Hiya Descendants,

Oof, we got a little stuck in book four this past week. I don't think we've actually gotten any writing done. :(

No worries though, I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea and spent half an hour writing it out. I haven't checked it yet, but hopefully we can make sense of it when we get back to it today.

Anyway, we hope you're enjoying the story so far, please let us know you were here. We love getting notifications that someone is talking to us.

It fuels us.

Lots of Love,

-Dark-

Deez stretches along Gil's side, brazenly pressing every possible inch of herself against him. She drapes one arm over his chest as she snuggles in the cradle his arm formed around her.

Yesterday.

Last night.

She never knew anyone could make her feel like that. Could drive her nearly insane with physical and, strangely, emotional need.

At least that's what she thought it was. The physical parts were easy to identify. It felt like her very body craved him. His touch. His attention.

He set her on fire in ways she couldn't control.

Which made her think the other part had to be emotional. Yensid pointed out to her a long time ago that her fire seemed to be connected to her emotions.

So she'd fought hard to reign them in, keep them in check. And in doing so had managed to get her fire under control.

Until yesterday, when her lovable protector threw all thoughts, all sense of control to the wind.

She sighs contentedly.

Being with Gil was freeing. In so many ways.

They both had to be so careful when it came to their strength.

But not with each other.

While they enjoyed being soft and delicate, his rougher side was a beast to behold. And she loved it.

Loved the way her gentle giant was unafraid to love her hard.

She'd always known there was so much more to him than what he showed. What existed on the surface.

She smiles before she props herself up on her elbow to rest her cheek against his chest as she watches him.

He was adorable when he slept.

He was always on guard when he was awake, even though he projected an air of aloofness that everyone who didn't know him was content to fall for. But she knew. She was starting to recognize all his little 'tells'.

But in sleep he looked peaceful. His soft lips curved ever so slightly in a smile above the small cleft in his chin. She giggles softly as she traces it with hesitant fingers.

He shifts slightly under her and she instantly drops her hand back to his chest. She wasn't trying to wake him. Not yet. She just wanted to steal a few moments of being able to watch him.

He opens one eye and looks down at her. "Mornin'." He greets, his voice gruff from sleep.

She grins as he scoops her up and presses her to his chest. His other hand lazily runs over her head lovingly.

"You're up early." He yawns, "Or I'm up late." He chuckles. He leans down to kiss the center of her forehead. "How'd ya sleep?"

She reaches up to run her fingers through the curls of his hair, "I, honestly can't remember the last time I slept so well," She smiles.

"Me neither," His gaze travels her as he languidly rubs her back. "You wore me out last night, in all the best ways."

"You too." She chuckles before she nuzzles her cheek to his chest.

She still wasn't sure how he hadn't been burned. How having no control over herself made her light up in flames that didn't hurt him.

But after the fifth time, she stopped caring how it worked and just accepted that it did.

She'd never felt so alive. Never felt so passionate. It had been like every nerve ending in her body had come to life at his touch. Even in the pool.

Sea gods, especially in the pool.

"Thinkin' bout last night?" He teases with a grin of pure male satisfaction, his soft brown eyes twinkling. "Or are you moanin' bout somethin' else?"

Her eyes widen slightly as a heat spreads on her face, "I was moaning?"

"A little." His deep rumbling chuckle reverberates through her. "Not that I'm complainin'."

"I was, thinking about last night." She admits slowly, "That was-"

"Intense? Amazing? Incredible?"

"All three." She nods with a grin as she crosses her arms under her chin, "You weren't kidding. None of you were. Sex with you is-" She drops her eyes as she bites her bottom lip.

He chuckles again, as he tenderly tilts her head up, "Don't go gettin' shy on me now." He grins, his honey eyes bright with amusement.

"I'm not getting shy." She shivers as she pushes her head against his hand, "I'm just, realizing how bad I am at finding the right words, because saying sex with you is the best is just a really bad understatement."

"I know right?" He preens, lifting her higher as his chest puffs up. "You were amazing. And hearing you scream my name-" He shudders, "I don't think it's ever been so enthralling. I've never gone that long before. Or that many rounds. It was out of this world. I saw more stars than I could count."

She smiles before she leans over him and lightly presses her lips to his. He saw more stars than he could count, and she realized he was the only navigational star she'd ever need. "You were rough in all the right ways. I like that side of you." She giggles as her hair tumbles over her shoulder and into his face.

His cheeks heat up, "It's not often I get to be the dominant one during sex." He grins sheepishly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." He brushes her hair behind her ear, his knuckles brushing her cheek tenderly.

"Oh. Well, feel free to do that anytime you want," She leans into his touch, "my body loved it as much as the rest of me did."

He blinks. "Free to…" His chuckle was rich and soothing, "Careful what you offer or we might never leave the cove."

"You know, a selfish part of me is okay with that." She slowly admits before she looks back to his laughing eyes.

Gil nuzzles his nose against the nape of her throat before he reluctantly releases her, "Don't be mean. We promised Uma we'd get some work done on the hammer, and we aren't even half-way done.."

"I distinctly said selfish." Deez pouts before she wiggles out of his arms and stands, "But, I can't wait to see you with an even bigger hammer, so come on." She holds out her hand.

"I know," His eyes light up with childish delight as he takes her hand and lets her pull him to his feet. "Bet we can finish the bulk of it if we don't get distracted."

Deez giggles before she searches for pants for him, giving him little warning before she tosses his underwear at him.

He lets out another rumbling chuckle as he scrambles to catch his boxers. "Brat." He sticks out his tongue before he pulls them on, along with his shorts. "And you best be puttin' on your own clothes, Baby Girl or I'm bound to hurt myself." He winks at her.

"Ah." Deez giggles again before she turns to search for her shorts and bra, "Can't have that."

"Didn't think you'd like that."

"Being the cause of your pain?" She shakes her head as she slips her shorts on. Her brow furrows as she glares around the cave.

"Yep." He agrees as he stretches, his muscles rippling under his skin. He chuckles before he softly pads over to the corner furthest from her and picks up her bra with a finger. "Looking for something?" He asks as he hangs it well out of her reach above her head.

She glares up at him, though she couldn't hide the smile as she crosses her arms over her chest, "Short jokes? Really? Or do you just want to see me jump topless?"

A slow smile curls over his lips. "That one." He chuckles, "You're not the only selfish one." He winks.

Deez frowns as she looks down at her chest, at her slight swell of bust. "There's not really much there." She pulls her arms away before she does a small test jump.

She was surprised her boobs even jiggled.

Gil shrugs lazily, "I like them." He grins, "I love how comfortable you are in your nudity." He chuckles before he drops the bra for her.

"I never thought it was weird." She shrugs as she pulls it on, "Not until Jay started freaking out, and then Harry didn't want me playing with you guys because my toga was too short. And Mal-" She rolls her eyes before she shakes her head, "Pain and Panic never wear clothes."

His warm laughter echoes around them, "It was out of concern that you'd start drawing the wrong type of attention. You're already so gorgeous Deez. They were just protecting you-" He explains, "And my sanity." He adds under his breath as he walks over to the anvil and his hammer.

"I think you mean strange." Deez chuckles as she walks over to the mold. They'd managed a second pour yesterday before they'd taken Dizzy home. So hopefully with two, at least one of them would work out.

"Strange?" He asks as he picks up the partially finished war hammer, and inspects it. Appreciation in his eyes. "I liked T's suggestion of putting the counterweight through the handle instead of all at the bottom. I can pull someone closer to me easier."

"It's a good idea, we just need to figure out how to do that." She brings the other mold over and sets it beside the anvil.

"Was hoping you could help me wrap rebar around it like vines." He admits with a slight blush. "I know we're pirates, but I've always loved plants."

"That sounds cool, and then I could heat it and you could bang it into a smoother shape." She agrees before her brow furrows, "You don't think I'm strange?"

"I think you're unique in all the best ways." Gil smiles at her. "If I had to peg any of us for being strange it would be T." He sets the handle aside before he picks up the mold for the head of the hammer that Yensid helped them come up with.

"That's mostly the hoodie." She pouts as she looks down at her arms, scrutinizing her perfect and unmarred skin.

Porcelain, she'd heard the Tremaine sisters call it once.

Gil frowns, "The hoodie makes sense to me." He shrugs as he lowers the mold onto the anvil. "What's wrong, Treasure?" He asks in concern as he walks over to her and runs a hand over her hair, his brown eyes sweeping over her.

"Nothing." She smiles as she looks up at him, "I just, I know I don't look like anyone else."

He gives another lazy shrug. "I love the way you look, so does the rest of our family. It's not strange… It's beautiful. Like a siren. It only adds to your appeal, not take away from it." He picks her up and places her on his hip. "You're stunning. Breathtaking. And I mean what's on the inside too. Everything about you is."

She blinks. She'd known that. Had always known that Uma, Harry, Gil, and T accepted her the way she was. Knew it was one of the reasons she was never uncomfortable with them.

So then, why did it feel nice to hear something she knew? Why had it even crept into her mind to bother her?

She frowns as she tilts her head to the side, "Thank you." She couldn't think of anything else to say. So instead she wraps her arms around his shoulder.

"Of course." He claims her lips. "You're perfect just the way you are Deez, and if anyone tells you different, just let me, Harry, or T know. We'll set'em straight for you."

Her eyes widen before she shakes her head.

Everything about her was perfect the way she was? No one had ever said that to her before.

He chuckles as he runs a hand through her hair, resting it at the nape of her neck before he tilts it back so he can press their foreheads together. "The Isle loves to try and ruin anything worth keeping. The three of us have put up with a lot through the years, but not once has it changed our relationship- If anything it's just made it stronger. Don't let their jealousy, hatred, and darkness trip you up. Not when you know who to turn to for the truth." He kisses the tip of her nose. "We'll never lie to you."

"I've always known that," She searches his deep, warm brown eyes before she smiles, "deep down. I think it's the only reason I try so hard to tell you all what's going on in my head, because I'm not-" She bites her bottom lip, "-scared? Scared that you'll hate me for my thoughts." It was more than that, she could feel it, but she couldn't find the words for it. "I'm not too scared of being wrong with you guys. Because when I am wrong you help me figure out what's right."

He studies her for a moment with soft brown eyes as he moves his thumb to caress her bottom lip. "I think Uma's always been right. Our minds are our greatest enemies. Constantly throwing the past, and hindsight at us. Always replaying our mistakes and the darker parts of us we'd rather forget…" He tilts her head up with his thumb so their eyes meet, "But thoughts are just that, thoughts. We're going to hate ourselves for them. It's up to us, up to each other to notice when those dark thoughts get overwhelming. Up to us to pull each other out of them. It's what the three of us have always done for each other, what we've tried to do for you, and what we're hoping we get to do for T and Faustina… It can take time to figure out the tells, feel that energy. But rest assured we will figure them out, and bring light to where you need it most. When you need it the most." He lowers her to her feet. "Maybe that's part of the magic you always thought we had…The intimacy we share on every level."

"No one else has ever been as open and vulnerable as you three are with each other." Deez smiles, "So yeah, I guess so." She walks over to the pile of broken and mangled rebar and starts sorting it, looking for the best, least rusted pieces, "It was something I wrote about a lot, because I wanted to understand it. The connections. The Rottens have something too, but it wasn't anything like you guys."

"I saw glimpses of it though…" Gil grins, "Hopefully now that they're free of their OV's they can finally have what we share without the fear of each other being attacked for their connections. And that's thanks to you. Don't forget that."

"It always comes back to the OVs." Deez sighs darkly.

"And it always will… At least 'til we're old enough to rebel." His grin doesn't quite reach his eyes.

She bites her bottom lip as she drops her gathered rebar near the anvil before she crooks her finger at Gil, who instantly comes at her beckoning.

"You're making a worried face again." She lightly traces a finger along his chin, playing with the cleft.

He leans down and kisses her. "Probably cause I'm worried." He whispers against her lips.

"Everyone is, and everyone is pretending they aren't." She tries to keep her voice even. She wipes her shoulder along her jaw in an attempt to hide the quiver in her lips.

Gil stands up straight with a sigh. "It's a balancing game right now." He gently drops a hand to her head and ruffles her silken strands. "But we'll navigate it alright, or drop the anchor if it gets too dark."

"As long as I'm with you guys, I'm not scared. Just worried."

He nods in approval. "And you think you're strange." He chuckles. "When you fit in so well."

"I guess I just need help chasing the mean away sometimes." Deez shrugs, "And you're very good at it."

"Give us a couple of years." Gil winks at her, "And there won't be much that needs chasing. Uma's one helluva guard." He grins, "And I've had my own share of practice."

They all had practice. Maybe that was why she found herself leaning on them more and more. Trusting that even when she didn't know what was wrong with herself, they would.

It felt weird, being so, so needy. Needing someone, anyone else.

But that had always been her problem, apparently.

She always ran.

Retreated when she didn't trust herself. Shut herself away until she could deal with whatever new thing was happening. Until she fixed a mistake or got strong enough to control herself.

She stopped letting herself depend on anyone. Was afraid to depend on anyone.

It was easier to listen to her father. To let him tell her she was too strange for mortals. Too different to ever belong.

Unlovable.

Unwanted.

Nothing more than a means to an end. An end to his miserable time on the isle.

She blinks at the blur in her eyes.

He'd done nothing her whole life but lie to her. It made her shiver as a coldness settled into her bones.

Gil frowns as he lowers his hammer and walks over to her before he slowly lowers himself to his knees. His hands cup her cheeks, dwarfing them as his thumbs wipe away her tears tenderly. "We've got you Deez, now and forever. You don't need to be afraid anymore. We'll chase away the mean, catch you at any fall, and love you when you can't love yourself. We've got you, and we're never letting you go. You're ours, just like we're yours. Nothing will ever change that." He chuckles warmly, "You're stuck with us."

She smiles up at him through the tears, amused that even with him on his knees she was barely at his eye level, "Sounds like the best place to be stuck." She admits.

"Even when it isn't, I promise you it is." He kisses her forehead.

She shakes her head before she cups her hands over the back of his, "I wasted too much time on all the lies," She sighs as she turns to kiss his palm, "My family is always going to be the best place to be."

Gil nods in approval, "Whenever you need to be reminded of the truth, you know where to come."

"At this point you've volunteered yourself for everything," Deez smiles as she steps into him, loving how easy it was to wrap her arms around his neck, "so I'll just go to you and trust you'll know what to do."

"Good." He smiles before he pulls back to claim her lips again. "I'm holding you to that."

"But-" She giggles against his lips, regretting that she had to be the one to remind them when all she wanted was to stay like this, "We still have a hammer to make."

"Right." He grins lazily before he stands, taking her hand and leading her to their forge. "Let's do this."

Uma shakes her head as she watches Faustina work in yet another workbook.

It really hadn't taken long for her to go from finding out she'd belonged with them all along to burying herself in school work. From being overwhelmed to calm and focused.

She was actually a little envious.

"Are you sure you don't want your own initiation?" She offers one more time. She'd really been remiss in not realizing sooner that T joining didn't necessarily mean that Faustina knew she'd joined.

Faustina looks up, placing down her pencil as she places her hands on her lap and fidgets. "I'm sure, I'm sorry I didn't realize how you felt sooner. It seems foolish now." She blushes, not lifting her eyes to meet her gaze. "Thank you. For all of it. That patience. The understanding. Just everything."

"Of course." Uma chuckles lightly before she reaches across the distance to rest her hand over Faustina's, "We're family that chose each other. That's even stronger than any other kind of bond." She lightly shrugs, "And while we might not be perfect, we'll always be there."

"Progress not perfection." Faustina breathes out as she hesitantly takes her hand. "It's what I've always said about my experiments… But I think it applies to most things. However, you guys are more than I could ever ask for. I'm truly blessed to be a part of this. A part of your family. What you've built is absolutely beautiful."

Uma can't help her smile and the way her shoulders pull back, "I've always thought so too. Rounding this family together is my best accomplishment. And becoming a Captain is a far second in things I'm proud of." She chuckles as she leans her elbows on the table, "And I knew T picked that up from somewhere else."

Faustina squeezes her hand lightly, "That's what makes you such an astoundingly impressive leader. You don't rule by fear, though you are quite fearsome, people follow you out of respect and admiration. You buck the trend and break the mold you were meant to fill. And do so with a smile. Defiant amongst defiance." She looks up meeting her gaze with a bright smile. "You inspire people to follow you. You don't just collect and demand. You collect and cajole with kindness and understanding."

"Behind closed doors." Uma sighs, "Cause unfortunately you can't do what you want without building up a rep first."

"While that's true- And I mean no disrespect for saying this, I think your biggest asset on the isle is that the other gangs know that your subordinates would die for you. They don't push because they know how far your gang will go to protect you, willingly. None of them can say the same thing. As much as the Rotten's were loyal to Mal, she never trusted it. Never trusted them..."

No one pushed. No one except Atilla. Her jaw tenses. And even though she and Mal had their differences, the only time they stepped on each other's toes towards the end was when Atilla fucked with Deez, and when Maleficent and Hades interfered with the gangs. And she'd never taken Mal for one to trust anything, so hearing that she never even trusted the loyalty of her crew really didn't surprise her.

Surprisingly, it hurt. Hurt to picture Mal feeling like that. She couldn't imagine not trusting Harry. Not trusting Gil. Not trusting Deez and T. Not trusting the girl in front of her. Poor Dragon. She kept herself isolated even in the middle of people who would have stood up for her until their bitter end.

Faustina tilts her head to the side as her green eyes bore into hers. "You're really incredible." She finally smiles. "I love watching you think."

"Oh?" Uma lifts an eyebrow, "What do I look like when I'm thinking?"

Faustina bites her lip, "Hard when you're unraveling the problem, but that slowly softens when you come to your conclusion. Your eyes start so cold and calculating until they warm with understanding. So different than the other leaders… Like you start purely intellectually, but it slowly unwinds into an empathetic comprehension. I've never seen any of the leaders do that… Not even in the beginning when there were like twenty of you vying for territory. Even then you stood out like a dolphin among sharks."

Uma grins, "Dolphin among sharks huh, I like that."

Faustina nods, "Sharks are pure predators working on instinct alone striving to be the biggest and strongest. Dolphins are intelligent, kind but ruthless when they need to be, and defensive when it calls for it, but work strongest in their pods."

"Oh stop," She playfully waves Faustina off before she reverses her hand, gesturing for her to keep the compliments coming, "You're making me blush."

Faustina giggles before she shakes her head, "Uma, I've watched almost everyone on this isle, and out of all of everyone, I truly believe you could be the one to bring real change to this place. Make it a place worth living. I know I said it in the pool, but I need you to know that I'm not just putting wind in your sails to make them billow. I want you to sail and set course for something greater than anything any of us could hope for..."

Uma tilts her head slightly before she entwines her fingers with Faustina's and presses their palms together, "I'm sorry if I seemed like I was brushing you off, and maybe I was at first-" She sighs, her brow furrowing before she continues, "But, I did hear you, listened to you. I talked it over with the rest of the family, and surprisingly to me, though, maybe not to you, they agreed with you."

"It's hard to see things about yourself, that is obvious to others..."

"Ain't that the fuckin' truth." Uma chuckles dryly, "Though it's been a while since I was on this side of the conversation." She squeezes Faustina's hand, "I'm not ready to let Deez give up on her dream, but it does sound like we're all ready to work to make sure that even if we never get out of here, we can find a life worth living."

Faustina's eyes crinkle as she studies her thoughtfully.

"I think that's the only reason I'm okay with what Harry and T are doing on the Isle right now," She sighs, "but it's also the reason I have to join them." Because part of her wasn't okay with what they were doing. And it felt wrong for them to be willing to do it, to kill to make the Isle a safer place. But if she were ever going to be able to lead, she had to be able to do what was necessary, right?

Faustina blinks at the change in tone, "Okay with what?" She asks curiously.

Uma stiffens, "You- You don't-" She closes her eyes as she runs her tongue over her suddenly dry lips, "Can you and T hide things from each other?"

Faustina nods. "I mean we typically don't…" She chews her lip, "But I know we can. I did it to him for years..."

Fuck. What a thing to stumble into with no warning. And with Gil's tongue lashing fresh in her mind. "Oh. Uh, well he's working to clean up- elements- that are not good for the children of the Isle."

"Oh…" Faustina narrows her eyes before she smiles. "That's good, they needed some cleaning."

Uma closes her eyes, "And the reason I feel the need to join them is because they shouldn't carry the burden of killing alone."

"Wait- What!?" Faustina's jaw drops as she stares at her dumbly. "T is what? With who? And you want to- I'm sorry." She snaps her mouth shut.

Uma sighs, "I'm not sure I should have gotten between you two like this, but we also have the rule of not keeping secrets." Her eyes harden slightly, "And there are times when that's the only option, like when you're defending yourself or defending someone who needs defending."

"There are dungeons. You have a Brigg-"

"I am not risking having those-" Uma shudders, "No, people like that, Brigg or no, are not welcome on my ship."

"But you'll risk that kind of weight-" Faustina stops herself as she takes a deep breath. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." She shakes her head.

"I'll step into the weight and carry it if it means the Isle is safer for little kids, for all of us." Uma sighs, "I don't have to like it, and I'm sorry I talked about this with you. You had no idea this was happening, and for me to-" She closes her eyes. She'd been looking for advice, or for someone else to tell her it was right or wrong. "I'm sorry. That was foul of me to do that."

"You're right, of course. I wouldn't want them on the ship either." Faustina lets out her breath. "But… How are you supposed to kill a monster without becoming one?" She asks her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "There has to be another way we're not seeing."

Uma lets out another sigh. A much deeper, heartsick sigh, "Deez has killed without becoming a monster. So, it can be done."

"Deez has never killed intentionally. She's never premeditated it."

"She killed in self-defense." Uma nods in agreement.

"But even still, that's different. It sounds like T and H-Harry are hunting these people down and that you wish to join them in their plight..."

"According to Harry, they're challenging them to a fight, and most of the time they were ambushed from the sound of it." She sighs, continuing to add to her list of why she wasn't really okay with this. She rubs her free hand to her temple.

Faustina's jaw tightens as she turns to glare at the book in front of her. "So not only are they killing, but he's also putting Harry at risk of dying?"

A chill chases itself down her spine as images of Harry's beaten and sliced open chest cloud her mind. How close had he come? "Hence me wanting to join them once-" she lets her breath out in a rush, "Once they head back out."

Faustina blinks before she turns back to her with a look of disapproval. "Do you really think that's a good idea? For you to sully yourself like that? Killing takes a toll, not just on your soul but on your view on life as well. Cora and Atilla are killers. They've killed for years. You think it started on whims? No. It started because they wanted to earn their OVs approval. And look where that's gotten them."

"I would never allow someone to do something for the betterment of the Isle that I wouldn't be willing to do. And this isn't to prove ourselves to our parents, it is to protect the helpless. To protect kids from rings like Har-" She closes her eyes, "To protect all the little street urchins that dress like T so they don't get attacked like Deez did. It's not ideal, but it's what we have to work with."

Green eyes scrutinize her, as her features become unreadable.

"Faustina?" Uma asks, biting her lip when the other girl's silence draws out far too long for her comfort.

"No, it's not ideal." Faustina agrees as she drops her eyes. "But when you put it that way... and if you really think there isn't a better solution…."

Uma takes a deep breath before she lets it out slowly, "Well, I don't know. That's why I've been needing to talk about it. Maybe I should go get Yensid too, I feel like between the three of us we can talk this out. Gil is completely against it, and Deez, while she probably knows more than she's letting on, is being kept away from it as much as we can."

"He's a real fucking bastard sometimes." Faustina huffs.

Who? Who could Faustina be so vehemently angry with? She'd never even heard the other girl curse. And as weird as it could be at times to reconcile that T and Faustina were two so distinct people, at that moment hearing those words come from her mouth felt completely wrong, despite all of T's course language. Oh- "T?"

Faustina turns back to her and nods. "Yes, T. " She frowns. "There are options. Better ones than this. He might not like them, agree with them. But you would've seen reason behind them. Him though? No, if he doesn't do it, then there's room for error. Self-absorbed little- oooh!" She puffs up her cheeks before she lets it out in a hiss. "How deep is he in this?"

If it were anyone else it probably would have come off as a demand.

Uma sighs before she rubs her thumb over the back of Faustina's hand before she lets her go. She was surprised the other girl hadn't ripped her hand away in disgust half a dozen times already, but maybe she was afraid of offending her. She leans back in her chair as she crosses her arms over her chest, "I don't know exactly how this started, but honestly, I thought you knew because you were the one who told me about the deals with Senior."

Faustina blinks before she frowns and falls silent. "He just offered names, he never told T what to do with them- I doubt I would've missed that piece- Unless T blocked it- Which he could've- But- I-" She grimaces as she brings her hand to her temple and rubs. "I don't know. I can't remember the details. I wasn't the one out."

"Hey, it's okay. I wasn't blaming you, I was explaining my own actions. Poorly." She takes a deep breath before she braces her palms flat against the table and stands, "Do you mind if I invite Yensid in for this?"

Faustina slowly shakes her head. "Of course not, Captain." She stands up. "Would you like me to retire to our room?"

Uma furrows her brow as she looks down at Faustina, "Why? I want your opinion on this too. Need it, actually."

"Oh." Faustina sits back down looking thoroughly surprised. "Of course Captain, if that's what you'd like."

"Thank you." She walks to the door before she looks back to the redhead, "I appreciate that I can count on you to help me like this."

"If you think I can help, I'd like to try." Faustina offers nervously.

Uma smiles, "You are. You helped me remember why I'm uncomfortable with this." She opens the door, "I'll be right back."

"Thank you."

"Thank you." She closes the door tight behind her before she rushes down the stairs.

She'd been avoiding this conversation because she was afraid of how it would look to the hero in her services to know that a bunch of kids were out on the Isle, willing to kill to defend and keep themselves safe.

That Deez had killed, knowing she didn't have other options, without even fully understanding the why of what she was doing.

It was weird, in a slightly funny, ironic way.

T was the instigator of this problem, or the solution to a bigger problem, depending on how you looked at it.

And Faustina was advising caution. Telling her there had to be another way. Like she was the cricket in the story with the wooden boy puppet thing.

She wasn't too proud to admit she could use a cricket or two right now.

Sup Fam?

So, whether from the blows of a hammer or verbal ones, they were certainly heavy in both these scenes.

At least Gil and D's scene was on a lighter note.

Man I love the irony there.

Speaking of though, what did you guys think of the scene between those two? Cute right? I mean hopefully that's what we were going for.

Of course it got a bit heavy with Deez's insecurities but no one can turn you around like Gil.

That scene between Uma and Faustina though…

That was some heavy shit.

Way to go Faustina, making Uma question everything.

Gods, they T and his 'sister' can be on completely different shores sometimes.

But more importantly, what did you think about Uma and Faustina's convo? Do you like them? Or, ya know, could do without? Kinda pointless to ask this now since book 5 is already written just curious and shit…

Much love and appreciation,

-Twisted