Hey Guys,
Sorry it took so long to get this posted. My computer starting fighting with the internet, and then they stopped talking for a bit. But the drama clearly ended and they're friends again.
So without further ado, enjoy the chapter.
Lots of Love,
-Dark-
Uma looks up from her workbook when she feels a set of eyes on her. "T." She looks up with a glare, surprised that he'd managed to perch in the seat across from her so silently. She resists the urge to groan. Great. She was starting to think T was taking their predictions of who was staring at them as a challenge.
"How do all of you always do that?" T grumbles, "Do I smell or something?"
"Nope." Uma smirks as she leans over the table, bracing her chin against the palm of her hand, "What's up? You're never in here this early."
"It's barge day." T grins, "And you said me and Deez could dip out. Can I switch today? I know she has letters to drop off. And I could use her help with pickin' some herbs and carrying whatever scraps of metal we can find."
"Don't you have a thing with Harry tonight?"
"Oh yeah." T frowns, "Then can I split the hours up so I can do both? I don't think it's going to take more than a couple of hours."
This fucking kid. She still wasn't sure what she should do with him after that stunt he pulled at the cove. Little ass hole. "You really have a brass set, don't you?" Uma drums her fingers on the table as her eyes sweep to the bed where Deez was currently asleep, curled up in Gil and Harry's arms like a small doll.
"I mean, yeah?" T grins at her. "I'm the only one who can tell the difference in metals since the Pup's gone, and Deez isn't affected by the sap or leaves of the plants that I need. She needed to go to the barge anyways."
Uma sighs, "And she's been wanting to practice walking the docks." She shakes her head, "Gil's gonna end up going with ya."
T frowns, "No offense to Gil, but he is not fast, and I wanna go with Harry tonight."
"Neither is Deez when she's facing a fear." Uma points out with a glare.
"Yeah, but I figure Gil could just meet us at the cove with the dingy, I can deal with getting the Princess over the dock. But once we're off we can both jet. Besides it'll be good practice for her to pace herself better so no one figures out it's her. " He grins.
Uma purses her lips. T had her there. It was one of the biggest reasons she was afraid to let Deez off-ship unless it was necessary.
"An' 'sides, you know me, we'll keep to the shadows once we're in the city, she needs more practice there too, especially now that she's rockin' a hood. I can't tell you how many times I misjudged something 'cause the damn thing got in the way."
"So you plan to help her with the docks, barge, practice sticking to the shadows and wearing her hood, then end up at the cove?"
T nods, "Also the herbs."
That could take the majority of the day. Uma sighs, "Fine. This time, you can go out with Deez for the day, and then Gil and Harry can meet you at the cove so you can help him with his thing tonight."
"Sweet." T grins widely. "Thanks, Uma."
"When are you planning to head out?"
"I wanna try to hit up the barge before it's picked clean, so ya know, when she wakes up, or now or whatever."
She could feel the weight of T's eyes as he waited expectantly. Her eyes narrow, "What did we say about the hood?"
T frowns before he lowers the hood and his hand squeezes his arm. "So?" He asks as he looks over to where the rest of the family was sleeping.
She grins, "You want her, go get her." She chuckles. It was a little mean, but she couldn't resist. Not only would T have to get close to a bed, but if he wasn't careful he could end up sandwiched with Deez.
T blinks as he studies her expression before he turns to look at the bed for a moment his eyes calculating. After a moment he defiantly jumps off the chair. "Heard." He silently makes his way to the bed, choosing to make his way to Harry's side of the bed instead of Gil, before he carefully navigates around the squeakier floorboards. When he's close enough he holds out a single finger and pokes the center of Deez's forehead.
Deez grins before she opens her eyes.
T matches her grin before he cautiously backtracks away from the bed. "Coming or not?" He whispers.
Deez slowly untangles herself before she slides to the foot of the bed, "Coming where?" She asks, furrowing her brow as she looks between T and Uma.
"Run some errands, and work on your stealth. So go grab your letters and let's get going."
"Really?" Deez looks at her, her eyes bright with excitement.
"Aye, so get dressed before I change my mind."
Deez quickly jumps down from the bed, pulling her nightshirt off as she runs to collect her clothes and letters.
T sends her a shit-eating grin before he goes to lean against the wall smugly.
"Ready." Deez runs to the table, still shoving her arms through the sleeves of the hoodie before she grabs the sealed letter and carefully stows it in her pouch.
"Be careful," Uma warns as she grabs Deez by the wrist.
"She has fire so hot it can melt rock. And she can knock out anyone on this isle, except one, in a punch. She'll be fine." T kicks off the wall before he turns to the door and opens it, "Later Captain." He throws his hand over his shoulder. "See you in a couple of hours."
"I thought the point was to not announce the two of you were still around." Uma glares at T before her eyes drop when she feels arms go around her neck.
"We'll be careful," Deez assures her as she pulls back to look up with her clear blue eyes, "I promise."
Uma smiles, "Thank you."
She sighs as Deez rushes out the door to catch up with T.
Great. That plan had backfired. Now she was going to be the one having to tell her Sweet Boy that Deez was out and about on the isle.
With T.
And T was out there with only Deez.
Which was going to irritate her Pretty Boy.
Not that they didn't trust him… With most things…
She groans as she slips back into her seat.
Maybe she'd be able to finish this chapter before having to deal with her boy's looks of betrayal.
So.
Was this his life now?
Being a fucking monster?
This was the third time in a week he found himself torturing a member of the family he'd just joined.
First Harry with the damn chains. The chains he'd brought back, claiming he could 'fix' whatever. That idea had been all Harry's, though he couldn't argue that it would be helpful in the long run to get that kind of practice in.
Then Uma and the cliff, though notably, she hadn't asked for it. Still, he was proud of the way she'd just jumped after him. Screaming the whole way, but she faced that fear down like a boss.
And now Deez. Again, her idea. But it felt like catching the backside of a double-edged sword. This was what he was supposed to be doing anyway, according to his deal with her damn dad.
His eye twitches, fuck was Gil going to ask for his help too? He sighs as he lets go of Deez so she could break the surface of the water.
Her scream pierces the silence as she comes up gasping for air.
"Better." T nods in approval. Better him than someone else though right? Someone needed to get them over this shit before it got used against them. His eyes narrow. Right? Right.
"Cool-" Deez coughs as her shaking hands tighten in his hoodie
"What did I tell you about keeping your mouth shut?" He glares, lips pursed to the side.
"Right." She hugs herself to his side tightly, "mouth." She whimpers as she hides her face.
He sighs as he wraps an arm around her shoulder. "We're gonna keep going 'til you learn that lesson. Then we can work on your fire till Gil gets here."
A silent sob wracks her body, but she nods.
God damn it. That was two out of three. He preferred Uma's response. Wanting to kill the perpetrator was a lot more productive than scaring themselves until they dissolved like this.
"Good." He drops his other hand to her head as he moves her to stand in front of him. "Hold your breath." It's the only warning he gives her, smiling at the way she bites her lips between her teeth before he pushes her back under the water.
Ugh. He frowns. At least this was two birds, one stone. Her father wanted her to get stronger, and she wanted to learn how to react if someone attacked her, or worse, if she slipped into the water of her own clumsy ass accord.
He holds her down to the count of thirty-five this time before he relents and pulls her back up. His eye twitching as she lets out another scream.
"Nothing!" Deez screams as she locks her arms around him again, "Nothing. Nothing." She continues to mumble as she shivers against him
Jesus fucking christ. He didn't blame the others for refusing to do this. "Good job. You didn't come up choking this time." He pulls her closer. At least they were making progress.
"Mouth shut." Deez nods against him.
"You really wanted to be done with this today, huh?" He smiles down at her.
"One-" She squeezes her eyes shut, "Cool. Cool cool cool. Cool."
"I got chu." He nods, "I'm not going to warn you to hold your breath this time though." He informs her as he easily swims to the middle of the deep end with her. "And then I expect you to swim to get away from me, or I'll do it again."
A strangled squeak is her only response before she pushes off T in an attempt to swim away, but he manages to grab her and pull her back.
"Nice try." He nods, ignoring the way her sapphire eyes looked up at him with betrayal. "But short of burning me, I ain't lettin' ya go. So… Either or."
"I just-" Deez looks up at him with a trembling lower lip as she struggles to speak, "One- just one. Not new."
"Because life isn't fair." T shrugs before he dunks her. He sighs as large bubble streams to the surface. Well… At least the water wasn't going into her mouth.
At the count of five, he feels his hand heat up.
Huh. He smirks. She was starting to fight back. Good.
He continues counting, letting her go when he reaches twenty-five.
He dives under the water to move away from her. When he comes back up he finds her at the edge of the pool desperately trying to pull herself out. "Great job Deez, but I don't know where you're going." He swims over and grabs her around the waist to pull her back in.
"Out!" Deez shrieks, "Outoutout!"
"I said we were gonna work on you flaming up in the pool next. If you get out now, I know you're not coming back in." He pulls her to his stomach before he starts to kick them over to where she could stand in the water.
"You're not wrong." She pouts, her eyes lingering on the edge of the pool.
"Sometimes." T nods as he sets her down, keeping both hands on her shoulders. He narrows his eyes as he looks down at her. She was going to kill him. "You calmed down?"
Deez takes a deep breath and slowly nods.
"Great. Now get me off" He nods at the lie before he hooks his ankle around hers and snags it from beneath her. His foot comes down on her back to push her to the floor with it.
Another flood of bubbles greets him as she fights against his hold. The water around them begins to steam again as it gets uncomfortable to keep a grip on her.
He counts to twenty, ignoring the heat as he looks down through the steam with a proud smile before he relents and moves his foot.
Deez moves away from him so fast it had to be that she kicked off from the bottom. She emerges near the edge of the shallow end, "Fuck you!"
He back floats as he watches her lazily. "Heard." He nods. But they'd made progress. More than he thought they were going to today. "But you love me anyway."
She trembles as she walks out of the pool, still glaring at him from under wet strands of hair hanging in her face.
He chuckles as he watches her from under his hood. "You did great today Deez." He grins. "I'm proud of you." Next time he wasn't going to let her go until she got away from him on her own. "You heated up pretty fast. That's one step closer to firing up. Good for you." He wades in the deep end. "Progress, not perfection, ya know?" At least she hadn't screamed in terror this time. She was too busy being pissed. Which was fucking so much better than the alternative.
Getting pissed in the face of your fears was so much better than blanking.
She lets out a strangled growl before she collapses a few feet away from the pool, curling around herself as she continues to glare at him.
"Wanna try again?"
She shakes her head as she pulls her knees tighter to her chest.
"Fair." He swims out of the pool and walks over to her, shivering as he plops down and throws an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. "Seriously Deez, great job today. If Uma knew we were doing this, she'd be so proud of you."
Before this was over he was going to end up on his family's hit list. Because he just knew Gil was going to ask next. He runs a hand through his hair knocking down his hood.
She sighs before she uncurls and starts warming him up. "Sorry."
He lets out a sigh of relief when the heat brushes over his freezing skin."Don't be." He waves her off. "You did the right thing."
Deez bites her lip, "When I've gotten angry in the past I've hurt people." Her hands tremble as she runs them over his arms.
"Deez," T frowns as he sees the disappointment in her eyes, "If I don't get hurt doing this, then we're doing it wrong. You're gonna have to get over that."
"But I don't want to hurt you."
"Well, I don't particularly enjoy shoving you underwater, but I'm doing it anyway."
"You don't mind shoving Harry under the water." She frowns.
"Harry doesn't scream and cry when I do it." T frowns at her.
"Because it's not something I should be afraid of," Deez explains as she closes her eyes and lowers her head, "and I don't want to be afraid anymore."
"Everyone has their fears D, don't beat yourself up. We're dealing with it. Maybe not in the most… Trusting way? But we're dealing with it. And you made a lot of progress today. But 'til you can burn me to get me off, or swim the fuck away, I'm not stopping. We got to get this right."
Deez sighs before she looks out over the water, "I just don't want 'personal hell' to always be how I describe something they love so much."
"We'll get there." T shrugs, "This shit doesn't happen overnight ya know. It's going to take some time. So just," He frowns, "You're gonna have to come to terms with the fact you're going to end up hurting me in these exercises, or you'll never be able to get away from someone terrorizing you with this shit again."
"I've spent so long working to not hurt people-"
"I know, I was there."
She glares, "Well-"
"Is exactly my point," T smirks smugly. "I don't expect you to burn me to that extent again, but you need to learn how to light up underwater. I know you can."
"I am not burning you at all," Deez growls as the heat around her intensifies.
T lifts a brow as he pats out a small flame on his hoodie. "I see that."
"Fuck." Deez kicks away from him before she pulls her knees to her chest again and curls around them.
"Oh calm down." T rolls to his knees before he tackles her, frowning when he feels how much she was shivering. "Huh." T blinks down at her. "Deez…" He sighs before he wraps his arms around her and rolls with her pressed to his chest to stare up at the sky.
Was this going to be his life for the next couple of months? Making his new family pissed or wanting to piss themselves? Great.
He runs a hand through her hair. "It's okay. But- You're never going to get better short of pushing yourself. It's not going to be fun or easy, but it'll be worth it in the end. I know it will. And so do you, or you wouldn't have asked me to do this." He breathes out.
He wasn't sure why everyone had suddenly decided to start working on their fears at once. Or what was wrong with him for being able to help the way he was when the others didn't seem to be able to. Not that he was enjoying it or anything, but still… It needed to get done.
"I know." She shakes her head.
"Good." T nods as he continues to brush his fingers through her hair.
"I just wasn't expecting to have problems with my fire because of it." She looks away.
"Dude." T shakes his head. "We already knew your fire was connected to your emotions. Chill."
"But I can't be on the ship like this."
"And you're not." He pulls her into a half-hug with his other hand.
"But they're going to be here soon."
"So, let's figure out a way to get you to calm down after doing this shit." T shrugs. "I mean, I don't know how besides getting you over it, but I'm sure there's something we can do."
Deez sighs, "Gil's music-"
He lifts an eyebrow when he feels her stomach growl. "Good to know." He pulls her up with him before he walks over to his bag and plops back down, leaving her on his lap. He quickly looks through his bag, pulling out a brown greasy bag to offer her. "Eat. Before they think I'm starving you as punishment or something."
"You still get food from the shop?" Deez furrows her brow as she stares at the bag.
T snorts, "I fuckin' wish, but pretty sure Uma'd kill me." He chuckles, "That's just jerky."
"Oh." She frowns as she pushes it back, "That stuff can last a while, and you're you, so you're going to need that eventually."
"Dude." T shakes his head. "I have plenty of jerky. Eat."
"And Gil set up fishing traps when we first started staying here, and I haven't seen them checked in days."
"Would you rather fish then?" T sighs as he looks along the beach line for the traps before he spots one, and places Deez back on the sand. "You set up a fire and I'll go check." He stands up and heads out as he throws a hand over his shoulder. "Be back in a minute."
Deez chuckles, but sets to collecting bits of trash and driftwood to build a fire.
It doesn't take him long to pull in the line, surprised to find several fish in the trap before he collects them and walks back.
"Gil taught me how to clean them," Deez says as she holds her still shaking hand out.
"Then we can split it, you do this one, and I'll do the rest." He offers her the bigger fish to gut before he pulls out two daggers and offers one to her.
Maybe eating would help stop her shiver.
"This was just the one?" Deez blinks in surprise before she kneels to start working.
"Good point." He throws the rest of the fish down next to her before he stands. "I'll go check them while you cook this batch." He nods, "We can turn whatever's left into jerky and keep it in the cove for you and the Big Guy."
Deez smiles, "Thanks. I'd like that." Her eyes widen as she slits her fish open, "Oh, I have spices that Yensid gave us in a cubby in the cave!"
"Well, aren't you fancy." T laughs.
She purses her lips as a light blush heats her cheeks, "I like cooking for people."
"Color me shocked. A princess that likes cooking for people. Want me to grab you some crab apples while I'm out tonight?"
For the first time since they'd arrived at the cove her eyes light up, "You don't mind? It's been a long time since I was able to make tarts. I might even be able to convince Gil to wait here while I build another oven."
"No problem," T turns away as he throws up his hand. "You deserve something for all the work you put in today."
"I'm glad we checked the traps today, or all this would have gone to waste." Deez absently points out as she sets rocks around the fire drying strips of fish.
"Yeah," Gil nods as he continues to load the dingy with the supplies T left at the cove the night before to cover their lesson. It was sneaky, but she wasn't going to complain if it meant fewer questions about their day.
"I would've hated for that to have gone to waste. It's been a while since I've checked them."
"Oh, I need to make an oven." Deez smiles, "T said he'd bring some crab apples back tonight."
Gil frowns as he looks over at her, "I mean the oven is a cool idea. But I don't think Harry's letting T anywhere near the temple, so I wouldn't get your hopes up…" He bites his lip, "Then again, Harry loves your tarts almost as much as I do… So maybe?"
She blinks. Harry wouldn't let T- Her brow furrows. But T made it sound like they were only together for a few hours before they did their own thing. Was that something she wasn't supposed to know? She sighs, "Oh." So much for getting more time at the cove. She looks back towards the cave, trying to figure out another way to stay.
"Uma will probably let us come back after we drop all this stuff off." He offers as if reading her mind. "You guys made a good haul this morning."
She absently nods, but all she could think about was the flame she'd set on T's arm earlier.
She'd been so- so overwhelmed. She sighs. It had been a long time since she lost control like that. And it scared her.
A hand suddenly drops to her head and she finds Gil looking down at her in concern, chuckling at her squeak of surprise. "What'cha thinkin'?"
She drops her eyes, "I um, I was just thinking maybe you could go tell Uma while I get started on the oven?"
"I'm not leaving you here by yourself." Gil shakes his head. "Uma'd kill me. We're only allowed on the isle in pairs until everything settles down. Harry was the only exception and now he can't even do that since T's back and at it." He frowns, "Why?"
Deez wraps her arms around herself, "Why what?"
"Why do you suddenly not wanna come back to the ship with me?" He asks as he picks her up and places her on his hip, still looking at her with concern.
She presses her face against his chest and wraps her arms around him. She'd avoided getting too close to him because she knew the moment he held her he'd feel her trembling. Cooking and eating had helped, but she still felt shaky.
"Talk to me Deez," His hand cups her jaw tenderly, tilting her head back to look at him. "What happened?" He asks more firmly as he studies her.
"I-" She closes her eyes, "I lost control of my fire today."
His brow furrows, "What happened?" He asks gently as he lowers them both to the ground.
Why? Why was he so easy to talk to? Why did she want to explain everything with one simple question? But she knew the moment she explained what she and T were doing he, or he and the rest of their family, would put an end to it.
"Talking about what's bothering you always helps me. So what's going on Deez?" He asks as he nudges her head with his chin. "Talk to me."
She leans against him, "I got mad." She sighs, "Scared and mad. And then there were flames that T had to put out. And it scared me more."
Gil tilts his head to the side as he studies her, his warm brown eyes unwavering before he pulls her in for a hug. "Did anyone see?" He asks her softly.
"No." She hesitantly admits, "It was just us."
Gil nods as he hugs her closer. "It's okay." He assures her. "You've gotten so much control over the last few years, but things can still happen. We don't expect you to be perfect Deez."
"I expect me not to burn Uma's pride and joy." She closes her eyes. Just like she expected herself to be able to fight her fears. But it felt like fighting one just brought others to the surface.
"And you won't." He nuzzles her chin against her hair. "There's nothing to scare you, or make you mad at home."
She stifles a snort. Sure. For now. T was hopefully always going to come back.
Gil's brow furrows and he falls silent for several moments. "What happened to make you feel that way exactly?"
She sighs, "Is it okay if I don't want to talk about that yet?"
Gil bites his lip before he sucks in air and lets it out. "Of course." He nods, "I'm just worried is all. But you can talk about it when you're ready."
"I'm sorry I'm worrying you." She turns in his hold and wraps her arms around his neck.
"Not your fault." He pecks a light kiss on her lips. "I just wanna help is all. It seems we're all facing our fears, and I didn't realize you burning down the ship was still one of yours. I can grab one of your dad's robes if you're that worried about it. T's pretty sure it will snuff you out."
"And water." She sighs, "But this is helping," She presses their foreheads together, "so thank you."
"It's what I'm here for." He chuckles with a boyish grin. "I brought my flute. Want me to play it for you? You usually calm some when I do."
"Yes." She immediately pulls away to give him room.
Gil chuckles again, shifting as he moves to pull it from his pocket before he lays down, letting her lay on top of him.
The soft melody soothes her as she nuzzles against him with a small smile. She loved this. Him playing for her. It was the one thing that always worked; always managed to calm the storm in her mind. She relaxes against his chest as the tension in her chest finally dissolves.
By the third song, she was asleep.
He smirks as he jumps from roof to roof, keeping his prey in sight. It had been a while since he'd played 'surprise' and he was looking forward to playing it with someone besides D.
Assuming he got the jump anyway. His smirk falls to a frown. How the fuck did they always know he was around? It was annoying as it was frustrating.
Still, at the end of the day, he enjoyed the challenge of it.
But did Harry already know he was present? That was the real question.
He'd been patient this time. Waiting for the right shadows, making sure he was careful with his landings. Bouncing between the roofs and the street as he kept his distance.
So when someone suddenly pulls on the back of his hoodie, he jumps, pulling his daggers out as he turns.
"M-mm-master T?" A small dark hooded figure protects his face with arms that ended in claws, "No stab again, please!"
"Bak?" T blinks as he lowers his daggers. "Sup with you?" He tilts his head to the side. "Wait-" He blinks as he steps back in confusion."I stabbed you?" He asks as he guides them to a dark alleyway.
"Master T furious in escape." The squat Goblin clicks his beak, "Master T not himself. Bak holds no grudge. Daughter of Hades gives many shinies."
"Oh." T rubs the back of his head, "I'm sorry man." He frowns. "Thank you I guess." He offers unsure of what else to say to a person he didn't even remember stabbing. It was a weird situation to find himself in.
He'd stabbed goblins on his way out. Who the fuck did shit like that? His eyes narrow before he swallows a groan. That wasn't good. It had taken years to gain the Goblins' trust once he figured out they could talk. They were the first people he'd introduced himself too. He still remembered the look on Irk's face when he'd popped out of the shadows. For the most part, most of the isle ignored them. Almost no one knew they were capable of speech. Which suited the Goblins just fine. He'd learned so much from them over the years, everything from the locations of his friends to stealth. It would suck to lose them as allies. "I'll make sure to bring you something cool to make up for it."
Bak tilts his head ridiculously sideways, staring at him with one large yellow eye, "Master T will have shinies for Bak?" The eye blinks.
T nods, "Yeah." He frowns, "But for right now- What's up with you? It's been a minute." He crosses his arms as he leans against the wall.
Bak clicks his beak and stands up straight, still only coming to the top of T's leg, "Oh, things not good for Bak and Irk and friends," his shoulders sag as he lets out a soft whistle, "Miss our Queen."
Ah. He bet they did. "I'm missin' her too." Mal was probably nicer to the Goblins than anyone in her gang. One of his favorite past times had been watching her interact with them. It was one of the reasons she was part of the group Faustina had picked for him to stalk. "What's not good?"
"Goblins not missing Queen make big trouble." He shakes his head, "Search for daughter of Hades. Hope make Mistress happy." His eyes widen as he continues shaking his head, "Mistress is very not happy."
"Why ain't the mistress happy?" T frowns. The fact some of the Goblins were looking for D was a problem that needed fixing. "Good to know." He nods to the bird-like Goblin.
"Mistress is furious Queen no bring wand back yet." He lets out another soft whistle.
"Ah." T nods. Is that why that cunt had been so okay with her daughter and her gang leaving? "Right." He sighs as he kicks off the wall. He'd have to take care of this. "I owe your Mistress a visit anyways. I'll take care of the other Goblins while I'm there." He smirks a plan already coming together.
Large eyes blink back up at him, "You force them to make no problems?"
T nods. "Yeah, I'll take care of it." And part of his deal with Senior. He was going to be able to knock out a lot of shit tonight, but first, he was going to need shinies… Which meant going back to the church. His eyes narrow. Maybe set it on fire.
Bak happily hops in place, "Bak will take Master T to Irk?"
"I need to do a couple of things first," like informing Senior, "Meet me by the church at midnight?" He asks with a frown.
Bak taps a clawed hand to his forehead before he turns on the spot and marches away.
T smirks at the Goblin's back before he climbs up the side of the building and takes off towards the temple.
Maybe after tonight he wouldn't have to worry about ever delivering a message personally to the god like this again.
That little fucking pain in the ass. The sun had been up for nearly an hour. Where the fuck was he?
If Uma didn't kill the little shit, he would.
Harry pulls his jacket around him, rubbing his arms against the cold as he eyes the groggy people slowly filling the street around him.
He sighs as he looks in the direction of the docks. What the fuck was he going to tell Uma?
He slowly starts trudging back to the ship, his only hope to salvage this situation was that he and T had simply missed each other and was back on the ship waiting for him.
It wasn't likely. But he could still hope.
Damn the Sea Gods to hell. What the fuck was T getting in to now? He groans, head bowing as he slowly makes his way up the gangplank.
This was going to suck. He could feel it in his bones.
Where the fuck was T?
"Fuck." James sighs. "Already?"
Harry drags his hands down his face, "Aye, it be ah seemin' so."
"Well, good luck with the Captain. She already be gettin' bad news from the little Fire Princess earlier."
"Aye?" Harry frowns, "Any idea what that bein'?" What was he going to be walking into?
James shakes his head but points to the crow's nest, "I just know it be sendin' yer girl runnin'."
Great. Harry sighs as he nods towards James, "Thanks for the heads up."
"I'm sure it won't be' that bad, this was expected when she brought him on right?" James salutes before he turns back to the rigging he was working on.
Harry grimaces. Was it? Was T so bad at listening that everyone was expecting this?
He claps a hand to his forehead as he lumbers to the cabin door. He knew James was right, he just wished it hadn't been on his watch and word.
He slowly pushes the door open, hoping to test the waters before he ventured in, "Uma?" He calls out before his eyes land on her and Gil sitting at the table.
"You." Uma slams her hands on the table as she stands up. "What the fuck happened?"
How did she already know? "Well, I be ah feelin' his eyes on me back as usual, and then they be gone just as fast. I be ah spendin' hours searchin' for him, but-" He frowns before he drops his head.
Uma groans, shutting her eyes before she plops back in her seat. "I knew this was going to happen eventually- But seriously? It's been barely a week, and I know he's going on no sleep." She rubs her forehead.
"That might be ah bein' what be happenin' then." Harry offers, "T be known for droppin' where he be ah feelin' secure enough ta be catchin' sleep."
Uma glares at him. "We both know you're not stupid enough to believe that,"
"I can be ah hopin'." Harry frowns, "But how ya already be ah knowin'?" He asks as he looks from her to Gil and back.
"He sent a message to Deez, with a crate of crab apples." Gil sighs, finally looking up from his workbook. "'Cept it's in their language so we can't read it."
Ah. Their language. Seemingly harmless, and at one point a gleeful fuck you to Mal, but now? "What she be ah sayin' he said?"
"That he had shit to do and would be back in a couple days. The only thing he wrote in fucking English was sorry. Little fucker." Uma slams her hands on the table before she grabs a crumpled sheet of paper and thrusts it to his chest.
Harry grimaces as he looks down at the letter. Why? Why wouldn't T have just told him? Why run off? He had time to get a message to Deez, but couldn't be bothered to meet him and give him anything?
Or ask for help?
He sighs as he looks over the foreign language until he reaches the 'sorry'. Was he though? "This be-"
"Fuckin' whale shit!" Uma snaps.
"Aye." Harry holds a hand up, "Aye Uma, it is."
Uma huffs as she falls back in her chair. "He's barely fuckin' healed. Just joined the fucking family. Hasn't slept in fuck knows how long. Ditches you. And then has the balls to just say sorry." She sighs.
"Aye." Harry sighs.
"But," Gil sighs, "He at least left a note." He points out, rather bravely in Harry's opinion. "We didn't use to do that for you when we first became a family. And it's T, that's a huge step for him. He could've just up and left without a word."
"A note we can't fucking read!" Uma snaps again.
Harry rests a hand on her shoulder.
"But Deez can." Gil points out, "And she isn't going anywhere. Doesn't it make more sense for him to write it in their language? In case someone found it?"
"He was lucky we let him leave the ship so soon in the first place with him in the condition he was in." Uma stubbornly grumbles.
Harry kneels beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Aye Uma, and I be ah thinkin' our Sweet Boy be right. I ain'nah gonna say I ain'nah pissed he did'nah be comin' ta me when he be knowin' where I were-"
"We just got him back." She growls as she wipes an arm over her eyes. "He could have at least given it a month before pulling this stunt."
A small knock on the door makes them all look up.
Uma sighs as she walks to the door and opens it, "Aye?" She frowns as her eyes land on Deez in confusion. "Since when do you knock Baby Girl?" She asks as she steps back to let her in the room.
"It sounded like you three might be talking." Deez frowns as she walks in, holding her arms behind her back.
"Ya be family, you can be ah talkin' too." Harry points out with a frown.
Gil tilts his head to the side, "But she hates arguin', and she knew we were gonna cause of the note." He looks to Deez, "What's wrong Treasure?"
Deez looks to Uma and Harry before her eyes drop back to the floor, "The church is on fire."
The three look at her like she just spoke in a different language.
"The church is on… Fuck" Uma sighs as she hangs her head before she turns to Harry, "Go. Now. And drag that little shit back."
Harry carefully pulls Deez aside before he rushes from the room. This was what T had to take care of? They could have taken care of this together. He could have watched T's back while he exacted whatever revenge he needed from the place.
But no. He vanishes on him. Writes a vague note to Deez. And then sets the church on fire.
But, why would this take a couple of days?
He lets out a groan as he runs down the gangplank. Whatever T was doing, he wasn't done. His stomach tightens. He wasn't going to find T at the church. T was working on something bigger than burning a single building down.
Sea Gods help them all when he came back empty-handed.
It had been a long time since she'd seen Uma this mad. And though she'd heard from Gil and Harry about her breaking things, before today she'd never witnessed it herself.
It was scary.
She knew Uma had wanted information, for her to connect dots for her. But there was nothing to connect. How could she when she had no idea what T had planned. Or in his case had not planned. With him she could usually only connect dots after the deed was already done. His actions were too erratic.
Not that she wanted to share any of that with Uma.
Not right now.
She wasn't exactly thrilled with T either. She knew that he was still healing. And she was a little disappointed that he'd left so soon after they'd been initiated.
She frowns. And she knew he was used to sticking to a curfew. So, she was worried.
She jumps when she hears the door to the crow's nest opens.
"I'm sorry," She kicks backs, crawling away to the other side before she pulls her knees up to her chest to hide her face, "I don't know anything else, I can't guess anything else, and the letter doesn't say anything else."
"Aye?" Harry looks to her in concern, "But I ah be bringin' a new note for ya ta be readin'." His grin doesn't quite reach his eyes, "Think ya can be ah' doin' that for us?"
"He wasn't at the church then?" Deez slowly looks up, though she hugs her legs tighter. She didn't think he would.
Harry hangs his head with a sigh, "No, he already be ah somewhere else by the time I be ah showin' up. Only thing I be ah find'in there be ah mite bit more goblins than normally be groupin' up. I be ah thinkin' the ruler be ah knowin' somethin' she shouldn't."
Or T was getting help from Irk, Bak, and the other goblins that referred to Mal as their Queen. But that didn't make sense on its own. T was more than capable of burning down a building. "Can I see it?" She holds a hand out.
"Thank you." Harry hands her the opened letter.
Sup D,
I'll make this up to you, my bad
for making you the messenger.
But you know how I hate people in my shit.
The church thing was kind of an accident.
Couldn't help myself.
I still have shit I need to do.
And wanted ya'll to know I wasn't dead.
Be back as soon as I take care of a promise.
Shouldn't take more than a day or two.
If it does I'll leave a note at the hangout if I can.
I can handle this one. I promise.
No worries.
Sorry- T
Deez closes her eyes before her head thuds against the mast. "Great." He'd make it up to her? And the church was an accident? What the hell was T doing? And what promise? And why the Goblins?
"So what it be ah sayin?" Harry asks after a moment.
She reaches over to her pile of papers to find a pen, "The church was an accident. He's still got shit to do. He wanted us to know he's not dead. He has a promise to keep and he'll be back as soon as he does. It shouldn't take more than a day or two, but he'll try to leave a letter at the hangout if it does. He promises he can handle this. And he's sorry." She explains as she writes her translation at the bottom of the letter.
Harry stares out at the isle for a minute, before he sighs. "Ya be okay ta be showin' me where the hangout be after I be ah givin' Uma this?"
"Aye." Deez rolls up the letter and hands it over.
"That be me Fire Princess." He smiles tightly, "I'll be back." He leans down to kiss the top of her head. "We ain'nah bein' mad at ya, jus' so ya be ah knowin'. We be worried. An' more than ah mite upset 'bout T bein' an ass."
She nods before she wraps her arms around his neck, "I know you guys want me to know what's going on, but I promise I don't have enough to work with either."
"Aye." Harry picks her up, hugging her back tightly. "I be trustin' ya ta be tellin' us if ya be ah connectin' any dots." He winks at her.
"Can we-" She looks away as she slides back to her feet, "Can we talk before I show you the hangout? Or after? Whatever."
"O'course Princess." He nods, "We can be ah doin' that." He presses a kiss to her temple. "Ya just be ah stayin' put 'til I be ah comin' back, yeah?"
"Okay." She slides her back down the mast until she's sitting again.
"Aye." He drops a hand on her head and ruffles her hair affectionately. "Be back then." He winks at her before he slips through the door, closing it behind him.
Deez nods as she pulls a stack of papers to her lap. At least he wasn't yelling, though even she could tell he was near sick with stress and worry. And though he was hiding it well, anger. He said it wasn't with her, and she was only too happy to believe him.
What worried her was the fact she felt like she recognized it. She'd been angry at herself plenty of times. But she knew Harry had a history of acting on it. She wished she knew how to help with that.
With Uma it felt like she was disappointing her. Or maybe that Uma thought she was hiding something. Both hurt. For different reasons.
At least T had left a longer note this time. That was a good sign. It meant he was taking his time instead of just rushing in with no plan. Right? That's what it felt like to her, anyways.
Maybe later, after figuring out how to help relieve some of the stress her family was dealing with she'd be able to tell them. Tell them T seemed to be handling the situation differently. And that was a good thing…
Right?
Yo, sup with you?
I actually remember writing the first scene which is weird for me- But the whole Brass Set thing is a personal favorite of mine. T is so fucking ballsy to be asking Uma for a favor right now. Are you as entertained as I currently am?
Uma telling T to wake up Deez was petty, but funny af and well deserved- Luckily he isn't really the one with a fear of beds. He just usually respects it. What did you think?
We haven't really written it, but a finger to the forehead is usually how T wakes up Deez, it's kind of his signature. We didn't write it from his PoV but know as a writer he was relieved the boys didn't wake up.
Oh T, taking a trip back to Justification City. the kid should really think about getting some real estate there he visits it so often.
This second scene was rough to write. Torturing your friends is never fun, but when it's necessary, it's necessary. Right? Maybe. I'm not really sure. Do you think T is a monster for it?
T is legit proud of Deez though. She's making a lot of progress, even if it's been a slow journey. It's clearly torturous for her but she wants to fit in with her family so badly and that's pretty damn respectable. In my opinion. What's yours?
And look how desperate T was in his attempts to calm down Deez. He was willing to pull her close and hug her in hopes of it- yay for accidental progress. Not that he has much of a choice. He's the only member of his family who's not a fan of touch.
The end of that scene at least ended on a sweet note. Get it sweet- huh, huh- Because of the apple tarts? Right? Puns, I used to fuckin hate them before I married my husband.
So, what exactly do you think T is planning after talking to Bak?
Gil and Deez are so comfortable with each other, even when Deez is feeling some type of way-or at least I think so. Does it read that way for you?
Gil can pretty much read Deez's emotions like she can connect dots. Which is awesome since Deez rarely shares how she's feeling and even rarer knows what to say. So it's nice to have gotten to a place where at least one character can tell when something is off. Any thoughts of your own on the matter?
The respect the sea family has for their family not wanting to share something is one of the reasons I love these characters. The Sea3 know how to show they care without pushing or forcing them to talk. Any thoughts?
Gil playing Deez to sleep is probably one of my favorite things about this ship. It's sweet that Deez can find peace in something so simple, and the fact that Gil knows it makes it that much more precious- At least to me, but what matters to us is your thoughts on it. So, yay or nay?
Anyone surprised that T ditched Harry like that? At least he left a note I guess, right? I mean not really but Gil's got a point. It is more than he's done in the past. So my question is where exactly do you stand on the matter?
Also, Deez's announcement about the church being on fire made me smile. It's always funny to me when characters share observations like that. Did you like her delivery?
*Let's out a heavy sigh* T is such a DB sometimes. That's a lot to put on Deez, even if he knows Uma won't shoot that particular messenger.
Poor Deez is overwhelmed with questions that she can't connect. It sucks when you're left grasping at straws trying to figure out that one of the people you love is okay. Especially when you feel pressured to perform.
Sidenote. as much as the sea3 hate D and T's language I fucking love it. Oh, the hijinx.
Deez is so perceptive for being the youngest. Or maybe the word I'm looking for is empathetic. At least she knows Harry's anger isn't directed at her. It's a shame she couldn't do the same with Uma. Any thoughts on the matter?
What did you think about her assessment of T at the end?
Much love and appreciation,
Twisted
Covid Corner
Yep, still here. Still not going anywhere. When we're not writing I pretty much live on Pinterest looking up shit for this story. I hope you guys have developed your own way to kill the time. I know some of you are going nuts with this shit. Promise you're not alone.
Stay healthy.
Stay Safe.