The night air was cold on his cheeks, but thankfully the large coat he had filched off of a doctor years ago kept Tootle's body warm as he scaled the side of the building and made his way down the road towards the small out of place shed that marked the doorway back to Neverland. Tootles had been with Peter the longest, being a smart boy he often stole food whenever he joined Peter on his adventures. He loved Neverland, and her promises of never having to grow up in a cold unforgiving world. Not that his captain was neither cold nor unforgiving, but Peter was a fair captain who truly did not think ill of any of his boys. Nights like this however, Tootles would avoid returning home unless he absolutely had to. Peter did order him back to the ship but as he did not specify a time he had to be back he found himself lagging, walking as slowly as possible and smelling the air around him for any traces of food upon it.
He was just following the trail of a particularly good scent when it struck him that he was heading to the same party that the boy had taken a tumble over the balcony of. He slowed his pace at the sight of two officers talking to a girl with wavy blonde hair who seemed to be clutching onto a woman who looked a lot like her like she was a liferaft in a turbulent sea. He was practically standing still at this point, not wanting to muddy his boots on the pool that had formed in the road, when he found himself listening in on what was being said.
"I was just getting a breath of fresh air, looking up at the stars, when suddenly William came walking out and he… he just kept walking. He didn't hear me call out to him and he was looking up that way." Tootles stiffened a bit as she pointed in his direction but after taking a few steps into a shadowed alley he noticed that no one was looking at where he was standing. They all had their eyes on where Peter had been sitting not thirty minutes before.
"And you say you attempted to stop him miss Darling?" The larger of the two officers asked as the smaller of the two wrote something on a notepad.
"Yes but he was quite fast and I barely had a grip on his arm before he was falling." The girls lip quivered as she spoke and Tootles felt himself scoff at the sight, girls were so sensitive it was laughable really. His best mate, the last Cubby, fell to starvation before his very eyes and he didn't shed a tear, that was simply how things went. He shook his head slowly at the sight of tears gleaming in her eyes. Truly she didn't have to act that put off by it all. Why, he would be willing to bet his own key that he had seen far more gruesome deaths than a simple tumble.
He was just thinking about how he could slip into the party and snatch up a few pastries when a voice caused him to jump and lock eyes with the smaller of the two officers. The man called out to him once again and he quickly turned away, intent on simply circling around the building and continuing on his way and hoping to find some food before he made it back to the ship. However the smaller officer did not seem intent at all in allowing him to do so. He felt a hand on his shoulder mere feet into the alleyway and cried out in surprise at the strength that the hand held. He twisted around, his hand already on the handle of his sword and his eyes narrowing as he prepared to fight off the man.
"Oi! Calm down there!" The officer commanded as his own hand went to the nightstick at his hip. Tootles snarled then and pulled his sword. The man seemed to calm a bit when the grain of the wood was shown in the faint light of the street lamps, something that he shouldn't have done. He crouched low, both hands on the hilt of his sword now, and lunged forward aiming at the man's gut. The officer dodge him and pulled the nightstick, bringing it down hard across his shoulders. Tootles cursed under his breath as the sting of it spread out across his back. He scrambled to gain some distance before twisting back around, swinging the sword as he did so.
Thwack! Shhhick!
Wood met metal as his sword connected with the nightstick. There was only a heartbeat of resistance before his sword sliced through the nightstick, the end of it rattling across the ground as the officer stood staring at him in shock. He felt his lips pulling up into a cocky smirk much like his captains before he was rushing forward once again. He swung at the man's head, ready to lob it off his shoulders as he had done many pirates before, only for the man to dodge and his sword to find footing in the wall behind the man.
Tootles pulled it free quickly and turned to face the man once again. The officer had landed on the ground on his bum with a look of terror on his face. Tootles wasn't used to this. When he fought his enemy had many looks; sadistic glee, anger, determination, but never terror. Peter's teachings echoed in his mind. Never fight unfairly, it is no fun to take down someone who could not defend themselves. He slid his sword back into his belt and narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Adults. Bah." He spat at the ground beside where the man sat and turned his back, running quickly down the alleyway and out onto another street. He didn't stop running until he was a few blocks from where he had fought the man. He slowed to a steady walk as he shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes flicking from side to side as he went. He was on the look out for anyone following him now, on top of his search for food. It was an hour or more before he found a small shop on a back street that was still open. He slipped inside and ducked his head to hide his face from anyone who would happen to be looking his way. With practiced casualty, he made his way to the back where a long row of pastries sat out teasingly before him.
He didn't taste the first roll, he simply shoved it in his mouth when no one had their eyes on him and swallowed it nearly whole. The hollow pit that was his stomach cried out in joy at the new intrusion, only making his ravenous hunger that much more apparent to his mind. Two more quickly followed before a few were stuffed into the deep pockets of his coat. He was feeling full for the first time in quite a long time indeed, finally able to taste the remains of the last delight on his teeth. Sticky sweet and faintly tasting of berries. He ducked his head once more as he licked his lips and reached for a small bag of what looked like brown beans. They went into his other pocket before he turned and just as casually made his way back into the chill that awaited him outside.
The beans ended up being chocolate covered raisins. Sweets were something that he rarely got a chance to taste, he savored them as slowly as he could but soon the bag was empty and tossed on the side of the road. The rolls were eaten before he made it to the next block and his body was fighting him due to it. His hunger was satiated but now his eyes burned and his eyelids dropped lower with each step. His body wanted to sleep, something that would be rectified as soon as he made his way onboard Neverland once again.
It didn't take much longer for him to find the door of the shack, tucked away in a far corner of Kensington Gardens. Out of sight of anyone who wasn't looking for it, and out of mind of any who did not have a key or Peter to show them the way. Tootles pulled his sword from his belt and idly thought that he should've grabbed himself a drink from the fountain as the door swung open for it. His swords tip flowed vaguely, a color that he could not quite describe, one he doubted that anyone else had ever seen before.
The door opened onto a void that was much the same color as the glowing tip of his sword and he felt a sense of relief wash through him. The feeling of returning home had him practically skipping through the portal, a large smile on his lips as his feet found their way onto the worm boards that made up the deck of the Neverland. His smile was met by matching grins of the twins, each carrying one side of Slightly towards the edge of the ship. He watched as they tossed them overboard before turning and making his way to the bow of the ship where Nibs was on his hands and knees scrubbing away the residue of Slightlys body. They always made such a mess after they passed, surprising since there didn't seem to be much in them to leave behind.
"'Ello Nibs." He called out cheerfully as he slid his sword back into his belt.
"Tootles! Where's the captain?" Nibs asked as he looked up at the smiling young man.
"He hasn't returned yet?" Tootles was surprised, he had taken quite a long while returning home so Peter should have been back for a long long time now. He felt itchy at the thought and scratched the back of his neck as he looked down quickly. The captain being away from the ship did not mean very much, the boys were ever obedient to him even when he wasn't around. Tootles simply felt safer when Peter was around. If the Jolly Roger found where they were drifting now the ship would undoubtedly be taken over.
The sound of bells had Tootles, and everyone else on board for that matter, looking towards the galley doors. A light was growing brighter from behind them, causing the boys to take in a collective breath. Each knew what they were about to witness even as the doors flew open on their own. Fairies were a rare species now, in fact Tootles was quite certain that their resident Fairy was the last one in existence.
She was short, two feet tall, with wings that spanned out three and a half feet from her shoulder blades. Their gossamer shine was illuminated from within causing her to have an ethereal glow that made her seem otherworldly. Her height had nothing on the aura she gave off, she could have been the size of his thumb and she would still feel like she took up the entire deck when she made her way onto it. With her wide knowing eyes and slightly upturned nose she looked as if she could see the entire universe and far beyond that at the same time. Her clothes were draped lovingly around a form that would belong to a woman from every mans dream. Her hair, sunshine yellow with traces of honey, was tied into a tight bun and glimmered golden where the light of the stars graced it. Her leather apron was covered in the same golden dust that sparkled in her hair, letting them know that she had been hard at work on the Never Tree in her cabin.
She turned to study each boy in turn, her lips never moving as the sound of bells filled the air once again. Each boy understood what she was saying however, she wanted to know why Peter had not yet returned. There was an uncomfortable shift among the boys, Tootles was no exception to this as he shifted from foot to foot and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. Aside from Peter, Tinkerbell was the force to be reckoned with on board the Neverland. A fact that was not undermined by Tootles himself being named the first mate of the ship.
"Aye miss Bell, Peter and I went out to London town in search of a replacement Cubby, but somethin' went wrong an' he told me to come home. I thought he would be coming before me because he can fly like you miss but he hasn't shown up yet." Tootles quickly spoke as she leveled her gaze on Nibs, she didn't like the new Nibs and he feared she would make the replacement count three rather than two. Tootles didn't know much about mathematics, but he knew the more replacements they needed the more stressed and likely to slit throats Peter would become.
More bells filled the air as her empty yet infinitely filled gaze landed upon him. He gulped back the bile that the sound cause to raise in his throat and nodded his head quickly. She wanted to know why he had not waited for Peter before he returned home.
"Well you see miss Bell, Peter he told me to come home and I did, like I said he's faster and I-" he was cut off by the quick and vicious sound of bells. They caused him to take a step back as he winced away from her. "No miss Bell, I don't believe he could have gotten into any trouble. Neverland is stationed so he could always find his way home if-" once more he was cut off by the bells, this time much softer ones that held an edge of worry to them. "Aye he has his key, right around his neck he does. I think perhaps he wanted to keep looking for the replacement. Though Slightly…" He let his voice fade away as he motioned to the side of the ship. She nodded in understanding and turned her back on the boys once again as a lighter tune of bells echoed around them.
"Aye I can go." Tootles looked up to see Curly making his way down from the crows nest. "I know London town fairly well, Peter and I went lots of times before." He puffed his chest out with pride as he landed beside Tootles on the deck, the acorn around his neck glimmering gold against the stars. Tootles smirked at his boast, Curly had not been in London town for quite some time, far longer than any other boy aboard the ship. There was a gleeful feeling that passed through him at the thought of Curly alone in the now massive maze of streets.
"Yeah, let Curly go." He said as he playfully shoved the other boy. It would be fun to see how long it took Curly to find his way home after he got lost in the streets. Tootles was already ready to make bets with Nibs and the twins on just how long Curly would be away. Time didn't exactly flow on the Neverland, so they tended to bet on terms of how many times a new member was introduced, or how often Tinkerbell came up from her cabin to grace them with her image. It was simple and a fun way to pass the never ending void of their lives, at least until Hook and his crew found them and they had to once again go on the run.