A Few Days Later
T lifts his brow, "Seriously?" He asks as he lowers the page with ruins scrolled across it. "You asked them that?" He asks curiously. He wasn't surprised. Push comes to shove it was always going to end with Hyades picking the Sea Three. He was just glad she was waiting until the Book Club finished with the weapons before agreeing. He smirks at the postscript.
Hyades claps in excitement. "So you could read it?"
"Yeah I could read it," T grins at the other girl's enthusiasm. "Mal's gonna be pissed." He passes his page over to Hyades. "And good to know... We're still playing surprise though."
"I don't like that I'm like that when I'm on my period, and you had better never use that against me." Hyades glares.
T shrugs, "Sounds awful enough without adding to it, from what I understand. Which isn't much… Just scraps I got from Jay and Hook."
"Uma threatened to send Harry to the Brigg if he messed with me, so she must agree."
"Ha!" T smirks, "Wish she had."
"He was just teasing."
"Was he though?" T asks skeptically.
"I dunno, but seriously, I woke him up because I thought he was hurt, only to find out it was mine…" Hyades shrugs, "I don't think I could have gotten mad at him even if I wanted to, I was just too tired."
"That sounds awful." T blinks, "I'm so fucking sorry. I've never been so tired I couldn't be angry-That sounds fucking terrifying." He shakes his head.
"You would think that was the part that was terrifying." Hyades rolls her eyes.
"What can I say? I'm fueled by rage." He playfully lets out a low growl.
Hyades chuckles as she looks down at the symbols in front of her, "Rude!" She chuckles as she looks back up.
T lets out a dry bark of laughter. "Doesn't mean it ain't true."
"You are fueled by rage." Hyades rolls her eyes as she grabs a pen and starts writing back.
T smirks as he takes the paperback, and starts scrolling out the ruins.
"Ready." Hyades passes her page to T.
"Always." T grins as he takes the piece of paper. He scoffs. "Fuck no I didn't." He admits with a scowl. "She wouldn't have responded that well to me."
Hyades shrugs, "Mal can be reasonable at times." She chuckles, "I mean you heard her."
"I heard her alright. Heard her skip right past the blacksmith."
"She didn't ask, I didn't feel the need to bring it up. I would have told her if she asked."
"Hey man, I get it." He leans back to rest his weight on his hands, lazily. "I wouldn't have pressed either. Ignorance is fucking bliss, and forgiveness is easier than straight out permission."
"I guess." Hyades frowns as she reads, "What do you mean how did I find out?"
"Who the fuck got you good enough to bleed?"
"Apparently being a girl got me good." Hyades sighs.
T lifts a brow. "What does that mean?"
"Periods are when a girl bleeds from between her legs." Hyades rolls her eyes, "It means cramps in your belly and that I can have babies if I want to. Uma said I'll start getting curves, and Men are going to start paying attention to me." She growls in frustration. "It's so stupid, and I have no control over it, but you'll know when I'm going to get another one. Harry and Gil know when she's about to get her's."
T blinks, several emotions flitting through him at once, as he brings a hand to his temple. His head felt like it was spinning. What the fuck was happening? He blinks again, staring down at his hands like they were foreign to him.
Hyades blinks up at T, "Do we need to leave? The air can get thin down here according to panic."
T frowns, "No." He shakes his head. "I wanna keep practicing. Periods just give me a headache...Thank fucking god I don't get those..."
"Uma said we wouldn't be here if men got periods," Hyades explains before her face falls, "but I don't know what that means."
"You're barking up the wrong tree if you think I do. Half of what you just said to me was in french." He shakes his head. "Why the fuck would I know by the way, that you were on your period?"
Hyades shrugs, "Uma just said guys know."
"Huh…" T frowns. Damn it. He was going to have to ask Jay or Gil or someone… If he ever worked up that kind of courage anyways. Fat chance of that happening. "Maybe my sonar hasn't kicked in yet…" He shrugs. That sounded right? Right?
"Who knows, this is all weird." Hyades frowns, "Like why did my body suddenly go 'we can have babies now'?" She rolls her eyes as she leans back over her paper and starts writing.
T's eye twitches. Babies? Babies came from women? So where the fuck did they come from? Ugh. too many questions with no answers. Like fuck he was going to ask the old man for a book on periods. It felt like there was a rock in his gut. What the fuck had her father been giving her exactly? And why didn't Hyades experience sound anything like when Faustina bled from between her legs? "You can say that again. Bodies are fucking weird man..." He goes back to writing.
T and Hyades trade letters several times, needing their decoder pages less and less often as the day wore on. Between practice writing and reading their secret language, Hyades packs a bag with all her clothes. It was pretty much all she owned. Except for the stone tablets, but she didn't feel like she should take them with her.
"Ready?" T questions as he stands, the only two copies of their decoder pages in his hand.
"Yeah, I think we've been practicing long enough." Hyades nods as she holds out a handful of flames, "I didn't even need it the last couple of times."
"I don't think you can ever get enough practice, but as long as we don't drop it we'll be fine." T shrugs.
"So we write every day, even if we're not going to see each other."
"Sounds like a plan." T nods. "We can drop it at the forge."
Hyades nods, "It should be a lot easier now that I'm using paper."
T lifts the papers to the fire before a mischievous smirk lights up his face and he drops his hand. "How'd you score in Selfie 101?"
"I took it with Evie, she was full of tips so I passed with an A." Hyades smiles.
"Cool." T digs through his bag. "Wanna do the honors?" He hands the camera to Hyades.
"You got it fixed?" Hyades gasps as she takes the camera.
T nods, "Carlos. Obviously. And Jay stole me the film."
"Cool." She grins as she shifts it so it pops open, "Lean in, we have to be pretty close." She holds the camera at her full arm's length away
T steps closer before leaning in. "Try not to set the photo on fire." He teases.
Hyades sticks her tongue out and holds up two fingers in a peace sign like Evie always did, though her peace sign was on fire.
T mimics her as he holds up the papers above the flames. "Imma drop em on three, kay?"
Hyades nods and focuses on the lens of the camera.
"One. Two. Three." His signature shit-eating grin on his lips.
Hyades presses the flash right as the flames consume the pages. "Now the only evidence we ever had a decoder is this." She chuckles. She puts the flames out and plucks the photo from the dispenser. "Here, shake it until it develops." She hands it to him.
T nods, as he does as instructed. "Not gonna lie, this is kinda fun… I like the noise it makes."
"Mind if I get a picture with Pain and Panic?" Hyades asks as she looks around her room.
"Go for it." T nods, "Just don't draw attention to yourself, or it's my ass. Remember that." He adds absently, only half paying attention.
"I'm happy to be moving onto the ship now, but I will miss them." Hyades sighs before she softly calls their names.
"Mistress Hyades, Mistress Hyades, Mistress Hyades!" Pain and Panic both stumble over each other in a rush to get to Hyades first.
T facepalms. "Opposite of the goal, D."
"Shhhh." Hyades kneels to their level, "I wanted to get a picture with you two." She shakes the camera.
"Of course Mistress. Anything for you!" They both cry out gleefully before they begin striking poses next to her.
"Shhh!" Hyades smiles as she pulls them tighter to her sides.
"Wouldn't it be easier if I took it? You're short, but they're shorter."
"Haha, short jokes… But yes please." She holds the camera up for him.
"All day every day." T smirks, as he takes the camera.
Hyades smiles as she pulls Pain and Panic to her sides in hugs, "Say olives."
"Olives!"
T snaps the picture, twice.
Hyades bites her bottom lip as she pulls the red and blue imps to stand in front of her, "I wanted to tell you two that I'm moving out."
The imps trip over themselves to speak before her words register. Tears start sliding out their eyes as they began sobbing.
"I'll still be around, you just won't have to worry about me hiding out down here for weeks anymore." She smiles as she hugs them both.
"But we'll miss you!" They cry out as they hug her tightly.
"I'll still hang out on the beach." She explains as she pulls back and wipes at their tears, "And if you bring me apples, I'll make you tarts."
"Our mistress is so generous."
"We don't deserve you, Mistress!"
"That's not true. I'm lucky to have you guys and you know it." She gently pulls their tails like she'd done when she was smaller, "I'll visit too, I promise."
T turns around as the promise only seems to elicit more tears. He so didn't need to be here for this. It felt uncomfortable.
"Shhhhhh. I have to get away before father finds out. If he asks, just say you saw me leave." She takes both of them by one hand, "I don't want you two getting in trouble for me."
"How will we survive without your guidance mistress?"
"We'll miss you so much, mistress."
"It's a big isle, but you know where I hide, so you can always go find me."
T lifts his brow at that. "Is that how you were able to organize a picnic with E?"
Hyades smiles, "Yeah, these two got worried that I'd been gone for so long that they came to find me."
T snorts, "We should probably get going before it gets too late..." He sighs, "Assuming it ain't late already."
Hyades presses a kiss to each of their foreheads, "Be good, and stay safe."
"Panic?" T questions.
"Yes, sir, T?" The blue one steps forward.
Ah. Well, that answered that. He offers the imp the picture. "This is for you two to share."
"Awww." Panic snatches the picture away from T and rushes back to Pain, "Look, another picture."
"Yes, another picture for our book." Pain nods as he wipes away a tear and looks at the new photo.
Hyades' blushes. "You're right T, time to go."
T lifts his brow. "Picture book?"
"Our mistress' baby book." Pain nods.
T grins, "I'll have to check that out some time."
"She was a beautiful little baby." Panic nods.
"She's beautiful now." T shrugs. "Makes sense she was a pretty baby."
"Of course she is." Pain and Panic both blink up at T.
"Okay guys," "love you bye."
"Later." T throws up an arm as Hyades drags him out of her room by the collar.
"I think I finally figure out why you hate being called princess…" T's comments once they exit the catacombs.
"Because my father called me princess?" Hyades asks as she looks back over her shoulder.
T blinks. "Well, there goes that joke and that nickname."
"They called me a princess too." Hyades shrugs, "And honestly, I don't mind anymore. I think I just got used to it."
"Huh." T sighs. "Good to know…" Still, he doubted he'd be calling her that for a while, he kicks a rock off the path. "Here, by the way." He holds up the pictures for Hyades.
"Thanks." Hyades smiles as she turns back and takes them. She quickly slips them into her tablets and notebooks bag before she takes T by the hand, "Let's get out of here."
"No problem." T agrees as he falls into step behind Hyades.
"Think Gil will be at the beach yet?"
T glances up at the sky. "Maybe- But if he isn't." He smiles at her. "I have no problem car-"
"No thank you." Hyades smiles overly sweetly. "I've had enough surprises and struggles this week."
So there we go!
What did you guys think? Was this chapter not full of all the fluff? How do you feel about the camera? We personally love it when T and Carlos work on projects. How about how T reacted to finding out what periods were? Any one still confused? That's okay cause T is too! We hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We're so fucking thrilled so many have taken us up on this challenge!
With much love and appreciation,
Twisted
