At least if Uma was going to let him drown, he'd be dead right now. So instead he does his best to mimic her, and follow the instructions.
"See, now was that so fucking hard?" Uma shakes her head.
"No?" T questions back as he studies the girl across from him wearily.
"Good answer." Uma smiles. "Now, watch this." She lets T go and begins showing him different types of swimming strokes.
"I'd like to point out that we're not all Atlanteans." T frowns as he treads the water.
"Those are basic swimming techniques." Uma corrects.
T frowns. "Great." He sighs as he recalls the strokes, managing one of them.
"One is all it takes." Uma smiles. "See, now I don't have to worry if you get knocked off the ship." Uma frowns.
"You didn't have to worry before." T rolls his eyes.
"Yeah well, better safe than sorry." Uma snaps. "If everyone knew how to swim there wouldn't be as many water related problems, so, yeah. You're welcome for making you learn before it was too late."
T frowns, "Thank you." He shakes his head. "I wasn't trying to say it wasn't useful...I was jus' sayin' it wasn't very high up my priority list….But I'm sorry if I insulted you."
Uma looks away for a moment. "You didn't insult me, I just." She rolls her eyes. "Whatever. You wanna see how useful this can be?" She flashes dangerously mischievous eyes at T before she looks up at the ship. "Hook me Harry!" She holds her hand out.
Harry frowns as he stares down at his Captain in disbelief. "What?" He calls back to her.
"Uma?!" T frowns at the other girl. "Swimming is a very useful skill."
"Harry!" She smacks her hand against the water before holding it back up.
Harry flinches away as he holds his hook over the water. "Uma please!" He tries again, desperation in his tone.
"Ain't that yer dad's?" Gil asks as he watches Harry whimper.
"Aye."
T's eyes widen in horror as the latest game starts to unfold in front of him.
"Harry, it wasn't a threat this morning." Uma reminds him.
Harry huffs as he releases the hook, instantly regretting it as he goes to throw himself over the ship.
"Stay!" Uma commands before she smiles at T, and drops her hand back to the water, not even pretending to try to catch the silver hook before it splashes into the water.
"This is cunty even by your standards." T huffs, before he dives under the water already heading towards the glinting silver.
"You know I wouldn't lose yer hook Harry, don't be a baby." She glares up at the two boys before she dives under the water after T.
Harry's nails dig into the railing of the ship as he watches both Uma and T disappear under the water, literally shaking at the fact he'd released the damn thing into the fucking bay. If his dad ever found out about this, he was gonna gut him like a fish. The thought made him sick. But he stayed on the deck, heeding Uma' s direct order.
"You dropped it." Gil frowns.
"Gil, I be lovin' ya mate, but shut the fuck up." Harry growls, feeling light headed with how little he was breathing.
Gil can't help the smile that tugs on his lips, before it's washed away by the growl. "Uma will get it." He tries instead.
"I know." Harry spits through his teeth.
Gil shifts from foot to foot. "Right." He nods as he stands next to Harry and waits for Uma or T to break the surface again.
A hand breaks the surface of the water, his silver hook gleaming through the clump of seaweed. Harry falls to his knees, his fingers still white knuckled around the banister of the ship. "Oh thank god."
"Good." Gil sighs in relief. "You weren't breathing..."
T shakes his head as Uma joins him above the water. "We done?" He asks as he eyes her cautiously.
Uma giggles. "Yeah, we done." She nods before she makes a hand signal.
"Great." T nearly sinks in relief.
"You wanna give Harry his hook or should I?" Uma teases, holding her hand out.
"Nah, all you man." T shakes his head as he slowly hands it back to her, not wanting the responsibility of carrying the stupid hook up the rope ladder, but also hesitant to hand it back to Uma.
Gil drops the rope ladder over the side, making a splash near them as it clattered against the ship.
"Oops." Uma smiles as the hook slides from her fingers. "Slippery hands, I'm half squid."
"Uuummmmaaaaa!" Harry whines in frustration and desperation. "Why?!"
"Fuck that." T shakes his head. He'd been betting that she was going to pull a stunt like that. He lunges, able to quickly grab it before it sank too far.
"Oooh, look at those reflexes." Uma laughs.
T glowers at Uma. "Not funny."
"Oh, come on, this was fun and you know it." Uma shrugs. "Besides, Harry deserved that."
T lifts his brow as he turns to the panic stricken pirate trying to hold his shit together aboard the ship. Did he though? He didn't dare ask. He just tucks the hook securely into one of his pockets and away from Uma.
"Alright Harry, get us some blankets and we'll be right up with your hook." Uma calls up.
"Uh…" T frowns as he looks to the top of the ship with an uncertain look. Man. This fucking sucked and whether Uma knew it or not, she had him by the balls.
"Come on." Uma grins as she swims to the ladder. "It was fun, and you're a fast learner, but it's time to get out, before the sharks and crocodiles start poking around."
"Uh…" Being taken out by sharks and crocodiles didn't sound so bad. But the last time he'd opted to stay in the water, he'd been too embarrassed to show his face for several months.
"Whats 'uh' about this T?" Uma frowns. "It's a damn ladder, ya climb it."
Lying had already gotten him in so much shit with this girl today. He rolls his shoulders as he slowly makes his way to the ship. Last time he'd been half naked and half burnt. He was sure his shit would stay in place this time. Well, mostly sure. With every second of wading he seemed to come up with a worse 'what if' scenario than the one before.
Uma shakes her head before she turns back to the ship and starts climbing. "Hold onto that hook."
T huffs before barking out a sarcastic laugh. "Funny." He rolls his eyes as he makes his decision, and starts pulling himself up the rope ladder. He questioned why it was them he'd opted to spend most of his free time with.
They were usually a lot of fun.
"Yeah hahaha, you're so funny Captain." Harry says manically as he lays the blankets on the banister next to the ladder.
Uma grins at her first mate as he wraps her tightly in a blanket. "You aren't mad at me, are you Harry?" She frowns.
Harry growls as he resists the urge to throttle her. "No." He forces out. "Of course not."
"Good." She stands on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on his cheek.
T pulls himself over the banister, ignoring the way his hands shook as he plants both feet on the deck.
"Here." Gil offers T a blanket. "You look cold."
T doesn't even argue, and it's nearly comical how swiftly he wraps himself in the blanket. "Thanks Gil." He sighs.
"I'm glad you learned fast." Gil explains with a smile. "It took me hours to learn ta swim."
T frowns. That sounded awful. "But you know how to swim, and apparently that's all that matters." T rolls his eyes.
"Leave the salt in the sea." Uma rolls her eyes.
"I feel like it's just part of me now." T grumbles in response, sure he'd drank enough of it for that statement to be true. Not to mention the burning sting that had remained ever present as the water cleaned out what cuts he had. He pulls out the stupid hook, giving Uma a wide berth as he walks over and hands it Harry.
Harry grins as he takes his hook back. "Thanks." He whispers. "And I'm sorry about, you know, giving you attitude earlier."
T shrugs, looking for all the world like a miserable drowned rat. It was going to take forever to get the salt from his hair. "S'kay." He gruffs as he steps back. "But, I gotta go."
"What about the shipment?" Harry asks with a frown.
"I'll catch the next one." T shrugs. "No big deal." He adds as he walks away.
Uma and Gil walk up to stand next to Harry as they watch T walk off.
"I didn't mean to scare yer boyfriend off." Uma says with a frown. "I just, he needed to learn how to swim and I really don't like when people lie to me."
Harry turns from T with a heavy sigh. It was really starting to bother him. All of it, the whole thing. There was something about that kid, and it was starting to drive him a little bit crazy. Too many unanswered questions. Actually no, it was all of the unanswered questions. It was literally just this burning need to know at this point, and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse.
"Nah it's a'ight Cap'n. Kid shouldn't be on the ship if he can't swim…" He rubs his neck. "An' he should be knowin' better than ta be lyin' ter yer face." Especially when he was probably worse than Gil. Which just seemed to leave him even more confused. Because how? Was he like an Auradon spy? If so what the hell was he doing? He shakes his head. Every one of of his theories sounded so stupid, and completely impractical, even to himself. Sure, the isle had an unspoken code, but it wasn't one the three of them followed- At least among themselves.
Hi again,
So, we did a little rework on this chapter, but honestly not much changed. :)
How are you guys enjoying the isle's version of fluff? Did you enjoy the interactions? Are you as frustrated with the mystery of T as much as the other VKs? Did you like our Uma? Please let us know below! We live for reviews it's what sustains us.
