Fifteen Years After The Barrier. (16 AB) Four years before the barrier breaks.
"Lota, what are you doing?" Lota froze, half out the window. Carlos watched as she clearly debated whether or not to answer the question. Half of him was insulted that she even considered not telling him. They were twins. Two halves of a whole The other half really didn't want to know what it was if she was considering not telling him. Lota told him everything.
"Sorry 'Los," He shoulders dropped as she turned to face him, still half out the window "but I- I have to go. If I stay, she'll tear me apart, destroy what's left of my sanity." He'd known Lota wasn't as mentally stable as him. It was mainly her own fault, she wandered around at night by herself after all, but they still ended up inheriting different facets of their mother's personality. Carlos was a Diva in the making. Lota was half-mad. She baulked at their mother's lessons in glamour. She could be fierce, but that was the only lesson that really stuck. When Cruella called them for Diva lessons, Lota ran off, narrowly escaping grabbing hands and wandering eyes. Carlos learned how to sew a handkerchief, Lota learned how to do the most damage with a knife. Carlos learned about make-up and Lota learned how to castrate. They both knew how to make their very presence heard though. It was impossible to ignore a De Vil, no matter which one it was.
"Lota-"
"She's going to sell my soul for a fur coat." There was more to it than that, there had to be. But Lota was leaving more and more lately, coming back less and less – and not just physically.
"You'll die out there." He said, instead of a hundred other little things.
"And I'll die if I stay. If I'm going out, I'm going out on my own terms." She paused "you could come with me." He couldn't. Lota was fierce, Lota was half-mad. Lota was unhinged and mentally unstable and twirled knives between her fingers like they were pencils. Some sidekicks went running when they heard Lota was around. If his sister was an animal, she'd be a dog. His twin sister would be a rabid pack animal. He decided he didn't want to think about that.
"We both know that isn't an option Lota." She smiled sadly. Maybe… maybe they weren't as alike as he'd always thought. After all, Carlos used his words when confronted with something he didn't like. Lota just bit.
Lota sighed. "I thought that would be your answer." She turned away, sitting on the ledge with her back to him. "If you hear about my death, don't believe it."
"You'd better not die out there," Carlos warned. "I'd hate to be an only child."
She glanced over her shoulder, smirking. "Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil, if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will." She sang, dropping down from the window. Carlos sat back on his mattress, Lota's laugh echoing around the room as she ran off into the night.
"Well, what's a De Vil doing all the way out 'ere?" the girl spun, knife in hand, the trade-mark black and white hair falling over her eyes. Jaz knew she was a De Vil from the hair alone, though hers was black streak with white rather than the half black half white of the infamous Cruella De Vil.
"Hook." De Vil stated. Jaz smirked. The girl was dressed for the night, a far cry from most kids she found wandering around at this hour, a black leather jacket and dark red skirt over black tights with a ladder running up the leg.
"Yer strayin' dangerously far from home De Vil." De Vil smirked, eyeing Jaz's hook.
"On the contrary, Hook, I'm exactly where I want to be." Jaz raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, so ye want ta get caught by Scar an' his lions." De Vil shrugged. Jaz had been safe from the pride since she'd made an alliance with Scar's son, Seff. Harriet hadn't approved, but Harriet rarely approved of anyone her siblings chose to hang out with.
"Not particularly. I just wanted out." The knife twirled between her fingers, like the sticks the cheerleaders sometimes had on TV during celebrations.
"Ye wanted out. So ye decided wanderin' around at night was a good idea."
"My mother is Cruella De Vil, and if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will." There was a dangerous look in her eye. Like the one Pa got after he'd drunk too much alcohol, right before he had a go at Harry. Again. Pa always had a problem with Harry. He wasn't strong enough, too willing to follow orders. Nothing like a captain should be. Which either lead to praise for Harriet before the idiot passed out or yet another attempt to kill Harry. There were days when Jaz wondered why her brother stuck around rather than just running after Uma. Others, she'd glad he did. if Pa was yelling at Harry, that meant he wasn't paying any attention to her.
"Just because ye ain't scared doesn't mean they won't eat ye. Or worse." De Vil didn't seem scared, if her smile was anything to go by.
"I think I can handle it." She shifted slightly, and there was another knife in her other hand. Where the fuck had that come from? That was the point Jaz decided she wanted the De Vil girl on her side.
"Jasmine Hook," she stated, holding out a hand. "Call me Jaz."
"Charlotte De Vil." The knife in her right hand vanished. "that's a cool hook you've got."
"Well, Lottie, I could say the same thin' about yer knives. How many ye got?"
"More than you'd think." The look in her eyes changed, more predatory than insane. Interesting.
"I think, that this is the beginning of something... interesting."
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Well, CJ and Harriet would like Lottie at any rate, and Harry would pretend to hate her while secretly watching their backs, like he did with Freddie and Celia after CJ decided they were hers. He'd probably do the same with Harriet's crew, but Harriet can kick his ass any day.
"So, you got yer own little follower now." Harriet watched as Jasmine jumped, spinning around. Idiot needed to learn to be more aware of her surroundings. It'd get her killed one day if she wasn't.
"Hey sis." Jasmine greeted. Calista waved from her bed, not looking up from where she was attaching more feathers to her hat.
"De Vil? Really? That's your choice of follower." Harriet raised an eyebrow and Jasmine crossed her arms. So, she wasn't going to back down. Last time Jasmine got a follower, she'd ditched them after Harriet showed her disapproval. To be fair, the idiot was asking to get killed by hanging out with the lion boy. Scars pride didn't stand for outsiders, and Harriet wasn't about to let her effort keeping all three of her younger siblings alive this long go to waste.
"Hey, I don't turn my nose up at your crew. Besides, it's more like a partnership." Somehow, Harriet was sure that was worse. Then again, Calista, the moron, had joined up with the Facillier sisters, so a De Vil wasn't that bad. At least De Vil's didn't have magic. How the fuck had Harriet ended up with three siblings with no self-preservation? She really needed to stop saving their asses in situations they could get themselves out of.
"Partners in what?" Calista asked, tossing a small rock at Jasmine's head. Jasmine rolled her eyes as she caught it.
"Rampant destruction, obviously. Lottie's, like, one of the smartest people on the isle. And she's good in a fight."
"So are most people." Harriet left before the twins got into yet another argument, only to be greeted by yelling as she exited the cabin. Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Time to go save Harry from Pa's wrath. Again. Fool just couldn't keep his head down. She'd consider just letting him suffer the consequences of his actions, but Harry was generally just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This was Harriet's life. Keeping tabs on her siblings, making sure Jasmine and Calista didn't get themselves into too much trouble and bailing Harry out when Pa got drunk. Harriet's running theory was that Harry reminded Pa too much of Pan, which didn't make much sense, but it was the only one she had. Not that Captain James Hook gave a damn about any of his kids anyway, but Harry definitely annoyed him the most. Pa didn't really look at Calista, the only one to get their Ma's hair, and Jasmine spent every moment she could off the ship so she was never really there to yell at. Harriet was the only one he wasn't completely disappointed with. Harriet had a crew, and a ship, she was feared on the Isle. She just cared about three annoying pests that would probably get themselves killed through sheer stupidity without her a little too much.