"It don'nah be openin' 'til midnight?" Harry furrows his brow and sighs.

Deez chuckles, "Lucky for us, I know someone on the inside." She easily opens the door and looks over her shoulder, "Coming?" She asks with a small, mischievous grin.

Harry chuckles and shakes his head as he gestures for Gil to follow after her.

"DEEEEEEEEEEEZZZ!" A blur flies across the room before smacking into her chest, "Ow!"

Deez omphs from the impact, "Yeah, I bet that hurt. I'm a lot harder than Evie." She bites her lip as she looks down at Dizzy's small, excited face. Into her pretty brown eyes that were wide under her broken glasses. "I'm sorry Dizzy." She pulls the younger girl into a tight hug, "Sorry if I worried you. A lot happened and I didn't want to get you caught up in the trouble I was in."

"I thought you'd been taken with E and I was never going to see either of you ever again!" Dizzy nuzzles into her hair.

"Nope, still here." Deez picks Dizzy up and holds her close, "But you might not want to tell anyone you saw me, especially your Granny."

"I only talk to my granny about the shop. So I won't, promise…" Dizzy hugs her tighter. "Thank you so much for coming to see me! It was scary thinkin' you all left."

Harry's warm chuckle and Gil's aww suddenly remind her that the two of them weren't alone.

Deez blushes slightly as she looks back at the guys, "Hey Dizzy, you remember me talking about Harry and Gil right?"

"Oh!" Dizzy blushes as she hides her head into Hyades' hair.

"Oh don't worry," Deez nuzzles her nose against Dizzy, "they're more like Evie than Mal."

Dizzy lets out a sigh of relief, as she lifts her head, cheeks still red. "H-hi. N-nice to meet you." She greets timidly as she maintains her death grip.

"It's nice to finally meet you Diz, Deez has told me a lot about you." Gil grins at her.

"It be bein' me greatest pleasure ta be ah finally meetin' ya tiny princess." Harry grins before he gives the smaller girl a wicked wink.

Dizzy giggles nervously as she turns back to hide her scarlet face in Deez's hair.

She chuckles, easily remembering how flustered she'd get when she first started hanging around Harry. He could be beyond extra sometimes.

"So ah mini princess, we be ah lookin' for some stylin' tips," Harry continues, chest puffed up slightly before Gil smacks his shoulder in reprimand.

"Chill Harry, you're gonna kill her."

"Thank you." Deez grins as she bounces Dizzy against her hip, "See, Gil will always save you from the loud pirate."

Dizzy blinks as she slowly releases Deez and nods her head, shuffling slightly when she's placed back on her feet. "So… What type of tips?"

"I be ah needin' ta be bleachin' ah nasty black dye from ah friend's hair ta be dyin' it back to its natural red."

Dizzy tilts her head to the side before she frowns. "T dyed his hair back to black?"

"It's kind of a long story Dizzy," Deez bites her lip, but couldn't bring herself to come up with a lie when even she didn't know the whole story, "but the short answer is yes."

"Ah… Oh!" Dizzy claps in excitement. "That means he's still here too right!" She looks at the three of them. "The two of you weren't taken!" She quickly runs over to the chemicals. "Red so looks better on him."

Harry saunters over with a grin, "Deez be ah sayin' ya be good at yer art, I can'nah be agreein' more that me lad be ah lookin' trim with his red hair."

Dizzy shifts in discomfort when he stops by her side, "I love hair! It's so versatile! And yeah," she breathes out in a swoon-like sigh, "He does look a lot better with red hair, it matches his personality better."

Gil chuckles as he wraps an arm around Hyades. "She's a bit boy crazy, huh?" He whispers just loud enough for her to hear.

"Yep…" Hyades nods slowly as she watches Harry and Dizzy talk about hair and T, "Did not think this through apparently."

Gil's chest rumbles as he lets out another chuckle. "I didn't know T was so popular with girls. Does he know?"

Hyades chuckles before her eyes widen. She sighs as her head drops. Why had she never thought about that? About Evie's little crush, and Freddie's strange fascination.

"What's wrong?" Gil asks as he rests a hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing, just a thought." Deez sighs, "Not important."

Gil frowns for a moment before he shrugs, "Ah, I can get that." He pulls her tighter to his side.

Deez smiles as she wraps her arms around Gil's waist, "It's nice to see Harry and Uma again, even if the reason was a bad one."

"Yeah, it really is," Gil agrees easily, "I've missed them."

"Me too." Deez looks up, resting her chin against his chest as she strains her neck to make eye contact with him, "Are you feeling better? You got to the ship faster than I thought you would."

Gil nods his head. "It was confusing and I was dizzy at first but, yeah, I'm feeling much better." He leans down and kisses her forehead. "Thank you for caring."

Deez smiles up at him, "Of course I care, you don't have to thank me for that." She stretches up on her toes to kiss his chin, "I'm just glad you didn't fight him." She sighs as she drops her arms and steps back. It still hurt that she froze on her family again. "And that he brought me with him so I could still warn Uma to not fight."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about the docks either." He absently takes her hand."I'm glad that you warned Uma... Wonder if that's the reason he did it to us, and not Harry or T…" He absently takes her hand.

"The jerk didn't stick around after I tackled Harry into the water." Deez huffs as she stomps her foot.

Gil chuckles as he pulls her to his chest, "Thanks again for that. May not have been there, but I would've done the same. He doesn't always think things through."

"That makes me feel better." She lets herself relax into his hold, "Because all I could think about was you telling me not to do something stupid, and then I was in the water."

"You held onto him for your life, if you hadn't done that, then yeah, definitely. But I don't want to think of what would have happened if he'd actually made it to your dad."

Deez shakes her head as she grabs her shell with one hand and Gil's hand with the other, "I wish I knew what he wanted. I thought about offering to get the cuffs off, just to distract him, but he seemed more," Her face scrunches in frustration, "I don't know. Maybe intense? More intense than usual."

"I'm worried T made some kind of deal with him."

"He probably did." She rolls her eyes.

Gil drops his head and lets out a groan, "That's what I was afraid of."

Deez turns in his arms, "If he has though, neither of them have mentioned it to me. And right before the howler my father and I talked a lot about T, so I'm not sure one way or the other."

Gil sighs before he leans down to kiss her forehead. "For all our sakes let's just assume he wasn't so careless."

"Are you sure that's the direction that's best for our sakes to assume?" Deez lightly teases.

"Okay," Gil's chest rumbles, "for his sake. Because it's bad enough he hunts you down, but at least you're not defenseless against him. T could just go splat." His eyes somber as a frown suddenly pulls at his lips. "I don't know how we're going to keep him on the ship. No one needs to hear that on top of everything else, T's getting himself into it with another ov he can do nothing against."

"One," Deez smiles as she taps a finger to Gil's chest, "Thank you. I am not defenseless, but I know that must have hurt to admit. And two, we'll figure it out when the time comes. T's not as irrational as most people think. Sometimes you just have to approach him from a different angle."

"A different angle, huh?" Gil frowns as his brow furrows thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Deez blinks, "I mean, T never really says no when you ask him something face to face. He complains, but he still does it." She shrugs, "Uma's not wrong, guilt trips also work."

"I guess that's true, I don't think T's ever said no to me..." Gil bites his lip as he stares intensely at the dyed cement beneath them for a moment before he shrugs. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he stays with us. If he's so bad off Uma and Harry are this worried about us seeing him, then I think it's worse than what I was already thinking..."

Deez shuts her eyes as she rests her forehead against Gil's chest. That was part of it. She knew T was pretty messed up if even her father was… Was… Her brow furrows. Worried? Was that it? Was he worried about T? She bites her lip. Was that why he made such a big deal at the ship? He practically goaded Uma into walking over to let him search her soul. But he hadn't bothered with Harry. Because he already saw what he needed to see? And because Harry provided a nice distraction? The air in her lungs rushes out in a huff when she puts the whole picture together.

He'd used her, again. Used her entire family.

Because he was worried? Was he worried? Is that why she was having a hard time figuring out what it was that she saw in him? Was that the intensity?

It didn't make sense. It had to be another test or something. Or just another lie. She sighs and rubs her fingers into the ache at her temple.

Gil lifts her higher before he kisses the top of her head. "But he's okay now, Harry said his fever finally broke."

Deez nods.

Gil lifts his brow as he studies her closely before he tilts his head to the side. "Where are you?"

"Um, weird dot connecting?" Deez slowly admits as she blinks.

"Ah." Gil frowns, "Doesn't look like a good one this time."

"I'm not sure?" Deez tilts her head to the side as she reaches out, joining her fingers together behind Gil's neck, "But, we keep asking what it was all about. And looking at the big picture, I have a weird idea that won't leave me alone."

"Huh." Gil nods as he moves to support her against him, letting her use his arms as a seat, "Well if you want someone to bounce it off of, I'm here to listen." He grins at her.

"What if he really was just worried about T?"

"Why would he be worried about T?"

"I don't know. That's where I'm getting stuck." She frowns, "Like, using us to figure out how to do things, threatening me to get Uma to do what he said, that makes sense. He said he wanted to see her memories. But then Harry seeing Uma in trouble and trying to attack him? He didn't even move. And I guess he couldn't have known I'd accidentally throw us overboard. But he didn't seem to be worried when we got pulled back up. And there was time for him to get in the room and talk to T, because T was awake."

"Huh…" Gil's brows furrow. "I mean obviously none of that is good. But- when, how? How did T even get wrapped up with your father? I thought he just made a deal with Maleficent?" He shakes his head. "I'mma have to tell Harry that, sorry. Nothing good is coming from those two getting together..."

Deez absently bites her thumbnail. Something still wasn't adding up. "He said he kept running into T in weird ways, though I'm sure he was there for the deal between T and Maleficent, it's something he does for her, overseeing her deals. Makes most people think twice about double-crossing the leader and a God."

"Yeah, I bet they don't." Gil lets out a sigh. "But they have no problem double-crossing them. Otherwise, T wouldn't have been caged, and you wouldn't have been summoned."

"I guess." Deez frowns, "I mean, he did tell me not to trust him." She couldn't figure out why it bothered her so much, why it made her chest hurt. Something was off but she just couldn't see it. And it bothered her.

"Huh." Gil frowns. "That's different. Most OVs tell their kids not to trust others, not themselves."

"We'll talk to Uma and Harry about it when there's time." She drops her thumb from her lips and wraps her arms around his neck again, "I'm missing something, maybe the four of us can figure it out."

"Sounds like a great plan to me." Gil smiles, transferring her weight to one arm before he shifts her closer. He presses his lips to her forehead as he tightens his grip on her. "The four of us will figure this out together, five if T…" He frowns, "If T ya know…" He shrugs. "I don't think he's going to appreciate the changes coming his way. I don't think I'm going to be able to stop the urge to keep him with us, or protect him- Even if it's from himself."

If that was where Gil was now… How would he feel once he found out T had a girl in him too? She sighs, yet another thing she didn't know what to do with. "We'll figure that out together too." She smiles as she bumps her forehead to his.

"That is what families are for." Gil half-smiles as he tightens his grip on her.

Deez nods before she pulls back just enough to look around, "Where did they go?" She furrows her brow at the silence.

"That's a great question." Gil lowers her back to her feet, taking her hand as he starts walking towards the, now open, back door of the shop in concern.

"I be ah hearin' ya little princess, but I still be sayin' this red be the one."

"Then you clearly are not hearing me." Dizzy snaps back saucily. "Because this one is the right shade."

Deez chuckles as she and Gil find the two arguing over bits of colored hair, each holding the snips up in the dim light of the overcast day. "We lost you for like a minute and you're arguing?"

"With a tiny princess," Gil adds with a brow raised.

Harry turns to look at them, "I- I be ah explainin' why I be far more familiar with T's red hair, but she ain'nah listenin' ta me."

"Can't you just mix the two colors like paint and call it? I doubt T's going to care about the right shade..." Gil offers as he looks between them.

"No!" Harry and Dizzy both snap.

Gil's eyes open as he drops his hand from Deez' to hold them in front of him. "Heard."

Deez sighs before she walks over and looks at the colored hair samples, "The shade between these two would be perfect. If that's the problem, why can't you mix the dye?"

"Because this be the right one! And the tiny princess can'nah be ah seein' reason."

"Because this is the right one! And he won't listen."

"But nothing bad would happen if you mix the dyes?"

"No." Dizzy frowns. "It just wouldn't be the right shade…"

Gil facepalms. "So it's not because it was stupid, it's because you two are being stubborn over something T- T- The kid that gives no shits about how he looks- Isn't going to care about? Just to be right?" He turns to Harry, "Dude, she's-"

"I know." Harry holds one hand up while he presses the fingers of the other hand against his temples, covering his eyes in the process, "I- I guess I be ah gettin' caught up in havin' someone else ta be ah talkin' shop with."

Deez crosses her arms over her chest as she looks between Harry and Dizzy, "I know you both want to give T the best you can, but maybe put that energy in a better direction?" She reaches out and pulls Dizzy closer to her, "Just this once? Please? For me?"

"Well, I guess we could mix them," Dizzy admits.

"Thank you, I thought Gil's idea was pretty good too." Deez smiles before she glares up at Harry.

"Aye fire princess, I be ah knowin'." Harry sighs as he drops his hands to his sides.

Dizzy shoots him a smug smile before she sticks out her tongue.

"Ya be needin' ta be careful who ya be ah showin' yer tongue to." Harry chuckles as he pinches his forefinger and thumb together and flashes her a wicked grin.

Dizzy's eyes widen before she sucks her tongue back in and giggles with a blush.

Deez lightly slaps Harry's shoulder in reprimand, laughing at his antics until she registers his flinch. Her eyes widen, "Wha-"

Gil drops one hand to her shoulder and squeezes it reassuringly. "So, are we just mixing the dyes then?"

Dizzy plucks the other color samples from Harry's hand, "Yes, I'll go get started on that." She reaches out and takes Deez's hand to inspect her nails, "And what have you been doing to yourself? Your nails are usually so nice." She pouts as she inspects the broken, chipped, and bitten nails.

"Oh," Deez pulls her hand back awkwardly, "Just, you know, melting stone and stuff. No big deal."

"Mhmm, well it looks like you could use a manicure while you're here." She turns her eyes to Gil's hand on Deez's shoulder and blinks before she looks up at him. "You too."

"Be ah gettin' that dye mixed right up for me quick like and ya can be ah workin' on these two to yer tiny princess heart's content." Harry grins.

"Really?" Dizzy asks as she pulls her hands close to her chest before turning her wide eyes back on Gil and Deez.

Gil looks down at Dizzy, mouth open before he shuts it with a sigh. "Really."

"Yay!" Dizzy jumps up and down as she claps exuberantly, "I'll get this mixed and everything else set up right now." She adds before she dances back into the shop.

As soon as the door shuts Deez turns back to Harry, "What is wrong with your shoulder?"

Harry sighs, "I be ah gettin' what I be ah deservin' for not payin' attention in a sword fight." He shakes his head as he pulls his jacket down just enough to let her see the nearly healed mark, "See, it even be almost all better."

"Uh-huh," Deez responds skeptically. "Something else that happened that night?"

Harry releases his jacket as he nods his head with a shrug, "Aye."

Deez opens her mouth to continue arguing, but instead closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, "I'm sorry for hitting you."

"Nah Baby Girl," Harry chuckles lightly, "Ya ain'nah knowin' and it did'nah even be ah hurtin'. Just ah wee bit tender like." He pulls her to his side in a hug.

Gil grins as he watches the two, "It looks like it's healing well."

"It were a pretty clean stab, and I be ah lettin' the ol' man clean it and stitch it." Harry rocks back and forth with Deez held tight to his side, "See, I can be ah trustin' people."

Gil gives a short nod as he grins at Harry reaching up to drop his hand on his uninjured shoulder. "Know that had to be hard." He squeezes as he makes meaningful eye contact before he lets his arm drop.

"Aye, but he be ah friend o' our Treasure here, and the pup and T, so he can'nah be ah bein' bad, I be ah figurin' anyhow." Harry smiles before he releases his hold on Deez, "Sorry ta be ah throwin' ya at the tiny princess, but I be ah wantin' ta be ah gettin' back quick like ta be ah gettin' this done."

Deez grins as she turns to look back at Harry, "Not upset, this is going to be fun. At least for me," She chuckles as she looks up at Gil, "I'm not sure how you're going to feel about it, but Dizzy is really good at head massages and masks, she's already targeting our nails, so…" She shrugs.

Gil tilts his head to the side, with narrowed eyes before he shrugs. "Uma's gonna be upset she ain't here."

"Maybe once T is better we can bring Dizzy to the ship for a spa day?"

"Yeah," Gil grins, "I bet Uma would love that."

Harry grins, "Aye, that be perfect for our Kraken." He walks to the door and opens it, "Now be ah comin' on, be enjoyin' yer time with the tiny princess." He nods to Gil, "Then be ah comin' back home, Uma be ah wantin' ya ta be ah takin' the dingy out to the cove this time."

"Yeah, we can do that." Gil grins as he looks down at Deez, "Right?"

Deez takes a deep breath before she nods, "Aye."

Harry chuckles as he ruffles her hair, "Ya be ah survivin' jumpin' in the brine, our Sweet Boy here ain'nah gonna be ah lettin' nothin' be ah hurtin' ya in the dingy."

"I don't want the sleep stuff," Deez adds with a pout as she turns to Gil.

"Then you can just cling on to me, and keep your head in my lap. It'll be good helpin' with your fear and building our trust. Like you're trusting me to get you to safety and I'm trusting you won't capsize the boat."

Harry smiles as he adds the last little glop of the dye to T's lightened hair. At least this was something he could do, one thing he could fix for T. He uses an old comb to make sure the color was evenly applied. Once he's satisfied he carefully moves all his tools to the water bowl and wraps a towel loosely around T's head.

Easy. Timing the bleach had been a lot harder.

He swings his legs off the bed and stands, collecting his tools before he moves them to the table. He carefully cleans them before setting them out to dry.

He still couldn't believe T was going to be fine. Or at least heal up. After weeks of constant fear and negativity, it was hard to force himself to think positively again.

Oh, there was still plenty to worry about, but for now he wanted to focus on getting one thing done. Ridding T of the bastard's forced image.

He didn't understand why the man would alter T's appearance, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Frollo was a villain, no matter what he tried to tell the people who came to listen to him.

Harry looks at the bed for a moment before he pokes his head out the door. James was starting to teach Uma as much about navigation as he could in preparations for the day they'd set sail, an offer she'd only been too eager to take him up on. They were still at it apparently. He shivers as his breath forms a small cloud and shuts the door. Too damn cold.

"Don'nah be ah worryin'," Harry says as he crosses the room, "we be ah gettin' the dye washed out an ya be lookin' good as new." He assures T as he slowly inches back onto the bed, positioning himself against the headboard before he takes T's hand in his. "Not that ya can be ah hearin' me." He chuckles as he runs the pad of his thumb over his knuckles.

He hums to himself to fill the silence, only pausing when he feels movement beside him. He looks up to find confused green eyes staring at him.

"Oh, hiya T," He greets, frowning when T's eyes drop to the bed.

He watches in concern as T's eye bulge and his mouth widens before a blood-curdling scream echoes shrilly around the cabin.

Harry jumps back, holding his hand up defenselessly, "T!" He blinks in confusion. Was the lad having a wakin' night terror? "T, ya be safe."

But T ignores him as he struggles with the blankets before he rolls out of the bed, landing on the floor with a whimper.

"Shit." Harry rushes over to the red-stained tangle of limbs and blankets, "T, I be sorry. Shhh, ya be okay." He pulls blankets out of the way, following the thick stain of red until he finally finds T's face, "Shhh lad, ya be safe on the ship." He whispers as he cups T's cheek.

T pulls the sheet to himself tighter as he blushes and looks away.

Harry furrows his brow, "Ya be okay? Ya be ah wantin' me ta be gettin-"

They both jump as the door swings open, "Is T okay?" Uma demands as she snaps it closed behind her.

T flinches at her tone as he hugs the sheet to him tighter, and curls further into himself.

"Aye, I be ah thinkin' T be ah havin' ah night terror or somethin'." Harry pulls away and stands, "I be ah lettin' Uma check ta be ah makin' sure yer stitches be fine, then we can be ah rinsing the dye outta yer hair. Aye?"

T shakily nods his head, even as he pulls his knees to his chest and hides his face.

Uma quickly walks over, her eyes lingering on him as they switch places.

"Ya be ah thinkin' James be up ta answerin' ah question or two?" Harry asks, his eyes wide with worry.

"Yeah, he said he'd wait for me to come back. This shouldn't take long." Uma bites her lip before she kneels next to T.

"Aye." Harry nods, giving T one last look before he leaves.

"Faustina?"

Faustina lifts her head, her eyes reluctantly meeting Uma's before she curls into a tighter ball, she holds the sheet closer and hesitantly nods.

That's what she'd been afraid the scream meant. "You okay?" She asks before she looks up at the bed, freezing at the sight of so much red.

Not blood. She takes a deep breath. Obviously it was the hair dye.

Hopefully, it was only hair dye.

Faustina looks away with a blush before she slowly raises her arm to show the missing needle.

"Ah." Her eyes linger on the pulled out iv needle dangling at the end of the tub still somehow hanging on the wall, "No big deal. We'll just make sure nothing is bleeding, or take care of it if it is, and get a new one started. Let me get you back in the bed-"

Faustina's eyes widen in terror as she shakes her head vehemently, "Please no!?" She cries quietly.

"Or not, whoa now," Uma quickly grasps her by the shoulders, "Got it. Ya don't like beds. No problem." She shushes Faustina quietly, thumbing away the tears gathering in the corner of her green eyes, "Hey now. No problem." She smiles softly, "I can check things just as easily down here. Okay?"

Faustina studies her for a moment so intently Uma resists the urge to shiver before she ducks her head and nods.

Uma carefully untangles Faustina, gently murmuring to the girl as she looks her legs and feet over, noting the slight cracks in the scabs of the burns. "Nothing major here. A little cleaning and maybe some bandages until the bleeding stops." She sighs as she lets the blanket fall back to cover her. "I need to check your stomach and chest, but we're both girls here, right?"

Faustina sighs softly, her eyes tightening before she looks away and nods.

"Something wrong?" Uma frowns. This part of T was so shy, or something. Just too damn quiet maybe, "You do know me, right?"

Faustina turns back to her, face red with her blush, and nods before she lets out another soft sigh and slowly lays on her back, her grip on the sheet loosening.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." Something wasn't right. T was full-on defiant. Gil and Harry had both been aggressive. Deez ran away.

But she had no words for what this was. Apathetic? Maybe that one. But even that didn't feel right. It almost felt like Faustina was trying to ignore her, but again that didn't feel exactly right either.

"I know." Faustina shakily whispers so quietly Uma nearly misses it. "I'm sorry."

Uma blinks as her vision clouds, "Why are you sorry?" She wipes the back of her hand over her eyes.

"For being difficult…" Faustina breathes out with a shiver, tilting her neck back to rest on the crown of her head, as she closes her eyes.

"This ain't difficult." Uma snorts, "Me being worried about ya don't make ya difficult. And me wanting to make sure you're comfortable with me touching you don't make ya difficult either." She shakes her head before she lifts the sheet, quickly, but carefully checking over each sutured injury before she drops the sheet again. Everything looked good, but she could swear it was blood and not hair dye on the side opposite of her.

"Are you sore?" Uma asks as she switches the side she was on.

"I can think again." Faustina murmurs faintly before she turns onto her side away from Uma and points to a spot on her side.

Uma lifts the sheet again, revealing where one of the stitches had popped. "I need to clean this up and put another stitch in, but we've got some of that goop T makes around here somewhere." She explains before she stands up to collect everything she would need.

"Thank you."

Uma smiles, "No problem, but let's not make a habit of pulling the stitches." She chuckles lightly.

"Sorry."

"I was teasing you, Faustina. You didn't mean to, you woke up in a bed and wanted out." She shrugs, "I imagine something similar would happen to me if I woke up in the crow's nest or Deez woke up floating in the ocean."

Faustina sighs with a shiver as she pulls the sheet to her chest tighter.

"It won't take long. I've gotten pretty good at this over the years." Uma smiles as she grabs one of the blankets on the bed and lays it over Faustina, keeping the area on her side visible. She grabs the water basin and a rag as well as the small kit before she sits with her again.

Faustina is quiet through the whole process, her blank eyes staring at the wall across from them.

"There." Uma ties a knot in the thread before she snips it and covers the wound with a bandage.

"Thank you…" Faustina whispers.

Uma smiles down at Faustina before her eyes flick to the door, "You okay with Harry coming back?"

Faustina's face reddens like the dye staining the sheets as she quickly covers herself better with the blanket, even her face disappearing as she curls into a ball. "Yes."

Uma frowns again, "You sure? If Harry makes you uncomfortable we want to know."

"Sorry." She has to strain to hear Faustina's soft voice muffled by the blanket, "He doesn't."

"Okay. But you'll let me know if that ever changes?"

"If you want me too."

"I do." Uma quickly assures her, "I really do want to know if anyone makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable."

"Understood." She's silent for a moment, "Thank you." She continues, though Uma could swear she was smiling now.

"Of course, you're part of our family, Faustina," Uma states firmly before she stands and starts clearing away the mess on the floor.

Faustina's grip on the blanket loosens as her head pops back out and she studies Uma with the same intense stare she had earlier, while she picks up. Once she's finished picking everything up Faustina finally responds "Really?" Her voice shakes with a tone she was unfamiliar with. Her eyes slowly turn glassy.

"Well yeah." Uma looks down with a smile, "It's hard to not be family when we all care so much about each other, isn't it?"

Faustina stares at Uma in awe, her mouth opening before she shuts it as silent tears start rolling down her cheeks. A small smile graces her lips as she nods her head emphatically.

"Great!" Uma grins happily, "Now, we just need to work on-" She tilts her head to the side, "Is T like a brother or-"

Faustina's eyes widen as she slowly nods, "Brother."

"Got it." Uma nods, "Now we just need to convince your little shit of a brother to say yes." She chuckles at the look of surprise on the other girl's face, "We might not fully understand what you and T have, but it doesn't change the fact that you're family. We might not know you all that well yet, but that's easy to fix. And I trust Deez when she says she's seen you come out before, so it's not like we're strangers." She shrugs, "We were just unaware."

A fresh wave of tears gather in Faustina's eyes before she curls back under the blanket with another blush. "T-thank you."

"You and T are not alone. I hope you know that." Uma smiles and shakes her head at Faustina's hiding. "You've got me, Harry, Gil, and Deez. And we've got you and T."

"Thank you."

"Actually, thank you." Uma smiles before she runs a finger along a dried strand of hair, "And I'm going to get Harry before the dye fries your hair and we have to deal with his freak out."

Harry walks up to the cabin door, pausing awkwardly before he turns to Uma, "Do I be ah knockin'?"

"We all should probably start knocking." Uma shrugs.

"Aye?" Harry knocks on the door, "It's Harry." He calls out before he opens the door.

He immediately walks over to the tub and draws a bucket of water, "I be sorry 'bout earlier love, but we be ah needin' ta be washin' the dye out now."

Green eyes peek out from underneath the blanket as Faustina tilts her head to the side.

"An' eventually I be ah gettin' better at knowin' the difference 'tween you and T." Harry huffs before he sits at her head with the water and towels, "But 'til then, can ya be ah forgivin' me?"

Faustina's eyes narrow as she studies him before she slowly nods.

"Thanks." Harry grins before he starts laying a dyed blanket under her head. His brow furrows as he slowly works the dye out with wet towels. "Sorry love, I don'nah be ah meanin' ta be tuggin'."

Faustina blinks up at him in surprise, before she looks away. "Thank you." She breathes.

"Aye, course." Harry smiles as he starts brushing a conditioner into her hair.

Faustina drops her eyes down to stare at the blanket, staying still when he needed her too, and complying without complaint when he adjusted the angle of her head.

For a while Harry works silently, alternating between rinsing her hair and applying more of the cream Dizzy included in her dye pack. When the water runs clear he smiles. "And that were bein' the hard part." He cheers softly before he claps his hands together, "Now, let's be ah dryin' yer hair and get ya into a hammock. The floor be too damn cold."

Faustina meekly nods, neither agreeing or disagreeing with his assessment, or sharing his excitement.

Harry tilts his head to the side as he grabs a fresh towel and gently starts working it against her scalp, "Uma be ah tellin' me ya not be ah likin' beds, that be ah includin' hammocks?"

Faustina bites her lip before she shakes her head. "No."

"Oh good." Harry chuckles, "Cause I be ah wrackin' me brain tryin' ta be ah comin' up with ah better sleeping place, but I be ah thinkin' up nothin'."

She tilts her head to the side as she glances up at him before she drops her eyes again, this time with a blush, and shrugs, "Hammocks work."

"Ya be ah pretty thing when ya be ah turnin' red like that."

Her face burns brighter as she makes an odd noise in her throat before she hides underneath the blanket.

"Should I not be ah commentin' or complementin'?" Harry frowns before he lays the towel on his lap and leans over her, "Sometimes I can'nah be ah helpin' it."

He chuckles when his only answer is her pulling the blanket tighter. "Ah, I think I be ah seein'."

He stands up, "Imma be ah pickin' ya up lass." He warns before he carefully gathers her in his arms, "Be tellin' me if I be ah hurtin' ya."

"Yes, sir."

"Huh." Harry frowns thoughtfully as he stands up with Faustina securely in his arms, "That be ah new name fer me."

She opens her mouth before she shuts it again looking away. "Sorry." She blushes as she ducks her head.

"I did'nah be ah sayin' I don'nah be ah likin' it." Harry chuckles as he holds her close to his chest. With a small sigh he walks over to the hammock closest to the bed and gently settles her in it, careful to make sure she stayed completely covered.

Her eyes land on him again, head tilted slightly, her mouth opens before she shuts it, and she looks away. "Thank you…"

"Aye love." He gently brushes stray hairs from her face before he lets his hand trace down her face to tenderly cup her cheek, "Any time." He whispers.

Her face quickly heats up, even as she leans into the touch. The look in her eyes was an unfamiliar one as they linger on him for a moment.

Harry smiles as, for the first time in a long time, he feels the knot in his stomach and chest loosen. "Everything's gonna be okay now. Ya be home, and safe with us." He runs the pad of his thumb along her cheekbone, "And, I'll always be here when ya want me."

Her eyes begin to water as her lower lip trembles slightly.

"Mind if I be ah sittin' with ya for ah bit?" Harry asks before he turns and grabs another blanket to throw over her.

She shakes her head before she sinks further under the blankets, hiding her blush.

He grins before he walks over and grabs a footstool from under the desk. "I can'nah be ah tellin' ya how happy I be that ya be ah feelin' better. The fever be ah scary sick to be ah havin'." He yawns as he sits beside the hammock. He reaches in and takes her hand, "Ya be knowin' what I be ah sayin'?" He asks as he leans his head against the edge of the hammock, uncaring that the black kohl he enjoyed lining his eyes with was smudging on the rough cloth.

Faustina shifts as she hesitantly removes her other hand from the blanket and picks up his hand with both of hers and starts slowly massaging it. "I used to get that way about T whenever he did something careless…" She bites her lip. "But I'm sorry, I don't think it's the same."

"It be feelin' the same to ya?" Harry questions as he snuggles his head against her shoulder.

"I mean, I think so… T was my whole world for so long, and then he'd go and almost get himself killed…" She furrows her brow as she continues kneading his hand absently. "And I mean, I thought I was taking care of him but…" She sighs. "It's confusing." She blushes.

"Aye, it be ah soundin' like," He nods, "But we can be bein' confused and figurin' it out together." He smiles, "Cause point be we be together."

She opens her mouth before she shuts it, her eyes focusing on his hand. "Together…" She murmurs as a small smile tilts her lips, "Together, sounds nice."

Another one down and another one down and another one bites the dust!

Dizzy was so thrilled to see Deez! Wasn't that fucking adorbz?

What did you guys think about Deez's convo with Gil? Maybe not the most productive but definitely insightful right?

Why do you think Sr is so suddenly interested in T?

And what are your thoughts on why he didn't soul search our favorite first mate?

What about that cute fight between Dizzy and Harry? Deez's comprise and Gils exasperation with it?

That scream terrified the fuck outta Harry, but hey, we all have our fears. Faustina's just happens to be one of beds? But after some insight on her life can you blame her?

Harry and Uma taking care of T/Faustina is absolutely fucking adorable, in our humble opinions. What do you think?

Harry certainly has a hair fetish. And he really hates the black hair now that he knows it isn't their natural color. Two guesses as to why Frollo was doing that.

Any thoughts on why Faustina calls him sir?

With much love and appreciation

-Twisted